Davidson 73, Wisconsin 56

Well, so much for Cinderella Davidson's ride coming to an end when they had to face a big, bad Big Ten defense. That was a complete domination on both ends by the Wildcats against a Badger team that doesn't get dominated by anyone. While they may still be labeled a #10 seed, I don't think you'll hear an argument from anyone if you were to call Davidson a legitimate Top 10 team. They are really that good. And what Stephen Curry is doing is just getting more goddamn ridiculous by the game. Curry scored 33 against one of the best defenders in the nation in Michael Flowers, including a few three-point daggers to put the game away in the second-half. Curry's play has been so phenomenal in the postseason that he even has LeBron James in the stands cheering for the Wildcats. The win sets up the perfect David vs. Goliath showdown; the Wildcats' road to the Final Four will have to go through Kansas.

Memphis 92, Michigan State 74

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that all that talk about Memphis's shitty free-throw shooting making them the most likely number #1 seed to fall may have motivated the Tigers a wee bit. I mean, the first-half of this was a full-fledged ass whoopin'. When Memphis was in the midst of a 15-0 run at the end of the first-half to extend the lead to 30, Michigan State looked legitimately scared to bring the ball up the court. That is how hard the Tigers were playing in this one. Michigan State used 16-0 run early in the second half to make the score look respectable, but this one was over by the half. Derrick Rose continues his impressive March, leading the Tigers with 27 points and 5 assists. Michigan State's Drew Nietzel ends his 14-year Spartan career by scoring all six points of his points in the final 90 seconds.

Kansas 72, Villanova 57

Give the Wildcats credit for playing hard throughout, but the Jayhawks were simply way too talented for the young Nova squad. The Jayhawks used a balanced scoring attack and a vast array of alley-oop dunks to put this one to rest early on. It was almost like pick your poison for the Wildcats, as one minute it was Brandon Rush (16 points) connecting on a fast break dunk, the next it was Mario Chalmers (14 points) drilling a three-pointer. I actually feel pretty bad for Bill Self and Jayhawks as they now advance to the Elite Eight to face Davidson. Here is Self and his Jayhawk squad, in the perfect position to erase all of the recent bad memories of early exits and regional final defeats, and now they have to play freakin' Davidson. The only people rooting for the Jayhawks on Sunday will be KU students, alums and people who live in the state of Kansas.

Texas 82, Stanford 62

The epic clash of styles between the Texas guards and Stanford big men turned into one dud of a game The Cardinal had this one down to a one-point game at 52-51 mid-way through the second-half, but the Longhorns then proceeded to go on a 20-3 to break the game open. Much credit goes to Longhorn center/fatman Dexter Pittman, who used his entire 300-pound frame to hold Brook Lopez scoreless in the final 15 minutes. The Cardinal struggled defensively all night against the quicker Longhorns, as D.J. Augustin scored 23 and Damion James scored 18. Following the game, the Lopez twins could be heard sobbing in the locker room while listening to old Michael Jackson records.

Your Elite Eight match-ups...

Xavier vs UCLA Saturday 6:40 p.m.
X-men actually create quite a few match-up problems for the Bruins, but there is no way anyone should go against UCLA's luck at this point.

North Carolina vs Louisville Saturday 9:05 p.m.
Each team has gotten to the Elite Eight with three blowout wins. We're guessing that changes here.

Memphis vs Texas Sunday 2:20
Ok, so this has to be the game where the Tigers lose because of free-throw shooting, right?

Davidson vs Kansas Sunday 5:05
If you're not excited about this game, college basketball probably isn't for you.

Getty Images Photo

MEMPHIS TIGERS

1. Why Their Achilles Heel Won't Matter (how Tiger fans can rationalize the free throw shooting). By this point, you may have noticed that the Tigers struggle from the charity stripe, which is likely why you picked them to lose to Pitt in the Sweet 16 or to Texas in the Elite 8. The free throw woes have been scrutinized by every college hoops commentator on the planet, and yet the Tigers still have only one loss and seem to win all the close games. Even if more teams employ the Hack-a-Tiger strategy, here are five reasons why free throws won't matter:

(1) The Tigers actually make more free throws than their opponents. At a 14.2 per game clip, that's better than Michigan State (13.7) or Texas (13.4).
(2) Offensive efficiency: the Tigers are #11 in the nation at 113.7 points per 100 possessions. If the Tigers were to shoot two free throws on every possession at their 59% season average their OE would be 118 points per 100 possessions (118 made free throws out of 200).
(3) The Tigers shot a horrendous 46% from the line against Mississippi State, which is reason for concern. However, they shot a respectable 70% in the CUSA tournament, so expect the Tigers to stabilize closer to their true average. CDR and Derrick Rose are better than the 56% they shot against Mississippi State, which came after a combined 9-11 performance (89%) against UT-Arlington.
(4) If teams hack away early they risk getting into foul trouble, and Memphis' bench depth will become the difference maker.
(5) Calipari will bench Joey Dorsey and his 37% free throw percentage on offensive possessions late in close games.

2. When Dorsey Shows Up.Last year before their Elite Eight game against Ohio State, Joey Dorsey made the mistake of calling out Greg Oden, "It's David and Goliath, except I'm Goliath." Dorsey's trash talk was more prophetic than he realized; he was held scoreless and grabbed only 3 rebounds as Oden reminded him of who actually won that battle. Fast-forward to Memphis' round 2 game against Mississippi State. Against a strong Bulldogs frontcourt, Dorsey turned in a dominating performance with 13 points, 12 boards and 6 blocks. Dorsey has been inconsistent all season, but when he performs up to his ability as he did against the Bulldogs, Memphis is tough to beat. Strangely, the only free throw Dorsey made out of five attempts came after someone pulled a curtain open, shooting a beam of sunlight directly into Dorsey's eyes. "The old curtain wave move," coach John Calipari commented afterward. "Hadn't seen that in a while." There is probably no truth to the rumor that Dorsey will now switch to shooting free throws with his eyes closed, although this is a guy who once took free throw tips from a Memphis fan in the middle of a game, so anything is possible. Penny Hardaway apparently worked on free throws some with Dorsey in Little Rock, but whatever advice he gave clearly hasn't sunk in yet.

