ESPN Men's Basketball

Five observations from this past week:

1. National title favorite? Try favorites. For much of November and December, the Duke Blue Devils were rightfully considered the lone true national title favorite, a steamroller of talent trailed by a handful of solid but flawed, potential contenders. That dynamic has changed. We don't have any new details on the status of Kyrie Irving's toe, but this week Coach K said Irving would be out "for a long time" and that his players were in the process of becoming a "different team." Couple that ominous-sounding diagnosis with the recent performances of teams like Ohio State and Kansas -- two loaded teams with star freshmen of their own -- and it's clear Duke is no longer head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

2. Something's wrong with Kansas State's offense. The Wildcats entered the season ranked No. 3 nationally and riding the kind of optimistic wave that tends to wash aside legitimate personnel concerns. When you have so much, why worry about what's missing? Alas, at this point in the season -- on the heels of a 44-point stinker in a loss to Florida on Saturday -- the Wildcats could be missing former point guard Denis Clemente more than anyone would have imagined. K-State has a couple of offensive issues to deal with. One is Jacob Pullen's shooting. The other is free throw rate. Last season, Kansas State had the fourth-highest free throw rate in the country. This season, the Wildcats are ranked No. 108 in the country in the stat. It's hard to tease out how much of this is a function of Clemente's absence -- certainly Pullen got more open looks from 3-point range with Clemente pushing the pace and getting into the lane -- and how much is just a slow start by Frank Martin's team thus far. One way or the other, though, the Wildcats have to find a way to get to the line more often. Until they do, that preseason optimism will continue to wane.

3. Michigan will stay out of the Big Ten cellar. The Wolverines aren’t exactly setting the world ablaze, but they’re significantly better than the doom and gloom that preceded this season. On Saturday, the Wolverines thoroughly handled the same Oakland team that took Michigan State to the wire and upset Tennessee last week. Michigan’s only other “quality” win came at Clemson, but no matter: It’s clear from their performance so far that the Wolverines will be plenty competitive in the middle of the Big Ten this season. Michigan’s offense isn’t great, but the defense is the 17th-best in the country, according to Pomeroy, and sophomore guard Darius Morris boasts the second-best assist rate in the country (48.4 percent). Michigan’s best-case might be a No. 7 spot in the Big Ten and a fringe bubble case by season’s end, but whatever. Compared to where this program seemed to be this offseason, as long as Michigan isn’t fending off Iowa, Indiana and Penn State for last-place Big Ten honors, everything else is gravy.

4. Central Florida is an NCAA tournament team. If the tournament started today, you’d have to include UCF in your tournament bracket. The Knights can claim dominion over the Sunshine State after wins over South Florida, Florida and Miami, the last of which came Saturday in Sunshine, Fla. The UF win looks especially impressive after the Gators’ win over Kansas State later at the Orange Bowl Classic. And now that UCF is past those in-state tests, and has few likely nonconference challenges left before league play begins, it can focus on what now looks like a totally realistic Conference USA title campaign. Before this season, the Knights were interesting only because they had the spawn of Michael Jordan on their team. Thanks in large part to the play of Marcus Jordan, this team is worth your attention for competitive reasons, too.

5. Kendall Marshall needs more minutes. Point guard play was one of the main contributors to North Carolina's troubles last season. It has reared its ugly head in 2010-11, too. Only this season, Roy Williams has a ready-made remedy on his bench. That remedy’s name is Marshall, who was brilliant in limited action in the Tar Heels’ loss to Texas Saturday. He has an intuitive feel for the game, can penetrate against the quickest of defenders, and finds UNC’s lanky big men better than either Dexter Strickland or Larry Drew II. (Marshall’s 41.8 percent assist rate would place him among the top 15 in the stat nationally if he had enough possessions to qualify for Pomeroy’s list.) Strickland and Drew II have improved, but Marshall is the driver Williams’ up-tempo offense needs. Now all Roy has to do is give him the keys.

Here are five things I can't wait to see in the Big 12:

1. Jacob Pullen's final challenge

Pullen and the team he leads won't have anyone to sneak up on this year. Everyone already fears the beard and, along with it, the Wildcats. But even as Kansas State adjusts to the unique pressures of being the favorite to win the conference -- and all the we're-gunning-for-you fun that entails every night -- Pullen will have an entirely different challenge on his hands.

With senior point guard Denis Clemente gone and no clear replacement waiting in the wings, Pullen might find himself performing a strange kind of double duty in the K-State backcourt this season. He might have to be both Jacob Pullen, the lightning-quick shooting guard adept at using off-ball screens and tight angles to get his looks, and Denis Clemente, the point guard determined to push the pace at all times. Is Pullen up to that challenge? Does he lose anything in the transfer? Can he do it all? And, if not, how do the Wildcats adjust?

2. Marcus Morris and the new-look Jayhawks

It's easy to forget just how deep Kansas was last season. Bill Self's team lost three of the best players in all of college basketball (Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry) this offseason, and many still argue that Kansas, not their in-state rivals, should be the Big 12 favorite. Whether those people are right will have a lot to do with whether forward Marcus Morris takes his game to the next level.

Of course, it will also have a lot to do with whether Josh Selby, the Jayhawks' uber-talented point guard recruit who is waiting for an eligibility decision from the NCAA, is allowed to play.

Regardless of that decision, Morris will be the key. (After all, the Jayhawks did retain Tyshawn Taylor, an awfully good guard in his own right.) Morris is a skilled big man with touch out to 15 feet, but this season he won't have the looming threat of Aldrich (and all the high-low action Self ran for his interior duo last season) to free him up. Instead, for the first time in his career, he'll be every team's main defensive focus. Does Morris have enough game to succeed anyway?

3. The fate of LaceDarius Dunn (and, by extension, Baylor)

Baylor almost made it through its first truly triumphant offseason since the Dave Bliss disaster seven years ago. Scott Drew's team finished in the Elite Eight, sent forward Ekpe Udoh to the NBA draft lottery, and welcomed the biggest recruit of Drew's career in NBA lottery lock Perry Jones. And then … poof.

