Best of the Best - 2001-2010 [NFL Games Have Started]

Well, you get Florida - Ohio State again, Inty.

I guess I mentally blocked out how good 07 Florida was. Still, I hope they loose next round.

 

No, I don't think you mentally blocked it out. That bunch was the luckiest dang group of players I ever saw

Well, ok, that applies more to the 06 team than the 07 team, but still

 

Sunday, 2:15 Eastern

Midwest Regional Final

Detroit, MI

(16) 2002 Kent State 80, (15) 2006 UConn 75

Al Michaels may need to announce the Final Four, if Kent State keeps this up. Either that, or someone is going to get sued for infringment. Because this is one miracle we can all believe in.

Kent State, from the Mid-American Conference, a sixteen-seed, and one of the last teams to get into the tournament, is headed to Indianapolis and the Final Four.

UConn had a chance early on to dominate the game, and put it away. A 13-0 run midway through the first half gave them what looked like a dominating 27-17 lead, and crushed the spirits of the Golden Flashes. But, Kent State, lead by Midwest Region MVP Antonio Gates, never gave in, chipped away at the lead slowly, and actually managed to take a 37-36 lead into the half.

The Golden Flashes surrendered the lead almost immediately in the second-half, but the Huskies could never build a lead larger than three points. And, a 10-0 run for the Golden Flashes, eerily similar to the 13-0 run the Huskies had in the first half, gave Kent State an 8-point cushion, and allowed them to hold off the final charges by UConn and hold on to win the game.

Gates added another double-double to his impressive tournament portfolio with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Trevor Huffman added 23 points and 6 assists for the Golden Flashes, Demetric Shaw scored 15, and Andrew Mitchell scored 12.

UConn got 13 points out of Denham Brown, and 11 each from Rudy Gay, Jeff Adrien, and Rashad Anderson.

 

Sunday, 4:00 Eastern

East Regional Final

New York, NY

(1) 2001 Duke 106, (7) 2008 North Carolina 74

Of all the blowout wins the 2001 Blue Devils have had so far this tournament, this one was the sweetest. Not only did it punch the Blue Devils a ticket to the Final Four, but it came over their hated rivals, the Tar Heels of North Carolina.

Duke had their way with North Carolina early on, getting whatever shot they wanted en route to a ten-point halftime lead. And, that's when the Blue Devils got serious. They outscored the Tar Heels 61-39 in the second-half to run away with it, and leave no doubt in anyone's mind as to who the favorite is to win the title.

The Blue Devils shot a sizzling 62% from three point land for the game, lead by Mike Dunleavy's out-of-this-world 7-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Dunleavy had thirty points to lead the Blue Devils in scoring, while Jason Williams added 27, Carlos Boozer added 14, and Shane Battier had 13.

The Blue Devils frustrated the Tar Heels all game long. They blocked nine shots, forced fourteen steals, and limited Carolina to just two made three-point field goals all game long. Tyler Hansbrough had a nice game with 22 points and 11 rebounds, but he was the only Tar Heel to play well.

Jason Williams was named the East Regional MVP.

---

And so the Final Four is set:

(1) 2001 Duke vs. (16) 2002 Kent State
(1) 2007 Florida vs. (4) 2007 Ohio State

 

George Mason, your 2006 run has nothing on nothing on Kent State here

(well, except for the actually happening bit. But that's not the point)

EDIT: 32 points... is that the closest game 2001 Duke has played in this tournament so far?

 

Wow, I just don't know what to make of Kent State.

Not that surprised that '01 Duke beat '08 Carolina, but it still stings a little.

Needless to say, I will be rooting for the state of Ohio (perhaps for the first time in history ) in the Final Four.

 

The margin probably stings, right?

 

Um...


yes.

 

Let's see...

(1) 2001 Duke 106, (16) 2008 Xavier 57
(1) 2001 Duke 97, (8) 2002 Oklahoma 61
(1) 2001 Duke 102, (13) 2009 Louisville 66
(1) 2001 Duke 106, (7) 2008 North Carolina 74

Margins of victory: 49, 36, 36, 32. (153 total)

Combined scores: 2001 Duke 411, Opponents 258

UNC should be happy. They've come closer than anyone else so far in this tournament

 

Saturday, 6:00 PM Eastern

Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN

(1) 2001 Duke vs. (16) 2002 Kent State

Preview:

No one thought we'd get a fifth 1-16 match-up in the tournament, but here we go again. The 2001 Duke team, loaded with superstars, was picked by just about everyone to get to Indianapolis. The 2002 Golden Flashes, a rugged team that made a surprising run to the Elite Eight, weren't expected to stay within twenty points in their first round game. Yet, here they are, in the most unlikely National Semi-Final ever.

