The NCAA Tournament returned to Greenville for the first time since 2022 and man did we get two great games in the afternoon session to kick things off. TCU and Ohio State came down to the final buzzer, and for about 35 of 40 game minutes the arena thought we were seeing the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history. The night session provided another classic comeback to knock out a blue-blood. Here is another list of running thoughts throughout the day.
VCU 82, North Carolina 75 (OT)
– 1st thought before the game even started. If there is a band that goes harder than VCU’s I would love to see it. The band’s director started in a suit, ripped off multiple undershirts shirts at a timeout to reveal a Superman tank top and a gold VCU chain. He later sported a fairly regular black t-shirt that just said BEEF in all-caps. No questions asked on that one. A guy you’d want to grab a beer with. Shoutout to The Peppas.
– VCU is clearly a high tempo team that wants to shoot its first clean look at a three. North Carolina guarded the perimeter well in the first half and forced a lot of contested looks.
– For all of the attention that Caleb Wilson’s multiple injuries has gotten for the Heels, a part of that storyline that hasn’t been often included is that they have won without him. 5-3 going into the NCAA tournament with losses to NC State immediately after the broken thumb, Duke to finish the regular season, and Clemson in the ACC tournament. Winning record without an All-American and a likely top-5 pick without a lot of other high-end talent on the roster? That’ll play.
– Lazar Djokivic is going to play for a good team next year, whether that’s at VCU or elsewhere. 6 foot 11 and 235 pounds with handle and touch. Clearly the Rams best player that is in an unfavorable matchup.
– Tar Heels did exactly what a favorite needs to do to close games like this out. Went on a big run right out of halftime. VCU, a jumpshooting and pace team, not making shots and really having no room to breathe.
– Roy Williams just sits in the crowd like a normal guy. Imagine getting off your 9-to-5 coming to see your alma mater play and you have to fight over the arm rest with Roy Williams and hope you don’t spill beer on him. Man of the people?
– VCU was DEAD. Until they weren’t. A 12-0 run put them right back in the game and Terrance Hill Jr said GET ON MY BACK. A chaotic final 20 seconds filled with turnovers and missed free throws gave both teams a chance to win at the end of regulation, but a 19 point lead was gone and we went to overtime.
– Loudest crowd of any game so far, including the Duke game.
– North Carolina absolutely fell apart. Obviously there will be a pass without Caleb Wilson but this is a BAD loss for Hubert Davis. Led by 19 points, and turnovers absolutely killed the Heels. 7 turnovers in the second half and 0-6 from the field in overtime.
– Terrance Hill Junior. Dog. 34 points, 7 three-pointers, 23 of those points in the second half and OT. March VCU strikes again
Illinois 105, Penn 70
– So obviously if you go to Penn you’re smart. But all those guys also look smart. All have resting smart guy faces. I’d hand over my finances right now and be very comfortable with it.
– Penn’s nickname is the Quakers, but the fight song is “Fight on, Pennsylvania”. Feels like you can’t have both.
– Illinois is an interesting team. An absolutely electric offense that has the capability of going nuclear any night, but can’t guard a soul. Keaton Wagler, one of the least talked about freshmen in a loaded class across college basketball because his team will lose to things like ‘Maryland’. But they have good wins and a well deserved three seed.
– Penn is also an interesting team because they shoot nearly 40% from 3 as a team and it’s mainly because of two players, TJ Power and Michael Zanoni, and have to make their shots to win because they are small and can’t rebound.
– Penn finds a way to really work for their shots on the offensive end, tons of ball movement and off-ball action to free up their shooters. Definitely an offense only a bunch of geniuses could run (or that’s just a me problem). Without Zanoni on the floor Penn couldn’t do anything offensively in the first half, but a cold shooting Illinois kept them in it.
– Illinois can look like the best team in America but the defensive struggles severely caps their ceiling this March. VCU did help out the path though.
– Post 10 PM crowd in Greenville was better than expected. Definitely pockets of empty seats but Illinois fans showed well. I would imagine they give Illinois the late game because of the several Europeans on the roster so they can watch with the time difference.
– Posting this early knowing that we’ve already seen one 19 point comeback today, but Penn just isn’t big enough to get enough stops or extra possessions to come back.
– Fun day of hoops in Greenville and across the country on Day 1 of the dance. I would never live in a country that doesn’t have college basketball if it were up to me.
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