1.) Frank Martin, South Carolina – This is a no-brainer.  The Gamecocks haven’t been a consitent player in March since the late 1990s when Eddie Fogler was in charge.  Recruiting had slipped under Darrin Horn and his voice had grown old in the locker room. Frank Martin is an upper echelon coach, who totally turned Kansas State around in the five years that he was there.  The Wildcats had foru NCAA appearance and made it to the Elite Eight in that time span.  SEC basketball is under as much of a magnifying glass as ever and AD Eric Hyman not only hit the ball out of the park, but across the street in securing Martin to throw the Gamecocks eventually into the SEC race and NCAA Tournament.

2.) Dan Hurley – Rhode Island – Hurley went 38-23 in two seasons at Wagner after the Seahawks won only five basketball games the year before he came. If there is anything to the adage “basketball genes,” Hurley certainly will have the Rams on the move as his father is the celebrated St. Anthony’s (N.J.) boss Bob Hurley.  URI has numerous resources and is an attractive job in the Atlantic 10. Ironically, his rebuilding assignment could be the same with the Rams as they won only seven games this past season.

3.) Larry Brown, SMU – This is probablty the most surprising of all the moves.  The Mustangs’ hiring of the Hall of Fame coach makes sense as SMU enters the Big East in another year. In what still should a a premiere conference, it stands to reason that a team that hasn’t had an NCAA bid since 1988 should think outside the box.  Brown will immediately upgrade the visiblity of the program plus the talent and depth on the roster. Brown started the remake by dismissing four players soon after his arrival.

4.) Pat Kelsey – Winthrop – The former Wake Forest and Xavier assistant had to take a year off from coaching to deal with the sudden death of his mentor Skip Prosser.  With that, he landed on his feet in a fertile basketball ground in the Big South Conference in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Kelsey, who dealt with depression upon the loss of Prosser, will inherit an Eagles program that has slipped the past four years (77-82) after experienceing the Golden Era  under now-Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall from 1999-2007.

5.) Tim Miles – Nebraska – Miles did an excellent job of resurrecting Colorado State in Fort Collins. He replaces a very good basketball coach in Doc Sadler.  The Cornhuskers join Northwestern as the only teams never to have won an NCAA Tournament game.  Miles is an ultra-detailed and organized tactician who has taken over a program that has no where to go but up in the Big 10.

1.) Muhammad and Purvis will added even more of an offensive lift to the Bruins and Wolfpack as they are equally adept at the leak out for the transition scores off the turnovers.  Both had numerous dunks in transition.  It will be interesting to see how much Bruins coach Ben Howland up-tempos his offense with a talent like Muhammad while Purvis will push Gottfried’s team to an even higher offensive level.

2.) Alex Poythress, who heads to Kentucky in another heralded John Calipari recruiting class, was 7-of-8 from the floor for 16 points as he also showed the penchant for running the break in the mold of Muhammad and Purvis.  Kentucky fans had a glimpse of the future when Poythress took a no-look pass from another future Wildcat, Archie Goodwin, on the break for a dunk early in the second half.

3.) Nerlens Noel was rated number one in the nation and showed his defensive abilities with three blocks and two steals in 21 minutes.  Noel will go into the off season looking to polish his offensive game in the half court.  Oddly, Wildcat Anthony Davis was sitting courtside and did an interview with Noel on ESPN during the game.  The exchange sort of symbolized the passing of the torch in Lexington.

4.) Arizona ‘s 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski will be a major factor in the middle next season for Sean Miller. He has nice scoring touch around the basket and was very prominent on the offensive boards with five and scored on three of those.  Tarczewski was the only player with a double-double Saturday night as he scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

5.) Ballhandling was a major issue as the two teams combined for 48 turnovers.  The West scored 33 points off 23 East miscues while the East nailed 31 points off 25 West turnovers.

- Ken Cross

Now, Time-Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte will host the Jordan Brand Classic with Muhammad and Noel front row and center on the court at 7 PM.

Noel will have the opportunity to get acquainted with a couple of his future Kentucky teammates on Saturday night as Archie Goodwin of Little Rock, Ark., and Nashville prep star Alex Polythress will be on hand the West squad while the Kansas City native is on the East.

Noel will also be opposite Muhammad, a West entrant, of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas.  Muhammad, who will join highly touted 6-8, 210-lb. power forward Kyle Anderson at UCLA, will oppose Anderson in this All-Star Classic.

