The 2018 Final Four will provide the best of both worlds

There are few things human beings love more than grouping things -- thoughts, teams, people, whatever — into one of two extremes. The reason for this is simple: It’s really, really easy.

We don’t have time to break down intricacies or tackle the sub-topics that exist within a greater topic one by one. We’ve introduced our new love interest to “Parks and Rec” (can you believe they’d never seen it?) and we’re in the middle of binge watching it for the third time. You understand.

If you’re a Democrat, your stance on every issue is the stance of the left. If you’re a Republican, your stance on every issue is the stance of the right. Deviation is for whichever outside society of people you respect the least. And that game your favorite team just played? It wasn’t just “ok.” It was the worst game you’ve ever seen in your life, or the best game you’ve ever seen in your life.

The phenomenon has even seeped into March Madness, where fans of America’s greatest postseason have become split when it comes to tournament preference.

For one group, the ideal NCAA tournament features pure chaos from start to finish. A 16-seed defeating a 1-seed for the first time ever is a nice start, but the tournament loses its luster if that type of unpredictability doesn’t continue all the way through championship Monday.

For the other group, one or two decent first round upsets are ok, but order needs to be restored by week two. We need Sweet 16 and regional final showdowns featuring the tournament’s top seeds and the sport’s biggest names. And as for the Final Four? The ideal scenario is all four No. 1 seeds duking it out in the national semifinals and the survivors of those games going at it for the sport’s ultimate prize. Forget off-the-court stories, we need on-the-court quality.

Due to the rigidness and extreme demands on both sides of seemingly every issue you can think of these days, it’s rare that we ever get what feels like a perfect compromise.

The 2018 Final Four could be the exception.

On one side you’ve got Loyola-Chicago. You’ve got Sister Jean, you’ve got the Missouri Valley, you’ve got a star player so unassuming that he still gets asked by fans if he’s on the team. You’ve also got the dream scenario for tournament anarchists: A mid-major national champion. A double-digit seed has never played in the national championship game, let alone won the whole thing. The 11th-seeded Ramblers could be the first to do both.

On the other side, you’ve got the clash of the expected titans. Kansas and Villanova have been two of the best teams in the country throughout the 2017-18 season, a fact backed up by the No. 1 seed currently attached to the name of both. They’re also two of the most successful programs in the history of the sport. Only 15 schools have won multiple NCAA tournaments, and KU and ‘Nova are two of those schools. Bill Self and Jay Wright will both be coaching in their third Final Four since 2008. They’ve both also won one national championship.

Next weekend in San Antonio is going to give us the best of both worlds. This doesn’t happen often in life, and it happens even less often at the Final Four.

Typically when Cinderella makes it all the way to the final weekend of the tournament, the “great underdog” is a power conference team that underachieved for most of the season before getting hot at the right time. On the rare occasion that a true mid-major has done the unthinkable (2006 George Mason, 2011 VCU), there hasn’t been a single No. 1 seed present with them at the Final Four.

It’s time to broaden our horizons, America. It’s time to acknowledge the fact that we are complex creatures incapable of being lumped into one of two all-encompassing groups for each and every societal debate. It’s time to enjoy and embrace the good parts of each of two seemingly conflicting ideologies.

The little guy getting a shot to prove his worth on the biggest of stages is part of what makes March so great. The best teams and the biggest names duking it out in a battle for national (and sometimes historical) supremacy is another part of what makes March great. The 2018 Final Four is going to give us an opportunity to see both of these elements at work, and it should be fantastic.