Duke Is Lucky That They Landed Austin Rivers

The SEC Is Making A Smart Move By Scrapping Its Two Divisions

Beginning in the 2011-2012 season, SEC basketball will no longer have an Eastern and Western division. Instead, the league will become one 12-team basketball league and the move makes perfect sense. SEC commissioner Mike Slive said about the league eliminating divisions, "I'm pleased that we came to this conclusion. I think it's better for SEC basketball." Florida coach Billy Donovan added, "...collectively, as a group, it's the best thing for our league." 

The SEC East has been a lot better than the SEC West since the SEC began its two-division structure 19 years ago. Since then, the SEC East has gotten 58 teams into the tourney, while the SEC West has gotten just 43 teams into the Big Dance. Last year, 5 out of the 6 teams in the SEC East got into the NCAA tournament, while not one of the teams in the SEC West got into the tournament. In the SEC West, Alabama played Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, and LSU twice. Those five opponents were a combined 77-82 including Auburn and LSU who were a combine 22-41. Compare Alabama's schedule with South Carolina, who had to play Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Tennessee twice. Those five teams had a combined record of 121-55. Many problems have arisen over the years with the unbalanced scheduling of the conference. For example, the SEC West teams complain that their RPI and SOS don't benefit like the teams in the SEC East who play each other twice. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said, "The perception of the league has been that if one division was playing well, the other was getting criticized. That can't be pointed out anymore. We're hoping this will have traction for us going forward.'' John Calipari added that a big reason behind getting rid of the two divisions was to try and get more teams into the tourney. He said, "...how do we get six, seven or eight teams into the NCAA Tournament? What’s the best way for us to do that? I don’t know the answer. I’ve been through this a few times now. I’ve lived what Alabama just went through... The bottom line is I would like to think everyone [in the SEC] wants to play us twice and get us in their building. Well, the only way that happens is if there is something rotating [in the schedule]."

The SEC tournament will also be tweaked as a result of the abolition of the two divisions. Instead of the two top teams from each division being given a bye, now the top four teams overall will get a bye in the first round. Last year, Mississippi St. received a bye because it finished second in the SEC West although it finished 6th overall behind the 3rd and 4th place teams in the SEC East. Georgia coach Mark Fox said about the change in the SEC tournament, “...we want to go 1 through 12. We have to come up with tiebreakers and everything else, but the seeing will be based on conference record. It wasn’t unanimous but I think everybody is confident that this was the best thing for the league.” Kentucky coach John Calipari added, "You always have to look at it and says, How do we make our league better? How do we get more teams in the tournament? How do we make sure our best teams have high seeds? You look at league’s across the country and that’s what people are doing. How do we get our best four teams to get the highest seeds they can possibly get to the win the national title? It’s not about bringing those teams back to the pack, it’s about the SEC winning national titles."

The Next Maryland Basketball Coach Is...

On March 5th, Gary Williams retired after 22 seasons as the head coach of the Maryland's men's basketball team. Williams was 460-248 during his tenure at Maryland and he led the Terps to a Final Four in 2001 and he won a national championship with Maryland in 2002. Now, one of the most attractive coaching jobs in college basketball is available. The Terps have had a very successful program with an array of great players including Len Elmore, Len Bias, Joe Smith, Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, and most recently Greivis Vazquez. Maryland also has a great recruiting base with high school basketball powerhouses like DeMatha Catholic and Montrose Christian in the Maryland area. Maryland has reportedly set their sights on a number of extremely high profile coaches. So the question is... who will be the next Maryland basketball coach?

Sean Miller: Arizona head coach Sean Miller is another very attractive option for Maryland. Unlike all of the other coaches who are under Maryland's radar, Miller hasn't been coaching at his program for a long time. He is only going into his third year at Arizona. Miller is also an east coast kid. He grew up in Pennsylvania, played college ball at Pittsburgh, and was an assistant coach at NC State for 6 years. According to sources close to Maryland and Miller, there is mutual interest between the two. Miller has also admitted that he would listen if Maryland called. Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson and Miller are expected to meet in the next few days. Miller is speaking at a Nike Coaches Clinic in Las Vegas on May 7th and Kevin Anderson is expected to meet with the head coach there. The 42 year-old Miller would bring great energy to the Terps program.

Mike Brey: Notre Dame head coach Mark Brey looks to be at the top of Maryland's list of potential head coaches along with Sean Miller. Brey is a Maryland native, as he was born in Maryland and played basketball at DeMatha Catholic High School. Brey played in college at Geroge Washington and was the head coach at Delaware for 6 years and currently has a beach house in Delaware. So the move from Notre Dame in Illinos to his roots in Maryland doesn't seem out of this world for Brey. However, Notre dame is currently working on an extension with Brey to keep him in South Bend for several more years. Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick said, "Mike is our basketball coach and I look forward to him being our coach for a very long time. There's just nothing to comment on [him going to Maryland]."

Tubby Smith: The rumors of Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith to Maryland have heated up. Like Brey, Smith is a Maryland native and one of his three sons currently is an assistant coach at Loyola University in Maryland. Maryland is a dream job for the 59 year-old Smith as he can return home and get an opportunity to once again coach at another major college basketball program (no offense Minnesota). Before Williams retired, a source close to Tubby said that there's a "99 percent" chance that he will stay at Minnesota for a couple of more years. However, he added that the only job Smith would leave Minnesota for in a heartbeat would be to go back to his home state and coach at Maryland. Although Smith may be interested in the coaching vacancy at Maryland, Maryland seems reluctant to hand over the keys to their program to a 59 year-old.

