I want an apology from the NCAA selection committee and I want one now.
Even though the committee members did as much as they could to get an All-ACC Final Four by awarding No. 1 seeds to three Atlantic Coast Conference teams — probably while humming “Fight Blue Devils” as they drooled over the ACC tournament bracket — they failed.
They failed because they were wrong.
The ACC’s basketball teams were overrated and over-seeded this year.
No. 2 seed Michigan State proved that Sunday when it beat mighty No. 1 overall — OVERALL — seed Duke, 68-67, in the Elite Eight.
More on MSU:
Matt McQuaid avoids Final Four scarlet letter
MSU vs. Texas Tech in Final Four: Scouting report, prediction
This wasn’t only sweet proof that MSU was robbed of a No. 1 seed by, you know, merely winning a share of the Big Ten regular season title and winning the Big Ten tournament over a fellow No. 2 seed in Michigan. It also was proof that the NCAA’s selection committee is deeply flawed and biased toward the ACC.
MSU’s victory over Duke also represented something else. Something we already know about ourselves in the Midwest and how the world works.
Because while the ACC darlings dance their way down the gilded path of Tobacco Road every March, teams like Michigan State are left having to swerve through their tournament pothole hell we know all too well in our state.
Nick Ward goes down? Get out, fix the flat, move on. Kyle Ahrens takes a gruesome spill? Move to the shoulder and move on. Joshua Langford is lost early in the season? Wait for help to arrive and move on.
Because if there’s something else we learned about No. 2 MSU’s victory over No. 1 Duke, it’s that no matter how many one-and-done stars like Zion Williamson and Kyrie Irving a star-studded program trots out, basketball is a game that is played at its best and highest levels through cooperation and complement, and not through the conspicuous achievement of one or two people.
Duke has been the poster child for the committee’s favoritism and seeding inflation. At one point in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Blue Devils received a No. 1 seed eight out of nine years. The only year the Blue Devils weren’t canonized by the committee they were given a lowly No. 3 seed. For shame!
On Sunday, MSU exposed Duke and the selection committee by putting together a wonderful, complete, holistic team victory. When Matt McQuaid posterizes your program, you’ve been exposed.
Just like North Carolina was exposed. The No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region got dumped like a bad habit by No. 5 seed Auburn in the Sweet 16, 97-80.
Exposed!
I even have serious doubts about the selection committee’s third ACC darling, Virginia, the No. 1 seed in the South. It almost feels like the selection committee gave the Cavaliers a top seed mulligan after they were embarrassed last year by becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, Maryland Baltimore-County. And exactly not by a little: 74-54.
The selection committee’s reaction?
“Meh. Here’s another No. 1, boys! Get 'er done, Cavs! Ahem, we mean good luck, you fine student-athletes.”
Virginia responded by narrowly avoiding an upset in a 53-49 win over No. 12 seed Oregon in the Sweet 16.
More:
Tom Izzo's Final Four bonuses not as much as others
MSU in Final Four: What you'll pay for tickets, hotels, travel to Minneapolis
Virginia survived by beating No. 3 seed Purdue (Big Ten co-champs, by the way) in overtime in the Elite Eight. But I’m convinced Purdue would have won if it hadn’t had to play its second straight overtime game after beating No. 2 Tennessee in the Sweet 16.
Is "survive and advance" really supposed to be a rallying cry of a No. 1 seed?
So I want an apology. Even if I have to wait until next year’s selection committee emerges from its ACC man cave with No. 1 seeds for Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Louisville to get it.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.
Kentucky has offered basketball coach John Calipari a lifetime contract, sources confirmed to ESPN. The deal would be a combination of a head-coaching extension and a paid role as an ambassador after his retirement.
The news was first reported by The Athletic.
Calipari had been in contact with UCLA about the school's open head-coaching position and had been offered $48 million over six years, The Athletic reported.
Calipari, whose current contract at Kentucky runs through 2024, is the highest-paid basketball coach in the country, with total compensation of $9.2 million this year, according to the USA Today Sports database. He also receives a reported retention bonus of $2.6 million in each of the next three Julys.
