It has been a rough 48 hours for Stephen F. Austin.  On Sunday, the Lumberjacks were less than a second away from advancing to their first-ever Sweet Sixteen and graduating from the ranks of the Never Been Kissed, when a man named Pfleugger from Notre Dame tipped it in and sent them home.

Then Tuesday, their coach Brad Underwood bolted for Oklahoma State in the same capacity.

Middle Tennessee‘s demise was not so sudden.  The Blue Raiders hung with Syracuse for a half, trailing only 30-27 after twenty minutes, but spent the second half chasing and lost by 25.  They will be remembered for a long time for their first round upset of mighty Michigan State, but remain NBK.

Hawai’i was also close for a half, down just one to Maryland, and faded in the end.  Stefan Jankovich was blocked on a driving attempt — laying up when he should have been dunking — and the rout was on.  The Rainbow Warriors will be an interesting team to watch this off-season, as impending NCAA sanctions loom for next year, rendering all players free agents and able to transfer and be eligible immediately.

The kissed get kissier.  Here are this year’s Sweet Sixteen schools, in order of number of Sweet Sixteens since 1985:

1 Duke (23)
2 North Carolina (21)
3 Kansas (20)
4 Syracuse (14)
5 Indiana (10)
6 Oklahoma (10)
7 Maryland (9)
8 Wisconsin (8)
9 Gonzaga (7)
10 Villanova (7)
11 Iowa St. (5)
12 Virginia (5)
13 Notre Dame (4)
14 Oregon (4)
15 Miami FL (3)
16 Texas A&M (2)