2010's Fab Five: So to Speak...

Note: Check out Pay's bracket reflections for 2010 HERE.

After last night's rather lengthy introduction, I'll make things short and sweet today, introduction-wise.


Here are 5 names you need to know before the tournament tips off.

Some you may know quite well, whereas others are names you've never even considered (or even heard of) having an impact on this tournament.

Nevertheless, they may end up mattering much more than you think.

In recent years, names like Will Thomas/Josh Pace/Courtney Lee/Rashad Anderson/Lee Humphrey/Danny Green and many many more popped up far more often than you might've expected, much to some people's surprise.



It can't always be the Okafor/Carmelo/Hansbrough/Battier/Dixon star of the favored teams that get all the praise, right?

Is there a better college hoops' pre-game than, "We are Georgetown"???

I doubt it.

Credit: DayLife.com

Midwest Regional: Chris Wright (PG, Georgetown)
It might be an oversimplication, but as Wright goes...the Hoyas' tournament chances go. Greg Monroe may be the MVP and Austin Freeman might be the team's #1 offensive impact player, but if Hoya Paranoia will sweep past the likes of a potential trio of opponents consisting of Tennessee, Ohio State, and Kansas...Wright has to be THE man. He also has to do it for 40 minutes - on both sides of the ball - during all three matchups. After seeing him play in the Big East Tournament, it isn't nearly the stretch it might've seemed earlier this season. Who does Wright remind me of? Ben Gordon and the UCONN Huskies (of both '03 and '04). Don't assume I'm putting Wright on equal footing skill-wise with Gordon. No dice. However, as Gordon went...so went the Huskies' Final Four aspirations. Check his stats during the '04 title run. Sick!

It's impossible to find a picture of Riley in game-action. That should tell you a lot.
This guy sees more court time than Riley...for now.

Credit: RootZoo.com

West Regional: DaShonte Riley (C, Syracuse)
Of course I had to go Syracuse. But stick with me for a minute. While Arinze Onuaku's "quad" injury has been anything but underreported, it still remains to be seen/guessed how Jim Boheim - for a game, two games, or the tournament - will balance his 7-man rotation. Especially if Onuaku struggles physically, with his conditioning, or avoiding fouls with heavy legs. Does Mookie Jones see increased minutes? Or is DaShonte Riley, a freshman who's played sparringly and produced even less, the man asked to fill the paint? Both seem unlikely. Nevertheless, a 6-man rotation (no matter how talented) can only get you so far in late March. If Rick Jackson finds himself in foul trouble, does Riley stand on a front line with Wesley Johnson and Kris Joseph? Or (gasp) do Riley and Jones somehow see playing time together. Scary, even borderline terrifying, questions for even the most adament Cuse supporters.

Kinda fun to look at that top 10, isn't it?

Credit: CNNSI.com

East Regional: Isaiah Thomas, Jr. (PG, Washington)
You want to make a name for yourself young man...here is your chance. The last Washington basketball player to come into the tournament with any legit hype was Nate Robinson (sorry, Spencer Hawes). Robinson's translated that - alongside considerable talent and grit - into NBA notability. The kid can sorta dunk well, too. As for Zeke Jr., he's been under the radar a little more than I expected. Ala Patrick Ewing Jr, perhaps. While Washington isn't advancing very far in many brackets, Jr remains a talented scorer and is playing his best basketball of the year right now (Baby Zeke took home MVP of the Pac-10 Tournament...yeah, they still had one). A glaring weakness does appear to be his assist-to-turnover ratio (92 assists to 76 turnovers); however, you gotta love a sophomore shooting over 93% from the charity stripe. He has the pedigree, but does he have the moxy to keep his team alive after the first weekend?

It's hard to find a player from Finland to root for. Too bad (for me) he's a Monarch.
Credit: ODUSports.com

South Regional: Gerald Lee (PF, Old Dominion)
I had to go mid-major. I had to go CAA. Double duh! With Eric Maynor out of the picture (finally, George Mason fans), star billing in one of America's premiere mid-major conferences fell to - of all people - a Finish import named Gerald Lee. He's also a mid-major European big man who isn't overly obsessed with shooting the 3-ball. A rare, athletic talent at his size (6'10), Lee was the only Monarch to score (14.6) in double digits this season. A sign for concern? Hardly. ODU plays suffocating defense, crashes the glass on both sides extremely effectively, and Lee plays as well with 2 fouls in the first half as any player I've seen in the country. Especially those who aren't Dookies being protected by the shield. Yeah, I said it. Adding to that, Lee also owns two wins over Georgetown. Not too many others can say that in the past four seasons. Notre Dame has a talented frontcourt; however, I want to see Gody and company contain the 6'10 Finn inside the paint. ODU may even be able to force Notre Dame into old bad habits, chucking up countless 3s against a tough 3-2 zone, thanks in large part to Lee's ability to guard off the ball and rebound in the paint against lankier opponents. Silky smooth may be overused, but it describes Lee to a T. Hey, that rhymed!!!

