Keep The BCS!!!!!

I have said the following sentence on the air many times before: "Show me a system where the SEC can win 40% of the National Championships." That's exactly what the SEC had done going into last night. They now have 45%. Five out of 11 BCS Champions play in the SEC. I can't imagine why any SEC fan would lobby for a playoff.

The SEC and the Bowl Championship Series might be the greatest marriage in the history of Sports. Think about it, the league has won all five of the championship games in which they have appeared and have routinely placed a second team in then BCS rotation to reap even more of the profits.

One more astounding fact: the SEC has WON more BCS Championship games (5) than the ACC, PAC 10, Big 10 and Big East have even played in. It is un-parralleled dominance of a system that was created to make sure the best teams meet in the bowls that matter. That goal is not always accomplished but is certainly better than the days of conference bowl tie-ins. In that system, the Rose would have remained the same. Oklahoma would have been in the Orange. Florida would have played in the Sugar. Texas likely would have been in the Fiesta or Cotton. You think people complain about the champion now?

I expect pleas for a playoff to come from the Big 10, Big East, Pac 10 and ACC but I don't want to hear it from the SEC fans. To Mike Slive's credit, you don't hear it from him. He has been a proponent of the "Plus One" system. In his Miami hotel last night, I can only imagine he had second thoughts on that. Why change anything?

It Finally Caught Up With Them.

NCAA Championship

I will admit that I thought free throws would knock Memphis out of the NCAA Tournament prior to Monday night. The Tigers were the best team in this tournament. they were not the most complete team. Free throw shooting is just as much a part of basketball as offense, defense and the press. The Tigers had a national championship if they just hit free throws. I felt happy for Bill Self. He seems like a pretty good guy who has been under immense pressure at Kansas. I always like to see guys like that get the monkey off the back.

Mario Chalmers hit the huge bucket that forced overtime which will ensure that you one day hear this line: "This weekend only at Mario Chalmers Chrysler/Dodge, Kansas City, Omaha and Topeka".

By the way, Jim Nantz gave us this call "Rock, Chalk, Champions". Not too bad, I guess.

Masters

I have given you a picture of how Jim Dunaway would look on the PGA Tour. ---------->
The Masters begins Thursday morning in Augusta. I have mixed feelings about the tournament. I have never really liked the snooty way Augusta goes about their business. I have always liked watching the tournament. I does create a roller coaster of emotions. I go from glued to the TV during the tournament action to throwing up in my mouth when I hear: "Let's go to the Butler Cabin".

The most awkward part of the weekend is the champion's interview. It is always facilitated by Jim Nantz but it has been tradition to allow the club chairman to ask the first question. It has always been insightful stuff like, "you must be happy" or "you really played well". Both questions are pretty obvious, "yeah, Mr. Simpson, I just won the Masters". The best of all-time was past chairman Hord Hardin who asked Seve Ballesteros this probing question, "My, you are tall". Billy Payne is the current chairman. He is infinitely better in front of the camera than any of the others.

If you are in a Masters pool, and I don't know how many of you do that sort of thing, always remember that the same general people play well at Augusta. Even though a guy may be having his best year ever, if he does not have a good history at this course, he probably will not play well. Good sleeper pick: Fred Couples.

Totally Random

Here is an interview from The Big Lead with Oregonian columnist John Canzano. It might have zero interest to you but the second question about his good Trailblazer stories blew me away.

The Greatest Ever?

Is this year's Final Four the best ever? It is the first ever to have all four #1 Seeds playing. As far as name value, how does it get better? Here are some other great Final Fours on name value alone:
1993
UNC
Michigan
Kentucky
Kansas

1992
Duke
Michigan
Indiana
Cincinnati

1991
Duke
UNC
Kansas
UNLV

1975
UCLA
Kentucky
Syracuse
Louisville

How good were the early '90's? All those from '91-'93 were unbelievable Final Fours.

I have picked UNC from the beginning and I will stick with them. They are playing the best basketball in the tournament. It is amazing how many people are coming around to Memphis. the Tigers have played great all year but it is tough to beta what they did this last weekend against Michigan State and Texas. UCLA and Kansas have had to slip by a couple of teams. UNC and Memphis have been dominant from the opening tip.

Only bad thing about the Final Four: No Gus Johnson!

