15 Mar30 - KAT's 'Cats

Volume XIX, No. 21 - 15 Mar30

KAT's 'Cats

Cinderella had by and large left the building by the time the Sweet 16 games came around. With the exception of UCLA and North Carolina State, these were all teams who had made a real impression before the NCAA tournament even began.
     [M1]@Kentucky was at its devastaing best in crushing [M5]West Virginia (@78-39) in Cleveland -- forcing the tempo with all-court pressure is exactly the wrong way to go in combating the Wildcats (as Arkansas learned in SEC play).
     The outside shots weren't falling for either [S2]Gonzaga or [S11]UCLA in RELIANT Stadium in Houston (6-for-32 on three-pointers combined) so both had to go inside -- for the Bulldogs, it was point-blank by fPrzemek Karnowski(18p9r;2 behind-the-back bounce passes for dunks to fDomantas Sabonis) for a 74-62 win. For all of its consistent excellence in conference play for the past 15 years, this was the first trip to the Elite 8 for Gonzaga since it debuted on the national scene back in 1999 (and it's the first time ever for coach Mark Few, who took over in 2000 when Dan Monson "moved up" to take the Minnesota job).
     [W4]North Carolina's best shot was to blow past [W1]Wisconsin and leave it in the dust; as it was, the fast pace did give the Tar heels a narrow margin, but once the Badgers were able to go on a 9-0 run to grab back the lead at 65-60 with 5 minutes to go, Wisc's edge in the halfcourt gave UNC virtually no shot to win the endplay -- UW 79-72.
     [S5]Utah shut down fJahlil Okafor(6p8r), but cJustise Winslow(21p10r) stepped up and gTyus Jones(15p) chipped in for [S1]Duke -- (freshmen all, mind you). The Utes' bDelon Wright(10p6r) was saddled with foul trouble and bBrandon Taylor(15p5r) wasn't enough of a substitute in the Blue Devils' 63-57 win.
     [W6]Xavier did well to hang with [W2]Arizona thanks to cMatt Stainbrook(17p10r)'s savvy post play, but 3-for-17 on three-pointers wasn't going to get it done. For all of the size in the frontcourt, what kills you against the Wildcats is the guards' scoring -- pT.J. McConnell(17p5a7r) burned yet another opponent in AZ's 68-60 win.
     [M3]Notre Dame just had too many weapons -- Demetrius Jackson(20p), xPat Connaughton(16p10r) and gSteve Vasturia(15p) all orchestrated by pJerian Grant(9p11a); only bFred Van Vleet(25p6r) and fDarius Carter(22p8r) were able to get going for [M7]Wichita State as bRon Baker only had 9p6r in the 81-70 Irish win.
     [E7]Michigan State (and Tom Izzo)'s advantage in postseason experience was just enough of an edge as Travis Trice(24p), bDenzel Valentine(18p7r) et al. had a little more "want to" than bBuddy Hield(21p6r) and fTyShawn Thomas(16p7r) et al. for [E3]Oklahoma (and Lon Kruger) in the Spartans' 62-58 upset.
     In an ACC knockout game, [E4]Louisville turned the tables on the regular season result as its deliberate pace kept the game with conferencemate [E8]N.C. State close until a key 9-0 run provided a 10-point lead with one minute to go and a 75-65 Cardinals win. fMontrezl Harrell(24p7r) and, especially, xTerry Rozier(17p14r4a) led the way for Lville; bTrevor Lacey(18p5r) couldn't do it all by himself for NCSt.
     Five of the Hard Eight did live up to their seeding, leaving us two highly anticipated juggernaut matchups in the Regional Finals. The Mega-ACC pushed three teams into the Elite 8; the BIG 10 managed two teams while the highly rated BIG 12 and BIG EAST both came up empty.

Although it wasn't quite the quality of last year's all-time classic between undefeated Wichita State and Kentucky, this year's [M1]@Kentucky-[M3]Notre Dame MIDWEST Final in Cleveland was plenty compelling. As well as the Irish played offensively, coach Mike Brey's "let cKarl-Anthony Towns get his" defensive strategy was fine for 36 minutes; but you've got to make a stop no matter who it is once you reach the endplay. Give the Wildcats credit not only for their talent but also for being the more poised team down the stretch -- ND went 2-for-5 on free throws in the closing momemts and committed a costly shot-clock violation on its final possession thanks to excellent UK D. Yet another huge three-pointer from gAaron Harrison to add to his legend in a thrilling @68-66 win. It wasn't quite a One-Man-Show for fKarl-Anthony Towns(25p5r;10/13fg) but it was close; fZach Auguste(20p9r;10/13fg) was surprisingly effective inside for ND while gSteve Vasturia(16p) and pJerian Grant(15p6a) were good but not great.
     In the SOUTH Final in Houston, for all of the great skill this year's [S2]Gonzaga squad certainly had, [S1]Duke's edge in athleticism was key -- fJahlil Okafor(9p8r) got fPrzemek Karnowski(4p5r) in foul trouble; bJustise Winslow(16p5r) and tKyle Wiltjer(16p5r) were a push exploiting their mismatches; pTyus Jones(15p6a) got the better of gKevin Pangos(4p0a); Domantas Sabonis(9p4r) was a decent substitute for fKarnowski as a banger inside, but he's nowhere near the same passer -- bByron Wesley(10p5r) got off to a great start cutting and receiving fKarnowski's passes but that went away when the big man sat down; bit-player Matt Jones(16p) was the surprise, supplying some key three-pointers moreso than bQuinn Cook(10p5r) in the 66-52 Blue Devil win.
     In the first half of the WEST Final in Los Angeles, [W1]Wisconsin's fFrank Kaminsky(29p6r;10/12ft) nearly fouled out the entire [W2]Arizona front line with crafy post moves and then bSam Dekker(27p5r;5/6 3s) kept hitting big threes in the second half. The Wildcats kept it close by getting to the free-throw line (28/30FT), led by fRondae Hollis-Jefferson(17p8r), Brandon Ashley(17p) and pT.J. McConnell(14p5a) in the 85-78 Badger win.
     In the decided undercard that was the EAST Final in Syracuse, [E4]Louisville led [E7]Michigan State 40-32 at the half behind solid play by fMontrezl Harrell(16p9r) and gWayne Blackshear(28p;12/12ft); but fHarrell was woeful in the second half and tTerry Rozier(13p8r;6/23 fg) shot terribly all game long. pTravis Trice(17p5a) and pDenzel Valentine(15p6a7r) led the way on offense for the Spartans, but this game was won on their collective effort defensively as MichSt prevailed 76-70(OT).

Who'd have figured it'd be the BIG 10 to place two teams in the Final Four? BIG 12, BIG EAST, Mega-ACC -- Wherefore art thou? That's 12 Final Fours now for coach Mike Krzyzewski, tying UCLA's John Wooden for the all-time mark.

In the NIT quarters, home teams [m1]Old Dominion held off [m3]Murray State @72-69, [e1]Temple crushed [e3]Louisiana Tech @77-59 and [w2]Stanford held off [w5]Vanderbilt @78-75 while only [s2]Miami(Florida) was able to come through on the road to edge host [s1]Richmond 63-@61.
     In the CBI semis, the home teams ruled as [mA1]Loyola(Illinois) rolled [wA1]Seattle @63-48 and [sB1]Louisiana-Monroe held off [eA2]Vermont @71-65.
     The CIT is down to the semis as slumming MM Evansville won at Louisiana (89-@82) and Tennessee-Martin beat host OVC conferencemate Eastern Kentucky (70-@59) both on the road while Northern Arizona (@74-73 over Kent State) and INDEPENDENT New Jersey Tech (@78-73 over Canisius) were both winners at home.

The BIG 10's 4-0 weekend pushed its postseason record to 11-6 (with two Final Four participants). A 5-4 weekend left the Mega-ACC at 18-6 overall (with a Final Four team and an NIT semifinalist still alive). Only the 10-3 MISSOURI VALLEY also still has two teams alive (both favorites in the CBI and CIT). The 13-6 PAC-12 has the NIT favorite in its corner. The 6-2 SUN BELT (still in CBI) and 8-4 OHIO VALLEY (still in CIT) have had the best possteasons among the 1BCs. And give some love to the lone INDEPENDENT, New Jersey Tech -- 3-0 in the postseason and through to the semifinals of the CIT.

