TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN – I can never come close to accurate with my March Madness brackets. I know there will be stunning upsets, but where do I find them? Saint Peter’s beating Kentucky? C’mon. Actually, I know a little about Saint. Peter’s. As I have written a few times, I grew up on St. Bonaventure basketball. The campus is about 15 miles from the house I grew up in for my first 14 years. I used to listen to all St. Bonaventure games on my upright Zenith tube radio. I don’t think I ever missed one game in all my years. They were broadcast over WHDL by Don McLean, maybe the top homer outside of the late Harry Carey. McLean made each Bonnies win seem like the best since maple sugar was first discovered and the rare defeat like the greatest injustice of that time. But I loved it. I ate it up and still can recall specific moments of their games (the Bonnies were then the Brown Indians, a name that finally was discarded many moons ago, for obvious reason). One of the annual opponents back then was the Peacocks of Saint Peter’s. They were a formable foe, but more maple Sugar then an injustice. The Bonnies also played on an annual basis Holy Cross, LaSalle, Seton Hall, Steubenville, St. Francis of New York and St. Francis of Pennsylvania, Fairfield, Duquesne, LeMoyne College, St. Joseph’s, Belmont Abby, NYU and Niagara and Canisius, which formed with the Bonnies the Little Big Three. By the way, the Bonnies moved past Oklahoma 70-68 in the second round of the NIT. The Bonnies face a tough one Tuesday (March 22) when they play at Virginia in the quarterfinals. That may be an injustice. Three things stick out about March Madness so far. One is the incredible collapse of North Carolina against Baylor. The Tar Heels led Baylor by 25 points with 10 minutes to go and rolled over like they were dead ducks. Somehow, in overtime, the Tar Heels regrouped and won 95-89. It was stunning in all respects — an upset, a total collapse, and a remarkable comeback. Two was Arizona struggling to beat TCU, The Texas Raiders played one of their best games – maybe their best – and had the top-heavy favorite Wildcats beaten. Somehow, the No. 1 seeded Wildcats got a second wind and miraculously escaped with an 85-80 overtime victory. It was a great game with some great individual efforts on both sides. Eddie Lampkin Jr. with his floppy hair and beard looked like a Pirate and he almost single-handily led the Raiders to victory, scoring 20 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds, doing so while showing emotions that would have led him to be shot if he’d done it on the streets of a major city. Fortunately, the Wildcats had the country’s best player in Ben Mathurin, who hit a last-second tying three-pointer from about 30 feet and scored 30 points with eight rebounds and four assists and Christen Koloko who added 28 points and 12 rebound as they staved off what would have been an embarrassing defeat. The third one was Saint Peter’s stunning victory over Kentucky. They didn’t play like underdogs. They played fast, smooth and were not afraid of the big-bad Wildcats. They matched the Wildcats shot for shot and never backed off one inch. They kept coming, coming and coming until the Wildcats finally called out “Uncle” and conceded the unlikely defeat. I thought before the Madness started Tennessee, Baylor, Arkansas and Houston were the best bets to win the championship. Now I don’t know. Gonzaga keeps scrapping by and Tennessee and Baylor are back home. Coach K and Duke are still hanging around. I guess I don’t know now. I have no guess. As we all know, it’s all about matchups. A team that has no business being in the tournament could match up well with a top seed and, bingo, you have a stunning upset. The Sweet 16 plays Thursday (March 24) and I’ll take Miami to continue to march by beating Iowa State. But that’s it. I have no clue about any other game. That’s it for today. Stay safe.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are love.