The Top 1 Through 16 Tournament [DDSCB3]

 

Gm 9 (L1 vs L2): UCLA vs Syracuse

Gm 10 (L3 vs L4): Indiana vs North Carolina

Gm 11 (W1 vs W2): Louisville vs Kentucky

Gm 12 (W3 vs W4): UConn vs Florida

Gm 13 (L5 vs L6): Georgetown vs Oklahoma State

Gm 14 (L7 vs L8): Stanford vs LSU

Gm 15 (W5 vs W6): Duke vs Arizona

Gm 16 (W7 vs W8): Michigan State vs Kansas

 

UCLA was unable to figure out Syracuse’s 1-3-1 zone and made just 2 of their first 16 shots in the first 12 minutes of play. By them the Bruins trailed 19-5. Syracuse continued to throttle UCLA. By the end of the half Syracuse led 36-15.

Syracuse totally dominated play, outshooting UCLA 39% to 15%, controlling the boards 24-18, holding a 5-3 turnover advantage, hitting 17 of 24 from the line while UCLA hit 7 of 10. PG Christ Roberts and SG Keyon Frederick each had 8 points for Syracuse while C Marcus Salvi scored 5 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 1 steal and 4 blocks. Three players on UCLA each had 3 points to lead their scoring to highlight the Bruins’ abominable offensive performance. C Dan Davis scored 3 points, pulled down 6 rebounds, and had 1 steal and 1 block.

Midway through the 2nd half, UCLA finally made a run that brought them within 12 points with 9-1/2 minutes to play. In the latter stages of the half the Bruins caught fire again to close to 63-60 with a minute to play. But Syracuse scored on their next possession to give them a 5 point lead with 34 seconds remaining. Syracuse closed strongly though to record a 70-62 win.

Even though they shot better in the 2nd half, ultimately it was UCLA’s inability to crack the Syracuse zone defense that was their undoing. The Bruins ended the game by hitting 31% of their shots (and 27% of their 3’s) while Syracuse dropped in 42% of their FG attempts (including 36% of their 3’s). All other team stats ended up remarkably close.

Syracuse PG Chris Roberts scored 17 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, dished off 3 assists and had 1 block. SG Keyon Frederick added 16 points. PF Marcus Salvi scored 10, had 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 4 blocks.

SF Ronnie Bradley led UCLA offensively with 15 points. Two Bruins had double-doubles: C Reginald Cox scored 12 and hauled down 11 rebounds while PF Dan Davis had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Indiana and North Carolina traded baskets for the first 9-1/2 minutes of the game and the score stood at Indiana-18, North Carolina-16. Indiana then moved out to a 6 point advantage, but North Carolina was able to reel them in to draw within a point. Indiana pulled away again though and with 3-1/2 minutes left in the half took a double digit lead at 38-28. The half ended with Indiana leading 47-40.

Indiana’s only solid advantage in the first half was that they hit 59% of their shots compared to North Carolina’s 42%. SF Neil Whitehead scored 9 points for Indiana while C Bryan Erwin dropped in 13 points for North Carolina.

The Tarheels pulled even at 51-51 at the 16:19 mark in the 2nd half. North Carolina then opened a 10 point lead with 9 minutes left to play as Indiana repeatedly turned the ball over and the refs continually sent the Tarheels to the line. Indiana came back to go ahead 77-76 with 3:45 left. At that point turnovers and fouls again turned the game in favor of the Tarheels.North Carolina went on to win 89-81.

Indiana hit 48% of their FG attempts. North Carolina nearly matched them by hitting 47% of theirs. But the game was won by North Carolina being sent to the line 15 more times and making 17 more points on free throws than the Hoosiers. 

For North Carolina, PG Ray Cameron popped in 23 points and dished out 6 assists. C Bryan Erwin scored 19 and SG Aaron Walter added 18 points.

Indiana was led by SF Neil Whitehead’s 15 points, but PF Ian LaVasseur and reserve C Dusan Robinson each added 13 points (Robinson also pulled down 7 rebounds, and had 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block) and reserve SG/PF Fred Finley scored 10 and had 4 assists.

 

In “The Battle of the Blue Grass State”, Louisville jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Kentucky quickly tied the game. Louisville then held a small lead until the 14 minute mark when Kentucky to a 14-13 lead. The game remained close until the Wildcats scored 14 unanswered points to take a 30-16 lead with 8 minutes left in the first half. Louisville rallied to score the next 8 points to get back into the game. Kentucky them closed off the scoring in the half with an 11-0 run to take big 41-24 lead to the locker room.

