With the second weekend of the NCAA tournament here, a lot of changes have occurred to alter the face of the bracket. Big names like Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, Bobby Knight, Tom Izzo, Tubby Smith and Kevin Durant are all watching at home. The good news is there are still 16 teams left to duke it out for the title, and Billy Packer hates all of them, so it should be an interesting four-day stretch heading to the Final Four next weekend in Atlanta. Before anyone gets there, let’s take a look at how the remaining squads stack up against one another.

(16) BUTLER

First Round:

Defeated Old Dominion 57-46

Second Round:

Defeated Maryland 62-59

No disrespect to Butler (well, maybe some), but the way it ended the season is still alarming enough to rank them at the bottom of this talented remaining field. The Bulldogs slowed down a hot Maryland team, A.J. Graves will have to put forth a superhuman effort to get them much further.

(15) TENNESSEE

First Round:

Defeated LBSU 121-86

Second Round:

Defeated Virginia 77-74

Credit the Vols for playing well down the stretch and not breaking during Virginia’s late rally. The fact that Tennessee got taken down to the wire against Virginia, considered the tournament’s biggest fraud as a four seed, is troubling. Chris Lofton will have to be the best guard on the floor against Ohio State’s talented perimeter group if the Volunteers plan on pulling the upset.

(14) VANDERBILT

First Round:

Defeated GWU 77-44

Second Round:

Defeated Washington State 78-74

Vanderbilt pulled out a gutsy win in double OT to knock out the Cougars, but it could be running into a buzzsaw against Georgetown. The Commodores will be overmatched inside by the Hoyas, so they’ll have to spread the floor and draw big-time shot-blocker and rebounder Jeff Green away from the rim. Vandy is a scary team because if the shots are falling, it could beat just about anyone, but that’s a big if.

(13) UNLV

First Round:

Defeated Georgia Tech 67-63

Second Round:

Defeated Wisconsin 74-68

UNLV may have picked up the best tandem of wins, knocking out a widely-regarded “sleeper” in Georgia Tech in the first round and then forcing the first No. 2 seed to bow out of the tournament. The advantage the Runnin’ Rebels have in their hopes of continuing their run is that they are in the weakest bracket on the board, so if they can defend the perimeter well against Oregon, they’ll certainly take their shot against Florida in what would be a “nothing to lose” game for the tournament’s lowest remaining seed.

(12) USC

First Round:

Defeated Arkansas 77-60

Second Round:

Defeated Texas 87-68

USC is going to have its hands full going against North Carolina in East Rutherford, but the Trojans sure looked good against Texas. While they are certainly going to be at a disadvantage against UNC’s big men in the low post, the Trojans’ guards could create the defensive pressure necessary to keep the ball out of the paint. If no one bolts for the NBA, USC will be among next year’s favorites for the Final Four, even if this is as far as they go in the 2007 tournament.

(11) MEMPHIS

First Round:

Defeated North Texas 73-58

Second Round:

Defeated Nevada 78-62

This is still the biggest enigma in the tournament. Sure, the Tigers beat Nevada, but no one knew how good the Wolf Pack was, either. So right now, Memphis could still be one of the best teams in the country or a pretty good team that has taken advantage of a cupcake schedule. Playing Texas A&M will certainly be enough of a test to show everyone what this team’s true identity is. One thing to like about this team is the depth of its scoring. The Aggies, tough defensively, can’t afford to focus on just one or two players with the Tigers. Beating a team like A&M could give Memphis the respect it hasn’t had all year, while losing to A&M could confirm many critics’ suspicions.

(10) PITTSBURGH

First Round:

Defeated Wright State 79-58

Second Round:

Defeated VCU 84-79

Big man Aaron Gray is the most well-known of the Panthers, but it is the deep backcourt of Pittsburgh that will have to step it up a notch if the team hopes to get past UCLA today. Containing Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo will be no easy task. Pitt seems to have the talent and depth to possibly be a Final Four team, but in the last few years, has failed to win the big games it needs to take the program to the next level.

(9) OREGON

First Round:

Defeated Miami (Ohio) 58-56

Second Round:

Defeated Winthrop 75-61

Oregon sent an experienced Winthrop team packing last weekend in convincing fashion after almost tripping up against the Red Hawks (who had the worst record of any tournament team) in its first game. The Ducks live and die by their outside shooting, and it’s always suspect to pick such a team to sustain a hot hand through six games and three weekends. Still, Oregon will be favored in its game against UNLV and could use steal one from Florida in the Elite Eight if Aaron Brooks and associates have a really, really good night.

