ESPN Men's Basketball

1. The NCAA's random date of April 16 to declare for the NBA draft isn't pressuring a number of players into making quick decisions. Coaches are now savvy to the date as being meaningless. That's why Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk may wait to decide until the NBA's own early-entry deadline of April 28. Olynyk is probably going to be the same player in the NBA whether he declares next season or this. He is a Wooden All-America and, if he were to return, would be one of the contenders for player of the year. Missouri's Phil Pressey is also weighing a similar decision over the next few weeks. A number of players haven't outlined their intentions but have plenty of time, like Miami's Shane Larkin, Kansas' Ben McLemore, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, Georgetown's Otto Porter, Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas, Syracuse's C.J. Fair and Michael Carter-Williams, Louisville's Russ Smith as well as Indiana's Cody Zeller. Cal's Allen Crabbe joined the list of draftees earlier Wednesday. I fully expect Indiana's Victor Oladipo, Louisville's Gorgui Dieng, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad and Michigan's Trey Burke to declare soon. No official word out of Connecticut, but the staff is anticipating -- at this point -- that guards Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright will return (smart move if it happens, since they don't have an NBA home to go to next season).

2. The Big Ten suddenly got incredibly younger with this week's two coaching hires -- Northwestern announcing Chris Collins and Minnesota tabbing Richard Pitino. The under-40 club will give the league a new look. The two take over programs that are striving for consistency, but both desperately need an upgrade in facilities to hang with the big boys. Collins and Pitino will need to use their youthful enthusiasm to build momentum since the dollars aren't in place for facilities they were used to -- Collins was at Duke and Pitino at Louisville and Florida before his stop at Florida International. Northwestern had been looking at Collins for quite some time. But Pitino was clearly a new name for Minnesota in the past week as athletic director Norwood Teague looked for an off-the-grid-type hire like he made at Virginia Commonwealth. Pitino got off to an impressive start in his coaching career at FIU with the upset of Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt tournament and a chance to earn the league's automatic NCAA tournament berth. Now he'll face his toughest challenge of his career. He has a brand name in basketball, which carries weight, but will need to put together a strong staff to quickly earn the trust of his players this spring and summer. This can work at both places. Memphis, for example, has been a soaring success under Josh Pastner. Pastner led the Tigers to conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances as a young, vibrant assistant-turned-head-coach of a major program. Collins was a fit at Northwestern so there's no issue there. But give Pitino a chance to see if this could work.

3. Old Dominion looked like it was set to go to former Western Kentucky and Georgia coach Dennis Felton before the Monarchs and athletic director Wood Selig tabbed American's Jeff Jones. This hire came out of left field, but might end up being one of the better fits. Jones played and coached at Virginia and should be able to recruit well in the fertile Tidewater area. Jones had made American a consistent Patriot League contender, which isn't easy to do in a conference where Bucknell and Lehigh are the anchors. ODU knows who it is and wanted to gravitate toward a coach that made sense. This hire does.

With one flick of the wrist, Victor Oladipo ended the debate. At least in my mind. For the last few months, I'd been leaning toward putting the Indiana guard at the top of my final Wooden Award ballot. Oladipo's game-clinching 3-pointer in last weekend's round-of-32 victory over Temple cemented his place in the No. 1 slot.

Granted, I was probably going to vote for Oladipo anyway. The all-around contribution he made to the Hoosiers' Big Ten regular-season championship squad was invaluable. His per-game stats: points (13.6), rebounds (6.4), steals (2.1) and assists (2.1). The junior played a factor in every facet of the game. "Energy guys" do that, and no player this season exhibited a motor quite like Oladipo, whose grit and determination and passion permeated throughout Indiana's locker room and carried onto the court. The kid is a flat-out winner and, as a result, so was Indiana.

Here is a copy of my final Wooden Award ballot:

1. Victor Oladipo, Indiana -- The Hoosiers guard doesn't get nearly enough credit for his strong defensive play. He can guard almost every position. He also has a knack for coming up big in key moments, which is why the Hoosiers were able to beat Temple and advance to the Sweet 16.

2. Trey Burke, Michigan -- The sophomore point guard spent quite a bit of time at the top of this list, but he has taken a slight dip in recent weeks. He went 2-for-12 from the field against South Dakota State and committed seven turnovers against VCU. He's shot below 50 percent in his last six games.

3. Jeff Withey, Kansas -- No team in the country has a defensive weapon quite like Withey, who had 16 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks in Sunday's win against North Carolina. Withey averages 13.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks for the Jayhawks, who are in the Sweet 16 for the third straight year.

4. Otto Porter, Georgetown -- The 6-foot-8 forward struggled in Georgetown's final two games. He went just 4-of-13 in a loss to Syracuse in the Big East tournament and only 5-of-17 in an upset loss to Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA tournament last weekend. Still, Porter's overall accomplishments cannot be ignored.

5. Doug McDermott, Creighton -- McDermott labored in Creighton's third-round NCAA tournament loss to Duke. He scored 21 points but went just 4-of-16 from the field. He ended the season averaging 23.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. He has yet to announce whether he'll skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft.

6. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga -- The Zags have been the NCAA tournament's biggest disappointment. They struggled to beat No. 16 seed Southern and then lost to No. 9 seed Wichita State. Olynyk averaged 23.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the setbacks.

7. Mason Plumlee, Duke -- The center is ending his senior season on a tear. Plumlee is averaging 17.8 points in his last five games and has helped Duke advance to the Sweet 16 against Michigan State. On the season Plumlee is averaging 17.2 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

8. Cody Zeller, Indiana -- The 7-foot sophomore may not have lived up to his Preseason Player of the Year expectations, but he still had an excellent season for the Big Ten champion Hoosiers. He averages team highs in points (16.7) and rebounds (8.0).

9. Shane Larkin, Miami -- The Hurricanes were one of the biggest stories of the college basketball season thanks to Larkin, the point guard who led his team to the ACC regular-season title and the Sweet 16. Larkin averages 14.5 points, 4.6 assists and two steals. He averaged 23.7 points in the ACC tournament, which Miami won.

10. Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State -- The junior averages 19.7 points and 6.1 rebounds for a Buckeyes squad that will play Arizona in the Sweet 16. In two NCAA tournament games, he's averaging 23 points while shooting a combined 16-of-26 from the field.

A week ago, I believed I had it all figured out.

Moments after the Selection Sunday pairings were announced, I began to compile my annual "10 bold predictions" column.

So I analyzed the bracket. Consulted the mountains of research that streams from Bristol each day. Scoured KenPom.com. Checked the RPI and the BPI.

I looked at strength of schedule and top-100 wins. Scrutinized the best and worst wins of teams I trusted and those I didn't. And then, I went with my gut.

My projections included a claim that the Pac-12 would go 0-5 in the NCAA tournament and Marshall Henderson would fail to lead Ole Miss past Wisconsin.

Oh, it gets better.

I picked Middle Tennessee to reach the Sweet 16.

Today, my list of predictions belongs in the same fire pit as my bracket, which slotted Georgetown as a Final Four squad and Wisconsin as an Elite Eight team.

It has been only a week. But everything that seemed reasonable and practical and possible has been questioned and reconsidered. By me. By you. By all of us, really.

Read Myron Medcalf’s full story on Home Court by clicking here.

For the seventh time in NCAA tournament history -- and the third time in the last two years -- a 15-seed has defeated a 2-seed.

Florida Gulf Coast defeated Georgetown 78-68 in FGCU's first-ever NCAA tournament game.

The 10-point victory is the second-largest margin of victory for a 15-seed over a 2-seed. Only Coppin State's 13-point win over South Carolina in 1997 was larger.

The only teams to defeat a 2-seed in their first ever NCAA tournament game were 2001 Hampton (versus Iowa State) and 2012 Norfolk State (versus Missouri).

Being upset early has become a common theme for Georgetown. The Hoyas are the first team to be eliminated in four straight NCAA tournaments by a team seeded at least five spots lower.

How did FGCU get it done?

The Eagles outscored Georgetown 25-11 in transition. Their 25 transition points were the most the Hoyas have allowed in a game this season; they entered the game allowing 10.1 per game.

Otto Porter Jr. could not finish around the rim, making two of his nine field goals in the paint.

Looking ahead

The Eagles have their work cut out for them if they want to keep wearing the glass slipper. No 15-seed has ever made it to the Sweet 16. Coppin State in 1997 was the only 15-seed to even come within 10 points of its Round of 32 opponent. Norfolk State and Lehigh lost by a combined 46 points last year.

Other notes from Friday

• North Carolina coach Roy Williams earned his 700th career win in UNC's win over Villanova.
• La Salle advanced to the Round of 32 for the first time since 1990. The Explorers have won two games in the same NCAA tournament for the first time since 1955.
• Miami defeated Pacific by 29 points for the Hurricanes' largest margin of victory in an NCAA tournament game in school history.

Jimmy Dykes breaks down No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast's upset win against No. 2 Georgetown.

Florida Gulf Coast coach Andy Enfield discusses the Eagles' 78-68 upset over No. 2 seed Georgetown.

It is officially the time of year when my friends and family ask me for bracket advice. And why not? They know someone who follows this stuff year-round, and could possibly give them an advantage in the office pool, and I am happy to provide whatever information and advice I can.

But I always lead with a disclaimer: You probably shouldn't listen to me.

It's a hoary old trope, the one about the novice picking the winning bracket, and it's not like some level of expertise won't help you pick a better bracket. But the core nature of the unpredictable NCAA tournament is such that expertise only goes so far. I've had good brackets. I've had meh brackets. And I've had brackets that required Don Draper to visit me in the bracket ward, give me a steely glare, and say "This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened."

Which is why I am always terrified to give my Final Four picks on Selection Sunday, and why I wait until the last possible moment to fill out the bracket myself. And it's also why this little ditty -- a look at the best potential bracket matchups -- is one of my favorite things to write. It doesn't require a prediction! It's so ... liberating!

These may not be the matchups you have in your bracket, and they may not be the upset specials we all crave this time of year, but they are some of the 10 best potential late-round games in the bracket. Let's roll.

