Five Things We Learned On Elite Eight Saturday

2009-03-31T04:34:32-04:00

2009-03-29T00:30:05-04:00

2009-03-30T11:50:36-04:00

CaptainSac

Havertown 19393

32 Such a great game I had to post twice apparently......and yes the Final Four in Ford Field is going to look awful. 4865627

2009-03-31T04:34:32-04:00

401

SteelersSox

Falls Church 191032

Such a great game I had to post twice apparently......and yes the Final Four in Ford Field is going to look awful.

36 I don't know if the MSU-UConn game will, what with the game so close to the MSU campus. I think they will get a pretty big crowd for that one at least. I know they're expecting record crowds. However, that "atmosphere" in Arizona showed that nothing other than a Final Four should be played in a football stadium. 4876355

2009-03-31T04:30:45-04:00

401

SteelersSox

Falls Church 191032

35 Or at the very least if they had impeded him they would have been able to force him into a lower-pct. shot from farther away just to beat the clock. 4876239

2009-03-29T13:15:17-04:00

pigskinfan

Conneaut Lake 651380

22 Regarding "the play" - the turning point of the play was NOT Reynolds' drive and shot, or the inbounds pass, but the Fact that the Pitt defense stood like mannequins in the Macy's window while Reynolds waltzed in for a relatively easy layup, leaving them with only 0.5 seconds to retaliate! They could have defended the inbounds pass. They could have defended the upcourt drive and forced 'Nova to either run out the clock or take a much lower percentage shot. They even could have given the instant foul on the inbound, let 'Nova get the 2 free throws, and then have more than 3-4 seconds to score themselves. Instead they let 'Nova , drive the entire court, walk in for a 5' shot and run out the last precious seconds. If a last-place high school team had done that, they would be running laps for the next week and the coach would be looking for a new job. 4859275

2009-03-31T04:28:38-04:00

401

SteelersSox

Falls Church 191032

Regarding "the play" - the turning point of the play was NOT Reynolds' drive and shot, or the inbounds pass, but the Fact that the Pitt defense stood like mannequins in the Macy's window while Reynolds waltzed in for a relatively easy layup, leaving them with only 0.5 seconds to retaliate! They could have defended the inbounds pass. They could have defended the upcourt drive and forced 'Nova to either run out the clock or take a much lower percentage shot. They even could have given the instant foul on the inbound, let 'Nova get the 2 free throws, and then have more than 3-4 seconds to score themselves. Instead they let 'Nova , drive the entire court, walk in for a 5' shot and run out the last precious seconds. If a last-place high school team had done that, they would be running laps for the next week and the coach would be looking for a new job.

34 I noticed that, too, and I couldn't believe it. Reynolds had no opposition until Gilbert Brown finally got in front of him about 2 feet from the basket, and by that point it was too late. No way was he going to miss from there. There were two Pitt defenders next to Reynolds when he caught the ball after the pass following the inbound. Either of them could have gotten in his way. They didn't even have to foul him, there was so little time on the clock. All they had to do was delay him, make him run around them instead of right by them, and the clock would have run out. They could have stopped him farther down the court, too, or tried to force the ball out of his hands. It's possible that even one additional pass would have run out the clock. There are so many things they could have done just to force overtime. Instead they just watched as he ran by in a straight line to the basket. I could not believe it. 4876354

2009-03-30T16:24:39-04:00

D4AR12

Pittsburgh 746957

33 It is not the officials' responsibility to call what you think are fouls or what the coaches and players think are fouls. What they should be doing is calling the same type of fouls on both teams. In allowing the two teams to play a more physical type of game, they are allowing them to play to their style. 'Nova and Pitt have played physical basketball all season long, as has the rest of the big east. This was an easy game to call and they did a good job. It gets more difficult when the teams play different styles. The pace and tone of the game HAS to be set in the first few minutes of any particular game. If you've been watching the ACC all year I can understand why you'd see this game as "too physical." Go buy a binkie and get ready for Uconn and 'Nova in the finals. It's the Big East's year. 4870916

2009-03-30T11:50:36-04:00

CaptainSac

Havertown 19393

32 Such a great game I had to post twice apparently......and yes the Final Four in Ford Field is going to look awful. 4865627

2009-03-30T11:49:25-04:00

CaptainSac

Havertown 19393

31 The Pitt-Nova game was a classic and not overly physical compared to the Big East this year. You people saying that it wasn't incredible must like foul fests when fouls are called when you breathe on a guy. Amazing game. Game of the tourney by a long shot. 4865596

2009-03-30T11:48:05-04:00

CaptainSac

Havertown 19393

30 The Pitt-Nova game was a classic and not overly physical compared to the Big East this year. You people saying that it wasn't incredible must like foul fests when fouls are called when you breathe on a guy. Amazing game. Game of the tourney by a long shot. 4865590

2009-03-29T13:15:17-04:00

pigskinfan

Conneaut Lake 651380

2009-03-30T00:48:02-04:00

srf466

Cherry Hill 746443

29 You're a moron. There was no layup it was a short jumper over their big man. And telling your team to foul in a tie game with 5 seconds left when the other team has to go the length of the floor is ridiculous. 4861897

2009-03-29T23:40:13-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/730/686/thumb/images.jpg 515 NJ

57 Straight Talk chopping wood

731326

28 The Cats will bite the tarheels ....you can bet on it. The ACC (ask Duke) has not seen this level of Defense. 1985 !!!Believe it 4861597

2009-03-29T09:14:04-04:00

D_Widdy

No City 640252

12 Basketball in football stadiums? Works at the 'Cuse but everybody can't do it. Makes the NCAA look like the NIT. Rediculous! And hey, EZWRITER, he didn't say the plays were carbon copies of each other only that they were in the same STYLE, which they were. Do be so quick to criticize. 4858391

2009-03-29T13:58:26-04:00

Maximus34986

Port Saint Lucie 738060

Basketball in football stadiums? Works at the 'Cuse but everybody can't do it. Makes the NCAA look like the NIT. Rediculous! And hey, EZWRITER, he didn't say the plays were carbon copies of each other only that they were in the same STYLE, which they were. Do be so quick to criticize.

