Here are 20 things I learned from Week 1 of the NCAA tournament:
- Duke really isn't all that different from a year ago. Sure, the addition
of Kyle Singler and subtraction of Josh McRoberts helped the Blue Devils'
chemistry. However, Coach K's team is too reliant on the 3-pointer and its
supposed leader, DeMarcus Nelson, didn't step up when it mattered most.
Don't expect a huge change next season from Duke unless Gerald Henderson Jr.
and/or Singler make a huge jump in their games because it's not as if the
Blue Devils are adding a big-time player on the front line.
- Stephen Curry may look like a middle-school kid, but he's a man on the
court. Davidson's sophomore shooting guard was overlooked coming out of high
school because of his lack of size, but Curry's making many ACC coaches
regret their decisions to pass on him.
- The freshman class may have been loaded with talent, but it takes more
than one guy to advance in the NCAA tournament. Experience is key — just
look at the teams that are still alive. Kansas is a junior and senior-laden
team, Memphis has veterans, Louisville is led by fifth-year big man David Padgett, Washington State is an older group and even Western Kentucky has
three senior guards leading the way.
- Either Memphis coach John Calipari isn't telling the truth or he doesn't
understand the importance of making free throws. Because he maintains that
he's not worried about his team's inept foul shooting. We're going with the
"not telling the truth" theory on this one.
- Coaching can be somewhat overrated. Players win games. Stanford got past
Marquette in the second half with its coach, Trent Johnson, in the locker
room after getting tossed in the first half for arguing with the referees.
Assistant Doug Oliver took over and the Cardinal wound up knocking off the
Golden Eagles in overtime.
- Don't go against Tom Izzo in the NCAA tournament. I knew this prior to the
start of the Big Dance as I took the Spartans to get to the Final Four, but
Izzo's track record (26-9) when the games mean the most is impressive. He's
a fixture to go deep in the tourney and is one of the elite big-game coaches
in America.
- Arizona's players didn't like playing for interim coach Kevin O'Neill and
were somewhat relieved when the season ended. You could see it on their
faces that they will welcome back Hall-of-Famer Lute Olson.
- West Virginia's Joe Alexander isn't just a great quote. The kid can play,
too. The Mountaineers forward has done a terrific job — as have his
teammates — making the adjustment from John Beilein's cerebral approach to
Bob Huggins' physical mindset. Alexander has been on a mission the second
half of the season.
- It's not essential to have quality point guard play to advance. The
Tennessee Volunteers have made the Sweet 16 despite having sub-par floor
leadership. Ramar Smith is an enigma and backup Jordan Howell is, well, a
backup. However, Bruce Pearl's club is athletic, plays extremely hard and
has all the other pieces — shooter Chris Lofton, versatile forward Tyler Smith, an underrated shooting guard in JaJuan Smith and solid big guys with
Wayne Chism and Duke Crews.
- The ACC was down this year. I've said it all season and now it's proven to
be true as just one team from the league — North Carolina — is left
standing. Duke looked better than it actually was, partially because the
rest of the conference was just average.
- Indiana interim coach Dan Dakich won't be getting the gig on a permanent
basis, not after the Hoosiers were ousted in the first round by an Arkansas
team that was subsequently embarrassed by No. 1 North Carolina. Look for
guys like Washington State's Tony Bennett and maybe even Xavier's Sean Miller or Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings to be in the mix to replace Kelvin
Sampson at IU.
- Ty Lawson is back. The North Carolina sophomore point guard appears to be
fully recovered from the ankle injury that forced him to miss six games late
in the regular season. Forty points, 11 assists and no turnovers in two wins
for Lawson. Without him, there's no way that the Tar Heels go for 100-plus
points in their first two games.
- Even good teams are just one injury away from going home. Just ask UConn
coach Jim Calhoun, who lost his top player, A.J. Price, with a torn ACL in
the first half against San Diego. The Huskies were bounced by the Toreros
and Calhoun was one-and-done for the first time since arriving in Storrs.
That's what makes Roy Williams' decision to leave his starters in the game
late in a blowout against Arkansas so puzzling.
- Don't pick against Bo Ryan. There are plenty of underrated coaches
throughout the country, but the Wisconsin head man is near or at the top of
the list. I wasn't even sure the Badgers would make the tournament this
season, never mind win the Big Ten and advance to the Sweet 16.
- Bob Huggins has done a masterful job this year, his first back at his alma
mater. Think about this: Alex Ruoff helped shut down Jerryd Bayless, one of
the most explosive guards in the country. Huggins has no big men, little
depth and he still managed to get the Mountaineers to the Sweet 16.
- Purdue is going to be very good for the next two years. Matt Painter's
team bowed out in the second round to an Xavier team that has tons of
experience and talent. The Boilermakers freshmen got a taste of the NCAA
tournament and will add a big-time point guard next year.
- The Pac-10 and Big East each have three teams remaining in the Sweet 16.
The Pac-10's top three teams are still alive while the Big East has a pair
of surprises in Villanova and West Virginia to go along with Louisville, a
team that was expected to be there since the start of the season.
- The zebras really must like UCLA coach Ben Howland because the Bruins
continue to get the benefit of the whistle late in games. The latest was a
no-call on a defensive play late in the game against Texas A&M in which
Josh Shipp and Darren Collison both appeared to commit a foul.
- Anything can happen in this event. Just when I thought I had seen it all,
I watched as four upsets occurred in succession in front of my eyes in
Tampa. A pair of No. 12s and two more No. 13s advanced on Friday — one on
a buzzer-beater, the next on a last-second shot, then came a rout and a
shocking comeback.
- Don't pick so many first-round upsets in my bracket. Someone please remind
me next March.
Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. He
can be reached at GoodmanonFOX@aol.com
or check out his blog, Good
'N Plenty.
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