Most Memorable Pictures from March Madness 2014

Aaron Craft is devastated after Ohio State's first round exit to Dayton

The Arizona State bench after Texas' buzzer beater layup in the round of 60

SF Austin's bench is elated after the four point play to send their game against VCU into overtime

Mercer player dances in ecstasy after their unexpected upset of Duke

Dayton's Devin Oliver stands in the foreground while his teammates celebrate their victory of Syracuse

DeAndre Kane makes a layup with just seconds left to send Iowa State to victory over North Carolina

Creighton coach Gregg McDermott hugs his son Doug McDermott after their loss to Baylor

Aaron Gordon slams home a massive alley-oop for Arizona against San Diego State University

Kentucky's Aaron Harrison hits a miraculous game-winning shot against Michigan in the elite eight

DeAndre Daniel's monster throw down against Florida set UConn on the path to victory

Aaron Harrison hits yet another game winner for Kentucky in the Final Four against Wisconsin

Kentucky's James Young provides the dunk of the tournament in the championship game

Shabazz Napier soaks in the festivities after UConn's unlikely NCAA Championship victory

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Prediction: (7) Connecticut vs. (8) Kentucky

Let me just start by revisiting the entire spectacle that has been March Madness this year... It wasted no time getting underway as Dayton upset Ohio State in just the first game of the tournament.  Then came incredible nail biters that included UNC-Providence, Connecticut-St. Joe's, Texas-Arizona State, and Louisville-Manhattan, as well as several outrageous upsets including Duke-Mercer, Harvard-Cincinnati, ND State-Oklahoma, and, my pick for best game of the tournament, SF Austin-VCU (still haven't found the foul on the four point play). This was absolutely the best round of 60 in recent memory, but the rest of the tournament was fantastic too, with underdogs like Dayton, UConn, and Kentucky driving far into the tournament and favorites (see: Kansas, Louisville) dropping like flies. I don't think there is a single person out there who would deny that UConn and Kentucky are the two teams that deserve to be in the title game, with the way they have played in the tournament and the caliber of teams they have beaten. A matchup between a seven seed and an eight seed in the finals of this tournament really speaks to the excitement and uncertainty of college basketball, and, quite honestly, the future couldn't look any brighter for the sport.

These are the highest combined seeds in title game history
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 7, 2014

Now that the recap is over, lets focus on all that we have left to focus on: UConn vs. Kentucky. The teams stack up fairly evenly, with Kentucky looking the more potent offensive team but UConn being the stronger defensive team. Overall, I think the game is going to come down to whether Kentucky can keep the game close until the final minutes. If they can, I have tremendous faith in the performance of of the Wildcats down the stretch and think they will pull out the win. The problem with this is, they have to make it to the last several minutes within reach of the Huskies. I think the Huskies have more consistent scoring options (Napier, Daniels, Boatright, Giffey vs. Randle and Young) and will be the better team defensively. However, I believe that, despite these advantages that UConn has, Kentucky will manage to stay in the game for several reasons. First off, they are lead by John Calipari, and I have no reason to believe that he will let Kentucky simply slide out of the game. Additionally, in nearly every game during this tournament a different person has stepped up for Kentucky, whether it be Marcus Lee or Alex Poythress, and I think the same will occur tonight (watch out for Dakari Johnson). Thus, I have Kentucky winning in a thriller (Aaron Harrison sound familiar?) by a final score of 71-69. So long college basketball, it's been a great season...

Game Recap: (1) Florida vs. (7) Connecticut

If you told me that Shabazz Napier would have just 12 points and Casey Prather would combine with Patric Young to score 34 points, I quickly would have flown to Vegas and placed all of the money on the Florida Gators. However, UConn didn't need Napier to have an incredible scoring game, as DeAndre Daniels dominated, with 20 points and 10 boards, and only one starter scored fewer than 10 points. Meanwhile, outside of of Young and Prather, not a single Gator scored more than 7 points. Florida have succeeded this season because they receive great contributions from nearly all of their players, but today, Scottie Wilbekin, Michael Frazier II, Will Yequete, and Dorian Finney-Smith combined for just 12 total points, despite the four of them averaging more than 40 combined points per game during the season. Before the game, people were unsure of whether UConn had the depth behind Shabazz Napier, but with the performances of Daniels, Boatright, and Giffey against Florida, they look a quite formidable team entering the finals.

