The best and worst of the tourney's second weekend

By Eric Horowitz

I'll be honest. This was an unsatisfactory second weekend of the tournament (other than Stephen Curry's gorgeous jump shot and rapturous blue eyes). All the blowouts left me in shock (although not as bad as the shock Tom Izzo is still going through). Next weekend's Final Four holds more promise, but until then here are some SIOC awards to make last weekend seem as if it was more exhilarating.

"Worst Time to Lose Your Dry Erase Board" Award

Rick Barnes did not bring his A-game to Texas' matchup with Memphis on Sunday. AP

Rick Barnes. Barnes did lose his dry erase board, right? That has to be why he went through the entire game without drawing up something capable of repeatedly getting his team good looks. The lack of movement and creativity in the Longhorns offense was astounding.

"Not Quite a Seinfeld Character" Award

Jason Richards, Davidson. It's one of those weird neurological things that just happens. The random combination of Jason Alexander's first name and Michael Richards' last name makes you think "Seinfeld." Raise you hand if you had an image of Kramer training his chicken for a cock-fight pop into your head while watching Davidson.

"Lamest Childhood" Award

Kevin Love, UCLA. From the ages of 13-17 Love practiced outlet passes while he was on dates with girls. It was the only way to fit in his daily three-hour session of outlet pass workouts.

"Best Potential Target of America's Subconscious Hatred" Award

Kansas. I assume the current public opinion regarding Kansas is something along the lines off "They knocked Davidson out. We hate them." You can't take Curry away from the American public and not expect there to be a backlash.

"Best Reggie Miller-like Performance in a Blowout" Award

A.J Abrams. Abrams calmly sank four treys in the final three minutes to cut the Memphis lead to ... 13. At least he helped the people who had him on their tournament fantasy teams.

"Best Dan Dickau Impersonation at the Worst Time" Award

Jason Richards, Davidson. Richards had a great tournament. Curry had a superhuman tournament. The great tournament got overlooked. Just remember Richards' numbers (14 ppg, 9 apg) were very impressive, as was his arsenal of runners, long distance bombs, and split-the-double-team dribbles. Next year somebody, somewhere, will be paying him to play basketball.

Worst New Idea

The NCAA Putting Courts in the Middle of Football Stadiums. This might have seemed like a good idea, but when the closest fans are 40 feet from the floor a game tends to lose some of that excitement. Unless there was a frenzied home crowd (Texas-Stanford) the games in Houston and Detroit had a toned down, lackluster feel. NCAA basketball should be played in basketball arenas.

"Most Influential Person in Tyler Hansbrough's NBA Decision" Award

Tyler Hansbrough. The only way Hansbrough is leaving UNC is if the Tar Heels win the title. The two big jumpers he hit at the end of the Louisville game brought the team a little closer to that goal.

Best Presentation of a Blessing in Disguise

The Tournament Selection Committee. When the brackets came out and Memphis saw a potential Elite Eight matchup with Texas in Houston, they were not pleased. But a funny thing happens when you're forced to shoot free throws in a hostile road environment. You work to block out the screaming sea of burnt orange. You focus more. They say free throw shooting is mostly concentration. I think the pro-Texas crowd actually helped Memphis at the line.

SIOC Appreciation Award

Memphis, UNC, UCLA, Kansas. This is award is strictly a token of my appreciation to all the No. 1 seeds. No longer will we have to hear that annoying factoid about all four No. 1 seeds never making the Final Four. It's done forever. It's done forever. Now if a No. 16 seed can find a way to beat a No. 1 ...