Fred Cowgill of WLKY in Louisville gave Rick Pitino one of the most pillow-soft interviews you'll ever see in you're life today. And why not? Cowgill even reminds Rick during one of his "questions" that he was a graduate assistant at Boston U. when Pitino was head coach. What a small world, huh? Say Rick, since I managed to score this exclusive one-on-one could you tell me how you became such an awesome leader?

What is perhaps even more galling than this local airwave reach-around, is Pitino's comments about his daughter, who must be thrilled to have so much "adversity" in her life. You see, because of Dad's unnamed "adversity" and the unfortunate deaths of two of her uncles, the Pitino kids are going to be strong as oak and ready to take on any challenge life throws at them.

"I told my daughter this the other day. I said, 'Sweetie, what you've been through in your life, with your two uncles and now with this ... what you've been through in your life, you'll be strong enough to handle anything in life and that's you have to look at adversity.'"

That sounds awesome. I'm just not sure if her uncle's murder on September 11 is more or less character-building than knowing her dad banged a woman who is not her mom on the floor of restaurant. Either way ... thanks for the life lessons, Pop!

Pitino: Coaching Has Been Therapeutic [WLKY]

This first landed on our radar in April, when Sypher was charged with extorting the Louisville coach to the tune of $10 million. For what specifically was kept under wraps, but even her soon-to-be ex-husband called her nuts.

The rape and abortion rumors have been flying wildly for some time now, but we've finally got some confirmation. And as usual, the rumors had half the truth. Pitino denied raping Sypher, but did admit to police that he slept with her, and paid her $3,000 to have an abortion.

According to records obtained by the Louisville Courier-Journal, Sypher reported being raped on two occasions by Pitino. She filed the complaint July 9, two months after she was indicted. Louisville police interviewed Pitino about it, and decided not to charge him.

But the meat of this story is what family man Pitino copped to doing at a chance meeting at a restaurant in 2003.

Pitino told [Sgt. Andy] Abbott that Sypher (then Karen Cunagin) walked up to him early in the evening and asked if he would call one of her sons and encourage him regarding sports and school, which Pitino said he did, on a cell phone.

Pitino said Sypher left the restaurant and returned at about closing time. He said that after the restaurant closed and the last employees and owner Tim Coury had left, Sypher "started coming on to him and that they had sex," according to Abbott's report. Pitino said he learned later that [Pitino aide Vinnie] Tatum was still there.

Tatum told the FBI that he had lain down and couldn't see what happened but that he heard what sounded like consensual sex, Abbott wrote in a report.

Two weeks later she phoned up Pitino to tell him she was pregnant. At his urging they met at the condo of strength coach Tim Sypher — not the most romantic first meeting with your future husband.

He said that if she chose to have the child, he would require a blood test to determine whether or not the child was his.

He said she told him she was going to have an abortion but didn't have health insurance. He said he asked how much it would cost and she said $3,000, which he gave her, according to Abbott's report.

So where do we stand now? Sypher's still in hot water for extortion, and her police complaints seem to have an awful lot of holes. But while Pitino's not in legal trouble, having sex on a restaurant floor while your assistant listens, then paying the woman to get an abortion are VERY BAD THINGS, especially for a married man.

That first game at Rupp Arena's going to be wild.

Pitino Told Police He Had Consensual Sex With Sypher [Courier-Journal]

Sypher filed a complaint with the police department's sex offense unit, if that helps paint a picture for you. However, since prosecutors have determined that the claim lacks sufficient evidence, the exact allegation will probably never be known. Depending on how much you want to know about Pitino's nighttime activities that may or may not be a bad thing.

The case against Sypher, however, continues. So who knows what crazy stories will come out of that? In case you've lost track, her lawyer quit and her accused accomplice has rolled over on her—after she literally rolled on him apparently. Lester Goetzinger had been charged with aiding and abetting Sypher's attempted extortion, but he says she came over to his house, sexed him up, and then convinced him to leave threatening voicemails for Pitino. Classy. Goetzinger made a deal with prosecutors after determining that Sypher threw him under the bus. Also classy!

