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: Duke vs Houston. It is a shame that Jamal Shead severely turned his ankle and missed most of this game. It really showed at certain points that they needed him to calm the team down and make the right plays. Having said that, this was a very physical, hard fought game with both teams bringing energy defensively. Both teams shot 20-of-49 from the field and both teams had 26 points in the paint. The difference was Duke's ability to hit threes (Houston attempted just eight) and Houston's inability to drain free throws.
UPSET OF THE DAY: NC State vs Marquette. The only double-digit seed remaining just axed the second best team in the Big East. NC State is keeping their miracle run going in March. State jumped on the Eagles early and kept that comfortable lead the rest of the night.
CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: ACC. The ACC went 2-0 on the day and guaranteed themselves a spot in the Final Four. Both Duke and NC State won in the South Region and the two teams will face off for a fourth time this season. Duke won the two regular season games while State won their meeting in the ACC tournament. The ACC is 11-2 in this tournament with a shot at have two teams in the Final Four.
CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: Big East. Creighton and Marquette bowed out of the tournament tonight. Marquette was stunned by the Cinderella NC State Wolfpack while Creighton was smacked with a Tennessee 18-0 run that they couldn't fully recover from. The Big East still claims the biggest fish in the tournament, but Friday was a rough night.
DUD OF THE DAY: Purdue vs Gonzaga. There were no duds, but Purdue's win going away over Gonzaga is the likely pick. This was not a typically great Gonzaga squad, so getting to this point was a success. But Purdue jumped on the Zags early in the second half and didn't look back.
DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: NC State vs Marquette. The Wolfpack opened a 20-10 lead and never looked back. What NC State has done over the last three weeks is nothing short of remarkable, especially considering they needed a buzzer beating banked three in the ACC tournament semifinals just to stay alive. Now the Wolfpack are a win away from their first Final Four since 1983.
UPSET OF THE DAY: NC State vs Marquette. The only double-digit seed remaining just axed the second best team in the Big East. NC State is keeping their miracle run going in March. State jumped on the Eagles early and kept that comfortable lead the rest of the night.
CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: ACC. The ACC went 2-0 on the day and guaranteed themselves a spot in the Final Four. Both Duke and NC State won in the South Region and the two teams will face off for a fourth time this season. Duke won the two regular season games while State won their meeting in the ACC tournament. The ACC is 11-2 in this tournament with a shot at have two teams in the Final Four.
CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: Big East. Creighton and Marquette bowed out of the tournament tonight. Marquette was stunned by the Cinderella NC State Wolfpack while Creighton was smacked with a Tennessee 18-0 run that they couldn't fully recover from. The Big East still claims the biggest fish in the tournament, but Friday was a rough night.
DUD OF THE DAY: Purdue vs Gonzaga. There were no duds, but Purdue's win going away over Gonzaga is the likely pick. This was not a typically great Gonzaga squad, so getting to this point was a success. But Purdue jumped on the Zags early in the second half and didn't look back.
DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: NC State vs Marquette. The Wolfpack opened a 20-10 lead and never looked back. What NC State has done over the last three weeks is nothing short of remarkable, especially considering they needed a buzzer beating banked three in the ACC tournament semifinals just to stay alive. Now the Wolfpack are a win away from their first Final Four since 1983.
UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: New blood in the Elite 8. Sure, the defending champion UConn Huskies are alive. So is Duke, who is tied with UConn with five national championships. But we also could be having some new blood in the Final Four. For instance, Clemson and Alabama will face off for either school's first Final Four berth. Tennessee will face Purdue for their first trip to a Final Four ... while Purdue hasn't been since 1980. As we mentioned, NC State hasn't been there since 1983. Illinois hasn't been since 2005.
No comments:
Post a Comment