INDIANAPOLIS -- Louisville has won 29 games, features an all-NBA backcourt in Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean, and has a third NBA player in forward Juan Palacios. And it's a fourth Cardinal, Ellis Myles, who had a triple-double last week. Louisville is ranked No. 4 nationally, and is a No. 4 seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
Four weeks ago, Kansas looked like a No. 1 seed. Four days ago, so did Arizona. They're both No. 3s.
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| Will the Sweet 16 turn sour for Nate Robinson and Washington if they meet Louisville there? (AP) |
Is this bracket loaded or what?
Only history will be able to judge the 2005 NCAA Tournament, but in the final hours before the games begin, it's safe to say no NCAA Tournament in recent years -- and possibly no NCAA Tournament ever -- has had this many exceptional teams.
The dropoff is steep, with a weak collection of at-large teams rounding out the field, but soon those teams will be gone. Beginning with the second round, almost anything will be possible. And once the tournament reaches the Sweet 16, no team will be safe.
No team.
Look at Illinois, the No. 1 seed in the Chicago region. The Illini (32-1) and Boston College were the last two undefeated teams in Division I -- and Illinois can't get to the Elite Eight without getting past Boston College, the region's No. 4 seed. And before the Illini get to Boston College, they'll have to survive a potential second-round matchup with Nevada, which went 24-6 and won the WAC by two games. Nevada is seeded ninth.
Look at Washington, the No. 1 seed in the Albuquerque Region. The Huskies (27-5) have beaten No. 3 seed Oklahoma, No. 5 Alabama and No. 6 Utah. They've beaten Arizona twice. But to survive the Sweet 16, they'll probably have to get past Louisville, sitting there as an alarming No. 4 seed.
Look at Duke, the No. 1 seed in the Austin Region. The Blue Devils (25-5) ought to breeze into the Sweet 16, past Delaware State and the Mississippi State -Stanford winner. But waiting in the Sweet 16 could be Syracuse. These are champions of the ACC and Big East tournaments. Most years Duke-Syracuse isn't in the Sweet 16 -- it's in the Final Four.
But Duke and Syracuse are only two of at least 15 teams whose appearance in the Final Four would not be called an upset. North Carolina ought to make it to St. Louis, and probably ought to win the whole thing, but is it that big a stretch to imagine No. 2 seed Connecticut representing the Syracuse Region in the Final Four? Or No. 3 seed Kansas?
"There's a lot of great teams," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. "Basketball has evolved, especially at the college level, where anyone can compete with anyone else. When you reduce scholarships to 13, there are going to be more athletes going to more schools. That's why you're seeing some of the teams that aren't as high a seed as you'd think -- because there are so many strong teams out there."
The clearest sign of this tournament's depth was the No. 4 seeding of Louisville, followed by the simple explanation of NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman Bob Bowlsby: "Who would you bump off the (No.) 3 line?"
