Latest news with #BobKnight
New York Times
04-06-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Former Indiana basketball players accuse longtime team doctor of sexual misconduct
A growing number of former Indiana University men's basketball players are accusing a doctor who worked with the team for more than 20 years during the Bob Knight era of sexual misconduct. In October, former Hoosiers players Haris Mujezinovic and Charlie Miller sued the university and former head athletic trainer Tim Garl, alleging they 'had active knowledge' of team physician Dr. Bradford Bomba's conduct and that the university 'acted with deliberate indifference.' In April, former players John Flowers and Larry Richardson Jr. joined the suit. Attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel told The Athletic on Wednesday that at least 10 more players plan to come forward in a separate upcoming filing. Advertisement ESPN first reported that 10 more players plan to proceed legally with a case. Simpson Tuegel did not put a timeline on when those players could file a lawsuit, saying she and her team were 'preparing and getting more information.' The four players who have filed suit so far said basketball players 'were routinely and repeatedly subjected to medically unnecessary, invasive, and abusive digital rectal examinations' (DREs) by Bomba, who worked with the team from the 1970s into the early 2000s. 'As a grown man it breaks my heart to think about what happened to me when I was a young, vulnerable, and trusting student excited to play basketball at Indiana University,' Mujezinovic said in a statement provided by attorney Kathleen Delaney. 'At the time I viewed myself as an adult, but now I realize looking at my own kids how young and powerless me and my teammates actually were. The adults within the basketball program who were entrusted with our care knew what was happening to us. They joked about and let it continue.' In response to a request for comment, Indiana referred The Athletic to a statement it made May 1, when it released a report from a review of the allegations by the law firm Jones Day. Indiana commissioned the report in September. In the report, Jones Day wrote that 'the evidence did not lead us to conclude that Dr. Bomba acted in bad faith or with an improper purpose when performing DREs while conducting thorough and complete (pre-participation physical examinations) of college-age student athletes.' The university filed its most recent response to the lawsuit filed by the four players on Monday, a brief arguing for the complaint to be dismissed because it falls outside of the statute of limitations. Bomba died on May 8 at the age of 89. He was deposed in December after the initial lawsuit was filed. During the 75-minute deposition, he asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 45 times to refuse to answer questions. In a civil lawsuit, the Fifth Amendment does not forbid inferences that the answer would have been incriminating if he had given it. Bomba testified that Garl, Indiana's head athletic trainer from 1981 until earlier this year, was the individual in charge of the medical team for the men's basketball players. In their lawsuit, the players said Garl directed them to see Bomba despite complaints about the examinations. Garl's attorneys have argued that he did not supervise Bomba in any 'relevant sense,' ESPN reported. Garl's attorney did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Advertisement Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson did not renew Garl's contract for a 45th season in March, stating he would like a 'fresh start' for the IU basketball sports medicine staff. After receiving a letter from a former player's legal counsel in August outlining allegations against Bomba, Indiana commissioned the Jones Day investigation in September. The firm interviewed 'close to 100' individuals and reviewed more than 100,000 pages of physical documents, the university said. Jones Day stated its findings supported Bomba to have acted in a 'clinically appropriate manner.' Investigators in the report noted that 'players would commonly joke or engage in what they characterized as 'locker room banter' regarding Dr. Bomba's DREs, including within earshot of one another and certain staff members.' Simpson Tuegel said the university's failures to appropriately respond to the allegations and the framing of the Jones Day report have driven more players to come forward. 'They tried to couch it as there was a lack of sexual intent, and we strongly disagree with that,' she said. As team doctor, Bomba was a presence at Indiana games, sitting next to Knight on the bench and traveling to most away games. He gained 'wide recognition' by fans, Jones Day wrote in its report. Former Indiana star Butch Carter, who went on to play and coach in the NBA, said in an affidavit in March that he complained to school officials multiple times about Bomba during Carter's senior season, which was in 1979. 'I fought with Coach Knight multiple times about any players being near Dr. Bomba, Sr. Coach Knight took no action to address my complaints that I'm aware of,' wrote Carter, who is not one of the four plaintiffs who have filed suit. Knight died on Nov. 1, 2023, at the age of 83. Knight's son Pat, who played for the Hoosiers from 1990 to 1995, said in the Jones Day report that Bomba was his family physician from a young age and that he received a DRE from the doctor while playing at the university. Pat Knight, currently the men's basketball coach at Marian University in Indianapolis, did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement In recent years, former athletes at Michigan and Ohio State filed lawsuits against former trainers after the trainers had died, and years after the statute of limitations had expired. In the Ohio State case against Dr. Richard Strauss, who died by suicide in 2005, the school paid more than $60 million in settlements to 296 accusers from 2020 to 2022. In the Michigan case against former team doctor Robert Anderson, who died in 2008, the school finalized a $490 million settlement with more than 1,000 abuse survivors in 2022. Simpson Tuegel said she represented some of the men who accused Anderson of abuse, and noted it could be helpful for the jury in this Indiana case to have Bomba's deposition from before he died on record. Miller, one of the two former players who originally filed the lawsuit, said in a statement through Delaney that Bomba's death didn't 'weaken my desire to move forward.' 'We don't always get second chances to speak up,' he said. 'So I'm using mine now.' (Photo of Bomba, right, sitting next to Bob Knight, center: Jonathan Daniel / Allsport)
Fox Sports
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Which schools have the most Final Four appearances of all-time?
