NCAA Tournament

Post college basketball writers Eric Prisbell, Adam Kilgore and Camille Powell were online Monday, March 31 at 2:30 p.m. ET to take your questions about the results of the Sweet 16 and to preview the Final Four.

A transcript of the chat follows.

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Eric Prisbell: Hello, everyone. Back from Phoenix. I got three of the Final Four teams correct, but that's only good for second in my home, because my wife went four-for-four. She had more faith in Memphis's free throws than I did. We have a star-studded Final Four. It would have been nice to see Curry take a final shot, even a contested one, but Jason Richards is very mentally tough, and he can make the shot. Let's start.

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Adam Kilgore: You're looking ... LIVE! at room 310 of the downtown Courtyard in Houston. The weekend may have been dull, but the reward is worth it. This might be an epic Final Four, especially if Memphis and North Carolina meet for the title. The final to that one might 174-172. Now if we could only transplant Stephen Curry on to one of the teams. Plenty of great things to talk about. Onward.

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Washington, D.C.: Memphis looks like an NBA team. What is Calipari's recruiting secret?

Eric Prisbell: Why do I get the feeling someone who knows me asked this question?

Calipari has always been an excellent recruiter. He could recruit blue-chip players to Roswell, New Mexico. What has helped him in putting together the Memphis program has been an influential power broker named William Wesley. Wesley knows every important person in basketball and has deep connections with everyone from the AAU world to LeBron James. he may be the most influential person in college basketball. Wesley has been in the locker room after games and often sits courtside watching the Tigers play. He has also helped assemble the Oregon program. I truly wonder whether he will get a championship ring. Wesley could have been named the most outstanding player of the region.

Adam Kilgore: I saw "Worldwide Wes" standing off to the side of the Memphis on-court celebration yesterday, wearing a championship hat with tears in his eyes and on his cheeks. What a scene. He gave extended hugs to several players and assistant coaches. So it's safe to say he's connected to the team, if not a complete part of it. He would probably deny his impact on the team, but it has been, without question, significant.

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Mt. Lebanon Pa.: So it was a rookie mistake for Curry to bring the ball down the court at the end of the game instead of being set and have another good-hands guard get it to him?

How many times have we seen this: the number one guy forget that his job is to shoot, not run around the court like a rooster chased by a bunch of drunks at a chicken grab?

Too bad. I wanted OT. Great game, however. The only one of the weekend actually in doubt.

Thanks much.

Adam Kilgore: Since they ran that play out of a timeout, I'm certain the coach, Bob McKillop, had Curry take the ball up. His mistake might have been not passing sooner. That would have been the way to go: Pass with about 10 seconds left, lose a couple defenders off some screens, then catch and fire with about three seconds left. It really is a shame they couldn't have gotten Curry the shot. No matter what happens this weekend, he's the face of the tournament.

Eric Prisbell: That said, had Richards made the three-pointer, they would be building a statue of Richards right now. But it has been Curry's tournament and he should have run around screens for about 14 seconds and released a three-pointer with 2 seconds left and headed right to San Antonio.

I wanted Davidson to take a three. with the big guy fouling out and some others looking exhausted, I thought Davidson should let Curry take a three and they'd have almost a 50-50 chance to make the Final Four.

Camille has just arrived from Detroit after a late flight, so she knows more about this game than anyone...

Camille Powell: The play was designed for Curry to have the ball in his hands and run off of a flat ball screen at the top of the key, to either get penetration into the lane or a step back three. The secondary option was Bryant Barr (the even younger-looking kid who hit three three's during a three-minute span in the second half) off of a screen.

Bill Self said that he was surprised to see Curry bring the ball up, because he figured that Davidson would run him off of screens. But he pointed out that if you do that, there's no guarantee that Curry will even touch the ball on the final possession, and you want to have the ball in your best player's hands.

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Washington, D.C.: I believe that the NCAA basketball tournament should be played in neutral sites. Why is it that some teams are helped every year, while others are penalized?

