18 Mar26 - Ramblin' Men ("L-U-C!")
Volume XXII, No. 21 - 18 Mar26: FINAL FOUR
Ramblin' Men ("L-U-C"!)
Four of the top five seeds made it through to the EAST REGIONAL in Boston. [E5]West Virginia was able to speed up [E1]Villanova past its comfort zone and get some turnovers in the first half and the VU/Wildcats were in trouble when the Mountaineers led 60-54 midway through the second, but an 11-0 'Nova run and WVa foul trouble led to a 90-78 [E1]'Nova win -- gJalen Brunson[27p4a] eventually got help from tOmari Spellman(18p8r) and bMikal Bridges(16p6r); Daxter Miles Jr.(16p) didn't get his customary help from [pJevon Carter(12p8a)]. Without cIsaac Haas, [E2]Purdue couldn't keep [E3]Texas Tech off the boards on numerous possessions; gKeenan Evans(16p4a) led a balance attack for TxT; gCarsen Edwards(30p0a;11/20fg) got no help for Purd -- it's the first-ever Elite 8 for Texas Tech. In the final, fouls on [E3]TxT sent [E1]'Nova to the free-throw line (29-for-36); add on controlling the boards 51-33 and [E1]'Nova won comfortably, 71-59 -- bJalen Brunson(15p4a6r) led the V-'Cats; [gKeenan Evans(12p4a)] couldn't quite get going for the Red Raiders. With wins over two of the BIG 12's best, [E1]Villanova lived up to its top seed.
Thanks to three squeak upset wins, [S11b]Syracuse made it three ACC teams out of four into the MIDWEST REGIONAL in Omaha. [M1]Kansas steadily pulled away from [M5]Clemson, eventually getting out to a 20-point lead midway through the second half (led by bDevonte' Graham[16p4a5r]) but tGabe DeVoe[31p3a9r;10/17fg] nearly led the CU/Tigers all the way back as the Jayhawks had to hold on for a 80-76 win. Familiarity was a big advantage for [M2]Duke playing against the 2-3 zone of [M11b]Syracuse as the Blue Devils held a working margin for most of the game before the Orange closed to within 3 with a minute to go; 5-for-6 free-throw shooting sealed the win for [M2]Duke, 69-65 -- fMarvin Bagley III(22p8r) and pGrayson Allen(15p8a) led DU; pTyus Battle(19p5a) and fOshae Brissett(15p7r) led SU. In the final, [M1]Kansas couldn't shake [M2]Duke as the Blue Devils fought back from a 7-point second-half deficit to tie things at 57-57 midway through and lead 68-67 with four minutes left. xSviatoslav Mykhailiuk(11p5a10r)'s huge three tied the game but it only went into overtime when [gGrayson Allen(12p4a)]'s bank shot spun out at the buzzer, leaving it 72-72 at the end of regulation. bMalik Newman(32p2a7r;5/12 3s,11/12ft) dominated the overtime (two threes, 7-for-8 on free throws, two steals) SCORING ALL 13 OF KANSAS' POINTS for an 85-81[OT] KU win -- bTrevon Duval(20p6r), Gary Trent Jr.(17p0a) and cMarvin Bagley III(16p10r) led a balanced DUKE attack. With wins over two of the ACC's best, [M1]Kansas lived up to its top seed as well.
