Column: The madness is only beginning

Once March began, everybody knew it meant the start of the best month of college basketball.

I know thousands of other sports enthusiasts (including myself) have been following Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology constantly these past two weeks.

A lot of research goes into whether or not a team makes the NCAA tournament. Some of the factors include strength of schedule, key wins and losses, conference and overall record, and record versus RPI top-50 teams.

Based on what I’ve gathered from this season, here’s some insight on who will dance and who will not.

LAST FOUR TEAMS IN

1. Washington State — The Cougars have one of the most underrated players in the country in Klay Thompson, who averages 21 PPG. I don’t see the Pac-10 having just three teams in the tourney. The fourth will most likely be WSU or USC. But I think the Cougars will have a better Pac-10 tourney run, which will solidify their chances.

2. Virginia Tech — The Hokies got snubbed last year and should’ve been in the tourney, and I don’t think the selection committee will make that mistake two years in a row. A win against then-No. 1 Duke and a double-digit win against Florida State have helped their chances of making an appearance this year and will be difficult for the selection committee to overlook.

3. Georgia — Trey Thompkins and the Dawgs will get the final bid due to their conference record of 9-7. They’ve held their own in the underrated SEC East this season, which should be enough. A win today against Auburn would certainly help their chances.

LAST FOUR TEAMS OUT

1. USC — The Trojans are more known for their football program, but this year they finished 18-13 and 10-8 in Pac-10 play. However, the Trojans have struggled on the road in conference play, which does not bode well for their tournament chances.

2. Alabama — It has a great conference record (12-4), but faced only one top-25 opponent in non-conference play. Strength of schedule is very important to the committee, and it will ultimately cost the Crimson Tide a bid.

3. Memphis — The Tigers usually dominate Conference USA, but they didn’t this year, finishing 10-6. Losing to teams like Rice, UTEP and SMU will come back to bite the Tigers.

TEAMS TO WATCH OUT FOR

1. St. John’s — Although their record doesn’t show it, they have some great wins in the nation’s best conference against teams like Pitt, Notre Dame and UConn. Steve Lavin’s tourney experience will help their chances against some of the best teams in the country.

2. Arizona — The Wildcats have one of the most athletic players in the country in Derrick Williams. Only six losses (three of them from top-25 opponents) make the Wildcats a wildcard in the tourney.

3. Purdue — The combined offensive attack of E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson could turn them into a Final Four contender. Plus, a supporting cast that doesn’t get much recognition will make the Boilermakers a tough out.


E-mail: amsiegal@indiana.edu