NCAA Tournament Running Commentary: Sunday Afternoon Edition

It's no surprise that CBS selected Syracuse and Gonzaga for the nationally-televised 12:10pm start. Syracuse is a popular team in more than just upstate New York, Gonzaga is a name even the most novice college basketball recognizes instantly, and the injury to Arinze Onuaku is a story that's easy to sell.

Johnson's ability to attack the hoop, as well as shoot the 3-ball, was unmatched today by the 'Zags.
Credit: ESPN.go.com

Not to mention, Syracuse is a 1-seed and was buried at 9:55 pm on Friday night.

Unfortunately for Gus Johnson fans, today's game was over with rather quickly. A competitive early 10 minutes had a few Orange fans (like me) worried ; however, it was the 3rd foul on Rick Jackson - the only legit foul the big man committed in the 1st half - that changed the game for the Cuse...for the better.

Gonzaga's offensive game plan completely stalled, their guards were unable to hit perimeter shots, the 2-3 zone set in (especially up at the top), DeShonte Riley didn't bring upon the apocalypse, and Wesley Johnson reminded viewers why he was a LEGIT selection as a 1st-team All America (the school's first since Hakim Warrick in 2005) and the Big East Player of the Year. An award voted on by Big East coaches, not sportswriters.

The Orange built a halftime lead of 15 and extended it to almost 30 before the under-12 timeout in the 2nd half. The start of each of the second-halves in Buffalo have been shooting exhibitions for Andy Rautins. Len Elmore said it best: "He has in-the-gym range." I'm sure Len was thinking of Troy Bell at some point today, though.

Whereas Brandon Triche (who used the matchup against Vermont to get his shot going) hit BIG outside shots in the 1st half, the aforementioned senior Rautins drained three early 3s in the second. Rick Jackson was a steadying influence in the paint, Kris Joseph dominated the defensive glass, and Wesley Johnson (31 points and 14 rebounds on 11-16 shooting, 4-6 from 3s) was completely unguardable. Simply put, Syracuse didn't simply rely on the outside shot after their lead was built.

The health of Onuaku next week - Cuse will play Butler on Thursday evening/night - is pivotal.
However, Syracuse isn't lost without their talented 6'9 senior. Not yet, at least.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Johnson didn't force outside shots, but he drained most of the one's he took. Maybe the silver lining of an injury to Onuaku is the impetus on Johnson to step up and shine. Johnson seems completely healed from a tough, underreported hand-injury - suffered in a brutal fall against Providence back in February - and perhaps remains as the top overall athlete left in the tournament field.

Boeheim used his new 7-man rotation quite well. DeShonte Riley struggled - as a freshman with limited experience should - but also added a few assists, a couple of nice box outs, and helped spell Jackson during foul trouble with size and length. Things could've gone far, far worse for the 7-foot freshman from Chicago.

As for the Sweet Sixteen matchup in the top-half of the Midwest bracket, Butler will offer a much more difficult matchup for the Orange; especially on the defensive side of the ball. Butler will take 3s, open or not, and has the ability to hit them. Question remains for Syracuse: how well can you rebound the ball and limit second chance opportunities? Gonzaga had very few, which only further hurt their outside shooting. Butler wants this game in the 50s or 60s; whereas Cuse wants to run and gun, with Johnson at the center.

Obviously, after hearing head coach Jim Boeheim talk about his star center's quad injury, Arinze Onuaku seems further away from returning than some of us had expected (hoped). Nevertheless, the lethal outside shooting of Rautins, superstar ability of Johnson, interrior presence of Jackson, versatility of Joseph (who is able to log a TON of minutes), and steadiness from the point guard position duo of Triche and Jardine (Scoop!) leave the Orange as a legit national title contender. Butler should be an improvement upon Gonzaga (of course), but Syracuse is playing great basketball right now (save a brief 5-minute stretch to close out the half against Vermont, although they were up 25 at the time).

In Salt Lake City, if Triche continues to shoot and penetrate with the steadiness and confidence he displayed in Buffalo, that position becomes a completely different one for the Orange. Particularly considering the immense talent Jardine brings as the backup point guard. There may not be a more talented backup at the position in the country.

As a Cuse fan, I couldn't be more pleased right now. But after seeing what St. Mary's and Northern Iowa have done to perceived juggernauts and Butler's final 2 minutes against upstart Murray State, cautiously optimistic is the best I can do.

NCAA Tournament Running Commentary: Saturday Afternoon Edition

Note: I will be in and out today/tonight with some observations from the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Feel free to comment and be aware that the MOST RECENT updates will be found at the top of the post, although nothing will be deleted from earlier action.

7:20 PM

3 game currently on tap, 2 at the half and one 5 minutes to go in the 1st. Scroll DOWN to get re-caps of today's earlier action.

