Oklahoma State wins tight one; Syracuse rolls, gets bored

by Nick Fasulo on Mar 20, 2009 5:04 PM EDT Comment 0 comments

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#9 Tennessee - #8 Oklahoma State: A great game in Dayton. Both teams went back and forth in the final minutes, but Byron Eaton and the Cowboys laugh last, with a 77-75 victory. Oklahoma State shot 57 percent from the field in a game that featured roughly 10 lead changes (just from looking at the game cast). Let's not cast doubt on OSU as they head into a likely second round matchup with Pitt. The Cowboys got only 10 points from their bench despite foul trouble, so they were really cashing in all their chips and relying on not heading to overtime. Luckily they advance, and the Vols head home.

#14 North Dakota State - #3 Kansas: We're guessing you could have your way with any retail outlet in the state of North Dakota this afternoon, as it seemed like all their residents made a trip to the big city of Minneapolis to see their Bison take on the defending champion Jayhawks. The game was interesting, as KU seemed to want it that way by refusing to just feed Cole Aldrich every possession. Also, Ben Woodside lived up to the hype -- with 37 on 13-23 shooting. Impressive. All that was essentially inconsequential however, as Bill Self & Co. advance with an 84-74 win.

#14 Stephen F. Austin - #3 Syracuse: It took Stephen F. Austin more than 7 minutes to make their first field goal, efficiently bowing out of the NCAA Tournament in apathetic fashion. Syracuse stayed a comfortable distance away from the Lumberjacks, at one point holding a 26 point lead. Syracuse's Big East Tournament encore was in dire need of a "cruise control" game and that's exactly what they got. Jonny Flynn toyed with the Lumberjack guards for 16 points and 7 assists. ‘Cuse will now square up against the USC-Temple winner. If ASU comes out on top, you will be watching a lot of 2-3 zone on Saturday.
#11 Utah State - #6 Marquette: Only two teams came into the tournament with 30 wins, Memphis and Utah State. Memphis added to that total yesterday and the latter was looking to add a credible victory versus Marquette. Marquette did everything they could to hand the win over the Utah State Aggies. Marquette shot 36 percent compared to 41% for the Aggies. However, the Golden Eagles won the game down the stretch from the free throw line, converting on 19 of 23. A last second three by the Aggies made the 58-57 victory look like a respectable loss.