Just like that, Baylor guard LaceDarius Dunn -- one of Pullen's few real competitors for Big 12 Player of the Year and the heart of any success Baylor would have in 2010-11 -- was charged with assault related to a domestic incident with his girlfriend and suspended indefinitely from the team.

The vagaries of Dunn's case remain strange and as yet unsettled (his girlfriend wants the charges dropped, the authorities disagree, and so on), but if things get worse, Drew could be forced to leave Dunn out of significant action in the 2010-11 season. At the very least, Dunn's mistake throws Baylor's season into question.

4. Another test for Rick Barnes

There are no doubts about Barnes's ability to build teams. The Texas coach has been one of the most prolific and impressive recruiters in his time at Texas, and thanks to the onrush of talent arriving in Austin each year, has managed to make a football school not only care about basketball but notice when it doesn't live up to expectations. Needless to say, that happened last season. After starting 17-0 and earning the No. 1 ranking, Texas slid all the way back to the middle of the Big 12 pack. The Longhorns fizzled out in the season's final months, ending with a loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament to a mediocre Wake Forest team.

The problem wasn't talent; it was chemistry, leadership and Barnes' inability to find some rotation that would maximize his players' diverse gifts. (Barnes didn't help his case when he told ESPN The Magazine that he was less concerned with winning the national title than getting his players to the NBA. That's kind of, you know, not the point.) Despite some veteran losses, the Horns are again supremely talented -- they have a top-notch batch of recruits joining last year's group -- and Barnes is again faced with the task of getting a young team, and a big group of guards, to be greater than the sum of their composite recruiting rankings.

5. Can the Tigers be ready in time?

When forward Tony Mitchell decided to take his talents to Columbia, Mo., coach Mike Anderson got the sort of recruit that ought to make most Big 12 coaches tremble. In four years at the school, Anderson has not been without talent, but his style -- the 40 Minutes of Hell hybrid he adopted from former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson -- has had more to do with Missouri's success (Anderson is 196-54 in his tenure) than any advantage in talent. Throw Mitchell, a hyper-athletic, top-15 forward, into Anderson's system, and the results could be rather frightening.

Those results, if they do happen, won't be happening this fall. Mitchell was deemed ineligible by the NCAA for the fall semester, and he's going to attempt to join the Tigers in the spring semester. That's a major blow, but if he can get ready in time, and can blend seamlessly into a young but promising Tigers team, Anderson will have one of his better teams ready to go by March. If not, the Tigers will still be good -- Mitchell's incoming classmates are likewise talented, and a returning core led by Kim English is nothing to sniff at -- but they'll have to wait on great.

INDIANAPOLIS -- We're halfway through what's thus far been an up-and-down game -- a torrid start followed by a major drought in the closing stretches. Fittingly enough, we're tied at 28. Here's some instant reaction and a look ahead to the second half:

HOW THE HALF WAS WON: Butler's guards couldn't contain Korie Lucious and Durrell Summers. The Bulldogs have been shutting down great guards throughout the tournament, holding Syracuse's Andy Rautins and Kansas State's Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente to minimal contributions in low-scoring games. Not so in the first half tonight. Lucious and Summers were able to find open looks, and for much of the half, they knocked them down.

TURNING POINT: With two minutes left in the first half, it looked like Butler was starting to fade. They couldn't get a bucket, and they had just been victimized by a perfect Lucious bounce pass through their defense, which Summers finished in stride for an easy layup and a 28-23 lead. But with 30 seconds left, Shelvin Mack caught the ball on the wing in the break and iced a 3, the Bulldogs' first since the four-minute mark, and their first non-Hayward bucket since there were eight minutes remaining.

PLAYER OF THE HALF: Gordon Hayward, Butler -- 13 points, three rebounds. Hayward's was 5-of-9 shooting -- including a barrage of 3s and one spinning fadeaway that had to make the NBA scouts in the house drool -- keeping Butler close throughout the first half. The Bulldogs weren't particularly bad from the field. But if Hayward hadn't made a few key 3s, the Spartans could have opened a lead in their torrid first few minutes.

PLAYER OF THE HALF II: Lucious of Michigan State -- eight points, one rebound, three assists, one steal. The aforementioned Lucious didn't just score and needle gorgeous bounce passes through Butler's vaunted defense. He also -- and most importantly -- didn't turn the ball over. Butler has been great at turning its opponents over in its run to the Final Four, but Lucious handled the ball well and Michigan State didn't waste any possessions against the grind-it-out Bulldogs.

STAT OF THE HALF: Offensive rebounds. Butler was never going to dominate Michigan State on the offensive glass, but the Bulldogs were almost invisible after their shots hit the rim. Butler grabbed three of their misses, good for a paltry 17.6 percent from the field. Butler doesn't need to grab many rebounds; Stevens prefers his guys get back and set up that difficult defense rather than crash the glass on the offensive end. But it wouldn't hurt for Butler to preserve a few more of their possessions in the second half.

STAT OF THE HALF II: Fouls. There were lots of them for both teams, a combined 16 total. Michigan State committed nine of those fouls, and Raymar Morgan got three of them, an affliction that caused him to miss much of the first half. The referees seem dedicated to keeping this game relatively free of overwhelming physicality, so Morgan will have to be especially careful in the early moments of the second.

WHAT BUTLER HAS TO DO TO WIN:
1. Hayward has to keep attacking the rim. Michigan State is struggling to match up with him, and with Morgan in foul trouble there's no one that should be able to stop him.
2. You too, Shelvin Mack. Don't settle.
3. Butler has to figure out a way to close down on Lucious, Summers, and the rest of Michigan State's athletic guards better. Butler got here by dominating its opponents on the perimeter, by making everything difficult, by forcing turnovers. That hasn't happened tonight.

WHAT MICHIGAN STATE HAS TO DO TO WIN:
1. Get lots of help on Hayward. You don't want to give up too many open looks, but rotating away from any non-Mack shooters in Butler's lineup is a pretty safe bet. Smart rotations could negate Butler's most effective player without revealing too many holes elsewhere.
2. Keep hitting shots. Simple, but true. It's hard to get good interior looks on Butler's defense. The help is too good. If the shots stop falling, some of that vaunted offensive rebounding wouldn't hurt.
3. Attack Matt Howard. Butler has been able to play without Howard in the past, but his rebounding would be a major boost on offense, and if MSU can keep him foul trouble, they can continue to dominate the glass.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Butler forward Gordon Hayward was named the West Regional's Most Outstanding Player on Saturday.