As Arizona coach Sean Miller has currently reeled in the nation’s top-rated recruiting class and will also see three of his future Wildcats on the TWC Arena hardwood.  Kaleb Tarczewski, the nation’s No. 5 player out of St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Mass., will join Noel on the East as his future teammates, 6-8, 215-lb power forward Brandon Ashley of Findlay Prep in Las Vegas and 6-10, 225-lb. forward Grant Jarrett of LaVerne Lutheran of LaVerne, Calif. will provide opposition on the West.

The only two current players who haven’t committed and who are playing in the game are 6-9, 270-lb. center Tony Parker of Miller Grove HS in Lithonia, Ga. and another Findlay Prep star in 6-8, 230-lb. Anthony Bennett.  Parker has Duke, Georgia, Kansas, UCLA, Georgetown, Ohio State, Georgetown, and Memphis.  Bennett, the No. 7 player in the country, has UNLV, Florida, Washington, Oregon, and Kentucky as his final five.

In addition to the National matchup at 7 p.m., the International All-Star game commences at 2:30 and the North Carolina All-Star Game at 4 p.m.

Below is the link for the rosters for Saturday’s Jordan Brand National All-Star Game:

http://www.jordanbrandclassic.com/images/stories/docs/2012-JordanBrandClassic-TeamAnnouncement-Final-Updated.pdf

- Ken Cross

Fast Forward to this week and I feel the same way.  Johnson inherited John Brady’s players and had a massively successful 2008-09.  Now, of course, it will take maybe 1-2 years for a program to kind of “bottom out” and the restructuring to start.  After two seasons at 11-20 and 11-21, Johnson brought LSU back into contention this year as the Tigers were a major player in fighting for one of the top four byes in the SEC Tournament.  They played Kentucky to the wire in exercising their game plan in a 60-51 loss in the SEC Tournament before achieving an NIT berth.

Next season, Johnson would have had an entire roster returning except for graduating senior Storm Warren and Malcolm White, who averaged only 9.8 mpg.

That roster is virtually set for the next Tigers coach as dynamic sophomore point guard Anthony Hickey and sophomore Johnny O’Bryant will form a nice 1-2 punch with senior Justin Hamilton in the middle and a pair of three-point shooters in Ralston Turner and Andre Stringer will combine with Hickey around the arc.  The key will be improving an offense that shot only 40.6% as Johnson’s defense and rebounding scheme held oppositions to 42% and a (+1.2) rebound margin. LSU only allowed seven of 33 opponents to shoot over 50% from the field.

Moving forward, the major question is whether or not Johnson’s move was predicated on beating the posse out of Baton Rouge.  It is a well known fact throughout college sports that fan bases and boosters grow increasingly impatient each season.  Common sense would tell anyone who studied the situation that Johnson had this program on the right path on and off the floor.  It is ready to move forward, assuming O’Bryant doesn’t make an ill-advised move to the NBA Draft.  At the end of the day the Tigers’ loss will certainly be the Horned Frogs’ gain.

NEXT?: A plethora of names have been mentioned on the bayou.  Johnny Jones, a former Tigers star under legendary hoops coach Dale Brown in the early 1980s and then a 12-year assistant on Brown’s staff, has been the most often-mentioned.  Jones has led North Texas to five consecutive 20-win seasons in the Sun Belt Conference.

Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Marquette’s Buzz Williams, Baylor’s Scott Drew, Middle Tennessee State coach Kermit Davis, UTEP boss Tim Floyd, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon, and Former NBAer and New Mexico State coach Reggie Theus head the list of names mentioned for the opening.

- Ken Cross

Kentucky center Anthony Davis was more than stellar.  Sure he only went 1-of-10 from the floor with six points,  but it was the 16 rebounds, the six blocks, the six assists, and three steals that served to complement 36 combined points from the backcourt of Doron Lamb and Marques Teague and pace a holistic Kentucky effort.

“I like the one (stat) that Anthony Davis goes 1‑of-10 and you guys say he’s the biggest factor in the game,” commented Calipari, “When I asked these guys a month ago, ‘what do you do to help us win when you’re not making baskets,’ you have an idea when you do what he does.”

