Weeks Later, some thoughts on the National Championship Game Upon Second Viewing

I DVR'd the Uconn/Butler National Championship Game two weeks ago. I watched live, but I wanted this game for posterity. If they lost, the game would quickly be deleted. If they won, I would watch several times over.
But, when the Huskies completed their magical run to the title, all we heard was how miserable of a game it had taken to earn that victory. Most of the scorn was directed at Butler, which seemed to almost be put in a position to have to apologize for its horrendous shooting performance. Uconn's win was all but overshadowed by talk of how legendarily (is that a word?) bad the game was.
As such, for two weeks I haven't felt the need to go back and watch. As a Uconn fan, I found the game to be one of extreme discomfort. Especially in the first half, Uconn didn't play well and when they went down by 6 early in the second half, I was, well........frustrated. Nervous. Hell, I was sick to my stomach.
That was the last time I felt that.
As Uconn opened up its double-digit lead, and took control of the game to the point where you never felt like Butler had a chance to come back, I wasn't worried about the "pace" or "beauty" of the game. I was loving Uconn's defense, loving their efficient, if not superb, offensive sets, and loving the fact that time was slowly clicking down as Butler continued to hoist up three that would clank off the back of the rim.
After the game, it was pure euphoria. I honestly didn't care what Greg Anthony or Charles Barkley or anyone else thought about the game. I was in love with this team and their determination to win. Did they win an ugly game? Absolutely. But in the midst of that ugliness, they were as pretty as it gets.
This morning, up early on a windy, cold Saturday here in Connecticut, I decided to watch the game again. I knew the outcome. I knew the Huskies won. I didn't have to sit in front of my television, living and dying with each play. I could watch with an objective eye. Was this as "bad" a game as everyone made it out to seem?
Upon a second look, here are a few observations:

*Butler missed a handful of open outside looks, but most of their shots were contested and/or so far out from the 3-point line as to be low-percentage shots. That seems to be one thing missing from all the analysis: Uconn pushed Butler away from the 3-point line and made them take "true" threes. What do I mean by "true" threes? Well, we all know that the college three-point line is just too close. I ensures that almost everyone has three-point range. But, when you extend your defense, and push the shooters out, it means they have to take threes that are from the NBA range or longer. Sure, some of those shots look "open" but, in reality, you want guys shooting from there because there really aren't a lot of college players who can consistently make NBA-range three pointers. Shelvin Mack is lethal when his foot is an inch away from the college line. When you force him to take a much longer shot, even if it appears he's open, his effectiveness is dramatically limited. Uconn did a wonderful job of making sure Butler, for the most part, shot well outside their comfort zone.

*I don't think Butler had played a team quite like Uconn. It was obvious that the Huskies size, length and athleticism was overpowering for the Bulldogs, but why should that have been the case? As Steve Kerr pointed out on the telecast, Butler had played a long, athletic Florida team and had played very, very well. The difference?
Against Pittsburgh and Florida, by far the two most talented team Butler faced before the championship game, Butler was able to dictate the terms of the game. I don't know the reason, but both of those teams played back on their heels while Butler was the aggressor. Butler played the role of the scrappy underdog while those other teams played like favorites scared, in many ways, to lose. In Uconn, Butler faced an equally athletic, long team, but one that played tougher and more aggressive than Butler. They weren't back on their heels. They weren't letting anyone just go to the hole. They weren't allowing Butler to get into a rythm. They took it right to the Bulldogs. I don't think Butler was ready for the team that was going to play harder than them on every possession and, when you're the less talented team, you can't get outworked. Butler did.

*The refs let the teams play. I think that's another part of this. Butler didn't draw soft fouls. When they went inside, unless it was extreme contact, the refs let them play through. That meant Butler's lack of size and physicality was going to do them in.

*Uconn's defense was great, especially in the paint, and I think that affected everything Butler tried to do. A lot has been made of Jeremy Lamb's block of Mack's first three-point shot of the game. I think that certainly got into his mind, but the bigger moments came when, in the span of about three minutes, Uconn blocked/alterted three straight shots on the inside. It literally looked like men among boys in there and Uconn was simply better.

*I don't know what the final numbers were in terms of rebounding, but Uconn dominated the glass. In the last five minutes of the game, when it was pretty obvious Butler wasn't going to mount a comeback, Uconn wasn't nearly as aggressive on the block as they had been. However, up until that point, Uconn was simply too much for Butler. Even on rebounds Butler got, it was a battle. The ball had to be tipped two, three times before someone came down with it, whereas, with Uconn, it was usually a quick pulldown by Oriakhi or Smith (or Kemba and Lamb). I think that had a lot to do with the defense as well because Butler was never able to just grab a rebound, take it down the court for an easy basket or even get into their offense quickly without Uconn setting up their defense.

*Uconn got into Butler's head. There were a few instances in the second half where Butler players had layup opportunities and you could actually see the shooter look for the shot blocker before going up with it. Because of that, they missed the gimmee. Of course, you have to blame Butler because those are shots you have to make, but not to credit Uconn's defense is mindless.

*Finally, there was a lot of talk throughout the Final Four that, if everyone out on different jerseys, you would never be able to tell who was on big teams like Kentucky and Uconn or small-program squads like Butler and VCU. In other words, the athletes and player quality was the same, only the pedigree of the names on the front of the jerseys was different.
It was a nice thought, but untrue.
No one could have come away from that game thinking Butler had the same quality of player as Uconn. Even playing on fumes (it was obvious Kemba and the gang were gassed) they were quicker, stronger, taller, and better than Butler. They got what they wanted on offense much easier than Butler did. They, at times, just jumped over Butler for rebounds, jumped past them for buckets.
Matt Howard is a gritty, gutty player, but he couldn't do damage inside against Oriakhi, who dominated him, and his three-point shooting was contested every time (most of Howard's three-point shooting prowess came because Butler did a great job of sneaking him out to the perimeter for wide-open shots). You could tell that Uconn has, what, three or four potential NBA players on their squad (Kemba and Lamb for sure, Oriakhi, Roscoe, and Shabazz as possibilities). Mack might be a serviceable backup in the NBA but, after that, the falloff was obvious.

