Reflections On Madness, Day 1

There were roughly 12,600 live blogs of the NCAA tournament Thursday. But just in case you haven't gotten your fill of commentary, here are my thoughts about the first day of action from the hoops orgy:

There is an interesting phenomenon surrounding Greg Gumbel. There's absolutely nothing special about him, but everytime you hear his voice, you know something special is about to happen. That is unless, he's about to invite Seth Davis into a conversation.

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One of the hidden benefits of being on the west coast at tourney time- it's completely acceptable to drink at 9:20 on a weekday morning. Being surrounded by tvs and booze at a local bar is the next best thing to actually being in an arena. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to best locale to combine alcohol and tvs- a Vegas sportsbook. Bob Knight, however, did make the trek out to Vegas to co-host a show with Billy Packer. So far, it doesn't look like the city has been too kind to him.




Maybe Packer stole his sunscreen so that he could approach coeds on spring break and offer to apply lotion to their backs. (Try to get that image out of your head.)

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Jim Calhoun went to the hospital and was unable to coach the team Thursday night. But why is in the hospital? Why can't any of these reporters tell me? Hey CBS: Get some facts and come back and see me!

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CBS had a human interest piece prepared about CSUN reserve Michael Lizarraga, who is believed to be the first deaf player to play in the NCAA tournament. This kind of story is the perfect filler to keep the audience engaged during a blowout. Only problem is that the Matadors failed to cooperate and gave Memphis quite a scare; and actually led with 10 minutes to go in the game. The Tigers finally made their run, but by the time the game was out of reach, CBS was almost out of time and they had to rush in the story in the final minutes. In fact his interpreter received about as much camera time as he did. If the interpreter is available, perhaps she could confirm what I'm pretty sure I saw at the end of the game:





Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain that Calipari congratulated CSUN head coach Bobby Braswell by telling him, "You guys played your balls off." If you're Braswell, how do you even respond to a used car salesman talking about your team's collective balls? I know it's intended to be a compliment, but I can't even figure out how working hard would result in the loss of ones balls. And if it is a possible consequence, then lord knows I need to continue to avoid hard work. I've rewatched the clips a few times thinking that maybe it was actually "You guys played your butts off," because that would be, ya know, an actual expression. But it looks like balls to me, and I find that tough to swallow.

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During the later portion of the Washington/Mississippi State game, Kevin Harlan reminded the audience that "in this shot clock era" there was still a chance for a comeback. The shot clock era began 24 years ago- I think we're well adjusted to it by now. Still it could have been worse. At least Harlan didn't start talking about how the game has changed since the darkies were allowed onto the court.

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What could have possibly made State Farm execs think that ripping off the annoying Mercury Insurance campaign would be a good idea.? We get it: all insurance companies are dishonest charlatans who can't be trusted to do as much as wash your car. But it's the law that I need insurance, so you've got me over the barrel...just like a good neighbor. Well played, State Farm.

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Coeds in bikinis are usually a great thing. But band members in bikinis? Dicey. VCU decided to take on the challenge. The results depend on how drunk you are at the time:




Wait- the one chick plays the flute. That is definitely worth some bonus points. "This one time, at band camp..."

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Western Kentucky held off a furious rally from Illinois to complete their upset bid in the last game of the night. The victory was sealed when the Hilltoppers managed to burn almost all of the clock by passing the ball around and over defenders, thereby preventing Illinois from fouling them. Kevin Harlan described this as W. Kentucky playing a game of "dodge ball." I'm pretty sure he meant "keep away," but I like his idea better. It seems like more fun. Especially if some Duke players are involved.

Did Anyone Get The Plates On That Truck?

Pac-10 champion Washington had little trouble dispatching Mississippi State, 71-58, tonight. However, Venoy Overton might not remember the score...or where he is:

Crazy People Walkin' Around. And All They Want To Do Is Dance, Dance.

Earlier today, Arizona lost to Arizona State for the third time this season. The 68-56 defeat gives the Wildcats five losses in their last six games and seemed to put Arizona's chances of making the NCAA tournament in serious jeopardy. That is at least, until the following news was broken:



I like the idea. I'm pretty sure I still have one year of eligibility remaining; and I've always wanted to give bartending school a try. Now, I just need to partner with an LA pole dancing class for some cheerleaders and I'm set.

