Before we start finalizing those plans for Indianapolis this coming weekend, let’s take one last look back toward the Midwest Regional in lovely Cleveland, Ohio.
And because words won’t do it justice, let’s use GIFs to relive the moments…
Kentucky opened up action in Cleveland with West Virginia, the talkin-est team to ever talk before playing the undefeated Wildcats in the Sweet 16. WVU freshman Daxter Miles guaranteed a Mountaineers win the day before the game, which only made the imminent beatdown worse once the two teams met on the court.
It was all UK from the tip, led by Ashley Judd’s cheers from behind the bench. She lost her hat while directing the officials during Kentucky’s 18-2 run to start the game.
What’s that, Bob? You don’t agree with the call?
This was one of the many F-bombs Huggy Bear dropped on the West Virginia sideline. If F-bombs were worth a point, maybe his team keeps it close.
Probably not, though.
Hell, it was such a blowout, Marcus Lee got tired of dominating the Mountainteers and dunked on his own teammate.
At least someone was scoring over a Wildcat. West Virginia sure wasn’t doing it. Not even a dislocated finger on Mr. March himself could slow down Kentucky in this one. Aaron Harrison popped the bone back into place and returned to the game. Because that’s what killers do. And it landed him a kiss on the head from his coach.
Awwwwwwwww
Andrew Harrison, you’re a bad man. They were just showing off at this point.
By the way, the guy on his back at the end of the play, that’s the one who made fun of the Harrison twins for playing Nintendo. DO NOT MAKE FUN OF NINTENDO.
He called the twins “cheap,” too. But hey, at least he’s not the one who predicted that West Virginia win. It sure was a rough night for that guy: zero points, zero wins.
Make that 37-0 for the Cats.
Then came Notre Dame in the Elite Eight for a spot in the Final Four and the Irish gave Kentucky all it could handle for the entire game. The Wildcats trailed for a 15-minute stretch in the second half, giving up dunks and open jumpers to Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton and Zach Auguste, while we all sat around like this:
Kentucky would take the lead with three minutes to go on an Aaron Harrison three-pointer from somewhere near Columbus. Aaron stared down the bench after his big shot as Devin Booker called him a bad — what, Devin?
The cameras cut away from that last syllable. It looks like he said “bad mother” and then some other word, possibly starting with an F.
Minutes later, Andrew Harrison knocked down two free throws to break a tie game with six second remaining. Then Grant’s final prayer for Notre Dame missed its mark at the buzzer, sending Karl Towns to the court like a UK fan in Lexington running toward State Street.
Kentucky punched its ticket to a second consecutive Final Four, its fourth in five years under John Calipari.
E.J. Floreal danced.
And the nets came down in Cleveland.
THE END.
This guy is you. He is me. He is all of us during the Elite Eight game. One minute we’re ripping our hair out, losing all hope in the perfect season. The next minute Aaron Harrison is being Aaron Harrison or Andrew Harrison has the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game.
So many emotions and each of us felt all of them during that game.
(via Barstool Sports)
Michigan State’s postseason run as a No. 7 seed is somewhat unexpected — but with Tom Izzo, is it? — as the Spartans advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2010. Izzo’s squad entered the tournament with 11 losses on the season but is hot at the right time, having won eight of its last night games.
State’s current Final Four run is eerily similar to UConn’s one year ago — and when I say eerily similar, I mean identical.
Prepare to have your minds blown with a comparison of the two:
2013-14 Connecticut Huskies
— Ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP poll
— Conference record: 12-6
— Conference standing: 3rd
— Conference tournament: Lost in finals
— Scored 71.8 points per game
— Allowed 62.3 points per game
— Mid-March odds to win title: 100-1
— Received No. 7 seed in NCAA East Region
— Defeated No. 10, 2, 3 and 4 seeds to reach Final Four
— Met the winner of Kentucky/Wisconsin in title game
2014-15 Michigan State Spartans
— Ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP poll
— Conference record: 12-6
— Conference standing: 3rd
— Conference tournament: Lost in finals
— Scores 71.9 points per game
— Allows 62.3 points per game
— Mid-March odds to win title: 100-1
— Received No. 7 seed in NCAA East Region
— Defeated No. 10, 2, 3 and 4 seeds to reach Final Four
— Will meet the winner of Kentucky/Wisconsin in title game (with semifinal win)
Of course, the one difference is UConn met an 11-loss Kentucky team missing a key player, while Michigan State will meet a Kentucky team one win away from perfection, if the Spartans can get past Duke.
