We've already taken a look at Thursday's games, so now we'll move ahead to the lineup for Friday's Sweet 16 matchups. Like the East and West regions, the Midwest and South regions only have one oddity in terms of seeding. 12 seed Arizona, one of the last teams to make the field of 65, has advanced through the first 2 rounds. Will they continue their improbable run, or will the higher seeds continue to move on? Here's the schedule for the 3rd round.

Thursday's West Region (Glendale) Games:
(1) Connecticut vs. (5) Purdue, 7:07pm
(2) Memphis vs. (3) Missouri, 9:37pm

Thursday's East Region (Boston) Games:
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Xavier, 7:27pm
(2) Duke vs. (3) Villanova, 9:57pm

Friday's Midwest Region (Indianapolis) Games:
(1) Louisville vs. (12) Arizona, 7:07pm
(2) Michigan St. vs. (3) Kansas, 9:37pm

Friday's South Region (Memphis) Games:
(2) Oklahoma vs. (3) Syracuse, 7:27pm
(1) UNC vs. (4) Gonzaga, 9:57pm

(1) Louisville vs. (12) Arizona:
Rick Pitino's Louisville squad finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning the Big East tournament and grabbing the #1 overall seed for the NCAA Tourney. So far they haven't disappointed, first beating (16) Morehead St. by 20, 74-54 in the first round. While only able to manage a 2 point lead at the half, the Cardinals flew past the Eagles in the 2nd without much trouble. Louisville shot 58% from the field in that game and used a balanced scoring attack to advance on. The next round presented a bit more of a challenge in (9) Siena. The Cards trailed briefly in the 2nd half, but regained the lead with about 5:00 left and held on for the 79-72 victory. Turnovers were a problem for Louisville in this one, but Terrence Williams' 24 point, 15 rebound effort helped them get by the Saints. A 49% shooting night and a large advantage in the rebound category didn't hurt matters either.

Much has been made about Arizona barely getting into the tournament, but regardless of that fact, they've played well through 2 rounds. The Wildcats had little trouble in dispatching (5) Utah in their first game, knocking off the Utes, 84-71. Virtually all their scoring came from their starters, including 20 from Chase Budinger and 29 from Nic Wise. Arizona was amongst the many teams who put on fantastic shooting performances the first weekend, knocking down 54.5% in the first game. The second round was more of the same as the Wildcats handled upset minded (13) Cleveland St. with relative ease as well, 71-57. Another 50% shooting effort along with an efficient 24/28 night at the free throw line were key components of this win. Nic Wise again lead the scoring effort, putting in 21.

Two key items feed into each other to help me shape my opinion of this game. The Cardinals use a full court pressure defense frequently that makes the other team work very hard and forces many turnovers. Arizona on the other hand, barely uses their bench at all. Their 5 starters have been averaging in the 36+ minute range in two games that weren't even that close. That tells me that interim coach Russ Pennell doesn't have much confidence after his starting 5. Look for Pitino to run them ragged and the Cardinals to pull away late in the game.

(2) Michigan St. vs. (3) Kansas:
Michigan St. used a 21-0 run to move past a 30-30 tie against (15) Robert Morris in the first round. The Spartans eventually walked away with a 77-62 win, and moved on to the round of 32. 5 players scored in double figures including 16 each from Draymond Green and Raymar Morgan, along with 11 points and 17 boards from Goran Suton. Tom Izzo's group had to contend with a very good 10 seed in USC in the 2nd round. In a game that never saw a lead of more than 6 points for either team, the Spartans beat the Trojans 74-69 in a battle that would have done Ancient Greece proud. Michigan St. relied heavily on it's bench and got well distributed scoring, including 18 points from Travis Walton. The win marked the Spartans 8th trip to the Sweet 16 in the past 12 years.

