Shocker Salt---
Wichita State was simply tougher than Pittsburgh yesterday. They were more aggressive, more focused, more invested, better. Everyone talked about the matchup in terms of defense and rebounding and rightfully so, but Wichita State’s quickness was the difference. The Shockers on ball defense on the Panthers was totally disruptive, as they turned 15 turnovers into 21 points and a blowout win.
The fabric of your life---
Malcolm Armstead’s 22 points and 5 assists were big, as was the 21 points from a resurgent Cleanthony Early, but the key performer for the Shocks yesterday was Tekele Cotton. It’s gotten to the point where I would consider purchasing a ticket to watch him defend. His effort against Tray Woodall was one of the best I’ve seen and I say that a week after the saying the same thing after he dogged Illinois State’s Taylor Brown in the Valley Tournament.
Pitt in the pits---
Credit Wichita State, which may have made Pittsburgh look the way they did—but there wasn’t a single moment during that game that I looked at Pitt and understood how they’d had such a good season in the Big East. The Shockers made them look overrated.
Big Dog howling---
Former Shocker All-American Antoine Carr, who reached an NBA Final with the Jazz in Salt Lake City, texted Gregg Marshall Thursday morning—reminding his team to play angry. Marshall thought enough of the message to challenge his team with it at the break and look what happened in the second half. Ok, that’s probably giving the Big Dog a little too much credit, but I do like the way that Marshall incorporates former players in the program.
Opponent Quote—
Pitt ended up with just one more basket than they did turnovers. Afterward, Panther star Tray Woodall broke down on the dais, but before he did he paid Wichita State a nice compliment: “Those guys are tough. They came straight from the beginning of the game and they were physical until the very end of the game”.
Zags are next---
Don’t be fooled by Gonzaga’s near miss against Southern, there’s a reason that they’re a top seed. Kelly Olynyk is a very talented big man who’s a tough match up, having said that, even before their game with Southern I thought WSU could push Gonzaga. I’m glad I’m going to get the chance to find out. It’s cool to see John Stockton’s son playing in a building that is guarded by a statue of his dad.
Coming clean on my bracket—
Until Harvard stunned New Mexico, things had gone pretty close to as planned. The Pac-12 came up big in two 12-5 games—but Oregon beating Oklahoma State certainly wasn’t a big surprise and Cal taking out UNLV was payback for a one point loss to the Rebels earlier this season. I went 11-5 on the first day, so I need to pick it up tomorrow. New Mexico’s loss really hurts me, I had the Lobos going deep, but the Mountain West had a tough day with two losses and is just 1-3 so far in the tourney.
Friday’s schedule---
There are interviews in the middle of the day and then there should be some time to watch some of the rest of the tournament. I’ve always said that if you really want to watch an NCAA Tournament—don’t go to a site where it’s being played. It’s amazing how disconnected you feel from the rest of the action from around the rest of the country.
