Elite Eight
Mood:  blue
Now Playing: Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Topic: Basketball

Sorry for the late post, but it has taken me a couple of days to (1)get over the excitement of the Louisville win, and (2)get over the disappointment of Kentucky's loss. (Yes, I am a fan of both).

My thoughts on this past weekends' NCAA tournament hoops:

This has been without question the most exciting Elite Eight that I have ever watched in the 30 plus years that I have been watching college basketball.

First, there was the Louisville-West Virginia game. The 4th seeded Cardinals comeback against 7th seeded West Virginia from 20 points down was nothing short of miraculous. It almost defies logic. Don't get me wrong, Louisville is a great team, but Saturday they had everything going against them. For one thing the Mountaineers were raining threes, Louisville wasn't hitting their free throws, Larry O'Bannon was cramping, and with four minutes to go in regulation Fransciso Garcia fouled out. But the Cardinals rallied, and in one of the greatest comebacks I have ever seen, beat the Mountaineers in overtime, 93-85.

Now on to great comeback number 2:

As if the first game wasn't exciting enough, the number 1 seeded Ilinois pulled a miraculous comeback against 3rd seeded Arizona. Behind 15 with just four minutes to play, Arizona had the game all but won. One would think that there would be no way that even the Illini could come back against that type of deficit. But then, one would be wrong. In a turn of events that I can only describe as mindboggling, the Illini came back, at one point scoring 8 points in less than 30 seconds, taking the game into overtime and eventually winning by a score of 90-89.

Sundays' Elite Eight Action:

Number 1 seeded North Carolina came through in a win over the number 6 seeded Wisconsin, returning to the Final Four for the first time since 2000. In a game that was tied at half time 44-44, Sean May and the Tarheels prevailed in the 2nd half, winning by a score of 88-82.

Great comeback, but in a losing cause, number 3:

I had already accepted the upcoming loss to number 5 seeded Michigan State, already accepted that UK basketball was over for the season, when they did it again...with a last second 3 point controversial buzzer beater by Patrick Sparks...and then the agonizing wait while the referees reviewed the shot, over and over again for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the refs decided that it was a 3 pointer and let the game go into overtime. The game then went into another overtime, but this time the 2nd seeded Wildcats did not make another comeback and ended up losing to the Spartans, 94-88. But it was still a great game.

Friday's NCAA Basketball Observations
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: Red Rubber Ball
Topic: Basketball

Friday night brought the best coaching from Kentucky's Tubby Smith that this blogger has seen all season. The way he kept running so many players in and out was masterful. Randolph Morris got in foul trouble early in the game, but Kentucky had two 7 footers who handled Bogut well. The move by Tubby eventually wore the 6th seeded Utah's Andrew Bogut down. The 2nd seeded Kentucky Wildcats also shot a season best 62 percent and went on to advance Sunday to play against 5th seeded Michigan State Sunday winning 62-52.

Speaking of Michigan State, the Spartans won impressively against number 1 seeded Duke, who frankly this blogger thought was overrated all year long and should never have been given a number 1 seeding. Redick did not have a good night, not even getting a shot off until 10:17 left in the first half, and scoring only 13 points the whole game. Sheldon Williams had a better night for the BlueDevils, scoring 19 points, but it still wasn't enough to keep Duke from losing the contest. With 22 turnovers also to their credit, the 'Devils ended up losing to State by a score of 78-68.

North Carolina State's Cinderella hopes were ended Friday by the 6th seeded University of Wisconsin. The 10th seeded Wolfpack fell to the 6th seeded Badgers after Wisconsin came out in the second half and scored 26 of the first 33 points scored, following a sub par performance in the first half. The Wolfpack lost to the Badgers, 65-56.

Now, on to the North Carolina-Villanova game. THAT WAS NOT A WALK! Villanova's Allan Ray not only did not walk, he was clearly fouled by North Carolina's Melvin Scott. The referee, Tom O'Neill, really screwed the 5th seeded Wildcats with that ridiculous call, handing the game to the number 1 seeded Tarheels, who won by only 1 point, 67-66.

Additional comments
Mood:  sharp
Now Playing: Imagine
Topic: Basketball

A special kudos, high five, and a virtual "I'm not worthy" to my Mom who correctly predicted that Travis Ford's "stock would rise" after his exposure during the NCAA tournament. She made the comment while we were watching the Kentucky-Eastern Kentucky game in the tournaments' opening round. Only a few days later, newspapers and bloggers started reporting that UMASS was considering Ford for their open men's basketball head coaching job. Today the University of Massachusetts made it official by annoucing that they had indeed hired Ford. If you want to know anything about hoops just ask the expert, my Mom! Great job Mom!