Neither of the top two seeds made it through to the WEST REGIONAL in Los Angeles. tKillian Tillie injured his hip in practice for [W4]Gonzaga, which hurt its depth and versatility (but shouldn't have been enough difference in winning the game against giant-killer [W9]Florida State). But the Seminoles kept threatening to pull away from the Bulldogs the entire game and the 'Zags did well to keep it close for a while as FSU won going away, 75-60 -- thanks to its depth, FlaSt only posted one player in double-figures (bTerance Mann[18p5r]); fRui Hachimura(16p9r) led Gonz. [M3]Michigan jumped out on giant-killer [W7]Texas A&M right away and didn't look back in a 99-72 laugher -- the Wolverines shot 62 percent (including 10-for-16 on threes in the first half) led by pMuhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman(24p7a5r) and Mo Wagner(21p3r); fTyler Davis(24p8r;11/17fg) led the Aggies (but you can't catch up shooting 3-for-15 on threes). The final was a defensive struggle as both teams shot 8-for-39 from three combined). Give the [W9]FlaSt credit for getting as close as 54-56 inside the final minute, but playing so many guys means there's no leadership at crunch time and the Seminoles had some terrible possessions on offense in the late-going as [W3]Mich won 58-54 -- tCharles Matthews(17p8r) led UoM; cPhil Cofer(16p12r) led FSU.
None of the top four seeds made it through to the SOUTH REGIONAL in Atlanta (but you still expected it to be another "Kentucky Invitational in 'Cat-lanta" -- Nope). [S9]Kansas State silenced the crowd right away with a 13-1 lead over [S5]@Kentucky four minutes in, but a 9-0 spurt from the UK/Wildcats made it only 13-10 after seven. The KSU/Wildcats got out to small leads in the second half only to have UK rally to tie things up at 58-58 with a minute left; then a Barry Brown basket and a free throw from Amaad Wainwright were just enough for the win for KansSt, 61-@58 -- turnovers (and a missed three at the buzzer) from pShai Gilgeous-Alexander(15p5a5r5to;11/12ft) and great rebounding/terrible free-throw shooting from cP.J. Washington(18p15r;8/20ft) doomed the UK-'Cats. New "America's Team" [S11]Loyola(Illinois) was in trouble early as [S7]Nevada went up 15-8 right away, getting whatever it wanted as twin 'tweeners bCaleb Martin(21p5r;5/11 3s) and pCody Martin (16p5a6r) took turns taking their men one-one-one. But the (two-word) Wolf Pack's unstructured offense (8 total assists) had too many empty possessions and the Ramblers used a 9-0 run to take the lead at the break, 28-24. LoyIL held the lead for most of the second half until a 10-2 run by Nev tied the game at 59-59 with four minutes to go. Big threes by Aundre Jackson(15p) and pMarques Townes(18p5a) gave [S11]Loyola(Illinois) just enough to hold on for the win, 69-68 -- "M-V-P" (the crowd chanted every time he touched the ball) Clayton Custer(15p) was also key for the Ramblers; fJordan Caroline(19p6r) was big for the Wolf Pack. In the final, hot shooting staked [S11]Loyola(Illinois) to a quick 12-5 lead just four minutes into the game and [S9]Kansas State was playing catch-up from there all night as "L-U-C" (officially, "Loyola University of Chicago") rolled, 78-62 -- bBen Richardson(23p6r;6/7 3s) led the Ramblers (who shot 57 percent from the floor); bXavier Sneed(16p6r) wasn't nearly enough for the KSU-'Cats.
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What [S9]Kansas State did against [S5]@Kentucky was as impressive as anything anybody (this side of Maryland-Baltimore County) has done in this tournament. The KSU/Wildcats won a road game "at" the UK/Wildcats the hard way. It's one thing to shoot the lights out and take the crowd out of it in a romp. Yes, they led 13-1 immediately; but it was 13-10 just as quick. They nursed a small lead the entire game and then rallied to win the endplay. Normally, when you're the underdog trying to pull off an upset, the crowd is on your side (giving you energy) and tightening up the favorite (who has to keep its nerve in a "hostile" environment). To beat UK in the NCAAs (especially in Atlanta), the crowd is against you, keeping the K-'Cats loose and you're the one who has to hold your nerve and execute in the Wildcats' den. KansSt showed spectacular poise (and didn't even get the rousing ovation they deserved from the building that they'd have gotten against any other opponent). Don't discount the accomplishment based on the level of enthusiasm of the (80% Kentucky faithful) crowd afterward. What KSU did was outstanding.
