The Battle of the Alma Maters

I left Riverside High School in 2008 bound for Middle Tennessee State University and a career in music production. That lasted about six weeks before I changed my major. Two years later I was a broadcast journalism major leaving Murfreesboro for Syracuse. The details of that aren't particularly relevant at the moment, but it was the best decision I ever made. Being an SU alum has opened more doors than I could ever imagine, but my time at MTSU was just as important, and basketball was an enormous reason why.

Syracuse is as big time as a program can get, which means that it's a little harder to get on the inside. Being a student reporter makes it near impossible. Jim Boeheim has a historical disdain for them and routinely humiliates them in press conferences seemingly for sport. Again, that's a different column for a different day, but I was never more than an educated observer as a member of the media at SU.

That was far from the case at MTSU.

While many of you reading know me as a football guy from my job at ESPN980, basketball is my first love. It's my passion. I love to watch. I love to play. I love everything about it.

That love was cultivated in many ways at Middle. I was incredibly lucky to have two coaches that not only were accessible, but let me into the inner sanctums of their programs. They trusted me. They allowed me to learn.

Rick Insell was an extraordinarily accomplished high school coach before taking over the MTSU women's program. Kermit Davis was one of college basketball's rising stars before he was hit with major violations at Texas A&M and had to rebuild his career, starting in junior college. He made his way back to the D1 ranks and took over MTSU in 2002.

While I watched from press row for much of my freshman year, I started early my sophomore year as both Insell and Davis allowed me to watch practices long before the season started and kept their doors open for the entire year.

It was inside the Murphy Center, where both teams held practice, that I learned more about the game of basketball than at any other point of my life. I learned how much goes into game preparation. I learned the detail with which a team had to execute to be successful. I learned how a coach instills an attitude in a team and a program.

While Coach Insell and the woman's program had more success when I was there, I learned much of that from Coach Davis. The intensity and tempo of their practices showed me what it took to win on the Division 1 level. I knew that if he was given the time, he would be able to build a team that could consistently compete, in large part because of how much Davis taught them to compete.

Not only is Kermit a great coach with an incredible depth of knowledge, but he was also incredibly open and approachable. He, and his staff, would happily answer questions I had about their team and about the game.

Simply put, my career would've played out differently if I didn't spend that time at MTSU, not only from a media standpoint where I was able to get invaluable reps in a less competitive student media program, but from a basketball standpoint where I learned more than I could bargain for.

I took that knowledge with me and was known as a basketball guy until I arrived in DC. I still am. I just have a football education now too.

A lot has changed since I left both schools. None of the players are still at either school, unless you count Trevor Cooney who redshirted during my senior year at SU. Both teams are in different conferences as well. However the coaches are still the same and Sunday they'll play each other for a spot in the Sweet 16.

I've always felt more loyalty to Syracuse because I'm so personally attached to the university. I feel no such attachment to MTSU, and in many ways felt spurned by some of the academic types and administration there. However when it comes to the basketball programs, I certainly could justify rooting for either side.

I have a feeling I'll find myself rooting for the Orange, but if Kermit and company pull out another one, I'll certainly be proud of them. Just like I am now, despite them blowing my bracket to smithereens.

Podcast: Kami Mattioli

I chat with The Sporting News's Kami Mattioli about the recent mock selection she participated in. Plus, we discuss the Peyton Manning story and the coverage.



Follow Kami on Twitter here: @kmattio and read her at The Sporting News here!

Final Four Weekend Audio

Final Four Saturday was spent at Bracket Town with Hall of Famer Bill Walton, Super Bowl champion Darren Woodson and NBA and NCAA champion Jason Terry.



Monday Night, I caught UConn alumnus Richard Hamilton on the court amidst the celebration. Then, in the locker room, I spent some time with sophomore center Phillip Nolan and senior forward Niels Giffey.

Emptying the Notebook: Elite 8

What the hell just happened? Was last night real? The early games looked like they were both going to be blowouts and all of a sudden chaos down the stretch. Iowa State ran out of time. Tennessee they were out of time too. Until Michigan gave them time back. Inbound the ball and make a free throw or two and you win 100% guaranteed. They couldn’t inbound the ball! That game largely was sealed on a questionable call. Twitter freaked out. Twitter was wrong. That's all below.

Then we got to the night games.

Holy cow the night games! The only thing wrong with them is they were going on at the same time. They were different and both great for very different reasons. I thought Doug Gottlieb said it perfectly afterwards - the Virginia/Michigan State game was this technical clinic of back and forth between two senior laden teams with no real history, but both a desire to execute and win. The Louisville-Kentucky game was a little, to use Doug’s word, erratic at times (and that’s a great word for it) but the compete level in that game was off the charts. Those two teams played so hard. They don’t like each other. There is history. That was incredible.

Baylor vs Wisconsin

In hindsight, we should’ve seen the Baylor-Wisconsin result coming. In order to beat a zone you have to be patient. It’s one thing to go in with that mindset, but to sustain it for 40 minutes, possession in and possession out is a whole different story. That’s how Wisconsin plays every night. It wasn’t even a thought for them. Move the ball. Find a good shot. That’s how they would describe their play no matter what. Perfect matchup.

That’s only half the battle though. The other part is having versatile size and multiple decision makers as the talent to execute that plan. Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker are absolutely that. They’re tall guys who can shoot it from the outside, over the top of the zone and put the ball on the floor with the length and athleticism to finish over and around the length of Baylor.

