Chris Answers PTI's Questions

Steve Alford says North Carolina lacks defensive presence and won’t beat Michigan State, let alone Illinois or Louisville. What do you think?
Let’s, for a second, forget about whether Alford’s statement is true or not and focus on the more intriguing question at hand: Since when did Steve Alford become America’s resident basketball expert?
Why should we care what Alford thinks about anything, let alone the 2005 Final Four? Alford hasn’t been relevant since 1987, when he led Indiana to the NCAA Championship. The closest he’s gotten to the Final Four as a coach was back in 1999 when he was at Southwest Missouri State (the Bears advanced to the Sweet 16 that season), which should tell you all you need to know about Alford’s six-year tenure at Iowa. The Hawkeye’s appearance in the 2005 Tournament was just their second trip to the Big Dance since Alford took over for Tom Davis.
And this is the guy that the mainstream media is relying upon for pre-game Final Four soundbites?
I know, I know… Alford is the only coach to have faced each Final Four team this season, a random, fluky feat that apparently makes him a combination of Digger Phelps and Nostradamus.
Although, shouldn’t it matter that Alford’s Iowa team played Louisville and UNC before Thanksgiving? And considering that college basketball coaches are way too busy to watch any games for recreational purposes during the season, the only time Alford has probably seen Carolina play since that November game was last weekend when they struggled against both Villanova and Wisconsin. So, pretty much, he’s basing his opinions of Carolina on a game that took place four months ago and two mediocre performances. All those ACC games don’t matter to Alford, I suppose.
Why am I ripping Alford? I’m not, really, I’m more ripping on the fact that every major media outlet ran with Alford’s remarks as if he was Matthew, Mark, Luke and/or John and then deemed his predictions newsworthy.
Did the media pause to consider that Alford, a Big Ten guy if there ever was one, might be a little biased in favor of teams from his conference? He has every right to be, of course, but it shouldn’t be news. I don’t see AP wire stories breathlessly announcing that Bill Clinton thinks Hillary has what it takes to be president in 2008 or segments on Access Hollywood focusing on Will Smith’s belief that Jada should be getting Halle Berry’s roles.
This story is the epitome of what happens in a slow news week. And for all the belly-aching I just did, I happen to agree with Alford.
I’ve been weary of Carolina all year and have been baffled by the unbelievable amount of hype the team has received. They’re great, don’t get me wrong. But to read and listen to some basketball analysts, you’d think that these Heels were the second coming of Wooden’s UCLA teams.
But I’ll get into this more on Friday during Chris’s Sports Blog 2005 Final Four Preview.

Is Larry Brown done for the season?
I wish Larry Brown the best during his current health issue and hope he has a speedy recovery.
That being said, I’m so sick of the Larry Brown “will he or won’t he” game that we seem to play every couple of years.
There’s no doubting that Brown is a wonderful coach and is to reclamation projects as Chris Paul is to season-crippling crotch-punches (both are the best there are, in case you couldn’t figure out the analogy), but he’s a coaching nomad and is never happy once he’s settled.
Take a look at all the stops Brown has made during his coaching career:
1973-1974 – Carolina Cougars (ABA)
1975-1979 – Denver Rockets/Nuggets (ABA/NBA)
1980-1981 – UCLA (NCAA)
1982-1983 – New Jersey Nets (NBA)
1984-1988 – University of Kansas (NCAA)
1989-1992 – San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
1992-1993 – L.A. Clippers (NBA)
1994-1997 – Indiana Pacers (NBA)
1998-2003 – Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
2003-???? – Detroit Pistons (NBA)
That’s ten coaching stops in 23 years, including a remarkable four in five years from ’79-’84.
So of course Larry Brown isn’t going to stay in Detroit for much longer. He dipped out of Lawrence after the Jayhawks won the NCAA Championship and I’m kind of surprised he didn’t bolt from Detroit after the Pistons won the NBA title last June.
He’s never happy unless he has one foot out the door... do the math.
To answer the question: I don’t care what Larry Brown does. I’d sort of like to see him back in the college game at some point. (Wake Forest has an opening, Larry could -what… they don’t have a vacancy? Wait, that’s not a ventriloquist’s dummy sitting on the bench in a $600 suit not doing anything all game? Well I’ll be damned.) Anyway, don’t expect Brown to be coaching the Pistons next season.

Is the NFL’s steroid testing too weak?
Probably, but it doesn’t matter too much.
I’m all in favor of the NFL bulking up their testing procedures, but unlike with baseball, steroids aren’t viewed as a big problem in the NFL. The testing has been in place since the late ‘80s and catches a few guys per year. The general consensus is that the league is pretty clean.
There will always be flaws in testing but on the whole, it is effective because players are sufficiently afraid of the consequences (four-game suspension, without pay, for a first positive test, as well as public ridicule). Some users will still slip through the cracks just like with any drug test (how has Edgerrin James never tested positive for weed?), but that’s to be expected.
In light of the new information about the three Panthers players using testosterone cream, the league will likely stiffen its testing procedures, but there is no need to get in an uproar.
One more thing though: Todd Sauerbrun? On steroids? Really?
What, did he want faster recovery time from those grueling practices where he stands around for six hours and flirts with the female TV reporters? Or stronger finger muscles to hold the ball more firmly on field goals?
But at least Sauerbrun now has a valid excuse (‘roid rage) for why he’s been beefing with the Gramatica brothers.

Your thoughts on baseball’s medical advisor’s resume flap?
Long story short: Baseball’s medical advisor, who praised the sport’s steroid testing policy and ripped on anybody who disagreed, is a big liar. Bug Selig, in his infinite wisdom, had this to say about Elliott Pellman’s resume lies (which were numerous and fairly substantial) through a spokesman: "I don't see why it should impact his credibility, I really don't.”
Nice. This is why football doesn’t have a steroid problem, but baseball does.
Also, why is baseball’s top medical expert an internist who graduated from Stony Brook med-school? No disrespect to Stony Brook, which I’m sure is a wonderful institution, but couldn’t baseball get somebody with clout to be their main medical advisor? It’s all about appearances, and, fudged resume or not, Pellman isn’t exactly C. Everett Koop.
This is just another example of baseball’s stupidity and lack of public relations savvy.

Was Jerry Sloan right in benching Kirk Snyder for taunting the opposing bench?
Kirk, bubelah, you’re 22-49. Under no circumstance should you be doing anything to draw attention to yourself, least of all taunting a team that was beating you by 10 and has won 21 of their past 28 games.
You’re just like those morons in the NFL that still do their sack dances when their team is down by four touchdowns or the guys that still go with the choreographed end zone routines in the same situation.
You’re lucky Jerry Sloan only suspended you. You may think you’re tough, but Sloany would wreck your world if you stepped.

Why is Matt Doherty not coaching?
The whole “his team hated him and threatened to transfer” label really has staying power, doesn’t it?
Or maybe Doherty’s inability to get a job (they say he’s doing TV work now, but I ask you: Have you seen that prematurely gray, once-snaggletoothed man anywhere recently?) stems from his comment about the ugliness of Duke cheerleaders from a few years back.
Think about it; what if Duke cheerleaders were like the Skull & Bones of the college basketball world and every decision actually went through their unattractive circle before being made? And because of Doherty’s diss, the Duke cheerleaders blacklisted him and have prevented him from getting any job except that non-existent TV gig, all the while biding their time and waiting for the perfect job to open up, which upon finding, they’ll award to Doherty, knowing full-well that the program will be hit with the NCAA death penalty soon after he takes the job and because of the Photoshopped pictures of Doherty and Phil Ford’s wife that the Duke cheerleaders are in possession of, they’ll blackmail him into staying and serving out his career in Division II, where Doherty will be forced to take buses to southern Kentucky for road games in high-school gyms where nachos and hot dogs are sold for a quarter late in the second half, all of which would happen because Doherty accurately insulted the Duke cheerleaders back in 1999.
I’d say the odds of that being true are around 15%. Maybe even 20.

Role Play

Phil Jackson – Your woman says she “totally sees you back with the Knicks.” So what’s the deal?
I’m not Larry Brown, I don’t take reclamation projects. I find a team with one or two superstars that didn’t listen to their last coach and underachieved because of it. I then ramble on and on during team meetings about all that Zen crap, which bores everyone to tears, so when I finally start talking about the Triangle offense, the team’s ears perk up because I’m talking about basketball for once instead of noble truths and avidya’s and Sanskrit. The championships practically win themselves after that.