Game Recap: (4) San Diego State University vs. (1) Arizona

Pac 12 player of the year Nick Johnson was 0 for 10 from the field for 0 points with under three minutes remaining and Arizona leading by just three.  When he finally got it going, they didn't have too much trouble closing out the game.  Johnson scored 15 points in the final three minutes including all eight of his free throws, but he really has Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to thank for even putting him in the situation to have that sort of finish.  Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson ended the game with more than half of Arizona's points, which will give them great hope going forward, as previously it's been Nick Johnson carrying most of the load.  Some credit must be given to Sand Diego State, in particular Xavier Thames and Josh Davis, for having the upper hand for much of the game, but in the end, Arizona was simply the better team.

Game Recap: (4) UCLA vs. (1) Florida

There is no doubt in my mind that UCLA's Kyle Anderson was the best player in this game.  However, as is generally the case, Florida won because they were the better overall team.  There was not a single player on Florida that didn't have an impact when they were in the game, but undoubtedly the most impressive performance from Florida was that of Scottie Wilbekin down the stretch.  Wilbekin made several impossible shots to seal the game for the Gators, including an outrageous banked jump shot over a much taller defender to put them up seven with just 2:38 left.  Though this contest was much closer than the score would indicate, Florida will be enthused by the result over a UCLA team that I believe had one of the most talented rosters in the whole tournament.

Game Recap: (6) Baylor vs. (2) Wisconsin

Wisconsin was criminally underrated coming into this game against the Baylor Bears.  People ate up the exciting, fast paced offense of the Bears and rejected the slow, often boring play style of the Badgers.  It just goes to show that exciting basketball doesn't always make efficient basketball, while boring basketball, when used correctly, can make for extremely effective basketball.  The Badgers played great defense and (to nobody's surprise) ran half court set after half court set to perfection on their way to an absolute route of Baylor.  The television providers won't be happy, but Wisconsin will move on to the Elite Eight and look poised to stay in the tournament even longer.

Game Recap: (11) Dayton vs. (10) Stanford

Coming into this game, the majority of college basketball experts said that Stanford had the better team, and I would have agreed with them.  Stanford have fantastic scoring threats - Dwight Powell, Josh Huestis, and Chasson Randle all average double digit points - and they played in a slightly more prestigious league than Dayton, the Pac 12.  However, they never could have expected the level of intensity and hustle that Dayton would bring to the game.  Simply enough, Dayton wanted the win so much more than Stanford.  Maybe at some point Dayton's lack of world-beating talent will catch up to them, but it hasn't happened yet... So long Stanford cowbell boy, and hello Dayton Flyers.  Welcome to the Elite Eight.

College Basketball Bubble Watch

With just days left before the end of the season, we will look at several College Basketball teams who are on the bubble in terms of making it into the NCAA tournament.  These teams will mainly be teams that may not be in the big dance yet, but with a good end to the season and a solid performance in their conference tournament, they could be primed to hear their name on Selection Sunday.

Looks Like We Made It
These teams may have been forced to deal with the bubble for much of the year, but chances are, bar a dismal conference tournament performance, they will be seeing themselves on March Madness brackets.



St. Joseph's - The Hawk's success in the Atlantic 10 is undeniable, as their in-conference record of 11 and 3 is only worse than Saint Louis.  With wins over VCU and Dayton, as well as a reasonably difficult out-of-conference schedule where they had quality losses to Creighton, LSU, Temple, and Villanova, St. Joseph's should make the tourney despite being on the bubble for much of the season.

Oklahoma State - Early in the season they looked a lock for a high tournament seed, but after seven game loosing streak, Oklahoma State's tourney chances looked bleak.  With Marcus Smart back, though, the Cowboys have won four straight convincing games over solid teams, including victories over Kansas and Kansas State.  Regardless of whether they win their final game against Iowa State, Oklahoma State now seem a lock to be a member of March Madness.

