Best of the Best - 2001-2010 [NFL Games Have Started]

And my bracket goes oh-for-play-in-game

Score check: Adam Morrison 43, Rest of Gonzaga 42. Yeah. Then again, is this really a shock? Not that much.

And that is the kind of game I would have loves to have watched

 

Thursday, 12:30 Eastern Games

Charlotte, NC

(16) 2002 Kent State 90, (1) 2005 North Carolina 88

The ultimate basketball tournament has the ultimate cinderella.

Playing in North Carolina proved no advantage for the Tar Heels as the arena, half full of Duke fans, cheered on the Golden Flashes as they staged an amazing second-half comeback. Growing their lead to 13 with seven minutes to play, North Carolina looked as if they would cruise until the second round. The Kent State defense had other ideas. North Carolina wouldn't score another field goal until there were only six seconds to play ... and by then they needed a miracle, which wouldn't happen. Demetric Shaw made both free throws after being fouled to give Kent State a five-point lead, and a meaningless three-pointer couldn't stop the upset.

The Golden Flashes were lead by Antonio Gates' double-double, with 17 points and 10 rebounds, as well as a 23-point performance from Tervor Huffman. Sean May, Rashad McCants, Marvin Williams and Raymond FElton all scored in double figures for the Tar Heels, but it wasn't enough.

Louisville, KY

(3) 2003 Syracuse 77, (14) 2009 Oklahoma 68

The game was billed as Blake Griffin vs. Carmelo Anthony, and that's what it turned out to be.

It's just that 'Melo had a better supporting cast.

Griffin had 24 points and 9 rebounds, but he was bested by Anthony's 28 points and 9 rebounds. Anthony's supporting cast put in more help as well, with Gerry McNamara scoring 21 points while dishing out 7 assists.

Despite an attempted comeback by Oklahoma,this game was really over at halftime. The Orange scored 12 consecutive points before Griffin hit a jump shot at the end of the half, but by then Syracuse had a commanding 15-point lead, and they never looked back.

Atlanta, GA

(4) 2007 Ohio State 86, (13) 2003 Arizona 80

Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. were not going to let the Buckeyes get an early exit from the tournament. Oden put in 20 points and 12 rebounds, and added four blocks for good measure, while Conley had 14 points, 8 assists, and four steals.

This was a game the Buckeyes never trailed, and the Wildcats never puled even after a 30-30 tie late in the first half. Still, the Buckeyes never put the game out of reach, as their largest lead was only nine. But, any time the Buckeyes needed a basket, the Wildcats had no answer to Oden in the pain, and that cost them the game.

Channing Frye lead the way for Arizona with 22 points and 6 rebounds, most of it coming in the second half, after he sat most of the first half, picking up two fouls in the first four minutes.

 

16 over 1! And even better, it was UNC that got toppled!

That is awesome.

Love the summaries you're doing, btw! (and I'll probably comment more later, right now I'm just on a few minutes here and there)

 

Thursday 2:15 Eastern Games

Denver, CO

(1) 2008 Kansas 73, 16 2008 Davidson 54

Davidson once again played Kansas tough ? this time, only for a half.

Davidson and Kansas were tied 31-31 at half time, but Kansas came out in the second half and exherted their will on the overmatched Wildcats and pulled away.

Stephen Curry opened the game hot. He scored 11 points in the first half on 4-4 shooting, including 3-3 from three-point range. He ended the game with 11 points on 4-12 shooting, including 3-8 on three pointers. The Wildcats, in whole, had a tough day shooting hitting only 38% of their field goals and only 25% of their threes.

A balanced attack from Kansas lead by Mario Chalmers' 11, Brandon Rush's 15, and Darnell Jackson's 14 proved too much for the Wildcats to defend for the full forty minutes.

Charlotte, NC

(8) 2009 UConn 77, (9) 2004 Oklahoma State 75

A triple-double from Hasheem Thabeet was just enough for UConn to survive and advance against Oklahoma State. Thatbeet's 15 points and 10 rebounds kept UConn in the game, and his 10th block, coming at the buzzer, preserved the two-point victory.

It appeared that UConn would win easily, as they were up 15 with four minutes to play. But, Thabeet got called for his fourth foul, and the Cowboys were able to get their offense going. Oklahoma State pulled even with a minute to go, but a jump shot from A.J. Price gave UConn the lead, and Thabeet swatted away a three-point attempt from Daniel Bobik as time expired to give UConn the win.

Louisville, KY

(11) 2004 St. Joseph's 88, (6) 2004 Duke 79

Delonte West and Jameer Nelson trumped J.J. Reddick as the Hawks downed the Blue Devils.

Reddick scored 41 points, and hit 10 of 12 shots from being the three-point line. But, he got very little help from his teammates. Luol Deng was the only other Blue Devil in double figures, with 11. Duke players not named J.J. Reddick went 0-9 from three point land, and Chris Duhon had more Turnovers (4) and Fouls (4) than points (2).