Guard Shelvin Mack was named to the All-West Regional team.

But Bulldogs guards Ronald Nored and Willie Veasley might have had the biggest impacts in No. 5-seeded Butler's 63-56 upset of No. 2-seeded Kansas State in Saturday's West Regional final at EnergySolutions Arena.

Together, Nored and Veasley helped hold Kansas State guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen to only two points combined in the first half. The Wildcats guards came into the game combining to average 46 points in their previous three NCAA tournament games.

"I think I'm sure you noticed we played a lot of attention to them," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "Every ball screen, we tried to trap, which is a little bit different than our normal [plan]. We wanted to try to make their bigs take jump shots. I think the first eight minutes, that was really proving itself to be happening."

Nored, a 6-foot sophomore from Homewood, Ala., drew the tough assignment of guarding Pullen, who averaged 25.7 points in the previous three NCAA games. Nored hounded him, just like he shadowed Syracuse's Andy Rautins in Butler's 63-59 upset of the No. 1-seeded Orange in Thursday night's regional semifinals. Pullen was scoreless in the first half and took only two shots.

On Friday, Nored said he watched highlights of about 60 shots by Pullen in the last few games.

"No one was really physical with him," Nored said. "A lot of people lost him. I wanted to stay with him and stay really physical with him when he came off screens. After you're getting chased and pushed time after time throughout the game, your shot doesn't feel as good."

Veasley, a 6-foot-3 senior from Freeport, Ill., drew the tough assignment of guarding Clemente. In the upset of Syracuse, Veasley guarded 6-7 forward Wesley Johnson, one of the country's best players.

"He goes from guarding the the most athletic player in the country to the fastest player in the country," Nored said. "That tells you how versatile he is."

Clemente scored 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting. Kansas State coach Frank Martin said Clemente was hobbled by two deep thigh bruises he suffered running through two ball screens early in the game, but was still able to finish.

"They came out and stayed with those two guys and hounded them," Martin said. "We accepted their ball pressure, took hurried shots and hurried possessions, which is what they try to do to people."

It was the exact blueprint Butler hoped to follow.

"We just tried to slow them down and make them as uncomfortable as possible," Veasley said.

Clemente scored 16 points in the second half and finished with 18. Pullen scored all of his 14 points in the second half.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Butler is headed home.

The No. 5-seeded Bulldogs stunned No. 2-seeded Kansas State 63-56 in the West Regional final at EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday, sending them to the Final Four in their hometown of Indianapolis.

Butler trailed only once in the game -- the Wildcats led 52-51 after Denis Clemente's 3-pointer with 4:49 to go -- but the Bulldogs scored nine unanswered points after the score was tied at 54.

The Bulldogs, who have won 24 consecutive games, will become the first team since UCLA in 1976 to play in the Final Four in their hometown. Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of next week's Final Four, is about five miles from the Butler campus.

The Bulldogs will play the winner of Sunday's Midwest Regional final between No. 5-seeded Michigan State and No. 6-seeded Tennessee in next week's national semifinals.

"City of Indy, we're coming home!" yelled Butler coach Brad Stevens into a microphone during postgame ceremonies.

As the Bulldogs sported Final Four T-shirts and hats, and Stevens was interviewed by network TV, Butler fans chanted, "Let's go home! Let's go home!"

For the second straight game here, the Bulldogs used relentless defense to pull ahead of a higher seed. Butler led 27-20 at the half, after Wildcats guards Jacob Pullen and Clemente combined for only two points in the first half. The K-State guards combined to average 46 points in the first three NCAA games.

Butler led 49-39 with 7:34 to go, but the Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to take a 52-51 lead.

But the Bulldogs made every big play when it counted during the final 3 1/2 minutes. After Clemente tied the score at 54 with 3:06 left, Butler forward Gordon Hayward scored on an alley-oop pass from guard Ronald Nored to take a 56-54 lead.

After Pullen shot an air ball on a 3-point attempt, Nored blew past Clemente for a layup to make the score 58-54. Then Clemente came up empty on one-and-one foul shots, and Butler guard Shelvin Mack saved an offensive rebound to Matt Howard on a blocked shot. Hayward scored a layup to give the Bulldogs a 60-54 lead with 1:02 to play.

The Wildcats turned it over on their next two possessions, all but ending the game.

Hayward scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Mack scored 16 points with three assists and two steals.

The Bulldogs shot 45.7 percent from the floor, including 7-for-15 on 3-pointers.

But Butler's defense was the difference. Kansas State shot only 38.6 percent, including 5-for-15 on 3-pointers.

Clemente led the Cats with 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting, and Pullen scored 14 points (all of them in the second half) with six steals.

Salt Lake City -- Butler is headed home.

The No. 5-seeded Bulldogs stunned No. 2-seeded Kansas State 63-56 in the West Regional final at EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday, sending them to the Final Four in their hometown of Indianapolis.

Butler trailed only once in the game -- the Wildcats led 52-51 after Denis Clemente's 3-pointer with 4:49 to go -- but the Bulldogs scored nine consecutive points after the score was tied at 54.

The Bulldogs, who have won 24 consecutive games, will become the first team since UCLA in 1976 to play in the Final Four in their hometown. Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of next week's Final Four, is about seven miles from the Butler campus.

The Bulldogs will play the winner of Sunday's Midwest Regional final between No. 5-seeded Michigan State and No. 6-seeded Tennessee in next week's national semifinals.

"City of Indy, we're coming home!" Stevens yelled into a microphone during post-game ceremonies.

As the Bulldogs sported Final Four T-shirts and hats, and Stevens was interviewed by network TV, Butler fans chanted, "Let's go home! Let's go home!"

For the second straight game here, the Bulldogs used relentless defense to pull ahead of a higher seed. Butler led 27-20 at the half, after Wildcats guards Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente combined for only two points in the first half. The K-State guards combined to average 46 points in the first three NCAA games.

