At last, the stage is set for The Big Dance

One of my favorite times of the sports calendar, and one of my favorite weeks for that matter, finally is here.

I'm talking about the NCAA basketball tournament, the 65-team extravaganza that seems to capture the imagination of the nation.

It certainly captures mine. To me there is no better sporting event than the Big Dance, mainly because of its single-elimination format that so often means the better squad doesn't advance.

While it's rare for the lower seeds to win very many games, several annually pull off first-round upsets, which is why I enjoy following this week's opening games.

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Congratulations to the Notre Dame girls basketball team, which fell one win short of a state title but still had a sensational season.

When I saw the Bulldogs play back in December, I thought they had a great chance to make the final four. They did and then gave top-ranked Webb City a serious run for its money before losing 60-53 in Saturday's Class 4 championship game.

I'll be interested to follow the college career of Notre Dame's Jane Morrill, a 6-foot-1 senior who will play basketball at Arkansas State.

Morrill is one of the better players this area has produced over the years and I'll be surprised if she doesn't experience plenty of success on the Division I level.

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It's almost unfair that other Class 1 boys basketball teams have to play Scott County Central, because those squads really don't have a chance.

Most Class 1 teams are lucky if they have one Division II-caliber player, but the Braves have two strong Division I prospects in senior point guard Bobby Hatchett and junior forward Otto Porter. That duo probably could compete for any squad in the state regardless of class.

The Braves didn't have a close game throughout last year's playoffs. That has been the case so far this postseason, and I'll be stunned if anything changes at this week's final four.

There are no sure things in sports, but I consider the Braves repeating as state champions to be about as close as you can get.

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Advance graduate Garrett Broshuis recently announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Broshuis, who after leaving Advance went on to a standout pitching career at the University of Missouri, was taken by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 2004 major league draft.

Broshuis spent six seasons in the Giants organization, reaching as high as Class AAA, before he decided to call it quits at age 28. He had a solid minor league career as a starting hurler, going 54-55 with a 4.10 ERA.

Broshuis, about as classy a young man who has ever come out of the area, sent me an e-mail wishing to express his gratitude for all the people in Southeast Missouri who helped him over the years.

I enjoyed watching Broshuis play sports in high school -- he was among the area's top basketball players while also starring in baseball -- and later following his career at MU and in the minors.

Broshuis, now living in St. Louis, plans to attend law school this fall. Here's wishing him all the best in the future.

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Former Notre Dame basketball standout Ryan Willen fell one win short of playing in the NCAA tournament.

Willen, a sophomore forward at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., had team highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds Friday, but the Leopards lost at Lehigh 74-59 in the championship game of the Patriot League tournament that was televised nationally by ESPN2.

Willen wrapped up a second straight impressive season for the Leopards. He was their No. 3 scorer and No. 2 rebounder with averages of 12.2 points and 4.6 boards to make second-team all-conference.

Last year Willen earned Patriot all-rookie honors. This season he was a big reason why Lafayette went 19-13 and placed third in the league despite being a unanimous selection to finish last.

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Legendary coach Gene Bess has led another Three Rivers Community College basketball team to this week's national junior college tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. The Raiders (26-6) face Monroe (N.Y.) Community College today.

Bess now has directed the Raiders from Poplar Bluff, Mo., to 16 national tournament berths, the record for most appearances by one coach. He has a pair of national titles, in 1979 and 1982.

One of TRCC's top players is sophomore guard Nick Niemczyk, a former Bell City star who averages 12.2 points per game.

I haven't seen Niemczyk play since high school but have been told by several college coaches that he's improved considerably and is drawing some Division I interest.

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Former Southeast assistant women's basketball coach Kevin Emerick has his Jefferson College squad in the national junior college tournament for the fourth time in as many seasons at the helm of the Vikings.

The Vikings (29-1), who lost in last year's championship game, are ranked first in the nation entering today's game against Williston (N.D.) in Salina, Kan.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.