Still, crazy stuff here.
(Hat-tip to Corey James from JKTMB Sports for sparking the discussion in our group text.)
During yesterday’s games, CBS played a hilarious clip of Frank Kaminsky doing The Carlton dance, which reminded me of when Josh Harrellson busted it out at the 2010 Big Blue Madness. That, of course, made me want to poll the masses.
Who did The Carlton better: Jorts or Frank the Tank?
Better than Jorts at 2010 Big Blue Madness?
Frank’s form may be cleaner, but Jorts’ expression wins me over.
Who did "The Carlton" better?
See results
feedback surveys
Ramel Bradley came to Kentucky with a talented group of All-Americans including Rajon Rondo, Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris. Bradley played for Kentucky from 2004 until 2008 under Tubby Smith for three seasons and Billy Gillespie for one. In his 128 games as a Wildcat, Bradley scored a total of 1326 points, which ranks him 28th overall in Kentucky’s all-time scoring history. Bradley was named to the First-Team All-SEC in 2008.
Bradley’s favorite memory from his time at Kentucky comes from his Senior Day defeat over Florida.
After we got the win, embracing the fact that it was going to be my last game in Rupp Arena (was emotional),” Bradley said. “Taking one more look at all the fans cheering and holding up the ‘Roc’ sign.”
After graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2008, Bradley went underrated in the NBA Draft that summer. However, he was invited by the New Jersey Nets to play in the NBA Summer League because they liked his efforts he gave in his workouts and other camps he participated in. The Nets did not sign him for the following season.
Bradley decided to take his basketball talents overseas and signed with Cedevita Zagreb in Croatia. During his one season in Zagreb, he averaged 15.1 points and 2.4 assists.
In June of 2009, Bradley signed with a JDA Dijon, a French Pro-A Team. Bradley played the entire season for Dijon averaging 12 points, 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds.
In 2010, Bradley left for Israel to sign with Maccabi Ashdod. In his eighteenth game with the team, he injured his knee and missed the rest of season due to season ending surgery.
Bradley played in Israel for the next two seasons with Hapoel Jerusalem (2011-12) and Berak Netanya (2012-13) where he became very fond of the Middle East.
“It’s a great feeling walking outside, Israeli kids run up to me and know my name ‘Bradley! Bradley!’” he said. “I’m recognized almost everywhere I go, we’re living our N.B.A. life overseas.”
While playing for Netanya, Bradley volunteered for Netanya Hoops for Kids that organized a retreat for children in a southern city of Israel.
“It was also very humbling knowing that I could help these kids, put a smile on their faces, and keep them happy through ball. It shows it’s not about where you’re from but making the most of the time that you have in the moment.”
Bradley then headed to Turkey where he signed with Turk Telekom. He continued to play in Turkey the following season for Yesilgiresun Belediye where he continues to play today. Bradley averages 19.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as one of the starting five. Yesilgiresun currently sits in 8th place in the Turkish Second Basketball League with a record of 15-12.
Bradley continues to keep a close on the Kentucky basketball team as seen through hisTwitter page. He still remains good friends with former teammate, Joe Crawford.
Ramel “Smooth” Bradley always had a deep love for music, so here one of his songs he produced back in 2010. Not too bad Ramel.
My favorite Ramel Bradley memory comes from when I went to a UK Hoops game against Tennessee back during the Candace Parker days. Ramel was at the game and he signed my shirt and I thought that was the coolest thing in the world as a middle schooler. I still remember the exact shirt he signed and what his signature looks like.
I can already tell that a popular storyline this week will be Karl Towns vs. Jahlil Okafor. The two freshmen are projected to go first and second in all the major mock drafts, with Towns recently gaining momentum for his performances in Kentucky’s postseason run. If Kentucky and Duke advance to the final, the Towns vs. Okafor debate will dominate the conversation, and this morning, Mike Krzywerkwj;kdjc implied he’s already tired of it.
