NCAA Tournament Day 1 – East Region

Because we all predicted Harvard.

(12) Harvard over (5) Cincinnati 61-57

Harvard held Cincinnati to 36 percent shooting in route to a 61-57 upset. Senior Sean Kilpatrick lead the Bearcats with 18 points on 6-13 shooting (3-6 from three). Kilpatrick received little help from his teammates aside from Justin Jackson’s 13 points, with Cincinnati’s bench only scoring seven points. Harvard executed well throughout the entire game, holding onto the lead for most of the game. While an upset, the result isn’t too surprising considering Harvard’s recent success under head coach Tommy Amaker.

(4) Michigan State over (13) Delaware 93-78

Gary Harris started despite leaving the last game against Michigan with a left should injury, he had a relatively quiet night with 10 points, 4 rebounds. The real story was a MONSTER night from Adreian Payne, who scored 41 points on 10-15 shooting, 4-5 from three, and 17-17 from the free throw line, playing just 24 minutes. Payne had 23 at halftime, and without his performance this game could have been a little closer, as Delaware wouldn’t quite go away, keeping it at or around a ten point deficit for much of the game. 21 points from Devon Sadler and 20 from Davon Usher helped keep Delaware in the game. Down 11 at halftime, the Blue Hens started the second half on a 6-0 run before Michigan State settled down and extended the lead back out. This kind of performance from Payne is the perfect start for a guy looking to improve his draft stock.

 (7) Connecticut over (10) Saint Joseph’s 89-81

Saint Joe’s held the lead over UConn until the very end before the Huskies rallied. The game changed when St. Joe’s Halil Kanacevic fouled out last in the 2nd half. The Hawks relied solely on their starting five, who all scored in double figures and provided 100 percent of their scoring (only two players came off the bench for the Hawks, playing a total of nine minutes, scoring zero points). UConn’s Shabazz Napier finished with 24 points but on 7-22 shooting, eight rebounds, and six assists. Napier struggled for much of the game, but scored on key possessions late in the game and in overtime.

(2) Villanova over (15) Milwaukee 73-53

Villanova found themselves down early in the first half, but managed to get the lead before halftime 27-23. From that point they took control, winning by 20 points. Nova held Milwaukee to 26 percent shooting, and were lead by JayVaughn Pinkson who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, as well as Darrun Hilliard II, who scored a team high 16 points. Milwaukee was lead by Austin Arians, who finished 17 points and five rebounds.