3. Still Waiting on that Second Loss... Mike Freeman wrote a front page column for CBS Sportsline on Monday comparing the Tigers to an "AND 1" team. Freeman suggests that the Tigers do not distribute the ball or play as a team, but rather are a group of superior athletes interested only in long threes and highlight reel dunks. Like nearly every other "expert" with the exception of Digger Phelps, Freeman expects the Tigers to fall short of the Final Four for a 3rd consecutive year. He is correct that the Tigers are the most athletic team in the tournament, but there are several problems with his AND 1 analogy. First off, the Tigers' defense is the strongest part of their game. They rank second nationally in defensive efficiency, allowing only 86.5 points per 100 possessions, and their turnover margin (+4.4) is considerably better than Michigan State (-1.2), Texas (+2.9), UCLA (+2.5), Kansas (+3.0) and UNC (+1.7). Second, the Tigers tally more assists per game (16.0) than either UCLA (14.5) or Texas (14.5). Yes, Mike, a team that features Derrick Rose at the point surely must have trouble distributing the ball. Sadly, Freeman's column is the sort of material that gets passed off for sports journalism these days, but the sentiment that Memphis is due to lose sooner rather than later is shared nationwide. In a Monday ESPN.com poll of which 1-seed is likely to lose first, the results were overwhelming (Kansas - 11%, UNC - 8%, UCLA - 16%, Memphis - 65%). Memphis has reason to play with a chip on their shoulder this weekend. They've made the Elite Eight two years running and would love to prove their critics wrong by finally breaking through to the Final Four. — Jay Lewis

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

1. Somebody Please Mess With Texas. One of my favorite sports-related memories ever was joining a small group of friends at a sports bar in East Lansing to watch the 2003 South Regional Semifinal. Alongside a few hundred friendly strangers, we watched as scrappy upstart Michigan State upended defending national champion Maryland on a thrilling last minute slam by freshman wunderkind Paul Davis. It was a surprisingly euphoric moment overflowing with brotherhood, camaraderie and nacho cheese. Then two days later, all illusions I had about fair play in college sports were destroyed when the Spartans' reward was a game versus the Texas Longhorns on the totally neutral floor of San Antonio's Alamodome. Has anyone pointed out that this year's Texas squad actually benefited by losing the Big 12 championship game, which got them "demoted" to a 2 seed in the South Regional being held in their home state? I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who has made that connection ever, but I mention it only because of this nightmare I have about beating a highly-favored, more athletic team in a hard fought game, only to run into an obnoxious roadblock created by an unfair scheduling scenario. Yes, I know how to hold a grudge.

2. From Each According To His Ability. MSU is 13-1 when Marquise Gray scores in double figures. Sounds helpful, until you remember that the junior has only scored in double figures 14 times in his career. Tom Izzo's system stifles superstar achievement in favor of balanced team play, so you never know where Michigan State's next hero will come from, but they do seem to find a lot of them. Pittsburgh lost to Michigan State not because of poor three-point shooting, bad rebounding, or even a late 8-point surge by Drew Neitzel (although those certainly didn't help), but because at several key moments in the second half, when jump shots were hard to come by and everyone else in Green looked flat footed and useless, freshman Kalin Lucas blew past his sluggish defenders for vitally important layups. He held off the Panther rallies long enough to save the Spartans' season and with any luck, John Calipari will not be aware of that fact, fail to read this post and allow him to run wild in the paint. Or maybe Goran Suton will hide a bucket of confetti in his shorts and throw it on a referee. Someone you won't expect will have to come up big, but if I could tell you who that was it wouldn't be unexpected, would it?

3. To Each According To His Needs. It's pretty rare for college basketball announcers not named Packer to criticize anybody, so it was a telling moment when CBS pointed out that junior center Idong Ibok's own teammates were a little peeved at his somewhat useless performance in the second round. If the TV men saw fit to mention it, those guys must have been really pissed. To be fair, the I.I. Captain (just made that up!) never picked up a basketball before his senior year of high school and his hands rival only Roberto Duran for their stone-like qualities, so he can't be expected to do complex basketball maneuvers like catch passes. He can, however, foul the shit out of people and will likely be called upon to do just that tonight. Memphis plays what I can only assume is an up-tempo, freewheeling, but undisciplined brand of basketball (I wouldn't know; my TV only receives the Big Ten Network) so I imagine the Spartan game plan to be: collapse the defense, hack any any all Tiger big men to death, dare their guards to beat them from beyond the three-point arc, then ravenously scoop up rebounds when they fail. (MSU's last two opponents shot 20% from three-land.) Provided they have enough bodies to avoid a Wisconsin-like disaster — four Spartans fouled out of the Big Ten tourney semifinal, including three in 56 seconds — it's just crazy enough to work! — Dashiell Bennett

KANSAS JAYHAWKS

1. Coaching Pedigree. Can we lay off Bill Self just a bit? Besides the natural jealousy at the man's full, luscious head of hair, Bill Self seems to be unfairly maligned as a coach who can't win the big one. News Flash, bucko: Coach K, Dean Smith, Boeheim, and Roy Williams won their first titles at ages 44, 51, 58, and 54, respectively. Yet they are all now universally lauded as deans of the profession. For all the shit that Bill Self has taken, he is still a relatively young coach (45). Give the man time. People say that he has coaching for over 10 years without a title. True, but all but the last five of those seasons have been at mid-major schools off the national basketball radar like Oral Roberts, Tulsa, and Illinois. (Ed. Note: GRRRRRR.)

2. Bench star. For all the talk about the NBA futures of players like Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur, the case could be made that KU's best player comes off the bench. Sherron Collins has been battling injuries and sickness for most of the season, and the Jayhawks' sometimes-sluggish play reflected that. Collins has had to deal with a fractured foot, bruised knee and influenza this season, ailments that have kept him from contributing at full strength. Now, however, Collins is healed and playing his best basketball of the season. Not coincidentally, the Jayhawks seem to be peaking later rather than sooner. Collins provides a threat both with the ball and without, and just about everywhere on the court. Built like a linebacker with an attitude to match, Sherron is at ease shooting 3s or bruising in the paint - no easy feat for a player listed at 5'11". Collins may not get all the attention or headlines, but his play is crucial to the Jayhawks' ability to avoid another disappointing tournament performance.

3. Team tragedy. When it comes to big-time college athletics, people tend to forget that when it comes down to it, we are talking about and betting on the exploits of young men - kids, really - between the ages of 18-22. Often, these kids come from backgrounds that would make even the most cynical and downtrodden white middle-class observer cringe. These Jayhawks have experienced more loss and tragedy in the past few years than I would wish on any group of people in a lifetime. Darnell Jackson lost his grandmother in a car wreck that also seriously injured his mother. To add insult (and more injury) to injury, his uncle was beaten to death with a hammer, his father was shot dead by Oklahoma City police, and his cousin died in February from gunshot wounds received outside an Oklahoma City nightclub in February. Sasha Kaun's father was found dead under mysterious circumstances (is there really any other way to be found dead in Russia these days?). Rodrick Stewart's adopted brother was shot dead in February while sitting at a traffic light. Sherron Collins' infant son died soon after Collins moved to Kansas from inner-city Chicago. Winning and losing basketball games, and the fans' reactions thereof, seem like child's play compared to the loss and heartache that these men have seen. — Pete Gaines

VILLANOVA WILDCATS

1. 'Twas the Great Blizzard of '05. The last time Kansas and Villanova met on the court was in late January 2005, after a vicious snowstorm had blanketed the Delaware Valley with up to a foot or more of snow in most areas. Kansas was ranked second in the nation at the time, undefeated at 14-0, while Villanova was unranked at 10-3 and had yet to make the tournament under head coach Jay Wright. With snow still fresh on the ground, over 13,000 Wildcat fans braved the weather to pack the Wachovia Center and were rewarded for their troubles as Villanova plowed through the Jayhawks, 83-62. Kansas turned over the ball 22 times, while 'Nova shot 63 percent from three-point range. It was this game many fans look to as the turning point for Wright and Villanova, leading to four straight NCAA tournament bids and three appearances in the Sweet Sixteen. (The day after Villanova's upset victory, a certain alumnus by the name of Brian Westbrook gained 135 total yards in the NFC Championship Game against Atlanta, helping the Eagles get to Super Bowl XXXIX. It was a great weekend.)

