NCAA Tournament Pool - Elite 8/Day 1 Results

 

So, as expected, the two number 1 seeds, the two overall betting favorites, and the two favorites in our pool both advanced to the Final Four.  But man did Duke and Florida advance in way different ways.  Duke just obliterated Alabama from the jump.  Perhaps the Crimson Tide should have saved some three-pointers from the Sweet Sixteen.  Florida, in quite the opposite fashion, was all-but-eliminated by being down 9 with 4 minutes left.  But then Walter Clayton, Jr. took over - as 1st team All-Americans are wont to do.  Two three-pointers near the end of the game gave the Gators the victory to join me and my crew in San Antonio.  To quote Florida's best player yesterday Thomas Haugh about Clayton, "That's a cold man right there!"  Indeed he is.

Today's games are incredibly important as Auburn and Michigan State are both picked by many to go to the Final Four, as are Houston and Tennessee.  We should see lots of movement in the standings tomorrow.

The Houston - Tennessee game is incredibly important for the bottom part of the standings as well.  If Houston wins, Barkley Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida locks up last place; but if Tennessee wins, Justine Frank of Charlotte, North Carolina, secures last place.

With Alabama's loss, we lose another champion.  Our champions are:  Alabama, AUBURN, Arizona, Connecticut, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland, MICHIGAN STATE, Mississippi State, TENNESSEE.

There was more basketball yesterday than just the Division I tournament, as the men's Division II tournament final took place in Evansville, Indiana, where the Nova Southeastern Sharks added to their 2023 championship with another by defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills.  Nova was led by MJ Iraldi's 27 points (and 9 rebounds), but the game was controlled by point guard Dallas Graziani who - when he has the ball is attack, attack, attack.  Attack his defender; attack the pick-and-roll; attack the rim.  The defense cannot let up when Graziani has the ball, and when, like CSDH you only go about 6 deep, that is a problem.  Between Nova's two championship they sandwiched a finals loss on a buzzer beater last year, so they are clearly building a program.

So yesterday I mentioned that the Duke-Alabama game would be a big difference maker in our pool - and it was - but I didn't realize that as many people had Texas Tech in the Final Four as actually did.  So, even though the Red Raiders fell to the Gators, I will award that gutsiness with the Pick of the Day (but no extra points, though!).  So, Congratulations to Ty Hedgpeth of Wilmington, North Carolina, Marcus Jackson or Reston, Virginia, Alyssa Hopps of Quincy Massachusetts, Richa Samuels 2 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Measha Michaelangelo Williams of Houston, Texas, Jane Reynolds of West Palm Beach, Florida, Ashley Poer 1 of Lake Worth Beach, Florida and Stephanie Henderson of Ft. Worth, Texas.

Stats of the Day

3. Florida won its 29th consecutive game when leading at halftime - the longest active streak in the country.

2.  Duke's Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are the first pair of freshmen to have 20-5-5 games in the same tournament.

1.  Mark Sears of Alabama, one game after hitting 10 three-pointers, shot 2-12 from the field (1-5 from three) for 6 points against Duke.

Trivia Question:  I mentioned above that Florida's 29 consecutive winning streak when leading at halftime is the longest active streak.  Before yesterday, they were tied with which program?

