Appearance on 840 am WHAS in Louisville Talking Atlanta and the Final Four

I joined Tony Cruise and the Morning Show at WHAS in Louisville on Tuesday morning to talk about Atlanta hosting the Final Four as thousands of Cardinals fans will be making the trek to Atlanta.

Have a listen:

Dial Global Says 20.6 Million Listened to Final Four on Radio

Dial Global: 20.6 million heard Final Four.

Proving the power of sports on radio, nearly as many people heard a broadcast of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four on broadcast radio as heard the Super Bowl. Dial Global says radio’s Final Four audience was an estimated 20.6 million, nearly as large as the 23.1 million who tuned-in to hear the New York Giants defeat of the New England Patriots.

512 affiliates carried Final Four programming between March 31 and April 2.  “We are pleased that our previous research findings still hold true, people desire play-by-play sports on radio in a big way,” Dial Global co-CEO David Landau says.  The network came up with the audience estimates by commissioning Edison Research to conduct a national telephone survey on Tuesday, the day after the University of Kentucky Wildcats’ victory over the University of Kansas Jayhawks.

Kansas Pulls a Houdini Act and Beats Ohio State

Kansas has been underated and under appreciated all season, their best player made sure that would happen no more.

Tyshawn Taylor made two big free throws late, and All-American Thomas Robinson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds Saturday to lift the Jayhawks to a come-from-behind 64-62 win against Ohio State in the Final Four -- a game Kansas led for a grand total of 3 minutes, 48 seconds.

The Jayhawks (32-6), who trailed by as many as 13, overcame another deficit and finally held on against the Buckeyes (31-8).

Another magic act may be needed on Monday night.  Kentucky awaits in the Championship game.

"It's a dream to play the best team in the country, up 'til now, hands down, the most consistent," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "It's a thrill. And I think it's even more of a thrill for us because I don't think anybody thought we could get here."

Fans Already Celebrating in Lexington

What is going to happen when they win on Monday?

Fans set couches on fire and flipped cars around the University of Kentucky campus after the Wildcats beat cross-state rival Louisville 69-61 in the first game of the Final Four.

Screaming, chanting fans swarmed the streets following the win Saturday evening. Many streets had already been blocked off around Kentucky's campus to make way for the crowds, but sirens blared and police began shutting down more streets as the blazes broke out.

No reports of disturbances in Louisville or around the U of L campus.

NCAA Tournament Plays of the Day for 3/24/12

Lousiville and Ohio State

Louisville vs. Florida for a trip to the Final Four.

It's Pitino vs. Donovan, mentor vs. student.

I tend to like Louisville in this one, but it's going to be close.

The Cardinals are getting 1.5 points in this one and are really peaking.  They also are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Sat. games.  Pitino will have them ready to play and he's great at getting teams to the Final Four.

Take Louisville and points in this one.

That brings us to Ohio State and Syracuse.

Ohio State is looking real good, while the Orange have just been eeking their way through these games.  This is a game where Syracuse is rally going to miss Fab Mello.

Even though Syracuse is getting 3 points, I like The Buckeyes to win going away.  One trend to consider is Syracuse is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall.  Ouch!

Take The Ohio St. and give the points.