Check here all day for continuous entertaining coverage of March Madness. Oregon Sports News Senior Writer Abe Asher will be providing his running diary below!
For a diary of yesterday’s action, click here.
9:00 PM: With South Carolina’s win in the books, and Kentucky and UCLA rolling in their games, that does it for the running commentary. Thanks for following along!
8:58 PM: Marquette has put in a 5’6 walk-on wearing #52. He might as well just throw one up from half-court.
8:56 PM: The Gamecocks are a minute away from winning their first tournament game since 1973. Amazing what fear of Frank Martin will do to you. Got Kansas State all the way to the Elite Eight a few years back.
8:53 PM: South Carolina is feeling it. They’re now up 92-71. I’m about to go 28-4 in the first round, with 15 of my 16 and all of my eight still in the tournament. What a time to be alive.
8:52 PM: Progressive is giving us a claymation basketball commercial where Flo flies into the sky, is probably about to go out of business.
8:49 PM: It wouldn’t be the tournament if guys weren’t making crazy drives, throwing the ball at the basket, and screaming “AND 1111111111!!!!!!!!!!”
8:47 PM: South Carolina is pulling away at 82-69, and UCLA-Kent State is somehow the closest game on right now. But that’s the 2017 first round for you.
8:45 PM: Look, Marquette, if you put in a 6’8 guy who looks like he just left his biker gang, he’s probably going to commit an offensive foul. You know that.
8:42 PM: Marquette throwing the ball all over the place now and looking flustered. They’ve turned it over fifteen times. South Carolina leads by nine.
8:37 PM: Oh for the love of god. This guy just needs to go to bed for a while.
8:35 PM: Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina’s star, is my new favorite player in this tournament and will probably knock out Duke on Sunday.
8:33 PM: South Carolina is so freakishly athletic they just busted the netting on their basket on a dunk attempt. They lead by five with eight and a half minutes to go.
8:26 PM: Michigan State 78, Miami 58. Final.
8:25 PM: There have been eight points in the last four seconds of the Marquette-South Carolina game. Gamecocks by four.
8:16 PM: Quick timeout taken by Wojo as South Carolina opens up a six point lead. Michigan State, Kentucky, and UCLA all cruising.
8:15 PM: Is it just me, or has the offense been a little bit better than it usually is in the tournament? That’s probably what happens when Pitt and Georgetown don’t make it.
8:12 PM: AND THE HARLAN CREW AGAIN IS COMPARING SOME GUY FROM MICHIGAN STATE FAVORABLY TO MAGIC JOHNSON! SOMEBODY STOP THESE MEN!
8:06 PM: The Selection Committee did South Carolina a real favor by putting them an hour and a half from Columbia. As interesting as it would be to see a Krzyzewski-Wojciechowski coaching matchup on Sunday, it’d be just as interesting to watch South Carolina take on Duke in what would be a de facto home game for the Gamecocks.
8:02 PM: I’m sorry, Michigan State is going to win the championship. It’ll be Tum Tum Nairn’s fifth.
8:00 PM: Dan Bonner just called the Miami big man an “unskilled player.” The ‘Canes have taken another timeout, now trailing by twenty.
7:58 PM: Classic Michigan State — plagued by turnovers all season, they’ve only turned the ball over once in the last twenty minutes of this game. They lead 58-40.
7:54 PM: Reggie Miller makes a somewhat bizarre and off-color joke about TBS’ Samantha Bee, which is greeted with total silence by his broadcast partners.
7:46 PM: Izzo has 13 wins as a lower-seeded team. Most in tournament history. Spartans now up 51-32.
7:42 PM: Another good burst from South Carolina makes this a one point at halftime. Meanwhile, Miami just scored its first points in about forty minutes.
7:39 PM: What is it with men in the south wearing team polos to sporting events? This isn’t The Masters! Put on something comfortable!
7:38 PM: Here’s something incredible, Marquette has a guy who has been to the tournament as a player with three different schools! He’s also been with USC and UNLV.
7:36 PM: Wojo has been issued a warning. Not many had him as more likely than Martin to be t’ed up in this one. Very entertaining game so far. 39-33 Marquette.
7:29 PM: Steve Wojciechowski just went bounding down the Marquette sideline like a basset hound. Could be real interesting if he gives his former boss Coach K a game in the second round.
7:27 PM: The Gamecocks, with a couple of threes and a couple of big dunks, have gotten themselves and the Greenville crowd back into this game. 28-26.
7:24 PM: Steve Alford is so relaxed he’s wearing khakis. See Alford in the tournament brings back memories of when I picked his New Mexico team to go to the Final Four and they lost in the first round to Harvard and I became homicidal.
