I think it is safe to say that we have already had a great amount of excitement in this tournament so far. Already, we have had games come down to the wire, upsets that we weren’t expecting, and blowouts like nothing. Lets explore what the Round of 64 offered us Thursday and whether or not it was expected:
Michigan State Struggles Offensively
In a game that we all thought was going to be a complete blowout, we got what was on the verge of a Middle Tennessee State or Lehigh type game. The Spartans went into half down by one with Bradley feeling extremely good about their chances. There were points in this game were the Spartans were not scoring for four minute and two minute pieces at a time. Michigan State will need to push that behind them and create a better scoring game against Minnesota.
Eight Game Fluke for the Tigers
It seemed as if Auburn was an unstoppable force going into their game against New Mexico State. However, the Aggies kept with the Tigers until the buzzer sounded and even looked like the favorite to win in the closing minutes. This game really made Auburn fans and bracket makers think alike, in that Auburn may not be as strong as people think they are. Whether this was a simply shaky game or Auburn is collapsing is beyond our knowledge.
Ja Morant Takes Control
This game was called by many to be an upset, however, it was still a big upset. And this all came under the helm of Murray State’s star point guard, Ja Morant. Morant put up the first triple-double in the NCAA Tournament, since Draymond Green did it in 2012. Many are seeing Ja Morant as the next elusive and physical point guard to take over the Russell Westbrook role in the NBA. Whatever you take from it, the Florida State Seminoles are in for a treat with Morant leading the charge at them.
Belmont Collapses Under Maryland
I am almost 100% sure that majority of the brackets, by analysts, made this year had Belmont winning this one. The Bruins were looking very dangerous after their win against Temple and were hungry for a first-round win. It all looked like the Bruins were going to pull off the probable upset against the Terrapins, but fell short. And nothing is quite clearly showing us why this Belmont team fell to Maryland, which makes it hard for us to accept.
Wofford is Looking Scary, Very Scary
The Terriers were projected to be within the four point spread of things in this one. In fact, the Terriers actually ended up winning by sixteen points and impose a threat for future teas in the bracket. The Terriers shot a 48.1% FG and 46.4% from the three point range. Was this a lucky win for the Terriers, or a very skilled performance that this Wofford team can push out daily? No one really knows, but what I do know is that Kentucky will be forced to play at their best Saturday.
Photo Credits: https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2019/03/21/monson-all-hell-breaks/