But Sypher is not done yet:

"I'm furious," Sypher told WLKY televison station. "If the investigation was thorough like it should have been, they would have found out what they needed to carry out this case. I'm not done yet."

I just said that!

Complaint against coach Pitino won't be prosecuted [AP]
Attorney: Sypher Seduced Client Into Pitino Plot [WLKY, via]

We still have no idea what exactly she has been accused of doing or what accusations she could be leveling in her alleged blackmail attempts of the University of Louisville coach and her equipment manager ex-husband. The interview is very light on things like "details." It doesn't even address the "blog sites on the internet" rumors that are destroying her good name. But if this video is any indication—Ms. Sypher is very close to losing it.

Our station hired an independent expert to give her a polygraph test, and the results were inconclusive. Karen Sypher says, "What they did is wrong. Everyone seems to be — tell the truth Karen, tell the truth. Well, you know, ask them, hook them up to polygraphs. Ask them the truth...

"It is worse than a nightmare. I'm scared to close my eyes to sleep, and I'm scared to wake up."

Remember, just because you're paranoid that doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. Who "they" are is still a bit fuzzy, but when your only character witness is your mother, that's not encouraging. Even the station that is interviewing her here is basically saying that she's a kook. (They couldn't verify her story, but that won't stop them from putting her on the air.)

This whole thing is turning into one long vacation to Creepytown.

Karen Sypher, family speak about Pitino's claims [Fox 41 Louisville; via]
Karen Sypher & the Pitino Extortion Attempt [Hell in the Hall]

2) Defense Win Championships An overused cliche, but a perfect fit for Rick Pitino's team. Obviously making shots are a necessity in basketball, but when the Cards are hitting it allows them to throw on the most vicious, in-your-grill press in college hoops. Guards Andre McGee, Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles make life living hell for opposing guards causing frequent turnovers. They are like wild dogs—the kind Mike Vick would lay the heavy bread on. Pitino says getting 35 deflections on defense will get you the win 9/10 times. The turnovers caused by the ferocious press get the Cards easy buckets and harm the opposition's morale. The Cards have been known to go on 15-0 or 23-2 runs based solely off their press which completely cripple their opponents. If the Cards' shots are falling and the patented Pitino press is engaged the Cards will be extremely tough to beat.

The Mystery of Earl Clark Earl "E5" Clark might be the most talented player to come through Louisville in the last 25 years. How he uses that talent is a different story. Recently Clark has had a monster games and is a double-double machine. However, Earl has been known to make horrendous decisions at the most inopportune times (ie: walking, lazy passes). This is something that has to concern Pitino moving forward. Clark turned it up for the tourney last year by eating Blake Griffin's breakfast lunch and dinner then taking his girlfriend out for a steak dinner and never calling her back in the second round. That is the E5 that needs to show up for Louisville. When Clark is ready to play that way, he gets this Bruce Banner-like look in his eye and just starts grabbing board after board and dunking on people's heads. Yet you really never know when that's going to happen. His draft stock is at stake and so are the title hopes of the Fightin' Cardinals, so for the Cards' sake let's hope the good E5 shows up. — Rob Jones (The L Yes! Report)

[Ed: We didn't get a new capsule for Louisville and I'm too tired to write one. Sorry.]

ARIZONA WILDCATS

1) Defense? Defense! Arizona exclusively plays a 1-1-3 zone. If you like shooting wide open threes, this defense should not scare you. Entering the tournament, Arizona's opponents shot 35.5% from behind the arc, resulting in the 244th best 3-pt defense in the country. But in their two tourney wins, opponents Utah and Cleveland State shot just a combined 11-55 from three-land. If a team is patient against the Cats, they'll always be able to get an open look (especially on the baseline).

2) The Little Engine That Could Point guard Nic Wise is a microcosm of Arizona's season ... both amazing and frustrating, often at the same time. Wise has an uncanny knack for getting the ball to the rim. But he also plays with reckless abandon, knowing there isn't anyone on the bench to replace him. Plus, this is his seventh coach in the last seven seasons. Wise had a different coach every year in high school and three new ones in college. Next year in Tucson will make it eight for eight.

