This just in! The Orlando Magic can play some basketball... I'm sure most people have them written off already in the Finals against the mighty Kobe and the Lakers, but I won't be one of them. See, I already made that mistake once when they played the Cleveland LeBrons. I was under the silly impression that things had changed in the Mistake by the Lake (I use that term in jest, I'm sure Cleveland is a fine city, and they certainly get my sympathy as a Buffalo sports fan), but that just wasn't the case. When it came down to crunch time, LeBron was left standing on his own and he simply didn't have enough answers.

See, at the beginning of the year, I told my younger brother who is a big time Cavs fan, mostly due to James of course, that Mo Williams wasn't the difference maker the media was trying to make him out to be. Throughout the regular season, I prepared to eat crow as it seemed that Williams really was a solid contributor and obviously made the Cavs a better team, as their NBA best record would attest to. The series with Orlando showed the truth however. When Cleveland desperately needed some help to show up for LeBron, nobody stood up. James put up out of this world numbers, and while that might work on a nightly basis against a different team in a different city, a 7 game series will exploit all the fatal flaws. But enough about that, this isn't about Cleveland anymore, because in the ever wise words of TNT's Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley, the Cavaliers have "Gone Fishin'".

Orlando proved what they are capable of and that beating Boston wasn't a mistake. Though I will agree with Devin, a healthy Garnett makes that series completely different. The Magic play team basketball and don't rely on any one person to carry the load at all times. They possess a very rare ability to make opponents pay in a variety of ways. They are deadly when they are hitting their 3's, something they did all series long against Cleveland. How do they get those wide open looks you ask? Pound the rock inside to the best center in the NBA. Dwight Howard's performance in Game 6 of the Conference Finals was one of the best I've ever seen from him, and keep in mind this is a 23 year old kid we're talking about. I will take a second to add that he has something else going for him that most NBA players don't either. He's a true devout Christian, which means he's not out there drinking, smoking, screwing, etc all the time. His body will thank him for that down the road and it could help him have a long and fruitful career.

Well, since it takes two teams to have a championship series, I'd be remiss if I didn't speak about the Lakers as well. Los Angeles frustrates me much of the time because they really pick and choose when they feel like showing up to play, as was witnessed early in the playoffs. Denver was a much better team than I gave them credit for, but the Lakers made it clear that when they put forth a true effort, nobody in the West could touch them. Game 6 in particular was just embarassing as the Lakers throttled the Nuggets and sent them packing. There is no doubt that Kobe is probably the best pure scorer in the NBA right now, and he shows it from time to time. The difference between him and LeBron is that the Lakers don't really need him to play that way. In fact, I think they are at their best when Bryant is more of a facilitator for others. If he scores 25-30 and has 10 assists, they're better off than the nights he drops 40+ and takes 35 shots.

Every time I think Bryant learns this lesson however, we see him revert and just jack up shots left and right. I think this is one of the reasons I've never been much of a fan. I won't deny his abilities in the least, but I think he has some very selfish tendencies and sometimes cares more about his own stat line than the success of his team. So unlike Devin, I will be clearly siding with Orlando in this series. Those who know me well, know that a large portion of the reason I've never been huge on the NBA is the lack of team ball that is played and the focus on individuals all the time. Orlando is one of the few examples where the team seems to come first.

This series is going to be an interesting one and to me, one factor will play the largest role in determining the outcome. It's all about the matchups. Cleveland couldn't figure them out at all, we'll see if the Lakers fair better. Do you try and shut down Howard in the middle and rely on hoping that the Magic don't make three point shots all night long? Do you deal with Howard owning the paint in trade for shutting down the outside shot? On the flip side, how are the Magic going to shut down Kobe Bryant? Do they let him go like they did LeBron and trust that nobody else will be able to help him and that he can't win it by himself? These questions will be the key to the series, and ultimately their answers rest in the hands of the coaches. That's one area where Orlando is at a decided disadvantage. Stan Van Gundy is a solid coach, even if listening to him on the sidelines makes me want to stuff large wads of cotton in my ears. However, he is not Phil Jackson. Sure Jackson has had the luxury of having a few of the most talented players in history on his side of things, but he doesn't own 9 rings because of that alone. Look for Jackson to make the adjustments necessary to win the matchup game.

Personally, if I were the Lakers, my first concern would be trying to eliminate the wide open 3's that Orlando is so good at getting. I'd take my chances with Dwight Howard, because as much as I enjoy watching him and as talented as I think he is, he has this very frustrating trend of not showing up from time to time. For every 35 point, 22 rebound game, there seems to be one of those 14 points and 13 rebound performances right around the corner. The Lakers have Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom to throw at Howard, none of whom can truly guard him when he plays as he is capable of, but I'd keep sending him to the foul line as much as possible. He's stepped up his free throw shooting as of late, but it's still his biggest weakness.


Much like with the Stanley Cup Finals, my heart and head are torn in making a prediction with this series. I'd love for Orlando to win and send Kobe home with another frustrating loss and still no trophy sans Shaq, however, I think the Lakers are the more skilled and experienced team in this situation. As Devin mentioned in his article, the Lakers took care of business and made it clear that they hadn't reached their goal yet, while the Magic just looked like kids in a candy shop to even make the NBA Finals. That says a lot to me. I went with my head in the NHL, though it seems as though my heart might win out... I think I'll try the reverse curse practice here and hope it works as well.

Los Angeles in 6 games.

Another round of the NBA Playoffs is in the books and we now know the last 4 teams standing. Devin will post his predictions in the next day or two, as well as give an update on the standings of our contest thus far, so be sure to check back for that. We have some intriguing matchups upon us as the Lakers and Nuggets do battle in the West, and in an exact opposite scenario from the NHL, instead of 2 of my least favorite teams doing battle in the East, the only 2 NBA teams I really give a damn about are going head to head with the Cavaliers facing off against the Magic. Let's get started shall we?

Western Conference Finals:
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Denver Nuggets

Well, it only took until Game 7 before the Lakers realized that they were the far superior team in their series with Houston, but they got the job done with ease in that game and are moving on. Despite winning with ease, the Lakers really didn't impress me too much in Game 7 as they still didn't play to the level they are capable of, but instead, relied on Houston to meltdown and play some truly terrible basketball. If the Lakers would play up to their abilities, this shouldn't have been a series, even before Yao Ming was lost to injury. One of the biggest problem with the Lakers, and perhaps the reason a lot of people really dislike Los Angeles as a team, is the fact that have a high tendency to just take games off and coast through. I dislike this fact in the regular season, but really can't stand it in the playoffs.

Denver on the other hand has played some of the best basketball I've seen from any team in the postseason. I will freely admit at this point that I vastly underestimated their abilities and was a bit surprised at how they took care of Dallas with relative ease. I've gone on record before as not being a very big Carmelo Anthony fan, but he's been playing extremely well and looks more comfortable in his revised role with more help around him. Chauncey Billups is the biggest difference in this Denver team and past versions however. He runs the offense very effectively and can score the ball when it's needed as well. He has a calming veteran leadership quality to him that was severely lacking for the Nuggets the last few seasons. If their level of play keeps up against Los Angeles, we could have one heck of a series on our hands.

I've been thinking about this series since yesterday afternoon, and the more I analyze it, the more reasons I see why Denver could very well and maybe even should win a trip to the NBA Finals. First off, just look at the performances of the two teams coming into the series. Denver is on top of their game, playing fantastic basketball. Los Angeles on the other hand is playing Jekyll and Hyde, struggling against a team they should have put away with ease.

Next, most of the matchups seem to favor Denver. Derek Fisher and the revolving point guard crew for LA couldn't handle Aaron Brooks from Houston, and I think it goes without saying that Chauncey Billups is a fair amount better. Carmelo Anthony has been playing some of his best basketball to date, and while Trevor Ariza is a quality role player who does some of the intangible things very well, he's not going to shut down Anthony. On the other hand, Kobe Bryant should be primed to go off in this series. He hasn't played up to his capabilities so far in the playoffs and he's going to have Dahntay Jones on him this round. Jones is not a threat on the offensive end, so Kobe isn't going to have to play hard on defense, which means he'll have all sorts of energy when he has the ball in his hands.

Where it gets most interesting to me is with the big guys. Los Angeles has Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol up front, with an injured Lamar Odom thrown in the mix as well. Bynum has largely been invisible as of late, and Gasol, while a solid scoring threat, has been playing horrible defense. After Yao went down, Luis Scola went off in Games 5 and 6 with Gasol guarding him. No offense to Scola, but Kenyon Martin, Nene, and Chris Anderson would concern me more than him. None of those guys are offensive powerhouses, but they are hustle players who get easy baskets from time to time because of their effort. They also chase down rebounds and all three are monsters defensively. I see Gasol and Bynum struggling mightily in this series.

I really do think it's going to come down to Kobe, and the Lakers aren't usually at their best when Bryant is jacking up 30+ shots a game. As I said, I have a laundry list of reasons why the Nuggets should win this series... except their is a big, fat, hairy BUT lurking. Before the playoffs began, I said Lakers vs. Cavs in the finals, and I can't change that now. Television wants that matchup, fans want that matchup, and you know damn well that David Stern and the NBA want that matchup. Kobe vs. LeBron has been all over advertisements and everything else as of late, and the ratings for that series would probably top anything the NBA has mustered since that Jordan guy left the league.

