Day 6 Reactionary Look: MAC, MEAC, and the Valley

MAC
One year the MAC will get multiple bids again. I guarantee it; its just unknown when it will happen. The parity in the MAC makes every season incredibly interesting and always very nebulous with the predictions. This season, Kent State led the pack with a 13-3 conference record and an overall mark of 28-7. They fended off challengers Ohio and Akron inside their own Eastern division to capture the MAC's automatic bid. Before getting pummeled by UNLV 71-58 in the first round of the NCAAs, the Golden Flashes were considered by many to be the most underrated mid-major team in the tournament. After an impressive BracketBuster win AT Saint Mary's, Kent State entered the top 25 for the first time since their elite 8 performance in 2001. Kent was led by standout guard Al Fisher, who averaged 13.9 PPG and 4.0 APG and earned honorable mention All-American honors. Fisher was the enigne that made this well-oiled Flash engine run; he did everything for them and a well-deserved All-American honor for an outstanding season. Akron was figured to be the team following Kent State all the way, and to get an at-large bid to the tournament. Unfortunately, the Zips saw stud forward Jeremiah Wood go down to injury in late January, and they dropped five of eight before making a late-season surge to capture second in the MAC. Wood averaged 14 and 7 for Akron, and was believed to be player of the year had he not gotten injured. Ohio also had an exciting year capped off with victories over tourney teams Kent State and George Mason. The Bobcats appeared in the CBI, but were dropped in the opening round to Bradley.

2007-2008 MAC Grade: C
The MAC has a tremendous track record as a successful mid-major conference always featuring multiple teams with 20+ wins. This season it was Western Michigan, Kent State, Ohio and Akron. Although the bottom is incredibly empty and lacking any sort of star power, the top of both divisions at the MAC prove their worth year in and year out. The shift of power is always evident in this conference, no more indication than 2007 league champion Miami of Ohio finishing fourth in their division and sixth overall in the league going 17-16. Look for another team to bust out of obscurity next season and make some noise in the MAC. It always happens.

MEAC
Imgine during a basketball season that on February 2nd you are sitting at 4-19, and 1-8 in the conference. Visions of March, postseason, multiple victories, any sort of success are simply miles away. Eh, you might as well get hot, win 12 out of 13 and go to the NCAA Tournament. No sweat. This is what Coppin State did this season in the MEAC. Coppin showed no signs of life all year, but they decided to start ballin when they needed to and they showed the conference that the first few months do not mean squat. The Golden Eagles reached the NCAAs for the first time since 1997 when they defeated South Carolina as a 15 seed. This Golden Eagles team ran out of their luck when they met Mount St. Mary in the opening round game, but an incredible run just to even fathom the NCAA Tournament. Morgan State led the league all season long and captured the regular season title. The Bears went 22-11, and 14-2 in the league and were defeated by Coppin in the league title game by a last second jumper. The Bears featured three players on the first-team all-conference, and received their first bid ever to the NIT where they were defeated by Virginia Tech in the first round. The MEAC has showed no signs of improvement in the last five seasons. Still with only three teams over .500 overall, there is no signs that point to a dynasty forming in this league filled with HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Coppin certainly did not help matters by being the second under .500 team ever to be in field of 65, and the impression of this league nationwide is that of embarrasment.

2007-2008 MEAC Grade: D
I want to enjoy this league. They have all sorts of history, talent, and pageantry, but the teams are all just terrible. Morgan State had a great season and should be applauded for their great MEAC mark, but everyone else in this league was terrible. Coppin State did not even look like they wanted to play basketball until league play opened up, and that is truly unfortunate. Occasionally, these MEAC schools spring upsets on bigger mid-majors or even majors, but they are often returns for guarantee games; and most of the time when they are playing a major they are down by 50 in November just appearing to get a check. The budgets for these schools are so pathetic that none of them will ever manage to continue to be successful. I hope the MEAC gets better, but odds point to another play-in game loss next season.

The Valley
There should be no argument here- down year for the Valley. A league that the last four seasons has featured a Sweet 16 squad, only managed to squeak one time into the NCAA Tournament, and it was a good one in Drake. The Bulldogs were picked to finish 9th in the preseason poll; shows how much the "experts" know. They went 28-5 under first year head man Keno Davis point guard Adam Emmenecker and scorer Josh Young and started the conference season 13-0 before dropping one at Southern Illinois. Emmenecker was named the Larry Bird MVC player of the year, and the senior earned it averaging close to six assists per game. Outside of Drake this season, there was no national success for the Valley to speak of. Southern Illinois started out in the AP top 20, but fizzled out by December struggling to recapture the form that took them to the Sweet 16 last season. Illinois State managed success going 25-10, and reaching the second round of the NIT. Creighton and Bradley were figured to be atop the MVC along with the Salukis, but Creighton struggled to find their swag in the middle of the Valley, dropping five out of eight at the end of January. Bradley had chemistry issues all season, and could not run everything together until the postseason in the CBI. Underachieving all season, the Braves lost 8 of 9 in the non-conference, but were the only team in the Valley to win in Des Moines all season. The disappointment of the year belonged to Wichita State. Ta-State and new coach Gregg Marshall (Winthrop) managed an 11-20 record and an embarrasing 4-14 in Valley play. Although in just his first season, Marshall cannot expect too high regard from Wheatshocker fans if he continues those perfomances.

2007-2008 Valley Grade: C+
My favorite conference in all the land. I am always partial to whoever wins the MVC when they are featured in the NCAA Tournament. In a standard year in the Valley, there are seven or eight teams that could legitimately capture the title of Arch Madness. This year, it just was not happening with Drake the clear cut cream of the crop all season. The Valley did send five teams to the postseason, an amazing accomplishment for a mid-major league. However I expect more than just one NCAA team out of this conference, and the fact that Drake came from nowhere to win the league shows that there was no real powerhouses to be heard from. I liked Bradley and Creighton both this season, but the way they just played uninspired ball throughout the whole season showed that the face of the Valley may be beginning to change. Regardless, I look for the Valley to come back stronger next season with three bids to the tournament, or else some coaches will severely be on the hot seat.

