Day Three Reaction

I missed a large portion of the games yesterday because I was watching a mini-marathon of softball from 2-7:30 (eat shit Pitt!). So not a lot of basketball watching on my part. I did notice a sort of trend though... This weird thing happened where all the high seeded teams wons. Kind of weird. Thought I'd mention it.

This March has been a strange one for my bracket. I'm not doing too hot, yet all of my bigtime picks are still in tact. I've got some major demons to slay today as MSU battles Saint Louis (not worried), Florida State plays Cincinatti (okay, maybe somewhat worried), and Creighton faces off against North Carolina (should I have gone to church this morning?). If I can take two of those three, I'm still in good shape. If I somehow manage all three, my bracket will be primed to take a commanding lead in most pools.

However, I'll be rocking the press pass at a women's NIT game today, so it will be another day of box scores and gamecasts.

Other thoughts:

-After the last few years, why were we all so ready to jump on the Vanderbilt bandwagon? I'm just as guilty as the next person. I wasn't quite ready to throw them in the Final Four, but i did have them upsetting Wisconsin. Another preseason top 10 team... another year with no sweet 16 appearance for the Commies.

-Marquette is really showing the balance of a team that wants to win the national title. They basically have the easiest path EVER to the Elite Eight (they were dealt a shouldn't-even-be-in-the-NCAA-tournament BYU team, a nationally overrated Murray State squad, and the winner of UVA/Norfolk State).  Once there, all they have to do is handle business against Michigan St/Louisville. They match up well with the Cards. If not, well hey.  Nice run for the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker.

-Yeah, Buzz Williams may be first team all-press conference, but I seriously have no idea what this means.

-Ohio State looked pretty good as they handled Gonzaga. Some people are gonna say that the game never should have been as close as it was. But have you seen the last two games the Zags have played? They've played out of their mind, way above where they should be playing. Survive and advance. The Buckeyes have.

-Team that looked the best today: Syracuse. Clinging to a one point halftime lead, Syracuse shot like US army-trained snipers the second half. Scoop Jardine looked like a man possessed, hitting consecutive threes and distributing the ball like he played for the Clips or something. At one point, Syracuse went through some five or eight minute period where they actually shot 90% from the field. Oh, and their bench outscored K-State 33-0. Even though the habitual residents of the Octagon of Doom sorely outrebounded them, particularly on the offensive glass (where the Orange have had their biggest problem in games without Fab Melo this year), there was no stopping the kind of show that Syracuse was putting on in the second half yesterday.

Remaining S16 Teams after Day 3: 8/16 (Kansas St, Vanderbilt  out)
Remaining F4 Teams after Day 3: 4/4 (UK, MSU, FSU, Creighton still in)