‘Final Four Workhorse’ Candidates
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams has to console Wayne Ellington after the guard finds out he’s not on a candidate for the ‘Final Four Workhorse.’ (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
And then there were two…
Two teams remain after Kansas assaulted former coach Roy Williams and his North Carolina Tar Heels and Memphis steamrolled past the UCLA Bruins. Instead of a matchup of the two most storied basketball programs, it will be the Jayhawks and the Tigers playing for the national championship Monday night in San Antonio.
But who had the most impressive Final Four performance? It wasn’t the darling of the tournament, Stephen Curry, or fabulous freshman, Kevin Love, who both made multiple appearances on our previous Workhorse candidates’ lists.
So then who has earned the right to be named the NCAA ‘Final Four Workhorse?’ Here are our candidates:
Cole Aldrich (Kansas) - The 6-foot-11 freshman provided a spark off the bench for the Jayhawks and thoroughly frustrated Tyler Hansbrough. Utilized perfectly by coach Bill Self, Aldrich, who had played only 21 minutes and scored only 4 points in the first four rounds of the NCAA tourney, played 17 minutes and scored 8 points Saturday night. Aldrich knocked in half his 4 field goals and all 4 of his free throws. His unexpected bonus efforts even included 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, and a steal all whilst playing tenacious defense against UNC’s star forward.
Cole Aldrich goes by fellow ‘Final Four Workhorse’ candidate Tyler Hansbrough for the bucket. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Joey Dorsey (Memphis) - He didn’t exactly pour in the points. In fact, he missed all three shots he took, but he did everything else. He wrestled down 15 rebounds, blocked two Bruins’ shots, and also added a steal and two assists, but most importantly, Dorsey helped contain fab freshman Kevin Love. Love finished with only 12 points on 4-11 shooting, and he failed to record a double-double for only the second time in the tournament.
Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis) - CDR again graces the workhorse candidates list after he led all Final Four scorers with 28 points (9-17 FG, 1-3 3PT), including another 9 free throws made (11 attempts) for the team that supposedly vulnerable because of their free throw shooting woes. He added 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block.
Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina) - In possibly his final game in a white and baby blue uniform, “Psycho T” had 17 points and 9 rebounds. He only missed one free throw (5-6) and made 6 of his 13 shots, but it wasn’t enough to rally the Tar Heels from the 28 point first half deficit.
Derrick Rose (Memphis) - In a possible NBA audition, Rose dished out plenty of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ with spectacular moves in traffic and floating shots. Rose finished with 25 points (7-16 FG, 11-12 FT) knocking down free throws down the stretch to keep UCLA from ever getting a chance to creep back into the game. From the point guard position, Rose pulled down 9 rebounds and dished out 4 assists turning the ball over only once.
Brandon Rush (Kansas) - Rush was the star of Kansas’s balanced attack that absolutely dominated North Carolina for 2/3 of the game. In only his third 20+ point effort of the season, he scored 25 points, including 7 in the final 5 minutes to stave off any late comeback. The KU junior made 11 of his 17 shots and pulled down 7 rebounds.
Russell Westbrook (UCLA) - Last season, Westbrook was nothing more than a role player during UCLA’s Final Four run. But as a starting guard on this year’s squad, Westbrook led the team with 22 points against Memphis. He hit 10 of 19 shots, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. He also had 3 rebs, 2 asts, and 2 stls.
Shotgun Spratling
| 2.5 |
April 6th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Will Roy ever change & start coaching Defense? I love Tar Heel basketball but they just have to get scrappier on D. Although I love Tyler also, his game is not ready for the NBA. Stay in Chapel Hill, TH!
April 7th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
From willardj on Yardbarker:
basically who has played better: derrick rose or CDR?
April 7th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Our reply to ‘willardj on Yardbarker:
I actually would give my vote to Cole Aldrich since the poll is based solely on the Final Four round, and he was so instrumental in the first half run and was frustrating Hansbrough throughout when he was in the game.
But if you break it down to Rose or CDR throughout the entire tournament, I’d have to go with Rose. He’s been nothing short of spectacular in any individual game, and I think because of his tournament performance Monday night will be the final time he wears a Tigers uniform. His stats have been incredible: 21.4 pts, 6.6 rbs, 5.6 asts, 1.2 stls 55% FG, 83% FT, and only 6 turnovers in 5 games despite handling the ball the majority of the 168 minutes he’s played.