WEEK TWO
The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament lived up to all the hype, producing major upsets, buzzer-beaters and nail-biters galore. Three double-digit seeds remain, with a pair of fourth- and a pair of fifth-seeded teams both losing in the first round -- in the same gym, on the same day. That left No. 12s Western Kentucky and Villanova to advance to matchups with No. 1s UCLA and Kansas, respectively. Ten-seed Davidson is the other Cinderella in the Sweet 16, as it toppled over 7-2 Roy Hibbert and Georgetown 74-70.

This year marks the first time since 1983 that Carolina is playing in a Sweet 16 in which all four of the No. 1 seeds advanced. (Notably, it's the first time for UNC to be in such company since the NCAA field was expanded to 64 teams.) Most importantly from this town’s perspective, Carolina is looking utterly dominant while Duke has endured two of its most embarrassing tournament performances under Mike Krzyzewski’s tenure. Playing in Washington, D.C., the Blue Devils came oh-so-close to bowing out against Belmont in what would have been only the fifth time ever that a No. 15 seed upset a No. 2. Duke caught a break when the Bruins decided to quit playing defense with 15 seconds left, then threw the ball to a phantom teammate on an inbounds pass.

But after the Dookies gasped a sigh of relief upon escaping with a 71-70 decision, which they blamed on 6-for-21 three-point shooting, they got even worse against West Virginia. The Blue Devils went 5-for-22 and lost 73-67, as DeMarcus Nelson (who shot 2-of-11 vs. the Mountaineers) finished his Duke career having never advanced past the round of 16.

Meanwhile, UNC put on a breathtaking offensive display in runaway victories over Mount St. Mary’s (113-74) and Arkansas (108-77). It was the first time Carolina posted 100 points in back-to-back tournament games since 1987, tied the school record for wins in a season (34) and improved the team’s all-time mark to 23-1 when playing in the state of North Carolina.

Ty Lawson and Quentin Thomas were flawless, combining for 21 assists and zero turnovers in the two games. Lawson showed an offensive spark as he scored 40 points on 13-of-18 shooting, in addition to an 11-to-0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Tyler Hansbrough had 38 points and 15 rebounds in the two games combined, and Wayne Ellington scored 36. Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson also posted two straight impressive performances: Thompson went 6-of-8 for 15 points and eight rebounds on Friday, then 8-of-8 for 18 and three blocks on Sunday. Stepheson finished the weekend 10-for-11 with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Here’s a look ahead to the regional semifinals and finals:

East Region At Charlotte
No. 1 North Carolina (34-2) vs. No. 4 Washington State (26-8) No. 2 Tennessee (31-4) vs. No. 3 Louisville (26-8)

In the only region with all top four seeds still alive, Tennessee is the only team that didn’t have a breeze of a time in the second round. The Heels won by 31, Louisville pounded Oklahoma 78-48 and Washington State defeated Notre Dame 61-41.

Carolina’s vaunted offense will hit a challenge in Washington State, which has allowed 40 and 41 points in two easy tournament wins. The Cougars were tied at halftime with No. 13 Winthrop, then held the Eagles to 11 second-half points. In its last three halves, Washington State is allowing just 17 points per period.

Carolina, on the other hand, is averaging 55 points per half in the tournament, and its 221 total points in the first two games are third-most in the history of the Dance.

Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody, who it might be fitting to call "a poor man’s Tyler Hansbrough," was held to 3-of-17 shooting against the Cougars on Sunday, although he did snag a whopping 22 rebounds. Fighting Irish sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney was held to 5-of-13 from the floor and turned the ball over four times. In fact, Notre Dame only made 13 buckets in the entire game, shooting worse than 25 percent.

One weakness of the Cougars, who will try to slow down the tempo of Thursday’s showdown, is that they don’t have much depth. They try to stick to their starters and don’t use more than seven players, so if Hansbrough can get to the line like usual (10 attempts per game), foul trouble could come into play.

If and when Hansbrough suffers his usual barrage of interior attacks against WSU, UNC’s perimeter scorers will have to continue to be sharp.

The test could be a particularly acute barometer of how the Heels would fare against UCLA, the Cougars’ fellow defensive-oriented PAC-10 club.

Many fans want to see the two storied programs square off in the championship, as they both entered the tournament with high expectations.

The championship, though, is a long way away. Just ask Tennessee.

The Volunteers ran into seventh-seeded Butler, which finished the year ranked 10th and 12th in the major polls, and had to go to overtime to earn a 76-71 win. Coach Bruce Pearl’s team shot just 5-of-19 from downtown, but the Vols’ heralded ‘D’ held Butler to just 36 percent shooting, including 35 percent from three.

