18 Mar19 - Not With A Bang (Golden Retrievers) (SWEET SIXTEEN)
Volume XXII, No. 20 - 17 Mar20: SWEET SIXTEEN
Not With A Bang (Golden Retrievers)
What can you say about THE GREATEST UPSET IN THE HISTORY OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT!!!???
Maryland(Baltimore County) (24-10) became the FIRST #16-SEED EVER TO BEAT A #1-SEED!!! ... and it wasn't a fluke -- it wasn't even close!!! [S16]MdBc beat top-ranked [S1]Virginia (31-2) in a rout, 74-54! Yeah, "Virginia always struggles in the tournament." Yeah, "The Cavaliers are all defense, but what's going to happen when they get behind and have to win with offense?" People said it, to be sure; but who really believed it would happen in this game!? ... I daresay, "Nobody." (We didn't even get a capricious "just for fun" upset pick in the Hoops Contest on this one -- the CONSENSUS was 107-0 for UVa!) Words fail.
Hats off, on your knees, all hail, let's hear all you've got for
The BIG 12 went 4-3 in Round One and 4-0 in Round Two for a solid presence in the Sweet 16. [M1]@Kansas had no trouble with [M16]Pennsylvania (@76-60 on pDevonte' Graham[29p6a6r] star turn) but needed the help of the Wichita "home" crowd to hold off [M8]Seton Hall (@83-79). [E3]@Texas Tech needed the Dallas "home" crowd to fight off two tough foes: [E14]@Stephen F. Austin (@70-@60) and [E6]Florida (@69-66). [E5]West Virginia thumped tough [E12]Murray State (85-68 as pJevon Carter[21p8a5r8s] dueled 27p17r from xTerrell Miller) and giant-killer [E13]Marshall (94-71 as pJevon Carter[28p5a5s] starred). [S9]Kansas State toughed out the mild upset of [S8]Creighton (69-59) and then beat Cinderella-after-midnight [S16]MdBc (50-43). Only [M6]TCU was a true disappointment, falling to shouldn't-have-gotten-a-bid [M11b]Syracuse (52-57 as both teams struggled from three: 6-for-31 combined). But [M10]Oklahoma (lost 78-83[OT] to [M7]Rhode Island despite 28p7a5r6to from pTrae Young) and [S10]Texas (lost in overtime to [S7]Nevada despite 26p5r from bKerwin Roach Jr. and 25p4a from gMatt Coleman) both put up good fights before losing to better teams.
The BIG EAST went 4-2 but then just 1-3 to send only [E1]Villanova into the Sweet 16. [E1]'Nova thumped [E16a]Radford (87-61 as six double-figure scorers shot 60 percent) and then dumped [E9]Alabama (81-58 sinking 17-for-41 threes) -- (no other team in the country is as potent as the VU/Wildcats are on offense).
The Mega-ACC parlayed 9 bids into 4 spots in the Sweet 16 (1-0; 5-4; 4-1) ... not bad. [S1]Virginia's bewildering blowout loss to [S16]MDBC was one for the ages. [M2]Duke didn't need a cushy Charlotte Pod to cruise twice: (89-67 over [M15]Iona and 87-62 past a good [M7]Rhode Island team). [W2]@North Carolina couldn't get there even "at home": [W2]@UNC thumped [W15]Lipscomb (@84-66 controlling the boards 47-29 as gGarrison Mathews[8p4a;3/14fg,1/7 3s] was totally shut down) but then was controlled on the boards 36-50 themselves in falling (@65-86) to surprising [W7]Texas A&M. [M5]Clemson turned in two solid performances: handling [M12]New Mexico State (79-68) and then dumping [M4]Auburn (84-53). [S6]Miami(Florida) tripped at the buzzer to underappreciated [S11]Loyola(Illinois) (62-64). [E8]Virginia Tech played no defense in tripping against GC-led [E9]Alabama (83-86). Similarly, [M9]N.C. State couldn't stop [M8]Seton Hall (85-94 despite 36p7r from bAllerik Freeman). Two ACC also-rans came up with huge wins to break through to Week Two: Play-In [M11b]Syracuse edged [M11a]Arizona State (60-56), edged [M6]TCU (57-52) and edged juggernaut [M2]@Michigan State (55-@53) to make an improbable Sweet 16 run. Even better, [W9]Florida State beat didn't-deserve-a-bid [W8]Missouri (67-54) then shocked [W1]Xav (75-70).
