What to “Watch” For in the 2013 NCAA Final Four

We have finally reached the end of the Road to the Final Four! People from all over the country are flocking to Atlanta this weekend to see their favorite teams play. If these final three games follow the pattern of the rest of the tournament, there should be several unexpected events throughout the game. From gruesome injuries to major upsets, this year’s tournament has been full of surprises. Three of the final four teams were quite unexpected, with Louisville being the only no. 1 seed still in the tournament. No. 9 Wichita State continues to stun both its opponents and fans as it has made its way to the Final Four. No. 4 seeds Michigan and Syracuse are the other two teams still in the hunt for the National Championship. Both games of the Final Four will be held Saturday, April 6^th. The first game will be played against the Louisville Cardinals and the Wichita State Shockers at 6:05pm in the Georgia Dome. The Michigan Wolverines and the Syracuse Orange are set to tip-off at 8:49, or following the conclusion of the Louisville vs. Wichita State game.

While some fans will be watching the game to cheer for their favorite team, others may be watching to catch a glimpse of a coach’s luxury watch. We have done some research and have found that the head coach of each Final Four team tends to wear a watch.

Syracuse  head coach Jim Boeheim appears to wear a Rolex Submariner. As you can see in several of these images, it seems to be a Submariner with a black dial and black bezel. This choice is very appropriate for Boeheim. As the oldest coach in the Final Four, he has been around the game the longest. He has been at Syracuse for 37 years. While many coaches find a new job every couple of years, Boeheim is steady and constant and has become synonymous with Syracuse basketball. He has had a very successful career at Syracuse, leading the Orange to five big East tournament championships, 28 NCAA tournament appearances, 3 national championship appearances, and 1 national championship victory. It is appropriate that he should choose to wear a Rolex watch. Rolex, like Boeheim’s career as Syracuse, has a very storied and praised history. Rolex watches are known for their dependability, accuracy, and reliability, all characteristics possesses himself and looks for in his players and assistants. Both Rolex and Boeheim represent the importance of tradition and embody reliability and achievement.

Rick Pitino, head coach of the Louisville Cardinals, also appears to wear a watch while coaching during games. While Coach Boeheim seems to wear his Submariner during most games, Coach Pitino has been seen wearing a different watch in several of his team’s games. We can’t be too sure of what each one is but we have our guesses:

After taking a closer look at this watch, the look of the bracelet and lugs lead us to believe this watch is a Rolex Datejust.

We believe that this next watch from Coach Pitino is an Ebel.

There are also several images of Michigan head coach John Beilein wearing a watch. It has a stainless steel bracelet with a white dial. Any guesses as to what watch Coach Beilein is wearing?

Wichita State head coach, Gregg Marshall, has not been spotted wearing a watch as often as the other head coaches. It is obvious here that he is wearing a watch with a stainless steel band, but there are not many images of the watch face.