Thank goodness we have an NCAA Tournament to reminisce about. For this document I will be going over the 1st 2 rounds instead of the whole thing at the end of the tournament because the latter option would take me almost an entire 2 days to go over. Just like most years the underdogs have everything to play for and the favorites must know where the fun ends and the trouble begins. Carry on!
1st Round
Midwest: The Midwest region was probably the most interesting region in terms of predictions in the 1st Round. Illinois blowing right past Drexel and Cleveland State being no match for Houston’s high flying offense were the no brainers. Not to mention Oklahoma State held off a late game comeback against Liberty to advance and West Virginia crushed Morehead State that too. However the scenarios in which one team had to lose kicked in, In particular Loyola knocking off the dark horse known as Georgia Tech as well as Syracuse defeating San Diego State in a game that was even on paper thanks to the defense stopping the Aztec attack. (This team lived and died by the 3!) Then we get to Clemson with their old school pick and roll offense being outgunned by the speed of their adversaries from Rutgers. As for the upsets, Tennessee despite having a clear advantage thanks to the talent on the roster got exposed by an Oregon State team that had struggled for much of the season. This was no contest, Rocky Top was blown out by a team that did nothing but chuck 3s on them. At least there’s next year for them I guess?
South: The Southern Side of the Tournament was the most insane of the regions that took place this past weekend. Exhibit A happens to be a small school named Oral Roberts, not only going toe to toe with the juggernaut of THE Ohio State they stormed back from a huge deficit and sent this bad boy to OT. There the Golden Eagles shocked the NCAA World by stopping the Buckeyes for almost the full 5 minutes. However Ohio State has one more chance to win, “They swing it around to Ahrens he shoots! MISSES, rebound Ohio State another 3 OFFLINE AND THIS ONE IS OVER!” There goes my National Championship Matchup! Why did I trust these guys to go far in March! PAUSE. Anyways the rest of the South was full of upsets galore except for Baylor blowing out Hartford thanks to an early run during the first 5 minutes of the game. (The Neighborhood must be punished!) But then even more upsets were upon us! Next up North Texas completely exposed Purdue’s offense down the stretch even if they didn’t hold them below the 57 point marker. (Total Underachievers!) The Tar Heels were also eliminated early thanks to the defensive menace known as Wisconsin. Throughout the game North Carolina couldn’t solve the rubik’s cube of another deep playoff run. PAUSE. The most epic game that came out of the South was between 2 offensive minded teams in Florida and Virginia Tech, despite the Gators trying to ice the game the Hokies wouldn’t go away. The main reason? “Alleyne puts up a last second shot and SCORES TO TIE THE GAME!” The good news for Tech was that they had one of the most memorable shots in school history! The bad news is that it tied the game and in overtime the Gators stomped all over their upset hopes. Good effort though! PAUSE. Then the juggernauts of NovaNation and Texas Tech once again showed their might by crushing the spirits of Winthrop and Utah State by means of their 3 point shooting attack. When you’re hot, you’re hot as they say!
East: The East was rather interesting. Most of the big guns like Michigan, Florida State, Alabama, and Colorado survived without getting troubled. (Actually Bama was taken to the limit by Iona for much of that game before their late game run.) Then the upsets kicked in and my goodness was it spectacular! Texas despite being the #3 seed and strong favorites for a deep playoff run had the concerns of playing down to an overlooked team in Abilene Christian early on. It didn’t matter because the Longhorns held a 9 point lead with 5 minutes left, truly they won’t blow this game. BOOM! Then the defense collapsed in the final minutes and the offense ran out of gas. I’m guessing that they were eating some of that delicious “Boudreau Barbecue” at halftime and forgot to digest it when it really mattered. Roses are Red, Violets are blue, Texas chokes on that 1st Round food! PAUSE. As for UConn they finally had something to cheer about when it came to Men’s College Basketball as they made the tournament for the 1st time in a few seasons. However their coach failed to realize that they couldn’t keep up with the defensive powerhouse known as the Terps. Maryland crushed a team that was excited to get back in the tournament and as a result advanced to the 2nd Round. Good work boys! PAUSE. Finally we get to BYU vs UCLA. In this game despite being the higher seed, the Cougars were outmatched by a team that had one thing they lacked. Tournament experience! This proved to be a true statement as the Bruins dominated from the 3 point line while BYU shot 17%. If you go cold for a long time that won’t get her done!