Eric Prisbell: The NCAA tourney selection committee tries to place the higher seeded teams closest to home and also "protect" them in the early rounds, in other words, give them some home-court advantage. For UNC, it just worked out so they didn't have to leave the state since the end of the regular season. Texas had an advantage in Houston -- where Kilgore was --- but that didn't work out so well against Memphis.

Adam Kilgore: The committee tries to protect the higher seeds in the opening weekend, but, as Tom O'Connor has often repeated, the committee does not try to predict the future. In other words, it doesn't try to protect Memphis, a 1, from playing Texas, a 2, in Houston based on the idea that the committee doesn't know who will be playing in Houston. I would argue you should never put the top seed at such a disadvantage, but in can tricky; what if the committee had put 10th seeded Davidson and top-seed Memphis in Charlotte to avoid any advantage, thinking, "aw, they'll never play"?

And this year, the committee gave Georgetown a raw deal because it had to play Davidson in Raleigh in the second round, something that probably should have been avoided. BUT, the committee did not blow the 17-point lead.

Camille Powell: I think the raw deal was Davidson being a 10 seed... they were going to be a tough out no matter where they played.

And I think that the regional weekend games should be played in basketball arenas, not the huge domes/football fields -- the fans inside of Ford Field seemed so far away.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hello Eric, Adam and Camille,

Your take for the championship? I have Memphis but UNC looks real strong...

Thanks

Eric Prisbell: I'll stick with my pick three weeks ago: UCLA over Kansas.

UCLA reached the Final Four the past two years without Kevin Love. Love will outplay everyone in the middle, perhaps, perhaps even Hansbrough. None of the other teams has played at this level. ANd UCLA can play defense all night.

Adam Kilgore: I've Memphis all year long, and I'm feeling good about it right now. I think North Carolina is going to beat Kansas, but I've got Kansas on my bracket. I can't imagine anyone finding enough weaknesses in Memphis to win. It doesn't matter if you can't hit free throws if you're up by 20.

Camille Powell: I have UCLA over Kansas in my bracket, but I'm wishing that I went with Memphis, a team that I really liked when I saw them back in Dec. vs. G'town. The Tigers are probably the team that scares me the most, especially when they have a chip on their shoulder.

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Herndon, Va.: Gurus: Let's hear it for the GW women, who went as far as I think was possible, given how good Rutgers is. Can Maryland win it all again, or is that too much to ask for with the twins staying at home with the grandparents?

Eric Prisbell: Sure, they could win it all. The winner of the Rutgers-UConn game will be a threat as well. The women's tourney gets better in the later rounds.

Adam Kilgore: Eric will have his face painted for the Rutgers-UConn rematch. Maryland can win, but UConn is looking like the clear favorite.

Camille Powell: Maryland could certainly win it all. But isn't Tennessee-UConn the final that everyone (especially ESPN) wants to see?

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Detroit: Least-competitive NCAA tournament ever?

Eric Prisbell: If not for Curry, this tournament has not had much -- yet. The Final Four could change that, but several nights have been sleeper nights.

Adam Kilgore: Don't forget about the first day in Tampa. Ty Rogers gave us one of the best moments in tournament history. I think the Final Four will make up for the rest of the tournament -- there's too much talent there for it not to.

Camille Powell: I was lucky and got four days worth of Stephen Curry, so from where I sat, the tournament was pretty exciting. But I feel like it's been a few years since we've had a really classic Final Four, so I'm hoping it'll live up to expectations.

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Bethesda, Md.: I think it was a mistake for the Davidson coach to call a timeout with a 4-point lead and Kansas on their heels. Kansas came out of that timeout settled down and more focused. Why did he call that timeout?

Eric Prisbell: Up 4 with about 7 minutes left, I felt Davidson was a three-pointer away from really taking control of the game. Richards made a bad pass that led to an uncontested dunk. If that pass had wound up in the hands of Curry for three, maybe we have a different tenor to the game's final minutes. Davidson did the hard part, keeping Kansas to fewer than 60 points. They just missed a big shot or two.

Adam Kilgore: I didn't see most of the game because I was working on the Memphis-Texas story. Camille will give us the best answer.

