The first week of the NCAA tournament was devoid of upsets -- but not star power -- as a septet of top seeds stole the show and set up a slate of Sweet 16 blockbusters

	Brooks (0) had a game-high 22 points as Oregon ended Winthrop's Cinderella run early. Robert Beck/SI

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. 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)?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl covers college basketball for the magazine and SI.com.