Sweet 16 Panthers!

The UW-Milwaukee Panthers have survived March Madness' first weekend and have danced their way into the Sweet 16. Not once, but twice they knocked off higher seeded teams. First they rolled the 5th seeded Alabama Crimson Tide 83 - 73 in the First Round on Thursday. In the 2nd Round they took on their coach, Bruce Pearl's, alma mater, the Boston College Eagles. The Panthers out-hustled and outplayed BC. In the end it was the 12th seeded Panthers celebrating on the court after an 83 - 75 victory - which put UW-Milwaukee on the college basketball map.

This indeed was a sweet weekend for Wisconsin teams. The Panthers weren't the only state school to advance. The Wisconsin Badgers also made it to the Sweet 16 by defeating the upstart Bucknell Bison on Sunday. Things are looking good for the Badgers. Number Two seeded UConn (last year's defending champs) fell to the NC State Wolfpack. Unfortunately for UWM, though, they'll have their hands full when the face the Illinois Illini in Chicago next Thursday. Will that be the end for UWM?

It's going to be tough facing the hostile crowd in Illinois, but few (other than the faithful) thought the Panthers would have ever made it this far. As a UWM alum, I'm proud they made it this far. With Bruce Pearl at the helm and a team of "outcasts" from other top schools, the Panthers have proven that they can hold court against anyone. We'll see if this Cinderalla story has a fariy tale ending next weekend.