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NCAA Basketball News | March 18, 2010
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Thomas's patient buzzer-beater gives Murray State its legacy win
By Ann Killion
March 18, 2010
San Jose, CA — He wasn't going to get off the shot, was he?
Murray State's Danero Thomas dribbled on the floor like he had all the time in the world, like it hadn't been 22 years since the Racers won an NCAA game, 21 years since the Ohio Valley Conference had notched a win in the field of 64, like the Racers weren't on the brink of a major No. 13-over-No. 4-seed upset.
"Before we left the huddle, coach said we had enough time to put at least two dribbles on the floor," Thomas said.
So Thomas did as he was told, nonchalanting it like it was no big deal. And then he pulled up for a jumper, released the ball, the buzzer sounded, the ball swished in.
And Murray State had pulled the monumental upset.
"I saw that one going in," Thomas said with a smile, after he emerged from the dogpile on the floor at HP Pavilion.
Sure he did. Murray State isn't used to losing. The Racers came into the game having won 22 of their last 23 games. They were hot and everyone knew it -- including President Obama, who was one of many to pick Murray State as an upset special.
And if it hadn't been Thomas to take the game-winner, it might easily have been one of his teammates. The Racers have incredibly balanced scoring: Five players average 10 points per game and another -- Isacc Miles -- averages 9.5.
Coach Billy Kennedy had options. He called a timeout with 4.2 seconds left and drew up a play the team hadn't run before. And it wasn't necessarily for Thomas -- just for whomever the point guard Miles could find.
"I wanted him to put it on the floor, and he made a great play," Kennedy said.
Miles was motivated. In a back-and-forth game, in which Miles was the high scorer with 17 points, he had made a critical turnover in the final minute.
Murray State at one moment in the second half had an eight-point lead. But Vanderbilt kept coming back. Murray State was clinging to a one-point lead with 28 seconds left when Miles turned over the ball. Vanderbilt's Jermaine Beal used the possession to draw a foul, hit both his free throws, and Vanderbilt had a one-point lead with just seconds to play.
When Murray State's B.J. Jenkins missed a three-pointer it looked like the Racers' winning run was over. But the rebound went off Vanderbilt and the Racers got the ball back.
There was still a chance to change hoops history. The last time Murray State had won a NCAA game was in 1988 when the Racers beat Jim Valvano's North Carolina State team. Though Morehead State won the play-in game last year -- and then bowed out to top seed Louisville -- it had been 19 years since an Ohio Valley team (Middle Tennessee, no longer in the conference) had won a tournament game.
Vanderbilt was a No. 4 seed for the second time in school history. That was not a good omen: The Commodores were a No. 4 seed in 2008 when they lost in the first round in 2008 to Siena. And unlike their neighbors (Murray, Ky. is just 120 miles away from Nashville), the Commodores were not riding a hot streak: Vandy had lost five of its last 13 games, including the SEC semifinals.
"I think that things that plagued our team all season long showed up today," said coach Kevin Stallings. "We got them to take a terrible shot when they came down the first time. If we secure that loose ball, then the game is over or at least close to it."
But it wasn't over. With 4.2 seconds to play, Kennedy drew up his brand new play and made sure to tell his team to put the ball on the floor not once, but twice.
Jeffery McClain -- in the game because Tony Easley had fouled out -- inbounded the ball because Kennedy wanted a big guy who could see the court.
McClain got the ball to Miles. Miles dribbled it and swung it around to Thomas.
Who dribbled it, pulled back for the jumper, and changed the history of Murray State with one motion. He got the shot off.
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With help of refs, Villanova avoids historic upset to Robert Morris
By Chris Chase
March 18, 2010
Twenty-five years ago, Villanova pulled the biggest upset in college basketball history when Rollie Massimino's team stunned mighty Georgetown in the NCAA championship. Today, the Wildcats narrowly avoided being on the other side of a tournament stunner. They can thank the referees for helping them do so.
Some controversial calls aided No. 2 Villanova in a thrilling, 73-70 overtime win over No. 15 Robert Morris in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Robert Morris, a tiny school of 4,000 in Pittsburgh, had led the Wildcats for much of the game but fell victim to some dicey officiating near the end of regulation and in overtime.
