Another 1, and another 1 bite the dust.

In what was most certainly one of the most entertaining Final Four matchups in recent times, Connecticut and Stanford (both #1 seeds) were both upset by #2 seeds Notre Dame and Texas  A&M respectively.

When Stanford beat UConn last December, ending the Lady Huskies’ 90 game win streak, it was widely expected that would end up facing off in the national title game.  They seemed destined for that rematch after getting through their respective regions without much struggle.  It turns out that the Fighting Irish and Aggies had other ideas.  The key to both these upsets could be summed up in one word; defense.

Texas A&M had the size and grit to match Stanford’s pedigree.  When Stanford took a 54-44 lead with a little over 5 minutes remaining, the Aggies may have been down but not out.  Stanford got outscored 19-8 while committing 3 turnovers the rest of the way (the Aggies had no turnovers).

Despite another big game from Nneka Ogumwike, the rest of the Cardinal players were pretty much held in check.  Jeanette Pohlen was the only other player in double figures (11 points).  It also didn’t help much that Melanie Murphy spent most of the game in foul trouble, eventually fouling out.  Jeanette Pohlen, Kayla Pedersen and Melanie Murphy have been part of some great Stanford teams, but going home empty after 4 straight Final Fours isn’t exactly an easy pill to swallow.

Not to be outdone, Notre Dame who was playing a virtual “home game” saved the best for last.  In front of a partisan crowd in Indianapolis, the Irish were looking to make amends for their three previous losses against UConn.  The Irish had got through the tournament with some tough defense and good perimeter shooting.

Maya Moore and Jeanette Pohlen: fallen legends

They carried that mode into this match against a young and shorthanded UConn team.  The Huskies were using a 7-player rotation and Coach Geno Auriemma hinted that they would be vulnerable especially in encounters as tough as this one.  With Stefanie Dolson sitting out for most of the game after getting into early foul trouble, UConn had to rely on a much smaller lineup for most of the game and Notre Dame made them pay dearly.

While Maya Moore carried the team on her back in this game like she had done all season, Notre Dame was able to answer behind the sensational play of Skylar Diggins, Brittany Mallory and Natalie Novosel.  Mallory and Novosel hit key three pointers, while Diggins would simply not let this team lose.

Diggins made what was arguably the play of the game, with a minute and change left to play.  With the Irish leading by 5 points, Diggins came up with a steal and drove all the way to the basket for a layup that pushed the lead to 7 points, effectively ending the game.  The Huskies wouldn’t get any closer than 4 points.  Notre Dame advanced to their first final since 2001 when, in a cruel twist of irony, they beat UConn in the national semis.

Both games were truly exciting and an excellent showcase for the women’s game.  Texas A&M and Notre Dame may not have been the best teams in the country, but were hands down the best teams in the tournament.

Serving notice: Has Butler outgrown the glass slipper?

Up until last year, Butler’s best performance in the NCAA tournament was a pair of Sweet 16 appearances in 2003 and 2007.  Then came last year when as a 5^th seed, the Bulldogs captured the hearts of a nation by making it all the way to the Championship game, only to fall short.

For the second year in a row, Butler will be back in the Final Four.  Their road wasn’t any easier this season.  They were an 8^th seed and squeaked past Old Dominion, then Pittsburgh in their first two games.  They took care of Wisconsin, and showed some mental toughness; overcoming a pair of 10 point deficits against Florida in the regional finals.  Different year, but the hustle is still the same.

The 2000 North Carolina team and the 1985 Villanova championship team were both 8^th seeds.  Other than that, 8-seeds don’t usually get that far.  Okay, so occasionally, they might knock off a 1-seed; but the Sweet 16 is, more often that not, where the fairy tale ends.  They’re not always a lock to make the regional final, let alone the Final Four.  Yet somehow, Butler found a way to do it.

In the 1990’s, Gonzaga was the darling everyone rooted for.  They eventually outgrew the glass slipper and have almost always not made it to the second weekend of play.  Nowadays, they are EXPECTED to make the tournament; regardless of whether or not they dominate the West Coast Conference (which they often do).  Are we going to expect the same with Butler?

Stevens' profile is only getting better by the day.

The Bulldogs have seen Gonzaga, matched and even exceeded the bar set by those Bulldogs.  Last year was seemed like that “once in a lifetime” deal, but they’re not quite done yet.  With the exception of Gordon Hayward and Willie Veasly, the core from last year’s team (Matt Howard, Shelvin Mack and Ronald Nored) are still holding it down.  Brad Stevens is also making a name for himself as one of the better young coaches in America.  It won’t be long before his name is on every athletic director’s shortlist.

Butler may or may not be able to maintain this kind of performance in seasons to come.  What we do know is that they won’t be taking anyone by surprise.



Diggin' the scene.

Notre Dame had yet to beat Tennessee in 20 previous meetings that spanned over 28 years.  There’s always a first time for everything, and that time was Monday night.  The Fighting Irish clinched the first Final Four berth after yet another impressive performance over the top seeded Volunteers.

