Can tonight's NCAA Tournament games possibly live up to what we witnessed Thursday? Words are somehow not enough to describe what happened in the Sweet 16 games last night. But if you somehow were going to try and describe three of the most amazing games you've ever seen, where would you even start?
Would it be Texas beating West Virginia by thismuch on a three-pointer at the buzzer by Kenton Paulino for the 74-71 win? Or would you talk about West Virginia's Kevin Pittsnogle draining the game-tying three with five seconds left, after having his nose busted open with a 1:29 left? How about Pittsnogle telling trainers to "shove anything up there" (referring to his nose) to stop the bleeding? It was like Rocky telling Mickey, "Cut me Mick, cut me."
And that was just one game.
Who will ever forget the sight of Gonzaga All-American Adam Morrison collapsing on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably after the Zag's blew a nine-point lead over the final three minutes (after being up 17) to inexplicably lose to UCLA 73-71?
It was an unbelievable finish to an incredible night-perhaps one of the single best nights in Tournament history. It was a night that began with Duke senior All-American J.J. Redick being put on lockdown by LSU and the Tigers taking down the overall number one seed 62-54.
As I said yesterday, this tournament is about stars, known and unexpected-and thrilling finished. It never disappoints-unless you lose a heartbreaker.
Everything was left all out on the floor
Some "Moore" thoughts on last night's games:-As deeply as I sympathized with J.J. Redick as he came off the court in tears for the standard hug from Coach K, reality finally showed us what kind of pro Redick will be in the NBA and for the U.S. World team. Garrett Temple, an athletic freshman from Baton Rouge who is the third member of his family to play for the Tigers, effectively shut down the Redick for 39 minutes, forcing him into bad shots and awkward positions.
Redick has a hard time creating his own shot-something LSU made sure he didn't do and even when he did, they made it even harder for him to get a decent look. Redick ended up 3-for-18, including just 3-of-9 from three point range. He was extremely frustrated at times-but he wasn't being fouled, he was just forced into throwing up bad shots, which makes me wonder how he'll handle the longer, more athletic players in the NBA or in international play.
-- I certainly hope that Duke and Redick's post-game comments about the "physical" nature of LSU's defense was not in any way the Blue Devils complaining about the officiating, not after some of the phantom calls that went in favor of them all night. You know the officiating might be a little bad when Jay "Duke-Bias" Bilas says that Sheldon Williams is getting away with a push and Dick Enberg calls Thomas' and Davis' fourth fouls "ticky-tac". But according to Temple after the game, Redick spent a lot of time complaining to the officials about non-calls. On second thought, I don't have any sympathy for him.
--The reason I picked LSU to go to the Final Four before the tournament started was because they remind me so much of the classic surprise tournament team: they're young, athletic and quick. Add to that Darrel Mitchell, the one guy who they go to in clutch positions, like when LSU trailed 45-40 as Duke was on a mini-run. Plus, they've got that "we don't really know we don't belong here" vibe. Coach John Brady just lets them play and rolls with their mistakes.
--LSU's Tyrus Thomas might be next in line of fabulous freshmen to breakout in the NCAA Tournament (Pervis Ellison, Derrick Coleman, Grant Hill and Mike Bibby come to mind). I watched him play earlier this season, but he really is one of the most incredible athletes I've seen in college basketball this season. He was everywhere-even when he messed up, he was doing something spectacular. Thomas had 9 points, 13 rebounds and blocked five shots (though it felt like 10) last night. Duke was thoroughly intimidated when they shot from inside the lane because of him and Glen Davis.
-It's sad to see Pittsnogle and West Virginia go out. Who doesn't love a tattooed 6'11" white guy shooting threes? He had his own catchphrase-"Pittsnogled"-and in the final minute and a half of his college career, he almost did it again.
-Add Kenton Paulino of Texas to that mythical list of players I mentioned yesterday, who enjoy the greatest moment of their Sports life now. And how about the Texas coach Rick Barnes deciding not to call a time-out and push it up the floor? Let the boys play!
