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Ho-hum Lack of an upset makes for a boring subregion
Posted: Sunday March 19, 2000 05:41 PM
By B.J. Schecter, Sports Illustrated NASHVILLE -- Welcome to chalkville, where the brackets go exactly as planned and upset is a dirty word. It's a pity the little guys (UNC-Wilmington, Appalachian State) didn't fare better and it's a shame this subregional couldn't match the last-second excitement of its brothers and sisters across the nation. As it turned out, the only game with any drama was the day's last when Miami fell asleep in the final 1:30 and nearly blew a 13-point lead. Yes, Arkansas gave Miami 1:30 of hell, but the Hurricanes held on for a 75-71 victory. Just after midnight, Miami coach Leonard Hamilton spotted a dejected Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson in the bowels of the area and the two embraced. "Hey," Hamilton whispered in Richardson s ear. "I've never heard my guys praise a team that they just beat as much as they praised your guys. They said they've never played against a team that played harder than you. It was amazing. We won, but all they could talk about was what an effort your guys put forth." Richardson appreciated Hamilton's kind words, but he was clearly disappointed that the Razorbacks couldn't pull off the upset. I was, too. What fun is a bracket that goes exactly as planned? There's always the next round, but until then let me round up the first day here with a few courtside observations: Best Assistant Coach: Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin. The towel waving injured star has every right to be down after a broken leg ended his player of the year's season and probably the Bearcats' title hopes. But Martin remained upbeat, even suggested strategy. He provided inspiration and a good example of class to his impressionable teammates. Most Baffling Policy: An announcement in the Gaylord Entertainment Center reminded fans that ticket scalping is strictly prohibited inside the area. But it's OK to do it outside? Go figure. Biggest Mistakes by the NCAA Tournament Committee: Making Tulsa a No. 7 seed (they won more games during the regular season -- 29 -- than any other team in the country) and giving UNLV an at-large berth. Best Mascot: Arkansas Hog, which stood approximately 8'0" and looked like a giant blow-up doll. He bounced up and down, danced and gave the crowd a better show than the basketball being played. Best Performance: Scoonie Penn, Ohio State. The 5'10" All-America point guard finally broke out of his season-long shooting slump, scoring a game-high 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-7 beyond the arc. Game We'd Like To See: Cincinnati vs. Ohio State. The schools, which are less than 50 miles apart, couldn't schedule each other. If they both win their games on Sunday, they'll meet in the regional semifinal. The governor of Ohio couldn't even broker a game. Now, this would be fun. B.J. Schecter is a Sports Illustrated staff writer. The opinions expressed
here are solely those of the writer.
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