Butler led 49-39 with 7:34 to go, but the Wildcats went on a 13-2 run to take a 52-51 lead.

But the Bulldogs made every big play when it counted during the final 3 1/2 minutes. After Clemente tied the score at 54 with 3:06 left, Butler forward Gordon Hayward scored on an alley-oop pass from guard Ronald Nored to take a 56-54 lead.

After Pullen shot an air ball on a 3-point attempt, Nored blew past Clemente for a layup to make the score 58-54. Then Clemente came up empty on one-and-one foul shots, and Butler guard Shelvin Mack saved an offensive rebound to Matt Howard on a blocked shot. Hayward scored a layup to give the Bulldogs a 60-54 lead with 1:02 to play.

The Wildcats turned it over on their next two possessions, all but ending the game.

Hayward scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Mack scored 16 points with three assists and two steals.

The Bulldogs shot 45.7-percent from the floor, including 7-for-15 on 3-pointers.

But Butler's defense was the difference. Kansas State shot only 38.6 percent, including 5-for-15 on 3-pointers.

Clemente led the 'Cats with 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting, and Pullen scored 14 points (all of them in the second half) with six steals.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Butler hasn't had an NBA lottery pick like former Kansas State star Michael Beasley.

Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens knows his chances of having players like Wildcats guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen are remote at best.

But that doesn't mean the No. 5-seeded Bulldogs don't think they'll have a chance to beat the No. 2-seeded Wildcats in Saturday's West Regional final at EnergySolutions Arena.

A victory over Kansas State would earn the Bulldogs the mother of all homecomings: a trip to next week's Final Four in their hometown of Indianapolis.

"Someone has to go to the national championship and win," Butler forward Gordon Hayward said. "Why can't it be us?"

The Bulldogs probably have as good of a chance as anyone left in the NCAA field. They've won 23 games in a row, the longest winning streak in the country, and they're coming off a surprising 63-59 upset of No. 1-seeded Syracuse on Thursday night.

So much for Butler still being a mid-major.

"I think what it boils down to is revenue," Stevens said. "I think that's where the term comes from. Maybe it didn't start that way. Maybe it started with conference affiliation. But the bottom line is it's about revenue, which has no impact on a five-on-five basketball game. That's how we look at it."

To beat the Wildcats, Butler will have to contain Clemente and Pullen, who are as hot as any players left in the NCAA tournament. They've combined to average 46 points and 7.3 assists in three NCAA games.

"I don't think our guys are slow, but you have to get back and set your defense," Stevens said. "You've got to be playing in sync as one, five guys playing together."

That's been Butler's recipe for success this season, and it was the blueprint that transformed the school of about 4,300 students into one of college basketball's giant killers over the last 14 seasons.

But the Bulldogs are no longer a mid-major. Yes, they're the first team from the Horizon League to play in the Elite Eight, but they've been an NCAA tournament staple during the last decade.

"I think when you step into a program that has been winning, having so much success, I think the first thing that comes to mind is you want to follow in those footsteps and don't let anyone else down," Hayward said.

Kansas State coach Frank Martin isn't surprised by Butler's long-term success. With so many programs from BCS football conferences recruiting players who are one-and-done and leave for the NBA after their freshman seasons, Martin said teams like Butler can thrive because their players develop chemistry and experience over four seasons.

"The thing that's changed the landscape of college basketball is the schools that maybe don't have the resources to go recruit or the notoriety or don't play in a conference that has affiliations with a national TV station to get on TV every week," Martin said.

"What happens is you get these schools that go out and recruit these kids that are borderline. These kids go there, they stay for three, four or five years and they grow together, and then you end up seeing these teams make tremendous runs."

Martin's first team at Kansas State in 2007-08 was built around Beasley, a freshman phenom, and forward Bill Walker. The Wildcats won 21 games, but lost to Wisconsin by 17 points in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

This version of the Wildcats, which has won 29 games and finished tied for second in the Big 12, was built around its veteran backcourt of Clemente and Pullen.

"The so-called pros that people don't like to scream at, you know, those kids leave," Martin said. "So you never get old. That's why we've had a chance to succeed is because we have a bunch of kids that have grown up together, that have stayed together, that have been through it together. That's what's given us a chance up to this point."

And that's what gives Butler a chance to beat Kansas State.

Four of the Bulldogs' five starters have started every game they've played the last two seasons, and sophomore guard Ronald Nored started all but five.

"You've got to find your niche and find the right guys to fit your niche," Stevens said. "As you can see -- mid-major, major, low-major, whatever the case may be -- we've got pretty darn good basketball players here."

Stevens has found the majority of his roster in basketball-crazy Indiana -- 10 of his team's 15 players are from the Hoosier State.

"I think there are a lot of things that fit into the niche that we can recruit to," Stevens said. "One of the things obviously is you have terrific [academic] degree opportunities at Butler. It's a private school and a small school. Couple that with the fact that you're in a town and in a state that is mad about basketball, and add on top of that that you play in a building that every basketball purist in the world wants to go through at one time or another.

"Does that work for every kid? No, it doesn't work for a lot of them. But it works for the guys on our team. You bring a kid in that loves Hinkle Fieldhouse, that means he appreciates tradition, he appreciates history and is likely a good teammate because he appreciates what's gone on in the past."

And Butler and Kansas State have to be excited about their futures.

"Why not shoot for the ultimate goal?" Butler forward Matt Howard said. "There's no reason to hold yourself back and say, 'Hey, let's just shoot to make the tournament.' Why not try to win the whole thing?"

SALT LAKE CITY -- Kansas State Wildcats guard Denis Clemente still remembers the first time he visited Manhattan, Kan.

"Everything was flat," Clemente recalled. "And there wasn't anything to do."

So Clemente did what he does best, he spent hour after hour in Kansas State's practice gym.

"Denis was a gym rat," Wildcats guard Jacob Pullen said. "I thought I was a gym rat, but Denis is a different kind of gym rat. We'd have open gym at 2 p.m. and he'd show up at 9 a.m. We'd play one-on-one and he'd beat me. I didn't want to walk off after losing, so we'd play all night."

