Three Key Takeaways:

1. Georgetown is very solid defensively. Whether the Hoyas were playing zone or man, they stifled Belmont’s long-range shooting attack all night, as the Bruins were held to 37% from behind the arc. The success of Georgetown’s defense can definitely be linked to the length the Hoyas have on their roster. Starters Nate Lubick, Otto Porter, Henry Sims, and Hollis Thompson are all at least 6’8″ and each uses their length quite well.
2. Jason Clark can be a March star. The senior was outstanding, as he put up 21 points on 9-12 shooting. If Georgetown can get performances like this from Clark as the tournament progresses, there are not many teams that will be able to contain him. Clark also picked up four rebounds and two steals, while playing solid defense on Belmont’s Drew Hanlen.
3. Georgetown shook off its last two NCAA Tournament appearances. After consecutive opening game defeats to Ohio and Virginia Commonwealth, Georgetown was able to take advantage of its higher seed and top a team it was favored against. Georgetown will be favored again on Sunday when it plays NC State, so it will be interesting to see if the Hoyas can take care of business again.

Star of the Game. Jason Clark, Georgetown. The senior scored 10 of the team’s first 14 points and paced the team for the remainder of the game. As a senior, Clark had experienced opening game disappointment before, so one would have to credit him for putting past disappointment out of mind and leading his team to victory.

Sights and Sounds. Belmont definitely had the more raucous following. Clad in all red, the Bruins fans stayed into the game until the very end, even when it was known their team was finished. There were not as many Georgetown fans as I had expected, but the ones in attendance made their presence known, especially when the Hoyas began to pull away.

What’s Next? Georgetown will meet North Carolina State on Sunday. The Wolfpack were upset winners (by seeding at least) over San Diego State earlier this afternoon. The Wolfpack were able to top the Aztecs with solid defense and outstanding shooting. With the way Georgetown defended today, it will be interesting to see if NC State can maintain its strong offensive performances.

Three Key Takeaways.

1. Survive and Advance.  Florida State did not want to become the 15th team  – and only the fourth since 2000 – to lose as a #3 seed in the round of 64.  The Seminoles used an impressive second-half defensive effort – holding St. Bonaventure to 11-31 from the floor – and were able to hold off the upset-minded Bonnies.  FSU allowed St. Bonaventure to shoot 46% in the first half, which led to a six-point deficit at the break.  Florida State is known for its ferocious halfcourt defense, and that is what carried it through to the third round.  The Seminoles were also able to neutralize St. Bonaventure star Andrew Nicholson, who got off to a hot start with 10 points in the first eight minutes of the game, but finished with only 20.
2. Seminoles Win without Much from Snaer.   The Seminoles’ leading scorer, Michael Snaer was held scoreless on the day for the first time in his career. Snaer, a second-team All-ACC performer, got into early foul trouble and played only five minutes in the first half.  He was a non-factor in the second and took only seven shots, going 0-5 from three. Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton has to be pleased that his team was able to overcome the odds considering such a poor performance from its best player to move on.
3. A Perplexing Finish.  After Florida State missed two of three free throws late, St. Bonaventure had a chance to tie with a late three.  The Bonnies had the ball in the frontcourt with 20 seconds remaining but had no timeouts left.  Florida State guarded the perimeter ferociously, leaving Da’Quan Cook with a two-point attempt with nine seconds left.  After Cook rebounded his miss, rather than pass to a teammate for a three, he went back up with it and time expired.  It was an inexplicable ending to a hard-fought game.

Star of the Game. Bernard James, Florida State. On this day, Florida State does not advance without the play of Bernard James.  Given the off afternoons that the team’s two leading scorers, Ian Miller and Snaer had (eight combined points), James’ performance was a necessity.  He ended up with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Quotable.   “Give Florida State credit. They defended very well in the second half.  But we did what we needed to do; we just came up short.  It was a terrific college basketball game.” – St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt

Sights and Sounds.  St. Bonaventure, which appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, had a raucous and creative group of fans on hand in Nashville.  Florida State’s smaller contingent got very loud themselves after the Seminoles clawed back and took the lead. The Tomahawk Chop was out in full force on Friday.

What’s Next?  Third-seeded Florida State now looks to its matchup with sixth-seeded Cincinnati in what promises to be a defensive war.  Don’t expect a lot of offense in Sunday’s game.

Three Key Takeaways.

