De'Aaron Fox Pummels UCLA With 39 Points As Kentucky Advances

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 24, 2017

Prior to the Sweet 16 meeting between the #2 and #3 seeds in the NCAA Tournament South Region, Kentucky and UCLA, all the chatter surrounded the Bruins' fab freshman, Lonzo Ball. It was Ball, the pundits said, who would dominate the back court and Ball who would be the top pick in the NBA draft. Barely a word was spoken about Kentucky's freshman guards, Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox.

Once the game was underway, however, there was no mistaking who was handling the ball the pressure better. Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox seemed to be in complete control, the ball in his hands nearly every possession, and, more often than not, he was taking it to Ball and the Bruins, scoring at every opportunity.

By the time the final buzzer sounded and the Wildcats had secured their spot in the Elite Eight with an 86-75 tour de Fox, the baby-face, 6'3" freshman from Houston, Texas, had rung up a career-high 39 points, the most ever scored by a freshman in the NCAA tournament.

Fox completely outplayed and out-shined Ball, who may have been disserviced by the comments from his father, LeVar, who unabashedly lavished praise upon his son to anyone within earshot prior to the game. Ball was pretty much an afterthought, finishing with just 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting to go with eight assists. After the game, Ball confirmed that he would go pro, conceding that he had just played his final game for the Bruins.

Fox's evening was nothing short of sensational, thus far the finest individual performance of the entire tournament. In 36 minutes, he was 13-for-20 from the field, missing his only three-point attempt, and 13-for-15 from the foul line. When he wasn't dancing through the UCLA defense and whirling to the goal, he managed to dish four assists, grasp three rebounds and contribute a pair of pilfers on defense.

Fox's running mate, Monk, also played well, scoring 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting with four solid three-pointers. The first half was a see-saw battle, with Kentucky eventually taking a 36-33 lead into the ocker rooms. In the second 20 minutes, Fox and Monk took charge, but UCLA would not relent. When Bryce Alford hit a three at 14:43, The Wildcats led by one point, 50-49, but a 10-2 spurt by Kentucky over the next three minutes gave them a 60-51 lead that they would eventually expand to as many as 14 points when Fox made a layup with 1:58 remaining for a 79-65 advantage.

The Wildcats are set for a rematch with the region's #1 seed, North Carolina, on Sunday at approximated 5:05 pm ET. The two teams matched up back on December 17 in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas, with Kentucky coming away with a 47-point effort from Malik Monk and a 103-100 victory. Their game Sunday will be the only #1 vs. #2 seeds of the tournament.

North Carolina advanced with a workmanlike, 92-80 win over #4 Butler.

In the East Regional semi-finals, #7 South Carolina dominated #3 Baylor, 70-50, and #4 Florida eventually dismissed a resolute Wisconsin squad, 84-83 in overtime.

On Saturday, #11 Xavier hooks up with #1 Gonzaga in the West Regional final at 6:09 pm ET prior to the Midwest Regional final between #1 Kansas and #3 Oregon at 8:49 pm ET. Both games will be televised by TBS.

Sunday's Kentucky-North Carolina match-up (5:05 pm ET) will be preceded by the East Regional final of #4 Florida vs. #7 South Carolina in an all-SEC clash. Sunday's games are to be broadcast by CBS, which also has exclusive rights to this year's Final Four games next weekend.

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Friday (3/24) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	8-8	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1), Louisville (1), Duke (1), North Carolina (3)
Big East (7)	6-6	Villanova (1), Butler (2), Xavier (3)
Big Ten (7)	8-7	Purdue (2), Wisconsin (2), Northwestern (1), Michigan (2), Michigan State (1)
Big 12 (6)	9-5	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (2), Iowa St. (1), Kansas (3), Baylor (2)
SEC (5)	10-2	Florida (3), Arkansas (1), Kentucky (3), South Carolina (3)
PAC 12 (4)	9-3	USC (2), Arizona (2), Oregon (3), UCLA (2)
Atlantic 10 (3)	1-3	Rhode Island (1)
American (2)	1-2	Cincinnati (1)
West Coast (2)	4-1	Gonzaga (3), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(4-23)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1), Wichita State (1)

First And Second Round NCAA Tournament Post-Mortems

With the ACC decimated over the previous weekend, leaving North Carolina as the only representative, four conferences - the PAC-12, SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten - have emerged as the best in the nation, each represented in the Sweet 16 by three teams, replete with mountains of egg splashed across the collective faces of the tournament selection committee.

Remember when there was talk of 11 teams from the "elite" ACC headed to the NCAA tourney? Yes, there was madness circulating even before March. Now that Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia, Florida State, etc. have all been embarrassed and kicked to the collegiate curb, perhaps the genii which operates the tournament might consider smaller conferences or, perish the thought, more teams from the other power conferences.

Along with the ACC, the Big East took it on the chin pretty hard as well. After Villanova was bounced in the second round by Wisconsin (Big Ten strikes again), only Butler and Xavier remained of the seven teams originally offered bids to the tournament. The other four - Creighton, Seton Hall, Marquette and Providence - didn't win a single game. Another blunder by the almighty committee. Providence, which finished with a positive, 10-8, record in the conference, was awarded a play-in proposition, but couldn't muster past USC, from the PAC-12, which sent only four teams.

Of those, three remain: UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona, seeded 3, 3 and 2, respectively. Incidentally, the USC Trojans not only defeated Providence, but they also slipped by everybody's "sleeper" pick, #6 SMU in the East region, so the four teams from the PAC-12 have conspired against the tournament elitists to an 8-1 record, clearly the best of any conference. Maybe Utah (11-7 conf., 20-12) or Cal (10-8, 21-13) might have had a case, rather than the harping and crying over Syracuse, bounced out of the NIT by Ole Miss at the Carrier Dome?

There was much crying and griping in Philadelphia (Been there lately? You'd complain, too.) after sweetheart Villanova went down in disgrace to the #8 seed in the East, Wisconsin. The complaints generally questioned how a team that was ranked in the Top 25 almost all season could end up a #8, upsetting the path to the championship for the beloved Wildcats. One could lay the blame for that squarely on the selection committee's head again, which is why committees, whether they be in the corporate, political or sporting world, just plain suck. Next year, the NCAA might think about using computers to make up the 68 team field, rather than obviously flawed humans. But, I digress, because, after all, I'm a human, too. (I love my computer. Really, I do.)

Let's not forget the Atlantic-10 and American conferences when it comes to epic fails, though. The A-10 sent Dayton, VCU and Rhode Island to the tourney, none remain. VCU, in case anybody hasn't noticed, isn't the same kind of team since Shaka Smart left, and Dayton, despite winning the conference regular season with a 15-3 mark, lost their final game to George Washington and opened the conference tourney with an embarrassing 73-67 loss to Davidson.

The Flyers got whacked by Wichita State, 64-58. The Shockers were a solid team that took Kentucky, the #2 seed in the South, right to the final buzzer, losing 65-62. Not bad for a #10 seed. The Shockers made the case for Illinois State, as it were.

Rhode Island was the only team from the A-10 with a win, over Big East blowhard, Creighton, but the Rams were eliminated in the next round by Oregon. Boo-f-ing-hoo.

Out of the American conference came SMU (we already know what happened to them) and Cincinnati, which won its perfunctory one game, downing Kansas State, 75-61 in the opening round. Honestly, the Wildcats of K-State should have gone to the NIT. They were 8-10 in the Big 12. They got stomped, but, proving that the American conference is anything but red-blooded, the Bearcats were easily handled by UCLA, 79-67, in the second round.

If anything is clear, it's that the PAC-12, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 have the best teams remaining and those two "Big" conferences were fairly represented, with the possible exclusion of Kansas State, though the Wildcats did beat up wake Forest in the play-in game. Of the seven Big Ten schools, only two - Maryland and Minnesota - lost in the opening round, and from the Big 12, only the Cowboys of Oklahoma State failed to win a single game.

The SEC sent five teams, and three of them, Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina are still alive. Arkansas won one game, dumping Seton Hall (Big East) in the opening round before scaring the bejeezus out of Narth Carolina, losing to the Tar Heels, 72-65. Nobody was convinced Vanderbilt belonged, and those skeptical were rewarded with a first round loss to Northwestern, by a mere deuce. Speaking of Northwestern, since it was their first ever appearance in the tournament, they deserved to win, but they probably should not have been picked.

So, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan will soldier on for the Big Ten and the Big 12 teams remaining are Kansas (overrated), Baylor and West Virginia.

All the excuses in the world cannot lift the veils of stupidity and bias from the selection committee. The NCAA tournament has become like everything else in America, too complex, over-hyped and flawed by excessive media attention, the same media that has polluted our politics, our prime time viewing and entire generations of formerly sensible people (Baby Boomers and GenXers, and Millenials).

