Here are today's games ranked by Ken Pom's Thrill Score:
1. Mississippi v. N. Carolina (3:05 P.M. -- TNT)
2. Mississippi St. v. Baylor (11:15 A.M. -- CBS)
3. Connecticut v. Oklahoma (8:25 P.M. -- TNT)
4. Illinois v. Xavier (8:45 P.M. -- CBS)
5. Marquette v. New Mexico (6:25 P.M. -- TBS)
6. (16) Memphis v. Colorado St. (1 P.M. -- TBS)
7. (20) Saint Mary's v. Vanderbilt (2:15 P.M. -- tru TV)
8. Oregon v. Liberty (9:10 P.M. -- tru TV)
9. (15) Iowa St. v. Lipscomb (12:30 P.M. -- TNT)
10. (18) Kentucky v. Troy (6:10 P.M. -- CBS)
11. Arizona v. Akron (6:35 P.M. -- tru TV)
12. (11) Maryland v. Grand Canyon (3:35 P.M. -- TBS)
13. (7) Alabama v. Robert Morris (11:40 P.M. -- tru TV)
14. (8) Michigan St. v. Bryant (9 P.M. -- TBS)
15. (3) Florida v. Norfolk St. (5:50 P.M. -- TNT)
16. (1) Duke v. Mount St. Mary's (1:50 P.M. -- CBS)
Ken Pom went 12-4 on his picks yesterday -- he missed Louisville, Kansas, Mizzou, and Clemson. Today he has UK with an 86 percent chance to beat Troy. Last year, UK had a better than 90 percent chance to beat Oakland.
I think tonight's game is probably the first one in my lifetime where the UK Administrators and their supporters in the Kentucky press corps want the Cats to win more than I do. It's a nice feeling.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong: I definitely want UK to win. But after Coach Cal's win last night, the pressure on the UK Establishment has grown significantly.
ReplyDeleteThe most exciting development of the season so far is the possibility that Will Wade could go to NCSU. That would mean that the Wolfpack are finally prepared to embrace their natural role as the Villain of Tobacco Road, and that would be a thrilling development. UNC and Duke haven't had to worry about NCSU for over 30 years -- NCSU should haunt those guys the way U of L haunts UK.
ReplyDeleteMississippi St. 25 - 29 Baylor (5:04 left in 1st)
ReplyDeleteAlabama 19 - 11 Robert Morris (11:33 left in 1st)
It looks as though at least four Classic SEC teams: Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida -- will reach the Second Round. Today we learn whether Ole Miss, Mississippi St., or Kentucky will join them.
Well, maybe Alabama won't make it:
ReplyDeleteMississippi St. 32 - 37 Baylor (Halftime)
Alabama 32 - 29 Robert Morris (5:01 left in 1st)
If you have to play a low seed, you want to draw one from a rural area, especially out west. You never want to play a team from a major Eastern city.
As far as I know, Lipscomb is the only university named after a man who urged Christians not to vote, serve on juries, or otherwise participate in the government.
ReplyDeleteDavid Lipscomb, who lived most of his life in Nashville, is one of the most interesting Tennesseeans of all time -- everyone should know more about him.
ReplyDeleteThe Restorationists are all interesting people -- they are mostly from the Upper South, and they certainly have the Romantic strain so common in that part of the country in the early 19th century. But they also combine their romantic feelings with a cold and analytical logic that they are willing to follow to fascinating conclusions. Their logical certainty, combined with their romanticism, makes them extremely willing to follow their own path, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
ReplyDeleteIn Lipscomb's case, he ended up writing a book about how Christians should not participate in Civil Government, but should trust in God to bring about His Own Government in His Own Time. If you're brought up in this tradition, as I was, his argument is very well done.
DeleteMississippi St. 47 - 54 Baylor (11:41 left in 2d)
ReplyDeleteAlabama 40 - 36 Robert Morris (Halftime)
Iowa St. 15 - 16 Lipscomb (11:18 left in 1st)
Until further notice, Mississippi State should be regarded as counterfeit. Meanwhile, T.J. Otzelberger is moving on to the Second Round:
ReplyDeleteMississippi St. 57 - 63 Baylor (5:30 left in 2d)
Alabama 53 - 46 Robert Morris (13:09 left in 2d)
Iowa St. 37 - 21 Lipscomb (2:44 left in 1st)
The SEC is looking terrible so far today:
ReplyDeleteMississippi St. 72 - 75 Baylor (F)
Alabama 79 - 71 Robert Morris (2:24 left in 2d)
Iowa St. 46 - 30 Lipscomb (15:35 left in 2d)
Memphis 31 - 29 Colorado St. (3:34 left in 1st)
In the women's tournament, UK survives a late charge from 13-seed Liberty. The Cats advance by the score of 79 to 78, thanks to 34 points from Georgia Amoore.