College Round-Up: Bruins Never Find Their Stride

Sorry for the delay. I've been waiting to see if anything was going to hatch from that egg UCLA laid Saturday. So far, nothing- but I think I might see Darren Collison poking his head out for one more year at UCLA after scouts saw his performance against NBA-ready point guard Derrick Rose. (Although on the other hand, is Collison going to get any taller or faster if he stays another year?)

Credit certainly goes to Memphis, which was the faster, more relaxed, and better prepared team over the weekend. They ran the basketball version of college football's spread offense, eliminating the opportunity for double-teams and taking advantage of individual matchups. Ben Howland's Bruins never had a response. As a fan, you can accept losing to a better team, as long as your own team puts forth its best effort. Memphis may very well be the better team, but the Bruins didn't do their part in making it a competitive game, which is ultimately the most disappointing aspect for UCLA fans (the same can be said for those wearing Carolina Blue).

Oh well. Now it's time for the drinking to stop and the healing to begin. I understand there's another college game being played today. It's a pretty big day for Kansas and Memphis fans. Not only will one of you be national champions tonight, but it might also be the last night you see your respective coaches wearing a tie with your team's colors.

John Calipari has called this Memphis squad "a dream team," and now Calipari is one win away from realizing his dream- becoming the next head coach of the New York Knicks. If he's really lucky, he can just give Derrick Rose an extension of his existing contract to come along with him to Madison Square Garden.

Meanwhile, the rumor is that eccentric billionaire T Boone Pickens is prepared to offer Bill Self as much as $40 million to return to his alma mater, Oklahoma State, as their basketball coach. Bill Self is a good coach and all, but that is just nuts. If Pickens really wants to elevate the profile of the basketball program, he should be directing that 40 mil towards high school seniors, not a coach.

In other coaching news, Ben Braun has accepted an offer to coach at Rice University next season. From my understanding, whatever salary Rice pays Braun gets deducted from the buyout that Cal must pay him, making this the best thing Braun has done for Cal's basketball program in about five years.

Oregon State has hired former Brown coach, Craig Robinson as its next head coach. In addition to being a basketball coach, Robinson is also Barack Obama's brother-in-law. Can the Beavers win one conference game next season? Yes, they can!

As UCLA prepares for the next season, I'd like to point out to the athletic department that the Bruins are undefeated in games in which I've sat courtside and taken pictures of the action. Just something to keep in mind when you're assigning press passes next year...ya know, if you really care about winning.

Finally, I might as well make a prediction for tonight's game. I think Bill Self will learn from Ben Howland's mistakes and force Memphis to shoot more from outside. This will be a game of runs, and despite 50 combined points from Rose and Douglas-Roberts and three bush-league moves by 24 year-old Joey Dorsey, Memphis will come up just short in a late rally. Kansas 81, Memphis 79.

God and I Agree: Big Conference Tourneys Are a Waste of Time

Last night's SEC tournament was postponed by what the National Weather Service has called a possible tornado. I guess the other possibility is just a "huge, f*ckin' wind." While the league was able to resume the Alabama/Mississippi State game, the Georgia/Kentucky matchup was postponed until today and relocated to Georgia Tech's coliseum, where only players, family, cheerleaders, band, and the press will be allowed in the arena. I'm assuming Ashley Judd will also be allowed in the building as the NCAA has a contract with Kentucky stating that no televised Wildcats games are allowed to proceed without her presence.

The message couldn't be clearer: God does not like conference tourneys. Either that, or he was just going through a practice run for the Atlanta Gay Pride celebration in July. It's always tricky to know for sure with the Big Guy. But assuming it's the contrived preambles to the real tournament that He's upset with, I couldn't agree more- at least as they apply to the major conferences. For the most part, teams in these conference tourneys have a lot to lose and very little to gain (except for a few quick bucks). Take for example, the Pac-10, a conference in which each team plays each other home and away during the regular season to determine a true champion. If the Pac-10 didn't have a tournament, UCLA would probably be a #1 seed in the NCAAs and the conference likely gets six and maybe even seven bids. As things stand today, UCLA is still a #1 seed, but now are without Luc Richard Mbah a Moute for some time, Stanford probably moved up a slot or two in the seeding, but now the Pac-10 looks like a four or maybe five bid league- as Oregon, Arizona, and Arizona State may have all lost their invitations (tho I think the Sun Devils might still be safe).

