Brackets BUSTED: Rock, Chalked Edition

So that happened. Rock, Chalk-nation just got a case of STONES!!!

Countless expert and novice brackets had Kansas winning it all.
So much for that.
Maybe my Georgetown pick wasn't so awful after all...
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

#1-overall seed Kansas was given an early exit, on Saturday of the opening weekend, by the 9-seed Northern Iowa, losing 69-67. More than just the Midwest "Bracket of Death" is shaken up now.

Although somewhere, Evan Turner is smiling a little bigger.

Hopefully, you saw the game. Assuredly, you'll see a detailed break-down of how things went down. Nevertheless, here's the 1 fact you need to know. STONES!

It took serious STONES for Northern Iowa's Ali Farokhmanesh to drain a wide-open 3 with 34 seconds remaining. With his team up 1 and the Jayhawks completely locking down the in-bounds attempts of the Panthers, a cross-court pass to Farokhmanesh left him wide open and behind the arc. Instead of waiting to be fouled or passing the ball to a teammate to help kill time, Farokhmanesh turned and drained the deep 3, clinching (by far) the tournament's biggest upset.

The announcers weren't the only ones in the building completely stunned at the shot attempt. I won't repeat the words I uttered. But funny thing is, I knew it was going in. So did Farokhmanesh, obviously. STONES!

I've getting too repetitive, but I can't stress enough that taking that shot takes incredible STONES. You know you are going to make it when you put up a shot like that. No need to pass to a teammate, attack the hoop (they had a 2-on-1 advantage), or wait to be fouled and go to the charity stripe. Show your STONES, drain the 3, and become another highlight in tournament (and of course, Northern Iowa basketball) history.

KU will still be loaded. Nevertheless, this one will sting for quite some time.
This was a LOADED roster and a clear-cut national title contender all season long.
Brackets across the nation...shattered.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

A few other quick notes...
-Bill Self has a ring, but I still question this guy's coaching ability. He isn't in the class of the elite coaches...not yet.
-Sherron Collins was awful today. He knows it, too.
-Cole Aldrich isn't come back to Kansas. Don't pretend he will Jayhawk-nation.
-Something tells me Xavier Henry is 1-and-done as well. DraftExpress.com has him projected to be in the lottery.
-Northern Iowa is don't yet. This team is too well coaches and too gritty to stop now. -All of the 1-seed (even that one in the West I love) are on notice now.

What I'm thinking now??? Can Ish Smith hit open shots and keep Wake in contention to pull off another major upset? In the tournament, these things happen in pairs, not 3s.

Note: Running commentary isn't going anywhere tonight. I'll check in at HALFTIME of the Kentucky/Wake Forest game. BYU/Kansas State is also ongoing.

InClement Weather: Weekend Bracket Banter

Been a while since we spoke, in fact it was Pay's 4-0 Thursday performance that left you wanting more.

Let's dive in head-first...

Get used to this smiling face. He may impact the Final Four as much as any player next season.
Credit: Streetball.com

Midwest Region

Louisville waxed Arizona 103-64. It didn't come as much of a surprise honestly. Right?
Arizona in 2009: No idea who the coach is. Likely it won't be Russ Pennell. In fact, despite the Sweet 16 appearance it appears Pennell may not be on the Wildcats bench at all. What do we know about the Wildcat roster? Jordan Hill is going to be a top 5 pick. He's gone. Chase Buddinger gave the Wildcat faithful an extra year and he's flirting with the lottery. He's gone. As for Nick Wise...he's a talented junior who should be back for a senior season. At least there's that for Wildcat fans.
Offseason Question: "Will Jamie Dixon be the next head coach of Arizona?"
Recruit to Watch: None. The coaching situation can't help. Interestingly, the only recruit signed (according to Rivals.com) was Tremayne Johnson. Why do I find it (somewhat) interesting? He was recruited by Reggie Geary.

