I have figured out why folks made such a big deal about how the Tigers played on the road. It is because the NCAA selection committee has us penciled in for a road game in the tournament to start the season. It started with UCLA in San Jose, then there was Texas A&M in San Antonio and now we get Texas in Houston. You can’t tell me that it’s coincidental folks.

I personally want to thank Seth Davis for NOT picking us. Over the past 3 tournaments he has picked us 3 times. It’s kind of like me betting on the Tigers back in the day. I bet on the Tigers in 1984-85 I bet on the Tigers 4 times. Guess what their record was? Yep, you guessed it 31-4 and you can only guess which 4 they lost. So Seth stay off the bandwagon you are not welcome.

Anyone who thinks this Tigers team is weak and give them no chance to get to the Final Four knows nothing about basketball. So Mississippi State fans who want to talk, go right ahead and talk. It won’t do you a lot of good but go ahead. In fact, tell your coach and other school officials to do the same. The chip on the Tigers shoulders is large now but feel free to make it bigger. I want to encourage every media “expert” to pick against the Tigers. They are helping with the chip too.

I just don’t get how the 8th place team in the Big East is worth of an NCAA bid. Villanova finished 9-9 in their conference. I think that a winning record in your conference should be a MUST to be included in the Big Dance. I might take some heat for this but I think UAB is more deserving than Villanova. At least they went 12-4 in conference.

Six teams from the SEC got in and I’m wondering why. Quite frankly the Georgia upset should have eliminated Kentucky. And that pains me to say that. My uncles are huge UK fans. My Dad is a Memphis first, UK second guy even though he grew up in UK country. But the truth of the matter is that losses to Gardner Webb, UAB and Houston should have cost the Wildcats an NCAA bid. But any league that has a sub .500 team (GA was 14-16 in the regular season) roll through their tournament while having to play 2 games in a single day isn’t a 6 bid league.

165 teams finished the regular season at .500 or better. I’d like to see the NCAA toss our the conference tournaments. Then give the first 88 teams byes in the first round of a playoff. Then take the next 3 teams with the best conference records to make it an even 168. The first round would be the team with the best records would get the home court on Wednesday and Thursday of what would have been last week. That’s 80 schools playing 40 games to round the field off at 128. Then play 64 games over Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the home sites of the 64 best records. Memphis would be #1 and Mississippi State would be #64 based on conference record tiebreakers. Then you start the NCAA tournament just like you do now. Only difference would be Georgia, Coppin State and other bad teams wouldn’t be in the thing yet you have given every winning team a chance to win the thing.

Travis Ford, the UMass coach, said something on First Take that makes a lot of sense, “The NIT is a much better tournament that before because of the parody in college basketball.” I think the NIT would be competitive if teams would actually play in it. I’ve never seen so many players mail it in as they do in the NIT. The same will hold true for the CBI.