MVN - Most Valuable Network

WKU ran out of gas, Wellington cost WV, UNC overwhelmed WSU and Vols choked

After trailing by 21 at the half, Western Kentucky drew to within four with five and a half minutes to go. It was an amazing comeback. Courtney Lee shot 7-for-29 from the field. Ty Rogers was 2-for-6. Yet, the Hilltoppers would not go away. Tyrone Brazelton singlehandedly kept them in it.

He nearly willed them to win.

Brazelton continued to put the pressure on Darren Collison all game long and ended up fouling out the UCLA star at the 5:39 mark. Western Kentucky’s senior point guard connected on 6-of-10 from deep and finished the game with 31 points. He should have earned himself a shot to play in the NBA with a strong showing in this tournament.

It was too bad it had to end against UCLA.

As for UCLA’s Elite Eight opponent, they jumped out to a big 28-10 advantage in the first half, but West Virginia rallied to draw it to 25-32 at halftime. With the game going down to the wire, the Mountaineers were down two with the ball and 21 seconds left. They went to Joe Alexander who banked in a jumper with 15 seconds left and was fouled by Jason Love. Alexander, an 82% free throw shooter, failed to convert the three point play and the game went into overtime.

It was unfortunate for the Mountaineers that Alexander didn’t win the game in regulation. The experienced X-men would have the last word. In the last minute, it was mental lapses by West Virginia forward Wellington Smith that cost them the game. It was his man who stuck the dagger in the heart of West Virginia.

Smith lost track of B.J. Redmond, a 41% three point shooter, and the junior forward hit an open three pointer with 1:24 left to take a one point lead. On the ensuing possession, Smith turned the ball over and gave it back to Xavier. Xavier’s point guard, Drew Lavender, drove the ball to the rim only to have it blocked by Smith. With 32 seconds left, the ball went out of bounds off West Virginia.

Xavier inbounded the ball on the left sideline and West Virginia had the lob play to forward Josh Duncan (26 points) covered. However, Smith found himself in no man’s land as Redmond slipped cross court to the wide open right wing. Stanley Burrell threw the pass over to Redmond and Smith didn’t recover in time. With 29 seconds left, Redmond hit the three pointer to give his team a four point lead. It was insurmountable for the Mountaineers and the Musketeers moved on to advance to the Elite Eight.

In the East Region, the games went as expected. Louisville overwhelmed Tennessee and cruised to a 79-60 victory. It was another poor performance in a big game for Tennessee senior Chris Lofton. The lack of a true point guard killed the Vols. Ramar Smith came off the bench and shot 2-for-9 from the field and 2-for-7 from the line. Lofton was 3-for-15 from the field. Meanwhile, Earl Clark came off the bench to lead the Cardinals with 17 points. Five players scored in double figures for Louisville.

Tyler Hansbrough overcame a slow start to post 18 points and nine boards in a 21 point win over Washington State. The Cougars could only muster 47 points in the contest. Taylor Rochestie and Rob Cowgill combined to go 2-for-15 for Washington State. Aron Baynes and Derrick Low had 14 each in the losing effort. Danny Green had 15 off the bench for the Tar Heels, including 10 of the team’s 16 points in a nine minute stretch of the first half.

David Padgett should present a good matchup for Hansbrough as well and Louisville has the depth to wear down North Carolina. It should be a good game, but I am sticking with the Heels in this one. As for UCLA, if they play like they have been against Xavier, they will lose. Xavier would have taken advantage of the opportunity being down by four with five minutes to go and no Collison. Western Kentucky simply ran out of gas. There’s plenty in the tank for Xavier though, so don’t be surprised if they pull off the upset. They tip it up on Saturday.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 12:15 am and is filed under Joe Alexander, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Courtney Lee, Aron Baynes, Josh Duncan, Drew Lavender, Stanley Burrell, Tyrone Brazelton, Ty Rogers, Taylor Rochestie, Rob Cowgill, B.J. Redmond, Wellington Smith, Xavier Musketeers, Jason Love, Ramar Smith, Earl Clark, Derrick Low, West Virginia Mountaineers, Danny Green, Tyler Hansbrough, Jon Burkett, Chris Lofton, Darren Collison, Final Four, Washington State Cougars, David Padgett, North Carolina Tar Heels, Louisville Cardinals, Tennessee Volunteers, UCLA Bruins, March Madness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.