Historic Day For The Final Four
History has been made. Never before have two number five seeds advanced to the Elite Eight in the same tournament. Never before have the Butler Bulldogs advanced to the Final Four. West Virginia went to the Final Four in 1959, but that hardly qualifies in the modern sense of what we consider the Final Four. For the first time since UCLA did it in the early 70’s, a team will play in its home city for a chance at the NCAA championship.
Even more history awaits tomorrow. Baylor’s last trip to the Final Four is even more ancient than West Virginia’s, and as far as I know, Tennessee have never once advanced past the Sweet Sixteen, even before the tournament was expanded to sixteen teams. On the other hand, if Michigan State advances to the Final Four, it will be the first time ever (at least in the modern era) that two five seeds have advanced to the national semi-finals. This tournament, folks, has been one for the ages.
Scategoria
One significant Scategories bonus has already been handed out to those who picked Butler for the Final Four with an original pick. Interestingly, no matter who wins the Michigan State-Tennessee game, someone will receive a Scategories bonus for that game as well. That means the standings are in for a sizeable shake-up tomorrow as well. Check the reports to see if you are one of the qualifiers.
Defense Wins Championships
I’ve heard that applied to just about every sport for as long as I can remember. While I am not sure it can universally applied, I’m quite sure Butler’s defense covered a multitude of sins today, including periods of sloppy play, too many turnovers, and foul trouble. Regardless, let no one say that Butler got lucky. They made it to the Final Four by beating both the #1 and #2 seeds in their region. This team is authentically good, good enough to win it all. They are only two games away from doing just that, in their own hometown, no less.
U Kan’t Win Shooting Like That
With less than a minute to play, Kentucky still had a conceivable shot at winning the game. The point of basketball, though, is to put the ball in the basket, oddly enough – something Kentucky couldn’t seem to do with any consistency. I’m sure you heard Dick Enberg recite the statistics repeatedly: 2 for 25 from 3-point range and 13 missed free throws. West Virginia, on the other hand, scored 30 points from 3-point range…in the first half. Perhaps Bob Huggins will finally break the curse and win a national championship this year, something he could not accomplish while at Cincinnati.
As a side note, did anyone besides me notice how much Jay Biased seemed to be in Kentucky’s corner in this game? Duke blue must be awfully close to Kentucky blue, I guess. I lost count of how many times he insisted, "Kentucky is not out of this game" in the last four minutes.
A Quick Look At The Standings
I’m not distributing any awards this evening (no crying, please), but I would like to acknowledge that we have a new contest leader, miss Christina Klinker. Christina vaulted into first on the strength of her Butler pick. I am not sure she can hold that top spot tomorrow, however, since she had Ohio State picked for the Midwest region champion.
With that, I sign off for tonight. Look for the Final Four awards sometime tomorrow evening.