The 2015 NCAA tournament ended much in the way it began, with a big bang and lots of excitement. To close out our coverage of the tournament, we asked five of our writers to reflect on their favorite moments, which Pac-12 tournament team was tops in their book, name a MVP, and to offer their thoughts on the “Rent a Player” debate.
Contributors will be Casey Mabbott (CM), Nick Poust (NP), Abe Asher (AA), Jason Hartzog (JH), and Garrett Thornton (GT).
- The Pac-12 had three teams advance to the Sweet Sixteen and one to the Elite Eight. Which team impressed you the most?
(CM) As good as Arizona and Utah were, I was most impressed by UCLA. For a team that was apparently undeserving of a tournament bid and barely squeaked by SMU in round one, they beat UAB and put up a decent showing against regional top seed Gonzaga. Perhaps they had holes in their team and may not have been a true contender, but with a closer than anticipated showing against Arizona in the Pac12 tournament and a respectable game against Gonzaga, it’s tough to not be impressed with an 11 seed making it to the Sweet Sixteen.
(NP) While Arizona made the deepest run of the three, all the way into the Elite Eight, UCLA impressed me the most. Even though the Bruins had no business being in the field in the first place, they made a flawed selection process look genius. In their opening tournament game, I thought they would get beat handily by favored SMU, which was a popular underdog pick to make a deep run, but they snuck by and then throttled UAB with a very efficient inside-outside attack. And if these two victorious performances weren’t enough, they gave second-seed Gonzaga a scare into the second half, trailing by just five with 16 minutes left before succumbing to defeat.
In all, behind the improved play of forward Tony Parker, they hardly looked like the team that went 11-7 in the Pac-12 and lost 13 regular-season games overall. Instead, they played with the confidence conjured through an excellent showing in the Pac-12 Tournament.
(AA) Arizona was the best team, but Oregon was the most impressive. The Ducks actually played the eventual finalist Wisconsin Badgers just as close as the Wildcats did, and considering where the Ducks started the year – in utter turmoil with zero fan interest and only a handful of scholarship players – their tournament can be considered one of the most satisfying in Oregon basketball history.
UCLA got such a soft draw that it can’t be considered. Utah has a claim, beating a heralded Stephan F. Austin team easily in the first round, and playing Duke tough in the Sweet 16. But impressive? That’s the definition of Oregon’s season.
(JH) As Arizona went further than any other Pac-12 team, they weren’t surprising or too impressive because as a 2-seed that much or more was expected of them. Utah had a solid run up until they were destroyed by Duke in the sweet 16. Oregon had two great performances from Joseph Young, and although he did his best to keep them in the round of 32 game against Wisconsin, it wasn’t enough. I have to put UCLA as the most impressive Pac-12 team. They came into the tournament as an 11-seed and were still able to make it to the sweet 16 thanks to strong performances from forward Tony Parker and guards Bryce Alford and Norman Powell.
(GT) I hate to say this but I have to say that Utah was the Pac-12 team that impressed me the most. I had basically written them off coming into the tournament. I thought that they would beat Stephen F. Austin in a competitive game but had no faith in them after that. They proved me wrong with an 11-point beat down of 4-seed Georgetown. What may have been even more impressive was how they fought against Duke, the eventual National Champs. They gave Duke the hardest fight out of anyone in the tournament, only losing by 6 points. Arizona played well in the tourney, UCLA caught a few big breaks, and Oregon ran into a brick wall in Wisconsin. But overall, it was a very impressive showing from the Pac-12 Conference.
- There are valid points on either side of the “one and done” debate. What’s your take?
(CM) From a fan perspective, I think it taints the college game when student-athletes leave after only one season. It creates a league where there’s no consistency to the level of competition or familiar faces to watch. I happen to enjoy it when marquee players face off over the course of at least two to three years and create a lasting rivalry they can continue when they turn professional, but that’s merely for the drama/entertainment factor.
From a scouting standpoint, I find it hard to believe that talent evaluators know what they have in a player after seeing them play what amounts to just over a third of a complete NBA season and playoffs. Take for example Jahlil Okafor of Duke, who most scouts and GM’s are drooling over. So far, the only tape scouts have to study is stretched across 39 games in 23 weeks. By comparison, Tim Duncan and the Spurs played 105 games in 34 weeks in 2013-14. It doesn’t take a genius-level mathematician to notice the drastic difference in season length and stamina required to make it in the NBA, or that many players will likely struggle to make the adjustment with either sloppy play or injuries or both. Wouldn’t the quality of play go up for both the NBA and NCAA if the average age in both leagues went up two years? I submit that it would. I respect that some kids need money for their families now, and for those kids let them file for an early-entry exception as early as high school, but the rest need to honor their scholarship agreements by playing through them.
