While Sunday didn't produce the monumental upsets of Saturday, it was still another example of what makes March Madness the greatest tournament in the world. So who were the movers and shakers in case you missed the action? Who's poised to make the run to the Final Four, including which cinderellas should be getting ready for the Real Big Dance in Indianapolis.
1) Biggest Winner - The Big Ten
-So, maybe the Big Ten isn't the flashiest, most athletic basketball conference. But, at this point, you can't doubt that it is among the top 2 or 3 conferences in the country after this weekend. The Big Ten has three of the remaining Sweet 16, more than any other conference. Big Ten schools Michigan St. (without Kalin Lucas) and Purdue (without Robbie Hummel) were victorious in close, thrilling contests. And, after the upset of Kansas, Ohio State has the chance to make the Final Four once again, led of course by Evan Turner. While the Big XII and the Big East got all the pre-tourney hype, the Big Ten might deserve the most credit when all is said and done...
2) Biggest Loser - The Big Ten
-...then again, maybe they won't. The Big Ten did suffer the most embarrassing defeat of Sunday when Wisconsin was blown out by 18 by Cornell in a game that wasn't even that close. Also, Michigan St. has most likely lost star PG Kalin Lucas to a torn achillies, making their prospects against a hot Northern Iowa team look even bleaker. In other words, the Big Ten's presence in the Sweet 16 and beyond may be fleeting at best, especially at the hands of the most legit cinderella remaining, Northern Iowa.
3) Best Performance - Wes Johnson - Syracuse
-All year, Wes Johnson has been the third man in a two-man race for Player of the Year. But, with his stellar performances in the tournament so far, he may be the one walking away with the ultimate prize, a championship. Against Gonzaga in the 2nd round, Johnson put up a monster 31 points and 14 rebounds. If Onawaku continues to sit due to injury, Johnson will have to continue this torrid pace to keep the Orange alive.
4) Best Game - Michigan St. 85 Maryland 83
-What more can you say than the game had a game-altering injury, a thrilling comeback, 4 lead changes in the final minute, and a buzzer-beating 3 pointer.
5) Biggest Escape - CBS
-Having lost Kansas early on Saturday, you know CBS was sweating out the two darling programs left in the country, Kentucky and Duke. Lucky for them, Kentucky routed Wake and Duke drew the best rec league team from California...oh, wait, that was actually Cal's varsity program, my bad. Although cinderella runs are a great story, it's the power programs like Duke and Kentucky that bring in the big bucks at the Final Four. If one of those teams makes it, expect near record viewership for March Madness.
6) Biggest Choke Job - Gonzaga
-While this should go to Wisconsin for their wretched performance, another choke job came in the form of Gonzaga getting their doors blown off by Syracuse. For playing a team without their starting center, Gonzaga just never seemed to have a plan of attack. While they'll be prideful of fellow WCCers St. Mary's making it to the Sweet 16, the Zags will have a bitter taste in their mouth after their performance.
7) Highlight of the Day - Chris Kramer Purdue
-Without star Robbie Hummel and tied in the waning seconds of OT, Chris Kramer stepped up and made the biggest play of the day, taking the ball to the rack amongst several Texas A&M players to send the Boilermakers to the Sweet 16.
8) One Shining Thought - The NCAA may have been high when assigning the regions this year, or at least not paying attention.
-Usually, when you're one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament, you get the benefit of playing close to home in every round up until the Final Four. Or, at least, not have to play in someone else's backyard, not this year. I can give the committee a pass for the Midwest region where there isn't much difference between the four teams left (UNI, OSU, MSU, and UT). Also the West region is fairly even, although Kansas St. will probably have more fans in Salt Lake than #1 seed Syracuse.
But, the other two regions are a mess. First, Kentucky will essentially be playing a road game against Cornell in Syracuse in the Sweet 16. Even worse, in the South region in Houston, there's a potential Elite 8 matchup between Duke and Baylor. I might not have studied much geography, but isn't Baylor (in Waco, Texas) a little bit closer to Houston than Duke? Shouldn't the selection committee thought these potential scenarios through, just a little bit more? I realize you can't account for every scenario, but more and more it seems as if the selection committee had a plane to catch when they filled out the bracket.
That does it for our Sunday Rewind of the NCAA Tournament. Join us later in the week for a full Sweet 16 preview as well as the beginnings of our MLB Preview, where the hot stove will finally be cooking something. Until next time, it's bye for now!
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