Every year for the past 15 March Madnesses, I complete brackets against my brother and father for a Champion T-shirt and the bragging rights that it brings. This year my brother Andrew had the first ever perfect Elite 8 AND Final Four, very impressive, clinching victory before the last three games are even played. Andrew thinks in spreadsheets and has a deadly and unsentimental ability to divine winners, skills which have greatly contributed to my 3-12 lifetime record in the Reichman Pool. Andrew's latest victory has taken away some of the joy I would otherwise feel at picking 3 of the Final Four correctly this year, possibly for first time ever, with only Texas A&M betrtaying me. Furthermore my Hoyas-over-Bruins final outcome prediction still looks like a great call.
Most amazing of all were two emotional, nail-biting, come-from-behind Georgetown victories.
G'town advances past Vanderbilt on a clutch bank shot by Jeff Green in traffic with 10 seconds remaining. Green backed into the lane, almost lost the ball in a black-jerseyed haze of the Vandy double team, only to uncoil and go glass to put the Hoyas up. This after Hoyas had to gradually claw their way back from a big Commodores lead, as big 3s from Vandy's Byars and Foster forced all the time off the clock by the time the Hoyas were able to creep close.
And then, in the last game before the Final Four, the Meadowlands showdown between the Hoyas and UNC, won in incredible fashion by the Hoyas in a case of divine intervention. With the coffin lid closing on them, Georgetown showed Grind It Out heart and fearless determintaion coming from 11 down in the final 10 minutes to scrape the Tar right off the Heels of NC. A succession of good defensive plays by Green, Sapp and Hibbert kept allowing the Hoyas to shave UNC's lead, climaxed by Green's pass over the basket to a wide open Ewing Jr. for 2, and then the ultimate - Jonathan Wallace for three with 31 seconds and he cans it(!) tying the game at 81. In OT its off to the races as Wallace, the smallest player on the court, sneaks through the back door for two and the Hoyas never look back, going up 12 before the Heels get their only OT basket. The Heels Hansbrough, confounded by the swarming Hoya D loses concentration with traveling calls, missed foul shots and the Hoyas never blink steaming through to an almost unbelievable victory. The powder blue seas parted for G'town as just abourt everything that had to go right did over the last 10 minutes of the game and OT.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Sixteen Candles
A look at those burning the brightest in the tournament so far...
Best Game (Texas A+M vs. Louisville)
This game was a war. The lead changing hands every possession. Everybody in foul trouble. Exhausted. Each possession taking the game to new heights. This game was a heavyweight fight to the final bell. Texas A+M survived against Louisville, led by their fearless point guard Acie Law IV and a surprise 21 points from defensive Captain (Dominique) Kirk, who boldly went where he had never gone before with his career high. Player of the game though was Louisville's freshman point guard Edgar Sosa, who went 20 above his average dropping 31 on the Aggies...including 15 of 15 from the charity stripe UNTIL...less than a minute, Aggies by one, and he misses them both!! After a Cardinal foul, Aggies miss both of theirs as well, but Sosa's unnecessarily rushed and too deep 3 bricked off the rim and A&M prevailed. The Freshman took Louisville farther than they could have ever expected but in the end couldn't close it.
Cheating Death (Ohio State vs. Xavier)
The X-Men comic books are about regular people who get superhuman powers after they get too close to a nuclear explosion. Similarly, the X-Men of Xavier University are an ordinary team that played with the strength of a super hero, irradiated by their in-state hate of Ohio State, who stole their coach and is too afraid to schedule regular season games against them (*last contest over 20 years ago). Xavier had the Buckeyes flatlining, leading the game throughout and holding a 9 point advantage late. Ohio State then executed a stunning turnaround, capped by a perfect 3 by Lewis with but a second left in regulation and the Buckeye nation erupting, sending it into an overtime that they would dominate against the suddenly crestfallen Musketeers. Is this is a case of a champion showing the guts to walk through fire or a simple case of the Buckeyes not being that great a team? Next round against TN will show…
Best Dunk
Patrick Ewing Jr., who threw down a stirring reverse slam reminiscent of his Pops (who was there supporting him) at the most key 11th hour.
Best Block
Vandy survivied in double OT against Wash St, thanks to an unbelievable soaring swiping block by their leading scorer, Derrick Byars, as the Cougars were shooting what might have been the winning shot.
Best Game (Texas A+M vs. Louisville)
This game was a war. The lead changing hands every possession. Everybody in foul trouble. Exhausted. Each possession taking the game to new heights. This game was a heavyweight fight to the final bell. Texas A+M survived against Louisville, led by their fearless point guard Acie Law IV and a surprise 21 points from defensive Captain (Dominique) Kirk, who boldly went where he had never gone before with his career high. Player of the game though was Louisville's freshman point guard Edgar Sosa, who went 20 above his average dropping 31 on the Aggies...including 15 of 15 from the charity stripe UNTIL...less than a minute, Aggies by one, and he misses them both!! After a Cardinal foul, Aggies miss both of theirs as well, but Sosa's unnecessarily rushed and too deep 3 bricked off the rim and A&M prevailed. The Freshman took Louisville farther than they could have ever expected but in the end couldn't close it.
