It's Been a Good Day to Be a Louisville Basketball Fan

The Louisville men's and women's basketball teams earned a place in the Final Four and Elite Eight respectively. (https://www.facebook.com/GoCards)

The University of Louisville is known for their storied basketball tradition. The men's program has made 39 NCAA tournament appearances, 10 Final Fours, and won two national championships (1980 and 1986). The women's program does not have as impressive a history, but is steadily improving under head coach Jeff Walz. Walz led the Cardinals to their first Final Four in 2009, where they finished runners-up to Connecticut.

Both teams were in action on Easter Sunday. The men's team was set to battle Duke with a trip to the Final Four in Atlanta on the line. The women's team faced a huge challenge facing the No. 1 overall seed in Baylor in a Sweet Sixteen matchup.

The men's Elite Eight game between Louisville and Duke got off to an evenly matched start. The Cardinals led 21-20 with 6:33 left in the first half when a game-changing incident happened. Louisville guard Kevin Ware jumped as he attempted to block a 3-pointer by Tyler Thornton.As he landed, his leg severely broke and he collapsed to the ground.

Players, coaches, and fans were all visibly shaken. The Louisville players were overcome by emotion. Chane Behanan sobbed on the floor, Wayne Blackshear was on his hands and knees, Montrezl Harrell was doubled over and Russ Smith wept visibly as he pulled his jersey over his head to cover his tears. Even the Duke players could be seen clearly crying and distraught over what had occurred.

The Cardinals players gathered together. They weren't sure how they would be able to move on from this. Head coach Rick Pitino called his players over to where Ware lay on the ground. The sophomore guard couldn't walk, but he was fully capable of talking to his teammates.

"Kevin told us to win this game for him, so we had to take it upon ourselves to do that," Harrell said. "That's what we had to do. We didn't have a choice."

"He told us countless times: 'Just go win this game for me. Just go win this game. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Just go win this game,'" explained Peyton Siva. "I don't know how he did it. I don't know how he got strength to do it, but he told us to go out there and win."

In the second half, the Louisville players held up their end of the bargain. With the score tied 42-42, the Cardinals went on a 17-2 run that proved to be the knockout punch to a Duke that could never recover. When the final buzzer sounded, they had prevailed 85-63.

There has been one question in women's college basketball that no seemed to be able to answer. How do you stop Brittney Griner? Baylor had won 32 straight games and 74 of 75 behind Griner, who is among the greatest players ever in her sport. Louisville finally found the answer during their Sweet Sixteen game Sunday night. As a result of doing so, they were able to accomplish one of the biggest upsets in the history of women's basketball.

The strategy the Cardinals utilized was referred to as box-and-chase. They tried to keep defenders both in front and in back of Griner. They were successful enough to hold Griner to 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting, which tied for the fourth fewest field goals she has attempted in a game this season.

Louisville made it interesting though. During the final 7½ minutes of the game, they blew a 17-point advantage. As the final seconds began to tick off the clock, the Cardinals forced Griner into another mistake. She committed a foul with 2.6 seconds left in the game that gave Louisville a chance to win.
Senior forward Monique Reid made both foul shots to propel the Cardinals to a 82-81 victory.

The Louisville women's basketball team has already accomplished history. They pulled off one of the most colossal upsets in the history of women's sports. The Cardinals will now face the University of Tennessee in the Elite Eight. The winner will advance to the women's Final Four in New Orleans.

As the Louisville men's team posed with their Midwest Regional trophy, what they were focused on was the No. 5 jersey with the name Ware emblazoned on it that they proudly held up. They knew what they had accomplished for their fallen comrade. The Cardinals know that their mission is not complete yet. The team will head to Atlanta, where they are two victory away from becoming national champions. That No. 5 jersey will provide all the motivation they need.

Duke is Just Happy to Play in the Belk Bowl

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe has led his team to their first bowl game appearance in almost 18 years. (Mark Dolejs)

Most teams would be disappointed by losing their last four games of the season and finished 6-6. However, that is exactly what Duke did, and they couldn't be happier about how it ended. A 6-6 season may not be special for most schools, but it is viewed as significant progress at basketball-mad Duke. The football team has suffered through 17 consecutive losing seasons. The Blue Devils went 37-158 (.190) from 1995-2011, including winless campaigns in 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2006.

