Some strange tourney selections, but don't weep for snubbees

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The Bald Truth

Let me start by saying I'm thrilled Marquette is an 11 seed. Everybody knows it's better to be an 11 than an 8 or 9 because, if the 11 seed can beat the 6 in its first game, it then gets to play the 3 seed in the next round; the 8 or 9 must play the top seed in its second game.

Having said that, every year I'm reminded how crazy some of the seeding is. For example ...

Marquette and West Virginia each won 20 games and each played proudly in the best conference in the land. Marquette didn't have a single "bad loss" all season; West Virginia lost at home to Marshall. And not only did Marquette beat West Virginia during the season, my Golden Warrior Eagles defeated the Mountaineers in the Big East tournament.

Nonetheless, Marquette was one of the last five teams in the tournament -- and the very last that doesn't have to do one of those play-in games -- while West Virginia is a 5.

Weird.

The Balder Truth

Illinois failed to win 20 games, never contended in the Big Ten, beat just about nobody all season and blew numerous games it was supposed to have won. Many Illini fans were convinced their heroes weren't going to make the NCAAs after a conference tournament loss to Michigan.

Yet here the Illini are, easy qualifiers as No. 9 seeds. Meanwhile, Colorado -- which beat Texas and Missouri teams that had defeated Illinois -- was snubbed. And while the Illini couldn't even handle Northwestern and Illinois-Chicago, Virginia Tech beat Duke but was snubbed.

Weird.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

Having said all that, I don't feel at all sorry for any of the snubbees.

I'm guessing that if Colorado had somehow found a way to beat Harvard, San Francisco and Iowa State or if it hadn't lost 6 of 7 during one stretch, the Buffaloes wouldn't have been excluded. I'm guessing that if Virginia Tech hadn't lost twice to a dreadful Virginia team and once to even more hapless Georgia Tech, the Hokies wouldn't have given the selection committee the chance to slight them.

One of the cool things about sports is that participants control their own destinies. Every single one of the snubbees had the opportunity to win another game or two and take itself off the dreaded bubble.

Rather than whine about "undeserving" teams that got in, snubbees and their fans need to look in the mirror and say:

"Yeah, but if we only had beaten San Fran (as Colorado didn't) or Virginia (as Virginia Tech didn't) or Iowa (as Alabama didn't) or San Diego (as St. Mary's didn't) or Yale (as Boston College didn't), we'd be in the tournament, too."

Nah ... much easier to whine and blame somebody else, right?
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A League of Its Own

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Thursday's final four:

1. Two words, my friends: Big East. Instead of wondering if there will be four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four for the second straight year, we probably should wonder if one conference will capture all four spots for the first time ever.

2. How 'bout Mizzou? Or maybe a better question is this: How the hell did the Tigers get trounced by Illinois back in December? DeMarre Carroll just might be the best player most of America doesn't know. As usual, the kid was everywhere for Missouri in its impressive win over Memphis to reach the Elite Eight. It's hard to imagine the Tigers taking out UConn in the West final, but they've done a pretty good job smacking around doubters - and opponents - so far.

3. In Villanova, Duke ran into a faster, stronger, defensively superior version of itself. The result was so predictable ... I'm mad as hell I didn't predict it.

4. Hey, look at those oft-maligned (quite oft by me) Chicago Bulls! They're playing so well lately, they probably could win a couple of NCAA tourney games.

Coach K puts it on the line for Duke

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Saturday's final four:

1. In the final seconds, with Duke at the line trying to extend a 3-point lead, Coach K did what far too few coaches do: Instead of having nobody line up in any of the free-throw rebounding positions, thereby surrending a missed shot to the opponent, he had a player take one of the spots. Sure enough, when the foul shot was missed, David McClure kept the ball alive for the Dookies. Teammate Gerald Henderson emerged from a scramble with the ball, got fouled and iced the game with two free throws. Given the funny bounces the basketball can take, why do coaches so often just concede the rebound to the opponent? I know the answer: They are afraid of a player being called for a loose-ball foul. But think about it: A coach trusts players to do all manner of things during the course of a game but won't trust them to steer clear of a foul in a key situation? Well, Coach K trusted McClure. Rather than trying not to lose, he was trying to win. Just another reason Coach K is one of the best ever.