I had [E3]Texas Tech No.1 in the nation at one point (and Top 5 at the beginning of January); pKeenan Evans' injury caused them to plummet from elite status in the second half. The absence of 7-2 cIsaac Haas was huge as [E2]Purdue couldn't keep TxT off the boards (and his 7-3 sub cMatt Haarms had a terrible game). So the Red Raiders over the undermanned Boilermakers wasn't such a big upset.
How much further into the draw would [W4]Gonzaga have gone without the injury to tKillian Tillie? -- the 'Zags were as impressive as anyone after the first two rounds.
[S11]Loyola(Illinois) vs [S7]Nevada was a classic "guards" vs. "'tweeners" clash. 'Tweeners "can score whenever they want" against smaller guards; but great guards execute in the clutch better than any 'tweener can.
[S9]Kansas State's deliberate style may have been well suited to upset juggernaut [S5]@Kentucky, but it was a bad matchup trying to chase all that ball-handling/shooting on the perimeter for [S11]Loyola(Illinois). In a year that didn't have any juggernaut holdover, it's a great sign that a TiTo champ from the top-rated 1BC league can get all the way through to the Final Four.
The only juggernaut matchup we've gotten so far didn't disappoint -- [M1]Kansas vs [M2]Duke was fantastically high-quality (and overtime to boot!).
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In the NIT, the remaining two 1-seeds bowed out at home: [m1]PAC12/USC tripped against [m4]CUSA/Western Kentucky (@75-79) in the second round while [w1]WCC/St. Mary's tripped in OT against [w2]PAC12/Utah (@58-67[OT]) in the quarters. In fact, all four quarterfinals were road upsets as [s4]SEC/Mississipp State road-dumped [s2]ACC/Louisville (79-@56) while [m2]BIG12/Oklahoma State fell at home to [m4]CUSA/Western Kentucky (@84-92 as tTaveion Hollingsworth[30p8r] starred for WKU) and [e4]BIG10/Penn State edged host [e2]BIGE/Marquette (85-@80 as Lamar Stevens[30p] was the extra star for PSU while pTony Carr[25p7a6r] dueled 29p8a from pAndrew Rowsey). (After going 5-0 in Round One, the PAC-12 went 1-4 in Round Two but at least [w2]Utah did advance to New York.)
In the CBI, only [seA2]OVC/Jacksonville State was able to come through on the road (and did they ever, road-dumping host [seB2]SLAND/Central Arkansas, 80-@59). [swA2]CUSA/North Texas was impressive at home, thumping [swB2]SOCON/Mercer (@96-67) in the quarters and again in the semis routing [seA2]OVC/JaxvlSt (@90-68 shooting 60 percent as JSU couldn't come up with road magic for the third time). "Slumming" Mid-Major [nwA1]WCC/San Francisco survived two squeak wins at home: edging [nwB1]WAC/Utah Valley (@78-73) in the quarters and [mwB1]BIGS/Campbell (@65-62) in the semis.
In the CIT, road wins were the norm in the quarters as teams from the four lowest remaining conferences all won: [1x]SKY/Northern Colorado won at WCC/San Diego (86-@75 as bAndre Spight[26p5r] dueled 25p10r5to from cIsaiah Pineiro); HORIZ/Illinois-Chicago edged at OVC/Austin Peay (83-@81); and [1x]SLAND/Sam Houston State won at CUSA/Texas-San Antonio (76-@69). Only BIGS/Liberty was able to come through at home against MAC/Central Michigan (@84-71).
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Two top-seeded teams who've been ranked in the Top 5 nearly the entire season have made it through to the FINAL FOUR in San Antonio (each led by a tough-minded point guard in the national conversation for Player Of The Year, to boot). It's too bad that Villanova's gJalen Brunson and Kansas' gDevonte' Graham can't meet in the Final. In many ways, this season has been defined by those two. The other two spots belong to teams on crazy hot streaks: Michigan put it all together to win the BIG 10 tournament "from nowhere" (after only being the fourth-seed after conference play). Loyola(Illinois) also seemingly came "from nowhere" after dominating the MISSOURI VALLEY (which was quietly rated above the likes of WEST COAST, MOUNTAIN WEST and PACIFIC-12) but survived three squeakers and a rout thanks to superbly poised guard play. (From here it says, Cinderella's run must end as 'Nova takes down Mich in the final.)
