V-RECAPS: First Round | March 15
ESPN.com's NCAA Tournament coverage
MIDWEST REGION
(12) Creighton 83, (5) Florida 82: What a contest! Unbelievable! A Malox-masher in double overtime baby! Billy Donovan's team, which had been struggle-city at the end of the regular season and in the SEC tournament, went down in defeat. Give Creighton of the Missouri Valley Conference credit for rallying. The key player was Terrell Taylor who went eight for 15 from behind the arc.
Dana Altman is a PTPer -- a coach worth keeping an eye on. Altman has taken Creighton to the NCAA Tournament four straight years but he got them to the winners circle on Friday thanks to the performances of Taylor and Kyle Korver. Korver, a long-range bomber who fouled out, chipped in with 16 points. But Taylor was the story with 28 big ones.
(4) Illinois 93, (13) San Diego State 64: At the beginning of the season, do you think Bill Self would have been happy to play the first two rounds of the tournament in Chicago, needing wins over San Diego State and Creighton to make the Sweet 16? Are you kidding me? If you had told him that before the season, he wouldn't have stopped smiling.
This Illinois team, much like Kentucky, is dangerous and seeking redemption for their days of struggle-city during the regular season. Frank Williams clearly came to play today with a super first-half performance that set the tone for an easy Illini victory. Williams hit six of his first nine shots -- if he continues to play like that, Illinois is capable of making a run to Atlanta.
(3) Mississippi State 70, (14) McNeese State 58: McNeese State came out of the gate ready to play and ready to challenge SEC Champion Mississippi State. But when it was all said and done, Rick Stansbury's kids responded big behind Mario Austin -- the 6-foot-10 forward who scored inside and out all night long. The Bulldogs can thank the fantastic competition they faced all year in the SEC for preparing them to play like Champs in the Big Dance.
(6) Texas 70, (11) Boston College 57: Texas raced out to a big, 19-point halftime lead. They held on through the second half, thanks to Deginald Erskine and the big-shooting Longhorns. T.J. Ford distributed the rock with his usual aplomb and James Thomas was a force inside.
The Longhorn defense did an outstanding job holding Ryan Sidney in check. Troy Bell tried and tried, but his supporting cast didn't come through, and the Eagles made their earliest exit from the Tournament in their last 10 appearances.
SOUTH REGION
(3) Pittsburgh 71, (14) Central Connecticut 54: The big question for Pitt was the status of Brandin Knight, but he proved to be nothing but healthy. Knight played 39 minutes and came through with 17 points and nine assists.
Pittsburgh's front line also came through with solid performances from Donatas Zavackas and Ontario Lett who went five-for-five and four-for-six from on the floor, respectively. Lett has really been developing -- he had a solid performance in the finals of the Big East tournament. Also impressive was Julius Page who scored 16 points including a SLAM-BAM-JAM at the end of the game to ice it for Pitt.
(6) California 82, (11) Pennsylvania 75: The Ivy League has improved and Penn is certainly a solid representative. But in the end, Joe Shipp, Brian Wethers and company were too much for Penn to handle. Shipp was solid on the foul line hitting 11 of 14 free throws to help ice the victory.
Ben Braun is a solid coach who did wonders at Eastern Michigan -- now he's trying to get Cal to the Sweet 16. The Pac-10 is off to a terrific start with Arizona, Cal, Stanford and Oregon advancing already.
WEST REGION
(2) Oklahoma 71, (15) Illinois (Chi.) 63: Oklahoma really struggled shooting the three, but the inside play of Aaron McGhee was a big difference in the Sooners' win over Illinois-Chicago. McGhee scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Another key performance came from Daryan Selvy who hit six of seven 3-pointers. Oklahoma will take on Xavier in the second round.
(7) Xavier 70, (10) Hawaii 58: Thad Matta has to be happy with his team's second-half performance -- they got to the winners' circle even with David West in foul trouble. Hawaii build up a 40-28 lead in the first half but it was brick-city-USA in the second half.
Predrag Savovic had a super performance with 26 points for Hawaii but in the end, Xavier's defensive intensity in the second half was the difference maker. Romain Sato had 18 points and 10 rebounds for a key double-double.