The tournaments in the major conferences have only been truly significant once in the history of the modern NCAA tournament. That occurred in 1983, when NC State needed to win the ACC tournament to even qualify for the NCAA's, which it ended up winning in a magical fashion. Obviously, that was a great moment in basketball history and the sport and possibly even society (would the V foundation be what it is today without that 9 game Wolfpack run?) is better for it. But keep in mind that in 1983, the reason NC State needed the ACC tourney to qualify for a bid was because the NCAA field consisted of only 48 teams. In today's modern 65 team tournament, NC State's 17-10 overall, 8-6 conference regular season record would have been sufficient to get a bid on its own merits, and the ACC tournament would have still been unnecessary for them to make history. The last major conference team to "steal" a NCAA bid by winning its tournament was the 2005-06 Syracuse Orangemen, and they were promptly ousted in the first round of the NCAA's. But at least we got to celebrate America's favorite gritty white guy, Gerry McNamara, for a few extra days.

For the smaller conferences, these tournaments makes sense- their teams get some exposure on national tv for a week before making their early exit (George Mason, excepted) in the Big Dance. During the regular season, fans aren't going to pay any attention to the MEAC, CAA, or Summitt League. But during "Championship Week" on ESPN, fans do- and then they all decide that someone like Belmont or USD is their upset special when filling out brackets the next week. It also gives players in those leagues an opportunity to experience the joy of winning a tournament on national tv. What do the winners of the ACC, Big 12, and Pac-10 feel after they win their conference tournament? For the most part, I imagine it's relief.

So let's cancel the major conference tournaments and put the extra week to better use. Conferences that don't play a true "home and home" round robin could get closer to doing so. Or perhaps by stretching out the schedule, teams would be able to schedule marquee non-conference matchups in January or February. Or maybe, just maybe, teams could use the extra week to rest up for the "real" tournament and perhaps their players could actually go to class for one week out of the semester.

Ok, that last one will never happen, but the rest are good ideas.

Bruce Pearl Would Like to Run the Spread Offense With Erin Andrews

March is right around the corner and this is usually the time of year that serious contenders for the NCAA championship start playing their best basketball in preparation for the tournament. However more than anything, this past week has exposed flaws in all of this year's favorites to win the title. Fortunately for these teams, recent history- as illustrated by Florida the last two seasons- has shown that losses in late February can be overcome. Nonetheless, if these hopeful champions want to realize their dreams, they all have something to work on over the next few weeks.

A few observations from the day in hoops:

I've never seen a John Calipari practice, but I can only assume he runs it like one long pickup game. That's the only way I can explain that Memphis' entire offensive scheme seems to be "whoever has the ball- try to take your guy off the dribble." Granted, their guards are quick enough that it's not the worst strategy; but once they encounter a team that plays good interior help defense, they're in trouble. The other problem with playing like it's a pickup game is that there aren't any free throws on the playground, and it looks like the Tigers don't want to shoot any in regular games either. Memphis is still in line to get a #1 seed, but if I were a fan of any of the teams ranked #5-8 right now, I'd really be hoping my team was given the #2 seed in the Tigers bracket.

UCLA managed to rally to win today, but they have some red flags of their own on offense. Namely, their outside shooting has completely abandoned them. Josh Shipp is now in an 0 for 20 slump from beyond the arc and looks very hesitant with the ball in his hands. Combine that with what have been some very stagnant offensive sets (From the first team, at least. Lorenzo Mata-Real has actually provided a lot of energy and motion for the team recently) and you've got a team that struggles to score in the halfcourt game. Fortunately for the Bruins, they force a lot of turnovers to get points in transition and Kevin Love is able to sell contact to get to the free throw line. Still, if they want to return to the Final Four, somebody (ideally Shipp, but otherwise Westbrook) is going to have to become a viable threat from outside.

Speaking of Love, he looked very lethargic throughout the game today. Actually, he looked downright sleepy. I don't know if he was out at a karaoke bar with Maarty Leunen all night or what, but he certainly wasn't in any condition to be on a basketball court. At one point in the first half, he took a hit under the basket and stayed on the floor for an extended period of time. I don't think he was hurt either. I'm pretty sure he was taking a nap.

The Pac-10 has been spending the last month trumpeting themselves as the best conference in the country, but I want to dispel that myth right now. For one, Washington State, Arizona State, and Oregon are all playing a worse brand of basketball now than they were a month ago. But more importantly, you can't be the best conference in basketball if you have the worst officiating in basketball; and this season, the zebras have established a new low. Trying to figure out how a Pac-10 official is going to call any given play is like trying to guess where the Plinko chip is going to land in Price is Right.

