Monday, March 10, 2008

Sleeper Teams or Sleeper Games?

Let’s keep this simple. I want to see a buzzer beater.

Drake won by 30. Siena won by 21. Belmont won by 18. Austin Peay won by 18. Winthrop won by 18. Davidson won by 16. George Mason won by 9. San Diego won by 7.

Yep, we’re still waiting for a conference tournament final to come down to the final possession.

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t upsets on Monday. Demetric Bennett scored 32 points for South Alabama but his relentless offense at the end of the game wasn’t enough to come back against Middle Tennessee St. While South Alabama kept scoring in the final four minutes, the move to full court pressure failed as Middle Tennessee St. cashed in at the free throw line and by taking the ball to the rim. Similarly, Gonzaga held close until the final minute, but San Diego beat the full court pressure multiple times for slam dunks to seal the upset and a third bid for the WCC.

So I guess if you are a fan of Ohio St. or Syracuse your heart was racing on Monday. But what about the rest of us? Will the Horizon, Sun Belt, or Summit deliver on Tuesday?