Final:


Syracuse 75 - Kansas State 59 = The Orange do advance, and with more ease than with their war with UNC-A. Maybe they got focused, maybe they got accustomed to playing without Fab Melo, and maybe they can lve up to their 1-seed . . . though I figure the winner of the Vandy/Wisc game will give them a lot to handle. As for K-State, they had a better season than was expected, which might keep Frank Martin from going postal . . . and may not. But this one wonders: With this loss, and with Texas and Missouri dropping out early, plus with Baylor struggling with South Dakota State. was the Big 12 again a one-league team, the Jayhawks and everybody else? OK, Iowa State did take care of U Conn, but I'm not sure how much that is worth. We'll know better today, when the Cyclones face Kentucky, and Baylor takes on Pac-12 champ Colorado . . . though maybe not so much in that 2nd one.


Other games today:


Ohio State vs. Gonzaga = There is no doubt which one has the most talent. But if Sully does not shake off his sophomore slump and bring it today, the Buckeyes' dependence upon Buford and Kraft to survive may get them into trouble with the 'Zags. I think they can overcome a poor offensive game by Sully, as long as he defends and rebounds, but without that this could get scary.

Murray State vs. Marquette = And this one is scary from the get-go, for both teams. Joe's Racers may be outclassed by the Marq-uee opponent, especially off the glass. But on the other hand, I doubt if Marquette knows a ton about Murray State, and may be looking past their 1-loss season as being merely a product of the lower-level competition they faced in the OVC. True as that may be, it does not mean the Racers cannot hoop, nor does it mean the Golden Eagles can't be beaten by a lower-seed . . . as Mizzou and Dook found out.

Vanderbilt vs. Wisconsin = To me this is one of the more interesting match-ups of the day. Both teams have some quality bigs, both want to control tempo, and both want a shot at what they think is a vulnerable Syracuse team. I expect a war here.

VCU vs. Indiana = Yeah, I know what VCU did last year, and yeah I know I was pumping their league all year as one of the better and underrated mid-majors in the nation. But despite the weaknesses the Hoosiers can show from the perimeter players at times, they play tough-nosed D, and the have the difficult-to-defend Cody Zeller in the paint. I see no miracle run for VCU this year.

Iowa State vs. Kentucky = The Cyclones have faced, and defeated at times, some quality teams all year, but they have not faced a team like the Wildcats. If UK plays like they did in their opener, this could get ugly. Iowa State's only chance is to control the pace, get inside either on drives or good post passing, and get those 'Cat bigs into some foul trouble. You can rattle a young team like UK, even if they are no longer really freshmen and sophomores, and rattled kids will make mistakes. Me, I would not bet on it, but it could happen.

Colorado vs. Baylor = And me, I don't like either one of these teams. I was surprised that the Buffaloes won their opener over UNLV, based upon the lousy play I saw from them in the Pac-12 championship game, which was unwatchable. As for the Bears, they have several good players, and nearly no team chemistry whatsoever. Why don't both of them go ahead and lose this one, so then we don't have to see them anymore? :-)

New Mexico vs. Louisville = This is a tough one. The Lobos have had some very good wins, and have a good young coach to boot. The Cardinals have a "storied" (to be kind) coach of their own, and have had some terrible losses this year. They are like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates . . . you never know what you're gonna get. I'm leaning towards New Mexico here, but only because I'm not sure how much longer Louisville can continue to play well . . . their string may have run out.


If I get a chance to get back, I'll deal a bit with Sunday games, though all I really care about is if my Heels can get past Creighton, with or without John Henson. Until whenever then, enjoy.
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Love your point about guard play vs viable post play/ers. This, in fact, was key to the Racer's loss today. The Racer guard corp was able to do some work, but overall, did not score enough to win the game, in spite of the EXCELLENT defensive work they did. Their 2 main big men are less than 6' 9", and were smaller than Marquette's big guys, and in the last 3 minutes, it was all the difference. Aska got inside looks, and almost never converted or rebounded his misses. Daniels was decently effective on offense, but got wore down by the battle and Marquette's big guys still had legs to make shots and rebounds. Daniels, again, was a beast on defense and quick opportunities, but at the end, was too tired to keep it up. I hope Murray has a big guy in wating (and we might. In fact, the one we do have can score and D, but needs more lbs next season).

So.. My wife and I are still here in the recliners, cleaning up our kleenexes. Murray was in the game till the last 2 minutes, but Marquettes size and strength gave them the legs to hang on 2 more minutes and preserve the lead. Great, tough game, with lots of lead changes throughout. My thanks to UK fans who bought up all the tickets, and then didn't go to this one, so the rest of us rooting for an in-state team could not go and show OUR support :-). It was truly a fantastic season for the Racers, and I can't wait for next season. Be interesting to see if Caanan tries to leave early, or if Prohme gets an offer he can't refuse.

