Round 1

Round 2

The first thing you need to know about these rankings are that they are purely subjective.  I am not trying to objectively evaluate how much an athlete is hated by the general sports population.  Instead, I am simply providing my rankings and analysis for the players and sports figures I personally dislike the most.  Also, please note that the title of this entry is my “least favorite sports figures of all-time” not “least favorite athlete”.  The reason for this discrepancy is that I wanted this list to include announcers, columnist, owners, and coaches who cannot be considered athletes but still play a major role in how a game is played and/or analyzed.  Sometimes it’s the people who don’t directly decide the outcome of a game who are the easiest for me to fall in love with.  Moreover, you will see on this list that there is a disproportionate focus on athletes from individual sports.  The reason for that is simple: when I watch team sports, I tend to focus on the teams involved and not really build a particular amount of affection (or hatred) towards a particular player.  There are exceptions to this rule of course, but with individual sports, I feel that it is a lot easier to build a strong bond with the athletes competing.  Furthermore, unlike most of the lists I have published in the past, this one is written in ascending order to preserve the suspense in my countdown to # 1.

30.  Joe Lunardi (aka Joey Brackets)- Just like with my “favorite sports figures” list I am starting things off with a non-athlete.  First of all, “Joey Brackets” does seem like a nice enough guy, so unlike most people on the list, his ranking here has more to do with the way he is treated than anything he’s actually done wrong.  What I mean by that is that anyone that legitimately follows college basketball can do what he does and do it better, yet ESPN acts like his “Bracketology” is the word of the Lord and that only his opinion matters.  It’s a convincing rouse that the network has somewhat successfully brainwashed into fans’ head.  You will never hear about how accurate Joey’s bracket was after Selection Sunday because they don’t really want you to know that he’s actually not very good at his job.  Don’t believe me?  Check out how he has compared to other bracketologists including myself over the years (http://bracketproject.50webs.com/rankings.html).  The bottom line is that I just don’t like the guy because he gets paid a ton of money to do something that I do for fun, and I am better at it than him.  Jealousy?  Maybe a little…

29.  Kobe Bryant- You probably noticed from my “favorite sports figures” list that some of the greatest athletes of all-time are also some of my favorite athletes.  My problem is with the guys who are undeservedly compared to those greats.  These are the “posers” of sports who are often time very good but just don’t belong in the discussion of “greatest ever”.  Kobe is a perfect example of that, as he has achieved great NBA success but has no business being compared to Jordan or anybody else in the all-time NBA top 5.

28.  Brett Favre- I never liked the Green Bay Packers, so Favre was always a player who I held a somewhat unfavorable opinion towards.  However, he would not be on this list if it wasn’t for the annoying “fake retirements” that we have had to endure for the last 5 years of his career.

27.  Tiger Woods- I really liked Tiger when he was an amateur and when he first turned professional.  However, I have liked him less and less ever since he won that first Masters in 1997, and it really doesn’t have that much to do with his sex scandal.  Tiger’s become increasingly arrogant and obnoxious, and I hate how all golf coverage revolves around him regardless of how he’s playing.  It’s become so ridiculous that every time the guy hits one good shot, commentators and pundits start screaming “Tiger is back!!!”  The whole thing just reeks of desperation.

26.  Terry Bradshaw- Bradshaw played before my time, but he’s an extremely obnoxious announcer and the Steelers are my least favorite NFL franchise.

25.  Isiah Thomas- Thomas played like a thug and then acted even worse we he single-handedly ran an entire professional basketball league, the CBA, into the ground.  It’s nothing but poetic justice that he got fired at lowly Florida International at the end of this season and then replaced by Rick Pitino’s 29-year old son.

24.  Tonya Harding- Obvious choice for this list.  One of the great villains in sports history.

23.  Venus Williams- Never liked either of the Williams sisters.  Don’t like how they play the game or how they act on and off the court.

22.  Serena Williams- See comment above.  Serena gets the slight edge over Venus on this list because she’s been a little more successful and a little more obnoxious throughout her career.

21.  Mark May- I’m not sure how much of his ESPN persona is an act and how much of it is his true personality, but this now popular t-shirt says it all.

20.  Michael Vick- I currently work as a criminal defense attorney, so I don’t usually flat-out hate a guy just because he committed a heinous crime.  However, Vick’s pattern of behavior throughout his career seems to indicate that he’s just a bad human being.

19.  Lebron James- You don’t have to be a Cleveland fan to notice a traitor when you see one.  It’s pretty pathetic that the greatest player in the league had to go align himself with two other top 10 NBA players, and they still can’t win a championship together.

18.  Sammy Sosa- I really liked Sammy early in his career, especially during his magical 66 home run season from 1998.  However, the steroid era turned me off to baseball and I still haven’t forgiven its biggest culprits: Sosa, McGwire, and Barry Bonds.

17.  Rece Davis- One of the most outspoken BCS Elitists at ESPN.

16.  Pete Sampras- Now we enter my nice guy section of the list.  By most accounts, the guys ranked 15-16 on this list are upstanding and successful individuals that would serve as ideal role models for your children.  However, I don’t like either guy because they were/are arch rivals of mine.  Growing up Andre Agassi was my favorite athlete (see that list below), so naturally Pete was the enemy.  Sampras also annoyingly precipitates the stereotype of the ultra-boring tennis player.

15.  Mike Kryzewski- I’d probably like Coach K if he coached any other team besides Duke.  Just like I might like Kim Jong Il if he wasn’t a crazy dictator.  Instead, Kryzewski is the leader of the most evil program in sports history, which is why he qualifies for my top 15 least favorite sports figures.  Overall, I tend to dislike Duke’s players and fans more than their coach which is why you will see multiple Dookies ranked higher on this list.

14.  Vijay Singh- One of my favorite golf moments of all-time came when a heckler yelled out to Vijay at the U.S. Open after he hit a bunker shot to within 6 inches, “I think Annika would have put that one in.”  It really says something about a sport when one of its stars wants to prevent women from competing against men because he’s worried about getting beat.  Vijay is just the ultimate pompous and arrogant golfer.

13.  Mark McGwire- See athlete # 18.  The difference between McGwire and Sosa though is that McGwire parlayed his cheating into perjury on Capitol Hill.

12.  Rafael Nadal- I hated this guy from the moment he burst out on the scene at the 2004 French Open.  Capri pants have no place in men’s tennis…

11.  David Stern- The worst league commissioner of all-time.  As you may have noticed throughout this list, undeserved arrogance is a main theme of sports figures who I do not like.  Stern is unjustly credited with rebuilding the NBA in the 1980s, when all he really did is ride the coattails of his two superstars, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.  Now that Stern has firm control of his league he can do things like throw Bird under the bus for making the overtly obvious point that the NBA is a black man’s game.  Stern is the ultimate example of the Napoleon complex run afoul.

10.  Bobby Petrino- The least of this guy’s crimes is coaching several teams who I don’t particular like (see Louisville and Arkansas).  The more egregious crime is of course his constant betrayal of every program and athletic director he’s ever worked for (not to mention his family).  The scandal from the past few weeks has been sweet poetic justice for this slimeball…

9.  Rick Dutrow- You remember this guy?  He was the ridiculously obnoxious trainer for the Triple Crown contender Big Brown.  I could expound more about him but Pat Forde (who appears on my list of favorite sports figures of all-time) does it better: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3431608&sportCat=horse.

8.  Barry Bonds- Bonds is the face of baseball’s steroid era and just an extremely unlikeable guy, which is why he ranks as my least favorite baseball player of all-time.

