Honestly an almost flawless match from Zverev--and minimally flawed from Shelton! Shelton blew a serve early in the 1st, which Zverev held on to.
But then neither Zeverev nor Shelton blinked in the 2nd set. Zverev rather easily took the tie break but Shelton was still very much alive.
Zverev had one bad serve late in the 3rd set, which Shelton capitalized on.
But early in the 4th Shelton gave a break to Zverev, then flailed toward the end in a manner that seemingly caused Zverev to lose track of the score.
Not a lot to say on this match except that this shows the point-by-point nature of tennis: it looks like Zverev cruised or dominated but, not at all. Shelton was really good, he made a handful of mistakes, whereas Zverev really only had the one broken serve. Tennis is tough, man, these guys were actually super close but Zverev was nearly perfect. Zverev is really putting his stamp on the title of best of the post-Federer/Nadal/Djokovic era.
The only other US Open I caught was Tiafoe beating Medvedev. I like Tiafoe, hell of an athlete, but I always wondered if he was good at tennis, if he really had it in him to to take the next step against the top tier players. Well, from what I saw of his match against Medvedev, I believe Tiafoe can rise up. In fact, I'm surprised Shelton beat him in the semifinals.
Spain dominated possession, got a PK, dominated possession some more, added another goal when the French defense fell asleep, dominated possession and then it was over. France had a coupla chances but never felt particularly dangerous, Spain just choked them out and when they got the first goal it was over, but when they got the second goal it was over. France had a great run in this Cup but Spain is their kryptonite, the only team really that could interrupt their attack and put them in a back sliding position. Disappointing for the French, seems like Coach Deschamps is on the way out (*), Mbappe is heading into wily veteran phase, but France still has a ton of young talent (Olise, Deue, Upmecano and Dembele should all be back for the next Cup) and Deschamps is as decorated a veteran in the history of French futbol, so no hard feelings.
Argentina 2-1 England
I simply don't understand bunkering in soccer when you have the talent to possess and attack. Don't you see that the way to run out clock in soccer is to possess the ball rather than building a wall in front of your goal? If you suck at soccer and you're up against a vastly better opponent, well, then parking the bus is probably your best shot in such a low scoring game. But England is one of the finest squads in the world, plenty of ball handling talent in the midfield, plenty of dangerous attackers up front--so make the other team play defense! Make them nervous! Make them backpedal! Why are you just sitting back and letting Argentina take batting practice on you? I just...I don't....what....
Well, it happened again: Argentina plays like slop for 80 minutes, falls behind, then in desperation picks apart the other team's backward-facing defense to steal the game late. In the 1st half, the teams were both very chippy, a lot of aggressive fouls and passive-aggressive foul-baiting that was, at times, kind of embarrassing to watch. These are two top flight teams, they should be playing soccer instead of trying to play the referee. So by halftime, not much had happened and it was a scoreless draw. Then England were able to find the goal on a header off a lovely cross into the box that the defender just couldn't get to. Now up 1-0, it felt like it was time for England to play loose and push forward, there was still plenty of time left, hunkering back didn't seem necessary or appropriate (or feasible). But England didn't really get much going in this game with or without the lead. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham both disappeared and the English never got forward or possessed much. They played too emotional in the 1st half and without much thought in the 2nd.
Well, after 40 solid minutes of Messi probing the English back line, the Argentines tied the game up. Then a few minutes later, Messi connected on a cross to steal the victory. Meanwhile, the English just sorta stood there. To be fair, England kinda sucked the whole time, its not like scoring the goal changed anything up for them. But they allowed Argentina to possess in front of them for so much of the game, it's kinda surprising England were able to steal the lead at all. But once they did, you can tell they just thought the game was over. Anyway, England has been in a nice place the last few years, it'd be easy to say they're moving in the right direction but will Germany, Italy and Netherlands suck forever? (spoiler alert: I doubt it) The English better get their shit together because this good run won't last forever.
