Then the big 3:

In the 2nd round:

Sweet 16:

Elite 8:

Fab was suspended and UNC had injuries, so you can't really call the 2's over 1's upsets.

1-seed Kentucky beat 4-seed Louisville and 2-seed Kansas beat 2-seed OSU in the Final 4

Remember, it's just a game...

But it hurts

Robert Sacre is a 7 foot senior. He'll need to be replaced if Gonzaga's to be taken seriously next year.

St. Mary's. Another WCC team goes down. They were a 7-seed who lost to Purdue. Honestly, it's not an upset, St. Mary's was just seeded too high, so it looks like an upset on paper.

Mike Scott (#23), senior Virginia. This guy was once touted as ACC Player of the Year. He had a solid season, leading his team with 18 pts, 8 boards per game, while shooting over 50% from floor, and 80% from stripe. Problem is, after only 2 losses through the first half of the season, this team essentially collapsed, barely got in the tourney, and were roasted by Florida. As the game was winding down, Scott knew his career was coming to an end.

6-seed UNLV gets ousted in the first round for the 3rd straight year and there's reason to be disappointed. They're going to lose seniors Stanback and Bellfield... 2 solid starters. But if Moser (transferred from UCLA (originally from Portland)), if he doesn't decide to go pro, UNLV should be dancing again next year.

Temple Owls. The aftermath of a 44-58 loss to 12-seed South Florida.

Hollis Thompson, Georgetown. Hollis is wondering what the hell just happened after NC State pulls the upset (that's Lorenzo Brown with his hands up).

Nixon and Pressey realize the season is coming to a close.

Phil Pressey gets consoled by Kyle O'Quinn after the 15-seed Norfolk State knocked out Missouri.

It's all over. Duke gets ousted in the first round by 15-seed Lehigh Mountain Hawks. 2 15-seeds pull upsets in the first round for the first time in the history of the tournament. He'll cry later when reality sinks in.

Clint Chapman & Alexis Wangmene, Texas Longhorns. Both seniors. Clint is from Canby, Oregon. His numbers aren't spectacular, but he improved mightily from his junior year to the end of this. With his size (6-10/245), he might earn a paycheck in the NBA, but right now he's just disappointed that his season came to an end in the first round (Cincy). The picture of Alexis is from Senior day... he's got good size, and I'm not sure what the future holds, but hopefully he continues playing (maybe abroad). We'll see.

Iona had a very good season, lost in their conference championship, but still managed to get an at-large bid. I thought with one of the best PG's in the nation leading the way that they'd have a fighting chance, but they lost to BYU in one of the early games.

Jack Cooley. Notre Dame got upset by Xavier in the first round.

Eric Atkins.

Iowa State. These guys should hold their heads high. They had a 23-win season, 12-6 in the Big 12, and they knocked off the defending champs (UConn) in the 1st round. But Kentucky ended their season. They're going to lose seniors Chris Allen (remember him from Michigan State?) and Scott Christopherson; and there's a chance sophomore forward Royce White goes pro... actually a good chance.

Murray State Racers. I do feel bad for these guys, even though I felt they were too pumped up by the media to the point where their seed was over-inflated. Losing to Marquette is no surprise, and if everyone who isn't a senior returns, these guys could be back next year strong as ever. I put more about them in the winners section.

Florida State. Really solid season for FSU. This is the first time in the history of the program that they won the ACC conference. They beat UNC and Duke twice this year. They have 6 seniors who won't be back, including 7 footer Kreft (who started to emerge late), and #2 scorer James. Snaer returns if he don't test the NBA waters, and he's their statistical leader, so it'd be nice if he can lead them into battle again next year.

Ron Anderson Jr, South Florida. USF was a 12-seed that got past Cal in one of the early games, then upset Temple (pretty handlily) before losing to the Ohio Bobcats.

Ding Dong

Winners...

Ohio Bobcats. These guys are the biggest winners of anyone. They finished 3rd in conference in the regular season, but won the conference tournament. Remember 2 years ago these guys beat 3-seed Georgetown in the 1st round and they have some players back from that team. They entered the NCAA tourney as a 13 seed and upset Michigan in the 1st round. After that they knocked off USF to reach the round of 16, before losing to the 1-seeded Tar Heels. These guys return everyone, so they may be back.

Cincinati Bearcats. Entered the tourney as a 6-seed, knocked off 11-Texas and 3-Florida State, before losing to 2-Ohio State. These guys really are a talented group that I thought had the chance to go all the way. Yancy Gates (their big man #34) and Dion Dixon are seniors that won't be back.

Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Gabe Knutson & Lehigh dunk Duke. The 2nd picture is Mackey McKnight, and this epitomizes Lehigh's effort.... they just wanted it more. The beauty is that McCollum, Gabe, and McKnight all return next year. However, they are losing 2 starters. Regardless of how next year turns out, these guys re-wrote the history books in 2012. <-- See #3 - Former Portland Trailblazer CJ McCollum

Norfolk State Spartans. These guys were #2 in conference but had a solid season record of 26-10. They ended the season on a 4-game winning streak, won their conference tourney, got in the Big Dance as a 15-seed, and what'd they do for an encore? Beat Missouri in the first round.

North Carolina State Wolfpack. These guys were one of the last at-large teams announced into the tournament after a 9-7 conference record. They really had no signature wins, but if the committee came down to a choice between NC St and Miami, well, the Wolfpack beat 'em twice. It was nice on Selection Sunday when they were announced; massive celebration, and so far they haven't disappointed the committee... or the nation for that matter. This 11-seed knocked off the 6-seed (SDSU) and 3-seed (GTown), before losing to 2-Kansas.

Colorado Buffaloes. Seniors Carlon Brown and Nate Tomlinson (#1) helped their team win the Pac-10 conference tournament. Without that win, they wouldn't have been able to get into the tournament and knock off 6-seed UNLV like they did. They did lose to Baylor, but these guys exceeded expectations in their first year in the Pac-12. And even though they're losing a couple good seniors, they return pretty good group of freshmen and sophomores.

P.O.Y.

Jae Crowder, Marquette. Big East player of the year and Wooden Award candidate. He's in his final season with Marquette, and hoping his season doesn't end at the Sweet 16.

Anthony Davis (#23) & Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (#14) are both Freshmen, and candidates for the Wooden Award. Kidd-Gilchrist has declared, Davis probably will soon. UPDATE: Davis won the Wooden Award and AP Player of the Year!

Draymond Green, Michigan State. Big 10 player of the year and finalist for Wooden Award. He's a double-double guy, but he can do much more than score and rebound. I'd expect him to be a lottery pick.

Jared "eat fresh" Sullinger, Ohio State. Many thought he'd go pro after his freshman year, but he returned. Will he go pro next year? Statistically he may have taken a small step backwards, but he's evolved as a better team player. He lost some weight in the off-season, and it seems to have helped his speed and stamina. Whether or not he returns will probably be dependent upon whether or not OSU wins a championship.

Scott Machado, Iona. Senior PG led the nation in assists (10 per).

Isaiah Canaan, Murray State. Junior guard who led the team in scoring at 19 ppg and assists (3.6). Guided them to a 31-2 dream season, and he'll (hopefully) be returning to do it all over again next year.

Marcus Denmon, Missouri. This 6-3 guard led his team with 18 ppg. He plays bigger than he is, grabbing 5 rebounds per game and getting a couple steals per game. He's also pretty automatic from the free throw line. Early in the year there was talk that he could have been Big 12 player of the year, but Thomas Robinson didn't leave much doubt about that one. Nevertheless, there is a roster spot for Denmon in the NBA. Denmon is one of 7 seniors Missouri's going to have to replace.

Doug McDermott #3, Creighton. Incredible shooter. He averages 23 ppg and 8 rpg; he's top 5 in 3 point % at just under 50%.... 50%. Amazing. He shoots 60% from the floor and 80% from the line. He's up for the Wooden Award and has already announced he's staying in school next year! This year they beat a talented (but Tony Mitchell-less) Alabama team, before losing to the Tar Heels.

Matthew Dellavedova, St. Mary's. 6-4 junior was named WCC player of the year. He's not up for national player of the year, but he's a solid leader, setting up his team with 6 assists per game and leading the team in scoring at 15.5 per. He's solid from the charity stripe, and he should be back next year, so we'll see if St. Mary's goes dancing again ... and if they can get beyond the first round.

Damian Lillard, Weber State. A bit of an exception here. Weber State didn't make the NCAA tournament, but Lillard is a finalist for the Wooden Award. He looks so little in this picture, but he's actually 6-3 (the guy guarding him is only 6-7). He's the #2 scorer in the nation at 24.5 ppg. This kid does it all though... 5 boards, 4 assists, couple steals, and shoots with a high percentage. He's a junior and should return to Weber (which would give them a great shot to get in the tourney next year), but he's on the NBA's radar.

Studs...

