quote:

Originally posted by Instant Access:
I was completely wrong about Davidson's chances against Kansas. Having the ball with a chance to win is all you can hope for. Great game.

I also can't believe how dominant Memphis has looked lately. Their size and athleticism should be illegal.

What a great F4. Each team can make a strong case for why they'll cut the nets down in a week.

Instant, I’m with you on Memphis. Imo, they are the most powerful and most balanced team out of all four number ones. Derrick Rose will be an NBA superstar guard. He defers to his teammates when running that offense but can score inside, and outside, when he needs to. Did you see his two-hand-slam? The defensive player challenged him, so he then had to bring the ball back to avoid the block and he still managed to jam it. Amazing!!! He can leap. Dorsey pounds the boards. Douglas-Roberts can score. Taggart can score. Antonio Anderson can score. What is more, they can all pound the boards, and they run. Our boys have their work cut out for them. They have to rise to an even higher level than they did for Xavier. Shipp has to score. He can’t wimp out with his outside open looks where he passes up the shot. He has to give us some offense. Mbah a Moute, Aboya, Love, and even Keefe are going to have to pound body-to-body against them big and athletic hombres. We're going to need boards against them monsters. Howland has to be at his coaching best. Calipari will adjust quickly to his inside defensive trapping.

Instant Access, the difference this time though, is LOVE. Let’s see if the freshman can rise to the occasion, he can make all the difference. Btw, I enjoyed a 2004 Green Point Shiraz. Spicy and smooth (I guess I mean easy tannins).

I agree with mpls wine guy. North Carolina should take care of Kansas.

I've been telling everyone that Memphis is for real. I think everyone that watched them this weekend against Mich. State and Texas will agree. However UCLA, NC and Kansas are also loaded.

Memphis is really clicking right now. I had my doubts after seeing a few games this year, including the Mississippi State game. But, Calipari is brilliant to motivate them with his "us against the world" mantra. Brilliant.

Agree, Sancho. The key for UCLA IMO is that they not be a 2 man team. They need everybody contributing.

All in all, it's an amazing F4. I love that the 4 best teams made it this far.

Go University of Commies, Liberals, and Atheists!

quote:

Originally posted by Gigond Ass:
Go University of Commies, Liberals, and Atheists!

Isn’t that the case for most of our secular universities (Hillsdale College – www.hillsdale.edu – being one of the exceptions)?

Hillsdale is less than an hour from Jackson, MI, birthplace of the GOP.

Not famous for basketball, but they had a good NAIA football program for a while.

Been away on bus for a few days...

I think UNC will handle Kansas. Similar teams but UNC is better and deeper.

UCLA/ Memphis is really intriguing. Memphis matches up really well against UCLA..they are bigger and faster which is rare. With that said, one of the keys will be fouls. I look to the Bruins to pound it into Love to try to pick up early fouls on Dorsey (he is foul prone). If that happens, good news for Bruins. I expect calipari to expect this and to double and triple team Love. I also expect them to mix in some zone to test UCLA's 3 pt shooting. -So in the end it comes down to execution...and Shipp. He is going to have open looks- if he hits them, I like UCLA. If he doesnt, may be rough. Westbrook and Mbah Moute will like take turns with CRD...I think for Memphis the key may actually be Dozier.

I can really see this game going in a variety of directions...I think 73 is the magic number..if the winner scores less, it will be UCLA, if it is more, it will be Memphis. If it close at then end, I still think Memphis free throw shooting could haunt them.

Jgreen--I agree that it will all come down to execution. Both teams are loaded, and pretty evenly matched in my mind. I think Memphis has shown that free throws are less of a liability for them than their season % would indicate. The winner will be the team that plays better defense, and can take advantage of the few open shots they get.

UGh. Brutal. Memphis played their game and deserved it. Love had zero inside touches in the 2nd half. Just brutal. Collison was awful.

Westbrook showed why he is the best pro prospect..I expect himto be gone. I thinkCollison stays...big question is Love. If he stays, UCLA hasgreat chance to win it all next season. If not, big gap inside. UCLA has best guard in country coming in...Drew Holiday.

Yes, I am already thinking about next year.

Kansas had a great chance to shut this game down in the first half, but decided to put on their skirts instead for the last 6 minutes. Having played basketball at multiple levels for years, it still baffles me to no end, as to how a team can get such a big lead and then lay down. Just baffles the mind. I guess they just don't want to win as bad as I would.

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:
I cant believe Memphis pounded Texas like they did, I under estimated that team. I still dont think they can take UCLA

quote:

Originally posted by mpls wine guy:
I think Kansas has the least chance of making the championship game

quote:

Originally posted by Sancho Panza:
North Carolina should take care of Kansas.

quote:

Originally posted by jgreen:
UGh. Brutal. Memphis played their game and deserved it. Love had zero inside touches in the 2nd half. Just brutal. Collison was awful.

Westbrook showed why he is the best pro prospect..I expect himto be gone. I thinkCollison stays...big question is Love. If he stays, UCLA hasgreat chance to win it all next season. If not, big gap inside. UCLA has best guard in country coming in...Drew Holiday.

Yes, I am already thinking about next year.

I will hand it to Memphis, three straight wins against solid teams. Kansas also looked impressive in their destruction, no---wait---yeah, OK destruction of UNC. Hard to pick a winner in the final.

