Day 1 Conclusion

I didn't get the chance to put up a preview of all the regions and etc. and I'm sorry for my 4 readers out there, just didn't have the time, surprisingly. The first day of March Madness is over, and quite honestly, it was underwhelming. Not that I was expecting 12 OT games and multiple buzzer beaters, but there just wasn't much good basketball, and plenty of blowouts. Notes -

- The day started off with Xavier/Georgia, and to be honest, who didn't expect a blowout in Xavier's favor? For this Georgia team it seemed as if the longer they waited between games the more likely it was that they'd revert back to their 4-12 SEC form, not what we saw last weekend.

The first thing that was noticeable in this game was the fact that Georgia should not have been as bad as they were. There's a reason people were calling for Dennis Felton's job before the SEC Tournament (although having to kick Mike Mercer, arguably their best player entering the season, off the team certainly didn't help). Although they lack a true point guard, as Sundiata Gaines is more of a combo guard who's not truly great at anything, but can do everything on the floor, they have the size and the shooters to make up for it. Terrance Woodbury is a much better shooter than his stats indicate, given that he has the size to shoot over almost anyone matched up with him and is so good on step-back street ball type shots...Guys like Dave Bliss (special shout out to him, we weren't rooting for you dude), Jeremy Price, and Albert Jackson are all solid rebounders who can occasionally contribute something offensively, but for opposing teams it's tough to match-up with 3 guys as consistently physical as they are...Humphrey can create off the dribble and has range from 3, as him and Woodbury are fairly similar players, it's just how to get them the ball that has always been the problem for Georgia...They also have fairly solid depth with guys like Swansey, Butler, and Brewer to come in and hit the occasional shot, or just to spell one of the big 3 mentioned...although I can't give you a great insight on Georgia, it's pretty obvious they should have been better than they were. When you have 3 scorers as good as they do and being as physical as they are, you shouldn't lose 12 SEC games, I don't care how many other players you lost, this was inexcusable.

Xavier, on the other hand, showed why they have been so good yet so bad at times. Losses by 19 to Temple and 22 to Arizona State leave you shaking your head for a team that's been so hyped for their versatility, depth, and balance. They got down 11 at one point and let Georgia dominate them on the glass and let them control the tempo for much of the game. Once Xavier woke up and started believing they could come back the game was over. They played solid defense for long stretches of the second half, cutting off Georgia's penetration and cut off all the easy baskets they let up in the first half, which allowed them to get out and running. Being the smaller, more athletic team who thrives in transition and off of the perimeter ball, they finally started hitting shots, and forced Georgia into bad shots and turnovers when it really counted. They can put up points in a hurry, but if you get them out of their game they don't seem very tough to beat - I see Purdue matching up really well with them next round and taking out an overrated team that has yet to beat anyone that truly matters.

- As I was watching the games with my friends all day, a good point was brought up. If you're a mid-major playing in a 1/16 or 2/15 type game, why not just shoot as many three's as possible? Belmont tried the strategy for the most part (a team who averaged 29 three point attempts per game on the year) and it almost worked. If you hit a hot streak, the three pointer allows you to bury teams in a hurry, so why not try it?

- Tim Floyd is a bad coach. All year long he tried to slow the game down as much as possible with guys as athletic as Jefferson, Mayo, Gibson and guys like Johnson, Lewis and Hackett who are all very quick and can all handle the ball. Look, once Beasley gets 2 fouls in 4 minutes, you can't let Bill Walker tear you apart in every possible way. You can't. When Beasley comes back in with foul trouble why are you still settling for perimeter jump shots? Get the best player in the country out of the game, simple. Why did Taj Gibson get 5 shots and Dwight Lewis gets 10? Why is Dwight Lewis settling for outside shots when his game has been made off of slashing and Mayo creating easy opportunities for him? Why is OJ Mayo settling for outside jumpers when no one on Kansas State could truly match-up with him? This has been an issue for Floyd all year however, and it's not at all surprising that his team went down in a relatively easy fashion, no matter how much talent they have. It was a sad showing for a team so loaded with talent. As my dad told me, Tim Floyd coaches like he looks.

- Washington State's defense looks absolutely fantastic, outscoring Winthrop 42-11 in the second half to win by 31. Winthrop seemed to be a popular upset pick with a guy as explosive as Michael Jenkins leading the way, but Kyle Weaver showed why he's one of the best defenders in the country, holding him to 1-9 shooting, setting the pace for Washington State's route.

- I was never worried about Marquette's backcourt. I was fairly confident we'd let the trio of James/McNeal/Matthews get theirs, but I didn't bank on Lazar Hayward being the difference maker he was. He's been a steady player all year, but against a team as weak in the front court as Kentucky, he thrived, getting big time offensive boards, and hitting big shot after big shot, including two killer three's to set the pace for what was to come. His athleticism and size allowed Marquette to out rebound Kentucky by a margin of 7, even smaller than what it felt like.

- Joe Crawford went out with a bang. 35 points. I challenge you to find me someone who has improved more over the course of the year than this guy. He went from a guy who dribbled through traffic with his head down which was almost certainly a charge or a turnover every single time, to a guy with fantastic body control, the ability to score on anyone, and the ability to take over games when he needed to. An outstanding performance by a guy much maligned his entire career by Kentucky fans (myself included) for not living up to who he was supposed to be. We found out who he could have been though, and if Gillispie was here all 4 years you can only wonder, what if?

- Purdue is a sleeper team. They can run with anyone, they can shoot with anyone, and they can defend with the best of them. Matt Painter has this team and this program headed in the right direction, and guys like Moore, Kramer, Hummel and co. leading the way, look for this team to be at the top of the Big Ten for years to come.

- Arizona proved yet again that they're a team who can never do much with the amount of talent they have. Bayless looked out of it, Mclellan ended his career in a familiar fashion (0-4 0 points), Nic Wise with bad shot selection, and etc. Jordan Hill, as much as I make fun of him for his goofy under-armour tights undershirt and his horrible dreads, he yet again put up a solid performance with 16 and 12. Outside of Bayless, he has been their most consistent performer all year, and he has to be given credit, and only being a Sophomore, he has plenty of room to improve and become one of the best big men in the country. Wow, did I just say that? He's not flashy, but he gets the job done. I still can't stand this team though. Same erratic, boring, annoying team every year. It's not going to change once crazy old overrated Lute comes back. Bayless will be replaced by Brandon Jennings, who's going to be a stud, but they won't do anything yet again.

- How is it possible to score 10 points in a half and then follow it up with 48 in the second? I mean I know there's less defense and more of an initiative to score when you're down that badly, but that doesn't make a lot of sense. A disappointing performance by Kent State, a team who many believe should have gotten higher than the 8 seed they were rewarded by the committee. Came out lethargic and the game was never in doubt. UNLV cruised the minute the game started.

- How epic would Coach K's meltdown have been had Duke lost? Would have been awesome to see him, Scheyer, and Paulus bawl their eyes out losing to the second best Bruins in the field. Poor form, Belmont.

Fun day in basketball regardless of what I say, but I hope tomorrow is better. A lot of great match-ups to look forward to, and the first session of the day is the full 4 games, rather than 3 plus one random awful game at 4 ET that no one watches. Thank you CBS.

Oh, and CBS HD is incredible.