Big 12 Tournament Picks: Kansas Is Favored To Win Big 12 Tournament
-Kansas State has lost its last two games
-Kansas has won three of the last four Big 12 Tournament championships
-Baylor hasnt lost since Feb. 20 at Oklahoma State

Big 12 Tournament Picks The Favorites

Kansas is the clear favorite for this event. The Jayhawks are regarded as one of the two best teams in the country alongside a Syracuse squad that has received a similar degree of buzz. KU is deep (with the Morris brothers), long (with Xavier Henry), powerful (with Cole Aldrich), balanced (with Brady Morningstar), and strong at the point (with Sherron Collins). There are few weaknesses on coach Bill Selfs roster, which has been the class of the Big 12 all year. On paper, theres only one team in the conference that can win the national title, and its Kansas.

If theres a second choice in this tournament, its definitely Baylor. Baylor’s blend of athleticism and length, with guard Tweety Carter and big man Ekpe Udoh leading the way, thoroughly bothered Big 12 opponents this season. The Bears gave Kansas a good run on the road in Lawrence, and coach Scott Drew’s Baylor bunch is increasingly being viewed as the kind of team that could make a darkhorse run to the Elite Eight.

Big 12 Tournament Picks The Mid-Tier

NCAA basketball betting involves more than identifying high seeds. Kansas State might be the No. 2 seed in the Big 12s hoops festival, but the Wildcats who fell into a second-place tie at the end of the regular season appear to be buckling under the strain of being a hunted team. Coach Frank Martins club might be seeded like a favorite, but its playing like a middle-tier team. Baylor should finish off KSU in Fridays semifinals if seventh-seeded Oklahoma State doesnt bounce the Cats out of Kansas City in Thursdays quarterfinals.

The other truly dangerous team at this tournament is fourth-seeded Texas A&M. Coach Mark Turgeons Aggies, by virtue of being the No. 4 seed, gained a first-round bye and a reasonable chance of winning three games in three days. Its very hard to win four games in four days at a conference tournament, but three games can be managed. A&M is a threat because the Aggies can hang with Kansas on the defensive glass and can go toe-to-toe with the Jayhawks in a physical and grinding kind of game. The Aggies are limited in terms of their firepower, but if they can play a slowdown game in the low 60s or high 50s, theyll have a legitimate shot at a tournament title.

Big 12 Tournament Picks The Longshots

The sportsbook odds dont favor any team that will take the court at the Sprint Center in Wednesdays opening round. Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma State, Colorado, and Texas Tech the fifth through ninth seeds at this tournament simply have to do too much work and plow through too many competitive opponents in order to win this event. Of those five teams, Missouri can catch fire for one week and knock off opponents with its pressure defense, but the cold hard logic of reality suggests that this is a tournament that will be won by the four teams with first-round byes.

In addition to the fifth through ninth seeds, the bottom three teams in the conference 10th-seeded Oklahoma, 11th-seeded Iowa State, and 12th-seeded Nebraska have absolutely no shot at winning the whole tournament.

Big 12 Tournament Picks The Prediction

Baylor will reach the final from the bottom half of the bracket, while Kansas and Texas A&M should stage a semifinal war in the top half of the bracket. Kansas doesnt need this tournament the way other teams do, but the Jayhawks are tough to pick against. In the end, KU will beat A&M to make the final, but Baylor will rise up and claim the Big 12 Tournament championship. The Bears are confident enough to withstand KUs runs, and theyre potent enough to keep pace in a track meet.

Pick: Baylor

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What: NCAA basketball betting
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
When: Wednesday, March 10 1
Defending Champion: USC

Pac-10 Tournament Favorites

California emerges as a +125 favorite in the Pac-10 tournament, and they won seven of their last eight to end the season as the regular-season champions by a game over Arizona State. Jerome Randle is a gunner who has struggled a bit down the stretch, which forced players like Patrick Christopher and Jamal Boykin to step up. This makes the Golden Bears a legitimate threat for at least one upset in the NCAA Tournament.

Pac-10 Tournament Darkhorse

Arizona is listed at +800 in your sportsbook, and the Wildcats won their last three games of the year, at Stanford, and then at home against UCLA and USC. Freshman Derrick Williams has been brilliant as a post presence to free up Nic Wise on the outside. The Wildcats Achilles Heel is defense, as theyre 259th in scoring defense, but defense isnt really a necessity in the Pac-10.

