Why I ought to :-)

All will depend on which team shows up for KU tonight .....
[Reply]

:-) :-) And that's all I'll say about the game for now.


Last night's games, save for one, went about the way one may have expected. The Orange survive another headshot, for the umpteenth time this year. Ohio State just outmanned the Bearcats. The "good" Gators showed up, and took Marquette to the woodshed. The one shocker:


Louisville 57 - Michigan State 44 = One ugly, ugly game. Pitino's Cardinals were bad on the offensive end. Izzo's Spartans were just horrible. I have never seen one of Izzo's teams play as poorly in a big game as that. Yeah, my Heels blew them off the court in the final back in '09, but that was a great Carolina team that took advantage of some poor shooting by MSU. Last night they could not shoot, did not rebound, did not hustle, and pretty much did not even show up. This team should be relieved the season is over, for if not Tom Izzo would be running them to death today. Lord knows, he might be doing that anyway, even to the seniors.


The games tonight will round out the regional finals:


Xavier vs. Baylor = It is possible that Tu Holloway of the Musketeers will go off on the Bears tonight and send them shuffling back to Texas. If nothing else, the X-Men are tough hardnosed competitors. And me, I've been dissing Baylor all year as being overrated, with a good amount of talent that play together about as well as a yardful of spoiled kindergarteners hyped up on sugar, with only one ball between them. I'll stick to that, even though they have done a little better of late. But they do have more talent, and that should make the difference. I give Xavier a shot, if they play a near-perfect game. If not, Baylor could walk away with it.

Indiana vs. Kentucky = Tom Cream is the only coach who was able to beat Calipari's team during the regular season . . . and may be regretting that signature victory today. You just KNOW the 'Cats want some revenge for that, and the way they have played so far you also know they are fully capable of dishing some out. Yeah, I would personally like to see the Hoosiers knock UK out tonight, for a full fistful of reasons. Yet my expectations of this occurring are equal to my expectation that it will be over by the break, with Kentucky coasting to the buzzer.

Ohio vs. North Carolina = With Kendall Marshall almost certainly in a suit and tie tonight, it will be a different style of play for my Tar Heels this evening. The Bobcats will have an edge on perimeter speed, and may be able to utilize that to get open shots from outside. If they hit them, it will be a very interesting contest. If they do not hit all that many, it will probably get ugly for them very quickly. Carolina should own the glass on both ends of the court, so their outside misses may lead to 2nd-chance stickbacks. But you never know how a team will react when a key piece is missing. I'll let you know about 10 PM tonight . . . though I won't click "submit reply" until tomorrow afternoon. :-)

N. C. State vs. Kansas = OK guys, I told you I'd get back to this one. I could see this one being close, start to finish, and I can see the Wolfpack losing it late and blaming the refs for it. They are talented, but not all that deep, and they are prone to get themselves into foul trouble. Plus, they seem to have a tendency to miss their FTs when it matters most, so that's why I feel the whistle will determine the Jayhawks the victors. And understand, this is not a Tar Heel putting down the Wolfpack, either as an ACC rival or due to some sort of "connection" between Lawrence and Chapel Hill (real as that might be). Plus you should also know I fully understand why they are so excited by this down in Raleigh. Not only has it been nearly 30 years since Lorenzo Charles put in that "pass" from Derek Wittenberg at the buzzer, with Jimmy V running around the court looking for somebody to hug 'way back in '83, but it's been nearly as long (1986) since they've even been in a regional final, much less a national one. I would not be shocked if they can harness the emotion and make it to one tonight, but I fear that they (like some here) may be looking past KU at another shot at UNC for a trip to New Orleans. Look past the Jayhawks at your peril, 'Pack . . . they were listed near the top of the rankings all year for a reason, believe it or not.


Can I go out now and have a quick smoke? I need it, for even if Jerry and the Bear are not getting nervous about their game, I'm getting a bit antsy about mine. :-)
[Reply]

Well, it wasn't easy, but we got there. So where the hell are you? :-) :-)


:-) I just could not resist that one, Bear. Your Wolfpack had an unexpectedly good season, and managed to a) win 2 ACC tourney games, b) win 2 NCAA tourney games, and c) push the #2-seed Kansas to the brink of elimination. There's no shame, no blame, and plenty of positives there.

