Upsets: There were two big upsets today. VCU (not sure you can really call it a major upset), and Colorado played the role of underdogs, and came out on top of the competition today. Two statistics that both winning teams had in common were; 1: They shot a higher percentage from the charity stripe, and 2: they shot a higher percentage from the floor than their opponent.
Now if we look at each individual game, we'll find that...
UNLV was outrebounded by the Buffs 43-30, and was held to 9-36 three point shooting. Colorado made up for 23 turnovers with some stellar 1st half defense, and good outside shooting.
VCU made the final four last year. I didn't expect them to win today, but I'm certainly not shocked, either. Wichita St. was ranked 15th in the nation in points per game, coming into this matchup. That's quite the contrast to VCU who is a more defensive minded team. In games where the playing style is so different, it tends to favor the team that plays at a slower pace. Up tempo teams don't focus on half court offenses and have a tougher time with offensive flow, and such is what happened with the Shockers, today.
Things I learned today:
UNLV beat North Carolina earlier on this year. I do think that the Runnin' Rebels are a solid ball club, but big wins early on in the season don't always mean success in March.
Colorado was hot coming in, having won the PAC-12 tournament. I was in denial and thought to myself, "Sure they're hot, but who are they hot against?" The PAC-12 had a major down-year this year, and I wrote Colorado off. It doesn't always matter who you're hot against, it just matters that you're hot.
The teams who I thought made a statement, are:
Kentucky and Ohio State showed that they have earned high seeds, and really put their opponent away from the get go.
Gonzaga made a case for themselves that they should have been a higher seed. West Virginia was no match from the start.
Marquette stomped on BYU early, and kept them down. Everytime the Cougars made a run, Marquette would buckle down and stop it.
Indiana proved me wrong. I picked NMSU, and the Hoosiers made me pay. They were the much better team in every facet of the game.
Teams I was disappointed with, who will advance:
Syracuse. Wow. The refs handed them that victory. They were very lucky to be the benefactors of a couple controversial calls down the stretch. I don't see them making it past the "Sweet 16".
Baylor has a great record, but they don't have a lot of quality wins. They struggled to put away a seldom heard of team in South Dakota State.
What to look for tomorrow:
1 more 10 seed will advance tomorrow. I've got my money on Virginia beating Florida.
North Carolina State and San Diego State will be a very entertaining game, and will have a good finish.
It was a fun day of basketball today, and I certainly expect more of the same for the rest of the weekend!
My bracket record: 13-3
Follow me on Twitter: crackalacka22
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