Posts Tagged ‘dejuan blair’
Greer: Versatile big men power UNC to 5th title
By Jeff Greer
Big men beware: The 2009 NCAA tournament served notice the days of the traditional cement-footed post player are long over. While there were a few old-fashioned big fellas hanging on — players such as Hasheem Thabeet and Samardo Samuels — the new-age big men took over this year’s Big Dance.
Blake Griffin, the national player of the year, was just the latest version of the do-it-all power forward, the 6-8, 6-9, 6-10 guy who can score from anywhere on the floor, either in the halfcourt or in transition. Last year, Michael Beasley dazzled the nation with his inside-outside dominance, snatching double-digit rebounds every night and scoring in a wide range of ways. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina’s star senior and 2008 player of the year, evolved into a hybrid forward as his career progressed. The list goes on and on.
From the Wire: Monday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
No Michigan State player pushed harder to reach the Final Four than Travis Walton — Alex Altman, The State News
ALSO: MSU clinched its fifth Final Four berth in 11 years; Thousands of fans welcomed them home
Pitt isn’t ready to think about whether DeJuan Blair will come back next season — Mike Gladysz, The Pitt News
ALSO: The Panthers are not accustomed to losing close games
Danny Green came up big for North Carolina with Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington struggling — David Ely, The Daily Tar Heel
ALSO: The Heels have bigger goals than reaching the Final Four
Upsets are great, but top-quality matchups are better — Jonah Braun, The Badger Herald
Oklahoma‘s guards just couldn’t match their UNC counterparts — Joey Helmer, The Oklahoma Daily
ALSO: Mistakes got the Sooners sent home early
Analysis: 3 Villanova def. 1 Pitt
3 Villanova 78
1 Pitt 76
East Region final • TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
By Jim Reedy
– Complain all you want that Cinderella went home early this year; thrilling, well-played games like this only happen when the best teams in the nation advance to the later rounds. Here, Scottie Reynolds was the last in a long line of heroes, saving Villanova from a last-minute collapse by driving from midcourt for a game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds left.
Analysis: 1 Pitt def. 4 Xavier
1 Pitt 60
4 Xavier 55
East Region semifinals • TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
By Corey DeMoss
– Levance Fields was quiet most of the game, but he made the two biggest plays of the night in the final minute. First, he drained a long 3-pointer with a defender in his face to give Pitt a one-point lead. He then grabbed a steal on Xavier’s ensuing possession, and converted it into an easy layup to seal the win.
Reporter Interview: Mike Gladysz on Pitt
With DeJuan Blair wrecking opponents underneath the hoop, Pitt is often seen as a team that wins solely with defense and rebounding.
But as Mike Gladysz of the Pitt News explains, Levance Fields, Sam Young and the Panthers can do a lot more, including turn up the tempo when needed.
Analysis: 2 Michigan State def. 10 USC
2 Michigan State 74
10 USC 69
Midwest Region second round • Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis
By Zachary Osterman
– Honestly, this was one of the best tournament games I’ve seen all year, probably the best. Good team play, big performances from big players, not too many turnovers or fouls, just a good game between two good teams. Further reinforced the idea that experience wins in tight games in the NCAA tournament.
Analysis: 1 Pitt def. 8 Oklahoma State
1 Pittsburgh 84
8 Oklahoma State 76
East Region second round • UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio
By Jeff Greer
– In the first round, Pitt struggled mightily with 16th-seeded East Tennessee State. The top seed in the East region overcame turnover and rebounding problems to stave off what would’ve been the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history. Today, the Panthers made sure to win the rebounding battle. And Pitt’s 14 turnovers didn’t cause as much trouble as their 18 did on Friday afternoon
Analysis: 1 Pitt def. 16 East Tennessee State
1 Pittsburgh 72
16 East Tennessee State 62
East Region first round • UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio
By Wyndam Makowsky
– I don’t like playing the “They didn’t deserve to win this game” card … but Pittsburgh didn’t deserve to win this game. The Panthers were perilously sloppy with the basketball in the first half—they had 13 turnovers before halftime—and showed no fluidity until very late, partly because of the Bucs’ full-court press. Their defense was also below average; they gave ETSU a number of open looks and were easily bumped off screens, though the Bucs had trouble hitting anything beyond 10 feet. Pitt’s style of play and wonderfully crafted schemes — i.e., Give it to DeJuan Blair and have him try and shoot over three defenders while running in the lane — was the worst I’ve seen from them this season.
