NCAA Tournament - Second Round Game Thread

• ts1227

  

  Nothing like Gus Johnson to get the day started
  
  http://gusjohnsongetsbuckets.com/
• wildcats20

  

  ^^Yes sir!!
  
  This is going to be a great game, one that will go down to the wire IMO. But I like the Cuse by 4
• Cleveland Buck

  

  Gonzaga with a good start offensively against Syracuse's tough D and the Orange are still winning. This is how a 20 point Syracuse victory begins. Gonzaga can't get any stops. Syracuse will eventually get some.
• Mulva

  

  It never fails to amaze me how little basketball IQ some players have. It took Rick Jackson all of 30 seconds to pick up that 3rd foul.
• Non

  

  Sacre is like a mixture of Alonzo Mourning and Brad Miller
• killer_ewok

  

  Now I will be somewhat shocked if Syracuse can win this game without either of their big's. Onuaku out with injury and Jackson on the bench in foul trouble. It's gonna take a huge effort to win. Good to see Sacre pick up his 2nd this early though. Keep going at him. I think Joseph and Johnson can pick up some of the rebounding slack without Jackson.
• Fab1b

  

  Cuse on a big run
• killer_ewok

  

  Wes Johnson is looking as good/healthy as he has since injuring his shooting hand in their first meeting vs. Providence earlier in the season. That's a good sign.
• gerb131

  

  Scratching my head as to why I haven't watched Wesley Johnson play more.
• Mulva

  

  Cuse is rolling.
• Fab1b

  

  Gonzaga getting into a deep hole here
• gerb131

  

  Cuse looks like the 2nd best team I have seen play behind Kentucky so far in the tourney.
• dazedconfused

  

  dont f with the cuse
• killer_ewok

  

  I've watched every Syracuse game this year and I've seen them squander leads bigger than this against lesser teams than Gonzaga (although they held on to win them) so I'm not close to comfortable with a 15-point halftime cushion. That being said, I LOVE the effort and guys are stepping up and knocking down shots, rebounding, getting steals, etc. DaShonte Riley looked like he never played basketball in his life when he first had to go into the game but his confidence started to grow a bit there and that is pretty big for a team with depth issues right now. Riley isn't going to score much (if at all) but he can at least use his size and wingspan to try to be a factor on the back end of the zone. He's contested a few shots and got a steal so he's doing more than just standing there. He had a great pass to Triche under the basket. Joseph and Johnson are skying for rebounds and Johnson has the hot hand today. Even Triche is taking the ball to the basket and he even knocked down a couple triples.
  
  Can't let up though. There's a shitload of time left.
• Upper90

  Thank goodness. I was late to this game, and I'm not really focusing, as I have some stuff to get done before the other games start. I was hoping it would be a blowout. Here's hoping for better games throughout the day.
  
  I'm EXCITED for Mizzou/West Va.
• killer_ewok

  

  I can't believe they're doing this without Onuaku and with Jackson sitting for the final 9 minutes of the 1st half and still being in foul trouble.
• CinciX12

  

  Gonzaga proving they are a bunch of bitches.
• killer_ewok

  

  Orange getting sloppy now. The lead is down to 24.
• Cleveland Buck

  

  What a shitty game.
• killer_ewok

  

  Cleveland Buck wrote: What a shitty game.

  I enjoyed it!
  
  I must say......I was a bit surprised by how many people were picking Gonzaga before this game. Steve Lavin, Dick Vitale and a few others on TV who I can't even remember and some on here. Not like it was out of the realm of possibility but it was how many people were calling for the upset that surprised me some. I'm surprised by how dominant Syracuse. I was really worried when Jackson went out with his 3rd foul with 9 minutes remaining in the 1st half but the Orange responded in a big way. Outstanding performance by Syracuse today and I can't wait 'til Thursday in Salt Lake City vs. Butler. Should be a helluva game. I know Butler can stroke it from downtown so it should be a good matchup. GO 'CUSE!!!
• killer_ewok

  

  Cleveland Buck wrote: Gonzaga with a good start offensively against Syracuse's tough D and the Orange are still winning. This is how a 20 point Syracuse victory begins. Gonzaga can't get any stops. Syracuse will eventually get some.

  Great call. 22-point win but you were spot on!
• Non

  

  Syracuse looked like they had the it factor towards the end of the year but then they dropped those two games late.
• Non

  

  Ohio State/Georgia Tech
  Maryland/Michigan State
  Cornell/Wisconsin
  West Virginia/Missouri
  
  These are all intriguing games.
• killer_ewok

  

  Non wrote: Syracuse looked like they had the it factor towards the end of the year but then they dropped those two games late.

  Blessing in disguise as a lot of the media started to write them off. Also, those two losses were a bit misleading......
  
  Louisville was a bit of a matchup problem for 'Cuse and they were playing with a lot of emotion as that was the last ever men's hoop game at Freedom Hall. The loss to G'town in the BET was against their biggest rival who they had already beaten twice earlier in the season. That was G'town's third look at the Orange zone and they figured it out and were also "hot" as evidenced by their deep run in the Big East tourney. The only thing that worried me was the loss of Onuaku. The losses didn't stress me out a bit. So many times Syracuse had been that "hot" team who made a nice run in the BET and they were on people's radar and a "sexy" pick in the NCAA's only to fall flat on their faces. Not this year and I think it actually worked out to their advantage.
• Non

  

  WVU should be safe but Mike Anderson is a good tourney coach as he showed at UAB and now Missouri. They'll get after it.