Instant Tourney Reaction, Day 4 (Beck)

As the first weekend of March Madness closes and the Sweet Sixteen locks, I find myself burnt out from the close finishes and the abysmal performance of my bracket. Still, Sunday's round of games provided plenty of excitement, but I lack the energy to do it justice.

#3-seed Syracuse downed #6-seed Arizona State, #4-seed Xavier ran away with it against #12-seed Wisconsin, #3-seed Kansas was never threatened by #11-seed Dayton, and #12-seed Arizona silenced all critics with a solid victory over #13-seed Cleveland State. Those games had their moments, but they weren't really on the same level as the final four games were.

#1-seed Pittsburgh barely escaped another opponent, this time it was #8-seed Oklahoma State. The Panthers easily appear to be the most vulnerable #1-seed in the tournament, having barely eeked out a win against East Tennessee State and today trailing late into the game against the Cowboys. Panthers fans will, of course, point to the fact that they win games ugly but at least they win those games. Pittsburgh, just like its leading-man, DeJaun Blair, likes to play physical and grind it out, which is typically a good tactic in the tournament, but when they face Villanova -- or even Duke -- in the next round (assuming they dispatch of the "I'm-not-a-mid-major" Xavier), it probably won't be enough.

#2-seed Michigan State survived a tight game against #10-seed USC, 74-69. No team went up big at any point in the game, and the Spartans slugged it out. Michigan State, and the Big 10 for that matter, play a lot like Pittsburgh, with a philosophy centered around low-scoring, defensive games. USC exceeded expectations after beating #7-seed Boston College in the first round and pushing Michigan State to the limit, and the Trojans should be proud. The difference in the game was that forward Taj Gibson, who shot a perfect 10-10 FG against the Eagles, fouled out with lots of time left against the Spartans and only 3 points to his name.

#3-seed Missouri outlasted #6-seed Marquette and Jerel McNeal's career-high 30 points, as the Tigers squandered a 46-35 lead at the half but ended the game up 83-79. In the final seconds, game tied 79-79, J.T. Tiller drew a foul but was injured on the play, and freshman Kevin English had to take his place at the free-throw line. The kid hit two clutch free throws, and the game was essentially sealed. While Marquette head coach Buzz Williams was inconsolable after several no-calls leading up to that point, he was equally angry with the call that sent English into the game. Golden Eagle fans were similarly livid, but the fact is that English shoots 65% from the line and Tiller shoots 76% from the line. Either way, the kid hit the shots, and Missouri went up. With 5.5 seconds left, the in-bounder for Marquette stepped over the line and the ball went back to Mizzou, who hit two more free throws and sealed the game.

Lastly, #1-seed Louisville barely passed #9-seed Siena in Dayton, winning 79-72. The Cardinals were actually down 63-59 with 7:45 to play, but they kept Siena at bay, hit some big shots, and brought it home. The Cardinals seem to be the second-most vulnerable #1-seed, having had trouble in the first round (granted it was only the first half that they played poorly) and then trouble again in this round. The thing is, though, that when Louisville is on its game, it's unstoppable, as showcased by its Big East regular-season championship and tournament title. Louisville had been cold for long stretches in both games and heated up at just the right time, but if they hope to make it to the national championship game, they won't be able to stay cold for so long.

When I look at the line-up of the Sweet Sixteen, I'm depressed that the only real Cinderella story is #12-seed Arizona, who plays in a major conference yet had a marginal season, which resulted in the low seed. All the 1-3 seeds advanced, and the only #4-seeds to fall were Washington and Wake Forest. That being said, three of the Sweet Sixteen don't play in major conferences -- Gonzaga, Xavier, and Memphis -- but are head and shoulders above the competition in their conferences and had sustained success in the NCAA Tournament for years. It's boring that we're not celebrating an underdog Cleveland State or Dayton Flyers in the Sweet 16, or even a NDSU or Portland State win in the first round. I'm sure the Tournament officials like to see everything go according to plan -- and by that I mean higher seeds winning every game -- but I'm sure they also enjoy the increased coverage they would receive should one of the double-digit seeds make it this far. Think George Mason from a couple years ago.

The silver lining is that the best teams have moved on, which makes for dream match-ups from here on out. Kansas-Michigan State? Never see that happen outside of the tournament. Villanova-Duke? Syracuse-Oklahoma? None of these would happen unless the teams played in an early-season tournament, but those occur before we even really know how good the teams will be. Now, at the end of the season, we know these teams are special, they're on top of their game, and they're playing to survive.

The only thing that angers me is that people who took no chances on their brackets and didn't pick any big upsets are the ones that succeeded most, but, as I said yesterday, c'est la vie.

I'm taking a break now, but I'll be back for some predictions and more analysis later this week.


- Beck