If the United States of America is ever to rise from the ashes in which it currently smoulders, East coast bias must be trampled forever into dust. There's a real world out there in the hinterlands of Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah and elsewhere, and yes, some of those people can play hoops. When media powerhouses like CBS and TNT readily share blame for egregious lapses of sanity such as the NCAA seeding process, perhaps the country can move ahead again.

Of course, there might still be the circus known as the US congress in Washington, DC, with which to contend, but that's a story for another day, in another place.

Tomorrow: Match-up Madness in the West and Midwest Regions
Wednesday: South and East Sweet 16 Match-ups

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Sunday (3/19) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	7-8	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1), Louisville (1), Duke (1), North Carolina (2)
Big East (7)	5-5	Villanova (1), Butler (2), Xavier (2)
Big Ten (7)	8-4	Purdue (2), Wisconsin (2), Northwestern (1), Michigan (2), Michigan State (1)
Big 12 (6)	8-3	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (2), Iowa St. (1), Kansas (2), Baylor (2)
SEC (5)	7-2	Florida (2), Arkansas (1), Kentucky (2), South Carolina (2)
PAC 12 (4)	8-1	USC (2), Arizona (2), Oregon (2), UCLA (2)
Atlantic 10 (3)	1-3	Rhode Island (1)
American (2)	1-2	Cincinnati (1)
West Coast (2)	3-1	Gonzaga (2), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(4-23)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1), Wichita State (1)

2017 NCAA Championship Tournament Bracket Breakdown

Bracket Breakdown for Monday, March 13, 2017

Editor's Note: Unavoidably, this may be the last College Basketball Daily post until Thursday morning, at which point Fearless Rick may have managed to extricate himself from up to 18 inches of snow (therein lies the danger of opening one's camp too early). Our intrepid publisher made it through a windstorm that crippled Rochester NY, leaving more than 120,000 homes without power last week, and for surviving that in a camper on a windswept plain, he managed only to get cut off in eight seconds by AM radio talk show host Bob Lonsberry on WHAM, Monday morning. In any case, the snow storm is expected to be not quite as severe as the windstorm, but travel will likely be impossible Tuesday and Wednesday. Good luck with your brackets. We'll be listening, and tracking the four play-in games.

Let's break down some brackets, shall we?

Link to ESPN's 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket (opens new window)

East: #1 seed, Villanova Wildcats. The reigning champs are in good company in their home region, their first game a meeting with the winner of the Mount St. Mary's-New Orleans play-in game. Villanova will be making it's initial tournament appearance of the season on Thursday night in Buffalo, which, as noted above, might include a bit of a travel issue. Note to Wildcats and their fans: leave Philly NOW! It's about six hours to Buffalo and you won't make the drive on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Other notables in Villanova's portion of the East bracket are Florida, Virginia, and Wisconsin, though none of these teams have been playing particularly well. Look out for #13 seed East Tennessee State. The 27-7 Buccaneers won the Southerrn conference tournament and are upset-minded.

Villanova should cruise through their bracket into the Sweet Sixteen, and play for the regional title that weekend, potentially against Duke, the #2 seed. The Blue Devils won the ACC tournament, and, as usual, are ready to rock. They face Troy in their opener, and will likely have to deal with South Carolina, then Baylor or SMU. The 30-4 Mustangs have won 16 straight and knocked off Cincinnati to capture the American Athletic conference tourney title. They get the winner of the Providence-USC play-in game to start and could be a real tournament sleeper. Overall, the #6 line - SMU, Creighton, Cincinnati, Maryland - looks pretty formidable, but this is set up for a Villanova-Duke meeting in the Big Apple, with the winner advancing to the Final Four. There's a real chance that it could happen, but #1 meeting #2 in a region is not all that probable. Odds are that the Blue Devils get knocked off somewhere before meeting the Wildcats.

Midwest: #1 seed: Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas skipped the Big 12 tournament by losing in their opener, 85-82, to TCU. It should be readily apparent that despite getting six teams from the Big 12 into the tournament, the Horned Frogs and their 6-12 conference record are not among them. Is this a black eye for the Jayhawks? Probably, but it won't be noticeable until the regional semi-final, when they'll likely meet either Iowa State or Purdue. In the unlikely event that they get past one of those, Michigan, Louisville (#2 seed), Oregon or #6 seed Creighton await in the regional final. The Jayhawks are a liability to the tournament and will get an early boot. Reaching the Final Four is like their Big 12 counterpart in football, Oklahoma, playing for the national championship. It's just ont going to happen. Iowa State already beat them, 92-89, in Kansas and the Cyclones are probably drooling for another shot at their conference nemesis. Also, this just in: KU head coach Bill Self is a jerk. Enough. The Midwest is loaded and Kansas won't survive. Iowa State may be the team to beat here.

South: #1 seed: North Carolina Tar Heels. There's something about North Carolina and this tournament that brings back fond memories. Ah, yes, Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan. That has to be it, or, maybe, Dean Smith smoking outside the locker room at halftime. In any case, the Tar Heels are a #1 seed, despite losing to Duke in the ACC final, 93-83. But, that's all right, because Carolina beat Duke, 90-83, a week prior, wrapping up the ACC regular season title, which is probably a more deserving honor. Besides, the only way the Heels would play the Devils again would be in the NCAA final, and that would make any bracketologist blush at the mere notion of picking ACC chalk all the way through.

After dispatching with Texas Southern in their opener Friday afternoon (Greenville, SC), the Heels will kick it against either #8 Arkansas or #9 Seton Hall. Both are good teams, but unlikely to spring an upset. Take the Pirates in their opener, because, well, everybody likes Pirates, right?

The one hiccup in the South may come from little Middle Tennessee State, a 30-4 squad that stormed through Conference USA with a 17-1 mark, won the conference tourney without breaking a sweat (83-72 over Marshall in the final) and can play with any team in the country. If proof is needed, try their 77-62 win over Ole Miss or, better yet, the 71-48 beat down they put on Vanderbilt. Both of those games were way back in late November, early December, so, the Blue Raiders may be even better now. They're the #12 seed and face #5 Minnesota Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee. Nothing like your home boys getting crushed by some unknowns from the South.

On the other side of the South bracket are two powerhouse programs, UCLA and Kentucky, making this region possibly the toughest in the tourney, with the Midwest next. The #2 Wildcats and #3 Bruins should both reach the regional semi-final, the winner (hint: UCLA) taking on the Tar Heels. (Hint: UCLA). The Pac-12 sent just four teams to the tournament. Arizona, UCLA, Oregon and USC. Since the Ducks have come up lame and USC isn't very good, that leaves the doors wide open for AZ and UCLA. See below for Arizona's road to the Final Four.

West #1 seed: Gonzaga Bulldogs At 31-1, the Zags have the best record in the nation, but they hail from a notoriously-weak West Coast Conference. Only they and St. Mary's made the tournament, which is about all one needs to know about Gonzaga other than their head coach, Mark Few, is one of the best in the nation. He's repeatedly taken this team deep into the tournament and this may be one of the best Gonzaga teams ever.

Despite the high praise for the coach and the program, Gonzaga faces a myriad of obstacles. In their side of the bracket are #8 Northwestern, #5 Notre Dame (vs. #12 Princeton), and #4 West Virginia. Any one of those four teams could upend the Zags. If Gonzaga makes it through to the regional final, their likely opponent is Arizona, who has no competition to speak of in their side of the bracket. #6 Marquette, #11 Xavier, #3 Florida State, and #10 VCU aren't nearly the caliber of the Wildcats, who quietly went 30-4, won the PAC-12 tournament by defeating both UCLA in the semis and Oregon in the final. If there is a rock-solid pick to reach any regional final and probably the Final Four, it's Arizona.

In case anybody wants to go out on a limb and predict the Final Four and the ultimate champion, College Basketball Daily will do so. After all, what other publication has a guy who goes by the name Fearless Rick as editor and publisher? Um, none.

So, it's Villanova from the East, Iowa State from the Midwest, UCLA from the South, and Arizona from the West.

East plays West and Midwest plays South. Let's take Arizona over Villanova and Iowa State over UCLA, with Arizona beating the Cyclones, 87-78, in the championship.

Easy, right?

Good luck and enjoy.

As usual, College Basketball Daily will provide somewhat untimely and incomplete coverage of almost the entire tournament, including our non-exclusive conference scoreboard. For those interested, here are the number of teams from each conference (showing only those with two or more teams invited):
ACC 9
Big East 7
Big Ten 7
Big 12 6
SEC 5
Pac-12 4
Atlantic 10 3
American Athletic 2
West Coast 2

Malik Monk Guides Kentucky To 25-5 Mark, 15-2 Leading SEC

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 28, 2017

With only Texas A&M remaining on the regular season schedule, the Kentucky Wildcats are on the verge of winning their 3rd straight SEC title, after downing Vanderbilt Tuesday, 73-67.

