| 12 March 2011
I’ve got a lot to say about yesterday’s games, and just a little time to say it before the action tips off again.
In no particular order, here are some thoughts from an epic Friday afternoon in Championship Week:
1. UConn: Honestly, if you’re looking for some logical insight into UConn’s run at Madison Square Garden, you’ve come to the wrong place. Much like the success of the show “Big Bang Theory,” I have no idea how or why it’s happening. I've been just as surprised this entire week as you are.
Truthfully, it’s beyond surprise.
For example, when I was in Arizona last weekend, one of my buddies asked me if I was upset after UConn lost to Notre Dame, when they blew a late lead, at home, on Senior Day, none the less. My response? Not really. While (at the time), I thought UConn’s season was essentially over, I wouldn’t let it cloud how fun those first few weeks were, when UConn was knocking off all comers, and the Huskies were the toast of the college hoops world. As a sports fan, it’s one thing to root for a team which has expectations and meets them. But it’s quite different (and in a lot of cases more satisfying) to root for one with few expectations that proceeds to blow them out of the water. After the Notre Dame loss last weekend, I was trying to keep exactly that in perspective. I really was. Which- in large part- is why the run this weekend has been so surprising and enjoyable. Because just when I let my guard down, this team pulled me back in.
Obviously, this whole thing all comes back to Kemba Walker. You know that. I know that. Doris, the overweight receptionist in your office, who has never watched a second of basketball in her life knows that. Just understand that what Kemba is doing in New York isn’t just impressive, it’s unprecedented. Remember, Eric Devendorf had the four day Big East Tournament scoring record with 84 points. Kemba has 111 and counting.
Really though, the difference is something I touched on a bit in my College Basketball Most Valuable Player column last week: Kemba is once again playing within himself, which is something you couldn’t have said two weeks ago. There are no wild runners, no off-balance corner jumpers, no reckless drives into three defenders looking for a foul call. Incredibly, Walker is averaging almost 28 points per game, but still doing it within the context of the offense. If that isn’t contradictory, I don’t know what is.
And the dirty little secret about Friday night’s win over Syracuse was that his teammates didn’t play all that well. Jeremy Lamb’s legs weren’t in his jump shot the way they normally are. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel disappeared to the point that someone needed to send a search party out to look for him. Roscoe Smith got his eye busted open early, and didn’t play much from there. Other than Alex Oriahki and Walker brought much to the table offensively. Yet Kemba refused to let them lose.
Let’s bring this full-circle to the beginning. Since I didn’t see this Big East Tournament run coming at all, I’m the wrong person to make a prediction on tonight’s game. What I can tell you is this: When UConn got run out of the gym in Louisville about a month ago, I went to bed that night thinking, “If we played that team 100 games in a row, I really feel like we’d lose 100 times.”
Just a month later, I no longer feel that way. It’s gonna be a fun one tonight.
2. Louisville: Like UConn, I can’t give you much perspective on Louisville; but in this case it’s for a totally different reason. The truth is, I was such an emotional mess after the UConn game, that it took me almost until halftime to fully invest myself into Louisville-Notre Dame. For the first half, I felt kinda like Barney Stinson in this clip of How I Met Your Mother. My head was all over the place.
Still, I’ve got to give a ton of credit to the Cardinals. Louisville battled all game long, came back from a massive deficit to get the win, and most impressively, did it with their best player (my 2011 College Basketball man-crush), Peyton Siva on the bench. Honestly, I didn’t think this team could run a three-man weave without Siva on the floor, and all they did was go out and beat a top five team last night. Shows what I know, huh?
One more thing on the Cards. I’ve been saying this all year, but I absolutely think that it’s worth repeating: With all due respect to Mike Brey, Steve Fisher, Jim Calhoun, whoever, Rick Pitino is the National Coach of the Year. Period. End of discussion. Thanks for playing, and get your parting gift at the door.
Look, we’ve all heard the tired argument about how Louisville “doesn’t have any pros,” on their roster, which is again, simply plain and tired. You don’t need pros to win in college (as evidenced by, umm, Duke last year), and I don’t necessarily buy that Louisville doesn’t have pros. You can’t tell me that in two years Siva won’t be on someone’s NBA roster, or that with his size and skill-set, Terrence Jennings won’t get a chance. I don’t buy it for a second.
Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is, that to his credit, Rick Pitino has done something that none of those other coaches did this year…and that’s really, REALLY, “coached.” Now understand that’s no insult to the other guys, believe me. But ultimately, Jim Calhoun had the best player in the country in Walker, Fisher had Kawhi Leonard, and Brey had a team that’s so old they get discounts when they go to the movies.
Yet it was only Pitino that completely and fundamentally changed his style of coaching to meet the skill-set of this specific team. I’ve written it before but I’ll repeat it: At some point this fall, Rick Pitino looked himself in the mirror and said, “If I do things the way I have been, this team will go down in flames. Let’s switch this puppy up.” He did and Louisville has been rolling since.