27 Works at the 'Cuse? So, you call what Syracuse does in the Carrier Dome between August and November football? Interesting. 4859476

<div class="photo_container image_center" style="width: 615px;"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/30581/atd.scottie-reynolds.ap.jpg" alt="Atd" width="614" height="375" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">Scottie Reynolds earned a place in NCAA tournament lore with his shot that launched Villanova into the Final Four.<br />AP</div> </div> <p><strong>1.</strong> The play that put Villanova in the Final Four should be known as the Dual Homage. The inbounds pass to <strong>Dante Cunningham</strong> was in the same style <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0haGKGiX9qA" target="_blank">of the bomb Valparaiso threw to <strong>Bill Jenkins</strong></a> -- to set up <strong>Bryce Drew</strong> -- in 1998, in that both teams entered the ball to a leaping big man rather than the shooter. And the three-quarter-court race that Scottie Reynolds went on after receiving the ball from Cunningham was reminiscent of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHceOvR464s" target="_blank">the mad dash UCLA's Tyus Edney used</a> to beat Missouri in 1995, in that both point guards weaved through traffic and sunk a short floater in the face of the final defender, who stood with his hands up in the lane. Even the time was nearly the same: There were 5.5 seconds left on the clock for Reynolds' rush, and 4.8 for Edney's.</p> <p>What sets Reynolds' play apart from Drew's and Edney's, though, what was at stake: Nova's first trip to the Final Four since 1985 -- not just a win in the first weekend of the dance. Even if Reynolds does nothing else in this tournament, he'll forever have a place in tourney lore.</p> <p><strong>2.</strong> Pitt's national title hopes weren't just killed by Reynolds, though; in a big-picture sense, they died at the free-throw line. The Wildcats had ice in their veins, going 22-of-23 from the stripe, with the lone miss coming by <strong>Reggie Redding</strong> with 20 seconds left in the game. The Panthers, meanwhile, went 21-of-29, with <strong>DeJuan Blair</strong>, a 61.5 percent free-throw shooter on the season, going just 2-of-6. The discrepancy in accuracy was no fluke. 'Nova ranked 22nd in the country in free-throw shooting, at 74.8 percent, while Pitt ranked 229th, at 67.3. Like it did to Memphis in last year's tournament, lackluster stripe-work finally caught up to Pitt.</p> <p><strong>3.</strong> As good as Villanova looked in wins over Duke and Pitt, it looks like we're headed for a UConn-North Carolina title game. The Huskies match up well with likely Midwest Region rep Louisville -- UConn won by 17 in Freedom Hall on Feb. 2, and seems impervious to pressure -- and Carolina can outscore 'Nova in a transition game. There were times during the season where public opinion soured on both the Huskies (soon after the <strong>Jerome Dyson</strong> injury) and the Heels (when they lost to Boston College and Wake to open up the ACC, and weren't playing D) but they're now the two strongest teams in the field.</p> <p><strong>4.</strong> UConn can win it all if <strong>Stanley Robinson</strong> keeps playing like he has over the past four games. He'd fade in and out during the regular season -- like when he scored 19 at Marquette on Feb. 25, and then three against Notre Dame on Feb. 28 -- but has been locked in in the dance, acting as an explosive finisher around the basket as well as a defensive stopper. He had 13 points, six boards and four blocks against Mizzou and was a big help in withstanding the Tigers' chaotic  <br />pressure. There isn't a team in the country that can stop Robinson, <strong>Jeff Adrien</strong> and <strong>Hasheem Thabeet</strong> at the same time when they're all playing together in the Huskies' frontcourt.</p> <div class="photo_container image_center" style="width: 615px;"> <div class="photo"><strong><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/30601/atd.phoenix.getty.jpg" alt="Atd" width="615" height="364" /></strong></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">The University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the NFL's Cardinals, provided a bad atmosphere for the Western Regional.<br />Getty Images</div> </div> <p><strong>5.</strong> NCAA: Stop playing non-Final Four games in football stadiums. Their excuse is that they have to test out those regional sites for future Final Fours, but the gridiron venues are horrible for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. NBA arenas -- like FedEx Forum and TD Banknorth Garden -- are big enough. The backdrop in Glendale, Ariz., for the West Regional was downright eerie, just a sea of empty red seats. The photo above, from the UConn-Missouri game there, should give you a decent idea of the scenery. Even the fans who did show up seem miles away from the court, which is the complete opposite of the raucous, densely-packed settings college basketball is played in during the regular season. I understand they need to make money on this thing -- if cash were no object, then I'd put tourney games in Cameron Indoor and Hinkle Fieldhouse every year -- but it's coming at the expense of the atmosphere.</p>

Luke Winn

New York 4563 59661