Ohio State vs. Tennessee Live Blog: 2007 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Tonight #1 seed Ohio State plays #5 seed Tennessee in one of the 2nd games of the night for the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Ohio State, coming off their near loss against Xavier, will look to bring the ball inside to Greg Oden, both offensively and defensively. Tennessee, with their bench and athleticism, will want to play a quick transition game, while the Buckeyes want to slow it down. Now that Texas A&M lost today and my bracket has officially blown itself up, I am now rooting for as many non-UNC upsets as possible.

10:21 pm: 3-0, Tenn. The Vols draw first blood with a three (I think it was JaJuan Smith).

10:23 pm: 6-3, Tenn. Ivan Harris hits a three for the Buckeyes, but Chris Lofton responds in kind.

10:24 pm: 10-9, OSU. The first five field goals for the game were 3-pointers, before Greg Oden and Ron Lewis get easy dunks in transition.

10:25 pm: 14-10, Tenn. Lofton hits another three, and on the next possession delivers a great assist to Ramar Smith.

Tennessee has done a good job so far of spreading the ball to the outside.

10:29 pm: 17-12, Tenn. Either the OSU defense is slacking off, or they simply can’t clamp down the perimeter yet. The Vols have hit 6 field goals, five of them from three.

10:32 pm: 20-14, Tenn. The Buckeyes simply cannot stop Tennessee attack from the bonusphere. They’re 6 of 8 on three point field goals.

Ohio State needs to force the guards inside where Oden’s defensive presence can be felt.

10:37 pm: Greg Oden is called for his second foul 9 minutes into the game. Wayne Chism seems to be playing well against him.

Ohio State is now challenging every shot.

10:38 pm: 25-14, Tenn. I guess I spoke too soon. Bradshaw hits a three, they steal the inbound pass, and Ramar Smith gets the basket and the foul. The Vols now have a double digit lead midway through the first half.

10:43 pm: 28-16, Tenn. Daquan Cook stops the bleeding for Ohio State, but Bradshaw makes a great pass, and Ramar Smith scores inside again.

10:45 pm: 30-18, Tenn. 7:53 left.

10:49 pm: 32-18, Tenn. JaJuan Smith scores inside as Matt Terwilliger is called for goaltending. Wait…who???

10:51 pm: 34-18, Tenn. Bradshaw is trapped inside, but he makes a great pass to Duke Crews, who slams it in.

10:52 pm: 34-20, Tenn. Mike Conley steals the ball and finally gets a layup. I think the Buckeyes have only had 2 field goals in the last 9 minutes.

10:53 pm: Oden comes in and is promptly called for his third foul. He’s in big trouble now.

10:54 pm: 37-20, Tenn. The Vols hits another wide open three; this time it’s Jordan Howell.

10:55 pm: 39-22, Tenn. The Buckeyes are really struggling in Oden’s absence.

11:00 pm: 39-27, Tenn. Ivan Harris hits a three for the Buckeyes, who have now scored 7 unanswered points.

11:02 pm: 43-27, Tenn. Lofton hits yet another three.

The Vols have really taken the Buckeyes defense to the cleaners.

11:04 pm: 49-29, Tenn. Tennessee is attacking the inside in Oden’s absence, and three straight layups give the Vols a 20 point lead.

11:05 pm: Ron Lewis gets three the hard way to beat the buzzer, but Tennessee leads 49-32 at halftime. I was shocked at how the Vols were able to dominate the first half, especially on offense. They have to finish Ohio State off in the second half; they cannot become conservative. For Ohio State to get back in this game, Oden will need to get significant playing time without getting into further foul trouble, and they need get better shots and force Tennessee to take worse shots.

11:29 pm: 49-34, Tenn. Oden is back in the lineup in the second half, and his impact is almost immediate. He’s indirectly responsible for a basket on the offensive end and a turnover on the defensive end.

11:31 pm: 51-34, Tenn. Verne Lundquist puts it best:

“Right now, Ohio State is playing something like a, matador defense. the wave the red flag and say, ‘go right on by.’”

11:32 pm: 51-40, Tenn. Ohio State is coming back. Harris hits another three, Oden’s presence has clearly been felt, and Lofton’s shots aren’t falling in the second half.

11:34 pm: Someday, missing free throws is going to kill the Vols. If they’re not careful, it may be tonight.