Day 5 Reactionary Look: Horizon, Ivy, and MAAC

Horizon
Hinkle Fieldhouse has not seen this kind of national recognition since Jimmy Chitwood was draining jumpers for Hickory High in Hoosiers. The Butler Bulldogs have quickly assimilated themselves as the current top mid-major program in the nation, superceding Gonzaga within the last two years. The Bulldogs have had consecutive second round appearances as well as consecutive Horizon titles. Player of the year Mike Green led the bulldogs in scoring with 14.6 PPG, but they were so much more than just Green. First-team performer AJ Graves finished his career with 1,807 career points and a very impressive 303 3-point field goals. Graves was widely regarded as the nation's most feared sniper behind Chris Lofton from Tennessee. Butler will have to replace five seniors next season, but this crew of leaders won 59 games the past two seasons, capped off by a 16-2 conference record this season. Butler has managed to put the Horizon League on the map, and down the line the other teams in the conference will realize what is being accomplished at Hinkle has been magnificient. The Horizon League featured four 20 win teams: Butler, Wright State, Cleveland State and Valparaiso. Cleveland State received a berth to the NIT after finishing second in the league and highlighting their season with a victory over Butler at home in January. The Vikings capped off their best season of the decade with a 21-12 year, and a highly touted recruiting class coming in for head coach Gary Waters. Wright State was snubbed from a postseason bid as Brad Brownell's Raiders finished third in the league with one of the more dominating home courts. Brownell has really turned this program around, and proved that there is more than just one relevant team in Dayton, Ohio. After dancing a year ago before losing to Pittsburgh, the Raiders went 21-10 with a 12-6 conference mark. Valparaiso returned to the postseason in the first CBI; the Crusaders went 22-14 and reached the Horizon League semis. They featured an explosive offensive attack, led by a Horizon league record 330 3-point field goals this season.

2007-2008 Horizon Grade: B-
This league has gone from putred to quite highly respectable in just two short seasons. Give the credit to Butler and the entire organization that just reloads from a mid-major persepective. One of the most historical mid programs in all of the land, the Bulldogs will maintain to be talented, well-coached, and win games. This league is very top-heavy, with the aforementioned 20 win teams dominating much of the league. I really think that things are looking up for this league, even with the graduation of Butler's seniors. Cleveland State has shown signs of resurrection, we all know Brownell will coach Wright State to excellence, and I have faith in Valpo and UW-Milwaukee. I am going to predict, very early I must add, that the Horizon will be the mid-major conference of the year next season. I think that after watching Butler going on the road this season and struggle the way they did gives some real validity to the depth of the league. The real question is whether that was the overrating of Butler, or if it was the talent of the other teams in the league. If these schools that feature young teams (Wright, Valpo) learn how to win on the road, look out. The Horizon will be fun.

Ivy
ZZZ. zzzz. zzzzzzzz. Gone are the days of Pete Carrill's Princeton upsetting 3 seed UCLA (1996); gone are the days of "the other" Michael Jordan making plays for Pennsylvania on a national stage. Arrived are the days of Tommy Amaker, Sydney Johnson, and the Cornell Cinnamon Chewing Gum, er, Big Red. The Ivy League took on the form of its students this season; uninteresting, unassuming, innocent and boring. Look, even the kids can't stay awake for Harvard vs. Yale. Cornell rolled the entire league, going 14-0, and not being tested the entire season. They won ten games by double figures, but did absolutely nothing in the out of conference other than getting pummeled by Duke, and got stomped in the first round of the tournament. The league managed just two teams over .500, an all-time low. The head-scratcher is how did Cornell get a 14 seed when the league was this terrible. The Ivy League champ belonged in the play-in game with this embarrassing of a season. Perennial league topper Princeton? 6-23. They lost to NAIA Chaminade in the Maui Invitational by four, but it was not that close. Chaminade looked like the superior team physically AND mentally. Princeton was terrible. Sydney Johnson deserves to lose his job after that pathetic material he made Tigers fans watch all season. Fellow over-achiever Pennsylvania? Not so much. The Quakers went 13-18, and finished third in "The League." They had four non conference wins. Four. This is the same team that was in the at-large discussion a couple years ago if they dropped the regular season league title to Columbia.


2007-2008 Ivy League Grade: D-
The only reason they don't fail is Cornell. I feel bad not dedicating and praising the Big Red for an amazing unblemished conference mark, but that performance they had against Stanford resembled mine in my math class last semester...lackluster and uninspired. This league is awful, and it seems to be just getting worse. Each of the last four seasons, the amount of over .500 teams has steadily dropped. There is no reason why the Ivy League does not have an automatic bid go to thier conference tournament. It is because they want to dedicate more time to school. Well I got a great idea for the Ivy League, give up your auto bid so we do not have to watch this crap you call college basketball. I have had enough of unathletic, untalented players making their way onto Ivy League teams and being respected because they play and go to class. That is what you are supposed to do, and you certainly cannot perform on the court, so stay in the classroom. Here is one vote for the abdication of the Ivy League to Division II.

MAAC
Four really good teams in the Metro this season. Normally that is not the common thread, where there is a standard one team who runs through the league capturing the regular season title by multiple games and then getting clipped in the tournament. Marist (2007) is the most recent example of this. Rider won the regular season due to a tiebreaker, and captured the top seed in the league tournament only to be defeated by second seed Siena in the title game. Siena went 23-11, identical to Rider, and went to the NCAA for the first time since 2002 when star guard Prosper Kwangra guided them to an opening round win as the first ever under .500 team to win a game in the NCAAs. The Saints defeated Vanderbilt in the first round, absolutely stroking the COmmodores into oblivion. Siena ended Vandy's solid campaign in a flash, jumping out to a 26-11 lead midway through the first half. Rider was thought to be the best team in the league, led by two-time first teamer and player of the year Jason Thompson. Thompson led the Broncs with 20.4 PPG (second in the MAAC) and 12.1 RPG (tops in the MAAC), and grabbed the Haggarty Award as top player from the New York Metro Area. Rider appeared in the CBI and fell to Old Dominion in the first round. The other two real good teams in this league were Niagra and Loyola. Niagra lost their top two scorers from last season's NCAA team, but this was thought to be their year. They backed into the NCAAs last year when favorite Marist was beaten. The Purple Eagles beat Rider at home and went a respectable 7-3 in the non-con. They were led by absolute superstar forward, senior Charron Fisher; he averaged 27.6 PPG, tops in the MAAC and 9.5 RPG. Watching him and Thompson feud back and forth for top player in the league was the best part about the MAAC this season. Loyola was the real surprise of the conference this season; the Greyhounds won five of their last seven and were thought to be a darkhorse for a MAAC tourney run. At one point Loyola won eight of nine conference games in January, and were tops in the league, but their inexperience outside of scorer Gerald Brown took its toll, and they dropped 11 road games on the year. Disappointing year for Manhattan; the Jaspers managed to only muster up five conference wins and twelve overall. They never seemed to match up well in terms of chemistry and it showed on the floor, dropping 11 out of 12 MAAC games in January.

2007-2008 MAAC Grade: B
I think it was a real good year to be a top team in the Metro. I always fall in love with one of the top teams in this league and think they can make some noise in March. This year, I thought it was Rider, not Siena. Go Figure. The Saints were very impressive and exciting to watch in beating Vanderbilt, but then getting handled by Villanova easily. Although that did not fair too well for Siena, I think there is a lot to be proud of in Albany this season. They were not expected to contend for tops in the league, that honor belonged to Rider. The Broncs on the other hand had to be somewhat disappointed, but a regular season title and postseason berth is never a throw-away season. Alot of seniors are graduating out of the MAAC this season however; as Thompson, Brown, and Fisher all sing their swan song. Siena graduates only one senior however, so look for the Saints to keep a stranglehold on the MAAC next year.

