A/N: First weekend reactions. Some great games, and now it's time to see how everyone did.
A/N 2: Nothing is mine, except Melissa Blanks.
Chapter 3 – First Weekend Reactions
Tuesday, Mar. 17
9:30 p.m. local time
Anaheim, CA
"And it's all over! Ole Miss completes the comeback from 17 points down and defeats BYU 94-90. They will now move on to face the Xavier Musketeers in Jacksonville."
Lindsey Stewart sat there, still stunned by the whole thing. BYU had the game in control, but had surrendered 62 second half points and Ole Miss would be advancing, not BYU.
"62 points in the second half, wow; that game appeared to be over," Justin said. "I just hope this isn't an omen."
"I don't think ISU will lose to UAB Thursday, but that game that just ended gives me some really bad vibes. I think you'll eventually regret being so confident in the Cyclones," Lindsey said.
"Yeah but I think Hoiberg should have them ready," Justin said. "We'll see Thursday."
Thursday, Mar. 19
11:30 a.m.
Angel Stadium
Anaheim, CA
"UAB inbounds the ball and this one is over! A school which saw its football program go by the wayside has pulled off a stunner of epic proportions! The final here, UAB 60, and Iowa State 59."
Now it was Justin's turn to be stunned. He had been able to watch the Iowa State/UAB game before he had to go into a meeting, and couldn't have been more surprised if Divatox had showed up right there in the stadium.
"Well, I guess I'm not going to be picking them for quite some time," Justin said.
Just then, he got a text from his wife, which said, 'I don't know why, but like I said Tuesday, I just had this terrible feeling.'
And Justin shook his head, remembering those fateful words she said a couple of nights before.
Right about that time, here came the deluge of tweets from the Pac-12 schools. Amongst the highlights were:
'Sorry you picked a team that lost to a school that doesn't even have football.'
'What were you thinking with that pick?'
'Don't you know Big 12 teams always choke in the tournament?'
"That's what you get for picking a team from Iowa.'
It was all he could do to have a stiff upper lip as he went to an afternoon meeting.
Same time
Green and Yellow Records
Los Angeles, CA
"Man, what happened?" Tanya said; like Justin, she was stunned. She'd watched Iowa State come from behind several times in the Big 12 tournament, and thought maybe they could carry it over; it was a large part of why she'd picked ISU to win it all.
"I think they played like they were too cool for UAB," Adam said. "It's one thing to come out cocky, it's another thing to play like they did."
Approximately 2:50 p.m.
Green and Yellow Records
"Here comes Georgia State, under 10 seconds to do, down 56-54 to Baylor. RJ Hunter with six, now five seconds to go, fires a three….GOOD! He hit it from NBA range and Georgia State, on a 13-0 run takes the lead 57-56 with 2.7 seconds left!"
Now it was Adam's turn to be stunned. His pick in the tournament appeared to have this game well in hand, up 56-44 with time running out and yet saw RJ Hunter and Georgia State rally from 12 down to take a one point lead. Now, he had to hope for a miracle.
"There's the inbound, Taurean Prince to midcourt, fires it up…NO GOOD! And Georgia State shocks Baylor and will move on to Saturday, 57-56!"
For about five minutes, Adam sat in his chair, still stunned. Just like that, his pick to win it all went from being safely into the next round to being out of the tournament altogether.
"Double whammy," Tanya said. "I'm sure Justin feels both of our pain."
"Have to remember next time that Big 12 teams almost never make it deep into the tournament, except Kansas sometimes," Adam said.
1:20 p.m. PDT
Silver Hills, CA
"Tournament favorite Arizona has no problems with 15 seed Texas Southern; final score the Wildcats 93-72 over the Tigers."
Wes and Eric high fived and simply said, "One," knowing that Arizona's work was far from finished. Despite being a highly touted team, Arizona had a history of mysteriously collapsing in the tourney. They wanted badly to make it up to Portland, but as it turned out Mr. Collins had a lot of work that needed to be done, so Eric and Wes had elected to stay in Silver Hills and take care of business.
"Who do we want next?" Eric said.
"Ohio State, of course," Wes said. "I want to beat their asses first and foremost. O-H!"
"N-O!" Eric responded, with both having learned that cheer from Phil.