Indiana-Louisville, national championship game. A lot can happen on the road to Atlanta, and the odds we see this national title are no doubt slimmer than our 2012 dream matchup, Kentucky-North Carolina. But there is no better matchup in the field, no more exciting possible way to end the 2012-13 season, than pitting the best defense (Louisville) and offense (Indiana) in the country against each other with the national title on the line. Louisville is a turnover-tweaking, amorphous beast; Indiana is a fluid, fast-paced scoring show. They are two most watchable teams in the country, and also the best.

Duke-Michigan State, Midwest Region, Sweet 16. Rick Pitino had to be slightly horrified when he saw the stacked Midwest bracket Sunday afternoon. But there is one bright side: He doesn't have to play Michigan State and Duke. Just one or the other. If seeds hold, the Spartans and Blue Devils will meet in the Sweet 16, which means we'd get to see an athletic and defensive Spartans team take on Duke's balanced floor-spacing offense, which means we'd get to see Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski -- coaches of two of the sport's marquee programs, and often the first two men listed when people ask for the best coach in the sport -- play basketball chess. These types of matchups are typically reserved for the Final Four.

Kansas-VCU, South Region, Sweet 16. Both teams would have to win two of the more intriguing second-round games in the bracket (Kansas over UNC or Villanova, VCU over Michigan and Trey Burke), neither of which (obviously) are guarantees. But if they do, it sets up a game that has the two things that make NCAA tournament games great: A storyline, and fascinating basketball tactics. On the storyline side, these two teams would be a rematch of the 2011 Elite Eight matchup -- when VCU won on its magical ride from the First Four to the Final Four. On the basketball side, VCU would be unleashing its ball-pressure defense. Darius Theus and Briante Weber, two of the nation's best defenders, look to force as many turnovers as possible. Kansas, for all its strengths, turns the ball over on 19.9 percent of its possessions, and it's not hard to imagine Ben McLemore, Elijah Johnson and Naadir Tharpe feeling flustered. Were VCU to win, everyone will crow about Kansas being upset yet again, but you'll have seen it coming.

VCU-Michigan, South Region, Round of 32. As I just wrote, VCU has to get past Michigan in the second round to meet Kansas. Maybe a better way to put it is Michigan has to get past VCU. It's a fascinating contrast of styles. The Rams force the most turnovers per possession in the country, while Michigan, thanks in large part to the peerless excellence of Burke, coughs it up less than anyone else. Just the thought of the Rams swarming and reaching and slapping the floor as Burke catches a baseline inbounds and turns to navigate his way downcourt gives me what I believe nice, old Southern women call "the vapors."

Indiana-Butler, East Region, Elite Eight. Indiana is the marquee team in the state, but Butler is the recent Final Four participant (twice over) with the young coach who could have just any job in the country but hasn't taken any of them and who, wait for it, grew up an Indiana fan. Meanwhile the Bulldogs are rapidly rising as a program; in three years they've gone from the Horizon League to the Atlantic-10 to a likely spot in the new Big East. This rivalry could be — should be — personal and public, local and national, and how better than playing for a Final Four spot to kick the whole thing off?

Florida-Georgetown, South Region, Sweet Sixteen. These Gators are a real threat to make the Final Four, but to do so they'll almost certainly have to get through No. 2-seeded Georgetown. When the Gators are good, they're really good, and they're really good because they're setting a million picks and hitting jumpers from everywhere. Georgetown plays zone, and Georgetown guards jump shooters as well as any team in the country. But do the Hoyas have enough on the offensive end? How far can Otto Porter Jr. carry them?

Gonzaga-Wisconsin, West Region, Sweet Sixteen. Gonzaga fans are sick of hearing how few games their No. 1-seeded Zags would have won in the Big Ten. They are tired of the self-same criticism about schedule and wins and the fact that Illinois beat them in their own building. If Wisconsin advances to the Sweet Sixteen -- and that's never a guarantee, but I think they will -- Gonzaga will have the perfect chance to quiet everyone down. And if they don't? Bulldogs fans might just want to leave the Internet for a while.

New Mexico-Ohio State, West Region, Sweet 16. The aesthetes won't be thrilled with this selection, and frankly I'm not sure I'd be all that thrilled to watch it either. But I do want to see what happens when these utterly ruthless defenses try to grind each other into a fine paste. Could we have this season's first mid-20s scoreline? Let's give it a shot!

Kansas-North Carolina, South Region, Round of 32. Are you already a little tired of the storyline? I am. I guarantee Roy Williams is. But it is here to stay, at least until one of the two teams loses, preferably to each other. This weekend, Williams and his Tar Heels will return to Kansas City to take on Villanova. If they win, they'll face Kansas, and you can expect every Jayhawks fan in attendance to loudly voice their distaste. Maybe Williams can placate them with a Kansas sticker? Wait, he already tried that. Shoot. Oh, I’ve got it: What if he puts on the Big Jay mascot costume and makes a Harlem Shake video? Are we at least getting warmer?

It’s so easy to bash the bracket and, by extension, the NCAA tournament selection committee.

