Time to Self-Reflect....by MP

Heading into the Final Four we have a 3 seed, a 4, an 8 and 11. Wow! Who picked VCU, Butler, UConn and Kentucky? I know in my pool we have 3 of 129 with a chance at picking a winner and that is UConn. If Connecticut loses there are 0/129 who would have the winner. Needless to say I am long gone in that pool...and now long out of it from an interest standpoint as well.

I hope some of you read my NCAA preview a few weeks back. I called that there would be no 1 or 2 seeds in the Final Four. What can I say....I was due for a correct pick after about a dozen consecutive misses. A couple of things to leave you with relative to this tournament:

Butler may be the best story in NCAA basketball history. Yes, better than the '83 NC State Cinderellas and better than the '85 Villanova story. True that those teams won the title, but the Butler story is ridiculous! I am talking the story combining last year and this year of course...the final game last year, losing a tight one with a 45 foot shot that nearly falls to Duke, and then this year going to the Final Four as an 8 seed. Several pundits say that heading into the last stretch of the year, Butler was firmly on the bubble of getting in at all. They lost Gordon Hayward from last years team to the NBA, certainly a rare feat having a pro from a school the size of Butler (enrollment 4200 and smaller than Ozarks Technical Community College). Their young but cool Coach Brad Stevens may get carded buying lotto tickets, but calmly directed the Bulldogs to wins over the likes of Pitt, Wisconsin and Florida. Butler is from the Horizon League. Not the Big East or any other power conference. I may be crazy but it will be a long time before you see a team the size of Butler ever repeat their success in the NCAA tournament. Take for instance the talent and program like Kansas has. The Jayhawks with all of the advantages cannot get to the final game to the final four in consecutive years. And that leads me to my last thought of the 2011 NCAA Tourney:

Something has to change at the University of Kansas with the hoops program. I like Bill Self, but you simply cannot lose in the tourney to the likes in years past of Bradley, Bucknell, Northern Iowa, and this year Virginia Commonwealth. I know they won it all in 2008, but if you recall that year they almost got beat by Davidson. Speaking of '08....their road to the final four: a 16 seed, an 8, 12 and 10. They hit a shot against a good Memphis team...but my point is, if you are perennial powerhouse....what is the expectation? Is it to win 90 percent of your games and fold in the tourney? If so, let's stay the course. I have to admit that I am glad this year is over. I was embarrassed all year of the Hawks behavior and attitude on the floor. I almost had to dodge all my buddies that are MU and KSU fans because what could I say about the Morris twins and their cheap shots every game? I have to ask why Bill did not address that immediately and correct the behavior? I even recall one instance in a game following the Cal game that it happened, they got a tech, and he didn't even bench the one who threw the blatant elbow! I am done with the Morris twins and this whole outfit....take Tyshawn Taylor too. If it were me, I may be shopping for someone who runs a respectable team and instills courage in his team. It seems to me, when the going gets tough, the Hawks go fishing. Beyond the tournament choke job this year, look at what Coach did with Mario Little. Nothing. Little really contributed nothing. Josh Selby lost all confidence being benched for every turnover. If Self benched people for turnovers, how did Taylor play the minutes he did? You can congratulate VCU and say they played well and shot it lights out...but if we cannot win that game against that opponent??? Speaking of Coaches who run a nice program, who instills courage in his people and perform under pressure....please see previous paragraph. Is Brad Stevens available?

Tourney reminds VC of 1988, 2008

And then there were eight.

The Elite Eight, excuse me.

My bracket for the office pool, like millions of others across the country, took a hit especially in the Southeast and Southwest Regions. But my championship teams are still in tact - Kentucky and Kansas with Kentucky to cut down the nets in a few days in Houston. Patterson will tell you I picked Kentucky just because I have a love fest for teams named Wildcats. There's some truth to that, but in my 25 years of heading up an office pool I've always picked a longshot to win it all. Only once has a longshot won me anything, though.

Perhaps this is the year!

This tournament is reminding me more and more of 1988 and 2008 when the Jayhawks soared to championship heights. 1988, all the big boys lost in KU's path to a Midwest Regional championship date against Lon Kruger's K-State Wildcats. That pitted the Big Eight rivals against each other for the fourth time that year. KU won that game at Pontiac, Mich., to give KU a 2-2 split against K-State as each won on the opposing team's home floor and K-State won in the Big Eight Tournament.

KU then advanced to the Final Four that year at Kansas City's Kemper Arena. There, KU beat Duke then met up with Billy Tubbs' Oklahoma Sooners in the title game. KU and OU slugged it out like two heavyweights in a 50-50 halftime score in the 50th NCAA Championship game. Coach Larry Brown rolled up his sleeves at halftime and told Danny Manning, Chris Piper and the rest of the KU players it was time to play KU ball in the second half.

KU won which set up wild celebration scenes on the Plaza, Westport, Massachusetts Street in Lawrence and anywhere else where KU fans could gather.