7.  O.J. Simpson- No comment needed here…

6.  Bill Hancock- Some of you might not recognize the name, but Hancock is the figurehead of the most evil organization on the planet, the BCS.

5.  J.J. Redick- One of the easiest basketball players to hate in the modern era.  Redick is the epitome of all that is wrong with Duke basketball: arrogant, thuggish, and elitist.

4.  Lance Armstrong- One of the world’s biggest frauds.  This outspoken atheist is so arrogant that he attributes his survival of cancer to his toughness and work ethic.  In fact, he’s basically used his cancer as a way to feed his ego and make money.  The only reason people even knows that he’s a cancer survivor is that he used performance enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France seven times.  Sometimes a story is just too good to be true and Lance Armstrong’s triumphant return to cycling is a great example of that.  Cancer doesn’t just cause an average cyclist to become the greatest of all-time.  Don’t give me that crap about it gave him a more cycling-friendly physique.  There were definitely other forces at play here, and we all know what those were.

3.  Craig James- One of the dirtiest and most bigoted sports figures of all-time.  This guy just seems to end up on the wrong end of every storyline/issue.  First of all, while Rece Davis and other college football pundits subtly express their hate for non-BCS schools, James outright discriminates against them like a Klan member in 1960’s Mississippi.  Not only does he consistently bash Boise State and other non-AQ teams on the air but his AP ranking of them has been beyond absurd.  Pretty ridiculous for a guy who actually played at a non-BCS school himself in SMU.  Of course, that brings me right into the second black mark on James’ resume in that he was one of the biggest stars of the scandal-ridden SMU program from the 1980’s that ended up receiving the death penalty for continuously paying players.  Those two demerits would probably be enough to get him pretty high on this list, but there’s even more to hate with this guy.  Two years ago, James led the campaign that got the legendary Mike Leach fired at Texas Tech when James used his position at ESPN to overdramatize a story about Leach putting his sissy son in a utility closet.  I mean is there anyone in the world as petty and vindictive as Craig James?  Fortunately for myself and the rest of mankind, James announced last fall that he is leaving his perch as college football analyst to run for senate in Texas.  Now he can claim the title as my least favorite Republican politician in the country.  Everybody can have at least one guy in their own party they despise, right?

2.  Scam Newton- The 2009 college football season was one of the most heartbreaking times of my life, and Scam is the major reason why.  That year setup perfect for me with South Carolina, my second favorite football team, set to become the Cinderella champion of the SEC, and Boise State and/or TCU set to become the first mid-major ever to play in a BCS title game.  Unfortunately, a thuggish preacher’s son came out of nowhere though to put an end to all my hopes and dreams.  Scam, as he has been appropriately dubbed, cheated on tests, stole a computer, lied to police, lied to the NCAA, and then used his dad as part of a pay for play scheme at least two different schools.  Somehow, Scam was deemed eligible by the NCAA and allowed to lead Auburn to asterisk-ridden SEC and national championships.  A lot of friends of mine have forgiven him and now cheer for him since became a member of the local Carolina Panthers.  I will not do so.  Instead, the Panthers have gone from one of my top 5 favorite pro franchise to one of my top 5 least favorites all because of the despicable human being named Scam.

1.  Christian Laettner- Scam may have ruined my 2009 college football season, but this guy right here ruined my entire childhood.  At the age of 6 and ½ I started becoming a sports fan, and on March 28, 1992 I sat down with my parents and their friends to watch a game from start to finish for the very first-time.  The local team, Kentucky, was set to play the national juggernaut, Duke, in the East Regional Finals.  I knew enough about basketball to follow what was going on, and I soon became enthralled in this epic battle of basketball titans.  I could tell you everything that happened that night.  The Greatest Game Ever, as it has been called, is one of the earliest vivid memories of my life.  I remember jumping around after Sean Woods hit the bank shot with 2.1 seconds left and then talking with my parents and their friends about how we were going to drive around town to celebrate as soon as the final 2.1 seconds elapsed.  Then, the shot happened…. the ultimate elitist thug who embodies everything wrong with Duke basketball hit the most unforgettable shot in basketball history.  That shot, that game, that moment changed my life in so many ways.  First of all, it automatically established Duke basketball as my least favorite sports team of all-time.  More importantly, however, it lit the fire behind my intense and sometimes unhealthy passion for sports.  I realized, through the ups and downs of that game, how much the outcome of a sporting event can affect a person, a family, and a community’s happiness and well-being.  We had friends who went into deep bouts of depression.  And believe it or not, my dad, to this day, will not watch a close game involving a team he likes on TV because of how this one ended.  That game was the ultimate clash of good vs. evil and on March 28, 1992, evil stepped on a defenseless player’s chest without getting ejected, hit all 20 shots he took from the field, and then hit a spectacular buzzer beater to put an end to the careers of Kentucky’s most popular senior class of all-time.  I recently read Gene Wojechowski’s excellent book The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds that Changed Basketball, and one of the most interesting tidbits in it is that Laettner wore # 32 in tribute to the athlete he grew up idolizing.  And who was that athlete you might ask?  A football player by the name of O.J. Simpson.  That really does explain a lot…

The first thing you need to know about these rankings are that they are purely subjective.  I am not trying to objectively evaluate how well an athlete is liked by the general sports population.  Instead, I am simply providing my rankings and analysis for the players and sports figures I personally like the most.  Also, please note that the title of this entry is my “favorite sports figures of all-time” not “favorite athletes”.  The reason for this discrepancy is that I wanted this list to include announcers, columnist, owners, and coaches who cannot be considered athletes but still play a major role in how a game is played and/or analyzed.  Sometimes it’s the people who don’t directly decide the outcome of a game who are the easiest for me to fall in love with.  Moreover, you will see on this list that there is a disproportionate focus on athletes from individual sports.  The reason for that is simple: when I watch team sports, I tend to focus on the teams involved and not really build a particular amount of affection (or hatred) towards a particular player.  There are exceptions to this rule of course, but with individual sports, I feel that it is a lot easier to build a strong bond with the athletes competing.  Furthermore, unlike most of the lists I have published in the past, this one is written in ascending order to preserve the suspense in my countdown to # 1.  I hope you enjoy the list, and please note that the corresponding column breaking down my “most least favorite sports figures of all-time” will be published on this blog tomorrow.

50.  Dan Wetzel- Starting out with a “non-athlete” that many pro sports fans probably haven’t ever heard of.  Wetzel is a Yahoo college sports columnist, who wrote the ground-breaking book Death to the BCS.  He is on this list because he, like myself, is one of the most passionate college football playoff advocates around.  You will also find out later that Wetzel is not the only Yahoo sports columnist to crack these rankings.

49.  Mark Cuban- I really like unique characters in sports and there may be no one quite as unique as Mr. Cuban.

48.  Bonnie Blair- Blair was favorite Olympian as a child, who sent me an autographed picture in response to my fan mail in 1994.  Bonnie is the only female athlete on this list who is not a tennis player.

47.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr.- I don’t like him as much as his dad (see # 31 on this list), but “Little E” is my favorite active NASCAR driver.

46.  Steve Spurrier- He is the most successful head coach of my second favorite college football team, and unlike a lot of people I actually liked him way back when he coached at Florida as well.  Just an entertaining character who can flat-out coach.

45.  Dustin Johnson- One of the few star athletes from my home state of South Carolina and one of the few golfers in the world who actually looks like an athlete.  Johnson is currently my favorite active golfer, which is why his major championship choke jobs have really been especially heartbreaking for me.

