The Best of 2011

Today is a special milestone: the 300th article posted in The Daily Hat Trick!!! YAY!!! Thank you all for your continued support!

The Daily Hat Trick does things a little differently than out media outlets. I personally think that it is better to run a piece reviewing the biggest stories of a year after the year is over. Often, the slowness of the sports news cycle in the final week of a calendar year can necessitate such pieces being run in late December. This year, however, I think there was plenty to talk about before the calendar went from 2011 to 2012.

The following are what I think were the biggest sports stories in each month of 2011. Enjoy your look back on the year that was!


January

Auburn wins the BCS National Championship

The Southeastern Conference won its fifth consecutive BCS National Championship as the Auburn Tigers outlasted the Oregon Ducks. Auburn shot to the top of the college football polls like a rocket on the strength of their Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Cam Newton. In spite of a slough of controversy regarding Newton's eligibility due to an alleged play-for-pay scandal, Newton rose above the fray and guided his team to its first national championship since 1957.

Newton would be the first player chosen in the 2011 NFL Draft. 1

February

The Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl XLV

The Packers won their first Super Bowl in 14 years after a late regular season and playoff surge. Aaron Rodgers returned to the Packers' lineup from injury in December and the Cheeseheads never looked back. The Packers secured the final seed in the NFC playoffs then won three games on the road to advance to Super Bowl XLV to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers, in their third Super Bowl in six seasons, lost their first Super Bowl in 15 years as Ben Roethlisberger was unable to rally the Steelers all the way back from an early deficit. The Packers demonstrated that they would be a contender for the next several years, winning 15 regular season games and securing the top seed in the NFC in the following, 2011, season.

A star was born last February. 3

March

Virginia Commonwealth (11) stuns Kansas (1), 71-61, in the southwest Regional Final to advance to the Final Four.

VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart, then age 33, became a household name among college hoops fans in the month of March. The Rams had to play their way into the field of 64, playing one additional game than 60 other teams in the field in the First Four round of the tournament. The 11th seeded Rams continued to deliver upset after upset.

Virginia Commonwealth put themselves on the radar with a second round upset of Georgetown. Then they stunned Purdue, followed by a win over fellow upstart 10th seeded Florida State. Many teams become tournament Cinderellas only to fall in the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight Round. Facing Kansas in the Southwest Regional Final, all bets were that the clock would strike midnight against the #1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks. The Rams won by 10 and advanced to their first, ever, Final Four.

Shaka Smart and the Rams shocked the world last March. 2

April

Connecticut defeats Butler to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

The Daily Hat Trick detailed this NCAA Tournament Final game back in April. In one of the ugliest performances in the history of the NCAA Tournament, the Connecticut Huskies defeated Butler, 53-41.

Connecticut shot 35% from the field. This would often be an omen of doom in a championship game. Fortunately for UConn Coach Jim Calhoun and the Huskies, Butler shot less than 20%.

Butler lost its second consecutive NCAA Tournament Championship Game, having lost to Duke in 2010. Their coach, 34 year old Brad Stevens, would lose several seniors, including his best player, forward Matt Howard. Howard, incidentally, shot 1 for 13 in the game. It was Calhoun's third National Championship at Connecticut (1999, 2004).

Connecticut's Kemba Walker, the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, cuts down the net. 4

May

Dan Wheldon (died, October 2011) nips J.R. Hildebrand as Hildebrand hit the wall in the final turn, to win the Indy 500.

In one of the most exciting and improbable finishes to the signature race of the IndyCar Series, the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 offered a finish for the ages. J.R. Hildebrand led by more than a a full car length in the final lap, only to crash into the wall on the final turn, just feet away from the finish line. Hilderbrand's car would slide across the finish line under its own power and he would finish second. But England's Dan Wheldon would pass Hildebrand after the crash and win the Indy 500, the final win of his career.

Wheldon is as good an example as anyone of why we should seek and savor the good times of life. Wheldon would die in a crash five months later. 5

June

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in six games to win the NBA Finals

Former league MVP Dirk Nowitski shed the label that he was a great regular season player and a great scorer but couldn’t lead a team to a championship. Nowitski came through in the clutch repeatedly in the NBA Playoffs.

