ESPN Men's Basketball

PHILADELPHIA – After his team beat Syracuse, handing the Orange their first loss of the season, Mike Brey challenged his players to believe in the unbelievable – that Notre Dame, a team without its best scorer and relying on a freshman and sophomore in the backcourt, wasn’t just a fluke; that the Irish were something special.

And those crazy kids bought it.

They looked around the room, at a ragtag group that counted just two guys with any significant experience; that in November lost by 20 to Gonzaga and in December by 7 to Maryland, and they gobbled the bait like greedy guppies.

Sometimes seeing is not believing.

Sometimes you believe and then you see.

The Irish have risen from their early wake to storm to a second-place spot in the Big East, using that Syracuse victory as a catapult to what is now an eight-game win streak after Notre Dame rallied to beat Villanova, 74-70 in overtime.

Notre Dame was picked to finish ninth in the league. And that was before Tim Abromaitis blew out his knee. Yet with the Big East tournament a little more than two weeks away, the Irish are sitting extremely pretty at 11-3, tied with Marquette but owning the tiebreaker after a 76-59 spanking of the Golden Eagles on Feb. 4.

“We do believe we’re special, we really do,’’ said Pat Connaughton, a freshman who throws 94-mph fastballs for the Irish baseball team and drained seven 3-pointers for the hoops squad against Villanova.

And in this particular Big East season, a little self-confidence can go a long way. On Saturday, the Irish needed to come from a 16-point halftime deficit and a first-half hole that once ballooned as large as 20 to beat a team that has won just four league games this season and was down two starters.

Earlier in the day, Louisville, which took Syracuse to the brink on Monday and is 7-1 in its past eight games, needed overtime to dispatch DePaul, a team that has won just twice in 2012.

Toss aside Syracuse at the top and the difference between 2 and 16 is as thin and flimsy as a Jay Wright pocket square.

Connecticut last season became the first team to win five games in five nights to capture the league tournament.

Who’d take the odds that lightning couldn’t strike again this year?

“Confidence is the difference-maker in this league,’’ Brey said. “It’s razor-thin stuff.’’

No one would call Notre Dame a great team. The Irish’s margin of victory is a flimsy 4.6 points. They don’t rebound particularly well. Their players are not more talented than Villanova’s. If anything, the Wildcats hold the advantage in beefy player resumes.

Yet there was Notre Dame, down 20, getting smoked on the boards, shooting terribly and looking like it was up 20. No hung heads, no grimaces or pouting.

Maybe, in part, at least, is because the Irish figure they’ve been playing with house money all season. Abromaitis was supposed to be the guy. The senior averaged 15.4 points a year ago and would, with Jack Cooley, give Notre Dame a formidable inside-outside presence.

When he was injured, there wasn’t so much dejection as there was rampant confusion.

“We practiced with him all summer and all fall,’’ Connaughton said. “And then when we had to play without him, we were like, ‘Oh, am I supposed to shoot this?’’

Brey had been through it before, forced to regroup after losing Luke Harangody two years ago, which helped him at least to keep his head on straight.

His players relied on him, but more they relied on each other. These guys genuinely like one another, Connaughton said, and that comfort helped fuel a trust on the court.

It was evident against the Wildcats. While the inexperienced Cats were blowing their lead, jacking up bad shots and making few of them – Villanova made all of just four field goals in the second half before Maurice Sutton somehow tipped in a fifth at the regulation buzzer to force overtime – the Irish were passing and searching, giving up one OK look for a better one. They used a late 13-4 run to send the game into overtime.

And then, with the Irish up 68-65 in the final minute of overtime, Scott Martin found Connaughton, who sunk his seventh from beyond the arc to cement the victory.

Notre Dame made 25 field goals in the game.

The Irish dished out assists on 17 of them.

“It’s not just the margin for error that’s so small; it’s the margin for success,’’ Wright said. “If you look at their numbers, they’re not that impressive, but what is impressive is how they execute. They know their roles extremely well and they know who they are and who makes the plays. They believe in what they’re doing.’’

And these days believing is carrying the day.

“Jeremy Lin and the Irish,’’ Brey laughed. “Believe it."

1. The Atlantic 10 may have its most competitive balance in years from top to bottom. But the problem is that beating each other may end up hurting the league when it comes to tournament selection. The one thing that may occur is some leap-frogging. Temple has one of the best wins in taking down Duke, but is off to a 1-2 start in the league. The beneficiary of the teams beating each other up will be Xavier. The Musketeers still have the most talent, and prior to the free-fall had the best nonconference schedule. I’d be surprised if the winner of the A-10 doesn’t have at least four losses.

2. I have said this before but it is worth repeating: I cannot get over the transformation at San Diego State. I’m not sure I’ve seen a program come from such depths to becoming a consistent national winner in front of a frenzied crowd that simply didn’t exist. The atmosphere at Viejas Arena for a big game screams through the television, and when in person is quite a sight to see. Steve Fisher will be challenged to get quality nonconference games once the Aztecs go to the Big West. The odds of a ranked conference team coming into Viejas will diminish once UNLV and New Mexico are no longer common opponents. But SDSU is attractive enough to command a national schedule now.

3. Villanova and Pitt both lost on the road Saturday at Cincinnati and Marquette, respectively. But both teams played well enough to win in the final few minutes. They are at the bottom of the standings for the first time under Jay Wright and Jamie Dixon, respectively. There is still enough talent in place to fear these two teams in February and March. To think either will be a walk would be foolish. And to dismiss either team from causing some problems in the Big East tournament would also be a mistake. Neither can make the NCAAs as an at-large, but I have a hunch both will be pests going forward.

Here's my attempt at ranking the Big East teams one month into the season:

1. Syracuse: Amid distractions and the dismissal of their associate head coach, the Orange have done nothing to undermine their top-five national ranking. Syracuse won its first seven games by an average of 26 points and then survived a slugfest against Florida. SU's defense has been particularly strong, while its offense is a little less reliable.

