NCAA Weekend Reaction

The first four days of March Madness are behind us… And it was truly madness!!! A 1-seed is gone (Wichita State), two 2-seeds lost also (Kansas and Villanova), and Duke (3-seed) went down in the first round. There are three double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16, two of which play each other next (Dayton and Stanford). OT’s and buzzer beaters were the norm, and nobody lasted two days with a perfect bracket (in the world).

Through two rounds, Andrew and Greg are tied at 41 points. Due to similar picks in many spots, they were about even in every region. Going forward, Andrew must take advantage of Greg’s choice of Wichita State to the final game. Another big difference is Arizona vs. Wisconsin. Andrew is taking Arizona, and Greg is taking Wisconsin. That looms large in a race this tight.

Today though, I wanted to give you my first weekend reaction. This includes my favorite games and moments, player analysis, and my three biggest surprises and disappointments. Enjoy!

Reactions

Andrew – These first four days were amazing. I loved the close games, the upsets, the drama at the end of games, and the unpredictability that is March Madness. I was texting with friends at some point and made the statement that nothing in sports rivals this tourney. It’s simply the best without question.

Favorite Games and Moments

Andrew – The best game in terms of quality was Wichita State vs. Kentucky. Both teams played at a high level and it was close throughout. It had the feel of a championship game honestly, and it’s disappointing they both couldn’t have moved on. Kentucky played their best game of the season by far.

Dayton and Ohio State was fun for a number of reasons. First off, it was the opening game of the entire tourney. Secondly, it featured the small school in Ohio against the big state school. The energy was intense. It also went back and forth all throughout the second half, and twice within the final 30 seconds. Dayton then followed it up with an incredible performance against Syracuse, another favorite game of mine.

SFA defeated VCU was incredible. The moment of the game was the four-point play at the end of regulation that sent it to OT. Just unreal as I thought the game was essentially over.

Mercer over Duke was another upset game that was fun to watch. Partway through the second half you could see the belief was there. It was also the biggest upset of the tourney in terms of seed.

North Dakota State taking out Oklahoma was awesome. The best moment was in OT, when a bench player, who hadn’t played the whole game, came in and scored four points in a row to win the game and cause the upset. Such a good story.

I couldn’t believe NC State choked against St. Louis. Texas had the game winner against Arizona State. Harvard pulled off another upset. ISU vs. UNC was as epic a game as you’ll see all tourney. Stanford over Kansas and UCONN over Villanova were also great games. There were so many great games and moments!

Five Players who Delivered

Andrew – Adreian Payne, Michigan State: Scored 41 points in their first game against Delaware (12 points in a win over Harvard). That’s his career high, obviously. Glad to see him healthy again.

Shabazz Napier, Connecticut – In their first game, his line was 26 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Then in the upset over Villanova: 25, 5, 3, and 2. He’s just a great leader and stuffs the stat sheet on a regular basis.

Cleanthony Early, Wichita State – Honestly the best player I saw this weekend was Early, so it’s sad he’s not playing anymore. Against Cal Poly he poured in 23 and grabbed 7 boards. Against Kentucky, he put up 31 and pulled down 7 rebounds. His play at the end of that game too was so clutch. It’s a shame they lost.

DeAndre Kane, Iowa State – Was “quiet” in their first win by scoring 14, and having 7 rebounds and 5 assists. In their win over UNC, he scored 24, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 7 assists, and scored the game winner with 1.6 seconds left. Big time!

Xavier Thames, San Diego State – Was one of my players to watch in his region, and he delivered with 23 points in their first win and 30 in their second. He’s actually been doing this all year, so y’all need to pay attention!

Five Players who Didn’t

Andrew – Andrew Wiggins, Kansas – Got all the love before the season, but it ended well short of expectations. In their loss to 10-seeded Stanford, he went 1-6 for 4 points with 4 turnovers. He wasn’t nearly aggressive enough, particularly with fellow freshman Embiid out.

Jabari Parker, Duke – This is another freshman that laid an egg in the NCAA Tourney. In their loss to Mercer, Parker went 4-14, had 4 turnovers and 0 assists. Again, not the best way to end the season, and most likely NCAA career.

Kendall Williams, New Mexico – His inclusion to this list was easy. New Mexico had high hopes in this tourney and wanted to avenge an early exit last season. Williams is their best pure scorer and was averaging 16 for the year. In their close loss to Stanford he scored 3 points. If he could have gotten anything going they would have won, and they could have potentially beaten Kansas to get to the Sweet 16. Instead, they went home early for the second year in a row.

Lebryan Nash, Oklahoma State – Oklahoma State was not only supposed to beat Gonzaga, but they were expected to seriously challenge Arizona in the third round. But they bowed out early in large part due to Nash. He scored a lowly 6 points, a full eight points below his season average.

LaQuinton Ross, Ohio State – Only scored 10 points in their loss to in-state foe Dayton, but it was more the way he played that was disappointing. For being the most talented guy on the court, he was invisible for large stretches. Now he’s thinking about going pro early… mistake!

3 Biggest Surprises

Andrew – Mercer actually beating Duke was shocking to me. I watched Mercer play the week before and thought they were dangerous, but not enough to actually win. Duke got outplayed, it was that simple. This was the one upset I didn’t see coming.

Colorado not showing up to play was surprising. They’ve risen to the challenge all year, even after losing their best player Dinwiddie to injury. But against Pitt, a team I didn’t think was that great, they got dismantled from the start.

Baylor and Tennessee annihilating teams. I’m not surprised by either team’s presence in the Sweet 16, just the way they got there. UMASS and Creighton in particular were teams that I didn’t think would get blitzed. They did!

3 Biggest Disappointments

Andrew – NC State choking against St. Louis by missing free throw after free throw. Even their best player TJ Warren was bricking shots from the line. They should have won by 20, but instead lost in OT.

The fact that Wichita State is going home is disappointing. They are too good to be done, and actually played too good to be done. They are better than ten teams or so still remaining.

The ACC (and A-10). There was a “feud” between coaches as to which conference should get more of their bubble teams in. Both wanted respect. But neither conference played well. Both only have 1 team remaining. But the ACC in particular suffered bad losses… Duke and Syracuse in particular. North Carolina also choked at the end of their game to Iowa State, who was missing one of their best players. Embarrassing and disappointing.

That’s all until tomorrow… Thanks!

By: The Sports Guys