11:36 pm: 51-44, Tenn. The lead is now single digits, and there’s plenty of time left. Tennessee needs to stop chucking up shots and attack the inside trying to give Oden foul #4.

15:43 left.

11:40 pm: 54-44, Tenn. Lofton hits a wide open three off a great kickout pass, but not before Oden makes a huge block, showing how dominating he can be.

11:43 pm: 54-48, Tenn. Just as important as the return of Greg Oden from the bench has been the improved play of Mike Conley. He’s been the driving force of this comeback.

11:44 pm: All of the forces are working against the Vols right now. The shots they made in the first half aren’t falling, Ohio State is getting all of the rebounds, and the Buckeyes are finally getting an offensive rhythm, at least by Big Ten standards.

11:46 pm: 57-51, Tenn. Tennessee finally gets a basket, as Dane Bradshaw hits a three to beat the shot clock.

11:47 pm: 57-53, Tenn. Official Timeout.

11:52 pm: 59-57, Tenn. Conley is having an unbelievable second half. I less than nine minute, the 20 point lead is down to two with the alley oop to Lewis. Tennessee has suddenly gone cold shooting, but defensively there is no excuse for allowing 25 points in less than 9 minutes.

11:54 pm: 62-59, Tenn. Oden comes in, and even though he scores on his first possession, on defense he picks up his fourth foul.

11:55 pm: 64-59, Tenn. The Vols get two straight inside layups set by screens. With Oden and Hunter out with four fouls, Tennessee need to attack the inside.

11:55 pm: 64-62, Tenn. OSU’s two big guys are on the bench, and yet the Buckeyes are still getting offensive rebounds! What the hell? And why is Tennessee fouling like it’s going out of style?

11:58 pm: 64-64. Conley ties the game at the line. Ohio State has outscored Tennessee32-15 in 11 minutes. Seriously, Tennessee has only scored 15 points in 11 minutes? They have really gone cold.

12:02 am: 68-65, OSU. Terwilliger hits free throws to give the Buckeyes their first lead of game, and Conley’s shot rolls in. The Buckeyes have caught every break in this half (except the Oden foul).

12:03 am: 68-68. Lofton finally hits a three on the second half. The game is tied again. with seven and a half minutes left in the game.

12:07 am: 72-68, OSU. Butler hits a three, and Tennessee’s shots are now always contested. Where was this Ohio State team during the first half? More importantly, where did the Volunteers of the first half go?

12:09 am: 74-72, Tenn. Wow, that was unexpected. The Vols hit two straight threes, the first by Ryan Childrees and the second by JaJuan Smith. The Vols are back in the lead.

12:10 am: 74-74. Right now, Tennessee cannot stop Mike Conley.

12:10 am: 77-74, Tenn, 4:30 left. Childress hits another three, and the Vols get the lead back.

Oden comes back in the game.

12:16 am: 79-76, Tenn, 3:30 left. Lofton hits an unbelievable floater off a spin move to extend the lead back to three.

12:17 am: Conley might be out of gas. He’s missed his last 3 free throws.

12:18 am: 79-79, 2:46 left. David Lighty, however, is not tired. He hits the open three to tie the game.

12:22 am: 82-82, 1:45 left. Ron Lewis and Chris Lofton exchanging blows. What great shots!

12:24 am: 84-83, OSU, 1:18 pm: The good news: Tennessee is going to the free throw line. The bad news: Tennessee is going to the free throw line.

12:28 am: 84-84, :40 left. Ramar Smith hits a free throw.

12:29 am: :06.5 left. Don’t you hate it when a game this important comes down to free throws?

12:31 am: Conley makes the first, misses the second, and Ramar Smith drive inside for the potentially game winning basket, but Conley is on him defensively like glue, Smith gives a desperation floater, and Oden rejects the ball to ensure the victory. Ohio State wins, 85-84. Obviously the Buckeyes are still vulnerable if their head isn’t in the game, but when they flip the switch, man, do they flip the switch. I am officially scared of this Buckeyes team if the Tar Heels have to face them.

Now it’s time to go to bed. Seriously, you need to go to sleep! It’s almost 1 am!

Southern Illinois vs. Kansas Live Blog: 2007 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Tonight Southern Illinois plays Kansas in the Game 1 of the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Salukis are looking to shut Kansas down with their defense and halfcourt game, while the Jayhawks will try to run the floor and keep this game in as fast a pace as possible. Whichever style prevails will likely determine the outcome of this game. I have the Jayhawks in the Final Four, so I’m pulling for Kansas.