Jay Wright: Villanova head coach Jay Wright is another candidate for to replace the legendary Williams at Maryland although it seems he is uninterested in the job. Wright would fit well at Maryland because of his ability to recruit the best players in the country. Wright always recruits great point guards from Scottie Reynolds to Corey Fisher to Malikk Wayns. This year, Wright got point guard Tyrone Johnson to commit to Villanova. In fact, Jonhson is from Montrose Christian in Maryland. However, according to a source, the Wildcats' head coach is not going to leave Villanova to fill the coach vacancy at Maryland.

Jamie Dixon: Maryland may have an edge to lure Jamie Dixon away from Pittsburgh to coach Maryland although it seems pretty unlikely. From 2004 to 2010, Kevin Anderson was the athletic director at Army. He hired Jamie's late sister Maggie Dixon in 2005 to coach Army's women's basketball team. Jamie and Kevin have had a close relationship since Maggie's death, so it is likely that Anderson will make a call to Dixon about Maryland's coaching vacancy. Dixon will be attending the same Nike Coaches Clinic as Sean Miller, so Anderson will likely speak with him about the job there. However, it seems unlikely that Dixon will leave all that he has built at Pitt to come to Maryland. When a source close to Dixon was asked if Jamie would leave Pitt to come to Maryland he said, "Hell no."

Other possible replacements for Williams include Texas head coach Rick Barnes, VCU head coach Shaka Smart, Butler head coach Brad Stevens, and Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon. However, it appears that Sean Miller and Mike Brey are the favorites to take over the vacancy at Maryland.

The Departure of Demetri Goodson Has Opened The Door For David Stockton

John Stockton was a 10-time NBA All-Star. He was on the All-NBA first, second, or third team 11 times. John averaged a career double double. He holds the NBA record for the most career assists and steals. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons, games, and consecutive games played with one team.

Gonzaga point guard David Stockton, the son of the Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, obviously has a lot to live up to. He will get a chance to make a big name for himself next season as a sophomore at Gonzaga especially with the departure of starting point guard Demetri Goodson. Goodson, who started 35 games for the Zags last season, has decided to transfer to pursue football.

Goodson's starting job will most likely be filled by David Stockton. Stockton played more and more as the season progressed last year including when he played 28 minutes in the Zags WCC title game against St. Mary's. He even cut into some of Goodson's minutes last year with his stellar play at point. Stockton handles the ball with great court vision as he averaged 2.1 assists in just 15 minutes last season. Stockton only committed 1.1 turnovers per game last season as well. David plays tough, scrappy defense, can shoot the three ball, and shoots well from the floor, as his field goal percentage was at 46 last season.

Kentucky's Recruiting Class Highlighted by Anthony Davis and Michael Gilchrist

John Calipari has done it again bringing yet another top recruiting class to the Bluegrass State. For the third year in a row he has had the best recruiting class in the country. This one though, might be his best composing of four-highly touted McDonalds All American's.

Anthony Davis leads Kentucky stellar recruiting class. If I asked you a year ago about Anthony Davis you would of said, "Who the heck is that?" When Davis was a in his sophmore year in high school, he was a 6'3 point guard and he hadn't played club basketball since junior high. He sprouted 7 inches and the 6'10 Davis is now already being called the potential first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. For Perspectives Charter School in Illinos, Davis averaged 32 points, 22 rebounds, and 7 blocks a game. Davis is already a star but coaches love that he has a tremendous upside. Anthony is a big threat of the defensive end of the floor. He is very versatile, as he can defend multiple positions from the quicker, speedy guard to the big men inside. Davis is great on the offensive boards and blocking shots in the paint. John Calipari said about Davis's defense, "Anthony brings a skill level, a Camby-esqueness to him where we can press more and run the lanes more. All I know is this, he probably will per minute [played] lead the nation in blocked shots. That is good for your defense. We will also probably press a lot more next year [because of Davis]. With Josh Harrelson graduating and Terrence Jones declaring for the draft (with no agent yet however), Davis will have to step up and be a huge factor for the Kentucky Wildcats is they want to get back to the final four next year. There will no doubt be a lot of pressure on Davis coming out of high school as the number 1 recruit and the last number one recruit out of the Chiacgo area since 2001. As well as a great post up game, Anthony can also shot. He said, "I get a lot of offensive rebounds and put the ball in. But I also have a good jump shot and I can shoot the 3-point shot well. I didn't have to show an outside shot a lot in high school, but I have one. I can do more than just dunk." Anthony Davis is a monster that will only continue to get better.

For the next Kentucky freshmen, we go to my hometown state of New Jersey, which is filled with tremendous high school basketball players. Michael Gilchrist is definitely one of them. He played for the national powerhouse St. Patrick high school. Gilchrist was very well been coached by Kevin Boyle and has a high basketball IQ. Gilchriist was lucky enough to play with star point guard Kyrie Irving for three years in high school. Gilchrist said, "Kyrie was a huge help for me, on the court and off the court. It was a real honor to play with such a high quality player." The best way to describe Michael Gilchrist is a WINNER. He is a fighter, competitor, and WINNER. Gilchrist was 50-4 since his junior year in high school, leading his team to top 10 finishes two years in a row. Calipari said, "When you look up the definition of 'warrior' in the dictionary, there is a picture of Michael there. No one plays harder or is more competitive. He has a tremendous burning desire to win that will drive practice and elevate everyone within the program." Gilchrist is extremely versatile and does a little bit of everything, as he average 19.4 points, 14.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 5.2 blocks, and 3.5 steals per game in high school as a senior. He is a consistent producer that lead his team in points, rebounds and blocked shots. What stands out about Gilchrist is his ability to rebound the ball and defend. Some superstars are content to put up big scoring numbers and leave the heavy lifting on the other end of the floor to the supporting cast. Gilchrist unbelievable athleticism helps him be a monster on the defensive end. He is so good at blocking shots and can also rebound. The only concern with Gilchrist is his unability to make the three point jump shot consistently but he will definitely continue to improve from behind the arc with hard work.

