There are always surprises in the first weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and this year proved to be no different. However, who would have picked No. 10 seed Davidson and No. 12 seeds Villanova and Western Kentucky to advance to the Sweet 16? Probably not very many and even the teams themselves must be a little shocked at what they’ve done.

Davidson defeated Gonzaga in the first round. This is a year when Gonzaga was vulnerable, so it wasn’t so surprising, but to come from behind and defeat a powerhouse like Georgetown was quite a story. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Stephen Curry who scored 40 points against the Zags and 30 against the Hoyas. Curry got some big help in the comeback against Georgetown as Jason Richards added 20 points.

Making it to the Sweet 16 for Davidson is as big as it was for Tulsa a few years back. Davidson is a small private school in the Charlotte, N.C., area that plays in the unheralded Southern Conference. Davidson has received some notice from those in the basketball world, based on what head coach Bob McKillop has done with that program over the past several years, but advancing to the Sweet 16 has really put the school on the map. The Wildcats face No. 3 seed Wisconsin on Friday, and that should end the ride for Davidson.

Villanova pulled a comeback of their own in their first round game, after trailing by 16, to defeat fifth-seeded Clemson. Then, after No. 4 seed Vanderbilt was upset by Sienna, Villanova had an easy time of it with Sienna, knocking the No. 13 seed out of the tournament. Villanova was a great team in the Big East back in the mid-1980s and it appears they are heading in that direction once again. Villanova plays No. 1 seed Kansas on Friday, and although Kansas isn’t perfect, the Jayhawks are no Clemson and this should be it for ‘Nova.

Now, for Western Kentucky - are you serious? Sure they were a No. 12 seed, but to beat Drake in the fashion they did was a total surprise. Tyrone Brazelton scored 33 points against Drake and Ty Rogers hit a shot at the buzzer to give the Hilltoppers a 101-99 overtime victory. That was a huge shining moment for highlight video.

The No. 13 seed in that region, San Diego had upset the No. 4 seed UConn, which was a big win for the Toreros, but Western Kentucky dispensed of San Diego without much drama, 72-63. The Hilltoppers now face the top seed in the West Region, UCLA, and they should probably just enjoy the experience of playing one of the best teams in the country.

WHAT SURPRISES ARE AHEAD?

I only see a couple of upsets materializing this weekend. Second-seed Tennessee struggled against No. 7 Butler, and No. 3 Louisville looked very good in its first two games, we may see the Cardinals playing No. 1 North Carolina for the East Region title.

Although No. 3 Xavier has been on quite a good run, now with Duke out, don’t be surprised if No. 7 West Virginia brings an end to Xavier’s post-season. UCLA will beat West Virginia in the West finals.

No surprise; I have Kansas over Wisconsin in the Midwest to advance to the Final Four, and Memphis to beat Texas in the South Region.

CONGRATS TO ORU

Both the Golden Eagles men’s and women’s teams made a respectable showing in their NCAA first round games.

The men hung with Pitt early, but gave up a deflating 18-0 run that proved to be insurmountable.

The women played tough against Tennessee, after losing starter Mariana Camargo in the opening seconds of the game, but the Vols talent pool proved to be too much for ORU down the stretch.

Both teams should be even better next year and return a lot of experienced players on their squads, especially the women who have no seniors on the roster, and both teams should once again be right at the top of The Summit League.

CORRECTION

A couple of weeks ago I wrote that The Summit League Tournament next year will be in Brookings, South Dakota. Oops, that’s wrong and I knew it, but some how I got myself thinking about the host school, South Dakota State, which is located in Brookings, and in my confusion I miss-wrote. As always the tournament will be at a neutral site in Sioux Falls.

[Jeff Brucculeri can be contacted via e-mail at; jeffb@tulsabeacon.com.]

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 and is filed under Columns, Sports.