It was a certainty early that Davis might struggle from the field as he was 0-for-5 in the first half, but he had three block in the first 10 minutes of the game and owned the boards.  It became apparent to why Bob Knight, Larry Brown, and other have compared the sure top pick in the June draft to Hall of Famer Bill Russell.

“He rebounded and he had 16 rebounds,” noted Calipari, “At halftime, I knew he didn’t have a point.  Before he left the gym, the locker room, I said, ‘Listen to me, don’t you now go out there and try to score.  If you have opportunities, score the ball.  If you don’t, don’t worry about it.  You’re the best player in the building, so don’t worry.’”

Worry is the last thing this ultra-cool kid from Chicago’s Perspectives Charter School did.  He turned into a playmaker, a glass-eater, a fly-swater, and a pick-pocket with his three steals in his illuminating 36 minutes of hardwood terror which he reigned on the Jayhawks.

“It’s was just a joy to win a national championship, especially as a freshman with this team that we have,” noted Davis, “We have a great team.  We all go out there, play hard, defend.  When the buzzer went off and we have more points.  Kansas is a great ballclub, defend, play hard.  It was just a great moment.”

Unfortunately for college basketball, but undoubtedly, Davis will declare for the NBA Draft as have many of Calipari’s players in today’s one-and-done philosophy in the NBA.  Not only Davis, but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marques Teague, and then Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones will most likely come out as sophomores.  Calipari doesn’t like the one-and-done philosophy, but it’s the path that has been chosen for college basketball and he embraces it and is successful with it to the highest degree.

The amazing part of the equation is how John Calipari can take this type of elite talent and mesh it together and then ultimately cross a threshold as he did last night.  In the end, his communication and psychology techniques are unparalleled.  Four years ago the Wildcats were in dire straits as the Billy Clyde Gillispie era had failed miserably. In just three years, the Wildcats are on top of the basketball world with the Calipari system which has netted an Elite Eight, two Final Fours, and now a National Championship.

“First of all, it starts with how you recruit them, I mean, you can’t tell them you’re going to shoot 30 times a game, the offense is going to run through you, you’re going to start,” explained Calipari, “None of these guys were promised they would start, how many minutes. Then you got to recruit them the right way so they know you’re trustworthy.  And then they got to trust that you’re doing it for them, it’s not about me.”

Finally, Calipari should have never been on the block as a second-tier coach just because he hadn’t tasted a national championship before last night.  His 2008 Memphis team outplayed Kansas for an entire game before missing crucial free throws and losing to Bill Self’s Jayhawks in overtime.

With that, there is the fact that he has had the first point guard chosen in the draft in each of the last five years.  So many variables fall into coaching at this level other than winning a national championship.  Now, with last night’s win, John Calipari doesn’t even have to pretend to have anything else to prove.

“Listen, this team deserves all the accolades that they’ve been getting and what I wanted them to show today is that we were not just a talented team, we were a defensive team, and we were a team that shared the ball,” said Calipari, refusing to reflect attention upon himself, “I wanted everybody to see it because it became, They’re more talented than everybody.  We were the best team this season.”

- Ken Cross

So, what if Kentucky does lose to Kansas. Does that affect everything this team has done and been? Does it mean there was something lacking somewhere that kept the Wildcats from carving their names in college basketball history? Does it put weight on the shoulders of John Calipari because this is his fourth Final Four and he would have come away empty on all occasions? No, no, and no.

“I’m going to tell you, we’re not thinking about that,” said Calipari, “We’re playing a basketball game.  When the game’s over, we’re going to all look at each other and say, ‘What just happened?’  ’What does this mean?’  Right now, we’re not.”

The Wildcats stare at a Kansas team that they beat by 10 in at MSG in November.  Both of these teams are totally different squads now than they were then.

“They’re a great team, capable of beating us,” said National Player of the Year Anthony Davis, “They have a great inside post presence.  Robinson and Withey, they try to do the two‑man game just like coach said, try to get easy buckets in side. They kick it out to great shooters.  It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

However, Kentucky seems to be cresting with every win.  Saturday night, when Louisville erased a 45-32 lead and tied it at 49 with just over nine minutes remaining, it marked the perfect opportunity for the youthful Wildcats to burst.  That didn’t happen.  UK went on one of it’s patented runs while holding Louisville scoreless from the floor on the next 10 possessions.  With that, the Wildcats came out on top 69-61 and proved that they were experienced beyond their years as senior Darius Miller played a key role in the decisive run.