Tomorrow: MAC, MEAC, MVC

Day 4: Reactionary Look: Big West, Colonial and Conference USA

Big West

This mid-major league featured four 20 win teams, an impressive accomplishment for teams that do not have many opportunities to play big time schools other than the Pac-10. UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Fullerton and Pacific all recorded twenty wins, and the three Cal State teams were locked in at 12-4 atop of the league. Cal State Fullerton got the best of everyone in Anaheim for the conference tournament, and played with Wisconsin for a half before getting exposed inside later in the game. Fullerton reached their first NCAA tournament, and it was well deserved after an overall 24-9 and 4-1 on neutral courts. Pacific who year in and year out has managed to record top-two finishes in the Big West, could only muster up 11 conference wins, but accomplished a successful 10-5 non conference. Defending champion Long Beach State had to replace nearly three-quarters of their scoring, and as a result went 6-25, with a hideous 1-15 on the road. Fullerton’s Scott Cutley and Santa Barbara’s Alex Harris were named co-Big West players of the year; Cutley averaged 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the champions. Harris led Santa Barbara in a school record 23 victories, and scored in double figures in all 29 games, averaging 20.3 for the year. UC Irvine had a mini-cinderella run in the Big West tourney, reaching the finals as the 5-seed. This no doubt helped Fullerton to capture the automatic bid, because Fullerton had underachieved against the top-tier teams of the league during the regular season.

2007-2008 Big West Grade: C-
I think that the Big West did not really have that exceptional of a season, but it was not that terrible either. Any time a mid-major league has a three-way tie at the top and the home teams in the league manage to win their games, it makes for excitement. The only issue with the league was the lack of power games for the top teams. Many of these teams cannot get games with the Stanfords and UCLA’s of the world and must settle for games against low-majors or non D-I opponents which is never a good sign for RPI. UC Santa Barbara had a great season, and really deserved the auto bid, but Fullerton got it done when it counted and represented the league strongly in the Dance.

Colonial

2006: George Mason goes to the Final Four, the league receives two bids to the tournament; 2007: VCU defeats Duke in the biggest upset of the tournament, nearly reaches the Sweet 16, the league receives two bids to the tournament; 2008: The sound of crickets whistle as discussion of the CAA transpires this season. Preseason favorite George Mason may have been the most underachieving team in the mid-majors this year after Thanksgiving. Mason went 23-11 and reached the NCAAs anyway after utilizing their talent and athleticism which was tops in the league. Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell were on the ’06 Final Four team and undoubtedly led this team when it mattered, but showed absolutely no heart or energy in the tournament when they faced Notre Dame. The conference underachieved mightily with VCU capturing its second consecutive regular-season title. The Rams went 24-8 and 15-3 in the league, winning it by three full games. The Rams had player of the year Eric Maynor who proved he was the best player in the league and one of the elite guards in the nation with the talent he led this team with throughout the season. The surprise of the year was William & Mary. Led by coach of the year Tony Shaver, the Tribe had their best season of the decade, being over .500 for the first time under Shaver in five seasons. W&M had a great run in the CAA tournament with three buzzer beaters in as many days to defeat Georgia State, Old Dominion and VCU before bowing out to Mason in the title game. The league saw elite player Antoine Agudio, from Hofstra, end his career after an incredibly successful four years. He tallied 2,256 points and elevated Hofstra to relevancy in the Colonial landscape. The disappointment of the CAA has to be the lack of nonconference heft because this is and should be a two-bid league, but because of no impression made on the committee the CAA was left to be embarrassed come March, going 1-3 in the three postseason tournaments. The lone win was by Old Dominion in the CBI.

2007-2008 Colonial Grade: D
All in all an embarrassing year for the CAA; VCU was not head and shoulders above everyone, but because they simply did what they were supposed to and won the games they were favored in, they won the league. Mason did not deserve to even play in the CAA tournament the way they did not even show up for half of their regular season games. When the Patriots did come to play, they could play with anyone in the nation; the same could not have been said for UNC-Wilmington or VCU. It cannot get much worse for the Colonial, but things really are looking up. Mason and UNCW lose a lot, but VCU gets Maynor back, ODU gets nearly everyone back, Northeastern promises to be better and Delaware and Northeastern showed signs of brilliance this past season. The CAA as a whole completely underachieved this season, and as a fan of the CAA I am tremendously disappointed.

Conference USA

98-8. The last three seasons the Memphis Tigers have gone 98-8 against all opponents, and have not lost a game to a C-USA foe in two full seasons. They nearly were eclipsed this past season at UAB, but the Tigers dug in as they have done so many times and prevailed. They featured two All-Americans, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose. They featured leadership inside with Joey Dozier, and athleticism up front in Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart. The Tigers were complete and as will be told to John Calipari for years, shoulda, coulda, woulda won a national title. They dominated the conference, winning ten of their 18 games by more than 20. This conference has nothing beyond the Tigers on a national stage, but there are some home courts which can be difficult for big-time teams, including the Tigers to play. Houston, UAB and UTEP all have historically decent programs, and these are the teams that gave Memphis the most trouble. UAB reached the NIT quarters under Mike Davis and were in position for an NCAA bid before getting beat in the C-USA quarters. Houston started out 15-1, and stared right down at Memphis each time they met. Tom Penders’ club featured stud Robert McKiver who could shoot with anyone in the nation. McKiver dropped 52 against Southern Miss at the end of February, a national tops for the ’07-’08 campaign. Larry Eustachy has risen Southern Miss back to respectability with a 19-14 season, and Tulsa put things together with a 25-14 year and a CBI championship. C-USA is a very underrated, offensively oriented league filled with superstars. The first team of the league featured Rose, McKiver, Douglas-Roberts, UAB’s Robert Vaden and UTEP’s Stefon Jackson. Those five players are absolute stars, and could play on any team in the country.

2007-2008 Conference USA Grade: B+
A solid year for C-USA. Memphis finally broke through to the Final Four, and continued to dominate. The frustrating thing about this league is that nobody looks to be able to make a run at Memphis for the top spot anytime soon. At the same time, programs continue to flourish and improve rather than last season when Memphis was the only decent team worthy of any postseason discussion. The fact that six other teams (Houston, UAB, So. Miss, UTEP, UCF and Tulsa) were able to at some point or another show that they compete is important. Nobody believed John Calipari when he said this is the most underrated league around; well now I believe him. After watching this conference, I really think that it is in the process of getting closer to how it used to be when Louisville, Marquette and DePaul were all prominent forces in the league. Last season, this conference was nothing more than the Atlantic Sun…and Memphis. Now its more like a solid mid-major…and Memphis. Look for the Tigers to go undefeated again next season, but it will be much more of a battle.

