This Week in College Hoops

By Sean Bartel

In our podcast earlier this week, I told Lance I wouldn't shed a tear
if Butler or Northern Iowa lost in their conference tournaments, thus
taking one at-large berth from an undeserving team on the bubble. And
that's true, although I never told him the reason: I was born without
tear ducts.

That's a lie - I had my eyes taken out last week. Now I'm sure it all
makes sense.

I seem to say this every year, but this one counts more than ever: The
bubble teams are worse than ever before. Here's why: When I make a
bracket each week, I post whoever's in first place of their conference
as the automatic bid, then add in all the obvious at-large berth teams
remaining. Then I stack all the bubble teams and compare their resumes
to see who's in and out. Usually, when I start this process, there are
between 10-12 spots left in the draw.

This week I had 16, and even that number might be conservative.

Think of it this way: In other years, teams fighting for a tourney
berth were Mr. Bubble, a brand-name product that soothed your body
after a long day of work.

This year's crop? It's like the homeless guy farting in the bathtub,
trying to make a jacuzzi.

Take Louisville. UofL is 19-11 with a good RPI of 36 and a
non-conference RPI of 22. The Cards won huge games at Syracuse and
swept UConn. Yet for all team Pitino's good, there's a ton of bad: 5-7
record on the road/neutral court, 3-7 against the RPI top 50, 7-10
against the RPI top 100, and a puzzling home loss to Western Carolina.
Yes, the Cards beat fellow bubblers Notre Dame and Cincinnati, but
both were at home.

In another year, Louisville would be in severe trouble. Now? While
they're not safe, they're ahead of a handful of teams.

One of them is Connecticut. Any other year, the Huskies would be dead
- 3-8 against the RPI top 50, 3-9 on the road/neutral court, and a 5-7
record the last 12 games. But no one else seems to want the last few
spots, so UConn, with wins against West Virginia, Texas and at
Villanova, are still alive. Barely.

Or Dayton. The Flyers blew out of the gate with wins over Georgia Tech
and Old Dominion, and by mid-January looked like a solid tourney bet.
Now? They've lost three of five, can't seem to win a road game, are
5-8 against the RPI top 100, and has everyone wondering: What the heck
happened?

And the list goes on and on. Florida with its 3-7 Top 50 RPI record.
Mississippi State with five losses outside the RPI top 100. Illinois
with a hideous 72 RPI and five losses on neutral courts. Charlotte
with five losses its last six games. Virginia Tech with a
non-conference RPI of 339 (out of 347 teams).

It makes you wonder: Does anyone really want these last few spots in
the tournament?

This is the point when Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is supposed to tell
us we should let MORE teams into the tournament, because, as he's said
"UConn (and teams like them) can win games in the tournament". Which
would be odd, since they barely seem able to win games in the regular
season.

Here's hoping we have a few upsets so we can trim the number of mediocre squads.

Other thoughts ...

-- Speaking of bubble teams, Florida has a chance to extend a pretty
dubious streak. If the Gators miss the NCAA tournament (and with a 3-7
top 50 RPI record and 3-4 record its last four games, that seems
possible), Florida will miss the tournament for the third straight
year. Why is that significant? Because the Gators won TWO STRAIGHT
national titles just a few seasons ago. Since the NCAA expanded the
tournament to 64 teams in 1985, no team (other than Florida) has won
the title, then missed anything more than the next year's tournament;
in fact, before the Gators, 18 straight champions had qualified for
the tournament the following year.

The only three teams in the 64/65-team tournament era to miss the
dance the next year? Louisville in 1987 (barely bumped off the
bubble), Kansas in 1989 (on probation and thus wasn't allowed to
compete) and the Gators.

The longest streaks of missed tournaments following a title?
Technically it's CCNY (City College of New York), who won the
tournament in 1950, and hasn't been back since ... but they had a
little point shaving scandal in 1951, and never really played division
one hoops again. Stanford won the title in 1942, then missed the
tournament the next 47 years (although the fields were much smaller
then). Oregon missed it 20 straight years after winning the vaunted
1939 title, and Indiana for 12 straight after winning the 1940 title,
but those were mainly 8-team fields.

In modern history, North Carolina State won the 1974 title, then
didn't return until 1980, but even they have an excuse: The ACC used
to ONLY send its tournament champion to the big dance, and North
Carolina ruled a number of years the Wolfpack didn't go.

Basically this is a long way of saying Florida has done nothing to
capitalize on its national title run. Goooooooooooooo Gators!

-- Your eyes might have bugged out when you saw New Mexico as a two
seed. If so, do this: Find some duct tape, and make sure you put the
tape on the back so they stick in your head.

