NCAA Tournament Opening Day Thread (SPOILERS)

[fishwax]

16 games on tap today to kick off the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Xavier and Georgia just tipped off. Other morning games include Portland St. vs. Kansas, and Temple vs. Michigan St.


In the early afternoon: Kentucky vs. Marquette, Baylor vs. Purdue, Kent St. vs. UNLV, and Oral Roberts vs. Pittsburgh. Cornell and Stanford close out the afternoon session.

The evening session begins with Kansas St. vs. USC, Belmont vs. Duke, Winthrop vs. Washington St., and Texas A&M vs. BYU.

The late games are: Cal St. Fullerton vs. Wisconsin, Arizona vs. W. Virginia, George Mason vs. Notre Dame, and Mississippi Val. vs. UCLA.

If you're stuck in a cubicle (or don't like whatever game they're showing on your CBS Station), you can watch all the games for free online here: http://ncaasports.com/mmod?source=mktg_mmod08_ga_hpto320&refcode=mmod08_ga_hpto320

If you didn't sign up early, you have to wait in line, but the line moves fairly quickly. I was number 117,000 or so when I logged on, and it only took about five minutes of waiting.

So who and when is your team playing? What other games will you be watching?

[fishwax]

1. Georgia vs. Xavier -- Georgia is actually ahead six minutes into the game

Georgia had to win the tornado-interrupted SEC tournament to get in, at one point playing and winning two games in the same day.

Right now it's 11-8 Georgia.

[fishwax]

6. Georgia up 23-17 with 6 minutes left in the 1st half

[fishwax]

10. fast break alley oop puts Georgia up by 9

Less than a minute left in the half.

[southlandshari]

13. Gooooooooooo Dawgs!!!

Thanks for the updates on the underdog Dawgs!

It's good to see you around, fishwax!

:hi:

[fishwax]

14. they're having a great run

The SEC tourney was wild, and they just kept winning. Now they're up 8 with 13 minutes to go ...

"It's good to see you around, fishwax!"
Back at ya, southlandshari :hi:

[fishwax]

16. Xavier pulled within 4 points, but Georgia just hit a 3

seven point lead with 9:38 left ...

[fishwax]

18. A three pointer ties it and then another three puts Xavier ahead

Georgia calls a timeout with 7:18 left ...

[fishwax]

20. Great defense is helping Xavier pull ahead

They just got a fast break bucket and free throw off a steal--they're now up 59-51 ...

[southlandshari]

22. I wish I could see the game!!

Please keep the updates coming!

:hug:

[fishwax]

24. Xavier now up by six with 2:58 remaining

It's a great game--Georgia is still in it, but they've got to make some stops--

[fishwax]

26. Georgia now within three--1:24 left

[fishwax]

28. Xavier at the line with a 5-point lead--51 seconds left ...

[fishwax]

29. Bliss just fouled out for Georgia -- Xavier by 7 with 33 seconds left

it's looking like the end of the line for Georgia ...

[fishwax]

31. Final: Xavier 73 -- Georgia 61

It was a much closer game than the final score indicates :applause:

[southlandshari]

33. Doesn't look good for the Dawgs

Rats.

:(

Ah well, it was a long shot for them to make it in to the big show to begin with.

I really like Coach Felton - he's done a lot with the program in just a couple of years.

:)



Given that Oklahoma's no hoops powerhouse, darlin', who are you pulling for in the tournament this year?

:D

[fishwax]

36. well now, I'm holding out some hope

"Given that Oklahoma's no hoops powerhouse, darlin', who are you pulling for in the tournament this year?"

They're back in the field this year after a one-year absence. (Last year, incidentally, was the first time in 25 years that they didn't play in a post-season tournament--that was the longest run in the country :)) It's possible they could lose to St. Joe's in the first round, but it's also conceivable that they could sneak past Louisville into the Sweet 16 :woohoo:

But when it comes to the tournament, I just root for the story :D

[southlandshari]

38. I think I can actually cheer for the Sooners when it comes to b-ball

After 2004, football is a no-go between me and Oklahoma - you know why. But I've got no beef with them on the hard court, so good luck to your home state school!

That said, you've pretty much always cheered for the good story over all else in all sports threads around here. You've never been the neanderthal about any one team that (ahem) some of us are.

:hide:


I like that about you.

;)

[fishwax]

39. we can use all the support we can get :)

it's not a great offensive team by any stretch, but they play sound defense, so they've got a shot.

