NCAA Tournament 2012: 50 Lessons We've Learned After Second Round

College basketball's postseason is greater than any other sport in the world. The round of 64 in the 2012 NCAA tournament was a perfect example of why it's so special.

No other sport can provide what college basketball provides—a true opportunity to win a championship for 68 teams in a one-game elimination-style tournament.

Thursday and especially Friday's games were examples of why it's called March Madness.

But what did we learn from the second round? That's what I'm here to tell you.

No. 50: South Florida's Defense Is Sweet 16 Worthy

It wasn't the prettiest of games, but South Florida won its second game of the tournament with its stingy defense.

After holding California to 54 points, the Bulls held No. 5 Temple to 44 points. The Owls shot 35.7 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from three-point range.

Their defense is legit.

South Florida has a wonderful opportunity to make the Sweet 16. Its defense is the reason why.

No. 49: Don't Pick Upset of No. 16 over No. 1

Syracuse was close to being upset by No. 16 UNC-Asheville on Thursday, but the Bulldogs couldn't get the job done.

No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament are just that for a reason—they have the best teams going into the tournament. Fluky No. 16 seeds may never defeat a No. 1 because of the discrepancy in talent level.

Also, and this is huge in terms of history, nobody wants to be the first ever in anything. Teams will find ways to withstand the upset bid by utilizing their talent edge.

No. 1 seeds losing in their first game hasn't happened, and I don't see it ever happening.

No. 48: Iowa State Can Defeat Kentucky If It Shoots Well from the Perimeter

Iowa State finished 6-of-16 from long range against Connecticut on Thursday night. It felt like it made 10 long-range bombs, to be honest.

It's not that the Cyclones won solely on three-pointers, but it's when they splashed down that made the biggest difference.

The Cyclones used their three-point barrage in the first half to really put UConn in a hole.

If Chris Allen, Scott Christopherson and others can get hot from the perimeter early, they could pull off the ultimate upset of tournament No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday.

No. 47: It's Tough to Win Games When Valuable Players Aren't 100 Percent Healthy

Larry Anderson, the Big West Defensive Player of the Year for Long Beach State, attempted to play Thursday against a tough New Mexico team.

Anderson was clearly not himself on the floor, as he struggled to move laterally. He averaged 14 points, five rebounds and three assists on the season but only managed five points, one rebound and zero assists in 17 minutes played.

Not only did Long Beach State miss Anderson's production on a statistics level, but it also missed his emotion on the floor; Anderson is without a doubt the emotional leader for The Beach.

This could have been a completely different game with a healthy Anderson.

There are several other examples, including Kim English from Missouri.

No. 46: Georgetown Is Capable of Deep Run

Georgetown allowed 10 three-pointers against Belmont in its second-round game. The Hoyas still won 74-59.

This team can play on both sides of the ball.

Jason Clark scored 21 points, Otto Porter added 16 and Henry Sims scored 15. Georgetown has the correct pieces of the puzzle to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Its defense is going to keep it in games, and its offensive cuts and sets can really rattle teams in one-game elimination-style tournaments.

Keep an eye on Georgetown.

No. 45: Familiar Upset Continues to Happen

A No. 12 seed defeating a No. 5 seed has happened at least once in 22 of 24 years. VCU continued the upset trend by defeating Wichita State 62-59 on Thursday.

Even if you hate picking the underdog because of the fear of being wrong, choosing at least one No. 12 seed would be a good idea in your bracket next year.

South Florida also got it done against Temple on Friday.

No. 44: Harvard May Have Edge in Academics, but Vandy Has Edge in Basketball

Harvard and Vanderbilt are two institutions with the highest of academic stature. However, Vanderbilt proved that it has the better basketball team this season.

No. 12 Harvard couldn't pull off the upset over No. 5 Vanderbilt, as it fell 79-70.

John Jenkins scored 27 points on 7-of-12 shooting, Brad Tinsley scored 16 and Jeffery Taylor added 15. 

Vanderbilt used a 35-22 rebounding edge to capture victory. 

