Here are my thoughts on the title game, won by Kansas by seven in overtime...

A lot will be made of Memphis's lack of free throw shooting late in the game, and yeah that hurts and that is a tangible statistic and now - 40 games into the season the smug know-it-all talking heads can finally say to Memphis coach John Calipari, "I told you so."

And it also hurts that they didn't foul with a three-point lead and less than 10 seconds to play, though Calipari claims they were instructed to and tried to and just couldn't get it done. I'm not buying it - Derrick Rose clearly was trying to avoid a foul just before Mario Chalmers hit his big three to tie it. For Calipari it must have been d??j?? vu as he replayed that "Barry Goheen game" from all those years ago.

And yes, losing Dorsey to a silly foul for his fifth didn't help matters, either.

And why in the world did Calipari not call a timeout with 10 seconds to play to make sure his guys knew what to do (i.e. foul). And further - once the shot did drop - why did Calipari not use a time-out to set up a play with 2.5 seconds to play?

Those things combined hurt Memphis down the stretch and contributed to their loss...........but they weren't the reason Memphis lost.

Here is the most important reason the Tigers are not the national champions this morning: With four minutes left and after making a run to take a lead the Tigers -- a high octane, free flowing, free spirited offensive team -- decided to try and slow the game down in order to run the clock.

That, to me, was a horrible strategy because Memphis was rolling, playing its aggressive style and had Kansas reeling and more importantly, the Tigers are just not a very good half-court team and they are not good at trying to slow the game down. In slowing down, they began to let the clock roll too long on every possession, the had to settle for awful shots as the clock expired and they enabled Kansas to catch its breath and get back into the game with good possessions at the other end.

Memphis always plays much better when it speeds the game up and the reason it built its lead last night was because it was able to do just that. And the bottom line is if you have a lead against an explosive team like Kansas, you better keep scoring until they have to start fouling because they are talented offensively and they are going to make a run.

I know, I get it - the old adage and the idea is that when you have a lead you want to run clock and shorten the game. That only works, however, if you have a team capable of playing that way and your opponent is not an explosive offensive team. I have seen far too many athletic teams like Memphis blow late leads trying to "run the clock" instead of just continuing to push the action and trying to extend the lead until the other team has to foul.

It was the equivalent of going to the prevent defense in football when your defense has played aggressively and crushed the other team's offense with a constant stream of pressure packages. It really makes no sense to turn off your aggressiveness at the most critical time of the game.

Kansas deserves a lot of credit for winning the game and making the plays down the stretch, but the reality is Memphis lost this one and the Tigers lost it because they didn't do the thing -- push the tempo -- that got them there in the final four minutes of the most important game of the year.

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There is nothing better for any sports fan when this happens -- the best two teams meet in the championship game.

I know that sounds like I am being Captain Obvious here but let's face it: How often -- particularly in single-elimination type playoff formats -- do we get to see the actual two best teams advance to the championship game?

Tonight, that is the case. There is no question that Kansas and Memphis are the two best teams. Their run through the tournament and the way they dispatched of North Carolina and UCLA Saturday leave little doubt. Way back at the start of the season I said that Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas were the most talented teams but that UCLA would win it all because they seemed to have enough big-time talent to compete with those teams and they were best equipped to play a half-court game.

I was never so wrong. UCLA proved yet again that they are probably a couple of players away from truly being able to finish the job and win that elusive national championship. The bottom line is the wing players -- those 6-foot-7, athletic two-way players -- are like the 7-footers of yesteryear. They control the game and they can make life difficult on any guards.

As for North Carolina, Saturday they found out what happens when you run into a superbly talented team that is hitting on all cylinders. I don't think it was an upset, though; I think Kansas would win a seven-game series with the Tar Heels because they are deeper, they are much taller and believe it or not, I think they are more athletic as well.

That brings us to tonight, Memphis and Kansas, a basketball enthusiasts dream.

Derrick Rose on one side Brandon Rush on the other.

Two supremely talented and athletic teams going at it for 40 minutes.

The Pittsburgher in me is pulling for Moon native John Calipari but something tells me that the Tigers run will end tonight: Kansas 81, Memphis 76.

• Those of you who enjoyed this college basketball season --- it was clearly one of the best in a while as the talent level was higher and thus the level of play was much better -- should thank David Stern.

Yes, the NBA commissioner had a hand in making this and hopefully all future NCAA seasons much better than they had been in recent years.

Why?