In a news release John Calipari said, "I'm jacked. These are not just terrific basketball players, but they're terrific students and terrific people, as well. Most importantly, they all have an unbelievable attitude about winning; they all wanted to play together, knowing they're going to have to sacrifice a little bit of their game for their teammates. With this group, it adds to what we already have within our program. These are four of the best, which is what we want to recruit here."

UConn vs Butler Reaction

NCAA Tournament Final Score: UConn 53 - Butler 41 (Lowest score for the winner of an NCAA tournament championship game since 1949 when Kentucky beat Oklahoma A&M 46 to 36)

• Butler had a horrible night shooting from the floor. They were 3 of 31 from inside the arc, which is six fewer buckets, not from three, than any other title game participant. Butler was 12 for 64 from the field, which is the least field goals in a championship game since Oklahoma St. only converted 12 in 1949 against Kentucky. Butler's 18.8 percent shooting from the field was the lowest ever in an NCAA championship game topping when Washington St. shot 21.5 percent in the 1941 championship game. It is the third lowest shooting percentage in NCAA tournament  history. Butler was also only 27.3 percent from behind the arc, making just 9 of 33 threes.
• Butler had extremely long stretches during the second half when they couldn't score and went on long droughts. They didn't score from the 12:32 mark until there were 6:13 remaining in the second half. With 12:32 remaining in the half, UConn was leading 33 to 28. With 6:13 left in the game, UConn had a 41 to 30 lead.
• Butler's leading scorers, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, both struggled from the floor. Mack finished the game 4 for 15 from the floor including only making 4 of 11 three-point attempts. He was the only Bulldog in double figures with 13 points. Howard was 1 of 13 from the floor including 1 of 6 from three. He only had 6 points and was frustrated by the size of Alex Oriakhi the entire night.
• Andrew Smith also struggled down in the past, only scoring 5 points on 2 of 9 shooting.
• UConn had 10 blocks including four from Roscoe Smith and four from Alex Oriakhi, tied for the most in a NCAA championship game.
• After sitting out much of the first half with 2 fouls, Jeremy Lamb scored all 12 of his points in the second half. Lamb scored five early second half points, including a three to give UConn a one point lead, which they never surrendered. His length on the defensive end frustrated Shelvin Mack in the second half, as he only scored six points.
• Alex Oriakhi may have had the best title game of anybody on the court. He had his first double-digit scoring game of the tournament with 11 points. He had his first double-double since the semifinals of the Big East tournament adding 11 rebounds to go along with his 5 of 6 shooting. His size on the interior forced Matt Howard and Andrew Smith to a combined 3 of 22 shooting. Oriakhi had 4 blocks, his most since February 5th as well.
• Although Kemba Walker struggled shooting from the floor, only making 5 of his 19 shots including going 0 for 4 from three, he added 9 rebounds and still scored 16 points to lead UConn to the victory. Kemba and the boys are now national champions.

UConn vs Butler First Half Reaction

NCAA Tournament Final Halftime Score: Butler 22 - UConn 19 (The lowest scoring first half in a championship game since 1946 between Oklahoma A&M and North Carolina)

• Both teams showed early game jitters in the first few minutes. Kemba Walker was 0 for 5 from the field for the first 7 minutes of the game and Shelvin Mack began the game 0 for 4. Butler began the game 0 of 6 on two point shots and was 2 of 16 from the field. Their third field goal came with 10:18 remaining in the half.
• Jeremy Lamb's length bothered Butler's star guard Shelvin Mack. He was 0 for 4 from the field including 0 of 2 from three through 16 minutes.
• Butler did a great job of hedging and double-teaming Kemba Walker off screens. Walker was 3 of 11 from the field and only scored 7 points. 
• UConn's freshman including Jeremy Lamb, Roscoe Smith, Tyler Olander, and Shabazz Napier had a total of 2 points in the first half.
• Matt Howard struggled with the size of the UConn frontline. He was 1 of 6 from the field and only had 5 points in the first half. He had more success when he stepped out on the perimeter and made the UConn big men guard him outside the paint.
• UConn had 26 rebounds including 10 on the offensive end. They had 9 field goals in the first half and 8 of them were in the paint. UConn outscored Butler 16 to 0 in points in the paint.
• UConn was hampered by foul trouble, as Butler was in the bonus with 9:02 remaining in the half. Jeremy Lamb, Alex Oriakhi, Kemba Walker, and Roscoe Smith all picked up two fouls. 
• Mack began to score in the second half when Lamb went to the bench. He hit two threes and finished the half with 7 points after Lamb left the game with two fouls.
• Both teams struggled to score on the offensive end of the court and went on long periods of droughts. Butler didn't have a field goal form the 4:17 mark until Shelvin Mack hit a three at the buzzer. Butler had 6 field goals the entire half and shot under 20 percent from the floor. They were 5 of 14 from three in the half. UConn didn't score from the 18:23 mark until 14:54 remaining in the first half. They also went from 12:34 to 7:51 without scoring.

Butler advances to its second straight final four by knocking off Florida in overtime

Butler guard Shelvin Mack said, “It’s a lot better than last year. This year, everyone just expected us just to fall off, a lot of people didn’t have faith in us. We went from being on the bubble to winning our conference to being picked to lose every game in the tournament. I would say we shocked the world again.” The Bulldogs are now the second team to reach back to back final fours from a "non-major conference" since UNLV achieved the same feat in 1990 and 1991. The Bulldogs run to the national championship game last season, certainly looked to help them down the stretch against the Gators. Chandler Parsons said, "It's not like it's their first time here. They were in this situation last year, so I think their experience helped them and I think they just came up with big plays when the team needed it."