With all of the coaches, players, and fans yelling at you for every perceived mistake, I never understood why anyone would want to be a referee- unless maybe you hated basketball players growing up and this was your way to get revenge. It seems like such a thankless job. But then I learned today about one of the fringe benefits of being an official- reach arounds with nubile, young cheerleaders:


Combine that with the fact that you can be utterly incompetent and still never get fired, and maybe it's not that bad of a gig afterall...

Wendy Nix was working the sidelines for ESPN during the Indiana mutiny at Northwestern, which I think is a good assignment for her, as she is "Midwestern hot." I can't really figure her look out. She's either a former big girl who lost a lot of weight or she's a former skinny girl who's now on the precipice of getting big- kind of like a one-time beauty pageant contestant when she becomes a housewife...

As for the Hoosiers, it looks like it is not only his players but also his coaches who are distraught about Kelvin Sampson's dismissal. At this point, it's hard to imagine Indiana being able to put it together and make a deep run into the tournament. I think their only hope might be if Kelvin Sampson puts on a disguise and coaches from the stands, a la Bobby Valentine for the Mets back in the day.

I didn't see the Kansas/Oklahoma State game, but just judging by the box score, it looks like the only reason Kansas lost is because they let a 5'11" guard go to the line 18 times. I'm not sure how that happens, but in a season that features guards such as Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Darren Collison, Jerryd Bayless, Russell Westbrook, and DJ Augustin, there are plenty of reasons for Jayhawks fans to be nervous about another early exit in March.

So now Tennessee is the new number one team in the land. It's a ranking they've certainly earned by winning at Memphis, and their victory today was even more impressive when you consider that Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl was more focused on penetrating Erin Andrews' defense than that of Memphis. I know Tennessee is known for their hound dogs, but let's take it down a notch, ok Bruce? You're coming off greasier than that bronzing cream you rub on your body before each game. Here's a snippet from one of their encounters today. Check out the Berman eyes he gives her:



I do kind of like the role reversal tho. Usually it's the ESPN personalities who are drooling over the coaches. Maybe it's time for coaches to return the favor.

Just don't pull that stunt with Erin Andrews while Brent Musburger is calling the game or he'll whoop your ass.

(photo from The Big Lead)

Nobody Puts USC Song Girls In a Corner

Sunday night, I paid my first visit to the Galen Center, the newish (built in late 2006) basketball facility for the USC Trojans which is located just a few urine-soaked blocks from the main campus. Wearing UCLA blue to the game, there were a few things I knew to expect. I knew that I'd be booed and cursed at by USC students (I was, although it wasn't excessively vulgar at all); and I knew that if the Bruins were to win, Trojan fans would immediately invoke the recent history of the football programs (they did). But one thing I wasn't prepared for was the aural assault that was Petros Papadakis as the PA announcer.

For those that don't live in Southern California, here's the best way I can describe Petros. Remember when Tony Siragusa was on Hard Knocks and in preparation for a career outside of football, Goose tried to portray himself as the fat, fun-loving court jester- only he wasn't really that funny, so instead he was just loud and obnoxious? Well try to imagine that rather than getting a tv gig where he could receive some training, Siragusa was instead given a sports radio talk show where the more obnoxious he was, the more airtime he would be given. That's Petros Papadakis; and for some reason USC has decided to give him a microphone for a captive USC audience. It's absolutely brutal. By the end of the game, I wanted to borrow a gun from one of the SC fans, blow my brains out, and leave a note beside me which read, "Whoever finds this, please pick up the gun and empty the chamber into my head so that my ears can never be raped again." C'mon Southern Cal. The voice of your basketball program is a mindless, witless blowhard. Even I think you deserve better.

As for the game itself- while Tim Floyd may be a brilliant defensive tactician, he leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to player development. The Trojans only substituted one player out (Jefferson) the entire game, leaving the other four to play all 40 minutes of the game. I know SC was down an injured player, but there had to be somebody on that bench who could steal a few minutes of rest for the starters. No wonder the Trojans finished the game with more turnovers (22) than field goals (20). I'm just surprised that nobody vomited on the ball.