Serena Williams – You smashed your racquet while losing to your sister. Come on, that was fake… wasn’t it?
I’m not going to lie… except that I totally am. That wasn’t fake and I really wanted to beat my sister.

Fred Funk – Everyone’s talking about Tiger, Phil and the “Big 4”. Why couldn’t this be the year of the Funk?
First of all, it’s always the year of the funk. Except 1978, that was more of a disco year. But every other year? Pure Funk, bitches.
Secondly, in the past two years Kenny Perry and Jay Haas have shown that guys over 40 can still hang with the young’ns.
Thrice-like, did you see my hat throw? Screw Tiger’s first-pump and Phil’s constipated-jump from last year’s Masters, golf has a new “in” celebration.
And finally, somebody from the University of Maryland needs to play well this year, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be John Gilchrist or Nik Gayner-Medley. Those boys needed a little a Funk-infusion, if you ask me.

Bruce Pearl – You’ve been at Tennessee for a day and you’re already wearing more orange than Cameron Diaz after a Fred Segal shopping spree. Are you overdoing it?
At UT, men’s basketball is the eighth most important sport, behind:
1) Football
2) Women’s Basketball
3) Spring Football
4) Football Recruiting
5) Whiskey Drinking
6) Football Practice
7) "Rocky-Top" Singing
It’s high-time men’s basketball moves up to sixth.

Raymond, The Devil Rays mascot – You’ve guaranteed a win in the Devil Rays home opener. Should mascots be predicting games?
I look like a cowboy Poppa Smurf, isn't that enough?

Big Finish

Adam Morrison staying at Gonzaga?
Word out of Spokane is that he’s coming back for one final chance to win a second round game.

Tubby Smith staying at Kentucky?
It’s apparent that Tubby isn’t happy at Kentucky and the administration probably isn’t happy with the ‘Cats underachieving ways over the past four seasons. I don’t think that this was the no-brainer that everyone made it out to be.
Tubby will be out of Lexington by 2007.

Carlos Boozer out for the year?
Oh, sweet, sweet karma. That's what you get for lying to a blind man, Carlos. Maybe you can spend your down-time getting lessons from Jason Williams on how to ride a motorcycle.

7 straight wins for the Baby Bulls?
I’m trying not to get my hopes up too soon, but there’s a good chance that the Bulls will play the Bullets in the first round of the playoffs, meaning we’ll all get to see, first-hand, who is the bigger 2001 draft bust: Tyson Chandler or Kwame Brown? It’ll be a bust-off.

McDonalds All-American game prediction?
The only white meat will be in the Chicken McNuggets... and on guys going to Duke.

Chris Answers PTI's Questions is an occasional feature on this site.

The Problem(s) With Women's Basketball

It’s nice that the folks running the NCAA Women’s Tournament have copied the format of the men’s event in recent years. Equality for all (I guess).
But, by attempting to pass off their Tournament as an event with national interest, and trying to compete with the men, the NCAA has made a mockery of women’s basketball’s glamour event.
Empty arenas, a small number of upsets and anemic television ratings are staples of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and unless Tournament organizers acknowledge that their event is struggling and make some much-needed changes, things are unlikely to improve.
Let me get this out in the open before I continue: I hate women’s basketball. If given the choice between sitting through a women’s game or getting a root canal from a dentist who ate liverwurst for lunch whilst listening to James Taylor’s Greatest Hits, I’d choose watching the women’s game – but I’d actually give it some serious thought.
I can’t stand how ESPN forces the women’s game down our throats by including its scores on the bottom line or promo-ing the Tournament during every commercial break or beginning their ESPN-HD intro with a clip of a women’s tip-off (the cake-taker).
Nobody cares about women’s basketball and ESPN knows this – all they have to do is look at its ratings on the network (which fall somewhere in between First and 10 and NHL games).
I also can’t stand how every year around this time someone writes a column about the beauty of the women’s game and how it’s the purest form of basketball and how you’re a chauvinist if you automatically dismiss the fairer sex’s version of the game and yada, yada, yada. That’s all a complete load of crap; it’s not a better game and everyone knows it. Don’t make me feel guilty for hating on women’s ball by telling me I’m sexist. I hate on women’s’ ball because I have eyes and taste.
Keep in mind that I’m not one to rip of women’s sports. I prefer women’s tennis to men’s, acknowledge the greatness of Annika Sorenstam and love watching women’s track and swimming. But when it comes to women’s college basketball, I can’t stand the ugly shots, poor fundamentals and lack of competitiveness.
That being said, the women’s Tournament could, and should, be an event with mainstream appeal. But, copying the men’s format isn’t the way to do that.
How can the Tournament be saved then, you ask? Well, like most problems in the world, they can all be fixed if people would just listen to Chaz (that’s me).
Among the problems with the Women’s NCAA Tournament (with possible solutions):

Problem #1: No upsets
There isn’t nearly enough talent in the women’s game to justify having a 64-team field, but that didn’t stop the NCAA from expanding the women’s field from 48 to 64 beginning in 1994.
Since then there has been a #16 over #1 upset (Harvard beat Stanford in 1998), but in most years the regional finals consist of the #1 seed playing a #2 or #3 (this year three regional finals pitted the top two seeds in the region, while the fourth game was between a #1 and #3).
The possibility of upsets and Cinderella’s are what lure viewers in, but with a top-heavy women’s game, upsets are few and far between.
Solution: Cut back to a 32-team Tournament. This wouldn’t affect the amount of upsets, but it would get rid of the worthless first-round games and begin the Tournament with contests where they are better upset chances.

Problem #2: Attendance
Have you seen some of the crowds at the women’s games? (Of course you haven’t.) Some of these arenas are so empty they make Atlanta Hawks games look packed.
In the first round, crowds of 3,000 were the rule, not the exception and Monday’s two regional finals game were played in front of a total of 8,000 people – or about 22,000 less than were at the Carrier Dome Sunday for UNC-Wisconsin.
That same day, only 3,300 people in Philadelphia watched two of women’s basketball’s most storied programs (Tennessee and Stanford) face-off in a regional semifinal.
Thirty-three hundred people for a match-up between the Duke and Kansas of the women’s game? 4,100 people showed up earlier this year in Philly for a Drexel-UPenn game for crap’s sake!
Solution: Assuming a 32-team Tournament; play the first three rounds NIT-style (on the favored team’s home court). That should raise attendance. Only the Final Four should be played at a pre-determined site – preferably in a women’s hoops hotbed like Knoxville or Storrs.

Problem #3: Poor Ratings
Diana Taurasi’s Uconn teams provided a spike in ratings during their three-peat, but without a marquee star this season, women’s ratings have gone back in the tank.
It doesn’t help that the women’s final is played the night after the men’s final either.
Solution: Move the women’s Final Four back to its old Friday/Sunday schedule.

Problem #4: Nobody Likes Women’s Basketball
And ESPN force-feeding it to the sports-viewing public doesn’t help.
Solution: Instead of promoting what’s different about women’s basketball, like ESPN and the NCAA have done (example: no dunking makes for a more traditional game), talk about how it’s not much different than the men’s game. People like the men’s game, why would they want an alternative?

The heads of women’s basketball will never go for any of these, mind you, which is a shame. As a result of their stubbornness and refusal to admit something is wrong with the womens' game, the sport will never end up reaching the vast and untapped markets that have yet to discover just how boring women's college basketball really is.