Players of the Day

15.  Labaron Philon, Alabama - 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

14.  Sarah Strong, Connecticut - 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

13.  Madison Booker, Texas - 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

12.  Liatu King, Notre Dame - 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists

11.  Kennedy Smith, USC - 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

10.  Sedona Prince, TCU - 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

9.  JT Toppin, Texas Tech - 20 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

8.  Kon Knueppel, Duke - 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

7.  Serena Sandell, Kansas State - 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

6.  Walter Clayton, Jr., Florida - 30 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks

5.  Derrion Williams, Texas Tech - 23 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assists, 3 steals

4.  Cooper Flagg, Duke - 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

3.  Hailey van Lith, TCU - 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

2.  Thomas Haugh, Florida - 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

1.  Paige Bueckers, Connecticut - 40 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 blocks

And now for today's walk down (NCAA Tournament) history lane.  Before I begin, I must admit that I have avoided writing about Duke in the past - unless it was to bring out their foibles - primarily because I absolutely loathe their basketball team.  AND I STILL HATE CHRISTIAN LAETTNER.  But even I have to admit it is one of the more storied programs in NCAA basketball history.  Last night they earned their 18th Final Four trip, tied for second most with UCLA (foreshadowing).  So, it is time that I gave the program their due, before I get back to cracking jokes about Christian Laettner and his Stomp Heard Round the World, or Grayson Allen's love of the Dave Mathews Band (he is always "Tripping Billies," and Johns, and Andres, and anyone else).  Sorry, I digress.  Duke's first title came in 1991, but that was a memorable run, so I don't really want to write about that, (UNLV blowout in 1990, beat UNLV in semis in 1991).  And, completely on purpose, I swear, Duke's first Final Four appearance occurred in 1963, but I already wrote about that Final Four from Loyola's perspective all the way back in ... yesterday!!!  So let's examine Duke's second Final Four Appearance, and first final appearance ... 1964.

The 1964 Blue Devils were led by legendary coach Vic Bubas, and the team, fresh off the school's first Final Four appearance the previous year, and with losing 1963 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Art Heyman, had a tremendous regular season.  The team was led by leading scorer Jeff Mullins and his 24.2 points per game and 8.9 rebounds, with significant contributions from Jay Buckley and his 13. 8 points per game and 9 rebounds, and Hack Tison with his 11.8 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game.  The team went 2-56, and 13-1 in the ACC, which was good enough for first place and to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Duke, being in essence the #1 seed in the east, received a first-round bye, where they would play the winner of the Villanova-Providence game in the Sweet Sixteen, where Duke had to travel all the way to Raleigh, North Carolina to play.  Duke was all over Villanova from the beginning, building a 49-33 halftime lead, and then they coasted to a 87-73 victory.  Duke was led by Jeff Mullins and his 43 points.  The only other Blue Devil in double figures was Hack Tison, who scored 13.  This win propelled Duke into the Elite 8, where they would meet Connecticut.

Well, "meet" is a relative term as UConn didn't really show up.  Duke led 62-27 at halftime.  Yes, you read that right.  62-27.  The Blue Devils coasted to a 101-54 win, behind 30 points and 8 rebounds from Jeff Mullins, 14 points and 8 rebounds from Hack Tison, and Steve Vacendek added 14 off the bench.  Connecticut's Tony Kimball was valiant in defeat, with his 18 points and 14 rebounds, but he received absolutely no help.  Duke had made its second consecutive Final Four, which was hosted by Kansas City.

In Kansas City, Duke would face Michigan, which had defeated defending champion Loyola and Ohio in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8, respectively.  In the Final Four, Michigan was led by star Cazzie Russell, who scored 31 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.  Bill Buntin added 19 and 9 for the Wolverines.  It was not enough, as Jay Buckley scored 25 points with 14 rebounds, and Jeff Mullins chipped-in 21 points and 8 rebounds as the Blue Devils defeated the Wolverines 91-80 to reach the school's first championship game.

For those of you that remember I used the word "foreshadowing" earlier, will know that waiting for Duke in the finals was the UCLA Bruins.  UCLA was 30-0 and coached by soon-to-be legend John Wooden.  On the court, future NBA stars Gail Goodrich (21.5/5.2) and Walt Hazzard (18.6/4.7) led the team with their play on the court.  UCLA, despite their undefeated dominance, had a tougher road in the NCAA tournament than Duke did.  They beat Seattle 95-90, and then squeaked by San Francisco 76-72 to make it to the Final four.  In Kansas City UCLA defeated Kansas State 90-84, with Keith Erickson leading the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds.  Hazzard and Goodrich added 19 and 14 for the Bruins, propelling them into the finals.

With having played much closer games in the tournament that Duke, UCLA was tested, and they passed jumping out to a 50-38 halftime lead, and extending that to a 98-83 final score for its first championship.  Gail Goodrich scored 27 for the Bruins, and Kenny Washington contributed 26 off the bench for the champions.   Jeff Mullins led Duke, as he had all year, with 22, and Jay Buckley added 18.  Hazzard was named the Most Outstanding Player, and Jeff Mullins ended up the tournament as the leading scorer.

