Luke Hancock, Chane Behanan, Peyton Siva Lead Louisville to National Championship over Michigan, 82-76

College Hoops Players of the Day for Monday, April 8, 2013

(1) Louisville 82 (4) Michigan 76 - The Louisville Cardinals won their third national championship with an effortful performance over the Michigan Wolverines.

Trey Burke scored seven early points to pace the Wolverines, but picked up a second personal foul nearing the mid-point of the first half. Mitch Albrecht came on for Burke, scoring 16 points to forge a 12-point lead for Michigan. Resolute, Louisville returned fire with four straight three-pointers by Luke Hancock and took back the advantage on a fast-break dunk by Mortrezl Harrell with time running down in the first half. Glenn Robinson III made two free throws with 2.5 left on the clock to retake the lead by a point, 38-37, at the break.

Both teams made rainbows in the first half. Michigan was 6-for-11; the Cardinals went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Louisville established a lead early in the second half and maintained it as time wound down. Michigan cut the lead to four points on several occasions, but could not get any closer.

Peyton Siva and Chane Behanan were unstoppable in the second half. Siva finished with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Behanan was impressive in the paint, scoring 15 points and snagging 13 rebounds.

Hancock didn't see the ball much in the second half, but finished with 22 points for the Wolvernines on 5-for-6 shooting, including a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range.

Trey Burke was the game's leading scorer, with 24 points.

Louisville was out-shot by Michigan, 52-48%, but a seven rebound advantage on the offensive boards and an overall 31-26 edge on the boards allowed Louisville more looks, and, eventually, more scores.

Head coach Rick Pitino, just elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, became the first coach to win national championships with two different teams - having led Kentucky to the title in 1996.

Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through games of 4/8

Conference (# of teams)	W-L	Winners (wins)
ACC (4)	6-4	Duke (3) Miami (2) North Carolina (1)
Atlantic 10 (5)	7-5	LaSalle (3) Butler (1) St. Louis (1) VCU (1) Temple (1)
Big 12 (6)	3-6	Iowa St. (1) Kansas (2)
Big East (8)	13-7	Marquette(3) Louisville (6) Syracuse (4)
Big Ten (7)	14-7	Mich. St. (2) Michigan (5) Indiana (2) Illinois (1) Ohio St. (3) Minnesota (1)
PAC-12 (5)	5-5	Oregon (2) Arizona (2) Cal (1)
SEC (4)	4-3	Mississippi (1) Florida (3)
Missouri Valley (2)	5-2	Wichita St. (4) Creighton (1)
Mountain West (5)	2-5	Colorado St. (1) San Diego St. (1)
WCC (2)	2-2	St. Mary's (1) Gonzaga (1)
Sun Belt (2)	0-2	--
All Others (19)	6-21	NC A&T (1) James Madison (1) Memphis (1) Harvard (1) Florida Gulf Coast (2)

NCAA Championship Final Breakdown: Louisville Cardinals vs. Michigan Wolverines

NCAA National Championship Final

Louisville Cardinals (34-5, 14-4 Big East) vs. Michigan Wolverines (31-7, 12-6 Big Ten)

Louisville head coach, Rick Pitino, is going after his second NCAA Championship, just days after being informed that he will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.

Pitino's first championship came at Kentucky, when the Wildcats captured the 1996 title with a 76-67 win over Syracuse.

This year's Louisville squad has some remnants of that '96 championship team, in terms of speed and size, though the Kentucky team was arguably a superior offensive force, with the likes of Tony Delk, Antoine Walker and Walter McCarty, while this Louisville group relies heavily on pressure defense and the skills of their backcourt duo, Peyton Siva and the electrifying Russ Smith, who is averaging a cool 25 points per game in Louisville's five tourney wins.

Another advantage Louisville may have over the Wolverines is their size in the front court and rebounding prowess. Gorgui Deing and Chane Behanan can dominate the paint, along with reserve, Montrezl Harrell, who should get ample floor time, as he did in the Cardinals' ripping, 72-68, win over Wichita State in the national semifinal, the four-point victory the closest any team has come to beating Louisville through five rounds. Deing is also a fearless shot-blocker, which will make Michigan's penetration a daunting task.

The Cardinals enter the fray riding a 15-game winning streak dating back to February 9 and are favored by 3 1/2 points over Michigan.

