Elite 8: Sunday Games Breakdown March 29, 2008
Posted by Aaron in Bill Self, Chris Douglas-Roberts, D.J. Augustin, Kevin Love, Memphis Tigers, NCAA, NCAA basketball, North Carolina, Tyler Hansbrough, UCLA Bruins, UNC, davidson, davidson wildcats, elite 8, final four, kansas jayhawks, louisville cardinals, march madness, north carolina tar heels, stephen curry, texas longhorns, xavier muskateers.add a comment
On Saturday UCLA and UNC punched their final 4 tickets to San Antonio. How did the big boys, the strong number #1 seeds get it done? For UCLA it was a change of pace and a welcome one at that. The Bruins didn’t exactly open up a huge lead, but they were in control of the game the entire time. At the half they were up 9, and used a huge run early in the 2nd half to bust this one open, and went on to win 76-57. For UNC it was a tight game for about 25 minutes, and then their all American big man Tyler Hansbrough absolutely took over. Hansbrough had 20 2nd half points, most at crucial moments of the contest when Louisville had crawled back to a tie or within a few points, to propel the Heels forward.
So 2 tickets have been punched; the Tar Heels and Bruins will be representing the ACC and Pac-10 in the Final 4 this year in San Antonio. But 2 more slots remain: can Davidson pull another trick from their sleeve and upend the top seed Jayhawks? Can Texas stop the fast paced high flying top seeded Tigers? Here’s a breakdown of the 2 games:
Sunday
South Regional Final - (1) 
v (2) 
- 2:20p,
Houston
Memphis is 36-1 this season, undefeated in Conference USA, with their lone loss coming to Tennessee. Their resume speaks volumes of their ability to win big games, but still, the Tigers have been a popular pick to be the first top seed to be bounced. So, naturally in response to that criticism all they’ve done is win their first 3 games, 2 in convincing fashion. They had an easy time with their #16 seed opponent UT-Arlington, and a few days ago absolutely manhandled the Michigan State Spartans. Those were the convincing wins, the trouble was the 3 point escape over Mississippi State. An interesting aspect of that 3 point win was that they were slowed down and forced to play more of a halfcourt game. They obviously ended up winning, as their big stars showed up: Rose (17, 9, 7) and Douglas-Roberts (17,5,4). This team loves to run, and they love transition baskets more than anyone left in the tourney. They spread the ball around well on the break too, and can motor to a huge lead in just minutes.
As soon as the brackets were revealed on Selection Sunday, my
eyes were glued to the potential match-up of Memphis/Texas in the
South region. Here we are in the elite 8 and we have just that. The
Longhorns had an outside shot at a top seed and deservingly so,
31-6 is no slouch of a season. But after their Big-12 conference
championship game loss to Kansas, they were awarded the #2 seed and
ran with it. They plowed through Austin Peay 74-54, survived a late
Miami run to win 75-72, and cruised past Stanford 82-62. Although
the Miami game finished with a 3 point margin, Texas was hitting on
most cylinders. The real coming out party of this team was their
prolific win against the Lopez twins and Stanford. Texas
plays
a lot of 3
guard sets, and people expected trouble on the inside against the 7
foot Lopez towers; this was not the case. Damion James was a power
in the paint, scoring 18 points. As Stanford focused more defensive
attention inside, the big men were able to kick it out to guards
like star D.J. Augustin, who finished with 23 points and 7 assists.
In that game, Texas shot a marvelous 49.2% from the floor and held
the Cardinal to a mere 33.8%.
This is going to be a heck of a ball game, that’s the big thing people should know: no team is going to run away with this one. These teams are too balanced, too deep, and too well coached to be blown out on either end. Texas is feeling good after toppling a good Stanford team and Memphis is still playing with a chip on their shoulder. Both teams are going to get good guard play. Augustin for Texas, Douglas-Roberts for Memphis. The teams can play inside too, with Dorsey and James. I think the edge in this game comes down to 2 things: homecourt advantage and coaching. This game is in Houston which is a virtual home game for the Longhorns. Now, you better believe Memphis will have their fans there, but the crowd will be a heavy Texas favorite which is big. As for coaching, both of these coaches have been to a final 4 before. But I like what Rick Barnes has done with this team in a tough Big-12. He’s been criticized in the past for some questionable coaching decisions, but things are rolling right now, and as long as they stick to their game, things should keep rolling. I like Texas to move on to San Antonio in a close one.