44.  Martina Navratilova- Besides being the only athlete on this list who I had to double-check the spelling of their name, Martina revolutionized women’s tennis around the world.  She became a favorite of mine throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s, when she continued to win at the professional level into her later 30’s and 40’s.  In fact, she ended her career in 2006 with a remarkable U.S. Open mixed doubles championship at the age of 50.

43.  Ted Williams- One of the great “tell it like is” characters in sports history.  One of my favorite athletes of the early-to-mid 20^th century.

42.  Ricky Williams- Here’s another star athlete named Williams who like Ted is really a unique personality is his sport.  That’s about the end of the similarities though between Ted Williams and Ricky Williams As you can see though, I really like unique sports characters who give the game personality and life.  Ricky may be the first and only true Rastafarian football player of the modern day.  It also helps that the best ESPN 30 for 30 in the entire series chronicles Williams’ adult life in vivid detail (see Run Ricky Run).

 41.  Randolph Childress- The first of two athletes from my beloved alma mater, Wake Forest, to make my rankings.  Childress’ epic performance in the 1995 ACC Tournament might be the school’s greatest basketball moment of all-time.  The other Wake athlete will be coming up shortly.

40.  Caroline Wozniacki- My closest foreign relatives live in Denmark, so I grew up cheering for the Danes in many international sporting events.  Wozniacki is the country’s first real international sports superstar, so she’s naturally become of my favorite athletes in the world.  If only she could win a grand slam at some point…

39.  Brian Piccolo- Still an icon at Wake Forest thanks to the movie “Brian’s Song” and the tragic way his life ended.

38.  “Pistol” Pete Maravich- We are now entering the nickname portion of the list as four of the next five sports figures featured all possess iconic nicknames.  “Pistol Pete” has to be one of the most entertaining basketball players of all-time.

37.  “Shoeless” Joe Jackson- I gained a deep-seated respect and admiration for “Shoeless Joe” in 10^th grade when I wrote a paper in my English class about how Jackson and athlete # 21 on this list (see below) deserve to admitted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

36.  Lou Holtz (aka Dr. Lou)- Holtz initiated the South Carolina football rebuilding process when he took over as coach in 1999 and laid the building blocks for the school’s current success.  His self-deprecating humor has made him one of the most entertaining and likable coaches/analysts in all of sports.

35.  Joe “Willie” Namath- I am a guy who loves picking bold upsets, and Namath made the world’s most famous and successful upset prognostication when he guaranteed the Jets would upset the Colts in Super Bowl III.

34.  Marquis Grissom- Yeah I know this particular entry may seem pretty random, as I bet several readers out there have no idea who this guy is.  But keep in mind that I grew up as a Montreal Expos fan, and Grissom was my favorite player on those early 90’s Expos squads.

33.  Paul “Bear” Bryant- Few sports figures have ever become as closely associated with an article of clothing as the Bear has with the houndstooth hat.  In addition, I have a lot of respect and admiration for the all-time classic “tough as nails” coaches and players out there (see #’s 21, 18, 15, 8, 4, and 3 on this list), and the Bear is typically regarded to be the toughest football coach of all-time.  My mother also attended the University of Alabama, so I have historically been a Bama football fan.

32.  Monica Seles- Sometimes you can’t really explain why you like an athlete, and I’m going to play that card right now.  Most people preferred Graf to Seles in the early 90’s, but I always was a fan of Monica.

31.  Dale Earnhardt- I am not a big NASCAR fan, but as a kid who grew up in the 1990’s, it was neat to bear witness to three athletes during that era becoming the most successful in their sport’s respective histories.  Michael Jordan was one; Wayne Gretzky was another; and the third was Dale Earnhardt.  Tiger Woods and Roger Federer are the only athletes since then who have even approached the status of greatest of all-time, and neither of them are nearly as likable as these three 90’s icons.  Earnhardt’s tragic death has added even more mystique to his legendary career.

30.  Chris Peterson- The Boise State Broncos represent all that is right in the world of sports, and Coach Peterson is the ultimate reason for that.

29.  Jim Nantz- We are now entering the sports announcing segment of the list.  Nantz and figure # 28 (see below) are the two most legendary voices of our generation.

28.  Bob Costas- See comment above.  I’m giving Costas the slight edge on Nantz just because of his witty humor.

27.  Tim Couch- Couch is also a sports announcer now, but he’s on this list because of his college football heroics.  I realize he was a complete NFL bust, but he was the lone football icon of my Kentucky childhood.  Couch and Shaun Alexander are also the two biggest superstars I saw play in high school.

26.  Wayne Gretzky- I always find it compelling when a player becomes the greatest all-time in the history of his sport without being naturally gifted at it.  Gretzky is the ultimate example of this phenomenon.  He wasn’t big and was never extremely fast.  Gretzky just played the game perfectly.  He also possesses one of my favorite stats in sports history.  We all know that The Great One is the all-time leader in goals, but did you know that if he had not scored a single goal in the NHL, he would still be the all-time points leader based on his assists alone.  Unbelievable!  It’s hard to argue that anyone has such a dominant hold as the greatest in the history of the sport as Gretzky does in hockey.  I’m pretty sure when we all pass away, “The Great One” will still be considered the greatest hockey player ever.

25.  Grindstone- The first of three non-humans to make this list.  As a natural born Kentuckian, horse racing is a passion of mine and Grindstone is the first Derby winner I picked correctly.

24.  John Daly- As long as a controversial character possesses a bit of charm, then I usually find him easy to like.  That is definitely a trend you find throughout this list including Mr. Daly.

23.  Red Drew- He’s the only famous sports figure in my family, so I have to include the former Mississippi and Alabama coach on the top half of this list.  Coach Drew is my wife’s great-grandfather.

22.  Bill Rafferty- Jim Nantz and Bob Costas may be the most prominent sports announcers of our generation, but Rafferty is certainly the best analyst.  He’s funny, smart, and always full of memorable one-liners ranging from “onions” to “send it in Jerome”!

21. Pete Rose- As stated above in entry # 37, I wrote a great argumentative paper on why Rose and Jackson belong in the baseball hall of fame.  On top of being an amazing player, Rose played the game harder than anybody before or since.

20.  Street Sense- Grindstone may have been my first derby winner, but Street Sense was the first derby horse I actually won money off of.

19.  Greg Norman- The Shark choked away many, many major championships throughout his career, but he still managed to win a couple of British Opens along the way.  He was just an extremely likable figure who played the game with unmatched courage and flair.

18.  Mike Tyson- Iron Mike is probably the most controversial of any athlete on my list, but I have always viewed him as somewhat of a tragic hero.  He’s a guy whose life has been a remarkable roller coaster ride, but he has survived it all and come out better because of it.

17.  Maria Sharapova- The first tennis player on this list, Martina Navratilova, revolutionized women’s tennis by making it legitimate.  Thirty years later, Maria came along and revolutionized it again by making it glamorous and sexy.  Together, their influence is the main reason why tennis is the only sport where the women’s game is as popular as the man’s.

16.  Keith Jackson- The greatest sports announcer of all-time, pure and simple.  He’s everything you look for in a broadcaster: smart, witty, and sharp with a powerful deep tone to his voice.  He was an idol of mine during my childhood years when I desired to become a sports announcer.

15.  Bob Knight- Most Kentucky fans despise Bob Knight, but I love the man and everything he stands for.  Sure, he had a horrible temper but he was an open and honest humanitarian who revolutionized the game in so many ways.  No coach has ever been tougher, no coach has ever been funnier, and no coach has ever been smarter.

