Blue Chip Brandon Knight Chooses Kentucky

photo courtesy: slamonline.comJohn Calipari continues to prove he is the best recruiting head coach in college basketball.  Calipari is expected to land another stellar class for the Big Blue and it has already gotten off to a great start.

The nation's top point guard recruit and the number three ranked player at any position Brandon Knight just announced he will play for Kentucky.

Knight is a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year.  He's a 6'3" scoring point guard from Coral Springs, Florida.  He is also a top-notch student.

Knight says he chose UK because he wants to win a National Championship.

UK Lands Top Frontcourt Recruit from Turkey

There is little question that Kentucky's John Calipari is the best recruiting head coach in the nation.  The Cats have already landed a five star recruit.

Enes Kanter of Turkey says he will sign a national letter intent to play for UK.  The 6'11" center will have to overcome some eligibility obstacles because he played with pro players overseas.

Scout.com broke the story.

Kanter originally verbally committed to Washington before changing his mind to go to Kentucky.  ESPN has Kanter listed as the second best post player recruit in the country.

At one point 50 different schools were recruiting Kanter.

NCAA Tournament Eve -- My Thoughts on the Tournament

With so many different projects with work, I haven’t really gotten around to writing down my thoughts on the NCAA Tournament.  As we are now on the eve of the madness, I am pretty pumped up for the games to start.  I will be in Indy for the Final Four and I can’t wait for all of the drama to unfold.

I am a one bracket guy.  I don’t understand people who fill out multiple brackets.  As I filled out mine I was looking for some upsets.  In a tournament that is so wide open, it was hard for me to find that Cinderella.  It seemed most of the time I took the favorite in most matchups.  Last year that worked well for me.  I picked all the number one seeds to the final four (caught hell for it!), and I won some nice change in three of the contests I entered.

One of the reasons I think it is hard to find a great upset story is that six of the mid-majors are paired against each other.  I think that is a real travesty.  We see teams like Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech, or Texas and Wake Forest play each other all season long.  It is impossible for mid-majors to schedule a home game against a big boy, so the Tournament is the small school’s chance to shine.  So what happen…Northern Iowa gets UNLV, Butler is against UTEP, and Richmond has St. Mary’s.  What a joke.  How about Butler versus Florida? (wait a minute we’ve seen that…and the Dogs won!)  Or maybe Northern Iowa against Louisville?  That would make much more sense.  I grew up an Aces and Ball State fan so I am always cheering for the little guys. 

As for the bluebloods, I completely agree with most that Kentucky and Kansas just got hosed on their draw.  It is amazing the difference between Duke’s run and Kentucky’s.  Heck, West Virginia is the #2 seed in the East and the Mountaineers have an easier road to the region finals than top seeded UK. 

How about Tournament expansion?  I have my theory that I have talked about in the podcasts with Sean Bartel as well as on a radio show that I am on in North Carolina.  It is this (and tell me your thoughts). I do think there is some merit to expansion.  I think the NCAA made a mistake by letting in so many schools into Division I the past 15 years…so the field is much larger and you can justify a small increase.  96?  No way. 

This is what I would do.  Expand the team by 7 to 72.  Have 8 teams in the play-in round.  However, the 8 teams must be the final 8 teams to receive an at-large bid.  Those four games are staggered on Tuesday so you can watch them all.  It would make Tuesday so much more exciting.  This year it would be Florida, Minnesota, Utah State, Wake Forest, Mississippi State, Rhode Island, etc etc.  The main 64 team bracket stays intact, and you get a bump in expansion but not too much.  Plus, you add another day of excitement with four play-in games. 

I always thought the two play-in teams got shafted.  They made their dream a reality.  They won their conference tournament and earned a ticket to the Big Dance.  Instead, they get swept aside to Dayton for a game that few care about. 

The first two days of the Tournament are the best.  I really hope for some buzzer beaters and bracket busters!

Here is to hoping your bracket doesn’t have too many red X’s and for a tournament to remember!

