Saturday Recap

Here is a quick recap of the games from Saturday

• Villanova 89, UCLA 69: The Wildcats absolutely dominated the Bruins from the tip. They were more physical, more active, and simply wanted it more. Dante Cunningham led Nova with 18 points and 10 boards, but Reggie Redding and Corey Fisher were the two best players on the floor. Redding finished the game with 13 points, 6 boards, 7 assists, and 4 steals, while Fisher added 13 points, 5 assists, and a number of tough buckets at the rim. It was a bit of a disappointing showing for the Bruins, who had been to the Final Four the last three years.
  
• Memphis 89, Maryland 70: Memphis once again was on fire from three, hitting 10-19 from beyond the arc, as the Tigers ran Maryland off the floor. It was a different type of win for Memphis, who usually beats teams with their defense. The Tigers shot 70% from the field in the first half as they scored 53 points and took a 20 point lead into the break (in contrast, the Tigers beat Tulane 51-41 earlier this season). Tyreke Evans led five players in double figures with 19 points and 5 assists.
  
• UConn 92, Texas A&M 66: The Huskies got Jim Calhoun back on the bench after the coach spent a night in the hospital, and UConn went on to blow out the Aggies on the strength of 27 points and 8 assists from AJ Price and 23 points from Jeff Adrien. UConn was in control for the entire way, as they scored the first 10 points of the game and were up by double digits for the last 32 minutes of play.
• Purdue 76, Washington 74: Purdue had been up 14 points earlier in the second half, but the Huskies had cut the lead to two, and had the ball with about a minute left. Isaiah Thomas, was had scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half, drove into the paint and a decent look at a floater, but JaJuan Johnson blocked it. Washington got the ball back, and it ended up in Quincy Pondexter's hands, who tried a 12 footer. Johnson, once again, blocked the shot, and Purdue got the ball back with under a minute left. The Boilermakers would go on to make their free throws and hold on to beat the Huskies. Johnson was the best player on the floor for Purdue, as he finished the game with 22 points, 6 boards, and 4 blocks.The Boilermakers advance to face UConn.
  
• UNC 84, LSU 70: LSU looked as if they were going to give the Heels all they could handle. After trailing 38-29 at the half, the Tigers started out the second half on a 13-3 run to take a one point lead. But that is when Ty Lawson took over. He seemingly aggravted his toe injury in the first half, but the point guard was the best player on the floor down the stretch. He scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half, and was, without a doubt, the best player on the floor for UNC. He also had 6 assists and 0 turnovers in 31 minutes. Marcus Thornton had 25 for the Tigers, but it was not enough as he took a number of contested jump shots down the stretch.
• Oklahoma 73, Michigan 63: Blake Griffin was beat up. Again. He landed hard on his back after Manny Harris undercut him on a rebound, was given a bloody nose on an elbow from Zak Novak, and also split open his elbow. But it didn't matter, as Griffin still muscled his way to 33 points and 17 rebounds. Michigan was in it in the first half, but Oklahoma went on a 12-2 to open up the second half (Griffin had eight points in the run). The Wolverines never really made it interesting the rest of the way.
• Gonzaga 83, Western Kentucky 81: In the game of the day, Western Kentucky started out on fire. Orlando Mendez-Valdez scored 17 points in the first 10 minutes of the game, and WKU took a 37-35 lead into the half. But Gonzaga's size and strength took over in the second half, and the Zags took an 81-72 lead with 2:14 left on a Josh Heytvelt dunk, and the foul. The Hilltoppers were not done, however. A Mendez-Valdez three and a Steffphon Pettigrew dunk cut the lead to two. After a stop, AJ Slaughter missed a three, but Pettigrew was there to tip in the miss with 7 seconds left. Demetri Goodson took the inbounds, and went coast to coast, making a lay-up with 0.9 seconds left. All five starters ended up in double figures for Gonzaga, led by 20, 8 boards, and 6 assists from Matt Bouldin.
• Duke 74, Texas 69: Texas had come back fron eight points down in the last five minutes to tie the game at 69 with a minute left. Nolan Smith would knock down two free throws to give Duke the lead. At the other end, Damion James had a three go in and out. Duke came up with the loose ball, and Henderson hit a free throw to put the Devils up three. After Abrams and James both missed chances, Jon Scheyer ran the ball down in front of the Texas bench and flung it behind his back down court. In the race for the ball, Gary Johnson and Elliot Williams got tangled up, and Johnson picked up the foul (the second loose ball foul called against Texas in the last 30 seconds of the game). Williams knocked down both free throws to seal the win. Now, I don't want to say that Duke gets all the calls, but, well, they did at the end of this one.
  

