NCAA Tournament 2001 - null


null


 Friday, March 23

THE NUMBER
15

On a day of shockers, no result floored the nation more than Hampton's upset of No. 2 Iowa State in Boise, Idaho. In winning, the Pirates became only the fourth No. 15 seed to reach the second round.

Smaller schools, major statements
It was a Day 1 unlike any in NCAA Tournament history. One that will be remembered for years to come. Why? Because the low-profile schools stole the spotlight with upset after upset. Hampton, Georgia State, Kent State and Utah State each proved once and for all to the selection committee that small schools deserved to be in this field. More ...

Shot Heard 'Round Hampton
Hampton's Tarvis Williams puts up his game-winning shot against Iowa State.

Question of the Day
Explain why No. 12 seeds continue to upset No. 5 seeds each year?

ESPN.com's Andy Katz
The NCAA Tournament almost sets up the 12-5 upsets by putting some of the softest high seeds in the five games. Ohio State wasn't exactly on a tear heading into the tournament. The Buckeyes blew a big lead to Iowa and lost in the Big Ten quarterfinals. They were an over-achieving bunch. Utah State was a dangerous 12 seed because the Aggies have played on par with everyone on their schedule, including a few high majors. The five seeds are almost expected to lose and the talk of the upsets seems to give the 12 seeds even more confidence. The Virginia players were asked if they felt like the underdogs Thursday. They actually felt that way because Gonzaga is a 12 seed and the assumption is that they will lose to the Zags. The trend continues and doesn't look like it will be reversed anytime soon.

ESPN's Jay Bilas
First, there are a lot of good teams in the tournament. In addition, there is always a team or two that thinks it will win because it's the better team. Something not talked about as much is that the higher-seeded team tends to tighten up. I think that's what happened to Ohio State. As Utah State became more confident, Ohio State became more and more fearful. The Buckeyes started doing things they wouldn't normally do, and it affected them down the stretch. There's a fine line if the higher seed doesn't take care of business. And Ohio State turned the ball over 21 times to only five turnovers for Utah State.

ESPN's Len Elmore
There are two reasons why this seems to happen year after year. The seeding process is not perfect. Teams will always slip through the cracks and end up being seeded lower than their talent would dictate. The committee doesn't always know how good teams from mid- and low-major conferences are. The second reason is teams have a ton of time to prepare for that first game. Out of those four twelve seeds there will be a quality coach who has the time to do his job and surprise a heavy favorite.

Thursday's Storylines
 
PLAYER OF DAY..............................
Tarvis Williams. You know, Hampton's hero. The senior's flip from four feet with 6.9 seconds left in the game stunned Big 12 champ Iowa State 58-57 in the West Regional. But if anyone was going to take the shot it was Williams, who averaged 22.3 ppg this season -- nearly twice as much as any other Pirate.
 
RANDOM THOUGHT...............................
Well, the selection committee got its wish in the East and West second rounds. Lefty Driesell will indeed face the team he coached for 17 seasons and to 348 wins when No. 11 Georgia State matches up with No. 2 Maryland on Saturday out West. And in the East, No. 1 Duke disciple Quin Synder faces his mentor Coach K when Missouri dances with the Devils in Greensboro. Synder was by Krzyzewski's side on Duke's bench when these teams met in '97 for the one and only time in Maui.
 
STOCK RISING.....................................
Steve Lavin. After a scary start against Hofstra, the Bruins are a win over Utah State away from the Sweet Sixteen. Should UCLA win, it would be Lavin's fourth team to reach the Sweet Sixteen in five seasons. Maybe that's why he has a long-term deal?
STOCK FALLING..................................
Indiana. New coach, same Hoosiers in NCAA Tournament. This early exit -- IU's fifth first-round loss in seven seasons -- came out of nowhere, which says something about the job Mike Davis did as interim head coach. While the Hoosiers' stock fell Thursday, its coach's shouldn't be sold. It will mature if given a chance in Bloomington.
 
USER MESSAGE OF THE DAY..................
Today's upsets show how the teams in the smaller conferences get screwed every year. Lousy teams in the big conferences get in and get bounced, while worthy teams who happen to not win their tourney don't get a ticket.
-- doubledownA6

Take your pick in the West Region. ESPN.com's nod goes to No. 15 Hampton. Don't look for the Pirates to beat Georgetown on Saturday. None of the three previous 15th seeds reached the Sweet 16. Just 3 of 12 prior 13th seeds (Kent State) have reached the Sweet 16, while 8 of 19 No. 11s (Georgia State) moved on to the next regional. As for those annual 12 seeds who win in the first round? Ten of 18 won twice.

ESPN BRACKETS
Bracket fever has hit ESPN! We have our own Tournament Challenge group, and you can check it out. First, you'll need to log on to the Challenge main page with your entry, and then chen check out the Featured Group Bristol University's Best to see our predictions. Mel Kiper Jr. and Stuart Scott are among four familiar names leading after Thursday with 12 correct picks.

"I think I smacked the ball and the bone just came right through. But I knew I was going back out there, even if they had to amputate it."

Creighton junior Ben Walker, after breaking his right ring finger while going for a rebound midway through the second half of the Bluejays' loss to Iowa.
GO TO REGION  
GO TO REGION  
GO TO REGION  
GO TO REGION  

Vitale: Fast recaps of Thursday's first-round games

audio
 Tarvis Williams knew what he had to do to get the game-winning basket.
wav: 81 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Dean Oliver and the Hawkeyes have grown accustom to winning without Luke Recker.
wav: 155 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Kevin Braswell knew Nate Burton's shot was good.
wav: 100 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Marvin O'Connor feels like his St. Joseph's team was underestimated.
wav: 101 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Casey Jacobsen feels Stanford has shown they are one of the country's elite teams.
wav: 105 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Juan Dixon and Terps stumbled a bit, but don't expect to be tripped up.
wav: 171 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Somebody has to go home losers and Kentucky's Tayshuan Prince is glad to be still playing.
wav: 165 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Mike Davis would love to coach at Indiana next year, but he knows it is not his decision.
wav: 135 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Coach Gary Williams warns people not to question the effort of Maryland.
wav: 108 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Coach Mike Krzyzewski likes Duke's chances despite feeling the injury bug.
wav: 100 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6