Louisville has won two national titles, in 1980 and 1986. Tis is their 38th tournament appearance, ninth time in the Final Four. The Cardinals have a 64-40 record in the NCAA tournament.

For the Wolverines, it's their first trip to the championship game since 1993, when Steve Fisher guided the "Fab Five" to their second straight title game loss (77-71 to North Carolina) and their first championship appearance under head coach John Beilein, who is in his first Final Four as a coach. The youngest team in the tournament field, Michigan has surpassed all expectations, but is loaded with hoops-pedigree talent in the likes of Glenn Robinson III, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jon Horford.

Michigan won their only national championship in 1989, when the Wolverines topped Seton Hall, 80-79, in overtime. It is their 23rd tourney appearance, with a 43-22 record and their sixth time in the Final Four.

Point guard, Trey Burke, who is expected to be named the national player of the year, will have most of the responsibility for breaking the Louisville press and getting the ball into the lane or out to the wings for three-point shooters, Hardaway and Nik Stauskas. A tireless performer, Burke has played 35 or more minutes in each of Michigan's five tournament games, totaling 35 assists, with a high of 10 in the Wolverines' 87-85 overtime win against Kansas, the South region's #1 seed.

While the Wolverines have ample outside shooting, the difference-maker may be freshman Mitch McGary, who has emerged as a force in the paint throughout the tournament. Besides his inexperience, the problem for McGary is that he will be mostly alone amongst the Louisville trees in the low post. He'll need help from Robinson on the boards. Burke and Hardaway are also good rebounding guards, who will have to contribute.

Either team has a legitimate shot at the championship crown. It will be up to Louisville to disrupt Michigan's fast flow offense, while the Wolverines must guard against turnovers and domination in the paint by the Cardinals.

The match-up of point guards Siva and Burke should be a great game-within-the-game. The contest may come down to just how well Russ Smith performs, as he is likely the most dangerous player on the floor in a game loaded with future pros.

It's a Date: Louisville to Meet Michigan Monday for National Championship; Luke Hancock Powers Cardinals

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, April 6, 2013

National Semifinals

(1) Louisville 72 (9) Wichita State 68 - The Shockers gave Louisville everything they had, but the Cardinals erased a 47-35 second half deficit to roar back late in the game, grab a five-point lead and hold on for the win. Luke Hancock was sensational. coming off the bench for Louisville, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the second half on 6-for-9 shooting with three treys and five of seven from the foul line.

Russ Smith led the Cardinals with 21, though he was erratic at 6-for-17 shooting (4-for-11 on threes); Cleanthony Early led all scorers with 24 points and was also the game's high rebounder with 10. Hancock filled out his game with four boards, two assists and a pair of steals.

Wichita State was able to build their lead by not turning the ball over, giving it up just four times through the first 34 minutes. Six late turnovers turned the tide for the ball-hawking Cardinals.

The Shockers cut the lead down to two points in the final minute, but could not get any closer, as Hancock and Smith settled matters at the foul line.

(4) Michigan 61 (4) Syracuse 56 - Six first half three-pointers and seven offensive rebounds helped the Wolverines establish a 36-25 lead at intermission. The scoring came from Michigan's bench: Spike Albrecht was 2-for-2 from beyond the arc; Caris LeVert was 2-for-3 from distance.

Syracuse cut into Michigan's lead in the second half, but could never tie the game nor take the lead, cutting it to one point on James Sutherland's three-pointer with 42 seconds left, but Michigan made enough free throws and Syracuse could not covert in the waning seconds - both of their starting guards, Michael Cater-Williams and Brandon Triche having fouled out.

Michigan's freshman forward, Mitch McGary, had a monster game, scoring 10 points with 12 rebounds (five offensive), six assists and two blocks.

CJ Fair led the Orange and all scorers with 22 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. led Michigan with 13 points. The Wolverines shot 40% for the game; Syracuse was only marginally better, at 42%, but the Orange made only 3 of 14 from three-point range, 21%.

2013 NCAA Tournament Final Four Preview: Shockers, Cardinals, Orange and Wolverines

With two Big East teams - Louiville, Syracuse - in the national semifinals and the Missouri Valley's Wichita State crashing the party as a #9 seed out of the West region, the stage is set for the final weekend of college hoops. Michigan represents the Big Ten from the South region.

