Four tickets to the Final Four going out this weekend. Here's what it looks like:
Saturday, March 30:
EAST (in Boston): (1) Connecticut (34-3) v. (10) Illinois (29-8)
WEST (in Los Angeles): (19) Alabama (24-11) v. Clemson (24-11)
Sunday, March 31:
MIDWEST (in Detroit): (3) Purdue (32-4) v. (6) Tennessee (27-8)
SOUTH (in Dallas): (13) Duke (27-8) v. N. Carolina St. (25-14)
Almost every year, we get at least one team in the Final Four that has not been there in at least 20 years. This year, Alabama, Tennessee, and Clemson have never been to the Final Four, and Purdue hasn't been there since 1980, so at least two teams in the Final Four will meet this criterion.
In the Regional Semi-Finals, Alabama's victory over North Carolina was the only game in which the western-most team won the game. In the other seven Regional Semi-Finals, the eastern-most team won. Illinois is now the western-most team left in the field.
Spare a thought for the Houston Cougars, who lost their All-American guard Jamal Shead 13 minutes into their game with Duke. Houston ended up losing to Duke by 54 to 51, and I am certain that the Cougars would have won if Shead had remained healthy.
This will be the third meeting between Duke and N. Carolina St. this season, and all three meetings will take place in March. On March 4, Duke went to Raleigh and thumped the Wolfpack, 79 to 64. On March 14, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament (in Washington, DC), N. Carolina St. upset Duke 74 to 69. And tomorrow they will play the rubber match.
Here are Ken Pom's predictions this weekend:
Connecticut 82, Illinois 76
Alabama 83, Clemson 81
Purdue 76, Tennessee 73
Duke 78, N. Carolina St. 69
Meanwhile, over on the women's side, two of the Regional Finals are set:
Sunday, March 31:
ALBANY 1: (1) S. Carolina (35-0) v. (12) Oregon St. (27-7)
PORTLAND 4: (4) Texas (33-4) v. (11) N. Carolina St. (30-6)
Today we have the following Regional Semi-Finals:
ALBANY 2:
(2) Iowa (31-4) v. (17) Colorado (24-9)
(6) U.C.L.A. (27-6) v. (8) Louisiana St. (30-5)
PORTLAND 3:
(3) U.S.C. (28-5) v. (19) Baylor (26-7)
(10) Connecticut (31-5) v. Duke (22-11)
To me, the U.C.L.A. / L.S.U. game feels like the first really critical game in this tournament.
In the men's tournament, the Classic SEC is looking stronger round by round:
ReplyDeleteClassic ACC: 3 (Duke, Clemson, N. Carolina St.)
Classic Big 10: 2 (Purdue, Illinois)
Classic SEC: 2 (Tennessee, Alabama)
Classic Big East: 1 (Connecticut)
(6) U.C.L.A. 18 - 23 (8) Louisiana St. (6:33 left in 2d quarter)
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 24 - 26 Louisiana St. (3:31 left in 2d quarter)
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 27 - 34 Louisiana St. (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteThe Bruins are 2-17 from three-point range.
U.C.L.A. 37 - 44 Louisiana St. (4:53 left in 3d)
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 48 - 48 Louisiana St. (end of 3d quarter)
ReplyDeleteScore by quarters:
1st: U.C.L.A. 15 - 15 Louisiana St.
2d: U.C.L.A. 12 - 19 Louisiana St.
3d: U.C.L.A. 21 - 14 Louisiana St.
UCLA now 6-28 from three-point range. LSU is 2-4. UCLA has outrebounded LSU 36 to 27. But LSU is 12-16 from the line, while UCLA is 4-7.
It's all to play for in the fourth quarter.
U.C.L.A. 58 - 58 Louisiana St. (6:41 left)
ReplyDeleteThis is the best game I've seen in either the men's or the women's tournament. If Iowa gets to the next round, they will have trouble with either of these teams.
U.C.L.A. 60 - 60 Louisiana St. (4:58 left)
ReplyDeleteAngel Reese for LSU has 4 fouls, and that could end up being the decisive fact in this game. She's on the bench and UCLA is dominating the boards.
Lauren Betts, the center for UCLA, gets a block and one end and gets fouled at the other end. She makes the FTs, and UCLA leads 63-60 with 4:17 left. LSU can't wait any longer, and they put Reese back in the game.
ReplyDeleteReese immediately draws a fourth foul on Betts. Now both Reese and Betts are playing with four fouls. LSU hits a layup to make the score 63-62 for UCLA with 4 minutes left. UCLA calls time. What a game!
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 63 - 62 Louisiana St. (3:50 left)
ReplyDeleteKim Mulkey has really got that Bobby Knight energy going.
