The Midwest stuck to form yesterday as both MD and Butler were winners. Can GT upend UNLV for the first upset in the region?

The Rebs are going to want to keep this game in the halfcourt, but the Jackets are going to try and counter with a running style of offense. Who you got?

Well S2N's got YOU for the first game of the day. Join him after the jump....

UNLV #7 Midwest Region:

Conference Mountain West
Location Las Vegas, NV
Coach Lon Kruger (since 2004)
Arena Mack Center
Record 28-6 (12-4)
RPI 9
NCAA Apearances 14
NCAA Record 30-13 (.698)
Last Bid 2000
Last Win 1991

Georgia Tech #10 Midwest Region:

Conference Atlantic Coast
Location Atlanta, GA
Coach Paul Hewitt (since 2000)
Arena Alexander Coliseum
Record 20-11 (8-8)
RPI 52
NCAA Apearances 14
NCAA Record 22-14 (.611)
Last Bid 2005
Last Win 2005


Hi again, everyone, your West Coast Correspondent is here. Hopefully today's contest between the Runnin' Rebs and the Rambling Wrecks keeps my attention longer than yesterday's Cardinals-Cardinal debacle (guess the extra S makes a difference.) Also note: I'll be handling Long Beach State and Tennessee after this.

I got UNLV in the 16 this year. So, get your game snack together, and we'll hit this come start time. Bonus: this is Nantz and Packer's first call of the tourney. I'll need your help in comments to track Packer's drooling idiocy.

Clark Kellogg is patting himself on the back for 13 of the 16 favorites winning, conveniently forgetting his Stanford pick yesterday.

Ad problems: I don't want a Hummer that goes underwater. I don't want a Hummer at all. And death to Sonic for running ads nationwide when there isn't one within 20 miles of where I live.

Watching the highlights of Duke losing just can't get old for me.

I didn't want to be the one to say it: Greg Gumbel has let himself go. Clark Kellogg is picking Winthrop and LBSU -- I fear my upset picks are now in danger. Going to Albany-Virginia for a bit first.

Awful Announcing- said: I got a dollar that I you get more comments than me.

Maybe, AA, but that's only because this game may be seen by more people, not necessarily due to quality of live-blog. Also due to Billy Packer.

OK, we've been transferred to Chicago for some Nancy Boy and the Curmudgeon. Rebs got the tipoff, Kevin Kruger brings it up and the Rebs cough it up on a turnover. Javaris Crittenden is working it and Young can't finish. Rebs get the first bucket from a guy whose name I can't spell. Crittenden draws a foul on the other side while playmaking. GT gets two offensive boards and Young is fouled trying to put it back in. Rebs' Mr. Unpronounceable is out with two fouls. One free throw good.

Ume hits a 3 for the Rebs, and they're on the board and up by one. Crittenden calls a time-out before he can travel.

Break 1: UNLV 5, GT 1.

That DirecTV commercial with the Entourage guys is stupid. Count Turtle among the people/characters I'd like to punch in the face. "Gotta catch my Knicks in HD." Tells you all you need to know.

UNLV is defending well on this one, Dickey puts in an offensive board for the bucket, and with his center out, Lon Kruger calls time. Break again, 5-3 UNLV. Anthony loses the ball underneath after a bad shot, and UNLV forgets about the shot clock having 2 seconds left. This is way too common a mistake for college ball. UNLV plays good D at the other end again. Ume hits another 3 from the corner. Anthony gets a nasty block on a GT player, and Ume is ON FIRE, hitting another 3.

Break 2: 11-3, UNLV.

Short trip to the Memphis-North Texas game, and Memphis is not looking good early. An Albany-UVA check-in...and...we're back in Chicago. Kruger the Younger brings it up, gets it back for a 3, missed, and GT comes back the other way only to give it up on a travel (second travel on the Wrecks for the game so far.) Crittenden steals, misses the lay-in, and a foul on the rebound by UNLV's Anthony. Inbound comes in and GT hits a three. First GT FG in four minutes, GT gets another steal and the jam is in for the five-point turnaround. Reach-in foul on GT.

"Anthony, the lack of hand control, exposed." - Nantz. I imagine that the forward's hands are just shaking at all times, the way he and Packer are talking about it. UNLV is lighting it up from outside the arc, as Adams hits another 3, making the Rebs 4 of 6 from three. Good rebounding by UNLV. Foul on the other end as UNLV shoots, Rebs to the line.


14-8, UNLV, at another timeout.

Yes, you are someone, but again, someone who works at McDonald's. Just get me my goddamn french fries. I probably need to watch more How I Met Your Mother -- both the actresses are cute, plus I should find out what the "Are You Wearing Any Panties Quiz" consists of.

Now 16-8, UNLV, after another bucket. GT can't buy a three-point shot, and UNLV is still working the boards big-time with their center on the bench with two. Long rebound off a 3 goes to UNLV again, and they keep the ball when it goes out on GT. No rebounding hustle from the Wrecks right now -- and another O-board for UNLV with a fresh clock after the clang. Everyone's favorite Mormon Joe Darger misses a three, and GT finally gets a rebound.

