Here's a question to nibble on between games: Where would Michigan State have finished in the Big East?
Remember the Big East? The monster conference of all-time? The beast? The 16-team behemoth that grabbed three of the four No. 1 seeds in this tournament? That just 10 days ago had a chance to have four teams in the Final Four?
Well, the champions of the Big Ten have just taken out two of those No. 1 Big East seeds en route to the NCAA title game, in which they will play the winner of tonight's Villanova-North Carolina game Monday night. They've done it with grit and toughness and hard-core rebounding -- qualities we normally associate with the Big East but of which Michigan State has brought truckloads to this tournament.
Rebound. Make the shooters beat you. Rebound. Make Thabeet roam. Rebound.
These are the five keys for Michigan State if it's to win its Final Four game. The most important are the first, third and fifth, but Nos. 2 and No. 4 could make the difference if the game is close.
Connecticut has only lost four games this year. One was in six overtimes, so we're going to throw that out. The other three all offer clues on how to beat the Huskies.
Yes, the question came from a guy whom Sean Penn might describe as a hippie, commie something or another. Yes, it was asked by a rabble-rousing political activist who, among other quirks, once was arrested for disrupting a gubernatorial inaugural parade. But just because it was presented by the notorious Ken Krayeske doesn't mean it was inappropriate, that millions of Americans weren't curious to hear the answer.
Why, Jim Calhoun, should the University of Connecticut men's basketball coach be the state's highest-paid employee at $1.6 million a year ... when the state has a $2 billion budget deficit?
In basketball, that would be a step up. In football, not so much.
Zach Frazer was one of the first players recruited by ND Head Coach Charlie Weis. After finding himself at #4 on the QB depth chart after the spring practices, the redshirt freshman QB decided to look at other options.
Frazer narrowed his choices to a couple Big East teams: Cincinnati and Connecticut. Connecticut had recruited him very early back in 2005.
UConn, along with Penn State, Duke, Syracuse, Louisville and Georgia Tech, had been in the running for Frazer before he chose Notre Dame.
"I know he holds Randy Edsall and [UConn offensive coordinator] Rob Ambrose in high regard because of the way they recruited him two years ago," David Frazer said. "The academics there is also a very important factor for him. I think the biggest thing is that it's going to come down to the opportunity to play and his gut feeling as to where he best fits."
Frazer made his choice this weekend an decided that UConn offered him the best opportunity. He will be sitting out the upcoming season, as a transfer but will have 3 years of eligibility remaining.
Considering UConn hasn't had a stable QB situation since the immortal Dan Orlovsky finished the 2004 season, this will be a big boost for the Huskies next year.
UConn's Associate Head Coach Tom Moore has long been considered one of the top assistants and recruiters. Yet Moore has turned down past opportunities for the past 3 years. Even declining to interview for several jobs (including the South Florida job according to some reports). Moore has been an assistant for 13 years, but is still quite young at age 41.
It now appears that he has found a job that he is willing to consider the move -- Quinnipiac of the Northeast Conference. The Bobcats are located in Hamden, Connecticut. The school has apparently decided in recent years to get quite serious about their basketball. They have built a new arena and apparently willing to pay in the neighborhood of $300,000 for the right head coach. That may not even be a starting point in the major conferences, but in the mid-majors, that is a much better then average starting salary.
St. Bonaventure in the A-10 is also interested in Moore, but is offering less for a comparison. The complete mess that is St. Bonaventure, more money from Quinnipiac and the fact that Moore seems to want to stay in Connecticut and keep raising his family there.
This would be a big shake-up for UConn to lose one of their highest tenured assistants under Calhoun. Moore is one of the best recruiters for UConn and it would create a very high profile opening for an assistant. If Moore does take the job, expect a very strong list of applicants to join the UConn staff.
Yes, that would mean regularly being on the receiving end of scream-fests and withering sarcasm from Coach Calhoun, but it is a great stepping-stone opportunity.
As soon as their season had ended (but before they learned they wouldn't be going to the NIT), UConn Coach Jim Calhoun indicated that his roster would turn over. Sure, there were no seniors on the roster, they had no spare scholarships, they lack any surefire 1st round NBA players going pro, and this is college not a pro league where you can cut a kid. But this is UConn and Jim Calhoun suffering through a miserable season and a sub-.500 Big East season. He's going to make sure some things are well understood.
"There will be a couple of changes to the roster mandated by our performance, mandated by our inadequacies, mandated by some kids who probably deserve to get a chance maybe at a different level," Calhoun said. ... "There are some guys on our team who could have very successful careers maybe at a different level," Calhoun said. "They're young and this would be a good time for them to at least think about what their future is, and I'll be very honest with each and every one of them."
