The Skyliner

Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: Sports

David Sons
Staff Writer


Duke. Georgetown. Arizona. Kentucky.

With a combined 36 final four appearances among them, these perennial college basketball powerhouses sound like a bracketologist's best friend.

What do they have in common this season?

All four were eliminated in the first or second round of the 2008 tournament. In case you missed the first weekend of play, here are some of the major storylines:

• Davidson Wildcats - How good has this team been? After knocking out Gonzaga in round one, the Wildcats, led by super sophomore Stephen Curry, showed they were not a fluke by taking it to Big East champion Georgetown in round two. Davidson, who had not won a tournament game in 39 years before upsetting Gonzaga Thursday, waits to face the No. 3-seeded Wisconsin Badgers. Curry, the son of former NBA sharp shooter Dell Curry, leads this team in scoring, averaging 35 points per game during the first two rounds of the tournament. The Wildcats face off Friday against the Badgers, in an attempt to propel Davidson to their first elite eight appearance in school history.

• Number 1 seeds survive - All four No. 1 seeds survived the first two rounds of this year's tournament. While Memphis and UCLA struggled in round two against the physical Texas A&M and Mississippi State, respectively, the No. 1-seeded teams looked good in the opening rounds. Kansas won its first two games by an average of 21 points, and the favored North Carolina Tar Heels won their first two games by an average of 34 points. The Jayhawks and Tar Heels played like legitimate title contenders. Both are two wins away from meeting in the final four. Memphis and UCLA won tough second round matchups but showed their flaws in the process. UCLA looks to have an easy run, with only an outmatched Western Kentucky squad and the winner of Xavier/West Virginia in their path. The Memphis Tigers, however, do not have such luck. They will face Michigan State Friday, and if they survive the onslaught Tom Izzo and Drew Neitzel throw their way, the Tigers will play the winner of Texas/Stanford. The No. 1 seeds have survived thus far, but look for at least one of them to be upset this weekend.

• What's wrong with Duke? - The Blue Devils were outed before the sweet 16 for the second year in a row. After winning a nail biter in round one against Belmont, the Blue Devils looked lethargic at best against an energetic West Virginia. Duke was ranked as a No. 2 seed coming into the tournament, after finishing the season 27-5 and ranked No. 7 in the final regular season national polls. The Blue Devils "live by the three, die by the three" attitude was displayed against the West Virginia Mountaineers, and in the end, it led to their downfall. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who was suffering from the after effects of the flu, has something else to be sick about during the offseason.

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