'Cuse wins, and shot that side of the bracket for me. Very surprised, to be honest.

UK is up about 20 on Iowa State, with less than 2m to go. Haven't watched it really. Just came in from smoking a Tat black PC on the back porch, and thinking about how great it would have been to have gotten to fly to Arizona to watch the Racers...

UL and New Mexico are in a close game, early in H1.

Vandy goes down to Wisconsin, which was no surprise.

Another mid major also bit the dust, with VCU falling to IU in a very close, hard fought game. Really enjoy watching Shaka's teams. THE OSU beats the 'Zags as well.
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My 2 favorite teams are in the Sweet 16 (Cincinnati and Ohio State) and they are playing each other on Thursday.

I am definitely rooting for the Cincinnati Bearcats! :-)
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Joe, I feel your pain. Remember, as a Tar Heel, I've seen more than my share of hearbreaking losses in the NCAAs myself. Just do what I do and congratulate yourself and your team for having an outstanding season, and move on.

My point about guards may or may not be all that valid, but it may have brought me some bad karma. Kendall Marshall broke a bone in his wrist yeaterday against Creighton. He had a screw put into it today, and is "unlikely" for the game Friday. True, Carolina has enough other talent to have reasonable faith that they should . . . SHOULD! . . . be able to handle the Ohio Bobcats. Hell, they probably have enough to give the Charlotte Bobcats a decent game. Still, it is a hit for their possible future down the line, even if he comes back at, what we'd assume, is less than 100%.

And Dan, as for your Cincy/OSU match-up, you sure can pick 'em. Both of those teams can play very well, and both can come out and absolutely stink up the joint. :-) Should be interesting.
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Kudos on the Ohio teams making the Sweet 16!!!!! Wish there were 2 KY teams there with ya. The Racers are looking forward already to the 2012/13 season, and getting past the Sweet 16; love that attitude!!!

Very interested to see Ohio and Cincy match up. Looks like Cincy is still drawing ire as a "thug" team from the internet chatter. I'm glad to see Cronin have success in the bigger program, after leaving the Racers, and appreciate his time here. Also see another Racer coaching alum having success, as Gottfried's team gets a Sweet 16 spot.

Poet, I'm definitely no Tarheel fan, but I hate to see any kid go down, especially at this time. Kids play hard all year long, and making it here, deserve to get to enjoy playing in the Dance. I hope he can somehow get in to play. If the Tarheels make it to play UK, I want to see the very best of your team going after the very best of the team I root for, win or lose. No jinx there, it's just an unfortunate reality of good, all-out play sometimes.

One thing about this tourney I heard brought up on Evan and Phillips this morning: the last game ended well after midnight Eastern Time. That is WAY too late to have these games going, both for the players AND me!!!
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So, lemme get this straight . . . the internet is a-chatter with Cincy being a thug, as they prepare to go up against Big Ten opponent Ohio State? Have those guys ever watched a basketball game? :-) :-)

It's beginning to look like this year's UNC team has become as snake-bit as their 1977 one. That year they lost to injuries Tommy LaGarde, Walter Davis, and Phil Ford . . . who did manage to play in the tournament, but was not nearly as effective. This year's team lost guard Leslie McDonald before the season, Dexter Strickland in January, lost John Henson for a few games, and now will have, at best, a one-handed point guard in Kendall Marshall. On the bright side, the 1977 team went on to the championship game before losing to Marquette. Also, this year's final is in New Orleans, where Dean Smith won both his banners. And, perhaps best news of all, when Dean lost that '77 final to Al McGuire, Al celebrated by announcing his retirement. Perhaps if we can somehow make it to the championship and lose to Kentucky, John Calipari will do us all the same favor. :-)
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All I'm gonna say is Carolina better win on Friday. I want another crack at em, this time with no ACC refs to be ACC refs.
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Well, while you're looking past Kansas, I'll concern myself with getting past Ohio. :-)
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Oh, Bear, BTW . . . though I've said I don't care about Vegas oddsmakers, I did a check anyway. My Heels are still a 10 1/2-point favorite over the Ohio Bobcats, even without Marshall projected to play. On the other side of the bracket, your 'Pack is an 8-point 'dog against the Jayhawks.

That may mean jack, and I reaffirm I do not pay attention to it at all. Yet I also reaffirm you need to play them one at a time. :-)
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Well we managed to beat a team I had in the championship game in my bracket, so I'm feelin good about the matchup. Just hope the team doesn't cool off before the game, we were on fire in the Georgetown game.
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Brother, that may mean you have a Final Four team coming out of Raleigh . . . or it may just mean you're lousy at filling out a bracket. :-)


To be serious, take note that Georgetown is historically a defense-first team who often struggles at the offensive end of the court. As for this particular team, they were not expected to compete in the Big East this season due to their youth, and overachieved, much to the delight of Hoya fans. And your "on fire" Wolfpack won the game by a 66-63 margin . . . although, to be fair, the margin may have been a bit larger had they been able to hit a few foul shots, as opposed to handing Georgetown every opportunity to take the game away from you late.

