9BLACK D9 DAILY 02-17-08 MD M1 D9 BLACK

The Washington Post x M1 Sunday, February 17, 2008 D9 FastBreak

SEEDING THE FIELD BY THE NUMBERS College reporter Eric DAN STEINBERG | EXCERPT FROM THE D.C. SPORTS BOG Prisbell places the 65 teams in the 28 NCAA tournament field, which will be Days until Selection Sunday announced on March 16. 23 EAST REGION Rebounds by Clemson’s J.J. Hickson against North Carolina State, an ACC 1. Duke 16. A. Peay/Ala. St. freshman record Boatloads of outside Must-see play-in game. shooters Not. 0 2. Georgetown 15. Morgan State Substitutions made by Kentucky Needs strong finish for Hampton sliding back Coach in the second half No. 2 seed of the Wildcats’ 67-63 win at LSU 3. Xavier 14. UMBC 11 Could be headed to Has not lost since Jan. Points in the first half by Iowa State, D.C. Region 19 the lowest-scoring half by a Big 12 team in the conference’s history. The 4. Wisconsin 13. Kent State Cyclones nonetheless went on to Got swept by Purdue Ohio game was beat Nebraska, 60-52. measuring stick

5. Drake 12. VCU 550 Never easy playing in Rams may need to win Career victories for Cal Coach Ben Carbondale, Ill. CAA tourney Braun, who in his 31st season is the 10th-winningest active coach 6. Texas A&M 11. Syracuse Aggies surging toward No margin for error 2006 March The last time year in which Oklahoma State won a Big 12 road game before 7. Arizona 10. Ohio State yesterday’s win at Texas A&M A team no one wants to Last team in from weak play Big Ten 11 Consecutive victories for Purdue, its 8. Mississippi 9. Saint Joseph’s BY DAN STEINBERG — THE WASHINGTON POST longest streak since winning 11 Needs to improve SEC Hawks are under the George Mason student Mike Daversa, left, outscarfed Jeff Hamilton and others to win the pie-eating contest at Homecoming. straight late in the 1995-96 season record radar 376 MIDWEST REGION Free throws made this season by Wisconsin, 32 more than the 1. Kansas 16. Sacred Heart Badgers’ opponents have attempted Still top seed after Three-team race in At Mason, Good Clean Fun Texas loss Northeast 1-5 Baylor’s record since cracking the 2. North Carolina 15. American Associated Press top 25 for the first So many near losses Almost everyone in time since 1969 Patriot race Meets a Generation Gap 3. Michigan State 14. Cornell At first glance, the parking lots outside concerns, as did a request to bring back Homecoming into an event. QUOTABLE A cluster at top of Big Dangerous Ivy team Patriot Center yesterday had everything the giant racing tricycles. “We created this from scratch, and we Ten you might expect from a sunny The FSC still erected a stand-alone tried to do something bigger and bigger “It’s as simple as this: midafternoon basketball Homecoming basketball rim and held shooting contests every year, because we don’t have 40 years 4. Connecticut 13. Oral Roberts tailgate. There were pie-eating contests yesterday, and there were still hundreds of of history to draw upon,” said Greg Brown, There is no other Has anyone been Needs to win league and couples lip-syncing to Boyz II Men, pounds of grilled animals and thousands of one of the group’s leaders, who chalked up two-player combination hotter? tourney Mr. Mason contestants wearing kilts and fans enjoying about as nice a mid-February any hurt feelings to “growing pains.” in the country that is as fraternity-sponsored DJs sending out their tailgating day as you could imagine. And The younger generation, meantime, 5. Washington State 12. Davidson love to the female thong, beer pong tables there were plenty of hosannas to the new, has been busy creating its own traditions. excellent at making Low has been held in At-large chances and young men guzzling boxed Franzia post-Final Four George Mason, the One fraternity roasts a pig every outrageous, spectacular check improving wine, cheerleaders asking George Mason George Mason that can sell out Homecoming and takes photos of its trivia questions and cars painted with the consecutive home games for the first time members kissing the blackened pig on the shots, defended, 6. Pittsburgh 11. Dayton latest in CAA smack (“Beat the poo poo in