• Where did she find that?
• Why didn’t anyone try to stop her?
• Why hasn’t she paid to have this photo destroyed?

Things like that.

Image Credit: @si_vault via Twitter

When that exercise in befuddled questioning concluded about 45 minutes later, I started thinking about the other poor fashion choices made by college coaches over the years, which led me to create the Elite Eight of Fashion Faux Pas.

8. Mock Turtlenecks

Yeah, I’m talking to you Mike Brey.

Image Credit: SI.com

To be fair, I’m not a fan of mock turtlenecks in any occupation, but come on; you’re a college coach who makes more than enough money to spring for an actual shirt and tie.

And if you’re going to “rock the mock,” at least have the common decency to stay away from color combinations like Brey is sporting above.

7. Gene Keady’s Combover

When you type “Gene Keady” into a Google image search, the first two options that come up are “Gene Keady hair” and “Gene Keady combover.”  As you can see from this photo, Keady is still pulling this off (or should I say pulling this over) now that he’s at St. John’s.

Image credit: IdiotsOnSports.com

Very few things in college basketball, or sports in general, can claim this kind of longevity.

6. Team-Colored Jackets

Look, I get the desire to rep your school’s colors, but is it worth it at the expense of looking like you shopped the Lloyd Christmas line?

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that two of these guys aren’t coaching this season; and with Bruce Weber, the jacket isn’t even in the top five most annoying things about him.

As for Bruce Pearl, who would have guessed that a guy who looks to have borrowed his jacket from a used car salesman would turn out to be morally objectionable?  Go figure.

5. Sweaters

Four words of advice if you want to get into coaching: Do not wear sweaters.

While Bob Knight’s sweater is iconic in Indiana lore, the times when he would roll it up over his stomach still stick in my mind.  Throw in Rick Majerus (who I could have included in the mock turtleneck section as well) and “Cosby sweater” pioneer Lou Carnesecca, and this should be reason enough to shut down the sweater industry as a whole.

Since I am focusing on coaches here, I won’t comment on the Saint John’s uni in that photo, but feel free to try the home version of our game and create your own caption.

4. The many looks of Bob Huggins

Obviously the yellow suit is Huggs’ most egregious wardrobe foul, but it certainly wasn’t his only foray into fashion hell.

Image Credit: Chron.com via WSJ.com

Over the years, he’s also combined the mock turtleneck with a suit and vest while at K-State, and he has more recently gone to the far more casual windsuit look.

In the end, it looks like we’ll have to wait until his autobiography to find out what bet he lost that led to him donning this mustard-colored atrocity.

3. Hawaiian Shirts

I can’t heap all the blame on the coaches here, as to some extent the locale for the Maui Invitational lends itself to some touristy fashion transgressions.  Even the announcers can succumb to this phenomenon.

Image Credit: ESPN on Google+

Still, this gives me a chance to show another picture of Rick Majerus, who has now managed to pull off three of these looks so far.

Image Credit: Hugging Harold Reynolds

2. Rick Pitino’s White Suit

This, along with the Fashion Police section of US Weekly, goes to show that even people widely regarded as competent dressers can fall victim to unfortunate wardrobe selections.

Image Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images via SI.com

Pitino’s foray into the Colonel Sanders collection was widely discussed, particularly when sweating/transparency issues necessitated a suit swap at halftime.

1. Tom Hodges

Seeing the Morehead State women’s coach atop this list might seem like a surprise, but after wearing suits from John Daly’s clothing sponsor LoudMouth Golf last season, he’s earned it.

Believe me, I was just as surprised as you probably are to know that Craig Sager isn’t somehow behind this, but let’s just let these fine ensembles speak — or should I say scream — for themselves.

Image Credit: NashvilleCityPaper.com

Image Credit: TheHoopDoctors.com

There are my Elite Eight fashion faux pas by college basketball coaches.

Are there are any I missed? Or any other notable examples of these eight you feel need to be shared?

Comment below.

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Follow me on Twitter (@andybottoms) for my non-fashion thoughts on college hoops, and check out the latest edition of the Bottoms Line podcast.

One of the most entertaining activities to engage in with a fresh, new bracket is to see all the possible matchups that could reasonably (or unreasonably) materialize. In this post, I run down 10 matchups that I really hope to see happen, and encourage you to share yours as well.

Duke v Michigan in Round of 32

If you watched the Fab 5 documentary on ESPN last night, which was absolutely fantastic, then you know exactly why I’m listing this here. A major theme during the early part of the movie was how much the young Michigan players hated Duke. Jalen Rose even went so far as to say that, at the time, he felt like Duke would only recruit black players who were “Uncle Toms”. Obviously that was 20 years ago, but I wonder if the current young Wolverines will be inspired at all by the words of the most legendary team in their school’s history. People forget how big of a rivalry this once was.

Regardless of the Fab 5 connection, this game is intriguing because of style. Both teams love to hoist up 3-pointers, which means that we could see a very entertaining game if both teams are shooting well. And if the Dookies struggle from downtown, and Tim Hardaway Jr and the Wolves are hitting, there is legit upset potential here. Michigan coach Jon Beilien has done it in March before.

San Diego State v Michigan in Elite 8

While we’re on the subject of the Fab 5, how about Steve Fisher versus the school he led to the 1989 championship and then to two more title games with Webber, Rose, et al? Sure, none of the current Wolverines nor Beilein, have any connection to that time at Michigan, but there would certainly be something fitting about Fisher having to go through Big Blue on his way back to the Final 4.

Plus, if Michigan were to make it to the Elite 8 as an 8 seed, it would mean some craziness happened on their portion of the bracket, which is always fun. The Wolves would have to go through Duke, Arizona, and Texas to get there, and despite how well they have been playing I’m not quite sure they are ready for that yet.

UCONN v Tennessee in Elite 8

And speaking of NCAA sanctions…how about a matchup between Bruce Pearl and Jim Calhoun, two coaches who ran afoul of the NCAA and paid a pretty heavy price for it. Calhoun was suspended for three games while Pearl had to sit out half of the Volunteers’ SEC schedule and still could face more punishment.