-Old Dominion has rallied to tie Baylor at 47. An early 11-2 run got the Monarchs right back in the game. ODU is 5-10 from behind the arc including a pair (3 total) from Ben Finney. Baylor has gone cold (as I fortold) and the pace has shored up to ODU. Nevertheless, do you favor the Monarchs in a game that may reach the 70s? ODU takes its first lead at 49-47 with 12:21 left. Baylor seems rattled.

Northern Iowa leads Kansas 52-43 in the second half as we're nearing the under-8 timeout. Because I'm a girlish corward, I've avoided watching the game. When does this become Must See TV? A lead with 5 minutes left? Or is it already now? Northern Iowa has maintained a 8-12 point lead the entire second half. Is a MAJOR story developing? I still have too many doubts...

Washington is controlling New Mexico 44-34 as we're 2 minutes into the second half. While New Mexico made a run against Montana on Thursday, the pace of this game completely favors the Huskies. Nevertheless, if this lead is under 8 with less than 10 to go, the Lobos should have plenty of chances.

6:45 PM

Careful to put up the finger too quickly. Kansas can put a 10-0 run together in less than 60 seconds far too easily. Especially if Aldrich starts blocking shots left and right.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

3 game currently on tap, 2 at the half and one 5 minutes to go in the 1st.

Washington has controlled the pace and is shooting 60% from the field against the Lobos of New Mexico. The Lobos are 3-11 from the behind the arc and are playing uglier than Steve Alford's jacket. Ouch. Isaiah Thomas Jr. and Quincy Pondexter already have combined for 17 in the 1st half. Both also have 2 fouls. Washington leads 34-25 with 4:412 to go.

Northern Iowa leads #1-overall seed Kansas (I know, do I need to add that?) at the half 36-28. The first 5 minutes of the second-half will be HUGE. If Northern Iowa wants to make the loudest statement of the tournament thus far, they must: value possessions, hit over 50% of open 3s, limit fast break opportunities for the Jayhawks, and not allow Collins to have an and-1 festival when attacking the hoop. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

Baylor leads ODU 38-28 at the half. The Bears have this game at the EXACT pace they want. Question is: when Baylor goes cold for 4-6 minutes (and believe me, they will), can ODU turn possessions into points??? The Monarchs don't hit 3s, but they can pass the ball well from the post - specifically through Gerald Lee - and leave themselves with wide open perimeter looks. ODU can't afford this lead to spread to 15+. They did trail Notre Dame by 6 at the half, but in a much lower scoring affair.

6:15 PM

As much as he's tortured Big East opponents, Scottie Reynolds will still be missed.
He's Villanova's finest guard - in my book - since Kerry Kittles.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

So there are 32 teams still alive, with far fewer possessing legit Final Four aspirations. Then again, crazier things have happened.

On the docket today is a lot of the excitement remaining from Thursday's MUST-SEE schedule (Friday was so-so at best, to be honest).

While my bracket is in pieces (2 Final Four teams = GONE), Syracuse took the #1 seeds to 104-0 against the lowly 16s. Gus Johnson seemed totally devastated Vermont didn't bury a barrage of 3s early on the in the second half to make it another "Game for the Ages". Oh well, Gus.

As for Gonzaga/Cuse, I am worried about Onuaku's absence. Rick Jackson will have to play a TON of minutes and not commit fouls. The outside shooting of Rautins, Jardine, Johnson, and (somehow) Triche should end up being a MAJOR factor. We shall see, I suppose.

As for today...let's check in.

The Vols' defense led them to victory today.
A matchup with Naismith-frontrunner Evan Turner next is likely.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

The weather in central Virginia (R-I-C!) has been absolutely stellar today and between softball practice (@11), lunch with some teammates, and a trip to Dick's for some new cleats...I haven't seen a ton of early action. Fear not, I'll be with you until the conclusion of tonight's matchups. Thanks, Five Hour Energy!!!

Currently in progress...
Old Dominion can't be happy with the pace of their game early on against Baylor. Trying to play a game in the 50s, Baylor is attacking the hoop early and holds an early 20-8 lead with 11+minutes left in the half. ODU can't afford to fall too far behind early on, as they aren't an efficient 3-point shooting team; especially considering Baylor's ability today thus far to use their team speed to attack the hoop at will.

Northern Iowa is shooting the ball very well and playing confidently against #1-overall seed Kansas. The Jayhawks started quietly on Thursday night and should have far too much size and athleticism - specifically via Collins and the Morris twins - to allow Northern Iowa to shoot themselves into a big enough lead to worry Rock, Chalk nation. Northern Iowa leads 19-15 mid-way through the 1st half.