7:11 pm: Jay Bilas and Dick Enberg are calling the game.

San Jose is definitely not a college basketball town. I see a lot of empty seats at tipoff.

Russel Robinson drives inside and gets a layup before the shotclock expires. 2-0, Kansas.

7:13 pm: 4-0, Kansas. It looks like the Salukis are dictating a slow, halfcourt game. Even so, the athletic Jayhawks may be too much for them to handle.

7:14 pm: 4-2, Kansas. Falker puts SIU on the board with free throws, and then Kansas turns the ball over.

7:15 pm: 8-2, Kansas. The Jayhawks finally play at a pace that better suits them. Rush gets two straight easy layups in transition.

If UNC and Kansas meet in the championship game, we might get the most entertaining, nerve wracking game of the year.

7:19 pm: Falker misses the dunk! As we go to an official timeout, the pace of this game is starting to get away from Southern Illinois.

7:24 pm: 10-5, Kansas. As the shot clock expires, Julian Wright gets an easy dunk. I think it was a shot clock violation, but the call stands. Tony Young hits a three on the next possession for SIU, their first FG.

7:25 pm: With the exception of the transition shots, Southern Illinois has done a very good job on defense. I can definitely see the Jayhawks getting frustrated with this at some point in the game.

7:26 pm: 10-8, Kansas. Tony Boyle gets the basket and the foul to bring the Salukis within two.

7:28 pm: 13-11, Kansas. Robinson hits a three, but Tony Boyle gets one of his own. As one of the forwards for SIU, Kansas left him open.

7:30 pm: 17-11, Kansas. I don’t know what’s worse for Southern Illinois right now: Missing open shots from the bonusphere or allowing guards like Sherron Collins to run the transition game and penetrate the paint.

7:36 pm: Hmm…two minutes without any scoring whatsoever. Believe it or not, this favors a team: SIU.

7:37 pm: The Salukis tried an uptempo offensive game for a couple of possessions…and they failed miserably.

7:38 pm: 17-13, Kansas. Randall Falker is relentless on the offensive glass.

7:39 pm: 19-13, Kansas. Julian Wright hits the midrange jumper before the official timeout. 7:27 left.

Southern Illinois is well within striking distance, if they can keep the game as slow as possible. With Kansas’ quick, aggressive guards, that’s easier said than done.

7:42 pm: 19-16, Kansas. Southern Illinois hits a three, but it was pre-empted by a dunk from Memphis.

7:43 pm: 19-18, Kansas. Shaw gets the basket AND the foul! He didn’t play against Va. Tech, but He’s making some big contributions tonight, with 8 of SIU’s 18 points.

7:45 pm: 21-21. Tony Young finally hits another three, and Southern Illinois has tied this game. Unbelievably, they have done so playing at a relatively fast pace compared to Sunday against the Hokies.

7:46 pm: Brandon Rush is now in foul trouble. Three Jayhawk players now have 2 fouls.

7:47 pm: 22-21, SIU. Falker hits 1 of 2 from the line, and the Salukis have their first lead of the game.

7:48 pm: 24-21, SIU. Jamaal Tatum gets on the board with a long jumper, and SIU is now definitely in control of this game.

Kansas is starting to turn the ball over frequently, succumbing to the Saluki defense. They need to protect the ball if they want to reestablish their pace.

7:50 pm: 24-23, SIU. Julian Wright gets the easy two-handed dunk off a great pass by Darrell Arthur.

7:54 pm: 25-24, Kansas. The Jayhawks take back the lead, as that basket by Darnell Jackson was WAY too easy.

7:56 pm: 27-24, Kansas. The threes are going cold again for the Salukis. This can be big trouble.

7:59 pm: Tatum’s floater at the buzzer falls short, and Kansas leads 27-24 at halftime. Both of these teams controlled this game in short stretches, but this is a much lower scoring game than the Jayhawks are used to. That’s the big reason Southern Illinois has been able to keep it close. To win in the second half, these teams will need to play the game at their pace longer than their opponent.

8:20 pm: Whoa. Kansas shot 62% in the second half to 28% for SIU. This means that the Salukis are dominating the offensive glass.

8:23 pm: 28-27, SIU. Tatum hits two midrange jumpers to give the lead back to SIU.