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Late Games Recap

You really got a treat if you hung around to watch the late games last night, as Wisconsin, Siena, and Cleveland State did not disappoint. Two overtime games, two buzzer beaters, and the first real upset of the tournament.

• Louisville 74, Morehead State 54: MSU hung around for a while, keeping the game close into the second half, but Louisville was just too much. In the second half the Cardinal press took over, and Morehead State seemed to wear down under the pressure. Samardo Samuels led the Cards with 15 points, while T-Will added 13 and 9 boards. It was a valiant effort by the Eagles, who played even for a half with the best team in the country, a team that beat them by 38 back in November. Of note - Kenneth Faried is another guy (along with Ben Woodside) who may have played his way into the NBA Draft. He had 14 points and 11 boards (5 off) against the Cards, and the long, 6'9" forward showed that he played with a ton of energy. More than one NBA Draft website was saying that scouts loved the way Faried played, and Draft Express said that some scouts were comparing him to Louis Admunson of the Suns, formerly of UNLV.
• Siena 74, Ohio State 72 2OT: In what turned into one of the best games of the day, Ronald Moore buried a three at the end of the first OT to force a second extra period, then hit one with 3.9 seconds left in the second frame to win the game for the Saints. Kenny Hasbrouck scored 20 points to lead the Saints, who came back from a 41-30 deficit in regulation. With 56 seconds left, Hasbrouck nailed a three from the corner to cut the lead to one. After earning a stop, Hasbrouck drew a foul going to the rim, and hit 1-2 foul shots to tie the game. Evan Turner, who finished the game with 25 points, 9 boards, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks (all team highs), missed a lay-up that would have won the game in regulation. In the first OT, Siena grabbed an early lead, but a BJ Mullens dunk and two PJ Hill free throws in the final minute set up Moore's game-tying three. The second OT was the most exciting. Tied at 70, Moore drew a phantom foul on Hill, then knocked down 1-2 free throws for a 71-70 lead. After Turner scored at the other end, Edwin Ubiles penetrated and drew three defenders, finding Moore wide open at the top of the key. Moore buried the three, and Turner missed a 15 foot runner that would have forced a third OT.
  
