The NCAA Tourney that could have been

It wasn't supposed to end like this. Storybooks don't end like that. Jimmy Chitwood knocks down the shot at the buzzer. Gordon Hayward had not one, but two chances, to recreate Hoosiers. But alas, the fairytale ending wasn't meant to be. And it should have never happened in the first place.

The 2010 Tournament was very solid, and about a few inches from going down in history as one of the greatest games, shots, and month ever. Monday night's game will go down as the game that almost was. Ten years down the road, 2010 will most likely be the year that is remembered by Butler's run to the championship game. But in all honesty, this never would have happened 30 years ago. Butler's run only could have happened at this moment in history.

The one-and-done rule is skewing the balance of power in college basketball. It's not really a surprise that only one number one seed made it to this years Final Four. If you look at some of the young talent in the NBA, that is who Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Brian Zoubek should have been playing against in the NBA. As a matter of fact, there's no way Duke would have been a number one seed if the NBA got ride of the one-and-done.

Let's look at a few of some potential teams. This year's national player of the year, Evan Turner, would not only have all of his current teammates, but also #1 draft pick Greg Oden, Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley Jr., and sniper Daequon Cook. Or how about another #2 seed, Kansas State? Not only would they have the combination of Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen but also Michael Beasley and Bill Walker? This year's Syracuse squad would feature first-rounders Jonny Flynn and Donte Greene.

And that's just teams that made the tournament this year. UCLA would feature quite the combination of Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook. Memphis would have the phenomenal backcourt of Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. And Stanford would still have the twin towers (literally) in Brook and Robin Lopez. Would Butler be able to still make it through a bracket full of world beaters like this? Possible, but highly unlikely.

But the team that would have been dominant is the Texas Longhorns. If Kevin Durant can dominate the NBA the way he has, I'm pretty sure he'd be walking all over the NCAA as an upperclassman. With the likes of Damion James, Dexter Pittman, Avery Bradley and 2008 lottery pick DJ Augustin, Texas very well could have rolled the table and gone undefeated. Sure, a Cinderella story like Butler is nice. But imagine a Texas vs. Ohio State national championship. Ten first round draft picks on the floor, with more than likely a half dozen of them going into the lottery. You like a Cinderella story? I'll take a clash of the titans.