ESPN Men's Basketball

Florida International forward Dominique Ferguson's plan was to transfer to a school closer to his Indianapolis home. He wanted to be near his family and said he needed smaller classes and more academic attention to succeed.

He said he made his transfer request before Florida International fired third-year coach and NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas on April 6.

FIU's denial of Ferguson's transfer is another example of a rejected request. This case also happened a week before the nationally scrutinized situation with Wisconsin redshirt freshman Jarrod Uthoff. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan initially denied Uthoff's request to transfer to any school in the Big Ten, ACC, neighboring states and Marquette. Uthoff won his appeal with the exception of being able to transfer within the Big Ten. The league has a rule that curtails transferring within the conference. It allows grant-in-aid but forces a player to lose a year of eligibility after sitting out.

"I wanted to go to a school close to my family in the Midwest,'' Ferguson told ESPN.com. "I went to Hargrave [Military Academy in Virginia] my senior year in high school and came straight here and had seen my family only a handful of times. It was hard on me and affected how I played.''

Ferguson, who is 6-foot-9, averaged 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game this past season. He had been ineligible as a freshman.

"I wanted to be home and be more comfortable,'' Ferguson said. "I had my meeting with the board, three people [who] had nothing to do with academics. It was supposed to be a nonbiased meeting. It seemed like it went great.

"I told them that I wanted to leave to go to a smaller school, that I needed more one-on-one smaller classes,'' Ferguson said. "Four hours later I got an email on the decision that it was more beneficial for me to stay in Miami, at FIU. It was puzzling. I had never met them. They didn't know me. I wanted to be near my family, a big family that I don't ever see.''

For the rest of Andy Katz's story, click here.

Remember Dominique Ferguson? He was the No. 58-ranked player, and the No. 14-ranked power forward, in the class of 2010. He had offers from Arizona, UCLA, Indiana, Kentucky and Duke. He chose to play for Florida International instead. And now, after Isiah Thomas' dismissal and an ensuing Panthers player rebellion, Ferguson is going pro:

Florida International forward Dominique Ferguson announced Tuesday that he was entering the NBA draft, saying he's unhappy about the firing of Isiah Thomas and unable to get permission to talk to other schools.

Ferguson told The Associated Press that his request to be released from his scholarship was denied by Pete Garcia, the school's executive director of sports and entertainment. A subsequent appeal process that Ferguson said included a meeting with university President Mark Rosenberg also did not bring the release he sought.

"It's been very confusing," Ferguson said. "I'm getting through all this mess. It's a big mess going on right now."

There's no denying that; the firing of Thomas, though surely the right thing to do for a flagging program with a coach who barely seemed interested in his own job, has turned into a massive mess. This is just the latest incarnation. Florida International made a good hire in Louisville assistant Richard Pitino, who will surely try to stem the tide of transfers among players with no shot of going to the NBA, but it won't be easy. And Ferguson should be given his release. Stalling may seem like a viable plan for FIU, what with players uniting around Thomas and promising to leave the school one way or the other, but sooner or later they need to give these kids their releases -- whether Thomas is pulling the strings or not.

Which is one thing about Zeke, and about Ferguson's decision, that I just don't understand. From the AP story:

"I wanted to play for Isiah Thomas," Ferguson said.

Right, we get that. But dude ... why?

Seriously. Why did you want to play for Isiah Thomas? In two years at the school, Ferguson -- a 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward who should have been a matchup nightmare for everyone in the Sun Belt -- averaged 8.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. His team won a combined 19 games in those two years. Ferguson never broke the 100.0 mark in offensive rating; this season he posted an 84.3 off. rating with an effective field goal percentage of 43.3. To be fair, he did have good blocks and defensive rebounding numbers, but hardly the kind you'd expect from a talent like Ferguson's in a conference like the Sun Belt.

