First Down

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Grab a bag of chips and your favorite drink and settle in to see who will meet in the NCAA men’s title game. 6:07 p.m., Chs. 9, 13

VILLANOVA‘S PERFECT NIGHT

Even after 24 years, the numbers in the boxscore don’t seem possible. Surely the scorekeeper made a mistake. Twenty-eight shots attempted from the field by the underdogs, 22 made. Zero free throws for Patrick Ewing.

No. 8 Villanova 66, No. 1 Georgetown 64.

The numbers are indelible, and they add up to the most flawless game in NCAA tournament history.

Villanova has finally made it back to the Final Four, but rest assured the Wildcats won’t play as pristinely as their ‘85 predecessors did. That team shot 78.6 percent from the field, including 9-for-10 in the second half (the miss was actually a blocked pass, so they were perfect).

Buoyed by the crowd at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena, the Wildcats used a “four corners” stall to milk the clock before taking a 29-28 lead on a Harold Pressley bucket just before halftime. Punch for punch, the Wildcats matched their bigger foes until a 6-0 run put the Hoyas in front by a point with time running low.

A turnover handed the ball back to Georgetown, which went into the four corners. But Bill Martin fired a low pass that Horace Broadnax couldn’t corral, the ball went back to the Wildcats, and Harold Jensen drilled a wide-open jump shot.

Of course he would. In truth, only 10 shots heaved by a Wildcats player didn’t fall through the rim. The Hoyas missed 26.

The sum is the greatest upset in college hoops history.

TWT FIVE Lessons from the Jay Cutler saga

1. Any starting QB can demand a trade — and get it. No playoff wins, 37 total games… yet still the team caved.

2. Image control is paramount. It’s no accident that Cutler came out Wednesday and said he had never demanded to be traded, TWO WEEKS after the team said he had.

3. Jason Campbell is a team player. When word came that the Redskins were shopping him, what was to stop him from saying he wanted out?

Story Continues →