Reaction to March Madness: Day 2

FGCU took G'Town completely out of their game and moved on

Day two of March Madness provided plenty of down-to-the-wire finishes, but with those finishes came poor decision making and even worse free throw shooting. Cincinnati and Kansas State are going home early and it's because they didn't execute. Georgetown is heading home because they ran into an ultra-athletic Florida Gulf Coast team that took it to them from the start. Iowa State was very impressive and the Bill Self-Roy Williams match up is on. Here are six observations from Day 2.

1. Free throw shooting is arguably the most important team skill
Cincinnati and Creighton was a close game throughout and that could only mean one thing: free throw shooting would be key. The Bearcats found themselves behind late in the game and had multiple chances at the line to bring the game closer and they failed to do so. With 53 seconds remaining a flagrant one foul was called on Doug McDermott, but Shaquille Thomas missed two crucial free throws that proved costly down the stretch. If you need one stat to see why Creighton won the game then look at free throw shooting. The Blue Jays were 22-25 and Cincinnati was just 4-9.

2. The rules about throwing elbows have to change
Staying in the same game, the play that McDermott received the flagrant one foul for was terrible. I completely understand the NCAA doesn't want players throwing elbows, but it's getting ridiculous. Cincinnati was pressing and they brought an excellent trap at McDermott with 53 seconds left. McDermott didn't really throw an elbow, but he attempted to clear space so that he could advance the ball either by a pass or dribble. However, the referees got him for an elbow and it nearly changed the course of the game. This is a rule that the NCAA will have to look at because I understand it's about player safety, but the rule is far too strict. The ball handler must be able to clear space and that requires him to be strong with the ball and natural strong elbow swings.

3. Wisconsin puts on a clinic for bad offense
Bo Ryan and the Badgers win and no one can dispute the fact that he has built a great program. However, Wisconsin is not built for March because of their inability to score the ball. The suffocating defense is great, but it only goes so far when the team fails to score the ball. Watching Wisconsin try and come back in that game hurt. Like it was mind-numbingly bad how poor they played at the offensive end. They shot 15-59 from the field, 7-30 from three and only Sam Dekker scored in double figures. Wisconsin deserves respect for sticking to their system, but they must find some players who can score the ball or they will continue to exit the tournament earlier than they want.

4. Illinois vs. Colorado was about who wanted to lose more
Have you ever seen so many droughts in one game? It was unbelievable to watch both teams struggle to score a basket. Illinois won the game even though they played bad. It just so happened that Colorado played even worse. Illinois lived by the three, died by the three and then was resurrected by the three late in the game. That's not exactly the recipe for success, but in the tournament it doesn't matter how you win as long as you get the win. Neither team deserved to win the game and the Illini have their work cut out for them against Miami. Another shooting performance like this one will send them home to Champaign.

Howland's days in LA may be over

5. Georgetown is not a safe bet when playing a double digit seed
The Hoyas lost to Florida Gulf Coast who, just three years ago, couldn't even qualify for the tournament. The Eagles didn't just beat Georgetown -- they completely dominated them for much of the game. In the second half the lead was double digits and the Hoyas were never able to make a comeback until the end. It's the fifth year in a row that Georgetown has lost to a double digit seed and it's a disturbing trend for John Thompson III. Florida Gulf Coast was unbelievably athletic and didn't back down from the spotlight. Instead, they took right to G'Town and the Hoyas were the ones who seemed like they weren't ready.

6. It may be time for Ben Howland and UCLA to part ways
Ben Howland had a magnificent run at UCLA for awhile, but times have changed drastically. After two poor seasons the Bruins had something of a revival, but they still underachieved. Howland brought in a dynamite recruiting class and the freshmen did live up to the hype but UCLA was bounced in the second round and ultimately it's a disappointing end to the season. It may be time for Howland to go in a different direction and UCLA may want to start fresh. It seems the success is in the rear view mirror and all is not well in Westwood.

The second round is in the books and it did not disappoint. Harvard and Florida Gulf Coast are the tournament darlings and the West Region is all sorts of messed up. The one seeds are alive, but they all face tough challenges in the third round. Also don't bank on the two seeds all advancing. Duke and Ohio State have very difficult games and the unpredictability is the beauty of this tournament. Also, get yourself prepared for the VCU-Michigan showdown in the morning as it should be something special.