V-RECAP | Elite Eight | Saturday, March 29
Kansas tops Arizona, earns trip to Final Four

MIDWEST REGION: (3) Marquette 83, (1) Kentucky 69
I know that somewhere in heaven, Al McGuire is smiling! Just before the legendary Marquette coach passed away, I remember he told me that the young Tom Crean was a special coach.

McGuire was right!

	Tom Crean

Crean's stock is rising like crazy. His team put on a masterpiece of a performance against the nation's No. 1 team. Dwyane Wade showed why he's the nation's premier wing player by posting his first career triple-double (29 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists).

Wade's passing was brilliant, setting up teammates with open looks. It was one of the most dominant performances of the tournament, right up there with Kansas forward Nick Collison's 33-point, 19-rebound effort against Duke. The Golden Eagles had a number of open looks in transition in building up their big lead.

Marquette went wire-to-wire to earn its first trip to the Final Four since 1977, when McGuire won the national championship in his last year as a coach. It was a brilliant performance by an unselfish team.

Kentucky looked shocked by the early barrage of jumpers and layups by the Golden Eagles. The Wildcats simply never regrouped after trailing 45-26 at half. Coach Tubby Smith's team couldn't hit perimeter shots.

Marquette big man Robert Jackson dominated inside, establishing tremendous post position down low. He put up impressive numbers (24 points, 15 rebounds). His post presence was a key; Kentucky's Marquis Estill never got it going against double teams.

Marquette has three phases of the floor covered, what I like to refer to as a triangle. The Golden Eagles have point play with Travis Diener running the show, solid performance at the wing with Wade and low-post presence in Jackson. With those three elements, you're capable of winning any game.

Steve Novak has stepped up off the bench and become the J.J. Redick of the Midwest. He contributed during Marquette's early run, finishing with five trifectas. The diaper dandy has been special in the tournament.

I've been so impressed with the work ethic of the Golden Eagles. It has paid off with a trip to New Orleans for the Final Four.

For Kentucky, this was an outstanding season. The 26-game win streak was snapped, but Tubby Smith did a great job in getting his Wildcats to bounce back from a Dec. 28 loss to Louisville. I hope the fans in Lexington understand what a phenomenal season it was for their 'Cats.

That's the beauty of college basketball. It's not best-of-seven like the pros, so on any given day, anything can happen. Kentucky simply ran into a buzz saw, and Marquette earned its ticket to the Big Easy, baby!