So Long, Cinderella

Thursday and Friday's Sweet Sixteen action saw the demise of the four remaining Cinderella teams.

#9 Northern Iowa, #10 Saint Mary's, #11 Washington, and #12 Cornell all failed to reach the Elite Eight.

Northern Iowa put up the biggest fight, taking Michigan State to the wire, and eventually losing by 7.

Washington also fell honorably, giving West Virginia fits early in the game. The Mountaineers were eventually able to overcome and win by 13.

Saint Mary's and Cornell, however, were chewed up and spit out by Baylor and Kentucky, respectively.

Saint Mary's started the second half down 46-17 and only managed to make up 6 points on the way to a 72-49 loss.

Cornell was similarly pounded by Kentucky, losing 62-45.

In 2002 #12 Missouri became the lowest seeded team to ever enter the Elite Eight (in the modern 64 team tournament era).

#11 George Mason destroyed brackets nationwide in 2006 after entering the Elite Eight. #10 Davidson rode Stephen Curry there in 2008.

2010 seemed prime for another Cinderella run, what with the enormous amount of upset games occurring early in the tournament.

It looks like we'll have to wait till next year when underdogs all over the country once again try on the glass slipper.

I Love Basketball

This guy is one of the best interviews I have ever seen. Maybe Bo Ryan should watch this kid for tips on how to improve his interview skills.

Banged Up Spartans To Face Up-and-Coming Panthers

On Friday the Michigan State Spartans and the Northern Iowa Panthers square off in a sweet sixteen match-up that looks to be an exciting game.

Both teams are coming off wins sealed by huge shots with just seconds remaining in the game: Korie Lucious nailed a buzzer-beater three to win over Maryland and Ali Farokhmanesh hit a huge three with less than 30 seconds left to put NIU out of Kansas' reach.

Michigan State, however, faces some problems coming into this game.

Kalin Lucas, point guard and last year's Big Ten Player of the Year, went down in the Maryland game with an ankle injury.

Prior to an Lucas receiving an MRI, Spartan head coach Tom Izzo stated that regardless of the outcome Lucas would almost certainly not be playing in the Northern Iowa game.

The MRI this morning confirmed that Lucas has sustained a ruptured Achilles tendon, an injury that will keep him out of basketball for 4-6 months.

This leaves Korie Lucious, the hero form the Maryland game, to run the point for the Spartans. On the season, Lucious averages 21 minutes and 5 points per game, down considerably from Lucas' averages of 31 minutes and 15 points.

As if losing Lucas isn't enough, Michigan State has injuries in other areas as well.

Chris Allen played just four minutes against Maryland with an injury to the arch of his foot. Raymar Morgan is nursing a broken tooth, and Delvon Roe has been playing on a surgically repaired knee for some time now.

Draymond Green becomes a huge factor for the Spartans. He and big man Durell Summers will need to step up to take some of the weight off Lucious' shoulders.

Northern Iowa, conversely, is healthy...and they will need to be. Michigan State, even while injured, is much more athletic than NIU.

The Panthers need to stay on their hot streak and rely on outside shooting from Ali Farokhmanesh and the inside presence of Jordan Eglseder.

If NIU can slow down the potent offense of Michigan State they have a very realistic chance in this game (ESPN has already picked them over the depleted Spartans).

Northern Iowa is one of the four remaining teams who are at least a 9 seed. (#10 St. Mary's, #11 Washington, and #12 Cornell the others)

Michigan State, in the sweet sixteen for the ninth time in thirteen seasons, is two wins away from a nation-high sixth appearance in the Final Four since 1999.

Coach Izzo gave some insight on his team's injuries and the upcoming game:

"We've got a 'MASH' unit," Izzo said. "The bottom of Chris' foot is purple, Delvon is playing on one leg and Raymar looks like a hockey player with his tooth cut in half. We think we can get Chris back -- after showing toughness we've never seen from him -- and we'll hold Delvon out of practice to let him rest as much as we can."