It's hard to remember that Kansas is the defending national champion, since most of that team is no longer around, but Sherron Collins is still around and proving his importance. The Jayhawks withheld a (14) North Dakota State second half rally to pull out the 84-74 win in the opening round. Collins was a very large part of that, dropping a season high 32 points. Sophomore big man Cole Aldrich helped out with 23 points and 13 rebounds to help Kansas advance. (10) Dayton hoped to pulled off the upset in the 2nd round, but the Jayhawks would have none of that. Cole Aldrich again came through, this time putting up a triple double as Kansas cruised to a 60-43 win. 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks add up to one of the more impressive tournament performances in recent memory. The Flyers were held to a woeful 22% shooting, which meant that even though Kansas couldn't hit a 3 to save their lives (3/16), the Jayhawks were heading to the Sweet 16. Collins added another 25 point effort for Kansas as well.

I didn't really have much confidence in Michigan St. heading into the tournament and they haven't done much to improve my perception at this point. I don't think the Spartans have what it takes to stop both Aldrich and Collins. One or the other at least will have another big game and the Jayhawks should be heading to the Elite 8.

(2) Oklahoma vs. (3) Syracuse:
Much like Duke/Villanova, this game would seem to be the other premiere matchup of the weekend to most. Oklahoma has essentially ridden one man's back to get where they are, and don't expect that to change. The Sooners crushed (15) Morgan St. to start off the tournament, winning 82-54. Despite being slammed judo style to the court by the opposition, Blake Griffin was dominant as always, scoring 28 points and adding 13 rebounds. The team shot a ridiculous 60.4% and never trailed in the game. (10) Michigan came into their 2nd round matchup playing very well, and hung with OU for a half, but just like many before them, had no answer for Griffin. Oklahoma won 73-63, powered by Blake's 33 points and 17 rebounds. The win marked Oklahoma's first trip to the Sweet 16 in 6 years.

Syracuse seemingly came out of nowhere with their Big East run and by virtue of beating UConn in their 6OT thriller, seemingly became a favorite for many heading into the NCAA tourney. Their first round game against (14) Stephen F. Austin saw the Orange run out to a huge lead and then coast home for the 59-44 win. Outstanding point guard Johnny Flynn lead the way with 16 points and 7 assists while the team as a whole held the Lumberjacks to just under 25% from the field. While the margin was much tighter, the layout was generally the same in Syracuse's second round win over Arizona St. They took control early and kind of coasted on home for the win. This time by only 11, 78-67. 5 players put up double figure scoring efforts, lead by Eric Devendorf's 21. 'Cuse managed a 55% shooting night, including 45% from 3 point land.

Let me say right up front that Syracuse will not stop Blake Griffin. Nobody has done it all year and I don't expect it to start now. The guy is the obvious Naismith Player of the Year Award winner and #1 pick in the NBA Draft and he has steamrolled all opposition. The question instead will be can the Syracuse guards due enough to overcome him? Oklahoma has had spotty guard play during the year, and will need to find a way to try and keep Johnny Flynn and Eric Devendorf in check. I think the Orange finally lose the magic and run out of steam in this one. The Sooners advance, but barely.

(1) UNC vs. (4) Gonzaga:
After UConn, North Carolina has probably been the most impressive team thus far in the tournament. That comes as little to surprise many, as UNC seemed to be the odds on favorite to win going into the tournament amongst public opinion. (16) Radford didn't have a prayer really, as the Tar Heels just thrashed them from start to finish, 101-58. Tyler Hansbrough set the all time ACC scoring record en route to his 22 points, and Wayne Ellington cashed in for 25 more. Nobody had to play more than 30 minutes in this one and every bit of rest helps as UNC moved on to the next round. (8) LSU battled back in the 2nd half to make the game interesting, but the Tar Heels closed on a 21-7 run to put away the Tigers, 84-70. Ty Lawson made his return from a toe injury and started off shaky, but scored 21 of his game high 23 in the second half to help North Carolina advance. Ellington matched the 23 of Lawson and UNC shot over 54% in moving to the Sweet 16.