And if all of the subplots about NCAA rule breaking got annoying, you could always just turn down the volume and watch the great Kemba Walker go up against Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson. These two are among the most dynamic scorers in the nation, and their teams typically go how they go. If nothing else, watching them trade buckets would be entertaining.

Purdue v Notre Dame in Sweet 16

Purdue and Notre Dame have established themselves as the top two big conference teams in the state of Indiana, with Butler obviously right there nipping at both team’s heels after last year’s tourney run. (As for Indiana…the Cream & Crimson is a sleeping giant, but it needs to wake up and start winning, soon.) Should the Boilers and Irish meet in the Sweet 16, it would present an opportunity for one team to establish bragging rights that certainly cannot hurt when it comes to recruiting the fertile basketball grounds of the Hoosier State.

In addition to the Hoosier State connection, this game would be intriguing simply because these are two really good teams. Purdue has legit stars in E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, and the Irish have Ben Hansbrough, who has emerged as a star this year. Big Ten/Big East bragging rights would also be on the line.

Kansas v Illinois in the Round of 32

This is a pretty easy one. Bill Self built the Illini into a national contender before taking the Kansas job and handing the reins over to Bruce Weber. With Self’s recruits, Weber made a Sweet 16 and a title game appearance his first two years in Champaign. Since then, Weber has not gotten past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and he is starting to the feel the heat. The Illini underachieved this year, despite a pretty talented roster.

As for Self, he’s done quite well for himself in Lawrence. The man can recruit like no other, and he consistently has the Jayhawks among the best teams in the nation. They have won the Big 12 for almost a decade straight, and this year they are looking to avenge last year’s disappointing loss to Northern Iowa. Yet again, Self has a team with title potential.

Illinois certainly has enough talent to compete with Kansas, and a win to move on to the Sweet 16 surely would buy Weber some goodwill with a frustrated fan base. To get it, he’d have to beat Self, whose shadow Weber has not been able to escape since he took over.

Ohio State v North Carolina in the Elite 8

If chalk holds in the East Region, the Buckeyes and Tar Heels will meet up in the Elite 8. From a basketball perspective, this would be a fun matchup featuring the nation’s two best freshman: Jared Sullinger and Harrison Barnes. Watching Sullinger bang down low with Tyler Zeller would be highly entertaining, as would seeing Barnes compete against Ohio State’s terrific wing trio of William Buford-David Lighty-Jon Diebler.

And from a non-basketball perspective, this game would present an opportunity for each basketball team to take the minds of its school’s fans off of turmoil in their respective football programs. North Carolina had the agent scandal and now Ohio State has the Jim Tressel saga, so both schools have dealt and are dealing with pretty significant controversy regarding lack of compliance with NCAA rules. But on this night, all that would matter is basketball, with a Final 4 berth on the line.

Butler v Kansas State in Sweet 16

This would be a rematch of last year’s Elite 8 matchup, which Butler won 63-56 to advance to the Final 4. The Bulldogs no longer have their 2010 star Gordon Heyward, but the Wildcats do still have their #1 option in guard Jacob Pullen. Both of these teams struggled out of the gates this year, but ended the season playing very good basketball. Each team still has enough talent and certainly enough experience to pull a few upsets, making this game somewhat reasonable to hope for, but still very unlikely.

Wisconsin v BYU in the Elite 8

Obviously any game with BYU is intriguing because of the Jimmer factor, but you may be wondering why I’d care about seeing the Cougars play boring ol’ Wisconsin. Simple: Jordan Taylor.

In games I watched this season, no two players were able to absolutely take over portions of games more than Taylor and Jimmer Fredette. Taylor single-handedly pulled Wisconsin back from the brink against Ohio State to hand the Buckeyes their first loss. He also put on one of the great shooting displays I’ve ever seen at Assembly when the Badgers whitewashed Indiana. Surely there would be some mano-a-mano moments between these two great shooters, and it would make for a great Elite 8 matchup.

UAB v Kentucky in the Round of 32

This is a game that only an IU fan could appreciate, and as soon as I remind you that Mike Davis is coaching UAB, the Hoosier fans will start to nod in agony.

Remember this?

Mike Davis’ infamous meltdown occurred during the 2002-2003 season, after the Hoosiers made their unexpected run to the title game. We were ranked in the top 10 at the time, and everybody expected yet another great season. But the loss to Kentucky, punctuated by Davis totally losing his cool, created bad momentum for the season. We finished a disappointing 21-13, 8-8 in the conference, and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The next year we missed the tourney completely. Two years later, Davis was gone, replaced by He Who Shall Not Be Named, and now here we are missing the tournament for the third straight season after winning three Big Ten games.

And it can all be traced back to the infamous Mike Davis head slap.

Here’s hoping that if UAB can win its first round game over Clemson, and then beat West Virginia, that Coach Davis gives us some more entertaining theatrics against the Wildcats. I may not be able to watch though. Too painful.

And finally, just for shits and giggles…

Indiana State v Michigan State in National Championship Game

The likelihood of this happening is about the same as the likelihood of me ever fulfilling my dream of having a perfect bracket. The Sycamores are the 14th seed in the East and would have to go through Syracuse, North Carolina, Ohio State, and whoever comes out of the West region to make it to the title game. Michigan State is the 10 seed in the Southeast, and while they have a team loaded with Final 4 experience, the Spartans have been far too inconsistent this year to expect a deep March run.

But it sure would be fun, wouldn’t it? Not only would we get to relive Magic and Larry highlights, which are a joy for any basketball fan no matter how often you see them, but this would truly be an incredible Cinderella story combined with a coach in Tom Izzo adding yet another exciting tournament chapter to the storybook of his legendary career.

Think I’ve gone mad for suggesting this one? Well hey, they call it March Madness for a reason…

What potential March Madness matchups do you hope materialize?

The good news is that makes for a ton of exciting basketball.  The bad news is that it makes for a ton of teams for me to write about in this edition of Bubble Boys.

