A look back at a great first two rounds and a look ahead to the Sweet 16:

BEST GAME: West Virginia 111, Wake Forest 105 (2OT) in the second round.  They threatened to play all night.  West Virginia, down 13 at halftime, was on the verge of winning it in regulation and the first overtime, but Wake’s Taron Downey kept the Demon Deacons alive with 3-pointers.

BEST SHOT: The 3-pointer by Vermont’s T.J Sorrentine in overtime against Syracuse.  Protecting a one-point lead, it was from beyond NBA range.  During the flight of Sorrentine’s shot, Coach Tom Brennan went from “No! No!” to “Yes!”  Vermont stunned the Orange 60-57 in the first round.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: No.12 seeded UW-Milwaukee getting to the Sweet 16 ranks high, but it’s tough to beat Bucknell’s 64-63 mammoth first-round upset of powerhouse Kansas.  No.14-seeded Bucknell, from the Patriot League, had five scholarship players.  KU had national-championship material.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: No.2-seeded Wake Forest returned every key player from last season, was ranked No.1 in the nation for two weeks and set a school record for wins (27).  Still, the Demon Deacons are going home early.

BEST CONFERENCE: The ACC, despite Wake’s early exit, has three teams in the Sweet 16.  North Carolina and Duke were expected to get there.  No.10-seeded N.C State was not.  Honorable mention to the Big Ten, where top-ranked Illinois is joined by No.5 seed Michigan State and No.6 seed Wisconsin.

All-Tournament Team

The NCAA Tournament’s five best players in the opening weekend:

Mike Gansey, West Virginia

Had 29 points in double-OT upset of Wake Forest

Francisco Garcia, Louisville

Hit high gear with games of 27 and 21 points

Julius Hodge, N.C. State

His game-winner eliminated defending champ UConn

Sean May, North Carolina

43 points, 25 rebounds in two games for Tar Heels.  Beast!

Ronald Ross, Texas Tech

Averaged 26 points in wins against UCLA, Gonzaga

SWEET 16

CHICAGO: Thursday and Saturday

No.1 Illinois (34-1) vs. No. 12 Wisconson-Milwaukee (26-5)

UM-Milwaukee, the tournament Cinderella, now has the nation’s longest winning streak at 11, but Missouri (2002) is the only No.12 seed to win a region semifinal game.  Illinois would seem to have a decided home-court advantage, but UW-Milwaukee’s campus is actually closer to Allstate Arena.  Won’t matter.  The Pick: Illinois.

No.2 Oklahoma State (29-5) vs. No. 3 Arizona (29-6)

Oklahoma State, seeking a return to the Final Four, is getting excellent inside play from Ivan McFarlin (49 points in two games) and that should mean a fascinating matchup with Arizona’s Channing Frye.  The obvious X-factor is Arizona’s Salim Stoudamire, a 53% shooter from behind the 3-point arc.  The Pick: Arizona

Regional Pick: Illinois

ALBUQUERQUE: Thursday and Saturday

No.1 Washington (29-5) vs. No.4 Louisville (31-4)

Probably the most entertaining Sweet 16 game.  Washington hasn’t been to the Elite Eight since 1953, its only Final Four appearance.  Louisville’s Rick Pitino could become the only coach in NCAA history to take three teams (along with Providence and Kentucky) to the Final Four.  The Cards are peaking.  The Pick: Washington

No.6 Texas Tech (22-10) vs. No.7 West Virginia (23-10)

Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight bids for his first Final Four since 1992.  Omen alert: Indiana advanced from the Albuquerque regional that season.  West Virginia might’ve been NIT-bound with an early loss at the Big East Tournament.  The Mountaineers’ last Elite Eight team was 1959 (Jerry West).  Who would’ve thought West Virginia and Villanova would be the only teams left from the Big East?  The Pick: West Virginia

Regional Pick: Washington

SYARCUSE:  Friday and Sunday

No.1 North Carolina (29-4) vs. No.5 Villanova (24-7)

North Carolina has been expected to play for a championship all along, and now regional seeds 2 through 4 (UConn, Kansas, Florida) have been eliminated.  Villanova is no easy mark, but nobody in the tournament has a better lineup than Roy Williams’ Tar Heels.  Villanova will make things interesting.  The Pick:  North Carolina.

No.6 Wisconsin (24-8) vs. No.10 N.C State (21-13)

Survive and advance.  That was the mantra of Coach Jim Valvano during N.C State’s 1983 national title run.  The 2005 Wolfpack followed that plan in upsets over Charlotte and Connecticut.  Wisconsin advanced by beating two double-digit seeds.  Destiny remains on the Wolfpack’s side for one more game.  The Pick: N.C State.

Regional Pick: North Carolina

AUSTIN: Friday and Sunday

No.1 Duke (27-5) vs. No.5 Michigan State

Both teams have won national titles in the last five years (Michigan State 2000, Duke 2001).  Duke was picked fourth in some ACC preseason prognostications, but has exceeded all expectations.  The Blue Devils will get a first test this tournament from tough-minded Michigan State, but have a touch more strength on offense.  The Pick: Duke.

No.2 Kentucky (27-5) vs. No.6 Utah (29-5)

Kentucky is getting superb play from freshman starters Rajon Rondo and Randolph Morris, a 6-foot-10, 266-pounder who will match up with Utah’s 7-foot, 245-pound Andrew Bogut.  Who thought Utah might produce the No.1 picks in the NFL (Alex Smith) and NBA (Bogut)?  Uk has better supporting cast, but Utah pulls off a shocker.  The Pick: Utah

Regional Pick: Duke