Midwest Regional Final - (1) 
v (10) 
- 5:05p,
Detroit
The fans and alumni of the Jayhawks had very high expectations when Bill Self was hired some years ago now, and that hasn’t wavered one bit. They expect a championship every year, and so far, Self and his teams have only gotten as far as the Elite 8. This year, Kansas is stronger, faster, more experienced, and just a more complete basketball team. They finished the season a staggering 31-3 including a Big-12 championship game win over rival Texas. Arthur, Rush, Chalmers, and Jackson all averaged double figure scoring, and this team has a deep bench too. Kansas was the “worst” of the top seeds, but they’ve arguably played the best 3 games. They trounced Portland State by 24, topped UNLV by 19, and cruised past Villanova by 15. Like a Memphis team, this Kansas squad loves the fast break. They can score inside or kick it out and shoot the 3 with exceptional success.
Davidson was one of the last at-large bids for this year’s tournament. Looking at what they’ve done, kudos to the panel for putting them in. Lead by shooting sensation Stephen Curry, who averaged 25 per game in the regular season, Davidson has beaten 3 champions of different sorts in their 3 games thus far. They beat the West Coast regular season champions Gonzaga in their first round game, topped regular season Big East champion Georgetown, and finally beat Big-10 regular season champion Wisconsin. Stephen Curry is averaging a mind blowing 34.8 points per game, that’s good for 2nd all time in the tournament. Don’t be fooled though, this team goes far beyond just Curry. One of their post players, Andrew Lovedale, doubled his regular season numbers against Wisconsin and provides great energy. This is the Cinderella team of the tournament for sure, but after beating the #2 and #3 seeds in the region, it’s time to take them pretty seriously.
You’d love to give the experience edge in big games to
Kansas and rightfully so. But
in the
regular season, Davidson played away from home at UCLA, at Duke,
and at North Carolina. Despite losing those games, they came within
arms reach in each contest and learned valuable lessons on how to
play and beat the big boys. Obviously to win, they have to shoot
the ball well. This team is based on shooting and nobody is better
than Curry right now. If he gets off to a fast start it should be a
good momentum builder for the Wildcats. But even if Curry is hot
right from the start, I just don’t think this team has enough
to beat a team as deep as Kansas. Kansas sends unbelievable
athletes out there and role players that contribute at just the
right times (Kahn, etc). I like the Jayhawks to be the 3rd top seed
to reach the final 4, mainly because of their balance, their
relentless fast break attack, and overlooked but very good
defense.
Enjoy the games!
photos courtsey of wacotrib.com and loserswithsocks.com
Character Has Philly Flying High March 29, 2008
Posted by Dave in Antero Niittymaki, Atlantic Division, Carolina Hurricanes, Danny Briere, Eastern Conference, John Stevens, Kimmo Timonen, Marty Biron, Mike Richards, NHL, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sami Kapanen, Scottie Upshall, Steve Downie.Tags: Antero Niittymaki, Atlantic Division, Carolina Hurricanes, Danny Briere, Eastern Conference, John Stevens, Kimmo Timonen, Marty Biron, Mike Richards, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sami Kapanen, Scottie Upshall, Steve Downie
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All year long the Flyers have been questioned. All year long the Flyers have looked rather inconsistent — until now. When they absolutely had to have their team working on all cylinders, the orange and black have shown up in anticipation of playoff hockey. The last 6 games of the 2007-08 season for the fly guys are all against divisional opponents. The Eastern Conference playoff race is as tight as it’s ever been in recent memory. Entering tonight’s contest against the Islanders, only 4 points separated the fourth place Devils from the eighth place Flyers. After beating the Isles in an exciting come-from-behind (twice) shootout game, the Flyers look like they’re not only ready to get themselves into the playoffs, but to be a big force once they get there.
