What Could Have Been

Four years ago, the top high school player in America was in the state of Ohio. There was a guy at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron that was filling up gyms wherever he went. He was identified at an early age as "the next Jordan". He had so many agents and shoe companies after him that college was not even an option.

But, just what if this guy had gone to college? He wouldn't have stayed at home to play for the Akron Zips. There's a good chance he would have gone down the road to play for The Ohio State University. Imagine LeBron James in college. Even more farfetched: what if he would have stayed for four years?

Wait a minute, though. LeBron wisely took the money and turned pro. And, TOSU wound up with a stud in Greg Oden, thanks to the NBA, and their new rule requiring players to be 20 years old before they are drafted. So, TOSU is playing for a national championship tonight.

Both parties are better off, after all.

One Shining Moment

Spring started on March 21st, but it doesn't really start in earnest until tonight, between 10:30 and 11:00 PM Central time. Spring begins after the end of the NCAA national championship, when CBS plays "One Shining Moment".

CBS has run a video montage to "One Shining Moment" for around the last 20 years or so. The song is kinda cheesy, but the tournament is incomplete without it. In its own way, it also serves as a signal that winter is over, and that spring is here.

CBS has tried to trick it up in various ways over the years, so in some years, it's better than others. In the past, the late Luther Vandross has sung the song. Teddy Pendergrass has sung it even more often.

Looking forward to what CBS puts out there tonight...

Football Schools, Basketball Schools, continued

On the brink of tonight's national championship game between Florida and TOSU, Pat Forde weighs in:

ESPN.com

The era of the megaprogram is upon us.

What if Kentucky and North Carolina met in the BCS National Championship Game? We have its equivalent tonight. It'll be a good game.

It's Their World

It's the Gators' and Buckeyes' world. We just live in it.

Florida and Ohio State renew acquaintances Monday night. Just three months ago, these two schools met in the Arizona desert for the BCS national championship in football. The Gators won going away. Now, the two schools play for the national championship in basketball on Monday night in Atlanta.

This is the first time a school has played for a national championship in both sports since the 1987-88 school year, when Oklahoma lost to Miami in the Orange Bowl, and lost the basketball national championship to Kansas three months later. I am still sick over both of those, especially the basketball championship game. That was OU's best team ever (3 first round draft picks), and they were the best team over the regular season. KU has probably had 10 better teams than that one, but that one won the national championship. Yuck. Ok, I chased a rabbit there.

It just so happens that not one, but two schools are playing for national championships in both sports. With a win, Florida would 1) repeat as national champions, and 2) would be the first school to win football and basketball national championships in the same year.

Monday night will be a hot night in Hotlanta.

Out of Pocket

I will be out of pocket for the next few days, as I will be out of town with my family. I will be blogging again sometime Sunday evening.

I stand by my pick of Florida vs. Ohio State, with the Gators winning the whole enchilada.

Thankful I'm not Ugueth Urbina, who is looking forward to 14 years in a Venezuelan prison...

Football Schools, Basketball Schools

The buzz in college basketball circles this week is that Florida coach Billy Donovan is the leading candidate to become the next coach at Kentucky, for as much as $4 million per year. That is a ton of money. With the money comes the pressure of being the head of Big Blue Nation, and a group of totally rabid fans.

It is very possible for a school to be successful on both the football field and the basketball court. Florida and Ohio State have a very good chance to play for a national championship in basketball, just as they did in football back in January. It is next to impossible for a fan base to be equally passionate about basketball and football. Traditions are built over decades, as is fan loyalty and passion. Florida, for instance, returned 750 tickets out of their allotment of 1500 to last week's Midwest Regional in St. Louis. We're talking about the flagship university in the nation's third largest state, with over 40,000 students and tons of alumni. But, while Gator fans are proud of their success in basketball, they are most passionate about football, where they won their second national championship in 11 years last season. If there were a bowl game in St. Louis, or even a college football playoff game there, I'm sure the Gators would sell more than 750 tickets. Ron Zook was fired as football coach for going 7-4.

The opposite exists in Kentucky. UK fills 23,000-seat Rupp Arena for the first practice of the season, at 12:01 AM of the first allowable practice day. They also fill the arena for the most pedestrian of non-conference games. Last Thursday, on the day of Tubby Smith's resignation, the message board at leading UK fan site www.catspause.com drew as many as 13,658 visitors at one time. This is more than the capacity of Florida's arena. Kentucky deserves credit, though, as they sold two-thirds of the seats for their football team's appearance in the Music City Bowl in Nashville.

Schools such as Kentucky, North Carolina, and Kansas will forever be basketball schools. They will have good football teams from time to time, but fans and alums eat, drink, and sleep hoops. Mack Brown went 10-1 with the Tar Heels in 1997, but missed out on the BCS, and took the Texas job, where he won a national championship in 2005.

Schools such as Oklahoma, Texas, and Alabama, among others, will forever be football schools. They will have varying degrees of basketball success. Texas has been to the Sweet 16 four times in the last six years. Texas and Oklahoma have been to Final Fours in this decade. But, for many fans of these schools, basketball serves as a diversion during the off-season of football. Basketball even competes for attention with football recruiting and spring practice.

Money will buy a lot of things, including coaches and the latest and greatest facilities. The big money generated by football helps bigger programs become more competitive in other sports. However, money can't buy passion.

More on this later, as Kentucky and Florida launch their bidding war for Billy Donovan.

Billy Clyde

We have an old-fashioned Southwest Conference bidding war between Texas A&M and Arkansas. Program-builder and miracle worker Billy Gillispie is being courted by Arkansas to take over the Hogs' basketball program.

Why would Billy Clyde think about moving to the hills of Arkansas? $$$$. As in $2 million per year. The Texas A&M board of regents are prepared to give him an extension and a sizable raise in order to keep him.

The guy is a recruiting machine, having brought studs into places such as Baylor, Tulsa, and Illinois as an assistant, and in bringing players to UTEP and Texas A&M as a head coach. He's also proven himself as an X's and O's coach. He has taken A&M from 0-16 in the Big XII to the Sweet 16 in three years.

As an OU fan, I hope he stays. It would be bad for the Big XII if he left.

Playoff, or BCS?

Imagine if college basketball had a bowl system, and, if it morphed into the BCS.

We could have the following:

Fiesta Bowl: Kansas vs. Memphis
Sugar Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Pittsburgh
Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. UCLA
Orange Bowl: Georgetown vs. Texas A&M

National Championship Game: Florida vs. North Carolina

That's just a really good way to determine a national champion. (sarcasm)

Wait a minute: Where's Ohio State? Sorry, the selection committee seeded North Carolina as the #2 team in the country, even though Ohio State was #1 in every major poll at the end of the season. Doesn't that sound like the BCS?

Let's enjoy the Tournament, and hope, wish, and pray that more sensible heads will prevail in the world of college football.

Ugly Uniform of the Day-Monday

This picture was sent to me a couple of days ago as a nomination.

This is Al Horford of the Florida Gators during last year's national championship game. The Florida Gator road uniform isn't that bad. Those shoes, though, do not go with it. The shoes are putrid. They look like they would match the Tennessee Volunteers' uniforms. I call that deer hunter orange.

Eye gouge rating: One

UUOTD

I hate to add insult to injury, but I'm going to do so here.

Winona State had a 56-game winning streak end in a bizarre ending to their game with Barton (NC) in the Division II national championship game. Winona had a seven-point lead with 45 seconds to go, before Barton went on an improbable 10-1 run to win the game. I speculated in an earlier post that the away version of the Winona uniform must be really ugly.

I found a picture of it, and it exceeded my expectations for ugliness. They wore a black jersey, with the horizontal trim and striping. The school colors are purple and white. These are bad unis. Eye gouge rating: Two

And Then There Were Four

There are a lot of basketball geniuses out there. Those are the ones who predicted Florida, UCLA, Ohio State, and Georgetown to be in the Final Four. I don't know how many there are, but they're out there.

The Gators are back in the Final Four for the second year in a row, and are favored to win the whole thing. But, the question is: does Billy Donovan remain as coach? He's rumored to be in line for the Kentucky job. He's one of the few coaches out there that can handle the job, and that are qualified. On the other side of today's game, Oregon was in their second Elite Eight in five years. They had three mediocre seasons in between, and the Ducks are in the process of changing athletic directors. Oregon is building a new arena, and rumor is that mega-donor Phil Knight of Nike would like to change coaches. The Ducks would like to bring alum Mark Few back from Gonzaga to coach their team. Current coach Ernie Kent isn't feeling the love, and is most likely looking elsewhere. This run didn't hurt his apparent search for another job. Maybe he'll wind up at Michigan.

