Layup with 8.2 seconds left lifts Tar Heels to win
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Anybody out there still think the NCAA Tournament field should be expanded to 96?

Hello? Anybody?

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1.  Former Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson’s NFL draft stock is soaring.

2.  Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi said yesterday that he can’t afford to give Tubby Smith a raise above his current $1.75 million per year salary.  Are you listening, Jay Jacobs?

3.  Maturi said he’s “heard the rumors” that AU might be interested in Smith, “but I haven’t gotten the call.”  Minnesota plays Xavier today… and Maturi isn’t happy about the timing of rumors connecting Smith to both Auburn and Oregon.

4.  LSU’s Stefoin Francois is following in Harry Coleman’s footsteps and moving from safety to linebacker.

5.  New right tackle Alex Hurst says the Tigers’ offensive line is “starting to pick it up.”

6.  North Carolina’s Roy Williams says Rick Stansbury is “a big-time quality coach.”

7.  Williams said his team is happy to still be playing.  (Even if it means playing in Starkville at noon ET tomorrow?)

8.  No introductions will be necessary when Ole Miss and Memphis hook up this evening in the NIT.

9.  Tad Smith Coliseum hasn’t been “home sweet home” for Andy Kennedy’s club this season.

10.  The Rebels have a deeper bench than the Tigers.

11.  Speaking of Memphis, it’s looking like their appeal of NCAA sanctions will be denied.  So if John Calipari wants a Final Four to appear officially on his resume, he’s going to need to reach one with Kentucky.

12.  Even after his horrible season last year, one group still ranks Jevan Snead as the #7 quarterback prospect in their year’s draft. 

With Tennessee’s 62-59 win over San Diego State last night, the Southeastern Conference wrapped up the day at 2-2.  It wasn’t the kind of performance the league was looking for, but it could have been worse.

As we showed you all week leading up to the tournament, many national analysts believed Kentucky would be the only SEC club standing at the end of yesterday’s action.  They were almost right.

Florida fell to Brigham Young to get things started.  Next Vanderbilt was upset on a buzzer-beater by Murray State of the OVC.  After an expected UK win, Tennessee had to hold off #11 seed San Diego State which had a chance to tie on a last-second three-pointer.

Had the Aztecs pulled the shocker — and that was THE vogue pick for a first-round upset — the SEC would have really had some egg on its face.

As it stands, the league actually has a pretty good shot at having two teams reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Kentucky will face Wake Forest at 8:15pm ET on Saturday.  Wake (a #9 seed) came from behind to slip past Texas in overtime last night.  Having played in a power conference and been on the NCAA stage many times before, it’s doubtful that the Demon Deacons will be intimidated by the name on UK’s jerseys.  Still, it would be a major, major upset for the Wildcats to lose.

Tennessee will play at 3:35pm ET against Ohio.  The #14 seed Bobcats whipped up on Georgetown yesterday.  If Ohio can repeat their 13-of-23 shooting performance from three-point range they might just take down Tennessee, too.  But if you look at their full body of work, Ohio is a much more desirable opponent for the Vols than the Hoyas would have been.  Ohio was just 20-14 coming into the tourney and had to win the MAC tournament to get a bid.

If the SEC can land two teams in the Sweet Sixteen it would constitute a respectable performance for a league that just had four teams invited. 

But if the SEC wants to impress folks around the country, it needs Kentucky and Tennessee to not only reach the next round… but the one after that.  If two league schools can reach the Elite Eight THEN the SEC might start to regain some national respect.

After Day One, at least that remains a possibility.



(It was a first day that some are calling the best ever thanks to seven upsets by seed out of the 16 games played.)

Mississippi State fans waiting for a league response to the un-called lane violation in Sunday’s SEC title game probably shouldn’t hold their breath.

SEC spokesman Craig Pinkerton told Kyle Veazey of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger that the league will not comment on any communication “it may or may not have” with a coach about a specific call. 

Rick Stansbury also won’t say whether he’s heard from the league regarding the no-call (or regarding his comments about the no-call).

As I’ve said on many occasions, I’m not a conspiracy theorist.  I don’t think the officials intentionally ignored the lane violation(s) because the violators were wearing Kentucky blue.  I simply think they blew the call.

