Notes on a Scorecard - March 22, 1993

Such madness every March. . . .

Adding to it Sunday in Tucson were the officials, who were indecisive about what was apparent to everyone who saw the Michigan-UCLA climax on television. The Wolverines beat the 45-second clock with a miss and then beat the Bruins with the rebound shot. . . .

Nobody in Westwood or even out there in radio talk show land should have a gripe about the call or the game. . . .

How can a team look so good one half and so bad the other half? Well, Michigan fans are probably asking that same question, and it was their heavily favored team that had the wide edge in talent. . . .

The Bruins didn’t land the knockout punch when they had the opportunity, but neither did they fade away quietly when the Wolverines appeared to take control late in regulation time. . . .

My fondest memory will be that of Tyus Edney, the tiny guard with the giant-sized heart, stepping to the free-throw line as though it was business as usual and sinking two free throws to send the game into overtime. . . .

Michigan probably will survive the West Regional in Seattle and advance to the Final Four. However, it is doubtful that a team that makes so many mental mistakes and misses so many free throws can win the national championship. . . .

California freshman Jason Kidd might not be a great shooter, but at crunch time he usually figures out a way to put the ball into the hoop. . . .

The upset of Duke came one day short of 34 years after the Bears won their only NCAA championship with a 71-70 victory over West Virginia and Jerry West at Freedom Hall in Louisville. . . .

Both point guards, Kidd and Bobby Hurley, lived up to their billing Saturday. The difference was in their supporting casts. Sure, Duke center Cherokee Parks went out with an injury late in the first half, but he never was a factor. Hurley had to be a one-man show and eventually he ran out of gas. . . .

Cal is younger than its next opponent, Kansas, but has more talent. . . .

Even with the elimination of defending national champion Duke and conference tournament champion Georgia Tech, the ACC has a quarter of the Sweet Sixteen--North Carolina, Wake Forest, Florida State and Virginia. . . .

Not far behind is the state of Kentucky with Kentucky, Louisville and Western Kentucky. . . .

Indiana and Bobby Knight often seem to intimidate the officials more than they do their opponents. . . .

Look-alikes: Xavier Coach Pete Gillen and David Letterman. . . .

It wasn’t much of a week for Rider--the team or the individual. . . .

Has Billy Packer stopped talking yet? . . .

The college three-point shot might be cheap, but it sure makes for exciting comebacks. . . . There ought to be a law saying that basketball scores must be given on TV either orally or in a graphic following every basket. . . .

I would love to know why CBS switched to a camera shot from the cheap seats high above the basket as Duke was going for the lead Saturday. . . .

Best shot of the weekend was the one showing a couple of prominent Duke dads, Doug Collins and Calvin Hill, talking in the stands during a timeout late in the game. . . .

Florida State might be the most athletic team left. . . .

Surrender award goes to St. John’s Coach Brian Mahoney, who neglected to call for his players to deliberately foul Arkansas when the Redmen were within two three-point shots of a tie with 15 seconds remaining. . . .

Arizona’s first-round failures continue to puzzle me. The Wildcats always have the talent and please don’t try to tell me that Lute Olson isn’t a good coach. . . .

Paul Westhead has interviewed for the Nevada job. . . .

Pepperdine, which will play USC in the second round of the NIT tonight at the Sports Arena, defeated Sweet Sixteen member George Washington, 81-79, in December at Firestone Fieldhouse. . . .

Harold Miner has won 12 consecutive games in Los Angeles--nine at the Sports Arena and one at Pauley Pavilion with USC, and one each at the Sports Arena and Forum with the Miami Heat. . . .

Coach of the week: Willie West, whose Crenshaw High Cougars won their fifth State Division I championship in 12 years. . . .

Jimmy Lennon Jr. finally will get a chance to introduce Michael Carbajal when the light-flyweight champion sits ringside tonight to watch stablemate Tony Baltazar fight unbeaten Carlos Gonzalez at the Forum. . . .

Injury of the week: A hockey player, New York Ranger all-star defenseman Brian Leetch, slipped on ice while getting out of a cab and suffered a broken ankle.