The Final Four looms in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and it's possible for a few of the top programs in college basketball history to move up the standings for the all-time Final Four appearances list this weekend. Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State are among a few of the programs that are top 10 all-time in Final Four appearances that can make it back to the final two rounds of the tournament again this spring. Arkansas and Houston also loom as possibilities to join the top 10 if each can make it through the Elite Eight this weekend. As history is on the line in the next few weeks, let's take a look at which programs have the most Final Four appearances of all-time, excluding vacated appearances. Top 10 schools with most Final Four appearances 10. UConn: 7 The Huskies' sudden emergence as a college basketball power placed them in the top 10 of this list following the 2023-24 season. All seven of UConn's Final Four appearances have come since its national championship season in 1998-99. It's won the championship six times over its seven Final Four appearances, becoming the first program to win back-to-back titles in nearly 20 years in 2024. If you exclude the 2019-20 season, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the tournament being canceled, UConn arguably had the best 25-year run in the history of the sport, holding a 28% Final Four rate and a 24% championship rate. T-8. Indiana: 8 While UConn has soared in the 21st century, a lot of Indiana's success came before 2000. Seven of the Hoosiers' eight Final Four appearances occurred prior to the turn of the century, becoming one of college basketball's first powers. It won two national championships prior to 1970 before reaching the Final Four five times in Bob Knight's 29-year tenure as head coach. Three of those Final Four trips resulted in a national championship, including the 1976 tournament, where Indiana capped off a 32-0 season. That's the last time a team went undefeated in a college basketball season. Knight led the Hoosiers to titles again in 1981 (with Isiah Thomas) and 1987 (with Steve Alford). Indiana's last Final Four run came in 2002, making a surprise trip to the national championship game as a No. 4 seed. T-8. Louisville: 8 Louisville could actually be higher on this list, but two of its Final Four trips were vacated. Its 2012 Final Four appearance and 2013 title were vacated after an NCAA investigation found that it gave improper benefits to players during those seasons. But before those two trips, Louisville made it to the Final Four eight times, winning the title twice. Denny Crum coached both of those title-winning squads (1980, 1986) and was responsible for six of the eight non-vacated Final Four appearances in program history. Louisville's last non-vacated Final Four appearance came in 2005, when it reached the national semifinals as a No. 4 seed before losing to Illinois. T-6. Ohio State: 10 The vast majority of Ohio State's Final Four appearances came prior to 1970, making it to the final two rounds of the tournament six times between 1939-68. Fred Taylor was the head coach for four of those trips, helping the program win its only national championship in 1960. Ohio State didn't make it to the Final Four again until 1999, but that trip was later vacated. Thad Matta helped the Buckeyes regain national prominence over his 13-year tenure in Columbus, reaching the Final Four twice (2007, 2012). It lost the national championship game to Florida in 2007, running into a Gators squad that won back-to-back titles. T-6. Michigan State: 10 The Spartans had the amount of success many programs would dream of before Tom Izzo became their head coach in 1995, winning a national championship in 1979 and reaching the Final Four on another occasion. But the program has frequently appeared in the Final Four since Izzo took over, making it to the national semifinals eight times since 1999. And most of those Final Four trips have been spread out, with 26 of Izzo's first 29 recruiting classes of four-year players having experienced a trip to the Final Four. Michigan State has won the title once with Izzo, cutting down the nets in 2000. 5. Kansas: 15 Not many programs have been as consistent for a long period of time as Kansas. The Jayhawks have reached the Final Four in each decade since the 1970s, with the 1960s being the only decade that they've missed the Final Four since 1940. Kansas has won four national championships, doing so in 1952, 1988, 2008 and 2022. While Roy Williams didn't win a national championship at Kansas, he coached the Jayhawks to four Final Fours in his 15 seasons at the helm, making it in each of his final two years. Bill Self has helped Kansas reach the Final Four three times, winning the national title twice. He could've had four Final Four appearances, but Kansas' 2018 Final Four trip was later vacated. T-3. Kentucky: 17 One of the true signs of a blue blood is its ability to sustain success over several head coaches. That's what Kentucky has done for decades, with five of its last seven coaches helping the Wildcats reach the Final Four. That number excludes Mark Pope, who could improve that mark to six of their last eight coaches as early as this spring. All five of those aforementioned coaches won a national championship during their time in Lexington as well, with each making multiple Final Four trips. Since the 1990s, Kentucky has also had two stretches where it made the Final Four four times in a six-year span. T-3 Duke: 17 Mike Krzyzewski turned Duke into a blueblood, but the program had some success before he took over the reins in Durham. Duke reached the Final Four on four occasions between 1963-78 before Krzyzewski became its head coach in 1980. Krzyzewski took the program to new heights, though. It made the Final Four in five straight tournaments (1988-92) and six times in seven years, winning two national championships in the early 1990s. While the Blue Devils didn't have a run like that again under Krzyzewski, they made it to the Final Four once every six tournaments between 1995-2022, which was Krzyzewski's last year as head coach. They won the national championship three times over that stretch. 2. UCLA: 18 Thanks to John Wooden, UCLA was able to run it up in the all-time Final Four appearances list. They made it to the Final Four 12 times in his final 14 seasons as head coach, which included a stretch where they won seven straight national championships. They also won the title on three other occasions with Wooden. UCLA hasn't had as much in the 50 years since Wooden left, but it has remained one of college basketball's top programs. It's reached the Final Four six more times, winning the title again in 1995. It also reached the Final Four in 1980, but that appearance was later vacated. 1. North Carolina: 22 While UCLA has more national championships, North Carolina might have the greatest longevity of any program in the history of college basketball. It's made the Final Four at least once every decade since the 1940s, making it to the Final Four twice in each decade since the 1960s (excluding the 2020s). Dean Smith was responsible for half of UNC's Final Four trips as five of the Tar Heels' last six head coaches have coached them to the Final Four. Hubert Davis is among them, doing so in his first year as coach in the 2021-22 season. But he hasn't won a national championship, something Roy Williams did three times as their head coach with Smith leading them to two titles. Frank McGuire is the other coach to have led UNC to a national championship. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 March Madness bracket, picks, upsets: Fade these top-seeded teams to help your NCAA tournament pool odds
Let's establish the obvious disclosure up front — when it comes to picking NCAA tournament champions in your bracket, the chalky teams are usually your friends, despite the moniker of "March Madness" for all the action to come. A No. 1 seed has won the NCAA men's tournament in six of the past seven years. Overdog UConn crushed the field last year, winning six straight games by 14 points or more. Your heart wants underdogs, your head can't look away from favorites. Alas, some highly ranked teams won't survive as long as we like, and we have to audit the top seeds and see where the weaknesses might lie. Today's assignment is to identify the most vulnerable No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 seed that could have trouble advancing to the Sweet 16. Note: All team stats courtesy of the indispensable One of the common advantages of better teams is getting to the line more often. It's a stat you heard cited in the heyday of Bob Knight — the Hoosiers would make more free throws than the opponents would attempt. Maybe it's smart defense, maybe it's the constant lawyering of a coach, maybe it's wearing down the opposing defense ... it's something. A special sauce so many strong teams share. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] The Cougars are a legitimate No. 1 seed, but they don't own the free throw line. When it comes to their charity attempts against field-goal attempts, they stand a shocking 317th in the country. Houston is also outside the top 100 in free throw percentage (though it's a very good 3-point shooting team). Even if that angle doesn't move you, perhaps the lay of the bracket will. Houston could face Gonzaga in the second round, which stands an impressive ninth in the KenPom efficiency ranks. Think about that for a second — the Zags are a No. 8 seed but are ninth on the stat page. The other No. 8 seeds check in at 23rd (Louisville), 32nd (Mississippi State) and 35th (Connecticut). While Houston, which a whopping 46.1% of Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem users picked to reach the Final Four, has routinely made the second weekend in recent years (five straight seasons), Gonzaga has punched the second-weekend ticket in nine straight tournaments. Something's gotta give. Yes, this is a Rick Barnes tweet. It's impossible to escape how underachieving his teams have been in March. Barnes has only been to one Final Four despite a 38-year coaching career tied to some excellent