Showing posts with label Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Basketball. Show all posts

Thursday, September 11, 2025

CBS Ranks the Top 25 College Basketball Programs of the last 25 Years

1.  Duke:  720-171 (National Champs in 2001, 2010, 2015)
2.  Kansas:  717-175 (2008, 2022)
3.  Connecticut:  590-262 (2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024)
4.  N. Carolina:  639-251 (2005, 2009, 2017)
5.  Michigan St.:  617-254
6.  Kentucky:  651-222 (2012)
7.  Florida:  608-258 (2006, 2007, 2025)
8.  Villanova:  594-258 (2016, 2018)
9.  Syracuse:  579-278 (2003)
10.  Gonzaga:  716-143
11.  Louisville:  559-283 (2013)
12.  Maryland:  545-293 (2002)
13.  Virginia:  527-278 (2019)
14.  Baylor:  513-301 (2021)
15.  Houston:  528-296
16.  Memphis St:  621-236
17.  Arizona:  624-234
18.  Wisconsin:  595-258
19.  Purdue:  544-294
20.  U.C.L.A.:  559-284
21.  Ohio St:  574-277
22.  San Diego St:  579-254
23.  Va. Commonwealth:  587-249
24.  Illinois:  550-302
25.  Creighton:  578-269

I would rearrange the top 10 as follows:

1.  UConn
2.  Duke
3.  Kansas
4.  UNC
5.  Florida
6.  Kentucky
7.  Villanova
8.  Michigan St.
9.  Syracuse
10.  Gonzaga

I think I would also rank UVA ahead of Maryland, and I would put Arizona and Wisconsin ahead of Memphis.  But the rest of the list looks pretty good to me.

Monday, July 7, 2025

The FIBA U19 World Cup

Since 1979, FIBA has hosted 17 iterations of the Under-19 World Championship.  The latest iteration took place last week in Lausanne, Switzerland.  The Americans won the title.  It was their ninth win in 17 tries, and their sixth in the last nine.  It was a pretty easy tournament for the Americans, who were challenged only by Canada.  Here are the scores from the knockout stage:

ROUND OF SIXTEEN:
New Zealand 99, China 86
Switzerland 86, France 79 (OT)
Canada 100, Mali 75
United States 140, Jordan 67
Slovenia 81, Argentina 80
Israel 86, Cameroon 82
Germany 92, Serbia 83
Australia 106, Dominican Republic 96

QUARTER-FINALS:
New Zealand 84, Switzerland 70
United States 108, Canada 102
Slovenia 79, Israel 55
Germany 80, Australia 67

SEMI-FINALS:
United States 120, New Zealand 64
Germany 84, Slovenia 72

FINAL:
United States 109, Germany 76

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Game Seven: Fourth Quarter

OKC outscores Indy 34-20 in the third quarter, and the Thunder lead 81 to 68 with one quarter left in the season.

Game Seven: Third Quarter

Here are the key halftime stats:

Indiana:
8-16 from 3-point range (50.0 percent)
8-22 from 2-point range (36.4 percent)
8-13 from the line (61.5 percent)
48 points, 20 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 turnovers

Oklahoma City:
4-18 from 3-point range (22.2 percent)
13-24 from 2-point range (54.2 percent)
9-13 from the line (69.2 percent)
47 points, 22 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 turnovers

As these facts make clear, OKC's inability to make three-point shots -- and the Pacers' red hot outside shooting -- are keeping the Pacers in the game.

Whoever wins this championship will have really earned it.

Game Seven: Second Quarter

After one quarter, OKC leads 25 to 22.  In the first quarter, Tyrese Haliburton led all scorers with nine points -- he was 3/4 from three-point range.

Dean Smith always claimed that an injury doesn't hurt a team in the game where the injury takes place -- it only hurts the team in later games as their opponents adjust.  We'll see what happens tonight.

The Road Ends Here

For the first time in nine years, we will have a Game Seven in the NBA Finals.  Here are the results so far (home team listed first):

June 5:  Oklahoma City 110 - 111 Indiana
June 8:  Oklahoma City 123 - 107 Indiana
June 11:  Indiana 116 - 107 Oklahoma City
June 13:  Indiana 104 - 111 Oklahoma City
June 16:  Oklahoma City 120 - 109 Indiana
June 19:  Indiana 108 - 91 Oklahoma City

I'm not convinced that either of these teams will go down as one of the all-time greats -- although OKC is both very young and very good -- but this series has been very good, and tonight marks a fitting end to the sports year.  LSU wrapped up its eighth College World Series title today, so the NBA is the only title left for the 2024-25 season.

