With tonight’s national title game, another great season of college basketball has reached the end of the line. And with the game featuring an ACC team, and a, wait . . . who is that? (Gets out binoculars) Is that a Big 10 team?? Whoa. I thought the Big 10 was the worst conference ever!

Must be some sort of fluke.

But as conspicuous in its absence from tonight’s festivities as the Big 10 is, in its presence is the Big East. You know, the conference many were calling the best conference ever this year? The conference with two final four teams. The conference with four elite eight teams. The single greatest collection of amateur basketball talent ever assembled.

It was popular all year for the East Coast media to say people were simply “jealous” of the Big East when they complained about all the attention it commanded on ESPN and the like. “Don’t hate us just cause we are better than you and we like to talk about it. Ain’t no good basketball outside this here Big East!” was the chorus. Outside of North Carolina and Blake Griffin, you would have thought no other college teams or players existed. It was all Louisville, Marquette, DeJuan Blair and the world’s weakest 7′3″ man, Hasheem Thabeet, all the time.

And for most of the year, it looked like they were justified in their stance. The Big East romped, while other conferences’ top teams continued to lose big games.

Until tournament time that is.

True, even up until the elite eight, it looked as if the Big East’s dominance was as thorough and complete as ever.

Only then something happened. The Big Easters started playing good teams that weren’t other Big East teams. And they started losing in droves.

The Big East’s record through the first three rounds was an astounding 15-3. But the number was misleading. Of those fifteen wins, only five came against teams that were ranked in the season’s final AP poll, and only two came against teams ranked in the top ten.

In the last two rounds (the elite eight and final four) “the nation’s best conference” went a highly pedestrian 2-4, while every other conference left went 4-2.

Even more shocking is that save for Villanova’s win over Duke (and its win over fellow Big Easter Pitt), no Big East team beat a higher seeded team the entire tournament. Meanwhile, every Big East team besides Villanova was eliminated from the tournament by a lower seeded team.

Of course, none of this means that the Big East was bad this year, or even that it wasn’t the best conference. Just that maybe next year, we should save the hyperbole until each conference has actually played some good teams outside of its own conference before we hail one as the greatest of all time.

–Patrick Daugherty, Red Editorial Staff.

When you take the long college basketball season and break it down it really comes down to this one game and one moment–which I suppose explains the ultra-cheesy song montage they provide us with each year.

This year the moment boils down to two teams who seem a complete mismatch on paper.

On one hand you have the out-and-out favorite from the start of the year, Roy Williams’ high-flying Tar Heels, led by Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson. On the other you have Tom Izzo’s defensive minded Spartans with Kalin Lucas and Goran Suton.

When these two teams met back in December the Heels ran all over the Spartans in a 98-63 trouncing, but Michigan State was a different team then and Suton was benched due to injury. A healthy Suton should bode well for the Spartans but they have more than just that on their side tonight.

Home court advantage: For the first time since Duke did it 15 years ago, a team in the championship game will be playing in front of a home town crowd. When the Spartans come out on the court tonight they will be greeted by 40,000 plus screaming fans dressed in green and white who can, for at least one more day, put the economic strife that plagues the city behind them.

This one factor alone could tip the scales in the Spartan’s favor, especially if Michigan State can jump out to an early lead.

Defense, defense, defense: This is most definitely in the Spartans corner. The Tar Heels play the Roy Williams run-and-gun offense, moving into position on quick turnarounds and in transition creating high-percentage shots. But if Michigan State can get there first and slow down the speedy Lawson and company the Heels might find themselves in a typical Big Ten game, something unknown in Chapel Hill.

The Spartans should also profit from the Heels’ indifferent defensive game. If you look at the semi-final game against Villanova you’ll see that the Wildcats were granted nearly every shot they wanted, they just couldn’t hit ‘em. The Spartans should also get a lot of good looks at the basket and are a better shooting team than Villanova. So, unless the Heels open up a can of defensive you-know-what they’ve been saving all season this should definitely be a Spartan advantage.