I hated Georgetown in the 80's. I've chilled over the years, and even picked the Hoyas to make this year's Final Four. The Hoyas and North Carolina went to overtime, and the Hoyas pulled away to make their first Final Four since 1985, when Patrick Ewing was the star, and John Thompson was the coach. Now, Patrick Ewing, Jr. plays for the Hoyas, and John Thompson III is the coach. The Hoyas now face the buzzsaw that is Ohio State on Saturday in Atlanta.

I have three picks left from my original brackets: Florida, Georgetown, and Ohio State. I had Kansas as the other team in the Final Four, but they lost to UCLA. My original prediction of a Florida-Ohio State final still stands.

Until further notice, it's still the Gators' and Buckeyes' world. The rest of us just live in it.

Never Give Up

This is the ending to Saturday's Division II men's championship game. Winona State (Minnesota) had a seven-point lead over Barton College (NC) with 45 seconds left in the game. Barton came back to win at the buzzer with a steal and a lay-up.

A simply wild ending. It's never over until the buzzer sounds.

By the way, Winona State's uniforms were ugly. They had this trim reminiscent of the 70's Cavaliers, and the horizontal stripes down the side. I'd hate to see the away version of this uniform.

Two Down, Two To Go

Half of the Final Four field is set.

The Buckeyes of The Ohio State University actually had a game where they didn't have to depend on a freak ending. TOSU went two-for-two against the state of Tennessee in this tournament, sending Memphis home by a score of 92-76.

Out West, UCLA qualified for their second consecutive Final Four, defeating the Kansas Jayhawks, 68-55. John Wooden is proud.

On an unrelated note, I was watching a brief part of a women's game earlier today, and wondered: Why are Bowling Green's colors orange and brown? Shouldn't they have green as a color? They're not Bowling Orange.

The Red Foxes

The NCAA women's tournament has thus far provided a bit more intrigue than the men's tournament. There have actually been upsets in the women's tournament.

There is a team in the women's tournament with the nickname Red Foxes. They're not communist models, nor are they a late, great comedian. It's Marist, the #13 seed in the Dayton regional. They defeated #4 seed Ohio State, and #5 seed Middle Tennessee State.

Their run should end on Sunday, as they play the Lady Vols of Tennessee. Nonetheless, it's good to see a women's team called Red Foxes do well.

Script Ohio, Hoops Style

At the end of this year, Ohio State and Wisconsin were both ranked #1 in the nation, depending on the poll. They played in Columbus with the Big Ten championship on the line.

This game was so big, the band did "Script Ohio" for the first time ever at a basketball game. This is the pep band, and not the marching band, so it's not quite as intricate. However, it is really cool.

The band marches out onto the field (or in this case, the court), and spells out "Ohio". At the end of the march, an honored band member runs out and puts the dot on the "I". This is one of the most honored traditions in college football. On occasion, an honored guest will dot the I. Among those that have dotted the I are Woody Hayes and Jack Nicklaus.

I doubt if the NCAA will allow the pep band to do Script Ohio today before their game with Memphis. Maybe they can do it in the parking lot of the Alamodome. Hey, maybe they can do it in front of the Alamo. Yeah, like the guardians of Texas freedom would let a bunch of Yankee carpetbaggers do Script Ohio at the Alamo. Oops, getting my wars mixed up. Anyway, Script Ohio is one of the coolest things.

Unpredictable, Yet Predictable

There have been some entertaining games in this year's NCAA tournament. The outcomes, though, have been predictable.

I don't know how many times I've seen a lower-seeded team get a big, or not-so-big lead, only to be overtaken by the higher-seeded team. It happened last night with Southern Illinois and Kansas, Texas A&M and Memphis, and in a big way with Tennessee and Ohio State. It happened again tonight with Butler and Florida, Vanderbilt and Georgetown, and USC and North Carolina. These teams are making the selection committee look really good.

All four #1 seeds are still alive (Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, Kansas). Three #2 seeds are still in this tournament (Georgetown, Memphis, UCLA). Only Oregon has less than a #2 seed, and they are a #3 in the Midwest region. How would you like to be Wisconsin, sitting at home as the only #2 seed knocked out of this thing thus far?

The Pac-10 still has two teams left: UCLA and Oregon. The SEC, Big XII, Big Ten, ACC, Big East, and Conference USA are still in the mix, as well.

All those people that picked favorites in their brackets are still safe. I picked Florida, Kansas, Georgetown, and Ohio State. I'm still safe, at the moment. We could very well have four #1 seeds at the Final Four in Atlanta next week. Billy Packer has to be loving it.

Randomness

A few random thoughts:

The Texans are getting rid of David Carr. That's no surprise. But, for Matt Schaub? Let's wait and see how that turns out. I wouldn't get my hopes up. But, Tony Romo has become a Pro Bowl quarterback, so anything can happen. And, don't be surprised if Carr becomes a good quarterback somewhere else.

Tubby Smith is going ice fishing. He's leaving the pressure cooker of Kentucky for the Great White North of Minnesota, to coach the Golden Gophers. Smart move by the Tubster. Sure, he won't be getting $2.1 million per year from Kentucky. But, he'll be well paid by the Gophers, with a fraction of the expectations. He's won a national championship. The problem in the Bluegrass is that it was nine years ago. Tubby is a darn good coach. He'll have the Gophers in the thick of the Big Ten sooner rather than later. The guy took Tulsa and Georgia to the Sweet 16. He can coach. However, they expect a lot more at Kentucky.

There were a lot of good games last night in the Sweet 16. The results were predictable, though, and we have 1 vs. 2 seeds in both regionals. Kansas knocked off Southern Illinois, and UCLA beat Pittsburgh out West. San Antonio saw two one-point games, as Memphis nudged Texas A&M, and Ohio State overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Tennessee.

UUOTD-Wednesday

A good way to ruin a good look is with a random stripe.

The University of Memphis, formerly known as Memphis State, has a classic-looking color scheme of royal blue and white. It doesn't really go with the nickname Tigers, but it's a good color scheme nonetheless.

This year, they are wearing a stripe running diagonally across the shoulder, then down one side of their uniform, before making another slight diagonal streak across the back of the shorts. It looks really random and out of place. It's a bad way to ruin a good uniform.


Any talk of the Memphis uniform would be incomplete without mention of the black uniform they have worn away from home on occasion this season. Once again, blue schools should not be wearing black. Vanderbilt and UCF have black as a color. Not Memphis.

Oh, yeah, I have Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 tomorrow night. I can't go back on my pick. Memphis looks really strong, though.

One eye gouge.

However, though, the ribs in Memphis are good. So is Graceland. Everybody ought to go to Graceland at least once.

The New Ballpark, Almost The Same As The Old Ballpark

Yesterday brought the official news: the Ballpark is the Ballpark once again. The Rangers severed sponsorship ties with Ameriquest Mortgage Company, taking the Ameriquest name off the Temple. It will now be called something not quite as ghey: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

It is welcome news to have the Ameriquest name off of the Temple. However, what is wrong with calling it by its original, classic name: The Ballpark in Arlington? People associate that name with the Rangers. More importantly, people associate that with better days of the franchise, when they won three division championships in four years. That's something sneered at in places like New York and St. Louis, but those are the halcyon days of yore for the traditionally mediocre Rangers.

I've liked the Rangers since I was a little boy, listening to games on the 50,000 watt blowtorch, WBAP (they need to be back on that station, by the way) on a transistor radio. I've put up with a lot of bad and mediocre baseball from them. At least Cubs fans get teased with thoughts of a championship. Rangers fans do not. Our team traditionally sucks, especially under the Tom Hicks ownership. Or, if it doesn't suck, it's at least mediocre.

I digress. This is a good move. Hopefully, there will be improvement on the field, as well.

Even More Random Tournament Thoughts

The Big XII went 1-1 today. Kansas beat Kentucky, and Texas lost to USC. I'm sure USC would rather have a win in last year's Rose Bowl, but they'll take this.

Memphis may be better than we give them credit for. They play in a dreadful conference, but it's hard to win 23 in a row, no matter who you play. Next up for the Fighting Elvises: Texas A&M.

