Initial Breakdown of the Bracket

Before we get into a breakdown of the bracket as a whole, let me first be the 567th person in the last two days to reiterate how hard the tournament selection committee's job is. It's like picking teams at recess - someone's feelings are always going to get hurt. With that in mind, I'm pretty pleased with this field. Some of the seedings are way off, but that's how it is every year. Some teams shouldn't be in the dance, but that's what we said about George Mason last year and look how that turned out. All in all, I like the bracket, but here are the main things that intrigued me:

1. No Syracuse

Since the bracket came out, I've been debating whether Syracuse deserved to be in. The other day, I wrote that they should be included in the dance, no questions asked. Now that I've seen the bracket and thought it through all over again, I can see how they would be left out. To my mind, Syracuse, Drexel and Old Dominion were all essentially battling for the same at-large bid (I think Xavier was in all the way because of their stellar year in an improved A-10). So let's make sense of why ODU ended up in the dance. First, the Monarchs finished higher in the CAA than Drexel by two games and beat the Dragons in both match-ups this season. They also beat Georgetown when the Hoyas were a fragment of what they are today, but the comittee gave Georgetown a two seed which tells you that the selection people put significant value on that early season win for ODU. Meanwhile, Drexel rampaged through its non-conference schedule, beating Syracuse, Villanova and Creighton - two of which are in the field of 65. But the two losses to ODU doomed Bruiser Flint's boys, as the committee apparently valued head-to-head competition over the comparison of each team's laundry list of good wins. Syracuse probably had the least impressive resume of these three teams, but they hold the trump card because they play in a power conference that got better as the season wore on. ODU beat G'town in the beginning of the year. So what? The 'Cuse beat the Hoyas when they were actually playing like a number two seed. They also beat Marquette (an eight seed, which is preposterous, but more on that later) and finished a game higher than Villanova (a nine seed) in the conference. Compared to 'Nova, they also played an equally tough Big East schedule with both schools facing four ranked teams over the course of the conference season. And Syracuse faired better in the conference season than a team that's in the field.

I guess in the end it came down to head to head match-ups. The committee used the transitive property that we all used when we were five to figure out if we could beat the next opponent in our crappy soccer league because we beat a team that had beaten them. The committee did the same thing: Drexel beat Syracuse but ODU beat Drexel so ODU beats out Drexel AND, by the trusty transitive property that I'm pretty sure comes from high school geometry, ODU beats out Syracuse.

Obviously the committee didn't think exactly that way, but by putting ODU in the tourney, they essentially said that they couldn't separate the resumes of the three except through head-to-head play (ODU, after all, has the least impressive non-conference resume). Each team had good wins. Each team had bad losses. All I'd say is that in these difficult cases, the team that plays in the toughest conference ought to have the edge. Syracuse faced stiffer competition on a nightly basis and got admirable results. They might not be head and shoulders above ODU or Drexel on paper, but their conference schedule should have been enough to get them in. Now that I’ve said this, watch ODU go to the Final Four.

2. The Number One Seeds

Florida woke up from its late season nap last week just in time to retain the number one seed its been in possession of all year long. OSU was a sure thing since the end of January and Kansas had the third one seed wrapped up when UCLA went out in the first round of their conference tournament and the Jayhawks didn’t. Those are the only three true number one seeds in this tournament, though. I know UNC won its conference tournament to salvage the fourth one seed but the Heels were on a cake walk to the finals, where they still only had to play N.C. State. (If you want to see how overrated the ACC was this season, take a look at the conference tournament bracket. None of the top six teams were strong enough to hold off the bottom of the conference. The tournament was a mess after the first day). Now the Heels, who have been about as consistent as Lindsey Lohan's hair color this season, get the last one seed because UCLA pulled a Florida in the first round of the Pac-10 tourney. They won’t not be around for long, though, with Kevin Durant awaiting UNC in the Sweet Sixteen.