The Hawks, on the other hand, got a big day from their guards. Nelson had 14 points and 7 assists, but West was the star with 26 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals.

Atlanta, GA

(12) 2004 Stanford 77, (5) 2004 Georgia Tech 68


A game that was tied at 65 with 2:00 to play quickly resembled nothing like a close game.

Josh Childress scored six points in a forty-second span to give the Cardinal a lead they would never relinquish. For the game, Childress ended up with 19 points and five rebounds, but his three pointer, steal, lay-up, and ensuing free-throw sealed the game for Stanford.

Will Bynum (17 points) and Jarrett Jack (14 points, 5 rebounds) kept the Yellow Jackets in the game, but both missed key shots down the stretch.

 

Thursday 4:30 Eastern Games

Denver, CO

(8) 2007 Georgetown 73 , (9) 2005 Louisville 68

Four Hoyas scored in double-figures as Georgetown edged out Louisville to survive and advance. Jonathan Wallace lead the way with 19 points, Jessie Sapp added 16, Jeff Green had 11 and Roy Hibbert scored 15 and added seven boards to the effort.

The game was close throughout, but an early three by Francisco Garcia gave Louisville their only lead ... at 3-2. The Cardinals never even tied the game beyond that point, though they never trailed by more than five.

Taquan Dean lead the way for Louisville with 13 points.

 

Thursday 6:30 Eastern Games

Charlotte, NC

(8) 2002 Oklahoma 74, (9) 2003 Marquette 65

Dwyane Wade was the star of the evening, with 18 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals. But, he didn't get enough help to overcome the team effort from Oklahoma who had seven different players score more than five points, shot 52% from the field, and bludgeoned Marquette early and often.

The Sooners took a fifteen point lead to the half, and never looked back as they cruised to an early victory.

Louisville, KY

(15) 2005 Wake Forest 78, (2) 2004 UConn, 74

It became the battle of the big man vs. the point guard. And the point guard won the battle, and his team won the game.

Chris Paul scored 12 points and added 10 assists to outshine Emeka Okafor, who had 16 points and 14 rebounds. It was Paul, though, with 30 seconds left in the game that hit a three pointer that gave his team a two-point lead they would not relinquish.

UConn had a chance down the stretch. Charlie Villaneuva missed a three pointer immediately after Paul's three that would have given the Huskies the lead back, but when Taron Downey made one of two free throws with five seconds left to extend the lead to four, the game was over, and the Demon Deacons had pulled the upset.

Atlanta, GA

(2) 2002 Maryland, 77 (15) 2007 Kansas 65

Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter combined to give Maryland enough firepower to hold off a dangerously underseeded Kansas Jayhawks Team. Dixon scored 18 and added five steals, while Baxter scored 19 and added eight rebounds.

The Jayhawks had an eight-minute stretch in the middle of the second-half without scoring a point, and that turned a game that had been in their favor into one that Maryland controlled.

Mario Chalmers lead the Kansas effort with 17 points.

Denver, CO

(12) 2002 Duke 76, (5) 2010 Butler 74

It was Deja Vu all over again for the 2010 Butler Bulldogs. The opponent was Duke. Duke had a small halftime lead. Duke could never quite pull away. And Butler ended up just two points short.

This time, though, it might have been an even more painful way to lose.

Butler hit the late game shot to give them a one-point lead. Unheralded Avery Jukes hit a pull-up jumper with just over one second on the clock to give the Bulldogs a one-point lead. But (and, Bulldog fans, Kentucky fans feel your pain here), Jason Williams hit a three at the buzzer to give the Blue Devils a hard-fought win. Duke connected on only 25% of their three-point attempts for the game, but hit the one that counted most.

It was a true team effort for Duke, as all five starers scored in double-figures. Jason Williams lead the way with 17, while Mike Dunleavey Jr, Dahntay Jones, and Carlos Boozer each put in 14, and Chris Duhon added 10.

 

Ok, time to throw out my bracket 13 games so far, only 4 correct. And the wrong 15-over-2 matchup

Davidson's problem was obvious: not enough shots for Stephen Curry. Only 4 shots in the first half? Not gonna do it.

What happened to Sheldon Williams in the 2004 Duke game? Odd seeing JJ go off for 41 for the 2004 team - I'd expect it two years later, with 2006 Duke, but not so much in 2004.

Also, Duke-Butler is clearly turning into a classic matchup. There's even talk about a Duke-Butler rematch next season (as in a scheduled rematch)

 

Thursday 9:00 Eastern Games

Charlotte, NC

(1) 2001 Duke 106, (16) 2008 Xavier 57

Now this is what a #1 seed looks like.

Hours after #1 seed North Carolina got bounced by Kent State, their in-state rivals ensured that a repeat performance would not be in store.

