I might have a slight man crush on Jay Bilas. I mean come on people he's got a Duke law degree. Simply put, he's getting into my tournament any day.

Well, Florida snuck in. Bruce Weber has no one to blame but himself. If I played for him, I wouldn't show up to the NIT. He is a failure of all sorts as a Big Ten coach. Let's revisit Alex Legion transferring out of the Big Ten. The reason being, he was way out of his league. Hey Bruce, you should probably take after him before the Illini nation starts calling for your head.

Hey committee, Minnesota just lost by 30 to tOSU. Hey committee, they beat up on a fading Purdue team playing without their best player. Hey committee, are you even still watching?

Minnesota getting blown out right before the selection show is fantastic. Never know if the committee has Illinois/Minnesota at that last 12 spot hinging on today's game. Do I believe they do? Absolutely not, but it's a hope right?

I have to believe that the committee knows Illinois has better wins than every bubble team - that's my ultimate hope. I truly hope they did rid of the "last 12 games" record and realize that it's the full season that matters, not a hot stretch in conference tournaments that, ultimately, don't mean all that much.

Illinois, VTech, Miss St., and Florida are all contending for 1 spot. The reality is, Illinois has accomplished more. However, I am not convinced Illinois will sneak in given that Minnesota has locked a bid. In a ten member committee with representation from several different conferences, it's hard to believe politics won't come into play.

Coming down the stretch, does Illinois make it? It seems the national media perception is pushing towards them being in - they have better wins than any other bubble team and it's not even close. The problem with conference tournaments is that they change the perception of an underachieving team throughout the entire year. Mississippi State, what have they done? Their best two SEC wins of the year came in the last 3 days, so how are they deserving? As well as Minnesota - they just lost by 30+ to Michigan a week and a half ago and all of the sudden we're anointing them the next great Big Ten team? People need to pay more attention to the regular season.

tOSU has the best starting 5 in the nation. From my observations, the only way to beat them is to keep at least 2 of their 4 guards in single digits. If that doesn't happen, Diebler most likely went off and it spells trouble for any team.

Jim Nantz has the best job in America. That's all.

As much as it hurts to do it, I have to give Minny some credit. 4th game in as many days and they're playing the Buckeyes very close for the first 20 mins. Minus that embarrassing loss at Michigan, they're clicking at the right time. My committee would have them in easy. Illinois...keeping biting your fingernails.

Bottom-line, Jay Bilas is the best analyst ESPN has. He is incredibly thorough in all of his points and presents a very intriguing argument for Cal's undeserving body of work. Joe Brackets has the Illini, Utah St., and Minnesota in. IMO, the latter two are definite locks regardless of what transpires in the Big Ten Tournament Championship.

Unbelievable finish in the SEC Championship. Wall proved himself to be the nation's best point guard, but don't forget about Eric Bledsoe. If he plays within himself and demonstrates that kind of maturity, UK will be very tough to upset in the tournament. As far as Miss St. is concerned, too little too late. They might sneak in, but their resume is definitely inferior to that of the Illini and Golden Gophers. 2 and half hours left...can the Big Ten be a 5 bid league? Highly unlikely, but I've seen crazier things in March.

If Illinois doesn't make the tournament, they can thank Minnesota for embarrassing them on their home court and Kentucky for shooting 50% from the charity stripe.

Day 3

Here we are..Selection Sunday. Thank you to Grant for letting me contribute my thoughts, expressions, and hatred (mainly just for the Seth's). For Illinois, Florida, and Utah St. the equation is simple: Miss St. doesn't make any more threes and you still have life. Sorry VTech. You have one win against the top 25 and that was against UNC.

Day 2

10:14 - Mick Cronin just told John Thompson to guard the inbounds pass - true story.

10:13 - Butler's terrible, terrible shot bailed out by an offensive rebound. No clue why he takes a corner three with 38 seconds left - the clock is your ally Butler.

10:12 - Austin Freeman drains it, dude can bomb that's for sure. I'm not sure I'll ever get any Georgetown team though. Ever since Jeff Green they all blend together for me.

9:59 - I think Deniz Kicili is the reason West Virginia has its mascot. Dude truly is a mountaineer.

9:58 - How far can West Virginia go? They have the size and athleticism to go a long way, but how much will not having a pure/real point guard hurt them? When Devin Ebanks ran the point against Purdue they got crushed.

