NCAA Tournament 2012: 40 Lessons We've Learned After 5th Round

After an action-packed Elite Eight, the Final Four for the 2012 NCAA tournament is set.  

Louisville took down Florida, 72-68; Kansas pulled away late to take down North Carolina, 80-67; Kentucky ran Baylor out of the gym for a 82-70 win, and Ohio State used a strong second half to beat Syracuse, 77-70. 

These games were as revealing as they were exciting. As proof of that, I offer up 40 things this Elite Eight action taught us.

Gators Were Hurt by Their Easy Victories

Florida cruised into this game with the ease that accompanies dominance. In their three tourney games, they had outscored their opponents 223-153. Their closest victory was their last one—a 10-point win over Marquette.  

While that big margin of victory is what every team is hoping for, it left Florida with no experience in tight games with Big Dance pressure riding on every possession. 

Louisville started closing the gap late in this game, and as they did, Florida began to buckle under the pressure. They missed shots they were hitting, picked up costly fouls and even had a traveling call with time running out and a chance to tie. 

The result was that Louisville ended the game on a 23-8 run, and Florida goes home with three straight games and a failure in the late stages of the game that eliminated them.

Rick Pitino Loves His Team

Rick Pitino is embarking on his sixth trip to the Final Four, and he has never been happier about it. "Outside of my six kids being born, this is the happiest day of my life," Pitino told a CBS reporter as he was leaving the court in triumphant fashion. 

He has a good reason to love this team—they just closed their game on a 23-8 run to win by four. 

The fact that his Cardinals showed their resiliency is not a surprise. It is a trait of this gritty team. This is the same Cardinals squad that had lost five out of seven and four out of six at different times this season, and now, they are peaking at the right time.

Florida Can Shoot

The Gators went ice-cold down the stretch, and they still wound up shooting 50 percent from the floor. 

They took an eight-point lead into halftime by sinking 66.7 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from beyond the arc. A big chunk of those shots came as players pulled up for jumpers early in the shot clock. 

Making it even more impressive is the fact that it came against the nation's 10th-ranked team in allowed field-goal percentage. 

Karl Hess Is Looking for His 'One Shining Moment'

No, Karl Hess is not a player you haven't heard of. He is a referee. And he likes to get himself in the one spot nobody wants to see a referee—the middle of the action. 

Hess carries himself with an air of superiority that would leave you to believe he feels that the games are his, and he winds up taking control when he should let the game go.  

Hess managed to accomplish this on Saturday when he called a technical on Pitino. That's nothing new. Coaches get Ts all the time. What was different was that he gave it to Pitino when he was yelling at his own player. 

Pitino also walked out on the court, which is against the rules, but refs let that slide all the time. Not Hess, and not on this day. He wants the attention. 

You're Never Too Old for a Temper Tantrum

While Pitino's little tirade shouldn't have earned him a technical, it was definitely a show-stopping tantrum. 

The Cardinals coach was stomping upset at Peyton Siva after Siva picked up a ticky-tack foul in the second half. It was Silva's fourth, and it forced him to the bench. 

Pitino may be 59, but he showed he still has the fire of a two-year-old who was just told he couldn't have a cookie before dinner. 

Getting a T for Yelling at Your Own Player Works

The shocking thing about this whole technical foul incident is that it worked out great for Louisville.

Let's just review real quick: Pitino gets a tech for yelling at one of his stars; that player is forced to the bench with foul problems; the other team get a free throw because of the tech and Louisville was already losing, 54-47. 

Logical thinking would tell you that this is not the best way to embark on an epic comeback, but there was nothing logical about this episode. It only tracks that the result would be a little off. 

Louisville won, 72-68.

The Moment Is Not Too Big for Chane Behanan

Louisville's Behanan is not afraid of the pressure that comes with the tournament. In fact, it seems to fuel him to greater heights.

He came in carrying a by-game average of 9.0 points and 7.4 rebounds. In four tournament games, he is averaging 14.0 points and 7.8 rebounds.

