UCLA vs. UAB - UCLA making the Sweet 16 validates nothing. To their credit, they've taken advantage of the opportunity presented and deserve kudos for doing so. Doesn't mean they belonged in the field.
Gonzaga vs. Iowa - This game intrigued me. Iowa, at times, looked like a team capable of making an Elite 8 run. At other times, you wondered how they won games. The tournament proved to be a microcosm of that dynamic. Not many teams looked more impressive in their opening round win. And few looked less impressive in their second round loss. A lot of credit goes to the Zags. Kyle Wiltjer has been one of the best players in the thourney thus far. Would love to see them play Duke.
Georgetown vs. Utah - A lot of people, including myself pegged Utah as a first round upset. While they didn't look great against SFA, they looked much better against the Hoyas. Entering the dance, not many teams had a better "numbers" profile than Utah. Historically, their numbers say they're legit to win it all. After watching them play late in the regular season and Pac-12 Tourney, I dismissed them. Sometimes, the numbers shouldn't be ignored.
Duke vs. San Diego State - The Aztecs didn't have a chance, really. Duke is far too dynamic on offense and SDSU can't match that. Duke has had two cakewalks so far. Utah will be a tough matchup because they have good size. Grant Hill called Justise Winslow the best defender Duke has ever had. That's heady (wrong) praise but pro guys love his game.
Kentucky vs. Cincinnati - The style the Bearcats played against Kentucky was referred to by some as the style to be copied. What? Cincinnati played physical with no discernible offensive game plan. As far as I could tell, all they tried to do was intimidate Kentucky and hope they got rattled. They didn't and Willie Cauley-Stein killed a Bearcat with a dunk that demonstrated the mental resolve Kentucky has. It was an embarrassing effort by Cincinnati and kudos to Kentucky for not being baited.
West Virginia vs. Maryland - Of all Big XII teams, West Virginia was the one I had seen the least of. After seeing them last night, I was pretty impressed. They play an aggressive style that leads to fouls and they don't shoot well but agaisnt Maryland who had few ball handlers, it worked like a charm. Melo Trimble was knocked out midway through the 2nd half and that was it. If West Virginia had any shooters, they'd be a very dangerous team, more than they already are.
Butler vs. Notre Dame - I've been highly critical of the Irish all year but to their credit, they won a game where the offense got bogged down and played a tempo at Butler's speed. Some solid defense late and a poor late possession by Butler sent the game to overtime where Notre Dame's more athletic players took over. Butler had a great season but they need to get more athletic moving forward
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Kansas vs. Wichita State - In a game that wasn't an upset, the Shockers simply outclassed Kansas. The Jayhawks struggled to find an identity all year and despite all the talent they have, none of the players stepped up like Wichita who had all their stars play well. Anyone dismissing Bill Self or Kansas as frauds though, are pretty clueless. What they've accomplished under him is second to none.
Arizona vs. Ohio State - All the talk about D'Angelo Russell was overshadowed in this game by another brilliant performance by TJ McConnell. He was phenomenal as was Gabe York. They carried the Wildcats who were too much for Ohio State. The Buckeyes had no answer. Arizona also crushed them on the glass. Not many teams are playing better than Arizona right now.
Xavier vs. Georgia State -Xavier is going to their 5th Sweet 16 in 8 years and third under Chris Mack. Georgia State was game but Jalen Reynolds and Matt Stainbrook were far too much. Ron Hunter was the star of the first weekend.
North Carolina vs. Arkansas - UNC has played two diametrically opposed teams as anyone. They played steady Harvard and chaotic Arkansas on the first weekend and won both games. That's a nice stretch for the Tar Heels. I half jokingly said they'd lose to BC in the ACC Tourney but it's clear I underestimated them. It's not their most talented team under Roy by far. Credit to them for playing as well as they have.
Wisconsin vs. Oregon - Bucky survived Joseph Young and the Ducks in a game far closer than I expected. Last summer, the Ducks had 3 scholarship players. Not a bad season at all by them. Wisconsin's defense isn't that good. That offense, though. Holy smokes, there isn't one better. But their margin for error is pretty small because they aren't going to win with defense.
Michigan State vs. Virginia - It may not have been pretty but credit to Sparty. They didn't sit back and let Virginia dictate pace. They were the aggressors on both sides of the ball from the beginning and established themselves. Virginia never looked comfortable. They're going to need a favorable draw like Dick Bennett's 2000 Badgers did to make a deep run in March. Their style isn't adaptable and it bit them yesterday. I'm not sold on Michigan State having discovered something late to make a run. That said, Izzo schooled Bennett yesterday.
Oklahoma vs. Dayton - I admit I was actively cheering for Oklahoma. As an 11-seed, it wasn't fair the Flyers were playing in Columbus. To their disadvantage, they were playing their 6th game in just over a week and with limited depth, I think it caught up to them. I pegged OU as a sleeper Final 4 team in January and with a few breaks, they have been given a golden opportunity. Take a look at Lon Kruger's Final 4 run at Florida and tell me this doesn't look eerily similar. 1 & 2 seeds bounced before regionals. Just saying.
NC State vs. Villanova - The cliche is March is about matchups and this game was a terrible one for Nova. They simply couldn't match the size and ability of the Wolfpack. People dismiss NC State because of their schizophrenic results but they don't lack for talent. They have 8 top 80 players and they played like it. Nova was awful from range and missed many layups. The Wildcats still had a chance but could never get over the hump. It'll be a long off season in Philly.
Louisville vs, Northern Iowa - When the bracket came out, I immediately thought UNI had a chance in this bracket but my fear was they'd run into a hot shooting team. I never imagined it would be Louisville. UNI is the 2nd of 3 top ranked under 60-possession teams to be eliminated. It doesn't detract what they accomplished this year but they have to be disappointed knowing a Final 4 run was legitimate. They ran into a team who had one of its better offensive games (sad as that is) of the year at the wrong time.
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