NCAA Tourney Thoughts & Notes

This is my rough copy. I have everything on here. I will fix it up by Wednesday, but enjoy reading all my thoughts for now!:

It's the day after Selection Sunday and if you listen closely, you can hear "bracket buzz" around North America. Everyone and their dog is filling out a bracket and joining a pool. Before you go to fill your bracket out, here are some interesting thoughts and notes to ponder over:

Don't overthink it
Keep it simple. A #1 or a #2 seed will win the tournament, but not Michigan State. The only other team not in the top 7 to have a chance to win it is #4 seed Wake Forest. In fact, I think they are a better team than #2 seed Michigan State is. They are healthier and more athletic. I think the cut off for elite teams this year is the top 7. One of these top 7 (#1 or #2 seeds) will win the tourney. Bank it.

The Big East is for real
I have been ranting all season that the Big East is the best conference in NCAA basketball. The tournament selection committee has verified this. Three of the four #1 seeds are Big East teams. Out of the seven Big East teams to make the tournament, the lowest seeded one is a #6 seed! The Big East is top heavy and packs a punch. Compare that to the ACC who also sent 7 teams but have two #7 seeds and a #10 seed. I'm not knocking the ACC, they are a good conference, likely 2nd best in the nation, but the Big East is the beast. The Big 10 also sent 7 teams, but their 2nd best team is a #5 seed and they have a #8 seed, two #10 seeds, and a #12 seed. All this to say, the Big East is the best conference and you can take their strong teams deep, with confidence.

The Bid Thieves screwed it up
You ask, what is a "bid thief"? Well, it is a team that won their conference tournament and qualified with an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament, who otherwise wouldn't qualify for the NCAA tournament if they didn't win their conference tournament (because they didn't have a body of work good enough to qualify "at-large" to the big dance). Get that? Ok, one more time:

They are a team whose resume wasn't good enough to get an "at-large" bid to the NCAA tournament but since they won their conference tourney (and the automatic bid associated with such victory) they are in the big dance and they've taken a spot away from a team that just didn't quite make it in the tournament. They stole a bid and caused one less "at-large" bid. That is what makes a "bid thief" and they are:

Mississippi State (SEC), Cleveland State (Horizon), Temple (Atlantic-10), and USC (Pac-10).

If they didn't win their conference tournaments then four other teams would have had spots in the tournament. Here are teams from those conferences that qualified "at-large" (they were good enough to make it and would have stopped a bid thief if they won their conference tourney).

From the SEC: LSU and Tennessee
From the Horizon: Butler
From the A-10: Xavier and Dayton
From the Pac-10: Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, California, and Arizona

If any of these teams above won their conference tourney instead they still would have qualified for the NCAA tourney but Mississippi State, Cleveland State, Temple, and USC would NOT have qualified for the NCAA Tourney and 4 more spots would be available to teams that just didn't make it in. Ok, now that you've got that...

How did these bid thieves "screw it up"?
Every year there seems to be a team that gets hosed. A team that is good enough to qualify for the tourney but the committee selects another team instead. It's a very tough situation and unfortunate, but that's how it goes. These bid thieves took a spot from a team whose overall season body of work was good enough to qualify for the tournament. They "screwed it up" for those outside teams on the bubble hoping to make it in but just didn't make it because the NCAA committee chose someone else. These bubble teams that didn't make it are San Diego State, Creighton, and Saint Mary's. It would have been fun to have these teams in the big dance because they all are cinderella's from mid-major conferences who could have upset the big boys in the 1st round. This is half of what makes March Madness fun! All the fun upsets! I know Cleveland State is from a mid-major, but the other 3 bid thieves are from power conferences and aren't true cinderellas. And Cleveland State won't beat Wake Forest, who earlier this season was #1 in the nation. It's just too bad there are less cinderella teams in the big dance this year.

