Sunday, March 18, 2007
Halfway to the Sweet Sixteen
What’s the famous Al Davis mantra, “Just win, baby.” Truest in craps and the round of 32, baby. Nobody asks how, just how many. Surive and advance. Saturday, a day with great games, the big boys did just that very well.
Almost all of the day's games went that way, the winners ground it out. Tyler Hansbrough ripped off the mask and had 33 for UNC. The Tar Heels when challenged by Michigan State responded strongly. A clutch shooting game by Ty Lawson was crucial support for Hansbrough.
UCLA dominated defensively, and then withstood a serious Indiana run. The Hoosiers were down two, but without a timeout, and could not successfully in-bound the ball. (Mike Davis recruits, mind you.) But hey, they made a staunch run, they played their guts out. They were an atrocious 10 of 21 from the line in a game they lost by 5. Did the Clarion mention they were Mike Davis recruits? Enjoy UAB. Maybe in football crazy Alabama they won’t notice these kind of fundamental shortcomings. All and all, a terrific first season for Kelvin Sampson. Yesterday the Hoosiers gave a game effort, and had a shot to win their way into the Sweet Sixteen. Any Indiana fan would have signed off for that at the beginning of the year.
Georgetown, the Clarion’s national championship pick, had a classic survive and advance battle. They went toe to toe with old Big East foe, the New England school who saw the logic in deserting to the ACC...Boston College. BC is a group of well coached, hard nosed, hustling, bangers. They battled Georgetown to the limit, but they didn’t have the horses to contest, the 7’2”, 285# Roy Hibert. Ably backed by Patrick Ewing Jr. and the player of the Big East Tournament, Jeff Green. Future pros all over the place. As good as Dudley of BC is, and he was player of the year in the ACC, he couldn’t fend them all off. Hibert couldn’t make a shot outside a foot and a half, but it didn’t matter because he kept getting all of his own offensive boards and stuffing in the put backs.
Vandy survived and advanced, gutting it out in OT against the hippies from Washington State. A good defensive team that was picked by most to finish near the bottom of the Pac-10.
Among others finding a way to just win, Clarion fav, Coach Jamie Dixon and the Pitt Panthers, who had to do it against a very gritty Virginia Commonwealth. VCU and their old school, Oakland Raiders tough, guard, Eric Maynor, rallied from 19 down at the 12 minute mark to take the game to overtime. By the six degrees of Kevin Bacon theory, or in this case Kelvin Sampson theory, Indiana is responsible for bringing the VCU Rams their coach. Indiana hired Kelvin Sampson quietly, off the radar, away from Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Sooners hired VCU’s coach, former Dukie, Jeff Capel, a bright young fellow, who recruited this gutty VCU team. But VCU minus one coach, found a winner just down the bench from Billy Donovan, an assistant on last years national champion Gators, Anthony Grant. Mr. Grant looks like an up and comer.
An already established performer, at least from the view at the Clarion’s desk, Acie Law IV helped his team, Texas A&M, perserve in a tight battle with Louisville. Though the Clarion has the Aggies to the Final Four, we had to feel pity for Louisville’s Edgar Sosa, initially 15 for 15 from the free throw line, he missed two big ones in a row down the stretch. Sosa, a freshman will have other chances, meanwhile Law and the Aggies survive in advance heading toward waters previously uncharted at this Texas football school.
A tremendous Saturday, because for all that, we still haven't talked about the biggest scare of them all. ESPN’s Pat Forde called it a Tyus Edney moment, after the UCLA guard’s legendary end to end, magical tourney saving run against Missouri. (Which notably, occurred in this very round of 32.) Ohio State, overall number one, was down 3 points with seconds to-go, and Xavier shooting the back half of a one and one. Clang, a miss. A mad rush down court, OSU's Ron Lewis buries a deeeeeeep 3 pointer and their bacon is yanked off of the frying pan. The Buckeyes still had to triumph in OT, and without the services of the fouled out Greg Oden. They did. Survive and advance.
Survive and advance. Just win, baby. Who can do it Sunday?
Florida? Kansas? Texas? Oregon? Memphis?
Saturday, the big boys prevailed. Sunday, the Clarion likes at least two, possibly three teams from the proceeding list to get clipped.
Almost all of the day's games went that way, the winners ground it out. Tyler Hansbrough ripped off the mask and had 33 for UNC. The Tar Heels when challenged by Michigan State responded strongly. A clutch shooting game by Ty Lawson was crucial support for Hansbrough.
