How’s your bracket looking? Mine is not too good, with a 22-10 mark through two days of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. My Final Four teams – Louisville, Memphis, Villanova and Gonzaga – are still alive… for now. Here are the ‘Top Ten Headlines’ from what I saw in the first two days of the NCAA Tournament as well as my breakdowns for Saturday’s games…
Thursday – 3-19 Headlines
#5: Griffin Dominant, though takes a tumble – Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, the top candidate to claim National Player of the Year honors this season, was his usual dominant self as the second-seeded Sooners topped #15 seed Morgan State 82-54. Griffin recorded yet another double-double, his 27th, with 28 points and 13 rebounds. However, the story from that game was not that he put up those numbers and shot 11-of-12 from the field, but rather that he took quite a hard fall. Morgan State’s Ameer Ali was ejected for a bonehead moment; flipping Griffin on his back. Fortunately, Griffin is okay and will be at full strength as Oklahoma takes on #10 seed Michigan.
#4: VCU/UCLA goes down to the wire – Two years ago, VCU broke onto the national scene when guard Eric Maynor, then a sophomore, hit the game-winning shot to eliminate Duke and propel the Rams into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Maynor’s last shot this time was just a tad short as another power, UCLA, a team that has reached three consecutive Final Fours and is now one win shy of 100 career NCAA Tournament victories, held on for a 65-64 win. UCLA closed the first half on a 13-2 run and outscored VCU 14-0 in the points off turnovers category, but the Bruins started the second half extremely cold, misfiring on their first nine shots. That allowed VCU, down 11 with six minutes to go, to claw their way back and get within a point.
#3: Washington shows they are the most complete team on Thursday – They weren’t flashy, throwing down a bunch of dunks or drilling numerous three-pointers. That being said, the Huskies of Washington overcame a so-so shooting game – 2-for-10 from three-point land – with superb rebounding, excellent bench play and sharp defense to defeat Mississippi State 71-58. Gonzaga is a close second as the Bulldogs’ defensive intensity went up and enabled them to go on a 24-4 run to go up by 14 on Akron with five minutes left.
#2: Nova Survives – Known for their offensive prowess, the Villanova Wildcats raised it up another notch or two on the defensive end, even going to a 1-2-1-1 press to cause trouble and help them erase a 45-31 deficit against American in their 80-67 first round triumph of the #14 seed Eagles. Star guard Scottie Reynolds didn’t score his first field goal until the 16:31 mark of the second half. Picking up the slack while he had an off night were forwards Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham, each of whom scored 25 points.
#1: Memphis Dodges Bullet Too – Thank goodness for an offensive explosion by Roburt Sallie or else John Calipari’s Memphis Tigers, who recorded their fourth consecutive 30-plus win season and made it to the National Championship game a year ago, would’ve been sung by #15 seed Cal State Northridge. Sallie’s career-high 35 points – 22 more than his previous career-best – led the Tigers to an 81-70 win over the hyped, energized Matadors from the Big West Conference. In fact, Cal State put five players in double-figures, but Sallie saved the day for a Memphis team that finished first in the nation in field goal percentage defense and will need a much stronger performance on that side of the ball to get to the Sweet 16.
Friday – 3-20 Headlines
#5: East Tennessee State gives Pitt a Scare – In some respects, this should maybe be the #1 headline for Friday. This game was tied 40-apiece with 12:19 to go in regulation and East Tennessee State trailed by only three – 62-59 – with less than four minutes to go. Pittsburgh went on to win by a final count of 72-62. Had East Tennessee St. shot decent from long distance (4-22) and at the foul line (12-24), they would’ve won. Instead, the Panthers were able to get by despite sloppy ball-handling that led to 18 turnovers, including 13 through one half of play. The average margin of victory for the other #1 seeds – Louisville, Connecticut and North Carolina – was 39.7 points per game. DeJuan Blair saved Pitt’s bacon with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Sam Young also posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards.
#4: Perfection for USC’s Taj Gibson – Helping the #10 Trojans roll to a 72-55 win over #7 seed Boston College, USC forward Taj Gibson scored 24 points and shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the field. Gibson is one of the best players in America few people know much about. He averaged 14.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and almost three blocks per game. His on-target shooting in the painted area was a big reason why USC doubled up BC 42-21 during the second half.
#3: #12 Seeds Arizona & Wisconsin show they belong – Few people believed Arizona and Wisconsin deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament and receive at-large bids. Many doubted their chances of winning as they faced #5 seeds Utah and Florida State respectively. But the Wildcats polished off the Utes 84-71 and the Badgers rallied to edge the Seminoles 61-59 in overtime. Arizona’s three stars – Chase Budinger (20 points), Nic Wise (29 points, 7-7FT) and Jordan Hill (17 points, 13 boards) – played like it, and Wisconsin shot a blistering 8-of-17 from deep in the second half while turning the ball over only nine times all game.