No love for the Mid-Majors
We need to give more love to the mid-major. The fact that 19-13 Arizona (6th place in the Pac-10) and 19-12 Wisconsin (7th in the Big-10) qualify over 26-6 Saint Mary's is too bad. The committee needs to remember we would never know about schools like Gonzaga, Xavier, Davidson, VCU, etc. if we never let them in the big dance. Who really cares about a middle of the pack team from a weaker big conference? Because of monetary reasons, the committee (who is made up 33% of Big 10 schools) will let seven Big 10 teams straggle in (so they can get funding) but leave out a smaller school who deserves a shot.

To prove that these mid-major schools are legit, this year Siena gets a #9 seed, above teams like Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Dayton. The committee knows that these smaller teams are good, so when they automatically qualify by winning their conference tourney, they give them a good seed, but if they get upset in their conference tourney then all of a sudden the committee doesn't put them in the tournament?? All of a sudden they go from a #9 seed to not even being in the tournament. These small schools get no respect.

Today the final NCAA rankings came out. Xavier is #22 in the nation and they got a #4 seed the tourney. Butler is #23 in the nation but yet they get a #9 seed, go figure. Utah State is #25 in the nation and got a #11 seed but Illinois is 26th in the nation but gets a #5 seed. The committee needs to stop being biased towards the big conferences. Again, I know it's all about money, but please rank these teams equally. Give the small guy a shot when he deserves it, and then when you put him in, give him a fair seeding. Utah is 28th in the nation and gets a #5 seed. Saint Mary's is 32nd in the nation but doesn't even qualify...it's so sad. Yet Texas at #34 in the nation gets a #7 seed. Tennessee is 35th in the nation but gets a #9 seed. Which brings us back to Siena, #37 in the nation and a #9 seed. But the committee will put mediocre teams like Arizona and Wisconsin in at-large who aren't even in the top 40 but leave out #32 Saint Mary's because the committee wants the big conferences to get all the money. Sad...no love for the mid majors except when they automatically qualify.

Go Figure
Now, having said all that, I believe Arizona and Wisconsin can win their first round games. Arizona is due for a win (they've lost 5 out of their last 6 games) and matches up well with Utah (similar styles). Wisconsin is playing a Florida State team that has to travel 2700 miles to Boise, Idaho. Ouch.

Travel Distance
These teams also have to travel 2000+ miles:
Utah, Mississippi State, UCLA, and Arizona State. Consider the time zone change as a factor when you go to make your picks. Not the final factor, but it's something worth noting.


Interesting Team Notes

Duke - You either love them or hate them, no in-between. Keep in mind they haven't beaten a top 4 seed since 2001. They have recently changed point guards, and live and die by the 3 point shot. However, they are solid defensively. They could make it to Detroit just as easily as they could bust out in the 2nd round.

Syracuse - Same thing with them. They could easily make the elite 8 or not make it past the 2nd round. Anything is possible with the most consistently inconsistent team this season. They have the potential to be great, but also the potential to overlook their opponent. Who knows how they will play after an exhausting Big East tournament and a long flight to Miami.

Michigan - They got a bad draw. Like, the worst out of all the teams in the tournament. Their road to win it all (6 games in a row you have to win) is harder than any other team (including #16 seeds). Their first game they play Clemson who is 21st in the nation yet a #7 seed. Earlier this season Clemson was a top 10 team breaking into the top 5. Michigan's 2nd game will be against #2 seed Oklahoma, who was in the top 5 for most of the season, and player of the year Blake Griffin. Syracuse, Gonzaga, and North Carolina are in the same region as Michigan as well. If chalk holds, then Michigan has the toughest road.

Louisville - Unless you are a college basketball geek like me, this is the #1 seed you know the least about. You likely have them as your first #1 seed to lose in the tournament. Louisville's only real competition in their region is Wake Forest. All the other #1 seeds have a harder road. The last 2 months of the season Louisville has come on very strong, moreso than any other team in the nation. Think twice about Louisville, they could be the first #1 overall seed to actually surprise people by making the Final Four.