Both semifinal games will be played on Saturday, April 6, with the championship game slated for Monday night, April 8. In the opening match-up at 6:09 pm EDT, #9 Wichita State meets the tournament's #1 overall seed, Louisville, champions of the Midwest region.

The late Saturday game between Syracuse, the #4 seed from the East, and Michigan, the #4 seed from the South, will follow, roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. The tentative tip time is 8:49 pm EDT.

Following are a selection of tournament notes and stats for the four teams remaining. Each has won four straight games in the tourney.

Louisville has claim to the nation's longest winning streak at 14 straight. Their last defeat was on February 9, in a 104-101, 5 OT loss at Notre Dame. The other three teams have each won just four straight, as all of them fell in their respective conference tournaments. Syracuse was hammered by Louisville in the Big East championship game, 78-61. Wichita State lost to Creighton, 68-65, in the MVC final, but gets the last laugh as the big dance survivor. Creighton was ousted by Duke in the third round, winning just one game, 67-63, over the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Michigan lost to Wisconsin, 68-59, in the Big Ten tourney quarterfinals on March 16. The six days between their last loss and the opening of the tournament may have given the Wolverines some needed rest, propelling them to the Final Four.

Overall Records
Louisville (33-5, 14-4 Big East)
Michigan (30-7, 12-6 Big Ten)
Wichita State (30-8, 12-6 MVC)
Syracuse (30-9, 11-7 Big East)

Tournament Margins of Victory
Louisville: average: 21.75 (largest, 31, NC A&T, second round)
Syracuse: average: 20.00 (largest, 47, Montana, second round)
Michigan: average: 15.50 (largest, 25, VCU, third round)
Wichita State: average: 10.50 (largest, 18, Pittsburgh, second round)

Leading Scorers
Louisville: Russ Smith, 26.0 ppg
Michigan: Mitch McGary, 17.5
Wichita St.: Malcolm Armstead, 15.5
Syracuse: CJ Fair, 13.75

Leading Rebounders
Michigan: Mitch McGary, 11.5 rpg
Louisville: Gorgui Dieng, 7.5
Wichita St.: Cleanthony Early, 7.0
Syracuse: CJ Fair, 6.0

Assist Leaders
Michigan: Trey Burke, 7.8 apg
Louisville, Peyton Siva, 5.0
Syracuse, Michael Carter-Williams, 4.8
Wichita St.: Malcolm Armstead, 3.8

Three-Pointers
Michigan: Tim Hardaway Jr., 10-20, .500
Syracuse, James Southerland, 7-19, .368
Wichita St., Ron Baker, 6-15, .400
Louisville, Russ Smith, 6-19, .316

Free Throws Made, %
Louisville: Russ Smith, 32-40, .800
Wichita St.: Ron Baker, 20-23, .870
Syracuse, Brandon Triche, 17-23, .739
Michigan, Trey Burke, 11-11, 1.000

Tournament appearances
Louisville: 38
Syracuse: 35
Michigan: 23
Wichita St.: 9

Final Fours
Louisville: 9
Michigan: 6
Syracuse: 4
Wichita St.: 1

Championships
Louisville: 2 (1980, 1986)
Syracuse: 1 (2003)
Michigan: 1 (1989)
Wichita State: 0

NCAA Regional Finals: Michigan, Louisville Romp into Final Four

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 31, 2013

South Regional: (4) Micchigan 79 (3) Florida 59 - Just more than three minutes into the game, this one was over.

Michigan hit six of there first eight shots, ran the score up to 13-0, and made a mockery of whatever defense the Gators thought they were going to play. Finally, Florida made a shot, putting their first two points on the board, but just as quickly, Trey Burke knocked down a three-pointer to put the Wolverines up 16-2 and on a glide path to Atlanta and the Final Four.

Michigan built the lead to as many as 24 points in the first half, though Florida whittled it down to 15 by the break, but an 11-point deficit was the closest they could get, as Michigan kept piling up the points.

Nik Stauskas was the dagger the wolverines used to gut the Gators, playing a nearly-flawless game, making seven of eight shots from the field, including all six of his three-point attempts for a game-high 23 points.

Michigan was excellent on defense, forcing 15 turnovers and holding Florida to 41% shooting.

The Wolverines will meet Syracuse on Saturday, April 6, in one of the regional semifinals.