Depth (not quality) was the theme of this year's SEC season so a 6-2 Round One followed by a 2-4 Round Two was no surprise. Neither title co-champ made it through to the second week. [S3]Tennessee dumped [S14]Wright State (73-47) but tripped on [S11]Loyola(Illinois)' second-straight endplay win (62-63). [M4]Auburn had trouble getting by [M13]College of Charleston (62-58) but then was dumped by [M5]Clem (53-84). [S5]Kentucky couldn't put away Party-Crasher [S12]Davidson (78-73 as fKevin Knox[25p6r] starred) but had no trouble with Cinderella-after-midnight [S13]Buffalo (95-75 as pShai Gilgeous-Alexander[27p6a6r] starred). [E6]Florida thumped decent [E11b]St. Bonaventure and played well before tripping to tough [E3]@Texas Tech in Dallas (66-@69). [E7]Arkansas disappointingly couldn't stay with [E10]Butl, tanking (62-79). [W7]Texas A&M had surprising trouble separating from [W10]Prov (73-69) but road-thumped new-Emperor-clohted [S2]@UNC (in Charlotte, mind you) (86-@65) as the Aggies controlled the boards against both (47-31, on average). Didn't-need-to-be-there [W8]Missouri fell to [W9]FlaSt (54-67). GC-led [E9]Alabama did out run [E8]VaTech (86-83 shooting 60 percent as pCollin Sexton[25p6a5to] starred) but had no answer for mighty [E1]'Nova (58-81).
The BIG 10's top four were all high-quality ... 4-0 in Round One was no surprise but only 2-2 in Round Two was disappointing. [M2]@Michigan State (playing in Detroit, no less) turned in two underwhelming performances: couldn't shake off [M14]Bucknell (@82-78 as tMiles Bridges[29p9r] starred) and tripped against shouldn't-be-there [M11b]'Cuse (@53-55) ... (all year, the sum seemed less than the parts with the MSU/Spartans). [E2]Purdue made it two Week Two (but at what cost?): the Boilermakers dumped [E15]Cal State-Fullerton (74-48 but cIsaac Haas fractured his elbow in a hard fall) and then survived (without cHaas) against [E10]Butler (76-73 on Dakota Mathias' game-winning three). [W3]Michigan, kept its intensity going from winning the conference tourney (even after a week off): handling [W14]Montana (61-47) and winning in an endplay against [W6]Houston (64-63 on Jordan Poole's game-winning three-pointer). [W5]Ohio State handled [W12]South Dakota State (81-73 despite 27p6r from bMike Daum) and gave [W4]@Gonzaga a run before falling (80-@94 despite 28p1a from Keita Bates-Diop).
None of the AMERICAN's Big Three made it through to the Sweet 16. [S2]Cincinnati had no trouble beating Jack Dawson [S15]Georgia State (68-53 dominating the boards 46-26 on xJarron Cumberland[27p11r]'s star turn) but lost an endplay to underappreciated [S7]Nevada (73-75). Being "The Hunted" B-Major didn't suit used-to-be-"America's Team" [W4]Wichita State as the Wheatshockers fell right away to Jack Dawson [E13]Marshall (75-81). [W6]Houston split two squeak decisions: edging Party-Crasher [W11]San Diego State (67-65 all on tRob Gray Jr.[39p8r]'s One-Man Show [including the game-winner]) but tripping against [W3]Mich (63-64 on a buzzer-beater despite 23p3a10r from xGray).
The Mid-Majors placed a very respectable 3 teams into the Sweet 16. New "America's Team" [S11]MVC/Loyola(Illinois) got there via two endplay game-winners: first, edging [S6]Miami(Florida) (64-62 on Donte Ingram's game-winning three) and then edging [S3]Tennessee (63-62 on Clayton Custer's game-winner) ... (the Rambler fans' "Work, Worship, Win" shirts were instant classics!)
The PACIFIC-12 was a disappointing bust: Neither [M11a]Arizona State (lost 56-60 to [M11b]Syracuse) nor [E11a]UCLA (lost 58-65 to [E11b]St. Bonaventure as pAaron Holiday had 20p7a5r10to in defeat) made it out of the FIRST FOUR Play-In games. Then, [S4]Arizona went belly-up to the perimeter attack of [S13]Buffalo, tanking (68-89 as the AU/Wildcats shot 2-for-18 on threes playing catch-up) ... Ugh. (Az's loss meant the PAC-12 became the first Mid-Major to fail to place a single team in the Round of 32 since 1997 ... Yikes!)
