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Winner: Ali Farokhmanesh. By now, we've had three days to revel in the no-no-yes 3-pointer that the Northern Iowa guard hit to break No. 1 Kansas on Saturday night. But three days isn't nearly long enough for a jumper so momentous, so on we go. Consider this argument for why it should go down as the greatest early-round shot in NCAA tournament history:
When Bryce Drew, Tyus Edney, Ty Rogers, James Forrest, Drew Nicholas and Rolando Blackman hit their famous shots, there was no choice involved -- it was either shoot now or go home. There was no real risk of failure -- nobody was going to hold a miss against those players, given time and score implications. Greatness was thrust upon them.
Ali? He chose greatness -- and the potential censure that would have come with a miss. He made a completely voluntary decision to tee up a 3 with 30 seconds on the shot clock and 35 seconds in the game and his team holding a one-point lead. While on a personal seven-shot miss streak. With nobody there to rebound offensively. And the biggest tourney upset in years hanging in the balance.
Winner: The Mideast Region. Can't find it on your bracket? Look a little harder. Northern Iowa sharpshooter Ali Farokhmanesh and Saint Mary's pivot master Omar Samhan are in the Sweet 16. Samhan is of Egyptian descent, and Farokhmanesh's dad is from Iran.
Winner: Facial hair. We've seen beards make it through thick (Kansas State's Jacob Pullen, Xavier's Jason Love) and thin (Saint Mary's Omar Samhan). The Harley crowd must love the muttonchop sideburns of Northern Iowa's Lucas O'Rear. And the 'stache on Farokhmanesh's father, Mashallah, is of Borat quality.
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