Here’s my list of locks from the six major conferences, obviously barring significant injury or utter collapse:

ACC (2): Duke, North Carolina

Big East (9): Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia

Big Ten (3): Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin

Big 12 (4): Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M

Pac-10 (1): Arizona

SEC (3): Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt

As for the bubble, here’s a quick rundown:

Alabama (18-8, 10-2 SEC) – Non-conference losses to the likes of Iowa, St. Peter’s, and Providence stick out when reviewing Alabama’s resume, as does a road loss to Arkansas.  However, the Tide look like a different team these days, particularly on the defensive end where they rank seventh in the nation in Ken Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency ratings.  They have wins over Kentucky and Tennessee and have won eight of their last nine games, but overall they’re just 3-4 against the RPI Top 100.  Ten victories have come against teams outside of the Top 200, and a laughable SEC West has presented few chances for quality wins.  Their final two games are at Florida followed by Georgia at home, which they at least need to split.

Baylor (17-9, 6-6 Big 12) – Just when the Bears seemed to have righted the ship, they lost at home to Texas Tech on Saturday.  Oh by the way, the Red Raiders played without their best player.  Baylor’s only marginally impressive win is over Texas A&M, who has struggled mightily away from home.  On the other hand, the Bears have ugly losses at Iowa State and Oklahoma, and the neutral court loss to Washington State looks worse with each passing week.  The good news is that their final four games (at Missouri, vs. Texas A&M, at Oklahoma State, vs. Texas) give them ample opportunity to prove themselves.

Boston College (16-10, 6-6 ACC) – An uber-efficient offense paired with a completely inept defense has BC planted firmly on the bubble.  They had a chance to pick up a key win against North Carolina on Saturday, but a painfully slow start and poor late-game execution sealed their fate.  The Eagles are now just 3-6 in their last nine contests and are 1-6 against the RPI Top 50.  A loss to Harvard isn’t as bad as you might think, but the same can’t be said for losing to Yale.  BC has three “can’t lose” games remaining plus a trip to Virginia Tech, and finishing 4-0 would take a little pressure off entering the ACC Tournament.

Cincinnati (21-6, 8-6 Big East) – Wednesday’s home victory over Louisville was critical for UC’s at-large hopes, but I still have doubts about this team.  Blowing a big lead and getting pushed to OT by Providence on Saturday did little to clam those fears.  Nine of the Bearcats’ 21 wins have come against teams outside of the Top 200 thanks to an extremely weak non-conference schedule.  UC finishes at Georgetown, vs. UConn, at Marquette, and vs. Georgetown, so a 0-4 finish is not out of the question.  On the other hand, wins over Xavier and on the road against St. John’s are looking more impressive now than when they occurred.

Clemson (18-9, 7-6 ACC) – A road loss to North Carolina State last week leaves the Tigers with virtually no margin for error.  They finish at Duke and home against Virginia Tech, and with their RPI hovering in the upper 60s, Clemson may need to win both to be considered.  Five of their nine losses are against teams that wouldn’t be in the tournament if it started today.

Colorado (16-11, 5-7 Big 12) – The Buffs are 2-7 in their last nine games, but they do have four Top 50 wins, which is more than quite a few other bubble teams can claim.  They should be able to finish at 8-8 in league play and have a chance for a marquee win against Texas next Saturday.  A sweep of Kansas State and win over Colorado State are useful in bubble deliberations, but losses to San Francisco and Oklahoma may prove tough to overcome.

Florida State (19-7, 9-3 ACC) – If not for the foot injury to junior stud Chris Singleton, the Noles would probably be listed among the locks above.  It’s uncertain whether Singleton will return in time for the tournament, so in the meantime FSU is navigating a relatively easy closing schedule without him.  The Noles are essentially the anti-Boston College, a lockdown team defensively who struggles to score, a situation that will only be exaggerated without Singleton.  Encouraging reports on his status may prove even more important than wins down the stretch for FSU.

Georgia (18-8, 7-5 SEC) – Saturday’s road win at Tennessee moved the Bulldogs to 3-8 against the Top 50 with a road trip to Florida looming on Thursday.  Georgia doesn’t have a bad loss, and if they can at least split away games with Florida and Alabama while taking care of business at home, I don’t see any chance the Bulldogs are left out.

Illinois (17-10, 7-7 Big Ten) – Losses to Illinois-Chicago and Indiana are hard to cover up, and the Illini still have road games left at Ohio State and Purdue.  Based on how they’ve played of late, it’s almost unfathomable that Illinois could win either one.  They do have four Top 50 wins and a solid strength of schedule, so it would likely take losing to either Iowa or Indiana at home for the Illini to play their way out of the tournament.  That can’t be ruled out at this point.

Kansas State (18-9, 6-6 Big 12) – A week ago, the Wildcats had no Top 50 wins, but all that changed last Monday when K-State boatraced Kansas.  It’s too early to say if they’ve truly turned the corner, but their upcoming three-game stretch will provide the answer with games at Nebraska, vs. Missouri, and at Texas.  The Wildcats are 1-5 on the road in league play and can’t afford to lose all three of those contests despite a strong strength of schedule.  Victories over fellow bubble squads Virginia Tech, Gonzaga, Baylor, and Nebraska should prove critical during selection discussions.

Marquette (16-11, 7-7 Big East) – The Golden Eagles have played an astounding 13 games against the RPI Top 25.  The issue is that they’ve only won three of them, and while many of the 10 losses were close, I’m not sure how much that means to the selection committee.  The good news is that such a brutal early schedule leaves them with a few winnable matchups down the stretch.  Marquette travels to UConn Thursday, and if they can win either that one or a home date with Cincinnati, that would seem to get them in barring an inexplicable loss.

Michigan (17-11, 7-8 Big Ten) – This one might be a bit of a stretch, but things will sort themselves out over the final three games against Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan State.  The Wolverines stand at 2-8 against the Top 50, but they do have a road win at fellow bubble dweller Clemson.  Based on RPI, their best win is home victory over Harvard, so they probably need to run the table to have a legitimate shot.

Michigan State (15-11, 7-7 Big Ten) – The Spartans split the first two matchups of a four-game stretch against tournament or bubble teams as they work to improve their resume.  Kalin Lucas carried them to a critical win over Illinois on Saturday night to keep hope alive heading into a road date with Minnesota on Tuesday.  MSU does have four Top 50 wins, so a 3-1 finish to the regular season would go a long way toward solidfying a bid.  With the Spartans playing arguably their best basketball of the season, I wouldn’t bet against them.

