Four teams advanced to the Elite 8 (Great 8?) last night in the NCAA Tournament. The first two games of the evening featured Xavier vs. West Virginia and North Carolina vs. Washington State. Let’s take a look at what went down:

(7) West Virginia vs. (3) Xavier:
Xavier jumped out to an early 8-0 lead and with a barrage of three pointers that lead stretched to 18 points with around nine minutes left in the first half. It was not looking good for WVU. Xavier was hitting everything and had complete control of the game. However, Mountaineer forward Wellington Smith went on a run of his own scoring eight unanswered points to pull within ten. WVU was able to cut the lead to seven at the half.

The Mountaineers continued their comeback in the second half and were able to pull within one point 41-40 with around 15 minutes left in the game. The game stayed tight the rest of the way. With 14 seconds left in the game, WVU forward Joe Alexander kissed a shot off the glass while getting fouled. The basket tied the game up and with one free throw left he had a chance to put his team up by one. His free throw went long hitting the back of the rim and when Xavier guard Drew Lavender’s shot missed the other way, the two teams headed into overtime.

In the extra session, WVU jumped out to a 71-65 lead within the first minute and a half, but a resilient Xavier team went on a 10-3 run led by B.J. Raymond’s back-to-back three pointers. With Alexander on the bench with five fouls, West Virginia was not able to recover and the Musketeers prevailed 79-75. Senior forward Josh Duncan led Xavier with 26 points and teammate C.J. Anderson added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Alexander finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers. OTR is hoping that Alexander returns for another season at WVU, because we have enjoyed watching him develop into one of the best college players in the country. If you get a chance, ESPN’s Dana O’Neil wrote a great piece on Alexander that is worth reading.

(4) Washington State vs. (1) North Carolina
Washington State plays great defense and they were able to hold UNC to 68 points on 43% shooting, but it was not enough. They forgot to score points. 47 points and only making 31% of your shots is not going to win you basketball games this deep in the tournament. Did anyone really think the Cougars had any shot at winning this game anyway? UNC hasn’t been tested yet and they weren’t last night in their 68-47 victory. All-American forward Tyler Hansbrough didn’t have his best shooting night, but his 18 points and 9 rebounds led his team in both categories. Junior Danny Green contributed 15 points off the bench. Junior center Aron Baynes played well for the Cougars, but foul trouble plagued him all game. He finished with 14 points on 6-8 shooting. That’s about it for this game. It really wasn’t an exciting game. All fifteen players played again for UNC for the third straight game.

The later games featured Tennessee vs. Louisville and UCLA vs. Western Kentucky. Let’s take a look:

(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Louisville
Tennessee went up 7-6 early in the game when forward Duke Crews made a two-point basket, but that was the last lead they held the whole game. The next time down the court Louisville’s Juan Palacios nailed a three pointer and the Cardinals never looked back. The Volunteers were able to pull within one point 37-36 during a 6-0 run to begin the second half; however, Louisville was able to take control and outscored Tennessee 42-24 the rest of the way. Louisville shot 52% from the field and were led by sophomore Earl Clark (off the bench) who dropped in 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Four other players contributed with ten or more points in a very balanced effort for the Cardinals. Senior guard Chris Lofton, who may have been ailing from an injury, had a horrible shooting night (3-15), but went 7-7 from the stripe to lead all Volunteers with 15 points. Louisville advances to play North Carolina in the East regional finals. The Big East is 2-0 against the ACC in this year’s tournament, but UNC will have something to say about that on Saturday.

(1) UCLA vs. (12) Western Kentucky
How good is UCLA freshman Kevin Love? Good to quite good is the answer. Love scored 29 points on 10-14 shooting and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead his UCLA Bruins to an 88-78 victory. Western Kentucky never held a lead in this game, but did pull within four points 61-57 with seven minutes left in the game. Western Kentucky senior guard Tyrone Brazelton played a great game in their defeat. He led all scorers with 31 points and added five assists. UCLA’s James Keefe also had a solid game off the bench with 18 points and 12 rebounds. UCLA will now play Xavier in the West regional finals.

