The moral of the story after all is said and done, you want to be the overall number one seed on Selection Sunday. The Louisville Cardinals were that team this year and they were the only number one seed to make the Final Four. They were joined by two number fours and a number nine seed. And at the end of the day, they were the last team standing.

Louisville beat a tough Michigan Wolverines team, that should be hell on wheels if they can keep the NBA Draft from raiding their fine young team, in what was the most entertaining national title game in a long time. Both teams were red hot in the first half with Spike Albrecht and Luke Hancock both holding a three-point shooting contest that would make Lee Humphrey jealous. In the second half though, it was all about Chane Behannen battling on the offensive glass and Peyton Siva making one big play after another to hold off the Wolverines. It was a game that neither team deserved to lose.

So Louisville wins the 2013 national championship as the number one overall seed. The Kentucky Wildcats were the overall number one a year ago and won it all. Two rivals from Kentucky with two contrasting styles. Kentucky coach John Calipari wants to grab every top recruit he can and win with future NBA lottery picks. Pitino recruits players who are going to be there for the long haul. Evidently, both methods work as the state of Kentucky is becoming to basketball what Alabama is to football. Kentucky will likely be ranked #1 in the preseason next year unless the Wolverines get lucky and all their players return.

Duke won the Tournament in 2010 as a one seed. They were not the overall number one that year though as the Kansas Jayhawks received that honor. In 2009, the North Carolina Tar Heels won as a number one seed even though Louisville was the overall number one. In 2008, the Jayhawks won as a number one seed, but North Carolina was the overall number one. But in 2007, the Florida Gators were the overall number one and went on to win it all.

So the point is, when filling out your brackets next year, put a one seed down as your national champion, and the overall number one would be a good choice. That is six number one seeds to win the championship in the last seven years and three times it was the overall number one, including the last two. So for you casual basketball fans that don’t tune in until March because “the regular season does not matter”,  you have been proven wrong. The regular season decides who gets the one seeds. So start paying attention early. It all starts now when the underclassmen will start to test their draft status.

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