Final Four + Four things to think about when filling in that bracket (for entertainment purposes only, of course):
1. Since he is a favorite in these parts, let’s start with Kansas coach Bill Self. His Jayhawks are one of the nation’s best and the pick of many to reach San Antonio. But Self is 0-4 in regional finals after failing to make that last step to the Final Four with Tulsa and Illinois, and twice with Kansas.
2. Another sexy selection is Memphis, which was little tested while blowing through Conference USA. The Tigers strengthened their non-conference schedule with games against Georgetown, Arizona and Tennessee. But they were not pushed much in league play, which is reason enough to wonder if they are tough enough to survive a series of stiff tests. And they struggle at the foul line.
3. One other point about the Tigers, who are a sparkling 33-1. Not one of the last 20 teams that entered the tournament with a single loss won the national championship. Included are the 2005 Illini and the DePaul teams of 1980 and ’81. The most recent one-loss team to go all the way was North Carolina State with David Thompson in 1974.
4. Do not underestimate how dysfunctional the situation is at Indiana, which has woefully underperformed since the resignation of Kelvin Sampson. Not only are most of the Hoosiers still carrying a torch for their former coach, many wanted assistant Ray McCallum, not Dan Dakich, to succeed Sampson. And consider: In his six games since Sampson’s departure, freshman guard Eric Gordon is shooting 29 of 84 (34.5 percent) and 7 of 44 (15.9) on his three-pointers, with 26 turnovers and just 15 assists.
5. In contrast, do not disregard Davidson, even though it is out of the Southern Conference. The Wildcats know all about big-time opponents after slogging through a non-conference schedule that included Duke, North Carolina and UCLA, to whom they lost by six, four and 12 points, respectively. They also have a 25-point scorer in sophomore guard Stephen Curry, son of former NBA player Dell Curry, and an often overlooked ingredient possessed by midmajors that make noise in March. They have size in Boris Meno, Andrew Lovedale and Thomas Sander, all of whom are 6 feet 8 inches.
6. It is no secret that Duke is a doughnut team that has nothing in the center. But another reason to wonder about the Blue Devils is their high-octane, perimeter-oriented offense, which has been touched up by influences from the playbook of the Phoenix Suns. This is not by coincidence. Suns coach Mike D’Antoni assists Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in guiding the U.S. Olympic team. But the Suns have failed to win the NBA title under D’Antoni, and, in hopes of doing that, recently filled their own hole with Shaquille O’Neal.
7. There is clearly no hole at North Carolina, where Tyler Hansbrough psychotically fills the middle. Like Duke, the Tar Heels have a kinetic offense that averages nearly 90 points a game. But Hansbrough, despite his accomplishments, is not one of those shot-blocking defensive intimidators who makes opponents fear driving to the hole. That leaves his team with a suspect defense, which is surrendering better than 72 points a game.
8. Playing in the nation’s best conference, UCLA surrendered only 59.1 points a game. And as the saying goes, defense wins championships. But the Bruins also possess, in junior Darren Collison, a two-year starter at point guard, the most important position come tourney time. Then there is their experience after two straight Final Four appearances and the daunting presence of freshman center Kevin Love. He is the nephew of Mike Love, who was the lead singer for the Beach Boys back in the days when the Bruins won national titles with regularity.