Minnesota (17-9, 6-8 Big Ten) – The Gophers aren’t trying to play their way in as much as they’re trying to hold onto their spot.  With point guard Al Nolen injured, there is no depth in the backcourt for a team that’s now lost five of its last six.  Two of their three best wins came in November, and much like FSU, injury updates on Nolen will be critical to their case.  The Gophers do finish with three of their last four at home, but with losses to Virginia and Indiana already, they can’t afford any more suspect defeats.

Nebraska (18-8, 6-6 Big 12) – After Saturday’s stunning win over Texas (and equally stunning near-implosion in the final minutes), the Huskers join a crowded bubble.  Losses to Davidson and Texas Tech stand out, but they’ve also knocked off Texas A&M at home and boast one of the nation’s stingiest defenses.  Nebraska finishes with home games against Kansas State and Missouri to go with road trips to Iowa State and Colorado, so the opportunity is there to earn a bid.  Anything less than 3-1 probably won’t be enough.

Tennessee (16-11, 6-6 SEC) – In a year like this, it’s hard to fathom a team with non-conference wins over Pittsburgh and Villanova would be on the bubble, but the Vols have been as mystifying as any team in recent memory.  Home defeats against USC, Oakland, and Charleston along with road losses at Charlotte and Arkansas are the lowlights, and Tennessee has also dropped four of their last five.  Things don’t get easier with a road trip to Vandy on Tuesday, but splitting the final four games would probably get them in given their gaudy strength of schedule.

UCLA (19-8, 10-4 Pac-10) – After a 3-4 start that was capped with a home loss to Montana, the Bruins have responded in a big way.  Sunday night’s overtime loss at Cal snapped a six-game winning streak, but UCLA is still in sole possession of second place in the Pac-10.  Non-conference wins over BYU and St. John’s are their best of the season, and if they can knock off either Arizona or Washington down the stretch, I can’t see them being left out.

Virginia Tech (17-8, 7-5 ACC) – Having a bubble conversation without including Va Tech is like having Christmas without Santa Claus.  Just when it seemed they were getting comfortable, the Hokies lost at Virginia on Saturday.  Their lone Top 50 win came over 50th-rated Florida State, and they’ve now been swept by the aforementioned Cavaliers and also lost to Georgia Tech.  That leaves the Hokies with no margin for error during the final four games of the year (at Wake Forest, vs. Duke, vs. Boston College, at Clemson).  Consequently, there’s still a chance for the annual post-selection show rant from Seth Greenberg.

Washington (18-8, 10-5 Pac-10) – A win at Arizona on Saturday would have moved the Huskies into the lock column, but they’re still in good shape.  Road losses to Oregon and Oregon State are black marks on their profile, but a Top 10 Pomeroy ranking certainly helps their case and makes them a team to watch in March.  After an oddly timed road trip to Seattle, the Huskies finish with three home games, so barring a 1-2 or 0-3 showing there, Washington is safe.

Follow me on Twitter for more college hoops thoughts and analysis.

After Wednesday, the Boilers will go as far as seniors E’Twaun Moore and JaJaun Johnson can take them in the Big 10 and NCAA Tournaments, but will then have to fill those gargantuan shoes next season. Indiana, on the other hand, loses only defensive specialist Jeremiah Rivers while adding McDonald’s All-American Cody Zeller to a lineup that will be more experienced and more talented than any IU team since Eric Gordon was wearing the Cream & Crimson. And with Tom Crean already lining up commitments from top in-state recruit after top in-state recruit for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 classes, the balance of power in the Basketball State seems to be shifting back towards Bloomington.

Crean and Purdue head coach Matt Painter recently discussed the relative states of their programs, and as expected MSF was there to capture the entire conversation. It is presented below, verbatim, in photo story format.

If the image above does not load properly, click here to view in a new window.

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Lacking any motivation to do serious bubble or conference tournament analysis, I decided to spend a half hour with Google Images and find some of the funniest pictures of college basketball coaches that were available.

The result is what follows, a pictorial celebration of the MAD in March Madness, featuring the coaches of the current top 16 teams in America, as well as five others thrown in for good (see: hilarious) measure.

There are captions…so it’s not like I totally shirked my responsibility for analysis…(and trust me, you’ll see plenty of serious analysis here once the tourney actually starts.)

[Note: Click on the thumbnail to enlarge; click again on the enlarged picture to shrink it and choose another.]

[View with PicLens]

12►

Make sure you click next for the right arrow or right here for the bonus picture. It’s the best one of them all.

Now that you’re done laughing at the most successful college basketball coaches in America, get ready for March Madness 2010. As always, should be a thrilling three weeks.

Or not…if you ask Jim Calhoun.

During Illinois’ rather underwhelming performance at home against Wisconsin — while sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble — coach Bruce Weber got a little, shall we say, peeved with the decision-making and attitude of his best player, Demetri McCamey.

The result was a brief, heated, one-sided exchange between coach and player that featured Weber’s amusingly intense facial expressions, which Big Ten basketball fans everywhere have come to know and love.

To McCamey’s credit, I suppose, he takes his medicine like a good boy and doesn’t fire back at Weber after bumping into him while walking back to the huddle.

Video: Bruce Weber Chews Out Demetri McCamey During Illinois-Wisconsin Game

These two have had their issues, but they better get it together before this weekend. The Illini have a rematch with Wisconsin on Friday that will go a long way towards determining whether they end up in the field of 65, or end up playing in the NIT.

So they better, as they are implored to do by their coach at the 1:00 mark below, “give it all they’ve got!”

Regardless of what happens, we can only hope that McCamey or one of the other wildly inconsistent Illini players does something that draws Weber’s ire. Then we can enjoy more of his infamous histrionics, which – for an IU fan mired in a 4-win season – are about as unintentionally entertaining as anything else in the Big Ten these days.

I remember when the Big Ten/ACC Challenge started. It now seems like eons ago. Hell, Bob Knight was still coach at IU back then. And ten years later, coming into this year’s event, the ACC had won it all ten times.

Now, thanks to a terrific victory over Duke by Wisconsin – shocking (right J.J. Redick?) when you consider Duke’s 10-0 record in the Challenge entering this year’s – , and a thrilling comeback win by Bruce Weber and the Fighting Illini, the Big Ten has finally captured its first ever title in the annual battle between the conferences.