• Arizona 84, Utah 71: The Wildcats used a 10-0 run early, getting Utah's big man Luke Nevill in foul trouble in the process, as they opened up a 14-4 lead and never looked back. Utah would get it down to 64-62 in the second half, but Nic Wise, who scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half, would help to hold off the Utes as he led the Wildcats on a 10-1 run to seal the game. Surprisingly, it was Arizona's defense that won this game. They used a press to force 20 Utah turnovers, 14 of which came in the first half. In the second half, Arizona attacked the rim where Nevill, who was the MWC defensive player of the year, could not defend the basket like he normally does because of his fouls. As a result, Arizona shot a scorching 62% from the field in the second half. Jordan Hill finished with 17 points and 13 boards while Budinger added 20. Tyler Kepkay had 19 to lead Utah.
• Cleveland State 84, Wake Forest 69: Cleveland State controlled this game throughout. They hit three quick threes to start the game 9-0, and eventually opened up a 29-12 lead midway through the first half. Wake would get it down to 55-49 in the second half, but the Vikings would respond with a 11-2 run to push the lead back to 15. Cedric Jackson was sensational, taking over the game for a four minute stretch in the second half. He finished the day with 19 points, 7 boards, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Norris Cole added 22 for the Vikings. The two combined to score all 11 points in the deciding run.
• USC 72, BC 55: The Trojans trailed 34-30 at halftime, but they ran the Eagles out of the gym in the second half. Usually playing at a more moderate pace, the Trojans came into this game healthier than they have been all season long. Taj Gibson was the best player on the floor, as he finished the game with 24 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, and 3 blocks, going 10-10 from the field in the process. Daniel Hackett and Marcus Simmons did a sensational job on BC's star point guard Tyrese Rice, holding him to just nine points, which was a huge reason why BC shot just 24% from the floor in a second half where they managed just 21 points. Dwight Lewis had 20 points, and Demar Derozan added 18 and 9 boards for the Trojans.
• Michigan State 77, Robert Morris 62: RMC hung around for a while, taking a 28-26 lead late in the first half, but that is when MSU turned it on. The Spartans used their superior size and athleticism to run away from RMC, going on a 21-2 run that opened up a 47-30 lead. Raymar Morgan and Draymond Green had 16 points apiece for the Spartans and Goran Suton added 11 points and 17 boards. Finally healthy, MSU looks once again like the team that beat Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma State prior to Big Ten play.
• Xavier 77, Portland State 59: Xavier used a balanced, efficient attack as they rolled past PSU to the second round. The Musketeers shot 54% from the floor (8-19 from deep), committed just 7 turnovers, and had four guys score 13 or 14 points. The difference in this one was the defense the Musketeer's played on the perimeter. Portland State survives on three point shooting, but in this one they didn't hit a three for a 15 minute stretch spanning both halves, which allowed Xavier to pull away.
  
• Wisconsin 61, Florida State 59 OT: Wisconsin was ice cold from the field in the first half, finding themselves down 31-19 at the break after an 11-0 Seminole run. But the Badgers held FSU without a point for the first six minutes of the second half, scoring 13 straight to take a 32-31 lead. After the 'Noles responded with an 11-2 run (9 from Toney Douglas), Wisconsin came back to tie the game at 46, setting up the dramatic finish. After two Douglas free throws gave the Noles a two point lead, Jason Bohannon knocked down a three to give the Badgers the lead. FSU would respond with a bucket on the next possession, and after a stop, Derwin Kitchen turned the ball over trying to call a timeout. Wisconsin capitalized, as Bohannon buried a three from 26 feet as the shot clock expired, giving Wisco a 52-50 lead with under a minute left. But Douglas was able to knock down two free throws to send the game to OT. In the extra frame, Douglas hit another three, putting the Noles up 59-56 with about a minute remaining. Jordan Taylor hit a lay-up to cut it to one, and after a missed Douglas three, Wisconsin had the ball with 14 seconds left anbd a chance to win. Trevon Hughes drove and finished a tough leaner off the glass, drawing a foul, with 2 seconds left. He would make the foul shot, and Wisconsin would advance to face Xavier. Douglas finished with 26 for the Noles, while Bohannon led the Badgers with 16.
  

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Early Games Recap Day 2

The action in this afternoon's games was much better than what we had yesterday. Two of the early games came down to a final shot during the shootout Ben Woodside had with Sherron Collins, and in the afternoon game we had an 11 knock off a 6 and a near 16-over-1 upset.

