*Please note - there will be no update on Friday after the Thursday Sweet Sixteen games. My schedule for work/life just will not permit it. There will be a full Sweet Sixteen post on Saturday!*
AND DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! We knew that we had to lose at least one champion, as Iowa State and Kentucky played against each other. But, WE LOST FOUR!!! And with Florida and Kentucky both losing, we will not have a repeat champion. But Pepster, Kentucky didn't win last year. Correct! But, their starting point guard Denzel Aberdeen did, as a player for the Florida Gators before transferring to the Wildcats this year. So he cannot repeat either.
And speaking of Florida, my lovely wife Racecar attended the Florida games in Tampa with fellow entrant Jenna Finkelstein, of St. Petersburg, Florida. Here is a picture of them after the round 1 game ...
And here is a picture of them after the second round game...
Florida lost because Todd Gulden inexplicably called for a full court press while up 2, which allowed a pick to free up Iowa to run downcourt unmolested to create a 3-on-2 fast break, allowing Alvaro Fulgueiras hit a wide-open three from the corner, that busted almost everybody's bracket to some extent. EXCEPT ...the four brave souls that selected Iowa over Florida to earn the upset bonus. Those entries, Paul Cummings of Palm City, Florida, Carolyn Fowler of Greenacres, Florida, Rylee Montague of Lille, France and Biscuit Zdrowak of Orlando, Florida, earn the collective "Picks of the Day". Particular props to Paul Cummings, who not only selected Iowa over Florida, but also made the second-round game his guarantee!!! Congrats Paul - lots of points there!
On another note, Fulgueiras is a great story. Playing at Iowa from Spain, he hadn't seen his mom since school started in August just prior to coming out for Friday's first-round game. And although it was touching to see them hug after he hit the shot - which will definitely show up in One Shining Moment - I fear that if Iowa advances and further, that his Mom might turn into a Sister Jean type of situation - where the media coverage overshadows the team.
And speaking of One Shining Moment, we had not one, but two buzzer-beaters yesterday!!! The first came when St. John's Dylan Darling was able to just blow by his defender from the point to get to the rim for a relatively easy layup, as St. John's defeated Kansas by two. Fulgueiras and Darling, Otega Oweh awaits you!
Not only did Florida and Kentucky lose, but so did Kansas and Virginia - leaving our collective champion selections a little lighter. They are: ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CONNECTICUT, DUKE, Florida, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, IOWA STATE, Kansas, Kentucky, MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, North Carolina, PURDUE, ST. JOHN'S and Virginia.
Of note, the Kentucky game was a particularly physical battle, as the refs let a lot go. (Please note this is not a complaint on the officiating, as games take on a life of their own, and as long as the refs are consistent, the players have to adjust.) I only note this because I remarked, in two separate text groups, that if the referees are going to allow overly-physical play, that will always favor the team with a Serbian. Factor that knowledge in on future bets.
Speaking of Dylan Darling, here are my Stats of the Day.
Stats of the Day
5. Laila Hall, North Carolina - 3 blocks in her women's tournament game - IN ONLY 17 MINUTES!!!
4. Kentucky - 20 turnovers in the game. Hard to win playing like that
3. Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State had 5 steals - 1/4 of those 20 Kentucky turnovers
3. Matt Painter, Purdue Coach and Alumnus - Won his 500th game
1. 2 points - The total number of points scored by Dylan Darling for St. John's over Kansas
Yes, you read that correctly. Darling, who scored the last-second, game-winning, buzzer-beater against Kansas, scored his only two points of the game on that shot!
Players of the Day
10. Fletcher Loyer, Purdue - 24 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal
9. Olivia Miles, TCU - 18 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal
8. Tavon Banks, Iowa - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
7. Olivia Olson, Michigan - 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
6. Latrell Wrightsell, Alabama - 24 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
5. Mikaylah Williams, LSU - 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
4. Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State - 26 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals
3. Syla Swords, Michigan - 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
2. Alex Karaban, Connecticut - 27 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
1. Madison Booker, Texas - 40 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Before we get to the standings, it is time for the NCAA Tournament history lesson, brought to you by Iowa defeating Florida - a 9-seed beating a 1-seed.
Before we get to the standings, it is time for the NCAA Tournament history lesson, brought to you by Iowa defeating Florida - a 9-seed beating a 1-seed.
We head back to the 199 NCAA Tournament, second round, on March 15 specifically, inside the Cox Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The number 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks had a tremendous season, entering the tournament 34-3. They thoroughly annihilated Prairie View A&M 110-52 in the first round (sound familiar to this year?), behind the play of its two stars, Paul Pierce (who had 25 points and rebounds) and Raef Lafrentz (who added 20 points and a game-high 15 rebounds). Rhode Island had itself a high-scoring game, hanging 97 on Murray State to win comfortably by 23. Rhode Island had 6 different players score in double-digits in this game, including its star player (name redacted for suspense), to setup the game against the Jayhawks.
In the second round game, Kansas was again paced by its two stars, as Pierce scored 23 and Lafrentz scored 22, while Lafrentz contributed a game-high 14 rebounds. But, nobody else on the team put up double-digit scoring, which would be costly against an ordinarily well-balanced Rams squad. Pierce would go on to become the 10th pick in the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, and have a stellar, NBA Championship winning, borderline Hall of Fame career. Lafrentz would himself be selected third in the same draft by the Denver Nuggets, and have a long (11 year) but ordinary career in the NBA. So basically, they could play.
But even their talents were not enough for the Jayhawks as they fell 80-75 to Rhode Island. Rhode Island's stellar point guard, Tyson Wheeler, directed the offense, and ended up with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, the majority of those going to the true star of the game Cuttino Mobley. Mobley ended the game with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and even added 2 steals at the defensive end.