7:23 PM: That’s about to include UCLA’s game as well. The Bruins are out to a 13-2 lead on Kent State.
7:19 PM: Not so good. UK is on a 10-0 run and leads 16-7. Not only have there not been any major upsets so far in this tournament, but the games involving the 1, 2, and 3 seeds have pretty much all been blowouts.
7:18 PM: South Carolina is a mess, let’s see how the Northern Kentucky Norse is holding up against the Kentucky Kentucky Wildcats.
7:15 PM: “The turnovers were, ‘Here Dana, take it,” — Tom Izzo, describing the nature of his team’s early turnover problems. This is a genius at work.
7:14 PM: We’ve hit halftime in Tulsa, with Michigan State leading Miami 38-27.
7:12 PM: Harlan enjoys a Michigan State player taking a charge: “Defended by McQuaid, who TOOK IT LIKE A MAN.”
7:08 PM: Michigan State is dealing! Down 12 early, they’re now up ten.
7:07 PM: Apparently Michigan State has a guard who has the second-most assists in a season ever for a college freshman, trailing only Magic Johnson. There’s also a 27% chance that Dan Bonner blew that stat.
7:06 PM: Caesar on a caesar salad? Surprising.
7:03 PM: I’m not sure why basketball doesn’t have the advantage rule like soccer does. If someone gets grabbed on a fast break, they should be able to keep going. Assess the foul at the next dead ball.
7:02 PM: I picked South Carolina in this game mostly because I’m terrified of Frank Martin.
7:00 PM: Sparty ties the game on a beautiful drive. Jim Laranaga takes time. South Carolina-Marquette is also underway from Greenville, with the Golden Eagles up early.
6:59 PM: Michigan State is on a huge run, they’re within two. Even though the Spartans don’t have any good players, I’d still be a little bit nervous I was Kansas looking at a potential second round matchup.
6:57 PM: I’m 24-4 as is, which is pretty much what happens when everything goes like it should. The benefit of all the favorites winning is that we don’t have to see UAB and Jefferson County State play in the Sweet Sixteen.
6:55 PM: Loyalty picks are one thing, what gets you in trouble are the vendetta picks. If I didn’t have a jihad against the Big Ten, I be 26-2 right now.
6:54 PM: On now: Michigan State trailing Miami early. I went with the Spartans in this game out of loyalty to Tom Izzo. It’s just part of the game.
6:53 PM: I’m back for the last hurrah of the first round. I went — incredibly — 4-0 in the afternoon games, with Kansas and Duke rolling, Wichita State getting past Dayton, and Cincinnati taking care of Kansas State.
3:27 PM: Rhode Island leads by 13. I’m stepping out. Back in a few hours for the late games.
3:25 PM: Creighton, the third best shooting team in the NCAA, is shooting 37% in this game. That’s the tournament we all know and love.
3:22 PM: Creighton’s in trouble. Rhode Island is back up by ten with just over five minutes to go. Would be a nice win for my bracket after the SMU meltdown.
3:11 PM: By the way: Dave Hurley or whatever his name is just took timeout, Creighton has cut the Rhode Island lead to five. Carolina won 103-64.
3:10 PM: This ad where Greg Gumbel stands in the boardroom looking like someone killed his hamster while the guy sings is totally nuts.
3:02 PM: Best thing about this tournament so far is the Subway advertising department finally getting its act together now that Jared has been *ahem* taken out of the equation.
2:53 PM: Go Rhode Island.
2:48 PM: Louisville wins. Carolina up 81-45 on Texas Southern.
2:47 PM: Creighton has not appeared for the second half. Rhode Island now leads 40-28.
2:37 PM: After Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith talk up North Carolina, Barkley pretends to take a call from Jay Wright, asking, “Where’s that trophy at?” He’s in rare form today.
2:29 PM: I think Barkley just called Rhode Island in the best team in the tournament.
2:22 PM: The Rhode Island coach is going nuts at halftime even though his team is leading Creighton by seven. Don’t mess with the Rams.
2:14 PM: SC misses the free throw, SMU wastes ten seconds, misses a floater at the buzzer and loses 66-65 despite leading for 39 minutes of the game. I knew it wasn’t a good sign when the coach couldn’t walk in a straight line at halftime.
2:13 PM: The free throw rims out, now USC at the line for one-and-one.
2:12 PM: USC hits a three to retake the lead. SMU at the line for a one-and-one…
2:11 PM: The SMU guy catches a pass while standing out of bounds. I swear this game is going to end with someone scoring on the wrong basket.
2:09 PM: SMU steals the inbounds pass and throws it off a USC player’s foot! Mustangs regain possession, up two with a minute left.
