NCAA Final Four 2001 is a bit disappointing in the way of graphics and sound. On one hand, the graphics are quite pixelated (especially the crowd and players bench). But on the other hand, not having great eye candy gives the blessing of faster gameplay. And the sound is very spacious, in a way. ESPN's own Quinn Buckner does act as the game's announcer, but his comments aren't fluid at all, making a lot of dead space in between comments. His commentary, although repetitive, does contrast the game very well though. Crowd and on-court sound effects are decent to listen too also.

NCAA Final Four 2001 offers multiple modes of play including Exhibition, Tournament, and Season play. The game also contains new moves, dribbles, and dunks (some pretty cool ones, might I add), in addition to having over 300 different college teams to choose from, so you should be able to find your favorite team! If you're looking for a fast-moving college hoops game, this may be it. Just be aware that Final Four 2001 is a pretty generic game in it's overall presentation.

However, the game offers a great control scheme and allows for special moves including everyone's favorite, the Alley Oop Dunk!!! NCAA Final Four 2001 also has a shot meter that allows for precise touch shooting. A great concept, but not that easy to use; it's one of those things that take getting used to. But if you don't want to use the meter, you can always set up the game to go to the old standby of shooting at the peak of your jump. Either way, you will be able to enjoy the multiple levels of competition and fast gameplay offered in Final Four 2001.

NCAA Final Four 2001's difficulty varies from being -way too easy- to all the way up to being -next to impossible- (to beat the computer). This is a good thing, though, as it allows for all levels of play. When setting the difficulty, the higher you go, the tougher the computer AI is. But not only that - hitting the peak of your jumpshot is crucial in scoring, so mastering the shot meter may be necessary.

Along with your basic basketball controls (pass, shoot, etc.), NCAA Final Four 2001 allows for some precise controlling by using special dribbling moves, precision passing, and the shot meter for hitting the peak of your jump perfectly. All controls are easy to use, and can also be re-mapped to your controller for your own personal tastes. Final Four 2001 has a lot of shortcomings, but overall gameplay is pretty good. This is definitely a rent-before-you-buy game; then you can decide whether NCAA Final Four 2001 is the new big man on campus.