This is why it's called March Madness....
Officially, the Big East Conference tournament has four first-round byes. The University of Connecticut, however, drew a fifth through its matchup with woeful DePaul, as the Huskies waltzed past the Blue Demons 97-71. As I type, UConn is mopping the floor with Georgetown in the opening second-round game -- the Huskies lead by 15 at the under-four-minute TV timeout in the first half.
Marquette was another easy winner in the closing first-round contest, breezing past Providence 87-66. The Golden Eagles next face West Virginia, with the winner taking on Louisville in Thursday night's quarterfinals.
The other two first-round games provided considerably more excitement. In an all-New Jersey affair, 13th-seeded Rutgers, in a mild upset, bounced No. 12 Seton Hall 76-70 in overtime. I say "mild upset," because whenever the seeds differ by only one, in my mind the game is a tossup. So to me, the Scarlet Knights' victory has little shock value.
I cannot say the same regarding lowly South Florida's 70-69 upending of Villanova. Not only was this the No. 15 seed taking out the No. 10, but it also featured the Wildcats self-destructing in spectacular fashion. In coughing up a 16-point halftime lead to a USF team that won only three Big East games in the regular season, 'Nova may have played itself into the National Invitation Tournament. If I'm on the NCAA selection committee, I have a difficult time voting Villanova in and, for example, Ohio Valley regular-season champ Murray State out.
Officially, the Big East Conference tournament has four first-round byes. The University of Connecticut, however, drew a fifth through its matchup with woeful DePaul, as the Huskies waltzed past the Blue Demons 97-71. As I type, UConn is mopping the floor with Georgetown in the opening second-round game -- the Huskies lead by 15 at the under-four-minute TV timeout in the first half.
Marquette was another easy winner in the closing first-round contest, breezing past Providence 87-66. The Golden Eagles next face West Virginia, with the winner taking on Louisville in Thursday night's quarterfinals.
The other two first-round games provided considerably more excitement. In an all-New Jersey affair, 13th-seeded Rutgers, in a mild upset, bounced No. 12 Seton Hall 76-70 in overtime. I say "mild upset," because whenever the seeds differ by only one, in my mind the game is a tossup. So to me, the Scarlet Knights' victory has little shock value.
I cannot say the same regarding lowly South Florida's 70-69 upending of Villanova. Not only was this the No. 15 seed taking out the No. 10, but it also featured the Wildcats self-destructing in spectacular fashion. In coughing up a 16-point halftime lead to a USF team that won only three Big East games in the regular season, 'Nova may have played itself into the National Invitation Tournament. If I'm on the NCAA selection committee, I have a difficult time voting Villanova in and, for example, Ohio Valley regular-season champ Murray State out.
* * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, fans of the University of Kentucky have little to do other than wait for tomorrow afternoon's Mississippi-South Carolina game to determine UK's Friday afternoon opponent, or debate the Southeastern Conference coaches' awards. (Unless they can somehow bring themselves to watch the Big East games.)
In my mind, considerable debate should occur regarding the league rule that each school can nominate only one player for each award. This year, UK's Terence Jones won Freshman of the Year, but in many people's opinion (including his own), Jones should have shared the award with teammate Brandon Knight. Cat fans saw this same show last year, when it starred John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.
If memory serves, the media isn't under the same restriction. I hope not; gaudy as Jones' numbers have been, I believe UK's success owes more to Knight's work as a distributor and facilitator. Knight certainly merits a share of the honor.
Meanwhile, fans of the University of Kentucky have little to do other than wait for tomorrow afternoon's Mississippi-South Carolina game to determine UK's Friday afternoon opponent, or debate the Southeastern Conference coaches' awards. (Unless they can somehow bring themselves to watch the Big East games.)
In my mind, considerable debate should occur regarding the league rule that each school can nominate only one player for each award. This year, UK's Terence Jones won Freshman of the Year, but in many people's opinion (including his own), Jones should have shared the award with teammate Brandon Knight. Cat fans saw this same show last year, when it starred John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.
If memory serves, the media isn't under the same restriction. I hope not; gaudy as Jones' numbers have been, I believe UK's success owes more to Knight's work as a distributor and facilitator. Knight certainly merits a share of the honor.
posted by Alan at 9:30 AM
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