First Four Winners and Losers: 3 Little Digs & 1 Last-Second Shot
March 14th, 2012 - 19:48
In the midst of the First Four, one can possibly learn a lot by assessing the following four initial playoff impressions from an equal-opportunity offender:
The academic suspension for the NCAA Tournament of Syracuse center Fab Melo, the Big East Conference's premier defensive player, offered a classic example depicting lame stream media and so-called experts getting all bent out of shape while possessing little more than a rudimentary NCAA playoff perspective. They should brush up on their amateurish hoops history and go beyond "feeling" to "knowing" what in the world they are talking about. How about a little texture describing numerous teams boasting the resourcefulness to cope without a key player and go on to capture a national championship? Consider:
Stanford '42 overcame the title game absence of flu-ridden Jim Pollard, who scored 43.4% of Stanford's points in its first two tourney contests.
Kentucky '51 (sans Walt Hirsch) and San Francisco '56 (K.C. Jones) won NCAA titles although key players were ineligible for the tournament.
Forward Edgar Lacey, the leading rebounder for UCLA's 1965 NCAA titlist when he was an All-Tournament team selection, missed the 1966-67 championship campaign because of a fractured left kneecap. Lacey dropped off the Bruins' titlist the next year in mid-season following a dispute with all-time great coach John Wooden after a highly-publicized defeat against Houston before 52,693 fans at the Astrodome when UH All-American Elvin Hayes erupted for 29 first-half points.
All-American guard Lucius Allen missed the 1968-69 campaign because of academic problems but it didn't stop UCLA from winning its third of seven straight NCAA titles.
Louisville '80 excelled with a freshman center Rodney McCray, who replaced his brother, Scooter, in the middle after Scooter suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Kansas, riding the coattails of national player of the year Danny Manning, withstood the loss of regulars Marvin Branch (academic problems) and Archie Marshall (knee injury) to capture the 1988 NCAA title.
In 1990, UNLV was without frontcourter George Ackles (medical redshirt because of a wrist injury) when the Rebels' 103-73 rout of Duke enabled them to become the only team to score more than 100 points in a championship game and establish a record for widest margin of victory in a final.
The truth about college carpetbagger Charles Barkley on truTV is that he knows as much about contemporary college basketball as he does about playing golf. Barkley, who inspired Auburn to one NCAA Tournament game in three years (an upset loss against Richmond in 1984), should be restricted to making public service announcements about weight loss and refraining from gambling.
Barkley is so bad he doesn't even deserve to be ranked among CollegeHoopedia.com's top 40 college commentators. Whether a true professional such as Jim Nantz admits it or not, embarrassing doesn't begin to do justice to him being affiliated in any way with such aimless analysis that even SI's detail-driven Seth Davis can't salvage.
ESPN should stand for Extra Sensitive Pious Newsmen when going politico at the White House conducting POTUS tournament bracket selections. Granted, President Obama, a JV baller while attending Occidental (Calif.), demonstrates a sincere interest in the sport.
But the Worldwide Leader should label the puff-piece segment "Audacity of Hype" unless the network gives equal time to perhaps a Republican Senator. After all, Scott Brown (Tufts) and Jim Thune (Biola) were varsity hoopsters and might offer more firsthand knowledge while being among the striking number of politicians and political appointees who played the game.
"What has once happened, will invariably happen again, when the same circumstances which combined to produce it, shall again combine in the same way." - Abraham Lincoln
Honest Abe was discussing a Treasury-related topic, but it's also money in the bank that history will repeat itself from the start of the NCAA playoffs through the Final Four. Where does one go for any inside scoop or historical perspective regarding the most important thing you need to do by tomorrow morning - turn in your NCAA bracket? Understanding the past to avoid future mistakes is the key to trying to add any prize to your personal treasury. With your filing deadline looming, give CollegeHoopedia.com's office pool tips an honest quick peek.