[W4]@Gonzaga (playing "at home" in Boise) made it to the Sweet 16 as the lone representative from the WEST COAST, edging [W13]UNC-Greensboro (@68-64) then outpacing solid [W5]OhioSt (@90-84 as xZach Norvell Jr.[28p12r] and fRui Hachimura[25p5r] both starred).
[S7]Nevada took its 'tweener attack into Week Two thanks to two squeak wins, edging [S10]Tx in overtime (87-83[OT]) and edging [S2]Cincy (75-73 as pCody Martin[25p7a6r] starred). Party-Crasher [S11]San Diego State put up a good fight before tripping against [W6]Hous (65-67).
The ATLANTIC 10's three teams couldn't get beyond splashworthiness. [M7]Rhode Island escaped in overtime past GC-led [M10]Oklahoma (83-78[OT]) but had no answer for [M2]Duke, falling (62-87). [E11b]St. Bonaventure got out of its FIRST FOUR Play-In game with [E11a]UCLA (65-58 led by Courtney Stockard[25p]) but came up empty against [E6]Fla (62-77). Party-Crasher [S12]Davidson did well to stay close to [S5]Kentucky before falling (73-78).
Jack Dawson [S15]Georgia State didn't have much fight against [S2]Cincy, falling (53-68).
The 1BCs managed 3 first-round splash wins and all three were huge. Jack Dawson [S16]AMERE/Maryland-Baltimore County's win over [S1]UVa (74-54 as gJairus Lyles[28p3a] starred) was nothing short of historic; the second-round loss to [S9]KansSt (43-50 as bJairus Lyles[12p4a6r;4/15 fg] was stymied) wasn't a bad effort. Jack Dawson [E13]CUSA/Marshall's win over [W4]WichSt (81-75 as gJon Elmore[27p4a] starred) was just as unexpected ... (and it marks FOUR-STRAIGHT YEARS FOR CONFERENCE USA SCORING A 32-SPLASH WIN); but the Thundering Herd had nothing left against [E5]WVa (71-94). [S13]MAC/Buffalo was a solid team but the thumping of [S4]Az (89-68 sinking 15-for-30 threes as pWes Clark[25p7a] starred) wasn't on anybody's radar, either; but they couldn't deal with [S5]UK's size on the perimeter, tanking (75-95 despite 26p6a from pWes Clark).
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In the NIT, home court held form for all 16 first-round games. Mid-Majors went 6-3 (powered by the PAC-12 at 5-0) while 1BCs were only 2-10 (with only C-USA's [s3]Middle Tennessee {@91-64 over [s6]AMERE/Vermont} and [m4]Western Kentucky {@79-62 over [m5]ACC/Boston College} claiming wins). Two #1-seeds fell at home in the second round: [e1]ACC/Notre Dame lost to [e4]BIG10/Penn State (@63-73) and [s1]BIG12/Baylor tripped against [4]SEC/Mississippi State (@77-78).
In the CBI, [seA2]OVC/Jacksonville State came through on the road, edging in overtime at [seA1]MAAC/Canisius (80-@78[OT]). [seB2]SLAND/Central Arkansas did well edging [seB1]Seattle (92-@90[OT]). Also in Round One, [swB2]CUSA/North Texas handled host [swB1]SUMMIT/South Dakota (90-@77) and [swA2]SOCON/Mercer edged [swA1]WAC/Grand Canyon (78-@73).
In the CIT, MAC/Central Michigan won two road games (94-@84 at SUMMIT/Ft. Wayne; and 98-@94 at [1x]SOCON/Wofford). OVC/Austin Peay handled host SUNB/Louisiana-Monroe (80-@66) in the JOHN McLENDON CLASSIC. Favorite WCC/San Diego edged [1x]Portland State (the only seed to have to go on the road), @67-64. Four first-round winners were granted byes directly into the quarters: OVC/Austin Peay, CUSA/Texas-San Antonio, HORIZ/Illinois-Chicago and BIGS/Liberty.