Fueled by super sub, Malik Monk, the Wildcats overcame a six-point halftime deficit, scoring 49 in the second 20 minutes to win going away.

Monk went 8-for-21 from the field, but made up for his dull shooting at the free throw line, where he canned nine of ten attempts.

A 6'3" freshman from Lepanto, Arkansas, Monk scored 33 on Saturday to lead the Wildcats over their closest conference rival, Florida, 76-66. Kentucky has a 1 1/2 game lead in the standings with just one game left. The Wildcats pounded Texas A&M earlier in the season, 100-58. While that game was at Rupp Arena and Saturday's final is a road game, there's little doubt as to the final result.

Malik Monk Leads Kentucky Over Georgia In Overtime

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 31, 2017

As fabulous freshmen go, Kentucky's Malik Monk ranks among the most "fab."

Monk, who has scored in double digits every time he's taken the floor (22 games), is averaging a solid 22.4 points per outing.

In Tuesday's meeting with the Georgia Bulldogs - incidentally, the final broadcast game for legendary announcer, Brent Musberger - Monk showed off his range, hitting on 7 of 11 three-point attempts and scoring a game-high 37 points.

After just six points in the first half, Monk carried the Wildcats in the second stanza, scoring 23 points to help Kentucky tie the score at 76 and send the game into overtime. He added eight points in OT, outscoring Georgia himself, 8-5, as the Wildcats pulled away from the Bulldogs for a 90-81 victory.

While the 8th-ranked Wildcats avoided a three game losing streak after losses at Tennessee (82-80) and to Kansas (79-73), Monk's 37 points were outstanding and necessary, though still shy of his best effort to date, a 47-point scoring spree in Kentucky's 103-100 win over North Carolina on December 17. In that game, Monk was 18-for-28 from the field, hitting 8 of 12 threes.

In Tuesday's victory over Georgia, the freshman star was 11-for-20, but hit a career-high 10 free throws on 12 attempts.

The Wildcats next match-up is with another SEC opponent, #24 Florida, on Saturday (2/4).

Frank Kaminsky, Badgers Send Kentucky Home; Duke Hammers Spartans; Blue Devils Face Wisconsin in Monday Championship

National Semi-Finals

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, April 4, 2015

(1) Duke 81 (7) Michigan State 61 - So much for hype. In terms of excitement, this one was definitely snooze button material. No wonder these semi-finals are televised on TBS. Once Duke established a lead - about midway through the first half - they never looked back and led by 11 at the break.

The Blue Devils expanded their lead to as many as 20 points. Michigan State never got closer than 13 after Duke made the opening three buckets of the second half. Justise Winslow led Duke with 19 points, followed by Jahlil Okafor's 18 and 17 from Quinn Cook. Statistically, the game was decided at the foul line. Duke went to the line 37 times and made 27. The Spartans had 16 free throw attempts and made 10.

The only remaining question is when do the "I Hate Coach K" tee-shirts go on sale?

(1) Wisconsin 71 (1) Kentucky 64 - Wisconsin engineered a 15-4 run to close out the game, ending Kentucky's unbeaten streak at 38 games. The Badgers seemed desperate with under five minutes remaining, but Sam Dekker's jumper at 4:28 got the Badgers rolling. Outstanding defense against the Wildcats throughout, but especially at crunch time keyed the Badger victory. Kentucky made just one of eight attempts from the field in the final 5:30.

The Badgers led most of the first half, but Kentucky managed to claw back into the fray leaving the two teams deadlocked at intermission.

Wisconsin shot 47% (13-28) in the first half; Kentucky, 60% (15-25), but The Badgers out-rebounded Kentucky, 15-10, seven of Wisconsin's boards coming on the offensive end. Kentucky was just 11-for-29 (19%) in the second half. Wisconsin finished at 48% (23-48).

Frank Kaminsky led all scorers with 20 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocked shots. Amazingly, Wisconsin ended the game with an enormous edge on the boards, out-rebounding the Wildcats, 34-22.

The Badgers will face the Duke Blue Devils for the National Championship, Monday night, April 6.

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (# of Ws)
ACC	17-6	Notre Dame (3), NC State (2), North Carolina (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1). Louisville (3), Duke (5)
Big East	5-6	Butler (1), Xavier (2), Villanova (1), Georgetown (1)
Big Ten	12-6	Ohio State (1), Michigan St. (4), Maryland (1), Iowa (1), Wisconsin (5)
Big 12	5-7	Kansas (1), West Virginia (2), Oklahoma (2)
Pac-12	8-4	UCLA (2), Arizona (3), Utah (2), Oregon (1)
SEC	5-5	Ole Miss (1), Kentucky (4)
All Others	14-32	Hampton(1), Robert Morris (1), Dayton (1), UAB (1), Georgia St. (1), Cincinnati (1), N. Iowa (1), Wichita St. (2), San Diego State (1), Gonzaga (3), Dayton (1)

Final Four Semi-Finals: Michigan State vs. Duke; Kentucky vs. Wisconsin Game Analysis

Final Four National Semi-Finals

Game Breakdown and Analysis

March Madness has become Awesome April, with the Final Four ready to rumble on Saturday, April 4 at Lucas Stadium in Indianapolis.

Unsurprisingly, the four finalists are teams with exceptional coaches, three of which have won national championships, all of whom have been to the Final Four, especially Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has taken Duke teams to college hoops' promised land more often than any coach, except UCLA's legendary John Wooden, tying the Wizard of Westwood this season with his 12th Final Four appearance.

Coach K has also notched four NCAA Division I Tournament Championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010), thus, his prowess as a college basketball mastermind is beyond question. He still has a way to go to match Wooden's record of 10 national titles, however, a record that may never be broken, if only because Division I hoops has changed so much over the years. In Wooden's day, one only needed two wins to reach the Final Four and four wins to take it all. Nowadays, it takes four wins just to get into the Final Four and six to win it all. Plus, quality players are leaving college after a year or two, making building a long-lasting program improbable and exceedingly difficult.

But, along with Krzyzewski, the likes of Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Bo Ryan (Wisconsin) and John Calipari (Kentucky) continue to get their teams into the tournament and prepare them for the single-elimination marathon.

For Tom Izzo, this marks the seventh Final Four for his Michigan State Spartans and his first Final Four since 2010. He is seeking a second national championship. He won his first in 2000. John Calipari has been to six Final Fours, four with Kentucky (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) and previously had led UMass in 1996 and Memphis in 2008 to the Final Four, but those appearances were later vacated by the NCAA. He has one national championship to his credit, that one earned in 2012. It was Kentucky's eighth national championship.

67-year-old Bo Ryan has the fewest number of Final Four appearances, making the grade last season and this year, both with the Badgers. He has never won a national championship in Division I, though he did win four Division III championships as head coach of University of Wisconsin-Platteville (1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999), so the competitive fires burn deep in the Badger head coach.

Following is a breakdown/analysis of the two semi-final games:

6:09 pm (7) Michigan State (27-11) vs (1) Duke (33-4) (TBS)

Line: Duke -5

Michigan State Spartans:Points per game: 71.9; Rank: 67
Rebounds per game: 37.7; Rank: 36
Assists per game: 17.1; Rank: 4
Field Goal Pct.: .471; Rank: 32

Duke Blue Devils:Points per game: 80.6; Rank: 4
Rebounds per game: 37.3; Rank: 44
Assists per game: 15.5; Rank: 21
Field Goal Pct.: .502; Rank: 3

Both teams seem cut from roughly the same cloth, that of hard-working, blue-collar determination and team principles, though Duke arguably has more overall talent. Duke and Michigan State both share the ball, as evidenced by their high rankings in the assist column. Other than Duke being the higher-scoring team and having a better shooting percentage, there's little separating these two, but the high level of shooting, especially considering how many three's the Blue Devils take (and make) should be of concern to the Spartans.

Michigan State will have to defend the thee-point line, where Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook predominate, plus be mindful of the inside presence of Jahlil Okafor, possibly the best inside presence in the college ranks this season. The Spartans really don't have the size nor the manpower to put the clamps down on Okafor, so expect them to double-team, even though that's going to free up some three-point shooters. Michigan State will play man-to-man defense, as will the Blue Devils. The premier match-up will be at point guard, where Duke's Jones will have to deal with lightning-quick Travis Trice and diminutive Lourawls Nairn Jr.