As for football--will you ever forgive my Sooners for the sins of the system? :) :hide:

:hi:

[fishwax]

2. Temple and Michigan State underway

A close game so far: Temple 7, Michigan State 9 with 13 minutes left in the first half.

[fishwax]

9. Michigan State starting to pull away: 28-17

4 minutes left in the first half.

[fishwax]

17. MSU 52 -- Temple 38 with 10 minutes left

[fishwax]

30. Final: MSU 72 -- Temple 61

[Zavulon]

3. My team is in the NIT, a tournament I couldn't care less about.

As for the NCAAs, which I DO care about, I picked Texas over Wisconsin in the final, with UCLA and Louisville the other two in my Final Four.

[fishwax]

5. That would be a great final four

Of course, I hope Louisville doesn't make it, because I want my team (the Oklahoma Sooners) to beat them in the second round :) (Not that I think it will happen ...)

Texas is a really good team. I could see them winning it all.

The NIT doesn't generally interest me, either, though I watch it occasionally. And this year they added another tournament (the CBI) for those who didn't get into the NIT :shrug:

[fishwax]

4. Kansas is ahead of Portland State

Kansas has occasionally struggled in their opening round game in recent years. Back in 2002 Holy Cross played them very tough until the final minute, almost becoming the first #16 team to beat a #1. Then in 2005 they lost (as a #3 seed) to Bucknell. In 2006 they lost (as a #4 seed) to Bradley.

Right now they're up 22-15 on Portland State with 10 minutes left in the first half.

[fishwax]

11. 49-26 at the half

At one point Portland State pulled within 12, and then Kansas closed the half with a 13-2 run.

[fishwax]

23. Kansas is the first team to advance: 85-61 over Portland State

[pokerfan]

7. Congratulations to the University of Washington Huskies!

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/huskiesfan/archives/134688.asp

[fishwax]

8. sweet 16: woohoo!

;)

I didn't realize the CBI had started already. (Apparently Washington was only dimly aware as well ;))

[pokerfan]

12. It's a yin/yang thing for us

Sort of a cat and dog deal...

[fishwax]

15. It still strikes me as a little odd to see WSU have such a good basketball team

I tend to think of them (well, Washington too, actually) more in terms of football ... But they had a good team last year and should make some noise this year (at least until they meet North Carolina).

[pokerfan]

21. It's all about the coaching

We hadn't had anything to crow about since Kelvin Sampson took us dancing in '94. When I was in school, our coach was George Ravelling who got us to the tournament a couple of times.

Yeah, I don't have us getting past NC either, but I hope we get that far. Anything can happen. In the meantime, I get to taunt to husky coworkers.

[fishwax]

27. what were your thoughts on Kelvin's fall from grace?

As a Sooner fan, I just couldn't believe he pulled the same crap at Indiana after leaving us holding the bag for that when he left Oklahoma. :grr:

I'd forgotten (somehow) that he had Washington State in the tourney in the early 90s--was Bennie Seltzer on that team?

[pokerfan]

48. Kelvin was bad news

Never got into trouble at WSU but that could just mean that he never got caught. He did take a couple of Cougar recruits with him when he left which created some bad feelings. Seems that their WSU LOIs were "lost" somehow.

I realize that there are a lot of NCAA recruiting rules, but Kelvin can't exactly claim ignorance when he keeps getting caught violating the same one over and over.

Interesting how that might come around full circle with Indiana sniffing after our coach, Tony Bennett. But it sounds like he and his wife really enjoy Pullman so we will see.

Bennie Seltzer was a four year starter for the Cougs under Sampson but was not part of the 94 tourney team. I can still remember our PA announcer (dean of the communications school and mayor of Pullman) would drag out his name on the introduction: Bennie Sellllllllllllllllltzzzzzer!

Funny story on Tony's dad, Dick about the Cougar-Huskie rivalry:

--------------------
S-R: Finally, talking with the seniors about the UW rivalry, they all said they discovered how important it was when (as freshmen) you flipped off the UW crowd.

DB: (Laughs) That's when I was in one of the pits (of coaching). I wanted us to play well, ... and we weren't (competitive) in that game. It was in the first half, we were getting blown out and I thought, 'this isn't going to work.' I was so frustrated, and I just did it. It wasn't out of anger, it was out of total frustration.

S-R: What did it cost you?