Seattle, Washington
"Well, they didn't have any problems there," TJ said. "Don't like them but they played well. Still wish we could have brought Wes and Eric to Portland, but I guess Mr. Collins had other ideas."
"Yeah, they looked good," Crystal said. "I still gotta stick with my Zags, but no doubt UA has the goods. They certainly did what Baylor and ISU should have done."
Green and Yellow Records
Los Angeles
"Well, that was easy," Kimberly said. "Unfortunately, since Arizona's a Pac-12 rival for most of these guys we have to keep it down."
"Yeah, I know, but we got to root for them hard because they're the only team that can take down UK," Phil said.
"I agree. Hope they inflict the same punishment on Ohio State that they did today," Kim said, as she texted Billy with the results.
"They will. OSU is going to get rolled Saturday and it will be awesome," Phil said.
Reefside High School
"Little to no issues for the Cats there," Melissa said. "Now, can't wait to see them whoop up on Overrated State this Saturday."
Hayley's Cyberspace
"As much as I hate it, they played well," Jason said as he briefly glanced at the score that popped up during the UCLA/SMU game.
Bulkmeier's
Angel Grove, CA
"Even though they may still win, it does my soul good to not pick UK," Skull said. "Even better is that Arizona's probably on the short list of teams that could beat them. They showed why today."
Yale University
New Haven, CT
"Ah, good; I come home from getting a snack and find out Arizona kept their lead and won big," Cody said (he'd watched the first half, then, as he said, he left) as his watch chimed. To his surprise, when he pressed the button, he found the face of Jennifer Scotts on the other end of the call.
"Well, this is certainly unexpected," Cody said. "Bailey's still in class, but I saw the score. I understand you're at the games?"
"Yep, boss gave me the weekend off because he's an OSU fan and took us both up to Portland," Jen said. "Their game will start in 30 minutes. The Cats need to play them and beat them; my boss hasn't shut up since the game two years ago at Staples. Team played well today though."
"I take it you got a communicator as well?" Cody said.
"Yeah, your friend Billy made me a communicator just like everyone else," Jen said. "You going to watch our game Saturday against Ohio State?"
"Yeah, Woody's going to be watching that one; he's from Cleveland," Cody said. "I kind of hope it's Arizona and OSU as well."
"We actually got on TV for a bit thanks to a shot of us during a postgame interview," Jen said.
"Oh, neat," Cody said. "Granted, some of the gang here probably didn't see it as they're either working or watching other games. Well, I'll check you later, Bailey just texted me and I need to pick her up."
"OK then, Cheers, Cody," Jen said.
Approx. 2:15 PDT
Hayley's Cyberspace
Reefside, CA
"Time winding down, less than 15 seconds left, Alford puts it up for three…off the rim, rebound to SMU, and what's this…they called GOALTENDING! UCLA takes the lead on a bizarre play!"
Instantaneously, every one of the UCLA four stood up and cheered while every other person in the bar booed like crazy.
"Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!" came the chant as SMU missed on their final chance and UCLA ended up advancing.
"Man, how many gifts can UCLA get?" Stone said. "That joke of an 11 seed and now this bullshit call."
"Deal with it, we're moving on," Tommy said. "U-C!"
"L-A!" Jason, Aisha and Rocky said.
7:50 p.m. CDT
Omaha, Nebraska
"Top seed Villanova has no problem with the Leopards of Lafayette; they win 93-52."
"The way they played tonight, they should roll through this bracket," Carlos said as he prepared to leave with Cassie and Melissa to go bar-hopping.
"Beware the early Villanova exit," Cassie said. "Remember Justin went through the same thing with them a few years earlier."
"Yeah, when they lost to St. Mary's in the second game," Carlos said. "It's going to take a lot to beat this Villanova team though."
Inglewood, CA
"Nice to see Villanova get the win," Zhane said. "I hope they don't play NC State though."
9:15 p.m. PDT
Hayley's Cyberspace
Reefside, CA
Even though this game was expected to be little more than a scrimmage for the heavily favored and undefeated Kentucky Wildcats, everyone had shown up to Cyberspace for two reasons; one, a large group of the pool, including Tommy, had picked them to win and Tommy's jinx was well known throughout the group.
