Kevin Ware’s recovery
The Bronx native broke his leg in gruesome fashion Sunday in Louisville’s win over Duke, bringing his teammates to their knees and to tears after seeing the graphic nature of the injury. But after undergoing surgery this week, Ware plans to attend the Final Four in Atlanta. He returned to the Louisville campus Tuesday and told reporters Wednesday the overwhelming support he has received has helped him maintain his spirits and strengthened his confidence of a full recovery.
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New York-area stars
Besides Ware, both Louisville and Syracuse feature New York City natives, with Brooklyn’s Russ Smith averaging 26 points a game in the NCAA Tournament for Louisville and Bayside’s James Southerland making seven 3-pointers for Syracuse in the tournament.
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The Big East’s last stand
It’s fitting that in its final season under the current membership, the Big East would place two teams in the Final Four with Louisville and Syracuse. Both teams are headed to the ACC (Syracuse this year and Louisville in 2014) and the conference is undergoing massive changes. Its reputation as a great basketball conference remains intact, however. Other than the Big East which did it this year and in 2009, no other conference has placed two teams in the same Final Four during that time period.
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Rutgers at the Final Four! Well, sort of.
With Rutgers coach Mike Rice getting fired Wednesday after video of his physically and verbally abusive practices was aired, expect players and coaches to be asked about the controversy. It wouldn’t be a surprise to hear the topic mentioned on the CBS broadcast, as well, likely before the game tips off.
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Shocking the world
Wichita State became the latest mid-major school to reach the Final Four when the ninth-seeded Shockers advanced to Atlanta. They’re led by coach Gregg Marshall, who finally made a deep run in his ninth career NCAA Tournament appearance. A pair of upperclassmen, Cleanthony Early and Carl Hall lead the Shockers in scoring and they’re a well-balanced team, with four players scoring in double digits in last weekend’s upset of Ohio State.
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Catching a draft
This year’s Final Four isn’t littered with the sure-fire NBA lottery picks that were all over the floor last season, highlighted by Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft. Michigan’s Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Williams and Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng are among the prospects to watch.
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Boeheim’s curtain call?
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is in the Final Four for the first time since Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to the 2003 title, and it could be the final run for the legendary coach. The winner of 920 games (trailing only Mike Krzyzewski) is 68 years old and has expressed his displeasure with Syracuse leaving the Big East for the ACC next season. This may not be his final season on the sidelines, but there’s no guarantee of another Final Four trip, so this could be the final time for Boeheim on college basketball’s biggest stage.
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Michigan’s Fab-ulous return
The Wolverines are back in the Final Four for the first time since Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and the Fab Five went to back-to-back Final Fours in 1992 and 1993. This year’s Michigan team is highlighted by another group of underclassmen, with sophomore Trey Burke and freshmen Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary and Nik Stauskas leading the way.
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Will this end CBS’s 32-year streak of Final Four games?
Under the new agreement between CBS and Turner Sports, the Final Four is scheduled to air on a Turner station (TBS) in 2016. However, a report in the Sports Business Daily last month indicated the two networks were talking about placing the event on TBS in 2014, two years earlier than the original agreement. This would end CBS’s run of broadcasting the national semifinals and championship game, which the network has done every year since 1982.
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Numbers to note
It’s been 13 years since a Big Ten team has won the national title (Michigan State)… Louisville coach Rick Pitino is in his seventh Final Four, more than the three other coaches — Marshall (0), Boeheim (3) and Michigan’s John Beilein (0) — combined… Pitino could become the first coach to win a national title at two different schools.
REUTERS