Tomorrow: Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic

Day 3 Reactionary Look: Big South, Big Ten and Big 12

Big South

The Winthrop Eagles have made it their personal duty to win this league year in and year out regardless of personnel, coaching or the opponent. The Eagles captured their fourth consecutive Big South tournament title aided in large part by their balanced inside-out attack. The Eagles had four players average in double figures, as they continued their remarkable March dominance in Rock Hill. UNC-Asheville won the regular season due to a tiebreaker with Winthrop and received their first ever berth to the NIT at 23-10. UNCA featured 7’7 backup center Kenny George who led the nation in field goal percentage, and also led the nation in shoe size; he wears a 28! The Bulldogs led the conference for much of the season, but when it came time for March, Winthrop’s experience ran Asheville out of the gym in the Big South title game. High Point finished third in the league and had player of the year Arizona Reid. Reid won the honor for the second straight season, and was selected for first team all conference for the third time in as many seasons. VMI utilizes the unique attack of points per possession, and they featured the nation’s scoring leader for the second straight year in Reggie Williams. Williams averaged 27.8 PPG this past year and finished with an absolutely miraculous 2,556 points over his stellar career. Liberty also welcomed in new coach Ritchie McKay to Lynchburg with a .500 season, and a semifinal appearance in the Big South tournament.

2007-2008 Big South Grade: C+
Until someone proves me otherwise, I am just going to assume that Winthrop will win this conference each and every season. They are forming a complete dynasty and winning attitude down in Rock Hill, and nobody looks poised to knock the Eagles off their perch. The thing that I love so much about the Big South has to be that they go out and play people. It may be easier to find games when you are going to big time arenas and getting schlacked, but nevertheless they are willing to go play these teams. A non-con schedule which saw Florida, Wake Forest, Ga Tech, Miami, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Kentucky and Ohio State proves to be quite impressive. If the Big South keeps this up, they will soon be able to learn what it takes to win at a national level, and that is exactly what Winthrop has done over the last three seasons.

Big Ten

Just when you think that the Big Ten has established itself as a top five conference in the country, it goes out and has a night like March 28^th. The date probably does not ring a bell, but sending two teams to the Sweet 16 and having them get absolutely taken behind the woodshed should. This night was when everything that the Big Ten had worked for was completely shredded like the cheese on my pizza. Michigan State trailed by 30 at half to Memphis before losing by 18, and Wisconsin got down 20 before losing 73-56 to Davidson. Wisconsin had a great season; 31-5 with an amazing conference run where they went 16-2 in a power league. Michigan State completely underachieved. The Spartans were a preseason pick at Midnight to March to reach San Antonio, and never seemed to match their potential as Drew Neitzel had a disappointing senior season and things are left to wonder what may have been in Lansing if they would have played like they could have. Purdue truly asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with this year. Matt Painter looks to be building something at Mackey Arena, and look out because the Boilers return just about everyone off of a near Sweet 16 team. Indiana had undoubtedly the toughest season of any team in the league, maybe the nation. The Hoosiers lost head coach Kelvin Sampson midway through the year and interim coach Dan Dakich did a superior job as fill-in; they could just never replicate the success of the early year. Eric Gordon and DJ White had amazing seasons and will be rewarded handsomely for their performance. The wildcard of the conference was Ohio State. Buckeye fans, in three years thank me for saying this, reaching the NIT was the best thing that could happen to Thad Matta’s club. The Bucks improved tremendously throughout the ugly stepsister of the NCAA, and captured the title. Look for the Buckeyes to come back strong next season. The most difficult thing about the Big Ten this past season was the influx of new coaches and lack of immediate success. Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Indiana all had new coaches and that definitely played a role in the unbalance of the league.

2007-2008 Big Ten Grade: C
I am biased against the Big Ten; I am not going to sit here and lie to my readers and claim that I enjoy the conference. I hate it, and have no desire to watch Big Ten basketball. At the same time, I think there were bright spots to take away from this league. Although clearly not a top 5 or top 8 league, I liked what Bo Ryan did at Wisconsin this year as well as what Purdue and Ohio State managed to accomplish with amazingly young teams. I do not fully support the bottom feeders because I almost feel like these teams made no effort all season to be competitive. Teams like Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern and Penn State have a lot of work to do before they can even fathom going dancing. The problem with the Big Ten has become the lack of national support; nobody wants to watch these teams play which is unfortunate because it is one of the best defensive leagues in the country. But I guess that’s what 45-43 scores get you, low approval ratings and even less national support for the league. There is talent and there is potential, but you are sorely mistaken if you think that the Big Ten from top to bottom resembles a top tier conference

Big 12

Rock Freakin Chalk. Finally, the Kansas Jayhawks get their first title since 1988. This team did not quite play the whole year like they were the best, but there is no argument that at times (i.e. Final Four) this KU team was clearly the best around. When you really pick apart the details about conferences, I think this league featured the best top-heavy teams in the country. Kansas, Texas, KState, Oklahoma, Texas A&M could all compete with any team around on any night. Similar to the Big Ten, the Big 12 locks up on defense. None of this was more evident than in the national championship game where Kansas absolutely locked down Derrick Rose in the first half. Every team in the league was incredibly deep (sans K State) and each had superstars. Texas guard DJ Augustin is a top-three point guard around, and I would pick him to start my team right behind Rose. The Longhorns were thought to sorely miss Kevin Durant, and they did miss his scoring at times; however, the collective dedication these Longhorns made to rebounding from KD’s departure was astounding. KState featured the league’s top one-two punch in Bill Walker and Michael Beasley. Beasley broke many freshman and national records in his first and only season in college including the freshman double-double mark of 22 times. Beasley is the sole reason that head coach Frank Martin has a head coaching job in the NCAA, and is the sole reason that there was any reason to celebrate in Manhattan this winter; he will now be one of the top two selections in June’s NBA Draft. He was the Most Outstanding Player in the nation (not to be confused with Most Valuable). Oklahoma made great strides this season especially after being bitten with the injury bug in Blake Griffin and Longar Longar. Look for the Sooners to be a factor in the Big 12 next season. Speaking of next season, Baylor and Texas A&M came to play this year a heck of a lot earlier than most people thought. Evidently last year’s Aggie team was more than just Acie Law IV as Dominique Kirk and Joseph Jones had solid years reaching the NCAA second round. Baylor also was tremendous in recoping from their tragedy a few years back. Scott Drew deserves a Kudos from MTM, and promises to have something to build on in Waco. The most surprising occurrence in the Big 12 this year was Texas Tech legend Bob Knight stepping down in Lubbock for his son to receive the nod as head man.