Pittsburgh - The final half to the year has been terrible for Pitt after starting off winning 16 of their first 17.  Though they will be disappointed that they did not finish the season on a very high note, all of their losses have been against very respectable teams, and their solid overall record of 22 and 8 should be enough to carry them into the tournament.

Baylor - Baylor were sitting right in the middle of the bubble until their upset win over Iowa State on Tuesday night.  With a passable conference record (in the most competitive conference in college basketball this year) and a good overall record, as well as several great wins against ranked opponents, Baylor have finally jumped off of the bubble and into the tourney.

Xavier - Nobody would have penciled Xavier firmly into the tournament a week ago, but a win against Creighton will have provided a tremendous boost to their resume, even if they followed it up with a loss to Seton Hal.  After all, the selection committee has to select more than just two teams from the Big East, right?  Right?  RIGHT?!?!


Kansas State - K-State has some bad losses, like really bad losses (North Colorado and Charlotte), but they also four wins against ranked opponents. Despite just losing to Oklahoma State, the game beforehand they had upset Iowa State, which essentially made certain they would be in the tournament. Their final game against Baylor could be an interesting game in terms of tournament seeding, but both teams should be in regardless.

Arizona State - The Sun Devils have not dominated their in-conference opponents, but a 10 and 7 conference record should be enough to send them to the tournament.  It doesn't hurt them that the Pac-12 is regarded as a fairly good conference this year.  Oh yeah, a double-overtime win against Arizona can't hurt either.

Colorado - Chances are, the selection committee won't accept more than seven teams from the Pac-12 into the tournament, and with Arizona, UCLA, and Arizona State taking up three of those spots, there are five teams fighting for the last four spots.  What separates Colorado from these five are their supreme overall record of 20-9 as well as a huge early-season win against Kansas.

Arkansas - Behind Florida and Kentucky, Arkansas have now absolutely solidified themselves as the third best team in the SEC, a spot which will surely guarantee them a spot in the tournament.  Not only do they have a great overall record of 20 and 9 but they also swept the season series against Kentucky.

Gonzaga - Gonzaga will be disappointed that they were not able to capitalize on several opportunities to beat bigger programs like Kansas State and Memphis outside of the West Coast Conference, but ultimately they finished with a fantastic overall record of 25 and 6 as well as an in-conference record of 15 and 3.  Sitting at first place in the WCC, nobody can deny that despite their lack of big wins the bulldogs deserve to be around for March Madness.

Still on the Bubble
These teams, despite their best efforts, have still not guaranteed a birth in the NCAA tournament.  Some teams on this list will find that all they have to do is win their last one (or two) game to ensure that they are in the tourney, while others will need to couple that with a significant run in the conference tournament.  Realistically, a group of these teams will probably live to see March Madness, but another portion will probably find themselves playing in the NIT.  It is more than likely that all of these teams will be sweating it out on Selection Sunday.

Oscars Sunday has absolutely nothing on Selection Sunday. Think about what you’ll be doing two weeks from this moment.
— Eye on College BBall (@EyeOnCBB) March 3, 2014

George Washington - Wins against St. Joseph's and Fordham in the final two games of the season would likely be enough to see GW enter the NCAA tournament.  A lack of quality wins could cause voters to hesitate but I think it's unlikely that they would be left out if they win out.

Dayton - They are perhaps a more qualified to enter the tourney out of the Atlantic 10 than George Washington and Richmond, but their record still is beneath GW's.  Maybe a win against Saint Louis would be enough for voters to forget the records and go with the resumes.

Richmond - There is no doubt that Richmond would need a lot to happen to be accepted into the tournament out of the Atlantic 10 with a fairly mediocre record, but if they upset both VCU and Dayton in their final two games and then make a splash in the A10 tournament, we could be hearing their name come March Madness.

Florida State - FSU are really on the brink of the NCAA tournament right now, but a win in their final game against Syracuse would surely push them through.  If they don't win, they would likely need a successful conference tournament run to make it to the big dance.

Clemson - A win against Pitt on March 8th is just the start of what Clemson need to do to get in the tournament.  Right now they have just one win against a top-25 opponent (Duke in January), so they will need a remarkable performance in the ACC tournament to get to the NCAA tournament.