talent, and his overall mark in the dance is an ordinary 28-26. College basketball is undeniably a coach's game, and Barnes has trouble when the lights are brightest. He's 11-23 against the tournament spread over the last two decades, the least profitable coach to get behind. Sure, in your NCAA pool, we're picking teams to win, not cover. But several of those losses were Barnes' teams underachieving and/or losing outright. And remember, this is a coach who merely grabbed a No. 5 seed (and only one NCAA tournament win) back when he had Kevin Durant and three other NBA-bound players at Texas. [Bracket tips | 4 Cinderellas who could surprise | Printable bracket] The 2025 Volunteers are an experienced group and they play excellent defense all over the court, especially behind the arc. Tennessee games are routinely rock fights (its tempo is almost as slow as Houston's), and that doesn't have to be a pejorative term. But Tennessee doesn't get a lot of production from its bench, and it's an ordinary team shooting the three and converting at the line. UCLA's Mick Cronin could easily outfox Barnes in the second round, and if it comes to a third-round game against Kentucky, note the Wildcats swept Tennessee this year. You'll note that my No. 1 and No 2 picks are both from the Midwest region. Perhaps that's a good place to let your hair down with your regional champion, while you're likely using No. 1 or No. 2 seeds elsewhere. Please don't tell Wisconsin buddy and Yahoo Sports colleague Frank Schwab that I wrote this. The Badgers played excellent ball in a run to the Big Ten Tournament final, but that also meant four games in four days; often I think premier programs are better off not going deep in their conference tournaments. Now it's a quick turnaround to Denver, where the Badgers have to play at altitude. And if Wisconsin draws BYU in the second round, that's an opponent used to playing far above sea level, a sneaky advantage. Underdogs won't be intimidated by the Badgers, who don't turn opponents over very often (331rd in turnover rate) and rarely reject a shot (332nd in block percentage). Every underdog they face will feel live to me. The South region immediately grabbed my attention when the brackets were announced Sunday night, especially the pod with the 4, 5, 12 and 13 seeds. I think Michigan and Texas A&M are both vulnerable in their first games (against UC San Diego and Yale, respectively), and I'd be surprised if the Aggies lasted to the second week. The Aggies don't shoot the ball especially well (317th in effective field-goal percentage) but they play volleyball on the offensive boards — No. 1 in offensive rebound rate. Yale is an outstanding 3-point shooting team (ninth in percentage behind the arc), takes care of the defensive glass (22nd in limiting offensive rebounding, critical for this draw) and rarely gives the ball away (19th in turnover rate). Obviously we have to acknowledge the difference in the conferences — Yale played an Ivy League schedule while Texas A&M went through the SEC grinder. But let's not forget the Aggies finished the year on a 2-5 skid, and their season began with a surprising loss at UCF. Meanwhile, Yale upset Auburn just last year, although Danny Wolf is no longer in New Haven. I'm a fan of Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams, but I won't have his squad in my second-week plans.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 March Madness bracket, picks: Fade these top-seeded teams to help your NCAA tournament pool odds
Let's establish the obvious disclosure up front — when it comes to picking NCAA tournament champions in your bracket, the chalky teams are usually your friends, despite the moniker of "March Madness" for all the action to come. A No. 1 seed has won the NCAA men's tournament in six of the past seven years. Overdog UConn crushed the field last year, winning six straight games by 14 points or more. Your heart wants underdogs, your head can't look away from favorites. Alas, some highly ranked teams won't survive as long as we like, and we have to audit the top seeds and see where the weaknesses might lie. Today's assignment is to identify the most vulnerable No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 seed that could have trouble advancing to the Sweet 16. Note: All team stats courtesy of the indispensable One of the common advantages of better teams is getting to the line more often. It's a stat you heard cited in the heyday of Bob Knight — the Hoosiers would make more free throws than the opponents would attempt. Maybe it's smart defense, maybe it's the constant lawyering of a coach, maybe it's wearing down the opposing defense ... it's something. A special sauce so many strong teams share. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] The Cougars are a legitimate No. 1 seed, but they don't own the free throw line. When it comes to their charity attempts against field-goal attempts, they stand a shocking 317th in the country. Houston is also outside the top 100 in free throw percentage (though it's a very good 3-point shooting team). Even if that angle doesn't move you, perhaps the lay of the bracket will. Houston could face Gonzaga in the second round, which stands an impressive ninth in the KenPom efficiency ranks. Think about that for a second — the Zags are a No. 8 seed but are ninth on the stat page. The other No. 8 seeds check in at 23rd (Louisville), 32nd (Mississippi State) and 35th (Connecticut). While Houston, which a whopping 46.1% of Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem users picked to reach the Final Four, has routinely made the second weekend in recent years (five straight seasons), Gonzaga has punched the second-weekend ticket in nine straight tournaments. Something's gotta give. Yes, this is a Rick Barnes tweet. It's impossible to escape how underachieving his teams have been in March. Barnes has only been to one Final Four despite a 38-year coaching career tied to some excellent talent, and his overall mark in the dance is an ordinary 28-26. College basketball is undeniably a coach's game, and Barnes has trouble when the lights are brightest. He's 11-23 against the tournament spread over the last two decades, the least profitable coach to get behind. Sure, in your NCAA pool, we're picking teams to win, not cover. But several of those losses were Barnes' teams underachieving and/or losing outright. And remember, this is a coach who merely grabbed a No. 5 seed (and only one NCAA tournament win) back when he had Kevin Durant and three other NBA-bound players at Texas. [Bracket tips | 4 Cinderellas who could surprise | Printable bracket] The 2025 Volunteers are an experienced group and they play excellent defense all over the court, especially behind the arc. Tennessee games are routinely rock fights (its tempo is almost as slow as Houston's), and that doesn't have to be a pejorative term. But Tennessee doesn't get a lot of production from its bench, and it's an ordinary team shooting the three and converting at the line. UCLA's Mick Cronin could easily outfox Barnes in the second round, and if it comes to a third-round game against Kentucky, note the Wildcats swept Tennessee this year. You'll note that my No. 1 and No 2 picks are both from the Midwest region. Perhaps that's a good place to let your hair down with your regional champion, while you're likely using No. 1 or No. 2 seeds elsewhere. Please don't tell Wisconsin buddy and Yahoo Sports colleague Frank Schwab that I wrote this. The Badgers played excellent ball in a run to the Big Ten Tournament final, but that also meant four games in four days; often I think premier programs are better off not going deep in their conference tournaments. Now it's a quick turnaround to Denver, where the Badgers have to play at altitude. And if Wisconsin draws BYU in the second round, that's an opponent used to playing far above sea level, a sneaky advantage. Underdogs won't be intimidated by the Badgers, who don't turn opponents over very often (331rd in turnover rate) and rarely reject a shot (332nd in block percentage). Every underdog they face will feel live to me. The South region immediately grabbed my attention when the brackets were announced Sunday night, especially the pod with the 4, 5, 12 and 13 seeds. I think Michigan and Texas A&M are both vulnerable in their first games (against UC San Diego and Yale, respectively), and I'd be surprised if the Aggies lasted to the second week. The Aggies don't shoot the ball especially well (317th in effective field-goal percentage) but they play volleyball on the offensive boards — No. 1 in offensive rebound rate. Yale is an outstanding 3-point shooting team (ninth in percentage behind the arc), takes care of the defensive glass (22nd in limiting offensive rebounding, critical for this draw) and rarely gives the ball away (19th in turnover rate). Obviously we have to acknowledge the difference in the conferences — Yale played an Ivy League schedule while Texas A&M went through the SEC grinder. But let's not forget the Aggies finished the year on a 2-5 skid, and their season began with a surprising loss at UCF. Meanwhile, Yale upset Auburn just last year, although Danny Wolf is no longer in New Haven. I'm a fan of Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams, but I won't have his squad in my second-week plans.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness 2025 bracket, picks: Fade these top-seeded teams to boost your NCAA tournament pool odds
