6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ERIDAY, APRIL 4, 2008
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
No.1 seeds clash in Final Four games for first time
North Carolina (36-2)
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Final Fours: 17
NCAA Championships: four (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005)
Famous Alumni: Michael Jordan, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, President James K. Polk
68-47
How they got here:
Elite Eight; defeated Louisville 83-73
here:
First round: defeated Mount St.
Mary's 113-74
Second round: defeated Arkansas 108-77
Sweet Sixteen: defeated Washington State
Breakdown:
How good has North Carolina been this tournament? So good, that Russell Robinson felt the need to turn away from the screen while watching the Tar Heels dismantle Louisville in the Elite Eight. Robinson didn't need to see that.
In his fifth season at North Carolina, Roy Williams' team is 36-2, yet still doesn't have the best record at the Final Four – that belongs to 37-1 Memphis. The Tar Heels, who have won 15 games in a row, braved injuries this season. Reserve guard, junior Bobby Frasor, was lost for the season to an ACL tear in December, and starting point guard, sophomore Ty Lawson missed seven games in the middle of the season after suffering a left ankle sprain. Pity the Tar Heels? Hardly. The Tar Heels are deep, talented, and poised to deliver Williams his second title in four years.
Two reasons they will unlock the trophy case:
1. Tyler Hansbrough – They don't call North Carolina's junior power forward "Psycho-T" because he likes Snapple. Hansbrough, the likely National Player of the Year, is relentless, and no doubt, the craziest player in San Antonio.
2. Coaching - Kansas' Bill Self, UCLA's Ben Howland and Memphis' John Calipari are all coaches capable of leading a team to a title. But Williams is the only coach who's cut down the nets at the Final Four.
Two reasons they will not:
1. Defense – If it's true that defense win championships, then you might not want to go with the Tar Heels. They give up 72.2 points per game, partly because they play real fast, but Roy Williams' coached teams have always been vulnerable to teams that play at a slow pace.
2. Karma - You'd have to think the "college basketball gods"have a sense of humor. What could be funnier than Williams going down to Kansas on Saturday night?
Memphis (37-1)
Memphis, Tenn.
Final Fours: 2
NCAA Championships: None
Famous Alumni: former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, NFL
player Isaac Bruce,
How they got here:
How they got here:
First round: defeated
Texas-Arlington 87-63
Second round: defeated
Mississippi State 77-74
Sweet Sixteen: defeated
Michigan State 92-74
Elite Eight: defeated Texas
85-67
Breakdown:
Come on, admit it, you weren't expecting Memphis to steamroll Texas 85-67 in the South Regional final. The Tigers — a group that seemed to be everyone's choice to be the No.1 seed that would lose first - are laughing all the way to San Antonio.
Has there ever been a team more disrespected than Memphis? At 37-1, the Tigers have already tied the all-time NCAA Division I record for victories. Still, some prognosticators figured Memphis was simply a mirage generated by a weak Conference-USA schedule. Well, the Tigers went out and decimated Michigan State and Texas in Regional Semi-Finals and Finals in Houston and weak conference or not, the Tigers look like a team that could win it all. Led by junior shooting guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and freshman point guard Derrick Rose, coach John Callipari's squad is outrageously athletic and playing like a team that knows it's being doubted.
Two reasons they will unlock the trophy case:
1. Point guard play - Memphis freshman Derrick Rose, a would-be member of the "I look 10 years older than I am" club, has always been a athletic specimen. Now, Rose is playing like a pure point guard. His assist to turnover ratio is 4.7-to-1 during the NCAA tournament and he's still scoring 24 points per game in the last two rounds.
2. They're overlooked - If any of these teams has the proverbial "chip on its shoulder," it's Memphis, Kansas, UCLA and North Carolina are basketball institutions, while Memphis is relatively new to the Final Four scene. Never underestimate a team that feels overlooked.
Two reasons they will not:
1. The big guys- While the other three teams all have post-players averaging double-figures, Memphis does not. If Rose and Douglas-Roberts perform poorly, Memphis might be in trouble.