Midwest Regional: (1) Louisville 85 (2) Duke 63 - Louisville, the only #1 seed remaining in the tournament, kept the Final Four from being a long-shot lover's dream by topping the Duke Blue Devils with a blowout second half after reserve guard Kevin Ware suffered a freakish broken leg that stunned the players, coaches, crowd and the national television audience.

Ware was contesting a Tyler Thornton three-pointer with 6:33 left in the first half when he came down on his right leg and the leg just seemed to buckle below the knee. The young man was carried off the court on a stretcher and is reportedly in good condition, though his return to action will take roughly a year.

The Cardinals took a three-point lead into the break, at 35-32, but came out on fire in the second, outscoring the Blue Devils 24-12 over the first 10:48 of the half, putting the game out of reach.

As usual, Russ Smith was spectacular as the game's high-scorer with 23 points. Smith and point guard Peyton Siva were as relentless on defense as they were on the offensive end. Siva scored 16 with four assists. The Cardinals made 11 steals and blocked nine Duke shots.

The Cardinals will face Wichita State in a national semifinal match-up on Saturday, April 6.

NCAA Saturday Regional Finals Results: Syracuse, Wichita State Start the Party

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 30, 2013

East Regional: (4) Syracuse 55 (3) Marquette 39 - The Syracuse Orange became the first to punch a ticket to Atlanta and the Final Four, ten years since they were last there, manhandling the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Completely befuddled by the Syracuse 2-3 zone defense, Marquette scored just seven points in the first 14:55 of the game, before finding its way and cutting the Orange lead to just six by the break, 24-18. Marquette shot just 26% in the first half and was 1-for-9 from beyond the arc, staying in the game because the Orange were only clicking at a 36% clip.

The second half was worse for Marquette, shooting just 18% to finish the game with a shooting percentage of 23 (12-for-53). Marquette's 39 points was easily their lowest output of the season.

Vander Blue and Davante Gardner were the only Golden Eagles with more than six points, both scoring 14.

Even though the Orange shot just 36% themselves, they committed only six turnovers, their efficient offense building a lead that would reach as high as 19 points late in the second half.

James Southerland led all scorers with 16 points; teammate Michael Carter-Williams turned in the day's top performance, with 12 points and 8 rebounds, adding six assists and five steals, turning the ball over just once in 37 minutes of playing time.

The last time the Orange reached the national semifinals was in 2003, when they won the national championship behind the play of freshman Carmello Anthony.


West Regional(9) Wichita State 70 (2) Ohio State 66
Wichita State took it right to the Buckeyes in the first half, holding Ohio State to 24% shooting to take a 35-22 half time lead. The Shockers kept up the defensive pressure and expanded their lead to 20 points late in the game. Ohio State's furious rally in the final seven minutes fell short, even though the Buckeyes were able to cut the lead to four on three occasions.

OSU's Deshaun Thomas led all scorers with 23; his running mate, Quinton Ross added 19. Wichita State had four players in double figures, led by Malcolm Armstead's 14. The Shockers held Ohio State to 31% shooting.

In the Final Four at Atlanta, Syracuse will play the winner of Sunday's Michigan-Florida State meeting, while the Shockers await the winner from the Midwest region, Louisville or Duke.

Trey Burke, Mitch McGary Send Jayhawks Packing as Michigan Advances

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 29, 2013

Michigan advanced to the Elite Eight with an 87-85 overtime victory over Kansas that contained some of the most exciting moments of the 2013 tournament.

Kansas held a first half lead of just six points on 19-for-28 (68%) shooting, but the Wolverines would not go away, even when the Jayhawks led by ten points with three minutes to play.

Mitch McGary had kept Michigan close by making just about every shot that presented itself, but as time became an issue, Trey Burke, who had spent much of the game feeding McGary in the post, took matters into his own hands, helping to erase the Kansas lead, scoring eight of Michigan's final nine points, including the game-tying 30-foot bomb with under five seconds left that sent the contest into overtime.

In the OT, Burke scored five points and McGary four, to outlast the Jayhawks and advance to Sunday's reional final match-up with Florida.

Michigan had five players in double figures. Burke and McGary accounted for 48 points between them. Burke scored all of his 23 in the second half and overtime, making 9 of 21 overall and going 4-for-11 from three-point range. He also added 10 assists.