3rd Place Game
England 6-4 France
Whoa! What a game! Easily the funnest game of this Cup--I'd be shocked and amazed if the Final was half this good! That said, the 1st half was actually rather lackluster. Before England's first goal (in the 3rd minute), I already noted that the French just didn't look up for this match. England was playing loose and fun, the French looked like they all had hangovers (**); France was playing like a college football team that had been in the top 10 all season, fucked up late and found themselves in the Gator Bowl instead of the big game. England scored quickly (he had an opportunity, took a long rip, it was well placed, the keeper was cooked), then followed pretty soon after with another goal off a corner kick. I felt bad for the French goalie: he's had a pretty damn good tournament but his defenders on this day left him out to dry. The third goal was a bit of Keystone Kops stuff, but the initial outlet pass was a beauty and the way the English strikers stayed with the play was impressive, drawing the keeper out of position, then toying with the hapless defenders. A 4th goal before halftime was embarrassing but, if you were paying attention, those last two English goals came from France pushing too far ahead--so at least France woke up and was trying to get into the game. England was up 4-0 at the half but I had a feeling that France would be coming back. I envisioned a 4-3 scoreline in the 85th minute guaranteeing a furious finish. Well, I was sorta right: the 4-3 scoreline came in the 65th minute, which allowed for a lot more craziness.
France came out balling after halftime and just ran the English out of the stadium for 20 minutes. My god, if Olise could shoot worth a shit, man, France might've scored 10 goals! Just as France were back in it, they gave up a penalty (right call, defender really shouldn't have gone down like that) and the score was 5-3. But France kept attacking, made it 5-4 and it felt like the furious finish was gonna come after all. But Bellingham finished the scoring with a nasty piece of bag work and finished the game off. It was kinda fun watching the English take it to the French, just as fun watching the France take it back at 'em. (If England had played half this frisky against Argentina, they'd be playing today instead of yesterday!) Fun match.
Final
Spain v Argentina
This is reminding me of the Ladies' French Open Final we just had: Chwalinska was a qualifier that made her way to the Final, not so much by outplaying her opponents as simply mesmerizing them; Andreeva, a top ten talent on the way up, failed to be mesmerized and just smooshed her like a bug, even though Chwalisnka had been on an amazing heater. Yeah...yeah: Argentina hasn't been beating teams, they've been mesmerizing them, the other team get the goal they need, then they're star struck by Messi, they're ball watching rather than playing and before they know it, their lunch money is gone and they don't even know what happened. Messi inspires the best out of people, then forces them to play different once they've taken the lead. Can he do it against Spain?
In a word: no. They are not going to be mesmerized or put off their game plan. Spain only plays one way. Whether they're ahead or behind, they only play one way. Whether its the opening bell or time is running out, they only play one way. Whether Messi is on the other team or not, they only play one way. I have no doubt Spain will dominate the time of possession. The question is can Spain score? If they can steal the lead, it'll be tough for Argentina to get it back. As we're seen, it takes Messi really until the very end of the match to put his observations into action and only then after a prolonged period of probing the defense. But Spain won't give him that time to probe or experiment. Argentina needs to get a penalty or close direct kick or create chaos out of corner kicks; in short, Argentina's best chance to score is on set plays rather than the run of play. Also, I think the longer game goes, I think that just gives Argentina more opportunities to steal a goal and/or more time to probe for the Spanish defense weaknesses
I worried Spain wouldn't score against France but they got a penalty and a rebound goal (***) and they were in control throughout. If they can do that against Argentina, then I think this game is over quick and possibly even rather dull (depending on how furious the Argentines can make it down the stretch). Spain (like Andreeva in the French Open example) just plays their game, the opponent's highs and lows don't much matter. If Argentina scores, Spain will just keep plugging along, maybe they regain the lead, maybe they don't, but either way they're not going to panic, they're not going to fall apart. That cohesive style is Spain's greatest strength and I think it will carry them to trophy presentation. As for Argentina, they've played with moxy and Messi is still an all-timer, but I think they're out of gas and unless they come up with a shocker of a goal (preferably as early in the match as possible), then I just don't think they outscore Spain.
