Skip to main content

"Mission Storybook Ending: Failed"

Without a doubt, the NCAA tournament gods forgot to use any of the multiple storybook endings for this year's tournament:

(1) Duke:

 Arguably the best one-two punch in Duke history fail to win the title in their senior year. I can't imagine a team in the past having already beaten 10 of the teams in that year's NCAA tourney and still fail to make the Elite Eight. (Duke beat Memphis (#1), Texas (#2), UNC (#3), Boston College...twice (#4), NC State (#10), Bucknell (#9), Pennsylvania (#15), Indiana (#6), and Seton Hall (#10))

(2) Texas:

The trifecta is stopped short by 3 games. FYI, Texas won the last baseball and football championships. Had this happened, it would have been one of the most remarkable sports achievements ever considering the factors.

(3) UCONN

Even though I personally hate them, UCONN had a star-studded roster this year. They were definitely the feel-good championship pick going into the tourney. Had they won this year, it would have been the third championship in the last 8 years ('99, '04). Also, this may be one of those teams comparable to the early '90's Michigan team: "Future NBA powerhouse with no NCAA banner." Realistically, next year could be a rebuilding year for UCONN if their guys go pro. (Hey, why stay in college when you can enroll in the NBA's 3-year 'on-bench' training program making 2.5 million a year?!!?)

I guess having George Mason in the Final Four is pretty storybook, but not the one I had envisioned. At least UCONN and UNC are at home as well. Misery loves company!

Popular posts from this blog

SportsDesk - 06.25.09

It's official. Shaq is a Cleveland Cavalier. Let the Cleveland nickname offerings begin! Here are some thoughts to consider with this move: The NBA East has officially become as interesting and exciting as the West. The Magic, Cavs, Celtics, Heat and Sixers are as fun to watch as the Lakers, Nuggets, Blazers, Mavs, and Hornets. This trade is the last straw for Cleveland to land LeBron in Summer 2010. If the Cavs don't win the title, LBJ will become a NY Knick next Summer. It's a done deal. The Shaq acquisition doesn't solve any long-term problems for Cleveland. He'll be there one year. Shaq doesn't have 3 years of productivity left. If he wins a title next year, he should retire a champion. I don't see Cleveland giving him a 2-year contract at the end of next season. If LBJ and Shaq "leave" Cleveland next summer, which big free agent star comes to Cleveland in the wake of LBJ? I don't see Wade doing it. Bosh doesn't fit the mold. If Clevel...
Read more

Favre Talking Points

I was a closet Green Bay fan in high school, mainly because of some big-time Packer fans in my church. Granted, it was easy to pull for them, since they weren't rivals with America's Team -- that's right! What intrigues me the most is that three teams took different approaches to Brett Favre, and I believe they would've have been mistaken to respond differently. Packers were criticized (as was Favre) for not letting Favre come back. I'm sure there are still some detractors that would say Favre would've won more games than Rodgers (6). What's interesting is that Aaron Rodgers QB stats (other than wins) were better than Favre's. The point is that, the Packers weren't going to win the NFC last season, with or without #4. They could be a Super Bowl team in 2-3 years. The Packers made a great move by parting with Favre. It couldn't have happened better for them. Jets are a bit more troublesome to parse apart. The only thing that makes them look foolis...
Read more

USA v. Ghana: Line-up & Prediction

This is the most interesting game of the tournament as far as what is at stake. The USA need a win by at least 3 goals if the Czech and Italians were to tie. If Italy were to beat the Czech, all the USA would need is a win. Here is my "best-bet" line-up: GK - Keller D - Bocanegra, Gooch (yc), Cherundolo MF - Beasley, Reyna (yc), Dempsey, O'Brien, Donovan F - McBride, E. Johnson Notes: - 3 in the back will force play outside; Dempsey (RWM) and Beasley (LWM) are fast enough to play both ways - Midfield control will be the most crucial factor to a multi-goal win. We will not counter-attack well with the speed of the Ghana side. Also, if we don't control the midfield, Michael Essien will. - I think McBride and Johnson are the best bet up front. McBride receives the ball well. Johnson's size, quickness, and skill will serve us well. - A big question is who will play Def. MF. With no Mastroeni, we resort to either Dempsey or O'Brien in a 3-5-2 formation. SUBS: - Con...
Read more