Day after day, Clemente and Pullen formed a bond that helped them become one of college basketball's best backcourts. They've led Kansas State to its first appearance in the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight since 1988, when the Wildcats lost to rival Kansas 71-58 in the regional finals.

The No. 2-seeded Wildcats play No. 5-seeded Butler in the West Regional finals at EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday. The winner advances to next week's Final Four in Indianapolis.

"'Small' means very little when you get to this level," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "I think those guys play much bigger than they are. They have huge hearts. They're incredibly fast. Right now, Clemente scares you as much as any player you're going to play against, as does Pullen. Pullen might be having the best tournament of anybody in the country right now."

Clemente and Pullen are the Wildcats' undisputed leaders, even though they go about it in completely different ways.

"We understand that we both want to lead and we both want to win," Pullen said.

Clemente, a senior from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, leads by his play more than his mouth. He still doesn't speak fluent English, after moving to Miami when he was 16 years old. Growing up, Clemente played baseball -- his grandfather's cousin was Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, the most famous athlete in Puerto Rico's history -- but he liked basketball more because of the sport's faster pace.

Clemente made his first basketball goal out of a bicycle rim. Before his junior year of high school, Clemente moved to Miami with his mother with the goal of receiving a college scholarship.

After a standout career at Calusa Prep in Miami, Clemente was recruited by Wildcats coach Frank Martin, who was an assistant under Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins at the time.

"I wanted to go to Cincinnati and play for Bob Huggins, but because of the language [barrier], I was a little scared," Clemente said.

So Clemente stayed close to home and signed with the University of Miami. He was more comfortable with his surroundings and some of his teammates spoke Spanish. Clemente averaged 5.5 points as a freshman in 2005-06 and 9.8 points as a sophomore.

But Clemente said he felt trapped in Miami's prodding system. He transferred to Kansas State after Martin succeeded Huggins as the Wildcats' head coach before the 2007-08 season.

"The system and the way they coached was not the way I wanted to play basketball," Clemente said of his time with the Hurricanes. "I have more freedom here. I didn't like the way the coaches treated people. Here, they just let me play basketball."

As Kansas State's point guard, Clemente said Martin gives him complete freedom on the court. He is allowed to call nearly all of the team's half-court plays and always has freedom to shoot or pass. It helps that Martin, the son of Cuban immigrants, speaks Clemente's native language.

"It's the advantage we have," Clemente said. "We both speak Spanish. No one else can understand us."

Pullen, a 6-foot junior, grew up just outside of Chicago. He instantly formed a bond with Clemente, even if he didn't always understand what his teammate was saying.

"He didn't understand English very well," Pullen said. "He just always smiled."

Pullen started referring to Clemente as "Chico" and the moniker stuck.

Clemente and Pullen became the Wildcats' backbone following the departure of All-American Michael Beasley and Bill Walker after the 2008 season. Pullen is a fan favorite. His beard is as famous as his jump shot in Kansas. K-State students wear the "Fear the Beard" T-shirts at games and the school gave away fake beards at games this season.

Pullen has even become Clemente's translator during team huddles.

"If Denis wants to say something in the huddle, he might not be able to express it because he doesn't speak great English," Pullen said. "That's when I step in. I'm more of a vocal leader. Denis tends to lead by example."

Both Clemente and Pullen have been leading by example throughout the NCAA tournament. Pullen is averaging 25.7 points in three NCAA tournament games and has made 15 of 30 3-pointers. Clemente is averaging 20.3 points, with 14 assists and five turnovers.

In the Wildcats' 101-96 victory in double overtime against No. 6-seeded Xavier in the West Regional semifinals on Thursday night, Clemente took 22 shots in regulation. But Pullen carried Kansas State in overtime, scoring 10 points in the two extra periods. Clemente took only two shots, but had four assists.

"Having upperclassmen guards helps you get through [those] kind of games, because Denis and Jake never got rattled," Martin said.

It's hard to imagine them getting rattled anytime soon, either.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Kansas State guard Denis Clemente didn't fall asleep until 5 a.m. EST Friday.

Wildcats guard Jacob Pullen didn't close his eyes until an hour later.

Kansas State coach Frank Martin laid on the bed in his hotel room for hours, trying to comprehend what his team had just accomplished only a few hours earlier.

In one of the more memorable finishes in NCAA tournament history, the No. 2-seeded Wildcats beat No. 6-seeded Xavier 101-96 in double overtime at EnergySolutions Arena on Thursday night.

Kansas State advanced to play No. 5-seeded Butler in Saturday's regional final, with the winner advancing to next week's Final Four in Indianapolis.

"I didn't sleep at all," Pullen said. "I stayed up until like 4 a.m. I was just excited. I laid there starting at the wall, with the TV on and everything."

Added Clemente: "I couldn't go to sleep. I kept waking up. I just can't believe where we're at right now. I open my eyes and say, 'That's for real, what I'm doing right now.' I just kept waking up every 15 minutes, just reliving the moment."

Martin said he and his assistant coaches watched tape of Butler for most of the night. He finally went to his hotel room around 5 a.m. EST, but "laid there in bed, just kind of staring at the ceiling."

"I kind of replayed the game we just played through my mind," Martin said. "It's what I do every game. I think about every decision I had to make so I can reflect, so I can help myself make better decisions for the next game when the same situations occur."

Kansas State forward Jamar Samuels said he isn't concerned about being tired against Butler, after the Wildcats had to play 50 minutes against the Musketeers.

"Not at all because all of us played AAU basketball," Samuels said. "In AAU basketball, we played at least five or six games in one weekend. So fatigue isn't an issue for us. We're just trying to hydrate and stay focused on the game for Saturday."

The Wildcats went through a light practice Friday, but Martin said he was going to spend most of his time teaching his players through film study and game planning.

"When the ball gets tossed in the air and the buzzer sounds, adrenaline takes over," Pullen said. "It could be our last game of the season. When we get into the game and our adrenaline starts pumping and we understand what we're playing for, we should be fine."

Martin doesn't have any doubt his players will be rested.

"That's what Sunday is for," Martin said. "I'll sleep a lot on Sunday."