Hits and Misses

The ones I got right (and more I got wrong) from the NCAA Tournament:

What I got Right:

• I am only going to mention the whole Duke/Belmont thing to point out that I was right about Duke losing it's NCAA Tournament edge. I don't know how this happened but I do know what is not true. I have already heard that the game has passed Coach K by. No way! If anything, I think he has done a fabulous job this year. He ran through most of the ACC season, including a road win in Chapel Hill, with no inside presence. I think teams finally caught up with that fact. Coach K can still coach but it is undeniable that Roy Williams is recruiting circles around him.



• SEC You Later! I hated to say it, but I thought the SEC would fall on it's face this year. Mississippi State's effort was a valiant one but when the dust settles, Tennessee is the only team out of six still playing. The Vols trip to Birmingham was anything but easy. They looked like a team playing on borrowed time. Now they find themselves in a region with all four top seeds remaining.



• I never bought the Pitt love. Even Bob Knight couldn't sell me on it. The other thing I never bought was Temple or Pitt over Michigan State. Tom Izzo is one of the best tournament coaches of our generation. Don't sleep on the Spartans in the dance. I'm glad I didn't.

What I got Wrong:

• Clemson. What happened to Clemson? I thought the Tigers were a cinch to advance in this tournament. I initially thought the Villanova match-up was not favorable to advancement but the national pundits told me Clemson was fine. They weren't and Nova finds themselves in the Sweet 16.



• I missed my upset picks. I liked Winthrop over Washington State. I liked Drake to the Sweet 16. I liked Davidson to the Sweet 16 but didn't have the courage to write them past Georgetown. I missed on my all-important upset picks.



• Siena over Vandy. I really thought CBS' Seth Davis got a little caught up in the Selection Sunday excitement when he called this upset. Turns out Seth had seen Siena and I had not. Turned out Seth was right and I was wrong. Again.

I only have 11 of my Sweet 16 teams still playing. I think that eliminates you from most pool action. The only good news is that I have yet to lose an Elite 8 team. Maybe hope is still alive!

I hope your bracket has fared better than mine!

The Dunaway & Brown Family of Brackets

Here they are...

Brown Bracket

Dunaway Bracket

Ells Bracket

Tell us what you think: theshow@dandbradio.com

ACC Billy

It's the ACC...

I don't know about you but I was shocked when Billy pACCker asked NCAA Tournament Chairman Tom O'Conner about the lack of ACC representation in this year's tourney. The tourney chairman talk is one of the top two most awkward interviews of the year. The other being the Butler Cabin talk with the Master's winner. Jim Nantz spends an inordinate amount of time congratulating the committee chairman. Why are we congratulating this guy? It's 34 teams, 28 of those are givens. They are choosing six teams from a pool of 12. Yet Nantz congratulates this guy like he just split the atom, "And please pass along our congratulations to the entire committee. "

Anyway, if you missed Billy pACCker's portion of the interview here is my transcript:

Billy: "Tom, I don't know if you know this, but the ACC cut the bottom out of the peach basket and you stuffed shirts could only see fit to give them four spots, what gives?"

Tom: "Well, Billy, we don't really look at conference affiliation."

Billy: "Tom, the ACC is the greatest collection of skilled basketball players this side of the NBA and you could only find four teams?"

Tom: "Again, Billy, we are just looking at teams, not conferences."

Nantz: "Again, Tom, congratulations on saving mankind by selecting 65 teams and bracketing them in four regionally named sections of 1-16."

Tom: " Really Jim, there is no need for congratulations, we do this every year and I might add..."

Billy: "Tom, did you guys not realize the ACC ended the Roman and Byzantine empires? FOUR TEAMS?"

Incidentally, Clemson was going to be my dark horse team but I've heard too many people say that. I guess I need another choice.

A Quick SEC note...

There's a Kentucky fan who is considering a class action lawsuit against the SEC due to the cancellation of SEC Tournament games. He actually made this quote in an AJC story:

"Come Monday I will be filing in Fayette (Ky.) Circuit Court a class action suit against the Georgia Dome," said Kentucky fan Stephen Gray McFayden of Lexington. "I'm going to be seeing who I can sue and for what."

It should have been near impossible to stand at the epicenter of $200 Million in damage caused by a tornado and make this quote. Something tells me this Big Blue fan had no problem doing it. I have a better idea: thank God for the fact that you lived through an F2 Tornado hitting the Georgia Dome during the SEC Tournament and head back to Lexington. You stay classy Bluegrass State.

The field of 64 tips Thursday, hope you enjoy!