I thought about my brackets today. My record is horrible. Well, actually it isn’t. I’m way above .500 for the tournament. Louisville is my projected national champion, and they haven’t fallen apart. Unlike Wichita State, who crumbled down the stretch, not because of choking but due to their game management. Wichita State went to an ill-advised press, trying to kill Louisville but instead gave away easy baskets after they broke their press. Then we saw yet another questionable call at the end, where a Wichita State player clearly grabbed a rebound, then the refs gave Louisville the ball on a tie-up that couldn’t have lasted more than a tenth of a second.
Meanwhile the Syracuse-Michigan game was exciting in a bad way. Neither team could put the other away. Michigan executed poorly down the stretch, letting Syracuse come back from a 20-point deficit to get within three. The Orange just couldn’t score; failing to convert on multiple chances to tie the game. Michigan kept bricking free throws; one painful sequence showed McGary missing two free throws, then getting another chance after a lane violation. He clanked that one too. I will say, the combination of Michigan’s yellow and Syracuse’s orange made for one of the coolest color combos in the history of the NCAA tournament. Another crucial charge at the end of the game on Brandon Triche sealed the deal.