3. Some Weird Seedings

I won't attempt to explain these seedings because it's just not worth it. Most of these schools will be out by the Round of Sixteen. So I'll merely call attention to some silly committee decisions:

- Marquette is an eight seed and Southern Cal is a five seed. I’m still pretty sure the USC football team is athletic enough to beat USC basketball.
- Louisville and Notre Dame both got insulted with six seeds. Louisville is always seeded absurdly low, like two years ago when they were a four seed and made the Final Four. But a six seed for a team ranked in the top twenty is pretty surreal. Also, the Notre Dame-Oregon game on Sunday will be crucial to the Midwest bracket. Both of those teams could knock off Florida. Actually, I've picked Oregon to win that game and then go on to win the region. You heard it here.
- Illinois is in the tournament. So is Purdue. Their games will bore you beyond belief. If either is on television in your area, watch spring training baseball. It will be infinitely more exhilarating.
- Tennessee is a five seed. Did they do this just to ensure that a 12 will knock off a five? Will the earth stop spinning if all the five seeds go on to the second round. I say it’s too risky to test it. Kudos to the committee.

4. Random Predictions

Michigan State will beat Marquette and then give UNC trouble before losing. Kevin Durant is too good for words and UNC doesn't play a lick of defense. The Heels will be out in the Sweet Sixteen. The mini bracket involving Tennessee, Long Beach St., Virginia and Albany has no clear favorite, so I'm going with Albany. Upstate NEEDS this. Pitt will beat UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen because they have the guards to slow it down and a big man (Aaron Gray) that the undersized Bruins can't stop. Pitt will then get killed by Kansas who is my pick to win it all. Too much O and too much D in Lawrence.

I'll be back tomorrow and Thursday for breakdowns of brackets and individual individual games - but not those involving Purdue or Illinois. Seriously, they're both terrible.

Three...and the Foul (Syracuse-Notre Dame) Wrap Up

Syracuse and Notre Dame turned out to be a pretty even match-up, with Notre Dame's firepower both down low and on the perimeter eventaully wearing out the Orange. Let's take a look at how my three facets of the game came into play today:

1. Notre Dame shooting over the zone.

Doing their best imitation of last year's West Virgina squad, the Irish chucked up 34 three-pointers and made thirteen for an average of 38 percent. In other words, they shot about the exact percentage that they have all year from behind the arc. And, as I said, if they shot their percentage, they'd be fine. That's why we should all pay attention to my pregame knowledge bombs. Russell's 4-10 shotting treys as well as Colin Falls' 7-17 helped Notre Dame pull away in the second half. More important than the Irish shooting, though, was the Orange's Josh Boone-like free-throw shooting (16-28 as a team). ND, on the other hand, drained 22 of 26 from the stripe. In a six-point decision, you have to point to free throws as the major decider of this game.

2. Demetrius Nichols

Defying all logic, Syracuse led by three at the half with Nichols scoring only one point in the first twenty minutes. This is a guy that can get hot at any time - as shown by his big second half yesterday en route to 28 points - so he ended up with 17 points on 5 of 14 shooting. Yet he never got it going from downtown, hitting just three of 10 attempts. In the end, he was probably the third-most impressive guy on his team today, with Paul Harris (24 points) and Terrence Roberts (20 boards) doing the most to keep Boeheim's boys within striking distance.

3. Can Devendorf hold onto the ball?

Short answer: I don't know but I'll get back to you. It's too soon after the game for those stats to be up - I've checked around the internet but if you know where they are, let me know. Oh, and I'll ask Al Gore to invent a faster internet, too. No matter the actual stats, Devendorf wasn't the reason Syracuse lost. The turnover battle was pretty much dead even at halftime, with each team at about 10. Both schools finished with 14 so there was no major edge for Notre Dame as a result of Devendorf. He played well - even scored 19 and got to the rack with regularity.