South Region (Houston, TX)
Summary of the first two rounds:

The South region, similar to the East region, only had one game where the higher seed advanced past the lower seed (higher meaning higher number) when (5) Michigan State defeated (4) Pittsburgh 65-54 in the second round. The Spartans also won their first round game by 11 points in their victory over Temple. Their next opponent will be the number one seed Memphis Tigers, who made easy work of Texas-Arlington in the first round, but found themselves a little too close for comfort against Mississippi State. For Memphis, foul shooting was a major problem in this game as it has been all season long. They went 15-32 from the stripe including only 2-6 when the game was on the line with under 20 seconds left. Their poor foul shooting gave Mississippi one last chance to tie it, but junior Jamont Gordon’s three-pointer missed the target.

The bottom half of the bracket went as planned with no upsets. Stanford rolled over Ivy League champ Cornell 77-53, but a pesky Marquette team took them to overtime in the second round. With nine seconds left in regulation Robin Lopez made one of two free throws to tie it up and Marquette’s Lazar Hayward missed his opportunity at winning the game when his two point shot fell short. In the overtime, Robin’s twin brother Brook Lopez was the hero. Brook scored eight points in the extra session including a two point jumper with three seconds left to win the game 82-81.

Guard A.J. Abrams led his number two seed Texas Longhorns in scoring with 26 points in each of the first two games of the tournament helping them defeat Austin Peay 74-54 and a resilient Miami team 75-72. Miami was down by 17 points with just under 11 minutes left in the game, but junior guard Jack McClinton surged a comeback that pulled them within three points when senior Raymond Hicks (off the bench) nailed a three pointer with 15 seconds left. However, two clutch free throws by A.J. sealed the deal for Texas which allowed them to advance to play Stanford in the round of 16.

Let’s look at the Sweet 16 match ups:

(1) Memphis vs. (5) Michigan State:
Should we worry about this team’s capability of hitting foul shots? Maybe, but this team isn’t an 11-loss team. They have only lost one game all season long, so they must be doing something right. Let’s ignore the shade-under-60% free throw average and focus on why this team is so good. Memphis has a lot of guys on their team that can play and constantly throw different lineups at the opposition. They can play big, they can play small, and this rotation keeps them fresh. They are led by 6-7 guard Chris Douglas-Roberts who shoots 54% from the field and freshman guard Derek Rose who leads the Tigers in assists. They have two 6-9 forwards that play very big in Robert Dozier and senior Joey Dorsey who loves to call the painted box his own. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Memphis has a lot of depth which is very important. Can Michigan State compete with this team? The Spartans have all five starters back from last year and are led by senior guard Drew Neitzel who leads the nation in assist to turnover ratio. I like that. However, if Michigan State has any chance at knocking off Memphis they will need a huge game from forward Raymar Morgan. Raymar had a hot start in the beginning of the year, as did the Spartans (19-2), but became very inconsistent in the second half of the year getting himself into foul trouble in a lot of the games. So, if Raymar can avoid the whistle Michigan State might have a shot, but I still think Memphis is too tough.

Perry’s Edge Memphis

(2) Texas vs. (3) Stanford:
I love this Texas team and let me tell you why. They have an outstanding point guard in D.J. Augustin who leads the team in scoring and assists. They have a deadly sharp shooter, A.J. Abrams, who is having a great tournament thus far. And 6-7 forward Damion James loves to rip down the rebounds and establishes a solid presence in the middle. However, center Connor Atchley and forward Gary Johnson are going to have their biggest task of the season. They will be facing up against the Lopez twins, Robin and Brook. I just noticed the Lopez twins have girly names. That’s funny. Ms. Robin and Ms. Brook both stand seven-feet tall and love to dominate the paint. Combined they averaged 29 points and almost 14 rebounds per game. Furthermore, for Stanford to win, junior point guard Mitch Johnson and company will need to stop D.J. and A.J. from dominating the perimeter. For Texas to win, their big men are going to need to contain the Lopez girls and Stanford’s inside game. I usually will take the inside presence over the perimeter game, but I love D.J. Augustin. Oh, and they’re playing in Houston. Perry’s Edge Texas.

