NCAA Tournament - Elite Eight

Check This . . .
After the Sweet Sixteen the Big 12 has two teams, Kansas and Texas, remaining. The Big 12 is the only conference to have two teams left. The tournament began with the Big 12 having six teams participating, as did the Pac-10 and the SEC. The Big East led all conferences with 8 teams participating. At this point the Pac-10 only has one of their six remaining (UCLA) and the SEC has no teams remaining. The Big East only has one of their eight bids left (Louisville).

The Big 12 has been criticized lately as being a weaker major conference in basketball. Perhaps rightly so. There hasn't been a Big 12 team in the Final Four since 2004. But all that seems to have changed. And it may be worth mentioning that the Big 12 supplied the 2007 Naismith College Player of the Year in Texas' Kevin Durant and may do the same in 2008 with Kansas State's Michael Beasley.

As for the other major conferences, the ACC began with 4 teams and has North Carolina remaining, and the Big 10 also began with 4 teams and has no teams left.

Also . . .
Typically, I only concern myself with the major conferences, but sometimes the NCAA Tournament can be a special time. As an alumnus of a Sunbelt Conference school and 2007 NCAA tournament participant, North Texas, I would like to brag. The Sunbelt Conference sent not one, but two teams to the 2008 NCAA Tournament in South Alabama and first and second-round darlings Western Kentucky. Western Kentucky's game winning, buzzer-beating shot by Ty Rogers assisted by stellar guard Tyrone Brazelton is sure remain as one of the 2008 NCAA tournament's great plays.

E-mail me: llanesjr@gmail.com