Pac-10 Tournament Busts

Best sportsbook is rated at +200 after coming into the season as the preseason favorites in the Pac-10, and theyve won five of their last six, including four in a row. But the Huskies are extremely reliant on Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Poindexter, and if you can shut those two down, you have a great chance at beating the Huskies, who lead the Pac-10 in scoring, but theyre second-last in scoring defense.

Pac 10 Tournament Pick

Cal will face either Arizona State or Best sportsbook in the final, and the Bears are 3-1 against those two, losing at Best sportsbook back in January. Cal is the most well-rounded team of the trio, they have the best player in the conference in Randle, and theyve ratcheted up their defense lately. Go with the California Golden Bears

The picture will never go away.

Mario Chalmers in the air.

A little higher than Derrick Rose.

Everybody in the dome standing.

And an orang just hanging there, paused in between a trip from Chalmers’ fingertips to immortality, the eyes of Darnell Jackson, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Shawn Taggart, and Antonio Anderson all staring up at it, well aware its path would change the rest of their lives, for better or worse.

Classic game.

Classic moment.

Coming in at No. 1 on our list of the “10 Best NCAA March Madness games from last decade” is …

Kansas vs. Memphis (2008)

Memphis had spent months being questioned because the Tigers were members of a non-BCS league and terrible at free throws, and the storylines heated up as the C-USA school marched further into the NCAA tournament.

Mario Chalmers nails the game-tying 3 to cap the comeback. (Getty Images) One after another, the questions were asked. And though the first concern was proved irrelevant as Memphis spent the NCAA tournament tearing through Mississippi State (SEC), Michigan State (Big Ten), Texas (Big 12) and UCLA (Pac-10), the second one never ceased being a talking point, which brings me to the final two minutes of the 2008 national championship game.

The Tigers led 60-51 with less than two minutes remaining.

The game seemed to be over.

Writers were preparing to file columns about how a freshman point guard put Memphis on his back and carried the school to its first national title. Fans both inside the Alamodome and bars back on Beale Street were celebrating what was about to be a crowning achievement for a program led by a man who had rallied both the rich and poor of a racially divided city while playing the us-against-the-world card.

And then it started falling apart.

Douglas-Roberts missed a free throw, then missed two more. Meantime, Kansas created a turnover that led to a Sherron Collins 3-pointer, Chalmers sank a pair of free throws, Darrel Arthur scored on Taggart, and that 60-51 lead Memphis held with less than two minutes remaining was now 62-60 with 10.8 seconds left, and Rose was at the line shooting two free throws.

Predictably, he missed the first.

But he made the second.

And so Jackson inbounded the ball to Collins, and everybody stood and watched. Collins rushed the ball up the court despite pressure from Rose, stumbled, but still found Chalmers, who took one dribble and launched himself into the air, which is when that famous picture was snapped.

You see 3.6 seconds on the clock.

You see everybody’s eyes focused on the ball.

Jim Nantz provided a four-word description that’s now considered a curse in Memphis.

Those words:

The score was indeed tied when the ball fell through, and for reasons that might never be explained, John Calipari opted against taking a timeout to settle his clearly rattled team even though he would’ve had at least 2.1 seconds remaining. If 2.1 sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same amount of time Duke’s Christian Laettner needed to hit a game-winner against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA tournament. But Calipari didn’t bother with a timeout, and the result was Dozier’s half-court heave at the buzzer that wasn’t close.

“Ten seconds to go, we’re thinking we’re national champs,” Calipari said. “All of a sudden, kid makes a shot, and we’re not.”

Yes, Chalmers’ shot only technically forced OT, but in reality it was the game-winner. Calipari later admitted he knew it was over at that point, echoing the thoughts of most. No way the Tigers were recovering, and it was no surprise when they fell behind by six points in OT before scoring, no surprise when they lost by seven without much resistance.

Consequently, Memphis finished as national runners-up for the second time in school history. The first time came in 1973 because UCLA’s Bill Walton couldn’t miss a shot, the second time in 2008 because Memphis couldn’t make a free throw, protect the ball, foul as Calipari said he instructed when up three in the final seconds, or at least get a good look after Chalmers sank what is now known as “Mario’s Miracle.”

Classic game.

Classic moment.

The best, in fact, from the last decade.