2:07 PM: The answer by SMU! 65-63, 1:15 to go.
2:06 PM: USC takes the lead for the first time with a deep three from Boatwright. SMU has problems.
2:01 PM: Three minutes left, 60-58 SMU. If either one of these teams makes a shot to win this game, Kevin Harlan’s lungs are going to come flying out of his body.
1:58 PM: This SMU-USC game is insane. Both teams are sprinting around, they can’t shoot, and the coaching is terrible. It’s 57-56 Mustangs with five minutes left.
1:54 PM: SMU lets a USC forward run directly to the basket on an inbounds play for an uncontested dunk. Go Mustangs.
1:50 PM: SMU’s coach Al Pacino in Glengarry Glen Ross is a disaster. The Trojans are back within two, remember they stormed back in the second half to win their First Four game against Providence.
1:47 PM: Since nothing has happened so far in this tournament, TruTV’s “Tournament Summary” is that teams from Indiana are 3-0 and teams with the mascot “Wildcats” are 4-0.
1:45 PM: Creighton has one point at the first timeout in their game against Rhode Island. “Ragged start,” says Spero Dedes.
1:37 PM: Trojans and Mustangs trade runs, USC takes timeout down nine. Good showing by the SMU fans in Tulsa.
1:28 PM: Massive dunk in the SMU-USC game, and the broadcast crew has responded by laughing for a minute straight.
1:25 PM: Good games in the tournament so far.
- Northwestern-Vanderbilt
- Michigan-Purdue
- Notre Dame-Princeton
That’s it. Still only two lower seeds have won, and neither were heavy underdogs — or, in the case of Middle Tennessee, an underdog at all.
1:21 PM: After a Louisville fast-break bucket, Jacksonville State can’t get the ball in and has to take timeout. The Cardinals lead by 13.
1:18 PM: Chris Webber incoherent taking the game to break: “This is a party, it’s a dance — can we have this dance?” Tie game at 10.
1:16 PM: Update: Texas Southern 10, UNC 8.
1:12 PM: Roy Williams wearing a clover pin for St. Patty’s Day. I’m giving this Carolina-Texas Southern game four minutes to get out of hand.
1:10 PM: Chaos in the New York studio as Kenny Smith delivers a preposterous take that any team doesn’t need any one player to win the tournament, prompting Barkley to yell, “ANY TEAM THAT LOSES ITS BEST PLAYER IS NOT GONNA BE A CONTENDER, ERNIE.”
1:04 PM: SMU’s coach doesn’t appear to have any idea where he is. He’s walking gingerly down the tunnel now. We’ll see if he makes it back out for the second half.
1:02 PM: Iona is going home, but their star guard Deyshonne Much is a front-runner for best name of the tournament.
12:58 PM: Kevin Harlan is still screaming despite the fact that neither team has made a field goal in this game in about ten minutes.
12:52 PM: Somehow USC is still around, even though their season should have ended two weeks ago. One of their players is writhing on the floor in pain at the under-four timeout.
12:51 PM: TruTV tried to show the Bank of Oklahoma Center, but the shot was slightly off and instead we saw a freeway for ten seconds.
12:48 PM: “I’LL TELL YOU WHAT, THESE SMU PLAYERS ARE ALL BETWEEN 6’6 and 6’8” Harlan screams. He then goes on to make an extended metaphor about Mustangs. He’s really feeling it this year.
12:39 PM: Arkansas wins an extremely dumb game 77-71, and now their band and cheerleaders are line-dancing to the fight song. Good times.
12:38 PM: Chris Webber staying positive: “If you’re Seton Hall, that’s the hand you’ve been dealt, so what, make the best of it.” Tough when it turns a one-point game into a four-point game in the last minute.
12:36 PM: THESE OFFICIALS DO SUCK! THEY JUST CALLED A GARBAGE FLAGRANT ON SETON HALL!
12:35 PM: My dad chimes in: “THESE OFFICIALS SUCK!” He wanted a travel on Arkansas that literally no one on the Seton Hall bench appealed for.
12:34 PM: The Razorbacks’ star is named Dusty Hannahs, which is pretty much Peak Arkansas.
12:32 PM: Down 1 with thirty seconds left, the Seton Hall point guard starts running around and gets called for traveling. Ball goes back to Arkansas.
12:06 PM: “Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, a little… mantoman!… by Louisville.”
11:57 AM: Hall-Arkansas is tight, with the Hogs up two. Apparently Mike Anderson thinks Arkansas plays best in the last ten minutes. We’ll see.
11:48 AM: Baylor 91, New Mexico State 73. Seth?
11:47 AM: Iona’s coach looks like John Kitzhaber’s brother.
