You really shouldn’t be reading this.
Now, don’t get me wrong — I appreciate all my readers. If you went through all the trouble to pick up a newspaper or seek out this article online, by all means, continue reading. I’m just saying that, given the magnitude of the day, I wouldn’t blame you for not fitting my little column into your schedule. Today, of course, is day two of the NCAA Tournament’s highly anticipated college basketball orgy. Between Thursday and Sunday, 48 total games will be played, all airing on national television. If you like basketball, consider this Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, July 4th and Arbor Day all wrapped into one. If you don’t like basketball, consider it Friday. Either way, there’s reason to celebrate.
And if March Madness is known for one thing (other than Gus Johnson celebrating a routine layup like Blake Griffin just dunked over a car), it’s the upsets. So, before diving headfirst into a sea full of basketball, here are a couple upsets to consider from Friday’s slate.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t start with the 11:15 a.m. game, a matchup between 4-seed Texas and 13-seed Oakland. When it comes to the Longhorns, we know what to expect. Rick Barnes recruits great athletes, they look nearly unbeatable in November and December, and then they fade down the stretch, routinely making less noise in March than Northwestern (almost). This team was no different; they jumped out to a 21-4 start, but stumbled down the stretch, going only 6-4 in their last 10 games.
Oakland, on the other hand, is no slouch. They finished 2nd in the country in scoring, racking up 85.6 points per game. They are led by 6-foot-11-inch center senior Keith Benson, a physically imposing big man that averaged a double-double in the regular season (18 points, 10.1 boards). With that said, this game isn’t about Oakland. The Longhorns are going to decide their fate. They’ll either play their best basketball when they need to and win, or follow tradition and squander their talent. Only time will tell.
The upset alert should also be ringing loudly at 6:15 p.m., when No. 2 seed North Carolina meets No. 15 seed Long Island in the East Region. North Carolina showed some warning signs throughout the ACC tournament, producing extremely slow starts against Miami, Clemson and Duke. They were able to claw back in the first two games, stealing a win over the Hurricanes at the buzzer and narrowly beating Clemson in overtime. However, you just can’t start slow against a team of Duke’s caliber, and they paid dearly for it. If they continue that trend and come out of the gates slowly against Long Island, they could be in for a world of hurt.
Long Island can score against anybody, and if the Tar Heels give up a big lead early this game might be over before it begins. The Blackbirds are 4th in the nation in scoring, averaging 82.6 points per game. They’re also a phenomenal rebounding team, finishing third in the country in that regard. Long Island can score, period. If North Carolina takes the first ten minutes off, they might have a tough time explaining to their fans why they got upset by a No. 15 seed.
Granted, anybody can be upset. March Madness is so named for a reason, and any of Friday’s games could realistically end surprisingly. I’d profile all of them, but I don’t have enough room on the page, and you probably wouldn’t care to read it. So, until next time, Happy Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving/July 4th/Arbor Day to you and yours!