Sweet 16

Atlanta Region

LSU 62 vs. Duke 54 (LSU +6, Under 147 ½)

For most of the season everyone has been fixated on Duke and guard J.J. Redick. Going into the tournament Duke was the nations’ No. 1 team, according to the AP poll. The Blue Devils were hot as hell in the first two rounds making short work of Southern and GW. The Devils headed into the Sweet 16 favored by 6-points against LSU and Duke supporters already had their tickets punched to Indianapolis. But they were probably scrambling for refunds after though, as LSU covered and knocked off Duke in an upset 62-54.

Redick met his match as he went 3-18 from the field and managed 11-points. LSU’s Darrel Mitchell and Glen “Big Baby” Davis were tied for the team lead with 14-points apiece. The Tigers won despite shooting 39.3% from the field and 52.2% from the Charity Stripe.

West Virginia 71 vs. Texas 74 (WVU +5, Under 131 ½)

Kevin Pittsnogle and his WVU Mountaineers were knocked out of the tournament when they lost to P.J. Tucker and Texas by a 74-71 score. The game seemed destined to go to OT as Pittsnogle tied the game at 71 with his fifth rainmaker with 0:05 left. But Texas’ Kenton Paulino followed suit as the clock ticked down to help the Longhorns advance.

The Mountaineers went 15-33 from beyond the arc, and only made it to the line eight times. The Longhorns were 4-19 from 3-point range but made the one that counted. They also were 70% from the free throw line.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, WVU bettors had a little consolation as their team covered the 5-point spread.

Oakland Region

Bradley 64 vs. Memphis 80 (Memphis -6, Over 142 ½)

Cinderella teams don’t often make it to the Final Four and it definitely was the case as Bradley lost big to Memphis 80-64. Memphis put the clamps on the Braves with their strong ‘D’ as they limited them to 33.3% shooting from the field. The Tigers on the other hand made 51.7% of their shots.

Memphis’ Rodney Carney led all scorers with 23-points and was 2-5 of from downtown. With the 16-point margin of victory the Tigers easily covered.

Gonzaga 71 vs. UCLA 73 (Gonzaga +3, Over 136 ½)

As the clock wound down to 0:00, Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison burst into tears and for good reason. The Bulldogs’ March Madness run ended and they blew a 42-29 half time lead to boot. Adding insult to injury was Morrison’s solid performance. Zags’ big man on campus was 10-17 from the field, made a 3-pointer, shot 3-4 from the stripe and grabbed 5 boards in a losing effort.

After getting schooled in the first half, UCLA pulled a 180 in the second, outscoring the Bulldogs 44-29. Leading the way for the Bruins were Jordan Farmar and Arron Affalo who both netted 15-points apiece.

This will be the Bruins’ first Final Four appearance since 1995.

D.C. Region

Washington 92 vs. Connecticut 98 – OT (Washington +6 ½, Over 155 ½)

It was a dog fight between UW and UConn with the Connecticut Huskies taking it in overtime.

Though the Washington Huskies entered the locker room with a 45-40 halftime lead, they were outscored in the second 42-37. UConn, for their part, didn’t do itself any favors committing 26 turnovers throughout the game, but did rally from a deficit in the second half and capitalized on the opportunities presented to them. Rashad Anderson scored 19-points off the bench and made a late trey in the second to send the game into OT.

Marcus Williams led UConn in scoring with 26 points, while Jamaal Williams led Washington with 27. Fittingly, Washington covered as 6 ½-point dogs.

George Mason 63 vs. Wichita St. 55 (George Mason -2, Under 124)

George Mason’s dream season continued as they covered with an eight point victory over Wichita St.

The Patriots limited the Shockers to 19-points in the first half, while scoring 35 of their own and hung on for the win. Wichita St. lost the battle on two fronts as they went 20-64 from the field and 3-24 from downtown. They did beat George Mason at the line as they made 70.6% of their free throws as opposed to the Pats’ 65.2%.

Folarin Campbell led George Mason with 16 while Paul Miller also had 16 for Wichita St.

Minneapolis Region

Boston College 59 vs. Villanova 60 - OT (BC + 2 ½, Under 140)

Another Sweet 16 match went into an extra frame as the Eagles of Boston College lost out to the Villanova Wildcats by one point. It came down to the wire literally as BC’s Louis Hinnant’s last ditch 3-point attempt failed to drop.

Randy Foye led the winning side with 29-points while Craig Smith led the losing side with 14-points. Boston College bettors cashed in despite the loss.

Georgetown 53 vs. Florida 57 (Florida -3, Under 128 ½)

Fresh off their upset of Ohio State, Georgetown looked to build on the win and punch their ticket to the Final Four. Going into the Sweet 16, the Hoyas again found themselves as underdogs, listed at +3 by a number of books.

Georgetown played the Gators tough for most of the game too, going into half time with a 30-28 lead. But Florida got it together in the second half, covered the spread and got the 4-point win against the Hoyas.

The Gators were led in scoring from Joakim Noah and Georgetown by Jeff Green, both scoring 15-points.

Elite Eight

It would be a lot to expect all the No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four, but after the Elite Eight teams played none were left standing. It was a biblical weekend as the David teams pulled out their slingshots and smacked the Goliath teams right on their foreheads. Here is an abridged recap.

LSU 70 at Texas 60 OT (LSU +3, Under 131 ½) – Atlanta Region

Still riding high off their upset win over Duke, LSU covered the spread and secured a berth in the Final Four. Glen Davis showed Texas that he was a “Big Baby” in name only as he played like a big man scoring 26-points for the Tigers.

Memphis 45 vs. UCLA 50 (UCLA +2 ½, Under 135) – Oakland Region

The first of the No. 1 seeds fell as the Bruins upset Memphis and covered the spread. Arron Affalo led UCLA with 15-points as the 2006 Bruins seek to do what Ed O’Bannon’s 1995 team did. Win it all.

George Mason 86 vs. Connecticut 84 OT (George Mason +8, Over 136) – D.C. Region

Most Cinderella teams run out of gas before the Final Four, but George Mason is making a bid for the glass slipper. The Patriots continued their improbable run and pulled another upset beating the UConn Huskies 86-84 in OT.

Florida 75 vs. Villanova 62 (Florida +1, Under 138 ½) – Minneapolis Region

Joakim Noah and the Gators boarded the Ark destined for the RCA Dome in Indianapolis following a 13-point win over ‘Nova. With their loss the Wildcats became the last No. 1 seed to fall in the 2006 tournament. The Final Four begins on April 1, 2006.