whitesoxfan101

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 22, 2008 -> 10:41 PM) UCLA was hacking the crap out of TAMU that last 10 minutes. With Duke out, I want to see anyone but UCLA win. I can't see them winning with this group, just not enough offense even with Love. They had a final four trip handed to them on a silver platter being in this region and came very close to blowing it tonight though. EDIT: I agree Soxbadger, gotta go for 3 and the win under those circumstances.

Love is just unbelieveable. Bruins win, wow. They almost blew a chance at winning this epically horrible region, but they get it done.

Michigan State picks a heck of a time to get their first win against a noteable opponent away from East Lansing, go figure.

The Bulls blow a huge 4th quarter lead AGAIN, I've never seen a team nearly as good at doing it as the Bulls. They led by 11 after 3, led by 13 early in the 4th, but are outscored huge again at 35-17 in the 4th and lose 108-101 to Indiana. I know it's better they miss the playoffs, but it's just amazing a team can blow that many huge 4th quarter leads. Also, a great night for Kirk Hinrich. Bulls were -20 with him on the floor, nobody else was worse than -6, so he was easily the worst player on the floor for the Bulls. Then again that's nothing new.

I thought UCLA was ok at the half, but just the events of this opening minute with the easy 3 pointer and that bizarre bank shot make me think it might be A&M's night. The west is already chaos, but if UCLA were to fall, it'd be beyond chaos out there.

Some bizarre happenings in Stanford/Marquette. Trent Johnson, the Stanford coach who I often say looks like a crazy ax murderer, just randomly lost his mind and was given a double technical and kicked out of the game. Marquette then made 4 free throws and now has a small lead last in the 1st half. Weird.

Wow that ending took long for Xavier/Purdue, even by basketball standards. Anyways, the Big 10 is still absolute garbage. Wisconsin obviously isn't, but the rest of the league is.

Wisconsin's guards just played a masterful game. If their guards are going to play like that, they'll beat Georgetown and be able to give North Carolina a game next week. I give them credit, Kansas State is a good team and Wisconsin just wore them down mentally and physically.

Pretty easy game to figure out here. Kansas State collapsing inside and making Wisconsin shoot the 3's, but they are open 3's. If Wisconsin can hit open 3's they win, if not they lose. They have done a good job at it so far at 7-15. Wisconsin is also being smart (at least I think so) in that they are letting Beasley have his (17 points so far) and just stopping everybody else. Bill Walker has 8, he needs to get up to about 20 if they want a chance.

I can't imagine Wisconsin can continue to hit shots like this, they just aren't a good offensive team. They'll win if they prove me wrong though in that regard, because K State plays no defense.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Mar 22, 2008 -> 02:03 PM) This game has the feel that Duke has dominated yet they're only up 5. If WVU can stay out of foul trouble in the 2nd half, they're in solid shape. Good call, although neither team really stayed out of foul trouble. DAMNIT I knew Duke would lose in the 2nd round, just should have taken West Virginia and not Arizona in the 1st. Glad to see Duke lose too, I'm just rooting for all hell to break loose and destroy all kinds of brackets (although I'm not sure why anybody would have picked Duke to even survive this weekend, they are garbage). Well that and I am human, so I hate Duke like everybody else. Also, it's now undebateable that this is the worst region in the history of the 64 team tournament IMO. UCLA could practically win the west with it's reserves. And rebounding today was West Virginia 45, Duke 19. OUCH.

Gordon definitely has poor shot selection, but the vast majority of really good players do, which is why so many people find the NBA unwatchable. You are probably right he was struggling before the injury (I don't watch every Indiana game) but the overall and general stat dropoff post wrist injury is huge and made his already poor shot selection methods even worse.

Very similar to last game for Duke, as a huge free throw attempt edge at halftime (12 to 3) means Duke has a halftime lead, but it's only by 5. How is it that a team with nothing in the post at all can shoot so many more free throws than it's opponents? I don't get it.

I don't know why, but anytime I see DeAndre Thomas, it reminds me of grimace from the McDonald's commercials. I know there is a difference obviously in the skin color, but they have the exact same body type/appearance.

