Saturday, March 31, 2012

No, 2 Kansas pushes past the No. 2 Buckeyes for a Berth in the Title game

Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Tyshawn Taylor, cause Kansas is going to the Title Game
Kansas came back once again. This time, it was more dramatic than ever, as they shocked the favored Ohio State Buckeyes by downing them, 64-62. Kansas was down by as many as 13 points in the second half, but they kept on pushing the tempo and eventually came out with the win. The Jayhawks only led this game for 3 minutes 48 seconds, but that was enough to get them the win. The Jayhawks got the lead after a big comeback with 3 minutes to go in the game and pulled to their largest lead at 64-61 with 8.3 seconds left after two Tyshawn Taylor free throws. The Jayhawks then opted to foul OSU's Aaron Craft with 2.9 seconds to go. Craft Made the first and clanked the second one off the rim, but Ohio State was called for a lane violation, handing the game to Kansas for the right to play Kentucky in the Title Game.

No. 1 Kentucky holds back No. 4 Louisville for the Title Game berth

In a rare tournament match-up of two rival schools, the blood kept it close but the sweat won the game. That's what happened on Saturday as the Kentucky Wildcats ran past their rivals, the Louisville Cardinals, for the right to go to the Championship game. Kentucky played dominant basketball in the first half, but Louisville did just enough to keep the game close. And it got close. In fact, it was tied on a Peyton Siva pull-up trey in the second half, but the Wildcats gathered themselves and held back the Cardinals en route to the Title game, thanks to a game-high 18 points by Anthony Davis. where they will be matched up either against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, or the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks on Monday night.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

The No. 2 Jayhawks run past the No. 1 Tar Heels into the Final Four

The 80-67 final score is a bit misleading, since the Kansas Jayhawks went on a 12-0 run to close out the game. Nevertheless, this was one solid game put up by Thomas Robinson and Co. The game was close for the first 38 minutes and as a Tar Heels fan, you must have thought that North Carolina would have the advantage if only Kendall Marshall was playing. But he wasn't. Instead, Stillman White took his place and produced only 4 points. The deadlock was broken as the Kansas Jayhawks ran away with the game as all five Kansas starters scored double figures.

The No. 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats roll past the No. 3 seeded Baylor Bears to New Orleans

I really thought that this would be a closer game since both sides boasted NBA talent. The problem was that Kentucky was just a step ahead in almost every aspect of the game. Baylor could compete with Kentucky on the glass, but they fouled too much, giving the Wildcats 44 free throw attempts. Kentucky ran out to a 42-22 halftime lead and really could've cut the nets down right then, but they won the game 82-70 instead. The true difference between these two teams is that when Baylor plays, you notice they have three solid NBA prospects who can take over the game, just not as a team. Kentucky, on the other hand, has a starting five that has the potential to get drafted in the first round of the draft, but they also play as a team. If Kentucky can keep this run going with a balanced attack from every position and if Anthony Davis is healthy, it will be extremely tough to stop them.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

No. 2 Buckeyes outlast the Fab-less No. 1 Orange for a trip to the Final Four

When I began to fill out my bracket, I was like "that team can't beat Ohio State, that team can't either, Nah that team won't beat the Buckeyes..." and then I saw Syracuse... But things quickly changed once Syracuse lost Fab Melo for the tournament. This fabulous opportunity that awaited them in March was Fab-less, and the Buckeyes made them pay for it. Jared Sullinger was going to have a big game, there was no doubt about that, but Scoop Jardine was also gonna have a big gmae. Once Sullinger sat out for most of the first half due to foul trouble, things looked bad for Thad Matta's group. But that didn't Matta. They hung in there and once Sullinger came in for the second half, he dominated the glass for 14 second half points which led to a Buckeye run that iced the game, 77-70.

No. 4 Louisville rallies against the No. 7 Gators for the right to go to New Orleans

The teacher beat the student for the 7th time in the Pitino- Billy the Kid match up. However, the Donovan led Gators had a major choke-job as they allowed the Cardinals to rally late in the game. It was a close game for most of the first half, then Florida ran away for an 8-point halftime lead. Florida never panicked even as Louisville went on a few short runs to cut into the lead, but they could not buy a bucket and Louisville took advantage by taking the lead with a minute to go and the first Final Four spot by winning, 72-68.

Friday, March 16, 2012

The Spartans of Norfolk State folked up your bracket!!! 15 takes out a 2 in the West region

The Norfolk State Spartans shocked everyone as they upset the Mizzou Tigers by a score of 86-84. Now, I didn't know too much about the Spartans before this game, but I did know that Mizzou would be in a lot of trouble if they were matched up against a team with a dominant big man, and they were. Kyle O'Quinn dominated the paint for the Spartans as he went 10-16 with 26 points and 14 rebounds. However, the Spartans defeated Mizzou by shooting 10-19 beyond the arc, a better percentage than Mizzou. Mizzou is an undersized team since the average height of their players is 6' 6", but they played a good game. It's just that Norfolk State had an inside game and an outside game, giving them the win and making them only the fifth 15 seed to knock off a 2 seed.