And the foul: Boeheim got mad a bunch of times, but I wouldn't say he turned orange. He's probably saving his best for the NCAAs. I say that with some confidence because I believe the Orange will be in the field of 65. They've played well of late, dominated UConn yesterday and showed they could hang with Notre Dame. With the scoring potential of Devendorf, Nichols, Roberts and even Watkins to go along with a defense that's third in the country in field-goal percentage against, this team could cause problems for a high seed - as they did with Notre Dame. They boast good wins against Marquette and Georgetown and forgivable losses on the road to the top teams in the Big East. Realistically, I don't see them being any higher than an eight, and that's probably high. That said, they're a true wildcard. I could see them losing in the first round as easily as I could see them reaching the sweet sixteen. With that zone playing steadily, it's basically a matter of whether their shooters can heat up at the right time.

Three...and the Foul (Syracuse-Notre Dame)

Three things I'll be watching for in the Orange-Irish marchup in the second round of the Big East tourney:

1. Notre Dame's shooting over the zone.

The Irish shoot 39 percent from three on the year, with three guys (Carter, Falls, Kurz) shooting above 40 percent. Eric Devendorf will need to guard well on the perimeter and Boeheim will use Demetrius Nichols' size to cut off three-point attmpts from around the baseline. If the Irish shoot around their average percentage, though, they will be tough to beat.

2. Demetrius Nichols

UConn left Nichols alone far too often yesterday, and the senior torched them for 28 points on 7 of 11 shooting beyond the arc. The Orange like to screen for him and run him off curls to get Nichols open looks, making the Irish's help defense highly important.

3. Can Devendorf hold on to the ball?

The Orange can't afford to make too many mistakes today but Devendorf, their primary ball handler, enters the game with 100 turnovers in 31 games.

And the foul: At one point, will Boeheim turn the color of his team's jersey's? I say yes.

UCONN Put Out of Its Misery

The Syracuse Orange put an end to UConn's miserable season (by UConn standards) today, but not before the Huskies did something that I haven't seen them do all year: play a watchable game.

And by that, I mean they scored some points. I don't know if you've been suffering through Calhoun's toughest season in a long while (I live in CT), but the Huskies are an atrocious offensive team. They're young, sure, but young teams can still shoot most of the time. These guys have struggled hitting open looks all year, a big reason why they shoot only 42 percent from the floor. Today, though, Jerome Dyson, a freshman New Englander that Calhoun kept in state - New England is effectively in-state recruiting for Calhoun if you think about the other NE teams - showed signs that he might turn into a real offensive force. He had 12 at the half and finished with 21 while showing polish and poise around the hoop. Along those lines, his most impressive moment of the day came as he controlled the ball under the basket on a fast break, head faked rather than going up quickly, drew the foul and then calmly banked the lay-up home. The play was innocent enough, but more reminiscent of a veteran than a freshman.

Plus, Jeff Adrien, another New Englander, had 10 boards. This is becoming a bit of a trend. Even A.J. Price got in on the action with 11 points and seven assists. With only two upperclassmen on their roster, the Huskies have a chance to be major players in the Big East next year, what with a year more experience and an assuredly solid recruiting class that has become the trademark of Calhoun's tenure. That and the funny John Kennedy accent.

To be clear, I'm not saying the Huskies played great - they lost by 13. In fact, they only really played for about 25 minutes before they decided the NIT sounded just fine. Before next year, someone should buy Hasheem Thabeet John McPhee's book "A Sense of Where You Are," because the kid from Tanzania who has played basketball for just four years clearly doesn't have the sense. Thabeet routinely loses his man on the defensive boards and, on occasion, sets up shop on offense with both heels on the endline. He'll get there, but right now his stats today just about define his overall game: three points, six rebounds, five fouls. Oh, and he fouled out with more than six-and-a-half minutes left.

So they're not there yet, but at least UConn showed the potential to look like UConn.