The way to beat Wisconsin is to speed them up. It’s exactly what Oregon did in the first half. The pressured and forced a few turnovers. It led to 19 fast break points for the Ducks in the first half. The second half? They had none. Zero. Zilch. The game became a half-court game and Wisconsin came back and won.

Baylor never got the transition game started. The entire game was dominated by Wisconsin because it was played at their pace. It was a great run by the Bears. They didn’t have a shot. And we should’ve seen it coming.

Stanford vs Dayton

Didn't watch a ton of this game because by the time I got home, Dayton had already started pulling away. It was simple. Stanford's deep. Stanford got into foul trouble. Stanford was screwed. Dayton's a veteran team that executes. You've got to beat them. Florida will.

Florida vs UCLA

Experience can be really overrated. In the end there is a requisite level of talent, skill and know how required to do any task and there is no set amount of time that says someone will have those things. People learn and develop at different rates. So why does experience matter?

The more experience you have, the more situations you've seen and if you've encountered a situation before, you're more likely to react properly. That’s Florida. They’ve seen everything. You’re going to have to out-execute them with better talent and they haven’t played a team capable of doing that yet. Kentucky got close in the SEC Tournament final because they do have superior raw talent. 

Kentucky could beat them. Michigan State could beat them. But them getting to the Final Four was basically a lock when Syracuse and Kansas lost. Dayton’s had a great run. The most shocking result of the tournament would be the Gators going down this afternoon.

San Diego State vs Arizona

Aaron Gordon was more impactful Saturday than any other game I’ve seen him play this year. I’ll fully admit I haven’t watched as much as Arizona as I would’ve liked, but it wasn’t even close. He’s an incredibly raw offensive player who thrives in transition, but he did more than that Thursday night. He had some enormous offensive rebounds and some tough, contested rebounds on the defensive end. He hit some threes. But he still had some of those transition plays and those are huge because they give you energy. That alley-oop he threw down? You know the one! There may be ten guys in America that can go get that ball. That was ridiculous, and the energy of that play helped swing the game.

A huge reason it needed to be swung was because Nick Johnson was terrible for about 36 minutes. There's something to be said for a guy keeping his confidence despite struggle, but there's also a time to know your struggling and a stand still three from three feet behind the line isn't what you were looking for with plenty of time on the shot clock. Johnson gets credit for keeping the faith in himself and coming up huge down the stretch, but if they had lost some of the bad shots he took would have been a huge reason why. That's the ups and the downs of the sport when played by 18-22 year olds.

Tennessee vs Michigan

Let's just fast-forward to the end of this game because that's what mattered. Michigan was dominant early and Cuonzo Martin must've given one hell of a halftime speech.

Late in the game Michigan was trying to kill time so they ran 20 seconds off the shot clock before calling timeout and setting up a multiple action set. In the NBA they have 4 seconds. College? 15. The shot clock is too damn long. By the way - they didn’t get a shot off because of tremendous defense by Tennessee on both ends of the play. On the backend there was the terrific shot block after a pump fake, but the play was made by ball denial on Nik Stauskus. That wasn’t Michigan’s first option.

So Tennessee had life. Then Michigan gave them super life. Getting the ball inbounds shouldn’t be that hard. Sure, you’ve gotta fight but if you execute, you can get the ball in bounds to a person that’s not falling out of bounds!! That turnover is completely inexcusable. Albrecht's gotta do a better job of running the baseline and Lavert has to be under control. Those are the details of execution that separate in big games.

Tennessee gets the ball, calls an iso for Jarnell Stokes. He took one dribble into the lane and Jordan Morgan cut him off. You lower your shoulder, you get called for a charge. I’m the most anti-charge person on earth. I’d like a no-call there, but if a call was to be made it was a charge.

It's important to clarify that Morgan doesn't have to set his feet. In college, the primary defender is allowed to move laterally and as long he is in legal guarding position (Morgan was), he can take a charge. He did. He kinda flopped as he did, but he did. For all the bad calls and bad officiating, I'll save my outrage for another call.

With all that said - Lavert knocked the ball out clean and chased it down. We're probably yelling about nothing because it definitely wasn't a block. It was a charge or a no call and a no call meant a steal. It’s a chance to yell at refs, so people will. It’s a chance for people to point out NCAA officiating stinks. It does. That said, we’re probably making too much about nothing.

Iowa State vs UConn

Iowa state immediately tried to go inside and exploit their size advantage with Uconn's guards in the post. Syracuse used this strategy a couple of years ago with Dion Waiters, Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine and beat UConn with it twice. Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright were younger than. They learned. They also had help and UConn's size at every other position made life miserable for the Cyclones inside (except for Dustin Hogue, who gets some love below). 

Invoking Kemba comparisons aren’t done lightly, but Shabazz Napier is 100% earning that label. He’s been dominant so far and to do that as a sub 6 foot guard is ridiculous. It means you’re doing it with all skill. You’re not physically overpowering anyone at that size. It’s all speed, quickness, technical skill and having supreme confidence in what you’re doing. He stared down a 24 year old grown man. Deandre Kane is older than James Harden and he’s a grown man at 6 foot 4. Napier didn’t care. He balled out. He was a freshman for Kemba. As a senior, it’s him at the center of an equally as unprecedented run.

If Deandre Daniels plays well, there’s not many teams that can beat UConn. The junior has always had super potential, but had never developed. He had games here and there, but has been far more consistent as of late. He's not gonna drop 27 on a regular basis, but if he can play at a high level, UConn can hang with Michigan State tomorrow.

