Ain't Got No Big Man Hands 21 Dr. Tobias Fünke's 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution 4
Ain't Got No Big Man Hands ran all over the Family Band Solution en route to a convincing victory.
Before the game, sophomore Ryan Kelley of Ain't Got No Big Man Hands was extremely confident.
"I expect total domination," he said. "We'll be happy with nothing less than a shutout."
Ain't Got No Big Man Hands did not get the shutout they desired, but they did come pretty close.
Captain Kieran Bulger did a stellar job running his team's offense, scoring buckets in transition and easily handing his teammates open looks.
For the Family Band Solution and captain Brendan Hennessy, penetration was virtually impossible due to the curtain-like defense maintained by Ain't Got No Big Man Hands for the entire game. The inability to get the ball inside highlighted the fact that the outside shots were not dropping for them.
Ain't Got No Big Man Hands, however, found success both inside and outside. They had a decided advantage on the boards, and several players on the team were consistently able to drain shots from outside when given open looks.
While the performance from Man Hands was dominant, Kelley was unsatisfied with the result.
"We allowed four too many points in this game," he said.
But with the win, Brandon Loulan of Ain't Got No Big Man Hands was already looking ahead to the next round.
"Who's next?" he asked.
Kelvin Sampson's Fave Five 3, Everyone's Excited 0
In a game cut short by an injury, Kelvin Sampson's Fave Five avoided what could have been a trap game and advanced into the next round.
Before the game, junior captain Kelvin Sampson's Fave Five captain Corey Arvin felt good about his team's chances.
"We've gone through years of practice for this one moment," he said. "We think we need to start being recognized as a favorite in this tournament."
For Everyone's Excited, captain Lauren Sharkey was somewhat less confident.
"We're not going to win," she said before the game began.
Arvin and company had planned on dumping the ball in to junior big man Jim Bramanti, who Arvin claims is one of the best to ever play the game. Unfortunately, that strategy never got the chance to play out.
Early in the contest, as Kelvin Sampson's Fave Five nursed a 3-0 lead, Sharkey sustained a minor face injury and was unable to continue. With no replacement players present, her teammates decided to forfeit the contest and allow Sampson's Fave Five to advance.
While showing concern for his opponent's well-being, Arvin also appeared relieved.
"I think we caught a break here," he said. "They were playing some really good basketball before the injury."
My Best Friend Leslie 21, We Roofie Ourselves 4
My Best Friend Leslie used stifling defense and an ability to capitalize on fast-break opportunities to dispatch of We Roofie Ourselves in convincing fashion.
We Roofie Ourselves, captained by Matthew Quering, put up a good fight, but were unable to get anything going on the offensive end.
For My Best Friend Leslie, senior captain Braden Turner set the tone early, instructing his teammates to play with a run-and-gun style to which We Roofie Ourselves could never quite adjust. The constant pressure from My Best Friend Leslie came from every player and led to several steals and uncontested layups. My Best Friend Leslie used their defensive steals to aid their offence and score the first 10 points of the game.
Junior Phil Kelpin, a transfer from Purdue, was a towering and dominant presence in the middle throughout the contest. He grabbed rebounds and scored buckets in the paint seemingly at will.
Senior Sean Wieland dropped in some key shots from outside, punishing We Roofie Ourselves whenever they collapsed on Kelpin.
"We just capitalized on our opportunities," Turner said. "We attempted some alley-oops on these short rims unsuccessfully, but we're just saving those for the later rounds."
Here's the Highlight 21; Team 303 7
Here's the Highlight lived up to their team name in its 21-7 first round victory, displaying a level of organization and communication rarely seen in the early rounds of the tournament.
Team 303 put up a valiant effort, and sophomore Mark Lyons remained confident even as his team faced an 11-2 halftime deficit.
"We need more Vitamin Water," he said. "Energy, the yellow kind. We could also use some more basketball skills, but all we need is eight or nine hoops and it's tied. I guarantee we will come back and win this game."
The guarantee did not pan out, but Team 303 made a game of it by hitting the offensive boards and making a few open jump shots before Here's the Highlight pulled away for good with a 5-0 run that ended the game.
Freshman captain Steve Bonomo established his presence inside early and also stepped out to hit several open jumpers.
Defensively, Here's the Highlight maintained an impenetrable 2-3 zone throughout the game. Team 303 could not get the ball inside, and the few open looks they got from outside did not usually fall. Here's the Highlight did a good job extending themselves in their zone, getting into passing lanes and making several steals that led to easy buckets in transition.
Lyons remained somewhat pleased with his team's performance despite the loss.
"The score isn't the best indicator of what happened out there today," he said.
Members of Here's the Highlight were happy with the outcome as well as their level of play.
"Our shooting was on today," Kyle Tennant said. "It was really cold out, so we warmed it up ourselves."
Bonomo didn't take too much time to bask in the glory of victory though.
"We'll see you in the Tasty 256," he said.
Monstars 21, Salty Mo's 16
The Monstars outlasted the powerhouse Salty Mo's 21-16 in a furious display of shooting skill and athletic prowess.
The Monstars, led by Stanford junior Bruno Owikoti-Pili, kept the Salty Mo's under their thumb with opportunistic defense and superior rebounding.
"We ran them, we used our superior size, and were able to dominate them on the inside," senior Andrew Hayes said. "Honestly, I think they were intimidated by us, by how well endowed we were, if you know what I mean."
The Salty Mo's, who were able to hold a small lead early, collapsed as the game wore on. Frequent turnovers and horrific shooting allowed the Monstars to set the pace of the game. Owikoti-Pili led the Monstars and contributed to stout defense.
"It was a vicious war of attrition," Hayes said.
For the Salty Mo's, it was an unexpected loss. During last year's tournament, the scrappy group of Stanford sophomores were surprise Cinderellas, slicing through lesser foes with astonishing fury.
The Monstars, comprised of freshman Dan Wodhouse, junior Hank Wirth, freshman Matt Delaney, Haes and Owikoti-Pili, fended off a late Mo's run to seal the win. The Monstars Solid defense and disciplined play contrasted with the Mo's run-and-gun offense.
Nick McFadden, coach for the Salty Mo's, was fine with the loss, and seemed to be more interested in watching other games.
"We were unlucky," he said. "And outcoached. Yeah, I really have no comment."
Adcock earned the dubious honor of shooting 0-for-19 on field goal attempts with 12 turnovers, while Ryan Brellenthin lead the Mo's in scoring with 7 points.
"I confine my scoring to the ladies," Adcock said.