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[E1]Villanova's offensive efficiency (and overall intensity) makes it look like the most dominant team. [M2]Duke is intimidating but it's living off its massive individual talent (especially cBagley) way more than making the right play each possession. [W4]Gonzaga's individual skill level is impressive with multiple players capable of huge games and they have an intense belief in their destiny. [S5]Kentucky's individual talent is just below Duke's, but the Wildcats are more intense and take each possession more seriously. [M1]Kansas' talent level doesn't compare, but its overachieving role players are executing at a level second only to 'Nova (but it's clearly vulnerable at the post position). The top 4 seeds are gone, so it's going to be another "Kentucky Invitational in 'Cat-lanta'". From here, it looks like [E1]Villanova, [W4]Gonzaga, [M1]Kansas and [S5]Kentucky to the Final Four. I still like [E1]'Nova over [W4]Gonz.
In the NIT, look for [w1]WCC/St. Mary's, [s2]ACC/Louisville, [m2]BIG12/Oklahoma State and [e2]BIGE/Marquette to make it to New York for the semis.
In the CBI, "slumming" MM [nwA1]WCC/San Francisco still looks to be the favorite; [swA1]CUSA/North Texas should roll at home against [swB2]SOCON/Mercer; no reason [mwA1]SUNB/New Orleans and [seA2]OVC/Jacksonville State can't come through on the road against lesser opponents.
In the CIT, "slumming" MM WCC/San Diego and MAC/Central Michigan look as good as anyone among the remaining teams in the draw.
-- Ron
Not With A Bang (Golden Retrievers)
What can you say about THE GREATEST UPSET IN THE HISTORY OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT!!!???
Maryland(Baltimore County) (24-10) became the FIRST #16-SEED EVER TO BEAT A #1-SEED!!! ... and it wasn't a fluke -- it wasn't even close!!! [S16]MdBc beat top-ranked [S1]Virginia (31-2) in a rout, 74-54! Yeah, "Virginia always struggles in the tournament." Yeah, "The Cavaliers are all defense, but what's going to happen when they get behind and have to win with offense?" People said it, to be sure; but who really believed it would happen in this game!? ... I daresay, "Nobody." (We didn't even get a capricious "just for fun" upset pick in the Hoops Contest on this one -- the CONSENSUS was 107-0 for UVa!) Words fail.
Hats off, on your knees, all hail, let's hear all you've got for
The Maryland(Baltimore County) Retrievers!!!
[S16]MD-Baltimore Co 74 [S1]Virginia 54- - - - - -
It was an ugly defensive game to start, but [S1]UVa led 16-10 with six minutes to go in the first half and it didn't seem like anything special was afoot. A 9-0 run by [S16]MdBc put it ahead 19-16 with three minutes left and things were tied at the half at 21-21. The Retrievers led 29-24 three minutes into the second half, but a 9-0 run made it 38-24 and, all of a sudden, "this could really happen" started to set in. Yes, the Cavaliers were without sixth man fDe'Andre Hunter; but they shouldn't have needed him to beat a 16-seed. But the Wahoos couldn't generate offense either on the drive (4-for-8 free throws), with movement (5 total assists) or with shooting (4-for-22 on threes) -- thoroughly inept. What was supposed to be the cushy "ACC" Pod wasn't the advantage for UVa that it usually is for UNC and Duke as the crowd really turned in support of watching the greatest NCAA tourney upset of all time. gJarius Lyles(28p3a) led the way for [S16]MdBc (which shot 54% percent from the floor [including 12-for-24 on threes]). UNREAL!!!
The BIG 12 went 4-3 in Round One and 4-0 in Round Two for a solid presence in the Sweet 16. [M1]@Kansas had no trouble with [M16]Pennsylvania (@76-60 on pDevonte' Graham[29p6a6r] star turn) but needed the help of the Wichita "home" crowd to hold off [M8]Seton Hall (@83-79). [E3]@Texas Tech needed the Dallas "home" crowd to fight off two tough foes: [E14]@Stephen F. Austin (@70-@60) and [E6]Florida (@69-66). [E5]West Virginia thumped tough [E12]Murray State (85-68 as pJevon Carter[21p8a5r8s] dueled 27p17r from xTerrell Miller) and giant-killer [E13]Marshall (94-71 as pJevon Carter[28p5a5s] starred). [S9]Kansas State toughed out the mild upset of [S8]Creighton (69-59) and then beat Cinderella-after-midnight [S16]MdBc (50-43). Only [M6]TCU was a true disappointment, falling to shouldn't-have-gotten-a-bid [M11b]Syracuse (52-57 as both teams struggled from three: 6-for-31 combined). But [M10]Oklahoma (lost 78-83[OT] to [M7]Rhode Island despite 28p7a5r6to from pTrae Young) and [S10]Texas (lost in overtime to [S7]Nevada despite 26p5r from bKerwin Roach Jr. and 25p4a from gMatt Coleman) both put up good fights before losing to better teams.
