Sweet 16

- Butler 63, Syracuse 59
The Sweet 16 began last night and was kicked off with a bang was the second #1 seed was sent packing. Butler, whose 23 game winning streak is the current longest in Division I, scored 11 unanswered to end the game. The Bulldogs only committed 7 turnovers the entire game, compared to Syracuse who committed 12 in the 1st half alone (18 total).

I said before the Tourney kicked off that Syracuse had the easiest route to the Final Four of all the #1 seeds. However I also said that Cuse was unworthy of a #1 seed with the way they ended their regular season compared to West Virginia, and last night proved it. Last night's loss moved Syracuse's record to 6-4 over their last 10 games of the season.

Butler will take on Kansas State, who beat Xavier in a 2OT thriller that we'll discuss shortly. This is Butler's first ever trip to the Elite Eight.

- Kansas State 101, Xavier 96 (2OT)
This was a fantastic game. K-State avoided the upset but Xavier just would not go away. Xavier was down 3 with 5 seconds left regulation, and Terrell Holloway was fouled on a 3 point shot. He sank all 3 free throws with ease to send the game to overtime. Then in overtime, Xavier found themselves down 3 yet again. Jordan Crawford, little brother of UK alum Joe Crawford, and famous for posterizing Lebron in a pickup game, sank a 35 footer to send it to double OT.

Kansas St. advances to their first Elite Eight since 1988.

- Kentucky 62, Cornell 45
Hey, "David" can't win 'em all, right? David came out and punched Goliath right in the mouth from the opening tipoff when Cornell took an early 10-2 lead. Kentucky responded in monster fashion however, going on a 30-6 run to end the half.

Kentucky's 62 points were it's 3rd lowest total of the season. But defensively, Kentucky was near flawless. Cornell was the nation's top 3-point shooting team, and the Cats held them to just 24% from behind the arc.

Looking ahead to today's games

- #6 Tennessee vs. #2 Ohio State, 7:07pm....Evan Turner might be the best player in the nation. But if UT loses this one, Bruce Pearl will challenge him to a sweating contest, a battle where Turner stands no chance.

- #10 Saint Mary's vs. #3 Baylor, 7:27pm...Both teams have looked impressive and this one could go either way.

- #9 Northern Iowa vs. #5 Michigan State, 9:37pm...Can NIU do it again? Or will Ali Farokhmanesh suffer from the "Sports Illustrated curse"? Sparty isn't nearly as good as Kansas obviously, but Tom Izzo is one of the most feared coaches in the NCAA tourney no matter how much talent his teams have.

- #4 Purdue vs. #1 Duke, 9:57pm...Purdue has already made it further than most thought they would without Robbie Hummel. However, Duke has developed themselves a nasty little habit of underachieving in the tournament, not making the Elite Eight since 2004 despite getting 27+ wins in 4 of the last 5 seasons.