Wow, what a night in Yoder Madness. One of the most memorable opening days of the NCAA tournament that I can remember with buzzer beaters, upsets, and great games all throughout the day. Here's a recap of the best and worst of the 1st day of the NCAA Tournament...
1) Biggest Winner - Ohio Bobcats
-Ohio didn't just beat GTown in a lucky, slow it down, smash and grab game. They put up 97 points! 97! On a Top 25 Big East team! Ohio had a losing record in the MAC! Huh? Remember when GTown was the hot team to pick? Haha. John Thompson said it repeatedly on the Westwood One broadcast, Ohio was not afraid to take it to the Hoyas, and that's the key in any of these games. The Bobcats were led by Armon Bassett's 32 and shot over 56% from the field and downtown. Wow. If they shoot anywhere near that against Tennessee, they'll book their ticket to the Sweet 16.
2) Biggest Loser - Big East
-Or the Big Least, haha... clever pun I know. What happened to the best conference in the country?? 1-3? Notre Dame evidently wasn't deserving of that 6 seed, we mentioned G'Town's epic fail, and 6 seed Marquette led by as many as 15 in the 2nd half before allowing a last second shot to Quincy Pondexter to lose by 2. Oh, and did we mention that the one Big East team to win was a 2 seed needing OT and many questionable officiating decisions down the stretch? Seriously? That was one of the worst days for a big time conference that I've seen in the NCAA tournament.
3) Best Performance - Jimmer Fredette BYU
-Y2 said it best, Fredette looked like Steve Nash yesterday. With his long distance shooting and scoop shots at the hoop, Fredette carried BYU past Florida and 2 OT's to advance with 37 points on 50% shooting. On a day where there were several individual standout performances, Fredette's was the best.
4) Best Game - BYU/Florida, Murray St/Vandy, UNI/UNLV, Wake/Texas, Nova/RMU,
-Too many great games to pick just one. All 5 of these were memorable first round encounters with OT games, buzzer beaters, near upsets, and upsets. What a day for the NCAA Tourney. If I have to pick one, which I don't have to since it's my blog, but I will anyways just for you... I'll go with BYU/UF's 2 OT masterpiece.
5) Biggest Escape - Villanova
-As we mentioned above, Villanova can thank their lucky stars they were able to escape Bob Morris. Jay Wright must be questioned for benching Scottie Reynolds for a "minor practice issue" that threw off his team until the end of regulation. Nova didn't lead for over 35 minutes until OT where they were able to hold off a final RMU run. For those that had Nova in the F4 (yes, that's me), yesterday was incredibly scary. Heck, St. Mary's, who crushed a more fancied Richmond side, might even be the morning line favorite on Saturday.
6) Biggest Choke Job - Texas
-As someone who picked Texas, this loss hurt more than the 5 others I suffered yesterday. Texas, a former #1, was down by double digits in both halves, and came back to force OT. The Horns took an 8 point lead in OT. Great win, right? Uhh, no. Listening to the game on the radio last night, Texas' choke job was appalling. Dumb foul after dumb foul down the stretch, turnovers, and an inability to hit clutch free throws did them in against Wake. Give Ishmael Smith credit for hitting the shot, but Texas should have won this game easily. Rick Barnes has to be called out for taking a mid-season #1 team to an embarrassing 1st round choke.
7) Best Buzzer Beater - Danero Thomas Murray State
-Murray St. battled Vandy every step of the way. Inbounding with 4 seconds left, Danero Thomas etched his name into Murray State lore, if Murray State even has a lore to be etched in...
Come on, this is March Madness! What about the other videos?
Ishmael Smith - Wake Forest
Quincy Pondexter - Washington
Ali Farokmanesh - Northern Iowa
8) One Shining Thought - Hello, Parity
-The lower seeds won 7 games yesterday, which is a record best for Day 1 of the tournament. There were wins by a 14, 13, 11, 11, 10, 9 and 9 yesterday. Before the tourney, we wondered how the lack of elite teams and the down year in college basketball would affect the tourney. After Day 1, it's clear that the effect is that below .500 MAC teams beat Big East powers and the term mid-major is obsolete. We asked if the madness could make up for an underwhelming season?
Yes. Resoundingly.
The tourney is taking shape as one where anything can happen and anybody can win. We might see the #1 seeds advance far again, but all of the other top seeds are susceptible to upsets. Villanova, New Mexico, and Baylor all avoided huge upsets that befell Georgetown and Vandy. Friday has a lot to live up to after 3 OT games and several decided in the last minutes. We will see more upsets today with double digit seeds moving on, more excitement, and more buzzer beaters, the madness is in full swing.
Brother Yohey here, this time it is my turn to give the picks for Friday's 1st Round games, let's get it on!
Morgan State (15) vs West Virginia (2)
-As crazy as the first day's games have been I wouldn't be too crazy to envision a 15 over a 2, but not in this case.
Pick: WVU
Minnesota (11) vs. Xavier (6)
-The great run Tubby Smith's club had in the Big Ten Tournament will make some consider the Gophers, but not in this one.
Pick: X
Cornell (12) vs. Temple (5)
-The Big Red have a good chance in this one against the A10's best team, which in my opinion, carries not a lot of weight. My head says Cornell, but my heart, and my bracket, have Temple.
Pick: Temple
Siena (13) vs. Purdue (4)
-The Big Ten busters from last year are back and will take on Purdue. Siena will make it two years in a row against Big 10 teams in the Opening Round
Pick: Siena
Missouri (10) vs. Clemson (7)
-I choose the Tigers to win this one.
Pick: Clemson
Oakland (14) vs. Pittsburgh (3)
-The ONLY WAY I would ever pick an Oakland over a Pittsburgh is in baseball. This is college basketball.
Pick: Pittsburgh
Wofford (13) vs. Wisconsin (4)
-Wisconsin has a great inside presence and will give Wofford troubles all game.
Pick: Wisconsin
Utah State (12) vs. Texas A&M (5)
-The hot team of this tournament would have to be Utah State. They were a bubble team but in no way deserved it. An RPI in the top 40 gives them credence to pull this one out; and they will.
Pick: Utah State
Florida St. (9) vs. Gonzaga (8)
-Mark Few will have his boys fired up after getting an 8 seed and they will take it to the Seminoles
Pick: Gonzaga
Georgia Tech (10) vs. Oklahoma State (7)
-Not familiar on these teams, but Georgia Tech played good in the ACC tournament, so I'm going with them to win the game.
Pick: GT
New Mexico St. (12) vs. Michigan State (5)
-Tom Izzo; 'nuff said.
Pick: Michigan State
Arkansas Pine Bluff (16) vs. Duke (1)
-I have an issue with Duke getting the play in game winner. If Kansas was truly the #1 overall seed, shouldn't they get the winner of the 64/65 game? Come on now!
Pick: Duke
Vermont (16) vs. Syracuse (1)
-Catamounts; better luck next year. Don't forget the revenge factor for Cuse
Pick: Syracuse
UC Santa Barbara (15) vs. Ohio State (2)
-No first round exit this year for the Buckeyes.
Pick: Ohio State
Houston (13) vs. Maryland (4)
-The Cougars had a great run in the C-USA tournament, however, it will not continue against Gary Williams and the Terps.
Pick: Maryland
Louisville (9) vs. California (8)
-Rick Pitino is the master motivator and will make sure they are ready to play, as long as an attractive woman is not in attendance to distract him.
Pick: Louisville
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