Four possessions, and the two teams go four-for-four. LSU calls time.
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 67 - 66 Louisiana St. (2:26 left)
After this timeout, LSU outscored UCLA 12-2 to win the game. I would really like to know what was said in that huddle.
DeleteUCLA misses and Reese is fouled at the other end. She makes the first FT. She makes the second.
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 67 - 68 Louisiana St. (1:40 left)
At the other end, Flau'jae Johnson blocks a UCLA shot and is fouled. Reese explodes in joy. Johnson makes both FT's.
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 67 - 70 Louisiana St. (1:17 left)
UCLA misses, Betts gets the rebound, Betts is fouled (but not by Reese). Betts makes the first FT. Betts misses the second, and Reese grabs the rebound.
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 68 -70 Louisiana St. (1 minute left)
Betts blocks Reese's shot, but LSU gets the rebound and scores on a layup. At the other end, Kiki Rice of UCLA drives to the basket and is called for a CHARGE! The LSU folks can smell it now.
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 68 - 72 Louisiana St. (39.3 seconds left)
LSU's basket here was fantastic. What happened was that Betts blocked Reese's shot without fouling, but LSU ended up with the ball. Johnson took it and drove on Betts, scoring a very difficult layup over the taller player. She was very, very good in this game.
DeleteWith 36 seconds left, UCLA has to foul. They send Hailey van Lith to the line. She makes them both without even causing the net to move.
ReplyDeleteU.C.L.A. 68 - 74 Louisiana St. (36 seconds left)
In the last 1:50, LSU has gone on a 10-1 run. This has been old school championship basketball.
ReplyDeleteWith 31 seconds left, UCLA goes into Betts, who is fouled by Reese. That's all for her, but if LSU wins, I think she deserves a lot of the credit. She was the difference in the last few minutes.
ReplyDeleteFINAL SCORE:
ReplyDelete(6) U.C.L.A. 69 - 78 (8) Louisiana St.
Reece finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Johnson finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Betts finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds. UCLA went 7-32 from three-point range, and that -- plus Reese -- is what killed them.
What a game!
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are two of the most charismatic players in the history of women's college basketball, and I'm furious that they were both placed in the same region.
ReplyDeleteOn ESPN they are giving a lot of credit to Flau'jae Johnson, and she was really great. But when Reese was on the bench, UCLA was better than LSU.
ReplyDeleteSo appreciative of this rousing report, as I was unable to watch this game and wanted to.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad I got a chance to watch it.
DeleteAngel Reese has nine consecutive double-doubles in NCAA Tournament games.
ReplyDelete(3) Purdue 14 - 17 (6) Tennessee (10:47 left in 1st half)
ReplyDeleteWe covered these teams when they played each other back on November 21. That was a painful game, with 51 combined fouls on the two teams. So far, this game is off to a similar start.
This is a bad draw for both teams, who I would have favored against every other team in the Regional Finals (except for UConn).
ReplyDeleteTo me, Purdue feels exactly like the sort of Big Ten team that goes to the final and loses. But Tennessee is going to be a tough out.
ReplyDeletePurdue 21 - 25 Tennessee (6:10 left in 1st half)
ReplyDeletePurdue 21 - 32 Tennessee (5:11 left in 1st half)
ReplyDeleteTennessee is not messing around. They know Dalton Knecht is the best player in the game, and they are going to him over and over. He is 4-4 from 3-point range, 2-5 from 2-point range, and he has 16 points and 2 rebounds. If he continues playing at this level -- and the Vols keep getting him the ball -- I don't think Purdue can score enough points to win.
Remember that Knecht went for 40 in the last game of the regular season against UK, but the Cats countered by going 15-29 from 3-point range. I don't think Purdue has that type of firepower.
ReplyDeletePurdue 27 - 32 Tennessee (3:23 left in 1st half)
ReplyDeletePurdue fights back with a 6-0 run.
Purdue goes on a 10-0 run. Knecht misses a three. Purdue ball down one. EDEY SCORES. Boilers on a 12-0 run!
ReplyDeletePurdue 36 - 34 Tennessee (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteKnecht went cold, and Purdue took advantage to come back into this game.
South Carolina beats Oregon State 70 to 58 and becomes the first team to reach the Women's Final Four.
ReplyDeleteKnecht has 18 points, the rest of Tennessee has 16.
ReplyDeleteEdey has 19 points, the rest of Purdue has 17.
I'm not as cynical about this game as some of the entries above would indicate. In fact, this is the first game in the whole tournament that I really wanted to watch.