2. Kobe, Dirk, Reggie... You Owe It All To Paul. Today, jump shots are commonplace in college and the NBA. They are the bread-and-butter of anyone who's even the slightest threat outside the paint. For that you can thank Villanova's "Pitchin' Paul" Arazin, the originator of the jump shot. In Arazin's college days (the late 1940's), most shots were either layups or set shots, with the player's feet firmly planted on the ground. In some arenas the slippery floors made it difficult to plant one's feet to either hook or shoot the ball, so Arizin began to jump just before releasing his shot. The new technique took off and helped Arazin become of the best scoring centers in college hoops, averaging 22 points per game as part of the Villanova Wildcats team that reached the Elite Eight in 1949. After graduating, Arazin was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors, where he would use his patented jump shot to help them win the 1955-56 NBA title. Arazin passed away in December 2006.

3. We Laugh In The Face of Low Seeding, And Drop Ice Cubes Down The Back of "Hoya Paranoia." No team has won more games as an underdog than Villanova (13 and counting). During their storybook championship run in 1985, the Rollie Massimino-coached Wildcats were seeded eighth in the Southeast Region, out of a field that had just been expanded to 64 teams. Their 66-64 victory over defending national champions Georgetown still ranks as one of the greatest upsets in the history of the NCAA Tournament. On the way there, Villanova took out regional seeds number 1 Michigan, number 5 Maryland and number 2 North Carolina, before knocking out another regional 2-seed (Memphis State) in the Final Four. — Chamomiles Davis

TEXAS LONGHORNS

1. The First Date. If you're not familiar with the Texas Longhorn bench, you're not alone. The five starters average a combined 165 minutes per game, typically seeing rest only when they're in foul trouble. Well, friends, you're about to get a heaping helping of Dexter "Death Star" Pittman (6'10", "299" pounds, sophomore), a slice of Alexis Wangmene (6'7", 241 pounds, freshman), and maybe even a dash of Clint Chapman (6'10", 245 pounds, freshman). It doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to envision Rick Barnes preferring a big line-up to his usual three-undersized-guards set when he takes on Stanford's versions of Beauty and the Beast. Look for A.J. Abrams and Justin Mason to be rotated much more frequently than they usually are (pretty much never) in order to get three burnt orange big men on the court and for the 2-3 zone defense, which the Longhorns ran extremely well against Miami of Florida, to be used for nearly all forty minutes.

2. The Long-Term Relationship. The fine folks at CBS and ESPN can tell you all about the guys who will play huge on-court roles in the success of the Longhorns. To get the full picture of the team, though, you need to know about the seniors: Ian Mooney and J.D. Lewis. Look, it's not likely that either of these guys will see more than a couple of minutes each in any of the remaining games this season and it's even less likely that they'll score actual points. Still, as graduating Longhorn basketball players — Mooney in advertising, Lewis in business — they deserve to have their names mentioned. Mooney's story, in particular, is a great one and should be required reading for anybody who thinks sport can reflect or influence life. Even in this SportsCenter world where uplifting stories are seemingly a dime a dozen, there's always something satisfying about seeing — or, at least, reading about — a prototypical student-athlete.

3. The Break-Up. Speaking of those seniors, though Mooney and Lewis are the only ones which just about instantly begs the question that Texas hoops fans have come to abhor recently: "So who's leaving early this year?" The consensus is that D.J. Augustin and Damion James are the only players in the running. For what it's worth, Augustin has said that he's definitely coming back and many aren't convinced that James is ready for the NBA. Then again, T.J. Ford was "110% sure" he would stay for his junior year and not many people thought that Daniel Gibson was ready for the NBA, either. If both of those guys end up sticking around, it's pretty hard to imagine the Longhorns as anything but strong favorites to show up in Detroit this time next year. But come on. Nobody in Austin will be shocked if they bolt — indeed, we've almost come to expect it. Everybody knows that you can't trust the kids these days. Especially not ones who are presented with million-dollar contracts. — Patrick Nance

STANFORD CARDINAL

1. Michelle Wei Loves Her Some Lopez Twin. Leave it to pro golfer Michele Wei to hook up with one of the Lopez twins, and pick the wrong one. Wei, a Stanford student, is dating Robin Lopez, one of the 14 feet, 2 inches of Lopez brothers who will guide the Cardinal in their third-round game against Texas on Friday in Houston. From Sports Illustrated, via SportsbyBrooks: "Robin is dating Stanford's current most famous female coed, golf phenom Michelle Wie, although both have tried to keep things as quiet as possible." Doesn't she know that Brook is the good twin? Although, Robin is picking it up in the NCAA tournament, perhaps inspired by Michelle. He's averagging 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds over the two games, up from his regular season output of 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds. But Brook (19.0 points, 10.3 rebounds in he regular season) had 30 points in the OT win over Marquette. Might Michelle be tempted to switch?

2. What Can Brown Do For You?. Although only a junior, Kenny Brown won't be around for the Cardinal next season; he's giving up his final year of college eligibility to attend dental school. A non-scholarship player, Brown rarely plays more than three or four minutes, and hasn't played at all in four games this season. However, he's made six of eight 3-point attempts in Stanford's two tournament games, including a key 3-pointer late in the first half ofthe second game that ended a 10-1 Marquette run. Ad he had 18 points in the win over Cornell.

3. Gone Baby Gone. Curtis Shaw, the ref who ejected Stanford coach Trent Johnson from the Marquette game, may have himself a temper problem. Shaw leads all of college basketball in both technicals called and ejections; the former by 10 over the second-place guy ... Candace Wiggins should be playing for the men's team. She scored a school-record tying 44 points on Monday in Stanford's 88-54 win over UTEP, as the Cardinal women advanced to the NCAA tournament's round of 16. That was the third most points scored in women's tournament history. — Rick Chandler

WISCONSIN BADGERS

1. Bo Ryan has written the book on the Swing Offense. Long before he was roaming the sidelines in as a head coach in Madison, Coach Ryan was perfecting his Swing Offense at D-III UW-Platteville, where he won four national titles and had two undefeated seasons. As a matter of fact, Ryan wrote the book on the Swing Offense. There is a video as well. Description for the video is as follows: NCAA Division III National Champion Bo Ryan shares the offense that has made him successful.The Swing is an offense designed to get the ball into high percentage scoring areas, get your team good shots, and to the free throw line. The constant cutting-on the weak side as well as the ball side-makes the defense work on every possession. Coach Ryan covers the basic continuity of the offense and goes over all the options available. 1996, 38 Minutes. Yes, you too can learn the Swing Offense in 38 minutes. That must be one intense video. I plan on showing it to my first-born son every night. Bo Ryan also has instructional videos on how to do the Soulja Boy dance and the Hambone. A man of many talents indeed!