In March we talk about teams playing smart and playing together. It's worth mentioning this UConn group stayed after they were banned from the post-season (thanks to APR, which is one of the bigger crocks the NCAA pulls) so playing for each other is nothing new. That's all they had to play for. 

Last but not least, some love for Dustin Hogue. I covered his brother, Doug, at Syracuse where he was a linebacker on Doug Marrone's first Pinstripe Bowl winning team. The Hogues are from Yonkers and when I talked with Dustin in San Antonio after Iowa State's win over North Carolina, he couldn't wait to go home. For a New York City kid, there's nothing like playing in Madison Square Garden and he left every bit of his heart and soul on the Garden floor. MSG brings out the best and that was certainly his best, albeit in a losing effort and he got to do it in his own backyard in front of family and friends. Pretty cool.

Louisville vs Kentucky

12:31 in the 2nd half and Louisville starts to go on a run. John Calipari calls timeout. When Louisville gets going, no one can stop them, nevertheless a team that's at times mentally fragile. UK responded with a run.

This happened a few times throughout the game, which again confirmed what most in basketball know and those that just think he's a good recruiter refuse to acknowledge. Cal can flat out coach. From modifying his x's and o's to the new talent he brings in each year to having a great pulse for his players, Cal can flat out coach. This year, it took a lot longer for him to find that pulse but he's seemed to figure it out.

That allows him to unlock the immense talent he does bring in, which separates Kentucky from other schools. They just have so many guys. Willie Caulie-Stein leaves with an injury? Fine. Dakari Johnson was playing like a man possessed. He was all over the offensive glass. He's also a legit NBA prospect coming off their bench.

Another step in Kentucky's sudden discovery that they're good is the evolution of Julius Randle. His vision is terrific. I noticed it in the Baylor game at AT&T Stadium early in the year. Last night that vision turned into production as he had the assist on Andrew Harrison's game winner. He’s also evolved defensively. Cal could barely play him at the beginning of the year because he was so putrid against the pick and roll. Last night, Randle had two perfect defensive possessions, one of which he got called for a bogus foul and the other in which he challenged Russ Smith’s game-tying attempt, which fell short because he out to arc it over the freshman’s outstretched arm.

Last few notes:

• For the 2nd straight game, UK's freshman acted like anything but down the stretch. They were total money from the free throw line including two from Randle late.
• That was Rick Pitino's first ever loss in the Sweet 16. He's been coaching for 30+ years at three different schools. That's absurd.
• Since Calipari got to UK, he's owned Pitino. They've met in the tournament twice including last night. The other was the 2012 National Championship game.
• I still don't know what to make of Kentucky, but this number makes me belive they're legit. Vegas knows things. UK was 30-1 to win it all on March 10th. They're now 5-1.

Virginia vs Michigan State

This game is the one high school coaches will show their teams. It was a clinic. Great defense forced good execution if you wanted a good shot and there weren't a ton to be had. This game came down to the end though and a decision Tom Izzo made that I loved.

Adreian Payne made a mistake. The senior had a look at a three and he decided to give it up trying to get a better shot. It was too late in the shot clock. Virginia scrambled perfectly and forced a turnover and hit a three to tie the game on the ensuing possession. Timeout Michigan State.

Izzo lit into Payne. When every possession matters, you can't pass up a good shot. He then drew up a play for him and he responded by draining a three pointer. The next possession he threw a lob to Brandon Dawson. He later knocked down two free throws. Payne's an NBA player and could've easily left after last year. He's back to win it.

The Zebras vs The World 

There were some awful calls in the last two days. Luckily most of them didn't wind up changing the outcomes of games but there was a possibility of one in nearly every game. I discussed the charge call in Michigan/Tennessee already. There as a no-call at the end of Michigan State/Virginia that UVA fans didn't like. Michigan State's player pushed off, but it was after a Virginia hold. I'm fine with the no call. If they call the first foul, the second one never happens.

Kentucky would've had a real gripe if they lost as Julius Randle had a textbook block called a foul. Verticality needs to be given to bigs. Randle went straight up. If an offensive player jumps into you, that's on him.

My biggest gripe however was replay. To me, replay is designed to fix the obvious. If you can't tell whether a call was right or not, stay with the original. If it's obvious it needs to change, change it. If a ball goes out of bounds and you can't tell who it was out on, call it a jump ball. The end of these games are disastrous. Referees are taking way too long to look at replays where there's either an obvious call or obviously no chance of making a determination. If you can get it right, get it right. If you discover you're not going to be able to do anything, just walk away and get back to the game. Flow and rhythm matter in basketball. Quite destroying it.

SMU in the NIT

If you are in the Dallas area and weren’t at Moody Coliseum Wednesday night, you missed out. I’ve been to a lot of games in a lot of places. Allen Fieldhouse is in a galaxy by itself. Outside of that place, I’ve never been in a place better than Moody on Wednesday. Some equal. None better. Nick Russell had an enormous play in that game and the SMU guard joined me on ESPN Dallas College Gameday.

Kentucky vs Wichita State - Where Narratives Went To Die

As Duke, Kansas and Syracuse fell the narrative was growing. The 2012 Kentucky team led by freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was the exception, not the rule. You couldn't win with one-and-done players. Even that team had a senior leader in Darius Miller. Carmelo Anthony had veterans around him in 2003 too. It just can't be done.

Down went Jabari Parker and Duke. Down went Andrew Wiggins and Kansas.