• South - #3 Syracuse 59, #14 Stephen F. Austin 44: The Orange raced out to a 20-4 lead, building their advantage to 26 early in the second half, as they won their first NCAA tourney game in five years. Jonny Flynn led the Orange with 16 points and 6 dimes, while Arinze Onuaku, Rick Jackson, and Paul Harris combined to manhandle the overmatched Lumberjacks in the paint to the tune of 30 points and 33 rebounds combined. SFA shot just 24.7% from the floor, and Josh Alexander, the Southland's player of the year, finished the game 4-20 with just 8 points. The score could have been much worse, but SFA switched to a 1-3-1 zone early in the second half, which the Orange never figured out.
• South - #6 Arizona State 66, #11 Temple 57: If I were to tell you that Dionte Christmas went nuts, scoring 29 points, and James Harden was held to one field goal and 9 points, would you believe me that the Sun Devils won? Well, it happened. Derek Glasser scored 17 of his 22 in the first half and Jeff Pendergraph added 22 points and 7 boards as ASU held off a late charge by the Owls. Down 29-16 early in the first half, Temple made a run to cut the lead to 9 at the half. They trailed by about that margin for most of the second half, before three straight baskets by Christmas cut the lead to 52-49. It remain that way for a few minutes, until free throw and a three by James Harden with four minutes left gave Arizona State a 56-49 lead. The Owls never got any closer than four the rest of the way, and the three ended up being Harden's only field goal.
• East - #8 Oklahoma State 77, #9 Tennessee 75: The Cowboys and Vols played what might be the best game of the tournament so far. It was a back and forth game as neither team could really assert the tempo the wanted to play - OK State likes to get up and down the floor, taking advantage of their smaller, quicker lineup, while Tennessee was trying to pound the ball inside. The biggest lead of the game came midway through the first half after Travis Ford picked up a tech, leading to a five point possession and giving Tennessee a 32-25 advantage (ironically, OK State lost their biggest lead with Marshall Moses was T'ed up for hanging on the rim, and Tennessee got another five point possession to cut it to 60-54). The game came down to the final possessions. After the Cowboys had taken a 74-72 lead, Tyler Smith took the ball to the basket, finishing a tough runner in the lane and drawing a foul. He would hit the foul shot, and OK State had the ball with under 30 seconds left. They set up a screen and roll for Eaton on the right wing, but it was an unusual screen. The screener set a pick on Eaton's right hand, which would have meant the PG would be driving baseline and towards the sideline. Instead, the middle of the lane opened up, so Eaton went middle and got to the rim, finishing the lay-up and drawing a foul with 7.2 seconds left. He would hit the freebie, and Smith missed a three at the buzzer that would have won it. Smith led Tennessee with 21, while Eaton had 20 and 7 assists for OK State and Moses added 16 points and 11 boards.
• East - #1 Pitt 72, #16 East Tennessee State 62: ETSU deserved to get a win. They outplayed the Panthers, out hustled them, and out worked them. In the end, however, Pitt was just a better basketball team. And they DeJuan Blair. The big fella went for 27 points and 16 boards, but was really the only guy that showed up for Pitt. ETSU forced 17 Pitt turnovers and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds as they battled and scrapped their way to hang around with the Panthers. Interestingly enough, the Buccaneers were only led once in the game, but as a result of a lack of effort and lackadaisical play from Pitt, they were able to hng around. The one thing that is going to haunt those guys is their free throw shooting. Usually a very good team from the line, ETSU shot just 12-24 today. The biggest worry for Pitt in this one was how Levance Fields played. He took a nasty fall about a week and a half ago against Marquette, bruising his tail bone, and that injury led to some groin problems. He was clearly not 100%, and didn't seem to have his usual lift or explosiveness. The Panthers better hope that Fields is ok, because playing the Cowboys without their point guard could lead to some problems. Kevin Tiggs led the way for ETSU with 21 while Courtney Pigrim added 17.
• West - #6 Marquette 58, #11 Utah State 57: Marquette jumped out to an early 23-9 lead over the Aggies with 5:00 left in the first half, but over the next 20 minutes of game time, USU dominanted. They would out score the Eagles 40-20, eventually taking a 49-43 lead with just under five minutes left in the game. Marquette would respond, scoring 13 of the next 15 points to take a commanding 56-51 lead late. The Aggies would hit a couple three's late for the final margin. Lazar Hayward finished with 26 points for Marquette, which included two free throws that gave the Eagles the lead for good at 52-51.Jared Quayle led the Aggies with 18 points.
• West - #3 Missouri 78, #14 Cornell 59: Cornell hung around for a while in the first half, but Mizzou's pressure was too much in the second half. The key for the Tiger's was that they started to make the extra pass and play as a team, which allowed them to score. When they were able to score, they were able to get into their press. Leo Lyons finished with 23 points and 10 boards, while DeMarre Carroll added 13 (11 in the second half) to go along with his 7 boards and 5 assists. Ryan Wittman had 18 to lead Cornell.
  
