Out of the gate: A double OT thriller, one-point upset, buzzer beater big upset and a #2 seed almost pulling the strangulation. 16 games, about 12 hours, let's cover it in a completely subjective and mildly sarcastic way...
SOUTH #11 Old Dominion 51, #6 Notre Dame 50
I could have picked this one for anybody out there. Why? It would be too easy for me to say that ODU was a better team. Actually, that wouldn't have been easier, because I couldn't honestly say that. I just knew the Irish would lose. Why again? The Sports Gods wouldn't let them win. Yeah, I said it. Remember, it's "touchdown" Jesus, not "layup" Jesus, so there is no divine power. The Irish had no right to a 6 seed. None. CBS did a disservice to their bracket coverage by not having Seth Davis spontaneously combust when the seed was announced. How can a bubble team 3 weeks ago become a 6 seed?!? That's like a pitcher in baseball opening April, May, June and July with a 9-10 record and 5.12 ERA, close the season with two no-hitters and win the Cy Young. Could that happen? Nope. The defense rests. (Oh, and thank you Mike Brey for inventing a new offensive system that took scoring back into the 50s and made basketball less enjoyable to watch again)
WEST #7 BYU 99, #10 Florida 92 - double OT
Bracket was looking good early, especially when BYU realized that they were considerably more disciplined and fundamentally sound than the Gators in the second half and ran off a double-digit lead. Then, they crapped themselves. It really was a brilliant game. Great to watch. It was the double shot of espresso the tourney was looking for. Fredette was fantastic for BYU. Parsons and Boynton would answer. And then in the extra time, this little spark plug for the Cougars, Michael Lloyd Jr., made every play needed. Memo to the Gator defense, he's going to spin when he gets in the lane; wait for it. Oh, and my favorite announcing guffaw about yesterday: Dan Bonner, who must have called Lloyd a terrible FT shooter 100 times in overtime because he shot it 60% on the year. (He went 9-10 yesterday) Look, I've been there before doing games. You roll with the percentages. But, say it once and then let him live up to that percentage. Bonner was in disbelief that he kept making them. Actually kinda sad that an analyst in shocked when a scholarship athlete makes an unguarded, unforced 15-foot set shot, huh?
SOUTH #2 Villanova 73, #15 Robert Morris 70 - OT
That collective sound you just heard was the butt holes of millions of Americans unpuckering as their bracket stayed alive for another 48 hours, but looked to be no stronger than the stolen recycled paper from the office copier it was written on. I would like to say I saw a lot of this game, but to be honest the BYU-Florida game was just too good. That, and the nation's fascination with seeing a big upset completely bogged down the CBS online servers. The Big East was worried for an afternoon (wait, more to come). [Note: Kudos to CBS for continuing the free online streaming but adding a really nice touch this year: forced advertising. Make a game switch, gotta watch an ad. Game goes to commercial, you are stuck with it and all of the ads; brilliant web marketing]
Exhale - Honestly, no better 3-game stretch to start an NCAA Tournament that I can ever recall. In fact, I'll spend less words on most every other game because it was hard not to be spent simply by that appetizer. Only way it's better is if Robert Morris found a way to seal the deal.
WEST #13 Murray State 66, #4 Vanderbilt 65
It went in?!?! Really? Honestly, I have forgotten most everything about this game simply because of that mad scramble at the end. It was a great game. Vandy couldn't guard in the first half, and then couldn't make the big shot in the second half. All credit is due to the fighting Murrays, who just kept pushing. But that last play will always stick with me. How does your best player have the presence of mind to pass up the shot? Did he know there was enough time? And then Danero Thomas does the fade-away, flick/heave, gonna-get-laid shot of his life. True story: My Butler posse in San Jose texts 'Wow' as soon as the shot goes in. Since I am watching online, I get the text as the ball is leaving his hand, and it still didn't give away the ending. It could've missed and I still would have said "Wow." Lost in my mind during all of this: "So, wait, Butler could have a chance to play Murray State for a chance at the Sweet 16? Hmmm."
SOUTH #3 Baylor 68, #14 Sam Houston State 59
Not gonna lie, this is where I started to recharge the batteries a little bit. Butler was now 30 minutes away from tip. Besides, I am having a hard time believing this whole story at Baylor. Scott Drew is a Butler guy and a "great" recruiter (*cough*; I'm not sayin, just sayin, "It's Waco") but there is just something not sexy about this team yet. Watch them play. Extremely athletic, but they always look raw. I just don't see it. I could be wrong.
SOUTH #10 Saint Marys 80, #7 Richmond 71
The seeds should have been reversed in this game. NO WAY this is an upset. Too easy of a game to pick (I write as I scramble to my ESPN bracket to make sure I picked the Gaels). The West Coast Conference is good. Very good. Look at it this way. The state of California produces more basketball talent than most states in the Midwest. How many major conferences are in that region? One. The Midwest? Technically two, but easy access to others. The WCC can recruit at a Big 6 level when it comes to hoops. Oh, and this game was Basketball Gods 2.0. Saint Marys got the NCAA shaft last year. Somewhere, Paddy Mills is downing a Guinness. (What, he's not Irish?! How can he not be? Whatever, I just bought him a Guinness)
WEST #2 Kansas State 82, #15 North Texas 62
Thank you to the Wildcats for putting us in a time machine and recreating the tournament games from the late 80's. Villanova, take notes.