Last note: I loved - I'll say that again - loved the Jay Bilas, Bill Raftery, Sean McDonough announcing crew on ESPN today. I think McDonough looked at Boeheim and Calhoun and decided that there should be at least one old white guy associated with the game that looked like he was having fun. McDonough's been my favorite announcer ever since he was the play-by-play guy for the Red Sox when I was growing up. Back in those days, he would routinely go off on long tangents and joke sessions with his partner, Jerry Remy, during blowouts or, since it was baseball, nail-biters. The guys in their network's truck used to flash up a banner that read "Inane Banter" during these segments because it had so little to with the Sox. This was in the days of Carl Everett, though, so believe me when I tell you that no one minded. One time, McDonough even called some coach at Syracuse to complain about some acquaintance of his not making the team. This, of course, was dubbed the "Inane Banter Hotline."

McDonough is the best because he seems more into making jokes than calling the game. Like when Raftery said the latest Syracuse zone is "less effective" than those of year's past. McDonough responded, incredulously, that the Orange are third in the country in FG percentage defense. Raftery laughed, realized he was wrong and backpedaled by saying what amounted to didly squat. So McDonough threw him a rope while simultaneously making fun of him, saying that this year's zone is worse than year's past, unstatistically speaking. Better than that though, was the fact that McDonough made another crack well after halftime about this. He never let's stuff go and it's great. Meanwhile, Bilas and Raftery competed to be McDonough's (a.k.a. the cool kid's) buddy. In doing this, the three achieved the desired effect of the viewer essentially listening to guys on a couch talking about ball.

By the way, as I write this, Saint John's is staying close with Marquette. It's almost like they're playing like they're at home. Oh wait.

Teams 5-8

As promised, the next four of my current Elite Eight:

5. Florida

The Gators have been so inconsistent of late, I can't justify putting them in my top four. Still, they have the most experienced starting five in the county in Noah, Horford, Humphrey, Green and Brewer and they're guaranteed to limit mistakes in the postseason with Green as their point guard. To my mind, he was the unsung hero of last year's championship team. He ran the offense with composure and smarts and now he's added offensive production to his game, averaging 13 points a game which is second on the team only to Noah. Regardless of how well Green plays, Noah needs to bring back the intensity and fire that made him the story of last year's tournament. Maybe he is the kind of guy that can just turn it on. Maybe we didn't notice his slumps last year because the Gators slithered under the radar most of the year. But now, under heavy scrutiny, the guy just isn't producing. Most of his textbook fist pumps across his chest and wide open-mouthed screams in the past month have been in response to his poor play rather than big dunks or hustle plays that resulted in points or turnovers. Basically, he's turned in to Adam Morrison against UCLA. Not exactly confidence-inspiring stuff.

6. North Carolina

The Tar Heels are the scariest team in the country at this point because if they get hot - and play a lick of defense - they're going to be very difficult to stop. They have all the usual ingredients for a run to the title: Good guards in Lawson and Ellington, good post play in Hansbrough and depth off the bench. The Tar Heels play faster than "Space Balls'" ludicrous speed - Roy Williams generally refers to it as controlled chaos - which usually results in them running their opponent off the court. Yet when they don't guard well, they've been exposed as beatable. A recent article by Grant Wahl in Sports Illustrated, though, pointed out that this year's Heels compare favorably to the 2005 champs in terms of field goal percentage and points per game. In terms of experience, though, that team made the latest Tar Heels look like toddlers. One sure way of amending their inconsistent ways is to make defense more of a priority. UNC gives up an average of 68.5 points per game. Let's compare that to my top four teams: UCLA surrenders an average of 60.1, Kansas and Ohio State give up 60.7 per night and Wisconsin yields just 57.5. Until Carolina starts defending as those teams do, the Heels are will be too inconsistent and upset prone to be a Final Four team.