(8) SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

First Round:

Defeated Holy Cross 61-51

Second Round:

Defeated Virginia Tech 63-48

The Salukis have looked good so far and seem pretty solid going forward, considering their focus on playing high-energy defense. Southern Illinois better down some major quantities of Red Bull if it plans to keep up with a loaded Kansas offense. The key to the Saluki try at an upset will be controlling the tempo early. The Jayhawks are still a young team, and Bill Self could get desperate if Southern Illinois jumps out to an early lead, given his team’s struggles in the NCAAs in the last couple of years.

(7) TEXAS A&M

First Round:

Defeated Pennsylvania 68-52

Second Round:

Defeated Louisville 72-69

The Aggies almost let one get away against Louisville, but it’s impressive they won at all thanks to the selection committee giving the sixth-seeded Cardinals what was practically a home game against a higher-seeded team. Looking ahead, A&M’s chances of escaping the Midwest region still look good, despite the second-round nailbiter. Billy Gillespie’s team is more battle-tested than its first opponent, Memphis, and, because of its superior defense, has a legitimate shot at slowing down Ohio State.

(6) OHIO STATE

First Round:

Defeated Central Conn. St. 78-57

Second Round:

Defeated Xavier 78-71

Why didn’t they foul? Xavier fans can’t believe it, and Ohio State fans couldn’t care less about an explanation; they’re just glad that’s the way it worked out. The young Buckeyes got a big-time scare, but they pulled together and beat the Musketeers in OT despite Greg Oden fouling out. Coach Thad Matta should have his team ready for Tennessee, just as long as NBA teams stop calling him about Oden.

(5) UCLA

First Round:

Defeated Weber State 70-42

Second Round:

Defeated Indiana 54-49

The Bruins shot just 36 percent in their last game, but the sub-par effort was still good enough to get them a win since the Hoosiers only shot 32 percent. The UCLA frontcourt didn’t play well against Indiana, but no matter what the team gets out of its guys down low, it won’t get very far if Afflalo has any more 2-for-11 shooting nights. Beating Pitt will be a tall order, and UCLA will have to use its edge in experience and smarts if it wants to get out of the West region.

(4) NORTH CAROLINA

First Round:

Defeated Eastern Kentucky 86-65

Second Round:

Defeated Michigan State 81-67

Ironically, it seems to be Tyler Hansbrough’s ditching of “the mask” that’s caused him to be s-s-smokin’ in the NCAA tournament (excuse the lame pun). He put up a double-double in the first round and then dropped 33 points on the Spartans. If UNC is hitting its stride at the right time, it has the ability to run the table and make Dickie V a very happy man, given that his beloved ACC has stood for “Apparently Caught Choking” in the early stages of this year’s tourney. A potential matchup with Georgetown in the Elite Eight could be an all-out brawl in the paint.

(3) GEORGETOWN

First Round:

Defeated Belmont 80-55

Second Round:

Defeated Boston College 62-55

Georgetown has won 17 of its last 18, with its only loss in that stretch coming against some NIT team from New York. The win against BC was a solid win early that could help further the team’s roll through the postseason. The concern with this team coming into March was its guard play. Everyone knows about Green and Roy Hibbert, but Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp have been playing well-enough to make the Hoyas a multidimesional team.

(2) FLORIDA

First Round:

Defeated Jackson State 112-69

Second Round:

Defeated Purdue 74-67

The Boilermakers gave the defending champions a bit of a scare, but the Gators are a battle-tested team, and they made all the plays they needed to in order to move on to the third round. Al Horford has looked like an absolute beast and is eclipsing Joakim Noah as the most troublesome player on the team. That’s saying a lot, since Noah set the record for blocked shots in an NCAA tournament last season. Horford has averaged 16 points and a whopping 12.5 rebounds per game in Florida’s two wins. Corey Brewer chipping in 19 points per game doesn’t hurt, either.

(1) KANSAS

First Round:

Defeated Niagara 107-67

Second Round:

Defeated Kentucky 88-76

This team looked downright scary in its first two games. The offense is strong and versatile enough to blow the doors off of anyone, and the Jayhawks are red-hot entering their game against Southern Illinois, having won 13 in a row dating back to early February. With star scorers like Julian Wright, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush starting and a talented sixth man like Sherron Collins to call on off the bench, no defense wants to face Kansas’ high-powered attack.