It Ain't Over Until.....

The fat lady sings? Til its over? Or in the case of Rutgers vs. St. John's in the Big East Tournament, it ain't over until there are 3 seconds left on the clock and the refs decide to turn off their brains. At least that's the way it seemed.

The final few seconds of Wednesday's second round game have been discussed and dissected all afternoon. If you haven't seen it yet, give a look here. Prior to the plays seen here, there were a few other questionable no calls that didn't go the way of the Scarlet Knights. Let the "St. John's back on a national stage playing at MSG" conspiracy begin.

Daily Onions isn't going to talk conspiracy theory. But here's what we will talk about. We are going to talk about how the refs completely shut it down a few seconds early. We are going to talk about Mike Rice doing what he does best, freaking out on the sideline. And we are going to talk about St. John's Justin Brownlee not knowing how to win, but we are sure this is a lesson that he never forgets.

First things first: To referees Jim Burr, Tim Higgins, and Earl Walton - go to your room. Why don't you sit the next few games out, because we aren't going to need you at the Big East Tournament any more. Three veteran officials making a horrible mistake. Bottom line, they didn't close out the game (and you thought the Miami Heat were the only people that didn't know how to close out a basketball game). They reffed for 39 minutes and 57 seconds. Three seconds is all it takes to stir up a pretty big controversy and give Big East officials a black eye. Should these refs be penalized? Absolutely. This wasn't a judgment call that could have gone either way. This was the refs blatantly ignoring two or three violations in the final three seconds that directly effected the outcome of the game. If we were the Big East, we'd suspend them for the rest of the tournament, and then leave it up to the NCAA to decide whether they ref in the Big Dance.

Guessing Rice didn't like this particular call (US Presswire)

Next on the list is Rutgers head coach, Mike Rice. Let's say this first. We love your passion for the game of basketball, and we think you will turn the Rutgers program around in the next 2-3 years. With that said, the sideline antics need to be toned a bit. We've been saying it all season long. In Wednesday's game, with three seconds left, you were so worried about a no foul call, that you didn't even see that there was a possible travel, an out of bounds violation and the ball being tossed into the crowd. Not that seeing those plays happen would have changed the outcome (since there was no whistle blown, the plays were not reviewable), but maybe if you weren't ready to take out Jim Burr, he would have gotten his butt in position to make a call. It seems like this year in college basketball has been one of the worst officiating years in recent memory, as well as a lot of coaches gone wild on the sidelines. Both parties need to lock it up. We'll give Rice credit though in his post game press conference. He was calm, said that the refs made a mistake, he admitted that he himself made some mistakes and lost self-control, and that was that. 

And finally, we come to Justin Brownlee. Young man, you should be thanking Mr. Burr, Mr. Higgins and Mr. Walton for their horrendous mistakes, which makes your end of game antics moot. First of all, play the game until the final buzzer goes off. Second, when that buzzer does go off, act like you have won a game before. Sure, its fine to get excited and celebrate with your team. But chucking the ball into the 200 level of Madison Square Garden? Not sure if you were aware, but its Wednesday afternoon at the Big East Tournament and not Saturday night. The good thing for Brownlee is that it's not the end of the world. He'll get a chance to step back on the court tomorrow against Syracuse. Guarantee from here on out he plays the rest of the games until he sees three zeros on the clock.

Mistakes happen. It's what we, along with the refs, Rice and Brownlee, learn from these mistakes that is the most important thing. It's unfortunate that there had to be controversy to end what was otherwise a great game. As long as coaches, players and refs at all levels are able to learn from this, then we'll all be better off in the end.

FASTPASS to the NCAA Tournament

Lots of basketball being played this week with automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Daily Onions will keep you posted on who has gotten their FASTPASS to the Big Dance.