Our friend Ricky O’Donnell of Tremendous Upside Potential, who wrote about the Big Ten’s victory in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at the SunTimes’ Full Court Press blog, summed it up the best when he said:

Or, to put in terms you’ll understand: the ACC is the Metrodome, the Big 10 is the White Sox. The ACC is the Circus Trip, the Big 10 is the Bulls. The ACC is Carlos Lee, the Big 10 is Cubs’ pitching.

Perhaps even labeling this as oppression was too kind. For 10 years, the Big 10 tried and the Big 10 failed. For 10 years, they never really stood a chance against the mighty ACC.

It is because of all this that I have to use the entirety of my will power not to type the rest of this entry in all caps.

Finally, finally, finally….the streak is over.

Big 10: 6
ACC: 5

I never thought I’d see the day. Exhale. And then rejoice.

I could not have said it better myself.

Unfortunately, my Hoosiers could not hold up their end of the bargain and defeat Maryland on Tuesday, but I am very happy as a Big Ten fan that this much-maligned conference finally has some bragging rights.

And this was not a fluke. The Big Ten is stacked with very good teams this year and will most likely get 6-7 teams in the NCAA tournament, and that’s with traditional power Indiana still trying dig itself out of its Sampson-dugg hole.

For once in December Big Ten fans can hold their heads up high.

To echo Ricky: finally, finally, finally…the streak is over.

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* – J.J. Redick photo credit: Full Court Press Blog

Note: This post is from 2009. To view our 2010 March Madness coverage, use the following links:

• 2010 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket Breakdown
• March Madness 2010 Schedule, Sites, and Tickets
• MSF Bracket Challenge
• Mens NCAA Tournament Bracket, TV Schedule, Announcers, Spreads
• Midwest Region Bracket Picks, Predictions, TV Schedule, Sites, Announcers
• East Region Bracket Picks, Predictions, TV Schedule, Sites, Announcers
• South Region Bracket Picks, Predictions, TV Schedule, Sites, Announcers
• West Region Bracket Picks, Predictions, TV Schedule, Sites, Announcers
• History of Final Four in Indianapolis
• Women’s NCAA Tournament Schedule, Sites, Tickets

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There is only one thing more fun than watching the NCAA Tournament brackets be announced live on Selection Sunday: filling them in over the next few days to arrive at your own personal Final Four and, ultimately, national champion.

We all know that the NCAA Tournament is essentially a crapshoot. Oh sure, there are historical trends that make sense to follow (#1 seeds will make the Sweet 16, for example) and a wide spectrum of personal college basketball knowledge can help you see a Cinderella before any of the Thursday games tip-off.

But, we all see it every year: we enter into a family pool, all the guys have been watching every basketball game since January and have been poring over the numbers, and then Mom decides to pick “the underdogs and the teams with the prettiest uniforms” and ends up winning the bracket.

If something like this has never happened to you during March Madness you are either lying or Joe Lunardi. And hell, Joe Lunardi is only proven to be good at picking the brackets before they are announced. I’m sure he runs into the same problems as the rest of us when trying to predict the outcome of actual tournament.

Because of the randomness of it all, I usually just eyeball my brackets and go with first impressions. Some years I pick a lot of upsets, some years I don’t. And usually I do three, four, five different brackets in an effort to diversify my picks and give myself, theoretically, a better chance of at least winning one pool.

Well now that I have this blog, and have decided it is a good idea to publish every infinitesimal and meaningless thought I have about sports, I feel like there is more at stake with my picks this year. So I decided that I wanted to do just one bracket, and to have a specific system I used for filling it out. (Plus, I took one look at this year’s bracket and realized that so many of the games seemed like toss-ups, I needed some kind of analysis I trusted to fall back on and break the ties.)

Let me be clear right off the bat: In no way do I endorse the following system as the best NCAA Tournament bracket system possible. Nor am I wholeheartedly convinced that it is even necessarily good; nor, truth be told, did it really require a whole lot of in-depth thought to come up with.

But…after devising the system and using it to go through the entire bracket, the results were as follows:

• Higher seeds, especially the top-line seeds, won most of the games. This is usually what happens, and what I expected, so I was pleased.
• One #12 seed beat a #5 seed. This always happens, so again, I was pleased.
• A darkhorse Sweet 16 team (13th seed or lower) emerged. There is often one very low seed that makes it out of the first weekend; but rarely more than one or two.
• A #2 or #3 seed lost in the first weekend. Out of 8 such teams, there is usually one or two gone before the Sweet 16. This held true in my predictions.
• The Elite 8 and Final Four is dominated by high seeds. Again, while the first few rounds of the tournament make headlines because of upsets, when the dust settles for the final three rounds, the majority of the teams are usually the teams with the best seeds.

So, I did not fudge my system in any way during the selection process, and the results were what I “hoped” to get. By this I mean that my system did not place 4 #10 seeds in the Final Four, or just give me all favorites winning. It actually matched up pretty well with typical tournament trends that we see from year to year.

Before I jump into my actual picks, here is a description of my subjective-objective system, which, if it proves successful this year, may be my new system for picking the NCAA Tournament moving forward.

StubHub: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

The JRod Subjective-Objective System for Picking the NCAA Tournament (Which Hopefully is More Successful Than Throwing Darts or my Mom’s Picks)

Why do I call it a “subjective-objective” system? Because I sat down and defined what kinds of quantifiable team stats mean the most to me when deciding what team will beat another. My choice of metrics was obviously very subjective. But once that choice was made, there was very little room for any other subjective decision-making, with one caveat — which I will get to in a bit.