“Darius basically has started for me for two years and was the Player of the Year, the MVP of the conference tournament last year,” said Calipari, “He led us to a Final Four, and accepted coming off the bench.
Now, he’s had his best year by far.  His numbers, he’s a top‑50 player to ever put on a uniform at Kentucky.  But he’s accepted coming off the bench.”

Calipari points to the sacrifice of a senior coming off the bench as to why the overinflated whispers of the Wildcats being too youthful to win the title are just that – overinflated.

“We have six starters,” mused Calipari, “Someone had to come off the bench.  He said, ‘I’m good with it.’
The other side of it was, when we played in the tournament in Vandy, Michael Gilchrist said, ‘We need him to play better, so start him, I’ll come off the bench.’  He went in and did fine.”

That exchange defines the unselfishness on the floor of these Kentucky Wildcats.  They continually give themselves up for each other and have proven to be virtually unstoppable with this mindset that Calipari has so seemlessly drilled into them.

- Ken Cross

Withey blocked Ohio State center J.J. Sullinger three times in a row Saturday night in the Jayhawks’ 64-62 win over Ohio State in Saturday night’s national semifinal.  He also nailed Aaron Craft and William Buford in the lane as he served notice to the Buckeyes that KU does have a post presence inside.

“My teammates definitely look at me and see me as a protector,” said Withey, “They know if they get beat, I’m there.  I’m there to help them block shots.  When I blocked Jared, I was standing straight up.  I guess my length bothered him.”

Length and size bothered Craft and Buford as well as maybe Withey is more mobile than he gets credit.

“Against Aaron, he’s a great guard, but, yeah, he just jumped into my body and I kept my arms straight up and the ball hit that, too,” noted Withey, “So, yeah, I mean, I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess.”

Withey’s size seemed to surprise Buford on the block on him as he dribble-prenetrated off the three-point line.

“I went up and tried guarding him making it a five‑second call,” said Withey, “Buford was obviously on the post and sealed Tyshawn, was going to have an easy bucket. I turned around, jumped up, put my arm out and I hit the ball.”

Withey has nailed 134 blocks in 24.4 mpg.  He came up with a season-high of 10 two games agao in the Sweet 16 vs. North Carolina State.

“They were four‑point swings,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of two of Withey’s key blocks, which triggered fastbreaks that kept Ohio State from extending double-digit leads, “We’re down 11 and we’re supposed to switch, dribble handoff, he fakes it, we don’t make it, Craft is naked to the goal.  We got two points off of them naked driving to the basket.  That’s a big play.  The block on Buford was unbelievable.”

Withey’s matchup in the middle with Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Terrence Jones should be interesting.  Self is certain Withey can matchup and a lack of athleticism will not be exposed.

“Anthony Davis is the best shot‑blocker in the country,” noted Self, “But I think Jeff is probably second best.  I don’t know anybody out there that blocks shots or alters better than Jeff does.  So you’re going to have two great shot‑blockers going against each other.”

- Ken Cross

“

The squad hit it’s peak in typical Rick Pitino fashion in March as it won four consecutive games to win the Big East title and then won four more to place itself in the Final Four with last night’s date with arch-rival Kentucky. The Cardinals battled with all the grit, guts and determination that they had shown all season, but in the end, the unwavering talent of the Wildcats won out in a thrilling 69-61 win in the Louisiana Superdome.

“Anytime you don’t win a national championship and you’re playing for one, it’s disappointing,” said Pitino,  ”When you go home with a bronze medal around your neck, it’s not disappointing. I told the guys, ‘Look, I’m going to Miami tomorrow and I’m celebrating a season where we worked around the clock, around injuries and everything else.’”

Louisville found itself down 45-32 early in the second half and then in typical Cardinals’ fashion, went on a 17-4 run to tie the game at 49-49 with 9:12 remaining.  Payton Siva sliced the defense and then hit a three as the Cardinals all of a sudden had once again proven that they could go toe-to-toe, even with the best.

At that point, Louisville fell into it’s old offensive self for 10 possessions as it went 0-for-8 from the floor with a turnover and two free throws.  Meanwhile, Kentucky was Kentucky, hitting one of those stellar Wildcats’ runs in outscoring Louisville, 11-2, to take a 60-51 lead and hold off the determined Cardinals, 69-61.