But this is also a subjective process, where beauty is in the eye of the computers and still, the beholder. The country will never see eye-to-eye with the decisions made and no matter how many mock brackets the NCAA holds, plenty will still think the fix is on.

Of course, that’s frankly the beauty of Selection Sunday. If it were easy and boring, we wouldn’t be talking about it.

In the next few days we’ll be able to critique the committee’s job more thoroughly, but for now here are a few bracket first impressions:

A field day for conspiracy theorists

The NCAA tournament selection committee chair this year is Mike Bobinski, who is the athletic director (at least until next month when he takes over at Georgia Tech) at Xavier. And, Xavier is in the Atlantic 10 (at least until this week when the Musketeers join the Big East).

The A-10 received five bids (more than the ACC and the SEC): Saint Louis, the league's conference tournament champion, earned a No. 4 seed, VCU a 5, Butler a 6, Temple a 9 and bubble-dwelling La Salle a 13.

Out West, meanwhile, the Pac-12 also received five bids. Except the league’s conference champion, Oregon, was a 12-seed while Arizona and UCLA came in as 6-seeds, Colorado earned a 10 and Cal another 12.

So was this Bobinski strong-arming the committee to give his league its due?

I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case, as the process truly is set up to avoid such personal favoritism.

And in truth, is the committee wrong? Was the brand of basketball played in the Atlantic 10 not better than the Pac-12?

So why did we want to be the overall No. 1 seed?

That’s what Louisville has to be thinking right now.

The Cardinals earned the distinction on merit, winning the Big East Tournament in a steamroller of an effort against Syracuse. But Louisville’s reward is a date in the Midwest Region, which apparently was set up by the masochistic dentist who is sidelining on the selection committee.

Yes it’s a nice, easy drive for fans from Louisville to Indianapolis, but they might want to bring some sedatives with them.

The team I believe is the best in the country and the committee tabbed the best in the country has the most difficult road to Atlanta.

In their second game the Cardinals will either get Missouri or Colorado State, two of the best rebounding teams in the country.

Survive that and it’s on to a possible Sweet 16 date with Saint Louis, a team that can match Louisville’s defensive intensity (albeit in a different way) head to head, a team that none other than coach Brad Stevens said could win the whole thing.

Make that, Cards, and congratulations -- you might get Tom Izzo or Mike Krzyzewski in the Elite Eight.

Neither of them know anything about getting to a Final Four, right?

OK, here’s what the committee did right

Enough with the questionable calls, it's time to throw a few rose petals.

Middle Tennessee State, Boise State, La Salle and Saint Mary’s are in the tournament, and that’s a good thing.

Maybe not if you’re a Tennessee or Kentucky fan, but oh well, tough break.

The big-league teams have plenty of chances to prove their worth. Their conferences are set up as NCAA tournament auditions, with brand-name games and RPI-grabbing opportunities weekly. Conjuring up a nonconference schedule isn’t terribly difficult, either.

Try being Middle Tennessee State. You think anyone wants to go to Murfreesboro to play? No. Frankly not too many would be willing hospitable hosts to the Blue Raiders, either. What’s there to gain but a bad loss?

Ditto Boise State. Idaho isn’t on most blueblood’s charter flight patterns.

So what are they to do? How about the best they can, and hope they’re recognized for it.

This year, at least, the committee did just that.

The cruelty of March

Poor Shaka Smart.

When ESPN set up Akron and VCU in a BracketBuster game in 2011, both he and Zips head coach Keith Dambrot prayed it would be the last time.

So much for that.

In Auburn Hills, Mich., Smart and Dambrot will go head-to-head once more and this time it’s a legit bracket buster.

The two are coaching best friends. Smart considers Dambrot a mentor. The two spent three years together at Akron, and Smart was Dambrot’s right-hand man after he was named head coach. Dambrot was even in Smart’s wedding.

Now one will have to beat the other.

“It will be strange for sure," Smart said via text message.

Random thoughts:

• Michigan’s Trey Burke versus South Dakota’s Nate Wolters in the first round, that’s a nice little point guard matchup.
• Word to the wise for Duke fans. Seven years ago, Albany was a No. 16 seed in Philadelphia and scared the pants off of top-seeded Connecticut for a half, leading by 12 at the break. The Great Danes are back in Philly as a 15 seed, set to face the Blue Devils.
• If Florida and Georgetown meet in the Sweet 16, will they move the game from Washington D.C. to a battleship to make up the cancelled game from November?
• Butler versus Bucknell? Really? We have to pick one? That’s mean.
• How many times will Villanova and North Carolina have to answer questions about the last time they met -- at the 2009 Detroit Final Four? Forget the fact that both teams are considerably, um, different this time around.
• Can someone please set up an on-camera conversation about court decorum and attitude between Bo Ryan and Marshall Henderson?

The possibility

After the Louisville-Indiana rivalry officially was killed off, Rick Pitino and Tom Crean gave fans -- both local and national -- a little hope when they floated the idea of playing one another next season. It would be a terrific game between two national powers that sit only a short ride from one another.

We very well could get an earlier date.

