The madness is in full-force.
And the first round is only halfway over. Yes, we get another day of constant, noon-to-midnight basketball. I think the first round of the NCAA Tournament is one of the, if not the most, exciting events in American sport.
Today’s events did nothing to deter me from that feeling.
How about Ohio toppling Georgetown by 14 points? Ohio shot 58.2% from the field and made 13 of 23 three pointers in hanging 97 points on three-seed Georgetown. I would suggest to Georgetown that when an opposing team is shooting the lights out, then zone defense is probably not the way to go.
How about Wake Forest coming back in overtime after being down by as many as six points in the extra session to beat Texas, 81-80? Al-Farouq Aminu Ishmael Smith showed off his skills to the nation in the form of 19 points and the game-winning bucket in overtime, as he slashed towards the bucket and popped a high arcing 12-footer to win it. Smith is really, really quick.
Did anyone think the Big East would have such a poor first day? Notre Dame, Georgetown and Marquette all go down, while two-seed Villanova needs overtime to beat 15-seed Robert Morris.
Speaking of Marquette, how about party-crashing Washington, who snuck into the 65-team field by winning the Pac-10 tournament? Quincy Pondexter sent Washington to the second round by banking in the winning shot with 1.7 seconds to go.
And Murray State…oh, Murray State, with the buzzer beaters.
Just a great day of basketball. And it happens again tomorrow.