By Terry Davis, Special to TSDMemphis.com
The NCAA South Regional in Memphis features the only bracket where the top four seeds advanced to the regional round. Butler, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA are competing to continue playing next week when the Final Four engulfs Glendale, Ariz.
The Bluff City, home to the University of Memphis’ blue-clad Tiger Nation, is playing host March 24-26 to four variations of visiting blue associated with the Butler Bulldogs, North Carolina’s Tar Heels, Kentucky’s Wildcats and the Bruins of UCLA.
However, distinguishing the fan bases will not be difficult.
All four teams have Final Four resumes. UCLA leads the pack with 11 NCAA championships, Kentucky has 8 and North Carolina has 5. Butler – a last second shot away from defeating the Duke Blue Devils in 2010 – came up short against the UConn Huskies in the 2011 National Championship game.
The South Regional will be a homecoming of sorts for Butler’s Avery Woodson and Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari.
Woodson, a senior graduate transfer guard, is from Waynesboro, Miss. and logged two seasons at the University of Memphis. At Butler, he has started 23 games, averaging 8.9 points per game. He had a season-high 20 points against St. John’s on February 15.
And then, of course, there is Coach Cal, who guided the University of Memphis from 2000-09. If ever there was a personality walking the line between love and hate in one particular city, then Calipari in Memphis is the poster child.
The Calipari-led Tigers reached the 2008 Final Four championship game before losing in hear-wrenching fashion to Kansas in overtime. Memphis built upon its national rep under Calipari, who recruited top-level players throughout the country.
Then came 2009 and – wait for it – “The Departure.”
The lure of bluegrass country pulled Calipari to Kentucky, leaving a lingering bad taste in the mouths of the Tigers’ faithful. It wasn’t just that he decided to leave, it’s that he took some of his prized recruits, including now-NBA point guard John Wall, with him.
A few years ago, University of Memphis President David Rudd championed the idea of bringing Calipari back for a celebration but that not-ready-for-primetime notion got nixed in the wake of public backlash.
The possible reentry of Coach Cal into Memphis with the team he left town for jumped out at fans of the Tigers when the brackets were announced. Later, a sports radio show posed a choice to its listeners: the Tigers (who got no postseason invite) making it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen round or Kentucky getting hit with sanctions.
Score that one for the sanctions.
Leading No. 1
Justin Jackson will try to lead No. 1-ranked North Carolina back to the Final Four.
On a star-studded team, Jackson leads the way with 18.1 points per game.
North Carolina entered the NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites to win six straight and take the title. The Tar Heels have been ranked as high as sixth in the nation, snaring top seeding in the South Regional.
Better than Steph Curry?
UCLA’s Lonzo Ball has been a trending topic of many basketball fans in the last few weeks. And not because of his play on the court.
Sure to be a one-and-done, top-five lottery pick in the next NBA Draft, many of the recent headlines associated with Ball have been tied to what many have labeled over-the-top statements from his father, LaVar Ball.
“My son is better than Stephen Curry,” Ball said.
Lonzo Ball has been one of the best college freshmen in the game this season, delivering a class performance on and off the court. But better than Steph Curry, really?
How they got here
Butler (25-8, 12-6 BIG EAST): The No. 4 seed Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with wins over No. 13 seed Winthrop (76-64) in the first round and No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee State (74-65) in the second round. Butler is the BIG EAST Conference regular-season runner-up, finishing second to Villanova. The Bulldogs were the only team to post two victories over the Villanova Wildcats, the 2016 NCAA champions, this season. The Wildcats were upset by Wisconsin.
Kentucky (31-5, 16-2 SEC): The No. 2 seed Wildcats advanced to FedExForum with single-digit victories over No. 15 seed Northern Kentucky (79-70) in the opening round and No. 10 seed Wichita State (65-62) in the second round. Kentucky swept the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular-season and tournaments titles.
North Carolina (29-7, 14-4 ACC): The No. 1 seed Tar Heels reached the NCAA South Regional semifinal round with victories over No. 16 seed Texas Southern (103-64) in the first round and No. 8 seed Arkansas (72-65) in the Round of 32. North Carolina won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular-season title for the second year in a row and the eighth time under head coach Roy Williams. The Tar Heels last won the NCAA title when they went through the NCAA South Regional at FedExForum in 2009.
UCLA (31-4, 15-3 PAC-12): The No. 3 seed Bruins advanced to the NCAA South Regional with wins over No. 14 seed Kent State (97-80) in the first round and No. 6 seed Cincinnati (79-67) in the second round. UCLA placed third in the Pac-12 Conference regular-season standings. The Bruins are making a return trip to FedExForum in NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship play, having been an NCAA South Regional semifinalist in 2014.