“When I compared them a few weeks ago to the ’87 Providence team, it was in terms of effort and attitude,” said Pitino, “They made me really, really proud.  They battled a great team tonight.  We just needed lot of things to go right down the stretch.”

The Cardinals’ scheme worked against most everyone who took the floor against them as they became healthier and as Rick Pitino once again worked his March magic, but in the end, the lone team that could clip the Cards’ wings was that old Bluegrass nemesis.

“We just screwed up a little bit on our offensive execution in the beginning because we were running pick‑and‑rolls with the four and we were supposed to seal Anthony Davis and we did at the end of the game, and that’s when we made our run,” commented Pitino, “We had a little bit of a mishap with Chane not coming up to screen Peyton Siva and he shot the air ball.”

- Ken Cross

Victorious Stanford celebrates.

NEW YORK CITY -  Stanford defeated Minnesota 75-51 to win the championship of the NIT on Thursday. A look back on the evening at Madison Square Garden….

           The NIT title game featured two former champions squaring off for the top prize in the tournament’s 75^th    

edition. A little added background…

          Stanford, led by Adam Keefe, won the 1991 championship. Minnesota captured the 1993 and 1998 NITs. The latter was vacated.

          Minnesota coach Tubby Smith enjoyed a huge win over Stanford a little over a decade ago. When he was on the sidelines at Kentucky, Smith’s Wildcats defeated Stanford 86-85 in the NCAA semifinals to advance to the championship game. Kentucky went on to defeat Utah for the national title.

 The courtside notes:

          Stanford wanted no part of transition against UMASS. Early, they give the indication uptempo would be fine against Minnesota. The Cardinal wins the tip, pushed the ball and Anthony Brown buries a three before ten seconds elapsed. The first four minutes saw the respective teams with 7 possessions each, translating to a fast 70 possession tempo. At 16 minutes the score was 10-6 Minnesota with the Golden Gophers showing a 143-86 edge in offensive efficiency.

          The first half was one of short spurts. One such run late in the half saw Stanford build an eight point lead. The separation was fueled by strong work on the defensive and an offensive spark by 5-11 guard Aaron Bright. The Cardinal sophomore buried two perimeter shots (one from three) and generally kept the offensive pressure on the opposition. At the half:

Stanford 31

Minnesota 25

          The first four minutes after intermission were damaging for Minnesota. Stanford scored on each of their first six possessions. Minnesota managed just a two point field goal for their five trips. At the 16 minute mark the lead was 15 for Stanford (42-27). The Cardinal inside play and continued aggressiveness on the defensive end were significant factors.

          The Gophers struggled to get easy baskets. In fact, any baskets Minnesota scored the final half were few in number. The first ten minutes saw only three made field goals for the Big Ten representatives. The fifteen point deficit they faced with just over 10 minutes left was not impossible to come back from. But in this contest, that 15 felt like a 25 point deficit facing Smith and company.

          Minnesota was never able to make a sustained run. Credit the Stanford defense that allowed them to build a lead that reached 30 points in the waning moments. The Cardinal held Minnesota to 37% shooting and forced 22 turnovers (a 31% TO rate). Those miscues forced by Stanford were huge as they enjoyed a 28-7 advantage in points scored off turnovers. The final:

Stanford                 75

Minnesota              51

          Aaron Bright and Chasson Randle of Stanford shared game scoring honors with 15 points each.  Bright, the NIT Most Outstanding Player, added 6 assists. Rodney Williams paced Minnesota with 12 points before fouling out late. Stanford finished at 26-11 while a young Minnesota club wrapped up the campaign at 23-15.

          The pace and efficiency:

     Coach Johnny Dawkins of Stanford said he was hoping to get more of a half court tempo. Specifically, you have to believe that was in reference to the defense. The efficiency shows how Stanford shut down Minnesota in the half court setting. Offensively, Stanford was not opposed to pushing the ball, especially after forcing a turnover. The Cardinal enjoyed a 40-24 advantage in points in the paint. Some of them from half court offense, others the end result of forced turnovers.

“We talked specifically how strong we finished the first half and how we wanted to get out the first few minutes of the second half and do just the same. I think our guys bought into that.” – Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins

- Ray Floriani

The Cardinals have had trouble scoring the ball all season – not a perfect scenario when you face the Wildcats. However, this may be one of Rick Pitino’s top coaching jobs when you look at how he has been able to manipulate teams with better athleticism into half-court, grind-it-out games that translate to his impeccably tough defense which has allowed 60 or fewer points in 23 of the Cardinals’ 39 games.  The Cardinals allow only 60.8 ppg., and opponents shoot at only 38%, third nationally.

