A Thin 3-point Line

The line between hero and goat is a thin one. Ali Farokhmanesh ended up on the right side of it today with an incredibly "gutsy" 3 pointer with about 35 seconds left to drop a bomb on brackets everywhere and knock the prohibitive favorite out of the tournament. (The line between gutsy and stupid is equally thin.) With a 1-point lead, 37 seconds left in the game, and just 5 seconds into the shot clock, Farokhmanesh had beaten a Kansas press and found himself in the frontcourt with a Kansas defender near the basket and a teammate on the other side of the floor. Instead of holding the ball to run down the clock or make Kansas foul, Farokhmanesh inexplicably pulled up for a 3. With no Panthers under the basket to grab a rebound, a miss almost certainly given Kansas the ball with about 35 seconds and down a point.

Nothing but net.

It was a fitting capstone to another great performance by the Panthers guard. And it meant that all the game's stupid 3-point attempts belonged to Kansas.

The March only caught the 2nd half of this game, during which it was completely mystified by Kansas' insistence on trying to get back in the game by shooting jumpers. By the time theyh realized they have 3 potential picks down low, it was almost too little, too late. They clawed back into it by dumping it inside, but Farokhmanesh twice turned them back, first with a huge 3 for a 59-53 lead, then with the risky dagger with 35 seconds left.

The March has said all season long that this is a down year across the board in college hoops, and that the tournament would be chaotic, um, madness as a result. With Kansas down, there are some happy folks in Lexington, Syracuse, and Durham, but they best beware. The Madness has barely begun.

(Post by Shankar)