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The Zulewski report
By Tom Zulewski March 30, 2010 |
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I'm amazed that even though it's been a few days to still look at the Final Four bracket and see Butler there as they brilliantly are, they go up against Michigan State on Saturday it's just shocking in a good way. Look what they did to Kansas State in the Regional Finals with a shocking 63-56 win on Saturday March 27th. The Bulldogs have some defense and that helped them get this far and the defense is something else, it has slowed down people down and Butler really deserves to be there and it's showing. The team I like here is Michigan State in the game with Butler and they’re in their sixth Final Four in its last 12 years. The Butler campus is five miles from the dome where they're going to play on Saturday in Indianapolis in downtown Indy, I got to think yeah the Butler delegation will be well represented and don't be surprised if the bigger cheers go up during that Butler-Michigan State game is for the neighbors just down the road ladies and gentlemen. As far as the second banana, the understudy, the second game of the national semis, West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins did it right this time, he's got good players and he's got a good cast. They beat Kentucky on Saturday 73-66, West Virginia has surprised a lot of people throughout the Tournament and it's been an amazing achievement due to the fact there is a Final Four for the Mountaineers since the Jerry West days. This is really an entertaining and intriguing group of people in the Final Four. There were two of five teams who were number ones and Butler and Michigan State who face each other managed to knock some number ones out, so Duke dodged the bullet it would been the first Final Four of the first six teams that didn't have a number one seed in it. Joe Thornton and the Sharks: Thornton who got injured during Saturday's game is still day to day and has been at practice and is expected back maybe as early as Wednesday night in Dallas but the Sharks medical staff jury is still out on that one. A tough injury against the Canucks but he's gingerly making his return to it and head coach Todd McClellen will be discussing that move probably at the skate on Wednesday morning seeing how Thornton feels. Impressed with the Coyotes this season: The Phoenix Coyotes have been the story of the year to me. They have done so well although they have lost the last three of four games and face the Flames in Calgary Wednesday night. The Coyotes are in a solid position to be in a fourth seed at least in the first round, that's the beauty of it all. You've got the Coyotes and Sharks going head to head on Saturday April 10th and that could be a make or break game in terms of positioning for the Coyotes. There is a difference between the number one seed as opposed to the number four seed. That's been the difference and the potential is there for the Coyotes for them to face a ridiculously hot Detroit team right now in the playoffs. Detroit had been on the edge of being out of the playoffs for the first time in almost two decades but they are absolutely on fire right now. They have beat Nashville in a shoot out in the 11th round of the shootout Saturday night. They have won nine of their last 11 games they are a point behind Nashville and they got a game against them on April 3rd at Joe Louis on Saturday night. It's going to be the race of whose going to be where and it is still wide open at this point. Tom Zulewski does the report each week for Sportstalk |
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