Final Four Pick: Texas

West Region (Phoenix, AZ)
Summary of the first two rounds:

Mississippi Valley State scored 29 points in the first round. Not the first half, but the first round. UCLA laughed and advanced to round two where they found a legitimate opponent, Texas A&M. With 10 minutes left in the second half UCLA found themselves down by eight points 44-36. Texas A&M went scoreless for almost six minutes which allowed guard Russell Westbrook and the best freshman in college basketball Kevin Love to rally their team back within one point with 5:51 left. Russell scored all of his five points in that 7-0 run. Love tied the game at 45 and put UCLA up by two with consecutive two point baskets. The teams traded baskets until UCLA junior Darren Collison iced the game with 12 seconds left with a layup capping off his 21-point night.

The Cinderella team in the West, 12th seed Western Kentucky, provided us with the best game of the tournament in round one against Drake. In overtime, down by one point, Western Kentucky’s Ty Rogers took the hand-off from Tyrone Brazelton just behind the arc and nailed a three pointer to win the game as the buzzer sounded. In an easier game in the second round, WKU was able to defeat the 13th seeded San Diego who pulled off an upset of their own in the first round over Jim Calhoun’s UCONN Huskies. Western Kentucky will now face off against UCLA.

Xavier proved worthy of their number three seed by defeating SEC Tournament Champion Georgia 73-61 and a solid Purdue team 85-78. They will advance to play against the seventh seeded Mountaineers of West Virginia who defeated Arizona in the first round and that team I don’t like from Durham in the second round. If you want to read more of what happened in those games or how I really feel you can click here or here or here.

Let’s look at the Sweet 16 match ups:

(1) UCLA vs. (12) Western Kentucky:
I don’t think Western Kentucky has any shot at winning this game, but lets pretend. Western Kentucky has a shot at winning this game if future NBA star Courtney Lee and point guard Tyronne Brazelton can control the tempo of this game. In all honesty, Lee is one hell of a player. He averaged 20 points per game this year and has led his team to 19 victories in their last 20 games. He’s 6-5, 200 pounds, and has four years of college experience. However, Kevin Love only has one year of experience, he’s better, he’s bigger, and he plays for UCLA. Look for Love to control the inside game as his teammate Darren Collison controls the perimeter. These two players carried the Bruins down the stretch in their second round victory over Texas A&M and look for them to do the same against the Hilltoppers. Perry’s Edge UCLA.

(3) Xavier vs. (7) West Virginia:

I don’t trust basketball players under 5-10 and Xavier has one of those. His name is Drew Lavender, he’s 5-7, and he is good. That’s pretty much all I know about Xavier. They have pretty balanced scoring, they have a veteran team and they don’t turn the ball over. I shouldn’t have underestimated them a week ago, because these are the type of team that can go deep in the NCAA Tournament. However, they are playing against the team that I like most. If you haven’t seen Joe Alexander play yet, you’re in for a treat. This kid is good. He tends to force the issue at times but when he is under control he is a heck of a basketball player. He is 6-8 230 pounds and has both an inside game and outside game. He can handle the ball up top, play the post, and create his own shot. He plays defense, blocks shot, and loves to talk smack. Did I get my point across? In the game against Duke, Joe Mazulla came off the bench and controlled the whole game while coming two assists short from getting a triple double (a rare feat in college basketball). Look for Coach Huggins to turn to him early in this game. Keep your eye on forward Da’Sean Butler and guard Alex Ruoff as well. Ruoff probably has the best jumper of all the players left in this tournament. West Virginia has some guys that can play. They remind me of the team with Pittsnogle and Gansey. I’m riding the Alexander train till it ends.

Perry’s Edge: West Virginia

Final Four Pick: UCLA

Check out Off The Record’s Day 1 recap right here.

East Region:

Contenders for the final four spot:

(1) UNC – North Carolina has been solid all year long and are the team to beat in this bracket. Indiana should not be a threat in the 2nd round. (8) Indiana has yet to score over 88 points on the road this year and that is the exact number the Tar Heels average per night. (4) Washington St. shouldn’t be a problem for UNC either. Washington St. is 0-7 vs. UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona, three tournament teams.