With its first championship in 1964, UCLA burst onto the national scene, and would ultimately win 10 of 12 championships, falling only in 1966 (Texas Western) and 1974 (North Carolina State) in one of the most dominant sporting runs we have ever seen.

Trivia Answer:  University of California - San Diego, which disappointed a lot of people who had them as their guaranteed upset this year!

Elite 8/Day 1 Standings

1.  Max Macon 3 - 115 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

2.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 114 - FLORIDA/DUKE

3.  Preston Holbert - 110 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

4.  Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 108 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE

     Measha Leonardo Williams - 108 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

6.  Brent Bellinger - 106 - DUKE/FLORIDA

7.  Guy Hughes - 105 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

8.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 104 - DUKE/FLORIDA

9.  Matt Hopps - 103 - FLORIDA/DUKE

     Christina Zanzig - 103 - MICHIGAN STATE/DUKE

11.  Paul Cummings - 102 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Mark Holbert - 102 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Dan Laishley - 102 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Measha Raphael Williams - 102 - DUKE/AUBURN

15.  Dan Barsky 1 - 101 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       George Walks 3 - 101 - FLORIDA/DUKE

17.  Jonathan Cox - 100 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Eric Inge - 100 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Mike Wolff 2 - 100 - FLORIDA/DUKE

20.  Justine Frank - 99 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Christina Gomez - 99 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Ty Hedgpeth - 99 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

       Measha Donatello Williams - 99 - FLORIDA/DUKE

24.  Max Macon 1 - 98 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Marcus Spruill- 98 - DUKE/St. John's

26.  Rachel Bornn - 97 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Shane Jernigan - 97 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Katie Kollmeyer - 97 - FLORIDA/Kentucky

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 97 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Rich Samuels 1 - 97 - DUKE/FLORIDA

31.  Xavier Conway - 96 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Marcus Jackson - 96 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

33.  Alyssa Hopps - 95 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Silas Nichols - 95 - FLORIDA/DUKE

35.  Dustin Lansing - 94 - Alabama/MICHIGAN STATE

       Kingfish Parham - 94 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Jonathan Wasserman - 94 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

38.  Shane Dogmillionaire - 93 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Natalie Moon - 93 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jeff Plamondon - 93 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

       Rich Samuels 2 - 93 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

42.  Dan Barsky 2 - 92 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       Theo Frank - 92 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sasha Moon - 92 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jazz Piasecki - 92 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

46.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 91 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON      

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 91 - FLORIDA/Clemson

       Adam Jorgensen - 91 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 91 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Dave Wilson - 91 - FLORIDA/DUKE

51.  Salvatore Plamondon - 90 - Alabama/AUBURN

       Vincent Plamondon - 90 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Chris Simmons - 90 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jason Spuhler - 90 - FLORIDA/DUKE

55.  Joel Chernoff - 89 - AUBURN/DUKE

       Dave Piasecki - 89 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Steven Usma 2 - 89 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Mike Wolff 1 - 89 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Day Yi 2 - 89 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

60.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 88 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Allison Parker - 88 - AUBURN/Alabama

       George Walks 2 - 88 - Alabama/FLORIDA

       Steven Usma 1 - 88 - DUKE/FLORIDA

64.  Sean McInerney III - 87 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sean McInerney IIII - 87 - FLORIDA/DUKE

66.  Kevin Dick - 86 - FLORIDA/Alabama

       James Garvin - 86 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       John Hedgpeth - 86 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Martha Kroesen - 86 - FLORIDA/Alabama

       Pepe Sosa - 86 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Lily Spuhler - 78 - FLORIDA/Purdue

72.  Jenna Finkelstein - 85 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Colleen Giamberini - 85 - DUKE/FLORIDA

74.  Max Macon 2 - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Kisha Marzouca - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sean & Barbie McInerney - 84 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Jeremy Spuhler - 84 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Justin Yung - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA

79.  Karen Katz 1 - 83 - DUKE/Maryland

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 83 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Chuck Whitcomb - 83 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

       Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 83 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

83.  Barbie McInerney - 82 - FLORIDA/Arizona

       Ashley Poer 2 - 82 - FLORIDA/Arizona

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 82 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Brittany Sosa - 82 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Steven Usma 3 - 82 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 82 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Day Yi - 82 - DUKE/St. John's