Jason Williams lead the massacre, putting up 38 points on the outmatched Musketeers. He was joined by Mike Dunleavy, Nate James, Chris Duhon and even reserve forward Carlos Boozer who all scored in double-digits.

Duke dominated every part of this game, shooting 63% from the field, including 64% from three-point distance, while holding Xavier to 32% shooting. They started the game on a 22-9 run, building to a 55-33 halftime lead, and never took their foot off the gas.

Louisville, KY

(7) 2008 UCLA 69, (10) 2010 Michigan State 61

All five starters scored in double-digits for the Bruins, and Kevin Love had a double-double to lead the way as UCLA defeated Michigan State.

Love had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Josh Shipp scored 13, and Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute each scored 10.

The real star for UCLA, though, was defense. They limited Michigan State to 20 first half points, roling to a 47-20 halftime lead, and held Michigan State to 38% shooting, including only 25% from beyond the arc.

Michigan State tried to make a game of it, starting the second half on a 15-4 run, but the hole was too deep, and the Bruins weathered the storm and got the win.


Atlanta, GA

(10) 2006 George Mason 59, (7) 2007 UCLA 56

America's favorite Cinderella is at it again.

Tony Skinn hit a three at the buzzer to send 2007 UCLA packing and the Patriots onto the second round.

UCLA's stars came out. Aaron Afflalo had 15 points. Darren Collison had 11. Josh Shipp had 12. But, UCLA could never find the one big run to put George Mason in a hole, and they hung around, and hit the buzzer-beater to take the victory and advance.

Denver, CO

(4) 2003 Kansas 81, (13) 2010 Kansas 70

Kirk Hinrich scored 10 points in only 15 minutes of game time, and the 2003 Jayhawks beat the 2010 Jayhawks.

The 2003 Jayhawks showed off their depth and versatility in this game, with five different players scoring in double-figures. Aaron Miles had 14 points and 10 assists, Nick Collison had 18 points and seven rebounds, Keith Langford had 11 points, and Wayne Simien had 17 points and 8 rebounds.

The 2003 Jayhawks won the game by harassing Sherron Collins. He ended up with only 8 points, and was forced into three turnovers. Cole Aldrich did his part, adding 18 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough for the 2003 Jayhawks.

 

Day 1 Recap

SCOREBOARD

Charlotte:

(16) 2002 Kent State 90, (1) 2005 North Carolina 88
(8) 2009 UConn 77, (9) 2004 Oklahoma State 75
(8) 2002 Oklahoma 74, (9) 2003 Marquette 65
(1) 2001 Duke 106, (16) 2008 Xavier 57

Louisville

(3) 2003 Syracuse 77, (14) 2009 Oklahoma 68
(11) 2004 St. Joseph's 88, (6) 2004 Duke 79
(15) 2005 Wake Forest 78, (2) 2004 UConn, 74
(7) 2008 UCLA 69, (10) 2010 Michigan State 61

Atlanta

(4) 2007 Ohio State 86, (13) 2003 Arizona 80
(12) 2004 Stanford 77, (5) 2004 Georgia Tech 68
(2) 2002 Maryland, 77 (15) 2007 Kansas 65
(10) 2006 George Mason 59, (7) 2007 UCLA 56

Denver

(1) 2008 Kansas 73, 16 2008 Davidson 54
(8) 2007 Georgetown 73 , (9) 2005 Louisville 68
(12) 2002 Duke 76, (5) 2010 Butler 74
(4) 2003 Kansas 81, (13) 2010 Kansas 70

Saturday Schedule:

(16) 2002 Kent State vs. (8) 2009 UConn
(8) 2002 Oklahoma vs. (1) 2001 Duke

(3) 2003 Syracuse vs. (11) 2004 St. Joseph's
(15) 2005 Wake Forest vs. (7) 2008 UCLA

(4) 2007 Ohio State vs. (12) 2004 Stanford
(2) 2002 Maryland vs. (10) 2006 George Mason

(1) 2008 Kansas vs. (8) 2007 Georgetown
(12) 2002 Duke vs. (4) 2003 Kansas

Top Performers

Most Impressive Teams:

2002 Kent State
2001 Duke
2003 Kansas

Most Impressive Players:

2009 Hasheem Thabeet (UConn)
2004 J.J. Reddick (Duke)
2005 Chris Paul

(R...J Edit: Added 2007 UCLA's scores in this and the previous post at Inty's request)

 

2005 UNC, I hope you stayed in the building to watch 2001 Duke Who would have thought we'd see a 49-point massacre in this tournament, with all the teams being so good?

Better group for my bracket, though - 3/4 in that bunch, only missing George Mason.

 

Oh, 2007 UCLA needs a score

 

Friday 12:30 Eastern Games

Tampa, FL

(3) 2006 Florida 88, (14) 2007 North Carolina 75

The Tar Heels took a three-point lead to halftime. And then, apparently, nobody told them there was a second-half to be played.

