And then there were 2...

One of the most surprising, if not the most, Final Fours in the history of the NCAA tournament did not disappoint last night. Well at least for 2 teams and their fans it didn't, but for 2 others it left them silenced, heartbroken and sent home empty handed. Not without the usual NCAA Final Four drama. No matter the outcomes of the 2 games: Butler beating VCU, VCU continuing their Ultimate Cinderella run or Calipari and the Wildcats cruising past Calhoun and the Huskies, Kemba and his Husky Orchestra defeating the winningest program in NCAA history it was going to the an unexpected Championship game on Monday night. Butler v. UConn? VCU v. UConn? Butler v. Kentucky? VCU v. Kentucky?

The match-up between Butler and VCU was going to the battle of the Cinderellas. Both teams have proved their worthy of being in the Final Four, especially the Rams, after barely making the tournament and then hearing about it for 2 days before their play in game in Dayton that they shouldn't have been picked. Hey Critics, you still think they should have been left out of the tournament field? These two Mid Major programs have proved they can hang and play better than the big dogs, but now they have to go up against one another. Both teams shoot well from the 3 point arc but also have phenomenal defenses to stop what seems to be anyone in their tracks. From the start it was a close game, either team going up a few points but then the other answering right back with a few more. Up by 6 at the half, butler seemed to be putting on the touches of what took them to title game last year, however no one was counting out VCU yet. Roaring back into the 2nd half VCU was still very much in the game, but then time started to wear on them and Butler played the final stretch of the game like champions where VCU struggled and fell short. Before we knew, Butler was up by 10 in the last minutes of the game. 70-62. Butler advances for the 2nd time in 2 years. VCU the first of 2 teams sent home, but their run in this tournament said something about NCAA basketball. No one will ever forget their run and I'm sorry George Mason but from here on out it's going to be "Who is going to be this year's VCU?" The Bulldogs rejoiced in the locker room, back in familiar territory now all they had to do was wait to find out who they're going to play Monday night.

Kentucky vs. UConn. Calipari vs. Calhoun. Knight vs. Walker. Wildcats vs. Huskies. Both programs have extraordinary fanbases who camped out long before the doors opened to Reliant Stadium to ensure their front row seats in the student section. Were the Huskies going to continue their extraordinary run in the post-season or would the Wildcats finally find a way to beat the team that a month ago, on long month, seemed to be far from even getting passed the 1st round of the tournament. Both teams with phenomenal star players in Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight, both teams with tough defenses, and both teams with a lot to prove. Each team made a run in the 1st half in a very physical game but with a cold shooting Kentucky the game seemed to be in Connecticut's hands. Kentucky came out in the 2nd have swinging cutting that lead down to 1 with Liggins and Knight draining 3's. Husky Nation started to get worried, but it was far from over. UConn tightened up their defense, shut down Josh Harrelson, and started to make plays. With 2:30 left Shabazz Napier drove to the basket with a sweet hook shot to take the lead to 6 but Liggins fought right back and cut the lead to 3. Down by 2, Napier loses the ball and Kentucky calls the TO. Kentucky could either tie the game or win, Liggins took the final 3 with 4 seconds left, a great shot, but fell short. Amongst the sea of giant players Shabazz extended his arms and came up with the rebound, getting fouled with only 1.7 seconds left. Make both of his free throws, game over. Talk about pressure. He made the first and now refocus, take a breath, look at the hoop. Swish. Game Over. Hands down the biggest buckets of this kids season, if not possibly his career. Despite Knight's final 3 pointer at the buzzer, it wasn't enough. UConn is going to the Championship game.


So it's set Monday night: Butler vs. UConn. Bulldogs vs. Huskies. Stevens (rookie) vs. Calhoun (veteran). 6 months ago neither of the teams thought they'd be in this position. Even a month ago, both teams struggling in regular season play weren't even close to being picked for the Final Four let alone the championship game, yet here we are, they're the final two teams left. The only real different right now between these two teams is 1 win. UConn is on a 10 game winning streak starting from their improbable 5 games in 5 days Big East Championship run (Butler played 4 games in the Horizon League Championship). This is a game that will be talked about for years. If Butler wins, they will cap 2 of the greatest tournament runs in history, a runner-up and then coming back the year after with a National Title. If UConn wins, they bring the trophy back to Storrs for the first time since 2004 also giving Calhoun his 3rd title joining the elite club of 5 coaches who have each won 3 championships and pushing UConn into "NCAA Blue Blood" status.