school history. snout; another provided two of the three deep-range shots, as Beat G-town and Duke Still trying to overcome out of UNCW”). But there were also those who missed pie-eating winners yesterday. injuries those guys.” And, of course, there were the foam the bucking of that mechanical bull, those “I still smell pudding in my nostrils,” Georgia Coach Dennis Felton, on hands with the index and pinky fingers who wished for a slightly different Mike Daversa pointed out as he 7. Gonzaga 10. Baylor Tennessee’s Chris Lofton and JaJuan extended, which were given away in honor security-to-revelry ratio, those who attempted to expunge the dining Smith Zags playing three Tough stretch for Bears of this year’s Homecoming theme: Mason wondered why the beer pong cups had to hall-produced cream pie from his nose. straight on road Rocks. be filled with water and coke. One group “My girlfriend called me an idiot for “We threw it all over the What was missing? Well, the took a sign announcing an absolute doing it, but she won’t be complaining 8. Arkansas 9. BYU mechanical bull, for one thing. prohibition on drinking games and planted now that we got a free dinner out of it.” gym. I asked them: Pretty bland tourney UNLV still in the hunt Brief back story: After Mason turned its it in the middle of a beer pong table. The Sure, the tailgate was slightly sanitized, résumé ‘What’s wrong? You winter Homecoming into a non-BYOB game was shut down in a matter of and we all missed the bull, but as you event last winter, hundreds revolted, minutes. walked out past the trio lip-syncing nervous because he’s SOUTH REGION taking their party off-campus to a mall “This tailgate represents Mason well: “Barbie Girl,” past the pig kissers and the here?’ And every one of parking lot, an event that drew hundreds It’s a lot of people trying to have a good Tony Skinn jerseys, past former Patriots them raised their hand.” 1. Memphis 16. Belmont and sucked much of the life out of the time and being held down by the man,” guard Tim Burns and past the Fairfax Kansas Coach , on the effect Dodged a scare at UAB Pounded North Florida university’s event. The Fairfax Social Club, junior Alli Coates said. “They’re trying to Social Club members posing for group former coach had on the an alumni group that in tailgates past had keep it always clean and fun, but this is photos by their basketball rim, you Jayhawks at a recent practice 2. Texas 15. UNC Asheville been responsible for beer pong games college, and they can’t wrap their heads couldn’t help but think that this Are Horns better Winthrop on its heels inside Ryder trucks, giant racing tricycles around that.” Homecoming was a lot better than no without Durant? and remote-controlled NASCAR races, led The FSC’s members framed their Homecoming at all. NOTABLE that defection. concerns in a slightly different manor. Now “A typical basketball game, I’m one of MEAC SHOCKER: Darryl Demps’s 3. Stanford 14. Rider But for the first time this winter, the in their mid-30s, several of the group’s four people drinking outside. This is 100 free throw with 13.7 seconds left in B. Lopez is an Remember Jason university got an ABC license for members have started families; others have times the size of a normal tailgate,” senior overtime boosted Florida A&M to a unheralded star Thompson Homecoming, and the Fairfax Social Club children on the way. They no longer attend Will Curley said as the kilted guy walked 90-89 upset win over Morgan State. came back, promising, among other tailgates primarily for liquid-based reasons, past us. “Plus you’ve got a Homecoming Lamar Smith scored a game high 34 4. Butler 13. Stephen F. Austin things, a mechanical bull. That got shelved but rather to attempt to top their previous Court guy in a kilt. That says a lot right points and pulled down 12 rebounds Young players are Southland remains by the university, due to risk-management stunts, to continue turning this Patriot there.” for the Bears (15-9, 9-2 Mid-Eastern X-factor competitive Athletic Conference). 5. Notre Dame 12. Oklahoma Harangody is one of Longar made surprise nation’s best return

