SportsNation Blog Archives
Kansas Jayhawks
Which team wins?
Kentucky has been the favorite to win the NCAA tournament since the beginning, but Kansas is a basketball superpower as well.
Calipari or Self?
John Calipari's sterling résumé lacks a national championship, while Bill Self will be looking to add a second title to his list of accomplishments.
Davis or Robinson?
Anthony Davis was recently named the Naismith Trophy winner as men's college basketball player of the year, a fact that may motivate Thomas Robinson in their title matchup.
Rooting interest?
Kentucky and Kansas play an almost pro-style of basketball, with neither team having a dreary ride to New Orleans.
Did the tourney deliver?
Your bracket probably got busted a long time ago, but did you end up enjoying this year's tournament on its own merits?
Which team wins?
Kansas beat Ohio State 78-67 in their only meeting of the season, but it's a brand-new game in the NCAA tournament.
Sullinger or Robinson?
Both Jared Sullinger and Thomas Robinson are their teams' go-to stars, but who would you rather take in a pinch?
Other stars?
Aside from Sullinger and Robinson, both teams have a wealth of talent that could see several players make it to the NBA.
Self or Matta?
Bill Self has won a national championship, while Thad Matta has come close twice, making two Final Fours at Ohio State.
Marquee program?
Both schools have lengthy histories of excellence in sports, but which program do you find to be more of a bastion of winning?
How's your bracket looking? If you're President Obama, you have only two Final Four teams remaining, but that's still good for the 96th percentile of all brackets filled out. In our Tournament Challenge, only 25,304 people got all four Final Four teams correct. This whole tournament thing, in case you haven't figured it out yet, is not all that easy to predict. It's down to three games, however, which means you've got a much better chance of picking the ones left. You probably won't, though. It's still not that easy.
(1) Kentucky vs. (4) Louisville
Kentucky made short work of Baylor in the Elite Eight, while Louisville went on a 23-8 run late to eke out a win against Florida.
(2) Kansas vs. (2) Ohio State
Ohio State finally made Syracuse feel the absence of Fab Melo, while Kansas took care of North Carolina with a 13-point win.
Exciting matchup?
Louisville and Kentucky have an old rivalry to settle this year, but Kansas and Ohio State might be the more even matchup.
How does your bracket look?
Ours was busted a long time ago, so we're not even going to judge you if yours doesn't look all that great.
It's a battle of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as Louisville will face Kentucky with a trip to the national championship game on the line. On the other side of the bracket, Ohio State will take on Kansas for the right to advance. Which is the better Final Four matchup?
- jaykel0621: "Louisville plays great defense, probably the only type of team that can beat Kentucky"
- FLfan2004: "Congrats to UL..great comeback..great class..and I can't wait to watch the state of Kentucky showdown!"
- ludwigjk: "Good game Buckeyes!! Bring on Kansas!"
- goosu123: "OSU TO THE FINAL 4!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!! FIRST TIME SINCE 2007!!!!!"
- Krazen1: "As an OSU fan, UK scares me. They are really good, and I really hope Louisville takes them out."
- Deska4: "KENTUCKY more NCAA Tournament wins than North Carolina...............YES !!!!!!"
- midland23: "Lets party like it's 2008!!!! Go Kansas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
- RummyRoy: "KU won't even get past OSU, much less Kentucky. This is the last game they win this year."
Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and start blogging.
Sadly, at least for Michigan State fans, the Spartans have been knocked out of the NCAA tournament by Louisville. Michigan State is the first No. 1 seed to fall in the tournament, but both Kentucky and North Carolina could take the plunge this evening if all doesn't go according to plan. Three double-digit seeds will be looking to end some tournament dreams early and keep the clock from striking midnight on their own personal Cinderella stories, but will we see any more upsets in the second half of the Sweet 16?
(1) Kentucky vs. (4) Indiana
Kentucky has run roughshod over its first two opponents, while Indiana barely survived a scare against VCU.
(1) North Carolina vs. (13) Ohio
No. 13 Ohio is the lowest-ranked team still remaining, having upset both Michigan and South Florida in the first two rounds.
(2) Kansas vs. (11) NC State
Both NC State and Kansas survived close games in the round of 32 -- NC State upset Georgetown 66-63, while Kansas eked out a 63-60 win against Purdue.
(3) Baylor vs. (10) Xavier
Baylor and Xavier are coming off of big wins in the round of 32, a far cry from the close games they won in the round of 64.
