everything that's on my mind
(as if there's not already enough people doing this)Monday, March 27, 2006
Dance : day eight
Can this tournament get much better (besides, obviously, if Duke had continued to win?)
Washington
Well, just watched UConn go down at the hands of George Mason. Connecticut took a 12 point lead late in the first half. It seemed at that point they expected Mason to just go away. Or maybe they were just hoping they would.
But Mason didn't. Not only did they make a run, they took the lead. And then inexplicably gave up a 4 point lead with 17 seconds left, and UConn appeared as though they might escape one more time - which is all they've done so far in this tournament.
It seems whenever an underdog loses a chance to upset a team and is forced into overtime, they fold up and lose without much of a fight in overtime. I was afraid that would happen to George Mason. But, man, they came out firing. They scored first and continued to score, keeping the pressure on Connecticut. Then, it looked like they might actually give UConn a third chance late in the game - missing their final 3 free throws - but held on as UConn could not score on the final possession, and Mason goes to the final four with a 2 point win.
I heard Mike Lupica babbling on this morning on ESPN about how Jim Calhoun would be in the ranks of Wooden and Rupp, having won 3 titles in 8 years. That was, of course, if they continued on. Lupica, who is a loud-mouth know-it-all who seems to enjoy hearing himself talk more than Dick Vitale and could not be more annoying, spoke too soon. It's almost as great to see Connecticut lose as it is to see Lupica proven wrong.
Mason becomes the first "mid-major" to reach the final four in the era of the 64 (or 65) team tournament. They did what others have come close to doing. And what everyone expected Gonzaga to do first - and most of them expected it this year. But instead, it was the team that everyone said shouldn't even be invited. Since then, they've beaten a final four team from last year and the last two national champions. They've crashed the party big time. And they may not be done yet.
Greg Doyel, in an article on CBS Sportsline, says the following:
Minneapolis
I didn't watch a lot of this game, but Florida held off Villanova. Villanova couldn't match Florida inside, and couldn't hit anything from outside. Basically, Villanova was the last hope for both the Big East and the #1 seeds. Everyone said the Big East was the best conference, and I would have to agree with that. It was expected they'd definitely have one, and likely have two, teams in the final four. There was even a decent possibility they could end up doing what no conference had done since 1985 - have 3 teams in the final four. In 1985, the Big East did it. They had a chance to do it again. But it didn't happen.
Now, the best conference joins the second best conference (which many say was the Big Ten) in having NO teams in the final four. And, with Villanova's loss, there are also NO #1 seeds in the final four, for the first time since 1980.
Final thoughts
It's been a wild ride so far. If this continues for the last 3 games, this may have been one of the best episodes of March Madness to date.
Washington
Well, just watched UConn go down at the hands of George Mason. Connecticut took a 12 point lead late in the first half. It seemed at that point they expected Mason to just go away. Or maybe they were just hoping they would.
But Mason didn't. Not only did they make a run, they took the lead. And then inexplicably gave up a 4 point lead with 17 seconds left, and UConn appeared as though they might escape one more time - which is all they've done so far in this tournament.
It seems whenever an underdog loses a chance to upset a team and is forced into overtime, they fold up and lose without much of a fight in overtime. I was afraid that would happen to George Mason. But, man, they came out firing. They scored first and continued to score, keeping the pressure on Connecticut. Then, it looked like they might actually give UConn a third chance late in the game - missing their final 3 free throws - but held on as UConn could not score on the final possession, and Mason goes to the final four with a 2 point win.
I heard Mike Lupica babbling on this morning on ESPN about how Jim Calhoun would be in the ranks of Wooden and Rupp, having won 3 titles in 8 years. That was, of course, if they continued on. Lupica, who is a loud-mouth know-it-all who seems to enjoy hearing himself talk more than Dick Vitale and could not be more annoying, spoke too soon. It's almost as great to see Connecticut lose as it is to see Lupica proven wrong.
Mason becomes the first "mid-major" to reach the final four in the era of the 64 (or 65) team tournament. They did what others have come close to doing. And what everyone expected Gonzaga to do first - and most of them expected it this year. But instead, it was the team that everyone said shouldn't even be invited. Since then, they've beaten a final four team from last year and the last two national champions. They've crashed the party big time. And they may not be done yet.
Greg Doyel, in an article on CBS Sportsline, says the following:
Today, now that George Mason has beaten UConn to get into the Final Four, people are going to write about David and Goliath.I guess we'll see next weekend.
What if George Mason is Goliath?
Minneapolis
I didn't watch a lot of this game, but Florida held off Villanova. Villanova couldn't match Florida inside, and couldn't hit anything from outside. Basically, Villanova was the last hope for both the Big East and the #1 seeds. Everyone said the Big East was the best conference, and I would have to agree with that. It was expected they'd definitely have one, and likely have two, teams in the final four. There was even a decent possibility they could end up doing what no conference had done since 1985 - have 3 teams in the final four. In 1985, the Big East did it. They had a chance to do it again. But it didn't happen.
Now, the best conference joins the second best conference (which many say was the Big Ten) in having NO teams in the final four. And, with Villanova's loss, there are also NO #1 seeds in the final four, for the first time since 1980.
Final thoughts
It's been a wild ride so far. If this continues for the last 3 games, this may have been one of the best episodes of March Madness to date.
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