I know the Atlantic 10 doesn't really qualify as a mid-major conference, and that Xavier is one of the A-10's upper-class teams to boot, but I couldn't help rooting for the Musketeers to beat Ohio State.
There are a lot of teams in this country that can't get games against BCS schools because the BCS schools don't think anyone else matters. Xavier and Ohio State had only played four three times before today, and as I wrote earlier, it's well known that the Buckeyes refuse to play either of the Cincinnati schools.
Now the reason why has been exposed for the entire nation to see -- the big boys are afraid they'll lose to the team that cares more and scraps more to get the win. Yes, Ron Lewis hit some seriously clutch shots, including the heart-breaking three at the end of regulation. But it was clear for all 45 minutes that Xavier wanted it far more than Ohio State.
So the BCS big boys can keep on smiling and rolling through to their manifest destiny dates with big late-round paydays. At least for now. Maybe Butler beats Maryland. Maybe VCU beats Pittsburgh. Maybe Nevada beats Memphis.
Or maybe Winthrop beats Oregon tomorrow, or Southern Illinois beats Virginia Tech. But those are the only teams standing in the way of an all-BCS Sweet 16.
I'm sure the BCS commissioners -- especially the Big Ten's Jim Delany, whose belief in Purdue was justified when the Boilermakers beat Mustafa Shakur's Arizona yesterday -- have visions of cash registers in their heads at the moment.
I just wonder what the TV ratings will be for today and tomorrow. If they aren't so good, it might send an equally strong message.
Comments (2)
I thought this game was actually pretty horribly officiated. I don't think I've ever seen a guy get hooked more than Greg Oden was today. Every time there was a contested rebound someone from Xavier had him in a half nelson.
Also, why didn't Xavier foul at the end of that game? Ohio State needed 3 points to tie and the 2 they could have gotten from the double bonus wouldn't have been enough...
Posted by Noah | March 17, 2007 5:09 PM
Posted on March 17, 2007 17:09
Thoughts on Michigan terminating Tom Amaker?
He really never got it going there, never made any inroads in the local recruiting markets of Detroit and Saginaw, and they still continue to struggle in-state vs MSU.
Another former Duke assistant who failed to get it done on his own...
Who is next for Ann Arbor?
Posted by Mitch Rosenzweig | March 17, 2007 5:14 PM
Posted on March 17, 2007 17:14