14.  Tom Brady- As some of you know, my two favorite teams growing up were the Montreal Expos and New England Patriots.  Both teams were awful at the time, but one went on to become a great sports dynasty while the other got shipped off to Washington D.C.  The Patriot’s first Super Bowl victory was one of the greatest sports moments of my life, and Brady was the guy who led them there.

13.  Jimmer Fredette- I have been a massive Jimmer fan ever since he went out and dropped 45 on San Diego State early in his senior year.  He is truly one of the most dominant, unique, and entertaining college basketball players of the past 25 years.  The Sacramento Kings have even become my favorite NBA team ever since they drafted him; however, I am not sure how well he is going to fit in there long term.

12.  Chris Fowler- Fowler may not be the greatest sports announcer/studio host of all-time, but he is definitely my all-time favorite.  My attachment to him began in the early 1990’s when I started watching College Gameday long before it became the national sensation it is today.  He doesn’t get a chance to offer his opinions much, but when he does, it’s always spot on.  I have particularly loved his consistent support and advocacy for mid-major teams like Boise State and TCU, who are frequently bashed by other college football analysts on the network.  What really sets Fowler apart though is his work in the game of tennis.  My favorite sports are college football, college basketball, and professional tennis in that order, and Fowler has become one of the top dogs in both sports # 1 and 3.

11.  Jack Nicklaus- The Golden Bear was before my time, but there’s a lot to like about Jack.  He’s humble, tough, and honest, which are three qualities not often found in golfers.  He was also the author of the one of the greatest Cinderella stories in sports history, which is a tough role for someone considered “the greatest of all-time” to assume.  His remarkable comeback victory in the 1986 Masters at the age of 45 is simply stuff of legend.  Don’t let the pundits fool you…Tiger has a long way to go before he passes Jack as the greatest golfer of all-time.

10.  Tim Henman- You can probably tell from this list that I am a huge tennis fan, and Wimbledon is by far my favorite tennis tournament each year.  The thing I love most about the tourney is not the grass or the tradition but is Great Britain’s obsession with having one of their own finally hoist the championship trophy.  In fact, seeing a Brit win Wimbledon is one of the four sporting goals of my life.  Henman was the one who lit that passion inside of me when he made his remarkable runs to the Wimbledon quarterfinals/semifinals every year except one between 1996 and 2004.  He was not the most exciting character in the game, but it was always fun to see him use his old school serve and volley game to knock off much bigger and stronger players every year

9.  Pat Forde- It may surprise some of you that a sports columnist could be ranked this high on my list, but Pat Forde is my favorite sportswriter of all-time.  He’s funny, informative, insightful, and most importantly I agree with 99.9% of the views he expresses.  In fact, in my 10+ years of religiously reading Forde’s columns there have only been a handful of issues I have disagreed with him about and the only one I can think of off-hand is his support of the all-SEC BCS title game this season.  Whether it’s bashing the BCS, supporting Boise State, or ripping Rick Dutrow, Pat Forde has always been the wisest and wittiest talking head in the world of sports.

8.  Mike Leach- There’s so much I love about this man and the life he’s lived.  Like I said before, I have a deep-seated admiration for colorful and unconventional characters in the world of sports, and Leach is definitely a character both on and off the field.  His pass-happy offense has revolutionized modern college football and his witty humor and love for pirates has always entertained the masses.  Only Bob Knight possesses a similar combination of wit, unconventionality intelligence, and toughness, but because Mike Leach is a lawyer like me, I’ll give him the edge and name him my favorite coach of all-time.

7.  Andy Murray- Murray is without a doubt my favorite current athlete in the world today.  His inclusion on this list has much to do with my # 10 favorite athlete of all-time Tim Henman.  Tiger Tim gave the British public hope that one of their own could finally win Wimbledon, but Murray has taken that hope to the next level.  Aside from being the guy who will hopefully end the country’s 76 year men’s championship drought, I love Murray’s attitude, personality, and the way he plays the game.  His style is actually most similar to mine as any top player in my generation.  He’s a beacon of consistency who likes to hit lobs, junk balls, and big first serves.  His weaknesses are also similar to mine: second serves and playing down to our competition.

6.  Secretariat- The most underrated athlete of all-time, pure and simple.  People had forgotten just how good this guy was, and it took a recent Diane Lane move to remind people.  His performance in the 1973 Belmont Stakes is the most spine-tingling, awe-inspiring moment in sports history…ever.

5.  Andre Agassi- My passion for tennis originated with none other than Andre Agassi.  He was the first real unique and likable character that the sport ever saw, and his 1999 French Open victory ranks as one of my favorite sports moments of all-time.

4.  Larry Bird- He’s provided inspiration for slow, white, vertically challenged set shooters like myself for over thirty years now.  Yeah I realize that it definitely helps to be 6’9” but no one worked harder than Bird and his accomplishments in both college at Indiana State and in the NBA are truly extraordinary.

3.  Muhammad Ali- This may seem like a puzzling selection on my part, since I strongly disagree his political and religious ideologies.  But Ali is from my home state, he invented trash-talking, and he provided the world with some of the greatest moments and events in sports history.  Like I have said throughout this column. I love controversial sports characters who possess a certain degree of likability, and Ali certainly has to rank at the top of that list.

2.  Babe Ruth- I hate the Yankees and don’t really like the Red Sox either, but I still absolutely love George Herman Ruth.  He’s the Paul Bunyan of sports in that his accomplishments have probably been embellished over the years, but the statistics he posted are so extraordinary that it makes all of the stories told him about him believable.  Yes, this guy actually did hit more home runs than all but one Major League team in 1920.  And yes this guy is an all-time top 50 pitcher to go along with his amazing slugging accolades.  There will never be another baseball player as good as Babe Ruth…ever.

1.  Michael Jordan- He’s the ultimate sports hero of my generation, pure and simple.  They will be telling MJ stories for the next 90 years, just like they have been telling Babe Ruth stories for the last 90.  His statistics aren’t nearly as impressive as other all-time greatest like Nicklaus, Ruth, and Gretzky, but his sheer refusal to lose big games makes him the greatest competitor to ever live.  Oddly enough, my top 3 favorite athletes of all-time  mirrors Sportscentury’s top 3 athletes of the 20th century.

As I have done in year’s past, I will provide both a subjective and objective explanation for each category below.  Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.

Best Moment:

• Subjective: Norfolk State beating Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Tournament- First of all, you probably already know that I am obsessed with upsets, especially those that come in the first round of the NCAA tournament.  Therefore, a 15 seed’s first victory over a 2 in 11 seasons and their 5th victory all-time would be a momentous occasion for me regardless of the circumstances.  This game was something else though; something that bordered on divine intervention.  The story begins 5 days before selection Sunday when for whatever reason, I felt compelled to attend the MEAC Quarterfinals in Winston-Salem on the Wednesday of conference championship week.  I love watching small conference tournament games, and because the ACC tournament was being played in Atlanta, this was the only conference tourney in the area.  I tried to find someone to go with, but none of my friends were interested and most laughed at me for attending such a random event.  I just had to go though, so I made the 45 minute drive from my home in Greensboro to the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum to watch Savannah State play Hampton and Norfolk State play Howard.  It was there and then that I discovered the massive Kyle O’Quinn.  After watching him dominate Howard both offensively and defensively, I said at that very moment that if this team gets matched up again an undersized # 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA tournament then Norfolk will win a game.  Sure enough my Spartans got matched up with Missouri, I picked Norfolk to win in all my brackets, and the rest is history.  The moral of the story is follow your dreams, believe in the impossible, and go scout out to the MEAC Quarterfinals!
• Objective # 1: Lehigh beating Duke- Friday March 16^th will end up being one of the greatest days of my life thanks to the combination of both the Norfolk and Lehigh upsets.  The first 15 over 2 had more personal meaning to me, but Lehigh’s win over Duke meant more to the national at-large.  Duke is a team that everybody loves to root again, and C.J. McCollum was the breakout player of the tourney.  This win also allowed me the opportunity to go see Lehigh in person when I attended the Greensboro second round games on Sunday of the first weekend of tourney play.  And even though the Mountain Hawks came up just short against Xavier, it’s nice to say that I am probably the only person in the country who saw both of the 15 seed giant killers (Lehigh and Norfolk State) play in person this March.
• Objective # 2: Kentucky winning the national championship- Ok, I’ll admit that not everybody was as happy about this as I was, but most analysts seem to agree that the most surprising aspect of this John Calipari led Kentucky team was that they were easy to root for.  They played unselfishly hard every night and showed remarkable poise and class throughout the season.