McGary outdueled Kansas big man, seven-footer Jeff Withey, making 12 of 17 for a game-high 25 points, with 14 rebounds.

The rare duo double-double was a testament to Michigan's perseverance and commitment to excellence even when the chips were down.

Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through games of 3/29

Conference (# of teams)	W-L	Winners (wins)
ACC (4)	6-3	Duke (3) Miami (2) North Carolina (1)
Atlantic 10 (5)	7-5	LaSalle (3) Butler (1) St. Louis (1) VCU (1) Temple (1)
Big 12 (6)	3-6	Iowa St. (1) Kansas (2)
Big East (8)	9-5	Marquette(3) Louisville (3) Syracuse (3)
Big Ten (7)	12-5	Mich. St. (2) Michigan (3) Indiana (2) Illinois (1) Ohio St. (3) Minnesota (1)
PAC-12 (5)	5-5	Oregon (2) Arizona (2) Cal (1)
SEC (4)	4-2	Mississippi (1) Florida (3)
Missouri Valley (2)	4-1	Wichita St. (3) Creighton (1)
Mountain West (5)	2-5	Colorado St. (1) San Diego St. (1)
WCC (2)	2-2	St. Mary's (1) Gonzaga (1)
Sun Belt (2)	0-2	--
All Others (19)	6-21	NC A&T (1) James Madison (1) Memphis (1) Harvard (1) Florida Gulf Coast (2)

NCAA Tournament Friday Sweet 16 Results

Midwest Region

(1) Louisville 77 (12) Oregon 69 - As has been their forte through their first two games of the tournament, Louisville leapt out to a big lead of 16 points early and ended the first half up by a 45-31 score on 59% shooting. Russ Smith had 16 points in the opening 20 minutes. and finished with a game-high 31.

Louisville expanded the lead to 18 in the second half and roared to their third straight convincing victory in the tourney.

Smith was 9-for-16, 12-for-14 at the foul line, with a three-pointer, two rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

Oregon put forth a spirited effort, but the Cardinals were just a little better. The eight point margin of victory was the slightest ever in the Sweet 16 for Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.

(2) Duke 71 (3) Michigan State 61 - Two college basketball heaveyweights went mano a mano in a game dominated by half-court play.

Duke built a manageable lead and sustained it, as Sean Curry made six of nine threes en route to a game-high 29 points to get Duke into the Elite 8. Duke was also quite efficient at the foul line, canning 24 of 26 free throws.

Duke's win sets up a meeting with Louisville on Sunday for the right to advance to the Final Four. The two teams met back in November, Duke coming away with a 76-71 win in the Battle for Atlantis tournament.,

South Region

(4) Michigan 87 (1) Kansas 85 OT - Kansas shot the lights out in the first half - 19-for-28 (68%) - they led by only six points at the break, 40-34.

The Jayhawks maintained a comfortable lead through out the second half, until the Wolverines came to life late in the game, erasing a 10-point lead in the final three minutes, tying the game on Trey Burke's 30-foot bomb with five seconds left in regulation.

In the overtime, Burke scored five points and Mitch McGary four, to outlast the Jayhawks and advance to Sunday's next round.

Michigan had five players in double figures. Burke and McGary accounted for 48 points between them. Burke scored all of his 23 in the second half and overtime. McGary outdueled Kansas big man, Jeff Withey, making 12 of 17 for a game-high 25 points, with 14 rebounds.

The most thrilling game of the tournament, Burke, McGary and Michigan were scintillating.


(3) Florida 62 (15) Florida Gulf Coast 50 - The upstart Eagles took an early double-digit lead, but the Gators fought back to hold a 30-26 lead at the break. The magic dust wore off the Eagles in the second half as Florida kept them at bay. When the clock struck midnight - like in a fairy tale - the Eagles had landed a trip back to Fort Myers.

Despite out-shooting the Gators, 45.5-38.6%, FGCU was a victim of their own high-flying style, committing 20 turnovers which in turn gave Florida more scoring opportunities. The Gators also went to the foul line twice as often as the Eagles and made double the number of free throws.

Mike Rosario led all scorers with 15 points. The Gators will meet Michigan in the Regional final, Sunday afternoon.

NCAA Tournament Friday Sweet 16 Previews

Midwest Region

7:15 pm EDT (12) Oregon vs (1) Louisville - Here's a match-up that may not have happened, had Oregon been properly seeded (though they might have been a #4, setting up the same scenario). The Ducks have easily exceeded all expectations for a #12 seed, precisely because they should have been no worse than a five.

