Glendale, Arizona – The thought of sitting in the rafters is one thing but actually doing it is another.

Looking past the grey painted, slightly rusted beams supporting the wide spanning roof just to see the figures move on the floor. Sitting in the same plain as the massive light fixtures illuminating the stadium creates its own challenges. Those daring enough to look straight ahead meet with a blinding white light.

On the floor, the players look like ants. It takes multiple trips down the floor before the distant person is matched with a name and number on the video screen. Guessing is the only hope of seeing who committed a foul if more than two players are in the area.

The stadium tries its best. Close your eyes and the floor feels feet away. Floor noise, the bands, and even coaches chatter is pumped out of hanging speakers to increase the experience for the ones on the upper level.

This is how watching the men’s Final Four from the nose bleeds goes for the fans wanting to experience college basketball at its best. Fans jam into a football stadium to watch a game played in an arena four times smaller. Needless to say they are a few difficulties.

Before going forward, the key note to all of this. The Final Four ranks with the Super Bowl in overall fan experience. Nothing beats watching the four teams, down from 68, battle to cut down the nets. Complaining about sitting near the top would be selfish but watching from above does provide a new twist.

From above, everything is within view. Not a very clear or close view but never the less still there. As the lower bowl watched South Carolina quickly move the ball on a fast break, while we saw Gonzaga star Przemek Karnowski lay in the lane clutching at his right eye. On that play the reaction came from upstairs first.

The only problem was no one knew what had actually happened. Some fans thought concussion, others thought he got slapped in the face, and a handful correctly said he’d been hit in the eye. He ended up going to the locker room for treatment, which was clear as day for everyone in the stadium. Karnowski stands taller than seven feet.

An overwhelming amount of fouls highlighted Monday nights National Championship game. Looking down at the scoreboard with just under ten minutes to go to find Gonzaga is in the double bonus. We heard the speaker amplified whistle often during the second half.

At every call very few could truly say, with certainty, they knew what the call was and who it was on. North Carolina senior Kennedy Meeks, who played with four fouls late in the second half, fouled out for many upper level fans numerous times. All eventually came to learn it was a jump ball or a foul on Isaiah Hicks.

If the officials made a decision, most of which are too far away to see visibly, the sure fire way to know is to listen to the crowd. Good call and the crowd is quiet. Bad call and the crowd will erupt, leaving the top deck to figure out what happened.

During the title game people used binoculars to feel closer to the court. With improved internet signal inside University of Phoenix Stadium, fans would have the March Madness app open to live video, giving them up to the minute replays. That was the only way anyone figured out why Joel Berry II shot free throws for an unseen technical foul.

An overwhelming amount of plays left the upper level questioning, thankfully the game was decided by a center court turnover. Everyone got a semi-equal view of the game ending play.

Watching in person and taking in the near unbelievable environment is unmatchable. Whatever seat, high or low, the experience will not disappoint.

There’s nothing like the Final Four.

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After being on the losing end of Kris Jenkins’ game-winner last year, North Carolina returned to the Final Four seeking redemption. They got it.

In a slow-moving game of poor shooting and questionable foul calls, the Tar Heels did just enough to outlast the Gonzaga Bulldogs to capture the sixth title in school history and the third for head coach Roy Williams.

Typically in big games, there is a shot that stands out. A shot that puts the game away or widens the gap enough to make it feel out of reach. That shot never came for North Carolina. Not many shots did.

The Tar Heels shot just 35.6 percent from the field and 14.8 percent (4-for-27) from three. Hardly the showing expected from one of college basketball’s most efficient offenses. The team would not allow a less-than-average shooting night, to put it lightly, to send it to back-to-back title game losses. Instead, it found other ways to scratch out the victory.

In their win over Oregon in the semifinal game, two big rebounds from Theo Pinson and Kennedy Meeks with under six seconds to play made the difference. Against Gonzaga, it was a Meeks block that led to a Justin Jackson run-out dunk that capped off their title run.

“Play hard, play smart, play together.”  The Carolina Way prevailed this year in Glendale.

The game was as even of a matchup as anyone could want in a national title game. Neither team led by double digits at any point in the game, and the longest scoring runs were both 8-0. First, North Carolina started the second half on that run. Gonzaga immediately followed with one of identical value. Even with the balanced play, the game was, well, just boring.

Officials called 44 personal fouls in the game. As a result the game never had a natural flow. It crawled along at a sluggish pace, and every time it felt like someone hit a big shot, a foul was called and everything calmed back down.

Excitement lacking, the Tar Heels prevailed this year. I’m sure they’ll take the monotonous win over an electrifying loss every time.

As for Gonzaga, defeat never feels good, and it’s tough to come up short.  Just ask half of the players in the opposing locker room. While the Bulldogs didn’t earn a victory, they did earn some respect.

This was the 19^th year in a row the Bulldogs had made the big dance, but their first time reaching the Final Four. Failing to advance far enough in the tournament has led many critics to question whether Gonzaga is an elite program or not.

Elite? Not sure we can say that just yet. But make no mistake. The Zags are good.

It wasn’t the best game for either team, but both sides showed tremendous fight all the way to the final buzzer. Led by Wooden Award finalist Nigel Williams-Goss, Mark Few’s group showed the entire country that they can compete with some of the best teams in the country. In fact, they proved that they are one of the best teams in the country.

There was nothing mid-major about the Bulldogs’ effort. No, the result wasn’t there, but not many teams get the result they want their first time vying for a title with a powerhouse like North Carolina. The next time Mark Few and his guys get to this point, they’ll be the ones hungry for redemption.

Another NCAA Tournament is in the books, and the North Carolina Tar Heels finally got their moment. There is just one more question left to ask about college basketball. How long until Midnight Madness 2017?

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