2007-2008 Big 12 Grade: B

My favorite conference this season; the Big 12 featured everything necessary for a compelling year. Great teams, great players, lockdown defense and scorers. Not to mention, successful teams that managed to win games. The battle of the regular season positioned the league to receive six NCAA berths, all of which well deserved. Yes, Baylor was an NCAA team. The amazing thing is with all of the departing players in this league; Rush, Arthur, Beasley, Kirk, Jones, maybe Walker that the league could possibly be stronger from top to bottom next year. Baylor, A&M, Oklahoma will join forces Texas and Kansas as top teams and do not forget about Oklahoma State and new head man Travis Ford. I am in love with this league because they have everything, and could not be happier that they feature a national champion.

Day 2 Reactionary Look: A-10, Big East, Big Sky

Atlantic 10
Xavier has been a somewhat perennial powerhouse in the Atlantic 10 and national landscape since the late 1980s. They have had great success under incredible coaches like Skip Prosser, Pete Gillen and Thad Matta, as well as players like David West, Tyrone Hill, Romain Sato and James Posey. Never have the Muskies seen so much success as they did in 2008. Head coach Sean Miller and his star studded backcourt of Stanley Burrell and Drew Lavender led X to their highest national ranking ever at #8. Xavier reached the elite 8 for the second time in school history and broke the school record for wins with 30. XU ruled the A-10 in 2008, but in the early part of the season much noise was made by teams like Dayton, Massachusetts, Temple and St. Joseph's. Dayton was led by all-around scoring threat Brian ROberts as they knocked off two top 15 teams in the early going in Pittsburgh and at Louisville. Temple came out of nowhere to win the A-10 tournament; they were an afterthought headed into March but rallied together and luckily captured the title in Atlantic City. The Hawks managed to squeak into the NCAA field as one of the last teams in due to their impressive two victories over Xavier in less than ten days. The Flyers then were littered with injuries which inhibited them fron contending for the A-10 crown as well as much success in the postseason. UMass finished the year winning ten of their last 12 and ended up with their most successful season since the Bruiser Flint days. As a result, head coach Travis Ford said "Thanks for the Memories" and is now headed to Oklahoma State after leading the Minutemen to the NIT final. Rhode Island managed to snag their first postseason berth since Lamar Odom led the Rams back in 1999. The Atlantic 10 (er, 14) sent eight teams to postseason play with three in the NCAAs, and proved that it belongs among the nation's elite rather than the nation's middle in the discussion for top conferences. The surprise of the season was Richmond, who finished 13th last season, but led a major push and ended up finishing fourth in the league. The Spiders reached the inaugural CBI, their first postseason berth since 2004.

2007-2008 Atlantic Ten Grade: A-
I think that the A-10 became clearly the national surprise as a conference in the early going of this season. They pushed around major teams that were seen to be relevant on a large stage. Things did not go quite successful for the A-10 once conference season began. Teams started beating up on each other, which spelled disaster for this conference, which could have forseeably been a six bid league. Instead, only three went dancing. I give kudos out to the A-10 for their best year of the decade, and hope that it will continue to flourish because this league was one of the deepest around with ten teams finishing over .500

Big East
The Big East was crowded at the top this year. Shocker. The 16-team league once again saw a number of top-heavy candidates battling it out for Garden supremacy. It was Georgetown for the second straight year, who waited until the final game of their regular season to defeat Louisville and capture the crown. Roy Hibbert did not have the type of year he had hoped for with the departure of Jeff Green, but there was ample support from the Hoya supporting cast. Jonathan Wallace, DaJuan Summers and Cecil Sapp all improved over this past season, and look to be returning enough to be formidable next year. Louisville managed to rebound off of early season disappointments to recapture glory and reach the elite 8. Rick Pitino did a fantastic job with this injury laden Cardinal team led by that guy from the Operation game, David Padgett. The player of the year in the league was Luke Harangody from Notre Dame. The Irish forward averaged 20.4 PPG and 10.6 RPG as the Irish managed to turn some heads and finish third in the Big East, giving head coach Mike Brey coach of the year honors. Connecticut, Pittsburgh Marquette and West Virginia all managed to have great seasons, but much of it went unnoticed due to the complete parity of the Big East. That is until the tournament, when the semifinals featured top-seed Georgetown against fifth-seed West Va, and then sixth-seed Marquette against seventh-seed Pitt. The Panthers managed to scrape things together just in time to capture the auto-bid for Jamie Dixon. The disppointment of the season was Providence. The Friars were scheduled to have a breakout year in '07-08, but never seemed to put it all together. As a result, Tim Welsh caught the axe and in rushes Keno Davis. Providence finished 12th in the league standings and barely made it to MSG for the Big East Madness. The 15-16 mark in Welsh's tenth season definitely showed that it was time for a change in The Ocean State.

2007-2008 Big East Grade: B
This conference has turned into such a paltry, blase kind of feeling. They send eight teams to the NCAA tournament, and its just looked upon as expected. The Big East had an incredible year, and was probably the best conference in the nation from top to middle. I cannot justify giving them a good grade because of their lack of a true superstar team. Pac-10 had UCLA, Big 12 had KU, ACC had UNC, but the Big East never really had a team that you could label as San Antone or bust, and I really think that hurts them in their overall evaluation. The players in the Big East are amazing, and the coaching even better, but there is such a common thread between these top ten teams in the conference that you simply cannot differentiate.

Big Sky
Welcome to Relevancy, to the largest university in the state of Oregon. As a prize you get to open up against the national champion Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the World's Largest DanceFloor. The Vikings of Portland State completely dominated the Big Sky conference this season with a 23-10 mark and only two losses in Sky play. As a result, they made their first ever NCAA appearance, and captured coach of the year honors as well as multiple first team all-conference honors. The player of the year in the conference was Viking guard Jeremiah Dominguez. Dominguez led the team with 21 PPG and 4 APG, at 5 foot 6. HE WAS 5 FOOT 6. Dominguez could have been the most interesting player to me in the NCAA Tournament, not because he was going to lead his team to win a game, but rather I have never seen a guy dominate an entire conference at a stature shorter than me. Dominguez is only a junior, so keep your eye on him; he may make the Midnight to March pre-season Glass Slipper team. The University of Portland transfer promises to continue his excitement in the Big Sky as the Vikings will once again be favored to win the league. Head coach Ken Bone won unanimous coach of the year honors, and a shocking development...He is staying at PSU! The Vikings were a tremendous story this season, and they managed to capitalize on transforming the program through D-I transfers and junior college players. Nine of the 14 players on the Viking roster are transfers. No real disappointments in the Sky this year, but the Sacramento St Hornets succeeded in being one of the worst teams in the nation. A 4-24 mark in this conference is nothing to post on the refrigerator, and as a result head coach Jerome Jenkins will be attending Kings' games rather than coaching the Hornets. Defending champion Eastern Washington faltered down to sixth in the conference as expected after losing star scorer Rodney Stuckey to the NBA last season.