The BIG EAST went 4-2 but then just 1-3 to send only [E1]Villanova into the Sweet 16. [E1]'Nova thumped [E16a]Radford (87-61 as six double-figure scorers shot 60 percent) and then dumped [E9]Alabama (81-58 sinking 17-for-41 threes) -- (no other team in the country is as potent as the VU/Wildcats are on offense).
Almost as disappointing as UVa's exit was [W1]Xavier's failure to even get to the Sweet 16. [W1]Xav thumped [W16b]Texas Southern (102-83 as bJ.P. Macura[29p6r5s] and bTrevon Bluiett[26p5r] both starred) no problem but then tripped against nothing-special [W9]Florida State (70-75 as Bluiett[8p1a5to] was shut down) -- (the regular season title was a gift but this team had way too many quality wins not to make a deep run ... Ugh).[S8]Creighton lost a tough opener to [S9]KansSt (59-69). [M8]Seton Hall beat [M9]N.C. State (94-85) and gave [M1]@Kansas a go before falling (79-@83 despite the impressive swan song of career rebound-leader cAngel Delgado[24p23r5a]). [E10]Butler was solid in a thumping "upset" of [E7]Arkansas (79-62 dominating the boards 45-25) and then barely lost to [E2]Purdue (73-76) ... bKelan Martin gave it his all (averaging 28p7r in two games). No shame in a squeak loss for shouldn't-have-gotten-a-bid-anyway [W10]Providence to [W7]Texas A&M (69-73).
The Mega-ACC parlayed 9 bids into 4 spots in the Sweet 16 (1-0; 5-4; 4-1) ... not bad. [S1]Virginia's bewildering blowout loss to [S16]MDBC was one for the ages. [M2]Duke didn't need a cushy Charlotte Pod to cruise twice: (89-67 over [M15]Iona and 87-62 past a good [M7]Rhode Island team). [W2]@North Carolina couldn't get there even "at home": [W2]@UNC thumped [W15]Lipscomb (@84-66 controlling the boards 47-29 as gGarrison Mathews[8p4a;3/14fg,1/7 3s] was totally shut down) but then was controlled on the boards 36-50 themselves in falling (@65-86) to surprising [W7]Texas A&M. [M5]Clemson turned in two solid performances: handling [M12]New Mexico State (79-68) and then dumping [M4]Auburn (84-53). [S6]Miami(Florida) tripped at the buzzer to underappreciated [S11]Loyola(Illinois) (62-64). [E8]Virginia Tech played no defense in tripping against GC-led [E9]Alabama (83-86). Similarly, [M9]N.C. State couldn't stop [M8]Seton Hall (85-94 despite 36p7r from bAllerik Freeman). Two ACC also-rans came up with huge wins to break through to Week Two: Play-In [M11b]Syracuse edged [M11a]Arizona State (60-56), edged [M6]TCU (57-52) and edged juggernaut [M2]@Michigan State (55-@53) to make an improbable Sweet 16 run. Even better, [W9]Florida State beat didn't-deserve-a-bid [W8]Missouri (67-54) then shocked [W1]Xav (75-70).
Depth (not quality) was the theme of this year's SEC season so a 6-2 Round One followed by a 2-4 Round Two was no surprise. Neither title co-champ made it through to the second week. [S3]Tennessee dumped [S14]Wright State (73-47) but tripped on [S11]Loyola(Illinois)' second-straight endplay win (62-63). [M4]Auburn had trouble getting by [M13]College of Charleston (62-58) but then was dumped by [M5]Clem (53-84). [S5]Kentucky couldn't put away Party-Crasher [S12]Davidson (78-73 as fKevin Knox[25p6r] starred) but had no trouble with Cinderella-after-midnight [S13]Buffalo (95-75 as pShai Gilgeous-Alexander[27p6a6r] starred). [E6]Florida thumped decent [E11b]St. Bonaventure and played well before tripping to tough [E3]@Texas Tech in Dallas (66-@69). [E7]Arkansas disappointingly couldn't stay with [E10]Butl, tanking (62-79). [W7]Texas A&M had surprising trouble separating from [W10]Prov (73-69) but road-thumped new-Emperor-clohted [S2]@UNC (in Charlotte, mind you) (86-@65) as the Aggies controlled the boards against both (47-31, on average). Didn't-need-to-be-there [W8]Missouri fell to [W9]FlaSt (54-67). GC-led [E9]Alabama did out run [E8]VaTech (86-83 shooting 60 percent as pCollin Sexton[25p6a5to] starred) but had no answer for mighty [E1]'Nova (58-81).