In the NIT, Let's hear it for Utah holding up the banner for the beleaguered PAC-12 and CUSA/Western Kentucky doing the same for The Red Swirl. (My heart says WKY, but my head says the two B-Major also-rans will fight it out for second place as Utah beats MissSt at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN in New York.)
In the CBI, [nwA1]WCC/San Francisco gets Game 1 at home but the next two (if necessary) are at [swA2]CUSA/North Texas. (Go with the "slumming" MMers from 'Frisco.)
In the CIT semis, the two remaining seeds square off as [1x]SKY/Northern Colorado hosts [1x]SLAND/Sam Houston State while BIGS/Liberty hosts HORIZ/Illinois-Chicago. (Look for SKY/NoColo over BIGS/Libty in the final.)
-- Ron
Ramblin' Men ("L-U-C"!)
Four of the top five seeds made it through to the EAST REGIONAL in Boston. [E5]West Virginia was able to speed up [E1]Villanova past its comfort zone and get some turnovers in the first half and the VU/Wildcats were in trouble when the Mountaineers led 60-54 midway through the second, but an 11-0 'Nova run and WVa foul trouble led to a 90-78 [E1]'Nova win -- gJalen Brunson[27p4a] eventually got help from tOmari Spellman(18p8r) and bMikal Bridges(16p6r); Daxter Miles Jr.(16p) didn't get his customary help from [pJevon Carter(12p8a)]. Without cIsaac Haas, [E2]Purdue couldn't keep [E3]Texas Tech off the boards on numerous possessions; gKeenan Evans(16p4a) led a balance attack for TxT; gCarsen Edwards(30p0a;11/20fg) got no help for Purd -- it's the first-ever Elite 8 for Texas Tech. In the final, fouls on [E3]TxT sent [E1]'Nova to the free-throw line (29-for-36); add on controlling the boards 51-33 and [E1]'Nova won comfortably, 71-59 -- bJalen Brunson(15p4a6r) led the V-'Cats; [gKeenan Evans(12p4a)] couldn't quite get going for the Red Raiders. With wins over two of the BIG 12's best, [E1]Villanova lived up to its top seed.
Thanks to three squeak upset wins, [S11b]Syracuse made it three ACC teams out of four into the MIDWEST REGIONAL in Omaha. [M1]Kansas steadily pulled away from [M5]Clemson, eventually getting out to a 20-point lead midway through the second half (led by bDevonte' Graham[16p4a5r]) but tGabe DeVoe[31p3a9r;10/17fg] nearly led the CU/Tigers all the way back as the Jayhawks had to hold on for a 80-76 win. Familiarity was a big advantage for [M2]Duke playing against the 2-3 zone of [M11b]Syracuse as the Blue Devils held a working margin for most of the game before the Orange closed to within 3 with a minute to go; 5-for-6 free-throw shooting sealed the win for [M2]Duke, 69-65 -- fMarvin Bagley III(22p8r) and pGrayson Allen(15p8a) led DU; pTyus Battle(19p5a) and fOshae Brissett(15p7r) led SU. In the final, [M1]Kansas couldn't shake [M2]Duke as the Blue Devils fought back from a 7-point second-half deficit to tie things at 57-57 midway through and lead 68-67 with four minutes left. xSviatoslav Mykhailiuk(11p5a10r)'s huge three tied the game but it only went into overtime when [gGrayson Allen(12p4a)]'s bank shot spun out at the buzzer, leaving it 72-72 at the end of regulation. bMalik Newman(32p2a7r;5/12 3s,11/12ft) dominated the overtime (two threes, 7-for-8 on free throws, two steals) SCORING ALL 13 OF KANSAS' POINTS for an 85-81[OT] KU win -- bTrevon Duval(20p6r), Gary Trent Jr.(17p0a) and cMarvin Bagley III(16p10r) led a balanced DUKE attack. With wins over two of the ACC's best, [M1]Kansas lived up to its top seed as well.