       Joshua Zdrowak - 82 - DUKE/FLORIDA

91.  Jim Coleman - 81 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Jacey Fowler I - 81 - MICHIGAN STATE/TENNESSEE

       Karen Katz 2 - 81 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       Kline Kroesen - 81 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Max Macon 4 - 81 - FLORIDA/DUKE

96.  Si Nichols - 78 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       William Pujals - 78 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Cheryl Spuhler - 78 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

99.  Ashley Poer 1 - 77 - DUKE/AUBURN

100.  Caroline Spuhler - 75 - FLORIDA/DUKE

101.  Paul Cummings 2 - 74 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

         Carolyn Fowler - 74 - AUBURN/DUKE

         Braeden Helland - 74 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Jane Reynolds - 74 - Alabama/AUBURN

         Jessica Samuels - 74 - DUKE/Texas A&M

 

106.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 73 - DUKE/Connecticut

         Brandon Satterwhite - 73 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Bubba Zdrowak - 73 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Katie Zdrowak - 73- DUKE/St. John's

110.  Benny Frank Finkelstein - 72 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Jacey Fowler II - 72 - Alabama/FLORIDA

         Hannah Sosa - 72 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         George Walks 4 - 72 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

114.  Chris LaForte - 71 - MICHIGAN STATE/Alabama

         Sean McInerney 1 - 71 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

116.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 70 - HOUSTON/FLORIDA

117.  Ferris Spuhler - 69 - Kansas/DUKE

         Logan Spuhler - 69 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

         George Walks 1 - 69 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE

         Keith Zdrowak - 69 - DUKE/FLORIDA

121.  Quinn Jackson - 68 - Alabama/MICHIGAN STATE

         Steven Usma 4 - 68 - FLORIDA/Kentucky

123.  Tyler Giamberini - 67 - Maryland/Alabama

         Sean McInerney II - 67 - FLORIDA/St. Mary's

         Amanda Staudt - 66 - MICHIGAN STATE/Purdue

         Amy Zdrowak - 66 - AUBURN/Alabama

127.  Biscuit Zdrowak - 63 - HOUSTON/Iowa State

128.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 59 - HOUSTON/St. John's

129.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 58 - Connecticut/Alabama

130.  Dave Marzouca - 57 - AUBURN/Arizona

 

131.  Stephanie Henderson - 55 - AUBURN/Clemson

132.  Wes Wiggins - 51 - Arizona/Louisville

133.  Barkley Sosa - 41 - Mississippi State/Connecticut

134.  Luna Frank - 36 - Marquette/HOUSTON

NCAA Tournament Pool - Sweet Sixteen/Day 1 Results

 

Well, we lost two more champions last night, but neither of those teams destroyed our pool.  That is what happens when, well, chalk happens.  The winning seeds from last night were 1 (Duke), 1 (Florida), 2 (Alabama), and (3) Texas Tech.  Arkansas tried their best to crash the Elite 8 party, but they could not hold onto a 15-point lead in the second half, only to succumb to Texas Tech in overtime.

The lost champions were the Arizona Wildcats and Maryland Terrapins.  Yes, someone selected Maryland as our champion, which isn't as strange a pick as you might think given that they were a 4-seed, and they hadn't lost a game all year by more than 6 points.  Anyway, our champions are:  ALABAMA, AUBURN, Arizona, Connecticut, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland, MICHIGAN STATE, Mississippi State, TENNESSEE.  Four of the picks are in action tonight:  Houston (against Purdue), Auburn (against Michigan), Michigan State (against Mississippi) and Tennessee (versus Kentucky).  Most won't have much of an effect on the pool as wins by the favorites will either help or hurt most entrants - but boy oh boy does that set up an exciting weekend!

Since all the games were chalk, if you did not correctly have 3 of the 4 winners from last night, you lost ground in the standings.  Sometimes even if you had 3 correct, because we have a new leader, Max Macon 3 of Jupiter, Florida, followed by Bill Ganoe 1 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and Salvatore Plamondon of Lincoln, Rhode Island.  Salvatore had Maryland defeating Florida, and although a tough, gutsy pick, it cost him first place - at least for the moment.