-With Gonzaga's loss, we sadly bid adieu to the woman I've nicknamed "The Zag Hag". You might know her as the woman who screamed like a banshee throughout Gonzaga's NCAA Tournament run. Last weekend, I just assumed there was some crazy fan screaming in the background-but sure enough, The Zag Hag was back last night, using her high pitched squeal every time UCLA touched the ball. I almost began muting the TV when UCLA had the ball-that woman haunted my dreams last night-but strangely, she'll be missed.
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Who will ever forget the sight of Gonzaga All-American Adam Morrison collapsing on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably after the Zag's blew a nine-point lead over the final three minutes (after being up 17) to inexplicably lose to UCLA 73-71?
It was an unbelievable finish to an incredible night-perhaps one of the single best nights in Tournament history. It was a night that began with Duke senior All-American J.J. Redick being put on lockdown by LSU and the Tigers taking down the overall number one seed 62-54.
As I said yesterday, this tournament is about stars, known and unexpected-and thrilling finished. It never disappoints-unless you lose a heartbreaker.
Everything was left all out on the floor
Some "Moore" thoughts on last night's games:
-As deeply as I sympathized with J.J. Redick as he came off the court in tears for the standard hug from Coach K, reality finally showed us what kind of pro Redick will be in the NBA and for the U.S. World team. Garrett Temple, an athletic freshman from Baton Rouge who is the third member of his family to play for the Tigers, effectively shut down the Redick for 39 minutes, forcing him into bad shots and awkward positions.
Redick has a hard time creating his own shot-something LSU made sure he didn't do and even when he did, they made it even harder for him to get a decent look. Redick ended up 3-for-18, including just 3-of-9 from three point range. He was extremely frustrated at times-but he wasn't being fouled, he was just forced into throwing up bad shots, which makes me wonder how he'll handle the longer, more athletic players in the NBA or in international play.
-- I certainly hope that Duke and Redick's post-game comments about the "physical" nature of LSU's defense was not in any way the Blue Devils complaining about the officiating, not after some of the phantom calls that went in favor of them all night. You know the officiating might be a little bad when Jay "Duke-Bias" Bilas says that Sheldon Williams is getting away with a push and Dick Enberg calls Thomas' and Davis' fourth fouls "ticky-tac". But according to Temple after the game, Redick spent a lot of time complaining to the officials about non-calls. On second thought, I don't have any sympathy for him.
--The reason I picked LSU to go to the Final Four before the tournament started was because they remind me so much of the classic surprise tournament team: they're young, athletic and quick. Add to that Darrel Mitchell, the one guy who they go to in clutch positions, like when LSU trailed 45-40 as Duke was on a mini-run. Plus, they've got that "we don't really know we don't belong here" vibe. Coach John Brady just lets them play and rolls with their mistakes.
--LSU's Tyrus Thomas might be next in line of fabulous freshmen to breakout in the NCAA Tournament (Pervis Ellison, Derrick Coleman, Grant Hill and Mike Bibby come to mind). I watched him play earlier this season, but he really is one of the most incredible athletes I've seen in college basketball this season. He was everywhere-even when he messed up, he was doing something spectacular. Thomas had 9 points, 13 rebounds and blocked five shots (though it felt like 10) last night. Duke was thoroughly intimidated when they shot from inside the lane because of him and Glen Davis.
-It's sad to see Pittsnogle and West Virginia go out. Who doesn't love a tattooed 6'11" white guy shooting threes? He had his own catchphrase-"Pittsnogled"-and in the final minute and a half of his college career, he almost did it again.
-Add Kenton Paulino of Texas to that mythical list of players I mentioned yesterday, who enjoy the greatest moment of their Sports life now. And how about the Texas coach Rick Barnes deciding not to call a time-out and push it up the floor? Let the boys play!
-With Gonzaga's loss, we sadly bid adieu to the woman I've nicknamed "The Zag Hag". You might know her as the woman who screamed like a banshee throughout Gonzaga's NCAA Tournament run. Last weekend, I just assumed there was some crazy fan screaming in the background-but sure enough, The Zag Hag was back last night, using her high pitched squeal every time UCLA touched the ball. I almost began muting the TV when UCLA had the ball-that woman haunted my dreams last night-but strangely, she'll be missed.