NEW ORLEANS -- For a moment Saturday night, Kentucky coach John Calipari considered the question of his Wildcats now being the team to beat NCAA tournament in the wake of the stunning fall of overall No. 1 Kansas.
Calipari grinned a little behind the microphone and before delivering a carefully thought out response. No one has ever accused Calipari of being the most sincere guy and his "Who, us?" postgame eloquence did little to change that perception after Kentucky's 90-60 rout of Wake Forest.
"I don't know if we are the overwhelming favorite," said Calipari, who is in first year with the Wildcats but he's no stranger to making NCAA tournament runs with loaded teams. "Everyone was picking us to lose today with this being a tough game. They were also saying we'd be the first No. 1 out.
"So how do they change those talking heads overnight. With one game? Come on."
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kansas sophomore Marcus Morris fell to his knees. Senior guard Sherron Collins, realizing that his KU career was over, collapsed near an empty Kansas bench.
On the other end of the Ford Center's court, purple clad Northern Iowa players hugged and celebrated. Jordan Eglseder, UNI's 7-foot, 280-pound center, grabbed his extra, extra, really extra large jersey, and thrust the words "Northern Iowa" toward the sky as a reminder to where they were from.
Northern Iowa 69, Kansas 67: Rock, Shock Jayhawks.
The NCAA tournament's No. 1 overall seed and the nation's No. 1 ranked team for the majority of the season has been playing all season with the No. 1 bull's eye on its back. It finally caught up to them Saturday night in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history.
The Jayhawks were outplayed all night, but nearly pulled off a comeback from 12 points down in the second half before falling short.
"You operate under duress, you operate under pressures the whole year that a lot of teams don't operate under because of where we were ranked and expectations," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "And to put ourselves in a position that we were in, they don't come around every year.
"You got to make the most of those opportunities when you're granted them. That's probably what stings the most."
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Minutes after Kansas State had just bounced BYU from the NCAA tournament to advance to the school's first Sweet 16 since 1988, Kansas State coach Frank Martin peeked at his cell phone.
Among the incoming text messages pouring into his cell phone was one from a good friend from his hometown in Miami:
"Never seen so many people at Hooters in Miami chanting your name."
They also were roaring for Martin inside the Ford Center in downtown Oklahoma City after Martin's No. 2-seeded Wildcats shut down No. 7 seed BYU and sharp-shooter Jimmer Fredette, 84-72.
"When I saw my family up in the stands, my wife, my mom, my kids, my uncle, one of my best friends in life that's in town -- as soon as that game ended, I realized that those are the people that believed in me from day on that have stuck with me when I was a young coach that wanted to pursue this as a career and it was a great feeling," Martin said. "A great feeling."
NEW ORLEANS -- While one No. 1 seed was exposed Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats seemed to get stronger in the second round as they dispatched Wake Forest with ease, 90-60, at the New Orleans Arenas.
The Wildcats, the No. 1 seed in the East Region and the new favorites to win the Final Four after Kansas faltered, were in full stride Saturday against the ninth-seeded Demon Deacons. They got production and minutes from 13 players with guard Darius Miller leading four players in double figures with 20 points.
Kentucky now moves on to the Sweet 16 round in Syracuse for the first time since 2005. More importantly, the bull's eye seems affixed on the Wildcats as they attempt to make a run with a very young team in coach John Calipari's first season in Lexington.
"I don't think that adds any pressure," Miller said of overall No. 1 seed Kansas losing. "As long as we come out and play the best we can, that's all we can control."
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- They are the big men in the middle, three 7-footers who each play different yet important roles on their teams here at the NCAA tournament.
There's bearded Duke center Brian Zoubek, who is finally healthy and is credited by coaches and teammates for providing a needed post presence. Say hello to Cornell center Jeff Foote, a recruiting afterthought and a favorite of his head coach. And let's not forget California center Max Zhang, the tallest of the three at 7-foot-3 who continues to gain confidence each time he steps on the floor.
The trio's performances -- specifically from Zoubek and Foote -- could likely decide which teams survive Sunday's second round at Veterans Memorial Arena and advance to the Sweet 16.
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NEW ORLEANS -- For a moment Saturday night, Kentucky coach 
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Minutes after 
NEW ORLEANS -- While one No. 1 seed was exposed Saturday, the 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- They are the big men in the middle, three 7-footers who each play different yet important roles on their teams here at the NCAA tournament.
