ESPN Men's Basketball

There are few things in life more fragile than reputation, and rarely is this more true than in the strange world of the NBA draft. It doesn't take much to scare away NBA scouts and general managers. Run-in with the law? Occasional marijuana use? The whiff of a bad attitude? These are men with tenuous jobs and just a few multimillion dollar contracts to hand out each season, and they want to be absolutely, positively sure the recipients of those contracts are not a locker room cancer waiting to happen. (Unless, of course, you possess the all-important "potential," in which case, "Hey, everyone makes mistakes! Come on down!")

New Mexico forward Drew Gordon, who entered the NBA draft this spring, knows this all too well. Unfortunately, thanks to his prominent role in Sports Illustrated writer George Dohrmann's February expose on UCLA -- which detailed the near-total breakdown of the program under coach Ben Howland thanks in large part to the insubordination of Gordon's No. 1-ranked 2008 recruiting class -- Gordon finds himself with an unflattering reputation in advance of the June 28 NBA draft.

Fortunately, Gordon, who had two excellent and incident-free seasons after transferring to New Mexico, seems to be approaching things the right way, as the San Jose Mercury News reports today:

Yet as he visits with NBA teams in advance of the June 28 draft, including the Warriors on Wednesday, questions will be asked about The Article.

"It will come up," said one prominent NBA scout. "Teams will be doing their background work to find out what the problem was there." That's OK with Gordon.

"Once people get a sense of my character and have a chance to see how I really act, they'll realize that the impression of that article is not accurate," he said. [...] "We were freshmen, and we weren't getting much playing time," Gordon said. "So we did take advantage of the college life and make some ill-advised decisions. But when I read that article, there was so much negativity there. It was hurtful."

Contrast that reaction with that of fellow former UCLA forward Reeves Nelson, who is reportedly filing a $10 million lawsuit against Dohrmann and SI for "recklessly and negligently fail[ing] to investigate" the claims made against Nelson in the story. (Among those claims: Nelson intentionally injured players in practice, relished in starting fights, urinated on teammate Tyler Honeycutt's clothes and bed, and treated assistants and program staffers with utter disdain, and that's before you get to the missed practices and team buses that led to Nelson's dismissal from the team last November. It's quite a highlight reel.)

Nelson may or may not have a legitimate grievance, and he is within his every right to aggressively respond to things said about him in a magazine story, but it's not hard to see why Gordon's response is the more appropriate one, at least professionally. For one, it reduces the drama and hot air around Gordon's draft stock (Chad Ford currently ranks him No. 59 overall). More than that, though, it allows Gordon to turn the page, to admit some mistakes, to chalk it up to youth, and to prove to his potential future employers that he should be judged not by his actions in 2008 and 2009 but by his performance at New Mexico the past two seasons.

Reputation is a fickle thing, but it's much harder to repair than it is to derail. Gordon has a legitimate and rare chance to do the former. If his NBA career is to live up to his once-deafening high school hype, he'd do well to seize it.

You may remember Leonard Washington from his time at USC. More specifically: You may remember Washington* from the time he hit then-Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin in the crown jewels back in 2008. That was a funny episode, particularly because Washington tried to deny what happened after the fact. Then-USC coach Tim Floyd's money quote on the subject: "He's a freshman. He doesn't know that we film everything." Apparently not.

In any case, Washington had come a long way since 2008. He transferred to Wyoming, and in 2012 he starred in his first season under new coach Larry Shyatt, leading the team in scoring (12.9 points) and rebounding (6.9 rebounds) while posting sterling shooting percentages and the 11th-best defensive rebounding rate (27.4 percent, per KenPom) in the country. Wyoming went 21-12 in 2012, its best season in ages; for a while there, the Cowboys even flirted with the NCAA tournament bubble. Washington was a major reason why.

Unfortunately, Washington's individual progress may be coming undone. In early April, Shyatt suspended Washington indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules. Then, two weeks after that suspension, Washington was arrested and charged with battery and criminal entry during which, according to the citation, he admitted entering a house "without permission from the occupants and striking an individual with a closed fist during a fight." He pleaded guilty to both counts Tuesday, receiving fines and suspended jail time as well as up to a year of unsupervised probation.

The mundanities of the arrest are less important (for our purposes, anyway) than what they could do to Washington's career. The forward was already on indefinite suspension when he was arrested; that's no way to get back in your coach's good graces. Making all this worse for Shyatt is how much he needs Washington in 2012-13. The Cowboys are trying to build momentum under their new coach, but losing your best and most productive player -- in addition to the three senior starters that graduated this spring -- makes an already difficult task monumentally so.

It is no exaggeration to say that Shyatt's handling of Washington -- whether he suspends him for the summer, or dismisses him from the team, or sits him down for a stretch in the winter -- could determine the outcome of the fledgling program's season. It's a fine balance to walk, and Washington can only hope his coach is the forgiving type. Shyatt gave Washington his second chance. Does he deserve a third?

*I, for one, will never be able to hear "Leonard Washington" without thinking of the "Chappelle's Show" character. Like all good Dave Chappelle characters, it will stay with me forever.

Mike Moser. Khem Birch. Anthony Bennett.

In last week's SportsNation chat, a UNLV fan asked me if that was the best frontcourt in the country. It didn't technically exist yet -- Bennett had yet to announce his intentions to attend UNLV, a move he announced Saturday -- but that didn't stop the Rebels fan from projecting his hopes on the team. And really, can you blame him?

Moser is a future NBA small forward whose length and versatility make him an intuitive defender and rebounder, one whose offensive game is only going to be more polished in his junior season. Birch was ranked No. 1 by ESPNU recruiting at the center position in the class of 2011, before he enrolled and later transferred away from a struggling Pittsburgh team. Bennett, meanwhile, was the top remaining unsigned player in the class of 2012 before Saturday, the No. 7-ranked player overall, whom scouts love for his combination of size (he's 6-foot-8, 230 pounds), athleticism and ability to step away from the rim and score on the perimeter. Bennett still needs to improve his low-post game, but by all accounts he's the kind of talent that can step into the college game and flourish immediately.

