Now that all the basket-ballyhoo has finally ended, the real Final Four begins.
The tournament where Joaquim Noah's ugly mug is nowhere to be found, and Florida lost in the round of 64 to Berkeley.
Only the hottest college coeds in the country compete in this contest, and only one of the four lovely ladies - including one each from ASU and UA - will earn the title of the 2007-2008 Miss Tempe12, the sexiest girl in the nation.
Weeks of online voting, with almost 50,000 voters casting ballots for each match up, have narrowed the competition to its final stage.
This is the second year Tempe12 has conducted the contest for the nation's sexiest girl. The first winner, ASU alumna Jen Houston, has since gone on to claim the title of Miss Hawaiian Tropic and is now a "WWE Diva" for the World Wrestling Entertainment.
Tourism development and management sophomore Leah Kranz remains ASU's last hope to win the title. As of last count, the Minnesota native trails Northwestern University's Jessica Mershon by only 100 votes.
"It's going to come down to the last minute," Kranz said about her chances to be one of the two finalists. "It's a fair game to see who will win. Look at the votes. It's been close in almost every round."
Kranz is featured in this month's Maxim magazine, an opportunity she gained after receiving exposure as the cover girl for the 2006-2007 Tempe12 calendar. She said that if she wins this year's tournament, she hopes to earn future modeling opportunities but that school is still her first priority for now.
In the other semifinal, UA's Ashley Chavez takes on Florida State University's Catherine Joy (CJ) Riga.
The retail sophomore Chavez will be featured in May's Maxim. Like Kranz, Chavez is a cover girl for the steadily growing Student Body Marketing calendar franchise. The 2006-2007 Tucson12 calendar front woman said she's appreciated the exposure from the calendar and contest.
"I've never wanted to pursue modeling, but I'm happy for the opportunity to be the centerfold in next year's calendar," Chavez said.
Besides Maxim, Chavez said she has also been asked to be on Howard Stern but declined the invite.
"My parents and boyfriend would kill me if I did a show like Stern," she said. "I love it, but modeling is a side thing."
Miss Tempe12 will be crowned after the Rattler's Halftime Bikini Bowl on April 14, during the Rattlers game against the Nashville Cats. As if life couldn't get any better, Tempe12 girls from ASU and UA will face off in a bikini flag-football game during the halftime celebration.
Two coaching spots for the game are available through eBay for people to bid on, with proceeds donated to a breast cancer research foundation.
Chavez will quarterback the UA squad in the rivalry flag-football game. She said her powder-puff football experience in high school helped prepare her for the upcoming game.
"We'll see how good the other girls are," she said. "Hopefully, I'll throw for a lot of touchdowns and U of A wins."
If Chavez and Krantz win their semifinal match ups, it would set up a clash between UA and ASU to see whose representative will take home the Tempe12 crown.
This may be the only time UA and ASU ever meet in a national championship. If nothing else, it's worth a look.
Show some school pride, and vote for Kranz. Then, go out to the Rattlers game, and watch the ASU girls take down Chavez and UA in the Bikini Bowl.
Voting is online at www.Tempe12.com until the game's tip-off April 14.
The winner will be featured as the centerfold in all 500,000 issues of the forthcoming 2007-08 Tempe12 calendars, to be distributed on campuses throughout the country at the end of August.
Reach the reporter at: tyler.w.thompson@asu.edu.