Blaine Train Hits Lots of Topics Preparing for Vegas

By Blaine Fentress

You know what the best thing about taking a vacation is? Just being able to hit “reset” on everything. Being able to take a step back, close your eyes, and just relax. Taking all those worries that build up inside your head and just throwing them away for a little while. That is why I love vacations.
 
As you can see, I have already started mine. But, the Train never has a vacation. It makes every Train Stop possible ( or at least until my boss on here goes on his DMB tour, then you probably won’t see the Train Stop for a couple of weeks here or there).
 
Want to say “thanks” to iJill, Greg S, Chris H, Jeff, and Derek M for their comments on my Top Ten Sports Movies. Yes, I know that my list was probably different from yours. Rudy…I like the movie but, it didn’t tug on my heart strings as much as it did yours. Plus, you know when you read those stories about star players getting hurt at practice because of someone on the practice squad…that is what I think about Rudy. He is that guy who might have the biggest heart but doesn’t know when the play is done and is spraining someone’s knee.
 
Slapshot? Believe it or not, I haven’t seen the movie all the way through. I am sure it is funny.
 
Longest Yard? I have seen it and thought it was good, but not good enough to be in my top ten. But, the original is MUCH BETTER than the remake. Man, the remake was just pure garbage.
 
All right, as you have already read, I am in vacation mode. I could spend time fully explaining how I feel about one topic but, in this day and age, we have to keep on moving. So, instead of one issue, I will use a couple of sentences expressing my feelings on many issues. That’s right, the Blaine-Train has transformed himself into…

THE BLAINE EXPRESS: VOLUME 1

Tiger Woods: Don’t come back at the Masters. In fact, don’t come back this year. Give it a year, answer some questions from the press, and let things cool down even further. Coming back at the Masters will only cast a large, large, large, large shadow over the major itself.
 
Bubble Teams: If you didn’t make it in, move on. I know there will be a couple of coaches that will go to the press and say that their teams were screwed. Newsflash: they should have won some more games then.
 
96 Teams: The NCAA wants to do this. Don’t mess with a good thing. Think of the mediocre teams that will be littered throughout the first round.
 
Conan O’Brien: I love the tour that is coming up. I would love it even more if the seating in Chicago wasn’t General Admission. If I go to a performance, I would like to know I will have a seat and not worry about stampeding for the door when it opens. But, get a TV show deal soon so we all can see you again.
 
Twitter and Facebook: Hello, my name is Blaine and I am an addict. I check those two things so much throughout a day.
 
L.T. : Shocked that he signed with the Jets and not the Vikings. Even if Brett hasn’t decided what he will do yet, Minnesota is in much better shape to get into the Super Bowl than New York. Remember, all AFC roads lead through Indy.
 
NIT: It is the only tournament that I might care about on the Wednesday night before the NCAA tourney. Then, I forget it is even happening. It will die if the field goes to 96 teams.
 
Madness: My favorite British band from the ’80s. Our House, One Step Beyond, House of Fun…good tunes.
 
Beckham: Tough break for him as he was getting ready to play in his fourth World Cup but, I don’t think England will be losing much. They are still pretty talented.
 
Baseball: I am ready for the season to get underway. I will be crushing my opponents in the News 25 Twitter League. Lance, you hear me, you will be going down.
 
World Series: Early prediction, Phillies over Yankees in 6 games. Halladay will be your MVP.
 
Oscars: Happy Hurt Locker won Best Picture. Very happy that Avatar didn’t win.
 
Brady Quinn: Off to Denver with you. Guess it will be a QB competition between you and Kyle Orton.
 
Cleveland Browns: I would feel happy for you guys that you won’t have a QB rotation anymore between Quinn and Derek Anderson. But, doesn’t it feel like you guys are setting another one up between Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace? Maybe Delhomme can make a comeback but, get someone you wouldn’t have a question mark about going into the season.
 