The 6-6 record is significant because it means Duke will play a postseason game for the first time in almost 18 years. They were rewarded with a bid in the Belk Bowl, played in nearby Charlotte, where they will play a Cincinnati team that's going through another coaching change.

Duke began the season 5-1 and knew that they would need just one win to accomplish a big goal for their program. Following a loss at Virginia Tech, they got a second shot at home against their archrival North Carolina on October 20. Trailing 30-26 late in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils were in need of a miracle. Senior quarterback Sean Renfree completed a fourth-down touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Jamison Crowder on with 13 seconds left in the game to push Duke to the emotional win that made the Blue Devils bowl eligible for the first time since 1994.

"This is certainly one of the goals, was to reach this bowl eligibility, but it's just the beginning," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said.

Duke did finish the season with four consecutive losses, but the season was considered an accomplishment around the country. The Atlantic Coast Conference named Cutcliffe their coach of the year. The Blue Devils also rewarded him with a contract extension through the 2018 season. This is viewed as a significant step in the right direction.

"You've got to take this step to take the next one, particularly when you've been where we've been for so long, said Cutcliffe. "I'm very appreciative that our players have bought in so strongly to the program, and they're very committed to what we're trying to accomplish."

Why Duke Should be the No. 1 Team in the Country

Duke senior forward Mason Plumlee carried the Blue Devils to victory with his 21 points and 17 rebounds. (Gerry Broome)

I know that Indiana was the No. 1 team in the preseason polls. I know that they are undefeated with a 7-0 record. I watched their impressive shellacking of a young North Carolina team in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The problem is that the Hoosiers nor any other team in the country has even remotely close to as good of a resume as Duke has right now.

Tonight, the Blue Devils picked up their third win over a top five team in the polls. They even managed despite struggling badly offensively, especially in the first half. Duke shot only 30% from the field in the first half and trailed Ohio State by as much as ten in the second half. However, they weren't done yet, especially with the Cameron Crazies urging them on.

A couple of turning points were all the Blue Devils needed. The first was an incredible transition alley-oop from Quinn Cook to Mason Plumlee that further electrified an already crazy loud crowd. The second came with 6:06 left in the game. Duke senior forward Ryan Kelly buried a three-pointer to tie the score up 53-53. He nailed another seconds later to give the Blue Devils the lead for good.

As I already mentioned, this isn't Duke's first top five win. Back on November 13, they beat a young, but very talented Kentucky team. Last Saturday, they also beat Louisville, who was a Final Four team last season. Very few teams ever beat three top five teams in an entire season, but the Blue Devils have found a way to accomplish it in a span of 15 days.

As if that weren't enough, Duke beat a now ranked Minnesota team by 18 points. I have a feeling that their nine-point win over VCU will be another impressive win come March. With three top five wins, wins over at least five predicted tournament teams and a perfect 7-0 record, there is nothing that came compare to what the Blue Devils have accomplished so early in the season.

Sorry about that Indiana. You are undefeated and very talented, but there is a team that has been far more impressive against significantly stronger opposition. Duke should be the No. 1 team in the polls. There is no doubt about it in my mind. If the polls look strictly at a team's resume, there is no way that the Blue Devils cannot be the top team in the country. They have made a strong case to say the least.

Are Your Brackets Busted?

It would come as no surprise to me if they were after a day like today. After all entering today, #2 seeds were 105-4 all time again #15 seeds. That all changed when #15 Norfolk State upset #2 Missouri and #15 Lehigh upset #2 Duke. Out of 6.5 million brackets on ESPN.com, only 31,183 correctly picked these games. Additionally, only 24,492 brackets correctly chose #15 Norfolk State, #15 Lehigh, and #13 Ohio. #12 seed South Florida and #11 seed N.C. State both pulled significant upsets as well.

Wow. I mean what else can you say after a day like today. Your bracket is probably destroyed, but you probably loved the basketball you watched. Picking a perfect bracket is next to impossible. So don't feel bad. In fact, the odds of picking a perfect bracket are 1-in-100 million trillion (Weimerskirch). One teenage fan correctly picked every game of the first two rounds last year. The odds of that happening was estimated at 13.46 million to one (bookofodds.com).