And that’s exactly what the league should say.  “We missed it.”  “We normally don’t eye the three-point arc part of the rule too closely.”  “In that situation, even our officials watched the ball and took their eyes off of Eric Bledsoe’s feet.”  Anything is better than silence.

Keeping quiet and hoping the issue will go away on its own is no way to deal with such a controversial non-call.  It only makes the conspiracy theorists dig in with more tenacity. 

It also leaves one of the SEC’s 12 member institutions feeling like it got the shaft. 

That’s not good.  Or right.

So here’s hoping the league simply says, “We blew it.”  But as I alluded to earlier… I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

1.  When you watch the NCAA tournament you’ll see a lot of players from Alabama… who got away from the Tide and Tigers.

2.  Former Auburn tailback Ben Tate won’t be changing his lifestyle until the NFL cash starts pouring in.

3.  Have you seen Auburn football’s flashy new website?

4.  Bobby Petrino is looking forward to seeing his four running backs compete during spring practice.  (Arkansas will do some running from the “pistol” formation this year, too.)

5.  Ryan Mallett says he feels great.  Despite his healing left foot.

6.  Les Miles is hoping Stevan Ridley and Richard Murphy can carry the load at running back for LSU.

7.  With Ole Miss students on Spring Break, there wasn’t much enthusiasm surrounding last night’s NIT win over Troy.

8.  Terrico White’s 27-point night was a pleasant surprise.  “Certainly he has the ability to do that, and we’d like to see it every night,” Andy Kennedy said.  “Maybe he’s just not ready to do it every night.”

9.  The Rebels looked “looser” last night than they did in the SEC tournament.

10.  Dexter McCluster is ready to improve on the 40 time he ran at the NFL combine.

11.  Mississippi State fans — many of whom believe MSU gets no respect — love the fact that Rick Stansbury is complaining about the missed lane violation call.

12.  As expected, tickets for State’s NIT contest with North Carolina are going fast.  “Those teams don’t come to Starkville, that’s just the way it is.”

13.  In case you missed it, here’s the crotch punch that Dee Bost took in Tuesday’s Jackson State game.

Before we get to the headlines today, let me answer an email I got yesterday.  “Why do you always put more East stories up than West stories?”

Currently, there are four East teams alive in the NCAA tournament.  So obviously there are more stories being written about East Division teams.

And with that…

1.  Charles Barkley says he’ll help Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs with his coach search.  But he added, “I don’t pull any strings at Auburn. … If I ran the program Mike Anderson would have the coach last time.”

2.  Former Arkansas safety Matt Harris is still dealing with the fact that he missed his last college football game because of a suspension.

3.  Mitch Petrus — who took part in yesterday’s Pro Day in Fayetteville — says that Bobby Petrino’s all-business demeanor has helped him prepare for the NFL.

4.  LSU held its Pro Day yesterday, too.

5.  Ole Miss AD Pete Boone doesn’t believe Andy Kennedy is losing momentum in Oxford.  (It’s not a good sign that he’s even having to answer such questions.)

6.  Despite having a better season this year than last, UM still saw attendance drop at Rebel basketball games.

7.  Troy is “very excited” to be getting a shot at Ole Miss in the NIT tonight.

8.  Arizona State was upset last night, which means if the Rebels keep winning the road to Madison Square Garden will go through Oxford.

9.  This writer believes Mississippi State is the best team in the NIT field.

10.  The Bulldogs were sluggish early in last night’s win over Jackson State.  “Considering it was our fourth game in five days, I was proud of the way our guys came out and played.”

11.  Dee Bost scored 15 of this 18 points after taking a cheap shot to the groin.

12.  Rick Stansbury says the MSU’s next opponent — North Carolina — is still NORTH CAROLINA.  “Seven McDonald’s All-Americans.  There won’t be no more talented team than what they have.”

When Monday morning rolled around, I never dreamed that I would type the words “lane violation” so often this week.  But the end of the Kentucky/Mississippi State game on Sunday has folks on both sides of the battle shouting to the heavens.

First came the emails from MSU fans regarding John Wall stepping over the three-point arc on Eric Bledsoe’s “I’m gonna miss this on purpose” free throw attempt.

Then came more MSU emails pointing out that Darnell Dodson was also over the line.  And Eric Bledsoe had jumped the gun and stepped over the free throw line, too.