Los Angeles in 7 games

Eastern Conference Finals:
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Orlando Magic

As I mentioned at the top of this post, this series is like the exact opposite of what is going on in the NHL's Eastern Conference. I've never been a big NBA fan and I haven't really followed any one team since my far younger days. I do however follows a few players in the league, and the 2 at the top of that list are LeBron James and Dwight Howard. I love both these guys and the energy and skills they bring, but mostly I love their enthusiasm and the fact that they both look to truly be enjoying the hell out of what they get paid a ton of money to go do. I doubt I'll miss a game of this series and those two are the main reason why.

Cleveland has plowed through the competition thus far and appears to be very focused on their goal of an NBA title. 8 games, 8 wins by double digits thus far. Their average margin of victory so far in the playoffs is nearly 17 points per game. Mr. James is currently averaging a mind boggling 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists per game and has shown no signs of slowing down at all. While he has been the main ingredient without doubt, the rest of the team has fulfilled their roles nicely as well, with Mo Williams and Delonte West both scoring in double figures. Add in Big Z and Anderson Varejao in the front court, and it's not hard to see why Cleveland is making it look so easy. I do believe they are in for a least a little bit of a challenge in the East Finals however.

Orlando has looked a little shaky at times through the first two rounds, but they've proven that they are contenders as well now. Knocking off the defending champions in a Game 7 on the road is not an easy task, but Orlando kind of made it look like it was. The Magic pulled out their best game of the playoffs just in time and ensured that there would be no repeat champion this year. They went to Dwight Howard in the middle early and when Boston shifted their defensive attention to him, the Magic started lighting it up from the outside. When Orlando is hitting the 3's at the level they are capable of, you'd be hard pressed to find a team that can stay with them. That's the problem with them however, it's hard to be consistent in draining shots from the outside night in and night out.

The Cavaliers have not been tested yet at all this postseason, and while I'm probably in the minority, I don't think the long layoff heading into this series with Orlando is going to help them much. Orlando just got themselves a big dose of momentum and they might be able to parlay that into stealing a game in Cleveland, which is obviously a difficult feat, considering the Cavs were 39-2 at home during the regular season.

Like in the West, the matchups by position in this series are interesting, and will ultimately tell the tale I believe. Rafer Alston has done an admirable job since taking over the point guard spot for Jameer Nelson at the All Star break, but I'd give the nod to Mo Williams heads up. Williams is a superior scorer and won't be relied on to run the offense as much as Alston does. Delonte West should be able to handle J.J. Redick with relative ease as well, and while Redick did a solid job on Ray Allen against Boston, West is tough to stop from getting to the basket. In the front court, Ilgauskas and Varejao have played well, but they will have their hands full with Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis. It'll be interesting to see how Cleveland decided to defend the pair, as Varejao has the energy to go at Howard and is a good defender, but he could find himself in foul trouble pretty easily as well. Howard is far more atheletic than Ilgauskas, but Z has size on his side too. As for Lewis, he likes to shoot from the outside, so one of those guys will have to step out on him, and I don't see Ilgauskas being able to do so.

Then of course there is the small forward matchup. Hedo Turkoglu was the star for Orlando in Game 7 against Boston. He shot the ball very well and was also able to create going to the basket and get to the foul line. That might be a little harder to do against LeBron James however. James is bigger, stronger, and more physical than anybody Hedo has faced so far in the playoffs. For all James talents, his defense sometimes gets underestimated, but look for him to shut down Turkoglu in this series. On the flip side, while Hedo is 6'10", that's about the only advantage he has in trying to guard James. LeBron is decidedly quicker and stronger and should be able to create shots for himself with relative ease. James is at his best going to the basket and there are few in the league that can slow him down. As long as he doesn't try to settle for being a jump shooter, he's going to get his.

Ultimately, while Lewis and Howard might create some problems for Cleveland and at least make the series interesting, the Cavaliers backcourt, along with LeBron will prove too much for the Magic to handle. I can see Orlando stealing 2 games in this series, but not much more than that. I believe this Cavs team is one of destiny, and it's not going to end in the East Finals.

Cleveland in 6 games.

And then there were four. March Madness has been unusually devoid of upsets and spectacular moments as a whole, but the end result is essentially the same. Four of the best teams in the country will meet in Detroit this weekend to decide a national champion. Let's take a look at those teams and their paths taken thus far.

(1) Connecticut vs. (2) Michigan St. - CBS, Saturday - 6:07pm

Connecticut faced some scrutiny before the tournament even began as some questioned whether or not they were deserving of a #1 seed. That question has essentially been erased as the Huskies ran through the West bracket without too much of a challenge. Tennessee Chattanooga and Texas A&M were both blown out by UConn on the opening weekend and then Purdue and Missouri fell victim in Glendale, Arizona. The Missouri game was the toughest challenge for Connecticut, as the Tigers attempted to use their speed to their advantage. The Huskies were able to adapt however, as freshman guard Kemba Walker had the best game of his career, scoring 23 points in helping secure a Final Four birth with a 82-75 win. So far through 4 games, the Huskies have been shooting the ball very well, 51.5% for the tournament. If they can keep this up, they're going to be difficult to beat.

Michigan St. has continuously proven me wrong. I picked them to lose to Kansas in the Sweet 16 and they held them off in a tight game. I picked them to lose to Louisville and they basically embarrassed them in a 64-52 victory. The Spartans also beat Robert Morris and a talented USC squad to make their way to the Final 4. The game against the Cardinals was a back and forth struggle into the 2nd half, but Michigan St. dropped the hammer on Rick Pitino's team, walking away down the stretch. Big man Goran Suton has been the difference maker for the Spartans so far in the tournament and he lead the way again against Louisville, scoring 19 and adding 10 rebounds. Michigan St. may just be a team of destiny as they certainly have a lot of trends on their side. They've never lost a tournament as 2 seed, going 9-0 so far. This is the 30th anniversary of the National Championship team lead by Magic Johnson. Last but not least, they're now heading to Detroit for the Final 4, which is just 90 miles from East Lansing.

Tom Izzo has proven himself amongst the best coaches in the college game currently, as this is Michigan State's 5th trip to the Final Four in 11 seasons under his leadership. They haven't look exceptional so far in the tournament except for late against Louisville, but they've done enough to get by so far and they're going to have a decidedly home court advantage this weekend. The NCAA has a goal of getting 70,000 fans into Ford Field for the games, and this will be the first time the court has been set up at mid-field rather than in one of the corners of the stadium. Lucky for the NCAA that MSU made it this far and is so close to home, because they might not attain their goal otherwise. I'd expect a lot of Spartan Spirit to be in the house for at least Saturday's game. UConn will have to overcome that, but they look up to the task based on their tournament thus far. The Huskies have made the Final Four two other times and won the championship both times. They'll look to continue that trend this weekend.

One of the key matchups to watch in this one will be the big man as Goran Suton does battle with Hasheem Thabeet. Thabeet is perhaps the most dominating presence in the middle that the NCAA has to offer, but Suton will not challenge him there if he's smart. Suton has the ability to shoot the ball fairly well and will look to draw Thabeet away from the basket to open up the lane for his teammates. The problem is that UConn also has 6'7 Jeff Adrien to help out in that area. Another key matchup is at the point guard position. Kalin Lucas runs the offense for the Spartans and is perhaps the most consistent player they have. Conversely, freshmen Kemba Walker holds down that spot for the Huskies and he has only been in that position for a while since Jerome Dyson went down due to injury in mid-February. Connecticut has the better starting 5 in this matchup, but Michigan St. has the deeper bench. Coaching is pretty much a wash as Calhoun and Izzo are two of the best. It hasn't paid off for me so far, but I'm going to pick against Michigan St. yet again. UConn has been one of the two most impressive teams in this tournament so far in my opinion and I like them to advance to Monday's championship game.

(1) North Carolina vs. (3) Villanova - CBS, Saturday - 8:47pm

North Carolina's closest game thus far in the tourney has been a 12 point victory. The Tar Heels have been nothing short of dominant so far, beating Radford, LSU, Gonzaga, and Oklahoma by an average of 22.5 points per game. The Sooners were expected to provide a battle in their Elite 8 matchup, but Blake Griffin is the only person that offered some competition. He finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds, but only one other Sooner scored in double figures. Meanwhile, UNC got 19 from Ty Lawson and 18 from Danny Green, not even needing last year's player of the year, Tyler Hansbrough to do much of anything. Hansbrough took only 4 shots on the game, scoring just 8 points. Roy William's team shot 51% and never trailed in the game. North Carolina had a walk in the park through the South regional and look like a tough out for the remainder of the tournament.

Villanova was perhaps a bit underrated heading into the tournament because of the depth of talent in the Big East, but they've proven themselves amongst the elite teams in the nation this year. They had to squeak past Pitt at the last second to make the Final Four, but prior to that, they had no trouble with American, UCLA, or Duke, whom they embarrassed in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats jumped out to a quick lead against Pittsburgh, but endured a back and forth battle throughout the second half before eventually winning on Scottie Reynolds last second basket. 'Nova had trouble controlling Pitt's big men DeJuan Blair and Sam Young, who combined for 48 points, but countered with 4 players in double figures. The Wildcats also went 22/23 from the free throw line while Pittsburgh was 21/29, a difference that likely decided the game.