No. 43: North Carolina State Can Continue to Advance

North Carolina State finished its regular season winning four of five, with its only loss coming against North Carolina in the ACC tournament. That game was arguably given to the Tar Heels by the referees' whistle.

The bottom line: North Carolina State is playing its best basketball of the season. The Wolfpack are led by potential lottery pick C.J. Leslie, a player capable of beating defenders with the dribble and his athleticism.

Richard Howell is a beast down low; he's a guy who won't quit on any ball. He's an 11-point, nine-rebound per game type of player.

Lorenzo Brown and Scott Wood provide other scoring options for the Wolfpack.

North Carolina State is going to be a difficult challenge in the third round.

No. 42: Yancy Gates Can Carry Cincinnati to Sweet 16

Yancy Gates of the Cincinnati Bearcats is a load to handle in the paint. He scored 15 points and tallied 10 rebounds in Cincinnati's 65-59 victory over Texas on Friday.

Cincinnati can struggle from the perimeter but is led by Gates inside; he brings it 12 points and nine rebounds per game on the season.

When Gates plays well, Cincinnati is a tough team to defeat. When he struggles, Cincinnati is prone to defeat because of its inconsistent outside shooting.

Gates can lead this team to the Sweet 16.

No. 41: Referees' Whistles Don't Determine Outcome of Games, but Have Impact

I don't like to point out referees' mistakes in any sport, but I realize that their calls can have a major impact on the outcome of games.

UNC-Asheville had as great of an opportunity as you will ever see from a No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 on Thursday against Syracuse, but the refs had at least one extremely questionable decision that favored the Orange.

It was a call where the ball appeared to go out of bounds off Syracuse's Brandon Triche, but the officials said it went out off the Bulldogs. If the refs had made that call, we could be having a different discussion.

Of course, it didn't cost the Bulldogs the game, but it could have been much different. There is no denying it.

No. 40: Creighton Doesn't Have Enough Talent to Defeat North Carolina

Creighton is a solid team led by Doug McDermott down low. The Blue Jays barely slid past Alabama in the No. 8-No. 9 game on Friday.

North Carolina will be a completely different challenge for Creighton.

It doesn't have enough talent to defeat the Tar Heels.

Even if John Henson doesn't play, the Tar Heels can still run at you with Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, Tyler Zeller and an emerging James Michael McAdoo.

Creighton won't have enough to get the job done.

No. 39: Andre Drummond Needs Another Year in College

Andre Drummond was a no-show on Thursday night against Iowa State. He recorded two points and three rebounds in the Huskies' 77-64 loss.

Drummond is a lottery talent and will most likely be taken in the top five of the 2012 NBA draft if he decides to leave after his freshman season. You certainly couldn't blame him for wanting to capitalize on his situation.

However, while Drummond's size, length and extreme athleticism are out-of-this-world spectacular, his overall game has lacked in certain moments this season.

His shooting ability, especially from the free-throw line (29.5 percent), needs to be addressed. Drummond's offensive game can be keyed on during the offseason.

Also, he tends to rely too much on his athletic ability instead of sticking to fundamentals.

Drummond needs another year at the collegiate level. Maybe he could be the top pick in the NBA draft in 2013.

No. 38: Murray State Can Advance Even If Its Offense Doesn't Show Up

Murray State won its 31st game of the season on Thursday against a pesky Colorado State team. The Racers shot 20-of-51 (39.2 percent) from the floor. 

They still won by 17 points; Colorado State mustered 41 total points.

It was an impressive outing for Murray State.

Murray State got at it defensively, holding the Rams to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor and 21.4 percent from the perimeter. The Racers also forced 21 turnovers.

If the offense can match the defense, Murray State will be a tough out in the tournament.

No. 37: New Mexico Is a Sweet 16 or Beyond Type of Team

Long Beach State provided a difficult challenge for New Mexico on Thursday, but every time the 49ers made a run, the Lobos answered back.

New Mexico has what it takes to defeat Louisville in the third round to advance to the Sweet 16.

It won the Mountain West Conference tournament in a conference that was severely underrated this season.

Steve Alford is a fantastic coach who knows what buttons to push to get his kids going.

