Day 2

James Madison used a balanced attack (4 players in double digits, none over 14) and some stingy defense to send Wisconsin home to Madison. The Dukes, which are on the longest win streak in the tourney at 14 games, advance to the weekend. Wisconsin made a run in the second half but the outcome was never in doubt. A lot of fans made the trip from Virginia to Brooklyn with chants of J-M-U gave this the feel of a home game (respect).

JMU started the season with a win over Michigan State but their other 31 wins (equalled only by UConn) were against a cast of nobodies. The Dukes earned some respect tonight. Sunday it will be Dukes vs Duke. The first game between the two programs could be interesting.

James Madison and Grand Canyon are both 12-seeds. As Friday turned into Saturday, the GCU Antelopes (nice) dominated St Mary's in the second half to win going away. The Gaels (unique) have one of the best defenses in the country. You wouldn't have known it on Friday, as the Lopes systematically dismantled fortress St. Mary with aggresive drives and effective shooting. This is the first tourney win ever for the Arizona diploma mill, coached by former tourney hero Bryce Drew (brother of Baylor's Scott Drew). I'll unpack that last sentence at a more reasonable hour when I am operating on more than four hours of sleep. A couple of good games to end the first round of the tourney.

Two of the late afternoon games went down to the wire, finishing simultaneously (thank goodness for split-screen!).

The Ivy League once again pulls an upset following Princeton's run to the Sweet 16 last year. The Bulldogs rallied from 10 down mid-way through the second half to oust Auburn, the SEC tourney champs, from the Madness. Yale's John Poulakidas hit big shot after big shot down the stretch, finishing with 28. The ending was chaotic. Auburn missed a free throw but snagged the rebound and proceeded to miss two shots (one was blocked) that would have tied the game and a 3-pointer with time expiring that would have won it.

The ending of Colorado-Florida was even crazier. Both teams broke the century mark, each scoring well over 50 in the second stanza. Back and forth it went down the stretch. With time running out, Colorado put the ball in the hands of KJ Simpson who shot a baseline jumper from slightly behind the basket with 2 seconds remaining. It bounced around the rim a half dozen times before rolling in. Florida missed a last second heave. 10-seed Colorado moves on to the weekend. The fifth SEC team gets sent home in the first round.

Connecticut blasted Stetson, winning by 39. The Huskies held the Hatters to 19 in the first half. Brutal.

OK, hats. A Stetson is, of course, a hat. When you think "cowboy hat" your mental image is a Stetson, the prototypical western hat. You may be surprised to learn where they are made: Philadelpia, and they always have been. They are named for John B. Stetson, who was raised in Orange, NJ, the son of a hatter. As a young man, John Stetson pursued a fortune panning for gold in Colorado. That didn't work out so well, but Stetson noted the poor quality of the leather hats in the area. So, he constructed a notably light-weight hat using untanned beaver skin and felt. The hat was unusualy large and Stetson also used it to carry water. His companions thought it was a joke. But several prospectors admired various iterations of the hat, which Stetson would sell right off his own head. Stetson returned east, to Philadelphia, in 1865 and established a company to make western hats he named named the "Boss of the Plains". These hats were large, light and waterproof. The hats were durable but they were not cheap, and became a symbol of prairie prosterity. The "10-gallon" model was particularly popular in Texas. Soon the hats were appearing in cities as well. Stetson mechanized the production process and, in a matter of a few years, built the largest hat company in the world. By 1906, the Stetson company was producing 2 million hats a year. Stetsons are still virtually ubiquitous. (a basic design these days will set you back about $160; the most expensive are over $1,000

[Editor's Note: Sobrina Valentina is visiting from Chile. She and Andrea made pre-dinner snacks (so sweet). Over tortillas, guacamole and salsa, I said "You'll never guess what I'm writing about now. Hats!". I explained what a Stetson hat is and Andrea asked, "You mean like a 10-gallon hat? You know that was originally Spanish." Do tell? Apparently, Mexicans saw gringos in Stetsons and declared "tan galán" meaning so elegant. The homonym is ten gallon. Back to the Notes.]

Stetson University was originally called DeLand Academy for founder Henry DeLand. DeLand was friends with John Stetson and asked him to join him as a founding trustee. Stetson ended up giving so much money to the school, which is located about halfway between Daytona Beach and Orlando in Florida, that they renamed the school for him in 1889.

This is Stetson's first appearance in the Dance since they became a Division I team way back in 1971. Their mascot is the Hatter. The original incarnation of the mascot had a mad hatter crossed with leprechaun vibe that apparently scared small children. The current mascot is called John B and sports a Stetson hat, green bandana (the school colors are dark green and white) and alligator skin boots.

UAB and Western Kentucky put up a fight, but neither could pull the upset in late afternoon games.

UAB took San Diego State to the wire. The Aztecs' (hope that's a PC mascot because I love it) Laedon Le Dee blew up this season, his fifth at the college level. He had four 30-point games this year including 32 today. SDS's defensive stopper is Lamont Butler who had four steals and 15 points today. UAB is led by New Jersey's Yaxel Lendeborg. He didn't have a great game today, but that's a world-class name. He was born in Puerto Rico, moving to the mainland with his mother when he was 3. Mom, a standout on the hardwood in her day, has a pretty cool name too: Yissel Raposo.

Western Kentucky led Marquette by seven at the half. Upset alert. Then the Fighting Shaka Smarts expoded for 51 in the second to win by 18. Kam Jones led Marquette with 28. Former Kentucky high school star and frustrated UK player Dante Allen came off the bench, scoring 6.

How many Toppin brothers are there? An announcer said that New Mexico's JT is the brother of Obi (Dayton, Pacers) and (therefore) Jacob (Kentucky, Knicks). Turns out that isn't true (Obi and Jacob are from New York, JT is from Texas). I already looked up the pictures so here they are. I was puzzled that I couldn't find a photo of all three.

JT had a solid freshman season for Richard Pitino's Lobos, averaging over 12 points and 9 boards a game. New Mexico was badly outmatched against Clemson, losing by 21. JT Toppin had 6 points and 10 boards. Rough day for New Mexico's Jamal Mashburn - 6 points on 1-11 shooting.

JT had a strong freshman season and there is speculation that he may turn pro. But the Lobos star is Jamal Mashburn, Jr. In Kentucky, we called his Dad Monster Mash when he played for Rick Pitino in the early 90s. Mashburn Sr. made a lot of money over 12 seasons in the NBA. He's made even more since he retired. He currently owns 34 Outback steakhouses, 37 Papa John's, several car dealerships and a thoroughbred racing stable. Bright and industrious guy. Contrast that with Antoine Walker, another 90s UK star, who made over $100 million in the pros and blew all of it supporting a lavish lifestyle with a crew of dozens.

Another 8-9 "upset". In the first half, Northwestern scored a Virginia-like 19 points on 21% shooting. Led by Ryan Langborn with a career-high 27, the Wildcats came alive and dispached Florida Atlantic in overtime. 12 of Langborn's points came in OT, where he and his team poured in 19 on perfect shooting from the field and line. Langborn paired with Boo Buie (great name) who had 22 points and 5 steals. FAU returned basically their whole team after a surprise Final 4 run last season, but couldn't recapture the magic.

Langborn transferred from Princeton, where he had 25 in a NCAA tournament game last year. Only one other player has managed 25 or more in the tournament for two different schools: Jamal Faulkner (Arizona State and Alabama).

Despite the early exit this season, FAU coach Dusty May is a hot name in the business. He could be the new Louisville coach by Monday.

If you hit a paywall with the Tucker article, here's another good one from Matt Norlander that is open access.