(16) Boston University 52, (1) Cincinnati 90: No surprises here -- this one was a total M&M-er -- a flat-out mis-match. Bob Huggins' Cincinnati club, with their suffocating defense, put the big-time hurt on Boston University's Terriers. It was blowout-city right from the gate, as the Bearcats athleticism and talent were simply too much for BU to handle. Cincy had an especially productive night shooting the 3, and Steve Logan looked like the catalyst he always is.
(8) UCLA 80, (9) Mississippi 58: A lot of people predicted Steve Lavin would go down early in this year's Tourney -- but there was no fallout for the Bruins against the tenacious Ole Miss defense. The Bruins applied pressure on the defensive end and got a superb performances from veteran Billy Knight and diaper dandy Dijon Thompson. UCLA was in control from the first tip, running the court exceptionally well and making the open shots.
UCLA is the Jekel and Hyde of college basketball, but they brought their "A" game Friday. They better bring their "A+" game when they hook up with the Cincinnati Bearcats in round two. When they beat Kansas earlier this season, the Bruins proved they can beat anyone. Bobby Huggins will not sleep well Friday night.
EAST REGION
(7) N.C. State 69, (10) Michigan State 58 : N.C. State got a solid second-half performance from diaper dandy Julius Hodge who hit all five of his field goal attempts. Hodge really stepped up when All-ACC performer Anthony Brundy picked up his fourth foul. Hodge hit a couple of big 3-pointers to rally N.C. State. In the end, the Wolfpack pulled away in their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1991.
It was disappointing end to the season for Tom Izzo and the Spartans. Kelvin Torbert struggled again (one for five from the floor) and Marcus Taylor made just five of 22 shots.
(2) Connecticut 78, (15) Hampton 67: It was not an easy victory for the Huskies against Hampton. Steve Merfeld's team tried to duplicate last year's shock-city when they knocked of the No. 2 seed, Iowa State, in the opening round. The Big East tournament champs got solid performances from Caron Butler -- 29 points and nine rebounds -- and diaper dandy Emeka Okafor who had 15 rebounds, 12 points, five blocked shots and hit six of seven from the floor. Okafor is important and makes a difference because he changes opponents' shots and is a true Windex man on the glass.
(8) Wisconsin 80, (9) St. John's 70: In a battle of a No. 8 vs. No. 9, St. John's ran into a brilliantly coached Badger team. Bo Ryan, who should get serious consideration for national Coach of the Year -- had his kids tuned up and ready to perform. Marcus Hatten scored big for the Red Storm, but he had to take many shots to do so.
Along the way, Kirk Penney was his solid self, and Freddy Owens and company provided balance. The Badgers scored 80 points for only the fourth time this season -- they typically rely more on their defense. But not on Friday, when they combined a defensive effort with an offensive showing to advance to the second round and send the Red Storm to the sidelines.
(6) Texas Tech 68, (11) Southern Illinois 76: A salute to the Missouri Valley conference, as the Southern Illinois Salukis join Creighton in advancing to the second round. Bruce Webber's club put in a brilliant performance and controlled the game from the outset. They had a balanced attack, with Jermaine Dearman and Rolan Robert, who played effectively on the interior -- especially in the second half.
Kent Williams looked great on the perimeter, and they did a solid job defensively against Texas Tech's improved star Andre Emmett. Emmett couldn't get involved early in the game, which allowed Southern Illinois to jump out to a comfortable lead. Webber's kids proved that they flat-out belong in the Tournament.
(1) Maryland 85, (16) Siena 70: The Maryland Terps did exactly what everyone expected them to do in front of their home crowd in Washington, D.C. They handled a gallant Siena team who scraped and fought as hard as they could. All-American Juan Dixon had 29 points to set the pace for the Terps, who simply had too much talent for the Siena Saints to handle.
Maryland faces significantly tougher competition in the second round, as they take on Bo Ryan's hustling Wisconsin Badger team. Gary Williams lost a heart-breaker in Madison last year, he may be looking for payback -- and this time the stakes are much higher.
(3) Georgia 85, (14) Murray State 68: Georgia and Jimmy Harrick got a tussle from the Murray State Racers. The Ohio Valley Conference champs put up a tough battle, but when it was said and done, Jarvis Hayes made one big play after another to spark the Bulldogs to a victory. Jarvis' twin, Jonas Hayes, came through with a double-double. Everyone expects the productivity from Jarvis, but Jonas coming through in a big-time way was a huge key to Georgia's victory.