Back in a bit with the update.
[Reply]

If nothing else, last night's games were fascinating, and often for differing reasons:


Baylor 75 - Xavier 70 = The Bears showed you how much talent they possess, and Xavier showed you how a team is supposed to play together. They were tougher and more feisty than was Baylor, but just didn't have enough horses to get them past the wackos from Waco. Yet give the Bears some credit too, for making the plays they needed to make when they needed to make them.

North Carolina 73 - Ohio 65 (OT) = This one shook out about the way I felt (read, "feared") it would, though it didn't start out that way. My Heels jumped out to a big lead early, but then the Bobcats got over their nerves and started hitting from deep. In the meanwhile, Barnes could not hit the side of a barn from inside or out, yet this fact did not deter him from chucking. As I hoped, the game hinged off the boards . . . Ohio got 28 rebounds, and UNC got 33 MORE than that. Had they not also had 24 TOs, this would not have been close. The good news is that Stilman White had none of them in 32 minutes. The bad news is that he's not Kendall Marshall. The important news is the Tar Heels survived and advanced.

Kentucky 102 - Indiana 90 = What was this, an ABA matchup between the Colonels and the Pacers? Yeah, it was fun to watch, if you don't care if nobody plays any defense whatsoever. OK, that's not fair . . . for a short time in the 2nd half the Hoosiers did play a little D to keep themselves on the edge of tying the game, or even regaining the lead. Then both teams started running and gunning again, and the 'Cats kept away. The athleticism was impressive, and the lack of fundamentals was astounding. When was the last time you saw an Indiana team that didn't box out? Kentucky may be unbeatable this year in any case, but in a track meet like this they almost certainly are.

Kansas 60 - N. C. State 57 = This was a hard-fought between the overachieving Wolfpack and the underachieving Jayhawks, which was fun but ugly, especially on the offensive end. KU was bad from the field and worse from the line, while State was absolutely horrid from the floor and not enought better at the line to make up the difference. And unlike my prediction, it was the 'Hawks who were Brick Choke from the stripe late, giving the 'Pack a chance to swipe the W away. And they had their shot too . . . or would have had their shot, had they not shot themselves in the foot when said foot stepped out of bounds without getting off that shot. Still, they had a despairation heave at the buzzer . . . or would have had a better one, had the pass been better. All in all, it was an ugly win for Kansas, which is pereferable to the ugly loss the Wolfpack suffered.


Back a little later to preview the regional finals.
[Reply]

Two teams will punch their tickets to New Orleans today, and two more tomorrow. First off will be the West Regional final:


Florida vs. Louisville = It is amazing how similar these two teams have played this year, as both have had huge wins and horrible losses. As I'd stated before, it's Forrest Gump's box of chocolates here, so the issue is uncertain depending on what team you get coming out of the lockerrooms. I do think the Gators have a talent edge, and the Cardinals maybe a slight chemistry edge. As for the coaching, I feel it is pretty much a wash, since Donovan's just a younger version of Pitino. I do think Florida played better in their last game than did Louisville, for even though the Cards knocked the region's top-seed out, that was more a factor of extremely bad play on the part of the Spartans. I believe that Vegas is giving Pitino the slim edge, but I think this is a real good opportunity for Donovan to get back in the Finals.


In the East Regional final:


Ohio State vs. Syracuse = I'm not sure the Orange could have found much a worse matchup in their region for this game. The Buckeyes can shoot from outside, have big men and slashers who can take advantage of the rebounding weaknesses of the 'Cuse, and their PG is Craft-y enough to get into the gaps of that zone and create, either for himself or others. Plus, at the other end, he can create havoc and force turnovers, many of which can lead to scoring opportunites before Boeheim's kids can get back. Sure, getting open shots and hitting them are two different things, but I could also see OSU getting 10 or 15 buckets off stickbacks following misses. This might be the best chance you have for seeing a 2 knock off a 1-seed . . . or maybe not. :-)


