Like it is

Tourney top-heavy despite ACC, 'Nova losses

Wisconsin guard Bronson Koenig (24) joins players and coaches to celebrate their 65-62 victory against Villanova in a second-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 18, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)
Wisconsin guard Bronson Koenig (24) joins players and coaches to celebrate their 65-62 victory against Villanova in a second-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 18, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)

If a week ago today someone had predicted Villanova -- the overall No. 1 seed -- would be finished and the ACC would be 7-8 and have only North Carolina remaining from its nine bids, that someone would have been regarded as nuttier than a Louisiana pecan tree.

Because those two things are true, that would seem to indicate this was a wild and crazy tournament and a couple of smaller conference teams are getting ready to play this weekend.

Nope. Instead, 12 of the teams in the Sweet 16 were seeded 1-4.

All four No. 4 seeds are still alive. Three of the No. 1 seeds are still playing, two of the No. 2s and three of the No. 3s. Xavier is the only team still dancing outside of the top 8 seeds. The Musketeers, who finished seventh in the Big East and was a No. 11 seed, knocked out Maryland and Florida State.

South Carolina and Michigan were No. 7 seeds, and Wisconsin was a No. 8.

The Badgers got one of the biggest thrills of this tournament when they knocked off Villanova 65-62. They also beat Virginia Tech from the ACC.

The Gamecocks stunned the world Sunday night when they dispatched Duke 88-81, which improved the SEC to 7-2 and gave the much maligned conference three teams in the Sweet 16.

This tournament has been about redemption for both the SEC and Big Ten, both of which received little respect this season until now.

The Big Ten is 8-4, with two victories each over ACC and Big 12 teams.

The SEC had two victories over the ACC and two over Big East teams.

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So all the arguments about how great the ACC was seem moot now, and pundits and talking heads all over the country are talking about which is really the best conference and re-seeding. Re-seeding for the Sweet 16 has become an over-examined topic by TV folks and bloggers.

As long as the schools are against it, it won't happen. It probably shouldn't.

For the sake of argument, it does appear one conference has shined brighter this season than any other, at least at the top, and that's the Pac 12.

Arizona and Oregon tied for the regular-season championship, and UCLA was third. Arizona and Oregon also played for the conference tournament championship, with the Wildcats winning 83-80.

Those three teams are 35-0 since the end of January in all games excluding ones against each other.

Note that there is not a No. 1 seed among them: Arizona was a No. 2, and UCLA and Oregon were No. 3s. The fourth bid from the Pac 12 was USC, and it beat Providence in a play-in game and No. 6 SMU before falling to No. 3 Baylor. That makes the Pac 12 8-1 in the tournament.

The SEC also got its four top teams in, and Florida and Kentucky have advanced to the Sweet 16 to join South Carolina.

The tournament resumes tonight with four games. Here are predictions from the guy ranked 216,oo9th in the CBSsports.com bracket contest:

No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 7 Michigan: Many people wondered how the Ducks would respond to losing forward Chris Boucher, and they still are as Oregon had an easy road to the Sweet 16 by beating No. 14 Iona and No. 11 Rhode Island. Michigan is hotter than a Hawaiian bonfire, and the victory over No. 2 Louisville was not a fluke. Michigan 76-73

No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 4 West Virginia: The Zags have their work cut out for them. The Mountaineers can score quickly and seem primed, but the Zags are resilient. Gonzaga 79-78

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 4 Purdue: The Boilermakers didn't have to play the University of Arkansas at Little Rock this time. The Jayhawks have too much depth. Kansas 73-70

No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 11 Xavier: Sean Miller's current team vs. his previous team. The Wildcats will roll. Arizona 74-64

Sports on 03/23/2017

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