Darnell Valentine, Michigan State's leading scorer, will have to provide leadership and hit more than a few contested points. It would be in Michigan State's favor to turn this into a half-court contest, as Duke can and will run and gun. Fast break points may be hard to come by, however, as the well-prepared Spartans play excellent defense.

As for records, Michigan State's 27-11 mark is the worst of all the Final Four contestants, but they knocked off the #2, 3 and 4 seeds in the East region, topping Virginia, Oklahoma and Louisville, respectively, after cruising by Georgia, 70-63, in their first game. Michigan State's average margin of victory in tournament games is a mere 5.75, and the 76-70 win over Louisville was in overtime.

Duke's mark of 33-4 is among the best in the nation, and, considering they came out of the rock-solid ACC, is quite an accomplishment. Their tourney wins have been sensational and by large margins. After whipping 16-seed Robert Morris, 85-56, in their opener, the defeated San Diego State, 68-49; Utah, 63-57; and Gonzaga, 66-52, for an average margin of victory of 17.0, an impressive stat.

Neither team is especially deep on the bench, but both coaches will substitute freely, giving their star players needed breaks, though Izzo will be shuffling in more players for the Spartans than does Duke. If the Spartans don't defend well or Duke has open looks from beyond the arc, this could turn into a rout. What will keep it close is solid defense by Michigan State, a bit of luck, and second chance points by the better-rebounding Spartans.

8:49 pm (1) Wisconsin (35-3) vs (1) Kentucky (38-0) (TBS)

Line: Kentucky -5

Wisconsin Badgers:
Points per game: 71.9; Rank: 67
Rebounds per game: 33.7; Rank: 204
Assists per game: 12.7; Rank: 165
Field Goal Pct.: .480; Rank: 21

Kentucky Wildcats:
Points per game: 74.9; Rank: 29
Rebounds per game: 38.2; Rank: 21
Assists per game: 14.7; Rank: 42
Field Goal Pct.: .469; Rank: 40

If there's been any mismatches in this tournament, they've likely featured the Wildcats, who have run their record to 38-0, after sweeping the SEC regular season and tournament, by winning four tournament games by a combined 77 points, for an average margin of 19.25 points per game. Take out the two-point win over Notre Dame (68-66) and their margin improves to 25 points per outing.

The Wildcats have nothing in mind other than to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, coached by Bobby Knight, to win a national championship with an undefeated record. Kentucky is two games from accomplishing the feat, which, somewhat surprisingly, hasn't been done in 39 years, nearly as long as another Kentucky-related record, that being horse racing's triple crown. The last time that happened was 1978, when Affirmed fended off Alydar in three straight close races.

While there may not be a triple crown horse on the racing horizon, these Wildcats are surely basketball thoroughbreds, and this team, despite being mostly freshmen and sophomores, is exceedingly deep, and very tall and long. Wisconsin will find out early on that Kentucky's size can be extremely incapacitating, especially if the Wildcat players are able to set their feet on defense. Since Wisconsin plays a half-court kind of game, the Kentucky players will almost certainly have an edge when the Badgers are trying to score.

A glance at the stats and rankings above reveals even more issues for the Badgers. They are almost certain to be out-rebounded and much of their offense depends on two big men, Frank Kominsky and Sam Dekker, whereas the Wildcats can counter with four or five players of size, starting with 6'11" Karl Anthony Towns, and seven-footers Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson, with Trey Lyles (6'10") and Marcus Lee (6'9").

The back court match-ups don't hold much promise for Wisconsin either. Though the Harrison twins, Andrew and Aaron, are the starters, their replacements, Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker are probably better. Booker is especially deadly from outside. He can rain down threes like the sky is falling.

The Badgers do have Kaminsky, the choice for player of the year, but asking him to do it alone is a task too great. He is crafty and has extreme range, but, unless he gets help from others in the scoring and rebounding department, it's hard to see how Wisconsin can stay with the Wildcats for the entire 40 minutes. Notre Dame nearly pulled off a remarkable upset, and they were one of just a few teams that could possibly defeat Kentucky, as they had been red-hot, proven by winning the ACC tournament and played a nearly flawless game.

Wisconsin is certainly capable of playing with few turnovers - that is their trademark - but they'll really have to clamp down on defense, especially in the paint. What works for Wisconsin is their experience versus Kentucky's youthful talent. The Badgers are cool under pressure and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them with a chance to win late in the game, but, from well before March Madness began, this was always going to be Kentucky's tournament to lose, and if they do lose, it will be by a team with depth and determination, but it remains a long shot.

Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminsky Propel Wisconsin into Final Four; Kentucky's Karl Anthony Townes Leads Wildcats over Fighting Irish

Elite Eight Results, College Hoops

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 28, 2015

West Region
(1) Wisconsin 85 (2) Arizona 78 - After hitting just one of their first eight shots and falling behind by a 10-2 score, Arizona gained some composure and outscored the Badgers 31-20, finishing the first half with a 33-30 advantage.

Wisconsin countered with a 14-3 run to begin the second half and carried that momentum through to victory. Briefly, the Wildcats got to within two points early in the half, but never substantially threatened Wisconsin's lead. Frank Kaminsky was spectacular in the low post with 29 points and six rebounds, all the while putting virtually all Arizona front line players in foul trouble. Sam Dekker was enormous for the Badgers, with 27 points, making eight of 11 from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, plus six of seven free throws and five boards.

Both teams shot 56% for the game, but the Badgers were 12-for-18 beyond the arc, a 67% clip.

Midwest Region
(1) Kentucky 68 (3) Notre Dame 66 - Games like this one are why the NCAA tournament has become one of the premier sporting events on the world stage. Both teams played with commitment and desire and the outcome was not sure until the final buzzer, in between the action punctuated by compelling play after play, from both sides.

Eventually, Andrew Harrison's two free throws with six seconds left to play provided the winning margin, though the game would not have been so close if not for the effort of Kentucky's Karl Anthony Townes, who rang up a game-high 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field and five of six from the foul line. Townes also grabbed five rebounds, dished four assists, made two steals and blocked a shot.

If not one of the greatest college basketball games of all time, this certainly is one in which all participants can enjoy in proud memory. There were no goats, and no gaffes. Only winners. All of us.

The Wisconsin Badgers and Kentucky Wildcats meet in a Final Four match-up Saturday, April 4.

NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Regional Semi-Final Thursday Night Previews, Looks Like Wildcat Night

Sweet 16 Regional Semi-Final Previews

Midwest Region
7:15 pm (7) Wichita State (30-4) vs (3) Notre Dame (31-5) CBS - This is likely to be the most entertaining game of the evening, as both teams like to get up and down the floor and can really light it up from beyond the arc.

The Irish are quite a dangerous commodity, presently, having beaten Duke and North Carolina to win the ACC tournament, and gutting out close wins over Northeastern (69-65) and Butler, beating the Bulldogs in overtime, 67-64.
Wichita State downed Indiana in their tourney opener and then stunned the region's #2 seed, Kansas, with a 78-65 whipping. The Shockers were fortunate to receive a seeding that kept them on the underside of the Kentucky bracket and there is little doubt that they can match up quite well with Notre Dame.

9:45 pm (5) West Virginia (25-9) vs (1) Kentucky (36-0) CBS - Knocked out of the Big 12 tournament in the first round by Baylor, Bob Huggins' Mountaineers may be the tournament's poster boys for overachievement, knocking off Buffalo, 68-62, and then Maryland, 69-59, to get to this game against the Wildcats.

The chances of West Virginia pulling off the upset over the nation's #1 team? Slim. Kentucky has too much size on the front line and too much skill in the back court, which can involve as many as four guards, including the twins, Andrew and Aaron Harrison. Since LSU nearly ended Kentucky's undefeated run on February 10 in a 71-69 loss, the closest any team has come to beating the Wildcats is Georgia, which lost, at home, 72-64. In the SEC tournament, won by 13, 24 and 15 points, and their average magin of victory in the NCAA tourney has been 18 points.

West Region
7:47 pm (4) North Carolina (26-11) vs (1) Wisconsin (33-3) TBS - A real heavyweight battle here between two teams that are perennial tournament participants. Wisconsin has been to the tourney 17 straight seasons and are likely to be moving forward here. Frank Kaminsky leads a veteran group that is notorious for closing out opponents. The Tar Heels have had a successful season up to this point, but they've often wilted in late stages of games. It will be noteworthy to watch what happens at about the seven-minute mark of the second half. That should be about the time the teams will either show up or give in to pressure.