Florida flat out dominated the second-half of the game and pulled away early to cruise to a thirteen-point win in their first-round game.

The Gators used a team effort to knock-out UNC. Corey Brewer and Lee Humphrey lead the way with 14 points each, while Joakim Noah added 12, Al Horford 11, and Walter Hodge 10.

Brandan Wright lead the way for UNC with 20 points, and Ty Lawson added 16 points to go along with 8 assists. The big missing factor for UNC was Tyler Hansbrough, who was held to seven points on 30% shooting, and was 1/5 shooting in the second half ? the only make being a tip-in on an offensive rebound.

Washington, DC

(7) 2010 West Virginia 80, (10) 2005 Michigan State 76

Michigan State ran out of gas and time as they tried to get a comeback win. Down 8 with 2:30 to play, they got to within three on a runner by Shannon Brown with thirty-seven seconds remaining. But, after Wellington Smith made both free throws, Paul Davis and Maurice Ager both missed shots, and Kevin Jones made his free throws to remove any doubt from the game.

Shannon Brown lead the Spartans with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and three steals, but it was the combination of De'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks that proved too much for MSU to overcome. Butler had 22 points, and Ebanks had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Chicago, IL

(3) 2005 Illinois 73, (14) 2005 Kentucky 62

Dee Brown scored 19 points, Luther Head scored 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, and Deron Williams scored 12 points as Illinois pulled away from Kentucky in the second-half, surging via their 56% accuracy from beyond the arc.

Clinging to a one-point halftime lead, the Illini came out and played smothering defense in the second half, limiting Kentucky to only four field goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half. And, by then, the lead had grown to fifteen points, and Kentucky was headed out of the tournament.

Chuck Hayes was the leader for the Wildcats with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rajon Rondo was almost missing, limited to 4 points and only 1 assist, and turning the ball over six times.

 

Friday 2:00 Eastern Games

Salt Lake City, UT

(5) 2002 Indiana 76, (12) 2003 Oklahoma 67

Jared Jeffries lead Indiana to a win over Oklahoma in first-round action. Jeffries had a monster game with 25 points and 10 rebounds, with 17 of those points coming in the second-half.

Oklahoma actually took a one-point lead to the half. And, they actually extended that lead to five points five-minutes into the second-half. After that, though, it was all Indiana and all Jared Jeffries.

Oklahoma was lead by Hollis Price and Kevin Bookout, each of whom scored 18 points.

Tampa, FL

(11) 2010 Kentucky 86, (6) 2003 Texas 71

Youth was served today in Tampa, Florida.

John Wall scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds, had four steals and dished out 8 assists. DeMarcus Cousins had 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Patrick Patterson added 14 points, and Darius Miller scored 13. Even Eric Bledsoe got into the act, dishing out 7 assists and getting 4 steals, even though he only scored 4 points.

Kentucky hit the ground running in this one, and never took their foot off the gas. They started the first half on an 8-1 run to set the tone, and had built their advantage to 18 points before the midpoint of the first-half.

Texas was lead by T.J. Ford who had 14 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds, but also 7 turnovers.

Washington, DC

(2) 2009 North Carolina 82, (15) 2007 Memphis 72

North Carolina, slowly but surely, exerted their will over Memphis in this first-round game. UNC never had a run of bigger than 6-0. Didn't get a dominate performance from any one-person. But, at the end of the day, they had simply outclassed, outplayed, and outmatched Memphis.

Six Tar Heels lead the way. Ty Lawson had 15 points and 7 assists, Tyler Hansbrough had 16 points and 9 rebounds, Deon Thompson had 13 points and 8 rebounds, Danny Green had 10 points and 7 rebounds, Wayne Ellington had 13 points, and Ed Davis had 9 points and 10 rebounds.

Joey Dorsey lead the way for Memphis 12 points and 13 rebounds, but got very little help from his team. As a Team, the Tigers shot only 40% from the field.


Chicago, IL

(6) 2001 Michigan State 86, (11) 2003 Kentucky 83

The Wildcats prayers were not answered. Down six with 10 seconds to play, Kentucky certainly gave this one their best shot.

Keith Bogans hit a three with two-seconds remaining to bring the Wildcats within three points. After Charlie Bell missed both free-throws that would have locked the game up, Chuck Hayes grabbed a rebound. But, he had no time to make a pass, and his desperation three was off the mark, and the Spartans survived to play another day.

Michigan State nearly blew a thirteen-point lead with eight minutes to play.

Bogans was the star of the game, scoring 25 points, and the help he got from Chuck Hayes (18 points) and Marquis Estill (18 points) was almost enough. But, the six Spartans in double-figures (lead by Jason Richardson's 20 points) were too much.






Friday 4:30 Eastern Game

Salt Lake City, UT

(13) 2009 Louisville 83, (4) 2009 Michigan State 75

Michigan State went into halftime with a three point lead, on a 12-5 run, and with a lot of confidence.