Not all of the Kentucky Ten were present, as Bailey was in New Haven, London was in Boston visiting her dad on spring break, and Cassidy and Devin had flown to Charlotte for the San Diego station news reports.
The second, and maybe more obvious reason that a lot had shown up, was that of the last four games this night, the Kentucky game was the only one where anyone had any stake involved.
"And as expected, the undefeated Wildcats roll over the Pirates of Hampton, your score tonight, Kentucky 79, Hampton 56."
There was little celebration by Tommy; after all, this was one pick he hoped would blow up in his face, but he'd live with it if Kentucky won.
"Well, I hate them, but I picked them and they did what they had to do," Ernie, another of the Kentucky Ten as they were being known, said.
"Yeah, probably could have won by 40 if they wanted. Cheatapari probably could have played the backups and still won by 20," Zack Taylor said.
"Bailey just texted me, and London," Rocky said. "And she said, I hate them, but I won't mind if they win as I picked them to do so."
"That's pretty much my stance as well," Kat said, and every one of the Kentucky Ten nodded.
Friday, Mar. 20, 2015
11:20 a.m. PDT
Bulkmeier's
Angel Grove, CA
"And there was no trouble for the Jayhawks in their first game, as they roll past New Mexico State 75-56."
"Good," Bulk said. "Bye bye, stupid Aggies."
With that said, he pressed a button on his watch and on the other end, Bailey's face appeared momentarily.
"Good afternoon, Bulk," she said. "I trust you were happy with that outcome?"
"Very much so," Bulk said. "At least you guys beat the Aggies and sent them home."
"Yeah but the Hawks have to buckle up now," Bailey said. "I REALLY hope Indiana wins this next game and not just because Marshall is a loudmouth punk of a coach. I feel we'd have a much better matchup against IU than against the Shockers."
"Yeah, I hear ya," Bulk said. "But I had to pick Kansas because anyone who beats NMSU is good by me."
"Ha, you know I feel the same way about Missouri," Bailey said. "Their basketball season was a complete trainwreck, 9-23 and I loved it."
12:50 p.m. PDT
Hayley's Cyberspace
Reefside, CA
"Wyoming's Cinderella run comes to an end, as Northern Iowa moves on to the next round with a 71-54 victory."
The Small School Six, who had taken the day off to watch the games, nodded their heads in approval.
"I must say, this Northern Iowa team can go far," Anton said.
"Yeah and with any luck, they'll make the Cinderella run that happens every once in a lifetime," Chelsea said.
"Louisville's going to be tough the next round though," Kira said. "I'd sort of like to see UCI pull that off but no way they win."
5:30 p.m. EDT
Boston, MA
"And it's Virginia with the 79-67 win over the plucky Belmont Bruins, and they will move on to face Michigan State on Sunday."
"Too much of a scare for my liking," Marcus said. "Don't know what happened to this team early in the year, but if they don't play better than this they won't win Sunday."
4:00 PDT
Bulkmeier's
Angel Grove, CA
"And a steal by Maryland and that will do it! They got a scare, but the Terps hold on and defeat the Crusaders of Valparaiso 65-62 and will meet the Mountaineers of West Virginia on Sunday."
Bulk looked over at his partner in crime and said, "Get ready for burning couches."
"Yeah and Huggins and 40 minutes of press," Skull said. "This is a big rivalry coming up. One thing I know for sure; they'll burn couches in Morgantown whether we beat them or not. We're one more win away from playing Kentucky. Go Terps!"
Approx. 8:00 CDT
CenturyLink Center
Omaha, NE
"Ballgame, Ducks!" Cassie said as she high-fived Carlos after the Ducks 79-73 win over Oklahoma State which advanced them into the round of 32 and more than likely another date with the Badgers.
"Oregon played really well tonight," Melissa said, "though I was really hoping for the old Big 8 school to pull it out."
"Nah, I don't like him, he's a former Kentucky coach," Carlos said referring to Travis Ford. "Plus, I don't like that Boone Pickens dude, that donor for Oklahoma State. He seems like a sleaze."
"Yeah but their football coach had the greatest rant of all time," Cassie said.