Drew Gordon is a double-double machine, Kendall Williams is capable of filling it up offensively, the Lobos have a well-balanced attack and they have multiple players who can shoot from beyond the arc.

Watch out, Louisville.

No. 36: Terrence Jones Is Ready to Ball

Terrence Jones recorded his first 20-point, 10-rebound game of the season in Kentucky's opening game vs. Western Kentucky. 

Jones has fluttered in and out of a funk all season long. There were some games (Indiana, among others) where he didn't show up to the floor.

If Jones continues to play like he did on Thursday, Kentucky will be that much better going forward.

No. 35: Mid-Majors Won't Pull Upset with Lousy Performance from Best Player

Will Cherry of the Montana Grizzlies and Matt Dickey of the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs didn't show up for their respective teams on Thursday.

These two led their team in points scored this season but struggled shooting the ball in the second round. Dickey went 1-of-13 from the floor against Syracuse in a five-point effort. Cherry scored nine points on 3-of-14 shooting against Wisconsin.

When you don't get quality performances from your "stars," it's very unlikely that the upset will be pulled off.

Montana and UNC-Asheville needed their stars to show up, but they were nowhere to be found.

No. 34: C.J. Leslie Is a Beast

There may have been other guys on North Carolina State's roster who played well (Richard Howell and Lorenzo Brown), but C.J. Leslie proved that he is a lottery pick in the 2012 NBA draft if he decides to leave early.

He showed some dynamite post moves and NBA-style finishes and was aggressive like you would want to see from a player of his caliber.

Leslie finished with 15 points—his 14th double-digit scoring performance in a row. He has scored 56 points in the past three games.

North Carolina State looks like the real deal, and the play of Leslie is a major reason why.

No. 33: North Carolina Needs John Henson to Win a National Championship

North Carolina is a deeply talented team full of first-round NBA prospects. It can probably make the Elite Eight or even a Final Four without John Henson's length, rebounding and scoring underneath.

Without Henson, however, the Tar Heels are more prone to an upset because of his ability to control the paint with his rebounding and blocked shots.

Henson and Tyler Zeller inside present unbelievable length and athleticism that is going to be difficult to match from future opponents. With just Zeller in the lineup, Vermont scored the majority of its buckets from inside the three-point line.

Having Henson in the middle will provide a shot-blocking presence that will have to be accounted for.

North Carolina is much more likely to win a national championship with a healthy Henson.

No. 32: Gonzaga Can Hang with Ohio State in Third Round

Gonzaga has the talent level capable of hanging out with No. 2 seed Ohio State in the third round.

West Virginia was a decent Big East team this season, and Gonzaga made it look atrocious in a 77-54 victory.

Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell Jr., Robert Sacre and Elias Harris all scored in double figures for the Zags. The game was essentially a home game for the Mountaineers, as it was played in Pittsburgh, about an hour and a half away from their campus.

Gonzaga shot 56 percent from the floor and 52.9 percent from distance—Mark Few had his kids locked in.

They have what it takes to stick with Ohio State. Sacre has the ability to frustrate Jared Sullinger underneath, Gonzaga's shooters can catch fire from behind the arc and Few is a great coach.

Gonzaga might not be able to secure victory, but I give it a chance.

No. 31: Kyle O'Quinn Can Lead Norfolk State Spartans Past Florida

Kyle O'Quinn dominated Missouri in one of the major upsets of the tournament with 26 points and 14 rebounds. He and the Spartans will go up against a front line of Florida that he can find success against.

Norfolk State has a great opportunity to make it to the Sweet 16 if O'Quinn and the Spartans shooters play well.

Don't be shocked if O'Quinn, who averaged 15.9 points per game coming into the tourney, puts on another quality performance against the Gators.

No. 30: Ohio Can Make It to Sweet 16

Ohio's upset of Michigan was one that I expected to happen. Michigan was so up and down this season, and Ohio made 251 three-pointers on the year.

Both were reasons why I thought Ohio could pull off the upset.

The Bobcats are led by D.J. Cooper, who scores 14.6 points per game. They run so many sets around what he can do offensively.

Ohio can make it to the next round because of the fact that it shoots threes so well. It also has talent that is capable of taking over late.

