Weekend Wake Up: Fear ‘Eers’ Threes, Gil Will Be Wizard Again, UFC’s Night of Dominance

Country Roadblock. Kentucky should been able to outgun West Virginia with superior talent. The Wildcats start four NBA players; West Virginia may not have that many on its roster. But the three ball was the equalizer because of the disparity from distance between the two teams: The Mountaineers couldn’t miss, and the Wildcats couldn’t hit anything but their own feet.

West Virginia scored 28 first half points on eight threes, four from Da’Sean Butler, and four free throws. Then, Devin Ebanks and Joe Mazzulla spent the second half streaking by Wildcats to the hoop, propelling the Mountaineers past Kentucky into the Final Four with a 73-66 victory. All the Mountaineers had to do on defense was watch triple after triple clang off the bucket -- Kentucky made just four of 32 threes, and none before the 3:25 mark of the second half -- and send the ‘Cats to the foul line, where they went a woeful 16-of-29. UK outrebounded the rugged ‘Eers, snagging a gaudy 22 offensive boards, but five turnovers each from John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins doomed the ‘Cats. The deficit built by the barrage of bricks didn’t help: Even threes falling during the 21-12 run to close the game never cut the WVU lead to fewer than four points.

West Virginia moves on to its first Final Four since reserve guard Jonnie West’s dad was playing for the school (and will have Darryl Bryant in Indy), while Kentucky’s season of astronomical promise came crashing down like their many misses.

More Magic for Arenas. After getting just 30 days in a halfway house and probation for bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room, Gilbert Arenas will apparently be welcome to rejoin the organization next season. Before a game in Utah on Saturday, Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld said, “We’re not going to void his contract. As I’ve said all along, he’s going to be with us. Gilbert is a part of this organization, he’s part of our team, and he will be back with us next year. I think people forget that he’s still one of the best players in this league.” Sean Deveney has more on what Arenas’ comeback might take at The Baseline.

Cadwin, GSP Rule UFC 111. UFC 111 didn’t deliver a ton of drama, but the headline fights of the night were displays of dominance. First, Shane Carwin crushed Frank Mir with a series of uppercuts, positioning him for a midsummer showdown with Brock Lesnar. Then, Georges St. Pierre toyed with Dan Hardy, winning by unanimous decision only because Hardy twice narrowly escaped having his arm snapped. “I thought he was made of rubber,” St. Pierre said after the fight. The Rumble has a comprehensive recap; check it out.

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