2011 Final Four

[Pat Coleman]

It's likely he played a little bit better when he was averaging 17.3 points in the first four NCAA Tournament games.

[fpc85]

It's likely he played a little bit better when he was averaging 17.3 points in the first four NCAA Tournament games.

hahaha...it always amazes me when people make such assessments based on a weekend. the big guy was a huge reason why they were there.

[ChicagoHopeNut]

It's likely he played a little bit better when he was averaging 17.3 points in the first four NCAA Tournament games.

hahaha...it always amazes me when people make such assessments based on a weekend. the big guy was a huge reason why they were there.

I don't think anyone that looks at Ursinus' whole season can dispute the fact 41 had a big impact on the team. However, its equally true that this past weekend, for one reason or another, 23 was the better player and probably should have seen more time on the floor.

[eclinchy]

I agree, though, that Howell played really well in the third-place game.  He was really physical down low against Vanderheide et al -- lot of respect for his game.  With him and Noonan and Cousart, UC should have a solid team next year.

[Greek Tragedy]

Obviously I wasn't in Salem, but people have really been ripping that #41 guy.  I swear I read some guy throwing him under the bus on another board, possibly the MIAA board.  Ouch! 

The guy had a bad weekend.  Heck, I saw 3-time conference player of the year and All-American (how many times?) Larry Welton on two different ocassions, one last season at Wisconsin Lutheran and one during the regionals at Aurora vs. Hope and he looked horrible both times.  Yeah, I kind of ripped on him, but I didn't think he was the worst player in the world!  I took into account he was a 3-time POTY and AA, so I wasn't claiming he shouldn't be starting for any D3 team! 

I don't know who #41 is, but I feel sorry for you!

[Marty Peretz]

Finally a chance to post after a truly thrilling weekend. Firstly, I want to commend the people of Salem who put on the tournament. It really was a first rate event and is great for Division III basketball. Secondly, it was great meeting some of this board's regulars. Pat, TitanQ, and Coach it was great chatting. You all did a great job over the weekend and I hope you heard the "D3 Hoops" chant eminating from the Wash.U. student section. Also, reuniting with old friend Walzy was fun, at least for me.

The Hope contingent was impressive and classy. Hope you all enjoyed the 120 or so Wash.U. students who made the trek. We had a blast.

As for the games...

There have been very few games all year when Wash.U. has truly played 40 minutes of quality basketball. This weekend they put together 80 excellent minutes of basketball, 60 of which were essentially perfect. You won't find a better top 6 in the nation than what Wash.U. put out there and because they largely stayed out of foul trouble, it was incredibly difficult to stop them. Also, key reserves stepped up big for the Bears this weekend. Props to Moss Schemerhorn for his huge performance on Friday, filling in for a foul-plagued Tyler Nading. Freshman Caleb Knepper also provided quality minutes all weekend. Ross Kelley did an amazing job on Olson and ran the offense seamlessly. He erased any lingering doubts about his experience or ability on the offensive end and his defense was, as always, tremendous.

Troy was epic. I'm wondering if the veterans on this board have seen a Final Four weekend like that in their time covering the event? I don't know why Amherst opted not to double team him in the early going. He set the tempo from the start and got key Lord Jeffs in foul trouble as well.

To those of us who have followed the team all year, we weren't terribly surprised by Aaron Thompson. His poise and skills are a lethal combination and it won't be long before he is getting all-America hype. Tyler Nading's defense was spectacular and his slashing ability again hurt opposing defenses. Cam Smith was awesome on D and Danny O'Boyle's clutch shooting was memorable.

It was such an amazing weekend for the Bears. They really put it all together and then some. Each time Amehrst or Hope would cut the lead, the Bears would deliver another blow. Eventually, Wash.U. delivered too many knock out punches and took their first ever national title. This was the culmination of a long search for their identity as a basketball team and what better way to find it? They lost their quarterback early in the season, but never doutbed their ability, even when many others did. That is commendable.

I think Wash.U's schedule and road to the final four coupled with last season's tournament experience really helped. They weren't flustered for a moment and never displayed any panic. That's a testament to the guys Edwards has recruited. This team was such a joy to watch all year long because, though they may have lacked some of the flair we witnessed last year, they played with an indescribable grit and perhaps only at this level can that kind of passion bring home a banner.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Troy was epic. I'm wondering if the veterans on this board have seen a Final Four weekend like that in their time covering the event? I don't know why Amherst opted not to double team him in the early going. He set the tempo from the start and got key Lord Jeffs in foul trouble as well.

I assume you mean if there was any other player who had a championships weekend like Troy did... one that comes to mind is Jeff Gibbs of Otterbein. Certainly up there with Troy... if not just a bit better (25 points and 25 rebounds in the championship game).

And Marty... sorry I missed chatting with you. I think I saw you out of the corner of my eye, but no one wanted to introduce us!

[Pat Coleman]

The only comparable performance on a title team in my years there was Otterbein's Jeff Gibbs in 2002. He had 55 points and 40 rebounds.

Sherm Carstensen had a great performance for UW-Eau Claire in a semifinal win but his team then lost to Calvin.

... I missed the chant! Wow. Stupid wearing a stupid headset.

Picture for you, I'll grab it.

[eclinchy]

Troy was epic. I'm wondering if the veterans on this board have seen a Final Four weekend like that in their time covering the event?

Someone asked Dave Hixon that in the postgame press conference.  He compared Troy Ruths to Brandon Adair.

[ac08]

Troy was epic. I'm wondering if the veterans on this board have seen a Final Four weekend like that in their time covering the event?

Someone asked Dave Hixon that in the postgame press conference.  He compared Troy Ruths to Brandon Adair.

I like that comparison, but I'd say Ruth's superb free throw shooting made him more of a nightmare for Amherst... that is of course, throwing out all other factors (like offensive sets, teammates, and so on).

[Pat Coleman]

Nice story I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet. Includes Troy Ruths (as well as some Stephen Curry kid that is lighting up some other tournament you may be aware of).

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/bryanburwell/story/C2B5CD1A286599A78625741700136D04?OpenDocument

[eclinchy]

Nice story I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet. Includes Troy Ruths (as well as some Stephen Curry kid that is lighting up some other tournament you may be aware of).

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/bryanburwell/story/C2B5CD1A286599A78625741700136D04?OpenDocument

Much better than his first column about Wash U... he got rid of the condescending tone quite nicely.

As I was flying home from Salem Sunday morning, I was flipping through the channels on my in-flight TV and came across Bryan Burwell on the Sports Reporters proclaiming "March Madness isn't just about the big boys, so here's a shout-out to Mark Edwards and the Division III champion Washington University Bears."  I threw up in my mouth a little bit.

I'm happy to see that three days later, he's lost the obnoxious tone and treated them like an actual sports team.  Maybe more people in the mainstream media will follow suit.  That would be nice.

[Greek Tragedy]

Carstensen had a great performance for UW-Eau Claire in a semifinal win but his team then lost to Calvin.

Wasn't he still named the Final Four's outstanding player?

[eclinchy]

Carstensen had a great performance for UW-Eau Claire in a semifinal win but his team then lost to Calvin.

Wasn't he still named the Final Four's outstanding player?

Keep in mind that they collect the All-Tournament and MOP ballots with three minutes left in the title game... so if the game is close, the votes won't always reflect the game's outcome.

[Greek Tragedy]

Sherm Carstensen's Semi-Final stats:  34 pts, 7 rebs.
Sherm Carstensen's Final stats:  36 pts, 11 rebs.