1. The lane is open. To open the game, Florida relied too heavily on the three-point shot.  After getting down early 10-2, the Gators rallied back to make a 28-10 run into halftime and an eight-point lead of their own thanks to driving the ball into the lane and Florida’s Erving Walker slicing between the Cavalier defense.
2. Three point shooting woes. Both teams struggled from the three-point line in the first half, going a combined 1-of-22 from behind the arc.  The second half was a little better as Florida went 3-of-7, but Virginia struggled only going 3-of-10 in the second half.  Florida needs the three pointer to be on for them to get through their next opponent. 
   
3. Second Chances. The Gators had several second chance opportunities in this game outscoring the Cavaliers 12-0 in that category.  Virginia didn’t protect the lane at the right times and the lack of defense allowed Florida to shoot almost 70% in the second half.

Star of the Game–Bradley Beal, Florida.  Beal came up big in the second half scoring 10 of his game high 14 points and then grabbed 11 rebounds.  The freshman guard from St. Louis didn’t play like a guard, with that rebounding ability.   Patric Young and Casey Prather also came up big going a combined 12-of-13 from the field.

Sights & Sounds–There were concerns from Omaha officials about the attendance for this game due to the local school Creighton taking on Alabama at the same time as this game.  But by the middle of the second half the arena mostly filled in but you could hear periodic cheers out of nowhere due to fans in the arena seeing the Creighton game on the concourse TVs.

Quotable–“You saw a team that really took it to us and we didn’t have an answer,” Tony Bennett, Virginia Head Coach.

What’s Next?–The Gators now wait to see if they will face Missouri or Norfolk State in the round of 32 on Sunday.  The likely pick here will be Missouri as they have the fan support at the CenturyLink Center and have been pretty dominant this season.   The key for Florida will be to hit more three pointers than they did in this one.  If they go cold again, it will be tough for them to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Three Key Takeaways.

1. As McDermott goes, so does Creighton. Creighton star Doug McDermott hit a three-pointer with eight minutes to go in the first half, putting the Jays up by four. Then McDermott went scoreless for the next twelve, and Alabama built a 10-point lead. The Jays only got back into the game in the second half when McDermott started finding the basket again.
2. Bama Shot the Lights Out. Alabama is usually one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the nation, but they found a way to hit more than 40% of their deep shots against Creighton. Without this unusual output, the Crimson Tide wouldn’t have been able to stay in the game.
3. Late Game Management is Crucial. Creighton smartly used their foul to give with 4.7 seconds left. But Alabama waited until after they inbounded the ball and ran 2.3 seconds off the clock before calling a timeout. When play resumed, Alabama didn’t have time to get a clean shot off, and the Jays advanced.

Star of the Game. Doug McDermott, Creighton. Though he led all scorers with 16 points, McDermott’s best play may have been grabbing an offensive rebound when Greg Echenique  missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 33 seconds left, up by two points. McDermott didn’t let his mid-game scoring drought affect his later play, and he came up big at the end.

Sights and Sounds. Attendance was sparse for the 1:40 pm tipoff, especially among Alabama fans. However, that made it easier to enjoy the Creighton and Alabama bands trading renditions of pop-punk classics. Alabama’s version of Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” was fun, but it couldn’t beat the breakneck pace of Creighton’s “Blitzkrieg Bop.”

What’s Next? Creighton will likely meet North Carolina playing what amounts to a home game for the Tar Heels, barring something historically unseen. If the Jays can keep hitting from outside, they’ll have a chance.

Three Key Takeaways.

1. NC State simply shot the ball better. The Wolfpack shot a sizzling 58.5% from the field for the game, which included a scorching 65.4% in the second half. On the other hand, San Diego State shot just 37.7% from the field for the game. When you see that big of a discrepancy in field goal percentage, it is easy to see why one team won and the other lost.
2. Chase Tapley did not play a complete game. While the junior guard scored 19 points and shot 7-13 from the field in the second half, Tapley was held scoreless in the first half and only attempted five shots. If Tapley had been able to give the Aztecs a strong effort in the first half, they might be the team moving on to the round of 32.
3. NC State has balance. Four players scored in double-figures – Richard Howell with 22, Lorenzo Brown with 17, CJ Leslie with 15, and Scott Wood with 10. It is tough to beat a team that gets such strong contributions from its starters and that was something the Wolfpack did receive.

Star of the Game. Lorenzo Brown, NC State. The sophomore guard was a jack-of-all trades for the Wolfpack, as he scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and handed out eight assists. He also did a fine job of maintaining his composure when San Diego State threatened to come back multiple times during the second half.

Quotable. Steve Fisher. In his opening statement, Fisher said that his squad was “beat by a very good team who played very well.” That is a credit to how good of a job Mark Gottfried has done in his first season in Raleigh. When Gottfried took over for Sidney Lowe, the Wolfpack could hardly be considered even an average team.