Let the hate mail pour in. Reach me at: chrisachase@comcast.net

The Dominant Big Ten

In case you didn't know, the Big Ten is a much better conference than the ACC.
Yup. Forget about the three ACC teams in the top eight of the polls throughout the entire season, or the league's solid place at the top of the RPI or the high-level of conference play from January to March. None of that matters now because the Big Ten has two teams in the Final Four while the ACC only has one.
According to many, including the Daily Quickie's Dan Shanoff (whose column, in true ESPN fashion, has changed from a must-read into totally unreadable, a la Bill Simmons. They're like the Baseball Tonight of the Internet), the Big Ten was vastly underrated all season and the ACC was overrated, and their respective Tournament results are all the proof you need. Apparently, what happened in the 30 games before the Tournament is irrelevant and only NCAA results matter when determining the success of a team and its conference.
Keep in mind that this is the same Dan Shanoff who complained about how conference tournaments are unfair to teams in one-bid leagues that dominate conference play, but get upset in their tournament and, thus, don't get a chance to go the NCAA's.
His gist: Appreciate the body of work and not what happens in unpredictable, single-elimination Tournaments.
But, in a remarkably hypocritical turn, Shanoff and others are now saying the exact opposite in regards to the Big Ten by writing: Forget the ACC and Big Ten’s body of work during the regular season and focus solely on the results of four games in March.
Doing that, you’ll realize that the Big Ten was “vastly underrated” (his words) and that the ACC was given too much credit based on the regular season.
All of which is ridiculous.
If you’re going to take up the cause of a team like Davidson (who finished their conference season 16-0 but was denied a bid into the NCAA’s because they lost in their conference tournament) by saying that their regular season should matter more than their tournament performance, then how can you say with a straight face that Michigan State’s performance in the NCAA’s is more important than their regular season?
Just because they made the Final Four, we’re supposed to revise our opinions of their mediocre regular season?
Sorry guys, you can't have it both ways. If you appreciate what makes the NCAA Tournament so wonderful (West Virginia in the Elite Eight despite being a bubble team three weeks earlier, Bucknell shocking Kansas and Michigan State overachieving into the Final Four), then you have to accept the results of conference tournaments and realize that Tournament success doesn’t mean you were underappreciated earlier in the season.
Look at the body of work, not Tournament results, as you said.
Why is the Big Ten all of a sudden better than the ACC just because they put three teams in the Elite Eight compared to the ACC’s one?
The only thing that the Big Ten's success in the NCAA Tournament proves is that the Big Ten had success in the NCAA Tournament. It doesn't change the fact that the conference had a poor regular season.
Sure, the Big Ten has saved some face with their Tourney success and deserves credit for that, but there is no need to change our opinions of the conference simply because Michigan State beat Duke and Kentucky. The Big Ten had an "off-year" this season. What's wrong with that?
I’m not badmouthing the Spartans, mind you. Tom Izzo, the most underrated coach in the country, has done a wonderful job with this team and they deserve to be in the Final Four. Teams like Michigan State are what make the Tournament so great.
I’m just saying that there’s no need to act like we all saw this coming. Hell, most people had MSU losing to Old Dominion in the first round!
Just because Michigan State is in the Final Four while teams like Oklahoma State, Wake Forest and Duke are not doesn’t mean that the Spartans had a better season than those teams. It just means that they had a better Tournament. Nothing more, nothing less.

Regional Superlatives

Quickly:

Best Game: Illinois vs. Arizona
At least it looked like the best game when I watched the highlights on the Sunday morning Sportscenter.
That’s right - I didn’t see any part of this instant classic. I’ve watched a couple hundred hours of college basketball games this year and then missed the best 150 minutes of the season. I’m not mad though; what I was doing was better and more important than watching a basketball game, but still, I wish the UNC-Wisconsin tilt had been scheduled for Saturday night instead.
From what I’ve heard though, Illinois/Arizona had it all.

Best Game That I Did See: Michigan State vs. Kentucky
No buzzer beater has ever bounced around the rim longer than Patrick Sparks’.

Worst Game: North Carolina – Wisconsin
In some years, UNC-Wisconsin might have been the best regional final game, but when three other games go into OT, a game that was decided with 30 seconds left doesn’t make the cut.

Best Player: Deron Williams
What Salim Stoudamire did in the semis, Deron Williams did in the regional final: Single-handedly led his team to the next round.

Best Player (Runner-up): Sean May
Forget Felton, McCants and Marvin Williams: Sean May is the best and most important player on the Tar Heels.

Best Player (Losing Team): Kevin Pittsnogle
At some point we’re all going to have to come to the realization that it’s Kevin Pittsnogle’s world and we’re all just squirrels trying to get a nut.

Worst Player: Salim Stoudamire
At least his room will be spotless when he returns to Tucson.

Best Officiating: Ruling Sparks’ Buzzer Beater as a Three Pointer
Good call on the floor.

Worst Officiating: Taking Five Minutes To Uphold Sparks’ Buzzer Beater as a Three
Alright, once 60 seconds had passed, what did the refs think they were going to see on the replay of Sparks’ shot? Another shooter on a grassy knoll?

Best Free-Throw Shooting: North Carolina
Up one with 2:41, Marvin Williams hit two free throws, beginning a streak of ten straight by the Heels, which included Raymond Felton (a 67% FT shooter on the season) converting three consecutive front-ends of a one-and-one opportunity.

Worst Free Throw Shooting: Kentucky
Patrick Sparks’ game-tying buzzer beater wouldn’t have been necessary if he had made a free throw 45 seconds earlier. And at the beginning of the first overtime, guard Rajon Rondo failed to put his team up six points when he missed two shots from the charity stripe.

Most Deceiving Stat Sheet: West Virginia-Louisville
West Virginia shot better from the floor, beyond the arc and at the free-throw line, which would usually be indicative of a win.

Best Coaching: Tom Izzo
Izzo has been to the Final Four in exactly half of his Tournament appearances (four times in eight trips), and this year he did it with one of his least-talented teams during his time in East Lansing.

Worst Coaching: Tubby Smith
Note to Tubby: Chuck Hayes might as well be fouled out if you sit him on the bench for six of the ten minutes of overtime.
More on Tubby below.

Softest 20-point Lead: West Virginia
Did anybody really ever believe that West Virginia was going to win this game? It reminded me of the Duke-Maryland 2001 Final Four game when the Terps were up 22, yet for some reason it felt like they were down 22.

Worst Possession: (tie) Arizona (End of OT), Kentucky (End of 1st OT)
Did Hassan Adams realize that he didn’t need to take a three pointer to beat Illinois at the end of overtime? And what was Salim Stoudamire doing? He barely moved while Adams was looking for a shot.
Don’t even get me started on Kentucky’s inability to get a shot off at the end of their first overtime with Michigan State. How does that happen? The players on the floor deserve the blame, but you know Tubby Smith will get all of it. The rumblings about Tubby’s job security will no doubt get a little louder in Lexington after yet another upset-loss for Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. I don’t really think Tubby will leave Kentucky, but maybe a new job will be best for both Smith and the boosters that want him out. (Virginia maybe?)

Quick Predictions: Illinois over Louisville / Michigan State over UNC
Sorry, one way or another, I don’t think the dream match-up will happen.

East and South Regional Preview

Watching my brackets officially go in the toilet last night, I was struck by two things:
1) Even though Salim Stoudamire's late-game shots, particularly his go-ahead bucket with 2.8 seconds left on the clock, were amazing, J.J. Redick is still a much better shooter.
2) There's a reason why Eddie Sutton and Lute Olsen have traditionally not done well in the Tournament and only have one National Championship between them: They don't coach well late in Tournament games.
OSU's last three possessions were horrendous and their defense wasn't much better. Up four, the Cowboys attempted to steal the ball from Stoudamire, who promptly stepped up and hit a huge three. Why OSU felt the need to go for a steal instead of sitting back and defending the perimeter is baffling.
On the other sideline, Olsen made a potential crippling mistake when he told his team to foul OSU after they inbounded the ball following Stoudamire's shot. The foul gave the Cowboys the ball near half-court and put them in a better position to hit a game-winner.
Had Arizona not fouled, Lucas would have had a little over a second to turn, step and shoot from about 35 feet, with defenders in his face. Instead, the Cowboys were able to inbound with plenty of time left and Lucas had a fairly good look from the corner.
Had OSU won, they would have given Illinois fits. Arizona is a much better match-up for the Illini, and they should easily advance to the Final Four berth that has seemed to be their birthright since December.
In the day's other game, Louisville will roll against surprising West Virginia.