9:56 - I could seriously do with less dramatic refs. I'm looking at you Tim Hightower, thankfully he's not a Big East official.

6:39 - Lunardi has Illinois in the last four out. I just don't see how you can justify having Mississippi State in over them. It makes no sense whatsoever.

5:28 - Wait, did CBS just flip off a blow out game? The apocalypse is now.

5:23 - How is Glen Rice's son a 52% free throw shooter?

5:11 - Is there a worse coaching combo out there right now? Sidney Lowe and Paul Hewitt?

5:07 - The less timeouts Georgia Tech has the better off they are. True story.

5:01 - Georgia Tech has to have some sort of record for total turnovers on the year. Incredible how often they're careless with the ball.

4:49 - Look I understand Hummel was important to this Purdue team, but there's no way they should be scoring 11 points in a half. They still have players. Although one does think he's a true NBA prospect (lookin' at you Jajuan).

4:38 - Do we really want a non deserving Mississippi State team winning the SEC tournament in back to back years and sneaking in the tournament? No thanks.

4:26 - Back on, had to get Chipotle. In terms of Illinois not getting a bid, I think it's important to note that Minnesota is the only team playing there way in right now. Mississippi State is not in the tournament - they don't win tomorrow (or choke this game away), they're not dancing. Their best win is Richmond. Even Ole Miss can boast better than that. Otherwise, who is ahead of Illinois? Rhode Island, Charlotte, Ole Miss, UAB, Memphis, Seton Hall all lost. They're done. Illinois is in.

3:02 - Dwyane Wade fouls out. About time, Illinois should have been driving at him all game. Oh and Evan Turner just dropped a triple double that I like to call the "Manny Harris".

2:52 - Evan Turner continues to get Dwyane Wade calls, but Illinois not getting a shot off at the end of regulation and OT is pathetic. You have to get a shot off.

2:39 - Indiana all over again right here McCamey? Illini nation is hoping so.

2:19 - Kentucky plays their best game of the year by far. Not even close. That team is going to the Final Four - it's just a matter of which team shows up.

1:46 - Bledsoe coming up big!!!! It'd be a blow out though if Cousins wasn't 3/13 from the line though. I haven't seen something like that since Ramar Smith went 0/12 from the line.

1:37 - Why is John Wall so insistent on shooting momentum killing three's?

1:22 - Kentucky starting to get sloppy - inevitable, but must weather that storm.

1:17 - Poor start by Kentucky - have to retain the defensive effort they had in the first half. Best defensive half of the year. When Cousins has 3 steals you're doing something right.

1:14 - Evan Turner gets the Dwyane Wade treatment. Does he ever get called for a foul? I'm not saying he fouls a lot, but it's interesting to note.

1:08 - There's been more lane violations this year than any other year I've seen. It's ridiculous.

1:06 - Someone tell these officials how the Big Ten works with its physical play.

1:05 - Illinois playing well so far, on a 6-0 run. They may be outmatched athletically, but slowing it down has kept them in it. Getting into a running game has killed them in their other 2 match-ups.

1:02 - Kentucky just played one of its best halves of the year. Bledsoe is still dumb as rocks, Cousins is still crying, but it didn't stop the defense from being absolutely suffocating. I think the next half will truly give a good gauge on how great this team truly can be. It also helps that Wall had an outstanding half as well - 9/6/4.

Day 1 2010 - Let's Do It

11:57 - It's really sad that a Pac-10 tournament semifinal game is on and I don't care too much about it. Landry Fields and Quincy Pondexter may be sweet, but otherwise they're entirely irrelevant. Washington has exactly zero good wins. They beat Texas A&M after Derrick Roland's leg exploded - that doesn't count. Not one road win, and if you pay any attention, road wins are a true indicator of a good team.

11:44 - You know, I used to care about RPI and all of that, but you come to realize that all of that doesn't matter - if you win everything else takes care of itself. If you're worried about the numbers it means you're doing nothing when it comes to tournament time. But we don't have to worry about that once they expand to a 96 team tournament right? Then we'll be talking about how Georgia should have gotten a 24 seed instead of a 23 seed! What NCAA people don't realize is that the interest in the NCAA tournament won't go down - it's the regular season that will go down. How are you going to advertise for a game like UConn/Louisville this year that has little to no repercussions? You can't. The NCAA forgets that the season starts in November, and so does everyone else.

