On To The Final Game

Back in October, before this season started, Connecticut and Butler were in nobody's minds as to whether or not they had a chance to be playing on April 4, 2011. That is because the answer was a no from everyone besides people in that school or fan base. Butler was still a small school in Indiana, up the road from Indianapolis, who had lost their best player, and was starting a guys that had most likely been shown no interest by the college basketball power conferences. Connecticut was a team full of freshman, couple sophomores, senior here and there that is not a major contributor, and Kemba Walker, who was a good player but not elite at this point in his career. Then the season started.

As Butler's season started they struggled, they lost to Louisville, Evansville, Duke, and Xavier before putting together a win streak. Then came more losses though, this time to Milwaukee, Wright State, and three in a row to Milwaukee, Valparaiso, and Youngstown State. They were 14-9, in a three game losing streak, no longer with Gordon Hayward, and definitely not looking towards Houston. Then they turned it around and are currently in the midst of a 14 game winning streak. Butler doing it all over again.

The Connecticut season began and followed a much different curve. They entered the season unranked, unheralded, and underappreciated. They went to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational at 2-0, but with two mediocre wins, and teams still were not fearing the Huskies. Then they proceeded to beat the now newly crowned NIT Champion Wichita State, then number two Michigan State, and destroy Kentucky while Kemba burst onto the scene averaging 30 points a game in the tournament. They rocketed up to number four in the rankings and knocked off 10 in a row. Unfortunately for them then came league play, and they lost their first Big East game of the year to Pittsburgh, and they would go on to go only 9-9 in the league. During that stretch though they continued to dominate the out of conference, beating the likes of Tennessee and Texas (at Texas), and remain in the top 15 for a good chunk of that slide during the Big East regular season. Then came the Big East tournament and they began the Kemba Walker show all over again, pulling off the unprecedented and unbelievable five wins in five nights.

The tournament has consisted of different runs for the two as well, Butler has had three games decided by three points or less of the five played, and all five have been by eight points or less. They won on last second shots, last second free throws, in overtime, and by just holding on. Butler has forced their way back, by just being a tough, rugged, never say die team. Connecticut has sort of started out big and come back close in a way, beginning the tournament on that high from the Big East Tournament and winning game one by 29 points, and game two by 11. The margins of victory have gotten smaller and smaller though, as game three they won by seven, their Elite Eight match up with Arizona by two, and then Saturday outlasting Kentucky by one.

Yes, the paths to get here have been completely different from the two teams that really do not share too many similarities, except they have each gone 5-0 thus far in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Only one will be cutting down the nets in Houston, and either way, back in October people would have said you were nuts if you chose that team as the eventual National Champions.

Preview and Picking the Winner

The Difference For Connecticut Is The "Other Guys"

We know what happened the first time these two teams met back in November, Kemba Walker took over and the Connecticut Huskies blew Kentucky away from start to finish. Going into last night many believed it would be completely different, different teams, different game, maybe a different outcome. At halftime it seemed like it was going down the same road as Connecticut was up 10, but then again West Virginia was up eight at halftime against the Wildcats and they came out on fire to take control against the Mountaineers. Well the same thing happened last night, coming out red hot from behind the arc, and suddenly it was a different game and Kentucky did have the momentum. Then you know who, Kemba, made a big shot and got fouled on a three for free throws, and that is what changed the game.

The second half was a great half of basketball, as the two continued throughout to get hit, maybe stumble a little, and then come and hit right back. While the stars of this game performed, it was more about the role players that one this one tonight. Kemba and Brandon Knight each had 18 and 17 points respectively, Terrence Jones stepped up early and late while having a rough middle of the game but came away with 15 rebounds to go along with 11 points, and Jeremy Lamb again had 12 points despite his worst shooting effort of the tournament from three missing both attempts.

