Valpo held in pretty well against Michigan State for 10 minutes, it was only 13-10. The next 15 minutes after that MSU outscored them 36-12. And that was that.
Bucknell scored only 14 points in the first half. Yikes. But Butler only had 21. One touchdown and Bucknell could get back in it. And then blamo!, Bucknell gets hot, 9 minutes into the second half they scored 150% as many points as the entire first half. And they have a 35-31 lead, still a football score.
A lot of people talk about parity in the tournament, and it is true. But the bigger reason we have so many upsets and so much uncertainty is because of the 3-point shot. One team is hot, the other is cold, and everything changes. It can overcome a wide talent disparity.
Bucknell led Butler 37-33, and to that point Butler was 0-13 from downtown. Butler hit its next two 3-point attempts. And that minirun was enough to lead them to the victory.
They showed New Mexico State's mascot, Pistol Pete, on a bump shot going out to break on TruTV and when one of commentators (can't keep track of who) said his mustache was askew, which it was. Another said it looked like Elmer Fudd's. I really wish I had the name of the idiot who confused Elmer Fudd with Yosemite Sam.
And that was the highlight for New Mexico State. St. Louis is a good team, seeded properly, but underrated by the broader audience.
Mrs. Poop is fascinated/amused that there is a team called the Shockers. And even happier that Wichita State fans and cheerleaders have adopted the hand gesture.
Pittsburgh once again playing below expectations in the tournament. They never overachieve come March. I think their physical style hurts them on offense, they just can't fill it up when they get behind.
Though the pace of this game, the low scores, the horrible shooting percentages, should have favored Pitt. The two teams combined to make 3 of 37 3-point attempts.
Doug Gottlieb is not a good game analyst. He knows a lot of stuff, has interesting things to share, but tries to be too cute, too smart, and ends up talking too much. He's much better in a studio role, like the one he has with the smoking hot
Allie LaForce, who by the way was doing sideline reporting for the games in Lexington.
Funny thing about these new playoff games featuring bubble teams. When the winning team wins its next game everyone makes it out to be a huge advantage, playing that extra game, getting momentum. When they lose all you hear about is the travel demands and the unfairness.
Nice win for Memphis but they were much better when John Calipari was arranging illicit payments for their recruits.
They did almost blow that game. Same shitty free throw shooting that cost them in the Calipari era. 3 for 6 in the last minute as St. Mary's cut the lead to 2. St. Mary's did get a very lucky crazy banked-in 3, followed by a Memphis turnover to get one final shot with 1.9 seconds left. But Dellavadova who is awesome, just couldn't get a decent shot off.
Davidson has a halftime lead on Marquette (Davidson started the game up 12-2, Marquette came back with an 11-3 run) and Buzz Williams took a long drink of water on the way to the locker room.
Junior Cadougan is now a senior. Vander Blue is a junior. I will miss neither of them when Syracuse moves to the ACC next season.
And Vander Blue took over the game. Hit a huge 3, then hit the game-winning layup. He was 3-13 before those two baskets in the final 30 seconds.
Devastating breakdown, I won't call it a choke, by Davidson. They did make 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch. They made one big turnover. If Marquette does what most teams do they foul right away and probably lose. Instead they backed off, Davidson threw a reckless cross-court pass out of bounds and Marquette got the ball one final time. I don't even blame them for Vander Blue's seemingly easy game-winner. Marquette ran a good play and Blue is quicker than anyone on Davidson. But that one stings for the little guy.
It was a little too close for a little too long, but eventually Gonzaga closed out Southern. They dominated with size, killing Southern on the offensive glass, and getting the ball to Kelly Olynyk who could not be stopped in the second half. But still did not look dominant the way a number one seed should.
And Oregon closes out the afternoon with a big win over Oklahoma State. I nailed my 12 over 5 upset and started the day by getting all 8 games correct. Hopefully I can get the next 55 correct as well.
And that was the highlight for New Mexico State. St. Louis is a good team, seeded properly, but underrated by the broader audience.
Mrs. Poop is fascinated/amused that there is a team called the Shockers. And even happier that Wichita State fans and cheerleaders have adopted the hand gesture.
Pittsburgh once again playing below expectations in the tournament. They never overachieve come March. I think their physical style hurts them on offense, they just can't fill it up when they get behind.
Though the pace of this game, the low scores, the horrible shooting percentages, should have favored Pitt. The two teams combined to make 3 of 37 3-point attempts.
Doug Gottlieb is not a good game analyst. He knows a lot of stuff, has interesting things to share, but tries to be too cute, too smart, and ends up talking too much. He's much better in a studio role, like the one he has with the smoking hot Allie LaForce, who by the way was doing sideline reporting for the games in Lexington.
Funny thing about these new playoff games featuring bubble teams. When the winning team wins its next game everyone makes it out to be a huge advantage, playing that extra game, getting momentum. When they lose all you hear about is the travel demands and the unfairness.
Nice win for Memphis but they were much better when John Calipari was arranging illicit payments for their recruits.
They did almost blow that game. Same shitty free throw shooting that cost them in the Calipari era. 3 for 6 in the last minute as St. Mary's cut the lead to 2. St. Mary's did get a very lucky crazy banked-in 3, followed by a Memphis turnover to get one final shot with 1.9 seconds left. But Dellavadova who is awesome, just couldn't get a decent shot off.
Davidson has a halftime lead on Marquette (Davidson started the game up 12-2, Marquette came back with an 11-3 run) and Buzz Williams took a long drink of water on the way to the locker room.
Junior Cadougan is now a senior. Vander Blue is a junior. I will miss neither of them when Syracuse moves to the ACC next season.
And Vander Blue took over the game. Hit a huge 3, then hit the game-winning layup. He was 3-13 before those two baskets in the final 30 seconds.
Devastating breakdown, I won't call it a choke, by Davidson. They did make 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch. They made one big turnover. If Marquette does what most teams do they foul right away and probably lose. Instead they backed off, Davidson threw a reckless cross-court pass out of bounds and Marquette got the ball one final time. I don't even blame them for Vander Blue's seemingly easy game-winner. Marquette ran a good play and Blue is quicker than anyone on Davidson. But that one stings for the little guy.
It was a little too close for a little too long, but eventually Gonzaga closed out Southern. They dominated with size, killing Southern on the offensive glass, and getting the ball to Kelly Olynyk who could not be stopped in the second half. But still did not look dominant the way a number one seed should.
And Oregon closes out the afternoon with a big win over Oklahoma State. I nailed my 12 over 5 upset and started the day by getting all 8 games correct. Hopefully I can get the next 55 correct as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment