Kemba and the Huskies Slightly Less Bad Than Butler, Win National Championship

Well, that was ugly. In a contest that made last year's NBA Finals game 7 look like this game, the Connecticut Huskies outlasted the Butler Bulldogs to win Jim Calhoun's third championship.

Great defense was played, to be sure, but there's no excuse for a team to shoot 18%. That's not a good percentage on half court shots. If they shot twice as good, it would have been a terrible offensive night. This isn't to say that UCONN was much better. Neither team could hit a shot for minutes at a time. I almost wished NCIS or whatever is usually on CBS at 930 on a Monday would pre-empt the game. This game was that bad. Even the usual fawning college ball enthusiasts on ESPN and CBS couldn't pretty this one up. Gus Johnson would have trouble getting excited over this mess.

Anyway, not to sound too negative, great defense was played by the big doofy guys in the middle for the Huskies (Oriakhi made up for his Jared Jeffries like offensive skills with some key 2nd half blocks) and UCONN made a few baskets when they needed them to pull away with a 20-3 run. Since I mentioned the game 7 earlier, it looked like Kemba was going to imitate his idol Kobe's 6 for 24 in that game, but he too made a couple nice steals and hustle plays to contribute. But the story of this game was the absolute horror show put on by the Butler shooters. There were wide open shots missed all over the court, and this one has to hurt worse for the players and students at Butler than last year's heart breaker. At least last year, they can say they played their best against a very good Duke team, and were a miracle shot away from stealing that one. Tonight, they missed 24 3s and the face of their team, Matt Howard, went 1 for 13. Nothing went down for them. That's too bad, because this was an extremely exciting tournament full of dynamic offensive play, clutch shots and big time "Onions" performances starting with the conference tourneys all the way up to Saturday's final four games. Tonight's game between two not-so-great teams was an unfittingly ugly end to it all.

Congratulations to Uconn on a great season, though, they deserved to make it this far and have the chance to sneak out with an unsightly win.

Now dance, Kemba, dance!

NCAA Championship Game Preview

I was going to write a sarcastic, weepy Mike Lupica column extolling the virtues of Kemba Walker, the little project kid that could who has captivated the imagination of the nation, but that hack beat me to it. So, what else to say about Kemba vs. Butler tonight? I assume the majority of viewers will be pulling for the underdog Bulldogs, who I guess can't be called a Cinderella team after this year. Just like Gonzaga ceased to be the team that comes out of nowhere every year; once you make the title game two years in a row, I think it's safe to say that you've arrived.

Nevertheless, neither of these teams were expected to be playing tonight but have seemed to get hot at the right time, which as Lupica would say, is what makes this time of year so magical. Every game being an elimination game really amps up the drama. The styles of play of the two teams are fairly different though, Butler playing a game of movement and constant back door plays, punctuated by occasional three point outbursts. While Connecticut prefers to work outside-in, also running a lot of isolation plays for Kemba when the scores get tight.

You would think being here last year would give Butler a little bit of an edge, especially since there isn't a great difference in the quality of the teams. At the same time, I like the spring of Kemba to continue and UConn to pull out a close one. Second year of heartbreak in a row for Butler. Can't wait for Lupica's "the New York kid that made good for us all" column tomorrow. Long live Kemba.

Final Four Preview

In what would amount to a strong case for the theory that the NBA's age restriction policy is ruining college basketball, the Final Four tips off tonight without any number one teams or really great teams involved. Stern's rule raising the age of NBA draft eligibility, while supposedly helping the young kids who everyone was so up in arms over not getting a useless "education", has instead resulted in an era of one and done college stars, who turn pro as soon as they complete their one year of prerequisite classes. I'm sure that intro to sociology course will come in handy when Brandon Knight is shooting three's for the Bobcats next year.