(NP) It puts more pressure on coaches and an onus on recruiting, but I am completely fine with players leaving after their freshman season. Personally, think that the NBA should bring back the rule that allows draft entrees out of high school. Just as no one should have the right to decide whether a talented high-school basketball player is NBA-ready, no one should be able to force college into their lives. That goes for parents, let alone an outside agency. And yes, that goes for the women’s side as well; the WNBA currently forces women to complete their college eligibility before entering the WNBA Draft.
Many NBA athletes have played in the NBA upon being drafted out of high school: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard, just to name a few. And, as a vast understatement, they proved they didn’t need more seasoning at a collegiate level.
(AA) My initial take is this: Start paying college players. Then we’ll talk.
This is mainly an NBA problem. The NBA shouldn’t let players enter the league until after their junior year like the NFL does. Adam Silver has talked about changing the one and done rule – the result would be much better college basketball and players entering the NBA much further along in their development than they are right now.
If you’re a college basketball coach, and you want to win big, you have to get the one and dones. They’re the best players. And anyone who says they wouldn’t take someone just for one year is being hypocritical.
(JH) Some college athletes are ready for that jump, others aren’t. To me, it seems like way too many of them are too quick to make that jump. Guys get drafted after 1 year as projects who hold potential, when in reality they should probably stick around in college for a few years (see Meyers Leonard). I like the idea of giving student athletes the choice to go pro, but at the same time I would like to see more of them stick around for a few more years. Here’s what I suggest – allow these kids to go straight from high school to the pros again, but if they attend college they have to stay at least two years.
(GT) This discussion is really overplayed. Everyone has an opinion on this topic which is something that has been around for a while and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Sports are cyclical. Right now we are in a phase of college basketball where the top talent is using college as a stepping stone into the NBA. Who knows where we will be in 10 years?
I am a lassiez-faire advocate. Let the market bear out what these players do. If they want to go straight to the NBA, let them. If they want to go to college, let them. Let these 18 year old kids make their career and life decisions, just like any other 18 year olds in the country. Some will make the wrong decision and enter the NBA too early, so be it. But this whole charade of making these top tier basketball players go to school for six months before they enter the draft is getting a little dated.
- There were quite a few memorable moments this year, which one will you take with you?
(CM) Say what you want, but I’ll put RJ Hunter’s game-winning trey against Baylor right up there with Laettner’s game winner against Kentucky and Jordan’s championship clincher against Georgetown. Hunter’s shot may not have led them to a title, but he’ll be an ESPN highlight reel champ for decades regardless of what he does or doesn’t do at the next level. Add his Dad/head coach Ron Hunter falling out of his chair, and well, you have yourself highlight gold.
(NP) This award has to go to Georgia State, the unknown 14-seed that could. For the Panthers, it was something that couldn’t have been scripted any better, the epitome of March’s madness: the coach’s son, R.J. Hunter, hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer, forcing his father hobbled severely by a ruptured Achilles out of his chair in delirious celebration. And, if that wasn’t enough, Georgia State’s appearance featured the return to the NCAA Tournament by Kevin Ware, who gruesomely broke his leg in 2013 while with Louisville and fought all the way back to star at his new school.
(AA) The best moment of the tournament was the RJ Hunter 30-footer to beat Baylor in the first round and send his dad toppling off his stool. There were other great ones: The UCLA-SMU goaltending call, the buzzer-beater at the end of Cincinnati-Purdue, Michigan State’s classic March renaissance and march to the Final Four, the Notre Dame-Butler game, the Notre Dame-Kentucky game, and Wisconsin ending the Wildcats’ dream of a 40-0 season, and a classic championship game – made all the better by Bill Raftery broadcasting his first Final Four for CBS.
This tournament got off to a unbelievable start on the first Thursday, then burned slowly until we were left with the cream of the crop – who gave us a slugfest for the ages in the final days of March.
(JH) Georgia State coach Ron Hunter’s celebration after his son hit the game-winner in the round of 64 to upset Baylor. I’ll remember it for a few reasons, not just because it looked hilarious the way he flopped out of his chair in celebration. It was a great game, capped off by a phenomenal shot. Ron Hunter’s son R.J. Hunter, who is entering the NBA Draft, hit the game-winner, which made the celebration that much sweeter for Ron. That was a great moment that won’t get to share again, unless Ron finds his way into coaching for the NBA.
(GT) Ron and RJ Hunter stole the show. It is crazy to think that the first Thursday was so memorable. 5 games were decided by 1 point. But even on that eventful day, the Hunters were the story. Very rarely do we have a father-son duo in college sports. It is even rarer that that father and son duo was in the headlines. Coach Ron Hunter tore his Achilles when the Georgia State Panthers won the Sun Belt Conference championship game. Move on to the second round of the tournament, Coach Hunter sat on a stool on the sideline with a cast on his ankle and leg. In the closing seconds of their game against 3-seed Baylor, R.J. hit a game winning 3-pointer. Everyone in the country has seen the highlight of Coach Hunter falling off his stool in celebration. That was a great moments. We need more Ron and R.J. Hunter’s in today’s sports landscape.
