Of all the college basketball hotbeds - North Carolina’s Triangle; Philly; Metro Washington, D.C.; even Boston and New York City if you’re looking for sheer quantity - Richmond, Virginia is not one of them.
Perhaps it was because it was buried late on a Sunday night, or maybe it was just because the Irish shot 32 percent from the floor and got a dismal output from their star, Ben Hansbrough.
Down a hobbled Brandon Triche when he was needed most, Jim Boeheim had to rely on Scoop Jardine to handle the ball and serve as the primary playmaker late against Marquette.
We will remember Derrick Williams’ late game heroics first, J’Covan Brown’s overall game second, and that brainfart five-second call on Texas third, but Arizona’s 70-69 victory over the Longhorns was fueled by a first half that saw a pair of unheralded guards convert on three pointer after three pointer.
Only a Wisconsin Badger player could shoot 2-16 from the floor and allow his primary defensive assignment to score a career high 38 points, yet still find a way to be the unofficial player of the game.
It happens nearly every tournament - a young coach teeming with potential takes his double-digit seeded team from a non-BCS conference onto the Sweet 16.
I’m not entirely sold on the new Saturday format of the tournament, giving us only two games all afternoon, but thankfully we got treated to a dandy between UCLA and Florida, as the Gators prevailed late 73-65.
Note to any mid-major matched up against Georgetown these next few NCAA Tournaments: be good at shooting three pointers, it will really help spark an upset.
As just one of two teams to reach the last three Sweet 16s, many pundits have become enamored with Xavier’s ability to always be competitive, find ways to win, and just be part of the national conversation.
If basketball was a sport where every shot had to be taken 10 feet or more away from the basket, then Missouri might have had a chance against Cincinnati tonight.
Because the media has ample time to fill time between Selection Sunday and the first few rounds of the tournament, the storyline getting played up this week regarding the UConn Huskies was whether or not they would be mentally and emotionally ready for another tournament format.
To the surprise of few, Sidney Lowe was kindly relieved of his duties as North Carolina State’s head coach this afternoon, “resigning” after five NCAA Tournament-less seasons in Raleigh.
True mid-/low-major darkhorses are fun to lay claim to, but after making my initial pass through the bracket, I’ve identified five known commodities in college basketball that, despite average or below average regular season, possess the make-up and favorable draw that could have them celebrating into the second weekend of the tournament.
We know you’re busy, and that it’s going to be challenging to either physically or mentally duck out of work to catch as much opening round action as you’d like.