Julius Randle was next. His Kentucky squad was matched up against a veteran Wichita State team that hadn't lost since they took one too many punches from Louisville in last year's Final Four.

Wichita State pulled ahead early, executing their gameplan to perfection. I, and many others, thought they would win. Kentucky hadn't played smart basketball all year. Kentucky hadn't played together all year. They had 10 good minutes against Florida in the SEC Championship and that's it.

They picked a pretty good time to start. The Harrison twins played their best game all season. Randle was dominant in stretches. The game was played at a level rarely seen in college hoops. Pressure? Instead of folding, both teams rose. Cleanthony Early couldn't miss. The Kentucky freshmen were money from the free throw line down the stretch.

With all that said, the narrative had a chance to play out. The pressure to execute is never greater than a last second inbounds play. As Luke Winn from Sports Illustrated revealed in this brilliant piece, the play was called "Havlicek" and the number one option was a lob to Cleanthony Early.

Here is a freeze frame as the action starts. Early is the player at the most bottom of the screen.

Things that would inhibit a lob -

1) A defender at the rim

2) A defender inhibiting Early so that he wouldn't have a clear path to the rim

3) Ball pressure making a lob difficult

4) Early getting caught up in the screening action

5) Aliens from outer space

None of these things happened.

James Young (#1 in blue) was guarding Early. He was lost. Willie Caulie-Stein (#15 in blue) is one of the best rim protectors in the country. He had no idea someone was sneaking behind him and it looked like protecting the rim wasn't his assignment. He had a man he was supposed to stick with. It appeared as if no one had the specific job of protecting the rim.

As it played out, Early planted his right foot at the very moment captured above and faded to the wing, out of the play. I would love to ask him or Gregg Marshall what he was reading, because watching the video and looking at the freeze frame above, it seems like he made the wrong read. The pass didn't even have to be perfect. Any where where Early could catch it leads to a layup or dunk. Instead he bailed.

Instead Kentucky shut off the 2nd option, Ron Baker (#31 in white) curling to the corner and Wichita State was left with their 3rd option. Fred Van Vleet came to the top of the key, took one rhythm dribble to his right and launched a 25 footer that missed as time expired. Game over.

As the horn sounded, the narrative died.

Talented freshmen can beat an experienced team that plays together. The key is them actually playing together. That's why Kentucky won in 2012. It's the same reason Louisville won last year. It's the same reason any team wins any year.

There is no new narrative.

Talent will always compete. Execution will always matter. When talent executes, it will win.

Sunday we didn't see talent versus execution. We saw Wichita State's talent executing as they had all year versus Kentucky's talent executing like they hadn't all year. The clock ran out while Kentucky had two more points.

A single game cannot define a season. It can end it. Wichita State is one of the ten best teams in the country and probably the best five. Their problem on Sunday is they ran into another one who finally played like it.

Final Four Primer

This week has been one of the craziest of my life. In the past 36 hours alone I've driven from Kansas to Texas with a pitstop for Spurs/Thunder in OKC, met my new PD, seen my new station, spent an entire day looking for apartments and slept for maybe 3.5 hours. For those that know my sleep schedule, I don't do 3.5 hours of sleep! I'm happy to finally have a minute to write though and with not much time left to do this before the games tomorrow night, here's your Final Four primer.

How'd they get here?

Syracuse

• The Orange got embarrassed and bruised egos propelled Cuse all the way to Atlanta. SU was horrible down the stretch culminating with a blowout loss at Georgetown. This team doesn't have fantastic leadership but it has top flight talent and top flight talent comes with egos. A bruised ego is a hell of a motivating factor and the Cuse turned around their offensive slump thanks to hot shooting from James Southerland, attacking aggression from Brandon Triche and good decision making from Michael Carter-Williams. The defense never really left despite the losses but it's gotten even better in the tournament. The Orange have forced more turnovers than field goals allowed. That's my favorite stat of 2013 and it's not even close.

Michigan

• Point guard Trey Burke has been sensational all year and now he's getting help from freshman Mitch McGary inside making the Wolverines almost impossible to guard. Michigan has run a ton of pick-and-roll in this tournament though and you can't really do that against a zone. That Burke/McGary pick-and-roll has opened up the shooters and with all five starts capable of scoring, Michigan's the most potent offensive team in the tournament.

Wichita State

• Timing is everything and Wichita State picked it's game with #1 Gonzaga in the round of 32 to have it's best shooting stretch of the year from deep. They basically didn't miss from 3 in the second half including some prayers late in the shot clock and there's nothing the Zags could do. They play their game which is in the half-court with nasty defense and it's worked like a charm.

Louisville

• Louisville has gotten here by obliterating people. The only "close" game was the regional final against Duke. The Blue Devils played it close for a half before the Ville did exactly what they did to Syracuse in the Big East Tournament final and turned up the heat. They've gotten exceptional guard play and Gorgui Dieng has held down the fort inside. We've said all year there is no dominant team, but for the last month Louisville has been just that. 

Keys to the games

Louisville vs Wichita St

This game is all about pace. If the Cardinals can speed Wichita State up, the Shockers don't stand a chance. WSU needs to make this a lower numbered possessions game and hope that Louisville's guard throw away one too many. Peyton Siva and Russ Smith have been almost unbelievably good this tournament, yet their larger body of work provides a blueprint to beat them: turn them over. Both guys can be turnover prone at times and Smith takes some horrific shots that might as well be turnovers.

