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March Madness Notebook: Day 8

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 11:46AM

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

A writer friend tried to tell me over the weekend that the Big East is to basketball what the SEC is to football. I'm not so sure of that, since the Big East, despite its stacked lineup of heavy hitters, hasn't won a national championship since 2004. But I will say the league's conference tournament is the best to watch if you're locked in front of your television. Want proof?

Well, feel free to flip on the TV anytime between noon and midnight Tuesday and Wednesday. And really the whole week, because the closer it gets to the championship game, the more desperate the teams are and the more physical the games become.

It truly is a spectacle.

Today's Headlines
+ Old Dominion helped bubble teams breathe a little easier Monday night by beating VCU in the Colonial Athletic Association final. A Rams win would have given the Colonial three bids, but now the league will send only ODU and George Mason.
+ It didn't really matter who won the West Coast Conference championship Monday night. Both Gonzaga and St. Mary's are already safely in, but it probably made the Zags feel good to avenge their loss to the Gaels in last year's tourney final.
+ St. Mary's wasn't the only group of Gaels to fall last night. Iona, despite a pair of breezy regular-season wins over St. Peter's, lost to the Peacocks in the MAAC title game.

Top Four Seeds
+ EAST — Ohio State: The bench-thin Buckeyes get some needed rest this week before their first Big Ten Tournament game on Friday.
+ SOUTHEAST — Pittsburgh: I can't imagine the Panthers doing anything in the Big East Tournament to lose this top seed.
+ SOUTHWEST — Kansas: The Jayhawks look like they'll cruise in the Big 12 Tournament.
+ WEST — BYU: The Cougs must dominate the Mountain West Tournament to keep this top seed.

On The Bubble
+ Baylor — I have a weird feeling about Baylor. I think the Bears will get by fading Texas and ride some momentum all the way to the Big 12 final. They won't beat Kansas but they will play their way into the NCAA Tournament.

Work To Do
+ Butler — The defending national runner-up Bulldogs must win the Horizon League final tonight at Milwaukee. Their resume is decent, especially in a soft bubble year, but I don't think they're at-large worthy. Butler should just win and take their fate out of the hands of the Selection Committee.

Today's Top Read
+ Only read Greg Couch's excellent piece on Fanhouse about Wes Leonard if you've got the Kleenex handy.

What To Watch
+ Princeton at Pennsylvania, ESPN3, 7 p.m.

Your Tournament Video Of The Day
Bo Kimble shoots the first free throw of every 1990 NCAA Tournament game with his left hand to honor fallen teammate Hank Gathers.

John P. Wise |

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October 7, 2011 |

monian

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