Seriously, watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. PLUG!


Credit: HoustonPress.com

Wild-Card: Green Man (Location: TBA)
He'll show up in a variety of colors and at more locations than you may expect. Nevertheless, the spawn (or at least the best usage ever) of an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia-cult classic is one of the funniest and most welcome sites in student sections across the country. Do your thing, Green Man. For all of us.

There's plenty of other names out there. (*Cough* Kevin Anderson of U of R)
YOU tell ME who they are...for you.

Man, you gotta experience this live. It's unmatched in my book.
Even as a loyal Cuse fan.



Note: Check out Pay's bracket reflections for 2010 HERE.

Who is this year's Fab Five...so to speak???

Quick! Can YOU name the Fab Five?
You know, the Fab Five of Michigan basketball (circa 1992-1993).

Can you name all 5 of us? Most can't.
Credit: Sneakernews

It's a tougher trivia question than you think...
...but don't worry. I'll talk you through it.

Let's have a little background first though. Google Search...STAT!

In many ways, the Michigan basketball recruiting class known as the Fab Five will be forever young. Black socks pulled high, baggy shorts sagging low and cocksure looks on their baby faces, the most heralded freshman class in college basketball history stormed onto the American stage in 1992 by becoming the first all-freshman starting five to reach the Final Four. (Courtesy: NYTimes.com)

Let's start off easy. Go with the obvious first. The top dog. #1. Chris Webber.

Of course we're talking about THIS guy. Sorry, Michigan fan.
Credit: BleacherReport.com

I know, I know. Cheap shot (picture). Truth be told though, I loved that team. Another truth, they were sophomores that season. They were also better for college basketball than you might think in retrospect. Banners being taken down withstanding. (And yes I hear you, UNC fan. He traveled well before the errant timeout was called, too. BIG TIME. It wasn't even close.) Nevertheless, let's continue.

Remember the #2 on the team? This guy? The guy the Bullets basically bankrupted their franchise for? Juwan Howard.

#3 isn't far behind. In fact, you could easily make the argument that he was their #2. Either way, he's actually not a bad in-studio analyst for ESPN these days. Jalen Rose.

#4 and #5 are a little tougher. In fact, they're ridiculously tough.
One of them got drafted - by Toronto (remember THESE uniforms!?!?) - and then...you somehow remember #4!!! Jimmy King.

I will CROWN you! Oh wait, wrong Jimmy King.
Credit: IMDB.com

You're 1 away from immortality...so to speak.

But who on Earth is #5? This is where you WIN or LOSE the lady's heart (aka trivia contest for sporting uber-nerds). But you invariably forget and curse yourself for another second place finish. If only you remembered...Ray Jackson. He's #5.

While we don't have a Fab 5 this tournament (nor are we likely to EVER see one again...save the machinations of John Calipari), there are 5 players in this tournament you just GOTTA know...no matter how brief their stay may be.

Talk about your lengthy introduction...

I'll be back tomorrow with five players - at least 1 from each region - that you better be up-to-date with. Enjoy the waiting game...

Until then, I'll ease the torturous suspense with a memorable clip.
And NO, it won't be of C Web traveling or timeoutting when he didn't have any left.
Even I'm not that cruel...or am I???

God bless the YouTube gods. And ellipses.
...

Underrated's Last 10 Seasons

Am I short changing the Spartans too easily? Perhaps.
Not like it hurt me with UNC's last outing though.
Nevertheless, let's take a peak at the past ten national championship games and see how similar trains of thought would've fared.

And yes, I am calling some #1-seeds pretty heavy favorites over other #1-seeds (see: 2007). Why? Because I'll back it up.
We're not talking about many, or any, coin flips here.

All odds courtesy of Statsheet.com. (NA=Not available)
The covers, well they don't need a source unless you're brain dead.
God bless the Internet.

2008 - Kansas vs. Memphis (-1.5)

Commentary: The first time four-#1 seeds had ever reached the Final Four, the earliest lines fluctuated from a pick'em to Memphis by as many as 2. This may, in fact, be as close to an actual pick'em as we've seen in the past 10 (or 1, if you wanna be a smartass) championship matchups. It should come as no surprise that the game was competitive, that it went to overtime, and that nobody would've been legitimately surprised with either team winning. Although it must be noted that Memphis seemed to have the game locked up. Key word: seemed. Perhaps this doesn't help or hurt the theory. Which probably makes it more negative than positive. Moving along...

