March 12, 2034
Louisville, who beat Georgetown in the Big East tournament championship, is awarded the top seed in the NCAA East Region. The other one seeds are Stanford, Florida, and Kentucky.
We're seeded second in the South Region, the one that includes
Ezra Love's Kentucky team.
March 17, 2034
NCAA South Region
(2) #3 Villanova 88, Liberty 74
The first half is freewheeling, with the teams combining to score 100 points. The second half is grinding, and we manage to do enough to win...despite missing a slew of three-pointers (9-for-29).
Reed Weisberg leads a group of five Wildcats in double figures with 18 points. Reserve
Noah Gardner is among them, tossing in 10 in 17 minutes of court time.
Zach Cohen supplements his 14 points with 6 rebounds and 6 blocks. The Player of the Game is
Mason Reynolds, author of a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Duke beats Tennessee in a 100-99 classic, so we'll face the Blue Devils next.
Record: 29-5.
March 19, 2034
NCAA South Region, Second Round
(2) #3 Villanova 96, (7) Duke 70
We have less trouble with our ACC opponent than we did with a feisty mid-major. Interestingly enough, we and the Blue Devils combine for exactly 100 points, too, but we have 62 of them.
Reed Weisberg knocks down 6 of his 11 three-point shots, all 5 of his two-pointers, and a pair of free throws. That gives him 30 points.
Zach Cohen scores 11 points and grabs 14 rebounds, but he doesn't block a single one of the 66 shots Duke players take. That's odd.
Ernest Adcock (13p/5a/4r),
Chris Woolstenhulme (12p/4r),
Mason Reynolds (8p/7r/6a), and
Noah Gardner (11p/4a) each do their part to help us advance to the Sweet Sixteen and give Graham Sims another 30-victory season.
Record: 30-5.
March 23, 2034
NCAA South Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(2) #3 Villanova 74, (3) #11 Southern California 56
Joseph Renshaw has huge shoes to fill: those of the magisterial
Kenneth Burroughs, who led the Trojans to 605 victories before retiring last May. Taking a team to the Sweet Sixteen is a good start, but we prevent him from going farther with an especially tough defensive effort.
For twenty minutes, the Trojans match us, stop for stop, and we take a 29-27 lead to the break. Then
Savion Wells begins to assert himself in the post. He scores 12 of his 14 points in the second half, making all 6 of the shots he takes despite the efforts of
John Wood, one of the nation's toughest interior defenders.
Zach Cohen pulls down 10 rebounds and blocks 3 shots.
Reed Weisberg posts a double-double, with 17 points and 10 boards. And
Mason Reynolds does more than a little of everything: 9 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals...and only 1 turnover.
Record: 31-5.
March 25, 2034
NCAA South Region Final: the Elite Eight
Code:
(1) #1 Kentucky 95, (2) #3 Villanova 87
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Villanova (31-6, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zach Cohen C 30 3-7 1-1 3 6 3 4 7
Savion Wells PF 25 3-10 3-4 2 3 2 3 9
Mason Reynolds SF 28 4-7 2-2 1 4 5 3 13
Reed Weisberg SG 33 7-10 7-7 0 4 3 2 27
Ernest Adcock PG 32 3-8 3-4 3 6 4 2 10
C. Woolstenhulme PF 25 3-9 2-2 2 5 0 4 9
Connor Baxter PG 4 0-0 1-2 0 0 1 0 1
Noah Gardner SG 13 3-8 2-3 1 2 1 1 9
Kyle Gribble PF 8 1-4 0-0 1 3 0 1 2
Charles Peterman SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Chris Ramos C 1 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 0 0
Turnovers: 16 (Z.Cohen 3, S.Wells 3, M.Reynolds 2,
R.Weisberg 1, E.Adcock 4, C.Woolstenhulme 3)
Blocked Shots: 2 (Z.Cohen 1, S.Wells 1)
Steals: 9 (Z.Cohen 1, M.Reynolds 3, R.Weisberg 1,
E.Adcock 3, C.Baxter 1)
3P FGs: 12-28 (S.Wells 0-1, M.Reynolds 3-5, R.Weisberg
6-9, E.Adcock 1-4, C.Woolstenhulme 1-2, N.Gardner 1-6,
K.Gribble 0-1)
Kentucky (34-3, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ezra Love C 28 3-4 0-0 5 10 1 1 6
Frank Stanger PF 16 1-4 0-0 0 1 0 4 2
Jack Clary SF 31 10-13 4-7 1 10 2 4 28
Daryl Babcock SG 26 6-12 0-0 1 3 2 4 15
Joaquin Kimura PG 31 6-10 2-3 1 3 11 2 17
Rudy Ober PF 27 4-6 1-2 2 4 2 2 10
Sammy Jamerson PG 15 1-4 0-0 0 3 0 2 3
Ronald Gifford SG 9 2-3 3-4 0 0 1 1 8
Larry Murray C 14 1-3 4-7 1 2 1 1 6
Jason Lefler C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Robert Thorne PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Turnovers: 17 (E.Love 2, F.Stanger 4, J.Clary 4,
D.Babcock 2, J.Kimura 3, R.Ober 1, S.Jamerson 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (E.Love 2, R.Ober 2)
Steals: 5 (E.Love 1, F.Stanger 1, D.Babcock 1, J.Kimura
1, R.Ober 1)
3P FGs: 13-28 (J.Clary 4-5, D.Babcock 3-9, J.Kimura
3-6, R.Ober 1-3, S.Jamerson 1-4, R.Gifford 1-1)
Player of Game: SF Jack Clary (KY)
When I saw the NCAA tournament brackets, I was both excited and dismayed about the fact Villanova's road to the Final Four went through Kentucky. I thought another matchup with
Ezra Love, before he almost certainly turns pro, might be fun. I also thought it would probably end Villanova's season.
This feels like Kentucky's year. They maintain a lead of six to ten points throughout the game. We're never out of it, but we're never truly in it, either.
Graham Sims shares quiet moments with each of his seniors as he substitutes for them in the game's closing minutes. Each of them, from walk-ons to players who started over a hundred games, have contributed to the program in their own ways.
Another player who has likely played his final collegiate game,
Zach Cohen, battles with his opposite number,
Ezra Love. Both men acquit themselves well.
Kentucky next faces another Big East foe: West Virginia, one of two 10 seeds to reach the Final Four. Boston College faces the other, UNLV.
Record: 31-6.