Gonzaga has officially shed their "Cinderella" tag now. They entered the tournament as the 10th ranked team in the nation and grabbed a 4 seed in the process. The Bulldogs faced (13) Akron in their first game and actually trailed well into the 2nd half before burying the Zips with a 31-6 run, eventually winning 77-64. Josh Heytvelt had an efficient shooting night on his way to a game high 22 points. The Zags would go on to face a tough and experienced 12 seed in Western Kentucky in the 2nd round and had their hands full throughout. The back and forth game would result in the most exciting finish of the tournament thus far when freshman Demitri Goodson went the length of the court and put in a layup with .9 left on the clock, giving the Bulldogs the win, 83-81. 5 Bulldogs scored in double figures, lead by Matt Bouldin's 20. He also added 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a solid all around game. Gonzaga returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006 after consecutive 1st round losses the past 2 years.

Gonzaga is experienced and athletic, two good combinations for the NCAA tournament. The only problem... UNC is more experienced and more athletic. The Bulldogs are probably one of the few teams that could keep pace with the Tar Heels, but with Ty Lawson back in the lineup, Carolina just has too many weapons. Between Hansbrough, Ellington, and Lawson, there is almost always an option for the Heels. Look for Roy William's team to move on to the Elite 8 for a potential matchup of the reigning and soon to be crowned Players of the Year.

It's a phenomenon in sports that seems to be only getting worse year after year. Overhyping and sensationalizing every event to death is apparently the media's new favorite game. The Super Bowl ended less than 24 hours ago and many are already calling it the greatest of all time, but I guess I didn't get that memo.

In all honesty, it turned out to be quite a game, certainly better than I would have expected, and a fairly thrilling finish to boot, but the best ever? I mean... really? I'm simply not buying it. How soon do we forget just last year? Super Bowl XLII had David vs. Goliath in larger terms than this year's version as the undefeated Patriots tried to finish out destiny and go 19-0. Instead, the Giants stopped them with 35 seconds left when they scored the go ahead touchdown, and just in case we forgot, that drive had an even more spectacular play than last night's game winner could manage as well.

For those of you that have watched more than just the 2 most recent Super Bowls, you might even remember a couple that actually came down to the last play of the game, such as Adam Vinatieri taking down the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI as time expired. Perhaps Mike Jones of the Rams tackling Tennessee's Kevin Dyson at the one yard line to prevent the potential tying score in Super Bowl XXXIV? Of course my fellow Buffalo fans can't forget a little Super Bowl known as XXV when Scott Norwood's 47 yard attempt went wide right and cost the Bills a 22-20 win as time ran out. All those games were great finished, and the games themselves were arguably better than the one we witnessed last night.

In reality, the first 29 minutes or so of Super Bowl XLIII were pretty mundane with the Steelers up 10-7 and not a lot of action to get us to that point. Of course, things picked up when James Harrison picked off Kurt Warner and rumbled 100 yards to end the half with a Pittsburgh touchdown, giving the Steelers a 17-7 lead. The Steelers pushed it to 20-7 in the third quarter as penalty after penalty aided their march down the field. At this point, it was starting to look like it would be the typical Pittsburgh pushes out to a sizable lead and sits on it win, which has become the norm for them lately. Larry Fitzgerald decided that wouldn't be so much fun though. He scored on two big plays sandwiched around a Pittsburgh safety and we were staring at a mostly unbelievable 23-20 lead for Arizona.

Ben Roethelisberger would quickly get to work on carving out his name in history however. Taking over at his own 22 with 2:37 left in the game, he carved apart the Arizona secondary, eventually finding Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone for the game winning score, with 35 seconds left on the clock, much like last year in fact. The 27-23 win gave Pittsburgh their 6th Super Bowl victory, more than any other team has managed, and there is a story there. There's a story in Big Ben making up for a poor performance despite winning Super Bowl XL. Larry Fitzgerald's incredible play throughout the playoffs and especially in the Super Bowl make another great story, as does Kurt Warner's endless ability to put up huge numbers in the biggest game of them all, despite maybe not managing to win them.

