WASHINGTON - We all know that Philadelphia's passion for the Flyers ranks among the strongest of any market in the NHL. But as popular as the team is, the culture of hockey in general here doesn't strike me as being the same as it is in other parts of the United States, especially New England and the upper Midwest.

A major reason for this, and perhaps the major reason for this, is the lack of college hockey in our region. Yes, we have the Phantoms, and they will be missed not only for their cheap tickets but their role in developing Flyers stars of the future.

But can you imagine what it would be like if the passion of a Big 5 game was transferred to the ice? Think of what it would be like to hear your school's band blasting your fight song after a goal is scored.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?

We had it, once upon a time. Penn fielded a program until 1978, and the Class of 1923 rink you've seen on Walnut Street was built to house it. Villanova also had a varsity program until the early 1990's, but it didn't have much success. Nowadays, the closest team geographically is Princeton.

I've been told by friends who follow college hockey that we're missing out. So when I realized that I'd be visiting family here in D.C. on the same weekend as the Frozen Four, I decided to give it a try.

I was only able to make it to the championship game between Miami of Ohio and Boston University, but it didn't take long for my friends to be proven right.

The carnival atmosphere started in the afternoon, when many of the fans who would later be part of the sellout crowd at the game turned out for a free public skating session at the arena. Can you imagine playing a pickup game at Ford Field or the Superdome on Final Four weekend?

At the game itself, both schools had thousands of fans all over the arena. Just as impressive, though,  was the wide range of fans from other schools all over the country who came for the occasion. Let's just say there are a lot more Division I programs in Minnesota than you might think.

Miami and BU both brought their bands, and again, think about what it would be like to watch a hockey game with a pep band instead of canned rock. Especially if that band plays one of the all-time great hockey songs, Brass Bonanza, as the Terriers' brass did during a first period timeout.

During the game, I went over to the big Boston University student section to get their perspective on things. I spotted a guy in a Phillies hat, and figured that would be a good place to start.

"Everybody loves it," said Mike Del Duke, a Gloucester Township, N.J. native and graduate of Paul VI. "The BU-BC rivalry, that's what it's all about. It's Rangers-Flyers on steroids."

Indeed, Boston's famed Beanpot tournament - comprising Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern and Harvard - is one of the closest things out there on the college sports landscape to the Big 5. Like our City Series, it has the ability to draw attention to college sports in a town that is even more pro-oriented than Philadelphia.

"You can just see that people leave their heart and soul out there," Del Duke said. "Sometimes it's more important to win the Beanpot than the Hockey East championship for some teams."

I finished by asking Del Duke, a senior at BU, whether he's more passionate about the Terriers or the Flyers at this point in his life.

"Right now, it's the national championship - you can't be any more passionate than this," he said. "I'd love to see the Flyers win the Stanley Cup, but right now my attention is focused on these guys - playoff beard and all."

Yes, Del Duke really was sporting a playoff beard.

As for matters on the ice, there was plenty of drama. Boston University took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but Miami tied the score in the second period and took a 2-1 lead with 6:38 left in regulation.

Then came the game's best goal, a wrist shot from between the circles by Miami's Trent Volgelhuber. Terriers goaltender Kieran Millan had no chance at it, and the RedHawks fans all over the arena erupted.

Seeking to turn the momentum around, Terriers coach Jack Parker pulled Millan for a sixth attacker with 3:32 left on the clock. A reporter next to me said that Parker once pulled his goalie with six minutes to go, and that it happens somewhat often. But in a national championship game? It seemed a pretty big risk.

There's a reason why Parker's been behind the bench for 36 years, though. His gamble paid off with 59.8 seconds left, when Zach Cohen shot the puck under the arm of Miami goaltender Cody Reichard to make it 3-2.

And then the miracle (though I suppose you can't really call many things miracles in hockey, can you): Nick Bonino got open and scored on a wrist shot with 17 seconds remaining. The Terriers faithful erupted, and despite being from one of the game's powerhouses it looked like a lot of the neutral fans rose with them.

Miami got one more chance in regulation, a breakaway with seven seconds left. Vogelhuber had a real good look, but he shot the puck right at Millan and off we went to overtime.

One of the old adages in hockey is that goals are much more likely to come in the first five minutes of a period. After that, the pace slows down and the game becomes a lot more about grit than speed.

So I admit that I was caught off-guard with just over eight minutes to go in the first overtime, when Terriers defenseman Colby Cohen got near the crease and fired a slapshot. The puck deflected off a Miami player and sailed into the net over Reicherd's shoulder.