Terrence Jones, Kentucky. Sophomore forward. This guy's a beast... bigger and stronger than Davis. He's from Portland, attended Jefferson High (same as my Father) :)

Royce White has been a beast for Iowa State. The sophomore forward averaged practically a double-double (13 pts, 9 boards), and he led the team with 5 assists per game! He had 15 pts and 13 boards in their win over (defending champion) UConn. He had 23 points and did all he could against Kentucky, but they got throttled. If Royce returns and they get some good replacements for the 2 seniors they're losing, this team could finish higher than 4th in the Big 12 next year, so watch out for 'em.

God'sgift Achiuwa of St. John's gives Anthony Davis a little chin music. Anthony had 8 blocks in this particular game. I had to throw in a picture of God'sgift because it's so cocky? unique. It's not a nickname. His father's a minister; he has an older brother named Promise and younger brothers named God's Will and Precious, along with sisters Grace and Peace.

Moe Harkless is a teammate of God'sgift. He was named freshman of the year in the Big East conference after averaging 15 pts, 9 boards per game. He's a good defender, athletic, gets steals, blocks shots. He's declared himself eligible for the NBA draft... and it doesn't sound like he's backing out.

John Henson & Harrison Barnes, North Carolina. 7-footer Tyler Zeller is up for Player of the Year, but both these guys are equally, if not more important to the team than Zeller. Henson averages 3 blocks per game and Harrison leads the team in scoring. Henson, Barnes, and PG Kendall Marshall have declared. McAdoo is contemplating.

Andre Drummond, UConn. He only averaged 10 ppg, and isn't amongst the player of the year finalists, but he did average a few blocks and 8 boards per game. At 6-10 and 270 pounds, many think this freshman is one-and-done.

J'Covan Brown (#14) & Myck Kabongo (#12), Texas. These guys make for one of the best backcourts in the nation. Brown has doubled his scoring and raised almost all of his stats across the board from last year. He's a Junior and I don't think he's going pro yet. Kabongo is a freshman who had 10 pts and 5 assists per game. These two guys together next year could make Texas a dangerous team... they just have to replace the size they're losing. They do have 6 freshmen returning, but with Chapman gone, their tallest players will be 6-7 sophomores (not counting whatever freshmen are going to be on the roster).

Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk State and Ricardo Ratliffe, Missouri. It was great watching these guys battle in the tourney. O'Quinn's 6-10/240 and Ratliffe's 6-8/240. They're both seniors, so unless we see them in the NBA, this is it. O'Quinn averaged a double-double this year, while Ratliffe was the league leader in Field Goal percentage until the very end when he was passed. He shot just under 70% and he's really one of the unsung heroes for Missouri. O'Quinn was just an unstoppable beast and it's too bad his career's over, but at least he got to be center stage for a weekend.

Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette. Senior.

#1 Cashmere Wright & #34 Yancy Gates, Cincinati. These are two cool cats. Cashmere has an assist (4.6) to turnover (2.3) ratio of 2:1, he picks a couple pockets per game, averages nearly 11 ppg, and grabs 4 boards per as well. Gates is a guy with so much upside that sometimes he's frustrating to watch. He's got the size to play in the NBA. He averages nearly a double-double, but he's not that good from the free throw line and I wish he blocked shots better. He is a senior, so this is his last shot. These two guys guided the Bearcats to the Big East championship (where they lost to Louisville). They got a tough draw in the tournament (earning a 6-seed), but they have 2 wins so far... next up Ohio State. Very good matchup... man for man, pound for pound. Buford and Kilpatrick are probably the X factors.

C.J. McCollum, Lehigh. 6th in the nation in scoring at 22 ppg. Scored 30 points (6 boards 6 assists) in a monster upset of Duke in the 1st round. 2-time conference player of the year.

Perry Jones III, Baylor. I honestly don't think Perry Jones knows how good he is. This guy is a 6-11 sophomore who's the leading scorer and rebounder for the Baylor Bears, but sometimes he just does not come to play. Many times he's not assertive enough. If he played to his full potential, all the time, Baylor would be that much tougher to beat. Perry could turn pro if he wanted to, but I don't think his stock is nearly as high as it could be. If he returns, with Quincy Acy gone, maybe he'll put this team on his shoulders and take 'em to the promised land. Baylor made it to the Elite 8 before losing to Kentucky.

John Jenkins, Vanderbilt. Junior guard was named 1st-team All-Conference in the SEC after averaging 20 ppg. He felt coming into this year that this would be Vandy's best chance to win a championship and he may be right. The whole starting lineup around him is graduating. Jenkins could average 30 ppg next year.

Will Barton, Memphis. 6-6 sophomore shoots 50% from the floor; led the team in minutes played, points (18), and rebounds (8). He's shown remarkable improvement since last year. He's very quick and athletic, and part of his improved shooting percentage is because he's much more assertive and aggressively attacking the hoop. He will go the NBA, but I don't think he's ready yet. One problem is he needs to put on some weight... well... I thought that about Durant too. March 22nd, he announced that he's going to the NBA.