• Midwest - #3 Kansas 84, #14 North Dakota State 74: Sherron Collins and Ben Woodside locked horns in what turned into the best head-to-head match-up of the day. Woodside finished with 37 points on the day, but was outdone by the 32 points and 8 dimes, and most importantly the win, that Collins collected. Kansas used a little run at the end of the first half to take a nine point lead, but NDSU was not going away quietly. They cut the lead to three on a number of occasions, but they never could closer than that. Cole Aldrich added 23 points and 11 boards for Kansas. Collins looked so impressive because every team NDSU scored to get it close, he would take over, and either make a play and score or find an open man for a dunk/open three. Woodside probably got himself drafted with today's performance. He really looks like a guy that can play a Jose Juan Barea role in the league.
• Midwest - #11 Dayton 68, #6 West Virginia 60: The only higher seed to fall this afternoon, West Virginia was just simply out worked by Dayton. The Mountaineers are a team that prides themselves on defense, rebounding, and hustle - Bob Huggins blue collar mentality - but the Flyers beat the at their own game. Dayton had control of this thing through out, and despite a WVU run that kept the game within a possession for a while in second half, this thing was never really in doubt. The Mountaineers never so much as tied the game in the last 30 minutes. The key was the defense that was played on Alex Ruoff and Da'Sean Butler, WVU's two stars who never got it going offensively. Chris Wright led the Flyers with 27 points, 10 boards, and a number of huge dunks, while Charles Little added 18 points and London Warren played his typical great floor game - 9 assists, 1 turnover. WVU was led by two freshman with bright futures - Truck Bryant (21 points) and Devin Ebanks (14 and 12).
  

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Late Games Recap

Day 1 is in the books, and while there were no buzzer-beaters, we did get to see a number of great games in the second session:

• East - #7 Texas 76, #10 Minnesota 62: Apparently Minnesota didn't get the memo. If you want to beat Texas, you have to slow down AJ Abrams. They didn't, and Abrams went off to the tune of 26 points and eight threes. This game was close until a 12-0 run by Texas midway through the second half opened up a 15 point lead that the Gophers were enable to rebound from. That run was all Abrams, as he hit threes on four consecutive possessions. Dexter Pittman added 17 points and 11 boards and Damion James chipped in 18 and 9. Lawrence Westbrook led the Gophers with 19.
• East - #2 Duke 86, #15 Binghamton 62: The Devils were ahead for the entire first half, but allowed Binghamton to remain within striking distance. But Duke blew the game open with a 17-2 run to open the second half. Duke put six players in double figures, led by 15 from Jon Scheyer. It was quite a different beginning from last season, when Duke barely survived the first round against Belmont. The Devils advance to face Texas in the second round on Saturday.
• South - #10 Michigan 62, #7 Clemson 59: Michigan won a game in their first trip to the NCAA Tournament this decade, as they handled Clemson's pressure and flustered the Tigers with their 1-3-1 zone. A closely contested game in the first half, Michigan used a 17-2 run early in the second to blow the game open. It almost wasn't enough, as the Tigers came roaring back at the end. Clemson's press finally started to affect the Wolverines, and the Tigers went on a 14-0 run to cut the lead to 58-57 at one point. They still had a chance in the final seconds as Zak Novak missed a free throw to keep the score at 62-59, but Clemson could not get a good look from three. KC Rivers fired a tough fall-away that came up well short as time expired. Manny Harris led Michigan with 23 points, 6 boards, and 7 assists. Of note in the game, Terrence Oglesby, who was suffering through another dreadful tournament performance (1-8 from three yesterday, 1-11 last year) threw an elbow in the face of a Michigan defender and was tossed from the game.
• South - #2 Oklahoma 82, #15 Morgan State 54: Blake Griffin gets beat up more than anyone I have ever seen. From the concussion he suffered against Texas to the blow to the ... midsection ... he took from Leonard Washington of USC, Griffin has had to deal with cheap shots all season long. Yesterday was no different, as Ameer Ali flipped Griffin over his shoulder after the two became tangled up. Watch:
  