Game over, and the BU players stormed the ice to celebrate their first national championship since 1995.

Now it just so happens that Cohen is a Villanova native and Radnor High graduate. Not only that, he was the only player on either team from the Philadelphia area - and he walked off the ice as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Some luck I have.

And some luck Cohen has: the goal came from his only shot of the game. When asked to describe how it happened, he said, "I closed my eyes and shot it, and here we are right now."

After the trophy ceremony, I caught up with Cohen in a rather pungent-smelling Terriers locker room.

"They've got to get some sort of program in Philadelphia," Cohen said. "For me personally, if there was a good program at home I would have been interested in it."

I doubt Cohen is alone in feeling that way.

The first step in building interest in college hockey in Philadelphia could be getting the Frozen Four to come to the Wachovia Center. Back in 2005, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference put in a bid for the 2009-2011 cycle that had Canisius and Niagara as joint hosts.

Philadelphia lost out, though. Washington got it this year, Detroit's Ford Field will host next year (insert one-liner about how bad it was for basketball), and 2011's in St. Paul, Minn.

The NCAA has also awarded the 2012 Frozen Four to Tampa, Fla. But you can't tell me that's a better hockey market than Philadelphia.

Any Division I program or conference can bid, not just those with varsity ice hockey. I know of at least one City Six school that had representatives in the building tonight, so perhaps what they saw could lead to a new push.

It's also worth noting that Hobey Baker, the man for whom college hockey's version of the Heisman Trophy is named, was a Philadephia native.

(That tip came from New York Daily News college hockey writer Elliot Olshansky, an old friend whose passion for the game was a big part of why I was so interested in checking it out.)

Before I wrap this thing up, I want to touch on one other element of what made the atmosphere so great tonight.

By its nature, basketball rarely produces the kind of explosive noise that comes from a hockey goal, or a soccer goal or even a touchdown. Scottie Reynolds' layup against Pittsburgh is as close as we came in this year's NCAA Tournament, but unless you get a true buzzer-beater it's not quite the same as a sport in which you get the singular moment of celebration.

There's plenty of tension and drama in basketball, of course. But there are so many points scored in 40 minutes that you don't find yourself waiting for and reacting to that moment in quite the same way as happens in hockey.

Certainly not the way the Verizon Center crowd did in sudden-death overtime when Cohen scored the game-winner.

It was a heck of an experience, and one that Philadelphia deserves to enjoy some time soon.

North Carolina 89, Michigan State 72: Box Score | Joe Juliano | ACC Now | Mitch Albom | Seth Davis

And of course, the most important part of all...

Staff Photographers Eric Mencher and Ron Cortes were out and about in the Motor City today and put together a photo gallery of their travels.

Before you read the transcript, think about this...

A lot of people are going to point to Villanova's struggles from three-point range as the big reason why the Wildcats lost, and there's some merit in that.

But the really glaring statistic to me is that 'Nova made only seven of 24 TWO-point attempts in the second half, especially in light of their having made 14 of 29 in the first half.

Furthermore, the Wildcats pulled down eight offensive rebounds in the second half. That's more offensive rebounds than two-point field goals made after halftime.

How often do you see that? Not very, I would think.

The undercurrent started flowing Monday morning, and it has grown stronger amid all the hoopla enveloping Villanova's trip to the Final Four.

Given the many ways in which Jay Wright embraces his program's participation in the Big 5, is it time to embrace the Wildcats as a Philadelphia team?

In other words, is it time for Big 5 fans whose dislike of the Main Liners literally predates the birth of an entire generation of fans to get over it?

I will offer my opinion in a bit. But first, I'd like to take a moment (okay, maybe a few moments) to aggregate the commentary we've seen this week about how the region has warmed to the Main Liners.

It started Monday morning with Phil Sheridan's front-page column in the Inquirer.

"During his tenure, Villanova has returned to full and proud participation in the Big Five," Sheridan wrote of Jay Wright. "This may not be popular on Hawk Hill, or at Broad and Montgomery, but that makes this Villanova team a Philadelphia team."

Sheridan, who was a senior at Temple when the Wildcats won the title in 1985, admitted to celebrating the Wildcats' triumph over Georgetown.

"I believe John Chaney would have understood why I cheered at my TV," Sheridan wrote. "Reaching the Final Four - especially with wins over storied programs like UCLA and Duke, plus Big East power Pittsburgh - should transcend all local grudges and resentments."