Worst Moment:

• Subjective: South Dakota State loses to Baylor- I absolutely adored this year’s South Dakota State team.  It was truly inspiring to see a team of under-sized , slow white shooters not only make the NCAA tournament but then go toe-to-toe with a 3 seed in the first round.  Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits upset bid fell just short in their close loss to Baylor.
• Objective: Ohio loses to North Carolina- For a few minutes on the evening of March 23^rd , myself and the entire nation thought that the stars might have aligned just enough for Ohio to spring the upset of all upsets and knock off # 1 seeded and preseason national title favorite North Carolina in the Sweet 16.  The only thing that made this upset possible in the first place was the injury to UNC’s starting point guard Kendall Marshall.  That blow clearly affected UNC both physically and mentally and allowed Ohio to give the Heels everything they could handle for 40 minutes.  In fact, a half court rim out was the only thing that kept the Bobcats from winning the game in regulation.  North Carolina proved too tough for the Bobcats in overtime, and Clark Kellogg’s tearful reaction to his son’s loss was one of the most memorable and heart-breaking moments of this year’s tournament.

Best Prognostication:

• Subjective: Norfolk State over Missouri- See best moment explanation above.
• Objective: Fab Melo’s absence proves costly – Syracuse was going to be my national title pick if Fab Melo had not been suspended two days before the start of the tournament.  I backed off of the Orange and correctly picked Kentucky to win it all instead, but I still believed the Orange would find a way to get to the Final Four and that people were overreacting to Melo’s suspension.  Unfortunately, this is one situation where I should have listened to the experts, as the Orange struggled through each of their first three NCAA tourney games before eventually losing to Ohio State in the Elite 8.  I’m not sure whether Melo’s absence had more of a psychological effect on this squad than anything, but Syracuse never looked like anything close to a 31-2 # 1 seed the entire NCAA tournament.

Worst Prognostication:

• Subjective: Kansas out in the second round of the NCAA tournament- It seems like the years I pick Kansas to make a deep tourney  run they bow out early, and the seasons I pick them to lose early, they go deep.  For example, in both 2010 and 2011, I picked the Jayhawks to get to the title game, and in both tournaments, they suffered shocking early round losses to mid-major squads.  This season, I thought they overachieved all year and were destined to bow out in the second round.  They responded by reaching the national title game and coming within a few plays of shocking Kentucky to win it all.  I think I’ve figure these guys out now though.  The Jayhawks appear to be one of those teams who only play well when the pressure is off and expectations are low.
• Objective: North Carolina as preseason # 1- Rarely, has such an overwhelming preseason favorite underachieved to the extent that UNC did this season.  People just assumed that because Roy Williams had led his most experienced Tar Heels teams to championships in both 2005 and 2009 that history would certainly repeat itself in 2012.  However, UNC failed to even win the ACC tournament or make the Final Four this season.  I have been saying since February of 2011 that there was just something wrong with this UNC squad.  They had too many games where they didn’t play good defense and too many nights where guys failed to make clutch plays down the stretch.

http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/en/entry?entryID=1368748

Region 1

(1) Washington vs. (8) UT-Arlington

(4) Dayton vs. (5) Illinois

(3) Nevada vs. (6) Akron

(2) Northwestern vs. (7) Arkansas

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Region 2

(1) Miami-FL vs. (8) Valparaiso

(4) Arizona vs. (5) Central Florida

(3) Middle Tennesee vs. (6) LSU

(2) Oral Roberts vs. (7) Iowa

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Region 3

(1) Mississippi State vs. (8) Savannah State

(4) UMass vs. (5) Minnesota

(3) Oregon vs. (6) Wyoming

(2) Marshall vs. (7) Pittsburgh

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Region 4

(1) Drexel vs. (8) Stony Brook

(4) Tennessee vs. (5) St. Joe’s

(3) Ole Miss vs. (6) Stanford

(2) Iona vs. (7) Bucknell

Midwest Regional- St. Louis, MO (March 23, 25)

(1) Kentucky vs. (16) UNC-Asheville- Thursday March 15 (Louisville, KY)

(8) Cincinnati vs. (9) Harvard- Thursday March 15 (Louisville, KY)

(5) Murray State vs. (12) South Florida/NC State- Thursday March 15 (Portland, OR)

(4) Wisconsin vs. (13) South Dakota State- Thursday March 15 (Portland, OR)

(6) Creighton vs. (11) West Virginia- Thursday March 15 (Albuquerque, NM)

(3) Baylor vs. (14) Montana- Thursday March 15 (Albuquerque, NM)

(7) San Diego State vs. (10) Southern Miss- Friday March 16 (Columbus, OH)

(2) Michigan State vs. (15) Detroit- Friday March 16 (Columbus, OH)

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West Regional- Phoenix, AZ (March 22, 24)

(1) Missouri vs. (16) Lamar/Mississippi Valley State- Friday March 16 (Omaha, NE)

(8) Gonzaga vs. (9) Connecticut- Friday March 16 (Omaha, NE)

(5) Temple vs. (12) Long Beach State- Thursday March 15 (Portland, OR)

(4) Michigan vs. (13) Colorado- Thursday March 15 (Portland, OR)

(6) UNLV vs. (11) Virginia- Friday March 16 (Nashville, TN)

(3) Georgetown vs. (14) Ohio- Friday March 16 (Nashville, TN)

(7) Memphis vs. (10) Texas- Thursday March 15 (Louisville, KY)

(2) Ohio State vs. (15) LIU-Brooklyn- Thursday March 15 (Louisville, KY)

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East Regional- Boston, MA (March 22, 24)

(1) Syracuse vs. (16) Vermont/Western Kentucky- Thursday March 15 (Pittsburgh, PA)

(8) Iowa State vs. (9) Alabama- Thursday March 15 (Pittsburgh, PA)

(5) Wichita State vs. (12) Xavier- Thursday March 15 (Albuquerque, NM)

(4) Florida State vs. (13) Belmont- Thursday March 15 (Albuquerque, NM)

(6) Vanderbilt vs. (11) Brigham Young- Thursday March 15 (Pittsburgh, PA)

(3) Indiana vs. (14) New Mexico State- Thursday March 15 (Pittsburgh, PA)

(7) Notre Dame vs. (10) Colorado State- Friday March 16 (Greensboro, NC)

(2) Duke vs. (15) Loyola-MD- Friday March 16 (Greensboro, NC)

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South Regional- Atlanta, GA (March 23, 25)

(1) North Carolina vs. (16) Norfolk State- Friday March 16 (Greensboro, NC)

(8) Kansas State vs. (9) Purdue- Friday March 16 (Greensboro, NC)

