Final Four thread

Now I love what Humphrey brings to the table.
Don't get me wrong, but analysts say Taurean Green might not even make pro level.
If he doesn't, and Humphrey does, I'll be amazed.
They are all five good, for sure. And Chris Richard has big moments, too, off the bench.
I think they go 8 deep tops, and the only way they'll not win the title is if they get in serious, serious fould trouble.
That hasn't happened to them in a while, and not in the past two weeks

 

I don't know about "hell of a player." He can shoot. He can't do much else. On this team, that's a nice fit. On another team, he'd get exposed.

 

I think any of the Final Four teams can beat Florida. In fact, a weaker Georgetown team came within one shot of beating the Gators last year.

It's hard to judge Florida in this tournament. It hasn't faced a single opponent that can match up physically. That's going to change.

 

Humphrey made seven threes in an Elite Eight game. He's just a few shy of Bobby Hurley's all-time record. Most of those shots were with a hand in the face, several feet beyond the college line.

In my book, he's a hell of a player.

 

If you define a player by one element of the game, then fine. But if Humphrey doesn't shoot well, he provides nothing else to his team.

 

Everyone is talking about the Thompson and Ewing father-son connection, the Hoyas also have Jeremiah Rivers, the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, on the roster as a reserve guard.

 

Big Surprise, Bill Rhoden fellates Georgetown. I wonder why

Big Surprise, Bill Rhoden fellates Georgetown. I wonder why?
Every time I feel myself becoming exasperated with this mysterious business, a magical moment comes along that restores faith in the essence of sports: unscripted drama, heroic deeds and competition on a more or less level playing field.

That moment came yesterday when Georgetown defeated North Carolina in overtime, 96-84, to earn the final berth in this year’s Final Four.

As soon as the game was over, a procession of Georgetown players paraded to the row of reporters to pay respect and exchange hugs with John Thompson Jr., the father of Georgetown basketball who had just watched his son, John Thompson III, lead Georgetown to victory.

One by one they came: Jeremiah Rivers, whose father, Doc Rivers, coaches the Boston Celtics; then Vernon Macklin; then Jessie Sapp; then Roy Hibbert, the 7-foot center. Thompson stared at Hibbert, then smiled and gave him a hug.

Finally, the most dramatic moment came as John Thompson III pushed his way through a cluster of news media members and faced his father. They hugged. John Thompson Jr. gave his son a kiss on the cheek and whispered something that made them both shake with laughter. This was a tremendous moment.

•

Georgetown had not been to the Final Four since 1985, when John Jr. led the Hoyas there. The Thompsons are the first father and son to reach the Final Four.

“I told people before, all that old stuff about ‘Do you miss coaching?’ ” Thompson said after the game. “No, I don’t miss it. I’m lucky to have been able to experience my child and that’s far more important than me getting another spittoon, getting another ring. This is the greatest thing that can happen for you.”

“I’m just lucky,” Thompson added. “I’ve been able to share in his life like this and he hasn’t been threatened by it. He’s made me feel comfortable and let me be a part of it.”

From the moment we knew Georgetown and North Carolina would meet in this game, the news media crowded around Thompson, North Carolina Coach Roy Williams and John III — anyone connected with the programs — to get their perspective on the famous 1982 national championship game between the teams. We even asked current players, who were not even born then and who relied on ESPN Classic for their perspective of the game.

That game was a succession of classic moments. Michael Jordan’s winning shot. James Worthy’s steal to seal the victory. Thompson hugging Fred Brown, who threw the errant pass that Worthy intercepted. Coach Dean Smith rushing to console Thompson before celebrating his first championship.

The drama of last night’s game was packed into an overtime period and the outpouring of emotion that followed.

This night was as historic in its way as the 1982 game. You could feel the warmth and exhilaration that was felt last year as George Mason made its way through the tournament. No, this was not the 1982 classic. It was a good game, but a great moment.

Georgetown is the closest we have to an underdog story in this tournament. Last year at this time, the nation watched with admiration as “tiny” George Mason streaked through the tournament with a string of upsets against Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut.

George Mason reached the Final Four and many of us felt — naïvely — that parity had really arrived in college basketball. The so-called midmajors could more consistently take on the powerhouses.

George Mason did not return to the tournament, but this moment — with Thompson, his son and the re-emergence of a program — was priceless.

It was also priceless to watch Thompson, who does radio broadcasts, go speechless in overtime as the Hoyas mounted a comeback.

“I went numb,” he said. “Everybody fusses about whether I should be announcing my son’s game. I shouldn’t be. I couldn’t say anything in overtime.”

•

In 1985, I watched a Georgetown practice with Thompson when he shared his perspective about the irony of success. Georgetown had won the national championship the previous year, but he described the accomplishment as a bittersweet moment. His parents had recently died. He recalled then, “You work so hard to accomplish something and when you finally succeed, the people you’d most like to share it with aren’t there.”

Last night, Thompson sat across the floor and watched his son’s team pick itself off the floor and then catapult itself into the Final Four. Thompson ripped off his head set, stood and applauded.

“They’ve been fussing and complaining about the Georgetown bus being rickety and old,” Thompson said. “But our ride home is going to be very good tonight.”

This was history, this was love.

You couldn’t ask for a better combination.

 

Actually, he's a pretty good one on one defender. Ballhandling is clearly not a strong suit, though.

 

Except that game and those teams have absolutely nothing to do with this game and these teams.

 

How much does the "Donovan to UK" rumor impact the UF-UCLA game? Methinks enough to make a difference.

 

Billy doesn't need UK. UK needs him.

 

UCLA vs. Florida -- Make it ugly UCLA and you'll win

Ohio St. vs. Georgetown -- will John Thompson (the father) be doing radio coverage of JT III's game again (he did for the Geo-UNC game Sunday)? I give OSU a slight edge in this game.