This is only the fifth time in the 21st century that the NBA finals have gone to Game Seven.  Here are the other results (home team listed first):

06/23/05:  San Antonio 81 - 74 Detroit
06/17/10:  Los Angeles 83 - 79 Boston
06/20/13:  Miami 95 - 88 San Antonio
06/19/16:  Golden St. 89 - 93 Cleveland

So we should expect a low-scoring, physical game.  Vegas expects OKC to win by 6 1/2 points in a game with 214 1/2 points scored, which would work out to something like a 111-104 win for the Thunder.  That seems high to me in terms of the total score, but we'll see what happens.

It's always poignant to come to the end of a sports year.  Last year was a leap year, so we had the Olympics to look forward to.  But this year, we will have two months of (mostly) quiet for sports fans, until Texas goes to Ohio State on August 30 to begin the new year.  So I'm hoping for a great game tonight.

Here are the starters:

INDIANA PACERS:
Pascal Siakam, 6' 8", 245 lbs., Power Forward (New Mexico St.)
Aaron Nesmith, 6' 6", 215 lbs., Small Forward (Vanderbilt)
Myles Turner, 6' 11", 250 lbs., Center (Texas)
Andrew Nembhard, 6' 4", 191 lbs., Point Guard (Gonzaga)
Tyrese Haliburton, 6' 5", 185 lbs., Point Guard (Iowa St.)

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER:
Chet Holmgren, 7' 1", 208 lbs., Power Forward (Gonzaga)
Jalen Williams, 6' 5", 211 lbs., Forward (Santa Clara)
Isaiah Hartenstein, 7' 0", 250 lbs., Center (Played in Europe)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 6' 6", 195 lbs., Point Guard (Kentucky)
Luguentz Dort, 6' 4", 220 lbs., Guard (Arizona St.)

Monday, June 16, 2025

NBA Finals Update

It's been a great finals so far.  Here's what has happened:

Thursday, June 5 (Game 1 in OKC):  Indiana pulled off one of its patented miracle comebacks, with Tyrese Haliburton hitting a shot at the buzzer (well, with 0.3 seconds left) to stun the Thunder in Oklahoma City by the score of 111 to 110.

Sunday, June 8 (Game 2 in OKC):  The Pacers, having already taken Game One and the home court advantage, pretty much conceded Game Two.  The Thunder rolled to an easy 123-107 win.

Wednesday, June 11 (Game 3 in Indy):  This game was a hard-fought battle all the way, but the Pacers again dominated the fourth quarter.  They outscored the Thunder 32-18 in the last frame to win 116 to 107 and take a two games to one lead.

Friday, June 13 (Game 4 in Indy):  This game was the Big One.  If the Pacers win this game, they go up three-one and can close out the series at home in Game 6.  And the Pacers led 87-80 going into the last quarter.  But this time, the Thunder turned the tables on Indy.  Down the stretch, Shea Gilgeous-Alexander (who finished with 35 points) dominated the game in a way no one else has been able to do against the Pacers.  Behind SGA, the Thunder roared back to win 111 to 104.

So the series is tied at two games apiece, and Indy has to win one more game in OKC to take the title.  If the Pacers had won Game Four, I think they would have coasted in Game Five and then closed it out in Game Six.  But now Game Five is a must-win for both teams -- OKC cannot afford to lose at home, and Indy will not want to come back to Oklahoma for Game Seven.  I'm pretty sure that whoever wins tonight will be the NBA Champion for 2024-25, so this is the Game to Watch.  In the meantime, I give credit to both teams for three really good games.

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

NBA Update

This has been a pretty good series so far.  Indiana pulled off yet another amazing comeback on the road in Game One, storming back in the last two minutes to beat Oklahoma City 111 to 110.  Then the Pacers conceded Game Two, with OKC rolling to an easy 123-107 win.  But of course, the Pacers have no intention of conceding Game Three back in Indiana.  With 6:05 left in the second quarter, the Pacers and the Thunder are tied at 42.