8:24 pm: 30-27, SIU. The Jayhawks turn the ball over again, and Tony Young gets an easy layup on the other end. Southern Illinois has dictated the second half so far. But there’s still 17 and a half minutes left. Kansas has plenty of time to reestablish a uptempo game, but they need to have better ball control.

8:26 pm: I am sick of these Pontiac convertible commercials. They’re bizarre, but in a bad way.

8:29 pm: Sorry, Extrapolater, and screw my bracket. I’m rooting for the Salukis now.

8:30 pm: 33-30, SIU. Tony Young hits another three for Southern Illinois. He now has 14. But he doesn’t get back on defense, and Kansas gets three the old-fashioned way.

Official TV timeout.

8:36 pm: 34-33, Kansas. Sherron Collins fights his way inside, and he makes a great to Rush, who drains the midrange jumper and gives Kansas the lead.

I noticed that Falker just came back in. Maybe his absence is the reason the Jayhawks have made a run here.

8:38 pm: 35-34, SIU. Do you think Jamaal Tatum has a rap song for the Salukis’ run in the tournament this year?

8:39 pm: 36-35, Kansas. All but 8 of Kansas’ points have been inside the paint, and all but 8 of SIU’s points are from outside the paint. Hmmm…

8:41 pm: 37-36, SIU. Falker scores inside to give the Salukis the lead back with 12 minutes left, as we hit another official timeout.

8:44 pm: 39-36, SIU. Tyrone Green takes the ball away from Kansas on the offensive glass, and he gets an easy putback. That’s 24 of SIU’s 39 points off turnovers. Kansas needs to tighten up.

8:46 pm: 41-37, SIU. Tatum is fouled. I was nearly sure he traveled.

8:48 pm: 41-39, SIU. Robinson hits a nice floater, but Southern Illinois continues to force turnovers.

8:49 pm: 43-39, SIU. Falker gets another shot to roll in inside.

Southern Illinois seems to get every loose ball in this game. If Kansas doesn’t tighten up, they will lose this game.

9:04 left.

8:53 pm: 45-43, SIU. Rush hits another pull-up jumper to reduce the lead to two. He has 8.

8:54 pm: 45-45. Arthur ties the game with an emphatic alley-oop from Rush.

Seven minutes left.

8:58 pm: 47-45, Kansas. Robinson drives inside again, and he hits a floater over Mullins and Falker to give Kansas the lead.

9:00 pm: 47-47. Tatum hits another tough midrange shot to tie the game after Falker misses two free throws.

Both teams have enough fouls to be shooting a lot of free throws down the stretch.

9:01 pm: 50-49, Kansas, 5:00 left. Tatum hits another unbelievable shot to give SIU a one point lead, but the Jayhawks respond immediately.

Now it’s Kansas who are forcing offensive turnovers.

9:02 pm: 52-49, Kansas, 3:55 left. Wright deflects the ball after the missed shot, Rush gets the offensive rebound, and he gets the basket and the foul. At this point, the Salukis seem to be suffering late from foul trouble and perhaps a thin bench. Like Kansas early, they need to control the ball.

9:06 pm: 52-51, Kansas. Falker scores inside again, but Chalmers responds immediately. Kansas is starting to play at their pace by attacking the inside.

9:08 pm: 54-53, Kansas. The Jayhawks are very lucky to have the lead. Bryan Mullins steals the ball clean and tries to get an easy layup, but the Salukis miss two point blank shots. I hope that won;t end up being the difference in this game.

9:10 pm: 57-53, Kansas, 1:35 left. The Jayhawks are putting this game away with rebounding and shooting free throws.

9:11 pm: 58-53, Kansas, 1:08 left. Tatum hits a three, and it could not have come at a better time. SIU is still very much in this game, but on the next possession, they must clamp down on defense, they must get the rebound, and they ideally should not foul.

9:12 pm: 59-58, Kansas, :46 left. Tatum hits another insane shot to cut the lead to one.

Kansas’ missed free throws have left the door open. If they make all of the double bonus shots from the stripe, they’re up 4 now.

9:17 pm: 61-58, Kansas, :18 left. Brandon Rush drives inside, and he hits another difficult floater. With little time left, the Salukis may have to go for a three.

9:19 pm: Falker gets the offensive rebound, but oh, no, he throws the ball away! And with 2 seconds left and Wright at the free throw line, this game looks over. Poor Randal Falker, he will likely end up being SIU’s scapegoat if they lose this game. Which is a shame, because he’s played very well tonight.