They opened up the second half with 0-5 shooting, three turnovers (all steals by Louisville), and quickly turned a lead into a deficit, and never got control of the game back.

Goran Suton lead the Spartans with 16 points and 9 rebounds, getting plenty of help from Kalin Lucas (14 points), Raymar Morgan (13 points and 6 rebounds), and Durrell Summers (10 points), but it was offset by an equally balanced Louisville team. Terrence Williams had 16 points and 6 rebounds, Samardo Samuels had 14 points and 6 rebounds, Andre McGee had 12 points nad 5 steals, Edgar Sosa had 10 points, and Earl Clark had 9 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Finally, a Carolina win!

I haven't had a chance to read through everything that you've written, Inty, but I really like the format. It's nice that this feels like a real basketball tourney. Props!

 

Ouch, Rajon Rondo

I guess this was the Kentucky-Texas matchup we get instead of the potential one that didn't happen in the second round this year That 2003 Texas team was clearly better than this year's version, though

 

Sorry for the delay between games. We return with four blowouts. Hopefully the "night" games give us more fun.

Friday 6:30 Eastern Games

Tampa, FL

(8) 2001 Maryland 91, (9) 2009 Villanova 72

Lonny Baxter had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Juan Dixon added 24 points and 7 rebounds as Maryland cruised to an easy victory over Villanova.

The game was tight for a while ? Maryland lead by only 4 with 11 minutes to play. But then Juan Dixon scored seven straight points and Maryland never looked back.

Scottie Reynolds lead the Wildcats with 19 points.

Washington, DC

(2) 2010 Duke 88, (15) 2005 Kentucky 67

Nolan Smith scored 23, Jon Sheyer scored 20, and Kyle Singler added 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Blue Devils crushed Kentucky.

Duke's big three hit 63% of their three-point attempts, burying Kentucky even though no other Blue Devil connected on a triple, or scored more than four points.

Two minutes into the game, Sheyer had nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from three-point land, and the Blue Devils had an early 11-0 lead. And they never looked back.

Patrick Sparks lead the Wildcats with 16 points.

Chicago, IL

(6) 2002 Kansas 89, (11) 2001 Illinois 73

Drew Gooden had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Kirk Hinrich added 24 points as Kansas buried Illinois.

Gooden and Nick Collison combined to score ten consecutive points as Kansas turned a close game at halftime into a runaway midway through the second half.

Cory Bradford paced the Illini with 14 points.

Salt Lake City, UT

(4) 2001 Arizona 91, (13) 2006 Memphis 73

Memphis got big games from three players, Rodney Carney, Shawne Williams, and Darius Washington, but they got trumped by Arizona's deadly foursome of Jason Gardner, Loren Woods, Michael Wright, and Gilbert Arenas.

A smothering Arizona defense lead the way. The Tigers were held to 36% shooting, and only 28% on threes.

 

Friday 8:30 Eastern Games

Tampa, FL

(1) 2007 Florida 74, (16) 2004 Xavier 73

The number-one overall seed survived. Barely.

With Xavier up one and 27 seconds remaining, Lionel Chalmers went to the line with a chance to put Xavier up by three. He missed the front-end of a one-and-one, and Joakim Noah collected the rebound. Down the court they went, and with six-second to go, Corey Brewer missed a three from the corner, but Noah was there again to get the tip, and give the Gators a one-point lead. The unsung Walter Hodge then stole the ball for the Gators and dribbled up-court away from the action, sealing the one-point win for the Gators.

Noah and Brewer lead the Gatos all game long, with Noah putting in 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Brewer scored 13. Lionel Chalmers scored 19, but would have killed to have made that 21.

Washington, DC

(7) 2008 North Carolina 73, (10) 2006 LSU 65

Big Baby almost made Carolina cry. Glen Davis scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but LSU couldn't hold on to a 7-point halftime lead.

The Tar Heels used a 23-5 run in the middle of the second-half to propel themselves into the second round. Tyler Hansbrough had 20 points and 12 rebounds to key the effort, and Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson and Deon Thompson all scored in double-figures as well.

Chicago, IL

(14) 2006 UConn 74, (3) 2008 Memphis 66

Rudy Gay scored 14 points, and limited Derrick Rose to 3-11 shooting and only one first-half field goal make, as the Huskies upset the Tigers.

Joey Dorsey was the star for Memphis, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 12 points, but a team effort from UConn proved too much for the young Tigers. The Huskies opened the game on a 15-5 run and never looked back

Salt Lake City, UT

(12) 2009 Pitt 74, (5) 2006 UCLA 71

Jordan Farmar scored 21 points, but his length-of-the-court prayer of a shot fell short at the buzzer, and Pitt moved on to round 2.