"We're going to need everybody we have in uniform to step up," Izzo said. "There were times we had two walk-ons, a freshman and a sophomore on the court Sunday and that probably won't be the last time in the tournament. Northern Iowa is good, but thank God they're not a team that presses like Maryland."

Another Game.... Another Last Second Shot

Milwaukee native Korie Lucious comes up big for the Spartans! I guess Izzo is happy he didn't finish his timeout call!

Scrub takes it Hard

This has to be my favorite video of the tournament, not because it is of a huge upset where a small school beat a powerful Kansas. The reason is that the man who can not be dragged of the floor had as much to do with the game as the water boy.

It is very common to see a player that happens to lose the game for his team by missing free throws to stay on the ground and cry. I can't say I don't understand but sometimes players that don't play great cry. In rare occasions a role player- Tim Jarusmzesque player will cry and people will question it.

But this is epically the funniest person to not be able to drag off the floor. Mario Little, a redshirt senior.... Does that even exist? Yes it does for players this bad. Little has been redshirted as a senior and has not gotten a single minute during the season. However when they are upset by Northern Iowa he is the one the team has to console. This is epic and probably my favorite video of March Madness.

It's like if when the Milwaukee Bucks lost in the 2000 playoffs, George Karl had to drag Joel Przybilla off the court. ENJOY!

Top Seed Kansas Hits The Showers Early

The number 1 overall seed Kansas Jayhawks were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament yesterday by an unlikely opponent, the 9th seeded Northern Iowa Panthers.

The Jayhawks' opening basket and the 2-0 lead that followed lasted just 56 seconds. It proved to be the only time Kansas lead Northern Iowa.

Early in the first half the Panthers took an eight point lead, and maintained at least a 4 point lead for the rest of the half. Northern Iowa went into the half up 36-28.

In the second half the Panthers quickly built upon their lead, going on top by 12 at one point, the largest lead Kansas had surrendered to this point in the tournament. 

Kansas, however, was the overall number 1 seed for a reason.

With around five minutes to play Kansas went on a run, pulling the scoring-gap to within three points by the three minute mark.

With a minute to play, Kansas made a basket to make the score 63-62.

UNI responded in monumental fashion.

Ali Farokhmanesh brought the ball down the court for Northern Iowa, found himself left alone, and drained a three-pointer to put the Panthers up four points.

Kansas guard Sherron Collins was called for an offensive foul on the next possession and UNI was able to connect on one of the free throws. 

After another missed basket and foul for Kansas, Farokhmanesh sealed the game by hitting two free throws, making Marcus Morris' buzzer-beating three-pointer irrelevant, the final score 69-67 in favor of the Panthers.

This game was a huge upset, as Kansas was heavily favored to go deep into the tournament. The top ESPN analysts all had Kansas in the final four, and many of them picked Kansas to win it all. Sports Illustrated had Kansas as their champion.


Kansas becomes the first number one seed to lose before the sweet 16 since 2004, when both Kentucky and Stanford fell in the round of 32. This also marks the 13th time a number one seed has fallen in the second round, the third time it has happened to Kansas.


Northern Iowa becomes the first Missouri Valley tournament champion to reach the sweet 16 since 1979 when the  Indiana State Sycamores, led by the now NBA Hall-of-Famer Larry Byrd, went there and beyond, eventually losing in the National Championship to Michigan State.


Farokhmanesh's huge three at the end of the game was not the first big shot he has hit in this tournament. In the first round, UNI was tied with UNLV with just seconds to play. Farokhmanesh nailed a deep three to win it for the Panthers.


In the first two games of the tournament Farokhmanesh has amassed 33 points, and has hit 9 threes out of 19 attempts, none bigger than the game-changing threes to end both tournament games.

Personally, I would love to see this underdog UNI team keep rolling - forget my bracket (which is still in decent shape despite the Kansas loss).


UNI's next challenge will be decided today when #4 Maryland and #5 Michigan State square off.

2010 NCAA Tournament, Round 1: Madness Indeed!

When I first saw this year's NCAA Tournament bracket, I couldn't help but think this was one of the weakest fields of 65 I have ever seen, with the absences of teams such as North Carolina (last year's champions), Connecticut, Memphis and Virginia Tech.