  
  
  For his troubles, Ali was tossed, and Griffin ended up with 28 points and 13 boards, including a series of ferocious dunks. At one point, Morgan State got as close as 12-11, but the Sooners were just too much for the Bears.
• East - #3 Villanova 80, #14 American 67: In the first half, American dominated this basketball game. They got every shot they wanted (and made them) and forced Villanova into a shooting contest, securing all the defensive rebounds. After two quick baskets, American was up 45-31, and it looked like Nova might be heading home early. But then the Wildcats stopped settling for jumpers. They began to pound the ball inside to Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham, they started to attack the glass, and their defense, which was pourous in the first half, locked down the Eagles. Nova would outscore the Eagles 49-22 the rest of the way. More than anything, it seemed like Nova just assumed that American was going to roll over and let them win, but once the Cats started playing, American had no chance. Garrison Carr led AU with 22 points, including putting on a show from three in the first 30 minutes, knocking down six. But Cunningham and Anderson where too big inside, where they finished with a combined 50 points and 15 boards on 18-26 shooting.
• East - #6 UCLA 65, #11 VCU 64: Eric Maynor had no heroics up his sleeve in this one. The senior point guard, who is best known as the guy that knocked Duke out of the tournament in 2007, missed a tough 15 footer with Collison draped all over him at the buzzer. UCLA had taken control of the game with a 13-0 run near the end of the first half, but the Rams were not going to go away quietly. Collison went out with foul trouble late in the second half, and Maynor took over, scoring 7 points and handing out 2 assists in a 14-6 run that cut the lead to 65-64 with under a minute left. All five starters reached double figures for the Bruins, who were led by 17 points from Josh Shipp.
• South - #4 Gonzaga 77, #13 Akron 64: The Zips kept it interesting, as they led well into the second half. Akron used a physical style of play to knock the Zags back, taking a six point lead with about fifteen minutes to play. But Josh Heytvelt led Gonzaga back. He scored 7 of his 22 points in a decisive 29-7 run that opened up a 70-53 lead with four minutes left. Heytvelt also added eight boards. This game also featured the play of the day, as Jeremy Pargo left his mark on Akron's point guard:
  
  
• South - #12 Western Kentucky 76, #5 Illinois 72: Western Kentucky used a 13-0 run early in the first half to build up a 27-13 lead that the Illini could not recover from. Illinois did make a push, as Trent Meacham scored his 24th point on a lay-up that cut the lead to 74-72 with under ten seconds left, but WKU was able to avoid being fouled until 0.9 was left on the clock. Two free throws sealed the deal for the Hilltoppers. This marks the second straight season where the Hilltoppers will advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. WKU put five players in double figures, led by Steffphon Pettigrew with 17.
  

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Early Games Recap

So we are done with the first round of games, and with just one game happening right now (Washington is beating Mississippi State right now), we figured it was a good chance to get you caught up on all the day's action.