2. 30 wins? No Problem. Only three times in Big Ten history have teams had back-to-back 30 win seasons. The 1974-75 Indiana team went 31-1, losing in the regional finals. They followed that up with the last undefeated season in D-I and won the national title, going 32-0 in 1976. In 1998-99, Michigan State went 33-5 and lost in the Final Four. The next season they went 32-7 and won the national title. During the 2006-076 season, the Wisconsin Badgers posted the first 30-win season in school history, going 30-6, but losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament. This year's Badgers are 31-4, and counting, and hope to follow the success of the previous back to back 30-win Big Ten teams by winning a national title in the second season. Also, the Badgers are one of just five teams in the country that have won at least 30 games in each of the last two seasons. Joining the Badgers are North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas.

3. More fun player facts. In our pre-tournament preview, we told you how leading scorer Brian Butch is not an actual polar bear, Joe Krabbenhoft has had over 35 separate "stitch events" to his face over the years, and Trevon Hughes took a cue from the Cobra Kai's Halloween costume and dressed up as a skeleton. Here are a couple more tidbits. Reserve center Greg Stiemsma has developed a nice reputation as the team's barber. Greg also spent time prior to the second round game hitting up Outdoor World in Omaha to purchase a new fishing rod for an upcoming fishing trip. Something tells me he did not run in to Michael Beasley there. One final Stiemsma note: He lists the worst job he ever had as "hoeing weeds." OK. Michael Flowers, the heart and soul of this team, lists "Welcome to the Jungle" as his cell phone ring. I can support that, but I think Mike was about two years old when that song came out. Also, defense runs in the Flowers family. While Michael was robbed of the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award this year, his brother, Jonte, won his fourth straight Northern Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year award for D-II Winona State. Also: Erin > Doris: This season, the Badgers are 5-0 when Erin Andrews is the sideline reporter for the game while they are only 1-2 when Doris Burke is involved in some capacity. This calls for a little more Erin and a little less Doris, something I think we all can agree on. — Ben Goldsworthy

DAVIDSON WILDCATS

1. We're really a bunch of dorks. Before last weekend, if you'd heard of Davidson, it almost certainly was because of academics, not athletics. But after two upset wins, don't start thinking this is some secret sports juggernaut. That should be readily evident when you hear the team has adopted Sweet Caroline as a sort-of theme song. And that point guard Jason Richards and Stephen Curry do this weird handshake about a hand fitting into a glove. (I always forget who is which.) And, yes, at one point, we (I still use 'we;' sue me) had an all-white lineup on the floor against Georgetown. These are mostly smart guys who managed to be good at sports too.

2. And Curry is this good. He is grabbing highlights and headlines with 40 and 30 points in the two NCAA tournament games, but the people going ga-ga over him are the ones who haven't paid that much attention. Thanks to DirecTV, I now receive every sports channel ever created, and that means I was able to watch 10 or so Davidson games from a distance this season — which is, by far, the most games we've ever had televised. And Curry has played like this all season. So forgive me if I'm not bowing down to his greatness right now. I did that about three months ago.

3. How about that coach? As happy as I am about these wins and as proud of an alum as I am, I am especially happy for Bob McKillop, who finally got his signature wins after 19 mostly good seasons at Davidson. About 10 years ago when I was in school and covering the team, I used to be around McKillop on a fairly regular basis. I would not say that I got to know him, but I became a little familiar with his type of personality. So when I heard that he said, "I'm numb right now," I was happy for him. He is not somebody I ever would imagine genuinely feels numb. But that he thinks he feels numb must be an incredible feeling for him.

And I have to admit that I had a fleeting thought that these signature wins would be the publicity that McKillop needs to get a job at a more well-funded program. There have been rumors about him being up for such a higher-profile job over the years and, at one point, he might have made that jump. Several years back, though, he crossed over into legendary status. Yeah, he could go somewhere else for a few years, but he would always be our coach. I have a hunch that this time around, he would be the one telling the bigger dogs to take a hike. That, however, is something to worry about after Wisconsin.

So, from the Piedmont, to the Triad, to the hills of Carolina, it is a great week to be a Wildcat. — Matt Pitzer

Your early games are: Xavier-West Virginia and North Carolina-Washington State. Your late games are UCLA-Western Kentucky and Louisville-Tennessee. No live-blogging tonight, so just relax, talk amongst yourselves, and enjoy.

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

UCLA Bruins

1. Worst Case Scenario already happened. When three of your top five players each have the worst offensive game of their UCLA career on the same night, and you still pull off the W, it's a pretty damn good sign. Against Texas A&M, Josh Shipp was scoreless for the first time since 2004, Luc Richard M'bah a Moute had eight turnovers and blew countless layups, and Russell Westbrook was out of control playing at 800 miles per hour. Still, Kevin Love and Darren Collison held it down and trademark Howlandesque lockdown defense over the last 10 minutes won the game. There's no way UCLA can play worse than that. All you Alfred Aboya groupies better start making San Antonio travel plans today.

2. Wild Accusations! Yeah, so over the past couple weeks, some whiny vaginas people have claimed that UCLA has received favorable calls in the waning seconds of close games. These expert analysts accurately point out that the referees have been paid off by UCLA, and that they are favorable to the Bruins because John Wooden is recovering from an unfortunate fall, and a UCLA championship would be a feel-good story. While most UCLA fans have provided thoughtful rebuttals to these accusations, I'll just go ahead and admit that yes, we paid the referees off. That's really the only legitimate explanation. Expect calls to go our way throughout the remainder of the tournament. Sorry. Maybe your favorite team should have thought of that first.

3. No Joak. As I now live in Gainesville, let me be the first to congratulate the Florida Gators in making their third straight final four appearance. What a feat! Here in Titletown, USA, the atmosphere is electric! The weather is heating up, pool parties are in full swing, and scantily clad UF co-eds are expecting nothing less than back to back to back National Basketball Championships! Fortunately for UCLA fans, the Gators are not on our side of the bracket in our tournament, so we will avoid the Billy D kryptonite that has destroyed us over the past two years. You can't spell NIT without Nick Calathes! — Trevor Gribble

WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS

1. Soapbox Moment. We've beaten Drake and San Diego to get to this point. Sounds like we're participating in The Waffle House Invitational over Christmas, rather than the NCAA tournament. I did find it odd that no one gave us a chance against Drake. And then I figured out why...we didn't participate in the ESPN Bracket Buster. You see, this is the only point of reference for the talking heads regarding mid-majors. Yet, the best mid-majors do not participate (West Coast Conference and Atlantic-10). WKU elected not to play along after two years ago drawing a home game against Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks came to Kentucky on a February Saturday for an afternoon tilt, after playing a league (Big Sky) game on Thursday Night. Needless to say, there are no direct flights from Flagstaff to Bowling Green, KY. Well, we returned the game this season and it proved to be our worst loss of the season. What does all this mean for us against UCLA? Absolutely nothing, but hopefully it proves that the Bracketbuster is a sham event that does more harm than good for mid-majors.