The two teams that started the season as Nos. 1 and 2 in both polls may be rolling downhill toward a meeting in Atlanta.

NEW YORK -- A quick look at the Syracuse's 58-55 overtime win over Georgetown in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.

What it means: It doesn't get any better than that.

Georgetown and Syracuse, the two longtime archrivals, met one last time as fellow members of the Big East conference Friday night. And after 45 thrilling minutes, Syracuse had landed the final punch.

In a game that will be talked about for years to come, played in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden, the Orange defeated the Hoyas to advance to this year's Big East championship game.

No. 19 Syracuse (26-8, 11-7), which had lost four of five games prior to tournament, has now won three games in three days, previously defeating Seton Hall and Pittsburgh. The Orange will be a higher seed in the NCAA tournament as a result. And they've gotten some revenge after losing to the Hoyas twice in the regular season -- both times by double digits.

No. 5 Georgetown (25-6, 14-4), which had won 13 of its past 14 games, will no longer contend for a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance after this loss. But the Hoyas will still get a very high seed and will be a force to be reckoned with.

How it happened: Georgetown drew first blood. Otto Porter Jr. scored the first bucket of the game and the Hoyas went in front by as many as five and maintained the lead for almost the entire first 12 minutes. But a James Southerland 3-pointer pulled Syracuse even, 17 apiece, with 8:04 remaining in the first half. That was the first three points of a 13-0 run, making it 27-17, as Georgetown went nearly eight minutes without scoring a point. Freshman guard Trevor Cooney, who averaged 3.5 points in 11.7 minutes per game, scored 10 first-half points for the Orange, including a pair of 3s. Syracuse led 29-20 at intermission.

Georgetown gradually clawed its way back in the second half. Mikael Hopkins scored the Hoyas' first seven points, and then Markel Starks buried three 3-pointers in short order. Georgetown finally tied the game up, 49 all with 1:48 left in regulation, on a pair of Jabril Trawick free throws. Baye Keita drained both ends of a 1-and-1 to put Syracuse back in front 51-49, but then Porter also made both ends with 7 seconds left to tie the game again. Michael Carter-Williams missed a jumper at the buzzer and we moved on to overtime.

Syracuse's Brandon Triche scored the first two points of OT on a driving layup, and then Starks fouled out with 3:36 remaining -- a big blow to Georgetown. With 18 seconds left and the Orange in front 57-55, Triche was fouled. He made the first, but missed the second, giving the Hoyas another chance to tie. But after a timeout, Porter was smothered defensively and turned the ball over. With four seconds left, Fair went to the foul line, but missed both free throws. Georgetown rebounded, but Trawick's half-court heave at the buzzer was off the mark.

Star watch: Triche, Southerland and Keita each scored 13 points for Syracuse. Triche scored 11 of his 13 after halftime. Southerland drained four 3-pointers, giving him 16 for the tournament -- that ties the tourney record. Keita, who averages just 3.3 points per game and was shooting just 48.6 percent from the foul line, made all seven of his attempts from the charity stripe.

Hopkins had 15 points to lead Georgetown. Starks scored 13 and Porter added 12.

Number crunch: In a box score that reveals a very even game, two things stand out. Syracuse was a little better from beyond the arc, shooting 7-for-18 (38.9 percent); Georgetown was 4-for-18 (22.2 percent). Even more important, Syracuse was 13-for-19 from the foul line (68.4 percent). Georgetown, on the other hand, was just 11-for-20 (55 percent).

What's next: Syracuse, the No. 5 seed, will play No. 2 seed Louisville on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Georgetown heads home, licks its wounds and begins preparing for the Big Dance.

An update after Syracuse's win over Georgetown and Duke's upset loss to Maryland.

1-SEEDS
Indiana/MIDWEST
Gonzaga/WEST
Louisville/EAST
Duke/SOUTH (falls to last No. 1 with loss)

2-SEEDS
Kansas/SOUTH
Miami/WEST
Ohio State/EAST
Georgetown/MIDWEST (falls to last No. 2 with loss)

LAST FOUR BYES
Oklahoma
California
Saint Mary's
Wichita State

LAST FOUR IN
Boise State
La Salle
Middle Tennessee
Ole Miss (last "in" pending late game vs. Missouri)

FIRST FOUR OUT
Virginia
Kentucky (out with loss to Vanderbilt)
Alabama
Maryland (up one group until further study)

NEXT FOUR OUT
Tennessee
Southern Miss
Iowa
Baylor

1. Oregon's Dana Altman got the Pac-12 coach-of-the-year award, but the honor should have gone to UCLA's Ben Howland. Howland has done his best coaching job since he has been at UCLA -- and that includes the three consecutive Final Four runs. Consider this: UCLA won the Pac-12 outright despite losing two rotation players, had to deal with eligibility and injury issues with Shabazz Muhammad and pieced together a team that had a mix of transfers and freshmen to win the conference. Howland was able to get Larry Drew II to play to his potential in his last season in college. Howland had to alter the way he coached. And he did all of this under the pressure and scrutiny that accompanied a perception that his job was in jeopardy. The Bruins had their moments of hard-to-fathom losses like Cal Poly early and at Washington State late -- but they still found a way to win the conference and are a real threat to make a run in March.