Simple. He and his board of governors passed the rule that basically said you had to go to college for a year before you could enter the NBA draft.

And thanks to that rule we got to see Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo and maybe even a guy like Cole Aldrich in college uniforms.

Imagine, however, if that rule had not been passed: UCLA is definitely not Pac-10 champs and a Final Four team, Memphis probably still wins conference USA but probably loses in the Sweet 16 and Kansas State and USC are battling in the first round of the NIT.

And one other thing. This rule will only make the NBA better because a lot of guys who would have skipped college all together were forced to go and have figured out they aren't yet ready for the NBA. And the players like Love and Rose, two top five picks in any year, are one year better and one year more mature and one year more prepared to contribute to an NBA team. The rookie class will be much stronger now that these guys got a year of college hoops under their belt.

Now all of us basketball lovers need to do one more thing -- write David Stern, thank him and then ask him if he can do us a favor and change the rule to make guys go to college for at two seasons.

• We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the women's championship between Stanford and Tennessee.

The Lady Vols might be the worst team to ever advance to the title game, certainly the worst offensive team but their run to the title game proves if you have one superstar and a bunch of athletes around her (to play defense and rebound) you can still dominate. And their game last night with LSU -- a 47-46 stink-bomb -- likely had Dr. James Naismith twisting and turning in his grave as it was a comedy of missed shots, missed foul shots, turnovers and generally bad basketball.

Stanford is a surprise entrant in the title game, but in watching that game against Connecticut last night I came away thinking, "The better team won". The Cardinal is tough, they have some great size, they have a superstar while the Huskies have at times struggled to find some consistency on offense and it hurt them last night.

And then there is the hard-luck LSU Tigers.

Five times in a row to the Final Four and yet not even to the title game once. That underscores two things. One: Yes it is nice to play great defense and emphasize it as much but as the UCLA men's team has found out three times in a row great defense can only take you so far. And the second is obvious: Perhaps next season Van Chancellor will take an extra 15 minutes at the end of practice next year to work on free throws.

Stanford is better than Tennessee. They are more skilled, more talented but not as athletic and they don't have Candace Parker. Nor do they have the Big Orange factor -- Pat Summitt-friendly officials -- to bring them home.

That's why I am calling it this way: Tennessee 51, Stanford 43.

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Now that the first two rounds are complete, here are some of my thoughts and observations about this NCAA Tournament ...

Davidson sniper Stephen Curry is yet another reminder that shooting is not completely a lost art. Players who learn how to shoot and work on the fundamentals of their shot are invaluable. It is not a surprise given that Curry is the son of this former NBA sharpshooter ...

It is clear that Curry drilled his son on the fundamentals of the game and taught him the fine art of shooting. If you watch that clip, you see a lot of similarities in the way father and son shoot the ball -- it is something sweet.

Dell Curry played 16 seasons in the NBA and much of the latter part of his career he was able to find work because he could shoot it and provided instant offense off the bench. Think about this -- Curry shot 40 percent from 3-point range for his career. That's pretty ridiculous considering he took almost 3,100 3's. He also shot 84 percent from the free throw line -- which is pretty incredible, though his son is shooting about 89 percent from the line.

So what's my point? Shooting is an art form and it is one that can be developed. When you see a guy who isn't afraid to make it rain from 25 feet away, it is a thing of beauty. But Curry is more than a shooter, he's a scorer and that makes him a lot of fun to watch because there are times when he makes great defenders look silly.

And The Wildcats provide yet more evidence that when it comes to NCAA Tournament time, if you have one guy who can go off for 30 -- or 40 like Curry did in round one -- on any given night, you have a chance to win every game. Georgetown led that game by 17 and made the mistake of letting Curry, who was struggling a little bit early in the game, get warmed up. The next thing you know, the Hoyas were trailing.

Davidson might not win another game, but don't be surprised if they do because Curry - a scorer who is a pure shooter -- is an X-factor that no other team really has.

---

We're a provincial bunch here in Pittsburgh so the West Regional is clearly our favorite.

Of course we all know that Xavier's coach, Sean Miller, was an excellent former Pitt player and UCLA's coach, Ben Howland, had a big hand in building the Panthers into an excellent Big East team. And West Virginia is one of our "local" teams. But if there has to be a Pittsburgh connection, well, a good friend and mentor of West Virginia coach Bob Huggins is Pittsburgh-based AAU king, J.O. Stright.