3) Coach Like Every Game Is Your Last This is particularly true for Russ Pennell. Even a Steve Fisher-esque run to the Final Four won't earn him the full-time job next season. But just being in the tournament made it a successful season for the Wildcats, and probably opened the door for a head coaching job at a smaller school for Pennell. For ‘Zona fans, being able to watch at least one more game helps kill the time until they find out who's really taking over for Midnight Lute. — Brad Burnes

Our strike team has drawn the Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery match-up. Always entertaining. Lundquist's labored breathing and Raftery's schizo outbursts always make for great entertainment especially if the game gets out of hand. Here are a few fun facts and things to look out for. Enjoy the game!

Among active coaches, Pitino has the third-highest winning percentage in NCAA Tournament games. He also has the most expensive cologne collection.

Player to watch: Morehead State forward Maze Stallworth. A Kentucky native who attracted no interest from either of the state's top two programs. Bonus points: He is sober and not behind the wheel of a $150,000.00 Bentley.

Unfortunately for Alabama State, The Basketball Spirits were not looking down on Chief Walkswithmanysyllables.

Thankfully for Bob Jones University, Morehead State is here to divert your attention away from all the blow job jokes. They still have the market covered on threatening to arrest homosexual alumni for stepping foot on campus, though.

For all you Birdwatchers out there: stop looking at penises. Its Eagles vs. Cardinals; Slice of American Pie vs. Flashy Plumage. I think we all know who wins that battle.

Louisville U and Morehead State are both located in the commonwealth of Kentucky. Kentucky's status as a commonwealth indicates historic recognition of the fact that they are *independent as fuck *and will tar and feather your Tory-loving ass.

Kentucky has a widely recognized reputation as a haven for thoroughbred racing, bluegrass music and bourbon whiskey. From this perspective, Louisville U is ideally located. The Makers Mark, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill and the Jim Beam (Knob Creek, Booker's, Baker's etc) family distilleries are less than a 90 minute drive from Louisville proper and offer tours and tasting. All of which makes Kentucky's choice of Milk as the state beverage appallingly shameful and a perpetual embarrassment.

Conservative Republican Jim Bunning has served as Kentucky's junior Senator for over a decade. When reached for comment regarding this match-up, he cited Louisville's stifling pressure defense asked if we¹d like to see his collection of the shrunken heads of former interns.

After being unceremoniously dumped on his ass in 2001, Former UL coach Denny Crum, like countless other unemployed layabouts, gave in to the siren call of playing cards for profit. Crum became a professional poker player and currently hosts a poker tournament, the bizarrely-named Denny Crum Poker Open.

Louisville is the alma mater of numerous professional basketball players including former NBA player and NJ Nets coach Butch Beard, which, coincidentally is the working title for Danielle Fishel's forthcoming autobiography.

Everyone on Deadspin is a lawyer!

Morehead State is located on the edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest. For those of you who also went to 10th grade American History after getting baked at lunch, Daniel Boone was a legendary frontiersman and one of the original settlers of the first permanent settlement in Kentucky. His reputation claims that he was an excellent shot, but, unfortunately, functionally illiterate. The irony of this being mentioned in a college basketball preview is not lost on the author.

2) Defense Win Championships An overused cliche, but a perfect fit for Rick Pitino's team. Obviously making shots are a necessity in basketball, but when the Cards are hitting it allows them to throw on the most vicious, in-your-grill press in college hoops. Guards Andre McGee, Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles make life living hell for opposing guards causing frequent turnovers. They are like wild dogs—the kind Mike Vick would lay the heavy bread on. Pitino says getting 35 deflections on defense will get you the win 9/10 times. The turnovers caused by the ferocious press get the Cards easy buckets and harm the opposition's morale. The Cards have been known to go on 15-0 or 23-2 runs based solely off their press which completely cripple their opponents. If the Cards' shots are falling and the patented Pitino press is engaged the Cards will be extremely tough to beat.

