Wow. That is all that I can say. And if Friday is as good as Thursday was, we are all in for a treat. I picked the Marquette/Washington game yesterday, and that was one of many great games that were played. The lower seed won in seven out of 16 games yesterday and three games had to be decided in overtime.
For today’s slate of games, the absolute one you MUST watch is: 10-seed Missouri versus 7-seed Clemson.
It’s the battle of the Tigers in the East region of the bracket, with the winner moving on to take on the winner of the West Virginia/Morgan State matchup. Both Missouri and Clemson come into this game trying to right their own ship. Missouri was embarrassed in the Big 12 tournament by Nebraska 75-60, and Clemson lost a heartbreaker to North Carolina State in the first round of ACC tournament play.
Both sets of Tigers come in with 10 losses. Missouri is led by former Hog Mike Anderson, who uses his own spin off of Nolan’s “40 Minutes of Hell”. Missouri calls it “The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball”.
Missouri likes to play keep away. They average nearly 11 steals a game, which is best in the country. Clemson averages 17.5 forced turnovers and 9.6 steals. So expect a fast-paced game, and the team with the best ball handling will win.
Clemson will rely on the inside play of Trevor Booker. The senior is the only player in ACC history with at least 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 blocks and 100 steals, but there is something Booker is missing. That is a victory in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson has lost two straight first-round games as the higher seed.
This Missouri team isn’t the same team that made an appearance in the Elite Eight last year. The Tigers are suffering from the loss of Matt Lawrence, DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons from last year’s team, and a season-ending knee injury to Justin Safford.
This game will be exciting to watch from a defensive standpoint and will remind Hog fans of what used to be when Nolan and Company strolled the bench-line.
Tipoff for Missouri/Clemson is set for 1:35 pm.
Arkansas- Pine Bluff takes on 1-seed Duke, in what should be another exciting game, at 6:25 pm.
– Jonathan Weaver