If the Bruins want to make it back to the Final Four, somebody is going to have to find their outside shot. In their last four games, the Bruins are 7 for 44 from beyond the arc. Josh Shipp has missed his last 15 attempts at three pointers. Lately, their most potent long range shooter has been center/forward Kevin Love. Fortunately, the team's next games are at home vs the worst team in the conference, Oregon State and a team that plays pretty loose defense, Oregon. If they're ever going to find their shooting touch, it should be against these schools.

This was the first year in which the visiting team's cheerleaders, dance team and band didn't make the trip for the rivalry games as financial greed (initiated by UCLA) has taken priority over tradition. One would have guessed that this would at least mean more floor time for the USC Song girls during timeouts, but instead the marketing experts at the Galen Center opted to use that time to promote SC alum Will Ferrell's new movie, "Semi-Pro." There was a trailer for the movie on the jumbotron, the dance team performed to one of the songs from the movie, and fans were given cardboard cutouts of Will Ferrell's face to wave around during free throws. Either SC is really proud of their prodigal son or they're getting some points on the back end of the movie. I'm guessing it's the latter. Meanwhile, the Song Girls spent most of the timeouts prancing in a corner behind the baseline. That's inexcusable.

Matt Leinart was sitting courtside at the game, and surprisingly, he was with his son Cole and his baby momma, Brynn Cameron. They all appeared to be happy, which must mean that Matt's child support check had just cleared.

While I think the architects of the Galen Center got a few things wrong, being in a new building was a stark reminder of how outdated Pauley Pavilion has become. There's really no excuse for one of the top basketball programs in the country to be playing in a building that offers neither the intimacy nor the amenities of these newer facilities. Actually, the Galen Center doesn't offer much in the way of intimacy either. It's a rather sterile, concrete structure in which the students were screwed over by being put behind the backboard. Worst of all, the seating was designed in such a way that you feel removed from the action on the court and feel much more like a distant observer than an active participant. For example, my seats were in row 14 behind the backboard opposite the SC students, and yet I was so far from center court that I had to take an Ansel Adams landscape approach to the photos I took. That is, if Ansel Adams was a horny old man instead of some dude that just liked nature. Well, judge for yourself:

The Nightcap

Girls basketball recap: Earlier this evening, with Rutgers head coach Vivian Stringer looking snappy in a pink suit and her team wearing uniforms of the same color to promote breast cancer awareness, the Scarlett Knight appeared headed to an upset victory over the Lady Vols, but some suspicious timekeeping resulted in a bitter defeat for the team in the pink shoes.

Men's basketball recap: Villanova wanted to do their part to raise awareness of breast cancer, but rather than wear pink, they chose to shoot the ball as if they were a girls basketball team, going 4 for 31 from the field in the 2nd half. Still, the Wildcats were in a position to send the game into position to send the game into overtime until referee Bob Donato called this foul in the back court with 0.1 seconds on the clock:



It was a horrendous call, but perhaps Donato was just trying to spare the viewing public from five more minutes of unwatchable basketball.

On a related note, here's the introductory piece to a synopsis of a NCAA tournament game in 2000 between North Carolina and Tennessee, composed by Sports Illustrated writer, Alexander Wolff:

There's a kind of voyeuristic pleasure in watching a ref who has whistled a really, really bad call. A call that you know is wrong, I know is wrong, and every soul in the building knows is wrong, except for the pitiable chump in the piebald pullover who made it.

The ref being discussed here is none other than one Robert Donato.

Who knows- maybe Donato is sick of living on the east coast and figures that if he makes enough high profile, egregious errors then he'll be a lock to get a job as part of a Pac-10 crew.

Meanwhile, Bill McCabe, the Pac 10's coordinator of officiating, has ruled that firing a ball off an opponent's face at point blank range is a perfectly acceptable way of avoiding a five second call. My first reaction to this decision was that McCabe was obviously a spineless idiot whose fear of extending the controversy by handing down any sort of punishment (or even warnings) would lead to an injury or brawl during a game when a similar strategy is employed. But it turns out that in his spare time, Mr. McCabe also owns a medical equipment distribution company. I'm guessing sales on protective masks are down this year, and this would provide a quick boost. Very shrewd, Mr. McCabe. Very shrewd, indeed.

UCLA was considering appealing this ruling to the NCAA, but fortunately was able to negotiate a deal. The Bruins will publicly support the decision that it was just a "player doing what was necessary to win," and in exchange, the NCAA will never make the Bruins play a tournament game in Hec Edmunson Pavilion, the home of the Washington Huskies and a perennial house of horrors for the Bruins.