We all know who I'm cheering for obviously, but no matter the end result of tomorrow's game, I'm so proud of this team and what they've done. Myself (as well as the rest of Husky Nation) will never forget what they've done. They are reminiscent of the 2004 team and we all know how that ended up. The Huskies have found improbable ways to win and they have one more test in Butler. Their 13-0 tournament play this season has gone like this from the beginning: Witchita St, Michigan St, Kentucky (Maui Invitational), DePaul, Georgetown, PITT, Syracuse, Louisville (Big East Championship), Bucknell, Cincinnati, San Diego State, Arizona, and Kentucky again. Will Butler be their latest victim? All signs right now are pointing to yes, but the Bulldogs aren't going to go away easily. All eyes on the game tomorrow night will either be rooting for Butler or UConn, seemingly more people rooting for Butler, but Husky Nation is loud and will be heard in Houston from across the country. Maui-Manhattan-D.C.-Anaheim-Houston. We're bringing it all back to Storrs.

1 more game left, THE game. 40 minutes until we have a new National Champion.

The Sweet down to The Elite

We went from 64 to 32 to 16 in one weekend. As many as 16 games per day so with only 4 games Thursday and Friday it was depressing to go through Mon-Wed with no basketball whatsoever. No matter what channel you were watching or where you were, once 12/11c came around, there was basketball on somewhere. Well at least on TBS/ESPN/CBS/TruTv. Once we got through those opening rounds, we weeded out the teams that weren't worthy, the ones who didn't show up to play and the ones who maybe were wrongfully booted from the tournament. Down to the Sweet 16 teams returned back to their respective campuses for a day or two before heading back into battle. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday seemed to take forever... and finally Thursday was upon us.

#3 UConn vs. #2 San Diego St 74-67

San Diego State had a very big advantage over UConn in this game. Not only were they a bigger team with a dominant front court under the basket, but they were playing in Anaheim, CA. A mere 100 miles from campus. Meanwhile the Huskies had to travel nearly 2,800 miles across the country from Storrs, CT. But that's how UConn likes it. The West region has been very good to UConn in the past, however in playing teams in their home state UConn was 0-7. Was it time to steer the boat in the other direction? Indeed it was. A close game through much of the first half kept everyone on their toes until Kemba Walker came a live and UConn closed on a 19-5 run. Coming back out in the 2nd half, San Diego State wasn't going to go down easily. That is until Jeremy Lamb decided it was time to break out. Combined Walker and Lamb scored 60 of the teams 74 points (Walker: 36 pts, Lamb: 24 pts). This UConn team is on a mission to get to Houston and bring the trophy back to Storrs. They're not going to let anything get in their way. When Walker is on fire, the rest of the team feeds off of him. Right now, there is no stopping this train. U! C! O! N! N! UCONN! UCONN! UCONN!

#3 BYU vs. #2 Florida 83-74 (F/OT)

Florida/BYU First Round 2010... BYU sent the Gators home with a 99-92 2OT victory. Florida was back this year and out for blood. They weren't going down easily. The entire game was a battle. Jimmer Fredette didn't disappoint anyone with his 32 point showing, but it wasn't enough. Tied at 36 at the half it was anyone's game. Bucket after bucket dropped for each team. With less than a minute left BYU was sent to the line. Making the first of 2 free throws game was tied at 68. Regulation over. Into OT we go. Florida came out swinging and never let up. They weren't going to have a repeat of last year. There was nothing the Cougars could do. They were out played 15-6 in OT. Fredette's phenomenal season is now over. Florida advances to play Butler on Saturday.

#5 Arizona vs. #1 Duke 93-77

Were we going to see another #1 seed go down Thursday? It was possible, especially after Duke's narrow escape from Michigan in the round of 32 but many believed Duke was better, more experienced, and would come out on top. If you picked Duke, you thought wrong. Arizona went into halftime 6 points down. 20 minutes is a lot of basketball to play but Duke is one of the best 2nd half teams in the country. Arizona had an uphill climb if they wanted to win. Not only did they climb, they destroyed the Blue Devil's mountain. The Wildcat's 55 point 2nd half might be one of the best 2nd half performances in college basketball history. They seemingly did nothing wrong behind the lead of Derrick Williams. Once they started climbing, Duke wasn't going to catch up. As the minutes ticked down, Duke found themselves in unfamiliar NCAA territory, on the losing side. Defending champions were gone and another #1 is sent home empty handed. Who's next? The Wildcats face the Huskies on Saturday.