2. Marquette: Buzz Williams’ chronically underappreciated Golden Eagles ought to get their due soon. They’re undefeated, with notches against in-state rival Wisconsin and a good Washington team in New York. Darius Johnson-Odom is good enough to make the early short list for Big East Player of the Year.

3. Louisville: For those who thought Rick Pitino did a masterful job last season, we give you the first month of 2011-12. Pitino has had to hodgepodge together a team amid a myriad of injuries and has yet to lose a game. Louisville has quality wins against a good Long Beach State team and Vanderbilt, and, with everyone finally getting healthy, should only get better as the schedule gets tougher.

4. Connecticut: Rare is the season when beating Harvard signals that UConn is starting to find its way, but the Crimson is that good. Thursday night’s win doesn’t answer all the questions, but certainly for a Huskies team still trying to add new parts -- and satisfy old ones in the form of Alex Oriakhi -- it's a good step. Connecticut is good and will be better as the season progresses, but as the loss to UCF and the near-loss to Florida State prove, there will be growing pains.

5. Georgetown: The Hoyas count as a pleasant surprise in the Big East. After losing Chris Wright and Austin Freeman, no one knew quite what to expect. But Jason Clark has stepped into the leadership role in the backcourt, Hollis Thompson and the emerging Henry Sims have solidified the frontcourt, and Georgetown is 7-1 with quality wins against Memphis and Alabama and only a close loss to Kansas.

6. Pittsburgh: The Panthers will be tough to honestly judge for the next month as they play without Trevon Woodall. That sort of fits right in with Pitt anyway. This is a good team, but one that is a bit confounding. The loss to Long Beach State at the Pete ranks as the biggest head-scratcher, but there's also a sense that Pitt hasn’t quite found its groove just yet.

7. West Virginia: Bob Huggins’ work in progress is starting to progress. The Mountaineers took it on the chin against Mississippi State, but rebounded with a mighty impressive double-overtime win against a previously unbeaten Kansas State team in front of thousands of purple people in Wichita. Who this team is now and who it will be come March will likely be decidedly different.

8. Seton Hall: Herb Pope is playing out of his mind -- averaging an impressive double-double of 21.4 points and 11 boards -- and the Pirates are enjoying the benefits. Seton Hall has not played a murderers' row, for sure, but has won its winnable games with authority. Their lone loss, to Northwestern, isn’t diabolical.

9. Cincinnati: This perplexing Bearcats team could provide answers quickly. Cincinnati plays at Xavier on Saturday. In the meantime, we have only a confusing résumé to go by, which is why the Bearcats are in the middle of the pack. This is a talented and veteran team, so how to explain home losses to Presbyterian and Marshall? Yes, the Thundering Herd is a good team, but Cincy ought to be better.

10. Providence: No one will confuse the Friars’ 7-2 record for a sign of a Top 25 team in the making -- this team has feasted on winnable games early. But there’s no point in knocking that approach either. Ed Cooley is trying to change the culture at PC and in order to do that, he’s first got to change the confidence. Reality will come in the form of Georgetown and Syracuse in back-to-back games to end 2011 and start 2012.

11. Villanova: Jay Wright keeps tinkering and hasn’t found the right combination yet. There is talent on the Wildcats’ roster, but it’s not working together or working well. A team many thought would make the finals at the 76 Classic instead dropped games to Saint Louis and Santa Clara. The Wildcats are going to have to get smarter and better fast to be competitive in the conference.

12. Notre Dame: The Irish’s power rankings ought to come with an asterisk. Without Tim Abromaitis, this isn’t the same team. But as coaches like to say, you can only play the hand you’re dealt, and right now the Irish can’t even bluff well. Notre Dame has lost badly to the two ranked opponents it's faced (Missouri by 29 and Gonzaga by 20). In order to survive, Mike Brey may have to pull out the walk-the-ball-up-the-court method he used after Luke Harangody was injured.

13. DePaul: The Blue Demons’ struggles don’t appear to be easing anytime soon. DePaul played well in losses to its two toughest early opponents -- Minnesota and Ole Miss -- but almosts don’t count in basketball. There is still much work for Oliver Purnell to do and little time to do it in. DePaul kicks off the Big East season against Syracuse and Pitt.

14. St. John’s: Credit the Red Storm for playing a tough schedule. Unfortunately, right now the young team has nothing to show for it. St. John’s has lost to the three ranked teams it’s faced, but what is more damning is that it lost to Northeastern and Detroit as well. Steve Lavin is still recovering from cancer surgery, and Nurideen Lindsey just decided to transfer out. Not a fun season so far for the Johnnies.

15. South Florida: Times remain tough for Stan Heath in Tampa, where the promise of talent has never delivered victories. The Bulls this season are 5-4, but don’t let the record fool you. USF’s losses are either to bad teams (Penn State) or really bad losses to good teams -- a 23-point beating from VCU followed by a 28-point blowout to Kansas. The pressure is on Heath right now.

16. Rutgers: There are more questions than answers right now for the Scarlet Knights, who have lost four of their past five, including two in a row to LSU and Princeton. Most troubling, Rutgers hasn’t broken the 60-point mark in any of those games and is averaging just 66 points on the season.

Villanova freshman JayVaughn Pinkston has waited a year to make his debut, and coach Jay Wright is making it clear that the former McDonald's All-American will need to be patient as far as making a significant impact.

Wright said Monday that while Pinkston had been projected to start, a year away from the game due to a violation of the university's code of conduct has left the 6-foot-7 forward needing some time to adjust.

"I think he's going to be a real significant player for us," Wright said. "But I can see he's rusty. He's just a step behind sometimes. He'll get it all back. Hopefully by the time we get to the [76] Classic [around Thanksgiving], he's going to be a real factor for us."

Pinkston was reinstated to the team in the offseason after serving a season-long suspension while facing an assault charge related to a fight at an off-campus apartment. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pinkston was far removed from college basketball while sitting out the year.