North Carolina is at it's best when they get out on the run and score transition baskets. Villanova however, matches up well with that style of play with athletic guards and forwards like Reynolds and Dante Cunningham. Judging by Villanova's difficulty against Pittsburgh's big guys, UNC might be better suited to try and run the offense through Tyler Hansbrough and work the inside. Whichever tactic Roy Williams decides upon, it's going to be difficult for Villanova to keep up with the Heels. Ty Lawson has been playing fantastic ball despite his injury thus far, and Wayne Ellington is capable of contributing at a high level as well. Add in the occasional game like Green had against Oklahoma and it becomes a matter of who do you focus your attention on. The Wildcats rely very heavily on their starting 5 and it's going to be hard for them to avoid wearing down over the course of 40 minutes.

The bottom line is that nobody has made winning look as easy as North Carolina so far in this tournament and I don't see any of the remaining teams being able to match up well with them. It's going to take an off game to slow down the Tar Heels at this point, but somebody always seems to step up for them. As much as it pains me to say so, I simply can't pick against them at this point. Be sure to check back sometime on Monday as I preview the National Championship game!

I'm not sure that I can recall a set of Sweet 16 games with so many blowouts, but that's what we've seen so far this year. With the exception of one game last night, there was little drama to be found. The trend of top seeds continued on as well as both the 1's and 2's advanced on Friday. With those things in mind, let's take a look at Sunday's Elite 8 matchups to determine the remaining Final Four participants.

(1) Louisville vs. (2) Michigan St.: CBS - 2:20pm
Speaking of lack of drama, it was most apparent when Louisville faced off with Arizona in Indianapolis. Rick Pitino moved to 9-0 all time as a coach in the Sweet 16 round as the Cardinals simply dismantled the Wildcats, winning the game 104-64. The Cardinals never trailed in the game and continually expanded their lead throughout, never letting off the gas pedal. Louisville put 5 players in double figures while shooting nearly 58% from the field. Earl Clark's 19 points and 9 rebounds lead the way, but this was a full team effort without a doubt. All 13 Louisville players found their way to the score sheet and the celebrating came early in this one. The Cards are leaving little doubt in anybody's mind as to why they were named the top overall seed in the tournament.

Michigan St. did not have quite as easy of a night on Friday, battling Kansas until the very end. Down by as much as 13 late in the first half, the Spartans battled their way back and edged ahead for good in the final minute, winning the game 67-62. Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas struggled for most of the game, but in crunch time, his star shined brightest. He scored 7 points in the last 49 seconds to advance Tom Izzo's squad to the Elite 8. Lucas finished with 18 points and 7 assists, while center Goran Suton was the only other player in double figures with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Suton was battling head to head with Cole Aldrich and effectively counter balanced him. The Spartans didn't shoot particularly well as a team, but their defense made up for it, forcing 19 Kansas turnovers, including 13 steals for Michigan St.. The Spartans remained undefeated in the NCAA tournament as a 2 seed.

I've been reluctant to give Michigan St. much credit up until this point, but they proved they belong by holding off Kansas last night. However, they know face a buzzsaw in the Louisville Cardinals. Pitino is a master at having his teams ready for March, and this year has proved no exception. A brief moment of doubt against Siena is about the only adversity the Cardinals have faced thus far, but the Spartans will certainly be the highest quality opponent Louisville has seen in this tournament. Still, the Cardinals are battle tested after winning the Big East which has proved how good it is by placing 4 teams in the Elite 8. The Spartans will surely keep it closer than Arizona could manage, but in the end, I think Louisville's full court pressure and endless bench is going to prove more than Izzo's bunch can handle.

(1) UNC vs. (2) Oklahoma: CBS - 5:05pm
North Carolina has had a very similar tournament to Louisville thus far, with only a momentary concern in the 2nd round slowing them down up to this point. Friday night was more of the same for the Tar Heels as they faced Gonzaga in Memphis. Ty Lawson again proved he was healthy enough to contribute as he scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and propelled Carolina to an 11 point lead at the break. The game never got any closer than that margin in the 2nd half as UNC pulled away to the 98-77 win. Lawson also had 9 assists and just on turnover in his 27 minutes of action. Tyler Hansbrough was solid as usual, contributing 24 points and 10 boards to the effort. The Tar Heels out rebounded Gonzaga 40-28 and has 23 assists compared to the Bulldogs 10. North Carolina will be looking for it's 100th tournament win on Sunday when they face off with Oklahoma.

Blake Griffin continues to be a tour de force in his effort to get Oklahoma a National Championship. Friday night was more of the same as Syracuse, like so many before them, had no answer for the soon to be Naismith Award winner. On this night, it was 30 points and 15 rebounds on 12/15 shooting. Jim Boeheim was denied his 800th career victory and will have to wait until next season to join that club now, as the Sooners knocked off the Orange, 84-71. Griffin didn't do it all by himself however, junior guard Tony Crocker chipped in 28 points including 6 baskets from beyond the arc. Syracuse on the other hand was stone cold from 3 point land, missing it's first 10 attempts and finishing 7/24. The Orange never lead in this one and the Sooners enjoyed a margin as large as 27 points in the 2nd half before sealing the deal and moving to the Elite 8.

Oklahoma vs. North Carolina was one of the first potential matchups of the tournament that I noticed and anticipated. A classic "irresistible force meets immovable object" matchup, although perhaps both qualify as irresistible forces in this instance. Last year's Player of the Year, Tyler Hansbrough will do battle with this year's soon to be award winner Blake Griffin, and it should be an entertaining matchup. Carolina is averaging over 94 points per game so far in the tournament, just about their average for the year at 90.5. Griffin on the other hand is yet to have a game under 25 points and 15 rebounds. Blake Griffin is likely going to get his numbers yet again, despite Carolina's ability to throw multiple, talented big men at him, but the question falls on the supporting cast. Oklahoma will need Tony Crocker to keep up his hot shooting if they want to hang with the likes of Ty Lawson's dynamic point guard play and talented swingman Wayne Ellington's ability to get to the basket and score. This will likely be a very offensive based game and I think in the end, the Tar Heels simply have more weapons to rely on. This should be a fun one to watch, but I think in the end, Carolina advances to the Final 4 next weekend.

So the first half of the Sweet 16 has concluded, and while the winners may not necessarily be so surprising, the methods in which they won could be. The Big East continued to show it's dominance and Memphis became the "Paper Tigers" many thought they might be. This weekend will get us down to the illustrious Final Four, so let's take a look at the matchups for Saturday's Elite 8 games.

(1) UConn vs. (3) Missouri: CBS - 4:40pm
Connecticut lead Purdue wire to wire, and while the Boilermakers kept it close for awhile, UConn pulled away in the second half. The Huskies took the game 72-60, in large part thanks to their 7'3" star Hasheem Thabeet. Thabeet had been mostly quiet through the first two games, but he was clearly the difference on Thursday night. His 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 block shots were great, but it was his pure physical presence in the pain that keyed Jim Calhoun's team. Connecticut was able to force Purdue to be a jump shooting team, which didn't fare well for them on this night, connecting on less than 30% of their jumpers. Both the rebounding (48-33) and the foul margin (12-26) were heavily in Connecticut's favor as well, as the Huskies moved on to the West Regional Final.

Missouri is known for their "Fastest 40 Minutes" in basketball and it was fully on display in Glendale on Thursday night. The game started out as a back and forth battle as Memphis kept paced offensively, while neither team's defense looked too great. However, Mizzou started to stretch the lead heading towards the half and a 3/4 court shot Marcus Denmon at the buzzer might have been the nail in the Memphis coffin. Missouri's offense made the vaunted Memphis defense look silly as they continually got the basket for what seemed like layup after layup, pushing the lead to as many as 24 in the second half. Memphis point guard Tyreke Evans had a fantastic game, scoring 33 and helping to close the gap to just 6 points with a little over 2 minutes left, but Mizzou was able to close out the game at the foul line and get the win, 102-91. All 5 Tigers from Missouri scored in double figures and T.J. Tiller lead them with 23.

Many peopled clamored to see UConn/Memphis in the final for this regional, but as I've mentioned before, Memphis' lack of competition in conference play was destined to bite them come tourney time, and that showed up last night. The Missouri Tigers fast paced play and ability to get the basket (and the free throw line as a result) are a tough matchup for anybody. UConn's main weakness this year has been Thabeet getting into foul trouble, and if Missouri keeps pressuring the lane, that might be the result on Saturday. It's going to be difficult for Thabeet to aggressively deny Missouri inside while keeping himself on the court at the same time. Lucky for UConn though, they have some pretty good talent surrounding him. A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien helped them get this far, and they'll need to step it up for the Huskies to make the Final Four. Adrien in particular had a rough night against Purdue, so look for him to bounce back on Saturday. I picked the Huskies to come out of this region in most of my brackets, and I'm not going to change my mind now.

(1) Pittsburgh vs. (3) Villanova: CBS - 7:05pm
Pitt hasn't made it look easy any step of the way so far, and Thursday night's matchup with Xavier was no exception. Pittsburgh's largest lead in a very back and forth game was also the final margin, 60-55 in their favor. It was a gritty game where neither team shot well, but the Panthers were able to rely on their star point guard, Levance Fields down the stretch, who scored two buckets in the final minute to help propel Pitt to the Elite 8. A place they haven't been for the past 35 years. Sam Young chipped in 19 points and DeJuan Blair was a beast as usual, scoring 10, but grabbing 17 rebounds. Jamie Dixon's squad has looked less than impressive so far, but they are also still to play the type of basketball they are capable of.