- What was the most shocking underdog win?
(CM) I’ll give the most shocking award to Michigan State’s round of 32 win over Virginia. UVA was supposed to be the team with enough talent on defense to handle UK, and MSU wasn’t supposed to go anywhere except home once the round of 64 kicked off.
(NP) Georgia State’s victory over Baylor was certainly shocking, but UCLA’s win over SMU was also pretty startling, considering the hype SMU generated and the uproar over UCLA’s inclusion in the tournament.
(AA) UAB over Iowa State was the biggest shock. The Cyclones had just won the Big XII tournament, had a crazy amount of bravado and charm – starting with head coach Fred Hoiberg – and were a not-so-under-the-radar pick to reach the Final Four.
In their win, though, UAB bottled up Iowa State’s offense, crushed them on the boards, and – without shooting the ball particularly well – sprung the biggest upset of the dance. In a year when UAB folded their football program to mass protest and unrest on campus, this win was something to smile about.
(JH) UAB over Iowa State in the first round was the most shocking upset to me. Iowa State won their conference tournament by coming back from 17 points down to Kansas in the championship game. They came into the tournament looking like a hot team ready to make a huge tournament run… and then they lost in the first round. UAB was just way too dominant on the glass, out-rebounding Iowa State 51-34 in the contest. If Iowa State does a better job of not allowing offensive boards and this is their game. This was a close game from start to finish as the game came down to a final 3 to tie for Iowa State. They had a good look at it, but just missed it. The missed shot was followed by an Iowa State offensive rebound and layup, but that only cut the lead to 1 with 1 second remaining. The game then ended on UAB’s inbound pass.
(GT) North Carolina State beating 1-seed Villanova was a very shocking upset. Vegas had NC State losing by double digits. NC State barely beat LSU in the second round of the tournament and some thought they would be burnt out after the first they had on Thursday. They proved everyone wrong Saturday when they beat Villanova up on both ends of the floor. The cool story of the NC State Wolfpack ended with a double digit loss to Louisville.
- Name your tournament MVP
(CM) Despite losing steam late in the final against Duke, Frank Kaminsky had a great tournament and is wins my MVP award. He was the reason they beat Kentucky and a catalyst for their tough wins over UNC, Arizona, and a big reason why they still had a chance against the Blue Devils with Sam Dekker going ice cold in the worst possible game. His percentages won’t wow you and he may not have the best numbers as compared to other potential lottery picks, but without him the Badgers probably don’t get out of round two let alone all the way to the final, and that is something other candidates like Okafor and Towns can’t claim.
(NP) Even though he was on the losing side in Monday night’s championship game, the tournament MVP goes to Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky. The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year scored in double-digits in all six tournament games. In four of those, he scored 20 or more points, and shot over 50 percent in the Final Four and tallied double-doubles against fellow number-one seeds Kentucky and Duke.
(AA) It would have been Karl Anthony Towns had John Calipari coach competently and used him the way he should have. It’s hard to rebut the crowd that says Calipari isn’t a talented game coach right about now.
The winning team, Duke, had plenty of major contributors. So did the other finalist, Wisconsin. I’d give it to Frank Kaminsky, not only for his outstanding play but also how he brought together and brought back a Badgers team that went to the Final Four in 2014, held them together, and got them within minutes of a national championship.
(JH) This is tough. Duke being the National Champion, you have to look to them for the MVP. Like most teams in this year’s tournament, they never had 1 player that was absolutely more dominant than other players on their team. Duke had a player that should have been the most dominant player in Jahlil Okafor, but he didn’t finish the way he started. In fact, he ended up having 3 games of 10 points or less. Fellow Freshmen Justice Winslow and Tyus Jones had their moments in the tournament as well, but none as big as Tyus Jones’ performance in the championship game. Jones scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half and was THE reason they won that game. He made shot after shot in the closing minutes, putting Wisconsin away just about single handedly. Then there is Wisconsin, who had a great run going to the championship game against Duke. Frank Kaminsky was their guy all season long, and he played just as great in the tournament. But it was Sam Dekker who propelled Wisconsin to another level in order to pass the likes of North Carolina, Arizona, and Kentucky. Then, he just disappeared in the second half of the championship game. If he performs like he did the past few games, they win that game.
(GT) Justise Winslow. For the whole regular season Winslow was “Duke’s other freshman”, behind the shadows of Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor. Without Winslow, however, Duke is not the national champions. Winslow carried the Blue Devils a lot of points of this tournament and really made a name for himself, drawing comparisons to Chicago Bulls Jimmy Butler. Winslow averaged 12.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during the regular season. In the tournament he averaged, 16 points and 9 rebounds per game. That elevation of his game when it matters is exactly what NBA scouts want to see from these young prospects.
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