Here are the metrics I used to measure each matchup on a head-to-head basis:

• Regular Season Road Record
• Tournament Seed
• Strength of Schedule
• Team FT%
• Team Turnovers per Game
• Experience of Guards

A few quick notes about the metrics:

1. I understand that these are not perfect. Road record, for instance, does not take into account a team’s record on neutral sites, which is perhaps an even more accurate reflection of how they will do on neutral sites in the NCAA Tournament. There are plenty of other problems and holes in this system. Feel free to point them out in the comments if you wish, but just know that I already know they exist.
2. Turnovers per game does not take into account assist/turnover ratios, number of possessions per game, style of play, etc. Comparing TO/game in a vacuum across teams is obviously not completely “fair” or accurate.
3. To measure the experience of the the guards, I used the information available at the CollegeHoopsNet.com team tournament capsules. For each team’s projected lineup, every guard was assigned a value of 1, 2, 3, or 4, based on their class. Freshman were a 1, Sophomores a 2, Juniors a 3, and Seniors a 4. The sum was then divided by the number of guards to get an average. Obviously the higher the better. Again, this is not perfect, but I like teams with experienced, older guards, so it works for my subjective statistical metrics.
4. For tournament seed, the better seed got the advantage. Why? Because more often than not, the better seed wins — except in the case of 8/9 matchups, where 9 seeds actually win 53% of the time. Hence, to play the averages, the 9 seed got the seed advantage in 8/9 games. But I thought this was important because the selection committee spent hours upon hours comparing these teams, and I generally trust their ability to tier the teams.
5. In the case of a tie (i.e. each team winning three categories) the team with the better seed wins the tie-breaker and moves on. Now, here’s the caveat to complete objectivity: If there is a tie between two teams whose seeds are adjacent (a #2 seed playing a #3 seed or a #1 seed, for instance) then I use my own personal gut feelings/bias to break the tie. This only happened a few times. 95% of the games were “picked” using the objective results of the system.

If anything is unclear, leave me a question in the comments and I’ll try to clear it up. Again, I am not claiming that this system was particularly well thought out or perfect. However, the relative simplicity of the stats did allow me to compile everything into a spreadsheet in about 2.5 hours, it does take into account the traits that I personally value, and the results ended up producing a bracket I would have been happy to end with if I had just run straight through it off the top of my head.

If you are interested, here is the actual bracket breakdown spreadsheet I used so you can see the actual data. You will notice that I did not list the #16 seeds. Sorry guys, but I knew nothing would make me pick a #16 over a #1. Perhaps that will burn me, but I feel fairly confident going with history on that one.

All that said, let’s break down the regions:

Midwest Region Predictions

First Round Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville
• #9 Siena over #8 Ohio State
• #5 Utah over #12 Arizona
• #4 Wake Forest over #13 Cleveland State
• #6 West Virginia over #11 Dayton
• #14 North Dakota St over #3 Kansas
• #7 Boston College over #10 USC
• #2 Michigan State over #15 Robert Morris

Siena and Ohio State were actually pretty evenly matched up, with Siena having a slight 3-2-1 advantage. Siena has a much better record on the road and more experienced guards, so I feel comfortable about that one. But it’s an 8/9 game so who the hell knows.

The one that will jump off the page is #14 North Dakota State over #3 Kansas. NDSU went 10-4 on the road this year, makes just under 74% of their free throws, has all senior guards, and only turns the ball over 11.3 times. Their Strength of Schedule is obviously not very good, but they played outstanding against their level of competition. Considering Kansas’ poor play very late in the season, and their relative youth, I am not afraid of this upset pick. If I had to bet money, I’d obviously put it on the Jayhawks, but now I won’t be at all shocked if they go down, much to the dismay of Bill Self.

Second Round Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville over #9 Siena
• #5 Utah over #4 Wake Forest
• #14 North Dakota State over #6 West Virginia
• #2 Michigan State over #7 Boston College

I like Utah over Wake Forest because of the experience factor, the fact that Utah turns the ball over more than two times per game less, and Utah’s ability to hit free throws at a 78.2% clip. Wake Forest clearly has the more talented team though; so again, this is a game where me being wrong would not be surprising at all.

And once again, you see my tourney darkhorse North Dakota State winning again. Considering the numbers I stated above, does this surprise you? West Virginia shoots less than 70% from the line, has relative inexperience at the guard position (a 2.5 score to NDSU’s 4) and turns the ball over slightly more.

Sweet 16 Picks – Midwest Region

• #1 Louisville over #5 Utah
• #2 Michigan State over #14 North Dakota State

Louisville beats Utah across the board, except for free throw shooting. The Michigan State-North Dakota State game was actually a tie by the categories. Michigan State wins in road record, seed, and strength of schedule, but falls short in FT shooting, guard experience, and TO/game. Non-adjacent favored seeds win out though, so NDSU’s Cinderalla story comes to an end.

Elite 8 Pick – Midwest Region

• #2 Michigan State over #1 Louisville

Honestly, this surprised me a little bit. When I first sat down to look at the brackets, the Spartans were a team I looked at as potentially being ripe for an early upset. But looking deeper, many of their metrics, at least with respect to my personal basketball biases, make them a tournament-ready team. Add in the extra motivation of the Final Four being in Detroit, and I can see this happening.

The Spartans win 3-2-1, with the teams tying in guard experience and Louisville besting Michigan State in seeding and TO/game. Michigan State’s other advantages were by slim margins, which is to be expected. I think this would be a great regional final that could go either way (a refrain you will probably hear repeated as we move forward), but as a Big Ten fan I would love to see Tom Izzo and the boys make it to Detroit.

West Region Predictions

First Round Picks – West Region

• #1 UConn
• #9 Texas A&M over #8 BYU
• #5 Purdue over #12 Northern Iowa
• #4 Washington over #13 Mississippi State
• #6 Marquette over #11 Utah State
• #3 Missouri over #14 Cornell
• #7 California over #10 Maryland
• #2 Memphis over #15 Cal State Northridge

No real surprises. BYU-Texas A&M was a 3-3 tie based on the metrics, but I chose Texas A&M because they have slightly more experienced guard play and played a slightly tougher schedule. Again, total toss-up, could go either way — but you have to pick one!

Second Round Picks – West Region

• #1 UConn over #9 Texas A&M
• #4 Washington over #5 Purdue
• #6 Marquette over #3 Missouri
• #7 California over #2 Memphis

The top part of the bracket goes according to seed. I actually thought Purdue would go a little farther when I first embarked on this analysis, but Washington just edges them out. The surprises come in the bottom half of the bracket.

Marquette defies seeding to beat Missouri, but I don’t really consider this an upset. Even without Dominic James, Marquette has vast experience in its backcourt, they don’t turn the ball over much, and they make 72% of their free throws.