7. Texas A&M

Of all the teams in my 5-8, the Aggies have the best chance of advancing to the Final Four for one simple reason: Acie Law IV's shooting percentage in crunch time. I'm not sure what the stats actually are but I'm almost certain this isn't one of those times when a guy just seems clutch and is actually pretty average with the game on the line (as Baseball Prospectus always says about David Ortiz). Take, for example, his two big shots at the end of regulation and overtime to keep the Aggies alive against the Longhorns last Wednesday. The first shot, with almost no time remaining in the second half, was an off-balanced huck over an outstretched defender that had practically no back spin. And of course, nothing but net. Earlier this year - from almost the exact same spot on the court, beyond the arc, foul line extended - Law drained a three to bury the Jayhawks in Lawrence. Granted, Law isn't surrounded by the most talent in the country, but the Aggies defend (I'm starting to sound like my father the way I'm preaching defense) and they have enough size to draw attention down low and away from Law. Also, the importance of a fairly consistent ability to hit game-extending, clutch shots cannot be overstated. Think back to LSU's tournament run a year ago in which point guard Darrell Mitchell hit a three with virtually no time remaining to send the Tigers into the Sweet Sixteen. You can bet the Aggies are well aware of how important those shots can be - Mitchell's shot ended their season.

8. Texas

Before you overreact and say this is too high for an inexperienced Longhorn team, look at who's ranked in the top-15 other than the schools I've already put my top eight. Here they are: Memphis, Georgetown, Nevada, Southern Illinois, Pittsburgh, Washington State and Louisville. Given that Durant says his ankle is feeling healthy enough to compete in the Big XII tournament, you could argue that Texas would have a good chance of beating any of those teams. Right now, the Longhorns are a two-man team, yes, but those two guys are playing extraordinary basketball. Durant had 25 in the first half (is he serious?) against a Kansas team that has defended well all year - just ask Nebraska. So much for Julian Wright being athletic enough to shut him down. It's worth mentioning too that, unlike Noah, Durant never looks bored - even though you would think making legitimate college players look like you and me would get old after a while. Plus, the Longhorns have talent outside of Durant. D.J. Augustin no longer looks like a freshman point guard in pitching in 15 points and almost 7 assists a game. More importantly, he's taking care of the basketball. His turnover/assist ratio of 2 to 1 beats out UCLA's Darren Collison's 1.14 to 1 handily and Collison is widely considered the premier point guard in the country. For a team that doesn’t have the depth to overcome silly mistakes, Augustin is the perfect fit.

My Elite Eight

Every two weeks during the season, I like to take stock of who I think the country's best eight team's are. Granted, we don't know what the 2007 brackett is going to look like so some of my picks could very well knock each other out before the actual Elite Eight, but here's who the first four of who I think the top eight teams are right now, with team's 5-8 coming tomorrow:

1. UCLA

This is pretty much a pick 'em between the Bruins and Kansas, but the Bruins have played a tougher schedule and have beaten all but one of the ranked opponents they have played. Their one loss to a ranked team came at Oregon, a difficult place to play, and by just two points. In other words, the loss was extremely justifiable. Plus, even though no one in the eastern time zone will admit this, the Pac-10 is the toughest conference, top to bottom, in the country. It's certainly stronger than the Big XII which is essentially a two horse race. Bear in mind, though, that putting UCLA atop this list does not mean I am one hundred percent sure that they will reach the Elite Eight. The reason? Their just too small. I know guard play is crucial in the tournament - and they have the best point guard in land in Darren Collison - but a team like Pittsburgh or Georgetown, both of which have a nice blend of size and speed, could certainly knock the Bruins off before the regional finals.

2. Kansas

Because of Texas A&M's loss at Texas the other night, Kansas took control of the Big XII and, barring a Durant rampage at Allen Fieldhouse tommorrow, will be win the conference's regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament. By the way, the Longhorns pulled that win out in double overtime, after Acie Law had hit a big shots in regulation and overtime to keep the Aggie hopes alive. The guy isn't human in crunch-time. I can't compare his last-second heroics to Jordan for obvious reasons, but I do see a parallel between him and Adam Vinatieri. The Colts' opponents always know they need a cushion of more than three points in the final seconds because Vinatieri is automatic. And with everything Law throws up going in these days, Aggie opponents would be wise to get more than a one possession lead in the game's final seconds if they don't want to play overtime. Back to Kansas: The Jayhawks have four guys averaging in double figures (five, if you round up Sherron Collin's average of 9.7 per game) and are playing well on both sides of the ball as they average nearly 70 points a game on offense and only give up about 60. The only real knock on this team is they have lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament the past two seasons. Right now, though, Kansas is a number one seed, and we all know a sixteen seed has never beaten a number one, right? Famous last words for Jayhawk fans.

