The final stretch of the college basketball season is upon us, so let's take a look at the Final Four matchups.
First, we have Louisville vs Kentucky.
The Cardinals have been riding a wave of momentum recently, springboarding their Big East Tournament victory all the way to New Orleans. Louisville probably has the least amount of known names in this tournament, but that does not mean that they're going to be pushovers. As they showed against Florida, Rick Pitino is going to make sure that his guys play until the final buzzer sounds, an against Louisville, no lead is safe.
Kentucky, on the other hand, is downright scary. They have blown through their opponents in this tournament so far, and have proven hands down why they are the number one seed in the tournament. Teams can hang with the Wildcats for only so long, and then almost instantaneously Kentucky lowers the boom and its all over. Where Lousiville doesn't feature household names, Kentucky has a team of professionals, led by super freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
The second matchup of the night is Ohio State vs Kansas. The Buckeyes are coming out of, what I feel, was the strongest conference in the country this season, the Big 10. This has played to their advantage in the tournament, as it has made Ohio State tough to play and very physical throughout, and after a scare against Gonzaga, the Buckeyes have looked extremely strong since. Jared Sullinger paces them in the middle, and the scoring emergence of Aaron Craft has given Ohio State the firepower that they need to win this thing.
Finally, Kansas finds themselves in New Orleans despite doubters picking them to lose every step of the way. Bill Self has done a masterful job with his team through this point, especially when star Tyshawn Taylor has only had one big game, though it was their last one. Kansas is probably the most battle tested of the four teams, playing in close games against Purdue, NC State, and North Carolina. Kansas has proven that they can play, and beat, anyone.
Both of these games are rematches from the regular season. In the first games, Kentucky and Kansas won respectively. This time around, I think Kentucky wins again. They're just too strong and I feel Louisville's run has come to an end.
In the other game, I see Ohio State coming out. The Buckeyes were without Jared Sullinger in their first contest with Kansas, and if they can avoid foul trouble, I think they win.
That leaves Kentucky versus Ohio State in the finals, and I think that the Wildcats and John Calipari, as much as I dislike him, are just too good this season, and will get past Ohio State for the championship.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
A Couple of Tournament Trends
With now two weekends in the books, I think we can officially label some aspects of NCAA Tournament as trends and not just odd instances.
The first trend that I continue to see is horrific end game management by a multitude of teams. Wisconsin is the first team that comes to mind that is guilty of this. Their game against Syracuse in the Sweet 16 came down to the last possession, and it really came down to an utter lack of execution that led to the Badgers literally running out of time.
More than just a lack of execution though, there have just been some mind boggling plays drawn up by coaches. Wichita State is guilty of this in their game against VCU. The Shockers took a timeout with 10 seconds left down by two. There was then a second timeout called as the first one was ending, giving Wichita about two and a half minutes to draw up a play to win or tie. So what play gets run out? A three point attempt from the center, the lowest percentage shooter. Needless to say, Wichita lost.
NC State was also a victim of their own play design, thinking that a cross court pass would be a spectacular idea down by three to Kansas. The ball was intercepted and the Wolfpack never got a shot off, losing by three to the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16.
Execution has plagued teams in other ways as well. I can't remember seeing such long scoring droughts consistently happen to teams. Obviously basketball is a game of runs and it will eventually become hard to score, but this has been crazy.
Just look at VCU. The Rams scored a whole four points in the last 12:19 of their game with Indiana. They lost by two.
Florida went nearly six minutes without a field goal, leading to a major collapse on the part of the Gators and costing them a bid to the Final Four.
North Carolina cost themselves a chance at the Final Four as well thanks to going scoreless for 5:43, allowing Kansas to spread a one point lead all the way to double digits. I could keep going but you get the idea.
The last thing that I've noticed, and possibly what has annoyed me the most has been officiating. Obviously there's complaints about officiating every year, but something about this tournament has bugged me more than usual.