Cheating Death (Ohio State vs. Xavier)
The X-Men comic books are about regular people who get superhuman powers after they get too close to a nuclear explosion. Similarly, the X-Men of Xavier University are an ordinary team that played with the strength of a super hero, irradiated by their in-state hate of Ohio State, who stole their coach and is too afraid to schedule regular season games against them (*last contest over 20 years ago). Xavier had the Buckeyes flatlining, leading the game throughout and holding a 9 point advantage late. Ohio State then executed a stunning turnaround, capped by a perfect 3 by Lewis with but a second left in regulation and the Buckeye nation erupting, sending it into an overtime that they would dominate against the suddenly crestfallen Musketeers. Is this is a case of a champion showing the guts to walk through fire or a simple case of the Buckeyes not being that great a team? Next round against TN will show…
Best Dunk
Patrick Ewing Jr., who threw down a stirring reverse slam reminiscent of his Pops (who was there supporting him) at the most key 11th hour.
Best Block
Vandy survivied in double OT against Wash St, thanks to an unbelievable soaring swiping block by their leading scorer, Derrick Byars, as the Cougars were shooting what might have been the winning shot.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Big East a Subtitle for Hoyas?
Time is frozen. Georgetown’s Jeff Green, the basketball cradled in his forearms. Bent into a 45 degree angle whose corner is wedged into the thigh of Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody. Game tied less than a minute left. Time unfreezes at the perfect instant as he steps and curls toward the basket, gliding through Harangody’s forearm shove and uncoiling the ball in a catapulting hook shot at the top of the lane. The ball strikes the front of the rim. The ref’s whistle blows at Harangoday’s blocking foul. The ball hits the backboard. The ball falls softly through the basket. The tide turns as Georgetown takes a lead they will not relinquish, and, following a businesslike throttling of Pitt in the finals, they walk out of Madison Square Garden Big East champs for the first time since 1989.
The tournament and a potential number one seed awaits, but what does this classic and emotional sub-championship foretell of the Hoya’s fate in the true contest that awaits? All the complementary pieces needed to support the sublime and versatile Jeff Green are in place. The fine ball handling and 47% three point shooting of point guard Jonathan Wallace give Georgetown the prerequisite floor general. Jessie Sapp slashing at the basket can break down a defense when their pinpoint passing goes through a stretch where they can’t find a good shot. And 7’2” behemoth Roy Hibbert remains Coach Thompson’s ace in the hole, grabbing dunks and rebounds in moments when his size advantage seems unfair, yet his minutes always managed by Thompson so to never have his clumsy stiffness on the floor at the wrong time. Add the final ingredient, the X-factor hustle of role player Ewing Jr diving after lose balls, grabbing key steals, appearing out of nowhere for the offensive rebound and putback.
One could view the Hoyas as a lock for the NCAA title, but could not the jubilation of their conference title satisfy some of that hunger and desire which is needed for the journey ahead? At Grind it Out Sports, we’ve learned how ridiculously impossible it is to attempt to answer these questions coming into the tournament, and seek only to point out that Georgetown’s clutch performance in their defining moment creates a yin/yang situation whose upside could be a title and whose downside is a possible fizzling out of intensity resulting in a Sweet Sixteen loss to a lower seeded opponent.
Similarly, we examine the defining moment for each of the other tournament favorites, with the yin/yang question whose unknowable answer holds the key – either to tournament glory or humiliation.
UCLA’s defining moment was the only 3 points scored by their leader Arron Afflalo in their loss to Cal (first game of Pac 10 tourney). “Worst game ever” in Afflalo’s own Comic-Book-Guy-like opinion. This “I’ve hit rockbottom” epiphany could be the turning point toward a more determined Bruin effort just at the right time, or it could be just a plateau on the way to the real crash landing, if Afflalo gets tight and comes unglued again.
UNC’s moment came courtesy of a nose-breaking, Kobe-Bryant-style arm swinging by Duke forward Gerald Henderson. Suddenly bloodied, quiet Tar Heel leader Tyler Hansbrough first has an emotional reaction to fight back, later is thrust into a media spotlight, and eventually plastic masked for the following games. His anger flushed out, Hansbrough could be more aggressive and cutthroat with the mask on. Or a subpar performance in their ACC tourney title run could mean his spirit has been broken as well, which leaves UNC up the creek.
