65 to 16

We're preparing for the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. We started last Tuesday night with Coppin State and Mount St. Mary's. We finished the first weekend with Louisville and North Carolina wiping the floors with Oklahoma and Arkansas, respectively. It was a typical opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. There were some last second buzzer beaters, there were down-to-the-wire games. There were a couple of OT games. And we got a couple of upsets and wound up with a few double digit seeds in the sweet 16.



Now we look forward, and I say that because the 3 teams I mentioned as potential upset candidates are all out of the tournament. I always think the first weekend is for the lower seeds and the upsets. The second weekend is when the higher seeds take over. I am one, and probably in the minority, who will not be rooting for Davidson, Western Kentucky, or Villanova this weekend. I want to see the marquee match ups now.



I don't wanna get too far ahead, but there are definitely some games that I'm looking forward to this weekend should they happen.



A couple thoughts on the games that are set right now.

WEST

* I think UCLA right now, although they may have been the least impressive #1 seed so far, probably has the easiest path to the Final Four. I know Western Kentucky is a nice team and they've won 2 games already, but they may have had an easy track to get to this point. Xavier is a step below the three other #3 seeds in the tournament and West Virginia, while they are from the best conference in the country, they may not be one of the elite teams. I would be surprised if there were another team besides UCLA in the Final Four representing the West. I said the same thing prior to the tournament starting also and that was based purely on draw.

-- Game I want to see: UCLA v West Virginia

-- Player that can single-handily lead his team to a Final Four: Joe Alexander, W. Va. After an average game against Arizona in the first round, he was excellent against Duke. He kept his team in the game in the first half while they were saddled with a little foul trouble. He can put a team on his back and lead them to another couple wins.

EAST

* North Carolina has been the most impressive team thus far in two games, but they may have the toughest path to the Final Four. Tennessee was probably the best #2 seed going into the tournament as they were in line for a #1 seed until the last day of the season and are now one of the two #2 seeds left in the field. Louisville is playing the best of all the #3 seeds still alive. Their dominance against Oklahoma on Sunday was very impressive and they have the depth and personnel to match up with Carolina. Washington St. is the one team left in the tourney whose style of play contrasts most with Carolina. In their previous game, they took one of the best scoring teams in the country, Notre Dame, and completely shut them down. Carolina is probably more balanced, more explosive, and better than Notre Dame, but it should still be fair warning of their defensive abilities. And Kyle Weaver is the type of player who could excel in March. Marcus Ginyard will have his hands full trying to contain him.

-- Game I want to see: Louisville v North Carolina. I would feel much more comfortable picking Louisville if the game were not being played in Charlotte. You would think that Carolina will have a semi home-court advantage. Otherwise I envision a classic contest on Saturday evening.

-- Player who can be a difference maker (non obvious): Derrick Caracter, Louisville. This kid has been through a ton in his career dating back to his sophomore year in high school. He's been to a number of different high schools, gotten thrown off his college team a couple times, and struggled with his weight, but the one thing he has is talent. When he wants to score the ball, he can score it. If he plays to his ability, he could be a big factor against both Tennessee and Carolina. He gives them the ability to throw 4 post players, Padgett, Palacios, Clark, and him at any team.

MIDWEST

* I've been on Kansas all year. Stayed on them last week. And I have no reason to get off of them now. I think they got a bit fortunate that Villanova is their next opponent and that Georgetown got knocked out by Davidson. I think Villanova is a good team and Scottie Reynolds is a very good player, but they are a bit inconsistent and young and I think Kansas' experience, depth, and talent will help them prevail. Davidson is a nice story and everyone loves Stephen Curry and is getting to know him. In 3 NCAA tournament games in his career he has scored over 100 points. He truly is a great scorer but he is about to run into maybe the best "system defense" team in the country. Wisconsin may be the most underrated team in the country and I think they'll be able to handle Curry and Davidson, setting up a nice match up on Sunday.