So if Ferguson isn't obviously getting better at FIU, and Thomas wasn't using his NBA mojo to prepare Ferguson for the league, why is Ferguson so upset with the firing of his coach that he's rashly deciding to leave for the NBA? (And again, the school should give him his release. Let's be clear.) Because he's Isiah Thomas? I'm six years older than Ferguson, and I barely remember Thomas's playing days. Is it the sheer fact that he played in the NBA? That he was the Knicks' GM? Is that what all this loyalty is about? Was it simply fun to play under Thomas at FIU? Did everyone have a grand time?

For a guy who just won eight games in his final season, Thomas was able to inspire an incredible, borderline sycophantic loyalty in his players. You're firing our totally unsuccessful, moonlighting coach? Then we're all out of here! Forget our own careers -- we're loyal to Coach Zeke! It's weird, right?

And now Ferguson leaves in a huff, off to try an NBA career for which he appears totally unqualified. FIU isn't handling this well, but it's hard not to think Ferguson's decision is yet another in a list of poorly timed, poorly chosen paths to his professional dream. Anyway, wish him luck.

1. Kentucky coach John Calipari said Tuesday afternoon that Rod Strickland, a director of basketball operations, would be staying with the Wildcats and not heading to work for Larry Brown at SMU. Calipari said his entire coaching staff will remain intact; assistants Kenny Payne and Orlando Antigua had interest in a few openings but never got too far in the process. Assistant John Robic has been a steady presence next to Calipari during his tenure. Meanwhile, Calipari said he’s hopeful that the Wildcats can add one more recruit after already securing a top-five class.

2. Tony Benford could have joined Larry Brown’s staff but made the wise choice. Benford has longed to be a head coach and getting a North Texas gig that will be one of the best in its current and possible future league makes sense. The SMU staff situation continues to be an odd process as the school/Brown search for a possible coach-in-waiting rather than dealing with the now and simply turning to recruiting and coaching. SMU was supposed to hire one coach, not one for now and one for the future.

3. Loyola (Md.) coach Jimmy Patsos would be a great choice for Virginia Tech after he made the NCAAs and coached in the ACC as an assistant. Patsos is a tremendous worker and brings unbelievable enthusiasm. But the Hokies will likely look for high-level coaches they can’t get (VCU’s Shaka Smart), flirt with others who may make too much money or have a buyout (Richmond’s Chris Mooney) before looking at coaches who fit for cost, timing and location of this job. I will be surprised if Virginia Tech were to lure a coach who has a solid, stable situation in a top-eight league.

College coaching searches are typically held on some strict deadlines. For example: Last month, when Illinois sought a replacement for former coach Bruce Weber, athletic director Mike Thomas openly stated that he wanted to end his search before he left for the Final Four in New Orleans. This kind of arbitrary deadline happens for a couple of reasons, far as I can tell:

1. There is a real chance schools can lose current players and recruits if the situation feels uncertain. And who knows what those players are hearing from opposing coaches gently (or not so gently) nudging them toward a transfer.

2. The perception is such that if you can't find a coach within a few days, well, clearly there is something wrong with your program. What's wrong with your program, dude?

Still, the deadlines can be counterproductive, and they were for Illinois. When Shaka Smart turned the job down, Thomas had to scramble to find a second and third and fourth option, and when those possibilities fell through he found himself rushing to sign a deal with Ohio coach John Groce -- a good, well-respected coach, but also one that went 34-30 in the MAC in four seasons -- before the deadline Thomas himself created. It was a bit of a mess for a variety of reasons. The rushing around was one of them.

Which is why it's somewhat interesting to see North Texas athletic director Rick Villareal be so laissez-faire about the idea of hurrying to find a new men's basketball coach. Villareal is charged with finding a replacement for Johnny Jones, who left for the vacant LSU job last week, and while Villareal doesn't want the search to take all summer -- he wants to finish up in the next 10 days -- he told the Denton Record-Chronicle that he isn't hurrying just to hurry, either:

“I know there is some angst and concern, but what I would tell people is that we hired Johnny Jones,” Villarreal said. “We had the foresight and I had the intuition to do that. We hired Karen Aston a year ago, and she did a great job. We hired Dan McCarney, who has increased our program tremendously.We are going to get that kind of person.”