Villanova flat out embarrassed Duke en route to a 77-54 win in Boston. Their defense keyed them through the first half as Duke remained close, but had a very difficult time getting into the flow of their offense. The 2nd half was all in the favor of the Wildcats as they continued to force poor attempts by the Blue Devils while getting relatively easy baskets of their own. Duke went a paltry 16-60 from the field for the game, including 5-27 beyond the arc. Nova also managed to out rebound the Blue Devils by a 46-32 margin and kept Duke stars Gerald Henderson (1/14) and John Scheyer (3/18) completely in check. For the Wildcats, Scottie Reynolds had 16 points while Dante Cunningham added 14 along with 11 rebounds. The game was marred by a combined 47 fouls, but it was Jay Wright's squad that seemed to be able to stay in rhythm, advancing on to the East Regional Final.

This game is a rematch from late January when Villanova beat Pitt by 10 at home. The Big East rivals should provide a great contest to see who moves on to the Final 4. That first matchup saw Nova come from behind in the 2nd half and pull ahead when Pitt went ice cold down the stretch. DeJuan Blair was rendered mostly ineffective in that matchup due to foul trouble throughout. Junior guard Reggie Redding had his best game as a Wildcat, scoring a career high 18 points, including 10/10 from the foul line. As I mentioned before, Pitt is yet to play the type of basketball it's capable of in this tournament, and they didn't show it in the first matchup in Philly either. If they play to their potential, their size and strength could be too much for a Villanova team built on finesse to handle. That's a big "if" of course. The Wildcats come into this game looking extremely impressive so far through 3 rounds, and this is a team known for upsets. It ultimately boils down to can Nova stay hot or can Pittsburgh finally play to their capabilities. I picked Pittsburgh in my bracket and I can't bail on them now. Jamie Dixon finds a way to get his team to play their best, and the Panthers win a close one.

We've already taken a look at Thursday's games, so now we'll move ahead to the lineup for Friday's Sweet 16 matchups. Like the East and West regions, the Midwest and South regions only have one oddity in terms of seeding. 12 seed Arizona, one of the last teams to make the field of 65, has advanced through the first 2 rounds. Will they continue their improbable run, or will the higher seeds continue to move on? Here's the schedule for the 3rd round.

Thursday's West Region (Glendale) Games:
(1) Connecticut vs. (5) Purdue, 7:07pm
(2) Memphis vs. (3) Missouri, 9:37pm

Thursday's East Region (Boston) Games:
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Xavier, 7:27pm
(2) Duke vs. (3) Villanova, 9:57pm

Friday's Midwest Region (Indianapolis) Games:
(1) Louisville vs. (12) Arizona, 7:07pm
(2) Michigan St. vs. (3) Kansas, 9:37pm

Friday's South Region (Memphis) Games:
(2) Oklahoma vs. (3) Syracuse, 7:27pm
(1) UNC vs. (4) Gonzaga, 9:57pm

(1) Louisville vs. (12) Arizona:
Rick Pitino's Louisville squad finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning the Big East tournament and grabbing the #1 overall seed for the NCAA Tourney. So far they haven't disappointed, first beating (16) Morehead St. by 20, 74-54 in the first round. While only able to manage a 2 point lead at the half, the Cardinals flew past the Eagles in the 2nd without much trouble. Louisville shot 58% from the field in that game and used a balanced scoring attack to advance on. The next round presented a bit more of a challenge in (9) Siena. The Cards trailed briefly in the 2nd half, but regained the lead with about 5:00 left and held on for the 79-72 victory. Turnovers were a problem for Louisville in this one, but Terrence Williams' 24 point, 15 rebound effort helped them get by the Saints. A 49% shooting night and a large advantage in the rebound category didn't hurt matters either.

Much has been made about Arizona barely getting into the tournament, but regardless of that fact, they've played well through 2 rounds. The Wildcats had little trouble in dispatching (5) Utah in their first game, knocking off the Utes, 84-71. Virtually all their scoring came from their starters, including 20 from Chase Budinger and 29 from Nic Wise. Arizona was amongst the many teams who put on fantastic shooting performances the first weekend, knocking down 54.5% in the first game. The second round was more of the same as the Wildcats handled upset minded (13) Cleveland St. with relative ease as well, 71-57. Another 50% shooting effort along with an efficient 24/28 night at the free throw line were key components of this win. Nic Wise again lead the scoring effort, putting in 21.

Two key items feed into each other to help me shape my opinion of this game. The Cardinals use a full court pressure defense frequently that makes the other team work very hard and forces many turnovers. Arizona on the other hand, barely uses their bench at all. Their 5 starters have been averaging in the 36+ minute range in two games that weren't even that close. That tells me that interim coach Russ Pennell doesn't have much confidence after his starting 5. Look for Pitino to run them ragged and the Cardinals to pull away late in the game.

(2) Michigan St. vs. (3) Kansas:
Michigan St. used a 21-0 run to move past a 30-30 tie against (15) Robert Morris in the first round. The Spartans eventually walked away with a 77-62 win, and moved on to the round of 32. 5 players scored in double figures including 16 each from Draymond Green and Raymar Morgan, along with 11 points and 17 boards from Goran Suton. Tom Izzo's group had to contend with a very good 10 seed in USC in the 2nd round. In a game that never saw a lead of more than 6 points for either team, the Spartans beat the Trojans 74-69 in a battle that would have done Ancient Greece proud. Michigan St. relied heavily on it's bench and got well distributed scoring, including 18 points from Travis Walton. The win marked the Spartans 8th trip to the Sweet 16 in the past 12 years.

It's hard to remember that Kansas is the defending national champion, since most of that team is no longer around, but Sherron Collins is still around and proving his importance. The Jayhawks withheld a (14) North Dakota State second half rally to pull out the 84-74 win in the opening round. Collins was a very large part of that, dropping a season high 32 points. Sophomore big man Cole Aldrich helped out with 23 points and 13 rebounds to help Kansas advance. (10) Dayton hoped to pulled off the upset in the 2nd round, but the Jayhawks would have none of that. Cole Aldrich again came through, this time putting up a triple double as Kansas cruised to a 60-43 win. 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks add up to one of the more impressive tournament performances in recent memory. The Flyers were held to a woeful 22% shooting, which meant that even though Kansas couldn't hit a 3 to save their lives (3/16), the Jayhawks were heading to the Sweet 16. Collins added another 25 point effort for Kansas as well.

I didn't really have much confidence in Michigan St. heading into the tournament and they haven't done much to improve my perception at this point. I don't think the Spartans have what it takes to stop both Aldrich and Collins. One or the other at least will have another big game and the Jayhawks should be heading to the Elite 8.

(2) Oklahoma vs. (3) Syracuse:
Much like Duke/Villanova, this game would seem to be the other premiere matchup of the weekend to most. Oklahoma has essentially ridden one man's back to get where they are, and don't expect that to change. The Sooners crushed (15) Morgan St. to start off the tournament, winning 82-54. Despite being slammed judo style to the court by the opposition, Blake Griffin was dominant as always, scoring 28 points and adding 13 rebounds. The team shot a ridiculous 60.4% and never trailed in the game. (10) Michigan came into their 2nd round matchup playing very well, and hung with OU for a half, but just like many before them, had no answer for Griffin. Oklahoma won 73-63, powered by Blake's 33 points and 17 rebounds. The win marked Oklahoma's first trip to the Sweet 16 in 6 years.

Syracuse seemingly came out of nowhere with their Big East run and by virtue of beating UConn in their 6OT thriller, seemingly became a favorite for many heading into the NCAA tourney. Their first round game against (14) Stephen F. Austin saw the Orange run out to a huge lead and then coast home for the 59-44 win. Outstanding point guard Johnny Flynn lead the way with 16 points and 7 assists while the team as a whole held the Lumberjacks to just under 25% from the field. While the margin was much tighter, the layout was generally the same in Syracuse's second round win over Arizona St. They took control early and kind of coasted on home for the win. This time by only 11, 78-67. 5 players put up double figure scoring efforts, lead by Eric Devendorf's 21. 'Cuse managed a 55% shooting night, including 45% from 3 point land.

Let me say right up front that Syracuse will not stop Blake Griffin. Nobody has done it all year and I don't expect it to start now. The guy is the obvious Naismith Player of the Year Award winner and #1 pick in the NBA Draft and he has steamrolled all opposition. The question instead will be can the Syracuse guards due enough to overcome him? Oklahoma has had spotty guard play during the year, and will need to find a way to try and keep Johnny Flynn and Eric Devendorf in check. I think the Orange finally lose the magic and run out of steam in this one. The Sooners advance, but barely.

(1) UNC vs. (4) Gonzaga:
After UConn, North Carolina has probably been the most impressive team thus far in the tournament. That comes as little to surprise many, as UNC seemed to be the odds on favorite to win going into the tournament amongst public opinion. (16) Radford didn't have a prayer really, as the Tar Heels just thrashed them from start to finish, 101-58. Tyler Hansbrough set the all time ACC scoring record en route to his 22 points, and Wayne Ellington cashed in for 25 more. Nobody had to play more than 30 minutes in this one and every bit of rest helps as UNC moved on to the next round. (8) LSU battled back in the 2nd half to make the game interesting, but the Tar Heels closed on a 21-7 run to put away the Tigers, 84-70. Ty Lawson made his return from a toe injury and started off shaky, but scored 21 of his game high 23 in the second half to help North Carolina advance. Ellington matched the 23 of Lawson and UNC shot over 54% in moving to the Sweet 16.