The Mystery of Earl Clark Earl "E5" Clark might be the most talented player to come through Louisville in the last 25 years. How he uses that talent is a different story. Recently Clark has had a monster games and is a double-double machine. However, Earl has been known to make horrendous decisions at the most inopportune times (ie: walking, lazy passes). This is something that has to concern Pitino moving forward. Clark turned it up for the tourney last year by eating Blake Griffin's breakfast lunch and dinner then taking his girlfriend out for a steak dinner and never calling her back in the second round. That is the E5 that needs to show up for Louisville. When Clark is ready to play that way, he gets this Bruce Banner-like look in his eye and just starts grabbing board after board and dunking on people's heads. Yet you really never know when that's going to happen. His draft stock is at stake and so are the title hopes of the Fightin' Cardinals, so for the Cards' sake let's hope the good E5 shows up. — Rob Jones (The L Yes! Report)

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES

1) Nobody Ever Cheered for Lesshead. OK, now that we've all had our giggle, and irritated our girlfriends by ordering the Morehead sweatshirt with the strategically placed zipper, let's figure out what it really means. The university is located in Morehead, KY ("The happiest town on earth"). Both are, then, named in honor of former Kentucky Governor James Turner Morehead, a rabid anti-abolitionist who personally went after runaway slaves who sought refuge in Ohio. Dang. That's not sexy at all.

2) Loose Balls. Beware 6'8" sophomore Kenneth Faried has a pretty sweet all-around game. He's third on the national rebounding list, averaging 12.8 per game. That's a fine complement to his 14 points, 2 steals, and 2 blocks that tend to come about in every contest. Not a bad get for the fourth-best team in the Ohio Valley, eh?

3) Your Grandpa Beat My Grandpa. By winning the play-in, the Eagles get to face nearby neighbor Louisville as a sixteen seed. This is not an entirely unprecedented matchup. In 1961, when the tourney had just 32 teams and had consolation rounds, Morehead beat Xavier, then lost to Kentucky in the Midwest region. They played for third place in the losers bracket against Louisville, and lost again. Unlike a modern bracket, all of those schools were close enough together that one could hop in the Studebaker and visit them all in a single weekend, making the "Midwest" designation a little more meaningful. — Eric Angevine (Storming the Floor)

Join the Deadspin Pants Party Group Pool [ESPN]
Download the Deadspin Bracket [PDF or JPG]

Louisville outscored the Irish 16-2 in the extra five-minute period, as the ND offense withered and died late in the game. They almost lost at the buzzer in regulation when the Irish were actually saved by a weird backcourt violation call. Luke Harangody—say it out loud, it's fun—scored 28 and had 13 boards, but fouled out, while Terrence Williams had 24 and 16 for Louisville, which is like ... way better. The moral of story is that, when properly motivated, Rick Pitino's teams can still play defense.

Okahoma 78, Texas 63: In the Red River something or other, Blake Griffin did exactly what I told him to do (20 and 10, for his 14th double-double in 17 games) as Oklahoma easily dispatched Texas. All five Sooner starters played over thirty minutes, as the bench combined for 10 total game minutes. That's what we in the business call "a lack of depth," but who cares when you're 16-1.

Also, I am now convinced that Taylor Griffin is in Norman merely to confuse opposing defenders into thinking they are guarding his little brother. I think it works too. Maybe the Mannings should try that sometime.

“I thought we moved the ball well, but we were our own worst enemy,” Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe said. “You’ve got to control the football when you have it and we didn’t. Obviously a disappointing loss. We thought we let it slip away."

The Cards (2-2, 0-1 in Big East play) are now 8-8 in the Steve Kragthorpe era. With the rough starts from Rutgers, West Virginia, and now Louisville, the Big East is losing what little caché the conference had began to accumulate Only UConn and 13th-ranked South Florida Bulls remain undefeated in the league. The Bulls visit Louisville in four weeks. I have a feeling good seats will still be available.

UConn rallies to beat Louisville [Yahoo! Sports]

It will be interesting to see just how different this offense is without prolific quarterback Andre Woodson, who fueled an aggressive downfield passing attack the past two seasons. But Woodson, along with his four top weapons, is in the NFL, leaving offensive coordinator Joker Phillips with an offense lacking playmakers.