I've been picking against Argentina the whole way and I've been getting wrong the whole time. But this pick isn't about Argentina, it's about Spain. And, yeah, that's the point.
(*) I recommended years ago that USA soccer go get Deschamps. I think I still think that. I don't dislike Coach Pochittino, but I suspect that the problems behind the scenes of Team USA are not talent or tactics but personalities (re: it seems like they all hate each other). Personality clashes aren't a killer to a team, they just require a certain finesse. Deschamps has spent a lifetime dealing with bigger-than-life personalities (I remember when Eric Cantona called Deschamps "the water boy" back in the day, but Deschamps went on to a lot more glory than Cantona ever got!), is he the right guy to knock some heads together in the USA locker room? I dunno, but I suspect he might have a better shot at it than Coach Poch. And why hasn't Pochettino made his decision yet on whether to to return? He's probably waiting for other jobs to come open--and Team USA is probably waiting for other coaches to come available. Well....here he is.
(**) The beer sweats. Well, they're French, so...the wine sweats?
(***) Hmmm....have you noticed that a lot of Spain's goals come from rebounds? 'Sup wit dat?
Morocco blocked up France pretty well, but once Mbappe found the goal (sweet rip!) and then Dembele followed soon after (sneaky touch!), that was it for Morocco. They had the right idea and both of the goals were really nice, so they held on as best they could, but it never felt like they were going to score, so they had to get to PK's to make it work. Outside of that 8-or-so minute stretch, Morocco was hanging.
Spain 2-1 Belgium
Worth noting that both of Spain's goals were off sloppy rebounds, as dominant as their possession is and as much as we want to anoint Yamal as the next super stud, their goal scoring is shaky at best. Belgium was savvy enough to keep it close, get the first goal back, perhaps if their goalkeeper hadn't gone out for injury, maybe they survive into overtime. But it wasn't to be, Spain was too good at keeping Belgium out of any offensive rhythm and got enough luck to move on.
England 2-1 (OT) Norway
Strange game. Neither Harry Kane (England) nor Erleng Haaland (Norway), two of the bust out stars of this Cup, did much of anything in this match. Norway took the lead on a sweet sneaky strike--Norway's achilles' heel in this match was using Haaland as a decoy rather than a for-real target and though it got the their first goal, it didn't get them any more than that. But Jude Bellingham had a moment of brilliance to bring the score back level. Norway's lethargic offense was on display for the first 20 minutes or so, but after the hydration break, they went balls to the wall for about the next 60 minutes. But the Miami heat just kinda wore them down and when Bellingham stuck in a rebound in the extra frame, it felt like the dagger. Both teams were dragging hard by the end. Norway had a good run, Haaland was definitely one of this year's stand-outs, but their offense was just too creaky to get any further than this.
Argentina 3-1 (OT) Switzerland
Argentina stole the lead early on a header in the first 10 minutes, my immediate thought was "okay, this game ends one nothing." And it felt like that for the rest of the 1st half. But Switzerland equalized after halftime, pretty quickly followed by a screwy red card: Swiss had the ball, appeared to be fouled by the Argentine defender, ref gives Argentine a yellow card, replay shows that Swiss guy flopped, so the ref--because he gave out an initial yellow--felt the need to give the flopper a yellow, which was the dude's second and he got tossed. So, look, it was a pretty ordinary looking foul, I didn't think it warranted a yellow card, but when he flipped his call, now he had to give the other guy, which was even less warranted. This basically forced the Swiss to bunker and counter, which they otherwise probably wouldn't have done. Argentina was totally uninspiring for 90 minutes but when Alvarez had an opening, he drilled it (*). They added another as the Swiss went into sell out mode. Argentina is just lolling along, I don't understand how they've been able to get this far, even Messi is starting to slow down and this team just isn't that impressive.