Sunday, June 1, 2025

NBA Update

In recent years, it has been noticeable how the energy seems to drain out of the NBA playoffs in the later rounds.  Somehow the NBA has managed to combine a situation where we have a different champion every year with a situation where we never seem to have close series in the end.

In the Western Conference, the T-Wolves were never competitive with OKC.  The Thunder conceded Game Three, which was a blowout, but OKC won the other four games without too much trouble to win the series in five.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers won two thrillers in New York to open the series, and the Knicks could never get off their back foot after that.  The Pacers closed them out in six.

So now we have the Thunder and the Pacers for all the marbles.  Neither team has won the NBA title before.  The Thunder are overwhelming favorites -- the odds on OKC to win the title are now -750, compared to +525 for the Pacers.  I will be surprised if the Pacers can win two games in the series.

The sports year is coming to an end.  Paris-Saint Germain won the championship of European Club Soccer yesterday, which means that the NBA, the Softball College World Series, and the College World Series are the only big trophies yet to be handed out.  Last year was an election/Olympics year, so we've been pretty much going full blast since September 2023.  I have enjoyed this all enormously, but I'm looking forward to quiet months in July and August.

Sunday, May 25, 2025

NBA Update

After three games, each of the Conference Finals is split two-one, but the two series are very different.

The Eastern Conference Finals are about as entertaining as the NBA can be.  Each of the three games was compelling to watch:

Game One (in NY):  Knicks lead by 14 points with 2:51 left, but the Pacers have a miracle comeback to tie the game at the buzzer.  Pacers win 138-135 in overtime.  Pacers lead 1-0.

Game Two (in NY):  Neither team leads by more than 10 points throughout the game.  Pacers hang on for a 114-109 win behind 39 points from Pascal Siakim.  Pacers lead 2-0.

Game Three (in Indy):  Pacers lead by 20 at one point, and still lead 80-70 with one quarter left.  But the Knicks outscore the Pacers 36-20 in the last quarter, and prevail 106-100 on the road.  Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points and 8 rebounds in the fourth quarter to lead the Knicks to victory.  Pacers lead 2-1.

This is a rare series where both teams are evenly matched and neither team is willing to concede a single game.  We don't get enough of those in the NBA playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Western Conference Finals have been pretty dull.  In fact, none of the games has been competitive.  Opening at home, OKC crushed Minnesota two games in a row:  114-88 and 118-103.  The Thunder then conceded Game Three in Minnesota, 143-101.  So the series is 2-1 for the Thunder, but OKC has looked much better when both teams were playing at full speed.  The most likely outcome is that OKC shows up for Game Four, wins that game, and then closes out the T-Wolves in Game Five.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

NBA Update

The quarter-finals are finished, and they look like this:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Cleveland 1 - 4 (4) Indiana
(2) Boston 2 - 4 (3) New York

WESTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 3 (4) Denver
(6) Minnesota 4 - 1 (7) Golden St.

Here are the last five NBA Champions:

2020:  L.A. Lakers
2021:  Milwaukee
2022:  Golden St.
2023:  Denver
2024:  Boston

All these teams have been eliminated, so we will have a new champion for the sixth season in a row.  The last time that happened was between 1975 and 1980, when the champions looked like this:

1975:  Golden St.
1976:  Boston
1977:  Portland
1978:  Washington
1979:  Seattle
1980:  L.A. Lakers

What's interesting about that list is that the Trail Blazers, Bullets, and SuperSonics each won their only title during that period.  Of the four teams left in this year's playoffs, three of them -- Indiana, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota -- have never won the title.  So we're just in one of those eras.

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

NBA Update

Last night, the Knicks beat Boston 121-113, to pick up their biggest win since the days of Pat Riley.  And then Minnesota beat Golden State 117-110.  So after four games, the quarterfinals look like this:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Cleveland 1 - 3 (4) Indiana
(2) Boston 1 - 3 (3) New York

WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Oklahoma City 2 - 2 (4) Denver
(6) Minnesota 3 - 1 (7) Golden St.

Here are the latest odds to win the conference:

New York:  +115
Indiana:  +210
Cleveland:  +410
Boston:  +850

Oklahoma City:  -195
Minnesota:  +240
Denver:  +850
Golden St:  +8000

It's important to understand that Jayson Tatum and Steph Curry are both injured, and that helps to explain why Boston and Golden State are probably done for the year.

Thursday, May 8, 2025

NBA Update

OK, so I've been traveling, which is why this update is delayed.  The First Round of the playoffs was relatively predictable -- except for Golden State's win on the road in Game Seven.  Here are the results from the first round:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Cleveland 4 - 0 (8) Miami
(4) Indiana 4 - 1 (5) Milwaukee
(3) New York 4 - 2 (6) Detroit
(2) Boston 4 - 1 (7) Orlando

WESTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 0 (8) Memphis
(4) Denver 4 - 3 (5) L.A. Clippers
(3) L.A. Lakers 1 - 4 (6) Minnesota
(2) Houston 3 - 4 (7) Golden St.

And that set up the following quarter-finals:

(1) Cleveland v. (4) Indiana
(2) Boston v. (3) New York
(1) Oklahoma City v. (4) Denver
(6) Minnesota v. (7) Golden St.

Now on paper, this looked to be pretty straightforward.  Cleveland and Boston would advance.  Denver is probably the only team in the West that could challenge OKC.  And it would be fun to watch the aged Warriors take on Minnesota, even if it was only for a few games.

But then the games started, and things got nuts (home teams listed first):

05/04:  Cleveland 112 - 121 Indiana
05/05:  Boston 105 - 108 New York (OT)
05/05:  Oklahoma City 119 - 121 Denver
05/06:  Cleveland 119 - 120 Indiana
05/06:  Minnesota 88 - 99 Golden St.
05/07:  Boston 90 - 91 New York
05/07:  Oklahoma City 149 - 106 Denver

The first six quarterfinal games were all won by the road team.  Four of those games were decided by three points are less, and they all went to the road team.  One game went to overtime, and it was won by the road team.  I would be willing to bet that in the entire history of the NBA, there has never been a season where road teams won six games in a row in the quarterfinals.  And it's even wilder than it looks on paper -- the Knicks, for example, won back-to-back games in the Boston Garden where they trailed by 20 points.  For second time in these playoffs, Indiana won a game where they trailed by seven points with less than 50 seconds left.  Crazy, wonderful stuff.

So now the quarterfinals look like this:

(1) Cleveland 0 - 2 (4) Indiana
(2) Boston 0 - 2 (3) New York
(1) Oklahoma City 1 - 1 (4) Denver
(6) Minnesota 0 - 1 (7) Golden St.

But the gamblers haven't completely abandoned the top seeds.  Here are the current odds to win the Eastern Conference:

Boston:  +155
New York:  +300
Indiana:  +350
Cleveland:  +350

And here are the odds to win the West:

Oklahoma City:  -195
Minnesota:  +390
Denver:  +700
Golden St:  +1100

The next two weeks probably can't compare with this week, but they should be very entertaining.

Saturday, April 19, 2025

NBA Update

So we are going through one of those forgettable periods in NBA history, where there are no great teams and you have a different champion every year.   Here are the NBA Finals since COVID:

2020:  L.A. Lakers 4, Miami 2
2021:  Milwaukee 4, Phoenix 2
2022:  Golden St. 4, Boston 2
2023:  Denver 4, Miami 1
2024:  Boston 4, Dallas 1

But that may finally be about to change.  Here are the current odds to win the NBA title this year:

Oklahoma City:  +180
Boston:  +190
Cleveland:  +600
L.A. Lakers:  +1100

So, it seems very likely that the Celtics will reach the final for the third time in four years, and they have a good chance to repeat as champions.  If so, they will be the first repeat winner since the Warriors repeated in 2017 and 2018.

Here are the matchups for the first round:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Cleveland (64-18) v. (8) Miami (37-45)
(4) Indiana (50-32) v. (5) Milwaukee (48-34)
(3) New York (51-31) v. (6) Detroit (44-38)
(2) Boston (61-21) v. (7) Orlando (41-41)

As you can see from the above, the oddsmakers have made the Celtics heavy favorites here.  I probably won't pay attention until the Eastern Conference finals, and then only if the Celtics draw the Cavs.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:
(1) Oklahoma City (68-14) v. (8) Memphis (48-34)
(4) Denver (50-32) v. (5) L.A. Clippers (50-32)
(3) L.A. Lakers (50-32) v. (6) Minnesota (49-33)
(2) Houston (52-30) v. (7) Golden St. (48-34)

Luka Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals last year, but this year -- as NBA teams often seem to do -- the Mavericks committed seppuku by giving Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.  This publication loves Anthony Davis, but he's 31 years old and unfortunately he may never be healthy again.  So the Mavs are out of it, and LeBron has a running mate to help him make a run.  We will keep an eye on the LeBron's to see if they can get to the Western Conference final.  But the bookmakers have the Thunder as an overwhelming favorite to win the West, and they are probably right.

