So far, the NCAA Tournament has been awesome, baby, with a capital A! What a scintillating first two rounds.

You have to give a lot of credit to Mike Tranghese and the NCAA selection committee. We've had buzzer beaters, upsets galore, great performances. Think about it, there has been so much drama in the first two rounds. I give Tranghese an A+.

They have given us so many good story lines. I know some people think the committee utilizes the computer to set up the matchups. The computer formulates the data needed to coordinate the seeds, but the committee balances the brackets and makes the call on the matchups.

You can bet that it's not an accident when Maryland has a game against Georgetown as well as that showdown against Lefty Driesell.

There was the emotion of pupil vs. mentor as Quin Snyder and Coach K hooked up in Greensboro. What a great moment before the game, as Coach K told Snyder how proud he was of his former player. Moments like that are fantastic -- they create excitement. We are in the entertainment business, and these games create great news copy. There is so much interest in the event.

MID-MAJORS GET IT DONE IN ROUND ONE

	Gonzaga and Casey Calvary have shown the big boys they can play with three straight trips to the Sweet 16.

The first round showed once again that the mid-majors can flat-out play. I know those schools don't like to be called mid-majors, and it has nothing to do with their coaching ability or talent level. It relates to their recruiting budgets, scheduling, facilities and television exposure.

Guys, relax. We know you can play! Obviously their talent can compete with the big guys. Perhaps some of the schools on top are doing a poor job of evaluating the right talent for their program. What about the job Hampton did against a No. 2 seed, Iowa State? The image of Steve Merfeld celebrating after that game was something special.

There was Butler marching on, humiliating Wake Forest. It was a blowout, 43-10 at halftime. Thad Matta's team fell to a solid Arizona team in the second round.

Gonzaga isn't a Cinderella any more, but the bottom line is they shouldn't be able to beat ACC schools. You can't tell that to kids like Dan Dickau and Casey Calvary.

The Zags from Spokane have a special program, going to the Sweet 16 three straight years. Mark Few's team is the lowest seed left in the tournament, but that No. 12 means nothing. This team is for real and always dangerous.

Surprises like Utah State over Ohio State, Indiana State over Oklahoma and Kent State over Indiana made the first round interesting. That's the beauty of the tournament, the essence that makes March Madness what it is. There is hoop hysteria with David vs. Goliath showdowns early.

When push comes to shove, though, check out the teams in the Elite Eight. I guarantee you it will be dominated by the heavyweights, teams from the power conferences. You have to love Sweet 16 matchups like Duke-UCLA and Illinois-Kansas, baby!

The early rounds produced new stars. America learned about Southern Utah's Jeff Monaco, who was brilliant from the outside in pushing Boston College to the wire. You saw Josh Sankes of Holy Cross working so hard as the Crusaders gave Kentucky a scare. Hampton's Tarvis Williams was among the nation's top-10 scorers, but it took a shocker over the Cyclones for people to learn more about him.

Even when favorites advance, surprise players often step up. Look at Mississippi's win over Iona, as Emmanuel Wade, who was averaging four points a game, came up with 19 big ones. Kentucky's Marquis Estill had 22 points off the bench, hitting 9-of-11 shots in the victory over Iowa. Gonzaga's Alex Hernandez came off the bench to provide a spark, totaling 27 points in two games.

PAC-10 ON A ROLL
Here's a salute to the Pac-10 for placing four teams in the Sweet 16. Stanford, UCLA, USC and Arizona make up a quarter of the remaining field.

The Pac-10 had four make the Sweet 16 in 1997 (UCLA, Stanford, Arizona and California) and 1998 (UCLA, Stanford, Arizona and Washington).

Henry Bibby's Trojans are the biggest surprise of the four, advancing as a No. 6 seed in the East. USC is very athletic and has a strong front-line presence, led by Sam Clancy. Brandon Granville is a fine leader at the point and Jeff Trepagnier can flat-out leap. Plus, he's one of the nation's premier defenders.

ACC IS SWEET
While talking about conferences, the ACC kept an impressive streak going. The conference has had at least two schools make the Sweet 16 every season since 1979. Duke and Maryland are through to this year's Sweet 16.

Then again, Duke or North Carolina has been in the Final Four every year except one since 1988. The Blue Devils will try to keep this intact since the Tar Heels were stunned by Penn State.

'88 -- Duke
'89 -- Duke
'90 -- Duke
'91 --- North Carolina and Duke
'92 -- Duke
'93 -- North Carolina
'94 -- Duke
'95 -- North Carolina
'96 -- NEITHER
'97 -- North Carolina
'98 -- North Carolina
'99 -- Duke
'00 -- North Carolina

WHO'S PLAYING THE BEST?
The four teams that have stood out to me are Kansas, Duke, Temple and Illinois.

Roy Williams' team has less pressure because people haven't talked much about the Jayhawks. They have a strong front line and Kenny Gregory has been solid, shooting 70 percent in the first two tournament games.

Duke's offense has been on fire, scoring 189 points in two games. The Blue Devils will be even stronger if Carlos Boozer can return.

Temple's zone defense gave Texas and Florida fits. The Owls have committed just 13 turnovers in two games; protecting the ball and limiting mistakes are so important. Lynn Greer and Quincy Wadley have been a dynamic duo.

Bill Self showed his ability as a coach in the tournament last year with Tulsa. This Illini team looks like it is on a mission.

MARYLAND GOES FOR THREE G's
If you told Gary Williams before the season that the path to the Elite Eight would include games against George Mason, Georgia State and Georgetown on neutral courts, do you think he would have been happy? He would have said, "Bring it on."

I've said from day one that teams like Maryland and Georgetown should meet every year. The same can be said for Cincinnati vs. Ohio State and DePaul vs. Illinois to kick off the season.

That's another story. Let's enjoy the Sweet 16 and great basketball, baby!