"Oh, you aren't kidding," Melissa said. "That rant is one of my favorite YouTube bookmarks. He told it like it was. Think you guys will be ready for Wisconsin Sunday?"
"Hope so, we should be familiar with them enough," Carlos said.
6:10 p.m. PDT
Hayley's Cyberspace
Reefside, CA
"No issues for Duke in their first game, as they defeat Robert Morris 85-56 and advance on to Sunday."
Five of the Duke Seven, as they were known for this tournament, had gathered for the Duke game at Cyberspace and Hayley had closed down the bar too, as she'd help set up a Skype chat with two of the UConn Four, Addison and the Green Ninja Ranger, Maya, who were emanating from Boston.
"I know you guys don't like Duke, but I think you guys made the right pick this time," Conner said. "I wasn't kidding when I said that I thought we were back at the level to where we could have a shot to win the title this year."
"And I think they've proven that the entire year," Ashley said. "No they didn't win either the conference or their conference tournament, but they play in a rugged league where it's hard to do that."
"Yeah, like I said, I'm not going to pick Arizona, and I'm not going to pick Kentucky, and I've been burned by Wisconsin and Villanova is weak," Trini said. "That leaves Duke the best option out of the rest, as much as I hate it."
"I just hope St. John's wins this next game," Conner said. "San Diego State is a solid team. And yes, Villanova is weak. Watch NC State beat them tomorrow."
"Wow. Bold prediction there," Maya said. "I've seen Villanova play and they're solid."
8:28 p.m. PDT
Angel Grove Juice Bar
Angel Grove, CA
Much like Hayley's Cyberspace, Lt. Stone and Ernie had set the Juice Bar up for the Wisconsin contingent to watch this game. Four of the Wisconsin quintet were in attendance, with Woody on Skype from Boston.
"Badgers with no trouble tonight; the top seed in the West Region cruises past the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina 86-72."
"Not much trouble there," Lt. Stone said. "At least we won't have to worry about the loudmouth Ducks fans being here Sunday."
"Yeah, I don't want to be around mouthy Oregon fans on Sunday when we reconvene," Aisha said.
"Yeah, they'll be in Omaha…to see their team lose," Woody said.
"Speaking of lose, are your Buckeyes ready to make Arizona cry?" Stone said to Woody over Skype. That got a chuckle from most of the group.
"Oh, God, I'd love to pick this team, but this year has gone to hell in a handbasket," Woody said. "I'd love us to beat U of A, but the year hasn't turned out like Buckeye fans hoped. It would take a lot for us to win that one."
"Probably, but I'll be hoping," Stone said. "Forks up, baby."
11:55 p.m.
Time-Warner Cable Arena
Charlotte, NC
"And San Diego, you can party on as your Aztecs move on to meet mighty Duke. The final tonight, the Aztecs 76-64 over St. John's. For Devin Del Valle, this is Cassidy Cornell for News 4 San Diego, good night everybody."
Right as they signed off, they heard their watches chime and found a private place. On the other end was Marcus.
"Congrats," Marcus said. "Now go beat Duke."
"We'll see what we can do but Duke is lethal," Cassidy said. "It's going to take a lot to beat them."
9:10 p.m. PDT
Key Arena
Seattle, WA
"Well, that was a good game," Crystal said as she and TJ filed out of Key Arena after Gonzaga's 86-76 win over North Dakota State. "But our season truly begins Sunday."
"Yeah, because the Zags have a history of losing early in the tournament," TJ said. "And Iowa is a hot team."
"Yeah we shouldn't lose that game, but I'm cautiously optimistic," Crystal said. "Too many early exits take its toll."
Just outside CenturyLink Center
Omaha, NE
"Good to see," Cassie said when she saw the Gonzaga score. "Looks like they'll play Iowa."
"They'll beat Iowa," Melissa said. "Iowa doesn't have near enough to go out there and beat Gonzaga in their home state."
Saturday, Mar. 21, 2015
Hayley's Cyberspace
Reefside, CA
It was a Tommy Oliver Saturday at the Cyberspace…and what could be meant by that?
Because Tommy's school, UCLA, and Tommy's pick to win the tournament, Kentucky, would be playing back-to-back and most of the group would be watching.
