LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Some randomness, re: Thursday night’s NCAA Tournament semifinals in Atlanta and Los Angeles:
*Twelve programs remain in the NCAA Tournament and none of them are even remotely considered to be based in the “West”.
With Nevada getting bounced by Loyola of Chicago in Atlanta and Gonzaga toppled by Florida State in Los Angeles Thursday, the best from the Mountain West (the Wolf Pack won the regular season) and West Coast Conference have now taken their last NCAA-funded charter flights for the season.
As a reminder, the Pacific 12 Conference’s three NCAA tourney reps were bounced on consecutive nights last week: UCLA (by Saint Bonaventure) on Tuesday and Arizona State (by Syracuse) on Wednesday in their respective “First Four” contests and regular season- and conference tournament-champion Arizona was stunned in the Round of 64 by Buffalo on Thursday.
All that is left of the “west” in post-season, Division I-level play is the University of Utes, who recorded an impressive victory at Saint Mary’s in National Invitation Tournament quarterfinal Wednesday night to earn a trip to New York City and a Tuesday night semifinal against Western Kentucky in Madison Square Garden.
In hindsight, 2017-18 will be a season that the collective Pac 12 Conference will not fondly recall.
*For those who don’t recall, the University of Illinois came oh-so-close to knocking off North Carolina during the 2005 NCAA championship game in St. Louis.
I was of the opinion at the time that Illini Coach Bruce Weber that didn’t get nearly the credit he deserved for the job he did with the squad – largely because the bulk of the players were recruited by the program’s former coach (and now Kansas honcho) Bill Self.
If you’ve watched what Weber has done with his current Kansas State program – most notably in the Wildcats’ 61-58 victory over Kentucky Thursday night in Atlanta – any doubts about the caliber of coach Weber should be dashed forever.
*The Kentucky loss – the Wildcats’ 11th of the season – was just more evidence for those who believe that this John Calipari freshman class wasn’t nearly as formidable as most of the others who’ve come to Lexington since he’s been there.
And, when I say “not nearly as formidable”, yes, I mean “it was overrated”.
*How in the heck did a team as physically gifted as the one Florida State puts on the floor finish eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference?
The Seminoles finished behind four teams (top-ranked Virginia, Miami, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech) that were beaten in the first round, and another (North Carolina) toppled in the second round.
Of course, Syracuse – which (at 8-10) finished a game behind the Seminoles in the standings – is still playing, as well, taking on Duke Friday night in Omaha.
*The Michigan Wolverines, with their dismantling of Texas A&M Thursday night in the Staples Center, looked a whole lot like a team capable of cutting down nets on the night of April 2 in San Antonio.
And just think:
If not for that second-round, buzzer-beating stunning 3-point by freshman Jordan Poole, they would have been bounced in the second round by Houston last week.
Tyus Edney’s second-round, buzzer-beating drive and layup in the West Regional in Boise 23 years ago comes to mind.
And remember, it was Edney and his UCLA teammates who went on to the national title in 1995 after “surviving and advancing” with Edney’s shot against Missouri.
*Props to Loyola of Chicago for its remarkable run to the Southern Regional Saturday night in Atlanta.
It provides another basis for “mid-major”-type program and players to dream that they, too, can go deep into NCAA tournaments, even when having to make their runs against much-higher seeds from “power conferences”.
And, in the Loyola-Kansas State clash, it’s also a testament to not needing lineups dotted with McDonald’s All-Americans and other “pros” to go deep into tournaments.
Leave a Reply