The Lobos have a great resume. Beyond the 28-3 record, they have an
RPI of 8, a non-conference RPI of 44, 7-2 record against the RPI top
50, 11-2 against the RPI top 100, a sweep of BYU, wins over Texas A&M,
Dayton, at UNLV, and San Diego State. It might have taken a few years,
but Steve Alford has finally found a college home.

-- I've been on the UAB bandwagon all year, but the trouble playing in
Conference USA is you have no margin for error. Case in point?
Wednesday's loss to Memphis. Certainly not a bad one, even at home,
but UAB doesn't have a ton left to beef up its resume. The win against
Cincinnati doesn't look as good now, and a 1-2 record against the RPI
top 50 is mediocre at best. Best advice for Mike Davis's boys? Win the
conference tournament.

-- Interesting stat of the week: Only 13 coaches have won two national
titles (yes Gainesville, your recently underachieving coach Billy
Donovan is one of them). Indiana is the only school with two (Bob
Knight with 3, and Branch McCracken with two). If somehow Mike
Krzyzewski wins his fourth title this year, he'd tie Adolph Rupp for
second all time (John Wooden is first with ten). Bill Self (Kansas)
and Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) look to be the only coaches seriously
threatening to win their second title.

-- Looking for a player to root for? Jimmer Fredette of BYU is my new
favorite, if only because I've never heard or seen the name Jimmer.

-- Here's a little more info on this soon-to-be horrendous 96-team
NCAA tournament: The upside is, it seems, the field would include all
regular season champions as well as tournament champions. So for
someone like Siena, who will certainly be bubble watching if they
don't win the MAAC, it could be good news.

Of course, the bad news for everyone else is the watering down of the
regular season, the utter inflation of an already-big enough
tournament, and the end of fun bracketology. But that's for another
time.

-- Picks for the weekend conference tourneys:

Big South: Coastal Carolina
Colonial: Old Dominion
Horizon: Butler
MVC: Wichita State
MAAC: Iona
OVC: Murray State (my sleeper for the NCAAs)
Summit: IUPUI
Patriot: Lehigh
West Coast: St. Mary's
Sun Belt: North Texas

Until next time.


--
http://www.seanbartel.com

Small Schools Get Shafted Again

Does anyone else think it stinks that the two unbeaten non-bcs schools have to play each other in the Fiesta Bowl?  What a crummy reward for TCU and Boise State.  I would much rather see one of them play Florida, or Oregon, or Ohio State, or Iowa etc etc. 

Whoever wins the game will still having big conference honks not giving them proper respect.  Give them a shot against the big boys.  I know there is a weird invite system among the bowls, and of course the Rose has the Big 10/PAC 10 tie in, but it is still not right to me.

Most feel TCU and Boise State should just be happy to compete on the national stage.  That is a horrible argument. 

There is a lot of talk on whether the Mountain West should get an automatic bid into BCS Bowl games.  The answer is NO!  No conference should!  Just take the top 10 teams in the BCS standings regardless of conference affiliations.  This is not a 65 team field like college basketball.  There are only 10 slots.  Can anyone give me an argument on how the ACC has deserved a BCS bid the past couple of years? 

The entire system is garbage.  Please overhaul it and start with this system!  CLICK HERE

Now pardon me while I get prepared to watch the thrilling matchup of Iowa vs. Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.



The Wilkerson College Football Playoff System

There is nothing more corrupt in sports than the current way the National Champion is determined in D-I college football.  There are fewer and fewer voices for the current bowl/BCS system.  However, those that still like this current system are so misguided.  There is no rational argument that can be made from the other side.

Explain to me how a team can recruit, put together a great roster, prepare during spring practice, sweat and bust their tails during August two-a-days, win every single game on the schedule including their Bowl game and not get a sniff of the championship!  That goes against the fiber of athletics.  That is what has happened to Utah twice.  Other schools have suffered the same egregious outcome.

This year we will for sure have two unbeaten teams left at the end of the season, and if Cincinnati defeats Florida there will be three. 

Can a Utah, Boise State, TCU, Utah, a MAC school compete with the big boys?  More times than not they would probably struggle.  However, they cannot/should not be kept from the opportunity to compete for the top prize.  Utah obliterated Alabama last year, and we all know what Boise State has done.

It easy to point out all of the flaws of the current system, but I have a solution.  First off, know that I would prefer the 16 team playoff tournament format done in D I-AA , D II, etc.  However, realistically, that is not going to happen anytime soon.