UNLV coach Dave Rice's system should make that transition even easier. Last season, his first in charge of the program, Rice sought to put to "Runnin'" back in "Runnin' Rebels," and by and large he succeeded. UNLV averaged 70.0 possessions per game (adjusted, via Ken Pomeroy), making them the 29th-fastest team in the country in 2011-12. Last season, Rice's uptempo style was complemented by a flurry of capable guards and outside shooters -- Anthony Marshall, Oscar Bellfield, Chace Stanback, Justin Hawkins. Bellfield and Stanback are gone, but Marshall and Hawkins return, and the idea of both players leading fast breaks with Moser, Bennett and Birch filling the wings and the paint -- well, yeah, the term "scary good" feels entirely appropriate.

There are some reservations to be had. Among them is Birch. The highly touted center spent exactly one preseason and 10 games at Pitt before deciding he wasn't the right fit. That would be all well and good -- bad fits happen all the time -- had Birch stuck it out longer or, say, not ripped his teammates on the radio after his departure for being selfish and "threatened" by him. Will Birch fit with Moser and Bennett, two other top talents sure to demand their fair share of offensive touches? This is where Rice's system helps again: Birch wants to play uptempo, too.

Either way, when that -- will our super-talented center get along with our super-talented forwards? -- is the biggest question concerning your upcoming season, you're in awfully good shape. Arizona and UCLA have their sights set on the always-nebulous "best team in the West" title. There may be better frontcourts in the country. (Kentucky's immediately comes to mind.) But UNLV is right there in both cases, stocked with pro-level talent at the three, four and five positions. Are there five teams in the country who can say as much?

1. San Diego State will not be changing its plan of going to the Big East in football and the Big West for all other sports, according to a direct source. The Aztecs aren’t tied to Boise State since there are other options for football (Air Force or BYU could always be back in the picture for football only), the source said. The school made the move to the Big West to save money since it is mostly a bus league based in southern California and the central coast, save the one trip to Hawaii. The conference's board of directors meets this week and the Aztecs have given the league no indication that it will not be entering the league in 2013.

2. Multiple sources said the Mountain West is actively trying to keep Boise State from leaving and then see if the same happens with San Diego State. But it’s going to be a gamble, either way. The move to the Big East for football was done for the television money -- projected to be more than what MWC will earn. Boise State didn’t move to the Big East in football for the automatic qualification in the BCS (which it can get before the new format starts in 2014). But a MWC source said it’s probably 50-50 on what Boise State decides.

3. The Big East still has to decide if 14 schools will participate in the Big East-SEC Challenge instead of 12. Based on conversations with multiple sources, the highest-profile game that could occur is Kentucky at Georgetown. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Louisville at Florida, Marquette at Missouri, and Tennessee at Notre Dame. But those last four appear to be more speculation at this point. The most likely matchup is UK-GU.

Anthony Bennett (Brampton, Ontario/Findlay Prep), the best remaining player in the 2012 class, has narrowed it down to two schools -- UNLV and Oregon -- after eliminating Kentucky and Florida recently.

Once he chooses UNLV or Oregon, he will be expected to be one of the main guys right away. Bennett is a hybrid scorer who has the body of a power forward in terms of width and girth, but not height, as he stands 6-foot-7. His skill level is terrific as he knocks down deep shots and punishes like-size defenders in the paint with power and finesse. He makes up for his lack of height with his 7-foot-plus wing span that enables him to contest shots, rebound and get deflections and steals.

If UNLV is to land the local product, who plays for Findlay Prep, it would send shock waves through the MWC and the nation. He would join fellow ESPN 100 recruit, SG Katin Reinhardt (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Mater Dei) who is battle tested playing at Mater Dei under legendary coach Gary McKnight. Reinhart is a long-range shooter who has a scorer's mentality and good vision to make the assist when needed.

Click here for more from Paul Biancardi.

1. Our Top 25 poll will generate plenty of buzz, but it left out a few teams that deserve mention. Don’t sleep on Murray State, which returns Isaiah Canaan and coach Steve Prohm. I’ll be stunned if Murray doesn’t make its way back into the Top 25. I also really like Minnesota again. The Gophers should be a real tough out with a healthy Trevor Mbakwe, Rodney Williams and a returning perimeter. And Cincinnati should be in the mix in the Big East with a core returning that played exceptionally well down the stretch.

2. SMU athletic director Steve Orsini can now lock in on finding a replacement for Matt Doherty after having to deal with his basketball selection committee responsibilities. Orsini knows that he has to find the right coach, not necessarily the big name. He wants to make sure the Mustangs are competitive in the Big East in 2014. I’m not sure if he has a shot, but Texas ties are important and that’s why Marquette assistant, and former Texas Tech guard, Tony Benford is an intriguing name who can recruit talent from the area.

3. Jim Christian’s move from TCU to Ohio is a classic case of a coach getting ahead before he’s out. Christian had the Horned Frogs extremely competitive in the MWC this season. TCU is now off to the Big 12. Christian returned to the MAC and took the Ohio job, a team that will be the early-season conference favorite despite the coaching change. But now the Horned Frogs have to do what Orsini is doing in the Metroplex, make the right hire for a new conference and necessarily chase the big name. Texas ties will be even more critical with the Big 12 beckoning next fall.

1. SEC commissioner Mike Slive expects the men’s basketball schedule will eventually get rid of a divisional format when the league goes to 18 games and 14 teams next season. The SEC was already headed that way -- shedding its traditional East-West football breakdown -- before adding Missouri and Texas A&M. The additions shouldn't change the plan. A decision will be made when the coaches and athletic directors gather in Destin, Fla., at the annual SEC meetings in May. This would be a critical development for a number of the teams in the former “West” division like Alabama, LSU and Mississippi State, which have been hampered by playing schools like Kentucky and Florida only once.

2. The Wildcats should look long and hard at Illinois State coach and former Kansas State player Tim Jankovich as well as Georgia coach Mark Fox, a former Kansas State assistant, to replace Frank Martin. Jankovich has strong ties to the region and was once a junior college coach. He nearly upset Creighton in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Fox will have Georgia relevant again here soon if he were to stay in Athens. The Wildcats won’t replace the persona of Martin so they better get someone who is natural to the region.

3. Colorado State should seriously consider Montana’s Wayne Tinkle if it wants to stay relevant in the Mountain West-Conference USA hybrid deal. Tinkle has been a winner in Missoula from the moment he took the job. Tinkle will listen to the Rams if they call.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Previewing the Round of 32 games at the Rose Garden:

No. 4 seed Indiana (26-8) vs. No. 12 VCU (29-6), 7:10 p.m. ET

VCU coach Shaka Smart enjoys inspiring, insightful quotes, and he's leaning on one that is relevant to his 2011-12 team as it prepares to face Indiana in the South Region with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line: "Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing."