2. Ellis Island, Kentucky. You might think that the WKU roster would be full of slow kids who need four picks to get a shot off. But you would be so wrong! We are doing our best to diversify the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Our backup point guard is named Orlando Mendez-Valdez. We have two players hailing from Africa (Desiree Gabou - Ivory Coast, Boris Siakam -Cameroon) and one from Asia (Japeth Aguilar - Philippines). Japeth was the only Filipino-born player in the NCAA this season. At WKU? Who'da thunk it?

3. Random Facts. Courtney Lee needs 16 points to become the all-time leading scorer in WKU history. Coach Darrin Horn and assistant Cypheus Bunton were a part of the last WKU team to reach the Sweet 16, in 1993. Another assistant, Scott Cherry, won a title as a player at North Carolina and was an assistant on George Mason's Final Four team. Although the Hilltoppers might have snuck up on you this season, we do have a solid basketball tradition. This will be our seventh appearance in the Sweet 16, advancing to the Final Four in 1971. UCLA has tradition too, a little bit, but it should be noted they have never defeated WKU. — Drew Hensley

Stanford vs. Texas, 7:27 pm, Friday

#3 Stanford Cardinal

Last Weekend: Defeated #14 Cornell 77-53, defeated #6 Marquette 82-81.

How Stanford Got Here: Brook Lopez. The Cardinal big man scored 28 of his 30 points against Marquette in the 2nd half Saturday. Including the game winner with 1.3 seconds left on the clock that sent the Cardinal to the Sweet 16. Brook, one half of the Cardinal's twin towers, has emerged as the go-to-guy in Palo Alto this season and if they are to reach the Final Four, he'll have to continue to cash in with the game on the line. Just as importantly, Mitch Johnson dished out a career-high 16 assists and hit 3-3 from three point land against the Golden Eagles. If he's doing that the Cardinal are going to be tough to beat.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Cardinal: That they're back. After spending the last few years as a non-factor nationally, Trent Johnson has the Cardinal back where they belong among the west coast's elite teams and national title contenders. That said, getting any further would be just a bonus for this Cardinal team whose most important players are underclassmen. Though, they're far from likely to be back next year so they might want to make this run count.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Roughly 25 percent. The Cardinal are a virtual pick 'em against Texas on Friday, and their odds are likely to be the same regardless of who they meet next. The Longhorns provide a similar challenge to that of Marquette: great guard play, which happens to be the Cardinal's biggest weakness. If they expect to get past this one they'll need similar performances form their big men and an equally good performance from Mitch Johnson. And this time it'd probably be in the team's best interest if its coach wasn't sent to the showers before the first half even ended.

#2 Texas Longhorns

Last Weekend: Defeated #15 Austin Peay 74-54, defeated #7 Miami 75-72.

How Texas Got Here: Pretty much the normal way for a 2-seed. They cruised against an overmatched Austin Peay team, then had a bit more of a challenge against former Texas assistant Frank Haith and his Miami Hurricanes. The team effort is chugging along, with Augustin scoring an dishing, James scoring and rebounding, and Atchley chipping in 15 points on Easter Sunday. The real story was A.J. Abrams, who put up 26 to help beat the Hurricanes.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Longhorns: They belong. Texas took the Big 12 regular-season crown from the Jayhawks this year, but couldn't grab the conference's auto-bid despite making the championship game for the third straight year. This is a team that beat Tennessee and UCLA this season, so they feel they can make the Final Four.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Fair-to-middlin'. The Longhorns have a starting five that's tough to deny, but their bench is ridiculously short. If they can't get some quality minutes out of their role players, it's going to be very difficult to get past Stanford, let alone the winner of the Memphis/Michigan State game. D.J. Augustin is the key, whether as a scorer or dropping off sweet passes for his teammates. If he is stymied, the Longhorns are toast.

Michigan State vs. Memphis, 9:57 pm Friday

#5 Michigan State Spartans

Last Weekend: Defeated #12 Temple 72-61, defeated #4 Pitt 65-54

How Michigan State Got Here: Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan. Neitzel's senior leadership and clutch shooting has paced the Spartans all season long, and he showed up big against Pitt with 5-8 three-point shooting. Raymar Morgan carried the load when Neitzel struggled against Temple, which will be very helpful against a fast, deep Memphis team.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Spartans: Delivery on Potential. Before the season began, many people predicted the Spartans would win the Big Ten and advance to at least the Sweet 16. As the season went on however, that opinion changed. The Spartans are finally playing the kind of basketball that fans have been waiting for - and just when it counts, too.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Memphis' tourney time is winding down to a close. Their lack of free throw shooting and inability to safely put close games away will hurt them - but not in this game. Michigan State gives up too much athleticism to the Tigers, who should live for at least one more week. But credit Tom Izzo, he got his guys to play their tails off to finish out the year.

#1 Memphis Tigers

Last Weekend: Defeated #16 Texas-Arlington 87-63, defeated #8 Mississippi State 77-74

How Memphis Got Here: The emergence of Derrick Rose as the team leader and avoiding the upset bug. Just about everyone is going to focus on the atrocious foul-shooting, but the emergence of a freshman as the team's go-to guy in clutch games has been the difference. Starting with 23-point performance in the Tennessee game when no other Tiger could hit a shot to save their life, Rose has been the difference maker. He scored 17 points in each of the Tigers' wins last weekend and turned the ball over only twice for the weekend. The Tigers were also able to survive against a Mississippi State team that matched up against them perfectly.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Tigers: More than any other team still playing, the Sweet 16 means absolutely nothing to Memphis. Hell, the Elite Eight really means nothing to the Tigers. This team needs to reach the Final Four for Memphis to legitimize its dominance over shaky competition over the past three seasons. No Final Four this season, no one is taking Memphis seriously again if they finish 30-2 next season.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: You have to think that it's the worst of the remaining #1 seeds, and not just because they are in the most difficult region remaining, but because they may also have to defeat Texas in Houston. Still, this team only lost one game for a reason, and no one seems to think they will be able to score on Michigan State. A wise college basketball writer once told me to never bet against a John Calipari-coached team when he has the team thinking no one believes in them or if there is a possible large sum or money or pay increase dependent on a victory. We'll go with Memphis for at least one more game.

