Game 772 - (5) Auburn vs. (1) Virginia

NCAA Tournament national semifinals
April 6 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN
CBS

Virginia is one win away from its first national title after a crazy ending Saturday.

Kyle Guy was fouled (?) by Samir Doughty on a three-point attempt with no time on the clock and knocked down all three free throws to secure the Cavaliers' 63-62 victory. Guy finished with 15 points and those were his only free throw attempts. Ty Jerome was great for the Cavaliers, scoring 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

No field goals were made after Bryce Brown's three with 1:56 left gave Auburn a 59-57 cushion. Brown hit four threes, but he and Jared Harper were just 8-of-22 combined from the floor to help send the Tigers home.

The Cavaliers, now 34-3, advance to the title game after losses in the 1981 and 1984 final four.

Virginia was also the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 in the opening round as Maryland-Baltimore County got the Cavs in last year's tournament. 

Game 766-767: Thursday doubleheader

767 - (12) Oregon vs. (1) Virginia
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 28 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY
TBS

766 - (3) Purdue vs. (2) Tennessee
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 28 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY
CBS

Games 740-741: Thursday doubleheader

741 - (8) Hampton at (1) Campbell
Big South quarterfinals
March 7 at Gore Arena in Buies Creek, NC
espn3

Two of the top six scorers in the country were on display in this one, an 86-77 Campbell victory.

Chris Clemons, who is one of the top scorers in NCAA HISTORY (over 3,000 points), scored four above his average with 34 points. The senior was just 7-of-21 from the field, but using his unorthodox method of free-throw shooting - he doesn't stand directly in the center of the line, but almost completely to right - hit 17-of-19 - to help  the top seed erase a second-half deficit and advance.

Jermaine Marrow, sixth nationally in scoring coming into the night, led the Pirates with 22 (3 1/2 below his average), but like Clemons struggled with his shot (7-of-20).

Just an insane Clemons' statistic was revealed late in the game. Including Thursday's game, the lightning-quick guard has scored in double figures in 127 of a career 128 games!

740 - (12) Virginia women vs. (5) Syracuse
ACC second round
March 7 at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC
ACC Network

Games 648-650: Weekend tripleheader

650- Indiana State vs. UNLV
December 23 at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, HI
ESPN2

Jordan Barnes didn't attempt a shot until 7 1/2 minutes remained in the first half, yet finished with 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Indiana State's 84-79 win in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic.

The Sycamores (8-3), who will play either Bucknell or TCU in the final Christmas Day, have an excellent trio in Barnes, wing Tyreke Key (16 points) and 6-9, 255-pound post player Emondre Rickman (13 points, 6-of-9 FG). ISU, which came in leading the country in three-point shooting, hit 41% of their long-range shots Sunday, but took just 12 from behind the arc and had a surprisingly-huge night in the post thanks to players like Rickman.

The Sycamores look like a definite contender in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Nice nights for sophomore Amauri Hardy - 22 points on 7-of-11 from the field - and freshman Joel Ntambwe (21 points, 15 rebounds) in a losing effort for UNLV.

649 - William & Mary at Virginia
December 22 at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA
ACC Network

Other games watched:

Texas State at Arkansas
Winthrop at Southern Illinois


648 - Idaho at Santa Clara
December 21 at Leavey Center in Santa Clara, CA
wccsports.com

Nonsense

"went in amongst the trees"
"it's a foul fest"
"fundamental footwork"
"rainbow three"
"ladies and gentleman, see the Vandals run"
"he's a stretch three"
"trap game"
"the cozy confines of the Leavey Center"
"a cardinal basketball sin"

Game 506 - Louisville at Virginia

January 31 at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA
ACC Network

Time to mute the broadcasters and listen to music all game!

(Virginia shot 56% from three-point range and won 74-64 to move to 21-1 overall and 10-0 in ACC play).

Here's a nice collection of songs for something we like to call Singles Night:


Fight Test - Flaming Lips
Step - Vampire Weekend
Wild Child - Lou Reed
You Keep Me Hanging On - Supremes
Uncle John's Band - Grateful Dead
Venus as a Boy - Bjork
Yer So Bad - Tom Petty
Genghis Khan - Mike Snow
In An Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
Gumboots - Paul Simon
Paper Planes - MIA
Cherish- Madonna
First Light - Bela Fleck
I'm on Fire (Bruce Springsteen) - The Staves
Without You - David Bowie
Angel from Montgomery - Bonnie Raitt
Humpty Dumpty - Chick Corea Acoustic Band
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
I Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
These Days - Jackson Browne
Feel Flows - Beach Boys
A New Wave - Sleater-Kinney

Game 208 - (10) Syracuse vs. (1) Virginia

NCAA Tournament regional final
March 27 at United Center in Chicago, IL
TBS

I didn't think Syracuse deserved to even be an at-large team, and now the 10th-best team in the ACC is headed to the final four.

The path was a bit easier for the Orangemen, who were fortunate to avoid No. 2 Michigan State in the round of 32 and No. 3 Utah in the Sweet 16, but they were still an 11 seed that came back to beat Gonzaga in the regional semifinal, then erased a 16-point lead in the final nine minutes to stun top seed Virginia 68-62.

Also, after the game ended Kevin Harlan said "Syracuse, back from the dead on Easter Sunday", so we can't let him get away with that.

Game 194 - (9) Butler vs. (1) Virginia

NCAA Tournament round of 32
March 19 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC
TBS

Games 177-179: Championships won

179 - (3) Seton Hall vs. (1) Villanova
March 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
Fox Sports 1

178 - (2) Virginia vs. (1) North Carolina
March 12 at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
ESPN

177 - (4) Troy women vs. (2) Little Rock
March 12 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA
espn3.com

Game 170 - (10) Georgia Tech vs. (2) Virginia

ACC quarterfinals
March 10 at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
ESPN

Game 135 - Virginia at Miami (Fla.)

February 22 at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, FL
ESPN

Many years ago, I took the green pill with the hippo on it and ever since I've avoided every single minute of every single halftime show. But I still occasionally get the back-from-commercial stuff & Monday I finally figured out what "Joey Brackets" means.

And that also gives us a nice list of nonsense:

1. Joe Lunardi is a "bracketologist"
2. Again, his nickname, which I think he might've given himself (?) is "Joey Brackets"
3. Just before halftime of this 64-61 Miami win, Lunardi said "we're in the bracket bunker again."

Let's quickly move on.

* Of the college analysts I've heard on ESPN, Doris Burke is one the better ones. But Doris isn't immune to the occasional "dribble drive" or this:

"If you're Miami, you want the lead going down the stretch of this one."

Thanks, Doris!