Villanova star Scottie Reynolds, who was benched at the start of the game for discplinary reasons, was the beneficiary of many of the whistles. Though he was an ice-cold 2 of 15 from the field, he shot 16 free throws and seemed to get away with multiple charges, push-offs and hand-checks. On The Dagger's live chat, one panelist said Reynolds was getting as many calls as Michael Jordan in his heyday.
One call was a microcosm of the rest of the game: With Villanova leading by four in overtime, Robert Morris ran a defensive trap at midcourt and appeared to cleanly force a jump ball. But an official whose vision of the play was obscured by the bodies of the three players involved in the scrum whistled a foul on the Colonials. Objectively, it wasn't even close.
After Villanova received a No. 2 seed in the tournament, critics complained that the team was overseeded. The Wildcats had lost five of its last seven games and hardly seemed worthy of the No. 2 placement in what was deemed the weakest of the NCAA's four regionals. Jay Wright's team did nothing to disprove that notion today.
It took some big shots and some favorable whistles to avoid becoming only the fifth No. 2 seed ever to lose in the first-round of the NCAA tournament. The win was there for the taking for Robert Morris. But Villanova and the officials did just enough to snatch it away.
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K-State routs North Texas 82-62 in West Regional
By John Marshall
March 18, 2010
Oklahoma City, OK — On an opening day of upsets and close calls in the NCAA tournament, Kansas State got an early scare.
It lasted 10 minutes.
Denis Clemente had 17 points and six assists, leading the second-seeded Wildcats to an 82-62 rout of North Texas on Thursday in the West Regional.
Kansas State (27-7) gathered itself after a shaky start, riding its defense into the second round for the second time in three years. The Wildcats held the Mean Green (24-9) to 31 percent shooting and stymied Josh White’s forays into the lane, holding North Texas’ leading scorer to three points.
Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly added 15 points each, and Kansas State had a 46-21 advantage inside to avoid joining the list of opening-day upset victims.
Next up is No. 7 seed BYU and sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette. The Wildcats should have an advantage, too; while they cruised in the first round, BYU needed two overtimes to beat Florida.
Tristan Thompson had 28 points to lead North Texas, 0-3 all-time in the NCAA tournament.
The win is the latest step in Kansas State’s transformation into the program coach Frank Martin envisioned when he took over for Bob Huggins three years ago.
The high-decibel coach once considered a babysitter for Michael Beasley has molded the Wildcats in his always-the-underdog image, getting them to play every possession as if it were the last of their careers.
Kansas State set a school record for wins and earned its best seeding ever, nabbing the second-highest of the Big 12’s record seven NCAA berths after a season that included five wins over Top 25 teams.
Once hidden by the plains of Kansas, the Wildcats have moved into the national spotlight with their athletic, relentless style. They were even picked to reach the Final Four by President Barack Obama, who said he might tap the fire-breathing Martin to help him push through his health-care bill on Capitol Hill.
The Wildcats have enjoyed the attention, even if it hasn’t changed their mindset.
Coming off a disappointing loss to top-ranked Kansas in the Big 12 title game, Kansas State went back to its nobody-believes-in-us mantra, turning practices into battles that left Kelly proudly sporting two cuts on his lip.
Turns out, North Texas was ready, too.
Spinning the Wildcats’ game around on them, the Mean Green hounded Kansas State into one miss after another and had seven offensive rebounds in first nine minutes to stay within 18-13.
A surprise, but maybe not shocking.
The Mean Green set a school record for wins, won the Sun Belt Conference tournament and ended the season on an 11-game winning streak. They didn’t embarrass themselves in two games against Big 12 teams, either, losing by 14 to Oklahoma State and 10 to Texas A&M.
The success didn’t last against Kansas State, though.
Led by defense, Kansas State got out on the break, hitting three straight layups—two by Pullen—to go up 30-16 with just over 5 minutes left. Clemente took over after that, hitting two late 3-pointers, and Kansas State held North Texas to 5-of-24 shooting to lead 41-25 at halftime.
Scare over.
Kansas State made sure the rout was never in doubt after that, leaving Clemente time to clean the floor for one of the ball boys and Pullen to take an extended rest after a hard fall.
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