Tennessee turned the ball over 20 times, though, and faces a much more explosive offense in Louisville. The Cards laughed off Oklahoma’s challenge by shooting 59 percent and holding the Sooners to 32. Scrappy Louisville plays classic Rick Pitino pressure defense -- Andre McGee had five steals against Oklahoma – so taking care of the ball against will be key for Tennessee.

Louisville has shot inconsistently this season, but the Cardinals had an even more pronounced version of UNC’s agonizing-but-ultimately-team-improving injury bug earlier this season.

Now healthy, they have the talent and the coach to reach the region final.

If Carolina faces Tennessee, Roy Williams will expect his team to keep cool under what will be heavy defensive pressure all game. Lawson and Thomas have to continue to make good decisions, and with Lawson’s speed the Heels could shred the Volunteer press for lots of easy buckets. The Vols don’t have anyone averaging seven rebounds per game, and UNC hasn’t been out-rebounded in 31 games. Second-chance buckets could be a big advantage, and the Heels will need to limit Tennessee to one shot as they have given up 70 or more points in eight of the last 10 games.

Louisville is a dangerous matchup because they shoot so many threes (more than any other Big East team). They have a balanced scoring attack (four players average between 10 and 12 points per game) and a big post player in 6-11, 250-pound David Padgett (a Roy Williams recruit to Kansas who transferred). They’ve shown they can win in a horserace (90-85 against Notre Dame on Feb. 28) or a grind-it-out affair (59-51 against Georgetown on Feb. 9), although they did enter the tournament on a two-game losing streak. In the eight games they lost this year, Louisville never shot better than 33 percent from downtown -- then again, the team hit 22 threes in its season opener against Hartford.


West Region At Phoenix
No. 1 UCLA (33-3) vs. No. 12 Western Kentucky (29-6) No. 3 Xavier (29-6) vs. No. 7 West Virginia (26-10)

The Bruins caught two massive breaks this week when they escaped a brave challenge from Texas A&M (51-49) and saw both No. 4 UConn and No. 5 Drake tumble in the first round. That leaves Western Kentucky in the way of a third straight regional final for UCLA, which has appeared in each of the last two Final Fours.

Easily the biggest story of the round was Duke’s demise, as West Virginia continued to make the Big East look good. With twice as many schools as the ACC or Big Ten, the Big East posted a 7-1 record in the first round, although only Louisville, West Virginia and Villanova remain and all are underdogs in their next contest.

Xavier passed two true tests in red-hot Georgia and Purdue. Georgia was a 13 seed after winning the SEC tourney and led the Musketeers by 11 in the second half, but Xavier kept to its game plan and pulled out a 73-61 win. Then the Atlantic Ten regular-season winners shot 54 percent to send Purdue packing, 85-78. UCLA continues to look vulnerable – five of their last eight wins have come by three points or less. At this time of year, any team is ready to shock the nation, and the Hilltoppers did just that in the best game of the tournament so far. Western Kentucky matched fifth-seeded Drake blow for blow, then sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime to win 101-99. Tyrone Brazelton scored 33 points in that game, and then Courtney Lee scored 29 in a 72-63 win over San Diego.

Xavier is perhaps less battle-tested than West Virginia, which beat Marquette, Pittsburgh and UConn during the year. The Musketeers have a lot to prove and will be glad to see the Blue Devils out of the way, but UCLA is still the clear favorite to win this region.


Midwest Region At Detroit
No. 1 Kansas (33-3) vs. No. 12 Villanova (22-12) No. 3 Wisconsin (31-4) vs. No. 10 Davidson (28-6)

Kansas also got blessed with its corresponding No. 4 (Vanderbilt) and No. 5 (Clemson) falling in the first round. Vandy got downright embarrassed by MAAC champs Siena, which blew by the Commodores 83-62. Then Clemson choked against Villanova in the fourth major upset on the day in Tampa, Fla., losing 75-69. The Tigers led by 18 with five minutes left in the first half, but had to rally from seven down in the final four minutes just to stay in the game. The difference down the stretch? Free throws, as always seems to be the case for Clemson. The Wildcats hit a cool 9-of-10 to close out the game, while Tiger starters were a combined 4-for-13 on the night.

Rookie Terrence Oglesby hit 8-of-8, but he only made one out of 10 from the field.

Sunday, ’Nova cruised by Siena 84-72 to earn a shot at the region’s top seed, winning for the fifth time in six games. The Wildcats were a bubble team just happy to be in the tournament after losing five straight and eight of 12 from Jan. 3 to Feb. 11. But coach Jay Wright’s young team (no seniors) is playing great basketball and, like Louisville and West Virginia, has benefited from playing so many talented Big East opponents.

Davidson got its first tournament victory since 1969 with an 82-76 win over Gonzaga, then shocked No. 2 Georgetown Sunday in Raleigh. Stephen Curry has been the tournament’s leading scorer with 40- and 30-point performances, and the Wildcats’ grueling non-conference schedule has paid off as they beat two good teams to advance to Detroit.

