Final Four, the old school way

Once upon a time, college basketball was similar to indentured servitude.

Players didn’t leave school early. They stayed four years. They were, some say, more fundamentally sound.

But they also were poorer.

Ah, the good old days.

What would this season’s Final Four look like had Spencer Haywood not become the first hardship case in 1969?

• Memphis: Darius Washington, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rodney Carney, Kendrick Perkins, Amare Stoudemire. Sixth man: Shawne Williams.

• Duke: Shaun Livingston, J.J. Redick, Luol Deng, Josh McRoberts and Shelden Williams. Sixth man: Shavlik Randolph.

• North Carolina: Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, J.R. Smith, Marvin Williams, Sean May. Sixth man: Tyler Hansbrough.

• Indiana: Marshall Strickland, Bracey Wright, Josh Smith, Marco Killingsworth, D.J. White. Sixth man: Robert Vaden.

— Kevin Brewer