Neither of the top two seeds made it through to the WEST REGIONAL in Los Angeles. tKillian Tillie injured his hip in practice for [W4]Gonzaga, which hurt its depth and versatility (but shouldn't have been enough difference in winning the game against giant-killer [W9]Florida State). But the Seminoles kept threatening to pull away from the Bulldogs the entire game and the 'Zags did well to keep it close for a while as FSU won going away, 75-60 -- thanks to its depth, FlaSt only posted one player in double-figures (bTerance Mann[18p5r]); fRui Hachimura(16p9r) led Gonz. [M3]Michigan jumped out on giant-killer [W7]Texas A&M right away and didn't look back in a 99-72 laugher -- the Wolverines shot 62 percent (including 10-for-16 on threes in the first half) led by pMuhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman(24p7a5r) and Mo Wagner(21p3r); fTyler Davis(24p8r;11/17fg) led the Aggies (but you can't catch up shooting 3-for-15 on threes). The final was a defensive struggle as both teams shot 8-for-39 from three combined). Give the [W9]FlaSt credit for getting as close as 54-56 inside the final minute, but playing so many guys means there's no leadership at crunch time and the Seminoles had some terrible possessions on offense in the late-going as [W3]Mich won 58-54 -- tCharles Matthews(17p8r) led UoM; cPhil Cofer(16p12r) led FSU.
None of the top four seeds made it through to the SOUTH REGIONAL in Atlanta (but you still expected it to be another "Kentucky Invitational in 'Cat-lanta" -- Nope). [S9]Kansas State silenced the crowd right away with a 13-1 lead over [S5]@Kentucky four minutes in, but a 9-0 spurt from the UK/Wildcats made it only 13-10 after seven. The KSU/Wildcats got out to small leads in the second half only to have UK rally to tie things up at 58-58 with a minute left; then a Barry Brown basket and a free throw from Amaad Wainwright were just enough for the win for KansSt, 61-@58 -- turnovers (and a missed three at the buzzer) from pShai Gilgeous-Alexander(15p5a5r5to;11/12ft) and great rebounding/terrible free-throw shooting from cP.J. Washington(18p15r;8/20ft) doomed the UK-'Cats. New "America's Team" [S11]Loyola(Illinois) was in trouble early as [S7]Nevada went up 15-8 right away, getting whatever it wanted as twin 'tweeners bCaleb Martin(21p5r;5/11 3s) and pCody Martin (16p5a6r) took turns taking their men one-one-one. But the (two-word) Wolf Pack's unstructured offense (8 total assists) had too many empty possessions and the Ramblers used a 9-0 run to take the lead at the break, 28-24. LoyIL held the lead for most of the second half until a 10-2 run by Nev tied the game at 59-59 with four minutes to go. Big threes by Aundre Jackson(15p) and pMarques Townes(18p5a) gave [S11]Loyola(Illinois) just enough to hold on for the win, 69-68 -- "M-V-P" (the crowd chanted every time he touched the ball) Clayton Custer(15p) was also key for the Ramblers; fJordan Caroline(19p6r) was big for the Wolf Pack. In the final, hot shooting staked [S11]Loyola(Illinois) to a quick 12-5 lead just four minutes into the game and [S9]Kansas State was playing catch-up from there all night as "L-U-C" (officially, "Loyola University of Chicago") rolled, 78-62 -- bBen Richardson(23p6r;6/7 3s) led the Ramblers (who shot 57 percent from the floor); bXavier Sneed(16p6r) wasn't nearly enough for the KSU-'Cats.
