Top 10 storylines of the NCAA tournament so far

Quinn Casteel
Staff writer
Commonwealth Times Sports’ Twitter

With a five-day layoff between rounds, it can be easy to forget how this tournament so quickly went from 68 to 16. Here’s a look back at the Madness that’s unfolded in the opening three rounds:

10. Butler’s last second victories … and Shelvin Mack’s head games

Butler had what many called a charmed season last year when they came within seconds of beating Duke in the title game, and the magic has stayed with them. Matt Howard’s tip-in to beat the buzzer against Old Dominion proved that, but Saturday’s upset over Pittsburgh took it to a new level. Shelvin Mack had a little conversation with Gilbert Brown moments before he missed the would-be game winning free throw, then Howard was fouled with under a second on the clock to vault Butler into the Sweet 16. Nasir Robinson’s unforgivable hack will go down as one of the worst fouls in the history of the tournament.

9. Jimmer being Jimmer

Sometimes when a player takes the nation by storm in the regular season, he flames out come tournament time, or at least doesn’t carry his team as far as expected. Adam Morrison and Kevin Durant are the first two names that come to mind. But Jimmer Fredette has been exactly what he was all season long if not better in the first two rounds. His 32 points against Wofford and 34 against Gonzaga were more than enough to show that he can carry BYU even without Brandon Davies.

8. The Big East is deep, but the Big Ten is strong at the top

The Big East is by far the most represented conference in the tournament with 11 teams, but their chances of producing a champion are dwindling fast. Connecticut and Marquette remain in contention but the Big Ten still has its top dogs in the fight. Ohio State and Wisconsin looked absolutely nasty in the round of 32; OSU laid a 30-point spanking on George Mason and the Badgers grinded out an impressive win over Jacob Pullen and Kansas State. Look out for these Big Ten elites down the stretch.

7. Early exits for some of the top coaches

Jim Boeheim, Tom Izzo, Bob Huggins, Jay Wright and Jamie Dixon all saw their teams fall short in the early stages of their brackets. But perhaps the most legendary coach from this group is Rick Pitino, the Louisville head coach who saw his NCAA tournament record fall to 38-13 after his team’s first round loss to Morehead State. Instead of using his wisdom on the sidelines the rest of the way, he will be educating the masses as a TV analyst.

6. No luck for the Irish

Despite an outstanding regular season where they went 14-4 in Big East play, Notre Dame crashed and burned once again in the tournament. They were ranked in the top ten for most of the season and earned a two seed which led to more sky-high postseason expectations. The duo of Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis were brilliant as they were all year, but their combined 39 points were not enough against Florida State. The Seminoles abused Notre Dame’s defense from start to finish on Sunday night. Although the first round win over Akron meant an improvement from last year’s abrupt end, improvement does not always equal satisfaction. 2010-2011 will be seen as another disappointing season in the eyes of Irish critics and fans alike.

5. Rising stock for potential NBA prospects

Players like Kemba Walker and Fredette obviously crawled up, or at least validated spots in this summer’s NBA draft, but no one got more exposure than Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried. He proved that his astronomical 17.3 PPG and 14.5 RPG this season are legitimate, and definitely indicative of his game. Faried’s tenacious rebounding and unmistakable hair are reminiscent of Joakim Noah at Florida. Faried may have just cemented himself as a lottery pick or at least close to it.

4. Coaching jobs won and lost

Shaka Smart is leading one of the best runs any CAA team has ever seen, but he’s also making his already pristine resume even more impressive with every win. When this season finally ends for VCU, Smart may have a plethora of options for head coaching jobs at prestigious basketball schools; the question will be whether or not he wants any of those jobs. On the other end of the spectrum, Bruce Pearl finally wore out his welcome at Tennessee. The 30 point loss to Michigan was the final straw for the sixth year head coach.

3. Arizona shows they’re for real

The Wildcats won two games by a total of three points, but find themselves in the Sweet 16 after upsetting Texas in the final seconds on Sunday night. In their next game, they get a shot at number one seeded Duke who beat Michigan by just two in the round of 32. Arizona, who won the Pac 10 regular season are the only team from their conference still alive. Beating Texas

2. The Spiders keep dancing

By taking out Vanderbilt and red-hot Morehead State, Richmond has earned a battle with Kansas. The Spiders were a trendy pick from the start, maybe in part because they had President Obama’s endorsement. But Richmond has shown that they’re more than just a popular upset special; anything can happen when a hungry team gets their hands on a top seed.

1. VCU’s wild run continues

The city of Richmond is well represented in this year’s NCAA tournament. VCU won its third game of the NCAA’s by smashing Purdue in a game that wasn’t even competitive in the second half. Up next for the Rams is Florida State who eliminated Notre Dame in the round of 32. But VCU, the most highly criticized at-large team in the pool has blown through three power conference teams by a minimum of 13 points. Shaka Smart’s “Us against the world” attitude has lit a fire that will be difficult for anyone to extinguish. The sky is the limit for VCU.

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