From My Sporting Perspective
  • 09:47 AM ET  03.24
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For the first time in six years, three double-digit seeds have made the Sweet 16. 99% of all brackets are busted by now. In fact, of the 3.2 million people that submitted brackets on ESPN.com, a whole TWO of them have all sixteen teams correct for the third round of play. The past four days have been hectic so say the least, but isn't that why you love to watch?

Biggest Upset: It had to be #10 Davidson over #2 Georgetown. The undersized players from the small school in North Carolina took down one of the biggest teams the NCAA has ever featured. It truly was a David vs. Goliath upset. Stephen Curry was absolutely magnificent in the game as he dropped 25 of his 30 points in the second half, including his free throws to seal the victory for his team.

Best Game: Western Kentucky versus Drake was one of the most entertaining basketball games I have watched all season. It had everything you could ask for in a March Madness game: an overtime game that reached the 100s in scoring ending with a buzzer-beater that wins the game for the underdog. The shot was one hell of a shot (25-foot shot) but the pass to set it up was remarkable. The point guard for WKU set up his teammate with the game-winning shot beautifully.

Most Outstanding Player: Stephen Curry, no contest. He is averaging 35 points per game and 28 points IN THE SECOND HALF! He has truly stepped up big and his team is riding the nation's longest winning streak at 24 games. Curry hit big shot after big shot in both the Georgetown game and the Gonzaga game, and proved he could finish games as well. He hit 5 of his 6 free throws in the waning moments of the game against the Hoyas.

All-Tournament Team: Obviously, Curry (35 ppg, 4 ast, 4 stl) would be on there. Helping him out in the backcourt would be Scottie Reynolds of Villanova (23 ppg, 6 reb, 4 ast) and Alex Ruoff of West Virginia (19 ppg, 5 reb, 7-12 3pt). Down low would be Kansas State's Michael Beasley (23 pts, 12 reb, 15-17 FT) and North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (19 ppg, 8 reb, 2 stl).

Biggest Cinderfellas: Western Kentucky. I want everyone who had WKU in the Sweet 16 to raise their hand. I'm pretty sure not many people gave this team a chance. After taking down 5th-seeded Drake in the first round, they responded by knocking out San Diego. Personally, I had Drake in the Sweet 16. But my bracket is pretty screwed up.

Best Sweet 16 Upset Possibility: In my opinion, there are two, but the biggest would be of the two would be Davidson over Wisconsin. You can't deny how great Davidson has been playing as of late. The only problem is if Stephen Curry has a bad game, they have a very slim chance of winning the game. Another upset that could happen is West Virginia over Xavier.

#1 Seed's Easiest Road to Final Four: No question it is UCLA. They get 12th-seeded Western Kentucky in the Sweet 16 and face the winner of Xavier/WVU. Also worth mentioning is that all of these games will be played in Phoenix, where the Bruins could draw quite a few fans. Anything less than a trip to San Antonio will be a disappointment for this team.

#1 Seed's Hardest Road to the Final Four: North Carolina. Their bracket is the only one that has the first four seeds still playing. They face off against a tough Washington State team before getting the winner of Louisville/Tennessee. All I can say is good luck to the Tar Heels. Their only advantage? Not leaving the state of North Carolina.

Most Intriguing Sweet 16 Matchup: For me, there are two. The first would be Louisville/Tennessee. Both are playing fantastic ball right now and both have a good chance at getting to the Final Four. The winner of this game is my pick to upset UNC in the Elite 8. The other game I am referring to is Stanford/Texas. The Cardinals rely on their two big guys, Brook and Robin Lopez, while the Longhorns depend on their two guards, DJ Augustin and AJ Abrams. A contrast of styles is always interesting.

Pick To Cut Down the Nets: UCLA. This team just played a great game against Texas A&M and have the easiest road to San Antonio. They will gear up and most likely get the winner of Texas and Memphis from the Houston Regional. Darren Collison and Kevin Love are both playing great, and that is why they are both currently in my list of the top 15 players in the country. (That list will be published after the tournament.)

Okay, that is all. I hope you enjoy the rest of the tournament and, for the very few of you who still have a somewhat decent bracket, good luck to you. Have a nice week and I'm sure some will be enjoying their Spring Break. I, sadly, go back to school tomorrow.

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The Words Of My Wisdom

March 24, 2008  09:52 AM ET

Bravo! Great Analysis as usual!`

March 24, 2008  09:53 AM ET

Thanks, Anthony. I appreciate your reading my blogs.

March 24, 2008  12:07 PM ET

Jesus... only TWO remain correct? Yikes.

I'm liking the way my Heels are playing right now. They've beaten their opponents by an average of 35 points, and have put up 110 PPG. Only thing is they havent been tested yet. Washington State will be a test. And from then on, it'l continue to get tougher and tougher.

March 24, 2008  12:43 PM ET

Yeah, it also helps the Heels that they're playing in Charlotte the entire time.

March 24, 2008  01:38 PM ET

We agree on UCLA taking it all, Saturday's scare notwithstanding.
I'm starting to like the idea of WVU over Xavier. Two fundamentally sound teams, but it's been awhile since Huggy's made a big run - this smells like the time.

March 24, 2008  01:48 PM ET

I agree. WVU has the potential to make it to the Elite 8.

March 24, 2008  02:47 PM ET

Yeah, it also helps the Heels that they're playing in Charlotte the entire time.

#13 G.O.A.T. | 03/24/08, 12:43 PM

Which is complete BS

March 24, 2008  03:03 PM ET

Good blog.

March 24, 2008  03:25 PM ET

Thanks, dyhard.

hemo, if anything, they played well enough in the regular season to earn it.

March 24, 2008  03:54 PM ET

Thanks, Gator. That means a lot coming from a teacher and fellow blogger like yourself.

March 24, 2008  09:44 PM ET

Good blog. I agree with you. I wrote the exact same thing about Davidson in Wisconsin vs. Davison preview...Keep up the good work.

March 26, 2008  06:11 PM ET

Nicely done! Incisive, clearly written, and informative. Keep it coming.

 
March 26, 2008  09:28 PM ET

Thanks, badgerfan and CSP.

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