This game though was all about Kentucky having guys not show up, and Connecticut did. Though Doron Lamb stepped in to the lineup in the second half and provided a great lift, knocking down three shots from deep, the other factors they had become to rely on did not do what they needed. Josh Harrellson was in foul trouble and was only able to contribute six points and a measly four rebounds. DeAndre Liggins who was in some respects the hero against North Carolina went 1-7 from the field, and missed the late three point attempt for the lead with five seconds left. Lastly Darius Miller also only went 1-7 from the floor for four points, and was more of a detriment for the Wildcats. When only six of your players get eight or more minutes you can not have three of them struggle like this and expect to win.

For Connecticut they were able to have other players step up, like Roscoe Smith having six points and eight rebounds, including a huge baseline turnaround that came in a spot where they needed a bucket badly. Alex Oriakhi stepped up and 10 rebounds, one a huge dunk put back of a Shabazz Napier miss late in the second half. Charles Okwandu made a big block in the first half to ignite a run, and added in a couple of dunks with great cuts to the hoop. Lastly, Napier only had one basket, but that basket came with 2:28 left to put the Huskies up six on a beautiful reverse layup around two defenders. Though Napier then turned the ball over for Liggins to get that late shot that he missed, he then got that rebound and made both free throws to put Connecticut up four and seal the victory.

Now the Huskies role players made their mistakes, and guys like Harrellson and Liggins had their moments where they made a big bucket or a defensive stop. The overall impact by the two sides, and the reason they got the win, was because as a complete package it was Connecticut's "other guys" that came through when was necessary, and the is why they are 40 minutes away from being the last team standing.

The Meeting Of The Big Boys

A lot of the talk this week has been in regards to the fact that two mid-majors have made it to the Final Four, little Butler has made it to its second straight, and VCU has laughed at all the naysayers in defeating five of the six power conferences. Then there has been a little talk of Kentucky and Connecticut meeting in the night cap. The two met back in Maui, or as it should now be known as the Kemba Walker coming-out-party invitational (KWCOPI if you will), when Connecticut was up 21 at the half, and won by double-digits. The game that day in Hawaii was not close, but both of these teams are not even close to where they were then, they have grown by leaps and bounds the both of them. The only thing that is the same, well still better, is Walker and his play.

For Kentucky to win this game they need a few things to happen, first off they need Brandon Knight to not necessarily cancel out Kemba, but hold his own. That does not mean he has to score a lot of points, but he has to make Kemba work on defense, not give him open looks when Connecticut is on offense, and he has to knock down a few shots. They need to make a decision, whether they are going to let Kemba get his and try and shut everyone else down, or if they are going to take Kemba away, or at least try to. If they decide to shut down Jeremy Lamb this might be their best bet, because when talking Lamb away then you are taking away easily the second best player the second half of this year. Lamb is killing teams this post season, and if he is taken away then Connecticut will be relying on less proven commodities. They need Terrence Jones to really step up and demand that basketball. He is a force to reckon with, and can score from anywhere, they need to get him aggressive and looking to win this game. If Jones gets going then Kentucky becomes an extremely tough team to stop.

Connecticut has to make sure they do one thing, keep Kemba and Lamb going. If the two of them continue on their pace then they should be just fine, because those two can put up 50 points between them easily. Their team defense has to be strong, but not foul. They can have great team defense, but then towards the end of a shot clock they will foul, or they will foul in the middle of team slides, and it ruins their depth and aggressiveness. They need to make sure they rebound the ball, because they should be able to control the boards with their athletes and the type of active players that they have, including Kemba being one of the better rebounding guards in the nation. They should win the boards, and that should go a long way in this game.

This game should be great, with both Knight and Kemba able to go back and forth at one another. Lamb should be able to control the baseline on offense, and give a guy like DeAndre Liggins fits with the constant movement and screens. Jones has to demand the ball, but the Wildcats also have to realize they need to give him the ball. It should be tight throughout, with Kentucky able to take control midway through the second half with some hot shooting from the perimeter. Kemba is just too much though, and he refuses to lose. He comes up huge in a late run and the Huskies continue their romp through the end of the season, and make a date for Monday night with perhaps Cinderella.