(5) Florida vs. (12) Seton Hall/California- Friday March 16 (Nashville, TN)

(4) Louisville vs. (13) Davidson- Friday March 16 (Nashville, TN)

(6) New Mexico vs. (11) VCU- Friday March 16 (Nashville, TN)

(3) Marquette vs. (14) St. Bonaventure- Friday March 16 (Columbus, OH)

(7) Saint Mary’s vs. (10) Saint Louis- Friday March 16 (Columbus, OH)

(2) Kansas vs. (15) Lehigh- Friday March 16 (Omaha, NE)

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First Four

(16) Vermont vs. (16) Western Kentucky- Tuesday March 13

(12) South Florida vs. (12) NC State- Tuesday March 13

(16) Lamar vs. (16) Mississippi Valley State- Wednesday March 14

(12) Seton Hall vs. (12) California- Wednesday March 14

http://68and16sportscast.tumblr.com/

The teams below are displayed below on an S-curve, so they are ranked from left to right within each seeding line.  The italicized teams have clinched automatic berths into their respective postseason tournaments or are projected to later on today.  This bracket projection has been updated through all games played on Saturday March 10th and includes contingency plans to account for the potential outcomes of today’s conference title games.  Check the bracket project poll to see how this projection compares to the other top bracketologists from across the county.  Last year my projection ranked 10th out of the 89 nationally-recognized bracketologists and I am currently ranked as the 9^th most accurate new bracketologist in the country.  Therefore, chances are this bracket will be pretty accurate, especially when compared to the prominent bracket projection posted by Joe Lunardi who had the 52^nd most accurate bracket in the same poll last year and currently ranks 27^th out of 44 bracket veterans.

NCAA Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Missouri

• Note: I am going to start out my final bracket with a surprise by picking Missouri to grab the fourth and final # 1 seed.  Most other bracket projections have Ohio State or Kansas getting that last # 1, but even though the computers don’t like Mizzou, I just love that 30-4 overall record, which is two full games better than Kansas, Duke, and Ohio State.  I don’t see why the Jayhawks should get the nod here just because they played a bunch of games against other # 1 and 2 seeds and lost most of them.

2-seeds: Kansas, Ohio State, Duke, Michigan State

• Note: I’ve noticed over the years that the committee tends to ignore Sunday’s Big 10 Championship because it is played so close to the Selection Show.  As a result, I think the easiest thing for the committee to do is just to give both Ohio State and Michigan State # 2 seeds and not worry about setting up a scenario that gives the winner a # 1 seed and/or the loser a # 3.

3-seeds: Baylor, Marquette, Indiana, Georgetown

• Note: A win last night by the Bears would have given Baylor a # 2 seed in my opinion.  Instead, this squad enters the tourney as the first # 3.

4-seeds: Michigan, Wisconsin, Louisville, Florida State

• Note: It was a really tough call differentiating between Indiana, Georgetown, Michigan, and Wisconsin.  Two of those teams will likely be # 3 seeds while the other two will be 4s.  In the end, I decided to go with the two squads who boasted the slightly better record.

5-seeds: Murray State, Florida, Wichita State, Temple

• Note: I had the Racers on the 4 line for most of the past two weeks, but I think the conference tourney runs made by Louisville and Florida State have been enough to surpass Murray and drop them down to a # 5.  Therefore, despite the overall depth of this year’s mid-major field, I don’t think anyone outside the Big 6 conferences will earn a protected 1-4 seed in tonight’s bracket.

6-seeds: Creighton, Vanderbilt, New Mexico, UNLV

• Note: I think you should see the 5-7 seed lines populated with a slew of really good mid-major programs.  If so, we will definitely have several interesting “second round” matchups between mid-major powerhouses and power conference bubble teams.

7-seeds: Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, Memphis

• Note: Everyone is in agreement that the bubble is especially bad this season, but it should go without saying that if certain areas of the bracket are weaker this year than in years past than other parts should be stronger.  That notion definitely applies to my projected 7 seeds who all picked up either landmark victories or won conference championships this season.  You don’t typically see an array of 7 seeds that boast such credentials, but I think you may this year.

8-seeds: Gonzaga, Kansas State, Iowa State, Cincinnati

• Note: The Zags are a difficult team to seed this year because despite their impressive computer numbers and solid non-conference work, they failed to win either the WCC regular season title or tournament title in over a decade.  As a result, I ended up sliding the Zags down a little lower than one might expect.

9-seeds: Alabama, Purdue, Connecticut, Harvard,

• Note: Harvard is really the dividing line on my s-curve that separates at-large teams who have legitimate NCAA tournament resumes and those who should feel very lucky that we have a really soft bubble this season.

10-seeds: Southern Miss, Saint Louis, Colorado State, Texas

• Note: We should call this group the “fraudulent 10’s” because all four teams featured here have inflated computer numbers that are keeping them above the cut line.

11-seeds: West Virginia, Brigham Young, VCU, Virginia

• Note: If the committee hates on the non-elite ACC teams as much as they did last year, then Virginia could end up as a surprise First Four participant… or worse.  For despite the Cavs’ good overall record, the only wins they really have to cling to is an early season home victory against Michigan.  Their 235^th ranked non-conference strength of schedule could end up costing them dearly.

12-seeds: Xavier, Long Beach State, Seton Hall, California, South Florida, NC State

• Note: I had to back off my Oral Roberts prediction because of the Bonnies upset over Xavier.  If that hits, then I’m not going to be happy.

13-seeds: Belmont, Colorado, South Dakota State, Davidson  

• Note: I love the Jackrabbits!  They’re going to be a dangerous 13 seed.

14-seeds: St. Bonaventure, New Mexico State, Ohio, Montana

• Note: The Bonnies steal a bid thanks to their upset over Xavier.

15-seeds: Loyola-MD, Lehigh, LIU-Brooklyn, Detroit

• Note: Only one of these four teams actually won the regular season championship for their conference (LIU-Brooklyn), but all four are playing great basketball right now.  It’s been 11 years since the last time a 15 seed knocked off a # 2, so it’s about time one of these hit.

16-seeds: UNC-Asheville, Norfolk State, Lamar, Mississippi Valley State, Western Kentucky, Vermont

• Note: Watch out here, folks, both UNC-Asheville and Norfolk State can play!  The Bulldogs of Asheville have one of the most talented backcourts in the country with J.P. Primm and Matt Dickey.  Meanwhile, Norfolk boasts a dominant 6’10” center in Kyle O’Quinn and only lost by 2 points to Marquette earlier this season.  # 1 seeds beware!

NIT Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Washington, Mississippi State, Drexel, Miami-FL

• Note: All four of these squads are going to be bummed if they don’t get an NCAA at-large bids on Sunday night, but quite frankly none of them won the games they needed to in order to get a bid.

2-seeds: Iona, Marshall, Northwestern, Nevada

• Note: My 68 & 16 Sports Colleague Justin is predicting that Marshall will get a surprise at-large bid on Sunday night.  I admit that the Thundering Herd have the top 75 wins that are consistent with what the committee used for their selections of VCU and UAB last season, but the 9-7 C-USA conference record is just too weak in my opinion.  Especially since none of those wins came against Memphis.  The Herd had three chances to land a marquee win over Memphis, and all three occasions Marshall fell short.  In fact, two of the losses were by 20 or more points.

3-seeds: Oregon, Ole Miss, Middle Tennessee, Arizona

• Note: If Middle Tennessee could have just knocked off Vandy in their January 28^th meeting in Nashville, then they would likely have the resume to get an NCAA at-large bid.  As it stands now, MTSU will almost certainly have its bubble burst on Selection Sunday.