So don't feel bad if your bracket is busted. I know that mine is. But that is okay. Now, you can root for all the underdogs and enjoy the madness of March basketball.

What to Make of a Stumble Before the Tournament?

March Madness has already come before Selection Sunday. Many top teams have lost earlier than expected in their conference tournaments. I breakdown each team and tell you what I think the loss means come tournament time.

Syracuse - Lost to Cincinnati 71-68 in the Big East semifinals

Syracuse come into the Big East tournament with the #1 seed, but had never won it with the top seed before. That continued this year as they ran into a hot-shooting Cincinnati team. Syracuse would probably beat Cincinnati 8 or 9 times out of 10, but not last night. Syracuse will still get a #1 seed in the tournament, but the loss cost them any chance of getting the #1 overall seed. What the loss did show is that this team is more vulnerable then their record shows. The Orange have been in a lot of close games this season, but they have come out the victors in most of them. Syracuse has the record they have because they play consistently great basketball, but I would be the first to tell you that if the Orange run into another hot team in the tournament, they could get upset.

Kansas - Lost to Baylor 81-72 in the Big 12 semifinals

Kansas came in the Big 12 tournament as the #1 seed and had a matchup with Baylor, who they had beaten handily both times during the regular season. Baylor got revenge in this one, playing tough basketball from start to finish. Kansas head coach Bill Self was the first to acknowledge how good Baylor was. After the game, he said, "Make no mistake about it. They beat us tonight. They were better than us, no question. That's a good basketball team. They're very talented." Those were nice words coach, but what does that mean about your basketball team. I still think Kansas is the most complete team in that conference. A conference that I think is the best in college basketball this year by a considerable margin. Kansas may have lost their chance at a #1 seed, but this is still a team I wouldn't want to face in the tournament.

Duke - Lost to Florida State 62-59 in the ACC semifinals

Duke came into the matchup with Florida State having split the regular season matchups. So everyone expected this one to be another thriller. Duke is the traditional ACC power, but it was Florida State that built the double-digit second half lead. The Blue Devils rallied, but the Seminoles stayed calm and held on for the win. After the game, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski stated that he thought that Florida State's Michael Snaer was the best competitor in the conference. What does that mean for his Dukies? Well I think still a very good team, but they have their flaws. They don't play great defense and rely on the three a lot. For Duke, it is all about who they get in the tournament. Given the right matchup, they could make a run, but given the wrong one, they could be out earlier than expected.

Big Week in Conference Play Featuring Some Rivalries

I'm previewing the men's college basketball games to watch this week. There are big conference showdowns and some big time rivalries on display.

Monday

Connecticut @ #25 Louisville - 7:00 PM EST, ESPN

UConn got a much needed win on Saturday when they pounded Seton Hall. Can the victory propel the Huskies to make a run, or was the win just a mirage? Louisville has quietly won four in a row in conference play.

Tuesday

#11 Florida @ #1 Kentucky - 7:00 PM EST, ESPN

Florida has won seven in a row, all of which were in SEC play. The Gators have looked like the second best team in the conference. Kentucky just keeps win basketball games. Freshman Anthony Davis is just a beast. People are saying is the most dominant player to play in the SEC since Shaquille O'Neal.

Wednesday

#14 Georgetown @ #2 Syracuse - 7:00 PM EST, ESPN

Georgetown has played solid in conference play so far and are coming off a win over Connecticut and a demolition of South Florida. Syracuse keeps churning out wins. The got Fab Melo back in Saturday's win as well. Will the Hoyas have enough to pull the upset, or will the Orange display their dominance of the Big East once again?

#8 Kansas @ #6 Baylor - 7:00 PM EST, ESPN2

The top of the Big 12 standings shows three teams tied for the lead with conference records of 8-2. Missouri, Kansas, and Baylor have all spent time in the Top 10 of the polls this season. On Wednesday in Waco, Kansas and Baylor faceoff. Kansas is coming off a tough loss at Missouri. Baylor is building steam once again having won four straight.

Saint Louis @ Saint Joseph's - 8:30 PM EST

The Atlantic Ten standings have been crazy this season so far. The top of the standings are so crowded right now. In fact, six teams are currently within a game of first place. St. Louis is one of those teams with a 6-3 conference record. The Billikens are coming off solid conference wins at home over St. Bonaventure and Dayton. St. Joseph's is 5-4 in conference play, so they have some work to do. The Hawks have taken some steps in the right direction with wins over Richmond and La Salle.

