Atlanta ? Row M3, Seat 54.

My seat at the Final Four semifinal game between Kansas and Maryland put me below the free-throw line facing KU’s bench. I looked straight into the eyes of reserve Chris Zerbe.

It placed me so close to the maple-wood court that I could feel the vibration of players jumping around and hear the thud of each bouncing basketball.

For somebody who hasn’t experienced games in Allen Fieldhouse in a few years, the view was stunning. And as a noon-hour hoops enthusiast, the action was exhilarating.

“Stay calm,” I told myself. “It’s just five-on-five basketball.”

I took a swig from an NCAA-approved Diet Pepsi to calm my nerves. I decide to concentrate on something else, and so I stare at sports writer celebrity John Feinstein’s mismatched white tube socks.

Not even a fan obsessively yelling to the ESPN section, “Linda Cohn, I love you!” slowed my pounding heart.

And why should it? This was the Final Four, the center of the college basketball universe. This was hooptopia.

Yes, KU lost the game. But I will not lose the thrill of sitting at the table with more than 53,000 fans for this basketball feast.