Anyway, there is still some intrigue tonight, as the two games feature two perennial favorite (and hated) colleges and two lovable underdogs. In the undercard, the pesky Butler Bulldogs (last year's Rudy) take on the even peskier and more surprising VCU. If you say you had that game in your Final Four bracket, you're a filthy liar and a bad person. While Butler made it all the way to the championship game last year, and was a half court shot off the back rim away from winning it, no one saw the Rams coming this year. Dick Vitale said they didn't even belong on the tournament court. As has been well documented, they've taken down big program after big program on their run. Both teams also employ two pint sized coaches who look like ball boys as well to match their cinderella teams' David vs. Goliath spirits. To quote the Rudy like character who gets left off the bus taking the Springfield men to The Super Bowl on the Simpsons, "What I lack in size I make up for in obnoxiousness!". I think Butler will use their experience from last year and end VCU's crazy run.

The main event pits the Uconn Kembas vs. The Kentucky Wildcats. Hater J will most likely be torn tonight on who to hate more. Calipari vs. Calhoun (slippery Eyetalian vs. annoying New England Irishman) and PTU mascot Kemba Walker vs. the usual collection of Kentucky perps. Since a comet hitting Houston tonight is unlikely, J will probably have to pull for Kentucky if only so he doesn't have to hear about Kemba from me and M@d Scientist for a few months. The Cats will be focusing much of their defense on Kemba, so Jeremy Lamb will have to keep his coming out party going, along with the same contributions from the big guys with the funny last names and the point guard with the funny first name that we saw in March. I like the Huskies to keep the momentum going tonight, and Hater J to turn the TV off in disgust half way through.

The Battle For Uptown Supremacy

For a city long considered the "mecca" of basketball, New York hasn't had a tremendous number of home-grown stars in recent years. While you can find a hoop every couple of city blocks, the southern states have taken over as, by and large, the main source of talent. There's a lot of theories as to the lack of New Yorkers who make it at the highest levels of hoops, be it the all flash/no fundamental games that some seem to label NY players with, or the fact that players from other areas shoot better (our rims have no nets), but whatever the reasoning, our city has been severely underrepresented in both the pro and college ranks for a while now. I'm sure this bothers absolutely no one outside of New York, since they all think we're self-absorbed douche bags to begin with.

Well, for one night at least, the country will be watching three of the Big Apple's own douche bags: Harlem's Lamont "Momo" Jones and Bronx bred Kevin Parrom for Arizona vs. (PTU favorite) Uconn's Kemba Walker of the Soundview projects in the BX, in the elite 8 tonight.

Harlem and the Bronx, besides being geographically close, have some other similarities. While Harlem may be a little flashier (c'mon, Momo Jones just sounds like the name of a 1970's pimp) residents of the two uptown areas tend to pride themselves in their swagger (people from outside of the tri-state, and even some within might call it cocky). And you can see that quality in all three of these guys. Maybe this cocky attitude is part of the reason you don't see as many NY players make it as it can border on uncoachable arrogance, but for our purposes we'll think of it as swagger.

Team mates when they played together at traditional NY basketball powerhouse Rice High School, BFF's Jones and Walker should know each other's games pretty well, but don't expect to see the two best buddies guard each other much (Jeremy Lamb or Shabazz Napier will be on Momo. Shabazz vs. Momo might be the ultimate first name matchup). You might, however, see one-time St. Raymond's star Parrom take a crack at slowing down Kemba. Perhaps that wording isn't how he should be instructed to guard Kemba though, since he has been known to punch people in the face.

Whoever wins tonight, it will be nice to see some New York born ballers get a little shine for once. Hopefully, these three have careers that are more Artest and Odom than Omar Cook and Felipe Lopez. Oh yeah, and some other guy who's not from New York plays for Arizona too but who cares about him?

Kemba Does It Again

The month of Kemba continued tonight, as he once again turned in a dominant performance on a big stage. Scoring 36 points to lead the Huskies into the Elite 8, Walker had his entire repertoire on display, scoring inside and out and all over San Diego State. Even more impressive was the timing of his scoring, pouring in 19 straight for UCONN when they needed it most, turning a small second half deficit into a lead.

