Siena Succumbs, Cards Advance

Now they’re even.

Louisville and Siena, that is.

The Cardinals narrowly escaped, 79-72, advancing to the Sweet 16. (Thanks to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association which owns that trademarked term. It kindly granting the NCAA permission to use it.)

And there’s some history working here. The win evens the all-time series between these disparate schools at one apiece. There’s an interesting tale to all that. As if you hadn’t already guessed. Here it comes: Read the rest of this entry »

NCAA Tourney Quiz Answers

1 – A school has won two national championships, each with a coach making his only Final Four appearance. Name the school, the coaches and the years?

North Carolina State. Norm Sloan in 1974. Jim Valvano in 1983.

2 – Three coaches have won a national title in their first year coaching at a school. Name them, the schools and the years they won?

Ed Jucker, Cincinnati, 1961. Steve Fisher, Michigan, 1989. Tubby Smith, UK, 1998.

3 – U of L has made 8 appearances in the Final Four. How many Cardinals have seen action in Final Four games? You didn’t think I was going to toss you all softballs, did you? Feel free to guess.

69.

4 – Have two teams from the same state ever played in the title game? If so, name the state, the teams, the years and the winners?

Twice. Same teams. Same state. Cincy and Ohio State, 1961 and 1962.

5 – What school in this year’s tournament won the very first NCAA tourney game?

Villanova.

6 – In three different seasons, more than one school entered the tournament undefeated. Name the years and the teams?

1968: Houston & St. Bonaventure. 1971: Marquette & Penn. 1976: IU & Rutgers.

7 – Name the three arenas that have hosted more than five national title games?

Freedom Hall, Madison Square Garden, Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City).

8 – What freshman scored the most points in a title game? Name him, his team, the year and the number of points?

Toby Baily, UCLA, 26 in 1995.

9 – What player attempted the most field goals in a title game? How many? The year?

Purdue’s Rick Mount against UCLA, 1969. 36 FG attempts.

10 – Name the four teams seeded #1 in the first year the NCAA seeded teams. What year?

1979. North Carolina, Notre Dame, Indiana State, UCLA. (Winner Michigan State was a 2 seed.)

– Seedy K

Not the I’m Superstitious . . .

. . . or anything.

But . . . I got to the UD Arena and realized I was wearing a green shirt. Not exactly Siena green, but green nonetheless.

So . . . I changed to another color.

Red, in fact. Not Cardinal red, but red nonetheless.

I’ve never been one to wear my favorite school’s colors. Even during all important NCAA games. I am secure enough in my loyalty that it has always seem gratuitous. In my case at least. I love seeing lots of red, and my heart swells, like when I was just out in the parking lot — changing my shirt, you know — and I saw all the U of L fans arriving.

But . . . a red shirt was all that I had that was clean.

It’s not quite the same red as the red of the watch I have taken to wearing during Cards’ tilts this season. And it’s a different red than the red of my u-trou.

Okay, enough info.

Go Cards.

– Seedy K

The Mother of all NCAA Tourney Trivia Quizes

1 – A school has won two national championships, each with a coach making his only Final Four appearance. Name the school, the coaches and the years?

2 – Three coaches have won a national title in their first year coaching at a school. Name them, the schools and the years they won?

3 – U of L has made 8 appearances in the Final Four. How many Cardinals have seen action in Final Four games? You didn’t think I was going to toss you all softballs, did you? Feel free to guess.

4 – Have two teams from the same state ever played in the title game? If so, name the state, the teams, the years and the winners?

5 – What school in this year’s tournament won the very first NCAA tourney game?

6 – In three different seasons, more than one school entered the tournament undefeated. Name the years and the teams?

7 – Name the three arenas that have hosted more than five national title games?

8 – What freshman scored the most points in a title game? Name him, his team, the year and the number of points?

9 – What player attempted the most field goals in a title game? How many? The year?

10 – Name the four teams seeded #1 in the first year the NCAA seeded teams. What year?

If you are bold enough, feel free to file your answers as a Comment. If you wish for your guesses to remain private, so be it. Come back soon for the answers.

– Seedy K

Tomorrow is Another Day

Geez.

Western ties the game against Gonzaga with seconds to go. Gonzaga inbounds. Demetri Goodson charges the length of the court against the porous Toppers and lays one in for the W. Topper coach Ken McDonald tries to call timeout when they get it back with .9 seconds on the clock, but the officials don’t see him. That’s not where they lose the game.

