Ohio University not only wasn’t supposed to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but the Bobcats really weren’t supposed to reach the second round of the MAC Tournament. But Ohio won that as a No. 9 seed and then shocked Georgetown pretty easily, 97-83, in Thursday’s first round to earn a date with No. 6 seed Tennessee on Saturday in Providence, R.I. The Vols have opened as 8.5-point favorites on Bodog’s college basketball odds.
The No. 14 Bobcats (22-14, 12-12 ATS) were the highest-seeded team to advance on Day 1, and they are one of just three teams in the NCAA Tournament field that had a below .500 conference record. And you won’t find many better backcourt duos in the country than Ohio’s Armon Bassett and D.J. Cooper. Those two combined for 55 points on 17-for-29 shooting (10-for-18 from long range) against Georgetown as Ohio shot a ridiculous 58.2 percent from the field overall. It was the school’s first NCAA Tournament win since 1983.
Tennessee (26-8, 13-16-2 ATS) edged San Diego State, 62-59, on Thursday thanks to a career-high 15 points from backup guard Melvin Goins. The Vols held SDSU to 38.5 percent shooting and are now 20-0 this season when holding foes under 40 percent. They have won six of seven overall, with the only loss to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament (they also beat Kentucky in that stretch). Tennessee doesn’t have a lot of size, so Ohio definitely has a decent shot to pull another upset. Look for this game to be very fast-paced. The Bobcats will shoot a lot of three-pointers, while UT is 11th nationally in three-point defense, holding teams to just 29 percent.
Saturday’s game will be the Vols’ first against a MAC school in the Bruce Pearl era. It also will be the Vols’ first-ever NCAA Tournament game against a No. 14 seed.
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You can never be 100 percent sure how a freshman-dominated team will react in the NCAA Tournament because obviously those first-year players have never been on the big stage of the Big Dance. Well, if East No. 1 seed Kentucky’s first-round game is any indication, the Cats’ freshmen are ready to lead this team on a very deep run. UK faces No. 9 Wake Forest in the Round of 32 on Saturday in New Orleans, with Kentucky a 9-point favorite on Bodog’s college basketball odds.
Kentucky (33-2, 18-15 ATS) simply overpowered East Tennessee State on Thursday, taking a 30-point lead in the first half on the way to 100-71 victory. Guard Eric Bledsoe, who is one of the “other” freshmen on the team behind the heralded John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, had 29 points and made a school-record eight three-pointers. Wall added 17 points and 11 boards and UK shot a sick 15-for-33 from three-point range; that was the most threes it has made all year.
Wake Forest (20-10, 16-11 ATS) was involved in one of the first-round’s many fantastic finishes. The Deacons beat Texas in overtime, completing a rally from eight points down in the extra session on a game-winning shot by Ishmael Smith with 1.3 seconds remaining. He had 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. But Wake’s star is Al-Farouq Aminu, who had 20 points and 15 boards. He led the ACC in double-doubles this season. Watching him against UK’s Patrick Patterson and Cousins will be one of the best matchups of the tournament. The Demon Deacons are one of those teams that can’t beat anyone on a given night but just as easily lose to about anyone.
In a pretty shocking stat, Kentucky hasn’t faced a member of the ACC in the NCAA Tournament since 1998. UK is 17-6 in second-round games since 1980.
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Kansas, the No. 1 overall team in the country, didn’t exactly look the part in Thursday’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Lehigh. The Jayhawks led by only six at the half before pulling away for a 90-74 victory. Now KU gets one of the best mid-major programs in the nation this season in No. 9 Northern Iowa on Saturday in a Midwest Region game in Oklahoma City. Kansas has opened as an 11.5-point favorite on Bodog’s college basketball odds.
Northern Iowa (29-4, 21-11 ATS) was the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament champion. The Panthers had one of the first-round’s most memorable games, beating No. 8 UNLV, 69-66, on a long three-pointer by Ali Farokhmanesh with 4.9 seconds remaining. Obviously an upset of Kansas on Saturday would be the biggest in school and probably conference history. This will be the Panthers’ first-ever game against a No. 1 team, and a school from the MVC hasn’t beaten the nation’s top team in 48 years (and that school, Cincinnati, is no longer in the conference). However, history might be on Northern Iowa’s side, as the past three MVC teams to win a first-round NCAA game then won again to reach the Sweet 16. In addition, UNI was the only nonconference visitor to win this season on a Big 12 court (at Iowa State).
Kansas (33-2, 14-71-1 ATS) got 26 points (a career high) and 10 boards from Marcus Morris in the win over Lehigh. KU started just 2-for-12 from the field but then shot better than 63 percent from the rest of the way. So maybe there’s not a lot to read into the fact that the game was close for a while. No team in the country has more wins over NCAA Tournament teams than the Jayhawks (13), who also lead the country in scoring margin. However, All-American center Cole Aldrich could get tested on Saturday by Northern Iowa center Jordan Eglseder, who leads the Panthers in scoring and rebounding.
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A lot of people questioned why Villanova got a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament after the Wildcats had lost five of seven to close the season, which included a defeat to Marquette in the Nova’s Big East Tournament opener. And Villanova looked anything like a No. 2 seed on Thursday in barely escaping No. 15 Robert Morris, 73-70 in overtime. If Nova plays like it did then on Saturday against No. 10 Saint Mary’s, its season will be over. However, Villanova has opened as a 4.5-point favorite on Bodog’s college basketball odds for the South Region game in Providence, R.I.
Villanova All-American guard Scottie Reynolds had a day to forget in the first round. He was benched for the start of the game (along with fellow starter Corey Fisher) for undisclosed reasons, and Reynolds started 1-for-14 from the field as the Wildcats (25-7, 18-13 ATS) saw themselves down eight points with just over eight minutes remaining. But then Reynolds made his mark at the free-throw line, hitting 7-for-8 in the final three minutes-plus to get the game to overtime. He finished with 20 points on 2-for-15 from the field but was 15-for-16 from the line.
Saint Mary’s (27-5, 20-10 ATS) took care of No. 7 seed Richmond on Thursday, 80-71, behind star center Omar Samhan’s 29 points and 12 rebounds. That was the Gaels’ first NCAA Tournament win since 1959. If Villanova has one weakness it’s defending talented big men, so Samhan could have another big day Saturday if he stays out of foul trouble (he was in a bit against Richmond). Thanks to him, the Gaels outrebounded Richmond a whopping 40-17 for their biggest rebounding margin of the season. Villanova will have the huge edge in the backcourt, so Samhan will need a big game.
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