Here at the Heath Post, our top goal for the NBA would be for the Washington Wizards to become a great power.  Since the Wiz only won 18 games this year, our goal for the playoffs -- as usual -- is to watch a Seventh Game in the NBA Finals.  OKC v. Boston probably gives us the best chance for that matchup, but there hasn't been a Game 7 in the Finals since 2016, so we won't hold our breath.

Monday, April 14, 2025

NCAA Wrap-Up

This year's tournament marked the 50th NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament that I have watched, going all the way back to 1975, when UK made a run to the finals.  I calculate UK's record over those 50 tournaments as follows:

29 trips to the Regional Semifinals (1 point each) = 29 points
22 trips to the Regional Finals (2 points each) = 44 points
11 trips to the Final Four (4 points each) = 44 points
7 trips to the National Final (8 points each) = 56 points
4 National Championships (16 points each) = 64 points

That's a record of 44-25 in games after the first two rounds, and a total of 237 points.

If you apply that standard to all other teams, then here is your top 20 over the last 50 NCAA Tournaments:

1.  Duke:  51-25 (292 points) (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)
2.  N. Carolina:  51-26 (287) (1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017)
3.  Kentucky:  44-25 (237) (1978, 1996, 1998, 2012)
4.  Connecticut:  31-11 (213) (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024)
5.  Kansas:  35-21 (192) (1988, 2008, 2022)
6.  Louisville:  26-18 (149) (1980, 1985, 2013)
7.  U.C.L.A.:  25-21 (141) (1975, 1995)
8.  Michigan St:  27-18 (138) (1979, 2000)
9.  Florida:  23-9 (136) (2006, 2007, 2025)
10.  Indiana:  20-14 (133) (1976, 1981, 1987)
11.  Villanova:  21-10 (125) (1985, 2016, 2018)
12.  Michigan:  23-14 (123) (1989)
13.  Syracuse:  18-20 (101) (2003)
14.  Arizona:  18-20 (91) (1997)
15.  Georgetown:  16-10 (83) (1984)
16.  Arkansas:  15-13 (78) (1994)
17.  Houston:  14-9 (65)
18.  U.N.L.V.:  11-9 (60) (1990)
19.  Virginia:  12-9 (60) (2019)
20.  Maryland:  7-12 (51) (2002)


And here are the four winningest programs of all time:

1.  Kentucky:  2,422-770 (.759)
2.  Kansas:  2,414-909 (.726)
3.  N. Carolina:  2,395-874 (.733)
4.  Duke:  2,335-933 (.715)

And that closes the book on the 2024-25 NCAA Basketball Season.

Sunday, March 30, 2025

NCAA Regional Finals (cont.)

Here are today's games:

(2) Houston v. (6) Tennessee (1:20 P.M. -- CBS)
(4) Auburn v. (8) Michigan St. (4:05 P.M. -- CBS)

In the opener, Tennessee -- who is used to bullying everyone else -- is getting pushed around by Houston.  The Cougars lead 34 to 15 at the half, as Tennessee's lack of basketball skill is hurting it in a game where its physicality is counterbalanced by Houston's own.

Saturday, March 29, 2025

NCAA Regional Finals

All eight teams left in the NCAA Tournament are in Ken Pom's top nine.  I can't remember that ever happening before.  It has been a great tournament, and we still have seven games left.  Here are tonight's matchups:

1.  (1) Duke v. (7) Alabama (7:49 P.M. -- TBS)
2.  (3) Florida v. (9) Texas Tech (5:09 P.M. -- TBS)

At the end of the first half, Florida leads Texas Tech 40 to 37.

