How SWEET It Is!

The little school from the little town of Moraga, CA defeated the 2nd seed Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, booking their ticket to the Sweet 16 next week.

The game was neck-and-neck just about the whole way, but Omar Samhan continued to wear down the under-sized Villanova team and then exploded in the 2nd half, including big shots down the stretch that were needed to put the Wildcats away.

Samhan continues to impress in the Tournament and has grown into maybe the player of March Madness so far. He scores, plays defense, blocks shots. There is not much this kid cannot do and Villanova was unable to stop him as he went for 32 points and 7 rebounds.

What surprised many was how clutch this St. Mary's team was in this game. Whether it was a clutch block from Samhan, free throws from Clint Steindl, or a bank-in 3-pointer from Mickey McConnell to seal it.

This team is for real. They match up well with every team in this tournament, have fantastic guard-play from McConnell and others, and the big man Samhan down low doing everything.

Who knows how far this team can go, but they are peaking at just the right time. Their next game will be on Thursday against #3 seed Baylor University, who is no joke. It will be yet another test that the Gaels will have to overcome if they want to continue their impressive run through this Tournament.

This week, look for Omar Samhan all over TV, as I predict he and the Gaels will be quite a comodity for ESPN.

The Madness Contines...Bay Area Included

Please, set down your bracket and walk away. Your bracket is busted! Now, you can sit and enjoy the absolute Madness that has occured through these first 32 games with much more to come. And for those who were in the HP Pavilion on Thursday, as I was, you were front and center for it. Pandemonium!

Just a few notes, for those who said the Pac-10 was a weak conference this year, it looks like Cal and Washington have proved them wrong. Both looked extremely good in their 1st round games, Cal pouncing early and never looking back, and Washington with a last second lay-in to upset Marquette.

To maybe some surprises, the Bay Area has represented. St. Mary's had a convincing win against a Richmond team who some thought could go to the Sweet 16. But the big story was the introduction of Omar Samhan to the nation. Samhan had 29 points and 12 rebounds and was dominant in the paint, but kicked it up in high gear in the 2nd half to put away Richmond.

St. Mary's next opponent is Villanova, who struggled in their 1st round game beating Robert Morris in overtime. Villanova is a guard-heavy team led by Scotty Reynolds. This is an advantage for St. Mary's because they can match up with Villanova's guards, while having the big man Samhan in the middle fighting with a Villanova player (probably Antonion Pena) who will not compare to Samhan's size and bulk. This could prove to be a big upset if St. Mary's can pull it off, as they are riding a high and Villanova is a little low right now coming off a 1st round overtime win that shouldn't have been even close. Tune in for that one on Saturday.

For the Cal Bears from Berkeley, they were impressive against Louisville on Friday night. They jumped out to a 12-0 lead, then increased it to 18 before winning by 15 points. It was convincing and Jerome Randle continued to show that he is a star and can run that team to it's full extent. Next up for them is top-seeded Duke. It will be tough for the Bears to play like they did against Louisville, as Duke is fundamentally sound with the ball and capitalizes on every mistake you make. I see a far better chance of St. Mary's upsetting Villanova than Cal upsetting Duke, but you never know with the Madness that we have seen so far.

One team that I like is Washington. After seeing them first-hand on Thursday, I have no idea how they did not win the Pac-10 or how they got an 11 seed in the Tournament. They are an extremely talented team with Isiah Thomas running the point and the tall and lanky "Q-Pon" Quincy Pondexter down low. They are quick up and down the floor and rise well above the rim. I see no reason why they cannot beat New Mexico on Saturday and maybe even West Virginia down the road.