NCAA Tournament Dreams Made

     In an always exciting but more importantly an incredibly unpredictable 2010 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament, the only Number 1 seed remaining in the field is the Duke Blue Devils out of the Atlantic Coast Conference at (32-5) overall.  The Number 1 overall seed in the tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks out of the Big 12 Conference, were ousted in the 2nd round by the Northern Iowa Panthers in a game in which the Panthers controlled throughout and simply handed it to the heavily favored Jayhawks.  Most notably, Northern Iowa Senior Guard Ali Farokhmanesh went from a no namer to the biggest name in college basketball overnight, as he hit the best shot of his career by nailing a shot from distance with 30 seconds left in the game to push the Panthers lead to 4.  Kansas couldn't recover after that.  The win was also enough to have Northern Iowa provide Head Coach Ben Jacobsen to a 10 year contract extension.  That moment in the tournament completely carved up everyone's brackets, except for maybe those Northern Iowa faithful. 

          The Northern Iowa win over Kansas would have been the biggest story of the tournament if it weren't for the recent success of the Butler Bulldogs, a 5 seed that has made their first NCAA Tournament Final Four in school history.  Butler (32-4), out of the Horizon League, has overcome the likes of the Number 1 seeded Syracuse Orange in the Sweet Sixteen and the Number 2 seeded Kansas State Wildcats in the Elite 8.  Butler stand out forward Gordon Hayward has played like a star throughout March Madness and has spelled trouble for each opponent he's faced, scoring 17 points against Syracuse and 22 points versus Kansas State.  Hayward is averaging 15 points and over 8 rebounds on the year, however, his 6'9'' frame, toughness, and quickness has provided him with the tools necessary to play all positions on the floor.  His transition defense and aggressiveness on the offensive end has been the main reason Butler has looked to him during clutch times in the game.  Even though he has a baby face, opponents don't want to step up to Gordo, as he'll either drive around you or shoot well over the top.  Butlers approach towards team defense feeds their offense and has propelled them towards a legitimate shot at the National Championship game.

      The West Virginia Moutaineers are the Number 2 seeded team in the East bracket and won the Big East Championship in New York City this year.  However, their biggest win so far being their huge victory over the Number 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats 73 to 66 in the Elite 8.  The West Virginia alum and Head Coach Bobby Huggins has led West Virginia to it's first Final Four appearance since 1959 when they were led by Hall of Famer Jerry West.  Nonetheless, the biggest story of this Elite 8 matchup between the only Top 2 seeds to make it to the Elite 8 for their region, is the fact that backup Guard Joe Mazzulla scored 17 points and started the game due to the injury of starting Guard Darryl Bryant.  Mazzulla had not attempted a three point field goal this year until the game against Kentucky, when he drained a 3 pointer in the first half.  Mazzulla continued his attack of the Wildcats defense, as he made defenders pay dearly for leaving driving lanes open while Kentucky defenders attempted to fall into a help defense position against more notable scorers such as Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks.  The second huge factor in the game was the fact that the Wildcats couldn't hit the broadside of a barn from three point land, as they shot a hurrendous 4 of 32, which is an abismal 12% from beyond the arc.  It was evident throughout the game that Kentucky's inexperience played a role in the overall outcome of the game, however, I don't think it played as much of a role as people might think.  Kentucky's aggressiveness and raw talent had allowed them to steamrole through their conference schedule and the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament, however, the experienced, long, and athletic Mountaineers front line disrupted the scoring attack and outside shooters of the Wildcats.  Ultimately, allowing the Moutaineers to grind out the game and play their style of play.  The transition game of the Wildcats was not able to play a role in the outcome, as the West Virginia defense was suffocating. 

      There is no doubt that this NCAA Tournament has been flipped upside down, and has allowed the lower seeds to have a phenomenal shot at a National Championship.  The Number 6 seeded Tennesee Volunteers and the injury ridden 5th seeded Michigan State Spartans will play for a shot at a Final Four appearance, while Duke will attempt to continue a shot at Coach K's 4th National Championship if they can advance against the Number 3 seeded Baylor Bears from the Big 12 Conference.  If the trend continues, Baylor will eliminate the 4th Number 1 seed from the tournament, however, we will see if the tournament shockers continue.  I must say, all of these upsets definitely provide evidence of the large expanse of talent across America.  Those trends are great for the game of Basketball and certainly for March Madness in years to come.