Kentucky controlled the team stats: shooting 66% to 39%; rebounding: 16-9; turnovers: 10-7. Kentucky’s two interior big men combined for 26 points (PF Delawn Bond poured in 16 points and C Alan Witt added 10). PF Travis Baily and C Rich Cameron each scored 6 points to lead Louisville’s scoring.

Early in the 2nd half, Kentucky expanded their lead to 22 points. The Cardinals put some small dents in that huge Wildcat lead, but midway through the half, Kentucky increased their advantage to 63-39. Louisville tried to comeback and got the lead down to as little as 13 points, but ultimately the Wildcats’ advantage was just too much to overcome. Kentucky put away the Cardinals 75-59.

Kentucky hit 54% of their FG attempts while Louisville hit just 42% of theirs. Kentucky also had a 29-25 rebounding advantage and had 4 fewer turnovers (22-18).

Kentucky PF Delawn Bond had a second straight big game, scoring 28 points and pulling down 8 rebounds. 7-0 foot C Alan Witt scored 13 points, SG Chris Treadwell had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, and SF Bryan Hill added 10 points.

PG Carlos Tompson led Louisville with 16 points, 4 reb, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. PF Travis Baily dropped in 12 points plus grabbed 5 rebounds and had 3 steals.

 

Florida took control immediately and opened a 22-3 lead with 11:16 remaining in the first half. UConn finally began scoring but left the court with a 43-18 deficit at the half.

Florida outshot UConn 46% to 23%. They also held a 12-5 turnover advantage and got to the line 8 more times where they scored 6 more points than the Huskies. C David Jackson scored 14 points and pulled down 7 rebounds to lead Florida while PG Steve Vinson scored 12 points and SF Shaun Mason added 10. PG Keith Williams and reserve SF Maurice Porter each had 4 points for UConn.

Things didn’t improve for UConn in the 2nd half. The Gators eventually opened a 30-point lead. Florida demolished the Huskies, 74-50.

Florida controlled all aspects of the game, outshooting UConn 46% to 33%, controlling the boards 36-28, and gaining a 16-11 turnover advantage.

For Florida, PG Steve Vinson held high point honors with 23 points, but C David Jackson scored 16 points, yanked down 11 rebounds, had 2 assists, and defensively had 4 steals and 3 blocks. SF Shaun Mason scored 10 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 2 assists and had 2 steals and 3 blocks.

UConn was led by SG Edmond White who scored 15 and had 7 rebounds. PG Keith Williams tossed in 12 points.

 

In this game Oklahoma State’s interior height advantage might prove difficult for Georgetown to overcome, particularly if PF Jason Scott has a second straight big game (26 pts and 8 reb in their first round contest).

SG Morgan Bliss scored Georgetown’s first 6 points, scoring on drives and jumpers. As others on the team got down some shots, the Hoyas took a 10-4 lead. Oklahoma State fought back though and took a 17-15 lead with 13:10 remaining in the first half. They then expanded their lead to 8 points at the mid-point of the half. The Cowboys offense continued to click. They took a 52-30 lead with 1:55 to go in the half. And Oklahoma State’s defensive completely stymied the Hoyas in the final 10 minutes of the half. Oklahoma State took a commanding 57-31 lead to the locker room.

The Cowboys hit 68% of their first half shots (and 63% of their 3’s) while shutting down Georgetown’s shooting (FG % of 36% and 0% of their 3’s). Oklahoma State’s defense caused 10 turnovers by the Hoyas compared to just 4 by Oklahoma State. PG Roy Keyes poured in 13 points and PF Jason Scott had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists for Oklahoma State. SG Morgan Bliss led Georgetown with 13 points while PG Rashad Lytle added 8.

Play by both teams was ragged in the early stages of the 2nd half. Even though the Cowboys’ offense sputtered in the 2nd half, Oklahoma State easily held off Georgetown and coasted to an 85-66 win.

Ultimately Oklahoma State was far more efficient than Georgetown. They outshot the Hoyas 64% to 39% from the field and 56% to 29% from beyond the arc.

Oklahoma State’s PF Jason Scott was dominant again scoring 24, pulling down 11 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists and blocking 4 shots. Three other Cowboys scored in double figures (SG Michael Tice-19 points, PG Ron Keyes-15 points, and reserve C Brian Magloire-10 points. The Cowboys’ big men also shut down Georgetown’s interior game.

High point man for Georgetown was SG Morgan Bliss with 19 points. But SF Stephan Garner not only scored 18 points but also grabbed 9 rebounds. PG Rashad Lytle added 13 points and had 5 assists.