So here is my Wilkerson College Football System…(drum roll)

You continue using the BCS ranking system and take the top six teams after the regular season is over.  One of the biggest arguments against a playoff system is that the regular season would not mean as much.  First, that argument is horrible.  Please explain to me how the Colts/Patriots game a few weeks ago in the NFL was meaningless.  Explain to me how the Kentucky vs. North Carolina basketball game earlier this year will hurt March Madness.  Anyhow, I have a solution for that weak argument.  The top two teams have a bye into the semifinals.  That way the regular season is still very important.  That advantage would be huge, and it would reward excellence in the regular season.(much like byes work for the NFL playoffs).

The other argument by the old fashioned purists is it would mean the end of the bowl system.  Truly the end of the bowl system happened when the BCS was implemented.  Only one game matters in the current format.  In the Wilkerson System, five games would matter.  Also the other teams would still get to play in all of the other bowls and wouldn’t be affected by this system at all.  Kentucky would still play Clemson in the Music City Bowl.  There would still be the Peach, Cotton, Motor City, etc etc.  And Notre Dame could continue to decline to play in any bowls and just watch the Wilkerson System at home.

One more argument to put to bed is that it would add too many games to the schedule for these poor student athletes.  Oh by the way the baseball College World Series Championship is June 30, 2010!!  Anyhow, the Wilkerson System would not add any games.  There are five games.  Currently there are five BCS games:  Orange, Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, and BCS Title Game.  The quarter and semifinals could rotate between all four bowl sites.  My system would add two weeks to the season.  However, you could easily start it one week earlier, so it would really just add one week for only two teams.

So that is how I would fix things.  You would still have the imperfect computer and human polls to determine the top six teams.  Like I said, I would prefer the top 16 playoff format.  However, it would be easier to exclude the seventh ranked team (Oregon) than it would the third and fourth ranked teams.

Here is how my bracket would look this year.  Think of how exciting it would be.  Think of how much money the NCAA would be able to demand for television rights and sponsorships!  It is a win-win all the way around. 

If you have suggestions or other tweaks, please leave it in the comments section below.  If you like this spread the word with the link.  We have got to change the current corrupt system!

Graphic Created by Jacob Newkirk



Louisville Close to Hiring Florida's Strong

The University of Louisville is turning to a proven winner to guide its football program.  The Associated Press is reporting that the Cardinals are close to a deal to hiring Florida assocate coach Charlie Strong as UL's new head football coach.

Strong would replace Steve Kragthorpe who was fired after three horrible seasons with the Cards. 

Strong and Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich have communicated a lot this week about the vacancy.  Former Colts Tony Dungy has also vouched for Strong.

NFL Potential Matters None to the Greatness of Tim Tebow

He may very well go down as the best college football quarterback ever.  Tim Tebow has done everything there is to do in the college game.  He’s been a great ambassador, an unbelievable player, and a true leader of men.

Everyone gets caught up on the notion of Tebow in the NFL.  Whether he succeeds or not in the pros should never be a reflection on his incredible career as a Gator.  There have been many remarkable college football players that I will always remember as some of the very best, regardless of what they did in the NFL.  Tommie Frazier was one of the most successful quarterbacks ever.  He won two National Titles for Nebraska.  Danny Wuerffel, Tee Martin, Vince Young, Doug Flutie, and Don McPherson all come to mind off the top of my head.

Many have talked about Tebow as a perfect fit in the Wildcat formation in the NFL.  I don’t see that at all.  The most successful quarterbacks in the Wildcat are quick.  That’s what makes the Wildcat successful…while the defense has to make a split decision on who has the ball…the quickness of a qb can find that small crease and turn it into a nice gain.   If you have seen Michael Vick run the Wildcat for the Eagles, even he has struggled, because it is clear he has lost his quickness being out of the game.

If Tebow shines in the pros, I think he will be more like Daunte Culpepper.  He is a big physical quarterback that can shed a blitzing DB or safety and still make a pass down field.  Tebow needs to continue to develop his passing game to make it to the next level. 

One other spot I could possibly see Tebow in the NFL is at tight end.  He could be physical enough to block, and because he is a quarterback, he could transition nicely into the passing game as a receiver.  Remember former Colts tight end Ken Dilger was a quarterback at Heritage Hills.

I was not overly impressed with Tebow against LSU.  It had to be hard for him to play his style game after such a serious injury.  Tebow even said himself he was more of a game manager.  What I learned the most about the Florida/LSU game is that LSU is not very good.  I’ve seen the Tigers against Washington, Georgia, and Florida, and I haven’t been impressed.  They are a solid team, but nowhere near an elite team.  As you would expect from a Les Miles club, the Tigers strength is defense, but the offense is average at best.  It was hard to gauge how good Tebow was in that LSU game because of the lackluster performance by LSU.

I am not a Gators fan at all.  I have always rooted against all Florida teams.  However, I admire and hope for the best for Tim Tebow.  He is fearless, talented, and most importantly he is a winner.