10:17 pm (6) Xavier (23-13) vs (2) Arizona (33-3) TBS - Viewers on the East coast haven't likely seen much of the Wildcats, but they're about to get an eyeful from this well-balanced and very dangerous team. Arizona has won 13 straight, their last loss an 81-78 defeat at in-state rival Arizona State on February 7. That's history, and the Wildcats steamrolled through the PAC-12 tourney with wins of 22, 14, and 28 points, slaughtering Oregon, 80-52 in the final. A 93-72 win over Texas Southern in their first toruney game and a ho-hum, 73-58 rout of Ohio State has them here.

Xavier hasn't met much competition in the tourney, beating Ole Miss in their opener and handling upstart Georgia State (a 14 seed) in the next round. Teams from the Big East have a 5-5 record in the tournament through the last round, while the PAC-12 boasts a 7-1 mark.

Tomorrow: Friday games previewed.

NCAA Round of 64 Late Thursday Game Results; ACC, Big East, PAC-12 Unbeaten After Day One

Round of 64 Late Thursday Game Results

East Region

(1) Villanova 93 (16) Lafayette 52

(8) NC State 66 (9) LSU 65

Midwest Region

(8) Cincinnati 66 (9) Purdue 65 - Cincinnati lived very dangerously here, tying the game on a layup at the buzzer in regulation and winning it in overtime by the narrowest of margin.

(1) Kentucky 79 (16) Hampton 50 - The Wildcats certainly didn't let down their fans, running away from the Pirates after building a 41-22 score at the half.

West Region

(4) North Carolina 67 (13) Harvard 65 - This was much closer than the Tar Heels would have liked. In fact, Harvard hoisted a three-pointer as time ran out that could have reversed the outcome, but, fortune fell on North Carolina, surviving barly their first tournament challenge.

(5) Arkansas 56 (12) Wofford 53


South Region

(5) Utah 57 (12) Stephen F. Austin 50 - many a TV pundit picked this as the upset for the first day, but they were proven wrong.

(4) Georgetown 74 (13) Eastern Washington 64

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (#of Ws)
ACC	4-0	Notre Dame (1), NC State (1), North Carolina (1), Arkansas (1)
Big East	4-0	Butler (1), Xavier (1), Villanova (1), Georgetown
Big Ten	1-1	Ohio State (1)
Big 12	0-3	0000
Pac-12	3-0	UCLA (1), Arizona (1), Utah (1)
SEC	2-2	Ole Miss (1), Kentucky
All Others	6-13	Hampton(1), Robert Morris (1), Dayton (1), UAB (1), Georgia St. (1), Cincinnati (1)

2015 Non-essential, Indeterminate Guide to Surviving NCAA Bracket Pools

Quite possibly, more time is wasted and more work hours spent in an unproductive manner on filling out brackets for the NCAA tournament every year than by any other outside influence.

No event captures the imagination and gaming instincts of the American public (an easy group to engage) like the annual rite of March Madness, but, in the end, almost everybody goes home a loser, while some overfed, testosterone-overdosed moron in the office or workspace lauds his or her game-picking prowess over the unfortunate few who suffer the fool.

Remember, Kentucky wins.

Not that there may or may not be a science to correctly picking four (the First Four), 32, then 16, then 8, 4, 2 and finally one game correctly. Some people actually make a living at it, like ESPN's Joe Lunardi, often referred to as the bracket guru or tournament maestro, though it would be interesting to tally up how many of Joe's predictions actually pan out. At the very least, Joe Lunardi has emerged far enough into the American psyche that he now has his very own drinking game, played during ESPN's Championship Week.

It's an easy game. Watch games on ESPN. Any time Joe Lunardi is mentioned by name (often), drink. Guaranteed to please.

Beyond the obvious need to engage in picking winners, without further ado, College Basketball Daily presents its first - and maybe last - guide to picking your brackets without losing your mind, a lot of money or your personal dignity.

The 2015 edition of the NCAA tournament is pretty easy to break down. Kentucky will win it all. Simple enough, right? Just take Kentucky all the way through and you're guaranteed to end up in the winner's circle of your office pool or Calcutta... along with about a zillion other players. So, our advice is neither prescient nor the stuff of genius, though it is an indefatigable prescription for being right on six games, all of which will be won by the Wildcats.

After those six nearly-guaranteed winners, there are only 61 games remaining to pick. Nothing to it. We'll give you some tips and pointers along the way which will make some sense and maybe produce a plurality of winners.

Tip #1: Take conference champions over at-large teams. Simply put, teams who captured automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments (except for Harvard in the Ivy League, where they have no post-season tournament, though the Crimson did win a one-game playoff over Yale) are battle tested in single-elimination competition. That said, the selection committee was a little hard to read when they made Iowa State and Notre Dame - winners of the Big 12 and ACC tournaments, respectively - #3 seeds, while making Duke, which didn't even win the ACC regular season (Virginia did) and was eliminated in the semi-final by Notre Dame, a #1 seed. The other three #1 seeds - Kentucky, Villanova and Wisconsin - all won their conference tourneys, so what gives? Yet another reason to hate Duke.

Tip #2: Low-number seeds over high-number seeds, 1 through 4. The parlance used in terms of seeds can become confusing. Somebody might say Louisville is seeded higher than Iowa, for instance, but what that actually means is that Louisville is a #4, while Iowa is a #7. Confusing? No. Reverse logic. Simply put, take the #1, 2, 3, and 4 seeds in each region over their opponents in the opening round, unless advised otherwise. We'll get to that in the region-by-region breakdown.

Tip #3: Upsets are common in 7-10 and 5-12 match-ups. #11 seeds don't often beat #6's, and 8's vs. 9's are toss-ups, though sometimes mismatches.

Tip #4: After the opening round games on Thursday and Friday of the first week, it's wide open. - Anybody can win once they've gotten through the first game, but, odds are the lower-number (higher) seeds will survive. Some teams will surely surprise, but those are often teams which won their conference tournaments or teams from big conferences that lost in the final.

Tip #5: Don't listen to experts. Whether it's some guy on a talk-radio show, ESPN or the reigning champion of your office pool, who has done nithing but drink beer and watch basketball for the past two months, they will almost always give bad advice. All. The. Time. A good example was whether or not UCLA would be in this year's tournament. All the experts said, "no way." we said, "absolutely," our reasoning being that we figured the PAC-12 would send four teams to the tourney. We're not experts, and, lo and behold, we were right.

Tip #6: If you don't do well, don't worry about it. A lot of what goes into picking winners in the NCAA tournament has to do with dumb luck, voodoo, i-Ching, tarot cards, tea leaves, astrology and alchemy. Most of it is bunk. You're a good person, and you might even be a smart person. Just because Kansas loses to Northern Iowa or some other malady of fate occurs, doesn't change who you are. Unless you're a complete loser whose entire existence revolves around being right or this particular tournament, of course, then losing might cause some disturbing personal reactions, like not bathing for a couple of weeks, or throwing your TV out a window (this has happened), or not showing up for work, which might actually be a silver lining to both your boss and your co-workers.

Tip #7: After the second weekend, it can get really boring, really fast. The first two weekends are exciting, with games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and lots of teams involved. By Saturday and Sunday of the second weekend, however, it's down to the Elite Eight - and, while those games are usually some of the most exciting of the tournament, being regional finals, the winner going to the Final Four, after that, there are only three games left, and they're a week away, the semi-finals on Saturday and the National Championship, Monday night.

That week can get tiresome, especially if you've already been eliminated in your pool, and even moreso if a couple of guys are making everyone else crazy arguing over who's going to get that $136 final prize. Whether you're still alive or not, get some fresh air, do some yard work, take a bike ride. Ferchistsake! It's a basketball tournament. Get a life, or, get yours back.

Now that we have the tips out of the way, on to the breakdown.

Let's start with those pesky First Four games on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Tuesday's games are:
6:40 PM (16) Hampton vs (16) Manhattan - Hampton is the only team in the tournament with a losing record (16-17), despite winning the Mid-Eastern tournament. Did you know that they beat Delaware St. to get the automatic bid? No? Nobody else does either and nobody cares. Manhattan beat Sienna to win the Metro-Atlantic. And they won by 10 points. And they're called the Jaspers, defined as an opaque reddish-brown variety of chalcedony. Cool. They are the pick.

9:10 PM (11) BYU vs (11) Ole Miss - BYU can really light up the scoreboard. Good enough. Both of these teams were at-large selections. Cougars maul Rebels. Excellent.

Wednesday:
6:40 PM (16) Robert Morris vs (16) North Florida - Both are tournament winners with automatic bids, North Florida from the Atlantic Sun, Robert Morris from the Northeast. North Florida's team name is the Ospreys. Good enough. You'll look like a genius.


9:10 PM (11) Dayton vs (11) Boise State - Dayton lost to VCU in the Atlantic 10 final. Take a flyer on the Flyers. But, shouldn't it be spelled fliers? Never mind. They'll probably lose in the next round.