Siena - I like them before the brackets came out to be a Cinderella but they are overrated a bit and play Ohio State in Dayton, Ohio. That's a tough draw. Watch out for those damn Buckeyes. Hopefully I'm wrong though and the little school of 5'000 people can shock Ohio State (of 100'000 plus students) in the state of Ohio. But I doubt it.

Kansas - is a good team but a streaky team, and they didn't deserve a 3 seed after losing to Baylor in the opening game of the Big 12 tournament. If West Virginia doesn't get upset by Dayton, look for West Virginia to match up well with Kansas and "upset" them.

The Terrell Owens Experience

Terrell Owens (TO) has been such a prominent figure in the NFL over the past decade – both on and off the field. The Dallas Cowboys who just cut TO (before Buffalo just signed him yesterday), had just signed Owens to a massive extension back in June (reports range from $27 million to $34 million), telling us that something had changed drastically in the nine months or so since the deal was struck. Like maybe team owner Jerry Jones got a clue or something. The move jumps out because TO is the Jimi Hendrix of modern pro football. He was (and is) a virtuoso genius with talent the likes of which we’ve rarely if ever seen – but who lets it all go to waste in the end thanks to self-destructive behavorial issues.

In the case of Hendrix it was drugs and alcohol that left us wondering what might have been. In the case of Owens, it’s an inability to shut his mouth, an inability to be a good foot solider for any length of time, a seemingly insatiable appetite to be the center of attention, even if it makes him a court jester, a lack of leadership - especially being now 35 years old in the NFL, and an unending need to shoot his way out of every town foolish enough to first take him in.

On the field, Owens is one of the most prolific receivers in history. Off the field, he’s been an emotional train wreck of a teammate, throwing more people under the bus than – to use a purely hypothetical example – a presidential candidate who suddenly realizes his professed “spiritual leader” is a racial supremacist.

Here’s a look at great steaming paradox of douchery that is the TO experience:

The virtuoso talent
It’s simply not possible to dispute Owens’s production on the field, just like it's not possible to dispute Hendrix's talent on stage or in the studio. Owens is likely one of the best on-field WR's to play football.

The self-destructive behavior
The problem for Owens is that he was never able to pull it all together anywhere else but on the field, whether on the sidelines, in the locker room, or in his hyperbaric chamber at home. Quite simply, he was a disaster of teammate and probably the last guy you’d want in your foxhole when the sh*t gets heavy. The second that times turned tough, Owens was the first guy pointing fingers.

Owens ripped Jeff Garcia when times got tough in San Francisco, even publicly questioning the quarterback’s sexual orientation at one point. Garcia, you might be interested to know, boasts the 11th best passer rating in NFL history and had a Playboy Bunny girlfriend at the time. He’s not a Hall of Famer, but his production has exceeded his lightweight reputation and he’s a guy most receivers would be happy to play with.

Owens ripped Donovan McNabb when times got tough in Philadelphia, hastening his exit from Cheesesteak Town. McNabb has had his own rocky career, but his production has been fairly prolific (14th all time in passer rating) and he’s made the Eagles probably the premier NFC franchise of the 21st century. He’s a guy most receivers would be happy to play with.

And, as we saw last year, Owens ripped Tony Romo when times got tough in Dallas, apparently upset – we can’t make this second-grade stuff up – because the quarterback had a better relationship with tight end Jason Witten. Apparently Tony sent Jason a note in study hall ... and then somebody told Terrell, and Terrell got mad ... so he yelled at Tony ... TO ... such a child.

The juvenile behavior finally forced Jerry Jones to cut Owens yesterday. This was very hard for Jerry, someone with huge ego, to do. It’s a public admission that the decision he made last year – the decision to hand Owens so much money that he could fill his pool with hundred dollar bills – was a big mistake. Jerry Jones has so much pride that the fact he cut TO proves just how much of a cancer TO is to a team.

But the QB controversies – typically a no-no for wide receivers – were only part of the story. Here’s just a short list of other incidents (and believe me, I have a much longer list of TO's incidents that I've posted on my blog before, but I don't want this post to go on forever, so we'll keep the list short for now...).