11:36 - I lie, actually. UNLV had all sorts of relevance under Jerry Tarkanian. The most underrated story for a youngster like me is that UNLV went into the '91 Final Four undefeated and lost to Duke. UNDEFEATED. Every single year these days we get all sorts of hype about teams who clearly aren't going to go undefeated or last nearly that long - but that team did it. Matt Sylvester killed Illinois' run in '05, Tennessee killed Memphis' run in '08, Xavier killed St. Joe's run in '05, Washington (my boys in '04) killed Stanford's run...and etc. Undefeated just can't happen - it won't happen. These days guys have too much ego and think they're too good to try for an entire game over the course of an entire year leading up to the tournament - and that's where you go wrong. Look at UNLV's schedule from '90-'91 and prepare to be blown away.

11:35 - I'll be honest, I don't care at all about New Mexico State or New Mexico, but does anyone in the country get more transfers than them? Oh, UNLV also. It truly amazes me. It's like kids think "hey if I'm gonna transfer, why not going somewhere warm and awesome and where I can lose lots of money gambling?" Danny Granger is the most relevant thing to ever come out of those 3 schools though.

11:30 - Worst team that Kentucky could face as an 8/9 seed - Notre Dame. Smart, can shoot, and have a consistent post player who, for the most part, doesn't get in foul trouble.

11:17 - For what it's worth, Evan Turner is by far the player of the year in college basketball. I love John Wall, but he has his limitations and he's not quite sure how to pick his spots yet. Evan Turner has turned in one of the most statistically dominating years, overall, in a long, long time. One of the most underrated factors of this year is that he BROKE HIS BACK. He broke his back, and within two games dropped 32 points and took over the game taking out Purdue at Purdue with Robbie Hummel in full white-witness mode. Wall has taken over, yes, but he hasn't done it with the consistency that Evan Turner has. 3-3 without Turner, Ohio State is an entirely different team without him. Danny Manning/Carmelo Anthony anyone? If you're not sure about Danny Manning, look it up. 1988.

11:11 - Luke Babbitt, of Nevada fame (see - Nick Fazekas and Kirk Snyder going off the wall), should have gone to Ohio State. Dude was formerly committed there and now he's been relegated to a career of total irrelevance. Although let's be honest, on a team with Evan Turner, you're irrelevant from the beginning.

11:03 - Mancrush note - Travis Leslie dropped 34 and 6 tonight. If Mark Fox gets competent guards in the near future, and I'm talking like one or two years, that team can be a serious contender. Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie form an awesome, underrated duo. One of the few teams in the country that came very, very close to having a great season.

11:00 - It cracks me up that people were clamoring for New Mexico to get a 1 seed. I'm sorry, and I don't fault them for it, but who did they beat? BYU twice? That's great, but mid-majors will never and can never get a 1 seed. Temple had a few under John Chaney and that's the last I can remember, but times are different now - mid-majors are borderline irrelevant. If one makes an argument that Kentucky shouldn't get a one seed because of their schedule, what does that say about New Mexico? No matter how down the SEC is, it will never touch how weak the Mountain West Conference is. 

10:57 - To state the obvious, I think Kansas is the best team in the country by far. Kentucky may have the most raw talent, but they don't play with the effort that should be expected from them. Kansas is talented at every position, and almost as important, they are deep at every position. As long as Sherron Collins decides to give Cole Aldrich the ball in the tournament, they're winning it all. On a side note - Xavier Henry is soft. Yes, I said it. It's no coincidence that every highlight you see of him is shooting a three - people fawn over his build, but forget that he doesn't use that to his advantage.

10:53 - Why are people insisting on saying there's no dominant team this year? North Carolina had the perception all last year that they were the best team, and they were, no question. However, it was all perception because of their talent, but they didn't truly live up to it until the tournament. Remember they started 0-2 in the ACC? Good trivia. You look at the numbers, mainly Kenpom, and you'll realize Kansas is following UNC's exact trajectory.

10:49 - You think NC State fans now realize the mistake they made in running Herb Sendek off? Yeah, NC State won their last two games, but Sidney Lowe has been borderline pathetic. If he truly believes he's running a good program there he's delusional. If he doesn't get CJ Leslie (look him up) this year, where does he go? 

