2013 National Champion: Louisville

[dukelifer]

probably does go to Hancock but honestly I would give it so Siva all the way. Absolute relentless driving force who was the reason Hancock was open . Siva drove wtih almost complete disregard for contact and personal safety (same for Burke really).

*It is still a guards game. You cant win without great (and usually experienced and fast) gurad play. When it came down to it you had Soph Burke, Junior Hardaway,etc vs Senior Siva and Junior R. Smith. By comparison - as great as Duke was this year - we really had a first year Cook and a freshman Suilamon. I am primarily think PG when I look for experience ... FR can do it at the 3 / 4 / 5 eg Carmelo Anthony

When we won in 2010 were Scheyer and Smith both Juniors? I cant recall now but I know they were seasoned.

One senior and one junior. Experience helps- both Siva and Burke played great

[KenTankerous]

grant who?

how about jason williams and jay bilas in their cubical at espn? maybe wearing matching left ear cards earrings?

[-jk]

Problem is that the only way to get to the more flowy game is to make it even less flowy by calling 50 fouls a game. I think the Duke/Creighton game could be described by anything but flowy and then you also have the best players off the floor which I don't think anyone really wants. The NCAA obviously recognizes something is up and Louisville had twice as many fouls as UM before intentional fouls so I don't think it was terrible. But from what I've read/heard from the head of officiating, it sounds like they will work to fix it.

It took us a while to get here. It'll be ugly for a while to get back. But the teams would adapt.

I think it's worth it.

-jk

[KenTankerous]

i think y'all are right on, the game is WAY too physical but if you wanna change that, you start in the preseason and carry it through the full schedule. you can't just change the standard in the national final.

but y'all are changing the discussion

louisville won going away, not by twelve, but by six, which better than freaking out waiting to see if a half court shot, three inches off the mark would fall...

[brevity]

Gottlieb is terrible.

Doug Gottlieb had no place at that table -- his energy is all wrong because he keeps trying to win arguments instead of collaborating. But in terms of self-preservation, he's a genius. In past years he would have been replaced during the Final Four by a high-profile coach. But after he made his race-oriented comment, CBS couldn't get rid of him for fear of looking like they overreacted.

Just watched "One Shining Moment." Best one I've seen in years. Usually the editing is so lazy -- out of chronological order, not attuned to the lyrics, not hitting the right points of emphasis, shows almost no title game. This one was a lot better. Highlights:

* Showing the Tubby Smith/Ben Howland handshake for the line "The time is short."
* You're a shooting star, Seth Curry.
* A few other Duke clips, all positive. They could easily shown the Devils in despair when they lost, but didn't.
* Normally I'd be against showing locker room video, but Larranaga was hilarious.
* FGCU coverage was nicely spread out.
* Clear separation between first weekend, Sweet 16, Final Four.
* Last second work. Kevin Ware cutting the nets!

Harvard's win was out of place, and maybe they could have shown a little more Wichita State, but that's just nitpicking. I guess this was CBS' apology for keeping Doug Gottlieb at the big boy table. Apology accepted. Don't let it happen again.

[Duke4Ever32]

Yes - this year's One Shining Moment was exceptional!

[tommy]

Looked like the Big 10 team couldn't quite handle the physicality of the ACC team, huh?

[InSpades]

Looked like the Big 10 team couldn't quite handle the physicality of the ACC team, huh?

You mean "American Athletic" team I think... Or whatever they came up with...

[Duke4Ever32]

Doug Gottlieb had no place at that table -- his energy is all wrong because he keeps trying to win arguments instead of collaborating. But in terms of self-preservation, he's a genius. In past years he would have been replaced during the Final Four by a high-profile coach. But after he made his race-oriented comment, CBS couldn't get rid of him for fear of looking like they overreacted.

Just watched "One Shining Moment." Best one I've seen in years. Usually the editing is so lazy -- out of chronological order, not attuned to the lyrics, not hitting the right points of emphasis, shows almost no title game. This one was a lot better. Highlights:

* Showing the Tubby Smith/Ben Howland handshake for the line "The time is short."
* You're a shooting star, Seth Curry.
* A few other Duke clips, all positive. They could easily shown the Devils in despair when they lost, but didn't.
* Normally I'd be against showing locker room video, but Larranaga was hilarious.
* FGCU coverage was nicely spread out.
* Clear separation between first weekend, Sweet 16, Final Four.
* Last second work. Kevin Ware cutting the nets!

Harvard's win was out of place, and maybe they could have shown a little more Wichita State, but that's just nitpicking. I guess this was CBS' apology for keeping Doug Gottlieb at the big boy table. Apology accepted. Don't let it happen again.

Also showing Boeheim for "all the years".

[-bdbd]

Looked like the Big 10 team couldn't quite handle the physicality of the ACC team, huh?

I had the same thought. Ha!! Well that's another National Championship trophy that'll soon be sitting in the trophy case of an ACC school (and NOT in one for a Big10 school). Yes! Score one for the "good guys!" We now get to also claim that Duke was just ONE LOSS away from a championship!