Camille Powell: I don't know why McKillop called timeout at that point -- Davidson up, 51-47, with 7:35 to go -- and he wasn't asked about it after the game. Right after the timeout is when Richards threw the ball directly to Chalmers, and then Curry missed two three's. Either one of those shots go in, and it's potentially a different game. There were several missed chances by the Wildcats: the one that sticks out in my mind, was with about 1:20 to play and Kansas up by 4, Richards comes up with a steal and hits a wide open Curry on the left side for a three -- the kind of game-changing play we saw all tournament from those two. But the ball bounced off the rim.

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New York: One blog I read, frustrated about the officiating, was sordidly hoping for a UCLA-UNC Final so the refs' heads would explode when Love and Hansbrough went up against each other: Each has to get a foul every time they go up, but each can never foul anyone.

Adam Kilgore: The officiating was awful during the regular season, but I don't think it's been too bad during the tournament. Maybe it's been less of an issue because the games aren't close, but the only egregious thing that's happened is the one ref going bonkers and chucking Trent Johnson. No way that needed to happen in the NCAA tournament.

Eric Prisbell: Trent Johnson is very animated normally and, on occasion, brings that upon himself.

UCLA has had a decade worth of luck with refs this month. See the Texas A&M picture? We'll see if that continues.

Adam Kilgore: I forgot -- Donald Sloan not getting the call on Collison was pretty bad, too.

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Raleigh, N.C.: Thanks for taking my question.

I believe that Bob McKillop did a great job with Davidson, from scheduling, to teaching defense, to balancing feeding the ball to Curry with getting some production from the other guys. But while watching the game I thought that he was too slow to react to the box and one, in particular, not getting Barr or some other shooter out there. And on the last shot, my pre-guessing (not second guessing) was that he'd try to get Curry a shot but there'd be too much pressure, but that if he tried to get Barr a shot, he would have been open. What are your thoughts? In my opinion McKillop was great, but in order to beat Kansas, he had to be perfect, and he fell short of that. He made a key mistake, and it kept Davidson out of the Final Four.

Eric Prisbell: I agree with you totally. I said during the final timeout, watch Barr make a three to win it.

I really liked Barr. He missed his first two shots badly, but showed no hesitation shooting the ball, which I like. And he cam back VERY strong. Those final 16 seconds are tough to watch for Davidson.

Adam Kilgore: I see the logic in getting the ball to Richards or Barr -- who is from Falmouth, Maine, people! -- for the last shot, but c'mon. Somehow, some way, get it to Curry. Live and die with what got you there.

Camille Powell: I thought that Barr might be the guy, but to be honest, if it's not going to be Curry taking the shot, I'd want Richards to do it. He's got guts. And it was not a bad look at the basket. One thing that surprised me was how quickly the buzzer sounded after the shot -- no real chance for a rebound.

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Lots of Blowouts: Here's what struck me: you expect Memphis to blow out whoever they played in the Sweet 16, but do you expect Davidson to win their game by double digits?

Can it be that late-game free throws pad the margins? 'Cuz it looked as though a lot of these games weren't close even with ten minutes to go.

Eric Prisbell: No you don't expect Davidson to blow out the Big Ten champ. But the Big Ten showed what it was worth this season: Not much.

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South Carolina: Darrin Horn makes the Sweet 16 with WKU. Now he's the probable coach at South Carolina. A good hire?

Eric Prisbell: That would be a very good hired. Also heard Bennett may have interest in LSU because his wife has some roots down there? Not sure about that one.

Adam Kilgore: Horn would be an excellent hire. The only worry is he's still young, so is South Carolina going to be a stepping stone for him?

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The Titans: Douglas-Roberts, Hansbrough, Love.

Anyone else in the same class? Not wannabees, actualbees.

Is there a Kansas guy that's an equal?

Thanks.

Eric Prisbell: Someone close to the Kansas program told me they could have seven NBA players, but they may not have a stud. He said that Kaun may actually have the longest NBA career, because he will be solid. Others could be stars, but they could flame out as well.

Adam Kilgore: Rose is in that class. That's funny, I've heard raves about Kaun's future from coaches, too. Brandon Rush may have put up all-American numbers if he wasn't on such a balanced team.