One of the issues UCLA has run into during its coaching search, sources told ESPN, is its lack of charter flights. In a stark contrast to nearly every high-major program, the Bruins have always flown commercial, even in recent years under Steve Alford. The school began mixing in charter flights during Pac-12 play this season.
UCLA has cast a wide net in its search for a replacement for Alford, who was fired on Dec. 31. The Bruins have gauged the interest of a number of big-time coaches, sources told ESPN, including Calipari and Virginia's Tony Bennett.
Kentucky went 30-7 this season, earning a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight before losing to Auburn 77-71 on Sunday.
Calipari has been to four Final Fours with Kentucky, in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, winning the national championship in 2012. The loss to Auburn marked the third season in a row the Wildcats have advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament but fallen short of the Final Four.
Calipari, 60, has a 305-71 record at Kentucky and official lifetime record of 708-209. He has led his teams to the NCAA tournament 20 times in 27 seasons, with six Final Fours and one title.
Calipari has twice taken teams to the Final Four only to have the wins vacated by the NCAA. His 2007-08 Memphis team, which lost to Kansas in the title game, was forced to vacate all 38 wins from the season, including five NCAA tournament wins, because star player Derrick Rose's SAT scores were invalidated. Calipari's UMass team's Final Four appearance in 1996 was erased after it was determined star player Marcus Camby had accepted money from two sports agents.
UPDATE 2:44 p.m. North Carolina women's basketball head coach Sylvia Hatchell released a statement regarding the University review of the program.
"I’ve had the privilege of coaching more than 200 young women during my 44 years in basketball," Hatchell said in the statement. "My goal has always been to help them become the very best people they can be, on the basketball court and in life. I love each and every one of the players I’ve coached and would do anything to encourage and support them. They are like family to me. I love them all. Of course, I will cooperate fully in this review. I look forward to a prompt conclusion of this matter and the continuation of our very successful women’s basketball program."
Coaches of the North Carolina women's basketball team will be placed on paid administrative leave as the program is reviewed due to "issues raised by student-athletes and others," the UNC athletics department announced on Monday.
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, a Charlotte-based firm, will conduct the review, and will "assess the culture of the women’s basketball program and the experience of our student-athletes," according to a statement. No timetable was announced, and no further information was provided.
UNC has announced that it has placed Sylvia Hatchell and the women’s basketball coaching staff on paid administrative leave while a review of program takes place.
In a statement, the university said that the Charlotte-based firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein will conduct a “review and assess the culture of the women’s basketball program and the experience of our student-athletes.”
This review comes after UNC received issues raised by student-athletes and others regarding the women’s basketball program.
During the 2018-19 season, UNC women’s basketball finished 18-15 (8-8 ACC) and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to California. The high point of the season was an upset over then-No. 1 Notre Dame in Chapel Hill. Senior guard Paris Kea, who scored 30 points in the Tar Heels’ victory over Notre Dame, averaged 17.3 points per game in her final season.
Hatchell has coached at UNC since 1986 and has amassed a 751-325 record with the Tar Heels along with a national championship in 1994. She was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2013.
In September 2016, the university renewed Hatchell’s contract through the 2019-20 season despite the women’s basketball program being a major focus of the NCAA’s investigation into academic fraud.
Hatchell issued a statement through her attorney, saying she will cooperate with the review.
“I’ve had the privilege of coaching more than 200 young women during my 44 years in basketball,” Hatchell said in the statement. “My goal has always been to help them become the very best people they can be, on the basketball court and in life. I love each and every one of the players I’ve coached and would do anything to encourage and support them. They are like family to me. I love them all.
“Of course, I will cooperate fully in this review. I look forward to a prompt conclusion of this matter and the continuation of our very successful women’s basketball program.”
UNC said it does not have an exact timetable, but expects that the review will be “thorough and prompt.”
New England Patriots' Tom Brady passes against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 53 football game Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady joined Twitter on Monday and announced he’s “retiring” from football.
Luckily for New England Patriots fans (and unfortunately for fans of every other NFL team, especially those in the AFC East), Monday is April Fool’s Day.
The apparent joke received more than 10,000 retweets and more than 20,000 likes in its first hour. It was Brady’s first-ever tweet. He appears to have joined the social media platform last month.
