Sweet 16

[budlitebrad]

What a great game. If OSU gets knocked off, I'm pulling for Butler.

 

Upsetting Cuse was also HUGH for my brackets.

[theprofessor]

What a horrible game played by the Huskies tonight. They looked out of synch all night. Tough to end the season playing the way they did. Pittsburgh is very beatable, don't see them going much further. I like the Huskies prospects next year as they only lose Q-Pon. This experience will serve them well next year as they are pretty young and should be able to make a run at the Final 4 next year.

[bushwacked]

What a horrible game played by the Huskies tonight. They looked out of synch all night. Tough to end the season playing the way they did. Pittsburgh is very beatable, don't see them going much further. I like the Huskies prospects next year as they only lose Q-Pon. This experience will serve them well next year as they are pretty young and should be able to make a run at the Final 4 next year.

 

In all honesty, the Huskies tonight looked a lot like they have most of the season.

[Cyclones]

I knew UK would waltz in this game but they have made it look awfully easy so far.

[Gopher]

Boy, I don't even know what to say... I was at a bar for the early games tonight, so unfortunately, I couldn't hear the commentary. Syracuse trailed most of the first 25 minutes, but pulled ahead (54-50) with a few minutes left to play. Got distracted talking to my co-worker for a bit, checked back, and it's 60-54 Butler. Honestly, Syracuse looked disinterested for most of the game. I just don't get it... no concern for 40 minutes, then appear to be all devastated in the post-game press conference. Maybe I'm not giving Butler as much credit as they deserve... I'm going to cheer for them, going forward. If they can beat 'Cuse, they can beat anybody. I hope they win it all.

 

I don't really know what to make of the other games, either. Washington looked fine for about a half, then they looked terrible. Inexperience? Don't know how to explain it. I will say this... West Virginia is tough, and didn't seem to miss Bryant a bit, at least after the first 10-15 minutes. Mazzula played great as well. Meanwhile, Cornell gets out to an early 10-2 lead, then proceeds to give up a 30-6 run to Kentucky. All I can say is wow.

 

At least the KSU-Xavier game is going somewhat as expected. As for the rest of this tournament, I'm going to start expecting the exact opposite of what I originally predict.

[wildcat2334]

Wow, just an unreal game going on - one of the best I have ever seen in college hoops- just ridiculous shot making going on.........Pullen, Crawford, Holloway, Clemente - awesome

 

Gus Johnson on that call! what more can you ask for!!

 

best event in sports.period. there is no argument

[Gopher]

Wow, just an unreal game going on - one of the best I have ever seen in college hoops- just ridiculous shot making going on.........Pullen, Crawford, Holloway, Clemente - awesome

 

Gus Johnson on that call! what more can you ask for!!

 

best event in sports.period. there is no argument

+1

 

This final game is making up for the other three. The guard play for both teams has been incredible. Only downside has been the officiating... inconsistent at best.

 

Not only the best event, I think this tournament has the best GROUP of announcers... Gus Johnson, Kevin Harlan, Raftery/Lundquist, Kellogg/Nantz... the list goes on and on. For everything that CBS does wrong, they sure get some things very right.

[Choppy]

+1

 

This final game is making up for the other three. The guard play for both teams has been incredible. Only downside has been the officiating... inconsistent at best.

 

Not only the best event, I think this tournament has the best GROUP of announcers... Gus Johnson, Kevin Harlan, Raftery/Lundquist, Kellogg/Nantz... the list goes on and on. For everything that CBS does wrong, they sure get some things very right.

 

Agree on the officiating. Thought it was equally bad in the WVU-Wash. game. Uncalled muggings on one possession and phantom calls on the next. Calling it inconsistent is being too kind. The only consistincy was they stunk both ways.

[Gopher]

Looking back at last night, I can't help but laugh... The game I was most sure about (Syracuse-Butler) went the complete opposite way from what I thought it would. Like I said, I guess I should have given Butler more credit... They certainly looked prepared on how to attack the Syracuse zone defense. I'm still surprised at how lackadaisical Syracuse appeared to be, but I guess that happens.

 

I'm a glutton for punishment, so here is my take on tonight's games:

 

Ohio State -4.5 vs. Tennessee (135)

 

OSU seems to be the team that people aren't talking much about. Meanwhile, Tennessee has been quietly impressive as well. I'm leaning towards OSU to win the game, but if I were to bet on this, I'd probably take Tennessee plus the points, as I think the game could really go either way. Still, if I'm just picking the game, it's hard to pick against the Buckeyes... they've been pretty much unstoppable since Turner's return.

 

Baylor -5 vs. St. Mary's (142)

 

St. Mary's has looked great in their two wins, over Villanova and Dayton. Big man Omar Samhan has been virtually impossible to stop... I think it would be safe to say that he's the most impressive big man in the tournament, DeMarcus Cousins excluded. I'll be cheering for local St. Mary's (their campus in Moraga, CA is about 30 minutes from my house, and I've been there numerous times), but my fear is that their road ends tonight. Samhan has had the majority of his recent success against teams that do not match up well with his size. Dayton had no answer for him, and Villanova's four-guard starting lineup was quicker than St. Mary's, but they could do little to stop the Gaels inside. Previous to the tournament, St. Mary's beat Gonzaga in a game where they didn't dominate inside as much as they did at the guard position... they burned Gonzaga multiple times in that game on backdoor cuts by their guards.