Sights & Sounds. NC State had a strong contingent of fans make the trip to Columbus. Clad in mostly red, the Wolfpack fans were in the game from the beginning and were rewarded handsomely in the end.

What’s Next. NC State will move on to face the winner of Georgetown and Belmont. If it faces Georgetown, NC State will need to have an answer for the Hoyas’ length and quickness on the defensive end. If it faces Belmont, NC State will need to contend with the Cinderella factor as the Bruins will be the crowd favorite.

Three Key Takeaways.

1. Stifling First Half Bearcat Defense.  Cincinnati gained control of this game in the first half by pressuring Texas on the perimeter and not giving the Longhorns good looks.  Texas went 4-25 in the first half and trailed by 14 at the break. Certainly, they missed some easy looks, but the Bearcats’ intensity should be credited for the atrocious shooting.  The Longhorns battled all the way back to tie the game, but Cincinnati’s lead was too much for Texas to overcome.
2. Dominating the Glass. Cincinnati is not known as a great rebounding team, as its size limits its ability in that area, but the Bearcats dominated the boards in the first half (26-18), and limited the Longhorns’ second-chance points. Considering the number of opportunities Texas had for offensive boards, this was a key to Cincinnati’s success.  The eventual rebounding advantage for the Bearcats was +6, and given that the Longhorns outrebounded their opponents on the season, this stat had to please Cincinnati Coach Mick Cronin.
3. What can (J’Covan) Brown do for you?  On this day, if you’re Texas, simply not enough.  While the Big 12’s leading scorer ended up close to his 20-point per game average, he was largely ineffective in the first half, when the Longhorns dug themselves too deep a hole from which to recover.

Star of the Game.  Yancy Gates.  The senior from Cincinnati scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.  More importantly, after Texas tied the game at 52, Gates made a nice post move to give the Bearcats the lead, and a 17-foot fadeaway to help seal it.

Quotable.  “I’m not gonna answer that question.  I’ll talk to coach and we’ll figure that out later.” – Brown, on whether he would return for his senior season.

Sights and Sounds.  A dull environment in the first half because of Texas’s awful play, the Bridgestone Arena came alive in the second half as the Longhorns improbably erased what had become a 19-point deficit early.  After a day of forgettable games Thursday, it was good to see a more electric environment for a first-round game.

What’s Next?  Cincinnati awaits the winner of Florida State-St. Bonaventure.  If the third-seeded Seminoles can handle their business against the Bonnies, it appears that we’ll see a tough defensive battle on Sunday.

The NCAA Tournament is here and there’s more news, commentary and analysis than any of us can possibly keep up with. To make things a little easier, we’ll bring you a list of daily links gathered about teams in each of the four regions all the way through the Final Four.

Midwest Region

• The USF Bulls are still riding high after their win in Dayton over California Wednesday, even after an early-morning flight to Nashville. Tournament experience is not so new to the Temple Owls, who make their fifth consecutive Big Dance appearance.
• USA Today provides a crash course on the Vermont Catamounts as they get ready to battle North Carolina.
• President Obama tabbed N.C. State as a surprise Sweet 16 squad, but head coach Mark Gottfried is doing his best to stay grounded.
• Close rivals Kansas and Missouri are sharing a facility in Omaha, despite residing in different regions on the bracket. There haven’t been any incidents between players, but fans have traded some barbs with both schools only a four-hour drive away.
• Chase Tapley and Xavier Thames will try to stop N.C. State. Tapley is the lone significant holdover from last season’s veteran-laden San Diego State squad, while Thames is in his first season since transferring from Washington State.

West Region

• CBSSports.com’s Matt Norlander believes Long Beach State‘s early exit at the hands of New Mexico shouldn’t cloud the legacy of the outgoing 49er senior class. Casper Ware, T.J. Robinson, Larry Anderson and Eugene Phelps came to LBSU one season after the 49ers won six games and beat Xavier and Pittsburgh in this season.
• Also in Portland, behind a strong game from Peyton Siva, Louisville handled Davidson and now must prepare for the Lobos. Any chances of a deep run by Louisville hinge on Siva stringing together strong performances instead of his on-again off-again style that’s drawn criticism this season.
• A matchup of contrasting styles pits Florida against Virginia this afternoon. Expect the Gators to push the tempo on both ends with run-outs, quick threes and defensive pressure to try to throw the Cavaliers out of sorts.
• The Missouri Tigers have won over 1,500 games in their history, but none of them have come in the Elite Eight. Mizzou’s quest to end that streak begins today when it takes on Norfolk State.
• They may be seeded three spots better, but Marquette will be in a de facto road environment for Saturday’s tilt with Murray State, as the KFC Yum! Center hosts the third round game 3.5 hours away from the Racers’ campus.