The Bulldogs are very fortunate to have beaten the Gators because they had a poor shooting night. The team went 27.3 percent from behind the arc, only making 9 of the 33 three pointers they attempted. Butler looked confused at times on the offensive end of the court because of the Gators disguising and constantly changing their defense between man and zone. Shelvin Mack started out the game hot, making two three pointers and a jumper from the elbow. From that point on, Mack struggled going 5 for 17 from the field including 2 for 11 from three but he hit some clutch shots and finished with 27 points. Butler forward Matt Howard said about Mack, "I feel incredibly good for Shelvin. He... carried us. You can't fault him and say you lost us the game because he essentially won us the game. The kid's incredible. He really carries us at times. This is the type of player Shelvin is." The Bulldogs got solid contributions from Howard, who added 14 points, and Florida native Khyle Marshall, who had 10 points and 7 rebounds, all on the offense end of the court, off the bench. 


It is still hard to believe how Butler pulled off the victory over Florida because the Gators dominated down low. Butler had no answer for Alex Tyus and especially Vernon Macklin. Florida made an emphasis to continue to feed the post, and they only shot 9 threes during regulation. On every possession, Macklin got a touch down low and constantly went to his righty jump hook for buckets. Macklin went 11 for 14 from the field and had a season high 25 points. Alex Tyus also played well down low adding 14 points and 10 rebounds. Erving Walker struggled from deep only making 1 of 7 threes and Chandler Parsons looked uncomfortable all game, as the SEC player of the year had only 5 points. Parsons said, "They're tough. They're physical. They have all the characteristics of a good team.”

The game was back and fourth and close throughout. With 1:34 remaining in the second half, Shelvin Mack made two clutch free throws to bring the Bulldogs to within one. A Matt Howard free throw tied the game at 60 with 31 seconds left. Florida didn't look down low, where they had so much success during the game, but put the ball in the hands of their 5-8 point guard Erving Walker. He missed a fade away three point jumper with 2 seconds left and the game went into overtime. In the extra session, Florida totally forgot about looking into the post and settled for 5 three pointers. With 11 seconds remaining in the overtime and Butler up by one point 72 to 71, Shelvin Mack hit two more clutch free throws to extend the lead to 3 points. Erving Walker missed a potential game tying three point jumper with 8 seconds left, which sealed the victory and a final four appearance for the Bulldogs. Donovan said, "Walker was 1 of 10, and he's been such a clutch shooter for us. When you get into those situations where the game is coming down to the wire like that and it's one-possession games, anything can happen."

The Butler Bulldogs make winning plays in tight games. Butler coach Brad Stevens said, "We just kind of stayed together, stayed the course, figured it out, and just played resiliently... I'm incredibly proud of these guys. They carried their coach today in a big way... Our players did a great job, and [they are] just a special group. We're really just lucky they're Butler Bulldogs. I know this, somebody is going to have to beat us because of our will."Florida Coach Billy Donovan acknowledged that by saying, "Their will and their refusal to be denied really stood out." After the game, Ronald Nored, who had 4 points and 4 rebounds screamed, "We're back, baby!"

Butler advances to the elite eight by topping Wisconsin

Butler just knows how to get it down. They are one game away from reaching the final four for the second year in a row after knocking off the 4th seeded Wisconsin Badgers 61 to 54. Butler center Andrew Smith said, "A lot of people just ignored us and said, Aw, they'll probably lose in the first or second round. Here we are again, trying to prove everybody wrong. We'll try to win three more."

The Bulldogs were led by their first team all conference center Matt Howard. Howard was able to stay out of foul trouble and was on the court for 37 minutes, which allowed him to have a great game with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Shelvin Mack added 13 points although he struggled from the field only making 4 of the 13 shots he attempted.

Butler was very fortunate, as Wisconsin had their worst shooting game of the season. They only went 17 for 56 from the field, which is 30.4 percent and is well below their average of 44.5 percent from the field. The Badgers also went 7 for 29 from behind the arc, which is only 24.1 percent. That includes Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer, who combined went 4 for 16 from three. Jon Leuer, the Badgers leading scorer at more than 18 points a game, went 1 for 12 from the field and only scored 3 points. Leuer said after the game, "We made plays that were uncharacteristic of us. We tried to force some things, and Butler did some good things defensively... They're just tough kids who are all-around good players, and they play to their strengths." Even though Jordan Taylor had 22 points, he struggled as well, going 6 for 19 from the field. Jordan Taylor said, "It was just kinda one of those nights. The ball just wasn't going through the hoop. It's frustrating. They're scrappy and relentless. I don't know, they're just tough kids. They never quit, and that's what makes them winners."

After an Andrew Smith layup with 11:34 remaining in the second half, Butler took a 20 point lead at 47 to 27 and the Badgers looked to be all but done. With 37 seconds remaining, Jordan Taylor hit a three pointer to bring the Badgers all the way back to a four point deficit. However, four clutch free throws from Matt Howard and two more missed threes from Wisconsin sealed the victory for the Bulldogs. Brad Stevens said about his team nearly losing their lead at the game of the game, "That's human nature, a little bit. I really, in the moment, was disappointed in the way we played, and now I don't care. Let's move on. That's the way I feel about it now... I'm not worried about it."

Butler coach Brad Stevens said, "Obviously, we're thrilled to still be playing. I don't think that this group goes into games not believing, and I don't think that this group came here not believing. And so we're going to see if we can't try to get one on Saturday and move on." The Bulldogs will take on the Florida Gators in the regional finals for the right to go to Houston.

No repeat for Duke as Derrick Williams leads Arizona to the elite eight

With the Duke-Arizona first half coming to an end, Derrick Williams hit a fade away three point jumper to cut the Duke lead to 6 at 44 to 38. The Pac 10 Player of the year Williams kept Arizona in the game in the first half. Williams scored 25 of the Wildcats 38 first half points including hitting 5 of the 6 threes he attempted. Arizona coach Sean Miller said about his star, "I really felt like it was two different games. The first half, Derrick's individual play allowed us to have a chance. I mean he scored 25 points in one half. Made five 3s in one half. We were down 6. We could have had a huge deficit at halftime, but he gave us a chance." Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was also impressed by Williams first half play. He said, "Williams, he's just a superb player. He's as good as anybody we've played, or I should say better than anybody we've played. He kept his team in there in the first half.  I thought we played a little better than the score in the first half, but Williams getting 25 just kept them in." Williams definitely kept the Wildcats in the game, as no other Arizona player had more than four points in the first half.