While Pinkston sat out last season, he worked in a warehouse and coached a team of 10-year-olds, which he called "a fun experience helping out, giving back to the kids."

However, he called much of the year "a bad experience."

"It was not being able to play, not being able to be around my teammates," he said. "You realize everything can be taken away within a second.

"It was bad, but then again, it was a learning experience, maturity. I've matured a lot. Now I'm more focused on what I want to accomplish."

Wright also said Pinkston appears to have a new perspective on the game, noting that a long practice to him might no longer be seen as being a difficult one. Of course, he'll need to make use of that time on the court to help a Villanova team that is in transition.

"He just has a great opportunity," Wright said. "I think he appreciates everything now that he gets to do."

Andy Katz caught up with Villanova coach Jay Wright at a recent Jimmy V function in New York City. Here are interviews with the other three coaches whose teams will be competing at the Jimmy V Classic: Washington's Lorenzo Romar, Missouri's Frank Haith and Marquette's Buzz Williams.

From the only-in-Philadelphia file ...

On Friday night at the Kimmel Center, The Mighty Macs, a movie about the famed Immaculata women’s basketball team and their legendary coach Cathy Rush, premieres. Along with it being about a Philly team, it’s produced and directed by a Philly guy -- Tim Chambers, brother of Penn State basketball coach, Pat.

It’s a tricky night for a basketball movie premiere, what with this being the first night of college basketball season and all.

Yet when the lights dim, Drexel’s Bruiser Flint, Saint Joseph’s Phil Martelli, Temple’s Fran Dunphy and Villanova’s Jay Wright will be in the audience. The four coaches all reconfigured and finagled their first practices so they could make the 8:30 p.m. opening.

And anyone who knows a thing or two about the hyper-competitive, overanxious gene pool that makes up college coaches knows just how big of a gesture that is.

“That says all you need to know about the coaches in this town,’’ said Martelli, whose wife, Judy, played at Immaculata. “I was going to be there regardless because of my wife, but for these guys to do that, that’s special.’’

Yesterday, Yahoo! college hoops reporter Jason King (along with Lawrence Journal-World reporter Jesse Newell) announced that he would soon be releasing his book, "Beyond the Phog," a tell-all look into the last decade of Kansas basketball as told by the program's notable players and coaches. Just to tease us, the Journal-World published an excerpt, and it is really quite enjoyable.

The moral of this story? Former Kansas guard Mario Chalmers wanted to play for Team USA in the Pam Am Games in 2007. Villanova coach Jay Wright was the head coach for the Pam Am Games team. When it came time to choose his backcourt, Wright went with his own player, Scottie Reynolds, and cut both Chalmers and fellow guard Sherron Collins. According to Chalmers, Reynolds had "clearly been the worst player at the entire camp."

That might be subjective, and no one ever did their most reflective thinking after being cut from a team, but it almost doesn't matter if Chalmers is right or wrong. What comes next is hilarious:

So when it came to the Villanova game, Coach Self called Sherron and me into his office and said, “How do you feel about this Villanova game?” I said, “Coach, this is personal to me. I don’t like Jay Wright.” He was like, “I understand that, but keep it out of the media.” So when the media asked if it was a personal game, we’d say, “No, it’s not personal. It’s just another game.” But during the game we were talking all kinds of s--- to Jay Wright. We’d run by him and tell him, “Sit your a-- down! We got this!” Another time we said to him, “This is what you get for cutting us. We’re about to dog you!” Anytime we were throwing the ball in from the sideline, when he was standing up trying to call a play, we’d tell him to shut his mouth and sit down. There was one play where I threw a lob to Shady on an inbounds pass and he dunked over Scottie Reynolds. Right before I threw it I looked at Jay Wright and said, “Watch this!” That game was definitely personal for Sherron and me.

This is probably not the best way to handle your basketball-related grievances. Yelling at the opposing coach while you're bludgeoning his team in the NCAA tournament -- that game was 72-57, by the way -- makes you seem petty and dumb. Be the bigger person, right? Show how much better you are than the player he picked without screaming in the coach's ear about it on every sideline out of bounds play. Sheesh.

Of course, I say that, but really I'd be lying if I didn't thoroughly laugh at this quote. That's swagger, folks. Sometimes a team needs a chip on its shoulder. You wouldn't think the buzzsaw that was the 2008 Jayhawks would need that sort of motivation. But hey, whatever works.

Transfers are hardly rare in college hoops these days, and each season they only become less so. Still, it is rare to see a transfer this late in the offseason calendar. It's also rare to see a team captain decide he's better off elsewhere.

Alas, both are true of Villanova forward Isaiah Armwood, who came to an agreement with Wildcats coach Jay Wright that it was best for him to pursue his basketball career elsewhere, according to Jeff Goodman. Wright doesn't want Armwood to leave, but he understands his player's reasons:

"He’s the greatest kid in the world," Wright gushed. "He’s our hardest-working guy, our captain. We started him every game on our trip. I love him to death."

"I just want to see him achieve his goals," he added.

Armwood did start every game of Villanova's exhibition trip to France and the Netherlands this month, but he still played relatively limited minutes. Armwood was a starter in seven games in 2011, but he had a minimal impact in his 17 minutes per game. (Although he did rebound the ball well, especially on the offensive end.)

Still, Armwood wants a chance to shine. Despite his hard work and his excellent relationship with Wright, he hasn't found that at Villanova. The chance to shine somewhere else -- or at least get enough playing time to have a chance to do so, come what may -- was enough to make him willing to sit out a year before his final two years of eligibility somewhere else (provided he leaves before the season begins, of course).

Some transfers are questionable. Some are the product of acrimony, misunderstanding, broken promises or bad recruiting. Some are just downright sad. But this one actually makes sense. Hey, not all transfers are bad.

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- During last week's EYBL Peach Jam, ESPN.com surveyed 15 head coaches on a range of topics. Here are their responses on a topic involving their fellow coaches.