In football news, the Washington Post is reporting that the Redskins are interested in making a trade for Chad Johnson. If that deal goes through, it would be a great move for Ocho Cinco. Johnson sees himself as a future hall of famer, and the recent induction of Art Monk has shown that the Redskins are capable of getting good, but not great wide receivers into the hall if they put in their time.

The Dolphins have cut quarterback Trent Green as part of their process of cleaning house. The good news for fans of Green is that he wasn't upset by the move at all since he didn't even remember that he was a quarterback for the Dolphins. The bad news is that Green was only two more head traumas away from being giving a job as a lead analyst for ESPN.

Final Forecast

Before I make my picks for today, has anyone else noticed that the website for the company that covers the Final Four (sportsline.com) has the worst analysis of the games themselves? Dennis Dodd and Michael Freeman have written a series of amateur articles that really add no value leading up to the game itself. On the flip-side, espn.com, while usually mocked by bloggers such as myself, has been extraordinary in their coverage, breaking down the game from every angle, as well as giving the games a historical perspective as well as projecting forward into the nba draft. Heck, even Bill Simmons' blog has been a pretty good read. (It's amazing how much better his writing has become since he stopped resenting being "just" a blogger and began to embrace his role.) I just thought I'd give some credit where it was due.

As for my picks, I have personal interests clouding my view. Whenever that happens, I retreat back to my comfort zone- gambling. (Note: I'm not really that great of a sports' bettor, but at least it's comfortable.) Assuming I had access to a sportsbook (but really Feds, there's no need to investigate that), here's where my money would lie:

Ohio State +1 vs Georgetown.
Neither of these teams have looked dominant on their way to the Final Four, as both have had to rally from 2nd half deficits in their last two games. This game is being billed as Oden vs Hibbert, but I think the backcourt is where this game will be decided; and that's where the Buckeyes have the edge. While Hibbert and Oden neutralize each other, Mike Conley Jr, Ron Lewis and Daequan Cook will be the difference makers in this one.
Ohio State 70, Georgetown 62

Florida -3 vs UCLA
If Ben Howland insists on double-teaming Joakim Noah everytime he touches the ball, this game will be over by halftime. Noah is a pass-first forward who is taller than anyone who will double him. When UCLA runs a second defender at him, the game becomes too easy for the Gators. If UCLA plays him straight up, then the game just comes down to which way the whistle blows, as Lorenzo Mata, Alfred Aboya, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute have all had troubles with fouls against big men. If UCLA plays the perfect game, they can beat Florida, but that's asking a lot for a team that's travelled across country to play what amounts to a Florida home game.
Florida 73, UCLA 64

You knew I couldn't actually pick the Bruins, right? While I'm not the most superstitious person on the planet, I'm not completely devoid of it either.

One thing is certain- win or lose- I'll be drinking heavily tonight. It's just a question of whether it's in celebration or drowning sorrows. Cheers.

I Feel a Case of the Madness Coming On

These last few weeks of the regular season always receive extra attention, as it's generally perceived that this is the time that teams start coming together and taking their games to the next level in anticipation of the big dance. However last year, Florida lost three games in a row in late February (at Arkansas, vs Tennessee, at Alabama) before catching fire and winning 11 in a row en route the championship. So maybe I shouldn't too much stock in the last few weeks. Still, I'm sure most coaches would prefer that their teams were peaking around this time. With that said, here are three teams on the rise and three teams that picked a bad time to struggle as March Madness approaches:

Gellin'

Kansas
All season long, any discussion of the elite teams has always focused on five schools- Florida, Ohio State, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and UCLA. In that regard, Kansas at #6 has been flying under the radar. Since losing to Texas A&M at the beginning of the month, Kansas is 6-0 and has won their games by a combined score of 516-343 (average margin of victory: 28.8 points). The Jayhawks are in my opinion the best offensive team in the country, having broken the 90 point mark six times this season and boasting five players who average scoring in double figures. Kansas has one road game left at Oklahoma before hosting Texas in the season finale. Wins there combined with a good showing in the tournament, and Kansas might be able to steal a #1 seed.