Thoughts on Thursday's NCAA Hoop Action
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Oldies That are Always Goodies
Topic: Basketball

No one should have any doubt anymore that the Louisville Cardinals ought to have been a number 1 seed. They clearly proved that point Thursday night by beating the committee picked number 1 seed, the Washington Huskies, convincingly by a score of 93-79. Frankly, I wonder if any member of the selection committee who said that the 4th seeded Cardinals deserved that seed have eaten their words(or seeds)yet. Sorry, but I couldn't resist the pun. They sure did impress, but didn't surprise this blogger who by the way, had them picked to beat the Huskies.

A virtual wave goodbye until next fall to 2 great coaches, whose seasons were ended Thursday night. Eddie Sutton, coach of the 2nd seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys, lost Thursday night on a near last second shot by Salim Stoudimire of the 3rd seeded Arizona Wildcats, ending the Cowboys' season at 26-7. Also, Bobby Knight and the 6th seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders' championship run was ended Thursday night by West Virginia. Kevin Pittsnogle and the pesky 7th seeded Mountaineers just don't know how to quit;they are just one win away from going to the Final Four, which hasn't been done since 1959. They ended up beating the Red Raiders by a score of 65-60.

Win puts Summitt on top in career victories
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: Summer In the City
Topic: Basketball

KNOXVILLE ? Minutes before tip-off, she walked purposefully toward the Tennessee bench, her arrival accompanied by the kind of applause and adoration normally reserved for football coaches and star quarterbacks in Big Orange Country.

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Vandy goes the distance for a win
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: So Happy Together
Topic: Basketball

Consider the Wichita State Shockers stunned.

In an ending fitting for Hollywood, SportsCenter and Ripley's Believe it or Not all wrapped up into one, the Vanderbilt men's basketball team pulled out a victory for the ages against Wichita State, going the length of the floor in less than a second to win at the buzzer.

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Ga. Tech's Hewitt: Louisville is no 4-seed
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: Tears of a Clown
Topic: Basketball

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The four smallest words in the English language are "I told you so." Louisville avoided saying them Sunday, but their play against Georgia Tech positively screamed it to the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

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Saturday and Sunday's NCAA Tournament Action
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: Oldies But Always Goodies
Topic: Basketball

My Thoughts On Saturday's Action:

It seems there are at least two teams who don't want to step out of Cinderella's slippers. In the first upset of the day, the 12th seeded University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee continued their amazing ride through the tournament when they beat 4th seeded Boston College, 83-75. The second upset came later that night in a nail biting, heart stopping thriller, second only to the Kentucky-Duke game of 1992, when the 7th seeded West Virginia Mountaineers beat the 2nd seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons in double overtime, 111-105.

A virtual high five to Robert Montgomery Knight for taking his team to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1994. The 6th seeded Texas Tech RedRaiders beat the 3rd seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, 71-69.

This Wildcat fan bit her fingernails through almost all of the Kentucky-Cincinnati game Saturday. The game was hard fought and a real "Cat" fight (sorry but I couldn't resist) with the 2nd seeded Wildcats finally outclawing the 7th seeded Bearcats, 69-60.

The two number 1 seeds Illinois and Washington both won their games Saturday. Illinois won against spunky 9th seeded Nevada, 71-59. The Washington Huskies won their game easier, beating the 8th seeded Pacific by 18, with a final score of 97-79.

Sunday's Hoop Action:

The Oklahoma State-Southern Illinois game stayed surprisingly close almost the entire game. It seemed that the 2nd seeded Cowboys just couldn't shake the 7th seeded Salukis until the end, finally pulling out the win, 85-77. Not so with number one seeded North Carolina. The Tarheels won over 9th seeded Iowa State easily, with a final score of 92-65. Things have seemed pretty easy for the 'Heels so far in this NCAA tournament.

The Southeastern Conference's Florida turned in a disappointing performance against Villanova Sunday. The 4th seeded Gators just could never get ahead of the 5th seeded Wildcats, losing by a score of 76-65.
Mississippi State, the other SEC team that played that Sunday, lost to Duke, by a score of 63-55. Frankly, the number 1 seeded BlueDevils weren't impressive, but the 9th seeded Bulldogs just could not hit their freethrows, so they ended up on the wrong side of the score.

North Carolina State countinued their cruise through Cinderellaville Sunday by knocking out last years NCAA Champion, UConn. The 2nd seeded Huskies lost to the 10th seeded Wolfpack, 65-62.

Vermont and Bucknell's continued Cinderella dreams ended Sunday when they both lost in their respective games. The 13th seeded Catamounts lost to 5th seeded Michigan State, 72-61, and the 13th seeded Bucknell Bisons' season was over when they lost to 6th seeded Wisconsin, 71-62.

And finally, in a win that was a lot easier than I expected it would be, the unjustly 4th seeded University of Louisville won against the 5th seeded Georgia Tech by a score of 76-54. Garcia had a great game for the Cardinals, leading them to a relatively effortless victory against the Yellow Jackets. Next week the Cardinals don't have it any easier, as they face the Washington Huskies. Oops, I'm getting ahead of myself here, so I better close this edition of the Sports Lounge. See ya next week....

