We got most of the good games out of the way early.  Butler-South Alabama is a fun matchup, otherwise, lambs to the slaughter.  Certainly no match for the early session.

UPDATE 2:55 PM: Texas-Austin Peay... notable only for Austin Peay's cheer.  Let's Go Peay!  Otherwise, ugh.  UMBC was lucky to get a 15 seed, and G'Town will crush them.  San Diego and U Conn is fun because the Reverend Jim Jones' Grandson is on San Diego.  Barring some leftover Flavor-Aid to stick in the Huskies cooler, however, the Toreros have no shot.

UPDATE 3:00 PM: USA-Butler has tipped off. A J Graves hits his first shot for 3... when he's hitting, Butler is tough to beat.

UPDATE 3:04 PM: Apparently, there was a mix up, and South Alabama has to wear its JV uniforms... oh, what, those are their unis?  *gulp*... oof.

UPDATE 3:10 PM: Hope to find out soon what game we actually get on TV...  hopefully we stay on Butler-USA... USA looks legit so far, but it's wicked early... When AJ Graves doesn't get a touch on a trip down the court, brad Stevens, Baby Jesus and I all cry.  Get him the ball, run the O through him.

UPDATE 3:13 PM: The 3 point shot...  I wish I had a jump shot.  I swear there's always a mid to low-major with a place for a slow white guy who shoots lights out from outside.

UPDATE 3:16 PM: UMBC-GTown and Texas-APSU are underway.  Billy Packer is off of suicide watch as he gets to announce a major conference team.  The Retrievers are tied with the fightin' John Thompsons early.  Texas has gotten off to a 9-0 run to start.  Say good night, Governors.

UPDATE 3:20: Yeah, they're up 20-19, but Butler has to be alarmed by the pace of play.  20-19 with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half is too fast for the Bulldogs.  I've noticed that the younger/less experienced coaches this year have really had trouble with the opposing teams dictating the flow of the game so far... Keno and Winthrop's new coach have had serious pace issues.

UPDATE 3:26 Austin Peay will not be playing Sunday.  Texas is dangling their corpse in their teeth.  The Governors are getting gored by the Longhorns.  UMBC is hanging in early... I went to a UMBC home game once... their venue is odd.  Half convocation center, half high school gym.  And the Brown and yellow color scheme is not exactly pleasing to the eye.  At some point, Roy Hibbert is gonna get like the Chief in One Flew Over The Cookoo's nest and throw a Retriever guard through a nearby window.  Yeah, he's that tough.
UMBC is outrebounding* them so far.

UPDATE 3:30 PM: UMBC is using the Matchup Zone...  smart move if you can play it well, so far so good.  Butler USA has slowed down a bit, which has to please Butler Coach Brad Stevens, whose allowance will be raised to 15 dollars a week if he makes the Sweet Sixteen.  The contrast of styles, with both teams making the effort to dictate pace, make this one a very interesting game from a purist standpoint... the mental game is fun.

UPDATE 3:36 PM: I think Texas just removed Austin Peay's heart from its chest showed it to it, and then impaled it on a pike.  Yeah, APSU is toast. Texas appears to have better size and speed at all five spots on the board.  Butler has some cute cheerleaders.

UPDATE 3:40 PM: I think I'm gonna slow down here for a touch.  Butler-USA demand attention, as this is just a really fun game. UMBC has fallen back, and APSU is mud... barring an early San Diego lead, I want to watch some Butler-USA and see if I can find something pithy to say about it.

UPDATE 3:47: Wow, Butler has taken the initiative... having dudes who hits 3 after 3 after 3 will do that.  Butler will be around 50 for the half, so unlike them... and they are up 14.  certainly not what I would have imagined for this game... USA shows no signs of giving up tho, on a positive note.  Problem is, if Butler stays this hot, it doesn't matter.

UPDATE 3:50:  San Diego is discovering that stopping a 7'3" guy isn't easy.  They're hanging in quite well tho, especially considering the pace and feel of the game are par more Big East than WCC.  Physical play, and the officials are swallowing the whistles so far.  And halftime is coming just a bit too late for South Alabama... You tell me pregame that they score 30 in the first half, I'd bet they're within 5 points, ahead or behind.  They're behind by 17, as Butler cannot miss.