Despite this seemingly skimpy playing field, the first round of March Madness was one of the most thrilling and exciting in recent memory.

Three games went into overtime, with one of those heading to double overtime.

Nine games were decided by five points or less, and 10 games saw the lower seed advancing to the round of 32.

Here's some observations from the first round:



Newcomers


The Southern Conference Champion Wofford Terriers and SWAC Champion Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions made their first ever NCAA Tournament appearances.

Ark-Pine Bluff won the play-in game against Winthrop and earned the right to take on #1 seed Duke, who proceeded to quickly diminish any hopes of a second tournament win for the Golden Lions, beating them 73-44.


#13 Wofford, in its first tournament appearance, drew the 4th seeded Wisconsin Badgers.

In a game that was much too close for my liking, Wofford fought back from a ten point deficit to take their first lead of the game with around five minutes left.


Jon Leuer, however, proved to be too much for the Terriors.

With less than 30 seconds remaining, Leuer hit a baseline jumper to put the Badgers up 51-49. After a Terrior turnover Leuer was fouled and hit both free throws to seal the victory for the Badgers.




Major Upsets

#14 Ohio over #3 Georgetown

Georgetown looked great heading into the tournament. They lost in the Big East Tourney Championship Game on a shot by West Virginia's DeShaun Butler in the closing moments of the game.

Ohio, on the other hand, had a losing conference record this season and was seeded ninth in the MAC Conference Tournament.

Despite the daunting challenge, Ohio came out with guns blazing. Armon Bassett dropped 32 points as the Bobcats toppled the Hoyas in convincing fashion, 97-83, wreaking havoc on brackets all over the country.

The win was the first tournament win for Ohio since 1983, when as a 14 seed they knocked off the third seeded Kentucky Wildcats.

#13 Murray State over #4 Vanderbilt

Danero Thomas. You had probably never heard of him before this game.

Expect to see his game-winning shot over and over in future March Madness commercials.

The inbound play that led to Thomas' winning shot was intended for the Racers' star Isaac Miles. Instead, Thomas, the third option on the play, received the pass and proceeded to shock Vanderbilt, 66-65.

This upset marks the second time in three years that Vanderbilt stumbled in the first round as a four seed. (In 2008 they lost to Sienna)



Close Call

#2 Villanova over #15 Robert Morris

Villanova needed overtime to put away the Colonials.




Scottie Reynolds, Villanova's star point guard, shot abysmally from the field the entire game, going 2-for-15 (13%).

He made up for it in the closing minutes of the game by drawing fouls and sinking his free throws, as the Wildcats went on an 11-3 scoring run to end regulation and force overtime. Reynolds made 15 of 16 free throw attempts on his way to 20 points.

Nova escaped becoming just the fifth 2 seed ever to lose to a 15 seed in tournament history.

Old Dominion Beat Notre Dame, Harangody Pats Stats

First upset of tournament...

Inspiring Story

While many know that Trevon Hughes is a Queens point guard who spent a few years at a Wisconsin High School, few know the whole story. I can say that I am a pretty avid Badger fan and was a little awed and inspired when reading Hughes' story in the NY Daily News.

Hughes was able to defy all odds and stay out of the trouble that most in his crowd he hung with in Queens had to deal with. As a 14 year old through talking to his AAU coach and his mother, Hughes decided to leave the streets of Queens and give a military school in Wisconsin a try. Hughes says, "he was tricked," but through some inspiring words from his grandpa, he decided to listen to his mother and go to St. John's Military Academy in Delafield.

Despite hating his new military life the Queens' boy understood his future was more important and this was his way of accomplishing his dream. Now this is a wonderful story that hopefully for Badger fans can end in a Final Four!

Amazing Ending

Evan Turner may have just locked the player of the year with this shot! I still don't get how there is no pressure on him, but either way amazing shot!