Tomorrow will round out the action before championship weekend, beginning with the South Regional final:


Baylor vs. Kentucky = So far the Wildcats have given me no reason to believe anybody is going to beat them. But Baylor has given me some reason to believe they may have the talent to play with them. The question will remain as to whether or not they can harness that talent into sufficient teamwork to pull off the upset. Rest assured, it would be an upset if this 3-seed could send the overall top-seed back to Lexington before Calipari even gets the chance to play for his first trophy. However, although I might be surprised by it, I would not be stunned. Not only could the Bears run up and down at least as well as did the Hoosiers last night, it is always possible that UK could have a bad night. Hey, their bigs had some early foul trouble last night, if you recall, and if IU had not had similar problems with baby brother Cody Zeller, they may have been able to pound it inside more to create even bigger problems for the 'Cats. Still, I need end how I began: If you plan to beat Kentucky, you need to show me first.


In the Midwest Regional final:


Kansas vs. North Carolina = Well, you could not ask for much bluer a blueblood matchup than this one, pitting two of the most storied programs in college hoops against each other. Last night the Heels struggled without Kendall Marshall at the helm, yet did what they needed to do to survive. In the nightcap, the Jayhawks did much the same against the upstart Wolfpack, despite the fact that THEIR PG Taylor was only slightly more effective than was a suited-and-tied Marshall for UNC. Bottom line, neither team played all that well. If they both play equally crappy ball Sunday, I'd give my Heels the slight edge. If both improve fairly equally, I'd also give UNC that same slim edge. But if Harrison Barnes has as awful a night as his NCAAs have been so far, and if Zeller, Bullock, Hairston, and McAdoo can't make up for his poor shooting, and if KU can improve somewhat over the putrid shooting percentage against NCSU, then it's back to Chapel Hill for Roy's boys.


That's how I see it, anyway. Feel free to stick your :-) in here . . . or not, for all I care. Me, I'm just glad I'm not trying to watch these games from a hospital recovery room, the way I was this time last year. :-) But pipe up or pipe out, in either case enjoy.
[Reply]

The Cards are in the Final 4. Took a licking through most of the game, and had serious foul troubles, with Siva fouling out and others at 3-4 not so late in the game. Then, the switch came on, and they took the lead, then the win. The 3 point shot failed the Gators at the worst time.

OSU gets the win against 'Cuse. Can't say I like either to win, but did not think 'Cuse would get this far.
[Reply]

The game was not too exciting after the 7 minute mark, really, but the Cats get the win and the Final 4 invite over Baylor. Through the 1st couple of minutes, I really thought we had a classic fight on our hands, and that Baylor was the team with the horses to run with UK. Then...they were down 20 points. Gotta say I was surprised Calipari played Davis so much after he banged the knee up, but he's saying they were trying to help keep it loose.

Did not get to see game 2, but it appears that KU had a heck of a run to seal the game. Again, I'm way, far away from being a Tarheel fan, but I wanted to see all the kids playing here; everyone has worked hard to get here and it's a shame to see someone get hurt and not get their shot to shine. Also hate to see 2 great teams hit the floor and one is not at their full strength, no matter who they are.


UK; UL; OSU; KU. May the best team win (hope it's the Cats :-))

Kind of wish UL was running into UK from the other side of the brackets. An all KY final would be slick, IMO.
[Reply]

Go Kentucky! At Least I Have One Pick In The Final Four! All The Way!:-)
[Reply]

Go CARDS! This team has really gutted it out this year and used solid defense to make it a lot further than most would have expected. Even me and I'm a season ticket holder and long, long time Cardinal fan. I just love the grit that this team has and look forward to a rematch with the Cats. Kentucky is stacked again this year and it will be a huge uphill climb, but I'm pulling for the Cards. Steve:-)
[Reply]

KU shot better and took advantage of UNC's injury to move on ... Next up a rematch with a full Ohio State squad ... going to be a tougher time than they had in Lawrence earlier this season.