Let's establish the obvious disclosure up front — when it comes to picking NCAA tournament champions in your bracket, the chalky teams are usually your friends, despite the moniker of "March Madness" for this whole thing. A No. 1 seed has won the NCAA men's tournament in six of the past seven years. Overdog UConn crushed the field last year, winning six straight games by 14 points or more. Your heart wants underdogs, your head can't look away from favorites. Alas, some highly ranked teams won't survive as long as we like, and we have to audit the top seeds and see where the weaknesses might lie. Today's assignment is to identify the most vulnerable No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 seed that could have trouble advancing to the Sweet 16. Note: All team stats courtesy of the indispensable One of the common advantages of better teams is getting to the line more often. It's a stat you heard cited in the heyday of Bob Knight — the Hoosiers would make more free throws than the opponents would attempt. Maybe it's smart defense, maybe it's the constant lawyering of a coach, maybe it's wearing down the opposing defense ... it's something. A special sauce so many strong teams share. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] The Cougars are a legitimate No. 1 seed, but they don't own the free throw line. When it comes to their charity attempts against field-goal attempts, they stand a shocking 317th in the country. Houston is also outside the top 100 in free throw percentage (though it's a very good 3-point shooting team). Even if that angle doesn't move you, perhaps the lay of the bracket will. Houston could face Gonzaga in the second round, which stands an impressive ninth in the KenPom efficiency ranks. Think about that for a second — the Zags are a No. 8 seed but are ninth on the stat page. The other No. 8 seeds check in at 23rd (Louisville), 32nd (Mississippi State) and 35th (Connecticut). While Houston, which a whopping 46.1% of Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem users picked to reach the Final Four, has routinely made the second weekend in recent years (five straight seasons), Gonzaga has punched the second-weekend ticket in nine straight tournaments. Something's gotta give. Yes, this is a Rick Barnes tweet. It's impossible to escape how underachieving his teams have been in March. Barnes has only been to one Final Four despite a 38-year coaching career tied to some excellent talent, and his overall mark in the dance is an ordinary 28-26. College basketball is undeniably a coach's game, and Barnes has trouble when the lights are brightest. He's 11-23 against the tournament spread over the last two decades, the least profitable coach to get behind. Sure, in your NCAA pool, we're picking teams to win, not cover. But several of those losses were Barnes' teams underachieving and/or losing outright. And remember, this is a coach who merely grabbed a No. 5 seed (and only one NCAA tournament win) back when he had Kevin Durant and three other NBA-bound players at Texas. [4 Cinderella picks to ready to surprise | Bracket tips | Printable bracket] The 2025 Volunteers are an experienced group and they play excellent defense all over the court, especially behind the arc. Tennessee games are routinely rock fights (its tempo is almost as slow as Houston's), and that doesn't have to be a pejorative term. But Tennessee doesn't get a lot of production from its bench, and it's an ordinary team shooting the three and converting at the line. UCLA's Mick Cronin could easily outfox Barnes in the second round, and if it comes to a third-round game against Kentucky, note the Wildcats swept Tennessee this year. You'll note that my No. 1 and No 2 picks are both from the Midwest region. Perhaps that's a good place to let your hair down with your regional champion, while you're likely using No. 1 or No. 2 seeds elsewhere. Please don't tell Wisconsin buddy and Yahoo Sports colleague Frank Schwab that I wrote this. The Badgers played excellent ball in a run to the Big Ten Tournament final, but that also meant four games in four days; often I think premier programs are better off not going deep in their conference tournaments. Now it's a quick turnaround to Denver, where the Badgers have to play at altitude. And if Wisconsin draws BYU in the second round, that's an opponent used to playing far above sea level, a sneaky advantage. Underdogs won't be intimidated by the Badgers, who don't turn opponents over very often (331rd in turnover rate) and rarely reject a shot (332nd in block percentage). Every underdog they face will feel live to me. The South region immediately grabbed my attention when the brackets were announced Sunday night, especially the pod with the 4, 5, 12 and 13 seeds. I think Michigan and Texas A&M are both vulnerable in their first games (against UC San Diego and Yale, respectively), and I'd be surprised if the Aggies lasted to the second week. The Aggies don't shoot the ball especially well (317th in effective field-goal percentage) but they play volleyball on the offensive boards — No. 1 in offensive rebound rate. Yale is an outstanding 3-point shooting team (ninth in percentage behind the arc), takes care of the defensive glass (22nd in limiting offensive rebounding, critical for this draw) and rarely gives the ball away (19th in turnover rate). Obviously we have to acknowledge the difference in the conferences — Yale played an Ivy League schedule while Texas A&M went through the SEC grinder. But let's not forget the Aggies finished the year on a 2-5 skid, and their season began with a surprising loss at UCF. Meanwhile, Yale upset Auburn just last year, although Danny Wolf is no longer in New Haven. I'm a fan of Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams, but I won't have his squad in my second-week plans.