The bench: Both teams go deep but the Spartans bench lately has been amazing. In the semi-final game against UConn they out scored the Huskies bench 33-7. Raymar Morgan and Korie Lucious, who combined for just 10 points in the previous three games, dropped 18 and 11 points respectively on the Huskies. If the Spartans can get that kind of performance from them and the rest of their bench the Heels will have more than they can handle.

Magic: It was 30 years ago when Magic Johnson led the Spartans to a national title over Larry Bird’s Indiana State team. Tonight the game ball will be presented by both Bird and Johnson in a ceremony honoring that game and the two basketball giants. Now, I don’t know how much this will actually affect the game but after all, the guy’s name is Magic.

–Aaron Whitebread, Red Editorial Staff

With the first two weekends behind us, the field of 65 has been whittled down to four.  And my bracket, well . . . let’s just say my bracket met with an unfortunate accident involving a Bic lighter and my size 9 ½ sneakers.

All bitterness aside however, the first four rounds of the tournament have once again provided us with much debate and discussion as well as some surprises, especially in the Midwest and East regions where–unlike last year–both top seeds failed to advance.

Best team: I really hate to say it, but Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans played better than any team out of the top half of the bracket. The Spartans won the Big 10 regular season title by four games and entered the field as a two seed setting them on a collision course with defending champs Kansas and Big East champs Louisville. Despite coming out of the offensively anemic Big 10, the Spartans forced every opponent they faced to play their defensive minded game.

In the first two rounds the Spartans scored 77 and 74 points over Robert Morris and USC. They out toughed and out lasted a Jayhawk team in the Sweet Sixteen despite trailing at the half and completely dominated and shut down a red hot Louisville team in the Elite Eight to punch their ticket to Detroit and a virtual home court advantage. This marks Tom Izzo’s fifth Final Four appearance and his first since the 2005 season. Look for the hometown crowd to rally behind their team and cause some major headaches for Jim Calhoun’s Huskies.

Most disappointing team: This could go to either of the top seeds Louisville or Pitt but I’m going with the Panthers. The Big East powerhouse looked nothing like a team with a one seed, just barely squeaking by the first three rounds before falling to conference rival and three seed Villanova. With three of the four top seeds coming out of the Big East this year, Pitt played like the one that just didn’t belong.

Most dramatic game: There are a couple of choices here, there was the surprise upset of Cleveland State over Wake Forest or the double-overtime win by Sienna over Ohio State, but these honors have to go to the Villanova/Pitt game. This game was just an out and out battle between two conference rivals that came down to just .5 seconds and a transition lay-up.

Wildcats’ guard Scottie Reynolds sank the crucial lay-up as time wound down to put his team up two points and send them off to Motor City. Unfortunately for the Wildcats this is probably where they end as they just don’t match-up with the Hansbrough/Lawson led Tar Heels. Though, they are coming into the Final Four as the loosest team, playing with little expectations on their shoulders.

Most anti-climatic game: A no-brainer here, the Elite Eight match-up between the Cardinals and Spartans. This game, despite the Cardinals being the heavy favorite, seemed a foregone conclusion from tip-off. The Spartans forced the Cardinals to take bad shots and play a signature low scoring Big Ten game. Yawn.

Best performance by a big man: Just looking at the top half of the bracket–negating Griffin and Hansbrough–this has to go to Kansas center Cole Aldrich. Aldrich turned in a triple-double with 13 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in the Jayhawks’ 60-43 win over Dayton in the second round. It marks the first triple-double with blocks since Shaq in 1992 with LSU.

Most ridiculous dunk: This again goes to a Kansas player as little red-shirt sophomore guard Brady Morningstar had not one but two–count ‘em–two dunks in the Sweet Sixteen loss to Michigan State. Too bad that only adds up to four points and the Jayhawks lost by five to the Spartans.

