The Madness Begins Cont.

The 7th seed Oklahoma State Cowboys upset the 2nd seed Oklahoma Sooners:
Oklahoma State knocked their in-state rivals out of the conference tournament with a pair of free throws in the final seconds of the game. The game went back and forth for both halves but ended when Sooners star forward Blake Griffin fouled the Cowboys guard James Anderson with 2.3 seconds remaining. Oklahoma had one final chance as they were able to find Griffin at the 3-point line but his shot didn't fall. The Sooners played a sloppy game overall ending with 19 turnovers, almost twice as many as Oklahoma State.

What this means for Oklahoma State? The Cowboys were probably in the NCAA tournament before yesterday's win and are now firmly off the 'bubble'. Oklahoma State is in the 8-10 seed range right now. If they win the Big 12 Championship they could finish as high as 5th, and one more victory can get them out of the 8-9 match-up that would have to face a number 1 seed in round two.

What this means for Oklahoma? The Sooners were the favorites to secure the 4th number 1 seed, behind UNC, Pitt and UConn, coming into the Conference tournaments. Oklahoma wasn't a sure thing they would have had to at least make it to the Conference finals and possibly win it to secure the spot but it seemed well within reach. The Sooners had dominated the Big 12 all year, only losing two of their three conference games when Griffin was injured. Now they've lost 2 of their last 3 games with their star forward. Oklahoma is now out of number 1 seed contention and could fall down to a 3 seed.

The Madness Begins Cont.

The 9th seed Baylor Bears upset the 1st seed Kansas Jayhawks:
The Bears knocked out the defending national champion Jayhawks with an impressive 71-64 victory. Kansas got behind early and was down by 17 points at one point in the first half. The Jayhawks fought back and took the lead in the second half but couldn't put the game away. The Bears were led by their sophomore guard LaceDarius Dunn who finished with 24 points and 6 rebounds.

What it means for the Baylor? The Bears were not a tournament team coming in to the Big 12 Tournament after managing only a 5-12 record in the conference. Now with upsets over Nebraska and Kansas, Baylor is only two wins away from winning their conference tournament and an automatic bid. Baylor will need two win out to get a bid but showed yesterday that they are capable of doing so and being the Cinderella of the Big 12.

What it means for Kansas? The Jayhawks are definitely in the "big dance", but the question is now where will they be seeded? Had Kansas won the Big 12 tournament and gone through Oklahoma to do so, they would have been in the mix for a number 1 seed. Even if they didn't get a number 1 or had lost in the Big 12 finals they would have been pretty assured of a 2 seed. Now with the quarterfinal loss the Jayhawks will be lucky to maintain a 2 seed and have to hope that they fall no further than a 3 seed.

The "Madness" Begins

The second season of College Basketball kicked-off this week as teams began their conference tournaments. These tournaments will shape the field of 64, (really 65 with the play-in game) that will take the court next week to determine who is college basketball's National Champion. Already we've seen a quite a few upsets in these tournaments but four really stick out. Two of the top teams in both the Big East and Big 12 lost in the quarterfinals. These teams were all in line to be either first or second seeds and now will have to wait and see if their early exits cost them. Lets take a look at some of the upsets and what it will mean.

The 7th seed West Virginia Mountaineers upset the 2nd seed Pittsburgh Panthers:
West Virginia stunned Pittsburgh, who is not only the 2nd ranked team in the Big East but also the 2nd best team in the nation, with a 74-60 win. The Panthers, who won this tournament a year ago and had made the finals in seven of the past eight years, got into early foul trouble and struggled from beyond the 3-point line (missing all 8 attempts). The Mountaineers led by two at the half, never let the Panthers get close in the second half.

What it means for West Virginia? The Mountaineers were already going to be in the NCAA tournament, now with wins against Notre Dame and Pitt they are looking to move up a couple seeds. Before the the Big East Tournament WVU looked to be in the 8-10 seed range but now should be in a solid between a 6-8 seed. If West Virginia can beat Syracuse in the Semi-Finals and either Villanova or Louisville in the Finals they could move up even higher.

What it means for Pittsburgh? Pitt was considered a lock for a number 1 seed and probably the favorite to win the Big East Tournament. The Panthers had not lost at home or at a neutral site all year before last nights game. Pittsburgh will be no lower than a 2 seed in the tournament and could still maintain their number 1 seed. Now the Panthers will have to wait and see how the bracket shapes up as they no longer control their own destiny.

Check back later today as we review three more upsets: Syracuse over Connecticut, Oklahoma St. over Oklahoma, and Baylor over Kansas.