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UMBC and Kansas St grinding it out and going all out! This could go either way for now.
Having seen that game in person tonight, UMBC had their chances but that game was painful to watch if you liked offense. I was talking to some people near me when it was 34-33 with 8 minutes to go in the game and we all had the same thought, are we watching a high school girl's basketball or something?
Then I remembered Ayton from Arizona scoring 32 points in each of his last two Pac-12 tournament games in Las Vegas a week ago and just shook my head in disbelief. I'm not saying this lost the game for UMBC, but their free throw shooting was horrible tonight, 9-18. In the UVA game they hit 10-14 free throws, which they really didn't need, but against Kansas State, with it being so close and low scoring every single point helps.
So back on March 22nd, 2015, I saw #2 seed Virginia lose to #7 seed Michigan State in Charlotte, fast forward almost 3 years to the day and in the same arena and city, I got to see the #2 seed North Carolina lose to #7 seed Texas A&M. I'm not saying I'm a jinx, but maybe!
I think I might be a jinx for Virginia and Duke, who I saw lose to both a #15 and #14 seed in a 3 year span, but probably not North Carolina, who I saw win the championship last year in Glendale.
North Carolina, reminded me a lot of Arizona this year in today's game, both having not so great defenses, especially against the 3's. If I was a Carolina fan, I would be proud of the last 3 years, with two national title games, winning one of them and losing the other at the buzzer, but if you told me a week ago, Syracuse and Florida State would be in the Sweet 16 and not North Carolina, I wouldn't have believed you!
I've gotten to see 6 out of the 16 teams left play in person this year, Texas A&M and Kansas St. in Charlotte this weekend, Kentucky and Teas Tech both played South Carolina in Columbia and Duke @ Clemson. I would say, of the teams I saw that are still in it, probably Duke and Texas Tech were the best, when I saw them. Texas A&M looked great today, but let's see how many of those 3's they keep on hitting. And Kentucky is probably playing the best right now, but when I saw them play, they looked horrible and out of sync, they obviously have the talent it's just trying to get the puzzle pieces to fit together.
The way the bracket has broke I can see Kentucky (I'm not saying easily) making it to the Final Four and even the National Title game. It might be one of those years if it's like Duke vs. Villanova on the one side, that might be the "true" national final, with the winner easily beating whoever comes out of the other half.
Never thought Clemson, FSU and Cuse would be in and UVA/UNC would be out.
FSU and Clemson are WAY overdue for at least an elite 8 season.
I think UMBC proved the 16 beside their name was just a number. Dropped UVA and played arguably a top 25 team even for about 39 minutes. They could probably beat over half the teams in the tourney right now.
Having seen that game in person tonight, UMBC had their chances but that game was painful to watch if you liked offense. I was talking to some people near me when it was 34-33 with 8 minutes to go in the game and we all had the same thought, are we watching a high school girl's basketball or something?
Then I remembered Ayton from Arizona scoring 32 points in each of his last two Pac-12 tournament games in Las Vegas a week ago and just shook my head in disbelief. I'm not saying this lost the game for UMBC, but their free throw shooting was horrible tonight, 9-18. In the UVA game they hit 10-14 free throws, which they really didn't need, but against Kansas State, with it being so close and low scoring every single point helps.
They seemed to play with a lot of energy but perhaps mental and physical fatigue took its toll, hence not making free throws and some easy shots. They didn't seem to react as well to the Kansas St defense as they did against Virginia.
I've got my Final Four intact from the initial bracket I did quickly, and minutes after the Selection Show. Everything else is a mess, like most people. Michigan, Kentucky, Duke, Purdue. Let's re-set though.
Still not confident about Purdue without Haas. Kentucky has the easiest road you could ask- and despite being just a 5 seed. Kansas State might have its leading scorer back for that one, hard to tell- he has been hobbled off and on for months. Still crazy to think Loyola or Nevada will be one game from the Final 4. Duke I think keeps up from where they left off and my only hesitation, is having to play in front of a partisan Kansas crowd in Omaha if the two meet in the regional final. Nova and Kentucky and Duke with little hesitation.
Texas A&M is my pick in the west. This is a more talented team than some may have realized and as long as today wasn't an aberration, even a higher seeded Wolverine team that I picked is going to have a tough time generating offense against A&M. John Beilein has spun plenty of magic before, but he'll have his work cut out for him.
Florida State is the team if I woke up after a week of sleep, that I would have least expected to see in the Sweet 16. A bit more than Syracuse. Maybe Kansas State, depending how you look at that situation, not having played Virginia. Not stunned by Nevada, and certainly not Loyola, who I predicted to be playing into the next week. This tournament is so arbitrary in nature. Hence, why Virginia is sitting at home for example, while conference foes Florida State and Syracuse, clearly inferior, are still playing. Too much modern day parity too, to be surprised by all the "bracket busting". Where I am surprised are these teams like Xavier and Cinci blowing these kind of leads against teams they should beat, but yet 18 year old kids continuing to be clutch under the spot light, draining big shot after big shot in big moments. One extreme or the other. Of course Xavier wasn't helped by awful coaching in the waning moments, and terrible officiating.
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