Camille Powell: Kaun was the biggest surprise to me on Kansas -- just really effective and reliable. Unlike Rush, who was sort of maddening at times in the Davidson game. But he's certainly talented.

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Minneapolis: What kind of team will Davidson have next year? I read on CNN or somewhere that they will make Curry the point guard.

I loved watching them play because they really did the little things well on defense and running plays. For the same reasons, Jason Whitlock, of the KC Star said that he saw no evidence that Kansas was really the better team, despite their obvious physical advantages.

Eric Prisbell: I agree with Whitlock.

Davidson will be very strong. They lose Richards and Sander, which will hurt. But Barr is back to shoot threes, Lovedale is back, and so is Curry, probably even a better version. Good luck to everyone else in the Southern Conference.

Adam Kilgore: I think Davidson was a great team and played really terrific basketball, but I also think Kansas is clearly a better team. They don't play poorly, by any means, and they're so skilled and athletic.

Next year, Davidson will not be getting a 10 seed if it wins the last 24 games of its regular season.

Camille Powell: Davidson was so much fun to watch, and one of my favorite players turned out to be Max Paulhus Gosselin, the defensive specialist from Quebec. He knew his role and played it as hard as possible, which you could say about a lot of their players.

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Chicago, Probably crazy: Round robin final four. Top two finishers in the round robin play for the championship.

Improvement to the concept or crazy? I'll hang up so I can listen to the answer.

Adam Kilgore: It would take too long to play that out, and it would be a little gimicky. Why fix what's not broke? There's about 1,892,098 better things the NCAA could think about doing first.

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Alexandria, Va.: A power broker in college basketball?

A problem, or simply the way things get done today?

Here I was thinking this was a basketball chat, and we're talking about off-court issues.

Eric Prisbell: It's not an off-court issue. Everything relates. These teams are assembled in the summer.

I was in Las Vegas for the press conference when Love announced for UCLA. Howland looked overjoyed later that day. Roy Williams did not look so well.

It is very difficult for a team like, say, Illinois to beat out Memphis for Rose when it does not have a guy like Wesley helping to cultivate relationships.

From my experience, the NCAA has been about a decade behind when dealing with the specific issues in AAU basketball. The NCAA may be focusing on one issue while the AAU coaches are already several steps ahead of the game.

I was in NYC in NOvember for the Jimmy V Classic when Wes was in the Memphis locker room afterward. From everyone I have talked to, he is a nice enough guy. And he is very influential. And Calipari has put together a great team and should be applauded for that, in a way.

Adam Kilgore: Prisbell knows the deal in this area as well, if not better, than anybody. It's interesting how much John Calipari was sticking up for his players and fighting perceptions of his team in Houston.

Eric Prisbell: Calipari should be in politics because here is a guy who can get his team, a team with one loss, to believe that it is an underdog and everyone wants it to lose.

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Mt. Lebanon PA: Back to basics. Final Four.

Biggest team (size not necessarily height)?

Best record at free throws (we can safely remove Memphis from consideration)?

Most athletic (can run for 40 minutes)?

Deepest bench?

Best FG %?

All-around most effective guard assault?

Secret weapon (something we haven't seen yet)?

Thanks. Go Somebody!

Eric Prisbell: Excellent question.

And perhaps we can do a chart in the paper about this. I'm only going to answer the categories I feel certain about off the top of my head. There are some up for debate.

Best free throw shooters: North Carolina

Most athletic: Memphis, Kansas and UNC can all run for days. In terms of running, though, I lean toward Memphis.

Depth: Kansas may have 7 future NBA players. memphis is also very deep.

Best FG%: Kansas ranks third nationally.

Best guards: Memphis

Secret weapon: Kevin Love's outlet passes

Adam Kilgore: Biggest team: Memphis, especially if you count Pierre Niles.

Best record at free throws (we can safely remove Memphis from consideration)? Or can we? The Tigers shot 83 percent yesterday, so I'll have to take them. Just kidding -- it's Carolina.

