Reaction to March Madness: Days 3 & 4

Aaron Craft's three sent the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16

The Sweet 16 is set and there are plenty of surprises after the first weekend. This tournament has lived to the hype so far. We expected it to be an unpredictable couple of weeks and it certainly has. Florida Gulf Coast, LaSalle and Wichita State are all in the Sweet 16 while Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin are already home. Bet not many people thought that would happen and it also is a clear illustrator that the Sweet 16 may not play out the way we think it will (I'm looking at you Florida). With the first weekend in the books, here's five observations from the third round.

1. Michigan has looked like one of the more impressive teams
When the brackets were announced and Michigan had VCU looming in the third round, it was an uncertainty whether or not the Wolverines would see the second weekend of March Madness. Shaka Smart's squad frustrates opponents with their Havoc defense and it seemed that if they could corral Trey Burke then they would be the victor. Not so. The Rams did force seven Burke turnovers, but it hardly mattered since VCU shot just 39 percent for the game. On top of that, Mitch McGary played the game of his life, scoring 21 points on 10-11 shooting and grabbing 14 rebounds. Michigan has dominated both of their games so far and will now get a shot at top-seeded Kansas. If McGary continues his great play then count on the Wolverines advancing.

2. Florida Gulf Coast is unlike any Cinderella we have ever seen
The Eagles run has captivated the nation and rightfully so. After all, just three years ago FGCU wasn't even a Division I program. Now, they are heading to the Sweet 16 to take on Florida after dominating Georgetown and San Diego State. We have seen magnificent Cinderella runs from Butler, George Mason and VCU, but we have not seen a run like FGCU's. The Eagles aren't just winning games -- they are dominating them. They didn't just beat Georgetown. They completely took the Hoyas out of their game and then won over the crowd by chucking alley-oops at crucial moments of the game. Same story in the San Diego State game. The Aztecs were up by one at the half, but the second half belonged to FGCU. The Eagles are making it look easy and, even better, they are making it look fun.

Sherwood Brown and FGCU made history as the first 15 seed to go to the Sweet 16

3. Safe to say the Big Ten is America's best conference
The Big Ten has been heralded as the best conference in college basketball and the debate should be settled. Of the seven Big Ten teams that qualified for the tournament four are in the Sweet 16. Illinois and Minnesota also won a game and the Illini were this close to upsetting Miami. Aaron Craft nailed a buzzer-beater to send Ohio State to the next round and Victor Oladipo's big three ensured that Indiana would not fall victim to an upset. Michigan and Michigan State have looked very impressive and, just an FYI, the four Big Ten teams are in four separate brackets. It's never happened where four teams from the same conference make the Final Four, but it's a definite possibility this season.

4. Does the committee realized how badly they messed up Oregon's seed?
Oregon won the Pac-12 tournament this season and spent plenty of time in the Top 25. They are 28-8 and yet they somehow wound up as a 12 seed. Feel bad for Oklahoma State and St. Louis because they had the misfortune of having to face the Ducks that early in the tournament. Oregon has won their two games by an average of 15 points per game and will now face a major test against Louisville. One thing is clear though: this isn't your everyday 12 seed.

5. Butler-Marquette is a budding rivalry
Butler and Marquette gave us two great games this season and next year they will be in the same conference. That's fantastic news for basketball fans after watching two thrillers this year. Butler beat Marquette on a buzzer-beater in Maui at the beginning of the season, but Marquette got their revenge in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Once again, Butler had a shot at the buzzer, but this time it would not go and the Golden Eagles have moved on to the Sweet 16. Rivalries have to start somewhere and this is one that looks to be strong for years to come. Both teams play a tough style and are very evenly matched. Talk about good television.

It's been a great tournament so far and the rest of it promises to be just as good. The Sweet 16 gets started on Thursday and continues through Friday. The Elite 8 will be Saturday and Sunday. Below is the schedule for the Sweet 16 games.

Thursday, March 28
7:15 PM EST -- (3) Marquette vs. (2) Miami
7:47 PM EST -- (6) Arizona vs. (2) Ohio State
9:45 PM EST -- (4) Syracuse vs. (1) Indiana
10:17 PM EST -- (13) LaSalle vs. (9) Wichita State

Friday, March 29
7:15 PM EST -- (12) Oregon vs. (1) Louisville
7:37 PM EST -- (4) Michigan vs. (1) Kansas
9:45 PM EST -- (3) Michigan State vs. (2) Duke
9:57 PM EST -- (15) Florida Gulf Coast vs. (3) Florida

Bracket Breakdown: East

Cody Zeller of Indiana

Once again, another tough bracket and the East Region could make a case for the most difficult bracket of the four. Indiana is the top seed with ACC regular season and tournament champion Miami down at the two line. Big East powers Marquette and Syracuse are also in the mix and so are NC State and Illinois. Former tournament Cinderellas Butler, Bucknell and Davidson are also in the South. If you want to see an upset this may be the bracket it happens in.

East Region winner: Indiana Hoosiers
It's difficult to pick against Indiana after the season they had. The Hoosiers won at home and on the road, they beat the good teams and the bad teams, they won with perimeter play and post play, they won in a shootout and they won in grind-it-out Big Ten fixtures. IU is arguably the best team in the country and, as far as number one seeds go, they may have received the best draw. That should ease the tension for Hoosier fans since they didn't receive the Midwest Region number one seed which would have allowed them to play in Indianapolis. The route to Atlanta will put them against a couple of teams who have been inconsistent in NC State and Syracuse and the possible Elite 8 matchup against Miami should be fun. Expect the Hoosiers to come out of the East because of their complete play and ability to win in different styles.

Upset Pick: Bucknell to the Sweet 16
Bucknell is going to beat Butler and they may just upset Marquette as well. The Bison are a solid team led by center Mike Muscala and they have gone toe-to-toe with some of the nation's better teams and held their own. In January they should have defeated Missouri in Columbia, but they lost by two when Muscala stepped out of bounds on one of the final plays. A gifted big man is hard to guard and Muscala will test Butler's Andrew Smith. Should the Bison win their second round game they will have to get through Marquette who is always one of the toughest teams in America. It may not seem likely, but every tournament needs a Cinderella and for Bucknell the slipper might fit.

Mike Muscala of Bucknell

Potentially Intriguing Matchup: Indiana vs. Marquette (Elite 8)
Let's say Marquette handles Bucknell in the third round and then knocks off Miami in the Sweet 16. That would set up a meeting with Indiana for the right to advance to the Final Four and it would be the first time Tom Crean faced his former team since leaving the Golden Eagles. Crean took Marquette to the Final Four in 2003 with Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener and company and he is aiming to get the Hoosiers back to prominence now. Anytime a coach faces his former employer it makes for good headlines (see Kansas-UNC third round game in South Region) and this game would live up to the hype.

Player to Watch: Mike Muscala, center, Bucknell

Muscala is a gifted big man that can hurt opponents from anywhere on the floor. His unusual athleticism for his 6’11” frame makes him a difficult matchup and he averaged 19 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season. Muscala is also a gifted shot blocker (2.4 per game) and he ranks in the nation’s top 30 in points, rebounds and blocked shots. His rebounding total is the fourth highest in the country. Muscala played three games against teams from Power Six conferences and in all three games he posted a double-double. 

Bottom Line: Indiana is going to march to Atlanta without much trouble and prove they deserved the hype all year long.