Yesterday, after posting our follow-up to the story — because Rick Stansbury was talking about it — UK fans got in on the action.  I received four different emails from folks saying that it was a good “no call” because State’s players on the lane itself all jumped into the paint before the ball hit the rim.

And that’s why I think it’s time for some more clarification.  Here’s the deal on lane violations:



1.  Players lined up outside the three-point arc (and the extended lanes) cannot cross inside the three-point area (or the extended lanes) until after a free throw attempt has hit the rim.  Both Wall and Dodson appear to have done just that.  MSU’s Dee Bost might also have jumped the gun on this area.  In Stansbury’s view, the whistle should have been blown when Wall crossed the line, so it would not have mattered what Bost did after that point.

If this violation had been called against either UK player, Mississippi State would have been given the basketball with a two-point lead and 4.9 seconds remaining on the clock. 

2.  The shooter can not step across the foul line until his attempt hits the rim.  Bledsoe did.  In this case, however, he fired up a lollipop of a shot in order to force a big rebound.  He stood his ground for a second before moving forward.  I’m guessing the official watched his feet, saw that he didn’t come immediately across the line, and then eyed the ball… thus missing Bledsoe’s violation.  Still, this WAS a violation of the rule.

3.  Players along the lanes (be they Kentucky or MSU players) can’t go into the paint until the shot has been released from the shooter’s hands.  On replay, it looks like the players for both teams waited until after Bledsoe released his shot before they jumped into the paint.  So there was no violation.  Meaning that this was NOT a good “no call.”

Here’s the video one… more… time.



Hopefully that puts an end to this discussion until the SEC comments on the play… or fines Stansbury for doing so.

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ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is considered to be THE bracket expert when it comes to the NCAA tournament.  Now, he does do a good job of predicting the 65-team field, but I’ve never gone back to check his accuracy on predicting seeds.  In other words, “field” expert might be a better term than “bracket” expert, but that’s neither here nor there.

For those of you who do view Mr. Lunardi as a tourney guru, he’s now posted his tourney picks for you.  And SEC fans won’t be real happy about them.

In the Midwest, he has Tennessee losing to San Diego State in the first round.

In the West, he has Vanderbilt losing to Murray State in the first round.

Still in the West, he has Florida losing to BYU in the first round.

In the East, he does have Kentucky reaching the Sweet 16… before falling to #4 seed Wisconsin. 

That’s right, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the SEC out of the tourney before the round of eight.  And that includes UK.

Looking around the nation at other experts’ picks, it’s obvious that the SEC is fighting a pretty big perception problem.  Very few analysts expect Florida to win a game.  Several see Vandy as an early upset victim.  And Tennessee is perhaps the trendiest pick in the field to fail in its opener.

There’s only one way to change what folks think about SEC basketball — win. 

But if the SEC’s teams go belly-up as Mr. Lunardi and so many others expect, those of us down south shouldn’t complain about a lack of respect.  The SEC’s schools will have earned it.

It’s Wednesday and I just found yet another note in my email box from a Tennessee fan upset that I defended the NCAA (sort of) in their seeding of the Vols.

Apparently 48 hours isn’t enough time to move on from the fact that Bruce Pearl’s team was seeded sixth instead of fifth.

Well, in response to the cries of “We wuz robbed!” I thought I’d take a look at this year’s NCAA tournament seeds and see if Tennessee truly was singled out for a spanking.

A quick comparison of the selection committee’s seeds to the national rankings and RPI rankings shows that the “eyeball test” of human voters is a more accurate predictor of seeding.

Below you’ll see the Top 25 going into Sunday’s selection process.  At right, you’ll see three columns.  The first shows where each team should have been seeded IF seeding were based strictly on national rank.  The second shows their actual seed.  The third shows how much up or down they moved.

So what do we see?  First, it’s pretty obvious that the committee gave extra credit to teams from the Big East and Big 12, the perceived two best conferences all season.  Villanova, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Baylor and Texas A&M were all seeded a bit higher than their national ranking would have indicated.

We also see that no team fell or rose more than a couple of spots from where they were expected to land.  Overall, eight teams moved up and nine teams moved down.

Tennessee dropped two slots along with Butler (who has been a fixture in the Top 12 all year), Temple, BYU and Gonzaga.  Hard to say, then, that UT was singled out.