Most athletic: Memphis. Here's a quote I wanted to use in today's game story about Rose, from Robert Dozier: "The last two years, we thought Andre Allen was one of the quickest guards in the nation. When he came in, he showed us a whole different kind of speed."

Deepest bench: North Carolina and Kansas have roughly the same depth; Sasha Kaun isn't getting as much love as Danny Green, but he's really valuable. Still, I'll give the edge, slightly, to North Carolina.

Best FG %: Kansas. Not great from three, but they don't have to be because they get great shots.

All-around most effective guard assault? Memphis

Secret weapon: Well, Prisbell, I think we've seen plenty of Kevin Love's outlet passes. I'll take Marcus Ginyard's defense. Hopefully we can see him versus Douglas-Roberts in the final.

Eric Prisbell: Has Memphis seen plenty of Love's outlet passes? Tell your guys at Memphis that they need to get back on defense or Love with hit Westbrook and they will score quicker than you can say William Wesley three times fast.

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Tournament balance: Let me guess. Next year the opening game in the east will be in Charlotte, Durham, or Raleigh?

Hello? How many first class cities are there on the eastern seaboard anyway? A hundred?

But it won't matter. Duke, NC, NC State, or Wake will get home court advantage in the first round. Always do. Always will.

Thanks.

Adam Kilgore: They don't always look for first-class cities -- I mean, they hold the regional final in Syracuse all the time. The NCAA does a good job of spreading it around. Maybe it should make sure a team doesn't have waltz UNC had this year, or Illinois had a couple years back.

I see your point, but North Carolina has passionate basketball fans that always show up to games, no matter who's playing. If you sell tickets, the NCAA likes you, fair or not.

Camille Powell: I think the NCAA should put opening round games in cities with passionate college basketball traditions. But maybe every once in a while they should send UNC out of state, like they did a few years ago when they went to Dayton and lost to Mason.

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New York: Not since Isiah at IU have I seen a young point guard dominate like Derrick Rose (honorable mention to Pearl Washington maybe). Do you believe he will be the top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft?

Eric Prisbell: If the team selecting No. 1 needs a point guard, Rose could be the guy ahead of Beasley. But Beasley still will be tough to pass over. Both have a chance.

Adam Kilgore: Imagine in the Sonics get the first pick, which they might. Rose and Durant together for the next 15 years? Wow.

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Montgomery Village, Md.: Folks

Is the current Final Four line up of four No. 1 seeds the best argument yet for an NCAA football playoff with either four or eight teams selected by a committee of people who really know something about the game and let the teams have at it on the fields?

Adam Kilgore: I'm not sure I exactly follow your logic.

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Longhorns Fan: Is Derrick Rose now the No. 1 pick in the draft?

Eric Prisbell: Good question.

I think it depends on the need of the team picking first. I would not be opposed to a team needing a point guard picking Rose over Beasley. That said, i think it will still be very hard to pass over Beasley. There may be seven freshmen drafted in the lottery. Rose, Beasley, Mayo, Love, Jordan, Gordon, Bayless.

Adam Kilgore: I would take him No. 1, no matter what. Ben Howland compared him to Jason Kidd on a conference call this afternoon, and I think that's pretty apt. He's built like Kidd -- 6-foot-3, but he looks and plays bigger. He's as fast as Mike Conley, who just killed Georgetown last year, but he's stronger, thicker and more explosive. I can't wait to see what he does when UCLA tries to muck things up on defense.

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Baltimore: Why do you think there were so many one-sided games during the second weekend? Did some teams run out of gas, or were the seedings inaccurate?

Adam Kilgore: I would say the seedings were very accurate, given that all four one seeds made it. I think all the one seeded games came this weekened because all year there were about eight teams that stuck out, and of those eight, four seperated themselves. Just one of those years. I asked a few coaches if the NBA age-limit rule has anything to do with the lack or parity since George Mason made its fun and no one seeds made the Final Four, but they all agreed it was pretty much coincidence.

Eric Prisbell: I agree. Accurate seeding by the committee, which is good for the committee but perhaps bad for fans. I had a problem with Butler's seed, and Vandy's seed, but others seemed right now.

