Looking at the Sweet 16

I don't remember feeling this hyped up about the Sweet 16 in a long time.

There are so many intriguing games on tap, partly because there were so many surprising results last weekend. I'll be glued to my TV (or my laptop) watching every game. Here are my thoughts and predictions on last week's action and what lies ahead this weekend.

Biggest surprise: VCU

Did anyone else see the Rams going from First Four participant to Sweet Sixteen team in such dominating fashion? The Rams have beaten three straight major conference opponents by an average of 16.3 points per game. They downed a team with a strong frontcourt (USC), a strong backcourt (Georgetown) and a strong all-around offense (Purdue). Where are all those critics who said VCU did not deserve a bid? All the consternation over the Rams getting in reminds me of what happened when George Mason earned an at-large bid in 2006. We all know what happened after that.

Biggest disappointment: Big East

The most overrated conference in America showed its supposed basketball strength was once again a product of East Coast media hype not grounded in reality. Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Syracuse – all awarded top three seeds – made forgettable second-round exits. Louisville, St. John's and Georgetown could not make it out of the first round against lower-seeded foes. Only two teams remain from 11 who were given bids. Maybe the selection committee will learn its lesson and not buy into the hype again when next March rolls around.

Final Four darkhorse: Butler

Could the Bulldogs make it two Final Fours in a row? It seems likely. Butler showed it can match up with physical teams in its victories over Old Dominion and Pittsburgh, making Wisconsin less of a challenge for the Bulldogs than it would seem on paper. If Butler wins there, the Bulldogs have good enough guard play and strong enough post players to match either Florida or BYU.

Easiest path: Kansas

The Jayhawks might as well reserve plane tickets to Houston. Only three double digit seeds stand between them and going to Reliant Stadium. Kansas is just too deep, too talented and too hungry after last year's upset loss to Northern Iowa to be denied.

Toughest path: Duke

Even with Kyrie Irving back in action, the Blue Devils are not looking impressive. They nearly suffered a come-from-ahead second round loss to an average Michigan team and face a potential Elite Eight matchup where either opponent (Connecticut or San Diego State) boasts a stronger frontcourt than Duke. Don't expect the defending champions to repeat.

My Final Four Picks:

Ohio State, San Diego State, Kansas, Butler.

NCAA Basketball: Southeast Region Breakdown

March Madness is here and it really is the most exciting time of the year. Nothing rivals seeing an underdog make a run through the NCAA Tournament or seeing a team win in dramatic fashion on an incredible buzzer-beater.

Here is my take on the Southeast Region: 

Southeast Region -- 

Overseeded: Michigan State

I am not buying that the Spartans even deserve to be in this field with how poorly they have played throughout the season. Michigan State seems like a better fit for one of those “First Four” games than it is as a 10 seed. Maybe Tom Izzo will work some magic and coax another Final Four run out of this crew. I wouldn't bet my house on it though.

Underseeded: Old Dominion

The Monarchs are trapped a couple seeds too low in the 8/9 game against Butler. They have a physical frontcourt and a good enough defense to go toe-to-toe with most teams. If Old Dominion gets past the Bulldogs, it is certainly more than capable of knocking off top seeded Pittsburgh.

Darkhorse: Gonzaga

It is weird to classify the Zags as a darkhorse. But things are actually favorable for the 11 seed to reach the Sweet 16. They face a St. John's team without one of its best players in D.J. Kennedy and could play a BYU team missing starting center Brandon Davies. If there is one thing Gonzaga is good at doing, it is embracing an underdog role.

Region winner: Florida

True, the SEC is not as strong as in seasons past. But the Gators did win the regular season crown. They have a balanced team – led by do-everything senior Chandler Parsons. Being a 2 seed in the weakest region should open the door for a return to the Final Four.

NCAA Basketball: Southwest Region Breakdown

March Madness is here and it really is the most exciting time of the year. Nothing rivals seeing an underdog make a run through the NCAA Tournament or seeing a team win in dramatic fashion on an incredible buzzer-beater.

Here is my breakdown on the Southwest Region:

Southwest Region –

Overseeded: Georgetown

The Hoyas were not the same team over the past month without injured point guard Chris Wright. Before Wright got hurt, Georgetown could beat anybody. Without him, the Hoyas lost to just about everybody. Wright supposedly will be ready to go against VCU. Unless he is at 100 percent, I could see Georgetown bowing out as a first weekend upset victim for the third time in four years.