KHSAA Boys' State: Semi-Finals and Final

Earlier today, they played the semi-finals in the KHSAA Boys' State Basketball Tournament.  In the first semi-final, Number-14 Bowling Green pounded Number-11 S. Oldham 73 to 51.  The Purples appear to be getting stronger as the tournament goes along.  Next up, Malachi Moreno and the Great Crossing Warhawks crushed Montgomery County, 70 to 49.  So we are down to the last game of the season, both in the Commonwealth and in Rupp Arena:

(14) Bowling Green (30-6) v. (2) Great Crossing (33-4)

Here is how Bowling Green got here, starting with the Fourth Region Tournament:

03/11/25:  (14) Bowling Green 80, Glasgow 53
03/17/25:  (14) Bowling Green 86, Russell Co. 71
03/19/25:  (14) Bowling Green 66, Clinton Co. 59
03/26/25:  (14) Bowling Green 52, Adair Co. 51 (OT)
03/28/25:  (14) Bowling Green 80, (8) Ashland Blazer 74 (OT)
03/29/25:  (14) Bowling Green 73, (11) S. Oldham 51

And here is how Great Crossing got to the Final:

03/04/25:  (2) Great Crossing 81, Lex. Christian 51
03/08/25:  (2) Great Crossing 59, (5) Lex. Bryan Station 56
03/11/25:  (2) Great Crossing 59, (3) Lex. Frederick Douglass 57
03/27/25:  (2) Great Crossing 69, Daviess Co. 37
03/28/25:  (2) Great Crossing 49, (9) Cooper 36
03/29/25:  (2) Great Crossing 70, Montgomery Co. 49

Whatever happens tonight, it has been a tremendous season, and we wish both teams the very best of luck.

It is 160 miles from Bowling Green H.S. (in Bowling Green) to Great Crossing H.S. in Georgetown.

Friday, March 28, 2025

NCAA Regional Semi-Finals (cont.)

Here are Ken Pom's "Thrill Score" rankings.  As usual, the Cats are in the most exciting game of the day:

1.  (6) Tennessee v. (18) Kentucky (6:39 P.M. -- TBS)
2.  (8) Michigan St. v. Mississippi (6:09 P.M. -- CBS)
3.  (2) Houston v. Purdue (9:09 P.M. -- TBS)
4.  (4) Auburn v. (14) Michigan (8:39 P.M. -- CBS)

St. John's is the only team in the AP Top Nine that has been eliminated from the Tournament.  Arkansas beat St. John's, and last night Arkansas was up 69-56 on Number-9 Texas Tech with less than five minutes to go.  Now stop me if you've heard this one before:

1.  Arkansas tried to run clock and killed its own offense.
2.  Tech made a 10-0 run to get back into the game.
3.  With 27 seconds left, and a 72-69 lead, Arkansas had big man Jordan Aidoo on the line to put the game away.  He missed the front end of a one-and-one.
4.  Still guarding the 72-69 lead with time running out, Arkansas chose not to foul.  So Tech hit a three-pointer to tie the game with nine seconds left.
5.  Arkansas had the last shot, so D.J. Wagner put up a running prayer that missed.  Overtime.
6.  In overtime, Tech took an 85-83 lead on a late bucket.
7.  With less than ten seconds to go, and the ball for the last shot, Arkansas did not call time.
8.  Instead, Wagner tried another one-on-one effort that led to another off-balance jump shot.
9.  Wagner's shot missed and Tech advanced to the Regional Final.

As several folks have pointed out today, Arkansas really did get both the best and the worst of the Coach Cal experience in a single year.  I am still frustrated that after all these years, I've never heard a coherent explanation of why:  (1) Cal freezes the ball with a lead and five minutes to go; (2) Cal doesn't foul up three; or (3) Cal doesn't call a timeout to set up the last shot of the game.  He's one of the greatest college coaches of all time, but I think he's wrong on all those issues.

KHSAA Boys' State: Quarterfinals

Here are today's quarterfinals (all times Central):

10 A.M.:  (8) Ashland Blazer v. (14) Bowling Green
12:30 P.M.:  (11) S. Oldham v. Jeffersontown
5 P.M.:  N. Laurel v. Montgomery Co.
7:30 P.M.:  (2) Great Crossing v. (9) Cooper

Unfortunately, the UK game will be going on when Great Crossing plays Cooper, so that game will not get the attention it deserves.