2007-2008 Big Sky Grade: C+
Portland State ran this league from January on so there was really no drama to speak of. It was a race for second place which was held for most of the season by Weber State, but the experience of Northern Arizona helped them reach the Sky title game. What it all boiled down to was what Dominguez accomplished. Struggling, at the University of Portland, he decided to travel across town to get more time and focus, and that he has done. He carved out a name for himself in the Big Sky and managed to this Viking team to postseason success which can never be taken away from them. Look for the Vikings to be dancing again come March 2009.

Tomorrow: Big South, Big 10, Big 12

Day 1 Reactionary Look: AEC, A-Sun and ACC

America East
The UMBC Retrievers have been a Division I program for 22 seasons. They had never once reached the NCAA Tournament, until this 2008 season. UMBC glided to their first America East conference championship with a 15-3 conference record and a 23-9 overall record. They were defeated by Georgetown in the first round of the tournament. The Retrievers won the league due to an incredible job at taking care of the basketball. They led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.62 per game. The Retrievers lose three of their top four performers, but this senior laden team ran the AEC all season long. The America East unfortunately had nothing to speak of in the nonconference. Normally one which gives some Big East and ACC schools fits, the AEC managed no wins over a BCS-conference school all season. A lackluster non-con, and a balanced league did not make for much excitement in the New England area this past winter. UMBC was picked to finish fifth in the conference, and Boston U was picked to win the league. The Terriers finished sixth in the final standings. The surprise of the year was most definitely Hartford. The Hawks had nine players in their first or second season and quickly exceeded all expectations by going 10-6 in the conference and making it all the way to the AEC title game. The Hawks look to be the preseason favorite for next year.

America East 2007-2008 Grade: D
Normally a decent mid-major league, the AEC had nothing exciting to speak of. UMBC was thought to hang in with some of the big time schools, but to no avail. The America East has not shown well against the majors since Albany played Connecticut close in the 2006 first round. Wihout any superstars, and no signs of rising stars in this league with the exception of Hartford, an all around disappointing year in the America East.

Atlantic Sun
The Atlanic Sun is Gone 'Til November...What an opening month for the A-Sun. The league opened the season on November 7th with Gardner-Webb defeating Kentucky, the biggest win for the Atlantic Sun conference ever. Just three days later, Mercer, picked to finish seventh in the league travels out to L.A. and beats USC in OJ Mayo's first game as a collegian. Making waves in the early going was the A Sun, but things quickly tapered off with the exception of Belmont. The Bruins were truly the only consistent team the entire docket in the conference as they seized their third straight A Sun tourney title, and nearly clipped Duke in the first round of the Dance. The Bruins were picked to finish second behind East Tennessee State in the preseason poll. Belmont senior guard Justin Hare was named to the all-conference team for the third time and won his third consecutive tournament MVP. Head coach Rick Byrd and the Bruins must replace alot after this season's run, but they seem to be building a quiet little dynasty in Nashville. The A Sun is in the process of reconstruction, as they add four new Division I programs to their fraternity: Kennesaw State, North Florida, South Carolina Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast. There were really no surprises in the Atlantic Sun, but ETSU was a bit of a disappointment. Led by player of the year candidate Courtney Pigrim, the Bucs never held it together as they did in 2006-2007 when they captured the regular season title.

2007-2008 Atlantic Sun Grade: B+
For a mid-major conference there are three essential requirements to being considered relevant: good non-con performance, superstars and good postseason performance. The A Sun managed to accomplish all three this season. Great early season wins over BCS schools, and superstars Hare and Pigrim were in a player of the year battle all season. It ended up going to Gardner-Webb senior Thomas Sanders who averaged 17.9 PPG for the season. Belmont had the nation sitting on the edge of their seats as they nearly demolished the Blue Devils in the first round. The Atlantic Sun has a really bright future and it all could have began with an excellent campaign this time around

Atlantic Coast
The North Carolina Tar Heels went 36-3 and had the number one national ranking heading into the NCAA Tournament. The Duke Blue Devils went 28-6, rebounded from last years disappointment and captured a 2 seed in the tournament. The Clemson Tigers went 24-10, went to the tournament had a 20 point lead and then got bounced in the first round to Villanova. The Virginia Cavaliers had a player of the year candidate in Sean Singletary and went 17-16. The Maryland Terrapins beat the number one team in the country and proceeded to go 17-15 being one of the most inconsistent teams in the nation. The common theme is...(drumroll) DISAPPOINTMENT! The ACC is widely renowned as the single best conference in America every season. Things are not so kosher on Tobacco Road as usual this April month, as they featured only four teams in the tournament, and one past the Sweet 16. Tyler Hansbrough won national player of the year and the Tar Heels could be national chumps...er champs, if it were not for that first half against "that team Roy used to coach." My opinion is that UNC did have a tremendous season; anytime you go unbeaten on the road whether its the ACC or the CYO its an impressive feat. Hansbrough was the nation's MVP (not MOP) and he deserved to be recognized. The ACC did not quite measure up from to bottom this season however. Really after UNC and Duke there was a severe dropoff which did not feature another team with a signature win. Here is an amazing statistic. The ACC's top two signature wins were by Duke and Clemson in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge; they beat Purdue and Wisconsin. The ACC defeated just one team that was in the top ten at the time of their victory.

2007-2008 Atlantic Coast Grade: C-
A terrible season for ACC standards. You can make a legit argument that it was not in the top eight conferences from top to bottom, but that is for another time and place. Regardless, the grade would be an F it were not for the 'Heels making it to the Riverwalk. This just continues to show that on the Eastern seaboard, Dick Vitale has got us all snowed. We all believe the ACC is this amazing conference year in and year out, and it just ain't that darn good. A team like Baylor would have finished third in the ACC, but rather they finish sixth in the Big 12. Thats how bad the ACC was. The future promises to look brighter for the ACC, but not so much at the top of Hansbrough looks to return.