Look, no one is going to suggest this was a classic game. Butler missed some wide-open shots and, in the second half, as Uconn pulled away, you could tell Butler panicked a bit, going to a zone (that Uconn killed) and hoisting up quick, bad shots. But, Uconn's defense deserves a lot of the credit. In fact, after watching the game, they deserve most of the credit.
Uconn dominated. If they had been able to hit 38 percent of their shots, never mind over 40, it would have been a 20-point game.
I think a lot of the hand-ringing came from the fact that everyone outside of Connecticut was pulling for Butler. They wanted the Cinderella story. They wanted the Bulldogs to win.
If you go back and listen to the commentary, when Butler is playing Uconn to a standstill in the first half, and actually takes the lead, Clark Kellog is tripping over himself to credit Butler's defense. The Huskies missed as many wide-open shots as the Bulldogs, but Butler's "aggressive" D was the cause. It was a Butler love-fest. In the second half, when Uconn beat that offense and prevented Butler from getting ANYTHING on offense, Kellog suddenly switched gears. At one point he actually said "I don't want to credit the defense too much" when he had gone out of his way to commend less disruptive defense by the Bulldogs in the first half.
My point?
I don't think people wanted the story to be that little Butler wasn't a match for Uconn. They wanted it to be that Butler had a terrible game and, if they had played just a little bit better, Uconn would have been in trouble.
While I agree that Butler could have played better, I don't think there was anyway they were winning THAT game. Uconn's defense was just too good and Butler wasn't ready for it.
So, as ugly a game as it might have been, the defense was tremendous, and that helped a gassed Uconn win a National Title in what turned out to be easy fashion.
The pundits can laugh at this game all they want. What you learn watching that game again is that, on Championship Monday, Uconn was clearly the best team on the court.

Enjoying, enjoying, enjoying.............but giving a quick glance forward

The beauty of sports is that it never really ends. The day after the championship is over, hours after the trophy has been locked away in its case, people are already looking towards next year.

Let's be honest, ask a Cubs fan what's his favorite time of the season and he'll probably say “right when it ends.” Part of that is because, well, watching the Cubs is probably similar to watching a dog try and catch his tail, 162 times. You know he's never going to do it, but you watch just in case.

But, it's also because the last day of the season springs hope eternal. The team is officially a blank slate. Anything can happen in an offseason. Trades, free agent signings, new recruits (in college), and coaching changes can all serve to revitalize the fans' spirits.

So, are you ready to look ahead to the 2011/2012 Uconn basketball season?

Me neither. I need at least a week. Maybe a month. Quite frankly, I just want to savor this run as if I am laying in a warm bath. I don't want to wake up from this dream.

I still have Monday nights game on my DVR. Perhaps the ugliest game Uconn has ever played seemed so sweet, so perfect to the senses when the buzzer finally sounded. The national media can have their fill of pot shots, the jokes about the game, and snarky talk radio hosts can talk about how, if such and such a team from such and such a year played either Uconn or Butler, they would have blown their doors off.

Maybe. Or, maybe Uconn still would have found a way to win. They did every other time. They did when teams didn't shoot poorly. They did when they took on Arizona, after it hammered Duke in the Sweet Sixteen, and then Kentucky, after they ran through both Ohio State and UNC, both considered cream of the crop. Maybe, just maybe, Uconn couldn't be stopped.

Whatever. Who cares what other people think. This isn't about them. Never was. Never will be. This is about Connecticut, and the little bit of sunshine this team brought to what has been a gloomy, sullen month — a gloomy, sullen couple of years.

So forgive me if I take that ray of sunshine, pull up a lawn chair, and bask.

Next year is.....next year. Right here and now, there is nothing better.

But........

Okay, maybe a little part of me is interested in 2011/2012. Not in a “can we win it” kind of way because, honestly, how greedy could one fan get? It's more a curiosity at this point.

So, how's about we just take a quick little glimpse at some questions that have been raised about next year, and then quickly turn away and continue to revel in 2011.

Will Jim Calhoun Come Back?

I absolutely, positively believe he will. I know he said he'll “take some time” but that was really the only comment he's made in the last 24 hours that could even be remotely considered ambiguous. Besides that, he has talked about loving this team. He's talked about loving his players. He's talked about loving coaching. He's talked about wanting to give each kid all he could, every day. He's talked about still feeling that excitement, that anxiety that borders on fear, when he shows up for any game on the schedule, let alone post season contests.

Look, Calhoun is 68. Could he have some sort of health setback that puts his immediate coaching future in jeopardy? Absolutely. Could the Nate Miles situation bubble up again and threaten to explode? Possibly. But, barring anything unforseen, I can't envision Calhoun walking away. He had too much fun this year. He believes in these kids way too much. He believes in himself even more.

You know the old adage that they will have to carry him off the court? I think that might apply.

Will Kemba Walker Return For A Senior Season?

Absolutely, positively not. Did anyone notice that, on his banner, erected the other day to honor his Number 15 with a place in the rafters, that the dates listed were 2008-2011? Didn't see a 2012 there, did yah?

Everyone knows he's gone and, why wouldn't?

The NBA lockout? Please.

Let's say the NBA locks the players out (reasonable assumption). Let's also say the NBA and its players aren't the worlds dumbest group of people (not so reasonable an assumption). That would mean the lockout would last for a while, but not long enough to cancel a season. For the hell of it, let's say a lockout lasts until December (first two and a half months down the drain). That means Kemba would have to wait to get paid his millions of dollars until around Christmas time this year.

Would Kemba rather start making his millions in September when teams start camps? Sure. But, if someone told you that you could make millions of dollars, but you would have to wait until December to start collecting, would kick them in the groin and tell them to forget it? Didn't think so.

Now, think about what advantage there is for Kemba to come back — none.

