Saturday, March 24, 2007

16 Winners From the Sweet 16

College basketball’s Sweet 16 showdowns are in the books, giving way to a powerhouse Elite Eight weekend. All four #1 seeds are still alive, to go along with three 2’s and a 3. Besides the eight victorious teams on Thursday and Friday, there were numerous other winners from the Sweet 16. Here’s a look at 16 of them.


Crime Scene Investigators: The brackets, like a gruesome murder victim, have been outlined in chalk.

Chris Webber: With the North Carolina – Georgetown matchup set, Fred Brown will be this weekend’s endlessly replayed goat.

Sobriety: Thursday was a big night for AA: Antonio Anderson’s free throws won it for Memphis, and Arron Afflalo’s 17 points paced UCLA.

Environmentalists: Florida, Georgetown, and North Carolina feature Taurean, Jeff, and Danny Green, respectively. Corporate America, take note of March Madness: you can generate huge revenues AND be Green-friendly.

Georgia Football Team: Florida’s win over Butler showed that they’re not the only Bulldogs who can’t beat the Gators.

AARP: It was not a time for the Young, as USC’s Nick Young, Pittsburgh’s Sam Young, and Southern Illinois guard Tony Young lost.

Durex Condoms: In the end, the Trojans didn’t get the job done.

Hollywood Henderson: The Dallas Cowboys linebacker ridiculed Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers before Super Bowl XIII. Thursday he got to see Bradshaw (Tennessee’s Dane) AND Pittsburgh go down to defeat.

Eugene Lawrence: The junior guard from St. John’s has the home cities of two Elite Eight teams in his name.

Philadelphia Eagles Backfield: Winners included Donovan (Florida’s Billy) and Westbrook (UCLA’s Russell).

Aflac: Friday was a huge night for Ducks, as Oregon eliminated UNLV, and Anaheim clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Memphis Grizzlies: Saturday will provide hope for next year: a Memphis game with Greg Oden on the court.

Anderson Hunt: Although the Runnin’ Rebels fell, the victory by Memphis was a tribute to the Most Outstanding Player of the 1990 Final Four. Antonio Anderson and Jeremy Hunt played major roles.

Tennessee Women’s Team: Bruce Pearl is now free to paint his chest and scream for the Lady Vols.

Detroit Sports: Motown natives Tajuan Porter and Malik Hairston are vital for Oregon, as is Detroit’s Chris Douglas-Roberts for Memphis. Plus, the Tigers won, as did Lions receiver Roy Williams, who looks different these days.

Wicked Stepmothers: Cinderella is nowhere to be found.