And then there were 16

Number of mid-majors in the Sweet 16: 4
Number of ACC teams in the Sweet 16: 1

Not that this is going to be remembered by anyone except Kyle Whelliston, mind you, but it does demonstrate that the gap between the "majors" and the "mid-majors" has closed even more significantly than previously reported. And, if Xavier takes care of business (or gets a particular call against Darryl Dawkins, err, Greg Oden), then we're looking at 5 mid-majors and no Big 10.

Think about that for a minute. It's OK. I'll wait.

Other thoughts:
Tennessee before Bruce Pearl generally attempted to handle the ball in the Tournament with both hands wrapped firmly around their collective windpipe. With Pearl in place, not so much. The man may be a showboating, carpetbagging snitch (or so some folks in the Midwest would tell you) but he's a lights-out coach, and Tennessee is going to be a trendy early Final Four pick for next year.

Vandy is in the Sweet 16, and Texas isn't. Go figure. USC is maybe the biggest surprise team so far, regardless of seeding. Most folks I talked to thought Texas was underseeded, and that they'd take the Trojans to the woodshed by halftime. Instead, it went entirely the opposite way, and a still-young UNC team needs to be very careful or they'll find themselves bounced - face mask or no face mask.

All that being said, I still think Georgetown is going to take Vandy apart like they're fried chicken at a tailgate party. Still, Sweet 16 is nothing to sneeze at.

Can Southern Illinois beat Kansas? Well, if Oral Roberts could... I don't think it's hugely likely, but I wouldn't be shocked if it happened. Well, not too shocked.