Florida, who just waltzed through a crummy SEC to a conference tourney title, saw their defining moment come when they were struggling right before. While getting trounced on the strangely designed court at Vandebilt, forward and emotional leader Joakim Noah exchanged shoves with the opposing coach under the basket where the Commodores bench was placed for some reason. Later a sulking Noah got his curly pony tail into a further tizzy, flinging his towel to the ground in a dramatic display. The passion of Noah and his mates in pursuit of a repeat title could keep them focused down the stretch, or the fallback of a title under their belt could make them lean back, make excuses, and give up.
The defining moment for Wisconsin and Ohio State is later today in their head to head matchup for the Big Ten tournament chamiponship. Regardless of who wins, you can almost rest assured the loser will be angrier, will have more left in the tank, and will do better in the tournament.
Finally Kansas. Sorry Jayhawks, you don’t deserve a defining moment after losing in the first round each of the last two years to Bradley and Bucknell. The defining moment for the Jayhawks comes in the upcoming tournament, where their recent colossal failure will be the story when they take the court…will they respond by erasing or widening the agony of their fans?
The tournament and a potential number one seed awaits, but what does this classic and emotional sub-championship foretell of the Hoya’s fate in the true contest that awaits? All the complementary pieces needed to support the sublime and versatile Jeff Green are in place. The fine ball handling and 47% three point shooting of point guard Jonathan Wallace give Georgetown the prerequisite floor general. Jessie Sapp slashing at the basket can break down a defense when their pinpoint passing goes through a stretch where they can’t find a good shot. And 7’2” behemoth Roy Hibbert remains Coach Thompson’s ace in the hole, grabbing dunks and rebounds in moments when his size advantage seems unfair, yet his minutes always managed by Thompson so to never have his clumsy stiffness on the floor at the wrong time. Add the final ingredient, the X-factor hustle of role player Ewing Jr diving after lose balls, grabbing key steals, appearing out of nowhere for the offensive rebound and putback.
One could view the Hoyas as a lock for the NCAA title, but could not the jubilation of their conference title satisfy some of that hunger and desire which is needed for the journey ahead? At Grind it Out Sports, we’ve learned how ridiculously impossible it is to attempt to answer these questions coming into the tournament, and seek only to point out that Georgetown’s clutch performance in their defining moment creates a yin/yang situation whose upside could be a title and whose downside is a possible fizzling out of intensity resulting in a Sweet Sixteen loss to a lower seeded opponent.
Similarly, we examine the defining moment for each of the other tournament favorites, with the yin/yang question whose unknowable answer holds the key – either to tournament glory or humiliation.
UCLA’s defining moment was the only 3 points scored by their leader Arron Afflalo in their loss to Cal (first game of Pac 10 tourney). “Worst game ever” in Afflalo’s own Comic-Book-Guy-like opinion. This “I’ve hit rockbottom” epiphany could be the turning point toward a more determined Bruin effort just at the right time, or it could be just a plateau on the way to the real crash landing, if Afflalo gets tight and comes unglued again.
UNC’s moment came courtesy of a nose-breaking, Kobe-Bryant-style arm swinging by Duke forward Gerald Henderson. Suddenly bloodied, quiet Tar Heel leader Tyler Hansbrough first has an emotional reaction to fight back, later is thrust into a media spotlight, and eventually plastic masked for the following games. His anger flushed out, Hansbrough could be more aggressive and cutthroat with the mask on. Or a subpar performance in their ACC tourney title run could mean his spirit has been broken as well, which leaves UNC up the creek.
Florida, who just waltzed through a crummy SEC to a conference tourney title, saw their defining moment come when they were struggling right before. While getting trounced on the strangely designed court at Vandebilt, forward and emotional leader Joakim Noah exchanged shoves with the opposing coach under the basket where the Commodores bench was placed for some reason. Later a sulking Noah got his curly pony tail into a further tizzy, flinging his towel to the ground in a dramatic display. The passion of Noah and his mates in pursuit of a repeat title could keep them focused down the stretch, or the fallback of a title under their belt could make them lean back, make excuses, and give up.
The defining moment for Wisconsin and Ohio State is later today in their head to head matchup for the Big Ten tournament chamiponship. Regardless of who wins, you can almost rest assured the loser will be angrier, will have more left in the tank, and will do better in the tournament.
Finally Kansas. Sorry Jayhawks, you don’t deserve a defining moment after losing in the first round each of the last two years to Bradley and Bucknell. The defining moment for the Jayhawks comes in the upcoming tournament, where their recent colossal failure will be the story when they take the court…will they respond by erasing or widening the agony of their fans?