#2: #13 Seed Cleveland State Pounds #4 Wake Forest 84-69 – Some folks, myself included, felt Cleveland State had a shot at upsetting Wake Forest, which at one time was ranked #1 in the entire county. But nobody could’ve predicted the Vikings out of the Horizon League routing the Demon Deacons from the ACC by 15 and never letting Wake get within two possessions practically the whole game. Wake’s star, Jeff Teague, was limited to only 10 points and turned the ball over seven times. Meanwhile, Cleveland State turned the ball over only six times the entire game as a team and three of their players scored at least 19 points in carving up the Wake defense.
#1: Ronald Moore Propels Siena Past Ohio State in 2OT – In my opinion, there wasn’t a more exciting first round game than Siena’s 74-72 come-from-behind victory over Ohio State in double-overtime. Their top player, MAAC Player of the Year Kenny Hasbrouck (12 points on 4-of-16 shooting), struggled most of the game and missed a free-throw with eight seconds left in regulation that could’ve won the game for the Saints. That’s where Ronald Moore stepped in and played the role of hero for Siena, sinking a clutch three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in the first overtime to send the game to a second overtime. Then in the second overtime, Moore drilled a trey with 3.9 seconds left to give Siena its two-point lead. Moore entered the tournament averaging 8.8 points and 6.2 assists per game, so he’s been more of a pass-first, shoot-second type of guy all year. Siena’s next test is their toughest yet as they face Louisville, the tournament’s #1 overall seed. Coach Fran McCaffery probably has put his name in the hat for some bigger jobs around the country – including the vacant Virginia position – and he’ll be a really hot name if his team shocks Louisville.
Hat’s Second Round Saturday Picks:
#3 Villanova vs. #6 UCLA – 1:05 PM: All five starters scored in double-figures for UCLA in their win over VCU, but this is a Bruins team that doesn’t have a lot of offensive firepower and I see the Villanova mobile, agile forwards giving them problems. Pick – Nova by 6
#2 Memphis vs. #10 Maryland – 3:20 PM: Memphis should kill Maryland on the offensive glass as the Tigers have more length and athletes on their front-line than the Terps. Also, look for their defense to deny Maryland star Greivis Vasquez, a potential first round pick in the NBA Draft, and quiet a Terps team that has talked quite a bit of smack going into this matchup. Pick – Memphis by 12
#1 Connecticut vs. #9 Texas A&M – 3:35 PM: Is this going to be the game that UCONN misses Jerome Dyson? Probably not because Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien ought to be able to do enough on the boards and defensively to keep the Aggies at bay, and guard A.J. Price is a tough cover for a Texas A&M team that absolutely has to be on point with their perimeter shots to keep pace. Pick – Connecticut by 9
#4 Washington vs. #5 Purdue – 5:40 PM: This is a nice matchup because both teams are very similar. Washington’s guards are better than they showed against Miss. St. and the Huskies crash the boards as good as anyone in the country. Neither is great shooting from the outside and Purdue has a slight edge defensively, but I like Lorenzo Romar’s squad only because they probably can go deeper into their bench than the Boilermakers. Pick – Washington by 1 (OT)
#1 North Carolina vs. #8 LSU – 5:45 PM: Whether North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson, the ACC Player of the Year, does or doesn’t play with an injury toe, the Tar Heels have enough offensive weapons in their arsenal to get by LSU. The Tigers’ post defense is going to be tested greatly here, and it is unlikely guard Marcus Thornton goes for 30-plus points for a second straight game. Pick – North Carolina by 13
#2 Oklahoma vs. #10 Michigan – 5:50 PM: Michigan plays such an unconventional, unorthodox style, utilizing a 1-3-1 zone defense and playing very patient on offense. Can they stop OU’s Blake Griffin though? The answer is no, and the Sooners will move on as long as their guards do not make a bunch of mistakes. Pick – Oklahoma by 8
#4 Gonzaga vs. #12 Western Kentucky – 8:10 PM: Always that mid-major darling that numerous pundits around the country feels have a shot to go to the Final Four, the Gonzaga Bulldogs haven’t gotten a whole lot of talk this year, but maybe should with a starting unit featuring Jeremy Pargo, Micah Downs, Josh Heytvelt, Matt Bouldin and sophomore sensation Austin Daye that rivals just about any starting five in the America. Western Kentucky saw a 17-point lead evaporate to just two against Illinois late in the opening round. Pick – Gonzaga by 10
#2 Duke vs. #7 Texas – 8:15 PM: This is a hard game to call because Texas has the inside game and advantage versus the Blue Devils there with the tandem of Dexter Pittman and Damion James, two players that can go for a double-double on any given night. Guard A.J. Abrams is a threat too, but the Longhorns lack that true point guard since the departure of D.J. Augustine to the NBA Draft last year. Duke’s perimeter shooting can probably do the trick in a nip-and-tuck battle. Pick – Duke by 2
