For me, the most compelling part of sports is always what occurs outside the lines: The human-interest storylines that are more about life than wins or losses.

That has certainly been the case this March — unless you have lived in a cave without Internet or television access you probably know this — where college basketball has been filled with stories that transcend the game.

Teams from the state of Michigan have been front and center.

Far too often the picture painted of blue-chip college athletes who are headed to the professional leagues is one of pampered prima donnas who care only about themselves. Michigan State University’s Adreian Payne slam dunks that stereotype.

Payne, a four-year senior who will most certainly be making millions of dollars playing basketball in the NBA next year, is a fierce looking figure standing almost 7-foot-tall and weighing in at a slim 245 pounds.

A couple of years ago Payne visited a children’s hospital to offer community service. This, in and of itself, isn’t all that uncommon among athletes. The rest of the story is extraordinary.

Payne met then-6-year-old Lacey Holsworth, who was essentially paralyzed while battling a rare form of cancer. This wasn’t a one-time visit or a PR stunt. The unlikely pair struck up a friendship that endures, with Payne basically becoming part of the family and the little girl becoming an inspiration to the player.

On senior night, the diminutive 8-year-old presented him roses on the court. When it came time to cut down the nets as Big Ten champions, Holsworth was right there on the ladder helping the hoops star.

Payne may not have won a national championship this year but he certainly wins things far more rewarding: the love and admiration of a little girl as well as memories that will last a lifetime.

Michigan’s other big school was involved in a great story too, although unfortunately for Maize and Blue fans, it was on the wrong end of the drama when the University of Kentucky Wildcats edged the team in an epic game to go to the Final Four.

As full disclosure, let me be clear that I am a huge UK fan and grew up “bleeding blue.” But this really isn’t about that.

At the beginning of the season, Kentucky’s team was touted as the best group of freshmen of all time, surpassing even Michigan’s famed “Fab Five.” Some said the team would go 40-0 without even being challenged.

Then the games — and the losing — started.

Midway through the season, fans were calling for the coach’s job. Analysts were calling the players busts. The student-athletes themselves looked drained of confidence and questioning their decision to play at UK.

The pressure was mounting in mid-March, with all signs showing that the team was going to crack.

Then, little by little, the players came together.

They nearly upset the No. 1 Florida Gators in the SEC title game to snatch some momentum heading into the tournament. No one gave the team that lost 10 games a chance in the Midwest bracket included three of the last year’s Final Four teams including in-state rival Louisville and undefeated Wichita State.

Four wins later — and an epic last-second shot over Michigan — the young Cats are headed to the biggest stage in college hoops.

And the turnaround isn’t really about basketball at all.

The team came together as a family, playing for each other and putting the overall goals ahead of individual ones. They realized that when life throws you curveballs you have to adjust. They finally understood how attitude and body language impact leadership.

These lessons — and the ones demonstrated by Payne and countless other student athletes — are more about succeeding in life than they are who wins a silly game.

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.