FOXSportsPosted on 03/18/2002 5:21:19 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
FOXSports
Let's see:
Thursday night, we've got a Big 12 vs. Pac-10 challenge series in San Jose, Calif., and "The Duke Invitational" in Lexington, Ky.
Friday night, it's 'Cats n' Terps, and the Salukis — yep, you read right — vs. Connecticut in Syracuse, and Roy's Boys vs. The Guys Who Knocked Them Out Last Year, and The Eyes of Texas glaring at a Quack Attack. Got it?
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That's what remains of the NCAA's 65-team tournament after it was whittled down to 16 teams Tuesday (let's not forget that Alcorn State-Siena clash in Dayton) and over a four-day weekend.
The West was universally acclaimed as the toughest of the four brackets, and there's no reason to reconsider that notion, even if No. 1 Cincinnati and No. 4 Ohio State lost their way to San Jose.
Thursday, look for UCLA vs. Missouri to be a fast-paced affair with enough dunks and 3-pointers to meet the quotas for the other three regions combined, and look for Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson to shed his coat and maybe tie, too, in a big hurry when the Sooners face Arizona.
In Rupp Arena on Thursday night, Duke — buoyed by the life preserver freshman Daniel Ewing tossed it against Notre Dame Saturday — takes on Indiana in one South semifinal, with Kent State facing Pittsburgh in the other.
And raise your hands if you thought back in November that Pitt and the Golden Flashes were potential Sweet 16 teams ...
Friday night, we turn East to Syracuse for — appropriately enough — East semifinals pitting No. 1 seed Maryland vs. No. 4 Kentucky, and No. 2 Connecticut vs. No. 11 Southern Illinois.
What happened to Bob Knight (Texas Tech) and Jim Harrick (Georgia)? The SIU Salukis sent them bye-bye.
Southern Illinois is the most surprising entrant into the "Sweet 16."
The Midwest semifinals are in Madison, Wis., where No. 1 Kansas plays No. 4 Illinois — the program that forced the Jayhawks to bid adieu to their national title hopes in a Midwest semi last March — and No. 2 Oregon takes on No. 6 Texas in Big 12 vs. Pac-10 Challenge, Part III.
A look at the matchups:
WEST
Thursday
At San Jose
No. 2 Oklahoma
Record: 29-4
Coach: Kelvin Sampson
How they got there: Won Big 12 tourney; Beat Illinois-Chicago (71-63) and Xavier (78-65) in Dallas. Why they got there: Their offensive efficiency wasn't the smoothest in either game, but the Sooners had very few defensive or rebounding lapses.
Why they could get to Atlanta: Sampson has the best defensive team among the San Jose field and an offensive attack — if not as flashy as the other three teams' — that is more than capable of scoring plenty in the post (where Aaron McGhee is outstanding) or from the perimeter (Hollis Price and Ebi Ere are difficult matchups for anyone).
Vs.
No. 3 Arizona
Record: 24-9
Coach: Lute Olson
How they got there: Won Pac-10 tourney; Beat UCSB (86-81) and Wyoming (68-60) in Albuquerque Why they got there: They played just enough defense to win their first game, then really stepped it up a couple of more notches against a very physical Wyoming team. No one shot well against the Cowboys, but Luke Walton orchestrated enough positive things on offense to pull it out.
Why they could get to Atlanta: Lute Olson has taken five other teams (four of those in Tucson) to Final Fours, so he knows what this is all about. So do Jason Gardner and Walton. If Channing Frye is dominant in the middle in both games, the Wildcats will be in great shape to take a trip down south.
No. 8 UCLA
Record: 21-11
Coach: Steve Lavin
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Mississippi (80-58) and Cincinnati (105-101, double overtime) in Pittsburgh
Why they got there: For the first time in a long time, the Bruins strung together two solid performances, especially on the defensive end of the floor. And, against Mississippi and Cincinnati, Dan Gadzuric looked like the best center in the country. Why they could get to Atlanta: Having beaten Kansas, Arizona and now Cincinnati, this is a team that knows it's capable of beating anyone in the country. If they play as solidly on both ends of the floor in San Jose as they did in Pittsburgh, they've got to like their chances of getting to the Final Four.
Vs.