Kemba Walker is already a lottery pick, and his size probably means he'll never rise in the draft to the point where he would be a first or second pick. In fact, before Kemba became Kembatastic, most prognosticators had him going late first round. A few had him going in the second.

Walker can't significantly help his draft stock with another year but he certainly could hurt it. Forget an injury (always possible). If he came out and his shooting percentage lagged and his play overall lessened, NBA teams would quickly forget the dynamic player they saw in 2011 and would, instead, remember the lesser player they have before them. He could lose a lot of what he already gained.

He wants to win another championship? Come on now. Kemba's not stupid here. Uconn went perhaps the greatest run in NCAA history. It was magical. It just all came together perfectly. The chances of that happening again next year are slim. Even if Uconn were to take a team worthy of a one or two seed into the Tourney next year, they could still go the way of Pittsburgh or Kansas or even Ohio State, beaten by a lesser opponent enjoying their own carpet ride.

There's nothing left for Kemba to do. He will graduate at the end of this year. He's been to two Final Fours. He's won a Big East Tournament Championship. He's won an NCAA Championship. He's been showered with accolades and rightly been called the best player in the country. And, all that has earned him a chance to be a high seed in the NBA draft and make millions. So what if he has to wait a few more months than he would like to cash in?

Can Jeremy Lamb Be The Guy Next Year?

Sure he can. Will he? Remains to be seen.

I've been watching Uconn basketball since “The Shot” against Clemson. I have seen a lot of “the next guy” come and go. Whether it's flat out failures like Ajou Deng and Ater Majok, or guys who just never made the transition from role player to main cog, like Albert Mouring and Tony Robertson, Uconn history is filled with guys who seemed poised to be the next great player, and it just never happened. Let's face it, last year's disappointing team had maybe the poster children for untapped Husky talent, Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson, leading the way.

But, in Lamb's case, no one other than Robinson has ever walked into a potential breakout year with as much talent. Lamb is silky smooth. He's a good ball handler. He has a clean shot that was already deadly this year and promises to get even better. And his long reach makes him a menace both on the boards and defensively. Talent wise, Lamb can be a great player.

Does he have the makeup? That's the big question in my book.

I love Lamb's stoic way of approaching huge moments in March. I constantly made the joke that Lambe always looked like he was just showing up for another day at work. Punch in, hit some threes, grab some rebounds and steals, and then punch out. All that was missing was a hard hat and a lunch box. But, as unquestionably important as that calm demeanor was in the chaos of March, can that translate to greatness when all defensive eyes are on him? No matter how great Lamb was this year, teams were still focused on one thing: stop Kemba Walker. Next year, stopping Kemba will be the NBA's problem. Will Lamb be able to respond to the added pressure?

Who Are You Most Excited To See Next Year?

That's easy: Roscoe Smith.

I know a lot of people will say Shabazz Napier or Alex Oriakhi. Trust me, I am very interested in those two guys as well. However, Roscoe has the most upside.

Smith can jump out of the building, which is what makes him such a good rebounder, even with his skinny build. He also has a very nice looking jump shot that should only get better. After hitting a wall at the end of the Big East season (everyone hit the same damn wall) he came on strong in the tournament. No, he didn't have the kind of breakout month that Lamb had, but it doesn't discount that Smith could easily establish himself as one of Uconn's better players.

Of course, he could also go the way of the Sticks.

Who Are You Most Concerned About?

Again, that's easy: Shabazz Napier.

No one player has a more deserved God-given name. At times, there was “SHABAZZ!!!!” Then, there was “SHABAZZ??????” Both could happen within the course of three or four minutes. On one side of the court, a great drive and dish for an easy layup. On the other end, a terrible foul or defensive blunder that leads to an opponents score.

Napier played much better once March hit (as did everyone else) and there is certainly a tremendous amount of talent there. But, Shabazz is goint to be asked to take control of this team next year. No relying on Kemba Walker to handle the ball in big spots. No getting bailed out for bad decisions by the best player in the country. Shabazz has the talent to be one of the better point guards in the country. Does he have the head?

What Is The Biggest Wild Card For Next Year?

Well, on the team, I think it's Niels Giffey. I have liked his game all year long, even though his play definitely warranted his long sojourn on Calhoun's sh*t list. Yet, he can shoot, he can play defense, and he has a knack for (at times) showing up in the right place at the right time for the ball. I think he can be a major contributor next year. In fact, right now, he would be my starting small forward (Napier at the point, Lamb at the two, Giffey at the three, Smith at the four, Oriakhi at the five) ahead of Jamaal Coombs-McDaniels.

Off the team, the biggest question, by far, is the eligibility of Andre Drummond. In case you don't know, Drummond is the top recruit for the 2012 class, but there remains the outside chance that he is eligible this year. If that's the case, Drummond seems to be leaning heavily towards Uconn (and it's hard to believe this last year would have done anything to dissuade him). If Drummond comes, Uconn will have a star in the making in Lamb, potential stars in Napier, Smith, and Oriakhi, and the best recruit in the land in Drummond. In fact, if you allow me to dream for a moment, Drummond's arrival in the fall of 2011, as opposed to the fall of 2012, would mean a potential starting lineup of Napier (PG), Lamb (SG), Smith (SF), Drummond (PF), and Oriakhi (C). Even thought Drummond is taller than Oriakhi, by all accounts he is much more skilled offensively, so it might be best to put him in a position to utilize those skills against other, smaller, PF's. 

What a lineup that would be. Uconn would have huge size and athleticism advantages at almost every position on the floor.

If that happened, maybe I would get up out of this euphoria and pay more attention to next year's team:)

Uconn.......Is Number One!!!!!!!

On March 6, almost an exact month ago today, I wrote the following:

The reality is this team will probably have a short run in March, followed by a long spring and summer of questions. And, instead of excitement come October, I'll be filled with something more resembling dread. Will Oriakhi improve at all (heck, will he even return)? Can Napier truly lead the team as its point guard? Can Lamb become a top player? Can Roscoe make the leap from great athlete to great basketball player, the way Stanley Robinson was never able to do? Will guys like Olander and Giffey become contributors, or will they remain in Calhoun's doghouse? And, of course, has the game begun to pass the old Hall of Fame coach by, or does Calhoun have another run at a championship in him?