He was at his best in the Elite Eight. Behanan had 17 points and seven boards against Florida and threw in two blocks and a steal for good measure. He was also 7-of-10 from the floor. 

Balanced Attacks Aren't Always the Best

Typically, having a balanced offensive attack leads to positive results on the scoreboard—so does having all five starters score in double-digits. 

Florida did both on Saturday, and they still lost. The Gators' five starters all scored between 11 and 14 points. On the other side of things, Louisville had only two players hit double figures in scoring.  

That balance wasn't enough to keep Louisville from dismantling them down the stretch. 

For Instant Offense, Just Add 'Russ-Diculous'

Louisville guard Russ Smith can score points in a hurry. The 6'0" sophomore isn't starting, but he doesn't need to. He is a streaky shooter and player, which led to Pitino calling him Russ-diculous. 

He was huge on Saturday. Following Pitino's technical, Smith hit a jumper on the Cardinals next possession. The possession after that, he converted a three-point play. 

By the end of the game, he had tallied 19 points in just 22 minutes and was 6-of-13 from the field. He knows how to get his shots off. When those shots are falling like they are now, Louisville is tough to beat.

Florida Had Serious Depth Issues

The Gators had run to such a big lead in their previous three tournament games that their lack of a bench didn't show up. 

Reserve Mike Rosario has shown that he is capable of scoring. He averaged 6.7 points per game on the season, but he is far south of consistent, and he didn't show up for this game.

Florida needed their bench to pitch in this and game, and it turned in a five-point, three-shot performance. 

Syracuse Was Doomed Without Fab

It turns out Syracuse was not OK without Fab Melo.

Syracuse was turning doubters into believers as they made their way through the tournament. They advanced to the Elite Eight with a convincing win over Kansas State in their second game and then beat a tough Wisconsin team, and showed no signs of missing their defensive centerpiece. 

However, their loss against Ohio State highlighted how badly this team needed Melo. He was the team's leading rebounder and shot-blocker. 

Without him, the Orange were abused down low and couldn't overcome Ohio State's frontcourt play. 

Ohio State Is Peaking at the Right Time

The Buckeyes are a talented team. There was never any doubting that, but they were inconsistent and had times where they struggled to play up to their talent level. 

They lost four of their last 10 games, and this had them sneaking into the tournament as an afterthought. 

They aren't an afterthought now. The Buckeyes are rolling. They advanced to the Final Four with a seven-point victory over No. 1 Syracuse, and they have an average margin of victory of 12 for the tournament. 

Jim Boeheim Is Not a Fan of Ticky-Tack Fouls

Jim Boeheim is not a chair-throwing, serial technical-foul receiver, but you couldn't tell that by this game.

At the root of his frustration were refs that were blindingly quick to blow the whistle. The was a game of fouls. In all, there were 48 called, and Syracuse got the worst of it with 28 fouls.

That was their highest number in three years. The Orange's 2-3 zone typically means they don't pick up a wealth of fouls—not this game. Boeheim tried to politely explain this to the refs, but to no avail. 

Jared Sullinger Is a Great College Player

Jared Sullinger has spent much of the season sinking his draft stock. This is a player that likely would have been a top-five pick had he come out last year, to borderline lotto pick.

Through all of this, it was easy to forget what a fantastic player he is at this level. 

Anyone watching the second half of Ohio State's win over Syracuse got a huge reminder of just how dominant he can be. Sullinger was mostly non-existent in the first half after getting into early foul trouble, but he owned the second half. 

He finished the game with 19 points and seven rebounds. 

Scoop Was Not Enough for Syracuse

Senior Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine was fantastic for the Orange, but he wasn't enough.

Jardine, who averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 assists per game for the season, finishes with a 2012 tourney average of 13.8 points and 6.3 assists per game. He hit double-digits in points in each of Syracuse's four tourney games. 

With Jardine's elevated play, Orange fans were hoping for a title run even though Fab Melo was not playing. It wasn't meant to be. 

Jardine went for 14 points and six assists in Syracuse's loss to Ohio State.

Don't Hurt Lenzelle Smith, Jr.