2. And speaking of free throws ... I felt really good about my upset pick of Western Kentucky over Gonzaga. And the Hilltoppers probably would have pulled it off if they hadn't gone 5-for-14 from the line. Texas, meanwhile, was 16-for-25 in losing the close one to Duke. This time of year, if you don't hit your free throws, you're dead.

3. Illinois certainly missed Chester Frazier and Marquette misses Dominic James ... but please. Ty Lawson, an NBA stud in the making, showed Saturday just what North Carolina had been missing when the superstar point guard was out with his toe injury. Yeah, but Lawson has so much more talent around him, right? Right - and yet he still took over and was the difference in the second half when the Tar Heels needed him against LSU. What a player.

4. As is the case going into Sunday's meeting, Marquette and Missouri were the 3 and 6 seeds in the 2003 tourney (although back then, unlike now, Marquette was the 3 and Mizzou was the 6). That game was an overtime classic, with Travis Diener and Steve Novak - not Dwyane Wade - carrying the day for a talented Marquette team that used the victory as a springboard to the Final Four. Sounds like a plan! Hey, a Golden Warrior Eagles fan can dream, right?

No disrespect, but Illini simply not good enough

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Thursday's final four:

1. Illinois wasn't a fashionable pick as an upset victim only because it was being "disrespected" (as the Illini and their supporters loved to claim). Nor was it simply that Illinois was the No. 5 seed in the dreaded 5/12 matchup. No, those of us who have seen the Fighting Illini a lot this season knew how flawed they were - and that was with leader Chester Frazier, who was injured and unavailable for the NCAAs. 

Sure enough, as predicted, the Illini were beaten Thursday night by Western Kentucky. It wasn't an out-of-left-field pick. The Hilltoppers probably were too good to be seeded 12th, and Illinois had no business being a No. 5.

The Illini played hard at the end to make it close, but all too often, they were feeling sorry for themselves, getting beaten to the ball and playing foolishly. 

Why didn't Mike Davis - the best matchup advantage they had - have more touches down low? Why was Demetri McCamey seemingly going through the motions? Where was Mike Tisdale? Why did Frazier spend most of the night pouting, looking frustrated and burying his head in his hands when his teammates needed him to lift their spirits? 

In many ways, Bruce Weber did his best coaching job this season. In the end, however, several years of less-than-stellar recruiting caught up with Weber and his lads. For example, with Frazier out, Weber had to give former walk-on Jeff Jordan major minutes. 

Help is on the way, as Weber has landed several big-time recruits. The Illini exceeded expectations all season. That won't be easy to do next year, when expectations will be significantly higher.

2. It's patently unfair that the selection committee let Villanova play its first two games in its home town of Philadelphia. This wasn't the same as letting Illinois play in Chicago back in 2005; it was more like letting Illinois play NCAA tourney games in Urbana. Even though I picked 'Nova to advance, I found myself rooting for its plucky opponent, American. The Eagles controlled most of the game before wilting at the end. Too bad.

3. Note to media mopes covering the tournament: Stop taking the microphone at press conferences and addressing a coach or an athlete by saying: "Talk about ... " Don't be lazy, for cripe's sake. Think of an intelligent question and ask it.

4. Both the Big Ten and the NCAA tournament are better when Michigan is good. It's almost impossible to believe it had been more than a decade since the Wolverines last qualified for the tourney. They aren't quite experienced enough to make serious noise this time around, but John Beilein is an excellent coach and Thursday's opening victory over Clemson shows that the program is on the way back. Michigan might make it all the way back next season if Manny Harris, truly an NBA talent, means it when he says he'll return.

(I went 15-1 as a prognosticator on Day 1, missing only on my Mississippi State over Washington upset shot. I'd happily take 1-15 on Day 2 - as long as the 1 is my Marquette Golden Warrior Eagles! Back at you Friday.)

Planting seed of Illinois upset

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Four (but a nowhere near final four) observations regarding the NCAA tourney bracket:

1. Of the 5/12 matchups notorious for producing upsets, Illinois will be a popular choice to make an early exit. And it would be hard to blame those who feel that way. The Illini's first-round opponent, Western Kentucky, defeated Louisville on a neutral court and led Florida State midway through the second half before fading. Even if Chester Frazier were healthy - and he isn't - Illinois would have to be considered a shaky No. 5 seed. It says here that all four No. 6 seeds (UCLA, Arizona State, Marquette and West Virginia) are better than the Illini, who defend well but are prone to almost comical offensive swoons.