Bassett won't surprise me unless he's not really good, I think he could be an all league type player next year because he's a deadeye shooter and he'll have a lot more shots available with White and Gordon gone. A lot of people at IU think he's going to transfer though. As for the Purdue/IU thing, obviously White and Gordon (when healthy) are both way better than anybody Purdue has, but overall I'd go with the Boilers in the talent department. It could be debated though.

I'm still glad IU crashed and burned like this, karma is a b**** and they deserve it. But I still feel bad for a freshman who was great and a top 5 pick lock, and then played all these games with a broken wrist and made himself look bad in what I assume was him trying to help his team out (no other reason he'd play). I'm not sure who thought IU had final four talent either. Even when Gordon was healthy, they are probably the 2nd most talented Big 10 team in Indiana, for starters.

QUOTE(The Bones @ Mar 21, 2008 -> 11:47 PM) Eric Gordon 4 Most Outstanding Player! 8 PTS, 3/15 FG, 2/6 FT, 1 AST, 3 REB He's still getting paid big time next year.............the scouts know why he's been so bad the last several weeks. I mean, Packer kept saying go to the basket all night in regards to Gordon, but it's just hard to do that when your off wrist is broken, he almost has to dribble right handed only. I actually feel kind of bad for him, he could have easily just sat out and saved face instead of playing handicapped and taking one for the team.

Jimbo has gotta be feeling good, the path to the Elite 8 is UNLV and then either Villanova or Siena. Things really opened up for the Jayhawks in this region.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 21, 2008 -> 10:37 PM) Well, a last thanks to Kelvin Sampson for building up our hopes by setting up on paper an excellent season and then finding out that he hid a land mine underneath that paper. How's that for mixed angry metaphors? Blame Greenspan, Sampson should have never been hired. Anybody that followed him at OU knew this would happen at Indiana as well. Once a cheater, always a cheater. I must say I do feel bad for D.J. White though, he didn't sign up for this and it's sad to see his career end this way. And people are going to blame Eric Gordon big time, I hope the IU athletic department (or Gordon himself) just comes out and admits he's been bad the last several weeks because he's playing with a broken wrist. I know it's his left wrist, but it's not coincidence his play has gone so downhill since he broke it.

Mine is garbage.......13/16, 7/8, and my entire final 4 left, but I went 21-11 in the first round so I'm beyond dead. Worst 1st round I have ever had. Just amazing to me that all 4 games in Tampa saw a 13 or 12 win, and today was crazy in general and probably hurt/killed a lot of brackets.

I went 3-5 in the first round here, and lost two sweet 16 teams and an elite 8 team (lol). This region was already pathetic in terms of the teams (and is moreso now with the results today), but it has been VERY fun to watch, which is all that matters. It'd have just been perfect and fitting had Belmont beaten Duke though, however despite that UCLA has to be feeling very good about it's chances with this competition, as they can cruise in this region while the other 3 beat each other up.

The better team clearly won that game. And the west continues to show that it's the worst region in the history of the tournament. What an AMAZING finish though.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 21, 2008 -> 01:57 PM) Disagree the Drake player was way late getting to the spot and that created the contact, the push off was very mild and is bound to happen on a spin move of that nature and the Drake player clearly flopped. I couldn't disagree more, but to each his own. Anyways, why did WKU foul there? And it was a dumb play by the kid that did it, but there were 3 guys running at the Drake players all trying to foul. So stupid.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 21, 2008 -> 01:49 PM) Absolutely pathetic charge call on WKU at the end... but I've come to expect it around college basketball this year. At least they get a chance to win it in OT. It wasn't a charge, it was called because the guy with the ball pushed the defender to the ground, and it was clearly the correct call on replay. I'm not a fan of the refs either (they have sucked all year), but they got that one right.

You guys don't deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament if you can't beat Kansas State? That's just ridiculous, Kansas State has by far the best player in America (sorry ESPN, It's Beasley and not Hansbrough) and they BLASTED one of the more dangerous middle seeds in the tournament last night. I agree that Wisconsin should play straight up though, Beasley is going to kill you no matter what, might as well try and keep guys like Walker and Pullen out of the act. I'm not a big fan of KenPom and the efficiency stats though, because according to them Illinois should have been a decent team this year and that's just ridiculous.