Give and Go: Final Four Recap and Playoff Positioning

For the first 37-and-change minutes of Monday's NCAA championship game, I was planning for this column to be an extended treatise on my man-love of Derrick Rose and some theories on how I could guarantee the Knicks a top-two pick in the upcoming lottery. But my faith was shaken by that last 2:12.

Three things, actually, bothered me deeply about that game. The missed free throws, obviously, were the big thing.

The more disturbing part, though, was the fact that missing those free throws seemed to take both Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts out of their games completely. Maybe I'm reading too much into what I saw, but it seemed to me they stopped driving to the basket, almost like they didn't want to risk another trip to the line, for fear they'd put up more bricks. I don't think it was a coincidence the missed free throws and Memphis' championship-killing six-minute drought from the field happened simultaneously.

The third thing was actually a piece of insight from Billy Packer, which is remarkable in and of itself, but the ol' curmudgeon did have a good point or two when he wasn't telling us how many possessions the team behind needed to tie the game. (Thank you Billy. We can divide by three just as well as you can.)

At one point, Packer noted that Rose was much more effective when Memphis didn't try to run him off screens. He was at his best taking his man one-on-one off the dribble. And ya know, I think he was right. But here's my problem with that. We were in the last five minutes of Memphis' 40th game of the season, and their point guard, their floor leader, is most comfortable and effective operating OUTSIDE the set offense?!?

It's almost like he's a Knick already!

Story continues on FoxSports.com...

Sure they can shoot... but how are their grades?

By one standard, the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky should be the top seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.

That standard is academic achievement.

According to the report Keeping Score When It Counts: Graduation Rates for 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Teams, released March 17th by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, the Hilltoppers boast a 100% graduation success among student athletes in the basketball program over six years.

The rest of the "academic final four" would be Butler at 92%, with Notre Dame and Purdue tied at 91%.

Most of the tournament's top seeds didn't fare nearly as well in the study.

Story continues on About.com...

Planting Seeds

Here's a trend that's unlikely to surprise even the most casual observer of the NCAA Tournament:

The higher-seeded teams do better.

Here's a deeper look at that shocking trend, as well as some others that may assist as you fill out your NCAA brackets:

One Seeds in the Final Four

Here's another unsurprising factoid. Since 1979 -- the year the NCAA started assigning seeds to tournament teams -- number one seeds have landed 47 of a possible 116 slots in the Final Four. That's a rate of just over 40.5 percent.

Number one seeds have:

• Won 16 of 29 titles (over 55%)
• Been runner-up 11 times (38%)

That said, there has never been an NCAA Tournament where all four number one seeds have advanced to the Final Four.


Column continues on About.com...

There's Never Been a Better Time to be a Geek and a Sports Fan

Exhibit 2,254: The Schmap:



This widget creates a map-based view of your favorite team's schedule, free for posting on a blog, homepage, etc.

If only we could harness this technology to make the Johnnies' record somehow suck less.

Bracket Busters

The standard NCAA Tournament bracket pool -- along with the weekly football picks and the "Superbowl boxes" -- is part of the holy trinity of American sports gambling. Even casual sports fans will participate in a betting extravaganza that has been estimated at $2.5 billion in wagers -- with only a little over 3 percent of that number handled by legal gambling outlets like the sports books at Las Vegas casinos.

That leaves over $2.4 billion dollars changing hands -- mostly in tens and twenties -- at offices nationwide. Which raises an important question: is any of this legal?

The simple answer is "No, but the FBI has better things to do than chase down cubicle-dwellers for dropping a ten-spot on UCLA." But simple answers are rarely satisfying, so let's examine the question in a little more detail.

Story continues on collegebasketball.about.com...

The College Hoops Beat...

My loyal readers... all five of you... are probably wondering where I've been for the last couple of weeks.

There's no truth to the rumor that Madison Square Garden security "disappeared" me for promoting Fire Isiah T-shirts. I've been publishing columns and blogs on RotoWire on NBA.com, but Three Seconds has been quiet.

Too quiet.