The BIG 10's top four were all high-quality ... 4-0 in Round One was no surprise but only 2-2 in Round Two was disappointing. [M2]@Michigan State (playing in Detroit, no less) turned in two underwhelming performances: couldn't shake off [M14]Bucknell (@82-78 as tMiles Bridges[29p9r] starred) and tripped against shouldn't-be-there [M11b]'Cuse (@53-55) ... (all year, the sum seemed less than the parts with the MSU/Spartans). [E2]Purdue made it two Week Two (but at what cost?): the Boilermakers dumped [E15]Cal State-Fullerton (74-48 but cIsaac Haas fractured his elbow in a hard fall) and then survived (without cHaas) against [E10]Butler (76-73 on Dakota Mathias' game-winning three). [W3]Michigan, kept its intensity going from winning the conference tourney (even after a week off): handling [W14]Montana (61-47) and winning in an endplay against [W6]Houston (64-63 on Jordan Poole's game-winning three-pointer). [W5]Ohio State handled [W12]South Dakota State (81-73 despite 27p6r from bMike Daum) and gave [W4]@Gonzaga a run before falling (80-@94 despite 28p1a from Keita Bates-Diop).
None of the AMERICAN's Big Three made it through to the Sweet 16. [S2]Cincinnati had no trouble beating Jack Dawson [S15]Georgia State (68-53 dominating the boards 46-26 on xJarron Cumberland[27p11r]'s star turn) but lost an endplay to underappreciated [S7]Nevada (73-75). Being "The Hunted" B-Major didn't suit used-to-be-"America's Team" [W4]Wichita State as the Wheatshockers fell right away to Jack Dawson [E13]Marshall (75-81). [W6]Houston split two squeak decisions: edging Party-Crasher [W11]San Diego State (67-65 all on tRob Gray Jr.[39p8r]'s One-Man Show [including the game-winner]) but tripping against [W3]Mich (63-64 on a buzzer-beater despite 23p3a10r from xGray).
The Mid-Majors placed a very respectable 3 teams into the Sweet 16. New "America's Team" [S11]MVC/Loyola(Illinois) got there via two endplay game-winners: first, edging [S6]Miami(Florida) (64-62 on Donte Ingram's game-winning three) and then edging [S3]Tennessee (63-62 on Clayton Custer's game-winner) ... (the Rambler fans' "Work, Worship, Win" shirts were instant classics!)
The PACIFIC-12 was a disappointing bust: Neither [M11a]Arizona State (lost 56-60 to [M11b]Syracuse) nor [E11a]UCLA (lost 58-65 to [E11b]St. Bonaventure as pAaron Holiday had 20p7a5r10to in defeat) made it out of the FIRST FOUR Play-In games. Then, [S4]Arizona went belly-up to the perimeter attack of [S13]Buffalo, tanking (68-89 as the AU/Wildcats shot 2-for-18 on threes playing catch-up) ... Ugh. (Az's loss meant the PAC-12 became the first Mid-Major to fail to place a single team in the Round of 32 since 1997 ... Yikes!)
[W4]@Gonzaga (playing "at home" in Boise) made it to the Sweet 16 as the lone representative from the WEST COAST, edging [W13]UNC-Greensboro (@68-64) then outpacing solid [W5]OhioSt (@90-84 as xZach Norvell Jr.[28p12r] and fRui Hachimura[25p5r] both starred).
[S7]Nevada took its 'tweener attack into Week Two thanks to two squeak wins, edging [S10]Tx in overtime (87-83[OT]) and edging [S2]Cincy (75-73 as pCody Martin[25p7a6r] starred). Party-Crasher [S11]San Diego State put up a good fight before tripping against [W6]Hous (65-67).