Fast-forward to 2008. KU's road to San Antonio featured wins over a 16 seed, eight, 12 and 10. I think you probably know by now KU won the crown thanks to some Mario guy in the title game against Memphis.

Now it's 2011 and who's KU beaten in the first three rounds? A 16 seed, nine and 12 seed. Sunday, they meet 11th seeded Virginia Commonwealth in the Southwest Regional finals.

If KU wins Sunday, the Jayhawks will join Michigan State (2001) and North Carolina (1991) as the only schools to get that far without having to beat a higher seed than nine.

In case you weren't paying attention, did you notice the 10-year intervals above?

"When you're in the business long enough you're going to have things like that crop up," KU coach Bill Self told The Associated Press. "But I haven't thought about the (similarities) at all."

Self, prior to Friday's game against Richmond, pointed out that 12th seeded Davidson in 2008 came down to the last possession before KU won that Elite Eight game. Self mentioned it was the toughest tourney game for KU that year apart from the Memphis game.

"The field here is strong," Self told The AP. "It may not appear from a seeding standpoint to be as strong as 1, 2, 3 and 4 that are left, but I guarantee that there will be nobody that will be looking forward to playing anybody in this field right now."

KU will be playing in its 20th Elite Eight, only Kentucky (33), North Carolina (25) and UCLA (22) have appeared in more Elite Eights. K-State, a 2010 Elite Eighter, has taken part in a dozen of them over the years.

If KU is not playing for the national championship on April 4, I will be shocked. Clearly North Carolina and Kentucky have a tougher road than KU. Butler or Florida will await Kansas in the national semis assuming KU takes care of VCU which I am on record now of predicting an 82-60 Kansas win.

I'm not going to back off now. I'm still picking UK to beat KU in the final. UK may have all of those freshmen, but there's something about Kentucky I like. Plus, I'm due to win our office pool.

Around the Horn: As a K-State fan I was looking forward to college baseball. But my Bat Cats are off to an 0-4 start in Big 12 play after Friday's 5-4 loss at Baylor. The Wildcats started the year great, but are currently 12-8 overall. Kansas, which dropped a 10-inning 2-1 game Friday at A&M, is 10-11 overall, 2-2 in the conference.

Emporia State is off to a red-hot 18-1 start, including a lofty 14-0 log in the MIAA.

VC: we're just hours from Selection Sunday!

They say we lose an hour of sleep tonight as we move our clocks forward one hour when we go to bed. Not me, I'll wake up tomorrow morning refreshed like I feel most mornings. In fact, tomorrow I may have a little more giddy-up in my step.

At 5 p.m. Central Sunday, college basketball's version of Christmas reveals the field of 68. Months of hearing RPI, quality wins, bad losses, strength of schedule are brought to a forefront. Last four in, first four out, next four out are officially determined as to who gets to dance and who gets relevated to the NIT.

I can remember the days when only 32 teams danced and NBC had the television rites to the NCAA Tournament. Now, there are 68 teams which require four play-in games to get the field to 64 and CBS now has to share some games with TBS and TNT. Finally, the tournament is getting it right. I never have understood why teams like Bucknell, Manhattan and Rider had to take part in the play-in games when they won their conference tournaments and teams like Michigan State and Clemson from a power conference and one of the last at-large teams in got slotted 11. I've always said let the last at-large teams have to duke it out and let them play a 1 seed if they won the at-large game.

Thank you for listening NCAA!

So four play-in games will be contested in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday and Wednesday. This leads me to another gripe I have. Why not play the four play-in games at sites where the winner will play their next game? That way they don't have to travel, they're already there. But oh well, guess that's an argument for a future blog.

When the field is announced Sunday, look for Ohio State to be the overall No. 1 seed. Now the real question...where will the committee place the Buckeyes? The four regions are East, Southeast, Southwest and West. I look for a Big East team - Pitt or Notre Dame - to be the top dog in the East Regional. Kansas, I think, will be No. 1 in the Southwest. I think Duke will be the top choice in the Southeast which leaves Ohio State going west young man, haven't you been told, California's full of whiskey, women and gold. Oh sorry, just heard Toby Keith on the radio and got side-tracked.

Seems odd Ohio State would go west, but I'm not sure what else the committee can do.

Kansas deserves the Southwest Regional. KU's first two games should be played in Tulsa, Okla., thanks to the pod system the NCAA uses to put the top teams as close to home as possible in the opening rounds. San Antonio should greet the huge KU contingent for the regional semifinals and finals. As long as KU keeps winning, the short drive from San Anton to Houston will be KU's final leg of the national championship pursuit.

No matter what happens in tonight's Big XII championship game, KU is a 1 seed.

I think Texas has solidified its justification for a 2 seed and I envision the Longhorns going to the Southeast Regional. My other 2 seeds are San Diego State or BYU out West, North Carolina in the East and a Big East team in the Southwest.