East Region (Syracuse)

Regional Semifinals
#1 North Carolina vs. #5 Villanova
Curtis Sumpter's injury hurts Villanova's chances at the upset, but if Jason Fraser can duplicate the 21 and 15 performance he had against Florida, then the 'Cats could continue to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1985 Championship in style.
Sean May will be too much though and the Heels will pull away late.
Pick: North Carolina

#6 Wisconsin vs. #10 North Carolina State
This game, and the winning team's final score, will be just like Sarah Jessica Parker: Boring, ugly and around 40.
Pick: North Carolina State

East Regional Final
#1 North Carolina vs. #10 North Carolina State
If State wins this game, it would be the most devistating moment in North Carolina history since The Andy Griffith Show was cancelled.
This would be one of the most interesting match-ups in Elite Eight history, even though a possible Duke-Kentucky "rematch" would gain most of the media's attention. (How can there be a rematch of something that took place 13 years ago, especially when only one person involved in that game (Mike Krzyzewski) will take part in this one?)
All the pressure will be on Carolina, and for a team that features headcase Rashad McCants and is coached by Roy Williams, that isn't a good sign.
That, coupled with the fact that State will not be intimidated by the Heels, means this could be an upset of epic proportions.
I picked State to make the Final Four at the beginning of the year, and I'm so tempted to do so again here. If these two end up playing, I might post a new prediction on Sunday morning because I really like the way State has played fearless basketball since Chris Paul's crotch-punch (an event that totally changed both Wake's and State's seasons), but since Wisconsin could easily knock off the Wolfpack tonight, I'll stick with my pre-Tournament Final Four pick from the East.
Pick: North Carolina

South Region (Austin)

Regional Semifinal
#1 Duke vs. #5 Michigan State
Even though it creeps me out beyond belief, I would gladly watch a continuous video-loop of Mateen Cleeves jumping up-and-down after MSU's 2000 NCAA Championship if it means the Spartans knock off Duke tonight.
Pick: Duke

#2 Kentucky vs. #6 Utah
This game will be decided by one thing: How Tubby Smith decides to defend Andrew Bogut. Oklahoma showed that doubling him doesn't work because the Croaussie has a knack for finding whoever is open with his deft passing touch. If Smith does that, Utah will win. If Tubby takes my advice (let Bogut get his 25 points and 15 boards, like he did against UTEP, and let Utah's mediocre backcourt beat you), then Kentucky will avoid another early exit from the NCAA's.
Last night I had serious reservations about picking OSU to beat Arizona, but stuck with them because I picked them before the Tournament. I had Utah beating Kentucky in this game too, but after watching the first two rounds, I'm going to change my mind.
What does this all mean? Bet the house on Utah, of course.
Pick: Kentu - oh, screw it - Utah

South Regional Final
#1 Duke vs. #6 Utah
A potential Duke-North Carolina Final Four meeting has replaced the release of Guns N' Roses oft-delayed Chinese Democracy as the most anticipated event in American history. At least, that's what Dick Vitale told me.
Pick: Duke

Midwest and West Regional Preview

The second weekend of the NCAA Tournament tips-off tonight in Chicago and Albuquerque. Chris's Sports Blog previews both regionals, but warns that they were written quickly so might not make too much sense.
Come back tomorrow for previews of the East and South regionals.

Midwest Region (Chicago)

Regional Semifinals
#1 Illinois vs. #12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Of the seven teams that Illinois could have played tonight in the Sweet 16, Wisconsin-Milwaukee presents the toughest stylistic match-up for the Illini. Granted, that’s a little like saying of all the centers in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the toughest match-up for Shaq, but you get the idea.
Bruce Pearl (who will be coaching tonight against Bruce Weber, which begs the question: Is this the first Bruce v. Bruce contest in NCAA Tournament history? Somebody should tell Bruce Willis to get his hands off Lindsay Lohan for a second and tune-in to CBS tonight for a historic night for Bruce’s worldwide) is a Tom Davis disciple and uses his mentor’s up-tempo, press-heavy style to harass opposing teams into turnovers.
Illinois, with three guards on the All-American first and second teams, is well equipped to handle the press, though they haven’t had to face such a high-octane defense since early in the season.
As always, Illinois is vulnerable if they are cold from the field, but look for Dee Brown to have little trouble with the Panther press, which will lead to a large amount of open looks for his teammates.
Illinois wins comfortably.
Pick: Illinois

#2 Oklahoma State vs. #3 Arizona
Normally I wouldn’t even have to think about picking against Lute Olsen in a Sweet 16 game, but the fact that his Arizona team is the underdog against Eddie Sutton’s Cowboys gives me a slight pause.
Lute tends to choke when he’s the favorite, but when nobody expects his team to win (like in 1997 when they beat three #1 seeds en route to the title), they seem to play a little better.
I’m not feeling too good about picking Oklahoma State to win it all (like I’ve been saying for the past week: If I had to wager all the money I have to my name – roughly $24.31 – on one team to win the NCAA Tournament, I would have picked Illinois. But since everybody picks Illinois, the chances of me winning my pool if I picked them would be slim. In order to win by picking Illinois, you have to beat roughly 50% of your pool. If you pick a slightly less obvious team to win, you maybe have to beat 5%, which is why I went with the Cowboys. My theory has worked, in theory of course. If OSU does win, I will win the big-money pool I’m in and battle for the top spot in the one I’m running). OSU struggled in their first two games, and now face a team with the best shooter in the country. Still, I’ve gotta stick with my guns.
Pick: Oklahoma State

Midwest Regional Final

#1 Illinois vs. #2 Oklahoma State
If it happens, this would be the only Elite Eight match-up I would have correctly predicted.
Illinois will be the favorite in this game, and with good reason - they aren’t 34-1 because they’ve been lucky.
But I’ve been saying all season that Bruce Weber’s team is quite vulnerable if they face an opponent with a strong inside presence, guards quick enough to play an effective man-to-man and good three-point shooters. Oklahoma State fits that description.
Illinois guard Dee Brown often gets flustered if his early shots aren’t falling, and if OSU can force him into some misses, and Joey Graham has his way with James Augustine, Eddie Sutton and company will be headed back to the Final Four for the second straight season.
Pick: Oklahoma State

West Region (Albuquerque)

Regional Semi-Final
#1 Washington vs. #4 Louisville
The West Region kind of reminds me of the NFL in the late-‘80s and early-‘90s when the NFC Championship Game was considered the real Super Bowl and the AFC teams in that conference’s title game were playing for the right to be a sacrificial lamb for the 49ers, Giants, Redskins or Cowboys.
Obviously, this game represents the NFC Championship.
Washington-Louisville is easily the best game of this round and whoever wins will be a heavy favorite in their next game, which won’t be nearly as exciting as tonight. This is the real Regional Final. Saturday’s game will just be a Final Four tune-up for the winner.
As for my pick, I’m sticking with Louisville, a team that has suddenly become the trendy team to win it all. You know how I feel about trendy picks, but since I was on-board before the trend started, I guess it’s OK this time. But if they lose, I swear I’m throwing away my pink tie.
Pick: Louisville

#6 Texas Tech vs. #7 West Virginia
This is the AFC Championship Game, in case you didn’t figure that one out.
Since this is the game Wake Forest would have been in had they not choked against the 6th place Big East team, writing a preview would just rile me up again.
Pick: Texas Tech

Regional Final
#4 Louisville vs. #6 Texas Tech
In case the whole Super Bowl analogy was lost on you, don’t expect this one to be close.
Pick: Louisville

Questions From a Wolfman

The Wolfman, 23, once wore a shirt advertising an upstart brand of soda (Surge) for 17 consecutive days. In his defense, he had six of them.
Occasionally, The Wolfman sends in questions to this site in a feature cleverly titled, "Questions from a Wolfman.

Now that we're down to the Sweet 16, which Cinderella team has the best chance to make it to the Final 4?
Well, both you and I had Utah in the final eight at the beginning of the Tournament, but both picked them to lose - me, to a team that lost in the first round (Syracuse) and you, to a team that's idea of chemistry is playing naked Twister while listening to Bette Middler albums (Duke).
As you have said since Thursday, it's tough to figure out how Utah ever scores any points. Somehow Bogut only scored 10 in the Utes win over Oklahoma, but he was dishing assists like he was George Mikan trapped in Bob Cousy's body. I think Utah could beat Kentucky because I don't trust Tubby Smith, like Kelvin Sampson before him, to figure out an effective way to stop the Cro-aussie sensation.
(My thoughts: Let him get his 26 points and make the Utah guards beat you. Doubling down on Bogut just frees-up players for backdoors so easy that J.J. - no, that's just too inappropriate for the blog). But if Utah meets up with Duke, you know Coach K will figure out a way to win.
I guess I still haven't answered your question. Of all the Cinderellas left (Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Texas Tech, West Virginia, N.C. State, Wisconsin and Utah), one would have to think that Texas Tech has the best chance because they're the one team most likely to get to the Elite Eight, because West Virginia isn’t any good. And in a one-game situation, who knows what could happen. The Red Raiders have beat some quality teams this year, and if former walk-on Ronald Ross has a big game, they could be in the Final Four.
But, that's sort of a cop-out answer, because I don't think Texas Tech will beat Louisville (or Washington, should they win), so I'll say that N.C. State (one of my preseason Final Four teams - Kansas, Wake Forest and Syracuse were the others. Go me.) has the best chance of making it to St. Louis. I'll go into it more tomorrow when I'll break down each of the eight Sweet 16 games.