OK, since everybody figures the Wildcats will be crowned national champions come April 6, the Midwest region where Kentucky is the #1 seed and the #1 overall seed in the tournament starts the region-by-region breakdown.

Midwest Region

You've already penciled in Kentucky, right? For the remainder, follow our tips, which means #12 Buffalo (MAC champs) over #5 West Virginia (at-large) is the main upset. After Kentucky, the 2, 3, and 4 seeds should all win. In the 6-11 match-up, Butler (6) should handle Texas (11). Wichita State and Indiana, that's a toss-up. Flip a coin. And, #9 Purdue should handle #8 Cincinnati.

After the opening round, keep to our tips and keep this in mind. Kansas lost in their conference tournament. They are not that good and could conceivably lose either of their first two games. Notre Dame won their's. If they meet, the Irish will move forward ad probably lose to Kentucky in the regional final.

West Region

OK, now it gets interesting, because the #1 seed, Wisconsin, may not get through to the Final Four. They might, but #2 Arizona, #3 Baylor and #4 North Carolina all look pretty darn good.

In the opening round, #7 VCU should oust #10 Ohio State. The winner of the BYU-Ole Miss game gets #6 Xavier on Thursday night and could easily upset. Oregon (8) over Oklahoma State (9) and #12 Woffard will give #5 Arkansas a heck of a time. That's a key game, but Arkansas is likely to pull through.

After the opening round, this region looks pretty chalky and could easily end up with the top four seeds. In that case, Wisconsin will likely get past North Carolina and Arizona should beat Baylor. Arizona is a very good choice to win this region. They won the PAC-12 tournament and the PAC-12 isn't getting much respect.

East Region

Winners of the Big East, Villanova, the #1 seed, looks vulnerable, but the competition in this region is weak. This could be the one that blows up. The 8-9 game, NC State vs. LSU is a pure toss-up, as is the 5-12 game, Northern Iowa and Wyoming. Both won their conference tournaments, but Wyoming might be the ultimate sleeper pick. Might not, but, if they win, you'll look awesome... for about a day.

Providence, the 6 seed, could be awesome, but they may fall to the winner of the play-in game, Boise St. or Dayton. Michigan State got in as a 7, and they look good for at least a win, but they'll probably lose to Virginia in the next round. Also, #4 Louisville has trouble scoring at times and UC-Irvine won the Big West. Could be the upset of the weekend. Any combination could end up in the regionals, but stick with #2 Virginia. One could take Villanova, Virginia, UC-Irvine, Oklahoma, Providence or Michigan State to make the Final Four. This is wide open.

South Region

Duke got the #1 seed in this region and should make it through the first weekend without a problem. After that, Utah could beat them, or, either (2) Gonzaga or (3) Iowa State in the regional final, should knock them out. But, they're good, and they're Duke, but, you don't really want to pick Duke, do you?

As usual, the 8-9 (San Diego St. vs. St. John's) game is unpickable. #5 Utah is a good sleeper in this region, as is #10 Davidson. #11 UCLA should slip by SMU, but they'll lose to a very strong Iowa State team, winners of the Big 12 tournament.

Georgetown is the weakest #4 team in the tournament. #13 Eastern Washington (Big Sky champions) could get them. If not, Utah surely will in the following round.

#2 Gonzaga is one of just three teams that could beat Kentucky, though that's a questionable call. The other two are Notre Dame and Arizona.

Final Four: Midwest plays West, East plays South. Whichever team comes out of the South region will beat the East region representative, which means, either Gonzaga, Iowa State, or, heaven forbid, Duke, could meet the Wildcats in the Final. Arizona could upset Kentucky, but not likely.

Kentucky wins. Didn't we say that already?

Karl-Anthony Towns Leads Kentucky to 30-0 in 72-64 Win at Georgia

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Kentucky deserves a load of credit in its run to 30-0, as there have not been many walk-over games throughout their run in the SEC.

Tuesday night's trip to Athens, Georgia was certainly no exception, as the Bulldogs battled with all their might in an to topple the #1 ranked team in the nation.

While Georgia led much of the game, the Wildcats, having gotten used to coming from behind in the second half of games, surged in the contest's later stages, coming away with win #30, a 72-64 victory.

Trailing by nine points with nine minutes left to play, Andrew Harrison's three-pointer sparked the long run back to parity, which occurred with 3:54 left to play, when brother Aaron Harrison dropped in a shot jumper to tie the game at 62-all.

From there, the Wildcats held Georgia to just one field goal, while scoring 10 points for the win.

Forward Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for Kentucky with 19 points on 8 for 12 shooting and seven rebounds.

Despite being out-rebounded, 41-38 and shooting only 39.7%, the Wildcats relied on ball control (just three turnovers) and defense, forcing 11 turnovers with four blocked shots and five steals.

Julius Randle Posts 14th Double-Double as Kentucky Rolls Mississippi

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The argument over who is the best freshman in the country could very well come down to just two players, Duke's Jabari Parker and Kentucky's Julius Randle - though a couple of guys named Wiggens and Ennis, from Kansas and Syracuse, respectively, might beg to differ.

Tuesday night's games features top-notch performances from the two big frosh, as Parker double-doubled with 16 points and 14 rebounds in Duke's 68-51 victory over Georgia Tech, but Randle's game was just a little better, going for 25 and 13 as the Wildcats ripped Ole Miss, 84-70.

Randle was nearly flawless, making six of seven from the field and knocking down 13 of 14 from the foul line. Four of his 13 boards came on the offensive end, a few of those leading directly to scores.

At 6'9" and 250 pounds, Randle is a double-double machine, having reached that statistical level 14 times this season while helping the Wildcats to a 20-6 record and a 10-3 mark in the SEC.

Kentucky Cruises By Mississippi State on James Young's 26 Points and 10 Rebounds

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Kentucky is loaded with talented freshmen. Getting them to play together as a cohesive unit is the goal of coach John Calipari, whose task becomes much easier when freshman guard, James Young, steps up and scores 26 points, snatches 10 rebounds, dishes five assists and makes a couple of steals, as he did Wednesday night at Rupp Arena.

Young's efforts propelled the Wildcats to a 85-63 blowout of visiting Mississippi State in their initial SEC game of the season.

Not particularly shapr from beyond the arc, Young hit just three of 10 three-pointers, but was 5-for-8 on two-point shots and dumped in seven of nine from the foul line, matching his career high and notching his second straight double-double.

Mississippi State led at the half, 40-37, but the Wildcats went on a 17-7 out of the break to take over the game and run away for the win. The Bulldogs dropped to 10-4; Kentucky improved to 11-3 overall.

The Wildcats embark on a two game road trip next, heading to Vanderbilt on the 11th and Arkansas on the 14th. Both the Commodores and Razorbacks are 0-1 in SEC play.

Around the Top 25, #4 Wisconsin used a first half, 20-point run to bury #23 Illinois, 95-70; #6 Wichita State matched the Badgers at 16-0 with a 66-47 win over Illinois State; #11 Oklahoma State topped Texas, 87-74; and, #8 Villanova cruised past Seton Hall, 83-67, the Wildcats improving to 14-1, their only loss to Syracuse.

#13 San Diego State held on for a 69-66 win over Boise State, but #21 Missouri was not as fortunate, losing to Georgia, 70-64, in overtime.

Kentucky Cruises, 89-57, on Julius Randle's 23 Points, 15 Boards

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 8, 2013

Touted as possibly the best freshman class ever assembled, John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats took to the hardwood for the first time in the 2013-14 season Friday night, proving to any skeptics that the fabulous freshman class was going to deliver, possibly beyond expectations.

Led by Juluis Randle's 23 points and 15 rebounds, the Wildcats, after a somewhat disorganized first half, took a 41-31 lead at the break and ran away in the second half for an 89-57 victory, outscoring the visiting bulldogs, 48-26, over the final 20 minutes.

Randle, a 6'9", 250 lb. freshman beast out of Prestonwood Christian High School in Dallas, Texas, dominated the interior, grabbing five offensive rebounds and 10 off the defensive glass. Though he shot just 6-for-12 from the field, he was frequently fouled in his 26 minutes of floor time, canning 11 of 13 free throws, showing a deft touch for a big man.

Four other Kentucky players scored in double figures, led by Randle's 23.

The Wildcats were ranked #1 in all preseason polls, apparently for good reason. The team, one of the youngest ever assembled, carries nine freshmen, two sophomores and just five upperclassmen.