I don't know if a loss of playmakers would bother a guy named Joker too much. But it does leave a little extra pressure on defensive coordinator Batman Schneider and special teams coach Commissioner Gordon Lightfoot.

Kentucky Team Report [Yahoo! Sports]
Louisville Team Report [Yahoo! Sports]

Psycho T and his band of Tar Heels haven't seen a great deal of tight competition thus far in the tournament, but then they've been the beneficiaries of a near-home court advantage or so goes the drummed up storyline between Rick Pitino and Roy Williams. It is those two coaches who are coming in with equal tournament resumes - a national title, coupled with five Final Four appearances as well as eight in the Elite 8 - meeting for the first time in March.

One of these 1 seeds has to go down, right? Better if it's the one who loses to the team I had going to the tournament final. AlsoImaMarylandalumandIhateUNC.

West (Phoenix) Region

UCLA 88, Western Kentucky 78

When Darren Collison fouled out with 5:30 left, a whole lot of people started to believe that the Hilltoppers could win this thing. Of course, thereafter, the Bruins put a foot on WKU's neck and ended that talk with a quickness. In the moral victory column, the Hilltoppers gutted out a big comeback and had a chance to win at the end. Tyrone Brazelton had 31 for the Toppers, while Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook both notched points/rebounds double-doubles for the Bruins.
Xavier 79, West Virginia 75

Incredible game. WVU was behind by double figures in the first half and gritted its way back into it in the second. Bodies were hitting the ground like a Sopranos marathon. And when regulation ended with a tie and the extra period started, it was perfect March basketball. A shockingly wide-open shot when X inbounded the ball with just two seconds left on the shot clock sealed the deal, but for good measure, the Mountaineers started bricking free throws. Josh Duncan was Xavier's rock once again, scoring 26 and hitting nine of his ten free-throw attempts.

East (Charlotte) Region

North Carolina 68, Washington State 47

I have cast this as Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object for several days now, but I conveniently forgot that Roy Williams' teams are always capable of playing some D themselves, and that tipped the balance in this one. That and three-pointers. Not that UNC's 33 percent from the arc was mind-blowing, but in the early going, Tyler Hansbrough couldn't get untracked. As soon as the outside shots started to fall (Danny Green 3-5), Psycho T started doing his thing, and ended up leading the Tar Heels with 18 points and 9 rebounds.

Louisville 77, Tennessee 60

David Padgett is everything that is right about College Basketball, people. At least, that's what Jay Bilas would have us believe. What I can't figure out is, when he meets our other dorky white savior in the next round, who do we root for/genuflect in awe of? Anyway. Bruce Pearl threw Smiths at the Cards all night long, and it didn't make much difference in the outcome. Louisville's Jerry Smith had 13, as did Andre McGee. And Terrence Williams brought the oohs and aaahs with his athletic 12. By the way, Derrick Caracter (9 points, 5 rebounds) says he's going pro. Good luck with that, Chief.

Western Kentucky tried to sneak up on UCLA last night and darned near pulled it off, but the real news was Louisville, which blasted Tennessee and looked like a team that couldn't possibly have lost to Seton Hall. The only team that looked better than them was ... well, North Carolina, which, by their standards in this tournament, slacked off by only winning by 21.

We are sad, however, to see Joe Alexander and West Virginia gone. With a little more eccentricity and Jamiroquai style, he coulda been the next Pittsnogle.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

1. Give 'em the trophy already. Despite the selection committee's best efforts at getting rid of the Vols in the first weekend (seriously, what crack were they smoking putting the brackets together and matching up two Top 10 teams in the second round?), the Vols made it to a second straight Sweet 16. Even though the Vols are the lone SEC school remaining in this year's dance, they have played a whopping 1/3 of the remaining teams. The Vols No. 1 rated non-conference schedule included wins over Memphis, Western Kentucky, Xavier and West Virginia and a loss to Texas, none of which were played in Knoxville. It is easy to assume that this should give Tennessee an advantage the rest of the way, but the committee once again shows it hates orange because all of those teams are on the opposite side of the brackets.

