The Final Four Is Set
Congratulations, member M.T.S.! You are the only member in the 2nd Annual Ricochet NCAA Brackets competition to pick the Final Four teams correctly. What oracle did you visit? Pretty amazing, if you ask me.
Next weekend in New Orleans, Kentucky plays Louisville, and Ohio State faces Kansas. The coaching matchup of Rick Pitino versus John Calipari is the storyline that everyone will be talking about in the coming week.
Before he was the Louisville coach, Pitino coached Kentucky. He quickly became a Bluegrass Blueblood despite his roots in the Northeast. He left to coach the Celtics in 1997 before returning to Louisville in 2001.
Calipari coached at the University of Massachusetts before leaving for the Nets of the NBA. Both Calipari and Pitino have had their share of shady dealings. For Calipari, see the lengthy "controversies" section of his wiki page. Pitino's issues were more personal. Do I make too much of such soap operas? Perhaps.
Member David Knights wrote this in a comment on an earlier NCAA thread after I asked about Pitino's current reputation in the state of Kentucky:
Pitino is both loved and hated by UK fans. He is still very popular in Louisville despite his legal/sexual troubles. He is still a fine coach but he doesn't have quite the fire that he use to. Everyone is speculating on when he will retire.
And here's a tidbit about Calipari's genius. Like Pitino, he is an intense, charismatic coach with NBA coaching experience:
Calipari, in his third season at Kentucky, just keeps recruiting the best high school players in the land, molds them into a top team, then sends most of ‘em on to the NBA before they’ve barely had time to find their way to class.
Then he starts the whole process over again.
I'll be watching. Will you?
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Comments:
May '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
Ursula... you sexist! And nary a word on the rest of the field... What's that you say? You mean you didn't fill out a women's bracket?
Re: The Final Four Is Set
Awesome work, M.T.S.!
I'm trying to stay above 60th place at this point.
May '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
I want to be the first to congratulate Baylor on their victory over Kentucky today.
(After all, we know that Kentucky's Final Four appearance will soon be erased from the record books, right? Just like Cal's Final Fours at UMass and Memphis....)
Go Bears.
Jun '11
Re: The Final Four Is Set
I like the last game to come down to whether Kansas can stay hot enough to outlast Kentucky. I think they can. Jayhawks by 5.
Jun '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
There is a political story here. Did not North Carolina break from the Republican fold four years ago and did not POTUS pick NC to win? Ohio State is doomed for going blue four years ago.
Go Kansas!!
Oct '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
I just like the fact that POTUS is now in 48th place, based upon remaining available points. How fitting it would be if he drops to 57th place by the end of the tournament.
Oct '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
Matthew Gilley: I want to be the first to congratulate Baylor on their victory over Kentucky today.
(After all, we know that Kentucky's Final Four appearance will soon be erased from the record books, right? Just like Cal's Final Fours at UMass and Memphis....)
Go Bears. · 2 hours ago
Yes, but...by the time that happens the Rico t-shirt will already have been awarded.
May '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
And the NCAA Frozen Four slate is....
(featuring my cousin in goal for Minnesota)
Jun '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
Rock chalk Jayhawk! Gotta admit, I picked N.C. to win tonight. Sometimes it's darn good to be wrong.
Oct '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
Duane Oyen: And the NCAA Frozen Four slate is....
(featuring my cousin in goal for Minnesota) · 14 minutes ago
Ooohh, that's a shame. My BC's gonna light his lamp more than a few times.
Aug '10
Re: The Final Four Is Set
I will be there watching.
dittoheadadt
Duane Oyen: And the NCAA Frozen Four slate is....
(featuring my cousin in goal for Minnesota) · 14 minutes ago
Ooohh, that's a shame. My BC's gonna light his lamp more than a few times. · 21 hours ago