Conference breakdown of the Sweet 16:

SEC: 3 (Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt)
Pac-10: 3 (UCLA, USC, Oregon)
Big XII: 2 (Kansas, Texas A&M)
Big East: 2 (Georgetown, Pittsburgh)
The following have one team: ACC (North Carolina), Big Ten (Ohio State), Missouri Valley (Southern Illinois), Horizon League (Butler), Conference USA (Memphis), Mountain West (UNLV)

The state of Tennessee has three teams remaining in this tournament: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Memphis.

The city of Los Angeles has two teams left: UCLA and USC.

More Random Tournament Thoughts

The Runnin' Rebels are back. UNLV bounced Wisconsin from the tournament today in Chicago with a 74-68 win.

Rebels coach Lon Kruger advanced to the Sweet 16 with his third different school (Kansas State and Florida are the others, he didn't get Illinois this far). What is interesting, though, is that he is rumored to be considered for both the Michigan and Minnesota jobs. Either job would put him back in the Big Ten. It would be tough to leave Las Vegas, unless he's just dying to get back to snow country. It would also present the opportunity to become the first coach to take five different schools to the NCAA tournament. I don't even know if he knows that, or if he cares about that, but it's out there.

Winthrop was knocked out of the tournament by the Oregon Ducks, 75-61. Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall will now have a lot of $$$ thrown at him by schools in higher-profile conferences. He accepted the College of Charleston job last year, only to turn it down to remain at Winthrop.

The Salukis of Southern Illinois advanced to the round of 16, defeating the Hokies of Virginia Tech, 63-48. SIU now awaits the winner of the Kansas-Kentucky game.

The Purdue Boilermakers put up a valiant effort, but came up short against top-seeded Florida, losing 74-67. The Gators face Butler in the round of 16.

More later...

This Man Is Still Dancing

That's Bruce Pearl, coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. He is pictured at a game earlier this year, when he painted himself orange to support the Lady Vols in their game against top-ranked Duke.

The male Vols defeated Virginia today, 77-74. It is not true that Bristol, Virginia is being annexed to Tennessee as a result of today's game.

This is the second trip in three years to the Sweet 16 for Pearl. He coached Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the round of 16 in 2005.

Random Tournament Thoughts

Friday afternoon, I was watching the Nevada-Creighton game on March Madness On Demand (good stuff!) with the sound turned down. They went into the crowd, and found Alabama assistant coach Tom Asbury. I had the sound turned down, so I have no idea why they were talking about him. I don't know if he had a connection with either team (he and Creighton coach Dana Altman are former K-State head coaches), or if they were pimping him for another head coaching job. I don't think they were talking about his booger eating on the sidelines. Thanks to Youtube, he's the laughing stock of college basketball.

Winthrop is the last hope for a Cinderella-type run through this Big Dance. They were really underseeded at #11. They probably should have been an #8 or #9.

More later...

2nd Round Thoughts

There were some competitive games today in the NCAA tournament, as three games thus far have gone into overtime.

Texas A&M survived a hostile environment, and defeated Louisville, 72-69. The Ags return to Texas, and will play the winner of Nevada-Memphis next week in San Antonio.

Butler moved on to their second Sweet 16 in the last five years, knocking off Maryland, 62-59.

Vanderbilt moved on to the Sweet 16, taking two overtimes to handle Washington State, 78-74.

Georgetown made a second half comeback, and defeated Boston College, 62-55. Didn't that used to be a conference game? Count me among those that still think BC belongs in the Big East instead of the ACC.

Cinderella fell tonight in Buffalo, as VCU lost in overtime to Pittsburgh, 84-79.

Michigan State played North Carolina tough for three-fourths of the game. The Tar Heels pulled away at the end to win, 81-69.

As I type, UCLA is trying to hold off Indiana.

There has been a lot of excitement today, even if the outcomes have been predictable.

So Close

This tournament was very nearly turned upside down. Xavier had a nine point lead with three minutes to go over #1-ranked Ohio State. The Musketeers had a three-point lead with 3 seconds to go, but missed a free throw, and Ron Lewis hit an NBA-range three-pointer to send the game to overtime. Ohio State then took the game over in overtime and escaped with the win.

When CBS came back from commercial with Xavier up 9 with three minutes to go, I had a feeling Ohio State was going to come back. My gut isn't always right, but it was on this occasion.

This may have been the one chance to knock off the Buckeyes. Look out for TOSU.

Tournament Thoughts, Saturday, Pre-Game

Kentucky last night won a first round game in the Tournament for the 16th year in a row. Most schools would kill for that kind of success. Not UK. A good portion of the Big Blue Nation wants to run Tubby Smith out on a rail. Tubby might be smart to get a lawyer, negotiate a buyout, and take the money and run. He's a darn good coach. However, he's not signing a ton of hamburger All-Americans, and the relative lack of talent has reduced the Cats to a middle-of-the-pack SEC team. UK fans expect more. They expect Final Fours and national championships.

I am 23-9 after the first round of bracket picks. Normally, that's a decent record. This year, with the rash of favorites winning, that is not a good record. Sure, I got VCU and Winthrop right. But, I blew it on teams such as Albany, George Washington, Oral Roberts, and Old Dominion. The Wife, on the other hand, is 29-3. She only missed Duke-VCU, Notre Dame-Winthrop, and Arizona-Purdue. Brackets are a very inexact science.

Time to clean house and to keep up with TOSU vs. Xavier.

Ho, Hum, or Final 1st Round Thoughts

Four more favorites won tonight in the late games in the NCAA tournament. This has been the biggest dud of a first round in memory.

Southern Illinois held their seed, and defeated Holy Cross. I picked the Crusaders, but that was not to be. The Salukis move on to take on Virginia Tech.

Tubby Smith has a job for at least two more days, as the Kentucky Wildcats knocked off the Villanova Wildcats. UK takes on KU in the next round. That would be top-seeded Kansas.

Jackson State was competitive with Florida for a half. The Gators stepped it up in the second half, and scored 112 on JSU. This is the Gators' tournament to lose.

In Spokane, USC is putting the finishing touches on a win over Arkansas. It's interesting that the last two teams in the field, Stanford and Arkansas, did not represent well at all.

Only two teams with lower than a #9 seed advanced to the second round: VCU and Winthrop.

The 6 BCS conferences combined for 25 of the last 32 teams:

ACC: North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Boston College
Big Ten: Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue
Pac-10: UCLA, USC, Arizona, Oregon, Washington State
SEC: Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky (all from the same division)
Big East: Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Louisville
Big XII: Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M

The other seven teams are: Winthrop (Big South), VCU (CAA), Xavier (Atlantic 10), UNLV (Mountain West), Nevada (WAC), Southern Illinois (MVC), and Butler (Horizon).

The state of Nevada qualified 100% of its Division I teams for this tournament. That's 2 teams: Nevada and UNLV. Both are still alive.

Some More Friday Tournament Thoughts

Where did Purdue come from? I thought they were way over-seeded as a #9. They messed around and beat Arizona. This is not a vintage Arizona team, but I expected them to win one game in this tournament. Florida awaits the Boilermakers, unless Jackson State pulls off the mother of all upsets tonight.

The Fighting Illini of Illinois led for most of the evening. They fell victim, however, to a 12-0 run at the end of the game by the Hokies of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. Virginia Tech gets the winner of Southern Illinois-Holy Cross.

Kansas tonight became the second team in this tournament to hit the century mark, defeating Niagara, 107-67. Niagara did get a win in this tournament, though, as they won the play-in game over Florida A&M. KU gets the winner of Kentucky-Villanova.

And, the Fighting Reggie Theuses of New Mexico State gave Texas all they wanted for most of the night. Texas had too much talent, though, and pulled away late, winning 79-67. Texas plays the winner of USC-Arkansas. By the way, Arkansas has the last chance for a 12 seed to beat a 5 seed in this tournament. Only twice in the last 22 years has at least one 12 seed not defeated a 5 seed.

More later..

Ugly Uniform of the Day

UUOTD has been rather sporadic lately. I saw something that caught my eye today, however.

Xavier of New Orleans is playing in the NAIA national tournament in Kansas City. I saw this picture, and this is not a good look. They have a bullseye on their chest. The number is inside a circle. The wide trim doesn't look real good, either.

What takes the cake, though, is on the shorts. The shorts say "Rush" on the belt area. I thought "What? This isn't a fraternity or sorority". What's up with Rush? Isn't it a 70's rock band from Canada? I didn't think an HBCU would have the name of a conservative talk radio host on their shorts. I did some research, and their nickname is the Gold Rush. Anyway, "Rush" doesn't belong on the belt.

