Cinderella Is A 3-Seed

Maybe the lack of an underdog isn't such a bad thing. The lowest-seeded team left is Oregon, who's battled to the Elite Eight from the lowly ranks of the 3-seed. But ultimately, this is about finding the best team, right? Crowning the most deserving champion? At the end of the day, aren't Cinderella teams just a nifty little distraction from the real business of finding out who is the best?

That's how I'm choosing to look at it. Not that I really have a choice ... the other major theme from last night was officiating, and I hate it when officiating becomes a story. USC's Taj Gibson fouled out on an illegal screen call, and Georgetown's Jeff Green got away with a walk. Blah blah blah, we got screwed, officials are terrible ... ugh. Even if the gripes are legit — especially if the gripes are legit — I'd still rather listen to Billy Packer talk for an hour about how rap music is killing the ability of our young people to beat a triangle-and-two defense.

Fortunately, USC head coach Tim Floyd helped point the spotlight away from the officiating by being a jackass himself. When Gibson was called for the foul, Floyd reacted by throwing a couple of notecards out onto the floor. If you missed it, here's how you can catch a replay: find a toddler, put a couple of notecards in one of his hands, and his favorite toy in the other. Wait a couple of seconds, then grab the toy away from him, and watch what he does with the notecards. Instant Tim Floyd.

Anyway, what we're left with is a group of eight, high-quality, high-profile teams. Teams that you're already familiar with, teams you've followed all year long. From here on out, the basketball can't help but be high-quality. Not a thing wrong with that.

Men's Basketball [NCAA Sports.com]