No. 12 Missouri
Record: 23-11
Coach: Quin Snyder
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Miami (93-80) and Ohio State (83-67) in Albuquerque Why they got there: They jumped both Miami and Ohio State from the get-go, playing their best defense of the season and getting the kind of balanced offensive attack that Snyder has been hoping to see all season. Why they could get to Atlanta: The Tigers have finally evolved from being "The Clarence Gilbert and Kareem Rush Show" into a team with multiple offensive weapons and ideal cohesiveness. This team presents a myriad of headaches for UCLA to cope with, as it would for Arizona or Oklahoma in a final. If they step up their defense even another notch, they can win two in San Jose.
SOUTH
Thursday
At Lexington
No. 1 Duke
Record: 31-3
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski
How they got there: Won ACC tournament; Beat Winthrop (84-37) and Notre Dame (84-77) in Greenville, N.C. Why they got there: The Blue Devils survived in the direst of circumstances against Notre Dame because a freshman (Daniel Ewing) was hitting jumpers when no one else could, and because their pressure, especially when they ratchet it up a notch, is killer.
Why they could get to Atlanta: They've got five players — including All-Americans Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer — who were major elements to last season's national title squad and they've got a coach who's been to nine Final Fours and won three championships. Need any other reasons?
Vs.
No. 5 Indiana
Record: 22-11
Coach: Mike Davis
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Utah (75-56) and NC-Wilmington (76-67) in Sacramento.
Why they got there: The Hoosiers played solid basketball in both games and easily withstood the one serious challenge (seeing their lead cut to three points) in the late going Saturday. Jared Jeffries is one of the best players in the country and he played like it in Sacramento.
Why they could get to Atlanta: Jeffries is capable of being the dominant player on the floor — yes, even against Duke — for large stretches of any game. They've got enough long-range shooting threats to stretch a defense in such a fashion to open up a lot of room for Jeffries, Jeff Newton and Jarrad Odle inside. And they don't give up cheap baskets.
No. 3 Pittsburgh
Record: 29-5
Coach: Ben Howland
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Central Connecticut State (71-54) and California (63-50) in Pittsburgh.
Why they got there: Even when they struggled to hit shots in both games, they continually played the best man-to-man defense in the country. And Brandin Knight dictated the tempo every moment the basketball was in his hands.
Why they could get to Atlanta: If defense, rebounding and solid offensive execution are trademarks of almost every team that gets to the Final Four, then the Panthers have all of the requirements covered. Assuming they get by Kent State, they might be the only team in the country that could coax Duke into a 47-foot game.
Vs.
No. 10 Kent State
Record: 29-5
Coach: Stan Heath
How they got there: Won the Mid-American Conference tourney; Beat Oklahoma State (69-61) and Alabama (71-58) in Greenville, S.C.
Why they got there: The Golden Flashes grabbed quick leads in both games and were never, ever, seriously threatened. Trevor Huffman and Antonio Gates seemingly got quality shots on every possession for Heath's team. Why they could get to Atlanta: Huffman — the most underrated point guard in the country — and the 6-4, 245-pound Gates are going to score no matter who is guarding them. Like Pittsburgh, they play with great patience on offense but are better in transition than the Panthers. Also like Pittsburgh, they don't allow any uncontested shot attempts.
EAST
Friday
At Syracuse
No. 1 Maryland
Record: 28-4
Coach: Gary Williams
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Siena (85-70) and Wisconsin (87-57) in Washington, D.C. Why they got there: The Terps earned a trip to Syracuse while doing what everyone expected they'd do at the MCI Center — they easily handled a couple of teams not nearly on their skill and experience level.
Why they could get to Atlanta: A la Duke, this is team dominated by players who were the 2001 Final Four. And the one new starter, sophomore forward Chris Wilcox, is as explosive as any power forward in the country right now. It's going to take a very remarkable performance for either Kentucky, Connecticut or Southern Illinois to keep this team from Atlanta.
Vs.