2007 - Florida vs. Ohio State (NA)

Commentary: Despite being a #1-seed, having the future #1-overall pick (Greg Oden), and a fellow top-5 pick in Mike Conley Jr., the Buckeyes were big time underdogs to the defending national champion Gators. While Oden had plenty of dunks down low, Florida controlled nearly from start to finish. The Gators entered the tournament heavy favorites and the overall #1-seed. What resulted was a 84-75 victory that was never truly in question. Score one for the overwhelming favorites.

2006 - Florida (-1.5) vs. UCLA

Commentary: Avoiding a few early scares - namely against Georgetown - Florida breezed past Cinderella-story-of-the-century George Mason into the national championship game. Ditto for UCLA, who spanked LSU to give us one of the most borish Saturday nights in recent memory. While the Bruins had tradition, Ben Howland's defensive genius, and a talented backcourt (led by a guy named Farmar), Florida's starting 5 dominated from start to finish, defeating the Bruins with ease 73-57. A few West Coast-homers wondered if Howland had turned UCLA back into a national champion years earlier than expected. They're still waiting. Another W for the favorites...and the Gators.

Note: By the way, I still contend Vegas pushed this line so close to a pick'em in order to cash in HEAVILY with UCLA-homers. Which they did, by the way.

2005 - North Carolina (-2) vs. Illinois

Commentary: Clearly the best two teams in the country all season long, the Tar Heels were looking to help head coach Roy Williams secure his first national championship. While Illinois had plenty of talent - particularly in its backcourt (Williams & Brown) - the Tar Heels were stacked with lottery talent of their own (3, to be exact), including a guy taken over CP3 and Deron Williams (that's Marvin!). Despite a late surge from the Illini, the Heels cut down the nets for the 4th time in school history. Notice a trend? The upsets just aren't coming. No matter how close they came.

2004 - UConn vs. Georgia Tech (NA)

Commentary: Despite the heroics of Will Bynum throughout the tournament, there is NO realistic bet I would've taken, no odds friendly enough, for me to believe UConn was losing this game. Maybe if Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor tripped over each other on the way out of the tunnel and each tore their ACL...then we might've talked. In a game that had everything to do with a dominating double-digit lead, UConn ended up winning by 9 - by the way, this was as large of a 9-point victory as I can remember - 82-73. The Jackets had zero chance, folks. The overwhelming favorites never sweated for a moment.

2003 - Syracuse vs. Kansas (-5)

Commentary: Admittedly, I'm more than a little biased. Admittedly, I didn't pick Syracuse to advance past their national semi-final of the Final Four (I had them losing to my national champ, Texas). Admittedly, the media shortchanged this roster filled with one senior and a ton of underclassmen. Admittedly, Carmelo Anthony was far-and-away the most talented player on the court (sorry Collison and Heinrich). Admittedly, Jim Boeheim had lost twice before in the Superdome; having his heart broken, by a guy with the last name of Smart, in 1987. Admittedly, Kansas was favored, by 5 points. Admittedly, Syracuse was picked to lose by a similar margin to two other Big XII teams in the Elite Eight (Oklahoma) and National Semi-Final (Texas). Admittedly, this is the most satisfying single victory of my "fandom" career. Admittedly, this result doesn't help my theory much. Admittedly, this result doesn't hurt my theory much either.

2002 - Maryland (-7.5) vs. Indiana

Commentary: Indiana nearly tripped up against a guy named Blizzard and the Seahawks of UNC-Wilimgton in the second round; however, it was the near collapse against Duke that garnered all the headlines. It's also fun to note that they had to beat 10-seeded Kent State - with Antonio Gates on the frontline - to make the Final Four. Mike Davis led the upstart Hooisers as far as he could, losing to a talented, poised, and savvy Terrapins squad that seemed predestined to avenge the mistakes and heartbreaks of 2001. And so they did. Indiana hung around as best they could, but like he always did, Juan Dixon (leading the charge with a 22-8 to run to close out the game) was simply just too good. The Terps took home their first ever national championship, defeating the storied Hoosier program - sans Bobby Knight, of course - 64-52. This Terps team may be the most underrated national champions of the (young) century. Yep, the favorites won again, with relative ease too!

