I went 7-3 in play-in and first-round games. Three of those teams are in the Sweet 16 and at least one will be in the Elite Eight.
Mid-majors flexed their muscles last week, showing the basketball world that parity is the name of the game in major college basketball today.
Last Tuesday I picked 11 mid-majors to shine–two played each other–and seven of those ten teams delivered wins. Here’s a review of last week’s action.
WIN: #4 GONZAGA v. #13 UNCG, Th. I wrote: “Even though the Zags are the prohibitive favorite, I think UNCG will keep the game close until the end.” That’s exactly what happened. MY PICK–GU
URI’s Dan Hurley is making a name for himself. (photo, isportsweb)
WIN: #7 RHODE ISLAND v. #10 OKLAHOMA, Th. I was never sold on OU and was disappointed when the Committee picked the Sooners over the OSU Cowboys. Conversely, I’ve been high on URI all year long. MY PICK–URI
WIN: #7 NEVADA v. #11 TEXAS, Fri. Reno rebounded from its MWC nightmare against San Diego State and beat Texas down the stretch. MY PICK–UNR
WIN: #11 LOYOLA v. #6 MIAMI, Th. I’ve liked LU ever since I saw them play last year. It’s a team on the rise. MY PICK–LU
WIN: #11 ST. BONAVENTURE v. #11 UCLA, Tu, Play-In game. Bona is another of my season-long favorites. They played good defense against a UCLA team that looked like it didn’t want to be there. MY PICK–SBU
LOSS: #12 NEW MEXICO STATE v. #5 CLEMSON, Fri. I thought NMSU would have enough to beat Clemson, even though State plays in the competitively awful WAC. But State looked (and was) overmatched right from the start. MY PICK–NMSU
LOSS: #12 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE v. #5 OHIO STATE, Th. This was my biggest surprise. I thought the Jacks would ambush the Buckeyes, and I still held that thought when the game was tied 70-70 down the stretch. Then OSU took control. Next year, Jacks. MY PICK–SDSU
Javon Carter had 21 points and WVU throttled Murray State (photo, The Herald-Dispatch)
WIN: #12 MURRAY STATE v. #5 WEST VIRGINIA, Fri. I predicted that the Mountaineers would be too much for the Racers. They were. MY PICK–WVU
LOSS: #13 BUFFALO v. #3 ARIZONA, Th. I wrote, “This is a bad draw for a good UB team.” Well, it was that…on paper…but the Wildcats looked listless, confused, and out of sorts against an energized and committed Bulls. Buffalo sprung a huge NCAA upset, winning in a run-a-way. MY PICK–UA
WIN: #14 MONTANA v. #3 MICHIGAN, Th. Only one UM team was going to win and it wasn’t the school from Missoula. MY PICK-MICHIGAN
Perhaps to the surprise of some fans, two of those seven teams are still playing–Nevada and Loyola. A third, Gonzaga, hums along as usual. And, now, the 27-7 Wolf Pack takes on 28-5 Loyola in the Sweet 16. That means one of my mid-majors picks will make it to the Elite 8. Meanwhile, Gonzaga is the odds-on favorite (-5.5) to beat Florida State and get there, too.
If there’s a lesson from this year’s tournament, it’s this: There’s simply too much talent nationally for big-time schools to dominate unequivocally. Hurray, petite équipe!