I'm still not sure how a team from New Orleans got to be the Gold Rush. San Francisco? Yes. New Orleans? I'm not sure.

More Friday Tournament Thoughts

The second batch of Friday games definitely had the most intrigue.

Winthrop finally got their first-ever NCAA tournament win, over the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Eagles pulled away at the end, and won 74-64. They get the winner of Oregon-Miami (Ohio).

It was back to the 80's in Columbus, as Tennessee ran Long Beach State out of the gym, 121-86. Somewhere, Billy Tubbs and Jerry Tarkanian were smiling. Run, gun, and run some more...

For 30 minutes, there was a colossal upset in the making. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi led Wisconsin for most of the game. The Badgers came back, though, and eventually won by 13.

The tournament's first overtime game was in New Orleans, as the Wolf Pack of Nevada knocked off Creighton, 77-71. Nevada moves on to play Memphis on Sunday.

More later...

Friday Tournament Thoughts

So long, Great Danes. Albany was more like the Mutts against UVa, as the Cavs blew them out. I sure blew that pick.

The Mean Green of North Texas put up a valiant effort against Memphis, but came up short. Nonetheless, it was the best season in 20 years in Denton.

What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas. UNLV put away Georgia Tech. The Ramblin' Wreck were a fashionable pick to do something in this tournament with a low seed. The Runnin' Rebels are back. Lon Kruger has won a tournament game with his fourth different school. Imagine if K-State had ponied up to hold on to him years ago, as that is his alma mater...

More thoughts later...

Still More Tournament Thoughts

I went to bed before the last game was over, but Pittsburgh had Wright State beaten, so nothing was in doubt. Pitt now gets VCU in the 2nd round. VCU is getting lots of love, as they beat the hated Duke Blue Devils.

Kelvin Sampson won a first round game at Indiana, as they knocked off Gonzaga. I wish he'd have done that more at OU. The Hoosiers, though, run into the juggernaut that is UCLA. Good luck with all that.

For a short time last night, Eastern Kentucky gave North Carolina fits. They went on a 39-12 run to cut the UNC lead to 4. The Tar Heels pulled away, though, to win by 21.

When does X beat Y? Last night, as Xavier beat the Y, or BYU. Now, the X-Men have a date with The Ohio State University.

Overall, it was a dud first day of the tournament. Only three lower seeds won, and two of those were #9 over #8 seeds. I picked too many blown upsets, as I went 11 of 16 for the day. The Wife got smart, and picked all favorites. She has been known for picking teams according to color, or for using the geography method, picking teams by state. This year, she picked predominantly to seed, except for the 8-9 games. Therefore, she went 15-1 yesterday, only missing Duke.

Here's hoping the Albany Great Danes make some noise today...

More Tournament Thoughts

There was finally an upset tonight! Actually, I'm not sure how much of an upset it was. Virginia Commonwealth, the 11th seed in the West regional, knocked off the 6th seeded Duke Blue Devils, 79-77. Eric Maynor hit the game winner with two seconds left to give VCU the win. VCU now awaits the winner of Pittsburgh-Wright State. I actually got this upset right, unlike my picks of ORU, Old Dominion, George Washington and Texas Tech. My brackets need Xavier, Gonzaga, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh to come through in the late games.

Ohio State took it easy on Central Connecticut State, only beating them by 21.

Michigan State got the first win for a team in a dark jersey, knocking off Marquette, 61-48. MSU was a #9 seed, so this is no surprise.

UCLA had their way with Cream o' Weber, with an easy 70-42 win.

In the late afternoon game, Vanderbilt showed up. George Washington didn't. Vandy won by a score of 77-44. GW left their game in Atlantic City last week.

More later...

More Quick Tournament Thoughts

The white jerseys are having their way in the first afternoon sessions of the Big Dance. Every higher seeded team has won.

ORU hung with Wazzu for a half, but went cold in the first part of the second half and never recovered.

The Butler did it. Butler avoided the upset, and even pulled away from Old Dominion at the end.

Penn made it interesting for A&M, even leading in the second half. The Ags pulled away, though, for a double-digit win.

Georgetown blew out Belmont, as expected.

Vandy has a big lead on George Washington, but it's early.

Maybe there will be some upsets tonight...

Quick Tournament Thoughts

Quick thoughts as the first block of games are finished...

March Madness on Demand is great. I can put my headphones on at work, listen to the play-by-play, or watch the video if I get a spare minute. The game on our local CBS station is blacked out, but I really don't care about Texas Tech vs. Boston College or Texas A&M vs. Penn today.

Oh, Oh, Oh, O'Reilly! Team O'Reilly, a/k/a Texas Tech, came up short against Boston College. That's one pick I missed. The Big XII really was KU, A&M, UT, and a bunch of spares this year.

Davidson gave the Land of Mary a game for about 35 minutes. Problem is, there are 40 minutes in a game.

What was Stanford doing in this tournament? Louisville had mercy on them and only won by 20. The game was a lot worse than that.

Gotta get back to work... Go Oral Roberts!

Final Four Predictions

I haven't forgotten, but I do have predictions for the Final Four.

Florida over Kansas
Ohio State over Georgetown

The final will be a rematch of the BCS National Championship Game. It's the Gators' and Buckeyes' world. The rest of us just live in it.

Florida repeats as national champion.

More comments later...

Playing Their Way In

Tonight was the "opening round" game of the NCAA tournament, more commonly known as the play-in game. Some call it the pigtail game. This is the matchup between what the selection committee sees as the 64th and 65th rated teams in the tournament. Niagara earned the right to travel to Chicago to play #1 seed Kansas on Friday.

This incarnation of the opening round game began in 2001, after the newly formed Mountain West Conference received its automatic bid. The tournament committee did not want to remove one of the 34 at-large bids to accomodate the MWC. So, they created the opening round, and placed the game in Dayton, Ohio, where it has remained. The two lowest-rated qualifiers, or two chosen low-rated qualifiers, play for a chance to play a #1 seed later in the week.

For the last five years in a row, one of the participants has come from either the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference or the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the two Division I conferences made up of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities). The committee has made an effort to not match up the two leagues in the Tuesday night play-in game. I think it would be a public relations disaster if two HBCUs played in the only opening round game. This year, Jackson State of the SWAC and Florida A&M of the MEAC were the lowest-ranked teams in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The NCAA chose to let JSU skip the play-in game. However, we are finding that the opening round game penalizes low-budget programs, as it is a cheap imitation of the real 1st round of the NCAA tournament.

The cries are coming even louder, from coaches of major programs, to expand the field. 64 teams is a really good number, but we've passed that now. 96 is too many, as a complete extra round would be a logistical nightmare. Which leaves us the reasonable numbers of 68 and 72.

A 68-team field would result in four opening-round games, giving some legitimacy to this round, while opening three more spots in the field. In a 68-team tournament, Drexel, Syracuse, and Kansas State most likely make the field. In addition, each #1 seed would play a winner from the opening round. There could be two doubleheaders, in two medium-sized to small arenas, preferably close to a major airport yet able to draw a crowd. This year's games would include: Weber State vs. Florida A&M, Belmont vs. Niagara, North Texas vs. Jackson State, and Central Connecticut vs. Eastern Kentucky. This is the best and most reasonable option for expanding the field.

A 72-team field would require doubleheaders in two more locations in the opening round, or two locations with all-day sessions, similar to the first round of the tournament. It would also add seven more at-large spots to the field. For example, Drexel, Syracuse, Kansas State, Air Force, Bradley, Florida State, and Missouri State would most likely make the tournament under this arrangement. A good number of automatic qualifiers from the smaller conferences would be playing on Tuesday under this arrangement, as there would be eight opening round games, for the right to play #1 and #2 seeds later in the week.

The opening round as it is currently constituted is a joke. I think three more opening round games would be ok, especially as it would add three more at-large bids. Anything more than that further dilutes the quality of the tournament.

Bracket Breakdown: South

The South regional really is South this year. As in, South Texas. One of these teams will go through the Alamodome in San Antonio on the way to the Final Four.

That juggernaut of college athletics, The Ohio State University, finds itself as the #1 seed in this regional. They have a first round game with Central Connecticut State, the Nutmeg State's only representative in this tournament (UConn is missing this year). tOSU has little trouble in this one.