West Virginia - The mountaineers are long shots at this point, but if they win their last two games against Oklahoma and Kansas, they could make a very serious case for being in the NCAA tournament.  Of course, they would have to have a good conference tournament as well.

Providence - A win against Creighton on March 8th and Providence is in the tournament, no questions asked.  The problem is, beating Creighton on the road is not an easy feat in the least.  If it helps, the Friar's already have one win against the Bluejays.

St. Johns - Even if they win their final game against Marquette, St. Johns will need to make a long run in the Big East tournament if they want to get to the big dance.  Their resume just isn't that impressive.

Georgetown - Georgetown has the worst record of any Big East team that has a chance to get into the tournament, so they definitely need to beat Villanova on March 8th to stay in contention. They probably will also need a big conference tournament performance, not to mention that they will need Providence and St. Johns to have poor Big East tournaments.

Minnesota - Minnesota are in a tough position.  They have some solid wins against ranked opponents but they also have a fairly bad record.  Thus, they will need to crush Penn State in their final game and at least win one or two games in the Big Ten tournament if they want to get to the big tournament.

Nebraska - Nebraska are definitely in better shape than Minnesota, because, despite the fact that they have a worse resume right now, they have the opportunity to play against ninth ranked Wisconsin on Saturday.  If they win that game, there is no doubt in my mind that they will jump Minnesota in the eyes of the selection committee.

Indiana - Though their chances look bleak, if they win against Michigan on March 8th and can make a run in the conference tournament, they may just sneak into the chaos that is March Madness.

Oregon - The reality is, Oregon could lose their final game to Arizona and still make the tournament with a decent run in the Pac-12 Tourney.  Their overall record is just so much better than the others teams vying for the same spot.

Stanford - Wins against two other bubble teams, Colorado and Utah, would be huge for Stanford down the stretch.  If they only manage to win one of the two, though, they still have a fairly good chance at being selected for the NCAA tournament.

California - Cal hasn't played great recently but a win against Arizona will make their resume stand out among the crowd.  Games against Utah and Colorado are not must wins, but California probably need to take at least one of the two.

Utah - If Selection Sunday were today, Utah would not be in the NCAA tournament, but with games against Cal and Stanford, two other bubble teams, coming up, they could be challenging for a spot come Pac-12 tourney time.

Missouri - Whether Missouri will make the tournament is almost entirely dependent on if they can beat Tennessee on March 8th.  Tennessee is the only other true bubble team coming out of the SEC, so that game will likely decide the fate of both teams.

Tennessee - See above... The game against Missouri on Saturday will ultimately decide which of the two teams enters the NCAA tournament and which is relegated to the NIT.  They both have nearly identical resumes up until now, so voters will likely see that game as a good indicator of which team deserves the spot more.

LSU - LSU have a very slim chance of getting to March Madness this year.  They need to win out against Vanderbilt and Georgia, and then have a long run in the SEC tournament.  Even then, I'm not sure they really have a shot at making the tourney.

BYU - Though they actually have more quality wins than Gonzaga does, the latter still edged them out for the title of the West Coast Conference.  If BYU make it to the semifinals or finals of the WCC tournament, they will likely be hearing their name called on Selection Sunday.

Southern Miss - Only one team is going to get out of the Conference USA, and it's either going to be Southern Miss or Louisiana Tech.  Because they both have very similar resumes, who gets the call is going to come doing to who advances further in the conference tournament.

Louisiana Tech - In the same exact scenario as Southern Miss, the reality is that whichever team can outlast the other in the Conference USA tournament will earn a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Green Bay - They won the Horizon conference regular season title, but that might not be enough for them, as the Horizon is by no means a good conference.  Though they do have on enormous win against UVA, it would be nice for their sake to win the conference tournament just to make sure that they don't get screwed over by the selection committee.

Important Announcement: College Basketball Section

In addition to writing fantasy football articles in the fall, Gabe Schmittlein will now be covering college basketball throughout the NFL offseason. Gabe has already written his first article, which compares Kansas' highly touted center Joel Embiid to Pacers center Roy Hibbert (you can find the article here). Be sure to keep an eye out for more of Gabe's posts regarding college basketball, especially as we approach March Madness.