Last night started so promising for our darling underdogs, with San Diego State and Miami winning outright. The Aztecs went on a huge second half run to establish a lead, that proved insurmountable despite a late Bama flurry. Beating the number 1 overall seed in the tournament on a night where your best player couldn't hit the bright side of a barn is further proof that this SDSU is a problem. It was the backup point guard, Darrion Trammel that took over the game, going on a solo run that turned an early 2nd half deficit into a lead, and behind a dominant defense, this team never looked back.
Speaking of dominant, U Miami rolled over top seeded Houston in extraordinarily convincing fashion. I mentioned yesterday that this team had the guards to hold up, but failed to mention they had the two guys that would completely control the pace of the game. Nigel Pack was the best player on the court all night, which is tough to do when Marcus Sasser is playing, and the Canes had their way with what had been the best defensive team in the nation all year. 89 Points on a team that gives up about 60 a game, is why Jim Larranaga is one of the best in the land, and finds himself on the verge of another Final 4.
If there was one team that we thought we could count on to make a free throw with a cover on the line, it was Princeton. It was a valiant effort from the Tigers, only to come up .5 short of the +10.5 we needed them to stay within. The Ivy Leaguers came out hot, and led this game for much of the first half. Unfortunately, they had a hard time matching up with a really good Creighton team, who got their way every time down the floor. With no answer for the inside out game that featured 7 foot 2, Ryan Kalkbrenner and a flamethrowing Bailor Scheierman, Princeton went down big early in the second half. But then, Coach Mitch Henderson put that Ivy League genius to use, and employed a ravenous 1 3 1 zone, unseen since the days of middle school travel basketball, that sparked a glimmer of hope. Princeton cut the lead to single digits late, only to play the foul game and miss a free throw of their own to fall by 11. What a run by the #15 seed, but Creighton will play for a Final 4.
The final game was not much of one, with Texas completely annihilating Xavier, saving some bit of face for the entire Big 12. The Longhorns have the plethora of guards needed to go deep into this tournament, and they took over this game early and often. Xavier could not buy a bucket from their two top scorers, which is a recipe for disaster. The game turned into a shootout, but it was never in doubt from the opening jump. With Houston going down, 5th seeded Miami is the only thing standing in the way of a trip to the final 4 in its home state for the Texas Longhorns.
Saturday will feature 4 teams that played on Thursday’s epic night of hoops. The first matchup is Kansas State and FAU, both coming off monumental wins in very different fashions. We talked about the brilliance of Marqkuis Nowell the other night, and now we will have to see how his sprained ankle responds after a couple of days rest. The Wildcats are an offensive juggernaut, putting up 98 in their OT win over MSU, and will have MSG buzzing with their roster loaded with guys from NYC. If they want to advance, they will need to figure out things on the defensive side of the floor. They allowed MSU to shoot the lights out from 3, and that is exactly what FAU will want to do Saturday Night. The Owls surround their 7 1’ center with 4 guards, who can all knock down threes at an alarming clip. This could spell trouble for KState if they don’t get out on shooters, and do a decent job cleaning up the glass. FAU was able to hold down Tennessee, but that team is not nearly as athletic as the group they’ll see tonight. As of this morning, K-State is a slight 1.5 favorite. My question is, how can you not continue to back Nowell at that number. I know FAU is for real, and have lost only 3 games all season, but Nowell has controlled the pace of each game he’s played this tournament. In March, you rely on guys who calm things down and can create shots, either for themselves or others, and there is no one better at getting other guys open shots and often dunks that Marqkuis Nowell. I’ll take K-State to keep dancing.
Kansas State -1.5
The final game is the one I am looking forward to most all weekend, between two great programs and two great teams this year, Gonzaga and Uconn. Despite their seeding, these teams have performed like two of the best in the tournament throughout, yet only one of them will get to play on. The Huskies have a rare combination of size, shooting, and athleticism that makes them look and play like an NBA club. Gonzaga on the other hand has one of the most dominant college basketball post players of all time in Drew Timme. It is hard to understand how, but Timme seemingly can get a bucket whenever he wants to, without getting more than 3 inches off the ground. If there is one man that can slow him down, it may be Adama Sonogo, who is an immovable force in the paint. When it comes to playing outside the paint, both of teams have guys that can get hot and hit big shots, which we saw with Julian Strawther the other night. For the Huskies, its a number of guys including future NBAer Jordan Hawkins, who put up a quiet 24 on Arkansas. This number currently sits at 2 in favor of Connecticut, and I think that is accurate. As good of a team as Gonzaga is, they get the majority of their production from three guys. It might be good enough against a lot of teams, but Uconn is far deeper. They have the bodies to frustrate Timme down low, and can get outside shooting from any number of wings. Due to their depth and superior athleticism across the floor, I am going to back the Huskies to get back to the Final 4.
UCONN -2