With Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse out of the picture, some are grumbling about the lack of big-name teams at the Final Four. By the time the final buzzer sounds on Monday night, it’s entirely possible that those same detractors will call the games “boring” or “ugly.”

Here’s why:

1. Pace
There are 347 teams in the D1 ranks and of the four teams set to play Saturday, Michigan State (#215) plays at the fastest pace. The other three teams — Duke (#232), Butler (#285) and West Virginia (#306) — are all in the bottom third in the number of possessions used per game. All four teams are in the top 50 in offensive efficiency (points per possession), so there should be some scoring, but don’t expect any high-octane, up-and-down affairs.

2. Defense
Duke (#3 in defensive efficiency), Butler (#6) and West Virginia (#10) are elite defensive teams, and Michigan State (#33) isn’t bad, either. All four teams hold their opponents to less than 41.5% from the field and 33.1% from long range. Duke and Butler play great positional defense and always seem to have a help defender in the right spot. Michigan State and West Virginia use superior athleticism to smother opponents. The Mountaineers will even utilize a tough-to-attack 1-3-1 zone.

These teams are evenly matched and low-pace, low-scoring affairs lend themselves to close games. This should result in exciting basketball, but we’re not going to see anything like 2009, when all four teams were in the top 130 in overall pace.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: I don’t need to watch spoiled, entitled basketball brats from Kentucky go on an ego spree by crazily firing 32 3-point shots, and making only four, in an Elite Eight loss to West Virginia. I’ll take Butler, which runs an offense and (gosh) makes the extra pass. I’m good with Butler’s best player, Gordon Hayward, who told the Indianapolis Star he’s worried about missing his math classes this week. “I’ve got a heavy class load,” Hayward said. “Some guys don’t have anything, but I wasn’t as lucky with scheduling.” Wait a minute: a real student, competing for the NCAA basketball championship? Who let Hayward and Butler in here? Butler clearly needs to hire John Calipari’s academic advisers. I’m fine with Kansas coach Bill Self sitting in the stands. Nothing personal; he’s a nice fellow. But his No. 1 seed Jayhawks lost heart as soon as Northern Iowa punched them in the mouth early on in their second-round game. I’ll take Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who dug in and willed the Spartans to the Final Four despite the loss of Kalin Lucas, their injured point guard and leading scorer. I’ll even take this version of Duke, which made it back to the Final Four with a lineup rotation that really doesn’t rate with coach Mike Krzyzewski’s previous Final Four teams. Duke’s recruiting has slumped a bit in recent years. Based on previous Duke standards, Coach K has done more with less. There isn’t a sure No. 1 NBA draft pick on this Duke roster.

Jim Riggio, Real Clear Sports: All of the transfers left Duke with just two guards in summer in senior Jon Scheyer and junior Nolan Smith. But through it all Krzyzewski has worked his magic thanks to the knowledge of his players’ academic backgrounds. Andre Dawkins, who committed to Duke as a high school junior and figured to be one of the top prep players in the nation this year, would have actually been playing his fifth year of high school basketball. After transferring high schools following his freshman year, he was allowed to reclassify as a freshman for basketball purposes in the Commonwealth of Virginia. So Krzyzewski spoke to Dawkins about coming to Durham early and with guaranteed playing time available. The youngster couldn’t say no. It sounded like all the problems were solved and Krzyzewski could relax. But then in early December, Dawkins’ mother and sister were planning to drive down to North Carolina to see him play, only to never make it. With his mother also in the car, Dawkins’ sister Lacey was killed on a highway in West Virginia. This forced Dawkins to take temporary leave from the team to grieve his loss.

Jeff Goodman, FoxSports.com: There’s Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, who will likely retire as the all-time winningest coach in D-1 history; Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, who is making a remarkable sixth Final Four appearance in the past dozen years; and Bob Huggins, who will likely join Coach K and Izzo in the Hall of Fame soon after he calls it a career. Three larger-than-life figures who have roamed the sidelines for years. Three fiery, intimidating personalities who are often unable to control their emotions. Then there’s Stevens, the 33-year-old wunderkind who just never, ever seems to lose his cool. Except when, following the win over Kansas State that earned Butler a spot in the Final Four in the Bulldogs hometown this week, Stevens ran across the floor and exchanged chest-bumps with walk-on Emerson Kampen. Stevens had been doing it in the locker room following each of the first three NCAA tournament wins, but decided to show a side of him that few have seen.

Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press: Izzo had gone to Tulsa only for the money. It was 1986, he’d been making less than $5,000 a year at Michigan State as a part-time assistant, and Tulsa offered a job as recruiting coordinator, which paid, he recalls, around $35,000. A fortune! Jud Heathcote, his MSU mentor, told him it probably would be a good move, so Izzo packed a suitcase and a duffel bag and went to Oklahoma to work for an intense coach named J.D. Barnett. One of the first questions Barnett had asked him was, “Do you promise you’ll stay?” And Izzo intended to. He wore a shirt and tie every day, as Barnett demanded. He worked from 6:30 a.m. until midnight, six days a week. He touted the Golden Hurricane logo and told recruits Tulsa would be a great place for them to play basketball. But seven weeks after he’d arrived — just as Izzo was about to buy a house — Heathcote called. A position had opened at MSU. Did he want to come back? … “Oh, J.D. went off!” Izzo recalls, laughing. “He was screaming, ‘Turn your car in RIGHT NOW!’ I kept trying to say I was sorry. He wouldn’t hear it. He was so mad. He hung up on me. I don’t blame him.” Izzo went down the hall and found a young staffer named Ron. He asked for a ride back from the car dealership. “I can’t do that,” Ron said, glumly. “Why not?” Izzo said. “J.D. just called and told me not to do anything for you.”

Photo from fOTOGLIF

- DIGITAL SPORTS DAILY wonders who has the inside track on the fourth #1 seed after Duke’s loss to Maryland last night.

- In a very enlightening piece, PRO FOOTBALL TALK asks and answers 20 questions about an uncapped year in the NFL.

- FIVE TOOL TOOL lists 10 reasons why fantasy baseball is becoming too popular.

- RUMORS AND RANTS has proof that Taylor Mays ran the 40 faster than his “official” 4.43 time. Here’s the video:

The word rivalry is defined as “competition for the same objective or superiority in the same field.” Rivalries exist in all facets of life, but they are no more apparent than in the world of sport. With the end of the decade looming, here are the six most intense rivalries of the last ten years.

6. Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson

Competition between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson may not produce the mystique that Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus once did, but their rivalry has been exciting nonetheless. Without Tiger Woods, professional golf’s popularity would be a mere morsel of what it is today. The man has won 14 majors, holds his own tournament (the AT&T National), designed two beautiful courses, is the only golfer with his own video game, and garners public intrigue on the same level as world leaders. Still, his status as figurehead of professional golf wouldn’t have any merit without some stiff competition. Enter Phil Mickelson, Tiger’s only adversary with any staying power. When Mickelson won the 2000 Buick Invitational, he also officially ended Tiger’s streak of consecutive tournament wins at six. Over the years, Mickelson would hire Butch Harmon, Tiger’s former coach, and joke about Tiger’s use of “inferior equipment.” Still, their rivalry always remained amicable, even as Phil won his first major in ’04 (The Masters), the PGA Championship in ’05 another Green Jacket in ’06. During this year’s Masters, Tiger and Mickelson were finally paired together in a major event. Trudging down the final back nine at Augusta, the two golfers put on a show that thankfully lived up to the hype. –- Christopher Glotfelty

5. Lakers vs. Spurs

These two Western Conference giants won seven of the 10 titles in the ‘00s. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant won three consecutive titles to start the decade, and then Kobe won one “on his own” in ’09 (though Pau Gasol might have something to say about that). Meanwhile, led by Tim Duncan (arguably the greatest power forward ever to play the game), the Spurs won the NBA championship in ’03, ’05 and ’07. One of these two franchises represented the West in every season save for ’06 (Dallas). The Spurs and Lakers faced each other five times in the playoffs, and the winner went on to the Finals every time. Not only did this rivalry feature a great matchup between Duncan and Shaq, but Manu Ginobili served as a great foil for Kobe Bryant while the speedy Tony Parker and the physical Derek Fisher were a study in contrasts. This rivalry reached its pinnacle during the 2004 Playoffs when Fisher hit an impossible buzzer-beater to win Game 5 on the road and swing the series. –- John Paulsen

