Since my early days as a sports fan, I've been fascinated with college basketball. The top 25 rankings, the 200+ teams, the NCAA Tournament -- it's an incredible sport to follow, and an even better sport to attend live. 

My brother and I in a Canadian bar the day before the 2009 NCAA Final Four in Detroit

As a Detroit Lions season ticket holder (2006 - 2008), I was placed on a short list to purchase 2009 NCAA Final Four tickets. I submitted my application and payment for the tickets a year in advance, and was notified a few months later that my application was accepted. 

My tickets from the 2009 Final Four along with a silly promotional photo given out during the week's events 

Thank you for joining me as I detail #6 on my list of the ten greatest games I've ever attended. If you're new to this series, welcome! Please read the previous posts here:

Series Introduction

#10. 2006 NHL Playoffs Edmonton vs. Detroit Game 1

#9. 2007 Music City Bowl

#8. ND @ MSU Football, 9/23/2006

#7. 2011 ALDS Game 3 

Although the Final Four consists of three games, I decided to combine this weekend into a single post and cover them as I would a single event. Here is a quick overview of the games and then my incredible experience attending them. 

The Game(s) 

2009 National Semifinal: MSU vs. UCONN 

Led by NBA star Kemba Walker, a freshman at the time, UCONN was a #1 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and favored to defeat the Spartans in the National Semifinal (UNC -4.5). Draymond Green and the Michigan State team was up to the task, playing in front of a very friendly crowd in Detroit. There were Spartans fans everywhere, and this was most likely the second loudest crowd I had ever been surrounded by in my life (the first is also on this list). 

Michigan State went into half-time with a two-point lead, and through many ups and downs in the second half, they were able to pull away for the victory. 

2009 National Semifinal: UNC vs. Villanova 

I wouldn't quite call it boring, but this game was never in doubt. The heavily favored North Carolina Tar Heels (-7) dominated Villanova from start to finish. Everything now was set up for a Michigan State vs. North Carolina National Championship game. 

2009 NCAA National Championship: UNC vs. Michigan State

Much like their performance in the National Semifinal, North Carolina was absolutely relentless, jumping out to a twenty point lead in the first half of the game. The air was sucked right out of the stadium and Michigan State was unable to mount any type of comeback. 

My Experience 

If the games would've been any better, this event may have made it to the top of my list because of my incredible experience and the many memories I still have to this day. 

As I mentioned, I applied to purchase these tickets (it's very hard to purchase Final Four tickets early) a year in advance. When I applied, I asked my roommate if he would go with me. Regardless of who ended up in the Final Four, we were both in. 

We joked about the possibility of a Michigan State vs. North Carolina National Championship, but we never actually thought it would happen. When it did, it was almost surreal. There we were with our favorite teams in the National Championship game. Although I still desperately wanted my Spartans to win, everything else lining up perfectly made the loss much easier to bare. 

Very hammered in Windsor, Ontario with a hat I found in the garbage

The day before the Final Four was to begin, my roommate, brother, and several others who didn't have tickets for the game decided to drive up with us and stay in the hotel room we booked in Ontario, Canada. 

This was a lot of fun, and also a very bad idea. As you can see in the image above, I had a little bit too much to drink. The oversized sombrero was found in a garbage can, and I decided to wear it for the rest of the night. I remember falling over the rope to get inside a club and my brother convincing the bouncer that someone had pushed me. 

The next day was a mess, and I had little interest in going to the basketball games because my head was pounding and I "lost" the food I had partially digested the previous night. 

I was able to sober up and we headed over to Detroit for the games. 

Me and legendary commentator Dick Vitale

The Final Four brings out many celebrities from the world of sports. I was able to meet Dick Vitale, Mark Aguirre, Mike Tirico (I have a picture with him as well but can't find it), and many others. 

Going to school in Peoria, Illinois at the time (Bradley University), I had to make a 7-hour drive back from Detroit to take a test the next day. Unfortunately, I woke up that morning with the flu. And I don't just mean a slightly elevated fever and a headache, I mean the bad kind of flu with liquids pouring out of both ends (sorry for being graphic!). The drive back included naps at rest stops in my car and drinking lots of fluids. 

All in all, it was one of the greatest sporting event related experiences of my life. I know there are aspects of the story I am leaving out, but I'll end this here. Feel free to ask me questions and thank you for reading my story. 

Stay tuned for #5 on my list, and if you like what you've read, please consider following me and giving this post an upvote.