Semifinals
Spain - France
Okay, Spain, it's Yamal time! I have no doubt that Spain can hang with France, but if they're gonna beat France they're going to have to score--probably more than once! And Yamal is the only one with that level of danger. Spain can stifle the French, they can make the French work, they can dodge and parry and counter, but to win they're gonna need goals, because France just needs a minute to light up the scoreboard. If this gets to OT, I think that favors France; if it gets to PKs, that probably still favors France. Spain needs to win it in regulation and that requires keeping France at bey (which they can do) and putting the ball in the net (which....I don't know if they can do that). I can totally see a game where Spain dominates possession for 85 minutes and loses 2-0. Again, France has too many advantages for Spain to keep up with. Gotta go with France.
Argentina - England
Argentina has been the most frustrating side to watch in this Cup. Outside of Messi being Messi, this team is so unimpressive, they're so not particularly good at anything, they're so lucky in the front and the back. I know they have pedigree, they're loaded with int'l talent and yet, outside of Messi, they're not interesting to watch and they don't seem reliable in any way. England is dangerous up front, just good enough in the back, but can they control the midfield against Argentina? I think they can and I think they have more all-round scoring punch than Argentina. Gotta go with England.
(*) I knew it was in before he took the shot. Needed the right touch but he had the opening and he nailed it. Hell of a shot.
Chwalinska was the talk of the tourney, a qualifier who managed to fustigate everyone she played all the way to the Final. Her gimmick is that she's really good at taking the speed out of the ball, controlling the pace to give herself the best opportunities to find winners. But I had a feeling this strategy wasn't gonna work against Andreeva (indeed, this is one of most predictable matches I've seen in ages). Why? Because well....(to say this about a boy is pure compliment, but about a girl, it feels kinda icky, but)...Andreeva's young and dumb. She didn't realize she was supposed to be hypnotized by Chwalinska's magic, so she just pummeled her instead. Along the way everyone was treating Chwalinksa like a puzzle to be solved, but I figured Andreeva was only going to see her as a less talented competitor (which she is) and would steamroll over her (which she pretty much did). It did take Andreeva a coupla games early on to get the feel of the match but once she found her legs, it was over, Chwalinska had no answer for Andreeva's control and power.
Worth mentioning: (1) Sabalenka is still the best...until she flames out. Here she flamed out in the quarters to (25) Shnaider, who is a nice player, but there's no reason that she should bagel Sabalenka in the 3rd set, except that Sabalenka bageled herself. Shnaider then went on to get hypnotized by Chwalinska in the semis. (*) Would Sabalenka have beaten Chwalinska and then Andreeva? Well, as long as she didn't flame out, I think she would have. Point being: only Sabalenka can beat Sabalenka right now (she dispatched (16) Osaka in the 4th round without much effort), so she's gotta be the fave for Wimbledon. But I was impressed with Andreeva and I think she went up a level, so I'll be keeping an eye on her.
(10) Cobolli 1/6/4/7/1 - 6/4/6/6/6 (2) Zverev
I thought Cobolli and Zverev were the two best players throughout the tourney, thought Zverev was the only one that could beat Cobolli after watching Cobolli destroy the American (18) Tien, who just couldn't do anything against him. To be fair, it did feel like Cobolli was playing the best tennis of his life, but he looked quite comfortable on the red clay and even got a freebie in the semis when Arnaldi retired without firing a shot. The story of the tourney besides the finalists was the wrist injury that forced Alcaraz to withdraw before the tourney began and the early upsets that knocked out (1) Sinner and (3) Djokovic, who must've thought they'd be seeing each other after Alcaraz disappeared, but neither of them made it too far.
