Not very satisfying

To say the least, today was NOT a very satisfying day of basketball.  

The 'best' news of the day - and boy is THAT a relative term - was Carolina qualifying for the NIT.  The Heels play William and Mary on Tuesday night.  Hard to get excited about that, even with the nostalgic return to Carmichael. Pretty interesting imagery; Carmichael signifies a return to an era of less hoopla and hype, but also is an acknowledgement that though not actually going back in time the 2010 season was a step back for the program. 

Speaking of going back in time, interesting to juxtapose Carolina's recent national success with Duke's recent run at the ACC tournament.  Their win today gave Duke 18 ACC titles, one more than Carolina; the Devils really piled up the wins during the Guthridge-Doherty era but have also won the last two championships.  I think it is the only major hoops category where the Heels trail the Devils.  

That's not the only role reversal.  In the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Duke went to 7 Final Fours in 9 years, many commentators and fans opined that Krzyzewski and Duke had broken with tradition and were emphasizing national success over ACC success.  I remember Dean complaining at the time that though the Heels were winning 3 ACC championships during that span everyone thought Carolina was slumping.  

But as you know, that has now flip-flopped.  Duke has won 9 out of the last 12 ACC tournaments but has only been to the Final Four three times in that span (not counting this year), and have not made the Final Four since 2004 (haven't made it past the sweet 16 actually). Carolina has been to the Final Four three times just since 2004, and has won two National Championships in the last 5 years. And during that 12-year ACC run Carolina has been to more Final Fours, 5 to 3, than Duke.

So Duke has done well regionally but Carolina much better nationally, with more Final Fours and National Championships - both in the last 12 years and overall - than the right-wingers from Duke.

Duke's lack of success in the NCAA tournament - despite nice runs in the ACC tournament - may also be a testament to how weak the conference has been since coaches like Dean Smith, Bobby Cremins, Jim Valvano and even Jeff Jones have left, and since football expansion.  Except for Gary Williams, the ACC has been an easy conference to dominate post-Dean - that is until Roy showed up. 

Pretty lackluster day for the NCAA tournament, too.  It looks like a fairly boring bracket; there are too many weak teams like Utah State, Minnesota, and Florida in this year's field, and it would NOT be a big surprise to see the top 2 seeds in each regional advance to the elite eight.

And not to sound too Duke obsessed, but they got a very easy bracket.  A second-round game versus Louisville could be difficult, and Baylor is supposed to be tough. But the Waco-based hoopsters might not make that far, having to play Notre Dame and Villanova for the right to take down the Devils (an enticing prospect for a Baptist school).  That said, I expect Duke to lose in the second or fourth round due to fatigue.

The bad news for Syracuse is they will have to go west, through Salt Lake City, to reach the Final Four.  The good news is the long flight to Utah may be their biggest inconvenience.   The west regional looks pretty tame, with an overrated 2 seed, Kansas State, and slumping 3 and 4 seeds (Pitt and Vanderbilt, respectively).  Perhaps Butler will give the Cuse a game, but that may be it.

The other brackets are much tougher, especially the midwest. Kansas should advance in the Midwest, but could be tested by UNLV in the second round and by either Ohio State or the winner of Georgetown-Tennessee.  To me, Tennessee if one of the few intriguing teams in the tournament, and I'll be rooting for ACC/neighbor Maryland to make some noise in that region.

Kentucky may have the toughest bracket.  They have to deal with either Temple or Wisconsin, both potential giant killers in the round of 16, then may have to take on West Virginia in the battle of "States that want the US to continue with our 19th century energy policy." 

So my final four are: Kansas, Syracuse, West Virginia, and my crazy wild card pick, Baylor.

Random NCAA Notes:

• Virginia Tech got hosed. The third-place team in the ACC is one of the best 65 best teams in the country - period.  Case closed.  But especially when compared to moops like Utah State and Florida.
• A sentimental favorite is Notre Dame, with Ben Hansbrough at the two guard spot.  Can the Hansbroughs make it back-to-back Final Fours?
• Temple is one dark horse pick for the sweet 16.  The A-10 is a quality mid-major, and the Owls defeated Villanova this year and have a good draw (though Cornell is a tough out). 
• Besides Duke the ACC teams have challenging draws.  Maryland will likely get Michigan State in the second round, with Kansas waiting.  
• Tech will probably defeat Oklahoma State but gets Ohio State as a reward.  The Yellow Jackets match up well with the Buckeyes but that will be a tough foe.
• Florida State gets Gonzaga then perhaps Syracuse.  No way the Noles win more than one game in the tournament.  
• Texas and Wake Forest meet in a 'man are we in a slump' first-round game.  Texas finished 7-9, with Wake one game better in their last 16 games at 8-8.  Hard to have any faith in Wake, but luckily they play a team playing just as bad as they are.  Either team will likely get run over my Kentucky in the second round.
• Clemson should give Oliver Purnell his first NCAA win over Missouri (another undeserving team) before probably bowing out to West Virginia though the Tigers will give the Mountaineers a game.  That will be in interesting second round match up.