Yeah, it was a rough day. Uconn had just lost to Notre Dame for the second time in the year, both losses by three points. It was an ugly, uninspired performance by a team that looked out of sorts and sick of basketball. It brought back horrendous memories from the previous season, when Uconn, almost every game, looked distressed that they even needed to play the game. 

There wasn't any reason to believe.........in anything. Uconn would play Depaul, the worst team in the Big East, that Tuesday in the opening round of the BE Tournament, and I truly believed they could lose. I mean, nothing came easy for this team and, if the effort wasn't even going to be there, nothing was a certainty,

However, even in my sorry state, even with so much pessimism bursting out at the seams, I wrote this:

Of course, maybe March gets a little crazy for the next two weeks? We can always believe, right?

I'd like to say there was something more to that comment than a throw-away line at the end of an often angry, bitter, hopeless post. I'd like to say that something deep inside of me quietly whispered "believe" and I dutifully listened. The truth is, I didn't believe. I honestly didn't even know what to believe in. As you can see, I even in my sarcastic fantasy, I could only dream for a crazy two weeks. Doing anything more seemed silly.

That's what makes what happened Monday night so amazing. That's what makes the images now so much a part of Uconn lore so sweet. No one expected this. No one could have. No one should have. And yet, it happened.

Do I care the Championship Game was played at a level lower than most submarines can safely travel, especially on Butler's side of the ball? Nope. Don't care in the least. This was about the journey, not a game. This was about March, not April. This is about brilliant moment after brilliant moment, not ugly basketball at the end.

There isn't a lot to break down with this game. Butler played poorly, so did Uconn. It was apparent that Uconn was just the better team. They dominated Butler inside. The Bulldogs signature timely offensive rebounding, especially by its guards, was taken away. Matt Howard was muscled out of the low post and forced to play from the perimeter. Shelvin Mack will see long-armed Jeremy Lamb in his nightmares for years. Anyone who looks at Butler's 18.8 percent shooting in a championship game and not give a boatload of the credit to Uconn's defense isn't being fair.

But, as has been said many, many different times, this game will not make any ESPN Classic playbacks (well, maybe it will, ESPN is always putting up strange things and calling the "classic"). That doesn't matter. And it doesn't matter if the rest of the country couldn't care less about Uconn's win. 

I care. This state cares. That University cares. Those kids care. That's all that matters.

Uconn is a strange basketball community. Unlike North Carolina or Kentucky, which can trace its lineage of greatness back for decades, if you're over 30 years old, you probably remember when Uconn WAS Butler. This was the little school that could. Sure, they played in the Big East, the way Depaul and South Florida plays in it now. They were the low end of the mighty conference, the "sure thing" on so many school's schedule. They were what their state suggests they would be: small.

When Tate George hit "The Shot" against Clemson, Uconn went to the Elite Eight to play Duke, and it was classic David and Goliath. When Uconn played them to an overtime, and lost by only one point, it was viewed as a victory for the program. In college basketball, the little guy can win, even when they have less points than their opponent at the end of the game.

For a lot of Uconn fans, the ones like me who grew up watching the maturation of the program, watching Chris Smith, Tate George, Scottie Burrell, Nadeve Henefeld, and the rest, there is still a part of us that looks at Uconn as that little school always on the brink of going back down the ugly hole of obscurity. There is always a sense of inferiority, never all that comfortable with the idea that Uconn is, now, one of the true "Big Boys" in the sport.

For those Uconn fans who have grown up watching since the late 1990's, that might be hard to understand, yet it's true.

That's why the last year was so......troubling. Maybe it had as much to do with outlandish expectations, but when Uconn played so badly all year last year, squandered so many opportunities to be good, so many chances to make a mark, and looked at either scared or disinterested doing it, there was a real fear that the best days of the program had passed. 

When the NCAA came trampling down on the heads of the program and, most notably, the architect of the program, coach Jim Calhoun, it felt like the wheels were coming off.

Yes, Uconn had made it to the Final Four in 2009, the school's third trip in. Yet, for some reason that run felt less wonderous than it should have. Perhaps that's because the AJ Price, Jeff Adrien class had already provided so many disappointing moments, from the loss to George Mason to not making ANY tournament, to being the first Uconn team to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, to losing the epic six-overtime game against Syracuse to cap a four-year winless streak in the Big East Tournament.

It almost felt as if the 2009 team had to do something like that, just to try and atone for all the misery in which it had been involved.

Also, the great talent seemed to be finding homes elsewhere. 

No one on that 2009 team, not even Thabeet, seemed like an impact player at the next level, and while the holdovers from that team, Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson, had worlds of talent, they didn't have much actual basketball ability.

As the season began this year, Jim Calhoun's recruiting class received more attention for what it wasn't than what it was. It wasn't Brandon Knight, CJ Leslie, Doron Lamb, or any of the big time recruits. It was supposedly second-tier group, nice guys, decent players, but nothing special.

On top of all of this was by far the biggest question: how much longer would Jim Calhoun coach, and did he still have "it" to make another run?

When games started, no one knew the answer. Now, we do.

If you're reading this post, I'm going to assume you're a Uconn fan. In that case, I don't need to recap this season. You know the highs, the lows, and the unbelievable. You know where this team started and ended. You know what this journey looked like and felt like.

What I will always remember is that this team, this season, made me believe not only in Uconn again, but in college basketball. There have been so many bad instances over the last years at Uconn: AJ  Price and Marcus Williams being involved with stolen laptops; the 2006 team, the best in the nation, that seemed to look ahead to the NBA rather than look towards a championship and, ultimately, made George Mason's dreams come true; guys like Doug Wiggins coming in and out of the program; Dyson and Robinson failing to live up to expectations. Then, the Nate Miles thing hit the fan, right in the middle of the 2009 Final Four, and it seemed like basketball was an afterthought.

