32-4. Target: 36-4. Next in our sights: Maryland or Hawai'i

Well, Round 2 against UConn was a smashing success. The lads played as a cohesive unit, punched the Huskies in the mouth early, then regrouped with great counter-punches and swag when UConn made a little run. They felled a previously undefeated tourney coach (now 7-1, thank you very much) and exorcised their 2-year demon of premature Round of 32 exits.

Now it's on to Louisville, home of fine bourbon, Churchill Downs, the greatest boxer of all time, and a pretty famous line of baseball bats.

Next up? Either the Maryland Terps or the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors. (Asteroid, would that not be fun for you or what?)

Hawai'i's biggest wins this year came over Northern Iowa, UC-Irvine, and Cal...and they lost a game to Oklahoma (in Honolulu) by only 3 points. As for Maryland, they came out of the gates with by far Mark Turgeon's most loaded team from his tenure at College Park. They soared all the way to #1 in the polls at one point this season, with signature wins over UConn, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Purdue. They played fitful ball down the stretch, however, losing 5 out of their final 8 games in Big 10 play before the tourney. When they are hitting on all cylinders, they can be quite formidable, but they can be knocked off of their game by a great team. (See: KU)

Regardless of the opponent, my take from prior to the 2nd Round UConn game remains on target: We are the better team. We remain on a formidable roll (16 straight). We know how to bring it and close the deal. Our guys are very seasoned. We can break your back with killer shooting, athletic dribble penetration, and (increasingly) strong rim play. We have depth. Our guys practice daily against the best team in the country--KU. The boys are hungry and want to keep the party going. Self is the next college Hall of Fame coach.

And last but not least:



Onward and Upward for the KU Locomotive...

ROCK CHALK!!!