Your bracket’s shot. Your alma mater has been eliminated. You’ve watched so much basketball in the past week that there’s a permanent groove in your couch. So why should you deprive yourself of fresh air and sunlight for another four days of NCAA tournament action this week? Well, first of all, we’ve got your bracket issues covered with our Yahoo! Sports Second Chance Tourney Pick'em game. And second, there are just too many good match-ups you won’t want to miss.
Here’s a look at the five most intriguing storylines as the NCAA tournament begins its second week:
Are Kentucky and Syracuse on a collision course?
With No. 1 overall seed Kansas bowing out in the second round, fellow No. 1s Kentucky and Syracuse have assumed the role of co-favorites. The Wildcats won their first two games by a combined 59 points and the Orange clobbered their two opponents by 22 and 23 points, respectively.
Can any remaining Cinderella pull a George Mason?
Only three teams seeded ninth or worse have ever made the Final Four, the most recent being George Mason in 2006. This year alone, ninth-seeded Northern Iowa, 10th-seeded Saint Mary’s, and 11th-seeded Washington and 12th-seeded Cornell are each still alive and intent on adding another name to that list.
Hometown heroes?
One year after Michigan State defied the odds to earn a berth in the Final Four in nearby Detroit, Sweet 16 qualifiers Butler and Purdue are trying to repeat the hometown feat. Butler’s campus is five miles from Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, while Purdue is approximately an hour to the Northwest.
Is Duke back?
Duke hasn’t made the Final Four since 2004, but there’s plenty of optimism in Durham that this might be the year the Blue Devils end that drought. An improved interior game, a favorable draw and the scoring of stars Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith propelled Duke to two easy victories in the first and second round.
Will the Big Ten stand strong?
Whereas the Big East and Big 12 were touted as the nation’s toughest conferences entering the NCAA tournament, it’s actually the Big Ten that has fared the best so far. Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue are all still alive, giving the Big Ten more Sweet 16 entrants than any other conference.
-Yahoo! Sports blogger Jeff Eisneberg
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