Slayers hold serve and 3-point edge on rest of Calcutta

Amherst, N.Y. – We head to the Sweet Sixteen, with all eight teams alive and in unprecedented fashion, each team carries two squads into the regional finals.

The Slayers hold a commanding 3-point lead with a 1-seed remaining, which should all but sew up the title with a couple of sweet sixteen wins in the favorite role.

A logjam for second has four teams looking to pick up a check by getting a team into the Final Four. Some major Sweet Sixteen matchups will determine who is still around on the final weekend in one of the more evenly matched Calcuttas in recent memory.

Here’s a capsule look at all eight remaining teams……

Slayers (9 points). Bringing a record-tying seven teams to the weekend dance, didn’t dish up any upsets and only their top two held serve. But that was al they needed after the first round mastery put a number of points on the board. Both 1-Carolina (Auburn) and 2-Tennessee (Purdue) face formidable foes, but this tournament has held to form so far. Our morning line pick still looks pretty solid.

Sitting on top of the Calcutta....Rocky Top, that is.

Win-Docs (6 points). Oh, what might have been if 9-UCF didn’t get the CBS-Duke annual screw job. They still will be pressuring the Slayers with 1-Gonzaga and 2-Kentucky sashaying into the Sweet Sixteen. Is anyone really surprised that the Docs are right in the middle of things?

All the other teams be like.....

Catholic Boyz (6 points). I thought they’d be dangerous, but some early upsets kept them out of second place. If this were a football pool they’d be the top seed with SEC powers 3-LSU and 5-Auburn leading their Sweet Sixteen charge. They’ll take the first shot at the slayers with a bombing Auburn squad and will try and knock out the Commish with the Bayou Tigers. They’ll be in the underdog role here on out.

Still dancin...ya'll

Counselors (6 points). Like the Boyz, they’re stuck with lower seeds going into the regionals with two 4-seeds surviving the weekend. Both are playing good basketball though, but the waters start to get deeper next week. 4-Florida State and 4-Virginia Tech both take on top seeds and will need to play their best games versus Duke and Gonzaga.

You're out of order....and we're still alive.

Commish & Assoc. (6 points). In the last game of the weekend, they could’ve snatched the second spot to stay on the Slayers’ heels, but 12-Oregon had other thoughts. Both Cinderellas (12-Murray State and 13-Cal Irvine) struck midnight and the Commish is down to 2-Michigan State and 3-Houston. Paging Clyde Drexler and Magic Johnson.

Commish is in the house...shhhhhh Counselors

Elder Statesman (5 points). Left with a couple of 3-seeds both looking good in the second round. The old guys could only wish that Gene “Comb-over” Keady was still coaching the Boilers. 3-Texas Tech stopped the running of the Bulls in North Lubbock..err Tulsa. There’s something to be said for experience, and the old guys got it. Need to go on a big run.

Hello? 

 Amigos (5 points). The Amigos could slide right by everyone into the Final Four with 1-Virginia and 2-Michigan (against the weakest top seed). There’s been no sense that the annual Adios has even been thought about. The team that really could come out of the clouds and steal the whole thing. Only downside is they are a full game behind the Win-Docs who also have the 1-2 combo left.

It's possible, really, it is.

 Bunch of Chieftans (5 points). Some late night heroics by morning line sleeper pick 12-Oregon kept the Chieftans looking forward to next weekend. The Ducks were almost the only team to make it through for the Bunch before the Duke “miracle” occurred in South Carolina. A Duke run of the table and one more Oregon upset puts them at 10, which would be right in the mix. Can’t count them out yet.

We are a very happy Bunch

On to the Sweet Sixteen.....