2. The supporting cast - Want to know how to beat Memphis? Ask Tennessee. The Volunteers beat Memphis at Memphis on Feb. 23. How'd they do it? They let Douglas-Roberts and Rose score, and stopped everybody else. Douglas-Roberts and Rose had 14 and 23 points respectively, while the rest of the team finished with 25 points. If Memphis wants the title, they need to be more balanced.
UCLA (36-3)
Los Angeles, Calif.
Final Fours: 18
NCAA Championships: 11
Famous Alumni: actor Tim Robbins, singer Jim Morrison
UCLA (36-3)
How they got here:
First round: defeated Miss.
Valley State 70-29
Second round: defeated
Texas A&M 51-49
Sweet Sixteen: defeated
Western Kentucky 88-78
Elite Eight: defeated Xavier
76-57
Breakdown:
What's UCLA coach Ben Howland's favorite part about his team's third straight Final Four appearance? Florida is nowhere to be seen. The Gators eliminated UCLA in the last two Final Fours, beating them in the Championship game in 2006 and in the National Semifinal last season. Howland's second favorite part about this year's Final Four? He now has Kevin Love. UCLA's freshman center is a first-team All-American and he's owned this year's tournament - averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds per game in victories against Western Kentucky and Xavier. Howlands' Bruins were ousted the last two years because Florida's big guys - Joakim Noah and Al Horford - controlled the inside. Now Howland has his own wide body inside, and Love and Howland just may deliver title No. 12 to Tinseltown.
Two reasons they will unlock the trophy case:
1. Experience - Some pundits would have you believe that all the Bruins need is Love - as in Kevin Love. But UCLA's most important player might be junior point guard Darren Collison. He's averaging 14.8 points per game and shooting 53.0 percent from the three-point line. Need a refresher? Cue up Kansas' Elite Eight game against UCLA last season and press "play."
2. Defense - One reason North Carolina might not win this weekend, is the same reason UCLA might. Ben Howland stresses defense and the Bruins generally listen. UCLA has surrendered 80 points only once this season, against California, and its opponents are scoring 58.5 points per game.
Two reasons they will not:
1. Luck runs out – To say the Bruins have been beneficiaries of some controversial calls, is a little like saying fried food is bad for you — both statements are painfully obvious. Don't follow? Well, then you must not have seen the last play of the UCLA - Texas A&M game in the second round. The point? UCLA has been catching breaks from officials and eventually things may even out.
2. Conference history – The Pac-10 hasn't had a basketball National Champion since Arizona in 1997. Every other major conference, besides the Big 12, which hasn't won a title since 1988, has won a title since the Pac-10's last championship.
key players
NORTH CAROLINA
Tyler Hansbrough
6-foot-9 forward
Hansbrough could be the most polarizing player in the nation. Analysts love his full throttle approach to the game, while opposing fans love to hate the fact that
he consistently hustles his way to rebounds. Hansbrough doesn't look as fluid as Kansas State post Michael Beasley with the ball in his hands, but he is a capable shooter from 18 feet and in. The 6-foot-9 junior's best quality is his uncanny
Hansbrough
MEMPHIS
Chris Douglas-Roberts 6-foot-7 guard
ability to draw fouls. Hansbrough is averaging nearly 10 free-throw attempts per game, and he shoots 81 percent from the line.
2008 stats: 32.9 minutes per game, 22.8 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game, .542 field goal percentage
offense from either the perimeter (42 percent three-point shooting) or by heading to the hoop (206 free throw attempts). "CDR", as he is called by the Memphis faithful, is the Tigers' top scoring option and has the
Chris Douglas-Roberts is to Memphis what Mario Chalmers is to Kansas. The 6-foot-7 wing is capable of taking over on
2008 stats: 28.2 minutes per game, 17.7 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game,
.545 field goal percentage
- Shipp is a physical lockdown defender, while Douglas-Roberts is a silky smooth scoring machine.
