March Madness 2011: Greatest Moments of the NCAA Tournament Thus Far
Every NCAA tournament has its moments. Although this one is just beginning, there have been many unique happenings that will make this tournament memorable.
From upsets to unbelievable individual performances, the tournament has been packed with excitement to this point. Let's take a look at some of the key events of the 2011 NCAA tournament.
Pittsburgh vs. Butler: The First No. 1 Falls
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There is no doubt that Pittsburgh was one of the most well-rounded teams in this year's field. They were a No. 1 seed, after all. Many people thought Pitt had a great draw and a potentially easy road to the Final Four; its potential opponents were a Florida team that got crushed in the SEC championship game, BYU without its best post presence and Wisconsin, which is a different team away from home.
No one suspected that the most troublesome team would be Butler, last year's runner-up and eighth seed. The magical run Butler made last year was in large part due to the unbelievable play of Gordon Hayward, who has since moved on. Butler was an underachiever this season, but it came to play against Pitt.
Butler guard Shelvin Mack put the team on his back and carried the offense in this game. Leading the way with 30 points, Mack was unstoppable from the field. Butler's perimeter ball movement allowed for plenty of open jumpers and boy did the Bulldogs take advantage. Matt Howard may be the team's best player, but Mack came to play against the Panthers.
This game included one of the craziest finishes I have ever seen and has created quite a bit of controversy. This is what makes the tournament so much fun to watch, but also so heartbreaking. Now, I'll admit that the Bulldogs may have busted my bracket and I was upset, but another improbable Final Four run for Butler would be something I would always remember.
Louisville vs. Morehead State: The First BIG Upset
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Morehead State was one of the biggest bracket busters of the opening week as nobody gave the Eagles a chance to beat Louisville. ESPN wrote, "Rebounding machine Kenneth Faried has to swat the Cardinals into oblivion all by himself for Morehead State to have any chance of pulling an upset."
Well, he did.
Faried outrebounded Louisville's entire frontcourt—and by a wide margin. Faried came up big in the clutch when his team needed him the most, blocking Louisville's game-winning attempt.
Faried had plenty of help from his teammates, as the Eagles were 9-of-19 from beyond the arc, but without Faried's 12 points, 17 rebounds and that clutch block, there is no way they could have advanced. The injury to Louisville's Preston Knowles certainly didn't hurt, but regardless the Eagles pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament thus far.
North Carolina vs. Washington: Great Offenses Collide
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Washington was involved in two extremely close games to start off the tournament. First the Huskies came out on top playing Georgia in the first round, but their luck ran out against an extremely talented North Carolina Tar Heels team in the second round.
Washington led for most of the game, but it was close throughout the second half. I watched the entire game and I can tell you that this was one of the best, most exciting college basketball games I have ever seen. The explosive offenses of both teams were clicking on all cylinders, and it was a joy to watch.
North Carolina got almost all of its scoring from its starters, spreading the attack among the best five. Washington, however, had many players step up off the bench, including freshman Terrence Ross, who was 7-of-10 from the floor and scored 19 points as a reserve. Look out for this kid in the future.
This game showcased two of the game's best distributors in Isaiah Thomas and Kendall Marshall, who combined for 25 points and 22 assists. This was simply an impressive game to watch. With a final score of 86-83 in regulation, it is obvious this was a full-court showcase.
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San Diego State vs. Temple: The Double-OT Thriller
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This was the most grinding matchup of the tournament so far. Although it did go to a second overtime, only 135 total points were scored. Temple and SDSU shot 38 and 43 percent from the field respectively.
There was almost no relief provided by either bench in this game, as fatigue quickly became a factor during the overtimes.
Both teams played extremely hard. While the style of the game was much different than the uptempo play of Washington and North Carolina, it was equally exciting to watch.
The sound defense played throughout the game was very impressive and a delight for basketball fans all over the country. These kinds of games are what March Madness is all about.
BYU's Jimmer Fredette: Jimmer Being Jimmer
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As expected, Jimmer Fredette has come to play in the tournament. Averaging 33 points per game in his first two games, Fredette perhaps has yet to put forth his best performance. Many people doubted BYU after it lost Brandon Davies, but Jimmer has stepped up in a big way.
