SCOTT JACOBS

The jerseys were hideous, but Missouri’s uter domminace of Memphis tonight was a thing of beauty.  Call it looking ahead, call it over-rated, call it getting beat by a very good Big12 team that plays in a very tough league.  Call it what you will.  Mizzou was better tonight.  Even if their uniforms looked closer to puke than gold.  J.T. Tiller scored 23 points, and the Memphis Missouri Tigers coasted to an impressive win against a team that most felt was a lock for the Elite Eight.

And just like that, half of last year’s NCAA Chapionship game field is erased.  Tonight Kansas gets its crack at Michigan State, and it would not surprise me, just like it didn’t surprise me that Xavier hung tooth and nails with Pitt, if the more athletic, more exciting Jayhawks win.  But we’ll keep that one between you and me.

Meanwhile, the Tigers get UConn, who dismantled “cinderella number one” Purdue (only by seeding really: they did fall outside of the top four) 72-60.  In unrelated news, the Huskies have petitioned the NCAA to let Arizona host every regional every year and that they be put in it, because when they get put in ‘Zona, they win in ‘Zona.  And then they win national titles.  The facts would support this.  1999 and 2005 are not flukes.  It’s got to be those cactuses.  Err… maybe not?

Villanova belted Duke in the mouth, steamrolling to the Elite Eight, and here it comes, are you ready– I think they just might be the best team in this tourney.  And the Big East meanwhile, just keeps on trucking, while the ACC lately at least– keeps on sucking.

North Carolina is the ACC’s last hope, a major disappointment considering that seven ACC teams got in.  Meanwhile in the Big East, or the Big East-y, depending on how you look at it, there is still the unprecedented possibility that the conference could get four teams in the Final Four.  That would be four for four.  It’s never happened before.

Villanova takes on Pitt in the East Final, so they’re getting at least one.  In the West Final UConn gets Missouri, who’s never made the Final Four, and although that game should be exciting, I like the Huskies to give the Big East a two for two.  Meanwhile, Louisville is the favorite to take home the Midwest, while Syracuse is coming on super strong as a contender in the South.  That game against Oklahoma should be a dandy.

So we present to you this possibility.  It’s possible that the national title game in Detroit could be a rematch between UConn and Syracuse.  Ranked in the 20’s going into the Big East tourney, the Cuse have been rollin’ ever since.

In somewhat related news,Madison Square Garden has politely petitioned the NCAA to move the Final Four to the Gawwwwdennn if the Big East sweeps the field.  There was a debate during the year which conference was the best.  I don’t think there’s any debate anymore.

SCOTT JACOBS

What was that?

No upsets (sorry, 10. Maryland over 7. Cal doesn’t count). No number on

e was ever even threatened.  They said this tournament was top heavy going in, and so far it’s holding form.  With the exception of the Terps, and 9. Texas A&M knocking out BYU (again!) there have been no monumental takeouts, not even a blip on the underpants of society.

Everyone left work for this?

They say today is one of the most unproductive days of the work year, but the only people cheering today are the predictables, the ones afraid to go for a jaw dropping upset, and instead keeping their cards close to their chest.  The ones who put in four one seeds in the Final Four, not because they’re brilliant, but because they’re gutless.

Well, I’ve got news for them, and the rest of the country: the NCAA Tournament is so big not because of high seeds constantly prevailing, but because the little guys sometimes get their chance to crash the party.  It’s about Bryce Drew and Valparaiso.  It’s about Stephen Curry and Davidson.  Sure, the higher seeded teams prevailing means that the matchups will be arguably better, but what separates the NCAA Tourney from most other sporting events, is that anything can happen.  That anything includes the likes of George Mason in 2006 and Villanova in 1985.

We remember the great title games, and its inevitable that the highest ranked teams will end up competing for a championship,  but its that rare time when a 13 seed, or a 14 breaks through and does some damage that ultimately makes the NCAA Tourney must see-tv each March.

