WATERCOOLER CHAT: FINAL, FINAL FOUR

BASKETBALL

Well, the Final Four is… FINAL.  4 great games over the weekend decided this year’s illustrious combo.

First up, it was #5 Butler vs. #2 Kansas State.  Kansas State survived a thriller against Xavier to get to the Elite 8, but that might have taken the wind out of their sails.  Butler came to play and wasn’t afraid of the bigger, tougher Kansas State team.  Kansas State made a late comeback, but it wasn’t enough, and Butler advances to its first Final Four ever.  Butler, by the way, is in Indianapolis and thus will be playing their next round at home.  Expect the arena to be packed with Butler supporters.  Butler 63, Kansas State 56.

John Wall & DeMarcus CousinsThen, it was the #1 seed Kentucky vs. #2 seed West Virginia.  Kentucky was heavily favored given their extremely talented team — namely John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.  They will probably both be Top 3 picks in this year’s NBA Draft.  But the Wildcats haven’t been playing their best basketball lately.  West Virginia on the other hand had something to prove.  And they had the leg-up in this game the entire way.  Kentucky simply couldn’t get it together.  They made a small comeback, but the Mountaineers just kept pounding on them.   In the end, WVU prevailed and is headed back to their first Final Four since 1959.  That’s a huge victory for the state of West Virginia.  WVU 73, Kentucky 66.

And on Sunday, it was #6 Tennessee vs. #5 Michigan State.  Tennessee has jelled at just the right time, and beat #2 Ohio State on Friday.  Michigan State on the other hand struggled against Northern Iowa (then again, Northern Iowa beat Kansas).  This game was neck and neck the entire way, but Michigan State got the defensive stops when it mattered and eeked out a victory against the Volunteers.  The Spartans are headed to their second straight Final Four appearance.  But can they win it all this time?  Michigan State 70, Tennessee 59.

Finally, it was #1 seed Duke vs. a rolling #3 seed Baylor. This game was positioned as anybody’s guess.  Both teams were playing extraordinarily well, and it was positioned to be a battle for the ages.  Well, that’s exactly what it was.  Hard fought and close the entire way.  Only 1 and 2 point lead shifts.  Finally, in the last 2 minutes, Duke got some lucky breaks and with a few quick 3 pointers suddenly had a 7 point lead.  Baylor couldn’t claw their way back in, sending the Duke Blue Devils back to the Final 4.  While Baylor fell short, this tournament cemented the fact that a previously dormant Baylor basketball program is BACK… and alive and well.  Duke 78, Baylor 71.

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