ReplyDeleteKentucky media doing a lot of whining about Alabama and UT going to the Final Four. Next year, the battle between the Kentucky media and Cal will be almost as exciting as the battle between the national media and Kim Mulkey.
ReplyDeletePurdue 44 - 40 Tennessee (15:52 left).
ReplyDelete23 points for Knecht
22 points for Edey
Purdue 51 - 46 Tennessee (11:39 left)
ReplyDeletePurdue can't make any shots -- the Boilers are 2-13 from 3-point range -- but they are killing Tennessee on the inside. The Vols have 17 fouls; Purdue only has 9. Purdue has shot 17 free throws; Tennessee only has 9. And Purdue has out-rebounded Tennessee 35 to 19. I haven't seen anyone dominate Tennessee physically like this all year, and you can tell it is really weighing on the Vols.
Purdue 54 - 53 Tennessee (8:54 left)
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those games where every time one of the teams is in big trouble, it takes its game to another level. Down 54-46, the Vols go on a quick 7-0 run and Purdue calls time. Knecht has 28 points. Edey has 27 points. Vols are 10-21 from three-point range. Purdue has out-rebounded UT 38-20.
Purdue 59 - 58 Tennessee (4:36 left)
ReplyDeleteKnecht has 31 points
Edey has 32 points
This game will feel amazing for the winners, and will really hurt for the losers.
Purdue 68 - 62 Tennessee (1:28 left)
ReplyDeleteKnecht has 33 points, but he missed two huge three's.
Edey has 38 points, and he got a huge three from one of his teammates.
Purdue ball.
Purdue 72 - 66 Tennessee (FINAL)
ReplyDeleteKnecht finished with 37 points. Edey finished with 40.
Tennessee shot 11 free throws. Purdue shot 33.
UT had a great team in 2019 that lost to Purdue 99 to 94 in overtime. And now the best team the Vols have had in my lifetime goes out to Purdue again.
ReplyDeleteTennessee fans will be devastated by this loss, just like we were in all those losses to Michigan State. But here's the thing about the Classic Big 10. If you put those teams up against the Big East or the ACC -- and especially if you do so outside the Midwest -- they can look pretty bad. Yesterday, for example, UConn played Illinois in Boston, and at one point the Huskies scored 30 points in a row. We've seen this same pattern play out for years, and as a result SEC fans don't think the Big 10 schools are very good.
ReplyDeleteBut for SEC schools, beating a Big 10 school in the Midwest is still an extremely difficult challenge. Purdue actually played harder than Tennessee. That will be a hard pill to swallow for Tennessee fans, because they -- like all SEC fans -- expect their team to play harder than any opponent. But as much as the Vols wanted this game -- and I know they wanted it badly -- Purdue wanted it even more.
ReplyDeletePurdue hadn't been to the Final Four since 1980, and no team from Indiana had gone to the Final Four since Butler in 2011. Tennessee really wanted this game, but the Boilers had to have it. And that was the difference.
ReplyDeleteRemember this: Purdue outrebounded Tennessee 47 to 26. That's not the officials. That's just Boilermakers beating Tennessee to the ball.
ReplyDeleteNow Purdue will get an ACC team next, and they probably won't play very well in that game. But today, they were excellent and deserved winners.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, this was Purdue's national championship. They even had Gene Keady there.
DeleteSo now for all SEC fans outside of Alabama, LSU, and South Carolina, it's time for baseball season.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of long-suffering fans, we now get North Carolina State against Duke.
ReplyDeleteThe NCSU women beat Texas 76 to 66 to reach the Final Four. They will face South Carolina. Now we all wait for the Iowa/LSU game tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAnd now the NCSU men have beaten Duke! Down 27-21 at the half, the Wolfpack outscored the Blue Devils 55 to 37 in the second half, and NCSU rolls to a 76-64 victory. So for the first time since 1983, the Wolfpack is going to the Final Four.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty certain that this is the first time since 1983 that NCSU has been in the tournament in a round where both UNC and Duke are out of the tournament.
ReplyDeleteLast year, UConn got to the Final Four and faced Miami (Fla.), Florida Atlantic, and San Diego State. This year UConn gets three more teams who haven't been to the Final Four in a long time (or ever): Alabama, Purdue, and N. Carolina St. But at least this year, we have schools who really care about basketball. Of all the power conference teams who haven't been to the Final Four in more than 40 years, I don't think any two fan bases love basketball more than the fans of Purdue and N. Carolina St.
ReplyDeleteWhat a March. Lyon County, Purdue, and North Carolina State.
ReplyDeleteOne final thought. If Tennessee had beaten UK in the last game of the regular season, the Vols probably would have been the Number-1 seed in the West. They could have avoided Purdue, and they would now be in the Final Four.
ReplyDelete