Terry hits another 3 for UNLV. I wonder if we'll see Darger's family in the stands in Chicago, and if CBS will make anything of it. Packer hasn't said anything too dumb yet, amazingly. Blocking foul under the basket on Dickey, and Adams goes to the line and hits both. Darger picks up his second foul at the other end when GT throws it in to Dickey. UNLV could be running into foul problems, but they're still playing good defense, and Crittenden misses another three (29% FG shooting so far for the team.)

A timeout on the floor called in a scrum for the ball, and we've got about 8 minutes left. UNLV up 21-10.

Offensive foul on Dickey as we come back. He's headed to the bench with two. UNLV almost lost it twice on slow passes, and White gets fouled in the post on what was probably a legitimate block, pending actual close up review for the audience -- regardless, White is heading to the line for two.

Dickie V Hooters ad = CHEAPEST. LOOKING. NATIONAL. AD. EVER.

Fuck you, CBS, KCOY, or Charter Communications, whichever one of you is responsible for the bad signal.

- b said...Jo'Van 'Wink' Adams? Why so many apostrophes in the guy's name?

Couldn't tell you, B. I can't spell half of the Rebs' names just going on they way they sound.

White misses a baseliner, and Young brings it up for GT, and Kruger commits a reach-in. The GT player at the line misses the one-and-one (HE SHOOTS 41 PERCENT FROM THE FREE THROW LINE? GET YOUR ASS IN THE GYM, SON!) and GT is passing too much after getting the O-board.

"They have a team on the floor that has no direction offensively." - BP.

"This is a woeful exhibition by Georgia Tech in the first half of not having anyone who can get into an offense." - BP, spitting game today.

Wink Adams hits another 3 for UNLV. Packer's got a point that they can't live by the 3 all game, but for right now, it'll work. Another foul on Kruger on a breakaway, and Daddy's gonna sit him on the bench. UNLV up by a ton at the break, and Blogger is fucked once again. Deadspin's Nibbles is laughing at the Blogger Guinea Pigs.

Wendell White hits two from the line, a steal by white, and Adams throws it down. This is getting ugly, kids, and I've been switched out to Memphis-North Texas. I'll keep track of this.

Memphis' Joey Dorsey picks up a foul as a UNT player drives. Skinny white dude in super baggy shorts misses the one-and-one, and Memphis travels. John Calipari doesn't look happy. Dozier blocks a shot, Memphis takes it back down, and UNT picks up on the turnover, but can't convert on that or the offensive board.

Memphis is at the line, and they get the putback after missing the second of two free throws. Mark my words, this team will lose either this game or the next one because of their crap from the charity stripe. We find out Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts was part of a double technical foul (split) and got three personal fouls, so he's on the bench.

Questionable foul there, and we get this bit:

"Was there any Louganis there?" - Verne Lundquist
"A little bit." - Bill Raftery

The Azzuri would have been proud of that flop, UNT.

"A trio of young men who get less sleep than you and me, Bill: Greg Gumbel, Clark Kellogg, and Seth Davis." - VL; to Verne, everyone else is a young man.

30-28, Memphis, with three and a half to go. Meanwhile, the score in the corner says 32-26 UNLV with half a minute left. North Texas gets the ball back on a bad pass, Stearns coughs it up, and Memphis hits a pretty jumper on the other end. Time out for UNT, as the Tigers look ready to have one of those nasty runs at the end of the half.

By the way, 33-26 UNLV at the half.


Another UNT turnover, as Memphis has forced 11, and four in the last four possessions. Dorsey gets the tip in on the rebound. Another UNT turnover leads to a lay-in from Dozier. Memphis is on a 14-2 run.

"You made the point that this [Memphis] is a team that spurts." - VL. Yes, I'm a 12-year-old. Meanwhile, Bill Raftery is almost growling the Memphis players' names, as if he's trying to say them like a tiger would. There's really no way to describe them outside of it sounding like he's saying names while trying to pinch a loaf.

Halftime, 37-28, Memphis. Great run, but I wanted to see the GT comeback to respectable before half.

"[Memphis] spurted out when they forced turnovers." - Clark Kellogg.

With our short intermission (AKA UVA-Albany on), time for a shameless site plug. Hopefully we'll be back to UNLV-GT soon.

Apparently not. Back to Memphis-UNT right now. There's no justification if I stay on this game -- six points is not running away with it. Give me my Rebs and Wrecks, CBS! Calvin Watson to the line for UNT, and misses one of two. Memphis runs it in with a gorgeous spin move from Jeremy Hunt.

