Doug Segrest’s Second Look: It all leads up to UK vs. IU, the rematch
Alabama’s Trevor Releford takes a seat as Creighton moves on in the NCAA Tournament. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama –
THE WEEK THAT WAS
> No lead was safe in Dayton. the NCAA Tournament opened Tuesday night with Western Kentucky chasing down a 16-point second-half deficit and BYU overcoming a 25-point Iona lead to advance to the second round.
> Thursday mostly followed form, with a few exceptions. No. 16 seed UNC Asheville scared the Orange out of Syracuse and tournament- tested VCU, a 12 seed, shocked Wichita State.
> Friday was a different matter, with historic upsets by No. 15 seeds Norfolk State (bye-bye, Missouri) and Lehigh (farewell, Duke). When you add some exciting games, including Creighton’s victory over Alabama, it was the best Friday in a long time.
> It was a big day for the Big ten on Saturday, with Wisconsin surviving Vanderbilt, Ohio State bouncing Gonzaga and Indiana returning to the Sweet 16 with a late game-winner against VCU.
> the mighty Ohio U. Bobcats kept on rolling, slipping past South Florida to the next round. But was that as big a shock as N.C. State’s latest victory?
THE WEEK THAT WILL BE
> Sweet 16 play begins Thursday, and Wisconsin looks like the team that can send No. 1 seed Syracuse packing. But the best game of the day could be Florida-Marquette.
> Friday brings us a made-for-TV rematch. When Indiana and Kentucky last faced off, the game was decided on Christian Watford’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
> Saturday could bring us three Big ten teams playing for two Final Four slots: Wisconsin and Ohio State from the East, Michigan State from the West. Fitting weekend for the best conference this season, if it happens.
> and by Sunday, could we be seeing another rematch? North Carolina and N.C. State just met a week ago, with a controversial ending at the ACC Tournament. Can mark Gottfried get back to the Elite Eight?
HOOP TALK
“This is something new for us. the lights are on. We were rushing. With 5 minutes left to go, we all turned that switch on. We decided we were not ready to go home.”
– Western Kentucky’s Derrick Gordon, on the rally against Mississippi Valley State, which came in front of President Obama and the British prime minister.
“Here we beat Alabama at their own game. I thought we were going to need to be in the 70s and get the tempo in our favor the entire game.”
– Creighton coach Greg McDermott.
“We messed up some brackets! We messed up some brackets!”
– Norfolk State center Kyle O’Quinn, celebrating on the way to the locker room after the upset of Missouri.
“They had the best player on the court tonight in (C.J.) McCollum. He’s been their player of the year, and he’s really one of the outstanding players in the country. You could see why tonight.”
– Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski keeping it classy after the early exit against Lehigh.
TOP TEN
Top 10 things worth buzzing about over the weekend and in the days ahead:
1. the week wasn’t limited to action on the floor. Samford and UAB made coaching changes, cutting Jimmy Tillette and Mike Davis, respectively. Birmingham hoops lost two good men at programs that wanted new blood.
2. a bigger surprise was Rick Stansbury’s departure at Mississippi State after a disappointing season. Stansbury said it was his decision. did he just get tired of dealing with Renardo Sidney or was State’s lack of performance the key reason?
3. to Sidney’s credit, he apologized to MSU fans for being “selfish and lazy” in a series of tweets and thanked Stansbury, “who put up with my (behavior) for three years.”
4. Kansas State played its game against Syracuse without 29-game starter Jamar Samuels, who was suspended for receiving $200 from his summerleague coach.
5. that coach, Curtis Malone, told CBSSports.com he was just trying to help a former player who needed money for food. That’s a lot of food for a player already with a per diem.
6. the key to Kentucky’s first two tournament wins was simple: Freshman point guard Marquis Teague elevated his game. If Teague stays hot, no one can touch the Wildcats.
7. Frank Haith distinguished himself during the regular season as Missouri’s first-year coach. So why couldn’t he show more class after the Norfolk State exit? Instead he attributed the upset to “fluke” shots. Uh, 40 minutes of flukes?
8. mark Gottfried wasn’t the first or second choice at N.C. State. But now he could run for mayor of Raleigh after sending the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16. and with Duke leaving early, he could probably get the Chapel Hill vote, too.
9. Congrats on Baylor getting to the next round. Now, maybe the administration will use some of the tournament riches and get the team real basketball uniforms.
10. North Carolina got John Henson back, but the loss of Kendall Marshall could cost the Tar Heels the title.
Doug Segrest’s second look appears every Monday during the college football and basketball seasons. Write him at dsegrest@bhamnews.com and join him for a live SEC chat Friday at 11 a.m.
Categories: creighton Tags: ncaa tourna, sweet 16, trevor releford, wichita state