Levance Fields scored 17, Tyrell Biggs added 12, Sam Young ahd 14, Jermain Dixon scored 10 and DeJuan Blair had 8 points and 11 rebounds as Pitt used a team effort to upset the Bruins. Up six with only a minute to play, that team effort almost wasn't enough. But, the UCLA rally fell just short, as Farmar got little help from any of his teammates.

 

Day 2 Recap

SCOREBOARD

Tampa:

(3) 2006 Florida 88, (14) 2007 North Carolina 75
(11) 2010 Kentucky 86, (6) 2003 Texas 71
(8) 2001 Maryland 91, (9) 2009 Villanova 72
(1) 2007 Florida 74, (16) 2004 Xavier 73


Washington:

(7) 2010 West Virginia 80, (10) 2005 Michigan State 76
(2) 2009 North Carolina 82, (15) 2007 Memphis 72
(2) 2010 Duke 88, (15) 2005 Kentucky 67
(7) 2008 North Carolina 73, (10) 2006 LSU 65

Chicago:

(3) 2005 Illinois 73, (14) 2005 Kentucky 62
(6) 2001 Michigan State 86, (11) 2003 Kentucky 83
(6) 2002 Kansas 89, (11) 2001 Illinois 73
(14) 2006 UConn 74, (3) 2008 Memphis 66


Salt Lake City:

(5) 2002 Indiana 76, (12) 2003 Oklahoma 67
(13) 2009 Louisville 83, (4) 2009 Michigan State 75
(4) 2001 Arizona 91, (13) 2006 Memphis 73
(12) 2009 Pitt 74, (5) 2006 UCLA 71


Sunday Schedule:

(3) 2006 Florida vs. (11) 2010 Kentucky
(1) 2007 Florida vs. (8) 2001 Maryland

(2) 2009 North Caolina vs. (7) 2010 West Virginia
(2) 2010 Duke vs. (7) 2008 North Carolina

(3) 2005 Illinois vs. (6) 2001 Michigan State
(6) 2002 Kansas vs. (14) 2006 UConn

(5) 2002 Indiana vs. (13) 2009 Louisville
(4) 2001 Arizona vs. (12) 2009 Pitt

Top Performers

Most Impressive Teams:

2010 Duke
2010 Kentucky
2001 Maryland

Most Impressive Players:

2002 Drew Gooden (Kansas)
2010 Jon Sheyer (Duke)
2002 Jarred Jeffries (Indiana)

 

Interesting. I'm sort of surprised that Pitt beat UCLA. A bit of hypothetical revenge against Ben Howland, I suppose.

Looking forward to Sunday's games, especially Duke - UNC.


Am I seeing things, or is 2009 Pitt in the tourney twice?

 

McClain: I only see 2009 Pitt once. It may be that their opening round game and their second-round matchup are listed to close together that you are reading it as them being in twice. I wouldn't put it past me to make an error like that, though.

I've started the second-round games, while i have time on the weekend. Some awesome games here, and some shocking results. I've varied slightly from the normal game schedule, trying to maximize TV exposure and ability to watch all the games. I figure, it's a special tourney, and CBS will want people glued in.

 

Saturday 12:00 Eastern

Charlotte, NC

(1) 2001 Duke 97, (8) 2002 Oklahoma 61

Another opponent, another blowout for the 2001 Blue Devils.

Shane Battier lead six Blue Devils who scored in double figures with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks, and Duke used a 23-4 run to end the first half to remove any doubt about this game. The other Duke players to score in double figures were Andre Sweet, Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy and Chris Duhon.

Oklahoma strugged all game, shooting only 36% from the field. They were lead by Ebi Ere who had 12 points and 7 rebounds.

Saturday 2:15 Eastern

Atlanta, GA

(2) 2002 Maryland 80, (10) 2006 George Mason 48

George Mason was America's darling. Juan Dixon is not George Mason's darling. Dixon had 21 points and 8 rebounds, and lead Maryland to a dominating victory and a sweet-sixteen birth.

Dixon got plenty of help from his teammates. Lonny Baxter and Chris Wilcox both had double-doubles, and the Patriots as a team were held to 34% shooting, including only 20% from three. George Mason also managed only 17 first-half points.

Tony Skinn scored 13 points for George Mason, and was the only Patriot to shoot better than 50%.

Charlotte, NC

(16) 2002 Kent State 82 (8) 2009 UConn 81 (2 OT)

A 16-seed over a 1-seed? It Kent be done!

A 16-seed in the Sweet Sixten? It Kent be done!

Kent State, on the heels of an amazing 16-1 upset over North Carolina upset UConn in double-overtime to move on to the Sweet Sixteen!

The Huskies looked primed to run away with the game early, jumping out to a seven-zero lead in the first half. But, the Golden Flashes slowly whittled away a 10-point halftime deficit, and a Trevor Huffman three with 11 seconds to play gave us the first tie since 0-0.

UConn returned the favor, with Stanley Robinson nailing a game-tying two-point jumper with 11 seconds remaining in overtime.