SALT LAKE CITY -- When Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen knocked down two foul shots with 10 seconds left in regulation against Xavier on Thursday night, he thought the Wildcats had finally put the Musketeers away for good.

"I'm thinking, 'That's game. That's the nail in the coffin,'" Pullen said.

Not quite.

When Pullen made a layup with 33 seconds left at the end of the first overtime, he thought the game was finally over and the Wildcats were headed to the Elite Eight.

Not quite.

Not until Pullen made two 3-pointers and two foul shots in the final 1 minute, 11 seconds of a second overtime did No. 2-seeded Kansas State finally pull away for a 101-96 victory over Xavier in the West Regional semifinals at EnergySolutions Arena.

Kansas State will play No. 5-seeded Butler in Saturday's regional final, with the winner advancing to next week's Final Four in Indianapolis.

"That's March basketball at its finest right there," Kansas State coach Frank Martin said. "That's two teams refusing to give in and refusing for their seasons to end. I expected it to be a hard-fought game. I didn't expect it to be like this. They were phenomenal and our guys were pretty good, too."

In one of the more remarkable finishes in recent NCAA tournament -- and in a game that even upstaged Butler's 63-59 upset of No. 1-seeded Syracuse in the earlier semifinal -- the Wildcats traded blows with the Musketeers for 50 minutes.

It was the first double-overtime game in the Sweet 16 since Minnesota defeated Clemson 90-84 in 1997.

"It was a classic," said Pullen, who finished with 28 points in 40 minutes. "It was two teams who didn't want their seasons to end. Every time we thought the game was over, we would walk to the line and you could see it in their eyes that they didn't want the game to end, either."

From the final media timeout with 7:08 remaining in the second half until KSU's final two free throws with 12 seconds left in double OT, no team led by more than four points. In the OT periods alone, there were six lead changes and six more ties.

The Wildcats, who led by as many as 15 points in the first half, had a great chance to end the game in regulation. Pullen's 3-pointer with 26 seconds left put K-State ahead by a 70-67 score. He knocked down two foul shots to make it 72-69 with 10 seconds to go.

Martin told his team to foul the Musketeers' ball-handler once he crossed midcourt. Kansas State's Denis Clemente tried to foul Terrell Holloway as he brought the ball across midcourt, but officials didn't blow their whistles. Instead, they called a foul on senior Chris Merriewether as Holloway threw up a desperation 3-pointer.

"We did exactly what we've done every time we've been in that situation," Martin said. "We've done the same thing in that situation as long as I've been the coach here. Denis basically had the guy in a bear hug at halfcourt and they decided to let him play through that. The foul on the 3-point shot was the correct call and that was a breakdown on our part."

Holloway made the Wildcats pay for their mistake, as he made all three foul shots to tie the score at 72 with five seconds to play. Pullen missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.

Kansas State took a 78-74 lead with 2:46 left to play in overtime, but the Musketeers came right back. Over the next seven minutes, the teams traded blow after blow. There were five ties and neither team had a lead of more than three points until the Wildcats pulled away at the very end in double overtime.

"I felt like tonight was eerily similar to Ali-Foreman, and they landed the last punch, unfortunately," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "It was as good of a game as I've coached, been a part of. Both teams battled, believed they were going to win. Unfortunately, only one team is allowed to."

Pullen's layup gave Kansas State an 86-84 lead with 33 seconds to go in the first overtime. Merriewether made one of two foul shots to make it 87-84 with 19 seconds to go. Then Xavier guard Jordan Crawford drilled a 3-pointer from 32 feet to tie the score at 87.

"I've been watching Crawford play for a long time," Martin said. "I don't care where he's at. When he's playing well, he'll shoot it from anywhere. Give him credit."

Crawford finished with 32 points on 13-for-29 shooting.

He was only upstaged by Pullen, whose 3-pointer gave the Wildcats a 97-94 lead with 32 seconds to go in the second overtime. Pullen made two foul shots to make it 99-96 with 24 seconds left, and then Xavier's Dante' Jackson missed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds to play.

Game over -- finally.

"I was just hoping Crawford didn't make one of those 3-pointers from halfcourt," Pullen said.

The Wildcats have less than 48 hours to recover before they play Butler for a trip to the Final Four, an event no KSU team has played in since 1964. Martin planned to stay up early Friday morning to scout the Bulldogs. The Wildcats will have a light practice Friday afternoon, but Martin is more worried about his players getting their legs back before Saturday.

Clemente played 48 minutes, scoring 25 points with five rebounds and five assists.

"We can't get after these guys tomorrow," Martin said. "We have to coach them through their minds."

At least Martin doesn't have to worry about his players' guts. They answered the bell every time Xavier tried to knock them down on Thursday night.

"It took a lot of courage for our guys to stay the course, especially after what happened at the end of regulation and overtime," Martin said.

It's what March Madness is all about.

"When it gets down to the last few games, nobody wants their season to end," Pullen said.

OK. Deep breaths.

The first night of the Sweet 16 is officially in the books, and it was officially awesome. Four games, one upset, one truly dominating performance by the tournament's new prohibitive favorite, and this year's best postseason game -- a Gus Johnson-narrated double-overtime thriller you can expect to see replayed more than once in the coming years. Let's see: Yep. That pretty much sums it up.

Alongside West Virginia's easy, ugly win over Washington, Butler's unlikely victory over heavily favored No. 1-seed Syracuse led the night off. That was a pretty fantastic start. But if you thought that was as good as the night was going to get -- this was not an unreasonable stance -- you were wrong. That's when Xavier-Kansas State happened.

Where to start? At the beginning, I suppose: Kansas State rushed out to an early lead, and for the first 12 minutes it looked like the Wildcats would handle X easily. But the Musketeers, led by Jordan Crawford, came storming back, drawing the game even at the half. Things didn't separate much after that, leading to a final sequence that would baffle even the most hardened of college basketball watchers. Up by three with a few seconds left, Kansas State tried to foul Xavier point guard Terrell Holloway. By the time the referees called the foul, Holloway was in the act of shooting, giving him -- yes, this was as unbelievable as it sounds -- three free throws to tie the game and send it into overtime. He made all three.