–Aaron Whitebread, Red Editorial Staff

Just like that, the best part of the tournament is over. The ten days of madness have now left us with two potential mismatches that will probably give way to one final, anti-climatic mismatch. They just don’t make Final Fours like the first four rounds.

But that’s ok, because as usual the first four rounds of the NCAA tournament have left us with much to reflect on and sift through. True colors have been shown, and new perceptions created.

Best team: As dominating as North Carolina looked, no one played better than Connecticut. The Huskies predictably decimated their first two opponents by 56 and 26 points respectively, before toughing out a win over an underrated Purdue squad and outlasting a relentless, balanced Missouri team. And it was a total team effort. Freshman Kemba Walker went off, Hasheem Thabeet altered more shots than were countable and Stanley Robinson played like the second coming of Hakim Warrick. While they have a tougher Final Four matchup than UNC, playing against under-the-radar Michigan State before a partisan crowd, they are the best team of the remaining four.

Best player: Admittedly, this section should be called “stating the obvious,” but the tournament performance of Blake Griffin just cannot be overstated. Apply any of the clichés you want: man amongst boys, “a special player,” “a once in a decade type talent”: Griffin just flat out dominated and humiliated his opponents. The Chris Wilcoxes of the world better look out: this dude’s gunning for your job.

Most disappointing team: With the pasting they took at the hands of Missouri, Memphis is the obvious choice here, but there is another team that just didn’t play as well as they should have: Gonzaga. The Zags were a team loaded with upperclassmen, tons of tournament experience and a helpful “no one gave us a chance” card to play. Still, they looked like they didn’t even belong in the same gym as UNC. Asking for a win was surely a little much, but how about some heart? The chances of the Zags ever experiencing their long awaited breakthrough are looking slimmer and slimmer each year now.

Second most ready for the NBA after Blake Griffin: Tyreke Evans is a hoss, plain and simple. Even though his team got killed, Evans looked like an NBA player toying with some playgrounders against Missouri as he treated the Tigers vaunted defense like a yield sign. If he comes back to Memphis next year, he should be the preseason favorite for national player of the year.

Most disappointing game: Oklahoma/North Carolina had everything going for it, except for any semblance of competitiveness. Like they did during their losses to Missouri and Oklahoma State, the Sooners looked like little more than the Blake Griffin variety hour. Willie Warren, if you’re reading this, DO NOT GO PRO.

Best game: Remember, this is down South and out West, so Pitt/Villanova is ineligible. So we have to go with the weekend’s second best game, UConn/Missouri. As mentioned above, the Huskies got everything they could have possibly wanted from their stars, but so did Missouri. Seniors DeMarre Carroll, Leo Lyons and Matt Lawrence all played like their lives depended on it, and reserves Justin Safford and Keith Ramsey did everything they could to keep the Tigers afloat. What resulted was a desperate feeling game on both sides that came down to one side just being a little bit better than the other.  It was what we wish all tournament games would be like.

Most absurd dunk attempt: Seriously, what on Earth was Tyler Hansbrough trying to do yesterday? Sorry Tyler, you’re no Dwight Howard.

–Patrick Daugherty, Red Editorial Staff.

The first two rounds are in the books, we are down to just 16 teams and the complaints are everywehere. There isn’t a Cinderella, there haven’t been enough upsets, there aren’t enough mid-majors left, the tournament has been BCS-ized, blah, blah, blah.

But my favorite one I heard after this weekend came from Woody Paige and company on ESPN’s Around the Horn–the tournament is a snoozer.

What?!

Have they been watching the same tournament I have? Sure, the top four seeds minus Washington and Wake Forest advanced to the sweet sixteen and the only double-digit seed to advance is the much-storied program at Arizona, but the tourney has been anything but boring.

In the East, you have top seeded Pitt barely surviving first and second round scares to No. 16 East Tennessee State and No. 7 Oklahoma State; and No. 2 Duke squeaking by a very talented Texas team in the second round.

But just a quick look at the Midwest region should have Paige and the rest eating their words.

