KU-Villanova: Let's hope the refs let 'em play

Not sure if folks have seen this article from ESPN on the Sweet 16 teams. According to the article, KU's biggest problem is FOULING. (I don't agree, by the way. Overzealous officials are more likely to blame. I think KU's at-times inconsistent energy level is their biggest problem)

And Villanova's biggest problem? You guessed it: FOULING.

If this game turns into a foulfest and the refs screw us over like they did A&M in the loss to UCLA, all Jayhawk fans will have a right to be furious. Those officials better let the guys play and not make this game closer than it needs to be by calling 45-50 fouls. And that goes for this game or any game we play the rest of the way. The players and coaches work too hard to let the season end because some officiating crew (Hear that, Curtis Shaw?) thinks the game is more about them than it is the players. Just ask A&M.

IF the officials let them play on Friday night and call a "normal" type of college basketball game with pretty much even foul calls and free throw attempts on both sides, KU will win by at least 12-15.

If it turns into a foulfest with repeated interruptions in the flow/pace of the game, it's a toss up.

Keep Rockin and Chalkin,

Mic

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney08/columns/story?columnist=glockner_andy&id=3306176

Midwest Regional
No. 1 Kansas (Beat No. 16 Portland State 85-61; No. 9 UNLV 75-56)How they got here: The Jayhawks cruised past Portland State and UNLV, not really being challenged in either game. Statistically speaking, that wasn't a surprise. Neither team was close to Kansas' caliber.

Biggest strength: Diversity of quality weapons. Kansas has shown its lethal depth in each of the first two games. The Jayhawks had five players with at least nine points against the Vikings and six with at least eight points against the Rebels. They're also shooting a searing 62-of-111 (55.9 percent) from the floor, including 17-of-38 (44.7 percent) from the arc. This level of performance conforms with Kansas' season-long offensive effectiveness. The Jayhawks had the most efficient offense in the nation at almost 1.19 points per possession and ranked in the top 10 in both 2-point and 3-point shooting. And outside of Darrell Arthur, the rest of the KU rotation players use roughly the same percentage of the team's possessions and take shots at similar rates. Even though Brandon Rush has evolved into the top scoring option, you can't key on any one player.

Biggest weakness: Fouling. The Jayhawks sent UNLV to the line 34 times in the second round. The Rebels made 27 of them, which helped them stay for awhile in a game in which they shot 12-of-45 from the field. KU has a tendency to put teams on the line a decent amount. In the Jayhawks' three losses this season, opponents went to the line 24, 28 and 27 times. None of the three victors (Kansas State, Texas and Oklahoma State) shot even 43 percent from the floor in the wins, so the free-throw production was pivotal. Why does this matter? Undersized Sweet 16 foe Villanova shoots 72.7 percent from the line.

No. 12 Villanova (Beat No. 5 Clemson 75-69; No. 13 Siena 84-72)How they got here: The Wildcats rallied from 18 down to take out No. 5 Clemson and then jumped on No. 13 Siena early and confidently closed out the upstart Saints. As it always seems, good guard play has driven the Cats to their third Sweet 16 in four seasons.

Biggest strength: Sweet shooting (for now). For two games, the Wildcats have seared the nets, making an even 50 percent of their shots against Clemson and 53.6 percent against Siena. They've also connected on 13 of 26 3s in the two games. Can it last? This type of shooting is in direct contrast to Villanova's season performance, in which the Wildcats weren't even in the top half of Div. I in either 2-point or 3-point field-goal percentage. They probably can count on leading scorer Scottie Reynolds to carry the scoring load against Kansas, but will the Cats get enough from the supporting cast to threaten the Jayhawks? They'll have to, because this could be a huge mismatch inside with KU's terrific frontcourt depth.

Biggest problem: Fouling. The Wildcats were one of the 20 worst teams in Div. I in terms of defensive free-throw rate (opponents' foul shots as a percentage of field-goal attempts) and it hasn't gone much better in the NCAAs. They put Siena on the foul line a whopping 39 times on Sunday and allowed 23 against Clemson. The Tigers are so bad at the line, that might have been a good thing, and Siena was so far behind most of the day that it didn't really impact the result. KU shoots over 70 percent from the line as a team, so that MO probably won't go over so well on Friday. Fouls also equal foul trouble and the Wildcats don't have the depth, especially in the frontcourt, to deal with Kansas that way.