“I’m not going to try to do it in two days, because we don’t have to,” Villarreal said. “We have got some time. I’m going to be diligent and see just who is interested, and at the end of the day make sure that we have the best pool to pull from.”

At this point in the calendar, with much of the high-level coaching intrigue finished for now, this seems like the appropriate approach. Jones made the North Texas job a surprisingly desirable one; Villareal will have a solid pool of candidates to work through. If fans are willing to trust the process, why rush it?

Give it up for the Florida International Panthers: For a program that hasn't posted a winning record in the past 12 seasons, FIU has no problem landing "name" coaches.

Of course, the Isiah Thomas experiment always felt more like a public relations-inspired sideshow than a legitimate hire. Thomas had one foot out of the door during his entire time at FIU; the rumors of his involvement with the New York Knicks from afar never truly ceased, and if anything only increased, as it became clear Thomas wasn't remotely invested in a long, arduous rebuilding process. At some point, after the bemused headlines faded away, the PR grab wasn't even worth its own headlines -- mostly because it failed to generate any. We all stopped paying attention. Ho hum.

Now, as FIU seeks to quell the popular player uprising that took root after Thomas's April 6 dismissal, FIU director of sports and entertainment Pete Garcia gone again to the public relations well. The difference, at least this time, is that their latest attention-grabbing coaching hire might actually be able to, you know, coach.

On Sunday, Louisville coach Rick Pitino told ESPN's Andy Katz that his son, Cardinals assistant Richard Pitino, would leave his father's staff to take over at FIU. The Panthers refused to confirm the deal Sunday, and no one returned correspondence, but Pitino was already eulogizing the time spent with his son, which included this season's unexpected run to the Final Four:

"You know I'm delighted, but I'm going miss (him) terribly," Rick Pitino said. "I think one of the great things in 35 years of coaching was spending three years with him. Watch him grow as a basketball coach, and you sort of don't want it to end."

[...] "It's his opportunity," Rick Pitino said. "It was his decision, not that I was against it. But I would have loved to been with him a few more years."

Richard Pitino came back to Louisville this season after two years spent as an assistant coach under Billy Donovan at Florida. He has also worked at Duquesne, Northeastern and the College of Charleston. As such, FIU may have just done about as well as it possibly could in hiring Thomas's replacement. The younger Pitino brings his name with him, so he has that public relations advantage, but he is also a legitimate college basketball coach in training, one who spent much of the past decade breaking down tape and learning under two of the nation's most successful college hoops coaches, one of which just so happens to be his father.

It's a win-win for FIU. Indeed, given the Thomas disaster, Richard Pitino -- inexperienced as a head coach though he may be -- might still be the absolute best possible scenario for a program hasn't broken the .500 mark, let alone made it to an NCAA tournament, in over a decade.

At the very least, however Richard Pitino performs, it can't possibly go worse than the past three years. It's a step in the right -- and an entirely more sane -- direction.

1. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said there was no decision yet on whether seniors Scott Martin and Tim Abromaitis will receive a sixth season of eligibility. Martin and Abromaitis each have had knee injuries. Martin played in three total seasons -- the first one at Purdue and the last two at Notre Dame with a redshirt season and an injury season in between. Abromaitis played in only two games this past season. This was his fifth season in college due to an injured second season with the Irish. Clearly, getting one or both back would be a major deal for the Irish in the Big East next season.

2. Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus spent the early part of the week working on his non-conference schedule. He said scheduling has become one of the toughest parts of the job, especially in dealing with the amount of money teams are getting for guaranteed games. But SLU is once again working on a stellar slate of games that should help the power rating. SLU does get New Mexico in a return game and may end up playing Murray State in St. Louis. SLU is one of the anchor teams in the CBE Classic in Kansas City with Kansas, Texas A&M and Washington State. A potential Kansas-SLU matchup in a final would be quite a show in KC.

