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

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.

Of course, guessing what would have happened if a foul would have been called, and how that would have all went down, is one of those empty games we all play with ourselves to pretend there's some sort of order to the chaos. But man, imagine if Texas A&M would have pulled this game out: Xavier, Texas A&M, West Virginia and Western Kentucky, battling for a shot at the final four. Billy Packer would never stop crying.

For all the Kevin Love, uh, love, we think the most compelling character left in the West Regional has to be West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. This guy has had an active few years; surely, you haven't forgotten the epic DUI video. In a way, West Virginia and Huggins have always been a perfect fit, and not just because he went to school there. We're not sure what kind of message it would send about academics in college basketball of Bob Huggins led WVU to the Final Four ... probably an extremely honest one, actually.

But hey: Cincinnati's athletic grade point average is up a tick or two, so there's that.

Pics Of The Night [Rush The Court]
Bob Huggins Suspended [Cincinnati Enquirer]

#10 Davidson 82, #7 Gonzaga 76. Stephen Curry scored 40 on 8-11 three-point shooting in Raleigh, but it was the timely rebounding of Andrew Lovedale (13 boards to go with 12 points) that saved the Wildcats' bacon. Adam Morrison was in attendance, looking like the lead singer of a goth tribute band. No word yet on whether he cried. Oh, who are we kidding, of course he did. Davidson advances to face the Georgetown/UMBC winner.

#12 Western Kentucky 101, Drake 99 (OT). Western Kentucky had the ball in a tie game at the end of regulation, but Academic All-American Adam Emmenecker stepped in to draw a controversial charge that allowed the game to go to OT. Another questionable call in the extra frame didn't change the outcome, however, as the Hilltoppers' Ty Rogers hit the clutch three over two defenders to win the game. WKU will face the UConn/San Diego winner. Pretty freaking wild shot that everyone in America saw, except for the people who work and/or don't care about baskeball.

#2 Tennessee 72, #15 American 57. Let there be no doubt about this - American could have won this game. They showed no fear, and led several times in the game, but Tennessee put on a run in the second half and put them away behind a balanced scoring effort that featured three players in double figures (two Smiths and a Chism, if you're keeping score). Tennessee advances to face the Butler/South Alabama winner.

#7 Miami 78, #10 St. Mary's 64. Jack McClinton's 38 would be the story today, if Stephen Curry hadn't knocked down a couple of clutch free throws. St. Mary's led early in this one, but couldn't maintain in the second half, as the three-bid WCC is down to San Diego if they hope to advance to the second round. If Texas advances in the later game, Haith will be facing his former boss. Miami faces the Texas/Austin Peay winner.

DRAKE BULLDOGS

1. Where Did You Come From? Drake graduated four starters last year - Al Stewart, Aliou Kieta, Nick Grant and Ajay Calvin. It would have been five graduating starters had Klayton Korver not medically redshirt his junior year. Enter Josh Young, Adam Emmenecker, Jonathon Cox and Leonard Houston. Not surprisingly, Drake wasn't expected to do all that well this year. Instead of the 9th place finish that was the preseason prediction for the Bulldogs, they locked up the No. 1 Seed for the MVC Tournament for the first time in school history.

2. The Shooting Korvers Kinda like the Flying Wallendas or the Catching Molinas. Drake senior Klayton Korver is the younger brother of the Utah Jazz's Kyle. Third brother Kaleb is a freshman on the Creighton Blue Jays (as was Kyle). Youngest brother Kirk is still in high school, and as usual the youngest is supposed to be the best one of the group. That is, if you don't count their mother, Laine Korver, who scored 74 points in a high school game.

3. A Bit of a Dry Spell In 1969, Drake lost bythree3 points in the Final Four to a UCLA team led by Lew Alcindor that went on to beat UNC in the Consolation Game. After making the Elite Eight each of the next two years, Drake has been a bit of a stranger to the postseason. Those three years are the only times in school history that the Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Elsewhere in the world of sports the last time Drake went dancing? Super Bowl V, Frazier-Ali I, and Pete Sampras was born. — Andrew McGuire

WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS

1. There's Only One Big Red! While a number of other schools claim to be the Big Red, there is only one mascot that fits the bill ... our Big Red. He's without a doubt the most famous alumnus of our school. He's been featured in ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" commercials, and some of those silly Capital One Mascot commercials. More important, Big Red recently attempted to start an International dispute with the ItalianTV star, Gabibbo. Gabibbo is Big Red's long lost brother. Rather than nurturing our international brethren, we did what all Americans would do ... we sued him. You heard me, we sued the Italian Big Bird. You should also know that the TV station (along with most) that owns Gabibbo is owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. I don't need to tell you how this ended. I'm betting our court-appointed attorneys didn't speak Italian.

2. Why do we need Big Red? Because our nickname is the Hilltoppers. People associated with WKU take great pride in the fact that we have an original nickname. We are the only Hilltoppers in Division I NCAA Athletics. Interestingly, there is nothing remotely intimidating about our nickname or mascot. We're lovers, not fighters! So, what does a Hilltopper look like? Well, we couldn't figure it out, so an ingenious student named Ralph Carey created Big Red in 1979. I guess we could have gone the route of the West Virginia Mountaineer, but we have enough crazy dudes with beards and rifles around these parts. We don't want one representing our school.

3. Let's meet the Toppers. One player stands firmly above the rest ... Courtney Lee. His name might sound feminine, but he's a MANBABY! He's been our all-everything man for a couple of seasons now, currently sitting at No. 2 on the all-time scoring list. He has a real shot at reaching No. 1, especially if we can pull a George Mason (we made the Final Four in 1971). Mr. Lee's backcourt mate Tyrone Brazleton is the catalyst, jump-starting our offense whenever possible. These two will score the majority of our points. Well, they better or we have issues. Let's see; we have a senior-laden team with strong backcourt play ... sounds like a recipe for an upset tome. We relish the underdog role; after all, we did try to sue the former Italian Prime Minister remember. — Drew Hensley

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2. Why do we need Big Red? Because our nickname is the Hilltoppers. People associated with WKU take great pride in the fact that we have an original nickname. We are the only Hilltoppers in Division I NCAA Athletics. Interestingly, there is nothing remotely intimidating about our nickname or mascot. We're lovers, not fighters! So, what does a Hilltopper look like? Well, we couldn't figure it out, so an ingenious student named Ralph Carey created Big Red in 1979. I guess we could have gone the route of the West Virginia Mountaineer, but we have enough crazy dudes with beards and rifles around these parts. We don't want one representing our school.

3. Let's meet the Toppers. One player stands firmly above the rest ... Courtney Lee. His name might sound feminine, but he's a MANBABY! He's been our all-everything man for a couple of seasons now, currently sitting at No. 2 on the all-time scoring list. He has a real shot at reaching No. 1, especially if we can pull a George Mason (we made the Final Four in 1971). Mr. Lee's backcourt mate Tyrone Brazleton is the catalyst, jump-starting our offense whenever possible. These two will score the majority of our points. Well, they better or we have issues. Let's see; we have a senior-laden team with strong backcourt play ... sounds like a recipe for an upset tome. We relish the underdog role; after all, we did try to sue the former Italian Prime Minister remember. — Drew Hensley