Jackson Free Press

This year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has reached the Sweet Sixteen. We've seen some entertaining games the first weekend, including some surprises no one expected.

So before this week's action kicks off, here are my thoughts on the tournament from the first four to the field of 16.

The Big Ten was considered the best conference in the regular season, and the conference has posted a strong showing in the tourney. Going into the second weekend, the Big Ten has a 10-3 record and, out of seven bids the conference got, six teams made it to the round of 32 teams.

A quarter of the teams in the Sweet Sixteen come from the Big Ten. We could even see an all-Big Ten final four if Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana can each win two games this weekend.

One of the most disappointing conferences has to be the Mountain West. The conference got five bids out of a nine-team league, and none made it to the Sweet Sixteen.

Only two teams from the Mountain West made the round of 32, and the rest were knocked out in the play-in games or in the field of 64 teams. I think it is safe to say that the MWC earned too many bids.

No conference was as up and down as the Atlantic 10. The conference started out a perfect 6-0 through the play-in games and the round of 64 teams.

The worm turned on the A-10 in the round of 32 as the five-bid league saw four of the five teams bow out of the tournament. If not for La Salle's last-second win over Ole Miss, the league might have gone 0-5 in the round of 32.

The Big East--which is in its final year before it splits into two leagues--got more bids (eight) than any other league. The Big East currently has a 
6-5 record, and placed three teams into the Sweet Sixteen. Louisville might be the best team in the tournament--but the best team doesn't always win 
March Madness.

Cinderella has found some dancing shoes this year as well, with no bigger surprise than Florida Gulf Coast University.

FGCU is the first 15-seed to ever reach the Sweet Sixteen. Florida Gulf Coast hasn't just busted brackets--the little school has destroyed them.

Competing with FGCU for the title of Cinderella is 13-seed La Salle and 9-seed Wichita State. La Salle is trying to repeat Virginia Commonwealth's run from 2011, when VCU went from the first four (play-in game) to the final four.

Wichita State is the only team in the tournament so far to have beaten a one-seed. The Shockers knocked off fellow mid-major Gonzaga to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Either Wichita State or La Salle will reach the Elite Eight because they play each other. Florida Gulf Coast is one of three teams from the state of Florida and has to play the mighty Gators of Florida in the 
Sweet Sixteen.

Enjoy the rest of the madness, starting again this Thursday.