Which is why I stand by my earlier statement: He’s the National Coach of the Year.
3. One Quick Thought On Notre Dame: For the record, I’ve been on Notre Dame’s bandwagon all year. When everyone else was calling them slow, un-athletic and allergic to defense, I was one of the few saying, “Wait a second, that’s not right. They’re actually quick, quite athletic and play pretty darn good defense.” Also, that’s one of the main reasons that I don’t read too many other sportswriters. I prefer to watch the games myself and form my own opinions, not take what everyone else says in a vacuum.
With that said, the one thing that worried me about this team showed its ugly head on Friday night. Mainly that if you get after them defensively, I mean really get after them, you can slow down this offense. It isn’t easy, especially since few college basketball teams play defense for a full 40 minutes. But if you do, the Irish can be beaten. As we saw in the second half Friday night.
On a different note, you know how everyone says that the tournament is “all about matchups?” Well I feel like the Irish are the prime example of that. In my opinion, they can beat virtually any team in the country, but at the same time, I feel like there are a few teams that would beat the Irish every time they played.
For example, with Texas playing at the same time as Notre Dame last night, I couldn’t help but think to myself as I watched both teams, “Notre Dame could play Texas 100 times, and I think Texas would beat them every single one.” The Longhorns are just as skilled offensively as the Irish, and are one of the few teams that play good enough 
defense to stop them on the other end.
Obviously when it comes to the Irish, it’s a wait and see approach. If I were a Notre Dame fan, I wouldn’t care as much about seeding as I would matchups. With the right ones, this team can go very…very far. With the wrong ones, they could be headed home early.
4. Ohio State: As for the Buckeyes, while I’m still not totally sold on them as a National Championship favorite, I don’t think anyone should make a fuss about Friday’s overtime win against Northwestern. To the Wildcats credit, they were slow and methodical, and made Ohio State play defense for a full 35 seconds, which isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds. It’s also why Friday’s game was so close. I don’t expect the same for the Buckeyes semifinal with Michigan today.
Still, there is one thing I’d worry about if I were an Ohio State fan. Mainly, that Jared Sullinger just doesn’t seem as engaged as he was at the beginning of the year. I don’t care what the numbers say, because honestly, the numbers lie. What I do care about is what I see with my own two eyes. And those two eyes are telling me Sullinger isn’t in a good place. He’s out of shape, was moving a step slower than usual yesterday, and seemed to be getting frustrated more easily than usual as well. That’s not a good thing for a team taking a run at the title.
Now that’s not to say that I don’t like Sullinger and his game. Because I do. But he’s just not the same player he was six weeks ago. And Ohio State isn’t the same team because of it.
5. Wisconsin: Thankfully, I don’t get the Big Ten Network as part of my cable package. And if you’re wondering why I haven’t made a fuss about ordering it, well I present you the following: Penn State 36 Wisconsin 33. Not in football. In basketball. Men’s basketball. Men’s college basketball.
Quick side story from Penn State-Wisconsin. Obviously, since I don’t get Big Ten Network, I didn’t watch the game. But that didn’t stop me from texting my buddy Phil, a HUGE Badgers fan, and asking him “How do you feel that Jimmer Fredette almost single-handedly doubled your team’s point total?”
His response? “If you were here right now, I’d kill you.”
I guess that just about sums things up, doesn’t it?
6. Speaking of Jimmer: As I watched him pillage New Mexico’s defense last night, I couldn’t help but get upset with Brandon Davies. If that no-condom wearing, honor-code violating bozo hadn’t knocked up his girlfriend, I firmly believe that this team would not only a National Championship contender, but quite possibly the favorite.
Now I know that sounds like hooey to you, but please, for my sake, just watch this team. Yes there’s Jimmer, but there’s also a lot more. There’s Jackson Emery, who might literally be the best perimeter defender in college basketball right now. He had two huge steals when the Cougars needed them in crunch-time last night. There’s Kyle Collinsworth, one of the better third guards in the country. And of course there’s Charles Abuou and Noah Hartstock down low, two dudes that simply get after it. Then there’s Davies, the guy that really did put them over the top. And for all the joking I did above, I do feel bad for him. You know that sitting on the bench has to be killing right now.
But back to this BYU team, I’m telling you they’re legit. As a matter of fact, I’m calling it now: Even without Davies, BYU goes three for three against San Diego State tonight. You heard it here first.
7. Georgia: Woah, what a hoot that Georgia-Alabama game was yesterday afternoon huh? It actually reminded me a lot of the UConn-Syracuse game later on…only the exact opposite. ‘Bama-Georgia had it all: Bad turnovers, coaching miscues at the worst times, you name it. Truthfully, I’d even suggest putting Mark Fox in a witness protection program. Except, well, I don’t think anyone in Georgia actually cares about basketball. But still.
