Saturday Roundtable: What Cinderella Can Repeat At The NCAA Tournament?

Who doesn't want to dance in March? (Sarah Coward/AP Photo)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: Which Cinderella team has the best chance at making a repeat to the NCAA tourney? 

Alex: 
Wichita State. I know it isn't the sexy choice and their dorms are mired in a college hill area with a less-than-stellar reputation rather than on a beach, but this works not only for the homer angle but because the Shockers knocked off a then-No. 1 Gonzaga and came within minutes of upsetting eventual national champion Louisville and making it to the biggest game in college basketball. WSU returns tournament spark plug Ron Baker in a talented guard corps than also includes Fred VanVleet and Tekele Cotton, plus forward Cleanthony Early will be the Shockers go-to when the team needs baskets and make no mistake -- Early is likely one of the best scorers in the NCAA. However, the loss of point guard Malcolm Armstead's senior leadership and Carl Hall's commanding defensive presence in the paint leave holes that head coach Gregg Marshall will have to patch. Compounding the problem of needing a dominant big man in the paint due to Hall's graduation is the fact that the Shockers also lost 7-footer Ehimen Orukpe, who was at least good for committing fouls, when needed.

Not to be underestimated is the Shockers' undisputed big man on campus status in the Missouri Valley Conference now that Creighton and that Doug McDermott guy bolted for the new Big East. It was usually a two-man race between WSU and the Bluejays for the MVC title, with Indiana State making a valiant effort to contend and ultimately collapsing at the end of last season. The conference's crab-in-a-bucket mentality (Creighton and WSU finished first and second, respectively, in 2012-13 with each successive team trailing by just one game with a three-way tie near the bottom) sees a looming Northern Iowa, but should be able to stave off the Panthers for at least one more season atop the MVC and an easy entry into the big dance.
 
Kyle: Yes, I'll admit I'm jumping on the bandwagon. I'll also admit that the team popped into my head first out of emotion and reaction. How can you not think of Florida Gulf Coast after what that team did in March? The Eagles were the talk of the tournament, and overall were just really fun to watch. Who doesn't like Dunk City? Then I did some research. FGCU lost it's leading scorer in senior Sherwood Brown, but he and senior Eddie Murray (who averaged 3.8 ppg last season) are the only players not returning. Everyone else is back. Bernard Thompson, Brett Comer and Chase Fieler will lead the Eagles and revive Dunk City for another year. FGCU also lost head coach Andy Enfield to USC, but brought on long-time KU assistant Joe Dooley. Dooley has been offered head coaching jobs for years now, and the fact he took this one should mean he's ready. Dooley has long been seen as one of the best assistants in the country, and if he can bring a piece of Bill Self's system to FGCU, the Eagles should be fine.

FGCU's schedule is also favorable. The Eagles scheduled games against power-conference teams, traveling to Nebraska to start the season, then going to NC State in late November and back-to-back games against South Florida and Mississippi State on the road right before Christmas. Those are opponents that are recognizable names, but also teams that can be beaten. The Eagles will then head to conference play in the very winnable Atlantic Sun Conference. FGCU actually finished second last year to Mercer (14-4, 24-12) but they were the only two conference teams with more than 15 wins. Be honest with yourselves, a piece of you wants to see Dunk City back in the big dance for another year.

BDD Alumni Bracket: Final Four

Duke, Ohio State, Kansas, and Indiana have advanced to the Final Four of the Alumni Bracket. This tournament aims to determine which college can field the greatest alumni team.

We have already seen greats fall. Who will be next?

Each round is decided on by our writers. If you've missed any of the previous editions, you can find them below.

Sweet Sixteen Part I 

Sweet Sixteen Part II 

Elite 8 



Duke:
Point Guard. Bobby Hurley. ‘90-’93
Shooting Guard: JJ. Redick ‘03-’06
Small Forward: Shane Battier ‘98-’01
Power Forward: Christian Laettner ‘89-’92
Center: Mike Gminski ‘77-’80

Ohio State:
Point Guard: Robin Freeman ‘53-’56
Shooting Guard: Jim Jackson ‘90-’92
Small Forward: John Havlicek ‘60-’62
Power Forward: Gary Bradds ‘62-’64
Center: Jerry Lucas ‘60-’62

Duke: 3
Ohio State: 0

via sportsillustrated.cnn.com

______________________________________________

Kansas:
Point Guard: Aaron Miles ‘01-’05
Shooting Guard: Kirk Hinrich ‘99-’03
Small Forward: Paul Pierce ‘95-’98
Power Forward: Danny Manning ‘84-’88
Center: Wilt Chamberlain ‘56-’58

Indiana:

Point Guard: Isiah Thomas ‘80-81
Shooting Guard: Calbert Cheaney ‘90-’93
Small Forward: Scott May ‘74-’76
Power Forward: Alan Henderson ‘92-’95
Center: Don Schlundt ‘52-’55

Kansas: 3
Indiana: 0

via Hoopzone.net

 

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When The NIT Was The Premier Tournament

Rhode Island could not stop George Mikan in the NIT. (DePaul/Getty)

March Madness is one of the most exciting times for basketball. The best college athletes get together to play an exciting 68-team tournament where upsets are plentiful. A year without March Madness would be an empty one.

So can you believe that at one time the National Invitation Tournament was actually the premier basketball tournament in the world? The NIT used to host players such as George Mikan, Ed Macauley, Lenny Wilkens and Maurice Stokes.

Before every game was nationally televised, the NCAA Tournament didn’t have the same amount of exposure it does today. The NIT was always held in Madison Square Garden, which boasted crowds of 19,000. Meanwhile, the NCAA was hosted in different areas of the country. Teams had a hard time meeting the travel expenses for the NCAA Tournament and played in smaller arenas.

In 1951, City College of New York was caught in a point shaving scandal which included seven schools in total and sent shock waves throughout the basketball world. New York City as a whole was quickly turned off college basketball.

The point shaving scandal came at a perfect time for the NCAA Tournament. Advances in travel and the development in television allowed the NCAA to quickly ascend to the premier tournament that we are all watching and enjoying this March.

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Getting To Know Florida Gulf Coast

Learn a little bit more about the Cinderella that is sweeping the country; Florida Gulf Coast. (thedailybeast.com)

You hadn't heard of Florida Gulf Coast before this Sweet 16 run. That's OK. No one expected you to. Which is why this post will help you learn all about the school that came from nowhere to ruin the nation's collective bracket.