Coach K and a reporter had an awkward interaction in which the reporter first said he wasn’t going to ask Coach K to compare Towns and Okafor, and then ended up asking him anyways. It was weird. Here’s the transcript:
Q. Mike, Karl-Anthony Towns seems to be captivating a lot of imaginations. Some suggest he’s the best freshman big man in your sport. I’m not asking you to compare him and Okafor.
COACH KRZYZEWSKI: Thank you.
COACH KRZYZEWSKI: Thank you.
Q. You’ve seen enough to be pretty sure it’s your guy.
COACH KRZYZEWSKI: Well, you are asking me that then (laughter)? What you just said you asked, though.
COACH KRZYZEWSKI: Well, you are asking me that then (laughter)? What you just said you asked, though.
Q. You’re right.
COACH KRZYZEWSKI: What I would tell you is, I don’t watch Kentucky very much because we haven’t played them. You all watch these other teams more than we do, or more than I do. I try to watch the teams that we’re going to play against. I know our league. I really try to know the teams we just played, Utah and Gonzaga. But I’m not watching Kentucky like I would if we were going to play them. I know Towns. We recruited him. He played for the Dominican team. He’s a great player, great young man, beautiful family. He’s going to be a terrific pro. Where he stands in comparison to anybody, who knows. The people who do that are the people who are called professionals who are going to draft. But he’s going to be a terrific player. Based on what I’ve seen of him as a youngster, what I know of his character, then the little bit that I’ve watched Kentucky play, he’s terrific.
COACH KRZYZEWSKI: What I would tell you is, I don’t watch Kentucky very much because we haven’t played them. You all watch these other teams more than we do, or more than I do. I try to watch the teams that we’re going to play against. I know our league. I really try to know the teams we just played, Utah and Gonzaga. But I’m not watching Kentucky like I would if we were going to play them. I know Towns. We recruited him. He played for the Dominican team. He’s a great player, great young man, beautiful family. He’s going to be a terrific pro. Where he stands in comparison to anybody, who knows. The people who do that are the people who are called professionals who are going to draft. But he’s going to be a terrific player. Based on what I’ve seen of him as a youngster, what I know of his character, then the little bit that I’ve watched Kentucky play, he’s terrific.
He really is. And he should be the number one pick over Okafor. Karl’s struggled from time to time, but I don’t think he’s ever done this:
Our friends at Bovada have released their updated odds on the National Championship, and the Cats are 2/3 favorite, followed by Duke at 3/1, Wisconsin at 4/1 and Michigan State at 8/1.
Karl Towns is also the favorite to win NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player with 3/1 odds, followed closely by Willie Cauley-Stein at 4/1. Aaron Harrison follows a pair of Dukies at 7/1.
Photo by Matt Hernandez
Karl Towns has taken over the #1 spot in several major mock drafts, but according to this article by The New York Post, if the Knicks get the first pick, they may not take Towns because his butt isn’t big enough. No, this isn’t a Ryan Lemond joke, it’s a legit quote from Charley Rosen, one of Phil Jackson’s friends.
“They need a center with a big butt to hold space,’’ Rosen told The Post. “They didn’t have anybody like that. It takes away a major portion of what you can do with the triangle because then it really becomes just a perimeter offense.’’After watching Towns in the NCAA Tournament, Rosen says, “Towns is not a big enough body. He’d never get that position in the NBA. He doesn’t have enough power or core strength. He wouldn’t be able to set up one dribble away from the basket. He’s not a kind of center you need in the triangle. He’s not physically that type of center, but he’s athletic and does other things. Look how far out (Lou) Amundson, (Jason) Smith and (Andrea) Bargnani get pushed out when they post up, well out of the box.’’
After watching Karl put the Cats on his back on Saturday night, I’m not sure how anyonewouldn’t want him on their team. Karl had a career-high 25 points and was a perfect 8-8 from the floor in the second half. At 6’11”, 250 lbs., he seems plenty capable of holding his own in the post.