There are five seconds left in a tie game. Your opponent has the ball. What coach would you most worry about diagramming the last play?

Rick Barnes, Texas: Dean Smith. “No question. He was a great situation guy.’’

Mark Fox, Georgia: “It’s the guy with the best players. I don’t care what the play is.’’

Darrin Horn, South Carolina: “It’s about the players, not the pen. Whoever has the best players wins.’’

Ben Howland, UCLA: Tom Izzo, Jim Boeheim or Jim Calhoun. “Those three guys have been through just about every situation you can imagine.’’

Bob Huggins, West Virginia: Rick Pitino. “I think he’s a pretty good coach but I also think he inspires confidence in his players and that’s so important in those end-game situations.’’

Tom Izzo, Michigan State: Mike Krzyzewski. “He’s been doing this a long time and his track record speaks for itself. Plus he can say, ‘Eenie, meenie, miney mo and pick the guy who will beat you.’’

Kerry Keating, Santa Clara: Eric Reveno. “He went to Stanford. He has three degrees. One of them has to help him come up with a good endgame play.’’

Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph’s: The tree of Thad Matta. “Matta, Sean Miller, Chris Mack. They have so many plays that they can cover just about anything.’’

Fran McCaffery, Iowa: Tom Izzo. “He runs really good late-game stuff. You have to be concise with your switching and your trapping.’’

Josh Pastner, Memphis: John Calipari. “In those situations you have to be quick with your thinking and he really is. He grabs the board and draws up something immediately. It’s a gift, really.’’ Pastner also named Jeff Van Gundy.

Rick Pitino, Louisville: Dean Smith. “He was a great timeout guy. He lived for that. Plus he had great players. Who do you want, Jordan or Worthy to beat you?”

Mark Turgeon, Maryland: John Beilein. “He’s a terrific X's and O's guy.’’

Bruce Weber, Illinois: Kevin Stallings. “I coached with him and I know how good he is. I always say he’s an offensive genius.’’

Roy Williams, North Carolina: Dean Smith. “We practiced it every day. There was nothing we could face that he hadn’t practiced, so when it happened you were ready.’’

Jay Wright, Villanova: John Beilein. “I know he lives and dies by the 3 but he’d also have an option, a guy driving to the rim. He wouldn’t go to a player but to a play.’’

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- During last week's EYBL Peach Jam, ESPN.com surveyed 15 head coaches on a range of topics. Here are their responses on a topic involving their fellow coaches.

Who is the smartest coach in college basketball right now?

Rick Barnes, Texas: “I don’t know if I can name one guy.’’

Mark Fox, Georgia: Mike Krzyzewski. “He’s on a different level than everyone else. Conceptually, philosophically he’s just ahead of everyone else.’’

Darrin Horn, South Carolina: Tom Izzo. “His consistency and to do what he’s done at a place that isn’t Kansas or UCLA, with 50 years of amazing tradition, that’s just incredible.’’

Ben Howland, UCLA: Brad Stevens and Jamie Dixon. “He looks pretty darned smart to do what he’s done. And Jamie’s winning percentage at Pittsburgh is incredible.’’

Bob Huggins, West Virginia: John Calipari. “I cannot understand how he can have all these things going on and still be as good as he is. Who can do that? To be involved in all he’s involved in, that’s incredible. I don’t think anyone realizes what a great job he’s done the past two years basically starting over with a new team. And he’ll do it again this year and still be good.’’

Tom Izzo, Michigan State: Mark Fox. “I watch what he’s been able to do with his program and I’m really impressed. His demeanor, the way he runs his program and handles his players. I think he’s a really great young coach.’’

Kerry Keating, Santa Clara: Jim Calhoun. “Whoever won the last championship has to be the smartest guy because he figured it out. We are all only as good and as smart as our last game. Plus, Coach Calhoun was smart enough to recruit Kemba.’’

Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph’s: Jim Boeheim. “I don’t think people appreciate how well he knows the game. You could ask him the top freshmen right now and he could tell you. He really studies the game.’’

Fran McCaffery, Iowa: John Calipari. “He’s so innovative, off and on the court.’’

Josh Pastner, Memphis: Mike Krzyzewski. “He takes everyone’s best shot every night and he never wavers. The teams that they’re supposed to beat by a large margin, they beat by a large margin. To be up like that all the time just speaks volumes to the level of motivation he gives that team.’’

Rick Pitino, Louisville: Mike Krzyzewski. “He’s the most experienced and no matter what the situation, he never panics.’’

Mark Turgeon, Maryland: Kevin Stallings. “He’s a very intelligent guy and an excellent coach.’’

Bruce Weber, Illinois: Tom Izzo and Roy Williams. “They both run competitive programs. They recruit kids that graduate. They win championships and they have good reputations.’’

Roy Williams, North Carolina: Mike Montgomery and Mike Krzyzewski. “I think Mike Montgomery is pretty darned sharp and I have no problem saying that I think Mike Krzyzewski is, too.’’

Jay Wright, Villanova: Mike Krzyzewski. “He’s got it all. He’s a great X’s and O’s coach. He has the personality. He’s a great motivator and he develops his players.’’

CLEVELAND -- The current George Mason players have nothing but respect for the 2005-06 Patriots team that made it to the Final Four. Many of them are at the school now at least partly because that team raised the profile of the program.

But, honestly, talking about the past gets a little tiring sometimes.

"Every interview you do, every person you talk to wants to talk about the '06 team," sophomore guard Luke Hancock said. "We're definitely trying to make our own name."

While these current Patriots have a long way to go to match the 2006 legacy, they've finally made a new March memory.

Friday's 61-57 win over Villanova wasn't an upset, since George Mason was the No. 8 seed to Villanova's No. 9. But it was the school's first NCAA tournament win since that 2006 run, and it came in pretty dramatic fashion.

