NCAA Tournament Day One Recap
by Charlie Krausse
@ckrausse02
@ckrausse02
Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu scored 17 points in their opening round victory over Drexel
Finally! The National Holiday known as the opening round of the NCAA Tournament arrived. And it brought all the promise and hype we so fondly remember it bringing in previous years. With all tournament games played within the state of Indiana and limited viewing capacity, we knew this year would be different, but how?
Well, for one, it doesn’t matter what your rank is! Just ask that to Ohio State. The Buckeyes, who spent the majority of the season ranked inside the Top 10, exited stage left on Day 1, before it even got dark outside. Boom. Oral Roberts brought the mouthwash and gave Ohio State a true root canal. Oh, wait, that would’ve been Oral B. If only there was a different type of joke to be made here…
The Golden Eagles soared with a combined 59 points between Kevin Obanor and the nation’s regular season leading scorer, Max Abmas. Being in the state of Indiana, the boys from Tulsa channeled their inner-Bobby Knight as Oral Roberts only turned over the ball six times the entire game (a staple of a Bob Knight team). The Golden Eagles next meet the 7-seeded Florida Gators, who needed overtime to eliminated the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Staying in the South, the Region’s #1 seed, did what you are supposed to do, win early and win big in these early round games. Baylor made quick work of the Hartford Hawks defeating them 79-55. MaCio Teague led all scorers with 22 points.
No one knows their teams better than the beat writers who follow the squad daily. Not every game, but daily. Huge props to Greg Barnes of Inside Carolina. Unfortunately, he knew the Tarheel’s weakness this season (as heard on my interview with him (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7KSvKKmqyCZFA6osXgowd9?si=ccfb59227e1e4c25 ) “The team that scares me the most is the one he can consistently hit the open three. Carolina has been exposed all year for giving up the three point shot,” said Barnes. Wisconsin did just that. The Badgers hit 13 three pointers in their 23 point route of North Carolina. This was Roy Williams’ first ever first round elimination. Wisconsin now gets Baylor in the Second Round.
The state of Texas currently is 5-0. One of the schools advancing is the North Texas Mean Green. The Purdue Boilermakers were their victim, as the Boilermakers had made the Sweet 16 the past two years. Also advancing out of the South were Villanova, Arkansas and Texas Tech.
In the Midwest Region, the top two seeds showcased their talents as both Illinois and Houston blew out their respective opponents. Perennial dark horse, needed the full 40 minutes, but Oklahoma State eliminated a pesky Liberty Flames.
Its seems every year this a 12-seed seed who eliminates a 5-seed. That award went to the Oregon State Beavers. After qualifying for the NCAA Tournament by winning the PAC-12 Championship Tournament, the Beavers blew out Rocky Top. Oregon State (ask Bill Walton for his beaver sound impression) now faces the other OSU, in Oklahoma State.
It is my and a lot of other media member’s theory, outside of the ACC, the average team does not know how to play basketball against the 2-3 zone. Insert San Diego State into that conversation. The Syracuse Orange’s 2-3 zone defense put a true clamp hold on the Aztecs. San Diego State was held to just 36% shooting. The final score might have only been a 16 point victory by the Orange, but the game was much worse than that and most of San Diego State’s scoring came in the final few minutes, after the game was long out of hand.
Sister Jean! The icon of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Well, the Ramblers are back. And ironically, disposed of the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets were without ACC Player of the Year Moses Wright, but Loyola’s #2 ranked defensive efficiency was more than enough for even a fully loaded Georgia Tech to handle. Georgia Tech was held to one offensive rebound and zero second chance points. Additionally, Tech only had 4 fast break points. Sound defense will allow teams to advance. In Loyola’s case, how strong will their defense be against Illinois the next round.
West Virginia and Rutgers rounded out the Midwest Region defeating Morehead State and Clemson, respectively. The Mountaineers now face Syracuse while Rutgers meets Houston.
All season long the Big 10 was heralded as the best conference in all of basketball. That statement is now being heavily contested. After six games in the first round (and First Four), the Big 10 is an underwhelming 3-3. Taking the L were Sparty (to UCLA), Ohio State (as a 2-seed to Oral Roberts) and 4-seeded Purdue Boilermakers. On the other hand, after day one, the Big XII is currently 4-0.