Oregon is on a nice roll after two straight losses in early March, including sweeping three games to win the PAC-12 tournament and easy wins over (5) Oklahoma State (68-55) and (4) St. Louis (74-57). That 15-point average margin of victory in the tourney compares favorably with Louisville which knocked over a #16 (NC A&T) by 31 and a #8 (Colorado State) by 24, for an average win margin of 27.5, the best in the tournament.

The Ducks may encounter issues with Louisville's press, because point guard Dominic Artis' assist-turnover ratio is 1.4, a number that does not inspire confidence. But, the Ducks score 71.7 points per game and grab 37.4 rebounds on average. Louisville checks in at 73.6 and 37.5 boards. Louisville knows better than to take the Ducks lightly, and this one should be closer than many imagine it will be.

9:45 pn EDT (3) Michigan State vs (2) Duke - The Blue Devils have not scored up to their seasonal average (78.3, sixth-best in the country) against either of their tournament opponents, despite beating Albany and Creighton by 12 and 16 points, respectively, and there's a good chance the Spartans will keep them in check as well.

Physically, Michigan State appears the more muscular of the two, and, under coach Tom Izzo, will have roughly the same level of discipline and motivation. The Spartans' game is predicated on defense and rebounding, and, if they can get out on the break and score or find a vulnerability in Duke's defense, they will be well-served here.

After dispatching Valparaiso in their opening game, 65-54, Michigan State dominated Memphis, 70-48. Both teams enter the game healthy and with soaring aspirations. Look for a close one, as neither Izzo nor coach K will allow his troops to fall far behind without adjustments, though Michigan Stat ehas the kind of team that could dominate.

South Region

7:37 pm EDT (4) Michigan vs (1) Kansas - Possibly the most talented team in the tournament, Michigan should get plenty of open looks as no player on the Kansas squad has the ability to contain point guard Trey Burke, a player of the year candidate who is well-deserving. On the other side, the Jayhawks really don't have a point guard, meaning the Wolverines may be able to turn them over repeatedly for easy baskets.

For Kansas to be successful, center Jeff Withey needs to stay out of foul trouble and dominate the interior because the Wolverines don't really have a match-up for him. Michigan could counter with a zone defense to minimized Withey's effectiveness.

Kansas represents the last chance for the Big 12, which sent six teams to the tourney, but has won only three games. Strictly from a conference perspective, Michigan stands a good chance to advance and join Ohio State (and possibly Michigan State) as Big Ten teams in the Elite 8.


9:57 pm EDT (15) Florida Gulf Coast vs (3) Florida - the FGCU Eagles, the darlings of the tournament after besting #2 Georgetown in their opener and San Diego State after that, will prove to be a solid opponent for the Gators, who cruised through a weak SEC schedule and arrive here with easy wins over Northwest State and Minnesota.

Florida Gulf Coast may actually be a more balanced team than the Gators, and they certainly are more entertaining. In terms of athleticism, the Eagles have it all over the Gators, but they are in uncharted territory, as the first #15 seed to ever reach the Sweet 16.

They'll have fan support, which will definitely be a plus, as their players seem to feed on it, A Florida win is a possibility, but by no means guaranteed, Despite the disparity in seedings, these two teams are a close statistical match.

Michael Carter-Williams Swamps Hoosiers with 24 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 28, 2013

There were a lot of people who had Indiana inked in for a Final Four appearance. After all, the various sports news outlets and ratings systems had been telling everyone that the Big Ten was the best conference in the country, and Syracuse was far too erratic to foil Indiana's march to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Head coach Jim Boeheim never doubted his team's ability, even after they were trampled by Louisville in the Big East tournament final, and the Orange proved him prescient as Michael Carter-Williams led the Orange to a rather lopsided, 61-50, victory over the Hoosiers.

As a point guard, Carter-Williams is an oddity. A gangly, 6'6", he looks - on the surface - to be vulnerable to smaller, quicker guards, but despite dishing just one assist in the Syracuse win, he only turned the ball over once, while scoring a game-high, personal best 24 points on 9-for-19 shooting, including three from three point range.

Beyond leading all scorers, Carter-Williams spearheaded the SU defense which came up with 11 steals and 11 blocked shots with four swipes, five boards and a block.