New Mexico and Washington may be a more entertaining game than you think, although you may need a satellite to see it from your house (especially on the East Coast). The Lobos started poorly on Thursday, though they are an uber-talented team who shouldn't be dismissed because of their conference affiliation. My eyes will be on Washington's Quincy Pondexter, who single-handedly took over their matchup against Marquette down the stretch, sealing the game with less than 2 seconds with an impressive runner to secure the W for the Pac-10's Huskies. Could the Pac 10 join the WCC with a 3-0 record after 3 days? The game is tie at 19 nearing the 10-minute mark in the first half. This game could have plenty of fireworks.

Later tonight...
-In the East, Kentucky looks to keep it going against Wake Forest. How DeMarcus Cousins handles the duo of Yellow Jacket big men is of the utmost importance for Coach Cal.
-In the West, BYU tries to make the trip to Salt Lake City for the regional semi-final. However, red hot Kansas State - one of the most impressive performers of the opening day's games - has an extremely talented backcourt of their own and must be the early favorite to advance.

South Region
#2 Villanova vs. #10 St. Mary's
Fortunately I caught the last 10 minutes of each of the halves of Villanova and St. Mary's. Many people ignored Nova's recent struggles - and a complete LACK of rebounding an interior presence - and decided their region was weak enough to allow the Wildcats to return to the Final Four. No so much. Scottie Reynolds struggled all day, reverting to far too much 1-on-1 play in the closing possessions, as St. Mary's became the first team to punch a ticket to the Sweet Sixteen, defeating the 2-seeded Wildcats 75-68.

Omar Samhan, who makes Sam Perkins circa-96 look like he had LeBron's vertical, may be the emerging star of the tournament thus far. After completely dominating the Spiders of Richmond in the opening round (29 and 12), Villanova had ABSOLUTELY no answer for Samhan (32 and 7 on 13-16 shooting from the field). Samhan sealed the game with a late block as well. The Gaels leave the WCC 3-0 and should be considered a legit contender out of the South region in Houston next weekend.

Midwest Region
#6 Tennessee vs. #14 Ohio
It may be difficult to think of a team who played a more complete game - on both sides of the ball - than the Bobcats did in the opening round; especially considering their opponent (Georgetown). That momentum couldn't be carried over against the Volunteers, who led by 11 at the half and kept that lead for the majority of the second half - outside of one brief spurt by Ohio that cut the Tennessee lead to 5 - due to the Vols' superior athletes and shooting 55% from the field. 12 missed free throws (14-26) from the Bobcats certainly didn't help.

If you had Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen after Tyler Smith's exit from the team...you are far more adept than I am. The true question is if Bruce Pearl and the Vols can finally advance to the Elite Eight, after being frequent second weekend participants in years past.

West Region
#5 Butler vs. #13 Murray State
This one will sting for the Racers. Leading by 3 with less than 90 seconds to go, the charity stripe was good to Butler; meanwhile Murray State struggled to find quality shots. On the last possession of the game, the Racers failed to get off a 3, thanks in large party to gritty, tenacious defense from the Bulldogs behind the 3-point line. Cinderella took a backseat unfortunately as this game slipped away from the underdog.

Note: Check out Pay's final 2010 bracket projections HERE. Impressive work, as always, from the best.

It doesn't take a genius to wonder why so many media experts are targeting Kansas as their pick to not only make the Final Four, but cut down their second pair of nets in three years.

Kansas are loaded. Carl Weathers in Predator-loaded. Then again, things didn't work out perfectly for Action Jackson, did they?

Am I dating myself too much? Probably.

Talk about a movie sorely in need of a reboot.
Credit: Sportige.com

Nevertheless, here are 10 questions I have once viewing the bracket (and having 3-4 hours to digest them).
I hope a few of you (maybe even Pay, hint), will let us have some answers PLEASE.

1) Why are people crying for teams that are snubbed? Jay Bilas summed it up best: none of these teams are contending for a national title. Were any of them truly robbed of a 10, 11, or 12-seed and a (all but too likely) first-weekend exit?
2) Which of these 8/9 NAME-recognition teams should scare the respective 1-seeds the most: UNLV (Kansas), Gonzaga (Syracuse), Texas (Kentucky), or Louisville (Duke)?
3) Okay, so "who's your 5/12 upset" is soooo last year. I want to know who your 4/13 upset is this year? Now that prediction takes stones.
4) BYU and Cornell are popular sleepers. Ditto for Murray State and Siena. Do YOU have either of those four still playing during the second weekend?
5) Which is more ridiculous: Temple degraded to being a 5-seed or Notre Dame skyrocketing to a 6-seed?
6) You have 1 possession and you're down 1. Who has the ball: John Wall, De'Sean Butler, or Evan Turner? You gotta pick just one.
7) Is Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku's health the biggest factor in this tournament, medically-speaking?
8) Which first round matchup would you most be willing to call out sick from work for? Why?
9) Seriously, what's the blueprint (in 3 steps or less) in which Kansas isn't cutting down the nets?
10) Okay okay. If YOU could sub one team in the field OUT (note: they MUST be an at-large bid) and could place one of the "snubbed" teams in...WHO is it and why?