Like so many great scorers before him, Kemba used his opponent's trash talk as motivation. The Aztecs were leading by 4, when San Diego State's Jamaal Franklin knocked him over with an intentional bump. Then, it was Kemba time. He went to work, hitting jumpers from all over the court (along with a couple slick inside moves) to put the game away. While he may have tired a little towards the end (missing his final 3 attempts) his teammate Jeremy Lamb picked up the slack hitting a huge shot, before getting a steal, assisted on a dunk and dunk of his own to finish off San Diego State.

So Kemba's ridiculous run continues for another few days at least, and whether or not his game is NBA ready is inconsequential. What he's been doing since the Big East tournament (and what really started in Hawaii in November) is bringing an NBA atmosphere to NCAA games. Even though everyone pays attention to college sports around this time every year, there aren't too many one name players who could be considered the face of the sport. Right now, it's Kemba and Jimmer (and now just Kemba). For better or worse, his offensive domination dictates isolation offenses (particularly late in games) that are common in the pros as opposed to the fundamental team game that most college teams play, which I'm sure will not make College ball purists happy. Want further proof of Kemba's popularity? Check out the cable info for the game and see which other games' description begins with a player's name (or look at our most popular posts). Marketing personalities of specific players as opposed to emphasis on teams is a decidedly David Sternian NBA strategy that is bleeding into college sports too and Kemba's leading the way.

So before we all debate his future or his negative impact on the game, let's just enjoy the greatness for a little while. Hater J, that picture up there is for you.

Shut The Hell Up, Geno

If you follow women's basketball, you may have seen Geno Auriemma whining after last night's UConn game. I'm kidding of course, no one follows that crap, but if you were watching Sportscenter last night or this morning, you might have heard his bitching in the background while you ate your Frosted Flakes and waited for the top ten plays or whatever. Geno seems to be pretty pissed that the arena was only half filled to see his lady Huskies beat up on another sad sack team and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. You know where there's always a packed house, Geno? A UCONN MEN"S BASKETBALL GAME. Or any men's basketball game for that matter (except maybe the Nets). I know I sound terribly chauvinistic, but the reason nobody wants to watch Geno's team play is not because they're spoiled by success, it's that women's basketball is just not that much fun to watch, no matter how hard ESPN and David Stern may try to sell it.

There has to be something wrong with a sport that allows one team to win 90 games in a row. Maybe there were sell-out crowds to see that, but that was more to see the sideshow of a team that never loses. Once that streak was over, there's nothing to see any more but a team that dominates a boring sport. It's like watching the Globetrotters beat the Washington Generals every night without the actual entertaining plays. People could set up lawn chairs at their local park and watch 5' 7" players run back door plays and not dunk, but it gets old after a while.

If Geno really wanted to prove his worth, he'd accept an offer with a men's team instead of running up scores in the ladies league. I saw the piece that HBO Real Sports did on Auriemma and he addressed that point, saying that the critics of his arrogance who question why he stays where he is just don't understand the sport, and that he could succeed in the men's game if he wanted. Do it Geno, then you'd have plenty of people in the stands to watch you. In the meantime, just shut the hell up.

Let Them Play?

I still think it was a shitty call. Let me rephrase, not so much that the call was wrong (a hack across the arm is obviously a foul) but the immensity of the moment dictates a little restraint by the official, don't you think? The last 10 seconds of last night's Pitt vs Butler game have already been dissected and analyzed to death and the overwhelming consensus seems to be that the right call was made. The strangest part about the whole thing is that there seems to be no controversy at all. Everyone agrees on this. Well, I'm not one to be contrary for the hell of it, but I think the refs should have let this one go.

I understand basketball purists will tell you that it was a stupid play by the kid for Pitt (and it was) and that a foul is a foul no matter the time in the game, but I think there should be some kind of discretion used when making a season deciding call. Namely, is this a foul that will impact the outcome of the game? I say no way.