As for the Final itself, Cobolli started slow, then recovered nicely in the 2nd set. I thought Cobolli would take the 3rd, too, but Zverev got the break and made it stick. Cobolli was up a break through most of the 4th set, but couldn't hold it, then went down early in the tiebreak, but rallied and finished it out (after a heartbreaking whiff on Set Point #1). Felt like Cobolli was on a roll, but not so much. He failed to ride the momentum and Zverev finished off the 5th set rather easily. Cobolli made a game of it and had a hell of a tourney, but Zverev's length and power were too much to overcome and it led to his first Grand Slam. Good run for Cobolli, great win for Zverev. (**)
(*) In the quarters, Chwalinska beat (22) Kalinskaya and I swear you could see the wheels turning in Kalinskaya's head: you could tell she was saying to herself 'I'm better than this chick, why can't I beat her!' Shnaider, too, in the semis was a ball of frustration. Chwalinska's mesmerism was on point but I think it was uniquely suited to Roland Garros, I don't see her being a factor in Wimbledon or the US.
(**) I believe Alcaraz has already withdrawn from Wimbledon, too, so Zverev might be coming in as the popular favorite. Curious to see if Cobolli can keep it going on grass. Keep an eye on (26) Mensik, who lost to Zverev in the semis, and (28) Fonseca, who looks ready to make a leap. And will Sinner, Shelton and Djokovic be ready after bowing out early in Roland Garros?
UConn made more shots than Illinois. Sounds rather basic but it felt to me like both teams were getting shots, getting the offense they wanted to get, UConn converted more than Illinois did and that was about it. I think UConn is the most puzzling team of recent times: they're right there every year and I generally don't understand why. I don't see anything special about UConn at all, don't understand how they did so well this season or in this tourney. If Illinois just knocks down some shots, I think they would've won and I feel like I could say that about most of UConn's opponents. I dunno, I just don't understand why they've had so much success.
(1) Michigan 91-73 (1) Arizona
I thought this one was gonna be a classic but, no, Michigan pretty much shut them down from beginning to end. Arizona had a burst about 10 minutes into the 1st half where they tied it up, but that was the end of that. Michigan ran off before haltime and buried them rather easily in the 2nd half. I was blown away by Arizona's scoring potential against Purdue, thought it would translate to Michigan, but no it did not. I'd be kinda shocked if Michigan didn't mop the floor with UConn.
(2) Connecticut 63-69 (1) Michigan
A rather unsatisfying game. Michigan was the better team but they never could extend their lead or really dominate the action, so UConn hung around even though they weren't really shooting all that well. The refs were letting them on beat on each other so the stretch run of the game was a lot of fouls, replays, clumsy play. I thought Michigan should've pounded UConn and looking back on it....they absolutely should have pounded UConn. But Michigan had their own shooting woes and the style of the refs just slowed everything down and kept giving UConn chances. The Huskies couldn't take advantage of the opportunities but it still made for a sludgy game where the better team felt bridled, instead of unleashing an all-timer of an ass-whippin'. Wolverines are your champs! They really were the best team all through the tourney, one of the best of the regular season, a well put-together collection of length and speed. I doubt this team even hit their peak this season--they could've absolutely demolished the Final but the game itself slowed them down.
Iowa started hot, just couldn't keep up the offense. Illinois is a grinding team, not the most talented but gonna be a tough out.
(2) Purdue 79-64 (1) Arizona
Wow, Arizona just took Purdue apart. Never felt like the Boilermakers were even in this game. Arizona scores all over the place, I think they're looking pretty good.
Didn't see:
(2) Connecticut 73-72 (1) Duke
All I saw was literally the final 10 seconds or so, the entire play where Duke gacks it up on the full court press and UConn drains a 35 footer at the buzzer to win it. Duke dominated the 1st half, felt like they were cruising all through the 2nd half, then suddenly with 10 seconds left the game was actually on the line. Man, I love watching Duke lose, they come up with some interesting ways to do it.
(6) Tennessee 62-95 (1) Michigan
Not even close, over quick. Michigan just stifles all comers.
I thought Texas was the better team for most of the game, but Purdue got late buckets and UT faltered, so the Boilermakers are moving on. Too bad for the Longhorns, this was a winnable game for them. Purdue is a nice team but I suspect this is as far as they go.
(9) Iowa 77-71 (4) Nebraska
Nebraska got off to a hot start--and if they could've kept it going, they would've won easily. But as the game wore on, their shooting completely fell off. Iowa is gonna be a tough out: they play as a unit, they don't really rely on anyone to do anything, they're all in lockstep and as Nebraska peaked and faded, Iowa just steadily played their game and got the W.