#8 Butler vs. #4 Wisconsin 61-54

4 words can sum up this game for Wisconsin: Too little too late. Jordan Taylor dropped a few 3 pointers and got the Badger bench pumped up in the last minutes, but there wasn't enough time. Wisconsin was down by as much as 20 at one point, and Butler seemed as though they weren't letting up anytime soon. Nothing seemed to be going right for the Badgers last night, they weren't making shots, making stupid errors and all around just playing sloppy basketball. But that's what this tournament is about, it's not the regular season. If you don't show up for 40 minutes, or even just a few minutes, you might be gone. So with that, Butler continues their march to the Final Four, while Duke was stopped short. Could this be Butler's year to win it all?

#11 Marquette vs. #2 UNC 81-63

Well that was completely un-entertaining. Nothing about this game made me want to keep watching. UNC showed that they are clearly the superior team without question. They were exceptional. Despite Marquette's fighting in the 2nd half, there is only so far you can go after you've already dug yourself into that deep of a hole. With less than 2 minutes to play "Blue Steel" comes in. UNC rolls their way once again to the Elite 8. Hats off to Marquette though for not giving up, they still came out to play in the 2nd half. Mad props.

#12 Richmond vs. #1 Kansas 77-57

The Jayhawks and the Morris twins... did we expect anything less than a complete dominance over Richmond. While the Cinderella story for the Spiders was fun to watch leading up to this match-up, going into a game against this Kansas team, it's hard not to think it's an automatic loss. Kansas took control from tip-off and never slowed down. They're a very fast team and if they go on a run it's hard to stop them. Richmond never stood a chance.

#4 Kentucky vs #1 Ohio State 62-60

This match-up was about as close of a true "neutral" field. Both schools are similar in distance (Ohio State a little bit closer) so fans despite having to drive some ways are willing to make the trip. You could hear in the arena there seemed to me more Ohio State fans with the near constant "O-H! I-O!" chant through out the game. After a quick pull away by the Buckeyes in the opening minutes, Kentucky fought back bringing the 1st half to a close tied 30-30. Anyone's game. Starting off the 2nd half, same deal, back and forth, back and forth. D. Lighty from 3 is like a cobra striking a victim, you're doomed no matter what. Something mentally with Kentucky clicked in the 2nd half, they started making plays both offensively and defensively, making the Buckeyes really focus. Neither team let up. It was going to come down to the end. Big night from non-star players were going to be deciding factors as players like JD Sullinger seemed to start to crack. 2 minutes, Kentucky down by 1. This is why we love NCAA basketball. Under a minute, Kentucky up by 1. Up by 3. Diebler for 3. Tied. Up 2. And that's the game. Kentucky wins. Down goes another #1.

#11 VCU vs. #10 Florida State 72-71 (F/OT)

Now this was a match-up that few people could have predicted. #11 play in seeded team VCU against the #10 Florida St Seminoles in the Sweet 16? It wasn't surprising to see these teams go point for point in the first half. They were very evenly matched teams, it was going to come down to who could play the whole 40 minutes. Going into the half, VCU seemed to be in control. Despite going into the half down, FSU came out ready for another 20 minutes and quickly took control of the game and the lead. But VCU ain't going down w/o a fight. They're run in this tournament will be talked about for years. Just over 4:00 left FSU has pulled within 3. Is the Cinderella story over for VCU? Will the more experienced Seminoles come out on top? I said it would come down to who would play for 40 minutes. Well with :20 they're tied at 65. And we're going into OT. Unlike the Florida/BYU OT this one isn't over in the first 2 minutes. with 1:30 left VCU is only up by 1 70-69. Here come the Seminoles but VCU wasn't going to let it happen. Buzzer beater lifted the Rams over the Seminoles continuing them on their incredible run starting from the play in game. Can they beat Kansas? Anything is possible at this point in the tournament.

With the Elite 8 finally set to go tomorrow, it's going to be a battle for blood. Some teams with nothing to lose while others have everything to prove. This tournament has proved that seeds don't always matter, it's about what teams show up for the whole 40 minutes. Like VCU who had to play just to GET IN to the tournament and here they are on their way to the Elite 8. Who will be in Houston next weekend? It's up to each coach, each player, each team to decide their destiny. How will your team (if they're still standing) fare?