Don’t get me wrong.  Watching all number one seeds compete in the Final Four was exciting, and they played some great games, but wouldn’t it have been more interesting to see a team like Davidson and Curry take their act to the Final Four to compete with the big dogs?

So tonight, can we at least get a scare.  Memphis didn’t get scared by Cal State Northridge today.  They just got woken up.  Duke was scared last year against 15. Belmont in a wild 71-70 Dukies escape.  That’s what I want to see.  These little schools get so few opportunities to compete on the same level as the NCAA’s elite, and it’d be nice to see a few dazzling upsets, at least a few buzzer beaters somebody!

So even though Northern Iowa put up a nice fight (I had them in the Sweet 16, whoops!) it never felt like they were going to beat Purdue. Butler-LSU was entertaining, but c’mon!  Where’s the overtimes, the crazy improbable bench player stepping up and becoming a house hold name over night?  Am I jumping the gun just a 1/4 of the games through?  Yes!  But I say it in quiet desperation that this tourney will heat up.

Tampa anyone?

Okay, so that probably won’t happen again, where a 12 and a 13 face off, but that’s what makes the tourney glorious.  I remember picking San Diego to beat UConn last year, on just sheer gut, and hope that the little team from the WAC could make some magic happen.  And they did!  They beat UConn.  And it was great theater, such an entertaining game.

Yes, North Carolina, Louisville, Pitt, Memphis, pick a name out of the top 10 and one of those teams will likely be crowned champs.  But it’s so much more fun, when the little guy has their day.  So here’s to Cinderella.  You left your right slipper at my place.  Pick it up before midnight.  There’s still lots of dancing left to do!

By the way: what’s up with the generic court designs for every site?  Let each site stick out, and let them do what they want.  The courts are starting to be as predictable as the teams.

Photo: Feature from Getty Image
Photo: Getty Images

SCOTT JACOBS

Like a bat out of hell look who’s back on the scene: last year’s two participants from the national title game.  And they are back with a vengeance.  After opening the season 13th (Memphis) and 24th (Kansas), few expected the two teams ravaged by NBA departures and graduations to be legitimate title contenders.  But lo and behold, Memphis opens the 16th week of the AP Poll in the top 5, and Kansas is no longer just a cute little team hiding in the bottom 20.  Rather, the Jayhawks, 24-5, are now in the top 10, sitting at 9th, and on top of the Big 12.

Quietly Memphis has won 20 in a row, and an astonishing 56 games in a row in conference play.  The argument, well it’s Conference USA, holds no water here, because to win 56 games in a row against any conference is remarkable.  After losing all world point guard Derick Rose to the NBA, and a host of other young talented high flyers, the Tigers looked like they would take a step back in 2009. Apparently someone forgot to tell them that.

With senior Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart proiding valuable experience for a relatively young team, the Tigers have four players averaging double figures, and with the rest of the top 5 crumbling on a weekly basis, the young Tigers have a shot to earn a top seed in the NCAA Tournament before its all said and done.

Kansas is another great story.  Coming off an epic National Championship win over Memphis, in which Mario Chalmers nailed a three in the waning seconds to send the game to overtime, the Jayhawks were expected to be a good team entering 2008-2009.  But no one anticipated them being a threat to repeat.  With a 13-1 mark in the Big 12 the Jayhawks are rolling towards a two or three seed, and if they were to secure a conference championship in regular season play and in the tournament, possibly a one.

So the question now becomes: is it possible that last year’s final two teams could meet again in Detroit?  Even more amusing is the idea that it could be as number one seeds.  Could you imagine?  No one in their right mind, even in the crazy, never boring world of sports, could have seen that coming when we started this season.

But then again, how many people thought FSU would be ranked higher than Syracuse at this point either?

My point exactly.

