Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE MEN'S FINAL FOUR
Your bracket is very likely busted, and for good reason: For the first time ever, there are ZERO 1 seeds, 2 seeds or 3 seeds in the men's Final Four. Let's get to know the group headed to Houston: 4-seed UConn, 5-seed Miami, 5-seed San Diego State and 9-seed Florida Atlantic.
When I think of UConn, I think dominant. The Huskies' smallest margin of victory so far in the NCAA Tournament is 15 points, and their 82-54 Elite Eight destruction of Gonzaga was the largest margin of victory in an Elite Eight game since 1992.
It starts in the middle with Adama Sanogo, who has been second to none. He's averaging 20 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting over 65% from the floor in the Tournament.Like any great team, though, the Huskies have plenty of perimeter talent, too: Jordan Hawkins nailed six 3-pointers in the win.Basically, there are lots of reasons UConn is far and away the favorite to win it all.As for who the Huskies face next... when I think Miami, I think guard-tastic. And I don't care that it's not a word. The Hurricanes' awesome guards were a huge reason I took them to make them the Elite Eight, and I wish I had gone one step further because the Hurricanes are into their first Final Four after rallying past Texas, 88-81.
Do-it-all 6'7" guard Jordan Miller shined brightest: 27 points on seven-for-seven shooting and 13-for-13 free throws.It's the second-most points with perfect field goal and free throw shooting in NCAA Tournament history: Christian Laettner had 32 in 1992 against Kentucky, the game in which he hit "The Shot."Miami closed the game on a 37-17 run.Jim Larrañaga is the fourth coach to make multiple Final Fours as a 5 seed or worse.Here's our Dennis Dodd on the Hurricanes.When I think of Florida Atlantic, I think tough. So, too, did Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang when he spoke to the Owls after they beat his team, 79-76, in the Elite Eight. The Owls have won 35 games this season. Our Matt Norlander got to know the Owls, and he concludes, "This team is capable of winning the national championship."
In order to do that, they'll first have to beat San Diego State, and when I think of San Diego State, I think consistent. The Aztecs rotate nine different players, and for all their differences, they all defend and hustle like their lives depend on it. Scoring on the Aztecs is nearly impossible, with long limbs flying everywhere. Creighton was the latest victim in a 57-56 thriller.
Darrion Trammell was fouled -- perhaps controversially -- with 1.2 seconds left, and hit one free throw to give the Aztecs the win.The only team to break 60 points against San Diego State this Tournament is top overall seed Alabama. The Crimson Tide got to 64 -- 18 fewer than their season average.Just one player averages double figures, but eight average at least six points.Here's our early preview of the men's Final Four.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
Getty ImagesTHE DALLAS MAVERICKS
On Feb. 5, the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving, signaling they were all-in on winning a title.
Meanwhile, for months it's been clear the most important thing the Hornets can win is the upcoming NBA Draft lottery. But that doesn't mean Charlotte can't play spoiler, and that's exactly what it did, beating Dallas on Friday (117-109) and again on Sunday (110-104).
The Mavericks are now 11th in the Western Conference, one spot out of the play-in, and have lost four straight.Dallas is just 3-8 when Irving and Luka Doncic both play. Overall, the Mavericks are just 7-13 since acquiring Irving.Irving, meanwhile, called out fans for booing.Things hit a new low Sunday with Doncic picking up his 16th technical foul of the season, meaning he's suspended one game. There's plenty of blame to go around, writes our Michael Kaskey-Blomain.
Kaskey-Blomain: "The front office will have to be held accountable for failing to build a formidable team around Doncic... Similarly, Jason Kidd will have to answer for the team's woes, especially on the defensive end, where they rank in the bottom third of the league. Kidd's lack of urgency is also somewhat alarming. ... Doncic is a generational offensive talent, but his extreme ball-dominance doesn't make it easy for other stars to flourish alongside him."There is time and opportunity -- the Western Conference standings are really tight -- for Dallas to get right, but the margin for error is shrinking.
