Round 2...

In a perfect world, I could combine my two brackets and be the envy of most of my peers right now. But since I can't, my mediocre bracket, stands mediocre. At least I can say I'm tied with the president of the United States. That's a pretty cool honor in my book. I'm even beating him on espn.com. I think that's at least grounds for a senate position. Regardless, I've still got my entire elite 8, and I'm setting myself up perfectly for a devastating collapse next weekend (a repeat performance of last year). Until that moment of devastation, I've got my fingers crossed and will be glued to the television next Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Here are some observations:

1. I highly underrated Connecticut. Wasn't Jerome Dyson supposed to be a big loss? Did I miss something here? I blame ESPN for my ignorance. If they had substituted just one of the 14 Notre Dame games I watched on ESPN this year, I could have realized Connecticut was as deep as a Robert Frost poem. Instead, all I gathered about the Big East this year was that Harangody takes about 26 shots a game, and is completely unaware McAlarney is one of the best shooters in the country. Let's hope Memphis is better than I think they are, or I can kiss that Final Four pick goodbye.

2. We haven't seen the best from Pittsburgh yet. I think it's almost scary that the Panthers barely advanced to the Sweet 16. It's only a matter of time before they realize they're an awesome team and start to play like it. I hope they wait until after the (hopefully occurring) North Carolina game, when it's too late.

3. Syracuse still isn't tired. You'd think after a 6 overtime game, immediately followed by another overtime game, the Orange would be tired. Right? How many more games can Jonny Flynn play before he collapses? He's about as durable as the Energizer bunny. And when will Devendorf and Rautins catch a cold-streak shooting the 3? I'm starting to believe in these guys and it worries me. I hope North Carolina can handle them.

4. Arizona seems to have something to prove. Can you blame them? The tournament committee can thank Arizona for advancing to the Sweet 16. Arizona's acceptance was seen as pretty much the only flaw in the field of 65. It doesn't look that way anymore. The Wildcats are cruising. Can they take down a #1 though?

5. The SEC has been eliminated from the competition. Surprised? Yeah me neither. What is surprising, is that the Pac-10 is still represented.

Image taken from Yahoo! Sports