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Don’t cry for Cinderella. Nebraska, John Calipari, Duke can save March Madness

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My preferred March Madness goes like this: Cinderellas wreak havoc in the first round, before the big dogs take over in the Sweet 16 and beyond.

Give me that opening round dopamine hit of a classic 12 vs. 5 upset, a 13 slaying a 4-seed, a 14 toppling a 3. Thursday and Friday shrine brightest when filled with buzzer-beaters that go in favor of teams like Furman, Saint Peter’s, Princeton and Oakland.

Bold predictions: A No. 1 seed is going down in the Sweet 16

Then, give me chalk, Hall of Fame coaches, big-branded muscle and superstars trading buckets.

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See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

In the ideal March Madness, enough top seeds survive and eliminate Cinderella around the second round or so, so that many of the best teams and the top players are still playing and entertaining in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four.

If Cinderella keeps winning, we get what happened in 2023. That year, underdogs shined in Round 1, then kept advancing until the Final Four included No. 9 Florida Atlantic and two 5-seeds. The tournament had been great up to that point, before UConn tore through the Final Four in a dominant but boring finish.

I prefer the games to keep getting better through the end of the tournament — like we had last season, when all three games at the Final Four site were 40-minute thrillers, on the heels of a compelling Sweet 16 and decent Elite Eight.

Well, anyway, Cinderella didn’t show up this season. Not an ideal first round, or a particularly entertaining one. The slipper got smashed by bigfoots from the Big Ten and the SEC.

Who’s No. 1?: Ranking the 16 college basketball coaches in the Sweet 16

Miami (Ohio) provided some flare in the First Four with a blend of 3s and Speedos, and VCU and High Point delivered a dash of upset magic on the first day of Round 1. Mostly, though, major upsets became an endangered species. If you picked a lot of chalk, you’re doing well in your office bracket pool.

Cinderella’s glory days appear to be in the rearview mirror. Perhaps she’ll never again shine with the same brightness as she did in 2023 and ’24.

Blame NIL, or revenue-sharing, or transfer free agency or Power conference expansion, or all of the above for creating difficult times for low- and mid-majors in March.

Now, ready for the bright side? With so many excellent teams still standing in the Sweet 16, this tournament is positioned to go out with a grand finale. Better have two TVs side by side in your living room the next two nights, because the Sweet 16 is straight banger matchups.

Start with the coaches. It’s a who’s who list of Hall of Famers, national champions, renaissance men, in-their-prime virtuosos, and up-and-coming tacticians.

This week I ranked the Sweet 16 coaches, 1 through 16. John Calipari checked in at No. 8. He’s coached in six Final Fours. Matt Painter, a Purdue legend, ranked No. 9. That should tell you something about the depth of coaching talent in this Sweet 16.

Then, you’ve got the playmakers on the court. In this year of the freshman, Cameron Boozer, Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries and Keaton Wagler aren’t ready for their first (and last) tournament experience to end.

Ah, but the youngbloods can’t have all the fun.

Alex Karaban, in his 146th career start, all for UConn (who says loyalty is dead?), dropped a career-high 27 points on UCLA. If only UConn could get four more years out of Karaban, he’d be going for 50-a-game in the 2030 tournament. A cool 27 will have to do for now.

Purdue’s senior point guard Braden Smith is still scoring and dishing, too. He had 26 points and eight assists in Round 1.

I know what you’re thinking. That all sounds great, but you miss Cinderella. OK, fair. Although Texas sits on the 11-seed line, let’s not pretend Mister Money Bags himself, gold-plated Bevo from Austin, is a Cinderella story.

If we set aside seeds, why can’t Nebraska by this tournament’s Cinderella? This time a week ago, Nebraska had exactly zero NCAA Tournament wins ever. Now, the Huskers have two, and they’re literally shooting off fireworks in Lincoln.

Keep your powder dry, because the best of this tournament is still to come.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nebraska, John Calipari can save March Madness after Cinderella flops



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