The Picks of the Day went to all of the entries that correctly picked all 4 winners, and there are a number of those brackets, but CONGRATS anyway to:  Ty Hedgpeth of Wilmington, NC, Paul Cummings of Palm City, Florida, Mike Wolff 2 of Boynton Beach, Florida, Jane Reynolds and Carolyn Fowler of West Palm Beach, Florida, Measha Donatello Williams of Houston, Texas, Christina Zanzig of Stuart, Florida, Martha Kroesen of West Palm Beach, Florida, Dan Barsky 1 of Miami Beach, Florida, Rich Samuels 2 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Jody Cox of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Justine Frank of Charlotte, North Carolina, Kevin Dick of Alexandria, Virginia, Measha Raphael Williams of Houston, Texas, Day Yi 2 of Forest Hills, New York, Xavier Conway of somewhere near Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Alvaro Gonzalez of Boynton Beach, Florida, Allison Parker of Washington, D.C., Measha Michaelangelo Williams of Houston, Texas, Brandon Satterwhite of Juno Beach, Vincent Plamondon of Lincoln Rhode Island, Ashley Poer 1 of Lake Worth Beach, Florida, Theo Frank of Charlotte, North Carolina, Kisha Marzouca of Boynton Beach, Florida, William Pujals of Charlotte, North Carolina, Max Macon 4 of Jupiter, Florida and Cheryl Spuhler of Acworth, Georgia.

PHEW!!! - That was a lot.  So let's transfer from on-the-paper of the brackets to on-the-court for the games.

Players of the Day

10.  Kon Knueppel, Duke - 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists [Ed. Note - He must have been good to make the list b/c Pepster hates this guy as a player]

9.  Aden Holloway, Alabama - 23 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

8.  JT Toppin, Texas Tech - 20 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist

7.  Richie Saunders, BYU - 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals

6.  Derik Queen, Maryland - 27 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

5.  Johnell Davis, Arkansas - 30 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

4.  Caleb Love, Arizona - 35 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal [Ed. Note - Pepster did tell you to watch Caleb Love against Duke!]

3.  Cooper Flagg, Duke - 30 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks

2.  Derrion Williams, Texas Tech - 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, last-minute three to send the game to overtime, game-winner with about 7 seconds left in OT

1.  Mark Sears, Alabama - 34 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assist, 3 steals - 10 Three-Pointers Made

Trivia Question:  Mark Sears hit 10 three-pointers in Alabama's Sweet 16 victory over BYU.  Who holds the record for most made three-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game, and how many did he hit?

Stats of the Day

6.  Florida committed 12 turnovers in the first half

5.  Mark Sears of Alabama hit 10 three-pointers

4.  69-56:  Arkansas's lead over Texas Tech with 5:00 minutes remaining in the game

3.  Alabama hit an NCAA Tournament record 25 three-pointers; previous record was 21.

2.  If Alabama did not hit any two-point field goals last night, only their three-pointers and free throws, they still would have defeated BYU.

1.  Tyler O"Neill of the Baltimore Orioles, homered in his 6th-consecutive season opener!

Trivia Answer:  Jeff Fryer, Loyola Marymount, 11 (11-15) against Michigan in 1990

The way the games played out yesterday, the most obvious history of the NCAA tournament story was about that 1990 Loyola Marymount team (Hank Gathers death, Bo Kimble scoring 30+ on an off-night and shooting free throws left-handed to honor Gathers, Jeff Fryer hitting threes like nobody's business, and taking them like there weren't no fours - to paraphrase Antoine Walker.  But, I have already done that story in past years.  So then, I was almost hoping for a Maryland victory (except Florida is my champion) so that I can write about that 2002 national championship team with Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Lonny Baxter, Tahj Holden and Chris Wilcox, but that didn't happen.

But, then it hit me like an Ali Faroukmanesh three-pointer.  (I hear your collective, "Who?").  You know, Ali Farouskmanesh, the shooter of the gutsiest, craziest, most awe-inspiring three-pointer of all time.  Which three-pointer was this, you might aske?  THIS ONE!!!  Now, Faroukmanesh was wide-open on this shot, why was it gutsy and crazy?  Well, before we get to that point, let me just go back to why he is in the news.  Yesterday, Faroukmanesh was named the head coach at Colorado State - yes that Colorado State that just lost to Maryland on a buzzer beater.