(3) Illinois 65-55 (2) Houston
This Houston team didn't have the depth that they've had in recent years. Illinois was able to control possessions and had more offense all the way through.
(5) St. John's 75-80 (1) Duke
The two teams were pretty even but in the final minutes, Duke had the star power and St. John's didn't. Sound simplistic but Duke made the plays in the final handful of possessions and St. John's just couldn't keep up. The first 39 minutes, though, were pretty even--maybe St. John's was even a little better.
(4) Alabama 77-90 (1) Michigan
Back and forth all through the 1st half, even at the break. I felt like Michigan's ability to keep the scoring going would be better than Alabama's, and I was right. The Wolverines are good at every position and the depth just won out over the Tide.
(6) Tennessee 76-62 (2) Iowa State
I thought UT was just flat out better than Iowa State. Iowa State just suffered a major injury, but even still I was surprised how easy it looked for the Vols to control the match.
The ones I missed:
(4) Arkansas 88-109 (1) Arizona
I missed this one though it felt like the marquee match of the round. Arizona held the lead pretty much throughout and steadily piled on after halftime. This Arkansas team was nice, felt like they had everything they needed but never really took command in any way. Arizona is one of those casually good teams that might be staggeringly better than everyone else or they may get stomped in the next match--hard to tell.
(3) Michigan State 63-67 (2) Connecticut
UConn jumped out to an early lead, seemed like the whole rest of the game was Michigan State chipping away. chipping away, but then coming up just short. The Spartans are a nice defensive squad, but their offense was always kinda suspect and when they got behind early, it didn't feel like they would make up the gap. I don't get this UConn squad, I can't tell if they're any good or not.
Miami did well to hang for a while, every time it felt like Purdue had finally finished them off, the Hurricanes would come roaring back. The game was a bit closer--certainly more tense--than the score would suggest. Purdue is a nice team but I don't see them as a champion, I can't imagine they'll go undefeated from here.
(7) Kentucky 63-82 (2) Iowa State
UK started off hot but they weren't able to keep that going for very long. Iowa State is nice team, deceptively long at every position and feature of batch of pretty good shooters. I can see the Cyclones winning it all (just sayin').
(5) St. John's 67-65 (4) Kansas
What an ending! St. John's had a decent lead through most of the game, Kansas warmed up late, whittled the lead down to nothing with about 14 seconds left. Because KU had only committed 2 fouls (who the fuck only two fouls in an entire half of basketball?!?!?), they were able to run off most of the remaining time by just fouling over and over. But with 3 seconds left and no more fouls to give, St. John's was able to get loose up the middle straight to the basket for the layup at the buzzer. Beautiful! I was kinda lukewarm on both of these teams all season long but I think the Johnies are getting hot at the right time, if they can keep their 3-point shooting going, they can hang.
(6) Tennessee 79-72 (3) Virginia
I thought Tennessee was the better side throughout, but UVA came back late and really made it tense in the last few minutes. But UVA just didn't have the scoring to keep up and UT milked the lead to close out the game. Not a huge fan of UT, but they if they can get hot from outside, they'll be a tough out.
(9) Iowa 73-72 (1) Florida
I figured Florida would pummel Iowa, but I was intrigued when I noticed the Hawkeyes up by double digits at halftime. Florida floundered around for a little while into the 2nd half but then they found themselves and took control of the game. So--and I watched the rest of the game and I still don't know--how was Iowa even close enough to hit a late shot on them? I'm puzzled. It felt like with about 12 minutes to go, Florida righted the ship and had full control, but somehow Iowa hung around and with 5 seconds left they were only down by 2. This is the first real shocker of the tourney for me, I thought Florida was a shoo-in for the Elite 8 and I fully expected them to be in the mix at the end of the tourney. I watched it and I still don't understand how Iowa won, but they hustle and when they get hot, they've shown they can win.