That could be roughly translated to, "If you stay, I will bury you so deep on the bench the towel boy will have a better seat." That would explain why UConn has been hot on the trail of at least 3 possible recruits who could help them next year.
Hasheem Thabeet may or may not turn pro -- though, considering how far his stock as fallen -- it seems less likely. One freshman on the team has gotten the message and will go. Ben Eaves has decided to transfer. He played a total of 25 minutes last season and scored 1 point. Naturally, Jim Calhoun was saddened by this.
"Ben and I met this week and he let me know that he has decided to continue his college career at another institution," coach Jim Calhoun said in a statement. "While I am sad to see Ben leave, I completely understand his feelings and will do everything I can to help him transfer to a school where he can enjoy the best experience for him as a student and as a basketball player. I wish him nothing but good luck in the future."
I'm glad he released that as a statement, I'm not sure he could have kept a straight face if he had tried to say it publicly.
The Hoyas have clinched at a minimum, a tie for the regular season Big East Championship. If Pitt loses to Marquette tonight, it will be outright. Regardless of the outcome of tonight's game, Georgetown will be going into the Big East Tournament as the #1 seed (technically they could be the #2 seed, but it would take way too long to explain and too many unexpected things would have to happen making it more along the lines of an infinite improbability drive).
Georgetown beat UConn 59-46 in an ugly game. Poor shooting for most of the game by both sides. The Huskies kept it close in the first half, but the Hoyas opened it up early in the second. Well, sort of, they kept scoring and UConn went over 5 minutes without a basket. At that point, even CBS had enough and switched most of the coverage to the Texas-Kansas game.
UConn finishes the Big East season 6-10 and an #11 seed going to the Big East Tournament. They aren't even a lock for the NIT at this point. Freshman Center Hasheem Thabeet did little to justify any talk of him going pro after only one season. He had 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers. He was completely dominated by Georgetown's Junior Center Roy Hibbert (18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals, 2 assists and 1 turnover).
Villanova freshman guard Scottie Reynolds scored 40 points at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, to lead Villanova to a 78-74 win. It wasn't a pretty game with tons of fouls. Reynolds fouled out with 41 seconds left, or he probably would have had more points at the free throw line. As it was he was 12-25 (6-15 on 3s) along with 10-14 on free throws. He literally carried the team during the game, just running about with the ball until he could get off of a screen or shake his man on penetration
Connecticut, to their credit, never quit. The problem for the Huskies -- they couldn't hit free throws. They missed 20 free throws. 24-44 from the charity stripe. It's been a problem all season, and it cost them another game. They could have won this one going away. Not simply if they had made more of the misses, they left so many other FTs unshot because of not making the front ends of one-and-ones.
This game was very familiar for 'Nova in the last couple weeks. Get out to a lead, look great and then fade down the stretch. The Wildcats are not a particularly deep team. They may play 8 or 9 guys in a game, but only a few are reliable threats and Nardi and Reynolds really look gassed the later the game gets. And 'Nova Coach Jay Wright can't afford to take them out of the game.
The win moves Villanova to 8-7 in the Big East and 20-9 overall. It likely clinches the NCAA bid for Villanova as they can finish no worse than 8-8 in the conference. They have an RPI of 21 and an SOS of 7. They have an 8-9 record against RPI top-100 teams.
The Cardinals had a tougher than expected game against UConn. It started out tight for most of the first half, as Louisville came out flat and sloppy. It appeared that Louisville started to pull away late in the half and appeared to have the game under control with an 11 point lead and under 14 minutes left.
Instead, UConn didn't wilt and came back to tie the game at 58 with 4 minutes left. UConn, though, couldn't get the lead. Louisville kept going to the basket. UConn went cold in the final two minutes. Not scoring until 27 seconds left in the game. It was a surprisingly strong offensive game as both teams shot 48% and the Cardinals hung on for the 76-69 win.
For UConn, as Jim Calhoun has previously noted, the effort came mostly from Jeff Adrien and Jerome Dyson. Adrien provided his usual toughness and 16 points on 7-12 shooting. Dyson was deadly from outside scoring 23 points and 6-8 on 3s. The Huskies were able to attack and penetrate from the perimeter more effectively then their usual approach of getting the ball inside. Guards Craig Austrie and A.J. Price had 10 and 11 points as well. There was no production, however, from the Thabeet and Robinson or any other inside players not named Adrien.
It's been that kind of a season for UConn where they might actually take some solace for playing hard and making it a tough game, even if they lose. Not what is normally expected from the Huskies.
