Can you believe how wondrous was Saturday's NCAA tourney action? Apart from UCLA's and Kansas State's flatulent performances, the games provided plenty of action and drama.
Sure, Florida had the advantage of a home crowd and near-home refs in pulling off a 73-65 victory over UCLA in Tampa. Still, the Bruins were not sharp at crucial times. Wisconsin plodded their way to a 70-65 win over K-State because the Wildcats were shooting too often like Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. The Badgers are not Final Four material.
So much for the unpleasant news. The rest of the day was fantastic. Butler's freakish 71-70 triumph over "superleague" Big East Pittsburgh makes the Bulldogs a legitimate cinderella for the second year in a row. With great coaching and better recruiting of late, Butler better be taken seriously by opposing teams. Could they make it to the Final Four again? Even without early-to-NBA star Gordon Heyward, the answer is yes.
After a lackluster first half, Kentucky (missing several of last year's stars du to the lure of the NBA) showed their true colors and humbled hard-working but erratic West Virginia, 71-63. Was it sad to see another Big East team go down, this one led by DUI Bob? No. Will Kentucky make the Final Four? Not likely.
The Richmond-Morehead State and BYU-Gonzaga games were not that close, but they continued positive stories. One cinderella beat another when the Spiders stopped Morehead's dream, 65-48. The biggest highlight there was Sir Charles mocking a father in the stands who was wearing a Spiderman costume.
BYU finally found their offensive groove for the first time since suspending power forward Brandon Davies, which enabled them to roll over usually-tough Gonzaga, 89-67. It wasn't all Jimmer Fredette, but the potential Player of the Year did make several unbelievable shots and passes. True, BYU did not get all the calls, but they had a location advantage like Florida: they were playing at altitude in Denver, and BYU's Provo is at altitude as well. What are BYU's chances of a Final Four appearance? If they get by Florida next week, the chances are good. Will they get by Florida? Not likely.
UConn handled Cincinnati 69-58, in a Big East showdown. For Big East haters, the game provided a no-win scenario since a Big East team had to win. The good news? A Big East team had to lose. The Huskies remain a likely Final Four participant, even with a moral reprobate of a coach who will be suspended for the first three games of the 2011-2012 season.
Finally, there was the terrific double-overtime victory San Diego State achieved over Temple. The Aztecs had the talent and the coach, but Temple had the tough attitude and the will--until the end. Can San Diego State advance to the Final Four? They play next week in Anaheim in front of a predominantly SoCal crowd, so the answer has to be yes.
It was a good day for the Big Ten, the SEC, and the Mountain West. It was a bad day for the over-rated Big East, with three teams losing and only one winning. Three Big East teams play today, with only one guaranteed a victory. If Notre Dame loses, that would give the "superconference" only as many teams in the Sweet Sixteen as the Mountain West and SEC have and possibly less than the Big Ten and ACC will have.
We can only hope at least one of the cinderellas makes the Final Four, be it Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth, George Mason, or Butler from the East, or BYU, Arizona, or San Diego State from the West.
Enjoy the tournament!
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