School facts

• School President is William G. Bradshaw Ph.D.
• FGCU's doors opened in 1997
• FGCU has 12,655 total students, 92 percent of which are from the state of Florida
• One of the 24 sports clubs on campus is archery, so be careful with the smack talk
• FGCU's 150 student organizations include: Accounting Club, Clinical Laboratory Science Student Organization, FGCU Dance Company, Event Planning Club and FGCU Fishing Club
• Famous alumni include a professional monster truck driver, PGA Tour golfer Derek Lamely and Chris Sale, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox

Basketball facts

• Team record is 26-10 and 13-5 in conference play
• The Eagles defeated Miami 63-51 on Nov. 13
• FGCU was 15-1 at home this season
• In the team's first season in 2002-03, the Eagles played in the NCAA Division II without a conference and went 23-9
• The Eagles first season in the Atlantic Sun conference was 2007-08 and they finished 10-21 overall and 6-10 in the conference
• Last year, FGCU was 15-17 overall and 8-10 in conference, making this season an 11 game improvement. 

Feel free to throw these facts out to friends while watching the game tonight to make you seem more knowledgable than you are. At least you'll have some support when you lie, saying, "Oh, you just now are hearing about the Eagles? I've been on this bandwagon for a while." 

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NBA Draft Stock Tracker: Forwards Fall as Guards Rise

Russ Smith is showing off at the right time of year. (Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

For some players, the NCAA tournament is a chance for players to represent their schools and to play hard for realizing their dreams of being a champion. For others, it is a springboard to help show off their talents for the NBA draft. Here are the list of some of the best and worst performances by players who may be going to the draft this summer. 

Russ Smith, Louisville: Buy

Smith may be the best player on the No. 1 ranked team in the tournament this year, but he hasn’t gotten a lot of attention from NBA scouts. Smith has mostly been trailing other point guards like Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart and Michigan's Trey Burke because of his perceived inconsistency, but in the first game of the tournament he had 23 points on 10-16 shooting with eight steals. In the second game, he dropped 27 points on 7-15 shooting.

Ben McLemore, Kansas: Sell

As a KU fan, this one hurts me. McLemore had only 11 points against 16-seeded Western Kentucky while committing four turnovers. Not terrible, but not what you would expect from a possible No. 1 draft pick either. Against North Carolina, McLemore went 0-9 and finished with just two points. If he doesn’t rebound from this slump against Michigan in the Sweet 16, McLemore might actually see his name drop in the NBA draft.

Otto Porter, Georgetown: Sell

I’m a big Otto Porter fan and I still think he’ll go in the top 10 and be a good player in the NBA, but losing to Florida Gulf Coast is a bad way to end your college career. Porter was in a shooting slump late in the season and had only shot above 40 percent once in his last five games. He’s still rebounding and playing good defense, but Porter's shooting woes may turn scouts off.

Aaron Craft, Ohio State: Buy

Not many have him going high in the draft, but Craft is still playing excellent ball in the tournament. He had 18 points against Iowa State, including a last-second shot to win the game, while continuing to lock down opponents on the perimeter and provide the Buckeyes with veteran leadership.

Jeff Withey, Kansas: Buy

He’s most likely going to be a low first round pick for his size and regular season statistics alone, but his recent performances could boost his stock. Withey had 17 points and seven blocks against Western Kentucky and followed it up with 16 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks against North Carolina.

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Point/Counterpoint: Reseeding the Sweet 16

Should the Sweet 16 field be reseeded, forcing Cinderellas like Florida Gulf Coast to play the region's best team? (washingtonpost.com)

A popular topic the week of the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 is whether the tournament field should be reseeded within the regions once the final 16 teams are set. Meaning, if this would take place, the highest seed, in this year's case it could be a double-digit seed, would have to play the lowest seed (usually a No. 1 or 2 seed) in the Sweet 16 instead of who is in their region. Two of our writers each took a side to lay out the points in favor of either reseeding the field of 16 or keeping the regions as they were at the start of the tournament.

Eddie — Pro-reseeding:
The NCAA Tournament has become synonymous with madness because of its 'win or go home' format. Unlike 'best of seven' or 'best of five' scenarios, the better team doesn't always have the opportunity to prove their superiority. This results in highly unpredictable results and, every once in a blue moon, a champion that everyone agrees wasn't the best team in the land. In essence, the tournament is rigged against the better teams because all it takes is one off-night for your season to be over, even if you worked far harder than the other team to succeed throughout the course of the season. Reseeding teams within their regions for the Sweet Sixteen would go a long way toward reaffirming the importance of excelling in the regular season.

To make it worse, the NCAA made it a virtual cakewalk to get into the tournament by adding four teams to the field and creating a "first round" in 2011. Doing well in the regular season simply doesn't have the value that it used to. At the beginning of March, Baylor was still considered a "bubble team"with an 18-13 record.

This year, the West region offers the best case for reseeding teams in the Sweet Sixteen. Ohio State, as a No. 2 seed, will play No. 6 seed Arizona for a place in the regional final. Meanwhile, No. 9 seed Wichita State goes up against No. 13 seed LaSalle. Ohio State finished second in the regular season standings of one of the best conferences college basketball has ever seen and just happened to win its conference tournament. And what is its reward? It gets to play a Wildcats squad that spent much of the season ranked in the top five and finished second in the Pac-12. On the other end, two mid-majors who didn't accomplish anything noteworthy in the regular season, despite playing in less competitive conferences, are playing one another. It's really a shame that either Arizona or Ohio State will be sitting at home watching either Wichita State or LaSalle play in the Elite Eight.

Opponents will say that reseeding the Sweet Sixteen will give too great an advantage to the higher seeds and "punish" the lower seeds for earning a place in the tournament's second weekend. I would contend that's the entire point.  Conceivably, if Cinderellas like Florida Gulf Coast played well enough to get into the Sweet Sixteen, they should be able to compete with any team in the tournament regardless of seeding. But it could be that they just overachieved the first weekend and aren't actually good enough to play with the big boys. Either way, the regular season should play a bigger factor in determining a team's postseason fortunes.

