Bubbles Burst (March Madness)
March 13th, 2009 at 2:28 pmBy Chris
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Time for you afternoon conference tournament update. Lots of stuff going on this Friday the 13, which was quite unlucky for teams like Kentucky, Minnesota (Possible NIT match-up?), and Virginia Tech, all of whom saw their tournament bubble with conference tournament losses. All three teams needed to at least get to their respective conference tournament final to stand a chance on Selection Sunday. Collectively, the did not. In fact, all three teams, in all likelihood, punched their tickets for the also-ran tournament, the NIT. Will one of these three end up being the 65th best team in the country?
Minnesota lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament as Mike Izzo’s ownership of Tubby Smith continues. Smith hasn’t beaten the Spartans since he coached at Kentucky when both teams played in the “BasketBowl” at Ford Field.
In the SEC Tournament, Kentucky was controlled by LSU as the pendulum of power in the Southeastern Conference swings further and further away from Kentucky. It should be an interesting offseason in Lexington — especially if the Minnesota/Kentucky NIT game becomes a reality. Imagine the response if Tubby Smith comes back to UK and beats them with his Gophers.
I’m not sure the Kentucky fanbase would survive such an insult.
In the ACC, Virginia Tech gave away a close one with one of the worst crunch-time possessions I’ve seen. Fast forward to the 1:00 mark to see what I’m referring to:
Why did J.T. Thompson even try to catch the ball? There was a Tech guard WIDE OPEN right behind him, spotted up for a 3-pointer. Would it have gone in? Who knows, but I imagine the Hokies would like a chance to find out right about now. Thanks to a busted play followed by an ill-advised drive into the teeth of North Carolina defense from Thompson, Virginia Tech finds themselves being examined by the NIT selection committee.
I don’t think the honor feels quite the same when compared to the big boy’s selection crew.
March 16th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
So, I was wrong about Minnesota.