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The NCAA Tournament started off in great fashion on Friday with a couple of massive upsets highlighted by the Rhode Island Rams defeating the South Carolina. Here are some quick thoughts on the first day of the tournament.
- Rhode Island’s Tyler Wilson looked like the stage was too much for him early against South Carolina. Wilson gave up a leadoff homer to Gene Cone and a Alex Destino two run shot in the first inning which put the Rams in a very early 3-0 hole. He was able to settle down to pitch into the eighth inning allowing only four runs on six hits while walking four. The Rhode Island offense never let it deter them the early deficit and scored two runs in the fourth while scoring three more in the fifth to grab the first lead of the game which they were able to hang onto.
- Can we finally respect the Utah Utes? They were able to pick up a 6-5 victory over Ole Miss down in Oxford. Yes, the Utes struggled in out of conference play but anytime you can win a power conference like the Pac-12 with a 19-11 record and having a lights out closer, you give yourself a chance to win. The Utes have been mashing all year with an average of 6.1 runs per game.
- The defending National Champions Virginia have a strong start to the tournament with a 17-4 victory over William and Mary. The Cavs were able to string together 20 hits with Justin Novak going 3-5 with three runs scored to lead the attack.