3. Ohio State

I know they're the number one team in both polls but I just don't buy them as the top team what with Oden still obviously hampered by his ailing wrist and their inability to truly impress against top competition. They finally beat one of the teams that has made their schedule so vaunted this year in Wisconsin. Until last Sunday, though, Ohio State had gotten the benefit of the doubt in the polls because they played UNC and Florida. What we might want to focus on, instead, is the fact that they lost to both. Plus, their 49-48 win over Wisconsin showed grit but not much separation between them and the rest of the country. They have the inside presence and perimeter talent to ensure a number one seed but, as of now, I haven't seen quite enough from them in big games to think of them as the country's top team. Maybe it's because I don't respect the Big Ten this year, maybe it's because I think OSU is too young but I'm just not sold. I'm willing to listen to arguments on this one.

4. Wisconsin

About a week ago, Florida was the unanimous number one team in the land. But this week, I can't justify even having them in my top four. That's not to say they don't have what it takes to make the Final Four - they're undoubtedly more talented and experienced this year than last. I do think, however, that they've lost some of the intensity that made their run to the title possible last year. Yes, I'm aware that I'm definitely the first person to say they look like they've lost their intensity. It's not obvious at all. On top of that, they don't play nearly as good defense as the Badgers do. Wisconsin couldn't get anything going on offense last weekend, but good coaching and a commitment to moving their feet and helping each other out on D kept them in the game til the final seconds. With Kammron Taylor and Alando Tucker providing enough offensive punch on a consistent basis, this team has a real chance to reach the Final Four.

Yearly Memphis Overreaction

Can we make a deal - just between you, me and Daisuke Matsuzaka who they won't stop showing on my t.v.?

Can we both agree to not overreact to Memphis's record this year? Seriously, it's getting old. Ever since the Big East lost BC, Miami and Virgina Tech and decided it wanted to be the size of the National League, Memphis' conference has been weaker than your average mid-major. Consider that the Big East grabbed Cincinatti, Louisville, Marquette and Depaul from the Conference USA. (They took South Florida too but, honestly, who cares?). The defection of those traditional basketball schools to the Big East has left C-USA looking more like the Ivy League.

Actually, worse than the Ivy League. Rice lost to Princeton 51-28. Yes, you read that right. Rice scored 28 points against an Ivy League team. What's more depressing as that their 8-6 in Conference USA. So they're above .500 in Memphis' conference but couldn't break the thirty-point barrier against the smartest of smart kid schools. How much do you think I would be willing to bet that Kevin Durant could beat Rice. If you guessed "a lot," keep up the good work.

(Maybe the craziest thing about the Rice-Princeton game, though, was that Rice has a kid named Morris Almond who averages 26.4 points a game. How did they only score 28? This makes no sense. They should start an spinoff of Instant Classics called "Did that really just happen?" It would show games that nobody saw in which weird, overly-pathetic stuff like this happens. Trust me, college kids would set their DVRs to record every episode.)

Not to rub in how bad the C-USA is - actually, entirely to rub in how bad it is - Marshall lost to Princeton as well, 61-45. First of all, kudos to the Thundering Herd for putting up a respectable score. Second, I have a question about this game: Marshall is in Conference USA? Where was I when they didn't bother announcing this on ESPNNEWS? Congrats to the C-USA bigshots - the Big East took all but one of your national television-worthy teams and you brought in the mighty Thundering Herd of Marshall. It's basketball heaven down there. It's really surprising the conference isn't included in the annual discussion of top basketball leagues.

