(author’s note: This article was originally published at www.aarontorres-sports.com)
It took until late Friday night, but the madness of March finally hit full swing, with several thrilling late night games.
The Siena Saints, just one year after upsetting Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, pulled another shocker, beating a deep and athletic Ohio State team in two overtimes.
Not to be outdone, the East region’s No. 12 seed Wisconsin—one of the last teams in the tournament—rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat Florida State, fresh off a run to the ACC Championship game.
And who can forget about the Vikings of Cleveland State. J’Nathan Bullock went for 21 points and 6 rebounds, as CSU shocked Wake Forest, a team that at beat two teams ranked No. 1 in the country this season.
With the first two days of the tournament in the books, it’s time to recap all the action in Round One.
Best Player: Roburt Sallie, G, Memphis
A case could be made for Sherron Collins of Kansas or LSU’s Marcus Thornton, but Sallie, Memphis’ sharpshooter gets the award.
The bottom line is, if Sallie doesn’t go for 35 points (making 10 threes along the way), the Tigers—a team with Final Four aspirations—probably don’t survive their first round game against Cal-State Northridge.
What’s even more impressive about Sallie’s phenomenal game, is that he stepped into the spotlight after being a virtual non-factor all year. He averaged just 4.5 points a game on the season, with a season high of 13.
Look for Memphis to rebound in Round Two and be just fine against a good Maryland team, but one that will having difficulty matching up with the Tigers size down low.
But if it wasn’t for Sallie off the bench in game one, Memphis would likely be watching Saturday’s opponent on television, rather than playing them on the court, on Saturday afternoon.
Best Player in a Losing Cause: Ben Woodside, G, North Dakota State
AaronTorres-Sports.com told you to watch out for Woodside, and he didn’t disappoint, scoring 37 points, and almost single-handedly keeping the Bison in the game down the stretch.
The guard, who scored 60 in a loss earlier this season, was phenomenal in what will be his only career NCAA Tournament game, going 13-23 from the field with three three-pointers.
Unfortunately for Woodside, North Dakota State’s defense couldn’t handle Sherron Collins (who went for 32 points) and Cole Aldrich who added 23 points and 13 rebounds, and seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted against the Bison’s undersized front-line.
While it is uncertain what the future holds for Woodside, he made his mark with this North Dakota State team, one we won’t easily forget.
Best Team: Connecticut
There was no doubt coming into this tournament, that Connecticut had more questions than any other No. 1 seed.
For at least one day however, they quieted their doubters, winning their first round game by a staggering 53 points.
Stanley Robinson led this team with 24 points and seven rebounds, but the Huskies got contributions across the board as Hasheem Thabeet had 20 and 13, A.J. Price 20 points, and Jeff Adrien his usual double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Even more impressively was the way UConn continued their stellar play and intensity both on the offensive and defensive end well into the second half, after the final outcome was already in hand.
The Huskies get head coach Jim Calhoun back on the bench Saturday, when they take on Texas A&M, and they’ll need him.
The Aggies are hot coming into this game, winning convincingly in Round One against BYU.
Best Coaching Job: Murry Bartow, East Tennessee State
It’s not easy to get recognition when your team loses, but ETSU’s coach deserves some for having his team ready to play and unafraid of one of the Big East’s best teams in Pitt.
Bartow’s Buccaneers had Pittsburgh on the ropes from the opening tip, and although he wasn’t victorious, actually outcoached his counterpart on the opposite bench, Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon.
From the opening tap, ETSU employed a full-court press that gave Pitt fits all day, forcing them into 18 turnovers, and often wildly contested shots.
Down the stretch Pitt seemed scared, playing not to lose, rather than to win.
Maybe even more impressive was how relentlessly the undersized frontline from ETSU attacked the glass, getting countless put back opportunities on second and third chances.
Although the rebounding numbers say that Pitt controlled the boards (46-39), it seemed like every loose ball and bounce ended up in a Buccaneers hands.
In almost all cases in this tournament, it doesn’t matter how you win, just that you survive, and advance to play another day.
But regardless of what Pittsburgh does the rest of this tournament, we’ll never forget the small school from the Volunteer state, that almost made history.
Most Disappointing Team: Wake Forest
I’ve called them the “Jekyll and Hyde,” of college basketball all year, and Wake Forest did nothing to change that in their only NCAA Tournament game.
Maybe the most disappointing thing about the Demon Deacons isn’t that they lost- only one team in this tournament will end the season with a win- but how they played.
With a group of freshman and sophomores that had never participated in a tournament game, you’d think there’d be a bit more passion and excitement.
Instead, Wake Forest looked disinterested in playing Cleveland State Friday night, falling behind by double-digits in the first half and never getting much closer than that.
Adding insult to injury, the Demon Deacons can’t even claim that Cleveland State was a true underdog.
The No. 13 seed Vikings won at Syracuse earlier this year, and beat a good Butler team in the Horizon League final just to make it to the tournament. Wake Forest knew they were playing a good team coming in, but seemed to think they could just “out-talent,” the opposition.
As for the future in Winston-Salem, it’s murky at best.
Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu, and James Johnson could all entertain the idea of leaving the team early and entering the NBA Draft, so it is uncertain as to what next year may bring.
But with Utah losing earlier in the night, it is clear that the Demon Deacons were looking ahead, and missed a great chance to make it to the second weekend of this tournament.
However, if you watched this team all year, you’re probably not surprised.
(For all of Aaron’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament, please visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com)
Most Disappointing Team in Victory: Villanova
In this circumstance, almost everyone will be quick to peg this one on Pittsburgh, but I’m going to go with the Wildcats.
Remember, Villanova is playing on what is essentially its home-court in Philadelphia, and seemed to think that they could beat American just by showing up.
While even Wake Forest has the excuse of youth, Villanova can’t say the same, as the top eight players off last year’s Sweet 16 team returned to campus this season
But credit does need to be handed out, as the Wildcats erased a 14-point, second-half deficit by doing what they do best: attacking the basket relentlessly with dribble penetration from their guards.
Although Scottie Reynolds didn’t have a vintage game, Villanova’s two inside stars, Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson, each had 25 points, getting countless put backs and second chance baskets against American’s undersized frontline.
Villanova should be ready to go for Saturday’s match-up with UCLA, as the Bruins, coming off three straight Final Four’s, aren’t going to sneak up on anyone.
As bad as they looked through 30 or so minutes against American, expect Villanova to bounce back, and head to familiar territory, the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Best Moment: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
Griffin continues to show what a smart head he has, to go along with his endless gifts on the court.
The 6’10″ sophomore may have been involved in the signature moment of day one, which unfortunately came when Morgan State’s Ameer Ali took out his frustration on Griffin, by throwing him to the ground in a fit of rage.
Rather than reacting like most 20-year-olds would, Griffin picked himself up off the ground and walked away, exuding the class he has shown all year.
In a sport full of machismo and swagger, Griffin continues to impress with his level head, and grounded attitude.
While most other players would have jumped up and gotten into the face of Ali, the Oklahoma forward proved that the best thing you can do in a situation like that is brush yourself off, and keep playing.
It’s this attitude that has made Griffin such a huge hit in Norman, and will make one lucky NBA fan-base happy for years to come.
(Please share your thoughts with Aaron at www.aarontorres-sports.com)
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