February Madness?

Two out of three ain't bad. Not really sure what happened to Baylor last night, but at one point they posted a 27-19 lead on Kansas; next thing you know, they trail 60-40 (I didn't go to MIT, but that's a 41-13 run ... in Baylor's gym). From there, it was a rout, so let's move past that game - aside from pointing out that Baylor has no shot at a #1 seed anymore (something that was possible with wins over Kansas and Missouri this week). In fact, they could find themselves on the 3-line if they aren't careful.

Syracuse v. Georgetown


Classic match-up between two storied programs that account for the Big East's most storied rivalry. After two awful possessions by Syracuse at the end of regulation, essentially ignoring their best offensive player last night (Kris Joseph), the Orange found a way to secure a 64-61 win in overtime. Joseph led the way with 29 points, holding off the Hoyas' upset bid. Freshman Otto Porter had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Georgetown. Even though they lost, they made it known that they're for real; I expect to see the Hoyas as a difficult 3 seed for someone to match up with in March.

Two things of note from this one - (1) Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim passed Dean Smith on the all-time coaching wins list with 880, and it appears he'll pass Bob Knight for second place sometime next season. Quite a year for Boeheim, in terms of emotional ups and downs. (2) Bob Knight continues to display what can only be viewed as a combination of (a) undying hatred of Kentucky, and (b) a complete lack of awareness of what's going on in the landscape of college basketball. During the broadcast last night, he made the observation that Georgetown arguably has the best pair of freshmen in the country (referring to Otto Porter and ... no idea who he could have been referring to). I mean, surely I don't have to point out the obvious here, but, ahem, Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist? Let's just move on. The dinosaur has proven his own irrelevance, I don't need to dwell on it. But get the guy off tv.

Duke v. North Carolina


These two just always deliver when they go head-to-head. As Dickie V noted last night, it's somewhat amazing that they've never met in the NCAA Tournament, especially when you consider that both are almost always in the hunt for the Elite 8 on an annual basis.

Duke 85, UNC 84. I'm sure you've heard by now, but just in case: North Carolina posted a 10-pt lead with 2:15 remaining. At that point, I'm not sure what got into the Tar Heels, but they collectively went full-retard (as we learned from Tropic Thunder, you "never go full retard" if you want to win the big one) and allowed Duke to steal this one in the Dean Dome. Austin Rivers finally had a break-out performance, willing his team to victory by knocking down an absolutely stone-cold three at the buzzer over the out-stretched arms of 7-footer Tyler Zeller. Speaking of, I mean, what in the hell was Zeller thinking? With :03 remaining, did he think Rivers was going to begin a drive to the basket? Is that why Zeller (a) didn't have his hands up until the shot was essentially released, and (b) actually took a step BACK just as Rivers was setting up to shoot? Inexplicable defense played on that final shot, even if Zeller isn't used to defending someone on the perimeter.

People have suggested that two things will serve as North Carolina's undoing this season - (1) lack of 3-pt shooting, and (2) poor defense. The first reared its head last night, as the Tar Heels went a mere 1-6 from downtown. I'm not sure what has happened to PJ Hairston, but he isn't even a weapon anymore. He is something like 6 for his last 38 in ACC play from long range. Without him, you're looking at a streaky Harrison Barnes as the only viable shooting option from beyond 15 feet. Defense? Let's just say last night was not UNC's finest two-hour period of defense. Duke was left open all night long on the perimeter (en route to 14-36 for the game), and the twin towers of Henson and Zeller don't seem to really alter nearly as many shots as you'd think. With those guys in the paint, plus MacAdoo at times, you'd think it would be nearly impossible to score inside. That's where the guards and wings need to overplay their men a bit, such that if they go by you on the bounce, you have guys in the paint to alter or block their shots. It doesn't appear as though Roy Williams has coached them on this.