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The Secondary Break: Monday’s Links

Kentucky v Wichita State

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Andy Lyons

For Wichita State, the end of perfection was a classic (Sports Illustrated)
No. 1 Wichita State was a polarizing team in college basketball this season, as their 35-0 mark resulted in either high praise of heavy skepticism. Unfortunately for the Shockers they suffered their first loss Sunday against No. 8 Kentucky, losing 78-76. Yet while the end of their season was a disappointing one, the Shockers gained a lot of respect for the way in which they played.

Time for Marquette to take a big shot with coaching search (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Saturday afternoon Marquette found itself in need of a new basketball coach, with Buzz Williams leaving to take over the struggling program at Virginia Tech. The opening at Marquette is the best one currently available, and the list of possible candidates doesn’t lack for quality either.

Harvard no rebuilding (Boston Herald)
Harvard reached the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season, and for the second consecutive time the Crimson won a game once there, beating No. 5 Cincinnati before falling to No. 4 Michigan State. Tommy Amaker will need to replace three seniors, but this is a program built for the long haul with sophomores Siyani Chambers and Wesley Saunders leading the way.

Villanova didn’t save best for last (Philadelphia Daily News)
No. 2 Villanova, armed with a deep perimeter rotation, entered the NCAA tournament with designs on going on a deep run. Unfortunately for the Wildcats that run lasted just two games, with No. 7 UConn eliminating Villanova on Saturday night. But while the ending was certainly disappointing, Jay Wright’s team enjoyed a very good season (29-5 record) and with just one starter leaving there’s the opportunity to do more in 2014-15.

Cards-Cats was destined to happen (Louisville Courier-Journal)
No. 8 Kentucky’s win over No. 1 Wichita State on Sunday set up a Sweet 16 matchup between the Wildcats and in-state rival No. 4 Louisville, making this the second time in the last three seasons that the two programs will meet in the NCAA tournament. And in the eyes of some, this was destined to happen.

Tennessee, with story of its own, tops Mercer (New York Times)
No. 14 Mercer was one of the darlings of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, thanks to their win over No. 3 Duke and a passionate fan base that supported its players every step of the way. But the Bears would see their season come to an end against a No. 11 Tennessee squad that has it’s own story to tell, one of perseverance after struggling earlier this season and having to deal with a portion of the fan base that wanted head coach Cuonzo Martin fired.

It’s all good for UVA and fans (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
No. 1 Virginia locked up its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1995 with their win over No. 8 Memphis, and the win is simply another step forward for the ACC champions. And for a fan base that in some regards has gotten too accustomed to seeing things go wrong, the ride that still isn’t complete has been an enjoyable one.

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