Previewing the Review

Starting tomorrow, Thursday April 18, Midnight to March will review this past 2007-2008 season in a conference by conference evaluation. As finals time for students is just around the corner, so are the final grades for the coaches, players, teams and conferences from this past season. Every day for the next two weeks, we will take a look at three conferences and break it down scientifically, giving you the best knowledge possible about the best (and worst) memories from this past action-packed season.
April 18- America East, Atlantic Coast, Atlantic Sun
April 21- Atlantic 10, Big East, Big Sky
April 22- Big South, Big Ten, Big 12
April 23- Big West, Colonial, Conference USA
April 24- Horizon, Ivy, Metro Athletic
April 25- Mid-American, MEAC, Missouri Valley
April 26- Mountain West, Northeast, Ohio Valley
April 27- Pac-10, Patriot, SEC
April 28- Southern, Southland, SWAC
April 29- Summit, Sun Belt, WAC
April 30- WCC, Closing thoughts

Inexperienced coaches cashing in on success

On Tuesday afternoon University of Providence introduced former Drake University head coach Keno Davis as their new head coach. Davis completed an amazing season in Des Moines this past season, going 28-5, double champions of the Missouri Valley Conference and taking the Bulldogs to their first NCAA tournament berth since 1971. He was named AP Coach of the Year shortly after the Final Four. I thought there was no debate that Davis was the coach of the year in just his first season as a head coach. I am impressed with what he was able to accomplish. Having said this, Providence can not justify this hiring with any rational thinking if they truly want to contend in the Big East. The 36-year old Davis was an assistant under Bruce Pearl in the mid 1990s and was also an assistant at Iowa in the early 90s. However, I do not think that he has proved himself enough in a smaller conference to warrant a hiring at a Big East school with a heck of a lot of tradition. Providence had been put in a tough spot; other candidates such as George Mason's Jim Larranaga had turned down the job offer, so they were not at the top of their list in Davis. At the same time, there are a lot of top assistants out there that are waiting their time to shine in the head coaching ranks, as well as broadcasters and analysts that may very well have deserved it over Davis. This has become an increasing occurence in recent years with impressive NCAA tournament runs, and the quick trigger of coaches to be hired and fired. Massachusetts head man Travis Ford has been a prominent figure in many coaching positions including the Providence and Oklahoma State jobs. Ford is a bright, young mind just as Davis, but he has compiled a record of 123-116 over four seasons at the helm, after a 24-9 season this year. Based on those statistics, Ford is an under .500 coach with the exception of one season, but because he guided his team to the NIT finals and second place in the Atlantic 10 one season he is considered a hot commodity. A perfect example of a mistake in hiring was back in the early part of the decade with Arkansas. The Razorbacks fired Nolan Richardson, and decided to turn things over to Stan Heath, who had just guided Kent State University to an elite 8 run in his first season. After just one season, Arkansas granted Heath a $700,000 contract; Heath led the Razorbacks to a paltry 70-52 record before being fired after five seasons. In my opinion, the greatest hire of this NCAA offseason thus far has been South Carolina signing ex-Western Kentuck coach Darrin Horn. Horn was the head man with the Hilltoppers for five seasons, earning a 111-48 mark over that timespan. Horn has proved that he can coach at the mid-major level, and now has remarkable experience going through the roller coaster ride of a season five times and has seen success. There is something to be said for a coach having seen and heard everything before, and with more experience coaches become better versed and more successful. Major schools that are hiring these mid-major coaches with just one year of success and experience are making a mistake, they have not proved themselves with their own players and their own systems. Davis and Ford may end up becoming incredibly successful at their respective positions, and Horn may have a difficult road, but I undoubtedly have much more confidence in the coach that has been successful for longer than someone who just became a head coach and may have caught lightning in a bottle.

NBA Draft Comparison: Beasley Vs. Rose

On Monday afternoon, Kansas State freshman phenom Michael Beasley entered his name into the NBA Draft as expected. Beasley is considered by most to be hands down the top prospect in college, and can make an immediate impact on whichever team may choose the 6'10 forward from Frederick, Maryland. Memphis point guard Derrick Rose is expected to declare for the draft as well in the next couple of weeks, and he has traveled behind Beasley's shadow for much of the NCAA season. Rose took over the NCAA Tournament, and undoubtedly raised his stock. So, the question arises, who will be the first pick in June's NBA Draft and who should be?

Personally, I think that teams will make a mistake passing up on Derrick Rose. My prognostication claims that Beasley will be the first pick to the winner of the lottery, which should be either the Grizzlies or the Knicks. If these teams did not need a point guard, I would strongly advocate selecting Beasley. However, when you are an absolute cellar-dweller in the NBA (Knicks) and have no signs of improving anytime soon, I think you need to build from the bottom, and Rose is the answer. The amazing thing about Rose is that he does not need to score to influence a game, and I do not believe the same for Beasley. Rose managed to put this Memphis team completely over the top this past season after being crushed in the elite 8 the last two seasons. Rose brought a winning attitude, and completely made his teammates, like CDR and like Antonio Anderson, incredibly better. If a GM is trying to build a team, why go for a kid that has unbelieveable skill, but no interest to play any defense, and no interest to engage his teammates in the game? I understand Kansas State did not have the talent that an NBA team had, but at the same time Beasley would grab the ball at the hashmark, go one on one and take a pull-up three. Now if it goes in, wow. That will not happen in the pros, and he will not be able to take the ball one side of the court to the other untouched and unmatched because of the speed for his size. Beasley is immensely talented, and will be an amazing pro; I think the Wildcat forward had the best freshman impact on his team since Carmelo Anthony, and there is something to be said for that. However when you look at Rose, I see a winning attitude, a desire to make his teammates the best they can be, and most of all a completely well-rounded skilled player. If I had the second pick in the draft and the top pick went to Beasley, I would feel like the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 draft, when a certain athlete with a will to win fell to them at #3. There is an MVP candidate in the Western Conference right now that has led his team up the standings for the last three seasons, and they are now winning the conference and look to have a path to the NBA finals. He is a point guard that does not have to score to influence the game, Chris Paul. The Suns, Jazz, Spurs, Hornets, Rockets and Mavericks all have point guards that do not score to influence a game, is it a coincidence that they are all going to the playoffs? Meanwhile, I do not see many successful teams that have a 6'10 forward that likes to take the ball, play point guard, jack three-pointers and not play defense. The answer to who should and will be the first pick of the draft smells like a Rose.

Derrick Rose, Memphis,
Ht: 6'3, Wt: 195
Hometown: Chicago
Yr: Freshman
14.9 PPG, 4.7 AST, 4.5 REB, 1.2 STL, 0.3 TPG

PG Michael Beasley, K-State, F
Ht: 6'10, Wt: 235
Hometown: Fredrick, MD
Yr: Freshman
26.2 PPG, 12.4 REB, 1.4 BLK

