It was a reminder that watching an entire basketball game unfold is uniquely satisfying: as you start to know individual players, a narrative draws you in. You become invested in the story even without any prior connection.
In the earlier game, Oregon (a 12 seed) defeated Wisconsin 72-54. I was reminded that Oregon made a Final Four appearance two years ago, and they certainly looked stronger than their seed. A forward named Kenny Wooten blocked four shots and brought considerable energy for the Ducks.
Energy and confidence matter so much during the NCAA tournament (fortunately, UVa found theirs early in the second half, pulling away to beat Gardner Webb (71-56) after a nerve-wracking replay of last year's debacle during the early part of the game; Kihei Clark played aggressively, after underperforming during the ACC tournament loss against Florida State). In this game, Oregon's energy grew, while Wisconsin's waned. I will be curious to see what happens during their second round game against UC Irvine, which also pulled off a considerable upset (as a 13 seed) against Kansas State.
In the second game, Liberty (another 12 seed!) defeated Mississippi State 80-76.
Liberty is coached by Ritchie McKay, who was an assistant for the Cavaliers for six years. The announcers explained that McKay was close with Dick Bennett and joined the UVa staff to help mentor Tony.
Late in the game, the Flames were losing by 10 or so. Caleb Homesley led an awesome comeback, scoring 14 points in less than five minutes (including several gorgeous three pointers).Then, Lovell Cabbil Jr. (a senior) made four crucial free throws in the last minute.
Another star was Myo Baxter-Bell, a muscular and wide bench player who played with with incredible hustle (diving to the floor on multiple occasions) to help Liberty come back on more than one occasion.
I really enjoyed watching the way that the Liberty players encouraged each other and truly played as a team. I assume that comes from great coaching by McKay. It is inspiring to watch people perform at their highest level, and I am happy for these players and coaches making the most of their moment.