Memphis losing this early surprised me a little, but I do not think they are nearly as good as they were last year. Cal actually bests Memphis in FT%, SOS, guard experience, and TO/game. I think Memphis’ inexperience and lower level of competition since January hurts them and they make an early exit. I have no qualms going with the stats and picking Cal here. (Side note: Is John Calipari screaming, crying, or yawning in that picture?)

Sweet 16 Picks – West Region

• #1 UConn over #4 Washington
• #6 Marquette over #7 California

UConn is very strong across the board with respect to the stats I chose, and they pretty much dominate Washington. Marquette-Cal is a relatively even matchup, but the experience and slightly better TO/game numbers give Marquette the edge.

Elite 8 Pick – West Region

• #1 UConn over #6 Marquette

An all Big East regional final in the West would be great. The problem for Marquette is that UConn is just a little bit better at a couple more categories. UConn went 10-1 on the road this year and has an all-senior backcourt that includes the great AJ Price (who I have been a big fan of ever since he dismantled Indiana last season). Plus, while this is not really taken into account statistically, having a 7’3 big man down low in Hasheem Thabeet obviously gives UConn a dimension that most teams do not have. I am comfortable sending the Huskies to the Final Four.

East Region Predictions

First Round Picks – East Region

• #1 Pittsburgh
• #8 Oklahoma State over #9 Tennessee
• #12 Wisconsin over #5 Florida State
• #4 Xavier over #13 Portland State
• #6 UCLA over #11 Virginia Commonwealth
• #3 Villanova over #14 American U.
• #7 Texas over #10 Minnesota
• #2 Duke over #15 Binghamton

Oklahoma State-Tennessee was a 3-3 tie. However, one of the categories Tennessee “won” was being a 9 seed over an 8 seed. Considering the fact that OSU has more experienced guards, turns the ball over less, and shoots better from the line, I like them to win. And for goodness sakes, 9 seeds only win 3% more than 8 seeds, so it’s not like the 9 over 8 advantage should determine every one of these matchups.

Wisconsin is my #12 seed that pulls the upset. The Badgers burned me in the Big Ten Tournament (I picked them to win it) and this pick scares me a little bit considering how well Florida State played in the ACC Tournament. However, Wisconsin has more experienced guards (by class anyway) and turns the ball over a staggering 5.6 times less per game. I actually look at this game as a toss-up, but I feel comfortable going with the Badgers in the upset.

Interesting note: VCU over UCLA is a trendy first round upset pick. Led by former tournament star Eric Maynor (remember VCU’s upset of Duke a couple years ago?) a lot of people, including Jay Bilas, think VCU could/will beat UCLA. However, this was the only first round game (minus the 1/16 battles, which I did not analyze) in which one team won all six categories — and it was UCLA doing the winning. I had actually anticipated picking VCU, but based on the analysis, I now feel pretty good picking the Bruins.

Which, of course, means that VCU will still probably win. Oh well. Such is March Madness.

Second Round Picks – East Region

• #1 Pittsburgh over #8 Oklahoma State
• #12 Wisconsin over #4 Xavier
• #3 Villanova over #6 UCLA
• #2 Duke over #7 Texas

Well, here I go again banking my credibility on Bo Ryan and the Badgers. Their experience, protection of the ball, FT%, and SOS all trump Xavier. This worries me a bit because Wisconsin has been so up and down this year, but they do play the kind of basketball I respect, and have made noise in the tournament before. By no means would I be shocked to see Wisconsin lose here (or in the first round for that matter), but I’m sticking with the Badgers to move onto the Sweet 16 and help restore some cred to the Big Ten.

Sweet 16 Picks – East Region

• #1 Pittsburgh over #12 Wisconsin
• #3 Villanova over #2 Duke

Halelujah, Pittsburgh beats Wisconsin. I was really worried that I might have devised a system that would choose this game in a way I would have a really hard time justifying. But Pitt was better on the road and has more experience in the backcourt. It ended up a 3-3 tie, with Pitt’s tremendous seed advantage tipping the scales.

The Villanova-Duke matchup was 3-3, which should go to the higher seed. However, because it’s a 2-3 matchup, I gave myself the wiggle room to be subjective in my choice. Duke is playing well, but I love ‘Nova’s backcourt and I just don’t see this Duke team as being built for a long tourney run. ‘Nova moves on for another all Big East Regional Final.

Elite 8 Pick – East Region

• #1 Pittsburgh over #3 Villanova

As you can tell, my subjective choices of metrics obviously prove that I am a fan of the Big East’s brand of basketball. Through three regions, I have chosen five Big East schools to make the Elite 8. Villanova is far superior at the line, but Pittsburgh faced a tougher schedule and has more experience guards that turn the ball over less. Jamie Dixon and the Panthers move on to Detroit.

South Region Predictions

First Round Picks – South Region

• #1 North Carolina
• #9 Butler over #8 LSU
• #5 Illinois over #12 Western Kentucky
• #4 Gonzaga over #13 Akron
• #6 Arizona State over #11 Temple
• #3 Syracuse over #14 Stephen F. Austin
• #7 Clemson over #10 Michigan
• #2 Oklahoma over #15 Morgan State

A pretty much by-the-seed first round in the South. There are a few games I would not be surprised to see go the other way (WKU over Illinois, Michigan over Clemson, for example) but I have no issues with any of these games. Butler and LSU was close, and LSU actually has more experience and turns the ball over less, but Butler actually played a tougher schedule and was better on the road. I like rooting for the Bulldogs anyway, so I’m glad this turned out how it did.

Second Round Picks – South Region

• #1 North Carolina over #9 Butler
• #4 Gonzaga over #5 Illinois
• #3 Syracuse over #6 Arizona State
• #2 Oklahoma over #7 Clemson

Chalk reigns again as the top four seeds all advance. Illinois versus Gonzaga was very close, but I definitely would have picked Gonzaga in this one without the stats, so I feel good that it turned out this way — especially with Illinois not having Chester Frazier. Syracuse-Arizona State was won by the Orange based on their seed, but I would not be shocked to see ASU win. Syracuse turns the ball over a lot and is not good at all from the FT line. But I do love their backcourt and think Jonny Flynn is one of the ten best players in America and could lead my team anytime.

