An unusually chalky opening weekend of the men’s NCAA tournament has produced a Sweet 16 only Greg Sankey could love.
There are no slingshot-wielding long shots left in the field, no semblance of small-conference charm.
NC State is the only double-digit seed still left in the field. An original ACC school with multiple national titles is no one’s idea of Cinderella.
Only Gonzaga and San Diego State remain from outside college basketball’s power conferences. Those two outgrew the mid-major label long ago.
Marquee programs treated little guys this past weekend like 18-wheelers bearing down on slow-to-react squirrels in their path.