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| UMBC Retrievers picking each other up and turning the Madness world upside down last night!! (Photo credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images via The New York Times) |
What?!?!?! What just happened???
It took a full night to digest last nights
pure unadulterated Madness!!!! After a day 1 where 14 of the 16 winners were
the higher seeds, we were due for Madness in Day 2, but this??? We were served
with straight up Madness anarchy!!!!!
UMBC did it! They exorcised the 16-seed
demons winning the first game by a 16-seed in 135 tries! #16 UMBC, you read
right, the #16 UMBC Retrievers beat not only the #1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers,
but the #1 overall seed last night by a shocking score of 74-54!!!
The texts and messages within the Insanity
Pool community were ones of pure shock. Every aspect of this upset was
completely jaw-to-the-ground shocking!!!!
As mentioned, Virginia was the #1 overall
seed! They were the only consistent team in a season where every other team had
a streak of bad games and bad performances. Welp, Marge my friend, the Cavs
came back down to earth in a meteoric flaming ball of shock last night.
Watching the game was one where our
attention was grabbed immediately with the game tied at half, 21-21. Everybody
was thinking of when would Virginia pull away. We saw first round games where
the 16-seed was in tight at half and every time the 1-seed woke up and went on
a run.
Not Virginia! UMBC just kept scoring. They
made Virginia’s packline D look silly! UMBC drove through the helpside
defenders like it was the worst game of red rover ever! Red rover red rover
UMBC called history over!!!
The Retrievers did so by whooping Virginia
by 20 points in the 2nd half! History was made by the
Retrievers?!?!?! Why not the “Pillowy Softs” or “Teddy Bears”!?!?!? The
Retrievers played like down right Bulldogs!
And credit must be given to UMBC for last
night. I can see how Virginia’s style of play with the lowest possessions per
game in the nation will be criticized with a fine-toothed comb. The fact is
that Tony Bennett leads a powerhouse program in Virginia and his packline
defense is absolutely stellar. No other style of D would have stopped the
Retrievers and their 68% shooting percentage in the 2nd half!
We just saw history! Period. And it was
glorious!
But unfortunately for Tony Bennett, his
Virginia Cavaliers will forever be remembered as “that team”.
UMBC Retrievers? What will they be
remembered for? Lets see, their story isn’t done yet. Apologies go out to
K-State, as they will be facing a team that has the entire sporting world
behind their opponent, the UMBC Retrievers. And kudos to Coach Odom, he and his
Retrievers threw the Insanity Report South Region Breakdown of UMBC right into
the Commish’s face…..it was stated in the Insanity Report, “Hey Retrievers, go
fetch this poop kicking you will get from Virginia!!!” Coach Odom was heard at
his post game presser, saying, “Hey Commish, fetch this!!!! We just fetched
history is all!!!”
Yes you did Coach Odom. Yes you did!
Stay tuned this Sunday for The Retrievers’ next
chapter, they ain’t done!!!
Now the rest of this was the running
account of the Day 2 games, until UMBC shook our Madness worlds upside down.
Enjoy.
Ok ok ok!!! Yesterday’s Day 1 games had
only 2 upsets, so the forecast for Day 2 was for some Madness and upsets. (And
ohhh boy were there upsets!)
The first game was a Madness dud with Texas
A&M easily dismantling Providence, but whatta perfect way to start the
morning with Bill Raftery on the mic opening the first game with a “Jim
Nance…..Grant Hill……The Friars start MAANNN to MAAANNNN!!!!!” Classic Bill!!!
#SendItInJerome
The next tip-off had the Purdue beat down
of the disowned Cal State Fullerton Titans as Fullerton section behind their
bench was completely empty. Insanity Report Board Member and Degenerate
Correspondent, D$ was screaming at the sea of red seats applauding the 2 fans
that snuck into the section 2 minutes in. No fan, no fam and no show for
Fullerton losing to Purdue by 26.
The forecasted Madness upsets got off to a
quick start as #13 seeded Marshall Marshmellow Herd upset #4 seed Wichita State
in what you could say was a Shocker?? The ending was quite drawn out as there
were video ref review after video ref review that led Insanity Report Board
Member and Coach Correspondent, J-Dawg to a recorded 3 hat throws at this
momentum killing video delay. Upon the extended timeout time given to both
teams we got a full show of Marshall’s head coach wearing the T-Shirt and
Blazer get up. Apparently he had a hot date in the hotel lounge after the game.
We are thinking he may be taking from the Larry Eustachy off-court co-ed
playbook. Our crack Insanity Report staff is on this development. Stay tuned.
#15 Georgia State gave #2 Cincinnati a
scare but the Bearcats pulled away for a 15 point win being a tight tight win
against the -14.5 closing spread on Cincy. Man, that is tight, just imagine if
the spread was -9.5, am I right D$!?!?!?!
#15 Lipscomb gave UNC a good effort for the
first 10 minutes but UNC pulled away, but holy gaw damn they are so up and
down. But they are making mid season adjustments away from their traditional
big sized front court sets to a small ball 3-point shooting look. Their 2
freshmen posts are coming off the bench now with less minutes with grad
transfer Cam Johnson moving into the starting 5 with his 40% 3-Pt shooting. UNC
hasn’t peaked yet.
The Butler Arkansas game was a game of
runs. Butler was up 21-2 in the first 7 minutes of the first half only to have
Arkansas take the lead highlighted by a 13-0 run. And then Butler ends up
winning by 17 in a stinkfest.
And for the rest of the games, Insanity
Report Co-Coach Partner, Lee-Wai and I were too busy celebrating history at the
halfcourt heave play call…….Weeessssssst-woooooood!!!!
Sweet 16 games today folks!!! More Madness
and as Mr. T said in Rocky III, “We got alotta Mo!!!!”
Yours in Madness,
Commissioner Adolph
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