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Active Seniors
Mostly mental. That’s how you could describe a trend through this week in college basketball. Home underdogs, often clad in orange, slaying visiting giants on Senior Day. The emotions of defending your turf one last time, taking pictures with Mom, shouting senior students getting louder than ever out of nostalgia. All the makings of classic upsets, and nothing but further confusion for serious bracketologists.
On Monday, the Orange entities, formerly known as orange men, coasted on a 14-0 second half run to a rousing defeat of the mighty Hoyas, ending Georgetown’s 11 game winning streak. Syracuse came out inspired to play smashmouth defense, placing distracting orange imps in front of Jeff Green every time he attempted to shoot. (He went 3-of-13). Senior Demetris Nichols burned the Hoyas with his inspired 3-point shooting and later would join fellow senior Darryl Watkins atop the scorers table in an arm-waving farewell to the raucous people of orange descent. The extra motivation for Cuse was evident in their aggressive desire to end the season partying down (as opposed to partying down slightly less if they had lost).
Tuesday saw a similar result down in Knoxville. Tennessee women’s coaching legend Pat Summit regaled the crowd, while in a cheerleader outfit, with her version of “Rocky Top”, a sharing of spirit with men’s coach Bruce Pearl who covered his bare chest in orange paint to salute the women’s team earlier this season. “Rocky Top” refers to the rocky soil of the Volunteer state preventing the growth of corn, and yet those plucky Tennesseans managing to get their corn out of jars. Against Florida, Tennessee was able to open up another kind of jar, this one containing some whuppass. A 17-0 first half run and 50-31 halftime lead paved the way for another feel-good orange senior celebration.
Then Wednesday the victorious orange was of the burnt variety, as Texas outlasted their in-state rival A+M in a double overtime thriller. Aggie point guard Acie Law IV had incredible answers to the Horns with laser-guided non-rotating three balls to tie things up at the end of regulation and overtime one. Unfortunately for the agricultural and mining interests in the state, Law couldn’t get down a bunt after the two home runs, as overtime two and the game ended on his intentionally missed free throw, which was unintentionally not rebounded by the Aggies. Texas freshman sensation Kevin Durant is essentially more of a senior himself, as his 30 point 16 rebound performance was surely his farewell to the Austin faithful, as sneaker companies have lured him to the NBA to become the new Kevin Garnett.
Presumably, when the whistle blows both teams want the victory the same amount (a lot). Yet on Senior Day that home team wants it more than a lot. Will this extra gear be available for these orange underdogs in the neutral emotion of the neutral site NCAAs? And are top seeds G’town, FL and A+M vulnerable? All signs point to “who the hell knows.”
On Monday, the Orange entities, formerly known as orange men, coasted on a 14-0 second half run to a rousing defeat of the mighty Hoyas, ending Georgetown’s 11 game winning streak. Syracuse came out inspired to play smashmouth defense, placing distracting orange imps in front of Jeff Green every time he attempted to shoot. (He went 3-of-13). Senior Demetris Nichols burned the Hoyas with his inspired 3-point shooting and later would join fellow senior Darryl Watkins atop the scorers table in an arm-waving farewell to the raucous people of orange descent. The extra motivation for Cuse was evident in their aggressive desire to end the season partying down (as opposed to partying down slightly less if they had lost).
Tuesday saw a similar result down in Knoxville. Tennessee women’s coaching legend Pat Summit regaled the crowd, while in a cheerleader outfit, with her version of “Rocky Top”, a sharing of spirit with men’s coach Bruce Pearl who covered his bare chest in orange paint to salute the women’s team earlier this season. “Rocky Top” refers to the rocky soil of the Volunteer state preventing the growth of corn, and yet those plucky Tennesseans managing to get their corn out of jars. Against Florida, Tennessee was able to open up another kind of jar, this one containing some whuppass. A 17-0 first half run and 50-31 halftime lead paved the way for another feel-good orange senior celebration.
Then Wednesday the victorious orange was of the burnt variety, as Texas outlasted their in-state rival A+M in a double overtime thriller. Aggie point guard Acie Law IV had incredible answers to the Horns with laser-guided non-rotating three balls to tie things up at the end of regulation and overtime one. Unfortunately for the agricultural and mining interests in the state, Law couldn’t get down a bunt after the two home runs, as overtime two and the game ended on his intentionally missed free throw, which was unintentionally not rebounded by the Aggies. Texas freshman sensation Kevin Durant is essentially more of a senior himself, as his 30 point 16 rebound performance was surely his farewell to the Austin faithful, as sneaker companies have lured him to the NBA to become the new Kevin Garnett.
Presumably, when the whistle blows both teams want the victory the same amount (a lot). Yet on Senior Day that home team wants it more than a lot. Will this extra gear be available for these orange underdogs in the neutral emotion of the neutral site NCAAs? And are top seeds G’town, FL and A+M vulnerable? All signs point to “who the hell knows.”
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