 

The final loser bracket game of round 2 pitted 2 teams that put up good battles in round 1.

The first half turned out to be series of alternating runs. LSU took a 7 point lead early, then Stanford came back to go ahead by 3 midway through the half, and LSU controlled the final portion of the half building as much as a 13 point advantage. The half ended with LSU up 46-35.

LSU’s lead was the result of superior shooting (63% for LSU compared to 41% by Stanford), rebounding (16 for LSU as compared to Stanford’s 12), and success at the free throw line (10 of 11 by LSU but just 6 of 10 for Stanford). PG Mark Nolan led LSU offensively with 10 points. High point honors went to Stanford’s C Grant Everett with 12 points.

Stanford scored the first 6 points of the 2nd half to cut LSU’s lead to 5. Then with 13:25 to play, Stanford pulled ahead 51-50 combining a strong offense with a stingy defense. The game then became closely contested. But with 3:29 remaining, LSU forged a 70-65 lead and looked to be on their way to victory. Stanford then went stone cold sealing their demise. LSU won going away 77-68.

LSU knocked down 52% of their FG attempts (46% from 3-point distance) to Stanford's 40% (21% from beyond the arc). The Tigers also controlled the boards 32-26. 

Four of LSU’s starters scored in double figures (C Marcus Seasons, 16 points; SF Marvin Felder, 15 points (along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals), PF Willis Leis, 12 points, and PG Mark Nolan, 12 points).

For Stanford, C Grant Everett was most potent with 24 points. SG Antony Brown added 12 points, and PF/C Matt Edwards came off the bench to score 11 points.

 

Neither team could pull away in the early stages of the first half, but Arizona’s offense went cold and Duke opened a 10 point lead with 7 minutes left in the half. The half ended with Duke leading 30-22.

Duke totally shut down Arizona on the boards, finishing the half with a 19-5 advantage. They also hit 52% while Arizona only hit 42%. Arizona was 0-8 from 3 point land. Duke’s PF Darryl Thompson dropped in 10 points while C Tim Emery scored 6 and pulled down 10 rebounds. The top scorer for Arizona was C Stromile Moore with 6 points.

Arizona gradually cut into Duke’s lead in the 2nd half and tied the game 38-38 with 11:50 remaining. Duke answered the alarm bell by scoring the next 7 points. After falling behind by 9, the Wildcats slowly crept back to draw within 2 points with 5:52 left in the game and then hit a 3 with 5:09 on the clock to tie the game at 53-53. Arizona went ahead 57-56 with 3:26 to play. The Wildcats rode back-to back 3's and a breakaway dunk to take a 62-58 lead with 2:19 left. With 59 seconds to play, Duke’s PF Darryl Thompson muscled up a 6 foot jumper that found the bottom of the net. Thompson was fouled on the shot and sunk the free throw to cut Arizona’s lead to 64-63. 

Thompson was again fouled on a shot with 23 seconds to go, but missed both shots. The Blue Devils controlled the resulting rebound, but missed a put-back. Arizona escaped with a thrilling 64-63 victory.

Duke controlled the boards 35-20, but Arizona had a 23-15 turnover advantage. Arizona got to the line 6 more times and scored 4 more points on free throws which was enough to win the game. After missing all their 3’s in the first half, the Wildcats made 5 of 10 in the 2nd half.

C Stromile Moore led Arizona with 16 points plus pulled down 7 rebounds and had 1 steal and 5 blocks. SF Brendan McIntosh was high point man with 19 points. SG Dan Steward scored 15 points and had 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Duke’s PF Darryl Thompson poured in 20 points and also had 8 rebound, 3 assists, and 1 block. PG LeDarion Campbell added 13 points for the Blue Devils.

 

Big question before the final game of round 2 started: Can SG Jim Wilkerson come close to equaling his impressive 34 points in the Jayhawks first game?

Kansas ran off the first 14 points in this game. It took Michigan State over 4 minutes to get their first points. Michigan State battled back to cut the lead to 7 points midway through the half. But Kansas was like a scoring machine and piled up a 55-37 halftime lead. 

Kansas hit 48% of their shots. They also fired away at will from 3-point distance hitting 10 of 23 from beyond the arc. Kansas also had just 2 turnovers. Defensively they forced Michigan State to turn the ball over 10 times and hit just 36% of their FG attempts. Kansas was led by SF Marques Dement’s 14 points while SG Jim Wilkerson added 13 plus grabbed 6 rebounds. C Darren Curry came off the bench to lead Michigan State offensively with 9 points. Starting C Matt Grigsby scored 7 and pulled down 10 rebounds.

