After one of the most thrilling days in NCAA Tournament history on Thursday, Friday’s games failed to live up to the same level of excitement. So for all of the people who came out after day one and proclaimed that was proof that we needed to expand the big dance, Friday proved that the expansion concept would still be ludicrous.
Yes, Ohio defeating Georgetown was amazing. The Northern Iowa game versus UNLV was a thriller. Murray State beating Vanderbilt was impressive. The Waker Forest conquest of once top ranked Texas was a nail-biter. Washington’s comeback over Marquette was very fun to watch. Old Dominion holding on against one of the hottest teams in the nation, Notre Dame, was also an impressive feat, And finally, second ranked Villanova was, in a word, lucky to knock out Robert Morris.
But day two did not have the same competitive feeling. Cornell and Temple was fun to watch. Not for the closeness, but to see an Ivy League team beat a well rounded Owls squad. Wofford almost beating Wisconsin was a decent finish. And while a few other games including Georgia Tech over Oklahoma State were alright, it proved that the NCAA Tournament is fine as it is with 65 teams. Now, on to some other tidbits of knowledge…
* I am very happy that I did not enter any high stakes bracket pools this year. Mine, you could say, is fairly well busted! Thank you, Georgetown.
* How impressive was Cornell against Temple? Everyone knows Cornell as the Ivy League beast who almost beat Kansas on the road. Well, get used to this new moniker: The team who eliminated Kentucky after this coming Friday night. This will be after they defeat Wisconsin on Sunday.
The New Giant Slayer!
* 7 out of my elite 8 teams are still around, with the Hoyas being the only absentee party. All four #1’s looked strong, although Kansas took awhile to get going. My other three are a little less hopeful of reaching the elite 8. West Virginia looks good, but my other two, Villanova and Pittsburgh, will have a lot tougher road.
* During the Villanova vs. Robert Morris matchup, how many times did we hear that Robert Morris is based in Moon Township, Pennsylvania? If we made it into a drinking game, most would have been blitzed before the first TV timeout! We get it, already!
* Finally, looking ahead, I see many of the top seeds advancing to the Sweet 16. I do, however, like Cornell to upset Wisconsin and Texas A&M to defeat Purdue. Neither will be considered a great upset. If I had to pick a few potential upsets, I like Ohio to keep up with Tennessee, Georgia Tech to give Ohio State a run for their money, Murray State to run with Butler, and St. Mary’s to put a heck of a scare into Villanova. Enjoy round two this weekend!
