We knew going in that there was no way day two could live up to day one, but I do not think anyone expected the snooze fest that ensued yesterday. Ten of the sixteen games were decided by double digits and the closest game was Michigan State’s three point win over New Mexico State. The only drama came in the Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin games, and in all of those the favorite prevailed, and without a heroic shot to mention in the bunch. The only real upset of the day was Cornell’s victory over 5th seeded Temple, but since everyone was calling this one I am not sure how big of an upset it was.
The general lack of drama also led to a lack of star performances. Jordan Crawford scored 28 points in Xavier’s win, freshman Jordan Williams paced Maryland with 21 points in a hard fought win over Houston and Kalin Lucas scored 25 as Michigan State held off a 2nd half surge by New Mexico State. As you can see, there really were no standout performances in a day that lacked a signature moment.
The story from day one was the Big East’s demise, but after Pitt, West Virginia and Syracuse took care of business, order was restored a bit and the Big East finished the opening round at 4-4.
Round two kicks off this afternoon and there are a number of intriguing games. Can Villanova regain its early season form? Can Ohio stay on this magical run? Will Kansas and Kentucky stay on track to meet each other in the Finals? Whatever happens, I hope the drama comes much closer to matching Thursday’s spectacular moments than the total lack of suspense we encountered yesterday.
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