Best news on schedule for next Saturday ... The OSU/KU game starts after my daughter's dance competition :-)
[Reply]

As most of you know, even those who only start paying attention to college hoops come Selection Sunday, we have the Final Four slated to do battle down in Nawlins. Results of regional finals Saturday:


Louisville 72 - Florida 68 = I am a bit surprised to see that Pitino's team has gotten this far, but I am not surprised to see they managed to beat the Gators. Neither team has been great all year, yet when you have a 4-seed facing a 7-seed you gotta figure it could be anybody's game. As for the game, it was fairly well-played on both sides, and close enough to remain exciting. I'm not a follower of the expressed opinion of many, who claim Donovan was outcoached at the end, andthis is the reason the Cards took it away from them late to advance. To my knowledge, Billy-boy hasn't taken a shot in competition for a loooong time, and it was his players who could not hold onto the lead. Congratulations to Louisville, and good luck in their meeting with the Wildcats . . . I think they are going to need it.

Ohio State 77 - Syracuse 70 = I am NOT surprised to see the Buckeyes got this far, just as I am not surprised to see the Orange exit before the finals. Shoot, I'm actually more surprised they didn't bow out a little sooner. Sully played well for OSU, but to me the key was Aaron Craft, who seemed totally unfased by Boeheim's zone, driving the gaps fearlessly to either make the dish down low or the kick to the open shooters. Congratulations to the Buckeyes.


On Sunday:


Kentucky 82 - Baylor 70 = If you saw this game, you know it was not nearly as close as that final score. The Bears managed to play better than the Wildcats for about 5 minutes to begin the game, then were totally outclassed for the rest of the game. Davis got his knee banged up a bit, yet still played better than anybody from Baylor, with the possible exception of Acy. And that still left a half-dozen 'Cats clawing all over the court. I did see a little more defense in this one than in their previous matchup with the Hoosiers, though that may have been more a function of the Bears' not running and gunning to IU's extent. Congratulations to Kentucky, although that may be a bit premature of me, for they and their fans will not be satisfied with anything less than all the marbles.

Kansas 80 - North Carolina 67 = And if you saw this game, you know it was a LOT closer than that final score. Both teams played an exceptional first half, and both shot the lights out, going into the break tied at 47-up. I was especially impressed at how well the Heels played without Kendall Marshall, althought they still could not get the ball down low to Zeller and Henson nearly enough. Still, they were only down one point with 4 minutes left, plus they had the ball. From that point, the loss of Marshall was most keenly felt, as they were unable to make any offensive plays whatsoever. That is where the game got away from them, and where the Jayhawks moved away. Congratulations to Kansas for a good win, even despite the extenuating circumstances. Hey, bad breaks happen, and in this case it was literally one.


I'll let you guys fight it out amongst yourselves for a day or three before I preview the big weekend in the Big Easy. Until later then, enjoy the downtime. :-)
[Reply]

GDMF Calipari! Ba$tard.

OK, got that out of my system. For the sake of our host from the Shack, I am pulling hard for the Buckeyes tonight.
Let's hope they play well and win this one big. I also need them to obliterate Kentucky. I can't figure out how they can
get it done, been a while since I have seen a gigantor like Kentucky has going on. Just unbelievable shooting and
athleticism. And not fer nuttin, Kensas narrowly beat Memphis to win the championship a couple years ago, and it pi$$ed
me off. so I really don't want to see them in the final. Go Buckeyes!!! There's the tip....
[Reply]

And there's the lane violation with 2.8 seconds left. :-)


:-) , but I just couldn't resist. Besides, as I watched that OSU/KU game, I was constantly astounded that Aaron Craft kept palming the ball on each and every possession, and was not whistled for it. WTF? Don't get me wrong, I like the kid and the way he plays, and I don't totally hate the Buckeyes either (I don't LIKE them, but I don't totally HATE them). Still, rules is rules.

Tonight's championship game of KU/UK is not one bit kooky, as both are among the elite programs in the nation. This is the first time we've had this since 2009, with UNC/MSU, since Butler's butted in the last two years. :-) I reckon one has to give the edge to the Wildcats, but like most of the nation I'll be pulling for the Jayhawks tonight. Aside from the obvious reasons, I'll only quote from last night's episode of Family Guy:


Kentucky is a state,
Kentucky is a state,
Everybody's there's a dick,
Kentucky is a state.