Underseeded: Richmond

How do you win the Atlantic-10, beat Purdue and end up with a 12 seed? The Spiders are much better than your typical 12 seed and are more than capable of knocking off Vanderbilt in the second round. Richmond runs the Princeton offense to perfection and if the Spiders can get to the basket, the Commodores will have a hard time keeping it close.

Darkhorse: Texas A&M

No one is saying anything about the Aggies, but it is not wise to overlook a team coached by Mark Turgeon. Texas A&M has a habit of doing well with lower seeds and have a decent shot at reaching the Elite Eight if the Aggies can knock off Notre Dame in the third round.

Region winner: Kansas

The Jayhawks were the runaway favorite to win it all last year until falling to Northern Iowa in shocking fashion in the round of 32. I see that early exit being a motivator this time around. Kansas is too deep and too talented to not reach the Final Four in 2011.

NCAA Basketball: West Region Breakdown

March Madness is here and it really is the most exciting time of the year. Nothing rivals seeing an underdog make a run through the NCAA Tournament or seeing a team win in dramatic fashion on an incredible buzzer-beater. 

Here is my take on the West Region:

West Region –

Overseeded: Cincinnati

It is astounding that the Bearcats can go from being on the bubble nearly all season, net a couple of “big” victories in the Big East over a fading Georgetown squad and suddenly be good enough to snare a 6 seed. Cincinnati's inflated record will be exposed soon enough. The Bearcats are a pedestrian 6-8 against teams in the 68-team field.

Underseeded: Temple

Few teams are hotter than the Owls coming into the tournament. They may be the most dangerous 7 seeds in the bracket. If Fran Dunphy can finally snap his first round jinx, Temple has the tools to make a run to the Elite Eight. The Owls enjoy strong backcourt play from Juan Fernandez and Ramone Moore and have shown an ability to compete with Big Six teams all season.

Darkhorse: Oakland

The Grizzlies have a tough first round draw in Texas. But Oakland has a legitimate NBA prospect in center Keith Benson. And the Grizzlies won't be intimidated by the Longhorns. If it can pull off the first-round shocker, don't be surprised if Oakland makes a Sweet 16 run.

Region winner: San Diego State

Can a team go from zero NCAA wins to a Final Four berth? The odds are in the Aztecs' favor to pull off such a feat. With Kawahi Leonard, Malcolm Thomas and Billy White, San Diego State has one of the most physical and athletic frontcourts in the country. They can wear teams down and that will prove valuable in making a deep postseason run.

NCAA Basketball: East Region Breakdown

March Madness is here and it really is the most exciting time of the year. Nothing rivals seeing an underdog make a run through the NCAA Tournament or seeing a team win in dramatic fashion on an incredible buzzer-beater.

I intend to break down each of the four regions heading into this week's second and third round games. We will start with the East region:

East Region –

Overseeded: Villanova

It boggles my mind that the Wildcats can lose 10 of 15 games after a 16-1 start and still be safely in the 68-team field. This is a 11 or 12 seed masquerading as a 9 seed. Villanova hasn't beaten any team with a pulse in several weeks. I guess it pays to play in the overhyped Big East.

Underseeded: Clemson

The Tigers proved they deserved much better than a 12 seed after routing UAB on Tuesday. Clemson put a scare into North Carolina in the ACC Tournament before falling in overtime. The Tigers are more than capable of knocking off West Virginia if they don't come out flat-footed from travel fatigue.

Darkhorse: Xavier

The Musketeers have reached the Sweet 16 three consecutive years and could easily make four straight. This team is a trendy first-round upset victim. But I'm not sold on Marquette, a team with a recent history of early round flameouts. Tru Holladay is a talented and experienced backcourt leader. Teams with those kind of players tend to advance far in the NCAAs. Plus, I think Xavier has the tools to match up with Syracuse's famed 2-3 zone in the third round.

Region Winner: Ohio State

Behind powerful freshman Jared Sullinger and a talented senior supporting cast, the Buckeyes have just the right ingredients to cut down the nets in Houston. Anything short of reaching the Final Four would rank as a massive disappointment.

Thoughts on the "First Four"

I might be one of the few sports reporters in the country who will actually admit to liking a 68 team field in this year's NCAA basketball tournament.

I like adding in three more first-round play-in games to the mix. It gives opportunities to a few more good teams to make a memorable run in March who might have otherwise been relegated to the NIT. Sure there are some mediocre teams in this year's tournament. But there have been plenty of years where good teams got snubbed. It should add little bit of extra excitement to the whole first weekend.