Endless great stories came out of last night's game, but to think the game itself was something so much more than all of them seems far too short sighted for me. As I already mentioned, the first half was forgettable right up until the end of it. Little has been discussed about the ridiculous number of penalties that marred the action throughout the game, not to mention the numerous replays and subsequent over turns needed to correct the original calls. The fact of the matter is that up until the middle of the 4th quarter, Super Bowl XLIII really just wasn't all that entertaining. By most accounts, even the commercials were pretty lacking throughout the night.

I'm not sure when the trend started, but somewhere along the line, the national media has decided that every year something has to be bigger, better, faster than that which came before it. Sooner or later, truly great games and moments are going to be forgotten amongst all the hype of our instant gratification world, and that's a sad thought to have. Hopefully you enjoyed last night's game and the highly entertaining ending it provided, just do me a favor and keep in mind that it's neither the first, nor last time you'll see something of it's type.

Random Side Notes from Super Bowl XLIII:
- I've heard multiple interviews from the MVP of the game, Santonio Holmes already. Most of them included statements similar to "I just have to thank God for letting me be so great". Let's hope God taught Santonio a little humbleness along the way too. He had a great game, it doesn't make him a great player just yet though.
- I'm sure I'm not alone, but two thoughts were running through my head while Joe Namath carried the Lombardi trophy towards the stage. First, I was kind of hoping he'd be so drunk that he'd fumble it half way there in the midst of all the Pittsburgh players. Second, I really wanted him to stop along the way and tell the trophy how bad he wanted to kiss it and just lay one on it... instead he opted to kiss Dick LeBeau.
- NBC had a good group amongst it's pregame folks including recent retirees in Mike Holmgren and Tony Dungy... but seriously? Matt Millen!??! What on Earth would that guy know about winning a Super Bowl anyways?
- Do you think we'll ever see a not so "safe" act at halftime again or are those days forever gone? Personally, I watched Wipeout on ABC instead of "The Boss". I couldn't take Stevie VanZandt's backup vocals for more than 3 seconds.
- I was dead tired all day today, but staying up to watch the hour long episode of The Office after the game proved well worth it. I couldn't stop cracking up at Dwight.

Only one team has earned more trips to play on Super Sunday, but on February 1st, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a chance to move alone into first place for Super Bowl victories. The Steelers head to Tampa to face off with the surprising Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. After a strong regular season performance, Pittsburgh entered the postseason as the #2 seed champions of the AFC North. Having knocked off both San Diego and Baltimore to claim the Lamar Hunt Trophy as AFC champs, they now find themselves matched up against a Cardinal team that essentially nobody expected to make it this far.

Coming into the season, the Steelers were expected to be amongst the best teams in the AFC, and they didn't disappoint on their way to a 12-4 record. Their 4 losses all came to teams who would go on to join Pittsburgh in the postseason, including close losses to Philadelphia, the New York Giants, and the Indianapolis Colts. After the loss to Indy in Week 10 however, the Steelers won 6 of their last 7, only dropping a game 31-14 in Tennessee in Week 16. As is customary for Pittsburgh, the team got the job done with a blue collar work ethic all season long. The focus was on defense throughout the year, invoking memories of the vaunted Steel Curtain of the 70s for many who watched them. It was defense that continued to propel them in the playoffs as well.

In the divisional round, the Steelers found themselves matched up against a red hot San Diego Charger team who had taken down heavy favorites in the Indianapolis Colts the week before. Holding the ball for 14:57 of the third quarter and only allowing San Diego one offensive play, which resulted in an interception, the Steelers would move to a 28-10 lead in the 4th quarter. After an exchange of touchdowns, the defense would relax a bit and allow one more before the game ended, making the final score 35-24 in favor of Pittsburgh. Moving on to the AFC Championship, the Steelers would host division rival Baltimore in a surefire defensive battle.