I think it has to do with the affect on the games. UNC-Asheville had a legitimate gripe against Syracuse, where the officials almost blatantly gave away Bulldog possessions down the stretch, ruining what was a great game to that point and possibly history that we may never see again.
The most ridiculous officiating error was in Louisville - Michigan State, where a Cardinals player went to the line and missed his free throw. After the missed shot, the officials then checked the monitor, realized it was the wrong man shooting, didn't count the first shot, and allowed a different man to step up and hit both his shots. How can this happen in an NCAA Tournament game?
There's also the issue of rules that I have only just found out about that I don't agree with. Both NC-Asheville and Notre Dame were victims of an obscure free throw rule that states that a man behind the free throw shooter cannot move until the ball hits the rim, as opposed to when the ball leaves the hands of the shooter as is the case with everyone else.
What this has resulted in is two huge offensive rebounds that were taken away by a rule that prevents something it doesn't need to prevent. A man moving behind the shooter doesn't affect the play in any way, and yet the rule has cost fans two exciting endings.
The other rule that I'm over is that an elbow to the head, whether inadvertent or not, is an automatic technical. Indiana was a victim of this rule when a Hoosier accidentally grazed a VCU player with his elbow, and yet a Xavier player took a blatant, albeit again accidental, elbow late in the game, and it was glossed over for being accidental.
So which is it? Can you judge intent or not? This is another rule that needs to be looked at because it is affecting the outcome of games.
So those are a few things that I've noticed, as well as a gripe or two, about the tournament so far. Let's all just hope for an exciting Final Four that is about the basketball, not the controversy.
The first trend that I continue to see is horrific end game management by a multitude of teams. Wisconsin is the first team that comes to mind that is guilty of this. Their game against Syracuse in the Sweet 16 came down to the last possession, and it really came down to an utter lack of execution that led to the Badgers literally running out of time.
More than just a lack of execution though, there have just been some mind boggling plays drawn up by coaches. Wichita State is guilty of this in their game against VCU. The Shockers took a timeout with 10 seconds left down by two. There was then a second timeout called as the first one was ending, giving Wichita about two and a half minutes to draw up a play to win or tie. So what play gets run out? A three point attempt from the center, the lowest percentage shooter. Needless to say, Wichita lost.
NC State was also a victim of their own play design, thinking that a cross court pass would be a spectacular idea down by three to Kansas. The ball was intercepted and the Wolfpack never got a shot off, losing by three to the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16.
Execution has plagued teams in other ways as well. I can't remember seeing such long scoring droughts consistently happen to teams. Obviously basketball is a game of runs and it will eventually become hard to score, but this has been crazy.
Just look at VCU. The Rams scored a whole four points in the last 12:19 of their game with Indiana. They lost by two.
Florida went nearly six minutes without a field goal, leading to a major collapse on the part of the Gators and costing them a bid to the Final Four.
North Carolina cost themselves a chance at the Final Four as well thanks to going scoreless for 5:43, allowing Kansas to spread a one point lead all the way to double digits. I could keep going but you get the idea.
The last thing that I've noticed, and possibly what has annoyed me the most has been officiating. Obviously there's complaints about officiating every year, but something about this tournament has bugged me more than usual.
I think it has to do with the affect on the games. UNC-Asheville had a legitimate gripe against Syracuse, where the officials almost blatantly gave away Bulldog possessions down the stretch, ruining what was a great game to that point and possibly history that we may never see again.
The most ridiculous officiating error was in Louisville - Michigan State, where a Cardinals player went to the line and missed his free throw. After the missed shot, the officials then checked the monitor, realized it was the wrong man shooting, didn't count the first shot, and allowed a different man to step up and hit both his shots. How can this happen in an NCAA Tournament game?
There's also the issue of rules that I have only just found out about that I don't agree with. Both NC-Asheville and Notre Dame were victims of an obscure free throw rule that states that a man behind the free throw shooter cannot move until the ball hits the rim, as opposed to when the ball leaves the hands of the shooter as is the case with everyone else.