UCLA dominated defensively, and then withstood a serious Indiana run. The Hoosiers were down two, but without a timeout, and could not successfully in-bound the ball. (Mike Davis recruits, mind you.) But hey, they made a staunch run, they played their guts out. They were an atrocious 10 of 21 from the line in a game they lost by 5. Did the Clarion mention they were Mike Davis recruits? Enjoy UAB. Maybe in football crazy Alabama they won’t notice these kind of fundamental shortcomings. All and all, a terrific first season for Kelvin Sampson. Yesterday the Hoosiers gave a game effort, and had a shot to win their way into the Sweet Sixteen. Any Indiana fan would have signed off for that at the beginning of the year.
Georgetown, the Clarion’s national championship pick, had a classic survive and advance battle. They went toe to toe with old Big East foe, the New England school who saw the logic in deserting to the ACC...Boston College. BC is a group of well coached, hard nosed, hustling, bangers. They battled Georgetown to the limit, but they didn’t have the horses to contest, the 7’2”, 285# Roy Hibert. Ably backed by Patrick Ewing Jr. and the player of the Big East Tournament, Jeff Green. Future pros all over the place. As good as Dudley of BC is, and he was player of the year in the ACC, he couldn’t fend them all off. Hibert couldn’t make a shot outside a foot and a half, but it didn’t matter because he kept getting all of his own offensive boards and stuffing in the put backs.
Vandy survived and advanced, gutting it out in OT against the hippies from Washington State. A good defensive team that was picked by most to finish near the bottom of the Pac-10.
Among others finding a way to just win, Clarion fav, Coach Jamie Dixon and the Pitt Panthers, who had to do it against a very gritty Virginia Commonwealth. VCU and their old school, Oakland Raiders tough, guard, Eric Maynor, rallied from 19 down at the 12 minute mark to take the game to overtime. By the six degrees of Kevin Bacon theory, or in this case Kelvin Sampson theory, Indiana is responsible for bringing the VCU Rams their coach. Indiana hired Kelvin Sampson quietly, off the radar, away from Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Sooners hired VCU’s coach, former Dukie, Jeff Capel, a bright young fellow, who recruited this gutty VCU team. But VCU minus one coach, found a winner just down the bench from Billy Donovan, an assistant on last years national champion Gators, Anthony Grant. Mr. Grant looks like an up and comer.
An already established performer, at least from the view at the Clarion’s desk, Acie Law IV helped his team, Texas A&M, perserve in a tight battle with Louisville. Though the Clarion has the Aggies to the Final Four, we had to feel pity for Louisville’s Edgar Sosa, initially 15 for 15 from the free throw line, he missed two big ones in a row down the stretch. Sosa, a freshman will have other chances, meanwhile Law and the Aggies survive in advance heading toward waters previously uncharted at this Texas football school.
A tremendous Saturday, because for all that, we still haven't talked about the biggest scare of them all. ESPN’s Pat Forde called it a Tyus Edney moment, after the UCLA guard’s legendary end to end, magical tourney saving run against Missouri. (Which notably, occurred in this very round of 32.) Ohio State, overall number one, was down 3 points with seconds to-go, and Xavier shooting the back half of a one and one. Clang, a miss. A mad rush down court, OSU's Ron Lewis buries a deeeeeeep 3 pointer and their bacon is yanked off of the frying pan. The Buckeyes still had to triumph in OT, and without the services of the fouled out Greg Oden. They did. Survive and advance.
Survive and advance. Just win, baby. Who can do it Sunday?
Florida? Kansas? Texas? Oregon? Memphis?
Saturday, the big boys prevailed. Sunday, the Clarion likes at least two, possibly three teams from the proceeding list to get clipped.
Labels: college basketball, Predictions, sports
Comments:
might've been MD's recruits, but 13 points in the first half and a second round exit is vintage kelvin sampson. get used to it.
# posted by 
: 3/18/2007 11:38 PM
: 3/18/2007 11:38 PM
Hey now, anon.
13 points in a half was kind of lousy, more upsetting was not having a set in-bounds play to fall back on with no timeouts left.
However, Kelvin Sampson's track record is pretty good...three Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, one Final Four.
And we all know Norman, Oklahoma is no scenic Bloomington, Indiana.
13 points in a half was kind of lousy, more upsetting was not having a set in-bounds play to fall back on with no timeouts left.
However, Kelvin Sampson's track record is pretty good...three Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, one Final Four.
And we all know Norman, Oklahoma is no scenic Bloomington, Indiana.
You mean that Final Four where his far superior team was outcoached by Mike Davis?
# posted by : 3/23/2007 4:32 PM
: 3/23/2007 4:32 PM
Also, the track record you mention is a little misleading. One of those Sweet sixteen and final eight appearances were in that final four run.
In eleven years, he had five first round exits, two second round exits, and one NIT bid. How's that for a track record?
Hollis Price pretty much saved his a$$.
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In eleven years, he had five first round exits, two second round exits, and one NIT bid. How's that for a track record?
Hollis Price pretty much saved his a$$.
# posted by : 3/23/2007 5:01 PM
: 3/23/2007 5:01 PM