3. The Sun Belt adds Georgia State. The WCC adds Pacific. But the biggest winners outside the power six in this conference alignment in 2012 will likely be the Big West adding San Diego State. The Atlantic 10 may also win if it can finalize a deal to get Butler. The team that may have the most trepidation now could be Boise State. The Broncos went to the WAC for the fall of 2013 but the WAC could look drastically different if the MWC-CUSA merger poaches a few members. Or, more likely, the Sun Belt under former WAC commissioner Karl Benson gets regional teams out of the WAC in Texas and Louisiana to bolt. Don’t put Boise in the WAC in cement just yet.

And so three years after it began, the Florida International basketball stunt is over.

Because that’s really all this ever was -- a public relations grab. Isiah Thomas was not hired for his coaching acumen, certainly. Nor was he chosen for his deep recruiting resources.

He was hired to turn attention to a school that otherwise was known for a football brawl with Miami.

And it worked.

We bit.

During Thomas’ first summer at FIU, I spent some time with him in Las Vegas while he dipped his toe into the deep end of recruiting. So did plenty of other people, intrigued by the notion of this millionaire and Hall of Famer trying to make a go of it in college basketball’s hinterlands.

The trouble with stunts: Eventually the smoke clears and you’re left with just the mirrors.

FIU went 26-65 with its part-time coach/full-time PR hire, a direct reflection of both Thomas’ coaching inadequacies and his level of job interest -- or more accurately, disinterest.

It’s easy to blame Thomas, but he only threw his name into the ring.

FIU made the hire.

And this was never a hire. This was little more than a fraud perpetrated by a university desperate to gain attention and a man looking to fill time between gigs.

Really, Thomas belonged at Florida International as much as I belong on Nick Saban’s defensive line. He had zero college-coaching experience, and what little coaching experience he had didn’t exactly jump off the résumé as resounding successes.

He had absolutely none of the recruiting contacts necessary to attract kids to a campus trying to make a name for itself -- and the staff he hired was underwhelming to say the least. His sales pitch equated to being able to name a few tenuous NBA contacts that sounded good but offered little in the way of real promise.

That was enough to lure Dominique Ferguson, a one-time top-100 recruit who had interest from all sorts of name-brand schools and instead opted for FIU. In two years, despite playing against competition that rarely sees the likes of his talent, he has yet to average double digits under Thomas’ tutelage.

Frankly, this was little more than a playground for Thomas, a chance to see if he liked this college thing without really giving more than the lip service his employer asked for.

In 2010, he was named a consultant for the New York Knicks, which should have sent red flags to FIU officials about his level of commitment and interest. Most coaches will tell you they don’t have enough time to eat breakfast, let alone consult on the daily activities of an NBA franchise.

Yet FIU didn’t even blink.

In the end, then, both are getting what they deserve: Thomas his pink slip, and the university mud in its eye and a program stuck in the mud.

Head coaching is not brain surgery (except, perhaps, to Jim Boeheim), but it is a full-time job.

And it deserves a full-time coach -- not a stunt.

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

1. The selection committee said BYU and Iona were 14 seeds because of the need to have the Cougars play into a Thursday-Saturday regional if they won. But they also wanted to make sure the Cougars weren’t near a WCC team or out West (too far to travel from Dayton). So that limited the Cougs and dumped them in nearby Louisville. But it also means that Marquette is getting one of the best 14 seeds that a No. 3 seed has seen with the Cougars coming back to beat Iona.

2. Western Kentucky fans have been hammering me on twitter about my criticism of firing Ken McDonald mid-season. I’m not against McDonald being canned. I understand that the situation had gotten out of control. And, yes, Ray Harper did a tremendous job to get Western Kentucky through the Sun Belt tournament title and then to come back against Mississippi Valley State. But unless there are extenuating circumstances, I still don’t like college coaches being fired prior to the end of the season. Let’s also remember, this isn’t the pros. It is extremely disruptive mid-year.

