The 2009 NCAA Men's Sweet Sixteen is a novice bracketeer's dream. This year has sent the lowest combined seeding total to the final 16 since the tournament expanded in 1985. That means that those who filled out the bracket by penciling in the lowest seed for every game are not doing so badly this year; unfortunately, some of us brave basketball connoisseurs are. But even for the bracket-busted, the tournament thus far has not been without its memorable moments...
10. Husky Domination: No, we're not talking about the 34-0 UConn women. After a six-overtime stumble in the Big East Tournament, the men from Conn. have been the most impressive of any of the top seeds, routing Chattanooga in the first round 103-47 and sending home Texas A&M in similar fashion for a combined 82-point margin of victory.
9. Barely Here: First seeds Pittsburgh and Louisville should be counting their lucky stars for the opportunity to play in the Sweet Sixteen, as both favorites were very nearly upset in the second round. Pitt was tied at the half and up by just three with 39 seconds left to go against Oklahoma State. Meanwhile, Louisville was down 63-61 to Siena with just 5:34 left in the second half.
8. Big, Consistent East: All season, the Big East has fielded a plethora of top-ranked teams, and the end of the season is no exception. The most dominant conference in the nation sends five teams to the Sweet Sixteen.
7. Seven Repeat Seekers: Seven coaches of teams still in the tournament have won the title at least once before. Those include Rick Pitino (Louisville), Bill Self (Kansas), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Jim Calhoun (UConn), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Roy Williams (North Carolina) and Jim Boeheim (Syracuse).
6. Clutch Free Throws: With 1:19 to go, VCU narrowed UCLA's lead to a single point after a pair of free throws by Bradford Burgess. The Bruins' Alfred Aboya answered with two of his own before Eric Maynor then hit another pair for the Rams to keep the lead at one. It's too bad Maynor then missed the last-second game-winner.
5. Speaking of Clutch: With five seconds left, Kim English sunk a pair of free throws to break a tie and boost 3-seed Missouri over 6-seed Marquette.
4. Overtime Underdogs: 12th-seeded Wisconsin topped 5-seed Florida State 61-59 in a thrilling overtime finish, sealed by Trevon Hughes with an old-fashioned three-point play.
3. All 1,2,3: For the first time in the history of the tournament, the top 12 teams in the tournament have all made it to the Sweet Sixteen. So for those of you who chalked up an Elite Eight of all 1s and 2s, you may reap the good fortune of a wildly predictable bracket.
2. Arizona: The biggest bracket buster of the 2009 Big Dance, the Wildcats have collected wide-margin wins over both 5-seed Utah and 13-seed Cleveland State. Does ‘Zona have enough left to beat first-seed Louisville? We will see on Friday.
1. Moore Siena: Who said a game of 8- and 9-seeds couldn't get wild? The Saints put in arguably the most exciting game in the tournament thus far, sending Ohio State into two overtimes before edging out the Buckeyes, 74-72. Siena hit a three-pointer in the final minute of the game … three times. With 52 seconds left in regulation, Kenny Hasbrouck put Siena within a point with a long ball. Ronald Moore then did him one better, tying the game with three seconds left in the first overtime from behind the arc, and then winning it with five seconds left in the second overtime with yet another three. Not bad for a 9-seed.
