Lots and lots of games on Friday night, with conference tournaments all around going on... some thoughts from the games.
- Georgetown just always gets good looks, they move so well without the ball. They are also very good passers, and their center, Greg Monroe, is the best passer on the team. They will obviously be a very tough out come Tournament time.
- Georgia Tech did everything they could to throw the game against Maryland away in the second half, but they hang on for a 5 point win. That will officially get them off of the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament.
- Dayton looked like they were going to inject some life in their Tournament hopes, as they built up a nice lead over Xavier. But the Musketeers show they are still an A-10 power, as they advanced past Dayton with a comeback win. If Richmond beats Massachussetts it will be a very competitive end to the A-10 Tournament, with Temple, Xavier, Rhode Island, and Richmond.
- Kansas definitely got a scare from Texas A&M, but their superior talent took over in the 2nd half.
- Underrated exciting conference tournament of the night: Mountain West Conference. All eyes are on the Big conferences, but this features some very good teams. San Diego State is playing for their tournament hopes against New Mexico in what has been a highly entertaining first half. The nightcap will feature BYU and Jimmer Fredette, fresh off of his 45 point effort last night.
- Florida falls up short against Mississippi State in a game that will definitely hurt their Tourney hopes. They are likely still in, but that won't help their seeding any. For Mississippi State, one more win in the SEC Tournament and they might have an argument for an at-large berth.
- Just heard a stat that New Mexico is 7-0 against top 25 teams... wow! That Steve Alford guy can coach a little bit, huh?
- New Mexico leads San Diego St. 39-38 at the half... most entertaining game I've seen so far tonight. Two teams that are just getting after it, and both could be capable of doing some damage in the Tournament (if the Aztecs are able to make it in).
- You're killing me FSN by showing the end of a hockey game instead of the UCLA game.... go Bruins!!
- Darington Hobson is quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch... not hard to see why he was the MWC Player of the Year. He is very athletically gifted, averaging over 9 boards a game. He has a good handle and is a good passer as well. Even though he is shooting poorly right now, he is still in control of this game and having a big impact. 50-50 midway through the 2nd half.
- Yesterday was a very bad day for bubble teams, but Friday has been very good for them. Illinois got a huge win, Rhode Island got a nice win, Georgia Tech punched their ticket, and Minnesota leads in the 2nd half against Michigan St, though there is still plenty of time left in the game there.
- The 2nd half was not kind for the Bruins... Cal's better talent simply dominated the game. They seemed to be able to get any shot they wanted in the second half, turning a competitive game into a game that was not all that close.
- In an extremely entertaining game from start to finish San Diego State appears to have punched their ticket to the Big Dance with a 72-69 victory over a top 10 team in New Mexico. Billy White was especially excellent for the Aztecs, with 28 very efficient points.
- After a pretty boring start to the 2nd half, the Notre Dame-West Virginia game has definitely picked up. The Mountaineers lead a low-scoring affair by 3 points with about 3 minutes to play.
- Minnesota hangs on to take out the Spartans in OT... once again, this has been a great day for the bubble teams.
- West Virginia hangs on for a 53-51 victory over Notre Dame... the Irish got the ball with about 10 seconds left to go to the length of the court, and Tory Jackson decided to take up a pull-up three with 5 seconds left... not sure I agree with that decision, I thought they could have gone for a better shot, but it was a pretty clear look. At the end of the day we will have West Virginia taking on Georgetown for the Big East Championship on Saturday night.