3. One of my pet peeves occurred multiple times during our 68 coaches show Tuesday in Charlotte. It’s not the best 68 teams. It’s the top 37. The selection committee isn’t putting together the best 68 teams. If you were confused then all you had to do was watch the first First Four Tuesday night.

DAYTON, Ohio -- We were all thrilled and confused Tuesday night.

What had we just witnessed?

The evening’s matchups offered surprises that caused grown men to speak in fragments at the University of Dayton Arena.

“I just don’t … I mean … I’ve never …”

At that point, there was nothing to say.

The gym’s floor had been transformed from the site of the postseason’s afterthought to a canvas for college basketball history.

In this season’s First Four -- still fighting for legitimacy among college basketball fans -- the NCAA tournament commenced with the greatest comeback in the final five minutes of a game. Western Kentucky recovered from a 16-point deficit to secure a 59-58 victory over Mississippi Valley State.

And just a few hours later, BYU launched the greatest comeback in NCAA tournament history when it recovered from 25-point hole against Iona and sealed a 78-72 win.

“What an exciting game,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose.

That would qualify as an understatement. After BYU’s victory, fans, scribes, coaches and players spent a few minutes meandering around the building in a stupor, intoxicated by the liquor called March Madness.

President Obama and British prime minister David Cameron sat courtside for the Hilltoppers’ victory over the Delta Devils. And by the end of night, the president’s appearance had become a sidebar to the explosive start of America’s favorite tournament.

As Western Kentucky stormed back, the commander in chief formed a “T” with his hands and mouthed the word “timeout.” He’d gotten caught up in the craze, too.

Obama, however, missed the best game. He left immediately after the conclusion of Western Kentucky’s win over MVSU, in which it rallied from 16 down in the final five minutes.

In the nightcap, Iona scored 55 points in the first 15 minutes and 26 seconds of its meeting with BYU. And then the Cougars tortured the Gaels for the remaining 24-plus minutes, nibbling at that lead until the final minutes.

Iona scored 55 points and shot 69 percent from the field and 71 percent on 3-pointers in the first 15:26 of the game. But in the final 24:34, the Gaels scored 17 points, shot 20 percent from the field and made just 1 of 18 3-pointers. They also turned it over 15 times during that stretch.

At one point, BYU went on a 17-0 run and held Iona scoreless for more than nine minutes. By the time Noah Hartsock (23 points) nailed a 3-pointer with 2:28 on the game clock,the Cougars had a 71-70 lead. By the end of the night, the Cougars had authored a 31-point swing and surpassed Duke’s 22-point comeback against Maryland in the 2001 Final Four.

“I started looking around and didn’t see [Obama]. But I’m sure he had some important things to take care of,” Hartsock said. “But it was just great just being here at the game and just grateful we could man together and get a win.”

This is why America falls for this event every year. This is why President Obama brought Cameron to Dayton.

For the possibilities presented by the NCAA tournament.

There aren’t any ridiculous brackets. Amazing things happen in March.

Iona had locked up a victory. The Gaels looked like UNLV from the early ’90s. Then they ran into a crafty zone, and turned into a team that didn’t know how to score.

“We started getting our hands on loose balls and tipping it,” Hartsock said. “We were just trying to be active.”

Iona’s collapse jacked up part of my bracket. I predicted two Gaels victories.

But I wasn’t concerned.

I’d just watched two of the greatest comebacks in college basketball history. In Dayton. With the President of the United States in the crowd for one of them.

Welcome to March.

That was the message that Western Kentucky and BYU sent during the first two games of the First Four.

And if that was the appetizer, I can’t wait for the main course later in the week.

DAYTON, Ohio -- “Wow. I don’t know where to begin.”

That’s how Ray Harper started his postgame news conference following his team’s 59-58 win over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday at the University of Dayton Arena.