Sweet 16 Picks – South Region

• #1 North Carolina over #4 Gonzaga
• #2 Oklahoma over #3 Syracuse

Chalk again. And neither is really all that close. Surely Ty Lawson would be healthy (or healthy enough) by the Sweet 16, and I think UNC would need him to beat a really good Gonzaga team. Oklahoma beats Syracuse in everything but SOS. And honestly? It’s about time a Big East team did not make the Elite 8. With a healthy Blake Griffin all year, Oklahoma probably gets a #1 seed. This is not a surprise to see them advance so far.

Elite 8 Pick – South Region

• #1 North Carolina over #2 Oklahoma

The Tar Heels actually beat Oklahoma in every category. Before looking at the stats I wondered who I would pick just based on the eyeball test. But it’s hard to argue with a system that I devised saying North Carolina is better in every category. The Tar Heels head to the Final Four.

Final Four Predictions

• #1 UConn over #2 Michigan State
• #1 North Carolina over #1 Pittsburgh

UConn bests Michigan State in four categories, and I think the Huskies are the better and more consistent team overall. The Spartans valiant run to Detroit ends here.

North Carolina-Pitt is very close statistically, with Pitt actually holding the edge in guard experience and TO/game. I would not be surprised to see Pitt advance and make it an all Big East championship game, but North Carolina was a better team on the road and is almost a full 10% better at the FT line. This would be a GREAT Final Four game, with the slight edge going to the Tar Heels.

2009 NCAA Men’s Tournament Championship Game Prediction

• #1 UConn over #1 North Carolina

Based on the metrics, UConn wins this 3-2-1. Each category is very close (save for UNC’s wide edge in FT%) but UConn’s slight advantage in backcourt experience and TO/game gives them the edge. Add in the questions surrounding Ty Lawson’s health and I’ll take this.

If I had just eyeballed the brackets, I’m not sure either one of these teams makes my title game, but it’s pretty obvious that they are proficient in the areas I value.

I’m not a big Jim Calhoun fan, although I think he’s obviously a great coach. But I have to say that banking my entire bracket on a team led by AJ Price, and that has Hasheem Thabeet down low, does not make me overly nervous. UConn was generally considered one of the top two teams in the Big East all year (with Pitt — and then Louisville came on strong at the end) and the Big East was clearly the best conference in America. It is fitting then that a Big East team ends up winning it all.

My official one-and-only bracket for the 2009 Tournament:

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StubHub: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

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So there you have it — my official subjective-objective predictions for the 2009 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. All this really means is that I now have more time and thought invested into getting my bracket horribly and drastically wrong. But I will say this: I have more confidence heading into the first Thursday of March Madness than ever before.

I fully expect that confidence to be completely eroded by Thursday night.

Legion, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Kentucky who just became eligible, came off the bench to score six points in 18 minutes in Illinois’ 82-51 win over Detroit Mercy at Assembly Hall. Legion was one of the nation’s top 50 recruits coming out of Oak Hill (Va.) Academy when he signed with Kentucky.

“You have to give the kid credit,” Illini coach Bruce Weber said told reporters after the game. “He made his first shot. I think it was the first time he touched the ball. He’s not shy about shooting. He’s got to be better on the defensive end with the team defensive concept. We got better because we watched film. He’s not had a chance to watch film on himself. Now he has a chance to watch and see what he’s doing. Over the next five or six games, I hope he can make progress.”

The Illini are hoping Legion can play a bigger role on Tuesday when they travel to St. Louis to face Missouri in the annual Braggin’ Rights game at Scottrade Center. Illinois has won eight straight over Mizzou in the series.

Despite coaching the Fighting Illini to the national championship game in St. Louis in his second season as the head basketball coach, the common feeling was that Bruce Weber did it with inherited players from former coach Bill Self.

Since that 2004-05 campaign, Illinois has progressively seen the wins get harder to come by. In the years since that 37-2 finish and heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in the title game, the Fighting Illini have gone 26-7, 23-12 and then 16-19 last season when the Illini failed to make the Big Dance or the National Invitational Tournament.

Now Weber is coming off what many think has been his best recruiting class as he begins his sixth season at Champaign.

Rivals.com ranked the Illinois’ early-signing period haul 10th in the nation. Scout.com rated Weber’s work 13^th nationally. ESPNU had other thoughts, instead ranking the group at No. 23.

The Illinois backcourt should have a different look in 2009-10 and recruits Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Joseph Bertrand could play a part in it.

Paul, Richardson and Bertrand are all shooting guards and hail from the Land of Lincoln, giving proof that Weber can indeed get the state’s best to come to Champaign. They could stir memories of when Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head were running wild for the Illini during their 2004-05 run. Those three were wooed by Self, who would win the elusive title at Kansas last season.

Richardson, the marquee player of the class, toiled at Peoria Central before transferring to a Nevada prep school for his senior high school season. He has shown that he can take defenders to the rim while being able to connect from long distance if defenders lay off.

Weber said Paul, Richardson and Bertrand can play either point or the off-guard, giving him much flexibility with his lineup.

The Fighting Illini went across the Mississippi River into Missouri to get their lone big guy from this recruiting class. Tyler Griffey, a 6-foot-8 forward from Lafayette High in suburban St. Louis, is a player who can face up to the basket, hit mid-range jumpers and set picks for the new guards. The last time Illinois got a player from Lafayette, they nabbed Robert Archibald, who started at center under Bill Self, graduated in 2002, and was a second round pick in the NBA draft.

Bruce Weber might be able to fill one more slot for the 2009-10 class with a true point guard and it appears he has already gotten off to a rocking start for his 2010-11 recruiting class.

Weber has three verbal commitments for that group, including one from 6-5 Jereme Richmond from Waukegan. Richmond is considered one of the top juniors nationally. Crandall Head of Chicago Crane and the younger brother Luther Head, has also giving a verbal commitment.

Illinois will get a boost from the arrival of sophomore guard Alex Legion in January. Legion transferred from Kentucky to the Illini last season after the first semester and per NCAA rules, Legion has had to sit out. Legion came from the Oak Hill (Va.) Academy basketball factory and signed with Michigan, but backed out when Tommy Amaker was fired and went with Kentucky.