6. Indiana 11. Mississippi State ON BASKETBALL Is the end near for Arkansas game big in Sampson? SEC West

7. Marquette 10. Massachusetts Playing by the Rules of the Game Golden Eagles have Needs to climb in A-10 FEINSTEIN, From D7 the NCAA tournament that year or charges so serious violations were merely secondary in nature. This is the strong credentials standings they couldn’t be completely ignored. equivalent of President Bush asking Dick Cheney to important than that, Gordon is one of the country’s hot Even Maryland, which got hit harder than anyone in investigate Alberto Gonzales. 8. Maryland 9. Southern Cal freshmen, and everyone knows that next season he will recent memory (two years without postseason, one But the issue here isn’t really Indiana. Needs more bench Hackett’s injury could be one of the NBA’s hot rookies, not an Indiana without TV) wasn’t actually sanctioned until it had slid There have been a lot of changes at the NCAA since production be significant sophomore. into mediocrity in 1991. Myles Brand took over as president. He has said The best description of NCAA justice came from, of Of course the most glaring example of NCAA justice repeatedly that he wants the organization to be more WEST REGION all people, , who seemed to be battling came in 1990 when the NCAA sanctioned defending responsible and fair to “student-athletes,” because they the NCAA throughout his coaching career. When national champion Nevada-Las Vegas, coached by are the heart and soul of college athletics. How his 1. Tennessee 16. Portland State $10,000 fell out of the air-express envelope sent from Tarkanian. The violations were serious enough that former school is handled will make for an interesting Tops in RPI Won back-to-back road the Kentucky basketball office to a Kentucky recruit’s they eventually forced Tarkanian, an icon in Vegas, to test case. games father in 1989, Tark shook his head sagely and said, leave. It is also worth noting the difference between how the “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky, it’s going to put But, with Vegas returning all five starters and due to NCAA deals with players as opposed to schools. If a 2. UCLA 15. Pacific Cleveland State on probation for another two years.” be a ratings giant in the winter of 1991, the Rebels were player is accused of some kind of violation — playing in Rematch with USC Beat Long Beach by 15 The message was clear and correct: If you are allowed to postpone their probation until 1992. They a non-sanctioned AAU tournament for example — his tonight program that generates big revenue in college athletics, didn’t win the national championship, but they went to school is almost required to hold him out of games until there is probably a way to squirm off the hook. The the Final Four with a 34-0 record before being upset by an investigation has taken place or risk forfeitures if the 3. Louisville 14. Utah State latest way to escape serious NCAA jail time is the Duke in one of the highest-rated college basketball NCAA rules the athlete should have been ineligible. No more white suits, Lost at Nevada by five now-popular “self-reporting” of violations. The way it games ever played. When a school is involved it is just the opposite: No please works is that someone gets caught cheating and the Indiana won’t have its two best players back next one is penalized until the investigators report back; school says, “we’re shocked — shocked — to learn year. It might very well have a new coach and it will send the report to the school; the school responds and a 4. Purdue 13. Western there’s cheating going on. We will thoroughly probably be rebuilding. There are probably two ways to hearing is held. Is this more fair? Yes, but individuals Painter has chance at Kentucky investigate ourselves and recommend our own penalties avoid a postseason ban: fire Sampson or persuade deserve the same. coach of year Hilltoppers get to the NCAA.” Gordon to come back for another year. And why, exactly, does any school need three months automatic bid Frequently when the NCAA infractions committee Of course if Sampson lied, he absolutely should be to respond to charges? The questions here are pretty recommends penalties, it points out that while the fired. But so should Rick Greenspan, the athletic simple: Was Sampson involved in phone conversations 5. Kansas State 12. Ariz. State violations are major, the school “cooperated,” therefore director who opted to hire him two years ago even he should not have been involved in? If the answer’s yes Bad trip to Lubbock Bad RPI an issue the penalty is the loss of a scholarship and “five years of though he had already been found guilty of hundreds of — as seems likely — he and the school are guilty. probation.” against-the-rules calls while at Oklahoma. His weak excuse when the story first broke — that he 6. Saint Mary’s 11. South Alabama Now, the NCAA will point out that Kentucky did go Why Indiana, which prided itself on its purity didn’t know the calls were violations — holds no water: Scored only 54 vs. An at-large bid for the on probation in 1989. Maryland got nailed in 1990 after throughout ’s tenure (and actually since Everyone should know the rules but those who have Santa Clara Sun Belt the Bob Wade coaching fiasco. Michigan got tagged a 1960), would hire anyone with such a reputation is hard been caught breaking them should know better than few years ago after it came out that the Fab Five was to understand. anyone. 7. Vanderbilt 10. UNLV actually the “Hands-Out Five.” Baylor put itself on Indiana President Michael McRobbie announced Sampson may very well get fired. If Greenspan Did you see the Will fight with BYU for probation after Dave Bliss might have broken every Friday that Greenspan would conduct a seven-day doesn’t get fired, too, that would be a huge injustice. Kentucky score? MWC title single rule that exists and invented a few new ones to investigation into the latest charges. Even if the But even if both are fired, the Hoosiers will be there break. Georgia and Fresno State self-imposed bans, and “investigation” is just a smokescreen to give the school when the ball goes up in mid-March. 8. Rhode Island 9. Clemson St. John’s and St. Bonaventure have also been on time to negotiate a buyout with Sampson, how can That might all change a year from now, when Indiana Rams still have strong In fight for third in ACC probation. Greenspan be put in charge of anything in this case? is 16-14 and not going anywhere. In the meantime, the

RPI Those are all at least semi-big names. But most of Not only is Greenspan the guy who hired Sampson, he’s people at Cleveland State had better not do anything

those cases involved either teams that weren’t going to the guy who reported to the NCAA that Sampson’s wrong if they know what’s good for them. 9BLACK D9