15 Apr 7 - The Baby Blues (POSTSEASON)

Volume XIX, No. 22 - 15 Apr 7: POSTSEASON

The Baby Blues

[W1]Wisconsin and [M1]@Kentucky played a memorable game in the second semifinal in Indianapolis. On paper, it echoes the 1991 Duke-UNLV semifinal where the Blue Devils stopped an undefeated UNLV team in a rematch from the previous year's national championship. But that game was a true upset -- the clear underdog stayed close to the overconfident favorite which tightened up and let its dream season slip away. This game was not a choke by the favorite nor a steal by the underdog -- this was a solidly played game between two great teams. The Wildcats didn't blow a game they should have won -- in fact, they did well to come back and keep it close: the Badgers led by 9 in the first half before UK fought back to take the lead, and then again UW led by 8 early in the second half before the 'Cats came back to lead 60-56 with 5 minutes to go. UW's "Batman" cFrank Kaminsky(20p11r) scored well througout the game (and he more than matched UK's fKarl-Anthony Towns[16p9r] inside), but once again "Robin" Sam Dekker(16p) saved his best for the clutch moments with a huge three, a drive through the lane and even took a charge defensively as Wisconsin closed the endplay 15-4 to win the game, 71-@64. That was outstanding. Once Wisc was able to navigate the first half without any major foul trouble, all that UK depth didn't mean as much.
     Once it became apparent early in the season that Kentucky had a great chance to make a run at an undefeated season, the one team you figured might be able to stop it was Wisconsin -- the right style of play (deliberate), the poise of a veteran squad not to be overwhelmed by pulling off the task (which [M3]Notre Dame lacked last weekend), and even the payback angle from losing last year's semifinal to the same school -- all of those factors pointed to the Badgers as the one team which could prevent the "inevitable". But, it's one thing to see that possibility on paper; it's quite another for it to come to fruition by the great execution of the Badgers.

By contrast, the [S1]Duke-[E7]Michigan State semifinal was a massive dud. It really showed that the Spartans were not one of the Hard Eight elite squads this season of the calibre of the other three Final Four participants. This rematch from the CHAMPIONS CLASSIC (also in Indianapolis) back in November was even more lopsided than the first time around (when the Blue Devils won @81-@71). MichSt hit 4 early threes and led 14-6 at the first TV timeout; but once DU shut down the perimeter, it was over. A 6-0 start to the second half gave Duke a 42-25 lead and the entire second half was basically garbage time in a 81-61 rout. fJustise Winslow(19p9r), fJahlil Okafor(18p6r) and Quinn Cook(17p) were solid but not really spectacular for the Blue Devils; xDenzel Valentine(22p11r;5/9 3s) did his part and pTravis Trice(16p5a) was decent, but the Spartans didn't get nearly enough from fBranden Dawson(12p7r).
     (Really wish [E1]Villanova had found a way to get to Indianapolis and be the proper fourth foil in a season that was marked by such solid play at the top of college basketball. This season didn't deserve that mess of a game to be one or its showcase finales.)