In the second half, Arizona outscored Duke 55 to 33 and it was the other Wildcat players who stepped up big. The Wildcats came right out of the gate on fire, as they cut the Duke lead to only one point in just 3 minutes of play. After two Lamont Jones free throws with 15:18 remaining in the second half gave Arizona a 55 to 53 lead, they never relinquished it. Duke point guard Kyrie Irving said, "After we lost the lead, I think everyone got a little rattled. We tried to settle down, but by then it was too late." Krzyzewski said, "They just got on a real roll. When you get on a roll, you have more energy than the other guy,"said. "We had no stop for them, and you kind of get overwhelmed there for a little bit. They knocked us back and got that double-digit lead." Lamont Jones scored 14 points in the second half and Solomon Hill added 10 second half points. Jones said, As a team, we came together and willed ourselves to win. Derrick is a great player, but we all contribute." Williams finished the game with 32, a career high, after scoring 7 points in the second half.

For Duke, the loss to the Wildcats is a very disappointing end to a great season. Krzyzewski said, "The tournament is cruel. It's an abrupt end for everybody when you don't win." After missing 26 straight games with a toe injury, Kyrie Irving played significant minutes for the first time. He played 31 minutes for the Blue Devils and had a great game scoring 28 points on 9 of 15 shooting from the field. However, his return looked like it ruined the chemistry of the top seeded Blue Devils. They had played almost the entire season without Irving and had developed a groove and felt comfortable with their roles. With Irving's return, the other guys on the floor looked out of sync. Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee, who had stepped up and played very well in Irving's absence, only combined for 10 points. Nolan Smith, the ACC player of the year, had his worst game of the season. Smith only scored 8 points, about 12 below his average, and was 3 for 14 from the field. The ball was in Kyrie's hands at the end of the game and Irving, not Smith, was directing the offense. The Blue Devils didn't look like the same team who had earned a one seed.

Arizona advances to their first elite eight since 2005 and is looking to head to the schools fifth final four and first since 2001. Derrick Williams said, "Makes me feel great that if we win this game on Saturday we're going to be known as one of the best Arizona teams to play, and, you know, just to have our name up there, this is the fourth Arizona team to have 30 wins and that's a great accomplishment right there... The Elite Eight is great, but we're not looking to stop right there. We're trying to win a national championship one step at a time, and one more game we're in the Final Four. That's what we want to do. That's one of our team goals this season was not only to get in the tournament, but to make a run in the tournament and so far we're doing that."

Jimmer Fredette struggles as Florida advances to the elite eight

BYU and Florida needed two overtimes to decide a winner last year in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Cougars and the Gators met again in the sweet sixteen this year and once again needed an extra period to decide the winner.

Although Jimmer Fredette scored 32 points, he really struggled and was harassed by the Florida defense for the entire game. Fredette went 11 for 29 from the field and shot a career high 15 threes but only made 3 of them. The SEC player of the year Chandler Parsons said about his team making it difficult for Fredette to score, "That's just a credit to our guys on defense especially Kenny Boynton. He stayed with him and made it difficult for him out there." Fredette didn't get a lot of help from his teammates, as no other Cougar was in double figures. BYU shot 37 threes and only hit 10 of them. The Florida head coach Billy Donovan said, "I know there's a lot made of Jimmer Fredette, and he's a great player, but we really felt coming into the game the key was to shut down the other four players on the floor... I think the biggest thing was we were able to hold all their guys under double figure points other than Fredette." Jackson Emery began the game very hot, as he hit his first 3 three pointers and had 9 points. However, Emery had to go to the bench after he picked up his 2nd fouls with 11:41 remaining in the first half. Emery didn't score another point for the rest of the game and missed four three pointers in the second half and overtime. 

Alex Tyus was the difference maker down in the post for the Gators, as the Cougars couldn't guard the big 6-8 forward. He only missed one shot the entire game, going 8 for 9 from the field. Tyus had 19 points and 17 rebounds. When BYU came to double team him down low, Tyus kicked the ball out to Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker, and Chandler Parsons for open threes, which finally began to fall in overtime. Florida coach Billy Donovan said, "The thing about Alex is he never really gets fazed with the moment or with what's going on. One of the things I've tried to pull out of him and get him to see is that when he has a lot of activity and he's flying around the court, because of his athleticism, he's got a great ability to impact a game." BYU really missed their 6-9 forward Brandon Davies, who was suspended because he broke the schools honor code by having sex with his girlfriend. The cougars were forced to constantly double team the post because they had nobody who could guard Tyus down low. 

The game was very close throughout with the score tied at halftime and at the end of regulation. With 48 seconds remaining in the second half, Kyle Collinsworth made one of two free throws to tie the game at 68. Although Kenny Boynton missed a three pointer with 25 seconds left in the game, Erving Walker ran down the ball to give Florida the final shot. Walker said about the play, “It was so big because they could have easily gone the other way. Fredette is so good at drawing fouls and taking a last shot. It would have been game over for us. That was a big rebound.” Fredette also realized the importance of that rebound by saying, “We had a chance, we got a stop, but we had a chance to get a rebound and they got the offensive rebound and put it out. And you never know what could have happened if we got that rebound. But they definitely had fresh legs and they were ready to go in that overtime. Chandler Parsons missed a difficult shot at the buzzer and the game went into overtime. The extra period was all Florida as they outscored the Cougars 15 to 6. Fredette struggled in the overtime missing two three pointers and committing two costly turnovers. Kenny Boynton and Chandler Parsons both hit three to secure the victory and a regional finals appearance.

