That's more like it

By Mark Buckets

The first session on the second day of the NCAA Tournament delivered a few nail-biting moments and close calls. Just ask Wisconsin. And how about Nevada? Fighting through foul trouble and the eventual disqualification of Nick Fazekas, the WolfPack overcame all that and stole one from Creighton. There were other games, of course, that took place today so let's get right to it.

-The morning session provided glimpses of what would come later. The UVA-Albany game certainly didn't deliver on it's pregame hype. Yes, the stars came out to play, as in Jamar Smith of Albany (25 points) and the Sean Singletary/J.R. Reynolds combination (a combined 51 points). The two also shot well over 70% a piece, dispelling the notion, that yours truly, thought would cause UVA problems.

-North Texas and Memphis was one of those typical 2-15 games that had the potential to be close for about a half, when the favorite would blow it open in the second half. That is exactly what took place, as the Mean Green hung around for most of the first half. A double technical seemed to rally the Tigers that sent Joey Dorsey to the bench with three fouls. All of this despite shooting 4 of 16 from three point land. Memphis played their game, pressed and eventually demoralized UNT.

-Georgia Tech was a team that came into tournament as an enigma, as I detailed in an earlier post. Javaris Crittenton tried to carry the Jackets but it wasn't enough, as UNLV, who attempted 30 three pointers, advanced. Did anyone actually spot Thaddeus Young today? He'll learn from this experience and Tech will be a much better "team" next year.

-In the afternoon, there were a couple of teases. All four games were relatively entertaining (I said entertaining-not close) but the Nevada-Creighton game took the cake. Long Beach State's coaching staff (which I praised in a previous post) failed to realize that you can't run with Tennessee if you have inferior talent. Chris Lofton took over, and Virginia had better learn from the 49ers' mistakes. Not to say UVA can't run, but the Vols are on a whole 'nother level.

-Texas A&M-Corpus Christi showcased Southland Conference basketball, which, in my opinion, is incredibly underrated. If you go back a couple of years, you'll remember when Southeast Louisiana gave 2-seed Oklahoma State a run for their money. Also, last year, Northwestern State shot down the Iowa Hawkeyes on a three pointer with under five seconds to go. As for the game with Wisconsin itself, the Islanders (which have a really cool mascot by the way), stunned the Badgers early on. They led by as many as 18 in the first half. Wisconsin would have none of it, as UW's two big dogs, Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor, stepped up and eventually sunk TAMU-CC.

-In quite possibly the most talked about matchup of the first round, Winthrop delighted many people in bracketville by, for the most part, handling Notre Dame. Yes, they did trail late in the game, but one never got the feeling that they weren't in control. Their lack of free throw prowess almost cost them the game, however.