The Buckeyes find themselves in a tight ticket market in 22,000 seat Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. One reason is that nearby Xavier of Cincinnati is the 9th seed, playing #8 BYU. BYU won the regular season championship in the Mountain West. Beware of the X Men. Jesuits over Mormons in this one.

The Big Orange of Tennessee are also in this regional, traveling to Columbus to play Long Beach State. CSULB coach Larry Reynolds is coaching for a job, as his contract expires after the tournament. He could possibly get a better job after this tournament. The Beach will give Tennessee all they want. But, just as last year, the Vols hang on for a first-round win.

The Virginia Cavaliers moved into a new arena this season, and finished near the top of the ACC, blowing a chance to win the regular season on the final day. UVa finds itself as a #4 seed opposite the Great Danes of the University at Albany, State University of New York. Albany almost upset UConn in last year's tournament. I look for them to finish the job, and pull the upset here.

Another reason for the tight ticket market is the return of Rick Pitino to Lexington, as his Louisville Cardinals make the 80-mile trip down I-64 to play the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford went 10-8 in a tough Pac-10. I think they're one and done here, though, as U of L should handle the Trees. Oops, I meant Cardinal.

The other game in Lexington gives us the Fightin' Texas Aggies and the Penn Quakers. Aggies vs. Ivy League, hmmm? Give me the Aggies.

Down in New Orleans, the Wolf Pack of Nevada get a tough matchup with the Creighton Bluejays. This will be a good one. Give me Nick Fazekas and Nevada.

Awaiting them will be Memphis. The Tigers rolled undefeated through Conference USA, barely breaking a sweat. Their matchup with North Texas will be no different. It's good for the Mean Green to be here, but this won't be pretty. Give me Elvis, and give me Memphis.

In the next round, Ohio State and coach Thad Matta get a matchup with his former school, Xavier. The X-Men will be hungry, and will play tOSU tough. But, there's only one Greg Oden, and he wears scarlet and gray. Ohio State wins this one.

TOSU gets to play Tennessee, winners over a valiant UAlbany squad.

The Texas Aggies run into a buzzsaw in Lexington, as Louisville has a virtual homecourt advantage. However, the Ags won at the Phog over Kansas, and they'll win over U of L in the Bluegrass.

The Ags become beneficiaries of an upset, as Memphis finally falls. They've won too many games in a row, and a 22 game winning streak comes to an end at the hands of Nick Fazekas and Nevada.

So, down by the Riverwalk, tOSU handles the Big Orange of Tennessee. The Aggies, who barely knew what a basketball was only three years ago, pack the Alamodome, and dispatch Nevada.

This sets up a battle between tOSU and the Fightin' Texas Aggies. This will be a low-scoring close game, but the Buckeyes come through in the Year of Greg Oden. Bucks to Atlanta..

Bracket Breakdown: East

The East Regional in East Rutherford, N.J. promises excitement and intrigue, no matter who ends up there. Several teams could win this one.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the top seed, and draw the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky Fried Chicken in the first round. EKU has had a nice season, winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, but they're not North Carolina. Tar Heels roll.

They face the winner of a gargantuan 8-9 matchup between Tom Crean and the Marquette Golden Eagles (I almost called them Warriors-naughty, naughty!), and his mentor Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans. Teacher beats pupil here. Spartans win this one in Winston-Salem.

The 5 vs. 12 matchup in Spokane gives us the resurgent USC Trojans and the Arkansas Razorbacks, probably the last team chosen for the tournament. The last time these schools met, it was on the football field, and SC hung half a hundred on the Hogs in Fayetteville. This will be a better game, but give the edge to SC.

In the other Spokane game, the Fighting Kevin Durants, a/k/a Texas Longhorns, get a matchup with Reggie Theus and the New Mexico State Aggies. It seems like yesterday Reggie Theus was playing for UNLV and a million NBA teams. Durant and Texas are too much for the Aggies.

Down on the bottom half of the bracket, Gloria Vanderbilt takes on George Washington. It's not really Gloria's school, but I think it's the same family. I smell a slight upset here in the 6-11 game. First in war, first in peace, and first on Thursday in Sacramento: George Washington.

Speaking of upsets, there is another potential upset in Sacramento. Washington State has had an excellent season, finishing in second place in the Pac-10 regular season. They face the Golden Eagles (once a Titan, always a Titan) of Oral Roberts. Oral always said: "Expect a Miracle", and it was on the side of their court at one time. ORU has already beaten Kansas in Lawrence, and they get a 14 over 3 upset in Sac-town on Thursday.

Back in Winston-Salem, the struggling Boston College Eagles are matched up with the O'Reilly Texas Tech Red Raiders. Bob Knight won't be allowed to wear the O'Reilly sweater during the tournament, but he won't have to sell an oil filter to beat BC. Tech wins their first-round game.

Georgetown goes back to the future. They are coached by John Thompson III, son of their legendary coach. One of their players is Patrick Ewing, Jr., son of star Georgetown and Knicks center Patrick Ewing. Not coincidentally, Georgetown has their best team since the 80's. They are matched up with Music City's other team, Belmont, making their second consecutive tournament appearance. I like G'town to win big here.

All of that brings us to the second round. North Carolina should have relatively little trouble with a maxed out Michigan State team. USC and Texas meet in a rematch of the 2005-06 Rose Bowl, with Texas winning the hoops version, as well. In the upset bracket, the father of our country, George Washington, wins out over that fan of 60's retro architecture, Oral Roberts. GW's crosstown rival, Georgetown, solidly handles the Texas Tech O'Reillys.

At the Sweet 16 in the Meadowlands, UNC finds itself in a classic matchup with the Kevin Durants. Durant puts Texas on his back, and the Horns knock off the Heels, setting up a classic Roy Williams post-game press conference. In the other game, Georgetown earns bragging rights to D.C. by dispatching of the upstart GW Colonials.

Which brings us to the regional final, Georgetown vs. Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant is the real deal. For the second year in a row, though, Texas falls in the Elite Eight. The Georgetown renaissance continues, as the Hoyas punch their ticket to Atlanta.

Bracket Breakdown: West

The West Regional finds the Kansas Jayhawks as the #1 seed, thanks partly to UCLA's loss of their last two games in a row. Still, the Bruins only have to fly to NoCal for both rounds of the tournament, as they are bracketed for Sacramento and San Jose, before a possible trip to the Final Four.

There is no subregional in Kansas City, Wichita, Emporia, Leavenworth, or anywhere reasonably close to Lawrence this year, so the Jayhawks spend the opening weekend in the Windy City of Chicago. They also draw the winner of Tuesday's play-in game between Florida A&M and Niagara. If this were a band competition, FAMU would win hands down. But, Niagara feels hosed by having to play in this game, and should take out their frustrations on the Rattlers. The Purple Eagles then get a first round game with Kansas. Good luck with all that. KU wins their first opening game in three years, after losing to Bucknell and Bradley the last two years.

Awaiting the Jayhawks will be the winner of the Wildcats vs. Wildcats matchup between Kentucky and Villanova. It's hard to believe that Tubby Smith's job may be on the line. Some schools are excited to make the tournament every year. At Kentucky, national championships are expected, and the Big Blue hasn't won one since 1998. Kentucky basketball=Oklahoma football. Nova is a dangerous team, and will knock out the team from the Bluegrass.

One of the last teams chosen for the field are the Fighting Illini of Illinois. They draw the Hokies of Virginia Tech. Look for plenty of orange in this game. Illinois was just good enough to get into this tournament, but not good enough to get past Zabian Dowdell and the Hokies. Ya gotta pick a team with a guy named Zabian.

The Illini's downstate neighbors, the Salukis of Southern Illinois, are in the other game in Columbus. Their opponents are the Holy Cross Crusaders. Upset alert here, as Holy Cross can play. Holy Cross, Batman! The Uncaped Crusaders get the win over the Salukis.

This is a down year for the Duke Blue Devils. They are in the tournament as a #6 seed, and are grateful to be seeded that high. Their reward: a trip to beautiful downtown Buffalo, and a date with the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth. VCU is the regular season and tournament champion of the Colonial Athletic Association, the league that gave us George Mason. Mason's magic shifts down I-95 to Richmond, as the Rams knock off the Dukies, and make half of the college basketball world very happy.

Also in Buffalo are the Pittsburgh Panthers, and their opponent, the pesky Wright State Raiders. This is a potential upset. This will be close, but I'm not biting on this one. Give me Pittsburgh.