2. The reason the new Big East might not start out with 12 schools in the fall instead of 10 is the lack of consensus among the seven schools forming the new league. The best-case scenario would be for the new Big East to start fresh with a dozen. But if there isn't agreement on the schools beyond 10, they will wait for another year. Butler and Xavier are the locks to get first invites, with a debate raging among different factions over Creighton and Dayton for No. 10. Saint Louis is the other school that could ultimately be in the group. Having a primarily basketball-driven conference isn't a new concept. It's called the Atlantic 10. Georgetown coach John Thompson III wasn't being sentimental about the end of the Big East on Thursday. He said the Big East isn't going anywhere and neither is the tournament. He's technically right.

3. Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips has to make a decision on the fate of coach Bill Carmody in the coming week. Carmody hasn't been able to get Northwestern in the NCAA tournament, but then no one has in Evanston. Carmody has had tremendously bad luck and is a well-respected coach for a reason. He has poured all his energy into trying to get the Wildcats into the NCAA tournament. Northwestern should be able to make a cameo every so often, like Stanford. The Wildcats are always going to be in a better position than most to earn quality wins due to the strength of the Big Ten, and probably just have to finish sixth to be in the chase for a bid. That will become more difficult with 14 teams, but still doable. If Northwestern were to go in another direction, I don't see how how Duke associate head coach Chris Collins, a native of the northern Chicago suburbs, doesn't get the first call. Carmody deserves a chance to state his case for what he has done to make the Wildcats competitive and what he can still achieve.

NEW YORK -- After his team was all but decimated by Georgetown in the regular-season finale, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim lamented that he didn’t care how much Otto Porter Jr. scored against the Orange, he wanted them to shut down the Hoyas’ backcourt.

It seemed like a counterintuitive argument, what with the 33 points Porter scored against Syracuse in the first meeting, but the Hall of Fame coach proved to have Hall of Fame logic. Markel Starks, Jabril Trawick and sixth man D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera combined for 45 of the Hoyas’ 61 points in that rout.

Mick Cronin now knows exactly what Boeheim was talking about. In the Hoyas’ 62-43 Big East Tournament quarterfinal win over Cincinnati, Porter scored a team-high 18 for Georgetown, but he wasn’t the Bearcats’ problem.

It was the unheralded trio, the ones who will kill you while you’re paying too much attention to Porter. It was Trawick (9 points), Starks (14) and Smith-Rivera (13) who beat the Bearcats.

“It’s key," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “Otto has gotten a lot of attention lately and deservedly so. He’s one of the best -- the best player in the nation in my opinion -- but we have a very good team. I’ve said that over and over again."

Thompson went on to remark about his team’s unselfishness, a bonus of an attribute that happens to work especially well because the player of the year candidate embodies it.

Because that’s the thing about Georgetown -- even when it’s not about Porter, it’s about Porter.

He has terrific players around him, players who can be every bit as lethal collectively (as they were to Cincinnati) as Porter can be individually, but part of why they are so effective is because he’s so darned good.

Defenses are going to pay more attention when someone drops 33 on Syracuse and works his way onto the short list for national player of the year.

“The more attention he’s gotten, the more a team’s strategy is to stop him," Smith-Rivera said.

And the real good fortune for Thompson is that Porter is not only smart enough to recognize that, he’s unselfish enough to not care.

He’s more than happy to let defenses collapse around him and find an open man. He's perfectly content if someone else feels like scoring.

“Hey, we’re all in the scouting report, too," Starks said. “Otto is getting well-deserved attention but we know with that attention it’s up to us to step up. We don’t say, ‘Hey it’s just up to Otto.’ We know we have to play as a unit and a team."

NEW YORK -- What it means: Georgetown moves on to the Big East semifinals, and remains in play for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Cincinnati is currently projected to receive an at-large berth, but it's no lock.

The Bearcats rallied after falling behind big in the first half (see below), but the Hoyas ultimately cruised to victory in the first of four quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, winning 62-43.

Georgetown (25-5, 14-4), ranked No. 5 in the country, has now won 13 of its past 14 games. Cincinnati (22-11, 9-9) is listed as a No. 11 seed in the latest edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology, but will have to sweat it out until Selection Sunday.

The turning point: Georgetown jumped out to a 16-point lead, 24-8, with 5:37 remaining in the first half, after back-to-back 3-pointers by Big East Player of the Year Otto Porter Jr. and freshman D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Cincinnati went more than seven minutes without scoring a single point. But then the Bearcats got hot from deep, making four treys in the closing minutes -- three by Cashmere Wright -- to draw within five, 29-24, at intermission.

Cincinnati opened the second half on a 9-2 run, taking a two-point lead, 33-31, on another Wright jumper with 16:22 to play. But then Georgetown scored seven points in a row to re-take control of the game -- five by Smith-Rivera. The Bearcats never got closer than five points again. A putback, again by Smith-Rivera, pushed the lead to 12, 51-39, with 5:14 left. The Hoyas put them away from there.

