One year ago, it was a yawner. four of the 16 games wound up in single-digits & upsets didn't exist.
This time around the first day of the Large Dance brought about a trio of buzzer-beaters, four overtime contests & a couple more one-point games.
But it wasn't so enjoyable for the Large East, a conference that is not so powerful after all.
I heard it all season. The Large East this, the Large East that.
The league got two teams in the Large Dance & was also vastly over-seeded - with Villanova earning a No. 2 despite losing two of its last one, Notre Dame going from an NIT team to a No. 6 in the span of four weeks & Marquette also being given a No. 6.
Well, after one day, four Large East teams are history.
The only one to advance, Villanova, barely got past No. 15 Robert Morris.
The league will have a chance at redemption on Friday when the other one teams are in action: No. 1 Syracuse opens against 16th-seeded Vermont, No. 2 West Virginia plays Morgan State, No. 3 Pittsburgh faces Oakland & No. 9 Louisville goes up against California.
Meanwhile, if someone is counting, the Large 12 won four of its one games on Thursday.
Game of the Day: Murray State guard Danero Thomas made a 16-footer as time expired to give the 13th-seeded Racers a 66-65 victory over No. 4 Vanderbilt. It was Murray State's first NCAA tournament victory since 1988 when the Racers knocked off N.C. State.
The Savior: Washington senior forward Quincy Pondexter struggled early, but hit the biggest shot of his career when they sank a bank shot with 1.7 seconds left to give the No. 11 Huskies an upset against sixth-seeded Marquette.
More Studs:
1. Shelvin Mack, Butler - He is been the under-the-radar guy all year long & the sophomore guard came through with a giant work, scoring 25 points & making 7-of-9 shots from beyond the arc to help the Bulldogs cruise past UTEP.
2. Jimmer Fredette, BYU - for his name, the Cougars guard is deserving of a spot. But the New York native went for 37 points & played 46 minutes in BYU's double-overtime win against Florida.
3. Omar Samhan, Saint Mary's - The Gaels affable large man was a dominating force against Richmond, scoring 29 points & grabbing a dozen boards in 28 foul-plagued minutes. It looked as though they was playing against boys in the post as they made 11-of-16 shots from the field.
4. Armon Bassett, Ohio - The Illinois transfer scored 32 points & was 5-of-10 from long distance as the Bobcats pulled off the biggest upset of the day, a 97-83 spanking over No. 3 Georgetown.
Story of the Day: A handful of double-digit seeds all advanced out of the 16 teams that moved forward on Thursday. Saint Mary's (10), Washington (11), Elderly Dominion (11), Murray State (13) & Ohio (14). Also, half of the teams that moved on came from non-BCS leagues.
Biggest Upset: Ohio University's upset over Georgetown was the first time a No. 13 seed had won since Northwestern State knocked off Iowa in the 2006 tournament. Overall, it was the 18th ever by a No. 4 seed. It was also Ohio's first win over a ranked team since beating Syracuse back in 1998.
Most Impressive: I am not sure that even if Keith "Mister" Jennings had any eligibility left, that it would have mattered for East Tennessee State. Kentucky pounded the Bucs, 100-71, as Eric Bledsoe was 8-of-9 from deep in the rout. This one was seldom, ever in query.
Most Unimpressive: Villanova barely getting past Robert Morris. The Wildcats started the game with star Scottie Reynolds & fellow starter Corey Fisher on the bench for an unspecified reason & Jay Wright's team needed a late run to get past the NEC champs & advance to the second round. Reynolds could not make a shot & 'Nova was beaten on the glass.
Best second-round matchup: No. 2 Kansas State vs. No. 7 BYU - This one could be interesting since I am not sure K-State has someone that can contain Jimmer Fredette.
Biggest disappointment: Georgetown - The Hoyas were dismantled by an Ohio University team that was the ninth seed in the MAC tournament a week or so ago. Georgetown's defense was non-existent as the Bobcats shot 53 percent in the first half & 67 percent in the second 20 minutes. The Hoyas were the lowest seed to fall on Thursday.