#5 Duke @ #6 North Carolina - 9:00 PM EST, ESPN

Duke and North Carolina. It is the rivalry of all rivalries in college basketball. Normally, it is also the game to decide who will be in first place in the ACC. That is not the case this year as both teams are looking up at Florida State. Duke is coming off a shocking overtime loss at home to Miami. North Carolina came from behind last Saturday to win at Maryland. The Tar Heels have won five in a row since losing to Florida State.

Notre Dame @ West Virginia - 9:00 PM EST, ESPNU

Notre Dame seems to be as hot as any team in the country right now. The Fighting Irish have beaten three Top 25 teams in their past four games. West Virginia held on Saturday to beat Providence in overtime. The win ended a three game losing skid.

Thursday

Valparaiso @ Cleveland State - 7:00 PM EST

First place in the Horizon League is on the line in this matchup. You might not think this a big deal, but Butler plays in this conference, and we know what they have done in recent years. Cleveland State did upset Vanderbilt earlier this year, so these are two teams to watch out for.

#16 Saint Mary's @ Gonzaga - 11:00 PM EST, ESPN2

St. Mary's has looked downright dominant as of late. The Gaels are winners of twelve straight and undefeated in conference play. They have already beaten rival Gonzaga once and would love to do it again to prove a point. Gonzaga rebounded from a loss at BYU with a win at Pepperdine on Saturday.

Friday

Iona @ Loyola (MD) - 7 PM EST, ESPNU

First place in the MAAC is up for grabs in this game. Both teams are 11-2 in conference play. Iona got revenge on Saturday winning at Manhattan to get a big win. The Gaels have won four in a row. Loyola has won six in a row since losing at Iona on January 15. The Greyhounds won each of those games by double digits.

#23 Harvard @ Pennsylvania - 7:00 PM EST

Despite being ranked, Harvard isn't a lock for an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament. It would be much easier if the Crimson would just win the Ivy League and get the automatic bid. They are undefeated in conference play so far, but they need to get by perennial conference contender Penn. The Quakers are 4-1 in conference play.

Saturday (There are a lot of games Saturday, so I am just going to list them.)

#25 Louisville @ West Virginia - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN

Connecticut @ #2 Syracuse - 1:00 PM EST, CBS

#18 Virginia @ #6 North Carolina - 1:00 PM EST, ESPN3

#6 Baylor @ #4 Missouri - 1:30 PM EST, ESPN3

VCU @ Old Dominion - 2:00 PM EST, Comcast Sports

Cincinnati @ #15 Marquette - 3:00 PM EST, ESPNU

#17 San Diego State @ #13 UNLV - 4:00 PM EST, NBC Sports

Witchita State @ #12 Creighton - 5:00 PM EST, ESPN2

#10 Michigan State @ #3 Ohio State - 6:00 PM EST, ESPN

#1 Kentucky @ Vanderbilt - 9:00 PM EST, ESPN

Xavier @ Temple - 9:00 PM EST, ESPN2

Ohio State's Dismantling of Duke is Just the Start of What Should Be a Revealing Week

A lot of people, including myself, questioned how good the Ohio State players not named Jared Sullinger were. Last night, they made a statement when they routed Duke by 22. In Columbus, the Buckeyes fans booed when LeBron James and his Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade walked to their courtside seats. After the game tipped off, there was little for them to complain about as their team took an early 11-0 lead and never looked back. Ohio State's offense was led by Sullinger's 21 and senior William Buford's 20. Sophomores Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft added 18 and 17, respectively. The Buckeyes defense kept Duke from responding. The Blue Devils made only twenty percent of their three point attempts as they scored a season-low 63 points.

This is just the start of what should be a revealing week. Below is my preview of the best game for each night the rest of this week, starting tonight.

#7 Wisconsin @ #5 UNC - 9:30 PM EST (Wednesday), ESPN

Wisconsin's closest game this season so far is a 17 point win over BYU. The problem is that the Cougars are by far the best team they've played. The Badgers are led by Preseason All-American guard Jordan Taylor. Sophmore Ben Brust is off to a great start to the season as well. UNC is hoping to bounce back from their first loss of the season at UNLV. The Tar Heels are also hoping their Preseason All-American forward Harrison Barnes is able to play well on the ankle he rolled in that loss.

