- This was the most lackluster first two rounds I’ve ever seen. Michael Wilbon called it the worst he’s seen in 25 years. When the most surprising upset is a 5 seed beating a 4 (USC over Texas)…well, that says it all. The two lowest seeded teams to win in the first round were #11 Winthrop and #11 Virginia Commonwealth, and both of those teams were such popular upset picks that they scarcely count as upsets at all.
- Going along with that, this marks the first year since 1995 that no double-digit seed has reached the Sweet 16. The closest we get this year is #7 UNLV, which should’ve gotten a higher seed to begin with, and #6 Vanderbilt, which beat Washington State, the worst #3 seed. We’ve also got mid-major darlings Butler and Southern Illinois, but their recent success helped earn them top seeds, and a high seed removes the entire appeal of a Cinderella story.
- Worst of all, this means that the gutless frontrunners who pick all the top seeds to win in their brackets are leading in pools around the country. And no, I’m not bitter that none of my major upset picks came through.
- I am legitimately depressed that Kevin Durant won’t be playing again this March. He’s far and away the most talented player in the nation, a freakish combination of Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki, but we won’t have the pleasure of seeing him play for months. I swore that he would have a transcendent tournament that would make Carmelo’s at Syracuse look like child’s play, carrying Texas to at least one impossible win. But alas, USC's defense focused in on him and his teammates couldn't pick up the slack; it was sort of like a Little League team pitching around the kid who weighs 180 pounds and has a mustache.
- On the bright side, there are some players left that have that “I need to watch this game just to see him” quality. My list goes like this (in no order): Acie Law IV, to see if he’ll knock down another game-winner…Greg Oden, to see if he’ll have that dominant game or if he’ll throw an opposing player into a hot dog vendor…Tyler Hansbrough, for his endless double-doubles despite his 1960s athleticism…Jeff Green, to see if he achieves alpha dog status and can make himself a top-5 draft pick…Chris Lofton, for his quick trigger that would make Gilbert Arenas blush…and Joakim Noah, to see if some fan will storm the court and nail him with a chair, making everyone outside of Gainesville drunk with joy.
- I really hate Joakim Noah.
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