Before going 5-0-1 in their last six games, the Flyers were
constantly blowing leads, giving up cross-ice passes when they
tried to get the puck out of their own zone, and lacked effort when
times called for urgency. Lately the team has reversed all three of
those bad habits. Although a team fighting for playoff contention
never wants to find themselves in a hole early in the game, but
that is exactly what has happened for the past couple games for the
team. For a change the Flyers are now chopping away at those leads
and working their way back into games. Largely on the shoulders of
future captain Mike Richards, and the $10 million man Danny Briere,
the orange and black now refuse to quit and are beginning to score
big, game changing goals rather than tossing in the towel midway
through the third. 
Photo courtesy valorfaerie
The second most disturbing thing that the Flyers were doing in the stretch prior to their most recent successful run was trying to break out of the zone using home-run passes. This often resulted in turnovers and ultimately goals for the opponent but as of late the Flyers are taking a different approach. Kimmo Timonen, arguably the best defenseman this year, is starting to lead the team out of its own zone by carrying the puck or making short passes to move ahead. This has led to the Flyers giving up fewer unnecessary goals and gaining big-time momentum moving into the opponent’s end.
A constant weakness for the club was also energy which seems odd for a team with the likes of Mike Richards, Sami Kapanen, Steve Downie and Scottie Upshall. For whatever reason the team was unresponsive when they needed a big shift or to rebound after giving up a goal but recently that has changed. Danny Briere is white hot right now. The center now has 9 points in his last 5 games. Mike Richards has heaved the team up onto his shoulders at times as well and carried them with big goals like his overtime game winner against the Rangers on Tuesday night.
One thing that has stayed relatively consistent in the second half of the season has been goaltending. At any given time the Flyers have had at least one hot goalie. While Antero Niitymaki perhaps saved the season against Atlanta last week, Marty Biron has been playing well lately and it seems as though John Stevens has chosen his number one net-minder in Biron.
So as the Flyers heat up, one can’t help but look ahead and wonder about possible playoff opponents. Who is the best match up against the Flyers? On the Flyers official website 51% say it would be Carolina. While the Flyers have fared well against the ‘Canes this year (3-0-1) they are also playing great hockey right now with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games going into their game Saturday night. The Flyers might also do well against the Penguins or the Senators. Teams the Flyers don’t want to face are New Jersey and Montreal. The Flyers are a combined 1-9-1 against those two teams.
Although it’s a nice thought to compare potential playoff opponents, the team has to get there first. They have three games remaining. Two against Pittsburgh and one against New Jersey. The Flyers will have to continue to play well if they want to think about the second season but right now things are definitely looking up for the boys in orange and black.
Elite 8: Saturday Games Breakdown March 29, 2008
Posted by Aaron in Kevin Love, Memphis Tigers, NCAA, NCAA basketball, North Carolina, Tyler Hansbrough, UCLA Bruins, david padgett, davidson, drew lavender, elite 8, final four, kansas jayhawks, louisville cardinals, march madness, north carolina tar heels, stephen curry, sweet 16, texas, texas longhorns, xavier muskateers.add a comment
Friday’s games proved to be pretty bland, as Kansas, Davidson, Memphis, and Texas won by 15, 17, 18, and 20, respectively. The Jayhawks romped ‘Nova as the talk of them being too balanced, too, deep, and too strong proved to be true in a 72-57 finish. The Cinderella of the tournament, the Davidson Wildcats, beat Bo Ryan’s Badgers 73-56 after being tied at halftime. Stephen Curry?…well, I’ll get to him later. Memphis ran Izzo and the Spartans nearly out of the gym in the first half, building a 30 point halftime lead, and cruised to an easy 18 point win. Texas had strong play from Augustin and their 3 guard set on the perimeter, but were effective in the paint against the Lopez twins too, winning going away, 82-62.
