By JOHN P. WISEOne Great Season
Wow. Ohio State's beatdown of Wisconsin was as impressive as it was thorough in Columbus on Sunday. The Buckeyes showed they're clearly the best team in the country, and put the Big Ten on notice that they have no intention of loafing through this week's conference tournament that starts Thursday in Indianapolis.
Today's Headlines
+ Indiana State claimed a spirited win over top-seeded Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference title game on Sunday. The Sycamores get the automatic bid, while the Bears wait to see if their 25-8 record is good enough for an at-large bid. Without a win over a team from the RPI Top 50, the prediction here is that it's not.
+ Similar deal at George Mason, losers in Sunday's Colonial Athletic Association semifinal round. Unlike Missouri State, however, the 26-6 Patriots have two Top 50 wins and a much better resume. I think they get in, but don't expect a repeat of their 2006 Final Four run.
+ The Big East will not get those 11 bids. Marquette lost its final two regular-season games, and won't get past West Virginia in the second round of the conference tournament.
Top Four Seeds
+ EAST — Ohio State: It looks like the Bucks will be playing in Cleveland and Newark.
+ SOUTHEAST — Pittsburgh: The Panthers always seem to play well in the Big East Tournament. If they do it again, Duke won't steal this top seed away from them.
+ SOUTHWEST — Kansas: The Jayhawks have been on this top line for a couple of weeks.
+ WEST — BYU: The Cougs must dominate the Mountain West Tournament to keep this top seed.
On The Bubble
+ Boston College — A 2-0 week, including a win at Virginia Tech, brought the Eagles back into this conversation. BC should beat Wake Forest in an ACC first-round game; it might want to beat Clemson in the quarterfinals just to be safe.
Work To Do
+ Michigan State — A Final Four team in every preseason publication, Sparty will take a 17-13 record into this week's Big Ten Tournament, where two wins are a must.
Today's Top Read
+ Matt Norlander's The Layup Line gets you up to speed on all that happened over the weekend, and preps you for what's on tap this week.
What To Watch
+ Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's, West Coast Conference Championship, ESPN, 9 p.m.
Your Tournament Video Of The Day
Ohio State's Ron Lewis sends a second-round game against Xavier into overtime with a long three-pointer just before the buzzer in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.