The ATLANTIC 10's three teams couldn't get beyond splashworthiness. [M7]Rhode Island escaped in overtime past GC-led [M10]Oklahoma (83-78[OT]) but had no answer for [M2]Duke, falling (62-87). [E11b]St. Bonaventure got out of its FIRST FOUR Play-In game with [E11a]UCLA (65-58 led by Courtney Stockard[25p]) but came up empty against [E6]Fla (62-77). Party-Crasher [S12]Davidson did well to stay close to [S5]Kentucky before falling (73-78).
Jack Dawson [S15]Georgia State didn't have much fight against [S2]Cincy, falling (53-68).
The 1BCs managed 3 first-round splash wins and all three were huge. Jack Dawson [S16]AMERE/Maryland-Baltimore County's win over [S1]UVa (74-54 as gJairus Lyles[28p3a] starred) was nothing short of historic; the second-round loss to [S9]KansSt (43-50 as bJairus Lyles[12p4a6r;4/15 fg] was stymied) wasn't a bad effort. Jack Dawson [E13]CUSA/Marshall's win over [W4]WichSt (81-75 as gJon Elmore[27p4a] starred) was just as unexpected ... (and it marks FOUR-STRAIGHT YEARS FOR CONFERENCE USA SCORING A 32-SPLASH WIN); but the Thundering Herd had nothing left against [E5]WVa (71-94). [S13]MAC/Buffalo was a solid team but the thumping of [S4]Az (89-68 sinking 15-for-30 threes as pWes Clark[25p7a] starred) wasn't on anybody's radar, either; but they couldn't deal with [S5]UK's size on the perimeter, tanking (75-95 despite 26p6a from pWes Clark).
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It was definitely the right decision not to play Purdue's cIsaac Haas with a fractured elbow -- why risk your entire career for one win/lose game just to make the Sweet 16? That said, it's curious to me that the NCAA wouldn't approve the brace they wanted him to wear. It's been years, so maybe the rules have changed, but I distinctly remember Indiana's fScott May wearing a hard cast on his broken arm when the 1974-75 team (that was 31-0) lost in the Regional Final against Kentucky[Kevin Greevey]. (If fMay hadn't broken his arm, they could very easily have had two-straight undefeated seasons.) The brace cHaas wanted to wear didn't seem any more egregious than that hard cast years ago.- - - - - -
In the NIT, home court held form for all 16 first-round games. Mid-Majors went 6-3 (powered by the PAC-12 at 5-0) while 1BCs were only 2-10 (with only C-USA's [s3]Middle Tennessee {@91-64 over [s6]AMERE/Vermont} and [m4]Western Kentucky {@79-62 over [m5]ACC/Boston College} claiming wins). Two #1-seeds fell at home in the second round: [e1]ACC/Notre Dame lost to [e4]BIG10/Penn State (@63-73) and [s1]BIG12/Baylor tripped against [4]SEC/Mississippi State (@77-78).
In the CBI, [seA2]OVC/Jacksonville State came through on the road, edging in overtime at [seA1]MAAC/Canisius (80-@78[OT]). [seB2]SLAND/Central Arkansas did well edging [seB1]Seattle (92-@90[OT]). Also in Round One, [swB2]CUSA/North Texas handled host [swB1]SUMMIT/South Dakota (90-@77) and [swA2]SOCON/Mercer edged [swA1]WAC/Grand Canyon (78-@73).
In the CIT, MAC/Central Michigan won two road games (94-@84 at SUMMIT/Ft. Wayne; and 98-@94 at [1x]SOCON/Wofford). OVC/Austin Peay handled host SUNB/Louisiana-Monroe (80-@66) in the JOHN McLENDON CLASSIC. Favorite WCC/San Diego edged [1x]Portland State (the only seed to have to go on the road), @67-64. Four first-round winners were granted byes directly into the quarters: OVC/Austin Peay, CUSA/Texas-San Antonio, HORIZ/Illinois-Chicago and BIGS/Liberty.