(2) Tennessee – They played in the weak SEC, but their out of conference schedule included wins against Temple, West Virginia, Xavier, Gonzaga, Ohio State, and Memphis. They also lost a tough game to Texas, but this Tennessee team is battle tested. They shouldn’t have any trouble until they face Louisville in the sweet 16.

(3) Louisville – Many thought that the Cardinals were the best team in the Big East this year. This is a conference that’s sending eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. Moreover, to be thought of as the best, they gotta be doing something right. Having Rick Pitino as your coach isn’t just canned potatos either. However, I do see Tennessee beating Louisville.

Upset Specials:
(12) George Mason over (5) Notre Dame. George Mason still has two starters from their 2006 run to the final four. And Notre Dame guns threes. They shoot too many of them. Live and die by the three.

(10) South Alabama over (7) Butler. My only reasoning in taking South Alabama is that this game is being played in Birmingham, Alabama.

East Region Winner: UNC – I think they are too strong right now with a healthy Ty Lawson. Hansbrough is a beast. They have quality starters at each position and they can put up points with the best of them. They really don’t have any weaknesses right now. UNC is going to be a tough team to beat.

Midwest Region:

Contenders for the final four spot:

(1) Kansas – Kansas started off the year going 20-0, finally losing to Michael Beasley’s Kansas State Wildcats. Their 20 straight wins included out of conference games against Arizona, USC, Georgia Tech, and Boston College, so they did mix it up a little with the PAC 10 and ACC. They only lost three games this year by a total of 13 points, one of those games being against Texas. Just like UNC, they should have no trouble getting thru the first two rounds.

(2) Georgetown – Regular season champs of the Big East, but they did lose to a hot Pitt team in the Big East Conference Tournament. Georgetown loves to slow down the game. They run the Princeton offense and love to get their big man Roy Hibbert involved as much as possible. They have a great point guard in Jonathan Wallace and a very deep bench. If you want to beat G’town, you’re gonna have to break their defense (5th in the nation) and score some points.

(3) Wisconsin – The Badgers are on fire right now. They have won 10 straight games and their season resume includes a huge win at Texas and two season sweeps over Indiana and Michigan State. They seem to have no problem with the teams they are supposed to beat, so I don’t see this team getting upset too early. Their only losses came against Purdue twice, Duke, and Marquette.

Upset Specials:
(12) Villanova over (5) Clemson. I think it’s all mental with Clemson. They can never win the big game. They’re gonna come out still thinking about how they lost to UNC (again) and Nova’s gonna come out guns a blaz’n.

(10) Davidson over (7) Gonzaga. Davidson has won 22 straight games and check out this out of conference schedule: Lost to UNC by four, lost to Duke by six, and lost to UCLA by 12. It looks like they can hang with the big dawgs. I understand they lost all three games, but out of respect for getting those three teams on the schedule, I’m taking them.

Best Game of the First Round:
(11) Kansas State vs. (6) USC. Two lottery picks are going to be facing off against each other in this game, USC’s OJ Mayo & KSU’s Michael Beasley. These are two teams that nobody wanted to face in the first round and the Selection Committee matched them up against each other. I guarantee that all the pro scouts will be at this game. This is the 7:10pm EST game on Thursday. Make sure you tune into this one.

Midwest Region Winner: Kansas – Yep, I took another number one seed. I see Wisconsin having too tough of a road. In the second round they will have to play the winner of the USC/KSU game, then face off against G’town? They’ll be spent by the time Kansas is in their face. Furthermore, I see Kansas being too tough for G’town. I can’t see G’town beating them either.

Ok, everyone, it’s Tourney time. It’s time to fill out your brackets and get ready for two of the best days in sports (Thursday and Friday of the NCAA’s are always phenomenal). Click here to play in the Blast Magazine Tourney Pool. It’s free and Perry and I are going to come up with some prizes that we’ll let you all know about as soon as we figure it out (give us a break, these things take time).