It's from Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida," but it could just as easily be from a book on the NCAA tournament, one written as a self-help tome for a select group of so-called mid-majors: "Cinderella: The Year After (and After and After)."

You might have heard this: Smart and the Rams burst onto the scene last year with a surprising Final Four run. Yes, they agree, it was really neat. Yes, they'll tell you, the banners hanging in their home gym still give them goose bumps. But things won are done and losing's soul lies in living in the past.

Said Smart, "We've used that [quote] at times because everyone wants to talk about last year's Final Four run, but that's done, that's over. It's all about now."

The Rams' showdown with Indiana is interesting for a variety of reasons. For one, the Hoosiers are a super-elite program that's been in the dumps of late but is eager to climb back to the top of hoops' Mt. Olympus. VCU is a newbie riding high under Smart's pitch-perfect leadership.

VCU, which has won 18 of 19, is all about its full-court-pressing "Havoc" defense. Indiana is a high-scoring team that isn't afraid to run. The Hoosiers also are great from behind the 3-point line, hitting on 43.6 percent of their attempts, which ranks second in the nation. In their first game here against New Mexico State, they put on an offensive exhibition, hitting 59 percent of their shots, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range. They scored inside and outside, they ran the break, found open looks in the halfcourt and seven players contributed to 15 total assists.

The question on Saturday is whether they can break the Rams' press and again get good looks at the basket. The key, Hoosiers coach Tom Crean said, is to not let the Rams dictate where the ball goes.

"You've got to do a great job of catching the ball where you want to catch it," he said. "If you catch it where they want you to catch it, it's going to be a problem."

VCU has good size, and 7-footer D.J. Haley did an outstanding job Thursday of containing Wichita State big man and leading scorer Garrett Stutz. But Indiana center Cody Zeller offers a different challenge: He's 6-11 and moves like a 3.

"He's as good as any big kid that we've played in the three years I've been at VCU," Smart said of the freshman. "You talk about him running the floor. We definitely can't give him easy baskets in transition. I would guess that one of the things that they'll try to do is get the ball in quickly after makes or, certainly on misses, get the ball outlet quickly and then look for Zeller running to the rim. If you can get the ball in extremely quickly before the press is set up, then that's one way to beat pressure defensive teams."

Against Wichita State, VCU showed it could score out of a half-court offense, which it has struggled to do this season, and make big shots when the screws tighten. And, while Indiana is the pedigreed program, it's the Rams who have been here before.

Of course, four starters are gone from the 2011 VCU team, and Indiana couldn't have looked more poised while it pounded the Aggies. The past, recent and dusty, probably won't dictate much Saturday.

Said VCU senior forward Bradford Burgess when asked to compare last year's team to this year's team, "Really, the only similarity is the name on the jersey."

No. 4 Louisville (27-9) vs. No. 5 New Mexico (28-6), 9:40 p.m. ET

Louisville has inside information on New Mexico. Cardinals assistant coach Wyking Jones was an assistant the previous two seasons for the Lobos. He was particularly close to the Lobos' two best players, forward Drew Gordon and guard Kendall Williams.

It might not matter a whit. It could, in fact, become more of a distraction, something New Mexico coach Steve Alford can anticipate and counter. But the Louisville players and coach Rick Pitino didn't hide the fact they see it as an advantage against the Lobos for Saturday's matchup.

"Well, he can't hurt, obviously, because he recruited some of their players, knows the guys, knows their personalities, when they could get down or when they could be up," Pitino said. "So we're going to have a good feel for them in abbreviated [way]. He gives us things, a feel that we wouldn't normally get."

Said guard Russ Smith, "It definitely helps because he knows their personnel very well. As far as the seniors and juniors on the team, he knows some of the calls that might be made. So Coach Jones definitely is helping us a lot, especially in practice and in film the past day."

The key in this one, however, is shooting. I know: Genius. But this game pits two of the nation's top-five field goal percentage defenses, with both hovering around 38 percent. Both defenses won the battle in their second-round victories. The Cardinals shut down a high-scoring Davidson attack, miring a team that likes to run in a half-court game, while Williams played a major role in shutting down Long Beach State point guard Casper Ware, the Big West Player of the Year, who shot 5 of 19 from the field and was 2-of-9 from 3-point range.

Williams seems most likely to take on surging Louisville point guard Peyton Siva. While Siva isn't the Cardinals' leading scorer, he won Most Outstanding Player as he and his teammates took a surprising roll through the Big East tournament. He scored 17 points -- one below his season's high -- in the win over Davidson, and has averaged 14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.6 steals in five postseason games.

Not surprisingly, the uptick in Siva's play has coincided with the uptick in the Cardinals' fortunes. Pitino credited the change to Siva's late-season ability to vary the speed of his play, which came out of a meeting between the two.

Said Pitino, recalling the meeting, "'Peyton, I'm going to tell you why you're struggling, because you just play at one pace, extremely fast. And because of that, you have a lot of turnovers, because you don't know how to probe and change your pace and create things because you play at one speed.'

"And we showed him a tape of Steve Nash and how Steve always probes and gets in the lane and keeps his dribble and comes back and does something else. And that more than anything else really changed his mindset of learning how to change speeds. And he's been brilliant in the Big East tournament. Brilliant yesterday with doing that. And for someone to make that abrupt change like that and really just visualize himself doing that speaks about his basketball IQ in a big way."

So, is the Siva-Williams matchup going to happen? We'll, er, Siva. Alford wouldn't commit.

"Kendall Williams always gets the top assignment," he said. "If he's the top assignment, Kendall will get that assignment."

While there are some similarities between the teams, there also are plenty of differences. For one, New Mexico doesn't see a lot of full-court press in the Mountain West Conference. And Louisville will be much happier running and creating a frantic pace.

The biggest is this: New Mexico has never reached the Sweet 16. Louisville has been there 17 times, fifth-most in the nation.

But neither history nor Wyking Jones is likely to be the difference in this one. It's probably going to be about getting good looks against defenses that don't give many of them. And converting those looks.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The NCAA tournament had its epic near-miss earlier Thursday when 16-seed UNC Asheville couldn’t close out Syracuse.

The controversy about the officiating contributed to it being the most discussed game of the day.

VCU became a storyline yet again with a final-possessions win over Wichita State, remaining relevant for a second year in a row.

There were plenty of impressive performances, notably Gonzaga’s pummeling of West Virginia in Pittsburgh. But for the most part the chalk held.