Can you think of a team/coach you have ever been madder at after a game than Wake Forest after the Deacs loss to West Virginia?
I can honestly say that I have not been that upset over of a sporting event in a long time. When I woke up Sunday morning, with a minor headache due to all the post-game sorrow-drowning I did with my college roommate Falkow, who had driven down from Philly to watch the game, it finally dawned on me that Wake was out of the Tournament for good.
Now, I’ve watched Wake and Maryland lose Tournament games before, some in heartbreaking fashion, and I’ve been a Redskins fan my entire life. So I know the thrill of victory, but have tasted the agony of defeat much more than I would care to acknowledge.
But Wake’s loss to West Virginia was especially excruciating because of all the expectations we all had for this team, expectations which began the moment Wake Forest walked off the court in East Rutherford last March after losing to St. Joe’s in the Sweet 16.
To see their season end so quickly, in such dramatic fashion, in a game where the Deacs held a double-digit lead over an inferior opponent that should have never been allowed back in the game, was rough. Seeing that team battling Texas Tech tomorrow for the opportunity to play for a Final Four berth, well, that might be just as tough to deal with.
Instead of reading up on the Red Raiders and getting excited for tomorrow night’s game, Wake fans have to contend with Tournament apathy and the fear of Chris Paul bolting for the NBA.
I guess I’m kind of over the loss at this point, our 90-minute conference call early Sunday morning was quite therapeutic I might add, but this one will stick with Wake fans for a while, particularly if Paul leaves (which I don’t think will happen).
But where does this rank on my all-time toughest defeats list? That’s a good question.
I guess it’s one thing to lose a big game. That always hurts, but it hurts more when your team should have won, a la Wake Forest. And when bad coaching or stupid mistakes or bad refereeing takes place, that makes it hurt all the more.
So here is a list, admittedly rudimentary, of the five toughest defeats that I’ve had to cope with in the past five years (I put a five year cap on it because it’s 4:19 now and I want to post this and if I had to dig deep in the old vault thinking about games from when I was 10, I might be sitting here until midnight):

5) Maryland vs. Duke – January 2001 – “The Comeback”
Maryland held a ten point lead over #2 Duke with 55 seconds left in the game at Cole Field House. The only thing left to do was storm the court and burn some dorm furniture on frat row.
I was in the hospital for this one due to a major medical problem, and was battling the effects of morphine and a sleeping pill so I could stay up and watch the students storm the court (particularly my buddy Horo, whom I knew would be the first one at center court). But after Steve Blake fouled out, Jason Williams took over, hitting back-to-back threes in a five second span to cut the Terps lead to four.
Williams hadn’t done anything all night against Blake, whose fifth foul, shockingly, was a joke. Two more quick buckets by Duke tied the score with 22 seconds remaining (few recall that the ten-point lead was erased in a little over 30 seconds), but Maryland had a chance to win at the buzzer. A Juan Dixon jumper rimmed out and the game went to overtime.
Without Blake the Terps were done, and they ended up losing the game and spiraled into a devastating freefall that culminated with a Valentine’s Day loss to Florida State and talk of the NIT. Gary got the team back on its feet and they ended up making the school’s first Final Four in history.
By the way, I never did fall asleep that night; sleeping pill and all.

4) Red Sox vs. Yankees - Game 7 – 2003 ALCS – “Grady Leaves in Pedro”
When Grady Little went to the mound to take out Pedro Martinez in the 8th inning of the final game of the 2003 ALCS, I turned to Horo and said “it’s about time”. He disagreed, saying Pedro could still get out of the inning.
Grady Little went with Horo, and the rest, is history.
This one would be higher, but in reality, I never expected the Red Sox to win that game. I wasn’t a believer in the hogwash that was “The Curse”, but I didn’t have a good feeling headed into Game 7, and even when the Sox were comfortably ahead, I still had that feeling in the pit of my stomach.
And when Joe Buck said, “the Red Sox are five outs away from the World Series” late in the game, I turned to Horo and we both gave each other a look that spelled doom.

3) Maryland vs. Duke - 2001 Final Four – “The Comeback – Part II”
I also watched this one with Horo… jeez, maybe I should stop watching games with that guy.
When the Terps had a 22-point lead in the first half, our buddy Dickman started fashioning a piece of headgear from an empty case of Busch Light that he said was for the celebration on Route 1 after the game. Horo and I exchanged the same look we would give each other 2 ½ years later after Joe Buck’s comment.
Duke whittled away at Maryland’s lead, and when Terrence Morris got a bogus 4th foul 1:30 into the second half, the game, for all intents and purposes, was over.

2) Wake Forest vs. West Virginia – Second Round – 2004 NCAA Tournament – “Skip Blows It”
I’ve said all I need to say about this one.

1) Washington Redskins vs. Everybody – 2000-2004 – “Snyderbrenner’s Reign”
They’re all painful, all 46 of ‘em.
From the $100 million 2000 team’s week 14 loss to the Giants, which caused Snyderbrenner to can Norv Turner, despite the ‘Skins 8-7 record and very real playoff hopes, to the 37-0 blowout the next year in Green Bay which was part of an 0-5 start, to the post-Sports Illustrated loss that same year to the Cowboys after five straight wins put Marty Schottenheimer’s Redskins back in the playoff hunt, to every loss of last season – particularly the Packers game where the ‘Skins were robbed of the game-winning touchdown by a phantom illegal-motion call. They’ve all hurt.
Crap, now I’m all upset again.
Damn you Streit. Oh, who am I kidding. I could never stay mad at you.

After this year's early exit, do you think it's possible that Skip Prosser continues to ignore defense and refuses to implement a half-court offense?
As I told the kindergarten class I subbed for today, “please don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”

Did you see Southern Illinois give Oklahoma State a run for its money this weekend?
No, but I did see them lose in the first round of the Tournament last year to Alabama. How far did you have them going? I can’t seem to remember.

Didn't you say something ridiculous the other day about Bucknell's victory over Kansas being the greatest first-round upset in tournament history?
Yes I did, and I seem to recall while you mercilessly mocked my statement, you were unable to come up with a bigger one.
I will explain myself tomorrow about why I think the Bucknell-Kansas shocker was the biggest first-round upset since the Tournament field was expanded to 64 in 1985. I would do it today, but it’s getting late and I’ve been reading stories about bears that go shopping all day and that just plain tuckers me out.

Do other people out there hate Barry Bonds as much as I do?
Man, Brett Favre, Skip Prosser, Barry Bonds – I think you need to see a rage counselor.

Did you see the Colts-Ravens are the first Sunday night game? What is with the NFL putting the Ravens on primetime all the time. They're terrible to watch and that's enough with all the Ray Lewis jive talking on the field.
It's as if the NFL front office has a man-crush on the Ravens like you have a man-crush on Peyton Manning and the Colts.
Haha, make fun of my Peyton man-crush all you want. But I seem to remember a certain somebody in 2003 going on-and-on about how awesome Dan Dickau was, and for about two weeks all they would talk about was “Dan Dickau this” and “Dan Dickau that”. And then when presented with evidence of said man-crush, that person defended himself by saying “well he’s good and you have to admit, he is an attractive man with all that hair.”
I can’t remember who that was, but I’m pretty sure he picked Southern Illinois to make the Elite Eight last year.

Questions from a Wolfman is an occasional feature on this site.