Kyle — Anti-reseeding:
I agree there are times when the NCAA Tournament, because of seeding or match-up, makes the regular season seem unimportant. Rarely does a committee get every team's seeding correct and sometimes the best team (in this year's case it is Louisville) gets thrown in what many feel is the most difficult bracket. This tournament doesn't always give the championship to the best or most deserving team and neither does any other sport. When the New England Patriots went undefeated into the Super Bowl and lost to the New York Giants, did anyone think the Giants were the better team up until that point or deserved it more? No, but that's the beauty of sport. The Miami Heat "should have" won a championship in 2011, but Dallas had something to say about that. The Detroit Tigers had the fewest wins for a division winner in 2012, yet made it to the World Series. While the regular season is and should be important, it doesn't always translate to the postseason. The beauty of this tournament is when the round of 64 begins, all 64 teams have a shot at a title.

Whether or not it should, I don't think reseeding will happen because of the two reasons that drive fans and money to the NCAA Tournament: upsets and brackets. People love underdogs. More than underdogs, people love brackets. Are people going to start having to only fill out brackets on Selection Sunday only up until the Sweet 16 and then fill out a new one after the reseeding has taken place? And as we've seen, momentum and match-up can make the tournament field crazy. If it is more difficult for the "Cinderellas" to advance, and more and more top seeds breeze through the tournament, the casual fans, who just want to see an underdog, will not be nearly as interested in the tournament.

Why punish teams for playing well now for those who played well months ago? Sure, Wichita State gets to play No. 13 La Salle in the Sweet 16, but that's because the Shockers defeated a No. 1 team. It is not the Shockers' fault Ole Miss or Kansas State couldn't beat La Salle, but Wichita State took care of its business and shouldn't have to face a higher seed because of what the Rebels and Wildcats failed to do. If Ohio State and Arizona are that much better and are reseeded, they would each win and meet in the Elite 8 anyway, delaying the matchup just one round. The team that deserves to move on will find a way to win, no matter the seeding.

The lower seeds are supposed to be the better teams, which is why they have earned those seedings. But at some point they need to go out and win instead of getting favors. It takes six consecutive wins to be champions for everyone and somewhere along the line a team is going to have to beat the other great teams to earn that title.

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Experience Proves Important For NCAA Tournament Run

A group of seniors, including Kenny Kadji (35) and Julian Gamble (45), have led Miami to the Sweet 16. (usatoday.com)

Even in an era of freshmen leaving for the NBA after one year of college, experience still holds an important role in the college game; it translates into deeps runs in the NCAA Tournament.

Forget about the 2012 Kentucky team. It was an anomaly that a group of freshmen and sophomores were able to gel and perform consistently at a high level without having the normal ups and downs of performance as freshmen and sophomore who are still adjusting to the college game tend to do. This year's Kentucky team proved this much and the average expectation for a team made up mostly of top-rated freshman probably falls somewhere in between the two.

This is not to say teams shouldn't take highly touted freshmen just because they may leave after one year. Many of these teams have a freshman or two starting for them. But as you will see below, what most of these teams have is upperclassmen who have been in situations like this before.

Here's a breakdown of the number of seniors (and juniors) who started in the round of 32 for each Sweet 16 team:

Miami: four

Kansas: four

Florida: three (two juniors)

Marquette: three (one junior)

Duke: three

Oregon: three

Arizona: three

Wichita State: three

Indiana: two (one junior)

Syracuse: two (one junior) 

Florida Gulf Coast: two

Michigan State: one (two juniors)

Louisville: one (two juniors)

La Salle: one (two juniors)

Ohio State: none (three juniors)

Michigan: none (one junior)

The lights are the brightest and the stage is the largest at the NCAA Tournament and both of those get even brighter and larger as the field begins to dwindle and teams advance into the second and third weekends. As great as freshmen can be, it's still unfamiliar territory and the biggest stage they've ever been on. The best of both worlds is pairing one or two of these talented freshmen with a group of upperclassmen that can make them stay focused and not get caught up in the moment, which is familiar for many of these seniors.

Michigan has the fewest upperclassmen and have also been the least consistent in the last month, going 6-6 at the end of the regular season and in the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines are extremely athletic and talented, yet the lack of experience and chemistry can be seen at the end of the season. Michigan could still easily advance to Atlanta — that's what talent can provide — but their lack of experience is definitely an outlier in the Sweet 16.

It is not a coincidence most of these teams have juniors and seniors making up more than half of their starting lineups and all but two teams remaining have a senior starting. Talent usually trumps experience, so naturally these players are also very good at the game of basketball. The advantage experience gives is these players have strong chemistry from playing together for multiple years and by now they've seen almost every situation they may face.

We'll see if this trend continues to the Final Four, but at a time where we focus on the best young players to come and leave after one year, this weekend will be a great opportunity to watch some of the best players to take advantage of their college experience and use it to reach this point.

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How Southern Almost Upset Gonzaga

Gonzaga narrowly survived a second-round game against No. 16 seed Southern. (espn.com)

It is common knowledge that a No. 16 seed has never bested a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Even in years with high parity, the talent gap is usually wide enough for top seeds to glide to easy victories over their less lauded opponents. The knowledge still holds true, but the Southern Jaguars nearly made college basketball and tourney history by upsetting the Gonzaga Bulldogs. It took the Zags a late surge to escape with a 64-58 win that wasn't as close as the final score indicates.

So how did Southern do it? It was a perfect storm. Jaguars head coach Roman Banks built this season's team in the Gonzaga mold and his players knew they were to consider themselves to be like the former Cinderella program. When the round of 64 game was announced on Selection Sunday, the comparison already existed; Southern saw itself on par with the Zags in spite of seeding.

Speculation about Gonzaga already filled national headlines, maybe not concerning overall record but questioning strength of schedule during West Coast Conference play and the legitimacy of the Bulldogs' No. 1 ranking heading into the tournament, which parlayed into a No. 1 seed.

Banks knew all this and one would expect his players did, too. Southern came out hitting 3-pointers and tightened the screws on defense, playing Gonzaga to a 34-34 draw at halftime. The Jaguars didn't let up in the second half and it wasn't until Gary Bell, Jr. and Kevin Pangos hit a pair of treys as Southern went cold from the field that the Bulldogs had some breathing room with under four minutes to play.