Directly above this post, you'll see the reason. I'm now covering college basketball on About.com. There's a feed of my latest posts right here on Three Seconds, and when I launch new features I'll post links here as well.

Rules for Naming Your Team

Obviously, I'm having trouble letting this whole "team names" thing go... it seemed a good time to discuss my very high standards when it comes to naming and mascots.

Local/Regional
Encouraged: Names with specific local/regional significance. Colleges are great for this... Tar Heels, Hoosiers, Sooners, Cornhuskers, Longhorns, Buckeyes, just off the top of my head. From the pro ranks, you've got Knickerbockers, Steelers, Pistons, Packers, Rockies. Good stuff.
Unacceptable: Names with specificl local/regional significance... for a region other than where the team plays. Happens most often after a team moves -- Los Angeles Lakers. Utah Jazz. Los Angeles Dodgers.
Corollary to the "Local/Regional" rule... when a team moves, the name should stay with the city. The Browns moved to Cleveland and became the Ravens. The new team in Baltimore became the Browns. When the Senators moved away from DC, they became the Minnesota Twins... and the Texas Rangers. By this logic, the Timberwolves should be known as the Lakers, the Hornets should be the Jazz, and the Texans should be called the Oilers. Kobe Bryant's team can be the "Plastic Surgeons" or some such.

Animal Nicknames
Encouraged: Again, animal nicknames with some sort of logical connection to the city/region where the team plays. Florida Gators, Wisconsin Badgers, Florida Panthers, Baltimore Orioles.
Acceptable: Teams named for animals that just look/sound cool. Here's where you find all your Tigers, Wildcats, Lions, Bears, Eagles, Cardinals, etc. Extra points for adding a descriptor to make the name sound unique... i.e., "Nittany Lions."
Unacceptable: Made-up animals. This is one you'll see pretty regularly with Minor League Baseball teams... I recently attended a game featuring the Tri-City Valley Cats. What in heaven's name is a Valley Cat? Is the animal kingdom really so limited that they couldn't find an acceptable mascot anywhere therein?

Place Names
Acceptable: Teams named after the city/area where the team plays. New York Islanders. (Please note... team name good, angry Gorton's Fisherman logo BAD.)
Unacceptable: Teams named for cities/areas that do not actually exist, are cutesy nicknames for the city/area where the team plays, or attempt to align the team with another, larger area. For example: Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Devil Rays (thank you Gregg Easterbrook), Golden State Warriors (attention Chris Cohan... your team plays in Oakland), Anaheim/California/Los Angeles Angels, the aforementioned "Tri-City" Valley Cats (who play outside Albany, New York) and the "Hardware City Rock Cats" (who play in New Britain, CT).

Corollary to the "Place Names" rule... The team does not need to play within the geographic boundaries of the city for which it is named, so long as its home stadium is within a reasonable distance. As such, "New York Jets/Giants" and "Detroit Pistons" are acceptable, even though those teams play home games in East Rutherford, New Jersey and Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Purely Descriptive Names
Acceptable: This is a concept mostly seen with very old franchises, named after their own uniforms -- Red Sox, White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Harvard Crimson.
Unacceptable: Bastardized versions of descriptive names -- usually created to replace far more traditional and historic names that have been deemed "offensive" by the powers-that-be. Best example is the St. John's University "Red Storm" (Redmen wasn't a Native American reference, it was based on their uniform color. Once the Big Chief mascot was eliminated, there shouldn't have been any need to change the team name).

Names, Titles, Cultures and Honorifics
Encouraged: As with the animal names, names that celebrate the local culture of the team's home city -- or specific people associated with the team -- are much better than things that just sound cool. Boston Celtics. Cleveland Indians (named for Chief Louis Sockalexis, a Native American who played for the team in the early 1900s). Cleveland Browns. San Diego Padres. Manhattan College Jaspers (named for Brother Jasper, a faculty member). Amherst "Lord Jeffs".
Acceptable: Titles and honorifics that simply sound cool or intimidating or tough. Examples include things like Braves, Warriors, Knights, Cavaliers, Pirates, and Buccaneers.
Unacceptable: Racial slurs and stereotypes. I'm looking at you, Washington Redskins. You too, Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Corollary to the "Cultures" rule... Personally, I don't think using a tribal name as a team name is instantly offensive... problems emerge when the tribal name is associated with a caricature of a mascot and "tomahawk chops" and spears being planted in the middle of football fields. Adjectives in the name are also troubling... I'd prefer "Seminoles" to "Fighting Illini" or "Runnin' Utes."

