Sweet Sixteen

Let the madness begin… again!  The NCAA Men’s basketball tournament is back tonight for the start of the sweet sixteen. The tournament started with a first round that gave us fewer upsets than are usual.  The seemingly quite weekend got a big jolt that shocked the world as defending national champions Villanova was taken out by Wisconsin.  Brackets were indeed busted as many picked Villanova to repeat as champions.  The weekend’s carnage of heavy favorites did not end there.  Before the sweet sixteen was set Duke, Louisville and Florida State would be sent back to campus with nothing but “what ifs” and disappointment. 

                                This round I think the trend of upsets will keep going.  West Virginia and their suffocating press defense should give Gonzaga a real test, one I don’t think the Bulldogs will overcome.  Purdue lead by double-double machine Caleb Swanigan takes on number one seeded Kansas.  This is an interesting one.  Before the tournament started not much was said about the Boilermakers. As the tournament played out it was clear that they belong.  Look for Purdue to keep the bracket shattering storyline going.  Michigan just might be the Cinderella story of the this year.  It’s hard to call them that because Michigan is usually a powerhouse but the didn’t have a typical year and their plane almost crashed during their conference tournament and since they have rallied together and played the best they have this season.  I think they will be too much for Michigan to handle.  To round the night up the Arizona plays big underdog Xavier.  Xavier is a team that has experience in the tournament and Arizona is known to lose earlier than expected.  I think this game will go down to the last few minutes with Arizona finding a way to hang on and advance to the elite eight.