Sports - NCAA second round recap and Final 4 preview

The Louisville loss hit me hard and took the excitement of the NCAA tournament out of me. Not only was I going to win my pool if they won the championship, I was hoping for three Big East teams in the Final Four. Many were worried about Louisville's propensity to lay an egg here or there. They had won their last ten games coming into the tournament. I thought they were past that. Apparently they were not. Michigan St. did an excellent job breaking the press. Still, Louisville did not play solid half court defense and particularly did not rebound on the defensive end which could have given them some transition opportunities. Louisville themselves turned the ball over more than usual and struggled more than they should have even against a good Michigan St. team. I blame some of this on the committee for the inclusion of Arizona. Anyone who thought the committee was justified for putting them in because they beat Utah and Cleveland St. saw the real Arizona team. That was disgraceful against Louisville and perhaps the Cardinals became a little too relaxed after the forty point blow out win. So, we have the Spartans.

The Villanova vs. Pittsburgh game was the best game of the tournament. I wasn't shocked by the result since Pitt seems to always choke in the tournament. If Xavier would have been a normal four seed, Pitt would have lost that game. However, Pitt actually played a very good game against Villanova. The Wildcats were just better. 22-23 from the foul line is ridiculous.

Looking ahead to the Final Four, the odds have to be in favor of a UConn vs. NC final. Sure with Michigan St.'s slow tempo they may be able to stay in the game and pull it out, but I'd go with UConn. On the other side, NC may have struggled with Pitt, but Villanova seems to be a bad match up. Villanova has no answer for Hansboro and they like to run. I would bet that NC can outrun them. The Wildcats will have to be on fire from three. If it is a Huskie-Tarheel final, it should be a good game. It's a tough call. The Big East in me will not let me pick the Tarheels, though. I say the Huskies nip the Tarheels because of poor NC defense.