Half psychological. Half physical. All Southern. The Jaguars were truly not intimidated, something another 16-seed has already taken to heart when Western Kentucky put a scare into Kansas Friday night. Expect the trend to continue because, eventually, a No. 1 seed will lose in the round of 64 and Banks' Jaguars will be the prototype for the No. 16 team seed that makes history.

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NCAA Tournament: Round of 64 Day 2 Recap

No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast had the win of the night by knocking off No.2 Georgetown. (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

This is more like it. Anyone still feeling good about your bracket? Yeah, I didn't think so. Except for maybe one of our writers, Fred, who somehow picked Harvard and La Salle. Showoff. The tournament balanced a day of blowouts and chalk Thursday with nail-biters and  Cinderella's in training Friday. So naturally the major talking point after Friday is …

Who Wants A Slipper?
Today proved upsets are still alive and well in March. For the second day, a No. 1 was tested before closing out a narrow victory as Kansas held off Western Kentucky. Kansas City didn't see a No. 16 win, but it did see two double-digit seeds pull off victories back-to-back as No. 12 Ole Miss defeated No. 5 seed Wisconsin before No. 13 La Salle blew an 18-point lead to Kansas State before coming back to win. Other notable upsets were No. 11 Minnesota over UCLA, No. 10 Iowa State crushing Notre Dame, No. 9 Temple (upset in name only). Oh and then there was …

The biggest win of the day goes to No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast, a school that wasn't founded until 1991, who outplayed No. 2 Georgetown all game to move on to the next round. This is the second consecutive year a No. 15 has defeated a No. 2 (Leheigh and Norfolk St. last year), and before that it hasn't happened since 2001 (Hampton over Iowa St). The increasing trend of No. 15 seeds winning makes a No. 16 victory seem more likely.

Hot and cold
Don't tell the A-10 it isn't a power conference. Teams from the A-10 are 5-0 (VCU, La Salle, Butler, St. Louis andTemple) and most have a good chance of advancing to the Sweet 16. No BCS conferences can show that kind of record. The Big Ten's only loss has been Wisconsin, and the ACC's was North Carolina State, but the Big XII is 2-3, Pac-12 is 2-2 and the Mountain West has been disappointing with both New Mexico and UNLV falling in the first round.

Milestone for Ol' Roy
UNC's second-round victory over Villanova earned Roy Williams 700th career victory. His reward? Having to face his former school and No. 1 seed Kansas in the third round. Roy has faced KU twice before since he left, both times being in the NCAA Tournament, and Roy is 0-2. Still, 700 wins is a incredible accomplishment for a Hall of Fame coach.

If the Mascots Battled - Predicting Regional Finals

Basing bracket predictions off which mascot would win in a fight is a popular method for those unfamiliar with the college basketball landscape (and we all know that they do better in bracket pools than the rest of us). There are some great mascots in the field this year, so here is how I think the regional finals would break down if each team's mascot got to duke it out for a chance to advance in the Big Dance.

Midwest

Billikens vs. Spartans

The St. Louis Billikens have easily the most enigmatic mascot in all of sports. Even the university itself can't quite seem to pin down the origin or definition of their mascot. As they state on their own website, "Several details seem to be certain. Everyone agrees that the Billiken is a good-luck figure who represents "things as they ought to be." The designer of the Billiken also seems to be fact. Florence Pretz, a Missouri art teacher and illustrator, patented her "design for an image" of the jovial creature in 1908.

The Billiken in action.

It's also known that the Billiken was manufactured in the early 1900s as a bank and statuette and was the national rage for about six months -- kind of that period's pet rock. During this time, the Billiken was turned into all sorts of things: dolls, marshmallow candies, metal banks, hatpins, pickle forks, belt buckles, auto hood ornaments, salt and pepper shakers and glass bottles." - http://www.slu.edu/evgrn-what-is-a-billiken, St. Louis University

The Billiken would advance to the regional final out of the midwest simply because of its magical, mysterious properties and the fact that all other mascots would be too confused to fight back.

The Spartans vs. the Blue Devils presents an intriguing Sweet Sixteen matchup, but the Spartans win out because, well, the Spartans always win out, even when down 300 - 150,000. Look for a glorious comeback victory that will avenge the Gods to advance Michigan State to the Elite Eight.

South

Wolverines vs. Aztecs

With all due respect to the Hilltoppers, Jayhawks, and Tar Heels, the Wolverine actually exists and he usually means business. It's definitely not something you would want to run into in the wilderness. It is renowned for besting predators that are significantly larger and more well-equipped. Like the honey-badger, the Wolverine don't care. He'll rip you apart for no reason at all.

I like the Aztecs to come out of a weak bottom half of the South bracket, but I hesitate because of that whole Cortes fiasco a while back. Sure, you can blame smallpox all you want, but losing an empire to a few Spaniards just off the boat is pretty weak. Look for the Wolverines to advance in this one.

East

Wolfpack vs. Buffaloes

The East region has a few of the better live mascots in sports. Butler's Blue II and Blue III get a lot of recognition for being so darn cute, but I've always thought the Bulldog was a rather lazy breed. I like Tuffy, the Tamaskan representing the North Carolina State Wolfpack to get through as the only canine member of the Elite Eight. NC State's website describes the Tamaskan as a "breed of domestic dog originating from Finland. It is known to excel in agility, obedience, and working trials." Sounds like a much better recipe for success than that paunchy bulldog.

You don't want to get in the way of Ralphie, Colorado's live mascot. (zimbio.com)

The bottom half of the East region has several of the more intriguing mascot matchups. At first glance, it would seem that the Miami Hurricanes have the advantage. Hurricanes can really take a punch. However, Miami has employed Sebastian the Ibis as their mascot, and we all know Ibises, "a group of long-legged wading birds" are far too lanky to do well in a fight. Ralphie from the University of Colorado, another impressive live mascot during football season, should make short work of Sebastian after getting revenge on the Illini for all those years getting chased across the plains.

West

Explorers vs. Cyclones

The top half of the West region offers some unique human-based mascots against some feisty wildlife, such as the Badgers out of Wisconsin (you already know my opinion of bulldogs). The Wichita State Shockers and LaSalle Explorers both offer intriguing qualities in fights. The Shocker mascot supposedly originates from students who would shock wheat to work their way through college, though it has taken on quite a different connotation of late. As fun as Shockers can be, Explorers are a gritty bunch who have fought their way through scurvy, chlamydia, and rambunctious natives over the years and can certainly handle a Wildcat or two.