Brady, 41, is coming off another Super Bowl victory – this time over the Los Angeles Rams. Brady hinted last June that he planned on playing football until he was 45, according to NFL.com.
However, heading into his 20th season, it doesn’t appear he would have Rob Gronkowski as a target. Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL last month after nine seasons.
Brady made a comment on the NFL’s Instagram post showing that Gronkowski had 78 receiving touchdowns from him.
Pro Football Focus’ Top-50 Big Board for the 2019 NFL Draft is live! PFF’s team of draft analysts, led by Steve Palazzolo and Mike Renner, have put together their top-50 prospects now that we’re officially one day into the month of April.
[Editor’s Note: To view all of Pro Football Focus’ advanced stats and grades for draft-eligible players, check out our 2019 NFL Draft Guide. All EDGE and ELITE subscribers already have access to the guide, and for those who don’t, you can get your copy for as low as $9.99!]
1. QB Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
Murray was the highest-graded QB in college football this past season. We haven’t seen a quarterback that is as dangerous with both his arm and legs since Russell Wilson.
Tillery tied Quinnen Williams for the highest pass-rushing grade among interior defenders in college football. Tillery’s sack totals don’t tell the whole story as he was a dominant week in and week out.
He tore his ACL but did it so early in the process that he could still play as a rookie. Simmons had a run-defense and pass-rushing grade over 90.0 this past season.
His sophomore campaign wasn’t quite as dominant as his freshman season, but he still only allowed 27 of his 74 targets to be completed.
10. QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
Haskins certainly improved as the season went on, but his 84.9 passing grade leaves us with some reservations.
11. DI Ed Oliver, Houston
His pass-rushing finally came around with a 90.8 grade this past season, but considering his size and the competition he was facing, he still has a ways to go.
Taylor came into his own on the right side for Florida this past season and finished with the third-highest run-blocking grade among starting Power-5 tackles.
16. CB Deandre Baker, Georgia
Baker has posted back-to-back 90.0-plus graded seasons in coverage. This past year, he allowed all of 10 first downs all season and no touchdowns.
17. WR D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss
Metcalf’s numbers aren’t anything special, but his physical traits and high-end plays are promising.
Bush can be a weapon as a blitzer in the right scheme. He had top-five pass-rushing grades among off-ball linebackers each of the past two seasons.
19. OT Dalton Risner, Kansas State
Risner started all four seasons at Kansas State and his career low grade was 87.9 overall.
20. WR A.J. Brown, Ole Miss
Brown was the definition of a complete receiver for Ole Miss. He forced 17 broken tackles, had 34 explosive plays and only dropped five passes on 90 catchable.
21. TE T.J. Hockenson, Iowa
Hockenson had the second-highest receiving grade among tight ends in college football this past year, dropping one pass on 51 catchable targets.
22. OT Cody Ford, Oklahoma
In Ford’s lone season as a starter, he allowed all of seven pressures all season long and didn’t allow a sack until the playoffs.
23. WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford
Arcega-Whiteside led the entire draft class with 19 contested catches this past season on only 32 contested opportunities.
24. QB Will Grier, West Virginia
Grier tied Drew Lock for the NCAA lead with 33 big-time throws and has the second-best best passing grade behind Kyler Murray.
25.DI Christian Wilkins, Clemson
Wilkins was top three in both run-defense and pass-rushing grade among interior players this past season.
26. C Elgton Jenkins, Mississippi State
The Mississippi State center allowed all of five pressures this past season on 369 pass-blocking snaps.
27. S Nasir Adderley, Delaware
Adderly earned a 90.3 overall grade with Delaware a year ago, and his 89.9 2018 coverage grades leads all draft-eligible safeties.
28. S Darnell Savage, Maryland
Savage has back-to-back seasons with grades over 86.0 overall. He’s a missile around the line of scrimmage, laying some impressive hits in the flat.
29. Edge Chase Winovich, Michigan
Winovich is coming off back to back seasons with grades over 90 overall – the only such qualifying power-5 player in the draft class that can boast that.
Brown was a threat to take it to the house every time he touched the ball. He broke 17 tackles on 77 catches and scored 10 touchdowns.
