The opening round of the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament is over! The opening round was amazing! Full of buzzer beats, OTs, upsets and magical moments!
How did you do in your brackets? I didn’t do as well as I did last year when I went 28-4 going into Saturday’s games but, considering I did my brackets in literally, 5 minutes, I’m not mad.
Now, it’s on to Round 2! For the Lucky 32 I’ve given a complete breakdown of all the teams and their matchups. Oh, and I threw in my bracket picks too so you can see how I’m doing!
Who do you have advancing to the Sweet 16? Leave me comment or send me a tweet @StilettosportsJ and let me know where you stand!
NCAA March Madness Round 2 Matchups: Midwest Region
No. 9 Northern Iowa (UNI) vs. No. 2 Kansas
KU: Kansas University 
- Big 12
- Location: Lawrence, Kansas. Allen Fieldhouse
- Mascot: Jayhawks
- School Colors: Blue and Crimson
- Song: Rock Chalk, Jayhawk (totally worth clicking the link and hearing the story. Could be most peculiar Fight Song of the tourney)
- Coach: Bill Self
- Fame: After years of being seeded high and failing to go all the way, the Jayhawks broke out and won the 2008 Championship! Rock Chalk boys, rock chalk…
- This year, KU isn’t just seeded No. 1 for their region, they are the No. 1 team in the entire tournament!!!!
- Why You Should Cheer them on: Because they are MY team!
Northern Iowa 
- Missouri Valley
- Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
- Mascot: Panthers. The actual mascot, TC (The Cat) Panther is award winning. But I have no idea what awards….
- School Colors: Purple and Old Gold
- Claim to Fame: Been ranked “best in the Midwest” by the Princeton Review a lot
- Coach: Ben Jacobson
- Fun Tradition: ” The UNI campus comes alive Friday night of Homecoming week each year. At the stroke of midnight, students flock around the tower to sneak a kiss from a long time lover or someone you just met.” Wikipedia
In My brackets: Do you even have to ask? I suppose if you are new to Stiletto Sports you don’t know that I”m a huge Jayhawks fan! Not much waivers my loyalty to KU. I’m always all about Rockin’ Chalk! I feel bad because three of my favorite people are from Iowa and are big UNI fans. And they are all very hot guys. But not even that can sway me from the Jayhawks!
No. 5 Michigan State (MSU) vs. No. 4 Maryland
Michigan State 
- Big 12
- Location: East Lansing, MI
- Mascot: Spartans
- School Colors: Green and White
- Coach: Tom Izzo (for shizzo)
- Players: Kalin Lucas, Derrell Summers, Delvon Roe
- Claim to Fame: They have won 2 Championships. The most notable was the 1979 game that pitted Spartan Ervin “Magic” Johnson against Indiana’s Larry Bird. Perhaps you have heard of them? That win fueled the rivalry that extended into the NBA with Magic on the Lakers and Bird ont he Celtics.
- A Cinderella Story: Last year MSU were the Cinderellas in the Big Dance. They made it all the way to the championship against UNC!
Maryland 
- ACC
- Location: College Park, Maryland
- Mascot: Terrapin. In other words, a freaking turtle.
- Slogan: Their rally cry is “Fear the turtle.” Well, I suppose they are fearsome. Snapping turtles do bite. If they can catch you.
- School Colors: Red, white, black and gold
- Coach: Gary Williams
- Famous Alumni: Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets!
In My Brackets: Despite my love for all things Maryland right now, I’m all about MSU! Even though they played like crap in the opening round. Considering I’m watching all march madness games at Senior Correspondent Erik’s house and he is a diehard Mich State fan, it’s in my best interest to root for his team. Plus, when MSU wins and KU wins, they will be playing each other next weekend and Erik and I look great in photos with our warring jerseys!
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 14 Ohio
Tennessee 
- SEC
- Location: Knoxsville, Tenn
- Nickname: Volunteers. That’s just plain weird. Also shortened to just Vols
- Why?: Because Tenn is known as the volunteer state. The people are historically known to jump in and fight any war, from the Revolutionary War to the Civil and even the Alamo. Which was in Texas.