The [S1]Duke-[W1]Wisconsin final wasn't quite the A+ calibre game you'd have hoped for, but it was still plenty compelling. Duke's ability to hang in the game defensively at the close of the first half (when both cJahlil Okafor[10p] and fJustise Winslow[11p9r] sat with two fouls) to enter the locker room tied at 31-31 was huge. In the second half, when the Badgers started well and extended to a 48-39 after seven minutes, it was unheralded freshman gGrayson Allen(16p) who scored 8 huge points to keep the Blue Devils in contact that allowed the endplay finish to happen. Fittingly, the two #1-seeds were tied 56-56 with 5 minutes to go. Without Wisc having completed the job of fouling him out, DU's Jahlil Okafor scored on two consecutive possessions and Most Outstanding Player bTyus Jones(23p5r) scored key points of his own in the endplay in a 68-63 win. You can't expect to have your best performance in the biggest game, but at least "Batman" cFrank Kaminsky(21p12r) forced the issue enough to be effective whereas "Robin" fSam Dekker(12p8r;0/6 3s) never seemed to settle into a flow.
     (Hate to say it, but there was definitely fodder for Conspiracy Theorists to mull over.) Credit DU for hanging in at key points in the game or fault UW for failing to keep its foot on the gas when it had the advantage ... or, unfortunately, question the integrity of the officiating at key moments. There were two consecutive possessions where fWinslow seemed to have obviously committed his fourth foul that weren't called; bJones was awarded a key three-point play when he clearly seemed to have jumped into the Wisc defender; Duke was awarded the ball twice in the endplay when replay clearly showed the ball to be out of bounds off the Blue Devils -- once just before the two-minute mark when the referees weren't allowed to review it on the monitor and the second time, OUTRAGEOUSLY when they did look at the monitor and claimed not to see fWinslow's finger tip touch the ball last even though it was plainly clear to the TV announcers and the home audience watching the replays. (The integrity of the officiating has been a topic of discussion during this tournament. There was a highly suspicious moment at the end of the [S1]Duke-[S5]Utah game when a last-second free-throw was awarded the Blue Devils [which just happened to allow them to cover the spread] and there were several moments in the [W1]Wisconsin-[M1]@Kentucky game when the refs seemed to be making every call they could to keep UK from losing contact with Wisc. You hate to believe such a thing, but there's no honest explanation of that reviewable out-of-bounds call for me.)
     Credit Mike Krzyzewski for claiming his FIFTH NATIONAL TITLE (second only to UCLA's John Wooden's 10) in his TWELFTH FINAL FOUR appearance (equal to Wooden's record) -- all done with, by far, his youngest team among the five. His framework allowed the supreme individual talent of Duke's four freshmen to flourish on the biggest stage -- not an easy thing to do; it's taken Coach K longer than Kentucky's John Calipari to master the art of guiding a Golden Child-led squad to instaneous postseason success. Call these ones The Baby Blues. For Bo Ryan, it was a double-Bridesmaid weekend as he not only came up short in the National Championship, but also was denied election to the Basketball Hall of Fame (even as UK's Calipari was voted in). Maybe more than anyone, Ryan has succeeded in player development -- his senior stars were nobodies as freshmen, by and large. Analyze it all you want -- the bottom line is: Hail Duke!
     For the second-straight year, we were denied an all-conference final (Wisconsin-Michigan State from the BIG 10) as Duke knocked out both -- (last year, Florida and Kentucky from the SEC also lost in the semis). For the second-straight year, a pre-tournament favorite SEC juggernaut was thwarted in the national semis (UK this year, UF last year). For the second-straight year, the team which thwarted an undefeated run was itself stopped short in the championship game (Kentucky over Wichita State last year, Wisconsin over Kentucky this year). Except, arguably, when it has been able to push two teams through to the Final Four (1981, 1990, 1991, 2001, 2004), this was the most successful NCAA performance ever for the (new Mega-)ACC with 6 teams going 17-5 (including [E4]Louisville's knocking out [E8]N.C. State), just short of the 18-5 record posted by the BIG EAST in 1985 when it sent three teams to the Final Four including its all-conference final between Villanova and Georgetown -- (a feat still unachieved by the hallowed ACC). With two Final Four teams, the BIG 10 was 12-7 overall in the tournament while the PAC-12 finished 8-4; the highly rated BIG 12 (5-7) and BIG EAST (5-6) did no better in the end than the 5-5 SEC; the WEST COAST managed to be 3-2 all thanks to [S2]Gonzaga. Ten Mid-Major teams went 7-10 (led by MVC/[M7]Wichita State's Sweet 16 finish). The 1BC's only managed two wins -- the two big-time upsets: [W14]Georgia State over [S3]Baylor and [S14]UAB over [S3]Iowa State, both at the expense of the vaunted BIG 12. (On the one hand, it was a strong year at the top; on the other hand, even with solid teams getting through [only 8 Party-Crasher/Jack Dawsons this year], the middle and bottom had a tough time breaking through -- it's a matter of perspective whether you think that's a good thing or a bad thing for college basketball overall.)