Wright himself was quoted in Rich Hofmann's column in Monday's Daily News.

"I love it for Philly basketball," Wright said. "It’s done so much for all of us. That’s what I’m into right now... I'm proud that now we get to be a part of that lore, of Villanova at the Final Four, and the La Salle teams [in the early 1950s], and the other Villanova teams. I’m really proud of that, of that maybe more than anything.”

Now you can choose to believe, as Hofmann wrote, that Wright really does enjoy being able "to participate in something that is bigger than him," or you can choose to believe that it's just talk.

But I would think you have to listen in some form to the many people quoted in Mike Jensen's story from Tuesday's Inquirer, from Speedy Morris' son to the late Jim Boyle's wife.

"Those guys just get it," Tess Boyle said of Jay Wright's program.

The big thing Wednesday was John Gonzalez's column, of course, in which the La Salle grad went to Hawk Hill to see whether St. Joe's students have warmed up to their eternal rivals. The poll of 50 students ended 37-13 against the Wildcats, but if you ask me, a roughly 3-1 ratio isn't all that big.
       
If you read the comments both in and on the story, you can tell that there's at least a decent amount of respect in the rivalry. There's jealousy too, especially among fans of the Atlantic 10 schools that have been stuck at the Elite 8 for a long time. But it's way more tame than much of what I see from Eagles fans on a regular basis.

Thursday's addition was a story by The Inquirer's Frank Fitzpatrick about the differences between new and old Villanova alumni. I will return to that shortly, because once you read the story you'll know right away there's a point in there that needs to be discussed.

Finally, today's Inquirer includes an interview John Gonzalez did with Villanova radio color analyst Whitey Rigsby. The former Wildcats player embraced Villanova's role in the region and voiced his belief that the region is capable of embracing his alma mater.

When St. Joe's made that great run with Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, I was the leader of the pack. They have to realize 'Nova is representing them whether they like it or not. They don't want to cheer for 'Nova when we're playing St. Joe's. I get that. But we're representing Philly and the Big Five and the area right now. Why would you root for Carolina? What positive vibes do you get out of rooting for a team from 500 miles away?

This change in mood at both ends of Lancaster Avenue didn't just happen because of Scottie Reynolds' picket-fence dash to glory on Saturday. The roots of this thing were planted much earlier, and now the time has finally come for the blossoms to flower.

I think there might be a generational aspect to this too. And by generation, I don't mean 20 years, I mean maybe half that at most. Take La Salle: the Rasual Butler generation of fans isn't the same as the Steven Smith generation, and won't be the same as the Aaric Murray generation if he turns out to be as advertised.

At Penn - and we'll get to the Quakers' situation after the season ends, but keep in mind what I'm about to say - there have been separate generations of fans centered around Jerome Allen, Michael Jordan, Ugonna Onyekwe and Ibrahim Jaaber. That's four in 15 years. I've come to know people from each one covering the team and they all see things differently.

At St. Joe's, you can argue that there are different generations for Marvin O'Connor, Jameer Nelson and Ahmad Nivins. You get the idea.

Regardless of when you came to the Big 5, I'm not saying you have to go out and buy a Villanova t-shirt because of this. And of course you shouldn't be any less throaty in yelling at the Wildcats when your team is playing them.

I'm just saying that it's okay for you to think about whether the Main Line is really as far away as you think it is, and to acknowledge that Wright has done a lot of work to get Villanova to embrace the culture of Philadelphia basketball. If nothing else, take a moment to think about why you feel the way you do about the Wildcats.

The reason why I say all this is that I worry sometimes about the future of the Big 5 round-robin. Not because of any information I have or rumors I hear, but because of how difficult it is to get the thing scheduled every season.

With a 16-team Big East and a 14-team Atlantic 10, the number of open dates for non-conference games isn't as big as it used to be before the conference realignments of recent years. But it gets done, and it gets done because all of the parties involved want to get it done.

I also wonder whether we might not be where we are now if Wright wasn't the coach at Villanova. Maybe we would be, and I'm not saying this to disparage the other schools and the many administrators whose work isn't as public as the coaches'. But it's not so hard to imagine things being different, because things haven't been as they are for all that long.

That brings me to my last point, which is to refute Fitzpatrick's assertion that the Palestra and Big 5 "don't mean what they once did."

Of course we aren't in the 1970's anymore, but I think that line overstates things.