Last Saturday, Notre Dame crushed Oklahoma not only with their size and experience, but also some bruising defense and perimeter shooting.  Having lost to the Sooners in overtime last year, Notre Dame made sure that the outcome of their contest would be decided early.

Against Tennessee, Skylar Diggins 24 points powered the Irish in an epic win for the program.  Natalie Novosel added 17 points and Becca Bruszewski a.k.a “The Bruiser”, who was a game time decision, chipped in with 13 points.

Notre Dame are headed to their first Final Four since 2001, when they won it all, and will face a familiar opponent; Connecticut.  This will be the fourth meeting this season, with the Huskies having won the previous three.  The Irish played them close in their first meeting in January, losing by three, but the Huskies got the better of them in the next two.

That’s all in the past, however, and you can expect Diggins and crew to give it all they’ve got this time around.  It also doesn’t hurt that they’ll be playing behind a partisan crowd, with the fixture being in Indianapolis.

Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said it best, while to trying fire up her team in the locker room during half time, “That team out there (Notre Dame), they're on a mission!!”

The Marshall Plan

There is no doubt that Carolina's return back to prominence is due to the emergence of Kendall Marshall.  Since he took over at starting point guard, the Tar Heels have gone from potential NIT team to regular season ACC Champions.

Following the end of the season in 2010, the Wear twins, Travis and David, transferred back home and Ed Davis left for the NBA.  Then Will Graves left the program and Larry Drew was soon to follow.  Sometimes it is possible to have addition by subtraction.  What happened next, is that the team only got better.  North Carolina is back on the scene and should this team stay together, bigger things lie ahead.

Felton & Lawson lead Carolina to National Titles

In just this decade alone, North Carolina has had two great floor leaders in Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson.  Felton was part of a great recruiting class that included Rashad McCants, David Noel and Sean May.  The Tar Heels were coming off an 8-20 season and from the moment these guys set foot on campus, you knew that things were going to change for the better.

During his first two seasons, Felton seemed to take a little backseat to McCants.  However when Felton became more of a leader, the team looked unbeatable.  With Felton running the floor and May dominating the low post, North Carolina beat Duke in the season finale to claim the ACC regular season title; first time since 1993 that they had won it outright.  The Tar Heels had only posted 1 win against Duke in their 9 previous meetings, and this was the win that saw them regain a foothold in a rivalry series that was starting to tip heavily towards the hated Blue Devils.

Ty Lawson came in after Carolina was one season removed from the National Championship.  The one thing that amazed me about Lawson was his blinding speed.  That made the Tar Heels one of the most dangerous fast-break teams in the country.  He could take it to the basket himself, or pass it to an open player for an assist.

While Hansbrough was the player most teams would try to single out during games, Lawson took on a bigger role during his junior season.  His improving jump shot and leadership made him an all around threat, making him the player that teams would rather try and defend.  Not that teams had any success stopping him, but now it became a matter of "pick your poison".  If you focused on Lawson, Hansbrough had free reign and vice versa.  If you focused on both of them, you had to account for Danny Green and Wayne Ellington.  Therefore it really wasn't much of a surprise when Carolina breezed through the NCAA tournament on their way to another national championship.

Since Kendall Marshall became the starter, he has been hailed by players and coaches alike for his "team first" approach.  Suddenly, Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson are starting to look a lot better by the day.  Henson is already a rebounding machine, but he's getting more points on offense, and Zeller is getting better looks at the basket if not easy layups.

While he is more of a "pass first" kind of guard, one can only wonder what happens when Marshall becomes more of a scoring threat.

The Will and the way.

After the first weekend of March Madness, I have to say that the player who has impressed me the most is Arizona's Derrick Williams.

Williams' block helped Arizona survive the 1st round

In a 4 day span where upsets were the order of the day, no player was more clutch for his team than Williams.  In a closely contested game against Memphis, he came up with the game saving block at the buzzer, preventing a potential first round upset.

As if that wasn't enough, he still had some magic saved as his late 3-point play helped the Wildcats get past Texas in the second round.  Arizona now moves on play Duke in Anaheim, CA - Pac 10 country - and you can expect Wildcat fans to pack the stands.

Williams, the reigning Player of the Year in the Pac 10, along with Solomon Hill, Lamont Jones and company, led Arizona to it's first regular season conference title since 2005.  They might have won the conference tournament too, but Isaiah Thomas and Washington had other ideas. 

The last time Arizona was seen in the NCAA tournament, the were on the receiving end of a 39 point drubbing by Louisville in the Sweet 16.  This is of course a much different team now.  I wouldn't be surprised if Arizona pulls an upset over Duke (Kyrie Irving or not) this week.  They have the size, speed and shoot very well from the perimeter.  The key of course, will be to keep the game close, otherwise Duke might as well run away with it.

That being said, I would love to see just how many more game winning plays Williams can pull out of his sleeves.