Hey, I wish you all the luck in the world against Kansas, don't get me wrong. I'm just advising you that it is ill-advised to start frying up your chickens before they even hatch.
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Noted Thomas. However, it is a very fun time to be on campus. One of my friends over there sent me this video. Borderline sacrilegious, but still cool. Says she can't remember a time like this in quite a while.... It's all everybody wants to talk about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH98E...e_gdata_player (NSFThePoet)

Win or lose, looks like Yow has hit a home run :-)
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Looking forward to the games starting back up tonight. Work is going to go sloooooowwwwww today!
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:-) Pulling For Baylor, Here!:-)
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As it should be, Jerry. After suffering through the disappointing seasons your 'Pack endured under Sidney Lowe (not that I'm blaming him), you should be enjoying a trip to the 2nd weekend of the NCAAs, and the hope for better things to come. All I was saying to Bear was that, considering two weeks ago NCSU seemed dead in the water, with their bubble burst due to late-season losses before the ACC tourney wins got them in as one of the last few to make the cut, it is a bit presumptuous to start planning for a trip to New Orleans.



The Bears have better talent than do the Xavier Musketeers, but they seem to struggle at playing as a team. That cannot be said about the X-Men. You should be able to get past them, but getting past the UK/Hoosier winner won't be easy . . . especially if Xavier picks another fight, and gets half your guys suspended from play. :-)
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Hey, that's right! We get to see some hoops this evening.


Wisconsin vs. Syracuse = This is a very interesting match-up. The Badgers want to play a half-court game most of the time, and Boeheim's zone defense is made for that. But Wisconsin has size enough to shoot over the zone, and if they hit some shots it could be a problem for the Orange. And if they miss some shots, they also have the size to grab offensive boards for second chances, which is one of the inherent flaws of a zone. It is harder to box out an area than it is a specific player. On the other side of the court, the 'Cuse may suffer from not having their big man Melo in the paint, and if Jardine isn't scoopin' it into the bucket the Badgers will likely own that glass also . . . and they will run on you if you give them the chance. This may come down to the final few possessions.

Cincinnati vs. Ohio State = That brawl with Xavier seemed to have turned the Bearcats around, but I still don't think they are all that great a team. Yet although the Buckeyes have more talent, they too have had their problems. Kraft and Buford have been solid, if not outstanding, but Sullinger has not made a step forward from his freshman year . . . and perhaps has even taken a step back. Regardless, I truly can't see how Cincy can hang with THE OSU for a full forty minutes, and expect a 4 or 5 possession Buckeye win.

Louisville vs. Michigan State = In the other half of this Big East/Big Ten donnybrook, I see much the same thing. The Cardinals have both played very well and played like garbage, and as they've played well lately I can easily imagine it is time for Pitino's kids to start stinking up the joint again. The Spartans, however, have been much more consistent, and Green has shown a capacity to take over a game all by his lonesome. Yeah, I could be wrong about Louisville, but I don't think I'm wrong about MSU. Spartans, by double-digits.

Florida vs. Marquette = The situation here is about the same also, although I do believe the talent level is more even. The Gators have played very well of late, but lost a lot of games to teams they should have absolutely killed. As for the Golden Eagles, they were much more consistently a good team, even considering late stumbles in the penultimate regular-season visit to Cincy and their loss to Louisville early in the Big East tourney. Despite that, I have more confidence in what team I'll see from Marquette than I am of the one I'll see from Florida . . . but it is closer. Like with the Badger/Orange game, I feel this will go down to the final few possessions . . . unless, as has happened (by my count) in 6 of their 10 losses, Donovan's team does not bother to even make it out of the lockerroom. And yes, I am counting 2 of the 3 Ls to Kentucky there. Losing to this year's Wildcat team is no disgrace, but losing by 20 the first time and 15 the second is not much of a positive statement. :-)


So there's you action today. I wish your team, whoever they may be, all the best of luck, and be sure to enjoy.
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OK, just for the halibut, I checked out the Vegas odds for those 4 games to see how fishy my picks above may be. According to these experts, the favorites are:

Syracuse by 3 1/2

Ohio State by 7 1/2

Michigan State by 5 1/2

Marquette by 2


Hey, maybe I'm not quite as crazy as I think I am.
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Exciting night so far!

'Cuse moves on with a 1 point win over Wisconsin, in a tough game.

Halfway through H2, the Cards are holding a slim lead over Michigan State, in a very low-scoring, defensive battle. And the refs are pretty much letting both sides play.
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Here's to 4 more good games tonight ... hopefully I can stay awake to watch my hawks this evening!

Rock Chalk!
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Get the box of tissues ready, you'll need em. :-)

GO PACK!
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