Then, the game got really interesting.

With Kent State clinging to an 80-75 lead with 12 seconds to play in the second overtime, AJ Price hit a three from the corner to pull the Huskies within 2. After Antonio Gates missed two free throws, AJ Price hit another three from the corner with 3 seconds remaining to give the Huskies a one-point lead. Antonio Gates then hit a 12-foot jumper at the buzzer to give the game it's final margin, and a one-point win for the Golden Flashes.

Kent State was a three-man team all game. Trevor Huffman had 20 points and six assists, Andrew Mitchell had 20 points, and Antonio Gates 17 points and 11 rebounds. Those three went 11-12 at the free-throw line, and Kent State as a team went 20-22, helping to offset the team shooting 35% from the field.

The Huskies were lead by Price, who had 24 points and 8 assists, and Hasheem Thabeet who had 9 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Thabeet, though, picked up his fourth foul with 15:00, and when Jim Calhoun left him in the game, he picked up his fifth on a charge three minutes later. And, that's when Kent State made their run.

Saturday 4:30 Eastern

Louisville, KY

(3) 2003 Syracuse 95, (11) 2004 St. Joseph's 85 (OT)

Jameer Nelson, Delonte West, and Dwayne Jones played their hearts out. They just ran out of gas.

In a game that never featured a lead of bigger than four in regulation, the Orange scored the first eight points of overtime, and outlasted the Hawks.

The Hawks looked poised to win the game. Up three with 40 seconds to go, and Gerry McNamara missed a tying three-point shot. After Delonte West grabbed the rebound, the Hawks had a chance to ice the game. But, the Orange chose not to foul, and Carmelo Anthony was able to draw a charge from Jameer Nelson. Gerry McNamara then connected on a three with seven seconds left, and Carmelo Anthony swatted away Jameer Nelson's attempted game winner at the buzzer. And Syracuse took control from there.

Nelson scored 30 and added 7 rebounds and 5 assists. West scored 19 and added 9 assists and 4 rebounds. And Jones scored 16 and added 12 rebounds.

The Hawks trio was one-upped by the Ora

 

Yeah, I think that I didn't see the breakdown between the first and second round match ups.


2002 Kent State was a really good team...I'm surprised to see them to the Sweet 16, though. Surprised, but not completely shocked.

 

Saturday 6:15 Eastern

Denver, CO

(4) 2003 Kansas 90, (12) 2002 Duke 69

Four different Kansas starters scored before a single Blue Devil did, and the Jayhawks used an early 11-1 lead to set the tone for a dominating victory over Duke.

Keith Langford lead four Kansas players in double-figures with 22 points and 6 rebounds, joined by Kirk Hinrich (15), Nick Collison (14), and Wayne Simien (10 points, 8 rebounds). The Jayhawks also employed a smothering defense, limiting Duke to 20% shooting on threes.

The Blue Devils were lead by Jason Williams who had 15 points. Carlos Boozer was non-existant for Duke, having four points, zero rebounds, and fouling out six minutes into the second-half.

On the bright side for Boozer, at least he didn't lie to and swindle any blind men today.

Louisville, KY

(15) 2005 Wake Forest 88, (7) 2008 UCLA 82

Chris Paul and Darren Collison gave us a duel to remember. Both scored 21 points and dished out six assists.

But Paul got a perfect performance from his supporting cast to help Wake Forest pull the upset. The Demon Deacons shot 62% from the field, including an unheard of 80% on threes to hang on to a six-point win.

In addition to Collinson, UCLA got big games out of Russell Westbrook (20 points), Josh Shipp (13 points), and Kevin Love (12 points, 10 rebounds). But, those big games cannot offset allowing your opponent to get pretty much any shot they want, as Wake Forest did all game long.

Saturday 8:00 Eastern

Denver, CO

(1) 2008 Kansas 73, (8) 2008 Georgetown 71

The Jayhawks had to survive a prayer of a shot by Patrick Ewing Jr. to survive this one.

Ewing hit a shot with 42 seconds to play to pull Georgetown to within two. After the Jayhawks ran the clock down, Cole Aldrich missed a jumper from seven feet, and Ewing gathered the rebound. He couldn't find a teammate to pass it to, and put up a prayer. It wasn't answered, and Kansas survived to go on to the Sweet 16.

Ewing had a great overall game with 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Jessie Sapp lead Georgetown with 16 points. But, Kansas had a little too much, including Darrell Arthur's 12 points, Mario Chalmer's 15 points, and Russell Robinson's 11 points.

