NCAA Tourney Blog: Day Two (Day games)

ithDespite the late start, I'm back blogging the second day of the NCAA Tournament from home.  Hopefully, the second day will be a little more exciting than the first day.  No buzzer beaters and only two upsets by seed.

Here are the early games:

(2) Tennessee vs. (15) American

(7) Gonzaga vs. (10) Davidson

(7) Miami vs. (10) St. Marys

(12) Western Kentucky vs. (5) Drake

• If you picked Tennessee to go far, I'm sorry for your bracket.  They are in the 2000s what Kansas was in the 1990s.
• Feel free to drop me an e-mail at [email protected] or click on the comment link at the end of this post.
• American coach Jeff Jones is from Owensboro, played at Apollo.  Played at Virginia with Ralph Sampson and later coached Virginia.
• A lot of Western Kentucky fans are upset because they can't watch the Hilltoppers on TV.  Their nearest CBS affiliate is in Nashville and carrying the Tennessee/American game.  The Bowling Green TV station is an ABC affiliate and showing Judge Alex right now.  Ouch.
• Today's drinking games: 1.) Drink for everytime Tim Brando says "the iron is unkind"  2.) CBS Masters promo  3.) Everytime Billy Packer wails about the ACC only getting four teams in the tournament  4.) Every player misidentified by Verne Lundquist.
• There's a Catch-22 going on in Bowling Green.  There are some WKU fans that want to see the 'Toppers go far in the tourney and others hoping for a first round exit in order to keep their coach, Darrin Horn, who will be a hot commodity if they knock off Drake.
• Someone needs to order a Code Red on Cuba Gooding Jr. for doing those dumb Haines commercials with MJ.
• They are having facility issues at St. Pete where WKU and Drake are playing.  First, there were some issues with the clock (Duke's clock keeper must have made the red eye from DC to St. Pete) and now one of the floor logos is peeling up and causing a problem.
• They are testing our city's new storm siren, which is about 200 yards from my house.  I was having SEC Tournament flashbacks for a second there...
• Does anyone outside of southern Florida and California care about the Miami/St. Marys game?
• If you are watching the March Madness on Demand (MMOD) on your computer, you gotta love the 'Boss Button".  Click it and the sound goes off and a spreadsheet pops up on the screen.  When the boss leaves the area, you click the spreadsheet and the game reappears.  LOL.
• MATT: At least you will know when a tornado is coming. Heard one commentator talking about if Horn left WKU, if they would want Felton back. Of course, that was before he won the SEC tournament and put Georgia's AD in a position where he could not fire him.
• That would be an interesting search to watch.  Of course, Horn has to leave first.  What open jobs would he be interested in?
• WKU goes on a late run to lead Drake 47-38 at the half.  The Toppers got hot on some threes late. 
• TODD: I care about the Gaels....not sure what a Gael is though....Western KY is making Drake look very ordinary and they don't seem to mind playing the 3 point game that Drake is known for....If Horn starts getting looks for a new job, how about Belmont's Rick Byrd? How can you not like the sweater vest look on the sidelines.....
• If Bruce Pearl takes the Indiana job, I wonder if Horn or Byrd would be considered for the Tennessee job?
• MATT: I doubt Pearl will go to Indiana, they will be digging out from NCAA sanctions for a couple of years. Although I would not mind seeing Rick Byrd in orange, but I don't know if he will ever leave Belmont.
• A couple of coaches from Tennessee could be in the running for the Indiana job.  Pearl and Vandy's Kevin Stallings, who was interested in the job before they gave it to Kelvin Sampson.  John Calipari's name has been mentioned in Bloomington also.
• Duke last night and now Tennessee today.  The #2 seeds have looked shaky so far.
•   "There are no Cinderellas"
• The Birmingham crowd is pro-American right now as the Eagles have a chance to tie Tennessee in the second half.
• TODD: Why would Pearl go to Indiana? Isn't he solidifying legendary status in Knoxville?
• Why would Bill Self leave Illinois for Kansas?  You're talking one of the seven best college coaching jobs in America.  Plus, Pearl began in the Big 10 as an assistant to Tom Davis at Iowa.  Can Tennessee afford to pay both Fulmer and Pearl top money?  Especially with most of the money going toward bail money for the football team
• "Dude"
• MATT: I could see Stallings go before Pearl would. Calipari will not go, that would mean he might have to play against some good teams..lol Another question would be..would Indiana look at Horn, if WKU can win today
• I think Indiana's boosters are clamoring for a big name because of recruiting.  South Carolina may make a push for Horn.  If Xavier's Sean Miller goes to Indiana, Xavier may look at Horn
• Steven Gray has six 3-pointers and 18 points for Gonzaga.  Gray's father Bobby played at Trigg County in the late 70s and early 80s.
• I have Butler advancing to the Sweet 16, so an American upset of Tennessee would further that prediction.
• I also have Drake in the Sweet 16 so that would cancel each other out.
• Getting back to yesterday, I was impressed with the job Carter Blackburn did in the Anaheim games.  I guess he did the day games while Grandpa Enberg was napping, and then gramps did the night games.  It's a tough gig to do play-by-play with an analyst that talks as much as Jay Bilas does, but he seemed to pull it off.