Leading 13-0 in the middle of the 2nd quarter, Pittsburgh finally surrendered a touchdown late in the half as Willis McGahee brought the Ravens within 6. After more defensive back and forth in the 2nd half, the Steelers clung to a 17-14 lead late in the game when Troy Polamalu picked off a Joe Flacco pass and took it into the endzone. This moved the Steelers to a 9 point lead at 23-14, which would prove to be the final score. A 7th trip to the Super Bowl had become a reality for the Steel City.

As I mentioned in a previous article, I'm a big believer in the theory that defense wins championships, and Pittsburgh brings the top ranked defense in the NFL with it into Tampa. However, they face an offense from Arizona that been the most prolific of any postseason team. The Cardinals have been absolutely on fire during their postseason run, most notably with the Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald combination. Add in a seemingly recharged Edgerrin James, and Arizona might just have something to test the Steelers' D. While a win would give Pittsburgh their 6th Super Bowl title, the Cardinals will be making their debut in the big game despite being an original member of the NFL and they are out to prove they belong in this position after many doubted they could make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Pittsburgh's got a decided advantage in Super Bowl experience with 20 members of it's roster having been there before. Arizona by comparison has just 5 players who have dealt with the added pressure of a Super Bowl. This could play a role early on in the game when the Cardinals might find themselves overwhelmed by their surroundings. If they can settle down quickly however, one would think a football player's instincts take over and all the hype and pressure are forgotten. If the Cards can manage an early touchdown, it will go a long way to boost their confidence and keep them in the game.

For Pittsburgh, one of the keys to victory is going to be establishing their running game early on. Their offense in flashy by no means and instead relies on a ball control system as well as the play of their defense. Ben Roethlisberger has an outstanding record, including 7-2 in the postseason, in his short career, but he is not at all known for putting up big numbers. If Willie Parker can get in a groove early on and Pittsburgh can keep the ball out of Kurt Warner's hands, it provides them with their best path to victory. Arizona's defense, while not overly impressive throughout the season, has turned it up a notch in the playoffs and only allowed around 77 yards rushing per game. Parker made a name for himself in Super Bowl XL and his performance will go a long way towards propelling his team to victory again in my opinion.

A great deal of attention has been focused on the battle between the Pittsburgh defense and Arizona offense heading into this game, and with good reason. These teams have both clearly excelled in these areas respectively, but I think the battle can be broken down further. The key matchup for me rests between the linebackers for the Steelers against the offensive line of Arizona. Kurt Warner has had a history of struggling when he faces a great deal of pressure. So far the Cardinal linemen have been up to the task, most notably against Philadelphia, a team known for it's blitz packages. The interesting thing for Pittsburgh however is they don't actually blitz in the conventional sense of the word. Generally a blitz is recognized as the defense sending more men at the quarterback then the offense has linemen to block them. The Steelers however typically only send 4, maybe 5 guys to rush the quarterback. The key to their success is their unpredictability, it's difficult to know where it's going to come from. LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison combined for 27.5 sacks during the regular season from the linebacker position.

Arizona absolutely needs Kurt Warner on top of his game and throwing the ball all over the field to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to have a legitimate shot to win in this game. If he doesn't get the time in the pocket to make accurate throws, the Cardinals are likely in for a very long night. The Steelers weakest point on defense is probably their cornerbacks, which could prove great for Warner, again, provided he has the time to make good throws. If he doesn't however, Troy Polamalu will be playing centerfield just waiting for the opportunity to ruin all the hopes and dreams of Cardinals fans.