-- Game I want to see: Wisconsin v Kansas

-- Best 1-on-1 match up: Michael Flowers, Wisco v Stephen Curry, Davidson. As I mentioned earlier, Curry has been an absolute stud in 3 tournament games in his career. He is a lethal shooter, like his father was. He can score in bunches. He brought his team back against a much better Georgetown team and he moves better than anyone I've seen without the ball. I think that is one thing that sets him apart from other good scorers, like Indiana's Eric Gordon. He works so hard to get himself open that it makes him truly difficult to cover. Flowers is the best defensive player in the Big Ten. He can play point guards or bigger forwards. He's done a great job this year on Gordon, Drew Neitzel from Michigan St., and Manny Harris from Michigan. He did a pretty good job of frustrating Bill Walker last weekend as well even though he was giving away a good deal of size to him. It should be interesting to see what he can do with Curry.

SOUTH

*Memphis survived last weekend against Mississippi St. Stanford used a last second shot from Brook Lopez to beat Marquette. Texas held off a gritty Miami team and Michigan St. was very impressive in beating a hot Pittsburgh team. Many people liked Pitt to make a deep run in the tournament, but Michigan St. ended those thoughts. Now they get #1 seed Memphis. Memphis has more talent and more athletes than Michigan St. If they can make jump shots they are going to be very tough for Michigan St. to beat. The Spartans can not afford for Drew Neitzel to have another poor game like he had against Temple in the first round. Tom Izzo has been known to get his teams ready for this time of year and beat some good teams at this point, but I don't know if he has the talent to do it this year. The other match up is very intriguing to me. Stanford has the Lopez twins, who are getting some much due credit. It's hard for any team to match up with two 7-footers and they can cause a lot of havoc on the defensive end of the floor as well. Texas' strength is their backcourt. They may have the best backcourt in the country with Augustin and Abrams. It could come down to whether Texas can handle the size of Stanford or whether Stanford's guards can handle the quickness of Texas' perimeter players.

-- Game I want to see: Texas v Stanford. I'd like to see these two teams meet because they are probably the most talented teams in the region and I think they match up the best. With that being said, I think Stanford will beat Texas because their size will be too much and I like their guards more than other people (more on that next)

-- Underrated player who will make a difference: Mitch Johnson, Stanford. Against Marquette's aggressive, quick guards, Johnson had 16 assists and only 1 turnover. If he can perform the same way against Texas and Memphis' pressure D, Stanford is going to be a tough out. Two 7-footers is nice to have and tough to match up with, but guard play still wins at this time of year, and Johnson is playing very well right now.

All four of my Final Four teams are still alive, but I will change one of them now. I'm putting Stanford in the Final Four over Texas now. I like what I've seen from them in two games. That means I have Louisville, Kansas, UCLA, and Stanford.

Let's enjoy a nice weekend of great college basketball.

My favorite time of year...

We're a couple hours away from tip-off. The NCAA tournament is about to begin and as expected, I'm giddy. I now know what the Sports Guy feels like when he writes his preview columns before his fantasy drafts. It's kind of tough to write preview columns and not reveal your secrets or your real thought processes. That is the reason I've waited to preview the NCAA tournament until now.

I'm not going to break down the entire thing but I'll make some notes and give some of my thought processes.

First of all, I think the selection committee did a great job in setting the field up. I think they got the right 65 teams in and any of the teams that got left out (Va. Tech, Arizona St., Illinois St) can't have a real beef. I think the one or two knocks I would have with the field is that Duke is overseeded (but not suprising) and the Big Ten was a little disrespected. I think Wisconsin and Duke should've been flipped. Wisconsin won the Big Ten regular season championship and conference tournament. I know they only got 4 teams into the tournament, but so did the ACC. Winning a major conference has to be worth something. But with that being said, it's a very minor thing.

