3/20: Pitt Goes Down, etc...

Greetings all... Let's hit the madness action first...

• Pitt goes down in a heap.... one of the craziest endings to a game that you'll ever see here... On one end, Butler executed an excellent play to get a layup, taking a 1-point lead with 2 seconds to go... Pitt inbounded in the backcourt, and Shelvin Mack inexplicably rode Gilbert Brown down the sideline, getting a blocking foul, and leading to un-needed free throws... Brown made the first FT to tie the game, but missed the second... which Matt Howard (of Butler) rebounded, and was immediately and INEXPLICABLY fouled by Nasir Robinson... in the backcourt... with under a second to go... in a tie game... I have no idea... but Howard knocked down the first one and it was game time... in the larger picture? Butler played fantastically, and, led by Shelvin Mack (30 points) and Matt Howard, they're a team that has been there before... Pitt goes down again, with yet another exit to Jamie Dixon's resume... I don't know what it is about Pitt, but they never seem to make enough plays down the stretch in these games...
• San Diego State survives and advances... a double-OT win over Temple... the Owls had numerous chances in regulation and the first OT to win this one, but it got out of hand in the second OT with SDSU throttling Temple with pressure... just a deeper, more physical team that wore them down... honestly, this was a bad basketball game (both teams shot less than 43%), but it was at least exciting...
• Kentucky advances... Brandon Knight had a career-best 30 points to lead the Wildcats to a huge 2nd half... WV led by 8 at half-time, and Kentucky outscored them 38-22 in the 2nd frame... the Mountaineers just couldn't get into the lane in the 2nd half the way they were in the first, and Kentucky's defense was the story...
• Probably the highest level of play I saw all day was in Florida's win over UCLA... both teams sported pretty high talent levels playing well... Florida got 21 points (on just 8 FG attempts) from Erving Walker, and 7 guys scored at least 7 points for the Gators, as they outlasted a talented, but young, UCLA team... in the end, UCLA didn't get anything out of their bench, and couldn't overcome it, but I did like what I saw from Joshua Smith (16 points, 6 boards in just 26 minutes)... if he'd only lose 30 pounds...
• The 2 blowouts... Jimmer had 34 points on 23 shots for BYU, leading the way for a team that made 14 of 28 threes... that's basically the story... Gonzaga couldn't get a stop at any point to make a run, and while they were decent offensively, you can't give up 89 points to a team with no inside presence.... and Richmond cruises over Morehead State.. holding MSU to 38% FG, and 14% 3-point field goals... really wasn't that competitive throughout... big-ups to Kenneth Faried on a great career capped by 11 and 13 here, but Justin Harper (19 and 6) and company were too much...
• Wisconsin outlasts Kansas State... Jacob Pullen was ridiculous all night, shooting 13 of 22, and scoring 38 points for K-State in a gritty effort, but in the end, Jordan Taylor (who was wretched all night) blocked a potential game-tying shot from Pullen and that was it... I have no idea how Wisconsin won this game... Jordan Taylor (their heart and soul) shot 2 of 16 from the field, and they got out-rebounded... the bright spots were just 5 turnovers, shooting 83% from the line (both Wisconsin staples) and 9 of 20 from distance...
• Kemba!... The UConn guard had another crazy game... 33 points with a bad right wrist, to lead the Huskies to the win... every time that Cincy needed a stop, UConn went to Walker, and he made plays... even down the stretch, he iced the game with 4 straight perfect FTs (14-14 on the night)... game, set, match...

A quick NBA Check...

• Miami cools off the scorching hot Nuggets behind 30+ from both Wade and James... Blake Griffin led the Clips in all 3 categories with a 30/8/8 in defeating Cleveland at home... Boston gets back on track with a road win in New Orleans overcoming CP3's 15 dimes, and David West's 32... Trick or Treat Tony Allen had the game of his life in Memphis' win over Indiana... 19 points, 11 boards, 6 assists, 6 steals for Allen... Steve Novak led the way for San Antonio with 19... I have NO clue.... and Portland gets a nice home win over Philly led by Wes Matthews' 28...

What to watch for on Sunday...

• #7 Washington vs. #2 North Carolina - CBS 12:15 - This a very nice game... as you may have seen, I'm on record that I think Washington wins this game... but after seeing the way UNC has dominated inside recently, I'm wavering a bit... I still like Thomas and company to win this one, but I'm not convinced as I was... the key is containing Zeller and Henson...
• #8 Michigan vs. #1 Duke - CBS 2:45 - Well, I'm not rational here... but I think Michigan can hang around here... the 1-3-1 zone will make Duke shoot jumpers, and they're capable of a clanker or 2... that said, I think Duke wins a tight one, and sends my boys home...
• #8 George Mason vs. #1 Ohio State - CBS 5:15 - Mason is a nice story... Ohio State is a juggernaut...
• #5 Arizona vs. #4 Texas - TNT 6:10 - Texas has the better roster... Arizona has the better coach... and I'll take the better coach when the "worse" coach is Rick Barnes... especially if I have Derrick Williams (the best player on the court) on my side
• #11 VCU vs. #3 Purdue - TBS 7:10 - I think the dream ends for VCU... they've impressed with a chip on their shoulder so far, but Purdue is a different animal, led by senior leaders in Johnson and Moore, that won't overlook them...
• #11 Marquette vs. #3 Syracuse - truTV 7:45 - Not exactly the typical 11/3 matchup... conference foes, and Marquette has already beaten the Cuse this year... Syracuse has the better guys and more tourney experience with Jardine/Jackson/Triche... give me them...
• #9 Illinois vs. #1 Kansas - TNT 8:40 - How close this game is depends on which Illinois shows up... the one who dominated UNLV, or the one that disappeared against Michigan in the B-10 tourney... I don't think it matters, b/c Kansas is winning this game, but it'll be a blowout if Illinois isn't playing optimally...
• #10 Florida State vs. #2 Notre Dame - TBS 9:40 - Florida State is fully capable of slowing down the ultra-efficient ND offense... but I don't think FSU can score enough, and Ben Hansborough gets off here...

Enjoy it...

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