Only the Strong Survive Round One

The Demon Deacons were the highest seed to
fall in the first round as Dino's boys
fell behind big early in the game
against Cleveland State.

Round one tipped off on Thursday afternoon with a bang as Memphis pulled away late, Virginia Commonwealth fell one basket short of dropping UCLA, and Western Kentucky had the biggest upset of the night as a #12 seed. Day two of round one was full of surprises as six of the lower seeds managed to come away with the victory to advance to the second round. Friday evening was tough on most people's brackets including mine as I went 24/32 in the first round. Not too impressive but at least I got more than the President (19/32).

Midwest Region
This region showcased the most first round upsets as five of the eight games had the lower seed winning. The top three seeds survived to advance to the round of 32 as the #4-#8 seeds all played in their final games of the season after being eliminated.

Round one wasn't as easy as planned for Coach Pitino's
Cardinals but the top team in the tournament
valiantly took it away in the second half.

#1 Louisville vs #9 Siena
The Saints took on Ohio State in a barn burner as they won by two in double-overtime. They now face the top seed in the entire tournament, the Cardinals. While Siena took down their favored opponents, Louisville had a challenge of its own as the Cardinals saw just a two point half-time lead against the #16 seed, Morehead State. The #1 team in the bracket got a wake up call as they managed to pull away late in the opening round but now face a much more talented and underrated Siena squad. It won't be easy for the #9 seed and if the Cardinals can play like the Big-East Champs that they are, this won't take too long. Siena will put up a fight but it will not be enough for their high powered competition. Louisville
#12 Arizona vs #13 Cleveland State
One of these two teams hardly had a shot at winning their first round match-up and the other team wasn't even supposed to make it into the tournament. Cleveland State pulled off the biggest upset of round one as they took down an inexperienced Wake Forest with plenty of raw talent to offer while Arizona quieted the critics by showing that they could compete. The Vikings had a hot start and took advantage of a young higher seeded squad but will now face a more mature team that has nothing to lose. The Wildcats had a terrific performance tonight and will, oddly enough, face a much easier opponent in Cleveland State. The Vikings will give it their all in this match-up, but they just won't get the same hot start that they were able to get against the Demon Deacons and the big three for Arizona will continue on their hot streak from the opening round. Arizona
#11 Dayton vs #3 Kansas
When West Virginia looked like they finally had things going their way, the men from Dayton came in and made a huge statement by taking down the #6 seed. On the other side of this match-up, Kansas avoided a first round scare as North Dakota State hung around for more than the Jayhawks planned. Dayton is a talented squad but on a regular night, West Virginia is a more talented team and Kansas might have gotten a break here in the second round as they have an opportunity of making the sweet sixteen by defeating a much easier opponent than what most Jayhawks had expected. Dayton can easily find Kansas' weak spots and make a second straight upset to advance to the sweet sixteen but the Jayhawks' one-two punch in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich were terrific earlier today and will play just as well on Sunday. Kansas
#10 USC vs #2 Michigan State
The Trojans didn't find too much trouble in upsetting the Boston College Eagles but will face a much more athletic opponent as they will take on the #2 seed Spartans. USC is on a hot streak and aren't looking to slow down but Izzo's squad is very deep and have all the keys to slow down USC's flow. One factor that may help the Trojans in a possible second straight upset is that Michigan State is a pretty young squad and that could cause problems in a tight match-up. Keep an eye out for an upset in this one but expect the Spartans to find a way to get the victory to advance to the sweet sixteen. Michigan State

For a team that wasn't
supposed to be here, the
Wildcats sure looked like
a top seed in round one.

USC continues their
hot streak as they
found Boston Colleges
vulnerability and
quickly took
advantage.

The Siena Saints needed two overtimes but
eventually found a way to take down
the Ohio State Buckeyes in what
could be a possible Cinderella run.
Oh yeah... They can.

West Region
This region had just two upsets but a few other close games in the first round look to make an impact on the teams in the following round. Now if it's a positive impact or a negative one, that's a different story. Marquette escapes a tight one in the final minutes, Purdue nearly loses its cool to Northern Iowa, and Memphis gets an early wake up call.

