Now that's more like it!

Before I do anything else, I need to proclaim publicly that I am right now officially standing on the UNLV bandwagon... and it is lonely. So, in the words of Jerry Maguire, who’s coming with me? Come on, they out rebounded a much larger Georgia Tech team, beat a two seed in Wisconsin, they’ve averaging nine threes a game, and every single one of them can hit clutch free throws. Who’s coming with me? Want more, how about the fact that they’re facing an Oregon team that has beat two double-digit seeds and hasn’t done so very convincingly. That Kevin Kruger is playing 36 minutes a game and looks like a young Steve Nash. That Wendell White can’t be stopped! Come on! Who’s coming with me? Let’s do this thing! Go Runnin’ Rebels! On to the games…

The tournament was a lot better to watch this weekend, especially a tense Saturday that started off with me writing, but not sending a text to a friend stating clearly “Ohio State just lost” and ended with both Vandy and Pitt winning in OT. The lesson as always, it ain’t over until it’s over. I wonder what it’s like to have roughly ten million people who have never seen you play or cared about you in any capacity, suddenly ripping their hair out because you’re losing. I’d say that’s just about the definition of pressure.
Also, a lot has been made about Greg Oden’s foul at the end of regulation, that it should have been called intentional or flagrant, thus giving Xavier the ball after the free throws. I’ve seen the replay time and time again and it still looks like he’s going for the ball and just got a little aggressive in a tense situation. A ref can’t make that call so late in the game because he would be deciding the outcome. It needs to be decided by the guys on the floor, and it was. Xavier’s Justin Cage who got fouled thought it was the right call. He missed the free throw. Ron Lewis hits the three. Game over. End of discussion.
Important question though. Is this a wake up game for Ohio St. like UCLA beating Missouri on a buzzer beater in ‘95, or is it a statement game telling us that they might not be as good as we think? The same can be asked of Florida, who struggled against Purdue and committed 15 turnovers, 12 of which were steals that might expose some ball control issues. The competition is getting tougher now and the lower seeds are gunning to be the first to knock off a one seed. Who will be the first to plummet?

Speaking of plummeting, where was Texas on Sunday? More importantly, where was their coach Rick Barnes? Kevin Durant is the player of the year, no question about that, but its very hard for a freshman to take a team on his back and carry them to the championship. He needs his coach to calm him down and COACH him and the other guys what to do. The problem was that Texas got down early, got scared and just started jacking threes trying to get back in the game, leading to long rebounds and fast breaks for USC, leading to a larger deficit and more threes by Texas. All the while Barnes had his head buried in his hands, unable to right the ship because he had no answer for an overrated USC team that played well, played calm, took the ball the basket and had a little luck on their side.
I hope Kevin Durant stays one more year, because if he puts on some weight and works on his defense, he could be one of the best college players in 30 years, and more than just a pure scorer. Not likely though since Celtics GM Danny Ainge is probably joining the family for Easter Brunch next month.

After picking both Nevada and Texas to win, I’m down to 12 teams left, which isn’t bad. I still like Kansas after a good win against Kentucky. Florida will bounce back and North Carolina seemed unfazed against Michigan St. Vandy, UCLA, and Oregon are the weak links, but have played well enough so far. Even so, I think we all know UNLV is taking it all the way this year. Once again, I’m an idiot.