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EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
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What We Learned Tough guards, funny coach
By Seth Davis, Sports Illustrated MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- There were a couple of Cinderella stories here -- if Gonzaga still qualifies as a Cinderella. Even little Alabama State, which had the feistiest fans in the joint, put up a game fight for 20 minutes before crumbling against the defending champs. Michigan State easily put away its opponent in the second half, but the Spartans caught an unlucky break in the evening's finale when Fresno State defeated California. There's no question Cal would have proven to be an easier matchup. With Indiana State coming through with an upset of Oklahoma, we're guaranteed that at least one Cinderella will advance to Atlanta. That's good news for the NCAA tournament, which thrives on nothing more than a good storyline.
Sinking his teeth into the opponentWillis Reed only had a bad knee. Indiana State guard Kelyn Block lost all or parts of three lower teeth when he collided with Oklahoma point guard Hollis Price's elbow late in their first-round game. Block was on the floor for a while, visibly bleeding from his mouth, and even after he was escorted to the locker room there were people picking up bits of his teeth off the floor. When the Sycamores badly botched their final possession at the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime, it looked like they were going to have to go into the extra session undermanned. Block, however, jogged back onto the floor before overtime began, and he proceeded to score five of Indiana State's nine points the rest of the way. Price, meanwhile, severed a triceps tendon as a result of the collision. He tried to make a go of it but lasted less than a minute when it was clear he couldn't use the arm at all. When Nolan Johnson's baseline runner rimmed out at the buzzer, the Sooners went home and Block went to the dentist for three root canals.
Dickau is the best guard in MemphisWhile most of the publicity went to his teammate Casey Calvary, Gonzaga point guard Dan Dickau distinguished himself as the best player on the floor during the Zags' upset of Virginia. He had 29 points (6-for-9 3-point shooting), five assists and one turnover. Conversely, Michigan State's Charlie Bell, who was somehow voted third-team All-America even though he may be the third-best player on his team (behind Andre Hutson and Jason Richardson), continued to struggle, going for seven points (0-for-4 from 3), five assists and three turnovers in the Spartans' win over Alabama State. Bell's main problem is that he's out of position; he's not a point guard, he just plays one on TV. Before the NCAA tournament began, Bell was shooting 34 percent from the floor and 39 percent from the arc in the Spartans' last 16 games. He will have to come through against Fresno State's athletic defenders.
Gillen is the funniest man in college basketballOK, we knew this already. But before we bid adieu to Virginia, I figured I should pass along a few gems from coach Pete Gillen's Thursday press conference, and thank him for puncturing the pressure with his Cavalier musings: Asked how he was getting his team ready to play Gonzaga, Gillen replied: "It's tough. A lot of times it's like I'm talking to coat racks; they don't listen. So I just tell them, 'Hey, go play. Confidence.' I talk also about, 'Hey, per diem. We get a lot of per diem here in the NCAAs, a lot of extra gear in the NCAAs. We get shoes if we win. Girls are watching.' I try everything. 'No school next week if you win.' Now they listen. When I talk about per diem, girls, gear, we got some new shoes before we left. Now their eyes light up. So we're good for the basics." On whether he was borrowing from Elvis in any of his pep talks: "I love Elvis; I don't know if our guys know who he is. They listen to reggae, which is good, but I love Elvis. Don't be cruel, that's what we're asking Gonzaga. Don't be cruel tomorrow."
The final question was about Virginia's lack of NCAA tournament experience. I'm not sure what this means, but here's what he said: "We can't control if the crowd goes for them. We're not the big, dark, Wicked Witch of the West. We haven't been in this since the Spanish-American War. That's why I have deep pockets. You don't know this, but I have deep pockets, I put a lot of rolls in my pockets and butter, I got napkins, I got plastic forks, I'm taking everything I can. Because we're in the ACC and you don't get in automatically, so I'm taking everything with me. I'm taking bottled water, I'm taking towels, I'm putting everything in my suitcase. I'm paying for it, by the way. I'm at a very prestigious university, but I'm taking mugs, I got coffee mugs, I got six Memphis mugs. We're taking everything we can. Thank you."
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