In the ACC, Louisville outlasted Virginia in a game more entertaining than I'd have guessed. As Rick Pitino said, it was a rock fight but there were actual moments of offensive lucidity along with top level defense. And yes, far too much offensive sloppiness and ugliness but far less than usual for both clubs. To close the day, Duke reminded us of the beauty of their offense. They've matched Wisconsin in KenPom. That was seemingly impossible a month ago.
In the Big XII, Kansas went to Oklahoma without Brannen Greene and Perry Ellis and nearly pulled off an upset on a beautifully designed play to get a 3 that resulted in an Oklahoma foul and 3 shots for Frank Mason. Mason buried all 3 but the Sooners Buddy Hield tipped in missed shot with less than a second left. Big XII tourney is just going to be bananas.
The Big Ten saw Indiana and Illinois lose. Neither should be in the tournament. Guessing one makes it. Indiana had a chance to force overtime after Denzel Valentine fouled Yogi Ferrell for no apparent reason. Ferrell missed the second to save Sparty who was without Branden Dawson. They're still the dumbest team I've seen all year.
Wichita State was upset by Illinois State in Arch Madness. The Redbirds are not a bad team, 61st in KenPom and have lost some close ones. If they can upset UNI, the Valley gets 3 and I'd be pretty okay with that.
In other games of note, Villanova dropped 100 on St. John's, outscoring them 55-22 in the 2nd half. Villanova' RS recent tourney history is sketchy but they're playing at a very high level right now. Also, you'll have a hard time convincing me Arizona isn't the 2nd best team in the nation.
Finally, a tip of the cap to Bob McKillop and Davidson. Picked to finish last in the A-10, they won the regular season title by pummeling Duquesne yesterday, easily eclipsing the 100 point barrier. If you like basketball, it's easy to cheer for the Mckillop's and Rick Byrd's of the world. Watch their teams play offense. Great movement and passing without milking the shot clock.
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