As of Sunday, March 13th, the following teams are IN:

Atlantic Coast: Duke (30-4)
America East: Boston (21-13)
Atlantic 10: Richmond (27-7)
Atlantic Sun: Belmont (30-4)
Big East: UConn (26-9)
Big Sky: Northern Colorado (21-10)
Big South: UNC-Asheville (19-13)
Big 12: Kansas (32-2)
Big 10: THE Ohio State University(32-2)
Big West: UCSB (18-13)
Colonial: Old Dominion (27-6)
Conference USA: Memphis (25-9)
Horizon: Butler (23-9)
Ivy: Princeton (25-6)
MAC: Ohio (23-12)
MAAC: St. Peter's (20-13)
Mid-Eastern: Hampton (24-8)
Missouri Valley: Indiana State (20-13)
Mountain West: San Diego State (32-2)
Northeast: Long Island (27-5)
Ohio Valley: Morehead State (24-9)
PAC-10: Washington (23-10)
Patriot: Bucknell (25-8)
SEC: Kentucky (26-8)
Southern: Wofford (21-12)
Southland: Texas-San Antonio (19-13)
Southwestern Athletic: Alabama State (17-17)
Summit: Oakland (25-9)
Sun Belt: Arkansas-Little Rock (19-16)
Western Athletic: Utah State (30-3)
West Coast: Gonzaga (24-9)

Check back daily to see who else is in!

Party Like It's 1946...(maybe)

While Daily Onions might show a little bias to Syracuse and the Big East, we are an equal opportunity blog. With Championship Week in full swing, we want to make sure that we don't forget about the smaller conferences, and notably the smart kids who genuinely put the student in student-athlete.

In case you didn't know, we have some late season drama in the Ivy League this year. Since this conference doesn't have a postseason tournament, the regular season champion gets the automatic bid to go dancing. Tonight marks the final game of the regular season, and once again the match up between Penn and Princeton will dictate who wins the conference. This time though the two teams vying for the bid will be Princeton and...Harvard.

Current Princeton Head Coach, Johnson (5) learned from the best

Here's the situation: If Penn holds serve on their home court, the historic Palestra (where Daily Onions has knocked down a few jumpers during an informal shoot around), Harvard wins the Ivy League outright and heads to the NCAA tournament. If Princeton wins, they force a tie atop the standings and a one-game playoff. That winner-take-all game between Harvard and Princeton will be on Saturday at Yale. The best part about all of this, is that Harvard beat Princeton this past Saturday in Boston to guarantee themselves at least a share of the title. After the victory, it was bedlam as the fans stormed the court, while Tigers Head Coach Sydney Johnson had his team stay on the bench and watch the celebration. I'm sure Princeton will have those memories in their mind as they take the floor tonight, hoping for the chance to seek some revenge on Saturday.

If Harvard is able to get into the tournament, whether it be with a Princeton loss tonight or in the playoff on Saturday, it will be their first appearance since 1946. In fact, Harvard is the only Ivy League school not to win a league championship since it was formed in 1956. Part of the reason for Harvard's recent success comes from the sidelines. Hired for the 2007-08 season, Tommy Amaker has watched his team go from a squad that went 3-11 in league play his first year, 6-8 in year two, and 10-4 last year (the first time they've had a winning record in conference since 96-97). The Crimson were third in the standings in 2010 behind Cinderella Sweet 16 Cornell and Princeton.

Will Amaker and Co. have more to celebrate?

Amaker and the Crimson posted a program record for wins with 23 this season, while only dropping five (all on the road - George Mason, UConn, Michigan, Princeton and Yale). They also had an impressive road win over a ranked Boston College team (Harvard's first win over a ranked opponent ever) for city bragging rights. For those of you scoring at home, that's three losses to out of conference teams that all should be in the NCAA tournament, as well as a win over a team from the ACC, that will also most likely be in the tournament. Pretty solid resume if you ask us.

We'd love to see Harvard end the drought and head to the tournament next week, but we are also excited for the potential of what this week has in store. If Princeton can win tonight (they needed OT to beat Penn at home a few weeks ago), Saturday's playoff will truly be something special. For a conference that doesn't have a conference tournament, it will be 40 minutes, between the top 2 teams in the league, with the winner getting to dance. That right there, is why they play the games.

