Spring Break
The Pro Side: The best of the first two rounds of the Big Dance
Mike Northup
Issue date: 3/23/09 Section: Sports
Game of the Week: No. 9 Siena 74, No. 8 Ohio State 72 (2OT) (Friday) - Ronald Moore hit two clutch 3-pointers, the first tying the game at 65 at the end of the first overtime, the second winning it with 12 seconds left, as Siena knocked out the Buckeyes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This was all after the Saints had climbed back from a four-point deficit with under a minute left to tie.
Key Performance: Memphis' Roburt Sallie comes off bench to score 35 in opening-round win - No. 15 seed Cal State Northridge gave No. 2 seed Memphis all it could handle for most of the game, and even led by one with seven minutes to go. Sallie, who came in averaging just 4.5 points per game, picked up the slack and carried his team to the comeback win with a career-high 35 points.
Big Letdown: Lazar Hayward steps over the line on inbounds to doom No. 6 Marquette against No. 3 Missouri (Sunday) - With Marquette trailing by two points and five seconds left, Lazar Hayward stepped on the baseline on the inbounds pass - a turnover that forced the Golden Eagles to foul on the ensuing Missouri possession. The Tigers hit their free throws and hung on, 83-79.
Wish We Were There - American Airlines Arena, Miami: No. 13 Cleveland State upsets No. 4 Wake Forest 84-69 (Friday) - In the biggest bracket-buster of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Vikings never trailed all game against the once-top-ranked Demon Deacons. The victory came 23 years after Cleveland State's only other tournament appearance, when the Vikings upset No. 3 seed Indiana in the first round.
Number of the Week: 9,223,372,036,854,775,808-to-1 - The odds of picking a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket.
Key Performance: Memphis' Roburt Sallie comes off bench to score 35 in opening-round win - No. 15 seed Cal State Northridge gave No. 2 seed Memphis all it could handle for most of the game, and even led by one with seven minutes to go. Sallie, who came in averaging just 4.5 points per game, picked up the slack and carried his team to the comeback win with a career-high 35 points.
Big Letdown: Lazar Hayward steps over the line on inbounds to doom No. 6 Marquette against No. 3 Missouri (Sunday) - With Marquette trailing by two points and five seconds left, Lazar Hayward stepped on the baseline on the inbounds pass - a turnover that forced the Golden Eagles to foul on the ensuing Missouri possession. The Tigers hit their free throws and hung on, 83-79.
Wish We Were There - American Airlines Arena, Miami: No. 13 Cleveland State upsets No. 4 Wake Forest 84-69 (Friday) - In the biggest bracket-buster of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Vikings never trailed all game against the once-top-ranked Demon Deacons. The victory came 23 years after Cleveland State's only other tournament appearance, when the Vikings upset No. 3 seed Indiana in the first round.
Number of the Week: 9,223,372,036,854,775,808-to-1 - The odds of picking a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket.
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