Month: March 2008 (Page 6 of 21)

Both Texas and Tennessee started quickly and then had to hold on to defeat Miami and Butler.

Coach Rick Barnes has taught his former assistant well. Frank Haith’s Hurricanes almost completed a miraculous comeback but fell three points short. It took 26 points from AJ Abrams, including some clutch free throws to enable Rich Barnes and the Longhorns to advance.

Texas gets great guard play from Augustin and Abrams, the key to making it to the final four will be can they get enough inside production.

Bruce Pearl had a great game plan. Make Butler beat them off the bounce, not the 3 ball. Everytime Mike Green or AJ Graves drove helpside defenders stayed home. It made them take difficult shots over bigger defenders.

Butler was able to make the game a halfcourt game, but in the end the Vols proved they can get it done in the halfcourt. It was a great run for first year head coach Brad Stevens. Now he must replace Green and Graves in the off-season.

Coaching Note: Indiana will take a long look at Sean Miller from Xavier. If they’re smart they will hire him.

Stephen Curry led the Davidson Wildcats to an upset over #2 seeded Georgetown. Curry was by far the best player on the floor, scoring 25 of his 30 oints in the second half. The Wildcats were the more sound team as they commited only 4 urnovers compared to Georgetown’s 20. They neutralized the size advantage of Roy Hibbert who got in early foul trouble and finished with only 6 points and 1 rebound.

With each passing game Seth Greenberg at Virginia Tech has got to feel the pit in his stomach get evern bigger. Curry is the son of Tech’s all-time leading scorer, Dell Curry. Greenberg didn’t think he was good enough. With a couple more wins Curry could lead his team against ACC competition in the Final Four.

Bob McKillop has done an unbelievable job building the program at Davidson. Nineteen years to be exact and to think he lost close to 60 games his first three years at the helm. Lucky his administration had patience. Class act all the way!!!

Western Kentucky continued their march onward as they shot down San Diego. They blew another second half lead, but regrouped behind Courtney Lee’s 29 to hold off the Toreros. It is only the third time since the field expanded to 64 that a 12 or lower seed has made the Sweet Sixteen.

Villanova dispatched Siena behind the superior guard play of Scottie Reynolds. Nova is one of the smallest teams in the field, but it shows you that it’s a guards game. Reynolds had the best all around game in the rouney thus far with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

Think how good Oklahoma would be with Drew Lavender (Xavier) and Scottie Reynolds in the backcourt. For that matter, how good would Siena be if James McClinton (Miami) and Al Fisher (Kent) were still in a Saints uniform. Not to worry for either coach.

News Flash: Siena AD you better start looking for a new coach because Fran McCaffrey has coached his last game for you. With a resume that includes taking three non-bcs schools to the NCAA tournament he is a hot commodity.

While LSU and South Carolina are still looking for a new head coach (possibly Fran McCaffrey), James Madison is well on it’s way to moving up in the league. They will announce on Monday that Matt Brady, former head coach at Marist, will become the leader of the Dukes.

Brady is a great teacher and an excellent game strategist who will help develop the program in Harrisonburg. Also, it he keeps the core group intact he will be off to a big head start in the CAA.

Rumors also have Anthony Grant being the top candidate for LSU and South Carolina. Marist will look at Big East assistants, possibly Tom Herrion (Pitt), who won a high percentage of games at Charleston.

Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel may not have had the senior year he dreamed about, but it’s not over yet. Neitzel scored 21 and hit every big shot down the stretch for Michigan State. Combine that with a stingy defense that held Pitt to 32% shooting fro mthe floor and 2-17 from behind the line and the Spartans moved on.

The Big 10 has been maligned all year, yet two of its team moved into the round of 16.

Darren Collison hit two driving layups in the last minute to help the Bruins survive an upset scare from Texas A&M. The Aggies controlled most of the game, but Kevin Love hit a big three and then a couple of post shots to bring the Bruins back, setting the stage for Collison’s heroics.

UCLA has the toughness you need to win it all. They have experience and with Love inside they have the paint scoring that they lacked last year. Every team has to survive a close call to win it all. This very well could be the Bruins.

With half the bracket set, two things stick out. First Kansas dominance and Wisconsin’s defense. That should be a great match up down the road.

Marquette has a three guard tandem that wreaks havoc with opponents. On this night it was Stanford’s Twinn towers who prevailed. It took the Cardinal til overtime, playing without their head coach who was tossed earelier in the game, to finally subdued the competitive Warriors (oops old nickname, but that’s how they played). Brooks Lopez hit a baseline jumper with 1.3 seconds to go for the win. All Marquette could do was reach up to no avail.

As long as the basket is 10 feet high, the taller player will always have the advantage. Tonight it was Stanford’s turn to reap the rewards.

Over in Omaha, Kansas used a smothering defense in holding UNLV to 27% shooting to route the Rebels. Kansas was deadly from the perimeter and scored inside when they needed a big basket. Four players scored in double figures and it could have easily been 6. Two games and they still have not been tested. Next up for the Jayhaws will be Villanova or Siena.

Coaching Note: In the past coaches who have been ejected during a game have not coached the next one. Let’s see how Stanford handles this one… My vote is let him coach!!

In case you missed it department: East Carolina announced that they have taken the interim tag off Mac Macarthy and given him a five year deal. Also, John Brady, only a couple years removed from the Final Four at LSU, was hired at Arkansas State.