What this has resulted in is two huge offensive rebounds that were taken away by a rule that prevents something it doesn't need to prevent. A man moving behind the shooter doesn't affect the play in any way, and yet the rule has cost fans two exciting endings.
The other rule that I'm over is that an elbow to the head, whether inadvertent or not, is an automatic technical. Indiana was a victim of this rule when a Hoosier accidentally grazed a VCU player with his elbow, and yet a Xavier player took a blatant, albeit again accidental, elbow late in the game, and it was glossed over for being accidental.
So which is it? Can you judge intent or not? This is another rule that needs to be looked at because it is affecting the outcome of games.
So those are a few things that I've noticed, as well as a gripe or two, about the tournament so far. Let's all just hope for an exciting Final Four that is about the basketball, not the controversy.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
March Madness...Sort Of
Once again, March Madness is in full swing around us. We've had close finishes, controversial calls, and brackets being busted. But in the end, I can't help but feel like this year's tournament has lacked some of the Cinderellas and dramas in years past.
Now, don't get me wrong. What Lehigh and Norfolk State accomplished was incredible and monumental. It had been 11 years since a 15 seed had upset a 2, and we had two such upsets in a matter of hours. And for me, that's what the tournament is all about. It's about the little guy taking on the big boys and slaying the giants. America loves an underdog, and personally watching a mid major go deep is one of the most enjoyable things I can see any given year in the tournament (except for when that mid major is a rival of your school, then it's slightly less enjoyable).
But despite the Freaky Friday of sorts that we experienced, at the end of the day, out Sweet 16 had 14 teams from the power conferences in it. Of the 2 mid majors, one of them is Xavier, and with this being their third consecutive Sweet 16 berth, it's hard for me to consider them a "little guy" anymore. The only true mid major left right now is Ohio, who now gets the dubious distinction of taking on North Carolina in the next round.
I think that part of he problem has just been that the big teams are better this year. Teams like Kentucky and Ohio State and Michigan State have been so much more talented and stronger than these mid major teams, that it has been nearly impossible for David to succeed over Goliath this season.
But I think one of the bigger issues has been with the talented mid majors left out in favor of average big time teams. Take Drexel for instance. The team was 27-6. They won their conference regular season. They went to the finals of their conference tournament. They won 19 games in a row before dropping the conference championship by 3 points. And yet this team was left out in favor of California, a middle of the road Pac-12 team in a middle of the road Pac-12 who was utterly embarrassed in the First Four this year.
Drexel was left out in favor of Connecticut, who sure, plays in the Big East, but lost 9 of their last 13 regular season games, including dropping games to Rutgers and Providence. That team deserves to get in more than Drexel? Oh, and Drexel's one "bad loss" on the season? That would be to Norfolk State. Yeah, those guys who straight out beat Missouri, the number 3 team in the country. What a terrible loss.
I guess that's where my issue of the "madness" is this season. It's not even so much that it's becoming all blue bloods in the later rounds, but that I feel not every mid major got a fair shake. Drexel could have gone far in the tournament, but we will never know, because they were left out in favor of average teams from bigger conferences. And its a shame, because like I said, America loves an underdog, and there is no more compelling television that David taking on Goliath on the biggest stage of em all.
Now, don't get me wrong. What Lehigh and Norfolk State accomplished was incredible and monumental. It had been 11 years since a 15 seed had upset a 2, and we had two such upsets in a matter of hours. And for me, that's what the tournament is all about. It's about the little guy taking on the big boys and slaying the giants. America loves an underdog, and personally watching a mid major go deep is one of the most enjoyable things I can see any given year in the tournament (except for when that mid major is a rival of your school, then it's slightly less enjoyable).
But despite the Freaky Friday of sorts that we experienced, at the end of the day, out Sweet 16 had 14 teams from the power conferences in it. Of the 2 mid majors, one of them is Xavier, and with this being their third consecutive Sweet 16 berth, it's hard for me to consider them a "little guy" anymore. The only true mid major left right now is Ohio, who now gets the dubious distinction of taking on North Carolina in the next round.
