The NCAA Mens Tournament games this weekend at Sprint Center in Kansas City are rife with story lines. There's the possibility of Ol' Roy versus Bill III, Marshall Henderson as anti-hero, the emergence of Perry Ellis as an offensive force for Kansas, that Wisconsin dude's hair, and the question of whether Kansas State fans will cheer for Kansas...and vice versa.
Roy versus Bill III
If North Carolina and Kansas meet for the third time in six years in the tournament, both teams will have advanced past first round foes Villanova and Western Kentucky. (North Carolina is a four point favorite over Nova while KU is favored by 20 over the Hilltoppers.) Reports out of Chapel Hill indicate that Williams isn't happy about the eight seed placed upon the Tarheels and that displeasure was compounded by the prospect of facing his old school for yet a third time in recent postseason play. KU, and Self, have famously whipped Carolina twice and both were in higher stakes games--the Final Four semifinal in 2008 and last year's regional final in St. Louis. It can't make Roy happy to think that version three will play out in front of thousands of Kansas fans eager for a third helping of Carolina blue.
Marshall Henderson
Henderson has catapulted the Ole Miss basketball program, long irrelevant, into the national conversation. Henderson was the leading scorer in the SEC but did not make either first team or second team all conference--to say he's a polarizing figure would be kind. Henderson has poked fun, and worse, at numerous fan bases and often has to be pulled into team huddles during games given his propensity to focus elsewhere. He's not only a handful for the team he's playing, but for his coaches and teammates as well. How will Henderson perform on a national stage? We'll find out when the Rebels take on Wisconsin in the first game of Friday's session in Kansas City.
Perry Ellis
It's been well documented that Perry Ellis of Kansas had his coming-out party at the Big 12 Tournament. Consider this--Ellis went 18 for 23 (78%), had 19 total rebounds and 43 total points in 55 minutes of play during the three games of the tournament. In the title game, Ellis came off of the bench against Kansas State and notched 12 points and six rebounds in 13 minutes, a stark contrast to the zero points in six minutes he had when the teams met February 11 in Lawrence. If Ellis continues his sterling play off of the bench, the offense opens up for Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey, thus giving KU solid scoring opportunities across the floor.
Mike Bruesewitz
Mike Bruesewitz, a k a "that guy with the hair," isn't a stellar scorer or rebounder for Wisconsin, but he is "one of the 26 hottest guys of March Madness" according to Cosmopolitan magazine. Bruesewitz's curly hair caused Cosmo to write, "there's just something about Mike's ginger fro that makes us swoon." Uh, okay...
Kansas State versus Kansas...and vice versa
Kansas fans will cheer for KSU during the day session, won't they? Wildcat fans that show up for the evening session will cheer for KU, right? Hmm...maybe. The forecast cold weather and snow this weekend may keep both fan bases inside Sprint Center, instead of opting for the adult beverages across the street in the P&L courtyard, thus causing an interesting dilemma about whether one roots for one's in-state rival. I, for one, will cheer on our Big 12 comrades.
Roy's wardrobe
How big a deal is William's sartorial choices? Well, there's a Facebook page devoted to Roy's choice of neckwear, and last weekend's plaid sportcoat of choice was the stuff of much social media scuttlebutt. What will Roy wear in K.C.? Call me crazy, but I doubt any of it will veer far from a Carolina blue hue.
Bruce Weber and Bo Ryan
The Sunday match ups, if all goes to plan, will not only feature Roy versus Bill but also Bruce versus Bo, two former coaching colleagues in the Big Ten Conference. Ryan was 12-9 versus Weber in the Big Ten and knows Weber's motion offense, which flummoxed many a Big 12 foe. Wisconsin is 2-0 against Kansas State in recent tournament history, bouncing KSU in the second round in 2008 and in the third round in 2011. If they meet on Sunday, Kansas State will be the favorite by virtue of their seed and the Sprint Center crowd, but this match-up gives Willie the Wildcat the willies.
No comments:
Post a Comment