Once again, Derrick Caracter came off the bench for Louisville to be a force inside. He had 16 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes. Terrance Williams played all 40 minutes and had 17 points 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Another solid win despite Juan Palacios still out with an injury. Louisville scoring came mainly from the inside, despite the shot-blocking presence of Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien. The Huskies couldn't make stops.
Louisville has now clinched a 1st round bye in the Big East Tournament no matter what they do in their final game against Seton Hall. Even if they lose, Notre Dame wins their final game and Syracuse wins their final 2 games so that all 3 finish with an 11-5 record, Louisville holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with Syracuse.
And not necessarily in the "crazy good" way. The Huskies have had a disappointing year as they careen to the NIT. They are 4-6 in the Big East, 15-8 overall, and have had no wins of real significance. So, naturally players are a little down about things. Apparently some would have been down regardless of how well the team was playing.
Stanley Robinson walked into the offices of the UConn coaching staff recently and admitted that he was a little disappointed in the way his freshman season was going. Jim Calhoun doesn't mind giving pep talks to his new players, but the coach was surprised at Robinson's stance.
"I said, 'There's nothing to be disappointed about. You're going to get better and better,'" Calhoun said Thursday. "He then said, 'But I thought we'd be undefeated right now.'"
It's good to aim high, but that seemed a bit unrealistic for a team with eight freshmen and no juniors or seniors.
"UCLA, Florida, some of the teams I think can win a national championship, aren't undefeated right now," Calhoun said. "And yet Stanley thought we'd be undefeated at this point."
Apparently Robinson has said as much to the media. Coach Calhoun tried to take the blame for the delusional expectations because he set goals for the team to try and win the Big East and get into the NCAA Tournament.
Still seems like a bit of a leap. To go from goals of winning the conference and getting to the NCAA, to believing the team would run the whole season undefeated. I mean even the most insane, deluded fans (usually) don't expect a perfect season from their team.
Sure Robinson was a blue-chip, 5-star, top-15 prospect when he signed last year, and I guess he expected his high school success to continue. Instead he's been struggling the last couple of games, and it's taken a bit of a toll on his psyche.
Robinson, from nearby Birmingham, Ala., is as motivated as any Husky. He is 1-for-10 for five points combined in UConn's two recent victories. He's hoping to be much better in front of the 21 friends and family members who will be at the game.
"I've got to break out," he said. "I've got to do something with my game."
Nothing like desperation mixed with the pressure of performing in front of friends and family on the road. Robinson might end up in a psych ward at this rate.
Here's a question to nibble on between games: Where would Michigan State have finished in the Big East?
Yes, the question came from a guy whom Sean Penn might describe as a hippie, commie something or another. Yes, it was asked by a rabble-rousing political activist who, among other quirks, once was arrested for disrupting a gubernatorial inaugural parade. But just because it was presented by the notorious 
In basketball, that would be a step up. In football, not so much.
UConn's Associate Head Coach Tom Moore has long been considered one of the top assistants and recruiters. Yet Moore has turned down past opportunities for the past 3 years. Even declining to interview for several jobs (including the South Florida job according to some reports). Moore has been an assistant for 13 years, but is still quite young at age 41. 
As soon as their season had ended (but before they learned they wouldn't be going to the NIT), UConn Coach Jim 
The Hoyas have clinched at a minimum, a tie for the regular season Big East Championship. If Pitt loses to Marquette tonight, it will be outright. Regardless of the outcome of tonight's game, Georgetown will be going into the Big East Tournament as the #1 seed (technically they could be the #2 seed, but it would take way too long to explain and too many unexpected things would have to happen making it more along the lines of an infinite improbability drive). 
Villanova freshman guard Scottie Reynolds scored 40 points at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, to lead Villanova to a 78-74 win. It wasn't a pretty game with tons of fouls. Reynolds fouled out with 41 seconds left, or he probably would have had more points at the free throw line. As it was he was 12-25 (6-15 on 3s) along with 10-14 on free throws. He literally carried the team during the game, just running about with the ball until he could get off of a screen or shake his man on penetration
The Cardinals had a tougher than expected game against UConn. It started out tight for most of the first half, as Louisville came out flat and sloppy. It appeared that Louisville started to pull away late in the half and appeared to have the game under control with an 11 point lead and under 14 minutes left. 
And not necessarily in the "crazy good" way. The Huskies have had a disappointing year as they careen to the NIT. They are 4-6 in the Big East, 15-8 overall, and have had no wins of real significance. So, naturally players are a little down about things. Apparently 