ReplyDeleteAlabama 90 - 81 Robert Morris (F)
ReplyDeleteIowa St. 82 - 55 Lipscomb (F)
Memphis 48 - 50 Colorado St. (13:28 left in 2d)
Duke 24 - 9 Mount St. Mary's (11:26 left in 1st)
In the SEC quarterfinals, Alabama beat Kentucky 99-70.
It looks like Memphis is going out, which means that the Classic Metro will be eliminated:
ReplyDeleteMemphis 54 - 61 Colorado St. (8:57 left in 2d)
Duke 44 - 24 Mount St. Mary's (4:53 left in 1st)
Saint Mary's 9 - 9 Vanderbilt (13:38 left in 1st)
Vandy had a 29-22 lead at the half, but of course they have Vandied that lead away. On the other hand, Chris Beard -- another coach who was mentioned for the UK job -- has Ole Miss in good shape:
ReplyDeleteSaint Mary's 50 - 50 Vanderbilt (5:10 left in 2d)
Mississippi 44 - 26 N. Carolina (Halftime)
Maryland 27 - 13 Grand Canyon (6:01 left in 1st)
It's exciting to see Maryland playing big-time basketball again. I hope Georgetown comes back as well.
ReplyDeleteColorado St. beat Memphis 78 to 70, and the Classic Metro has been eliminated.
ReplyDeleteDuke beat Mount St. Mary's 93 to 49. Still a great year for the Mount.
ReplyDeleteFor a team that doesn't go to the NCAA's very often, Vandy has a horrific record in the NCAA's. Once again, the Dores lose a close game in the first round. Meanwhile, Ole Miss is collapsing against UNC, as the Tar Heels have scored 11 points in a row:
ReplyDeleteSaint Mary's 59 - 56 Vanderbilt (F)
Mississippi 63 - 59 N. Carolina (3:13 left in 2d)
Maryland 42 - 30 Grand Canyon (18:12 left in 2d)
Ole Miss finally scores, and the Rebels lead 65 to 59 with 2:49 left in the game. Since 2007, here are Vandy's appearances in the NCAA Tournament:
ReplyDelete3/21/08: Siena 83, Vandy 62
3/18/10: Murray St. 66, Vandy 65
3/17/11: Richmond 69, Vandy 66
3/15/12: Vandy 79, Harvard 70
3/17/12: Wisconsin 60, Vandy 57
3/16/17: Northwestern 68, Vandy 66
3/21/25: Saint Mary's 59, Vandy 56
While the SEC struggles, let's give credit to the West Coast Conference, as Saint Mary's and Gonzaga have both advanced to the Second Round.
ReplyDeleteOle Miss hangs on to beat UNC 71 to 64. So four teams from the Classic SEC: Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, and Ole Miss -- have advanced to the Second Round. Three other teams -- Vandy, Mississippi State, and Georgia -- have been eliminated.
ReplyDeleteFlorida is playing Norfolk State, so presumably they will move forward. So that's a record of 5-3. Now we have to see how UK will do.
Kansas and Carolina are both out in the First Round. You don't see that very often.
ReplyDeleteMaryland crushed Grand Canyon 81 to 49.
ReplyDeleteHere are UK's starters:
ReplyDeleteLamont Butler, G: 6' 2", 208 lbs., Grad Student from Moreno Valley, Calif.
Otega Oweh, G: 6' 4", 215 lbs., Junior from Newark, N.J.
Koby Brea, G: 6' 7", 215 lbs., Grad Student from Washington Heights, N.Y.
Andrew Carr, F: 6' 11", 235 lbs., Grad Student from West Chester, Pa.
Amari Williams, C: 7' 0", 262 lbs., Grad Student from Nottingham, ENGLAND
UK bricks its first three shots from behind the arc. Troy is offensively challenged, but quick and strong on defense. Cats lead 11-9 with 14:04 left in the 1st half. Florida leads Norfolk State 47 to 19, so I think we can safely assume that the Gators will be in the Second Round.
ReplyDelete