A question for those who didn't enjoy the round of 64 and its lack of upsets: did the second round slate provide the adrenaline-pumping thrills you've craved?
Nailbiters, upsets, buzzer beaters, what more could a basketball fan possibly want? Yes, the 32 proud advancers provided the thrills that March promises every year, and our hours of wasted time at the office as our monitors displayed four simultaneous basketball games instead of... I don't know, spreadsheets?
Inevitably, those 32 were halved once more to 16, and here we sit with four more rounds to the national championship game. 16 squads all believing they can reach that promised land if they can just escape their regional quarter.
Upsets and shakeups to the natural order have forced me to make some sense of the new-look bracket. Assigning a new seed (1 through 4) to each of the remaining contestants, here's how the hierarchy of the tournament now stands based on tournament performance, region by region.
South Region
Have they been perfect? No, but their tournament life was never in question outside of an odd stretch against Alabama State -- a team they would eventually stomp by 30.
Staving off a dangerous Creighton side only solidifyied their stance as the kings of the region, so the favorites they remain.
In subsequent rounds, the Rebels shed the accusations of weakness. Stifling a UNC squad that looked like a sneaky Cinderella after dominating in the First Four against SDSU, Ole Miss followed up their first round success with a dominant and complete win against 3-seed Iowa State.
For their consistent and strong play, the Rebels get a promotion to the 2-seed.
Tom Izzo and Sparty handled business against their first-round fodder, Bryant, but struggled significantly with their second-round matchup, New Mexico. No one is safe from an upset scare, but Michigan State looked particularly vulnerable on Sunday night, as they trailed heading into halftime.
Still, they pulled away in the clutch against Richard Pitino's Lobos and solidified that this is a team with Final Four upside. No one in this region wants a piece of what the Spartans have cooking.
This team very nearly fell to a popular upset pick in UC San Diego, and frankly, they really needed a confidence boost in the second round. They got one in a comfortable 91-79 W against Texas A&M, and face off against Auburn to prove their worth in the region. This seed is no indictment on the Wolverines -- this is a strong bunch.
West Region
A gusty, gutsy win against the UConn Huskies keeps the Gators in the game, and in the top spot of the West Region. The Gators were a surprise to many after starting the season on the outside of the SEC gentlemen's club. Now the conference champions and a matchup destroyer at large, this team is stuffed with talent capable of willing the team to victory.
This is the team to beat until proven otherwise.
After seeing Drake take down Missouri by a double-digit margin in the first round, I was concerned with how Tech would stand up against the sneaky-good Bulldogs.
The Red Raiders are built for the moment. Like Florida, this team was heavily underestimated in preseason conversations and has since proved to be one of the most dangerous teams in the entire nation. JT Toppin and company could need Chance McMillian to return from injury for a real chance at the Final Four, but I wouldn't count this team out.
A win against St John's never hurts a team's perception and belief that they can run the table. Calipari's squad was as well-prepared and physical as any team I had seen all year and didn't shy away from Pitino's Red Storm in the slightest.
They completely changed their appearance to become a team capable of matching the Johnnies. That's a team that could accomplish just about anything in this tournament, and they've got a coach who knows how to get to the promised land.
Close one, Terps. Maryland was a few seconds removed from an early exit to Colorado State. Thankfully, Derick Queen has ice in his veins and confidently banked in the first real buzzer-beater of the tournament. An all-time classic, for sure, but I'm starting to question if this team is built to reach the promised land after seeing a drastically different result against a 13-seed and a 12-seed.
Star power? Present. But this team is far from a guarantee as they match up with Florida.
East Region
Let's be serious: it's always been Duke. Now back at full strength, the teams listed below should be cowering in terror that the gates to the Final Four are guarded by a wicked band of demons from Durham.
This team is stuffed with NBA talent, and their results on the floor have been indicative of a team primed to leap into the later stages of the tournament.
The Tide likewise stand pat despite a shaky first round against Robert Morris. The starkly contrasting play style of Saint Mary's could have proved fatal to a Crimson Tide team that can collapse if taken out of their comfort zone.
Mark Sears and the Tide looked poised down the stretch in both rounds, though, and could be a team that continues to gut out close wins. They'll need guts against a scary BYU team in the next round.
Arizona's fantastic battle with Oregon proved that the 'Cats are more than capable of standing toe-to-toe against any team in the field. A dominant win against Akron was affirming, and holding on for a win against their old Pac-12 foe the Ducks.
Caleb Love has been a star, and he'll need to go supernova for Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats to stand a chance against an all-time awesome Duke team.
It's no secret that I love this BYU team. The war chest of weapons at head coach Kevin Young's disposal includes playmaking virtuoso, Egor Demin, score-first specialists in Trevin Knell and Dawson Baker, hustling, defending sparkplugs Trey Stewart and Mawot Mag, and the do-it-all with hyper-efficiency glue general Richie Saunders.
Seriously, this team is stacked, and I haven't even mentioned Keba Keita (a surprise tool that will help the Cougars later). Still a bit of a comet, we can't be certain that this bunch will make a regular appearance against Alabama after some all-time offensive explosions against VCU and Wisconsin.
Midwest Region
I apologize for being boring, but Houston is just so so so good. I don't see any team in this region slowing them down, and I won't be caught dead underestimating them.
So I won't. This is the number one seed, and I won't hear a word of opposition.
The Vols have a bit of a reputation as an unreliable wagon to hitch your bracket to. Is this year's iteration the same? That's yet to be determined, but they've won both of their first games in this year's tourney by double digits, and look comfortable to this point.
They'll get a chance to prove it against Kentucky.
Mark Pope is winning in the tournament in his first season with his alma mater, and he's reached the point in the championship bracket to quell the pleas of big blue nation.
Now, with a chance to down a Tennessee squad that they've faced thrice already this season, Kentucky's past two results should provide the momentum necessary to meet their adversaries on a nearly even playing field.
Is this region relatively chalk in our re-seeding effort? Yeah, but the entire bracket has been near perfectly chalk all throughout, so give me a break.
Purdue has answered the call up to this point, but I can't ignore the fact that they have yet to face a single-digit seed. Beat Houston, and you're the favorite. Lose to the Cougars, and history won't look quite so favorably on this Sweet 16 run.