Musing on March Madness

We are are little over an hour away from the start of March Madness and the much anticipated release of the NCAA tournament brackets. And for me news comes as a relief.

All the bubble talk involving schools like St. Mary's and Arizona would normally be engrossing. But that hasn't been the case this year. I blame ESPN.

For the entire college basketball season they've been running their field of 65 projections known as 'bracketology'. But over the past few days it seems like bracketologist Joe Lunardi has been doing hourly updates. There's no escaping it if you want to watch any conference tourney finals. Lundari is everywhere on ESPN's multiple platforms. Good news, the over saturation is about to end.

One other last thing. After watching the UNC-Virginia Tech ACC quarterfinal, the NCAA needs change the foul rules in the final minutes of a game. The Tar Heels stymied Va. Tech's final possession by fouling because they were under the bonus.

It's great strategy, but hard to stomach. I wanted the see the game play out, not bog down. The NCAA should take after the NBA and in the final minute if a team is under the bonus, they can only incur one foul without penalty. It would help add to excitement knowing a team could run a play, not just inbound the ball three times.

Anyway, time to countdown the final minutes. There should be mayhem in the coming weeks.

For Gonzaga the slipper still fits

As we inch toward the NCAA tournament everyone is trying to figure out who this year's Cinderella team is. One Cinderella is planning to make another tournament appearance, expect today they've morphed into colossus. I'm talking about that mid-sized Jesuit university in Spokane, Wash., Gonzaga.

Ten years ago, Gonzaga exploded onto the national scene with an improbable run to the Elite Eight. They were the story of the tournament, winning their first postseason game. But Gonzaga kept the success going making appearances in the Sweet 16 both in 2000 and 2001, eventually turning into a Top 25 mainstay.

However, it seems like the Zags have entered a fairy-tale netherworld with stagnating success and are in desperate need image overhaul. For the first time in 10 years, the Bulldogs have been eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the opening round in consecutive seasons. And the enduring image of Gonzaga (seen right) is star guard Adam Morrison crumpled to the floor in 2006 tournament, crying after an epic collapse to UCLA.

Will this Zags team be any different? We'll find out soon enough, but I think they can make a run. Gonzaga is ranked in the top 10 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Forward Josh Heytvelt is showing his potential to dominate, potential he showed before after schooling UNC's Tyler Hansbrough in MSG. With senior Jeremy Pargo leading the charge, the pieces are in place to erase their past failures.