With President Barack Obama sitting courtside, the Hilltoppers recovered from a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes of their First Four win over the Delta Devils. It was the third time in four games they overcame a double-digit disadvantage.

They were down by 13 against both Arkansas-Little Rock and North Texas in the Sun Belt tournament but came back to win both games.

Against the Delta Devils, they were doomed by turnovers (27) and a first half in which the Hilltoppers recorded six field goals. They went 2-for-16 from beyond the arc.

But a late push -- the largest comeback in the final five minutes of an NCAA tournament game -- changed everything as Obama looked on with British prime minister David Cameron. The Hilltoppers, a team that features seven freshmen, admitted Obama’s presence caused some anxiety.

“For him to be in the house, that’s a crazy feeling. That’s the president of the United States coming to watch our game,” freshman Derrick Gordon said. “I’m sure he liked what he saw.”

Freshmen Gordon (11 points, 11 rebounds), T.J. Price (11 points, 8 rebounds) and George Fant (9 points, 11 rebounds) led that that game-winning charge.

Price’s three-point play with 33 seconds to go was a crucial sequence that put the Hilltoppers ahead by three. Late free throws sealed the win.

The Delta Devils’ Kevin Burwell (20 points), who’d pointed and nodded toward the president after some of his big plays, had a chance to tie the game but missed a 3-pointer near the buzzer.

Western Kentucky finished with a 53-30 rebounding margin and a 19-11 advantage in second-chance points.

The Hilltoppers might lose to Kentucky by a large margin in the second round. Doesn’t matter.

They’ve already won.

Their former coach, Ken McDonald, was fired in January following a rocky start. Harper took over and led the program to a Sun Belt tournament title even though it possessed a sub-.500 record in conference play (7-9).

“We’re a tougher team,” Fant said about the change the program has made under Harper. “We’re going to defend you the whole game.”

The same grit the Hilltoppers have used to salvage what started out as a 5-11 season and evolved into a team that’s won an NCAA tournament game emerged during the final minutes of their win over the Delta Devils.

Down 53-37 with 5:06 to go, the Hilltoppers relied on past experiences and didn’t panic. They closed the game with a 22-5 rally that included seven MVSU turnovers.

“They were ready to play some more basketball,” Harper said.

As the Delta Devils crumbled in the final minutes, Obama turned to Cameron and made a ‘T’ with his hands before calling for a MVSU “timeout.” Even the president could sense that the Delta Devils were unraveling.

It was an intriguing conclusion to an ugly game. For Western Kentucky, it was another chapter for a team that’s refused to allow its earlier drama to define its season.

“I knew my team was going to keep on fighting,” Fant said.

DAYTON, Ohio -- Reaction from Western Kentucky's 59-58 win over Mississippi Valley State:

Overview: Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley State kicked off the NCAA tournament Tuesday night at the University of Dayton Arena. The stakes were both clear and daunting. The winner would face No. 1 Kentucky in the second round the Big Dance.

But that seemed just as important as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in front of a president. President Obama took British prime minister David Cameron to the First Four matchup.

Obama was the center of attention, but he didn’t witness anything spectacular, especially in the first half when the two teams combined for a 2-for-14 clip from beyond the arc. Western Kentucky recorded six field goals and 13 turnovers before halftime. Mississippi Valley wasn’t much better. The Delta Devils were outrebounded 25-18 before halftime.

But the game changed in the second half. An 11-0 run gave the Delta Devils a 47-36 edge with 8:19 to go in the second half. In the final minutes, however, the Hilltoppers recovered with a 15-0 run to cut a 16-point deficit to one point with 2:27 to play.

With 1:06 to go, the Hilltoppers and Delta Devils were tied. It finally felt like March.

T.J. Price scored on a layup and drew the foul with 33.8 seconds to play to put the Hilltoppers up by three. It was a crucial sequence. The Delta Devils had a shot to tie the game at the buzzer, but Kevin Burwell's 3-point attempt missed.