Except at the end of the night.

The Pac-12 has been rightfully beaten down throughout the season. Washington, the regular-season champ, didn’t even get a bid. Cal didn’t put up much of a fight against a middling South Florida in a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio, adding even more insult to the league’s off-year.

But if an underdog or Cinderella can still come from a BCS league (in football terminology), then Colorado fits the description.

This simply shouldn’t be happening. But it is.

The Buffs, picked to finish 11th in the league to start the season, won the Pac-12 tournament with four wins in four days and have moved into the third round of the NCAAs after holding on to beat No. 6 seed UNLV 68-60 Thursday night at the Pit.

Maybe even more surprising than the score and the Buffs moving on is how much they have become a hoops haven.

The Colorado crowd was by far the most boisterous of any of the eight teams in attendance. The raw euphoria from fans young and old had the security at the Pit sprinting out in anticipation that Buffs backers might actually storm the court. A number of fans, who were a part of an impressive CU contingent of about 2,500, had started to move down to the lower level, gathering right above the band in what looked like a precursor to a storm.

But this is the NCAA tournament, where storming is as forbidden as taking a Coke can onto the floor without an approved plastic cup cover.

“I feel like our guys are playing well, playing with a lot of confidence and we’re just going to try to keep it rolling,’’ said Colorado’s Andre Roberson. “I just feel like we can take down Baylor coming up.’’

Umm, what?

Baylor is by far the most athletic, longest, deepest and talented team Colorado will have faced all season. No one in the Pac-12 would have come close.

But why would Colorado feel like anything is impossible? The Buffs actually used Connecticut’s five-games-in-five-days Big East tournament title run of a year ago as motivation prior to the Pac-12 tournament.

Victories over Utah, Oregon, Cal and Arizona just continued the improbable roll.

UNLV was next, and while the Runnin’ Rebels had moments of confusion at times in the final month of the season, they surely would outrebound and run past CU, right?

Not quite. CU outrebounded the Rebels by 13.

“I did think that they played with a greater sense of urgency than we did,’’ said UNLV coach Dave Rice.

The rarity of Colorado in this position was quickly pointed out by the CU administration on a postgame release. The Buffs had never won five games in a row March. That’s never — as in has never happened. The last time the Buffs won a game in the NCAA tournament, Chauncey Billups was the point guard and it was 1997.

“I don’t think I was born yet,’’ said Roberson. “No, I know I was. I don’t know.’’

“I was 3,’’ CU’s Askia Booker said. “I was 3.’’

The Buffs have a collection of gritty guys who would pale in comparison to Baylor’s length — and yet to dismiss them would be a major error in judgment. Roberson and Spencer Dinwiddie can block shots with the Baylor bigs Quincy Acy and Perry Jones III. Shooters like Austin Dufault, Carlon Brown and Booker can all match Brady Heslip on 3s. And the Buffs can actually win despite making turnovers (23 Thursday).

“We believe in ourselves,’’ Roberson said. “We believe in everything coach [Tad] Boyle tells us. We execute our game plan. We try to do our best. Defense and rebounding, that’s our motto. Every time we do that, we win games.’’

Boyle had the Buffs on the doorstep of the NCAA tournament last year in the final year of the Big 12. It was Boyle’s first season with Colorado. And then the team lost its two best players in Alec Burks and Cory Higgins.

Now, five games into this postseason, Boyle’s record is a combined 10-2 in playoff basketball at CU after a 3-1 NIT record a year ago.

“I don’t see why it can’t continue,’’ Boyle said. “It’s going to get harder as we go, we know that. But I believe in this team. They believe in themselves, and as long as you do that this time of year, you’ve got a shot.’’

You’ve kept up with his projections for the past few months, but Joe Lunardi doesn’t go into hibernation once the real bracket comes out. Our resident Bracketologist is a hardcore basketball fan who knows his stuff. Here are his picks for the Big Dance:

SOUTH

Second round
1 Kentucky over 16 Western Kentucky
9 Connecticut over 8 Iowa State
5 Wichita State over 12 VCU
13 New Mexico State over 4 Indiana
6 UNLV over 11 Colorado
3 Baylor over 14 South Dakota State
7 Notre Dame over 10 Xavier
2 Duke over 15 Lehigh

Third round
1 Kentucky over 9 Connecticut
5 Wichita State over 13 New Mexico State
3 Baylor over 6 UNLV
2 Duke over 7 Notre Dame

Sweet 16
1 Kentucky over 5 Wichita State
3 Baylor over 2 Duke

Elite Eight
1 Kentucky over 3 Baylor

WEST

Second round
1 Michigan State over 16 LIU Brooklyn
9 Saint Louis over 8 Memphis
5 New Mexico over 12 Long Beach State
4 Louisville over 13 Davidson
6 Murray State over 11 Colorado State
3 Marquette over 14 BYU
7 Florida over 10 Virginia
2 Missouri over 15 Norfolk State

Third round
1 Michigan State over 9 Saint Louis
5 New Mexico over 4 Louisville
3 Marquette over 6 Murray State
2 Missouri over 7 Florida

Sweet 16
1 Michigan State over 5 New Mexico
2 Missouri over 3 Marquette

Elite Eight
2 Missouri over 1 Michigan State

EAST

Second round
1 Syracuse over 16 UNC Asheville
8 Kansas State over 9 Southern Miss
5 Vanderbilt over 12 Harvard
4 Wisconsin over 13 Montana
6 Cincinnati over 11 Texas
3 Florida State over 14 St. Bonaventure
10 West Virginia over 7 Gonzaga
2 Ohio State over 15 Loyola (Md.)

Third round
1 Syracuse over 8 Kansas State
4 Wisconsin over 5 Vanderbilt
3 Florida State over 6 Cincinnati
2 Ohio State over 10 West Virginia

Sweet 16
4 Wisconsin over 1 Syracuse
2 Ohio State over 3 Florida State

Elite Eight
4 Wisconsin over 2 Ohio State

MIDWEST

Second round
1 North Carolina over 16 Lamar
9 Alabama over 8 Creighton
5 Temple over 12 California
4 Michigan over 13 Ohio
11 NC State over 6 San Diego State
3 Georgetown over 14 Belmont
7 Saint Mary's over 10 Purdue
2 Kansas over 15 Detroit

Third round
1 North Carolina over 9 Alabama
4 Michigan over 5 Temple
11 NC State over 3 Georgetown
2 Kansas over 7 Saint Mary's

Sweet 16
1 North Carolina over 4 Michigan
2 Kansas over 11 NC State

Elite Eight
1 North Carolina over 2 Kansas

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS
Kentucky over Missouri
North Carolina over Wisconsin

NATIONAL TITLE GAME
Kentucky over North Carolina

Call in sick for work. Play hooky from school. Plop onto your favorite sofa or reserve a table at the local sports bar.

