To: Billy Packer

From: Andrew Marchand

Re: Final Four

CC: Dick Vitale

Dear Billy,

A player hits a three, you credit the coach. A player misses a three, you blame the player. It doesn’t seem fair.

On Sunday, with 20 seconds left in the first overtime of the epic Kentucky-Michigan State game, the Wildcats’ Ranjo Rondo dribbled above the circle as coach Tubby Smith stared in. You said, “Rondo and Tubby make eye contact. [Rondo] knows exactly what he wants to do and when.”

Then after Kentucky, looking completely disorganized, failed to even get off a shot, you exclaimed, “Not well-executed!” Of course, seconds earlier Rondo knew exactly what Smith wanted. If Kentucky had scored, you no doubt would have praised the play Smith set-up.

Billy, we like that you mix it up – a scrap with Dick Vitale here, another with David Stern there – but in-game criticism of coaches seems foreign to you.

During the Final Four, when called for, The Memo would like kids to get some credit and the coaches some blame.