In overtime things got even crazier. Down three with 10 seconds left, Crawford made an absolutely nuts 35-foot 3-pointer to tie the game. Denis Clemente's speed drove him to a great look at the buzzer, which missed, sending the game to another overtime -- the first 2OT game in the Sweet 16 since 1997. XU guard Dante Jackson had a chance to tie the game late before Kansas State finally pulled away thanks to two clutch Jacob Pullen 3s and a couple of key defensive stops. Just like that, the best game of the tournament was over.

The statistical wreckage: 83 possessions each. Offensive efficiency ratings of 119.1 and 118 for Xavier and K-State, respectively. Thirty-two points for Crawford; 26 for Holloway. Twenty-eight points for Pullen; 25 for Clemente; 21 for Curtis Kelly, whose low-post efficiency kept the Wildcats alive in the first overtime. All together, one very special win for Frank Martin and his team, who will advance to face the aforementioned Butler Bulldogs on Saturday night.

OK. More deep breaths. Does that about cover it? Barely.

Then there was Kentucky-Cornell, which was, despite the gulf in final score, entertaining in its own way. The Big Red, buoyed by a rowdy crowd just 50 or so miles down the road from their home in Ithaca, N.Y., opened up a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes against the heavily favored Wildcats. For just a few minutes, it looked like Cornell could do to Kentucky what it did to Wisconsin and Temple before them.

Then reality set in. The reality was that Kentucky was ready for Cornell, ready for the Big Red's perimeter-reliant offensive attack. UK hedged every screen high, overplayed on every shooter, and was so much more athletic than Cornell that it could recover and prevent interior shots and drives even after playing the Big Red out to 30 feet. In 20 minutes of first-half basketball, Cornell scored 16 points, the victims of a 30-6 Kentucky run to close the half. Cornell finished with 45 points, the third-lowest total in the Sweet 16 since expansion in 1985. It was one of the best and most complete defensive performances you'll ever see, and it wasn't just thanks to athleticism and talent. The Cats were prepared. They executed a gameplan. They were much more than an amalgamation of talent. They were a team.

Tonight's late results mean a few things going forward. First among them: No. 1 Kentucky will play No. 2 West Virginia in the Carrier Dome Saturday night. Kentucky will have to finish much better against West Virginia, and it won't be able to get away with shooting 16-of-26 from the stripe. Likewise, WVU will have to clean up its turnovers. The Mountaineers are the first team since 1970 to win a game in the round of 16 or later despite committing at least 20 turnovers and shooting 40 percent or less from the field. It was a testament to Washington's own sloppy play that West Virginia wasn't challenged more Thursday night. That won't happen Saturday.

Of course, there's also the Kansas State-Butler matchup, which will be as great a contrast in styles as we've seen in the tournament so far. Butler prefers to slog it out; Kansas State loves to get up and down. It'll be a good one.

While we're here, a quick lament: Tonight's loss means we have to bid a fond tournament farewell to Crawford, who -- had his team won -- might have locked up tournament MVP honors after just three games. Crawford scored 28, 27, and 32 points, making big shot after big shot and beautiful play after beautiful play. What's more, Crawford's style is as freewheeling and fun to watch as any player's in the country. You never know what you're going to get -- a pretty pass, an icy old-school finger roll, or an double-onions-order 30-foot 3 to tie the game in overtime. Losing Crawford is a major blow for the sublime enjoyment of this tournament. It's a shame.

The good news? We get to keep Pullen. And Gordon Hayward. And John Wall. And Da'Sean Butler. And we have another night to do it all over again Friday.

Who needs deep breaths? Not me.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for another lap.

SALT LAKE CITY -- No. 2-seeded Kansas State did everything it could to lose Thursday night's West Regional semifinal against No. 6-seeded Xavier at EnergySolutions Arena.

The Wildcats blew a 15-point lead. They fouled Xavier's 3-point shooter with a three-point lead with five seconds left, which sent the game into overtime.

But Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen refused to let his team lose in two overtimes, leading the Wildcats to a 101-96 victory. Kansas State advanced to play No. 5-seeded Butler in Saturday's West Regional finals. The winner of that games goes to the Final Four in Indianapolis next week.

Pullen's 3-pointer put Kansas State ahead 94-93 with 1:09 left in the second overtime. He made another 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 97-94 lead with 31.2 seconds to play. After the Musketeers pulled to within 97-96 with 25.1 seconds to go, Pullen made two foul shots to make it 99-96.

Pullen finished with 28 points on 9-for-20 shooting, and Denis Clemente had 25 points on 10-for-24 shooting.

Pullen and Xavier guard Jordan Crawford traded big shot after big shot down the stretch. With the Musketeers trailing 87-84 late in the first overtime, Crawford made a 30-foot 3-pointer to tie the score at 87.

Crawford finished with 32 points on 13-for-29 shooting, and Holloway added 26 points with six assists.

During an NCAA tournament filled with indelible moments, this game will surely be remembered as one of the best. Kansas State had a 72-69 lead with less than 10 seconds to play. But Wildcats senior Chris Merriewether, who went into the game for defensive purposes, fouled Xavier's Terrell Holloway on a 3-point shot with five seconds to go.

Holloway made three foul shots to tie the score at 72. The Wildcats had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but Pullen missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Quick thoughts on Kansas State-North Texas.

This was never close after the first few minutes, as the Wildcats became the rare favorite to blow out a lower seed on this wild Thursday afternoon.

• The only tense time for K-State was when leading scorer Jacob Pullen went down hard on his backside during the second half. Pullen writhed in pain for a while on the court, was checked on the bench and taken to the locker room for a while for observation. But Pullen bounced back and re-entered the game later, appearing to be fine. He finished with 15 points, 11 of them in the first half. Fellow guard Denis Clemente was the high scorer for K-State with 17.
• K-State's trademark defense swallowed North Texas whole, holding the Mean Green to 30 percent shooting. The only UNT player able to generate much offense was Tristan Thompson, who doubled his season scoring average and finished with 28 points. Thompson went 10-for-10 at the foul line.
• Kansas State will now turn that defense loose on BYU scoring machine Jimmer Fredette, who rang up 37 points on Florida in the opening game.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Quick halftime thoughts from Kansas State 41, North Texas 25.