Now flip over to coach John Calipari’s fortress from Lexington which averages 77.9 ppg. and shoots it at a 48.8% clip.  The Wildcats place six people in double figures, led by 14.3 ppg. from freshman phenom Anthony Davis.  The interesting thing about Kentucky is that it’s offense is pretty much the calling card; however, the Wildcats only allow 37.5% from the floor, a shade better than Louisville’s calling card which is the defense.

And now the matchups…

Kentucky - Louisville

G- Doron Lamb (UK) vs. Chris Smith (UL) – Lamb is a magnificent three-point shooter off the baselines, which is the hardest spot on the floor to shoot the three from.  He has nailed 47.1% of his triples this season as almost half of his shot attempts were from behind the line.  Smith goes unheralded as a playmaker at times, but is still second on the squad in assists with 75 and only 43 turnovers in 27.6 mpg.

G – Marques Teague (UK) vs. Peyton Siva (UL) – Teague is athletic and fleet afoot and can turn a defender out of position on a dime.  He knows when to turn up his game as Calipari wants him to be his floor leader first, including a scorer if need be.  Ask Iowa State. If the Cardinals have an advantage, man-up, it might be here with Peyton Siva, who is Pitino’s assist-man, floor leader, floor burn leader, and general all-out hustler.  He has dished five or more assists in 30 of his last 40 contests, dating back to last season.

G/F – Terrence Jones (UK) vs. Kyle Kuric (UL) – Jones has seemed to attack the basket better in the last 10 games as he has gone 53-of-102 over that stretch.  He has four double figures efforts on the boards and two games with nine in that stretch as well.  It’s been a tough year for Kuric as a three-point shooter.  He was a feared marksman a year ago, shooting 44.9% from three, but this season, he attempted 73 more and has shot only 32.8% from the field.

C - Anthony Davis (UK) vs. Gorgui Deng (UL) – Davis may be the easiest unanimous pick for national player of the year recently.  His length and shot-blcoking prowess are celebrated as he averages 4.6 bpg. in addition to shooting 63.3% from the floor. One eye-catching stat that is under the radar is that he has accumulated only 35 turnovers this season in 31.7 mpg. A magnificent ratio, even for a big man. Deng led the Big East and was eighth in the nation in blocked shots per game at 3.1.  His length has to come into play against the length and athleticism of the Wildcats. He has averaged 8.0 rpg. and collected 13 blocked shots in his four NCAA Tournament games.

F – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (UK) vs. Chane Behanan (UL) – When Kidd-Gilchrist dominates the paint and gets the angle on dribble penetration, he cannot be stopped as he showed last week with his 24/10 against Indiana and 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Baylor.  He was the South regional MVP.  Behanan is a big body inside that cannot get into foul trouble. In addition to shooting 51.3% from the floor, he had six or more rebounds in 29 of Louisville’s 39 games.

First three off the bench –  Darius Miller, Kyle Wiltjer, and Eloy Vargas (UK) vs. Russ Smith, Jared Swopshire, and Wayne Blackshear (UL) – Darius Miller sometimes goes over looked, but his senior leadership and plays in the clutch are a must for Calipari.  Miller is as tough as anybody off the dribble in getting to the rim.  Russ Smith is sometimes the bell cow for Pitino as he comes off the bench and averages the second most points per game at 11.7.  He has caught fire for the ‘Ville in his last three games, averaging 15.7 ppg., nailing six-of-nine threes.

John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino – This is as good of a coaching matchup as there can be.  Calipari has six 30-win seasons in his last seven and is an unbelievable 100-14 in three years at Kentucky. Kentucky’s 36 wins tie a school record as Calipari has the uncanny knack for taking five or six elite players and getting them to play within themselves and up to their potential, as evidenced by this season’s team. Pitino is still the master of the consummate game plan.  That is one intangible in the Cardinals’ favor.  Pitino has the Cards on an eight-game winning streak, including the Big East Tournament championship. Amazingly, he has the Cardinals in the Final Four despite losing 136 man-games due to injury.

- Ken Cross