There was No. 10 USC upsetting Boston College, little No. 13 Cleveland State demolishing ACC powerhouse Wake Forest, the aforementioned Arizona moving past an over-rated and over-seeded Utah team and a double-overtime thriller featuring ninth seeded Sienna over the eight seed Ohio State.

That was just the first round.

In the second round there was the Sienna Saints taking the No. 1 overall seed Louisville to the limit, second seed Michigan State barely getting by the Trojans and the best tournament performance by a big man in nearly 20 years . . . and it wasn’t by anyone named Griffin, Hansbrough or Thabeet.

Nope, the 13-point, 20 rebound and 10 block performance was turned in by the little lauded Kansas sophomore center, Cole Aldrich, in their 60-43 second round win over the Dayton Flyers.

It was the first “official” triple-double in school history (the quotes due to stats not recorded during Wilt Chamberlain’s day), the first in the tournament since Marquette’s Dwayne Wayne in 2003 and the first with blocks since Shaq did it for LSU in 1992.

That is good company to be in.

To further debunk this flimsy “boring” argument you have some great match-ups on the horizon. There’s Louisville with so much to prove taking on Arizona with even more to prove, a struggling Pitt team facing a red-hot and very talented Xavier team, a meeting of powerhouses Villanova and Duke and a re-match of an early season contest between the Spartans and the defending champs, (I never get tired of saying that) the Jayhawks.

Although, what I find really interesting is how all the analysts’ tune changes from football to basketball. Everyone complains that the BCS system doesn’t pit the best teams in the land against each other to determine an undisputed champ, yet the tournament has provided just that–the best teams in the land competing against one another to determine an undisputed champ.

But apparently that’s boring, right Woody?

–Aaron Whitebread, Red Editorial Staff

The madness has ended and now it’s on to the . . . March? Well, something like that.

Regardless, opening round chaos proved to once again be in short supply this year as only one team seeded higher than fifth has advanced to the sweet sixteen.

Naturally, it is not even a little media darling like Western Kentucky or Siena, but instead perennial tournament contender Arizona.

Bad year for the little guy, again.

Not that this is actually bad, though. Now we can mercifully be spared the glut of blowouts that usually accompanies lower seeded teams into the sweet sixteen.

Since 2004, teams seeded higher than fourth are an abysmal 3-20 vs. teams seeded first through fourth in the sweet sixteen.

What about teams like 2006 George Mason, you ask? Even the nation’s beloved Patriots only advanced to the elite eight after beating a seventh seeded mid-major, Wichita State, in their sweet sixteen game.

Similar elite eight “Cinderellas,” such as sixth seeded Wisconsin and seventh seeded West Virginia in 2005 and eighth seeded Alabama in 2004, all only advanced after beating teams seeded fifth or lower.

Only three teams seeded higher than fourth have advanced to the elite eight by beating teams seeded fourth or lower since 2004: 2008 Davidson, 2005 Michigan State (a five seed) and 2004 Xavier.

Of all these teams (any sweet sixteen team seeded fifth or lower since 2004), only George Mason and Michigan State actually made it to the final four.

Not a very pretty track record for the little guy.

Of course, none of this means that just because the higher seeds have advanced this year (the first time that all one, two and three seeds have advanced to the sweet sixteen) that the games will be any better.

But we can dream can’t we?

The West and South’s sweet sixteen matchups appear to be full of doozies, highlighted by the West’s (3) Missouri vs. (2) Memphis game.

Both Tigers still feel as though they have much to prove, and have advanced after struggling through one game and dominating in another.

The teams’ up-tempo styles–and chips on their shoulders–should make for a track meet with both teams scoring around 90 points. Who’s going to win? The Tigers . . .

Oklahoma/Syracuse, meanwhile, is the jewel of the South as the Sooners appear to once again be rounding into form and the Orange continue to play their best basketball of the season.

