For Wichita State’s Ron Baker, sacrifices pay off with unlikely Final Four run (The Dagger: College Basketball Blog)
Somehow, getting his driver’s license when he turned 16 is now merely the second best birthday present Wichita State guard Ron Baker has received. That pales in comparison to the dream 20th birthday party Baker experienced Saturday in Los Angeles.
Final Four set after blowouts and another surprise (The Associated Press)
ATLANTA (AP) — After a season of uncertainty, there’s a clear favorite heading to the Final Four. The Louisville Cardinals. While the other No. 1s have fallen by the wayside, the top overall seed romped to the Georgia Dome with four dominant wins in the NCAA tournament. And, if the Cardinals need any extra motivation, they’ve got it. Sophomore guard Kevin Ware , who played his high school ball in the Atlanta suburbs, sustained a gruesome injury in Sunday’s regional final against Duke. Before he headed off to surgery, he courageously urged his teammates to finish the job. Now, they would like nothing more than to win it all for Ware. ”We talked about it every timeout, ‘Get Kevin home,”’ coach Rick Pitino said. Next stop, the A-T-L, where three rather unlikely teams will be looking to knock off the mighty Cardinals. First up, the surprising Shockers from Wichita State in the semifinals Saturday. The No. 9 seed has already pulled off two major upsets, but this would be the biggest stunner yet. …
The Final Four is set after blowouts, surprises (The Associated Press)
ATLANTA (AP) — An inspired Louisville squad vs. the surprising Shockers. A new group of Fab Wolverines vs. the stingiest zone defense in college basketball. After a weekend of blowouts and another upset, the Final Four is set. Top overall seed Louisville will face Wichita State at the Georgia Dome next Saturday, while Michigan takes on Syracuse in the other national semifinal. The winners advance to the April 8 championship. On Sunday, the Cardinals drew inspiration from a gruesome injury to guard Kevin Ware and cruised past Duke 85-63 in the Midwest Regional. Michigan led from the opening tip, routing Florida 79-59 in the South. A day earlier, Syracuse shut down Marquette 55-39 to win the East. Wichita State punched its Final Four ticket with a 70-66 upset of Ohio State out West. In the final year of the Big East before it splits into two new conferences, Louisville and Syracuse provided a fitting send-off to a league that quickly became a basketball powerhouse after it was founded in 1979. Before it goes, this version of the Big East has a …
Whiff? The Big Ten is in danger of missing the Final Four completely after dominating the season (The Dagger: College Basketball Blog)
The overall strength of the Big Ten Conference has been one of the major story lines of this college basketball season, but after Ohio State lost in the West Region final Saturday night to upstart Wichita State, the Big Ten is in danger of being shut out of the Final Four.
Wichita State’s band of castoffs survives Ohio State comeback, advances to Final Four (The Dagger: College Basketball Blog)
LOS ANGELES — They were overlooked before the season because last year’s five leading scorers graduated. They were dwarfed in their own league by highly touted Creighton. And they were overshadowed during their NCAA tournament run because another Cinderella story was even more unfathomable than their own.
Ohio State vs. Wichita State: Does Missing Final Four Make OSU’s Season a Bust?
Disappointing. Disheartening. Perplexing. Pick the adjective and that would describe Ohio State’s performance in the first 30 minutes of its 70-66 loss to Wichita State in the Elite Eight. The Buckeyes, who had…
Wichita St.-Ohio St. Preview
LOS ANGELES (AP) — During Ohio State’s journey to the Final Four last season, Aaron Craft learned the importance of focusing on the next 40 minutes, not the three-week trip. So Craft didn’t realize the highest seeds in the West Regional were dropping like dominoes until earlier this week. He purposely didn’t learn much about ninth-seeded Wichita State until Thursday night, when the powerful Buckeyes found out they’re facing the unheralded Shockers on Saturday for another ticket to the Final Four. ”I think that really helped a lot – just getting caught up in the moment and thinking about where you are and what you need to do to get out,” Ohio State’s star point guard said. ”We watch all the games. Obviously we’re basketball fans, but I kept saying, ‘Where is this team? Which bracket is this in? What is that?’ It wasn’t until after we played Iowa State…
Marquette-Syracuse means Big East in Final Four (The Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — When two teams from the same conference meet with a Final Four berth at stake, fans think it’s great from a rivalry and bragging rights perspective. Conference administrators hear cash registers ringing as NCAA shares are earned. But coaches? Not a chance. Saturday’s Marquette-Syracuse game will be the ninth time since the field expanded to 64 teams that two schools from the same conference played in the regional final. The first of those nine times was in 1987. Georgetown, a No. 1 seed just four years from winning a national championship, met Providence, an up-and-coming program under up-and-coming coach Rick Pitino, in the South Regional final. Georgetown coach John Thompson was asked Friday about playing a team from the same conference with such a big prize at stake. Three times, he colorfully said that it was a pain in the posterior. ”They know you and you know them. There’s no surprise. No coach wants to get somebody from within your…
Top seeds Louisville, Kansas stand in the way of historic All-Big Ten Final Four
There has never been a Final Four comprised entirely by teams from the same conference, but this could be the year it happens. The closest we ever came to having a conference tournament in the Final Four was 1985 when Villanova, Georgetown and St. John’s advanced from the Big East and were joined by Memphis State (now Memphis).
Which Big Ten team has best NCAA odds?
The Big Ten has a team alive in every regional. While Minnesota and Illinois fell by the wayside in the Round of 32, the conference improved its overall tournament record to 10-3. But the tests will get tougher from here, as legit opponents await all four survivors. Which Big Ten team has the best chance of advancing to Atlanta? Give your answer (and more questions) in SportsNation.