Down 10 late in the first half, the Patriots kept hanging around until Mike Morrison's rebound dunk with 55 seconds left gave them their first lead of the second half. After Villanova's Corey Fisher was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all three free throws, Hancock provided the play that can be added to the George Mason highlight library.

The play was designed as a double high ball screen. Hancock, though, refused the screen and jabbed to his right, intending to cut back left and then either look for teammate Cam Long in the corner or shoot. Villanova's Corey Stokes was determined not to let Hancock go right, however, and he overplayed that side. As Stokes went flying by toward the lane, Hancock calmly stepped back, paused and then drained the clinching 3 with 20 seconds to go.

"I wasn't the first option coming off the screens," he said. "I was definitely looking to penetrate and pitch, because we've got such good shooters on this team."

Neither team shot all that well or even took good shots most of the game. For a while, it looked like George Mason's season would get canceled by an episode of The Two Coreys. Villanova's Stokes and Fisher dominated the first half, combining for 22 of their team's first 23 points and 24 overall by halftime. Fisher was getting into the lane easily, opening up 3-point shots for Stokes, who made three in a row at one point.

The Patriots then concentrated on picking up the two guards closer to half court, giving into their chests defensively and fighting through ball screens more ferociously.

"When we got down early, we wanted to try and speed them up a little bit," forward Ryan Pearson said. "Their guys were taking their time, and we were letting them run their offense. We had to keep Fisher out of the lane and not give up second shots."

Stokes and Fisher went 0-for-8 combined to start the second half and would finish 11-of-32 from the floor. The ending had to seem like a recurring nightmare for the Wildcats, who closed their season with six straight losses and a 5-11 mark from Jan. 17 on. They blew leads and were unable to close out games in many of those defeats.

"In our program, we talk about each class's legacy, and this class has been to the Sweet 16, final eight, Final Four," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "But they've endured a really tough season that would have crumbled a lot of guys personally."

The 2006 legacy has hung over every George Mason team since. Morrison wore a T-shirt that read, "We are this year's George Mason," to the postgame news conference, anticipating the inevitable questions about the school's most famous team.

"We've been forced into a lot of comparisons," he said. "And this is why it's my favorite shirt. I just like to ignore what everybody says and just worry about my own team."

It's not 2006 anymore. But 2011 is worth talking about.

Rapid-fire reactions to the bracket:

Before we get into this, someone please check on Seth Greenberg. Make sure he is in a safe place. I’m mostly joking, but not completely.

Now, if I’m Ohio State coach Thad Matta, I tell the boss this when he returns to Columbus:

Thanks for nothing.

OSU athletic director Gene Smith was the head of the NCAA tournament selection committee, yet he stuck his own team with what I think is the toughest region in the whole tournament. Earlier Sunday, I wrote that seven teams had the most realistic shot at a national title -- and three of them are in the same region. That would be No. 1 seed Ohio State plus No. 2 seed North Carolina and No. 4 seed Kentucky, all in the East.

Two of the seven are in the Southwest Region: Kansas and Notre Dame. Two are in the West: Duke and San Diego State.

And then there is the Southeast, otherwise known as the Jamie Dixon Backrub Regional. I don’t see a single major national-title threat in that 16-team grouping, which means terminal underachiever Pittsburgh might finally reach its first Final Four since World War II.

So Matta needs to ask his AD one simple question: Why didn’t we get the Pitt treatment?

Instead, here’s what Ohio State got: a likely matchup against a coach with Final Four experience in the rounds of 32, 16 and 8.

After the Buckeyes dispatch a play-in-team-to-be-named-later on Friday in Cleveland, they’ll face either George Mason or Villanova. Jim Larranaga took the Patriots on one of the all-time Cinderella Final Four runs in 2006, and Jay Wright got the Wildcats there in ’09.

In the Sweet 16, Ohio State could face any of three coaches who have been to Final Fours in the past decade: Bob Huggins (West Virginia last year, plus Cincinnati in 1992); Mike Davis (Indiana 2002); or John Calipari (Massachusetts 1996 and Memphis 2008).

And a potential regional final showdown looms with either North Carolina and Roy Williams (six Final Fours, two national titles) or Syracuse and Jim Boeheim (three Final Fours, one national title).

That is not an easy road to Houston.

The committee apparently saved all its mollycoddling for Florida, which drew a mystifying No. 2 seed in the Southeast. Apparently, friends, losing to Jacksonville and Central Florida will actually help your seeding as opposed to hurting it. Oh, and a home loss to South Carolina (last in the SEC East) must not hurt the profile either.

The Gators are a good team. The Gators are fully capable of winning that region. But the Gators should be doing it as a No. 4 or 5 seed, in my estimation.

In fact, I think three of the No. 4 seeds (Louisville, Kentucky and Texas) all are more accomplished to date than Florida.

So I’d nominate the Southeast as the section of the bracket most likely to be busted. Pitt and No. 4 seed Wisconsin have a history of great regular seasons and not-so-great NCAA tournaments. Third-seeded BYU looks highly vulnerable after going 3-2 since losing leading rebounder and third-leading scorer Brandon Davies.

(Quick aside: All conjecture to the contrary, losing a player for the tournament apparently didn’t matter much after all. BYU still got a No. 3. Georgetown, winless in four games since the broken hand suffered by guard Chris Wright, still got a No. 6. Florida State, 3-3 since the loss of leading scorer/rebounder/stealer Chris Singleton to a broken foot, still got a No. 10. I believe all three could have been justifiably bumped down at least one more seed line.)

In the Southwest, a potential Kansas-Louisville matchup in San Antonio could be a great one. The Jayhawks are really good -- but check Rick Pitino’s record in Sweet 16 games. He’s 9-0. But both the Jayhawks and Cardinals have to win two games first to make that matchup happen.

On the other side of that region, I love Notre Dame’s chances of reaching a regional final for the first time since 1980 -- although Purdue looms as a potential Indiana battle removed to San Antonio in the Sweet 16.