2001 - Duke (-3.5) vs. Arizona

Commentary: I didn't give this Arizona team nearly enough respect as it entered the tournament (shocker!). They only defeated #1-seeded Illinois in their regional final and then the defending national champs, Michigan State, to advance to Monday night's finale. Meanwhile, the Dookies were absolutely STACKED. Names like Battier, Williams, and Dunleavy should ring a few horrific memories. They even overcame a 39-17 deficit to defeat their ACC rivals, Maryland, in their national semi-final. Lauren Woods was in his 11th year with the Wildcats; however, it wasn't enough. Despite making an impressive run mid-way through the second-half, the lottery-stacked Dookies prevailed 82-72. Typically when Dook enters a title game as a favorite, they win. Typically. The trend is all but FACT over the past ten championships, isn't it? Oh yeah, my friend John Brady, cried at the end of this game. I don't blame him one bit, especially as a devoted Terps fan.

2000 - Michigan State (-4) vs. Florida

Commentary: The Flynt-stones weren't as hobbled as the announce team wanted you to believe (even Mr. Cleaves) and the Gators, an upstart 5-seed, weren't an adequate enough match for the nation's finest team. The Spartans had everything working for them. Funny thing is, Zach Randolph still wasn't on this team. Many of these players were a part of three-straight Final Fours andall 12 on the roster have rings after an 89-76. When a Tom Izzo-coached team scores 89, they're going to win. When a team is favored in the National Championship Game, they're likely to win too!

1999 - UCONN vs. Duke (-9)

Commentary: Now here we go. Let's not discount the talent on UConn. This was a team more than a great head coach (insert: Calhoun) and a star-in-the-making (insert: Rip Hamilton, tourney MOP might I add). In fact, they were #1-ranked an extra week (10 to 9) over the Dookies. They had the memorable moment (which often seems necessary to memorable title runs) too; with Hamilton breaking the hearts of UDub fans with his fading-fade away against the Huskies. I'll admit that I didn't give the Huskies much of a chance. Duke had a sensational roster - led by Elton Brand - and a coach with two titles in his back pocket. What resulted - in a Final Four played in Tampa of all places - was one of the few upsets in recent memory, with UConn winning 77-74. Not nearly as shocking as a 15 over a 2, but most people still penciled in the Dookies for their 3rd National Championship. This proves it's a trend/theory and not fact. But could it just be the outlier we need to remove? Could it???

In the end, I'm still picking the Tar Heels by a LOT. But maybe there is proof in this pudding.
JELLO PUDDING!!!

11 National Championship Game Questions

10 would be too cliche and 12 would be too much. So what do we do? 11!!!

If the Spartans want a realistic chance, exit Thabeet and insert Hansbrough in this picture.
Easier said than done, Clement.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

1) The oddsmakers have UNC as 7 1/2-point favorites. Which side are you on?

2) Which Tar Heel will walk out MOP with a win: Lawson, Hansbrough, Ellington, or Green?

3) Which Spartan will walk out MOP with a win: Lucas, Morgan, Sutton, or Lucious?

4) Which coach is most likely to earn a third, not just second, national championship?

5) Is this UNC team (Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington, Green) better than 2005's (May, Felton, McCants, M. Williams) national championship team?

6) What is the largest halftime deficit the Spartans could realistically overcome? Is their a deficit too large for the Heels?

Izzo better have a Calhoun-type lock on the refs if his team can avoid Lawson drawing double-digit fouls on the entire depth chart of Michigan State.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

7) I hate to say it, but could an injury to Lawson's toe (which seems as close to 100% as possible) be the best shot for the Spartans?

8) How large of an upset would the Spartans pull if they can go Giants over Patriots in a championship game "rematch"? In the span of ten years, is this potential storied upset most comparable to 1999's UConn over Duke (Dookies favored by 7, in case you forgot)? Do you have a better one?

9) Whose 3-point shooting is more important to their team winning? Is there a method to forcing Ellington into early misses in Izzo's playbook?

10) Will this game need an extra session like last year's title game (Kansas vs. Memphis)?

11) Mario Chalmers moment-time. Down 3, and you have the ball, with less than 10 seconds to go. Is Lawson or Lucas passing or taking the shot themselves? (Better question: is either coach calling for the foul?)

I hope all these answers are, in fact, answered. However, I remain Dr. Skeptismo.
We'll hopefully get more from Pay tomorrow - and perhaps myself - as tipoff approaches.
As for my score prediction...let's just say I have one team by 25+. I see shades of Duke/UNLV in '90, not '91.

That should say plenty. And yes, I'm saying the all-time largest margin of victory may be in danger.

Beware Tark. That record may be in trouble. Seriously.
Admittedly, this cover is MUCH better.
Credit: CNNSI.com