Lopez Makes Things Interesting

By Will Brinson

So maybe taking Marquette to go deep in the tourney was a bit of a mistake on my part. However, until the ridiculous shot by Brook Lopez to win the game in overtime, it actually seemed like a pretty decent pick. And Lopez' shot, while not easy, is certainly atypical of what makes this three-week span so freaking exciting.



It was a welcome refresher, too, as the "mid-tier" (the only term I could think of using instead of "6 o'clock") games were pretty much "meh." Washington State absolutely blew apart Notre Dame, despite Luke Harangody's redonk 22 rebounds and 10 points. Kyle McAlarney (could you be any more Irish?) was the only other ND player to score in double figures. Washington State is pretty freaking underrated for a No. 3 seed, folks, so I guess now is a good time to point out I have Wazzu beating top-ranked North Carolina.

Kansas' win over UNLV was a little bit closer, but four starters scoring in double figures -- led by Mario Chalmers with 17 and Brandon Rush with a 12/6/3 line -- to stop the Rebels. Note to self: stop underrating the Rebs in the tourney just because you hate Greg Anthony.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.