USC In NCAA 53- A real life MP dynasty

[muns]

Readers,

The unveiling of the 1956-57 NCAA and NIT brackets were done over NBC Radio this evening.

You may find the show at your local listing here http://www.spreaker.com/user/8207885...urnaments-show

This is a strict unveiling. Any analysis of the tournament, both selections and the tournament itself, will be this weekend.

Regards,
NBR

[muns]

20-20 Hindsight: Conference Champions Retrospective

At the mid-point of the season, we set out grades for all of the conferences and predicted the races in each. So how did we do? Pretty well, but not perfectly. Here's where we got it wrong:

ACC -- Along with most others, we had North Carolina State here but it was their in-state rivals who took both the regular-season and tournament championships. We must congratulate the Tar Heels here.

PCC -- We had Oregon. California ended up winning it at the end with a 12-4 mark, while the Ducks were 8-8 for 5th place. It was certainly a highly competitive conference, but Oregon disappointed in the season's second half and we're not particularly proud of missing the call on the best two leagues in the country.

SWC -- We went with Southern Methodist, while Arkanas ended up just beating them out. Given that they played one of the great classic games this year and it was only a game between them, we don't have many qualms about owning this pick. It really could have gone either way.

That's it. Three missed calls, so we ended up right on 14 out of 17. Some of those of course were obvious to most people. Others were much closer than we thought, like St. John's winning a three-way tie in the Metro, or as similar deadlock with Connecticut in the Yankee, but in the end we backed the right horse. Overall, I think it's fair to say that's a pretty good track record inan unpredictable game, but Orregon really sticks out like a sore thumb. We really thought they'd do better in arguably as tough a conference as their is, having them a fair bit ahead of the rest, but clearly we were proven wrong there. What did we see that wasn't really there? That's a tougher question to answer.

From the past, we move on to the present: our final rankings for the 1956-57 season.

Conferences

ACC(12.04)
PCC(11.37)
Big Ten(8.75)
Big 7(6.0)
SEC(2.35)
WCC(1.76)
MVC(-0.05)
Independents(-1.01)
Southern(-1.53)
SWC(-1.53)
MSAC(-3.13)
Ivy Group(-4.71)
WYN3(-5.53)
Metro NY(-6.56)
Yankee(-6.77)
MAC(-7.8)
BIAA(-9.97)
Ohio Valley(-10.25)

The joint supremacy of the ACC and PCC this year is highlighted well by the fact that only those two conferences had more than two NCAA bids this year. They had four and five respectively, with half of each conference going and you could still make an argument that they are actually under-represented. On the other end, the BIAA gave an impressive chase of the Ohio Valley, but did not quite catch them for the title of most inept conference this season.

Team Rankings(Final)

1. Kansas State(+36.3)
2. Indiana(+31.9)
3. Kansas(+28.3)
4. Bradley(+27.2)
5. West Virginia(+26.8)
6(t). North Carolina State(+24.6)
6(t). Kentucky(+24.6)
8. California(+23.1)
9. Washington(+22.1)
10. San Francisco(+21.1)
11. Seattle(+19.5)
12. North Carolina(+18.5)
13. UCLA(+18.4)
14. Southern California(+18.0)
15. Duke(+17.6)
16. Michigan State(+17.1)
17. Oregon(+16.5)
18. Virginia(+16.1)
19. Georgia Tech(+15.8)
20. Duquesne(+15.3)
21. Holy Cross(+15.0)
22. Southern Methodist(+14.7)
23. Dayton(+14.2)
24. Saint Joseph's(+13.9)
25. La Salle(+13.8)
26. Iowa(+12.9)
27. Notre Dame(+12.5)
28(t). Maryland(+12.4)
28(t). Oklahoma A&M(+12.4)
30. Clemson(+12.3)
31. Villanova(+11.6)
32. Mississippi State(+11.3)
33. Syracuse(+10.7)
34. Arkansas(+10.2)
35. Ohio State(+8.9)
36. Michigan(+8.8)
37. Illinois(+8.3)
38. Saint Mary's(+8.2)
39. St. John's(+7.8)
40. Idaho State(+7.6)
41. Georgetown(+6.7)
42. Stanford(+6.3)
43(t). Temple(+5.5)
43(t). Oregon State(+5.5)
45. Utah(+4.7)
46. Oklahoma City(+4.6)
47(t). Dartmouth(+4.5)
47(t). Niagara(+4.5)
49. Seton Hall(+4.3)
50. Connecticut(+4.2)
51. Santa Clara(+3.9)
52. Washington State(+3.8)
53. San Jose State(+3.5)
54. Colorado(+3.1)
55. Toledo(+2.9)
56. Wisconsin(+2.8)
57. Utah State Agricultural Col(+2.7)
58. Vanderbilt(+2.6)
59. Texas Western(+1.9)
60. Virginia Tech(+1.2)
61. Minnesota(+1.0)
62. Citadel(+1.0)
63. Penn State(+0.3)
64. Murray State(+0.2)
65. Siena(-0.1)
66. Georgia(-0.1)
67. Tulane(-0.2)
68. Pennsylvania(-0.3)
69. South Carolina(-0.4)
70(t). Northwestern(-0.5)
70(t). Baylor(-0.5)
72(t). Louisville(-0.7)
72(t). Columbia(-0.7)
74. Butler(-0.9)
75. Alabama(-1.0)
76. Colorado A&M(-1.3)
77(t). Iowa State(-1.7)
77(t). Denver(-1.7)
79. Brigham Young(-1.8)
80. Bowling Green State(-2.0)
81(t). Saint Louis(-2.4)
81(t). Texas Christian(-2.4)
83(t). Tulsa(-2.5)
83(t). Tennessee(-2.5)
83(t). George Washington(-2.5)
86(t). Marquette(-2.9)
86(t). Louisiana State(-2.9)
88. Cornell(-3.1)
89. Richmond(-3.2)
90(t). Colgate(-3.4)
90(t). Marshall(-3.4)
92(t). Municipal U of W(-3.5)
92(t). VMI(-3.5)
94(t). Purdue(-3.7)
94(t). Pittsburgh(-3.7)
96. DePaul(-3.8)
97. Iona(-4.0)
98(t). TX Technological Colle(-4.4)
98(t). Manhattan(-4.4)
100. Wake Forest(-4.8)
101(t). Boston College(-4.9)
101(t). Harvard(-4.9)
103. Alabama Polytechnic Insti(-5.0)
104(t). Montana(-5.1)
104(t). New Hampshire(-5.1)
104(t). U of Maine at Or(-5.1)
107. Arizona State(-5.2)
108. Miami(-5.6)
109. Cincinatti(-5.7)
110. Loyola-IL(-6.0)
111. Bucknell(-6.1)
112(t). Rutgers(-6.3)
112(t). Mercy Col of Detroit(-6.3)
114. Missouri(-6.4)
115. Xavier(-6.5)
116. Vermont(-6.6)
117(t). Lafayette(-7.1)
117(t). Drake(-7.1)
117(t). Florida(-7.1)
120. Mississippi(-7.3)
121. Loyola U of Los Angeles(-7.4)
122. Pepperdine(-7.9)
123. Princeton(-8.0)
124. Middle Tennessee(-8.2)
125. St. Bonaventure(-8.3)
126. Davidson(-8.4)
127. Memphis State(-8.5)
128(t). Portland(-8.6)
128(t). St. Francis-PA(-8.6)
130(t). Nebraska(-8.8)
130(t). Oklahoma(-8.8)
130(t). Yale(-8.8)
133. New York University(-8.9)
134. St. Francis-NY(-9.0)
135. Pacific(-9.1)
136. Gonzaga(-9.2)
137. Kent State(-9.6)
138. City Col of New York(-9.7)
139. Arizona(-10.0)
140(t). Lehigh(-10.3)
140(t). Wyoming(-10.3)
142(t). Loyola-LA(-10.6)
142(t). Texas(-10.6)
144(t). Brooklyn(-10.7)
144(t). Rice(-10.7)
146. Western Kentucky(-10.8)
147. Ohio(-10.9)
148. Fordham(-11.0)
149. Massachusetts(-11.1)
150(t). Idaho(-11.4)
150(t). Agricultural & Mechanic(-11.4)
152. Furman(-11.7)
153. New Mexico(-12.2)
154. Canisius(-12.8)
155. Tennessee Tech(-12.9)
156. Army(-13.0)
157. William & Mary(-13.5)
158. Morehead State(-13.6)
159. Hardin-Simmons(-13.8)
160. Muhlenburg(-14.0)
161. Florida State(-14.2)
162. Navy(-14.5)
163. Western Michigan(-14.8)
164. New Mexico A&M(-15.0)
165. Creighton(-15.5)
166. Eastern Kentucky State(-16.2)
167. Brown(-16.4)
168. Miami-Ohio(-16.8)
169. Rhode Island(-16.9)
170. West Texas State(-17.7)
171. Houston(-18.3)

[muns]

Grading the Committee

As we all know by now, at least this year the temptation to throw Indiana and K-State in the same region was avoided. At least that we can be thankful for, but this year's tournaments are certainly not without their errors.

NCAA Top-Half Seeds

#1s -- Kansas State, Indiana, Kansas, Washington

Three out of four isn't terrible. Until an unimpressive final month by the Jayhawks, the top three were pretty obvious all year long but again, the committee managed not to screw them up anyway. We do take issue with Washington at the fourth spot though; they should be a #2 at best. We'd have preferred Bradley there due to West Virginia's unexpected loss in the Southern tournament, but the Mountaineers still wouldn't have been a bad choice. Kentucky or N.C. State also would have been better options.

#2s -- California, San Francisco, Kentucky, North Carolina State

No question Kentucky and N.C. State deserve to be here, and we like Cali as well. Once again it's three out of four as San Franciso is overrated here, particularly with Bradley and West Virginia both still out there.

#3s -- Bradley, Southern California, UCLA, Seattle

Notably missing here are ACC champ North Carolina and, once again, West Virginia. We get that it was a bad loss to GW, and it wasn't their only bad loss of the season, but they were only the best offensive team in the country this year. It was against a pretty pedestrian schedule, but not a horrible one and we see the Mountaineers as the most disrespected team this season. Southern Cal and UCLA should have been dropped down a spot.

#4s -- Duke, Clemson, North Carolina, Duquesne

Still no WV, though we'll stop beating that horse. This is right where Duke should be, North Carolina is a bit underrated here, and while we'd rather see a couple others instead of Duquesne, it's arguable. But Clemson? They were a marginal NCAA team before their late-season nose-dive, which took them down to 30th overall in our rankings and should have relegated them to the NIT. How they get a 4-seed is truly beyond our capacity.

Why Are THEY Here?

Clemson has already been mentioned, and we find Oklahoma A&M to have a similar resume, although at least they had the good sense to give them a lower seed. But those are really the only two that we see in that don't deserve to be, and while there's a pretty clear case against them, it's not the kind of call that's completely off the reservation.

Biggest Snubs

We can't sign off before mentioning one more time that West Virginia as a 5-seed is a travesty. Right now an obvious game that we're looking at is their first-round matchup with Clemson, which should provide some immediate correcting of things.

It's also apparent the last couple of years that 13 is indeed an unlucky number. For the second year in a row, the team stuck on that number for their year-end RPI is frozen out. Last year it was Oregon; this year it's Virginia. We've had them as a solid NCAA team all season, and we repeat that opinion now. 17-13 is not a great record, but .500 in the toughest conference in the country, and overall a +3.5 net rating against the third-roughest schedule? Yeah, we see no good reason why the Cavaliers aren't dancing. Holy Cross is the other team with a bone to pick. It's not as big of one, but they are 10th in RPI and won 20 games against a Top-20 schedule. If not them, Southern Methodist would have been another good choice to have replaced Clemson and Oklahoma A&M in our view.

NIT

The teams in the 'pretty good' category that tend to make up the second-tier tournament are a lot closer packed together, usually leading to a competitive event with a lot of surprises. It can be a lot harder here to decide who is deserving and who isn't.

Having said that ...

** Georgetown as a #1 seed? A #3 would be generous.
** Harvard? Rutgers? Even Gonzaga? Please. Have them go play somebody and get back to us. Unlike Syracuse, who at least dominated weak opposition, they just managed to win more often than they didn't. Not even close to good enough, especially the Zags.
** We're not fond of Alabama Poly getting an invite either. Zero wins against NCAA teams, and only one against a solid NIT foe(Mississippi State, at home). Marquette we don't like either, though it's not as egregious.
** Iowa gets the other end of the stick, a team almost good enough for the Dance and they are a #4. Boo. And NCAA snub Southern Methodist is inexcusable as a #3. Even worse, one of the better teams in the field, Notre Dame, is stuck as an 8-seed. That's a travesty, pure and simple. What really takes the cake though is Virginia as a 7. Whoever made that call needs a lobotomy. It's an insult to make them a 7-seed in the NCAAs, never mind here.
** There are some others who probably shouldn't be here: Baylor, Denver, Columbia, but it's close enough that we can't get upset about them.
** In terms of snubs, it definitely seems that teams who struggled against tough conferences didn't get enough respect. Michigan and Stanford stand out, and to a lesser degree Washington State, Colorado, Utah State, Vanderbilt ... we have a tough time seeing how the Gonzagas, Rutgers, and Harvards of the world should get in ahead of them. Does anybody really think that latter group of teams is better?

Analytics vs. SelCom

Finally, as promised we will put ourselves on the line here. The following are the matchups that are set now that we take issue with the committee on. In each matchup, their higher-seeded team is listed our first, our 'underdog' is second.

1. Clemson vs. West Virginia

Clemson could win. They do have Elijah Davis, so they have a chance against almost anybody, and West Virginia has certainly shown themselves to be upset-vulnerable. Having said that, we've got the Mountaineers by probably about 10 points. It really doesn't look like even a close call to us.

2. Duquesne vs. Georgia Tech

This is the only other NCAA first-rounder that we take issue with, and it's a close call, but we like the Yellow Jackets by a nose. Their consistency was certainly on display during an SEC run that had them lose just one, at Kentucky.

3. Denver vs. Virginia Tech
4. Saint Joseph's vs. Virginia

It's absurd that this is a first-round NIT matchup, it could almost be an NCAA game. We're sticking with the Cavaliers.

5. Oregon State vs. Saint Mary's

So that's it. We have five disputed games in the opening rounds; we'll be back in a few days to report on how the first of them turned out.

[muns]

The PCC gets 4 teams in the NCAA this year, and it could have been 5.

Oregon State just couldn't get it together down the stretch to make it happen though. They won 2 of their last 7 games and 3 out of their last 12. They made the NIT however, so the beginning of the season carried some weight for them.

We got a 3 seed which is where I think we should be. I think we are a strong 3 seed actually, but time will tell on that one.

Washington got a 1 seed which it deserves and Cal got a 2 spot. Cal should go out in the 2nd round though. They are a paper champion and should get eaten alive in the post in the tourney.

Washingtons draw honestly sucks. They have Duquesne, Georgia Tech, Niagra, NC State, Seattle and St. Johns in that bracket. Holy Moly is that murderous row. I have no idea how that is going to shake out, but I wish Kirk all the luck going through that

We draw the 6 Seed Oklahoma A&M and as I look at their roster I see they lost their starting PG for the rest of the year. We should be able to run them off the floor and I hope for a 10+ win here.

As I look ahead something jumps right off the page though and has me SCREAMING I CANT WAIT FOR THE 2nd ROUND!!!!

[muns]

If we make it to the 2nd round we have a potential match up with San Francisco.

YES THAT San Francisco.

If anybody needs a recap on why I hate them, they came out of nowhere to land their Starting Center Vaughn Griffis over me at the very end of recruiting 3 years ago. If we had landed him, Southern Cal would be in a hell of a position right now as Vaughn averages 9.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He was ranked as the 35th best recruit in that years class, and would have been the foundation for USC'S growth.

Not only would that game give us the potential to shove that mistake of a choice in his face, but that exposure (if its a win) could help shove these CALI kids in USC'S direction. Especially, if CAL goes out in the 2nd round as well. The potential implications are here huge.

First thing is first though, we need to beat Oklahoma A&M

[muns]

Analytics vs. SelCom(NIT First Round)

Well, we didn't do so hot out of the gate here.


** Denver 82, Virginia Tech 74(OT)

We had this as nearly a pick-em and it pretty much was, but nonetheless we backed the wrong horse.

** Saint Joseph's 83, Virginia 69

This one really surprised us with how overwhelmed Virginia looked physically. Bad time for them to have an off night obviously, and both teams shot it well.

** Saint Mary's 80, Oregon State 69

This one we were right on; aside from Arthur Brodie(23 pts, 8-15), the 'favorites' couldn't buy a shot.


Current Score -- SelCom 2, Analytics 1

Hopefully we'll do better in most of the rounds to come. The teams we didn't think should be here pretty much all lost, most of them badly. The one big surprise of the NIT's opening games was Columbia. We figured them to probably lose against Seton Hall but to have a shot, but certainly didn't expect the Lions to blow them out 89-67! It will be interesting to see how they back up that performance.

NIT Second-Round Matchups

** Georgetown vs. Syracuse

This should be where the Hoyas get exposed as a poorly chosen 1-seed. Syracuse had an impressive win over an Iowa team that we like a lot more than Georgetown.

** Ohio State vs. Southern Methodist

Both won easily against teams that shouldn't have been in the NIT. We think SMU is almost four points better here.

That's it, just two more games in the next round. Aside from seeing what Columbia does, we're also interested in the Maryland-Mississippi State matchup which should be a heck of a game between two solid basketball teams.

[muns]

The National Basketball Report
1956-57 NCAA Tournament Preview

There are many storylines heading into this year’s NCAA Tournament. We have seen surprises, disappointments, amazing performances, and incredible games.

And now, we are down to the final 31 games.

The NCAA Tournament.

We will not hold the suspense any further. There is a lot to read.

West Region

1) Kansas State (28-1, Big 7 Champ) vs 8) Dartmouth (15-13, Ivy Champ)

Kansas State has a veteran team; they start five seniors and their first two players off the bench are juniors. They have depth and star power. The starting backcourt of David Gunter and Billy Jacob are finally professionally eligible, and they are viewed as the top two players in the upcoming class. Erich Walton, the team’s power forward, is fourth. Tommy Fritts, the team’s jack-of-all-trades small forward, is fifth. Joe Delrio, who gets no publicity whatsoever, is the ninth-best prospect in the junior class.

They do not play with the attitude one may anticipate with such expectation; they are royalty, but roll their sleeves on defense with the common peasant. Their top billing in opponent scoring exemplifies that. They simply dislike to be scored upon, and do what it takes to prevent that from happening. Most of the time, it is a combination of talent and hustle. In short, this is a top-flight team that plays like they are fighting for the last crumb at dinner. Their record over Kansas in the last four seasons, a two-time NCAA champion, is 8-2. Do you think they do not have pride?

Dartmouth, meanwhile, managed to pull themselves out of their Dartmouth-created hole with a pair of wins in the final week of the regular season. Their tie with Penn dissipated, and the Indians won the Ivy Group. They have a solid starting group, revolving around forwards Sonny Freeman (17.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Charlie Smith (16.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg). Both have scored over 1300 points in their careers, and both return next season.

We have two issues with the team: first, starting center Marin Dutries, the only designated center on the team, will miss the game with an injury. It is hard to beat Kansas State’s 6’8, 6’8, 6’9 front line with your only post player out. Second, the bench is barely Ivy Group muster. Playing the top ten of this roster, without one of your top five, is a miracle in hope.

It does require noting that this is not the first meeting between these two this season. Dartmouth traveled to K-State on 12.22, losing 73-65. Smith (18 points, 7 boards) and Freeman (13 pts, 11 reb) had little help, mainly from Les Cox (10 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast). Jacob (24-6-5) and Gunter (13-5-2) led Kansas State to the win.

Pick: Kansas State by 18. We think the Indians, behind their two stars in Smith and Freeman, will keep it close. But the Jayhawks, behind their overall depth and experience (three national semis, one title loss) will pull away.


4) Duke (22-9, At Large) vs 5) Oregon (21-9, At Large)

The Blue Devils are a mystery, quite honestly. They score at will at times, but decidedly do not like defense. They are an okay rebounding team, force turnovers and do not give up their own, shoot well, but let others do, too. In short, this team likes the up-tempo route for its games.

It will be hard to do that without three key players in their rotation. Oakley and Jackson will be out for the game. Griffin, who has started ten games at the point in Oakley’s absence, will be back, but may not be game-ready. Without their top two point guards, the team may have to turn to Lane McClary to run the offense; that is fine, as he averaged 5.1 assists a game as it is. But Charlie Rodriguez, a little-used redshirt freshman guard, may have to step into a bigger role. The Blue Devils are terribly light at guard without Griffin and Jackson. Assuming Griffin is at 75% for gametime is fine, but without Jackson, they’ll be severely hampered. Rodriguez is the man who has to step into that role, and thrive. Stefan Jordan (14.1 ppg), Jonathan Fleenor (13.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.5 apg) and McClary (12.3 ppg, 6.1 apg) can handle the bulk of the work. Rodriguez can play defense, find his spots, and produce when it works in the context of the offense. Or, he can splash onto the scene, and be Duke’s new star.

Oregon is almost a carbon copy of Duke. They love to score, don’t care if they’re scored upon, and do not turn it over as much. The two differences in their play is that Oregon rebounds better (+6 for Oregon), and they do not shoot free throws as well (-7%). In order for Oregon to have the best chance to win, they have to get Duke in foul trouble, and make them pay for those fouls. The way to do that is to hit their free throws. Duke’s weakened rotation could not handle any major foul trouble. Feeding Kenny Foster, the 7’0, 250-pound ox of a man in the middle, and having their little guys round around him, it will create a sucking of the wind by Duke’s players on defense, but also trouble trying to guard Foster. Physically, Duke does not have anyone to do that.

Oregon has the inside track to win this game, quite honestly. Duke is hurt, and Oregon controls the one thing Duke does not do well whatsoever (rebounding). Duke’s ability to gain offensive rebounds will be difficult against a team as fundamentally sound in the art of boxing out as the Ducks. The Ducks will not be intimidated by Duke’s jerseys, either. The Blue Devils are from the ACC, but they are an average team there. Oregon comes from a tougher conference. As far as they’re concerned, Duke has to prove it to them, just as much as Oregon has to prove it to the world.

Pick: Oregon by 7. Oregon has the size, the balance, and the personnel to disrupt Duke’s method of winning. The lack of a true rotation will likely bother Duke’s wishes to run the ball up and down the floor. Oregon’s preference to do the same should hurt the Blue Devils. The seven-foot Foster may have a career game.


2) California (21-8, Pacific Coast Champ) vs 7) Utah (18-10, Mountain State Champ)


Throughout the season, everyone took their turn as the favorites to win the Pacific Coast. The Cal Bears were considered afterthoughts, also-rans, and long-agos (as in, “California used to be a force, but that was long ago.”) And yet, here they are…Pacific Coast champs. They are not the strongest of champions to take the trophy, but the judgment is on the court. They had to adjust on the fly, after losing Willie Legault, their 6’11 freshman ace in the middle, to a torn ligament. Their offense has still revolved as we thought it would: around their crackerjack backcourt of Tony Eyre (14.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg), SG Tyron Crandall (15.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg), and the surprising contributions of sophomore sniping small forward, Dale Frank (10.6 ppg). Craig Kruger, the other senior than Crandall on this team, provides the steady post presents from his post. And Rene Storm, a 6’10 junior, provides size.

The Bears are what the rest of the PCC may not be: they are rather ordinary, and somewhat forgotten. Eyre is a classic example. He originally was overlooked by all other schools during recruiting, and walked on at Cal. He was the #7 recruit in the nation. This is just like Cal, who ended the year not in our rankings. (We goofed on that one, did we not?) They thrive on being handed injustice, on being slighted. They are perfect at the lesser talk, us versus the world. Their play is not that of a top-flight team, at least in the stats. But, in the end, they won over 70% of their games.

Utah, meanwhile, has a top-20 defense…but they allow points on the other end. They make the extra pass, and get turnovers. They also had to come from nowhere, it appeared, to win the Mountain State. Just like the Bears, it seemed like there was a flash-in-the-pan every week, while the Redskins were overlooked. In the end, the Utes took care of their business, and made it four straight MSAC titles.

That said, this is easily their worst roster of the four. Robert Peeler, one of the players in the nation who will never get his due outside of Salt Lake, is as steady as they come. The National Freshman of the Year and two-time MSAC Conference Player of the Year is not a particularly good shooter (43% for his career), but he finds the open man, and hits shots at their absolutely most necessary moments. One factoid about him: he is about as cold as they come to start a game, shooting 31% in the first ten minutes of any game. In the last five minutes, he is a 77% shooter. When the game is on the line, few are as unraveled, fittingly, as a man named Peeler.