Mississippi St. : I feel a little sorry for you guys. You had the Kentucky game won but, a bounce here and a Cousins tip-in there, and now you guys are NIT bound. But, maybe you should have beaten Western Kentucky earlier in the season…and Rider too.
 
Kentucky: How depressing will it be for Big Blue Nation if they don’t get past Texas. I think they will win that game but, that is still a tough match-up for a team that just nearly lost to Mississippi St.
 
Louisville: Much props should be given to Kyle Kuric. If he didn’t go off against Syracuse like he did and this team still lost to Cincy in the second round of the Big East, I think you might have been NIT bound.
 
Battlefield Bad Company 2 on PS3: Another addiction of mine the past couple of weeks. Being able to take apart your online opponent with a knife is just too much fun. Is that wrong?
 
Tequila: Been drinking Sauza Blanca for the past week. I think it is pretty good for something that was cheap.
 
NFL: I know you don’t want to think about this too much but…PLEASE DO NOT LOCKOUT OR STRIKE. Remember what the strike did to Baseball and how long it took to recover from it. Yeah, I think this would be much worse since you are clearly the number one professional sport in the U.S.
 
NBA: You DO need a work stoppage of some sort. The amount of millions that you pay players that do nothing but sit on the bench is unbelievable. Teams and players are all overvalued and season ticket holders are starting to get fed up with it.
 
Favorite DMB song: Stay (Wasting Time)
 
Favorite Ben Folds song: Army
 
Carl Edwards: The slap on the wrist he got last week for his actions on the track doesn’t seem right. If it was just a season or two beforehand, he would have been suspended. But, NASCAR’s new policy of having things settled on the track might lead to a really serious injury in the near future.
 
New Evansville Arena: Drove by it the other day, it looks like they are starting to work on the foundations. I think this will be something great for the city, as long as it continues to get used and is able to help transform the downtown area into something more vibrant.
 
Evansville: I am just speaking for myself here but, when Whirlpool leaves, I hope there is a way we can entice someone to come in and take their space on 41. Those workers that know nothing more but what they do on that assembly line would appreciate it if they can find a job that pays just as well and not go through the education to learn something else. Yes, I believe education is the way to go. But, try telling a 50 or 60 year old who has done the same job for many years. They are scared and they don’t know if they can learn anything new at that age. It just made my heart sad to see some of their faces this past weekend at Ivy Tech, trying to figure out what they can do to continue to make ends meet.
 
Ky Derby: There will be a column or two down the road about this but, my early favorite right now is Looking At Lucky. Trainer is Bob Baffert and one of the owners is Mike Pegram…a great connection. I will also tell you the story of the time that I might have made Mr. Pegram unhappy at the Derby and how I ended up talking to Bo Derek without not even knowing.
 
Hockey: Hey NHL…get on a better national cable channel or make the NHL Network more available in the near future. It has only been a couple of weeks and I have started to forget about you guys.
 
Las Vegas: I AM ON MY WAY!!!! This week will be my first time there.
 
And with that, the Blaine Express winds down and the Train Stop heads out west to …. VIVA LAS VEGAS. Next week, I will give you all the fun details of the trip and maybe some photos to go along with it. Until then, the Train rolls on…



Cousins Beats Clock by Tenth of a Second

Picture says it all.  DeMarcus Cousins beats the clock by one tenth of a second on the clock as Kentucky forces overtime against Mississippi State.  The Wildcats go on to the one point victory against the Bulldogs to win the 2010 SEC Tournament Championship.

The debate rages on about fouling up by 3 points late.

Photo Courtesy: Mr. Matthew Gates

Bartel's Brackets Podcast #4 -- Who is in? Who is hoping?

Sean Bartel turns in another stellar performance as we cover a lot of territory in college hoops.  Only 4 days until Selection Sunday!