The East regional will feature as pair of Big East squads, as Marquette dumped Miami, 71-61, in the other regional semi-final. The Orange and Golden Eagles square off at 4:30 pm EDT, Saturday afternoon.

Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through games of 3/28

Conference (# of teams)	W-L	Winners (wins)
ACC (4)	5-3	Duke (2) Miami (2) North Carolina (1)
Atlantic 10 (5)	7-5	LaSalle (3) Butler (1) St. Louis (1) VCU (1) Temple (1)
Big 12 (6)	3-4	Iowa St. (1) Kansas (2)
Big East (8)	8-5	Marquette (3) Louisville (2) Syracuse (3)
Big Ten (7)	11-4	Mich. St. (2) Michigan (2) Indiana (2) Illinois (1) Ohio St. (3) Minnesota (1)
PAC-12 (5)	5-4	Oregon (2) Arizona (2) Cal (1)
SEC (4)	3-2	Mississippi (1) Florida (2)
Missouri Valley (2)	4-1	Wichita St. (3) Creighton (1)
Mountain West (5)	2-5	Colorado St. (1) San Diego St. (1)
WCC (2)	2-2	St. Mary's (1) Gonzaga (1)
Sun Belt (2)	0-2	--
All Others (19)	6-20	NC A&T (1) James Madison (1) Memphis (1) Harvard (1) Florida Gulf Coast (2)

2013 NCAA Tourney Thursday Sweet 16 Results

East Region

(3) Marquette 71 (2) Miami 61 - After winning their opening round game by one point over Davidson and then beating Butler by a deuce to advance, Marquette left little doubt in their runaway victory over the second-seeded Hurricanes.

The Golden Eagles took control of the game early, establishing the lead within the first five minutes and quickly expanding it to a 13-point edge at the break. The final score was hardly indicative of how one-sided this contest won, Marquette leading by double digits the entire second half and by as many as 22, before the Hurricanes closed the gap with the outcome no longer in doubt.

Marquette sizzled from the field at 54%, while Miami was uncharacteristically ice cold, hitting just 35%. Four Marquette players scored in double figures, led by Jamil Wilson with 16. Vander Blue and Davante Gardner each had 14 points.

(4) Syracuse 61 (1) Indiana 50 - Top-ranked Indiana couldn't solve the Syracuse 2-3 zone, turning the ball over 17 times and shooting just 34% for the game. Sophomore Michael Carter-Williams scored a career-high 23 points, with six rebound and four steals to lead the Orange. Syracuse went on a 9-0 run early in the game to take an 11-3 lead and was never challenged thereafter, leading by as many as 16 points in the first half.

The Syracuse defense was phenomenal, coming up with 11 steals and blocking the same number of shots.

Marquette meets Syracuse Saturday afternoon in the East Regional final, assuring the Big East of representation in the Final Four. The Golden eagles and Orange met once during the regular season. Marquette defended their home court with a 74-71 win.


West Region

(2) Ohio State 73 (6) Arizona 70 - LaQuentin Ross scored 14 of Ohio State's final 17 points, including a clutch three-pointer with two seconds left to send Ohio State to the Elite Eight. Ross scored 17 points in all, his 14 coming in the final eight minutes of the game.

Ohio State fell behind by 11 points in the first half, but rode a 20-5 run to establish a second half lead and maintained it until Arizona tied the game at 70 with 21 seconds left in regulation.

The Wildcats' Mark Lyons led all scorers with 23. Deshaun Thomas led Buckeye scorers with 20. The game was close statistically, but four Buckeyes scored in double figures compared to just two - Lyons and Solomon Hill, who had 16.

(9) Wichita State 7 (13) LaSalle 58 - Malcolm Armstead and Carl Hall powered the Shockers into the Elite Eight, with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Armstead also had six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Wichita State had a huge, 44-23, advantage on the glass; Ehimen Orukpe came off the bench for nine boards. Hall snagged eight.

The Explorers scored just two points over the first six minutes of the game, fining themselves down a dozen in the early going and it didn't get much better after that, thanks in large part to the Shocker defense, which held them to 36% shooting for the game. Wichita State owned a 16-point edge at intermission.

The Shockers will represent the Missouri Valley in the West regional final against the Big Ten's Ohio State Buckeyes, Saturday evening.