All of that said…while they had four players average more than 10.4 ppg, and six average 8.8, who else is going to stand up? Peeler can stand up to Cal’s backcourt, but they may dominate everyone else. Cal’s bench is tougher than Utah’s. And while the style of play benefits Utah against Cal (being very little in the way of post play), you have to remember that it also benefits Cal. And they have Rene Storm, who may cause headaches for Utah C, 6’8 Jackie Lutz. His backup is a true freshman, Daniel Preece, he of 5.1 points and two fouls in 20.4 minutes on average.

Pick: California by 5. The Bears, in our view, won’t get much further. But they should see past Utah, who will give them trouble simply by the diversity in their offense. In the end, though, Eyre and Crandall will save the day for the Bears, and they will advance.


3) Bradley (24-4, Missouri Valley Champ) vs 6) Dayton (24-5, At Large)


Let us be clear about this now. This Bradley team does not have the name power of the championship team of two seasons ago. They do not have the bench. They do, however, have seven players that can lead them there. This is a championship-caliber team, if they are able to shorten their bench. It begins with C James Calvo, the immovable 6’10, 280-pound mammoth in the middle. He is considered the third-best professional prospect in the upcoming class (blanketed by four Wildcats). He does not have the fanfare, nor the statistical weight of his counterparts. Nor is he a fan favorite, a la Antonia Dabney. But he gets the job done, at 8.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks a game. He sets the tone for this group defensively, disrupting shots and controlling rebounds. They are fifth in rebounding, and second in preventing rebounds from opponents. He, and power forward Felix Holzer, are the main reasons why.

On offense, Dionisio Vega (16.8 ppg) and Richard Bulger are a solid 1-2 combination. They also get a lot of little contributions from virtually everyone on the roster. The key for them, as we said before, is tightening that up a bit. They have played top competition, losing to San Fran by 6, to Kansas by 4, and at Indiana by 20 in a competitive game until the end. They also beat NC State by 23 on the road. The Braves will not be intimidated.

Neither will Dayton. The Flyers have their own beast in the pain, in C Denver Logan. The 6’11, 270-pound senior is the eighth-best prospect in the class, and considered the third-best center. He is a little bit more of a scorer than Calvo; it will be extremely interesting to see these two take each other on. We are also looking quite forward to seeing the backcourts of Chris Duron (14.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 spg) and Richard Sloan (12.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.7 spg) tackle Vega and Bradley PG Robert Bohannan (11.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg).

In all honesty, this might be the most even matchup of the first round. Bradley deserved an opponent more becoming of a six-seed, while Dayton didn’t deserve to be so low.

Pick: Bradley by 1. We would not be surprised if Dayton won this. We are taking this win based on Bradley’s experience, as well as just a bit more depth on the bench. This is likely the most balanced game in the first round.

West Semifinals

1) Kansas State vs 5) Oregon: Oregon does not have enough offensive firepower to overcome the Kansas State defense. There is one telling stat, though: only twice this season did Oregon score less than 62 points: 2.21 against Cal (85-48 loss), and 3.2, against Southern Cal (an 80-55 loss). Oregon needs to score to win. Kansas State will not allow that, at least to a level Oregon finds comfortable. The frontcourt of Kansas State should overwhelm Ken Foster, and the waves the Wildcats can throw at the Webfoots should drown them.
Pick: Kansas State by 11. Oregon has to shoot well and stay ahead of Kansas State. The moment the Wildcats control the tide, Oregon will rush, and perhaps get sloppy. The Wildcats will ply their trade, secure a win, and move on.

2) California vs 3) Bradley:: It is hard to fault Cal, but honestly, they got very few wins against quality teams. Despite playing in the top conference in the land, despite winning the top conference in the land, the Bears had earned the reputation as a second-rate team in the conference. It was not until the end that they won the thing, after the rest of the conference laid waste to one another. We do not wish to bode ill on their run, but facts are facts. When it came to the heavyweights of the West, California was not among them for most of the season.

Bradley did not get the recognition that perhaps they deserved. That may be due to the conference they play in. Maybe it is due to the abundance of chaos that has reigned supreme, compared to the relative calm of their waters over the season. But the Braves, as we wrote before, are championship caliber. And they would be a nightmare matchup for Cal. They have the height, the guard play, and the depth necessary to give Cal fits throughout the game. It would take a massive effort from Eyre and Crandall, and then some, for the Golden Bears to emerge victorious.
Pick: Bradley by 9. The backcourt is game for Cal. But we believe the frontcourt, and the defense, is enough to see the Braves through to Kansas State.

West Championship: 1) Kansas State vs 3) Bradley. This reminds of the Bradley-Dayton matchup, if only because the top six on each side are nearly even. Kansas State has minor advantages at all positions but center. They have played some common opponents, notably Kansas (KSU swept, Bradley lost 79-75) and NC State (Bradley won by 23 at NC State on 11.20; KSU won by one on 2.12). It comes off as hedging bets, but honestly, this game can really go in either direction. Both teams are in the top six in total defense, and both have premier offenses. Both have experience, both have depth (though Kansas State has more). Both have excellent coaching; Domingo Jones is one of the game’s very best, while Tommie Teran led Seattle to three 21+ win seasons before coming to Bradley and improving this bunch. This all comes down to execution. And maybe a flip of a coin.
Pick: Kansas State by 2. We’ll go out on a limb and say, consider this Erich Walton’s finest forty as a collegian. Make it four straight for Kansas State.

[muns]

Midwest Region

1) Indiana (29-1, Big Ten Champ) vs 8) Toledo (15-13, Mid-American Champ)

We said, very early in the season, that this was not the same Indiana team of year’s passed. This is true; it may be better. Sure, they don’t have Enoch Horn, or Marcos Godfrey, or Rene Eckstein. Coach Kyle Kappe will tell you, though, that this group should be discounted because of a lack of name power.

“Octavio (Broussard) has become the best combination of scoring and rebounding in the nation,” Kappe said. “He’s a top-ten professional candidate, and probably higher than that. Merv (Erickson) has been in this program a long time. So has Jamal (Conway), Art Porter, Ike Winfrey, Des Phillips…just because we lost a lot of guys from the past couple of seasons, that doesn’t mean we lost a lot. If anything, because these guys had to play in a more constrained manner, because of Enoch and Marcos and the guys who were getting a lot of talk, they are used to going about their jobs without all of the media attention.”

That’s an interesting comment, one that holds water. They got to toil as the backups last year, as the grunts who played not for the publicity or the glory, but because there was still time left on the clock. Now, the stage is theirs, and they don’t have to share it. They also aren’t bothered by the circus around them. They’ve seen it for years.

They are also the group, of course, that has had to live with the elephant in the room for the past year.

Toledo.

The MAC champions, the ones who knocked off the undefeated Hoosiers a year ago, are staring at them once again. We’re not sure that the Rockets are quite thrilled with this situation, either.

“Honestly,” said coach Chas McCarley, “we’d like to leave last year there, and focus on a few days. We have a lot of work to do. We’re not worried about lightning striking twice. We’re worried about the very talented team in front of us.”

The Rockets are not an awful matchup against the Hoosiers. Their defense is quite adequate, and the Hoosiers are prone to going for stretches without scoring. But can Toledo pull out another crackerjack like last year?

Our answer: Not with Richard Rivera and Timmy Torre out. Torre was the man of the hour last year, when Toledo sprung the upset. He’ll be available for the game, but he certainly will not be game-ready. The junior out of Canada, who led the Rockets at 13.5 ppg this year, may have some rust to him. Rivera, the team’s top big man, has been banged up for the past few weeks. He may be game ready, but Broussard is quite the task.

Indiana has their injuries too, of course. Des Phillips was their starting point guard, and Refro a key asset off the bench. However, freshman Sheldon Moultre is more than ready for his time. The bigger issue is whether Art Porter, the junior who has been somewhat buried under the weight of expectations as a former Mr. Basketball in Indiana, can perform as a sixth man off the bench. He will have to play at a higher level if Indiana is to win.

Pick: Indiana by 24. Lightning will not strike twice. And Indiana’s issues with depth will not be exposed…yet.

[b]4) Clemson (20-10, At Large) vs 5) West Virginia (27-5, At Large){/b]


The biggest news in Clemson is Elijah Davis’ injury. He is fine, insists the team, and will be at full strength when the ball tips off. Still, Davis has meant more to his team than any man has meant to theirs. He was passed by Matthew Cordoba for the scoring lead, though just barely (21.8 to 21.2). He is their second-leading rebounder, and second in assists. He sees double and triple teams, and manages to score. He is the likely National Player of the Year. Truthfully, look at this roster. Who else could have taken Clemson to the tournament, if in Davis’ situation?

The Tigers, of course, have a difficult task in West Virginia. The defending maid-of-honor, the Mountaineers have the nation’s top point guard in John Hildebrand (all due respect and condolences to USC’s Freddie Nation). They have Demarcus Woods, one of the best stat-stuffers in the nation. They have been without Tony Gregory for some time, and will be for the next two weeks, at least. But they have depth, and they have offense in droves. They might have also received a wake-up call in the Southern final, when George Washington simply knocked their blocks off.

“We needed that,” said Hildebrand. “We were on cruise control. We’re focused. We know how to navigate, how to get through and survive.”

The Mountaineers will greatly test the Clemson defense. Please remember, though, that the Tigers played in the ACC, home of offensive-minded basketball. What the Mountaineers can throw at Clemson is nothing they haven’t seen all season.

So, the question begs…can Clemson’s plan of Davis and just enough defense throttle the Mountaineers? The Tigers looked like they were on fumes in the 65-41 loss to Maryland in the ACC quarterfinals. The nine-day rest may be just what they needed. They had lost four of five. And the Mountaineers thrive off the extra pass; they are third in the nation in assists. It is their ability to make a defense work that will finally do in Clemson.

Pick: West Virginia by 8. The Mountaineers will make the Tigers work in a manner most ACC teams do not function. Many ACC teams are one or two passes and go; they have great individual scorers. West Virginia thrives off ball movement and continued cutting. They will wear down the Tigers in the second half, and a great effort by Davis (say, 28-30 points, 8 rebounds) will go for naught.

2) San Francisco (26-4, West Coast Champ) vs 7) Texas Western (17-12, Border Champ)

We believe this will not be a contest, and will not waste too much time writing about it. Texas Western turns it over. San Francisco is gifted at forcing miscues by the opponents. The Dons have one of the top guards in the country in senior Stephen Ferrari (13.5 ppg, 7.1 apg), a top-slight scorer in PF Ronnie Veasey (17.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg), and one of the top defensive postmen in Vaughn Griffis (9.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.0 bpg). They also have a discovered gem in SG Kelly Kuehl (11.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.0 spg), who may have gone buried had Gil Dittman not gone down for the season with injury.

Texas Western has a veteran team (six players have a season’s worth of starts) with a backcourt that is one of the more underappreciated in the country. Silvio Flores is an All-American candidate, at 18.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, and 1.6 spg. The battle between him and Kuehl will be fantastic. The big issue for the Miners is, well, the Don frontcourt.

Pick: San Francisco by 16. The Dons will grind the Miners down. Unfortunately, unlike what miners hope to find, it will not be a gem. It will be dust, and the Dons will move on.

3) Southern California (21-8, At Large) vs 6) Oklahoma A&M (23-6, At Large)

We were terribly excited for this game until we realized Witcher would be out. The battle between WItcher/Matthew O’Bryant and Freddie Nation/Edmund Nelson would have been quite compelling. As it is, Witcher is done for the year, and Nelson, the Trojans’ leading scorer at 16.6 ppg, is banged up and may not be at full strength for this game.

The Trojans still have Allen Storer, who has become something of a forgotten man in Glendale. The guard out of Powder River County in Montana has never quite found his footing, despite displaying obvious talent when he does play. As it is, the team will likely revolve around Nation (7.9 ppg, nation-high 9.2 apg), JC Quiles (11.0 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and Hernando Hernandez (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg). They play a high-tempo style that would normally suit the Cowboys well, if they were with their starting point guard. But the Trojans do go at a high speed while shooting efficiently; their 49% shooting is seventh in the nation.

Add to this that the Cowboys are the worst free-throw shooting team in the country, points they would need if they are going to slow down Southern Cal, and you have a recipe for disaster for the OKA&M.

To add to the intrigue, Quiles was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, “We want San Francisco. Please, for all that is good in this world, give us the Dons. We want to set the table straight with who is the best out west. It sure isn’t them.”

Careful what you wish for.

Pick: Southern California by 12. This would be closer if Witcher were available. We do not wish to give the Cowboys an excuse for losing the game; truth be told, even with Stefan, they would be a four-to-five point underdog. But without Witcher, their incredibly guard-deficient roster becomes a wreck of an offense. The Trojans should capitalize, and control the tempo of the game to their liking.

Midwest Semifinals

1) Indiana vs 5) West Virginia: There are a couple of questions about this game. Can West Virginia score efficiently away from the basket? Indiana is very good at taking away the inside shot with their big men. Or, more importantly, can West Virginia get Octavio Broussard in foul trouble? If they can succeed, the game completely changes. If they try, fail, and struggle from outside, that would be their obvious death knell. Their shooting percentages only give so much…Woods shot 51%, Timothy Freeland 53% (on only 88 attempts), Charlie Woolfolk 52%, and Matt Olson 54%. Hildebrand shot 45%. Presuming these were not all layups, that sounds pretty good.

The bigger issue at play is, of course Indiana’s guard depth. This is where you find an issue in missing Des Phillips and Win Renfro. With these guys, Indiana would be a clear favorite. Without them, we’re not sure that Indiana’s inside presence is enough to neutralize the Mountaineers. The only loss Indiana suffered, back to Duquesne in November, came in a game where Chauncey Hinkley scored 34. The combination of Chris McKeehan and Richard Manion had five points. The Mountaineers do not rely on the post to get their points. There-in lies the rub for the Hoosiers: an efficient offense that focuses on making the correct pass and finding either an uncontested layup or an easy jump shot.

Without Phillips and Renfro, the onus falls on Ike Winfrey, Sheldon Moultrie, and Art Porter. With all due respect to those three, we cast our lot with West Virginia.

Pick: West Virginia by 6. Indiana does not have the guard depth to control Hildebrand or Woolfolk all game. And they may not have a true answer for Woods. But the star of this game should be Hildebrand, showing the importance of experience at the primary ball-handling spot. We also believe this is where West Virginia’s previous experience most comes into play. Many, including us, like to tout Kansas State’s three straight national semis. West Virginia has been to back-to-back semifinals, and, as history tells us, got to the big game last year.

2) San Francisco vs 3) Southern California: As mentioned before, the Trojans were crowing about this game, demanding to see the Dons before the game is played out. In this scenario, they get it, And they do not like it.

In a matchup of Ferrari vs Nation, we take the former. He has the experience at this stage: he has started all 128 games in his career. Here is the list of people who have played in that many games:

Elijah Davis (131), Clemson
Lane McClary (128) and Jonathan Fleenor (128, 126 starts), Duke
Tommy Fritts (128, 95 starts), Kansas State
Octavio Broussard (129, started 67), Indiana
Glen Girard (129, started 62) and Dorian Brady (128), Rutgers
Lenny Snell (130, started 33), Kentucky
John Hildebrand (142, started 109), West Virginia

That’s it. That’s the list. The most experience any USC player has is 88 games (Hernandez, Storer). Nation has played in 83 games, and started 59. He has played against excellent point guards. He does not have nearly the experience of Ferrari, who started at a high level, and only gotten better. Nation only stepped into the limelight this season.

In the end, this has the feel of a bad matchup for the Trojans, much in the way Cal was a bad matchup for the Trojans late. With Nelson on the mend (he will likely be fine for this one), and with a tough matchup against Kuehl, you are asking Nation to do a lot. This will also be a tough matchup for Quiles, who has difficulty against scoring forwards. He is a great rebounder, but not particularly the best defender Veasey has seen this year.

Pick: San Francisco by 4. The Dons have seen the national semifinals. Ferrari, Griffis, Warren Tandy and Jared Stewart were part of that team. We really feel like the Trojans’ best is yet to come. This will likely be a lesson in playing defense the whole way through.

Midwest Championship: 2) San Francisco vs 5) West Virginia. Could you imagine, reader? The top two offenses in the country, going at one another? The ballet of these two efficient offense…great at the extra pass, at finding the open spot on the floor, the open man? If this were to happen, it would be the game of the tournament.

Picking a winner here is difficult. The Ferrari/Hildebrand matchup, alone, would be worth the price of admission. Add in Woods and Veasey and Woolfolk and Griffis and Kuehl and Freeland, and you have a matchup for the ages.

So, how do you pick a team against a mirror image of itself?

Pick: West Virginia by 1. We think the Hildebrand/Woolfolk/Woods combination will beat out the Ferrari/Kuehl/Veasey combo. But it is that close. Freshman guard Jared Bazan could be a hero here…after all, is it not the player off-the-radar that delivers the biggest blow?

[muns]

South Region

1) Kansas (24-5, At Large) vs 8) Connecticut (16-12, Yankee Champ)


The Jayhawks are the defending champs for the second time in three seasons. The Huskies are the four-time Yankee champions. You tell us which sounds more impressive. By the comparison, the Huskies do not stand much of a chance. The Huskies do have former All-American, senior point guard Jessie Calvert (14.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.7 apg) and redshirt junior forward, Joe McInerney (14.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg). They also have a roster full of guys who have the potential to play at a high level. By Yankee terms, well…they are the four-time champions.

But, Kansas. The Automarahn. That backcourt of Horne and Burns. The bench, the overall talent. Loren Brown is considered a leading talent for one of the new overseas leagues, or even someone who could hook onto the National Basketball Association; he has not played a single minute in two seasons. They have the diverse offense, the rebounding ability…the one thing they do not do as well is defend. If Connecticut shoots the daylights out of the ball, they may make things a little interesting. By “daylights”, we mean eighty percent or better.

Pick: Kansas by 28. This is the weakest of the Husky champions so far. They have yet to gain a win in the NCAA Tournament; why should we believe they can beat Kansas? This would be akin to Toledo beating Indiana, though moreso. The big seeds are far more cognizant of not overlooking small-conference opponents.

4) North Carolina (26-7, Atlantic Coast Champ) vs 5) Michigan State (21-7, At Large)

When you consider the rankings above, these two teams look about even-keel, no? Then you consider the schedules. The Tar Heels were 18-7 against the top 100, 10-6 against the top fifty. The Spartans were 12-7 against the top 100, 7-5 against the top fifty. The Tar Heels, of course, had a steady diet of NC State, Duke, Clemson, Maryland…Michigan State had Illinois and Indiana, but after that, the Big Ten was underwhelming. Advantage, North Carolina.

The Atlantic Coast champions should feel disrespected. Yes, the struggled with a three-game losing streak late. They’re still the conference champions, both in the regular season and the conference tournament. The Tournament Selection committee hammered them on their non-conference schedule, which did not that much pep. The toughest game UNC may have had was at Oregon (an 82-66 loss) or at Oklahoma City (a 71-69 loss). Michigan State faced Denver (lost), St. John’s (lost), Dayton (crushed), and…that’s it. This may be a wash.

But, the talent…North Carolina has one of the finest players in the nation in SF Dennis Sawicki (19.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.7 apg). Point guard Archie Means has been one of the finest point men in the country for two years running (9.8 ppg, 7.0 apg), and Chris Stoner, the redshirt freshman people keep waiting to have a breakout year. This year, he’s putting up 6.3 points and 7.4 rebounds a year. Their bench is quite talented as well, with Emmanuel Shotwell and Johnnie Northern leading the way.

Michigan State has a solid backcourt, led by redshirt freshman Brent Burchell (12.5 ppg, 2.8 apg) and Dougie Gibson (8.8 ppg, 4.6 apg), as well as forward Cyril Clancy (15.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg). Chris Hendren (8.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg) adds some rebounding muscle. After that, though, things tail off. This is where the Spartans fail their biggest against the Tar Heels.

Pick: North Carolina by 11. The Tar Heels’ depth will see them through. On their balance, the five of Sparty can mostly play with the five of the Tar Heels. But when you replace those five with a similar five, well…Sparty cannot do that.

2) Kentucky (27-2, Southeastern Champ) vs 7) Murray State (21-8, Ohio Valley Champ)

Kentucky is different than the Wildcats of years’ past, in that this group can shoot free throws. The Wildcats were dinged over the past for their inability to shoot free throws. Of course, they have also made three straight national quarterfinals, and two national semis. So, dinged is saying, well, they were supposed to win it all. In the case of 1953, that is absolutely correct.

The Wildcats start with Curt Davis, who is a spitting image of Jerry Young. He scored 11.1 points, picked up 8.0 rebounds, dished 2.3 assists, and had 2.6 blocks a game. He is a potential All-American candidate, and the frontrunner for the National Player of the Year award in 1958.

Stephan Williford, the team’s shooting guard, leads a dynamic and diverse offense with 14.5 points a game. Eight players average at least 6.8 points a game for the Wildcats, which is amazing. The team has a duo at center, in Scott Moncada and Carson White, who average a combined 14.0 points and 14.3 rebounds a game. Lenny Snell manages to put up 7.4 points in just 16.8 minutes a game.

These Wildcats, who beat Kansas and Kansas State in the Tournament of Champions, holding the Wildcats to 57 points, which is the average for the defense this year. We do not expect their defense to be this good in the tournament; truth be told, they haven’t really played many offenses that are capable of scoring that much. The best defense for UK is their offense; they run teams to the point of exhaustion. They gave up just 70+ points twice after the loss at Clemson; once to Boston College (who had the 148th offense in the nation this year), and against Georgia Tech. The SEC was a pitiful offensive conference this year. After UK and GT, the next-best offense was Mississippi State, at 57th.

This is where Murray State will have issues. They also like to score. They shoot it well, and teams don’t shoot all that well against them, on average. But this is Kentucky. Forward Brian Jacob (15.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg) has not seen anyone who will defend him the way Davis will. And guards Ben Guidry and Brooks Schulman have not seen anyone that they’ll see in white uniforms in the first round. This is not to the Racers’ advantage.

Pick: Kentucky by 22. The Wildcats, who may feel slighted by not having a top seed (and rightfully so), need to get out of this game healthy, and prep for the second round.

3) UCLA (22-7, At Large) vs 6) Arkansas (24-6, Southwest Champ)

The Bruins have ascended to their first postseason spot because of their defensive strength. They keep teams off the rebounds, and work hard to make teams uncomfortable on their offensive end. They make their free throws, and they don’t make too many mistakes. They have a veteran team, with their top five players being juniors and seniors. The leader is David Mackay (13.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.8 apg), though SF Mark Lorenzo (11.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg), SF Jean Becker (10.2 ppg off the bench), and the tandem of C Derek Busby and PF Robert Hutton (14.3 ppg, 18.6 rpg) give the Bruins a solid base.

The Bruins lost point guard Michael Hoffman with five games to go in the regular season. That might save them, as it gave them time to see what they have with true freshman, Andrew Grayson. The returns are incomplete, but he has played admirably, with a 2.07 assist-to-turnover ratio during the time he is in.

Of course, it’s one thing when you’re going up against Idaho and Washington State. Arkansas is another beast altogether. The backcourt, Bennett Dougherty (17.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.2 apg) and Kerry Groves (11.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.9 spg) are as formidable as any in the nation. Many around the program were questioning when Groves was going to show up this season; alas, he has played much better as of late. Top sub Seth Wessels (5.0 ppg, 3.5 apg in 17.5 mpg) is just as good as those two. The team has had to deal without William Bingham, their starting small forward for the first 2/3 of the season. The early returns on Scott Garza are pretty good: 13.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg. They are an excellent scoring team, don’t turn it over, force turnovers, and create a hectic style that teams have a hard team dealing with if they haven’t seen it.

The issue for Arkansas is their bench and their post depth. But that’s UCLA’s issue, too. The issues for both are negated. This will be a guard’s game.

Pick: Arkansas by 7. The Razorbacks have the better backcourt, especially with UCLA having to rely on the true freshman Grayson. Dougherty and Groves are difficult for anyone to have to deal with. Forcing a freshman to have to rise to that challenge, after being a severe bit player for most of this season, is almost unfair. This will be the key to the game. Arkansas and Kentucky will get a battle both fan bases have been pulling for.

