Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:31:39 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness webmaster@nysun.com en-us Jonah Keri http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/living-dangerously.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/living-dangerously.html Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:26:00 EST Give UCLA full credit for a masterful defensive performance in the second-half of their come-from-behind 53-49 win over Texas A&M. The Bruins roared back from a 10-point deficit to win it, with the clinching play a shot from Donald Sloan blocked by Josh Shipp, after the entire Bruins defense collapsed on the Aggies ballhandler. So ferocious was UCLA's defense that A&M at one point scored just three points in a span of more than 10 minutes. Three points. That blue-collar approach is a Jonah Keri http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/another-contender-for-best-game-of.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/another-contender-for-best-game-of.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:04:00 EST It's tough to beat a 101-99 overtime thriller that ends on a triple-teamed 26-footer at the buzzer. But Stanford and Marquette gave that game a run for its money as the best one so far in this tournament. Stanford prevailed 82-81, though if basketball were counted in fractions, it would've been closer than that. The Cardinal jumped out to an early lead in this one, only to have Marquette's explosive three-guard combination of Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, and Jerel McNeal (more on him in a Jonah Keri http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/raining-threes.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/raining-threes.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:10:00 EST Three seeds, that is. In dispatching Purdue and Kansas State, Xavier and Wisconsin punched their tickets to the regionals in impressive fashion. Purdue jumped on the Musketeers early, leading by eight more than eight minutes into the first half. Xavier's star senior point guard, Drew Lavender, was being outplayed and Purdue was hitting jumpers from all angles. But the Musketeers came roaring back on a 13-2 run, grabbing the lead at halftime. The Boilermakers showed their mettle, reeling off an Jonah Keri http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/anatomy-of-a-duke-loss.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/anatomy-of-a-duke-loss.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:23:31 EST --Early foul trouble for Wellington Smith and Da'Sean Butler turned out to be a huge blessing for West Virginia. With two of their top three rebounders out, the Mountaineers went small, bringing in sophomore Joe Mazzulla to serve as a second point guard with senior Darris Nichols. All the 6-foot-2 Mazzulla did was rack up 13 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists (vs. his season averages of 5.5, 2.7 and 2.1). Time and again, Mazzulla blew by Duke defenders to get in the paint and snatched Jonah Keri http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/another-knockout-in-tampa.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/another-knockout-in-tampa.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:19:00 EST Villanova looked dead in the water against Clemson early on, with the Tigers scoring from all angles and causing problems with their full-court pressure defense. At one point Clemson led 36-18. But success and failure are vicious cycles for teams that press. When you're scoring, you can press, which often leads to more scoring opportunities. When the shots aren't falling, you can't press, and even a big lead can disappear. The Wildcats adjusted to Clemson's press. Then they started dominating Jonah Keri http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/three-reasons-mississippi-state.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/three-reasons-mississippi-state.html Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:49:00 EST 1) Charles Rhodes. The senior from Jackson, Mississippi, is one of the best low-post offensive players in the country. Against Oregon, Rhodes exploded for a career-high 34 points. There wasn't any great mystery behind his performance. Rhodes sank 10 of 12 shots from the field by doing most of his damage in the paint. The only Oregon player beefy enough to contain him, Joevan Catron, fouled out with more than five minutes left. Catron was unable to contain Rhodes' array of moves, and Oregon Jonah Keri http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/two-in-tampa-a-fans-dream.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/two-in-tampa-a-fans-dream.html Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:58:00 EST We had to settle for Tim Brando instead of Gus Johnson. Other than that, the two games in Tampa today were a college hoops fan's dream. No. 13 seed San Diego provided the heroics this time, knocking no. 4 UConn out of the tournament in a thrilling 70-69 overtime win. With Western Kentucky pulling out a 101-99 win for the ages earlier, no. 12 will battle no. 13 for a ticket to the Sweet 16 (and likely match-up with UCLA) in the West. So many angles to cover in this game. Here were the biggies Jonah Keri http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/early-games-1.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/march-madness/2008/03/early-games-1.html Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:40:00 EST Jessie Sapp's going to have a lot of nightmares tomorrow. Assuming Georgetown beats UMBC later today, Sapp—or backcourt mates Jonathan Wallace, Austin Freeman, or another Hoya—will have to guard Davidson phenom Stephen Curry in a second-round match-up on Sunday. Given the carnage that Curry inflicted on Gonzaga today, it can't be an assignment anyone's cherishing. Curry scored 40 points, including an amazing 30 in the second half, as Davidson rallied from 11 down to knock off Gonzaga 82-76.