This game stands out in my mind because we often see these type of games as huge upsets, but forget that sometimes these smaller, lesser known schools, have some absolute studs. Cuttino Mobley himself was drafted in the second round of the 1998 draft - 41st by the Houston Rockets - the same draft in which LaFrentz and Pierce went much, much higher. Mobley played 11 full seasons in the NBA, averaging exactly 16 points again for the Rockets, Magic, Kings, and Clippers, and was the type of bucket-getter which every team needs, either as a third-option or off the bench. In retrospect, you see Mobley' s NBA-level talent, and you can see how Rhode Island - the 9 seed - could be the 1 seed Kansas.
Similar to when Lehigh's C.J. McCollum dropped 30 on Duke as the 15th-seeded Mountain Hawks defeated the 2-seeded Blue Devils in 2012. (You knew I had to slip in a Duke comment somewhere!) McCollum went on to be the 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, and is still playing as I type this for the Atlanta Hawks, and has averaged over 17 points per game for his NBA career.
Well, enough about history. Let's get to the standings. A reminder that I am human, and make mistakes. Feel free to let me know if you think I made one on your bracket and I will be happy to double-check it.
Standings after Round 2
1. Max Macon 2 - 71
Rich Samuels - 71
3. Jason Spuhler - 70
4. Mitchell K (Lamb) - 64
Jeff Plamondon 1 - 64
Ashley Poer 1 - 64
Pepe Sosa 1 - 64
Steven Usma 2 - 64
9. Paul Cummings 1 - 63
Crew Ferguson - 63
Kyle Henderson - 63
Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 63
Brittany Sosa - 63
Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 63
Josh Zdrowak - 63
16. Glen Merchant - 62
Henry Transecki - 62
Steven Usma 1 - 62
19. Jonathan Cox 2 - 61
Karen Katz 1 - 61
Martha Kroesen - 61
Day Yi 1 - 61
23. Megan Corrado - 60
Stephanie Henderson - 60
Steven Usma 5 - 60
Chuck Whitcomb - 60
27. Daniel Barsky 2 - 59
Brent Bellinger A - 59
Brent Bellinger B - 59
Si ("Papa Si") Nichols - 59
Cheryl Spuhler - 59
32. Ty Hedgpeth - 58
Braeden Helland - 58
Paul Kludt - 58
Dave Piasecki - 58
Annette Pritchard 1 - 58
Justin Yung - 58
38. Jim Coleman - 57
Megan Cox - 57
Carolyn Fowler - 57
Mark Holbert 2 - 57
Matt Hopps - 57
Guy Hughes - 57
Karen Katz 2 - 57
David Kennedy - 57
Mac Kroesen - 57
47. Vincent Plamondon - 56
Pepe Sosa 2 - 56
Floyd Fonte 1 - 56
50. Hazy Frank - 55
Mango Merchant - 55
William Pujals - 55
53. Daniel Barsky 1 - 54
John Hedgpeth - 54
Shane Jernigan 2 - 54
Max Macon 4 - 54
Benny Merchant 4 - 54
Rylee Montague - 54
Steven Usma - 54
Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 54
61. Adam Jorgensen - 53
Monte Lambert 1 - 53
Duncan Merchant - 53
Mike Wolff 1 - 53
Bubba Zdrowak - 53
66. Dwayne Cushman - 52
Blake Jackson - 52
Natalie Moon - 52
69. Joel Chernoff - 51
Floyd Fonte 2 - 51
Alyssa Hopps - 51
George Walks 3 - 51
George Walks 1 - 51
Keith Zdrowak - 51
75. Colleen Giamberini - 50
Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 50
Silas Nichols - 50
Biscuit Zdrowak - 50
79. James Garvin - 49
Max Macon 1 - 49
Salvatore Plamondon - 49
Javier Rodriguez 2 - 49
Jasmine Tran - 49
Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 49
85. Randy Bennett - 48
Jonathan Cox - 48
Paul Cummings 2 - 48
Jenna Finkelstein - 48
Monte Lambert 2 - 48
Kingfish Parham 2 - 48
Katie Zdrowak - 48
92. Trey Angus - 47
Barbara Curlett - 47
Floyd Fonte 3 - 47
Gracie Fonte - 47
Dawn Lamb - 47
Sean McInerney 2 - 47
Sean McInerney 3 - 47
Matt Thibaut - 47
Day Yi 2 - 47
101. Paul Cummings 3 - 46
Justine Frank - 46
Mike Litsey - 46
Sasha Moon - 46
Jeff Plamondon 2 - 46
Lily Spuhler - 46
107. Jenna Finkelstein 1 - 45
Jacey Fowler - 45
Shane Jernigan 1 - 45
Katie Kollmeyer - 45
Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 45
Jane Reynolds - 45
George Walks 2 - 45
114. Skip LaForte - 44
Max Macon 3 - 44
Sean McInerney 1 - 44
Annette Pritchard 2 - 44
Amanda Staudt - 44
Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 44
120. Marcus Jackson - 43
Javier Rodriguez 1 - 43
Jonathan Wasserman 1 - 43
Stacia Wilkaitis - 43
124. Quinn Jackson - 42
Chris Simmons - 42
Stephanie Soplop 1 - 42
Stephanie Soplop 2 - 42
128. Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 41
Ashley Poer 2 - 41
Carolins Spuhler - 41
Steven Usma 4 - 41
George Walks 1 - 41
133. Arlene Amo Hopps - 40
Kingfish Parham 1 - 40
135. Colbie (Lamb) - 39
Hannah Sosa - 39
137. Barkley Sosa - 38
Amy Zdrowak - 38
139. Mark Holbert 1 - 37
140. Allison Parker - 35
141. Mike Wolff 2 - 34
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