2. There is no "I" in Pearl. Bruce Pearl is the greatest coach in college basketball today. (Ed Note: COUGH!) He single-handedly brought Tennessee to the national forefront in basketball. If you count his last coaching stint, he has coached in three out of the last four Sweet 16s. With all of this success, he has become the man the other teams love to hate. Whether it is breaking out the orange blazer for the Kentucky and Vanderbilt games, going Hulk-a-maniac on his shirt in the locker room after a big win, or painting his upper body orange for a Lady Vols game, the opposing fans love to hate by claiming that he is a grandstanding egomaniac. That is far from the truth. Bruce Pearl's antics did nothing but bring much needed attention to the forgotten program in Knoxville, the men's basketball team. The men's attendance is now finishing in the top five nationally, and for the first time in 25 years the men's team was ranked higher than the Lady Vols (who just got another 1 seed in the ladies tourney). Under Pearl's reign, the team has also just completed a second straight undefeated season at home, and in the three seasons since Pearl has arrived on campus they are 45-2 in Thompson-Boling Arena. His philosophy of "anybody, anytime, anywhere" combined with his mantra of "passion, poise, purpose" have Tennessee on the verge of making it past the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.

3. Stephen Curry is no Chris Lofton. With three three-pointers against Butler, Chris Lofton broke his own school record for most threes in a season with 116 on the year. In fact, he has four of the top five single-season marks at Tennessee. Lofton also became the SEC's career leader in threes against Kentucky earlier in the season. Chris needs seven more threes to pass Keydren Clark for second on the NCAA's all-time three point leaders. An interesting side story here that I don't think has gotten nearly enough press (and by nearly enough I mean please stop talking about it) is that despite being named Mr. Basketball in 2004 in Kentucky, he was not recruited by either the University of Kentucky or the University of Louisville. Tennessee fans cannot thank the state of Kentucky more for not giving him a chance. Lofton gave his thanks back in his Senior Day video when every highlight was a shot he hit against Kentucky and at the close of the video he thanked the Tennessee fans for believing in him. — Matthew Payne

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

1. Character Issue. Sophomore Derrick Caracter is one of most talented players on the Cardinal steam, but the man is still plagued by "character issues." After already being suspended for the first 16 games of the season for personal reasons, Caracter figured that the appropriate time to announce that he was leaving school early for the NBA was the before the team played Tennessee in the Sweet 16. I guess nothing like an appearance in the Sweet 16 to bring the team together.

2. Padgett. A preseason top 10 squad, the Cardinals started the year off with four bad losses that caused nearly everyone to jump off bandwagon by Christmas. Part of problem was the absence of team leader David Padgett, who had to sit out until January thanks to a knee injury. With Padgett back to take control of the team, the Cardinals finally started living up to the preseason hype, winning 17 of their last 21 games.

3. Trail Blazer. It has become common in recent years to see fiery coaches on the sidelines decked out in solid-color blazers, including Bruce Pearl's Dreamsicle look, Bob Huggins' head-to-toe gold and Sidney Lowe's "Hey Koolaid" flaming red at N.C. State. But before any of these cats ever dreamed of blowing out your HD liquid crystal display, Louisville coach Denny Crum rocked the Cardinal blazer at Louisville. His distinctive style was only part of what made him a legend, however. He also led Louisville to six Final Fours, two of which turned into National Championships. — Storming The Floor

Washington State vs. North Carolina, 7:27 pm Thursday

#4 Washington State Cougars

Last Weekend: Defeated #13 Winthrop 71-40, defeated #5 Notre Dame 61-41.

How Washington State Got Here: Defense to make the gods weep. When Winthrop got uppity and scored 29 points in the first half of the teams' first round meeting, the Cougs slammed the door on them, allowing only 11 thereafter (two treys, one dunk, a jumper, and one free throw, if we're counting). Notre Dame got one more point, but did it with less efficiency, shooting 24 percent from the floor.