How They Got Here

Duke has breezed through the tournament so far. They dispatched 2008 Xavier by 49 points, 2002 Oklahoma by 36, 2009 Louisville by 36, and 2008 North Carolina by 32. That means Duke is winning in this tournament by an average of more than 38 points per game. And, honestly, no one has challenged them yet.

Kent State, on the other hand, used ferocious defense down the stretch to upset top-ranked 2005 North Carolina by two points, needed double-overtime to upset 8th seeded 2009 UConn by a single point, capitalized on a plethora of mistakes by 4th seeded 2004 Kansas to escape with a one-point win, and then capped their run with a five-point win over 15th seeded 2006 UConn. That puts their margin of victory at just over two points per game, a stark contrast to the Blue Devil team they are about to play. Still, two wins over UConn and a win over UNC would be a great decade for most mid-major teams. For this Kent State team, it's been a two-week run.

The Key Players

Duke: Jason Williams 26.25 ppg

Kent State: Antonio Gates 16.25 ppg 10.25 rpg

The Expert Picks

[image=http://www.famouswhy.com/pictures/people/dick_vitale_thumb_small.jpg] You Know I love Cinderella! But you can't bet against the Dukies, baby! Jason Williams has been on fire, and I don't see it stopping. I think Kent State hangs around for a half, but the Blue Devils pull away in the second half.

[image=http://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/gottlieb_doug_35.jpg] You'd be insane to bet against Duke here. Yes, the Golden Flashes are playing well. Yes, they are a great story. But Carlos Boozer can more than handle Antonio Gates inside, and the Blue Devils simply have too many weapons to lose this one.

[image=http://espn.go.com/i/columnists/phelps_digger_35.jpg] I've got to go with the Blue Devils. They've got a great advantage in guard play, and they are playing with a high level of confidence.


Saturday, 8:25 PM Eastern

Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN

(1) 2007 Florida vs. (4) 2007 Ohio State

Preview:

Ohio State had to watch the Florida Gators celebrate a national title victory over them. Twice. In two different sports. In the span of nine months. And, the Gators added another regular-season victory over the Buckeyes as well. Well, the Buckeyes get another shot here, in a rematch of the 2007 National Title Game.

How They Got Here

Florida has survived and advanced throughout the tournament. A one-point win over the 16th-seeded 2004 Xavier Musketeers, followed by a 2-point win over 8th seeded 2001 Maryland, another two-point win over 4th seeded 2001 Arizona, before finally getting a convincing win over Carmelo Anthony and the 2003 Syracuse squad, 75-62. Still, the gators margin of victory was only an average of 4.5 points.

Ohio State outlasted 13th seed 2003 Arizona by six points, squeaked past 12th seeded 2004 Stanford by two points, knocked out #1-seed 2008 Kansas by two points (and some Greg Oden heroics), and then cruised past 2nd-seed 2009 North Carolina by ten. That gave the Buckeyes an average margin of victory of 5 points.

The Key Players

Florida: Joakim Noah 12 ppg 10 rpg

Ohio State: Greg Oden 18 ppg 11.25 rpg 2.25 bpg

The Expert Picks

[image=http://www.famouswhy.com/pictures/people/dick_vitale_thumb_small.jpg] I smell bad times in the state of Ohio. Cinderella going home against the Dukies and another loss in another big game to Florida. I just can't see thi

 

I love the experts, Inty! Nicely done, I'm looking forward as to how this plays out!

 

Love the expert stuff as well! Come on, Duke-OSU!

 

Saturday, 6:00 PM Eastern

Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN

(1) 2001 Duke 85, (16) 2002 Kent State 84

Midnight finally struck for Cinderella. The glass slipper finally broke into pieces.

But, it wasn't a freight train, unstoppable and coming through a hundred miles an hour to destroy Cinderella, as many predicted. Instead, it was the sound of a ball clanging off the front of the rim, and falling to the ground, an arena holding its breath, and then a collective sigh of relief from the Duke fans, and a sigh of disappointment from the rest of the crowd.

Duke has survived and advanced, and Kent State has given us a run to remember.