One of the biggest risers was Vanderbilt.  The Commodores — ranked 21st — would have been expected to be a #6 seed, but instead they received a #4 seed.  That might give some Vol fans something to complain about, but Vanderbilt beat Tennessee handily in both of their contests this year, finished ahead of them in the SEC standings and went 4-2 against Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida.  As Pearl himself noted, the Vols went just 2-5 against Kentucky, Vandy and the Gators.



Now, on to the RPI comparison…

Clearly, RPI is used only as a “guide,” just as various committee members say each year.  There was much more variation in this chart than in our first one.  Temple, Northern Iowa, San Diego State, California and Ohio State all moved up or down by three or more slots.

Again we see that Tennessee moved down two lines while Vandy climbed two.

As for the school that got “most hosed” in both charts, that would be Temple.

But knowing that this is a fluid process that seems to change a bit from year to year, it’s hard for me to say, “Yes, this team’s fans should be crying.”  We’re talking about a seed line or two… not a tourney snub.

If the teams who feel snubbed are upset, they’ll have every opportunity to prove the experts wrong starting tomorrow.  And if Tennessee isn’t good enough to get by San Diego State, how much farther would they have gone as a #4 or a #5?

And for the record, I’d have had Kentucky a #1, Vandy a #4 and Tennessee a #5.  But that’s just me.  And judging from my inbox, many of you disagree.

For a team with five losses to clubs outside the RPI Top 100, no game should be taken for granted.  Wisely, Rick Stansbury had his team ready for last night’s visit from nearby Jackson State.

The Bulldogs bounced back from lane violations and empty NCAA dance cards with an 81-67 win in Starkville last night.  Saturday at Noon ET (11am CT), North Carolina will come to the Hump.

Stansbury was pleased with his team’s performance.  “I’m proud of our basketball team, not just because we won the game but because of the way we responded tonight.”

“We said to each other we can play for another championship, the NIT championship, and get to Madison Square Garden,” Jarvis Varnado said.

Only 4,400-plus decided to attend the game.  Despite an 11am local time start on Saturday, I’m guessing there will be a much bigger crowd on hand for the Tar Heels.  After all, it’s not UNC visits Starkville for regular season games.

Back to the SEC tournament finals and Stansbury’s voicing of his displeasure with the officials, the coach would not say if he has had any communication with the league office.  “I’ve moved forward.”

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Mr. SEC.com!

Nothing like Irish Serbs to kick off your morning.  Enjoy this — and an early morning black and tan — as we put together your morning news.



And as our photo clearly shows… be smart today and don’t have TOO many black and tans.

1.  Alabama’s Mal Moore is a finalist for the Athletic Director of the Year award.

2.  Cornerback Kareem Jackson is boosting his stock with pro scouts.

3.  Arkansas running back De’Anthony Curtis is moving to wide receiver.

4.  Courtney Fortson was named honorable mention on the AP’s All-SEC team.

5.  This writer thinks Arkansas is making a mistake by comparing John Pelphrey’s three-year record to that of legendary Hog coach Nolan Richardson (after his first three years in Fayetteville).

6.  LSU’s Pro Day brought in scouts from nearly every NFL team.

7.  Brandon LaFell and Chad Jones were happy with their work in front of the NFL officials.

8.  One draft analyst says former Tiger tackle Ciron Black — once a first-round prospect — has put on too much weight over the last couple of years.

9.  Andy Kennedy knows why his team is in the NIT — Ole Miss was 0-7 against the other SEC teams still playing basketball.  “We have no one to blame but ourselves.”

10.  Kennedy says he hasn’t given up on Eniel Polynice, but has the guard given up on the Rebels?

11.  Kennedy says his program is “so very close” to getting over the proverbial hump.

12.  Will Terrico White and Chris Warren leave UM early to play pro ball?

13.  Jarvis Varnado was named first-team All-SEC.

14.  Mississippi State hosts Jackson State in the NIT tonight, but Rick Stansbury is still upset that his team missed the NCAA tournament.

15.  For a team that lost five games to teams outside the RPI Top 100, it’s important for the Bulldogs to focus on their game tonight… and not the NCAAs.

16.  Will the SEC take action — or even comment on — the missed lane violation call in Sunday’s MSU-Kentucky game?  State fans want to know.

