Selection Sunday has happened once more. The annual bracketing of 68 teams, replete with nervousness and anxiety, the work of a studied Committee with copious rules to follow and mountains of data to sift through in making the final selections. And still they sometimes get it right, but more often the Committee’s verdict brings more controversy than not.
We have reached the conclusion of a regular season which begins play in early November and wrapped up with conference tournaments in early to mid-March. For some, it is the body of work compiled up to the start of the final conference tournament plus how they fared in the post-season. Others simply have to win or go home to make the Big Dance.
While there are some nice stories such as St. Francis of Pennsylvania, a small school of which is the oldest Catholic-Franciscan school in the United States, located in the Laurel Highlands of the Commonwealth. The Red Flash infrequently has stars who play in the NBA (Maurice Stokes, Norm Van Lier, Kevin Porter and Mike Iuzzolino).
This is their first time back in the tournament since 1990-91. With no wins of distinction other than riding a hot streak last week in New Britain, Connecticut to snare the conference crown, St. Francis was destined to be slotted in the play-in game as a 16 seed.
Don’t tell it to the players that their dreams may be burst after one game. This is what they strive for. It isn’t for the NIL money which flows aplenty at most of the other entrants in this event. Instead, the pride of playing their hearts out in winning the NEC title, then getting to play one more game amongst the big boys, is a memory of a lifetime for these kids.
Then there is the storyline of one of the big boys—the University of North Carolina. This is a down year for Carolina in the eyes of its fans and those who follow college basketball. The Quad 1 record of the Tar Heels is atrocious—they went 1-13 this season, defeating only UCLA. At least the Heels didn’t fall in Quad 2, going 8-0 and suffering a one point hone loss to Stanford while amassing a 7-1 record in Quad 3 games. That’s not a particularly good season.
What made the UNC story more compelling on the eve of the announcement of the tournament field was what happened in Charlotte during the ACC Tournament Semi-Final contest against its arch rival, top-seeded Duke.
Down by 24 points and left for dead in the second half playing a #1-ranked Duke team without its star, freshman Cooper Flagg, who suffered a sprained ankle in the previous game, North Carolina put on a spirited, determined run to get back in the game.
Instead, the unthinkable happened. When Ven-Allen Lubin converted his second free throw attempt to knot the score at 72, whistles from the referees were ominous. Jaclyn Withers had committed a lane violation, wiping that precious point off the board with seconds left to play, dooming the Heels to a most painful loss to its hated rivals.
Teetering on the brink to begin with, the Tar Heels players, coaches and faithful had to endure a fitful 48 hours to await their fate. Prognosticators had them in the Final Four In the tournament, then in the Last Four Out.
It was a fluid situation, made more complicated by Colorado State and Boise State reaching the Mountain West final, with Utah State and New Mexico now at-large bids. Well, the NET of 36 was the metric which proved to be enough for UNC to dance. And maybe some name recognition too. Although the Tar Heels are an 11 seed and are in a play in game versus San Diego State, which may actually have a better resume.
For every story like St. Francis or the University of Delaware, a team with 19 losses which managed to make the CAA Tournament finals only to have its luck run out in a close, four point loss to UNC Wilmington, there are those elite teams that are able to be above-average in its NIL-laden conference and not have too many worries about whether it will continue to play, but rather who the next opponent will be. Therein lies the second story of the NCAA Tournament.
Big monied Power 5 conferences seem to get more and more teams into the Big Dance. To the detriment of other worthy schools whose resources and power ratings don’t and cannot match the likes of the Big Ten, Southeastern Conference or Big 12, their seasons are over.
It is absolutely outrageous that the SEC has a record-breaking 14 schools in the tournament—that tops the old standard by a whopping 3. Sure, the SEC has high seeds in Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. But how many of those 14 chosen will survive into the Sweet Sixteen—not too many.
We have seen years when schools like Florida Atlantic, San Diego State or Florida Gulf Coast ride some magic in their focused play to make a run to fame. NC State, a member of the revered ACC, had a very average season, got hot at tournament time and ended up in last season’s Final Four. Plus so many fans revel when a Towson takes down a Virginia in an early round—even if it totally busts their bracket selections in whatever pool they might be in. That could happen this year with the likes of a Drake, VCU, UC San Diego, Grand Canyon or a Georgia and defending champ UConn, which is a #8 seed.
This is the magic of March Madness. No wonder why CBS and their affiliation with Turner Sports to televise each and every game beginning with the play-in games results in high viewership and allows for the ca-ching of the cash registers of the network, the NCAA and its member schools which make the tournament.
It has become a phenomenon, not unlike the march to the Super Bowl, the NBA Playoffs, the MLB post-season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Because it has meaning and because it gives us winners—and doesn’t America just love winners?
