By Matthew Woods
Staff Writer
1. Duke Crowned Champs Again
Once again the Duke Blue Devils reign supreme in men’s college basketball. Led by head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils handled their competition on the way to the championship game against Wisconsin where they went 68-63 to capture their fifth national title.
Duke’s four freshmen carried the Blue Devils to the title as they totaled 60 of the team’s 68 points. Projected top-two overall pick Jahlil Okafor was stellar the entire tournament and came in clutch late with a few put-backs to help Duke secure the win. Fellow freshmen Tyus Jones scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half and was the catalyst in Duke’s closing run, which he capped off with a pair of three-pointers.
Perhaps the unsung hero for Duke was freshmen Grayson Allen, who totaled 18 points in the entire tournament prior to the championship game, where he went off for 16 points.
Duke’s defense was a key factor in their championship victory as the Blue Devils were able to shut down many of Wisconsin’s weapons, including forward Sam Dekker, who the Blue Devils held to 12 points on six of 15 from the field. Duke freshmen Justise Winslow had three huge blocks that rallied the Blue Devils defense, keeping the Badgers at bay.
Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky, the Wooden Award National Player of the Year winner, kept the Badgers in the game multiple times as he totaled 21 points and 12 rebounds.
This championship game was one of the worst, however, when it came to officiating. Both teams received crucial calls down the stretch, causing great frustration for both teams and fans. The most crucial call was a loose ball off a rebound that seemed to go off of the fingertips of Winslow, but was given back to the Blue Devils after review.
All of the questionable calls aside, the Blue Devils proved to be the best team in the NCAA tournament. Their suffocating defense and scoring ability showed to be the best in college basketball, while Krzyzewski added another historic milestone to his illustrious career.
2. Jordan Spieth Dominates Masters
Jordan Spieth achieved a feat no-one has managed in over 39 years. That was, go wire-to-wire to win the Masters tournament, which hadn’t been done since 1976, when Raymond Floyd won his first green jacket. The 21-year-old dominated the competition to become the second-youngest winner of the Masters, behind only Tiger Woods.
Spieth was absolutely unstoppable at the Augusta National Country Club. He opened the first two days of the tournament with a five-shot lead at 14-under-par. He would extend that lead on the final day as he finished a historic 18-under-par.
This is Spieth’s first major title of his young career. There was no doubt that at 16 years old, many saw Spieth as the next prodigy who could become the face of American golf after Woods, but most didn’t expect it to be this sudden.
He achieved a number of records on his way to his historic first major victory. The most astonishing was the 28 birdies he ended his tournament with, as well as being the first golfer in Masters history to reach 19-under-par during his round on Sunday.
Spieth was able to outlast hard charges from Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson, who finished at 14-under, tied for second place.
Tiger Woods did not have the mojo from Saturday’s round on Sunday. Woods finished the tournament 5-under-par, tied for 17th in his first tournament since February 3. Woods made considerable improvements on his game as he answered all questions about his chipping, which caused him a number of difficulties in his previous tournaments this year.
Now that Spieth has his first major victory out of the way, we can all sit back and watch how many more this young golfer may win.
3. Kentucky Loses Seven to Draft
One of the greatest teams to ever play college basketball will never play together again as a team. Kentucky’s historic run, which ended abruptly to Wisconsin in the Final Four, will now have to start a new streak next season with a completely different roster.
A total of seven players from the team have decided to enter the upcoming NBA draft. The Wildcats departures are led by possible top-three pick, forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns proved his dominance not only during the regular season, where he averaged 10.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game in limited minutes, but in the NCAA tournament as well, where he averaged 14.2 points per game.
Towns will be joined by guards Aaron Harrison and his twin brother Andrew, as well as guard Devin Booker and forwards Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, and Dakari Johnson. All seven players are expected to be drafted in the first round, with Andrew Harrison potentially falling out of the first round.
With all these Kentucky players entering the draft, it goes to show that head coach John Calipari has mastered the one-and-done rule that allows players to play in college for one year and then to decide if they want to enter the pros. The top players know that if they want to play in the NBA, Calipari will help get them there by developing and preparing his players, which makes Kentucky a desirable place for top recruits.
4. Troy Polamalu Retires
One of the most dominant defensive players over the last decade or so has decided to call it a career. Eight-time Pro-Bowl safety Troy Polamalu has decided to retire after 12 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Polamalu owns a pair of rings with the Steelers, as he was a part of the teams that won Super Bowl XV and XVIII. The two-time champ decided that he had achieved enough in his career and that he wanted to focus on spending time with his family.
Polamalu was chosen out of USC by the Steelers with the 16th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Over his illustrious career, Polamalu racked up 32 interceptions, 12 sacks and seven forced fumbles. The 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year will most certainly be a Hall of Famer in the near future for his consistent and game-changing play. His career is one that will live in Steeler lore.
5. UConn Wins Women’s Title Again
Geno Auriemma and the University of Connecticut Huskies clinched their 10th national title with their win over the Notre Dame Irish, 63-53. This is Auriemma’s 10th title in 30 seasons as the Huskies head coach, winning all of his titles since his first in 2000.
The Huskies handled the Irish well throughout the championship game. The Irish lingered until the last ten minutes, when Brianna Stewart and the Huskies imposed their will. Stewart, a junior forward and recipient of the Final Four’s most outstanding player award, has won three consecutive national championships in her time at UConn. She goes into her senior year seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive national championship.
The Huskies went undefeated for the fourth time in their school history, while Auriemma notched his 10th title, tying him with the “Wizard of Westwood,” John Wooden, who won ten national titles on the men’s side with the UCLA Bruins.
If there is anything to take away from the Huskies championship, it’s that this team has winning in their veins, and it all comes back to Auriemma.