The key for Wichita State is to make both Smith and Siva into jump shooters and hope each has a bad night. Louisville just needs to play it's game and the Cardinals play Monday night. Turn up the press, get to the rim and create organized chaos that's not so organized for the opponent.

Syracuse vs Michigan

This game is about discipline for Syracuse and managing the moment for Michigan. If SU can continue to challenge everything from the perimeter like they have been through the tournament season, Nik Stauskas won't go 6-6 from three like he did against Florida. Michigan has shooters all over the place so it's important that SU's rotations are on point.

Michigan's offense has been largely predicated on the pick-and-roll with Trey Burke and Mitch McGary over the past 4 games and the result has been huge numbers for both and 4 wins. You can't run a pick-and-roll against a zone though so it'll be interesting to see how John Beilein attacks the 2-3. He certainly has experience doing it from his years at West Virginia. He's 0-9 against Boeheim but never had a player at WVU as good as Burke. If Burke penetrates, everything else breaks down. SU has to hope Burke's lack of size causes him problems against the extreme length of Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche.

The last part to Cuse's plan is finishing possessions. McGary's a very good and relentless offensive rebounder and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glen Robinson III are super athletic wings who will crash the glass. The Orange has to rebound as extra possessions for Michigan is a death wish.

The other end of the floor is pretty simple. Triche needs to stay aggressive. Carter-Williams has to be careful against Burke not to get picked and I'd expect a lot of Brandon Triche bringing the ball up the floor. Get into the offense. Attack the rim. Kick out to Southerland and Fair and SU's offense is just fine.

If Michigan, with it's four freshmen starters, can do the things I listed above they'll have a great shot to win. If the moments too big and they force threes, John Beilein will be 0-10 against Jim Boeheim.


Prediction:

My heart says Cuse wins it all, completing the revenge tour Monday night against Lousiville. This would mean in the tournament season, SU beat Georgetown, Marquette and the Cardinals all whom beat SU in the regular season and in Louisville's case for the Big East Championship. My eyes tell me the Cardinals win it all.

If you've seen my bracket, that means Michigan will win. If Wichita State wins I give up forever.

The Ultimate Tourney Primer

The other night I had what I think is a pretty good idea. Give one fact on every game in the tournament. It's part a challenge for me because I'm doing this with what I know,  and little to no further research (only valid research is stats to supplement an already known nugget). I'm writing this intro before starting so there's no promises you get something insightful but I've watched a ton of hoops this year and think for 32 first round games I can probably come up with something. Think of this as a guide for your average college hoops fan to sound smart as they watch the games with their buddies because I have no friends and watch way too much basketball.

Midwest Region:

1 Louisville vs 16 Liberty/North Carolina A&T

• Louisville is the top overall seed thanks to their demolition of Syracuse in the Big East Tournament final.  The game turned in the 2nd half when the Cardinals turned up the press which is their biggest weapon. It allows them to score in bunches which is important because they can struggle offensively when the game slows down.
• BONUS: Liberty is the reason the NCAA needs to change the rules for conference tournaments. If the tournament champions are going to get the automatic bids, you can't let every team in the conference tournament. Liberty lost 20 games playing in the Big South and has zero business being in the tournament. The regular season has to mean more.

2 Duke vs 15 Albany

• Duke is my pick to win it all because I think they're the most stable team. They're going to defend and they have multiple scoring options in seniors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee as well as freshman Rasheed Sulaimon

3 Michigan State vs 14 Valporaiso

• The Spartans have one of the best backcourts in the country in junior Keith Appling and freshman Gary Harris but their biggest difference maker might be down low in Adreian Payne. The 6'10 junior averages 10+ points and 7.5 rebounds per game and along with Derrick Nix is a lot to handle inside.

4 St. Louis vs 13 New Mexico State

• St. Louis is playing with an interim head coach in Jim Krews who's done an outstanding job after the death of legendary coach Rick Majerus. The Billikens are the best team in the Atlantic 10 which is one of the best leagues in the country and got 5 teams into the tournament.

5 Oklahoma State vs 12 Oregon

• Everyone's focused on Oregon because they got screwed seeding wise but the guy to watch is Marcus Smart for Oklahoma St.  With a outstanding tournament, he could be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft.

6 Memphis vs 11 MTSU/St. Mary's

• For now my fact will be about St. Mary's although they might not make it to the round of 64 at which point I'll change my fact here. Matthew Dellavedova is the reason they got in and while they barely made it in the field, this team is dangerous because 6'4" senior puts up 20 point games on the regular (11 this season).

7 Creighton vs 10 Cincinnati

• Speaking of guys who can put up points, Doug McDermott is one of my favorite players to watch in the country. The way he moves without the ball is textbook. McDermott's dad, Greg, is his head coach.
• BONUS: I spelled Cincinnati correctly on the first try for the first time in my life typing the heading for this.

8 Colorado State vs 9 Missouri

• Much like Michael Carter-Williams for Syracuse, Phil Pressey can shoot Missouri out of games or pass them into wins. The last 4 games are a perfect example. Pressey took 1 and 3 shots in the Tigers two wins. He took 12 and 16 in the two losses. He played 30+ minutes in every game.

West Region

1 Gonzaga vs 16 Southern

• I thought Miami (FL) deserved the #1 seed but the Bulldogs are a really really good. They're best player is Kelly Olynyk, a 7 foot center whose versatile game has him in position to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft. He's aslo Canadien. Eh.

