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It is amazing how quickly we get down to the Sweet Sixteen isn’t it. There are lots of really good teams in the field but as we have seen all tournament long sometimes the matchup is as important as anything. Some team’s strengths are easily neutralized and some team’s weaknesses are easily exploited.
The first weekend of action in the NCAA Tournament has provided many thrilling moments. Upsets were anything but rare, and a few Cinderellas made an appearance.
The NCAA Tournament picture looks considerably clearer following the first weekend. Several teams have tried on the Cinderella slipper, while some of the top seeds have asserted their dominance.
Lost in the glitz and glamour of the NCAA Tournament is the fact that there have been some very good games in the 2014 NIT. The third-seeded Clemson Tigers are coming off of a dramatic one-point win (50-49) over the No. 2 Illinois Fighting Illini, while the fifth-seeded Belmont Bruins are coming off of a solid 82-71 win over No. 8 Robert Morris.
Dayton is 19-12 ATS with an O/U record of 16-14 and Stanford is 19-12-2 ATS with an O/U record of 14-18-1. In their last games Stanford beat Kansas 60-57 and Dayton beat Syracuse 55-53.
With the NCAA Tournament taking a short hiatus before the Sweet 16 tips off Thursday, all eyes should be on the NIT. On Tuesday, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers with a trip to New York City on the line. The Winner will head to Maddison Square Garden for the Final Four in April.
The Wildcats sure didn’t look like No. 1 seed on Friday, but will get the added benefit of playing a Gonzaga squad that also looked like it could improve, when the two tangle in San Diego in a third-round matchup in the West regional on Sunday.
The top-seeded Wichita State Shockers will look to continue their historic run on Sunday when they take on the eighth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the third round of the Midwest Regional.
The 14th-seeded Mercer Bears will look to continue their improbable run through the NCAA Tournament when they take on an 11th-seeded Tennessee Volunteers team that looks to continue an improbable run of their own in Raleigh on Sunday.
The 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin will look to continue their unlikely run when they take on the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
The book is closed on the first and second rounds of NCAA Tournament play after some characteristic upsets: #14 seed Mercer over #3 Duke; #12 Stephen F. Austin over #5 Virginia Commonwealth; #12 Harvard over #5 Cincinnati; #12 North Dakota State beating #5 Oklahoma. Some bracket-busters to be sure.
Stanford is 18-12-2 ATS with an O/U record of 14-17-1 and Kansas is 16-17-1 ATS with an O/U record of 19-14. In their last games Stanford beat New Mexico 58-53 and Kansas beat Eastern Kentucky 80-69.
The Cyclones were among the group of highly seeded teams that let their opponents linger for much longer than expected. This was a game for the first half but in the second half Iowa State pulled away posting some impressive offensive numbers including: 93 points and 64% shooting from the field for the game.
If you read my preview of Coastal Carolina vs. Virginia, or any Virginia game really, you know I am not a big fan of the Cavs. The final score from their opener against the Chanticleers is more flattering than the game which was in doubt until the final 6 or 7 minutes despite the discrepancy in the seeding.
Twelve seed North Dakota State advanced with a huge upset over No. 5 Oklahoma on Thursday, and will take on the San Diego State Aztecs in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday.
The Baylor Bears entered their matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers as one team with momentum against another. The Cornhuskers were hungry for an NCAA Tournament victory, as their last appearance was in 1998.