The Weekend That Was

FINALLY!!! The regular season of college basketball is over. Postseason is here, or has been here for a few days thanks to a few conference tournaments that got underway last week. Lots to catch up on from the weekend, including the first four tickets being punched for the dance, rush season on college campuses and some crying in one NBA locker room (there's no crying in basketball!?)

Indiana State scored an upset and an automatic bid this weekend

First Four In: The past few weeks we've been hearing hypotheticals of the last four teams in the tournament and which four teams are the last four out. Well now we have four teams that are officially in. Congrats to Belmont (Atlantic Sun), UNC-Asheville (Big South), Morehead St. (Ohio Valley) and Indiana State (Larry Bird! - Missouri Valley) for guaranteeing their spot in the dance. Indiana State pulled the upset over Missouri State to get in, which means Mizzou St. will be one of those mid-majors now hanging out on the bubble. Take note of Morehead St. as well, as they feature Kenneth Faried, the nation's (not conference, the NATION) leading rebounder. The kid averages 14.5 per game and is slated to be a late first round pick in the NBA draft.

Five for Fighting: As in five days for fighting in Madison Square Garden because this year's Big East Tournament is sure to be a slug-fest. Top four seeds (Pitt, ND, L'ville and Cuse) get the double-bye (winning!) and are off until Thursday. Who would have thought that Villanova and UConn would be playing on Tuesday, as the 9th and 10th seed. Well, we kind of did and that's why we featured them in our teams not peaking at the right time post last week. Take the Villanova name off their tournament resume and it's nothing special. A loss on Tuesday would probably put them on the good side of the bubble, but I think a big reason for that comes from some name recognition. Throw in the fact that Corey Stokes is questionable for games this week with an injury, Jay Wright and his pinstripes have to be a bit nervous. Meanwhile, Syracuse is in the New Jersey/New York portion of the bracket, as they'll face the winner of St. John's and Rutgers/Seton Hall. Daily Onions doesn't see a team out of the top four seeds winning this tournament, but then again it is the Big East and anything is possible.

Great win for UNC, but storm-worthy? Not so sure.

Take Your Shirt Off: North Carolina, come on and raise up. It's official. The Tar Heels are back. We missed you last year, but are glad to see you are here just in time for March! UNC pretty much led the whole way against Duke on Saturday night, and with the win clinched the regular season ACC title. Freshman Harrison Barnes is finally starting to live up to the expectations and the Tar Heels have settled in with their new point guard Kendall Marshall running the show (15 pts, 11 assists). Daily Onions is still standing by their claim of Duke as a Final Four team, although we'd like to see a little more toughness from Blue Devils from here on out.

Elsewhere: Daily Onions first Final Four pick, THE Ohio State University made a statement on Sunday, telling the rest of the nation that they are the team to beat heading into the NCAA tournament. A near perfect performance by the Buckeyes yesterday led to a butt-whooping of Wisconsin, avenging the earlier loss in Madison. OSU was 14-15 from 3 pt. land (Diebler was 7-8) and shot 68% from the field. Jared Sullinger and his backside went for 22 and 8. In the SEC, Florida is quietly playing some of the best basketball in the country and locked up the SEC title yesterday at Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Kentucky FINALLY got a win on the road, taking care of Tennessee 64-58. Are the Wildcats finally starting to grow up and learning how to win on the road? It will take more than a win at Jekyll and Hyde Tennessee to convince us.

Storm Troopers: It was a tough day to be a court side security guard in college basketball this weekend. Court storming was contagious as we saw it in Iowa's win over Purdue (acceptable); in Chapel Hill after UNC beat Duke (HIGHLY disappointed in Tar Heel fans - National Championship 2 years ago, beating your rival handily at home, act like you've been there); out west San Diego State fans stormed to celebrate a share of the Mountain West Conference title (ehhh, sure why not - it's been a Cinderellaly type of year for the Aztecs). We'll probably see a few more storms this week as some of the smaller conference tournaments come to an end. In these cases, Daily Onions says go ahead and storm the court, Bethune Cookman fans. Enjoy your 15 minutes, and then make sure you buckle up for your 15 or 16 seed in the Big Dance.