 

Baylor has the size to give Samhan trouble inside. I've seen him a half-dozen times this year, and he tends to be more apprehensive against teams that have shot-blockers, often fading away on jump shots, rather than taking the ball to the hole. Baylor's big men will be able to contest Samhan's shots, and possibly get him into foul trouble on the other end, as well. Baylor also has a much quicker backcourt than Gonzaga, so I don't think the Gaels will be able to hurt the Bears on the backdoor pass, either. Most importantly, Baylor is playing near home (in Houston), and should have a significant advantage, in terms of the crowd.

 

I'll be pulling for the Gaels, but I like Baylor to win this game, and would not be surprised if they cover the five points as well.

 

Northern Iowa vs. Michigan State (122)

 

The spread on this game has gone back and forth all week, and is now even. I'm torn on which way this game will go, but if I had to pick, I can't go against Tom Izzo. That said, it would not surprise me at all if UNI is able to pull out the win.

 

Duke -8.5 vs. Purdue (126.5)

 

Purdue's strength is in their defense, and I think they'll meet their match in this game, in terms of defensive intensity. I'll take Purdue and the points in a teaser, but Duke should win this game.

 

There you go... Now everybody should go and quickly place wagers on the exact opposite of what I just said. I'll be cheering for St. Mary's and the Big Ten teams, most likely. But, this is the weekend when the cream usually rises to the top, so to speak, so it wouldn't surprise me if three of those four lose tonight.

[godtomsatan]

I'd have gone 1-2-1 last night if I was betting on all four.

 

Tonight, if I were such a degenerate, I'd be very inclined to hit OSU -5, Baylor -5, MSU, and Purdue +8.5.

 

The one game I feel most confident in is the Baylor-St. Mary's matchup, primarily because the spread is low enough where it could be a topsy turvy up and down game all night and the Bears still win by 6-8 points. I just don't see the WCC champs factoring much in a game vs an upstart Big 12 team playing 3 hours from home despite the big man underneath.

 

Also, OSU is simply a better team than Tennessee, and I never support Duke. Michigan St. has Tom Izzo, the best one-game coach in the world right now. If UNI beats MSU with relative ease, I'm hitting them hard vs. OSU on Sunday.

 

Otherwise, KSU -4 for Saturday, I'm all over it. Kentucky is obviously the class of this tournament, but I'm very curious to see how well West Virginia's thug play matches up. This seems like a different Huggins-type squad, almost a little more disciplined than the teams he had in Cincy.

Edited March 26, 2010 by godtomsatan

[Gopher]

Well, after a rough night Thursday, I was pretty much right on yesterday. The only mild surprise was Tennessee... I thought Ohio State would win, but knew it would be close, and could go either way. Baylor did to St. Mary's pretty much what I expected, but even more so. Samhan and company had no answer for Baylor's length.

 

As for the Elite 8 games, I'm done predicting/prognosticating... I'll cheer for the underdogs, probably, but more importantly, I'm just hoping for good/close games. Of course, I do have a teaser on Kentucky/Kansas State today.

[Gopher]

My respect for Butler continues to increase... Toughest team in the tournament. Not the best, in terms of talent, but those kids just don't seem to panic, no matter the circumstances. I guess when you haven't lost in nearly 100 days, it just becomes second-nature.

 

Kansas State, on the other hand, was hard to watch, at times, today. As talented as anybody in the tournament, but basketball IQ seemed to be non-existent for long stretches of this game. Instead of getting the ball to the one guy who was able to score for them, they ignored Kelly far too much, and seemed to go into panic mode with about seven minutes to play. They were only down by a couple of baskets at that point, and acted like they were down 15.

 

Hats off to Butler, though... they're an incredible TEAM, made up of a bunch of "unincredible" players. I know they're a 5-seed, but I don't think anyone expected them to be in the Final Four.

[budlitebrad]

Hats off to Butler, though... they're an incredible TEAM, made up of a bunch of "unincredible" players. I know they're a 5-seed, but I don't think anyone expected them to be in the Final Four.

 

I actually have them in one of my brackets. I didn't even notice until I suddenly jumped to first in my pool.

[posty]

If the get past UW, Wall and Bledsoe wiill give them fits in the Elite Eight.

 

How did that work out for you?

[major-tom]

Congrats West Virginia - they were the better team today. Kentucky kinda beat up on a soft SEC schedule & early NCAA games really didn't test them either.

[Sox]

As a WVU homer,I've stayed out of this so far,but some of you are mis-informed when it comes to Joe Mazzulla.

