Best Weekend Ever

The first full weekend of the NCAA tournament was a DOOZY! The biggest event was the number one overall seed Kansas getting ousted by the Northern Iowa Fighting Mechanics. The players for UNI look like grease monkeys fresh out of the Jiffy Lube garage but they can play some ball. Just ask Bill Self. The other headline was the Kentucky Wildcats and the total domination they displayed in their first two games. Many talking head predicted that the Cats would be the first number one out with a loss to Wake Forrest (I'm looking at you Hubert Davis). The Cats beat up on the Demon Deacons to the tune of 90-60. Thanks for playing Demon Deacons.

The keys to the game were Darius Miller, the amazing defense of the Cats, Boogie keeping his cool, and the blazing speed that the Cats displayed. They out speeded a very fast team. The Cats have a tough test against Cornell and I am sure The Coury Flurry would love nothing more than to beat his old team. There will be analysis as the week goes on.

I just finished watching an exciting end to the Purdue vs. Texas A&M. Purdue punched it's ticket to the Sweet 16. Here are the match-ups:

St. Louis: Northern Iowa(9) vs. Michigan State(5) 3/26 9:37

Both of these teams had to defeat higher seeds to get where they are. Michigan State was a better team than Maryland so them winning did not shock me. Their last second buzzer beater to win the game was awesome. Northern Iowa beat a heavily favored Kansas team. I think their road ends in St. Louis. Tom Izzo gets his guys back into the Elite Eight.

Tennessee(6) vs. Ohio State(2) 3/26 7:07
This is an interesting game. Tennessee was a trendy pick to be upset by San Diego State but survived. They then went on to beat an Ohio team that trounced Big East bad boys (more on this later) Georgetown. Ohio State has played well but not totally dominant. I still look for OSU to meet MSU in the next round.

Salt Lake City: Butler(5) vs. Syracuse(1) 3/25 7:07

Syracuse has rolled early while Butler barely got passed a scrappy Murray State team. Syracuse will have a bit of a test from Bulter but will advance none the less.

Xavier(6) vs. Kansas State(2) 3/25 9:37

Jordan Crawford of Xavier has been playing extremely well the past few games. Xavier beat a decent Golden Gopher team and then defeated Pitt. Kansas State has won convincingly their two first round games, most recently against BYU. I am going to pick Xavier in an upset.

Houston: St. Mary's(10) vs. Baylor(3) 3/26 7:27

St. Mary's is one of a few feel good stories in this tournament. They beat the Richmond Spiders but that was no big surprise. They then beat Villanova, a team that some thought had the goods to make a run to the Final Four. St. Mary's had other plans. Baylor has looked tough in their first two games but I think St. Mary's has one more game left in them.

Purdue(4) vs. Duke(1) 3/26 9:57

President Obama felt sorry for Purdue because of the loss of star Robbie Hummel but picked them to lose to Siena in the first round. Not only did the Boilermakers beat them but they also just had a major comeback to beat Texas A&M. Their dance ends as Duke looks as if they are rolling on all cylinders. Purdue keeps it close but Duke earns one to play St. Mary's in the Elite Eight.

Syracuse: Washington(11) vs. West Virginia(2) 3/25 7:27

Washington is the lone Pac 10 team left in the tournament. Quincy Pondexter and Isiah Thomas are two strong and talented players. West Virginia has Desean Butler. He is a beast. I think West Virginia will win a squeaker to advance.

Cornell(12) vs. Kentucky(1) 3/25 9:57

Cornell is the lowest seed left in the tournament and has been whipping up on their opponents. The beat Temple by 13 and Wisconsin by 18. Kentucky has looked like the best team in the tournament scoring 100 points and 90 points in their first two games. They beat their opponents by 29 and 30 points. Cornell has not yet faced the speed that they will see against Kentucky. Cats win by double digits.

Here is how many teams the BCS conferences have left:

• Big East: 2


• SEC: 2


• Pac 10: 1


• ACC: 1


• Big 10: 3


• Big 12: 2

Who would have thought that the Big 10 would be leading the pack? The smart money would have been on the Big 12 or the Big East. The lowly (in some opinions) SEC has just as many teams left. Conference play doesn't matter in the Big Dance. It's whoever you are facing that day.