During all the 3-pointers, dunks, comebacks, and choke jobs that go with the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament, it was revealed that basketball can also qualify as a contact sport — especially when open-court picks are being set. Just ask Venoy Overton of Washington and Levance Fields of Pittsburgh. Both guards were absolutely blasted while chasing their defensive assignments. In the case of Overton, if one of his teammates had yelled “pick,” his collision might have been avoided:

As for Pitt’s Fields, I don’t think there’s much he could’ve done to avoid the cross-body block thrown at him, courtesy of Oklahoma State:

Over at The Dagger, MJD calls the Fields blast the pick of the tournament; although, I think Overton might have an argument against said designation.

My only question concerning the Overton pick is why doesn’t the Mississippi State player receive a foul call for following through with his elbow? That’s not the legal way to set a pick and I doubt any tournament referee worth his salt (or paycheck) would miss such an unnecessary (and illegal) elbow extension.

Tags: Big Dance, Hard Picks, Levance Fields, March Madness, Pittsburgh Panthers, Venoy Overton, Washington Huskies

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