16. 

Sorry, Kentucky fans.  It doesn’t look like this one’s going away.

Yesterday, we told you that a mini-furor had arisen regarding Eric Bledsoe’s missed free throw at the end of regulation in the SEC tournament finals… the miss that led to DeMarcus Cousins’ eventual game-tying lay-up.

John Wall was shown in replays to have crossed inside the three-point arc before Bledsoe’s shot hit the rim.  That’s a type of lane violation, though most folks I’ve talked to have never seen that particular part of the rule called.



But a check of the videotape shows THREE potential violations on the play:

1)  Bledsoe stepped over the free throw line before his shot hit the rim — lane violation

2)  Wall stepped inside the three-point arc before Bledsoe’s shot hit the rim — lane violation

3)  Darnell Dodson also stepped inside the three-point arc before Bledsoe’s shot hit the rim — lane violation



Even if you — like me — give the refs a pass on the three-point arc stuff, that still leaves a rather obvious violation by the shooter himself.

During a press conference yesterday, Rick Stansbury made it clear that he’s not happy about that.  “It’s a very obvious lane violation.  Both guys in that lane line up outside the 3-point line.” 

Leery of a potential fine from the league, Stansbury added, “I’m not talking about officiating, I’m talking about the play.”

Oh.

Stansbury did some research on the rule and after doing so, felt even more convinced that his team was jobbed.

“I’m just amazed in that situation, game on the line, you know he’s going to miss the free throw (intentionally), two officials watching it — we’re not talking about a foot.  We’re talking about eight feet.”

Kyle Veazey of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports that the rule appears to be pretty clear: a teammate of the free throw shooter can’t enter the arc until the shot hits the rim.  The shooter has to wait for the ball to hit the rim, too.

According to Stansbury, the fact that State’s Dee Bost also entered inside the three-point arc would make no difference.  In his view, the offensive player entered first, so the play should have been blown dead.

Stansbury said that his anger was limited to what happened on Sunday and not tied to State’s first game with Kentucky.  You might remember that MSU saw 10 calls go against them in the final eight minutes of their loss to the Wildcats in Starkville.  UK had no calls go against them in those closing minutes.  Cups and water bottles were tossed by fans, etc, etc.

“The first game, I put behind me.  I’m not a guy who cries over spilled milk very often.  This was a hard pill to swallow because this was not a judgement call.”



Personally, I wonder if the three-point arc part of the lane violation rule will now get more attention from referees and the media.  Most folks hadn’t heard of this issue prior to Sunday.  Even Stansbury had to do a little research on the subject.

In 2001, something called a “tuck rule” helped launch the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl title.  At the time, it was thought to be a tidbit in the rule book that would surely be tossed out after the season.  Well, it wasn’t thrown out.  And now you see a “tuck rule” call in a dozen football games each year.

The same could happen in this situation.

But dropping the Dodson/Wall part of the equation, the referees did clearly miss Bledsoe stepping over the line.  In that situation, I think it’s probably natural that their eyes went from his feet to the ball.  And he did stay in his stance for split-second or two before charging forward.

Of course, that won’t change the perception that SEC officials looked the other way. 

Sorry Cat fans.  I’m not a conspiracy guy, but the refs blew this one.  That means the folks in the tin foil hats now have some ammunition in their ray guns.

In football, Alabama and Florida supposedly got all the calls this past fall.

In basketball, it’s Kentucky that’s been “taken care of.”

At least that’s the way many SEC fans saw things this year at least.

I don’t know who thought Kentucky was getting all the calls when Billy Gillispie was missing the NCAA tournament last year.

And I don’t remember anyone talking about Bama getting help from officials during Nick Saban’s first 7-6 season in Tuscaloosa.

But, hey, the perception is that good teams really aren’t that good… they’re just being aided by the refs.  Or so a lot of people seem to think.

So I’ve gone back through every Southeastern Conference basketball game this season (that’s 96 regular season games) and tallied up all of the fouls called in each game.  Below you’ll see which teams were whistled for the most fouls, which teams saw their opponents most often called for fouls, and which teams got the biggest boost in foul differential per game.

Keep in mind, this is purely a numbers exercise.  There’s no way to know how numbers are skewed by the fact that good teams usually lead and therefore their opponents are forced to foul more at the ends of games.