 

Day 3 Recap

SCOREBOARD

Charlotte:

(1) 2001 Duke 97, (8)2002 Oklahoma 61
(16) 2002 Kent State 82, (8) 2009 UConn 81 (2 OT)

Atlanta:

(2) 2002 Maryland 80, (10) 2006 George Mason 48
(4) 2007 Ohio State 68, (12) 2004 Stanford 66

Louisville:

(3) 2003 Syracuse 95, (11) 2004 St. Joseph's 85 (OT)
(15) 2005 Wake Forest 88, (7) 2008 UCLA 82


Denver:

(4) 2003 Kansas 90, (12) 2002 Duke 69
(1) 2008 Kansas 73, (8) 2008 Georgetown 71

Top Performers

Most Impressive Teams:

2001 Duke
2002 Maryland
2003 Kansas

Most Impressive Players:

2007 Greg Oden (Ohio State)
2004 Jameer Neson (St. Joseph's)
2002 Antonio Gates (Kent State)

Regional Semifinal Games:


South:

(2) 2002 Maryland vs. (3) 2003 Syracuse

East:

(1) 2001 Duke vs. (5) 2002 Indiana/(13) 2009 Louisville

Midwest:

(4) 2003 Kansas vs. (16) 2002 Kent State
(15) 2005 Wake Forest vs. (6) 2002 Kansas/(14) 2006 UConn

West:

(1) 2008 Kansas vs. (4) 2007 Ohio State

 

Saturday 12:00 Eastern

Tampa, FL

(1) 2007 Florida 89, (8) 2001 Maryland 87

Another game for the number one overall seed, and another close escape. Another clutch hero moment from Walter Hodge, too.

Rallying from a seven-point halftime deficit, Hodge completed the comeback, giving Florida a one-point lead on a feed from Taurean Green with 24 seconds left. After Louisville retook the lead on a turnaround jumper by Lonnie Baxter, Hodge again delivered the winning plays for the Gators. He nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key, and stole the ball as the Terrapins tried to advance it up court to seal the victory.

Joakim Noah was the high point for the game, scoring 20 and adding 7 rebounds. Bryon Mouton lead the Terrapins with 18, while Juan Dixon added 17 and Lonnie Baxter had 8 points and 10 rebounds.

Saturday 2:15 Eastern

]Washington, DC

(2) 2009 North Carolina 74, (7) 2010 West Virginia 64

Tyler Hansbrough had 19 points and 8 rebounds and North Carolina limited West Virginia to 36% shooting and 21% on threes and cruised to a second-round victory.

North Carolina used a 10-0 run early in the second-half to ice a game that had West Virginia never getting in sync. De'Sean Butler, Kevin Jones, and Devin Ebanks each scored 11 points to lead the Mountaineers, but none was able to make a play when it mattered most to grab control of the game.

Tampa, FL

(11) 2010 Kentucky 119, (3) 2006 Florida 118 (3 OT)

Corey Brewer had a chance to win this game in regulation. He missed a jump shot from the corner as time expired.

Brewer had a chance to win the game in overtime. He missed a three-pointer from mid-court.

Brewer put his team up 3 with 12 second to play in the second overtime. A three from John Wall at the buzzer denied him.

Brewer thought he had won the game in triple overtime. His three with 1 second left put Florida up 2.

Once again, John Wall proved him wrong and denied him. Wall threw up a prayer, and it was answered, and Kentucky won and advanced in possibly the most exciting game in history.

Brewer ended up with 37 points, but he was again out done by Wall who had 25 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds to lead the Wildcats to victory. Demarcus Cousins added a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Taurean Green was Brewer's top sidekick, with 29 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.

Saturday 4:30 Eastern

Chicago, IL

(14) 2006 UConn 78, (6) 2001 Kansas 55

You might not know it from this game, but the three-point shot is a staple of college basketball.

UConn hit two three-pointers during this game. That was two-more than Kansas hit.

Of course, Kansas didn't hit much of anything in this game. They shot 38% from the field, and only 64% from the free-throw line.

A trio of standout performances was enough to pace UConn to an easy victory. Josh Boone put in 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, Rudy Gay scored 17, and Jeff Adrien scored 13.

For the Jayhawks, only Kenny Gregory scored in double figures, hitting 14. Kirk Hinrich scored 7, and no other Jayhawk made more than 2 shots.

Washington, DC

(7) 2008 North Carolina 84, (2) 2010 Duke 81

Kyle Singler thought his three from straight away felt good leaving his hands. But, it clanged off the rim, the buzzer sounded, and the Blue Devils lost a hard-fought game to their bitter rivals.

It was a very close game, hard-fought, and back-and-forth all the way. Exactly what you'd expect from two of the best programs in America.

Carolina took an 8-point lead into the half, and had a lead of ten with 12 minutes to play. But, Duke wouldn't give in. Slowly they chipped away, but couldn't quite grab the lead, but they got within 1 point on a 19-foot jumper by Nolan Smith with a minute to play. The teams traded missed shots, and Alex Stephenson made two free-throws with 8 seconds left to give Carolina the three-point lead that would stand when Singler's shot wasn't true at the buzzer.

Duke's big three showed up, as Smith had 17 points, Jon Scheyer had 15, and Kyle S