This team, these kids, turned all that around.

How could you not love this group? From Kemba's smile to Jeremy's straight-man demeanor. From Oriakhi's playful nature, to Shabazz Napier's extraordinary confidence. From their willingness to hustle and fight for every loose ball, to their calm approach to late-game situations. This was a team of kids willing to do what it took to win. This was a team led by a star, a quick, smart, tenacious competitor who did whatever it took to win a ballgame. This was a team led by an old coach who looked young again. This was a team, growing together, believing in each other, fighting to have each other's back.

Uconn is my team, no matter what. It's my school. It was my favorite when I was growing up, and that love only grew when I went to the school. I was there in 1999 when Uconn won it all for the first time. I danced in the Jungle, screamed at the top of my lungs, and remember not going back to class for a week because it was just one big celebration. They are some of the best memories of my life. That team will always be my favorite.

This team will always be my second.

Jim Calhoun said it perhaps a hundred times last night: he needed this team.

Well, I think this state needed this team, as well. 

Times are tough. Winter was hard. People are without jobs. Businesses are still trying to figure out how to make ends meet. 

Uconn basketball, both mens and womens, has, for better or for worse, come to define this state. It is the one thing in which we can all enjoy and, in the end, root for together. In other sports, we are renters, not owners. We root for teams with addresses in the Bronx or Boston. We drive hours to see them play in other states. They aren't Connecticut.

Uconn, however, is. 

On March 6, when Uconn lost to Notre Dame, it looked like the long stretch in March, when warm weather and April showers seem still so far away, would come with no distractions. Uconn would go home early, and questions about the program and the coach would linger. It would be a dark, cold end to the season.

But that's when the light came in. That's when it all turned.

In the last month Uconn has given me memories that will, again, last a lifetime. I will remember Kemba's ankle-breaking jump-back buzzer beater against Pitt. I'll remember feeling sick to my stomach when dreaded Syracuse hit two crazy threes to tie Uconn and send the BE Tournament semifinals into overtime. I'll always remember Kemba's drive and pass against Louisville, with Lamb emerging from the shadow of the Cardinal defender to lay it up off the glass.

I will remember being in The Mirage in Vegas, watching Uconn dismantle Bucknell with three pointers and back-door passes. Ill remember sitting in a local bar, surrounded by friends, and watching two Arizona three pointers go up into the air with a chance to send Uconn home. I'll remember Kemba's block against Doron Lamb as he raced back to prevent an easy dunk, and I'll remember Shabazz Napier turning the ball over on one end, hitting two key free throws on the other, to beat Kentucky.

And, I will always remember Jeremy Lamb standing just inside half court, gleefully dribbling as time wound down and a national championship came into being. I'll remember Jim Calhoun's face. I'll remember how Kemba Walker looked both ecstatic and exhausted at the same time.

But what I will remember most is that a team that made me write what I wrote above went on to be the best team in the country. You don't get seasons like that, ever. You don't get the unexpected. You don't get the miracle, the unimaginable, the surreal, and you certainly don't get it in one month.

Well, we got it. And, Dear God, did it feel good.

Thank you Kemba, for being the best player this great program has ever known. Thank you Jim Calhoun, for bringing us something to cheer about, if only for a few weeks. Thank you Jeremy Lamb, for forgetting that you're a freshman and playing like a seasoned veteran. Thank you to all the players, from Shabazz to Oriakhi to Niels Giffey to Donnell Beverly. You all helped make this a reality.

I believe in God........and this is why.

Thank you Uconn, 2011 National Champions.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!

Things I like, Things I hate about the final game of the year.......and a big F*CK YOU To Rick Pitino

Before I get to the things I like, things I hate about this game, let me first give an ol'fashioned middle finger, blog-style, to Rick Pitino. If you didn't catch it this afternoon, Pitino got a call from Pat Forde, one of the many morons who get a paycheck from ESPN.com for helping to set sports writing back 200 years (I am fairly confident they didn't have sports reporters 200 years ago, thus the accuracy of the reference). Forde, being the grand investigative journalist he is, evidently got Pitino on the phone sometime in the last 24 hours. See, Ricky played both Uconn and Butler this year and beat both of them, the only coach in America to do so. So, naturally, Rick would be the perfect guy to break down both teams.

So, what was Pitino's prediction? Butler, and by a lot.

The slimy little quote was “it won't be at the buzzer. It will be by seven or eight points.”

Really?

Well, oh sage of the sporting world, why would you say that?

Because, sports fans, Uconn is tired and had a “war” with Kentucky. In his mind, the team that came out of their game exhausted would lose Monday night. That, he determined, was Uconn.

Pitino's illogic here doesn't really bother me, but it does warrant a response. First, did he watch the VCU, Butler game? That game was 61-57 with 2 minutes to play, and VCU missed a GIMME layup. Before that, both teams traded clankers, and neither team could take control. Plus, while Uconn and Kentucky were happy to play in a half court, VCU tried to run Butler around (the only way they can beat better teams) and, in the first half, were very successful. Butler looked tired in the first half, desparate to slow things down. Just because the final score showed a rather comfortable margin doesn't mean Butler had that margin for long. Again, with 2 minutes to go, it was 61-57, with VCU about to make it a 2 point game with an easy layup, which they missed. I guess, if you want to make a big deal about what turned into a less-stressful last 1:30 for Butler, as opposed to Uconn, which came down to last possessions, go right ahead. To me, however, I don't think the fatigue is that much of a factor.

The other joke of that comment is Uconn BEAT Louisville for the BE Tournament having played five games in five days, including an overtime game the night before against Syracuse. They had enough in the tank, after five grueling days, to beat the Cardinals, but not enough after having played a game on Saturday to beat Butler on Monday? Please.

But, like I said, that's just an opinion. A lot of people are picking Butler. You would think the bulldogs are an immovable force (forget the fact they last-second shots to beat both Pitt and Florida just to get to this point), but Pitino isn't an assmuncher for picking against the Huskies.

