Whitmer On Toucher & Rich: No More Cinderellas Left In NCAA Tournament
BOSTON (CBS) - 98.5 The Sports Hub's Fred Toucher and WBZ-TV's Dan Roche (filling in for Rich) had on the Boston Globe's Michael Whitmer Monday morning to talk some March Madness.
With the first three rounds completed, we're on to the Sweet 16. Whitmer talked about all the upsets from over the weekend and the upcoming matchups as well.
Whitmer spoke about the lack of a "Cinderella" presence in the remaining field of 16.
"There's only one team left that's a double-digit seed, and that's the team that has the most NCAA title banners hanging from their rafter -- that's UCLA," said Whitmer.
While the #11 seed UCLA Bruins look to continue dancing in the South region against #2 Gonzaga in the Sweet 16, the East region has been the most upset-ridden, as top seeded Villanova and #2 seeded Virginia both experienced early tourney exits in just their second game.
After a Big East conference championship and 41-point trouncing of #16 Lafayette in their first game, Villanova fell to #8 North Carolina State, 71-68.
"They got off to a slow start, and they got punched in the mouth a little bit. It was tough for Villanova to get clean three-point looks, and when they did they just weren't knocking them down," said Whitmer.
Virginia also dropped a close one, losing to #7 Michigan State 60-54 in a hectic game from start to finish. This is the second year in a row that the Cavaliers have been ousted by Michigan State in the tournament. The Sweet 16 is a familiar feat for the Spartans, who under coach Tom Izzo have advanced to the Sweet 16 five of the last six years.
"It just seems like this time of year, more often than not, they're peaking. He's the common denominator. Players come and go, but he's been there, and they've been winning," Whitmer said of the Spartans.
Michigan State moves on to face the #3 seed Oklahoma Sooners while the NC State Wolfpack take on #4 Louisville in the East bracket semifinals.
Over in the Midwest region, Kentucky survived a physical battle against #8 Cincinnati Saturday, 64-51.
"I don't know if Kentucky responded all that well to Cincinnati's approach. The Bearcats just beat you up," said Whitmer.
Cincinnati's aggressive defense prevented UK from pulling away all game, as the Wildcats shot just 37 percent from the field for the game, but their depth and athleticism proved too much for a Bearcats team that also struggled to put up points.
"Any team that beats Kentucky is going to need some help. They're going to have to play well, but Kentucky's going to have to not play up to their level of how they can play," said Whitmer.
Listen below for the full discussion: