an outside view

It’s time to go dancing. March Madness is in full swing and it’s time to get serious about our roundball.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament is here and we’re just two weeks away from the Final Four.  Everyone has their opinions about the brackets and what’s going to happen. Here are mine.

Do you think there is any chance in the world that Kentucky, Indiana, or Duke could be number one in the RPI rankings and not be a number one seed? No way.

Still, Vol fans can quit their whining. If the Men in Orange had taken care of business against Arkansas and played just a little defense, Kansas would be the team crying about not being a top seed.

Call it a make up call if you like but the women’s selection committee gave the Lady Vols a gift. If Pat Summitt’s gals can’t make the Final Four out of that bracket, then something is bad wrong.

Listening to the men’s selection committee explain some of their decisions is like listening to George Bush explain what happened to the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Who has the biggest gripe on the men’s side? Arizona State really got the shaft. They had a better league record than their instate rivals Arizona and beat the Wildcats twice but Arizona made The Dance and the Sun Devils did not. There is no rational explanation.

Who has the biggest gripe on the women’s side? Believe it or not it’s Connecticut. The Lady Huskies are in the same region as Rutgers which is a very scary team. They can only hope Don Imus keeps his mouth shut and doesn’t give the Lady Scarlet Knights any extra motivation.

Memphis fans are singing the blues. They are already crying foul anticipating an Elite Eight match with Texas in Houston. The Longhorns are good enough without getting to play what virtually amounts to a home game.

Speaking of an unfair advantage, North Carolina gets to play 4 games without even leaving the Tar Heel State. They are the number one overall seed and then get to play every game on the way to the Final Four at home. The guys in the Carolina blue don’t need such favorable treatment. 

What will be the best first round game? Indiana vs. Arkansas. Give this one to the Hogs and then the Hoosiers can get serious about going after Bruce Pearl as their new coach.

I say Indiana should bring Bobby Knight back. The General belongs at Indiana. The high brows thought life would be better without the high profile Knight. Instead, the program is in shambles; they’re looking for their third coach; and the program faces major NCAA sanctions fro recruiting violations. They are getting what they deserve. We can only hope Pearl won’t feel the need to be their savior.

Could the NCAA Tournament be Tyler Smith’s last hooray as a Vol? His stock is really climbing with NBA teams. That would be a terrible blow to the Vols’ chances next season but if the guy can make millions who can blame him? 

What about my picks you ask? How’s this for a prediction. None of the number one seeds will make the Final Four. Are you ready? My picks to make it to San Antonio and take a stroll on the famed River Walk are Louisville, Vanderbilt, Texas, and Connecticut. I wonder what kind of odds Vegas would give me on that? Texas and Louisville will meet in the Finals and the Longhorns take the top prize. It could happen.

On the women’s side, Pat Summitt will be gritting her teeth when Gino and his Connecticut Huskies waltz through the tournament and cut down the nets. If the Huskies somehow stump their toe along the way, I’ll go with LSU. No, Summitt and her 5 seniors have no chance. Summitt does better with younger players.