Hope you enjoyed the regional breakdowns. Our ongoing March Madness coverage has been a group effort featuring much of the talented STF crew, including Brandon Darling, Mike White, and Matt Mattucci. Thanks, guys!

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

1. He Got Served. His intense weight room workouts earned him the nickname Psycho T, and his predilection for pedicures has led some to call him a sissy. But it's Tyler Hansbrough's dedication to the ping-pong table that has earned him true notoriety. The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated national player of the year, who loses more contact lenses than he does loose balls, has brought with him to Chapel Hill the Texas-style version of table tennis. The rules are simple: the first player to lose two consecutive points has to remove his shirt, and the winner gets to hit the ping-pong ball as hard as he can ... right at the loser's bare chest.

The off-campus apartment Hansbrough shares with teammates Bobby Frasor and Marcus Ginyard has a ping-pong table in the basement (along with a Wii that has a full Rock Band set-up). And when the Princeton tennis team was recently in Chapel Hill, getting a tour of the Dean Dome, Hansbrough challenged the teams' co-captain to a game of table tennis in the basketball players' lounge. Hansbrough, despite having virtually no backhand, won.

2. Perhaps he has a point. Roy Williams is a legend in North Carolina. But his sentiments about the state's most-watched tournament are akin to blasphemy. When the Heels' head coach was asked in 2004 about the ACC Tournament, he responded: "Do I love the tournament? No. I don't love the tournament at all." Williams downplayed the event last week, saying, "It's a great cocktail party and a big party for all the fans." Then, hours after winning the ACC Tournament on Sunday, he continued to disparage the conference tournament, saying what he really wants to win is the NCAA's event.

Maybe ol' Roy has a point: the Heels' last two NCAA championships - in 1993 and 2005 - came in years when they didn't win the ACC Tournament. And the team's success in the ACC event hasn't been a predictor of their performance in the NCAA tourney: Of the past six times they won the conference tournament - 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998 and 2007 - they made it to the Final Four "only" three times.

3. Preserving the mold. Heading into the NCAA tourney, the Tar Heels are looking to replicate both the full-throttle style and championship success of the 2005 national-title team. Speed merchant Ty Lawson continues to channel and shift Raymond Felton into an ever-higher gear; Wayne Ellington is every bit as dangerous and streaky a threat as Rashad McCants; and ultrafocused star Tyler Hansbrough is doing his best Sean May impersonation ... and then some. Piecing it all together, however, is the new-jack Jackie Manuel: defensive stalwart and resident noise-maker Marcus Ginyard. Arguably the best on-ball defender in the ACC and perhaps the nation, the starting wing player and fourth-string point guard not only has served as the squad's stopper, but has helped his Heels overcome the early-season loss of second-stringer Bobby "Fraser-Frase" Frasor; the seven-game absence of injured starter Lawson; and the well-meaning-but-often-shaky ways of former third-string senior Quentin Thomas.

As Ginyard's role increased throughout Lawson's lengthy ankle rehabilitation, Carolina benefited from his individual play and managed to improve as a defensive unit — long seen as the program's Achilles heel following Williams' return to The Hill. And though Ginyard may not have a posse, he does have a protege. The Archbishop O'Connell High School alum is a friend and mentor of elite prospect Kendall Marshall, a sophomore point guard for the Arlington, Va., school who already stands 6-foot-3 and has verbally committed to be one of Roy's Boys after graduating in 2010. The Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook — based in Chapel Hill, appropriately enough, and published by former UNC All-American Dennis Wuycik — ranks Marshall as the 15th best sophomore in the country. The young lefty is no Ginyardian ball-hawker just yet, but he excels in the passing game and in shooting the trey. The slight-and-sleek Marshall has two more years to strengthen his frame and game before taking the torch from Ginyard and running with it.

The Dookies in Krzyzewskiville would expect nothing less from their hated archrivals. — Matt Viser and Brian Styers

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS

1. RAW Rochestie Junior guard Taylor Rochestie (pronnounced RAW-chess-tee, more on this later) is a great personification of what makes the Cougs. He is unconventional (a lefthander, like his coach Tony Bennett), judicious yet generous (in the tournament his assist to turnover ratio is 3.5-1, in the regular season led the team in assists; also, in an unprecedented move, gave up his scholarship for the 08-09 season to incoming recruit Marcus Capers), unathletic yet effective (a certain west coast sportswriter "He resembles an intramural player until he burns you), as well as lethal (leads the team in 3 point/free throw percentage). The talented Mr. Rochestie took the road pretty much never traveled to Pullman. Born in Santa Barbara, Rotchestie first attended Tulane and proceeded to ball it up, earning Conference USA all Freshman Team honors in 04-05. But then an injured Rochestie watched as on Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, destroying sizable portions of New Orleans, including the Tulane rehab facility. This forced Rochestie to exile in Texas, where he began seeking a transfer. That January Rochestie transferred to Washington State, where he was originally recruited but was not offered a scholarship. After sitting out the 05-06 season Rochestie worked himself into lineup last year, and has shown marked improvement since. Enough to be named a candidate for this years V-Foundation Comeback Player of the Year. But enough of the seriousness: A common "please put me on tv" sign at Friel Court this year was "show me your chesties." I have also heard the sophomoric utterance of "Taylor Raw-Testes", which I will not dignify with a response.

2. Can You Hear, Can You Hear The Thunder? Another junior who has emerged is Aron Baynes, Australian-Ass-Annihilator. The meaty Kiwi delivered a solid season for the Cougs, averaging 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, as well as providing the WSU faithful with the basketball equivalent of a lineman running back a fumble 80 yards for a TD. So far on the Cougars tourney run Baynes has had a great offensive game, where made 9 of 9 field goals against Winthrop, and defensively against Notre Dame, where he managed to slay the Giant Harangody as well as pull down 11 boards. But there is no rest for the Aussie as he goes against the UNC front-line, who are shorter/slighter than Mr. Baynes, but far more quick and agile. If it does come down to a slugfest down in the trenches, I'll put my $10 net worth on the Bayne(s)-Train (he might have a knife). Baynes has a background playing rugby. If Baynes can translate that aggression into keeping opponents off the offensive glass, the Cougars will continue to dance.

3. Good/Bad Things About Pullman. Informed Deadspin reader, if you ever find yourself extremely lost and or accepted into WSU here are some things you should know.

GOOD THINGS ABOUT WSU
*Bear Facility, nuff said.
*Zen Staircase, legally graffiti'd staircase, in the art department building, it puts you at peace.
* Sellas, so good, so cheap, so much.
* The com program.
* Just say "go cougs" to everyone, you'll be the most popular person in town in 20 minutes.
* Glenn Johnson, man, myth and legend.
* Nice change of pace from living in western Washington, avoiding these kind of white people.

