Wave of upsets washes away Missouri, Duke

The NCAA basketball tournament is off to another rousing start, thanks to an incredible Friday that featured arguably the most exciting early round day in tournament history.

A No. 15 seed had not beaten a No. 2 seed since 2001, and it only had happened four times previously -- and never twice on the same day.

That all changed Friday with a pair of 15th seeds pulling off stunning upsets, Norfolk State over Missouri and Lehigh over Duke.

By the time the final buzzer sounded at nearly midnight, eight of the 16 games were won by lower-seeded teams as thrilling, down-to-the-wire finishes ruled the day.

Unfortunately for Missouri fans, their squad was part of the upset carnage. It had to be especially disheartening for MU supporters because the Tigers appeared to have a realistic shot of reaching their first final four.

The Tigers happened to run into an unheralded, underdog opponent that many basketball fans probably never had heard of before. They know about them now after the Spartans put together the performance of their lives.

And that's what makes the event so special, because it's a lose-and-you're-out scenario. Anything can happen on any given day.

Just ask Missouri and Duke, among others.

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An Ohio Valley Conference team now has won an NCAA tournament game four consecutive years, although this time it wasn't an upset.

Sixth-seeded Murray State's 58-41 victory over 11th-seeded Colorado State was expected Thursday, unlike the last few seasons when OVC squads pulled off shockers.

The Racers' sensational season ended Saturday with a tough 62-53 loss to third-seeded Marquette. MSU (31-2) led 46-41 with under eight minutes left but was outscored 21-7 the rest of the way.

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Congratulations to the Scott County Central boys basketball team for winning its fourth consecutive Class 1 title, which increased the Braves' record for Missouri state championships to 16.

SCC claimed the title Saturday with a 79-72 triumph over Drexel.

What made the Braves' latest crown remarkable is that not many people outside the program saw this one coming.

The Braves were heavily favored to emerge victorious the previous three years. SCC was expected to take a step back after graduating all-world forward Otto Porter and three others starters from last season's squad.

SCC never got the memo. The Braves again proved to be the class of Class 1, beating every playoff opponent by at least 14 points until Saturday's final.

And, for those people who said anybody could have coached the ultra-talented Braves to championships the previous few years, now those folks have no choice but to give the utmost respect to the job coach Kenyon Wright and his assistants have done with this season's solid but not overly talented group.

Another kudos goes to Charleston's boys, who capped a sensational 31-2 season by beating Kansas City Bishop Hogan 79-73 in Saturday's Class 3 final. It was the Bluejays' 11th state title -- second-most behind SCC -- and first since 2007.

Charleston coach Danny Farmer and his staff also deserve plenty of praise for the job they did, especially to get past defending champion Bishop Hogan, a taller team that was considered by many to be the favorite.

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The Southeast Missouri State baseball team is off to a rough start, which is not a surprise considering how inexperienced the Redhawks are and how demanding their schedule has been.

This week the Redhawks (7-14) have a chance to make an early statement in the OVC when they open conference play against defending regular-season and tournament champion Austin Peay. The Governors, the preseason favorite to repeat, visit Capaha Field for a three-game series that will feature contests Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It will be interesting to see how the Redhawks, who have suffered eight of their 14 losses by either one or two runs, stack up against the Governors.

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The annual Plaza Tire Capahas auction will be Saturday at the American Legion Hall in Cape Girardeau. Doors open at 9 a.m., and the auction begins at 9:30.

As usual, a variety of interesting and unique items will be available. All proceeds benefit the Capahas, among the nation's oldest amateur baseball teams.

For more information, call 979-1089.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.