Duke lead by four with 12 seconds to go when Eric Haut drilled a three-pointer to bring the Golden Flashes within one. Andre Sweet then got the ball on the inbounds and was fouled. When he missed both, the Golden Flashes had a chance. Andrew Mitchell won the rebound, stealing it away from Shane Battier, as Duke fans could only wonder what would have happened if Carlos Boozer hadn't fouled out of the game. Mitchell took the ball up court, pulled up at the foul line, and fired away his shot as the buzzer sounded.

The ball was in the air for what seemed like an eternity to all watching the game. And then it clanked off the front of the rim, bounced away, and hit the floor.

Game over. Cinderella done. But a great game to send her out.

The Blue Devils, lead by 18 points by Boozer in only 20 minutes of game action, looked ready to run away with the game in the first half. They built an 11-point lead with five minutes to go. But, the Golden Flashes would not go away. They scored 8 points in the next minute, fueled by three assists by Antonio Gates, a steal by Gates, and Gates drawing a charging foul on Carlos Boozer (his third foul in the first half). For the game, Gates ended up with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

After that run, the Blue Devils would lead by no more than five the rest of the game. Kent Stat's only lead of the game came early, as they lead 11-10 six minutes into the game.

The Blue Devils got contributions all around. In addition to Boozer's 18, Shane Battier scored 15, Nate James added 12, and Mike Dunleavy scored 11. The previously unstoppable Jason Williams ended up with 4-of-12 shooting, and more turonvers (2) than assists (1).

The Golden Flashes got 23 points from Trevor Huffman, 15 from Andrew Mitchell, and 14 from Demetric Shaw. They also shot 60% from three-point land, and had nearly as many free throws made (15) as Duke attempted (16). But, it wasn't quite enough, as they ended up one point short.

 

I guess after all those blowouts, its ok to have one close game. Even if it is against a 16 seed

Boozer's gotta keep himself out of foul trouble, though. That can hurt.

 

I'm starting to wonder if the developers at whatifsports.com are Kent State alumni.

 

That's a good question

 

Saturday, 8:25 PM Eastern

Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN

(1) 2007 Florida 88, (4) 2007 Ohio State 81 (OT)

The more things change ... the more they stay the same.

Ohio State battled hard, and took this game to overtime. But, without Greg Oden in overtime, they couldn't hang on, and the Florida Gators survive and advance to face the Duke Blue Devils in the championship game.

With Oden sitting on the bench after picking up his fifth foul with twenty-two seconds to play in regulation, the Gators rattled off the first ten points of Overtime, with six points from Corey Brewer and four from Al Horford. That ten point cushion helped the Gators withstand Ohio State's final run, but after a Mike Conley three pulled with within four points with 24 seconds to go, the Buckeyes simply didn't have enough time to finish their rally.

Oden's fifth foul came as the Buckeyes had rallied from 8 down over the past two minutes to tie the game. Oden keyed that run, grabbing two rebounds, blocking a shot, scoring four points, and handing out an assist. For the game, Oden had 15 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks. But that key foul put Al Horford on the line. Horford hit both, and the Gators took a 70-68 lead. Without Oden to go to, Mike Conley took it upon himself nailing a 12-foot jumpshot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

The game was tight throughout. The teams were tied at 45 at the half, and a very defensive second-half kept things tight. Florida had a mini run halfway through the second-half to give them a lead, but Ohio State ended regulation on a 10-2 run.

Horford lead the Gators, scoring 24 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and blocking five shots. Corey Brewer added 13 points, Taurean Green 14, and Lee humphrey 12. Jamar Butler had 18 for the Buckeyes, and Mike Conley added 14 points and 10 assists.

 

Ugh.

2001 Duke better shred 2007 Florida in the championship game

 

I agree with you guys, the Whatiffsports.com people are probable affiliated with Kent State.


I might actually be sort of hoping that Duke doesn't loose the championship game. I really don't like Florida basketball. They might be slightly more evil than Duke. We'll see how it turns out.

 

Ironically, I might say the same if UNC was in Duke's position I have respect for UNC. Don't like 'em, but respect 'em. Florida I just can't stand, start to finish.

 

Championship game will be simulated on Friday. I'm gonna try to get another preview post up tomorrow night. Get your last minute predictions in now.



Up next will be the NFL.

 

2001 Duke has been obliterating almost every team they've played. Florida's been squeaking by. I'm sticking with my Blue Devils

 

Duke will win. Florida 2007 is not nearly as strong

 

I agree...Duke should win the game.

NFL, that'll be interesting. How many teams will it include?

 

I don't know how many teams Inty's planning on including, but I hope the winning team doesn't have Tom Brady