I'm also of the opinion that if the tribe in question says it's OK, who am I to complain?

Other Notes:
Singular team names should always be avoided. They sound dumb, and make it very difficult for sportswriters to handle verb tenses. The Miami Heat. The Utah Jazz. The Minnesota Wild. One of many reasons it is so hard to take the WNBA seriously is that the league is full of awful names: the Liberty, the Shock, the Storm, the Sun, the Sky, the Fever...

The horror.

Team nicknames that are always presented in shortened form -- to the point that people forget what the team is actually called -- are usually good. Best two examples of this are the Oakland A's (Athletics) and the New York Mets (Metropolitans).

Punny names are always bad. I'm sure "Buffalo Bills" seemed clever at one point... but that point was long, long ago. And alliteration is acceptable... New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Cavaliers... but only if it isn't forced. New Jersey Nets (nee New York Nets) is pretty lame... I'm hoping that one is changed when the much-anticipated move to Brooklyn happens.

Maybe they can take back the "Dodgers" nickname.

Wildcats vs. Bulldogs

Another note on Kentucky vs. Gardner-Webb... but one that has nothing to do with the game:

Gardner-Webb's team mascot is, predictably, the Bulldog. Just like 38 other college teams. 'Course, I shouldn't make fun... Kentucky is one of 25 "Wildcats". C'mon folks -- a little creativity, please.

Perhaps this is an extension of the NCAA's ongoing crusade against offensive team nicknames. At some point in the next 5-10 years, they'll probably just divide up all the teams and let 'em choose... I can hear the conversation now.

"OK, Mr. University President... here's the deal. Your team name/mascot is deeply offensive to certain Native American people, animal lovers, a variety of household plants, and this hermit crab. His name is Steve. We won't force you to change it, but we'll forbid you from hosting any postseason events unless you guys start calling yourselves "Dancing with the Stars."

Because, dammit, everyone just loves that Dancing with the Stars."

If I was running the NCAA, every college team would have a nickname that references some obscure local tradition, historical figure or industry. No more Wildcats, Bulldogs, Tigers or Eagles...

More Tar Heels, Hoyas, Hilltoppers, Jaspers and Lord Jeffs.

These Cupcakes are POISONED!!!

What's more fun than an enormous upset?

Why, an enormous upset by a team that was specifically scheduled to be the whipping-boy of some big-college program, obviously. That was true when the Michigan Wolverines opened their season by losing to Appalachian State, and when Notre Dame lost to Navy last weekend.

And though the NCAA hoops season is just days old, it looks like the "season of upsets" theme may carry over from the football fields too the basketball arenas. How else would you explain Kentucky's loss to the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs last night?

Gardner-freakin'-Webb. That's not a college... that's the hyphenated name of some WASP-y interior designer from the Upper East Side. (First name probably "Victoria.")

We actually almost had a daily double of huge upsets, as Morgan State put a scare into Connecticut up in Storrs before losing, 69-65.

Fool Me Once...

Indiana University hired Kelvin Sampson despite the fact that he was facing NCAA sanctions for making illegal recruiting phone calls while at Oklahoma.

Hired him even though he was banned from making any phone calls to recruits.

So what happens, now that Sampson's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, er... on the receiver... for the second time in two years?

An assistant is taking the fall, obviously.

Rob Senderoff, a 34-year-old assistant on Sampson's staff, will resign from his position as a result of the latest -- or is it the ongoing? -- scandal. Sampson is not expected to face any additional punishment from the NCAA -- though the university took away a scheduled $500,000 raise and one scholarship when reports of the illegal calls surfaced last month.