Peyton Siva, Louisville. This 6-foot junior point guard hasn't had a great year. His numbers are down, percentages not that great, but if you want a quick guard who can penetrate and dish, this guy's more than competent. I wasn't going to put him in the gallery this year, but after dissecting and uphending top-seed Michigan State, I thought he deserved some props.

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin. He's a senior and named 1st team all-conference by the coaches. His stats are pretty even with Tu Holloway. Everyone else returns next year for the Badgers, but Taylor will be missed. Without an adequate replacement, Wisconsin may not be dancing come this time next year.

Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga. He's a freshman who can shoot the lights out. He tied a school record when he hit 9 3-pointers in one of his first starts. Another freshman Gary Bell Jr. is top 20 in the nation in 3-point %. Along with Stockton's son returning next year, Gonzaga's going to be guard-heavy.

Tu Holloway, Xavier. He's a 6-foot guard who led the Musketeers in scoring at 17 ppg. I'm not a fan of this guy at all, but he's a pretty solid player; he can rebound, pass, play defense, and shoots well from the free throw line. I'm sure he'll get drafted. With him and their big man Frease graduating, well, Xavier's going to have a couple gaping holes to fill.

X-Factor

Brady Heslip, Baylor. Baylor has some speed, size and athleticism in Jones III, both Quincy's, and Jackson, but it seems whenever they need a clutch hoop, it's the guy nobody knows... Heslip. Time and again he's bailed this team out; when Perry's not trying, Heslip can and has been the difference maker.

Aaron Craft, Ohio State. This is another such difference-maker. It's clear Craft is not the MVP of the Buckeyes, he's not even one of the more prolific scorers, but he is an in-your-face defender who gets over 2 steals per game. He averages 5 assists, and shoots over 50% from the floor. He's only a sophomore. They will be losing senior Buford, but if Sullinger returns, this team will be solid once again.

Coaches...

Shaka Smart VCU. He led his team to the final 4 last year, then amazingly pulled off an upset over 5-seed Wichita State in the first round this year. He only had 1 returning starter (senior Burgess), so it was really incredible to watch these guys grow together this year. I hope to see them back next year, but with their heart and soul gone, well, let's just say if VCU's back, Smart should be recognized as coach of the year. Smart had some big schools come knocking, but VCU signed him to an 8 year deal after the tournament last year. That was Smart.

Stan Heath, South Florida. Interesting team Coach Heath has here. They don't dominate anyone, they are one of the worst scoring teams in the nation, yet they tied for 4th in the Big East with 12 wins, and got an at-large bid as a 12-seed. They faced Cal in the battle of the qualifiers and smoked 5-seed Temple (held them to 44 points), before losing to 13-seed Ohio (a team that beat 3-seed Georgetown 2 years prior and beat 4-seed Michigan already this year). They're losing 4 seniors, including Gilchrist, but they have a good core returning, many of whom got plenty of experience this year, so if Stan coaches them as well as he did this year, maybe we'll see them again come this time next year.

John Groce, Ohio Bobcats. John's been an asst to Herb Sendek, and for many years with Thad Matta. He began head-coaching at Ohio in 2008. His 2nd year they reached the NCAA and beat Georgetown in the first round. This year they were only 3rd in conference, but had a 28 win season (far more than anyone in conference), and they won their conference tourney to get the auto-berth. They knocked off Michigan and South Florida, to reach the sweet 16, before losing to North Carolina.

Funny, when I saw John Groce on TV, I thought he looked just like the professional golfer Jim Furyk, so I got some pictures for comparision. Is the one in the dress shirt John or Jim?

Brett Reed, Lehigh. His name is going into the history books after his Mountain Hawks upset Duke in the first round. What did they do for an encore? They got whooped by Xavier in the 2nd round.

Brent "Buzz" Williams, Marquette. This guy's put in his time. From 92 to 2006, he worked as an assistant at 6 different schools before head coaching New Orleans for 1 year. He came to Marquette as an assistant to Tom Crean, but that only lasted 1 year as Crean left for Indiana and Buzz has been the man since. Marquette has been in the tourney every year he's been coach. 3 years ago they lost (as a 6-seed) to 3-seed Missouri. 2 years ago they were ousted by Washington in the 1st round. Last year they were an 11-seed and beat Xavier and Syracuse before getting throttled by North Carolina. This year they have Big East player of the year Jae Crowder... and actually this may be their best shot to win it all because Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom are both seniors... they'll be hard to replace. They entered the tourney this year as a 3-seed and have beat BYU and Murray State ... both mid majors. They lost in the sweet 16 to Florida.