And now, the Hilltoppers will face the favorites to win the whole show. But they gave spectators a thrilling finish in the first official game of the NCAA tournament.

Turning point: After trailing by 16 points, the Hilltoppers stayed alive with that late run in the second half.

Key player: Western Kentucky's Price and Derrick Gordon both had 11 points. Price’s three-point play in the final minute was crucial.

Key stats: The Hilltoppers ended the game on a 22-5 run and won the rebounding battle, 60-32.

Miscellaneous: Wow. This was a bad game early. But the finish was wild. True March Madness. … Burwell scored 20 points. During the game he gestured toward the president after big plays, and at one point Obama winked and pointed at the guard.

Saddle Up is our semi-daily preview of the night's best basketball action. Today’s edition focuses on the first two NCAA tournament games in the First Four. And how’s this for a storyline? President Obama will be in the building.

BYU (14) vs. Iona (14), 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTV, University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio: This is an intriguing matchup that should spur recollections of VCU’s Final Four run last year. Last year, the Rams endured critics who didn’t buy their case for inclusion in the field of 68. They proved them all wrong with a Final Four run.

Iona was arguably the lone surprise in this year’s field. And many have questioned its invitation. But the Gaels are dangerous. They possess one of the most talented trios in the country. Mid-major, high major, doesn’t matter. Scott Machado, Michael Glover and Lamont “Momo” Jones can play with the best. The Gaels own the No. 1 scoring offense in the country (83.3 points per game). Not only could they advance Tuesday night, but the Gaels have an offensive potency that could lead to an upset of 3-seed Marquette in the second round, too.

If only it were that simple. The Gaels’ defense has been shaky all year. This team can run with anyone and can lose to anyone, too, because its defense is so suspect.

BYU challenged Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s during its first year in the West Coast Conference. The Cougars had the league’s No. 1 scoring offense (78.2 ppg). They also held WCC foes to a 41 percent clip from the field, the No. 1 mark in the WCC.

But BYU has not been the same team since Noah Hartsock (16.7 ppg) injured his knee in mid-February. He’s played through pain but his health has impacted his team and it could affect Tuesday night’s game, too. Iona is the kind of team that can separate itself quickly with its up-tempo offense. BYU will have to slow the Gaels enough to keep the game close. That challenge becomes more difficult with Hartsock’s mobility issues caused by the knee injury.

Iona could turn this matchup into a NASCAR race. Or BYU could force the Gaels to play D and disrupt their rapid tempo and send them home.

Should be a great game.

Mississippi Valley State (16) vs. Western Kentucky (16), 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV, University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio: The first official game of the NCAA tournament features two of the best storylines. Both Mississippi Valley State and Western Kentucky have overcome adversity to earn NCAA tournament invites. No. 1 Kentucky awaits the winner. But it’s amazing that these two squads have even reached this point.

Western Kentucky fired Ken McDonald in January after a 5-11 start. Assistant Ray Harper took over as interim coach and instilled a new level of intensity within the program. The Hilltoppers won the Sun Belt tournament despite possessing a 15-18 overall record. They’ve won six straight. Freshman George Fant was a stud in the Sun Belt tournament. He scored 17 points in his team’s title game victory over North Texas.

The Hilltoppers are hot entering their First Four meeting against Mississippi Valley State. But the latter has lost once in 2012. The Delta Devils regrouped after a brutal nonconference schedule that featured road games against Notre Dame, North Carolina, Iowa State, Wisconsin and Florida. They started the season at 1-11 and didn’t play their first home game until early January.

The Delta Devils play that hectic nonconference slate to keep their program afloat financially. It’s a tough task for Sean Woods, who had to use a middle school gym for practice last year due to a leaky roof in his team’s home gym. But players and coaches said competing against some of the best Division I teams in the country made them a better squad. Paul Crosby (13.4 ppg, 7.6 rebounds per game) is the SWAC Player of the Year. The Delta Devils led the SWAC in scoring offense and they were also one of the league’s top 3-point shooting teams.