The bottom of the bracket takes us to Sacramento. Kelvin Sampson enters his first tournament as coach of the Indiana Hoosiers with a matchup with everyone's darling, Gonzaga. The Zags recovered from the dismissal of C Josh Heytvelt (possession of a narcotic mushroom) to win both the regular season and tournament in the West Coast Conference. Indiana, when last we saw them, scored 4 points in an overtime against Illinois. Give me the Zags.

Awaiting that winner will be UCLA. UCLA gets a first-round game against coach Ben Howland's alma mater, Weber State. Weber's not bad for the Big Sky, but this is UCLA. The Bruins bounce back.

In the second round, Kansas gets a stiff test from Villanova, and needs every ounce of energy and luck, but gets by the Wildcats. The Jayhawks get a matchup with the Hokies of Virginia Tech, who end the dreams of Holy Cross.

The dreams of VCU also suffer an end at the hands of the Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt prepares for the winner of a great second round matchup between Gonzaga and UCLA. The Bruins win the rematch of a thriller from last year's tournament.

The HP Pavilion (great name for an arena-maybe Dell can sponsor an arena and call it the Inspiron) in San Jose hosts the Sweet 16 matchups of Kansas-Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh-UCLA. KU handles Zabian and company in one matchup. Ben Howland and UCLA get the best of his former team and assistant, Jamie Dixon.

Which gives us the matchup we all want in the regional: Kansas and UCLA. This matchup radiates tradition. This will be up and down, and down to the wire, but Bill Self finally gets to a Final Four, after reaching the Elite Eight with three different schools (Tulsa, Illinois, KU).

Bracket Breakdown: Midwest

We begin our breakdown of the NCAA men's tournament with the Midwest Regional. The NCAA has gone back to using regional names, instead of generic names like the St. Louis Regional. This is a good move by the guys in Indianapolis. Click on the graphic for more details.

There is no regional in true SEC country this year (the South regional is in south Texas), so the committee shipped Florida to St. Louis and the Midwest. The Gators look really, really strong once again, returning almost their entire team from last year's national championship.

First, the Gators have a date in New Orleans with Jackson State. Jackson State doesn't have a prayer in the first round. Someday, a #16 seed will beat a #1 seed in the first round. Not here.

The winner (Florida, cough, cough) gets a matchup with the winner of the 8-9 game between Arizona and Purdue. Purdue has had a nice bounce-back year. Arizona is here every year, though they are not as strong as they were when they were going to Final Fours and winning a national championship. Still, the Cats are good enough to beat the Boilers here.

Every year, a 12 seed seems to always beat a 5 seed. This regional will be no different. Butler has had a great season, and has earned a #5 seed on the strength of its non-conference performance. They lost three games at the end of the year, and appear to have peaked too soon. Old Dominion is just the kind of team that can take advantage of this matchup. I pick Old Dominion in the upset in beautiful downtown Buffalo.

Maryland is another team that has bounced back this year. I thought the #4 seed was a little high, especially after their brainlock against ACC cellar-dweller Miami. Davidson, their first-round opponent, has rolled through the Southern Conference, and has won 29 games overall. This will be a tough game. I'm picking the Turtle, but Davidson will give Maryland all they want, and then some. The real question is: who does Lefty Driesell cheer for? He coached at both schools.

On the bottom half of the bracket, we find America's football team, Notre Dame, up against everyone's favorite choice for this year's surprise team, Winthrop. The Eagles come into this game at 27-4, and have broken into the Top 25, a first for a Big South team. Notre Dame is a pretty good team. But, I'm jumping on the Winthrop bandwagon for this one.

Also in Spokane is potentially the worst matchup of the tournament. Oregon rolled to the Pac-10 tournament championship last week. Miami (Ohio) got into this tournament on a literal prayer of a 3-point bank shot to beat Akron at the buzzer in the MAC final. The magic runs out for the Redhawks. Oregon, and it won't even be close.

Chicago is the site of one of the better first-round matchups: 7th seed UNLV and 10th seed Georgia Tech. The Runnin' Rebels are back, and got hosed a bit with this low seed. Tech has some guys that can play, and beat North Carolina during the last week of the regular season. In a tough game, give me Vegas. What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas.

Wisconsin stays close to home in Chicago as a #2 seed, and draws the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. TAMU-CC is the ultimate hyphenated school, and they're not even Aggies! I'd love to see them pull the upset, and I look for them to keep it close. But, Wiscy will pull away at the end to advance.

In the 2nd round, Florida draws Arizona. The Gators show up to play, and it won't even be close. Old Dominion survives to take on Maryland, and this turns out to be a good game. The Terps hold on in a close one to advance. Winthrop moves into a 2nd round game with Oregon, represents well, but comes up short, and the flourescent yellow of Oregon advances. The Ducks will take on Wisconsin, victors over UNLV.

Which brings us to the Sweet 16 by the Arch in St. Louis. The Gators get Maryland, and handle them with relative ease. Oregon takes on Wisconsin. The Badgers play to their seed, despite many experts' pick against them, and move on to the Elite Eight.

The Gators get a matchup with the Cheeseheads for a trip to Atlanta. Florida is just a little better, and moves on to the Final Four to defend their title.

Coming up: predictions from the West, East, and South regionals.

The Brackets Are Out

The pairings for the NCAA men's basketball tournament have been announced. They can be found here.

There were a few surprises along the way. I didn't expect North Carolina to receive a #1 seed, much less the #2 seed in the entire tournament. I also didn't expect Florida to be the top seed for the whole tournament.

The only teams that got in the tournament that I did not project are Arkansas and Stanford. Those are not surprising, as the Hogs made a big run in the SEC tournament, and the Cardinal didn't have any bad losses while going 10-8 in the tough Pac-10.

The only teams I had projected into the field that missed the tournament are Syracuse and Kansas State. I was mildly, but not totally surprised.

For what it's worth, I correctly projected 63 out of 65 teams in the field. I projected 44 out of 65 teams within one seed of what they received in the tournament.

The state of Texas came up big. 5 teams from Texas are in the field: Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, North Texas, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. And they said this was a football state.

Bracket analysis to come during the week...

NIT Projections

And, for those teams left out of the NCAA tournament, the NIT is available. The National Invitation Tournament is the nation's oldest post-season tournament. This year, the field has been reduced from 40 to 32 teams.

This is the second year that the NIT has been operated by the NCAA. As a result, regular season conference champions not selected for the NCAA tournament receive automatic bids to the NIT.

I'm not even going to try to project actual brackets for the NIT. However, I will take a stab at projecting the 32 teams chosen.

Automatic bids: Austin Peay, Marist, East Tennessee State, South Alabama, Toledo, Vermont, Delaware State, Mississippi Valley State

The other 24: Drexel, Missouri State, Stanford, Air Force, Arkansas, Bradley, Florida State, Utah State, Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Michigan, West Virginia, Ole Miss, UMass, Mississippi State, Georgia, Appalachian State, San Diego State, Akron, DePaul, Hofstra, Bucknell, Washington

That's not a bad tournament itself. Most of those teams could win a game or two in the NCAA tournament with the right matchup.

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections, Final Edition

Nothing really earth-shattering has happened in the world of college hoops in the last 18 hours. All the teams that were supposed to win have won, thus far. That includes Florida, North Carolina, Long Beach State, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Big Ten and Big 12 championship games end too late to impact the bracket. The guys in Indianapolis are through with their bracket, so the positions of Ohio State, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Texas will not be affected by a win or loss this afternoon.

Top four seeds: Ohio State, Kansas, Florida, Wisconsin
Last four teams in: Purdue, Kansas State, Illinois, Old Dominion
Last four teams out: Drexel, Missouri State, Air Force, Stanford

I'm not projecting them in the bracket, but don't be surprised to see Appalachian State in the Big Dance. They could be this year's 2006 Utah State (How did they get in?). That is, a team from way under the radar finding themselves on CBS during the Selection Show.

So, last night's bracket is today's bracket. Click on the graphic for more details.

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections, Late Saturday Night

After an active day, it's safe to post another batch of tournament projections. I will have one more projection posted tomorrow afternoon between 3 and 5 PM CDT. Click on the graphic for more details.

There are a couple of notable happenings at the top of the bracket. By making it to the Big Ten final, Wisconsin has the last #1 seed, according to my projection. The selection committee will have their decisions finalized before the end of Sunday's Big Ten championship game. UCLA's loss to Cal in the Pac-10 tournament cost them a #1 seed, unless Florida loses to Arkansas on Sunday. Also, Georgetown worked their way up to a #2 seed, by winning the Big East tournament in grand fashion.

