Saturday, March 20, 2010

Breaking Down the NCAA Tournament: Day 3


What a day of college basketball? There were more blowouts than I typically like, but there were some outstanding upsets.

GOODBYE, KANSAS: The shocker of the day was Kansas losing to Northen Iowa. Kansas ... like North Carolina last year ... was the favorite to win the title since before the season began. It was Kansas and everyone else. Especially in a year where the other top teams weren't as strong. Kentucky is run by a bunch of freshmen. Syracuse was unranked before the season began. Texas fell off the face of the earth. The Jayhawks had everything and they fouled it up. Congrats to UNI for an outstanding win (they imposed their will on Kansas).

GOODBYE, VILLANOVA: At least Kansas' loss took some of the sting out of Nova's ousting at the hands of St. Mary's. For the second straight game, Villanova just looked out of it. The difference today was that they weren't playing Robert Morris and the officials didn't seem interested in handing the game to the Wildcats. St. Mary's attacked Nova all game long and pretty much dominated the game (though the score was close).

WASHINGTON ROLLS ON: The Pac-10 wins again! The Washington Huskies completely smoked New Mexico and advanced to the Sweet 16.

BUTLER-MURRAY STATE: Maybe the best game to watch of the day was Butler's two-point win over Murray State. With another Sweet 16 appearance, Butler is starting to look like the new Gonzaga.

NO MORE BYU: Goodbye, Jimmer Fredette. I'll miss all those weird scooping shots you were hitting all tournament long.

CONGRATS, BAYLOR: I think it has been under-reported just how awesome this Baylor season is. They just made their first Sweet 16 EVER ... and they'll be playing it in nearby Houston against surprising St. Mary's. Remember that this program was in shambles just a few short years ago. From a murder of a player to a cover-up by the coach, it's amazing that this program has made it to this point so quickly.

No comments: