NCAA Tourney: Day 3

Today might not have been as exciting as Friday was, but it sure was filled with a bunch of good games. With 8 of the 16 games in the second round done, there are more things I have noticed:

- All doubts I had about Villanova after their near scare against American have been vanquished. They handily put away UCLA, a very good, experienced team, by 20 points. They were able to get production from a handful of players, with 6 players scoring in double figures. 'Nova has excellent guard play, and are solid down in the paint (Dante Cunningham led the team in points with 18 while grabbing 10 boards). And, perhaps most importantly, they are well coached. Jay Wright is a very good, smart coach and has experienced the tournament many times.

- Purdue looks better every day. They beat a good Washington team today, and, right now, seem like they can beat a lot of very good teams. Today's win might even be considered an off day for the Boilermakers as of late. They turned the ball over 11 times and shot 39 percent from the field. Their defense was solid, however, and, after jumping out to a big lead, they were able to stay ahead of the Huskies and preserve their lead.

- Ty Lawson is a stud. With him, UNC is twice as good as they are without him, and without him, they're a really good team. After watching them beat LSU today, I'm second-guessing picking Louisville to beat them in the final. The Heels are good in every part of the game and have contributor at every position. Even if Hansbrough has an off day, you can count on guys like Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and/or Danny Green to step in and take over. Ty's toe? Not to be worried about. Even if he wasn't 100 percent today, his 80 or 90 percent is better than a lot of guys' 110 percent.

- I hate to say it, but it's really hard to pick against Duke right now. Growing up 5 minutes from the University of Maryland, where hating the Blue Devils is hereditary, it kinda hurts to admit how good the Dukies actually are. They're a tad undersized, but their amazing guard play makes up for that completely. Jon Scheyer, distorted faces and all, has been hot lately, and Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler are consistently good. They were able to contain A.J. Abrams for the most part. Abrams, by the way, has the best shooting stroke in the nation. Its so sweet and natural, and its so easy to watch. Oh and also the ball goes in a lot when he shoots it. Now back to Duke: Its gonna be an epic game next week against Villanova, and it'll be interesting to see how the Blue Devil guards match up with 'Nova's. Both run offenses centered largely around great guard play. And, hey, if Scottie Reynolds starts picking them apart, they can always have Henderson throw an elbow .

- I'm still not convinced by Oklahoma. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Blake Griffin is incredible, I know. But, without him, Oklahoma is just a mediocre team, solid at best. They snuck past Michigan today, who is a good, but not great, team. If you're as good as Oklahoma is cracked up to be, you should be able to put away teams like the Wolverines with ease. As long as Blake Griffin is healthy and playing though, the Sooners will be just fine. I don't like their chances against Syracuse (if they get past Arizona State) next round, however. The Orange has been playing great basketball as of late, and I don't think Oklahoma could keep up with them.

- Dear espn.com, please, please, please get rid of the iPod ad at the top of the homepage. Seriously, every time I want to check basketball scores, the ad starts shaking around and moving the icons, so instead of seeing basketball, I hear about how the new iPod touch is "the funnest iPod ever."

Thats about all I've got to say. My bracket is still 89 percent right! Woohoo.  I'm looking forward to Cleveland State-Arizona, Marquette-Missouri, and, of course, my Wisconsin Badgers beating Xavier (I hope) tomorrow.

P.S.: This is why its called March Madness.

NCAA Tourney: Day 2

By Eric Y

That was one amazing basketball day. The field is cut down to 32, the first round is over, and it sure went out with a bang. Here are some things I noted during the games today:

- I'm currently filled with energy just because of the Wisconsin-Florida State game. Wisconsin played incredibly good defense, a trademark of coach Bo Ryan's tenure. They don't have one big star like they have in the past (Alando Tucker, Devin Harris), but have a bunch of guys who can contribute and excel in all parts of the game. The Badgers have a serious shot to make it to the Sweet 16. Xavier is a tad overrated, and if Wisconsin plays good defense, they can beat them.

- One of my upset specials didn't go so well. I thought Temple had a good shot to knock off Arizona State today. The Owls hung with the Sun Devils for most of the game, and Dionte Christmas had another stellar game (29 points), but just couldn't pull off the upset.

- My other upset, however, worked out quite nicely. I picked Cleveland State to beat Wake Forest, and they did just that. Wake looked vulnerable throughout the later part of the season, yet Sports Illustrated still picked them to go to the Final Four. Shows them! The Vikes jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back. An undersized Cleveland State squad (their tallest player is just 6'9") was overpowered on the boards by the Demon Deacons, but turned over the ball just 6 times and forced Wake to turn the ball over 18 times. Cleveland State's momentum might be enough to carry them past Arizona next round into the Sweet 16. Also, the Horizon League is now turning into a mid-major powerhouse. Butler has established itself as a contender over the past few years; as previously mentioned, Cleveland State is threatening; Milwaukee made it to the second round 3 years ago and the Sweet 16 the year before that; and Green Bay made it to the NIT after finishing in second place. I could see the Horizon getting 3 bids in the near future.

- Marquette just isn't the same team without Dominic James. They squeaked past Utah State in the first round, but have to play better to beat a good Missouri team next round. With James done for the season with a broken foot, Jerel McNeal and Wes Matthews have to shoulder the load for the Golden Eagles, but they were a bit off today. Combined, they went 6-26 from the field for 25 points. Lazar Hayward had a big game for them with 26 points, but McNeal or Matthews has to step up for Marquette to get to the Sweet 16.

- I am shamelessly jumping on the Ben Woodside bandwagon. The North Dakota State senior guard scored 37 points in a losing effort against Kansas and averages 29 a game. He's sneaky and can find ways to score, shooting jumpers or slashing through Jayhawk defenders to the basket with ease. He reminds me a lot of Steve Nash, and I would really like to see him get a shot in the NBA.

- Sherron Collins-Cole Aldrich is establishing itself as one of the best small man-big man combos in the NCAA. Collins is a fiery competitor, an excellent shooter and a great distributer. He was playing a one-on-one game with Woodside for most of the game today. Aldrich is a beast, averaging a double-double. He grabs a ton of boards and is a force in the paint. These two should easily dismantle Dayton in the next round, and by next year, Aldrich-Collins will be arguably the best combo in the nation.

- You're killin' me Ohio State. That was a great game, and I don't know how Siena was able to pull off that win. All 5 of their starters scored in double figures, and Ronald Moore was clutch, scoring 7 of his 11 points in the two overtimes, including a three-ball with just 3 seconds left to force double overtime. Evan Turner had a spectacular game (25 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists), but he couldn't do it all for the Buckeyes. Expect Ohio State to be a force next year though, led by Turner, center B.J. Mullens, and hustle player P.J. Hill.

Well, that's about all I have to say. I'm looking forward to Purdue-Washington, UCLA-'Nova, and, of course, my hometown Maryland Terrapins vs. Memphis. Should be a great basketball day. Oh, and my bracket is currently 91% correct. Awwww yeah.

NCAA Tourney: Day 1

By Eric Y

Ahhhh, its the most wonderful time of the year: NCAA Basketball Tournament time! The first day of the tournament is, in my opinion, the best sports day of the year. Sure, Super Bowl Sunday has its perks, but on that first thursday of the tourney, almost everyone does nothing but watch basketball and obsess over their brackets. My whole day was, like many others, spent watching basketball. Here's a few things I noted on day one:

- UConn should be worried about the future of the team. Coach Jim Calhoun fell ill, and missed his second game of the season. Although the Huskies still blew 16 seed Chattanooga out of the stadium, losing a great coach like Calhoun would be a huge hit to the program.

- Maryland could have a chance to upset Memphis when they play in the second round. The Tigers did not look great today, and 15 seed Cal-State Northridge, not exactly a basketball powerhouse, hung with them most of the game. If they play the same way next week, Greivis Vasquez (one of the most underrated players in the nation) and the Terps might have a chance to knock them off.

- Villanova game me quite a scare tonight. If my hometown American Eagles had somehow won that game, I would have been excited as anyone, but all of my brackets have 'Nova in the Final Four. Losing in the round of 64 would not be acceptable.  It was kind of disappointing to see American fall apart late. I was hoping for another D.C.-area Cinderella team. Watching George Mason make their miracle run to the Final Four was probably the most fun I've ever had watching basketball. 

- Clemson is soooooooo overrated. They do the same thing every year: win a ton of games to open the season, fall apart in the second half of the season, then lose early on in the tournament. Yet I still picked them to win today. D'oh. Michigan is better than i gave them credit for though. Manny Harris is a stud, and coach John Beilein has done a great job turning the Wolverines into a solid team.

- I could definitely see Purdue make a run to the Final Four. They are good on both sides of the ball, and are really surging at the right time. Super Sophs Robbie Hummel and E'Twaun Moore can do it all, and are the best combo in the Big Ten.

- Jaan Montgomery of Binghamton should be a lineman. I would not want to be picked by this 6'11", 290 pound center. Also, I like that after about 4 minutes had elapsed in their game against Binghamton, Duke was in the bonus. It takes skill for all 5 of your starters to get at least one foul after just a couple minutes of play.

- ESPN: NO ONE CARES ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S BRACKET!!!!!!!!! Honestly, I do not want to watch Obama take 10 minutes to fill out a very bland bracket on Sportscenter instead of NIT or even Morehead State-Alabama State highlights. Coach K was exactly right when he said the Prez should be doing more important things than filling out brackets.

Well I'm tired and going to bed, but I'm tempted to stay up and pray that Illinois mounts a comeback against Western Kentucky. Come on Illini, i have you in the Sweet Sixteen, don't fail me now. Oh, and by the way, my final four is 'Nova, UNC, Louisville, and Memphis, with the Cardinals knocking off the Heels in the final.