NCAA Tournament 2011 Update: The 10 Biggest Surprises from Round 3
March Madness is characterized by upsets, and the new Round 3 did not disappoint.
Unlike other sports where there are multiple games to decide a winner, the NCAA Tournament has only one. The tournament gives every team a fair shot with games being played on neutral courts, unlike the other major sports. This always leads to shocking upsets and unforgettable games, Cinderella runs that we will never forget and games from our favorite teams to remember.
Round 3 gave us the biggest upsets of the tournament, shocking performances that did not get wins and double-overtime thrillers. Watching the NCAA tournament is always special, and if you got to see any of the games (especially on Sunday), then you probably saw something that surprised you.
Watching one fantastic finish after another gave the end of the best four-day span of college hoops a great ending.
With no further ado, let's count down the biggest surprises from the Round of 32.
10. No. 12 Richmond Blows out No. 13 Morehead State
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Both of these teams shocked their first opponents, but they surprised us again by having such a blowout in their second game. These teams were very closely ranked, but Richmond proved to be so much better than a No.12 seed.
Richmond’s defense held Morehead State to 37 percent shooting from the field and only 14 percent from three. This abysmal shooting led to a humiliating defeat. Surprisingly, Morehead State did have four players score double-digit points, but the most was 11, and the rest of the team combined for six points. The biggest key, however, was the fact that the Spiders held Demonte Harper to four points on 15 shots. Harper averaged 15.5 PPG on the season, but he was held to so little production that Morehead State lost.
Justin Harper led the way for the Spiders with 19 and six boards. While Richmond’s offense did not have a spectacular game, they played better than they had to, and they killed Morehead state.
9. Jacob Pullen Scores 38 in a Loss
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Kansas State’s star, Jacob Pullen, dropped 38 on Wisconsin, but that wasn’t enough.
Pullen became Kansas State’s all-time leading scorer in this game, and he tied his career high in points, but that wasn’t enough. Down three with little time remaining, Pullen had his three-point chance blocked, which sealed the deal for Wisconsin.
We like to think that stars that emerge in the tournament make fabled runs, but when a star like Pullen goes for 38 and doesn’t get enough help to score 70 points, we realize that that is not always the case. My heart goes out to the kid, because he tried his hardest, and he could not have done more for that team.
8. Ohio State Destroys George Mason
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Just a few short years ago, George Mason gave us a Cinderella story to remember. This is still a strong team, and the biggest part of their success has been the fact that they believe in themselves. When George Mason ran into Ohio State, however, they were absolutely destroyed, losing 98-66.
George Mason was the first real test for the Buckeyes, and Ohio State showed that they are deserving of their No. 1 overall seed. All 10 players for Ohio State scored, and David Lighty went for 25 and went 7-of-7 from three. Jared Sullinger, the fantastic freshman scored 18, as did William Buford, while Jon Diebler went for 13.
This game was supposed to be close and challenge Ohio State, but they just showed that they are sprinting through the tournament, looking for the Final Four and eventually a national championship.
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7. San Diego State and Temple Go to Double Overtime
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The 2011NCAA tournament has had very few games go to overtime, and this was the first to go to double overtime. If a game in the Round of 32 was to go to overtime, we would expect it to be a No. 4 seed versus a No. 5 seed matchup or the likes, but it was one of the top teams in the nation that was involved—San Diego State.
In a game that was supposed to be a laugher for San Diego State, Temple came out and shocked them. The Owls and Aztecs both had chances to win the game, but neither could do it in regulation or the first overtime period.
This game was a surprise because of how close it was, and because it needed two overtimes to decide a winner.
6. Kendall Marshall Breaks UNC Record for Assists in One NCAA Tournament
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Kendall Marshall did not start out playing a lot of time, but he has proven himself worthy of starting.
Marshall is a true point guard, who proved it on February 6 against Florida State by posting 16 assists in his first game playing at least 25 minutes. Marshall has posted eight or more assists in seven of his last eight games and has posted double-digit assists in both NCAA tournament games.
Against the No. 7 seed, Washington, Marshall went for 13 points and 14 assist, breaking the UNC record. To see a record of such a historic program fall to a freshman who had not played much until last month is just incredible, and even though he has been hot, I don’t think many of us saw this coming.
5. No. 5 Arizona Beats No. 4 Texas
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This ending of this game was just plain wacky.
The Arizona Wildcats led the game from 13:08 in the first half until 2:25 in the second half, a time period of 30 minutes and 43 seconds, over three-quarters of the game. In the last five minutes, no player on Arizona scored except Derrick Williams, who scored five points. With the opportunity to take the lead, the Longhorns fell short, and no one scored for them except J’Covan Brown, who scored nine points.