Brandon Triche caught Lenzelle Smith, Jr. with an elbow right to his eyebrow. The blow split open the sophomore guard's eye, and he was forced to the bench when he discovered he couldn't play while receiving five stitches. 

He could sure play when he was all stitched up, though. Smith finished the game with 18 points and was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and pouring in big buckets for the Buckeyes.

The 18 points was his second-highest total of the season. 

The Orange Can Run out of Juice

It has been a wild season for Syracuse. One that was marked by excellence, scandals and distractions.

The latter two started with former assistant Bernie Fine, continued with an NCAA investigation over failed drug testing and came up again right before the tournament started when it was announced that center Fab Melo would not be eligible. 

The fact that this team had persevered though all of this to set a school record with 34 wins and win their first three tournament games is a testament to their resiliency.

They showed that grit on Saturday when they cut Ohio State's one-time 10-point lead to a single point with just under eight minutes to play.

That was when they hit the wall, though. Syracuse went on to commit three straight turnovers and went over three minutes without scoring a point.  

Entering the Tournament with Low Expectations Pays off

Despite being ranked No. 2 at different points of the season, Thad Matta didn't expect his team to be alive when the Final Four was determined.

The Associated Press' Jimmy Golen shed some light on coach Thad Matta's outlook for his team:

"Ohio State coach Thad Matta sized up his team in the middle of the season and had it figured for an early loss when the NCAA tournament came around."

Matta had reason to be skeptical. His team went through some struggles this season, and they entered the tournament having lost four of their last 10 games. 

Now he has a Final Four team, and no coach is likely to be more pleasantly surprised. 

Deshaun Thomas Has a Freakish Amount of Stamina

With Jared Sullinger in early foul trouble, the Buckeyes needed Thomas to do a little more than usual and a little of everything. No problem for Thomas. He ended up with 14 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal. 

That is not what was so impressive, though. This kind of stat line is nothing new for Thomas. What really stands out is that, despite having to expend extra energy to make up for Sullinger being on the bench, he played the full 40 minutes. He didn't show any signs of slowing down either. 

I guess, at this point, he is getting used to that kind of workload. Thomas has played 39 or 40 minutes in six of the Buckeyes' last nine games. 

Baye Keita Isn't a Disaster After All

After showing defensive flashes as a freshman, Keita regressed as a sophomore. He couldn't seem to ever hold onto the ball and looked lost on the court more often than not.

He was little more than an afterthought after the emergence of Fab Melo and averaged just 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game this season. 

Against Ohio State, he proved that Orange fans shouldn't run him out of the program yet. He grabbed 10 boards and had four blocks while anchoring the Orange's 2-3 zone. 

Buford Will Find a Way to Contribute

Senior guard William Buford's shot doesn't have to be dropping for him to make an impact on the game. 

Buford was just 3-of-12 from the field against Syracuse. Despite this, he wound up with 13 points. Buford didn't let his shooting woes lessen his aggression. 

He kept taking the ball to the rack and wound up 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also chased down nine boards. 

It's Good to Be a Top Seed

Last year's NCAA undoubtedly created some very interesting brackets this year. That would be due to the fact that last year's Final Four contained a No. 8 and No. 11 seed.

The 2011 Elite Eight was comprised of three teams seeded fifth or higher.

It was easy to think the similar madness would occur again this year. It's often easy to think wrong.

This year, there was just one team seeded fifth or higher (No. 7 Florida), and they lost. 

In all, this year's Elite Eight featured a bunch of chalk. There were three No. 1s, two No. 2s, a No. 3, a No. 4 and a No. 7 seed. The Final Four consists of a one, two twos and a four. 

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Has Taken His Game to Another Level

Kidd-Gilchrist loves the elite competition of the tournament!

He started off slow as Kentucky steamrolled overmatched opponents in their first two games, but he has been considerably better in the last two. Gilchrist followed up his 24-point effort against Indiana with a spectacular 19-point effort in the Elite Eight. 