Things were not looking good for OU as the season wound down and Blake Griffin got hurt and the losses piled up. But Griffin now not only appears to be back at 100 percent, but playing his most dominating basketball ever. He toyed with Michigan’s hapless frontcourt and will not be stopped by the Orange’s.

So it’s the backcourts that will decide the game, as Cuse’s Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf–both red-hot–try to contain Oklahoma’s duo of Austin Johnson and Willie Warren.

When Warren and Johnson aren’t clicking, like they weren’t against Missouri, it doesn’t matter how dominant Griffin is.  Oklahoma will lose.

But when they do, which is usually, very few teams can beat the Sooners, and Syracuse is not one of these teams. Look for the Sooners to soldier on.

UNC/Gonzaga? My bracket says the Zags, but my mind says NC. With Ty Lawson back, the Heels still look to be the South’s prohibitive favorite barring a monumental performance from Griffin in the regional final. Despite their bevy of seniors and comfortable role as their underdog, the party should once again end early for Gonzaga.

And finally, UConn/Purdue. As much as I would like to claim the Huskies look vulnerable, they don’t. Look for the Boilermakers to be batted away like the annoying gnats that they air and for Huskies to thunder on.

–Patrick Daugherty, Red Editorial Staff.

Most likely to succeed: North Carolina. Not that they are really all that dominant, especially with a hobbled Ty Lawson, but UNC appears to be the safest bet to make the Final Four from the bottom half of the bracket. Hit the snooze button whenever you like.

Least likely to succeed: Oklahoma. Headed in the wrong direction for over a month now, the Sooners appear to be in serious trouble. Even before Blake Griffin went down, OU was having problems putting teams away, but since he’s been back they’ve lost as many games as when he was gone (two). Something has gone amiss in Norman. Maybe they’ve gotten their proverbial wake up call, but a second round exit is highly plausible.

Most likely to get embarrassed: LSU. It’s only fitting that the worst BCS conference’s champion has to face one of the tourney’s top mid-majors, Butler. After being ranked as high as 11th in the AP poll in early February, a midseason slump sent the Bulldogs tumbling down the polls. But they should be eager to prove they deserved all the accolades and come out ready to maul the punchless Tigers. Quick fact: number of ranked teams Butler played this season: two. Number of ranked teams LSU played this season: one. Power conference indeed.

Most likely to perpetuate our national nightmare: Maryland/Mississippi St.: One of these two undeserving invitees will more than likely knock off its heavily favored foe (Cal and Washington respectively) just to make everyone eat crow and cry at their ability to do nothing to warrant a tournament bid (an automatic bid in Miss. St’s case) and still win a tourney game just because they feel like it.

Most likely to score 15 points and/or shoot less than 20 percent in the first half and still win: Missouri. Despite their penchant for absolutely dreadful first half performances, the Tigers rang up 26 wins this season because of their amazing second halves. Once the other teams start wearing down, the Tigers start gearing up–and hitting their shots.

Most likely to disappoint after a long tournament absence: Michigan. Not that the Wolverines are all that bad (their 9-9 conference record was par for the mediocre Big 10 course this season), it’s just that they’re probably just excited to be here where Clemson has a lot to prove after a disappointing tournament last season and uneven ACC play this year. Oliver Purnell will make sure his squad doesn’t get bounced in the first round again.

Most likely excuse: Whenever Syracuse loses, sure as sunrise their back-to-back OT Big East tournament games will be brought up and the announcers will praise the Orange for playing “courageously and valiantly” before they remind us that they “just didn’t have enough left in the tank.”

Most likely to wreck their coach’s already destroyed voice even further: Illinois. Bruce Weber did a good job this year. He got his Fighting Illini back in the tournament and led them to a third place finish in a deep conference. But like Oklahoma, Illinois is headed in the wrong direction going into the tournament, and also likely without all-around senior guard Chester Frazier. If not Western Kentucky, look for Gonzaga to dispatch the Illini with extreme prejudice.