But what's the connection with Western Kentucky? Well, we had to stretch for this one -- and a huge stretch at that -- and you have to think "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" in order to follow this jump, but here goes: Western Kentucky Coach Darrin Horn was an assistant at Marquette during the Dwayne Wade era. And Marquette's coach, Tom Crean, is a former Pitt assistant ...

See how that works?

As far as the actual basketball -- UCLA has lived a charmed life this year and had at least three games handed to them by officiating. I think they could win the national championship, but sooner or later you'd have to figure the refs aren't going to bail them out. That being said, they are too strong for Western Kentucky and I expect them to be in the Elite Eight.

Xavier and WVU is a very intriguing game and I really think it will come down to this -- how well Joe Alexander shoots the ball. The Mountaineers will bring their defense and they'll rebound hard as they always do. But the team struggles on offense sometimes and they need Alexander to be on his game so that when they go through those stretches where nobody else seems to be able to shoot straight, they can call his number and get some points in order to stop the Muskateers runs.

---

I was going to write about how Pitt doesn't really get it yet in terms of what really matters when judging elite programs, but I'll leave that to my colleague Bob Smizik who spelled it out in this morning's paper. Elite programs understand that you are defined and remembered by what you do in the NCAA Tournament.

And for all the glitzy statistics that we are constantly bombarded with from those up on the hillside, the reality is this -- the Jamie Dixon era has produced a 6-5 NCAA Tournament record and of those six wins, five of them have come against Central Florida, Kent, Wright State, Virginia Commonwealth and Oral Roberts. That's not exactly a who's who of great college programs and just in case you missed it, they were seeded 14th, 12th, 14th, 11th and 13th.

The only quality NCAA Tournament win the Dixon-led Panthers have produced in five years was against Wisconsin in 2004 -- and even then Pitt was a No. 3 seed and Wisconsin was No. 6, so they were supposed to win that game. And taking it one step further, the Panthers have yet to beat a team they were not supposed to beat in the NCAA Tournament, which, by the way, is something the women's team pulled off last night with an upset win over No. 3 seed Baylor.

What does it all mean? It means that the Panthers are a very good team within the cozy confines of the Big East (and its officiating crews) but they are not yet an elite program. They have been an excellent program from the standpoint of consistency and beating teams they are supposed to beat. But until they begin to consistently fare better in the tournament that matters, they aren't that much different than the Gonzaga's of this world -- an excellent regular season team that isn't yet good enough to get it done when it counts.

One other thing: We've been told constantly that the Panthers have played the "toughest schedule in the country" over the past two seasons. Let's examine that a little closer -- they've played 28 non-conference games in that two-year span and only four -- Duke and Mississippi Valley State this year and Wisconsin and Florida A&M last year -- were tournament teams. In other words, they played 24 games against non-tournament teams and their schedule strength is highly overrated.

Again, Pitt's run has been marvelous and has produced some great moments, but the Panthers are not yet an elite program and might not ever become one.

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It is time to Dance. In the Paint has been quiet for a few weeks but we're about to get loud, NCAA Tournament style ...

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First, no disrespect to what Pitt accomplished, winning four games in four days, but the most incredible accomplishment and the team that deserves the "true grit award" for this conference tournament season is the Georgia Bulldogs.

Yeah, Pitt won four games in four days -- how about winning three games, including one in overtime, in the span of about 30 hours?

That's precisely what Georgia did after a tornado hit Atlanta Friday and forced the SEC to postpone the quarterfinal game between Georgia and Kentucky until Saturday. Georgia beat the Wildcats in overtime but that postponement presented a problem because "the NCAA Selection Show must go on Sunday night" and the SEC had to have its tournament complete before the show so the solution was simple -- force the winner of that game to play its semifinal game on Saturday night.

No problem, Georgia beat Mississippi State and then came back yesterday and beat Arkansas for the SEC Tournament championship.

The interesting thing about it is this: Had Georgia (17-16) lost in any of those games it would not only not be headed for the NCAA Tournament, it would not have even merited an NIT berth because it would have had a losing record. And had that happen it is entirely possible that head coach Dennis Felton would have been fired.

They call it March Madness for a reason.

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Imagine you are Coppin State, you have struggled all year yet you got hot at the right time and win four games in four days by a total of six points to capture the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament title and grab that coveted automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

You celebrate and are excited about your chance to go to the NCAA Tournament --- then you are hit in the gut on Selection Sunday when you are told you still aren't in the NCAA Tournament because you have to go to Dayton for something called the "Play-In" game. And that same sinking feeling probably went through more than few people at Mount St. Mary's, which made an incredible run through the Northeast Conference Tournament, when it was unveiled that the Mountaineers would be Coppin State's opponent in this game.