Mercifully Over: Los angeles season began with 17 consecutive wins, but ended when Wake Forest's Ishmael Smith sank a long jumper with 1.7 seconds left to beat the Longhorns in overtime. It was the apropos ending to what has been a crazy season for Rick Barnes & Co.
Seldom would have thought: That Elderly Dominion would be able to pull off the first-round upset against Notre Dame with its star large man, Gerald Lee, being held to nine points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. The 6-foot-10 senior from Finland came in to the game averaging 14.6 points per game.
We'll miss you: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame - Hard way to finish his career. The Irish senior missed two games late in the season due to a knee injury, but appeared to be back after a 20-point, 10-rebound performance in the Large East tournament. However, in the final game of his college career, 'Gody scored one points in a 51-50 first-round upset at the hands of Elderly Dominion.
Brief Return: The last time they saw the Florida Gators in the Large Dance, Joakim Noah & the rest of the boys from Gainesville were dancing after winning back-to-back national titles. Billy Donovan, after a two-year hiatus, got back in to the NCAA tourney this year but was bounced in double-overtime by BYU.
Stat of the Day: UTEP was much bigger, stronger & longer than Butler. Yet the Miners only outrebounded the Bulldogs by one, 27-26.
Cannot wait till tomorrow:
1. No. 12 Cornell vs. No. 5 Temple, 12:30 p.m. ET - This one could go either way. One well-coached teams.
2. No. 13 Siena vs. No. 4 Purdue, 2:30 p.m. ET - Can the Saints win for the third straight year in the Large Dance against a Purdue team that is not the same without Robbie Hummel.
3. No. 9 Florida State vs. No. 8 Gonzaga, 7:10 p.m. ET - The size & length of the 'Noles vs. the guard play of the 'Zags.
4. No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 8 California, 9:45 p.m. ET - The winner will likely receive a shot at Duke.
This time around the first day of the Large Dance brought about a trio of buzzer-beaters, four overtime contests & a couple more one-point games.
But it wasn't so enjoyable for the Large East, a conference that is not so powerful after all.
I heard it all season. The Large East this, the Large East that.
The league got two teams in the Large Dance & was also vastly over-seeded - with Villanova earning a No. 2 despite losing two of its last one, Notre Dame going from an NIT team to a No. 6 in the span of four weeks & Marquette also being given a No. 6.
Well, after one day, four Large East teams are history.
The only one to advance, Villanova, barely got past No. 15 Robert Morris.
The league will have a chance at redemption on Friday when the other one teams are in action: No. 1 Syracuse opens against 16th-seeded Vermont, No. 2 West Virginia plays Morgan State, No. 3 Pittsburgh faces Oakland & No. 9 Louisville goes up against California.
Meanwhile, if someone is counting, the Large 12 won four of its one games on Thursday.
Game of the Day: Murray State guard Danero Thomas made a 16-footer as time expired to give the 13th-seeded Racers a 66-65 victory over No. 4 Vanderbilt. It was Murray State's first NCAA tournament victory since 1988 when the Racers knocked off N.C. State.
The Savior: Washington senior forward Quincy Pondexter struggled early, but hit the biggest shot of his career when they sank a bank shot with 1.7 seconds left to give the No. 11 Huskies an upset against sixth-seeded Marquette.
More Studs:
1. Shelvin Mack, Butler - He is been the under-the-radar guy all year long & the sophomore guard came through with a giant work, scoring 25 points & making 7-of-9 shots from beyond the arc to help the Bulldogs cruise past UTEP.
2. Jimmer Fredette, BYU - for his name, the Cougars guard is deserving of a spot. But the New York native went for 37 points & played 46 minutes in BYU's double-overtime win against Florida.