The win sends Florida into the elite eight and one win away from returning to the final four since they won the second of their back to back championships in 2007. They will play Butler in the regional finals on Saturday, as the Bulldogs beat Wisconsin 61 to 54. Donovan has been very appreciate of his teams performance this season by saying, "It’s been so rewarding for me to see them make the journey they’ve made to this point right now. It’s been very rewarding and fulfilling for me, and I hope in some way I’ve been able to give them as much as they’ve given me."

Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb lead UConn into the elite eight over San Diego St.

Over the past 17 days, the Connecticut Huskies played five games in the Big East tournament and three games in the NCAA tournament. Many people questioned weather UConn could continue to play at such a high level because of the fatigue of playing so many games in such a short time span. Kemba Walker answered that question by saying, "The one thing I don't want to beat us is fatigue. Do I get tired? Yeah, after the game. Not during it. I tell myself, I'm not tired … If it's 40 minutes, I might as well play 40 minutes." Walker has backed up what he said by playing 304 of the teams 324 minutes in his last eight games including missing only one minute in the teams last two games. The Huskies needed all 40 of Walker's minutes to beat the San Diego State Aztecs 74 to 67 and advance to the regional finals. 

Walker had another great game by scoring 36 points. He made shots from all different angles and areas on the court going 12 for 25 from the floor. San Deigo St. coach Steve Fisher said after the game, "We were going to vary who guarded him, go with Chase [Tapley] to start with and either fatigue or success by Walker, we had it planned all along that Billy was going to guard him for a good portion of the game. And it didn't matter who was guarding him, he was pretty effective today." Walker was helped by freshman Jeremy Lamb who combined with Walker to score 60 of the teams 74 points. Lamb only missed two shots the entire game and added 24 points. UConn needed all they could from Walker and Lamb because all the other Huskies went 6 for 27 from the field and the bench scored only 2 points. 

The game changing play may have been with more than 9 minutes remaining. After a D.J. Gay layup gave the Aztecs a two point lead, James Franklin stole a sloppy inbound pass from Alex Oriakhi and dished to Billy Whte for a layup. The frustrated Jim Calhoun called a timeout and as the teams were going back to their benches James Franklin picked up a technical foul for bumping Kemba Walker. Walker defended the call by saying, "The contact was definitely enough to go down. That's why I was able to get the free throws. I was on my way to the huddle, and he ran into me." After the technical foul, UConn went on a 16 to 4 run the next 5 minutes and change. During the run, Kemba Walker scored 14 of his 22 second half points. Although San Diego St. cut the UConn lead to one with 2:57 remaining in the game, Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker scored UConn's final 9 points to secure the victory. 

The loss is a tough one for the Aztec, who finished the season 34-3. Steve Fisher said, "When your season comes to a screeching halt, like it will for every team with one exception, it hurts. It should hurt, regardless of when, where and how. For our team this year, for what they've accomplished, it hurts exponentially more. I could not be more proud of how we competed, how hard we played, and unfortunately we came up a bit short." San Diego State's leading scorer and rebounder and second team All-American Kawhi Leonard could only play 29 minutes because of foul trouble and finished with 12 points. Leonard shot more threes in the NCAA tournament than free throws, which isn't a stat that Steve Fisher would like to see. He settled for jump shots instead of attacking the lane and using his great athleticism to score. The Aztecs struggled from three only shooting 31.8 percent including Chase Tapley, who went 1 for 7 from behind the arc.

Kemba Walker said, "I'm just trying to do the best I can do. Whether it's scoring, talking, getting their confidence up or giving an assist, I'm just trying to do whatever is possible to enhance this team." If the Huskies continue to play well on defense and ride Kemba on offense, they have a great chance of knocking off the Arizona Wildcats and heading to the final floor. Jim Calhoun said about his team, "I couldn't have asked for a better gift than this team, and then we get this. I don't remember anything quite like this. This is different. This team genuinely believes in themselves and each other."

A Key to San Diego St. vs Uconn

How San Diego St. will defend Kemba Walker: Steve Fisher, the head coach of San Diego St., said about his team having to guard Kemba Walker in the sweet sixteen, "We have some experience guarding top notch players like Kemba. We are going to use the athleticism of Billy White mostly but all our guys sometime will take a shot at him. The one thing you have to do to a player like Kemba is switch off on him and not show him the same defense every time down the court. We had a lot of success doing this against Jimmer Fredette so we hope we can do it against Kemba Walker." In San Diego State's two losses to BYU, Jimmer Fredette scored a combined 68 points and had 9 assists one game. When the Aztecs got their third crack at Fredette, he was stifled and frustrated on the offensive end, going 10 for 25 from the field including 2 for 7 from three. The Aztecs hope that Billy White's size at 6-8 and length complemented by his athleticism will force Kemba Walker into difficult shots much like how Jimmer had to settle for tough jumpers. San Diego St. will try to keep Kemba off the free throw line, where he went 14 for 14 in Uconn's third round win over Cincinnati. It is key that White will not slow down and begin to show fatigue as the game goes along, as he doesn't normally guard players on the perimeter. This is key as Kemba plays nearly every minute of every game, as long as he isn't in foul trouble. White usually only plays about 27 minutes per game but may have to be on the floor for the entire game to make sure that Walker doesn't get hot from the field. San Diego St. may also try to guard Kemba with a quicker guard like Chase Tapley. The Aztecs will have to double Kemba off screens, put some full court pressure on him, and also play some zone to switch up the defenses on Walker. This formula helped contain Fredette and will hopefully for Aztec fans, contain Walker.