Cards fans, find it in your heart to give Kevin Kolb another chance... cause you're stuck with him

This guy will still be a Cardinal
Yep Cards fans, that's right. We're stuck with Kevin (Corn on the) Kolb. We wanted him so badly and we got him, for only half of last season. Kolb received a $7 million roster bonus on Friday at 1:00 PST, which ended the Cardinals pursuit of Peyton Manning. I do agree that a Manning signing would've been great for both parties since Manning would have a nice place to retire in a relatively weak division, throwing to the league's best receiver in Larry Fitzgerald. Unfortunately, things didn't work out since it took Manning too long to make up his mind. Anyways, Cardinals fans better suck it up and accept Kolb. At least he's better than this guy. "That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. That's fine." ===>

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Coyotes stun the Canucks, 5-4

The Coyotes have cooled a bit since the last time they played Vancouver, but that only makes these games more important. Going into the match up on Wednesday, not many people would've anticipated that this game would have a total of nine goals scored. Both Luongo and Smith have played well, but Vancouver would score two goals in the first ten minutes and Phoenix would answer with two goals in the next ten minutes. Phoenix would then keep on pushing the pace of the game and eventually score the game winner off of an Antoine Vermette power play goal in the third period. This is a good sign for the Coyotes, since they are on a crucial road trip with Vancouver being their toughest test.

No. 12 South Florida dominates No. 12 Cal, 65-54

Scoring only 13 points in the first half was not enough as the Bulls of South Florida ran away from the Golden Bears.

No. 16 Vermont Catamounts top the No. 16 Lamar Cardinals, 71-59

After leading the "worst group of senior's I've ever been associated with", Pat Knight's Lamar squad was punchless in the tournament against the Vermont Catamounts.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

No. 14 BYU comes back from 25 down, shock No. 14 Iona, 78-72

I was so excited to see one Wildcat return to the stage for March Madness when I saw the committee selected Iona as a No. 14 seed. Even though it was a play-in match up, it was still nice to see Momo. I picked Iona to go to the Sweet Sixteen because of their stellar offense, and for 16 minutes, it looked like they very well could've. But they did not. After scoring 55 points in 16 minutes, Iona only score 17 points for the rest of the game, allowing an Austin Davies led Cougar squad to silence Momo Jones and Scott Machado with the biggest comeback in tournament history.

No. 16 WKU rallies to top No. 16 Miss Valley St. in the first 2012 tournament game, 59-58

March is most definitely a new season, just ask the WKU Hilltoppers. Entering the tournament with a 15-18 record, the Hilltoppers topped the Miss Valley St. Delta Devils after a furious rally in Dayton. Both teams came out flat in the first half, but the Delta Devils jumped to a double digit lead, but the Hilltoppers would come back and escape with a one point victory to force a match up with another instate school, the No. 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Coyotes snap their losing streak, beat San Jose 3-0

Both teams haven't played too well recently, but the Coyotes got an important win as they beat the traditional favorites in the Pacific division, the San Jose Sharks. After a hot February, the Coyotes turned ice cold as they lost five games in a row. On Saturday night, they got an important win by shutting out a team that has always beaten them handily. Mike Smith had 42 saves for his 5th shutout on the season. With this win, the Coyotes pull to 78 points, three more than the Sharks.

The Cats come up short against Colorado in the Tournament Finale, 53-51

It's okay Sean Miller, I'm screaming my head off too... Actually it's not okay. You know why? It's cause the Cats were given a golden opportunity to win the Pac 12 Tournament. The only problem with the opportunity was that it was Colorado gold. The Cats would go up against a team that was playing four games in four nights, a team that they had routed before, a team that was new to the Pac 12, etc. Those should help Arizona win, right? Wrong. The Buffaloes had a solid game plan against the Cats and their leaders stepped up when the Cat's leaders did not step up. The Cats were in a position to win the game, though as they played airtight defense for the last several minutes, but their offense would not take advantage. Down by two with the final possession, the Cats would opt to go for the kill, but the trey was no good. Arizona will not be able to return to March since they've wasted the many opportunities they had this year.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Cats take advantage of Oregon St., continue in the Pac-12 torney with win 72-61

The Cats were extremely fortunate as they were matched up against Oregon State. The Beavs pulled off a remarkable first round Pac 12 tourney upset by taking down the top seeded Huskies 86-84, but their run would be short lived. The Cats would initially have a 34-27 halftime deficit to work with, but they opened the second half hot on defense and offense. The Cats would pull away with the help of Foggy's 22 points. This will send Arizona into the conference tournament finale, against either Cal or Colorado.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Cats top the Bruins in the Pac-12 Tournament, 66-58

This is what I think of Ucla Basketball
The Cats went into the Staple Center at the start of the Pac 12 tourney as underdogs, since they were playing in the same arena that has served as the Bruin's den for most of the season. However, the Bruins were in for a rude awakening as the Wildcats came into the game and attacked all night long. The Cats went in and out, driving the lane and shooting the trey as Solomon Hill scored 25 points. UCLA would collect a total of 24 fouls with Joshua Smith and Travis Wear fouling out. The Cats will now wait to play either Washington or Oregon State.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Cats lose a crucial game to the rival Sun Devils, 87-80

Just look at the crowd in this picture. Take a good, long look. Now tell me, aren't there quite a few red shirts mixed into the yellow in the crowd. Yes. And those red shirts are the faithful Arizona Wildcats fans that made the trip up to Phoenix, only to see the Cats lose to their arch rival. Now after the game, ask any of the Arizona fans, who paid their hard earned money to ASU only to see the Cats lose, what they think are the Cats chances of earning an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Slim. This is how important this game was. It was a chance to finish on a high note and let the committee decide. Instead it was an ugly loss, the kind of loss that costs you your season. As a Cats fan, I'm saying that ASU stuck a pitchfork into our hope for going to the NCAA Tournament and I do not think that this team deserves to play in the Big Dance.