South Semifinals

1) Kansas vs 4) North Carolina: This matchup is a bit of a travesty, in our view. We find no fault with Kansas being a top seed (Kentucky fans may have issue with Kansas taking the South, and that would be justified). But the Tar Heels are not the kind of four-seed Kansas should be facing at this point. Really, the ACC champion, in this spot? It isn’t as incompetent as Indiana-Kansas State, but it’s in the conversation.

But, we digress.

Kansas beat NC State earlier in the season, 74-68. In that game, the guard play led the way. We should expect that out of the Jayhawks. They are a complete team, but the Atomarahn holds more of a defensive presence than on the offensive end. There is one nugget North Carolina can take from this: SF Abram Willoughby had 14 points, on 6-12 shooting.

In fact, if you look at the box scores, you’ll notice the small forward often led the offense against Kansas. North Carolina has Sawicki, perhaps the best small forward in America. He averages 19.4 points a game. The blueprint for North Carolina to win is exactly how they win.

Of course, there is more to it than that. Can Archie Means hold Steven Burns in check? Burns is the lynchpin that makes Kansas go. He’s the one who finds ways for Rahn to contribute his eight points a game. He gets Luis Horne going on his patented runs. He is the one who gets the bench guys their buckets.

In short, Sawicki is going to do what he does, and Kansas has that built into their gameplan. The real key, for North Carolina, is whether or not Means can win his battle with Burns.

Pick: Kansas by 4. We do not believe he will.

2) Kentucky vs 6) Arkansas: This, like West Virginia and San Francisco, would be a frantic matchup of top offenses, with defenses that mirror one another in their fly-about-the-court nature, causing turnovers. This is where Arkansas’ depth comes into issue. We once heard Michael Murray, Arkansas head coach, state that you only “really need a rotation of seven, if you want to win”. That is exactly what Arkansas has…a seven-man rotation.

The problem with their rotation? No post guys. They have junior forward John Berry, and sophomore center Mac Burroughs, and that’s it.

Kentucky has Moncada, Carson White, and Abel Williams at the center spot. Davis and Jorge Masse are the men at the power spot, though James Willaims can slide to the four if need be. Lenny Snell can play either guard position, and Carl Williams can slide to the off-guard spot if you need.

All of that leads to a more labored offense for Arkansas, having to score through fresh legs and long limbs. And heaven forbid, if the Razorback bigs get into foul trouble. If they do, this will turn one-sided in a hurry.

Pick: Kentucky by 13. This has a laundry list of ways Arkansas can lose this game, and only one or two ways they can win it. Even if Kentucky struggles in stretches against the pressure from Arkansas (and we’re certain that they’ll have stretches where they will), we think the Wildcats should gain their footing easily, and once they do, be able to knock Arkansas off their perch. If anything, we feel like this has a chance to be a larger victory for the Wildcats.

South Championship: 1) Kansas vs 2) Kentucky. It is funny, with all of the great teams in this region, it plays to chalk up to this point. These two faced each other in the Tournament of Champions, in the very first game of the year. That game, won by Kentucky, 80-77, can really be tossed right out. These teams are vastly different than they are at this point. The biggest difference is Kentucky’s defense. We wrote before that we do not expect their defense to play to the statistics, that the teams they will face in the tournament will be better than what they saw. This is true; however, we also expect Kansas to have a far more troubling time scoring than they did in the first go-round.

To us, whoever controls the rebounding controls the game. In the first run, Kentucky controlled the boards. Kansas has to make a more concerted effort on this end, especially on the offensive end, to win this game.

Pick: Kentucky by 2. It will be close, a back-and-forth battle throughout. In the end, we think it will be Kentucky’s front line that does the job. They forced Kansas’ starting frontcourt to shoot 9-27 from the field in the first game. And now they’ve gotten better. We don’t believe Rahn will get another 6-10 output, which will hamper things more. The onus on the guards is great for Kansas, whereas Kentucky can adapt to the flow better.

[muns]

East Region

1) Washington (25-6, At Large) vs 8) George Washington (14-18, Southern Champ)

The Huskies should have a field day with George Washington’s open-fenced defense. They make the extra pass, move well without the ball, and the Colonials have trouble following through on screens. The Huskies have Danny Fenton, a potential All-American and PCC Player of the Year candidate. The Italian import, Italo Malocco, has become big this year, averaging a career-high 14.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Add in Gisbert Bittes’ defense and Francis Calhoun’s rebounding, and the bench, and you have a tough opponent to stop.

George Washington does not like to stop many, too. And now they are without shooting guard Hershel Ramirez, who is down with an injury. His 11.4 points are going to be hard to replace. Guard Andrew Batson (13.8 ppg) is very productive when he plays; he will get more minutes, and his production will have to go up accordingly. Overall, GW has a solid roster…but an awful bench, and very streaky play.

Pick: Washington by 16. The Huskies should cruise by the Colonials behind Fenton and Malocco.

4) Duquesne (26-5, At Large) vs 5) Georgia Tech (23-7, At Large)


Many have wanted to pile Duquesne this year, saying that the Dukes are so high because of their name and recent success. That would be patently absurd. The Dukes were 14-5 in games against the top 100 this year, and while they may have faced more bottom-feeding opponents than some teams, they still faced Villanova, Indiana, Seattle, Kansas, Duke, and Notre Dame. They also have Chauncey Hinkley, one of the best all-around forwards in the nation. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists (4.7 turnovers, too), and 2.9 steals per game. Forward Chris Green (12.4 ppg) has been a solid supplemental figure, whil guard Rod Williams, forward Richard Manion, and C Chris McKeehan offer solid support. They have a solid bench, with Al Samson and Jimmy Matos leading the way.

The Dukes have one of the better defenses in the nation, ranking 15th in points, and tenth in field goal percentage. They do not allow teams gain assists on them, and get into passing lanes quite often. They surprise you with their speed. They have solid backups at each post position, something not all teams can say.

The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, are just like Clemson. Not many thought they would be here (our Analytics bureau was sure Clemson would not be here). On the surface, GT is much weaker than they have been over the past couple of seasons. They go only seven deep, and their two bench guys are sophomore guard Chris Hardnett and freshman forward Andrew Wong, neither of whom have much experience. So, the Jackets rely on a collective approach on offense. Four players average double figures, led by guard Albert Johnson’s 16.2 a game. Justin Jones (11.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Joe Lundberg (10.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg) are the rebounding chaos brothers that make things tough on other teams. They are excellent at offensive rebounds, too (2nd in the nation).

So, the question becomes, Georgia Tech’s offense, or Duquesne’s defense? Here is one thing to keep in mind, when making this pick: Georgia Tech’s defense is 21st in the nation, in terms of field goal percentage against. Their style is always difficult to play against. That is why we like them here.

Pick: Georgia Tech by 5. The Yellow Jackets should own the rebounding edge, and limit how Duquesne shoots the ball. The team statistics in this trend towards Georgia Tech getting this one narrowly.

2) North Carolina State (24-9, At Large) vs 7) Niagara (17-12, WNY3 Champ)

Niagara is here for the fourth straight season. They have a fantastic legacy point man in Curt To, who has started every (120) in his career. He’s going to be severely hampered in the first round, though, for two reasons: 1) leading scorer Monroe Serrato is out with an injury, and Niagara will not be able to fully replace those twenty points a game, and 2) NC State.

The Wolfpack is not seeded incorrectly as a #2, despite many wondering how they are there when North Carolina is a #4. This is a veteran group led by three solid scoring options in forwards Lou Bergeron (15.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Abram Willoughby (13.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg), and guard Chris Davis (13.4 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.9 rpg). John Rossi (8.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 2.0 bpg) anchors the defense that held its own in the high-scoring ACC. They move the ball, don’t turn it over, and have one of the top rebounding groups in the nation (tenth overall).

In all honesty, this is an easy pick.

Pick: NC State by 26. Expect the Wolfpack to get early separation, and continue to build throughout the game. Niagara was going to have a hard enough time as it is; without Serrato, this becomes a near-impossible mission.

3) Seattle (28-3, At Large) vs 6) St. John’s (18-10, Metro Champ)

Frankly, we find Seattle’s seeding to be absurd. They are, quite arguably, the best team in the west. To be sent east, and as a third-seed, is ludcrious. They were 18-3 against the top 100, 6-3 against the top fifty. They have the third-best defense in the nation, second-toughest to shoot against. They will be without starting off-guard Jesus Guzman for the tournament, which is a blow. However, their lead guard, Gregory Wyman, is also their leading scorer (14.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.4 spg). Jesus Jones, the much-heralded small forward, averaged 12.7 points and 4.4 rebounds this year, and is big candidate to break out as a star in this tournament. David Harder (10.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.7 bpg) gets lost in the shuffle by opponents sometimes. Expect Justin Lavergne, a true sophomore who has been efficient this season, should step into a bigger role.

St. John’s, meanwhile, is purportedly one of the best defenses in college basketball. We don’t see that. We see them as having played a pretty awful schedule, and while they rebound well, they get into sloppy games. They do have some solid players, led by Russian forward Veniamin Alexeev (10.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg), and a trio of guys who score nine points a game. Dennis Shelby (9.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.2 bpg), as well as the guards Andrew Davis (9.3 ppg) and Columbus Herrera (9.0 ppg) are tough contributors. Kelvin Denton (7.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) is the key off the bench.

Seattle’s size, and their ability, far exceeds St. John’s. This may be the lowest-scoring game of the first round to us, as both teams do have defensive mindsets.

Pick: Seattle by 10. The Chieftains have real defense, though, and should shut down the Johnnies regularly. Expect Harder, in particular, to have a good game.

East Semifinals

1) Washington vs 5) Georgia Tech: The Huskies have issues with teams that can rebound well. Georgia Tech rebounds better than just about anyone. The PCC has several teams that rebound well, though, so take that with a grain of salt. Also, they ranked 18th in total rebounds themselves. Georgia Tech will have to contend with that.

What we like is how the Huskies are able to achieve against tough defenses. They execute well, don’t press, and find the open man. We will be very interested to see how Georgia Tech’s defensive tenets force adjustments from the Huskies.

Pick: Washington by 6. We don’t believe they will have to make too many adjustments. They have balance, talent, and depth. The latter is where Georgia Tech falters. Washington will have to earn the victory, but we believe they will.

2) North Carolina State vs 3) Seattle: There are many things we like about this game. What we would like the most is Seattle’s defense against NC State. They have plenty of size to match up with the Wolfpack bigs. How they handle Bergeron, specifically, should dictate the flow of the game. If Bergeron is able to establish himself, NC State’s offense gets much easier to orchestra. If Bergeron is limited, Seattle should be able to dictate the flow.

Moreover, the battle between Wyman and sophomore guard John Clawson (7.5 ppg, 5.8 apg) will be the other big matchup to watch. It may be whoever wins that matchup wins the game.

One thing we do not like, however, is NC State’s defense against Seattle. The Wolfpack have a tendency to let teams score on them. They did not see a defense like Seattle’s in the ACC season. Kansas State allowed NC State to shoot 52% from the field, but forced 21 turnovers in their 64-63 win at NC State. That is the closest we can get to mimicking Seattle’s defense. If the same plays out, it does not mean well for the Wolfpack.

Pick: Seattle by 3. There are many pros and cons to taking either side. Maybe it comes down to free throw shooting. NC State is not particularly adept at this aspect of the game. It feels as though any missed opportunities will be massive for either team. We think Seattle will force more miscues, and move on.

East Championship: 1) Washington vs 3) Seattle.. This is the game everyone wanted to see out west. In this scenario, we get it, but in the east. This game will come down to the defenses: how effective can Seattle be against the varied Washington offense, and how will Washington’s middling defense be against Seattle’s leveled attack? In this, we favor Seattle in both regards. We also believe this will be the game Jesus Jones announces himself to the nation. He has had a tendency to shy away in the big moments thus far, deferring to Wyman. But with Wyman having to deal with Danny Fenton all game, Gisbert Bittes, a noted defender, will have his hands full with Jones.

Pick: Seattle by 4. The lower scoring this game is, the better for Seattle. Washington has to come out shooting the ball well. If they’re cold, and Seattle grabs control, well…ask Duquesne what happens. They were held to just 36 points by the Chieftains earlier in the season.

[muns]

East Region

1) Washington (25-6, At Large) vs 8) George Washington (14-18, Southern Champ)


PPG OPPG Rebounds OREB Assists Turnovers oTO FG% OFG% FT% Key Player
1) Washington 74.9 (8) 63.7 (77) 38.4 (18) 34.0 (73) 18.8 (10) 13.9 (96) 18.6 (4) 48.1 (16) 43.9 (52) 72.0 (20) PG Danny Fenton
8) Geo Wash 69.8 (31) 72.3 (168) 35.6 (54) 36.3 (134) 15.6 (34) 13.8 (82) 13.3 (89) 44.2 (104) 47.6 (148) 72.7 (9) PG Charlie Arroyo
Injuries: Washington: PG Marquis Gray (2); GW: SG Hershel Ramirez (31)

The Huskies should have a field day with George Washington’s open-fenced defense. They make the extra pass, move well without the ball, and the Colonials have trouble following through on screens. The Huskies have Danny Fenton, a potential All-American and PCC Player of the Year candidate. The Italian import, Italo Malocco, has become big this year, averaging a career-high 14.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Add in Gisbert Bittes’ defense and Francis Calhoun’s rebounding, and the bench, and you have a tough opponent to stop.

George Washington does not like to stop many, too. And now they are without shooting guard Hershel Ramirez, who is down with an injury. His 11.4 points are going to be hard to replace. Guard Andrew Batson (13.8 ppg) is very productive when he plays; he will get more minutes, and his production will have to go up accordingly. Overall, GW has a solid roster…but an awful bench, and very streaky play.

Pick: Washington by 16. The Huskies should cruise by the Colonials behind Fenton and Malocco.

4) Duquesne (26-5, At Large) vs 5) Georgia Tech (23-7, At Large)


PPG OPPG Rebounds OREB Assists Turnovers oTO FG% OFG% FT% Key Player
4) Duquesne 67.5 (43) 57.7 (15) 35.0 (71) 34.4 (88) 15.5 (38) 13.7 (78) 16.9 (9) 47.7 (26) 41.3 (10) 69.0 (65) PG Rod Williams
5) Georgia Tech 72.6 (19) 63.8 (80) 41.1 (3) 33.9 (68) 16.8 (20) 13.5 (68) 12.8 (117) 47.3 (28) 42.4 (21) 67.7 (83) PF Joe Lundberg
Injuries: None

Many have wanted to pile Duquesne this year, saying that the Dukes are so high because of their name and recent success. That would be patently absurd. The Dukes were 14-5 in games against the top 100 this year, and while they may have faced more bottom-feeding opponents than some teams, they still faced Villanova, Indiana, Seattle, Kansas, Duke, and Notre Dame. They also have Chauncey Hinkley, one of the best all-around forwards in the nation. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists (4.7 turnovers, too), and 2.9 steals per game. Forward Chris Green (12.4 ppg) has been a solid supplemental figure, whil guard Rod Williams, forward Richard Manion, and C Chris McKeehan offer solid support. They have a solid bench, with Al Samson and Jimmy Matos leading the way.

The Dukes have one of the better defenses in the nation, ranking 15th in points, and tenth in field goal percentage. They do not allow teams gain assists on them, and get into passing lanes quite often. They surprise you with their speed. They have solid backups at each post position, something not all teams can say.

The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, are just like Clemson. Not many thought they would be here (our Analytics bureau was sure Clemson would not be here). On the surface, GT is much weaker than they have been over the past couple of seasons. They go only seven deep, and their two bench guys are sophomore guard Chris Hardnett and freshman forward Andrew Wong, neither of whom have much experience. So, the Jackets rely on a collective approach on offense. Four players average double figures, led by guard Albert Johnson’s 16.2 a game. Justin Jones (11.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Joe Lundberg (10.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg) are the rebounding chaos brothers that make things tough on other teams. They are excellent at offensive rebounds, too (2nd in the nation).

So, the question becomes, Georgia Tech’s offense, or Duquesne’s defense? Here is one thing to keep in mind, when making this pick: Georgia Tech’s defense is 21st in the nation, in terms of field goal percentage against. Their style is always difficult to play against. That is why we like them here.

Pick: Georgia Tech by 5. The Yellow Jackets should own the rebounding edge, and limit how Duquesne shoots the ball. The team statistics in this trend towards Georgia Tech getting this one narrowly.

2) North Carolina State (24-9, At Large) vs 7) Niagara (17-12, WNY3 Champ)


PPG OPPG Rebounds OREB Assists Turnovers oTO FG% OFG% FT% Key Player
2) NC State 73.6 (14) 64.8 (95) 39.9 (10) 34.8 (99) 19.4 (5) 12.2 (28) 14.2 (61) 47.2 (32) 44.0 (56) 66.9 (105) PF Lou Bergeron
7) Niagara 66.2 (52) 65.3 (107) 34.4 (84) 34.1 (78) 16.5 (25) 13.7 (76) 15.5 (24) 45.7 (57) 47.5 (147) 68.7 (70) SG Matthew Ashton
Injuries: Niagara: SF Monroe Serrato (22)

Niagara is here for the fourth straight season. They have a fantastic legacy point man in Curt To, who has started every (120) in his career. He’s going to be severely hampered in the first round, though, for two reasons: 1) leading scorer Monroe Serrato is out with an injury, and Niagara will not be able to fully replace those twenty points a game, and 2) NC State.

The Wolfpack is not seeded incorrectly as a #2, despite many wondering how they are there when North Carolina is a #4. This is a veteran group led by three solid scoring options in forwards Lou Bergeron (15.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Abram Willoughby (13.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg), and guard Chris Davis (13.4 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.9 rpg). John Rossi (8.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 2.0 bpg) anchors the defense that held its own in the high-scoring ACC. They move the ball, don’t turn it over, and have one of the top rebounding groups in the nation (tenth overall).

In all honesty, this is an easy pick.

Pick: NC State by 26. Expect the Wolfpack to get early separation, and continue to build throughout the game. Niagara was going to have a hard enough time as it is; without Serrato, this becomes a near-impossible mission.

3) Seattle (28-3, At Large) vs 6) St. John’s (18-10, Metro Champ)


PPG OPPG Rebounds OREB Assists Turnovers oTO FG% OFG% FT% Key Player
3) Seattle 68.6 (41) 52.8 (3) 36.0 (48) 34.1 (76) 16.1 (29) 12.0 (23) 16.5 (15) 48.3 (12) 38.8 (2) 68.5 (73) SF Jesus Jones
6) St. John's 63.3 (81) 57.7 (14) 36.0 (46) 32.8 (42) 13.1 (94) 14.0 (100) 12.9 (113) 46.7 (39) 41.1 (9) 65.6 (135) C Dennis Shelby
Injuries: PG Jesus Guzman (33)

Frankly, we find Seattle’s seeding to be absurd. They are, quite arguably, the best team in the west. To be sent east, and as a third-seed, is ludcrious. They were 18-3 against the top 100, 6-3 against the top fifty. They have the third-best defense in the nation, second-toughest to shoot against. They will be without starting off-guard Jesus Guzman for the tournament, which is a blow. However, their lead guard, Gregory Wyman, is also their leading scorer (14.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.4 spg). Jesus Jones, the much-heralded small forward, averaged 12.7 points and 4.4 rebounds this year, and is big candidate to break out as a star in this tournament. David Harder (10.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.7 bpg) gets lost in the shuffle by opponents sometimes. Expect Justin Lavergne, a true sophomore who has been efficient this season, should step into a bigger role.

St. John’s, meanwhile, is purportedly one of the best defenses in college basketball. We don’t see that. We see them as having played a pretty awful schedule, and while they rebound well, they get into sloppy games. They do have some solid players, led by Russian forward Veniamin Alexeev (10.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg), and a trio of guys who score nine points a game. Dennis Shelby (9.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.2 bpg), as well as the guards Andrew Davis (9.3 ppg) and Columbus Herrera (9.0 ppg) are tough contributors. Kelvin Denton (7.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) is the key off the bench.

Seattle’s size, and their ability, far exceeds St. John’s. This may be the lowest-scoring game of the first round to us, as both teams do have defensive mindsets.

Pick: Seattle by 10. The Chieftains have real defense, though, and should shut down the Johnnies regularly. Expect Harder, in particular, to have a good game.

East Semifinals

1) Washington vs 5) Georgia Tech: The Huskies have issues with teams that can rebound well. Georgia Tech rebounds better than just about anyone. The PCC has several teams that rebound well, though, so take that with a grain of salt. Also, they ranked 18th in total rebounds themselves. Georgia Tech will have to contend with that.

What we like is how the Huskies are able to achieve against tough defenses. They execute well, don’t press, and find the open man. We will be very interested to see how Georgia Tech’s defensive tenets force adjustments from the Huskies.

Pick: Washington by 6. We don’t believe they will have to make too many adjustments. They have balance, talent, and depth. The latter is where Georgia Tech falters. Washington will have to earn the victory, but we believe they will.

2) North Carolina State vs 3) Seattle: There are many things we like about this game. What we would like the most is Seattle’s defense against NC State. They have plenty of size to match up with the Wolfpack bigs. How they handle Bergeron, specifically, should dictate the flow of the game. If Bergeron is able to establish himself, NC State’s offense gets much easier to orchestra. If Bergeron is limited, Seattle should be able to dictate the flow.

Moreover, the battle between Wyman and sophomore guard John Clawson (7.5 ppg, 5.8 apg) will be the other big matchup to watch. It may be whoever wins that matchup wins the game.

One thing we do not like, however, is NC State’s defense against Seattle. The Wolfpack have a tendency to let teams score on them. They did not see a defense like Seattle’s in the ACC season. Kansas State allowed NC State to shoot 52% from the field, but forced 21 turnovers in their 64-63 win at NC State. That is the closest we can get to mimicking Seattle’s defense. If the same plays out, it does not mean well for the Wolfpack.

Pick: Seattle by 3. There are many pros and cons to taking either side. Maybe it comes down to free throw shooting. NC State is not particularly adept at this aspect of the game. It feels as though any missed opportunities will be massive for either team. We think Seattle will force more miscues, and move on.

East Championship: 1) Washington vs 3) Seattle.. This is the game everyone wanted to see out west. In this scenario, we get it, but in the east. This game will come down to the defenses: how effective can Seattle be against the varied Washington offense, and how will Washington’s middling defense be against Seattle’s leveled attack? In this, we favor Seattle in both regards. We also believe this will be the game Jesus Jones announces himself to the nation. He has had a tendency to shy away in the big moments thus far, deferring to Wyman. But with Wyman having to deal with Danny Fenton all game, Gisbert Bittes, a noted defender, will have his hands full with Jones.

Pick: Seattle by 4. The lower scoring this game is, the better for Seattle. Washington has to come out shooting the ball well. If they’re cold, and Seattle grabs control, well…ask Duquesne what happens. They were held to just 36 points by the Chieftains earlier in the season.

National Semifinals

[b]Seattle (East) vs West Virginia (Midwest).[b] Seattle’s defense will be severely tested against West Virginia’s vaunted offense. Truth be told, West Virginia does not get held down. They only scored less than 70 points five times this season. This may be the game where the Chieftains have more questions than answers.

We believe this game will be the coronation of John Hildebrand as the top point guard of the last four years. He’ll have to go through at least one more incredible point guard, this time Wyman. We believe Hildebrand will get the better of this matchup. West Virginia is good at getting opponents into foul trouble, too (though they are not terribly too good at shooting the free throws). This is something to watch.

Pick: West Virginia by 6. To be honest, when we looked at this game, we initially thought Seattle would romp with their defense. But after we delved in, we thought all signs pointed to West Virginia. The Mountaineers are the unlikeliest team to get to back-to-back title games. Yet, here they are.

Kentucky (South) vs Kansas State (West). The first time these two teams met, Kentucky got themselves a 71-57 win. They held Kansas State to 44% shooting, and Kansas State shot 11-20 from the line. Billy Jacob shot 3-11, while Stephan Williford had 23 points. Curt Davis was hurt, but managed eight points and ten rebounds. That left Kansas State 1-1 on the year.

They have not lost since.

The Wildcats have since shook off their wishes to be a totally offensive team, and have bought into the defensive philosophy and vision Domingo Jones had for this team. Since then, they have become the defensive juggernaut we know them as now. They keep teams off the boards. They disrupt passing lanes, to the point that teams go one pass and shoot. They force bad shots. They make opposing offenses miserable.

Kentucky has too much poise to get bothered to such a degree that they cannot operate. But we would expect Williford to not reach the numbers he reached the first time. We would expect the Wildcats to try to funnel the offense into the post, and force Moncada and Davis to carry them.

