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TAMPA, Florida – Stone Temple pilots will perform here this weekend. In addition, a giant Easter egg hunt for adults – called "casks and eggs" – will take place. And Hilton Airport organizes a bridal show, if that's your business.
But around this, the four most talented women's basketball teams in the country will try to mutually assassinate each other.
Nothing happens in this city does not feel bigger.
In addition, no one has less pressure on them than the Oregon Ducks, for which Las Vegas punters have managed 12 shots to win everything. And I wonder how the role of oppressed could serve as an advantage, especially in the national semifinal against Baylor, which is now slightly lower than a one-on-one shot on the betting table.
The Ducks looked light and seemed light in their preparation to play the seed of the NCAA women's tournament. Oregon coach Kelly Graves, laid back by nature, was questioned Thursday at the press conference on comparisons between the Golden State Warriors and his Ducks.
He replied: "Steph Curry shrieked Sabrina yesterday. I thought it was really cool. You know, yes, she looks a lot like Steph, her role as a conductor is always a threat to make a huge game, do these three points. We do not really break down their film and try to be like them. We sort of developed our own style. It has happened over the years for me. This team understands it. They know how to play basketball, they know how to spread the soil, they love the three-point shot. "
Then the Ducks coach in his first appearance in the Final Four said, "It really helps to keep a hammer like Ruthy to whom we can go if we need it, I do not know if DeMarcus (Cousins) really reached this level again.
"He's still thinking about Ruthy, I think."
It was a stark contrast to what the rest of the console looked like.
McGraw Muffet of Notre Dame – a 5 on 2 to win everything – used the same platform on Thursday to make a passionate call to hire new coaches. A local columnist wrote that her performance was so powerful that it should have been written "on parchment paper".
UConn's Geno Auriemma, who has always won the Final Four in the last two years, compared his experience to that of a championship golfer who has never missed a five-foot shot. Then, having that thought stuck in his head while he was lining up for another short one.
He said, "I think as you get older, you start to realize that you know how many things could go wrong?"
The Huskies are 4-to-1 years old to dance away from Tampa as a champion.
Kim Mulkey, of Baylor, very tense by nature, revealed: "Our motto this year is:"Together in Tampa. '… We can not just come here. We must stay focused and want to go to the end. "
That's what the Ducks are up against and they're here with junior leader Sabrina Ionescu, who plays as she could be. His last chance, maybe?
Oregon is an outsider in this Final Four. Less pressure. More relaxed. A Pac-12 conference team did not win the women's national title since Stanford in 1992. Baylor and Notre Dame have won twice since. And UConn was crowned 11 times in this same period.
The Ducks could just as easily carry a badge saying, "This is my first visit to the Magic Kingdom!"
If the UO's three-point shots fall early, pay attention. This could be exactly what the other three programs are most afraid of in pursuit of a national title. And if the shots do not fall and the season is in full swing against Baylor's impressive front, what did the Ducks lose in their first-ever Final Four?
Nothing.
Mulkey was asked on the eve of the semifinal what would be his game plan for Oregon.
She said, "I will not tell you my plan, is it fair? I'll tell you everything starts with Sabrina. "
Much of the rest of his press conference was devoted to his legacy, in the program's 35-1 season, but also to his favorite friends, UConn and Notre Dame.
I reread the transcript and wonder what Oregon might feel about it.
Baylor only lost this season against Stanford before Christmas.
The bears have been perfect since. They won all four of their NCAA tournament games by 57, 39, 25 and 32 points. Bright city. The ESPN2 show will probably tell you more about tonight's advice.
But has Baylor seen anything like Oregon this season?
Is that what broadcasters will say in the end?
Ionescu is on a mission. Teammate Satou Sabally, a 6-foot-4 striker with big feet, is a tough game for Baylor. And the Ducks shot 50 percent of the three-point range by eliminating the No. 1 Mississippi State in the regional final.
Mike Tyson was undefeated in 1990 to prepare to box Buster Douglas. The 2007 Patriots were undefeated in preparation for the Super Bowl Giants. And Alabama was 14-0 at the kickoff of his match as a five-point favorite in college football against Clemson in the national title game last season.
They all lost.
Decide for yourself what role played the weight of expectations.
Baylor wears it. I'm not saying that they will lose against Oregon. But the bears are overwhelmed, are not they?
There is no doubt that Oregon players are aware of Baylor's loss to Stanford this season. Mulkey dismissed the flaw by saying his team was distracted before the Christmas holidays. And yes, Oregon also suffered a disappointing loss to Stanford in the women's Pac-12 title match. But the Ducks beat the Cardinal 40 on Stanford soil earlier this season.
Everything is possible, you see?
It's a Final Four. And while I can usually ask myself if a team can smile and look so relaxed in front of an awesome battle with the tournament lead, I think the loose approach of the Ducks could be their best ally.
There is so much going on in this city this weekend. There is a fair of the Renaissance. And Festa Italiana. Also, the Saturday market in Ybor City.
But nothing seems bigger than the opportunity the Ducks have in front of them.
I adore that they smile.
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