Most of my picks either covered or won.
There has been a sea change in major college basketball.
Schools out of the national spotlight are getting better and better, and they’re surprising big schools at tournament time.
Smaller schools have players with talent and skills, who stay longer in college than many of their higher-profile peers. So it’s no wonder that mid-major teams challenge the big boys. Murray State with Ja Morant and Wofford with Fletcher Magee are two examples.
Calling them “Cinderella” is a disservice to who they are and what they do. They’re good basketball teams.
Hers’s how my 13 picks did in Round 1.
Tuesday Game
FAVORED, WON, and COVERED SPREAD
BELMONT (Ohio Valley), 26-5, #11-seed v. #11-seed Temple, BELMONT -2.5, Belmont won by 9: The Owls led at the half, largely because Belmont had trouble hitting threes. By game’s end, Belmont made nine more free throws than Temple–the point difference in the game.
Thursday Games
COVERED SPREAD (n=4)
BELMONT (Ohio Valley), 26-5, #11-seed v. #5-seed Maryland, MARYLAND -4, Belmont lost by 2: The Bruins needed to hit threes. They didn’t (9 for 28).
VERMONT (America East), 27-6, #13-seed v. #4-seed Florida State, FSU -8.5, Vermont, lost by 7: The Catamounts hung tough by going 50% from downtown (16-32). FSU won it at the line, hitting 31 foul shots to Vermont’s 7.
YALE (Ivy League), 22-7, #14-seed v. #3-seed LSU, LSU -7, Yale lost by 5: LSU seemed to have this game salted away, but the Bulldogs staged a late rally and almost pulled it out.
NEW MEXICO STATE (Western Athletic), 30-4, #12-seed v. #5-seed Auburn, AUBURN -6, NMSU lost by 1: State would have won this game had it not been for passing up an open layup that would have tied the game, missing 2 of 3 free throws that would have won the game, and missing a corner three at the buzzer that would have won the game.
FAVORED, WON, and COVERED SPREAD (n=1)
WOFFORD (Southern), 29-4, #7-seed v. #10-seed Seton Hall, WOFFORD -3.5, Wofford won by 16: The Terriers came on late to vanquish the Pirates. Fletcher Magee hit shots here, there, and everywhere to score 24. He finished the game as D-1’s all-time leader in made threes. Kentucky is next.
WON OUTRIGHT (n=1)
MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley), 27-4, #12-seed v. #5-seed Marquette, MARQUETTE -3, MSU won by 19: Ja Morant didn’t disappoint. His triple-double (the NCAA tournament’s first since 2012) enabled the Racers to toy with Marquette. Can anybody stop Ja? Florida State finds out Saturday.
FAVORED and LOST (n=1)
NEVADA (Mountain West), 29-4, #7-seed v. #10 Florida, NEVADA -3, Nevada lost by 9: The Pack ended the season with back-to-back losses and three defeats in its last six games. That’s inexplicable for a team that finished 29-5 on the year. At one point in this game, I thought the Gators would win by thirty–and the Gators aren’t that good.
Friday Games
FAVORED, WON, and COVERED SPREAD (n=2)
BUFFALO (Mid-American), 31-3, #6-seed v. #11-seed Arizona St., BUFFALO -6, BUFFALO won by 17: The Bulls are one of the best teams in the country. Massinburg, Perkins, and Harris are incredible. On Friday, the trio had 60 points on 21 of 40 shooting and 26 rebounds. Texas Tech is next.
HOUSTON (American), 31-3, #3-seed v. #14-seed Georgia St., HOUSTON -12.5, HOUSTON WON BY 29: Outmatched, GSU kept it close early, but couldn’t stick with the talented Cougars for forty minutes. Corey Davis, Jr. had 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. UH dominated the Panthers on the boards.
WON OUTRIGHT (n=2)
CALIFORNIA, IRVINE (Big West), 30-5, #13-seed v. #4-seed Kansas State, K-STATE, -3.5, UCI won by 6: The Anteaters seemed to come out of nowhere–with no pizazz and without a chance. But they hung with K-State from the beginning–outshooting them and holding their own on the boards. Nine steals made the difference. Former President Obama was prescient. Will Oregon fall next?
LIBERTY (Atlantic Sun), 28-6, #12-seed v. #5-seed Mississippi State, MISSISSIPPI STATE -6.5, LIBERTY won by 4: Celeb Hemesley (30 points) was spectacular in perhaps the biggest surprise of the Opening Round. The Flames came from ten down with seven minutes to play to take the win. Hitting nearly 50% from three and 80% from the line gave LU the edge.
DIDN’T COVER SPREAD (n=1)
NORTHERN KENTUCKY (Horizon), 26-8, #14-seed v. #3-seed Texas Tech -13.5, NKU lost by 15: NKU’s star center Drew McDonald had a bad game–going 2 for 13 including 0-6 from three with 5 points total. The Red Raiders defense held the Norse in check and Tech’s offense clicked (53% shooting).
FAVORED and LOST (n=1)
UTAH STATE (Mountain West), 28-6, #8-seed v. #9-seed Washington, UTAH ST. -3.5, WASHINGTON won by 17: The Aggies came in on a high. The Huskies entered with questions. But it was the Huskies, not the Aggies, that took control. The Aggies clawed back to within one at 54-53, but the Huskies outscored USU 24-8 the rest of the way.