And in the West, I could see chalk holding to a Duke-San Diego State regional final -- if the Aztecs can finally get around to winning the first NCAA tournament game in school history. There could be some very good regional semifinals there: Duke-Texas and San Diego State taking on a Big East school, be it Connecticut or Cincinnati.

At this moment, give me Ohio State, Duke, Notre Dame and Kansas State to reach the Final Four, with the Fighting Irish winning it all.

And I can’t believe I just typed that sentence.

But I’ll stick with it at least until tomorrow morning.

Some other random ruminations:

Seeded too high: Florida, BYU, Georgetown, UCLA.

Seeded too low: Oakland, Utah State, Xavier, Gonzaga.

Most intriguing first-round games: UCLA-Michigan State; Oakland-Texas; Butler-Old Dominion; BYU-Wofford.

Individual star-watch games: Texas shot-blocking freshman Tristan Thompson against Oakland shot-blocking senior Keith Benson; BYU scoring machine Jimmer Fredette against Wofford 20-point-a-game guy Noah Dahlman; UCLA forward Reeves Nelson against Michigan State forward Draymond Green; versatile Darius Morris of Michigan against versatile Scotty Hopson of Tennessee.

Next up: Hot anticipation for game times Thursday and Friday, so we can plan our hooky accordingly.

PHILADELPHIA -- You forget.

With Kemba Walker trying to outjimmer the Jimmer every night and the topsy-turvy Big East spin-cycling teams into a muddled mess, you forget that Austin Freeman was named the league’s preseason player of the year.

Then the senior comes along and shakes the cobwebs from your brain with this performance on Saturday: 30 points, six assists, 10 of Georgetown’s final 12 points, and the assist on the other basket in a gut-check 69-66 Hoya win against Villanova at the Wells Fargo Center.

Now let’s get this out of the way. Freeman isn’t going to be the conference’s player of the year. Barring a cataclysmic disaster in the next month, Walker is the surest bet since Secretariat at the Belmont.

But one shining star doesn’t necessarily eclipse all of the others and there’s no way Freeman ought to be in anyone’s backseat.

“Austin Freeman in most situations is unflappable,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “So the last three minutes of the game were only indicative of what he’s done the last four years. They’re running, trapping and making it hard to do what you want to do, so you put the ball in his hands because good things happen.”

The Hoyas were in need of some good things. Georgetown started the league season 1-4, and even though they have ripped off three victories in a row, they were wins with an asterisk. Three of the four came against the league’s bottom-feeders -- Rutgers, DePaul and Seton Hall -- with sliding St. John’s being the lone exception. Those four teams compiled a combined record of 35-21. The teams that beat Hoyas, on the other hand, boast a 60-20 record.

In other words, not much to hang your hat on.

But the same team that nosedived into disaster two seasons ago -- from 10-1 to 16-15 -- has learned not to fret.

“They realize now that there is time to climb out,” Thompson said. “There’s no panic.”

They take the cue from Freeman. The guard won the game not once, but twice for Georgetown.

Buried in the corner, and practically sitting on the laps of his walk-on teammates, he buried a jumper with three seconds left on the shot clock and 43 ticks on the game clock to put the Hoyas up two.

And Freeman’s reaction? We’re still looking for it. Unflappable doesn’t do the senior justice. Flat line may be better.

Thirty points in a hostile environment against your longtime rival? Accounting for 43 percent of your team’s offense?

He shrugs.

“I just want to play well in every game,” he said. “It isn’t about Villanova or Syracuse or anybody. I just want to play well.”

Playing well is the formula that Villanova is searching for right now. After starting 16-1, the Wildcats are now 17-4. Philadelphia fans have started to collectively gasp and are muttering, "not again."

In the previous season, Nova started 20-1 and finished 25-8. The early expectations built on a ranking that soared as high as No. 2 fizzled into a coughing and sputtering finish. A year after their Final Four run, the second-seeded Wildcats barely escaped Robert Morris in the first round and were quickly sent packing by Saint Mary’s in the second.

This season, Villanova has partnered an eye-opening win at Syracuse with back-to-back losses at Providence and at home to Georgetown, losing three times in the past 12 days.

“I don’t know if this team has a personality yet,” Nova coach Jay Wright said. “We’ve got to get one but I do think we’re in a better place than last year. We’re closer to being the kind of team we want to be. We just have to get there.”

What Wright wants Villanova to be, what he always has wanted Villanova to be, is a team that relies on its defense and not on its offense. The Wildcats have gotten away from that a little bit in the past two seasons. The D is better but the Cats are still fairly easy to figure out: when they don’t shoot well, they don’t win.

That may sound simplistic -- score more and you win, duh -- but it’s not. In the past Nova could win games when it didn’t score well or easily, using its scrappy defense to keep things together.

This season that hasn’t been the case. In the Wildcats’ 17 wins, they are averaging 78.5 points and shooting 46.8 percent.

In their four losses, they’re scoring only 65.2 points and shooting just 35.7 percent.

“We’ve got to bring it with our defense,” guard Corey Fisher said. “If we can do that, the rest will take of itself. We’re a good team and to be a good team, you have to be able to win when you’re not shooting well.’’

Fisher, though, insists he’s not worried.

He and the Wildcats are no more wringing their hands over their skid than the Hoyas are celebrating their win streak.

You can’t.

Not in the Big East.

The league is smoke and mirrors, what you think is real isn’t.

Just as Villanova was losing to Georgetown, Connecticut was going down at home to Louisville, two games after Louisville lost to Providence.

Syracuse looked unbeatable and then it looked awful.

Pitt never loses at home -- except when Notre Dame, which never wins on the road, comes to town.

“Jamie Dixon said last week, and he’s right, that in the first part of the season, Big East teams beat up on the rest of the country and then we beat each other up,” Thompson said. “People start questioning and thinking, what’s wrong with this team? There’s nothing wrong. This league is outstanding. It’s crazy.”

So crazy and so outstanding that you can temporarily forget about someone as good as Freeman.