Well, for one, it doesn’t matter what your rank is! Just ask that to Ohio State. The Buckeyes, who spent the majority of the season ranked inside the Top 10, exited stage left on Day 1, before it even got dark outside. Boom. Oral Roberts brought the mouthwash and gave Ohio State a true root canal. Oh, wait, that would’ve been Oral B. If only there was a different type of joke to be made here…
The Golden Eagles soared with a combined 59 points between Kevin Obanor and the nation’s regular season leading scorer, Max Abmas. Being in the state of Indiana, the boys from Tulsa channeled their inner-Bobby Knight as Oral Roberts only turned over the ball six times the entire game (a staple of a Bob Knight team). The Golden Eagles next meet the 7-seeded Florida Gators, who needed overtime to eliminated the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Staying in the South, the Region’s #1 seed, did what you are supposed to do, win early and win big in these early round games. Baylor made quick work of the Hartford Hawks defeating them 79-55. MaCio Teague led all scorers with 22 points.
No one knows their teams better than the beat writers who follow the squad daily. Not every game, but daily. Huge props to Greg Barnes of Inside Carolina. Unfortunately, he knew the Tarheel’s weakness this season (as heard on my interview with him (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7KSvKKmqyCZFA6osXgowd9?si=ccfb59227e1e4c25 ) “The team that scares me the most is the one he can consistently hit the open three. Carolina has been exposed all year for giving up the three point shot,” said Barnes. Wisconsin did just that. The Badgers hit 13 three pointers in their 23 point route of North Carolina. This was Roy Williams’ first ever first round elimination. Wisconsin now gets Baylor in the Second Round.
The state of Texas currently is 5-0. One of the schools advancing is the North Texas Mean Green. The Purdue Boilermakers were their victim, as the Boilermakers had made the Sweet 16 the past two years. Also advancing out of the South were Villanova, Arkansas and Texas Tech.
In the Midwest Region, the top two seeds showcased their talents as both Illinois and Houston blew out their respective opponents. Perennial dark horse, needed the full 40 minutes, but Oklahoma State eliminated a pesky Liberty Flames.
Its seems every year this a 12-seed seed who eliminates a 5-seed. That award went to the Oregon State Beavers. After qualifying for the NCAA Tournament by winning the PAC-12 Championship Tournament, the Beavers blew out Rocky Top. Oregon State (ask Bill Walton for his beaver sound impression) now faces the other OSU, in Oklahoma State.
It is my and a lot of other media member’s theory, outside of the ACC, the average team does not know how to play basketball against the 2-3 zone. Insert San Diego State into that conversation. The Syracuse Orange’s 2-3 zone defense put a true clamp hold on the Aztecs. San Diego State was held to just 36% shooting. The final score might have only been a 16 point victory by the Orange, but the game was much worse than that and most of San Diego State’s scoring came in the final few minutes, after the game was long out of hand.
Sister Jean! The icon of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Well, the Ramblers are back. And ironically, disposed of the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets were without ACC Player of the Year Moses Wright, but Loyola’s #2 ranked defensive efficiency was more than enough for even a fully loaded Georgia Tech to handle. Georgia Tech was held to one offensive rebound and zero second chance points. Additionally, Tech only had 4 fast break points. Sound defense will allow teams to advance. In Loyola’s case, how strong will their defense be against Illinois the next round.
West Virginia and Rutgers rounded out the Midwest Region defeating Morehead State and Clemson, respectively. The Mountaineers now face Syracuse while Rutgers meets Houston.
All season long the Big 10 was heralded as the best conference in all of basketball. That statement is now being heavily contested. After six games in the first round (and First Four), the Big 10 is an underwhelming 3-3. Taking the L were Sparty (to UCLA), Ohio State (as a 2-seed to Oral Roberts) and 4-seeded Purdue Boilermakers. On the other hand, after day one, the Big XII is currently 4-0.
picture courtesy of NCAA