By the way, in case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard about it yet...check out the latest installment of ESPN's 30 for 30. You know, the one with Reggie Miller and Spike Lee in the promos.



As a Knick fan, it left me riveted, yet far too uneasy with the memories. Psst. That means it was effective storytelling. Such a feeling of unbridled uneasiness is pretty typical for a current apathetic Knick fan (come on LeBron!!!!)

Note: Check out Pay's final 2010 bracket projections HERE. Impressive work, as always, from the best.

Saturday Morning College Basketball Musings...

Far from a STACKED lineup today; nevertheless, it's still an entertaining set of matchups.

#20 Syracuse @ #17 Villanova
Note: I started this post before tip-off, by the time I finished typing it was 12-2 Villanova. Crocodile tears are ready to flow.
Syracuse and 'Nova split last year (each winning by double-digits on the other's home court). While neither may be "bubbling it" come March, both have a somewhat realistic shot at the coveted 4-seed (UCONN, Marquette, Louisville, & Pitt have the inside track). Keys for the road Orange have to center around the healthy of there center (yes, I just said that) Arinze Onuaku and 'Nova will need backcourt balance combined with an ability to force the Cuse into sloppy passes and lazy turnovers.
Call it: 'Nova trades baskets for the first 35 minutes, pulling away mid-way through the second-half for a 8 point victory.

Notre Dame @ #15 UCLA
Notre Dame dropped to 3-7 in conference with a brutal 2nd half showing at Cincinnati. With Louisville, UCONN, and Villanova still on their schedule, the Fighting Irish need to start piling up impressive victories. While this tussle in Pauley Pavilion won't help their conference standing, it'd be a MAJOR boost before Thursday's visit from Rick Pitino and company. Meanwhile, UCLA has been under the radar - even for a West Coast team - and can't afford a slip up against the struggling Irish.
Call It: UCLA withstand an early 3-point barrage and balances their way - on both sides of the ball - to a hard fought 6-point victory.

Miami (FL) @ #2 Duke
Miami has had an up-and-down campaign to say the least. Forcing OT against Tech two weeks back was trivial as they lost down the stretch in OT. However, pounding Wake (Mistake?) Forest has them 4-5 in conference. Unfortunately, they will need another upset - at Cameron of all places - to reach .500 and respectability in conference. Statements wins are the only way the Cannes will be dancing in March.
Call It: Duke rebounds - by shooting the 3 better and Henderson enforcing the middle - and pounds Miami by 20+. It's gonna be ugly.

Indiana @ #13 Michigan State
Remember when this game mattered? Indiana is 1-8 in the Big 10 and you can't blame Tom Creen yet, can you? Seems a lot like Rich Rodriguez over here. Except Kelvin Sampson can take the majority of this blame. It's great he still assumes little to no responsibility.
Call It: Indiana will be competitive, for around 8 minutes, before Michigan State cruises to a W. In the Big Ten, that means they win by 10.

Florida State @ #10 Clemson
A couple ACC friends of mine claim that there will be two spots for Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Florida State. While the Noles and Hokies are 4-3 in conference, FSU still has two shots to beat a top 10-team like Clemson; whereas the Hokies blew a 15-point lead (at home, no less) to the Tigers. While FSU appears to easily be the team "outside" the aformentionmed equation, no time like the present to make a statement. Meanwhile, Clemson is riding high off of perhaps its most impressive regular season showing in the last 10 years.
Call It: The word letdown has to have been talked about in the locker room. It will be close, but it won't happen today. Clemson wins a squeaker by 5.

#19 Minnesota @ Ohio State
I can't figure out either of these teams. If someone much smarter than me can shed some light, I'll owe you. I will enjoy the coaching matchup though. You call it, I'm too scared.

#14 Memphis @ #18 Gonzaga
The WCC is entirely different with St. Mary's sans-Patrick Mills; meanwhile, Memphis may never again lose a Conference USA game. The Tigers haven't seen much - outside of Tennessee I suppose - since a tough home loss to Syracuse. Tyreke Evans has turned it around and Coach Calipari has his few veteran leaders playing much better. Nevertheless, this is a brutal matchup in Spokane and I'm take the home team.
Call It: Memphis has plenty of athleticism and momentum; however, the only thing I love more than semi-colons in this post, is picking the sturdier home team.

Enjoy the matchups.