You could register your displeasure at the latest development -- and the fact that Sampson is apparently going to get away with this -- at FireCoachSampson.com, though you'll note a distinct lack of activity on that site.

Did we mention Indiana is expected to have a top-ten team this year?

Think that has anything to do with the apparent lack out outrage?

Wondering what would have happened if a coach that wasn't running one of the NCAA's flagship programs pulled a stunt like this?

Me too.

You're Doing It Wrong...

The St. John's basketball program ranks with programs like North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and Duke in terms of all-time wins*. But the Red Storm has fallen on hard times of late, bottoming out badly during the tail end of the Mike Jarvis regime with off-court controversies, player transfers, and NCAA sanctions.

And lots and lots of losses.

The university is taking steps to right the ship and emulate some of the other programs on that list.

Unfortunately, one of those key steps is "soak the fan base for every cent you can extract."

St. John's recently unveiled a new method for assigning seat locations for season ticket-holders -- the best seats will go to those who have donated the most cash to the university.

This is a common practice at universities where basketball tickets are as hard-to-get as opening night seats for Young Frankenstein the Musical. But the Johnnies play to mostly-empty houses, except when teams like Connecticut or Duke are in town.

Perhaps the athletic department should consult with one of the professors teaching Economics 101. See, you're only supposed to raise prices when demand is high... not when your squad has been picked to finish 14th out of 16 teams in the preseason coaches' poll.

* Remarkably -- or perhaps not so remarkably -- the NCAA hasn't updated that list since 2004.

Fair & Balanced Reporting
One note on the New York Post article linked above... the author quotes Ron Naclerio, a "season ticket holder since 1975" as saying:

They are saying, 'Thanks for 30 years of loyalty - see you later,' and the last few years have been hard to watch. "I understand that it is a business, and you have to generate money, but it doesn't seem right that it has to be on the backs of the loyal fans."

The article doesn't identify Naclerio as the coach of Cardozo High School -- or as someone who has reportedly campaigned for an assistant coach position with the Johnnies on more than one occasion.

Recruiting with Rubber Chickens

There are more rules governing recruiting of big-time college ballplayers than there are governing what is and isn't allowed in carry-on baggage. And yet, in both cases, people will continue to find loopholes.

Here's a recent example, as reported on the ever-informative Redmen.com forum. Because this is a third-hand account and cannot be verified, I'll refer to the players and coaches involved in the vaguest of euphemisms.

A big-time college coach is speaking at a rubber chicken dinner/high school sports banquet. The town's star player is in attendance... but because the dinner is scheduled during a recruiting "quiet period," the coach cannot so much as say hello to the player without risking sanctions from the NCAA.

During the Q/A portion of the speech, the coach is asked what he looks for in a recruit. Without missing a beat, the coach goes on to describe, in great and obvious detail, the star player that he's not allowed to approach.

Legal? Probably.

Ethical? Questionable.

Effective? Let's just say the player in question will be suiting up for the coach in question next fall.

Five Men Out

Interesting take on the NBA point-shaving case from The Wages of Wins. Their very well-reasoned point: the Black Sox scandal of the 1919 World Series (chronicled in the excellent movie and even better book Eight Men Out) didn't actually hurt baseball attendance any.

I'll buy that. But is it really an apt comparison?

After all, the public didn't even learn about the Black Sox until the next year. At the time, baseball didn't have one-one-hundredth the competition for an entertainment dollar that the NBA faces today. And just a year or two after the Black Sox, baseball's popularity exploded due to the emergence of a certain larger-than-life outfielder who played his home games in the Bronx and hit a lot of home runs.

A more apt comparison comes from TrueHoop, which discusses the last time NBA figures were implicated in point shaving. Yikes. Between that and the CCNY scandal, I'm getting the impression that basketball in the '50s was more staged than a Broadway musical.

Why I Admire Don Imus

In case you've been living under a large rock for the last week or so, you've probably heard about Don Imus' less-than-sensitive remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. On the off-chance you haven't seen or heard the entire exchange, here's the transcript:

DON IMUS: So, I watched the basketball game last night between -- a little bit of Rutgers and Tennessee, the women's final.