Top 10 March Madness games of the decade
DateGameDateGame Wed., Jan. 6No. 10: Ohio State vs. Xavier (2007)
Wed., Feb. 10No. 5: Connecticut vs. Duke (2004) Wed., Jan. 13No. 9: North Carolina vs. Illinois (2005)
Wed., Feb. 17No. 4: George Mason vs. UConn (2006) Wed., Jan. 20No. 8: Villanova vs. Pittsburgh (2009)
Wed., Feb. 24No. 3: Illinois vs. Arizona (2005) Wed., Jan. 27No. 7: Davidson vs. Georgetown (2008)
Wed., March 3No. 2: UCLA vs. Gonzaga (2006) Wed., Feb. 3No. 6: Syracuse vs. Kansas (2003)
Wed., March 10No. 1: Kansas vs. Memphis (2008)

Maybe that’s who the boyish, 39-year-old coach of Baylor really is: Buoyant. Bubbly. Bad-ass recruiter.

Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears will go to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years. (Getty Images) Those assertions won’t go over well in the bowels of the Sprint Center during the Big 12 tournament this week because Drew is not a popular man with at least a portion of his conference peers. That’s only an issue right now because Baylor matters. The program that had burned to the ground with the murder of a player and the horrific misconduct of Dave Bliss has been rebuilt by the relentless Drew.

Make that reborn. The Bears are headed to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years and only the sixth time in their history. They followed up last year’s run to the Big 12 tournament title game with a run to the NIT championship game. The Bears are ranked (No. 21) and ripe for another run, looking like a Sweet 16 team at least.

That’s the jumping-off point for the Big 12 tournament that began here Wednesday. Pretty much everything else exists in that netherworld of accusations, recruiting, hurt feelings and bruised egos.

They’ve used the term “negative recruiting” in regards to Drew like it was an assault charge. They’ve looked down their nose at him for hiring Dwon Clifton, who was John Wall’s AAU coach. Baylor narrowly missed out on national recruit Darrell Arthur in 2006, at a time when many thought Baylor had no chance, or no business, in landing him. Arthur went on to win a national championship with Kansas.

It was here a year ago that usually mild-mannered Texas coach Rick Barnes told the , “There’s a line that he [Drew] knows that he can’t cross with me. He knows that. He definitely knows that.”

That from a member of the coaching fraternity whose profession is so rife with shady dealings that they can’t see past Drew’s tip-toeing up to that line. Drew has admitted that he has been too aggressive at times, but he has apologized or tried to. Earlier on at Baylor, he sent out flyer that asked recruit Anthony Randolph: Pictures of Bobby Knight and then-Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie were crossed out.

Maybe they’re not being hustled these days so much as outhustled.

“If I answer that then they’re going to be mad, thinking I outwork them,” Drew said, relaxing after dinner at Anthony’s Restaurant in downtown Kansas City prior to Thursday’s conference tournament opener.

But what if it’s true? What if your staff shows up for a game to scout a player in the offseason?

“Baylor,” Drew said proudly, “stays for the whole day. We’re going to be first in the gym so when [prospects] walk in, they’re going to see us first.”

What if your coach drives an SUV? So does Drew. He’s the white dude tooling around Waco in a black Escalade. That’s not a big deal on happens to appeal to recruits, then that’s another Baylor advantage.

“Coaches are going to be [upset] if they hear that,” Drew said.

But this is what Drew was brought in to do. He was hired from Valparaiso, where he was an assistant for his father, Homer, then the head coach for one season. Known as a recruiting whiz, Scott Drew had landed several talented players from overseas. At Baylor, he can afford to recruit more domestically. Top-five player Perry Jones will join the Bears next season.

Sophomore forward Quincy Acy got home from his prom at 7 a.m. He had an hour to sleep before his mom told him he better get his behind to church at 9 a.m. Drew, assistant Jerome Tang and then-assistant Matthew Driscoll were there to show their faces and support. If they were going to be there to see him, he had better be there to be seen.

“I was a zombie,” Acy said.

Later, he became a Bear.

So did Fred Ellis. The sophomore remembers Driscoll, now at North Florida, coming to one of his games in Sacramento, Calif. Ellis said gunfire broke out in the parking lot after the game.

“Coach Driscoll, you know, is full of jokes and laughter,” Ellis said. “He turned completely around. He was scared.”

Oh, and that Clifton/John Wall thing. Wall didn’t come to Baylor, so what’s the fuss?

“The irony was everyone was upset,” Drew said. “Why would they be upset? We didn’t get John Wall. If you hire a guy just to get a player, that would be a detriment more than anything else.”

It’s time, then, for the accusers to do something more than carp about Drew. If the haters have an NCAA violation, bring it. If not, shut up.

