By Julia Morrill, SI.com

One Shining Moment

Ed McCants and his Wisconsin-Milwaukee teammates have made two tournament opponets pay for underestimating this 'mid-major.' Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

Boston College freshman Sean Marshall made a mistake when he trash talked Ed McCants. "At the beginning of the game, he's looking at me and he's like, 'Who are you?'," said McCants. "I expected it. When you underestimate people, it helps their self esteem." McCants let his actions do the talking. Five minutes into the first half, with Wisconsin-Milwaukee down 11-2, he clapped his hands and demanded the ball. The senior guard, who finished with 18 points, ran off a screen to the top of the arc and sunk a huge three pointer over Marshall. Less than a minute later, McCants schooled Marshall again, this time one-on-one, by sinking a lay up as he was falling to the ground. The quick five points helped the Panthers cut BC's lead, but more importantly, McCants inspired the team to play tough and believe in themselves. "I don't know where this term 'mid-major' really comes from," he said after the game. "We're going to put buckets in, we're good on the run and we're well conditioned. I hope you can keep up with us." BC, and Sean Marshall especially, learned its lesson.

Player who impressed me

Facing BC's Chris Smith, arguably the best power forward in the nation, it was the 6'5'', 220 pound Joah Tucker who stepped it up, but not only with his physical defense. On the other end, Tucker scored a team-high 23 points, including the first bucket of the game which ended a three minute scoring drought and four clutch free throws to close out the 83-75 shocker. "I know my bread and butter is the inside game," he said. "I feel I can't be stopped when I get to the basket." Also give credit to the Eagles Jared Dudley, who set a new BC record with 18 free throws made--the old mark was 17, set by Troy Bell in 2001.

Courtside confidential

Sean Marshall wasn't the only BC player with a swagger. According to McCants, the Eagles stared the Panthers down as they walked past them on the way to practice Friday...Also on Friday, coach Bruce Pearl fessed up to an embarrassing story from his past: he was a mascot for one game while a student at Boston College. "Let me clarify, it was for a weekend," he joked. "Have you ever done a thing for a weekend that you didn't want anyone to know about? I absolutely had a ball. And you know the other thing about mascots? Do you know how close you can get to the cheerleaders? I never had that kind of access as a student at BC with the cheerleaders."

Championship formula

Wisconsin-Milwaukee plays without a conscience, they are the perfect Cinderella team. Coach Pearl has a group of athletic, tough players who believe in his system and thrive under his pressure defense. The Panther's forced 22 turnovers against BC, 16 in the first half alone. At the same time, they have dangerous shooters in McCants, Tucker, point guard Chris Hill and forward Adrian Tigert. The matchup with Illinois is intriguing. To break the full court press, it takes point guards who can handle the ball. The Illini have Dee Brown and Deron Williams--it remains to be seen whether they can avoid making turnovers and play with poise.