SID ROSENBERG: Yeah, Tennessee won last night -- seventh championship for [Tennessee coach] Pat Summitt, I-Man. They beat Rutgers by 13 points.

IMUS: That's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and --

BERNARD McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.

IMUS: That's some nappy-headed hos there. I'm gonna tell you that now, man, that's some -- woo. And the girls from Tennessee, they all look cute, you know, so, like -- kinda like -- I don't know.

McGUIRK: A Spike Lee thing.

IMUS: Yeah.

McGUIRK: The Jigaboos vs. the Wannabes -- that movie that he had.

IMUS: Yeah, it was a tough --

CHARLES McCORD: Do The Right Thing.

McGUIRK: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

IMUS: I don't know if I'd have wanted to beat Rutgers or not, but they did, right?

ROSENBERG: It was a tough watch. The more I look at Rutgers, they look exactly like the Toronto Raptors.

(For the record, the Spike Lee movie they're thinking of is School Daze... but that's neither here nor there.)

I have no interest in defending the comments .

There IS no defense for the comments.

But that brings me to what I admire about Imus right now -- he hasn't offered any defense. He's been suspended by WFAN and MSNBC. He hasn't made excuses. He's made a full and detailed apology. He went on Al Sharpton's radio show for another round of mea culpas. He's meeting with the Rutgers coach and players.

When was the last time any celebrity faced the music like this?

Where has Imus been for the last year or so? Didn't he see how Mel Gibson and Isiah Washington and Michael Richards got through similar situations -- make a non-apology apology, check into rehab, schedule a tear-filled interview on Entertainment Tonight.

Will this stop people from calling for his job? Of course not. But it is worth noting.

Another Open Letter to the St. John's Athletic Department

Maryland 92, St. John's 60.

Do you fear the turtle? I fear the turtle.

I take it all back. I liked it better when Red Storm games weren't televised.

The Internet has let me down...

Based on the descriptions and accounts of the incident, it seems very fair to say that the latest Bob Knight controversy is a great big steaming pile of nothing. Thus far, the biggest impact seemed to be on Mike & Mike, who scheduled a long succession of guests (Gene Keady, Jay Bilas... I imagine Dickie V had to weigh in at some point) who all agreed that last night's incident was a great big yawner.

(A side note -- it was interesting to hear Keady talk about using "paddles" on players when he coached in high school. Paddles?!? Are you kidding me?)

Here's the much bigger and more important question -- why hasn't this incident surfaced on YouTube yet? C'mon, army of people who post such things... you are clearly off your game on this one. It's two-thousand and freakin' six -- a newspaper account of what Fran Fraschilla said about the incident really ain't gonna cut it.

Get on the stick, YouTubers.

An Open Letter to the St. John's Athletic Department

Congratulations on assembling what sounds like an exciting young team. As a long-time fan of the program, I was glad to read about Avery Patterson breaking the team record for three-pointers in the season opener, and about Darryl Hill's progress in the Navy game.

Please note that I am reading about these exciting games. Like most of the rest of the world, I haven't been able to see or hear the Red Storm play this year.

It continues to be a disappointment that, in a city with approximately nineteen all-sports cable outlets, only four of fourteen Red Storm games before the new year will be televised. While Norm Roberts' squad was playing its most anticipated season opener in years, the SNY Network showed Connecticut vs. Quinnipiac. For game two against Navy, SNY subscribers were treated to a Big 10 football game.

I know that this subject has been brought to your attention in the past. And I'm aware that the rights to TV broadcasts are controlled by the Big East Conference. And I'm certainly aware that, after the catastrophic years of the Mike Jarvis regime, St. John's basketball doesn't have the same cache to TV networks as it did during the days of Chris Mullin or Walter Berry or Mark Jackson or Ron Artest.

The fact remains -- Connecticut somehow manages to get its season opener on the air -- and on a major cable network in New York City.