Gonzaga has officially shed their "Cinderella" tag now. They entered the tournament as the 10th ranked team in the nation and grabbed a 4 seed in the process. The Bulldogs faced (13) Akron in their first game and actually trailed well into the 2nd half before burying the Zips with a 31-6 run, eventually winning 77-64. Josh Heytvelt had an efficient shooting night on his way to a game high 22 points. The Zags would go on to face a tough and experienced 12 seed in Western Kentucky in the 2nd round and had their hands full throughout. The back and forth game would result in the most exciting finish of the tournament thus far when freshman Demitri Goodson went the length of the court and put in a layup with .9 left on the clock, giving the Bulldogs the win, 83-81. 5 Bulldogs scored in double figures, lead by Matt Bouldin's 20. He also added 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a solid all around game. Gonzaga returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006 after consecutive 1st round losses the past 2 years.

Gonzaga is experienced and athletic, two good combinations for the NCAA tournament. The only problem... UNC is more experienced and more athletic. The Bulldogs are probably one of the few teams that could keep pace with the Tar Heels, but with Ty Lawson back in the lineup, Carolina just has too many weapons. Between Hansbrough, Ellington, and Lawson, there is almost always an option for the Heels. Look for Roy William's team to move on to the Elite 8 for a potential matchup of the reigning and soon to be crowned Players of the Year.

The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are in the books and 16 teams are left standing. In a rather unusual occurrence, almost all of the top seeds have made it through. #12 Arizona snuck in along with #5 Purdue, but the remaining teams are all the top seeds from their respective brackets. Some have complained that the lack of "Cinderella" teams has made for a disappointing tournament, while others seem happy that the best teams are still playing basketball at this point. Whichever side of the fence you happen to be on, it's hard to disagree with the fact that we should be seeing some good quality matchups with these next two rounds. Let's break down Thursday's matchups now and we'll take a look at the Friday games later in the week.

Thursday's West Region (Glendale) Games:
(1) Connecticut vs. (5) Purdue, 7:07pm
(2) Memphis vs. (3) Missouri, 9:37pm

Thursday's East Region (Boston) Games:
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Xavier, 7:27pm
(2) Duke vs. (3) Villanova, 9:57pm

Friday's Midwest Region (Indianapolis) Games:
(1) Louisville vs. (12) Arizona, 7:07pm
(2) Michigan St. vs. (3) Kansas, 9:37pm

Friday's South Region (Memphis) Games:
(2) Oklahoma vs. (3) Syracuse, 7:27pm
(1) UNC vs. (4) Gonzaga, 9:57pm

(1) Connecticut vs. (5) Purdue:
It was heavily debated going into selection Sunday as to whether Memphis or UConn deserved the 4th #1 seed, but I think Connecticut has managed to convince everybody they were deserving at this point. They have certainly been the most impressive team of the tournament thus far, winning their 2 games by an average of 41 points. Senior guard A.J. Price has caught fire in the tournament and has scored 47 points in the 2 games so far. Hasheem Thabeet had an extremely quiet outing against Texas A&M in the 2nd round, but his production wasn't needed, so it wasn't a detriment to the Huskies in the least. Don't expect him to stay quiet however.

Purdue's games have been just a bit closer in the tournament so far. They first knocked off Northern Iowa, 61-56, in a game where they had a comfortable lead, but let the Panthers storm back into it late. The Boilermakers shot poorly from 3 pt. land in that game and couldn't seem to ever put the nail in their opponent. They faced 4 seed Washington in the 2nd round and managed to hold off the Huskies, 76-74. Again, Washington surged in the 2nd half to make the game a close one. Purdue's inability to close out leads is not likely going to benefit them too much against UConn. Sophomore forward JaJuan Johnson has been their best player so far, but look for Thabeet to completely neutralize him in this matchup. I think UConn takes this one fairly easily, in the 8-12 point range.

(2) Memphis vs. (3) Missouri:
Memphis has now won 27 games in a row, but still, they weren't overly convincing against Cal State Northridge in the 1st round. It took a career game from a bench player to get the job done and get the Tigers the 81-70 win. However, the 2nd round was a different story as they took care of Maryland with relative ease, 89-70. The Tigers have been shooting the lights out in there 2 games so far, well above 50%. Of particular interest is their 3 point shooting as well, having made almost 47% of their 47 attempts through the first two rounds. The question is, can they keep it up against more talented opposition?

Missouri let Cornell hang around for awhile in the opening round before putting the hammer down and cruising to the 78-59 win. The 2nd round offered a little more of a challenge however, as they beat Marquette in a game that came down to the final seconds. Mizzou lead 81-79 with seconds to go, when Marquette's Lazar Hayward stepped on the baseline while trying to inbound the ball for what would have been the last possession of the game. The Tigers got the ball back and 2 free throws later, had sewn up a trip to the Sweet 16. Missouri is surely going to be the stiffest test that Memphis has faced in quite some time, but in this battle of Tigers, Memphis should come out on top. That is of course, assuming they play like they're capable of and like they played against Maryland. The Memphis/UConn battle that everybody has been hoping for seems like it's destined to happen to me.

(1) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Xavier:
The East Region has come out "chalk" so far. (For the record, I'm SO sick of hearing that phrase this year. I don't recall every hearing it in the past, but you can't go 5 minutes of coverage during this tournament without hearing it.) Pittsburgh hasn't looked particularly dominant in their first two matchups, but have advanced on just the same. Eastern Tennessee St. hung with the Panthers for far longer than anybody could have or should have expected, but Pitt walked away with the 72-62 victory. Turnovers were a big part of the problem in that game, as Pitt with 18, had twice as many as their opposition. DeJuan Blair was a beast as usual though, going for 27 pts and 16 boards. The second round offered up a very talented Oklahoma St. and Pitt was again put to the test. The Panthers got the 84-76 win, but it was a back and forth battle for much of the game. This time around it was Sam Young leading the way for Pittsburgh, dropping 32 points on the Cowboys.

Xavier has been a ranked team for much of the year, but isn't as well known as some of the other remaining teams because they come out of the Atlantic 10 Conference. As an alum of an A-10 school, I know first hand how dominant Xavier has been in that league for the last decade or so. The Musketeers had no real problem with Portland St. in the first round, taking that game 77-59. Xavier dominated the rebounding battle and shot the ball at 54%, with a very balanced scoring attack, on their way to the win. In the second round, Wisconsin put up a little more of a challenge, but Xavier was still up to the task, getting the 11 point victory, 60-49. With the Badgers slow paced offense, this game looked like more of a defensive battle, with neither team shooting above 40%. Most people probably aren't going to figure Xavier has much of a chance against Pitt, but I think they'll keep it fairly close. In the end, the Musketeers won't be able to contain Blair and Young for the whole game, and Pitt should advance on.

(2) Duke vs. (3) Villanova:
I have little doubt that this should be the best matchup of the 3rd round, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Duke fan. These teams are very similar in terms of style and talent and I think this has all the makings of a classic tournament game. Duke breezed by Binghamton to start off the tournament, taking out the Bearcats, 86-62. 6 players scored in double figures for the Blue Devils and they shot 49% from the field. Duke also made a living at the free throw line, going 21/25 for the game. Texas was a little tougher task for Duke in the 2nd round, as the Blue Devils lead almost the entire game, but it was quite close throughout. The Blue Devils made their foul shots down the stretch and took home the 74-69 win. Gerald Henderson lead the charge, scoring 24, while the team shot 50% from behind the arc.

Villanova had some serious difficulties against American University in their first game, trailing throughout the 2nd half until there were under 8 minutes remaining. The Wildcats never looked back once they got ahead though and went on to the 80-67 victory. Dwayne Anderson and Daunte Cunningham each scored 25 to help propel Villanova past the Eagles. The foul line was also good to 'Nova, as they outscored their opponent, 26-3 from the stripe. When the second round rolled around however, UCLA never really had a chance against Jay Wright's team. The Wildcats took the lead about 5 minutes into the game and never came close to letting it slip, beating the Bruins, 89-69. 6 players got into double figures and Cunningham again lead the way with 18.

Duke and Villanova are both athletic teams that lack a real presence in terms of a big man. The Blue Devil's Kyle Singler and the Wildcats' Cunningham should effectively neutralize each other as they are very similar players who get the job done in a variety of ways. It'll likely come down to whose surrounding cast fairs better and whether or not one team has a poor shooting night. My heart says Duke and my head says Nova, but I like Gerald Henderson to be the difference maker in this one and give Duke the slight advantage.

We are one step closer to the Sweet 16 after some exciting finishes last night, and we will have the rest of the field set when this evening rolls around. Here's a look at yesterday's results, along with today's schedule of games.

East Region:
(2) Duke over (7) Texas, 74-69
(3) Villanova over (6) UCLA, 89-69

South Region:
(1) North Carolina over (8) LSU, 84-70
(2) Oklahoma over (10) Michigan, 73-63
(4) Gonzaga over (12) Western Kentucky, 83-81

West Region:
(1) UConn over (9) Texas A&M, 92-66
(2) Memphis over (10) Maryland, 89-70
(5) Purdue over (4) Washington, 76-74

Bracket Challenge Standings:
Devin - 360 points, Scott - 360 points, Amanda - 350 points; Both hold a healthy advantage over me in possible points remaining however.