:-)


Of course, I suppose I could counter that with a recent one from Bill Maher:


I love March Madness, the only place where you'll ever hear the phrase "Kansas is advancing."


Hey, you gotta admit, that's :-)
[Reply]

15 minutes left ... I don't get the feeling we are going to pull this one back to even a respectable game. Congratulations to Kentucky and I can't say it wasn't a better season for KU than was predicted at the beginning of the season so not really a disappointment.

We will have some holes to fill again next year so we will see.

Rock Chalk!
[Reply]

Go CATS!!! RESPECTFULLY OF COURSE. T ROB is a great player and young man. Best of luck
[Reply]

Congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats for winning the national championship over Kansas in New Orleans last night. Celebrations in Lexington got a bit out of hand afterwards, with numerous fires and arrests as many fans lost their heads, but so far only one has lost his foot . . . that being the man who was shot in the leg and had said appendage amputated today. This is the first national championship for the Wildcats since 1998, which is a great relief for them. Next on their list will be the ending of their losing streak to produce a Rhodes Scholar, as the last one was back in 1955. :-)


When John Calipari first accepted the job at Kentucky, about a week after he told the world he had absolutely no intention of leaving Memphis, I proposed that the odds were about 50/50 as to which would come first . . . another national championship banner in Rupp Arena, or another bout of probation for the program from the NCAA. Cal dodged that particular bullet in his first season, with John Wall's problems following illicit AAU funding and Eric Bledsoe's investigation for academic fraud at his Alabama high school, where his math grades miraculously jumped from a C- to an A within a few months. Cal also dodged the bullet in his second season, what with all that "Free Enes" nonsense which followed said player's disqualification due to monies he received from a Turkish pro team for which he played. Cal also dodged a bullet in this his third season in Lexington, at least for now, when the reports from a Chicago newspaper alledging that super-freshman Anthony Davis has received $200,000 from UK to sign their letter-of-intent was quashed by the legal team from the university. And so, to date anyway, he has managed to end up on the plus-side of the bargain he struck with the loyal Kentucky fans.


Again, congratulations to UK, their coach, their team, and their fans. I have enjoyed posting my garbage on this thread from roughly Halloween to April Fools Day, and I hope you too have . . . enjoyed. :-)
[Reply]

Thank You for all your work.
[Reply]

It was nothing . . . and too often, quite literally. :-)
[Reply]

Boy, did Johnny C have that "deer in the headlights" look in the last 6 minutes or so?????? Reliving some bad memories, no doubt. As a UK fan, I'm glad they won and brought the trophy back to Lexington for another season. As a KU hater, I'm glad to see the Jayhawks go down. But I sure give them credit; those kids have learned how to hold on till the last second; well...last 2.8 seconds.

Once again, Calipari was mostly out-coached, but this time, most of the free throws went down when needed, and the talent carried them on. 2 minutes into H2 and I'm scratching my head. 6 minutes in, and I'm shouting at my TV, "Take your foot off the brake pedal, Cal!!!!!!!" You build a double-digit lead in H1 with the heat, then hook your studs to a buggy and insist on a Sunday drive for H2?!?!?!?!?!? He's not going to be able to put this kind of team on the floor, year in and year out. He'd better learn to coach a little better.

Here's to a fun season, and I'm ready for the next one. Both Prohm and Caanan will be returning to Murray State for the 2012-2013 season, and I gotta go get some season tickets!!!!!
[Reply]

Well, season's over, and now the recruiting wars for player and for coaches.

UK got its replacement for Davis, it appears, but did not get Shabbazz, who is going to the Bruins.

Son Of Ricky P is going off to his first head coach gig, replacing Isaiah Thomas at FIU, Probably couldn't do any worse.

Here at home, rumors are again swirling that Mississippi State is prowling after Murray State coach Prohm, even after he signed a new deal with the Racers.
[Reply]