11:20 a.m. PDT
"Some people said they shouldn't have been in this field…and yet here they are in the Sweet 16! The final score, UCLA 92 and UAB 75 and they are headed for Houston on Friday!"
"U-C!" Tommy and Jason said.
"L-A!" Rocky and Aisha responded.
"Losers!" every other Pac-12 alum in the room responded. "Shouldn't have been in and then got a bullshit call!"
"Sweet 16!" Jason responded.
"Gonna try to get tickets for Houston?" Aisha said.
"Depends on whether I have contacts who can get me tickets or not," Tommy said. "If I can't get there, you know I'll be here Friday."
"Go Zags!" every other Pac-12 alum said to which the UCLA four booed loudly.
2 p.m. PDT
"Cincinnati tried their best but in the end it was not enough. The final in this one, Kentucky 64, Cincinnati 51 and Kentucky moves to the Sweet 16 in Cleveland!"
"Sorry, Phil. Good try," Kim said to her manager as the majority of the Kentucky Ten shared some brief handshakes before leaving the premises as the Arizona Ten awaited their match with Ohio State. "Cincy gave it a good go."
"I knew we weren't going to win that game unfortunately," Phil Savitt said. "Not enough offense. At least we won a tournament game this year though. Hopefully Huggy Bear can pull a miracle."
"No jinx today," Tommy said as he filed out of Cyberspace. "Next up, Maryland or West Virginia."
"Yep, pretty sure we'll all be back here Thursday night for that one," Kat said.
4:30 p.m.
"After a tight first half, the Wildcats of Arizona pull away from the Buckeyes and they are headed back to the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles! The final here from Portland is Arizona 73, Ohio State 58."
"Hell yes!" Wes said as he high fived Eric. "Two."
"Two," Eric responded, knowing that all the win did was keep Arizona's improbable quest alive.
"O-H!" Wes, Kim, Phil, Melissa and Skull said
"N-O!" Eric, Jason, Billy, TJ and Cody (via Skype) responded.
"Good to see we finally get that cheer right," Phil said. "Now they gotta beat Xavier; I grew up a UC fan and I hate them."
"Won't be a problem," Eric said. "We're rolling and we beat Ohio State without some of our best players on top of their game."
"Yep, once Stanley Johnson, Hollis-Jefferson and Ashley are on point we are that much better," Wes said.
"I'll have class Thursday night, but I'll try to be in contact for that game. Have fun at Staples," Cody said as he suddenly heard something and realized what it was. "Sorry guys, I gotta take a call. See ya later."
"See ya, Cody," Kim said as she shut down the Skype chat. "Well, I guess that's it for today, guys."
New Haven, CT
Cody nodded. He knew because of what was going on that he had to shut down the Skype chat because of who was on the other end of the call on his watch.
Cody nodded as he saw the face of Jen Scotts…live from the Moda Center in Portland…come up on the other end of the call.
"That sufficient enough bragging rights for you?" Cody said.
"Yeah, today was great, although it's not really that much fun beating OSU when you're the favorite to do so. Their fans are morons and it's good to beat them any time, but when you're the favorite it's not quite as much fun," Jen said. "Still my Gamma Phi Beta sisters and I had a great time this week; fun games. Plus, I got bragging rights back."
"Are you going to be able to get to the games in LA?" Cody said.
"Not sure, as my boss may have me sequestered in the office extra this week considering what we just did to his team," Jen said. "And we didn't even play that well."
"Yeah but when the Cats get their top players going they'll be unstoppable," Cody said. "Even for Kentucky."
"Oh, I want Kentucky bad. I'm hoping they make it to Indy because when we make it, I'll be there to witness history defeated," Jen said. "But we have to beat Wisconsin first."
Approx. 7:30 p.m. CDT
Omaha, NE
"Josh Hart will inbound the basketball with Villanova down three…and his pass is intercepted! And that's it; the NC State Wolfpack, as is their history, survive and advance as an underdog! The final tonight, the Wolfpack 71, Villanova 68 and the Pack will advance to the Sweet 16!"
"Good try Carlos," Melissa said. "Unfortunately, Villanova hadn't played anyone all year. I see why you did what you did though."
"Yeah, would never pick a Pac rival, won't pick Duke and Kentucky, that left me Villanova," Carlos said. "Too bad I'm out now."