Tom Izzo, Michigan State. I'm not sure if he's constipated or auditioning for the Walking Dead. They were a 1-seed that lost to 4-seed Louisville in the Sweet 16.

Mark Gottfried, NC State. Former Murray State and long-time Alabama coach, this is his first year at NC State, and he's been given a 2-year extension for getting them into the tourney. They got 2 good wins (SDSU & GTown) before losing to Kansas.

Mick Cronn, Cincinati. Mick began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant to Bob Huggins at Cincy in 1997... he stayed their 4 years, then assisted Pitino at Louisville before landing a job as a head coach at Murray State (about 5 years after Gottfried). While there, the Racers kicked butt in conference play and he got them into the NCAA tournament twice. He's been at Cincy since 2006 and his teams have gotten better almost every year... these past 2 years have been his best... 26 wins last year, a 6-seed in tourney, and lost (in the 2nd round) to eventual champion UConn. Many expected the same this year when they took on Florida State in the 2nd round, but they've advanced to the sweet 16 before losing to Ohio State. :(

Matt Painter, Purdue. If Robbie Hummel had been healthy over the past couple years, Purdue quite possibly could have won a championship, or had a much better shot. And that's what makes Painter such a great coach; he's been able to handle adversity and Purdue continues to compete at a high level. This year they entered as a 10-seed and beat St. Mary's before losing to powerhouse Kansas (and they led the game most the way, but choked in the final minute).

Rick Majerus, Saint Louis. He coached at his alma mater Marquette, then was an assistant in the NBA for the Bucks. He was an assistant under Don Nelson for the US national team that won a gold medal in the 94 world championship. He coached at Utah for many years, then had health problems and stepped down. He was later hired by USC, but resigned only 5 days later, stating that his health issues were still a concern. It was 3 years later (in 2007) that he was hired by Saint Louis, where he's been since. This year has been his best. They had the best season record in the Atlantic 10, finished a game behind Temple in the conference standings, but still got an at-large bid... actually 4 teams from this conference made it (I guess that means the committe likes the A10 better than the Pac-12 and WCC). Saint Louis beat Memphis in the first round, then lost by 4 to Michigan State. Their leading scorer Brian Conklin's a senior and he'll be missed, but they have many others returning, so don't be surprised to see this team dancing again next year... they have a couple tall youngsters that could make a name for themselves next year.... keep an eye on this team.

John Calipari, Kentucky. This guy has been around. Long-time UMass coach (back when Marcus Camby was there), then NBA Nets, and back to college with Memphis. He's authored a few books, popularized (though did not invent as some thing) the dribble drive motion offense, and he's been the center of controversy on a few occasions. All that has landed him one of the most prestigious jobs with the Kentucky Wildcats. Players know he's a winner, so he typically has the top recruiting classes, and as a result, many of his stud players are only staying for 1 year and going to the NBA. That puts his teams at a disadvantage every year because they're always young... but they're also some of the most talented. If he doesn't win a title this year, it'll probably be the same story as prior years because I think at least Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis are lotter picks.

Roy Williams, North Carolina. He coached 15 years at Kansas and now in his 9th season with the Tar Heels. He's one of the nicest and best coaches in basketball. The closest he's ever come to allegations was in giving small cash prizes to graduating seniors... seems silly that should even be a penalty. He's won multiple coaching awards, and he's recognized as a John Wooden Legend, and he's already been inducted into the college basketball Hall of Fame... and (I'd have to do some research, but) I think he may be the only active coach in the Hall.

John Thompson III, Georgetown Hoyas. The son of John Thompson (who coached Georgetown for 27 years), John is now in his 8th season... he's led the Hoyas into the NIT or NCAA every year... his best year was 06-07 when they got to the Final 4 (and lost to Ohio State).

Bill Self, Kansas. He turned around Oral Roberts, had success at Tulsa and Illinois, and now at Kansas he's got them in the tourney every year, and won a championship back in 2008.

Rick Barnes, Texas. He's been a head coach for 25 years and 14 of those with Texas. He's got the Horns into the tournament every year. He almost had his streak broken this year, but they did enough and got in as an 11-seed. His team is going to lose seniors Chapman and Wangmene, but this is a young team with 6 freshman and their dominant score J'Covan Brown is only a junior. With Chapman gone, they're going to need some height.

Scott Drew, Baylor. In his 9th year, his best season was 2 years ago when Baylor reached the Elite 8.