The signature moment of the Mavericks’ championship run was Game 2, in which Nowitski spearheaded a furious comeback, from 15 points down with less than seven minutes remaining, to avoid a deep 0-2 hole in the series and, instead, tie the series at one game apiece. The Mavericks would go on to win the series in six games.

Dirk delivered the dagger to the Heat in Game 2. 6

July

The United States Women's World Cup team advances to the Finals, losing to Japan

The Unites States Women’s World Cup soccer team had sports fans in the Unites States partying like it was 1999, the last time the women won the World Cup. The 1999 tournament was hosted in the United States and brought unprecedented attention to women’s soccer.

For a fortnight, American goalkeeper Hope Solo and clutch scorer Abby Wambach became household names among sports fans. The United States would advance to the Finals in dramatic fashion, scoring a last minute goal in extra time against Brazil to force, and win in, penalty kicks. The United States would lose to Japan in similar fashion in the Finals in the penalty kick frame.

Hope Solo: Beautiful young woman...too many corny Star Wars jokes elicited by her name. 7

August

NFL preseason football commences, after the end of the NFL lockout

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s “Back to football,” declaration became music to the ears of millions of American sports fans. After a lockout that lasted more than five months, depriving America of its favorite sport and football junkies of mini camp, training camp, free agency, and trade updates (and some preseason action), the lockout came to an end. Preseason games enjoyed strong ratings, with nationally televised games drawing better ratings than critical pennant race games in Major league Baseball. Twenty-first century America’s pastime was back!

Preseason football was never bigger. 8

September

St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays clinch improbable playoff berths on the final night of the regular season in dramatic fashion

The Hat Trick ran a piece following the final night of the MLB regular season. Four games decided the playoff fates of four teams. Adding to the drama, the Cardinals came back from a seemingly insurmountable 8.5 game September deficit to clinch the Wild Card. The Rays, who also were in a deep September hole, trailed the Yankees by seven runs in a must win season finale. Never in my lifetime could I recall so much being at stake on one single night, possibly the greatest night in the history of regular season baseball.

MLB on Wednesday, September 28, 2011: Last name, "Ever", first name, "Greatest" 9

October

St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series

The St. Louis Cardinals completed the most improbable run to a World Series Championship in decades. Not only were they hopelessly behind in the playoff race at the beginning of September, but twice, in Game 6 of the World Series, the Cardinals were down to their last strike. In one of the most memorable conclusions to a potential World Series closeout game (i.e. an elimination game), Cardinals third baseman David Freese delivered a pair of clutch, run scoring hits with the game hanging in the balance. Freese would deliver a walk-off homerun in the11th inning. The Cardinals would comfortably win Game 7 the following night and win the World Series.

If you never heard for David Freese before, you'd better recognize! 10

November

LSU 9 Alabama 6, OT

This game was billed the “Game of the Century”, likely to decide the winner of the SEC West Division and the representative of the SEC in the BCS National Championship Game. The winner did in fact win the division, the conference and a spot in the National Championship Game. The loser won a spot in the big game too.

The “Game of the Century” looked like a page from the middle of last century. The game was a bruising match of running attacks versus ferocious defenses. With the score tied after 60 minutes of play, the game was decided in the first overtime as Alabama failed to score in its possession and LSU’s Kenny Hilliard broke a long run inside the Alabama five yard line to set up a chip shot game winning field goal by LSU’s Drew Alleman.

No touchdowns were scored that night. The low score and the necessity of overtime to decide a winner prompted calls for a rematch in the National Championship Game should no conference winner have a stronger case. In spite of having one loss, like Alabama, and winning its BCS Automatic Qualifier conference (unlike Alabama), the Big XII, Oklahoma State was excluded from the National Championship Game and the Crimson Tide was handed a do-over for its November loss at home by the BCS system. Alabama would win the do-over match, 21-0, and, hence, was handed the BCS Championship trophy.

LSU's Eric Reid wrestles the ball away for a critical interception in "the Game of the Century". 11

December

NBA returns after the end of the lockout

“Back to basketball” did not quite have the same ring as “Back to football” for many sports fans, in the peak of the NFL season, but hoops fans, nonetheless, were relieved to learn that there would be a 2011-2012 season. The NBA would play its first regular season games on Christmas day, always traditionally a day with marquis basketball matchups. The Lakers, Bulls, Heat, Mavericks and other teams with high profile players would play on December 25th.

Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose picks up where he left off last season with a last second, game winning, basket, a hook shot floated over Pau Gasol of the Lakers. 12

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Davids and Goliaths – Preview of the Final Four

The Final Four is less than 72 hours away. Sixty-eight teams started, beginning with the First Four. Four teams remain the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, the Butler Bulldogs, the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Connecticut Huskies – the Final Four.

The National Semifinals could not be partitioned better. One semifinal features participants from major conferences, the University of Kentucky from the Southeastern Conference and the University of Connecticut from the Big East, arguably the best conference in college basketball in 2011. The winner will face the survivor in the other semifinal game between Butler University, of the Horizon League, and Virginia Commonwealth University of the Colonial League.


The Goliaths – (4) Kentucky Wildcats vs (3) Connecticut Huskies

Regular readers of the Hat Trick have gotten my two cents on these programs throughout the season. Both schools are among the elite but both schools have underperformed at unexpected times, during the regular season. Whatever speech Wildcats coach John Calipari gave his team…whatever motivational tactics Huskies coach Jim Calhoun used on his players after the regular season finale…the message was received.

Neither team has lost a postseason game (including their respective conference tournaments). Kentucky, winners of 10 straight, was not lost in over a month. UConn has won nine consecutive games, including a vigorous string of five games in five days during the Big East Tournament. In a college basketball season in which no clear favorite ever emerged, these two teams, in my opinion, proved, on the court, that they are genuinely two of the four best college basketball teams in the country, albeit by slim margins.

Analysts, time and again, have expected Connecticut to wither and fall due to exhaustion from their entrance into the Big Dance on the heels of the extra games they had to play to win the Big East tournament (and earn a #3 seed to secure favorable early round matchups in the NCAA Tournament). Time and time again, those analysts have been wrong. Kentucky, while possessing senior leadership on the court from forward Josh Harrelson (8 PPG, 9 RPG), is led on the stat sheet by three freshmen, guards Brandon Knight (who has had ice in his veins throughout the tournament; 17 PPG, 4 APG) and Doron Lamb (12 PPG), and forward Terrence Jones (16 PPG, 9 RPG, 2 BlkPG).

I stated at the start of the tournament that Connecticut was the “x factor” team with the implication that this team could go as far as junior guard Kemba Walker (24 PPG, 5 APG, 5 RPG, 2 StlPG), a National Player of the Year candidate, and Hall of Fame coach Calhoun could take them. So far they have led the Huskies to within two wins of the school’s third National Championship. Walker’s exemplary play during the regular season reached an even higher level during the postseason.

Kentucky's Brandon Knight 1

My concern for Connecticut is that is has too many eggs in one small basket, Kemba Walker. Jeremy Lamb is the only other player on the team averaging double figure scoring. The only two active members of the team who stand 6’10” or taller – Charles Okwandu and Enosch Wolf, spend a combined less than 20 minutes per game on the floor. What the Huskies have is a smallish team with only one consistent potent scoring threat facing a team loaded with offensive weapons and two players in Knight and Jones who are so good, they may have possibly already outgrown the college game as freshman.

If history is any indicator, Calipari’s team may end up vacating all of its efforts en route to the Final Four, but if I had to place a bet (which I do not do) I would bet that such a vacation would come after Kentucky advances to the National Championship game.

Advantage: Kentucky

Coach Calhoun: "From 'The Daily' what? Picking Kentucky? You're not that stupid, are you?" 3



The Davids – (11) Virginia Commonwealth Rams vs (8) Butler Bulldogs

One of the Davids is actually a Cinderella, VCU. The Rams, in the voiced opinions of countless college basketball analysts, passed over more worthy teams in its own state to reach the tournament and did not even deserve to be in the field of 68, over more deserving teams such as Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Colorado. Rams coach Shaka Smart has played the “us against the world” card five times since the First Four and, five times, his team has won, including an inexplicable, shocking upset over the #1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks, an overtime thriller against Florida State, and solid defensive thrashings of #3 seed Purdue, Georgetown, and First Four opponent USC. VCU has gotten its entire lineup involved in the scoring with point guard Joey Rodriguez (11 PPG, 5 APG) running the floor and spreading the ball around.