No. 29: Syracuse Isn't Capable of Winning a National Championship

I realize that this may be obvious to people who watched when Syracuse center Fab Melo was out during the year, but it reared its glaring head on Thursday against UNC-Asheville.

Syracuse squeaked out a 72-65 victory.

Melo's absence will continue to show against Kansas State, and further if they move on in the tournament. Not only does Syracuse miss his rebounding and shot blocking, but it misses his ability to start transition opportunities.

Syracuse is one of the best transition teams in the country, and Melo was great at starting the break with his outlet passes after rebounds and blocked shots.

This Syracuse team isn't capable of cutting down the nets when it's all said and done.

No. 28: Long Beach State's Inability to Defeat Quality Teams Didn't Change

With the best non-conference strength of schedule in college basketball this season, Long Beach State was potentially a mid-major capable of making a solid run in the NCAA tournament.

However, it only defeated Pittsburgh, a team playing in the CBI tournament, and Xavier post-brawl with Cincinnati.

It couldn't defeat Kansas, North Carolina and Louisville on the road, which shouldn't bring shame to any team.

But the 49ers also couldn't seal the deal against San Diego State and Creighton during BracketBusters weekend.

The bottom line is that they couldn't finish against quality teams this year.

It came back to haunt them against the New Mexico Lobos on Thursday.

No. 27: Bradford Burgess Is Capable of Leading VCU's Run

Bradford Burgess, VCU's leading scorer at 13.4 points per game, has the clutch factor capable of leading the Rams to a deep NCAA tournament run.

Burgess only shot 6-of-16 from the floor on Thursday against the Wichita State Shockers, but he made a huge three-pointer to give VCU a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

If VCU is planning on making another incredible run in the tournament, Burgess' ability to knock down clutch shots will impact how far it goes in 2012.

No. 26: Rodney McGruder Can Carry Kansas State to Victory over Syracuse

Kansas State's Rodney McGruder has a plethora of offensive moves in his arsenal. They were on full display against Southern Mississippi on Thursday.

McGruder poured in 30 points in the Wildcats victory. He took it to the rack, hit two threes, displayed a floater and was great in the mid-range game.

He's capable of playing big in this tournament, and he's going to need to be great against Syracuse in the third round.

McGruder averages 15.9 points this season on 46.6 percent shooting. Kansas State can defeat Syracuse if McGruder plays his A-game.

No. 25: Having Freshman Starting Backcourt Doesn't Mean Disaster

An experienced backcourt can take teams deep into the NCAA tournament. In fact, many outsiders pick teams in their bracket when teams have experienced guards.

However, Gonzaga's freshman tandem of Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. broke the mold in its performance against West Virginia on Thursday.

Aside from destroying the Mountaineers in Pittsburgh, a mere hour and a half away from West Virginia's campus, Gonzaga received 27 points, six assists, six rebounds and four three-pointers from freshmen Pangos and Bell Jr.

The tandem has played well all year long and will be a force to be reckoned with in the West Coast Conference for the next three seasons.

Who knows how long it will last in this year's tournament, but you couldn't ask for a better start if you're Gonzaga head coach Mark Few.

No. 24: Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas Can Fill It Up

NCAA tournament games are a great place to show just how great a player can be. Deshaun Thomas of the Ohio State Buckeyes picked a perfect time to put up a career-high 31 points.

The Buckeyes are going to be a dangerous team, and Thomas' play will have a major impact on just how far they go.

With all the attention Jared Sullinger gets down low and William Buford receives in the mid-range game, Thomas is the X-factor moving forward because of his consistent scoring ability. He has scored in single digits just four times this season.

He's a guy who can score 20 or more points in any given game.

If Ohio State makes the Final Four, Thomas will have to continue his scoring ways.

No. 23: Murray State vs. Marquette Will Be Great Third-Round Game on Slate

Marquette against Murray State will be one of the most exciting third-round games in the NCAA tournament.

Both have guards who are capable of taking over games, both are well-coached and both have athleticism across the board.

This one is going to be fun to watch.

Marquette destroyed BYU 88-68 and Murray State defeated Colorado State 58-41 in their respective second-round games. They were equally impressive in their own way.