Dana O’Neil covers college basketball for ESPN.com and can be reached at espnoneil@live.com.

STORRS, Conn. -- Kemba Walker is performing for Connecticut as if he is an NBA All-Star. He's well-aware that he will take the last shot, and he won't have any doubt about making it.

He won’t always make it -- plenty of NBA stars don’t. But the Huskies believe their best chance to win is with Walker taking the shot, no matter the moment’s conditions.

Don’t mistake Walker with an actual NBA All-Star -- he’s not. But he’s carrying the burden more than any other player on a top-25 team.

Ealier this month at Texas everyone knew that Walker had to take the winning shot, no matter what. He took it, and he made it with five seconds left.

Game over.

There was no doubt who was going to take the last shot for Connecticut against Villanova on Monday with the game tied at 59.

“No matter what I was going to give the ball to Kemba,’’ said Connecticut freshman guard Shabazz Napier, who handed the ball to Walker on the far side of the 3-point line. “If I was pressured too much, I would have called timeout. We all know who to give the ball to when time is running out.’’

Napier drew the analogy that Walker is like a reliever, ready to close the game like the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera.

There aren’t many in college basketball who are doing that this season. As sensational as Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, Duke’s Nolan Smith and BYU’s Jimmer Fredette have been this season, Walker has got them beat on game-winning shots. You can make arguments for any of them for player of the year, but none of their teams have as little experienced help as the Huskies, which likely makes Walker the current favorite.

So how do you defend Walker once he got the handoff from Napier?

“There’s nothing you can do,’’ said Villanova’s Corey Fisher, who went back and forth scoring with Walker. In the closing minutes, Fisher matched Walker’s 3-pointer and free throws, enough to prompt Villanova coach Jay Wright to say that Fisher is as good as Walker but that Walker had the last possession.

“We wanted to trap him but he’s so fast and he got it and we couldn’t catch him,’’ Wright said of Walker, who zipped into the lane and converted a floater with 2.5 seconds remaining for the 61-59 victory. All Fisher could do was heave a desperate shot at the buzzer that was wide left.

“When he handed it off, we couldn’t catch him and he went full speed,’’ Wright said. “He’s got another speed. He goes so fast and stops on a dime. As soon as he created separation he hit a floater. He’s better at going to the middle of the lane than to the rim.’’

“Of course the ball was going to be in my hands,’’ Walker said. “Being the leader of this team, I wanted it to be in my hands. I was able to get a nice little shot off. I knew the other guy was going to come. I just tried to go before he came. I was able to go by my man and get a shot off.’’

Walker is not without his imperfections.

He played his typical game. He dominated the ball when he had to, taking a high volume of shots (18), making a low percentage (six) and getting to the free throw line (9-of-12).

Walker hit a key bucket -- a step-back 3-pointer over Corey Stokes -- to give Connecticut a 57-54 lead with 1:03 left. That was after Fisher scored a few baskets in a row to bring Villanova back to a tie.

Walker made two free throws to give the Huskies a five-point lead before Fisher buried a 3-pointer to bring the Wildcats to within two.

Walker had a chance to stretch the lead but missed two free throws, giving Nova a chance. Walker then put Fisher at the line with 22 seconds left, ensuring that UConn would have the last shot.

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said Walker didn’t foul Fisher on purpose. He said he was so frustrated about missing the free throws that he gambled on the steal.

Fisher made both free throws to tie the game and set up Walker for his personal time -- ending the game on his terms.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence at the end of the game that they were going to double and we actually thought someone else might get it this time, but Kemba is so clutch and he was able to knock it down,’’ said UConn freshman wing Jeremy Lamb.

If the Huskies are to be more than the Walker show, Lamb will have to become the necessary complementary player. Calhoun said Lamb is ready to assume that role and the Georgia native scored 14 points Monday. Someone has to take on that responsibility.

“I think it can be true,’’ Lamb said. “I just have to be more consistent. I was able to knock down shots and be more aggressive.’’

Calhoun is well-aware of the importance of Monday’s win. The Huskies have to protect homecourt in the Big East if they’re going to be a competitor for a top-three finish. They have tremendous nonconference wins like Michigan State, Kentucky and at Texas and could get another one Saturday against Tennessee.

“The early season wins in Maui look terrific, but you have to come up with a good Big East record, and if you start looking ahead we still have to go to Marquette and play Louisville and Syracuse,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.’’

There has been so much attention on Walker -- and rightfully so -- but what is getting lost is the coaching job done by Calhoun. The season started with him missing the first practice to be in front of the NCAA committee on infractions for recruiting violations involving Nate Miles and answering to the charge of failing to create an atmosphere of compliance. The COI’s report hasn’t been sent to UConn yet or been made public.

In the meantime, Calhoun has coached Walker and a cast of freshmen to a top-10 ranking, a 15-2 overall record and a 4-2 record in the Big East. He is the early favorite for Big East coach of the year.

“I thought they’d be at this point now, but never thought they’d play well this long,’’ Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “It started in Hawaii with a lot of young guys and they’ve been playing well the whole season. It’s amazing what they’ve done.’’

For Villanova this would have been a steal, picking up a road win where most won’t get one, if any, this season. The Cats suffered their first Big East loss, and Syracuse is up next on Saturday at the Carrier Dome. Villanova might get reserve guard Dominic Cheek back for that game after Wright said Cheek’s MRI didn’t indicate a tear of his meniscus. Swelling in his knee, which started during the Maryland win Saturday, caused him to sit against the Huskies.

“We’re going to be better and learn from this,’’ Fisher said. “We played a good team on the road. We’ve got another one in their house in Syracuse. This was fun but we lost.’’

Walker had the ball one more time than Fisher did to win the game. This is no longer a fluke, but rather a trend and one that is carrying the Huskies toward an NCAA tournament berth.

NEW YORK -- The NCAA mess that Bruce Pearl and his staff got the Tennessee program into will rear its ugly head again when the NCAA releases its official document of allegations, most likely within the next month.