long enough arms to cause trouble for opponents on the defensive end. The matchup between Douglas-Roberts and UCLA guard Shipp could be intense
Douglas-Roberts
Kevin Love 6-foot-10 forward
UCLA
Think Tyler Hansbrough with style. Love does everything Hansbrough does: He scores efficiently in the post, he gets to the free-throw line and pulls down huge quantities of rebounds. Oh yeah, he can
also shoot from deep and pass like a point guard. Love is shooting 37 percent from three-point range this season. Love's outlet passes are a staple of UCLA's offense, as he can turn a defensive rebound into a fast break in a flick of his
wrists and a 50-foot pass to a streaking Bruin guard. Love is actually a better rebounder and defender than Hansbrough, but has gone comparatively unnoticed because he played most of his games on the west coast.
Love
2008 stats: 29.5 minutes per game, 17.6 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game,
.565 field goal percentage
Kansas (35-3)
KANSAS
Mario Chalmers 6-foot-1 guard
A look at Kansas' offensive statistics suggests the Jayhawks don't have one standout performer. Though the Jayhawks do spread out their scoring, Chalmers is the team's most efficient player. The Anchorage, Alaska, native is in the top five in the Big 12 Conference in assists per game, three-point field goal accuracy and points per shot attempt this
Kansas (93-91)
Lawrence, Kan.
Final Fours: 13
NCAA Championships: two
Famous Alumni: former Sen. Bob
Dole, actor Paul Rudd, NFL running back Gale Sayers
season. Chalmers can play either point guard or shooting guard, and his length could cause match-up problems for North Carolina guards Ty Lawson and Quentin Thomas. On top of that, Chalmers is a fantastic defender. He provides the perfect complement to senior guard Russell Robinson's on-ball pressure, waiting to snag opponents' lazy passes.
2008 stats: 29.7 minutes per game, 12.7 points per game, 4.4 assists per game, 476 three-point field goal percentage
Chalmers
— Asher Fusco
How they got here:
First round: defeated Portland State 85-61
Secc num. defeated UNLV
75-56
Sweet Sixteen: defeated Villanova
72-57
Elite Eight: defeated Davidson
59-57
Breakdown:
The question was posed to Kansas senior forward Darnell Jackson. Will Kansas be satisfied by just making it to the Final Four? Jackson paused. He didn't quite follow. The question was re-phrased. Jackson's answer was clearer than the question: No. Kansas' goal all season has been the National Championship, Kansas' motivation shouldn't be a problem. The real problem might be that Kansas simply doesn't have the ammunition to battle its way through a gauntlet of a Final Four. Four number one seeds. For the first time ever. Who ever wins this thing should be applauded. You could make the case Kansas got off easy with its road to the Final Four. A No. 16 seed, a No. 8 seed, a No. 12 seed, and a No. 10. Not many world-beaters on that road. Still, if Kansas maneuvers its way to the Trophy ceremony on Monday night, nobody can question the Jayhawks easy early-round schedule. Maybe junior guard Brandon Rush will even be standing on the platform, channeling his inner Qib Talib, and shouting, "They gotta say we played somebody now. They gotta say we played somebody."
Two reasons they will unlock the trophy case:
1. It's Destiny - All the stars seemed to have aligned. It's been 20 years since Kansas' last title, the star of that team, Danny Manning, is on now the Kansas sideline, and the fans get a revenge game against Roy Williams along the way. Hollywood couldn't write this stuff.
2. Balance - Florida had it while winning the last two national titles. The Jayhawks do too. Seven players who could lead the team in scoring any given game. Want to stop Kansas? Pick three or four guys to stop and the other three or four guys will probably step up.
Two reasons they will not:
1. Balance — Confused? Well, Bill Self said it best on Tuesday, Kansas' greatest strength might be its biggest weakness as well. Who's Kansas' go-to-guy? Well, we don't know. The lack of a go-to scorer in crunch time might haunt the Jayhawks this weekend.
2. Do the Math - Kansas has won two national championships in the past 56 years - 1952 and 1988. Can Kansas win the title on Monday night? Sure. Is it likely? Unfortunately not.
Rustin Dodd