Open Letter to CBS & ESPN
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Oldies
Topic: Basketball

This is a great post that I found on the Yoco:College Basketball blog, and one that I totally agree with:

Open Letter to CBS & ESPN
By MadHatter on Fri Mar 18th, 2005 at 09:45:29 PM EST

I hope this letter gets posted to every college ball board in America. I hope fans like me, frustrated by broadcast scheduling, will rise up and make their voices heard. "Stop the scheduling gaffs!" they fervently shout. Please.

Diaries ::
I recently relocated to Maryland from the Midwest. Needless to say, I am not an ACC fan. So, I suffer through all the constant ACC broadcasting on my stations. I understand why it is this way.

Yet, I do not understand the choices made by ESPN and CBS during tourney time. I can't tell you how many times, I wished that the latest blowout game would just once, just once, switch to another conference tournament game going down to the wire in the final seconds. Once is all I ask for.

At first, I just figured it was ESPN as usual and hoped that CBS would do a better job, even though they had less channels to offer (ESPN and ESPN2 and ESPNU vs. One CBS station). Tonight, however, I fear I can not watch any more CBS basketball coverage. I love watching the field of 64 narrow, but let me put forth a plea to change the following situation:

Duke-DE State: 3:30 left in 2nd half, blowout game, Duke up by 12 points.

Syracuse-Vermont: 0:12 left, overtime, 2 point game.

Louisville-La-Lafayette: 0:44 left, 4 pt. game.

N. Iowa- Wisconsin: :03 left, 3 pt. game.

CBS continues to show the Duke game UNTIL IT ENDS. The Syracuse game ends. The Wisconsin game ends. Yet, I am stuck watching Duke dribble the ball for 30 seconds, waiting for the clock to expire. THEN, fortunately enough, I get to see the end of the Louisville game.

This is the most exciting time of the year. I am not an ACC fan. Yet, not many Terps fans are Duke fans, either. Why do we have to suffer through a Duke blowout of a 16 seed, while upsets are looming?

Please stop the madness. Please, make your voice heard. Reply to this thread. Make a post. Turn off your tv (even if its only for 5 seconds). This way, I do not have to buy another TV after I throw my beer bottle through the screen. Again.

NCAA Basketball Tournament
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Oldies But Goodies
Topic: Basketball

My Thoughts on the NCAA Tournament So Far:

The first game of the day Thursday, Kentucky versus Eastern Kentucky turned out to be a bit of a scare for Wildcats fans after Kentucky's lead was cut to five in the 2nd half by the team led by a former UK alumni, Travis Ford. But through the senior leadership of Chuck Hayes, the Wildcats went on to prevail against the Colonels, 72-64.

The games of the two number 1 seeds were closer than expected. Washington beat Montana by only 11 points, winning 88-77. Number 1 ranked Illinois didn't fare much better. They even had a home state crowd, and ended up only beating Fairleigh-Dickinson by a score of 67-55.

The first upset of the day came when the number 12 seeded University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee handed the Southeastern Conference their first loss of the day. They won over fifth seeded Alabama, by the score of 83-73. The second upset of the day also came at the expense of the Southeastern Conference. LSU lost to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers, 82-68. Frankly, the final score was not indicative of how badly the Blazers beat the Tigers. At one time during the second half LSU was behind 25 points after UAB had made an 18-5 run, making the score 59-34. Finally, the Tigers made a run late in the half to cut the lead down, but it was too little, too late and they ended up on the losing side of the final score.

One of the most exciting games of the day was number 7 seeded West Virginia against the number 10th seeded Creighton BlueJays. The Mounaineers won the game on a dunk by Tyrone Sally, with 2.9 seconds left to play.

Now on to Friday's Action:

Early on in the second day of hoops play I thought that the SEC was going to receive it's third loss of the tournament when the 4th seeded Florida Gators blew a 20 point lead against the 13th seeded Ohio University Bobcats. The Bobcats went on a 20-2 run and tied the game at 60-all with 2:12 left in the game. But the Gators rallied, and held off the Bobcats winning by a score of 67-62.

No such problem for number 1 seeded North Carolina against the number 16 seeded Oakland, (Michigan) Golden Grizzlies. The Tarheels had no problem beating the Golden Grizzlies, ending their season with a score of 96-68.

A special kudos to all my fellow bloggers out there who said that the University of Vermont Catamounts could beat the Syracuse Orangemen. The 13th seeded Catamounts stunned the 'Cuse in overtime, 60-57.

As if one major upset wasn't enough, then the number 14 seeded Bucknell Bisons shocked the number 3 seeded Kansas Jayhawks in a nail biting and heart pounding upset, with a final score of 64-63.

Whew! If that's how the first two days of play ended, I wonder what the next ones have in store....