Connecticut 79 Kentucky 74

Is Chicago The Team To Beat In The East?

On this last day of March the playoff picture is becoming clearer and clearer in the NBA, and that number one seed is becoming closer and closer to belonging to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference. Last night the Bulls were able to knock of Minnesota in Minnesota, and through 74 games they now have 54 wins and a two and a half game lead on both Miami and Boston. They are in line for that top spot, and a road to the conference finals that would not include either the Heat or Celtics.

So they now have their full team back and playing and they are finding themselves on the up and up, as they have passed both those teams ahead of them since Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer have returned from seperate injury spells. They also have the expected league MVP in Derrick Rose, who is playing at an elite level. The thing about Rose is that he has that jump shot now that is not only good enough to keep the defense honest, but at this point it has become pretty much automatic from 19 feet and in. To go along with his ability to almost never be stopped when trying to get to the rim, and to find the open teammate, he has become almost unstoppable.

Noah and Boozer are able to go up against any front line in the league, but they also have Taj Gibson and Omar Asik coming off the bench who can out-rebound many starting lineups. The Bulls key is their bench's ability to come in and outscore a lot of other team's benches, as well as their starters at times if necessary.

The team defense is the reason that they are winning all these games though, because while the offense that Rose and Luol Deng provide, they are winning on the defensive end. Look no further than Tom Thibodeau, the defensive mind behind the previous Celtics teams, and you see why the Bulls are able to play defense so well. Their defense and home record are what should scare the other teams, especially with that top spot and home court throughout the east. Their record at home is a staggering at 32-5 with winnable home games to come that will improve that record.

At this point the Bulls have to be the favorite to win the east when they receive the number one seed. They are incredibly tough at home, they have the MVP of the league in Rose, and second and third scorer in Deng and Boozer, they play great team defense, maybe the best in the league, have a coach that knows how to win, and a bench that is among the most productive in the league. This team is for real, and if they do not blow the final eight games they will have to be the favorites.

Time For Selections Sure To Go Wrong

Opening Day is tomorrow, getting kicked off by the New York Yankees heading home to play the Detroit Tigers, the two played their final spring training games yesterday with the Yankees winning 2-1 with an home run to break the tie in the bottom of the eighth inning. So with Opening Day comes the idea of this is where it all begins, the jumping off point to the playoff races, then the playoffs themselves, and eventually the World Series. The jumping off point is great, and it comes with everyone making their predictions that are sure to not be right at all for many, but that being said here come the predictions.

East Winners:

In the National League this is the biggest layup of them all, despite injury concerns leaving spring training the Philadelphia Phillies are clear and away the favorite in the NL East. The thing about them is that their pitchers are going to have their off days, but they could still win those off days because of their lineup. They have a lineup that can play with almost any team in the majors, especially when healthy, and to have maybe the two best pitchers in the league in Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee going one, two they are the easy pick here. The only thing that could get them is of course the injury bug, but also losing a guy like Jayson Werth, as well as the fact that both Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels have proven to be inconsistent at times in their careers. The inclusion of Hamels as an ace at this point tends to be odd at this point, but he has shown flashes.

The American League will again come down to the two powers in Boston and New York. Boston made themselves much better than last year's team in the offseason, but that does not always mean they will gel together and become this force that can not be stopped. The Yankees are still the team to beat here however because they have that bonafide ace in C.C. Sabathia that they can count on game in and game out. Their pitching has the same question marks as the Red Sox, and though they added guys like Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the Yankees lineup as a whole is still better. The bullpens are not even close, as New York dominates in that department, and more and more games tend to be won there lately. New York will outlast the Red Sox during the regular season for the east crown.

