March Madness at it's best in the Midwest Region.
Midwest Region:
Davidson was unbelievable today, make that Stephen Curry. 40 points, how good is he? He's got one of the quickest releases in basketball. What a sweet stroke. Kudos for Davidson. Gonzaga couldn't make the plays at the end & Davidson did. Memo to Davidson opponents, never take your eye of Curry (not even for a second). Next game: vs. Georgetown. This will be a tough game. I give them a shooter's chance (Curry's shot). Georgetown isn't spectacular but they get the job done methodically.
Georgetown simply wore down UMBC. It probably annoys some Hoya fans that they don't put away teams early (a tendency to let lesser teams hang around). Next game: vs. Davidson. They better not let them hang around because they would be playing with fire (and you know what they say about that). I expect them to win this game though, pulling away in the 2nd half. Curry won't get 40 against them.
Siena blew out Vanderbilt. Who saw this coming? Nobody. Vandy had no answer for Hasbrouck, he lit them up for 30. They simply ran them out the gym. Fun style to watch and apparently, effective as well. Vandy didn't shoot well at all (4-20 from beyond the arc, ouch). The game was too fast for them. Siena was on a mission from the jump ball. Are they this year's George Mason? Next game: vs. Villanova. Who knew this would be the 2nd round matchup? This should be one heck of a game, both teams are playing with house money. Nova can certainly play at Siena's speed.
Villanova kept the game close and won it at the end. No one should be surprised. Clemson never took advantage of their inside presence. They took 33 three pointers, what a joke. Their coach, Mr Purnell, never made the adjustment. Bad coaching. You need look no further than the free throw numbers- Nova (24-29) for 82%/Clemson (14-23) for 60%. And they were outrebounded (31-28) They were reading their own press clippings about how good they were. Next game: vs. Siena. Nova has to feel good about their chances. They won't crack under pressure and will scrap til the end. And having some talent doesn't hurt either. I have them winning a close game.
East Region:
Louisville handled their business against Boise St. They were never really threatened in the 2nd half. They need to play better next round. The Cards shot 9-17 on the free throw line and were out-rebounded. They need to play better in the next round, I'm sure Pitino gave them a verbal bashing after that game. Next game: vs. Oklahoma. They aren't a good outside shooting team (which should help Louisville) but they attack the basket and have a great talent in Blake Griffin. Louisville should win this game. Jump on them early.
Oklahoma got by a game St. Joe's team. The difference was free throws, they made 8 more and won by that number. Each made 24 field goals with 6 three pointers. Next game: vs. Louisville. They will have to play much better or risk getting blown out. Louisville will rebound and press. They have athletes all over the court. The start of the game will be critical for Oklahoma. they lose the game in the end.
Arkansas handled Indiana easily than most thought. It wasn't hard with Gordon having his worst game of the year (bad time for that). While the Razorbacks got contributions from different players. Weems was special with a Gordon like game (31 pts). Their pressure proved too much for Indiana to handle, not so much getting turnovers but keeping the Hoosiers out of sink. Next game: vs. UNC. They have no realistic shot. UNC is on a roll right now. The avalanche is coming.
UNC totally dominated this game against Mt. St. Mary's. They wasted no time in killing their spirit. Everyone got in on this route. Next game: vs. Arkansas. They will put up a better fight but the result will be the same, maybe not by 30 but 15-20 is very possible. This train is picking up momentum and Arkansas is on the tracks.
South Region:
Memphis cruised to an easy victory after a slow start. Texas-Arlington showed up, that's about it. Won't waste time talking about this game. On to the 2nd round. Next game: vs. Mississippi St. This will be a good game. Miss St. won't roll over for them. out of all the No. 1 seeds next opponent, the Tigers is the most dangerous.
Mississippi State blitzed Oregon in the 2nd half after a bad 1st half. Their outside shooting was horrible though (4-17 from beyond the arc). They will have to shoot much better and no slow starts because there will be no comeback next game. next game: vs. Memphis. There will be far less room for error against a Tiger team that can convert turnovers & bad shots into quick points. I'm looking forward to the battle down low between Dorsey & Varnado. I think the depth at the guard position will prove to be too much, they come at you in waves.
Miami turned a slight halftime deficit into a victory by blitzing St. Mary's in the 2nd half. Whatever coach said to them at halftime lit a fire in them. He better save that same speech for next game. McClinton put on a show (38 pts). This was an upset special for a lot of people. They will need to cut down on their turnovers (16 is too high) because they will pay against a better opponent. Next game: vs. Texas. They will be up against a more focused & determined Augustine after a rough opening game. The supporting cast will dictate how this game will play out. They will either be in it til the end (because of great support) or get blown out (because McClinton is a one man show).
Texas overwhelmed Austin Peay & cruised to victory. Augustine had a bad game & they still won rather easily, a very good sign. Don't expect him to have another bad game though. Bad news for their next opponent. Next game: vs. Miami. Make McClinton work for his points & shut down everyone else. Simple plan. They should win this going away in the 2nd half.
West Region:
Western Kentucky played a great game against Drake. Bombs away from three pointer land (30 makes between them). Back & forth game plus OT with a buzzer beater to win it. What a wildly entertaining game. The game of the Tourney so far. Next game: vs. San Diego. That's right, San Diego. We can expect another fun game to watch from Western Kentucky. I like their chances.
San Diego got an prayer answered against UCONN. Your two best players on the bench having fouled out & you get a last second shot from your 5th best player. UCONN helped their own demise by not pounding the ball down low or driving to the basket. Calhoun never adjusted to the pick & roll SD was running. Pomare was killing them on the jump shot because Thabeet wasn't letting the defender go underneath the screen. Instead, the defender got chipped all game long, Thabeet would leave his man and never recover. With all that said, UCONN wins this game if Price doesn't get hurt (I hope it's not serious). They still had to hit the shot to win, so kudos to San Diego. Next game: vs. Western Kentucky. Who saw this coming? Both teams have nothing to lose. It should be an entertaining game. Which team will continue to wear that glass slipper?
