Day one is in the books

Final Four becomes the Final two

By John Chagaris, College AP
April 3, 2005
ST. LOUIS (Hamden, CT) -- As the song by Queen states, another one bites the dust. Just a few weeks ago we were grinning over our brackets on selection Sunday trying to decide who would make it to St. Louis, who would make it to the final four, and who then would play for the championship on Championship Monday. The hype was there for two incredible basketball games but nothing could live up to last weekend.

The score going into half time of the Louisville v. Illinois game left fans wondering if this would turn out to be another instant classic. 31-28, sure Louisville was down, but they have been down so often that they should be able to make a come back. Larry O'Bannon from Louisville then comes out and fifteen seconds into the second half ties the game up at 31. Just over a minute later after Dee Brown fouled Larry O'Bannon, Larry hit two free throws to give the Cardinals a 33-31 lead. That lead would last 30 seconds, and was the last time the Cardinals would lead all season.

After all the hype about oh Dee Brown, Dee Brown, the two men from Illinois who turned it on was Roger Powell Jr. and Luther Head. Illinois fighting Illini are a team of destiny, Louisville shuts down Dee Brown but Head and Powell Jr. both are able to throw down 20 points. And 13 of Powell Jr.'s points came in the second half.

"It was difficult. We didn't pitch a perfect game, but we hung in there as long as we could. We faulted to a better basketball team," Petino said. "Being disappointed is when you get knocked out in the first round. When you go to the Final Four, if there's any disappointment, then you can't appreciate the game as you should."

Illinois moved on to face the winner of the Michigan State v. UNC game and fans did not give Michigan State that much of a chance, but they came out hungry. If anybody would have told you at the start of the game that Michigan state would be beating UNC 38-33 at halftime you would have thought they were nuts. In fact Michigan State held the lead until 18:24 in the second half when Jawad Williams slammed the ball home to give UNC a 39-38 lead. After two free throws by Maurice Ager, Rashad McCants came down the floor and hit a two point jump shot. Another two free throws by Michigan state would give them their final lead of the season as Raymon Felton came down, hit a three and UNC started to run with it.

Down the stretch when they needed it the most, Michigan state could not make key stops and could not pull down the offensive rebounds.

What fueled UNC was an ear full that coach Roy Williams gave his team at halftime.

``The first half, I didn't think it was North Carolina out there,'' Williams said.

He would not get into details over what he said but Raymond Felton said, "he got his point across, let me put it like that."

The Tar Heels picked up their game a lot as they out rebounded the Spartans 27-16 in the second half.

``In the first half, we executed the game plan about as well as we have all year,'' Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. ``We really dug in on May. Williams went off a little bit, but we got every loose ball. We got after it defensively. We fell apart a little bit."

That match up is set for this Monday night, tell your friends, unplug your phone, UNC is going up against Illinois. Roy Williams is going to be trying to make a statement as Illinois tries to do something it has never done and that is winning a National Championship, while setting the single season winning record in NCAA men's basketball history.
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As John Fogerty once wrote, "Well beat the drum and hold the phone
The sun came out today
We're born again, there's new grass on the field
A-roundin' third and headed for home
It's a brown-eyed handsome man
Anyone can understand the way I feel

Put me in Coach
I'm ready to play today
Put me in Coach
I'm ready to play today
Look at me
I can be
Centerfield

Well is spent some time in the Mudville Nine
Watchin' it from the bench
You know I took some lumps when the Mighty Case struck out
So say Hey Willie tell the Cobb
And Joe DiMaggio
Don't say it ain't so
You know the time is now

Put me in Coach
I'm ready to play today
Put me in Coach
I'm ready to play today
Look at me
I can be
Centerfield

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat,
And a brand new pair of shoes
You know I think it's time
To give this game a ride
Just to hit the ball and touch 'em all
A moment in the sun
It's gone and you can tell that one goodbye

Put me in Coach
I'm ready to play today
Put me in Coach
I'm ready to play today
Look at me
I can be
Centerfield,"
tonight the Red Sox and Yankees begin the Major League Baseball season the way that it should be started, in New York City, and not in Japan. At the end of last season fans would probably expect to see Curt Schilling going up against Mike Mussina in the game, how times have changed in just a few months.

A trade for Randy Johnson and a David Wells signing later and we have a pitching match up that only the God's of Baseball could have created. And for the first time since 1919, the Red Sox enter the season the defending World Series Champions.

``We don't think about defending anything,'' Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek said. ``We think about what we have to do to win one game at a time. Last year is last year. The opener is just one game.''

Jason Varitek sounds like he should be with another Boston Team (the Patriots) instead of the drinking idiots of the Red Sox. The man who may make a difference in this rivalry is the newest Yankee pitcher, Randy Johnson.

``Anything less than winning a World Series isn't acceptable,'' Johnson said. ``When I go to spring training with any other team, it's extreme optimism that we're going to do well. You come here, anything less than getting to the World Series and winning it would be considered failing.''

The Red Sox starting rotation looks nothing like the starting rotation of last season. Last season the Sox rotation was Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Bronson Arroyo and Derek Lowe. Fast forward one year and now instead of Martinez and Lowe you see David Wells and Matt Clement. The Sox also had a whole cast of Shortstops last season from Pokey Reese to Nomar Garciaparra to the unforgettable Ricky Gutierrez. This season the Red Sox have a new man in charge at Short an his name is Edgar Renteria who should fit in well with the Sox lineup that led the majors with a .472 slugging percentage and 942 runs, not to mention a .282 batting average.

In only the second time in Major League Baseball history, two men who are over forth are facing off in a season opener.

``I love it,'' Wells said. ``If you don't want to be in that game, you don't want to play baseball.''

The Red Sox last season won the Season Series 11-8 and the Playoff series 4-3, it is going to be a wild ride this season for the greatest rivalry in all of sports.

It's only been 164 days since the Sox shocked the world and defeated the Yankees and chants of 1918 would no longer be heard. But that was then this is now, and now it is time for the 2005 season.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.