In the NIT, the B-Majors edged out the MM and 1BC challengers as [w2]Stanford beat [m1]Old Dominion (67-60) and [s2]Miami(Florida) edged [e1]Temple (60-57). In the final, the Cardinal edged the Hurricanes 66-64(OT) as Most Outstanding Player bChasson Randle(25p) sank the game-winning free throws while becoming Stanford's all-time leading scorer along the way (passing Todd Lichti '89 and Adam Keefe '92).
     In the CBI, Mid-Major MVC/[mA1]Loyola(Illinois) swept 1BC SUNB/[sB1]Louisiana-Monroe, @65-58 and 63-@62 as steady gEarl Peterson was named Tournament Most Valuable Player.
     In the CIT, slumming Mid-Major Evansville gave the MISSOURI VALLEY its second postseason crown. The Purple Aces beat OVC/Tennessee-Martin (@79-66) in the semis while SKY/Northern Arizona stopped INDEP/New Jersey Tech's postseason run (@68-61); then, Evans beat NoAz @71-65 in the final behind 27p12r from cEgidijus Mockevicius while steady gD.J. Balentine(16p) was named Tournament Most Valuable Player.

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With a solid returning nucleus fortified by its perennial motherload of Golden Child newcomers, this year's Kentucky made good on last year's promise of an undefeated regular season (matching Wichita State's feat from the year before); but new rival Wisconsin ended the dream run at perfection winning the rematch from the previous year's Final Four. The addition of Louisville completed the formation of the new top conference Mega-ACC (featuring four Hall of Fame coaches all with national championship resumes). Although the BIG 12 (5 tournament crowns) and BIG EAST (4 crowns) had rated better in the preseason, in the postseason it was the ACC (National Champ, 3 Elite 8 teams, 5 Sweet 16s; 4 pre-crowns) that wound up with the top overall rating at season's end. The BIG 10 (2 Final Four teams; 5 pre-crowns) and PAC-12 (NIT Champ; 2 pre-crowns) were strong in the end as well while the WEST COAST (1 Elite 8; 1 pre-crown) barely qualified as a B-Major (thanks to BYU's dubious NCAA bid). The Mid-Majors salvaged a Sweet 16 team and both the CBI and CIT Champions (all thanks to the MISSOURI VALLEY). The 1BC's postseason record was bolstered by CONFERENCE USA's dubious classification (one NCAA 32-Splash upset and an NIT semifinalist and another road win); otherwise, the few highlights were SUNB/Georgia State's NCAA 32-Splash shocker and NIT road wins by SUMMIT/South Dakota State and OVC/Murray State.
     The "complication" of having one-and-done Golden Child players has forced the top programs to turn over the reins to newcomers who may or may not have the poise and maturity to lead a team to titles, crowns and championships all in one season. Some teams thrived (Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona); some struggled (Seton Hall); others were somewhere in between (Maryland, Ohio State). Veteran teams (Wisconsin, Michigan State) still did plenty well, though.
     Kansas/Bill Self (ELEVEN-STRAIGHT BIG 12 TITLES), Gonzaga/Mark Few (FOURTEEN OUT OF FIFTEEN WEST COAST TITLES) and Harvard/Tommy Amaker (FIVE-STRAIGHT IVY LEAGUE TITLES) added to their in-conference dominance.
     The two front-runners all season long for Player Of The Year fittingly met in the National Championship game. Although senior Player Of The Year cFrank Kaminski(Wisconsin) had the better game head-to-head against Top Freshman cJahlil Young(Duke), the Young Folks had the better of the game overall.
     Gregg Marshall's prowess at Wichita State may have broken through
a decades-old "Big Brother" State School/"Little Brother" City School impasse to give us what hopefully will be established as a classic grudge match rivalry series with Kansas. Kentucky's John Calipari came close to pulling off one of the greatest season's in NCAA history. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski further added to his stellar resume (second only to legendary John Wooden of UCLA) even as we lost a giant in the sport (as well as in all of American Sports) in North Carolina's Dean Smith.
     Don't listen to the nay-sayers, College Basketball is alive and healthy.

I hope this year's weekly columns were worth reading -- it was a struggle to get them out this year in reasonable time due to a host of factors behind the scenes. Real Life rears its ugly head on its timetable, not yours.

[Congratulations to the winner of this year's Hoops Contest: Joe Fabian of Clermont, FL over 136 contestants.]

Next year, it's The Road To Houston!)

-- Ron