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What [S9]Kansas State did against [S5]@Kentucky was as impressive as anything anybody (this side of Maryland-Baltimore County) has done in this tournament. The KSU/Wildcats won a road game "at" the UK/Wildcats the hard way. It's one thing to shoot the lights out and take the crowd out of it in a romp. Yes, they led 13-1 immediately; but it was 13-10 just as quick. They nursed a small lead the entire game and then rallied to win the endplay. Normally, when you're the underdog trying to pull off an upset, the crowd is on your side (giving you energy) and tightening up the favorite (who has to keep its nerve in a "hostile" environment). To beat UK in the NCAAs (especially in Atlanta), the crowd is against you, keeping the K-'Cats loose and you're the one who has to hold your nerve and execute in the Wildcats' den. KansSt showed spectacular poise (and didn't even get the rousing ovation they deserved from the building that they'd have gotten against any other opponent). Don't discount the accomplishment based on the level of enthusiasm of the (80% Kentucky faithful) crowd afterward. What KSU did was outstanding.
I had [E3]Texas Tech No.1 in the nation at one point (and Top 5 at the beginning of January); pKeenan Evans' injury caused them to plummet from elite status in the second half. The absence of 7-2 cIsaac Haas was huge as [E2]Purdue couldn't keep TxT off the boards (and his 7-3 sub cMatt Haarms had a terrible game). So the Red Raiders over the undermanned Boilermakers wasn't such a big upset.
How much further into the draw would [W4]Gonzaga have gone without the injury to tKillian Tillie? -- the 'Zags were as impressive as anyone after the first two rounds.
[S11]Loyola(Illinois) vs [S7]Nevada was a classic "guards" vs. "'tweeners" clash. 'Tweeners "can score whenever they want" against smaller guards; but great guards execute in the clutch better than any 'tweener can.
[S9]Kansas State's deliberate style may have been well suited to upset juggernaut [S5]@Kentucky, but it was a bad matchup trying to chase all that ball-handling/shooting on the perimeter for [S11]Loyola(Illinois). In a year that didn't have any juggernaut holdover, it's a great sign that a TiTo champ from the top-rated 1BC league can get all the way through to the Final Four.
The only juggernaut matchup we've gotten so far didn't disappoint -- [M1]Kansas vs [M2]Duke was fantastically high-quality (and overtime to boot!).
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In the NIT, the remaining two 1-seeds bowed out at home: [m1]PAC12/USC tripped against [m4]CUSA/Western Kentucky (@75-79) in the second round while [w1]WCC/St. Mary's tripped in OT against [w2]PAC12/Utah (@58-67[OT]) in the quarters. In fact, all four quarterfinals were road upsets as [s4]SEC/Mississipp State road-dumped [s2]ACC/Louisville (79-@56) while [m2]BIG12/Oklahoma State fell at home to [m4]CUSA/Western Kentucky (@84-92 as tTaveion Hollingsworth[30p8r] starred for WKU) and [e4]BIG10/Penn State edged host [e2]BIGE/Marquette (85-@80 as Lamar Stevens[30p] was the extra star for PSU while pTony Carr[25p7a6r] dueled 29p8a from pAndrew Rowsey). (After going 5-0 in Round One, the PAC-12 went 1-4 in Round Two but at least [w2]Utah did advance to New York.)
In the CBI, only [seA2]OVC/Jacksonville State was able to come through on the road (and did they ever, road-dumping host [seB2]SLAND/Central Arkansas, 80-@59). [swA2]CUSA/North Texas was impressive at home, thumping [swB2]SOCON/Mercer (@96-67) in the quarters and again in the semis routing [seA2]OVC/JaxvlSt (@90-68 shooting 60 percent as JSU couldn't come up with road magic for the third time). "Slumming" Mid-Major [nwA1]WCC/San Francisco survived two squeak wins at home: edging [nwB1]WAC/Utah Valley (@78-73) in the quarters and [mwB1]BIGS/Campbell (@65-62) in the semis.