Sunday's schedule is a bit earlier than yesterday, with more action going on at the same time as well. Here's how it looks.

12:10pm Start:
(3) Syracuse vs. (6) Arizona St.

2:20pm-2:50pm Starts:
(4) Xavier vs. (12) Wisconsin
(3) Kansas vs. (11) Dayton
(12) Arizona vs. (13) Cleveland St.
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Oklahoma St.

4:50pm-5:20pm Starts:
(3) Missouri vs. (6) Marquette
(2) Michigan St. vs. (10) USC
(1) Louisville vs. (9) Siena

Now that blogspot is finally working properly, I can run through all of Day 2's results and look at the 2nd round matchups, which begin this afternoon. It took until the last games of the first round, but we finally got our first Tournament classics, along with our first real big upset.

Midwest Region:
(1) Louisville over (16) Morehead St., 74-54
(2) Michigan St. over (15) Robert Morris, 77-62
(3) Kansas over (14) North Dakota St., 84-74
(9) Siena over (8) Ohio St., 74-72 in 2OT
(10) USC over (7) Boston College, 72-55
(11) Dayton over (6) West Virginia, 68-60
(12) Arizona over (5) Utah, 84-71
(13) Cleveland St. over (4) Wake Forest, 84-69

West Region:
(3) Missouri over (14) Cornell, 78-59
(6) Marquette over (11) Utah St., 58-57

East Region:
(1) Pittsburgh over (16) E. Tennessee St., 72-62
(4) Xavier over (13) Portland St., 77-59
(8) Oklahoma St. over (9) Tennessee, 77-75
(12) Wisconsin over (5) Florida St., 61-59 in OT

South Region:
(3) Syracuse over (14) Stephen F. Austin, 59-44
(6) Arizona St. over (11) Temple, 66-57

1st Round Trends:
- The 12/5 matchup continues to be the upset to pick each year as this is the 7th time in the past 8 years that at least one of the 12's has advanced. 3 of the 4 won their first round games this year.
- #1 seeds are now 100-0 all time vs. #16 seeds, but the average margin of victory for #1's in the 2nd round is only 7 points.
- Power Conference Records in the 1st Round: ACC (3-4), Big 10 (4-3), Big 12 (6-0), Big East (6-1), Pac 10 (5-1)

Bracket Challenge Standings:
Amanda - 23/32, Devin - 22/32, Scott - 22/32

8 games on tap today as the 2nd round gets under way and if all goes to plan I should have coverage throughout the day again. Here's the list of who is playing and the scheduled start times.

1:05pm Start:
(6) UCLA vs. (3) Villanova

3:20pm-3:35pm Starts:
(10) Maryland vs. (2) Memphis
(9) Texas A&M vs. (1) UConn

5:40pm-5:50pm Starts:
(5) Purdue vs. (4) Washington
(8) LSU vs. (1) UNC
(10) Michigan vs. (2) Oklahoma

8:10pm-8:15pm Starts:
(12) Western Kentucky vs. (4) Gonzaga
(7) Texas vs. (2) Duke

2:08pm
- Villanova leads UCLA 44-31 at the half. The Wildcats have pretty much been scoring at will so far and the Bruins just began to show some signs of life late in the half. Villanova has dominated on the glass with 18 rebounds to UCLA's 9, including 8 on the offensive head. That, combined with some physical defense have lead to the healthy lead.

3:24pm
- Villanova ended up finishing off UCLA by the score of 89-69 and looked extremely impressive in the process. 6 players ended up in double figures and the Wildcats had 15 offensive rebounds to help them coast to the Sweet 16. They will face the winner of tonight's Duke/Texas matchup in the next round.
- (2) Memphis vs. (10) Maryland has just gotten under way, and (1) UConn will be taking on (9) Texas A&M in about 15 minutes or so.

6:12pm
- Blogspot is being miserable to me today, so some quick hits on today's action. So far blowouts by the top seeds have been the order of the day as both Memphis and UConn matched Villanova's early performance, winning by 19 and 26 respectively.
- UNC and Oklahoma look to continue the trend, as they both lead their games in the middle of the first half. Ty Lawson is back in action for the Tar Heels.
- (5) Purdue is trying to build on an early lead against (4) Washington, as they are up 29-21, with 5:28 to go in the first.

8:00pm
- Purdue let Washington sneak back into the game and made it close down the stretch, but the Boilermakers held on to win 76-74. The Huskies had 3 players with 20+ points, including a 20 point, 17 rebound performance from Jon Brockman, but it wasn't enough. Next up for Purdue is the red hot UConn Huskies.
- (1) UNC got a scare from (8) LSU for a bit, but Ty Lawson returned to form quickly and propelled the Tar Heels to the 84-70 win. Lawson and Wayne Ellington each finished with 23 to counter LSU's Marcus Thornton who scored 25. They'll face the winner of tonight's Gonzaga/W. Kentucky matchup.
- (2) Oklahoma had their hands full with (10) Michigan for much of the game, but went on to the 10 point win, 73-63. As usual Blake Griffin was a force for the Sooners with 33 points and 17 rebounds. The Sooners will have to wait until tomorrow to find out if they get Syracuse or Arizona St. in the Sweet 16.

9:14pm
- (2) Duke has played well, but Texas keeps battling, as the Blue Devils lead at the half, 36-29. Gerald Henderson hasn't shot the ball well as of yet, but still leads Duke with 11 points, while A.J. Abrams has 9 for the Longhorns. Duke has been taking more shots off the dribble than usual and has relatively few 3 point attempts compared to their normal style, it will be interesting to see if they continue with this in the 2nd half.
- (12) Western Kentucky is proving my selection of them to move to the Sweet 16 wise so far, as they lead (4) Gonzaga 37-35 at the half. Orlando Mendez-Valdez has 5 threes already, and 17 points on the game. Both teams are shooting the ball at over 50% so far and this one looks like it will be a battle right down to the wire.

11:46pm
- A couple more fantastic finishes ended the night, as Western Kentucky had a complete mental lapse and let Gonzaga's Demetri Goodson go the length of the floor and get an almost uncontested layup with .9 seconds left, moments after tying the game up. Gonzaga moves on to the Sweet 16 after the 83-81 win. Gonzaga's next opponent will be the top seeded UNC Tar Heels.
- Duke lead by as many as 10 at various times in the second half against Texas, but the Longhorns tied it up with 1:44 left. Duke was able to seal the game at the foul line however and secured the 74-69 win to move to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 3 years. The free throws truly made the difference in this one as Texas struggled, shooting just 64% from the charity stripe, while Duke was solid at 78%. The Blue Devils also shot 50% from 3 point land, going 7-14 compared to Texas' 3-12 effort. Duke faces a rejuvenated Villanova team in the next round in what should be a great battle of similar styled teams.

The first day of the tournament is over and some great games were played along with some typical first round blowouts. No real big surprises so far though with only a handful of upsets taking place, perhaps that will change on day 2. Here's a quick recap of yesterday's matchups.

East Region:
(2) Duke over (15) Binghamton, 86-62
(3) Villanova over (14) American, 80-67
(6) UCLA over (11) Virginia Commonwealth, 65-64
(7) Texas over (10) Minnesota, 76-62

South Region:
(1) UNC over (16) Radford, 101-58
(2) Oklahoma over (15) Morgan St., 82-54
(4) Gonzaga over (13) Akron, 77-64
(8) LSU over (9) Butler, 75-71
(10) Michigan over (7) Clemson, 62-59
(12) Western Kentucky over (5) Illinois, 76-72

West Region:
(1) UConn over (16) Chattanooga, 103-47
(2) Memphis over (15) Cal State Northridge, 81-70
(4) Washington over (13) Mississippi St., 71-58
(5) Purdue over (12) Northern Iowa, 61-56
(9) Texas A&M over (8) BYU, 79-66
(10) Maryland over (7) California, 84-71

Current Bracket Standings:
Scott - 13-3, Devin - 11-4, Amanda - 11-4

Today's schedule includes 16 more games, and I'll do my best to bring updates throughout the day again. Here's the list of games and scheduled start times.

12:15pm-12:30pm Starts:
(3) Syracuse vs. (14) Stephen F. Austin
(8) Oklahoma St. vs. (9) Tennessee
(6) Marquette vs. (11) Utah St.
(3) Kansas vs. (14) North Dakota St.

2:45pm-3:00pm Starts:
(6) Arizona St. vs. (11) Temple
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (16) East Tennessee St.
(3) Missouri vs. (14) Cornell
(6) West Virginia vs. (11) Dayton

7:10pm-7:25pm Starts:
(1) Louisville vs. (16) Morehead St.
(5) Utah vs. (12) Arizona
(7) Boston College vs. (10) USC
(4) Xavier vs. (13) Portland St.