He was a super efficient 7-of-10 from the field in that game. He also did most of that damage early to set the tone for the Wildcats. He scored his first 17 when Baylor had only scored 17 as a team.

His 41 points in the last two games is the second most he has put up in a two-game stretch this season. 

Quincy Acy Can Play in the NBA

Acy is projected to parts of the second round where you don't expect players to make an impact in the NBA. He proved on Sunday that he is good enough to hang at the next level. 

Against a Kentucky roster that is full of players that are expected to be in the NBA, Acy had no problem thriving. 

He had 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He also pitched in eight rebounds. Acy is undersized, but he showed that he has the instincts and explosiveness to still excel against elevated talent.  

Don't Miss Shots Against the Wildcats

It is always a good strategy to not miss shots, but it is especially vital against Kentucky. The Wildcats know how to turn a miss into an easy fast-break bucket in about 1.5 seconds. 

Baylor shot just 39.1 percent in this game, and it doomed them. Kentucky hauled in these misses and was off to the races. 

This team is far too athletic and talented to be stopped in the open court. 

Terrence Jones Doesn't Need to Score to Be Lethal

Despite finishing with 12 points on just 3-of-7 shooting, Terrence Jones came up huge for the Wildcats.

Jones was dominant on the defensive end. His athleticism and length gave Baylor fits, as he wound up with three blocks, two steals and came down with nine boards.

Jones also made sure that the offense was flowing while dishing out six assists.

There isn't much he can't do on a basketball court, and this versatility makes it impossible to keep him from leaving his stamp on a game. 

Baylor's Bench Was Not Up to the Challenge

In a game where the Bears needed their bench to come up big, they got next to nothing. 

Deuce Bello was the only Bear player to come off the bench and score. He had three points. In all, the bench went just 1-of-12 from the field in 49 combined minutes. They also only grabbed four rebounds. 

On the other side, Kentucky's bench pitched in 11 points and made sure that Baylor never closed the gap. 

Experience Is Overrated

Kentucky features a starting lineup of three freshmen and two sophomores. There was a time in the NCAA tournament where this lack of experience would have doomed a team. 

Kentucky looks anything but doomed. Theses young athletes are playing at a level above their competition. There isn't a team that looks prepared to handle their amazing combination of size and speed. 

This athletic superiority erases any concerns over lack of experience. 

Baylor Couldn't Foul Their Way to a Slower Pace

Baylor is not afraid to play up-tempo. In fact, they typically prefer it. However, Kentucky is one of the few teams that is more athletic and deadly in the open floor. 

This game turned into a track meet, and Kentucky punished Baylor in that meet. The Bears attempted to slow things down by playing physical. 

This style of play resulted in 32 personal fouls for Baylor, but did not keep Kentucky getting out and running their way to 82 points. 

Kansas Is King of the Frontcourt

The UNC-Kansas game was a battle of the best frontcourts in college basketball. Most, myself included, have given UNC the edge over all others up front. Kansas proved that to be foolish. 

Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey easily outplayed their UNC counterparts, John Henson and Tyler Zeller. 

Robinson and Withey combined to shoot 11-of-21 from the field to score 33 points while committing just one turnover. They also pulled in a collective 17 rebounds and rejected three shots. 

Henson and Zeller shot 11-of-23 from the field for 22 points. They had an edge in blocks at five, but were vastly out-rebounded, as they only pulled in 10 boards. 

Kendall Marshall Is UNC's MVP

The best way to judge a player's value to their team is to watch that team when the player is not available. This is how Marshall's immense value to the Tar Heels became crystal-clear. 

While Stilman White was solid filling in for Marshall against Kansas, he finished with seven assists and no turnovers. He could not get this team in a position to succeed like Marshall. 

Marshall has an elite ability to break down a defense and get the ball to his teammates in the exact right spot. This doomed the Tar Heels down the stretch, as their offense stalled when they needed buckets the most.

Tyshawn Taylor's Slump Was Not Permanent

Taylor's shooting stroke had left him in a big way. In the two games leading up to the Elite Eight, the senior guard had made just 6-of-25 shots from the field and averaged eight points. 