We'd hide too if we lose four in a row

Cry-ami Heat: According to Coach Spo, a couple of the Heat players were crying in the locker room after yesterday's 1-point loss the Da Bulls. Maybe crying will help the team that has lost four in a row and five of their last six. Bottom line, the Heat can't close. They are 1-9 against the league's top five teams, and 0-6 against the Celtics and the Bulls. Most of those games have been close, and down the stretch they are 1-18 from the field in the final 10 seconds with the chance to tie or take the lead (on odd days of even months). We all knew it'd take time for the Heat to really become a dominating team, but the fact that LeBron, Wade and Bosh have been coming up short in the clutch is a bit surprising (well, minus Bosh). That'll have to change come May, as the Eastern Conference playoffs will have five pretty scary teams in play (Celtics, Bulls, Heat, Magic, Knicks). Big shots will need to be made, and there won't be much time for tears.

Unit, Corps, God, Country

Sir. For any normal, living, breathing human being, you know that today's title is the "code" for the U.S. Marines in the movie A Few Good Men. If for some reason you don't know that, stop reading this post, run, don't walk to the nearest TV and odds are the movie should be on TNT, TBS or another movie channel. And then give yourself minus 50 points for never seeing the movie.

So where were we...ahh, yes, the code. We all know that code. And in the last 48 hours, the college basketball world has learned about a new code, the BYU Honor Code. That's because the third ranked Cougs, led by everyone's favorite - Jimmer, lost one of their best players for the rest of the SEASON because he violated the school's Honor Code. Brandon Davies, the sophomore forward, was third on the team in scoring, first in rebounding and first in honor code violations. The news broke on Wednesday that Davies would not be able to participate with the basketball team for the rest of the season because he had premarital sex, which is against the code. Dismissed from the team (his name isn't even on the roster on the school's website anymore) during the day, the Cougs than went out and laid an egg against New Mexico at home, losing 82-64 (on a side note - BYU is now winless against NM in their last four regular season matchups). Even the previously indestructible Jimmer was 1-9 from 3 pt land on Wednesday night.

Things you won't see anymore: Davies dunking

Do we feel bad for Davies and the Cougs? Definitely. They were having an unbelievable season, just completed the season sweep of San Diego State, and were putting themselves in line to be a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. At the same time though, Davies and all other students at BYU know what they are signing up for. The Honor Code at BYU contains things that all of us probably violated within the first 48 hours of stepping onto our college campus. Things that are included in the code: using clean language, abstaining from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, and substance abuse, observing the dress and grooming standard, etc. Raise your hand if you got through a week of college obeying those rules. Heck, raise your hand if you got through this morning without any violations. So yes, 99% didn't want an Honor Code to be a part of our college experience, and many of those things might seem outlandish and ridiculous.

I'll tell you who did want those rules as part of their college experience though, Brandon Davies and the other 33,999 (approximate) students that are currently enrolled at BYU. Are all of those students perfect? Probably not. Do some of those students violate the Honor Code and get away with it? I'd bet, yes. The bottom line is, Davies knew what he was signing up for. He knew what the Honor Code was. He knew that if he violated the code, there would be consequences. Just because people violate the code and get away with it, doesn't make it right. Once you make the decision to break the rules, you need to be willing to accept the punishment. Just because someone drives drunk and gets away with it, doesn't mean they didn't break the law. They did indeed break the law, and if they continue to test the system, eventually it's going to come back to haunt them. In the case of Brandon Davies, it's not only haunting him, but also his teammates, his family, and the entire University.

Whether or not BYU is trying to set an example by coming down hard on a high-profile athlete is besides the point. There is a code and you need to obey the code. If that's not for you, go to another school. There are plenty of more options out there.

