What was that about the elite teams being able to tiptoe through the upset minefield? Umm... about that. UNI's upset win over Kansas sent shockwaves around March Madness and created carnage in bracket upon bracket nationwide. But, Kansas' win wasn't the only story to emerge from Saturday's action. A recap and Sunday's picks are right here at RSS.
1) Biggest Winner - UNI... and Kentucky & Kansas State
-Of course Northern Iowa is the biggest winner for pulling off the biggest 8/9 v 1 upset ever. Some might put this upset in the ranks of the greatest of all-time, but I'm not going there yet. UNI has the poise and the goods to go even farther and saying it is that big of an upset does their talent injustice. But, UK and K State are also big winners for impressive victories and losing their chief competitor. If KSU gets past Syracuse, they don't have to face a KU team they were 0-3 against, and UK takes the favorite mantle.
2) Biggest Loser - Kansas
-I have to eat my words because I thought Kansas would blow out Northern Iowa, but I'm not crying over this upset having KU out in the next round to Michigan State (cha-ching!). Kansas' loss just proves that even the elite teams aren't really that elite. Sharron Collins has won a lot of titles, but he's no John Wall or Evan Turner. And, the Jayhawks now have a history under Bill Self of bowing out to mid-major opponents (Bradley, Bucknell, UNI). Other top seeds must now watch their backs that they don't follow the same fate.
3) Best Performance - Jacob Pullen Kansas St.
-Going up against the highly touted Jimmer Fredette, Pullen proved that he is part of one of the best backcourts in the country in Manhattan. Pullen scored 34 points in only 29 minutes including 7 3's against BYU. Guard play is so crucial in this tournament, and Pullen & Clemente are capable of taking KSU all the way. With Gilbert Arenas out of the picture, we could use a new Agent Zero ya know...
4) Best Game Excluding UNI/KU - Butler 54 Murray St 52
-Of course the game of the day was UNI's miraculous win, but Butler's victory over Murray State was everything a tournament game should be - close, tight, and tense. Murray had a great effort to come back and lead late, but it was the Bulldog defense down the stretch that ultimately booked their ticket to the Sweet 16.
5) Biggest Escape - Baylor
-The least fancied of the top seeds was able to escape a very worthy Old Dominion team before pulling out to an 8 point win. With St. Mary's beating Villanova, Baylor can get to the Elite 8 by beating 3 double digit seeds. Most will scoff, but this year that's nothing to roll your eyes about. Lacedarius Dunn and crew are slowly turning knuckleheads like me into believers. And, if they get their inspiration from the famous New Orleans Saints "Bring the Wood" bats, they might lift the trophy like New Orleans did.
6) Biggest Choke Job - Villanova
-In the 9 months this blog has existed, I've made a lot of dumb picks, but saying Villanova would rebound and blow out St. Mary's was one of the worst. Nova's tournament performance looked like a team that finished the year 2-5 - one more worthy of a 10 seed than a 2. Scottie Reynolds was a shadow of his clutch self, and their insides were ripped apart by the Gaels. Jay Wright didn't have his team ready to play, and they are very deserving of their early exit.
7) Highlight of the Day - Ali Farokmanesh UNI
-Simply one of the gutsiest shots of all-time. Put yourself in Ali F's shoes. Your team has almost been pressed into submission, you've missed your last 5 shots, and you can easily burn most of the last 30 seconds off. 98% of people wouldn't risk taking that shot, but Farokmanesh did, and he became a hero, plus he has a sweet name...
8) One Shining Thought - The Greatest Tournament In The World
-Yesterday was a perfect example of why we love the NCAA tournament, and why there is nothing like it in all of sports. Where else could a team like Northern Iowa be able to take the same court as the almighty Kansas and think that they could get a famous win? Where else could we find such pure joy and love of sport than this tournament? The NCAA Tournament is the greatest tournament in the world because of what we saw yesterday. Each and every year we meet new heroes, new teams, see new upsets, and witness new games that we'll remember for a long, long time.
SUNDAY PICKS
Syracuse (1) vs Gonzaga (8)
-Syracuse is an endangered species. A top seed and a Big East powerhouse. The makeup of the Orange is different than that of Kansas or the other Big East teams though. Their 2-3 zone will frustrate the Zags, and they'll get enough from Wes Johnson to get them to the Sweet 16. Plus, they have the best homecourt advantage right now playing in Buffalo.
Pick: Cuse
Missouri (10) vs. West Virginia (2)
-This game will be closer than the experts think. Mizzou's style is a mismatch nightmare for any team coached by Bob Huggins. Mizzou will keep coming at West Virginia, even if they get down early and will hang with the Mountaineers. I want to pick the upset, but Mizzou has really missed the duo of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons, who led them to the Elite 8 last year. It'll show in a game where WVU will be strong enough on the inside to win.
Pick: WVU
Michigan State (5) vs. Maryland (4)
-Sparty is shaking after their near upset at the hands of New Mexico St. Greivis Vasquez and the Terps have been as under-the-radar as a Top 4 seed could be entering Round 2. The Terps have been playing good ball as of late, but can this team buckle down and slog it out with Michigan State if the pace slows? I think both teams will probably want to keep the tempo up with athletes all over the floor, but the floor leadership of Kalin Lucas will make the difference when the going gets tough.
Pick: MSU
Cornell (12) vs. Wisconsin (4)
-Don't be fooled by Cornell's 12 seed, they were the better team against Temple and they'll be the better team in this matchup. Cornell is much like the prototypical mid-major tournament success story. They shoot well from outside, they're great in the half-court, and they don't turn the ball over. Wisconsin can't outathlete Cornell like they we might see from UK in the next round.
Pick: Cornell
Xavier (6) vs. Pittsburgh (3)
-This is the hardest game to call of the Sunday slate. Like seemingly every 3 seed in this field, PItt just doesn't strike the casual observer as a team capable of making a deep tourney run. Xavier was lifted by an amazing performance from Jordan Crawford in R1 and they are very capable of winning another game. This will be a slugfest, which suits both teams... but I think Pitt is just slightly better at the hardhat/lunchpail style.
Pick: Pitt
Texas A&M (5) vs. Purdue (4)
-These two schools were popular picks to get upset in R1, but they came through against Utah St. and Siena. A&M especially was very impressive in victory. Outside of Kansas' loss, the Big XII has had an outstanding tournament. However, it looks like the Boilermakers might finally be learning how to play without Robbie Hummel - feed JaJuan Johnson (23/15 v Siena).
Pick: Purdue
California (8) vs. Duke (1)
-Which would be more surprising: 2 #1 seeds exiting in Round 2, or 2 out of 2 Pac 10 teams making the Sweet 16? Let's face it, they would be equally surprising. It would take a gigantic upset for the Bears to top the Blue Devils, but if this tourney has shown us anything it's that anything is possible. We know Duke is nowhere near as good as Kansas, but I can't see them falling to Cal.
Pick: Duke, reluctantly
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