Star watch: It was a true team effort by Georgetown. The Hoyas had three players in double figures -- Porter (18 points, 11-for-11 from foul line), Markel Starks (14) and Smith-Rivera (13). Jabril Trawick chipped in nine points.

Wright led Cincinnati with 14 points, and JaQuon Parker added 12. Sean Kilpatrick -- the fourth-leading scorer in the Big East this season (17.3 ppg) -- scored just four points, shooting 2-for-12 from the field and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. It was a day to forget for the Yonkers, N.Y., native, playing very close to home.

Number crunch: The shooting percentages of the two teams were strikingly similar, until the final few minutes, when Cincinnati was hoisting up quick shots and Georgetown was cleaning up at the foul line. The difference? Georgetown had 10 more attempts from the field, thanks to an 11-7 advantage on the offensive glass, and 15 turnovers by the Bearcats. The Hoyas gave the ball away just nine times.

What's next: Georgetown, the No. 1 seed, will play the winner of No. 4 Pittsburgh versus No. 5 Syracuse, on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Cincinnati returns home to await its postseason fate.

This year’s race for the Wooden Award may come down to a missed free throw attempt and a layup that never found its way through the net. With the NCAA tournament less than a week away, those are the only things separating Indiana’s Victor Oladipo and Michigan’s Trey Burke in the battle to be named national player of the year.

At least in my opinion.

Burke and Oladipo faced off in the Big Ten regular-season finale Sunday. In a high-stakes game that decided the conference championship, Burke wilted when it mattered most. With his team leading 71-70 with 28 seconds remaining, Burke clanked the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, and Indiana capitalized on a layup by Cody Zeller that gave the Hoosiers a 72-71 lead with 14 ticks left.

Burke had a chance to win the game on the ensuing possession, but he missed a contested layup, and Jordan Morgan’s putback attempt in the final seconds was off target. Indiana celebrated the outright Big Ten title on Michigan’s court. The Wolverines finished in a tie for third place and will be the No. 5 seed in this week’s Big Ten tournament.

Burke has had a tremendous season, but in a race this close, winning and performing well in the clutch are the deciding factors. Here’s my latest ballot.

1. Victor Oladipo, Indiana -- The junior wing does everything for the Hoosiers. He averages 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.1 assists and sets the tone on the defensive end. He’s the key reason why Indiana emerged as the champion of the nation’s toughest conference.

2. Trey Burke, Michigan -- The sophomore averages 19.2 points and 6.8 assists -- and he also leads the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. Michigan, though, has lost five of its final 10 regular-season games. As a point guard, Burke needs to provide more leadership as the Wolverines prepare for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

3. Doug McDermott, Creighton -- As one of the top offensive players in the country, McDermott is the focal point of every opposing defense. Still, the junior forward is averaging 23.1 points on 56.1 percent shooting for the Bluejays, who won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship along with the league tournament.

4. Otto Porter, Georgetown -- NBA scouts love the versatility of the 6-foot-8 sophomore, who can bring the ball up the court like a point guard on one play and get down and dirty in the paint the next. Porter helped Georgetown win a share of the Big East title despite the loss of the top three scorers from last season.

5. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga -- What’s not to like about the 7-foot Canadian? In just 25.7 minutes per game, Olynyk averaged 17.4 points and 7.2 rebounds for a Zags squad that finished 31-2 and won the West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament trophies. Gonzaga will likely be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history thanks to Olynyk.

On the cusp:

Erick Green, Virginia Tech -- Despite being on the last-place team in the league standings, Green was named ACC Player of the Year this week following a regular season in which he averaged a nation-best 25.4 points while shooting 48.2 percent from the field.

Shane Larkin, Miami -- It’d be a crime not to include the leader of a team that won its first ACC title in more than a decade. A sophomore point guard, Larkin averages 13.7 points, 4.4 assists and 2 steals.

Rodney McGruder, Kansas State -- The senior wing led K-State to its first conference title since 1977 by averaging a team-high 15.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. The first-team All-Big 12 selection had 22 points in Saturday’s loss at Oklahoma State.

Ben McLemore, Kansas -- The freshman was one of the few players who performed well in Saturday’s 23-point loss to Baylor. He scored 23 points and is now averaging 16.7 points for the Big 12 co-champions.

Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA -- Projected as a lottery pick in this summer’s NBA draft, Muhammad led the Bruins to the outright Pac-12 title by averaging 18.3 points and 5.1 boards. He shot 45 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Mason Plumlee, Duke -- The 6-10 Plumlee was back in beast mode Saturday, when he scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a blowout win against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He’s a lot better with Ryan Kelly in the lineup.

Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State -- The freshman point guard is averaging 22.5 points in his past two games along with 7 rebounds. He was named Big 12 Player of the Year, a high honor considering he had strong competition from KU’s Jeff Withey and Ben McLemore.

Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State -- The Buckeyes enter this week’s Big Ten tournament on a five-game winning streak thanks, in large part, to Thomas. He’s averaging 17.8 points during that span and 19.7 points on the season.

Jeff Withey, Kansas -- The 7-foot center ranks second in the nation among active players in blocks with 4.1 per game. The first-team all-league selection averages 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds and shoots 58.2 percent from the field.

Cody Zeller, Indiana -- The Hoosiers center was the best player on the court during Sunday's Big Ten title-clinching win at Michigan. He finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds and made the winning basket with 14 seconds remaining.

Michigan point guard Trey Burke began the season on the fringe of the national player of the year conversation. He was expected to be the catalyst for the Wolverines, a preseason top-10 team, but this was not expected.

All season long, Burke has been the epitome of consistency on a top-10 team. He scored double figures in every game and 15 or more points in every Big Ten game. He scored less than 15 points in just two games.

He had five or more assists in 25 of 31 games and became the calm leader on a Michigan team littered with freshmen playing major minutes.

The performance made an impact, as Burke led the final college basketball player of the year straw poll of the season, a poll comprised of actual voters for the Robertson, Associated Press, Naismith and Wooden Awards. It was the fourth straight poll in which the sophomore finished first.

Burke was on 59 of the 67 ballots cast in the final poll.

“We lost six games in the most important part of our season,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “He and Tim Hardaway and a bunch of guys just learning on the run. For him to carry us -- the courage that he’s had and the will and the fight he’s had in games with such tremendous poise.

“You don’t see much emotion from him ever, because he’s focused. Someone that does that without a supporting cast of seniors and juniors, like some of the really great players have, and that’s how we want to be. But it is what it is, and he’s played like a senior, veteran point guard.”

Here is the potential snag for Burke. With the stagger of votes and the continued ascent of Indiana junior Victor Oladipo, there is a chance for a split of the four major awards depending on how things go in the postseason.

Why the split? Consider this: Multiple voters changed their votes again this week, some after all the regular-season games had ended. Others indicated they voted for Burke for the Robertson Award -- the ballots were due Sunday at 8 p.m. -- but would vote differently today.

This volatility -- and this has been the case most of the season with five strong candidates over the final month of the season -- could lead to an awards split. A split appeared possible last season, when Kentucky’s Anthony Davis and Kansas’ Thomas Robinson were close in the voting.

But with six players still receiving at least one first-place vote, and three -- Burke, Oladipo and Georgetown’s Otto Porter -- receiving more than 10, there is still potential room for fluctuation depending on postseason play.

The poll has been correct the past four seasons, but there has never been a race quite like this one. In none of the other four years had more than two players received double-digit first-place votes in the final poll. Only once, last season, had two players received double-digit first-place votes in the final poll.

In no other year did more than four players receive first-place votes in the final poll.

It is possible Burke will sweep the awards, but as I said last year, there is enough room for fluctuation where a split could be possible.

That said, here’s a peek at the 67 ballots in the most wide-open POY race in a while.

Tracking the contenders


Burke: Preseason -- T-11th; first regular-season poll -- 2nd; second regular-season poll -- 2nd; third regular-season poll -- 1st; fourth regular-season poll -- 1st; fifth regular-season poll -- 1st; Final poll -- 1st.
Oladipo: Preseason -- NR; first regular-season poll -- NR; second regular-season poll -- NR; third regular-season poll -- 4th; fourth regular-season poll -- 2nd; fifth regular-season poll -- 3rd; Final poll -- 2nd.
Porter: Preseason -- NR; first regular-season poll -- NR; second regular-season poll -- NR; third regular-season poll -- NR; fourth regular-season poll -- T-10th; fifth regular-season poll -- 2nd; Final poll -- 3rd.
McDermott: Preseason -- 2nd, first regular-season poll -- 3rd, second regular-season poll -- 1st, third regular-season poll -- 2nd; fourth regular-season poll -- 3rd; fifth regular-season poll -- 4th; Final poll -- 4th.
Olynyk: Preseason -- NR; first regular-season poll -- NR; second regular-season poll -- NR; third regular-season poll -- T-10; fourth regular-season poll -- 5th; fifth regular-season poll -- 5th; Final poll -- 5th.

Poll analysis

• Poll ballots are starting to be due. The Robertson was due this past Sunday. The AP is due this Sunday. The Wooden is due March 25 and the Naismith is due the Saturday of Final Four weekend. So as mentioned above, there is time for Porter or Oladipo to make a charge on Burke.
• Burke took four of six regions, including a close race over Oladipo in their home region -- the Midwest. Oladipo won the South and Porter took the Far West.
• Reminder as always: The poll is at the mercy of the voters. I send out emails seeking input from multiple voters in every region. It is up to them, then, to respond. Also, ballots were due at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Also, as a reminder, structure for the poll is three points for a first-place vote, two for a second-place vote and one for a third-place vote.
• The 10 players in the final poll all appeared in at least one other poll this season. They represent the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Missouri Valley, Summit and West Coast leagues and conferences.
• Of the final 10, only three players appeared in every poll this season including the preseason: Burke, Doug McDermott and Cody Zeller. Nate Wolters and Mason Plumlee appeared in every regular season poll. Including the preseason, a total of 36 players showed up in at least one poll this season.