If Kentucky can keep things varied, and find ways for their guards to produce, they will probably win the game. If they have areas of the offense shut down for stretches, and if they allow the Kansas State guards to dictate the flow and action of the game, Kansas State should win more easily than one would think.

Pick: Kansas State by 7. We believe the Wildcats will be able to dictate the action. This should be a beauty of a game, though, with two teams who know themselves, with the amount of talent they have on the floor…it will be a national semifinal for the ages.

National Championship: West Virginia vs Kansas State

This seems fitting, that the attention of this season ends the way it started, with this rematch. The first game was won by West Virginia; they shot 56% from the field, overcoming 22 turnovers to win, 78-69. Demarcus Woods had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, while John Hildebrand had 12 points and 12 assists. Billy Jacob had 19, David Gunter 18, and Erich Walton 17 for the Wildcats.

With teams like these, with the kind of abilities these two teams have, there really is not a lot to say. It will come down to who executes, and who steps forward into the light.

Now, we have been burned twice by taking Kansas State. We believe the third time is the charm. The four seniors, Gunter, Jacob, Tommy Fritts, and Walton, have gone into the past two seasons as the favorite to win the title. This year, they went into the year as the favorites to win it all. They have given us no reason to pick against them this time. In this scenario, no team comes between the Wildcats and the final goal.

The Kansas State Wildcats have gone through heartache and failed expectations in each of the last three years. This year, the final one of this era, will see the happy ending.

Pick: Kansas State 74, West Virginia 72

[muns]

I need to make a mention again, that I did not write any of that, and we have the best ghost writers in just about any league I have seen

If anybody is on the fence about playing multiplayer FBCB, this is the league you should be joining. Come grab a team you wont be dissapointed

[muns]

Well I hoped for a 10+ point game in the opening round and boy did we not disappoint at all

Southern California 90, Oklahoma A&M 65

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oklahoma A&M  (23-7, 11-3):
Player            Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
James Burrow      C    19   0-1   0-2   1   1   3  1   0
John Wendt        PF   20   5-9   0-1   2   8   0  2  10
George Brown      SF   22   4-7   1-2   1   3   2  3   9
Michel Neely      SG   33  5-12   2-2   1   3   0  2  12
Matthew Obryant   PG   32  7-22   3-3   7   8   3  1  17
Tim Bullard       C    15   2-5   0-0   0   1   0  5   4
Ronald Rueda      PF   10   2-4   0-0   0   1   2  2   4
Gregory Stevens   C    14   2-7   0-0   1   4   1  2   4
Andreas Zimmerman PG   24   2-4   1-4   1   1   2  1   5
Herman Silvia     SG    5   0-0   0-0   0   0   0  0   0
David Weekley     SF    4   0-1   0-0   1   1   0  0   0
Robert Deschamps  PF    1   0-0   0-0   0   0   0  1   0

Turnovers: 17 (G.Brown 6, M.Neely 4, M.Obryant 1, 
 T.Bullard 2, G.Stevens 2, A.Zimmerman 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (J.Burrow 1, J.Wendt 2)
Steals: 11 (J.Burrow 2, M.Neely 2, M.Obryant 4, 
 A.Zimmerman 3)
3P FGs: 0-0 

Southern California  (22-8, 10-6):
Player            Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Dante Douglas     C    31   5-8   0-2   2   8   2  1  10
J.C. Quiles       PF   35   7-8   5-6   3  15   1  2  19
H. Hernandez      SF   29  8-14   2-2   2   6   2  3  18
Edmund Nelson     SG   32 10-18   1-2   1   4   2  1  21
Freddie Nation    PG   33   3-6   2-4   1   1   8  2   8
Vincent Lincoln   SG    9   1-1   2-2   0   0   0  4   4
Allen Storer      PG   16   0-1   1-2   0   3   2  2   1
Ronald Mitchum    SG    2   1-1   0-0   0   0   1  0   2
Michael Fanning   C    15   2-3   3-3   2   5   1  0   7

Turnovers: 19 (D.Douglas 3, H.Hernandez 3, E.Nelson 5, 
 F.Nation 6, R.Mitchum 1, M.Fanning 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Douglas 2, J.Quiles 1)
Steals: 7 (H.Hernandez 1, F.Nation 5, A.Storer 1)
3P FGs: 0-0 

Player of Game: PF J.C. Quiles (USC)

We smoked em with hot shooting 61% for the game and blew the doors off A&M.

I think we really want San Fran EH?????

[muns]

Analytics vs. SelCom Update

There were upsets all over the place in the NCAA tournament, out of respect for certain teams we'll leave some of them alone. You know who you are. Most of them were ones that neither us nor the committee predicted, which just goes to show that this is a crazy sport sometimes.

** Clemson vs. West Virginia.

We said it wasn't a close call, and we were more right than we thought. West Virginia trounces the over-seeded Tigers by 30!

** Duquesne vs. Georgia Tech

We had this as a close one, and it was, with Duquesne winning 62-60. Short end of the stick for us.

In seven, nearly half of the games, the lower seed won in the NCAA first round. We correctly picked ... one. Ok, that's one more than the committee got with their seeding, but perhaps the real lesson here is that nobody knows what they are talking about and we might as well choose the at-large teams by drawing names out of a hat ...

** Georgetown vs. Syracuse

Moving to the NIT, Syracuse did in fact get by Georgetown as we predicted with a seven-point victory. The Hoyas are the only NIT #1 eliminated before the regional finals.

** Ohio State vs. Southern Methodist

In the other half of the same region, we were a bit surprised to see the Buckeyes advance 89-82. So it's one up, one down for us in both tourneys.

Current Tally: SelCom 4, Analytics 3

We're feeling a bit less cocky about ourselves these days. Nobody should pretend they know what they're doing after the first round of the NCAA tournament though. Nonetheless, here's the games we have coming up in the next round:

NCAA Sweet 16

None. We are on the same page on all eight matchups, which probably just means we are both equally wrong the way things are going.

NIT Elite 8

** Ohio State vs. Syracuse

We're a lot less confident about this one than we were against Georgetown, but we still think the Orangemen keep it going. We think it's only a gap of a little more than a point though, either team could win here.

And that's all. Just the one game. We are impressed with Columbia who clearly is hitting their stride at the right time rather than being depressed about missing the NCAAs for the first time in four seasons.

[muns]

Oregon beat Duke to advance and Washington handled their stuff as well. Cal on the other hand lost to Utah 74-66.

3 teams in the PCC with big games to go for all!

[Radii]

The writeup preview for the NCAA Tournament was amazing. Its too bad I checked the first round results before I read the preview and was slightly checked out mentally after that.

[murrayyyyy]

The National Basketball Report, Vol IV, Issue 14: First Round Mania
The National Basketball Report: March 27, 1957
Upsets and unlikely stars: We have you covered

Lightning Strikes Twice

At the end of Toledo’s 76-70 upset win over Indiana, the locker room area was much more subdued than you would think. Toledo’s was loud, but not boisterous. Of course, Indiana’s was silent.

So, why, after being the second eighth-seed to knock off a top seed, are they so quiet?

“They got their hoopla out last year,” said Toledo coach Chas McCarley, “when they did it the first time.”

Toledo (16-13) repeated what many, including this very publication, said they could not do once. They upset Indiana, 76-70. Indiana is now, if you’ll believe this, 60-3 over the last two seasons. Two of those three losses are at the hands of the Mid-American featherweight.

“We have their number, I guess,” said Timmy Torre, who scored 19, and led Toledo down the final stretch with solid ball-handling.

This game was not without unsung heroes. For the Rockets, that would be sophomore guard, Brian Schmaranzer. The 5-10, 160-pounder from Hammond High in Indiana was the 324th-ranked prospect in the country, far below Indiana’s top-twenty requirement for entry. All he did was score twenty points, a career high. He was 6-7 from the field, 8-10 from the free throw line. His steal and dunk, with 3:15 left, made it a 65-58 game. It demoralized Indiana. It would be over a minute before Indiana would score. With 1:51 left, Scharanzer was fouled. The gravity of the situation would fall upon his shoulders, many thought. He would falter under the pressure, and Indiana would get it to within three, or possibly two.

They were wrong. He hit both, never hitting the rim.

Indiana, undeterred, got it to within three, 69-66, with :38 left. They fouled Schmaranzer again.

Again, he calmly hit both.

He would hit three more over the final seconds, giving Toledo their final points.

“We talked about this leading up to this game,” said Indiana coach Kyle Kappe. “In any game, regardless of who you’re playing, you do not take care of your business and execute with the basketball, you can get beat. We got beat. We did not lose the game. We did not give it away. We were beat.

“You cannot be as lifeless as we were defensively, and win this game,” he continued. “You have to tip your cap to Toledo. They took care of the ball, and played to their advantages. And they went after our weaknesses. They executed their gameplan, and forced us out of ours. That’s to their credit.”

Torre, who had 19 points and six assists, was named Player of the Game. Demarcus Grant (14-7-4) and Richard Rivera (10 pts, 10 reb) were heavy contributors.

For Indiana, 5’9 true freshman Sheldon Moultrie led the way with 17. Octavio Broussard also had 17, along with nine rebounds. Jamal Conway added 14.

The Hoosiers now enter a bit of intrigue; gone is Broussard, Conway, and power forward Merv Erickson. They’ll return their backcourt, which includes sophomores Ike Winfrey and Des Phillips (out with injury), along with Moultrie. Redshirt sophomore forward Win Renfro, a key reserve who was out with injury, will also return, as will Spanish seven-footer, Alvaro Iglesias. But where their leadership comes from is unknown. Next year will bring with it many more questions than answers.

But this is not about them. This is about Toledo. The Rockets move on to face last year’s runners-up West Virginia, who blasted Clemson, 76-46. The Rockets, who feasted upon a lack of experience (Indiana racked up just seven turnovers from Toledo, who received almost no pressure from Hoosier guards) will suddenly face one of the most experienced players in collegiate basketball history. John Hildebrand shined with 18 points and eight assists against Clemson. How will Torre and company fare against what Hildebrand brings: a balanced attack?

“They’ll be the team in white,” said Torre afterwards. “We watched them after our game. We see what we’re up against. (West Virginia) is impressive, sure. I thought we were too, tonight. I am sure they’re talking about us, just as we are about them. They know what this is about, just as we do. Nobody will be under tremendous pressure. We all have been here before.”

For the Rockets, the victory is nothing but sweet. Getting to the Elite Eight, and land yet uncharted by the MAC, would be groundbreaking not just for Toledo, but the conference itself.

“We know we come from this little conference nobody pays attention to,” said McCarley. “You know, we play good basketball there. It is heated basketball. Our rivalries are just as intense as Kansas and Kansas State, as Indiana and Illinois. Those boys get the headlines, but we put the same ball in the same basket as they do. The hoop is ten feet high in the MAC, too.”

The rest of the Midwest played to chalk; West Virginia clobbered Clemson, as noted. Second-seed San Francisco, behind a diverse effort led by Jared Stewart’s 19, held Texas Western to 41% shooting in a 75-53 victory. They will face Southern California, 90-65 winners over Oklahoma A&M. JC Quiles had 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Freddie Nation had 8 points, 8 assists, and 7 steals. Edmund Nelson had a team-high 21. Matthew O’Bryant’s 17 and eight rebounds led the Cowboys.

After the game, the Trojans continued their mantra of demanding San Francisco.

“Frankly, we’re tired of hearing about them,” said Quiles. “They play in a garbage league. They ducked several top teams during the regular season, including us. They can’t duck us now.”

There was no comment from the San Francisco side.

Midwest Semifinals:
5) West Virginia (28-5) vs 8) Toledo (16-13): We had West Virginia beating Indiana. Toledo conquered a mountain for the second time. We don’t believe they will conquer the Mountaineers. PICK: West Virginia
2) San Francisco (27-4) vs 3) Southern California (22-8). An original pick in our forecast, and we’ll stay with it. PICK: San Francisco

Niagara Throws NC State Over

As compelling as Toledo’s repeat was, it did not begin to touch the biggest upset of the first round. That took place in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“We always believed we could win, even without Monroe (Serrato),” said Niagara point guard Curt To, following the Purple Eagles’ 73-68 win over second-seeded North Carolina State. “We have other guys who can score on this team. A couple of them stepped up.”

In addition to To’s 15-6-6 line, Niagara got an unlikely source of steady scoring out of forward Bill Gumm. The reserve forward saw 11.8 minutes a game this year, scoring a career-high 4.2 points a game. In this game, he tallied 17 points in 13 minutes of action.

“This is not new,” said Gumm, whose career high is 21 points, achieved earlier this year. “Coming off the bench is not being asked to hold down the fort. I have to produce, or my minutes go to someone else. Coach said that replacing Monroe was going to be done by several people, not by just one. I think we did a good job tonight.”

Monroe would be Monroe Serrato, who went down for the year in Niagara’s final regular season game. He averaged 20.0 points a game for the Purple Eagles. Many, including this very publication, felt Niagara would never be able to replace his production.

We were wrong, once again.

Niagara got their penultimate push with 13:50 to go in the second half. After John Clawson beat the press for a layup, bringing NC State to within one (47-46), Daniel Judge hit a jump shot. Chris Davis missed one of his own, and Douglas Scott scored on a nifty Curt To pass, which went between a defender’s legs. After a few silent possessions, John Rossi scored for State. To responded with a jumper off a Gumm assist. Gumm then got a steal, got fouled, and hit both free throws to make it a 55-50 game.

Gerald Cardenas almost cost Niagara quite a bit, by getting charged with a technical arguing a foul call. He was out of the game; Clayton Wheeler’s two free throws brought it back to 52-55. But Judge stripped Wheeler on the ensuing possession, leading to a Dennis Rand basket.

NC State collectively sagged their shoulders, but kept going to work. Wheeler scored from inside. Chris Arenas got a strip, and William Munoz scored. It was back to one. Gumm beat the press and scored. Wheeler beat the press and answered. Gumm scored again. Munoz scored, making it 61-60.

With 7:52 left, Judge got Wheeler on a ball fake. He scored the bucket, plus the penalty. He missed the shot, but John Rossi missed a two-footer on the other end. Niagara got three looks at the bucket on their possession, before Judge tipped in To’s miss. NC State came up empty, and Robert Lombard tipped in Judge’s miss on the other end.

It was 67-60, and NC State felt defeated.

“Every time we got close, they were able to push it back out,” said Rossi after the game. “The rebounding was inexcusable. We should have done much better.”

Niagara outrebounded State, 41-31. 11 of those came on the offensive end, and several came during that stretch.

Davis led State (24-10) with 17 points and four rebounds. Clawson added a 14-3-5 line.

Niagara will face third-seeded Seattle (29-3), a 42-34 winner over St. John’s, in the East semifinal. In the top half of the bracket, top-seeded Washington (26-6) got 22 points from Danny Fenton, crushing George Washington (14-19), 91-62.

They will face Duquesne, who got the final of Chauncey Hinkley’s 26 points with four seconds to go. His jumper from the left wing broke a 60-60 tie, and gave the Dukes a 62-60 win over Georgia Tech. Joe Lundberg had tied it just seven seconds earlier.

“I had an open look, and had a good rhythm,” said Hinkley afterwards. “I was surprised I got that open. I think, because we pushed it down the court quickly, they were caught off-guard. They thought we would call time, and coasted on the play.”

“Yup, that’s exactly what happened,” said Lundberg (15 pts, 10 reb) afterwards. “When Green brought it over the half-court line, we thought they’d set up their last play. Then he saw Hinkley, and fired. We couldn’t recover.”

East Semifinals
1) Washington (26-6) vs 4) Duquesne (27-5). We had Georgia Tech beating Duquesne, and Washington beating Georgia Tech. Frankly, we think Duquesne is a different, more difficult matchup for the Huskies. This is a weird hunch call, but we’re switching things up. PICK: Duquesne
3) Seattle (29-3) vs 7) Niagara (18-12): Niagara sprung the upset, but we liked Seattle from the start. PICK: Seattle

Bottom Seeds Hold In Wild West

The West region found two underdogs in the first round.

The first, Utah (19-10), reigned because of their battle-tested point guard. Robert Peeler dominated the vaunted backcourt of California, as Utah ran away with a 74-66 over the Golden Bears (21-9).

“He was really good,” said Cal guard Tony Eyre after the game. “Very quick. He’d have done great in this league.”

With the game tied at 39 and fifteen minutes to go, Peeler got Utah rolling with a jump shot. He then stole an Eyre pass, and found Fritz Owens for an easy shot from the line. Peeler then stole Eyre again, and finished with a dunk. That made it 45-39, prompting Cal to call timeout.

On their next possession, Peeler forced Tyron Crandall into a bad shot. Utah got the rebound, and Peeler found Ernie Pedro for a bucket. Jackie Lutz hit two free throws after being fouled by Cal big man Rene Storm, making it 49-39 with 12:51 remaining.

Cal would score thirty seconds later, but Peeler beat Cal’s press, and found Owens to respond. Cal scored again, but Peeler got Crandall to travel on his next possession. David Nelson scored; he would, after a series of fouls and traded buckets, get a steal and a dunk, making it 57-45, Utah, with 8:41 left. They would keep pushing, eventually stretching the lead to fifteen. They coasted from there.

Peeler finished with 9 points, 15 assists, and 5 steals. But make no mistake; he was the best player on the floor.

“He knows where guys are going to be before they do,” said Crandall (14-9-4) after the game. “I was greatly impressed. I’d seen him before, of course. Tonight, he was the guy in charge.”
Jack Gallagher led Utah with 17 points, while Nelson, Lutz and Owens scored 12 each. Crandall and Eyre led Cal with 14 apiece.

The Redskins will face the sixth-seeded Dayton Flyers, who had a surprisingly easy time with third-seed Bradley, 70-54. The Flyers (25-5) shot 55% from the field on the usually solid Bradley defense. The Braves (24-5), meanwhile, shot just 38%.

“We could not find the bottom of the net regularly,” said Bradley head man Tommie Teran. “You have to find good stretches against teams like Dayton.”

Bradley did well just to keep it within six most of the second half. They seemed spent at the half, grateful that they were only down seven, 39-32. Every time Dayton seemed poised to make a decisive run at the finish, the Braves would pull back to within striking distance. They could never find that last switch, however.

Chris Duron, the redshirt sophomore star guard for Dayton, led the way with 23, while Charlie Gomez, called in because of foul trouble to starting guard Richard Sloan, earned POTG honors with 12 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Denver Logan, the giant man in the middle, had just five points, but ten rebounds, four assists, and six blocks.

Richard Bulger, in his final game as a collegian, scored 16 points and had six assists to lead Bradley. Robert Bohannan had just four points on 2-13 shooting, though he did manage nine assists.

This may begin a fall from grace for Bradley, at least temporarily. Their cupboard is not as well stocked as in previous seasons, and they will be hard-pressed to replace Bulger or 6’10, 280 center James Calvo. For the record, we believe Calvo (10 points, two rebounds, two blocks) was outplayed by Logan in this one, despite being difficult to handle defensively (Logan shot just 1-5).

The top half of the bracket played out as we envisioned. Kansas State decked Dartmouth, 81-49, sending the Ivy Group champion out of the tournament. Billy Jacob went for 21-5-6 to lead the top-seeded Wildcats (29-1). Sonny Freeman was the only scorer for the Indians (15-14), leading with 16 points on 8-11 shooting. Charlie Smith, the fellow forward scorer for the Indians, had just four points on 2-12 shooting.

Kansas State will face fifth-seed Oregon, who polished off Duke, 91-73. Colin Dunleavy scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds off the bench for the Webfoots (22-9). Do not underestimate Dunleavy’s play…but we’ll talk about him later.

Senior star Lane McClary had 13-3-5 for Duke (22-10), while fellow star Jonathan Fleenor was held to eight points on 4-15 shooting, with eight rebounds. Ray Griffin’s 15 led Duke scorers.

The key to the game, it would turn out, was Oregon’s 40-17 edge on the glass. Even of those were on the offensive end. Kenny Foster, the Oregon big man, had 16 points and seven rebounds to help supplement Dunleavy’s efforts.

West Semifinals
1) Kansas State (29-1) vs 5) Oregon (22-9). This is true to our original forecast. We have no reason to change our pick from before. PICK: Kansas State
6) Dayton (25-5) vs 7) Utah (19-10): We did not have this game the first time around. In fact, we had neither team in this spot. To be quick, we like Dayton’s diversity and length against Utah. Dayton, with Denver Logan in the middle, presents the kind of difficult around the basket that the Utes did not find with Cal. Dayton should control the rebounding fairly easily in this, and it is Utah’s inability to gain second and third chances, something they did in key spots against Cal, that will cost them. PICK: Dayton

Arkansas Floors UCLA, Awaits Kentucky

The Arkansas Razorbacks were in no mood to mess around during their first round game against UCLA.

After their 87-67 victory, they were in no mood to celebrate, either.

“No time,” said Arkansas star Kerry Groves afterward. “We play in two days.”

Groves scored just six points in this one; help, however, was found in several places. Scott Garza led the Razorbacks (25-6) with 21 points, on 8-13 shooting. Mac Burroughs added 19 points and five rebounds, while Bennett Dougherty added 14. Seth Wessels had six points, six rebounds, and seven assists off the bench.

“We have a team with a lot of firepower,” said Arkansas coach Mike Murray. “We can attack from many avenues. Kerry didn’t fire well (3-9 from the field). With our team, we do not rely on a single player. Someone is always hot on our roster.”

As a team, Arkansas shredded UCLA’s defense to the tune of 59% shooting. On defense, they forced UCLA into 47% with 20 turnovers. That helped offset a 36-28 UCLA rebounding edge.

“We did not get enough stops,” said UCLA forward Jean Beckner. He led UCLA with 16, but shot 6-17 to get there. “We play better from the front. We got behind, and we got impatient.”

UCLA finishes their year at 22-8. Meanwhile, Arkansas moves on to a game they have wanted all year, even if they won’t tell you that.

“Kentucky’s just another team,” said Dougherty. “Sure, we are owed our shot at them. But do we seek them out? Do they seek us out? You didn’t see them scheduling us, did you?”

Dougherty, it is said, is considering politics when he graduates.

Second-seed Kentucky (28-2) rolled Murray State, 80-53, to set up this game. Stephan Williford had 19 points, leading four scorers in double figures. Carson White added nine points and nine rebounds off the bench.

When told of their comments, Kentucky coach Rob Roberson said of Arkansas, “Who?”

Brian Jacob led Murray State (21-9) with 12 points.

In the top half of the East bracket, both higher seeds played to form, though Kansas got a little more than they bargained for with eighth-seeded Connecticut.

The Huskies, major underdogs in this game, kept coming at Kansas. In fact, with 7:29 left in the game, they held a 66-64 lead.

“They are a disciplined team who has been here four years in a row,” said Kansas coach Dave Keene. “Did anyone think that their guards would be rattled?

Kansas retook the lead from there, but the Huskies never went away. They were down one, 71-70, with 4:46 left, after former All-American Jessie Calvert found Gary Garfield. Kansas got the lead to 81-74 with 2:18 left, but UConn came roaring back, getting to 83-80 with :37, and 85-82 with :27 left.

But they could get no closer.

“They gave us everything, and then some,” said Kansas guard Luis Horne, whose 21 led the Jayhawks (25-5). “We were concerned, but never panicked. We know who we are, and we know that we could control the rebounding against them (42-33 KS edge). They were going to have to make every shot to beat us.

“They (darn) well nearly did, though.”

Joe McInerney, UConn’s scoring junior forward, led the Huskies with 31 points before fouling out late. Calvert, a two-time Yankee Player of the Year, finished his career with 14 points and seven assists.

“It’s a tough way to end, but we were the low seed,” said Calvert afterwards. “I mean, that’s Kansas over there. Everyone knows who they are. And now, after today, maybe more will know who we are. We’ve been here the same number of times as they have, after all.

“I’m proud of this program, and proud to have been a part of it.”

UConn finishes the season at 16-13.

Kansas will face Atlantic Coast champion North Carolina (27-7), who downed Michigan State, 61-51. The Spartans got close a couple of times, pulling to within three in the second half. Otherwise, the Tar Heels held serve for the afternoon, despite fouling 25 times, to just 16 for Sparty.

“We were sloppy,” said North Carolina coach Noah Brisbin of UNC’s fouling, as well as their 22 turnovers. “We played well enough to lose. Fortunately, Sparty could not find the basket.”

The Spartans (21-8) shot just 30% from the field, and had twenty turnovers of their own. None of their players scored in double figures; Cyril Clancy led with 9, on 3-15 shooting. Doug Gibson scored 8, on 3-14; Brent Burchill shot 2-13 for just four points.