So, in 2010, Kansas was the number 1 seed in the tournament, and cruised to a 90-74 victory over 16th-seeded Lehigh, behind 26 points from Marcus Morris, and double figures from Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry and Tyrel Reed.  This brough the Jayhawks into a second-round matchup against the 9th seeded University of Northern Iowa, who had sneaked by the 8th seeded UNLV Running' Rebels 69-66.  In that game Ali Faroukmanesh led the team with 17 points, shooting 5-9 from three-point range, including the game-winner.  This brought us to the matchup against top-seeded Kansas in Oklahoma City.

Against Kansas, Northern Iowa led by 6 at halftime.  In the second half, Kansas lost star center Cole Aldrich to injury and Northern Iowa took more of a lead.  Kansas, gathered their breath, began pressing, and pulled back into the game, down only 1 with 35 seconds left.  Nothern Iowa has the ball and is facing backcourt pressure as they inbound the ball.  They easily beat the pressure and get the ball into Faroukmanesh's hands on the wing with a Kansas defender near him, and everybody else hustling to get into the Northern Iowa offensive zone.  Translation - there was nobody else there.  Good time to dribble, wait for the foul, hit two free throws and then play defenses with a three-point lead.  But no - Faroukmanesh pulls up and .... swish!!!  Four-point lead for Northern Iowa.  Faroukmanesh hits two more free throws, and Kansas never got any close than that 1-point deficit before Faroukmanesh launched.  Faroukkmanesh finished with a game and team high 16, on 4-10 from three-point range to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Northern Iowa ultimately lost in the next round to Michigan State 59-52, with the Spartans holding Faroukmanesh to only 9 points, on 1-6 shooting from three-point range.  And since Butler's Gordan Hayward's last-second three-pointer against Duke in the championship game just missed allowing Duke to win 61-59, Ali Faroukmanesh hit the most memorable shot in that 2010 tournament.  It will be interesting to see what he does as a head coach, with a team that definitely has some talent (unless they leave in the portal - but that is a story for another day!).

Sweet Sixteen/Day 1 Standings

1.  Max Macon 3 - 83 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

2.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 82 - FLORIDA/DUKE

     Salvatore Plamondon - 82 - ALABAMA/AUBURN

4.  Katie Kollmeyer - 81 - FLORIDA/KENTUCKY

5.  Marcus Jackson - 80 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

     Measha Leonardo Williams - 80 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

7.  Ty Hedgpeth - 79 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

8.  Paul Cummings - 78 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

     Preston Holbert - 78 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

10.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 76 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 76 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE

       Mike Wolff 2 - 76 - FLORIDA/DUKE

13.  Matt Hopps - 75 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 75 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Measha Donatello Williams - 75 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Christina Zanzig - 75 - MICHIGAN STATE/DUKE

17.  Brent Bellinger - 74 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Mark Holbert - 74 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Martha Kroesen - 74 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

       Dustin Lansing - 74 - ALABAMA/MICHIGAN STATE

       Marcus Spruill- 74 - DUKE/St. John's

22.  Dan Barsky 1 - 73 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Guy Hughes - 73 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Shane Jernigan - 73 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Rich Samuels 2 - 73 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

26.  Dan Barsky 2 - 72 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       Jonathan Cox - 72 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Eric Inge - 72 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       George Walks 2 - 72 - ALABAMA/FLORIDA

30.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 71 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Justine Frank - 71 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Christina Gomez - 71 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Alyssa Hopps - 71 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

34.  Kevin Dick - 70 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

       John Hedgpeth - 70 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Dan Laishley - 70 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Max Macon 1 - 70 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Barbie McInerney - 70 - FLORIDA/ARIZONA

       Jonathan Wasserman - 70 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Measha Raphael Williams - 70 - DUKE/AUBURN

41.  Natalie Moon - 69 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Steven Usma 2 - 69 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       George Walks 3 - 69 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Mike Wolff 1 - 69 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Day Yi 2 - 69 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

46.  Xavier Conway - 68 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 68 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Allison Parker - 68 - AUBURN/ALABAMA

       Jazz Piasecki - 68 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

50.  Kyle Henderson 1 - 67 - FLORIDA/Clemson

       Silas Nichols - 67 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 67 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