32. DI Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
Nose tackles of 340-plus pounds are going the way of the Dodo in the NFL, but Lawrence is a pretty ridiculous athlete for his size. He had the 12th best pass-rushing grade among interior players in college football.
Long allowed all of 18 catches on 595 coverage snaps in his entire college career at Michigan
34. OT Greg Little, Ole Miss
Over the past two seasons, Little allowed all of 26 total pressures on 993 pass-blocking snaps.
35. Edge Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
Ferrell racked up 14 sacks and 14 hits on the season and has ideal build to fit in any scheme.
36. CB Amani Oruwariye, Penn State
Oruwariye had the best week of any corner at the Senior Bowl, notching the highest win rate among all defenders in the one-on-ones.
37. QB Drew Lock, Missouri
Lock paired an NCAA leading 33 big-time throws with only six turnover-worthy plays as a senior.
38. S Taylor Rapp, Washington
Rapp was one of the most assignment-sure safeties in the country this past season and missed all of two tackles on 56 attempts.
39. CB Justin Layne, Michigan State
Layne’s 89.5 coverage grade last year was ninth best among Power-5 corners in the nation. He also dabbled at receiver where he took 36 snaps this past season.
40. Edge Zach Allen, Boston College
Allen was one of the best run defenders in college football in 2017 before a 90.3 pass-rushing grade this past season. He was an ironman for BC, playing 107 snaps against Wake Forest this past season.
Butler’s size (6-foot-5, 227 pounds) might suggest a possession receiver, but he had more receptions 20-plus yards downfield (19) than anyone in the draft class.
43. TE Noah Fant, Iowa
Fant is the most freakishly athletic tight end in this draft class, but his inconsistent hands are still a concern. He’s dropped 11 passes on 80 catchable the past two seasons.
44. S Amani Hooker, Iowa
Hooker’s 91.1 coverage grade last season was the second-highest of any defensive back in the country.
45. CB Julian Love, Notre Dame
Love’s 21 forced incompletions were the sixth-most in college football last season and his 14 coverage stops ranked 10th.
46. Edge Montez Sweat, Mississippi State
Sweat’s 19.1% pressure percentage was top 10 among edge defenders in the draft class and the third highest in the SEC last season.
47. Khalen Saunders, Western Illinois
Saunders moves like an edge and even played there at times for Western Illinois. He went to the Senior Bowl and had the second-highest win rate among interior players in the one-on-ones.
48. DI Rashan Gary, Michigan
Gary’s production has yet to catch up to his freakish athleticism. He earned a 68.3 pass-rushing grade this past season.
Mike Krzyzewski knew this Duke team was different on the very first day of the season. The Blue Devils headed to Indianapolis to open the new year against Kentucky in the Champions Classic as a one-point underdog. They left with a 34-point victory, the worst defeat of John Calipari’s career at any level, and talk that this team could go undefeated.
Duke was already presumed to potentially have the first three picks in the next NBA Draft, a byproduct of recruiting the top three freshman in the country. What was originally built up as a super trio between R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish quickly devolved into one player towering over the rest. Williamson’s talent was so ascendent, so breathtaking, that it overshadowed not only his two star-crossed teammates but rest of the sport, as well.
Krzyzewski has a case to be the best coach in the history of college basketball and Williamson has a case to be the best player he’s ever coached. There’s also a statistical case that any team good enough to earn an at-large bid would have been the favorite to win the national championship with Williamson. Imagine Williamson surrounded by Wofford’s shooting. Imagine Nate Oates deploying Williamson within Buffalo’s uptempo system. Imagine Williamson and Ja Morant reuniting their AAU glory days with Murray State.
Somehow, Duke still couldn’t make the Final Four even with Williamson. Michigan State shocked the world in the Elite Eight, ending the career of the greatest college player in recent memory (and maybe ever) one step before the sport’s biggest stage.
This is how Krzyzewski blew his chance with Williamson.
Duke didn’t recruit enough shooting
It’s pretty incredible to think Krzyzewski can essentially recruit any player he wants, yet he still didn’t recruit any outside shooters.
Duke was one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country all year. The Blue Devils made 30.8 percent of their threes as a team on the season, which ranked No. 327 out of 351 DI teams. Duke only took 26.5 percent of their field goals from three-point range, which ranked No. 310 in DI.
