*DAY TWO WAS SUPERIOR IN QUALITY TODAY ONE, BUT COVID UNFORTUNATELY TOPPED THE HEADLINES: The VCU-Oregon game was ruled a no-contest after multiple VCU players tested positive. Speculation is that the players contacted COVID during last weekend’s A-10 Tournament at Dayton.
*ON THE COURT, VIRGINIA WAS ELIMINATED, LIKELY IN SOME PART, BECAUSE OF COVID: Virginia players were placed in quarantine after COVID forced them out of the ACC Tournament on March 12. They did not practice until yesterday morning in Charlottesville before traveling to Indianapolis where the team had a walk-through on Saturday six hours prior to tip. Virginia led Ohio University 38-31 with 13:21 remaining, but a lack of conditioning certainly played some role in Cavaliers 62-58 loss.
*RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU ARE SURPRISED ABOUT PAC 12’s 5-0 START, WHICH MEANS ALL OF YOU: UCLA is 2-0 while Colorado, Oregon State, and USC are 1-0. Oregon did not play after Virginia Commonwealth’s COVID issues. On Saturday, Colorado became the fourth team in tournament history to shoot at least 60 percent from the field, at least 60 percent from three, and at least 85 from the free-throw line during its 96-73 demolition of Georgetown.
*ABILENE CHRISTIAN WAS THE BETTER TEAM AGAINST TEXAS: Texas was more than a trendy Final Four pick because of its dynamic three-guard offense and two future NBA post players. But, Shaka Smart’s latest underachieving team was outscored 12-0 in second-chance points and turned it over a season-high 23 times for 23 points for Abilene Christian, which led the nation in turnovers forced per game.
*SO LONG RICK PITINO: College basketball would be better without the sleazeball coaching student-athletes, something most of his media friends don’t have the guts to say or write.
*DON’T FEEL BAD IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SHREDDED YOUR BRACKET: The March Madness NCAA.com website (20 million brackets) had ZERO perfect just 32 games (counting the First Four round).