Unlike the first dumb foul that preceded this dumb foul in which Pitt's Gilbert Brown was knocked off course on his way to a makeable three point attempt, had this foul not been called, nothing different would have happened in 1.4 seconds. Even if Matt Howard had rebounded the ball and was untouched, he wasn't going to throw in a game winner from the opposite end of the court. Nasir Robinson's foul didn't even keep Howard from corralling the rebound. At that point, the officials should swallow their whistles and let the teams battle it out in overtime to decide one of the biggest games of their lives.

Teams That I Hate...Now That We Know the Seeding

Before the selection committee let us know who would be playing where, I listed a few teams I disliked. Here is a little follow up on that now that I know the seeding and match ups.

Florida - They get Michigan State or UCLA after their first round cupcake. Howland/Izzo, versus Billy D and his Justin Beiber knock off. Does anyone want to pick against Izzo here? Would anyone take the softies from Florida against a tough defensive Howland team? I'm not.

UNC - I put them in the sweet 16 last night and looking at the brackets, I think that's about right. I see this team losing to Syracuse. They should also have their hands full with a run and gun Washington team that can make the score too lop-sided for a comeback.

Kentucky/WV - Two of my least favorite coaches are lined up to meet for a trip to the Sweet 16. If Clemson picks up a win in the play in game, I think they can hang with WV and Kentucky. If not, I see West Virginia outplaying Kentucky for a chance to lose to Ohio State.

Notre Dame - Given their draw I can't see them losing to Florida St/A&M. I do see them losing to Purdue in the sweet 16 though.

UConn - Heard from some folks that the boys on ESPN picked them to be in the Final Four. I vehemently disagree. San Diego St and Duke are far better. I see this UConn team struggling against Mizzo (my upset pick in Round 1 of that bracket) or Big East rival, Cincy in round 2. If they pass that test...good luck playing San Diego State in Anaheim.

BYU - Their road is, Wofford (a win), Gonzaga/St Johns (not so confident there), Mich St. (my pick)/UCLA/Florida. They aren't leaving the Sweet 16.

I'm debating on a national champ right now. I like Kansas given the Morris boys, the great coaching, the upper class men leadership, and the tourney experience. Duke has been playing very well but are slated to have to play San Diego State in California. I also don't think this Ohio State team will make the Final Four.

The Great White Hope?

BYU's Jimmer Fredette dropped 52 vs. New Mexico on Friday, single handedly outscoring 6 entire NCAA teams that were in action last night. Is this type of scoring explosion a sign of future NBA greatness or will the Mormon with the funny name just be the next great white hope to fizzle in the pros?

I'll admit, I hadn't heard too much about Fredette until this season (although he already had begun setting scoring records last year) but 2011 seems to be the year of Jimmer. BYU has been tearing it up (their only 3 losses coming twice to this same New Mexico team and the third in the game after their second best player got some trim) and he seems to be the guy everyone wants to watch starting next week in the big dance. This is a little premature to ask, but will his skills translate at the next level?

I always find it annoying when commentators immediately compare every white player to a "Larry Bird" type, using words like "gym rat" or say things like "what he lacks in athletic ability he makes up for in basketball smarts". These are all just code words for the same things that Jimmy the Greek got crucified for saying (and let's face it, Wally Szczerbiak plays nothing like Bird). At the same time, there have been a few big time white scorers in the college game in recent years who haven't been able to make the same impact in the NBA. Most prominently, Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick. Both unbelievably dominant scorers in college, neither has been able to recapture that magic as a professional, Redick a solid (but nothing special) role player with Orlando and Morrison a complete bust.

Just for kicks, let's get our Jay Bilas on, and do some white boy comparisons.

All three hovered around 40% three point shooters for their college teams, and while both Redick and Morrison have become primarily jump shooters in the pros, (albeit a small sample size for Adam) Jimmer has shown an ability to take it strong to the hoop and score on some nice inside moves to go along with his above average jump shot. While free throw attempts are almost even between the three when looking at their final seasons as student-athletes, Fredette seems to be a little more of a slasher than the other two. However, this will most definitely all change at the next level. 6'2" guards have a tough time imposing their will as easily as they did in college, and I suspect this will be no different for Fredette. (Rebounding and assist numbers were comparable as well, Jimmer racking up a few more assists per game than the other two).