Wisconsin ended freshman Michael Beasley’s college career with a 72-55 defeat of Kansas State, and didn’t have any trouble in the first round, either. The Badgers won that contest 71-56 over Cal-State Fullerton. Both teams are at the top of their games, as Wisconsin hasn’t lost since Feb. 9 and Davidson since Dec. 21. There’s no doubt Curry will have to have another sensational night to boost the underdogs through, and Bo Ryan’s teams always play great defense. But the Wildcats had the nerve to pull back from 17 points against a Georgetown team that was in the Final Four a year ago, and they don’t seem intimidated by anyone. Everyone loves to see low seeds go far in the tournament, and Davidson proved it deserved far more respect from the selection committee than a 10 seed. In the region final, though, Wisconsin could have a better hope of stopping a ruthless Kansas team that won easily 85-61 over Portland State and 75-56 over UNLV. Roy Williams’ former team is the only club in the tournament that can boast a similar resume and recent display of dominance as UNC, and the winner of this region faces the winner from the East in the Final Four.


South Region At Houston
No. 1 Memphis (35-1) vs. No. 5 Michigan State (27-8) No. 3 Stanford (28-7) vs. No. 2 Texas (30-6)

If the Midwest and West regions mirror each other (the only difference is a 10 and a 7 seed), the East and South are also nearly identical.

The top three seeds and No. 5 Michigan State have emerged as the final contenders to move on to the semifinals in San Antonio.

Ben Hansbrough and Mississippi State nearly knocked off No. 1 Memphis, but the Bulldogs’ upset bid fell three points short. Hansbrough had 19 points in a bruising 77-74 loss after getting just five in a 76-69 first-round defeat of Oregon.

Memphis, which coasted to a 87-63 win over Texas-Arlington in its first game, will face a Michigan State team that has been impressive in wins over Temple (72-61) and Pittsburgh (65-54).

The Panthers had won six straight, including the Big East tournament, but the Spartans were much more efficient shooting the ball – Michigan State was 48 percent from the field and hit six of 10 treys, while Pitt went 2-of-17 and shot less than 33 percent overall.

Both Michigan State and Memphis are tough teams, and both are susceptible to bad shooting games. This will be the toughest test yet for Memphis, which has a sparkling 35 wins but none over any team still in the tournament.

The Tigers also have an Achilles’ heel that seems to grow more threatening with every game: No one on the roster seems to be able to shoot a free throw. They misfired on 17 of 32 tries against Mississippi State and average less than 60 percent for the year. With the high-pressure nature of one-and-one free throw attempts and the high-pressure atmosphere of the NCAA Tournament, it is absolutely vital in college basketball to have players who can hit clutch free throws.

Memphis will not reach the Final Four shooting worse than 50 percent from the line – MSU, Stanford and Texas are too good to let the Tigers slip through.

It’s difficult to know which Spartans to expect -- when senior guard Drew Neitzel is cold, they can lose to anybody (in the team’s eight losses, he is 15-of-50 from long range). But when he’s hot (5-of-8 three-point shooting vs. Pitt), Neitzel’s teammates complement him with outstanding defense.

Texas should probably be considered the favorite from this region, as it has a hefty location advantage. The Longhorns looked shaky at the end of a 75-72 win against Miami in the second round, though, missing key free throws down the stretch to let the Hurricanes back in it.

All-American guard D.J. Augustin even threw up an airball from the stripe with 1.8 seconds left amid a hostile North Little Rock, Ark., crowd.

But Texas won’t have to survive that atmosphere -- which was filled with booing Arkansas fans -- when it takes on Stanford, a winner over Marquette in an 82-81 overtime thriller. The Cardinal does have 7-foot twin forces Brook and Robin Lopez, but unless Stanford can contain the Longhorns’ superb backcourt of Augustin and A.J. Abrams, it won’t get to the region final.

Abrams hit six threes and all six free-throw attempts en route to 26 points against Miami, while Augustin contributed 12 points, eight assists and three steals. The guard tandem is short (Abrams is listed at 5-11, Augustin at 6-0), but both players are tough (each played all 40 minutes against the Hurricanes) and consistent so far in the tournament (Abrams had six threes and 26 points, Augustin six points and eight assists in a first-round, 74-54 defeat of Austin Peay).

This tournament may not produce any more shocking upsets, but it is bound to have more fine finishes in store. All top seeds are still breathing, but, with so much basketball yet to be played, the smart money is against all four No. 1s making the Final Four for the first time ever. Carolina isn’t likely to get anymore freebies, so the team will need to maximize its intensity if it hopes to fulfill its ultimate goal: A national championship.