Baily's Sports & Stuff

Usually, it doesn't take a brain to pick the No. 1-vs-16 and No. 2-vs-15 games in the NCAA tournament—this year, it was different. Somehow, Missouri and Duke both fell short against Norfolk State and Lehigh, respectively, ending their NCAA tournament runs early. Norfolk upset Missouri by two points and Lehigh prevailed by five. And both teams wrote a new chapter in the NCAA tournament book. Lehigh and Duke went back and forth, trading leads and runs throughout the game. In the end, however, it was Lehigh who came out on top, moving on to the Round of 32 to face either Notre Dame or Xavier. C.J. McCollum scored 30 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists in a huge game for the Mountain Hawks. When the Hawks needed a big shot, McCollum provided it. Neither team had a significant advantage on the stat sheet, but in a game of runs, Lehigh had one at the best time. Both were trading leads, but with two minutes left, Lehigh grabbed a seven-point lead, forcing Duke t...

For most fans, this was a no-brainer. Nobody thought a team from the Pac-12 was going to win a tournament game. Andre Roberson, Askia Booker, and Carlon Brown didn't believe those fans, and they led Colorado to one of the tournament's biggest upsets so far. The Buffaloes fought off a feisty UNLV team 68-64, squandering a 20-point lead but holding on for a huge victory. Colorado will now play Baylor in the third round. For the first 30 minutes, UNLV was missing about 75 percent of their shots, and Colorado was hitting three-pointers everywhere. The Runnin' Rebels made four threes in the first half, but their sloppy play had them trailing by 11 at recess. UNLV scored first in the second half, but Colorado answered with a 10-0 run, taking a 46-27 lead. Colorado controlled the tempo and set up guys like Austin Dufault and Carlon Brown for threes. After UNLV answered with a bucket, Brown drained another triple, extending the lead to 20 with 15:10 left. However, the Reb...

Every year, there are intriguing matchups that you'd kill to watch. This year is no different. Teams like Wichita State, Murray State, South Dakota State, and Long Beach State have proven themselves all year long, and they received their reward on Selection Sunday. Now, it's time to work for more rewards: tournament wins. Cinderella's break out every year, and just last year, two Cinderella teams made the Final Four. Which first round matchups are the most intriguing? Let's find out... (3) Baylor vs (14) South Dakota State This may be a third seed against a fourteenth seed, but Baylor and South Dakota State have identical records. And, you should get a good game. Perry Jones III led Baylor to a successful 2011-12 campaign, beating Kansas, Texas, Iowa State, Kansas State, West Virginia, BYU, St. Mary's, and San Diego State, all of which made the tournament. The Bears dominated early and proved that they can hang with the best, but that doesn't mean ...