Michigan State outlasted Kansas 67-62. While it seemed Collins was going to take control of the game down the stretch, a few lapses in judgment ultimately took out the defending national champions.
Kansas in 2009: This is a very young team. At the epicenter are Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins. The likelihood of Collins staying seems pretty high. As for Aldrich, I wouldn't be surprised if he made an immediate decision. If that's the case, he may be in those pre-draft rookie camps trying to climb up a few boards. If both stay, Bill Self has Final Four talent yet again.
Offseason Question: "Alright, Cole. What's it gonna be? Staying or going?"
Recruit to Watch: After bringing in 7 quality recruits in 2008, Bill Self tabbed two more. I'm most interested in 6'8 Thomas Robinson, who may see a lot more court time if Mr. Aldrich bolts early.

West Regional

UCONN controlled Purdue from start to finish, defeating the upstart Boilermakers 72-60. Jim Calhoun continues his march to a potential 3rd title in 10 years. Impressive to say the least.
Purdue in 2009: Matt Painter was frequently quoted as saying his team was working "ahead of schedule". You can't blame him one bit when you look at the roster he has. The team is likely to again be at the top of the Big Ten and, if Hummel stays healthy, can use this year's tournament run to their advantage this season. Look out for the Boilermakers in 2009.
Offseason Question: "How do they keep Hummel healthy an entire season and work their way up to a high seed?"
Recruit to Watch: Looking for depth is a recruiting advantage. Building for the future has to be considered when you bring back your entire starting 5. D.J. Byrd said no to Notre Dame, Indiana, Butler, and Xavier. That grabs my attention for Matt Painter and company.

Missouri somewhat stunned the Memphis Tigers 102-91. To put this in perspective: John Calipari's teams have never given up 100 points in a game. Ever. Until tonight.
Memphis in 2009: At the beginning of the season, I would've told you that Tyreke Evans was the #1 choice to be 1-and-done. Not so much anymore. In fact, can Evans be talked back into staying? Probably not. Nevertheless, it's not just Evans that is leaving potentially. Seniors Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier will be sorely missed. Shawn Taggart and Doneal Mack may feel kinda lonely next season. Then again, judging by their highly ranked recruiting class, Memphis will be just fine in Conference USA and come tourney time. More than fine, in fact.
Offseason Question: "Is there a legitimate scenario which Calipari takes to bolt to another program?"
Recruit to Watch: Xavier Henry is signed. No surprise that he's a top-5 overall recruit. DeMarcus Cousins has verbally committed and may be the top recruit in the country. If (my) #1-ranked John Wall ends up joining the Tigers (is he waiting for Evans to make a decision?), I might put Memphis as the preseason favorites to cut down the nets. Scary good potential trio of freshman phenoms.

East Regional

Pitt fended over Xavier, in large put due to (trash) an incredible shot from senior leader Levance Fields. Xavier falls just short yet again. I continue to feel for them.
Xavier in 2009: After losing so much in 2008, I wondered if the Musketeers had enough to be a top program in 2009. I won't misunderestimate this team again. Having only one senior on the roster is a good thing. Although being that it's BJ Raymond makes it sting a little extra.
Offseason Question: "If the dominoes start to fall, will Sean Miller be leaving for (of all places) Pitt?"
Recruit to Watch: I'm not picking a name. Chances are I won't value the right kid and he'll end up being a 3-4 year stud for the Musketeers. Yeah, it's like that.

Villanova fizzled early; fortunately, DOOK stunk up the joint for the entire 40 minutes suffering their worst tournament loss in nearly 30 years.
Duke in 2009: I hate to be a hater, but getting Greg Paulus off of this roster will only be a good thing. As for losing Gerald Henderson, that will hurt quite a bit. His athleticism and attitude will be sorely missed by Coach K. However, a few All-American blue chippers will enter this season (as always) and there is still a foundation with Singler, Scheyer, Smith, Williams, and Thomas in place.
Offseason Question: "What's the first step towards Duke regaining its status as a yearly Final Four contender?"
Recruit to Watch: Ryan Kelly appears to be the typical 5-star Duke recruit. Here's my typical-issue with a Duke recruit: he's 6'9 and 205 lbs. I bet he has an affinity for the flop and the three-point shot too, right?