Do enjoy the games—whether it is the Men you watch or if you tune into the Women’s Tournament . There is no clear cut choice that will win either tournament—Duke has its issues with Flagg’s ill-timed injury and the SEC top teams can easily win or be eliminated on the men’s side, while UCLA, a suddenly red hot South Carolina, perennial power UConn, star-laden USC, Texas and TCU headline the women’s bracket. It’s unpredictable, like the weather this time of year.
Just a couple of comments on conference tournaments. Held at neutral arenas, they are not well-populated during the early rounds. Even if the seats are sold.
Except for the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. I have been to numerous of those games, first with Seton Hall fans, then when Rutgers was in the league. I know that ACC fans will say that their tournament is the best.
I beg to differ. There is nothing like the fervor of the Big East in March in the Big Apple. My belief was comfirmed watching a quarterfinal game between lowly De Paul and #2 seed Creighton. The overmatched Blue Demons took the Blue Jays to double overtime before losing. Not a seat was empty. That is fan-friendly college basketball at its finest.
Also, coaches are already being fired. There are vacancies at Villanova, Minnesota, UNLV and Iowa, where Fran Mc Caffrey was let go after 15 years at the school. More are on the way—possibly including Steve Pikiell at Rutgers after the Knights lost to USC in double overtime. Bye bye, one-and-done stars Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
By the way—in D III hoops action, the Final fours are set. NYU, Trinity (CT), Washington (St. Louis) and Wesleyan, the #1 seed, which needed to win in OT at home versus Emory, are headed to Fort Wayne. NYU is still able to go for the double win, as the top-ranked women are joined by Smith and two Wisconsin schools—Oshkosh and Stout.
Meanwhile, the New York Jets offered enough money to lure former Chicago and Pittsburgh QB Justin Fields to New Jersey on a two year contract worth $40 million, with a lot of that money guaranteed. It’s a good gamble on behalf of management; he reunites with his Ohio State teammate, WR Garrett Wilson, with the hopes that their college connectivity can extend in the pros.
With the advent of free agency, teams went wild in tearing down and reconstructing rosters. Buffalo is hellbent on winning the Super Bowl—they signed former LA Chargers star defensive lineman Joey Bosa in hopes to contain elite quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, etc. to make it to the Promised Land. On the negative side, two new signees are suspended six months for positive PED use.
Quarterbacks and wide receivers moved from one team to the next in rapid succession. Former Jets QB Sam Darnold, who resurrected his career in Minnesota, was rewarded with a big payday in Seattle, after the Seahawks sent gent Smith, another former Jets QB who revived his career, to the Raiders. The Rams sent former Super Bowl M.V.P. Cooper Kupp packing—he landed in Seattle, too, while LA picked up former Green Bay and NYJ Davante Adams to pair with blossoming star Puka Nacua.
Yet the headlines are with another Jets QB, recently released by the team. Yes, it’s more wondering where (and if) Aaron Rodgers will land at age 42 to make another futile attempt to lead a team he is sure to disrupt its chemistry in the process. While Rodgers is headed to Hall of Fame, he still feels he has enough left in his tank to propel a team to the Super Bowl. He has convinced the Vikings, Steelers and Giants to actually believe that he still has that ability. Good luck there—at least two of the suitors will have to scramble big time to come up with suitable alternatives at QB if Rodgers goes elsewhere (or comes to his senses and retires).
It is too early to assess what teams have gotten that much better or have become even more average to mediocre. We need to factor in the NFL Draft to more accurately decide who is a contender and/or just a pretender. One heck of a lot of media coverage was expended in this time frame—it tells you the popularity of the NFL is surging even higher.
Finally, I am touching on the NBA. I have been watching the Golden State Warriors go bananas since the acquisition of Jimmy Butler. I wouldn’t have thought one player could energize a team like he has. Unlike the Los Angeles Lakers getting Luka Doncic to pair with the now-injured Lebron James (his recovery from the groin strain is so vital to LAL’s playoff hopes), Butler’s unceremonious departure from Miami has become seamless by the Bay.
Still, I wonder if GSW is legitimate enough to win it all. They are perched in the sixth spot in the playoff chase, barely in front of Minnesota and two and a half games behind fifth place LAL. And they struggled against a decent New York Knicks team minus Jalen Brunson, their star guard and catalyst.
Oklahoma City is the dominant team in the West, behind the outstanding play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Over in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland is the big winner, authoring two winning streaks over 15 games. But until they are dethroned, many believe that defending champion Boston can win it all. The regular season ends in April.
I caught a debate about who is going to be the NBA M.V.P. Alexander, for all he has done to lead OKC, or superstar Nikola Jokic. SG-A leads the NBA in scoring and is a highlight reel star every time he hits the floor. Jokic plays on a team hobbled by injuries and he has carried them to a third seed in the West so far. I am not ready to predict a winner here because their statistics are so comparable. Could we see a close contest?
That’s it. Even if the regular season opens this week in Japan, I’m not ready to discuss baseball.
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