Final Four in New Orleans

College Basketball34

9 years ago, my wife and I had been lucky winners of the NCAA ticket lottery for the Final Four, which ironically enough was in New Orleans. We saw Syracuse beat Kansas for the title following the great play of Carmelo Anthony. After the game, my wife and I walked from the Superdome through Bourbon Street and into the Syracuse team hotel, where we met Jim Boeheim. That was one happy man that night.

Today, we have the Final Four back in New Orelans. The first matchup is between Kentucky and Louisville, 2 teams whose fanbases hate the other ones. Growing up with family in Kentucky, I can honestly say that this is probably the nastiest rivalry between two fanbases in basketball, and only the Auburn-Alabama rivalry compares to it in football. Read this article to fully understand the hatred. Kentucky beat Louisville 69-62 earlier in the year.

Don’t forget to apply for tickets to next year’s Final Four in Atlanta. Wouldn’t it be great if there was be a Triangle team playing that weekend that wears red and white.

The second game is a rematch between Kansas and Ohio State. Kansas won the first game 78-67 as Ohio State played without Jared Sullinger. What will happen today with a healthy Sullinger?

My picks are Kentucky and Kansas.

Who do you have?

About ruffles31

1996 NC State graduate who is still waiting on his first ACC conference championship in any of the four main revenue sports (football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and baseball) since enrolling. All I want is a ACC Champions t-shirt.

College Basketball

34 Responses to Final Four in New Orleans

  1. mak4dpak 04/01/2012 at 10:28 PM #

    Hopefully we can improve on our decision making next year, when the game is on the line, whether coach or player. But it still was a great ride, and proud of the team.

  2. choppack1 04/01/2012 at 10:39 PM #

    Makapak- I thought our decision-making really improved toward the end of the year. The play for Scott was actually the best look we’ve gotten in that situation all year.

    I do hope that next year we don’t go for 3 so much when down by 3 with more than 10 seconds left. Aside from princeton and st bonaventure we really struggled in the last minute of games. It was appropriate that we didn’t convert with 4 chances vs. Kansas…that was the worst part of our game all year.

  3. old13 04/02/2012 at 4:44 PM #

    OK Both of my “kids” (daughter and son-in-law) attended KU, although they graduated elsewhere, and are still big KU fans, as are my grandkids (naturally!) So Rock Chalk Jayhawk tonight. Go KANSAS!! You CAN do it!

    BTW I really loved our game against KU except the outcome. It was very physical, but not dirty, and was, of course, very ugly as a result. But both teams played hard and gave as well as they got (or is that GOTT!) without losing the idea of sportsmanship. And from what I’ve seen and read during the tournament, Bill Self reminds me a great deal of Coach GOTT. So GO JAYHAWKS!! (I hate what Calipari is – a disgrace to college athletics!!)

    And, yes, isn’t it GREAT that, no matter your or their thoughts and comments, the PACK is back in the national conversation big time for next season!

  4. BJD95 04/02/2012 at 8:53 PM #

    I think Calipari gets too much shit for being the best at the kind of sketchiness that tons of coaches participate in. He’s more open about it, and that pisses people off who want to preserve the charade.

    Go Cats.

  5. ancsu87 04/02/2012 at 9:52 PM #

    “I think Calipari gets too much shit for being the best at the kind of sketchiness that tons of coaches participate in. He’s more open about it, and that pisses people off who want to preserve the charade.”

    WOW — Well ok. What is prediction for the over/under on how long it will take for Calipri to leave/go back to NBA and UK have to vacate their title?

    What pisses me off about Calipari is that he is still allowed to coach college BB. I see no difference in Kelvin Sampson or him.

  6. choppack1 04/02/2012 at 9:53 PM #

    Yep. He’s the butch Davis of basketball coaches.

  7. ancsu87 04/02/2012 at 9:59 PM #

    What pisses me off about Calipari is that he is still allowed to coach college BB while Kelvin Sampson was banned for 5 years. I am no fan of Sampson but there is no way you can leave two schools and have them have to invalidate tournament wins/go on probation for the goings-on under your program and still be allowed to coach in the NCAA a third time.

  8. choppack1 04/02/2012 at 10:22 PM #

    Cal hasn’t been directly implicated. Sampson has…twice. like I said..cal: butch Davis

  9. Wufpacker 04/02/2012 at 11:02 PM #

    Nobody willing to step up and take it for Kansas. They’re all being tentative and dishing to teammates…let too much time tick away.

1 2

Leave a Reply