Magnificent Seven

If this year's Academy Awards marked the return of the big-studio epic, a chance for old-fashioned star power to crush the cuddly Little Miss Sunshines of the world, then the 2007 NCAA tournament was a fitting sequel last week--even before the games had started. As star vehicles go, the bus that ferried top-ranked Ohio State from Columbus to Lexington, Ky. , was doubly blessed, featuring transcendent freshmen in the aisles and The Departed on the TV screens. "Best movie of the year," pronounced center Greg Oden , a budding film critic who owns more than 600 DVDs. "The thing I loved about it was that everybody died. Usually in movies maybe one or two people die, but everybody got killed."

In that case the only plot twist in Week 1 of the NCAAs was a doozy: Almost none of the big names perished. Not Ohio State , which rallied from nine points down in the final three minutes to sink Xavier 78--71 in overtime. Not fellow No. 1 seed North Carolina , which came from behind in the second half to beat Michigan State 81--67. And, for that matter, not any of the tournament's top seven contenders, all of whom reached this week's round of 16. A year after 11th-seeded George Mason hijacked the script all the way to the Final Four, the empire struck back. Never in the 64-team tournament era (which dates to 1985) had only two double-digit seeds pulled off first-round upsets, and both of those upstarts (11 seeds Virginia Commonwealth and Winthrop) were gone by Sunday.

At least there were a few saving graces for drama-seeking college hoops fans. For starters, the two first-round upset victims happened to be the most vilified college programs in the land: Notre Dame, which fell 74--64 to Winthrop, and Duke, a 79--77 loser to VCU . (One Tar Heels fan at the North Carolina game in Winston-Salem had to be treated for a separated shoulder after cheering too hard at the news of Duke's demise.) What's more, the bracket's massive chalk deposits produced competitive (and exhilarating) second-round games--including four overtimes and 10 single-digit outcomes--and, best of all, some of the most mouthwatering Sweet 16 matchups in years.

If this week's regional semifinals are any indication, opposites don't always attract. So brace yourself for one disciplined, defensive-minded team rebuilt by coach Ben Howland ( UCLA ) meeting another ( Pittsburgh , now coached by Howland 's former assistant Jamie Dixon , page 42). And get ready for one outfit running revved-up elements of the Princeton -style offense ( Georgetown ) taking on another ( Vanderbilt ). Yet the bracket presents fascinating contrasts, too. If one deliberate but dangerous mid-major (fifth-seeded Butler) can't slay a streaking No. 1 seed ( Florida ), can another (No. 4 seed Southern Illinois ) upset top-seeded Kansas ? Likewise, can a team with a 6'4" power forward ( Tennessee 's Dane Bradshaw ) overcome a foe with a 7-foot Godzilla ( Ohio State 's Oden )?

All season long the prevailing story line in college basketball has been the Year of the Freshman, a result of the NBA 's new age-minimum rule, which forced pro prospects like Oden , Texas' Kevin Durant and North Carolina 's Brandan Wright to play in college for at least one season. Yet while that trio thrived between November and February-- Durant will almost certainly become the first freshman to be named national Player of the Year--there was always a lingering question: How will the game's callow powerhouses fare against more seasoned competition in March? Now we'll find out. Although Durant 's fourth-seeded Longhorns were bounced by No. 5 seed USC 87--68 on Sunday, three of the four regional finals could pit youth against experience from a larger-than-usual collection of championship-caliber teams.

In the East region the Tar Heels ' three freshman starters (forward Wright and guards Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington ) got their first taste of March last week--at least when they weren't acting their age and fighting over popsicles between games. "The level [in the NCAA tournament] is raised 10 times more than the regular season," marveled Wright, who'll need to be more assertive against USC freshman forward Taj Gibson than he was in a quiet three-point performance against the Spartans. So inexperienced is Carolina that sophomore forward Tyler Hansbrough is viewed as some sort of graybeard. "But I'm still young too," says Psycho T, who poured in 33 points to sink Michigan State . "I've never been to the Sweet 16, so I don't know what to expect."

The Tar Heels ' top rival in the East, No. 2 seed Georgetown , knows exactly what awaits this week, having nearly beaten Florida in the round of 16 last year. In the Hoyas' 62--55 win against No. 7 seed Boston College last Saturday, junior stars Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert refused to panic despite trailing by eight points in the second half. "When you've played in tough games like we had against Florida [last year], that experience kicks in," said Green afterward. "Against Florida we kind of quit, but today we grinded it out and kept getting rebounds and stops." And points, too. During crunch time the 7'2" Hibbert showed remarkable poise, scoring two baskets and assisting on another, each time in the last five seconds of the shot clock.

For his part, Oden was so delightfully clueless about the tournament schedule that he asked Buckeyes coach Thad Matta if having a day off between games meant they would be playing on Monday and Wednesday this week. "I guess I didn't watch the NCAA tournament a lot," deadpanned Oden , who observed his team's miraculous rally against Xavier from the bench after fouling out. Like Hibbert , Oden will tower over his competition this week, but don't expect him to attempt a takeover of the South Regional despite his growing confidence in his surgically repaired right wrist. "I'm still not going to try and do way too much offensively," Oden says. "If I force it, it might mess up the rest of the team."

While Ohio State does have a sharpshooting senior--guard Ron Lewis , whose last-second three-pointer sent the Xavier game into overtime--the most lethal gunslinger in San Antonio will be senior point guard Acie Law IV of No. 3 seed Texas A&M . Law's clutch baskets have become so commonplace (he scored 26 points and hit 13 of 15 free throws in the Aggies' 72--69 win over Louisville last Saturday) that it took Cardinals freshman Edgar Sosa 's errant crunch-time three-pointer to cast Law's steady brilliance in sharp relief. "In the first half Louisville got off to a great start, and Acie said, 'Coach, we're gonna be fine,'" said A&M coach Billy Gillispie . "He has a calming effect, and you have great confidence in what he tells you." As a result the Aggies may just be the favorite in friendly San Antonio , even though they're only the third-highest seed at the regional.

Fellow Big 12 power Kansas won't have a home court advantage at the West Regional in San Jose --No. 2 seed UCLA will instead--but the freshman- and sophomore-dominated Jayhawks are better-equipped to handle the challenge than it might appear. Of course, it helps when your best players are skilled and unselfish at both ends of the court, none more so than sophomore guard Brandon Rush , who hit six of seven three-pointers in an easy 88--76 win against eighth-seeded Kentucky on Sunday. "The most important thing about Brandon is that he lets the game come to him," says junior point guard Russell Robinson . "He doesn't force up shots, and when he's playing well, everybody else plays well."