I am also looking toward next year. Michigan State might even be better, despite losing Neitzel. They don't lose much else, and they have some young size coming in for added depth and muscle down low. Plus, Kalin Lucas should really dazzle next year. I just hope none of the underclassmen do any hair-brained talking to agents and try to leave early, like Marcus Taylor and Ezram Lorbek in recent years (note how neither one is playing in the NBA).

Which brings me to my question:
Which underclassmen college players are going pro next year?

I can definitely see Love going, along with Rose from Memphis. Hansbrough???

quote:

Originally posted by jgreen:
UGh. Brutal. Memphis played their game and deserved it. Love had zero inside touches in the 2nd half. Just brutal. Collison was awful.

Westbrook showed why he is the best pro prospect..I expect himto be gone. I thinkCollison stays...big question is Love. If he stays, UCLA hasgreat chance to win it all next season. If not, big gap inside. UCLA has best guard in country coming in...Drew Holiday.

Yes, I am already thinking about next year.

Just painful. Memphis deserved to win for sure. Where was Collison anyways? I am still in shock. Oh well.

I am looking forward to what I think will be a great game tonight. Statistically, both of these teams match up fairly evenly. However, I am going to give a slight edge to Kansas based on several statistical match-ups:

FG% - Kansas .508 Memphis .467
Opponents FG% - Kansas .379 Memphis .387 FT% - Kansas .698 Memphis .613.

I am a firm believer that defense wins championships and, although Memphis plays stout defense, I am going to give Kansas a slight edge. The other deciding factor, I believe, will be turnovers and FT shooting. Memphis has not done well from the charity stripe all season but miraculously they have done a decent job with free throws throughout the tourney. The team that plays the best defense coupled with not turning the ball over and making their free throws will be the team to come out on top tonight. That's pretty much the formula for the winner of any BB game.

quote:

Westbrook showed why he is the best pro prospect..I expect himto be gone. I thinkCollison stays...big question is Love. If he stays, UCLA hasgreat chance to win it all next season. If not, big gap inside. UCLA has best guard in country coming in...Drew Holiday.

jgreen-

Love has to come back. If he opts for the paycheck, that is all he will ever have. He is not ready for the Big Show. Memphis did a great job of exploiting his weaknesses. He will be devoured by all the athletic Big Men in the NBA.

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk:
Which brings me to my question:
Which underclassmen college players are going pro next year?

I can definitely see Love going, along with Rose from Memphis. Hansbrough???

I expect that Michael Beasley, the best player in the nation IMO, will turn pro. If he does, I believe that he will be the #1 pick in the draft. I think that Mayo may decide to turn pro but I do not think that he is yet ready and could benefit from another year. Love may decide to leave but in the end I think that he will wait a year. I think that Hansbrough is ready and would probably be a top 5 pick but I would not be surprised if he decided to stay. If he does stay he will most likely become the only player to ever be 1st team All-American for 4 years and he will also become UNC’s all-time leading scorer. However, whenever I see a player like Hansbrough that is probably ready to come out, I think that they are taking a big chance on possibly injuring themselves and diminishing their value in the draft if they do decide to stay.

quote:

Originally posted by Altaholic:
I think that Hansbrough is ready and would probably be a top 5 pick but I would not be surprised if he decided to stay.

I have only seen him play on a few occasions, but what I have seen of him......I'm not so sure that he's NBA caliber. Kind of wussy if you ask me. At a couple inches shorter than him, I think I could rough him up pretty good, and I'm no Shaquille.

My only hope for Love staying is that he doesnt need the money- his family is pretty well off so that helps. That being said, I still think he is a top 5 pick if he does go and that is tough to pass up. In terms of Memphis exploiting his weaknesses..I am not so sure about that. I think UCLA's perimeter game was exposed, which enabled Memphis to double and triple team Love. The guards couldnt get him the ball. In any case I agree that Love could use one more year..

I may be wrong but I don't see Hansborough being a great pro. I think he can make a career out of being a scrappy player but dont see him ever being an all star (which I think Rose, beasley & Love have that potential).

Mayo played better at the end of the year but he coudl use another year too. If he stays, USC will eb really good next year as they have Jefferson, Gibson, Hackett and add Demar DeRozen- another big athlete.

As for tonight's game...tough to call. I think it's Memphis' year although Kansas does match up better than anybody they have played becasue they are long and athletic as well. I just hope it is a good game. The other reaosn Memphis will win is so that UCLA can have had their season end at the hands of the eventual champ 3 years in a row. Go Bills!

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!

Great game...unfortuantely I think Memphis lost the game as much or more than Kansas won. Missed free throws, no timeouts called, no fould when up by 3 with 10 seconds to go. I am no college basketball genius but that was brutal.

I feel for CDR- great player who will be haunted by the last 2 minutes of that game.

Chalmers shot was awesome...but he shoudl have never been able to get it off.

IN any case, a great end to a great season. Next couple of weeks will be nerve rackign as we wait to see which Bruins go pro.

quote:

Originally posted by jgreen:
...unfortuantely I think Memphis lost the game as much or more than Kansas won.

Regardless of the mistakes that Memphis may have made a win is still a win and a loss is a loss. The better team won the game.

Congrats to Kansas. Unfortunately, the Memphis FT woes surfaced at the wrong time (especially since they had shot FTs well otherwise).

On another note, I had my best bracket ever as I hit the 97% percentile.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk Baby!!!!