With that said, it is a shame that BYU won't be full strength going into post season play. Davies was a very big part of their team, especially in rebounding/defensive aspects of the game. I don't think the blow-out loss to New Mexico is that alarming, as the Cougs had just heard news of Davies dismissal earlier that day and were pretty shell-shocked. As we mentioned, New Mexico has had BYU's number as well, winning their previous four matchups. It's not clear where BYU will be ranked heading into the tournament, probably a 2 seed.

One thing that is clear though, don't sleep on the Cougs. They'll still be a tough out and a feared team in two weeks. I don't think anyone in the country wants to line up against Jimmer in a do or die, win or go home tournament. Are we clear? Crystal.

Winning, Duh

That is the answer. The question is not what is Charlie Sheen's favorite saying of the past few days, but instead, what is the most important thing college hoops teams should be doing at this time of year? Yesterday we chronicled a few teams that were slipping and today we'll look at a few teams that might just be peaking at the right time, ready to make a run in their conference tournaments and the Big Dance. As always, we start w/ the Big East.

-St. John's: Call me crazy, but shouldn't Steve Lavin be the unanimous pick for Big East Coach of the Year? Not all experts at ESPN agree, as Mike Brey, Jamie Dixon and Rick Pitino got votes in the websites mock awards selection yesterday. What do Brey, Dixon and Pitino all have in common? Their teams all made the tournament last year and they've been perennial contenders in the Big East. The Johnnies on the other hand haven't been relevant since Marcus Hatton (throw back to 2002 days!). Lavin comes in, takes players that Norm Roberts recruited, and has them ranked #15 in the country, 19-9 overall and in line for a double-bye in the Big East tournament. Give Lavin the trophy now, and we thank you for making college hoops important in NYC again.

Winning in March runs in the Hansbrough Family

-Notre Dame: As much as it pains me to say this, I feel like I might have the Irish making a little run in the tournament. I mean who really wants to root for Notre Dame?? Actually, this isn't football so it isn't THAT bad. Why do we like ND so much, two words: Senior Leadership. Top five scorers on the squad, all seniors. They play hard, they play together, they share the ball (13th in the country in assists) and they have at least two players that can knock down the big shot (Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromitis). Oh, and they've also won 10 of their last 11 in the best conference in the country. Mike Brey's mock turtlenecks aside, how can you not like this team just a little bit?

-Purdue: Winners of their last seven games, the Boilermakers should end up as the #2 seed in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, behind THE Ohio State University, whom they beat just two weeks ago. If you don't enjoy watching JaJuan Johnson play, you should stop watching basketball. The kid is a freak. In their 20 point blow out win AT Michigan State on Sunday, Johnson went for 20 points, 17 rebounds and a cool 7 blocks. Throw in a little side of E'Twaun Moore, who had 38 of the team's 76 points in the W over OSU, and know what you have....winning!

-Kansas State: Daily Onions would like to officially welcome Frank Martin and the Wildcats back to this year's college basketball season. Since Valentine's Day, K-State has gone 5-0, including wins over #1 Kansas and at #8 Texas. Quite the turnaround for a team that started conference play at 2-5. Their inconsistency at the beginning of the year still scares us a bit, but you can't knock the hustle in the last few weeks.

-Butler: Look at that, it's all of Daily Onions beginning of the season favorites. Good to see you Coach Stevens, and the rest of the Bulldogs. Winners of their last seven games, last year's runner-up is putting themselves in position to make the tournament, which seemed unlikely in January. They still have some work to do, but if they can get to the finals of the Horizon League Tournament, win or lose they should get a bid to dance once again. Regardless of what type of season they've had, you never want to see Butler in your region come March.

In our next post, we'll take a look at the previous 24 hours at third-ranked BYU. First the loss of Brendan Davies due to violating the school's Honor Code, and then the blow out loss at home last night to New Mexico. Poor Jimmer.