I think the tournament sets up for a lot of chalk but there are some teams that could make runs that may be off the radar. Arizona is one of the most talented teams in the country and they played one of the toughest schedules this year. They have two players who can take over games in Budinger and Bayless and they've played tough games all year, so they shouldn't be intimidated in big games. Marquette is another team that could win a couple games. They have very talented guards and backcourts usually win in the tournament. If they can hit shots, they could be dangerous. Butler has assumed the role of Gonzaga from year's past. They are the "mid-major" who can knock off the big teams. Butler went to a sweet 16 last year and has a similar team. Another thing of interest is the fact that Butler's possible section round opponent is Tennessee. The same Tennessee team that they beat last year in the regular season.

I've been on Kansas all year and have thought they were the best team since the season began. I think they have the best makeup to win 6 straight games. They are talented, deep, and versatile. They have solid guard play as well as guys who can score with their back to the basket. They have a couple options to go to when they need a big bucket and they can also get a big stop when they need one. Chalmers is a legitimate lockdown defender and Brandon Rush is playing some good ball right now and can score the ball if need be. I think the one guy that makes them go and gives them a leg up on other teams is Sharron Collins. He is a legit sparkplug coming in off the bench and can provide some energy to the team should they need it. He is the difference that I pick them over UCLA in a well-played championship game. The other reason I like them over UCLA is I don't know if they have a guy who will make a big shot if they need it. I like Rush over Shipp in a late game spot.

I'm looking forward to the tournament getting started and I'm hoping for some exciting, well played games. This is the best weekend in sports, so let's get it started.

Oh, and if you're looking for an NIT selection, let's go CUSE. BLEED ORANGE

The House that Ruth Built... and Jagr Closed

Late last week, word started to leak out about the possibility of Yankees stadium closing it's doors following a NY Rangers hockey game, not a Yankees game. I will start by saying that I am not a Yankee fan. I do not pretend to be a Yankee fan. In fact I am admittedly proud to be a Yankee hater. Now, I'm unsure if that makes any difference in this argument, but I'm trying to be as objective as I possibly can.



While I'm not a Yankee fan, I am very suprised that I haven't heard Yankee fans be more vocal about this. And while I understand it is not a definite that it will happen, it still seems like a good possibility. I've read reports where members of the Yankee organization were contacted by the NHL and the Rangers, and have expressed no concern about allowing it.



I imagine this discussion started due to the relative success of the NHL game that was played outdoors on New Year's Day this past January. I believe it was played in Buffalo and I remember hearing people talking about it and expressing interest in it. I think it was a novel idea and a cool concept to play a hockey game outdoors and the appeal of it was definately helped by the fact that it snowed while the game was being played. My understanding is that hockey was traditionally played by kids out on frozen ponds, much like kids playing pick up basketball games out on the blacktops during the summer. Therefore I can see the appeal of playing these games outdoors to bring some of those nostalgic feelings to the forefront. One of my criticisms of this idea, and by no means by biggest, is that it's going to be very hard to guarentee inclement weather during the winter in New York. The past two New Year's, we've had relatively mild days I think.



I guess my biggest problem with this whole thing is the fact that this is Yankee Stadium that we are talking about. And it's not that they are just playing a hockey game there. I know no real problem with a NHL game being played outdoors at Yankee Stadium. I have a problem with it being the last professional sporting event ever at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are supposed to be above the gimmicky, promotional stuff. (or maybe not considering Billy Crystal's appearance yesterday) Wouldn't a Yankee prefer to see the last moment at their beloved park be Mariano Rivera striking someone out to win a playoff game or a walk off base hit by Jeter? All the history and tradition that the Yankees are about, all the playoff games played on that field, the retired numbers, the monuments, the great moments, Jeffrey Maier. And the last image people will have before they close the doors is Jaromir Jagr taking a slap shot? That would bother me if I were a Yankee fan.

Has sports become so much about money that we don't care about history and tradition? This isn't meant to be an attack at the Yankees either, it just happens that it's being mentioned in conjuction with them. I actually think if the Red Sox were to build a new stadium they may look for something like this to do as a final act at Fenway Park. And I would hope just the same that they wouldn't actually do it.

I hope the last game played at Yankee Stadium before they tear it down is a 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 21.