9:40pm-9:55pm Starts:
(8) Ohio St. vs. (9) Siena
(4) Wake Forest vs. (13) Cleveland St.
(2) Michigan St. vs (15) Robert Morris
(5) Florida St. vs. (12) Wisconsin

2:40pm
- A couple of great early finishes so far, as (8) Oklahoma St. and (9) Tennessee battled back and forth right to the buzzer. The Cowboys ended up grabbing the victory 77-75. OSU shot nearly 57% and needed every bit of Byron Eaton's 20 points. This was my main TV game and I'm hoping I don't get any more from Dayton today simply for the fact that Bill Raftery is horribly annoying to listen to. People complain about Dick Vitale, but I'd take him over Raftery any day.
- (6) Marquette had their hands absolutely full with (11) Utah St. as well, holding them off at the end for the 58-57 win. Lazar Haywood poured in 26 points to go along with 8 rebounds for the Golden Eagles as All Big East 1st Teamer Jerel McNeal struggled to find his shot. The Aggies had 3 men leading the way for them with 15+ each and finally grabbed the lead for the first time with about 5 minutes left, but couldn't hang on.
- (3) Syracuse never trailed (14) Stephen F. Austin, nor was it really ever close. The Orange ran out to a 20-4 lead to start the game and were able to put into cruise control from there. Star point guard Johnny Flynn lead the way with 16 points for Syracuse, while Paul Harris dominated the glass with 16 boards. The Lumberjacks shot under 25% and never had a chance in this one. I do love these small schools though because you always find some interesting stories along the way. SFA had both a 27 year old on the court at one point as well as a 5'3 guard, who quite honestly looked like he got lost on his way to Saturday Morning Basketball. Actually, I think a lot of kids I knew at 12 years old were already taller than that.
- (3) Kansas was thought by many to possibly have a struggle on their hands with first year D-1 team (14) North Dakota St., and that seemed to be the case for most of the game. The defending national champion Jayhawks began to pull away a bit late in the first half, but had trouble shutting the door before finally hanging on to the 84-74 win. This game featured quite the scoring duel as the Bison were lead by Ben Woodside's 37 point effort. On the other side, Kansas' star guard Sherron Collins dropped 32, along with 8 assists. The Jayhawks also had the benefit of getting 23 points and 11 rebounds from big man Cole Aldrich.

2:57pm
- (6) Arizona St. is out to an early lead on (11) Temple, 20-14, just about mid way through the first half.
- My pick to win it all, (1) Pittsburgh will be taking the court in a few minutes and shouldn't have much trouble against (16) E. Tennessee St.
- (6)West Virginia is another of my teams to watch for, as I think they can be one of the lower seeds to make a run beyond what their expected. They take on (11) Dayton in Minneapolis, Minnesota starting at 3:05pm.
- All 3 of us are now at 15-5 in opening round games, while somehow my dad continues his march to perfection, as one of his brackets is currently 20/20, while two of his others are also 19/20.

3:55pm
- Arizona St. still leads Temple, 40-34 with 14:24 to go in the game. The Owls are lead by Dionte Christmas as usual, who has 19, while the Sun Devils' Derek Glasser and Jeff Pendergraph have combined for 30 of the team's 40.
- Elsewhere, my pick of Pittsburgh is looking a little more scary as they have struggled with E. Tennessee St. so far, leading 26-23 at halftime. DeJuan Blair has 11 points and 11 boards so far, and the Panthers have held the Buccaneers to just 24% shooting. Since I haven't seen a second of this game on TV so far, I'm not really sure what Pitt's problem is so far, but hopefully they turn it around in the 2nd half.
- Lower seeds seem upset minded in this set of games as (14) Cornell is giving (3) Missouri a run for their money so far. The Tigers lead by 4, 29-25 at the half in Boise. Neither team is shooting the ball particularly well so far, and the Mizzou seems mired down, not unleashing their infamous "fastest 40 minutes" in basketball so far.
- Dayton keeps the trend going as they lead West Virginia 33-28 at the half. The Mountaineers are shooting the ball poorly, particulary from 3 pt land (2/10) and have been playing from behind throughout in this one. The Flyers have gotten 11 points and 6 rebounds from sophomore Chris Wright in the first and look to maintain their lead and earn the right to face Kansas on Sunday.

4:45pm
- Arizona St. was able to hold off Temple, 66-57 despite Dionte Christmas finishing up with 29 points for the Owls. Pendergraph and Glasser each ended up with 22 for the Sun Devils, who shot over 51% for the game. Up next for ASU is Syracuse on Sunday.
- Elsewhere, West Virginia is hanging tough against Dayton, down 51-47 with 9:36 to go. Missouri has ran away from Cornell in the second half, up 58-43 with 9:01 remaining, and Pittsburgh continues to struggle against E. Tennessee St., leading 46-44 with 9:41 left. No 16 seed has ever beaten a 1 and this game is far closer than it should be. History could be in the making here, and my bracket is supremely screwed if that happens.

5:20pm
- In a game that was closer than the final score would indicate, Pittsburgh held off E. Tennessee St. 72-62 to avoid becoming the first ever 1 seed to lose in the opening round. DeJuan Blair deserves much of the credit with his 27 point, 16 rebound performance, as nobody else really showed up for the Panthers. Pitt played uninspired for the most part and will definitely need to be more motivated when they take on Oklahoma St. on Sunday if they want to see the Sweet 16.
- Missouri used a 49-34 second half to propel themselves past Ivy League Champ Cornell, by the final score of 78-59. Leo Lyons had 23 points and 10 boards, including 5 on the offensive end to lead the way for the Tigers. The Big Red shot just 36.5% for the game and simply couldn't hang with Mizzou after the break. The Tigers will take on Marquette in the 2nd round.
- Dayton became the first lower seed to win a game today as they held off West Virginia late to win 68-60. Sophomore forward Chris Wright lead the way for the Flyers, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Dayton's tough defense proved too much for the Mountaineers to handle as they became the first of the 7 Big East teams to lose a game. Dayton advances to face Kansas next.

5:30pm
- Devin and Amanda have moved out in front after a lousy day of picks for me. They are each 18/24 so far, while I'm at 17/24. West Virginia's loss also signifies my first Sweet 16 team being knocked out so far. Some how my dad still has a bracket at 23/24!

7:51pm
- Earlier today I said I hoped I didn't have to listen to Bill Raftery all day, well, instead I've had mostly games from Minnesota, which Gus Johnson is calling. Gus along with Steve Tasker is my least favorite combination for NFL games by far. Johnson is probably as annoying as Raftery, but for some reason I can't help but crack up when he spazzes out and starts yelling about everything. I think it's because I envision him as about 12 years old, having drank 3 Red Bulls and eating like an entire bag of candy. I bet he sits there bouncing up and down in his chair for the entire game and tries not to start spinning in his chair.

9:30pm
- (1) Louisville knocked off (16) Morehead St. 74-54 after letting them hanging around for the first half.
- (12) Arizona was favored by many to take down (5) Utah despite being one of the last teams to make the field, and they did just that, picking up the 84-71 victory.
- (10) USC had a tight battle going on with (7) Boston College for awhile, but pulled away in the 2nd half and cruised to a 72-55 win.
- (4) Xavier beat (13) Portland St. 77-59, shooting nearly 54% along the way and dominating the rebound battle.

9:35pm
- USC has a forward by the name of Leonard Washington, probably best known for getting ejected against Oklahoma for hitting Blake Griffin in the groinal region. Every time I hear his name however, I can only think of Chappelle's Show.

The goal today is to bring you a sort of live running blog that will be updated throughout the day with random comments and observations as I watch the tournament. Hopefully, I can do this throughout the weekend, as I have intentions of watching as much of the tournament as possible. The first games on the schedule today include LSU (8) vs. Butler (9) at 12:20pm, Cal State Northridge (15) vs. Memphis (2) at 12:25pm, and Texas A&M (9) vs. BYU (8) at 12:30pm.

The opening day sees 2 of the #1 seeds (UConn and UNC) and 2 of the #2 seeds (Duke and Memphis) start of their attempts to make it to Detroit, but perhaps the most intriguing matchups of the day are the 7-10 games, which include Clemson and Michigan at 7:10pm, Texas and Minnesota, also at 7:10pm, and Cal vs. Maryland, which tips at 2:55pm. At any rate, it looks to be an exciting first day, so be sure to check in through out the day for updated coverage.

1:13pm
- So far I've had the Butler/LSU game on and Butler has kept it close despite themselves. Losing your star player for most of the half to foul trouble, turning the ball over double digit times, and shooting 35% are usually not the preferred methods for success, but LSU is only up by 6 at the half. Interesting to see if the Bulldogs can turn it up in the 2nd.
- Cal St. Northridge has done an admirable job of staying with Memphis so far, down just 3, 34-31 at halftime. Roburt Sallie has 17 so far for the Tigers, but certainly some other players will need to step up in the 2nd. I predicted an early exit for the Tigers because I don't think they've proven themselves this year, but I certainly wasn't expecting them to have this much trouble right off the bat.
- Texas A&M started off lights out and ran away from BYU early. They shot nearly 57% in the first half on their way to a 12 point lead, 42-30. BYU has had a hot hand from 3, going 6-9 so far, but they are only 11-31 for the game... maybe they should stick to the 3 ball in the 2nd half if they want to make a comeback.