Villa-Nosedive and Other Falls from Grace

Things haven't been as easy for Kemba lately (Getty)

After five days of relaxation in Florida, Daily Onions is back! We are a bit caramelized, but more than ready for March. Who's coming with us?

Well apparently there are a few teams out there that don't want their March performances to be something to write home about. Daily Onions will take care of the writing and we'll call out some of those teams that aren't exactly peaking at the right time. Let's start close to home in the Big East.

-Villanova: Jay Wright is all dressed up for the dance but the way his team is playing lately, it looks like his ride will be picking him up for an early exit. The Wildcats have lost five of their last seven, including home games to Syracuse, St. John's and Pitt. They've also lost at Rutgers and got embarrassed Monday night at Notre Dame, when the Irish drained 20 (not a typo) three pointers. There is no doubt that Nova has talent. One of their best players, Corey Stokes missed some time with an injury, but he's been back for the past three games. They'll need some of his hot shooting if they want to end their regular season with a W, at Pitt on Saturday. Good luck with that one. It looks as though, Villanova will be the 11 seed (seriously) in next week's Big East Tournament. If the Cats don't get things back on track quickly, they'll be back in the City of Brotherly Love before the first weekend of the NCAA tournament is even over, just like last year.

-UConn: The Huskies haven't been as bad as Villanova, but the last month of basketball hasn't been that pretty in Storrs. While Kemba Walker has been coming back down to Earth (ahem, told you so), UConn has dropped down the Big East standings as well. Since January 29th, UConn is 4-5. Prior to that, they were 17-2. Things don't get much easier for the Huskies, as they are at West Virginia tonight, which begs the question, if WVU beats #16 UConn, do they storm the court? Kemba and the crew then host the Big East's hottest team, Notre Dame on Saturday. Depending on how they fare, UConn could be in the mix for a double-bye in the Big East tournament, or they could be a 10-11 seed. Those possibilities are on opposites sides of the spectrum, similar to the discrepancy between the beginning and end of the season for the Huskies.

Grant and 'Bama still have some work to do

-Texas: A few March guarantees - St. Patrick's Day, baseball's spring training and grumbling in Texas about the Longhorns tailspin at the end of the season. As we've discussed in the is space before, we aren't confident in Rick Barnes and Texas down the stretch. This year's version of the epidemic includes losing 3 of their last 4 games against unranked teams (at Nebraska, at Colorado and home against a rejuvenated Kansas State) in the last week. We are going to "steer" (athankyou) clear of the Longhorns in the Big Dance not only because of their recent poor track record, but also because of the Daily Onions "Kentucky Corollary," where we stay way from teams that are too young and inexperienced. Four of the top six players for Texas are either freshman or sophomores. One final road test for this squad on Saturday at Baylor. A win would be huge for the youngsters confidence heading into tournament week.

-Alabama: The Crimson Tide will be staying in Sweet Home Alabama if they don't make a run in the SEC tournament. A few weeks ago we were praising 'Bama for being atop the SEC West standings. Well, they will still win the weak West division, but that's no lock to get them in. Back to back losses at Mississippi and Florida (a butt whooping), along with a poor out of conference schedule that included no real quality wins, Bama is now bubbling. Coach Anthony Grant and his perfectly tailored button down shirts need to win against Georgia on Saturday, and then win at least two games in the conference tournament to have a chance to get in to the Big Dance.

-Illinois: The Fighting Illini have a fighter's chance to get into the NCAA tournament. A tough schedule down the stretch hasn't done any favors for Bruce Weber's team. They are 4-7 over their last 11, including loses in 3 of their last 4 (Purdue, OSU, MSU). There is a possibility that Illinois could play Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, which would basically be an elimination game for the loser, with the winner still needing help. Whether Illinois is able to get into the tournament or not, this season has been a bit of a disappointment. With a team full of guys like McCamey, Davis, Tisdale, etc, there is no reason they shouldn't have been just behind OSU and Purdue battling for a Big Ten title.

Coming up in our next post, we'll go the other way around, and look at some of the teams that are starting to peak at the right time.