You’ve been waiting all year for the next two days.

It’s going to be worth it.

For sports fans, the first weekend of the NCAA tournament is as good as it gets. The Super Bowl may receive more hype, and watching your hometown team play in the World Series or NBA Finals is hard to beat.

But on a national level, no event is as highly anticipated by such a wide range of fans as the NCAA tournament. And no sport can match the excitement that will unfold time and time again during the “round of 64” games that take place Thursday and Friday.

Now that most of you have made your picks and turned in your brackets, here are some things to keep an eye on over the next two days.

Five best round of 64 games

No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Connecticut (South Region) -- After finishing ninth in the Big East last season, the Huskies won their final 11 games en route to a national championship. The chances of that happening again this year appear slim, especially with a potential round of 32 game looming against Kentucky. Still, Jim Calhoun’s squad is loaded with NBA talent (Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb) and experience. Its tilt with the Royce White-led Cyclones should be an entertaining one.

No. 8 Creighton vs. No. 9 Alabama (Midwest Region) -- Any little league basketball coach should have his team watch Creighton. Greg McDermott’s squad plays the game the right way. The Bluejays share the ball on offense, take high-percentage shots and genuinely relish each others’ success. They also feature one of the nation’s top players in Doug McDermott (Greg’s son). The 6-foot-7 sophomore will be challenged by an Alabama squad that’s known as one of the top defensive teams in the country.

No. 6 San Diego State vs. No. 11 North Carolina State (Midwest Region) -- Don’t let the Wolfpack’s low seed fool you. With players such as C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown, Mark Gottfried touts the most talented team in the ACC behind North Carolina and Duke. NC State, which is making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006, has won four of its past five games. San Diego State, though, will be a tough out. The Aztecs had won six in a row before falling to New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference tournament title game.

No. 5 Wichita State vs. No. 12 VCU (South Region) -- VCU became the biggest story of last year’s NCAA tournament when it went all the way from the “First Four” in Dayton to the Final Four in Houston. This year Wichita State hopes to end the Rams’ run before it truly starts. The Shockers are generally regarded as the top mid-major team in America. Gregg Marshall’s squad is a solid seven deep, with underrated point guard Joe Ragland leading the way along with 7-foot center Garrett Stutz. Both players are seniors.

No. 5 New Mexico vs. No. 12 Long Beach State (West Region) -- Steve Alford’s New Mexico squad shared the Mountain West regular-season title with San Diego State before winning the league tournament. In Drew Gordon (13.4 points, 10.9 rebounds) the Lobos feature one of the field’s best-kept secrets. Led by Cousy Award finalist Casper Ware, Long Beach State is a senior-laden team that played nonconference games at Kansas, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Louisville. The 49ers won’t be intimidated by the big stage.

Best round of 64 coaching matchups

Gonzaga’s Mark Few vs. West Virginia’s Bob Huggins (East Region) -- By their own standards, Few and Huggins have had somewhat “down” years. Gonzaga failed to win at least a piece of the West Coast Conference title for the first time in 11 years. West Virginia squeaked into the tournament despite losing eight of its final 12 games. Still, these are two of the top game tacticians in the country.

Florida’s Billy Donovan vs. Virginia’s Tony Bennett (West Region) -- The Gators have won two NCAA titles under Donovan, who likes to push the tempo. Meanwhile, no coach is as good at controlling the pace of a game as Bennett, whose team averages 63.1 points a game. Only one team in the last month (Maryland) has cracked the 70-point barrier against Virginia, and the Terps needed overtime to do it. The contrast in styles between these two coaches should make the game interesting.

Memphis’ Josh Pastner vs. Saint Louis’ Rick Majerus (West Region) -- Pastner is the 34-year-old wunderkind who is regarded as one of the profession’s rising stars. Majerus has 516 career wins and took Utah to the NCAA title game in 1998. Beating such a highly regarded coach in the NCAA tournament would do wonders for Pastner, whose reputation has already begun to soar. Memphis has won 11 of its past 12 contests and won the Conference USA title by a commanding two games.

Saint Mary’s’ Randy Bennett vs. Purdue’s Matt Painter (Midwest Region) -- Bennett has turned Saint Mary’s into a mid-major power by winning 25 or more games in each of the past five seasons. This season his Gaels became the first team in 11 years other than Gonzaga to win the outright West Coast Conference title. Painter’s Purdue squads are always among the top defensive teams in the country. The Boilermakers aren’t as good as they’ve been in years past, but Painter will have them prepared for Saint Mary’s.

Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall vs. VCU’s Shaka Smart (South Region) -- Both coaches are rumored to be in line for bigger jobs (and bigger paychecks) at the end of the season. Granted, they may not want to leave their current schools. Marshall has the Shockers back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006. Smart took VCU to the Final Four last season and is hoping for another big run this month.

Best Round of 64 Individual Matchups

Florida State’s Bernard James vs. St. Bonaventure’s Andrew Nicholson (East Region) -- The 6-foot-10 James, who averages 2.3 blocks, will have his hands full trying to stop a forward who has averaged more than 16 points in each of the past three seasons. James is fortunate in that he has already faced some of the country’s top big men (Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Mason Plumlee, Mike Scott, etc.) in the ACC.

UNLV’s Mike Moser vs. Colorado’s Andre Roberson (South Region) -- Two of the nation’s top rebounders will go head-to-head when the Runnin’ Rebels meet the Buffaloes. Moser averages 10.6 rebounds per game, while Roberson snares 11.6 per contest.

Gonzaga’s Elias Harris vs. West Virginia’s Kevin Jones -- Jones would’ve likely been the Big East Player of the Year and a first-team All-American had the Mountaineers not floundered so badly down the stretch. With averages of 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds, the 6-8 260-pounder is one of the most versatile players in the country. His size makes him a tough matchup, but Harris (6-7, 240) is big enough to handle the chore.