• South - #8 LSU 75, #9 Butler 71: LSU jumped out to a 9-0 lead early and hung on as the Bulldogs stormed back. Marcus Thornton, the SEC player of the year, scored 30 points and hit a number of critical baskets down the stretch. It was a bittersweet moment for Thornton. He should have been a freshman during the Tiger's Final Four run, but he was academically ineligible for the season. Butler took the lead twice early in the second half, and tied the game at 58 with 5:15 left, but a Terry Martin put back and a Marcus Thornton three put LSU back up five, and the Bulldogs never got within three the rest of the way. LSU advances to take on North Carolina, and it should be an intriguing match-up between two regular season conference champs. While Thornton's performance is a good sign for the Tigers, the biggest red flag came in the form of Matt Howard. Butler's sophomore big man went for 22 and 8 boards despite being in foul trouble, and repeatedly got great position under the basket against Chris Johnson. UNC, as you know, as a couple very good big men, and Johnson is going to need to be better defensively is LSU hopes to get out of the first weekend.
• South - #1 North Carolina 101, #16 Radford 58: Tyler Hansbrough had 22 points, in the process breaking JJ Redick's ACC scoring record, and the Heels cruised to a 40 point against overmatched Radford. Wayne Ellington had 25, going 11-16 from the field, and Danny Green snapped out of a slump with 15 points and 10 boards as the Heels showed no sign of missing Lawson.
• West - #2 Memphis 81, #15 Cal St. Northridge 70: In what was the most exciting game of the day, Memphis hung on in a game that was much closer than the final score would indicate. Memphis was carried by Roburt Sallie, who went for 35 points and hit 10 3's. With about 10 minutes left in the game, the Matadors used a little run to take a 62-56 lead, but that is when Memphis would turn it on, outscoring the underdogs 25-10 the rest of the way. Northridge got out to a 9-2 lead early, but Memphis came back and held a small lead for most of the way, until an exciting flurry midway through the second half. After a Tremaine Townsend jumper gave the Matadors a two point lead, Robert Dozier would answer with a three point play. Northridge would respond with back-to-back three's around a Sallie triple, before Tyreke Evans finished a three point play to put Memphis up 56-55. The Matadors scored the next seven points, but that is when Memphis would put on their run. The biggest issue in this game for Memphis was their trasition defense - seemingly every turnover or missed shot led to a quick, open look for the Matadors.
• West - #10 Maryland 84, #7 Cal 71: Maryland got 27 points from Greivis Vazquez and 15 from Dave Neal as the Terps were able to take Cal out of rhythm in the second half. The Bears came in as the nation's best three-point shooting team, but they hit just 7-24 on the game. The biggest change in the second half was the defense being played on Jerome Randle. Randle had 11 points in the first half and was able to get into the lane at will, but he was completely shut down the in the second half, taking just three shots. Theo Robertson led the Bears with 22 points. Maryland is going to have their work cut out for them on Saturday as Memphis will throw a number of big, athletic wings at Vazquez.
• West - #8 Texas A&M 79, #9 BYU 66: The Aggies hit their first ten shots, jumping out to a 32-16 lead and never looking back. Brian Davis had 21 points and 9 boards to lead A&M. BYU made a couple pushes, but never got closer than six and did not make a real threat. A&M will advance to face UConn.
• West - #1 UConn 103, #16 Chattanooga 47: UConn got 24 points and 6 boards form Stanley Robinson, 20 and 13 from Hasheem Thabeet, 13 and 16 from Jeff Adrien, and 20 from AJ Price as the Huskies were able to win with their coach in the hospital (Calhoun released a statement saying that he would stay overnight in the hospital as a precautionary measure, and that he was suffering from dehydration). The Huskies put the game away twice over with a run that spanned the end of the first half and beginning of the second half. Up 17-15, UConn would score 46 of the next 51 points, taking a 63-20 lead.
• West - #5 Purdue 61, #12 Northern Iowa 56: E'Twaun Moore scored 17 points and JaJuan Johnson added 14 points as Purdue built up a 14 point lead early in the second half. But UNI would make it interesting down the stretch, getting within four with about two minutes left and cutting the lead to 56-54 with 17.9 seconds left. But the Boilermakers would hit their free throws as they advanced to face Washington. Purdue's defense was the story of this one, as they held the Panthers to just 37% shooting from the floor.
  
• *UPDATE: West - #4 Washington 71, #13 Mississippi State 58: In a game that just ended, Washington got 23 points and 8 boards out of Quincy Pondexter and Jon Brockman added 10 points and 14 boards as the Huskies cruised to a first round win. Seeing the athletic, uptempo Huskies go against the grind-it-out Boilermakers on Saturday should be a lot of fun.
  

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