UPDATE 3:52: Despite my Big East honkdom*, I'm rooting for San Diego over UConn... I want Rob Jones to hit the gamewinning bucket, and then hear the announcers accidentally make a cult-related joke.  It has to happen.

UPDATE 3:58: San Diego is certainly outworking UConn... and the lack of quickness of UConn is a little evident.  San Diego up 2 with 11 min. left in the First half...

UPDATE 4:06: TOREROS +D is one of my fave eights.  AJ Price just came up injured, which is not good at all for UConn.  TOREROS takes SAD POM, which is probably offensive somehow in ways I'll never know. 
San Diego's Big guy, Pomare, is continuing the great play he exhibited in the WCC tournament.  If he can be a force, UConn is beatable. USD by 3, 7:52 in the 1st.

UPDATE 4:10: Dude, I want you gone.  I'm not kidding.  I've had enough of your stupid commercial.    The fact that you are not homeless saddens me.

UPDATE 4:15: USA-Butler back in action.  Butler starts with two turnovers, which USA converts for 4 points... Butler by 13, USA still with hope.

UPDATE 4:18: AJ Graves nails a three... oh well, so much for USA building momentum.  USD maintains a lead, which despite my above joke, is not unreasonable... San Diego has some horses, and UConn overachieved this year... I had Drake beating them next round for a reason.

UPDATE 4:20: G'Town and UMBC are back in action.  I think that UMBC was as close as it will get... certainly didn't embarrass themselves, but the Hoyas are too much.

UPDATE 4:35: San Diego has the five point halftime lead... who can resist the urge to say that Billy Grier has his guys drinking the Kool-aid so far today?  In all seriousness, Grier was the long time 1st assistant/future head coach presumptive at Gonzaga, and the influence in style of play and type of players recruited is evident.  Otherwise, the three other games in progress are all ugly.  Butler is shooting at an unreal pace, which has left USA vulnerable (couldn't resist, sorry).  UMBC has run out of fight, and the APSU Governors couldn't bring back memories of their late eighties Sweet Sixteen run, where they got jobbed by young guard Billy Donovan's Providence team and the officials... who gave the Friars a Time Out when they didn't have possession of a loose ball, awarded them possession, and Providence scored to win.

UPDATE 4:47:  I just want to pull EYE-an Eagle aside and scream in his face "Pronounce your name correctly!"  Really, a guy that dorky has no right to try to link his clearly fake name to a Louis Gossett, Jr. Movie.  The Cincy Contingent should know him, as he and Solomon Wilcots were the pair perennially assigned to games between the 5-11 Bungles and whoever they were playing.  They just showed the end of the Hampton/ISU classic... Steve Merfeld rocked.  AJ Price is out for UConn.

UPDATE 4:51: The Georgetown UMBC game is at that nebulous point where you'd like to believe the dog can come back (down 13, 7:14 remaining), but you're afraid to become emotionally invested in the possibility, because it's so remote.  Big Up to the Retrievers for a fantastic effort against their neighbors.  How much gas was wasted in having the Suburban Baltimore School and the Wash. DC school travel to North Carolina...

UPDATE 4:54: San Diego wants it, UConn seems rather blase about it all...USD by 9 early in the second.  I think that UCONN better change thinks fast, or their toast, especially without Price.  San Diego is playing UConn's game, and playing it much much better.

UPDATE 4:59: Pomare is good, UConn not so much.  The other three games have entered laugher territory.  Butler may have made the biggest statement of any team in the tourney so far with their destruction of South Alabama.  Butler need not fear any team in the tournament.

UPDATE 5:03: UConn finally starts to show a trifle bit of intensity... maybe Jim Calhoun threatened to make them stop stealing laptops... whatever it was, it was necessary.  Problem is, they've let San Diego get confidence...  and this is not a 16 seed like Albany a couple years back that will be helpless to the comeback... USD has the goods to hold on... whether they will remains to be determined, but the comeback, if it happens, will not be easy.


UPDATE 5:05: Thanks everyone... I think I'm done blogging for this tournament, at least til the Finals (a Finals liveblog seems in order, I think.)  If Pitt makes the Elite Eight, I might hit that too.  Hope y'all liked it, sorry I can't do tonite... enjoy this weekend; it's the best of the year.  Any ideas, comments, complaints, thoughts, etc?  leave em here or email me at petezeigler A T gmail D O T com.