Lone Ranger

On the outskirts of the 2011 NCAA March Madness Tournament the picture seemed very clear; the number ones were seemingly unbeatable. Since Mid-March and the departure of the craziest flight of the sports year, a drastic turn of events has tagged this year's top seeds as anything but invincible. However, one program still holds the torch. The Pitt Panthers fell to Butler in a second round thriller, and in the Sweet Sixteen Brandon Knight sent Ohio State packing with a jumper in the final shot clock, while Arizona upended Duke behind a stellar performance by Sophomore forward Derrick Williams. Last night, with Duke and Pitt already watching at home, and Ohio State on the see-saw with UK, those in favor of Major Conference Supremacy in College Basketball, were allowed exhale as Kansas surgically routed 12 seed Richmond. Kansas is the lone ranger, the only team left that can prove that only 68 teams are needed to play in March because prominence will conquer all. With a field of 96 on the horizon, teams like Virginia Commonwealth (11th seed, CAA) and Butler (8th seed, Horizon League) prove that more mid-major teams deserve a chance to play on the NCAA's biggest stage. 68 is just fine; so prove it Kansas.

JD