#1 UConn vs #9 Texas A&M
The Huskies showed that their defense is fierce and their offense is talented as they kept their opponents under 50 and found themselves dropping down three digits. On the other side, Texas A&M dropped all nine of their first field goals to get ahead early against BYU as it was too late for Cougars to catch up with a late run. The Aggies will most likely not get another start like they did in round one and will have plenty of trouble finding the basket as 7'3" Hasheem Thabeet denies all trespassers. A&M is very athletic and will not be afraid to attack the basket, but the Huskies have way too much size and all around talent. This one could be close if A&M can find their range but UConn is just too dynamic and will more than likely win by double digits. UConn

#5 Purdue vs #4 Washington
Both these teams needed a little time before finding their flow but looked really good as they both took care of business in the second half. The Boilermakers just couldn't get Northern Iowa to slow down as the margin of the two scores wasn't very much but Robbie Hummel showed inside dominance and the rest of the lineup stepped up at the right time for Purdue. For the Huskies, Isaiah Thomas showed why he was this year's Pac-1o Freshman of the Year and Brockman proved to be one of the top big men in the nation. Both teams have top go-to guys and top role players but the x-factor will be whoever has the more intense defense and in round one, the Huskies had a young man named Venoy Overton who turned it up a notch and showed terrific one on one defense. This will be huge if the Huskies can bring out the same defense in this match-up and Brockman seems like the favored big man against a smaller Robbie Hummel. Obviously could go either way but this one will be won by heart. Washington

#6 Marquette vs #3 Missouri
The Golden Eagles nearly avoided a stunner by the very under looked Aggies of Utah State but managed to find the win late in the final minute of the game and now look to take on one of the best defenses in the nation. Missouri forces the most turnovers of any team in this nation and are looking to put on the pressure against Marquette in the second round. Marquette is a very quick team and will look to play with Missouri's speed but watch out as that may cause many bad decisions by the Golden Eagles. Mcneal will need to play a much better game for Marquette as he struggled to find the hoop against the Aggies and without Dominic James in the lineup, the Golden Eagles will not be able to win with another poor performance by the guard. The Tigers found themselves in the second half of their first match-up and will play a much more complete game in this one. Missouri

#10 Maryland vs #2 Memphis
The Tigers couldn' get rid of Cal State Northridge until they went on a run late in the second half and will need to play a much better game in order to find a win against the ACC's Maryland Terrapins. Vasquez was more than impressive for the Terps in the opening game and will need to continue to play at that level if Maryland wants to be successful. As for the Tigers, their top scorer in the first game was Sallie who scored 35 points off the bench. With all due respect to the young man, he's just not going to have another one of those games in this tournament and the main guys on this team is going to have to step it up a little to get their team a victory and a spot in the sweet sixteen. Cal State Northridge got the Tigers' attention and they will come out ready to play this time around. Memphis

Vasquez was very
impressive in the opening
round as he put on a
stellar performance
to help Maryland
upset the Golden
Bears of California.

Washington's defense was all over the place
in round one as Mississippi State
struggled to find their pace on the
offensive side of the ball.

East Region
Pittsburgh got a surprise in round one as East Tennessee State looked more like a top seeded squad rather than a #16 seed. As for the rest of the region, other than #12 seeded Wisconsin winning in overtime, the other seven higher seeds advanced to round two.

#1 Pittsburgh vs #8 Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are coming off an exciting win against Tennessee and have plenty of confidence as they saw that Pittsburgh is very beatable. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh is much better than they looked today and will definitely pick up their slack as senior leaders will show why experience is very important. Eaton and Fields will battle it out as two undersized point guards with plenty to offer. If Oklahoma State can find away to force the turnovers, this one could get interesting but if Pittsburgh can manage to take care of the ball, this one shouldn't be too much trouble for the Panthers. Pittsburgh

#12 Wisconsin vs #4 Xavier
The Badgers found away to take down the Seminoles in extra time and Xavier took care of business as Portland State didn't give the Musketeers too many issues. I had the Seminoles over the Musketeers in round two but this match-up displays a completely different game and Xavier should be able to hold on in this one. Xavier