All three accounted for about the same percentage of their teams' offenses (each attempting over 600 field goal attempts their final season). Most likely, Jimmer will be a later draft pick than the others meaning he will have to take on a lesser role, something that will no doubt take some getting used to by the BYU star. The main difference between the three being the level of competition faced.

There's no denying it, the Mountain West and the West Coast conferences are not the ACC, and none of those conferences can accurately prepare you for the speed and strength of NBA competition regardless of the skin color of the opponent. I'll reserve judgment on Fredette as the next great white hope (I couldn't have been more off base on Kevin Love's pro prospects). I'm not sure if he'll flame out like Morrison or find his role like Redick, but the NBA is a whole different ball game.

Is Kemba NBA Ready?

Hater J and I have a bet going on whether or not Bronx born Kemba Walker will be a good pro player. I say his game is NBA ready, in fact he plays more of a typical NBA game now than that of a college player. UConn runs a ton of isolation plays for him, which would seem to suit the pro game. J hates all things huskie related so he's a bit biased but his concerns about Walker's size are valid. I contend that he could possibly be a dynamic scorer in the mold of an Iverson, and he has shown repeatedly how clutch he can be. While other more one-dimensional players such as JJ Redick or Adam Morrison have not panned out quite as well as once thought (in Morrison's case especially), Kemba seems to possess some more NBA ready skills that might translate to the professional game better than those guys' games did.

So, will Kemba go the way of Khalid El Amin or (more recently) Ben Gordon and Charlie V? Or will I win the bet and he has a Ray Allen or Rip Hamilton type of career? Seeing as how we don't want to wait 15 years to settle the bet my foolish criteria for good professional is an all-star appearance in his second season in the league. We'll see what happens.

Our stupid bet aside, this move last night on the game-winner vs. Pitt was ridiculous. That dude with the dreads practically fell out of his sneakers guarding him.

UPDATE: When I originally wrote this post way back during the beginning of the Big East tournament, we had no idea of the ridiculous run that Walker and the Huskies would put together. Now that the entire nation has been witness to the awesomeness of Kemba, I think we all have a little better idea of the type of NBA player that he has the potential to be. Hater J is still hating, but I'm sticking to my bet.

This Week in Awful Officiating

There's a reason Rutgers coach Mike Rice looks so disturbed (or more so than usual). His team got royally jobbed by the refs yesterday afternoon in the Big East tournament at the Garden. I don't really have an allegiance to any NCAA program (Hofstra and Brooklyn College aren't exactly hot beds for athletics these days) but I pull for St. Johns as they've always been kind of New Yorks' school and I've enjoyed their resurgence this season. Unfortunately, the officials seemed to feel the same way yesterday, either getting caught up in the excitement of the crowd, or fulfilling some mandate from the Big East higher ups to ensure the Johnnies advance on their unofficial home court. Either that or they're blinder than David Patterson.

As has been dissected all yesterday evening and this morning, there were a couple of non-calls that seemed a little bit suspect, but then things just got nutty. After a mid-court steal by Justin Brownlee, the refs figured the game was over like it was a mid-field interception and St. Johns would retain possession after running out of bounds. In all the excitement, Brownlee (without dribbling) took three steps out of bounds and flung the ball into the stands while there was still over a second left on the clock. Instead of giving Rutgers another chance, the game was declared over and the Scarlet Knights were left to wonder what could have been.

Missed calls happen all the time in sports, it's part of the human error that most purists will swear to you is integral to the game, but shouldn't there be some sort of way to review a critical call that is so obviously f$#%ed up? Maybe this is karmic payback for Rutgers' phantom foul 4-point play that got them a win earlier this season (Antonio Davis is that you?) but it still is unfortunate and takes away from what has been an exciting basketball renaissance for the Johnnies and puts the spotlight on sloppy officiating.