A couple other notes.
* It seems like no one wants to make the NCAA field. In almost every instance where people said a team "needed to win the game" to keep their hopes alive or to secure a spot in the field, the team has lost. All 3 bubble teams in the Pac-10 lost their games. Syracuse lost to Villanova in a virtual "play-out" game. UMASS got upset by Charlotte yesterday. Dayton lost to Xavier. Baylor got upset by a 19-loss Colorado team. Florida lost to Alabama. Ole Miss lost to Georgia. New Mexico lost to Utah. Sunday will be very interesting to say the least.

* Wanna recommend an article if you have time to read it. I don't necessarily like to plug other websites, but the sports guy wrote a very good story on ESPN.com the other day. Check it out if you have a chance. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080312

In preparation

I just want to post this now on Tuesday, March 11 in preparation of the upcoming controversy. I don't want it to seem like after-the-fact b*tching if a certain Big East team from upstate New York doesn't make the NCAA field of 65 for the second consecutive year.

I'm probably not going to have much of a basis for my arguments, but I want to point out a couple of things prior to selection Sunday.

First, there are a number of teams who are considered "bubble" teams this year who probably don't deserve to be there. Most of the bubble teams have some serious holes in their tournament resumes. You can point to specific games during the year where teams didn't play their best games, or certain numbers (ie RPI or SOS) that are less than appealing. It seems like the teams that should be feeling the urgency and playing their best ball in order to impress the committee are doing the exact opposite.

Also, some of this is coming from reading mock brackets and listening to different analysts discuss these things on TV. All that really means nothing because the only thing that matters is what 65 teams are put on the board around 6:30 on Sunday evening. That is why I am avoiding citing specific teams and situations.

The one thing I will say is that I've heard people say that it's a good year to be a mid-major because it doesn't seem like the big conferences are going as deep as they usually do with tournament quality teams. I think a lot of people like to see the mid major teams in the tournament and are intrigued by them. People love George Mason making a run to the Final 4 a couple years ago, Gonzaga winning a couple games in previous years, Albany giving UCONN all they could handle in a 1 vs 16 matchup. That's part of the joy of the NCAA tournament. Gus Johnson yelling "the slipper still fits" is great. Watching the players from Hampton lifting their coach off his feet after they upset Iowa St. is great theater, but we shouldn't forget the real goal of the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA tournament is set up to determine the best team in the college basketball, and it may not always end up being the best team, but the hottest, but it's usually still one of the elite teams that ends up cutting down the nets. For every George Mason, how many North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Kentucky's are there. With all that being said, the #1 job of the NCAA tournament selection committee should be to find the 34 best teams in the country after all the at-large bids have been determined. That should mean that all teams are judged the same way and use the same criteria. Teams should be judged on who they played, where they played them, and ultimately how they preformed over the entire season. If one team gets credit for a "quality win" against a certain team, any other team that beat that same team should also get credit for a "quality win." They are technically beating the same team, aren't they?

I also realize that I may be in the minority on this subject. Maybe that stems from my overwhelming interest and love in college basketball, but I enjoy an NCAA tournament more if it is competitive and when there are intriguing, well-played games. I realize people like the stories and the pageantry that goes with cinderalla teams, and the moments that get remembered are Bryce Drew diving on the ground and getting piled on by his teammates, but that only lasts so long. In 2006, when George Mason went to the final four, it was one of the most boring final fours ever. They were severely over matched by Florida (maybe they finally felt the wear of playing their fifth game in succession in a high intensity atmosphere against a quality opponent) and the LSU-UCLA game was just flat out boring.

Sunday evening and Monday morning there will be debates and arguments all over the place by everyone regarding their favorite team being left out of the tournament. Every year there is going to be a 66th and 67th team and they are always going to have beef with the committee and sometimes it will be more warranted than others, but I just hope that all the teams are judged the same way when the committee members are locked in that room and they're discussing the last few teams to get into the field.

Full tournament preview to come next week.