The Iowa State mascot, Cy the Cardinal, as a cyclone. (newspaper.li)

The Iowa State Cyclones have a cake-walk to the Elite Eight, facing potential match-ups against the Buckeyes, and the Wildcats or Crimson. Please. Yes, Cy the Cardinal is a much weaker stand-in for an actual cyclone, but for the sake of argument, we are going to assume that he can turn himself into a column of wind at will. How else could he have posed for his picture featured on the Iowa State logo?  This should be a tough matchup for the privilege of a trip to the final four. 

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NCAA Tournament: Round of 64 Day 1 Recap

No. 14 Harvard pulled off the biggest upset of the night against No. 3 seed New Mexico. (thecrimson.com)

The first "official" day of the NCAA Tournament is in the books. It was a great day of basketball because, well, it was 10 hours of basketball. I'm not sure it's possible for the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament to not be great, no matter what happens on the court.

Yet the offense wasn't great and it looked like there wouldn't be any of the major upsets that we're normally accustomed ... oh, hey Harvard, almost missed you. It took one of the final games of the night, but No. 14 Harvard upset No. 3 New Mexico, making many who had New Mexico advancing multiple rounds sobbing into their pillow before falling asleep and waking up the next morning hoping it was all a dream. Those Ivy School Madness-makers were the big story of the night, but here are a few other takeaways from the first day of the NCAA Tournament.

No first for a No. 16 … yet
Every No. 1 seed each year has to go into that first game wishing and praying it is not them who becomes the first top seed to lose to a No. 16 seed. It will forever live in the history books along with the embarrassment that it was you and your school to "choke" first. An athletic Southern team gave Gonzaga all it could handle Thursday bringing the thought up once again, but the Bulldogs were too strong down the stretch to be upset. However, with the increasing parity and athleticism found at some of these mid-major schools, it would not be surprising to see a No. 16 come away victorious for the first time in the next five years.

Runaway victories
Out of the 16 games played Thursday, 11 of them were decided by 10 points or more. Some of these scores are misleading as it was closer than the final score would indicate (Butler vs. Bucknell) but others are the opposite, as it was never really felt that close (Michigan St. vs. Valpo). In a tournament where the stage and momentum are great equalizers, games are usually pretty competitive, but Thursday there were plenty of cases where one team didn't show up or the other team just ran away with the game from the beginning. This was especially surprising in the No. 8/No. 9 matchups, where the quality of the teams should be fairly equal, yet Wichita State ran all over Pitt and Colorado State did the same to Missouri. It will be interesting to see if the margin is closer in the Friday games.

Close, but not close enough
Yes, most of the games were not that close, but a few teams brought fans to the edge of their seats, especially in the afternoon sessions. No. 11 St. Mary's battled back from a late deficit to having the final shot to win with just more than a second remaining, while No. 14 Davidson had a one-point lead on Marquette with four seconds left. In a month and tournament known for underdogs being immortalized in last-second greatness, both St. Mary's and Davidson fell short of advancing to the Round of 32. Instead it was Marquette with the end-game heroics to win. We're still waiting for that first buzzer-beater from a mid-major player who will be remembered and talked about from that point on.

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Spying Cinderella Pt. 2: Montana Grizzlies

Does Montana have the firepower from 3-point range to knock off Syracuse and become Cinderella? (sbnation.com)

By now, you've seen all the "expert" predictions on who could make a splash with a big upset in the second (first) round and possibly carry the banner of 'Cinderella' into the Sweet 16. You've probably taken this advice and settled on a couple Cinderellas to feature on your bracket. But don't turn that sucker in to the pool manager without giving one last hard look at the Montana Grizzlies, the scrappy champions of the Big Sky Conference.

Montana returns the bulk of its players from a first-round-tournament exit one year ago, which was not particularly competitive. Giving a hot team like Montana additional motivation to prove itself is like adding fuel to the fire. The Grizzlies have won 21 of 23 coming into their Thursday night match-up with 4-seed Syracuse.

We all know how big a factor 3-point shooting is for underdogs to overcome their disadvantages in the athleticism department. This is particularly true when going up against Syracuse's vaunted zone defense. As a team, Montana shoots 38.5 percent from 3 — five percentage points better than Syracuse. They also post the No. 23 highest overall field goal percentage in the nation at 47.4 percent.

Aspiring Cinderellas always benefit from experienced floor generals, and Montana has that in senior point guard, Will Cherry. In a close game down the stretch, Cherry could be the difference, along with the Grizzlies' stellar 76.8 percent team free throw percentage. One reason to hesitate when picking Montana to advance tonight, though, is its loss of leading scorer and senior forward Mathias Ward late in the season to a foot injury. Montana managed to persevere and make it to the Big Dance anyway, but he could be sorely missed in those moments when the Grizzlies desperately need a bucket to turn back Syracuse's momentum.

It won't be easy for Montana to pull off the upset, by any means, but if Syracuse goes cold, the Grizzlies are the perfect team to take advantage. Some hot shooting from deep, early and often, coupled with enough opportunities at the charity stripe, could spell trouble for the Orangemen... and victory for your bracket.

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BDD Brackets: Who Our Writers Picked In The NCAA Tournament

Since we writers for BDD have been giving you, and will continue to give you loads of information and breakdowns of the NCAA Tournament, we're putting our brackets where our mouths are and revealing our tournament selections.

Alex:

Let's be clear: I am not at all comfortable with this bracket. It didn't even feel right while it was happening, but I'm forging ahead with it because many of these are reasonable picks (even two No. 2's, a No. 1 and a No. 3 make the Final Four), which is exactly what distresses me about this bracket. Instead of doing the usual amount of research, I took an approach that mixed equal parts eye test and gut reaction with a reputation regarding defensive and scoring prowess. High risk, high reward.

• Living in the heart of Big 12 country, I advanced each team in the conference except for the young, athletic Oklahoma Sooners. K-State sees an early exit, having been eliminated by Wisconsin twice since the turn of the century (2008, 2011) and new coach Bruce Weber's Big Ten experience shouldn't be enough to overcome history.