Onwards to the Sweet 16...

What a weekend... let me say it again... what a weekend. Going into the first rounds I felt pretty confident about my bracket, I had a good amount of upsets and a few of the clear top teams to make it through this weekend. Some match ups went the way most of the sports world predicted however some upsets, no one really saw coming. Once one upset occurred it seemed like all the other teams saw the light and realized it was their time to shine. Let's go day by day and recap just exactly what happened. Despite what the NCAA and the rest of the t.v stations are saying the first 4 play in games ARE NOT round 1. If there were a full field of games those days then yes, that's round 1 but 4 games does not constitute as round 1 of tournament play. Therefore we begin with Thursday.

Round of 64 Day 1: Thursday 3/17

A common theme of the first 16 games seemed to be "Winning by less that 3 points." 5 of the games were decided within the last minute of regulation. The biggest upset of the day came when Morehead St defeated Louisville 62-61 with a late 3 pointer. Very few people expected Louisville to make it to the championship but to lose in the 1st round, that was a shocker to say the least. The 8/9 match-up of Butler and Old Dominion provided entertainment to say the least with Howard last second layup to win. The Princeton Tigers fought ti'll the end against Kentucky and the Temple Owls flew over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the final seconds of a buzzer beater. UCLA somehow managed to hold off Michigan State in the final seconds to advance. While there were a handful of heart attack games the rest were what was expected. UConn dominated Bucknell, Pitt cruised past UNC Asheville as did San Diego St and Florida over Northern Colorado and U.C Santa Barbara respectively. But the big upsets, other than Morehead St came from Gonzaga over the injured St. John's and Richmond over Vanderbilt.

Round of 64 Day 2: Friday 3/18

Nothing short of exciting from the 2nd day of 16 games. More upsets, more heartbreaks and more domination. Continuing the fall of the Big East, Villanova lost to George Mason and Georgetown lost to VCU, but Syracuse and Notre Dame won as well as Marquette with the upset over Xavier. Top teams Duke, UNC, Ohio State, Kansas and Purdue proved why they were in the tournament. However, Texas narrowly escaped Oakland 85-81 as well as Washington edging out Georgia 68-65. The 30 point domination of Michigan over Tennessee was a shocker but then again Bruce Pearl decided to provide enough distraction for the team to lose their focus on what was important, winning. Arizona narrowly escaped Memphis while Florida State upset the Aggies from Texas A&M. All in all a good day in baseketball. And so we move on to the weekend.

Round of 32 Day 1: Saturday 3/19

First games of the day almost seem like nothing compared to the excitement of the last 4 games. Kentucky while trailing most the game came through to beat West Virginia, Florida escaped UCLA, Richmond ended the Cinderella story of Morehead St, and San Diego St survived Temple in Double OT. All pretty standard, but then came the prime time games. Then came Butler/Pitt, many of which expected a Pitt dominance. You thought wrong. The Bulldogs fought until the end keeping the game from going into OT. Matt Howard rebounded the ball with .8 left on the clock and would take the final heave down the court hoping for a miracle. As he throws up the ball he's fouled by Robinson as he admits "it was all my fault" The ball more than likely was going nowhere near the rim forcing overtime but instead sending one of Butler's best to the free throw line to potentially win the game. Makes the first, misses the 2nd but with .8 on the clock not even the best players could make a shot like that happen. With that our first #1 seed is gone. BYU cruised past Gonzaga and Connecticut lead by who else, Kemba Walker, showed why they deserve to be in this tournament ousting Cincinnati in the last 1:35 of regulation. And then the Badgers can thank Jordan Taylor for blocking Kansas State's last 3 point attempt to tie the game to force overtime.

Round of 32 Day 2: Sunday 3/20

The final day of the opening rounds came upon us and it seemed like an eternity before it was over for some teams at least. #1 seed Duke got a scare from Michigan a game in which everyone expected to be a blowout and #2 UNC barely escaped Isiah Thomas and the Washington Huskies on what many are arguing was the officials fault for not blowing the whistle or reviewing the play clock at the end of the game as well as not calling the goal tending on Thomas' last shot, while it was only a 2, it's the principal of the matter. Ohio State and Kansas sent George Mason and Illinois home packing. However, the rest of the games weren't so easy. Arizona squeaked by Texas as they seemed to completely deteriorate at the end allowing the Cats to capitalize and win 70-69. 11th Big East ranked Marquette took control of the game at the end to close the chapter on Syracuse 66-62. A game most thought was pretty much given to the Orange. No we're not done yet. Cinderella team VCU, who had to play in one of the 4 games just to make it to the tournament was up against Purdue. It's about to strike midnight, oh wait, not just yet. Not only did VCU beat Purdue, they dominated the entire game. Never letting up keeping their game plan and making baskets. Say goodbye to another top team. But it didn't stop there, 10 seeded Florida State man handled 2 seed Notre Dame, a team many thought was headed to the Elite 8 at least.