South Regional

North Carolina coasted past Gonzaga 98-77. By the way, Ty Lawson looks more than ready to lead this team to a national championship.
Gonzaga in 2009: Not many teams are losing as many names at the Zags. Who you ask? Jeremy Pargo, Micah Downs, and Josh Heytvelt have been staples the past couple of seasons in Spokane. Don't cry for Mark Few just yet though. He'd an incredible savvy recruiter and his team always loads up his schedule before WCC-play to prepare them for tourney play.
Offseason Question: "Is this a team capable of taking the next step and reaching its first ever Final Four or are they (and Xavier) a perennial "almost there" team?
Recruit to Watch: Mangisto Arop. What can I say? I love the name.

Oklahoma started with a confident swagger early and never looked back against Syracuse, winning by more than the 13-point margin on the scoreboard as time expired.
Syracuse in 2009: No excuses about Flynn's back are necessary. The team shot 0-10 from behind the arc in the 1st half and were downright sluggish and lazy for the game's opening 25 minutes. While returning to the Big Dance after a two year absent was nice, the Orange better be hungry for more next season. Onuaku, Jackson, and Harris will finally have some depth behind them with Iowa State transfer Wesley Jonathan joining the Orange in '09. Kris Joseph can only improve and a few recruits, or even a healthy Jones/Jardine duo may steal a few backcourt minutes. Problem is: without Jonny Flynn, this team is in serious trouble. Potential redshirt point guard Mookie Jones isn't ready to run the point yet. If Flynn stays, he also has backcourt mates Devendorf and Rautins back. I hate to sound biased, but if he does stay, this team has serious national championship-potential.
Offseason Question: "Plain and simple: Is Johnny Flynn staying to fuel national title hopes in 2009?"
Recruit to Watch: 6'11 DaShonte Riley committed to Georgetown and then selected Syracuse over Marquette after some "second or third" thoughts. He'll have plenty of time to develop behind Onuaku and Jackson. Nevertheless, can he make a leap from year one to year two? Or will he redshirt and make what I just said even more irrelevant?


See you in a few to talk Elite Eight...

Looking for the next Josh Pace…

You may have never heard of Josh Pace; however, if you’re a Syracuse fan…you know all about him. In fact, every national champion of recent memory has their own “Josh Pace”.

A role player who steps up tourney time, especially in the Final Four, to do those “little things” that you need to win a championship. Things that the average fan might not expect from that player, but a good coach desperately needs.

This “Josh Pace” might be a starter, a sixth man, a role player, or someone who never before saw the court in crunch time. Ironically, this isn’t typically an injury-replacement either. Whomever it is, the true fans remember them as much as they do the stars. (Maybe not so) Ironically, as a Cuse fan, I remember Pace more than Carmelo from the 2003 tournament. Except for a certain elbow-incident and a certain referee, of which Pay can chuckle about.

Pace's size was no issue in the 2003 tournament, as his ability to rebound and find open man was invaluable for Boeheim's crew.

Credit: JAMD.com

We know the big names of the past six national champions already…

Kansas [2008] – Brandon Rush & Mario Chalmers
Florida [2007] – Returning 5 starters [Noah, Horford, Brewer, Humphrey, & Green]
Florida [2006] – Noah, Brewer, & Green
North Carolina [2005] – Sean May, Rashad McCants, & Raymond Felton
Connecticut [2004] – Emeka Okafor & Ben Gordon
Syracuse [2003] – Carmelo Anthony & Gerry McNamara

…and on and on…

But did you know these names???