4-seeds: Tennessee, UMass, Dayton, St. Joe’s

• Note: I realize that it’s quite rare for one conference to possess three teams on the same NIT seed line, but I really couldn’t figure out how to differentiate between the profiles of UMass, Dayton, and St. Joe’s.

5-seeds: Minnesota, Central Florida, Illinois, Stanford

• Note: I assume Illinois will accept their NIT bid, but after Webber’s firing, I have no idea who is going to coach them.

6-seeds: Akron, Wyoming, LSU, Pittsburgh

• Note: Nine NIT bids have been stolen by mid-major regular season champions, so the Panthers of Pitt are the first of my projected last four NIT at-large teams.

7-seeds: Weber State, Arkansas, Iowa, Bucknell

• Note: I think there is a big difference between how the NCAA selection committee chooses its last few at-large teams and how the NIT committee does so.  The NCAA committee is looking for teams who have put together a good body of work, whereas the NIT committee (whether they admit or not) seems to want to include as many big names as possible (see UNC in 2010).  As a result, I think Arkansas and Iowa get the nod over teams with better computer profiles such as Northern Iowa and Buffalo.

8-seeds: Valparaiso, UT-Arlington, Stony Brook, Savannah State

• Note: Valpo will be a very dangerous 8 seed in this tournament.  The Crusaders are definitely capable of knocking off a 1 seed who is still hanging their head about not getting an NCAA tourney bid.

First Four Out of NIT: Northern Iowa, Buffalo, St. Bonaventure, George Mason

Second Four Out of NIT: UCLA, La Salle, TCU, Maryland

A crazy day of hoops made the bubble even weaker than ever.  Personally, I think any team ranked below Harvard in my S-curve below has a major flaw in their resume and probably doesn’t deserve to get into the Big Dance.  Yet, we still have to find 68 teams to play in the NCAA tournament, so I had to slide a few teams in today that I didn’t really want to.  This bracket projection has been updated through all games played on Thursday March 8th and is included in the prestigious bracket project poll.

NCAA Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Kansas

2-seeds: Missouri, Duke, Ohio State, Michigan State

3-seeds: Marquette, Indiana, Baylor, Michigan

4-seeds: Wisconsin, Georgetown, Murray State, Temple

5-seeds: Louisville, Florida State, Florida, UNLV

6-seeds: Wichita State, Creighton, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State

7-seeds: Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, New Mexico, Gonzaga

8-seeds: Kansas State, Memphis, Iowa State, Purdue

9-seeds: Virginia, Alabama, Southern Miss, Saint Louis

10-seeds: Connecticut, Cincinnati, Harvard, California

11-seeds: Brigham Young, West Virginia, Colorado State, Texas

12-seeds: Seton Hall, Washington, Xavier, South Florida, Mississippi State, Miami-FL

13-seeds: VCU, Long Beach State, Nevada, Davidson

14-seeds: Belmont, Akron, South Dakota State, Montana

15-seeds: Loyola-MD, Lehigh, LIU-Brooklyn, Detroit

16-seeds: UNC-Asheville, Norfolk State, Lamar, Stony Brook, Mississippi Valley State, Western Kentucky

NIT Tourney Field:

1-seeds: NC State, Northwestern, Oregon, Drexel

2-seeds: Iona, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Arizona

3-seeds: Central Florida, St. Joe’s, Dayton, Tennessee

4-seeds: Colorado, Ole Miss, Minnesota, Wyoming

5-seeds: New Mexico State, Illinois, LSU, Stanford

6-seeds: Marshall, Ohio, UMass, Weber State

7-seeds: Bucknell, Valparaiso, Cleveland State, Arkansas

8-seeds: Northern Iowa, George Mason, UT-Arlington, Savannah State

Ranking of Other Postseason Contenders: Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Iowa, UCLA, St. Bonaventure, La Salle, TCU, Maryland, Wagner, Denver

Here are my latest NCAA and NIT bracket projections.  The teams below are displayed below on an S-curve, so they are ranked from left to right within each seeding line.  In the NCAA bracket, the italicized teams are ones who have either won their conference tourney championship or are predicted to win their conference tourney and gain an automatic bid to the dance.  The italicized teams in my NIT projection have clinched an auto bid to that tournament by winning their regular season conference championship and then losing in the conference tournament.  Also, just to clarify, my bracket projection is intended to project the NCAA Tournament field if it was chosen today.  Unlike some bracketologists, I am not trying to predict how each team will finish the season.

On a personal note, I just wanted to say that I went to the MEAC Quarterfinals last night, and let me just say that if Norfolk State wins the conference tourney title on Saturday, they’re going to be a very dangerous 16 seed in the Big Dance.   This bracket projection has been updated through all games played on Wednesday March 7th.

NCAA Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Kansas

2-seeds: Missouri, Duke, Ohio State, Marquette

3-seeds: Michigan State, Baylor, Indiana, Michigan

4-seeds: Georgetown, Wisconsin, Murray State, Temple

5-seeds: Louisville, Florida State, Florida, UNLV

6-seeds: Wichita State, Creighton, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State

7-seeds: Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, New Mexico, Gonzaga

8-seeds: Kansas State, Iowa State, Memphis, Purdue

9-seeds: Virginia, Alabama, Southern Miss, Saint Louis

10-seeds: Harvard, Cincinnati, Connecticut, California

11-seeds: Washington, Brigham Young, West Virginia, Colorado State

12-seeds: Seton Hall, Mississippi State, Xavier, Texas, Northwestern, Oregon

13-seeds: VCU, Long Beach State, Nevada, Davidson

14-seeds: Belmont, Akron, South Dakota State, Loyola-MD

15-seeds: Montana, UT-Arlington, LIU-Brooklyn, Lehigh

16-seeds: Detroit, UNC-Asheville, Norfolk State, Stony Brook, Mississippi Valley State, Western Kentucky

NIT Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Miami-FL, South Florida, NC State, Drexel

2-seeds: Iona, Middle Tennessee, Oral Roberts, Arizona

3-seeds: Central Florida, St. Joe’s, Dayton, Ole Miss

4-seeds: Colorado, Tennessee, Illinois, Wyoming

5-seeds: Minnesota, New Mexico State, LSU, Stanford

6-seeds: Marshall, Ohio, Arkansas, UMass

7-seeds: Bucknell, Valparaiso, Weber State, Cleveland State

8-seeds: Northern Iowa, George Mason, Buffalo, Savannah State

Ranking of Other Postseason Contenders: Pittsburgh, UCLA, St. Bonaventure, La Salle, TCU, Iowa, Maryland, Wagner, Denver

There haven’t been any major changes since my last bracket was posted on Monday, but other bracketologists have been posting daily bracket updates since we’re only a few days from Selection Sunday so I will follow suit.   This bracket projection has been updated through all games played on Tuesday March 6th.  Let me know if you have any comments or disagreements.  This bracket projection is included in the prestigious bracket project poll that can be found at: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm.

NCAA Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Kansas

2-seeds: Missouri, Duke, Ohio State, Marquette

3-seeds: Michigan State, Baylor, Indiana, Michigan

4-seeds: Georgetown, Wisconsin, Murray State, Temple

5-seeds: Louisville, Florida State, Florida, UNLV

6-seeds: Wichita State, Creighton, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State

7-seeds: Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, New Mexico, Gonzaga

8-seeds: Kansas State, Iowa State, Memphis, Purdue

9-seeds: Virginia, Alabama, Southern Miss, Saint Louis

10-seeds: Harvard, Cincinnati, California, Connecticut

11-seeds: Washington, West Virginia, Brigham Young, Seton Hall

12-seeds: Colorado State, Mississippi State, Xavier, Texas, Northwestern, Oregon

13-seeds: Long Beach State, VCU, Nevada, Davidson

14-seeds: Belmont, Akron, South Dakota State, Loyola-MD

15-seeds: Bucknell, Montana, UT-Arlington, LIU-Brooklyn

16-seeds: UNC-Asheville, Detroit, Stony Brook, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State, Western Kentucky

NIT Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Miami-FL, South Florida, NC State, Drexel

2-seeds: Middle Tennessee, Iona, Oral Roberts, Arizona

3-seeds: Central Florida, St. Joe’s, Dayton, Ole Miss

4-seeds: Colorado, Tennessee, Illinois, Wyoming

5-seeds: Minnesota, New Mexico State, LSU, Stanford

6-seeds: Weber State, Marshall, Ohio, Arkansas

7-seeds: UMass, Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Northern Iowa

8-seeds: George Mason, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, UCLA

Ranking of Other Postseason Contenders: St. Bonaventure, TCU, La Salle, Iowa, Maryland, Kent State, Wagner, Denver

Wow, what a start of championship week!  First of all, thumbs down to ESPN for trying to shorten the legendary “Championship Week” moniker to the much cheesier “Champ Week”.  The phrase “Championship Week” screams excitement.  “Champ Week?”  Not so much…

Anyways, here are my latest NCAA and NIT bracket projections.  The teams below are displayed below on an S-curve, so they are ranked from left to right within each seeding line.  In the NCAA bracket, the italicized teams are ones who have either won their conference tourney championship or are predicted to win their conference tourney and gain an automatic bid to the dance.  The italicized teams in my NIT projection have clinched an auto bid to that tournament by winning their regular season conference championship and then losing in the conference tournament.  Also, just to clarify, my bracket projection is intended to project the NCAA Tournament field if it was chosen today.  Unlike some bracketologists, I am not trying to predict how each team will finish the season.

It should be noted that the most significant change in Brad-ketology since Friday comes towards the bottom of my NCAA bracket, as Middle Tennessee State and Iona both lost the projected auto bids they had held onto all season long.  Shockingly, both squads were upset this weekend in their respective conference tourneys and will unfortunately now be relegated to the NIT as I am projecting both to fall short of an NCAA at-large bid.  In their place, I am now projecting Denver to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship and Loyola-MD to take home the Metro Atlantic.  This bracket projection has been updated through all games played on Sunday March 4th.  Let me know if you have any comments or disagreements.  This bracket projection is included in the prestigious bracket project poll that can be found at: http://bracketproject.50webs.com/matrix.htm.

NCAA Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Kansas

• Note: I was one of the few bracketologists in the country to have UNC on the # 1 line going into the weekend.  I have a feeling most everybody will be joining me after their authoritative win over Duke.

2-seeds: Missouri, Duke, Ohio State, Marquette

• Note: Most of my contemporaries, including my 68 & 16 colleague Justin, have Michigan State on the 2-line even after their home loss Sunday to Ohio State.  Call it an anti-Big 10 bias, but I just like Marquette’s resume a little bit more.

3-seeds: Michigan State, Baylor, Indiana, Michigan

• Note: I have ¼ of the entire Big 10 on my 3-line right now.

4-seeds: Georgetown, Wisconsin, Murray State, Temple

• Note: I really wasn’t sure any non-BCS teams would get a 1-4 protected seed this year, but thanks to the recent struggles of Louisville and Florida, the Owls and Racers have moved up to the 4-line.

5-seeds: Louisville, Florida State, Florida, UNLV

• Note: Some bracketologists may try to move Florida down to a 6 seed after their third straight loss, but the Gators are one of those teams that the selection committee absolutely loves and tends to overseed every year (see 2007, 2010, and 2011).

6-seeds: Gonzaga, Wichita State, Creighton, Saint Mary’s

• Note: Here’s a WCC sandwich with MVC filling.  That will change though after tonight’s Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s WCC title game.  Winner will stay a 6 seed while the loser drops to a 7 or 8.

7-seeds: San Diego State, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, New Mexico

• Note: You may have notice that I like to create patterns within my seedings.  Above you saw the MVC/WCC sandwich.  Now you get the Mountain West/elite private school sandwich.

8-seeds: Kansas State, Iowa State, Memphis, Virginia

• Note: The Wildcats and Cyclones are two squads I really don’t know what to do with.  I felt like I had them too high when I had them closing in on 6 and 7 seeds last week, but now I may have them too low.  At any rate, there’s a huge drop off between Iowa State and Memphis.

9-seeds: Purdue, Harvard, Alabama, Southern Miss

• Note: The Crimson are another mystery team that I could see being seeded anywhere from an 8 to a 13.  Things will get especially interesting if Penn ties Harvard for the conference crown on Tuesday and then beats them next Saturday in a one-game playoff.  The Crimson would be right on the bubble.

10-seeds: Saint Louis, Cincinnati, Washington, Connecticut

• I feel like the 14 teams on the 10-12 seed lines could be seeded in any order.  There really isn’t much difference between the four squads above and last four at-larges that I am projecting to play in Dayton.

11-seeds: California, West Virginia, Brigham Young, Seton Hall

• Note: A lot of teams on the bubble seem to be trying to get into the NIT, as they continue to lose crucial games.  No team is trying as hard Seton Hall, however, who picked up embarrassing losses to Rutgers and DePaul in consecutive weekends.

12-seeds: Colorado State, Mississippi State, Xavier, Texas, Northwestern, Oregon

• Note: The Ducks are my surprise entrant right now, as I am one of the few bracketologists in the country to currently have them in the field of 68.  Their top 50 RPI puts them a nose in front of Miami-FL in my opinion.

13-seeds: Long Beach State, Oral Roberts, Drexel, Nevada

• Note: Unfortunately, this seed line got a lot weaker thanks to the losses of Middle Tennessee and Iona on Sunday.  Drexel better win the Colonial final tomorrow because I don’t think the CAA is getting two bids this year no matter what.

14-seeds: Davidson, Belmont, Akron, Denver

• Note: If the Pioneers of Denver end up winning the Sun Belt championship, they’ll likely end up the lowest seeded team ever to have three top-50 RPI wins (Southern Miss, St. Mary’s, Middle Tennessee).  If I was a 3-seed, I certainly wouldn’t want to play them in the first round.

15-seeds: Loyola-MD, Bucknell, Valparaiso, Montana

• Note: All four of these teams have conference championship games coming early this week.

16-seeds: UT-Arlington, LIU-Brooklyn, UNC-Asheville, Stony Brook, Mississippi Valley State, Savannah State

• Note: If things stay as they are, then Asheville will by far be the best team ever to have to play in a 16-seed play-in game.

NIT Tourney Field:

1-seeds: Miami-FL, VCU, South Florida, NC State

2-seeds: Middle Tennessee, Iona, Arizona, Central Florida

3-seeds: St. Joe’s, Dayton, South Dakota State, Ole Miss

4-seeds: Colorado, Tennessee, Illinois, Wyoming

5-seeds: Minnesota, New Mexico State, LSU, Stanford

6-seeds: Weber State, Marshall, Ohio, Arkansas

7-seeds: UMass, Cleveland State, Northern Iowa, George Mason

8-seeds: Buffalo, Pittsburgh, UCLA, Iowa

Ranking of Other Postseason Contenders: St. Bonaventure, TCU, La Salle, Maryland, Wagner, Kent State

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