West: The West was probably the most predictable of the 4 regions. That was because Gonzaga, Iowa, Kansas, USC, and Creighton cruised through the 1st Round with no problems. But hold on a minute WE HAVE A COVID OUTBREAK!!! BOOM! VCU just before Tip-Off had several of its players test positive including 2 of their starters and since they weren’t able to dress 5 guys, Oregon won the game by default. Iowa be prepared for these boys. PAUSE. How in the world is Ohio able to keep up with the Defending National Champions? Tony Bennett once again has played not to lose and it at the moment has worked in his favor. Virginia held a 7 point lead with 14 minutes left. They won’t mess this up. The Cavaliers are a former champion for a reason. BOOM! If the Longhorns and Buckeyes fell hard Virginia fell harder! Just like in the game against UMBC a few years ago the offense stalled in the 2nd Half. With this being the case Ohio pulls off the upset. Where’s the bag of garbage I need to eat on the Bobcats for saying that they would get smacked!?
2nd Round
Midwest: Illinois following their statement win in the 1st Round had optimism at Sky High levels. They appeared to be poised for a deep playoff run and a chance to win their 1st ever National Championship, things are looking up for you guys. BOOM! Oh but the Basketball Gods have plans for you Illini! You now get the wonders of facing their good buddy Sister Jean and Loyola. In this game they had no answers for the Ramblers defense and 3 point attack, a sub 30% field goal rate always isn’t enough to beat a team with underrated stars. I can smell another deep playoff run from Loyola! The good news for them is that they probably have an easy schedule to cruise into the Final 4. PAUSE. Oregon State and Oklahoma State are 2 foes that are looking for a statement after solid 1st Round victories. Despite Cade Cunningham scoring in bunches the game was a low scoring affair for a majority of the 1st 35 minutes. This is when Oregon State realizes that they can score at will and snactched a deep playoff run away from a generational talent. Cowboys even if Cade doesn’t come back in 2022. You can safely say that you aren’t Illinois. PAUSE. Even though Illinois and Oklahoma State had early defeats, West Virginia wasn’t ready to fall into that trap. When a team has to change its identity from defense to offense because of talent concerns there are problems. They made it past Morehead State only to lose a heartbreaker against Jim Boeheim and the Orangemen. That’s what happens when their potent offense goes flat. In other words Mount Mama has erupted! PAUSE. Rutgers well done you still can’t make it past the Round of 32! May you convince the Penn State student body to root for you guys instead of their other BIG10 adversaries. Despite the win against Clemson the Cinderella Story was all for naught as Houston built the wall and stopped you all game long. Despite making a furious comeback in the 2nd Half the Scarlet Knights were victimized by free throws. Better luck next time Comrades! At least your freshman class next year looks promising.
South: Back to the South we go as Oral Roberts is trying to knock off another powerhouse in the Gators. Florida has an 11 point lead with 16:32 remaining, surely these guys won’t pull an Ohio State, the Gators defense is one of the best in the country. BOOM! Then they let Oral Roberts come all the way back and get completely exposed. Just like Texas they were enjoying some “Boudreau Barbecue” during the 2nd Half. I’m not done yet, this is the first time a 15 seed has gone to the Sweet 16 in almost a decade. You hear that in the distance? That’s the sound of brackets being destroyed! PAUSE. Wisconsin let’s be real, another deep playoff run was not going to happen. Even if they knocked off a perennial tournament entry in UNC they ran into a budding empire known as Baylor. They kept it close for much of the game but in the end the defense ran out of gas. Too bad, I would have liked to see them pull off another unexpected run. PAUSE. Ladies and Gentlemen the empire that is NovaNation has returned with vengeance! Even if they played another soft team in North Texas. The new “Let it Fly” scheme of Jay Wright has shown no mercy as they are in position for another run at the National Championship. Now the Cats get to do what Bucky couldn’t BEAT THE BEARS! PAUSE. Texas Tech and Arkansas, 2 teams that thrive off of the counterattack are going at it in a slugfest that has gone down to the wire. Even if the Razorbacks held an 11 point lead with 12 minutes left the Red Raiders stormed back and cut the lead to 2 in the final minutes. All that Arkansas needs is a final stop to advance. “Here comes Agbo down the lane, he puts it up and it is NO GOOD! REBOUNDED BY ARKANSAS AND THAT’S IT!” Sorry Texas Tech you won’t be able to see your true love because the enemy took her to his castle! YOU GET NOTHING YOU LOSE GOOD DAY SIR!
