Wichita St Shockers vs Kentucky Wildcats

[rlh04d]

What a damn game. Hate the outcome, but that was the best game I've seen this tourney.

Lot of opportunities we left on the floor. Couple rebounds we didn't try hard enough on. Couple missed bunnies. Poor FT shooting, especially from the bench. FVV 0-4 from three, and he took himself out of the game with the fouls.

Great showing by Kentucky. That's the team I expected when the season started ... Brutal in the post, great rebounding, great perimeter shooting.

Wish Early had more opportunities to showcase his draft stock, but he sure looked like a first round pick playing against a bunch of lottery picks.

[Shoxfan11]

God damnit.

[Shoxfan11]

Maybe this is how Gonzaga fans felt last year. They had an amazing team and we played our best game of the season to beat them. We did to Gonzaga what Kentucky just did to us.

[purple&orange]

Feel empty inside for you guys.......amazing game, such a high level both ways. Feel like Kentucky career'd it out there today and Wichita did what they always do. It may not feel like it right now but an amazing season and run over the last 12 months.

The beauty and agony of sports on full display out there, that's what makes sports and this tournament so great.

This group of kids and coaches from an outsider view is an amazing group of people and it was a ton of fun to enjoy seeing them embrace the challenges and how well they played together and for one another. They exemplify what sports should be all about.

[BirdmanBB]

Great season WSU. Kind of felt that they were going to be this years Gonzaga, but definitely a season to be proud of.

[cufan_mvcfan]

I haven't been over here all year, but I had to come back for this Shockers team.

Great, historical season. I watched WSU whenever I had the chance this year. WSU wins that game 9/10 IMO.

Gregg has built you guys into a true national power. Hats off from this old rival.

[acesfool]

Great game. I think the refs needed a refresher course on the differences between primary and secondary defenders on the harrison twins drives. I bet they don't get those calls against Louisville.

[Mikovio]

Yeah you guys had a great season. I'm an N.I.U. football fan and I know what its like to follow an amazing season (Orange Bowl) with going undefeated until late and collapse with the weight on your shoulders. Don't lose perspective; there are 300+ programs who would trade places with you.

[LanceShock]

Yeah you guys had a great season. I'm an N.I.U. football fan and I know what its like to follow an amazing season (Orange Bowl) with going undefeated until late and collapse with the weight on your shoulders. Don't lose perspective; there are 300+ programs who would trade places with you.

The Shocks didn't collapse under the weight. They played hard and it took one of Kentucky's best games of the year to beat them. If Van Vleet's last three goes in, who knows how they finish.

[m-v-c]

Great game. I think the refs needed a refresher course on the differences between primary and secondary defenders on the harrison twins drives. I bet they don't get those calls against Louisville.

Exactly.

One of the most frustrating things watching this tournament is this supposed emphasis on cleaning up contact (handchecking, armbars, post play, charging) this year has proven to be a complete failure. The officials are calling next to nothing in this tournament. That favors teams with the bigger athletes who just put their heads down and bull through people or who are just bigger/stronger in the post. That was a problem for WSU, and knew it from the first time early in game when Harrison put his head down and drove right through VanVleet for a layup. If an offensive player driving right at a stationary defender and initiating contact is not a foul, or when defenders are allowed to continually hang all over a post player, it favors the teams with the bigger athletes. Absolutely nothing has changed with the officiating, if anything it is even worse now than it was in the past.

Somehow Tennessee has just 3 fouls in the first half of this game against Mercer. Not buying it for one second.