53.  Kingfish Parham - 66 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Brittany Sosa - 66 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Lily Spuhler - 66 - FLORIDA/PURDUE

       Steven Usma 3 - 66 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Day Yi - 66 - DUKE/St. John's

58.  Rachel Bornn - 65 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Jacey Fowler I - 65 - MICHIGAN STATE/TENNESSEE

       Shane Dogmillionaire - 65 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Jeff Plamondon - 65 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 65 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Rich Samuels 1 - 65 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Brandon Satterwhite - 65 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

       Bubba Zdrowak - 65 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

66.  Sean & Barbie McInerney - 64 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

67.  Adam Jorgensen - 63 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Chris LaForte - 63 - MICHIGAN STATE/ALABAMA

69.  Vincent Plamondon - 62 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Ashley Poer 2 - 62 - FLORIDA/ARIZONA

       Jane Reynolds - 62 - ALABAMA/AUBURN

       Chris Simmons - 62 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Amanda Staudt - 62 - MICHIGAN STATE/PURDUE (4)

74.  Joel Chernoff - 61 - AUBURN/DUKE

       Jenna Finkelstein - 61 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Colleen Giamberini - 61 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Kline Kroesen - 61 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Dave Piasecki - 61 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Ashley Poer 1 - 61 = DUKE/AUBURN

80. Theo Frank - 60 - DUKE/FLORIDA

      Quinn Jackson - 60 - ALABAMA/MICHIGAN STATE

      Kisha Marzouca - 60 - DUKE/FLORIDA

      Sasha Moon - 60 - DUKE/FLORIDA

      Steven Usma 4 - 60 - FLORIDA/KENTUCKY

      Justin Yung - 60 - DUKE/FLORIDA

86.  Karen Katz 1 - 59 - DUKE/Maryland

       Sean McInerney 1 - 59 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

       Sean McInerney III - 59 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sean McInerney IIII - 59 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Chuck Whitcomb - 59 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

       Dave Wilson - 59 - FLORIDA/DUKE

92.  Paul Cummings 2 - 58 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       James Garvin - 58 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Braeden Helland - 58 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

       Si Nichols - 58 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       William Pujals - 58 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 58 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Jessica Samuels - 58 - DUKE/Texas A&M

       Pepe Sosa - 58 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Jason Spuhler - 58 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 58 - FLORIDA/DUKE

102.  Jim Coleman - 57 - DUKE/AUBURN

         Karen Katz 2 - 57 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

         Max Macon 4 - 57 - FLORIDA/DUKE

         Ferris Spuhler - 57 - Kansas/DUKE

106.  Benny Frank Finkelstein - 56 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

         Jacey Fowler II - 56 - ALABAMA/FLORIDA

         Max Macon 2 - 56 - DUKE/FLORIDA

         Hannah Sosa - 56 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

         Jeremy Spuhler - 56 - FLORIDA/DUKE

         Steven Usma 1 - 56 - DUKE/FLORIDA

112.  Tyler Giamberini - 55 - Maryland/ALABAMA

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 55 - DUKE/AUBURN

         Sean McInerney II - 55 - FLORIDA/St. Mary's

115.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 54 - HOUSTON/FLORIDA

         Cheryl Spuhler - 54 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

         Amy Zdrowak - 54 - AUBURN/ALABAMA

         Joshua Zdrowak - 54 - DUKE/FLORIDA

119.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 53 - DUKE/Connecticut

         Katie Zdrowak - 53- DUKE/St. John's

121.  George Walks 4 - 52 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

122.  Caroline Spuhler - 51 - FLORIDA/DUKE

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 51 - HOUSTON/Iowa State

124.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 50 - Connecticut/ALABAMA

125.  Dave Marzouca - 49 - AUBURN/Arizona

         Logan Spuhler - 49 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

         George Walks 1 - 49 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE

         Keith Zdrowak - 49 - DUKE/FLORIDA

129.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 47 - HOUSTON/St. John's

         Stephanie Henderson - 47 - AUBURN/Clemson

131.  Carolyn Fowler - 46 - AUBURN/DUKE

132.  Wes Wiggins - 43 - Arizona/Louisville

133.  Barkley Sosa - 41 - Mississippi State/Connecticut

134.  Luna Frank - 32 - Marquette/HOUSTON