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March Madness Notebook: Day 18

Friday, March 18, 2011 at 1:17AM

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Do you remember the last time you read an NCAA Tournament Day 1 recap that didn't begin with some corny reference to its craziness?

When you have 32 teams playing 16 games in a single-elimination tournament on national television that is pretty much the second-most anticipated sporting event in America, of course there will be some drama.

So, all that said, how 'bout Day 1? Crazy, huh?

I will say I don't remember a Thursday in which three of the first four games went down to the final seconds. Butler beat Old Dominion at the buzzer, Templed topped Penn State with 0.4 seconds left and Morehead State nipped Louisville on a three-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining.

Random Thoughts:
+ Clemson looked geeked early in its loss to West Virginia. One minute I was thinking the Tigers were better off having played late Tuesday, but the next, fatigue mixed with a rare show of offense from the Mountaineers, who turned a 10-point deficit before halftime into a 10-point lead after the break. Then WVU put the clamps on with some late defense as Clemson tried to make a charge.

+ I doubt Butler's Matt Howard had John Wooden's "Be quick but don't hurry" in mind when his buzzer-beater left Old Dominion heartbroken. The big senior picked up a loose ball and rushed it out of his hand and banked it in as time expired. His subsequent fist-pump-air-punch showed the kind of spirit you rarely see in the NBA.

+ "Coach, I'm gonna hit the shot." That was Demonte Harper in the Morehead State huddle, moments after his coach, Donnie Tyndall, told him he'd had a dream the night before that Harper was going to hit a game-winning shot. And moments before Harper did it, prompting Louisville coach Rick Pitino to make multiple postgame comments suggesting he's at least thought about retiring.

+ Though Louisville lost in devastating fashion, I can't help but look forward to watching Peyton Siva next year. He won or extended a couple of regular season games with late heroics, and played with great courage in the Big East Tournament last week. And again on Thursday, when he repeatedly penetrated and dished despite a sore hip after getting clocked on one drive that did not yield a foul call.

+ I'm not sure what's up with Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt. I hope he wears a diaper when he coaches during the NCAA Tournament.

+ Things got heated on Twitter after Jimmer Fredette's late 30-footer drew only air as time was running out with BYU comfortably ahead. Some thought he was showboating, others were quick to point out the shot clock was about to expire. What did you think?

+ Good to see Wisconsin show up when, oh, everybody — including OGS — picked Belmont to grab the upset. Badgers looked tough.

+ I hope Ben Howland keeps some Robitussin at his hotel room. His UCLA Bruins nearly coughed up a 21-point lead and lost to Michigan State. The Bruins won't beat Florida with a second half like that on Saturday.

+ Cincinnati shook off a sluggish start — bad body language, players yelling at each other — and brought its grown-man's game right at Missouri. Nice to see Mick Cronin continue his splendid fifth season.

+ I thought Doug Gottlieb was crazy for being so confident in his pick that Gonzaga would beat St. John's. I figured that was going to be among the closest games of the entire second round. Instead, of the 16 games on Day 1, only four finished with larger margins. But Steve Lavin and his crew can be very proud of year one in Queens.

Looking Ahead:
+ If you're stuck at work Friday, make sure you eat a fish sandwich at your desk and turn on the stream right at 12:15 p.m. This will be your first and likely last chance to see Oakland's Keith Benson play. He'll do some nice things down low, even against Texas' big men.

+ We get three 8-9 games on Friday, and on paper, they look like they'll be doozies. I think Tennessee will beat Michigan and give Duke a tough game on Sunday. George Mason turns the trick on fading Villanova and UNLV should sneak past Illinois.

+ The Marquette-Xavier game will be can't miss television at 7:27 p.m. on truTV.

Conference Check:
ACC: 0-1
Atlantic 10: 2-0
Atlantic Sun: 0-1
Big East: 4-2
Big Sky: 0-1
Big South: 0-1
Big Ten: 1-2
Big West: 0-1
Big 12: 1-1
Colonial: 0-1
Horizon: 1-0
Ivy League: 0-1
MWC: BYU 2-0
Ohio Valley: 1-0
Pac-10: 1-0
Patriot: 0-1
SEC: 2-1
Southern: 0-1
WAC: 0-1
WCC: 1-0

John P. Wise |

4 Comments |

1 Reference |

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Reader Comments (4)

interested to see if the eleven teams for the Big East was warranted

March 18, 2011 |

Trane

Easy to judge after the fact

March 18, 2011 |

Mr. T

4-2 on day one wasn't terrible for Big East, with one loss being a one-point, buzzer-beating surprise.

March 18, 2011 |

John P. Wise

October 7, 2011 |

monian

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