No. 4 Kentucky
Record: 22-9
Coach: Tubby Smith
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Valparaiso (83-68) and Tulsa (87-82) in St. Louis Why they got there: They played their best defense of the season against Valpo and then All-America Tayshaun Prince played the best game of his life Saturday. Why they could get to Atlanta: On its best days, this team can guard and rebound as well as anyone in the country. Prince can dominate a game against anyone in a lot of different fashions. And when Keith Bogans is playing as well, offensively, as he did in St. Louis, one can understand why so many people thought this was a Final Four team coming into the season.
No. 2 Connecticut
Record: 26-6
Coach: Jim Calhoun
How they got there: Won Big East tourney; Beat Hampton (78-67) and North Carolina State (77-74) in Washington, D.C.
Why they got there: The Huskies let Hampton hang around the whole game but one never thought they were in danger of losing; Sunday, they were in serious jeopardy of losing but Caron Butler wouldn't let them.
Why they can get to Atlanta: Butler, truth be known, is one of the 10 best players in the country and is capable of carrying his team in comparable fashion to Tayshaun Prince of Kentucky. Emeka Oakafor is the best shot blocker in the country and the guard trio of Taliek Brown, Tony Robertson and Ben Gordon is much under-appreciated.
Vs.
No. 11 Southern Illinois
Record: 28-7
Coach: Bruce Weber
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Texas Tech (76-68) and Georgia (77-75) in Chicago.
Why they got there: Other than the first 10 minutes or so Sunday, they ran excellent offense and got good shots on nearly every possession.
Why they can get to Atlanta: Jermaine Dearman (6-8) and Rolan Roberts (6-6) are fierce rebounders and solid scorers in the post despite their relatively small stature. Both guards (Kent Williams and Marcus Belcher) are prolific 3-point shooters. And what can you say about Weber's coaching ability? He knocked off two guys (Bob Knight and Jim Harrick) who've won national titles!
Midwest
Friday
At Madison, Wis.
No. 1 Kansas
Record: 31-5
Coach: Roy Williams
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Holy Cross (70-59) and Stanford (86-63) in St. Louis.
Why they got there: Their half-court defense and the inside play of Drew Gooden and shooting of Jeff Boschee finally helped the Jayhawks pull away on Thursday night. And their defense and transition game buried Stanford before the first television timeout.
Why they could get to Atlanta: Why belabor the obvious? They've got the best inside combo in the country in Gooden and Nick Collison, as well as the most complete guard in college basketball in Kirk Hinrich. They're unselfish almost to a fault and they never let up defensively.
Vs.
No. 4 Illinois
Record: 26-8
Coach: Bill Self
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat San Diego State (93-64) and Creighton (72-60)
Why they got there: They overwhelmed the Aztecs on Friday and then just wore down the Blue Jays, offensively and defensively, Sunday.
Why they could get to Atlanta: The Illini certainly have experience knocking off Kansas (having done it a year ago under the same circumstances). Frank Williams can dominate a game from his point guard position and he's got quality jump shooters (Cory Bradford and Sean Harrington) and post players (Robert Archibald and Brian Cook) to toss it to. And no one plays a more physical brand of defense.
No. 2 Oregon
Record: 25-8
Coach: Ernie Kent
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Montana (81-62) and Wake Forest (92-87) in Sacramento
Why they got there: The Ducks toyed with Montana but needed every last bit of offense they could squeeze out of the Lukes (Ridnour and Jackson) and Freddie Jones to knock out the Demon Deacons.
Why they could get to Atlanta: They are capable of beating anyone who doesn't lock into their "big three" defensively. If they get solid production out of their post positions and Chris Christoffersen stays out of foul trouble, a team will have to score in the high 80s, at least, to beat this club.
Vs.
No. 6 Texas
Record: 22-11
Coach: Rick Barnes
How they got there: At-large selection; Beat Boston College (70-57) and Mississippi State (68-64) in Dallas. Why they got there: The Longhorns carved up B.C.'s defense, courtesy the wizardry of freshman point guard T.J. Ford. Sunday, they needed a career game from forward Deginald Erskin to hold off the Bulldogs. Why they could get to Atlanta: The Longhorns guard, rebound and let Ford dictate what happens on offense for them. James Thomas is capable of overpowering people down low. The X-factor is the jump shots: if they're falling, they could string two more wins together.
Whoever is covering the action. I'd bet more money is lost on college basketball in March than is lost on the Super Bowl.
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