Truthfully, we were getting a little cheated in Milwaukee’s little corner of the NCAA Tournament.
No remarkable upsets (10-seed Georgia Tech over 7-seed Oklahoma State? Ho-hum). No memorable buzzer-beating miracles and precious few highlight-reel moments.
Yep, all in all, things pretty much were going as expected. And where’s the excitement in that?
Then, at the very end of it all, X marked the spot.
Sixth-seeded Xavier beating third-seeded Pittsburgh didn’t send shockwaves around the nation, a la Northern Iowa over Kansas or even Cornell over Wisconsin. (And while Badgers fans mourn, somewhere, Carl Sagan smiles). But at least Xavier’s win sent the tourney out of town on a high note, one of plenty noteworthy items from our weekend of madness.
Best game:
Hands down, Xavier vs. Pittsburgh.
Yes, Tech vs. Oklahoma State was close, but the last quarter of the game was merely a free-throw shooting contest. The Pitt vs. Xavier game, however, pretty much had it all: Jordan Crawford’s amazing individual performance. Good physical play. The upset factor. Pitt’s late comeback. Going down to the very last shot. Twice. Pure fun. If only somebody would’ve told Pitt’s fans, because…
Least-inspiring performance:
Pittsburgh’s fans. If sitting on your hands is an art form, Pitt’s fans are Picasso. No fan base failed to rise to the occasion more so than the hundreds behind Pitt’s bench, especially when the Panthers needed them most.
Throughout the game, they seemed to always need prompting from one or two rowdy fans to make any sustained noise, and they never sustained it very long. Then near the end, when Gilbert Brown hit a 3-pointer to get Pitt within 67-63 with 27 seconds left, it barely got a rise from the Pitt faithful. Ten seconds later, Brown hit another one to make it 69-66, and Panthers fans still didn’t get off their butts.
Not until an out of bounds call went against the Panthers did the Pitt fans finally stand up. They yelled. They booed. Then they – surprise – calmed down. At least they stood for Pitt’s final two shots. But seriously, folks, if you’d rather behave like a symphony crowd, why buy a basketball ticket?
Star of the pod:
Nope, not Ohio State’s Evan Turner. On press row, Xavier’s Jordan Crawford was the name generating all the buzz.
Look at the numbers, and it’s easy to see why: 27 points while leading the Musketeers past Pitt after scoring 28 to beat Minnesota. But numbers don’t tell the whole story about his star power. Crawford displayed a devastatingly quick first step that let him blow past opponents, a silky smooth perimeter shot and even the occasional no-look dish that had everyone predicting a serious jump in his draft stock.
Think Tom Crean’s Indiana Hoosiers could’ve used him this season? Remember, Crawford transferred to Xavier from Indiana after Kelvin Sampson left. Crean should’ve posted state troopers at the border before letting this kid get out of the state.
Most cordial fans:
Asked an usher for his input on this one, and he said it was easy. “Whichever team loses because they’ve got nothing to say.”
Best traveling fan base:
Ohio State. With so much red in the stands, you’d have thought Wisconsin was playing in Milwaukee.
Most surprising performance:
Georgia Tech. Not because it pulled off the 10-7 upset against Okie State, but because of how the Yellowjackets did it.
Tech nailed 24 of its 25 free throws, including 10 in the last three minutes, in the 64-59 win. So what’s the big deal? Check out Tech’s regular-season free-throw shooting percentage: 64.5.
Best uniforms:
They belonged to nobody on the court. Because this honor goes to the UC-Santa Barbara band. This photo isn’t from Milwaukee, but it gives you an idea of how they looked. Decked out in Clint Eastwood-esque Gaucho garb, complete with ponchos and hats, they made the most of their brief appearance.
Best nickname:
C’mon, how can you not like Minnesota’s Orlando “Tubby” Smith? So christened because he so loved playing in the bathtub as a kid that he never wanted to leave it.
Biggest chip on shoulder:
Xavier. Coach Chris Mack said he “took offense” to being classified as a mid-major (though he did so politely). He then rattled off a litany of Xavier accomplishments, among them joining Michigan State as the nation’s only team in its third straight Sweet 16. “Check our track record,” Mack said. “It’s pretty good.”
Best lesson:
That nobody makes the Bradley Center rock like Marquette. Because when you compare the basketball atmosphere this weekend to the scene when Marquette hosts a home game, well, there is no comparison.
After seeing the relatively staid setting that characterized Milwaukee’s tourney games – even with sellout crowds – you truly appreciate the excitement level present at every Golden Eagles game. The raucous student section. The Jump Around guy. A crowd that’s not afraid to get involved and knows when to ratchet noise level even higher. Even the video board vignettes. They all play a role in making Marquette’s home-court advantage, which is one of the country’s best, a point really driven home this weekend. Al McGuire would be proud.
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