NCAA: The Elite 8 is Set (Yawn)

Posted on | March 28, 2009 | No Comments

Well, if you like Cinderella then this year’s tournament is not for you. It’s not that it’s struck midnight. It’s more like the Fairy Godmother forgot to show-up. The 2 teams that were even remotely like a Cinderella – Gonzaga and Arizona – were both rudely knocked out of the Tournament on Friday night. The 2 #3 seeds, the Syracuse Orange and the Kansas Jayhawks, were both knocked out last night too. That leaves 4 #1 seeds, 2 #2 seeds, and 2 #3 seeds left in the tournament. And if you’re counting conferences then the Big East has 4 teams, the Big 12 has 2 teams, the ACC has 1, and 1 Big 10 team. No small conferences. No lower ranked teams.

So if you like Cinderella then the chances are that you’re pulling for Villanova. They are the only team that isn’t a 1 or a 2 seed. And they play a brand of basketball that is at least a little like smaller schools. They’re all ball handlers and they can all defend and shoot.

Or maybe you’re pulling for Missouri. They are a team that nobody talked much about this year. They were always there, playing scrappy and good basketball, but they were always overshadowed by Oklahoma in the Big 12.

Speaking of Oklahoma, they did a number on Syracuse. The Orange looked nervous at the opening of each half and were outscored at the opening of both halves by something like 24-4. That was the game right there.

And Blake Griffin is a freak. He is amazing to watch. But can we please get the officials to call a charge on him once in a while? I mean, toward the end of the 1st half he put his head down and drove toward the basket. Little Jonny Flynn bravely set his feet and took an obvious charge. Yet, a block was called. And please. Save me the bang-bang argument. It wasn’t too close to call. Any other time a guy puts his head down and drives for 15 feet before running someone over, a charge is the easy call.

So, just 4 games stand between now and the Final Four. There won’t be any upsets, but here’s to hoping the games get more competitive.

Related posts:

1. NCAA: Reacapping the 1st 2 Rounds of the NCAA Tournament
2. NCAA: An Overview of the NCAA Tournament Bracket
3. NCAA: Upsets Highlight Day 2 of NCAA Tournament
4. NCAA: Another Shakeup to the Big Dance
5. The Elite Eight

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