The Onset of March Madness

Favorite player: Jake Odum, Indiana State

The Sycamores lost to #3 seeded Syracuse, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.  Indiana State point guard Jake Odum threw no-look passes like they were going out of style, steam-rolled around the court without regard to teammates or defenders, and seemed to hop as he was running.  Energy emanated from Odum at all times.  He played with an absolute verve, like he was truly enjoying the challenge of playing a storied opponent.  Exciting, undpredictable, and unusual, someone like Odum encapsulates the beauty of March Madness.  It’s so much fun to watch these teams you’ve never even heard of and to be surprised by the talents they possess.

Best Madness Moment: Butler Upsets Pittsburgh

Down one point with less than ten seconds to go, Butler gets a layup to surge ahead.  Pitt, in a hurry with just 5 seconds left, inbounds the ball to guard Gilbert Brown rocketing down the far sideline hoping to hoist a last second shot.  But before Brown reached mid-court, Butler star Shelvin Mack senselessly fouled him, resulting in a 1-and-1 for Pittsburgh who needed to sink both free throws to take the lead, and likely, the game.  Brown calmly made the first free throw to knot the game at 70.  The second shot seemed a lock to go in; Pittsburgh had all the momentum and Butler just made a crushing mistake.  Brown fired his second attempt and clanged it off the rim.  Butler forward Matt Howard elevated for the rebound, snatched it, and on his way down was inexplicably hacked by Pitt forward Nasir Robinson.  Mind you, Howard was 90 feet from his own basket with less than two seconds remaining.  There was no earthly reason to touch Howard, yet Robinson blatantly fouled him.  Pitt was in the penalty, so in a tie game Butler’s Howard went to the line needing to make one free throw to effectively knock off the #1 seeded Panthers.  Howard stepped to the line, made the first foul attempt, purposely missed the second, and time expired.  I’ve never seen two more horrible fouls so close together completely shift the game in both directions.  In the span of four seconds, Butler hit a shot to take the lead, Pittsburgh got fouled with a chance for the go-ahead free throw, and then Butler sealed the game at the line.

Morehead State’s last second shot against #4 seeded Louisville is a strong runner up to the Butler-Pittsburgh game.  Down two points with the ball and 20 seconds remaining, Morehead chose to not go for the tie and gave themselves no chance for a put back rebound by running out the clock and hoisting a buzzer beating three.  The Eagles made the shot and advanced to the Round of 32, shocking Rick Pitino’s Cardinals.

Most Impressive Team: Ohio State Buckeyes

A dominant win over Texas-San Antonio was no surprise, but their demolition of George Mason was a statement performance.  Jared Sullinger is the best post player in the nation and Jon Diebler is a certified marksman from deep.  They are experienced, athletic, and have multiple scorers, the full package.  The Buckeyes are as big a favorite as any team to win a championship.

Most Dissapointing Team: Tennessee Volunteers

To be the most disappointing team, you need to have played poorly.  Anybody can get beat, like Pittsburgh did against Butler.  Pitt, though, played well in that game and lost a spandex tight contest to the defending national runner up.  I’m not disappointed by Pittsburgh because they played terrific basketball.  "Terrific" does not exactly sum up the play of the Tennessee Volunteers however.  8 vs. 9 games are supposed to be close, yet the Volunteers got squashed by 30 points against Michigan.  The Wolverines are a solid team, but they shouldn’t beat anyone like that.  I’m sure the Tennessee coaches and players were totally distracted by the inevitable firing of Bruce Pearl, but my God, please have a little pride.

The Tournament Selection Committee Knows What It’s Doing

Lots of people always complain about how poorly the committee seeds the tournament, but they did a great job this year.  The higher seeds, meaning teams 1-8, went a combined 25-7 against the lower seeds.  The only major upset in the first two days was Morehead State's victory over Louisville.  #11 seeded Marquette over #6 seeded Xavier should not shock anyone, a talented power conference school beating a mid-major.  #11 seeded Gonzaga beat #6 seeded St. Johns; the Zags are always dangerous in the tournament.  #10 Florida State beat #7 Texas A&M, #11 VCU took out the struggling #6 Georgetown Hoyas, Richmond outlasted Vanderbilt in the deadly 12-5 matchup, and #9 seeded Illinois beat #8 seed UNLV.  The Louisville loss was the one game in the entire first round that surprised.

Thoughts on CBS, TruTV, TBS, and TNT teaming up to bring us every game in its entirety: Pure American Awesome-ness

Commercials were almost entirely avoidable, and you could potentially watch four different close games come down to the wire simultaneously.  The best sporting event in the world just became four times more accessible.  Rarely does something so good become exponentially better, but that’s what happened with this year’s tournament.  Also the new setup allowed Charles Barkley onto the CBS set, instantly quadrupling the entertainment value of pregame, halftime, and wrap-up shows.

--from Adam