I think that part of he problem has just been that the big teams are better this year. Teams like Kentucky and Ohio State and Michigan State have been so much more talented and stronger than these mid major teams, that it has been nearly impossible for David to succeed over Goliath this season.
But I think one of the bigger issues has been with the talented mid majors left out in favor of average big time teams. Take Drexel for instance. The team was 27-6. They won their conference regular season. They went to the finals of their conference tournament. They won 19 games in a row before dropping the conference championship by 3 points. And yet this team was left out in favor of California, a middle of the road Pac-12 team in a middle of the road Pac-12 who was utterly embarrassed in the First Four this year.
Drexel was left out in favor of Connecticut, who sure, plays in the Big East, but lost 9 of their last 13 regular season games, including dropping games to Rutgers and Providence. That team deserves to get in more than Drexel? Oh, and Drexel's one "bad loss" on the season? That would be to Norfolk State. Yeah, those guys who straight out beat Missouri, the number 3 team in the country. What a terrible loss.
I guess that's where my issue of the "madness" is this season. It's not even so much that it's becoming all blue bloods in the later rounds, but that I feel not every mid major got a fair shake. Drexel could have gone far in the tournament, but we will never know, because they were left out in favor of average teams from bigger conferences. And its a shame, because like I said, America loves an underdog, and there is no more compelling television that David taking on Goliath on the biggest stage of em all.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Heartbreak
One of the things that we see every March is pure and simple heartbreak. Sure, there are plenty of moments of victory, but when there's only 1 team who can end their season on a win (I'm not counting the NIT and CBI and tourneys like that), the vast majority of seasons are going to end in heartbreak.
Just look at yesterday in the college basketball world. You had Quinnipiac going up against the top seeded Long Island Blackbirds in their conference tournaments. It was win or go home for both teams. A win put them in the conference tournament and kept the dream on going to the NCAA Tournament alive. A loss and the season was over.
Quinnipiac came as close as you could get. They were winning the game until a layup put LIU up with 3 minutes to go, and fell just short, 78-75. Their season ended after losing to the best team in their conference by only six points.
There was Albany. Albany was in a very similar situation, taking on the top seeded Stony Brook Seawolves. The hard fought gamecame down to the very final seconds, when Joyner of Stony Brook tipped in the game winner at the buzzer. The Great Danes watched their season end in a blink of an eye, so close to scoring the upset.
Then there's George Mason, and this one hit a bit closer to home, because I was at this game and felt the heartbreak first hand, The Patriots went up against VCU, a team who they had never beaten in the "neutral" site of the Richmond Coliseum and a team who had knocked them out of the tournament for three consecutive years.
After six minutes, it was 21-0 VCU. After ten, it was 32-4. Only a quarter of the way through the game, the Patriots and their fans were utterly beaten, embarrassed, and depressed.
Then there was the comeback. Mason fought and clawed and with 4 minutes remaining, had cut the lead to six. All of a sudden, dreams of grandeur became possible. Mason was about to shock the world again.
But alas, it was not meant to be. It felt as if the Patriots had lost that game twice, and let me tell you firsthand, it hurt.
But that's part of college basketball. That's part of March Madness. If not for the heartbreak, the triumphs would never feel as sweet.
Just look at yesterday in the college basketball world. You had Quinnipiac going up against the top seeded Long Island Blackbirds in their conference tournaments. It was win or go home for both teams. A win put them in the conference tournament and kept the dream on going to the NCAA Tournament alive. A loss and the season was over.
Quinnipiac came as close as you could get. They were winning the game until a layup put LIU up with 3 minutes to go, and fell just short, 78-75. Their season ended after losing to the best team in their conference by only six points.
There was Albany. Albany was in a very similar situation, taking on the top seeded Stony Brook Seawolves. The hard fought gamecame down to the very final seconds, when Joyner of Stony Brook tipped in the game winner at the buzzer. The Great Danes watched their season end in a blink of an eye, so close to scoring the upset.