The saddest part is that Western loses it at the free throw line. They hit 12-26 from beyond the arc, a glossy 46%. From the charity stripe, an awful 5-14. That’s 35%. That’s what loses games. That’s what loses this game.

There’s a lesson to be learned here.

Then Duke scores the last five points after Texas comes back to tie their encounter with 1:36 to play. The Black Hats win 74-69. One time, Rick Barnes, one time.

Is there a worse way to end the first Saturday of the Big Dance?

Well, yes, there is.

To ease the pain, I grab a few bucks, my hotel room entry card and head out to get some chocolate in the snack shop to ease the pain before going to sleep. When I open the door of my room, I’m hit by an odor so noxious, you’d think the City of Dayton decided to move its sewage treatment facility to the hallway outside my hotel room.

So if Maintenance can’t abate it in the next few minutes, I’ll have to change rooms. And won’t that be fun.

I know, all God’s chillun got problems.

Coming Soon: The Mother of all NCAA Trivia Quizes.

– Seedy K

Chalk Talk at Sundown

Geez what a boring afternoon so far.

Okay, Washington is coming back on Purdue, but, sigh, so what?

UConn beats Texas A & M, 92-66. Maybe the Aggies will want Billy Clyde back. Nah, word is they were way glad he was gone. “Don’t slam the door on your way out,” is what I heard they told him.

Memphis State batters Maryland, 89-70. Yeah we hate, really loathe, as in can’t stand the Tigers, perhaps still Louisville’s biggest rival besides UK even though we don’t play anymore, but . . . Calipari has built himself a solid program there. Whether he spent dirty money to do it or not. They can ball. And they are serious national title contenders. Damn it.

Villanova bashes UCLA 89-69. The game was never, even at the opening tip, that close. To reiterate what several wags opined in the media room: Ben Howland, get some friggin’ offense. I mean, defense is important, but you gotta have a plan when you have the ball. The Bruins have none.

So I’m sitting in the bar here at the hotel and they switch to the the LSU/ Carolina game. Lo and behold, the Bayou Tigers are winning. The Dayton station switches back to Michigan/ Oklahoma. So I come to my room and download the player I need to watch the games online, and by the time I get the game I want to see on, the Tar Heels are comfortably ahead. They win 84-70. The difference: That Guy Who Used To Have Turf Toe, Ty Lawson. If he’s healthy, Roy Williams team is a contenda.  If not, they’re not. Simple as that.

Point to Ponder: Can the basketball nation’s new fave — that would be Andre McGee — stop Ty Lawson. We’d love to see that, wouldn’t we?

Purdue just held off Washington. Love those Hoosier ballers. 76-74 is the final.

Oklahoma is going to beat Michigan. Yawn.

I’m ready for a barn burner. Ya know, when your forced to eat hotel pizza and order too many glasses of soda water so you can hold your spot in front of the HD TV in the bar, the least you can get for your effort is some real ball. Let’s pray that the Toppers and Longhorns provide it.

If not, we will all go to sleep tonight wondering what the hell has happened since we sat down in the recliner at 1:00 this afternoon? We’ll have a stomach full o’ junk, oozing butt sores the size of Dickie V’s head and one more week of hearing Digger talk about the Blue Devils and Tar Heels.

Plus the spectar of Siena will strike. We’ll know we’d have rather been facing the underwhelming Buckeyes tomorrow even if they would be playing so close to home.

– Seedy K

The Daze Between

The four teams playing tomorrow at UD Arena each had allotted practice time Saturday afternoon. Unlike the dog and pony shows on Thursday, these were work sessions, closed to press and public. Afterward, there’s a press conference for each and the locker rooms are open.

U of L’s was jammed with cameras and my brethren trying to get a scoop. Which is impossible, because everybody else can hear everything, but it’s so loud in such a close space that little registers.

The most salient observation I can offer is how many of the players were iced up. Earl Clark had both knees on ice. Andre McGee had his right knee and left calf iced. Terrence Williams’ vexatious wrist and hand were on ice.

Meanwhile Jerry Smith stood off to the side when not being inundated with questions, watching the Memphis State game. Jared Swopshire was walking in circles, looking for some space amid the tumult. He was not successful.

At the official press conference, it was stunning that Smith knew so many of Siena’s stats. That their point guard has a 4 to 1 assist to TO ration. That the Saints had 24 offensive boards against Ohio State. He expressed hope that the Cards will have a homecourt advantage and that lots of fans will drive up for the game.