Alabama’s JaMychal Green vs. Creighton’s Doug McDermott (Midwest Region) -- Green had better get plenty of sleep before his team takes on Creighton. He’ll need all the energy he can muster to keep up with the 6-7 McDermott, who can score from anywhere on the court. McDermott ranks third in the country with a scoring average of 23.2 points per game.

Baylor’s backcourt vs. South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters (South Region) -- Wolters averages 21.3 points per game and, at 6-4, he’s a tough matchup for opposing guards. The Bears have plenty of backcourt depth, so expect Pierre Jackson, A.J. Walton, Brady Heslip, Deuce Bello and Gary Franklin to take their turns pestering Wolters, who scored 34 points against Washington earlier this season.

Five potential round of 64 upsets

No. 14 Belmont over No. 3 Georgetown (Midwest Region) -- The Hoyas lost their opening game in each of the past two seasons and haven’t made it to the second weekend since 2007. Belmont lost to Duke by one point in its season opener at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Bruins, who have won 14 straight, are a strong No. 14 seed.

No. 12 Long Beach State over No. 5 New Mexico (West Region) -- The 49ers won at Pittsburgh and lost by single digits at Kansas and North Carolina. They’ll have a chance in this one, but only if guard Larry Anderson (knee) is able to play. Long Beach State is led by former Gonzaga and Minnesota head coach Dan Monson.

No. 13 Montana over No. 4 Wisconsin (East Region) -- The Grizzlies have lost just one game since Dec. 10. Wisconsin, which finished fourth in the Big Ten, has had a solid season. The Badgers, however, play a slow style that makes them vulnerable to upsets. Eight of Wisconsin’s last nine wins have been by single digits.

No. 15 Detroit over No. 2 Kansas (Midwest Region) -- Kansas’ history of floundering against mid-major teams (Bucknell, Bradley, Northern Iowa, VCU) makes this game interesting. Detroit touts a McDonald’s All-America point guard in Ray McCallum Jr., and 6-foot-10 center Eli Holman began his career at Indiana before transferring to Detroit. He and 6-foot-11 teammate LaMarcus Lowe could create problems for Thomas Robinson.

No. 13 Davidson over No. 4 Louisville (West Region) -- This isn’t Stephen Curry’s Davidson team, but Bob McKillop’s squad is dangerous, nonetheless. Davidson defeated Kansas 80-74 in Kansas City back on Dec. 19. And the Wildcats went an impressive 16-2 in their conference. Louisville is one of the country’s best defensive teams, but overall, the Cardinals have a small margin for error.

Members of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee made a crucial mistake before allowing its 2012 bracket to be released on national television Sunday.

They didn’t run it by me first.

Given a chance to analyze the 68-team field, I could’ve easily pointed out the flaws and poor decisions that have already caused a stir throughout college basketball circles. Players have coaches, writers have editors, blackjack dealers have pit bosses.

If only the committee would’ve realized it needed someone like me. A supervisor, a don to make sure everything went smoothly.

Here are some things I would’ve changed about this year’s bracket if I were “King of the Committee.”

1. [+] Enlarge
   Jeremy Brevard/US PresswireCould Gregg Marshall lead his Wichita State team to the Sweet 16?
   I hate that Wichita State and Virginia Commonwealth are playing in the opening round. The fifth-seeded Shockers are the best mid-major team in the tournament and VCU is a fan favorite after reaching the Final Four last season. It’s a shame one of these schools will be out after just one game. No offense Shaka Smart and the No. 12 seed Rams, but I’m picking Wichita State in this one. I think Gregg Marshall’s squad will advance all the way to the Sweet 16.
2. Does West Virginia really deserve a No. 10 seed? The Mountaineers have lost eight of their last 12 games, and their only wins during that stretch were against DePaul, Providence, Pittsburgh and South Florida. I’m not saying Bob Huggins’ squad didn’t earn its bid. But this seemed a bit generous.
3. I’ve got to think that a more than a handful of people choked on their cheese puffs when committee chair Jeff Hathaway said during a live interview that Missouri was the fourth No. 2 seed behind Kansas, Duke and Ohio State. Seriously, at what point does the “eyeball factor” come into play? The Tigers are 30-4 and completely dominated a strong Baylor team in the championship game of the Big 12 tournament Saturday. Sure, Missouri’s non-conference strength of schedule was poor. But to imply Frank Haith’s squad would’ve been a No. 3 seed had it lost on Saturday is concerning.
4. Speaking of the eyeball factor, did no one on the committee watch Detroit annihilate Horizon League regular-season champion Valparaiso on its home court last week? This is a team with a McDonald’s All-American at point guard and a center (Eli Holman) who will make a living playing pro ball somewhere. The only reason Detroit has 13 losses is because Holman missed the first semester while on suspension. In terms of pure talent and potential, Detroit could be the best No. 15 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament. If No. 2 seed Kansas plays tight — remember Bucknell, Bradley, Northern Iowa and VCU? — an upset isn’t out of the question. If I’m Bill Self, I’m ticked right now.
5. I’m not sure I agree with the committee’s decisions regarding a few SEC teams. Alabama finished fifth in the league with a 9-7 record and has suspended its second-best player (Tony Mitchell) for the remainder of the season. The Crimson Tide lost all of their marquee conference games against Florida, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. I’m not sure they deserve a No. 9 seed. Florida has lost four of its last five games, but three of them were to Vanderbilt and Kentucky (twice). The Gators played an excellent non-conference schedule that included road games against Ohio State and Syracuse. A No. 7 seed seems too low.
6. Not many teams were as disappointed Sunday as Creighton, which received a No. 8 seed despite going 28-5 and winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. If they get by Alabama in the first round, a matchup with North Carolina awaits. And while it would be neat to see Doug McDermott face off against his former high school teammate (Tar Heels forward Harrison Barnes), Creighton is not athletic enough or good enough defensively to challenge Roy Williams’ squad.
7. I probably would’ve found a way to include Drexel in the field, although I can’t really argue with the committee’s “last four teams in.” Iona is the one that evokes some question marks, but its strength of schedule was much better and, selfishly, I’m looking forward to seeing Michael Glover, Scott Machado and MoMo Jones do their thing on a national stage.
8. The last thing I’d do if I were the “King of the Committee” is clock out early and take my underlings out for an adult beverage or four. Despite a few minor head-scratchers, the group did an excellent job with this season’s bracket. The committee members’ task is never easy, but this season things were likely even more difficult. There was so much parity in college basketball this season, so many teams outside of the top 10 with similar resumes and strengths and weaknesses. Producing a bracket that left little room for debate was a tough chore, but this year, the committee managed to pull it off. Maybe this group didn’t need a king after all.