As for the butt comment, don’t the Knicks know that Karl’s teammates used to call him “Karl Kardashian”? Albeit for completely different reasons (Andrew says Karl earned the nickname for his tendency to overreact to things), but Phil Jackson doesn’t need to know that.
That didn’t take long. After being fired from Texas this past weekend, Rick Barnes is reportedly in at Tennessee. Sources tell 247 Sports’ Jerry Meyers that the Vols and Barnes should have “an agreement in principle by the end of tonight.”
Good move for Tennessee and for Barnes, who won’t even have to change his wardrobe.
I am all for respecting your opponent. Wisconsin is experienced, solid on defense and can run as efficient an offense as any team in the country. Yes, they are a bit of throwback in terms of style, but not as much as you may think. They play slowly in terms of pace, but a lot of that is because of how they guard on defense. In short, they are a team your grandfather would like, but without being the kind of team that you would hate…and they are really good.
But their best player, Frank the Tank, does do this. I can’t tell if its awesome or awful…but I do love it:
A guy that dances like that simply cannot beat Willie Cauley-Stein…I refuse to believe it
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John Calipari spoke for twenty minutes on today’s Final Four coaches teleconference, and for once, he actually doled out some new material. Here are a few of Cal’s most important quotes…
On Aaron and Andrew Harrison turning it up in the month of March…
“The biggest thing is you cannot be afraid to miss the game-winning shot. It’s not that you want to make it, it’s that you’re not afraid to miss it. You’re not afraid to make a play and it go wrong. You have to have amnesia, you’ve gotta be willing to risk and those two have it. They both have it.”
Cal compared the Harrison’s heroics to Brandon Knight in 2011 and John Wall in 2010. “They’ve gotta be put in those positions and be told it’s okay to miss.”
On Karl Towns’ tendency to foul
“Most cases you’re fouling when you’re out of position. Instead of playing the guy before he catches it, you’re trying to play him after he catches it or after he cuts. Karl has a tendency, as all freshmen do, to stop playing during the game and get screened,” Cal said. “That’s freshmen. Hopefully, the excitement, the focus, is going to be to where we’re playing people before they catch the ball.”
On watching game tape
Last week, the national media picked up on the fact that the Cats don’t watch a lot of game tape. John Robic prepares an 8-minute reel for everyone to see, but other than that, they won’t be staying up late pouring over the Badgers’ old games. In fact, Cal says he told the team not to watch Wisconsin throughout the tournament.
“Now, they may have watched Wisconsin play, they may have watched an NCAA Tournament game. I don’t know. I tell them don’t watch the games, but they don’t listen to me ever, so I imagine they’ve seen them. Our team played them a year ago, so they have an idea how good they were and are now.”
In fact, Cal says he’s not watching any tape either. “I’m starting to get overloaded with it to be honest with you, and then I stop. I don’t need to watch ten game tapes. We all start losing our minds. ‘I gotta prepare! I gotta work harder than the other guy!’ Stop it, just stop it.”
On how Frank Kaminsky has improved from last year
“He looks stronger, he’s working angles better, he’s a really confident perimeter shooter, he’s passing–because he gets doubled teamed so much–he’s passing better.”
This lead to a lengthy diatribe on how Cal likes to see players improve over time. “I imagine Bo has had a ball watching him go from three minutes a game to last season to where he is now,” Cal said. “That’s how we coaches are. It’s not just a guy–even for me. Having a player come in with all this reputation, whether it’s an Anthony Davis or a John or a Demarcus. It’s where are they at the end of the year. What kind of improvement have they made? What have we taught them?”
On Trey Lyles
“Two things happened: he didn’t play in the summer because he had an injury and then he got sick in teh middle of the season, was out three weeks. But his progress as a player has been phenomenal. I’ve said all along he’s been the x-factor for us. At the next level, he’s going to be a four, and he’s going to be a four that spreads the court. We’re training him as a three, which means he’s guarding guards at 6’10”, that he’s being guarded by smaller players, which means he’s being thrown in the post some.”
