Grady Here: Use this thread to discuss Session 1 this morning (Morgan St./WVU, Cornell/Temple, Minny/Xavier)
Dancing Football Here: Ignore Grady, there will be a thread up shortly, complete with Buffalo Wild Wings and cheap beer references. Grady Again: Like Seth Davis, I should be ignored.
Did we all get a good night's sleep, with visions of Buzz Williams dancing in our heads?
Yesterday reminded us why we act like a five year old on Christmas morning this time of year. I won't go into the details, since cougfan already did that, and you probably all know anyway. The most important thing that happened for our little community: Nuss's K-State Wildcats have survived into the second round! Go Wildcats!
My anecdotal review of history says that one awesome day begets a terrible day of blowouts and bad basketball. I sincerely hope my anecdotal history is a bunch of crap and there is more awesome today. The highlights and announcers (including Gus!) after the jump.
| Friday Morning Window 1 (Starts at 9:15 am) |
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| Game | Announcers | Site | |
| #15 Morgan State vs. #2 West Virginia | Gus Johnson/Len Elmore | Buffalo | |
| #11 Minnesota vs. #6 Xavier | Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel | Milwaukee | |
| #12 Cornell vs. #5 Temple | Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg | Jacksonville | |
| Friday Morning Window 2 (Starts at 11:25 am) |
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| Game | Announcers | Site | |
| #10 Missouri vs. #7 Clemson | Gus Johnson/Len Elmore | Buffalo | |
| #14 Oakland vs. #3 Pittsburgh | Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel | Milwaukee | |
| #13 Wofford vs. #4 Wisconsin | Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg | Jacksonville | |
| #13 Siena vs. #4 Purdue | Tim Brando/Mike Gminski | Spokane | |
| Friday Evening Window 3 (Starts at 4:10 pm) |
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| Game | Announcers | Site | |
| #9 Florida State vs. #8 Gonzaga | Gus Johnson/Len Elmore | Buffalo | |
| #10 Georgia Tech vs. #7 Oklahoma State | Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel | Milwaukee | |
| #16 Arkansas-PB vs. #1 Duke | Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg | Jacksonville | |
| #12 New Mexico State vs. #5 Michigan State | Tim Brando/Mike Gminski | Spokane | |
| Friday Evening Window 4 (Starts at 6:30 pm) |
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| Game | Announcers | Site | |
| #16 Vermont vs. #1 Syracuse | Gus Johnson/Len Elmore | Buffalo | |
| #15 UC Santa Barbara vs. #2 Ohio State | Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel | Milwaukee | |
| #13 Houston vs. #4 Maryland | Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg | Jacksonville | |
| #9 Louisville vs. #8 California | Tim Brando/Mike Gminski | Spokane | |
These tables via hdsportsguide.com.
Games That Could Be More Awesomer Than The Other Awesome Games:
#12 Utah State vs. #5 Texas A&M (1:45 pm)
There is a lot of pressure on these teams to put on a show, as they are all alone in between sessions. Utah State is actually ranked higher on kenpom than A&M and is the predicted winner. Utah State likes to slow the tempo down and they are very efficient. Look for the battle of the Aggies to come down to the wire, where Texas A&M may clank their way to an early exit at the foul line.
#11 Minnesota vs. #6 Xavier
This game gets top billing as the Fanmatch of the day for kenpom. We saw how that went with UW-Marquette yesterday! Blake Hoffarber of Minnesota is the most efficient offensive player in the nation, and he could be an X-factor (especially if it comes down to a last second shot.) Jordan Crawford controls the ball (29% usage) for Xavier.
#13 Siena vs. #4 Purdue
I didn't pick this upset in my bracket, but I have a feeling I may regret that today. Purdue is just not the same without Robbie Hummel. For Siena, Ryan Rossiter could be huge down low. He is an excellent rebounder on both ends.
#9 Louisville vs. #8 California
Go Bears! Show the world your limitless range Jerome Randle, show them.
Let's have more overtimes fellas, and last second shots! We expect nothing less!