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RTC Region correspondents Brian Otskey (East), Kevin Doyle (South), Evan Jacoby (Midwest) and Andrew Murawa (West) contributed to this preview.

#8 Memphis vs. #9 Saint Louis – West Region Second Round (at Columbus, OH) – 6:50 PM ET on TBS

Nice to See Rick Majerus Back in the Dance (AP)

It may be an 8/9 game, but according to advanced metrics, this is anything but your typical 8/9 game. Both teams are among the top 15 teams in the country according to Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, outscoring opponents by about 0.2 points per possession over the course of the season. Still, looking back over the schedules, the Billikens’ only have four wins over NCAA Tournament teams (Vermont, St. Bonaventure and two over Xavier), while the Tigers have just three (Belmont, Southern Miss and Xavier) – not exactly stunning resumes. However, SLU head coach Rick Majerus is no stranger to NCAA Tournament success, and his ability to scout and gameplan for an opponent is legendary. And while Memphis is used to playing at a fast tempo, you can bet Majerus will effectively slow this game down, using 25 seconds or more on every offensive possession, mostly forgoing any attempts at offensive rebounds in an effort to get back on defense, and making Memphis score over a stingy SLU defense. While Memphis has been killing teams over the past month or so, the two games they’ve lost have been down-tempo affairs (UTEP and Southern Miss), and if they get frustrated against the deliberate Billiken pace, it could spell an early end to the Memphis season. Still, the Tigers will have a significant athletic advantage and while Majerus has a decent matchup for lightning quick guard Joe Jackson in the form of Kwamain Mitchell (and Jordair Jett), it remains to be seen how effective they will be against sophomore win Will Barton. If Barton can find space inside the SLU perimeter defense, he could create serious problems. Of course, that’s a big if.

The RTC Certified Pick: Saint Louis

#2 Duke vs. #15 Lehigh – South Region Second Round (at Greensboro, NC) – 7:15 PM ET on CBS

Located less than an hour’s drive from Cameron Indoor, Duke will do battle with Patriot League champion Lehigh in what is practically a home game for the Blue Devils. Duke is limping into the NCAA Tournament have lost two of their last three games, one of these losses coming in blowout fashion against arch rival North Carolina. Despite having many holes on the defensive end and Ryan Kelly uncertain for the game against Lehigh, Duke does have one of the more potent offensives in the tournament. Austin Rivers and Seth Curry can score from virtually anywhere on the floor, and the Plumlee brothers make for a formidable frontcourt. It is not often that a Patriot League team can put a player on the floor that has the ability to go shot-for- with one of the best teams in the nation, but C.J. McCollum will prove he belongs running side by side with Austin Rivers. The junior guard from Canton, OH ranks top ten nationally in scoring and has the ability to take over a game for long stretches. Although Duke will no doubt focus much of their effort on the defensive end on McCollum, it is no secret that the Blue Devils struggle guarding around the perimeter. McCollum will get his points, but it is just a question if his teammates will be able to follow suit. If Lehigh gets production from Gabe Knutson and Holden Greiner, don’t be surprised if the Mountain Hawks hang with Duke for much of the game.

The RTC Certified Pick: Duke

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RTC Region correspondents Brian Otskey (East), Kevin Doyle (South), Evan Jacoby (Midwest) and Andrew Murawa (West) contributed to this preview.

#6 Cincinnati vs. #11 Texas – East Region Second Round (at Nashville, TN) – 12:15 PM ET on CBS

These are two teams with similar statistical profiles but the Texas Longhorns are missing Alexis Wangmene, a big senior forward who would have added an extra body for Rick Barnes to go up against Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates in the paint. With a guard-oriented team and a thin front court, the Longhorns have some difficulty against the physical Bearcats. Cincinnati doesn’t have a deep front line either but Gates is the team’s third leading scorer and a key cog in its offensive flow. Neither team shoots the ball particularly well but Cincinnati has an edge on the perimeter with multiple players who can make a three. Texas ranks sub-200 in defending the triple and that’s something that could cost it the game. Cincinnati is a streaky hit-or-miss team with four capable guards surrounding Gates on the floor. As for Texas, leading scorer J’Covan Brown is pretty much the team’s only major threat. If Cincinnati can lock up Brown defensively, it will win the game rather easily. If Brown manages to get free and score close to his average of 20.1 PPG, the Bearcats will be in for a nail biter. Although Brown is the best player on the floor in this game, the edge has to go to Cincinnati because of its more balanced talent on the perimeter (including limiting turnovers), Gates in the post and the team’s overall experience. The majority of Cincinnati’s rotation is made up of juniors and seniors while four of Texas’ top six scorers are freshmen.

