Archive for March 18th, 2011

WATERCOOLER CHAT: LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!

BASKETBALL

In college basketball, the madness has begun!!  It was a wild day that saw college hoops action across 4 TV Networks (CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV).

We got some early buzzer beater action in a much anticipated game between a surging Old Dominion team and last year’s Cinderella runner-ups Butler.  With just one second left on the clock, Butler’s Matt Howard grabbed a rebound and put it up just as time expired.  It was a dagger to Old Dominion, but hey, that’s what happens in March Madness.  Butler 60, Old Dominion 58.

Elsewhere, Big East Conference runner-up Louisville was expected to run all over #13 Morehead State, but it didn’t exactly play out that way.  Morehead pulled out to a very big lead to start the game, but Louisville was able to come back and take their own commanding lead.  However, Rick Pitino’s Cardinals got too comfortable and let Morehead back in the game, and gave them one last possession down by 2 points.  The Cardinals’ Demonte Harper let the clock tick down and then sunk a beautiful 3-pointer from the top of the arc.  Wow!  Louisville would have one last chance though and drew up a beautiful play to get off a good shot, but Morehead’s potential NBA-bound center Kenneth Faried had an amazing block that looked like a foul.  But it wasn’t, and kudos to great officiating by the refs for not calling it.  Morehead State 62, Louisville 61.

And how about the Ivy League’s Princeton giving Kentucky all they could possibly handle?  The Tigers simply would not let Kentucky pull ahead.  Princeton even led at a few points down the stretch.  They kept Kentucky’s star player Brandon Knight scoreless for 9 minutes, but then, in the end, Knight drove the lane and hit a beautiful off-balance lay-up to give the Wildcats the lead.  Amazing!  Princeton couldn’t get off a decent shot after that and the Wildcats move on.  In an emotional speech after the game, Princeton coach Sydney Johnson cried while saying that his Princeton players lived up to the powerful tradition that is Princeton basketball.  Kentucky 59, Princeton 57.

And at night, everyone was excited to see St. Johns potentially start their miracle run.  St. Johns was responsible for beating some of the top teams in college basketball this year.  They’re a team playing with swagger and many thought they could make serious noise in the tournament.  Unfortunately, they lost their best player D.J. Kennedy in the Big East tournament.  Unfortunately for the Johnnies, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were just too strong and dominated the game throughout.  St. Johns was a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden this year, but their extraordinary bounce-back season has now come to an end.  Gonzaga 86, St. Johns 71.

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