At the bottom of the bracket, Florida A&M played their way into the Tuesday night opening round game by winning the MEAC tournament. I have them projected to play Central Connecticut State.

I love Drexel's team this year. They have 14 wins away from home. However, I'm afraid their bubble is about to burst. I want to be wrong on this. I have the final spot down to Old Dominion and conference mate Drexel. Old Dominion has two wins over Drexel, a higher conference finish, and a win at Georgetown. I think that will give them the tiniest of edges. If Arkansas and/or N.C. State win on Sunday, that makes two more bubble teams unhappy.

Last four in: Purdue, Illinois, Kansas State, Old Dominion
Last four out: Drexel, Missouri State, Air Force, Stanford

Cal Poly and Long Beach State are playing for the Big West title as I type. Auto-bids on the line Sunday include:

ACC: North Carolina vs. North Carolina State at Tampa
SEC: Florida vs. Arkansas at Atlanta
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Northwestern St. at Campbell Center, Houston
Big Ten: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin at Chicago
Big XII: Kansas vs. Texas at Oklahoma City

Musings

There will be another bracket projection before bedtime. I am waiting until after the finals of the Big East and WAC tournaments before finalizing tonight's projection. There will be one more tomorrow afternoon before the real selection committee makes theirs public at 5 PM CDT.

The bubble teams are still sweating. Oklahoma State lost to Texas today in the Big XII, making at least one at-large bid safe. Arkansas is still alive in the SEC, and is set to play Florida in the final. It seems like Arkansas just played Florida in the SEC football championship game at the Georgia Dome. Tomorrow, they're going to do the same thing in hoops. And, N.C. State is still alive in the ACC, having won three in a row in Tampa. They have a tall order tomorrow, as they face archrival North Carolina.

Among today's automatic qualifiers, so far: Albany, Memphis, Oregon, Florida A&M, Jackson State, George Washington, Miami (Ohio), and UNLV. Catch SportsCenter for the buzzer-beaters that sent FAMU and Miami to the Big Dance, as both were great plays.

More later...

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections, Saturday

It's been a crazy day, but I think it's safe to post another round of projections. Click on the graphic for more details. The Florida Gators move back into a #1 seed, for now. UCLA drops to the last #1 seed, with Wisconsin breathing down their backs.

Power conference schools such as Purdue, Illinois, and Kansas State did themselves huge favors by winning on Friday. This is especially true after the favorites lost in the Atlantic 10 and the WAC, giving two at-large berths to Xavier and Nevada, which would have gone to someone else, like maybe Old Dominion or Missouri State.

Last four in: Purdue, Kansas State, Illinois, Drexel
Last four out: Old Dominion, Missouri State, Air Force, Stanford
Next four out: West Virginia, Florida State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State

The SEC is looking crazy, as Florida does its best to get through a group of upstarts remaining in the conference tournament. Next for the Gators: Ole Miss. Mississippi State and Arkansas lurk on the other side of the bracket. All three remaining SEC West teams are playing for their lives.

Saturday brings a plethora of semifinals and finals. Automatic bids will be determined in the following conferences:

America East: Albany at Vermont
Atlantic 10: Rhode Island vs. George Washington at Atlantic City
Big East: Georgetown vs. Pittsburgh at New York
Big West: Long Beach State vs. Cal Poly at Anaheim
Conference USA: Houston at Memphis
MAC: Miami (Ohio) vs. Akron at Cleveland
MEAC: Delaware State vs. Florida A&M at Raleigh, N.C.
Mountain West: BYU at UNLV
Pac-10: Oregon vs. USC at Staples Center, Los Angeles
SWAC: Jackson State vs. Mississippi Valley State at Birmingham, Ala.
WAC: Utah State at New Mexico State

Robbery

Theft is a good word to describe what is happening to the at-large hopes of some bubble teams in college basketball tonight. Upsets are happening in conference tournaments all over the country, taking bids away from teams that would otherwise be headed for the NCAA tournament.

The WAC will have an extra team in the tournament, as Nevada was upset tonight by Utah State, 79-77. There is a really good chance the Utah Aggies will have to play the New Mexico Aggies in the final, as the tournament is being held on New Mexico State's homecourt.

The Atlantic 10 tournament is always unpredictable. That is to be expected from a league which really has 14 teams, and extends to Ohio and Missouri. This year is no exception. Tonight, regular season champion Xavier was knocked off by Rhode Island, 79-71. Rhode Island will play the St. Louis-George Washington winner for a trip to the Big Dance.

Weird things are happening in the SEC, also. Mississippi State and Arkansas are set to play in one semifinal. Overwhelming favorite Florida will take on the winner of LSU-Ole Miss in the other. There are a lot of bubble teams out there rooting for Florida this weekend.

If I were connected with Drexel, Old Dominion, Stanford, West Virginia, Missouri State, or Air Force, I would be sweating bullets this weekend.

Stay tuned for more blogging on Championship Week. This is my favorite basketball week of the year!

Bizarro World

It's bizarro world today at the ACC Tournament. First, it's in the non-traditional location of Tampa. And, there are eight teams left. Among them are Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Florida State.

This isn't your daddy's Tobacco Road.

Speaking of bizarro, there is the chance that Notre Dame and Louisville could play Saturday night. In New York City. In the finals of the Big East tournament. Didn't that used to be an East Coast conference?

My, how the BCS and football money drive everything...

2007 Bracket Projections, Friday

Some strange things happened on Thursday in Bracketville. Click on the graphic for more detail of the projected bracket.

UCLA inexplicably lost in overtime to the 8th place team in the Pac-10, Cal. I have not moved them from my projection, as I already had them as the 3rd #1 seed. I don't see them slipping past that spot, in spite of today's bad loss.

The team that hurt itself the most was Air Force. The Falcons lost to Wyoming today in Las Vegas, 77-72, knocking themselves out of the Mountain West tournament. Air Force has never won a post-season tournament game, either in the NCAA, the NIT, or a conference tournament. This is the third year in a row that the Zoomies have entered the MWC tournament with over 20 wins, only to lose in the first round. Air Force has lost four in a row. They will have a long next three days. I have them out of my projected bracket for now.

Say goodbye also to UMass. They lost an overtime game to the St. Louis Billikens, in the Atlantic 10 tournament in Atlantic City. The Minutemen were hoping to turn their 23 wins into at least an at-large bid. That looks doubtful, now. By the way, it's really unstable for St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, to be in a conference with Atlantic in the name. There's nothing Atlantic about St. Louis.

In Tampa, Duke and Maryland were both upset today in the ACC tournament. Both will make the Big Dance, but their seeding will suffer. By the way, it's weird to see the ACC tournament in Florida. But, it's good to spread it around every once in a while, and Tampa's a good place to have it.

One automatic bid will be decided on Friday. Bucknell plays at Holy Cross in the Patriot League final.

Last four in: Drexel, Missouri State, Syracuse, Illinois
Last four out: Air Force, Florida State, Purdue, Kansas State

Thursday's Bracket...

...is same as Wednesday's projected bracket. Well, almost. There were several games today, but none of them affected any projected seedings or at-large bids. The only changes affect the #16 seeds, as Weber State is playing themselves out of the play-in game. Actually, I believe the NCAA will keep them out West in the first round, rather than have them go to Dayton for a Tuesday night opening round game. Click on the graphic for more details.

Central Connecticut State, as projected, won the Northeast Conference tonight, and Weber State is pasting Northern Arizona as I write, to win the Big Sky championship. Both teams are competing with each other for a spot opposite the SWAC champion in next Tuesday's play-in game in Dayton, Ohio. Their computer profiles are practically alike. If CCSU and Cream o' Weber are lucky, a really sorry team will come out of nowhere and win their conference tournament, giving said sorry team the trip to Dayton.

Syracuse and West Virginia both won Big East tournament games in New York today, preserving their precarious spots in the field, for now. A lot can change in the next 72 hours.

Conference tournaments will be in full swing on Thursday, as the ACC, Big 10, SEC, Big XII, and Pac-10, among others, kick off their tournaments. No automatic bids are up for grabs on Thursday.

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections, Wednesday Edition

Or, tomorrow's brackets today. Of course, if you're in the Eastern Time Zone, then it is tomorrow, because it is after 11 PM in Houston. Click on the image for more detail.