So the field of 64 has been whittled to just 8 teams; 8 teams that will be trimmed to 4 by Sunday night. Besides Davidson, a #10 seed in the midwest, there aren’t a hell of a lot of surprises: all four #1 seeds, one #2 seed, and two #3 seeds. Here’s how the bracket looks:
Left Side
East Region:Â (1) 
 vÂ
(3) 
Midwest Region:Â (1) 
Â
v (10) 
Right Side
South Region: (1) 
v (2)
West Region:Â (1) 
Â
v (3) 
So, what’s going to happen over the next few days? How are the next 4 games going to shake down; will all 4 top seeds keep on going? Let’s take a look at Saturdays 2 games:
Saturday
West Regional Final - (1) 
Â
v (3) 
- 6:40p,
Phoenix
It was a popular pick to pencil in the Bruins all the way to the final 4 on Selection Sunday, and if you did, your bracket might still be doing pretty well. But Ben Howland’s crew has made you sweat through the process. It hasn’t been pretty for UCLA after they beat the 16 seed Mississippi Valley State, as they were truly pushed to the limit against Texas A&M and Western Kentucky. This isn’t shocking if you take a look at the Bruins over the latter part of their season; they haven’t won a lot of games going away. One positive out of this is that they find ways to win, and a win is all that matters. But can they get by Xavier with 35 mediocre minutes and a strong finish?
The A-10 regular season champs got a nice seeding in the tournament, and when the 2, 4 and 5 seeds (Duke, UConn, Drake) all dropped in the 1st weekend, things looked pretty good for the Musketeers. As the message “remember Ohio State” (lost last year to the 1 seed in OT) was drilled into their minds, they took the court and avoided an upset by topping the SEC champs Georgia. Their next few games would be against opponents a bit more difficult, Purdue and West Virginia. But the experience of this team proved true, as the won both games, the latter in OT.
When you look inside, all you can think about is Kevin Love. The ridiculously good freshman averaged an impressive double double and does all the little things right. Heck, against Western Kentucky they even got career numbers from Keefe. Xavier answers with Josh Duncan, who at times, has played beyond his normal abilities. Duncan had 16 to beat Purdue and a team high 26 to top West Virginia. Lavender holds it all together for Xavier and that was best seen in the last game against WVU, where late in the game and OT he hit his first few field goals of the game; this guy is clutch. But this is third straight elite 8 for UCLA, so the edge in experience goes to them. The Bruins have been near the top all year long and know what they have to do to get the job done. The difference in this game is the bench. UCLA has some serious threats that could come out of nowhere. I like UCLA to advance in this one in yet another close game. But with the close games recently, I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Xavier pulled the upset.
East Regional Final - (1) 
Â
v (3) 
- 9:05p,
Charlotte
Talk about popular picks, the Tar Heels were almost a consensus to be playing in San Antonio way back in the pre-season. Like UCLA, the Heels played at or near the top of the rankings all year long and ended as the number 1 team in the land. They have Tyler Hansbrough down low who along with Michael Beasley of Kansas State, are the 2 top players in the country. Now, unlike UCLA, the Heels have not had a hard time in the tournament so far; they’ve breezed by their opponents. Here’s some scores for you: 113-74, 108-77, 68-47. Those are the final scores of the 3 games North Carolina has won so far. That’s a combined margin of 91 points, and that…is pretty damn impressive. They blasted the 16 seed and then Indiana, but the most impressive win was that 68-47 blowout over Washington State. The Cougars are a stout defensive team and were a 4 seed for a reason, but UNC picked them apart. Talk about deep: Hansbrough, Elington, Ginyard, Lawson, Green…and so on, and so on.
On the Cardinals team things are run a bit differently sometimes. The big man, David Padgett, basically plays the point. He’s just as impressive calling out the plays (hey, look at the results) as he is down low; he is certainly the complete package. But can he keep up with Hansbrough? The Cardinals had 4 players average double figures in points and they’ve had balanced scoring outside and inside so far in their 3 games in the tournament as well. They’ve had little contribution the last game from Sosa and it didn’t seem to matter. They can run (beat Tennessee) and they can play half court. They press like crazy which can be very hard to figure out; after all they have a championship winning coach organizing the trap.
So, how does this game play out? Well, don’t expect the 100+ game from the Tar Heels again. But don’t expect Louisville to score from so many places on the floor again. This game is going to feature good guard play and 3 point shooting is going to be critical. But the key is inside: Hansbrough or Padgett. Can Padgett keep up with the more athletic and versatile player? Will Caracter shifting over to double Hansbrough bring about more problems? My guess is yes, and even with 2 men on him, he can still score. I like North Carolina to move on here when they build an 8-10 point lead in the 1st half and trade baskets for much of the rest of the game.
Tomorrow, breakdown of the Sunday games. Enjoy!