The Big XII deserves six teams and I'm not sure how Colorado, which in my mind secured its spot with its win over Iowa State on Wednesday, all of a sudden appeared on Joe Lunardi's "Last four in" group after losing Friday to Kansas. Lunardi has the Buffaloes as an 11 seed which is the sign of being one of the last teams in. How? Colorado beat my Wildcats three times as well as Texas and should have beaten Texas A&M were it not for a desperation last-second shot from 30 feet!

The Buffs, in my opinion, are a 9 seed. I think the committee, in the spirit of Colorado joining the Pac-12 next year, will put the Buffs out West which means a possible second-round game against Ohio State. Wow, how much fun could that be and if Alec Burks and Corey Higgins are on, this has possible upset written all over it.

Texas A&M is looking at a 5 seed somewhere, possibly East. Missouri, I'm forecasting a 7 spot for the Tigers out west.

Lastly, K-State which was hot until it stepped foot in Sprint Center. I texted coach Frank Martin yesterday that he should not play any more games in Sprint Center for awhile. The last two games there? Losses to UNLV and Colorado.

The Wildcats are a 7 seed in the East Regional. Because they lost their Big XII Tournament opener to Colorado, I think the Cats played themselves out of a first-round date in Tulsa. Look for K-State to play in Cleveland in their opener. I'd like to think K-State may still go to Denver for the first two games, but Colorado's three wins in head-to-head matchups may trump that.

It will be a fun tournament. And for the 26th consecutive year, I'm heading up an office pool. My two-dollar charge is the same it was in 1986 when I headed up a small pool at The Manhattan Mercury. Message me on Facebook if you're interested in taking part or send me a message below. Cutoff is tipoff in the Tuesday play-in games.

Finally, our prayers go out to the Wes Leonard family from Fennville, Mich. Wes was buried this week after going into cardiac arrest from an enlarged heart. Just moments earlier he had made the winning basket for his high school basketball team as they capped a perfect regular season. Wes grew up in Baldwin City before his family moved to Michigan. Wes still has family in the Sunflower State.

It is March Madness time! Certainly the best time of the year for hoops fans and maybe the greatest event of the year period. Time to fill out those brackets, get in your office pools and take a shot in the dark at who the winner will be.

Sorry the blog has been out of commission, this thing called work is an absolute killer! Who thought of requiring it? Speaking of shots in the dark, my prediction is that this year like none other will truly be a tourney of upsets and long shots.

Right now the Big 12 Tourney is just beginning at the Sprint Center in KC, so it is difficult to pick winners in the Big Dance without pairings announced or conference tourneys complete.

Ohio State seems to me to be the overall best team in the country. The Big Ten was a little better this year and the Buckeyes have a legit big guy with several wing players that can fill it up. They play solid D and have been consistent all year long. I think the clear cut top seeds are Ohio State, Kansas, Pittsburgh and Duke. Some have Notre Dame as a 1, but you can attribute that to more love of the Big East than a valid argument.

All of those 4 are certainly beatable. Kansas has lost 2 games so far this season, but even as a loyal KU fan, I have to say we are the least formidable and most inconsistent we have been in the last 3 or 4 years going into the tournament. Duke is tough as usual but lacks a go-to guy and without Kyrie Irving, I can easily see them losing to someone who is on a streak that plays tough defense. Pittsburgh can look really good but sometimes cannot score to save their lives. The Irish have a couple of good offensive players but again, are part of the Big East love affair.

The reason I knock the Big East? All year headlines have been dominated by the Big East and them getting 11 in the tourney. I have seen a good bit this year and see very evenly matched, less than spectacular teams. Time will tell, but Pitt and maybe West Virginia are the teams I see going the furthest from that conference. St. John's the darlings in February, hung on to beat Rutgers of all teams on a horrific call today. I guess that makes Rutgers a world beater??

So who in the heck are the dark horses? It is easy to talk about who won't win. The answer is....I am not sure. Once the pairings are announced I will try to get out predictions. I will predict no top seeds make the Final Four and no 2 seeds either! Here are some that I like so far, prior to my own Bracketology taking place. Maybe not too dark a horse, but I do like Wisconsin some as maybe a 3 or 4 seed. I think Kansas State could be scary if they play as they have of late, much more like last year at maybe an 8 or 9 seed. West Virginia at a 6 or 7 seed will be dangerous. Michigan State if they make the field could come alive. Never underestimate Tom Izzo!

More to come folks! Stay tuned and get ready....the Big Dance is here!

Around the horn......I am worn thin on the Miami Heat. When is LeBron going to actually earn the acclaim as the Chosen One? Do you not have to play in the 4th Quarter to earn that title? Carmelo to the Knicks is big and makes them a factor in the East for sure. Almost time for Golf to get in full swing. Will Tiger rebound this year?? I look forward to hoping that he doesn't while rooting for Phil to keep the ball out of the water. Spring training time....what is the over/under on Royals losses? I have it at 110. Sorry all but an outfield of Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur and Alex Gordon is not going to mark our return to average. Neither is dealing Zack for a bunch of spares! Thanks for reading everyone!!