Wide Open

Last week, after Gonzaga was defeated in the NCAA basketball tournament, I heard the charge that the Bulldogs were overrated and should not have been a number one seed. I say, "How can you know?"

I mean, if you have that kind of super knowledge, shouldn't you be making money hand over fist in Las Vegas? You should, and if you are not, I'm guessing you are guessing.

Here's what is going on the tourney and I'm writing this not because I'm a genius, but because I listen to people who know and this is what they are saying. That is: there is not dominant team in college basketball, like last year's Kentucky squad; and, the tournament is more wide-open than it has been in years.

It's not that Gonzaga was overrated. It was that there has to be 4 number one seeds. Compared to Kentucky last year, everybody this year is overrated. But that's not how it works. Four ones, four twos, and so on.

The tournament has been crazy this year and that is just what you would expect in a wide-open year. Sit back and enjoy.

MSU Didn't Belong

The Missouri State Bears did not get ripped off.

The truth is they aren't good enough to get into the tournament. That's not the same as saying they are not better than any team that did make it because I think they are better than a few of them.

But they didn't get in because they didn't beat any strong teams, didn't play any strong teams and lost to some teams that aren't very strong at all.

And when the Golden Ticket was on the line in the MVC tournament title game they lost. They failed to get past Indiana State, a team the Bears were three games better than over the course of the regular season. MSU didn't get it done. It's not the committee's fault. It's not the power conferences fault.

It's the Bears fault.