Georgetown
Much like last year, I can already tell that I'm going to advance the Hoyas too far in my bracket and get burned. Georgetown has won eleven Big East games in a row, most of them in convincing fashion. I love watching John Thompson's team play, with their athletic version of the Princeton offense combined with a very aggressive defense. When they're playing well, they can beat any team in the country; and they're playing exceptional basketball right now. The brackets aren't even out, and I'm talking myself into putting them into the Final Four (beating Ohio State to advance in a great matchup of Oden vs Hibbert).

UCLA
At the beginning of the month, I would have projected UCLA as a sweet 16 team, but not necessarily Final Four. However the last two months, the Bruins have elevated their game on the offensive end and are a legitimate threat to cut down the nets in Atlanta. The biggest difference between this team now and a few weeks ago has been their inclusion of the big men into the offensive gameplan. Lorenzo Mata and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute have both become viable threats to the point that Arron Afflalo now sets interior picks to free up the post players for an entry pass. Add into the mix that Josh Shipp has started attacking the rim again, and you've got a team that is suddenly very difficult to defend. The only downside for the Bruins is that UCLA has been a notoriously slow starter this year and they do still go through stretches when they're stagnant on the offensive end. I'm sure those will be areas of emphasis in the last remaining games and the Pac-10 tournament.

Slippin'

Wisconsin
The Badgers have lost two in a row and have been held to 55 and 48 points in those two games. The good news is that this is a team full of veteran players and they shouldn't let these two games affect them too much. The bad news is that they've likely lost Brian Butch for the rest of the year as the result of a gruesome dislocated elbow (I'll post the clip soon), and Alando Tucker is 11 for his last 30 from the field. As an aside, I'd like to relay something a commenter at Sportsline.com pointed out. Sunday, in what was a brutal piece even by his own low standards, Gregg Doyel wrote about the Badgers,
"The Badgers weren't good enough to win the national title -- period -- and that was before cryin' Brian Butch left Sunday's game with an elbow injury that might end his third consecutive disappointment of a season. The Badgers can make do without Butch's soft play and yucky body."

Yucky? Really? Anyway that directly contradicts what Doyel wrote last December in a column about players that had been surprisingly good:

"Brian Butch, Wisconsin: He's no project anymore. He's a player."

So how exactly is this a third consecutive disappointing season exactly? And mocking a college junior for crying after a brutal injury was absolutely classless.

North Carolina
The Tar Heels are young, so some ups and downs are to be expected. But a lot of the other top teams are young as well. Kansas' five top scorers are three sophomores and two freshmen. Ohio State is led by freshmen Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Jr. UCLA had no seniors at senior day. At any rate, losing three of seven games is reason for concern. Here are a few postgame quotes after North Carolina lost to Maryland Sunday night:

"This is very frustrating," North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough said. "We can't crumble whenever the game gets tight. We have to be tough."

"We lacked focus. We didn't convert the way we should down the stretch," forward Reyshawn Terry said. "We had another breakdown. We keep hitting the same wall. It's making me a little nervous, honestly."

Obviously, these are not the words of a confident team, and confidence is a key element at this point in the season.

Florida
On the other side of the confidence spectrum is the Florida Gators who appear to be overconfident right now. Either that or they're just bored with the regular season and are waiting for the NCAA tournament to begin. But while that mentality might work in pro basketball (example: any team that's had Shaq on it), it's very dangerous in the college game. Just ask last year's UConn team. Florida has lost two of their last three games, and I anticipate that they won't win the SEC tournament. However, they'll still get a high seed in the NCAA tournament, and at that point, it will be up to them to "flip the switch" if they want to repeat as champions. Florida still has the best starting five in America, so I'm not counting them out by any means; but if I had to make a prediction, I see this them getting upset in the elite 8.

For what it's worth, here are my current power rankings:

1. UCLA - Afflalo playing like a champion before leaving for the NBA
2. Kansas - Looking more and more like this year's version of Florida
3. Ohio State - It feels like they've underachieved, yet they'll be ranked #1 in this week's polls. Not too shabby.
4. Florida - Taking their abilities for granted right now.
5. North Carolina - Nothing will surprise me with this team in the tournament. They could lose in the first round as a #2 seed or they could win it all.
6. Texas A&M - Big statement game at Texas this Wednesday.
7. Georgetown - Hibbert could use the tournament to become a lottery pick.
8. Memphis - Like Nevada, it's hard to evaluate this team given the competition in their conference.
9. Wisconsin - Have shot 35% their last two games. It's a bad time to go cold.
10.Texas - Every #1 seed should be scared to death of facing the Longhorns early.