The thing about high-risk/high-reward strategies, which as we've been telling you for two weeks are a key to Giant Killers success, is that when they fail, they sure can look ugly. And this past weekend, our two remaining Killers ran into teams that not only appeared physically superior but also effectively shut down their Giant Killing talents. On Thursday, Kentucky allowed Cornell to jump out to a 10-2 lead and make a second-half run, but overall, the Wildcats hamstrung the Big Red, constantly stealing the ball, grabbing rebounds on the offensive glass and, most importantly, limiting Cornell to just 5-of-21 shooting (23.8 percent) on 3-point attempts. The next night, after our complaints about Baylor's prior one-dimensional victories, the Bears destroyed Saint Mary's 72-49 in a game that wasn't even that close.
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ESPN The Magazine contributing writer
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Giant Killers Blog
Giant Killers is Insider's annual metrics-based forecast of NCAA tournament upsets. A Giant Killer is a team that beats a tourney opponent seeded at least five spots higher. For a full explanation of our model, click here.
Peter Keating
Peter Keating is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, where he has covered investigative and financial stories since 1999. His work on concussions in football has earned awards from the Deadline Club, the New York Press Club and the Center for the Study of Sport in Society. He joined the Giant Killers team in 2008.
Follow Peter Keating on Twitter.
Jordan Brenner
Jordan Brenner is a contributing writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Insider. He has covered pro and college basketball for the last decade and launched the Giant Killers project in 2006.
Follow Jordan Brenner on Twitter.