• Upsets — Colorado got some glancing love even after defecting from the Big 12. Some of it is also due to Illinois' underachieving ways. Like innumerable other people, I have Davidson advancing over Marquette, although I believe Buzz Williams' squad is underrated. The biggest chances I took are in the loaded Midwest region with Louisville going down to a balanced, physical St. Louis, and Creighton moving past Duke. Many people fail to realize the Bluejays can score without Doug McDermott on the floor and are battle-tested having played Wichita State's stringent defense three times in Missouri Valley play.

• Sweating — Having two Big Ten teams, let alone both Michigan teams, in the Final Four has me worried. Trey Burke can put the Wolverines on his back if need be and Tom Izzo primes his teams for March each season, something that puts the Spartans far ahead of the pack in a year where there is not a clear cut juggernaut. Sending Georgetown and Florida to the Sweet 16 (and further, for the Hoyas) will keep me on pins and needles until they prove me otherwise, though.

  Kyle:

This year, more than ever, is up in the air. There is no dominant Kentucky team of last year that was a virtual no brainer for the Final Four. This tournament could go a number of ways, which means the amount of research, scouting and knowledge might be futile. You might as well pick by color or mascot. Nevertheless, it is an equal playing field in the fact that this field is a jumbled mess to everyone, so here's a few of my thoughts and reasonings for why you see the names above that you do.

• While there is more parity than ever, I do think there's still only a handful of teams that are legitimate title contenders. So while I loved some early-round upsets, there is still a good amount of chalk in the Elite 8 and up. It's difficult to stop - I wanted to go with that No. 13 seed to reach the Final Four, but as much as I tried, I couldn't do it. Some teams are just better, even with the parity.
• That being said, I love some double-digit seeds to advance to the third round (Round of 32) and on to the Sweet 16. As I mentioned in my initial reactions post, I really like No. 14 Davidson because of how the Wildcats match up with Marquette and then advancing on to the Sweet 16. Remember, they're on a roll. I also clearly like the No. 11's and No. 10's as I have two No. 11's (Belmont and Minnesota) and two No. 10-seeds (Iowa State and Colorado) winning second-round games.
• I read an incredible stat that only once in the past 16 years have all four No. 2 seeds reached the Sweet 16. No. 2 seeds seem like almost automatic advances, yet one always falls. That's why I picked Iowa State to knock off Ohio State (I also considered Colorado over Miami). Iowa State is a dynamic 3-point shooting team that when they're hot, the offense is very tough to stop. If they can hit outside shots and play better defense, I could see the Cyclones reaching the Sweet 16.
• As for my Final Four, I'll start in the Midwest, where honestly any of the top four seeds could be in Atlanta. I really wanted to put St. Louis in Atlanta, but Tom Izzo gets his teams ready in March as well as anyone. The Spartans are balanced and physical, which bodes well for this tournament. A lot of people are writing off Gonzaga, but I've watched at least half of the Bulldogs' games this year and they are a legitimate great team. I think Indiana is too strong for Miami in the East and if the Kansas team that played in the Big 12 Tournament shows up here, the Jayhawks have the talent to reach the Final Four.

 Zach:

My college basketball knowledge, is not the best, but this is what I think I know. Miami CRUSHED Duke at some point this season. New Mexico didn't hold back when scheduling opponents (the Lobos have the second-rated strength of schedule). Being in-tune to the Minnesota Golden Gophers' play kept my ear open to the Big Ten. That being said, here's the method to my bracket madness.

• Regardless of their season and ACC tournament performance, usually Duke lands in my final four. Coach K has his pick when recruiting and also happens to be a pretty darn good in-game coach.  

• Minnesota Golden Gophers — I have lived in Minnesota for a scattered 17 years. I've watched Rodney Williams, Joe Coleman and Trevor Mbakwe play since their days in high school. I picked them to be a Sweet 16 team before the year and cannot go back now.  

• Big Ten — Picked every team to win first round match-up, but none to make the Final Four. Known for it's grind-it-out style, the B1G contains excellent guard play. Aaron Craft (Ohio State), Victor Oladipo (Indiana) and Big Ten Player of the Year Trey Burke (Michigan) all need to help control the pace for their team. Guard play is essential to tournament success.

• If I needed to make a guess or felt completely lost, I determined a winner using Strength of Schedule. After SoS, I went to allowed points per game and PPG differential. If I still struggled to decide a winner, I went with the team who had a player leading them in both PPG and assists per game.  

• Cinderella (If I had one) — I chose St. Mary's to be victorious in both their play-in round game and a match-up with Memphis. I like St. Mary's going to Australia to recruite players who have experience in national competition. Patty Mills, now with the San Antonio Spurs, led St. Mary's to a Sweet 16 appearance a few years back. An upset relies heavily on Aussie guard Matthew Dellavedova's offensive presence. Also relentless on-ball defender, Dellavedova has not shot well in previous tournament appearances.

Fred:

• Jordan Adams, second on UCLA in scoring, was able to provide 15.3 points per game. His injury can have a dramatic effect on the first round where UCLA is ranked 6th and Minnesota 11th. I can see Minnesota upset UCLA with their balanced scoring and tremendous rebounding.

• Zeller will be a tough matchup for every team, but Adreian Payne will be the difference maker for Michigan State.

• San Diego State, how can you not love them? I’m forced to since my brother is an alumni and it’s the only place I go to watch college basketball live. This pick is from the heart, not the mind. I’m not worried about the statistics, nor am I worried about what implications this pick may have on the rest of my bracket. I put my soul into this pick, and I’m sticking with it.

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March Madness Five-Word Descriptions

Need some knowledge on each of the schools in the tournament? We've got you covered. (sportingnews.com)

The first four teams will play tonight for a chance to play again with the rest of the NCAA Tournament field. With a large diversity in power conference and mid-major teams and some teams who are either new to the tournament or have not been dancing for a while, we've compiled five-word descriptions of all 68 teams in the tournament to help you get to know who you are picking in your brackets.