A Key to Florida St. vs VCU

Florida State continuing to score on the offensive end: Florida St. scores 69.3 points per game, which ranks 154th in the country. The Seminoles field goal percentage ranks 174th at .436. It isn't a secret that the Seminoles greatly struggle on the offensive end. All season Florida State has been able to defend and stifle teams with their length and athleticism. The Seminoles lead the nation in field goal defense at .360, which is better than last season when they lead the nation at .377. It was even more difficult for the Seminoles to score though when their leading scorer Chris Singleton missed 6 games with a foot fracture. He has only recently returned to play limited minutes in the Seminoles two NCAA tournament games. In their third round game against second seeded Notre Dame, the Seminoles used a balanced attack on the offensive end to score 71 points. As always, their defense was spectacular. Notre Dame only scored 23 points in the first half and 57 in the whole game. The Seminoles frustrated the Big East player of the year Ben Hansbrough the entire night. He only made 4 of the 10 threes he attempted during the game. Thus far in the NCAA tournament, Florida St. has limited Texas A and M and Notre Dame to .310 shooting from the field. Derwin Kitchen, who had 10 points and six rebounds said, "If we can stay consistent on the offensive end, I like our chances. We've just been so up and down and inconsistent on the offensive end, it allowed us to stumble at times and lose a few games. If we can stay consistent and execute on the offensive end, I like our chances because we play so well on the defensive end." The Seminoles should also get a boost in the sweet sixteen because Chris Singleton looks like he will be getting more minutes against the Rams. Leonard Hamilton, the coach of Florida St. said, "He's getting closer to kind of looking like his old self," Hamilton said. "I think it's just taking him a week or so just to gain his confidence back, starting and stopping and changing direction, things of that nature. So I want him being a little bit more involved in this game than he was the other games because I think he's feeling more comfortable."

A Key to Ohio St. vs Kentucky

The Kentucky freshmen against the number one overall seed: In most peoples minds, the Ohio St. Buckeyes have been the most consistent team this season and have everything a team needs to win a national championship. They have scorers on the perimeter with William Buford and David Lightly, a deadly three point shooter with Jon Diebler, and a dominant big men with Jared Sullinger. The question that all Buckeye fans are wondering is how will the Kentucky freshman play in their third NCAA tournament game. Kentucky coach John Calipari has said, "You can't count on freshmen." The three major freshman for Kentucky (Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, and Doron Lamb) averaged 48 of their teams 77 points during the regular season. However, aside from Knight's third round game against West Virginia, all three have really struggled to get going in the tournament. In Kentucky's second round game against Princeton the three freshmen scored a combined 19 points going 8 for 23 from the field. John Callipari said, "I think they had the jitters at their first NCAA tournament game ever that they've been watching since they're 12 and all of a sudden starting in the NCAA tournament that's on national television." Although Knight had a fantastic third round game against West Virginia, Jones and Lamb looked like they still had some jitters. Jones only had 3 buckets from the field and Lamb only played 14 minutes and had 6 points. Jones and Lamb have ben struggling with their shot in the tournament. Since Kentucky relies so much on their freshman, it will be very difficult for them to advance in the tournament without Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb playing very well.

A Key to Kansas vs Richmond

Justin Harper and Dan Geriot vs the Morris Twins: For nearly every team that the Richmond Spiders have played this season, their opponents have had trouble matching up with Justin Harper and Dan Geriot. These two forwards, who are both 6-10, are the best two shooters on their team from three point land as they both average over 42 percent. They create matchup problems because they can be physical inside but also can step outside and make your big men guard on the perimeter. Many teams have to focus so much on stopping the versatile Harper, that it allows first team Atlantic 10 guard Kevin Anderson to score and penetrate into the line. However, Kansas is happy to guard Harper and Geriot out on the perimeter, as they have two of the most athletic forwards in college basketball with Marcus and his twin brother Markieff Morris. This will allow Kansas's defense to focus on Anderson, as one of the Morris brothers will be able to match up with Harper either on the post or outside. Richmond definitely has a chance to pull the upset on the top seeded Kansas because of their ability to shoot the three ball. Morehead St. guard Demonte Harper said about Richmond after they beat them in the third round of the tourney, "It's kind of difficult to guard them because they have so many good shooters on the floor. Each guy on their team can really shoot the ball." On the other end of the court, Richmond plays a matchup two three zone, which caused both Vanderbilt and Morehead St. havoc in the tournament. Even Chris Mooney admitted though, "Kansas is a different problem because they're so good, so strong, so physical... [The Morris twins] they're aggressive, really talented. Obviously, they're big- time bodies down there. We're up for the challenge. I think if we can just negate their rebounding and make them work for everything." It will be key for the Spiders to locate the Morris twins on defense because not only can they rebound and score inside but they can also shoot from three like the Richmond frontline.

A Key to North Carolina vs Marquette

How Marquette will matchup with the North Carolina frontline: North Carolina leads the nation in rebounding at 42.5 rebounds per game. They grab about 15 offensive rebounds per game. Marquette on the other hand, averages 36.2 rebounds per game, which is 104th in the country. In North Carolina's 35 games this season, they have outrebounded their opponent 27 times. In those game they are 25-2. Marquette head coach Buzz Williams said about North Carolina's rebounding, "Part of that is because they are so far ahead of their opponent, if they miss a shot they can put it back in. So we will have our hands full from the start, but we are thankful to be here." North Carolina's three leading scorers are all forwards and they account for more than half of the Tar Heels points per game. Unlike Marquette, Carolina has the ability to throw the ball into the post to either the 7 foot Tyler Zeller or the 6-10 John Henson, who both shoot over 50 percent from the field. It will be key for Marquette center Chris Otule to stay out of foul trouble because he is Marquette's only player with the size to guard the Carolina big men. This has been a problem for Chris, as he has fouled out of both NCAA tournament games for the Golden Eagles. Marquette will have trouble moving on to the regional finals if Otule can only stay on the floor for 18 minutes like in the second round against Xavier. Otule said, "I've been getting called for a lot of fouls. I have to let the refs see my hands, and try to take up as much space on Zeller as I can, and hopefully it works out for the best." If Otule gets into foul trouble, it will be difficult for the undersize Jae Crowder at 6-6 to guard Zeller and Henson down in the post.

