[The_OC]

Funny, lots of games involving Owen are "termed" ugly. Easier to slow a team down than to speed them up. Owen was able to get the game into a pace they wanted, they just didnt finish enough around the rim early in the game, and didnt have an answer for Sampson. He hit some big shots to save SK.

Of course, if SK doesnt intentionally foul Owen's point guard with :35 left, which turns a 52-46 game into a four point trip and one possession game, then they probably escape with a narrow win in regulation. Instead, it goes to OT, Sampson comes through, and Owen missed a three and a follow shot in OT and the Pioneers escape.

The refs let them play. At around the 5:30 mark of the 4th quarter, SK picked up their first team foul of the second half. Of course, Owen only had one team foul at the time themselves. I have never seen that prior. Of course, that led to the mass fouling at the end of regulation, which included the strange intentional I mentioned previously that helped Owen get back into the game.

This will be the type of team and type of game SK will have to overcome to win their first regional tournament game in six years. Again, it appears the 8th Region has a favorite (Collins), and eight teams (SK, Owen, Anderson, the three Oldhams, Grant, and Gallatin) that are capable of beating Collins and the other eight teams on a given night. Not sure how many are capable of winning three in a row to get to Rupp, but should be an entertaining tournament again at Henry Co.