A foul situation
Wow, I have said it before and I will say it again. In the final seconds of a game, when a team has an opportunity to hit a trifecta to tie it, I say FOUL, FOUL, FOUL!
It happened again at the end of the first overtime of Friday night's Siena-Ohio State game. The Saints were down three and the Buckeyes had the opportunity to put Siena on the foul line. Instead, Thad Matta, a coach I really respect, elected to have his kids try to defend against the three. Ronald Moore converted the shot that sent the game into a second overtime. Then Moore added to his dramatic heroics with another trifecta with 3.9 seconds left.
Back to the idea of fouling. The Buckeyes would have put Siena on the line down three with two free throws. Instead Moore made the big shot.
It was a wild late session on Friday night.
Cleveland State knocked off Wake Forest in a convincing upset. The Vikings did a great job taking charge early and Gary Waters' club did a great job defensively. Wake Forest did not show the intensity, emotion and passion early on as it fell behind big-time. Wow, the Demon Deacons went from being number one in the country to the sidelines. Wake Forest went 7-6 after its win over Duke on January 28.
I don't want to take away anything from Cleveland State. Waters' club has been on a roll, including a victory over Butler in the Horizon League final to make it into the big dance. Without that victory, the Vikings would have been watching on TV instead of celebrating.
Wisconsin scored an upset over Florida State as Travon Hughes made the big shot for the win. I feel for Toney Douglas, who scored 26 points in his final collegiate game.
Bo Ryan is one of the best coaches in America and his team keeps on fighting and scrapping. It seemed like the Seminoles had the game in hand, but the Badgers would not quit.
It is all about survive and advance, my friends. It was a tough night for the ACC as Boston College (a loser to USC), Florida State and Wake Forest were all sent packing.