DB: Let's put it this way. I gained more than I lost. I never realized I had so many fans. (Laughs) I felt bad because it was a violation of what I believe in, in light of what that gesture means, something I've never done before or since. I felt guilty but then the support started rolling in. ... (Bobby) Knight called me after that game and told me how much he used to like me, but now he absolutely loved me.

--------------------

Dick isn't travelling with the Cougs to the dance. He came back for the senior day and said that the Cougar 2OT win over the huskies damn near killed him.

[fishwax]

50. haha! that's a good story

Bennie Seltzer was a four year starter for the Cougs under Sampson but was not part of the 94 tourney team. I can still remember our PA announcer (dean of the communications school and mayor of Pullman) would drag out his name on the introduction: Bennie Sellllllllllllllllltzzzzzer!

When he was an assistant at OU he apparently played a lot with the players during practice, and I still remember watching him take shots during the shootaround before home games. He had a sweet stroke--I bet he was fun to watch when he was in action on the court. :)

Good luck with Bennett--I didn't know Indiana was looking at him, but I hope he stays. :toast:

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

19. A lot of the 'experts' have Xavier beating my team later on

in the tourney... We shall see. I am not too pleased about my team's performance in the month of February, but they have potential, not to mention one of the best (if not the best) coaches in the business and they will be fine. It's not like they've never gone to the Final Four or won a national championship or two or three before. I just wish that Singler, Scheyer and Paulus showed up to play each and every single game and not always leave it up to Demarcus Nelson.

[fishwax]

34. yeah, I think your team will be alright

:) But the matchup against Xavier would be an interesting sweet 16 game if both teams make it there :toast:

[Lance_Boyle]

53. Xavier won't make it that far

The boilermakers have their number. But that PurDuke game is gonna be a doozie.

[Zavulon]

25. You know those "strategic" #12 over #5 picks for brackets?

I had Temple over Michigan State, just because Michigan State struck me as overly susceptible to an upset. Good call, you dumb fuck.

[fishwax]

35. those picks aren't quite as money as they used to be

I think it used to be that the 12 seeds were always from mid-majors that didn't get enough respect from the selection committee, but after runs by Gonzaga, George Mason, etc. in the last several years, a lot of mid-majors are getting higher seeds. That's my theory, anyway :)

[Zavulon]

63. My theory is that

there's no discernable pattern, no matter how much jerkoffs like Mike and Mike try to find one. Eventually, we're going to have a year in which three or four #12s knock off their #5 opponents, and the "cycle" will start up again - with no basis in fact other than the previous year. You'll see over half the nation's brackets with two or more such upsets picked. That year we'll have all four #12s get crushed, and some so-called "bracketologist" will declare the "strategy" of picking a #12 "dead."

So, I just go with gut feels. My pick in no way was based on any real faith in Temple, and their winning the A-10 tournament doesn't impress me around bracket time at all (conference tournaments are where teams so often expend too much energy and come into the NCAAs flat). I simply picked against Michigan State because the Big 10 is so terrible.

Not a smashing start by yours truly. :(

[fishwax]

32. Kentucky has an early lead over Marquette 10-6

[fishwax]

43. Pretty good first half: Marquette up 33-29 at halftime

[fishwax]

49. This is the only good game on at the moment: Marquette 48 -- Kentucky 41 (12 minutes left)

Every other game was 19 points or more at halftime :boring:

[fishwax]

51. Marquette 63 -- UK 58 (1:48 left)

[fishwax]

52. Marquette 66 -- UK 63 (38 seconds left)

Marquette gets the ball after the timeout--shaping up for an exciting finish :bounce:

[fishwax]

54. Kentucky loses in the first round for the first time since 1987

And Marquette gets their first post-Dwayne Wade tournament victory.

Marquette 74
Kentucky 66

[fishwax]

37. The Golden Flashes and the Running Rebels have tipped off in Omaha

Winner gets to play Kansas ...

[fishwax]

42. Kent State has a whopping SIX points with 5:26 left in the 1st half

UNLV 22 -- Kent St. 6

[fishwax]

44. Kent State reaches double figures: UNLV 29 -- Kent State 10 (1:59 left in the half)

[fishwax]

55. Final: UNLV 71 -- Kent St. 58

[fishwax]

40. Baylor and Purdue about to tip off

The winner plays Xavier.

This is Baylor's first tournament appearance since 1988 ...

