We’ve reached the cul-de-sac on the Road to the Final Four. (Unnecessary admission: I once sang “End of the Road” as a joke, karaoke style, back in college. What a night that was, but I digress.) Of course I’ll be live-blogging tonight, so be sure to check back in at 9. For now, how about some serious analysis. (more…)

1) DID YOU HEAR??!! THEY CAN’T MAKE THEIR FREE THROWS!!!!!111111!!1

2) A team that loves to run the dribble-drive offense is going against three defenses that are very adept at drawing charges and tightening up in the paint.

3) Memphis also doesn’t pick-and-pop so well, so if UCLA is able to force Memphis to take a lot of uncomfortable jumpers, they could have a bad shooting day. This is a team that feeds off of their own momentum, so they can’t afford to be down on themselves early.

4) Almost always, the half-court game beats the sprinting one.

5) Don John Chaney, jealous over his resume’s omission of a Final Four appearance, will threaten to kill Cal from the third row, egging on the coach into a fist fight.

One reason why the will: Athletically, they’ve had the best team in the field. If they control exactly what they want to do, they will win.

I got an e-mail that explained why my UNC breakdown was wrong and inaccurate. Uh … I remind you that some of this is tongue-in-cheek.  Still, I love the fact that many of you read … just don’t be afraid to comment, y’know.

1) The ball can’t bounce their way every single time.

2) Jordan Farmar is playing in the NBA.

3) Between their sloppy play, inept-at-time offense and escape acts against inferior teams like Texas A&M, Western Kentucky and Xavier and UCLA is flirting with defeat more dangerously than Bruce Pearl flirts with coeds.

4) After one of his emphatic, one-hand slams, Russell Westbrook’s primal screaming will cause him to pass out.

5) Body-to-body, they are outmatched at almost every position against Memphis, Kansas and Carolina. (Love will prove why he needs another year this weekend.)

One reason why they will: Florida’s not in The Tournament Third time’s the charm for Ben Howland.

1) Because we’ve seen this before: A loaded Kansas team with a fistful of future pros coming up short in a big spot.

2) Because they escaped bad coaching at the end of their game with Davidson and should probably be watching in jumpsuits in their dorm rooms.

3) Because Kansas has gone through No. 16 Portland State, No. 8 UNLV, No. 12 Villanova and No. 10 Davidson to get here.

4) Because first-timers to the Final Four usually need a second or third trip before they finally get theirs. Don’t worry Bill Self, you seem like you’ve got another two, three or five trips left in the bag.

5) Because Brandon Rush’s hairdo is way, way too soft.

One reason why they will: Because Roy Williams could give a shit about North Carolina right now…

Just to put it all on the table, here’s what we’re looking at this weekend.

• The four teams combine for almost 6,900 wins, over 300 Tournament wins, 17 national titles and 51 Final Fours.
• Roy Williams will be coaching against his former team, Kansas, where he never won a national title, but made four Final Fours.
• You can make the argument that there are 19 potential NBA players playing amongst the four teams involved.
  • You want a list? Okay: Kansas — Rush, Chalmers, Sasha Kahn, Darnell Jackson, Darrell Arthur; Memphis — CD-R, Joey Dorsey,  Rose; UNC — Wayne Ellington, Hansbrough, Danny Green,  Lawson; UCLA — Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Love, Luc Richard Mbah Moute, Russell Westbrook
• Memphis and UCLA will be meeting for the second time in three years in The Tournament. UCLA defeated the Tigers 50-45 in the 2006 Elite Eight.
• Memphis State (the same school) and UCLA met in the title game 35 years ago, when Bill Walton scored 44 points and only missed one shot in the process. The random twist: dunking was against the rules in ‘73.
• Bill Self is coaching in his first Final Four against his predecessor, Williams. Most coaches who get their for the first time do not win it that same year. The last one: Jim Calhoun in 1999.
• John Calipari is in his second Final Four, but his first with Memphis. His UMass team fell to Kentucky in 1996.
• If UNC and UCLA meet in the final, it will be third time in Tournament history that the historic schools will have met. The Bruins defeated Carolina 78-55 in the 1968 title game.
• Every single team has a competent, Top-10-in-the-nation point guard running its offense.
• Memphis is the only team missing an inspirational white guy in its lineup.
• It’s the first time since the field expanded in 1985 that all four No. 1 seeds are playing the final three games of the season.
• UCLA is making its third consecutive trip to the Final Four. If they don’t win the national title, they will be the first school since Houston in ‘82-’84 to not win in three tries.
• With a win over UCLA, Memphis will have 38, making them the winningiest school in single-season history.
• UCLA (17), North Carolina (16) and Kansas (12) are three of the five most frequent visitors to the Final Four.
• Three of the four teams (Kansas excluded) have a player that is represented on the AP All-American team.
• The four teams are a combined 143-9 this season. The second-best field was in ‘98, when Kentucky, Utah, Stanford and UNC were 126-14.
• Best of all, this could be Billy Packer’s last Final Four broadcast.

I like to focus on more than just the games. Why not give a little love to the players at the small schools who are padding their stats doing the dirty work? Here’s the Who’s Who, the best at their craft, in Division-I.

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It’s the conference that Billy Packer will love to hate. It’s the Atlantic 10. How many bids will this conference get? Who is beating up on whom so far? Is it overrated, or are there some legitimate teams that can go far in The Tournament? Let’s take a look and really pick apart the nation’s most intriguing league this season. (more…)

After UK’s extremely disappointing loss to UAB on Saturday (a loss that conjured up memories and/or nightmares from the letdown performance from a Kentucky loss to UAB in the 2003 NCAA tournament), I think it’s time to expose this 4-4 Wildcats team.

Kentucky fans, you see, are rather myopic and seem to believe that 25-win seasons and Final Four berths should be awarded to them based upon jersey name and color alone. Well Kentucky faithful, this is 2007 (soon to be ‘08) and things just ain’t like that no mo’. This program has truly fallen behind many such as UCLA, North Carolina, Duke, UConn, Florida (yes) and many, many more across the country. Heck, you could legitimately argue that Gonzaga is consistently bringing in better talent than UK. (more…)

They are 10-1. Their campus is located in a town called Kingston. They reside in the as-yet-to-receive-love-nationally Atlantic 10. As of the time of this post, they are not ranked nationally in either poll. Nevertheless, the Rams from Rhode Island are scorching hot into the month of December and have left their imprint on many an opponent. A quick breakdown of who they are, who they’ve beaten, and what they can do this season after the jump. (more…)

All of College Basketball Nation and the fans who reside there know very well who the Butler Bulldogs are. This is a team that has been on the national consciousness to one extent or another ever since Mike Miller sank the then-12 seed’s hopes of an upset in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. I had Butler in the upset that year and have still yet to really get over that ridiculous ending (no charge there on Miller?).

Since that year, the Bulldogs have won at least a share of four Horizon conference titles and seem to have their best team in ages this season. Can they get even further than the Sweet 16 this March? Is A.J. Graves actually underrated? Let’s give it all a closer look. (more…)