The Tourney Weekend That Was

 What's going on Tailgaters, my name is Jermaine and I am addicted to March Madness. Jeez!!! What a weekend. Much like last weekend, I had to buy a new pack of batteries and a defribulator for my heart. There is so much to talk about, upsets, birth of new stars, and the end of some college careers. Newcomers to the big time and some who are no strangers. Let's get started, shall we.

 I think I will start with Thursday, and it started out with a wow, 5 seed Baylor was basically out played throughout that game against 12 seed Yale, who got their first NCAA tournament win ever. Wichita St.ran Arizona out the gym, UA-Little Rock wins on a last second shot in the 2nd ot over Purdue. Thursday gets sooo much better... Later in the night I watched the USC- Providence game to end my day. That game did not disappoint, it was so well played yet mistake laden as both teams played tight down the stretch. It was last second layup for Providence to win that game. AHHHH!!!! Thursday is over. 

Friday, the weekend just got that much better, the second day proper of the NCAA Tournament. It was basically a continuation of Thursday, the upsets continued and the games got even better. The first game I really looked at on Friday was the Michigan St.- Middle Tennessee game. I was so shocked and mad that my bracket went to Hades after Sparty went down. The next game I watched was the Syracuse-Dayton matchup. Eventhough I didnt think that Syracuse even deserve to be in the tourney, they made themselves definately worthy of a bid, which just made me put my bracket in a shredder and say forget it. 

  To me some of the best tourney games were on Friday night, the early primetime games Wisconsin- PITT, Notre Dame-Michigan and Stephen F Austin- West Virginia. The most action packed of all of those games was Notre Dame-Michigan. Michigan was another school I didnt think should not have been in the tourney. Like Syracuse, they made a believer out of me. That game was like a heavyweight fight, each team took the other's best shot. Michigan just didnt have enough, as they went down. 

 Wisconsin- PITT was so sloppy and both clubs could not make a bucket. I mean when you score 16 points in one half and still win, either you played good defense or the other team played like garbage... you take your pick on that one. 

 I would like to personally welcome coach Brad Underwood and the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks to the big time in college basketball. That team in the last three years have lost 1 conference game and the last three Southland Conference championships. The Jacks basically made West Virginia's trademark press their... well, you know what I'm saying. Thomas Walkup, the Jacks' emotional leader put the team on his back and carried them to the promised land. With some of the openings now availiable in the BIG 12, does Mr. Underwood start getting interviewed? I think so... stay tuned.

 The last game I watched was actually the game I was most interested in, Texas-UNI. Northern Iowa has been the story of the month, with buzzer-beaters to win conference tournaments and last second shots to win games have been their M.O. This game was no different, this game was a game of spurts for each team. Texas jumped out to an 11-2 lead early, then UNI had a 22-4 run, gaining a big lead at halftime. Texas again had a run to retake the lead in the 2nd half but went cold again. This game was a lot like Wisconsin-PITT. The game was decided on a halfcourt buzzer-beater. I dont think it should've counted... he didnt call bank, haha! Dude, we arent even into the bulk of the weekend yet!!!

 Saturday was something special, you saw matchups in the round of 32 that you would normally see in the Elite 8 or Final Four. Kansas-UConn, Indiana-Kentucky. College basketball royalty meeting this early is unprecedented and the games associated with them did not disappoint as Kentucky was dispatched by the Hoosiers in what came down to untimely missed shots and important defensive stops. Kansas-UConn was identical of that of the aforementioned game. Just scrappy performances and nonstop fight from UConn was what made this game so entertaining to me. We all knew what the outcome was but Kansas just couldnt put them away. Kevin Ollie is just a winner, even in a loss. 

 Saturday still isnt done, I couldnt help but throw this in, the NCAA Wrestling Tournament was so great and the competition was as deep as ever, I could not stop watching. It was so compelling and the main event of the evening lived up to the billing. Ohio State's heavyweight Kyle Snyder against defending national champion and holder of the nation's longest win streak Nick Gwiazdowski. Snyder, the youngest American world champion, was due to redshirt because of training for the Olympics. Gwiazdowski, 3 time all american, took an early lead and displayed some excellent top control but could not stand up to the constant pressure of  Snyder, who came from behind to win in overtime. 

 Later in the night, I watched the UFC card from Brisbane, and that card did not disappoint. All six fights on that card exceeded expectations, except for the main and co-main. Those are contenders for fight of the year and knockout of the year respectively. Lets start off with Hector Lombard- Neil Magny. Magny got rocked early and basically survived the first round then returned the favor in the second round, landing 100 ground strikes in the fight finally getting a 3rd round stoppage. 

 In the main event, Frank Mir returned to the octagon against Mark Hunt. It was Mark Hunt who put the lights of Mir out in their fight. It was a walkoff right hand behind the ear. Frank Mir at 36 has been TKO'ed in 3 of his last 4 fights, hes had a long and distinguished career, maybe its time he hung up the gloves. 

 Sunday was just as filled as Saturday, I woke up early in the morning to watch Derby Day in the northeast of England and Manchester. It was a privilege to see such great soccer being played, the emotions shown and the fight of some players. I was especially interested in the Manchester Derby, city vs. UNITED. Being the big Man United fan that I am, I was so excited to see my Red Devils win. Marcus Rachford scored the only goal of the match and ran his legs off.

The afternoon was a bit of a bore, I did watch the replay of the Formula 1 race from Australia. I used to love watching Formula 1, when it was competitive and not dictated by 1 team. It did pass the time until the NASCAR race came on, which was fun to watch, even if I didnt want Jimmie Johnson to win. He wins there all the daggone time. It was competitive, unlike its Formula 1 counterparts, you actually saw three wide in some parts and relatively clean... well, the Danica Patrick wreck was a bit douchy, can I use the word douchy?

Phew!!!! There it is, my weekend in sports. I love March and Springtime as a whole, the flowers bloom and the sports are abundant. You have gots to love it. This weekend on the Tailgate Crew, I will have a special guest in Lanett High School basketball coach Richard Carter talking about his storybook season. Also Audrey Gunther of persources.com and chatsports.com will be on talking basketball among other sports. Tune in. Let's Go Tailgatin'

Jermaine Houston, host of the Tailgate Crew