VCU coach Shaka Smart 2

Butler is a D.I.N.O. – David In Name Only. While it is a school from a mid-major conference, it has proven, for the second consecutive year, that it is one of the best programs in college basketball. The 2010 runner up lost its best player, Gordon Heyward, to the NBA and still returned to the Final Four in an attempt to finish what it started. Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens, in the opinions of many, has risen to the ranks of the elite college basketball coaches at age 34. Senior power forward Matt Howard (17 PPG, 8 RPG) and junior point guard Shelvin Mack (16 PPG, 4 APG) are the leaders on the floor for Butler. They effectively strong-armed the #1 seed (or, at least the bracket and matchup benefits) from Pittsburgh by beating them in the third round and have looked the part ever since. In the New Orleans regionals, they beat #4 seed Wisconsin and then beat #2 seed Florida, in overtime.

Butler is battle-tested. Butler is experiences. Butler got to see and smell a championship a year ago, but could not touch or taste it. They are coming for theirs. I think VCU finally comes out of its glass slipper and leaves Houston in a carriage-turned-pumpkin.

Advantage: Butler

The clock struck midnight for Butler in 2010 on the final shot. The Bulldogs intend to pass the torch to VCU. 4

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Sixty Four Down, Four to Go

1

March Madness…The Big Dance…the NCAA Tournament, no matter which name you use, always offers drama, excitement, and surprises. The 2011 tournament, however, could have come with a disclaimer at the beginning of each game: “Expect the unexpected!”

There is not a single number one seed in the Final Four this season. Between the 11th seeded Virginia Commonwealth Rams, the 8th seeded Butler Bulldogs, the 4th seeded Kentucky Wildcats, and the 3rd seeded Connecticut Huskies, there are a number of unusual occurrences in the 2011 Final Four. The national semifinal matchup between VCU and Butler will be the highest combined seeded matchup in the history of the Final Four. * This is only the third time in the history of the Final Four that a number one seed has failed to appear* and the first time, ever, that neither a #1 nor #2 seed has appeared**.

I found the guy who predicted Butler and VCU in the National Semifinal. 2

After #1 seeded Kansas’ shocking loss to VCU, I doubt we will hear any analysts using terms like “slam dunk”, “sure thing”, or “no chance” when predicting the winners of the three matchups that will comprise the Final Four. While no single upset of any favorite in this year’s tournament should surprise nobody (after all, this is March “Madness”) the wholesale sweeping of the top two seeds in each bracket and the advancement of lower seeds into the Sweet 16 round and beyond has been mind blowing. The only predictable factoid among the Final four teams is that the Big East, which sent a record 11 teams to the field of 64, is represented in the Final Four. Thank goodness for some semblance of normalcy!

Butler coach (34 year old) Brad Stevens. This is basically the guy who used to be the younger kid I could pick on because he was harmless looking. He's still younger and still harmless looking, but he's just two games away from coaching his team to the national championship that eluded him by inches last year. 

The Hat Trick will give its expert analysis, with the usual disclaimer that it is worth the paper that you could print it on, later in the week. In the interim, I think that sports fans should take the coming week to savor the delightful entertainment treat that this NCAA Tournament has provided for fans. It is often said that the best predictor of future events is the past. The first five rounds of this tournament lead me to think that the best is yet to come and, perhaps, we could witness the most surprising and dramatic Final Four in history.

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Sweet (N Low) 16 – Part 2

Today, we pick up where we left off from yesterday, examining the eight remaining teams in the Southwest and Southeast regions of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.


Southwest Region

(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs (12) Richmond Spiders

I personally expected Richmond to beat Vanderbilt (citation) and reach the round of 32. It is no surprise that the Spiders were able to dispose of Moorehead State. The clock strikes midnight for the Cinderella Spiders against the #1 seed in the bracket. The question, to me, is not how much Marcus and Markieff Morris pile on Richmond, but at what point Kansas coach Bill Self calls the dogs off and removes them from the game, giving some of the bench players some playing time.

