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.
ReplyDeleteTroy is just not very good at all, but UK lacks the talent to blow this game open. Cats lead 14-12 with 11:41 left in the first half, and this game looks like it will be close all the way. Meanwhile, Florida leads Norfolk State 53 to 21 with 3:15 left in the first half.
ReplyDeleteI don't think either of these teams can beat Xavier or Illinois.
ReplyDeleteKentucky is 1-8 from 3-point range, and the Cats lead 19-17 with 7:58 left in the first half. To be honest, these teams are evenly matched. I would give UK the edge in Rupp, but on a neutral court this is basically a tossup.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those games where eventually Troy's going to hit three three-pointers in a row, and then UK will be down by eight.
ReplyDeleteUK leads 25-23 with 3:42 left in the first half. This is going to be a long night for Matt Jones and Mitch Barnhart.
ReplyDeleteOn March 17, 2023, with 1:14 left in the first half, UK led Providence 36 to 25. The Cats won that game 61 to 53, and then lost to Kansas State two days later. That moment toward the end of the first half was the only time in the 2020's that UK had a lead of more than 10 points in an NCAA Tournament Game. Of course, that's also UK's only tournament victory in the 2020's.
ReplyDeleteCats get a mini-run with a three-pointer from Noah, a three-pointer from Carr, and a dunk by Williams. Cats lead 33-24 with 1:59 left, as Troy calls time.
ReplyDeleteFlorida leads Norfolk St. 53-32 at the half.
New Mexico leads Marquette 26-19 with 5:35 left in the 1st.
For about 20 seconds, UK had a 35-24 lead, but then Troy hit a wide-open three. At the half, the Cats lead 35 to 28.
ReplyDeleteUK:
3-10 from three-point range (30.0 percent)
11-18 from two-point range (61.1 percent)
4-6 from the line (66.7 percent)
Troy:
4-16 from three-point range (25.0 percent)
7-17 from two-point range (41.2 percent)
1-2 from the line (50.0 percent)
Florida 60 - 40 Norfolk St. (16:52 left in 2d)
ReplyDeleteMarquette 21 - 28 New Mexico (3:23 left in 1st)
Arizona 17 - 12 Akron (10:58 left in 1st)
My takeaway so far is that UK would be very competitive in the Sun Belt Conference.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I think the Illinois/Xavier game will be a good one.
ReplyDeleteKentucky makes two three's, misses some layups, and allows two threes at the other end. Cats lead 43-34 with 15:41 left.
ReplyDeleteFlorida 76 - 55 Norfolk St. (8 minutes left in 2d)
ReplyDeleteMarquette 32 - 35 New Mexico (Halftime)
Arizona 39 - 29 Akron (0:51 left in 1st)
Troy closed to within six, but a three-pointer from Collin Chandler helped UK spurt out to a 50-39 lead with 12:18 left.
ReplyDeleteFlorida 83 - 61 Norfolk St. (4:38 left in 2d)
Marquette 36 - 41 New Mexico (17:17 left in 2d)
Arizona 41 - 31 Akron (Halftime)
Chandler scored nine points: a three-point shot, then all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point shot, then another three-point shot. Then Brandon Garrison hit a three. And suddenly, the Cats are up 59 to 39 with 9:58 left in the game. That was a very nice stretch of basketball.
ReplyDeleteFlorida 89 - 64 Norfolk St. (2:31 left in 2d)
Marquette 45 - 46 New Mexico (14:29 left in 2d)
Arizona 41 - 31 Akron (Halftime)
UK misses five shots in a row, and Troy closes to within 61-44 with 6:48 left.
ReplyDeleteFlorida has beaten Norfolk St.
Marquette 51 - 48 New Mexico (12:15 left in 2d)
Arizona 41 - 31 Akron (Halftime)
UK has just stopped playing altogether. Troy on a 9-0 run. Cats lead 61-48 with 5:39 left. Pope calls time.
ReplyDeleteBrea hits a three and Oweh makes two layups. Meanwhile, Troy misses more threes. Cats now lead 68-48 with 3:21 left.
ReplyDeleteThey put the scrubs in, and the Cats win 76 to 57. I think Troy is the worst team UK has ever played in the NCAA Tournament, but spare a thought for all the UK fans who have suffered in this decade, and who finally got to enjoy the last few minutes of a tournament game.
ReplyDelete"THIS TIME, A HUG. THIS TIME, A HUG."
ReplyDeleteNew Mexico eliminates Marquette 75 to 66. Big win for the West.
ReplyDeleteUK:
ReplyDelete10-26 from 3-point range (38.5 percent)
18-33 from 2-point range (54.5 percent)
10-16 from the line (62.5 percent)
Troy:
8-32 from 3-point range (25.0 percent)
14-31 from 2-point range (45.2 percent)
5-9 from the line (55.6 percent)
I had forgotten how satisfying it is when the other team misses their shots.
Tom Crean did the color commentary for this game on Westwood One Radio, and I thought he was great.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this was the first NCAA Tournament victory of Mark Pope's career. Good for him! He has already passed Billy Gillespie.
ReplyDeleteSo the Classic SEC goes 6-3 in the First Round of the Tournament. I don't think we've ever had six Classic SEC teams in the Second Round before.