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[E1]Villanova's offensive efficiency (and overall intensity) makes it look like the most dominant team. [M2]Duke is intimidating but it's living off its massive individual talent (especially cBagley) way more than making the right play each possession. [W4]Gonzaga's individual skill level is impressive with multiple players capable of huge games and they have an intense belief in their destiny. [S5]Kentucky's individual talent is just below Duke's, but the Wildcats are more intense and take each possession more seriously. [M1]Kansas' talent level doesn't compare, but its overachieving role players are executing at a level second only to 'Nova (but it's clearly vulnerable at the post position). The top 4 seeds are gone, so it's going to be another "Kentucky Invitational in 'Cat-lanta'". From here, it looks like [E1]Villanova, [W4]Gonzaga, [M1]Kansas and [S5]Kentucky to the Final Four. I still like [E1]'Nova over [W4]Gonz.
In the NIT, look for [w1]WCC/St. Mary's, [s2]ACC/Louisville, [m2]BIG12/Oklahoma State and [e2]BIGE/Marquette to make it to New York for the semis.
In the CBI, "slumming" MM [nwA1]WCC/San Francisco still looks to be the favorite; [swA1]CUSA/North Texas should roll at home against [swB2]SOCON/Mercer; no reason [mwA1]SUNB/New Orleans and [seA2]OVC/Jacksonville State can't come through on the road against lesser opponents.
In the CIT, "slumming" MM WCC/San Diego and MAC/Central Michigan look as good as anyone among the remaining teams in the draw.
-- Ron
- Key games this week:
- NCAA
- Thursday, Saturday:
- WEST REGIONAL Semis,Final @LosAngelesCA
- [W3]Michigan v [W7]Texas A&M
- [W4]Gonzaga v [W9]Florida St
- SOUTH REGIONAL Semis,Final @AtlantaGA/PHILIPS/
- [S5]@Kentucky v [S9]Kansas St
- [S7]Nevada v [S11]Loyola-IL
- [W3]Michigan v [W7]Texas A&M
- Friday, Sunday
- EAST REGIONAL Semis,Final @BostonMA
- [E1]Villanova v [E5]W Virginia
- [E2]Purdue v [S3]Texas Tech
- MIDWEST REGIONAL Semis,Final @OmahaNE
- [M1]Kansas v [M5]Clemson
- [M2]Duke v [M11b]Syracuse
- Sat 31 Mar, Mon 2 Apr:
- FINAL FOUR,NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP @SanAntonioTX
- {[1/SOUTH]} v {[4/WEST]}
- {[2/EAST]} v {[3/MIDWEST]}
- NIT
- [E1]Villanova v [E5]W Virginia
- Monday:
- 16s on-campus
- @ [w1]St Mary's v [w5]
Washington
- @ [m1]USC v [m4]We Kentucky
- @ [m2]
Oklahoma Stv [m3]Stanford
- @ [w2]Utah v [w3]LSU
- Tuesday:
- Qtrs on-campus
- @ [w2]Louisville v [s4]Mississippi St
- @ [e2]Marquette v [e4]Penn St
- Wednesday:
- Qtrs on-campus
- {[w1]StMarys/[w5]
Washington} v {[w2]Utah/[w3]LSU}
- {[m1]USC/[m4]WeKentucky} v {[m2]
OklahomaSt/[m3]Stanford}
- Tuesday week, Thursday week:
- Semis, Finals @NewYorkNY/MSG/
- {[w]/StMarys} v {[m]/USC}
- {[w]/Louisville} v {[e]/Marquette}
- CBI
- @ [w1]St Mary's v [w5]
- Monday:
- Qtrs on-campus
- @ [nwA1]San Francisco v [nwB1]UT Valley
- @ [mwB1]Campbell v [mwA1]New Orleans
- @ [seB2]C Arkansas v [seA2]Jacksonville St
- @ [swA2]N Texas v [swB2]Mercer
- Wednesday:
- Semis on-campus (re-seeded)
- Monday week, Wednesday week, (if necessary: Friday week):
- Finals on-campus (Best of 3)
- CIT
- @ [nwA1]San Francisco v [nwB1]UT Valley
- Monday:
- 16s on-campus (re-seeded)
- @ [1x]Sam Houston St v Ea Michigan
- Thursday-Sunday:
- Qtrs on-campus (re-seeded)
- San Diego, Austin Peay,
C Michigan, TX-San Antonio, [1x]No Colorado, IL-Chicago, Liberty
- Wednesday week:
- Semis on-campus (re-seeded)
- Friday week:
- Final on-campus
- @ [1x]Sam Houston St v Ea Michigan
posted by Ron @ Saturday, October 13, 2018
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