Topics for tonight's podcast:

• A lot of Kentucky questions including what UK fans need to root for to keep Wall and Cousins next year.
• Best coaching jobs this year including Baylor's Scott Drew and USF's Stan Heath.
• Who are the #2 seeds?  Purdue?  New Mexico?
• How the small conferences hurt their chances to get more teams in.
• Was Steve Alford close to getting hired instead of Kelvin Sampson at IU?
• Can PAC-10 just have one bid?
• Can Mississippi State get in?
• Expanding the tournament to 72 or 96 teams.
• Plus Sean answers your questions in a jam packed podcast!

Take a listen!!

Bartel's Brackets 3.10.10

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

Take the NCAA Basketball Trivia Challenge

Time for some trivia!  I just whipped up these questions off the top of my head.  I am sure some of them you will find pretty easy, and hopefully some of them are kind of tough. 

I have only one rule…DO NOT look up the answers on the internet.  Of course there is no way to enforce it.  This is purely on the honor system.  Keep in mind that Santa Claus is always watching.

Submit your answers by clicking email Lance link on the left.  Don’t leave your answers in comments section below because it will only help others.  However, if you do have a question or comment please do leave that below.

I will take submissions until I get off the air at 10:35pm then announce the winner shortly after.

Winner gets a Home Team Friday Shirt shipped to them and the pride of being the champ!  Good Luck!

First Annual NCAA Basketball Trivia

1.  Where did Steve Nash go to school?

2.  Who coached the last #15 seed to a victory in the NCAA Tournament?

3.  What UCLA player drove the length of the court in 1995 to defeat Missouri with just 4 seconds left?

4.  What team did the Evansville Aces defeat for their only NCAA Tournament victory?

5.  What jersey number was Jim Crews when he played on the perfect IU team in 1976?

6. What seed was Jim Valvano’s NC State National Championship team in 1983?

7.  How many national titles did Roy Williams win at Kansas?

8.  What arena did IU stun top seeded Duke in 2002 in the Sweet Sixteen?

9.  Who is the all-time Big Ten leading scorer?

10.  Who is more annoying:  Dick Vitale or Billy Packer?

Tie Breaker:  How many wins do the Aces have since the 1999-2000 season? __________

Bartel Banters about College Hoops

By Sean Bartel

In our podcast, Lance asked me a question about Butler that I didn't answer well.

The problem is this: I don't understand English. I just started speaking the language on Monday. D'oh.

Here's the situation: Most college hoops fans will look at Butler, currently ranked 10th in the coaches' poll and 15th in the AP one, then see my seeding at only five and think "What's the deal?".

So, here ya go.

First off, the brackets I put together, similar to other bracketologists, are what I think the committee will do, not my personal opinion; if it was my choice, Indiana would be a 5-seed (I'm kidding - IU wouldn't be in the CBI even in my wildest dreams).

Butler puts together an impressive resume - a 17-game win streak; a perfect record in the Horizon league; and a non-conference RPI ranked fourth out of 347 teams. They beat Ohio State, Xavier, and Saturday crushed Siena.

Ironically, though, its Butler's two biggest wins that might actually hinder them.

The Bulldogs are 3-3 against the RPI's top 50 teams, losing to Georgetown, Clemson and at UAB. The win against Ohio State is great, but it came in the Buckeyes' first game without star Evan Turner. The Xavier win? That came with controversy, when Gordon Hayward hit a shot with two seconds left, then the officials, realizing a game-clock error, said there was no time left, and didn't give Xavier a chance to win the game.

Other factors: Since Butler's conference competition will be lower than other teams it's facing to get a high seed in the tournament, the top 50 RPI record will be huge. The Bulldogs' 3-3 record is around the same as Wisconsin, Baylor, Temple, etc., so they'll need something to put them over the top if they want a 4- or even a 3-seed.

Again, this is not fair - there's nothing Butler can do about Turner's injury, and nothing they could do about the game-clock miscue. But they stand as the Bulldogs' two biggest wins come with somewhat of an asterisk, and history shows the committee doesn't look favorably on that.

Other notes ...