“They were all over us,” said Burchell after the game. “Frankly, I thought there should have been more fouls. There was a lot that went uncalled. But that’s the nature of the game. They were physical, and we cowered in response. They took control.”

Freshman forward Chris Stoner led UNC with 11 points and eight rebounds. Caleb Clegg and Darrel Brown scored ten each in support.

South Semifinals
1) Kansas (25-5) vs 4) North Carolina (27-7): We picked this originally. No reason to go against our first call. PICK: Kansas.
2) Kentucky (28-2) vs 6) Arkansas (25-6): Another game we originally picked. Again, neither team did anything to persuade us otherwise. PICK: Kentucky

[murrayyyyy]

NBR Record, First Round: 11-5

The Games We Cannot Wait To Watch

We are looking forward to all eight games. But if you had a ticket, which game would we recommend? We decided to rank the eight remaining games.

8. Seattle vs Niagara. This should be the biggest blowout, though it is worth it to see Seattle’s Gregory Wyman and Jesus Jones.

7. West Virginia vs Toledo. Another blowout, but your best chance to see West Virginia’s incredible, unselfish offense running at its highest level...probably for the final time this tournament. Tougher defenses await.

6. Dayton vs Utah. This is an enticing game that matches a team full of solid parts against a player who makes his teammates better. Watching Robert Peeler go against the Flyers is worth the price of admission alone.

5. Kansas State vs Oregon. Oregon is fun to watch, and watching the Fearsome Foursome of Kansas State is always worth it. This one is not a slam dunk for the Wildcats…but it’s close.

4. Washington vs Duquesne. The Kings of Streaky face off against one another. This should be a frenzied, high-scoring attack. It may be the highest scoring game in tournament history.

3. Kentucky vs Arkansas. The former doesn’t recognize the latter as a talented team. The latter finds the former overrated, and ready to knock its block off. Two Dixie heavyweights, facing off in the heart of Dixieland? This has high-level drama all over it.

2. Kansas vs North Carolina. The defending champions against a super-talented Atlantic Coast champion? North Carolina was dreadfully underseeded, and the Tar Heels have used that chip on their shoulder to supreme motivation. How will their bigs do against the Automarahn? The guard play, Horne v. Means, should be a barnburner.

1. San Francisco vs Southern California. The biggest rivalry going is anyone in the west against anyone in the west. Specifically, this is the PCC against the PCC, and the PCC against San Francisco and Seattle. The Trojans have sounded off on the Dons well before the tournament started; they were miffed that they couldn’t schedule the Dons during the offseason, and have held it against them all year. They said, going into the tournament, that they were hoping they’d get the Dons. San Francisco has stayed silent, deciding that their activity on the court was energy better spent. This in-state war should produce an epic battle. We cannot wait to see it.

First Round Game Balls

Bill Gumm, Niagara: Scored 17 big points in just 13 minutes, shooting 6-6 from the field, and 5-5 from the line. Most of his points came during a pivotal second half run, which catapulted the Purple Eagles to the 73-68 upset of the #2-seed Wolfpack.

SF Colin Dunleavy, Oregon: We said we’d discuss Dunleavy before. Here is his player biography:

Code:
PLAYER DETAILS

#20 SF Colin Dunleavy - Oregon - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-1
Weight: 187
High School: Eagle Point High School
Hometown: Eagle Point, OR

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 14 7 11 9 15 6 12 18 4 17 6 8 15 9 20 15
1955: 13 6 11 8 14 5 11 16 4 15 6 8 14 9 20 13
1954: 12 6 10 8 13 5 11 15 4 14 5 8 14 8 20 12
1953: 11 6 9 8 12 5 10 13 4 13 5 7 14 7 20 9
Potential: B D C C B D C A F A D D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 7

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1954 27 0 5.4 3.1 0.3 1.3 0.3 0.2 1.50 0.1 0.1 0.7
1955 30 30 29.2 10.0 2.0 7.2 2.0 1.5 1.28 0.6 0.3 3.2
1956 31 0 21.2 11.8 1.3 5.9 1.7 1.4 1.21 0.5 0.1 2.8
Career 88 30 19.1 8.5 1.2 4.9 1.4 1.1 1.21 0.4 0.2 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1954 1.1 2.4 .470 0.8 1.1 .700 0.0 0.0 .000 1.26 0.48
1955 3.9 9.9 .399 2.1 2.8 .762 0.0 0.0 .000 1.01 5.50
1956 4.5 10.2 .442 2.8 3.6 .775 0.0 0.0 .000 1.15 5.97
Career 3.3 7.7 .426 1.9 2.6 .760 0.0 0.0 .000 1.10 4.13

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1954 27 0 147 83 8 36 9 6 2 2 18
1955 30 30 875 300 60 217 59 46 18 9 97
1956 31 0 656 366 41 182 52 43 15 3 88
Career 88 30 1678 749 109 435 120 95 35 14 203

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1954 31 66 21 30 0 0 13
1955 118 296 64 84 0 0 165
1956 140 317 86 111 0 0 185
Career 289 679 171 225 0 0 363

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 29 4 11 5 3 2 3 10 19 9 12 0 0
Career 29 5 15 5 3 2 6 10 19 9 12 0 0

Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 5
1953 High School: Rated *** and #125 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
1955 1st Team All-Conference (Pacific Coast Conference)
So here you have a player who not only was a starter last year, but he was a first-team All-Pacific Coast selection. He was actually more efficient off the bench this year, scoring more points (11.8 ppg) in less minutes (21.2). What the junior did, going for 24 points and 11 rebounds (a career high) on 9-15 shooting, 6-8 from the line, is not a surprise. This is more a nod to someone who has had to completely adjust to life on the bench, a season after he found distinction as one of the best among his peers. That takes a bigger man than a player to be able to adjust to a part-time role, albeit one just as important as a starter. Many players could not make just an adjustment.

PG Robert Peeler, Utah: Peeler has, time and time again, willed his team to victory. He enables his teammates to take risks they would not unable to take with a player of lesser quality. He is a leader on and off the court. His 9 points, 15 assists, and 4 rebounds helped lead the Redskins to a 74-66 win over a Cal team that should have won the game, had they the same leadership Peeler presents with the Utes.

PG Brian Schmaranzer, Toledo: The player who was once described in the Toledo Blade as “a player here for extended high school credit”, the 5’10, 160-pound guard showed his worth. He scored 20 points, Toledo requiring every one of them, in the Rockets’ 76-70 upset of top-seeded Indiana. He went 6-7 from the field, and 8-10 from the line. Every single one of those figures is a career high. “My teammates encouraged me to find my shot,” said Schmaranzer after the game. “They enabled me to achieve more than I thought I was able.”

West Virginia Defense: The Mountaineer defense is often derided because it is often discarded in favor of their offense. However, against Clemson, they answered the call. The Mountaineers forced 27 turnovers, including 11 steals, in their 76-46 romp of the Tigers. They held Elijah Davis to his worst game, at the worst time: 14 points (6-19 shooting), 13 rebounds, one assist, SEVEN turnovers.

[collegesportsfanms]

I absolutely love this dynasty and the fact that you guys brought it to these forums. Even though I haven't been too involved lately, I'm going to start getting more involved, but I enjoy reading all this stuff, even if it is a lot to catch up on! Great job guys.

[dawgfan]

1956 Review:
It was a season of some disappointing lows, close calls and amazing highs. Washington was coming off a terrific 31-3 campaign that saw the Huskies claim their first PCC title and advance to the Sweet Sixteen, and the thought was 1956 would probably see a small step-back. The Huskies were able to defend their Pre-Season NIT championship (including a nice win over #7 San Francisco), but they fell badly on the road to #6 N.C. State. Still, the Huskies managed to go 13-1 against non-conference teams heading into PCC play. The conference was a buzz-saw with several strong, ranked teams in 1956. Still, the Huskies were 10-3 at one point and in position to retain their PCC crown only to lose two games late and finish a game back. Their 4th straight NCAA Tournament bid under Coach DeGrasse followed.

What happened after that will be remembered for a long time in Seattle. The Huskies had little problem with George Washington in the first round, and then proceeded to beat #11 Duquesne, #12 Seattle and #10 West Virginia to reach the NCAA Championship Game. Unfortunately for Washington they had to face off against Kansas State, very nearly a wire-to-wire #1 in the polls. The Wildcats squashed any dreams the Huskies had of taking home the title by winning in convincing fashion, but once that sting wore off Washington celebrated their most successful season in their history.

We would expect this season will result in another nice boost to our prestige rating – I would guess to somewhere around 86-88. It might also trigger more boosts to our assistants and perhaps goad our AD into launching improvements to our training facilities.

Team Leaders:
Points: PG Daniel Fenton (Sr) - 16.6, SG Italo Malocco (Jr) – 14.3, SF Ellis Murphy (RS-Sr) - 8.3
Rebounds: C Francis Calhoun (RS-Jr) – 8.4, PF Gregoire Dupretz (RS-Fr) - 7.3, SF Gisbert Bittes (RS-Sr) - 5.5
Assists: PG Daniel Fenton (Sr) – 4.4, SG Italo Malocco (Jr) – 3.3, PG Marquis Gray (RS-Fr) - 3.1
Blocks: C Francis Calhoun (RS-Jr) – 1.3
Steals: SG Italo Malocco (Jr) - 2.4

Fenton stepped up his game as a senior, perhaps enjoying the benefits of controlling the ball more as primarily a PG rather than a SG. Malocco moved from super-sub to very good starter, and along with Fenton gave the Huskies a couple of excellent ball-hawks in the backcourt. While the team lost some skill overall defensively from 1955’s outstanding unit, there wasn’t much drop-off in production. The Huskies ranked 17th overall in Defensive Efficiency, and they were 5th in steal % and were 4th in opponent turnovers. Offensively the team lost a bit of passing ability in the starting lineup and their Offensive Efficiency – while still good at 24th overall – took a bit of a hit. Francis Calhoun stepped up his rebounding and interior defense, but we’d like to see a bit more out of him on the offensive end.

Graduating players:
PG/SG Daniel Fenton: 16.6 ppg, 4.4 apg, 2.0 steals
Fenton leaves the Huskies as one of their all-time greats. A four-year starter, two-time 1st team All-Conference, Freshman All-American, PCC Freshman of the Year and PCC Player of the year as a Senior, he was clearly the MVP of this team and the biggest reason the Huskies advanced to the NCAA Championship Game. He was a fantastic combo guard with the ball skills and passing to play PG and the scoring ability to play SG. There were essentially no weaknesses in his game and only a few areas where he wasn’t outstanding. He rates as the 8th best pro prospect among the 1956 seniors and we’re certain he’s headed to a strong NBA career. Fenton’s name is all over the Husky record book, and he’ll be next to impossible to replace.

SF Gisbert Bittes: 8.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.2 steals
Bittes was a 3-year starter for Washington after coming over from his native Germany. A classic glue-guy who did a lot of things well but few things great, he managed to stay under the radar of most observers. But he was perfectly suited to SF with the quickness to hang with smaller wings and the strength to bang with the bigger forwards, and was a fundamentally strong defender all-around. He had some good scoring moves inside and could hit an open jumper, was a decent passer and ball-handler and wasn’t a bad rebounder. While not a star, he was an important player that allowed us to play our preferred style of basketball.

Recruiting Class:

 #5 WASHINGTON HUSKIES Recruiting

 Name                Pos  Ovl  Reg  Pos  RPos   AA   AS  MBB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Charles Gonzales      C   17    4    4     1  Yes  Yes   No
 Thomas Davis         SG   12    5    4     1  Yes  Yes  Yes

Washington was able to follow-up their big 1955 class haul with another one composed of highly rated prospects. With just two commits this class probably won’t rank any higher than 10th in the country, both commits are 5-star prospects and considered among the top-20 overall in the nation.

Gonzales is a long, lanky post out of Texas. At 6’10”, 204 lbs he has some work to do in the weight room, though he appears to already possess adequate strength, promising bounce and decent quickness for a big, though his stamina needs work. His numbers in high school and his high ranking (#17 overall, #4 C prospect, High School All American) suggest a better player than his scouting report. He appears to be a post that doesn’t mind shooting jumpers, but also has some ability beneath the basket. His rebounding – particularly on the defensive glass – should be a plus. He should be a pretty good shot-blocker, and his post defense should be at least adequate, though we have hopes it will be better than that.

Davis is a combo guard out of Florida. He’s on the smaller side (5’11”) but looks to be a terrific athlete: very quick, good jumper and surprising strength. He’s another player where the high school numbers and high ranking (#12 overall, #4 SG prospect, High School All American) suggest a better player than his scouting report. He was a big scorer (23.9 ppg) and also showed PG ability (6.1 apg, 3.10 A/T ratio) at Osceola H.S. He looks to be a strong offensive player with some ability to get to the basket and a good jump shooter. He also shows good hands and promising potential as a passer. Most importantly he projects as a strong perimeter defender, and we suspect he’ll end up a pretty good ball-hawk.

Washington has managed to build a lot of quality depth on the roster, so the Huskies should have the luxury of redshirting both.

1957 Preview:
It’s the end of an era for the Huskies with the graduation of Fenton, but with a trio of highly talented freshman ready to come off their redshirts and join the roster, the future looks bright.

It’s hard to believe C Francis Calhoun is heading into his final season as a RS-Sr. A sure bet to start for the 3rd straight season at C, Calhoun will be a significant key to the Huskies’ success in 1957. With adequate size (6’9”), terrific strength and surprising bounce, he does a lot of things very well in the post. He’s a very good rebounder (none better on the offensive glass) and a terrific post defender who is improving as a shot-blocker. He’s not a huge part of the offense, though he’s adequate in the paint and possesses a decent jumper. He was joined by RS-So Gregoire Dupretz in the starting lineup last season at PF. Dupretz has similar size, is a bit stronger and quicker than Calhoun but not as good a jumper. Dupretz was just OK defending the post but has room for growth, and should end up a pretty good shot-blocker. He’s an improving rebounder and has excellent potential on the defensive glass. He passes the ball reasonably well for a big man, and he’s similar offensively to Calhoun. Dupretz will face a serious challenge from RS-Fr Monroe Willman. A bit undersized at 6’7” and still developing his strength, he’s a quicker post player with the skill set to defend down low as well as out along the perimeter, and could see some minutes at SF as well. He projects as an elite all-around rebounder and already possesses good offensive moves in the paint and has some potential with his jump shot. He also looks to develop into a pretty good ball-handler and passer. The main backup down low his first two seasons, RS-Jr Burt Lingle will probably be the 2nd post off the bench in 1957. He’s got good size at 6’11”, is plenty strong and is a decent defensive player. He’s average on the glass and OK on the offensive end (he’s the best free throw shooter of our big men), though he’s not much with the ball in his hands.

Bittes graduating leaves an opening at SF, and there’s no doubt who will fill it – Jess Johnson, the #2 overall recruit last season. He’s an impressive-looking all-around forward. He’s got good size at 6’8”, has decent quickness, strength and jumping ability, can defend all over the court (already above-average and with lots of room to improve), could end up a very good ball thief and should develop into a strong rebounder at both ends. He’s already a skilled dribbler with decent potential as a passer. On the offensive end he’s a terrific shooter from deep, already possesses pretty good ability to get to the hoop and has the potential to be a very good shooter. In short, if he follows his expected development path over the next four seasons, he should be the kind of player that carries a team.

The backcourt remains very deep even with the graduation of Fenton. Entering his Sr season is SG Italo Malocco. A super-sub for us his first two seasons, he transitioned nicely into a starting role and should remain one of our two best scoring options. He’s a good athlete – quick, good jumper, reasonably strong – though perhaps a touch on the short side at 6’1”. He’s a terrific defender out on the perimeter and one of the best in the nation at grabbing steals. He’s an above-average passer and improving ball-handler. He’s got a well-developed all-around game on offense, able to penetrate or stick a mid-range jumper. He’ll likely be joined in the starting lineup by RS-So Marquis Gray who was the primary backup at PG last season. He’s exceptionally quick and has nice size for the position at 6’2”. He’s an above-average dribbler and a very good passer with more room for improvement. He’s an improving defender and should become above-average on the perimeter. He’s not much for generating his own shot, but he’s got a good jumper. RS-Jr Wayne Toro is his main competition at PG – he’s of similar size, very nearly as quick and a better dribbler, though not as good a passer. He’s similar offensively with a more well-developed shot. Where he falls short is on the defensive end – he’s below-average here, and unless he can show some improvement in this regard he’ll likely remain a backup. Another part of the deep stable of guards is RS-So Manuel Parenteau who should see time at both SG and SF. He’s a very good athlete – quick and an elite jumper. He’s similar offensively to Toro with a nice jump shot, especially from deep. He’s a decent passer and has the potential to help out on the glass. He’s below average defensively, but shows the potential to develop into an adequate defender. Yet another wing in the mix is RS-Jr Jose Park. At 6’3” and with decent strength he’s probably our best backup option at SF. He’s quick and another elite jumper. He’s at his best on the offensive end where he can create his own shot and complements it with a good jumper, and has pretty good handles. However he contributes nothing on the glass and is a below-par defender, so that limits him. Last, but certainly not least is RS-Fr Woodrow Shelley who will join the rotation and immediately compete for quality minutes. Shelley is another very good athlete – extremely quick, very good jumper, decent strength. He might be the best jump shooter on the team already and has at least adequate potential to drive to the hoop. He should end up an average rebounder and passer, but what sets him apart in this crowded backcourt is his defense – he’s already the 2nd best perimeter defender on the team with elite potential, and he’s got a good shot at replacing Malocco as a starter when he graduates.

As tough as it is to lose a talent like Fenton, there are some really terrific players returning and a potential star in Johnson to replace the production Fenton provided. With improving depth in the front court and an extremely crowded backcourt, this is a team that can withstand some injuries and should be able to challenge the stamina of opponents. I’m certainly not going to predict a return to the NCAA Championship game, and with the quality of teams in the dangerous PCC it’s foolish to predict a conference title. But this team certainly has the potential to do what the 1956 team did and should be among the top-10 teams in the country.

[muns]

Well USC got the game they wanted in the 2nd round, but fell to San Fran. BLAHHHHHHHHHHH

I tried to slow the game down big time so that we wouldn't get in foul trouble, but that didn't work at all.

Honestly, and I am sure people would debate me on this, but we are the better team. If we didn't foul (28) and turn the ball over (24) what could have been. Its easy to tell, blow out city...... We shot 60% to their 40 something % and depending on who you talk to our first or 2nd best player only played 17 mins before fouling out......

Just a season of ups and downs, but this was a GIANT disappointment.

San Francisco 76, Southern California 69

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern California  (22-9, 10-6):
Player            Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Dante Douglas     C    32   1-1   0-0   2   9   3  4   2
J.C. Quiles       PF   17   3-3   0-0   1   3   0  5   6
H. Hernandez      SF   33  8-16   0-1   1  10   1  1  16
Edmund Nelson     SG   23  9-13   1-1   0   5   1  4  19
Freddie Nation    PG   35   4-6   3-5   2   3  12  4  11
Vincent Lincoln   SG   18   4-8   0-0   1   1   1  3   8
Allen Storer      PG    6   1-1   0-0   0   0   1  0   2
Ronald Mitchum    SF    4   1-1   0-0   0   1   0  1   2
Michael Fanning   PF   18   0-0   0-0   0   6   0  5   0
Benito Lightfoot  PF    7   1-4   1-2   0   0   0  1   3
Orval Tarter      PF    5   0-0   0-0   0   0   0  0   0

Turnovers: 24 (D.Douglas 1, J.Quiles 2, H.Hernandez 5, 
 E.Nelson 4, F.Nation 10, V.Lincoln 1, M.Fanning 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (D.Douglas 2)
Steals: 2 (J.Quiles 1, F.Nation 1)
3P FGs: 0-0 

San Francisco  (28-4, 11-1):
Player            Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Vaughn Griffis    C    32  6-10   2-6   3   8   1  1  14
Ronnie Veasey     PF   33  9-13  7-10   1   4   1  3  25
Jared Stewart     SF   32  1-12   7-8   1   3   2  0   9
Kelley Kuehl      SG   24   4-7   3-4   0   4   7  5  11
Stephen Ferrari   PG   32   1-5   2-2   3   4   9  2   4
Warren Tandy      PG   19   3-6   1-2   1   3   2  2   7
Adolph Rabe       SG    6   0-0   0-0   0   0   1  0   0
Tony Potter       PF   12   1-3   0-0   0   0   0  0   2
Darin Armstrong   SF    8   2-7   0-0   1   1   0  1   4
Anton Steverson   PF    2   0-1   0-0   1   1   0  0   0

Turnovers: 8 (R.Veasey 2, J.Stewart 3, W.Tandy 1, 
 T.Potter 1, D.Armstrong 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (V.Griffis 1, J.Stewart 1, T.Potter 1, 
 D.Armstrong 1)
Steals: 9 (V.Griffis 1, J.Stewart 2, K.Kuehl 2, 
 S.Ferrari 1, W.Tandy 2, T.Potter 1)
3P FGs: 0-0 

Player of Game: PF Ronnie Veasey (SF)

[muns]

Analytics vs. SelCom

The favorites did a lot better the last few days, although Columbia's improbable run continues as they knock of Holy Cross. Last time it was Justin Root refusing to miss against Saint Joe: this time it was balance as all five starters scored in double figures. Mario Poe is averaging over 15 ppg in the NIT, and the two of them seems to be playing together much better than earlier in the year.

** Ohio State vs. Syracuse

We pull even with the Orangemen getting it done again. Despite 20 turnovers, they out-rebound Ohio State by nine, shoot 49% for the day, and the Buckeyes are left to rue 11 missed free throws. This was our only contested game.

Current Score: SelCom 4, Analytics 4. I hate ties ...

Upcoming Games

** San Francisco vs. West Virginia

The Mountaineers have vindicated our faith in them in their opening games, but to get to the Final Four they'll need to pass a much sterner test. Still, we thought they were absurd as a 5-seed and they've proven that true with lopsided wins to get here. We've got West Virginia in another 'upset' by four points here.

Kansas State should get by Dayton fairly easily, and while the other two Elite Eight matchups figure to be very tight, we agree with the favorites there. Similarly in the NIT, we're off the 'Cuse bandwagon against LaSalle, and we like Villanova to end Columbia's Cinderella run. So once again we have only game to dispute with the committee, and it's getting late enough that this could decide the contest ...

[muns]

The National Basketball Report: March 30, 1957
Regional Semifinal Drama? Go East, young man…

High Drama in the East

In the regional semifinals this weekend, the East hogged the spotlight. Every region saw the higher seed win; however, only in the East was that in doubt.

In the first game at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Niagara looked like they were going to continue their fairy tale run to the East finals. The seventh-seeded Purple Eagles led third-seeded Seattle 29-20 at the half. The Chieftains went in to the locker room expecting an angry coach.

Instead, they found Saul Bray with a smile on his face.

“We were really hesitant to sit down then,” said Jesus Jones, who scored a team-high 16. “But he told us we took their best shot, and that while we shot poorly, we had good looks at scoring. Sooner or later, those shots would fall.”

It would be sooner.

Justin Lavergne scored on the first possession of the second half. Niagara forward Robert Lombard responded, and Matthew Ashton scored after a Seattle miss. Niagara led, 33-22. Ashton thumped his chest on the way down the court.

They would never feel so good again.

Blaine Martin scored on a David Harder pass. Then Harder scored off a Jones assist. 33-26, 17:45 left. Seattle came out in a press, and Lavergne stole Curt To’s pass to Ashton. He finished with a big dunk, and glared right at Ashton. To scored, but Jones easily got inside.

35-30, Niagara.

Daniel Judge missed for Niagara. Jones scored from about 25 feet away, prompting Niagara to call time, their lead dwindling from eleven to three, in the span of ninety seconds.

“We knew we had them,” said Harder afterwards. “They were panicked.”

The big play, it would turn out, would involve Harder, and it came immediately after the timeout. To got the inbounds, and found a double screen. He came charging out of it, towards the hoop. Harder, playing Lombard, stepped towards the hoop. To barreled into him. The ref blew his whistle.

Charge.

To got up incensed, but walked away to avoid a further whistle. On Seattle’s possession, Jones was fouled by Judge. He scored both. Doug Scott scored for Niagara on a tip-in, making it three again. But Niagara was just pushing off the inevitable. Martin scored; Werner Montez got a steal, and a layup.

Seattle had their lead. From there, it was nip and tuck. The game was tied for about four minutes, before Niagara got their lead back, on Gerald Cardenas’ steal and dunk with 5:47 left. On the next possession, Cardenas would foul, and, for the second game in a row, get charged with a technical for arguing.