Buzz Williams Can Dance

Well it seems as though Buzz can do more than just coach. He has become a Youtube sensation, who else seen Buzz Williams say YEAAA!!! Boom goes the Golden Eagle!

Leuer Wins Big Ten Player of the Week

Jon Leuer was last week's Big Ten Player of the Week after his impressive performances against Iowa and Illinois. Over the two games Leuer amassed 38 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks.

This is Leuer's first Big Ten POTW of his career, and the second POTW the Badgers have earned this year (Trevon Hughes in December being the other).

The Badgers take the court on Friday in the Big Ten Tournament, playing the Illini for the second straight game.

Hummel Out For the Year

In shocking news for Big Ten basketball, Purdue's Robbie Hummel is out for the season with a torn ACL. This changes the complexion of the rest of the Big Ten season. With a big game against Michigan State, with a Purdue loss the Big Ten looks like it may be a 3 way tie. This probably ends Purdue's chances at a #1 seed for the Big Ten. Because Purdue will probably lose some games down the stretches and the committee always takes into account injuries. If you remember a few years ago, Cincinnati lost a #1 seed because they lost their star Kenyon Martin in the Conference USA championship game. With another season for Hummel ending in injury, scouts will start to call him a liability with his numerous injuries. This injury gives Wisconsin a much better chance at winning the Big Ten Tournament.

LIVE BLOG: Wisconsin Badgers Basketball at Indiana

Join Two Cents in our live blog of the Badgers - Hoosiers matchup.

Here is what ESPN has to say about tonight's game:

Wisconsin had one of its most dominating defensive games of the season in a win against Indiana earlier this month. It was the kind of effort Hoosiers coach Tom Crean is looking for from his team.

The 17th-ranked Badgers go for their sixth straight win over struggling Indiana on Thursday as they try to improve to .500 on the road in Big Ten play.

Wisconsin (20-7, 10-5) has the top scoring defense in the conference, allowing 57.1 points per game. It was especially impressive in an 83-55 win at home against Indiana on Feb. 13.

The Badgers forced a season-high 21 turnovers, which turned into 29 points, and had 15 offensive rebounds which led to 18 second-chance points.

Wisconsin's effectiveness on the glass came despite missing leading rebounder Jon Leuer, who has played the last two games after missing the previous nine with a broken wrist.

Leuer has come off the bench since returning, and in a 70-63 win over Northwestern on Sunday, he finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots in 22 minutes.

"That was experience that we got back on the floor in those situations, and that's why he was out there," coach Bo Ryan said. "Plus, even with that tape on his hand, his hands in the post are the best of our bigs."

With Leuer struggling to make shots due to his injury, Jason Bohannon continues to play well. Bohannon finished with 17 points Sunday and scored a career-high 30 against Indiana earlier this month. He's averaging 19.5 points and shooting 52.2 percent from 3-point range in February.

The Badgers have struggled on the road, going 3-5 overall, but they have won their last two visits to Bloomington and will be facing a Hoosiers team that has dropped eight in a row.

Indiana (9-17, 3-11) never led in an 81-58 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, shooting a season-worst 32.2 percent and trailing 44-25 at the half.

Devan Dumes had a season-high 20 points off the bench, while leading scorer Verdell Jones III shot 2 of 8 to finish with 10 points. Christian Watford, averaging 12.3 points, scored three while connecting on 1 of 12 field goals.

In the last eight losses, the Hoosiers have been outscored by close to 15 points per game. They are allowing an average of 76.8 points in the last six.

"I told them after the game ... I don't hope the program is coming back, I believe that it will and I believe in those guys," Crean said. "I also told them that if we don't get better defensively and they can't do a better job of guarding their man ... they are not going to be a part of this moving forward. I don't have any patience for lack of getting up into people defensively."

Indiana has lost 14 in a row to Top 25 teams since beating then-No. 14 Purdue 77-68 on Feb. 19, 2008.

Let us know what you think of the live blog. We would love to have your feedback!

Wisconsin Holds Off Northwestern To Earn 20th Win

This article is published here on the Bleacher Report. Go check it out!!