Barrett was a willing shooter (that’s putting it gently) but not an accurate one, hitting threes at only a 30.8 percent clip. Tre Jones, another freshman projected to be a first round pick, only shot 26.2 percent from deep at point guard. Reddish (33.3 percent) never lived up to his reputation as the superstar trio’s best shooter. Jack White (27.8 percent) went ice cold after a strong start.
Williamson ended the year as the team’s second best three-point shooter at 33.8 percent. That is remarkable considering it’s the one obvious weakness in his game. Krzyzewski blew it by not putting his superstar in enough space.
Krzyzewski misused Williamson all year
It’s weird to think that Williamson was misused when he shot 68 percent from the field on the season and averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. It’s also true.
Williamson might be the most statistically dominant player in college basketball’s modern history, but he didn’t even have the highest usage rate on his own team. That would be a distinction that belonged to Barrett. For a good chunk of the season, Williamson was third on his own team in field goal attempts per game behind Reddish as well.
Krzyzewski should have played Williamson in the pick-and-roll more, both as a ball handler and as a roller. Williamson was incredible with the ball in his hands, finishing in the 87th percentile on isolation plays and in the 98th percentile when initiating the pick-and-roll. The problem is Williamson only got 50 isolation possessions all season, and somehow only handled the ball in the pick-and-roll 22 times all year.
If Williamson wasn’t playing defacto point guard, he should have been used as a pure center. Going with Williamson at the five is what unlocked Duke’s mammoth comeback against Louisville in February, but Krzyzewski didn’t go to it enough. Williamson was typically used at the four with either Marques Bolden or Javin DeLaurier. This was a major wasted opportunity to primarily go with a lineup that would have simply run other teams off the floor.
Williamson is the best center in the country. He is also the best point guard in the country. Krzyzewski didn’t put him at either spot enough, especially when it came to the pick-and-roll.
Krzyzewski let Barrett take over too much in crunch time
Barrett was supposed to be Duke’s best freshman coming into the season. He was the top-rated recruit in the country as a high schooler and the player widely projected to go No. 1 overall in June’s NBA Draft. It immediately became apparent to the rest of the world that Williamson was the vastly superior talent. Well, it was clear to everyone except Krzyzewski and possibly Barrett himself.
Barrett averaged 18.5 field goal attempts per game this season, compared to 13.2 per game for Williamson. Barrett’s true shooting percentage was slightly below average at 53.2 percent. Williamson’s true shooting percentage was historically great at 70.2 percent. It is pretty mind-blowing that (arguably) the best college basketball player ever had a teammate take five more shots per game than him on average while using those possessions much more inefficiently.
All Krzyzewski had to do to save his season was let Williamson cook in crunch-time against Michigan State. Instead, it was Barrett who attempted Duke’s last two field goals and then missed a free throw that could have tied the game. This was a problem all season:
Duke lost three games with Zion Williamson in the lineup this year. RJ Barrett went ***0-for-9*** in the final minute of those three games. The rest of the team had three total shots. Zion had one.
In a November loss to Gonzaga, Williamson tied the game with a layup with 1:45 remaining. He didn’t get another field goal attempt. Barrett would take five more shots and go 0-for-5. Duke lost. In an overtime loss to Syracuse in January, Barrett took 30 shots and Williamson took 20 shots. When it happened again against MSU, it cost Duke the season.
Krzyzewski couldn’t find a way to make Reddish more valuable
Reddish was supposed to be the second coming of Paul George entering college. We had him as the No. 1 overall pick in our preseason mock draft back in June, the day after the 2018 NBA Draft. Given the expectations, it’s hard to view Reddish’s year as anything other than a huge disappointment.
Reddish averaged 13.5 points per game on the year, but only shot 35.6 percent from the field. He finished with 96 turnovers to 70 assists. This was supposed to be one of the most talented players in the country, but Krzyzewski was never able to find a way to maximize him.
Krzyzewski has come up short with superteams before. It’s important to remember how young Duke was, with their top four players all being freshmen. Still, when one of those players is a historically great talent, getting knocked out before the Final Four amounts to a massive failure.
Krzyzewski will never have a player as good as Williamson again. He blew his one opportunity with him.
