Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.
GAME OF THE DAY: Purdue vs Tennessee. This was a good game, but it was really about the battle between the two best players in college basketball this season. Purdue's Zach Edey scored 40 points while Tennessee's Dalton Knecht dropped 37. In a tournament where we've seen some really bad games from stars that ended their teams' seasons, it was awesome to see two superstars are going blow for blow.
UPSET OF THE DAY: NC State vs Duke. The only seed upset of the weekend, NC State just keeps rolling. The 11-seed that only made the tournament because they won the ACC tournament beat Duke for the second time in three weeks (and one time in each tournament). Duke felt like they had control of the game despite their iffy first half, but NC State went on a big run in the middle of the second half and weren't threatened the rest of the game.
CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: Big Ten. I'm going with the Big Ten of this one. The Big Ten, along with the ACC, SEC and Big East, all got one team into the Final Four, but the Big Ten really needs this right now. The league has underperformed in the NCAA tournament in general and especially on the biggest stages. Purdue has been one of the better programs in college basketball the last decade or so but just kept tripping up in the tournament. They've finally broke through to a Final Four and have the look of a team who could finally end the league's championship drought. Michigan State in 2000 is the last Big Ten team to win a national title.
CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: Big 12. The Big 12 has championed itself as the top college hoops conference in the nation, but it will be watching the Final Four as each of the other four power leagues (sorry Pac-12) will send a team to Phoenix. In fact, the Big 12 didn't even get a team to the Elite 8. What hurts the most is ... well ... hurting. Kansas, the preseason No. 1 team, lost their best player before the tournament started. Then Houston, the best team in the conference, lost their best player halfway through the first half of their Sweet 16 game. The Big 12 has been a great league, but this was a bad tournament for them.
DUD OF THE DAY: UConn vs Illinois. It looked like this could be an elite game. UConn looks unbeatable, but Illinois has been playing at a level where they could knock off anyone. For about 18 minutes of this game, it looked like that could be the case. Then that run happened.
DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: UConn vs Illinois. After Illinois tied the game 23-23 just before halftime, UConn went on a ridiculous 30-0 run. Yes. 30-0. That seems like something UConn women's team did to teams in their heyday. Just when you thought UConn was vulnerable and could be taken down, they go on a historic run and turn the game into yet another blowout.
UPSET OF THE DAY: NC State vs Duke. The only seed upset of the weekend, NC State just keeps rolling. The 11-seed that only made the tournament because they won the ACC tournament beat Duke for the second time in three weeks (and one time in each tournament). Duke felt like they had control of the game despite their iffy first half, but NC State went on a big run in the middle of the second half and weren't threatened the rest of the game.
CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: Big Ten. I'm going with the Big Ten of this one. The Big Ten, along with the ACC, SEC and Big East, all got one team into the Final Four, but the Big Ten really needs this right now. The league has underperformed in the NCAA tournament in general and especially on the biggest stages. Purdue has been one of the better programs in college basketball the last decade or so but just kept tripping up in the tournament. They've finally broke through to a Final Four and have the look of a team who could finally end the league's championship drought. Michigan State in 2000 is the last Big Ten team to win a national title.
CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: Big 12. The Big 12 has championed itself as the top college hoops conference in the nation, but it will be watching the Final Four as each of the other four power leagues (sorry Pac-12) will send a team to Phoenix. In fact, the Big 12 didn't even get a team to the Elite 8. What hurts the most is ... well ... hurting. Kansas, the preseason No. 1 team, lost their best player before the tournament started. Then Houston, the best team in the conference, lost their best player halfway through the first half of their Sweet 16 game. The Big 12 has been a great league, but this was a bad tournament for them.
DUD OF THE DAY: UConn vs Illinois. It looked like this could be an elite game. UConn looks unbeatable, but Illinois has been playing at a level where they could knock off anyone. For about 18 minutes of this game, it looked like that could be the case. Then that run happened.
DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: UConn vs Illinois. After Illinois tied the game 23-23 just before halftime, UConn went on a ridiculous 30-0 run. Yes. 30-0. That seems like something UConn women's team did to teams in their heyday. Just when you thought UConn was vulnerable and could be taken down, they go on a historic run and turn the game into yet another blowout.
UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: What makes the tournament so great ... and why it hurts so much. What makes this tournament so great is the fact that anything can happen. It is a six round single-elimination tournament. Obviously anything can happen in a win-or-go-home format, but in this tournament you've got to survive six of those games ... and win 18 to 24 year olds playing. So no matter how good you've played, one bad game can end a season and leave a horrible taste in your mouth ... forever. Caleb Love's 0-9 shooting night from three ended Arizona's season. A few hours later, RJ Davis' 0-9 three point shooting ended North Carolina's. Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr had been one of the best players of the tournament, until his 2 of 12 showing vs UConn gave the Illini no chance. The entire tournament was filled with tough nights like this, which happen, but it doesn't make it any harder for anyone.
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