Central Winners:

The AL Central division is always one that is fun to watch, their seems to be a dark horse each year, and there are sometimes not two horses in the race, but three that really push each other. The team who took the central last year is just too murky right now in the Minnesota Twins. Francisco Liriano was a stud last year, and he had shown signs of greatness years back, but his injury concerns are something that cannot be overlooked, and injuries are really what concern the Twins as a whole. The M&M boys in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau seem to be getting banged up more frequently, Morneau really still shook up from the concussion he suffered, just too iffy to choose. Same goes for Detroit because the player they depend on the most is coming into the season with this huge issue of probably being an alcoholic hovering over his head. Miguel Cabrera had his issues with the law in the offseason and now has that much more pressure to push aside to produce. The team that is going to come away with this division is led by Ozzie Guillen and has done the most to make themselves better. The Chicago White Sox made a huge jump in getting that one guy, Adam Dunn, a player that is going to do wonders to their lineup and in the clubhouse. With his bat being added to the team already there, and a rotation led by Mark Buerhle, the White Sox are the team to beat.

The NL Central is a tough call with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers, made tough mostly because of a single injury that demoted the Cardinals to an extent. If Adam Wainwright was healthy there would be no debate here, because his presence on that rotation would be invaluable for this season. Injury however closes the gap between the two, but not enough, as the Cardinals will be able to outlast the Brewers thanks to Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in the middle of their lineup. Expect both of those players to have great seasons and hit the Cardinals to the division title. I will say though, the Cubs could make things interesting if Carlos Zambrano can make a comeback this year.

West Winners:

The NL West is another slam dunk because though the Dodgers have the players to make a push towards the top of the division, the pitching that the San Francisco Giants have is too tough to match. It took them to the World Series where they won it all, and it will be enough for them to take the division again this year. They were also able to add some depth in the offseason Miquel Tejada, who has a bat that can help them win those games the pitching does not come through. The Rockies could be a dark horse if their young talent matures quickly.

In the AL West it is hard to call because while Texas could be really good again despite losing Cliff Lee and Vladimir Guerrero, it is hard to tell what their team will be without those two. They have talent, but some of those guys that they will be depending on have a history of being injured, and it is hard to know what their young guys who stepped up last year will be able to do. The thing is, there are too many questions surrounding all of the teams out west, and it is as if the Rangers might just win by default. They do have the best talent, and Ron Washington is a manager that cannot be overlooked, he led them to the World Series last year, and I think he will lead them to the west title.

Knicks Win The Sorta/Kinda Must Win

The New York Knicks went into last night's game with the Orlando Magic and were reeling, there is no denying that fact. They had lost six straight games, nine out of 10, and were in danger of falling below that seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. The blame was being tossed around everywhere, it was Carmelo Anthony's fault because he was supposed to make the difference in New York. It was coach Mike D'Antoni's fault because he was not doing his job to make this click, make this team perform like their talent is capable. Chauncey Billups is at fault because while he was injured the team was 4-2, but with Billups on the court they were 3-10 going into last night. The blame deserves to be thrown onto Donnie Walsh for making the deal, and so late in the season, because the chemistry and timing is just off. The blame has seemingly been taken by a person, who is spinning with their eyes closed, then throwing it, only to have it splatter everywhere and have a little over there, a bit over here.

So in come the Orlando Magic, fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, and suddenly the Knicks have to win this game, it has become that important that they must win. Carmelo said so himself when asked about the game by the media, he was not afraid to convey the importance he believed the game had. So in this must win game for the Knicks how did they come out, how did Carmelo come out and perform to show everyone that with the pressure on, pressure perhaps a little self inflicted, how would they perform at Madison Square Garden?

They came out a little flat really, only scoring 18 points in the first quarter, but they were able to hold Orlando to the same total so being tied after the first was a good start. They were able to pull away a little bit in the second quarter taking a four point lead into halftime. As the second half wore on, and Carmelo was able to dominate the game, finishing with a game high 39 points, and the game actually became a must win situation in terms of where the game was at the end.

The Knicks were up three points with 10 seconds left at home. Given that situation you assume as a Knicks fan that you are going to, and should win. Well Jason Richardson hit a three pointer, and Carmelo was able to beat the double team and get a shot off, only to miss that and the follow up attempt to force overtime. In overtime Dwight Howard got his 18th technical, fouled him out, adding to the list of Magic not playing. Coming into the game Jameer Nelson and Quentin Richardson did not play due to injury, so adding Howard to the list the game becomes that much more of a must win.