These are two similar teams. Murray State will unquestionably be the underdog, but don't count it out; it won 31 games this season for a reason.

No. 22: Florida Has Athletes Who Can Lead to Deep NCAA Tournament Run

After Florida's demolishing of Virginia 71-45 on Friday, the Gators made it apparent that they are capable of a deep NCAA tournament run.

Virginia is a team known for defense. Florida shot 52.8 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Cavaliers 36-21.

Kenny Boynton, Bradley Beal and Erving Walker can match up athletically with any group of guards in the country.

Florida has two first-round NBA talents in Beal and Patric Young who can show up to the party. Walker can get hot from behind the arc. Boynton has been up and down but is capable of playing well.

Oh yeah, and Billy Donovan has won two national championships.

Watch out for the Gators.

No. 21: Syracuse Is Still an Elite Eight Team

I mentioned a few slides back that Syracuse isn't capable of winning a national championship with its current roster.

However, I'm not one of those people who is going to completely write it off from being capable of making a deep run.

The Orange played one of the better No. 16 seeds you will ever see in the tournament in UNC-Asheville, they have multiple players capable of putting points on the board and they have the experience.

Syracuse is still an Elite Eight team this season.

We are talking about a deep team led by experienced players like Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche. They also can run out Dion Waiters, C.J. Fair and James Southerland.

It's going to be difficult rebounding the basketball without Fab Melo, but this is still a team capable of making a deep run in the tournament even without the big man.

No. 20: Winning the ACC Tournament Means Nothing in NCAA Tournament

Leonard Hamilton and Florida State were ecstatic to win the ACC tournament because they were tired of being called the third-best team in the ACC.

Florida State had a giant wake-up call against St. Bonaventure on Friday, but it wasn't enough to send it home.

It was just a friendly reminder that nothing matters prior to the NCAA tournament. Any team can defeat another on any given day.

Welcome to the beauty of college basketball.

Florida State survived and advanced, but it is awake now.

No. 19: Anthony Evans Expected to Defeat Missouri

Anthony Evans—or Mr. Smooth, as I like to call him—sounded like he expected his Norfolk State Spartans to pull the upset of No. 2 Missouri on Friday. It really sounded like he believed it.

Obviously he's going to seem like he was confident, but you can just tell when coaches don't expect to be doing the postgame interview after a victory.

Evans seemed like he expected this.

Players reflect the personality of their coach. His kids responded with confidence that equaled their coach.

Kudos for the confidence.

No. 18: Don't Sleep on Wisconsin

Bo Ryan is a fantastic tournament coach. His Wisconsin Badgers improved to 10-1 all-time in tournament openers while he is on the sideline.

They took care of Montana 73-49 on Thursday.

Will Cherry, the Grizzlies' leading scorer, was held to nine points on 3-of-14 shooting by Wisconsin's great defense.

With its great defense, solid coaching and experienced team, Wisconsin can potentially be a sleeper in the tournament.

Jordan Taylor, Ryan Evans, Jared Berggren and others are a talented crew that will give Vanderbilt issues in the third round.

No. 17: Xavier Has Great Opportunity to Make Sweet 16

Xavier didn't look great against Notre Dame but did enough in the second half to erase its deficit.

Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons have enough to make it to the Sweet 16 or maybe further, given their talent level.

With the victory over Notre Dame, Xavier will play Lehigh in the third round.

What a great opportunity for Holloway and company.

The Musketeers will have to play their A-game to defeat the Mountain Hawks, but you have to like their chances.

No. 16: Vanderbilt Is the Real Deal

Vanderbilt has two first-round NBA talents in John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor, an inside presence with Festus Ezeli and multiple players who can spray it from beyond the arc.

This team is the real deal.

Winning the SEC tournament gave Vanderbilt confidence going forward into the NCAA tournament. Its first-round victory over Harvard also was a boost, seeing how it has been upset in its opener in recent years.

The Commodores are going to be in for a real dogfight against Wisconsin on Saturday, but this team has what it takes to make it to the Final Four if they continue to play well.