NCAA Tournament Thoughts

- Chris Paul should enter the NBA Draft.
Let me say that one more time so there is no confusion.
Chris Paul should enter the NBA Draft.
The All-American point guard from Wake Forest is likely to be a top three pick and depending on who wins the lottery, he could be the first player selected.
The allure of that, plus the guaranteed $12 million contract, is far too enticing for Paul to pass up just so he can come back to school for one more year.
Yes, he still needs to bulk up a bit. Yes, he needs to perfect his runner. Yes, his jumpshot is still developing. But those things will come. If Paul goes into the NBA he won’t be a project, he’ll be starting on a team immediately.
The three worst teams in the NBA – Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans all need help at point guard and Paul is as NBA-ready a player as there is in the draft.
Guaranteed millions, becoming a starter as a rookie, the possibility of playing in Charlotte and the fear of injury should he return to college are all reasons Paul would enter the NBA.
So why would he come back?
First of all, he loves college. From all accounts Paul is having a great time in Winston-Salem. He’s the most popular guy on a small, tight-knit campus, he’s on the Dean’s List (I almost made that once at Wake – if you combined my GPA from both semesters) and if he returns, would be the king of ACC basketball.
All those are great reasons to return to Winston, and they will play a large role in Paul’s decision, but whether Paul goes or stays will hinge on one thing: The ability to win a National Championship.
If Paul believes that the Deacs can cut down the nets next April in Indianapolis, then would likely be a good enough reason for him to stay. Even if he knows deep down that doing it will be a whole lot tougher than this year, Paul is as fierce a competitor as they come and the challenge will likely push his game into another stratosphere.
Coming into this season Paul earned a ton of preseason hype and it didn’t even get him out of the Tournament’s first weekend. That will drive Paul in the off-season, should he return.
But even if Paul steps it up, it will be tough for Wake to win it all next year since the Deacs will be without three of their best six players, including the most valuable sixth man in college basketball and the team’s second and third leading rebounders.
Losing Taron Downey, Jamaal Levy and Vytas Danelius to graduation will cripple the Deacs depth, particularly at guard where the guy behind Paul and Justin Gray will either be a player who scored 26 points all season (Richard Joyce) or a redshirt-freshman (Cameron Stanley). (Don’t even ask what happens if Paul goes pro.)
The nucleus of Paul, Justin Gray and Eric Williams will be among the best threesomes in the NCAA, and Duke has shown how far a team can get with no depth (and they only have two good players).
But, Duke has Mike Krzyzewski, who could win 20 games with five guys named Linus while Wake has Skip Prosser, who has yet to get anywhere in the Tournament with Josh Howard or Chris Paul.
It’s unrealistic to think that this will be the off-season that the light bulb over Prosser’s head finally turns on.
Last year he said all the right things about committing to defense, but when his team took the court for the first time back in November against George Washington, it was clear that Prosser could talk the talk, but couldn’t walk the walk.
Wake didn’t improve at all on defense, and with two of their best defenders gone next year, it’s difficult to imagine that they’ll be any better. And without a solid defense, Wake will suffer another early exit from the NCAA’s.
Paul should know better than anyone how ineffective his coach is. Wake Forest would have lost in the first round in each of the last two years if not for Paul’s late-game heroics. Does he have faith in his coach to turn it around?
In essence, that’s the decision Chris Paul has to make. Does he stay at Wake Forest, enjoying college life for one more season while making a run at the National Championship under a coach with a lousy track record, or does he bolt for the guaranteed riches of the NBA?
Even though it would destroy Wake basketball if he goes, I still think he should.
But, I don’t think he will.
Paul loves college too much and probably won’t want his last memory of his Wake Forest career to be sitting on the bench watching West Virginia celebrate their upset of the Demon Deacons.
CP will likely return for his third, and final, season to try and bring the university he loves back to the Final Four for the first time in 44 years. The odds will be stacked against him, but that’s probably just the way he likes it.

- As the Skip Prosser Hatewagon keeps rolling along, picking up new members all the while, I’ve learned of an additional piece of info that will add more Hatorade to the fire.
Because CBS, who demonstrated that they didn’t learn any lessons from the debacle that was Election Night 2000, essentially projected Wake to be the winner of their second round game against West Virginia in the middle of the first half and switched to the Kentucky-Cincinnati game, I wasn’t able to watch all of the Deacs contest. (Granted, Wake had a 13-point lead when CBS switched, but in the second half the Tiffany Network should have gone back to the Wake game when Kentucky was extending its lead just as West Virginia was cutting into Wake’s. But I digress.)
As a result, I didn’t hear about this little nugget of Skip Prosser coaching magic until yesterday.
Let me set the scene: With 1:34 left in the first half, Jamaal Levy was fouled by West Virginia’s D’or Fisher. Somebody on West Virginia’s bench argued the call a little to vehemently and was assessed with a technical foul.
With the two free throws from the technical plus two more due to Fisher’s foul, Wake had four shots from the charity stripe. Jamaal Levy had to take two, because he was the one Fisher fouled, but any Wake player on the floor could have shot the two from the technical.
That means that Taron Downey (86% free throw shooter), Chris Paul (83%) or Justin Gray (79%) could have attempted the free throws.
But, for some reason, Jamaal Levy (50%) stepped to the line to shoot the technical foul shots, which were taken first as per the rules, and missed both. He then hit one of the two free throws he had to take, leaving him one for four on the trip.
So, let me ask the obvious question: “WHAT?” Why in the name of Muggsy Bogues was Jamaal Levy on the free-throw line? Ollie from Hoosiers shoots better!
What was Prosser doing not putting Downey or Paul in to take the shots? Hmm, it’s not like that extra point or two would have helped at all later in the game ! Oh man, I’m getting so riled up again. I thought my anger has subsided, but I guess I was wrong.
I’ve thought about this rationally for as long as I could (about a half-second) and couldn’t figure out a single feasible explanation for Levy taking the technical foul shots.
What the hell was Prosser thinking? Could it be that he didn’t know a technical was assessed?
That seems unlikely since the lane was cleared.
Maybe he thought the technical shots were going to be attempted after the double-bonus foul shots?
But, technical foul shots always come first, that couldn’t have been it.
There is no good reason why Jamaal Levy attempted two free throws that he didn’t have to take. Sure, Levy should have stayed as far away from that line as possible knowing how poor a free-throw shooter he is, but that’s not his job. Nor is it Chris Paul’s or Taron Downey’s.
The coaches needed to be aware of the situation and had to make sure that the best free-throw shooter on the floor took those shots.
But, in order to do that Skip Prosser and his coaching staff would actually have to be competent. Man, what I wouldn't give for them to simply be competent.

- A few weeks back my buddy Phil scolded me for spending too much time focusing on my terrible predictions (like when I picked Southern Illinois to make it to the Elite Eight last season… no wait, that was The Wolfman) while letting my good ones go by unnoticed.
Well, Phil… here goes:
March 14, 2005: "Best Upset Possibility: #13 Vermont over #4 Syracuse"
March 17, 2005: "#3 Kansas vs. #14 Bucknell: Don’t be shocked if Bucknell springs the upset.
I’m serious."
Boss.

- Curtis Sumpter’s injury severely hurts Villanova’s chances at upsetting North Carolina in the Sweet 16, but don’t count the Wildcats out just yet.
If oft-injured Jason Fraser can duplicate his dominant performance against Florida (21 and 15), Sumpter’s absence won’t be as crippling.
Granted, Matt Walsh and Al Hoford aren’t exactly Sean May and Marvin Williams, and Fraser knows it. But his confidence level will be sky-high entering Friday’s match-up and if Fraser can hold his own in the middle, Villanova could pull the shocker.

- The rumor-mill is buzzing with the news that Gary Williams has told John Gilchrist to either transfer or enter the NBA draft.
Maybe Gary can make a call to Skip Prosser and give him the same ultimatum.

- Welcome ACC BasketBlog readers. If you enjoy the great work they do at over at the BasketBlog, you'll enjoy this site, which you can get to at either www.chrischase.com or www.chazsports.blogspot.com. Bookmark it, if you please.
Here, you'll find rants about Wake Forest basketball, the most sophisticatedly viscious anti-Duke rhetoric on the Internet (my proudest blog achievement is that I am the #1 link on Google if you search for "J.J. Redick backne") and thoughts on the Washington Redskins, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Derek Jeter's brimming femininity and various other topics of the day.