"It's too bad Creighton had such a terrible year," Melissa said, lowering her voice as she knew she was in Omaha, not just her hometown but the hometown of Creighton. "The Big East was terrible in part because of that. NC State was more ready for this type of game and it showed."
Inglewood, CA
"Well, I guess that's the last time I'm picking Villanova for a while," Zhane said as Karone nodded her head. "Hope Duke wins it now."
Sunday, Mar. 22, 2015
Angel Grove Juice Bar
Angel Grove, CA
It was an ACC Sunday morning as seven different people had gathered at Angel Grove's Juice Bar…set up by an ACC grad himself, Ernie…to watch the first two games of the day. To add a little spice to the mix, Marcus and London had made it back to Jamaica and a Skype chat had been set up between four of the Duke Seven (Hayley was busy at Cyberspace, while Addison and Maya would join later for the Duke game) and Marcus, who had picked Virginia in the early game.
11:20 a.m. PDT
"And that will do it; it wouldn't be a Sweet 16 without the Michigan State Spartans. For the seventh time in the last eight years, Tom Izzo's squad advances to the second weekend by knocking Virginia out for the second straight year. The final today is 60-54, the Spartans win it."
Marcus sat there dejected, his pick out on just the second game.
"Well, I guess that's it huh?" Marcus said. "Too bad; they had a great year for about 90 percent of the season."
"The Justin Anderson injury really hurt them, Marcus," Conner said. "I said it a week ago that I was scared of this game; UVA is not the same team that played Duke early in the year. It isn't even close."
"Correct, and they got stuck with a terrible seven seed. Michigan State's a team you can always pencil into the Sweet 16. Bracket makers did them no favors," Trini said.
Approx. 2 p.m. PDT
"Duke cruises into the Sweet 16; the final today, Duke 68-49 over San Diego State."
"Let's Go Duke! Let's Go Duke! Let's Go Duke!" Conner said which made everybody, including those who had picked Duke, groan. They'd rather enjoyed the silence over the last few years with regards to the Duke program from Conner; now they were back and he was just as mouthy as he was before.
"Like Trini said, I wouldn't want them to win under normal circumstances, but because of some of the other teams in the tournament, got to grin and bear it," Ashley said. "They have the goods as they showed today."
"Yeah that's a solid SDSU team and they got their asses kicked," Karone said. "Duke is definitely lethal this year. Utah's legit though."
"Yeah, Arizona beat Utah twice, but Utah's a legit team. They kind of slumped at the end of the year, but now appear to have their mojo back," Wes, who had come with Eric to cheer against Duke, said. "That will not be a gimme game for Duke."
"Utah's good, but I think Duke's on its way," Maya (who was back in Storrs now) said. "Remember the last time they won the title the last four games they played were in Houston and Indianapolis."
"Not a gimme for sure, but we can beat anybody," Conner said. "Finally we are at that level again."
"By the way Conner, nice call on NC State," Eric said. "I had Villanova from that region but it was apparent that the competition they faced this year wasn't up to par."
"Yeah, NC State's a complete wild card. Depends on which team shows up night to night," Conner said. "They lost to BC, but beat Duke and won at Carolina and Louisville. On a good night, they can play with most of the good teams."
Approx. 4:30 p.m. PDT
Bulkmeier's
Angel Grove, CA
"And in Omaha, the Shockers take another step forward in the evolution of their program as they once again qualify for the Sweet 16 by becoming the Kings of Kansas. The final today, Wichita State 78, Kansas 65."
As he went back to work, Bulk shook his head in disbelief, his pick having been dispatched. Rarely had he seen a team like Kansas get bullied like that, much less from Wichita State.
"I can just imagine, Bailey's probably wanting to break something back East," Bulk said. "Hopefully Cody calms her down. Not even the best team in Kansas, much less the nation."
CenturyLink Center Omaha
Meanwhile, live at the CenturyLink Center, the trio of Melissa Blanks, Cassie and Carlos continued to watch the Shocker fans celebrate as they awaited the start of the Wisconsin/Oregon game.
"Man, can you imagine how Bailey's feeling," Carlos said. "They just got beat by a team they haven't played in forever."
