2010 NCAA Tournament: With Top-Seeded Kansas Gone, It's Anyone's Title to Grab

If you were looking for the first major upset in the NCAA tournament, I think that you found it today.

No. 1 Kansas, the overall top seed in this year's tourney, fell to the Northern Iowa Panthers, a No. 9 seed, in the Midwest Regional second round. The loss, a 69-67 defeat, puts Northern Iowa in the Sweet 16, and sends the Jayhawks packing for home instead of St. Louis.

Ali Farokhmanesh hit two crucial three-point baskets down the stretch, and the Panthers held on to win a game in which they blew a 14-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the second half.

The first of Farokhmanesh's huge shots came with just over one minute remaining and Kansas looking like they would rally to win. Northern Iowa's lead had shrunk to 56-53, and they desperately needed to knock down a shot.

That's when Farokhmanesh went to work.

He drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to put the Panthers up by six, 59-53, and almost began to celebrate when Kansas responded by stealing an inbounds pass and converting it into a lay-up, then stealing the ball again on the next possession and earning a trip to the charity stripe.

After showing that they could handle the ball with care for most of the game, Northern Iowa faltered down the stretch by committing turnovers and giving the ball back to the Jayhawks.

Although Kansas tried to rally and win a game that they had been overly out-played in for a good 30 minutes, Farokhmanesh's second three-point basket would end all hopes that the Kansas faithful may have had with their late surge.

Northern Iowa broke the Jayhawks' full-court pressure and passed the ball to a wide-open Farokhmanesh with 38 seconds left and a one-point lead. Instead of holding the ball and trying to run time off the clock, he calmly stepped into a three-point shot and buried it, giving the Panthers the advantage they would need to pull off a major upset.

With Kansas losing in the second round of a tournament they were favored to go all the way, several other contenders will now try to make their case as the favorite to cut down the nets in Indianapolis, Indiana.  

Amongst those teams are fellow No. 1 seeds Kentucky, Duke, and Syracuse, as well as other teams that have played well down the stretch and have made surges in their conference tournaments.

I'm sure that most people in the country had penciled in the Jayhawks as their pick to win the 2010 NCAA tournament, along with myself, but now which team left has the personnel, experience, and perseverance to make a deep run?

The Wildcats of Kentucky would be the obvious favorite to make a run at a championship game berth, but they lack experience at the point guard and center positions, and could very well slip-up against a talented mid-major team such as Northern Iowa.

John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have played fantastic all season long. The other players have found their roles on the team, and this unselfish group of players, led by head coach John Calipari, is the top team left standing in the tournament.

Duke has been doubted by every person in the country throughout the season (besides the Blue Devil faithful). They can't win in March, their players are overrated, and they only earned a No. 1 seed in this year's tournament because of the name across their jersey.

Let me tell you that these accusations could not be any more wrong.

This year's version of the Blue Devils has the experience, size, and overall athleticism that is necessary to make a run in the tournament. They are major contenders for the title, no matter what questions may arise when concerning the Blue Devils, and should not be overlooked as a threat.

Although Syracuse was bounced early in the Big East Tournament, they may have just enough of an advantage to win the championship. Once they were beaten in New York City by Georgetown, the Orange had extra time to heal, more time to prepare, and greater motivation to come back and fight for what they believe is rightfully theirs.

Big East Player of the Year Wes Johnson (16 points, 8.4 rebounds), Andy Rautins (11.7 points), Kris Joseph (11.3 points), and Arinze Onuaku (10.5 points) have paced Syracuse through the season, and have made the Orange serious Final Four contenders.

Kansas' loss means that the field is now wide-open: There is no distinct favorite, there is no team that stands out as a clear-cut championship game lock, and there is no team that has the right to claim they are favorites to win.

Any team on any given night can stage an upset, and that is what makes the 2010 NCAA tournament one of the most exciting to watch in recent years. The No. 1 seeds left are excited about their chances, but so are the hopefuls and teams looking to make a run.

The 2010 NCAA tournament is up for grabs; which team left in the draw will be poised to make a run to Indianapolis and claim the title?