This might not be the sexiest matchup within the bracket. But I can’t think of a better story.

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)

Don’t panic.

Down by double-digits Tuesday night, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers surveyed their situation and encouraged one another. They were down by 13 points to North Texas with 12:51 remaining in the Sun Belt tournament title game, but it wasn't an unfamiliar situation.

The team had overcome a double-digit deficit in a quarterfinal victory over Arkansas-Little Rock with the same ferocity that transformed WKU from a 5-14 squad in early January to an NCAA tournament team Tuesday night after a 74-70 win over North Texas.

The 7-seed Hilltoppers stormed back against a feisty and talented UNT team behind gutsy efforts by Oklahoma State transfer Teeng Akol (career-high 23 points) and freshman George Fant (17 points), who helped Western Kentucky earn its 22nd NCAA tournament bid overall and first since 2009.

“We were just saying, 'Be calm. We’ve been here before. It’s not a big deal.' Our whole goal is to come out and be the tougher team, win or lose,” Fant told ESPN.com. “We just want the other team after the game to say, 'That team is really tough because they fought the whole game.'”

But Tuesday’s comeback really started two months ago when Ken McDonald lost his job the morning after a controversial loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. That January loss ended in overtime with the Ragin’ Cajuns using six players on their final, game-winning possession. It was also Western Kentucky’s fifth defeat in six games.

The school immediately gave assistant Ray Harper the interim head coaching job. He had to reassure a flummoxed squad and stop the bleeding.

“We were a team that really had to become a tougher basketball team,” Harper said. “I thought we got better each day. We got tougher and that’s why we’re still playing."

Don’t panic.

Fant quickly culled his fellow freshman teammates -- the Hilltoppers have seven freshmen on their roster -- and stressed calm. Harper had helped recruit them. Fant trusted him.

The season could be salvaged, the young leader told them.

“I’ve been knowing Coach Harper for a long time and I know what he’s capable of. I just told my team, ‘You guys, don’t panic,’” Fant said. “I think our intensity picked up a lot [after he arrived].”

On his first official day as interim head coach, Harper called every player into a room for individual meetings. He issued his expectations and demanded more toughness. The 'Toppers would have to fight for two halves the rest of the season. No excuses.

They embraced that trait in the weeks that followed Harper’s promotion. Beginning with a Jan. 21 win over UALR, the Sun Belt’s West division champ, the Hilltoppers won 10 of their next 14 games and Harper was named the program's permanent head coach on Feb. 19.

That's looking like a wise move these days, with 15-18 WKU the first team in four years to advance to the NCAA tournament with a losing record.

On Tuesday, North Texas freshman Tony Mitchell (18 points) put the Mean Green on his back. But Akol (5.8 ppg) promised Harper the he wouldn’t let him down after scoring 16 points in his team’s three previous games combined. He didn’t care about leading the team in scoring. His goal was to challenge Mitchell and fight the way Harper wanted his team to fight.

“We just went in there aggressive,” Akol said. “Tony Mitchell is an unbelievable player and I’m just trying to go attack him every time I get the ball. Go at him.”

Don’t panic.

Sensing tightness in his team after North Texas took that 13-point advantage, Harper reminded the Hilltoppers that they’d faced previous obstacles. And for this program, that word encompasses matters that they’ve encountered on the court and off it.

They couldn’t panic, he told them. He asked them to “nibble” at North Texas’ lead.

Three minutes after the Mean Green seized that double-digit edge, WKU had made the Sun Belt tournament title matchup down to a four-point game.

That’s when Harper cracked a joke.

“I said, ‘You guys are catching up too quick.’ And they laughed,” Harper said. “I just wanted them to loosen up.”

And not panic with a shot at the NCAA tournament on the line.

It seems that this season, the Hilltoppers rarely do.