-- Everyone seems to think Northern Iowa is guaranteed in the NCAA tournament. My advice? Win the MVC tourney. You were fine before losing to Evansville on Tuesday. Now? Things are iffy.

Here's why.

On paper, Northern Iowa looks fantastic: An RPI of 24; a 2-0 record against the RPI top 50; 8-1 record against the top 100.

But look deeper: The Panthers have two horrendous losses to DePaul and Evansville, and one bad loss to Bradley. Generally, at-large teams are given some leeway, but tourney teams shouldn't lose to DePaul and UE (granted, the Panthers didn't have Jordan Eglseder against the Aces, but they still should have won).

The two top-50 wins? Against good, non-BCS teams in Siena and Old Dominion, but keep in mind the Saints are 0-4 against the RPI top 50, while ODU is just 1-4. And the Panthers' non-conference RPI of 216 is not going to help them.

Again, everything seems simple on paper, but the committee has done stranger things. When you're a non-BCS school, you do everything to make sure you're not left with your pants down on Selection Sunday.

-- Just curious: Does any team have a stranger regular season win/loss sheet than Evansville? The Aces have lost 17 of their last 19 games. The only two wins in 2010? Both have severely damaged teams in their own conference, beating Wichita State (and effectively ending the Shockers' at-large hopes) and Tuesday's win over UNI.

-- By the way, I didn't get Lance my brackets before our podcast, so we didn't talk about my potential second-round matchup of Kentucky and Louisville. Yes, this would make everyone in the Commonwealth go crazy. No, this wasn't done on purpose. Honestly, it was random - I didn't even realize it until all the brackets were made.

Don't fall into a trap of thinking the committee worries about these sexy matchups. Louisville was only place in the East because that was the only place it could go. By tournament rules, you can only have two schools from the same conference in each region, and they have to be placed on opposite sides of the bracket (so as to not repeat regular-season matchups); the earliest they can play is the regional finals. In this instance, Villanova and Marquette are in the West, Syracuse and Georgetown in the South, West Virginia and Connecticut in the Midwest, and Pittsburgh in the East. Louisville found a slot there.

Keep in mind: While Louisville/Kentucky would get HUGE ratings in Kentucky, Lexington and Louisville are regularly two of the highest-rated markets for the tournament for CBS (Louisville is usually number one, I believe). If the 'Cats or Cards played Alaska-Anchorage, ratings inside Kentucky would be sky high. So CBS won't go out of its way to make sexy matchups. They know dedicated fans will watch regardless.

-- My confidence in Louisville last week? Gone after Tuesday's loss to Georgetown. The Cards finish at Connecticut, at Marquette, and home to Syracuse. They have to win two of those games to feel confident. Just 2-6 against the RPI top 50 and 6-9 against the RPI top 100 is a surefire way to miss the dance.

-- Favorite new website? EvilPitt.com. Enjoy.

-- Interesting tidbit of the week: The teams that have the most NCAA tournament appearances? Kentucky (50), UCLA (43), North Carolina (41), Kansas (38), and Indiana and Louisville (35). If Louisville misses the dance? Four of the six most successful teams ever will be out of the tournament (unless IU, UCLA or UNC win the conference tournament). Not sure if that's ever happened.   

-- Two teams on the bubble represent the most astounding comparison I've ever seen. Virginia Tech has been strong inside the ACC - 8-5 with wins at home against Clemson and Wake Forest. Yet the Hokies have just an RPI of 48, and have maybe the worst non-conference RPI I've ever seen for a bubble team: 335.

There's only 347 teams in Division One.

Then you have California, moving closer to its first Pac-10 title in half a century. They're 18-9, with an RPI of 24, and the number one ranked non-conference RPI in all of hoops. The problem? While they played a tough schedule out of conference, they lost nearly every game. The Bears are 0-4 against the RPI top 50, and the Pac-10 wins? They don't matter as much, since the league is fairly miserable.