4:00pm
- Butler put in a valiant effort in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough as LSU took home the win, 75-71. Butler's sophomore standout Matt Howard is a name to remember, as he finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds in just 25 minutes. Foul trouble hampered him early but he came out on fire after the half. A very solid player, this kid will likely have Butler dancing again next spring. For LSU, Marcus Thornton proved unstoppable, dropping 30 points for the Tigers and helping them advance.
- Cal State Northridge went toe to toe with Memphis for the first 33 minutes of their game, but unfortunately, they couldn't handle all 40 as Memphis pulled away late, getting the win, 81-70. Roburt Sallie finished with 35 points, mostly by way of a 10-15 shooting effort behind the 3 point line. The soph. guard came off the bench only averaging 4.5 points per game heading into today. The Tigers showed however that perhaps it will be a struggle for them to make a deep run this year.
- Texas A&M used a 10-10 shooting start to jump out to an early lead over BYU and never really looked back, coasting to a 79-66 win. 5 players hit double figures and as a team, the Aggies shot 57.7% for the game. On the other hand, the Cougars were ice cold throughout the game, shooting just 39%, and going 1-7 from 3 point land in the second half, despite a 6/9 effort in the first.
- I've officially started out 1/3 in my main bracket, which isn't a good sign. Conversely my wife was 3/3... I don't like where this is headed. Devin has split the difference at 2/3 so far.
- Jim Calhoun went to the hospital with an illness earlier in the day and wasn't available to be on the Huskies bench as (1) UConn took on (16) Chattanooga this afternoon, but so far it hasn't made a difference. They currently enjoy a 48-20 lead at the half and look to have things well in control. A.J. Price had 17 in the first half, and the Huskies defense has locked down The Mocs, who shot just 20.6% in the first.
- (5) Purdue is taking on (12) Northern Iowa in Portland, Oregon, and is having a fairly easy go of things, up 54-46 with just 2:28 remaining. The Boilermakers look to be moving on and will face the winner of Washington and Mississippi St.
- (10) Maryland leads (7) California 39-36 with 17:11 left in a close battle in Kansas City, MO. This one figured to be a good game from the start and it hasn't disappointed. Greivis Vasquez leads the way for the Terps with 13 and Cal's Jerome Randle has 11 for the Golden Bears. Defense seems to be the order of business in this one as both teams have shot the ball poorly. Maryland sits at just under 38% for the game, while Cal is only making 1/3 of it's shot at 33.3%
- (1) UNC is handling it's business without Ty Lawson, as they lead (16) Radford 81-44 with 12:36 to go. The Tar Heels are a high scoring team normally, but Radford proves no match, as they are on pace to eclipse 100 this afternoon. Both Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough have over 20 already. North Carolina looks well on their way to meeting up with LSU on Saturday.

4:30pm
- So much for my saying Purdue was coasting to a win, Northern Iowa has come back with fury, down 58-54 with :16 left on the clock. The Panthers seemed a fairly popular pick as an underdog in the always classic 12-5 matchup. I didn't pick them however, which probably means they're going to find a way to pull this off. Or not... Purdue manages to hang on and advance with the 61-56 victory.

4:42pm
- I realize I live 30 minutes away from UNC and all, but why on Earth would I rather be watching this 90-52 game, when there is a much closer battle between Maryland and Cal going on? Oh well, I guess I'll at least be able to watch all of the Duke game later tonight, regardless of how much they kill Binghamton by.

5:10pm
- Just about the time I posted the above, Maryland began to pull away from Cal and ended up with a comfortable 84-71 victory. The Terrapins advance to face Memphis on Saturday, where Vasquez will look to continue his very solid play after putting up 27 points this afternoon.
- UNC went on to finish off Radford with ease, 101-58. The Tar Heels will face LSU on Saturday and would benefit greatly if some how Ty Lawson were available to play.
- UConn finished off Chattanooga, 103-47 and will surely face a tougher challenge in Texas A&M on Saturday. The Huskies were lead by Stanley Robinson's 24 points and also got 20 each from A.J. Price and Hasheem Thabeet.
- (13) Mississippi St. and (4) Washington are tied up at 10 with 11:50 to go in the first half, though my TV coverage is taking a break until the 7:00pm games so I won't get to watch this one. The Bulldogs are amongst my upset specials though (not in my main bracket for some reason, but most of my others) and big man Jarvis Varnado is a block machine at 4.7 per game, good enough for tops in the nation, just edging out UConn's Thabeet.
- I'm officially 5-2 so far with my picks, rebounding nicely from the early games. Amanda chimes in at 6-1, and Devin is right there with me at 5-2 so far.

8:20pm
- Well, so much for that upset pick, but I guess it's a good thing now that I didn't pick it on my main bracket. Washington ended up beating Mississippi St. by the score of 71-58 to advance and setup a meeting with Purdue on Saturday. Quincy Pondexter lead the way for the Huskies with 23 points.
- In perhaps the biggest shocker of the day thus far, (14) American is leading (3) Villanova, 41-31 at the half. Not only does Villanova come from the vaunted Big East, but they are essentially playing at home in Philadelphia. The team uses the court for home games 3 times a year and should have a large fan base there, yet they've come out flat as can be, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half. Both teams are shooting at 50%+, so the turnovers are obviously making the difference so far. Definitely a game to keep your eye on as it has bracket busting potential galore.
- Out in Portland, another underdog is leading the way as (13) Akron currently holds a 33-28 lead over (4) Gonzaga with just under 3 minutes left in the first half. Akron is looking to make the most of just their 2nd trip to the dance and their 1st tournament appearance since 1986. Meanwhile, Gonazga is in their 11th consecutive. but is hoping to avoid losing in the 1st round for the 3rd straight year.
- (10) Minnesota and (7) Texas are doing battle in Greensboro, NC in what should be one of the better first day matchups. Currently, the Longhorns lead the Gophers 47-39, with about 16 minutes left in the game. Texas has gotten most all their scoring from 3 players who are already in double figures, lead by star guard A.J. Abrams with 14. Texas has the big advantage on the boards so far, but expect this one to get tight again before it's all over.
- My game to watch for day one features (7) Clemson battling (10) Michigan, who is making their first tourney appearance in over a decade after a myriad of problems damage the program from their former glory days. Currently, the Wolverines lead the Tigers 43-30 with just over 15 minutes left to play. This game was back and forth early, but Michigan has started to pull away lead by sophomore guard Manny Harris who has 16 thus far. Clemson has shot the ball very poorly at just under 29%, while Michigan has been drilling the threes, going 8-18 up to this point.

9:30pm
- Well, the Clemson - Michigan game delivered as promised. The Wolverines managed to hang on for the win 62-59, thanks in large part to Manny Harris, who finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Michigan awaits the winner of tonight's Oklahoma/Morgan St. matchup.
- Texas pulled away from Minnesota and never looked back, powered by A.J. Abrams 26 points, including 8-15 shooting from 3 point land. Texas will play the winner of the upcoming Duke/Binghamton game on Saturday.
- Villanova came out and cranked up the defense in the 2nd half, forcing American's shooting percentage to drop considerably, especially from beyond the arc. 'Nova outscored the Eagles 49-26 in the second half en route to a 80-67 victory. American should be proud though as they played a very good game and definitely put a scare in the heavily biased crowd in Philly. Villanova will face the winner of tonight's UCLA/Virginia Commonwealth game.
- Gonzaga has begun pounding Akron in the second half of their game, currently leading 67-53 with just over 5 minutes remaining. Gonzaga is shooting over 50% for the game and dominating the battle on the glass, as they look to be on their way to the 2nd round and a game against either Illinois or Western Kentucky.
- Current Bracket Standings Update: I am about to move to 10-2 with a Gonzaga win, not bad considering I missed 2/3 in the day's first games. Devin would move to 9-3, and Amanda would match him at 9-3. Somehow my father has managed to go 12/12 on one of his brackets so far, but he also did 5 of them.

9:42pm
- Holy Crap! 6'2" Jeremy Pargo of Gonzaga just threw down a nasty dunk over some dude for Akron. Play of the day so far from what I've seen.
- Moments away from my team taking to the court... Let's Go Duke!

7:00am
- I was working on updating this during the late games last night, but my internet connection dropped and I lost everything, making me rather unhappy, so I'll go over the late games this morning instead.
- (4) Gonzaga ran past the (13) Akron Zips in the second half, outscoring them 42-26. This gave the Bulldogs enough for a 77-64 victory. Another decisive shooting difference told the story in this game, as Gonzaga held the 16% advantage from the field.
- (2) Duke outscored (15) Binghamton by 20 from the free throw line and it easily helped Duke maintain a lead on the Bearcats throughout most of the game. 6 Blue Devils scored in double figures, and a rare size advantage also made itself obvious for Duke. Binghamton got beat on the boards 35-18. Duke will face Texas on Saturday.
- (2) Oklahoma didn't have much trouble with (15) Morgan St., winning by a final score of 82-54. As usual, Blake Griffin lead the way with 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Sooners. The Bears were held under 29% from the field, while OU on the other hand finished over 60%. Oklahoma will face (10) Michigan in the 2nd round.
- (6) UCLA was picked by many to be upset by (11) Virginia Commonwealth in the first round and it nearly happened. The Bruins are tournament tested however after 4 straight Final Four appearances and held on for the 65-64 win. All 5 starts for UCLA finished in double figures and VCU was lead by a solid all around performance from senior guard Eric Maynor, who had 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Villanova/UCLA will be a matchup of classic tournament teams on Saturday, as both schools have a storied past.
- (12) Western Kentucky was my personal upset special, as I have them advancing to the Sweet 16. They took the first step last night by holding on to knock off (5) Illinois, 76-72. The Hilltoppers lead throughout but had to weather a late surge by the Illini to hang on and advance. All 5 WKU starters had double figure scoring efforts, while Illinois was lead by Trent Meacham's 24 points.