4. Colts vs. Patriots

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the best NFL rivalry of the decade is that it’s brand new. While the Colts and Patriots have seemingly battled forever, the rivalry is still in its infancy compared to great battles between the Cowboys and Giants, Cowboys and 49ers, and Bears and Packers. It wasn’t until 2003 when Peyton Manning’s Colts went into Foxboro in the AFC Championship Game and lost to Tom Brady’s Patriots, 24-14, that football fans said, “Hey – this could be one hell of a rivalry.” The theme of this rivalry grew quickly: New England had Peyton’s number. Not only did they beat him ’03, but they also produced victories in Week 1 of ’04 and in the Divisional Round of ’04 before Peyton finally rose to the challenge and knocked off New England in Foxboro in Week 9 of the ’05 season. But of course, everyone remembers the 2006 AFC Championship Game when Manning had to rally the Colts to a 38-34 win (the game featured four lead changes in the final seven minutes) to catapult his team to a Super Bowl victory against the Bears two weeks later. And now that Peyton has proven that he can overcome Brady and the Pats, Bill Belichick breathed some life into the rivalry last week when he inexplicably went for it on a 4th and 2 from his own 28-yard line when his team was up 34-28 late in the fourth quarter. The rest is history: The Pats’ offense was stopped cold, Manning and the Colts punched it in and a new storyline in the rivalry was born. Pats/Colts features two of the best teams of the decade, run by two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. What else do you need? –- Anthony Stalter

3. Federer vs. Nadal

For the first time in nine years, tennis made the cover of Sports Illustrated. It was to commemorate the 4 hour and 48 minute Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Hailed as the greatest tennis match of all time, Nadal would emerge the victor, ending Federer’s streak of five consecutive Wimbledon championships. After Pete Sampras retired, Federer quickly took a stranglehold on the sport, winning multiple Grand Slams. In 2005, a young Spaniard with a speedy serve and a stupefying backhand became the French Open champion. From this point on, Nadal and Federer would enter the most interesting rivalry between two athletes in the past decade. Rivalries come to life on the center stage and these two constantly manage to meet, as if ordered by the fates. They have met a record seven times in a Grand Slam final. Until Fed’s loss to Martin Del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open, all of their losses in Grand Slam finals had been to each other. Although tennis welcomed Federer with open arms, the sport needed Nadal for the sake of competition. From 2005 to 2008, Nadal defeated Federer in the finals at the French Open, depriving the Swiss of a Career Grand Slam (Fed would later capture the title in 2009). Nadal has run into Federer in each of his title runs – five times in the final. To put everything in perspective, the two have won 17 of the last 19 Grand Slams. Now that’s a rivalry. – Christopher Glotfelty

2. Duke vs. UNC

In college hoops, the best rivalry of the ‘00s is the best rivalry of all time – Duke vs. North Carolina. The two schools are located a mere eight miles apart and that proximity breeds pure contempt. The Blue Devils dominated for the first half of the decade, winning 12 of 14 head-to-head matchups from ’00 to ‘05, a national championship in ’01 and ACC regular season titles in ’00, ’01, ’04 and ’06. The Tar Heels’ resurgence coincided with the arrival of Roy Williams in ’03. Since ‘05, North Carolina has won seven of nine head-to-head matchups. They have also won two national championships (’05 and ’09) and five ACC titles (’01, ’03, ’07, ’08 and ’09). More recently, Roy Williams added fuel to the fire by signing the top prep recruit Harrison Barnes out from under Mike Krzyzewski’s prominent nose. With both coaches entrenched in great programs, this rivalry shows no signs of letting up. These two teams hate each other, and that’s just the way we like it. – John Paulsen

1. Red Sox vs. Yankees

The Red Sox and Yankees certainly made a strong argument this decade for keeping their status as one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. What has transpired over the past 10 years between these two clubs can’t be summarized in just one paragraph. But damn it, we’ll try: Yankees hand the Red Sox their worst home loss ever, 22-1; Carl Everett breaks up Mike Mussiana’s perfect game at Fenway; Larry Lucchino labels the Yankees the “Evil Empire”; Pedro Martinez…Karim Garcia…Don Zimmer tossed on his face; “Aaron BLEEPING Boone!”; A-Rod is heading to Boston…no wait, the Yankees; Dave Robert’s steal; Jason Varitek vs. Alex Rodrgiez; David Ortiz’s walk-off single; Curt Schilling’s bloody sock; Boston’s improbable comeback from down 3-1; Red Sox Nation is born; Gary Sheffield’s cap is knocked off by a Boston fan; Johnny Damon is a traitor; The Yankees five-game sweep; Roger Clemens chooses the Yankees over the Sox; The Mitchell Report…That’s a lot of great history and memorable moments between these two teams in just 10 years. All told, the Red Sox and Yankees have accounted for four of this decade’s 10 World Series winners and six of the 10 AL Pennant winners. These two storied franchises absolutely loathe each other, and it makes for some great storylines.– Anthony Stalter

