The members of the much-maligned NCAA seeding committee have earned their pay this year.
After a second round that featured only one significant "upset" - fifth-seeded Southern California beating fourth-seeded Texas - and a Sweet Sixteen round that showcased none, college basketball fans were left with an Elite Eight of all four top seeds, three two-seeded teams, and a three-seed.
That's not the usual madness that one associates with March. But that being said, the regional final games still offered some entertaining basketball.
Hate them all you want, but the Florida Gators are headed back to the Final Four after knocking off the third-seeded Oregon Ducks 85-77 on Sunday. Sharp-shooting guard Lee Humphrey made seven three-pointers to lead the Gators with 23 points, and backcourt mate Taurean Green added 21 of his own. Junior center and Gators sparkplug Joakim Noah had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Senior point guard Aaron Brooks led all scorers with 28 points for the Ducks.
Florida has yet to play a complete game this tournament, but the team has so much talent that it might not matter. Before the game, pundits predicted that the Ducks - who start four guards and no player taller than 6'9" - would get pounded inside by Florida's bruising combination of Noah and Al Horford. But the Ducks took away the paint with an effective zone defense and the Gators' guards made them pay, hitting 11 threes. The victory was Florida's 16th-straight in the postseason, a stretch that includes two SEC championships and a national title.
Georgetown proved that no lead is safe in the NCAA tournament, climbing out of a double-digit deficit with six minutes to go and then throttling North Carolina in overtime 96-84. The Hoyas shot over 57 percent from the field, held the Tar Heels to just 35 percent shooting, and were particularly aided by a UNC collapse that featured the team making one out of 23 field goal attempts in a 15-minute span.
North Carolina seemed to have the game in hand, leading 75-65 with six minutes to play. But Jeff Green scored three of his team-leading 22 points, and after another Hoyas bucket, 7'2" Roy Hibbert's emphatic dunk cut the lead to 75-72 and gave Georgetown the momentum heading down the stretch. Hibbert finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks. And Tyler Hansbrough shed the plastic facial mask that he'd been using to protect his broken nose and notched 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels.
UCLA set up a Final Four rematch of last year's championship game against Florida by defeating top-seeded Kansas 68-55. UCLA is the eighth team to win its regional final the year after losing in the championship game, and six of the first seven went on to play for the national championship again. Against a roster loaded with NBA talent, the Bruins continued their suffocating defensive play to reach an NCAA-record 17th Final Fourth berth, holding the Jayhawks to just 24 points in the second half. The two teams combined for 45 turnovers and 32 steals in a sloppy contest.
Pac-10 Player of the Year Arron Afflalo lived up to his billing, leading all scorers with 24 points and connecting on all six of his field goal attempts after halftime. Brandon Rush was the Jayhawks' leading scorer and rebounder with 18 and five, and point guard Mario Chalmers led all players with seven assists and six steals.
Joey Dorsey probably learned his lesson. The Memphis big man called out Ohio State phenom Greg Oden before the game, saying Oden was overrated and comparing the match-up to David and Goliath. In 24 foul-plagued minutes, Oden responded with 19 points, nine rebounds, and about a dozen altered shots with his imposing presence in the paint in leading his Buckeyes to a 92-76 victory.
Ohio State went from a five-point lead to a five-point deficit after Oden sat down with his third foul early in the second half. Coach Thad Matta gambled by putting his 7'0" freshman back in the contest, and the Buckeyes responded with a 20-8 run that put them back in control of the game. As OSU began to pull away, Memphis tried to stay in the game by fouling, but the Buckeyes made 35-of-41 free throws and 21 in a row to preserve the lead and the victory.