WHATS NOT SO GOOD
* For as long as Daven Harmeling (sounds like its spelled) plays at WSU, he will have the most mispronounced name in college basketball.
* Every attempt at art, is a failure...
* Running into these kinds of white people.
* I wouldn't trust the sushi.....
* Edward R Murrow, famed Cougar grad, lied on his resumes, saying he went to Stanford. — Brian Tesch

XAVIER MUSKETEERS

1. ESPN got something right? Prior to the start of this year's tournament, espn.com "experts" provided some insight into various players and teams in the tourney. Three of these so-called experts labeled sophomore forward Derrick Brown as the best dunker in the tournament. For once I actually agree with them because of this and this.

2. You Can Have The Logo. Xavier's sweet 16 opponent, the West Virginia Mountaineers often get associated with Jerry West as one of their most famous alumnus. Well, to that I say you can have your logo, and I'll keep my Mike Damone. Xavier alum Robert Romanus played Mike Damone in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

3. It's All About the Blob. The Musketeers are a bit odd when it comes to mascots. As you would expect, D'Artagnan is prominently featured at Xavier games and around campus. Unfortunately, D'Artagnan is overshadowed by the greatest mascot in the history of sports, The Blue Blob. The Blob was once named Playboy's Mascot of the Month, has appeared in numerous SportsCenter commercials, has his own Bobblehead, er, Bobblebody, and was a memorable part of giving a man $1 million in the 2001 Crosstown Shootout; the Blob was tackled by Theo Nelson following his half-court shot at halftime of the game. — Brian Leibforth

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

1. Giant Killers. West Virginia has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in the past four seasons and the fourth time in as many tries. Over those trips, WVU has garnered the reputation as a sort of giant killer, toppling #2 seeds with some regularity. This year, of course, was the public "pantsing" of #2 seed Duke last round. Three years ago, the Mountaineers (with the unconscious Mike Gansey) knocked out Chris Paul's #2 seeded Wake Forest squad in double OT. And back in 1998, the Mountaineers beat #2 seed Cincinnati — under then-coach Bob Huggins — with a last second "prayer" from Jarrod West. While modern HDTV advancements would greatly improve the 1998 highlights, it's best any 2005 highlights featuring Kevin Pittsnogle be viewed on nothing larger than a Sony Watchman.

2. Huggy Bear, Yep. Bob Huggins, beside being a fantastic basketball coach and a good driver, is also a natty dresser. Just this year, he has run the entire gamut of fashion choices. Early this season, Huggins trotted out in a traditional coat and tie. Not satisfied with that, Huggins upped the ante, debuting his now infamous mustard accident. Obviously traumatized by the experiment, Huggins reverted to his later Cincinnati days, coaching each game in the same snazzy — in a Bill Belichick kind of way — gold and blue WVU pullover. Luckily the dark cloud that was the pullover has lifted, though it has been replaced with a sportcoat and mock turtleneck look that would make Mike Brey blush. Of course, it's the same color mock turtleneck for every game, meaning either he's bought a dozen of them or he's simply wearing the same one over and over. For the sake of my sanity — let alone anyone standing near him — let's assume it's the former.

3. The Xavier Connection. While there isn't much head-to-head history between WVU and tonight's opponent Xavier, there are plenty of connections between the two schools. While at Cincinnati, Bob Huggins regularly coached against Xavier in a fierce crosstown Cincinnati rivalry. Sean Miller, the current head coach at Xavier, was a four-year letter winner and Big East Freshman of the Year at Pitt. Miller, who still owns several records at Pitt, compiled a sparkling 1-3 career record against WVU. Given Miller's Pitt bloodlines, his career record against WVU, the fact that Xavier has never beaten the Mountaineers, and the fact that a #7 seed is favored over a #3 seed, WVU should start preparing for UCLA on Saturday. Considering the size of the jinx I just delivered, the Mountaineers may end up forfeiting. Tune in tonight. (I'm looking at you 17% of the country that's getting the game.) — Charley West

Davidson vs. Wisconsin, 7:10 pm Friday

#10 Davidson Wildcats

Last Weekend: Defeated #7 Gonzaga 82-76, defeated #2 Georgetown 74-70

How Davidson Got Here: Superior guard play. Stephen Curry and Jason Richards are the backbone of this Wildcats team.. Curry had 40 points against the Zags and 30 points against the Hoyas. Fifty-five of his seventy points have come in the second half. Richards, the NCAA leader in assists, did not disappoint either, with 35 points and 14 assists playing all but four minutes of the first two games. In the Georgetown game, Curry and Richards, by virtue of either points scored or assists tallied, accounted for 70 of the Cats' 74 points, including a hand in every field goal made. That is impressive.

What the Sweet 16 Means for Davidson: The difficult non-conference schedule paid off. They were not fazed by the big stage. While any Davidson fan, player and coach must be absolutely thrilled by what has happened so far, the Wildcats have to believe that they are the next George Mason. They have to believe, in their heart of hearts, that they can make the Final Four given the right opportunity.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Perhaps the third slimmest chance of anyone left in this tournament (the first and second being Western Kentucky and Villanova). But they have to feel good about their chances to make the Elite 8. Wisconsin's style means the pace will be slow, allowing starters to play close to 40 minutes and the Wildcats to keep it close regardless of the outcome. In Kansas, they may have to face the most talented team of the tournament. Then again, that's what they said about UConn in 2006.

#3 Wisconsin Badgers

Last Weekend: Defeated #14 CS Fullerton 71-56, defeated #11 Kansas State 72-55.

How Wisconsin Got Here: Insanely good defense. The Badgers have played hard-nosed defense all season long, and last weekend was a powerful showcase of just that. Sure, the Badgers allowed Michael Beasley to drop 17 on them in the first half. But in the second half, they surrendered just six points from the best college player in the land. Bo Ryan's squad has the liberty of avoiding Georgetown, however now they're stuck with the possible Cinderella story of this year's tournament, Davidson.

What the Sweet 16 Means for the Badgers: A Sweet 16 appearance for this year's Badgers should come as no surprise. They've found incredible leadership from Michael Flowers, one of the best hustle players in the country in Joe Krabbenhoft and a slew of other players that simply know their roles (i.e. Marcus Landry, Trevon Hughes). Wisconsin is in a very favorable position now to make a strong run at a Final Four, with its upcoming game against Davidson and a potential showdown with Kansas.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Good, but not likely. The Badgers can and should defeat Davidson, but a potential Elite Eight game against Kansas would be too much for them. The Jayhawks are better, faster and stronger (and harder?) than Wisconsin and would prevent them from making a Final Four run.

