Tourney Day 5 Preview: The Sweet Sixteen

We're nearing the end of the tournament.

via tinypic.com

I should have named this "Preview/My attempt to raise my seed in crimson and gray's CougCenter March Madness.  I don't know about you guys but I needed a couple of days to get all of the basketball out of my system and give my computer a break from checking my bracket on ESPN every five minutes.  Theres a couple big storylines heading into today

1. How many (if any) double digit seeds will make it to the Elite Eight?  Pat Forde wrote a piece for ESPN.com about all of the underdogs to make the Sweet Sixteen.  I've done some looking, but I can't find any stats on most double digit seeds to make the Elite Eight.
2. Will there be anymore bracketbusters?  Northern Iowa proved in the last round that anyone is vulnerable, including #1 seeds.
3. Will Nuss get one step away from a trip to Vegas?
4. Most Importantly: Will Dickie V. be able to pull his bracket out of ESPN's 18th percentile?  He has a whopping 7 Sweet Sixteen teams left.

OK so on to the games.  As usual, after the jump, you'll find the times, locations, and announcers.

Session 1: 4:00 PM

Syracuse came into the tournament being what was widely seen as the most vulnerable of the #1 seeds.  Well, they survived the first two rounds.  Butler, if they could move on the the Final Four, would be playing in their hometown.  There's some good motivation.  Syracuse is going for its 5th final four, while while Butler is gunning for its first.

KenPom says: Orange 70-66

The one remaining Pac-10 team.  Why did it have to be the Huskies?  The first of the double digit seeds to play, the Huskies narrowly escaped the first round on a clutch layup by Quincy Pondexter, and rolled over New Mexico in the second round.  They will take on West Virginia, a fairly popular Final Four pick.  They endured some close calls in the first two rounds against Morgan St. and Mizzou.  Should be a good game.  West Virginia's the better team in my opinion but UW's playing well.  Both teams are shooting for their first Final Four's since the 1950's.  SHOWN ON WEST COAST.

KenPom says: Mountaineers 73-69

Session 2:  6:30 PM

I wonder who Nuss will be rooting for.  K-State rolled to victory over North Texas and BYU in the first two rounds.  Xavier took care of Minnesota in the first round, and then held off Pitt in the second, winning by just 3 points.  Xavier is try for its first Final Four, while KSU is trying for its first since the 60's.

KenPom says: Jeff Nusser 79-75

What can be said about Cornell?  They were a pretty popular upset pick in the first round, but not many saw them making it this far, and making the Sweet Sixteen in the manner they did pretty much wrapped up the title of most underseeded.  they easily took care of Temple and Wisconsin in the first and second rounds.  If Kentucky loses, pretty much everyone who has a bracket still intact would be crushed.  Can Big Red stop John Wall and the Wildcats?  Oh and I couldn't help myself.   WEST COAST BROADCAST.

KenPom says: Kentucky 79-70

Only four games today.  Seems like nothing.