2 Ohio State vs 15 Iona

• Easy to tell you Aaron Craft is the best on-ball defender in the country and he's white and everyone else's fans hate him. However how about an Iona nugget? Lamont "Momo" Jones is a transfer from Arizona and was part of the team with Derrick Williams that beat Kyrie Irving's Duke team two years ago. Irving scored 28 and went #1 in the draft. Williams went #2. 

3 New Mexico vs 14 Harvard

• New Mexico wing Tony Snell can flat out ball. He's the one with the dreads. That's all you need to know. Watch him every chance you get.

4 Kansas State vs 13 Boise State/La Salle

• K-State's Rodney McGruder is one of the best scorers in the tournament. He put up 30 in their first tourney game last year. The whole offense is designed around him moving off the ball. Keep your eye on #22.
• BONUS: La Salle's coach has a doctorate. Dr. John Giannini

5 Wisconsin vs 12 Marshall Henderson

• Lots of studying of Wisconsin as I prepare to cover them, but this nugget goes to Marshall Henderson. He's brash. He's in your face. He gets buckets. He's great at beer pong. He likes Coors Light. He doesn't like the other coaches in the SEC for not voting him player of the year. He's white. People hate him. Confidence is not a problem. It's wildly entertaining and I cannot wait to cover him.

6 Arizona vs 11 Belmont

• I actually know very little about these teams. Knew it would happen eventually. Arizona at the end of games is a mess. Belmont shoots a lot of threes and does so well. Popular upset pick. Belmont's in Nashville. Arizona is...well...in Arizona. #Knowledge

7 Notre Dame vs 10 Iowa State

• Notre Dame's got a great inside/outside combo in Jack Cooley (inside) and Jerian Grant (outside). The most fun story is Garrick Sherman who had basically fallen out of the rotation until he was literally needed against Louisville. After not playing in all of regulation he came in and dropped 17 points in the 5 overtimes and has been in the rotation ever since.

8 Pittsburgh vs 9 Wichita State

• Pittsburgh is ranked 7th in the KenPom.com rankings yet is an 8 seed. Needless to say that's the biggest disparity of any team. Their point guard Trey Woodall seems like he's been at Pitt forever because he kinda has. He and I graduated high school the same year. I've gone to two schools, graduated, got a job and got fired. He's still there.

South Region

1 Kansas vs 16 Western Kentucky

• Watch #23 for Kansas. His name is Ben McLemore and he can fly. He's also one of the best shooters in the country, but more fun is to watch him dunk. He jumps easier than anyone I've ever seen.
• BONUS: Another entrant in the "he's still there?!" department. Western Kentucky Senior Jamal Crook was playing there when I was at Middle Tennessee covering the Sun Belt. 

2 Georgetown vs 15 Florida Gulf Coast

• Otto Porter for Georgetown might be the best player in college basketball. He can do everything and he does. He nearly beat Syracuse single-handedly 3 times. The Hoyas also defend harder than anyone else in the country except maybe Louisville. They give your guards zero airspace.

3 Florida vs 14 Northwestern State

• One of the streakiest players in the tournament is Florida's Kenny Boynton. When he's on he can score with the best of em. When he's off, he can shoot them out of games. The Gators do have balance though with Patric Young inside and Mike Rosario (Rutgers transfer) to supplement Boynton on the perimeter.
• BONUS: I didn't know Northwestern State existed either. Further research shows it's in Natchitoches, LA.

4 Michigan vs 13 San Diego State

• If Porter from Georgetown isn't the best player in the country it's probably Trey Burke. The Michigan point guard is a playmaker on both ends of the floor who can score, help others score and prevent his man from scoring. Kinda all you want in a point guard.

5 VCU vs 12 Akron

• I didn't watch enough of VCU this year to know em real well but they're style is signature. They press full court, making them a popular upset pick over Kansas in the Sweet 16 because KU doesn't have a true point guard to handle the pressure. I don't think they're gonna get passed Michigan though making that a mute point.

6 UCLA vs 11 Minnesota

• The most popular upset pick in the tournament is this game. Why? Minnesota has an NBA quality big in Trevor Mbakwe on it's front line and crashes the boards with reckless abandon while UCLA doesn't ever box out anybody. The Bruins are also now without Jordan Anderson who might've been their best player. 

7 San Diego St vs 10 Oklahoma

• This is pathetic but I'm punting here. I should know more about both teams. I covered the Big 12 yet know nothing about OU. In my defense, I was fired before conference play started. Syracuse beat San Diego State to start the year on a boat. That was a long time ago and I don't remember a thing about them. So there's your fact. SDSU lost on a boat to start the year.

8 UNC vs 9 Villanova

• You'll get two facts here to make up for the prior punt. This is a good one too. UNC has been very good down the stretch of the season and is under-seeded. The change in play was sparked after Roy Williams changed his starting lineup and basically went "screw it" and started his best 5 instead of worrying about positions. It's a small lineup featuring 6'9" James Michael McAdoo at the center spot and it almost beat Miami for the ACC tourney title. 
• BONUS: Also watch Reggie Bullock for UNC. The guy can flat out shoot and he's got a sick mohawk.
• BONUS BONUS: Speaking of shooters, watch Ryan Arcidiacono for Villanova. Also don't get confused by his name when they say Arcidiacono every time. It's his last name. Not "Archie Diacono." He's only a freshman but Jay Wright has admitted he's petrified to take him on the floor. He's that important.

East Region

1 Indiana vs 16 LIU-Brooklyn/James Madison

• Let's not get cute. Victor Oladipo is as fun to watch as any player in the country for Indiana. He's a 6'4" junior who'd basically been a good wing defender and that's about it. Now he does everything and man can he fly.