Other possible notes of interest that could play a role in Sunday's game include the status of Hines Ward. Pittsburgh's do it all receiver injured his knee in the AFC Championship and hasn't practiced since. While I'd be surprised if he didn't end up playing in the game, his effectiveness could be questionable, and his versatility is going to be needed both in the passing game as well as for his effective run blocking. Additionally, it's a well known fact that the Steelers faithful travel very well, perhaps better than the fans of any other team in the league. Typically Super Bowl crowds aren't particularly loud one way or the other due to the nature of where most of the tickets end up, but all reports thus far are that Pittsburgh fans far and away outnumber Arizona fans in Tampa. Perhaps enough of them will actually make it into the game to provide a bit of a home team advantage for the designated visitors in this game.

As the two weeks leading up to the game have progressed, it seems more and more people are jumping aboard the Arizona bandwagon. I think this is a typical reaction to two weeks worth of hype and statistical bombardment, eventually the underdog doesn't seem so unlikely anymore. Personally, I'd say the 7 points that Pittsburgh is favored by are pretty close to dead on. I see this game staying close just because the Steelers offense won't have the fire power to pull away. Meanwhile, Arizona has too much talent to be held down completely and will manage a few big plays along the way. I look for the Steelers to get a score from either their defense or special teams and take the win by about a touchdown.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 26-20

One of the nice things about writing is that every once in awhile the things you say come true and you have some sort of evidence as vindication. Now, I didn't really go on any limbs with my AFC preview exactly, but I did throw out a few fairly specific things I thought could happen, and as it turned out, I wasn't too far off.

Simply for bragging purposes, I'll point out a handful of things I wrote about last Monday:

"Both defenses are simply going to bring it and turnovers will likely play a huge role in this game as well. I would put money on the fact that there will be a defensive touchdown scored in this game at some point."

"Flacco is going to have to be kept away from Harrison as well as LaMarr Woodley to avoid making mistakes and if he can't, Polamalu is the type of player that always capitalizes."

"Ultimately, I think it comes down to Flacco being pressured or not. If the Steelers can't get to him for some reason, the Ravens will have their best shot at a victory. I just don't see that being the case though. The Steelers fans will be crazy as ever with Terrible Towels in hand and they'll pump up their defense to make big plays. I see this one coming down to a turnover forced in the 4th quarter leading to Pittsburgh getting the late game winning score yet again. Steelers 20-13."

I guess I could say that I saw the Polamalu interception coming ahead of time, and while I wasn't right on the score, I wasn't far off. Simply put, Pittsburgh's defense was the best in the league this season and Flacco's rookie magic was due to run out. Those things kind of went hand in hand of course, and when they both came together, you saw the end result.

Anyways, enough of my pompousness, let's take a quick look at the game itself. As expected, the defenses were the dominating storyline in this one. Neither offense looked all that impressive at all, but Ben Roethlisberger managed to cobble together one of those good games without huge numbers that he's become rather famous for. 16-33, 255 yards, and 1TD don't really jump out as you as stellar, but against the Baltimore defense, it's all he really needed. Especially when you consider Joe Flacco went 13-30 for 141 yards, and most importantly, through 3 interceptions. Baltimore had mild success on the ground against the Steelers for the 3rd time this season, but it wasn't enough to keep the Steelers blitz away from Flacco.

One of the big storylines heading into the game was about the star safeties on each team, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. Reed was virtually a non factor with just 2 tackles on the day, while Polamalu of course had the interception return for a touchdown that virtually sealed the win for the Steelers with 4:39 to go. Flacco dealt with a lot of pressure all day long, getting sacked 3 times, and forced to make bad throws several others.

The win marks the 7th time the Steelers have advanced to the Super Bowl, with a 5-1 record in previous appearances. The two week layoff will certainly do them some good as a few players were banged up in yesterday's extremely physical game. Most notable amongst them was Hines Ward, who appeared to injure his knee after a reception in the 2nd quarter. Pittsburgh will look to continue it's defensive dominance against a red hot Arizona Cardinals team lead by a Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald combination that has been on fire in the postseason.

Make sure you check back as we give you a full preview of Super Bowl XLIII next week, and don't forget to look for new stories from all throughout the sporting world in the meantime.