Photo: Getty Images

NEIL JOSHI, The Sports Lounge
JSB COLLEGE BASKETBALL COLUMNIST

Top-ranked and undefeated Memphis narrowly escaped its toughest test of the season, rallying past a determined UAB squad for a 79-78 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Down by seven with just over a minute to go, Calipari’s Tigers found a way to escape the upset bid, hold on to the #1 ranking, and remain the nation’s last unbeaten team. Chris Douglas-Roberts won the game with a three-point play the old-fashioned way with six seconds left. The foul call on Douglas-Roberts was suspicious to say the least, but it still managed to cap a remarkable game-ending 9-1 run.

Now at 25-0, the Tigers are going start to find out what it’s like to be the Patriots. With each win, the pressure is only building towards a historic 40-0 season. If Memphis were somehow able to run the table toward the title, they would be the first team ever to get to 40 wins and supplant the ‘76 Hoosiers as the last undefeated team.

Proceedings in Conference USA were supposed to be smooth for the Tigers, who survived a challenging nonconference schedule unscathed. The nation’s 10th best conference supposedly had little to no quality that could threaten Memphis until the NCAAs. It seemed like a perfect scenario for Memphis to run the table to 34-0 before entering the Tournament as the clear #1 team in the country. In reality, Conference USA has provided the nation’s top ranked with its stiffest competition yet. No team had been able to put the Tigers on the ropes until the Blazers did. Then, with a minute left, they shrunk, and Memphis took advantage. It’s a sign of a great team to be able to pull off near-impossible feats like that. The Tigers long-awaited encounter with Tennessee is this Saturday, and it promises to be one of the best of the year.

Other Notable Games From Saturday:

Syracuse 77, #8 Georgetown 70
This bubble thing is becoming a real annoying routine for Jim Boeheim and the Orange. Once again, Syracuse’s status in the NCAAs is constantly changing. Last week, after a loss to last place South Florida, Syracuse was certainly out. But, the brutally young Orange came back and put together a solid effort to take down Georgetown. Syracuse is teetering on the edge, and has an imposing schedule coming up. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, the Hoyas are looking extremely disappointing. They are nowhere near their Final Four level of a year ago, and at this point, appear to be third of fourth best team in the Big East.

#17 Connecticut 74, South Florida 73 (OT)
It turns out that the last place Bulls can actually play a little bit. Fresh of their domination of Syracuse , South Florida put another scare into the Big East’s hottest team. Craig Austrie went the length of the floor and hit a runner at the buzzer to turn the tides. The Huskies are looking pretty great at the moment, currently on a nine game winning streak. After beating Notre Dame at home last week, UConn has become the team to beat in the Big East. Analogous to what Georgetown was able to do last year, the Huskies appear to be peaking at exactly the right time.

#14 Drake 65, Northern Iowa 55
The surprising Bulldogs clinched their first Missouri Valley Conference title since 1971, and improved to 23-2, 14-1 in conference, comfortably ahead of everyone in this “down” year for the league. Drake has been the nation’s biggest surprise; one of the most impressive parts of their resume is the #11 spot they occupy in the Ken Pomeroy rankings. Next Saturday, Drake will hit the road to face Butler in the BracketBuster. You could just call that the mid-major Super Bowl because both have established themselves as the two best thus far. There will be a Tourney-like atmosphere for that one, and a lot will be at stake for both teams.

#24 Vanderbilt 61, Florida 58
The Commodores held serve at home, preventing the Gators from getting a much-needed win that would boost the resume. February is all about getting wins when you can get them, and the two-time defending champions really missed out here. Vanderbilt was on Cloud 9 after a 41-point win against Kentucky and was vulnerable in this game. The Gators had the lead in the final minute, but couldn’t figure out a way to score during crunch time. Since a two-game losing streak, the Commodores have won five straight and working on improving the seed they get in the tournament.