2 Miami vs 15 Pacific

• Again, let's focus the spotlight where it belongs. Shane Larkin has gone from "Barry Larkin's son" (as in the Hall of Fame baseball player) to one a name on his own as one of the best point guards in the country.

3 Marquette vs 14 Davidson

• Popular upset pick because Marquette hasn't that great away from home. When you say "what do they do really well?" there's not really an answer. They're just solid all-around. Lots of good. Nothing great.

4 Syracuse vs 13 Montana

• Pick your Syracuse fact I could throw at you. Key to everything is Michael Carter-Williams. If he gets steals and gets the Orange in transition, they're as good as anyone. If the offense gets bogged down in the halfcourt, MCW tends to turn it over and bad things happen. Montana is very capable of pulling this upset. Veteran team who shoots the 3 well.

5 UNLV vs 12 Cal

• Keep your eyes down low on Anthony Bennett for UNLV. He's a top 5 pick in the June NBA Draft.

6 Butler vs 11 Bucknell

• Butler has tournament experience and the capability to beat anyone. They beat Indiana earlier this year. Can they put it together for 6 games and win it all? Probably not, but they're never an easy out because they're super well coached. They've got a couple of excellent players including Rotnei Clarke (scorer) and Roosevelt Jones both does a little bit of everything.

7 Illinois vs 10 Colorado

• If Colorado wins don't be surprised because they're ranked higher in the BPI. However the best player on the floor will be Brandon Paul from Illinois who single-handedly beat Gonzaga earlier this year.

8 NC State vs 9 Temple

• NC State was the favorite to win the ACC in the preseason and has a ton of talent but keep your eyes on Khalif Wyatt for Temple. He's not hard to find. He shoots a ton and makes a ton and single handedly beat Syracuse and almost did it again to Kansas a week later.

Want more? Listen to the bracket preview podcast:

Random Rumblings: NCAA Tourney Edition

It's the day after Selection Sunday and I've finally looked at the bracket enough times to realize that it didn't help me at all in trying to figure out a crazy year in college basketball. I've filled out my bracket, which I'll post below, and it's got a lot less chalk than my first impressions bracket I did last night, but a whole lot after the Sweet 16. For as much parity as there is this year, I still think there are about a dozen teams that are better than the rest. Will it play out that way? Probably not. It never does, but I feel more comfortable picking that way and living with the results than kicking myself for an upset bid that dies in the round of 64.

Who's In? Who's Out

On the selection shows, everyone was seemingly happy with the 68 teams selected to participate in this year's tournament. Even more surprisingly Twitter didn't explode with people who were mad and people noticed.

strange year.no one is complaining about any snubs
— Eric Reinhold (@eric_theorange) March 18, 2013

Allow me.

I'm very uncomfortable with the message the committee is sending. The last group of teams out was largely major conference teams with a higher number of quality wins than the mid-majors that got in. I'm thrilled for Kermit Davis and MTSU and at 28-5 they probably deserved to be in but the explanation of "they won on the road" as opposed to Kentucky who "didn't" isn't going to cut it for me.

Beating every team on the road in conference but Arkansas State is impressive in the realm of the Sun Belt, however there is no shining road victory on MTSU's resume. The Blue Raiders don't have anything close to Big Blue Nation's win over Ole Miss or even the 3 point loss to #1 overall seed Louisville (albeit without Nerlens Noel). The much more accurate argument is Kentucky consistently lost on the road (Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, etc) while MTSU just didn't lose.

While MTSU should've gotten in over Kentucky and in looking at all the major "snubs" I can't really complain about anybody in particular, I'm nervous about the path we're headed down. When we talk about scheduling, it works both ways. If Middle schedules Kentucky, UK has to agree to the game and it's on their schedule, but then we whine about them playing a team from the Sun Belt. I'm all for those games and they should happen and Kentucky should supplement that game with some from the Big 10, ACC, etc. However if a major team's non-conference schedule isn't chalked full of juggernauts we shouldn't freak out. They're gonna play a major conference opponent every night of their conference season because they're in a major conference. That said, the major conferences are down and some of the mid-majors are up so that accounts for some of the difference.

In the end you have to play somebody and some of these teams didn't. More importantly the last teams out consistently loss to not so great teams in their league and didn't prove they could go on the road and win. Yes MTSU was beating South Alabama, but they beat them in the conference on the road. If the committee proved anything it's that you just have to win. As long as we don't lose site of the conference schedules and wins and over-obsess on the non-conference scheduling no matter win or lose, than I'm cool. I can see that path coming though and I don't want to go down it.

The Actual Snubs

There are legitimate gripes about seeding and no one's is louder than Oregon. The Ducks were leading the Pac-12 when their starting point guard Dominic Arits went out with an injury. He came back and they won the conference tournament. So they get a 12? I know the Pac-12 isn't the Big 10 but holy shnikes that's a terrible job by the committee.

North Carolina also has a gripe as an 8, especially since they get Kansas in the 2nd round if they beat Villanova. The Heels finished strong and how you're playing is supposed to matter, especially since the uptick came after a lineup change. The Heels didn't really beat anybody this year, especially on the road but they deserve better than an 8 based on their RPI. Interestingly enough their BPI is 32 which would put them as the top #8 seed so I don't think it's a travesty, but they should be higher. In other words, they shouldn't be a #4 seed but the Heels deserve a #6 or 7 when you account for the solid play to end the year. For more on RPI go here. For BPI (which I prefer cause it's better), go here.