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washingtonpost.com: This is your producer -- any substantial rumors about the Indiana coaching search?

Eric Prisbell: If Tony Bennett is indeed out of the search, as was reported, I would turn to Sean Miller. But I have not heard anything else after Bennett, who also would have been my first choice.

Adam Kilgore: Miller is the guy that comes up more than any other. Matt Painter would be a great choice if not for Indiana's hatred for all things Purdue.

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Anonymous: So no one took out Memphis like everyone and their mother said was gonna happen.

Are you a believer yet?

Eric Prisbell: I am. I thought the free throws would be a factor in a close game, and i may still be right. But, um, memphis may not have a close game, so it may not matter. this team could just run through everyone.

I still like UCLA, but Memphis has impressed me the most in the regional round.

Adam Kilgore: Don't put me in the pool. I've been driving the Memphis bandwagon all year. Rose just completely dominated this weekend. If you still don't think Memphis belongs, then you haven't been paying attention.

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Washington, D.C.: In 2006, Memphis and UCLA met in the Elite 8 and played what some called "the ugliest basketball game ever played." It was a low scoring game where each team had to focus on their defense. Looking forward to the rematch this weekend, I can't help thinking that a similar UCLA team, better with Kevin Love, is going to meet a Memphis team that will be blown out of the water. What will Memphis bring to the table this time to contain Love? Where do you think Memphis will have the advantage over UCLA?

Adam Kilgore: Memphis will not be blown out of the water. I promise you that. Remember, Memphis has pretty much the same team as two years ago with two more years experience AND Derrick Rose, who is unstoppable right now. Memphis is faster, quicker and bigger than any team remaining. UCLA plays better defense, but Memphis has experienced players who are poised with the ball and rarely make silly turnovers.

Love is so hard to contain, but Memphis's post players are strong enough to not let him get position. Calipari said this afternoon you just have to accept Love making two or three great outlet passes that lead to easy baskets. Collison laid an egg last year in the Final Four when Corey Brewer shut him down. Chris Douglas-Roberts is nearly as long as Brewer.

Eric Prisbell: Memphis will want to run and run. UCLA will look to make it a plodding game in a sense.

I still like UCLA, but this will be a tough matchup. Rose makes Memphis much better than they have been. Love makes UCLA much better than they have been. ANd the ball will likely be in Rose's hands a lot more than it will be in Love. Collison will need to slow Rose down. I do see Love having a big game and players like Dorsey will need to watch foul trouble. A great matchup.

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Washington, D.C.: Tell me why Stephen Curry isn't the next J.J. Reddick, a special college player who couldn't get off the bench in the NBA.

I love the kid, no ego, all smiles. But I worry about his prospects at the next level. How is he gonna shoot over 6-7 shooting guards?

Eric Prisbell: I had interested debates with others on this topic in Phoenix. First, he is only a sophomore. So he has two more years to gain strength and some better ability to also play the point, perhaps. I know the NBA values 40-inch verticals and wing span and all that. But this kid really knows how to play the game and is a very difficult guy to guard for some of the best and most athletic college players in the country. He won't be able to do this in the NBA as much, but I have to think, if he continues to round-out his game, he could be a strong role player in the NBA at some point, perhaps like Steve Kerr, maybe a little better or worse.

Adam Kilgore: The thing that seperates Curry is how fast his release is. J.J. Reddick was pretty incredible, but he never made some of the shots Curry has made. I'm not the best at projecting college to pros, but I'm not sure how well Curry will be able to play defense in the pros. Is there a player in the NBA who couldn't back him down? Then again, he also has two years to get stronger. His ceiling as a pro might be Mark Price. His basement is Reddick.

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Cary, N.C.: Before he came to UNC, Roy Williams was the coach at Kansas.

I just wanted to bring that up for everyone, since it will probably be overlooked in the media coverage of the Final Four this week...

Camille Powell: Ha! We'll end with this one.

Thanks for all the questions everyone! There are some good women's games tonight and tomorrow for those of you that are starting to go through basketball withdrawl... See you in San Antonio.

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