Here are my thoughts on the "First Four" games on Tuesday and Wednesday:

Best team: USC
It is true the Trojans had a ton of bad losses early in the season. But USC also proved its mettle by beating its share of tough teams in PAC-10 play. The Trojans are catching fire at the right time and could be a darkhorse to claim a Sweet 16 berth.

Worst team: Alabama State
The Hornets needed to win 11 of their last 12 games just to get to .500 in one of the worst conferences in the nation. This is exactly why SWAC teams are a fixture in play-in games.

Predictions -

UAB vs Clemson:
The Tigers pushed North Carolina to the limits in the ACC Tournament. The Blazers had an uninspiring loss to East Carolina in the C-USA Tournament. Clemson has a recent history of early tournament exits. I think the Tigers reverse that trend here.  Clemson 68, UAB 63.

UNC-Asheville vs Ark-Little Rock:
Six straight wins -- including a pair of victories over Coastal Carolina -- helped the Bulldogs reach this point. They won the first play-in game when the field went to 65 teams back in 2003. My guess is they will have enough momentum to beat a Trojans' squad that needed a buzzer-beater to win a bad Sun Belt Conference. UNCA 74, UALR 67.

USC vs VCU:
These are two teams going in opposite directions. Despite a memorable run to the CAA title game, the Rams have lost five of their last eight games. USC has won six of its last eight and owns three victories over top 25 teams this season. I think the Trojans can make some noise with Nikola Vucevic playing at his best. Vucevic, who averages 17.3 points and 10.2 rebounds, is a big factor in USC's late season emergence. USC 82, VCU 76.

UT-San Antonio vs Alabama St.:
The WAC gets a sneak peek of one its new members for the 2012 season. Not sure anyone else will really care about this one. UTSA 73, Alabama St. 59.

Utes fire Boylen

When Utah makes its move to the PAC-12 next season, Jim Boylen will not be coming along for the ride.

Boylen was fired as the men's basketball coach on Saturday after leading the Utes to a dismal 13-18 record this season. In four years, he compiled a 69-60 record and helped Utah reach the NCAA Tournament in the 2008-09 season -- his second year at the helm.

Over the past two seasons, however, the Utes struggled to compete under Boylen. They won just 27 games in two years since going to the NCAA Tournament. Recruiting and transfers were a huge issue too. Coming into this season, Marshall Henderson and Carlon Brown -- the top two scorers from a year ago -- left the program, with Henderson going to Texas Tech and Brown joining Colorado.

This move comes after Boylen signed a five year contract extension following the 08-09 season. It will likely be a costly buyout for the Utes to get rid of Boylen, but it needed to be done.

There is an obvious talent drain in the program. With his midwestern roots as a longtime assistant under Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, Boylen did not understand how to recruit out west. He regularly lost recruiting battles to archrival BYU for top players in Utah. An infusion of junior college players this season -- highlighted by leading scorer Will Clyburn, could not offer a quick fix to mask the poor recruiting of previous seasons.

The final nail in the coffin for Boylen came with sagging attendance in the Huntsman Center. Crowds for women's gymnastics meets nearly doubled the amount of fans that showed up for men's basketball games. Such a loss of revenue could not continue going forward.

What are your thoughts on Boylen's firing?

New Mexico gets Jimmered

There is no debate about who deserves player of the year honors in college basketball after Friday night. No debate at all.

Jimmer Fredette put all speculation to rest with a performance for the ages in a 87-76 victory over New Mexico. Fredette helped BYU advance to the championship game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament by scoring a career-high 52 points on 22-of-37 shooting -- including 7-of-14 from 3-point range.

Fredette gave an indication this would be his night when he made 14 of his first 20 shots to score 33 points by halftime. To put it in perspective, that is the same amount Wisconsin scored as a team over 40 minutes in a 36-33 loss to Penn State in the Big Ten quarterfinals on Friday.

Many experts wondered if BYU could get past a Lobos team that had already beaten the Cougars twice this season, especially given that starting center Brandon Davies was no longer on the team after being suspended for an honor code violation. Fredette quieted those critics -- at least for one night -- when he set a new single-game scoring record for the Cougars and passed Danny Ainge to become BYU's all-time career scoring leader.

Some bracket projections had dropped BYU down to a three or four seed going into Friday based on the assumption the Cougars would lose to New Mexico a third time. It's a safe bet many of those projections are going to be reevaluated come Saturday morning.

The only question ahead for BYU now: What can Jimmer do for an encore?