What makes him as assmuncher is a comment he made in the middle of the article. When asked about Lousiville throttling Butler early in the year, Pitino essentially called it a fluke. They had five weeks to prepare, were opening a new arena, and while Butler played well, they were simply behind the eight ball. Uconn? Different story.

According to Ricky Pants Drop, if Louisville had played Uconn 30 times, the Cardinals would have won 20. What a pricky little prick thing to say.

Wonder how many times Lousiville would beat Moorehead State if they played 30 times? Unfortunately, we'll never know because the Cardinals got bitch slapped by a 13 seed that then went out in their next game and got pummeled.

What is even funnier about that statement is that Uconn played Pitino and Louisville three times this year and in TWO of the games, Uconn was clearly better. Uconn had a comfortable lead at Gampel in their first meeting, then played way too much “keep-away” with the ball, blew the lead, and lost in double overtime. Louisville handled Uconn at their YumYum Center, or whatever the hell that redneck heaven is called, until meeting up in the Finals of the BE Tournament. In case you were wondering, Uconn won the game and, at one point, had a 14-point lead.

I guess, as a fan, you always end up finding something about you team's opponent that you dislike. I still can't find something specific about the Bulldogs, but can hang my hat on this: I desperately want Butler to lose so people like Pitino have to suck it for seven months. I am already sick of hearing how unbelievable this Butler team is. You would think they are beating people by 30 points a game. Please. They are good defensively, okay offensively, they play smart, they play hard, and that makes up for a lack of true athletic ability. I like Butler, a lot. But, I want Uconn to win by 25 now, just to shut everyone up.

Now, onto what I like, hate in this game:

Things I hate

*I hate that Cinderella does get the slipper sometime, and Butler might be due. Now, I was worried that Calipari and his Wildcats were on a similar run, but Butler feels more like the magic carpet ride than Kentucky.

*Kentucky played young for a lot of the first half against Uconn. Butler won't. I think Butler is going to play smart, aggressive, and run their offense.

*This Mac kid is good, and is a house, so if they put him on Kemba, it could make for a tough night.

*Butler was here last year and didn't win. Most teams that return, historically speaking, do win that second time around.

*Uconn has been in two very tight games against Arizona and Kentucky. In both games, there was a three in the air, in the final seconds, that would have sent Uconn home the loser. Butler usually plays tight, close games. I don't want Uconn in another spot where they are watching a shot in the air to beat them hoping it is just off the mark.

Things I love about this game:

*I think Uconn is better, pure and simple. I think they have the better athletes, and I think they can create more matchup problems for Butler than Butler can create for them.

*I like that Butler is getting picked by EVERYONE to win this game. That's fine. I don't care what Vegas says, technically, they are coming in here as the favorite. When the less talented team comes in with the pressure to win on their shoulders, I like that.

*Butler played Duke last year as a true Cinderella. They played loosey-goosey. No one expected them to even compete, let alone win. They played well and took Duke down to the wire. Now, for Butler, they will come into this game with expectations. Not only that, they will come in knowing it is now or never. Again, the less talented team, in my opinion, also has the best chance of showing up tight in this game. I like that for Uconn.

*Somehow, we've gotten to the point where Shelvin Mack and Kemba is considered a wash? Really? Mack hit five threes in his game against VCU and had 24 points. There are games where Kemba scores that many points BEFORE hitting some threes. With all due respect to Mack, a very nice player, he aint Kemba Walker.

*Uconn has played San Diego State, Arizona, and Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four. Butler played Wisconsin, Florida, and VCU. Sorry, no comparison in terms of athleticism and toughness. Only Florida, a somewhat overrated SEC team beaten up by Kentucky this year, came close to giving Butler the look of a team like Uconn. And, as was said above, they were in a dogfight with VCU, a team just lucky to have been hanging around and to have gotten Kansas on a night when they couldn't throw the ball into the ocean.

*I like Jim Calhoun over Brad Stevens. Just saying.

Good Versus Evil Tonight? Really?

Jim Calhoun is a gruf, sullen, angry looking man who snarls at the media, yells at his students, and refuses to censor his thoughts and his words. If he coached another team, I admit, I wouldn't like him. He isn't the type of personality you can love from afar. He isn't someone who evokes a lot of blah feelings, ala Bill Self or Roy Williams. You either love him or you hate him and, chances are, if you love him it's because you're a University of Connecticut Men's Basketball fan.

I get that. I really do. I get that, in athletics of all sorts, we, as fans, use whatever we can, whenever we can, to find a way to hate the other side, and paint them as evil and fraudulent. In a lot of ways, it's a defense mechanism. Win and you not only have won a game, you have vanquished a deplorable adversary who, in the world of right and wrong, did not deserve victory. Lose, and it's because you choose to do things the right, proper, moral way, while your opponent threw morality to the wind and sacrificed all in the name of wins and loses.

We see it in everything. How many Red Sox and Yankee fans were holding their breath, waiting anxiously for a player on either team to be implicated in the steroid scandal? For all the high-browed talk of “staining the game,” steroids simply became an extension of the playing field. You had more cheaters than we did, so we win.

Don't think North Carolina or Duke fans cross their fingers that some nasty scandal will come out enveloping their hated rivals? Forget the damage it would do to the school, the people involved with the program, the players on the team at the moment, and the image of college athletics in general. That's a small price to pay for being able to stick it to the other team's fanbase.

When Uconn beat Kentucky on Saturday night, I wasn't expecting what came. Uconn was immediately billed as evil, Butler as good. I was prepared for David versus Goliath. Uconn has won two national titles, now been to four final fours, and has a bevy of NBA star players that count Uconn as their home. Butler is the upstart, the little college that could, having shocked the world with an appearance in the final game last year (a Gordon Hayward desperation at the end away from beating Duke) and then made an even more astounding run at the championship this year, all with a group of players that probably won't get a sniff from the professional ranks.