I understand sports are all about money and power but there is no bigger farce in sports than the play-in game as it is annually filled by the powers that be. There is no way in the world that two CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS should have to then play-in when there are all these mediocre teams from major conferences -- like Oregon, like Villanova, like Baylor -- at-large teams that should thank their lucky stars that they got in in the first place, get to pass go and go straight to the real dance.

It is bad enough they keep 65 teams in the field (as opposed to 64 - but again, it is driven by money for the power conferences) but it is utterly ridiculous that the play-in game isn't a game between the two lowest rated at-large teams. Coppin State and Mount St. Mary's should both have the chance to be bombed by 40 by No. 1 seeds because those kids have earned the right to experience the NCAA Tournament and get that kind of royal treatment, if only for one game.

---

I've looked at these brackets and here is what I see:

• With all due respect, someone, somewhere must want to see UCLA in the Final Four for the third consecutive season because the Bruins are the No. 1 seed of the weakest -- by far -- bracket. It would be a shocking upset if UCLA is not in the Final Four given the road that has been handed to them, and that would be even if they lost to No. 2 seed Duke in the Elite Eight. Think about it. The No. 3 seed is Xavier and while I am a huge Sean Miller fan, I think the Muskateers are a little -- well, OK, a lot, overrated -- and the No. 4 seed Connecticut got swept by Providence, which played so well this season it got its coach fired.

One other thing about the West -- West Virginia fans are all guidy about the prospects of the Mountaineers pulling an upset of Duke, which is possible, I suppose. Of course, I'm not so sure the Mountaineers are a given to beat Arizona to get to Duke in the first place.

• The East is the beast considering North Carolina, Louisville and Tennessee are all good enough to win the national championship and Washington State plays the defensive style of basketball that will drive any team with athleticism crazy.

• As for Pitt, it is nice the Panthers have recruited guys who can win in the Big East. Now it is time for them to start winning tournament games in a building other than Madison Square Garden. And this year there really is no reason Pitt SHOULDN'T get to at least the Sweet 16 and frankly a run to the Final Four isn't out of the question either.

But let's just follow the road --- the Panthers should beat up Oral Roberts, a nice mid-major squad with ZERO quality wins and a team that has gotten waxed in its three games against legitimate competition. Michigan State will then likely be waiting for the Panthers in the second round and all we need to say about the Spartans is this: PENN STATE 85, MICHIGAN STATE 76. The next game? Memphis, the one team in the field that shoots free throws worse than Pitt, a team that hates to play halfcourt games and a team that struggles to shoot the ball consistently. Sounds like a favorable matchup for the Panthers to me. That would bring a date with Texas and while I admit the Longhorns are better than the Panthers, it isn't out of the realm of the possible that Pitt could dictate the tempo in this game -- as they will against Memphis -- and win the way they usually do down the stretch.

Of course, if all of that happens, the Panthers next game would be against UCLA and that would be the end.

• Finally, there is the Midwest, where Kansas could face the scary prospect of having to try and play at a snail's pace in an Elite Eight matchup with Georgetown or Wisconsin and that is clearly not the Jayhawks comfort zone.

One game of note from that bracket - USC vs. Kansas State - neither team is going to make a long run but it sure will be fun to watch two of the best freshmen in the country - Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo - square off.

• So, as always, when the brackets come out there are predictions. (E-mail me yours at pzeise@post-gazette.com and I'll post some of the more interesting ones here in the paint.

Here are mine:

ELITE EIGHT

North Carolina vs. Tennessee
Kansas vs. Georgetown
Pitt vs. Texas
UCLA vs. Duke

FINAL FOUR

North Carolina vs. Kansas
Pitt vs. UCLA

NATIONAL TITLE GAME

North Carolina vs. UCLA

CHAMPION: UCLA

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Finally, even though the women's bracket won't be unveiled until tonight I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this one little item from high upon a soapbox, and I say this with affection as someone who enjoys the women's game, is an advocate of the women's game and has happily covered the women's game for years and years going back to my days of writing about and covering the WNBA for WNBA.Com:

Robert Morris was one of the worst women's programs in the country until Sal Buscaglia took over a few years ago. The same can be said about Pitt until Agnus Berenato arrived. And for years and years these two bad local programs played each other every year and frankly, we were, um, treated to some of the most God-awful basketball games imaginable when they got together.

