UConn Will be Hogs' Opponent in Sweet 16 on Thursday

It won't get any easier, but then you really shouldn't have expected that in NCAA.

(Gregory Fisher / USA TODAY Sports)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Please, no more metrics.

At this time of the year, you can come up with just about anything to justify nearly any argument you feel like making.

As you probably figured out by now, when they throw the ball up in the NCAA Tournament, just about anything can happen. My bracket basically blew up Thursday and the only reason it's not completely worthless is so did just about everybody else's.

After Arkansas' 72-71 win over No. 1 seed Kansas in the West Regional on Saturday, the Razorbacks have now reached the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season.

You didn't think it would get any easier, did you?

UConn will be next on Thursday and there are ways to paint this a bad match-up for the Hogs. The Huskies are strong down low, which has not been the Hogs' strength at times this season.

None of the metrics, though, take into account coaching strength and who wants it more.

Whether it accounts for conference strength is out of my realm. Too many basketball games over the years have been decided by which team wanted to win the game more and that's something no one can answer until the game is about halfway done.

They also may not take into account coaching ,and it's hard to pick against Eric Musselman and his staff with several days to prepare for a game. That started Sunday, plus they got to watch The Huskies' win over St. Mary's fully while it happened.

After what we've seen the last couple of years with the Hogs, they may have the advantage with the extra time.

That is unless this team thinks beating the top-seeded Jayhawks on Saturday was their big Super Bowl moment.

It won't get any easier, no matter what you may want to believe.

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