PORTLAND — It’s been quite a day here at Portland. No there haven’t been any upsets, and really, there hasn’t been a whole lot of excitement other than the first game and the opening ofthe second half against Akron and Gonzaga, as the Zips were up relatively late into the game.
Here are some of my thoughts, off the top of my head, from the game.
- Washington is for real. They took care, easily, of a cold-shooting Mississippi State team that rode a wave of momentum all the way to the SEC Tournament title on Sunday. They game really wasn’t in doubt after Quincy Pondexter scored a three-point play with 2.8 seconds left in the first half to go up 11. The crowd support in Portland for the Huskies is also very much legitimate. Sounded like about 3/4 of the crowd was purple-and-golf affiliated, and it was very much a home game for them.
- Gonzaga gets another scare, but is equipped to move into the Sweet 16. Akron exposed some weaknesses of the ‘Zags zone defense, shooting for threes that kept them in teh game. Once those stopped falling midway through the second half, the Zags stepped on the gas pedal and went on a 19-1 run.
- Purdue isn’t sexy, but they’re efficient, and they could surprise someone. The Boilermakers don’t do anything well enough that you’ll take notice immediately, but they wear you down. They took care of Jordan Eglseder, Northern Iowa’s post, for 13 points and 4 rebounds. Coach Matt Painter said afterward he is a Big Ten-worthy post player in terms of physical stature and aggressive play, and he was right. Will Purdue beat Washington? I don’t think so. But, you have every reason to think they should be confident after beating a tough UNI team.