Now both teams are good, very good in fact and good on a national scale. Both coaches have been miracle workers and both coaches have built programs that will be good for the long haul. Both teams will play in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and both teams feature plenty of all-conference type players.

So with all of that being said - can someone please explain to me why these two programs didn't play this year and have apparently decided not to play again? Actually, I'm sure the true answer is somewhere in between the explanations both schools have given me so the "why" isn't really all that important.

It is just that to me, it would seem natural that both schools would be doing their best to try and make it happen, particularly since it would produce plenty of good publicity for a sport that is trying so hard to carve a niche in a very crowded sports market. The easiest way to grow a sport is to produce games that are interesting and highly competitive and these games were just becoming both when the plug was pulled on the series. That's a shame, one that needs to be rectified, sooner than later.

OK, I'm back down from my soapbox and I will have more to say about the fortunes of both programs once the bracket is unveiled.

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Tonight the Pitt Panthers will play host to West Virginia in the first of two basketball editions of "The Backyard Brawl". Of course, I'm not sure what I am looking forward to more, the game or reading all the signs and listening to all of the -- how do we say it -- "creative" cheers?, coming from the student section, also known as the "Oakland Zoo." I'm not a betting man but if I were I'd say odds are very good that there will be more than at least one reference to the score 13-9 and more than few referencing the fact that West Virginia has become a farm system for Michigan coaches ...

Beyond that, this game is a biggie for both teams for different reasons, so here is a breakdown of it:

For the Mountaineers, it is a must win unless, of course, they have their hearts set on defending their NIT championship from a year ago. West Virginia has been sliding in terms of its NCAA tournament profile and needs a big win to solidfy their place in a very crowded field of Big East teams. A win here probably puts them in the category of "as long as there is not a collapse, they are in the NCAA tournament."

Pitt, on the other hand, needs to just start playing better than it has and playing more consistently than it has. Pitt hasn't played a complete game, probably since Georgetown, and could use the confidence boost it would get from handling business at home - which it should - against a quality opponent.

What are the keys to winning? (That is beyond the normal don't turn it over, stay out of foul trouble, make shots???.)

West Virginia will win if: (1) Alex Ruoff shoots the 3-ball well. When that happens it opens up the rest of the floor on offense for the Mountaineers wing players to create offense and it also creates opportunities for the post players to get some easy lay-ups; (2) Joe Alexander plays within himself. Alexander is a talented player no doubt and has star potential. But he's been hampered with a groin injury as of late and his shot selection is too often one that can only be appreciated by old school gunners like World B. Free and (3) they get something, anything at all defensively, out of their four and five position and thus control DaJuan Blair.

It is a bad sign for the Mountaineers if: Ruoff and point guard Darris Nichols can't connect on some early 3-pointers - both have been a bit streaky this year and if they get off to bad starts it could signal another 1-for-22 performance (which is what the Mountaineers were from the 3-point line in a recent loss to Cincinnati).

Pitt will win if: (1) DaJuan Blair and Sam Young are given the keys to the car and told to drive it. Simply put the Mountaineers don't have anyone who can defensively match up with either, especially Blair, and teams that have beaten WVU have done so by physically overpowering them. (2) Defend the perimeter. Again, John Beilein is gone, his players are not and they still can shoot the ball well, especially when they get hot and (3) The Panthers guards aren't put in a position where they have to win the game late. As long as Levance Fields is hurt, there isn't a true veteran point guard to lead the team down the stretch.

It is a bad sign for the Panthers if: West Virginia's, ahem, "starting" center Jamie Smalligan plays more than, say, 18 minutes. Smalligan starts and then is quickly benched the first time he makes a mistake in post defense or misses a rebound - which is usually about the second or third possession of the game. That explains why he averages only 12 minutes per game but if he plays more it is because he is playing well on defense and rebounding and making himself a factor. If that's the case, it could mean a long night for the Panthers whose one clear advantage is in the paint.

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Pitt's loss to Connecticut Saturday was simple ... THE PANTHERS REALLY MISS LEVANCE FIELDS.

I know this is not something that is rocket science but the bottom line is as much as Pitt is a "team" the Panthers still have stars who are their go-to players and a guy like Fields, who plays point guard -- the most important position on the court by the way -- is just not replaceable, particularly given the toughness and the confidence he brings every game.

