College Basketball Recap 3/13

       As much as I look forward to the NCAA Tournament every year, I tend to forget about how great the conference tournaments can be. Being in college, and not having a class that starts after 11 a.m., can be an easy reminder. From noon until close to midnight from Wednesday to Sunday there is non-stop college basketball. At one point yesterday, there were games on four channels at once, each station showing teams from a different conference. As a fan, you can not ask for anything more. With all those games going on at once, I’m sure you missed some action, so here’s some of the highlights.

       The most impressive winners of the day would have to be the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Despite an 11-7 record in the deepest conference in America, the quality of the team’s wins was not favorable enough for some analysts, who suspected they were not a lock for the Big Dance. Well, hopefully the committee was watching yesterday. Led by Junior Forward Joe Alexander’s 34 points, the Mountaineers led by double digits for the majority of the second half against the 15th ranked Connecticut Huskies. I think it’s safe to say this win cemented the name West Virginia somewhere in the bracket.

       Also winners in the Big East were Georgetown, Pitt, and Marquette. Pitt was also impressive, erasing any doubts of their tournament chances by beating the two seed, Louisville. Marquette and Notre Dame played a terrific up-and-down game, with the Golden Eagles using a strong finish to outlast the Irish. Georgetown was perhaps the team that opened the most eyes on the day.

       When I hear Georgetown mentioned, the first thing I think of is defense. The second is Roy Hibbert. Not at the top of my list is three-point shooting. Well, yesterdays win over Villanova should have reminded a whole bunch of teams that Georgetown is not to be forgotten when talks of teams that can contend for the National Championship arise. The Hoyas were unconscious from the outside, draining 17 three-pointers at a blistering 61 percent. If the barrage of three’s, which tied a Big East tournament record, was not the most surprising statistic, it was Hibbert’s line: 0 points, 4 turnovers, 5 fouls. Simply put, if Georgetown can soundly beat a Villanova team fighting for its NCAA tournament lives, watch out.

       The Big East will continue its excitement tonight, where Georgetown and West Virginia will square off, followed by Pittsburgh and Marquette.

       For me, it’s a toss up between the Big East and ACC as to the more exciting tournament. The ACC got off to a respectable start, with two upsets, and several games that were close throughout. The most disappointed team had to be Maryland, who, with the loss to Boston College, saw a familiar scene. Much like their regular season, they absolutely fell apart down the stretch, after a first half double-digit lead. Needless to say, Maryland will not be making it to the Big Dance.

       In the other games, Florida State was led by a strong second half from Jason Rich, bouncing Wake Forest. Miami ended a disappointing season for North Carolina State, in a game that was never really close. Also, Georgia Tech broke open a close one with Virginia late in the second half, winning by 18 points. Today, Florida State and North Carolina will get things started, followed by Virginia Tech and Miami. The nightcaps will be Duke vs. Georgia Tech and Clemson vs. Boston College.

       In the Pac-10, California had no late game calls to complain about this time. UCLA led big throughout, with the final tally 88-66. Arizona State and USC had the game of the day out west, where a questionable offensive foul call in the closing seconds proved to be the difference. There just seems to be something about the Pac-10 officials making questionable decisions in the closing minutes of games lately. Also, Stanford may have ended Arizona’s run of consecutive tournaments made, beating the Wildcats by 11. In the closer, Oregon made a furious run to get back in the game after trailing Washing State big early, but just ran out of time, eventually losing by five. Today should be fun, with the top four seeds all having advanced. UCLA and USC will get it started, followed by Stanford and Washington State.

       In other conferences, Memphis won big as usual, Xavier defeated Dayton, most likely bursting their bubble, Florida got smoked by Alabama, leaving Billy Donovan infuriated at his players, and UAB saw their postseason hopes slip away, losing in overtime to Tulsa.

- Nicholas King