Check out Frank Doyle’s NCAA Tournament live blog for Thursday’s action.
It’s just like the NCAA to make us wait a whole day to celebrate Andrew Wiggins‘ NCAA Tournament debut. I mean sure, yesterday was great and all, but all I want is for Wiggins to stick it to everybody saying he can’t put Kansas on his back and wave the Canadian flag all over the place.
Can he? I think so, but I’m not sure. Joel Embiid is an absolute beast and Kansas is going to have to use a completely different strategy to get through this weekend alive. I have the Jayhawks in my Elite Eight, so that should tell you all you need to know.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves already. Kansas doesn’t play Eastern Kentucky until 4:10 EST so the game plan is to give you everything you need to know leading up to that point and we’ll take it from there.
Here’s a few links to keep bookmarked:
Frank Doyle’s NCAA Tournament Bracket
Sports Interaction NCAA Tournament futures odds
Sports Interaction NCAA Tournament games and matchup odds
Sports Interaction NCAA Tournament in-game live betting
Early games:
Mercer vs. Duke (-13.5, 141.5) FINAL: Mercer 78, Duke 71.
Nebraska vs. Baylor (-4, 130.5) FINAL: Baylor 74, Nebraska 60.
Stanford vs. New Mexico (-3.5, 137) FINAL: Stanford 58, New Mexico 53.
Weber St. vs. Arizona (-20, 127.5) FINAL: Arizona 68, Weber St. 59.
Tennessee vs. UMass (+5.5, 137.5) FINAL: Tennessee 86, UMass 67.
UL-Lafayette vs. Creighton (-14, 155.5) FINAL: Creighton 76, UL Lafayette 66.
Eastern Kentucky vs. Kansas (-14, 152) FINAL: Kansas 80, Eastern Kentucky 69.
GAME ON!
If you don’t have at least two different March Madness pools on the go, you can’t even consider yourself part of the Madness. I also have strong feelings about filling out more than one bracket… but I’ll get to that down the road. Mercer is hanging around with Duke early.
Duke vs. Mercer
OK so we’re about seven minutes in so far and Mercer is hanging around with Duke up 14-13. This is becoming a major trend in this Round 2, or whatever you want to call it. Big underdogs come out flying in games against major programs. We saw this yesterday with Wisconsin and Syracuse to name a couple.
These underdogs don’t have anything to lose, while if Duke doesn’t win this game by double-digits, everybody’s going to freak out.
The only way I see this game staying close is if Mercer keeps pounding the ball inside and Duke has an off day shooting from outside. Right now, doesn’t look likely. Duke up 26-20 on the back of seven treys already. About seven minutes left in the opening half.
Mercer can’t miss opportunities at the charity stripe either. They’re still within striking distance with four minutes until the break, but this is where the Bears absolutely need to hit their FTs. Otherwise Duke is going to open this up to a double-digit lead.
Good push-back from Mercer. The Bears keep pounding the ball inside and aren’t rushing shots when they get in the paint.
Duke 30, Mercer 27 – 2:27 left in the first.
Sports Interaction NCAA Tournament games and matchup odds Mercer closes the half on a 11-5 run.
HALFTIME SCORE: Duke 35, Mercer 34.
Duke opens as a 7.5-point halftime favorite vs. Mercer. Do you do it, Dookies? DOOO YOU?
Nebraska vs. Baylor
I had a tough time with this game. Eventually went with Baylor, but it was more of a toss-up than anything else. Baylor is up 8-3 about seven minutes into that one.
Still all Baylor over here. Baylor 17, Nebraska 9 with 7:43 left in the first. We’ll stick around here for a little while and then check out some Stanford vs. New Mexico action. I’m going to HATE that game, I just know it.
Nebraska has hit just three of 14 field goal attempts so far and 0-7 on treys. Yeah, that’s pretty awful.
If you feel your eyes burning, don’t blame Baylor’s unis. This game is really just that bad.
Nebraska looks dangerously close to just losing every shred of confidence it might have had to start this game. If the Huskers can’t get a couple of buckets before the break it’s going to be awfully tough to come back against Baylor. The Bears will just nurse the shot clock to death.
I’ve seen enough of this. It doesn’t even matter who wins this game anyway, because the victor is going to get crushed by Dougie and Creighton.
Duke vs. Mercer
Mercer 43, Duke 40 – 15:50 second half
The Bears feel like they can win this game now that they’ve gone shot-for-shot with the Blue Devils. Coach K is furiously searching for a MAN on his bench.
Uh-oh. Jabari Parker picks up his third foul and hast to take a seat.
By the way, I’m in one of these Grantland pools and it is fantastic. You pick two winners Thursday and if they hit, you pick two more on Friday. If one of Thursday’s picks loses, you can buy back in for Friday but must pick FOUR winners. The trick is you can only pick each team once. I went 2-0 and feel like a genius for going with Syracuse and Pitt yesterday. *Sidenote, SEVEN people in that pool took Duke today*
Mercer missed two glorious looks in the paint. Tied 45 apiece.
Cook hits another one from deep to open up the three-point lead. Parker looks like he’s going to come back in as Coach K goes for the jugular.
Mercer has to take it right at Parker to see if they can get a fourth foul on him. That would be a game-changer.
11:45 second half Duke 48, Mercer 47.
UPDATE: At the half, Baylor is up 29-16 over Nebraska in that crapfest. Cornhuskers -2 on the hafltime line.
Sports Interaction NCAA Tournament games and matchup odds
Cook AGAIN for three. If Duke wasn’t hitting everything from the parking lot, Mercer would be coasting to a win here. Can the Blue Devils keep dialing them up from downtown?
STOP EVERYTHING. 13 crazy Duke supporters in my pool, not seven. I’m irrationally pleased about this.
7:21 left. Duke 54, Mercer 53.
COOK AGAIN FOR THREE. Unbelievable. He has 17 now and five treys.
Five minutes left 60-58 Duke, but Mercer takes a bad foul on a three attempt so here comes three at the line. Makes them.
Hood just threw the ball to the Duke bench. Big turnover there but Mercer can’t take advantage of it at the other end.
Mercer forces a shot-clock violation and trails by three with 3:10 left.
Anthony White Jr. hits a huge trey from the parking lot to bring Mercer to a 63-63 tie with Duke. 2:20 left.
Duke in a bit of four trouble. That’s Rodney Hood‘s fourth and Mercer hits both FTs. And now Hood travels at the other end.
FOUL AND ONE BY MERCER. Hood with his fifth foul and is done for the day … and the tournament?
Mercer up 6 with 48 seconds left. Duke go to the line after an 11-0 run by Mercer.
73- 68 MERCER. 22.8 seconds left.
White Jr. to the line for Mercer. Misses the first but gets No. 2. Duke misses a three and fouls again.
74-68 Mercer with 11.7 left.
Mercer gets both. Stick a fork in the Blue Devils.
Final 78-71 NOT DUKE. Mercer Bears with the huge upset.
Well, that was something. This is absolutely the best way I could start my basketball day. Nothing against Duke… wait, yes, everything against Duke. I hate Duke and I love hating Duke. It’s the best.
Anyway, moving on.
UPDATES:
Crapfest (ie. Nebraska vs. Baylor) Baylor up 60-42 with 5:15 left. Watch at your own peril.
Stanford leads New Mexico 32-27 at the break. New Mexico is -5 on the second half line.
Weber St. vs. Arizona
Well, here we go again. Weber State hanging around against the No. 1-seed Arizona, so I hope you got down on that first half line. I have the Wildcats in my Final Four, but don’t feel good about it. I just couldn’t see a team that should beat them in their region. Creighton has Dougie and Wisconsin is nasty and deep, but Arizona’s just better. The Wildcats will start putting the clamps on here shortly.
*Still waiting on my Coach K “we have to play like men” meme, you guys.*
The real *ahem* Wildcard with Arizona is that crazy defence. Weber St. looks completely overmatched all of a sudden. Wildcats up 29-16 with five minutes left in the first.
Arizona closes out the half up 32-20. This could get ugly in the second half. Halftime line has Arizona at -8.5
*OK, was that Mercer coach Bob Hoffman, Tommy Boy, or Rob Ford in that postgame interview?*
Stanford vs. New Mexico
This one looks like it could go down to the final shot. Currently tied at 45 with 10 minutes left.
Both teams are just scrapping on every possession, not giving an inch.
Seriously, like I’d update you, but it’s stop at one end, stop at the other. Stanford 48, New Mexico 45 with 5:48 left.
New Mexico has missed six in a row as Stanford opens up a 52-45 lead. 4:02 remaining.
Lobos finally get a bucket to make it 52-47 but can’t get closer after a big steal. Stanford answers with a couple of free throws to regain the seven-point lead.
Looks like New Mexico is running out of gas. If Stanford holds this lead the Cardinal’s inside game could be major problems for Kansas moving forward.
Stanford up 54-50 with 30 seconds left but Lobos pull to within 2 with a pair of FTs.
It’s foul city now but Stanford up 56-52 with 8 seconds left.
Weird finish here. Stanford called for an offensive flagrant foul after Lobos called for a foul. So Stanford shoots two, then Lobos shoot two and get the ball.
Stanford will play on Sunday. Final 58-53.
Eastern Kentucky vs. Kansas
OK, so take some deep breaths all you Kansas supporters. We knew Eastern Kentucky was going to come out strong. Now it’s all about how Bill Self. If he can calm the Jayhawks down and play within themselves, it’ll be all right. Next few minutes will be crucial.
23-14 Eastern Kentucky. 7:29 of the first.
So far Kansas has 12 turnovers. Again, deep breaths.
ANDREW WIGGINS JUMPS OUT OF THE GYM ON THAT LOB.
Kansas starting to settle in now. That early scare could be help the Jayhawks down the road.
27-24 Eastern Kentucky with about two minutes left.
Wiggins starting to take over. Another lob that nobody in the arena can get to but him. Then he drains a pair of FTs to give Kansas a 28-27 lead.
Wiggins again as he drives the lane and lays it in with 4.6 left.
18-9 run by Kansas to get to the half tied 32-32.
Kansas Jayhawks sitting as an 8.5-point favorite on the halftime line.
The Jayhawks need somebody outside of Wiggins to start scoring. Right now, Eastern Kentucky is swarming Wiggins because nobody else can hit a shot. That needs to change in a hurry. Kansas is struggling to get its spacing right on the defensive end of the floor too. Can’t keep giving up those outside looks.
Kansas isn’t hitting from outside, so the best way to control the tempo is to get inside and get to the line.
Jayhawks up 61-56 after Wiggins cruises through the lane for another deuce. This is why he should be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
Just one Kansas turnover in the second half. That’s where you earn your paycheck, Bill Self.
Five minutes left and Kansas is up 64-57. Still not much breathing room.
Eastern Kentucky now with more threes than I can keep track of. Only way for KU to hold this lead is to keep going to the line.
Kansas up 72-64 with 1:55 left. Finally looks like KU is going through to face Stanford on Sunday. Jayhawks up 10.
FINAL Kansas 80, Eastern Kentucky 69.
