Blog # 61

My Beloved 104 Bloggees (Welcome Billy):

 

 

Donnie Jones's UCF Knights continued its downfall on Wednesday with a 75 - 60 loss to Jeff Lebo's East Carolina Pirates (more on them later) 75 -60 in the first round of the Conference USA tourney http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103090178 . Marcus Jordan, son of "Air", had a poor offensive night, 1 for 11 from the field, including 0 for 3 from the perimeter, finishing with 9 points.

 

What an up and down season for former Gator top assistant, Jones. He was on top of the Southern basketball world at the beginnng of January with a 14 - 0 record, including a 57 - 54 victory over Florida, and a national ranking. Then they lose their next 8 games, all within the conference. The Knights followed with an upsurge winning 5 of 6, but ended on a sour note losing their last three games, including at Marshall, where fans were quite hostile to their former coach. One report indicated UCF is hoping for a bid to the CBI postseason tournament....that is sad.  http://ucf.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1198328 . NEXT

 

 

 

Georgetown lost Wednesday to Connecticut 79 - 62 in a preliminary round of the Big East tournament http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103090229 . What is significant about that loss is senior point guard Chris Wright sat it out nursing a broken left hand, injured in a February 23rd game at Cincinnati. The Hoyas only had 6 assists during the entire game.....Wright averages over 5.

 

If Wright is not available for the NCAAs or even if a rusty version of himself can play, I would stay away from them when filling out the brackets. NEXT

 

 

 

Can you imagine the feeling when someone kicks you in the gut? That is how UAB fans, players and coaches must feel after the regular season champs of Conference USA lost Thursday in overtime to Jeff Lebo's East Carolina Pirates 75 - 70 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103100034 .

 

Eastern Carolina is a team that UAB defeated at home just 5 days earlier in Birmingham by 18 points on Senior Night. Aaron Johnson, the gutty senior 5' 8 point guard, the C-USA's player of the year and the nation's leader in assists per game, scored 39 points, a tournament record in the defeat. Fellow senior, Jamarr Sanders, had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. This might shock you for an overtime game......no other teammate scored over four points in the 45-minute game. With no wins against teams who may make the NCAA tourney, UAB could be disappointed on Selection Sunday after this disappointing loss.  NEXT

 

 

 

Georgia just had too much size for Auburn Thursday in the Bulldogs' 69 - 51 victory in the first round of the SEC tourney  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103100230 . Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins each grabbed 10 rebounds, so together they had one less than Auburn's team total of 21 (Georgia had 36 total). Both Bulldogs had a double-double scoring 12 and 22 points respectively. The talk is that the winner of the Georgia - Alabama quarterfinal game today earns a bid to the Big Salsa. NEXT

 

 

 

 

Florida's next opponent will be Tennessee in tonight's quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. The Vols barely squeaked out a 74 - 68 victory in the first round over Arkansas after squandering a 16-point lead late in the game http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201103100019 . What was remarkable about the win was  Vols star Scotty Hopson failed to score in double figures with 8 points.

 

For a preview of the Florida-Tennessee game from bloggee Kevin # 1 who is in Atlanta covering the game for the Gainesville Sun, click on http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20110310/ARTICLES/110319943/1136?Title=Gators-motivated-to-cut-nets . To see and hear what Louisville coach, Rick Pitino, father of Gator assistant Richard, thinks of the Gators' chances in the NCAA tournament, click on http://brockway.blogs.gatorsports.com/11028/pitino-says-gators-are-ncaa-tourney-sleepers/  NEXT 

 

 

 

 

In what could have been a farewell party to North Carolina State's head coah and former star, Sidney Lowe, the Wolfpack lost Thursday to Maryland 75 - 67 in the first round of the ACC tourney http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201103100343 . The Terps' Jordan Williams was just too much for the Felines with his double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds.

 

As I predicted in an earlier blog, former Lady Gator basketball coach, NC State athletic director, Deborah Yow, will annoint her former colleague (when he was a Gator men's assistant coach), current assistant to Lowe and legendary Wolfpack player, Monte Towe, as the new coach of the Raleigh university. THAT'S IT.

 

 

 

Enjoy, I am going to give you a break until the beginning of next week when we can analyze the brackets...amazing hoops this weekend including Selection Sunday....don't forget tonight is another Noah - Horford battle in the Hawks-Bulls battle on SportSouth,

 

 

 

Barry