In other words, are fouls called because a team is good or is a team good because fouls are called?  Depending on your belief in conspiracy theories, that can go either way.

Also, it would stand to reason that more talented teams would force their opponents to foul more in an attempt to even the playing field.  In other words, not everyone has a guard as fast as John Wall, so it would figure that Wall might draw more slaps on the arms as he blows down the lane.

In addition, more physical teams — like Vanderbilt — probably get a foul advantage because other teams have to use multiple players to bang around inside with them.

Personally, I’m not a believer in conspiracy theories.  I believe home teams get more calls because officials get caught up in crowd noise just as players do (and we’ll show you those numbers, too).  I believe more talented teams get “benefit of the doubt” calls.  And I believe teams that have a reputation for being physical get more calls in their favor as well.

But I don’t believe officials take care of certain teams in order to protect their rankings, seedings, etc.  You might, but I don’t.

All that said, here are the numbers:

MOST FOULS CALLED AGAINST OPPONENT PER GAME

It seems that Auburn and Arkansas tend to spoil the conspiracy theory on this one.

FEWEST FOULS CALLED AGAINST PER GAME

Again, I’m not seeing any evidence of conspiracies here.  Vanderbilt saw it’s opponents whistled for more fouls than any other school.  Yet the Commodores also led the league in the number of fouls that were called against them.  That seems to suggest that style of play is a pretty big factor.

As for Kentucky, the Wildcats were actually whistled for more fouls than Florida, Mississippi State, Georgia and LSU.  That would be 2-14 LSU, by the way.

FOUL DIFFERENTIAL PER GAME

Finally.  Something for the folks in the tin foil hats.

No school sees a bigger difference between their own number of fouls and their opponents’ fouls than Kentucky.  Of course, the SEC refs are having to be awfully sneaky about this if it’s planned out… because UK doesn’t lead either of the two individual categories (above) that are used to determine this number.

But what about homecourt advantage?  Is it real?

Oh, yes.  There’s a reason 76% of BCS league games have been won by the home team in recent years.  A loud crowd influences players AND officials.

All 12 teams in the SEC this past year saw more fouls called against their opponents at home than on the road.  All 12.

And all 12 SEC teams saw fewer fouls called on themselves when playing at home, too.  Again, all 12.

But of all the official-affecting home gyms in the SEC, here are the ones that provide the best advantage for their occupants:

FOUL DIFFERENTIAL AT HOME

As you can see, only two SEC teams (Ole Miss and South Carolina) averaged more fouls called against them than their opponents at home.  Every other team had a positive foul differential in their own gym.

Of all the gyms in the SEC in 2010, the O’Connell Center in Gainesville was the most inhospitable to visitors looking to get a call or two.

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1.  Alabama will be staying at home this March after missing an NIT bid… an expressing not interest in a CBI or CIT bid.

2.  There were some bright spots during Anthony Grant’s first season in Tuscaloosa despite numerous injuries.

3.  After three years on John Pelphrey’s staff, Isaac Brown is not expected to return for Year Four.

4.  Brown isn’t commenting on the reports.  “You’ve got to call Coach Pel.  I’m not doing no talking.”

5.  Jordan Jefferson is taking ownership of LSU’s football team.

6.  Yesterday’s tight loss to Kentucky hurt Mississippi State in more ways than one.

7.  First came the loss, then came an NCAA snub.  (I’m not sure I’d call it a “snub.”)

8.  Rick Stansbury called Sunday a “double disappointment.”

9.  Though painful, MSU fans can take solace in their team’s gritty effort versus Kentucky.

10.  Athletic director Greg Byrne wants to talk to the NCAA selection committee.  (Hopefully they’ll tell him not to lose five games to teams ranked outside the Top 100.)

11.  While State and UM didn’t get the invites they wanted, their seasons will continue.

12.  The Bulldogs will host SWAC champion Jackson State on Tuesday night in the NIT.

13.  Ole Miss will host Sun Belt champ Troy on Wednesday night.

Quick note… we’ve added Ole Miss and Mississippi State to our “Who’s got a right to cry?” post from earlier today.

As you’ll find, I don’t think any of the SEC teams have many reasons to be whining today. 

Scroll down or click here to see the updated post.

