“Weak” Pac-10? As there is every year, lots of talk centered on how “weak” the Pac-10 was this year, and how they didn’t deserve six spots. Even President Obama got in on the mix, saying how weak the conference was, specifically calling out Arizona and UCLA (they both won), and axing all of them before the Sweet 16. Well it was only one round, but that “weak” conference went 5-1, behind only the Big East (6-1) and Big XII (6-0); And they were the only conference with more than one “underdog” seed to pull off all of their potential upsets (Arizona and USC).
"The glass slipper." The tired calls for "the glass slipper" are being heard across the TV and the Web, with the Cleveland State Vikings, a 13-seed, being dubbed "this year's Cinderella." Ugh. This desperate need to have a team named after a Disney character is so cliché. Every year we go through this forced "Cinderella" nonsense. They now play Arizona, the team that wasn't "supposed" to be allowed in the tournament; We'll have to hear a bunch of "Cinderella" bullshit for the next week, no matter who wins that game.
“Weak” Pac-10? As there is every year, lots of talk centered on how “weak” the Pac-10 was this year, and how they didn’t deserve six spots. Even President Obama got in on the mix, saying how weak the conference was, specifically calling out Arizona and UCLA (they both won), and axing all of them before the Sweet 16. Well it was only one round, but that “weak” conference went 5-1, behind only the Big East (6-1) and Big XII (6-0); And they were the only conference with more than one “underdog” seed to pull off all of their potential upsets (Arizona and USC).
"The glass slipper." The tired calls for "the glass slipper" are being heard across the TV and the Web, with the Cleveland State Vikings, a 13-seed, being dubbed "this year's Cinderella." Ugh. This desperate need to have a team named after a Disney character is so cliché. Every year we go through this forced "Cinderella" nonsense. They now play Arizona, the team that wasn't "supposed" to be allowed in the tournament; We'll have to hear a bunch of "Cinderella" bullshit for the next week, no matter who wins that game.
Most intriguing second-round matchup? How about USC-Michigan State. Two methodical teams with very strong defense, neither of whom has scored 80 points since Jan. 2. It won’t be flashy, but it will be the kind of game that either team could win.
Most likely No. 1 seed to go down this round? North Carolina. Ty Lawson is still questionable to play, and he is the engine that runs that team. LSU hit 43% from 3-point land in the first round; If they can do that again, or come close, people may start talking about "The curse of Obama" (who picked them to win it all and personally asked them to not let him down).
Chemistry 101. I don't know if anyone watched Gonzaga come from behind to beat Akron, but they looked really good in doing so. In the final 15 minutes of the game, they somehow found the chemistry that made them a yearlong Top-25 team. If they can keep that going, they have a real shot at the Final Four.
Favorites win again. The hot "upset specials" before the games started, according to all the experts, were: Utah State (lost to Marquette); VCU (lost to UCLA); Mississippi State (lost to Washington); Western Kentucky (beat Illinois). That's 1-3 for these "experts' hot picks." What underdogs were not highly touted? Wisconsin, Dayton and Cleveland State.