“He is a finisher, he likes to think he’s a playmaker, which drives me absolutely crazy because his playmaking is turnover making, but when you talk about finishing around the basket, when you talk one-dribble pull ups on the run, you talk about being able to avoid and finish near the rim, making free throws, making pressure free throws, he’s our x-factor, he’s the one guy that can separate our team.”
I love Trey, but I have to agree with Cal on this one. He tried too hard to be a playmaker on Saturday and it just about killed us.
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
John Calipari had a lot of praise for Wisconsin n today’s Final Four teleconference, telling reporters that they may be an even better team offensively that Notre Dame.
“They’re outstanding. We just played a great offensive team in Notre Dame, and this team rivals and maybe surpasses (them) because they can isolate you in the post, they shoot the three the same as Notre Dame does, they have that one guy that’s a big guy, not a guard–their guards are good, too–in Frank that can just go get his own. But Dekker has proved he can do the game. They’re really good there.”
One trait Cal admires in Wisconsin is their ability to defend without fouling. Cal said he likes to think his team does the same. “They don’t foul. Bo and I talked about it, you can play tough, hard-nosed, even physical defense without fouling on every play, every player. That’s what he teaches. That’s what we teach. We want you to be aggressive, we want you to be physical, just don’t foul.”
See, you’re not the only one that’s been annoyed by all the fouls lately.
“They do what they’re supposed to do, they give you a tough look and they rebound the ball. They’re outstanding,” Cal said of the Badgers. “This will be a really hard game for our team, and we know that. Bo’s doing what he’s done with every team. He’s made them a cohesive offense and defensive unit.”
Congratulations to Karl Towns, who named Second Team All-American by the Associated Press this afternoon.
As mentioned earlier, Willie Cauley-Stein received First Team honors. Former Cat and current Gonzaga Bulldog Kyle Wiltjer also got Third Team honors.
Cats.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
John Calipari said A LOT on today’s Final Four teleconference, and I’ll have a complete wrap-up here in a bit, but this comment stuck out to me the most. Cal was asked what he’s learned about the Big Blue Nation in his six years at Kentucky and what he believes sparked the intense fanaticism in the state. Something tells me you’ll like his answer.
“Coach Rupp,” Cal said, mentioning his conversations with Rupp’s son Herky, grandson, and great-grandson Frederick, who is friends with Brad Calipari. “There were things that he did back then that brought so much pride to this state. He wasn’t afraid to play anybody, they got on trains and played in New York and Chicago. He played anyone, anywhere, anytime back then. He was a student of the game, and it started right there. And then Coach Hall. And then Coach Pitino. And then Tubby. They take so much pride.”
Cal says the one thing he’s learned about the BBN is that they don’t need a national championship ever year, they just need to feel significant. “I’ve been here now six years. They haven’t like, ‘you’ve gotta win it now!’ No. They’d like you to win it now and they’ll be depressed if you don’t, but they want to be in the conversation,” Cal said. “They want in the conversation in recruiting, they want in the conversation when you’re talking one of the best teams, but if they thought you should win it every year, we’d have 125 national titles. It doesn’t happen and they know that.”
When asked, Cal pinpointed two moments that he was floored by the BBN. “You walk in to our arena at home and the upper deck in the corners is filled 40 minutes before the game. ‘Are you crazy? Why are you here right now?’ The radio show has 8 or 9,000 people that stay after. Our radio show would rank in the top-30 in attendance of games.”
“The other thing is you go on road, they’re chanting and you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, they’ve taken over the arena.’ Like, they do that,” Cal said. “I don’t know how they get tickets. They know not to wear blue when they’re trying to wear red or orange, they wear another color. They figure out ways of getting in and they don’t tell because it’s a secret. No one knows.”
And you guys better not tell if you want the BBN to take over Indy.
Chet White | UK Athletics
Well, that didn’t take long. Congratulations to Willie Cauley-Stein on being named First-Team All-American by the Associated Press. The honor makes Willie a consensus First-Team All-American, a huge, huge accomplishment.
Here’s the complete AP First Team:
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
Jahlil Okafor, Duke
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State
Jahlil Okafor, Duke
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State
Earlier this morning, Willie and Karl Towns picked up First- and Second-Team All-American honors from the NABC. Well-deserved.
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