3. Omar Samhan, Saint Mary's - The Gaels affable large man was a dominating force against Richmond, scoring 29 points & grabbing a dozen boards in 28 foul-plagued minutes. It looked as though they was playing against boys in the post as they made 11-of-16 shots from the field.
4. Armon Bassett, Ohio - The Illinois transfer scored 32 points & was 5-of-10 from long distance as the Bobcats pulled off the biggest upset of the day, a 97-83 spanking over No. 3 Georgetown.
Story of the Day: A handful of double-digit seeds all advanced out of the 16 teams that moved forward on Thursday. Saint Mary's (10), Washington (11), Elderly Dominion (11), Murray State (13) & Ohio (14). Also, half of the teams that moved on came from non-BCS leagues.
Biggest Upset: Ohio University's upset over Georgetown was the first time a No. 13 seed had won since Northwestern State knocked off Iowa in the 2006 tournament. Overall, it was the 18th ever by a No. 4 seed. It was also Ohio's first win over a ranked team since beating Syracuse back in 1998.
Most Impressive: I am not sure that even if Keith "Mister" Jennings had any eligibility left, that it would have mattered for East Tennessee State. Kentucky pounded the Bucs, 100-71, as Eric Bledsoe was 8-of-9 from deep in the rout. This one was seldom, ever in query.
Most Unimpressive: Villanova barely getting past Robert Morris. The Wildcats started the game with star Scottie Reynolds & fellow starter Corey Fisher on the bench for an unspecified reason & Jay Wright's team needed a late run to get past the NEC champs & advance to the second round. Reynolds could not make a shot & 'Nova was beaten on the glass.
Best second-round matchup: No. 2 Kansas State vs. No. 7 BYU - This one could be interesting since I am not sure K-State has someone that can contain Jimmer Fredette.
Biggest disappointment: Georgetown - The Hoyas were dismantled by an Ohio University team that was the ninth seed in the MAC tournament a week or so ago. Georgetown's defense was non-existent as the Bobcats shot 53 percent in the first half & 67 percent in the second 20 minutes. The Hoyas were the lowest seed to fall on Thursday.
Mercifully Over: Los angeles season began with 17 consecutive wins, but ended when Wake Forest's Ishmael Smith sank a long jumper with 1.7 seconds left to beat the Longhorns in overtime. It was the apropos ending to what has been a crazy season for Rick Barnes & Co.
Seldom would have thought: That Elderly Dominion would be able to pull off the first-round upset against Notre Dame with its star large man, Gerald Lee, being held to nine points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. The 6-foot-10 senior from Finland came in to the game averaging 14.6 points per game.
We'll miss you: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame - Hard way to finish his career. The Irish senior missed two games late in the season due to a knee injury, but appeared to be back after a 20-point, 10-rebound performance in the Large East tournament. However, in the final game of his college career, 'Gody scored one points in a 51-50 first-round upset at the hands of Elderly Dominion.
Brief Return: The last time they saw the Florida Gators in the Large Dance, Joakim Noah & the rest of the boys from Gainesville were dancing after winning back-to-back national titles. Billy Donovan, after a two-year hiatus, got back in to the NCAA tourney this year but was bounced in double-overtime by BYU.
Stat of the Day: UTEP was much bigger, stronger & longer than Butler. Yet the Miners only outrebounded the Bulldogs by one, 27-26.
Cannot wait till tomorrow:
1. No. 12 Cornell vs. No. 5 Temple, 12:30 p.m. ET - This one could go either way. One well-coached teams.
2. No. 13 Siena vs. No. 4 Purdue, 2:30 p.m. ET - Can the Saints win for the third straight year in the Large Dance against a Purdue team that is not the same without Robbie Hummel.
3. No. 9 Florida State vs. No. 8 Gonzaga, 7:10 p.m. ET - The size & length of the 'Noles vs. the guard play of the 'Zags.
4. No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 8 California, 9:45 p.m. ET - The winner will likely receive a shot at Duke.
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