- Stephen Curry, seen above, is the Truth. Despite only shooting 5 for 15 from deep in the game, he carried Davidson on his shoulders over Georgetown. I was at this game, and from the crowd's perspective, it seemed as though every time he touched the ball, especially in the last 10 minutes, that the ball was destined to find the bottom of the net. It was truly one of the most incredible solo performances that I have ever witnessed in person. That said, the rest of the team played very well, especially in the second half. Jason Richards is a great point guard, Andrew Lovedale was all over the place, and the team's undersized big men did an outstanding job of guarding Hibbert, even inducing two offensive fouls, which kept him on the bench for prolonged stretches. It would be foolish to think that they cannot threaten to upset Wisconsin next week, because they have shown the ability and desire necessary to succeed.
- Speaking of Wisconsin, I have to officially apologize to the Big Ten. The presence of two teams in the Sweet Sixteen is two more than I anticipated. Michigan State, in particular, really impressed me with their win over Pitt, which also represented the final, lethal, blow to my bracket. I still don't like the Big Ten style of play, but I suppose I have to acknowledge that it works. Maybe the Spartans can surprise me and beat Memphis.
- Memphis is a very talented team, but it would shock me, and most of the people who watch college basketball, if their free throw shooting did not come back to haunt them in the next few games. Villanova showed that it is pretty easy to shut down a team who cannot shoot freebies, and although Memphis is better than Clemson, this glaring weakness will surely punish them before this tournament is through.
- As mentioned earlier, my bracket is in shambles. I do not mind though, because of four big factors.
- Dook Lost!
- Most people's brackets are mediocre at best right now.
- My little sister's bracket is in the 98th percentile on ESPN. This sums up everything that needs to be said about College Basketball knowledge relating to bracket success.
- UNC is playing ridiculously.
- The other game I witnessed was UNC's decimation of the Arkansas Razorbacks. When the Tar Heels destroyed Mt. St. Mary's, I was pleased but I also understood the mediocrity of their competition. Arkansas is a legitimate basketball team, but Carolina made them look like a sixteen seed. The Heels shot almost 68 percent from the field, and the game was over by halftime.
Run away, Razorbacks!
- Two encouraging notes from that game. Ty Lawson looks to be back in his pre-injury form. This is great news. He, along with Quentin Thomas, are distributing the ball effectively without turning it over. It appears as if Ty's injury was the best thing that could of happened to the Heels, as 'Q' now appears to be a quality player, which was not the case pre-injury. Also, Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson combined to shoot 13-13 from the field, and they both played outstanding defense. If these two can contribute at this level, or even close, the Tar Heels appear to be seemingly unbeatable (knocking on wood!). Obviously this weekend poses a more difficult challenge, but as a Carolina student and fan, I could not possibly be more encouraged and optimistic than I am now, after yesterday's performance.
- Louisville-Tennessee, Stanford- Texas, Xavier- West Virginia, and even Kansas- Villanova all look like great match ups, and it should be a fun weekend. I am going to abstain from making more picks, as I obviously am inept when it comes to college basketball clairvoyance.
- UCLA- Western Kentucky does not appear to be that interesting of a match up, but after UCLA's narrow escape against Texas A&M (Josh Shipp clearly got ALL arm on that last block), it could shape up to be a more entertaining game than expected. We can only hope.
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