The RTC Certified Pick: Cincinnati.

#6 San Diego State vs. #11 N.C. State – Midwest Region Second Round (at Columbus, OH) – 12:40 PM ET on truTV

Jamaal Franklin is a Ferocious Competitor on Both Ends for SDSU (US Presswire)

A very popular upset pick, North Carolina State comes into this game on a roll having won four of its last five games with the only loss in the ACC Tournament semifinals to North Carolina by one possession. But NC State was on the bubble just one week ago; this team has been inconsistent throughout the season. The Wolfpack lost four games in a row prior to that strong finish to the season. The key to pull this upset will be to keep pressure on a strong SDSU defense, keyed by pounding the ball inside to find points in the paint with C.J. Leslie, Richard Howell, and C.J. Williams. It’s doubtful that San Diego State will give Scott Wood any wide open looks from three. The Aztecs, meanwhile, may have the two best overall players in this game with Mountain West Player of the Year Jamaal Franklin (17.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG) and savvy guard Chase Tapley (15.7 PPG, 43.3% three-pointers). Both players shoulder a lot of the scoring load but have been reliable in big games this season against strong MW competition. SDSU is a much stronger defensive team (93.5 defensive efficiency) and holds opponents to 40% shooting from the field. NC State has a 99.9 ‘D’ efficiency and allows too much easy offense. We’ll take the Aztecs, the stronger team all season long that has Sweet Sixteen experience from last season.

The RTC Certified Pick: San Diego State

#8 Creighton vs. #9 Alabama – Midwest Region Second Round (at Greensboro, NC) – 1:40 PM ET on TBS

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1. With how his team has performed this season we figured it would only be a matter of time before something and in the end it was the coach who made the first move. Yesterday, Rick Stansbury announced that he was stepping down as coach at Mississippi State. To those who followed the program it should not be that much of a surprise despite Stansbury’s 293-165 record in 14 seasons at the school. Despite loading up on enough talent to easily make the NCAA Tournament, Stansbury could not coax his team to play well. At the end of the season one of the team’s stars stated that he did not think that his team had the resolve to bounce back to make the NCAA Tournament. Fittingly, Stansbury’s career ended with his team playing uninspired during a home loss in the first round of the NIT.
2. It was 23 years ago that Rumeal Robinson sank two of the biggest free throws in college basketball history to give Michigan a national championship. Since that time his life has been a little less than ideal. Most people who frequent this site are aware of his relatively uninspiring pro career and his legal troubles, but we have not seen a story that detailed his life as well as the one in the upcoming issue of ESPN The Magazine. You are probably going to spend most of your day looking over the carnage that is your bracket and planted on a couch watching TV, but if you are going to read one article today that isn’t directly related to the NCAA Tournament this would be an excellent one to pick.
3. With the season nearing its conclusion (yes, we know it is awful) John Gasaway takes a look back at 12 proposed “fixes” for college basketball that he came up with in 2010 and proposes some updates. Some of the proposals have already been implemented, which John no doubt takes credit for, but some of them appear to be a long way away. Some of them are a little ridiculous (he was probably straining to get to 12 back in 2010), but there are several that we would like to see. Which ones do you think are the most reasonable to implement?
4. Corey Schmidt, Gasaway’s colleague at Basketball Prospectus, goes with someone a little more in their site’s wheelhouse–analyzing whether or not you need a go-to player to win a national championship. After looking at the data, we are not sure that the data says a lot other than you can win it different ways. While the raw data in the post is interesting we would like to see someone provide some work with a “control” (or case control) team that did not win the championship. The data set being used is obviously too small to come to any legitimate conclusions, but it could serve as a nice starting point for someone to build on for a bigger project.
5. If you were overwhelmed by all the action yesterday and need to catch up, we have you covered. Outside of our interview with Charles Barkley we also filed our new “Rushed Reaction” from courtside of every single game yesterday. We plan on doing the latter again today and if you are looking for more direct interaction beyond our national Twitter feed, we suggest you check out our feeds for the East, South, Midwest, and West regions. Our correspondents will be filing direct reports from all the locations within the region including pictures and answering any questions you may have.