March Madness and Illini Review

The championship game of the tournament was last night. UConn defeated Butler after a horrific shooting night for the Bulldogs. At halftime, the panel of commentators (including Charles Barkley) called it the worst half of a championship game that they had ever seen. I can’t really argue with them. Butler went into the half leading by a score of 22-19. Although both teams’ strong defensive play should certainly be credited for the low score, it was an off night for both teams. The final score was reasonable with UConn winning 53-41, but it was all a disappointing end to a great tournament. There was one stretch where Butler made one field goal in 13 minutes. For the game they shot a whopping 18% from the field.  Although the only thing that really matters is who finishes with more points, I can’t ignore how awful this game was to watch. At no point in the 2^nd half did Butler make any kind of a run. They looked helpless most of the time.  Shots were rolling off the rim as if someone had put a lid on the basket. I feel bad that Butler finished as runners up two consecutive seasons. I can’t imagine the agony and heartbreak that these guys feel. Yes it’s just a sport, but these guys dedicate countless hours to the game. Playing Division I basketball is basically a job. The players practice year round to improve, and falling one step short two years in a row must feel terrible, especially for the Seniors who will never have the opportunity to put on that uniform again.

As for the predictions I made in my last post, they weren’t completely off, but truthfully I wasn’t very close. I said that Ohio State, Duke and Kansas didn’t have many weaknesses, but none of them even made it to the Final Four. Kansas didn’t even make it to the Elite Eight.  Last year, Butler stole the show as the Cinderella team, and they were poised to do the same this year, but then Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) entered the picture. The expansion of the tournament to 68 teams ended up being a huge deal. VCU was assigned to one of the “First Four” play-in games to play USC. They rattled off win after win, beating such highly ranked teams as Purdue (#3 seed) and Kansas (#1 seed). Unfortunately, they had to play Butler in a semifinal game, so only one of the “mid-majors” could play in the championship game.  I saw a funny article that said the players on the VCU team didn’t even think they were going to make it into the tournament, so they watched cartoons instead of the selection show. Teams like VCU and Butler are what make the tournament special, so I’m hoping that a team like them will win the championship game soon. As a whole, I’d give the tournament a B+, and I’m sad that the season is over. In a few months, I hope to see Derrick Rose and the Bulls with a championship trophy in their hands, so the dramatic NBA playoffs will keep me occupied.

As for the Illini, they completely dismantled UNLV in their first game, but they ran into a wall when they faced Kansas. Kansas had two much strength inside with the Morris twins, so they were able to pull away late. For the first 30 minutes though, the game was tight the whole way. In the 5 hours between my starting this post and continuing it, the Jereme Richmond situation went from bleak to completely hopeless. The facts are that he didn’t play in either of the two tournament games. He wasn’t suspended and all Bruce Weber said was that he violated team rules. That doesn’t really mean anything substantive, but there were rumors swirling that he could be transferring. That would put a serious dent on our future, so I hope that he can sort out his problems.  Earlier today Jereme announced that he was leaving Illinois and entering the NBA drafts. I don’t want to judge him too harshly and write about all the ways that he isn’t ready for the NBA, but suffice it to say that he has some attitude and personal problems. This Twitter post from today tells you a lot about him: Thanks to my haters and motivators. If I so happen to fail, I want my doubters to know that my failure is greater than your biggest success. I hope he gets his head and his life straightened out, but the Illini will have to move on without him.