On paper? It's a good way for the NCAA to make a statement for a tough non-conference schedule. But as you see, there are a ton of other factors. Will be interesting to see how each school plays this out.

-- Big bubble games to watch on Saturday: Cincinnati at West Virginia; Maryland at Virginia Tech; Tulane at UAB; Minnesota at Illinois; Florida at Georgia; UNLV at Air Force; UMass at Dayton; Charlotte at George Washington.

More next week. 
--
http://www.seanbartel.com

Bartel's Brackets Podcast #2 -- Breaking down NCAA Hoops!

Upsets, Bracket Busters, and late season runs towards the Tournament.  That is a few of the topics that Sean Bartel and I discuss in Podcast #2 of Bartel’s Brackets.  Sean has released his latest NCAA Bracket projections.

How does Villanova sliding hurt Kentucky?  Is Illinois in?  What is a mid-major?!  How high can Butler be seeded?  What about Travis Ford’s Oklahoma State Cowboys?  Is Purdue a legit #1 seed?

All of that and much much more on this Bartel’s Brackets podcast.  Hit play and enjoy! 

Bartel's Brackets Podcast #2  2.23.10

Please send in your questions in the comments section below to get Sean’s opinions for podcast #3!

Bartel's Brackets 2.23.10 Edition

EAST REGIONAL (Syracuse, March 25 and 27)

Milwaukee (March 19 and 21)
1-Kentucky vs. 16-Lehigh/Jackson State winner
8-Missouri vs. 9-Louisville

Spokane (March 19 and 21)
4-Temple vs. 13-Cornell
5-Wake Forest vs. 12-Siena

Providence (March 18 and 20)
3-Pittsburgh vs. 14-Oakland
6-Texas A&M vs. 11-Dayton

Jacksonville (March 19 and 21)
2-Duke vs. 15-Morgan State
7-Northern Iowa vs. 10-Illinois

MIDWEST REGIONAL (St. Louis, March 26 and 28)

Oklahoma City (March 18 and 20)
1-Kansas vs. 16-Stony Brook
8-UNLV vs. 9-Clemson

New Orleans (March 18 and 20)
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-Kent State
5-Butler vs. 12-Connecticut

New Orleans (March 18 and 20)
3-Ohio State vs. 14-Wofford
6-Richmond vs. 11-UAB

Buffalo (March 19 and 21)
2-West Virginia vs. 15-Jacksonville
7-Maryland vs. 10-Florida

SOUTH REGIONAL (Houston March 26 and 28)

Buffalo (March 19 and 21)
1-Syracuse vs. 16-North Texas
8-Georgia Tech vs. 9-Rhode Island

Spokane (March 19 and 21)
4-Texas vs. 13-Murray State
5-Wisconsin vs. 12-UTEP

Jacksonville (March 19 and 21)
3-Georgetown vs. 14-Sam Houston
6-Michigan State vs. 11-St. Mary's

Oklahoma City (March 18 and 20)
2-Kansas State vs. 15-Coastal Carolina
7-Tennessee vs. 10-Clemson

WEST REGIONAL (Salt Lake City, March 25 and 27)

Milwaukee (March 19 and 21)
1-Purdue vs. 16-Robert Morris
8-Virginia Tech vs. 9-Old Dominion

San Jose (March 18 and 20)
4-BYU vs. 13-Utah State
5-Baylor vs. 12-Marquette

San Jose (March 18 and 20)
3-New Mexico vs. 14-Weber State
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-California

Providence (March 18 and 20)
2-Villanova vs. 15-UC-Santa Barbara
7-Xavier vs. 10-Oklahoma State

LAST FOUR IN: UConn, Marquette, Dayton, St. Mary's
LAST FOUR OUT: San Diego State, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Mississippi State

Conference breakdown:

Big East: 8 teams
Big 12: 7
ACC: 7
Atlantic 10: 5
Big Ten: 5
SEC: 4
Mountain West: 3
Conference USA: 2
West Coast Conference: 2
Pac 10: 1

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