ReplyDeleteSo far, Ken Pom has correctly picked every game today.
ReplyDeleteKen Pom missed the Marquette/New Mexico game. That's his only miss so far. In the last four games he has UConn, Illinois, Oregon, and Michigan St.
DeleteArizona beats Akron 93 to 65.
ReplyDeleteSo there are four games left in the First Round:
ReplyDeleteConnecticut 32 - 26 Oklahoma (Halftime)
Illinois 40 - 35 Xavier (Halftime)
Michigan St. 19 - 21 Bryant (5:55 left in 1st)
Oregon 22 - 8 Liberty (11:41 left in 1st)
So far, 15 of the top 16 seeds have already advanced to the Second Round. I'm not sure that all 16 of the top seeds have ever advanced in the same year. Michigan St. is the only one still playing -- if they win it will be a perfect sweep for the top 16 seeds.
ReplyDeleteKen Pom names Otega Oweh as the MVP of the Kentucky-Troy game. Oweh had 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to six teams from the Classic SEC, the Second Round will feature five teams from the Classic Southwest Conference: Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A & M, Baylor, and Arkansas.
ReplyDeleteSo far, we have three teams from the Classic Big 10 in the Second Round: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Purdue. But the CB10 could still add Michigan St. and Illinois.
ReplyDeleteArizona and U.C.L.A. will represent the Classic Pac 10 in the Second Round, and it looks as though they will be joined by Oregon.
ReplyDeleteDuke and Maryland are the only representatives from the Classic ACC in the Second Round.
ReplyDeleteBYU and Colorado St. will represent the Classic Western Athletic Conference in the Second Round.
ReplyDeleteDrake and Creighton represent the Classic Missouri Valley.
ReplyDeleteIllinois has blasted out to a 48-37 lead with 17:48 left. I do not think UK can beat Illinois.
ReplyDeleteConnecticut 42 - 37 Oklahoma (11:27 left in 2d)
ReplyDeleteIllinois 50 - 41 Xavier (16:13 left in 2d)
Michigan St. 33 - 28 Bryant (Halftime)
Oregon 39 - 17 Liberty (1:06 left in 1st)
Connecticut 46 - 43 Oklahoma (10:40 left in 2d)
ReplyDeleteIllinois 52 - 46 Xavier (14:51 left in 2d)
Michigan St. 33 - 28 Bryant (Halftime)
Oregon 44 - 20 Liberty (Halftime)
High drama between UConn and Oklahoma:
ReplyDeleteConnecticut 46 - 47 Oklahoma (9:01 left in 2d)
Illinois 59 - 48 Xavier (12:27 left in 2d)
Michigan St. 33 - 30 Bryant (19:49 left in 2d)
Oregon 44 - 20 Liberty (Halftime)
Illinois has blown this game open. The Illini now lead by 14. If you're a UK fan, you have to hope that the Illini go into Sunday's matchup with too much confidence.
ReplyDeleteThat game on Sunday will also be in Milwaukee, so it will basically be a home game for Illinois.
ReplyDeleteIllinois now up 69-52 with 9:44 left. They are taking Xavier to the woodshed. If they play like this, they will not only beat Kentucky -- they will also beat Tennessee or U.C.L.A. and go to the Regional Final.
ReplyDeleteConnecticut 54 - 54 Oklahoma (5:43 left in 2d)
ReplyDeleteIllinois 69 - 52 Xavier (9:44 left in 2d)
Michigan St. 42 - 33 Bryant (17:07 left in 2d)
Oregon 44 - 20 Liberty (Halftime)
One of the most famous UK games of my youth was the Mideast Regional Final at Rupp Arena on March 24, 1984. Kentucky hosted Illinois in the last Regional Final ever played on a team's home court. The Cats won 54-51 and advanced to the Final Four. Remarkably, that was the last time UK and Illinois met on a basketball court.
ReplyDeleteNow we're just waiting on the UConn result:
ReplyDeleteConnecticut 57 - 56 Oklahoma (4:11 left in 2d)
Illinois 74 - 57 Xavier (7:24 left in 2d)
Michigan St. 46 - 40 Bryant (15:07 left in 2d)
Oregon 44 - 24 Liberty (18:43 left in 2d)
I think this will be one of the best Second Rounds in the history of the Tournament. I'm really looking forward to these games.
ReplyDeleteUConn is going to make it:
ReplyDeleteConnecticut 64 - 58 Oklahoma (1:19 left in 2d)
Illinois 76 - 65 Xavier (5:23 left in 2d)
Michigan St. 54 - 46 Bryant (11:22 left in 2d)
Oregon 52 - 31 Liberty (14:33 left in 2d)
UConn wins 67 to 59, and the Huskies will get Florida on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThat leaves Iowa State as the only representative of the Classic Big Eight in the Second Round. The Classic Big East is represented by St. John's and UConn.
ReplyDeleteThe Classic Big 10, on the other hand, will have five teams in the Second Round: Michigan St., Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan, and Illinois.
ReplyDeleteIllinois wins 86 to 73. They look awesome.
ReplyDeleteSo the Second Round for the Midwest Region is set:
ReplyDelete(2) Houston v. Gonzaga
Purdue v. McNeese
(18) Kentucky v. Illinois
(6) Tennessee v. U.C.L.A.