No. 15: Norfolk State Can Make It to Sweet 16

Florida has been an up-and-down team all season long. Who says that Norfolk State can't handle a guard-oriented Gators team? Missouri was a guard-oriented team, so why not?

Three Spartans scored 20 points or more Friday. Kyle O'Quinn was an absolute monster underneath, scoring 26 points and recording 14 rebounds.

Norfolk State generally doesn't shoot the ball well from the perimeter, but it did against Missouri, shooting 10-of-19 from behind the arc.

This victory will only give the Spartans confidence that they can compete with the nation's best team.

Bracket busters!

No. 14: Tournament Champs from Power Conferences Are Teams That Can Make Runs

Louisville, Michigan State, Florida State, Colorado and Vanderbilt continued their streaking ways during the first two days of the NCAA tournament.

What does this mean?

These teams are playing solid basketball at the right time. Some people suggest that the "hot" team is the most dangerous team in playoff circumstances (see: Connecticut from last season).

These teams are all "hot" right now, and their play continued in a big way in the second round.

Louisville defeated Davidson, Michigan State defeated LIU-Brooklyn, Florida State defeated St. Bonaventure, Colorado defeated UNLV and Vanderbilt defeated Harvard.

Keep an eye out for these tournament champions.

No. 13: At Least One Pac-12 School Can Play

It's nice to see one team from the Pac-12 conference show up to the party.

Colorado has proved to be the best team out of the Pac-12 conference this season. It played well throughout the conference tournament and continued that success in the second round against UNLV on Thursday night.

After almost blowing a double-digit lead to UNLV, Colorado held on and will play Baylor on Saturday.

What has led this charge from the Buffaloes is their ability to defend. They held UNLV to 32.4 percent shooting and 25 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

If it can continue to score at a decent rate with its balanced attack, Colorado has enough to pull the upset against a Baylor team that has been up and down this season.

No. 12: Royce White Can Lead Iowa State Cyclones Past Kentucky

When things seem to be in trouble, Iowa State looks to its sophomore standout Royce White to step up and control the pace of the game.

White is a do-it-all type of player who is capable of pulling off the upset of Kentucky on Saturday. He scored 15 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out two assists against defending champion Connecticut on Thursday night.

Usually teams that make deep runs in the NCAA tournament have a player with star quality. White definitely lives up to the bill in that category.

No. 11: Shaka Smart and VCU Are Ready for Another Run

Remember when Butler's Brad Stevens lost Gordon Hayward to the NBA after making a championship game appearance?

Nobody gave Butler a chance to make it to back-to-back championship games. It proved all the naysayers wrong.

Now it's Shaka Smart and VCU's turn.

The Rams, coming off a Final Four appearance, are capable of making another run in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

Smart's ability to coach in big-time situations mixed in with a defense that makes teams play faster than they want is a recipe for success in a one-game elimination-style tournament.

VCU's victory over one of the best mid-majors in the country, Wichita State, proves that the Rams are ready for another lengthy tournament run.

No. 10: Duke Was Vulnerable Heading into NCAA Tournament

Duke lives and dies by the three-point shot. If it doesn't hit from the perimeter against quality teams, Duke has a great chance of being upset.

Combine that with the fact that nobody other than Austin Rivers is consistently able to create his own shot, and you can see why Duke fell to Lehigh.

Not having Ryan Kelly hurt them as well.

Having to rely on a freshman to create his own shot, create for others, score the ball and take clutch shots told me not to believe in Duke for the NCAA tournament.

Hopefully you didn't believe in it either. If you did, I'm sure your brackets took a hit.

No. 9: Marquette Has Final Four Talent

Buzz Williams' Marquette Golden Eagles have the talent to make the Final Four this season. Led by Jae Crowder, the Big East Player of the Year, and Darius Johnson-Odom, the Golden Eagles have the experience and athleticism to make a deep run.

Marquette controlled its second-round game against BYU en route to a 20-point victory on Thursday to move on to play Murray State in the third round.

This team is a tough matchup for any team it plays because of its ability to be unselfish (seventh in nation in assists). It shares the wealth about as well as any team in the country.

Marquette is a sleeper Final Four team.