A Key to Wisconsin vs Butler

Matt Howard staying out of foul trouble: After Butler's one point win over number one seed Pittsburgh in the third round, Butler head coach Brad Stevens said, "We're just fortunate to advance because one thing these guys do is they play through the horn, and they'll always play through the horn. And I think that happens because of 54 [the number of Matt Howard]. I think that that's Matt Howard imprint on our program is you're going to give everything you have as long as you're out there every single day." Butler has been able to play very hard and very well for the entire 40 minutes of their first two tournament games because Howard has been able to stay on the floor. Howard has always had a tendency to get into a lot of foul trouble. In 12 games this season, Howard either fouled out or had 4 fouls, which limited his minutes on the court. Obviously, any time a team has to play long stretches without their all conference center, who scores nearly 17 points per game and averages nearly 8 rebounds per game, they struggle on both ends of the court. When Butler lost three games in a row in conference play, Howard fouled out in one of those games and had four fouls in the other two. However, Howard has been able to remain on the floor in Butler's two NCAA tournament games, which has been the key to the Bulldogs two victories. In Butler's first game, Matt had 15 points and 5 rebounds including the game winning tip-in at the buzzer. Howard played 33 minutes and only picked up 3 fouls. In the Bulldogs second game, Matt had 16 points and 6 rebounds including the game winning free throw. Howard played 38 minutes and picked up only 1 foul the entire game. The next challenge for Howard is to stay on the floor for Butler's sweet sixteen game against the Wisconsin Badgers.

A Key to Duke vs Arizona

How Kyrie Irving playing significant minutes will affect his teammates: After Duke's 8th game of the season, the Blue Devils were ranked number one and looked like the best team in the country. Duke's 8th win came at a cost though because their star point guard Kyrie Irving left the game with a toe injury. His first games back were in the second and third round of the NCAA tournament were he only played 20 minutes in each. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said that his star point guard will play "significant minutes" for the first time since the injury against Butler. Krzyzewsk said, "If I wasn't sure that he could play then I wouldn't play him." Irving will not be in the starting lineup however in Duke's sweet sixteen game against Arizona. Kyrie missed 26 straight games before returning in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Although Irving's ability to score and distribute the basketball was greatly missed, other guys like Seth Curry were able to step up and play very well. In Duke's two point third round win over Michigan, Seth Curry only took 3 shots and had 0 points. Mason Plumlee scored four points on only two shot attempts in that game. It will be interesting to see what the confidence of guys like Curry and Plumlee will be as their roles have changed with the addition of Irving on the floor. Curry only played 23 minutes in the third round and forced 3 three pointers. If Curry comes in and feels like he has to score and force shots, he may struggle. Plumlee also saw reduced minutes as he played less than a half at 18 minutes. Mason will be a huge factor if Duke wants to repeat as national champions because they don't have a real post presence if he isn't playing well. Not only will Irving's return affect some of the major role players, but it may change the role of ACC player of the year Nolan Smith. With Kyrie returning at the point guard position, Smith won't be directing the offense on every possession. The ball may not always be in his hands and you have to wonder how Irving's return will affect the Blue Devils chemistry. It is very difficult to determine how much you play a guy after he has been out for so long. Arizona head coach Sean Miller said, "I don't know if there has been another situation where you have almost a No. 1 seed without a player [Kyrie Irving] that many people would say is their best player, and now he's back in the equation."

A Key to Florida vs BYU

How Florida will defend Jimmer Fredette: Before Florida was set to take on BYU in the first round of last years NCAA tournament, Florida coach Billy Donovan said, "Being in the SEC, we had a chance to see a lot of great point guards in John Wall and Devan Downey, and I don't think either one of those two guys impact the college game like Fredette does. He has a totally different effect level on the game." BYU went on to beat Florida by 7 points 99 to 92 in double overtime. In that game, Kenny Boynton guarded Jimmer Fredette for nearly the entire game and Fredette scored 37 points on 13 for 26 shooting from the field. Coming into their sweet sixteen matchup against BYU and Fredette, Donovan said, "I really felt like last year, because of our lack of depth, I thought [Boynton] got worn out as he started to get into that into the first overtime, then second overtime. I just don't think it can be one guy. Now there's going to be some possessions and some plays in the game where whoever's on him, they're going to be on an island by themselves. That's gonna happen." Donovan hopes that Boynton, at 6-2, can use his length and his great athleticism to frustrate Fredette. He said, "What makes [Boynton] good is he has great, great feet and he has great lateral movement, and he can play close enough to people and keep people out of the lane. He can really, really spread himself out and athletically he can really move his feet. He's got great ability." Jimmer has struggled against guys with great length and athleticism this season. When the 6-8 Billy White from San Diego St. guarded Fredette in the Mountain West tournament championship game, Jimmer settled for 7 threes and struggled, going 10 for 25 from the field. Boynton has been resting a sore left ankle all week in preparation to guard the crafty Fredette. Boynton has shown he can defend the best in the country including John Jenkins from Vanderbilt, who went 3 for 15 from the field and only scored 10 points in the SEC tournament semifinals when Boynton was guarding him. Boynton will try to keep Fredette out of the lane and not let him get to the free throw line, where he shoots nearly 90 percent. He will try to make Jimmer settle for deep jump shots and threes, where he is under 27 percent since February 2nd. Although Jimmer will get his points as the ball is constantly in his hands for the Cougars, the key to the game will be how many shots it takes for Jimmer to get his points and if he can get his teammates open for layups and threes.