I was expecting that and, in all honesty, was ready to revel in that. While the rest of the country might look at Uconn as one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, I am still somewhat amazed they reside on that level. I remember when Uconn WAS Butler. I remember when their run with Coach Calhoun in 1990 was as amazing as anything current Cinderella's do every year. To have turned that great initial run into two decades of dominance is amazing.

That's why I am shocked that so many have decided to bill this game as good versus evil, morality versus greed, right way versus any way.

You can dislike Jim Calhoun all you want, but to brand him a cheater, an example of all that is wrong with college athletics, is absurd. It is indecent. It is just plain wrong.

The NCAA found that Uconn had a relationship with a former team manager who became an agent. That agent evidently steered recruit Nate Miles towards Uconn. Here is what we know: Uconn coaches made too many phones and sent too many text messages to Miles as they recruited him. If anyone can explain to me why making too many calls or texts is bad, I'll pay your $1,000. I'm fairly confident I'll be holding onto my money.

We also know that some free tickets to a couple of Uconn games were left for Miles and a coach. If you've ever been to a game at the XL Center, you wouldn't be up in arms about someone getting free tickets.

That's what we KNOW the University did.

There was no allegation of grades tampering. There was no allegation that Miles received money from Calhoun, the school, or anyone associated with the school. Even the accusations levied against Nochimson, the agent, seem fuzzy. Miles needed surgery on his foot, yet it is unclear whether Nochimson actually paid for the surgery or just helped Miles secure money for the surgery. Either way, there's no evidence Uconn knew anything about it.

Miles, who hasn't wanted to talk to the NCAA at all, now says he will. He says Calhoun “knew” about the allegations, though offers no proof other than an assumption. He now says Nochimson paid Miles $250 from time to time to help him with expenses, yet, again, offers no proof. By the way, Miles now says he won't grant interviews with media outlets unless he is paid. He needs the cash. What a shock.

I honestly fail to see what is so bad about the infractions Uconn is accused of violating. Phone calls? Text messaging? You honestly care about that?

Should Uconn have been smarter about its relationship with a former team assistant turned agent? Of course. But, really, what is the difference between that and having a relationship with a booster? And, how many schools have relationships with AAU coaches? The answer, all of them. Why? To help steer kids to colleges.

If there were proof that Jim Calhoun and his coaching staff either paid, or knowingly provided money, thousands of dollars, to Nate Miles, I would be outraged. If there were proof that grades had been fixed, data tampered with to get Miles into school, I would be ashamed. But, in the grand scheme of college athletics, what Uconn did was......nothing. Uconn violated NCAA rules that shouldn't be rules to begin with. Should they have adhered to those rules, regardless? Yes. But, to paint Jim Calhoun and Uconn as all that is wrong with college basketball without asking “well, what did they really do” is intellectually lazy.

And I think it has become transparent that no one really cares all that much about the violations. Want proof? Pick any story that has come out in the last 24 hours, one that paints Calhoun or Uconn as dirty, and count how many times they mention something more than just “NCAA violations.” There is never, ever, ever any explanation about those infractions. Why? Because the details are boring, mundane, and run the risk of getting every reader thinking “wait, that's a big deal?” When USC was getting pounded for the Reggie Bush scandal, every article recapped how much Reggie had gotten from his booster, his new car, and the house for his parents. It was tangible. You could put your arms around it and say “jeez, that's not right.”

When Calipari's troubles are mentioned in the media, they talk about the money Marcus Camby received at Umass and the SAT scandal with Derek Rose. Again, the detail feed the story.

Here, the details would ruin the story.

If you write Jim Calhoun will be suspended three games next year because his staff sent too many text messages and called Nate Miles too many times, people go, “What?” If you say the coaches might have left a few free tickets to college basketball games for the kid, people go “who cares?”

But, if you just simply write “major NCAA infractions” people think the worst. They think money changing hands. They think grades appearing or disappearing. They think Jerry Tarkanian and UNLV. They think Blue Chips with Nick Nolte.

Say “major NCAA infractions” and then call Jim Calhoun a cheat, a fraud, and a black eye for college athletics, and you have your story. No need to elaborate. No need to explain. Let the imagination run wild because, hell, we know it will be a lot more interesting than the truth.

I don't know why this has bothered me so much, but it has. I guess I expected more than just a tar and feathering of a man and a program that came up from nothing and, in 25 years, never had so much as an accusation made. I guess I expected people to put rooting interests aside and look at the facts. I guess I was hoping people wouldn't look to continue character assisination just simply to further a fun little narrative about clean cut Butler versus nasty cheating Uconn.

This couldn't have just been a game, could it? Butler's run couldn't have been appreciated for it's brilliance? Uconn and Jim Calhoun couldn't have been given credit for rising well beyond expectations and doing more in one month than most teams do in four years?

Instead, we needed “good vesus evil.” We needed to annoint Brad Stevens as a saint, Jim Calhoun as a demon. And, in so doing, paint a respected, and respectable University with an undeserving brush of corruption, and tarnish the talents of Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier, and the rest as somehow unclean.

Let's go Uconn. Shove this up everyone's ass. And, if this is truly “good against evil,” then let's hope its Halloween tonight.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!