9:21 pm: Wright misses his free throws, Southern Illinios gets the rebound, Tony Young has a halfcourt shot at the buzzer…and it bounces off the backboard for a miss. Kansas hangs on, 61-58. Don’t blame Falker, because Kansas forced some turnovers late in the game, and Brandon Rush was always there when the Jayhawks needed a shot. Kansas escapes from the potential upset against a great Southern Illinois team, and they will face the winner of Pitt/UCLA (perhaps the most boring close game of the entire tourney) for the right to go to the Final Four.

Coming up next…Ohio State vs. Tennessee Live Blog.

Previewing and Live Blogging the Sweet 16

I’ve so far done a terrible job of licking the first two rounds. After going 15-1 on the first day, I went 11-5 on day 2, and 9-7 in the 2nd round. Normally I can take solace in that my final four is still intact, but so is everyone else’s. Tonight, the world’s greatest sports tournament resumes, and I’ll be liveblogging SIU-Kansas and UT-Ohio State. Last week, the greatest week in sports, was missing what makes it great: upsets. UNLV is the only true underdog in the Sweet 16, and if they win against Oregon I guarantee that my bracket will deliver itself to Allah. But enough about my bracket’s jihadist tendencies. Looking at the Sweet 16:

West Bracket:

#4 So. Illinois vs. #1 Kansas (Thursday, 7:10 pm): Frankly, I’m scared about the Salukis. Virginia Tech may be inconsistent, but Southern Illinois (and in Particular Jamaal Tatum) did an excellent job of dictating their pace throughout the game and keeping their opponent completely out of sync. That can be deadly for an inexperienced team like Kansas, who love to play at a fast pace and would be very uncomfortable with a halfcourt game, Still, I think they have too much talent.

#3 Pitt vs. #2 UCLA (Thursday, 9:57 pm): I’m taking UCLA in this one. They have more talent that the Panthers and they are also very good at disrupting their opponent’s game plan.

West Champion: Kansas

South Bracket:

#5 Tennessee vs. Ohio State. I’m rooting for the Vols in this game, for two big reasons:

• The sooner a big threat to the Tar Heels goes down, the better.

• I have never been a fan of THE Ohio State University. There’s just something about the Buckeyes that tick me off.

My heart says the Vols. They even have the talent and the offense to pull this off against a Buckeyes team that struggled to get a victory against Xavier. But my bracket says Buckeyes, so I have to stick to my guns.

You know what? Screw my bracket. Rocky Top! WHOOOO!!!

#3 Texas A&M vs. #2 Memphis. From the beginning of this tournament, Memphis has been considered a weak #2 seed because they came from essentially a 1 bid conference. And while those arguments are valid, they did a good job of handling a tough Nevada team last Sunday. And their strength is the Aggies’ weakness: depth. Memphis likes to run a fast paced game, and John Calipari has no issue putting 10 to 11 players in a game. Texas A&M is only 7-8 deep, but their advantage is experience. They have more upperclassmen than the Tiger, including the best point guard in America, Senior Acie Law IV. Which makes me wonder, Who are Acie Law I, II, and III? In this tournament, experienced guardplay can make or break you. I’ll take the Aggies.

South Champion: Texas A&M.

Midwest Bracket:

#5 Butler vs. #1 Florida. This is the big upset that I would love to see. Two of the four #1 seeds must go down before the Final Four, and I think Florida should be one of them. Butler, much like SIU, wants to slow down the game by clamping down on defense. That won;t be an easy task against the tall, athletic Gators. I think that Butler will play well in the first half, but Florida’s depth will be too much for the Bulldogs to handle late.

#7 UNLV vs. #3 Oregon. I seriously underestimated UNLV in this tournament. But they have a good combination of experience and depth, even if a snail is more athletic than their point guard. But I have to pick Oregon because when they can shoot lights out, very few teams can beat them.

Midwest Champion: Oregon

East Bracket:

#5 USC vs. #1 UNC. It shocked me to see the Trojans dominate Texas is most likely Kevin Durant’s last game in a college uniform. They did a very good job of containing the rest of the team. Having said that,they don’t have enough size to contain the Tar Heels in the paint. Hansbrough and Wright will tear them apart.

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown. See #5 Tennessee vs. #1 Ohio State.

East Champion: North Carolina.

Tonight, I can finally rise from what has been a very boring Monday through Wednesday in sports, save the UNC Women’s close game against Notre Dame.