Villanova vs. Kansas, 9:40 pm Friday

#12 Villanova Wildcats

Last Weekend: Defeated #7 Clemson 75-69, defeated #13 Siena 84-72

How Villanova Got Here: Scottie Reynolds and a favorable draw. Reynolds has had an up and down 2008 season while transitioning to becoming "the man" at Nova, but he caught fire following a 22-point performance against Syracuse in the first round of the Big East tournament. He's continued to lead Nova in scoring each game since, including his huge second half against Clemson and 25-point performance against Siena. The Wildcats also caught a break by playing a choketastic Clemson team and a Siena squad whose season was complete with a win over Vandy.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Wildcats: If you told any Villanova fan on January 23, right after the Cats were just routed by Rutgers, that this team was going to the Sweet 16, they would have assumed you were on meth. This Sweet 16 run is a total surprise for Villanova, so the Cats are basically playing with house money from here out. All this can do it set up the Wildcats as a possible Top 10/Top 5 team to start next season.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Not likely, but it's not like Villanova hasn't done this before in program history. Still, there are no more double-digits seeds for the Cats, as they now have to face the powerful Kansas Jayhawks. While the multi-talented 'Hawks probably have too much size, depth and firepower for the Wildcats, they are still coached by Bill Self, and the three-pointer is the great equalizer in the college hoops.

#1 Kansas Jayhawks

Last Weekend: Defeated #16 Portland State 85-61, Defeated #8 UNLV 75-56.

How Kansas Got Here: The beatdown of Big Sky champs Portland State was routine, with future NBA draft picks drubbing guys who would be lucky to get a tryout for Slamball (it's back, you know!). UNLV provided a slightly tougher test, shutting down the perimeter in the first half until Kansas used superior quickness to penetrate the lane, score and open up the outside game. In all, it has been pretty easy so far.

What the Sweet 16 Means to Kansas: A sigh of relief to a team that still remembers the two-season "Killer Bs" debacle. However, anything short of a Final Four this season will leave Kansas fans exasperated, and add just a little more heat to Bill Self's kiester.

Chances of Reaching San Antonio: Inheriting the winner of a 12 vs. 13 matchup almost doesn't seem fair, but Jayhawk players and fans will take it. With respectable but limited teams like Wisconsin and Davidson lurking on the other side of the bracket, if Kansas doesn't make it to San Antonio this year, the program's reputation could take a near-fatal hit. Going through Detroit just like Danny's '88 squad did has the Lawrence faithful hoping for another Miracle.

West Virginia vs. Xavier, Thursday 7:10 pm

#7 West Virginia Mountaineers

Last Weekend: Defeated #10 Arizona 75-65 , defeated #2 Duke 73-67

How WVU Got Here: In pretty impressive fashion, actually. No first-round patsies for a #7 seed, but Bob Huggins and his 'Eers didn't flinch. Alex Ruoff shot the lights out in the first round, and his team followed suit, hitting 58% percent of their three-point tries. Four starters ended up in double figures in that game, as a talented but directionless Wildcat team was sent packing. Against Duke, it was a somewhat different story, as Joe Alexander took advantage of the soft Blue Devils to the tune of 22 points and 11 rebounds. All that was missing was the sound of dueling banjos.

What the Sweet 16 means to the Mountaineers: It's time to throw out the "NIT Champs" T-shirts. It also means that the Morgantown faithful will feel completely justified in doing whatever it took to hire Bob Huggins, with all of the attendant slime. When Huggins uses this exposure to recruit his own guys, look out. That creep can roll, man.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Assuming they get past X, it still seems incredibly unlikely, with UCLA looming as a possibility. If the superior talent doesn't get them, the referee malfeasance will.

#3 Xavier Musketeers

Last Weekend: Defeated #14 Georgia 73-61, defeated #6 Purdue 75-68

How Xavier got here: The play of Josh Duncan and a balanced scoring attack that hit its stride at the right time. It appeared as if the Muskies were going to be the first high seed to flame-out of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon when The Muskies trailed Georgia by 11 in the second half of the Thursday game. Behind Duncan's 20 points (my pick for the most valuable player on Xavier), the Muskies mounted a 22-6 run to end the Bulldogs' miracle run. In the second round, Xavier's offensive attack was clicking on all cylinders, with Drew Lavender and C.J. Anderson each scoring 18 points, Duncan adding 16, and Stanley Burrell scoring 11 for the victory over a talented Purdue squad.

What the Sweet 16 means to the Musketeers: Since the Muskies have been in the Top 25 nearly all season and have done everything possible to dis their mid-major status and conference, a Sweet 16 appearance will no longer suffice. If Xavier really wants to be a big boy school, only an Elite 8 appearance will legitimize a season which saw Xavier attain the most wins in school history.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Chances of reaching the Elite 8 are at 50%, with a tough upcoming match-up with a surging and very similar West Virginia squad. There is, however, a giant roadblock in the way of the Final Four called UCLA.

Western Kentucky vs. UCLA, Thursday 9:40pm

#12 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Last Weekend: Defeated #5 Drake 101-99 (OT), defeated #13 San Diego 72-63.

How WKU Got Here: By dominating their weight class. Some small part of the Hilltoppers probably balked at having to knock out brother mids, but then again, not that much. Passing the ball off to Ty Rogers for the last-millisecond shot on Friday was a gamble that electrified Hoops Nation, and the defeat of fellow upstarts San Diego was the Courtney Lee show, as the pro prospect scored 29 points with 7 rebounds.

What the Sweet 16 means to the Hilltoppers: Everything. The Hilltoppers have a proud history, but in the modern era of the tournament, the last time they made the grade was 1993. It's impossible to calculate what this means to the program and the Sun Belt conference, but we can guess it feels damn good, and that nobody will hang their heads too far if the ride ends here.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Slim. Beating very good mids is nothing to sneeze at, but UCLA has multiple pro prospects vs. the Hilltoppers' one. The best WKU can realistically hope for is a close result that validates their run thus far. Their heart and hoops IQ have never been in doubt.

#1 UCLA Bruins

Last Weekend: Defeated #16 Mississippi Valley State 70-29, defeated #9 Texas A&M 51-49.

How UCLA Got Here: It started with the holding of Mississippi Valley State to a tourney record 29 points in round one, but got it a bit rocky in the round of 32. It took a late game rally for the Bruins to overcome a double-digit deficit and escape Anaheim alive. Albeit with many a questionable call and a bit of luck, but they escaped nonetheless. A big part of that escape was the play of their two biggest stars in Darren Collison and Kevin Love, while the role players seem to have forgotten what time of year it is. Josh Shipp has averaged just 3 points thus far and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's still nursing his injured ankle. The defense, however, remains as strong as ever.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Bruins: Nothing. The Bruins have reached two consecutive Final Fours only to be sent packing by the eventual champion Florida Gators. Sure, it's nice that they can tack up a third straight Sweet 16 banner, but it means almost nothing to these two-time bridesmaids. Nothing short of a Final Four will meet expectations, and a championship is almost necessary for a group that could be remembered for coming up short on the biggest of stages without it.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Great. They're arguably the tourney's best defensive squad remaining, and anytime you play defense like the Bruins, your odds increase. Add that to their superstar tandem of Collison and Love, and it looks like the Bruins will be dancing to the tourneys final song for a third strait year. That said, if the trio of Shipp, Mbah a Moute and Russell Westbrook fail to show up on the offensive end the Bruins could head home shocked as early as Thursday.

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.