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Seminoles, Syracuse Solid Choices For Madness Marching

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By JOE HENDERSON

jhenderson@tampatrib.com

Published: March 15, 2009

TAMPA - My head hurts.

Really.

I like Dick Vitale, but enough whining that Saint Mary's got jobbed out of an NCAA Tournament bid. If that's the worst thing that happened Sunday when the brackets came out, then the right teams are in and it's going to be a terrific run to the Final Four.

It always is.

Florida State is feeling good - and it should. Something doesn't make sense, though. FSU and Utah are both seeded fifth in their regions, but the Seminoles have to travel more than 2,300 miles to Boise, Idaho, to face Wisconsin, while the Utes pass them in the air on the way to Miami to start the tournament.

But whatever.

Even in defeat Sunday at the ACC Tournament championship game against Duke, Leonard Hamilton's Seminoles proved they're one of the more dangerous teams not named Louisville.

After a blitzkrieg by Duke in the first half, FSU fought back by hitting 18 of 26 shots in the second half and cut a 17-point deficit to six before finally falling. The Seminoles will be a tough out for anyone.

There are seven ACC teams in the dance, same as the Big East and Big Ten. But man, did the selection committee put a facial on the Southeastern Conference.

Only three SEC teams got bids, and that's only because Mississippi State pulled an upset win in the tournament final. Otherwise, there would have only been two and maybe Saint Mary's could have gotten a bid and spared us from a Vitale meltdown.

Florida wasn't even listed among the so-called "bubble" teams left to contemplate the meaning of it all. The Gators got what they deserved because of a weak nonconference schedule. Next time, keep Southern Utah, Missouri-Kansas City, Winthrop and Longwood off the schedule. Play somebody decent.

Tough Draw For FSU

Everyone said the SEC was weak, and the committee agreed. LSU, the regular-season SEC champion, is a No. 8 seed. Tennessee, which lost in the conference championship game Sunday at the Forum, dropped to a No. 9. Mississippi State got the same No. 13 seeding as Akron.

But let's get serious. You've got your bracket (for entertainment purposes only, of course). You want information.

Let's take a shot, shall we?

FSU got a tough draw. The Seminoles can handle first-round opponent Wisconsin, but a potential second-round match with Xavier is a beast. The Musketeers beat Memphis, although that was in November. And going to Boise for those first-round games still is a bit baffling. What happened to the idea of having teams playing close to home when possible?

Last year was the first time all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four. It won't happen this year. The selection committee made Louisville the overall top seed in the tournament. It also gave the Cardinals a potential second-round matchup in Dayton with Ohio State, whose campus is just about an hour up Interstate 70.

Florida State could be headed for a Sweet 16 match against No. 1 seed Pitt, which could be one of the better games of the tournament.

And normally I'd run away, run away from a team like Syracuse after all the overtime the Orange put in during the Big East Tournament. They don't play until Friday, though, and their draw isn't that bad - assuming they can handle the mighty Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin in the opening round.

Dangerous team, the Orange.

Does It Right

We trash the way the NCAA chooses its Division I football champion, and rightfully so, but it gets basketball right. There is no BCS baloney this time of year. People whine about burst bubbles because it's something to blab about, but the selection committee usually gets it right.

No one can legitimately complain about the teams that received No. 1 seeds. Gator fans certainly can't complain, legitimately, about being ignored in the brackets. The right teams are in and the right teams are out.

So go for it, North Dakota State, against defending champion Kansas. And good luck to Seth Greenberg's brother, Brad, as he leads Radford against North Carolina.

It's tournament time.

Hit the mute button on Dick Vitale, take two Advil, and grab a bracket.

Your guess is as good as anyone else's.

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