11:38 AM: That’s right, Canzano did his research this year.
11:36 AM: What in the name of the lord is happening with the ginger guy trying to save his neighborhood to the tune of Don’t Let Me Down in the State Farm commercial. This ad is incredibly confusing.
11:35 AM: This Oregon-Iona game is going to finish about 350-310. Neither team appears all that interested in or capable of defense.
11:30 AM: Oklahoma State goes down swinging, hitting a three at the buzzer, but Michigan moves on with a 92-91 win. Phenomenal game.
11:28 AM: The Cowboys will not yield. 90-88 with the 3.7 seconds left, one Michigan miss at the line and Oklahoma State will have a chance to tie.
11:26 AM: The headphones have broken for the CBS crew in Indianapolis, and now the three of them are calling the game on one handheld microphone. “I feel like we’re The Temptations,” says Grant Hill. Michigan shooting two, up just two with ten seconds left.
11:24 AM: Oklahoma State is out here banking in threes, delaying their inevitable elimination. It’s now 88-84 Michigan, 18 seconds to go.
11:22 AM: New Mexico State looks like its been run over. They’ve been outscored in the second half so far 32-13.
11:16 AM: An Oklahoma State player misses the front end of a one-and-one. “He’d hit 37 of his last 39,” Nantz says. “You let him do it himself,” Raftery says, referring to the curse of the commentator. “I’m proud of you.”
11:14 AM: OHHHHHH DAAAAANNNNYYY BOOOOYYYYY, THE PIPES, THE PIPES ARE CALLLLING!
11:12 AM: CBS shows footage of Louisville and Jacksonville State players walking into the arena wearing headphones. Raftery: “This being St. Patrick’s Day, do you think they’re listening to Danny Boy?”
11:09 AM: Michigan just raining in threes. 17-25 from long range in this game. “Take a deep breath,” Raftery says. 82-77 at the under-four.
11:08 AM: Oklahoma State will not go away. They’ve pulled to within 79-77, just under four minutes to go.
11:06 AM: Michigan by six, Baylor by 11, Arkansas by three, Oregon by one early.
11:02 AM: Sim Bhullar.
11:01 AM: Now they’re talking about Tanveer’s brother Sim Bhullar! “He’s in Taiwan,” Harlan informs us.
11:00 AM: Unbelievable meltdown by Kevin Harlan as New Mexico State’s 7’3 center Tanveer Bhullar checks into the game. “HE’S HUGE!” Harlan roars.
10:55 AM: Walton hits a three from T.J. Sorrentine range! Michigan leads 70-64. If they win, that second round game against Louisville will be can’t-miss TV.
10:50 AM: Congratulations to Michigan.
10:47 AM: Some really good basketball in Indianapolis in this Oklahoma State-Michigan game. The Wolverines now lead by one.
10:37 AM: The Cowboys, filling it up from outside, lead 52-46. Michigan takes timeout. Seton Hall-Arkansas now underway from Greenville.
10:36 AM: Bill Raftery just made reference to a kewpie doll.
10:34 AM: Jim Nantz is trying to convince us that Oklahoma State star Phil Forte shoots 600 three pointers a day. There is just no chance that is true.
10:28 AM: Three at the buzzer for New Mexico State! They lead 40-38 at the half. Shades of RJ Hunter!
10:26 AM: Kevin Harlan has pronounced the name of Baylor forward Jo Lual-Acuil about twelve different ways in the last five minutes. He seems unfazed.
10:24 AM: This in response to a piece on Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin and his daughter, which was wild. At one point she literally opened the car door and screamed “I’M HUNGRY WE’RE GETTING SOME FOOD.”
10:23 AM: Things have taken a turn on CBS, where Charles Barkley is talking about parenting. “My daughter goes to Columbia, I love bragging about that,” he says.
10:18 AM: A Baylor player sticks a jumper. “They’re really going to have to guard him!” Dan Bonner exclaims.
10:14 AM: “HE LOOKED AROUND, HE DID NOT SEE A FLORESCENT JERSEY AROUND, HE CALLED TIMEOUT, BEFORE IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS SLIDING INTO SECOND BASE!” Kevin Harlan is thrilled.
10:10 AM: The seriously odd advertising continues. Matt Damon and Stella Artois for ending the water crisis?
10:06 AM: Uh oh.
10:02 AM: On right now: A highly entertaining game between Michigan and Oklahoma State, and Baylor screwing around against New Mexico State. I have a good feeling about today already.
9:59 AM: Hola, hola ¿como estas? Welcome to day two. We need some highlights today, because if today is anything like yesterday was, One Shining Moment this year is going to be exclusively Julia Louis-Dreyfus celebrating Northwestern’s win on a loop.