2. The Penn Staters are upset, but the Nittany Lions have only their own schedule-maker to blame. At least the schools from mid-major and small conferences have an excuse - the big teams won't play them, especially on the road. But what's Penn State's excuse for having one of the softest non-conference schedules in the entire country? It's nice to see the selection committee reward teams that play more than cupcakes. Take heart, Nittany Lions: You'll always have those two wins over Illinois - including that unforgettable 38-33 thriller.

3. Of course UConn deserved to join Big East brethren Louisville and Pitt as a No. 1 seed. No, it isn't Memphis' fault that it's "stuck" in Conference USA while UConn is in the nation's toughest league. It is, however, a fact. While the Tigers' main competition was coming from the likes of Tulsa, UAB, Houston and UTEP, UConn was going to war twice a week. Penalizing the Huskies for a six-OT loss to an excellent Syracuse team also would have been ridiculous. Simply stated, Memphis is a No. 2. Everybody likes to rag on the committee this time of year, but the gentlemen did a superb job this year.

4. I need to do a lot more homework before I fill out my bracket and embarrass myself publicly, but here are some of the lower seeds that intrigue me at first glance: West Virginia (No. 6 Midwest), USC (No. 10 Midwest), Tennessee (No. 9 East), LSU (No. 8 South), Maryland (No. 10 West) and, of course, Marquette (No. 6 West). Hey, I'm a fan, too!

Safer travels

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The Bald Truth

Good news, hoops fans: NBA honchos are talking about making traveling rules less restrictive because the game has "evolved."

Oh, absolutely. Just the other day, I was thinking that pro basketball players need an invitation to take more steps every time they drive to the basket. 

The referees' current interpretation of the rule - allowing approximately four steps, a couple of "crab dribbles" and a jump stop or three - is positively obsolete.

I mean, why not just let them use hovercraft?

Knockout? More Like Bludgeoning

If you've yet to see Jon Stewart's total annihilation of CNBC Financial Clown Jim Cramer, do yourself a favor and check it out.

http://blog.indecisionforever.com/2009/03/13/jon-stewart-and-jim-cramer-the-extended-daily-show-interview/

I actually almost felt sorry for Cramer.

Almost.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

Wait ... I think I found somebody even more valuable than injured Marquette point guard Dominic James.

Chester Frazier!

Once the object of abject scorn in Illini Land, the senior guard has become the beloved leader of a surprise team. And now Illinois is absolutely lost without him as he deals with his mysterious hand injury.

It's as if all of Illini Land would like to shout in unison:

"We're sorry, Chester! We take back everything we ever called you! Just please, please, pretty please come back before the NCAAs!"

Tiger's back and there's gonna be trouble

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The Bald Truth

Tiger Woods is coming back next week, and you know what that means.

Time for the rest of the world's top golfers to genuflect, kiss the king's ring and get back to the task of competing for second place.

The Balder Truth

Nice to see and hear Charles Barkley, the best studio analyst in all of televised sport, on TNT again. 

Let's take him at his word that the next time he ties one on, he'll let somebody sober drive him home.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

Illini Land denizens are aghast that their heroes managed only 33 points against Penn State, but I've seen that kind of thing dozens of times.

Maybe not since my daughter was playing seventh-grade hoops, but dozens of times.

Call 'em the DePaul Droopy Demons

One is DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright. The other is cartoon legend Droopy Dog. Won't say which is which, but both have the same number of Big East victories this season.

The Question

Were those really Bo Ryan's usually fundamentally sound Wisconsin Badgers who kept committing shot-clock violations even though they trailed Illinois by double digits with less than 10 minutes to play?

THE BALDEST TRUTH

Always a friend of the referees, Bobby Knight said officials would do a better job if they worked fewer games each week because they'd be less fatigued.

I suppose. And coaches might not be so stressed out if they didn't eat, drink, walk and talk basketball 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. 

If a coach takes more down time, though, he might lose an edge because other coaches wouldn't. Which could cost him his paycheck. And if refs only work three times a week, it would affect their standard of living.

Everybody would like more time to just chill ... but it isn't always practical now, is it?