Kansas' Marcus Morris dropping 2 of his 16 points on Boston Univeristy in the 2nd round. 1

Kansas racks up too many points. They shoot too well. They move the ball too well. And, oh by the way, they are tough on defense, too. Richmond is a good, quality Atlantic 10 team that has had a good run, but they are not big enough nor do they shoot well enough to keep up with Kansas. If the margin of victory for Kansas is 10 points or less, chalk it up as a moral victory for Richmond because I’m “going with chalk” in this matchup.

Advantage: Kansas


(11) Virginia Commonwealth Rams vs (10) Florida State Seminoles

Virginia Commonwealth is this year’s George Mason (from 2006). The overwhelming sentiment in the sports media was that VCU did not deserve to be in the First Four over more deserving teams like Clemson, Virginia Tech, or Colorado; The Selection Committee made a mistake. I completely agree.

THAT’S…why they PLAY the GAMES! It does not matter what I think, what Dick Vitale thinks, what Jim Rome thinks, or what any person running his trap thinks. VCU made the field and now they are in the Sweet 16. Rams coach Shaka Smart has played the “us versus the world” card to the Nth degree and has motivated and willed his overachieving team to the Sweet 16.

Florida State is no stranger to succeeding as an underdog, having beaten Duke during the regular season and obliterating #2 seed Notre Dame, whom many analysts had in the Final Four. Personally, I think FSU was done a disservice by being seeded as low as 10th. The Seminoles finished third in the ACC and three of its 11 losses, late in the season, were in the absence of their best player, Chris Singleton. Singleton is back, albeit with limited action. FSU has made a vociferous statement in the second and third rounds of the tourney. I think that “the world” finally gets the better of coach Smart and Florida State advances to the Elite Eight.

Advantage: Florida State

VCU came to play. You'd better recognize! Purdue did. 2

Southeast Region

(8) Butler Bulldogs vs (4) Wisconsin Badgers

Last year’s runner up continues pushing through the tournament, similarly to how it did in 2010. Wisconsin is The Daily Hat Trick’s pick to advance from this region to The Final Four. Something’s gotta give!

This game could be the ugliest among the regional semifinal games. Butler is no stranger to winning ugly, in its bizarre win over #1 seed Pittsburgh in the final seconds, fueled by a pair of offsetting stupid fouls by both teams. Wisconsin is a team that has been proud to win ugly, playing physical defense, being unafraid to foul, and controlling the tempo of the game – often a very slow tempo.

Butler’s Matt Howard vs Jon Leuer….Shelvin Mack vs Jordan Taylor of the Badgers…Butler Coach Brad Stevens vs Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan…. Let me say that I would not bet a dime on this game. Actually, I would not bet a dime AGAINST Butler. This team, with its bright, young coach, has spent the past two seasons beating the odds and beating everyone in their way. Still, Wisconsin’s Taylor has been money on the big stage throughout the season and in the tournament. I am going go with my gut and my original pick from this bracket.

Advantage: Wisconsin


(3) BYU Cougars vs (2) Florida Gators

The Jimmer Show vs the Gator Chomp…. Those of you who have read the Hat Trick throughout the season have witnessed me referring to Florida as “overrated” and suggesting that their bubble will burst eventually. Yet here they are, the #2 seed in the region and in the Sweet 16. Originally, I expected the Gators to bow out at this point in the tournament, but now I am not so sure.

I expected that Florida would face St. John’s in the Regional Semifinals, but that prediction crashed and burned on the first full day of tournament action. Florida has two speedy, sharp shooting guards in its backcourt in Erving Walker (15 PPG) and Kenny Boynton (14 PPG). BYU’s backcourt is not known for its defense. BYU’s frontcourt matches up well against low percentage shooting teams, but Florida is not one of them. I think this game will shape up into a battle of backcourts and jumpers and, as impressive as Jimmer Fredette is, the game has to be played on both sides of the court.

Advantage: Florida

Flordia forward Chandler Parsons, AKA "The White Mamba" 3

Updated Hat Trick Elite Eight: Florida vs Wisconsin, Florida State vs Kansas, Connecticut vs Duke, North Carolina vs Ohio State


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