You already know the drill: Even without dearly departed Brigham Young, the Mountain West has been the West Coast's best basketball conference all season long, but one notably divided between haves (maybe the better term is "have-talents") like UNLV, San Diego State and New Mexico and the have-nots like Boise State, TCU and Air Force. Colorado State was the league's one true bubble question, but after this week's advance to the MWC semifinals -- where all of the top-four seeds held -- the Rams are in solid tournament shape. When you send half your league to the NCAA tournament, you're doing something right.

On Saturday night, No. 1 seed San Diego State will face No. 2 seed New Mexico in the Mountain West tournament final. Seeds held, but that counts as a bit of a surprise, because UNLV's semifinals loss to UNM Friday night marked the first time the Rebels lost in their home gym -- the Thomas and Mack Center, site of this year's MWC tournament -- all season.

What does this game have in store? Let's briefly break it down:

Can the Aztecs disrupt the Lobos' offense? This game pits the Mountain West's most efficient offense, New Mexico, versus the league's second-most efficient defense in San Diego State. New Mexico's raw efficiency numbers were a bit deceiving, because they racked up two silly games against Air Force, but the point remains: This is a good offense, one of the nation's 35 best (per KenPom.com), and one that thrives on ball movement and efficient shooting. The Lobos tally an assist on 64.5 percent of their possessions this season, the third-highest assist-to-field-goal rate in the country. With the ball flying around the court so rapidly, perhaps it's no surprise New Mexico also has a tendency to turn it over, which it did on 20 percent of its possessions in MWC play, the seventh-worst mark in the conference. San Diego State will have to pressure New Mexico along the perimeter, disrupting that ball movement and perimeter attack.

But it can't afford to lose track of forward Drew Gordon in the paint, either. Gordon's interior presence was a major reason why the Lobos led the conference in offensive rebounding rate this season, and he'll like the matchup he sees Saturday: Per KenPom's effective height metric, New Mexico is one of the 50 tallest teams in the country. San Diego State ranks No. 233. The Aztecs don't force a ton of turnovers on the perimeter in general this season, so they might be better off packing it in and swarming Gordon at every turn.

Can San Diego State force a close game? When you look at the efficiency breakdowns and matchups for these two teams, there are few areas in which SDSU has been notably better than New Mexico this season, particularly on offense. San Diego State was the MWC's fifth-most efficient offense in conference play, and the general impression of this team as a bunch of perimeter-oriented sharpshooters led by Chase Tapley isn't very accurate: SDSU's effective field goal percentage of 48.5 ranked No. 7 in the MWC this season.

If this game is a shootout, SDSU is at a disadvantage. Indeed, its best hope to take down the seemingly (despite the seeds) superior Lobos is to slow the game down, make everything difficult for UNM, and hope Jamaal Franklin -- the MWC player of the year and arguably the most talented player on the floor tonight -- can take over at key moments down the stretch. Franklin's last-second heroics against Boise State got the Aztecs here in the first place. They may need it tonight more than ever.

Whatever happens, we know this: The MWC's three best teams are refreshing to watch. After days of Big East and Big Ten tournament action -- in which teams grind each other into the ground, often preferring strength and physicality and deliberate (read: slow) pace over skill and aesthetic appeal -- flipping to Friday night's UNLV-New Mexico semifinal felt like a breath of fresh air. Fast breaks! Secondary offense! Spread sets! Post players with finesse! What's all this?!

We can only hope for more of the same Saturday. If the season to date is any indication, we'll get it. And we'll get a downright thrilling affair to boot.

Check back Friday morning for Joe Lunardi's full bracket, but here are his basic projections through Thursday night's action.

SINCE THE LAST UPDATE

• Texas moves above “Last Four In” (No. 47 overall) with its victory over Iowa State.
• Mississippi State drops to “Last Four In” with its loss to Georgia.
• South Florida stays in the field (No. 46 overall) despite its loss to Notre Dame.
• Oregon moves from "First Four Out" to the last spot on "Next Four Out."

LAST FOUR IN

Washington
Mississippi State
Drexel
Seton Hall

FIRST FOUR OUT

Tennessee
Northwestern
NC State
Miami (Fla.)

NEXT FOUR OUT

Iona
Arizona
Saint Joseph's
Oregon

Also considered: Dayton, Marshall, Ole Miss

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big East (10)
Big Ten (6)
Big 12 (6)
SEC (5)
ACC (4)
Mountain West (4)
Atlantic 10 (3)
West Coast (3)
Colonial (2)
Conference USA (2)
Missouri Valley (2)
Pac-12 (2)

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS

Belmont (Atlantic Sun)
Creighton (Missouri Valley)
Davidson (Southern)
Detroit (Horizon)
Harvard (Ivy)
Lehigh (Patriot)
LIU Brooklyn (Northeast)
Loyola-Md. (MAAC)
Montana (Big Sky)
Murray State (OVC)
Saint Mary's (West Coast)
South Dakota State (Summit)
UNC Asheville (Big South)
VCU (Colonial)
Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)

The Morning After is our semi-daily recap of last night's best basketball action. Yesterday, my editor worked 18 hours. When he arrived at the office, it was February. When he left, it was March. Sweet, glorious March. Which is a little like my arrival and departure from Welsh-Ryan Arena last night.

Point is? March is here. Thirty days of unbridled glory. Let's make every day count, you guys.

There were 58 games to track last night, and many of them held bubble implications. According to Section 10, Rule 2b, Subsection 3-48(d)(a) of the College Basketball Internet Writer's Manual, this means I am required to make a list of these teams and discuss what each result meant for their respective bubble statuses (statusii?). I don't make the rules, people.

Anyway, let's get to it, because Dana and I have to tape a podcast in, like ... oh, shoot, I really have to get going:

Cincinnati Bearcats (beat No. 7 Marquette 72-61): It is growing increasingly difficult to see just how the committee would justify keeping the Cincinnati Bearcats out of the NCAA tournament. Before last night, the only plausible reason for doing so was nonconference performance: A No. 320-ish-ranked nonconference strength of schedule, a loss to Presbyterian, too many cupcake wins, not enough done in the Big East to compensate. That last part of the argument would have been shaky, but it really is now: Cincinnati has now picked off Marquette, Georgetown (at Georgetown), Louisville and Notre Dame. The first two are top-10 bubble teams. The latter two are safely in the tournament field. I know the committee is all about nonconference SOS these days -- win or lose, they want to see you go out and play somebody, to make November and December interesting -- and Cincinnati didn't do that. But everything they've done since screams: tournament team. (And now that their RPI is creeping upward inside the 70 threshold, it's getting a little bit easier to swallow). Hard to say Mick Cronin's team doesn't belong.

