[Guest post by DRJ]
Butler over Kansas State 63-56.
West Virginia beat Kentucky 73-66.
Tennessee plays Michigan State at 2:20 PM EST. [EDIT: Michigan State won 70-69.]
Baylor takes on Duke at 5:05 PM EST. [EDIT: Duke won 78-71.]
— DRJ
UPDATE 3/28/2010: The Final Four will be Butler-Michigan State and West Virginia-Duke.
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The Bluegrass state is blue. I didn’t see the game, but my dad tells me WV had a ridiculously high 3pt shot percentage.
Maybe John Wall will be disappopinted enough to return…we can dream anyway.
So Duke is the only top seed remaining. Might as well chear for Butler, or stick with Big 10 Michigan State.
MD in Philly (59a3ad) — 3/27/2010 @ 9:29 pmwow. I thought these were the latest Congress critter votes.
Vermont Neighbor (0e568c) — 3/27/2010 @ 9:37 pmCongrats, Butler !!!
We were discussing the economic impact on Indy of having Butler be in the Final 4 at dinner tonight. That is a lot of hotel rooms, plane tickets, rental cars, and less trips to restaurants and bars than there would have been had a non-local team made it. But, it is well worth it. Butler does it the right way.
JD (40bcab) — 3/27/2010 @ 10:09 pmIf you are going to do a post on the NCAA tournament, you can’t leave out the most important information all Americans want to know:
How Is Obama doing with his brackets. Remember last year when he was this multi-talented savant because he went chalk and picked all four number one seeds to make the final four?
Has America lost influence around the world because other countries know Obama doesn’t really know jack?
MU789 (bfc2e9) — 3/28/2010 @ 6:32 amI bleed UK blue. 🙁
The University of Kentucky alumnus Dana (474dfc) — 3/28/2010 @ 6:38 amCalipari just hasn’t had time to work his NCAA recruiting/eithics violation magic at Lexington yet. Wait ’till next year (and then wait ’till two years after that, when Kentucky gets stripped of its 2011 tournament results, just like UMass and Memphis before them).
John (d4490d) — 3/28/2010 @ 7:53 amMemphis lost the championship because they weren’t close to Kansas in free throw %.
UK lost because they weren’t close to WV in free throw %.
Memphis shot less than 30% 3 pt fg against Kansas and KU shot less than 13% against WV.
3 points shots are one thing – sometimes shooters get in a groove and can’t miss and sometimes the rim seems to shrink. Shooters go hot and cold.
But free throws are something that will kill a team sooner or later. When you miss the front end of 1 and 1 you cost your team a lot of points.
Does Calipari know how important free throws are?
MU789 (bfc2e9) — 3/28/2010 @ 8:37 amWell John,
I can tell you are a Calipari and UK fan.
Personally, I think I remember that Calipari was the one who took World B. Free by the throat at a practice years ago, correct? I thought that was going too far, even if W.B. deserved it.
As far as recruiting, I don’t think he had a problem with that, or somebody didn’t have a problem with that. The problem I guess is keeping a flow of top talent that wants one year and then the pros or not quite top who is willing to not be “the man”- like Bledsoe. But Wall is a great point guard who knows there is no “i” in team, just as happy dishing 10 assists than score 20 points, at least that’s what seemed to me.
Yes, I think everybody knows that free throws can kill you.
Time to look to the frozen four with the Badgers taking to the ice.
“…give the Badgers their first Frozen Four appearance since winning the national title in 2006.”
MD in Philly (59a3ad) — 3/28/2010 @ 9:47 amIt must be hard to be a sports writer and write things, or be expected to write things, like “the first time in 4 years since that has happened”. No wonder we have no historical perspective.
when all is said and done with “March Madness” we are still only talking about tree hockey….
who cares?
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 3/28/2010 @ 10:47 amMichigan State beat Tennessee 70-69 and Baylor leads Duke 35-32 at the half.
That shows what I know about basketball because Butler, West Virginia, and Michigan State would not have been my pre-tournament picks.
DRJ (daa62a) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:08 pmIzzo has been nothing short of brilliant, DRJ, taking a team that just lost its best player to yet another Final 4. Baylor looked ready to fold early, but good ole Indiana kid, Coach Drew, got them to settle down and now it is a game.
JD (df3a77) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:12 pmI like Coach Drew.
DRJ (daa62a) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:26 pm…Butler, West Virginia, and Michigan State would not have been my pre-tournament picks.
Comment by DRJ — 3/28/2010
I think several million people registered in some ESPN on-line exercise, and 48% were blown away when Kansas alone lost.
I would be very, very surprised if anybody has those three teams in the final four, unless the chimpanzees chose by luck or there is a family who has alumni from those three schools.
MU789 – Three things:
1. I take it you don’t like Calipari, either.
2. Who is KU? Did WV play Kansas earlier?
3. The AP article I read today seems to go with the desparity in 3-point shooting more than the free throws.
4/32 or so on 3-pointers? I know that they say great shooters should keep shooting because they will find their range eventually- might have worked if they got into 2nd OT. Of course, that’s the kind of judgement call that is much easier to make in retrospect than in real time.
MD in Philly (59a3ad) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:42 pmAny Patterico regulars going to Detroit for the Frozen Four? My brother-in-law, also a Badger alum, is having me up for it.
MD in Philly (59a3ad) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:44 pmWould lurv to go to the Frozen 4, but work is in the way. That is on my bucket list.
JD (241e9b) — 3/28/2010 @ 4:10 pmI’ve updated the post with the final Final Four. Congrats to those players, schools and their fans.
DRJ (daa62a) — 3/28/2010 @ 4:26 pmMD
2. Who is KU? Did WV play Kansas earlier?
Mempis played Kansas in 2008 for the championship when Calipari coached Memphis. Needless to say I died watching Memphis choke up the lead on a last second shot by Kansas before losing in OT.
Those Tigers were notorious for their poor foul shooting that season and while they weren’t terrible that game (63%) Kansas shot 93%. You don’t have to be John Wooden to figure out you’ve got to take advantage of your free throws. And remembering how long we had to work on our free throw shooting in HS I have to believe it is not a priority for Calipari.
MU789 (bfc2e9) — 3/28/2010 @ 4:43 pmHow Is Obama doing with his brackets. Remember last year when he was this multi-talented savant because he went chalk and picked all four number one seeds to make the final four?
Comment by MU789 — 3/28/2010 @ 6:32 am
ESPN reported late last night that Obama’s bracket was completely blown up (he had Kansas, Kentucky, Villanova and K-State) and that he finished in the 76th percentile, down from the 81st a year ago.
Matador (176445) — 3/28/2010 @ 5:13 pmMU789-
As you know, any Kentucly fan can sympathize with the famous “last second shot”.
Memphis shot less than 30% 3 pt fg against Kansas and KU shot less than 13% against WV
I was being snarky, as I assume here you meant Kentucky, which is UK, not KU
We will agree that not making foul shots can kill a team, as will missing 3’s when you depend on them, or your opponent hitting 3’s at over 50% or whatever.
I must say, once Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Temple are out of the tournament I don’t pay that much attention anymore as to who wins it.
MD in Philly (59a3ad) — 3/28/2010 @ 5:20 pm