General

Shanoff’s W.U.C.: Memphis, Duke Save Tourney

Mar 27, 2009, 12:25 PM UTC

Today’s Calls: Mizzou vs. the Field, Levance Fields vs. Xavier, Duke vs. Oblivion, Barack Obama vs. Memphis, Blake Griffin vs. Syracuse, LeBron vs. 60 Minutes and More.â†µâ†µThe Opening Pitch: Now THAT’S more like it. The “Chalk Rules!” theme is behind us.â†µ

â†µâ†µDuke? Gone. For Duke haters, it was glorious: Embarrassed by Villanova in a way they haven’t been in the NCAA Tournament since the Dukies got shellacked by UNLV in 1990. Duke’s lowest offensive output in the Tournament of the shot-clock era. Scheyer and Henderson shooting 4-for-32(!)â†µ

â†µâ†µMemphis? Gone. Last year’s runner-up. The President’s pick to win the West region. Everyone’s consensus to make the regional final. Run out of the gym by Mizzou, which instantly re-branded itself as the most telegenic team in the field.â†µ

â†µâ†µBy the end of the night, the wins by the 1-seeds UConn and Pitt (despite that thrilling finish) were long-forgotten, replaced by the unexpected teams in the Elite Eight -- in the case of Missouri, delightfully unexpected.â†µ

â†µâ†µ“Unexpected?” Ahh: That’s the NCAA Tournament we know and love.â†µ

â†µâ†µTonight’s regional semis and tomorrow’s regional finals previewed, after the jump -- will the Big East get 5 teams in the Elite Eight?â†µ

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â†µ7:07 12 Arizona vs. 1 Louisville* (Midwest@Indy)â†µ
â†µNo, Zona's no Cindy. And good riddance.â†µ
â†µâ†µ

â†µâ†µ7:27 3 Syracuse* vs. 2 Oklahoma (South@Memphis)â†µ
â†µGame of the Night: Griffin vs. the 2-3 zone.â†µ
â†µâ†µ

â†µâ†µ9:37 3 Kansas vs. 2 Michigan State* (Midwest@Indy)â†µ
â†µDefending champs are kids; Spartans are men.â†µ
â†µâ†µ

â†µâ†µ9:57 4 Gonzaga vs. 1 UNC* (South@Memphis)â†µ
â†µHow will Lawson’s toe hold up? Zags have swag.â†µ

â†µâ†µSaturday Regional Final Sneak Peek!â†µWest: 3 Mizzou vs. 1 UConn â†µ
â†µThe Huskies are playing well, but didn’t look Final Four-sharp against Purdue. Mizzou’s frenetic style is the opposite of PU, and they have an underdog’s fearlessness. UConn has gone over 90 points only 5 times this season -- they will have to do it again to advance.â†µ

â†µâ†µEast: 3 Villanova vs. 1 Pitt â†µ
â†µNova beat Pitt in their only meeting this season. Blair was held to 7 pts (2/3 FG) and 8 reb in 20 min. Pitt may have revenge as motivation, but Nova knows what it takes to beat the Panthers.â†µ

â†µâ†µBarack Obama’s Bracket: Tough night. He lost Memphis (one of his Final Four picks) and Duke. He is now in roughly the 45th percentile. Unfortunately, that’s the same position I find my own bracket -- no bragging rights for me over the President yet. If you used the “Pick-By-Higher-Seed” or “Use the National Bracket” methods, you would be outperforming 2/3 of the country with either, but you would have lost Memphis and Duke, too.â†µ

â†µâ†µMore on the radar today (as if you’re paying attention to anything but your bracket) ...â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB: Jeter batting leadoff? The symbolism is a little sickening.â†µ

â†µâ†µNFL Draft: See? I told you Matt Stafford was a bad draft pick. (No, wait: I mean the 49ers are total idiots.)â†µ

â†µâ†µMore NFL: Is this the first step to an NFL D-League?â†µ

â†µâ†µCutler Watch: Is he headed to the Bears, his favorite team of his childhood? This seems like a no-brainer deal for the Bears to make.â†µ

â†µâ†µCBB: Is today Billy Gillispie’s last day at Kentucky? (It should be.)â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Draft: BJ Mullens going pro? Two words: Kosta Koufos.â†µ

â†µâ†µCFB: Curse of RichRod continues.â†µ

â†µâ†µPop Culture: I’m not a huge LeBron fan, but I will tune in to “60 Minutes” just to see this jaw-dropping clip on my HD TV screen.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Last Word: No matter how busted your bracket is heading into the Sweet 16, you can usually rely on the fact that your Final Four is still intact. So it is always a little painful when the last remnants of your bracket fall apart with your Final Four picks, as many folks probably found with Memphis.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Meanwhile, the last “big bet” of my bracket is still alive: Syracuse to the Final Four. Starts with a win over OU tonight. Continues with a win on Sunday -- doesn’t matter if it is over UNC or Gonzaga. With the rest of my bracket an imploded mess, I need the validation!)â†µ

â†µâ†µDan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. â†µ

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