The Morning Dish – Friday, March 18th
Wisconsin-Milwaukee Upsets Alabama:
The 12th seed did it again. A No. 12 has upset a No. 5 in 16 of the past 17 NCAA Tournaments. The 2005 NCAA Tournament began with a bang, with No. 12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee upsetting No. 5 Alabama 83-73 in a Chicago region game played in Cleveland. Joah Tucker and Ed McCants led the Panthers with 21 points each. Kennedy Winston posted 20 and Ronald Steele had 16 to try to keep Alabama in it. The Panthers made 10 three-pointers in the first half on their way to 12-of-21 from long distance. They advance to play No. 4 Boston College. For complete tournament coverage, including more detailed game recaps, visit Hoopville 2005 Tournament Central .
Boston College Advances with Dominating First Half:
No. 4 Boston College jumped out to a 48-28 halftime lead and cruised home with an 85-65 victory against No. 13 Pennsylvania. Jared Dudley paced the Eagle attack with 18 points. Penn was led by Ivy Player of the Year Tim Begley with 19.
Bogut Leads the Way for the Utes:
Andrew Bogut played another brilliant game with 24 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, and a key defensive play by Tim Drisdom down the stretch allowed No. 6 Utah to advance with a 60-54 victory against No. 11 UTEP. Drisdom stripped Miner point guard Filiberto Rivera with Utah clinging to a 56-54 lead and then hit two free throws to seal the game. Omar Thomas led UTEP with 24.
Wake Outdistances Chattanooga:
No. 2 Wake Forest took control after trailing by three at halftime and welcomed back Chris Paul with a 70-54 victory against the No. 15 Mocs. Paul finished with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Chris Brown had 20 for Chattanooga. Waiting for the Demon Deacons Saturday will be No. 7 West Virginia.
Sally Rallies West Virginia:
Two huge plays by Tyrone Sally in the closing seconds pushed No. 7 West Virginia to a 63-61 win against No. 10 Creighton. Sally blocked a shot by the Blue Jays’ Nate Funk and then scored on a fast break dunk at the other end to give the Mountaineers the win. Sally hit two free throws with 42 seconds left that tied the game. Kevin Pittsnogle led West Virginia with 17, and Funk had 23 for the Blue Jays.
Arizona Uses Dominating Defense to Knock Out Utah State:
After trailing by three at halftime, No. 3 Arizona held No. 14 Utah State to 8-of-30 in the second half to capture a 66-53 opening round win in Boise. Salim Stoudamire had 17 for the Wildcats, and Jaycee Carroll had 18 for Utah State. Arizona will next play No. 11 UAB, which pulled off one of Day One’s shockers by defeating LSU.
UAB Dominates LSU:
No. 11 UAB was never threatened as it took a 41-29 lead into the half against No. 6 LSU and led by as many as 26 in the second half en route to an 82-68 first-round victory. Marvett McDonald paced the Blazer attack with 21 and Brandon Bass had 25 for LSU.
Illini Struggle But Move On:
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson wouldn’t back down and trailed by only one at halftime against No. 1 Illinois. A 14-2 run by the Illini to begin the second half carried Illinois to a 67-55 victory and a berth in the second round against No. 9 Nevada. Dee Brown led the Illini with 19 and Gordon Klaiber led the Knights with 24.
Late Push Fuels Nevada:
No. 9 Nevada scored the last eight points of the game, as the No. 9 Wolf Pack moved on to the second round for the second consecutive year with a 61-57 victory against No. 8 Texas. Kevinn Pickney made up for a tough night by WAC Player of the Year Nick Fazekas by scoring 15. Jason Klotz led the Longhorns with 20.
Cincinnati Survives Iowa:
No. 7 Cincinnati jumped out to an 18-point lead in the first half and then survived an Iowa rally to advance to the second round 74-62. After trailing 32-22 at halftime, No. 10 Iowa mounted a second-half rally. The Hawkeyes cut the deficit to 35-32 early in the second half, but that was as close as they would get. Jason Maxiell led Cincinnati with 22 points, nine rebounds, six blocks and two steals. Greg Brunner had 20 points and nine boards for Iowa. Next up for the Bearcats will be No. 2 Kentucky in the second round.
Kentucky wins the Battle of the Blue Grass:
After entering the second half up 40-32, No. 2 Kentucky had to hang on to advance past No. 15 Eastern Kentucky 72-64. Chuck Hayes had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Kelenna Azubuike had 16 and six boards for UK. Matt Witt led the Colonels with 21 points in Eastern Kentucky’s first NCAA Appearance in 21 years.