But for one night at least, the Volunteer basketball team shifted the focus to actual basketball -- in this case an improbable NIT Season Tip-Off trophy after an impressive 78-68 win over seventh-ranked Villanova in the championship game at Madison Square Garden.

It’s become clear now that the more Tennessee wins, the less likely an NCAA investigation will have a major effect on this particular team.

The reason is the Vols have a basketball team that is again worthy of attention, and a freshman in Tobias Harris that should at least be in the same conversation with Jared Sullinger of Ohio State, Harrison Barnes of North Carolina, Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight of Kentucky and in a few weeks, Josh Selby of Kansas.

“We showed toughness, in a tough environment and we had an edge coming in,’’ said Pearl. “Nobody picked Tennessee to win.’’

No one on ESPN.com, that’s for sure.

“I wouldn’t blame you,’’ Pearl said. “I would have picked Villanova against the field, too.’’

After this 10-point victory, in which they led for the final 12 minutes and for most of the game, the 24th-ranked Vols will certainly move up in the rankings. But just as importantly, perhaps, they’ll strike a bit of fear in the minds of every team in the SEC East, after Tennessee was picked to finish fourth in the division despite several pieces of the Elite Eight team returning and Harris’ arrival.

“We wanted the focus of our basketball program to be on the basketball,’’ said Tennessee senior wing Steven Pearl, whose scrappy 15 minutes didn’t go unnoticed. “I think [my dad] has handled it great. You can’t tell any difference with his coaching this team. He has acted normal. Off the court we talk about it, but he’s handling it very well. He’s done a good job of keeping it away, from it being a distraction.’’

The University of Tennessee and the Southeastern Conference had made it difficult to ignore. The school self-imposed penalties on Pearl and his staff, from docking salary to taking them off the recruiting road after Pearl misled NCAA investigators about high school recruits at a Pearl-housed barbeque. And then SEC commissioner Mike Slive put the focus back on Pearl with his unique eight-gamedays suspension to start league play, which doesn’t prevent Pearl from traveling with the team, coaching them in practice or -- in the middle of the suspension -- coaching the Vols at Connecticut on Jan. 22.

With that as a backdrop, the Vols arrived in New York perceived as sort of a team turmoil.

Well, they hardly fit the part. The only disruption Tennessee had here was backup point guard Trae Golden’s 102-degree fever that kept him out of the game against Villanova. Pearl said it was going to be a problem prior to tipoff because of Villanova’s guards.

But point guard Melvin Goins, a backup last season and now a starter, and Skylar McBee among others (including Hopson), handled the Nova guards quite well as Corey Fisher went 1-for-10 for three points (after scoring 26 in the semis) and Maalik Wayns went 3-for-11 for 11 points. The trio of Fisher, Wayne and Corey Stokes -- the same group that combined for 61 points against UCLA -- tallied just 25 against the Vols.

Villanova coach Jay Wright warned his guards about driving against Tennessee’s bigs and said they might have to make an extra pass. He foresaw that the Cats wouldn’t be able to get to the rim -- and they didn’t.

“What impressed me the most was how physical they all were, from Melvin Goins to Skylar McBee to Tobias Harris, their physicality,’’ Wright said.

The Vols had great balance against Nova, shutting down the Wildcats on 3s (4-of-21) and then hitting 3s at a more efficient manner on their end (6-of-16). Harris’ ability to be a point forward -- to take the ball and drive on his own to the hoop -- makes him a tough mismatch. Wright noticed.

“I want to win and I’m trying to do everything I can to help this team win,’’ said Harris, the freshman from Long Island.

“I think you saw what he was capable of, making tough plays,’’ said Pearl of Harris, who finished with 15 points and nine boards. “We put the ball in his hands a lot. He was recruited to play that point forward. He can be a good passer too. We need him to score. He’s an inside-out player and those are tough matchups.’’

The NIT was also the official arrival of Scotty Hopson as a go-to scorer. Hopson was a celebrated recruit as a McDonald’s All-American, but admittedly took a backseat the past two seasons. At SEC media day last month, he said he needed to be much more assertive.

Mission accomplished in New York. He was named the NIT’s MVP after scoring a team-high 18 (to go along with 19 against VCU). Cameron Tatum’s 17 showed how balanced offensively this team can be throughout the season. And the gritty play of another New Yorker, forward Brian Williams (12 points and seven boards), only adds to the Vols’ toughness.

“We were an Elite Eight team last year, but this is a new team with a lot of new guys,’’ Pearl said. “Our depth will always be a factor, but we played hard and were unselfish. We can rebound and we can defend.’’

On Dec. 11 at the SEC-Big East Invitational, Tennessee plays Pittsburgh at the CONSOL Energy Center, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then the Vols have yet another Big East date Jan. 22 at UConn. And in between, Tennessee hosts USC and Memphis as well as a sneaky good College of Charleston. So there are plenty of potential potholes on the nonconference schedule.

As for league play, picking Florida, Kentucky or Vanderbilt ahead of Tennessee in the SEC East is still not a reach, based on the rosters and the flashes each of shown at times already this season. Georgia has been a bit of disappointment so far, but the Bulldogs haven’t had SEC preseason player of the year Trey Thompkins at full strength yet. Still, all those other teams have lost. The Vols have not. And they have the best win of that group so far.

“We understand that we’re not a great basketball team and we can’t get carried away and say we’re the best team in the country,’’ Steven Pearl said. “We beat a good Villanova team. We’ve got to stay grounded. Playing Pitt could be a different animal. But we’re excited for the test.’’

The players were certainly euphoric after the game, jumping on the back of Bruce Pearl at center court. Pearl kept saying the right things -- that this wasn’t about him, but rather about the team. And on this night at least, he was right. The shift from off the court to on the court was real.

“We had to get the issues focused on the court,’’ Williams said. “That’s what we wanted.’’

And that’s what they got.