Other than that, he and cohort Preston Knowles added little to what we already know. Knowles did explain, rather articulately, how they tweak their press, depending on how the opponent attacks it.

During his time at the mic, The Rick confirmed that all stayed up and watched the overtime games that ended CBS’s Friday night coverage. He said the fact that Siena played two overtimes will be “no factor.” He offered how similar both teams are in their method of attack and that Siena reminds him of Villanova, and would be a middle of the pack team if they played in the Big East. He extolled the virtues of hero Ronald Moore, who, he said, “has the same assist to turnover ration as Levance Fields, and he is a lot faster.”

He talked bout the recuitment of Samardo Samuels and TWill. How the former lived in abject poverty near Montego Bay, and learned the game on an uneven cement court with baskets of varying height but neither correct.

He talked about how TWill’s life was chaotic during high school, and that he lived with different people from week to week. He first encountered the U of L star at an AAU tournament in Vegas. That he was tipped off about the kid with “Jordan like athleticism.” That in the first game he saw, Williams was awful. But the next time, he was “blown away.” He called his senior star a “freak athlete,” and said his hand and wrist were okay.

He lamented that U of L is “not a real good free throw block out team.”

– Seedy K

Conference Standings, Part Uno

After the first round of the NCAA, here’s how the BCS leagues stack up (Not that the BCS has anything to do with basketball. Or football, for that matter.):

Big 12: 6-0

BEast: 6-1

Pac 10: 5-1 (Doesn’t the league that nobody sees during the regular season because of time zone differential always “overachieve” come tournament time?)

Big 10: 4-3

ACC: 3-4 (Where is Billy Packer now that we really need him? Oh, that’s right, he changed his name to Seth Davis.)

SEC: 1-2 (However the judges advise it should be tossed out since there aren’t enough numbers to be statistically significant.)

– Seedy K

Saturday Afternoon Dance Party

Injury Update, Sort Of. Don’t want to spoil the party just as we’re getting started, but . . . a physician friend back home noticed the same thing in last night’s win over Morehead that I have in recent games. At one point while he was sitting on the bench, TWill was cradling the wrist he injured awhile back. Trainer Fred Hina with a concerned look on his face appeared to be asking Williams about it?

Apparently some post-game locker room footage also indicated the same thing — Williams with a minor pained expression on his face, massaging his wrist. Several other scribes covering the Cards have noticed the same thing. Let’s hope it’s nothing, but I’ll see if I can find something out and report back.

No Cream Cheese Necessary. Meanwhile, in today’s first game, the Lox Men are holding steady with a lucky 13 point lead over UCLA. For those of you not of the Hebrew persuasion, the reference is to the Wildcats shortened name, ‘Nova. It’s also a type of mild salmon favored by many on bagels with cream cheese. Thus, as it has evolved among some hoopaholic pals o’ mine, Villanova is the Lox Men.

Kentucky Connection. Siena’s Ronald Moore, the fellow who hit not one but two big shots last night in the Saint’s W over Ohio State, is the nephew of former Kentucky Colonel Eugene Moore.

Zebra Watch: Two technicals on dunks were called in yesterday’s games here in Dayton. One when an Okie State kid — Marshall Morris — slapped the board after his shot. Another when a player held on the rim too long after the flush. And Ted Valentine made a call I haven’t seen in years. A kid stepped over the endline on an inbounds play. Whistle. Goin’ the other way. E5, a serial violator, pay attention. Plus I also saw a three second call. Talk about old school.

– Seedy K

Symptoms of Bracketosis

In case you’re wondering, my bracket is as ravaged as yours.

I picked 21 games correctly out of 32. Uh, not so good. But about what I usually do. It’s better than the president’s, so I got that going for me.

(Aside: By the by, Coach K, get off your friggin’ high horse. Chastising Obama for going public with his picks and hoops infatuation, telling him to work every second on the country’s issues like the economy. Gimme a break. What we need at the top is a real human being, somebody who shows the country that life is to be enjoyed even when there is stuff to deal with. Yet one more reason why I/we absolutely loathe Duke.)

Back to the task at hand. I had Cleveland State and Siena. In fact, I picked Cleveland State all the way to the Sweet Sixteen for a rhumba with U of L.

But I also picked Utah, West Virginia, Boston College, BYU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Florida State, Minnesota, Butler, Temple and Clemson.

And, sigh, I had the Mountaineers winning again in the 2d round. I’d forgotten that Huggy Bear is a major underachiever come tournament time.

So too, Florida State, to the regionals. Shoulda realized they had never been to cotillion before.