Kentucky will have another tune-up on Saturday, when they host Northern Kentucky at Rupp Arena prior to their showdown with #2 Michigan State on Tuesday night, in the opening game of the Champions Classic at Chicago's United Center. As part of an early season double-header, the second game features #4 Duke, meeting #5 Kansas.

The Spartans hammered McNeese State, 98-56, Friday night in their season opener. Duke routed Davidson, 111-77; the Jayhawks opened their season with an 80-63 win over Louisiana-Monroe.

Kyle Wiltjer Has 26 as Kentucky Tops Mississippi, 87-74

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 29, 2013

A trio of Top 25 teams took it on the chin Tuesday night in a light college hoops schedule.

At Virginia, #18 NC State fell to the Cavaliers, 58-55, and #15 Wichita State lost at home to Indiana State, 68-55, dropping their third game against 19 wins.

The game of the day was in Mississippi, where the 16th-ranked Rebels sought to keep their SEC record pristine, seeking their seventh straight win when Kentucky came calling.

It was not to be, as the Wildcat defensive effort held Ole Miss to 38% shooting, running off late for the 87-74 victory.

The Wildcats scored 50 second half points, led by 6'10" sophomore forward, Kyle Wiltjer, who threw down a career high 26 points, leading all scorers. Wiltjer made 10 of 19 shots, including five of 12 from beyond the arc, adding seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Teammates Nerlens Noel and Archice Goodwin supported with 12 blocked shots and 24 points, respectively.

The result left #4 Florida alone atop the SEC at 6-0, trailed by Mississippi at 6-1 and Kentucky at 5-2. The Wildcats travel to Florida on February 12.

Kentucky Captures 8th National Championship with 67-59 Win over Kansas

After a grueling college basketball season and the rigors of the NCAA tourney, fans got the match-up they wanted when the Wildcats and Jayhawks met in the New Orleans Superdome to decide the national championship.

For Kentucky, the game broke down to a frenetic first half and a test of stamina and perseverance in the second, holding off a determined Kansas squad to capture its eighth title with a 67-59 victory.

Kentucky led by as many as 18 points in the first half, which ended with a 41-27 Wildcat advantage. The Wildcats were too quick for Kansas and pushed the ball upcourt with relentless ferocity and were also efficient with the basketball, making 16 of 30 field goal attempts (53%). Though they committed five first half turnovers, the Wildcats dished nine assists and out-rebounded Kansas, 22-14 through the first 20 minutes.

The Jayhawks struggled on offense, hitting just 33% of their first half shots (11-33) but picked up the scoring pace after the break, scoring the first three points of the second half to cut briefly into the Kentucky lead.

As had been their forte throughout the tournament, the Jayhawks deployed their defense to claw back into the fray, though this time they would come up short as Kentucky had forged too big a lead and was reluctant to slow the game down and offer any hope to the Kansans.

With 12:30 remaining, Kansas had cut the lead to 10 points, but Doron Lamb made two three-pointers within a 38 second span to give Kentukcy its largest second half lead, at 54-38.

Anthony Davis, who made only one field goal in the game but dominated the interior with a game high 16 rebounds and six blocks, hit a short baseline jumper with 5:10 left to boost Kentucky back to a 59-44 lead that signaled the end was in sight.

Kansas was relentless down the stretch, however, eventually cutting the lead down to five points when Thomas Robinson made a pair of free throws with 1:37 to go, but that was as close as the Jayhawks would get. Kentucky's Marcus Teague made two of three free throws and Lamb sunk a pair from the foul line with 17.5 seconds left to complete the scoring.

Elijah Johnson threw up a three-point attempt as time wound down, the ball suitably ending up in the hands of Davis as the final buzzer sounded.

Kentucky had survived, giving John Calipari the most cherished coaching prize in college basketball, his first national championship after three years of building the Kentucky program into an NBA feeding ground.

The scrambled second half took its toll on the stat sheet. Kentucky made just seven of 26 shots in the last 20 minutes, finishing with a shooting percentage of 41% for the game. Kansas shot just 35.5%, making 22 of 62 field goals attempts. Kentucky turned the ball over just 11 times - to nine for Kansas - and won the battle of the boards, 39-34.

Freshman Anthony Davis will not likely return to Kentucky, taking the route of winning the national title straight to the NBA, as did Carmello Anthony after his championship with Syracuse in 2002.

The Kentucky program may be decimated by the NBA draft, as, along with Davis, fellow freshmen Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague could also go pro. Sophomore Terrance Jones will almost certainly opt for an early exit as well, leaving only Lamb, a sophomore, as the only returnee from the starting five.

Leading all scorers with 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including three 3-pointers and 5 of 6 from the foul line, Doron Lamb's contribution cannot be understated. While Davis had one of his worst shooting performances (1-for-10) of his brief collegiate career, it was Lamb who picked up the scoring, with 12 in the first half and 10 in the second. He is College Basketball Daily's final player of the day for the 2011-12 season.

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Conference Tournament Scoreboard FINAL

With Kentucky's victory in the final, the SEC proved to be the best conference through the tournament, racking up an impressive 11-3 record. with the Big Ten and Big 12 also putting in impressive performances. With nine losses and just 14 wins, maybe it's time for the selection committee to pare down the number of Big East teams invited next season, though Louisville may argue with that scenario.

The worst record was that of the Mountain West, which sent four teams but won just one game (New Mexico). The PAC-12 sent just two teams - Cal and Colorado - and won only one game, that being Colorado's win over UNLV, while Cal fell in one of the play-in games, to South Florida.

2012-2013 will see a good number of teams shifting of conferences, but clearly, the best basketball is being played East of the Mississippi, primarily in the heartland, mid-atlantic and mid-southern states.

Through games of Monday, April 2

Conference	W	L
Atlantic-10	4	4
ACC	6	5
Big East	14	9
Big Ten	11	5
Big 12	10	7
Conf-USA	0	2
Missouri Valley	1	2
Mountain West	1	4
Ohio Valley	1	1
PAC-12	1	2
SEC	11	3
West Coast	2	3
All others	7	20

NCAA Final Preview: Kansas- Kentucky Final One for the Ages

NCAA National Championship - Kentucky Wildcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks - 9:23 pm EDT

Just in case you've been asleep under a rock the past month, tonight's the night, the BIG ONE, for all the college hoops marble, the national championship final pitting the Kentucky Wildcats against the Kansas Jayhawks.

They are the two winningest programs in collage basketball. Kentucky has 2,089 victories all-time, while Kansas is a close second with 2070.

Without a doubt, this one will be a thriller. It has all the elements of a classic that will be looked back upon when maybe half a dozen of the players on the court tonight will be NBA stars.

Two of the greatest college hoops programs feature two exceptional coaches. Kansas' Bill Self has done nothing but win in his nine years with the Jayhawks, compiling a record of 269 wins and 52 losses, a winning percentage of .839, seven straight Big 12 regular season championships and five Big 12 tournament titles, a national championship in 2008 and his second trip to the Final Four.

John Calipari, coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, has had his sights set on winning a national championship since he set foot on the Kentucky campus in 2009. In three season, Coach Cal has produced a record of 101-14, winning the SEC championship each year and is making his second straight Final Four appearance.

The teams are highly regarded, as Kentucky owns the best overall record this season at 37-2, while Kansas went through the 2011-12 season with a 32-6 tally. Both teams lost in their conference tournaments, Kentucky falling to Vanderbilt in the SEC final, while the Jayhawks were ousted from the Big 12 tourney by Baylor in a semi-final meeting.

Featured in the game will be the two leading player of the year candidates, Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Kansas' Thomas Robinson. Freshman Davis averages 14 points and 10 rebounds and is a shot-blocking specialist, setting the single-season record for blocked shots. Robinson is the complete power forward, averaging 17.9 points and 11.6 boards.

While those two will almost certainly wage a battle royal in the lane, their running mates, UK forward Terrance Jones and Kansas 7-footer Jeff Withey will also play key roles, while the backcourt battle between point guards Tyshawn Taylor and Marcus Teague will be a determinant of which team gets the better scoring opportunities.

The two teams met back in November, with Kentucky taking a 75-65 win at Kansas, though the outcome of that game is nearly meaningless five months later. Both teams have matured and dominated their opponents since, and there is nary a weakness on either squad.

Nationally televised by CBS, the Wildcats are the bettors' choice, having been installed as 6 1/2 point favorites in most popular venues.

Anthony Davis Leads Kentucky over Louisville; Kansas Shoots Down Ohio State; Kansas-Kentucky Final Monday Night

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 31, 2012

National Semi-Final: Kentucky 79 Louisville 71 - The highly-anticipated Final Four meeting between Louisville and Kentucky lived up to its billing, but in the end, Kentucky forward Anthony Davis proved virtually unstoppable.