Kansas certainly has other weapons, but they couldn't be expected to beat elite teams with a slumping player that had averaged 16.6 points per game on 48 percent shooting from the field during the regular season. 

Jayhawk fans can now rest easy. Taylor has his groove back. He netted 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting against North Carolina. 

Harrison Barnes Was Exposed Without Marshall

Barnes is widely considered a top-five pick in the upcoming NBA draft. His blend of size, athleticism and shooting stroke will be hard for any team to pass up. 

However, he showed he is not as pro-ready as we once thought. Without Marshall to get him the ball in his rhythm and in the right spot, Barnes struggled with his shot. He finished the Kansas game shooting just 5-of-14 from the field and 0-of-5 from distance. 

This was a game when the Tar Heels needed Barnes to create good shots for himself, and he wasn't able to do it. 

Combine this with his awful 3-of-16 shooting performance in the Tar Heels' previous game, which was also without Marshall, and teams have a new concern about Barnes' ability to adjust to the NBA. 

Don't Expect to Out-Rebound the Jayhawks

North Carolina finished the regular season as the No. 1 rebounding team in college basketball. Don't tell that to Kansas.

The Jayhawks won the battle on the glass, 40-30. Those numbers include a 10-7 edge on offensive boards. 

Kansas owned the boards with a great showing in the frontcourt and an all-around team effort. 

All eight players that saw action grabbed at least one rebound for the Jayhawks; each starter had at least three rebounds, and they had three different players grab at least eight rebounds in this game. 

Stilman White Can Ball

Stilman White's play didn't make anyone forget about the dynamic Kendall Marshall, but he showed he belongs running the point in big-time college basketball. 

The freshman was amazing given his vast inexperience. Heading into the Sweet 16, White had never played more than 11 minutes in any college game and averaged just 5.1 minutes a game. 

He played 63 minutes the past two games and did not commit a single turnover while picking up 13 assists. 

He only scored six points in those two minutes, but proved that he has the goods to reliably run this offense. 

Kansas Doesn't Need to Hit from Distance to Win

The Jayhawks' proficiency in the frontcourt and dominance on the glass hid their inefficiency from three-point range. 

They were just 4-of-14 from distance in this. That 28.6 percent mark from beyond the arc is well below their season average of 34.6. 

I doubt they are overly concerned about those numbers at the moment. 

North Carolina Has a New Demon

That demon goes by the name of the Regional Finals. It was just 53 weeks ago that the Tar Heels were 9-1 all-time in the Regional Finals. They are now 9-3. 

Last year they fell to Kentucky, 76-69, and this year, they took the fall to Kansas. 

While there are certainly worse problems to have than losing in the Regional Finals two years in a row, there is no doubt they will be reminded of these failures next time they get to this stage. 

The Cardinals Are the Odd Team in

No. 4 Louisville is the only team seeded higher than second to make the Final Four, but that is not what makes them stick out in this crowd. 

The Cardinals are the lone team of the last four that like to keep the score down. They finished the season ranked 155th in scoring at 68.8 points per game. 

The other three all averaged at least 75 points per game and are ranked 36th or higher in scoring. 

There Will Be a State Divided

For just the fifth time in NCAA tournament history, Kentucky and Louisville will face each other. They have split those meetings and have never met in the Final Four.

These two teams met on Dec. 31 this season. Kentucky hosted and won that game, 69-62.

This matchup is sure to have the state of Kentucky buzzing. Not only do the two schools have the state rivalry, but it is coach Rick Pitino's chance to upstage the program that he once called home.  

Ohio State Will Be out for Revenge

On Dec. 10, Kansas—on their home court—handed Ohio State there first loss of the season by taking them down, 78-67. 

Thomas Robinson led the way for Kansas in that game. He poured in 21 points and was 7-9 from the field. There will be something different about the Buckeyes when Robinson faces them this time, though, and that something is Jared Sullinger. 

Sullinger did not play in their matchup earlier in the season. He will be anxious to prove that he is the difference between his Buckeyes winning and losing this matchup.