[fishwax]

47. Purdue 46 -- Baylor 27 (Halftime)

:boring:

[fishwax]

58. Final: Purdue 90 -- Baylor 79

Purdue now plays Xavier in the 2nd round. Should be a good game.

[fishwax]

41. Oral Roberts and Pittsburgh in a tight game

15-13 Pitt with 11:14 left in the first half. Once ORU puts in the 900 foot Jesus they should start to run away with this ...

[fishwax]

45. 13 straight points for Pitt: Pitt 28 -- ORU 13 (6:41 left)

[fishwax]

46. Pitt 47 -- ORU 24 (Halftime)

[fishwax]

56. Final: Pitt 82 -- ORU 63

Pittsburgh plays Michigan State on Saturday.

[quip]

57. So far I'm 6 for 7. Those 8-9 seed games are a beeyotch.

[geardaddy]

59. I'm 5 for 7.

:(

[fishwax]

60. They aren't usually blowouts like that

Kent State was never in that game at all. :shrug:

I'm 7/7 so far on my bracket at home and 5/7 on my DU bracket (on which I picked Kent St. and Temple).

So far the higher seed is 7-0 today ...

[quip]

62. I'm going to get hammered; I took Arizona ALL THE WAY!

:scared: :hi:

[fishwax]

65. nothin' wrong with a sentimental pick

;) :hi:

[fishwax]

61. Stanford 22 -- Cornell 12 (7:40 left in the 1st half)

[fishwax]

64. Stanford 38 -- Cornell 17 (Halftime)

Another snoozer--and a really sloppy game for much of that half. I hope that the evening games are better :)

[fishwax]

66. Belmont has the early lead on Duke 3-0

I wonder how long that will last?

[fishwax]

69. Duke 17 -- Belmont 15 (11:38 left in the 1st half)

[fishwax]

71. Duke 42 -- Belmont 35 (Halftime)

[fishwax]

74. Duke 56 -- Belmont 52 (11:57 left)

[fishwax]

75. BELMONT takes the lead: 58-56 with 11 minutes left

[fishwax]

76. Duke 65 -- Belmont 64 (4:48 remaining)

[fishwax]

78. Belmont by one point with 2 minutes left

[fishwax]

79. 4 seconds left, Belmont inbounding down by one point ...

[fishwax]

80. turned it over on the inbounds -- looks like Duke will hold on ...

[fishwax]

67. One of the best matchups of the first round: Kansas State and USC

featuring top freshmen Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo, respectively.

[TheMightyFavog]

68. KS State v USC 11-8

[fishwax]

70. Now 27-19 K-State (3:56 left in the half)

[fishwax]

72. Winthrop and Washington State tied at 29 at halftime

[fishwax]

77. Winthrop scored FIVE points in the first 17 minutes of the second half

At halftime it was tied at 29. By the 3:00 mark it was 67-34 :wow:

[pokerfan]

81. Defense is a point of emphasis in Bennett-Ball

[fishwax]

83. that game flow is wild

Winthrop was scoreless for the first, what, six minutes of the second half? WSU looked like they were in trouble going into halftime, but dayum did they put together a good second half :wow:

[pokerfan]

89. I have no explanation

Shots that were falling for Winthrop in the first half just refused to get in the hole in the second.

There were two long scoreless droughts, each over six minutes. They had made just five points when Bennett emptied the bench with three minutes left.

What a bizarre game.

[fishwax]

73. BYU and A&M tied at 29 at halftime

[GOPisEvil]

82. A&M 67 - BYU 62

:woohoo:

[fishwax]

84. one of only 2 lower-seeded teams to win today

Both from the Big 12--the other being Kansas State.

Congrats to your Aggies :toast: They had a tough last couple of weeks, but they seem to have come together at a good time ...

[southlandshari]

85. Gotta love those land-grant schools!

Congrats on the win - I was cheering for your Aggies!

:hi:

[Rhythm]

86. WVU 31 - Arizona 30 at the half.

Let's Go Mountaineers!!!

[fishwax]

87. Not exactly a thrilling opening day

Only two lower seeds (#11 Kansas State and #9 Texas A&M) won today, and only four of 16 games were decided by ten points or less. I'd guess half or more of today's games had a 19+ point spread at halftime.

The Duke vs. Belmont game was exciting, and Georgia's effort against Xavier was fun to watch, but on the whole there weren't many memorable games. Hopefully tomorrow will be better ...

[Bennyboy]

88. 15 of 16 Damn USC!

Damn them.