Kentucky led almost the entire game, though the Cardinals mounted a second-half rally that eventually tied the game, but the Wildcats always had an answer, even under pressure situations. Usually, that answer was Davis, who led the Wildcats with 19 points and 14 rebounds, reaching the national championship game for the first time since they won it all in 1998.

Davis had all his stuff working in the win, hitting seven of nine shots from the field and adding four of six from the foul line. On defense, he made the lane a no-driving zone for the Cardinals, blocking five shots, but mostly just imposing his presence in the middle, forcing Louisville into a shooting nightmare of 35% for the game while the Wildcats were hoisting it at a 57% clip.

Despite losing the rebounding battle, 37-32, and Louisville's 16 offensive boards, the Cardinals were forced into tough second-chance shots, many of which realistically had no chance of finding the inside of the rim.

For Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, the irony was bitter, because the last time the Wildcats won the national championship he was their head coach.

John Calipari, who has guided Kentucky to a 37-2 record, has to work his coaching magic for just one more game in order to fulfill his goal of winning a national title. Calipari has coached Kentucky for three seasons, but this team, despite its youth, appears to have all the elements necessary to complete the task and cut down the nets when they face the Kansas Jayhawks Monday night.


National Semi-Final: Kansas 64 Ohio State 62 - Kansas roared back in the second half, erasing a 34-25 Ohio State half time lead, to win their Final Four meeting with the Buckeyes and proceed to the national championship game with Kentucky Monday night.

The Jayhawks couldn't get into a smooth offense in the first half, eventually falling behind by as many as 13 points as Jared Sullinger and Ohio State stormed to what appeared to be an insurmountable lead.

Kansas head coach Bill Self never lost faith in his players' abilities and the Jayhawks used pressure defense in the final 20 minutes to force Ohio State into mistakes and tough shooting chances. Though the game had a helter-skelter quality to it throughout, Kansas kept pressing until finally taking the lead for good with 1.35 left when Travis Relaford calmly tossed in two free throws to give the Jayhawks a 60-59 advantage. A driving layup by Elijah Johnson off a Jeff Withey blocked shot gave Kansas a 62-59 lead with 1:08 to play.

Ohio State eventually cut the lead back to one at 62-61 on a William Buford dunk, but there were only nine ticks left on the clock by then. The Buckeyes fouled Tyshawn Taylor with seven seconds to go, and the senior nailed both freebies to put the Jayhawks back up by three.

With time running down, Kansas chose to foul Aaron Craft, sending him to the line for a 1-and-1. Craft made the front end and purposely missed the second shot and was called for a lane violation as he raced in after his purposeful miss.

With just 2.5 on the clock, Kansas quickly inbounded the ball and the confused Ohio State players failed ot foul, ending the game and sending Kansas back to the championship game for the second time in five years. The Jawhawks won the national championship in 2008, giving Self his first title. The Jayhawks-Wildcats showdown Monday will feature two of the most storied programs in college basketball history.

Kansas will be seeking its fourth tournament championship and sixth overall. Kentucky has won the championship tourney seven times and was also national champion in 1933.

Game time for the final game of the college basketball season is set for an opening tip at 9:23 pm EDT, Monday, April 2nd. The game will be televised nationally by CBS.

Final Four Preview: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals

National Semi-Final, New Orleans, LA

(1) Kentucky Wildcats (36-2) vs. (4) Louisville Cardinals (30-9), 6:09 pn EDT - Seriously, does it get any better than this?

Two storied programs located just 69 miles apart in the great state of Kentucky, Louisville and Kentucky will meet for the 44th time in their shared histories in a series that dates back to 1913, the year the Federal Reserve was formed.

The Wildcats hold the series edge, 29-14, with the most recent meeting being earlier this season, on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2011, when Kentucky escaped with a 69-62 home win at Lexington.

The programs and their coaches - Louisville's Rick Pitino and John Calipari - are no strangers to the Final Four. Kentucky has been there 14 times, Louisville, eight. The Wildcats' last Final Four appearance was in 2011; the Cardinals last made it into the Final Four in 2005.

The coaches will get plenty of attention in this match-up, as they are two of the greatest of all time. Rick Pitino, 26 years a college basketball coach, has a career record of 627-229, for a .732 won-loss percentage. Since 2001, Pitino has been head coach of Louiville, where he's compiled a record of 275-105. He's guided teams to the Final Four six times, and this will be his second Final Four appearance as coach of the Cardinals.

Ironically, Pitino won his only national championship when he was head coach of Kentucky, a position he held from 1989 through 1997, winning the national championship in 1996. A year later, he left the Wildcat program and headed down the road to Louisville after racking up a record of 219-50 in Lexington.

John Calipari has a similar resume. In 20 years of coaching, he's amassed a career record of 545-154, a winning percentage of .780. His earlier stints at Massachusetts (193-71) and Memphis (252-69) led to his hiring as head coach of Kentucky, replacing Tubby Smith in 2009. In just three seasons with the Wildcats, Calipari has produced a record of 100-14, the best of any Division 1 coach during that span.

Calipari is becoming quite the regular at the Final Four, having taken Kentucky there last season, losing in a semi-final game to eventual national champion, Connecticut, 56-55. He took Memphis there in 2008 and UMass was a Final Four team in 1996 under his guidance. Calipari has never won a national championship, though he came awfully close with Memphis in 2008, losing to Kansas, 75-68, in the national final.

The two used to be good friends, though lately, the descriptions of their acquaintance have ranged from "frenemies" to rivals to unfriendly associates.

While the sidecourt drama will be something of a sideshow to the main event on the court, the players will ultimately decide which team advances to the title game, and here, Kentucky seems to have a large advantage.

According to the latest line, Kentucky is an 8 1/2 point favorite over the Cardinals, a number that may well add more fuel to the underdogs' fire.

The Wildcats have a decided height advantage, with freshman Anthony Davis patrolling the lane along with fellow frosh Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and sophomore Terrence Jones. David stands 6'10", Jones, 6'9" and Kidd-Gilchrist, 6'7".

By contrast, the Louisville front line has center Gorgui Dieng at 6'11", who, like Davis is a ball-swatter and shot-changer, but after that the height drops off dramatically. Freshman Chane Behanen is only 6'6", but his bulky 250-pound frame allows him to bang with the big men. The usual Louisville lineup will feature three guards, though Kyle Kuric, a 6'4" swingman who does most of his scoring from the perimeter, isn't going to help out much on the boards or in the paint. The disparity in size - on paper, at least - gives Kentucky a huge inside advantage.

In the back court, there's no faster player than Louiville's senior point guard Peyton Siva, who will match up with larger rivals, either Marcus Teague, the starter or Darius Miller, who is a real spark off the bench. Siva will likely play at least 36 minutes, while Teague can get plenty of rest, so in this match-up, Siva, who is in exceptional condition, may be worn down by the time the game reaches the crucial last four or five minutes.

The shooting guards are somewhat of a stand-off. Chris Smith and Russ Smith of Louisville have responded well to the rigors of tournament play with solid games in the regionals. They'll have to be on the mark if Louisville is going to keep pace with the Wildcats, which sports players that can score in a variety of ways from virtually anywhere on the court. Sophomore Doron Lamb is Kentucky's best scoring guard, hitting at 47% both inside and outside the 3-point line.

Statistically, the Wildcats enjoy even more advantages. They are the 20th-highest scoring team in the country, at 77.1 points per game, are 15th in rebounding (39.2) and 10th in field goal percentage, at .487%. The Cardinals rank 155th in scoring at 68.8 ppg, 27th in rebounds (38.2) and a troubling 255th in field goal percentage, checking in at .425%.

None of this is particularly bothersome to the confident Pitino nor his troops, who have taken the same path as last season's national title-holders, UConn, winning the Big East tournament and all four of their NCAA games, for an eight-game winning streak.

Kentucky doesn't seem the least bit concerned either. They've lost only twice all season and they've already avenged one of the losses. A December, 73-72, defeat at Indiana was reversed when the Wildcats thumped the Hoosiers, 102-90, in the South regional semi-final. Their other loss was to Vanderbilt, in the SEC championship. Though it was a disappointment for Kentucky, it didn't matter, as they were named the tournament's overall #1 seed, remain the #1 team in the polls and now have a chance to prove it in New Orleans.

Stopping Kentucky on offense is going to be difficult of the Cardinals, though penetrating their huge defense could prove to be just as daunting a task. Key to Louisville's success will be the shooting of Kuric, who can be a dagger from downtown, and the Smith boys, along with Siva's penetration. The Wildcats can spread the scoring around, but their defense is probably the most critical aspect of this contest.

We'll all know how it turns out shortly after dusk on Saturday.

Friday: Kansas vs. Ohio State Preview