Akron - Let them wear Twitter handles!
Albany - Upstate NY's only canine mascot.
Arizona - Was great until Pac-12 play.
Belmont - Tourney's second-most historic Bruins.
Boise State -No, their court isn't blue.
Bucknell - Giant Major-not-major killer
Butler - Found out A10 > Horizon League.
California - Want to avenge UNLV loss.
Cincinnati - Bear claws better than Bearcats.
Colorado - University of Chauncey Billups-Boulder
Colorado State - Hide the Lexington co-eds.
Creighton - Minnesota Timberwolves junior varsity squad.
Davidson - Riding a big winning streak.
Duke - Championship lock, if at home.
Florida - Duke version 2.0: Southern comfort.
Florida Gulf Coast - Forgotten in East/West beef.
Georgetown - Best player named Otto since...?
Gonzaga - Wearing first round short shorts?
Harvard - Less stylish warm-ups than Princeton.
Illinois - If only performance = Groce's energy.
Indiana - Top seed and still underachieving.
Iona - Iowa's urban, middle class cousin.
Iowa State - Threes on threes on threes.
James Madison - Biggest achievement since U.S. Constitution.
Kansas - Mid-major loss? Championship or bust?
Kansas State - Strength: grit. Weakness: Big Ten.
La Salle -One basketball HOFer, Tom Gola.
Liberty - Could potentially face Seth Curry.
Long Island - The world is yours, guys.
Louisville - Drake's new favorite Kentucky program.
Marquette - Cool name, cool coach's name.
Memphis - Josh Pastner continues working magic.
Miami (FL) -Paternal professional baseball player? Check.
Michigan - Wolverines might actually eat Jackrabbits.
Michigan State - Never underestimate Izzo in March.
Middle Tennessee State -'I' in 'Ten-I-See'
Minnesota - Experienced, strong, but mostly inconsistent.
Mississippi - "Is this like a bowl game?"
Missouri - There's always SEC football, MIZ.
Montana - Big Sky champs, big upside.
New Mexico - Possibly underseeded; maybe Arizona's neighbor.
New Mexico State -Properly seeded; Arizona's stately neighbor.
North Carolina - Improving at the right time.
North Carolina A&T - They have great cell service.
North Carolina State - Plenty of Wolves, no Pack.
Northwestern State - Not just "Northwestern." Sorry, Wildcats.
Notre Dame -Irish will need some luck.
Ohio State - If Craft becomes scorer, intimidating.
Oklahoma - Lon Kruger really gets around.
Oklahoma State - Smart among tourney's best players.
Oregon - Chip Kelly's high-powered, wait....
Pacific - Nice while it lasted, right?
Pittsburgh - Dixon knows how to coach.
Saint Louis - Consensus Cinderella for good reason.
Saint Mary's - Buzzer-beaters don't make a resume.
San Diego State - SD Not-A-State University
South Dakota State - Wolters v. Burke will be epic.
Southern - Branford Marsalis free-form athletics.
Syracuse - Tough with game on line.
Temple -Indiana Jones joke here somewhere...
UCLA - Popular pick to be upset.
UNLV - The NBA's summer league team.
Valparaiso - Fourth best team from Indiana.
Villanova - Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?
Virginia Commonwealth - Scary as a No. 5.
Western Kentucky - Anagram for "Crunk tween tykes."
Wichita State - Could advance on athleticism alone.
Wisconsin - Badgers will be tough out.

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Brackets Take NCAA Tournament To Greater Heights

The piece of paper that puts the NCAA Tournament over the top. (cuindependent.com)

The design of the NCAA Tournament already makes it the greatest sports tournament (notice I said tournament and not event, so calm down, Super Bowl) in the country.

The single-elimination style brings intensity and drama like none other. The inclusion of 68 teams, instead of 16 or two, draws fans from all across the country as every team from blue bloods to NCAA Tourney first timers have an equal shot to win a title. Cities are filled with sellout crowds of fans watching and praying their team advances to the next day or weekend. I believe 10 straight hours of basketball on four networks mean the television ratings do pretty well, too.

But there's something about the tournament that puts the event over the top; that sheet of lines, numbers and college names that can make your day or break your heart. The bracket.

Millions of people will ignore work, family and any friends who aren't college basketball analysts and find any means necessary to attempt to correctly predict the tournament outcome. It consumes fans. "Which No. 12 seed will upset a No. 5? How many No. 1 seeds will make the Final Four? What Cinderella team will carry my bracket and the slipper all the way to the winner's circle? Maybe I should just resort to picking teams based on which mascot would win in a fight like Kathy from HR, who somehow has won the last two years?"

It gives you a reason to fully invest in a game between Butler and Bucknell when you have not watched a single moment of either team's games all year. Maybe you've never heard of the school, but that doesn't mean you won't promise to donate to Albany if it can somehow pull off that second-round (Round of 64 - I hate the new wording) upset to throw you into the lead in your pool. Every game becomes important because every game now has meaning to you and your bracket.

All the planning and research goes into picking the perfect upsets and the correct Final Four teams and yet eventually a school will break your heart. Your Final Four team will lose in the Sweet 16 and that Cinderella you have dancing into the second weekend gets dropped by a buzzer-beater on the first afternoon of games and the dream of perfection is over as reality sets in. You believe you can find the perfect bracket, but somehow it is always out of reach. You might as well be searching for the Fountain of Youth or a lost city of gold. It's painful, but it's also a thing of beauty.

The beauty of the bracket also lies in the days before the tournament begins. Anticipation is high for the first game to tip and you spend the four days not just waiting for games, but studying and preparing for them. The work begins long before the game clock counts down, for your bracket is first priority. At that moment, your bracket is perfect because it cannot be proven otherwise. You have fully convinced yourself Indiana will make it out of the East region and Belmont will upset Arizona, and for all you know that is what will happen.

The NCAA Tournament would still have upsets, buzzer-beaters and Cinderellas without brackets. The suspense would still be high and the stakes even higher. But no where else do you find people possessed with the motivation to predict the outcome of a tournament and so dedicated to follow it through and see how right they were. The bracket portion of the event has grown to being nearly as large as the games themselves. The No. 1 talking point this week in offices and among friends is "how is your bracket doing?"

The NCAA Tournament would do just fine without brackets, but it wouldn't be as good. The bracket connects us to the entire tournament, not just the region your favorite team plays in, and really gives fans the complete experience. Without a bracket, many people wouldn't stay up late on Thursday night to watch New Mexico against Harvard, but it might turn out to be one of the best games of the tournament. The tournament is the biggest stage because millions of people are watching nearly every game, and a big thanks to that is the existence of the bracket.