Jones hit one of two, making it a one-point game. Then Montez, the man fouled originally, hit both free throws. Seattle led by one again. Montez stole a pass from Ashton and found Jones on the other end. Al Miller scored with 4:04 left, making it a 51-46 game.

“We were never out of this game,” said To. “We were good enough to beat that team. We knew the game was not over.”

Ashton was fouled by Jones; his two freebies made it 51-48, 3:52 remaining. After stopping the Chieftains, Cardenas cut the lead to one on a jumper from the right wing. Seattle called time with 3:17 to go.

“I told the guys to enjoy this moment, because when they look back, they’ll want to remember it as fun,” said Bray afterwards. It seemed to loosen his team up.

Lavergne hit one of two free throws after being fouled by Ashton. With 2:21 to go, Judge was fouled. He hit both free throws, tying matters once again. Miller-to-Martin gave Seattle the lead back, with 1:47 left. Harder fouled Lombard on the other end, catching a pass.

“I was trying to steal it,” said Harder afterwards. “It was a stupid play.”

Lombard hit both. Tie game, 1:41 left.

Niagara came out in their press, but Seattle broke it. Then, rather than rush up a shot, they ran the clock down. With 1:07 left, and after countless passes, Jones got open on the baseline. He took it, and drained it.

Many, after this game, would say that Jesus Jones has risen.

Curt To, the venerable old guard of 22 years of age, caught a pass from Tom McCarthy. He made a pump fake on Wyman, got around him, and shot it from the line.

Net. Tied again. Fifty-three seconds left.

Seattle ball. Lavergne found Wyman, who dribbled around, looking for an opening. He found Martin, who found Lavergne, who found Wyman again. Wyman found Jones, again on the left baseline.

Jones’ arms went up. Bill Gumm, the hero of the first round, leapt to block it. Then Jones’ legs went up. He faked Gumm beautifully, keeping his rhythm for a shot.

The whistle blew. The ball flew towards the heavens, before finding its target, coasting through the net.

Seattle led by two, twenty-three seconds left. Jones stepped to the line.

“I tried to block everything out,” said Jones. “If I thought about it, I probably would have not scored.”

Jones went through his routine, dribbling twice, and twirling it back to his hands. He looked at it, then let it fly. It hit the rim, and dropped through.
Seattle 59, Niagara 56.

The Purple Eagles rushed up, and To found an opening. He missed, and Martin secured the rebound. He was fouled with three ticks left. He missed both, but it didn’t matter.

Seattle advanced.

“That was a great game,” said Bray afterwards. “It is one of those games where everyone had tension, but everyone had fun. Every one of those players will remember this after, for different reasons. You have to feel for those fellows in the other locker room…they played well enough to move on.”

Martin, the Player of the Game, had 12 points, 15 rebounds, and a pair of blocks. Wyman had, perhaps, his worst game as a collegian; he was held scoreless by To, 0-4 with four fouls, in just eleven minutes.

To, meanwhile, ended his career with 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists. It was a bittersweet end to a stellar career.

“It felt great to get here, but awful to end it that way,” he said afterward.

Niagara ends their year at 18-13, having reached the regional semifinal for the second straight season. Seattle, now 30-3, moves on to the final to face fellow western power Washington.

The Huskies were tested as well, though against an opponent of a more quality of fiber. The Duquesne Dukes held a 75-73 lead with 4:07 left. The next forty seconds changed, and defined, this game.

First, Danny Fenton scored on a jump shot. Fenton led the Huskies with thirty points; every time they needed a big basket, they went right to their point guard.

“He was phenomenal,” said Duquesne coach Ronald Polson. “He is the hallmark of a veteran leader. He came up in the big moments.”

The next possession will be debated for years to come. Duquesne worked the ball, eventually, to a cutting Chauncey Hinkley. Hinkley caught the ball as Gregoire Dupretz stepped into his space. Both fell. The ref was definitive: Charge on Hinkley.

That was Hinkley’s fifth foul. He was gone.

“There is no way that was, nor would ever be, a charge,” said Polson afterward, just as definitively. “Their guy was not in position. Look at how he fell. He fell to the side. How is someone taking a charge dead on fall anywhere but backwards?

“I will not say that a referee decision cost us the game,” he continued, “but it did put us at a disadvantage.”

On the ensuing possession, Fenton scored again, off a pass from Italo Malocco. That gave Washington a 77-75 lead. In a half dominated by Duquesne up until that moment, you could feel the air going out of the Dukes’ balloon. The Pittsburgh outfit was in their home state (albeit 300 miles away from home), and held a 74-64 lead just three minutes prior.

“We got tight,” said Hinkley after his final collegiate game. “We let them back in. I still thought we’d have had it.”

Chris McKeehan tied things up after Brent Dampier netted a steal of Gisbert Bittes. Once Washington got the ball back, they passed…and passed, and passed some more. A tired Duquesne defense, minus their best defender, did what they could. But their man-to-man defense met their fate on the ninth pass, which found Malocco in the left corner for an easy bucket.

Duquesne caught Washington setting up their press; Chris Green tied the game just four seconds later, off a long pass from Rod Williams. It was 79-79, with 1:42 left. Eighteen ticks later, Al Samson fouled Fenton, who went to the line.

The guard hit one, but not the second, to give Washington a 80-79 lead. Jimmy Matos had a good look on the other end, but his shot was long. Dupretz got the rebound. He was fouled, but missed the free throw. Forty-three seconds left, still a one-point game. This time, Richard Manion had a look. He was way off, and immediately called for a foul on Fenton. He got nothing. Dupretz got the ball, and got fouled again.

He missed, again. However, he somehow beat four Dukes to the basketball. He was fouled again, this time for two shots. He sank both.

“I make good that time,” said the redshirt freshman Frenchman, his learned English coming through.

Chris Green missed on the Dukes’ last gasp. Malocco, the Italian import on this Washington team, secured the rebound. Duquesne let three valuable seconds go off before he was fouled by Matos; eight seconds remained.

Malocco sank the first. That made it a four-point game. One more would make it a three-possession game, virtually out of reach for the Dukes.

He hit nothing but net.

Matos scored, and Malocco was fouled with one second left. He missed the first, and missed the second on purpose. Clock runs, game over.

“We found multiple ways to foul up that ending,” said Polson. “That starts with me. We have been through many tough situations. I did not prepare our young men for that. I also did not think I would be starting my life without Chauncey as early as during this game…but…”

He stopped, and shook his head, before walking away.

Fenton, as stated before, was the star. He has upped his scoring average (16.7) in each of the Huskies’ two games thus far, scoring 22 against George Washington, and 30 tonight. He was 13-22 from the field. Against the Chieftains on Saturday, they will need him to be even keener with his shot.

Malocco had 15 in a supporting cause for the Huskies, who move to 27-6 on the year.

Green led Duquesne (27-6) with 21; Hinkley’s 16 points came on 6-9 shooting, and 4-4 from the line.

[muns]

East Championship: 1) Washington (27-6) vs 3) Seattle (30-3): We had not discussed the first time these two faced each other, back on February 11. That was a comfortable 75-64 win for the Huskies in Seattle. The Huskies led by as much as seventeen in the second half. Fenton (16-6-10) won POTG honors, shutting down Wyman (3 points, 1-9 shooting; 10 assists) in the process.

We would expect a different game this time. We have felt Seattle has been peaking for some time now. Jones went for 20 in the first matchup, and Wyman will not go 1-9 again (though the team does have to be concerned about his lack of scoring as of late). Harder and Martin contributing the way they have will make things difficult for Washington. And Werner Montez has added an element Washington did not see the first time; he only played six minutes, going 4-4 from the field. Extended time for him will mean more headaches for Fenton.

We chose Seattle the first time, and we will not leave them now. PICK: Seattle.

The Rest of The Field Fails To Excite

Outside of the East, despite all the wonderful matchups, there failed to be much that brought the fan to their feet. North Carolina nearly got there, pulling to within three against a Kansas team they spent the entire evening trying to catch. The Jayhawks ran free through, hitting free throws and playing intelligent basketball in an 85-79 victory. Steven Burns had 18 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, and four steals. He won POTG honors. Blaime Sommer scored 15 in 11 points off the bench, and Genaro Whaley scored 13 in 18 minutes off the pine. Their depth proved to be too much for the Tar Heels, who got just eleven points from their bench men. Dennis Sawicki led UNC (27-8) with 24 points and nine rebounds, showing the quality many already know. Archie Means mostly held his own, with 13 points, ten assists, and five rebounds. But he also had six turnovers, and found a lot of uncomfortable situations against Kansas’ defenders.

Kansas (26-5) will face second-seed Kentucky in a game we thought would only show in the national semifinal. The Wildcats used all of their depth to pull away from a game Arkansas squad, 71-55. The Razorbacks were constantly down 8-10 points until about 7:30 left in the game, when the Wildcats used a mini run to quickly get it to fifteen. They coasted from there.

Stephan Williford led the Wildcats (29-2) with 14 points; all in all, their starters did little. But ten players scored for Kentucky, and eight of them played at least 13 minutes. It can be hard to handle that kind of depth, dealing with fresher legs. Lenny Snell had 12 points and six assists, while Carl Williams, a forward who would star on most teams, had 10 points off the bench.

Kerry Groves led Arkansas (25-7) with 19 points and six rebounds in his final collegiate game. Bennett Dougherty contributed 14, but little else.

South Championship: 1) Kansas (26-5) vs 2) Kentucky (29-2). We wrote about this game as well. In fact, three of our regional finals have arrived intact; only Dayton has broken our bracket, so to speak. Kansas State still looms large for them, though. We have no reason not to expect an absolute crackerjack of a match here. And we have no reason not to stay with our original selection. PICK: Kentucky by 2. We’ll call this the game of the tournament.

The Midwest regional saw West Virginia, predictably, glide past MAC fairy tale Toledo, 63-49. This was, for a half, a barnburner, as WVU led by just three, at 35-32. Then, in the first few minutes of the second half, it appeared the Mountaineers would run away with the game. They quickly got out to a 43-35 lead after three minutes played in the second half.

But the Rockets (16-14), who have stayed long past their welcome in many games this year, only to slide past their opponents, seemed to be doing it again. They slowed the game down, and forced West Virginia to slow their pace down. Four minutes later, when David McIntosh hit a jump shot off a pass from Demarcus Grant, it was 45-43, WVU. That forced a timeout.

Sixteen seconds later, John Hildebrand hit a jumper from the free throw line. Three minutes later, it was 53-45, and thirty seconds after that, the lead was ten. WVU was off and running again. Toledo was left in the dust.

Charles Woolfolk was named the top player int his one, with 18 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Hildebrand added ten points and ten rebounds. Four players scored in double digits for the Mountaineers, who are now 29-5 on the year.

Toledo got 12 from Timmy Torre, who never backs down from a challenge. Grant added 11, but they got little help elsewhere. Toledo shot just 36% on the day.

The Mountaineers will face San Francisco, who turned back the Southern California Trojans, 76-69, in a testing game. USC committed 28 fouls, to just 14 for San Francisco. The Trojans tried to be the aggressor all day, and tried to rile up San Francisco into making stupid plays.

In the end, the Trojans, in addition to their 28 fouls, turned the ball over 24 times. If they had slowed down, perhaps they would have won. They shot 61% from the field, generally getting their way on the offensive, when they were not committing needless fouls.

“They were reckless out there,” said one scout in attendance. “I am amazed a kid didn’t get thrown out of the game, or that there were no fights. They hammered (Ronnie) Veasey and (Stephen) Ferrari numerous times.

“That San Francisco team showed a lot of poise, knowing if they gave in, they would probably lose.”

Veasey dominated his power forward counterpart, JC Quiles: Veasey scored 25 points on 9-13 shooting, and 7-10 from the line. Quiles, who had been the most vocal Trojan player going into this game, scored just six points in seventeen minutes. He fouled out with 3:13 left, having committed four of his fouls on Veasey.

“I have no idea what we did to that guy to get him so angry,” said Veasey after the game. “But whatever it was, I’m glad we did. He’s a good player. A hothead who hurt his team with his play. The refs were not going to allow a game that aggressive. He dictated the way this game would be played when he brought up his laundry to the papers. How could he not realize that?”

The lead, when Quiles went out, was just three, at 62-59, San Fran. Veasey hit the free throws. On the next possession, Dante Douglas was called for an illegal screen. The foul count at that point: Southern Cal 12, San Francisco 3. The only player who was in serious foul trouble for the Dons was Kelly Kuehl, who fouled out. But not before securing a big steal and a dunk with 1:40 left, giving the Dons a 66-59 lead.

After Freddie Nation found Edmund Nelson to get it to five, Vincent Lincoln fouled Ferrari. He was quiet in the scoring column all game, having just two points to that point. But he stepped up and hit the pair. It was back to seven. Hernando Hernandez broke the press for a layup, making it 68-63 with 1:23 left…but Kuehl, the freshman pushed into play because of a season-long injury to presumed starter Gil Dittman, was fouled.

He went to the line, and hit both of his free throws.

“They do not cave to pressure,” said USC coach Jeremy Munson after the game. “They do not bow to the moment.”

Sure enough, in the final two moments, Kuehl committed his fourth foul, did not back down, and got a steal and a dunk. Four players combined to make eight of ten (Jared Stewart went 3-4). The only mishap was Kuehl fouling out on Nation’s dunk. But Nation, either shaken up from the foul, or perhaps bowing to the moment, missed his free throw. That could have made it a 74-70 game with nine seconds left…two possessions; not exactly surmountable, but not insurmountable.

“We do a drill with our guys,” said Dons coach William Mays. “We call it ‘On The Line’. I will line up all of our guys on the baseline, and, at random…well, sometimes not…call out a player. None of them knows who it will be. They have to come to the line and shoot a one-and-one penalty. All eyes are on them. Sometimes I try to rattle them. Sometimes I say nothing, but stand next to them. Sometimes I’ll talk about politics.

“If they make both, nothing. If they make the first, but miss the second, they have to run one suicide sprint. If they miss the front end…two suicide sprints, done in 90 seconds. If they don’t finish, they do it again.

“Now, I ask you this: how is shooting free throws with strangers watching you more pressure than doing it while your teammates are watching you, their fate in your hands?”

Vaughn Griffis was one of those guys who went to the line in the final two minutes. He was oh-for-six going into those two. He sank one of two, though the first should have been called back. A USC player stepped into the line in front of him, a clear violation. It was not called. Regardless, he scored 14 points with eight rebounds. Kuehl had 11 with seven assists and four rebounds, including a pair of steals. Ferrari scored just four points, on 1-5 shooting; the two free throws he shot in the final two minutes were the only two he shot for the game. He did contribute nine assists, and four rebounds, and had not a single turnover.

Nelson led USC with 19 points, while Hernandez added 16 points and 10 rebounds. And Nation…well, he had himself a cancel-out triple double: 11 points, 12 assists, 10 turnovers. By comparison, San Francisco turned it over just eight times.

Midwest Championship: 2) San Francisco (28-4) vs 5) West Virginia (29-5). Again, a game we thought would happen. As we said before, this is a game with a mirror image. These two teams are nearly identical. We found it impossible to pick then; we find it nearly impossible now. We are tempted to swap and go with the Dons, because of the challenge they met and conquered. But WVU will have fresher legs, and less bruised bodies. The Trojans put the Dons through a brutal forty minutes. Expect the less-weary Mountaineers to get by…still, just barely. PICK: West Virginia by 1.

In the West region, Kansas State does what they are so good at, yet what ends up being their death knell. They get up by 8-12 points, and go on cruise control. They have done it for years; in the tournament, it has ended their season. But they continue to do it, because it is their style.

Against the Oregon Webfoots, they held a 37-33 lead at the half, though the game felt decidedly in the Wildcats’ favor. And they came out, and pushed it to double-digits, and let Oregon hang around. They controlled the key stats; outrebounded Oregon, 36-34…had eleven steals to three for Oregon, seven steals to the Ducks’ two…seven less turnovers (21-14), and eight less fouls (24-16).

So, what gives here? Why was this not more than the 77-67 win they received? And is this a precursor for one of their games where they let a team hang around long enough to take them down?

All in all, it was the shooting. They shot just 46% from the field. Oregon shot 50%, though they made the same amount of field goals (30-60 for Oregon; 30-65 for KSU).

“We have to be more efficient on offense,” said KSU coach Domingo Jones. “We were careless with our shots at times. Other times, we looked great. We lose our focus every so often…not for long, but long enough for it to be a concern at this stage.

“I thought we would have grown out of this by now. I hope we take that step soon.”

Billy Jacob led five players in double-figures, with 21 points. David Gunter shot just 1-7 from the field, but he made up for it by going 8-12 from the line, and securing five steals. Most of the bad shooting came from reserve Joe Delrio, who thought he was the next Antonia Dabney; he shot 5-16 from the field, Oregon daring him to shoot at times.

Nonetheless, Kansas State, now 30-1 on the year, moves on.

The Webfoots (22-10) were led by Joshua Azure’s 18 points and four assists. Kenny Foster, the big man in the middle, had 11 points and nine rebounds. Coach Noah Brisbin III refused to show any disappointment in the loss.

“This was a very successful season, not just for now, but beyond,” he said afterwards. “We got to the tournament. Do you know how few chances there are for that? And we had the top team in the nation within striking distance. If a few bounces go our way, the outcome could have been different.

“This was a game, and a season, to build on.”

The Wildcats will get Dayton, after the sixth-seeded Flyers upended Utah, 80-75, with a push in the final two minutes. After Utah got to within three, at 70-67, Dwight Sweet scored to make it a five-point game. Denver Logan then made a hustle play, managing to tie up Donald Nelson. The arrow gave the ball back to Dayton, with 1:45 left. Utah began to foul, eventually sending guard Chris Duron to the line. He hit both of his attempts, giving Dayton a 74-67 lead with 1:33 left.

Utah missed their chance, and Logan was sent to the line. The behemoth of a man in the middle had a feathery release to his shot, hitting both.

The Redskins had an opportunity; Fritz Owens scored, and Richard Sloan missed the front end of his free throws. Jackie Lutz scored for Utah, making it 76-71 with 1:09 left. Sloan was fouled again; this time, he made the first, but missed the second. He made up for it, though, by stealing a pass on Utah’s next possession. He got the ball to Duron, who was fouled by Robert Peeler.

Duron hit one of two, making it 78-71. Ernie Pedro missed a jumper, but a tie-up gave it back to Utah with :27 left. Donald Nelson got a score off a Peeler pass. But time had run out. Dayton, who shot their free throws poorly down the stretch, had enough of a cushion to secure the win.

“That won’t do (against Kansas State,” said Dayton coach David Oakley afterwards. “We have to play better in the endgame, or we will get swallowed up.”

The Flyers (26-5) were led by Logan’s 20 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Duron added 18 points and eight rebounds, and Sloan tallied 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and four steals.

The Utes (19-11) losing brings an end to the incredible career of guard Robert Peeler. He scored 12 points, on 5-14 shooting, added nine assists, and five rebounds before fouling out in the game’s final seconds. During an interview afterwards, he fought tears as he thought about his future.

“There have been talks about going overseas,” he said. “I don’t know. I feel like I can do more than that. But maybe doing that could actually give me perspective, go see things around the world. West Germany has a lot of potential.”

Donald Nelson scored 23, one off his career high, to lead the Redskins.

West Championship: 1) Kansas State (30-1) vs 6) Dayton (26-5). We said it before: Dayton is underseeded. They also will not be intimidated; they played Kansas earlier this year, and had them tied in the final minutes, before a late push gave Kansas a small cushion. The Jayhawks needed it, because the Flyers came storming back, making it a 82-80 game with nine seconds to go.

That said, how can we pick against the Wildcats? They have been to four straight national semifinals. They were the tournament’s top seed going in, and they have done nothing to show us we should pick against them. This will be a difficult game, though…expect single-digit margins for most, if not all, of the second half. PICK: Kansas State

Game Balls

PG Danny Fenton, Washington: Scored 30 points, with a pair of rebounds and a pair of steals, to lead Washington to an 84-81 win over Duquesne.

PF Ronnie Veasey, San Francisco: Scored 25 points, on 9-13 shooting, and drove JC Quiles to distraction in San Francisco’s 76-69 win over Southern California.

C Denver Logan, Dayton: The 6’11, 270-pound Bunyan of a man scored 20 points, going 6-7 from the line, and added eight rebounds and four blocks, in Dayton’s 80-75 win over Utah.

PF Curt Davis, Kentucky: It goes almost unnoticed, but Davis, who had just nine points on 3-5 shooting, had 14 rebounds. Eight of them came on the offensive end. He confounded the Razorbacks in Kentucky’s 71-55 win.

PG Steven Burns, Kansas. He scored 18 points, had ten assists, six rebounds, and four steals (and a block), leading the Jayhawks over Atlantic Coast champion North Carolina, 85-79.

SF Dennis Sawicki, North Carolina: The junior class’ top prospect showed why he holds that distinction, battling Kansas bigs all night. He scored 24 points on 11-21 shooting (just 2-3 free throws; we feel he deserved at least eight more attempts), and registered nine boards and three assists.

PF David Martin, Seattle: Scored 12 points on 6-11 shooting, registered 15 rebounds, and had a pair of blocks, as Seattle outlasted Niagara, 59-56.

[muns]

Analytics vs. SelCom Update

** San Francisco vs. West Virginia

Talk about close! San Fran almost pulled it off but the Mountaineers are in their second straight final four, 71-70! Turnovers almost did them in, but West Virginia shot 52% and controlled the boards, with Demarcus Woods(10-19 fg, 22 pts) the focal point. And with that, we take an equally narrow lead.

Current Score -- Analytics 5, SelCom 4

Form held elsewhere in the Elite 8, with the exception of defending champion Kansas having their season ended by Kentucky. They'll next try to pull the magic again taking on Kansas State in a wildcat tussle, but we don't see them being quite good enough to pull it off.

** Washington vs. West Virginia

We're still riding our horse here. Washington has a couple of competitive wins over teams(Duquesne, Seattle) that we don't think are nearly as good as West Virginia. We're tipping the Mountaineers now to get back to a second straight championship game, though it's certainly a shot in the arm for the Huskies and the PCC as a whole that they made it this far. If WV does win, that should pretty much ice this contest for us.

In the NIT, it was a couple more upsets with Syracuse and Columbia now meeting for the title there. The Lions are definitely the surprise team of the post-season as far as we're concerned. Who knows who takes this but we are sticking with the favored Orangemen, nothing to contest here.

[muns]

The National Basketball Report: April 4, 1957
The Changing of the Guard is delayed, while Washington finally breaks through

West Virginia Plays To Our Script; Washington Flips It

A thought crossed our collective mind, as we discussed West Virginia’s 71-70 win over San Francisco, in the Midwest regional final in Kansas City, Missouri.

Several months ago, we did not feel that the Mountaineers were up to the quality of a champion. We felt that they were a bit of a paper champion, one who had the lofty ranking, but not the standard worthy of such a ranking. We felt they were, through no fault of their own, making the most of their history and the Southern Conference.

Then, they dropped the conference final to George Washington. Many told us that it was the best thing to happen to them. We’ve heard that before, and believe it as a player extension of coach hubris, of using the vernacular handed down to them by the guys in the offices, that they just regurgitate for the media. Most do not realize they are doing it.

However, we spoke to John Hildebrand. From our preview edition, regarding that loss:

“We needed that,” said Hildebrand. “We were on cruise control. We’re focused. We know how to navigate, how to get through and survive.”

Coming from most others, we would cast it into that coach language that we know to parse through. Coming from a coach on the floor, from someone who speaks for himself, we asked Hildebrand to elaborate. We did not print this before.

“We felt that we were untouchable,” he said. “You know, we made that run last year in the tournament, all the way to the final. To some guys on this roster, just showing up meant a victory. It was as if we had a reputation. What they failed to either realize or ignored was, we do have a reputation. And that reputation puts a bullseye on our back. We can’t get by just because we’ve been there before.

“That’s why losing tonight was good for us,” he continued. “It served as a stark reminder that we have to do more than show up. We have to work, and we have to execute. We don’t get to hang a banner up after tonight. You don’t get banners for being a conference bridesmaid. You don’t want to be the first team in West Virginia history to not hang a banner.

“Now, we have a goal. And I guarantee you, if we get the right draw…we’re not stupid, we know this tournament is just as much about your potential opponents as it is how you play against them…we’re going to have our chance to hang a banner.”

When Hildebrand told that to us, well…you’ll remember what our selection out of the Midwest bracket was.

West Virginia. Over San Francisco. By one point.

The game between the Mountaineers and Dons came down to the final play, as many expected. Five minutes of game time earlier, nobody thought that would be the outcome.