Most likely to be the bottom half’s best game: Utah St./Marquette. With the 30-4 Aggies looking to prove they belong and the former top ten Golden Eagles desperate to salvage a once promising season derailed by injury, both should play with an intensity befitting of a title game. Best bet for a buzzer beater.

–Patrick Daugherty, Red Editorial Staff

Usually reserved for close family and friends, the Selection Committee decided to broaden the concept of unconditional love to the college basketball world when they selected three teams out of the Big East as No. 1 seeds, the lone non-Big East team being the all too obvious and well-deserved Tar Heels.

Louisville earned their top seed, winning both the regular season conference title and the Big East Championship Tournament, posting a 28-5 record with two wins over Providence, Syracuse and Villanova and a regular season win over fellow No. 1 seed Pitt.

Their only questionable losses came early in the season to Western Kentucky and Minnesota and a conference routing at the hands of Notre Dame back in February. Since that loss Rick Pitino and his Cardinals have been red-hot and head into the Big Dance with 10-game win streak and the No. 1 seed overall.

UNC also earned their top spot. I mean, two wins over rivals Duke, a 13-3 conference record, 28-4 overall, another ACC conference title and NBA draft picks and McDonald’s All-Americans falling out of Roy Williams’ pockets, how could they not garner a No. 1 seed?

But the problem lies with the remaining two: UConn and Pitt. Now, I could see one or the other as a top seed . . . but both?  No freakin’ way.  Especially with a team like Memphis out there. But like a troubled sibling or an absent father, UConn and Pitt could do no wrong in the adoring eyes of the Selection Committee.

Okay, say what you will about Conference USA, but what Memphis has done this year is remarkable and is worth more than their No. 2 seed. A 25-game win streak, 30 wins and just 2 losses, a perfect conference record and yet another C-USA Championship under their belt, not to mention road wins over Gonzaga and Tennessee and you have to ask: what more does it take?

Especially when you compare the Tigers’ resume with that of the Huskies and the Panthers.

Pitt has four losses–all in conference–to Louisville, Villanova, Providence and an early second round exit from the Big East Tournament courtesy of West Virginia.

UConn also has four losses, all within the Big East as well. However, a loss to Georgetown, two to Pitt and an epic six overtime loss to Syracuse resulting in a similar second round exit from the Big East tourney and, if you ask me, the Huskies should be the odd man out.

And according to an ESPN poll more than 40 percent agree with UConn being the first No. 1 seed out.

Of course, it would seem the Selection Committee took this into consideration when they placed both the Huskies and Memphis in the West to potentially set up an Elite Eight showdown between the two and settle any debate once and for all.

Last year all four top seeds made the Final Four for the first time in history but this year it ain’t gonna happen, and when Memphis and coach Calipari make a return trip to the Final Four they just might get the respect they deserve.

–Aaron Whitebread, Red Editorial Staff

The closest anyone will ever come to seeing Dick Vitale crestfallen was right after Kansas handed North Carolina their dignity in last Saturday’s Final Four game. Likewise, after Memphis rolled to victory on a lopsided win over UCLA, the rest of basketball’s great analytical minds simultaneously reached for the aspirin.

So here we are, with heavily favored UCLA and overall No. 1 seeded North Carolina bounced from the tourney. And what’s the most popular adjective used to describe last weekend’s games? Boring. Boring?! People never cease to amaze me.

In a year when history was made with each No. 1 seed reaching the Final Four, in a year when everyone’s brackets had more chalk on it than a blackboard in a third grade school room, there’s still a feeling of disappointment that Kansas and Memphis are tipping off for all the marbles tonight.

Before the Final Four games, people said the tournament “worked”. They said we’re finally seeing the Final Four we were always supposed to see, but now that UNC and UCLA aren’t in the title game, people are saying the ratings for tonight’s championship will be in the tank.

How, dear readers, is that even possible? How can we be given perfect Final Four games one day, and end up with an imperfect game today?