What the Sweet 16 Means to WSU: Happy days are here again. The Cougs played for a national championship in 1941, losing to Wisconsin. But back then, there were only eight teams in the dance, so they've technically never been to the Sweet 16. This achievement means that young Tony Bennett was the right hire, and if Wash State is wise, they'll come up with whatever it takes to keep him around.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Eesh. In any other region, probably excellent, based on that lockdown D alone. But Wazzou face their Bizzaro-selves in the Tar Heels, who have yet to score less than 100 points in any game they've played in this tournament. And if they get past the Heels, it's more of the same with Louisville or Tennessee.

#1 North Carolina Tar Heels

Last Weekend: Defeated #16 Mount St. Mary's 113-74, defeated #9 Arkansas 108-77.

How North Carolina Got Here: Absolute domination. Their two games - in particular the 108-77 destruction of Arkansas - were a complete team effort. Everyone played to their capabilities, and Arkansas, a good team, seemed shell-shocked from the get-go.

What the Sweet 16 Means to UNC: The real tournament begins. With their talent level and the expectations of Tar Heel fans everywhere, anything less than the Final Four would be considered a failure.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: If the Heels play like they did against Arkansas, their chances could be near absolute. If they play like they did during the regular season...their chances are substantially less than absolute. Every team they face is a Final Four, perhaps even Championship-caliber, from this point on. Carolina's had a tendency to get behind early in their ACC games. So far they've managed to escape with wins in all but one of those games (Maryland). If they do that in the Charlotte regional, over even let their opponent hang around too long, they could be watching the Final Four from home.

Louisville vs. Tennessee, 9:57 pm Thursday

#3 Louisville Cardinals

Last Weekend: Defeated #14 Boise State 79-61, defeated #6 Oklahoma 78-48.

How Louisville Got Here: In waves. At least, that's how they came at opponents. The Cards under Rick Pitino have the type of talent-laden bench that signals elite status, allowing the team to appear perpetually fresh and rested as they toy with lesser opponents. Eight players logged double-figure minutes vs. Boise State, and that number went up to nine in the savage, back-alley beating of the Oklahoma Sooners.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Cards: Another shot at history. The Cardinals are rarely mentioned with the all-time programs, but they are no strangers to the Final Four or the National Championship. Rick Pitino aims to remind us all that this ain't his first rodeo, either.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: It's going to be tough. The East is deadly this year, but there isn't much of a talent gap between the four remaining teams. In that respect, the Cards have as good a chance as anyone. They'd probably like to see a little more out of David Padgett to get them over the hump.

#2 Tennessee Volunteers

Last Weekend: Defeated #15 American 72-57, defeated #7 Butler 76-71 (OT)

How Tennessee Got Here: White-knuckled. The Vols had to crank up the defense over the last six minutes of their game against tourney virgins American in order to advance, and then Butler took them to the limit in the second round until fouls claimed two of the Bulldogs' best players. At least we know they can play tough now.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Vols: Us against the world. It's an old coaching chestnut, but it's got to be working for Bruce Pearl. Tennessee felt like they deserved a #1 seed, but they got stuck in the toughest region instead. Now they play a loaded Louisville team just to get to the Elite Eight. Oy vey.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Depends on whether that alarm clock finally went off or not. The Vols won't be able to run the Cards out of the gym or wear them down with depth and talent, so it's time to simply want it more. And if they pull it off, there's more of the same on the other side. Tough draw.

Bruce Pearl's troops just frittered around enough to give the East Region its one shot of intrigue; Louisville, Washington State and especially North Carolina have looked dominant so far. How awesome have the Heels looked? Roy Williams actually admitted after the win yesterday that "we looked doggone good today." For God's sake, someone put a leash on that guy! He's out of control! (All together now: At least he finally gives a shit about North Carolina right now.)

Meanwhile, Louisville is one of the few teams we've seen in person this year ... and they lost, to Seton Hall. (This had the added humiliation of having taken place in Newark.) So where did that come from?

More to the point, though: Anyone who picked North Carolina to win the whole thing has to feel rather positive right now. So, Heels fans can all relax and just enjoy The Truth About Duke right now.