10:40 - Why are players so intent on taking a long 3 to win a game? Tory Jackson had 8 seconds left to drive and dish, but takes a 3. Keep in mind he's a very poor shooter from out there - it truly amazes me. Either way, this game is, for the most part, irrelevant. Notre Dame is still a ridiculously dangerous team in the tournament.

10:34 - You know why Michigan State isn't winning? Because they don't have a red head. But seriously, their lack of a true post guy has and will kill them come tournament time. This is why their preseason #2 ranking made no sense. Everyone saw how poor they played last year without Suton and Izzo didn't/couldn't replace that.

10:25 - You know, it's pretty hard to watch two games at once.

10:23 - Spartans 54% from the line. How mad do you think Tom Izzo's going to be about that? Dude is going to challenge them to free throw contests all week.

10:16 - Not only does Luke Harangody look like his parents, his parents look like each other. Creepy.

10:15 - Why is Devin Ebanks not wearing a headband? No wonder he has only 6 points.

10:14 - First OT game of the day. About time. At least this means we'll get a game in the 60's. Last time Izzo and Tubby were in OT was '05 Elite Eight. Great memories.

10:12 - Jinx is in effect ladies and gentleman. Blake Hoffarber for the win?

10:10 - So how exactly is Kalin Lucas going to hit this shot? It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of how.

10:09 - Is there any doubt Gus Johnson is blessed by the sports gods? I mean, really. It's borderline ridiculous the amount of awesome games he gets. Thanks you sports gods.

10:08 - LAWRENCE WESTBROOK PLEASE GRADUATE FOR ALL OF OUR SAKES!!!

10:05 - Has anyone ever wondered why players run to that certain point on the court to call timeouts? Is there any reason besides getting a head start on getting yelled at or what?

10:03 - Seriously, I said it earlier, but these low scoring games have to stop.

9:59 - Tubby's evil eyes just don't do it anymore. Back in '03 ref would have melted to those things.

9:56 - During that mini MSU-Minnesota fight all I could think about is Paul Davis crying. Weird, huh?

9:45 - Who else is shocked that Colton Iverson is a white guy?

9:42 - Anyone else think it funny that Psycho T's brother is now playing with Psycho T's clone? Most underrated college player ever by the way, as much as he annoys me. (Luke Harangody)

9:31 - Tubster doin' his best right now. Michigan State just isn't very good this year - the loss of Goran Suton was completely underrated.

9:22 - So why exactly did it take Mike Brey an injury to one of the best players in Notre Dame history to figure out this team? 

9:05 - If Bob Huggins had a real point guard on this team (see - John Wall), they would be by far the best team in the country. Maybe hyperbole, but a true creator on this team could truly wreak havoc. They're too long and athletic.

8:51 - This is the worst year of college basketball that I can remember. It really is sad that a team like WVU has an outside chance at a 1 seed. On that same note, Bob Huggins only has one Final Four in his career, incredibly underachieving for some of the teams that he's had over the years. Steve Logan, Kenny Satterfield, Peter Mychael, etc. Too bad Kenyon Martin broke his leg in '00.

8:34 - Tubby taking on Tom Izzo. Good luck to you Tubby, it will probably turn out bad, like always.

8:25 - Georgia Tech pulls out the win. As much as I think Paul Hewitt is awful and their team is dumb as rocks, I wouldn't want to face them in the tournament. Too much talent that can get hot at the right time.

7:47 - So I guess Paul just told them to slow down as much as possible and not play into Maryland's pressing and up and down play. Good coaching move. Although I could have done that. 56-48 Ga Tech leads.

7:43 - Northwestern done, Mike Schmitz owes me money.

7:39 - Chris Kramer running the fast break is also entertaining. Northwestern giving him an and-1 next time down the court was as well.

7:37 - Seriously, just watch this Georgia Tech team play. They're so horribly coached it's entertaining. 

7:21 - Paul Hewitt in the huddle - "Guys I don't know how to stop this run, any ideas? We're screwed."

7:17 - Gary Williams is the master of putting together the most uninteresting teams possible. Ever since Drew Nicholas hit that shot against UNC-Greensboro in '04 I don't remember a thing.