Skip To My Lo-ser

One can only hope Skip Prosser made a mental note of what it felt like to walk off the court Saturday night in Cleveland, after West Virginia shocked his heavily-favored Wake Forest team in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With three vital seniors graduating and the very-real possibility of Chris Paul bolting to the NBA, it could be a long time before Prosser has another chance to run a team this talented into the ground.
Wake’s double-overtime loss showed the country what Deac fans have known for too long; Skip Prosser is a terrible head coach. The team’s lack of any defensive strategy, their substitution patterns and total disregard for the Mountaineers when they were down 13 can all be pinned on Prosser, who now joins Bob Huggins as coaches whose careers can best be summed up by their Tournament failures.
Prosser had it all on this Wake Forest team. A bruising center who could dominate the low post, a tall, athletic rebounder at the four, a third guard off the bench with a sharpshooter’s touch, a scoring shooting guard and an all-world sophomore running the show. This team had the talent to win it all. Look at the roster of every remaining team in the NCAA Tournament. With the exception of North Carolina, perhaps, not one team is close to being as talented as Wake Forest.
But it takes more than talent alone to make it to the Final Four, it takes a coach who can make his players better. And, with the exception of Eric Williams, whose improvement can be attributed to losing weight and maturing, every single player on Wake Forest either regressed or saw their play stay stagnant compared to last year.
Jamaal Levy and Justin Gray played worse in 2005 than they did in 2004. Trent Strickland was the most athletic member of the team for the second straight year, but couldn’t rein in his poor decision making and harness his talents. Chris Paul again showed flashes of brilliance, but wasn’t the star on the defensive end he should have been. Vytas Danelius added the deep ball to his repertoire, but still wasn’t the player he was back in 2003.
Prosser should have had these guys on the top of their games headed into this season. And they were, at least on the offensive end. But the team’s Achilles Heel was always its defense and that showed on Saturday as they gave up 34 points in the ten minutes of overtime (that would come out to 136 points over a 40 minute game).
Except for the possessions ending regulation and the first overtime and once in the middle of the second OT, West Virginia scored every time they touched the ball in the game’s last 12 minutes. That’s inexcusable, even if they were shooting lights-out from the floor.
Defense is what has killed Skip Prosser’s team all year, and it’s what ended their season prematurely in the second round.
Now the Wake Forest Demon Deacons are forced to play a game of “what-if” for the next seven months. What if Jamaal Levy could have hit one more free throw? What if the refs hadn’t made a terrible charging call on Taron Downey? What if one West Virginia shot rattled out? What if Trent Strickland’s three pointer had fallen?
There will be hundreds of what-ifs that Wake Forest players, coaches and fans will play out in the head before next season. But the most important one to ask is this: “What if Skip Prosser wasn’t the Wake Forest head coach?”
Well, for one, today we’d be looking ahead to the Deacs next game instead of sulking over their last one.

- Some other quick thoughts on Wake’s loss to West Virginia:

• Wake Forest’s guards went 18-20 from the free-throw line (the two misses were the last two free throws shot by both Chris Paul and Taron Downey though). The rest of the team shot 6-16 from the line, including missing the front-end of three one-and-ones. Eric Williams and Jamaal Levy finished 3-12. If they had hit on just 50% of their attempts, Wake would have advanced to the Sweet 16.
• How did Vytas Danelius only play for 12 of the game’s 50 minutes? Yeah, he struggled offensively, but his replacement, Trent Strickland, couldn’t guard a folding chair. Just another sign of Skip Prosser’s coaching prowess.
• Two palming calls in one game? Seriously? Listen, I think the way refs have allowed guards to dribble the ball in recent years has bordered on ridiculous. Guys like Duke’s Jason Williams and Illinois’ Dee Brown palm the ball every time they dribble, often deceiving a defender by putting the hand under the ball and changing its direction, a direct violation of the rules. The refs never call this, and as long as they keep that uniform, I guess I really don’t have a huge problem with it. But don’t’ whistle two teammates in one game for doing something that, while technically illegal, everybody does. The carries by Chris Paul and Taron Downey were ordinary, run-of-the-mill dribbles that you’ll see 20 times in any given game, yet for some reason they got called on them. Ridiculous.
  

- I was watching an episode of Three's Company earlier today and, in the episode, Jack told some girl he met at the Regal Beagle that he owned his own restaurant, in an attempt to pick her up. Well, needless to say, it worked (although, knowing Jack Tripper, he probably didn't even need to tell fibs to pick up the ladies. He was like a 1970's version of The Wolfman - a guy who once got a girl whilst dressed as Alex P. Keaton and also picked Southern Illinois to make it to the Elite Eight last year - but I digress).
Anyway, as you can probably imagine, Jack's lie backfired when the girl surprised him by coming into the restaurant. J. Trip needed to get the real owner out of the building so he devised a plan: Jack called the owner from a pay-phone and told him there was an emergency at another restaurant and he needed to come immediately. The owner left, Jack's lady never found out he was just a chef and all was good going into the second commercial. I can only assume the lie came crumbling down around Jack in the third scene though.
Anyways, do you think I could use similar tactics to trick Skip Prosser into leaving Winston-Salem forever?

- I’m still too disappointed to write anything about any of the other games. I’ll take care of that tomorrow, as well as enlightening the world with my thoughts on Chris Paul's future, the sheer awesomeness of Spring Break Shark Attack and even more ruminations on the worthlessness of Skip Prosser. I wish he had been in that shark attack movie.

NCAA Tournament: Day One Recap

Midwest Region (Chicago)
#12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 83 - #5 Alabama 73
Everyone knows that a #12 seed beats a #5 in nearly every single NCAA Tournament, but few people ever ask why that is.
I think it boils down to the fact that #12 seeds are usually awarded to the best teams from the one-bid conferences (which Wisconsin-Milwaukee is) and most #5 seeds are underachieving schools from a major conference.
This isn’t always true, of course. Sometimes #12 seeds are the last at-large teams (as George Washington is) and many times #5 seeds are given to good, underrated schools that finished a little ways back in their conference (like Villanova).
But take a look at the other two #5 seeds, Georgia Tech and Michigan State. Both teams were supposed to be much better (each was ranked in top 10 at the beginning of the season), but had mediocre records in their major conferences. They were each given a #5 seed, which could be considered a bit high.
Michigan State is set to face CAA Champion Old Dominion today and could suffer the same fate as Alabama.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee will give Boston College a good game tomorrow and could find themselves playing Illinois in Chicago late next week.

#4 Boston College 85 – #13 Pennsylvania 65
Right now I can’t remember if I saw any part of this game, even though I must have seen a few peeks during those live look-ins.
Back in the day I used to go to the NCAA Tournament every year with my Godfather and except for one year at the MCI Center, there would always be one game of the four that was so boring it could have made women’s basketball look exciting. I’m guessing the BC-Penn game was that game in the Cleveland pod.
(That session at the MCI Center was back in 1998 and each of the four games was an intense affair.
Washington, as an #11 seed, hit a buzzer beater to upset Xavier in the early game. Next, giant-killer Richmond did it again, this time in a #14/#3 game over South Carolina. If my memory serves me correctly, it was a back-and-forth game in the second half until Richmond went ahead late. South Carolina made a furious comeback, but missed the go-ahead shot at the buzzer to give the Spiders another notch on their upset belt.
The first contest of the evening session pitted Bobby Knight’s Indiana team against Kelvin Sampson and Oklahoma. The game went to overtime, where the Hoosiers prevailed in what was Bobby Knight’s last NCAA Tournament victory until yesterday.
The nightcap figured to be a laugher, as #2 Connecticut took the court against #15 Fairleigh-Dickinson. But, just like last night, FDU kept it close with the big-boys, and actually had the lead late in the game against Uconn, thanks to an unconscious night by senior Elijah Allen, who finished the night with a Tournament-high 43 points.
I’ll never forget that name or that day – Billy Packer said it was the best first-round Tournament session in history, and even though I haven’t seen them all, it would be tough to imagine anything topping that day in D.C.)
The Ivy League has had disappointing results since Princeton knocked off UCLA in 1996. I’m not expecting Penn and Princeton to go to the Sweet 16 every year, but a win every three or four years wouldn’t kill those guys, would it?

#9 Nevada 61 - #8 Texas 57
I’m glad I was able to catch the second half of the Texas game, because I finally discovered that Jason Klotz and Brad Buckman were not the same exact person. Seriously, what are the odds that two, tall, blond guys will play on the front court of the same basketball team?

#3 Arizona 66 - #14 Utah State 53
Utah State should have flown Utah’s Andrew Bogut out to Boise to play with their team. People, of course, would have noticed Bogut, but most wouldn’t have questioned his being on the team for fear of sounding ignorant about the “it” player of the moment.
And everybody who knows that Bogut plays for Utah and not Utah State would have been confused for a minute at the sight of Bogut in an Aggies uniform, but would have eventually decided that Utah and Utah State are probably the same thing anyways.