Thus concludes the opening weekend of the 2011 tournament. We have an 8/4 (Butler/Wisconsin) 11/2 (Marquette/UNC), 12/1 (Richmond/Kansas) and an 11/10 (VCU/Florida St). This is why they call it March Madness. If the top teams always won and there were no upsets it wouldn't be as exciting. No one expected to see a double digit team guaranteed to the elite 8 but either VCU or Florida St will be there. Despite the dismal showing of the 11 Big East teams, 2 remain: UConn and Marquette. No they're not the 1 and 2 teams from the big east, not even in the top 5. They are the 9th and 11th teams from that conference. UConn has won 7 in a row, they're not ready to lose just yet. Marquette has got nothing everything to gain but nothing to lose. If they lose to UNC, it's expected, if they win, it's just yet another bracket buster. Some of the top favorites in Kansas, Duke, Ohio St, UNC, and Kansas are still in the running, but this year more than ever, no one is safe. The only team who seems to be on an unstoppable track is Ohio State, but even their team is vulnerable. Teams now have 3-4 days to travel to their designated regional locations, practice, devise game plans and prepare for the biggest games of the season. You lose, you go home. You win, you advance. It's not just about the skill anymore, it's about who wants it more. Which team can show up and play better for a minimum of 160 more minutes. Who wants to hold that trophy in Houston on April 4th.

Time to Dance... Leave it on the floor

So it begins, what some sports fans call the best time of the year. Starting last week with Championship Week in college bball. A week this year that did not disappoint. Upsets, historic runs, buzzer beaters, overtime heartbreaks, the works. You name it, it happened. After teams finished their conference tournaments they awaited their fates on Selection Sunday. Waiting just to see where they're going to start their journey to the big stage. Despite a few disses from the selection committee, the new field of 68 was set and ready for the next 3 weeks.

For the first time in tournament history there were 4 play in games. Teams battled not to advance in tournament, but rather for a chance just to play. Not only play but potentially play against some of the best teams in the 64 team field. With those games finished we can look to the tournament. First round play begins today with 16 games. 16 2 hour games of pure bliss, that is unless the team(s) you're rooting for fail to do what is necessary to win. Players and coaches have been preparing themselves this entire season just for this month. It's what every team strives for and once you're there, there's no looking back. All you can do is put everything you got on the floor and hope it's enough to move onto the next round.

There are some interesting match ups in these first rounds, with some people talking about some serious potential upsets. Not only are these games about who has more talent, physically, but about who mentally can hang with the big dogs. There are teams who you can almost always count for at least a win or two in the tournament (Washington, Gonzaga, Xavier) because they know how to play on this level. They may not be the best team in the field but matched against another team with similar or better skill, these experienced teams still have the advantage. It's a different kind of game, different atmosphere and if you haven't played in it before, it can sometimes make the best of you. Not say that young inexperienced teams cant succeed in the tournament because they absolutely can, but in this kind of tournament, experience often trumps skills.

There is no other tournament that provides this much excitement in college fans across the country. Don't get me wrong I love the BCS and I love college football, but March Madness has a different effect on people. During BCS season you don't find random luke warm sports fans rushing to find pools to join and place bets on teams they haven't watched all season with hopes that they'll win the whole thing. People basing brackets of mascots and colors, which coach they think is cuter, flipping a coin, there is no other sporting event that does this to people. Everything about the tournament is exciting. Whether you're watching just to watch a good game, rooting for your alma mater (UCONN), praying that the team you bet on in Vegas wins it all so you come home with some $$$, it's exciting. Watching the 12 seed upset the 5 seed, even if it ruins your bracket, makes you rethink about what you're going to do the next year.

Tournament is underway, who's going to take the title this year? Can your team hang long enough to make it to the title game? Are they tough enough? Let the Madness begin... It's time to dance.