East: The last thing the Basketball Gods wanted to see was UCLA back in the Sweet 16 after crushing the Cinderella Story known as Abilene Christian. The potent offense of the Bruins put up points at will and their defense held the Wildcats to 47 points. (The lowest point total Abilene Christian has scored all year) Now they get to face a familiar opponent next, I wonder who it is? PAUSE. That opponent is #RollTide! Despite facing a defensive powerhouse known as Maryland they beat the Terps at their own game. (SmallBall and 3s) Despite Maryland starting the game shooting 60% Alabama stuffed them in the 2nd Half as they cruised to an easy dub. What did I say about these guys, they are a locomotive that crushes everything and everyone. PAUSE. We gather here today to mourn the death of the Colorado Buffaloes hopes and dreams of a National Title. However despite the promise and emergence of the freshman class they proved that they were still not ready for the big time. Running into a playoff experienced team like Florida State was going to be an issue but I didn’t expect this to be a 20 point blowout. Don’t worry guys your future looks bright. PAUSE. You seriously thought that LSU was going to beat Michigan in the Round of 32 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (The Fab 5 2.0 wasn’t losing in the 2nd Round!) That’s what happens when you talk all of that smack about how you will do what Loyola did Tigers.
West: Ah the Hawkeyes this time you aren’t going to fold early this tournament, you’re going to make plenty of noise this year! Only to choke and lose in the 2nd Round to a team that made it to this game because their opponent forfeited in the Oregon Ducks. Iowa got knocked out early in a grouping in which they should have gone far in. As for the Ducks they like most teams in the PAC12 are thriving while the BIG10 is shooting themselves in the foot. (Excluding Michigan.) PAUSE. Despite having some of the most experience in the NCAA Tournament Kansas has gone through a rough season. From the way they were talking during the Summer they were all but locks to go to at least the Sweet 16. When a team struggles for much of the season and limps into the BIG12 tournament there are alarm sounds going off. There was some hope of a return to glory as they won all of the games they played in the BIG12 tournament despite a COVID outbreak as well as beating East Washington in a close affair but then they proceeded to get crunched by the Mobley Dynasty known as USC! Gonzaga laughs heartily as they have an easier road to the Final 4 with the big guns in their region falling one by one. PAUSE. Speaking of Gonzaga they stormed past a dark horse team in the Oklahoma Sooners. Even if they struggled for much of the game the Bulldogs unleashed their high end talent and cruised to an easy victory. The West Region is all but yours thanks to Iowa, Kansas, and Virginia getting smacked early on. PAUSE. Thank god I don’t have to eat more garbage on doubting Ohio! Despite their 1st Round upset of the defending champs the Bobcats got off to a strong start against another solid team in Creighton but then the Blue Jays blew them away thanks to the power of defense and highlight reel dunks. Creighton you have big fish to fry in the next round with the unbeaten Bulldogs on the horizon. PAUSE.
So far through 2 Rounds it has been the typical March Madness, upsets, Cinderella Stories, tales of redemption, long suffering teams with optimism, universities long waiting for a champion to rally behind, and then Gonzaga. May the next 15 games be as intense as the first 52 were. See you in the Finals Recap!
Bragging Rights Sports 