This game was in Arizona’s control most of the way, despite Derrick Williams making only 4-of-15 shots from the field. In the late minutes, however, Texas took the lead, and all signs pointed to them winning.
Texas was leading 67-66 when Derrick Williams drove and missed a layup but got the rebound, then he missed a layup but got the rebound, then he missed a layup but got the rebound, then he missed a layup but got fouled. This exhausting run of missed shots and rebounds led to Williams making one of two shots and tying the game. After a J’Covan Brown jumper, a missed shot by Derrick Williams (possibly a foul), and a rebound and timeout by Texas, Cory Joseph was called for a controversial five-second violation.
This call gave Arizona another shot, and they fed it to their star, Derrick Williams. Williams made a layup and was fouled with nine seconds left. Williams completed the three-point play. Down 70-69, Texas gave the ball to J’Covan Brown because he was their only offense in the second half (or so it seemed), and Brown missed a jumper. Gary Johnson got an offensive rebound, but time expired before he got his shot off, and Arizona won a very emotional and confusing game.
While a No. 5 seed over a No. 4 seed is not that surprising, this entire game was a surprise because Williams played poorly overall, Tristan Thompson played terribly, and the ending itself was so surprising and confusing that it deserved to be on this list.
4. No. 11 Marquette Tops No. 3 Syracuse
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In a Big East matchup for a trip to the Sweet 16, the Marquette Golden Eagles stifled Syracuse and got that trip.
So how did it go down? Plain and simple, it was Marquette’s defense. The Golden Eagles may have let the Orange make just over 50 percent of their shots; the Orange only got 47 shots off. Only Dion Waiters and Kris Joseph scored double-digit points.
The other big key was the fact that Marquette did not foul. Syracuse only took seven free throws all game, and they only made five. Unlike Michigan against Tennessee, the Orangemen could not win without their production from the line. Jae Crowder, Darius Johnson-Odom and Jimmy Butler led the way for Marquette, and they won the game 66-62.
3. No. 11 VCU Beats No. 3 Purdue
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I’m sorry, "beats" is an understatement, let’s try DESTROYS or EMBARRASSES. In a game that was supposed to be Purdue’s, Virginia Commonwealth came out and downed the three-seeded Boilermakers by 18, with the final score being 94-76.
Bradford Burgess dropped 25 and snagged eight rebounds for the Rams. Jamie Skeen went for 13, Joey Rodriguez and Juvonte Reddic both scored 12 and Brandon Rozzell went for 10. The Rams had balanced scoring, and because everyone could score, they upset the Boilermakers.
Purdue was led by the usual suspects in big ways. JuJuan Johnson went for 25, E’Twuan Moore and Lewis Jackson went for 10, while surprise Ryne Smith dropped 20. So what went wrong for the Boilermakers? No one else could score. It’s simple, but it’s true. These four guys could not match VCU’s 94 points, and since the rest of the team could only manage 11 points, the Boilermakers fell from glory.
This was VCU’s third win in the tourney. The Rams were one of a few teams who experts and analysts were furious with for edging out Colorado or Virginia Tech, but they have easily proven that they belong with the top teams by making it from the First Four to the Sweet 16.
2. No. 10 Florida State Upsets No. 2 Notre Dame
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FSU beat the Fighting Irish 71-57. A team that many said deserved a No. 1 seed scored only 57 points against a No. 10 seed from the “weak” ACC. This proves that the “Big Least” is overrated, but that’s a different issue.
Florida State shockingly held Notre Dame to 30 percent shooting from the field, 22 percent from three and just 57 total points. While Tim Abromaitis scored 21, and Ben Hansbrough chipped in with 18, the nine other players on the rest of the team scored only 18. FSU’s solid defense stepped up this game and showed that they are here to play.
Florida State had already defeated the Duke Blue Devils in a close game at home, and just judging based off common opponents, it looks like the committee got Duke’s ranking over Notre Dame right too.
1. No. 1 Pittsburgh Loses to No. 8 Butler
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If you were a ref, would you still call fouls in the last 20 seconds of the game, or would you swallow the whistle and let the kids play?
The refs in the Pittsburgh-Butler game decided to do the right thing, and they accurately called two fouls at the end of the game. The first gave Pittsburgh a chance to come back and win, but they only made one for the tie. The second gave Matt Howard of Butler two shots in a tied game with 0.8 seconds remaining. Howard made the first, intentionally missed the second and the Bulldogs won.
Pittsburgh was the first No. 1 seed to lose in the tournament so far, and losing to a No. 8 seed makes it somewhat embarrassing. We expect the No. 1 seeds to at least make it to the Sweet 16, but the Panthers could not even do that.
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