"Yeah it's not going to be a good time to be a Kansas fan; not until they get that revenge on the Shockers anyways. I've said it before but I almost went to KU. Genuinely feel sorry for them that they somehow experience exiting the tourney every year," Melissa said.
6:10 p.m. PDT
Key Arena
Seattle, WA
"Two down!" Crystal Johnson said as Gonzaga wrapped up a berth in the Sweet 16 in Houston with an 87-68 rout of Iowa; there would be no early exit for the Zags this time.
As Crystal and TJ filed out of Key Arena to head to the airport and go back to California, she got a chime on her watch from Zack Martin.
"Girl that was awesome," Zack said. "They really put it to that chump team."
"Yeah, it's nice to be in the second weekend and not some early exit again," Crystal said. "Now comes the game I've been waiting for since 2006. We need some revenge bad."
"I still remember that," Zack Martin said. "The ghost of Adam Morrison will hopefully work his magic for this one."
"And I'll be there to clash with the UCLA four for all of it," Crystal said. "I want revenge…bad."
"Cassie just texted me from the Wisconsin/Oregon game. She saw the score," Zack Martin said.
6:00 p.m. PDT
The Cyberspace
Reefside, CA
Much like what had happened the previous days, Hayley had closed the bar again for the gathering to watch the Wisconsin/Oregon game, as well as the Northern Iowa/Louisville game (she was in the back watching the Oklahoma game). And much like before, there was a Skype chat setup, this time for Woody (emanating from Storrs this time) as he was one of the Wisconsin Five for this tournament.
Two hours later
"It was a battle once again, but the Badgers once again survive the scare from Oregon. The final in this one, Wisconsin 72 and Oregon 65."
The Wisconsin Five breathed a deep sigh of relief as the game had been close throughout, but in the end the Badgers had been able to pull away and return to California for another trip to the Sweet 16.
"Too close for comfort, both of the last two years they've played Oregon," Aisha said.
"Yeah, but the win is all that matters," Woody said. "Two down, and there's four more to go. Next up, North Carolina."
"North Carolina won't beat them…too inconsistent," Lindsey said. "Then it's on to the rematch with Arizona."
CenturyLink Center Omaha
"Damn Badgers again," Cassie groused. "Two years in a row. I can't believe I'm saying this but I hope Arizona beats them."
"Yeah I'd never root for a Pac-12 school under normal circumstances but I can't rest easy until Wisconsin gets beat," Carlos said. "Really, it's anybody but Kentucky from here on since Villanova is out."
Approx. 9:00 p.m. PDT
Bulkmeier's
Angel Grove, CA
"And that will do it; the West Virginia Mountaineers move on to the Sweet 16. The final tonight from Columbus is West Virginia 69, Maryland 59."
"Tough end, but this was a great season for the Terps," Bulk said.
"Yeah, but it sucks to lose to the Couch Burners," Skull said. "I hope Kentucky beats their ass by 20, then loses after that."
Approx. 10 p.m. PDT
The Cyberspace
Reefside, CA
"And for Louisville and Rick Pitino, it's back to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year. The final tonight, Louisville 66, Northern Iowa 53."
Once again, the Small School Six sighed as they saw their Missouri Valley pick get dashed in the second round.
"I really, REALLY hate the two Kentucky schools…both of them," Kira sighed. "Kentucky did this to our pick last year and now this."
"Join the club," Phil said. "You know how I feel about them, I'm from Cincinnati although UL isn't near as bad as UK."
"Yeah but I wouldn't mind seeing Oklahoma win that bracket still," Trent said. "Speaking of, did OU win tonight, Hayley?"
"Yep, Dayton gave us a game but we won 72-66," Hayley said. "We're off to play MSU now. Unfortunately I don't have any connections to get me tickets to the games in Syracuse. Sad to see Kansas go though. Bailey's really sad tonight."
"You talked to her?" Anton said. "How bad is it?"
"Really bad," Hayley said. "She's in Connecticut obviously, but some of her friends are Shockers fans and she's already hearing it."
"I can imagine," Elsa said. "Well the Sweet 16 is set, finally."
"It's weird that unlike last year, we really don't have anything at stake pick wise in all four regions," Hayley said. "Still some very high stakes in those other three regions though."
TBC...