Bill Raftery likes to say "onions," but such exclamations do not go unwarranted. You have to earn the "onions!" Raftery screamed it about, oh, 25 times in the last ten minutes of Xavier's 79-75 win over West Virginia, and, without hyperbole, I can safely say every single of those "onions" was earned by both teams. Gladiators, we salute you.

Joe Alexander was tremendous, Drew Lavender was good, and both teams were just as physical and defensive as we expected. In the end, Alexander picking up his fifth foul -- and West Virginia's lack of interior defense to relieve Joe (SEND IT IN JOE!) when needed down the stretch -- spelled the end for WVU.

Xavier's style is similar to Washington State's, except Xavier can actually score, and that's a fearsome combination. Speaking of Wazzu, turns out their first eight minutes was an illusion -- North Carolina went on to rout the Cougars 68-47, and Tyler Hansbrough eventually scored 18 points. It was only a matter of time.

Now? Even more basketball. ONIONS. (It just feels good.)

(Before we get too deep into Louisville-Tennessee, memo to the adorable Dick Enberg: Wayne Chism's teammates do not call him "Weezy" because he suffers from asthma. That's not why, good sir. It's likely got more to do with his name being Wayne, and rapper Lil' Wayne's nickname also being "Weezy," "Weezy F.," or, if you're into surnames, "Weezy F. Baby." Can an under-30 producer mercifully clue Dickie E. in?)

Related: The Big Dance