The calendar has just hit April, but March Madness still remains.
The 64-team NCAA tournament has been cut down to the Final Four. Two number one seeds remain in Connecticut and North Carolina.
Michigan State, a two seed, is still alive after defeating the overall top seed Louisville in the Elite Eight. The Final Four is being played in Detroit, so Michigan State is playing in their home state in front of many fans. This gives them an advantage, but they still have a big challenge in the UConn Huskies.
Villanova rounds out the tournament field after winning perhaps the most exciting game of the tournament against top seeded Pitt in the Elite Eight. After Villanova had the game nearly sealed, they threw away the inbounds pass to Pitt. Pitt guard Levance Fields was fouled and made two free throws to tie the game with five seconds remaining.
But too much time was left for the Wildcats’ star Scottie Reynolds made an off-balance layup with half a second remaining to send Villanova to its first Final Four since 1985, when they upset top-seeded Georgetown.
There were not many Cinderellas in this year’s NCAA Tournament, with all of the top three seeds in each region advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. The only seed higher than a five-seed that won two games was twelfth-seeded Arizona, a team most people felt did not even belong.
The first round did not go without a few upsets and a few scares to the top seeds. Wake Forest, a four seed that was the number one team in the country at one point, was a pick by many to advance as far as the Elite Eight. The Demon Deacons were blown out by thirteenth-seed Cleveland State in a game where Cleveland State dominated the entire game.
In the notorious five seed vs. twelve seed first round game, the only victorious five seed was Purdue. Illinois, Florida State, and Utah were all upset victims in the five vs. twelve matchup.
March Madness has not gone without its share of great individual performances. Though Blake Griffin had a tremendous regular season, he elevated himself even more in the tournament. Griffin averaged 28.5 points in tournament games to go along with an average of 15 rebounds. This is even more remarkable because Griffin faced double teams all tournament long.
Cole Aldrich, center for Kansas, had a solid all-around tournament, recording two double-doubles and one triple-double. His triple-double came against Dayton in the second round when he scored 13 points, had 20 rebounds, and blocked 10 shots.
Like the majority of Americans, I filled out my annual NCAA tournament bracket. I did fairly well because I figured this year there would not be that many upsets, and since all of the top three seeds in each region advanced to the round of sixteen, I was fairly right. I also did well in the Final Four, selecting Louisville, Uconn, North Carolina, and Villanova. The only one of those I missed was Louisville and I had them going to the championship, but losing to UNC.
I struggled on all of the eight-nine seed matchups in the first round, not getting a single one right. But luckily I can afford to get a few first round games wrong.
This has been a great tournament and look for the championship and Final Four to continue the trend.
--Submitted by Charlie Morrissey, Staff Reporter |