St. John's @ #1 Kentucky - 7:30 PM EST (Thursday), ESPN2

Thanks to UNLV's aforementioned upset of UNC, this year's version of the young Kentucky Wildcats is already ranked #1. Kentucky's starting lineup features three freshmen and two sophomores. The Wildcats have scored 84.4 ppg and won their games by an average of 30.0 points. The big showdown might be Saturday (I'll preview that in a bit.), but this young team can't get caught looking ahead. St. John's brings their own young team to Rupp Arena. The Red Storm might be 4-3, but I watched them played at Madison Square Garden. They are much better than that. This team is figuring out how to play together. Sophmore guard Nurideen Linsey has the looks of an electrifying, budding leader. In addition to Lindsey, D'Angelo Harrison, Moe Harkless, and God'sgift Achiuwa all average at least 11.3 ppg.

#9 Florida @ #3 Syracuse - 7:00 PM EST (Friday), ESPN

The Florida Gators travel to the Carrier Dome to take on the Syracuse Orange. The Gators only loss is by seven points to Ohio State. The Gators offense is being led by guards Kenny Boynton and Bradley Beal. Beal is off to a great start to his freshman season. The Syracuse Orange are 7-0, despite all the chaos surrounding their program. The Barry Fine investigation is ongoing, and head coach Jim Boeheim is getting increasingly frustrated with the media. Boeheim better be careful though because if these accusations turn out to be true, he could experience a similar exit to former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno. On the court, senior point guard Scoop Jardine runs the Orange offense. Senior forward Kris Joseph is the team's leading scorer.

#5 UNC @ #1 Kentucky - 12:00 PM EST (Saturday), CBS

I have already previewed both these teams (if you forgot, look above). This matchup features two of the most storied programs in all of college basketball. The Wildcats offense has been fairly balanced this season. UNC point guard Kendall Marshall is averaging a ridiculous 10.8 apg in leading the Tar Heels attack. The teams seem to matchup fairly equally. This game should be a dandy.

ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon

While the college basketball season has already tipped off, ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon began just an hour ago. The marathon features 21 games, 21 conferences, 15 states, and 14 ranked teams. Here are my Top 5 Games to Watch from the marathon.

5. Northern Iowa @ Saint Mary's - 2 AM EST, ESPN/ESPN3

Two mid-major tournament regulars who frequently do some damage. This game will help to give an early expectation as to what to expect from these teams come March.

4. Belmont @ #10 Memphis - Noon EST, ESPN/ESPN3

Belmont is coming off a 30 win season last year. They nearly upset Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium (lost by one). Memphis is young and unproven. I think the Bruins finish off the upset this time.

3. #6 Duke vs. Michigan State - 7 PM EST, ESPN/ESPN3

The Blue Devils were definitely tested by Belmont. Michigan State played a tough game against UNC, but just weren't good enough. But will they be good enough to beat Duke? This game should tell us a lot about both teams.

2. #8 Florida vs. #3 Ohio State - 8PM EST, ESPN2/ESPN3

The Gators bring a deeply talented backcourt, but Ohio State might have the best big man in the country in sophomore Jared Sullinger. The slim-downed Sullinger should be a beast, but how good will the rest of the team be? This is their first true test.

1. #2 Kentucky vs. #11 Kansas - 9PM EST, ESPN/ESPN3

Two of the winningest programs in the sports history faceoff on a big stage. Terrence Jones and yet another top rated freshman class lead Kentucky. Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor will run the show for the Jayhawks.

More complete preview of all of the games: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/page/Tipoff-game-by-game-preview-of-the-marathon/game-game-preview-college-hoops-tip-marathon

Andy Katz's blog posting previewing Belmont before the season began: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/7147784/belmont-bruins-chance-shine-early-duke-blue-devils-memphis-tigers

Detroit News article about Jared Sullinger and the Ohio State Buckeyes: http://www.detnews.com/article/20111109/SPORTS0203/111090312/Ohio-State-fit-for-Big-Ten-title-run-with-trimmer-Jared-Sullinger