- Vote on Jimmy V Classic: Syracuse vs. Michigan St. | Kansas vs. Memphis
- Rank 'Em: Are all four teams in tonight's Jimmy V Classic in your Power 16?
The Final Four long ago outgrew arenas like Madison Square Garden, but in addition to raising money for a great cause, will tonight's Jimmy V Classic offer at least a partial preview of what we may see in April at Reliant Stadium in Houston?
Only No. 4 Kansas currently ranks among the top quartet as it prepares to face No. 14 Memphis (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET), but it seems unwise to count out the Tigers or No. 7 Syracuse and No. 8 Michigan State, who square off in tonight's second game (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET). None of the top four teams at this time last season eventually made it to Indianapolis, those latter teams instead ranking No. 7 (West Virginia), No. 8 (Duke), No. 14 (Michigan State) and No. 20 (Butler).
Scott (South Dakota)
Hey Fran - how good are the Jayhawks this year? Longtime fan, so I've been duped by some good pre-season rankings and regular season results. How "good" are they in reality? Thanks!!
Fran Fraschilla
You've been duped by regular season results? What planet have you been on? Has anybody had a better run than Bill Self? Remember, Roy Williams and Larry Brown lost NCAA tournament games as well. I really like this Kansas team. Offensively it has a lot of weapons and will certainly be improved once Josh Selby is eligible on Dec. 18. Marcus Morris just might be the most versatile forward behind Singler and his brother does great dirty work. If UCLA exposed an Achilles heel defensively last week, it was in pounding the ball inside against the twins and Thomas Robinson. Overall they are a top five team and one of my picks to get to the Final Four. Full transcript
dave (ri)
has the [V Foundation] helped anyone in your family?
Nick Valvano
As a matter of fact, my brother's middle daughter Jamie, who is 38, was diagnosed five years ago with breast cancer. I wouldn't say it's research that we funded that [means] she's cancer free right now, but it was research that was done years ago that helped her. It's kind of eerie that in his ESPYS speech he said that the research might help someone in his family and it did. Full transcript
- Rank 'Em: What does your Power 16 look like? | Joe Lunardi's Monday chat
- More from ESPN.com: March 8 Bracketology | Vote: Bubble Watch
Syracuse must have been on top of the world after finally gaining the No. 1 spot last week. Finally, the Orangemen could enjoy being the top dogs for an extended period of time, like their brethren in Kansas and Kentucky. Now, just to take care of Louisville, and ...
Oh man, that's rough. Fortunately, they only fell to No. 3, so it's not like the voters have abandoned them completely (one guy even kept them as No. 1). They're in the catbird seed for a one-seed, but out of the next few teams, which would get your pick as the final top pick?
“I wonder what genius kept Syracuse as their #1...
” -- marchphog88
Justin (New Jersey)
Hey Jay, who do you think is gonna be that last number 1 seed after kansas st. and duke losing last night. Joe lunardi has it as kansas state? but they just lost by 17 to kansas!!
Jay Bilas
Duke has more top fifty wins, if that is your cup of tea. I go with the best team. There is still time left, and Duke could prove to be that team, but I still think that Ohio State will sneak into consideration. How come we are so worried about other injuries but nobody cuts the Buckeyes a little slack for being without Evan Turner for six games?! Watch out for the Buckeyes. Full transcript
- Vote: Which teams win Wednesday's big games? | When can you rush the court?
- More from ESPN.com: Joe Lunardi's Bracketology | Mark Schlabach's Bubble Watch
- Watch on ESPN 360: Kansas State at Kansas, 8 ET | Duke at Maryland, 9 ET
It's a good night to sit in front of the television and watch college basketball, but you may want to make sure your laptop is handy.
Notre Dame and Connecticut play what looks an awful lot like an NCAA tournament elimination game to get things started on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET. That's followed by Duke visiting Maryland at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN with a chance to claim the outright ACC regular-season title with a win.
But that's not the only thing on the line for the Blue Devils, which is where that laptop may come in handy. Kansas hosts Kansas State at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN 360, and a win for the Wildcats would give them a sweep of the season series and at least a claim to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Andy (Topeka, KS)
I would think that K-State has the ability to win out and lock up the #1, not Duke. If they can beat my Jayhawks [Wednesday], then I'd have to bump them into the last #1. Their overall profile looks better than Duke's in my opinion.
