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Monday meanderings about postseason college basketball: Northwestern fans are disappointed the Wildcats failed to gain their first NCAA tournament berth. Illinois fans are disappointed the Illini were not included in the NIT.
* NU (18-13) can feel snubbed because it had an RPI of 59. The only problem is there were six teams with better RPI ratings that also were not included in the Big Dance: Marshall (20-13) 43; University of Central Florida (20-10) 54;
Oral Roberts (27-6) 55; Akron (21-11) 56; Mississippi (20-13) 57; and Middle Tennessee (24-6) 58. You don;t have to be a Northwestern math major to know as far as making a case for NU, the numbers simply don’t add up.
* The Illini fired coach Bruce Weber after going 2-12 to end the season. Maybe if Weber still were coaching, Illinois would have had a shot. Without him and the turmoil that has surrounded the team — not exactly an attractive addition to the NIT.
Ahoy! A photo of figure competitor and fitness model Amy Rozier or something NCAA basketball tournament-related? Decisions, decisions.
* Is there a reason other than money and the possiblity of getting more teams into the NCAA tourney for conference tournaments? Some of us are old enough to remember when winning the conference postseason title meant something — because the loser didn’t make it to the NCAA festivities.
* Wondering whether there be should be some sort of rule that teams can’t be a No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament if they don’t win their own conference tourney. Of course, that would mean the conference tourneys would have to mean something. And that Kentucky wouldn’t have a No. 1 seed this season.
* Any coach who has a clause in his contract that provides financial incentives for postseason performance should be forbidden from complaining if his team doesn’t make the NCAA tournament. And if he does complain, he should be fined severely. Or at least the equivalent of what he would have earned for winning the NCAA title.
* Similarly, coaches complain about the seeding of their team in the NCAA tournament should be given a one-game suspension for every mention. Coaches complaing about other teams’ seeding should be assessed a technical foul for every mention.
OK, and now a mini-quiz regarding the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament:
1. The NCAA basketball tournament is popular because:
a. It is the epitome of amateur athletics
b. Coaches are the epitome of decorum during games
c. The phrase “student-athletes” is the epitome of
d. People can bet on it by participating in pools and consider themselves experts when they do well
2. The best way to fill out a bracket is to approach it a lot like betting on horse racing, meaning your choice should be based on:
a. Trainer (coach)
b. Colors (uniforms)
c. Past-performance charts (history)
d. Pulling a name out of a hat
3. The best barometer for a team’s success is:
a. Points per game
b. Field-goal percentage
c. Won-lost record
d. Total SAT scores for starting five
One of the joys of this job is the opportunity to meet new people. Such was the case at the Arnold Sports Festival March 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio. Among the fresh faces was Amy Rozier of Hattiesburg, Miss. Amy is a fashion designer-turned-figure competitor.
She was in Columbus not to compete but to have a photo shoot with Don Bersano, who has supplied numerous photos for this site. Amy was a delight to chat with. And, if anyone is wondering, her abs are for real. A little first-hand information. Hey, it’s all in a day’s work — if you’re fortunate and have a very broad definition of “work.”
It’s a little unclear what Amy has to do with a college basketball-themed post — oh, wait; there needn’t be any justification to run something about here. That’s the great thing about being the boss of your own site. Anyway, here is the video from Columbus:
Because Amy wasn’t competing at The Arnold, the editorial staff at elliottharris.com thought you should still be able to see her in action. So here we go with more video:
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