Points
Wally Szczerbiak, Miami, Ohio 43
Marcus Wilson, Evansville 34
Johnny Hemsley, Miami 31
Donald Watts, Washington 28
Mike Pegues, Delaware 23
Monroe Pippins, Fla. A&M; 23
Rebounds
Kevin Ault, SW Mo. State 14
John Bennett, Delaware 14
Isiah Victor, Tennessee 14
Chris Mihm, Texas 14
Danny Moore, SW Mo. State 13
Eduardo Najera, Oklahoma 13
Assists
Pepe Sanchez, Temple 9
Mateen Cleaves, Mich. State 8
Vernon Jennings, Miami 8
Rob Mestas, Miami, Ohio 8
Kyle Runyan, Evansville 8
Can anyone shoot?
The eight teams that played in the first games at the four sites yesterday combined to shoot 36.3 percent from the field (173-for-477). Leading the group of eight that couldn't shoot straight was George Mason. The Patriots shot a season-low 27.3 percent (18-for-66) in their loss to Cincinnati. Delaware and Tennessee put on a non-shooting display. The teams combined for 32.5 percent shooting (38-for-117) in the Volunteers' ugly victory.
Can anyone shoot II?
The eight teams in the second group of games in the afternoon didn't fare much better from the field. They combined to shoot 38.9 percent (155-for-398). The pace-setter was Wisconsin, which put itself in the record books with its inept offensive performance. The Badgers hit 12 of 47 shots (25.5) and their 32 points scored was the lowest by any team in a first- or second-round game in the history of the tournament.
Finding the range
Miami's Johnny Hemsley (Southern-Baltimore), a 37.2 percent shooter from three-point range, hit nine of 12 three-pointers and scored 31 points as the Hurricanes blew away Lafayette. The Kansas front line of forwards Nick Bradford and T.J. Pugh and center Eric Chenowith connected on 19 of 25 shots (76.0 percent) in the Jayhawks' victory over Evansville.
Age no factor
George Mason's 28-year-old sophomore George Evans, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, had a tournament game to forget. The Patriots' leading scorer at 17.8 points per game was blanked by the Cincinnati defense. Evans shot 0-for-6 from the field and 0-for-2 from the line in 25 minutes.
No match for No. 1
The average margin of victory by the four No. 1 seeds over the No. 16 seeds was 32 points. The 23-point loss by Mount St. Mary's was the closest game between a No. 1 and a No. 16 seed.
First-round woes
Arizona's loss to Oklahoma was its fourth first-round loss in the last eight years to a double-digit seed.
Year ------- Opponent ------- ----- Result
1992 ------- No. 14 E. Tenn. St. ----- L 87-80
1993 ------- No. 15 Santa Clara ---- L 64-61
1995 ------- No. 12 Miami, Ohio ---- L 71-62
1999 ------- No. 13 Oklahoma ------ L 61-60
Quotable
"We're going to a fancy dinner tonight, and we'll use every bit of the NCAA's per diem. We're used to limits, and I don't have any limits tonight." -- Coach Steve Alford after his Southwest Missouri State Bears beat Wisconsin, 43-32.
Pub Date: 3/13/99