Another silver lining is that there will now (likely) be TWO ACC coaches trailing K with two wins apiece - Pitino and some other hick down the road a ways...

I also agree with the Brevity post about Gottlieb - the long and the short of it is that the guy is just really annoying. He just seems very anxious to ARGUE, frequently. And his "energy," to me, comes off like a pesky, annoying neighbor's little dog who's consumed something with sugar in it and just won't stop barking in your face while you'e trying to watch something otherwise interesting on TV.

But have to agree that this was one of the better "One Shining Moment" in many years. Certainly a lot better than the annoying vocals on the 2010 one when Duke won it all in Indy.

BTW, I was reading something totally unrelated to the Final Four today, and the author made a hillarious analogy about someone being a little too direct about something. He said, "He has all the subtlty of Greg Doyel at a press conferemnce." I about fell out of my chair laughing.

[matt1]

We beat the National Champions in November, at least.

[KenTankerous]

fwiw, pitino, in his post game presser, talked about coach k, calling him the greatest in the college game ever. that's after he talked about wooden and boehiem and the dudes from wichita state and their first round victim.

he never mentioned huckleberry.

[TruBlu]

Isn't it past Albrecht's bedtime?

Excuse me, but that was a mean thing to say about his grandmother!

[Saratoga2]

First of all, I have to say the incredible number of commercial breaks and even commercials running within the game was ridiculous. The game can't develop the low we would all like to see, when there is one play and then back to 2 minutes of adds. Of course they need advertising, but when it slows the game so much, is it the same? I believe the game took 2 hours and 20 minutes to televise from tip off to end. In that there were 2 20 minute periods, the half time break and time for stoppages for foul shots. Otherwise, there was more than 50% adds i you count the barrage during the half, ouch.

The game was a very good one. Ultimately, I think UL was too talented at every position and played a very physical defense that got enough turnovers and rebounds to make the difference. When you look at UL, they have two small guards who are quick, a center who is a shot blocker and mobile and who could also hit the jumper from the top of the key. Behanan is probably 6'8" but is mobile and strong. He really made a difference with inside scoring and rebounding. Then they have one of the best shooters in the college games who is also smart and drew fouls when shooting. Very reliable foul shooter as well.

The refs allow play to be very physical and seemed only to call fouls when someone drove to the basket. So much o the game was bumping and grabbing that could have been called. It is what it is. Michigan got a bad call when an obvious goal tending went by the books against them and they missed a lot of foul shots. In a game as close as this, little things matter and in the end a ew missed foul shots and a few turnovers were all the diference UL needed. They deserved to win and teams like them will continue to win if the amount of contact continues to be allowed.

[Billy Dat]

Excellent championship game!

probably does go to Hancock but honestly I would give it so Siva all the way. Absolute relentless driving force who was the reason Hancock was open . Siva drove wtih almost complete disregard for contact and personal safety (same for Burke really).

I am with you 100%. Siva was absolutely incredible, especially in the second half. I agree with everything you have said about his offense and offensive leadership, and his defense was absolutely incredible. Any Michigan player putting the ball on the deck had to think twice because he was seamingly everywhere, whippet-fast, ready to swipe it. Louisville is incredible at forcing that drive to the middle and the off guard leaving his man to jump the lane for the steal. Then, in transition, Michigan would be barreling full blast down the court and Siva, ala the Flash, would blur into the picture and break up the play. Despite the game pressure, and some of the missed lay-ups, he never lost his focus or cool. It reminded me of the way Battier played in the 2001 title game, he just was not going to allow them to lose. I also want to credit Trey Burke who I feel played a similar game for Michigan, and Chane Behanan who was an absolute monster on the block. That play in the closing minutes where he took on the entire Michigan front line for 3 offensive rebounds and a put-back was incredible. I also thought Dieng played a great second half. Siva-Behanan-Hancock-Dieng were the difference.

First of all, I have to say the incredible number of commercial breaks and even commercials running within the game was ridiculous. The game can't develop the low we would all like to see, when there is one play and then back to 2 minutes of adds. Of course they need advertising, but when it slows the game so much, is it the same? I believe the game took 2 hours and 20 minutes to televise from tip off to end. In that there were 2 20 minute periods, the half time break and time for stoppages for foul shots. Otherwise, there was more than 50% adds i you count the barrage during the half, ouch.

The refs allow play to be very physical and seemed only to call fouls when someone drove to the basket. So much o the game was bumping and grabbing that could have been called. It is what it is. Michigan got a bad call when an obvious goal tending went by the books against them and they missed a lot of foul shots. In a game as close as this, little things matter and in the end a ew missed foul shots and a few turnovers were all the diference UL needed. They deserved to win and teams like them will continue to win if the amount of contact continues to be allowed.

The television timeouts were horrendous, and the officiating was terrible. I don't care as much as others about the physicality as long as it is called consistently, but the blatant errors like the kicked ball, the goaltend, etc., were so bush league.

[superdave]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2013/04/11/rick-pitino-will-get-tattoo-of-a-cardinal-on-his-shoulder/