Well, they didn’t make the Big Dance, but the SEC’s two Magnolia State representatives will at least be going a social.

The NIT field has been set and Ole Miss and Mississippi State both got some love in the seeding process.

State — which came within a nanosecond of earning an NCAA trip — was made a #1 seed and will open play against in-state rival Jackson State.  UAB, South Florida, North Carolina, William & Mary, North Carolina State and Coastal Carolina make up the rest of their eight-team bracket.

Ole Miss landed a #2 seed and will open up against #7 seed Troy in their bracket.  Also in their field are Arizona State (the top seed), Memphis, Seton Hall, Texas Tech, St. John’s, and Jacksonville.

Alabama did not receive a bid.

For years, the NIT was an absolute joke of a tournament.  That has changed since the NCAA purchased the tourney in 2005.  The field is now seeded and teams are chosen based on merit and record, not fan support and gate receipts.

MSU and UM fans wanted to make the NCAA tourney, of course, but at least the NIT isn’t the laugher that it used to be. 

As for the two remaining tourneys — which are jokes — no SEC teams will take part in this year’s CBI or CIT.  Dang.  I was really hoping to have to cover that nonsense.

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Congratulations to Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Florida for making this year’s NCAA tournament. 

And condolences to Ole Miss and Mississippi State for missing out.

Now that the brackets have been announced, a quick check of the messageboards for each school reveals a lot of upset feelings, a lot of complaints about seeding, respect, travel, etc. 

Johnny Cash summed up the mood nicely…




So which schools/teams/fans really do have reason to cry?  We’ll tell you below:



Kentucky — RPI of 2, SOS of 31, 5-1 vs RPI Top 50
#1 seed
East Regional vs #16 ETSU
Thursday at 7:15pm ET in New Orleans

The Cats got their #1 seed but they didn’t get the #1 overall.  UK fans shouldn’t cry too much about that one.  Kansas was 12-2 against Top 50 RPI teams while Kentucky was just 5-1.

But the selection committee didn’t do the Wildcats any favors.  In the second round, they will face the winner of Texas and Wake Forest.  Those are two power programs from power conferences who won’t be intimidated to stand on the same court with the Wildcats.  They’ve been on the big stage before.  (Kansas’ 8-9 teams are UNLV and Northern Iowa, for comparison.)

Path to the Final Four (by highest seed):
16  ETSU  (121)
8  Texas  (29)
4  Wisconsin  (21)
2  West Virginia  (4)

That’s not a real easy path to Indianapolis.  You could argue pretty easily that West Virginia is the best of the #2 seeds.

VERDICT:  No crying.  You can’t cry when you get a #1 seed.  You just can’t.



Vanderbilt — RPI of 26, SOS of 25, 4-2 vs RPI Top 50
#4 seed
West Regional vs #13 Murray State
Thursday at 2:30pm ET in San Jose

Vanderbilt fans won’t be happy with being shipped so far away from Nashville.  Some are saying that that amounts to a punishment for a team that was clearly the second-strongest SEC squad all year long.  But those ‘Dore fans don’t have much of an argument to make.

The other #4 seeds were shipped off as well — Purdue to Spokane, Wisconsin to Jacksonville, and Maryland to Spokane.

Vandy’s first-round game is a good one.  Murray State’s RPI is #57, but the Racers played only one Top 50 club all year (losing to Cal in their season opener).  Of the #13 seeds, Wofford (which beat Georgia and South Carolina) and Houston would have both been more dangerous (on paper) than Murray State.  And Vandy fans would have wanted no part of another first-round battle with Siena, either.  The Saints toppled Vandy in the 2008 first round.

Path to the Final Four (by highest seed):
13  Murray State (57)
5  Butler (12)
1  Syracuse (5)
2  Kansas State (6)

Overall, that’s a mighty steep hill to climb for the Commodores.  A second-round game with Butler could be one of the best games in the tourney.  Two smart, patient, well-coached teams.  It’ll be a throwback to 1955.

VERDICT:  Maybe some grumbling about the path, but no real reason to cry.  If VU wanted a better seed, they shouldn’t have dropped two of their last three games.