That sheet of lines, numbers and team names will most likely break your heart. It will sometimes make you a winner. But one thing is for sure, having a bracket to fill out makes the NCAA Tournament experience even better.


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Initial Reaction To The NCAA Tournament Seedings

Louisville: The NCAA Tournament's top overall seed. (Getty)

No. 1's: Louisville - Midwest (overall), Kansas - South, Indiana - East, Gonzaga - West

Bubbles/snubs: St. Mary's, Middle Tennessee St., La Salle and Boise St. are in. Maryland, Tennessee, Southern Mississippi, Virginia and Kentucky left out.

Best "second round" match-ups: Let me start by saying I hate calling it the second round due to the play-in games. It will always be the first round in my mind.

There are some 8-9 matchups that automatically jump out (Pitt vs. Wichita St. and Colorado St. vs Missouri), but those are always very close.

Oregon should have been higher than a No. 12 seed and will give a great battle to an athletic Oklahoma State team. Also look for Michigan vs. South Dakota State and elite scorer Nate Wolters, then there's match-up with two teams that couldn't be more different: Wisconsin vs. Ole Miss. Marshall Henderson going against the physical Badgers defense should make for a great contest.

Easiest region: I would have to say the East, although many analysts feel the West wins the crown. The No. 1 (Indiana) and No. 2 (Miami) are tough teams, but Marquette (No. 3 seed) and Syracuse (No. 4 seed) could both see early upsets. Neither Big East team has a lot of momentum entering the tournament.

You'll see the toughest region below, but the South has a strong No. 1 in Kansas, No. 2 in Georgetown and No. 4 in Michigan, while Ohio State has earned it's No. 2 seed out West and Kansas State at the No. 4 doesn't have a bad loss all season, not to mention Gonzaga, who has the best record in the country and comes in as the No. 1-ranked team.

Toughest region: The Midwest, hands down. The selection committee's overall No. 1-seed present to Louisville was putting Duke, Michigan St., St. Louis and Oklahoma St. as the 2-5 seeds. Then throw in a dangerous Creighton team at No. 7 and an Oregon team who many feel were wildly under-seeded at a No. 12 and this will be a battle in Indianapolis.

Second-round upset pick: Obviously when we talk upsets, we're not looking for a No. 9 over a No. 8 or a No. 10 over a No. 7. We're talking double-digit seeds advancing to the weekend. Lots of people are looking at Montana over Syracuse, but I think Belmont could give Arizona all the Wildcats can handle as a No. 11 vs. a No. 6. For a big pick, don't forget about No. 14. Davidson against No. 3 Marquette. This is more about Davidson's strengths than Marquette's weakness. The Wildcats are a strong fundamental, defensive team than can scorch it from 3-point range. They are also a little undersized in the post but match up well with Marquette, which is also undersized except for Chris Otule, who is 6-11.

Sleeper: For sleepers, we're talking about high-seeded teams advancing to the Sweet 16 and beyond. I really like two of the No. 10 seeds (Iowa St. and Colorado) who have the ability to advance into the Sweet 16. Iowa State will need to play better defense, but can score at will and Colorado hasn't been overly consistent, but is balanced enough to make a run if the Buffs could find some momentum.

Never doubt Butler, a No. 6 seed with a decent path to the Elite 8, and when No. 7-seed Creighton and Doug McDermott are on, the Bluejays are very good. As mentioned earlier, watch out for Davidson and Belmont, as well.

Final thought: As we all know, this tournament is up in the air. In a year with no dominant team, the parity seems to be at an all-time high. Any number of teams could make a run to the Sweet 16 and there are a handful of teams that are legitimate title contenders. What that means for the fans: this is going to be a fun March.

Good luck with your brackets and let the madness begin.


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Where is the Great West's Automatic NCAA Tournament Bid?

Chicago State and UTPA don't have the luxury of an AQ bid to the NCAA Tournament. (greatwestconference.org)

While keeping up with which teams get automatic admission to the NCAA Tournament by winning their conference tournaments, you may have noticed the qualifier "No automatic bid" next to the Great West. Although there is more parity in college basketball than in college football, with most non-power conferences being allowed at least one representative in the field of 68, not every league is allowed to send its tournament champion into the big dance without proving itself elsewhere.

Unlike the Ohio Valley (established in 1948) and even the relatively young Conference USA, which has existed since 1995, the Great West has not been around long enough to be granted an auto-bid. Due to the three NCAA standards a conference must meet to put a tournament champion directly into the NCAA Tournament, the earliest the Great West, as currently comprised, could be eligible to receive an automatic bid is 2020.

"As currently comprised" is the catch there. The system in place was described by Kyle Whelliston at ESPN when the Great West was planting its seeds in 2008:

"NCAA men's basketball rules require conferences to pass a three-step eligibility check for auto-bid qualification: at least seven fully fledged Div. I members, seven that have been Div. I for at least eight years (known as "core members"), and six core members who have been league mates for five years."

The current five full members — Chicago State, Houston Baptist, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Texas Pan-American and Utah Valley — are the most the Great West has had since coming into existence. But the goal of obtaining an auto-bid by 2020 is a pipe dream. Houston Baptist will join the Southland Conference this summer and CSU, UTPA and UVU will be in the WAC before next season begins, effectively widdling the Great West's basketball programs down to two.

NJIT and UTPA are one and two, respectively, in the rankings going into the conference tournament with the Highlanders getting a first-round bye and facing the winner of Houston Baptist-UVU in the second round. Fittingly, NJIT and UTPA stand the best chance at making the field of 68, although it is unlikely either will since neither have especially strong records. The Highlanders are 16-12 overall (6-2 in conference) and the Broncos hold a 16-15 record (5-3 in conference).

The Great West will not be represented in the NCAA Tournament by an automatic qualifier — or any team — this season and will probably not break in for years, as the conference's weakness forces its members to play up against opponents from bigger conferences with better recruiting and thus higher skilled players. The Great West tourney champion does receive immediate admission into the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, a third- or fourth-tier (depending on your perception of the College Basketball Invitational) option for teams in top conferences.

So the CIT it is and the Great West, on the precipice of being entirely deconstructed, will enjoy the the slightly dimmer limelight.