WEST #5 Butler 77, #12 UTEP 59
The lock for a first-round upset! Whoops. Look, I wasn't on my soap box before this one started screaming that the Dawgs were 18 points better. UTEP was a brutal matchup. Caracter was a man inside, and the officiating in the second half really helped in Butler's quest to neutralize him. Don't take that as a slight against Butler, because they gameplanned brilliantly at the half. Oh, and when did Shelvin Mack grow a huge pair of stones? Dude could always play in spurts, but he looked pissed off, and talked some mean smack. That garbage-time three he nutted in front of Culpepper was 1990 UNLV-esque. Balls! The most underestimated part of Butler's game all season: They play 40 minutes without a lapse. It really is a phenomenal to watch. They may go cold, or give up an open shot, but they never have a 5 minute stretch where a team can just gas them. UTEP still doesn't know what hit them in the second half.
EAST #1 Kentucky 100, #16 East Tennessee State 71
Century Club Warning?!?! Did anybody make it all the way without puking? Kentucky has got talent. Mad, mad, nasty, dirty talent.
MIDWEST #9 Northern Iowa 69, #8 UNLV 66
Great game that didn't get a lot of national airtime with what else was on (below), but another tremendous finish. Panthers can hold for close to the last shot, which they do in the most maddening flourish. Their point guard gets hounded 30 feet from the basket, loses his dribble multiple times, gets doubled at every opportunity, wets himself, conducts a full NFL combine workout, drains all of the clock, shot-puts a pass, and just when you think Northern Iowa is out of options, a cross-court pass to Ali Farokhmanesh leads to the game-winning trey. I have no skin in this game, but even I was screaming, "No, No, eeek, No, Shit, No, No, What Are You Doing, No, No, Where, No, YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" over that last 30 seconds.
MIDWEST #14 Ohio 97, #3 Georgetown 83
EAST #11 Washington 80, #6 Marquette 78
I am linking these two games together because they tell the same story, despite very different teams and games...
1) Oh how the mighty have fallen, right? Was the Big East really that good this year? Last year, they were mighty, I won't doubt that. But they also had Louisville with studs, Nova with post players, UCONN with leadership and a number of other reasons to like the '09 version of the 'best conference in basketball.' Both the Hoyas (lack of true ball handlers and shooters) and Marquette (consistency) had flaws and got exposed by teams playing their best basketball, which leads to...
2) These two games, in my mind, signify why the concept of tournament expansion should be shot dead in the water. Not because there aren't other good teams out there. But because every team already has an opportunity. It's called your conference tournament. Even the lowest seed (except in the Ivy League, sorry bookworms) has a chance to run the table and go dancing. It's what Ohio did as a 7-9 team out of the MAC. Now, they are a Cinderella darling. UW needed to beat Cal to earn a spot and they did. If the field was 96 teams, the Huskies are probably in regardless. This way, they come in with momentum. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, KEEP IT AT 64 TEAMS.
MIDWEST #1 Kansas 90, #16 Lehigh 74
Well, it wasn't pretty, but the Jayhawks just looked like they were going through the motions, don't you think? I am picking them to win it all, not for any of the following obvious reasons:
1) Outside of Wall and Cousins, no team can claim to have a better inside-outside PG, Center combo
2) Freakish versatility on the wing
3) Shown ability to win in tough spots
Nope, I am picking them to win because I was in their locker room when they lost out on a chance at the Final Four last year. I was interviewing Cole Aldrich as he was breaking down into tears, apologizing for no reason (they lost a tough game, simple as that). You could just see that they meant business coming back this season. Kentucky can't dig down deep and channel that experience. Neither can Syracuse or any other team out there. Oh, and where did that emotional loss happen? Lucas Oil Stadium, site of the Final Four this year. I just love this stuff.
Okay, I'll admit, I got a bit sleepy at this point (Give me a break; hospital less than 48 hours before) and these last few games got highlight treatment:
EAST #9 Wake Forest 81, #8 Texas 80
Remember when the Longhorns were #1 in the country?! Wow. That is actually more worthy of discussion than Ishmael's GW jumper. Wake oozes with Burger Boy level talent. But they were lucky to run into the most underachieving, fading team in the bracket. You can't even play the injury card, Texas. You are too deep to pull that out and have it stick.
EAST #3 New Mexico 62, #14 Montana 57
MIDWEST #6 Tennessee 62, #11 San Diego State 59
Close scores and, again, examples of why the modern NCAA Tournament is phenomenal. But, despite the close scores, neither top seed was feeling terribly scared. Too bad most of the East Coast and Midwest were too drunk or already passed out from the day that was. Hopefully Steve Alford will reward us with his red blazer over the weekend. Just don't loan it to Bruce Pearl. He'll sweat through it too fast, it will be maroon by the under 12:00 timeout.
Time to unwrap another day worth of presents!
-Will
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