I don't have a personal vendetta against Conference USA. They have never done anything to me. I only bring up how bad these teams are to show that Memphis' 14-0 conference record means absolutely nothing. The Tigers are the only team in the league with a coach, John Calipari, that can recruit good players and make them better. This does not mean, however, that Memphis is any good when faced with even decent competition. They squeaked out a one-point win at Gonzaga against a Zags team that was the weakest in years even before it lost Josh Heytvelt, lost to Arizona earlier in the year and got creamed by Tennessee. Their only quality win is over Kentucky at the beginning of the season when the Wildcats were as inconsistent as they come.

Their record is seductive, of course, and has led them to a sixth ranking in the country. But do you actually think they could compete with anyone in the top ten. Texas A&M is ranked seventh. Raise your hand if you think an Aggies-Tigers match-up would be even remotely close at the half. No one? Thought so.

So write a letter to Vitale, your congressman, whoever. Tell them Memphis is overrated again and should be a five or six seed. Look at their resume. That's the most they've earned.

Gators Losing Interest

Glen "Big Baby" Davis' sore right quad might just be the best thing that happened to LSU basketball this year. The 15-13 Tigers, utterly mediocre all year after what's looking more and more like a flukey run to the Final Four last season, upended a lethargic Florida team that appeared to vastly underestimate their opponent's potential without its best player.

Florida trailed by double-digits for much of the game, due largely to LSU's hot shooting and consistent rebounding. The Tigers held the Gators to one shot and done on nearly every possession, outrebounding the Gators 34-22. Even without Davis, LSU was quick to grab Florida's misses, rebounding much like last year's Villanova team - with smarts and outstanding leaping abiity. With Tasmin Mitchell, Terry Martin, Magnum Rolle and even point guard Garrett Temple (who at 6-5 is converted two guard with abnormal size for his new position), the Tigers were quicker to elevate to lose balls than a Gator team that is generally considered one of the most athletic in the country. They certainly rival Kansas and UNC in total team speed as their little guys and bigs can run the floor.

But with LSU shooting well (51 percent) and Florida going through a number of cold patches, it was the Tigers who did most of the running. Temple ran their uptempo offense with composure and a keen ability to find passing lanes that were invisible to this guy. He made Joakim Noah - who apparently is going by Joe now, at least is in Gus Johnson's mind - look silly on one play, slinging a pass from the perimeter past his ear while he looked disoriented and the Tigers got an easy two.

If Big Baby decides to stay, which is up in the air at this point, LSU could be a major player next year. They're about as young as the Celtics this year and with Temple learning the point as well as he has, next year's edition could well mimic their Final Four team. Think of Temple as the Darrell Mitchell, Rolle (6'10'') could be a poor man's Tyrus Thomas and just be there to jump through the roof. Tasmin Mitchell and Martin, both sophomores, would bring back Winston Kennedy type bodies and games and the Tigers could have a perfect blend of finesse and power.

Yes, I know, I'm probably overemphasizing their potential because they looked so good against one of the top teams in the country, but look at the Tigers' roster. It's loaded with young talent. They didn't know how to win this year, but next year could be a different story.

There's a couple of problems with my theory. First, Big Baby grew another inch on espn.com this year. He's 6'9" now. Somebody wants to get drafted. 6'9" and his weight looks a whole lot better than 6'8" or 6'7". Allando Tucker should probably start fakely growing too.

Second, I'm not sold on John Brady. He had one semi-miraculous run last year and made it obvious that he had little confidence in himself when he very publically demanded an extension last summer. It's pretty obvious his thought process was: "My stock is as high as it will ever be, the team is going to be young next year and who knows what will happen once Big Baby is out of here. Now's the time to set myself up for life." Brady has three guys averaging in double figures (Martin, Mitchell, Davis) in a week SEC and their at the bottom of the western division. This win was nice, but I just don't trust the guy.

Speaking of the weak SEC, playing only conference opponents has made Florida look as bored as Shawne Merriman watching Lifetime. Fortunately for them, the conference tournament is just around the corner and they haven't played themselves out of a number one seed just yet. But you can bet Kansas, Texas A&M and Wisconsin will set their DVRs for UF's games in the SEC tournament. Another loss, coupled with one of those teams winning its conference tournament, could knock Florida out of a number one berth.