Knucklehead of the Week
Former Fiesta Bowl chief executive John Junker was sentenced to eight months in prison for directing a campaign-finance scandal tied to his big-time bowl game. An internal investigation also revealed that Junker went on several spending sprees that had nothing to do with college football. The nice U.S. District judge in Phoenix gave Junker till June 15 to report to the slammer so he can attend the graduations of his two kids. Junker also will be sentenced in state court this week.
It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend, which means the odds of getting a speeding ticket are slim unless you drag race through UD’s student “ghetto.” Every cop in town will be there. Those partying kids will chill unless the Natural Light runs dry or the Flyers get snubbed by the NCAA tournament selection committee. Speaking of the tourney, I know you have questions.
Will the Flyers hear their names called tonight? They should, but one too many conference tourney upsets could send UD reeling into the NIT. If that happens, blame Saint Joseph's and Langston Galloway. Thirty percent of the Flyers' losses (that would be three) came at the hands of the Hawks. Galloway won two of those with late jumpers and one unfortunate takedown of Kyle Davis.
Any chance UD plays in the First Four? No way. The preliminary round at UD Arena features two No. 11 seeds and two No. 12 seeds (and four 16 seeds that serve as the warmup acts). That means UD could be an 11 or 12 and not tip off the tourney at home. The NCAA can say what it wants, but it is not going to allow the Flyers to play in Dayton — unless the opposing coach is someone the committee dislikes.
Is Syracuse still a No. 1 seed? I'm sure some of the "experts" on ESPN probably think the Orange are still No. 1 in the polls. It seems they can do no wrong. If there's any question about the influence of the power conferences, wait until tonight's selection show on CBS. The Orange has lost five of seven and will be a No. 3 seed. Saint Louis has lost four of seven and will be a No. 8 seed.
Is the Big Ten good or bad? Our favorite power league didn't live up to the hype this season. Iowa's been terrible, Ohio State is just OK and Nebraska was the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. Still, it's not too late. Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State all are capable of playing in April. I guess.
What's the tourney's biggest misconception? Twenty wins used to be the benchmark of a successful season. Now that win total is as significant as the new Big East, which has Doug McDermott and … what else? Brad Brownell's Clemson Tigers are 20-12. Not even a win over Brian Gregory's Georgia Tech squad could get the Tigers near the bubble.
Got any surprise teams? This tournament is so wide open that I'm ready for anything. Four overlooked teams that could make the Final Four: Kentucky, VCU, Iowa State, Oklahoma State. You could put Wichita State on that list, too. The Shockers will be a No. 1 seed, but they'll be scratched off a lot of brackets in the second round. And I mean the real second round, not what the NCAA now calls the third round.
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