And, what was I thinking, Clemson all the way to the regional final. Geez. I thought this was the year Ollie Purnell — not from the country sausage Purnells — would break on through to the other side. But nooooooooooo!

The SEC giveth and the SEC taketh away. Mississippi State, what was I thinking? Tennessee simply has no discipline, certainly on the offensive end, and on D also. Oklahoma State was eminently beatable, but the Cowboys were much steadier. I was so hopeful for Orlando Smith. But the former Wildcat mentor let me down.

Anyway, my Final Four picks are still alive — the Cards, Memphis State, Villanova and Carolina. Of those, ‘Nova remains the shakiest. Though the Tar Heels will stumble if Ty Lawson doesn’t return at full strength or close to it.

Go Toppers. I’d love to scratch the Zags off my bracket. I ain’t winning any pools anyway.

– Seedy K

Friday at the Dance

After a long day at UD Arena, I came back to my room at halftime of Siena’s win. So I missed seeing that compelling double OT thrilla live and in person. And, frankly, I missed most of the second OT on TV. I nodded out and only realized what happened when my pal Ben called from home to talk about that game and his Badgers, who beat Florida State in OT.

Pretty compelling stuff, all that. Thank the Lord for SportsCenter highlights.

My bracket is ravaged. But . . . I did have Cleveland State over Wake Forest. I thought the Demon Deacons were more Elmer Gantry than Billy Graham all year. Too young. Didn’t hit the floor for loose balls and errant rebounds. So, hey, Seth Davis, how ’bout that team you had in the Final Four? Cleveland State, remember, won at Syracuse, last second mid-court shot for the W it may have been. Gary Waters is a good coach, as well as a snappy dresser. Bet the folks at Rutgers wishthey’d have been a might more patient.

Pitt played wary. Jamie Dixon did not look like a confident coach. Levance Fields is out of shape. He had to come out of the ETSU game periodically for blows. Plus it was here in Dayton last season that he broke his leg — or was it his foot — in a regular season tilt against the Flyers. The Flyers who, by the by, knocked out West Virginia yesterday, much to the glee of everybody in this burg.

Ohio State’s pep band plays the most staid version of “Pinball Wizard” imaginable. Get funky, dudes. It’s rock & roll we’re talkin’ about here.

As if there was any doubt that Money Talks, Nobody Walks, look who was sitting right behind the U of L bench at UD Arena? The Trager family, you know, long time legit Card fans, but also the banking family that underwrote several athletic facilities on the Belknap Campus.

LSU is the only SEC team standing. But, if Ty Lawson is sitting, they gotta chance against the Tar Heels.

Siena’s only two wins in the last year over BCS schools have come in the Dance. Ohio State last night. Vandy last year.

The Peaking at the Right Time Trophy goes to . . . Southern Cal. Guess they don’t miss that O.J. Mayo guy so much after all.

How dangerous is a wounded Wildcat? Well, keep your eye on Arizona. (And, if you care, those other Cats playing out in Nebraska or somewhere.)

Big 12 teams didn’t lose a game in the first round. The BEast is 6-1. What happened Huggy Bear?

Ten lower seeded teams won in the opening round. 30% – that’s not bad. Makes for compelling TV.

Okay, I’m goin’ back to bed. Mo’ later.

– Seedy K

The Morning After

In the post game press conference, neither The Rick nor several of the players seemed to be concerned about the performance againstMorehead State. They praised the Eagles. Coach thought his team played well but just had to kick it up a bit in the second half.

The numbers bear him out. The Cards hit half their shots in the first half. Only gave them a two point lead. So they went 17-26 in the second half, kicking it off with that 22-6 run that buriedMorehead. U of L won the rebounding battle.

Of concern are the Cards 19 TOs to go along with that many assists. E5 and Sosa had five apiece. Though it seemed as if Edgar was tossing it in the stands every time he touched the ball. Knowles had his first really bad shooting night in awhile, going 1-6 from the field.

Now for the broken record: Louisville was 6-11 from the line. Have I mentioned before that this flaw looms as a real roadblock to the title? Yes, I believe so.

Louisville has now won 21 of the last 23. The Rick’s record in post season play is now 36-12.

Siena is next. The Cards catch a break in that, with Ohio State out, a lot more tickets will be available to fans who want to drive up for Sunday’s game. The flip side is that Siena is a lot better team than the Buckeyes, perhaps the best offensive rebounding squad I’ve seen all season. Plus they are quick, and simply have that not gonna lose look about them.

– Seedy K