To make matters worse, local radio coverage is provided by 1050 ESPN Radio. 1050 also holds the broadcast rights to the Knicks and Rangers -- if either team has a conflict with a St. John's game, the Red Storm is shunted to 1560 Radio Disney... which has a signal so weak, it cannot be heard in Westchester or on Long Island, and which does not offer internet radio of basketball games. As a result, the most die-hard fans of St. John's basketball -- the guys who spend their lives discussing recruits and game plans and coaching decisions on Redmen.com -- spend game nights trying to connect to streaming radio broadcasts from Jacksonville or Annapolis.

You are alienating your die-hard fans. Worse, casual fans don't even know you exist.

It seems a shame to hide Norm Roberts' light under a bushel. So here's a suggestion from a long-time fan: your arrangement with the Big East must be amended. You need to have the option to sell games that aren't picked up as part of the league TV contract to SNY or some other local network. These games need to be on the air. High school players and their coaches and parents need to see St. John's -- and not the Connecticut Huskies or Boston College Eagles -- on television in New York.

And New York's basketball fans need to see something other than the Knicks.

If the Big East cannot adjust so that all its member schools get appropriate media coverage; perhaps its member schools should take a second look at participation in the Big East.

Mea Maxima Mel Kiper Culpa

Dave Telep, the brains behind Scout.com, has been way off on a few players over the years. The most recent example: Adam Morrison and Tyrus Thomas (the third and fourth picks in this year's NBA draft) weren't rated as top 100 prospects in their high school classes.

Unlike most professional talent evaluators/talking heads, Telep actually went back to figure out where he'd gone wrong, and told the Philadelphia Inquirer about it. This is worth a read for anyone who follows the college game.

I'd love to see a similar analysis from Mel Kiper or Chad Ford... "Well, you see... I paid entirely too much attention to the guy's 40 time and vertical leap. Completely neglected the fact that he's an utter meathead."

Credit where credit's due department: found this one on the always-informative Redmen.com.

Why Sports Fans Should Vote...

I'm so tired of hearing Bob Menendez and Tom Kean Jr. throw mud at each other, I'm thinking of moving to New Jersey just so I can vote against both of them. But today, Lester Munson of SI.com has given me a new reason to care about tomorrow's election.

Long story short, the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives has been making noise about a possible review of how big-time college athletic programs benefit from the tax-exempt status given to educational institutions. Outgoing committee chairman Bill Thomas (R-California) has written a letter, in which he asks,

"How does playing major college football or men's basketball in a highly commercialized profit-seeking entertainment environment further the educational purpose of your member institutions?"

Another interesting question:

Do big-time college hoops and football offer any educational benefit greater than "that which is received by participation in other Division (II and III) or intramural athletics."

(Speaking from experience, I can say that intramural basketball players attract a lot less "benefit" from groupies than the guys who play in the big gym... but I suspect that's not what he meant. And no, I'm not bitter.)

Some other factors covered in the Thomas letter:

• Why should federal taxpayers subsidize charter travel, athletic facilities, and huge coaching salaries?
• Do the current academic minimums really ensure that student athletes can succeed academically at the collegiate level?
• Payouts from events like the NCAA Tournament are handed out based on wins and losses -- wouldn't it make more sense academically if the tournament money was handed out equally to all?
  

And this doozie:

• Aside from the fact that the athletes aren't paid... how exactly do you differentiate D-1 college sports from the pros?

The NCAA has until November 14 to respond. (Read the full text of the Thomas letter here.)

So here's where the whole "voting" thing factors in. Thomas opted not to run for re-election, so there will be a new chairman of Ways and Means come this January. If the Democrats take over a majority in the house, Charlie Rangel of New York is expected to take over the position. If the GOP hangs on to its majority, any one of several representatives might step in. It isn't clear whether or not this inquiry will be a priority for the new chair, but Rangel at least is reportedly in agreement with the letter.

So make sure to cast a vote on Tuesday. You could play a part in deciding the future of college sports. (Oh, and the free world and all that.)

My New Favorite College Team...

Is the McMurry University... uh... "team."

I don't even know if they play hoops.

Doesn't matter.