No. 8: Missouri's Defense and Rebounding Held It Back

Missouri allowed 38 first-half points to Norfolk State on Friday, 86 in the game. The Spartans were 149th in college basketball in points per game.

Won't get it done.

Missouri wants to play an up-tempo style of basketball, so teams can score on it. However, it put itself in positions that could result in an upset if it missed a few jumpers late in games.

Norforlk State took full advantage of that on Friday.

Rebounding was another key issue for Missouri against Norfolk State. It was on the downside of a 35-23 rebounding margin and allowed Kyle O'Quinn to grab 14 boards.

Even if Missouri got by the Spartans, I didn't think that it was capable of making the Final Four because of its defense and rebounding. It showed on Friday. 

No. 7: C.J. McCollum Can Lead Mountain Hawks to Sweet 16

C.J. McCollum poured in 30 points on 9-of-24 shooting against Duke on Friday night. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists.

McCollum can carry the Mountain Hawks to the Sweet 16.

He averaged 21.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season.

If McCollum can play well again, the Mountain Hawks can survive and advance.

No. 6: It's Great Seeing Prestigious Programs Return to Glory

Indiana and North Carolina State are two teams that haven't had success in their recent history. Now, Mark Gottfried (NC State) and Tom Crean (Indiana) have put their stamp on the 2012 NCAA tournament with victories.

Both are recruiting very well, and both will be tough outs going forward in the Big Dance.

It's great to see historic programs return to prominence.

No. 6: Ryan Kelly Was a Major Loss for Duke

Not having the versatile Ryan Kelly really put Duke in a hole, even against Lehigh. Kelly can step away from the basketball, pulling out defenders for Austin Rivers' penetration.

Losing Kelly is more than just losing statistical production, even though he provided 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He was an experienced player who created mismatches with his versatility.

Who knows if Kelly could have helped Duke defeat Lehigh—but I'm sure he would have helped.

No. 5: No Seed Is Safe

We saw two No. 15 seeds take out No. 2 seeds and even No. 1 seeds have all they could handle. It proved that college basketball's parity is extremely deep.

It feels like we could see one, maybe two, Cinderella stories this season. Outside of Kentucky and North Carolina, it doesn't feel like there are teams that separate themselves.

No seed was safe in the round of 64.

No. 4: No Reason Why Lowest Seeds Remaining Can't Continue to Advance

What I mean here is simple: This year we saw a No. 16 seed take a run at Syracuse, two No. 15 seeds achieve victory and No. 13 Ohio take out No. 4 Michigan.

These lower seeds have proven to be able to hang with the top dogs regardless of their seeding.

This provides for a great NCAA tournament watch, and we haven't been disappointed.

If those low seeds can defeat No. 2s and No. 4s, then there is no reason why they can't advance another round.

No. 3: An Underachieving Team Will Continue to Underachieve

For one reason or another, Connecticut was just an average team in college basketball this season.

It has the first-round NBA talent, experience and a coach who has won national championships. Sounds like a team capable of making a deep run in the tournament.

Not exactly.

Iowa State defeated Connecticut by exploiting its mismatches, including superstar Royce White.

Many believed that Connecticut could give Kentucky problems with its talent level. The Huskies won't get a chance, however.

For a team that began the season No. 4 in the country, Connecticut underachieved significantly in 2011-12.

No. 2: Perseverance Pays off If You're Robbie Hummel

Two ACL tears, countless rehabbing and disappointment of not being able to help his team are all things Purdue's Robbie Hummel had to go through in his career.

Hummel finally played in his first NCAA tournament game in three seasons against the Saint Mary's Gaels on Friday night.

And Purdue won.

And he hit two crucial free throws late.

I couldn't be more happy for a guy who persevered through all his injuries to win a second-round game for Purdue.

Inspirational stuff.

No. 1: This Is Why We Love March Madness

Thursday's slate of games was decent. We didn't see buzzer-beaters or extremely shocking upsets.

However, Friday was a completely new day; we saw a 180-degree change.

Two No. 2 seeds went down, a No. 4 fell and we saw upsets, drama and quality basketball to boot.

Friday was a clear reminder of why we love March Madness!