Games I caught on the scoreboard ticker:
(9) Utah State 66-78 (1) Arizona
Not exactly a thumping but it looked like the Wildcats were in control throughout.
(7) UCLA 57-73 (2) Connecticut
Back and forth for a while, then UConn finished them off, I take it.
(5) Texas Tech 65-90 (4) Alabama
Hmmm....I thought Bama was a major upset possibility and I thought Tech was a pretty solid team that would probably finish off the Tide. But, dang, it looks like Bama just took it to 'em from the gitty.
Good win for Michigan. St. Louis would have moments, but the Wolverines did well to keep their offense in check. The game was mostly closer than this, Michigan kinda ran off and left them in the last 10 mins. Michigan looks long and fast all over the court and they've got scoring off the bench, they're looking good.
(6) Louisville 69-77 (3) Michigan State
Louisville was gritty defensively just like Michigan State, but the Spartans still had more offense. Similar teams, I thought, but MSU knocked down shots better and were the better team.
(9) Texas Christian 58-81 (1) Duke
TCU hung for a little while but early in the 2nd half, Duke started getting buckets and TCU could not hang. Duke looked pretty strong here.
(11) Texas 74-68 (3) Gonzaga
I kept waiting for Gonzaga to take control but they never did. I wasn't that in on the Longhorns but they possessed and moved the ball well today and Gonzaga had no answer. Good win for Texas.
(5) Vanderbilt 72-74 (4) Nebraska
Fun game! Nebraska moves the ball and gets up good shots and here they made Vandy look positively slow and lumbering, which is bizarre because that's not who they are (they're more like Nebraska actually!). But after Vandy fell behind early, they re-grouped, came back and took the lead, forcing Nebraska to rally and get it done late. Back and forth but in long stretches, good game, shame to lose Vandy, because they were dangerous. This Nebraska is good, they know who they are and they get buckets.
(12) High Point 88-94 (4) Arkansas
Arkansas was the better team but they really struggled at closing out the game. Pesky High Point just would not go away, but Arkansas made plays and their ball handling guards are really good. This Razorback squad is gonna be a tough out.
I am proud to say I am a Queens (College) alumnus and I was proud of my alma mater finally making it to the big dance. And for 15 minutes or so, they acquitted themselves admirably. But Purdue went on a run right before halftime, kept that run going after the break. Purdue is a good team and they did what good teams do: they handled their business and didn't fall for the scrappy underdog routine. As for Queens, hey, man they hung tough for a while, made some plays, looked good out there, but just couldn't hang with the big dogs. Purdue has a great PG (broke the all time NCAA assist record in this game) and they look ready to make a meaningful run.
Furman 71-82 Connecticut
Turned this one on kinda late, it was close for much of the game but by the time I got to it, Furman had pretty much shot their wad and the Huskies were able to ease the game to victory. Good survival skills for UConn should come in handy.
Wright State 73-82 Virginia
UVA's first win in the tourney in eons and I gotta say: I was not impressed. They play such a slow down style that they are just built to be upset. Wright State succumbed to foul trouble by the end and just couldn't hang down the stretch.
Santa Clara 84-89 (OT) Kentucky
Game of the day! I was impressed with Santa Clara, this was meant to look like an easy match for the Wildcats but really Santa Clara is the veteran team that showed a lot of grit throughout the season. UK, on the other hand, has some nice players but never found any consistency or real identity all season long. The game was back and forth, thought the Wildcats were generally better but they couldn't get any seperation and it felt like Santa Clara was doing everything they needed to do to steal it late. But Oweh tied it up late, Santa Clara hit a 3 with 2 seconds left, Oweh was able to heave up a prayer just beyond mid court--that went in! (*) OT went back and forth but UK made the defensive plays (two blocks!) in the final minute and got the outlet bucket needed to ice the W. Is this the wakeup call UK needed? Are they ready to go on a run? Well, their next match is against (2) Iowa State, so we'll know right away whether this something the Cats can build on. As for Santa Clara, tough L, they really could've won this match--and may have given Iowa State a real shock.