And the bottom line is this -- if Levance Fields does not come back 100 percent healthy, far more of these close games against good teams are going to go the other team's way than Pitt's way because he is their go-to guy and right now they look lost in the final minutes of close games.

And at the end of the UConn loss, just like the Villanova loss and the Cincinnati loss -- the Panthers needed someone to take the ball and take control of the offense. Penetrate and either hit a basket or dish it to an open man and right now they just don't have that guy.

A go-to guy is more than just a good scorer -- it is a guy who can create his own offense, a guy who wants the ball when the game is on the line and a guy who isn't afraid to take the shot when his team is down by 1 and the clock is winding down.

Fields is that guy -- he is fearless and he is clutch.

With Fields, the Panthers are a potentially great team. Without him, they are a good team.

And with him the Panthers can make a long run in the NCAA tournament. Without him, they will be on first-round upset alert.

Thursday they play host to West Virginia in the basketball version of the Backyard Brawl. It is a game they should win going away but if it comes down to the end and the Panthers need a big shot to win it, well, it will be interesting to see: (a) who has the ball, (b) if he gets the shot off and (c) if he can make it ...

If Fields were around, the answer to all three questions would be easy: Fields, yes and yes.

W.V.WHO?

• Speaking of the Mountaineers, I covered the 62-39 stinker they laid against Cincinnati last Wednesday and I can honestly say the only time I can ever remember a West Virginia team playing worse offensively at home, was, well you remember the game I'm sure ...

Actually at least that version of the Mountaineers had an excuse -- Pitt's defense played well. Against the Bearcats the other night, the Mountaineers were just flat out awful, as 10-for-50 from the field would suggest. The Mountaineers had only 21 points from the field that night in 40 minutes of basketball. That is pretty hard to do.

But it illustrates one thing about a coaching transition -- especially one as dramatic as they have undergone -- and that is at some point new coach gets tired of trying to fit his system around inherited players and makes the decision to begin building a foundation for the future.

And that's what seems to be going on in Morgantown -- Bob Huggins is a defensive coach who preaches a physical, hard-nosed brand of basketball built around big, strong post players who dominate the paint and he has a bunch of players recruited to play a more European-style based on good jump shooting and zone defenses. Early in the season Huggins seemed to play a lot more zone defense and a lot more perimeter offense but recently he's begun to ask a lot more out of his players in man-to-man defense and he has benched guys who aren't able to get it done on that side of the court.

That night against the Bearcats, it was clear that the shooters had no legs and they were using a lot of energy on defense. Part of it was several of the players had the flu, but I think the other part is some of the shooters legs are just getting weary. The Mountaineers did bounce back against Providence, though I'm not sure what that means because the Friars haven't really been relevant since Rick Pitino was around.

It will be interesting to monitor this the rest of the year. I do think that Huggins is on the right track and that the Mountaineers will be formidable in time, but it is clear he is a little frustrated because he doesn't have the horses to push teams around like he usually does.

"Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? Playoffs?"

Why is college football's "playoff" system better than college basketball's?

Simple, because in college football, an upset of the magnitude of Penn State 85, No. 7 Michigan State 76, would have been the top story on Sportscenter and nationally a major story with major ramifications on the national title. Instead, it is sort of a blip on the radar screen lost in the shuffle of hundreds of basketball games that mean very little because 65 teams make the tournament and even teams that stink the joint out for the regular season can still make it by getting hot for three or four games in their conference tournament.

The BCS is far from perfect but I still would argue that it is a better way to pick a national championship than the "let's have a party for every team with a pulse" method of the NCAA Tournanment because every game in the regular season is huge.

That's why people still talk about Pitt over West Virginia, Appalachain State over Michigan, Stanford over USC and nobody really remembers the "big" basketball games in December ...

March is only a month away ...

Finally, since the system is what it is, let's talk NCAA Tournament from the the Big East perspective.

As of right now (and barring a total collapse) I think there are seven teams looking fairly good Notre Dame, Syracuse, Louisville, Connecticut, Pitt, Marquette and Georgetown but only Georgetown can be considered a lock. The other six have been too inconsistent to consider them a lock. I think you could throw WVU into the borderline category but the Mountaineers have a tough stretch coming up and need to get some wins.

Beyond that I can't see any other team that right now looks like more than an NIT berth and I'd say given the way the Big East teams have beat each other up -- a few of the top teams are likely to fall back as well.

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