With exactly five minutes to go, Demarcus Woods scored to make it a 69-62 West Virginia lead. Woods, the focal point of the Mountaineer offense on this day, was sensational; through many cuts, weaves, and floating shots over opponents, namely Vaughn Griffis. Normally a shot blocking specialist, Griffis was held to just one swat on this day.

The Mountaineers had been a little concerned, as the Dons had cut their twelve-point deficit down to five in less than five minutes. But Woods’ jumper gave them a moment to relax.

It was just a moment.

Thirty-three seconds after Woods’ jump shot from the left baseline, Ronnie Veasey missed from the top of the key. The Mountaineers, who had made winning the rebounding game a priority, had a lapse of focus. Warren Tandy flew through the paint, and tipped the ball through the hoop just as it came off. The lead was down to five.

West Virginia worked it around, the focus of the offense being distributed by Charles Woolfolk. He found Woods, who took a shot from the opposite corner. This came off, secured by the Dons’ Jared Stewart. The Dons were beginning to gain more confidence. It seemed to coincide with the Mountaineers’ dwindling sense of closure.

“We played the end not to win,” said WVU coach Lonnie Williams, who has now coached the Mountaineers to three national semifinals and one NCAA title game in his three seasons since coming from Oklahoma A&M. “We played simply not to lose. We hoped the clock would run out, instead of continuing to make plays and force the issue on them.”

Case in point: Adolph Rabe missed a jumper on the Dons’ next possession. Michael Morton got the ball, dribbled it up the floor as fast as he could, then threw it to nobody in particular. San Francisco made the affair a three-point one on their next try, with Griffis scoring easily from inside.

The Mountaineers would bring Hildebrand back in after a rest. Woods, seemingly pressing the issue, missed from the wing. Matthew Olsen got the rebound, and worked the ball around for Hildebrand, who found Woods again. Woods had Olsen wide open for a layup, as his man left him to charge Woods. Woods, however, threw up another shot. It clanged into the hands of Darin Armstrong.

Fortunately, WVU’s guards decided to force the issue on defense. The trapped Dons’ lead guard Stephen Ferrari after a pass into the corner. Olsen ended up with a steal. With 2:03 left, Ferrari fouled Woolfolk.

“Not my best minute,” said Ferrari afterwards, his head draped by a towel, eyes fixed on the floor. He would not move from this pose for the entire interview.

Woolfolk walked to the line, and hit the two biggest free throws of his life. 71-66, West Virginia. Two minutes, three seconds remained.

The Dons struck just seven seconds later, as Ferrari found himself open on the wing. That made it 71-68.

On West Virginia’s ball, they moved it around on a play they called “hawk”. On that play, Jared Bazan works the right side, while Hildebrand and Timothy Freeland work their way to that side. Hildebrand is the safety option. If he receives the ball, Freeland immediately sets a screen for Bazan to cut back-door, where Hildebrand will have his option of Bazan, if he gets free, or Freeland, who normally has a man on his back, and an easy layup.

This time, though, Freeland had not set his screen before Bazan made his cut. It was an easy whistle: illegal screen on Freeland. He threw his arms up, then looked at Bazan. Slow down,Freeland seemed to be saying to Bazan. It was as if Bazan felt, if he were cutting more quickly, the clock must be moving in sync with him.

A minute thirty-four still remained.

Tandy beat WVU’s press on the next possession, another gamble that almost cost the Mountaineers. Tandy hit a layup, cutting the lead down to one, at 71-70, with 1:27 left. West Virginia was forced to call time, where Williams emphasized focusing on the play in front of you, and playing together.

The team moved the ball wonderfully on the next possession; however, Tony Potter tied up Olsen. The arrow stayed with WVU, which was an unfortunate circumstance for the Dons.

“If the arrow had been going our way, I bet we take the lead there,” said Griffis after the game.

West Virginia tried to catch the Dons sleeping, as Bazan found himself open on a drive and kick play by Freeland. Olsen missed the tip, and Armstrong secured the rebound. He found Ferrari, who thought he found Veasey.

“Not my best two minutes,” said Ferrari.

Griffis fouled Woolfolk on the next play. Woolfolk, oddly sensing the moment, had his free throw miss right. Stewart corralled the ball, and got it to Ferrari. Thirty-five seconds remained.

Ferrari passed to Stewart, who got it to Tandy. Ferrari cut back, got the ball, and drove off the wing, where Veasey had set a screen. Veasey stepped back, received a pass, but had not shot. There were seven seconds left. Ferrari came back, got the ball, and took off towards the baseline. He stepped back, away from Demarcus Woods, who had been chasing him that entire time.

Ferrari let the ball go.

Woods recovered. He tipped the shot.

The buzzer sounded. Ferrari fell, the weight of the last four years of experience, now turned into only memories and what-ifs, now bearing upon him like the world upon Atlas. Woods fell too, though merely from exhaustion. Hildebrand jumped up and down around the court, looking for his family; the normally stoic, silent leader the Mountaineers needed him to be since he first walked onto campus, became the leader of the victory party.

He will have a very different point-of-view of this game, and of his four years, than Ferrari will be.

These two point guards, playing with grace and beauty the likes of which will inspire future guards, have had seemingly convergent paths since they walked onto campus. In the past two years, however, they have taken divergent paths. Hildebrand has become the essence of calm, of understanding how to get it done. When the Mountaineers needed a play, he was the one who delivered.

Ferrari has become the gutsy guard who simply could not get the ball to go his way when needed. To critics, which do not include this publication, he will be viewed as the guard who played too frantically to lead, because his team could not follow. They will use the final two minutes of this game as a prime example; that, however, is unfair.

Many will wonder if the story would have been different had Kelley Kuehl the freshman guard who will now inherit this team from Ferrari, did not get hurt just nine minutes into the game. He did not return, finishing with just two points. Ferrari, asked to shoulder the load, finished with 16 points and six assists; Tandy, asked to play more, finished with six points on 3-9 shooting, and five assists. He had three big offensive rebounding.

Veasey will also spend time wondering what could have been.

“It felt like there was a lid on the basket,” he said of his 3-of-16 night. He did go 5-8 from the line, ending with 11 points and five rebounds. He owned up to his statistically poor evening, though. “I could not score, and I tried to shoot my way out of it. I hurt us considerably.”

“Nobody on this team, not one of those fellows in the locker room, should hang their head,” said San Francisco coach William Mays. “They played their hearts out. There is not a single player, nor a single play, I will look at and say, we should have done more. This team is a very good team, who happened to play another very good team. There was one point between them. Someone had to finish on the losing side. Today, it had to be us.”

The Dons finish their year at 28-5.

West Virginia (30-5), meanwhile, marches to their third NCAA National Semifinal in a row. Hildebrand finished with six points, eight rebounds, ten assists, and three steals, filling the statbook in a manner very few do. If he is not an All-American after this season, or perhaps Player of the Year, those who choose the award will have to come up with a doozy of a compelling reason why.

Bazan finished with 14 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Most of it was used when WVU went to a smaller lineup, due to Olsen’s four fouls. Their quickness led to issues for San Francisco; it remains to be seen if they will employ the lineup against Washington in the national semi.

Woolfolk finished with 12 efficient points, on 5-8 shooting, and four rebounds.

As mentioned just a paragraph ago, the Mountaineers will face off with Washington. The Huskies (28-6) held Seattle (30-4) at bay, before blowing the game out midway through the second half, winning the East region, 70-61. The Huskies got off on a 12-4 spurt in the first three minutes of the second half, blitzing the Chieftains with tough defense and efficient scoring.

The Chieftains got it to 50-41 with 15:23 left, on Gregory Wyman’s breakaway layup. But Washington kept up the pressure, and with 10:52 left, it was 60-45.

They never let off the pedal.

“We were supposed to be here the last three years,” said Huskies guard Danny Fenton, the only player on the roster who has played, and started, all 130 games Washington has played over the last four seasons. “We got to this point, and we felt that we had to finish it. Nobody wanted to coast.”

Fenton, the man of the game, finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He also racked up a pair of the Huskies’ eight steals. The rest of the Husky offense was diverse, as only forward Gisbert Bittes had double-figures (10). Center Francis Calhoun had eight points and ten rebounds.

The Chieftains got 18, on 6-9 shooting, from Wyman, their senior stud. He also had six assists…but his nine assists hurt the Chieftains. Jesus Jones, the star forward for Seattle, had 15 points on 7-10 shooting. Outside of that pair and Justin Lavergne (10 points, 5-9 shooting), the rest of the team shot miserably. They were a combined 4-24 from the field.

“Our big three could only take us so far,” said first-year coach Saul Bray, who is now 0-2 coaching against his own team. He left Washington after last year to take over Seattle, leading them to their best season yet. “I have mixed feelings, of course. I feel awful for our kids, but I am thrilled for those kids over there. There was no animosity when I left; I still keep in touch with everyone over there. My kids here understand that. It is one of my tenets, I suppose…once you’re one of my guys, you’re part of my family.

“I was the only one here who was guaranteed a victory. I wish it could have been doubly so.”

b[]National Semifinal #1: Washington (28-6) vs West Virginia (30-5).[/b] We felt West Virginia would get to this point, but had Seattle over Washington in our preview. Honestly, the insertion of the Huskies in place of the Chieftains does not change our view. The Mountaineers are the kings of the moment. The Huskies are a very solid group, but this is uncharted territory for them. The naivete of the moment can be supplanted by fear. This is unlike anything any player has felt so far. We believe there will be one of two scenarios:

1) The Huskies are terrified at the start, tentative and unable to shoot confidently. The Mountaineers will pounce early, and ride that initial burst to victory.
2) The Huskies, unaware of the moment they will experience, will come out a ball of fire and adrenaline. They will take an early lead, but tighten as the game moves forward. The Mountaineers, quite aware that this takes many moments and runs in order to secure the opportunity to move on, will find them in the second half. The victory would be narrow, but it would still be West Virginia’s.

Washington played a familiar foe in Seattle; they played once before. Seattle, not having been to this point in the tournament before, tightened up in that second half run. They felt their chances shrinking, and tried to force the issue. Washington may find themselves in that exact situation, and may respond in very much the same manner. It is not a critique of them; rather, it is more an observation of what playing in one of these games does to a player, does to a team.
PICK: West Virginia by 7. Hildebrand, like Fenton, has been along for the entire ride. Unlike Fenton, Hildebrand understands the moment. This one will be seized. Expect a career day out of him.

Kentucky Sprints Past Kansas; The Wildcats Get The Wildcats In Semi

The Kentucky Wildcats found themselves down, 47-41, to the Kansas Jayhawks at the half. They had not played particularly well. Their coach, Rob Roberson Jr., noticed something.

“They controlled the tempo,” he said. “By that, I mean, they slowed down when they wanted to. We never want to slow down. We want to move, and move quickly.

“I told that to our boys at the half. Never stop moving. Never stop. Tire them out. Get that big truck (Arlon Rahn) in the middle so exhausted, he crashes and puts a hole in the floor. It could backfire, but leave this building knowing you played Kentucky basketball. Don’t allow Kansas to dictate what you do.”

The team got the message. They hit the floor running.

The Jayhawks didn’t know what hit them.

“We knew they would try to turn this into a track meet,” said Kansas coach Dave Keene after the game. “Unfortunately, we didn’t make the adjustments necessary at the half to try and counter what we thought they’d do. They did exactly what we thought they might…but we couldn’t stop it, especially once Luis and Steven got into bad foul trouble.”

That would be Luis Horne and Steven Burns, the Kansas starting backcourt. Both fouled out in this game; Horne got his second with 10:24 left in the first half, but navigated his way through the last seven minutes without one. However, he, like his teammates, couldn’t help it early in the second half. He committed his third foul, and Kansas’ seventh, with 15:45 left in the game.

By that time, Burns had already fouled out, and been assessed a sixth foul: a technical. He was gone with 16:25 to go.

“You cannot foul that much, that early, and expect to compete,” said Keene. “Not against such a good shooting team. We lost our composure very early.”

Kentucky went 14-22 from the line. Their blitz to begin the second half resulted in reactionary basketball by the Jayhawks. The result was Kentucky coming from eight down, 53-45 with 17:27 left, to up 64-59 with 11:38 left. It was an unbelievable flurry of jumpers, steals, and layups.

“We looked like Joe Louis got us,” Keene said.

When the two teams faced off to start the year, Kentucky got Horne and Burns into foul trouble, then used that to expose Kansas’ inexperience with their depth. The result was 17 points from Stephan Williford, while Horne had 12 points in just 14 minutes. His replacement, sophomore sixth man Blaine Sommer, had six points on 3-9 shooting.

In this one, Williford again had 17 points, while Burns was the one to suffer; he had eight points in just 13 minutes. Horne played great in his 21 minutes before fouling out, netting 18 points on 8-14 shooting, and getting five rebounds. Sommer, again, had just six points, on 3-11 shooting in 18 minutes of replacement Horne. And Irwin Lear, the freshman who was Burns’ replacement, played quite well in his time replacing Burns. He had six points and four assists. Keene felt he should have been more aggressive.

“Freshman hesitancy,” Keene said of Lear’s deference with shooting the ball. “He’ll learn that as he gets older. He thought he’d make Rahn mad or something.”

The Automarahn was an odd focal point of attack for Kentucky. But it worked. They tried to run him up and down the floor with a diet of 7’1 Scott Moncada, the venerable power forward Curt Davis, and sixth man and mega pro prospect, Carson White. It worked. Rahn played thirty minutes, logging ten points and seven rebounds, but he was constantly out of position on defense; he registered no blocks.

“Not many teams have the ability to force him to move like that,” said Keene after the game. “They had the right idea.”

“I think I lost ten pounds tonight,” said Rahn afterwards.

Douglas Cobbs had 14, on 7-11 shooting, in support of Williford’s shooting for Kentucky (30-2). Davis, an All-American candidate at power forward, had 10 points, six rebounds, and six blocks before fouling out late in the game. Reserve forward Carl Williams scored 12 and netted six rebounds, while White had 10 points and 11 rebounds—six offensive—in 27 minutes off the bench.

Leland Avelar had 15 points and six rebounds to support Kansas, who finishes the year 26-6.

Kentucky takes their act to the national semifinals, where a rematch with Kansas State awaits. It is interesting, how the Tournament of Champions is playing out. Kansas and Kentucky had their rematch. Now Kentucky and Kansas State will have theirs, while West Virginia and the Wildcats are playing to end the year the way they started it. Just wanted to note that. We have discussed a changing of the guard; the guard, at least in this season, has shown they are in no rush to give up the mantle.

The Wildcats (31-1) will look to avenge their only loss of the season in the rematch; they felt 71-57 to the Wildcats at that Tournament of Champions, a rematch of last year’s national semifinal. They earned it by doing what they do. We talked about it against Oregon. They get a lead, and then they just hold that lead. They should have flattened Dayton by twenty. The final score, 64-56, could feel unsatisfying, or in leaving the feeling that Kansas State is a little overrated. Frankly, how a team that has thirty-one wins in thirty-two appearances is overrated, we would not understand. So we will leave that there.

This is the Wildcats’ method. It works well for them. They grab you by the neck, and hold you there…not entirely choking you down, but not letting you maneuver. That worked in the West final, where the Wildcats went on a run late in the second half; the lead went from 23-22 with 4:27 left, to 31-22 with 2:40 left. The half ended with a 35-26 Wildcat lead.

That lead would get stretched to 39-28 early in the second half. Kansas State never looked back.

Billy Jacob, considered by many to be the top professional prospect in the nation, had 19 points on 8-16 shooting. He also registered five assists and four steals. Erich Walton had 15 points and 10 rebounds, along with two blocks and a steal. Joe Delrio, the gunner off the bench, had 10 points on 4-9 shooting.

For the sixth-seeded Flyers (26-6), Chris Duron was the only consistent scorer. He finished with 22. Denver Logan, the mountain man in the middle, he had eight points and seven rebounds, along with four blocks.

National Semifinal #2: Kansas State (31-1) vs Kentucky (30-2). We said this would be a national semifinal for the ages. We still believe that. We are also going to narrow our score down a bit. Kansas State does not totally put teams away. And Kentucky found a gear we did not think they would find against Kansas. That could give the Kansas State guards some issue. However, the Wildcats have more established depth than Kansas had. They are also at their fourth straight national semifinal. Their legacy, though, is not settled. We said, at the beginning of this season, that their story ends in a hollow manner if it does not end with a national title. We will hold our original prediction…this will be a semifinal for the ages.
PICK: Kansas State by 2. We do not profess to know who the hero will be here. We feel like it will be David Gunter's night...he has been due. But, while he may be the man of the evening, he may not be the man of the moment. Such intrigue...

[muns]

Analytics vs. SelCom

We'll start in the NIT now. Syracuse dumped Columbia convincingly, and probably has a chip on their shoulder now. 30-4 is a heck of a record for a team that was stuck in the secondary tournament, but that's what they get for not playing much of anybody. Thirty wins is thirty wins though, and a full ten more than they managed any of the past three seasons. Fast fact: all of their losses were at home, they didn't lose a game on the road. That's a bit of rather strange and useless information for you. We agreed with the decision to keep them out of the NCAAs, but it would have been nice to see Alvin McKissick on the biggest stage.

Moving on to that ...

** Washington vs. West Virginia

Ahem. We have been so good at picking teams that just barely lose. And here it is again. West Virginia falls by a single point. Both offenses hummed, but the Mountaineers committed a few too many turnovers(18 to 15). In a tight game, that's all it took. Might as well have flipped a coin. Hats off to the Washington backcourt of Fenton and Malocco, which combined for 37 points and made Hildebrand look fairly ordinary. And this leaves us with ...

Current Score: Analytics 5, SelCom 5. *sigh*

With Kansas State getting by Kentucky in a game only slightly less close, there's a pair of 1-seeds vying for the championship. We've got Kansas State, who has looked like the best team in the nation for almost all of the second half of the year and, surprise, here they are. Washington though we weren't sure was good enough to reach the Elite 8, let alone the title game.

And our contest is over in a ... *choke* ... tie. We can only repeat that the lesson here seems to be that nobody really knows what's going to happen this time of year. That's why they call in Madness, after all. At this point, we turn over the floor to our colleagues for the final. We'll be back next year, with fresh prognostications.

[muns]

The National Basketball Report: April 7, 1957
The Legacies of Five Men, Now Up For Review

When considering the evening that played out before us, and the evening to come in Boston, we realized that, while we were correct in considering legacies, we failed to consider all of them.

Washington Continues March, Knocks Out West Virginia

The Washington Huskies continue to be the most surprising top-seeded team in recent memory.

Consider that for a moment: a top seed, bringing surprise against a fifth seed. It seems preposterous, no? A fifth seed is typically a team that dreamed a most impossible dream, traveled the road most are unable to traverse, and end up into the national semifinal feeling their season already a massive success.

Consider the fifth seed Washington eliminated on Saturday night: 30-6 West Virginia, the defending last loser of last season…if that is something to defend. They were considered by many, including this very publication, to be solid favorites heading into their semifinal against Washington.

Nobody, it appeared, bothered to inform the Huskies that they were supposed to roll over.

Bad dogs. (Bad pun, but we digress.)

The Huskies (29-6) finished West Virginia’s season in thrilling fashion in the nightcap of a wonderful doubleheader at Boston Garden on Saturday evening. The final action of the evening brought with it the most suspense. It was also fitting, in a bookend sense.

On the game’s first possession, Frank Calhoun found senior forward Gisbert Bittes flashing inside for a basket. On their final possession, Gisbert Bittes caught a pass just outside the outstretched fingertips of Demarcus Woods. He took off towards the basket. Matthew Olsen came crashing from the weak side.

Bittes leapt. Olsen did, though he said he should not have.

“Once he goes up, he has the basket,” said Olsen. “I understand trying to make him earn it from the line. But I had no chance, once he got in the air. Trying to stop him is just plain dumb. I made a plain dumb play.”

Olsen fouled Bittes, who threw down the slam dunk with both hands. That put a man tormented by the free throw line all game in a position that he found somewhat unenviable.

More on that later.

First, let’s discuss Fenton for a moment. The senior guard was named the Man of the Game for the thirty-seventh time in his 131 games as a player. This particular game pitted Fenton against Hildebrand, West Virginia’s legendary point guard, in a game involving two of the three top point guard professional prospects in the nation. In this particular game, Fenton, with his 21 points, four rebounds, and two steals, outplayed Hildebrand, who had 11 points and six assists, but four fouls. His presence was definitely missed: Wolfolk, forced to handle the basketball more than he is used to, had six turnovers. He also made a decision that will forever be discussed and debated by WVU fans, and college basketball followers.

There will be much more on Fenton later, too. His story is not finished.

“That was a barnburner, wasn’t it?” asked West Virginia head coach Lonnie Williams afterward. “Shucks, someone had to lose that game. You never want it to be you, but heck, we got here again. I couldn’t be more proud of a group of young men, especially when so many of you said we would be paying customers on a field trip to New England if we were to show up. The way they kept coming at us, they were like hound dogs, you know? They had our scent. We couldn’t get far enough away from them, and those hound dogs, you know…once they got your scent, you’re not going to be far away from them for long.”

Early on, though, it seemed like the Mountaineers had slipped the Huskies, distancing themselves with what many believed was an early knockout blow.

Both teams came out firing, and Washington held a 17-15 lead with 11:55 left. Tony Gregory’s jumper, five seconds later, was followed by an Olsen jumper. Fenton’s understudy and heir apparent, Marquis Gray, threw the ball out of bounds. Gregory hit another jumper. On Washington’s next possession, Jared Bazan got a steal out of the WVU press. He converted a layup. Olsen got a steal immediately after, and while they did not convert, Washington was confused and reeling.

With 6:01 left, when Michael Morton, a deep reserve whose story will also be told later, scored off a Hildebrand pass, it was 31-17, West Virginia. The Huskies were the recipient of a Mountaineer 14-0 run. It was their first severe test of the game. Degrasse, as is his custom, let the Huskies play through it.

“They are grown men,” he said. “They are going to have to deal with issues far tougher than how to put a ball in a basket. And they’re going to have to deal with teams far less accustomed to one another than they are. We gave them the tools throughout the season to see their way back. It was up to them to use those tools.”

After two Olsen free throws with 4:58 left, Washington began to claw back. Quite naturally, it was Fenton who got things going; his jumper made it 33-19 with 4:08 left. Italo Malocco got a steal of a Olsen pass, got a layup, and was fouled by Hildebrand. He made the free throw, cutting it to 33-22 with 3:09 to go. Freeland was called for an illegal screen, and Fenton hit a jump shot.

The deficit was at nine. West Virginia called time, and restored some order to the chaos bestowed upon them.

Fenton fouled Woolfolk, who sank two free throws. But Washington would close the half on a 6-2 run, cutting the halftime deficit to 37-30. They would immediately start chiseling away again at the start of the second half.

Hildebrand found Woods to open the second half, but, once again, it was Fenton who got the ball rolling. He hit a jumper immediately following Woods’ basket. His defense forced Hildebrand into a travel on WVU’s next possession. Malocco hit a shot from the right corner; WVU answered, but Fenton scored again. WVU scored again, after Hildebrand found Woolfolk; however, Frank Calhoun scored on a layup, and was fouled by Freeland. His free throw cut the WVU lead to four, 43-39, just two minutes in. Hildebrand scored in response, which brought forth an interesting diverging philosophy from fans the two teams:

For West Virginia, Washington kept coming on. They could not get away, and it was only a matter of time before they pulled even. For Washington, West Virginia had an answer for everything the Huskies threw at them. It would only be a matter of time before the Mountaineers went on another run, and the mountain, if you pardon the expression, would have yet another peak to climb.

Fenton beat WVU’s press, making it a 45-41 lead. The Huskies thought they caught a break, when WVU was hit with a shot-clock violation; however, Manny Parenteau’s layup was off the mark. Hildebrand grabbed the rebound, came down, and hit a jump shot. Burt Lingle found Parenteau out of a trap for a layup. That made it 47-43. Woods was fouled by Malocco, but made just one of two from the line. Malocco made up for that by hitting a jump shot, but Woods responded, getting the WVU lead back to five, at 50-45.

Washington fans’ fears were briefly met when they the teams exchanged empty possessions, then Freeland drew a charge on Gregoire Dupretz. Olsen scored off a slip pass from Freeland, making it 52-45. Calhoun traveled on Washington’s next possession, and Hildebrand hit a jump shot. With fourteen minutes left, it was 54-45, and Washington’s hard work to get the game back to even seemed to be for naught.

This seemed especially true when Malocco was fouled on a shot, and made one of two. He got the rebound on the second, but missed the putback.