Missouri 66-80 Miami
The two teams were similar for the most part, the game was close til the midway through the 2nd half when Miami's scoring just became more reliable. Miami is not bad, they were defeinitely better than Missouri, but I'm not sure I'm that afraid of them going forward.
Utah State 86-76 Villanova
Utah State was the better side all the way through. I kept waiting for Nova to make some kind of run or take some control of the match but they just never did. Not sure if Utah State is pretty good or if Villanova just didn't have it this year.
Iowa 67-61 Clemson
These two struck me as pretty much the exact same team, except that Iowa was a better shooting team and the better bet to win throughout, which is what happened.
Games I watched on the scoreboard ticker:
Long Island University 58-92 Arizona
Prairie View A&M 55-114 Florida
Tennessee State 74-108 Iowa State
Hofstra 70-90 Alabama
Felt like Alabama would be an upset candidate and Hofstra hung with them for most of the 1st half, but Alabama went on a run and finished them fairly early, it looks like.
California Baptist 60-68 Kansas
Cal Bap scored a bunch late, don't think this game was as close as the score suggests.
Akron 71-91 Texas Tech
Northern Iowa 53-79 St. John's
Miami (OH) 56-78 Tennessee
UT jumped on them early and seemed in control throughout.
Central Florida 71-75 UCLA
This one, too, got close late, I think UCLA actually had this rather easily.
(*) It was long but it was a makeable shot, Oweh did well to get such a good look at that moment.
Siena pushed Duke, this was a close game in the last 2 minutes. Siena made ZERO substitutions in the entire game! And, well, as you can imagine, their offense completely ran out of gas in the last 5 minutes. Duke clawed back and overwhelmed Siena late, but this was no easy match for the Blue Devils, they sweated this out. Hats off to Siena, if they had even one more guy on that bench they might've won this game. Could be the wake up call Duke needs (or it might show that they're just not ready to be as dominant as they ought to be).
Troy 47-76 Nebraska
Nebraska got going about 10 minutes in and that was that. Nebraska can score and Troy just couldn't hang.
High Point 83-82 Wisconsin
Great game! Back and forth all the way through, High Point made plays in the last few minutes and Wisconsin did not. High Point was the better team, this didn't feel like an upset while watching it.
South Florida 79-83 Louisville
South Florida was hitting shots early, felt like Louisville was fumbling. Then around halftime, Louisville got going, built up a nice lead, sat on it for most of the 2nd half, then South Florida went on a run to make the game look close. If South Florida had gone on their run about 10 minutes earlier, this could've turned out different. Hard to tell if Louisville is actually any good.
Virginia Commonwealth 82-78 (OT) North Carolina
North Carolina ran out of gas late, tough L but they were an upset candidate ever since they lost their best player (Caleb Williams) to injury a month ago. VCU stayed strong, made the plays they needed to down the stretch and UNC just couldn't score in OT. I wasn't overly impressed with VCU, kinda feels like UNC was ready to lose.
Texas Christian 66-64 Ohio State
Back and forth all the way, two evenly matched teams. Thought the Buckeyes could've won it late but they didn't. Not overly impressed with either team but TCU was the better team.
Saint Louis 102-77 Georgia
St. Louis is good, dude! UGA was kinda so-so this year, had a few nice W's but nothing overwhelming. But St. Louis just took it to them early and often and I think they're gonna be a tough out going forward (watch out, Michigan!).
Games I watched on scoreboard ticker:
Howard 80-101 Michigan
Idaho 47-78 Houston
North Dakota State 67-92 Michigan State
Pennsylvania 70-105 Illinois
Kennesaw State 64-73 Gonzaga
Hawaii 78-97 Arkansas
McNeese 68-78 Vanderbilt
Texas 79-71 Brigham Young
Texas A&M 63-50 Saint Mary's
Pretty much all of these games were the same to me: the winning team was ahead for the most part throughout, didn't seem like there was too much drama in the 2nd halves of any of these matches.