• TODD: Very excellent point well taken.....I do, however, believe the point was sealed long before the "Dude" reference.....Western is imposing their will on Drake, who can't even make a layup.....
• Would any call that goes Tennessee's way down the stretch be considered "unAmerican"?
• Gotta love the Drake.  WKU is exposing them as a #5 seed. 
• Davidson and Gonzaga could be our first buzzer beater of the tournament.
• You can advance Tennessee in your bracket.
• Tennessee 72 American 57 - Scott's Bracket 15-2
• If Davidson hangs on, give the NCAA an assist for putting the #10 seed in their own backyard.  The same thing can be said if #10 South Alabama beats #7 Butler in Birmingham
• JASON: Scott! I'm enjoying the blog. Keep up the good work. My day has been enriched since Verne let me know American's #21 is a son of a Spinal Tap member. Glad I got to found that out!
• I caught that as well.  If you're going to do the work of researching your filler material, you got to make sure you use it.  I always hated to look stuff up and never use it.  It is kind of scary that Verne Lunquist is the CBS beacon for pop culture.
• Davidson 82 Gonzaga 76 - Scott's Bracket 15-3
• I didn't have Gonzaga going to the Sweet 16 so I'm still OK with my bracket
• Lefty Dreisell was the coach of Davidson the last time they won an NCAA tourney game back in 1969.
• Western Kentucky is doing everything they can to give this one away.  Maybe it's their way of keeping their coach.
• Miami 78 Saint Marys 64 - Scott's Bracket 16-3
• The whole nation is now watching the Toppers suffer from acid reflux
• Lyon County's Ty Rogers and Shelby County's A.J. Slaughter, who single-handedly beat Christian County in the Sweet 16 last year, have seen a lot of court time for WKU today.
• COUGH!! HACK!! COUGH!! It was 74-59 WKU just a few minutes ago
• Gotta love the Drake
• JASON: Are the wheels coming of Western? Did you catch Brando's "cinderalla" comment? Does a 5 seed qualify as a cinderalla?
• Not really as far as a seed goes.  I don't think 75% of the people watching knows what state Drake is in.  As far as recognition goes, they would qualify I guess.  They asked Digger Phelps on ESPN this week for his upset of the first round and he said Arkansas over Indiana.  A #9 over a #8 is an upset?  Way to go out on a limb there Digger.
• CBS loves the Drake because they can fill their in-between-game down time with the overtime.  That means less Seth Davis.
• WKU running the vomit offense right now.  Run across half court and throw it up.
• The hot bar commercials from Holiday Inn Express are really funny.  They are the sleeper commercial pick right now.
• Ty Rogers couldn't miss a free throw when he played against Trigg County and he's 9 of 15 this year for Western?
• Has anyone named Boris ever been named to an Academic All-American team?  I didn't think so either.
• Lyon County's Ty Rogers just broke the hearts of Iowans everywhere.  WOW.  That's what people around here are accumstomed to seeing.
• Western Kentucky 101 Drake 99 - Scott's Bracket 16-4
• I just lost my first Sweet 16 team.  Gotta hate the Drake
• JASON: There's your buzzer beater...Western took the collar off just in time!
• TODD: What a finish! WHAT A FINISH!
• Darrin Horn.  It's South Carolina calling, line one.
• Austin Peay is giving us a Mississippi Valley State performance against Texas.
• MOM: Forget Ferrells as the afternoon snack choice. After watching Western Ky (who I didn't pick) that deserves a big juicy steak sandwich from Charlie's Steak House as the afternoon choice. WOW!! 
• You're buying!
• Someone should market the combination of Austin Peay's offense and the announcing of Ian Eagle as a cure for insommnia.
• TODD GRIFFIN: Did Ty Rogers just upstage Michael Fraliex for biggest 3-pointer ever hit
  by a former 5th District player in the NCAA Tournament?  WOW!!!  I think I hurt myself when I saw that shot go down.  Thank you MMOD!
• At least the people in Bowling Green got to see the overtime after the Tennessee game ended.
• JASON: I wish I could pick which game I want to watch on TV like I can pick which game to watch online.
• That's a Mediacom issue.  Once upon a time for about a year, Cadiz got the CBS affiliate out of Cape Girardeau (sp), Missouri.  It's odd because if you go to their website, they have western Kentucky news on their station.  We just don't ever get to see it.  Evansville also has a CBS affiliate.  You would think with digital cable being the new technology, they could pump in an extra network station instead of giving us seven home shopping networks and the Murray State campus TV channel.  I have asked about it and sent e-mails but as you can see, it hasn't changed a thing.
• Butler should have been the #5 seed and Drake the #7 seed.
• San Diego and UConn have tipped off.  That's the same San Diego that beat Kentucky earlier in the season.  I'm wondering if they will reference San Diego freshman Rob Jones, who is the grandson of Jim Jones.  Yes, THAT Jim Jones of the Jonestown mass suicide over 30 years ago.
• KEVIN: Oh c'mon San Diego! Keep exposing UCONN for the fraud they are!
• I has UConn picked to win one game and lose to Drake in the second round, so that would help my bracket some and possibly help WKU get to the Sweet 16.
• You Tube already has video of Ty Rogers' winning shot