The 2nd half was pretty much a carbon copy of the first with Kansas scoring nearly at will and gradually increasing their lead. When the buzzer sounded the final score was: Kansas-102, Michigan State-79.

Kansas outdid their previous game’s 95 point performance by breaking the century mark in this game. While they shot well (51%) their conversion rate wasn’t off the charts. And they only got to the line 13 times (scoring 12 points on free throws), but they seemed fearless from outside, hitting 15 of 35 three’s. Defensively they limited the Spartans to 38% shooting (and 27% from 3-point distance) and forced Michigan State to make 16 turnovers. Michigan State’s 29 for 34 from the foul line was not enough to keep them in the game.

Both Marques Dement and Jim Wilkerson scored 23 points for Kansas. Wilkerson also had 8 rebounds and 1 block, while Dement had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks to win the Player of the Game award. PF Jarvis Holmer added 17 points and 9 rebounds plus a block. PG Marcus Conrad scored 11 and dished off 12 assists (for a great double-double).

Michigan State had 5 players score in double figures. SF Michael Manning led the team with 16 points, 11 rebound (his own double-double) and had 3 assists and 4 steals. C Matt Gribsby also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds plus dishing off 2 assists and blocking 2 shots. Reserve C Darren Curry scored 14 points in 10 minutes of play. SG Craig Duran added 13 points and PG Adam Betts scored 10 points and dished off 4 assists.

 

Gm 9: Syracuse-70, UCLA-62

Gm 10: North Carolina-89, Indiana-81

Gm 11: Kentucky-75, Louisville-59

Gm 12: Florida-74, UConn-50

Gm 13: Oklahoma State-85, Georgetown-66

Gm 14: LSU-77, Stanford-68

Gm 15: Arizona-64, Duke-63

Gm 16: Kansas-102, Michigan State-79

 

Syracuse PG Chris Roberts: 17 pts, 8 reb, 3 assists, 1 block
UCLA C Reginald Cox: 12 pts, 11 reb
UCLA PF Dan Davis: 11 pts, 10 reb
North Carolina PG Ray Cameron: 23 pts, 6 assists
North Carolina C Bryan Erwin: 19 pts
Kentucky PF Delawn Bond: 28 pts, 8 reb
Florida PG Steve Vinson: 23 pts
Florida C David Jackson: 16 pts, 11 reb, 2 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks
Oklahoma State PF Jason Scott: 24 pts, 11 reb, 4 assists and 4 blocks
Georgetown SF Stephan Garner: 18 pts, 9 reb
Stanford C Grant Everett: 24 pts, 7 reb
LSU SF Marvin Felder: 15 pts, 7 reb, 3 assists, 3 steals
Arizona C Stromile Moore: 16 pts, 7 reb, 1 steal, 5 blocks
Duke PF Darryl Thompson: 20 pts, 8 reb, 3 assists, 1 block
Kansas SF Marques Dement: 23 points, 5 reb, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
Kansas SG Jim Wilkerson: 23 points, 8 reb, 1 block
Kansas PG Marcus Conrad: 11 points, 1 reb, 12 assists, 2 steals
Kansas PF Jarvis Holmer: 17 points, 9 reb, 1 block
Michigan State SF Michael Manning: 16 pts, 11 reb, 3 assists, 4 steals
Michigan State C Matt Grigsby: 11 pts, 13 reb, 2 assists, 2 blocks

 

Just 4 teams left with a chance to be the champion. So who do you think will take it all?

Kentucky? Florida? Arizona? Kansas?


And who will be the cellar rat? Just 4 teams that have that possibility...

UCLA? Indiana? Georgetown? Stanford?

 

Again the Atlanta location of the tournament led to teams which are nearer the south and east winning 5 of 7 games. The 8th game was between two teams from the same state (Kentucky). Teams countering the trend and winning in spite of being further from Atlanta were Oklahoma State and Arizona.

 

Game 17 (L1/L9 vs L3/L10): UCLA vs Indiana

Game 18 (L2/W9 vs L4/W10): Syracuse vs North Carolina

Game 19 (W1/L11 vs W3/ L12): Louisville vs UConn

Game 20 (W2/W11 vs W4/W12): Kentucky vs Florida

Game 21 (L5/L13 vs L7/L14): Georgetown vs Stanford

Game 22 (L6/W13 vs L8/W14): Oklahoma State vs LSU

Game 23 (W5/L15 vs W7/L16): Duke vs Michigan State

Game 24 (W6/W15 vs W8/W16): Arizona vs Kansas