- VCU 71, Kansas 61 - Has to be the most shocking result of the tournament... VCU led by 20 in the first half, laying down the gauntlet for Kansas, and while they did, in fact, respond, it wasn't enough to overcome the early hole they dug... I think a symbolic play of the day was when VCU was up 6 late, Kansas got 3 straight offensive rebounds, but couldn't finish, and Bradford Burgess corralled the 4th rebound, subsequently laid on his back, and snapped off a quick timeout to secure possession... that was the clincher IMO... regional MVP Jamie Skeen had 26 and 10 to lead the way for VCU, and while Kansas did get 33 points and 28 boards from the Morris twins, Markieff was a trainwreck of sorts... 8 turnovers (hard to do as a big) and numerous additional bonehead plays... gotta think Bill Self wishes he got Thomas Robinson some of those minutes... also, Kansas shot 2 of 21 from 3-point land, and just 36% from the field... some of that is defense, a lot of that is missed shots... at any rate, VCU is the story of the tournament, and they'll face a #8 seed in the Final 4.. the definition of madness...
- Kentucky joins VCU.... The battle of the titan programs resulted in a 76-69 UK win over Carolina... Every time UNC made a run in this game, Kentucky had an answer with a big shot, and most of those were Brandon Knight... the freshman finished with 22 points and 7 boards to lead them, and all 5 starters scored double-digits for Kentucky... for UNC, they got big-time production from Zeller (21 and 9) and Barnes (18 and 6), but Henson fouled out for the first time in his career (with just 4 points) and Kendall Marshall shot 2 of 10 from the PG spot... wasn't enough... Kentucky is the most talented team left in the field, and if they weren't all freshman, they'd be the clear favorites...
Elsewhere...
- 2 college hoops coaching hires... Georgia Tech is reportedly hiring Brian Gregory of Dayton... not the "splash" that Shaka Smart would've been, but Dayton has been very competitive in recent years, and I've liked what I've seen (admittedly a small amount) from Gregory... I'm going to go ahead and say that having to pay Paul Hewitt's deal pretty much eliminated Smart from the possibilities... just not enough $ there... and Tennessee has hired Missouri State's Cuonzo Martin in the wake of the Bruce Pearl disaster... Martin has done a great job at Missouri State it seems, and I always like guys who have succeeded in the MVC... it's a good league...
- NBA Check - The Heat had 3 guys (you know the 3) go for 30+ points and 10+ rebounds in a regulation game.. only 2nd time in league HISTORY this has happened... 94 points and 33 rebounds from 3 guys is insane... The Hawks with back-to-back wins... hurray... Josh Smith had 18 rebounds (huh?) and Al Horford threw up a 20/10, but the story was 31 points from Marvin Williams... it is an absolute fact that he only does this when Joe Johnson is out... gotta find a way to channel it... San Antonio has lost 3 in a row... Ginobili went down in the 2nd quarter with a calf issue, and Memphis took advantage with a 7 points win... Gerald Wallace had 40 points last night for Portland... in a loss... OKC knocked them off 99-90 behind 28/7/7 from Westbrook... Portland got virtually nothing from anyone not named Wallace or Aldridge, and shot just 2 of 12 from triple... that'll do it... No one cares about Wizards/Warriors but I had to mention JeVale McGee's 28 and 18 and Monta Ellis' 37/13... a lot of D being played there I'm sure... btw... Washington is 1-35 on the road... take that in... The Lakers keep rolling... 102-84 over the injury-riddled Hornets... Kobe had 30...ho-hum... and Dallas wins in Phoenix despite scoring only 91 points, and no one having more than 16 individually... this isn't your older brother's Phoenix...
- MLB Notes... the A's Andrew Bailey will (non-surprisingly) start the season on the DL... Nyjer Morgan has been dealt to Milwaukee...nothing to see here... but it opens up the Nats outfield for Mike Morse, etc... Neftali Feliz was named the Rangers' closer, officially... and Carlos Silva was unceremoniously cut by the Cubs...
What to watch for on Monday...
- Sixers @ Bulls - 8:00 NBA-TV - The Bulls are really fun to watch...
- NCAA Women's Tournament Action - ESPN 7:00 and 9:00 - Notre Dame/Tennessee and Gonzaga/Stanford... come on... it is still basketball?...
Enjoy the day...
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