As the Final Four rears its ugly head towards me, I can’t help but stare at its ugly and grotesque face.

Why?

Because I am a college basketball fan. And I’m just barely hanging on to dear life?

Even though I complain that the Tournament is losing its magic, which it is, I still will watch just about every round ’til the day I die.

Maybe I could see a better matchup than that abomination of a Final Four game that is being played between Indiana and Oklahoma.

All the teams in the Final Four are deserving of the honor, since they defeated the respective teams in their region; however, that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I may even be happier with four No. 1 seeds, which would create better games. Or maybe just three No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 seed, just in case Duke is the other No. 1 seed.

But it is better than seeing Duke get back into the Final Four, even though the Dukies are the best team in the nation.

As Indiana defeated Duke in the Sweet 16, there was not one person in the world who was happier than I was.

I have never hated a team as much as the Duke Blue Devils. But I am not the only person that shares that sentiment.

Just about every single person I talk to, other than Duke fans, hates Duke. There is no happy median for anyone in deciding whether or not to like the Dukies. Only extremists are welcome (Hi, Osama).

Duke is the team that looks too good, kicks the crap out of every team, doesn’t talk trash because its players are such good gentlemen.

God, I hate them.

OK, so maybe the Final Four isn’t so bad, since Duke is out of the running for the title.

The only problem is that Kansas made it. I know coach Roy Williams gets blasted every year for choking in the big games, but I don’t care. There is something about the Jayhawks that likens them to Duke. Maybe it’s the colors, or just the way the team gets things done during the regular season.

No, I know what it is .

It’s the Midwest. I hate the Big XII, regardless of the sport. Every team that is in it just asks for me to hate it.

The bias I have against the Big XII teams, which is highly unfair, is that it is just a slow brand of the sport they are playing in.

Don’t ask me why I think that, especially with Texas football chuckin’ the ball around, and even Kansas runs the court aplenty.

But I don’t care.

Biases affect me so much that I will hate a team even though I know that the only reason I don’t like them is completely unjustified.

At least I’m truthful.

So Oklahoma is also a hated team, considering it is in the Big XII, but the Sooners are relatively new to the Final Four scene, so I will cut them some slack.

But not that much?

The only reason I don’t care that Indiana made it is because the Hoosiers defeated Duke, but I would have been much happier with Kent State making it.

Indiana earned the victory against Duke, even though Jason Williams got a shot at the four-point play (who calls that?).

I know Indiana will win it all, just because of my luck.

Rams lose, Lakers will probably win again, and now this. What a year.

I liked the fact that Bobby Knight was run out of Indiana, but they still have Tom Coverdale.

Oh man, how much I hate watching him play. It’s like a spitting image of Steve Wojciechowski?

?OVERRATED.

Maryland is the only team I like in the Final Four, and only because the Terps live to play and choke to Duke. They are the only team in the country that I believe can consistently defeat Duke.

That really doesn’t matter now, but it counts in my book. Mentality is everything?even when you are just a bunch of choke artists.

This Final Four is not a great Final Four, but neither is it the worst Final Four I have seen, only because of the Maryland Kansas matchup.

I will probably skip the Indiana-Oklahoma game to pursue other interests? Such as staring at a wall.

I guess there’s only team that I want to watch in the Final Four.

Oh well? I guess that is one more than I thought from the beginning of the Tournament.

Asad welcomes feedback at: [email protected].