#6 UCLA vs #3 Villanova
Both teams showcase very impressive guard play as well as mobile big man that can get really active. The Wildcats may come in as the higher seed but the Bruins could possibly have the advantage as they come in with three very experienced players in the tournament in Shipp, Aboya, and Collison. The Bruins have been questioned about their young talent but these seniors have picked up for the slack and have helped the younger teammates feed off of them. The team faced plenty of challenges against VCU Thursday night and got a huge wake up call after seeing their season flash before their eyes on the final shot of the game. The Wildcats had their own struggles with a hard nosed American team but avoided the upset as they advanced to play on home turf in Philadelphia. The crowd will be a huge advantage as the noise will get into the heads of the young Bruins but Collison will look to control the tempo as he will no be phased by the loud crowd. When they get their flow going, this Bruins team can become very dangerous and this game should come on Saturday as they look to quiet the crowd in Philadelphia. UCLA

#7 Texas vs #2 Duke
Duke looked impressive in the tournament for the first time in a while and Texas took care of business as Minnesota gave them a good fight. This one could end up as a shoot out as both teams have some of the nation's best shooters. Duke has a much deeper bench and the Longhorns will be in a huge predicament if they find themselves in foul trouble and thats what the aggressive Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson will look to do. The Blue Devils just have too many weapons going for them. Duke

Wisconsin ended Florida States season
a little earlier than Seminole fans
wanted as the Badgers came
up with the upset in OT.

UCLA needed all 40
minutes as they escaped
a near upset to the
men from Virginia
Commonwealth by
winning 65-64.

South Region
North Carolina embarrassed their helpless opponents as Western Kentucky and Michigan caught their opponents sleeping by pulling off the two upsets in this region. The rest of the region had some of the top possible sleeper teams take care of business to get one game closer to UNC.

#1 UNC vs #8 LSU
No Lawson again? It could be a possibility and this could be a huge opportunity for LSU to pull off a big time upset against the #1 seed Tarheels. Without Lawson, the point guard play takes a huge blow as Frasor just doesn't bring the same talent as #5 does. The Tigers could find themselves beat in every other position but if they can cause havoc in the back court, we might find ourselves an upset alert. In reality, the Tarheels are just too talents and too deep. Tyler Hansbrough will be just too much to handle for the LSU defense. UNC


#12 Western Kentucky vs #4 Gonzaga
The Hilltoppers showed that they can play some basketball as they ended Illinois' season but their next challenge will be against one of the best starting lineups in the entire nation. Gonzaga had a challenge as Akron gave them a good fight, but in the end, the Bulldogs were just too big and too athletic. The explosive point guard in Jeremy Pargo is where it all begins as Austin Daye is a lanky wing that can play multiple positions and do damage in many ways. The big man down low is Josh Heytfelt who has a silky smooth touch and knows his way around the paint on both sides of the ball. Gonzaga is a very good team for a #4 seed and will be smart enough not to give Western Kentucky any chance of a quick start. The Hilltoppers can give the Bulldogs a run for their money but Gonzaga has too much to offer. Gonzaga

#6 Arizona State vs #3 Syracuse
Arizona State was my sleeper pick to sneak into the final four and I will stand by that pick. The Sun Devils pulled away from a fire hot Temple team that was lights out from beyond the arc even while James Harden had a less than impressive performance. The young sophomore will lots of talent has yet to unleash the beast within in this tournament and will rise up on Sunday as the Sun Devils will need all they can get from their young superstar in order to beat the Orangemen. Syracuse will need to adjust their offense if they want to keep up with Arizona State's tough defense. The Orangemen were only able to put up 59 against a much less talented defense and will need to do better as Arizona State will look to win by playing tough defense first before anything else. James Harden will cause match-up problems for Syracuse but Jonny Flynn will do just the same for Arizona State. Arizona State

#10 Michigan vs #2 Oklahoma
Blake Griffin just can't seemed to be slowed down. How about the 1-3-1 defense? Oklahoma has yet to take on a team that has offered such an uncommonly used zone but that will be the biggest factor on Saturday's match-up as the athletic Wolverines will try to slow down Blake Griffin and crew with an unfamiliar defense for a Big-12 team. The zone may cause issues but the All-American is just too talented and will eventually find his rhythm. This one should be interesting. Keep a close watch on this one. Oklahoma

The do-it-all forward in Austin Daye will be
the biggest x-factor for Gonzaga as they
look to make a deep tournament run.

Stay tuned to CBS all weekend as March Madness brings you the second round of tournament play as cinderella teams look to continue their journey to the final four and top teams try to avoid disappointment. This year has already had plenty of surprises and it's far from over. Enjoy it.

-Jason C