7:15 - The "baby-faced assassin" (Gus Johnson) with a dirty move on the baseline for the and one. No clue when Jon Shurna went from post man in high school to swing man in college.

7:08 - Seems clear that the main difference between good and great teams comes down to big men. Love Northwestern's guard play. Everything else? Not so much.

7:03 - Yeah, yeah Georgia Tech is winning, but Lawal and Favors have 8 FGA combined? Are you kidding me? Oh Paul Hewitt.

7:01 - "Matt Painter ready to come out of his Italian loafers" - Gus Johnson.

6:55 - So Paul Hewitt has had only one winning season in ACC play in 10 years. And dude still has a job. Really?

6:09 - It's still too bad that Kevin Coble was out for the entire year, this team would more than likely be tourny bound. Solid guard and perimeter play, just missing a big man. 

6:04 - Gus better be doing some good regionals this year in the tournament, otherwise that'd be a massive disappointment.

5:55 - Why would you not shoot over Lewis Jackson every single trip down the court? Especially as perimeter oriented as NW is? (Not saying they haven't already, however)

5:52 - Bobby Maze on Kentucky fans - "They travel like it's the Million Man March." Truth Bobby, truth.

5:49 - Anyone who claims Purdue is the same team without Hummel isn't paying too much attention. 4 points in 9 minutes thus far. This isn't the same as UConn losing Jerome Dyson last year either.

5:41 - A lineup of 5 Funkhouser's goes 3/24 from three. How's that possible?

5:39 - Drew got rid of the mustache...first step towards being a baller. Next step is to get rid of the sleeves as we've all been saying all year.

5:35 - Drew, I wouldn't mind you dropping 45 on Purdue. It would mean one less game I have to see Chris Kramer.

5:30 - Session two of the night starting now, about time. Purdue/Northwestern kicking it off, Gus Johnson on the game. That means automatic great game.

4:31 - Lafayette just threw out a Funkhouser white lineup. Not even sure he can compare to that.

4:28 - Craig Brackins (Iowa State Junior) going pro. A year too late. Probably means Willie Warren is right behind, two poster boys for how staying in school too long can affect a player so negatively.

4:27 - Arinze Onuaku has a right quad injury, day-to-day, good news. As much as I despise Syracuse's players, their zone and their coach, I hate injuries that much.

4:24 - Patriot League - The Great White Hope(s).

4:17 - Watching Lehigh and Lafayette play for Patriot League championship. Pretty random, basically a play-in game to lose by 50, but entertaining nonetheless.

3:30 - BOOM! Illinois the first team to step up and grab a bid. Good work, I thought they had no chance after their showing last Sunday.

3:29 - A miss is what Wisconsin gets for Hughes having lines shaved all over his body.

3:27 - Jeffrey needs to channel his father right now. Also, clock issues, color me shocked.

3:25 - Here comes the "THEY JUST DON'T QUIT" cliche. They haven't though. Trevon Hughes Novaking right now.

3:23 - It's just amazing the way Illinois has played not to lose the last 3 minutes. I just pray they're in the double bonus.

3:22 - MIKE DAVIS BABY!!!!!! BRINGIN THE CONFIDENCE!!

3:21 - Matt Jones Tweet - "Cats universally say they weren't ready to play today and didn't realize how hungry other teams would be. They say tomorrow will be different." Haven't we heard this before?

3:17 - Why won't Wisconsin just go away? Story of their program. By the way, was anyone else aware that Stan Van Gundy coached Michael Finley and Wisconsin for one year and got fired?

3:16 - On a side note, Illinois can probably still make the tournament if they lose. That's how bad the bubble is this year. Which is why Kentucky can still make the Final Four.

3:12 - Am I the only one who wants Virginia Tech to make the tournament just so we don't have to hear Seth Greenburg complain on National TV and to everyone who will listen?

3:10 - MCCAMEY DOING IT AGAIN

3:08 - Is it just me or have conference tournaments been ridiculously low scoring this year?

3:05 - As I said, no turnovers, nothing dumb and Illinois follows through with the exact opposite. Have to get a stop here.

3:02 - And I'm back up. Illinois needs to play to win, rather than not to lose to pull this one out. Wisconsin's liable to bomb a few three's in a row given that Leuer's injury mid-season forced them to become entirely perimeter oriented. Let's do it!