Ridiculous shots are to be expected from Fredette on a regular basis. The expectations placed on him may be considered unfair by some, but he keeps on topping himself with every performance.
With a rematch from last year's tournament looming against Gonzaga, he has to get ready to play and continue to perform at this seemingly unattainable level.
The No. 5 vs. No. 12 Matchup
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The No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup is always an area of discussion come tourney time as the 12th seed has a history of performing well.
This year, the Richmond Spiders seemed to be the best bet, and they came out with a win in Round 1. And Round 2.
How far can the Spiders go? As far as big man Justin Harper can take them. Harper has been a big part of Richmond's success and, assuming Kansas can take care of business playing Illinois, he will need the biggest game of his career if Richmond is to advance to the Elite Eight.
Do I want the Spiders to advance (although it will ruin my bracket)? Absolutely. That's what the tournament is all about.
Do I think the Spiders will be able to beat the Jayhawks? No.
Kansas seems absolutely unstoppable. Even if Kansas does look good, anything can happen in the tournament. Butler beat Pitt, right? Foul trouble, injuries or outrageous three-point shooting could doom Kansas in the Sweet 16.
Looking at the other matchups, we see several close games. Late-game heroics were necessary in the Memphis vs. Arizona game, and, if Tai Wesley stays out of foul trouble, maybe the Utah State vs. Kansas State game ends differently. Although the score would indicate the Clemson vs. West Virginia game wasn't great, the game was close the whole way. WVU pulled away at the very end, but Clemson challenged the Mountaineers the entire way.
While only one 12th seed was able to come out with a W, these were all competitive games that could have easily ended differently. The No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup is always interesting.
Michigan State's Draymond Green and the Unbelievable Individual Performances
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The tournament is filled with the most talented players in college basketball on the biggest stage. This is where we find out who the real stars are. When evaluating the tournament, it's important to not only look at the best teams, but to also give credit to the best players. Let's take a look at some of this year's best individual efforts this far.
Let's start with the previously mentioned Jimmer Fredette. He has notched not one, but two 30-point performances thus far and has a chance to go for a third against Florida in the Sweet 16.
Next is North Carolina freshman Kendall Marshall's huge effort against the Washington Huskies. Marshall only scored 13 points, but dropped 14 dimes in this extremely close game. Putting your game plan in the hands of a freshman to execute in the NCAA tournament can be a tough thing to do, but Roy Williams did so and it paid off. Anytime a freshman can collect 14 assists in a big game like this has to be applauded.
Arizona's Derrick Williams has been impressive all season; however his most important performance came in the first round in the dangerous No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup against Memphis. Williams scored 22 points and collected 10 rebounds in this game. Not only were his numbers impressive, he also hit a clutch three down the stretch and blocked the potential game-tying shot with just seconds remaining on the clock. That is the definition of clutch. Williams proved yet again that he is one of the best players in the nation.
This next performance came by another one of the game's best scorers in UConn's Kemba Walker. With an opportunity to advance to the Sweet 16, Walker came out and did his thing, scoring 33 points, gathering six rebounds and dishing out five assists. He scored nearly half of UConn's points and continues to display an unbelievable will to advance his team.
Another one of the game's great scorers put points up in bunches in what would be his last college basketball game. Kansas State's Jacob Pullen put up 38 points in a loss to Wisconsin. Nobody wanted to win more than Pullen, and it was obvious in the press conference that he had no interest in examining personal accomplishments. Although it was a disappointing finish for Pullen, he went out with a bang.
There have been many great performances in the tournament so far, but the best of them all was Draymond Green's first-round performance against UCLA. He recorded a very rare triple-double, and to do so in the tournament makes it even better. He scored 23 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. While it was in a losing effort, there is no doubt that this was one of the premiere performances in this year's NCAA tournament.
Conclusion
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From Duke narrowly escaping Michigan to Butler taking down Pitt, there has been plenty of excitement to say the least. Let's hope the rest of the tournament can provide the kind of excitement that has been on display thus far.
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