Editor
The Southsider Voice’s fourth annual College Basketball Blitz is once again generating the interest of advertisers who were paired with teams in the men’s NCAA tournament after purchasing the 64 ad slots.
The promotion is of particular interest to Center Grove Real Estate Inspectors and Primo Banquet Hall & Conference Center. Those businesses are matched with No. 10 seed Syracuse (21-13) and No. 11 Gonzaga (28-7), respectively, both of which pulled off upsets to advance to the Sweet 16. They will square off in Friday’s late game in the Midwest Regional in Chicago.
Gonzaga is the lowest seeded team remaining in the tourney after surprising No. 6 Seton Hall 68-52 and thrashing No. 3 Utah 82-59. Syracuse downed Dayton 70-51 and Middle Tennessee State 75-50, which pulled the tournament’s biggest upset when shocking No. 2 Michigan State 90-81.
Also clashing in Chicago are No. 1 Virginia (28-7), drawn by D.J’s Hotdogs, and No. 4 Iowa St. (23-11), matched with Low Cost RX. The game tips at 7:10 p.m. on CBS.
Closer to home, No. 5 Indiana (27-7, Airability) meets No. 1 North Carolina (30-6, Indy Rents) in Friday’s late game (about 10 p.m. TBS) in East Regional action in Philadelphia.
The Hoosiers, winners of five national championships, advanced by pounding Chattanooga 99-70 before edging No. 4 seed Kentucky 73-67 Saturday evening in Des Moines, Iowa. Coach Tom Crean’s team will have to play to its potential for an Elite Eight birth.
No. 6 Notre Dame (23-11, Granite Impressions of Indiana) also plays in the East and will meet No. 7 Wisconsin (22-12, Indiana Members Credit Union) at 7:27 p.m. on TBS. The Irish advanced by defeating Stephen F. Austin 76-75 on a last-second tip-in Sunday in New York.
Should Indiana and Notre Dame win, they will play for a berth in the Final Four in Houston.
Out West in Anaheim, Calif., No. 2 Oklahoma (27-7, Pet Supplies Plus) meets No. 3 Texas A&M (28-8, Smock Material Handling) at 7:37 Thursday on TBS. The second game pits No. 1 Oregon (29-6, Garage Doors by John Walke) against No 4 seed and defending champ Duke (25-10, Mascari Auction Co.)
Kansas (32-4, Archer’s Meats & Catering), the overall No. 1 seed, will meet No. 5 Maryland (27-8, Cambridge Transmissions) at about 9:50 p.m. Thursday on CBS. The early game in Louisville features No. 2 seed Villanova (31-5, Contractors Plus) battling Miami (27-7, E. White’s Trees) at 7:10 p.m.
The business whose team wins the tournament will receive a half-page color ad valued at $675; the runner-up will win a quarter-page ad worth $390. The third- and fourth-place finishers will receive eighth-page ads valued at $210.