October 2001 – Owens cries to the media and calls out San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci after the 49ers blow a big lead and lost to the Bears in overtime.

Off-season 2004 – Owens and his representatives screw up free-agency paperwork, so the 49ers – a team he desperately wants to leave – retain his rights. San Francisco, at this point, desires the wide receiver about as much as it desires anal warts. So the 49ers try to trade Owens to Baltimore, (because he asked to be traded to Baltimore) but then later he refuses ... and then files a grievance. What a double standard. He ultimately ends up in Philadelphia, playing with his new BFF McNabb.

April 2005 – Owens hires snake-oil entrepreneur Drew Rosenhaus and tells the media that he needs a new contract “to feed his family”. Owens at the time made about $7 million per year. Remember, he had fought for that $7 million-per-year deal and he had even personally chosen to take it against the advice of his own union.

August 2005 – Owens was told to leave training camp after a verbal altercation with Eagles head coach Andy Reid. He’s soon seen lifting weights and doing sit-ups for the cameras during an impromptu press conference outside his house.

November 2005 – Owens gets into a locker room altercation with Eagles teammate (and classy NFL representative) Hugh Douglas.

November 2005 – Owens rips the Eagles organization for not acknowledging his 100th touchdown catch, saying the team showed a lack of class. Funny how the pot can call the kettle black...

November 2005 – Soon after the Douglas fight, Owens tells the media that the Eagles would be better off with Brett Favre at quarterback instead of McNabb. (The interest of full disclosure forces us to reveal that Favre threw a horrendous 29 picks that season – only seven players in the history of the NFL have ever thrown more and none in the last 20 years; so it’s unlikely there’s a career in talent evaluation for Owens after his playing days are over). But TO is a pro when it comes to undermining teammates and coaches.

November 2005 – Owens is suspended for four games by the Eagles.

November 2005 – Following the suspension, in one of the most bizarre moments in recent NFL history, Owens and Rosenhaus host a Q&A with the media at the receiver's home in which the agent failed to offer any A in response to the Q. As reporters fired off questions, Rosenhaus repeatedly fired back, "Next question!"

September 2006 – Owen’s career with the Cowboys gets underway in true prima donna fashion, with one of the most curious stories in recent NFL history. He was rushed to the hospital after reportedly overdosing on painkillers in a suicide attempt. He returned to play two weeks later.

October 2006 – Owens admits to a tirade following a Dallas loss in his return to Philadelphia. During the game, the famously hospitable Eagles fans welcome Owens with a good-natured sing-song chant of "O-D. O-D. O-D."

October 2006 – Owens gets into an altercation with Dallas receivers coach Todd Haley.

December 2006 – Owens spits in the face of Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

Need we re-hash the most recent Dallas years? We think you get the point. Just ask Romo, Witten, Garrett, Phillips, Carpenter, etc...etc...

And his persona has led to little team success. In 13 NFL seasons, for example, Owens has enjoyed just four playoff victories. And in the case of Owens, the relatively low impact of the position has stood in sharp contrast to his high production his high-impact off-the-field antics.
Teams have had to pay a high price to deal with Owens, to gain that historic production. But teams rarely gain a whole lot from big-production receivers, other than flash and pizzazz. In the case of Owens, what they mostly gained were headaches and turmoil.

The Bills with no GM or true offensive coordinator, a 90-year old senile owner, a soft head coach, a young QB and team in the making are likely the worst type of team to take on TO. So...go figure. I could possibly see TO playing for a team like Jacksonville, who have discipline, a strong head coach, etc. but no, the Bills are suckers and now I can't cheer for them anymore for selling out and being fools. In the end, San Francisco, Philly and Dallas couldn't wait to get rid of this immense talent. That pretty much says it all, doesn't it? Apparently not for Buffalo.

Maybe that's what they should put on his display in Canton someday: "So good ... so productive ... but nobody could stand him." And maybe Jerry Jones and the Dallas brain trust should have known it was going to end this way when they signed him back in 2006. What's worse is Buffalo should know better.

After all, the Terrell Owens Experience always ends the same way.