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For all of the bellyaching from the Gonzaga faithful that they're "not a Mid-Major", there's no question that Mark Few's gaudy won-loss record has been padded by playing in the WEST COAST conference -- an Anti-Spoiler/1BC league more often than a Mid-Major (or B-Major this year). Even in this post-Golden Child Era (since the 2006-07 season), Butler has made 2 Final Fours (2010, 2011 -- both as Runner-Up) from the 1BC HORIZON LEAGUE, Wichita State has 1 Final Four (2013) and an undefeated regular season (2014) from the MM/1BC MISSOURI VALLEY and VCU made the Final Four (2011) from the MM COLONIAL. "Overrated" is a bit harsh and this was a tough year to field his best-ever team when the Hard Eight were all Final Four-calibre squads, but it's a fair criticism generally to point out the past underperforming of the 'Zags in the NCAAs.
     With [M1]@Kentucky's surviving the nervous trap game that the Regional Final always is, the 40-0 perfect season seems practically inevitable. The Wildcats are too deep for everyone on the roster to get tight in a close game, so I think even a 1991 Duke/UNLV scenario is now out -- that UNLV team was practically an Iron Five who, once any one of them felt the nerves from Duke's staying close, they all did. This UK team (as we saw against [M8]Cincinnati and [M3]Notre Dame) always has someone to step in and make his mark in limited minutes to save the day with a key 10-point performannce. So we're now down to just a 1985 Villanova/Georgetown near-perfect game's being the only way someone can stop these 'Cats. [W1]Wisconsin has the discipline to play that kind of game -- and it'll get its chance after all in a rematch from last year's Final Four -- I don't think anyone else remaining in the field does.
     The NIT semifinalists are pretty evenly matched, but [w2]Stanford has the best player in bChasson Randle. MM Loyola(Illinois) is the CBI favorite even with two possible road games against Louisiana-Monroe. Slumming MM Evansville is the class of the CIT semifinalists.

Can you imagine the ratings bonanza an unbeaten-Kentucky vs Duke national championship game would bring?

-- Ron

Key games this week:

NCAA

Thursday:

COLLEGE 3-POINT/SLAM DUNK CONTEST @IndianapolisIN/HINKLE/BUTLER/
• {College 3-Point/Slam Dunk Contest}
  

Friday:

FINAL FOUR @IndianapolisIN/LUCAS/
• {Open Team Practices} - FREE
  
• {College All-Star Game} - FREE
  

Saturday:

FINAL FOUR @IndianapolisIN/LUCAS/
• [M1]@Kentucky v [W1]Wisconsin
  
• [S1]Duke v [E7]Michigan St
  

- - - - - -

Monday week:

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP @IndianapolisIN/LUCAS/
• {[M1]@Kentucky/[W1]Wisconsin} v {[S1]Duke/[E7]MichiganSt}
  

NIT

Tuesday:

Semis @NewYorkNY/MSG/
• [e1]Temple v [s2]Miami-FL
  
• [m1]Old Dominion v [w2]Stanford
  

Thursday:

Final @NewYorkNY/MSG/
• {[e1]Temple/[s2]MiamiFL} v {[m1]OldDominion/[w2]Stanford}
  

CBI (COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL)
Finals (Best of 3) on-campus

Monday:

• @ [mA1]Loyola-IL v [sB1]LA-Monroe
  

Wednesday:

• @ [sB1]LA-Monroe v [mA1]Loyola-IL
  

(Friday, if necessary):

• @ [sB1]LA-Monroe v [mA1]Loyola-IL
  

CIT (COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT)

Tuesday:

Semis on-campus
• @ Evansville v TN-Martin
  
• @ No Arizona v NJIT
  

Thursday:

Final on-campus
• {Evansville/TNMartin} v {NoArizona/NJIT}