Speaking of Georgia, you know what their team reminds me of? A few months back I was on a cross-country flight, and had the pleasure of sitting next to a gorgeous girl…or so I thought. Of course after a few minutes of chatting her up, I realized that she the IQ of toaster oven and the wit of a bar of soap. I kept making jokes, kept being funny, kept waiting for the light bulb to come on, and…nothing.
Well that’s how I feel about this Georgia team. They’ve got all the talent in the world. Athleticism to match anyone. And the light bulb just never came on. If you didn’t watch a single Georgia game all year, Friday was a microcosm of their season. Every time they needed a play, it just never happened.
Enjoy the NIT Dawgs fans.
8. Alabama: And on the opposite side is Alabama. Not overly talented, but few teams are better coached, and nobody plays harder.
As a matter of fact, that’s one of my beefs with the NCAA Tournament selection process. We spend all this time talking about RPI and SOS and APR and GTL, yet nobody talks about the most important three-letter acronym: MIA. Which teams come to play when the lights are on, and which teams go MIA.
For example, if I was on the selection committee and the final spot in this year’s tournament came down to Alabama and Michigan State, I’d take the Tide. Every single time.
I know what you’re thinking, “AT, you’re an idiot.” But here’s my logic. Michigan State had chance after chance to get impressive wins all season, and until Friday, they kept coming up empty. Hell, half the time, they played with the same energy of a stoned teenager working at CVS (Exhibit A: A 20 point loss at Iowa). Go ahead and look at their schedule. Other than Washington, and maybe Wisconsin at home (remember though, Wisconsin scored 33 points in a regulation basketball game yesterday), name one, single impressive Michigan State win until Friday against Purdue? It isn’t there.
Meanwhile Alabama’s resume isn’t much better, and they certainly aren’t as talented as the Spartans. But what the Tide do that Michigan State doesn’t, is they go out and bust their butts every night. They might not be as skilled as the Spartans, but you’ll never question their effort.
Which is why I like Alabama. When the committee puts together the NCAA Tournament field, isn’t it about making the most competitive tournament possible?
If that’s the case, than let me ask you this? If I put a gun to your head and said, “Michigan State and Alabama are their opening round games today. Pick the team that you think is less likely to get blown out and embarrassed." With your life on the line, who'd you go with I’d take Alabama and it’s not even close.
To me, that’s what the NCAA Tournament is about.
9. Kentucky: One quick thought on the Wildcats.
Kentucky fans have been telling me all year that their biggest concern for this team was depth, and until Friday I never fully appreciated it. Then all of a sudden, I’m watching them play, there are four minutes to go, and Kentucky has three guys on the court with four fouls, and one with three. Not good.
I thought Jimmy Dykes said it best, when he said, “This team can make a run in the tournament. But no team needs to avoid foul trouble more than them.” For once, I agreed with old Jimmy.
(By the way, speaking of Dykes, I mentioned this on Twitter, but it’s worth repeating: On a scale of 1-10, how much do you think Brad Nessler enjoys working with him? Like a 2.5? 3?)
10. A Couple Quick Thoughts On The ACC:
A. Is it weird that I don’t even know the Clemson coach’s name, yet already like him more than I ever did Oliver Purnell?
B. I didn’t see much of the Duke game (I was caught up with UConn), but I just hope Nolan Smith isn’t injured too seriously. As much as I loathe the Blue Devils, it’s hard not to respect the guy.
C. I couldn’t have been happier for Virginia Tech after their epic win over Florida State late Friday night. I’ve given Seth Greenberg I lot of crap through the years, and truthfully, I think it’s been justified. This team has been weak mentally, and ultimately isn’t a team the extension of its coach? I’d say so.
At the same time, the Hokies left it all on the court Friday night, deserved to win, and were due for a break. Finally, it happened. The fact that Greenberg was crying in his postgame interview pretty much summed it all up. Those guys needed that win. And they deserved it.
D. Finally, there’s North Carolina. I’ve been showing them love all year, but I’d be a little concerned if I was one of their fans.
Why? Well, it seems to me that Miami laid out a pretty sweet game-plan on how to slow down this offense, if not stop it completely. Essentially the Hurricanes just packed the paint, didn’t let Kendall Marshall get in the lane, and forced Carolina to be a jump shooting team. Had it not been for a mental breakdown over the last six or seven minutes, Miami would’ve won that game going away.
As I watched both North Carolina and Ohio State go right down to the wire on Friday, I couldn’t help but think one thing: Win or lose, Ohio State would be fine (for all the reasons mentioned above) going forward. But North Carolina, well, I’m not so sure on them.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Enjoy today’s hoops everyone!
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