#7 Stanford 67, Arizona 66
In a high quality game that truly speaks to the strength of the Pac-10, the Cardinal won it with defense. The Wildcats had an opportunity to hold for the last shot, but Robin Lopez got a hand on Chase Budinger’s potential game-winning shot. Arizona has the best schedule in the nation, but unfortunately hasn’t been able to win any of the games. They really let one get away here, and it’s due to their lack of depth. The Wildcats have become reliant on just two players, Budinger and freshman Jerryd Bayless. Bayless has become a star as a freshman; he has really got it done while going unnoticed. Those two combined for 54 of the team’s 66 points. This severe lack of depth is going to tough to overcome. Arizona still needs to improve their profile if they want to go dancing.

#22 Kansas State 100, Missouri 63
Michael Beasley had 40 points and 17 rebounds, joining Tyler Hansbrough as the only freshman with 40 and 10 in a game in the last decade. The Wildcats had revenge on their minds against the Tigers, who had beaten them in an earlier matchup this year. They came out firing in this one, and the game’s final result was never in question. Kansas State made no doubt with this beatdown, and as good as Beasley was, fellow freshman Bill Walker was wonderful himself. Walker has been in Beasley’s shadow the whole year, but his contributions can longer be overlooked. He had 18 points and nine rebounds as the number two man behind Beasley. During tournament time, Walker’s importance will only be magnified as teams gear up for Beasley. He’s proven time and again that he can handle it. Kansas State will be an interesting case study leading up to March as a team that will always have the potential to do major damage if given the right draw.

#13 Indiana 80, #10 Michigan State 61
Amid extensive scrutiny following the NCAA’s investigation of Kelvin Sampson’s recruiting violations, the Hoosiers managed to still pull out a much-need victory. After a slow start, Indiana found itself, led by Eric Gordon, and managed to blow out the overmatched Spartans. Unfortunately, IU lost its big man, D.J. White, in the process. Gordon managed to step it up in his absence, scoring 28 points on an efficient 9-15 from the field. The freshman will need to start making these wonderful performances a routine, especially come Tuesday night when the Hoosiers host Purdue in a battle for first place in the Big Ten.

Wake Forest 86, #2 Duke 73
Someone finally figured out the overachieving Blue Devils. The Demon Deacons attacked Duke all night long, and managed to foul out five of their players. Wake is in the midst of a highly successive season following the death of their coach Skip Prosser, and have even elevated themselves into a bubble team in the ACC. The Deacons were able to score an impressive win to top off the resume, and improve to over .500 in conference. They have made the best case out of any other team in the league for a fifth bid, behind Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, and Clemson. Duke, meanwhile, was going get plucked at some point. They have been pretty impressive thus far, but still need to address their deficiencies down low. Until they do that, Duke will always be vulnerable. Brian Zoubek, the team’s sole hope at over 7-feet, is attempting to make a comeback, but he has looked terrible. The Blue Devils are experts at rolling through the regular season with gaudy records, then getting bumped early in the Tournament, and this team fits that bill perfectly.

#6 UCLA 56, USC 46
The Trojans, like Arizona, really missed out on a chance to help their cause at home. Also like the Wildcats is the ridiculous lack of depth that Tim Floyd has. He played only six players the entire night. To their credit, USC put up a fight against the revenge seeking Bruins, but the taxing style of the game wore them down. Russell Westbrook played amazing defense on O.J. Mayo all night long, and held USC’s star freshman to a season-low four points, the first time he failed to score at least 10. The Trojans should be sweating at the moment, sitting right with the Arizona schools at 6-6 in the conference. The Pac-10 is a logjam of teams hovering around .500; one of these teams will need to get hot if they want to go dancing.

Weekly Seed Report
A look at the top sixteen seeds for the Tournament. Last week’s seed is in parenthesis.

#1’s: Memphis (1), Tennessee (1), Duke (1), Kansas (1)
#2’s: UCLA (2), North Carolina (2), Texas (3), Stanford (2)
#3’s: Xavier (3), Connecticut (4), Indiana (4), Georgetown (2)
#4’s: Butler (-), Notre Dame (4), Louisville (-), Purdue (-)

NEIL JOSHI, The Sports Lounge
JSB COLLEGE BASKETBALL COLUMNIST

The Kansas Jayhawks (20-1) lost on the road to in-state rival Kansas State for the first time in 25 years, and now the Memphis Tigers have the distinction of being the sole unbeaten in college basketball. Kansas’ 84-75 loss was a credit to how well the Wildcats played, and now the Jayhawks are staring up in the Big 12 Standings. Kansas State is the only undefeated team left in the league at 5-0, and the combination of Michael Beasley and Bill Walker is beginning to look more and more like a fearsome duo.