But then, the Huskies came roaring back once again.

Dupretz stole a pass, and Fenton, once again, was the scoring catalyst. He hit a jumper off a Malocco pass. Bittes got a steal, and Fenton was fouled by Freeland. He hit one of two; Gregory missed a layup, Fenton corralled the miss, and found Dupretz. It was suddenly 54-51. The teams exchanged empty possessions for the next minute, before Malocco found his mark from the top of the key.

It was 54-53. West Virginia called timeout. The mostly pro-WVU crowd was quiet…a small contingent of Husky fans, consisting of fans from Washington and those who became fans during the tournament…were quite boisterous.

The Mountaineers got a small reprieve, when Morton was fouled. He hit the first, missed the second, but Gregory beat Calhoun for the tip-in. That made it 57-53. The Huskies responded immediately, with Gray finding Jose Park, who beat the coverage down the floor.

The Huskies had a chance to tie after Gregory was called for traveling at the eleven-minute mark. Bittes was fouled by a troubled Gregory. However, the forward missed both free throws. He seemed frustrated, obviously not knowing what was to come. His next shot was blocked, but Lingle, a deep reserve, got the rebound. The offense began anew. The ball returned to him, but Olsen fouled him. With WVU in the penalty, at 10:04 to go, Lingle went to the line.

On the season, he was 21-29 from the line. He went 3-4 in this game; these two tied the score, at 57-57.

Now, it was ten minutes until Monday night.

Olsen gave WVU the lead once more, on a Hildebrand missed. Fenton responded immediately. Gray picked Hildebrand’s pocket, but Washington came up empty. Hildebrand found Woods. Bittes was fouled again; again, he missed the front end. Calhoun backed him up, though, tipping in the miss.

Woods scored, and Calhoun missed his shot. Bazan then forced a turnover on Fenton; perhaps Washington’s best chance had slipped away.

Then, there was Lingle again, this time blocking Gregory’s dunk attempt.

“That was huge,” said Fenton afterwards. “If (Gregory) throws that down, that may have been a deflator. But Burt came up with that block, stonewalled him…it lifted us. We knew, even if we got done by four or six, we had time, and we can find stops.”

The Huskies continued to come up hollow on the offensive end, and when Bazan hit a shot from the corner with 5:41 left, it was a four-point WVU lead. Parenteau, though, hit another quick shot…Washington was good at catching WVU on the transition from offensive to defense, finding them out of position and defensive rhythm several times. Hildebrand scored again, making it 67-63 with five minutes to go.

On Washington’s next possession, Hildebrand fouled another reserve. This time, it was guard Wayne Toro. In this game, Toro would play six minutes, and register just two points.

They came here.

Malocco fouled Hildebrand with 4:31 left, and fouled out of the game. Hildebrand hit both free throws, making it a 69-65 lead. Now, the Huskies were without their Italian import, putting the weight on Fenton’s shoulders that much more. The 6’1, 208-pound well-proportioned guard was up for that challenge.

His basket with 4:06 left, made it 69-67.

Up until this point, Bittes had been tormented on both sides of the ball. Though foul shooting was never his strong suit—he was a 49% shooter from the line on the year, and a 54% career shooter—his particular 0-3 line disturbed him. And while he was the defensive catalyst of the team, Woods was en route to an efficient 22-point day.

But, with 3:46 left, he made his first mark. He stole a pass from Freeland intended for Woods; his layup tied the score at 69.

Thirty seconds later, Hildebrand was fouled. For the first time this game, he made a mistake that profoundly hurt his team. He missed the second free throw. West Virginia still had the lead, but they could no longer play with the confidence of a possession lead. It was 70-69. He made up for it a minute later, when, after a Washington miss, he found Woolfolk for the bucket.

Fenton answered right back, though, with the last of his 21. It was 72-71, with 2:11 to go.

With 1:42 left, Calhoun fouled Freeland. He made the first, but missed the second. However, the rebound went long, and ended up back in Freeland’s hands. It got to Hildebrand, who made his second big mistake. He looked for Olsen, but Olsen cut back inside. Hildebrand threw it away.

It appeared that, on Washington’s ensuing possession, Woods would save the day. He got a steal. But Park, another reserve who came up big on this day, tied Woods up. The arrow went back to Washington. This time, Gray found Lingle.

The reserves had pulled the Huskies even, with 1:12 to go.

The roles quickly reversed. WVU worked the ball methodically, and with thirty-seven ticks left, Park fouled Woods. He calmly sank both, giving West Virginia a 75-73 lead.

That set up Bittes and Olsen. Washington caught WVU out of position one last time. Olsen reacted, fouled BIttes late; Gisbert had already tied the game.

Now, the man who was tormented by the line three times tonight, could let everyone, including himself, forget those misses. He had one shot, one chance at making it right, and adding to his own legacy.

He walked to the line, took two dibbles, and let fly.

“It was hope, not confidence,” he confided later.

The ball hit the back of the rim, and went straight up. Its downward flight took its course straight through the net, which did not move.

That small contingent of fans, which grew in number as the night went on, went nuts.

Washington 76, West Virginia 75.

For the first time since early in the game, the Huskies had the lead. But WVU had an answer for every Washington problem. Surely, they had one last response.

On West Virginia’s last possession, the ball found the hands not of leader Hildebrand, nor scoring whiz Woods. Rather, Charles Woolfolk, upon finding a double-team on his drive with four seconds left, played a little fast, and perhaps instead of thinking the situation through, found Michael Morton.

Morton, in for rebounding opportunities on a shot taken earlier than, perhaps, four seconds left, was as surprised as the crowd to have received the ball. The nearly 200-point career scorer—he has 195 in his two-year career—took a shot that had no chance. Senior guard Danny Fenton—more on him in a moment—secured the rebound, and the victory for the Huskies.

“We liked our chances (on the final possession),” said Washington coach Kirk Degrasse. “We have had our trap late play all season, just for this situation. “We used it for the first time here. I think it was worth the wait.”

Malocco, who fouled out, was still second on the team with his 16 points. Bittes and Calhoun equally shared 18 points, and collected 15 rebounds. Lingle, Park, and Toro added nine points in their 20 minutes, on 2-4 shooting. They added defense, keeping WVU in check while the starters got valuable rest.

“I would put our bench with anyone in the nation,” said Degrasse. He may rethink those words on Monday.

Olsen added ten points and seven rebounds to supplement Woods and Hildebrand. Woolfolk and Bazan had eight each, while Gregory had six in his twelve minutes (on 3-7 shooting).

While West Virginia failed to return to the NCAA title game for the second straight year, they would have been the first team to do so since the NCAA regained form. The legacy of the program and its players in this, the Hildebrand and Woods era, is secure. Their future is speculative, but many feel as though this is the high-water mark for Mountaineer basketball, and that there are dark clouds looming. The next recruiting class will go a long way towards that determination.

The one thing a WVU loss does do is deny fans a rematch of last year’s national semifinal, and a chance at vindication for Washington’s opponent Monday night. We are pretty sure, though, that they are okay with that.

For Washington, however, this is an opportunity to wipe away the last three years of emptiness and frustration on the national stage. In 1953, they were a second seed that got upset by Columbia, before we knew who the Lions were. In 1954, they lost to Dayton in the first round. And last year, they were a top seed that fell to Vanderbilt in the second round.

One win in three years makes you the Big Program That Can’t.

Unless, of course, you’re overshadowed in that department, too. Indiana takes the top prize, of course; but Washington’s opponent Monday night, the Kansas State Wildcats, come awfully close.

The Wildcats have been here before…three times. They have moved to the fabled, sought-after Monday night just once, losing to Antonia Dabney and Bradley in 1954, 59-43. Three players—David Gunter, Tommy Fritts, and Erich Walton—were starters on that team. Billy Jacob was injured for the game, while Gregory Cole, this team’s starting center, played just two minutes in that loss. Normand Herbert held the same role he does now, that of sixth man, while Joe Delrio went 0-2 in six minutes of play.

Some things haven’t changed.

The knock on Kansas State is the same knock, to a lesser degree nationally, that stuck Washington: they could not win the big one. At some point, one has to question what qualifies as a “big one”; the Wildcats are 8-2 against Kansas all-time, after all, and 3-1 against West Virginia, including a 78-69 win this year.

The one loss that the Wildcats (32-1) had, a 71-57 loss to Kentucky in the Tournament of Champions, they avenged Saturday night in the first game. In a game many felt had the stature of a national title game, Gunter, now a senior, had his shining moment on a national stage. He netted a game-high 21, on 9-13 shooting, and seven rebounds and two steals. Billy Jacob, now a healthy senior and the 1b to Gunter’s 1a, scored 14 points, grabbed three rebounds and nabbed three steals himself.

Cole, now a redshirt senior and the overlooked member of this famous graduating class, got 13 points, six boards, a pair of assists and a pair of blocks. Fritts, the super senior forward, had 10 points, 9 rebounds, and seven assists, along with three blocks, in a stellar performance. This was done without much of Walton, who had just two points, but four fouls, in eighteen minutes.

This game was nip and tuck, and the tension was high. With 5:50 left, Billy Jacob received a foul, then compounded his issue by arguing to a technical. Lenny Snell hit the two free throws, tying the score. He made up for it by stealing a pass just a bit later. That led to a Cole bucket, giving Kansas State a 56-54 lead. They would increase that to four, but Kentucky, much like Washington later on in the evening, would not go away.

“They are too disciplined to let us run off with the thing,” said Kansas State coach Domingo Jones after the game.

Sure enough, every time the Wildcats would get the tiniest of cushions, Kentucky would answer. Douglas Cobbs scored with 4:35 left, making it 58-56. Jacob scored with 3:22 left, but Carson White hit a shot from the free throw line to cut it to 60-58 with 3:08 left.

Jacob’s response came ten seconds later, but Stephan Williford followed a Curt Davis miss with a major slam dunk from the baseline. 62-60. Herbert scored with 1:55 left; Snell was fouled by Jacob six seconds later. He also got the basket. His three-point play made it 64-63, with 1:49 left.

Kentucky got no closer.

Herbert found Gunter for a basket. On Kentucky’s next possession, White was called for an illegal screen. Kansas State managed to burn thirty seconds off the clock on the ensuing possession, which resulted in Gunter’s bucket off a Jacob assist. It was 68-63, and Kentucky was suddenly rushing to commit fouls.

Erich Walton hit his two free throws, making it 70-63 with :17 left. Williford missed, and Cole got the rebound. He hit a pair of free throws, giving Kansas State permanent breathing room, at 72-63.

Kentucky (30-3) was led by Williford’s 14, and White’s 10. Ten players scored for the Wildcats. Curt Davis, Kentucky’s best all-around player, was limited to 4-11 shooting, and zero free throws. He finished with eight points and six rebounds. Scott Moncada finished with just six points and seven rebounds.

“We knew we had to limit their big men,” said Jones. “If we allowed their big men to do what they wanted, we would have a hard time stopping anything. But shutting down the big men, it shrinks the floor and puts a huge burden on their guards. Williford took 17 shots. Cobbs was 3-7. I think we did our job, defensively.

Sure enough, Kentucky, one of the top offenses in the country, was held to 45% shooting, and had 17 turnovers. Their legacy, the top team of the South, comes with it some caveats. They reached three national semifinals and a fourth regional final. But they, like Kansas State, have not won the last game of the season. Should they be held to the same standard the Wildcats are?

Perhaps. But they also had changing parts throughout. Indiana, realistically, only had two years at their peak. The Big Ten is in transition, and, frankly, was not very good this year. While they have failed to win the final game, they were not expected to this year. Kansas State, we have held that expectation every year. If memory serves, we have selected them three times to be the champion of the country.

It comes back to this complete class, this group of four super players…four of the top five professional prospects in the nation. Gunter is the tops, while Jacob is right behind him. Walton is #4, while Fritts is fifth. To everyone in Manhattan, and realistically, the nation, their story is not complete without this last goal. To leave college without at least one title would feel hollow, especially while their in-state McCoys have cut the nets down twice.

Forgotten in all of this, perhaps because he has been stashed away in Seattle, is Fenton. His legacy could be forever stamped by slaying the giant dragon in front of him. He has laid down one of the top three guards in the nation, in Hildebrand. Gunter is the only one who sits above him on the pecking order. Fenton could be known as the greatest point guard of this era by leading Washington to victory.

This is the Game of Unfulfilled Destinies.

Only one side can write their ending. The other will have it penned for them.

Neither side wants the other to man the pen.

1956-57 National Championship Game: Kansas State (32-1) vs Washington (29-6): We have not strayed from Kansas State this year, despite Washington flipping the script twice on us. First, it was Seattle…then, WVU on Saturday. By all logic, we should jump aboard this Washington group, as they appear to have the hands of fate leading the way. But we are still enchanted by Kansas State, and feel they still have the magic, and the roster, to finally see this to the end.

Expect the lifetime of a game by Jacob. And a lifetime of memories to be had by finally winning the big one.

PICK: Kansas State 71, Washington 68

[muns]

While my USC team left the tourney early, I couldn't finish up the season without giving a huge clap to what Kirk and the Washington Huskies accomplished.

Yea, they didn't bring home the title, but they sure announced to the basketball world that they will be a top program and a force for years to come. They lose 2 starters next year in Fenton and Bittes (I love that name btw) but with a hell of a recruiting class last year, they will be able to replace them both in talent and in depth.

They will lead the way in the PCC next season and there isn't a lot the rest of us can do about it

[muns]

On a brighter note for us Freshman SG- Edmund Nelson wins the PCC freshman of the year (as he should have) but gets left off the National freshman list. That's ok though because Oregon's Joshua Azure made the national team

1956 PCC AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR PG Daniel Fenton  Washington  16.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 4.4 APG 2.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Edmund Nelson  Southern California  16.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.7 APG 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Angus Haynes  UCLA  22 - 8 (11 - 5) 

All-league 1st Team:
C  SR Kenneth Foster  Oregon  12.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.3 BPG
PF JR J.C. Quiles  Southern California  11.1 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SF JR Colin Dunleavy  Oregon  11.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG JR Italo Malocco  Washington  14.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Daniel Fenton  Washington  16.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C  JR Derek Busby  UCLA  7.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 3.4 BPG
PF SR Craig Kruger  California  4.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.8 BPG
SF JR Ted Walk  Oregon State  10.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG SR David Mackay  UCLA  13.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG JR Freddie Nation  Southern California  8.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 9.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C  FR Michael Fanning  Southern California  3.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PF FR Grégoire Dupretz  Washington  5.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.2 BPG
SF FR James Houck  Oregon State  2.4 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG FR Edmund Nelson  Southern California  16.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Joshua Azure  Oregon  10.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

[muns]

Moving forward, we lose one guy to graduation, and he didn't play (10 total games in 3 years). In theory, we should be in line for another hell of a season next year, as both UCLA and CAL should be down due to graduations.

Oregon State should be the team to watch next year as they didn't play to expectations this year, and they also return EVERYBODY. A betting man would be playing them in vegas as a 100 dollar bet there, could return some major money. Also, there is no way Idaho State goes 3 years in a row without winning a conf game right? That would be a bet I would be staying away from, as they should be able to squeak one out somewhere right???

[Radii]

Originally Posted by muns

On a brighter note for us Freshman SG- Edmund Nelson wins the PCC freshman of the year (as he should have) but gets left off the National freshman list. That's ok though because Oregon's Joshua Azure made the national team

Idaho's Charles Witten ended up at 17.1 ppg/3.3 rpg/2.1 apg, i was expecting he'd end up getting it. Nelson was close enough that I can't worry about that one too much though.

[muns]

Originally Posted by Radii

Idaho's Charles Witten ended up at 17.1 ppg/3.3 rpg/2.1 apg, i was expecting he'd end up getting it. Nelson was close enough that I can't worry about that one too much though.

The game looks too much at PPS and + - even though +- is a team stat.

[muns]

The National Basketball Report, Vol IV, Issue 18: Kansas State Wears the Crown



The National Basketball Report: April 9, 1957
Where Kansas State finally claims their rightful throne

The Four can finally breathe a sigh of relief, it would seem.

Then, they, along with the rest of Manhattan, Kansas, can begin celebrating.

The center of the basketball world, after falling short for three ever-eternal seasons, is firmly located on Kansas State University.

The Wildcats, behind their professional backcourt of David Gunter and Billy Jacob and their do-everything forward, disrupted and ultimately destroyed the Washington Huskies in the 1956-57 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday night. The final, 80-59, does not completely encapsulate how complete this victory truly was.

The Wildcats (33-1) outscored the Huskies, 48-31, in the second half, behind Man of the Game, Erich Walton’s 20 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals. He shot 8-11 from the field. With fellow future pros David Gunter (22 points, eight rebounds) and Billy Jacob (16 points, five assists, two steals) leading the way, the Wildcats threw off the Huskies plan to press and trap as much as possible, and try to force the game into the hands of their reserves.

Washington (29-7) was aided by two early injuries to star forward Tommy Fritts, and redshirt senior center Gregory Cole. However, their replacements, Joe Delrio (six points, 2-3 shooting) and Alec Larkin (8 points, 2-3 shooting, 4-6 FT) more than held their own.

They also deferred to the Wildcats’ remaining Big Three.

KSU built a four-point lead, 32-24 at the half, though many could see they were beginning to demolish Washington’s press attempts, and ready to break out.

“We could see over and through it,” said Gunter after the game. “We knew where we needed to be, and when to make the cut. We were prepared for this by our coaches, and we executed their plans quite well, I think.”

After leading 32-22, the Wildcats let Washington score eight in a row, including the first basket of the second half. Larkin scored to get things started…and then, things got hairy.

Danny Fenton, who started the half with three fouls, picked up what could have easily been argued as a cheap fourth foul. Evidently, he said something the referee did not like. The ref, who could have stayed on the side of caution, knowing how big of a game this was and how important a player Fenton was to Washington, could have let it go.

He did not, issuing Fenton a technical foul.

That was his fifth. He was gone, just two minutes and ten seconds into the second half.

The Huskies were stunned. Gone was their senior leader, the one who had guided them through 132 games. In his final half, he had been ousted by what could be considered, by some, to be an overly sensitive referee.

“In the regular season, by all means, chuck him,” said Washington coach Kirk Degrasse, who was still disappointed with Fenton’s ouster afterwards. “But, this is the last game of the guy’s college career. Why on earth would you do that? Our referees should be respected, but so should our players. Dan should have had a longer leash than what he was given.”

Gunter hit one of the two technical freebies. Washington, perhaps out of frustration, began to play more aggressive trapping defense, which led to easy looks inside and fouls on Washington. Walton scored when Larkin passed through the trap to him wide open underneath. After two consecutive blocks, Walton scored again. A Walton free throw made it 40-30; on the next possession, Delrio drew a charge on national semifinal hero, Gisbert Bittes.

Gunter scored on the next play, making it 42-30 with 14:58 to go.

“Everything we tried, they had a counter,” said Degrasse after. “We had a game plan that should have surprised them, or at least made them work more…especially before the injuries. But they basically did whatever they wanted. It was impressive, though.”

Marquis Gray scored to finally break the Washington silence. But Kansas State kept piling it on. Jacob scored, followed by Gunter. Bittes got a layup, but Delrio scored two possessions later. When Gunter scored a minute later, with 11:53 to go, it was 50-36.

The rout was on.

“To have come as close as we have, and come up so short three times,” said Gunter afterwards, “it feels wonderful to go out this way. Anything less than this would have been disappointment. I’m sure, for their guys, it is too. They have a great team, and have nothing to hang their heads about.

“This is our time, though.”

Cole and Fritts were both hurt early in the first half. Fritts pulled up going for a pass, clutching his back. It was called a pinched nerve, and he was unable to return. Shortly after, Cole broke his finger.

“We have such a diverse team, we knew it would hurt not having them, but we were able to continue,” said Jacob after. “We’re used to playing with all of our guys, not just a few. The injuries were sad. You never want to lose a teammate. But, in terms of the actual game, it didn’t affect us that much.”

Malocco was the only player in double figures for Washington, and his ten points came on 4-17 shooting.

“It didn’t fall through the hoop,” said Malocco after the game about his shooting woes.

Calhoun finished with eight points, 16 rebounds, and two blocks.

Fenton finished with four points on 2-4 shooting in his seven minutes of action. Gray, who got the bulk of the action in his place, scored five points on 2-7 shooting, and registered four assists against three turnovers.

“If you told me, four and a half years ago, that these were the four seasons we’d have, I’d have never believed you,” said Kansas State coach Domingo Jones. “This was special. A group of kids will never be together again in college basketball.

“Tonight, we were all witness to history.”

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by muns

Oregon State should be the team to watch next year as they didn't play to expectations this year, and they also return EVERYBODY. A betting man would be playing them in vegas as a 100 dollar bet there, could return some major money.

You mean the roster of 4* and 5* guys who can't figure out how to put together 40 mins of basketball? Walk and Pastor are 4th year starters coming into this season and neither has scored more than 11 a season.

[dawgfan]

1957 Prospectus:

Expectations have never been higher in Seattle as the Huskies are fresh off their best season yet. While a late-season swoon cost them a repeat as PCC Champions, they rebounded with a terrific dash through the NCAA Tournament all the way to the Championship Game before finally running out of steam and losing big to Kansas State. But even with the graduation of one the all-time greats at Washington in Daniel Fenton (and a pretty good role player in 3-year starter Gisbert Bittes), the Huskies are expected to make another run at a PCC title and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. They'll be tested right out of the gates as they take part in the Tournament of Champions where they'll get a re-match of last season's Final Four game against West Virginia and then face either Kansas State or Kentucky. Here's how the team is shaping up:

C: Francis Calhoun (Sr*)
PF: Gregoire Dupretz (So*)
SF: Jess Johnson (Fr*)
SG: Italo Malocco (Sr)
PG: Marquis Gray (So*)

Key reserves: SG Woodrow Shelley (Fr*), SG Manuel Parenteau (So*), PG Wayne Toro (Jr*), PF Monroe Willman (Fr*), SG Jose Park (So*), C Burt Lingle (Jr*)

Strengths: Good team passing; strong outside shooters; balanced offensively; a good group of rebounders; good defensive team that can also generate steals; a deep team, particularly in the backcourt; excellent overall athleticism

Weaknesses: Lacks a proven low-post offensive threat; team ball-handling has slipped to just average; defense takes a big dive when the starters aren't on the floor

Summary: Washington will have a new identity in 1957 as Fenton will no longer be around to carry the team on his back. There are a number of quality pieces in place to make up for his lost production, but the load will likely be spread across multiple players. SG Italo Malocco returns for his final season and is likely to assume the role of team leader along with RS-Sr post Francis Calhoun. Malocco was the 2nd leading scorer last year in his first season as a starter, and is also a terrific defensive player that will make life miserable for opposing 2's. Calhoun has grown into a fortress in the middle defensively, is a very strong rebounder and has improved offensively.

A major addition to the roster is RS-Fr Jess Johnson. A multi-skilled forward, there's little he doesn't do well. Already a plus all-around defender and skilled offensive player, he's got very good potential as a rebounder and can handle the ball quite well. About his only weakness at this point is sub-par stamina and being a bit on the slow side vs. smaller, quicker wings. But he's clearly the future of the program, and he's already on the NBA radar as the #7 overall prospect. The other big question mark will be Marquis Gray taking over at PG. Ultra-quick and with strong passing skills, the only real question is how much he'll contribute offensively, though he's an above-average shooter.

This team is deep, particularly in the backcourt. RS-Fr Woodrow Shelley combines the best jumper on the team with strong perimeter defense, so he'll jump ahead of Manuel Parenteu and Jose Park in the queue. RS-Fr Monroe Willman will join the post rotation. He needs to get stronger and develop more defensively, but he's already a very good rebounder and should be a monster on the glass in a couple more seasons, and he's got the potential to be a plus player on offense.

Conclusion: This is another talented roster that has the ability to compete for the PCC Championship and make their 5th straight NCAA Tournament. While probably not a realistic Title contender, they do have the talent to make a run into the 2nd weekend. The PCC continues to get better, and the Huskies face challenges from Oregon State, Cal, USC and Oregon (plus strong teams in UCLA & Stanford and improving programs at WSU and Idaho). The young trio of Johnson, Willman and Shelley will be key to the chances of the Huskies keeping pace over the next four years.

[dawgfan]

The 1957 season is heading to a close (we're at the Final 4 currently), so now is a great time to join up. We've already added three new human owners and the league keeps growing.

[dawgfan]

The league just completed the 1958 season, so it's a great time to jump in if you're interested. Lots of owners, an active message board with some really good ghost-writers and a number of conferences that are fully (or close to fully) human-controlled.