• You can advance Texas and Butler in your brackets if you choose to.
• Here are some postgame comments from the Hilltoppers, including Ty Rogers

• Ty is the all-time leading scorer in the Fifth District history and Todd Griffin made a good point about another former Fifth District player, Caldwell County's Michael Fraelix, and his 3-pointer for WKU in their first round win over Michigan in 1995.
• So much for South Alabama having an advantage playing in Birmingham.  72-46 Butler in the second half.
• TODD: Any word on the injury to Price for UCONN?
• Tim Brando just said something to the effect of a sprained knee.   It didn't look good when he went down
• Texas 84 Austin Peay 64 - Scott's Bracket 17-4
• Georgetown 66 UMBC 47 - Scott's Bracket 18-4
• Butler 81 South Alabama 61 - Scott's Bracket 19-4
• By my count, Davidson (#10) and Western Kentucky (#12) are the only two higher seeds to win today.  That's four total in a day and a half.  Without WKU's buzzer-beater, it's been an extemely boring tournament so far.
• Connecticut is in trouble.  I only have them picked to win one game so a Husky loss doesn't hurt.
• After Rob Jones hit that last shot, I could make a joke about the Tampa fans really drinking the San Diego Kool-Aid but I think I'll pass.  Good to see him getting credit for his game and not his name.
• How do you miss that shot in the paint if you're San Diego?  Good lord.
• TODD: It took you this long to make a Kool-Aid reference? I'm shocked..... Why didn't Johnson for SD get to touch the ball on the last possession of regulation?
• I think UConn did a good job locking him down on defense.
• To answer the other question, they were saving Johnson for overtime.
• San Diego 70 Connecticut 69 - Scott's Bracket 19-5.
• Tim Brando is so corny.  Almost as painful to listen to as Bob Wenzel last night.  Yuk.
• That loss to San Diego doesn't appear to be so bad to Kentucky fans right now.
• TODD: Comes down to free throws......as it should.
• Which is why Memphis, Tennessee, and Louisville could struggle in close games
• We'll take a break and resume blogging in an hour.

Comments

[Ryan]

I know I'm a bit late on this one, but Go Belmont. And thank you Mountaineers (1. for avenging my Bruins and exposing Duke for the overrated p****s they are and 2. because I had you beating Duke in my bracket).

Great Seinfeld reference. I hate the Drake too. And USC for that matter, my first E8 team to go.

I picked San Diego simply on the basis of how they looked versus the Cats.

Great blog, man. Keep up the good work.

[Todd]

Comes down to free throws......as it should.

[Todd]

It took you this long to make a Kool-Aid reference? I'm shocked.....
Why didn't Johnson for SD get to touch the ball on the last possession of regulation?

[Todd]

Any word on the injury to Price for UCONN?

[Kevin]

Oh c'mon San Diego! Keep exposing Georgetown for the fraud they are!

[Jason]

I wish I could pick which game I want to watch on TV like I can pick which game to watch online.

[Jason]

there's your buzzer beater...Western took the collar off just in time!

[Todd]

What a finish! WHAT A FINISH!

[Jason]

Are the wheels coming of Western? Did you catch Brando's "cinderalla" comment? Does a 5 seed qualify as a cinderalla?

[Jason]

Scott! I'm enjoying the blog. Keep up the good work. My day has been enriched since Verne let me know American's #21 is a son of a Spinal Tap member. Glad I got to found that out!

[Todd]

Very excellent point well taken.....I do, however, believe the point was sealed long before the "Dude" reference.....Western is imposing their will on Drake, who can't even make a layup.....

[Matt]

I could see Stallings go before Pearl would. Calipari will not go, that would mean he might have to play against some good teams..lol

Another question would be..would Indiana look at Horn, if WKU can win today.

[Todd]

Why would Pearl go to Indiana? Isn't he solidifying legendary status in Knoxville?

[Matt]

I doubt Pearl will go to Indiana, they will be digging out from NCAA sanctions for a couple of years.

Although I would not mind seeing Rick Byrd in orange, but I don't know if he will ever leave Belmont.

[Matt]

That's a good question. I don't remember what has come open, but I do not think there are any jobs that would be considered a "step up" the coaching ladder.

[Todd]

I care about the Gaels....not sure what a Gael is though....Western KY is making Drake look very ordinary and they don't seem to mind playing the 3 point game that Drake is known for....If Horn starts getting looks for a new job, how about Belmont's Rick Byrd? How can not like the sweater vest look on the sidelines.....

[Matt]

At least you will know when a tornado is coming.

Heard one commentator talking about if Horn left WKU, if they would want Felton back. Of course, that was before he won the SEC tournament and put Georgia's AD in a position where he could not fire him.