Other seeding snubs: Pittsburgh is the most under-seeded per their KenPom.com ranking which uses efficiency stats amongst other things to rank the teams (great tidbit from Gary Parrish). The Panthers are really staunch defensively but at times have a lot of trouble scoring (at others they score at will...like when they play DePaul who the hung 90+ on this year). If Pitt makes it to the Sweet 16 and faces Wisconsin there's potential for a game in the 30's that those who opposed the shot clock would be proud of.

5 Observations from March

Conference tournaments allow us to see teams we hear about a ton but don't really get to watch especially when we have plug into the wall cable that doesn't even get ESPN2. So as I watched some of these teams here are some things I noticed:

1. If you have a kid who wants to play basketball, watch Creighton and teach him how to play like Doug McDermott. The way he moves without the ball is perfect. He makes every cut like he's demanding the basketball but doesn't get upset with his teammates if he doesn't get it. That amount of urgency makes his defender constantly on edge as well as all the help because you think he's always getting the ball. Once he gets the ball he's the whole package - inside and outside - which isn't surprising from a coach's son.
2. Tony Snell can really go. The wing from New Mexico was spectacular in the Mountain West title game. Every time the Lobos needed a big shot, he took it and made it. I want to watch him again in the big dance and I think we'll get to for multiple games.
3. Bill Self owns Bruce Weber. I wrote about this after Kansas and Kansas State played in Manhattan but the strategic advantage KU has over K-State is astonishing. It helps that the Jayhawks have the athletes to pull it off but everything I wrote about in January proved true again in the Big 12 championship game.
4. I have zero clue what to make of the Big 10. The best player is Trey Burke but can he carry a team who's other key players are all not only freshman but often still play like freshman? I don't know. A close 2nd is Victor Oladipo and 3rd is Cody Zeller and they play together and I don't know how they ever lose but they lost 3 of their last 6 so there's that. Wisconsin is a KenPom.com top 10 team and on Parrish's list to possibly win it all. They play such a unique style but have zero star power. Michigan State is always good in March. I know this is the best conference but after an entire regular season I still can't figure it out.
5. Confession: I love Otto Porter. And by love I mean I never ever want to see him play Syracuse again. The guy's just good. I'm supposed to hate him because he goes to Georgetown but I like basketball too much and now that I'm pretty sure Cuse won't play the Hoyas again, I'm allowed to like him. It took everything Cuse had to beat him and no matter how they tried to shut him down he controlled the game. Syracuse won because James Southerland was hotter than Phoenix in July but if I've got the #1 pick in the draft I take a serious look at Porter if I need a wing depending on what other pieces I have. A team like Cleveland who has a star already in Kyrie Irving would be a perfect fit for Porter.

My Bracket:

No further introduction. In case you want to know...here's what I got as of now. Which is Monday night.

Hoping to do a podcast tomorrow explaining my picks. For now just let them wash over you.

Survive and Advance

Last night ESPN debuted their newest 30 for 30 documentary and it was spectacular for so many reasons. First and foremost the story telling was tremendous as guys like Dereck Whittenburg and Terry Gannon retold the storybook 1983 run by their NC State team to a title. I never knew that Jim Valvano was the creator of the fouling in late games to extend the game strategy. I never knew that the NCAA let conferences pick their own 3 point line distance. I don't think I realized just how good that Phi Slamma Jamma Houston team was. I learned a ton.

However more important than what I learned is what I had reenforced and that is that Jim Valvano was just a different human being and the world would be a better place if there were more of us like him. So many of us often say the things that Jim would but how many of us live them like he did?

I could write forever on Jimmy V because inspired doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about him and this isn't anything new. I'll simply say this - last night I was reminded about Valvano's most important message: to dream. Jimmy V wasn't afraid to dream and then had the drive, love and passion to work towards making those dreams a reality. I've been unemployed for over 3 months now and yet I'm unchanged in my dreams. Some days are harder than others, but I know I've surrounded myself with people who believe in me and on those rough days they won't let me give up on my dreams. As Jimmy V said, "don't give up, don't ever give up." After a weekend where I found out some of the opportunities I thought I had the best chances at were going other directions, it was reenforcement I was happy to hear.

What's Next?

As I said, some things I had in the works are unfortunately no longer in the works so life in Lawrence continues. I have picked up a temporary reporting gig for the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City covering Wisconsin's Scout.com site so expect to see Badger stories the rest of the week on Twitter. Some will be free and some will be premium and thus require a Scout.com subscription. Other than that, I'm still looking for my next radio gig so if you know anyone looking for a more than capable host willing to move anywhere, please send them here and have them contact me here.

On this site this week I'm really excited about the article I'm planning for Wednesday. I'm going to go through every 1st round game and give one nugget on it. This could be some random thing I find/heard or more likely a player to watch. It's somewhat of a challenge for me to see if I know something about at least one of the teams in each game but it's the ultimate tourney primer if you need something around the water cooler or wherever you're hiding watching in the office watching games Thursday and Friday instead of working. I'm going to start it tomorrow and might post the first half so stay tuned.

Bonus because it's awesome:

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber dated for a while. Now they're not. Bieber's kinda going off the rails. Selena is still trucking on, very comfortable with where she is in life. She also has a new movie out which has her on the promo trail and on Letterman tonight she fired a zinger that I didn't know she had in her and it was spectacular.



There is no follow up. That's all I got.