One. More. Game

There is one more game in the college basketball season. It's Monday night. More than 300 Division I teams are sitting home right now. Two are game planning for one more 40 minute session. The University of Connecticut is one of those teams.
I don't know what else to write. This entire run has been magical. To say it has been unexpected is to beat a very nearly dead horse. What Saturday night showed me was that Uconn........is a really, really good team. They aren't just Kemba Walker. They aren't just Jeremy Lamb. They aren't just one or two players. They are a swarming team on defense, a set team on offense. They are nothing, NOTHING like the team that played through February.
Now, they will play on Monday. We have said all March long "whatever happens" in such and such game, this season has been a success. That remains true. No matter what happens Monday night, this Uconn season has been unreal.
But, now Uconn is 40 minutes away from a National Championship. Now, the gold standard is staring Uconn in the face. Now, only the Butler Bulldogs, on their own magical run, stands in the way.
I want one more 40 minutes of magic. I want one more college basketball dream to come true. I want one more night of watching Kemba Walker do his thing. I want one more night of Huskie Mania.
Is that too much to ask? Maybe.
Maybe it's too much to expect this 11-game run. Maybe it is too much to put on a team that was obviously gassed at the end of the game against Kentucky, and has been playing on shaky legs since doing the unthinkable in MSG. But, Uconn has been doing the impossible now for an entire month. Why not one more impossible feat?
How will Monday night end? Euphoria? Heartbreak? Will the story be Jim Calhoun and his third national title, or will it be the upstart Butler Bulldogs and their two-year Cinderella run?
I don't have any idea. Butler might be the best defensive team Uconn has faced in this entire tournament, and while Kentucky played, at times, like a young group, Butler isn't going to be rattled, nor are they going to play dumb. As well as Uconn played, at times, on Saturday, they will need to do better Monday.
But, Uconn will be the better team on Monday. They will have more talent. They will have, by far, the best player on the court, and probably the second best player on the court (Lamb). What does that mean? Not much. Pittsburgh was better than Butler when the two played, as was Florida. They beat both.
But, this Uconn team looks like it's on a mission. It has played every way you could want. Need to win by shooting the three? They've done it. Need Kemba to score 35? No problem. Need to win by playing great defense? They are up to the task.
Whatever they will be asked to do on Monday, you know they'll be ready for it. They won't quit. They won't scare. They won't back down. They won't be intimidated.
I don't know what will come from Monday, but what I do know is that this team has long since convinced me that they can, not just that they might.
I believe. I believe in the magic. I believe in the run. It can happen. I pray it does. Because this run, this historic moment, needs its capper, and that capper would be some new pieces of net for everyone on Uconn to bring back from Storrs.

It's the Final Four......Things I like, Things I Hate About Playing The Wildcats

Okay, Saturday has finally arrived. It is the last weekend of college basketball for the 2010/011 season and Uconn, the team picked to finish 10th in the Big East, the team everyone (including yours truly) left for dead at the end of the regular season, the team that had to play on the dreaded Tuesday of the Big East Tournament, is one of the last teams standing, and a popular pick to walk away with another title.
First hurdle on their way to that trophy, John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.

Things I Hate About this game:

*I know Uconn has done a really good job of playing the three point line over the last few weeks, but they still have a hard time with good screens, especially Shabazz, who has a tendency to either go over, or under, the screen at the exact wrong time. I worry about Shabazz, who will probably cover Brandon Knight a lot in this game, getting lost and letting him go nutty from three. If Kentucky is making its 3's the way they did against UNC, it could be a long night for Uconn.

*Kentucky scares me because they are all so long and athletic, and while Uconn is also athletic Kentucky just seems to have a guy who can drive and shoot, equally well, at every position. With Arizona, if you shut down Derek Williams, you knew you had a good chance. With Kentucky, even if you take away Knight, other guys can kill you.

*I believe in Kemba. I think the game he had against Arizona is as "bad" a game as you can expect from him. I'm honestly not worried about him throwing up a stinker (and, if he does, Uconn goes home early). I do, however, worry a little about Jeremy Lamb. He's a freshman. He's been sooooo good these last few weeks, these last few games. Is he going to be able to duplicate that? Is he due for a down game? If so, I don't have a tremendous amount of confidence that someone else steps up and takes his place in the box score.

*Uconn has won nine consecutive games, most of which have come against very, very good teams. Winning that 10th, let alone 11th, against another very, very good team is a tall task. Eventually, you get a night where the ball doesn't bounce your way. Sometimes, you get a night where that last second three does find the bottom of the net, rather than the back of the rim.

*I think John Calipari is a used car salesman. There are NCAA infractions, and then there's rule breaking that offends your senses. Make a few phone calls, text a few too many times, and I laugh. Hold a barbecue at your house for recruits, I could care less. Have a few contacts with AAU coaches, and I roll my eyes. But, when you're program was paying a kid thousands of dollars (Marcus Camby) or someone was taking one of your recruit's SAT for him (Derek Rose) I have a major problem. My even bigger issue with Calipari is with what he did upon taking over at Kentucky. All the players on the team he didn't think could help him win were forced out. Real Sports on HBO did a great job reporting the story. If you were an okay player, Calipari essentially forced you out the door so he could get John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and the rest. He didn't want to wait for success. he wanted it immediately, and if that meant some kid who was recruited by Kentucky, loved playing for Kentucky, had his life turned upside down, so be it. Slimy.
Having said all that, Calipari has been to three Final Fours, should have won the championship with Memphis (one of the great choke jobs against Kansas in history) and I worry that it might be his time. He's gonna get one. This might be it. I worry about that. A lot.


Things I Love About This Games

*We have Kemba Walker and you don't, pure and simple. Kemba could have "one of those games" where he can't be touched. He could have 38 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists. He could break Kentucky's heart. I don't think anyone on Kentucky, even Knight, has that capability.

* Uconn is young, yes, but Kentucky is younger, and led by a kid. If you told me right now one of these teams will throw up a stinker, I'll pick Kentucky. If I am concerned about Uconn winning 9 games in a row against top quality, you have to have similar concerns about Kentucky, right? They have won 10 games in a row. They have done it against come equally difficult competition. They have also had to win two games (against Princeton and against Ohio State) with last second shots. Uconn has had close calls as well, but they have been more consistent. I don't believe the last-second magic will last a third time for Kentucky.

*I think Calipari is a superior recruiter and motivator. I don't think he is the in-game coach Jim Calhoun is. If someone needs to make an adjustment (and someone will need to) I have confidence in Calhoun pushing the right buttons.

*I think Uconn gets Kentucky into foul trouble. I think that gets into their heads. I think that keeps Uconn in control of the game, even when things get tight.

*Kentucky hasn't had to "come back" on anyone. They have taken control of games (Ohio State and UNC) and then had to hold them off down the end. I don't think Uconn lets Kentucky get that far out ahead of them. In the second half, I think Uconn opens a lead and then holds off Kentucky at the end.