• The Wildcats are giving Villanova a crisp primer on how a No. 2 seed should handle a No. 15 in a first-round game. Kansas State didn't waste much time in extinguishing upset hopes for the Mean Green and bringing a partisan K-State crowd to its feet regularly.
• The main weapon: vicious defense. North Texas was 5-of-24 from the field in the first half (21 percent) and committed nine turnovers. If the Mean Green hadn't gotten to the foul line (13-18 free throws) this would really be out of hand.
• Kansas State was led, as usual, by dynamic guards Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, scoring 11 points each on a combined 8 of 15 shooting. Clemente made half of his six 3-point attempts.

There have been plenty of gripes about this year's bracket, and with good reason. I'll get to those in a little bit. For now, here's a quick list of things to love about this NCAA tournament field -- besides, of course, the fact that it's an NCAA tournament field. Man, the tournament is awesome. Anyway, let's do this:

1. Midwest Madness. In so far as one can feel bad for a perennial power with the talent, size and depth of the Kansas Jayhawks, I feel bad for the Kansas Jayhawks. Bill Self's team was the best in the country from the beginning of the season to its end, and though the Jayhawks had the occasional stumble, they always had the feel of last year's North Carolina team -- a team smart enough, experienced enough, and deep enough to win the NCAA tournament with nary a realistic challenger.

On Sunday night, that prediction got a little hazier. To get to the Final Four, the Jayhawks will have to beat some combination of the country's best player (No. 2 seed Ohio State), one of its hottest, most balanced teams (No. 3 seed Georgetown), the co-ACC champions, featuring one the country's toughest guards (No. 4 Maryland), Tom Izzo (No. 5 Michigan State), Bruce Pearl (No. 6 Tennessee), and the lone Big 12 team to beat them, a team with arguably the best shooting guard in the country in James Anderson (No. 7 Oklahoma State). This is an absolutely loaded field, rife with experienced players and tourney-proven coaches, and if I were a Kansas fan I would totally put this in the "hate" category, especially given the comfortable region afforded the third No. 1 seed, Duke. But as a fan of college basketball in general? I can't deny how excited I am to watch this region play out. I still like Kansas to make the Final Four and win it all, but with this region, anything is on the table. Anything. Who wouldn't love that?

2. Sometimes, underseeding works out. Continuing with the "things I could also hate" theme, I give to you No. 5 Temple vs. No. 12 Cornell. Both teams are badly underseeded here, especially Cornell, which nearly beat Kansas at the Phog, which dominated its season from start to finish. It's becoming common to say the Big Red aren't your typical Ivy League team, but it's true; few Ivy League teams have the luxury of a seven-foot center who wouldn't look out of place in any of the country's biggest, most talent-rich conferences. Meanwhile, Temple deserved more from the committee after winning the regular season and tourney titles in a very good Atlantic 10. Temple is a complete, balanced team, one of the best defensive squads in the country. Cornell is as scary a No. 12 seed as there is. It hurts to lose one of these teams in the first round ... but the process of losing either ought to be the best first-round game in the entire field. I'll take it, I guess. (Wait, is that not positive enough? OK, sorry -- I love it! Yay for good first-round games!)

3. Beware the Bears. Expect Baylor to be a trendy Final Four pick. This is with good reason: The Bears enter the tournament with the fifth-highest points per possession efficiency mark in the country. Quite simply, the Bears make their shots, rebound their misses, and don't give enough away on the defensive end to offset that potent attack. LaceDarius Dunn and Ekpe Udoh form one of the best inside-outside tandems in all of college basketball. Coach Scott Drew is a name on the rise. And so on. But the best thing about the Bears in this tournament is their draw: Making it to the Elite Eight theoretically means beating No. 2 seed Villanova, easily the weakest of the No. 2 seeds, a porous defensive team that faded down the stretch in conference play. Nothing about Baylor's half of the South region looks particularly frightening. Drawing Duke as their region's No. 1 is likewise friendly. Duke is a very good team, but it's also a team that's banished its young reserves to the bench and played its starters an incredibly high percentage of minutes the last two months. Before this draw, Baylor was merely a sexy Elite Eight pick. After this draw, the Bears should be thinking Final Four. I am.

4. James Anderson vs. Evan Turner? Yes, please. Q.V. note No. 1.: "Midwest Madness." I've already gone through why the Midwest region is so very awesome, but this might be the best matchup in the entire bracket. (When you have to hedge that statement with something about Greivis Vasquez and Sherron Collins meeting on the other side, you know you have a loaded region.) Turner is without question the country's best player, a versatile point guard who does the majority of scoring -- heck, he does the majority of everything -- for his likewise efficient teammates. Turner is capable of taking over a game anytime he pleases. Same goes for James Anderson, a far less-heralded but nearly as effective scorer of the basketball. Anderson's offensive game used to be a tailored version of Turner's -- lots of drives, lots of curl-screens, lots of kicks to shooters. In 2010, Anderson added the 3-point shot to his repertoire, making him nearly impossible to stop. If both teams win their first round games -- Oklahoma State might have problems with Georgia Tech, mind you -- Anderson and Turner would meet in the second round Saturday in Milwaukee. One will be guarding the other for long stretches of that game, I'd expect. Don't miss it.

5. Fast-paced basketball in Oklahoma City. And no, I'm not talking about the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rather, if seeds hold and No. 7 seed BYU takes down its rather fluffy No. 10 first-round matchup with Florida, the Cougars will not only have won their first NCAA tournament game in ages -- they will have set up a dream matchup with No. 2 seed Kansas State. At 72.9 possessions per game, BYU is the No. 12 team in the country in adjusted pace; Kansas State is No. 31 with 71.1. Both teams feature great guards in Jimmer Fredette and K-State's Denis Clemente/Jacob Pullen duo, and both teams thrive on beating their opponents down the floor and hitting shots in transition. There's no chance this matchup was intentional, but three cheers to the committee here. For sheer entertainment, this second-round game will be hard to top.