Oklahoma Pulls Away in Second Half:
No. 3 Oklahoma placed six players in double figures and used a 47-34 second half advantage to end No. 14 Niagara’s dream season, 84-67. Next up for Oklahoma will be No. 6 Utah in the second round. Drew Lavender led Oklahoma with 17 points. Juan Mendez led the Purple Eagles with 22 points and 15 rebounds but missed his first 11 shots in the second half.
Washington Cruises as No. 1-Seed Debut:
No. 1 Washington proved its no fluke by out pacing No. 16 Montana 88-77. The Huskies jumped out to a 43-27 lead at the half, and the Huskies never let the lead dip into the single digits in the second half. Brandon Roy led UW with 15 points and Kamarr Davis paced the Grizzlies with 24. Next up for Washington is No. 8 Pacific.
Pacific Hangs on to Advance:
No. 8 Pacific played a nearly flawless first half by taking a 45-30 lead into the break and held on to advance to the second round with a 79-70 victory against N. 9 Pittsburgh. Christian Maraker led the Tigers with 17. Carl Krauser did all he could to keep the Panthers in the game with 27. Next up for Pacific is No. 1 Washington.
Ross Continues the Hot Hand for Texas Tech:
Ronald Ross continued his hot hand with 28 points and No. 6 Texas Tech never trailed in the second half as Texas Tech ousted No. 11 UCLA 78-66. Dijon Thompson had 22 points and six rebounds for UCLA. Next up for the Red Raiders is No. 3 Gonzaga
Gonzaga Pulls Away Late to Advance to Second Round:
Gonzaga knows all about upsets, and the Bulldogs had to use free throws in the final minute to put away the No. 14 Eagles. Adam Morrison had 27 for the Bulldogs and Torrell Martin had 22 for Winthrop.
Romar Given Eight-Year Extension:
Before they took the floor for the first time as a No. 1 seed, Washington officials announced they had rewarded coach Lorenzo Romar with an eight-year contract extension. The extension brings Romar’s contract through 2012-13. In nine seasons as a coach, Romar is 149-122 including 56-34 in three seasons at Washington.
UConn’s Williams Hurt in Practice:
No. 2 Connecticut point guard Marcus Williams banged his left elbow in practice but is not expected to be out of Friday’s NCAA Tournament opener against No. 15 Central Florida. With backup point Antonio Kellogg suspended earlier in the week, the Huskies cannot afford to lose Williams. Ryan Thompson a 6-6 forward will serve as Williams’ understudy.
Knight Staying Put:
Texas Tech coach Bob Knight has denied published reports about any interest in the Tennessee job. The Volunteers fired Buzz Peterson after four seasons and no NCAA appearances. Peterson’s firing cost UT a $1.4 million buyout. Find out which other schools are looking to make Coaching Changes .
Barnes Staying in the Lone Star State:
Texas coach Rick Barnes followed the lead of Knight and said he will be staying put at Texas. He has no interest in the job at Virginia as has been reported. Pete Gillen was led go in Charlottesville after only one NCAA appearance in seven seasons.
Lopes Resigns At Fresno State:
After a rocky tenure at Fresno State with allegations of recruiting improprieties, Ray Lopes has resigned at Fresno State. Lopes was 50-37 in three seasons at Fresno and succeeded Jerry Tarkanian.
Paulsen Leaving DeKalb:
Paige Paulsen has been released from his scholarship at Northern Illinois. Paulsen averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 rebounds but had to sit out the last seven games after suffering a concussion against Kent State Feb. 6. Paulsen is the fourth player in as many years to leave Rob Judson’s program. Paulsen’s departure leaves an opening for the Huskies that they can use in the spring signing period or decide to hold it until 2005-06.
Tonight’s Menu
• The Craziness continues Friday. The Syracuse region will debut Friday with No. 7 Charlotte vs. No. 10 NC State, No. 4 Florida vs. No. 13 Ohio, No. 5 Villanova vs. No. 12 New Mexico, No. 8 Minnesota vs. No. 9 Iowa State, No. 2 Connecticut vs. No. 15 Central Florida, No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Oakland, No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Northern Iowa and No. 3 Kansas vs No. 14 Bucknell.
• The Austin Region match ups include No. 4 Syracuse vs. No. 13 Vermont, No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Old Dominion, No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Delaware State and No. 8 Stanford vs. No. 9 Mississippi State.
• In the Chicago region, No. 2 Oklahoma State plays No. 15 Southeast Louisiana and No. 7 Southern Illinois plays No. 10 St. Mary’s. In the Albuquerque region, No. 4 Louisville takes No. 13 Louisiana – Lafeyette and No. 5 Georgia Tech gets No. 12 George Washington.