#1 Illinois 67 – #16 Fairleigh-Dickinson 55
Whoever said there are no such things as moral victories never watched an NCAA Tournament game.
Obviously Fairleigh-Dickinson was disappointed they didn’t become the first #16 seed ever to win an NCAA Tournament game, but the pride they felt in hanging in there for 30 minutes with the best basketball team in the country was evident on the faces of each and every Knight player and coach as they walked off the floor.
Who ever thought that FDU would be down by only one to Illinois at the half? And even then, who thought the final deficit would be only a dozen? I talked to my cousin George (in Worcester, MA producing first and second round games for Westwood One) at halftime and we figured Illinois would win the game by 22.
But FDU didn’t let the Fighting Illini run away with the game and ended up losing by less points to Illinois than other Tournament teams like Minnesota (23), Cincinnati (22), Wake Forest (18), Gonzaga (17) and Michigan State (13).

#11 UAB 82 - #6 LSU 68
Not bad for a team that’s lost to Richmond, USC, Tulane, Texas Christian and East Carolina.
Looks like they proved my “no consecutive Cinderella” rule wrong. It’s a good thing I didn’t include that bogus maxim on my Bracket Tips. It was in a trial period during this Tournament, but with the Blazers win I’ve had to abandon the study prematurely and will announce my findings immediately, right here, right now. They are as follows: Never listen to me.

West Region (Albuquerque)
#8 Pacific 79 - #9 Pittsburgh 71
After sprinting to an early lead, Pacific practically begged Pitt to get back in the game. But, thanks to some of the dumbest play I’ve seen all season, the Panthers never got to within fewer than five and lost a game that nearly everybody expected them to. (I picked Pacific yesterday here on the blog as well as in five of the pools that I’m in, but in the one that I run with my college buddies I accidentally picked Pitt instead of Pacific. This is why I’m still unemployed.)
Pitt was throwing balls away, going for alley-oops when simple lay-ups would have sufficed and kept fouling David Doubley, Pacific’s 90% free throw shooter, late in the game.
The Panthers were rated highly in the preseason by most polls and publications - Sports Illustrated had them at #13, while the Coaches poll put Pitt at #17. But here on Chris’s Sports Blog the Panthers didn’t crack my preseason Top 25, much to the chagrin of a longtime reader who graduated from Pitt. I was never sold on Chris Taft as a pro prospect, and coach Jamie Dixon looks more like a mailman than a big-time college basketball coach.
Pacific will give Washington trouble in the second round. They play a very deliberate style of basketball and aren’t afraid to wait for good looks, which is why they rank in the top nationally in field goal percentage.

#1 Washington 88 - #16 Montana 77
"Being a No. 1 team is hard because you're thinking about it the whole game."
- Washington Huskies guard Brandon Roy (Jr.) after his team’s win over Montana
It’s a good thing Ashley Judd isn’t a Huskies fan, or else Brandon Roy’s head might explode when he’s bringing the ball up the court.
If Roy is actually thinking about being a #1 seed while he’s out on the court, Washington’s team can start making dinner plans for next weekend. If not, then the quote is just remarkably stupid, but it could explain why the Huskies struggled with Montana.
After bursting out of the gate to take a 13-0 lead in the first 3:01, Washington was outscored 77-75 by the Grizzlies over the last 37 minutes of the game. And unlike Illinois and Wake, top teams that struggled because of poor play, Washington didn’t play all that badly.
Montana forced the Huskies into taking bad shots and making uncharacteristic turnovers.
The Huskies will have their hands full with Pacific on Saturday and could be the first #1 seed to be knocked off this year.

#2 Wake Forest 70 - #15 Chattanooga 54
With 13:43 left in the game, Chattanooga held a 38-35 lead on the Demon Deacons. But, following a Chris Paul three, Wake outscored the Mocs 35-16 to close out yet another trying first round game under Skip Prosser.
Back in 2003 when the Deacs were a #2 seed (thanks to their ACC Regular Season Championship) they were taken to the wire by Tim Smith and East Tennessee State.
Last year Wake was down to Jeff Capel’s Virginia Commonwealth squad for the entire second half and needed some late-game heroics by freshman Chris Paul to sneak out with a victory.
Wake’s early round struggles can be blamed on their coaching staff, namely the aforementioned Mr. Prosser.
The Deacs seemed totally disinterested in playing last night. I mean, I know that Eric Williams is tired from promoting his new rap album, The Massacre, but five field goal attempts? Come on! Justin Gray took that many by the first TV timeout.
And for all Wake's first round troubles, they haven't fared too much better in the second round under Prosser. They lost to Oregon in 2002, Auburn in 2003 and struggled last year with Manhattan.
West Virginia needs to be hot in order to beat the Deacs, but with Wake’s defense and recent offensive woes, don’t be shocked by yet another Demon Deacon early exit.

#3 Gonzaga 74 - #14 Winthrop 64
The Eagles hung tough with Gonzaga for 58 minutes, but some poor free throw shooting, unfavorable whistles from the officials and timely three pointer’s by Gonzaga sealed their fate.
Winthrop’s defense was as good as advertised, but the Eagles just couldn’t hold on for long enough against more bigger, more talented Zags team.

#7 West Virginia 63 - #10 Creighton 61
It’s tough to get mad at a white guy named Nate Funk, particularly when he had 23 points and was the only reason Creighton was in the game. But his ill-conceived three point attempt late in the game, that led to the block, steal and dunk which sent the Blue Jays packing, was pretty awful.
This is the last time I ever pick Creighton in an NCAA Tournament. They seem to screw me ever year. Why do I keep crawling back? They can’t even beat the Devil Rays!

#6 Texas Tech 78 - #11 UCLA 66
Mike Krzyzewski had won 22 NCAA Tournament games between Bobby Knight victories.

South Region
#2 Kentucky 72 - #15 Eastern Kentucky 64
You can’t read too much into first round results. Many great teams have struggled with lesser opponents on the tournament’s opening days and then turned around and advanced to the Final Four.
The 2001 Maryland team, in particular, comes to mind. They should have lost to George Mason in the first round that year thanks to Mason’s 30-year old star, Gulf War vet George Evans. But the Terps held on, and then advanced to the National Semi-Finals where a phantom 4th foul call on Terrence Morris two minutes into the second half sealed the team’s fate.
Kansas also has historically struggled during first round games (Holy Cross, anyone?) in tournament’s where they make a run.
That being said, if you picked Kentucky to go very far in your brackets, I wouldn’t be feeling to comfortable with that pick right about now.
The Wildcats won this game because they were able to exploit Eastern Kentucky’s weakness in the middle. Big men Kelenna Azubuike and Chuck Hayes combined for 32 points and dominated EKU’s frontline players who spent much of the contest in foul trouble.
Patrick Sparks and Rajon Rondo were held in check by the Colonels’ guards (Sparks put up a bagel) and that doesn’t bode well for next round when those two will have to carry the team against a more talented Cincinnati team. But, they are playing Cincinnati, which is like getting spotted eight points at the beginning of the game, thanks to the wizardry of Bob Huggins.
Travis Ford did a good job on Eastern Kentucky’s sideline, in what will likely be his final game at the school. It’s tough to imagine Ford’s name not being mentioned for every coaching vacancy at a mid-major (maybe he can take over for Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Bruce Pearl, who will no doubt get a big-time job this off-season).

#3 Oklahoma 84 - #14 Niagra 67
OK, how awesome does that TV movie Spring Break Shark Attack look? It really could have used Meredith Baxter-Birney playing the role of a concerned mother, but that casting faux-pas aside, the combination of skin, cheesy special effects, more skin, the prospect of seeing the preview about 153 more times from now until it’s on and the fact that Desperate Housewives isn’t on again makes SBSA appointment viewing this Sunday.
But even if Spring Break Shark Attack takes its spot next to I Know My First Name is Steven and anything starring Judith Light in the pantheon of made-for-TV movies, the telepic still won’t be half as awesome as Calvin Murphy’s purple suit.

#7 Cincinnati 76 - #10 Iowa 64
Bob Huggins celebrated the victory by drinking and singing “The Alphabet Song” at a karaoke bar.

#6 Utah 60 - #11 UTEP 54
With 4:00 to go in this game, I was feeling pretttty darn good about predicting Utah to go to the Elite Eight. They had just blown a 13 point lead and Andrew Bogut was the only one on the team doing anything offensively, even though UTEP was doing a fairly good job of keeping him in check.
I knew I was in deep trouble with the Utah pick when The Wolfman told me he had the Utes going that far too. The Wolfman, you’ll remember, is the same guy who had Southern Illinois in the Regional Finals last year.

Predictions: 13-3