A Living Nightmare

For the first time in NCAA history, the final four will include the top four seeds. For the first time in my memory, the talking heads appear to have called this one exactly. For the last couple months the estimation has been that there are four teams that are clearly superior to the rest - all four are now in the finals.

For the first time in my memory, the final four is made up of four teams I hate. UNC - please; they ooze arrogance and I've hated them since Dean Smith nearly ruined the game with the four-corners offense. KU - a backward version of UK. It didn't take 14 years in Colorado to make me hate them. UCLA - what a loathsome bunch of bloodsuckers; 11 titles, three consecutive final fours - draUCLA. And the dreaded Memphites - there's nothing to be said there other than "bite me." I hope no one wins. I hope the entire event is a ground-hog day and all four teams wake up tied over and over and over again. Probably won't happen.

I feel like UL is at the top of the next tier. I was disappointed not to get the upset, but they got beat by a better team and a better player having a better night at home in a regional final. I always look for the player who becomes a man among boys in the tournament - Tyler Hansbrough was certainly that man last night. The 17 turnovers hurt, but if you run with a good running team, that will happen. More important were the free throws (9 of 16 vs. 18 of 21) and the offensive rebounds. They punished us with offensive rebounds.

Pitino made an interesting comment afterward. The announcers and most folks at home probably were crying for him to slow down the offense and back off the press. He said the only way they could have won was to run. "UNC is too good a defensive ballclub for us to grind it out against their half-court and score enough points to win. So, our only hope was to run ourselves and try to slow their running game. In the first half we didn't slow them and you saw the results. In the second half we did a better job of controlling their break and continued scoring on ours. That's the only way we could have won the ball game." (not a direct quote, just damn close) This was a final eight team by nature and by accomplishment. UNC was more experienced and it showed down the stretch. Note the three travels after they'd gotten it tied. UL is right on schedule - next year should be their year. Next year, Earl Clark should be the man among boys if he builds on this experience. The only players they lose are Padgett, Palacios and Farley and Derek Caracter if he goes into the draft. They have a big man coming in who is supposed to be the best in the class, a guy who would probably have gone into the draft if they hadn't changed the rule. There are some other excellent prospects coming in with him. The rest of the team is mostly sophomores who should be a heck of a lot better next year, Earl Clark especially. (I doubt there's much hope for Sosa, but Tyreke Evans still might sign.)

Looking forward to the college world series.
Pedro