- Mascot: Smokey IX the Bluetick coonhound
- School Colors: Orange and White
- Coach: Bruce Pearl
- Song: the official fight song is “Down the Field” but the most popular request for The Pride to play is “Rocky Top.” I personally would request “Tennessee” by Arrested Development. Or “Tennessee Line” by Chris Daughtry
Ohio
- MAC
- Location: Athens, OH
- Nickname: Bobcats
- Mascot: Rufus the Bobcat. Who has been described as a “fierce but friendy looking bobcat”
- School Colors: Green and White
- Coach: John Groce (who used to the the assistant coach for Ohio State)
- Fan Section: “The O-Zone”
In My Brackets: Tenneessee. My best friend was raised there and again, I hate all things Ohio. But……. considering Ohio really didn’t even have a place in the tourney except they happen to win their conference Championship game, yet they took down Georgetown in Round 1….. they could be the Cinderellas this year. But I don’t really want a Cinderella from Ohio. That would greatly upset me.
No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Georgia Tech
- ACC
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Nickname: Yellow Jackets
- Mascot: Buzz & Ramblin’ Wreck
- School Colors: Old Gold and White
- Coach: Paul Hewitt
- Rivals: Georgia (The Clean, Old Fashioned Hate) Clemson, and Auburn
- Fame: Garth Brooks, yee haw! Also, Stephon Marbury, Chris Bosh
- Song: “Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech” It’s, by far, the best College song lyrics I’ve ever seen:
“A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer.
Like all the jolly good fellows, I drink my whiskey clear.
I’m a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer.
Oh! If I had a daughter, sir, I’d dress her in White and Gold,
And put her on the campus to cheer the brave and bold.
But if I had a son, sir, I’ll tell you what he’d do–
He would yell, ‘To hell with Georgia!’ like his daddy used to do.
Oh, I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three thousand pounds,
A college bell to put it in and a clapper to stir it round.
I’d drink to all the good fellows who come from far and near.
I’m a ramblin’, gamblin’, hell of an engineer!”
Ohio State 
- Big Ten
- Location: Columbus, Ohio
- Mascot: Buckeyes
- What the heck is a buckeye?: It it Ohio’s offical state tree. Hmmm….
- School Colors: Scarlet and Grey
- Coach: Thad Matta
- Facts: Ohio State fans scare the bejeezus out of me. They are CR-Razy and die hards. They rival Florida’s Gator Nation for “peeps you don’t want to hear you talking smack about their team.”
In My Brackets: I picked Ohio State. Yes, I know I hate Ohio but my roommate got me into watching OSU football last year. And it would be fun to see them meet up with KU down the road. I promised him we would go to Wild Wings for some beer and wings. But after hearing Georgia Tech’s School Song, I may have to switch sides!
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Comments & Feedback
2 Responses
Hot Iowa guy #1 checking in.
My bracket’s the same as yours… Kansas, Mich. St., Tennessee, and Ohio State. Georgetown was actually supposed to take Tennessee’s spot, but they decided to screw things up already, so…
And as far as the UNI/Kansas game goes… after watching how close Lehigh stuck with Kansas for the first portion of that game and into the 2nd half, don’t write off UNI so quickly. We’re a better team, bigger, and have the #2 ranked defense in the nation (and #1 Princeton? Yeah, they didn’t make the tournament). Jordan Eglseder matches up well size-wise with Cole Aldrich, and we *will* control the tempo of the game.
If you’re near a TV at 5:40 EST, do yourself a favor and tune into this game. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
-Nic
Nic Lake´s last blog ..What Do You Want To Know?
[Reply]
Stiletto Jen Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
I planned my day around this tipoff
But the thing is….yeah teams can match kansas for the first 30min. But for the last 10…. they just explode and say goodbye other teams!
I’ll be personally devastated if KU is knocked out, but…..I’m okay with UNI being the Cinderellas
[Reply]
Posted on March 20th, 2010 at 9:09 am
Leave us some love!