The bottom line is Cornell is much better than a 12 seed. It'll will be playing about an hour from its campus and the temptation is to say there’s no way the Big Red can stay with the Big Blue. But consider Cornell shot 61 percent overall and 53 percent from three-point range in its victory over Wisconsin. And remember Cornell almost defeated Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse in the regular season. The Kentucky players better not take Cornell lightly. This is a talented and intelligent team.

Northern Iowa’s upset received so much attention it really overshadowed the accomplishments of Washington. The Huskies went through a stretch in January when they lost five of seven games and coming out of the beleaguered Pac-10 there wasn’t any reason to believe Washington would be in the Sweet 16. But led by Quincy Pondexter, the Huskies showed great team speed in wins over Marquette and New Mexico. Suddenly the Huskies are on a great run. It will be a test of wills against a West Virginia team that plays tough defense and loves to spread the floor. Da’Sean Butler has evolved into a postseason hero for the Mountaineers.

In the South, Duke defeated Cal Sunday even though Jon Scheyer was 1-for-11 from the field and scored only seven points. Center Brian Zoubek picked up the slack with 14 points and 13 rebounds. But the absence of Villanova in the Houston regional doesn’t mean Duke has an easy path.

No. 4 Purdue is Duke’s semifinal opponent and the Boilermakers, led by hard-nosed Chris Kramer, are not interested in any sympathy over the loss of injured Robbie Hummel. They dodged Siena in the first round and then outlasted a good Texas A&M team in overtime. Two more wins and the Boilermakers finish the season with home games in the Final Four.

But Baylor will be the hometown favorite in Houston. The Bears became a trendy pick when the brackets were announced and with the solid combination of perimeter shooting and effective inside play, the Bears should put an end to the magical ride of St. Mary’s, the No. 10 seed. The best advice for Duke and Purdue is to begin their homework on Baylor’s Tweety Carter, LaceDarius Dunn and Ekpe Udoh now — not later.

The departure of Kansas leaves the Midwest region relatively open. With Tom Izzo coaching, No. 5 Michigan State can never be counted out, but if Kalin Lucas is lost to injury the Spartans are going to have a tough with Northern Iowa. If Michigan State can limp into the Elite Eight, the Spartans will likely get a rematch with Ohio State. Evan Turner and Co. play No. 6 Tennessee in the other regional semi.

2010 men's NCAA tournament Quick guide to the teams, players, more

Syracuse engineered blowouts of Vermont and Gonzaga even without center Arinze Onuaku. If Onuaku can return for the West regional in Salt Lake City, the chances of the Orange returning to the Final Four will look even better. Syracuse gets No. 5 Butler in the semifinals and with a win would move on to play the winner of Kansas State vs. No. 6 Xavier.

Honestly, Butler and Xavier have gone about as far as they can go. K-State is the sexy pick to win the West but Syracuse loves to run as much as the Wildcats. If the K-State guards can’t find the key to unlocking Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, there’s no way the Wildcats move on to Indy.

We could get real crazy here and predict a Final Four of Northern Iowa, Butler, Cornell and St. Mary’s. CBS would get horrible ratings and talk of expansion might cease for a very long time.

But don’t count on that. Instead, look for Kentucky, Baylor, Syracuse, and Ohio State to punch their tickets to Indianapolis.

And remember, the Wildcats are on the hot seat now.

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