No major changes to the bracket, unless you're a fan of the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue was knocked out of the bracket by Wright State's win in the Horizon League tournament tonight. No sweat for the Boilers, because 1) this is one man's bracket, and I'm not on the selection committee, and 2) they have the Big Ten tournament this week, to prove their worth. Also, Butler fell from a #6 to a #7 seed, which resulted in some shuffling among other teams.

The other two new automatic qualifiers, Oral Roberts and North Texas, were already in my projected bracket.

Wednesday brings a flood of first-round tournament action in various conferences, plus two more automatic bids:

Northeast: Central Connecticut State vs. Sacred Heart
Big Sky: Northern Arizona vs. Weber State

Both of those games are most likely for the right to play a team such as Ohio State in the first round. The Big Sky winner may be a candidate for the Tuesday night play-in game, as their computer rankings are really low in relation to the other qualifiers.

UUOTD-Tuesday

The early 80's were good to Tulsa. Oil prices were up (before the industry crashed), and a new coach named Nolan Richardson was coaching the local basketball team. Richardson was wearing loud pocadot shirts at the time, and was bringing his "40 Minutes of Hell" system to big-time basketball. It worked, and he built a big-time program at the University of Tulsa, before moving on to Arkansas.

The Golden Hurricane wore some flamboyant uniforms of their own during this time period. Shown are the home uniforms, as worn during a throwback night earlier this year. They were among schools of this era that wore a gold uniform, with some tiger stripes down the side. At the time, I thought they were cool. What was I thinking?

I'm glad these went out of style.

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections, Tuesday Edition

Here is today's installment of bracket projections. Click on the graphic for more detail.

Last four in: Drexel, Missouri State, West Virginia, Syracuse
Last four out: Kansas State, UMass, Clemson, Florida State

Congratulations to last night's winners of automatic bids: VCU, Gonzaga, and Niagara.

Tonight, three more bids are on the line:

Horizon League: Butler vs. Wright State. This game is on Wright State's homecourt. Wright State tied with Butler for the league title, and swept the regular season series. The Raiders are dangerous.
Mid-Continent: Oral Roberts vs. Oakland. This one is being played just down the street from ORU, at Union High School in Tulsa. The John Q. Hammons Arena is not your normal high school gym, but a modern, 5600 seat arena that a lot of colleges would die for. ORU is heavily favored, but OU of Michigan upset the Golden Eagles two years ago in the finals. Oakland has a better team this year.
Sun Belt: North Texas vs. Arkansas State. Do you believe in the Mean Green? The winner is one game away from a probable #16 seed in the NCAA tournament. Arkansas State is so low in the computers (#179 yesterday), they may be a candidate for next Tuesday's play-in game in Dayton.

UUOTD-Monday

And, the styles just keep getting worse and worse...

These are the latest to come down the pike from Nike. This is something called the System of Dress. This week, Arizona, Syracuse, Florida, and Ohio State will be the first to unveil Nike's latest contribution(?) to fashion.

The baggy pants have gotten baggier, and the shirts have become tighter. The color designs on the Syracuse and Florida versions aren't real great, either. These are definitely worthy of two eye gouges.

Pretty soon, basketball will no longer be played in shorts, but in these so-called pants. Ugh.

2007 NCAA Tournament Projections-Monday edition

Here is today's edition of bracket projections for the upcoming NCAA men's basketball tournament. The real brackets will be presented next Sunday at 5 PM CDT on CBS. Click on the image for more detail.

Last four in: Drexel, Old Dominion, Missouri State, Kansas State
Last four out: UMass, Illinois, Ole Miss, Florida State

Three more automatic bids will be determined tonight:

Colonial: George Mason vs. VCU. George Mason lost the bulk of last year's Final Four team, and struggled through a 15-14 regular season. The Patriots have rolled off three wins in the Colonial post-season tournament, and can make an improbable return to the NCAA tournament with a win over regular-season champion VCU.
MAAC: Niagara vs. Siena. Both teams finished in a tie for 2nd place in the regular season. Siena knocked off regular season champion Marist in yesterday's semifinals.
WCC: Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara. The 1st and 2nd place teams in the regular season meet for the automatic bid. The Zags need to go ahead and win here, as they may not merit an at-large bid, in spite of their brutal non-conference schedule.

The NIT got two more automatic qualifiers yesterday. Sun Belt regular season champion South Alabama was upset in the quarterfinals of their conference tournament by Middle Tennessee State. Also, the MAAC regular season champ Marist Red Foxes lost to Siena.

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

Shout Out

It's tournament time. I'd like to give a shout out to a couple of high school teams of interest to this blog.

The girls basketball team from my alma mater, Tecumseh High School in Oklahoma, qualified for the Class 4A state tournament, beginning Thursday in Oklahoma City. It is the first trip to state for the Lady Savages since winning a state championship in 1993.

At home, the Kingwood Mustangs boys basketball team qualified for their third consecutive Class 5A state tournament, beginning Friday in Austin. The Mustangs are 38-2, with both losses coming to out-of-state teams during a holiday tournament. They are currently ranked 14th in the nation according to USA Today. Kingwood lost in overtime to Plano in last year's state championship game, and won the 2005 state championship. KHS is the alma mater of my wife.

Congratulations are in order to both teams. Good luck!

Ugly Uniform of the Day

Some refer to this school as Jack-O-Lantern U. Others call it Pumpkin State. I simply call them the Aggies. The Oklahoma Aggies, that is.

OSU wears this hideously electric shade of orange. For basketball, they normally wear black uniforms. Those do not look quite so bad. However, they sometimes wear orange on the road. Such was the case when they went down to Waco Saturday to take on Baylor.

These uniforms would glow in the dark if the lights went out. Not really, but almost. A few years ago, the OSU athletic marketing department rolled out this ugly new font, which is shown on these uniforms. There is also a matching OSU logo, on the black uniform. The slanted number is not good. Their football team got the hint this season and switched back to a normal-looking number. The basketball team needs to do the same.

Finally, there are some ugly-looking horizontal stripes going down the side of the uniform. The whole thing just screams: "Unstable!"

But, as long as their mega-donor T. Boone Pickens likes them, then they'll wear them. Pickens has given $165,000,000 to their athletic department thus far, and the school is in the process of seizing property adjacent to campus via eminent domain, to build new athletic facilities. That has nothing to do with uniforms, but T. Boone now owns a collegiate athletic franchise in Stillwater.

Who's In, Who's Not?

Here is my current guess at next week's field of 65 for the NCAA men's basketball tournament. I will have another bracket posted no later than Monday, and will be posting projected teams daily.

(bold=already qualified)

America East: Vermont
ACC: North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Maryland, Duke, Georgia Tech
Atlantic Sun: Belmont
Atlantic 10: Xavier
Big East: Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Notre Dame, Marquette, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: Winthrop
Big Ten: Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois
Big XII: Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech
Big West: Long Beach State
Colonial: VCU, Old Dominion, Drexel
Conference USA: Memphis
Horizon: Butler
Ivy: Penn
MAAC: Siena
MAC: Akron
Mid-Continent: Oral Roberts
Mid-Eastern: Delaware State
Missouri Valley: Creighton, Southern Illinois, Missouri State
Mountain West: BYU, UNLV, Air Force
Northeast: Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley: Eastern Kentucky
Pac-10: UCLA, Washington State, Oregon, Arizona, USC, Stanford
Patriot: Holy Cross
SEC: Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky
Southern: Davidson
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
SWAC: Mississippi Valley State
Sun Belt: Western Kentucky
West Coast: Gonzaga
WAC: Nevada

Last four teams in: Drexel, Kansas State, Missouri State, Georgia Tech
Last four teams out: Michigan State, Ole Miss, Florida State, UMass

Tickets Punched

The following schools have their tickets punched for the 2007 NCAA men's basketball tournament:

Penn-Ivy League champion
Winthrop-Big South champion
Belmont-Atlantic Sun tournament champion
Davidson-Southern Conference champion
Eastern Kentucky-Ohio Valley tournament champion

More to come...

NIT Bound

East Tennessee State qualified for this year's NIT, with a 92-67 blowout loss on their homecourt to Belmont in the finals of the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament.

For the second year, regular season conference champions automatically qualify for the NIT, if they do not go to the NCAA tournament. So, the Buccaneers become the first team to qualify for the NIT.

I'm sure they're really excited about that in Johnson City, Tennessee.