Then there's George Mason, and this one hit a bit closer to home, because I was at this game and felt the heartbreak first hand, The Patriots went up against VCU, a team who they had never beaten in the "neutral" site of the Richmond Coliseum and a team who had knocked them out of the tournament for three consecutive years.
After six minutes, it was 21-0 VCU. After ten, it was 32-4. Only a quarter of the way through the game, the Patriots and their fans were utterly beaten, embarrassed, and depressed.
Then there was the comeback. Mason fought and clawed and with 4 minutes remaining, had cut the lead to six. All of a sudden, dreams of grandeur became possible. Mason was about to shock the world again.
But alas, it was not meant to be. It felt as if the Patriots had lost that game twice, and let me tell you firsthand, it hurt.
But that's part of college basketball. That's part of March Madness. If not for the heartbreak, the triumphs would never feel as sweet.
Mid Major Conference Tournaments
One of my favorite parts of college basketball is the mid major conference tournaments. Not that the big conference tournaments aren't good or don't have better basketball, but there' just something about mid major tournaments that appeals to me more.
Part of it is that I go to a mid major school and support a mid major team. When you root for a team like George Mason, you begin to resent the big boys a bit, and how easily they can get into the Big Dance and how they can really just take it for granted. There's this commonality between al mid major teams, and I can understand and respect everything that those fans are going through, which makes me appreciate those games more.
Then there's just that underdog story. The beauty of the mid major conference is that even the favorite is really an underdog. They have centers who are too small, and point guards who can't shoot, yet they still have a shot to do the impossible and not only get into the NCAA tournament, but win in the tournament too.
I think the part that I love the most about mid major tournaments as opposed to big conference tournaments are that hint of desperation that you can actually feel from watching the games.
When I turn on the Big East tournament, or the ACC tournament, I know for a fact that nearly every semifinals team, and in some cases quarterfinals team, are going to the NCAA tournament. There are bigger, more important basketball games to be played. Winning the ACC tournament is nice, but generally not a necessity to move on.
For just about everyone else though, these tournaments are life or death. Teams from the SWAC. Teams from the OVC. Teams from the NEC. They spend their entire seasons working for these tournaments, and they cannot afford to lose.
Championship games in these mid major tournaments are as stressful an event as you will ever witness, and that's why I love them. The fans live and die on every possession. You can feel the euphoric joy of victory and the downright agony of coming so close, yet coming up short.
So if you are looking for something to watch over the next couple weeks, check the ESPN family of networks for a mid major championship game. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
Part of it is that I go to a mid major school and support a mid major team. When you root for a team like George Mason, you begin to resent the big boys a bit, and how easily they can get into the Big Dance and how they can really just take it for granted. There's this commonality between al mid major teams, and I can understand and respect everything that those fans are going through, which makes me appreciate those games more.
Then there's just that underdog story. The beauty of the mid major conference is that even the favorite is really an underdog. They have centers who are too small, and point guards who can't shoot, yet they still have a shot to do the impossible and not only get into the NCAA tournament, but win in the tournament too.
I think the part that I love the most about mid major tournaments as opposed to big conference tournaments are that hint of desperation that you can actually feel from watching the games.
When I turn on the Big East tournament, or the ACC tournament, I know for a fact that nearly every semifinals team, and in some cases quarterfinals team, are going to the NCAA tournament. There are bigger, more important basketball games to be played. Winning the ACC tournament is nice, but generally not a necessity to move on.
For just about everyone else though, these tournaments are life or death. Teams from the SWAC. Teams from the OVC. Teams from the NEC. They spend their entire seasons working for these tournaments, and they cannot afford to lose.
Championship games in these mid major tournaments are as stressful an event as you will ever witness, and that's why I love them. The fans live and die on every possession. You can feel the euphoric joy of victory and the downright agony of coming so close, yet coming up short.
So if you are looking for something to watch over the next couple weeks, check the ESPN family of networks for a mid major championship game. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
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