San Antonio, Here We Come

Sorry for the day off yesterday. Between work and class and pool league, my day was actually fairly busy straight from about 4:45 AM until close to 9:30 PM. I promise, I’ll make it up to you. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but some day. And if you believe that, I’ve got some ocean-front property in Nebraska I’d like you to look at. Why am I telling 50-year old jokes? Let’s move on, this is awkward.

Well, as I feared, Texas took a shit and Memphis once again made me look like an idiot for picking against them. Watching that game was more frustrating than any other game I’ve watched thus far because Texas looked like a 6th grade girls team for most of the first half. I’ve never seen such a grab-ass style of play from a Division I college basketball team (excluding about 5 to 10 minutes of almost every Tennessee game the entire season). They were running around throwing up shots that didn’t even have a prayer. I’ve seen monkey shit fights at the zoo that were more organized than Texas’ offense was on Sunday.

While I sit here and bash Texas, I should give credit where credit is due. Memphis played another solid game and kept a good team from getting anywhere near them. If memory serves me, the closest Texas ever came to even tying the score was when they were down seven right after half time. Derrick Rose played a great game and flashed some mad skill while Chris Douglas-Roberts took the place over and ended up with a game-high 25 points. Things were clicking for the Tigers, who even proved they can shoot freethrows when they need to, finshing 30-of-36 from the stripe; 83.3% – which trumps their seasons average by about 24%.

What I found particularly funny was after the game, Derrick Rose was named the Most Outstanding Player in the South region and during the presentation, the Memphis fans starting chanting “One more year!” They should have been chanting “Let’s go Sonics!” because he has a hell of a lot better chance of playing for Seattle next year. Let’s face it Memphis fans, he’s gone. The only hope you’ve got is that the Grizzlies get the second pick in the draft (the first pick will probably end up in Miami and be used on Kansas State forward Michael Beasley), at which time they can take him and keep him in Memphis. This is the year Memphis needs to win because Rose and Douglas-Roberts are both going to be wearing different uniforms next year.

As for the Kansas-Davidson game, it was a lot closer than I ever thought it would be. Kansas didn’t play their best and Davidson found ways to keep hanging around, hanging around. Those kids got alligator blood. (Yes, a Rounders reference was mandatory at that point). I fully expect the Jayhawks to rebound and play a much better game against my Tar Heels, which is no fun for me. But at the same time, UNC is playing as good as they have been all year, so if nothing else, the game should be a doozie. Which brings us to …

This weekend’s games should be fantastical in every sense of the word. Four 1-seeds facing off against one another is a basketball fan’s dream. The total records among the four teams is 143-9. That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to waste time with my jibber jabber because if you’re any kind of sports fan, you’ll be watching ESPN this week and they are going to beat these games to death day in and day out. Instead, I’ll just cut right to my picks.

• (1) UCLA over (1) Memphis. Yeah, I’m picking against them … again. So let me say, in advance: Memphis fans, you’re welcome; UCLA fans, I’m sorry. I picked the Tigers to win their first two games, both of which were fairly close and one of them was almost an upset at the hands of Mississippi State. Ever since, I’ve picked against them and they have absolutely dominated. In reality, though, I think Kevin Love will be successful against the Memphis frontcourt because as I’ve said before, they are very often in foul trouble. What is interesting is the fact that Love will be going primarily against Joey Dorsey which means it will be a match of style and grace against pure brute strength. I don’t think the “tortoise and the hare” theory applies here, I think Love will come out on top in this battle. As for the guard play, I’m certainly going to give the edge to Memphis because Rose and Douglas-Roberts are so extremely athletic, and they effectively shut down Texas’ talented twosome of Augustin and Abrams. They are so quick and fast, and they have incredible length, so they can lock down the perimeter very well and force the ball inside where their big uglies await. The big factor will be whether or not Darren Collison and Josh Shipp can keep the Memphis guards partly subdued. If so, lights out in Memphis.
• (1) UNC over (1) Kansas. What can I say? They’re my team, and my pick from day one to take it all the way. The frontcourt matchups in this game are stacked with athleticism – for Carolina, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green; for Kansas, Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, and Mario Chalmers. I’ll give the edge (just slightly) in this one to Kansas, but only because the UNC guards have shown moments of inconsistency throughout the season. Although, as of late, they have been very solid. When it comes to the men in the paint, the edge has to be given to the Heels. Of course, everyone knows Tyler Hansbrough is an absolute beast, but Deon Thompson looked good Sunday, and Marcus Ginyard contributed as well. People might say there is more pressure on Bill Self to win this game than there is on Roy Williams, but as JK has continually pointed out to me, Williams didn’t win a ring with his recruits, he inherited the roster that won the title in ‘05 and therefore probably still wants to prove that he can bring in his own players and run them under his own system to win a title. I’m not buying into all that as much as JK is, but it’s somewhat of a small cloud looming over Williams’ head. As for Self, he is in search for his first title as a head coach and came closest when he coached Illinois to the title game in 2005 when they lost to … yep, UNC. Coaching nod goes to Williams. Go Tar Heels, because if I have to keep reading Hammen type “Rock, Chalk” on his posts, I am just gonna snap. Sorry, Jim. Still friends?

One love,

10

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Tags: Final Four, Kansas, March Madness, Memphis, NCAA, UCLA, UNC

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