Tennessee — RPI of 14, SOS of 19, 2-5 vs RPI Top 50
#6 seed
Midwest Regional vs #11 San Diego State
Friday at 9:45pm ET in Providence

Oh, boy.  The weeping/anger in East Tennessee is pretty loud this morning.  After becoming the first team since 2002 to knock off a #1 and a #2 in the same season, Vol fans expected no worse than a five seed.  Most projections listed UT as a #4 seed prior to the selection show.

Instead, they get a long trip.  A late game.  And a matchup with one of the tournament’s true sleeper teams.  In fact, San Diego State plays the deliberate, patient (ie: they won’t turn the ball over again and again) ball that has given UT trouble all season.

The SEC was not viewed as a power conference, and UT’s record against the other SEC teams to make the field (2-5) had to have worked against them.

Path to the Final Four (by highest seed):
#11  San Diego State (18)
#3  Georgetown (7)
#2  Ohio State (22)
#1  Kansas (1)

Baaaa-rutal.  That’s a real murderer’s row for the Vols.  Especially considering how limited UT is offensively.  Without turnovers and transition baskets, the Vols can’t seem to score.  For proof of that, just consider Tennessee’s 21-point first half against LSU and their 19-point first half against Kentucky in the SEC tourney.  It looks like the committee did.

VERDICT:  UT’s path is tough, but fellow #6 seed Notre Dame got a rough one, too.  No room for crying.  Aside from the Kansas and Kentucky wins, Tennessee doesn’t have a whole lot to hang its hat on.



Florida — RPI of 56, SOS of 36, 3-8 vs RPI Top 50
#10 seed
West Regional vs #7 BYU
Thursday at 12:20pm ET in Oklahoma City

I’m shocked that the Gators got in in the first place.  They were just 3-8 against top 50 opponents, they had two losses to teams outside the RPI Top 100, and they finished the season by losing four of their last five games.  Rhode Island, Memphis, Virginia Tech and Seton Hall all have to be wondering about this one.

The first-round matchup with BYU isn’t a bad one, either.  The Cougars were just 4-5 vs Top 50 squads.  However, Brigham Young does have the highest RPI (23) of all the #7 seeds.

Path to the Final Four (by highest seed):
7  BYU (23)
2  Kansas State (6)
3  Pittsburgh (15)
1  Syracuse (5)

The Gators got one of the toughest paths for a #10 seed, but seeing as how they barely got in, there’s no room for whining.  With their resume, UF could have easily landed an #11 or #12 seed.  Or not gotten in at all.

VERDICT:  Are you kidding me?  Count your blessings, Gator fans.  The NCAA drought is over.  Just enjoy being back in the Big Dance.  No tears allowed.



Mississippi State — RPI of 54, SOS of 74, 2-5 vs RPI Top 50
No NCAA bad… NIT bid instead

The Bulldogs showed a lot of heart in Nashville.  They came within a tick of the clock — and a possible John Wall lane violation — of earning a bid via the conference tourney for the second consecutive year.

(By the way, at tournament time, I’ll take Rick Stansbury over every other SEC coach.  The guy knows how to prepare his team for tournaments.)

But for those who feel bad for the Dogs, remember, this is a team that played a soft non-conference schedule, blew two chances late in the season to lock up an NCAA bid (at Auburn and at home against Tennessee), and it’s also a squad that dropped five games to teams ranked outside the RPI Top 100.

VERDICT:  No crying, State fans.  Your team had its chances long before the closing seconds of the SEC tournament.  They just couldn’t capitalize.



Ole Miss — RPI of 61, SOS of 71, 2-6 vs RPI Top 50
No NCAA bid… NIT bid instead

The Rebels were done-in by two things: an injury to Reggie Buckner midway through the SEC season and two costly losses to Mississippi State.

UM’s fortunes began to fade without Buckner in the middle and they only started to rise again once he returned to 100% late in the year.  But the two losses to State that were the nails in the coffin.  Had the Rebels won one of those games, their resume would have looked better than MSU’s (pre-conference tourney).  Had they swept State, the Rebs might be dancing today.

VERDICT:  The only thing UM fans should be crying about is a season of missed opportunities.  The Rebels didn’t earn a bid this year.

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By Kevin Brockway
Staff writer

Barry Stewart scored 17 points and hit five late free throws as Mississippi State held on to defeat Florida 75-69 in the SEC quarterfinals on Friday night.
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