The current generation and the one before it have only ever known a full round-robin. I've talked to students of recent vintage from all of the schools, and they all really enjoy the special atmosphere and culture of City Series games. That includes Villanova students, who've told me without prompting how much they love the Palestra. Some even wish they could have more games there.

As someone who first got exposed to the Big 5 in this decade, I fall into that category too. To me, the best way to ensure that we keep getting new generations of fans is to keep the full round-robin intact every year. It's a lot harder to learn about a tradition if you don't get to experience it yourself firsthand, from trips to the Palestra to throwing streamers.

(The latter of which could get an interesting twist when the soccer team comes to town next year, but that's a whole other discussion.)

So as Jay Wright prepares to step on to college basketball's biggest stage, we should be thankful for his belief in the value of the Big 5, and for his willingness to be part of a whole that truly is made richer by the sum of its parts.

Join me tomorrow night for live coverage of the Villanova-North Carolina game, starting at around 8:30. I don't expect the game to actually start at the listed time of 8:47, but we should have plenty to talk about before tipoff.

And if you're looking for a way to pass some time during the day tomorrow, the Penn Relays enthusiassts among you might want to swing by Franklin Field. Penn is hosting a track meet that will include 40 other schools, including Temple, Villanova and La Salle. More information on the meet, including the event schedule and a list of all participating teams, can be found here.

I'll be there to do some advance work for the blog's Relays coverage, which believe it or not starts in only 20 days. Yes, the time is going by that quickly.

Staff Photographer Eric Mencher is in Detroit and sent back a bunch of great pictures from Ford Field yesterday.

Also, check out this blog post and video by way of Awful Announcing.

You might have seen the promo CBS ran during the Oklahoma-North Carolina game for Jim Nantz's appearance on The Price is Right yesterday, in which one of the Showcase prizes was a trip to this year's Final Four. If you were listening carefully at the time, you heard Nantz admit that the episode was taped a few weeks ago.

But while you might have expected him to be on the game show's set, he actually shot the clip from a Connecticut game at Gampel Pavilion (my guess is the Notre Dame-UConn game on Feb. 28, which CBS broadcast with Nantz at the mic).

Now of course, they didn't know back at the time that the Huskies would actually be in the Final Four. And as you watch the clip, you'll notice that there's no specific reference to any team - just the line "Whether your team is in or out..."

So how much dumb luck is it that UConn actually made it that far? Or do you think they shot more than one of these things?

Staff Photographer Sarah J. Glover was back on the Main Line this afternoon and put together a video of the pep rally at Villanova as the Wildcats left campus to head for Detroit.

Never thought you'd see a white-out at Madison Square Garden, did you?

With no less a luminary than Joe Paterno looking on from the stands, Penn State held off a second-half charge from Notre Dame and beat the Fighting Irish, 67-59, in the NIT semifinals.

The ESPN announcing crew said at the beginning of the telecast that 11 buses of Penn State students caravaned from State College to Manhattan, and when they showed the stands it sure looked like it. Notre Dame has a big alumni base (real and imagined) in New York, but it sounded like the Nittany Lions had the crowd advantage.

You have to think the names on the fronts of the jerseys gave both sets of fans an extra incentive to show up, but there was plenty of basketball talent on the floor too. Talor Battle led all scorers with 17 points, while Abington Friends grad Andrew Jones scored 16 and Jamelle Cornley added 15.

Luke Harangody led the Irish with 15 points, but he was the only Notre Dame player in double-digits. Germantown Academy grad Ryan Ayers' 1-for-8 performance and Kyle McAlarney's 3-for-11 night were especially glaring, as was the meager first-half total of 18 points.

Somehow, Notre Dame got within 53-50 with 2:38 left in the game thanks to a three-pointer by Luke Zeller. But that was as close as the Irish came, as Cornley hit a layup on the next possession and Penn State made 10 of 14 free throws after that to seal the win.

Now it's on to Thursday's championship game against Baylor, which beat San Diego State in the other semifinal, 76-62.

With nothing much else to do tonight, let's give a Line of the Day to Jones. Not the guy on Penn State's roster you'd expect to have a big game, but he stepped up.

I'll be up tomorrow morning for Kentucky's press conference introducing John Calipari at 9:30 a.m. Maybe I'll open a chat window while I'm watching. Stay uned.

Staff photographer Sarah J. Glover was out on the Main Line this afternoon at a Villanova media session. She put together a nice video of Jay Wright and a number of his players talking about how it feels to have made it to the Final Four.