IT'S NOY ABOUT WHO WE WANT TO WIN ... BUT WHO WE DON'T

If they’re right (whoever they are) … and sports mirrors every 

day life … then it makes sense … to suggest we won’t have a 

rooting favorite to win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament 

that gets under way Tuesday (March 19). No, it will be more 

about who we hope doesn’t win … And, the list is long, starting 

with DAN HURLEY (Connecticut) … and including JOHN 

CALIPARI (Kentucky), KELVIN SAMPSON(Houston),

 WILL WADE (McNeese State) … among others ... all slugs, 

con-artists, bad guys … most of them proven cheaters who 

keep getting jobs because – all together – THEY WIN … 

You’ll notice we didn’t say they were “winners.”... At least

 RICK PITINO (St. Johns, N.Y.) didn’t make the field this 

time, a clear and unmistakable plus. Likewise PENNY 

HARDAWAY (Memphis).

I never was a fan – to put it mildly – of LEFTY DRIESELL, 

who I felt was a prime example of everything that was wrong 

with college athletics. This was back in the 60s and later 70s 

and 80s when he was starting out at Davidson then moving on 

to Maryland and James Madison (where he proved a nightmare 

to President RON CARRIERand led to the premature 

retirement of popular athletic director DEAN EHLERS) … 

More on that at a later date … Now, I must confess the late 

Lefthander is owed an apology. Compared to some of the 

coaches I dealt with later on as well as those named above, he 

was a saint.

Hardly anyone in Hooville thought Virginia would be invited 

… and, indeed, the Cavaliers came close to sitting this one out. 

They were among the so-called First Four, meaning they will 

play for the right to enter the main field (the last shall be first, 

and all that good biblical stuff) … and will meet Colorado State 

of the upstart Mountain West Conference which has six teams 

compared to the once-mighty ACC’s five, to kickstart the 

tournament Tuesday night. Believe it or not, U.Va., is a 1 1/2 

point favorite and, according to ESPN, has a 60 percent chance 

to win. (Don’t ask!)

Prediction: This tournament will set an indoor record for lack 

of civility ... behavior that – again – mirrors society as a whole. 

There will be more whining about lack of respect … which 

almost always comes from those who never earned it in the first 

place.

Prediction II: Game officiating will be targeted more so than 

ever … for two basic reasons … the more serious of which is 

an off-shoot of the sudden proliferation of legal gambling … 

You know how that goes: One bad call is all it takes for 

accusations of game fixing … and it would be naive to think it 

doesn’t happen … with players as well as officials … Second 

reason for coming down hard on whistle-tooters is as old as 

hoops itself … They simply aren’t very good … and haven’t 

been able to keep up with the pace of the game … Maybe the 

powers-that-be should revise standards for officials … and have 

only the rigorously fit apply ... Age discrimination, perhaps, but 

… it is a young man’s game after all.

Prediction III: The pundits, as usual, will be wrong … if 

they insist on calling a loss by a higher seed an upset. Actually, 

it would be much fairer process if the selection committee met 

only to chose the teams … then put names into a hat and design 

the field – at random … Think about it: If Houston is so good, 

what difference does it make if the Cougars are seeded No. 1 or 

16? Why should the best teams be given an easier path to the 

championship? (Did you know top seed overall Connecticut 

was allowed to select where it would start playing?) … Now, if 

they could only come up with a way not to penalize a worthy 

team because of lack of strength of schedule. If it was a real 

selection committee, it wouldn’t make choices based on 

analytics … but use the members alleged expertise to allow 

eye-test determinations … One more thing while on the subject 

… finishing first during the regular season should always mean 

more than winning a handful of games in a short period of time 

… yet conferences determine champions in a post-season 

tournament to send them to the NCAA bash … another 

example of madness in March.

Let’s hear it for Providence coach KIM ENGLISH: 

“Analyticsare a bunch of bull---t,” he said … after the Friars 

were left out of the tournament … The Big East, one of the so-

called Power Conferences, has only three representatives – 

fewest since realignment in 2013, and Marquette coach

 SHAKA SMART blamed DePaul (0-20 in league play). “We 

had a perfect storm numbers-wise,” he said. “UConn had the 

best season ever in the Big East, while DePaul had probably the 

worst ever… and that effected teams caught in the middle.” … 

Marquette and Creighton as well as UConn represent the Big 

East … By the way, did you catch Smart’s act that went viral on 

UTube? With Creighton in possession, directly in front of the 

Marquette bench, the former VCU coach darts onto the court (if 

briefly) waving his arms. The player with the ball starts to go 

around his defender then, seeing Smart several feet away, 

reverses the dribble … and we don’t see what happens next. All 

we do know for sure is that play continues … with no technical 

foul being charged to Smart.

Pitino called the selection system “fraudulent” after St. John’s 

was snubbed … then told the NCAA, which also runs the NIT, 

not to invite his team. Also rejecting bids from the NIT were 

Oklahoma, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Syracuse and Ole 

Miss … Oklahoma and Seton Hall were among the final four 

left out of the NCAA tournament. The others were Providence 

and Indiana State – which had a NET ranking of 29, lowest all-

time for a team not to make the field. Previous low was 33.

Quick history lesson … William & Mary and The Citadel 

remain the only schools that have been eligible for every 

NCAA but still haven’t made the field … Army qualified in 

1968 but coach BOBBY KNIGHTturned down the invitation, 

thinking he had a better chance of winning the then-much more 

prestigious NIT. The Knights lost to Notre Dame in the first 

round.

Finally … Prediction IV: From a final four of Iowa State, Duke, 

Gonzaga and North Carolina … UNC over Gonzaga for the 

2024 championship … Duke to come out of the South because I 

can’t bring myself to pencil in any of the region’s top three 

favorites because of who is in charge … Gonzaga? One of these 

years the Zags will come through, won’t they? … Iowa State is 

the trendy pick (which means forget it … nevertheless) … As 

for Carolina … well, ARMANDO BACOT is a local kid who 

fulfilled his four-year commitment … and coach HUBERT 

DAVIS IS one of the good guys.

Until next time ...