Column: What is wrong with NCAA coaches

Bill Self just finished completing an amazing run through the NCAA Tournament. He silenced all of his critics, made a Final Four, defeated his predecessor, and won a national championship. Sounds like a pretty amazing season that will certainly bring him back to Lawrence to coach the Jayhawks for the next few seasons right? The rumors are that Oklahoma State has come knocking down Self's front door bearing gifts of dead presidents. Self is an Oklahoma State graduate that has an Oklahoma twang and started his coaching legacy in Oklahoma while coaching Oral Roberts and Tulsa to a collective 129-81 mark in seven seasons. Self decided to converse the situation over with Kansas officials. A report was released saying that Self wanted job security from the Jayhawks. Job security? Are you kidding me? Bill, you just won a national championship, had another incredible season, and now have at least three legitimate NBA prospects. You have the job, they are not firing you any time soon, and you just managed to shut everyone up! I can somewhat see an extension, but if I was KU I would not even grant you a raise, much less match an offer by a conference foe in Stillwater. I do not understand why all of these coaches plead with their schools for more money, more security and more incentives. They coach and recruit for a living, you would think that would be attractive enough of a job to welcome. I would like to tell all the people in Big 12 nation that I will coach their basketball teams for free. Athletic directors are required to grant the ridiculous figures to them because they know these unscrupulous coaches will jump ship at the first scent of more money. Ex-Western Kentucky coach Darrin Horn decided to enter extension discussions with WKU after their Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA Tournament; three days later Horn accepted the job at South Carolina, without even getting permission from the WKU administration. When are these coaches going to be held accountable for honoring their contracts? All that is heard from coaches is how much they are getting hounded, how much pressure they have and how they need to feel that they are welcomed. Forget that. Bill Self should have won a national championship, he makes close to $1.4 million per year. IF Oklahoma State decides to open up the checkbook, and IF Self decides to leave, I would hope Cowboys' fans would demand a national title in a few years, especially if the figures are as much as believed to be. A $6 million signing bonus obviously just does not buy you enough job security in this generation. Bill Self should come to his senses and realize that he is leaving a paradise of heaven in Lawrence, and I think he will. When all is said and done, KU will pay Self through the nose and then welcome him back to Allen Fieldhouse. However if I am Lew Perkins, KU athletic director, I say to Self, a contract extension is in order, but we are not going to match Oklahoma State's offer. If he leaves, good riddens. He will not be any different than any other division-I coach who just solicits the top dollar amount.

NCAA Tournament Wrapup

The 2008 NCAA Tournament was a historic one. For the first time ever, all four number one seeds reached the Final Four, a feat which many believed would never occur. We had Cinderella runs by Davidson and Western Kentucky as well as moments by lower seeded mid-majors like Siena and San Diego. Every year a few mid major programs make a name for themselves and captivate the national viewing audience in the process. This is why the NCAA Tournament is the greatest sporting event annually. In honor of this year's tournament, Midnight to March hands out its 2008 Bracket Awards.

All-Bracket Team
PG: Derrick Rose, Memphis
SG: Stephen Curry, Davidson
SF: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis
PF: Brook Lopez, Stanford
C: Kevin Love, UCLA
Does Memphis really deserve two players on the all-tournament team? Without question. CDR and Rose absolutely dominated the tournament from start to (almost) finish and should be hoisting a national championship trophy if it were not for the charity stripe. These two Tigers were unable to be tamed by anybody, and proved they were the best one-two punch in the country. Lopez carried his team to the Sweet 16 after a gutsy performance against Marquette and then again Texas, but could not overcome the Longhorns in Houston.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Rush, Kansas; Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina; Drew Lavender, Xavier; Joe Alexander, West Virginia

2008 Bracketeer of the Year
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Nobody has captured the tournament appeal quite like Stephen Curry in a really long time. Curry made all of America Davidson fans after taking over every second half the Wildcats played. 40 in the first round against Gonzaga, 30 to beat second-seeded Georgetown in round two, 33 against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 makes gives Curry the best individual tournament that this writer has ever seen. One shot away from the Final Four, tourney fans can only hope to see Curry in the bracket for a couple more years.
Honorable Mention: None.

2008 Bracket Manager of the Year
John Calipari, Memphis
Without question, Cal motivated this Memphis team to a 38-2 record when almost every night this season they could have overlooked their opponent. Calipari always played an angle with the meida and pulled all the right strings to exceed all expectations in Memphis. Whether it be playing the poor free throws down or talking up their incredible backcourt and offense, Calipari exuded the type of leadership that a great coach needs to show.
Honorable Mention: Bill Self, Kansas; Ben Howland, UCLA; Bob McKillop, Davidson

2008 One Shining Moment
Ty Rogers' game winning three point shot in the first round, Western Kentucky
A handoff...and a prayer...answered. Mario Chalmers may have taken the honor of most clutch shot in the bracket, but Rogers' shot on the second day of the tournament set the scene. Memories of Laettner, Bryce Drew, Tyus Edney, Richard Hamilton and Eric Maynor were recaptured and now throw Rogers in with them. The handoff and prayer gave the Hilltoppers the victory over fifth-seeded Drake and allowed WKU to continue their dream run.
Honorable Mention: Chalmers, San Diego, Belmont

2008 Bracket Bust
Connecticut
It said here on Selection Sunday that the Huskies had the potential to knock off UCLA and reach San Antonio. Instead, they were knocked off by De'Jean Jackson and the San Diego Toreros in the first round in Tampa Bay. Figured to be the third best team coming out of the WCC, the Toreros were not intimidated by UCONN, and stuck it to them. The underachieving Huskies have still yet to recover from the 2006 defeat to George Mason.
Honorable Mention: Clemson (1st Round-2nd half), USC, Duke, Midwest Region

2008 Game of the Tournament
Nat'l Championship: Memphis vs. Kansas
As cliche as it is, the national title game was the best since 2003 when another Jayhawk coach was patrolling the sideline. It had drama, excellence, great offense and defense and star power. 75-68 KU was not indicative of how close Memphis was to locking in to the national championship. The Game of the Century in this man's opinion, and future Final Fours have alot to live up to if they want to exceed this one by the Riverwalk.
Honorable Mention: Midwest 2nd Rd: Davidson vs. Georgetown, West 2nd Rd: UCLA vs. Texas A&M, West 1st Rd: Duke vs. Belmont, West 1st Rd: Western Kentucky vs. Drake

The 2008 tournament had over half of its games decided by ten points or more, which indicates there were not many great games this year. Wrong. There were an incredible amount of historic performances and games which will continue on the amazing track record of the NCAA Tournament and add to its legend. From Chalmers to Curry, San Antonio to Dayton, 1 to 65, the road has come to an end, and what a road it has been.

Welcome to the future of college basketball

With the 2008 National Champions now crowned, the Kansas Jayhawks have made a place for themselves in history. "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" could be heard from Lawrence to San Antonio as Mario Chalmers led KU to their first national championship since 1988. The Jayhawks ended their season with an impressive 37-3 mark with a chilling title win that will be remembered for years. Memphis dropped to 38-2, and even though the disappointment for the runner-up is evident, a record setting season for the Tigers will undoubtedly shape their program for years to come. As the 2008 season has now officially come to a close, we at Midnight to March are now here to guide you through a review of the unbelieveable 2007-2008 season as well as gear you up for what promises to be an action packed 2008-2009 season. Please check in to see what Midnight to March has in store for this offseason.