Beasley, the front-runner to be Player of the Year and the top overall pick in next year’s draft, made waves by guaranteeing that his Wildcats would sweep Kansas, – the rematch at Allen Fieldhouse is March 1st– but he looked terrific in completing the first half of that daring prediction. After a slow start, Beasley still managed to dominate, knocking down all four his 3-pointers, and leading all scorers with 25 points. In the first half, however, Beasley struggled and Kansas State was largely reliant on Walker and unheralded freshman Jacob Pullen, who combined for 42 points in their team’s biggest game of the season.

Bill Self made an effort to harass Beasley and he constantly double-teamed, and sometimes triple-teamed the star, daring other guys on the Wildcat roster to beat his second ranked team. Walker has been one of Kansas State’s most consistent performers, but Pullen’s first 20-point game of his career was more than double his 9.4 scoring average. The freshman was most impressive in going 10-10 from the free throw line, while his teammates only went 8-14 (.571).

The Jayhawks are still in great shape for a #1 seed, but the game on the first day of March suddenly becomes a must-win game for a team that hasn’t had to deal with a loss to the Wildcats since 1982. Both players and the head coach acknowledged the bitterness of losing to a rival, and that they will be committed towards avoiding the same result in the rematchl. Self did mention a very good point, putting the loss into perspective.

“We weren’t going to run the table. As much as I wish we could, that wasn’t going to happen. So this could be a good thing for us in the long run.”

That’s very true, just ask the Patriots about what it’s like to constantly be asked about being undefeated. Those types of questions are being directed at John Calipari, who is the coach of the Tigers, a team that passed its own test on the road last night. Calipari insists that his team is due for a couple losses in conference play, but his team continues to prove him wrong

The Tigers looked as dominant as ever, rolling past Houston 89-77. The Cougars are the second best team in a weak Conference USA, but are a solid bet to make the field of 65 this year. This was a statement win for Memphis, who just continues along at 20-0. Despite turning the ball over 22 times, the Tigers still looked impressive in shooting 58% from the field, and outrebounding the overmatched Cougars 49-29. Last weekend, they handled Gonzaga at the Fed-Ex Forum in a similar fashion, and now the focus shifts towards the February 23rd showdown with Tennessee. It doesn’t appear that teams like UTEP or SMU will pose much of a problem until then, and it’s safe to assume that Memphis will be 26-0 entering that matchup. No offense to UAB, Tulane, or Central Florida, who all have an opportunity to slay Goliath in the coming weeks, but I don’t see it in any of them to pull off a major upset.

Chris Douglas-Roberts had 30 to lead the way for the Tigers, who are a complete team in every sense of the word. Joey Dorsey handles the dirty work inside, and had a season-high 22 rebounds. For the year, he averages over 11 a game; he had the defensive performance of his life when he manhandled Roy Hibbert earlier this year. Freshman sensation Derrick Rose had six assists, nine rebounds, and 10 points. That’s not too bad from a point guard that many think is one-dimensional. Rose is a score-first point guard, but is learning to defer to Douglas-Roberts, who is the team’s unquestioned leader.

Now that they are only team that without a blemish, the target on the Tigers back is only going to get bigger. A team hasn’t entered the NCAA Tournament undefeated since St. Joseph’s in 2004, who lost in the Elite 8 that year. A season like that would be a colossal failure for the Tigers, who have been dropped in that round the last two years. They’re sole objective for this season is to be cutting down the nets in San Antonio on April 7, and a regular season loss will not derail them of that goal, if and when that time ever comes.