Then on top of that Hedo Turkoglu fouled out and the Knicks needed to win this game. Behind Carmelo's double double, and some late free throws, they were able to pull away for the 113-106 victory. The game was never a must-win, more of win that was needed for morale. The Knicks are going to be fine, they are still a team you would rather not have to see in the playoffs. You have guys in Carmelo, Billups and Amare Stoudemire that could each take over a one game in a series and get their team a win. That is not something you want to mess with, and teams would prefer to see in a different match up than their own.

The Final Four is Set

It would seem that after everyday of basketball in this tournament the prevailing thought is that the next day's action will not be able to compare, it will be less entertaining. Wrong again. Following the thrilling Butler comeback overtime win, and the exciting game of runs that found Connecticut holding off a similar Arizona comeback attempt you had to think that Sunday's games could not live up to it. In steps VCU and their unbelievable run again.

The prevailing thought going through my head yesterday when VCU was winning, building an 17 point first half lead, was that this was not supposed to happen to just VCU, we were not supposed to see any team do this, power conference or not. The talking heads are always saying we are talking about bubble teams, the last four teams in, the teams that are "not going to win the tournament." Kind of makes you laugh that these things are being said, and yet VCU now finds itself in the Final Four with wins over the Pac 10, Big East, Big 10, ACC, and now Big 12. It really is amazing.

Yesterday's game was all about the fight that VCU had, coming from the top with coach Shaka Smart, all the way down to the graduate assistants. You could tell from the tip that they were not intimidated, they believed in each other and their coach, and expected to be going to the Final Four. The difference in this game, the three point shooting, VCU had it and Kansas did not. While VCU went 12-25 from three, Kansas went an embarrassing, and Final Four berth costing, 2-21. A total of 36 points from beyond the arc to six, though as Kenny Smith said at halftime when the lead was 14 and VCU had nine threes, if those are twos they are still up five. Without that three disparity the Rams would still have had a tie game. Kansas was outhustled, outshot, and outcoached with the mix up of defenses and strategies that Smart used throughout the game.

In the match up of college bluebloods Kentucky was able to control the game from start to finish. Whenever North Carolina would make a three, convert on a dunk, go on a mini run of their own, Kentucky would make a three, it was almost a given. That could be seen with 37 seconds left when DeAndre Liggins made yet another dream killing three pointer from the corner to put Kentucky up four. They went 12-22 from behind the line for the game, while North Carolina was an awful 3-16.

It was seen when Harrison Barnes went on an 8-0 run of this own, seemingly seizing the moment and ready to step up to be that guy and erase this 11 point deficit and get North Carolina back to the Final Four. Then Kentucky dug in, and squashed the Tar Heels hopes. All five starters were able to score in double digits for the Wildcats, but they were led again by Brandon Knight. Knight has taken this team over in the tournament, showing his growth and maturity he gained throughout the season. He is really on an incredible run, and yesterday he had a game high 22 points, keeping his push for tournament most outstanding player alive.

The balance that Kentucky had, was not seen by the Tar Heels as Tyler Zeller was able to continue his great play, having a team high 21 points and nine rebounds, but aside from Barnes trying to take over in the second half it seemed to be a one man army. While Kentucky had all five starters in double figures, North Carolina saw 39 of the 69 come from those two players. John Henson got into foul trouble, much like Derrick Williams in the Arizona and Connecticut game, and was totally taken out of the game. Playing only 23 minutes, many of those worried about the next foul, he was only able to score four points before fouling out. The Tar Heels needed his size and athleticism and were hurting without it.

At the buzzer Kentucky had seized the opportunity in front of them and have set up a date with Connecticut on Saturday in Houston, another game between teams that have a history of winning. The winner will be expected to be a heavy favorite come Monday night's match up.