COMMENTARY
ACC is out of its depth in tourney
Fast food for thought (NCAA version). . .
• Back in January Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was touting the Atlantic Coast Conference as the nation’s top conference based on its depth. He was reaching back then, and it’s all the more apparent now. Four of the ACC’s seven teams were eliminated in the first round and a fifth, Maryland, was blown off the court by Memphis in the second round. Meanwhile, make it five Big East teams in the Sweet 16.
CBS analyst Clark Kellogg—generally a huge improvement over Billy Packer, by the way—dismissed the connection in typically rights-holder fashion, saying it’s about the teams, not the conferences, and ACC teams had run into some tough opponents.
Oh, really? Boston College and Clemson were done in by teams that finished 9-9 in their conferences (USC and Michigan, respectively), Florida State fell to a 10-8 Big Ten team (Wisconsin), and Wake Forest, once ranked No. 1 in the nation, was embarrassed by Cleveland State of the Horizon League.
Cleveland State made the tournament by beating Butler in its league championship game. The Vikings wouldn’t have received a sniff of an at-large berth otherwise. Yet it’s interesting that many of college basketball’s rights-holder media members (ESPN, CBS) who heralded the Selection Committee’s work also identified Cleveland State as a difficult matchup for Wake.
• The experience gained by Siena through two straight NCAA appearances doesn’t bode well for Niagara next year. The Saints return everybody except Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year Kenny Hasbrouck and backups Josh Duell and Erik Harris. Junior Ronald Moore is the best overall point guard in the conference and sophomore big man Ryan Rossiter seems to get better with every start. The kid backs down from nobody.
But the Saints aren’t the deepest team around, and it cost them in Sunday’s loss to Louisville.
• Speaking of Siena, it was hard to work up sympathy over its first-round draw of Ohio State in Dayton. I mean, the Saints did get to play the MAAC title game on their home floor. But it was nice of the Selection Committee to tuck North Carolina and Duke in Greensboro because those programs rarely realize an advantage.
• I didn’t ride the Orange in my bracket, but I like Syracuse to stymie Oklahoma with its matchup zone and advance to a showdown with North Carolina for a spot in the Final Four. And I’m thinking the ‘Cuse might have it in them to spring the upset.
I’m not sure North Carolina would have made it by LSU without Ty Lawson back on the floor. And all season long the Tar Heels haven’t struck me as overly comfortable with the enormous expectations that began with talk of an undefeated season.
The key for Syracuse from here on out: Continue to establish an inside presence with Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku.
• That wrap on the left arm of Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn? It’s all superstition.
“I had bruised my arm earlier in the season, and we kept winning when I was wearing it, so I just kept it on the rest of the season, just kept playing,” Flynn said Sunday. “I guess it’s a little good luck charm for us.”
• It was gut-wrenching to see Traditional graduate Lazar Hayward commit a turnover by stepping over the end line before the inbounds pass with Marquette down two to Mizzou and 5.5 seconds left. The only consolation is that Hayward is a junior. But Marquette will suffer heavy graduation losses and making it back to that point won’t be easy.
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