March Madness Thoughts (March 4, 2010)

The Olympics have ended, the NBA and NHL regular seasons are dragging on with the playoffs still two months away, Spring Training is just beginning, and the NFL Draft is over a month away. It is generally a boring time to follow sports in this country. Thank God for college basketball. March Madness has started and there are many stories worth following. Let's take a close look at three of them. 1. Will traditional powers North Carolina, Connecticut, and Florida make it to the Dance? Roy Williams' Tarheels (16-14, 5-10 ACC), the defending national champions, are going to have to win the ACC Tournament to earn a tournament bid this year and with teams like Duke and Maryland in the field, it looks like UNC will be off to the NIT this spring. UConn (17-13, 7-10 Big East) and Florida (20-10, 9-6 SEC) both look like they will make it into the Tournament but there is no guarantee. The Huskies should benefit from the mid-season absence of coach Jim Calhoun. UConn went 3-4 when the Hall of Famer was sidelined. Florida has reached the 20-win mark but needs an impressive showing against Kentucky in the regular season finale and at least one win in the SEC Tournament to punch their ticket. 2. Who is the National Player of the Year? The candidates are Kentucky's John Wall, Ohio State's Evan Turner, Syracuse's Wesley Johnson, Kansas' Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds. They are all excellent players but for me, the discussion boils down to Wall and Turner. And I side with John Wall. A year ago, Kentucky finished a disappointing (by Lexington standards) 22-14 and lost to Notre Dame in the NIT. Billy Gillispie (40-27 record) was fired after just two seasons and Wildcat Nation was in chaos. All it took to turn things around was the arrival of John Calipari from Memphis and a loaded recruiting class - headlined by Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Wall has been the best player in the Bluegrass all winter, averaging 17 points, 6.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. His game has pushed Kentucky to a 28-2 record. Turner (19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists) has posted eye-popping stats and the Buckeyes 24-7, 14-4 Big Ten) won the Big Ten regular season title and are a dark horse contender to make a run at the Final Four. Evan Turner has not lost this award., John Wall has won it. 3. What teams will be in Indianapolis on the first weekend of April? Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, and Ohio State will be playing April 3. Kentucky and Kansas will square off on April 5. Lexington, Kentucky will party. It's cliche to put the top two teams into the championship game but I truly believe they are the best two teams right now so I do not see the point of trying to make a crazy prediction that I don't believe will take place. Upsets can - and do - happen but why can't we all hope for a dream matchup of two of the elite programs in college basketball history that also happen to be the two most talented teams in the nation? I reserve the right to change my mind but I am predicting a nice closeup of Ashley Judd in a skin-tight Kentucky t-shirt during the "One Shining Moment" video.