Northwestern Wildcats (lost to No. 11 Ohio State, 75-73, in immensely heartbreaking fashion): Northwestern is not a team that could be criticized for failing to take on top teams. Its league, the Big Ten, is chock full of them. Which is partially the problem: After last night's devastating loss -- if NU wins we're probably not having this discussion -- the Wildcats are 7-10 in the Big Ten, with eight of their 12 losses coming to conference foes ranked higher than 50 in the RPI. In fact, Northwestern is just 1-8 against the RPI top 25. The fact that they've played eight games against the RPI top 25 is, in and of itself, a nice addition to the resume. The fact that Northwestern has managed just one win in that bunch (Michigan State at home) doesn't speak volumes.

But here's the good news: Northwestern doesn't have any bad losses. The worst is probably a one-point home loss to Illinois on Jan. 4, long before Illinois had spiraled into oblivion. A loss at Iowa on Saturday wouldn't be a bad loss in reality, but it would be the sub-100 RPI loss. It's hard to know how the committee will judge this profile. The bottom line: As a disappointed but upbeat John Shurna told ESPN.com Wednesday, the Wildcats just "got to win." A loss, and this conversation might be, unfortunately, over.

Colorado State (toppled No. 17 UNLV, 66-59): Colorado State's chief concern in the past three weeks has been the addition of big wins. The Rams have long had some of the better (and more inflated) RPI numbers in the country, but they lacked few results to which Colorado State could point and say, "See? It's not just that the RPI makes no sense! We're pretty good, too!" They got another one here Wednesday night. In eight days, the Rams have toppled UNLV and New Mexico, part of their unbeaten home record in Mountain West play. A 3-5 record against the RPI top 50 is nothing to scoff at; neither are wins against all three guaranteed tourney locks from your own league. The only problem is CSU hasn't traveled at all well: They're 4-9 away from Ft. Collins this season, including losses at Boise State, Stanford, Wyoming, Northern Iowa, and TCU. Now, many of those losses are understandable. TCU, Wyoming, and UNI are all great at home, and most seasons, it's hard to fault a quasi-mid-major like CSU for losing at Stanford. But the Rams are still just 8-8 vs. the RPI top 100. Not great, not bad. Will the top-20 RPI and top-five SOS push them over the edge?

South Florida (won at No. 18 Louisville, 58-51): Say what you will about the South Florida Bulls. You can't fault them for effort. Or, for that matter, timing. USF's win at Louisville last night was huge: It gave South Florida its best Big East win against a team not named Seton Hall or Cincinnati (not to mention a game that wasn't a one-point win at home) helping to bump this once-questionable RPI up into the top-35 range. USF's schedule ranks No. 19; its nonconference schedule strength is No. 54. The committee says it doesn't look at conference record closely, and in this instance, that makes sense: 12-5 in the Big East looks gaudy, until you dig in and see how imbalanced South Florida's schedule was, and which teams it actually beat. Still, though, you can't fault Stan Heath's team Wednesday night. They needed a huge win at Louisville, and they got it. But with a 5-10 road record and other bubble teams (like Northwestern, for example) with just-as-good-wins and fewer bad losses (USF lost to Old Dominion, Auburn and Penn State in the nonconference), USF's big Wednesday night hardly guarantees them a spot in the field. It puts them in contention, but a home win against West Virginia on Saturday (and a decent showing in the Big East tournament) is still the recommended course of action.

Saint Joseph's (lost at St. Bonaventure, 98-93, in double OT): Brutal loss for the Hawks. Phil Martelli's team has kept creeping into the fringes of the bubble picture before, only to lose a game and fall off again, but after Saturday's 10-point win against Temple, Saint Joe's put itself very much back in the conversation. They're still there, but only barely. Home losses to Richmond and Charlotte are knocks against this team, as is a road loss at American. A 6-9 record against the RPI top 100 reveals a team that has stockpiled 13 of its wins below the top 100 line. Probably a long shot now, but the A-10 tournament could help it get in position.

Dayton (lost at Richmond, 82-71): Richmond is not a horrible team by any means, and it can't be much fun to play on the Spiders' home turf, but even so, this was a rough loss for the Flyers -- who, like Saint Joseph's began the week as a fringe bubble team and look likely to end it there now as well. Archie Miller's team has racked up its fair share of quality wins, but also has a bunch of not-so-quality losses. When your RPI is No. 71 and you're 8-7 in the A-10 -- a good league, to be sure, but still -- you're going to have trouble getting a solid look on Selection Sunday. Much more work to do.

Miami (lost at NC State, 77-73): When you're a bubble team playing another bubble team, particularly one like the Wolfpack, which damaged itself with three straight missed chances (at Duke, vs. Florida State and UNC) and a subsequent overtime loss at Clemson, your best bet is to just go out and win. Miami didn't do that Wednesday night, instead falling to fellow putative bubble team NC State in Raleigh. Bad news for the Hurricanes. Worse news: Even Reggie Johnson's return from an eligibility scare didn't help. The Hurricanes are still in the hunt, but with only Boston College left on the schedule, can a win at Duke and a home win against Florida State really be enough?

Southern Miss (beat Southern Methodist at home, 67-60): This one was all about the avoidance of a bad loss, and USM got the job done. With an 11-4 record in CUSA, a 9-6 record at home, a 3-2 record against the RPI top 50 and very good (probably too good) RPI and SOS numbers, even a loss at Marshall on Saturday probably wouldn't do much to knock Larry Eustachy's team out of the field.

Texas (beat Oklahoma at home, 72-64): A home loss to Oklahoma might not be a home loss to Texas Tech, but it would have been ugly either way. Why? Because Texas's regular-season finale just so happens to come at Kansas on Saturday, where the Jayhawks pretty much never lose, and it's almost impossible to imagine (short of a legendary J'Covan Brown explosion) the young Longhorns leaving Lawrence with a signature win. A win would be great, obviously, but if (when) it doesn't happen, Texas will find itself right in the thick of the bubble chase heading into the Big 12 tournament, where upset opportunities abound. For now, they've stayed very much in the chase.