The 2010 men's basketball NCAA Tournament has been one of the most exciting ever, riddled with upsets, outstanding performances from previously unheard−of players and buzzer−beating thrillers. With two No. 5 seeds in the Final Four coupled with No. 1 Duke and No. 2 West Virginia, this weekend's matchups in Indianapolis are sure not to disappoint, continuing with the overall trend set by the previous four rounds. But ignoring the excitement of the past two weekends would be unwise. The Daily looks back at the Top 10 moments of the first four rounds:
10. Surprises out West: In what many figured to be the weakest of the major conferences, Pac−10 representatives California and Washington surprised many. Washington pulled up consecutive upsets over No. 6 Marquette and then No. 3 New Mexico, eventually falling to No. 2 West Virginia. California, likewise, took down No. 9 Louisville, proving that perhaps the Pac 10 is not as weak as most people thought.
9. Big East bummer: While the Pac−10 came out of nowhere to post a relatively strong showing, the Big East, long seen as the nation's strongest conference, fell victim to a lackluster first day, going 1−3. The lone win came when Villanova survived a near−upset by No. 15 seed Robert Morris.
8. Kalin and Robbie who?: When Michigan State star Kalin Lucas and Purdue gunner Robbie Hummel went down with season−ending injuries, their respective squads were not expected to rebound at the season's most crucial time. But Purdue outlasted Texas A&M in overtime after beating No. 13 seed Siena, while Michigan State Tom Izzo turned in one of the all−time great coaching performances, leading the No. 5 Spartans to back−to−back Final Fours.
7. Not just for dorks: For the first time in 31 years, a school from the Ivy League made the Sweet 16, and Cornell did it in dominating fashion. The 12th−seeded Big Red steamrolled No. 5 Temple and No. 4 Wisconsin, perhaps proving ESPN analyst Jay Bilas correct when he boisterously predicted that Cornell should have been awarded a fifth seed.
6. Home, sweet home: With the Final Four in Indianapolis, few expected No. 5 Butler to come out of the West Region to get relative home−court advantage in the semifinals. But the Bulldogs, owners of the nation's longest winning streak, took down top seed Syracuse and No. 2 Kansas State and consequently returned home for the biggest stage.
5. Oh my, Omar: Saint Mary's big man Omar Samhan turned a nation's eyes toward California with his dominating display in the Gaels' 75−68 upset of Villanova in the second round. With 32 points and seven boards, Samhan took Saint Mary's to the Sweet 16 one year after its best player, Patty Mills, left for the NBA.
4. A magical first day: Aside from the Big East's fall on the first day, March 18 was filled with exciting moments that made it one of the best days in tournament history. Robert Morris took Villanova to overtime, while BYU and Florida needed two extra periods to settle the 7−10 matchup. Additionally, Danero Thomas' buzzer−beater sent No. 13 seed Murray State past Vanderbilt, No. 11 Old Dominion edged out No. 6 Notre Dame by one point and, in perhaps the biggest upset of the day…
3. G−Town letdown: Fourteenth−seeded Ohio, a team that had such a poor regular season it was seeded ninth in its conference tournament and had a losing record in the MAC, came out of nowhere to defeat juggernaut Georgetown, 97−83. Though the Hoyas had their worst defensive effort of the year, the Bobcats canned 13−of−23 three−pointers and represented a growing equality between mid−majors and big conference studs.
2. This is Sparta: In a game that featured numerous de facto buzzer−beaters and an actual one, Michigan State emerged victorious in the 4−5 matchup out of the Midwest Region in the Sweet 16, taking down No. 4 Maryland when Korie Lucious, substituting for the injured Kalin Lucas, hit a three−pointer at the buzzer to give the Spartans a 85−83 victory. The shot came after a sequence in which the two squads traded leads three times in the final minute, capped off when Maryland's Grevis Vasquez put the Terrapins up by one point with six seconds left.
1. Prince Ali, fabulous he, Ali Farokhmanesh: In one deft stroke with 35 seconds left in ninth−seeded Northern Iowa's second−round contest versus No. 1 overall seed Kansas, Farokhmanesh instantly busted millions of brackets across the country and sent the nation into a frenzy. His gutsy three−pointer, which came after his jumper with 4.9 seconds left which defeated UNLV in the first round, propelled Northern Iowa to a 69−67 victory over the squad that many had picked to win the entire tournament and gave the Panthers one of the biggest victories in recent memory. Though Northern Iowa went on to lose in the ensuing round to Michigan State, many will remember Farokhmanesh's shot as the final dagger in a monstrous upset.
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