Projo College Hoops

Sanity in the midst of March Madness . . .

You think you'll ever see Wake Forest go to Cleveland to take on Cleveland State?

Not a chance.

You think Ohio State will ever take a trip to Loudonville, N.Y., to play Siena?

No way.

And why is that?

Because they're scared to death they'll get beat, as they did yesterday in the opening round of the NCAA tournament -- that's why.

And also because they don't have to. The system lets teams from the major conferences get away with simply saying they're good, rather than going on the road and proving it.

It is in the best interests of the power conferences and the television networks that continually air -- as well as endlessly, and shamelessly, promote -- their games to assert that the teams from those leagues are much the best in the world of college basketball.

Yet, in the most important games of the year -- those played in the NCAA tournament -- it's obvious that the teams from the power conferences aren't that much better than the best teams from the so-called mid-major conferences.

And, in some cases, they're clearly not as good.

Wake Forest finished second in the mighty ACC. Cleveland State finished third in the Horizon League and only got into the NCAA tournament because it won its conference tourney. Yet the Vikings manhandled the Demon Deacons, 84-69.

If the Deacs think that was a fluke, then their athletic director should be on the phone this very afternoon, saying Wake will come to Cleveland next year and show the Vikes who's boss.

You'll see that happen right after Dick Vitale proclaims the ACC is over-rated.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes made it to the finals of the Big 10 tournament, where they lost to Purdue. But they couldn't make it out of the first round of the NCAA tournament, losing in double overtime to Siena, 74-72.

Siena, which won both the regular season and conference tourney titles in the Metro Athletic Conference, also won its first-round NCAA tournnament game last year, knocking off Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference.

But did Vandy volunteer to go to Loudonville this season to teach the Saints a lesson? Nope. And you can bet the Buckeyes won't be rushing to make the trip next year, either.

The Big East likes to look down its nose at the A-10, yet Dayton, which lost recently in the Ryan Center to URI, disposed of the West Virginia Mountaineers, 68-60.

As I write this, Villanova is having a much easier time against UCLA, which has been to the Final Four the past three years, than it did in its first-round game against American, when the 'Cats had to overcome a double-digit deficit to subdue the Patriot League champions.

Don't count on Villanova making the short trip from Philly to D.C. next season to offer American a rematch.

And it wasn't as if powerful Pitt -- picked by some to win it all -- had an easy time with unheralded East Tennessee State in their opening-round game.

The big boys from the big conferences like to talk big. But, too often, when the time comes to put up, they get shut down.

Which is why they won't play good teams from so-called lesser conferences on the road in December, and pray fervently they won't have to face them in March

 Tags  March Madness; NCAA Basketball

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