Photos from fOTOGLIF

Syracuse Post-Standard sports columnist Bud Poliquin wrote that this is a no-brainer decision for the struggling program, as the Orange have won only 26 of its last 83 games and have nothing to lose with this roster addition.

Which makes this, of course, a no-brainer. As long as Marrone likes what he hears from Paulus, and as long as Paulus is confident that SU will provide him with the opportunity he seeks on the field and in the classrooms of the Newhouse School, this is a Done Deal.

Because he never was redshirted during his four years at Duke, Paulus has one year of eligibility remaining in another sport. He has completed his college degree thus allowing Paulus to attend graduate school elsewhere and compete immediately if granted a waiver from the NCAA.

Paulus was a prolific high school passer at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse; his high marks include an undefeated senior season in which he completed 66 percent of his passes for 3700 yards and threw for 43 touchdown passes. The Orange coaching staff feels Paulus is a perfect fit to lead their pro-style offense next season.

All times ET…

NBA
Friday, 7:30 PM: Indiana Pacers @Atlanta Hawks (NBA TV)
Saturday, 9 PM: Los Angeles Clippers @ Denver Nuggets (NBA TV)
Sunday, 3:30 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers (ABC)
Sunday, 9 PM: Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors (NBA TV)

NHL
Saturday, 3 PM: Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins (CBC)
Sunday, 12:30 PM: Philadelphia Flyers@ New York Rangers (NBC)

College Basketball
Friday, 7 PM: #13 Villanova vs. #5 Louisville (ESPN)
Friday, 7 PM: Maryland vs. #9 Wake Forest (ESPN2)
Friday, 9 PM: #23 Arizona State vs. #20 Washington (Fox Sports Net)
Friday, 9:30 PM: Boston College vs. #8 Duke (ESPN2)
Friday, 9:30 PM: #7 West Virginia vs. #20 Syracuse (ESPN)
Friday, 11:30 PM: USC vs. #14 UCLA (Fox Sports Net)
Saturday, 1:30 PM & 4 PM: ACC Semifinals (ESPN)
Saturday, 1 PM & 3:15 PM: SEC Semifinals (ESPN2)
Saturday, 1:40 PM & 4 PM: Big-10 Semifinals (CBS)
Saturday, 6 PM: Pac-10 Final (CBS)
Saturday, 6 PM: Big 12 Final (ESPN)
Saturday, 9 PM: Big East Final (ESPN)
Sunday, 1 PM: ACC Final (ESPN)
Sunday, 1 PM: SEC Final (CBS)
Sunday, 3:30 PM: Big-10 Final (CBS)
Sunday, 6 PM: NCAA Tournament Selection Show (CBS)

World Baseball Classic
Saturday, 8 PM: Puerto Rico vs. United States from Miami, FL. (MLB Network)

It was nip and tuck most of the way, but the Tar Heels got it together late in the second half to pull away over arch rival Duke, 79-71. North Carolina has almost a two-point lead over the next-best team in Jeff Sagarin’s computer rankings (which is the main way that I fill out my bracket), but I just don’t like this team to win it all. They’re sloppy with the ball, have poor spacing on offense and they missed a ton of free throws. But they have so much talent that when the game is tight in the second half, they always seem to be able to put together a run to put the game away. Really, they could win it all or they could lose in the second round to an eight- or nine-seed that plays a good, clean game.

Five Tar Heels scored in double figures, led by Tyler Hansbrough’s 17 points. Conversely, Duke was very content to walk the ball up and run its half court offense, which put the ball into the hands of Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler, and allowed them to go to work. Coach K really shortened his bench for this game — just three reserves played a total of 19 minutes (and they failed to score a single point).

The win should seal a #1 seed for North Carolina, and barring Duke winning the ACC tournament (coupled with an early round exit by Oklahoma or UConn), the Blue Devils are probably looking at a #2 or #3 seed. Check back tomorrow for a preview of all the major conference tournaments.