In the CIT, road wins were the norm in the quarters as teams from the four lowest remaining conferences all won: [1x]SKY/Northern Colorado won at WCC/San Diego (86-@75 as bAndre Spight[26p5r] dueled 25p10r5to from cIsaiah Pineiro); HORIZ/Illinois-Chicago edged at OVC/Austin Peay (83-@81); and [1x]SLAND/Sam Houston State won at CUSA/Texas-San Antonio (76-@69). Only BIGS/Liberty was able to come through at home against MAC/Central Michigan (@84-71).
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Two top-seeded teams who've been ranked in the Top 5 nearly the entire season have made it through to the FINAL FOUR in San Antonio (each led by a tough-minded point guard in the national conversation for Player Of The Year, to boot). It's too bad that Villanova's gJalen Brunson and Kansas' gDevonte' Graham can't meet in the Final. In many ways, this season has been defined by those two. The other two spots belong to teams on crazy hot streaks: Michigan put it all together to win the BIG 10 tournament "from nowhere" (after only being the fourth-seed after conference play). Loyola(Illinois) also seemingly came "from nowhere" after dominating the MISSOURI VALLEY (which was quietly rated above the likes of WEST COAST, MOUNTAIN WEST and PACIFIC-12) but survived three squeakers and a rout thanks to superbly poised guard play. (From here it says, Cinderella's run must end as 'Nova takes down Mich in the final.)
In the NIT, Let's hear it for Utah holding up the banner for the beleaguered PAC-12 and CUSA/Western Kentucky doing the same for The Red Swirl. (My heart says WKY, but my head says the two B-Major also-rans will fight it out for second place as Utah beats MissSt at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN in New York.)
In the CBI, [nwA1]WCC/San Francisco gets Game 1 at home but the next two (if necessary) are at [swA2]CUSA/North Texas. (Go with the "slumming" MMers from 'Frisco.)
In the CIT semis, the two remaining seeds square off as [1x]SKY/Northern Colorado hosts [1x]SLAND/Sam Houston State while BIGS/Liberty hosts HORIZ/Illinois-Chicago. (Look for SKY/NoColo over BIGS/Libty in the final.)
-- Ron
- Key games this week:
- NCAA
- Thursday:
- COLLEGE 3-POINT/SLAM DUNK CONTEST @SanAntonioTX/GREEHEY//{St Mary's U}/
- {College 3-Point/Slam Dunk Contest}
- Friday:
- FINAL FOUR @SanAntonioTX/ALAMODOME/)
- {Open Team Practices} - FREE
- {College All-Star Game} - FREE
- Saturday:
- FINAL FOUR @SanAntonioTX/ALAMODOME/)
- [E1]Villanova v [M1]Kansas
- [W3]Michigan v [S11]Loyola-IL
- Monday week:
- NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP @SanAntonioTX/ALAMODOME/)
- {[E1]Villanova/[M1]Kansas} v {[W3]Michigan/[S11]LoyolaIL}
- NIT
- Tuesday:
- Semis @NewYorkNY/MSG/
- [m4]We Kentucky v [w2]Utah
- [s4]Mississippi St v [e4]Penn St
- Thursday:
- Final @NewYorkNY/MSG/
- {[m4]WeKentucky/[w2]Utah} v {[s4]MississippiSt/[e4]PennSt}
- CBI (COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL)
Finals (Best of 3) on-campus
- Monday:
- @ [nwA1]San Francisco v [swA2]N Texas
- Wednesday:
- @ [swA2]N Texas v [nwA1]San Francisco
- (Friday, if necessary):
- @ [swA2]N Texas v [nwA1]San Francisco
- CIT (COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT)
- Wednesday:
- Semifinals on-campus
- @ [1x]No Colorado v [1x]Sam Houston St
- @ Liberty v IL-Chicago
- Friday:
- Final on-campus
- {[1x]NoColorado/[1x]SamHoustonSt} v {ILChicago/Liberty}
- Thursday:
posted by Ron @ Tuesday, October 16, 2018
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