 

Mazzulla IS a pure point guard.He had a great game(defensively) against Duke in the tourney two years ago.Bryant on the other hand is a natural two forced into the point when Mazzulla hurt his shoulder and missed all of last season.Mazzulla is just now getting healthy.He was playing more minutes than Bryant in the Big East Tournament.

 

Had Bryant not broken his foot,he would have started,but Mazzulla would have played more minutes.Huggins trusts him more.

 

Anyways,my cup runneth over.This has been a fun team to watch.They play with heart and never quit.No matter what happens in the Final Four,I'm thrilled.

[Gopher]

Fair enough... I guess "pure" might have been the wrong choice of words. I remembered him well, from two years ago, and he doesn't strike me as a "prototypical" point guard... not exactly quick, built like a linebacker, doesn't really ever look to shoot the three (I think he made his first of the year today, if I recall correctly), etc. Either way, he played great today. Tough call that he fouled out on, but if not for him, I don't think they would have advanced. While he was out, they really struggled to get the ball up the floor, and that was with Kentucky applying only moderate pressure. I was also surprised Kentucky gave him his left hand so easily, especially on a couple of his wide open drives to the basket. Too easy.

 

I've never seen a more strange box score than that game. Kentucky couldn't hit a three to save their life, free throws were terrible, and absolutely KILLED West Virginia on the boards. Meanwhile, WV goes 0-16 from two-point range in the first half, yet on fire from beyond the arc. They really needed to find a way to score more inside in the second half, and Mazzulla helped them do that, for sure.

 

This cheering for the underdog thing, with no vested interest in any of the remaining teams, is becoming sort of fun. I have a feeling Baylor is going to beat Duke, which means we'll have a completely wide open Final Four, no matter who wins the MSU-Tennessee game.

[Sox]

Fair enough... I guess "pure" might have been the wrong choice of words. I remembered him well, from two years ago, and he doesn't strike me as a "prototypical" point guard... not exactly quick, built like a linebacker, doesn't really ever look to shoot the three (I think he made his first of the year today, if I recall correctly), etc. Either way, he played great today. Tough call that he fouled out on, but if not for him, I don't think they would have advanced. While he was out, they really struggled to get the ball up the floor, and that was with Kentucky applying only moderate pressure. I was also surprised Kentucky gave him his left hand so easily, especially on a couple of his wide open drives to the basket. Too easy.

 

I've never seen a more strange box score than that game. Kentucky couldn't hit a three to save their life, free throws were terrible, and absolutely KILLED West Virginia on the boards. Meanwhile, WV goes 0-16 from two-point range in the first half, yet on fire from beyond the arc. They really needed to find a way to score more inside in the second half, and Mazzulla helped them do that, for sure.

 

This cheering for the underdog thing, with no vested interest in any of the remaining teams, is becoming sort of fun. I have a feeling Baylor is going to beat Duke, which means we'll have a completely wide open Final Four, no matter who wins the MSU-Tennessee game.

 

 

Yes he did make his first three of the year today.Before his shoulder injury and surgery he was able to shoot them.Two years ago,before the injury during the NCAA Tournament,his game against Duke was 13 points,11rebounds,8 assists.

 

The bottom line:Healthy,he is a better point guard than Truck.He is just now getting back.

[Cyclones]

How did that work out for you?

 

Well, I am in shock. We go 4-32 from three and 16-29 from the stripe in this game, while WVU nails 8 threes and no twos in the first half - weird game all around. We've had some cold shooting nights this season but our defense always seemed to bail us out. Not so tonight. Congrats to WVU and Bob Huggins. The guy is too good a coach to have gone 19 years between final fours. I'll be rooting for WVU now.

[Gopher]

Still a great season for Calipari and Kentucky. I know they're probably disappointed with anything less than a NC, but that's asking a lot of those young players. They impressed me this year... I expected a few more L's along the way, and would have been very surprised if they had won the whole thing (although I was starting to wonder if they might do it, since a lot of the other top dogs were getting bounced). Great season, and I'm sure they'll be "back" next year, although it will most likely be with an entirely new core group of players.

[Cyclones]

Still a great season for Calipari and Kentucky. I know they're probably disappointed with anything less than a NC, but that's asking a lot of those young players. They impressed me this year... I expected a few more L's along the way, and would have been very surprised if they had won the whole thing (although I was starting to wonder if they might do it, since a lot of the other top dogs were getting bounced). Great season, and I'm sure they'll be "back" next year, although it will most likely be with an entirely new core group of players.

 

I'm mixed on where this team is headed over the next several years. We will continue to get top 3 recruiting classes every year under Cal, but I'm not sure the freshman dominated model is going to deliver national titles. Especially when you consider that this year we had 2 freshmen who likely will be the best 2 Calipari ever gets, plus we had Patterson back as a junior. We already have verbals from one 4* and one 5* for next year and likely will 2 more 5* players but Wall and Cousins are incredible talents who will be impossible to replace. If we get Bledsoe and Orton back we should be in the conversation for next year's title, but I don't know that we can win it with young guys, next year or any for that matter.