Write On Sports LLC - "What to Look For Sunday" by Tyler Clifton

What to Look For Sunday

2007-03-18 10:55:05 | By: Tyler Clifton

Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, but Washington State's head coach of the same name left his in Sacramento. Vanderbilt is the team that has seemingly gone from Rags to Riches, and Derrick Byars is a large reason why. The Southeastern Conference matched the Big 10's 5-1 output (three days compared to two), with four of five teams living to see another day.

The story so far has to be Vanderbilt, as the Commodores were picked by many to lose to George Washington in the first round, and those who didn't certainly had no thoughts of them beating Washington State (except yours truly and a few others).

In what I thought was the most exciting game of the day, Vanderbilt turned an eight-point deficit in the first half into a double-overtime win against the Cougars, and several things point to why the comeback was possible. The Commodores connected from beyond the arc, something they didn't do well in the first 20 minutes to finish 10-for-27 from 3-point range for a respectable 37-percent clip while hitting eight of their 3s in the second half.

Washington State was almost identical from three-point land, and the teams were almost a carbon copy from the free throw line as well. Vanderbilt's 34-28 rebounding edge was one deciding factor, with center Ted Skuchas' ability to score the first four points of the second overtime paying huge dividends. Byars hit five 3-pointers and finished with 27 points, and Shan Foster had 20 for Vanderbilt, who will have its hands full with Georgetown (ironically the third team in a row the Commodores have played with either the words George or Washington in their name). I know - that was a stretch.

Staying in state, the University of Tennessee can score points in bunches, but the Volunteers must be able to play defense against today's opponent Virginia. The Cavaliers eased past Albany but haven't been this far in eight years. The Great Danes (my pick for best mascot in the tournament field) are no Tennessee, and Virginia will need a similar shooting night (54 percent from the floor, 53 percent from 3-point range) if it wants to stay alive.

Kentucky won the battle of the Wildcats and saved Tubby Smith's job - for now. Right or wrong the deeper Smith and the Bluegrass Cats go in the tournament, the more secure his status will become. Kansas is next on the bracket, and the Jayhawks had no trouble disposing of Niagara. Randolph Morris finished with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead four Kentucky players in double figures, and anyone who picked these particular Wildcats to fall in the first round might think differently next year, as UK has advanced to the round of 32 for 16 straight seasons. The winningest team in college basketball history certainly has its hands full against the Jayhawks and must bring its A game to the Windy City.

Florida, who I expect to become the first repeat national champion since Duke in 1991-92, has an interesting match-up with Purdue out of the Big 10. The Gators will try to use their collective muscle to dispose of a Boilermaker team who won by creating 17 Arizona turnovers while committing only eight. Solid shooting along with a run to open the second half allowed Purdue to see another day, but it will take a similar performance to win this one.

Florida is coming off a rout of Jackson State, while the quartet of Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green are hard to stop as a unit. They helped lead the Gators to a tourney record by out-rebounding the Tigers 62-19. Chris Richard's career-high 17 points was icing on the cake. The Boilermakers have the task of unseating the defending champs by either trying to stop Humphrey outside or Noah in the paint. Take your pick.

It was no coincidence the league's lone team to lose its opener was the only one from the Western Division to make the big dance. Arkansas deserved to be in the field of 65, particularly after its run in the SEC Tournament (quit whining Syracuse fans). The Razorbacks have plenty of talent to make a run in the coming seasons with the likes of freshman guard Patrick Beverley. Stan Heath might not be back this fall but does deserve to have another season to try to revive the 40 minutes of hell that made Arkansas famous.

Sunday's Picks Florida over Purdue
Kansas over Kentucky
Tennessee over Virginia
Virginia Tech over Southern Illinois
Texas over USC
Wisconsin over UNLV
Oregon over Winthrop
Memphis over Nevada

May the Madness continue.

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