"And da kisssssss!" - BR, sounding very constipated at Hunt's lay-up. OK, back to UNLV-GT, finally. Game tied at 40, and of course, THEY DIDN'T SHOW US ANY OF IT. Dumbasses. Georgia Tech definitely made the halftime adjustments, and UNLV's Mr. Unpronounceable center goes out again picking up his 3rd foul. Anthony back in, and Lon Kruger is bitching Unpronounceable out. GT loses the ball, Crittenden is not on the floor. Tech is pressing a little, and Kevin Kruger loses the ball as it's knocked out off his foot. Foul on Wink Adams. UNLV gets the ball back and scores. Tech has no ball handler in there, and Crittenden will be coming back at the next whistle. GT misses two shots, we get an audible F-bomb on the second miss, and it's UNLV ball.

Kruger Jr. brings it up, dishes low, dishes back out to Kruger Jr., and a jump ball with one second left on the shot clock; GT ball. Smith throws it down two handed after deking out Anthony down low. Crittenden gets called for the foul away from the ball when posted up by White. White nails a jumper off the inbounds on the fall away. Terry picks up another foul (did we mention he's Jason Terry's younger brother? No? Then we just did.) UNLV isn't hitting threes this time, and Crittenden finally gets a bucket.

White hits another jumper with a hand in his face. Nice. He's got 13 and 8 in the half. West hits one, and they're trading nice buckets. UNLV misses, foul on the rebound by GT.

Break: 46-all.

"THIS IS OUUURRRR COUNTRAY."

CBS's signal is taking visual and audio hits. I think this might be on my shitty local affiliate again....aaaaaaand, we're in black, no we're not, we're taking hits again, and black (damn small-town California.) UNLV is still rebounding well, my cable company/local CBS station is letting me down in crunch time. Crittenton (did I have the spelling wrong the whole time) is heading to the bench again.

10 minutes left, Kruger misses a three, White comes down with it, and West picks up another foul, and here comes Crittenton again after a short rest. Kruger misses another 3, but the Rebs get another offensive board. Ume gets a floater on the drive. This bad signal is really making me seriously consider re-thinking my aversion to a satellite dish.

White gets another deuce on the drive -- he's lighting it up right now, and I've got audio, but no video. Crap. 6-0 run for UNLV, 52-46 in break.

Ume is back again, hitting another 3 after Crittenton got a score.

"You know what Dick Enberg would say about Ume?" - JN
"Ume? Oh my!" - BP

Crittenton is driving big time and gets another score, and Young fouls Kruger on the way back up, and misses the one and one. (Interesting rule: Kruger is on his dad's team at UNLV; he graduated from ASU, and the rule has been taken off the books). GT hits another score in the post, and UNLV's looking to open it up with White again. Adams gets an air ball, and GT's outlet pass is too wide. West fouls on the inbound, with another cheapie on Kruger for a one-and-one. He hits both.

Under five minutes to go, and Crittenton gets another score by driving. Rebs up 3. 3-on-2, great run, pass under, and a dunk for GT. Why UNLV shot another three there is beyond me. GT has a chance to take the lead now. Young has his jumper blocked, Morrow gets fouled on the offensive board. 57-56, Rebs. Break time.

Anthony Morrow hits both free throws, and GT's got the lead for the first time in the game. Why is White not in the game, Lon Kruger? Ume on Crittenton, under 3:00 to go. UNLV plays great D, and it's a shot clock violation (pay attention, Rambling Wrecks!) White gets the kiss off the glass, and UNLV takes the lead back. GT uses its last time out with just over 2:00 left. Not good in a close game like this.

Smith goes to the line for a couple after a foul down low, Mr. Unspellable gets foul number four (I'm lazy, I don't want to look up his nmae), and it's tied at 59 after those two foul shots. UNLV is working the ball with White, and he gets his own rebound after a missed jumper. This guy is working harder than anyone else on the damn floor, Ume misses the three badly, but makes an AWESOME play to save the ball off Crittenton for UNLV ball on the baseline with a fresh shot clock. Smart play.

White gets a SWEET feed from Kruger inside, hits the layup, and gets fouled. He's trying for the old-fashioned three point, and he's in a bit of pain. Misses the free throw. GT down by two with no TO's left with under a minute to go. Crittenton gets whistled for a 5-second call, as Adams locks him up. I forgot refs can call that. 50 seconds left.

Reminder: if you're still with me, stick with me upthread, as I'll be handling LBSU-Tenn as soon as this one's over.

Tsingay (Mr. Unspellable) battles under for rebounds with missed shots, and he's going to the line for a couple. Big free throws here. Hits the first to make it a 3-point lead, and this is a lock-up one here that UNLV needs. Got it. Hits 'em both. UNLV up by four.

Run Up The Score! said: Billy Packer -- "UNLV will have to give up the balls." Ouch.

Oof. Crittenton gets a score, Ume's fouled on the inbounds, and that's the wrong guy to foul. 83% free throw shooter. Hits 'em both again. Clutch, crunch free throws. Crittenton got his shot blocked by Tsingay, and Javaris can't save it. 13 seconds left, and this one's probably done. Smith fouls Kruger, and he can ice it now. Hits one for a 5 point lead. Inbound stolen by UNLV, Ume headed to the line with six seconds left. Done and done.

Ume hits both. UNLV wins after a vanity bucket, 67-63. Join me up thread for LBSU-Tennessee, folks.