Pat Forde
Andy: Good point about K-State. I've been saying on several radio shows this week that the Wildcats are the team nobody is talking about but should be. But I'm not sure the overall profile is better than Duke's. Beat Kansas in Lawrence and then we can talk. Full transcript
Tony (Spokane, WA)
I realize your Bracketology is a snapshot in time, but is Duke really that much more deserving to be a No. 1 than K-State? KSU's losses are to better teams (RPI-wise) and both teams have collected impressive wins, except KSU has done more of it over ranked teams in its own conference.
Joe Lunardi
Not "much more," no. I have Duke No. 4 and K-State No. 5. Leading a major conference, as opposed to trailing by two games, is also a factor. Full transcript
“you wildcats fans that keep saying you will be loose because you have nothing to lose..... Try a possible share of your first big12 title and possibly a #2 seed in the tourney you my friends have eveything to lose. Martin is an idiot for adding even more pressure by telling his team this is a must win, and the biggest game of this teams and schools lives! Wow now that is playing like you have nothing to lose.....
” -- gasman333
“I am a KSU fan and I hope we win but in the Phog on senior night with KU coming off a loss its hard to imagine them losing again but the spread is like 9.5 points and I definitely dont see it being a blowout like that... its going to be a close one, it depends if Clemente and Pullen are on tonight, if they both get hot KSU wins, if one of them is hot we would need Sutton, Samuels or Kelly to really step up and if neither of them bring their A-game its goodnight...
” -- ibcrazy3933
- Rank 'Em: What does your Powet 16 look like? | Joe Lunardi's Monday chat
- More from ESPN.com: March 1 Bracketology | Vote: Bubble Watch
What do Connecticut, North Carolina, Ohio State, Duke and Illinois have in common? Each was ranked No. 1 in the first poll released in March in the last five seasons, respectively. And unless we missed something, not a one of them won the title in that season (although at least the Tar Heels got one the next season). So there you go; there's the explanation for every team at the top of the polls seemingly pulling a Michael Spinks to get out of the way of the No. 1 ranking. Or maybe it's just college basketball.
Syracuse inherits the top spot in the coaches' poll after Kansas, Kentucky and Purdue all lost over the weekend. But the real question is whichever team you would rank No. 1 right now, which team would you bet the farm on to go all the way in the NCAA tournament?
“I think all year that SU and KU have proven to be the best two teams in the land. No offense to UK, but the schedule you guys played just doesn't warrant being in the conversation. A lot of talent, but no one to test it against. I believe that will bite them in the NCAA's. I truly hope SU and KU are on opposite sides of the bracket so there is the potential for a 2003 Rematch in the Finals. GO ORANGE #1!
” -- mastroleo80
Chris (Washington, D.C.)
What would Georgetown have to do to secure a 2 seed?
Joe Lunardi
I think that ship has sailed, Chris. Full transcript
- Rank 'Em: What does your Powet 16 look like? | Vote: Which teams win on Big Monday?
- More from ESPN.com: Feb. 22 Bracketology | Vote: Bubble Watch
College basketball's No. 1 and No. 7 teams take the court on Big Monday! All right, so top-ranked Kentucky (vs. Oklahoma, ESPN, 9 p.m. ET) and seventh-ranked West Virginia (at Connecticut, ESPN, 7 p.m. ET) aren't taking the court against each other, if you want to get precise about these things, but why let that stop you from tuning in? Are you really that interested in the free skate in ice dancing?
The most drama probably resides in Storrs, Conn., where the Huskies' grip on the NCAA tournament bubble as the Mountaineers come to town brings to mind the signature big red orbs in ABC's "Wipeout" series. Doug Gottlieb addresses their prospects in the video above, but how would the picture look with another big win tonight?
John (Utah)
Hi Fran, what do you think it takes for Uconn to make the tourney?
Fran Fraschilla
Wins! They have some quote-unquote opportunity games against teams that are ranked. For example, a win against West Virginia on Monday night would look great on their tourney resume. They are very dangerous because their big three are as good as any in the Big East. And of course, their Hall of Fame coach is back. Something tells me they will play their way into the field of 65. Full transcript
Lance (Baltimore)
If Kansas and Kentucky played today who would you pick to win? I would pick Kansas to win in a thrilling close contest.
Mark Schlabach
I'd go with Kansas' experience in March. Collins and Aldrich could match Wall and Cousins. Definitely a potential championship game. Full transcript
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