Gwmayhem wrote:

One thing that often gets overlooked is that midmajors often have to overcome "suspect" officiating in order to have a chance to defeat majors.  In the latter stages of the VCU-UNC game, there was a challenged call that had been called UNC ball on the court.  It was admittedly a tough call but I told my friend that there was absolutely no way that the refs were giving the ball back to VCU which, they didn't.  Moments later, Seth Trimble presumably fouled out of the game only to hear that a different UNC player was charged with the foul.  I watched this replay five times and there was literally no other UNC player who could have been rightfully called for this foul.  Trimble stayed in the game but fortunately, VCU was nevertheless able to beat the Heels and the officials. 

Kentucky loses today if the refs don't miss Sendek's timeout.
 

Five teams from non-power 5 conferences made it through the first round of the tournament: Gonzaga, St Louis, Utah State, VCU, and High Point. Since no one considers Gonzaga a mid major any more, despite their conference, and I would consider the Big South a low major, 2 out of the 3 remaining mid majors are from the Atlantic 10.

SLU loves those mid-range jump shots. CC would have a heart attack.

Wisconsin Colonial 1974 wrote:

MI size and length a big problem, as is their 50% from 3. Also exposing Avila’s lack of speed and quickness.

Hard for anyone to beat UM if they play like they did today. Everything went right. Size was overwhelming. SLU eventually got cold and it was lights out.

Know this isn't the right board for a lot of talk on one or two other specific teams. Especially non-A-10.
   But interesting development tonight, an 11 seed beat Gonzaga, which believe was supposed to
advance much farther into the tournament. Unless VCU (in the A-10 so worthy of a lot of discussion) comes back from 7 deficit at halftime, which they are capable of but lost a key player....this Gonzaga stunning loss may be the upset of the night--or whole day.

For the 27th year in a row “America”s Greatest Coach” is not America’s Greatest Coach. This post is like death and taxes each March. You have to admire the Dude’s willingness to double down on this nonsense every year.

The 2 Time National Champion UCONN beat UCLA 73-57

Back To the Sweet 16 for Danny Hurley squad looking a third title in four years

What an upset for Iowa what a game and a great shot to beat Florida!

The Big Dance has annually become a beloved event for a number of reasons.  There is the one and done aspect.  The Cinderellas.  School pride.  The brackets and other ways to gamble.  

This year's event, and last year's event, have had arguably an unintended consequence.  Lots and lots of chalk.  This year, we have zero mid majors in the Sweet 16, and really only one notable first round upset (pains me to write that).  We have one double digit seed left and that's Texas out of the Big 12.  We have 9th seeded Iowa from the Big 10 who was the first and only to take out a #1 seed.   That's about it for anyone resembling a Cinderella.  Not willing to use that moniker on Tennessee or St. John's, lesser seeds who advanced but neither which can be considered a surprise.

Why so chalky?  It's easy to see why.  First, more and more future professional players (as if that's what they are not now) are staying at school, earning more money than they otherwise might in the G league or internationally.  This is providing many of the power conference schools with more continuity.  Next, the mid majors are serving as an unofficial minor league to the P5, who can lure talented players who may have been underrecruited out of high school with paychecks that the mid majors simply cannot afford.  Not only does this strengthen the caliber of P5 programs but it also serves to weaken the mid majors, making it that much more improbable for a true Cinderella to crash the party.

No less an authority than Mark Few spoke out after his team's loss to Texas, citing the outdated nature of these blueblood/cinderella monikers.  Perhaps it would be OK to go back to treating Gonzaga like the Cinderella they once were, despite their future taking place in the competitive Big 12.  

Most of us are more than familiar with the accomplishments of George Mason, VCU, Davidson, Butler, Loyola of Chicago, and San Diego State at the dance but some of us are old enough to remember Larry Bird leading a virtual group of unknown Indiana State teammates or St. Joe's shock the #1 team in the country when they sent Mark Aguirre's team home packing.  These were true David vs. Goliath moments, exhilarating outcomes that caused me and millions of others to fall in love with the sport.  I feel more than a little remorse that there may not be many more High Points in our future.

The counterargument to all of this is that the very best, most talented teams will be left competing for the national championship.  When Mason and VCU lost their national semifinal games, these were two of the worst rated Final 4 games to ever air on CBS.  We like our underdogs but only to a point.  We do like our champions to be among the best and not some fluke.

This may be true, but it's still not the same.  I'll be in DC Friday night watching Duke play St. John's followed by UCONN and Michigan State and will be feeling lucky that I'm getting to see such a great doubleheader.  Watching the best teams in the country knock each other out shouldn't be considered some form of consolation prize.  And yet, not seeing a VCU, St. Louis, Utah State, St Mary's, Santa Clara, or even a High Point reach the Sweet 16 leaves one with the feeling that this Dance is OK, but I've been to better ones.