Kansas [2008]

Probably no more annoying face to a Tar Heel fan after last year's Final Four.
Credit: Kansan.com

Cole Adrich’s first half against North Carolina in the Final Four allowed Kansas to build a lead big enough, even they couldn’t blow it. His physical presence led to several quick baskets in the paint and allowed even more spacing for a ridiculous barrage of 3-pointers from the Jayhawks. Come title game time, Junior Darnell Jackson logged 29 minutes and contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds while only committing 1 foul. Not the easiest assignment when you draw Joey Dorsey (held to 3 shot attempts) and Robert Dozier. I also found it interesting that Memphis got a grand total of 2 points from its bench.

Florida [2007]

Another Florida big man to contend with. Lucky (insert opponent).
Credit: Gamespot.com

Senior Chris Richard was buried behind the starting frontcourt duo of Noah/Horford, obviously for good reason. Meanwhile Maurice Speights had lottery potential off the bench. No problem for Richard, who logged 20 minutes and put up 8 points and 8 rebounds (sound familiar?) despite drawing a guy named Oden more than a few times. Just a breather is all the big men for Florida needed, even as Noah struggled to a quiet 3 point, 6 rebound performance. Richard fouled out; however, all 5 fouls were vital to Florida limiting Oden to dunks, when his team was trailing by double digits. How can I tell those dunks weren’t that effective? Ohio State shot 4-23 from behind the arc despite a dominant big man attempting to control the paint.

Florida [2006]

Nothing more inspirational than a starter taking a backseat in order to win a championship. Right?
Credit: CollegeHoopsJournal.com

Perhaps the year that proves the (lone) exception, Florida was white hot in the tournament and bulldozed their way to an easy national championship (defeating George Mason & UCLA with relative ease). One name does stick out though: Walter Hodge, who saw far fewer minutes than the season prior, yet still provided valuable backcourt depth for Green/Humphrey – while still shooting over 40% from behind the arc – and was a steadying veteran for Donovan’s thin 8-man rotation.

North Carolina [2005]

I know it's a cheap shot, but remember that Atlanta took this guy OVER the likes of Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Savvy!
Credit: ESPN.go.com

After a furious second-half comeback by the Fighting Illini, it was freshman -future-#1 pick - Marvin Williams that tipped a ball in to help break a tie and seal the win for Carolina. While Sean May’s 10-11 performance and McCants’ 13-point first half received the bulk of the headlines, Williams has excelled in the 6th man role and made the biggest basket of the night for Roy Williams’ first national championship.

Connecticut [2004]

This guy OWNED the Cuse, much like many former UCONN players.
Credit: ESPN.go.com

Two names immediately stick out for any Big East fan: Denham Brown and Rashad Anderson. While Okafor and Gordon got all the glitz, without these two role players, UCONN wouldn’t have been playing for the national championship. Brown, as clutch as anyone in recent memory, was the team’s calming influence during tense times. Meanwhile, Anderson was as close to a Robert Horry-clone, especially when a clinching three was needed, as I’ve seen in college hoops in the last twenty years.

Syracuse [2003]

Where have you gone...Billy Edelin?

Credit: ESPN.go.com

The headliner of this post, Josh Pace was a sophomore guard who saw sporadic minutes behind a backcourt that included a freshman PG (McNamara) and a senior – who rarely played in the second half – Kueth Duany. Even troubled freshman PG Billy Edelin (nobody knows what he’s been through), often saw more time than the undersized Pace. With a floater akin to Mark Jackson, Pace gave the Orange(men) three things every team would LOVE to have from its undersized two-guard: 1) weak-side rebounding 2) an ability to get to the hoop and avoid contact 3) 1-on-1 defensive abilities in a zone scheme. Boeheim is quoted as saying that without Josh, there wouldn’t have been a title in Syracuse. Pace’s 8 points and 8 rebounds (funny how often that number gets mentioned) were crucial, especially on long free throw misses by Kansas.

Of course, this list continues.

But the real question is…whose name will be added to that list.

Suggestions???