If a person bothered to notice the stuff both Kansas and Memphis are made of, they would realize that tonight’s game promises to be incredible. The only stark difference between Kansas and Memphis are their zip codes. For all intensive purposes, the Jayhawks are the Tigers’ Doppelgänger, and vice versa.

If you are the type of person who feels like UNC is hands down the best team in the nation, and if it were possible, how does the notion of UNC vs. UNC sound to you? What’s better than a Hansbrough/Love match up? How about a Hansbrough/ Hansbrough match up?

Hyperbole aside, that sort of prospect is what you’re getting in KU/Memphis.

The Tigers play an airtight defense that could cause problems for Kansas’ explosive speed. On the other hand, Kansas has an airtight defense that could cause problems for Memphis’ explosive speed.

See where I’m going with this?

Kansas’ Sherron Collins is a huge X factor in this game. He’s outplayed UNC’s Ty Lawson in the semis and has been a huge factor in Kansas’ dominance. Collins’ speed and explosive scoring skills create a three-headed monster for Kansas that’s been unstoppable of late.

But the three-headed monster in Memphis is Derrick Rose, Derrick Rose, and Derrick Rose. UCLA tried to pressure Rose continuously on Saturday, and look where that got them. But if KU decides to give Rose some air and let him in the lane, well, that’s trouble as well. Rose is so comfortable in the lane that he’s got a timeshare there.

Whoever wins this will do it by a narrow margin, and the only thing I can guarantee about tonight’s game is a spike in the nations blood pressure.

For those who even think it’s interesting, that is.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

Kansas and coach Bill Self survived Davidson (barely) last night 59-57, turning the stagecoach that brought Davidson to the Elite Eight back into a pumpkin and punching Bill Self’s first ever Final Four dance card.

All the teams in this year’s Final Four are No. 1 seeds, and some fans have a smug sense of satisfaction about it. As if we’re seeing things like they are supposed to be. Like the tournament finally “worked”. How fickle we are. Everybody loves the Cinderella team—as long as they don’t overstay their welcome.

In the early rounds of March, people love predicting upsets. They love seeing the big guy go down early, and they love predicting it. Most people I talked to after the first round pretty much said the same thing:

“Dude . . . Sienna? Are you kidding me? SIENNA?!”

The shock factor is what keeps the tournament so irresistible, but apparently our love affair with the underdog is matter of convenience rather than practicality. Seems to be the case with Davidson, anyway.

You’d be crazy not to hand it to Stephen Curry and the Davidson team. Every single tournament has its upstarts, and no matter how many dictionaries you use, you won’t find a better definition than the Wildcats.

The country loved them, too. Stephen Curry has been called the “Sophomore Sensation”, and Davidson was quickly dubbed “America’s Sweethearts”. But this morning, people have dropped Davidson with a thud sounding eerily similar to Jason Richards’ last-ditch three-point attempt to steal a win from Kansas.

Now, after all of Davidson’s talented, gritty, and honest play, people are describing them as “plucky”. Isn’t that cute?

Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose, and now that every single basketball powerhouse that started this tournament is still in it, some people think it would have been weird or even awkward if Davidson had beaten Kansas for a spot in the Final Four.

As if Davidson really wouldn’t have belonged there after all. As if Davidson’s losing were for the best.

Would North Carolina have crushed Davidson? Probably, but they managed to put the brakes on Kansas and that’s saying something.

I’m just as excited as the next guy over all four No. 1 seeds still remaining. It’s never happened before and we’re going to see some heavyweight basketball, but I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to be so dismissive of Davidson.

I don’t think it’s fair for any of us to say they don’t belong in the Final Four. They didn’t technically belong in the Elite Eight, either. Those kids can play, and they proved it.

The tournament is designed with the sole purpose of protecting No. 1 seeds as long as possible. The bracket favors them by design. So what’s more impressive here, Stephen Curry, or finally getting the Final Four we’re “supposed” to have?

If this is the way things are supposed to be every year, why bother playing a tournament?

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.