All this ill will and all you’ve got is negative recruiting?

“The last thing I would ever want to do is judge people,” Drew said. “I’m not high and mighty as a coach. I know one thing and that is, I can sleep a lot better at night knowing that to the best of my ability I’m helping prepare young people for life, and hopefully heaven.”

We all cool with that?

Apparently not. When Drew took his team off the court during Kansas player introductions in Lawrence, it drew the ire of the basketball etiquette police. The truth it, the move was brilliant. Why subject your team to 100 years of 120-decibel history played out on the video board when you can be going over the checklist before tip?

Recent meetings with Texas define what Baylor is at the moment. Pesky, bordering on Next Big Thing. Barnes beat Baylor the first 24 times he faced the Bears at Texas. The Bears have won the last three, including a sweep this season accented by a 10-dunk effort Saturday from the 6-foot-7 Acy in Waco.

Dunking machine Quincy Acy helped Baylor to a 24-6 record overall, 11-5 in the Big 12. (AP)

“I like to dunk and it’s what I do,” Acy said, “so it just came.”

Combine that with Texas’ stunning fall from the No. 1 ranking and there is clearly some rancor. Texas is used to patting Baylor on the head like it was an obedient little brother. After a long slumber, Baylor is showing some spunk.

“Fights, blood, tears, everything people on the outside can’t see.”

That’s how 6-10 center Ekpe Udoh summed up last summer’s pick-up games in Waco.

“Arguing, physical, ,” said the Michigan transfer. “People wanted minutes. You have to leave it on the floor. Then you laugh it up in the locker room.”

Like its coach, the Bears have dueling identities. Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12, the largest Baptist institution in the country. From the burned-out shell of the Bliss regime has come a program that is in the top 10 of the APR, the NCAA’s Academic Performance Rate that measures graduation rates.

On the court, they have what few other teams do: a shot-blocking big man who can score (Udoh), a dangerous outside shooter (LaceDarius Dunn) and a steady senior point guard (Tweety Carter). Udoh, nicknamed “The Nightmare”, is fourth nationally in blocks. Carter, Baylor’s first McDonald’s All-American, is sixth nationally in assists. Dunn is second in Big 12 scoring averaging 19.2 points.

They have taken every slight and used it to fuel their season. Picked 10th in the preseason, they finished in a second-place tie in the conference. After a 24-win season, no Bear was named first team all-Big 12.

“I know I’m not a third-team-type guard,” Carter said.

They take you apart and they pray, a lot. That’s understandable. Dunn, Udoh and Carter recently addressed 200 players in a recreational basketball league sponsored by the Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco. Afterward, 21 players committed their lives to Christ.

What did you expect from congregation whose pastor is Brian ?

There is a no-cussing policy at practice. Violators have to do pushups, Drew included. (”The goal,” he said, “is not to do them often.”) The team spent part of Wednesday visiting young patients in Children’s Mercy Hospital, a short drive from the Sprint Center.

A doctor dressed in green wanted is picture taken with the team. Far from friendly territory, it looked like the Bears had found a supporter.

“Take it easy on my Jayhawks,” the doc said.

You take your friends where you can find them. Assistant Mark Morefield followed Drew from Valpo. One day they were in Las Vegas recruiting while watching on TV as the drama played out at Baylor seven years ago. A month later, they were on a private jet to be introduced at the Baylor news conference.

“For him to go to a program that is facing [NCAA penalties], where they were talking about shutting down the program,” Morefield said. “Hey, that’s a leap of faith.”

That also might be the deciding vote on the Eddie Haskell vs. anaconda debate.

“What you see is what you get,” Morefield said. “Real honest, real genuine.”

Tory Jackson added 13 points and six assists for the Fighting Irish (22-10) in a game with significant NCAA tournament implications. Notre Dame, riding a five-game winning streak, plays second-seeded and No. 16 Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals Thursday night.

The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish improved to 6-14 in the Big East tournament and ended a three-game winning streak for No. 10 seed Seton Hall (19-12). Full story

No. 22 Georgetown 69, South Florida 49

Jason Clark and Greg Monroe scored 16 points each for Georgetown, which will play No. 1 seed Syracuse in the quarterfinals Thursday.

Chris Wright had 15 points for the eighth-seeded Hoyas (21-9). Dominique Jones scored 21 for the Bulls (20-12).

Cincinnati 69, Louisville 66

Deonta Vaughn made two free throws with 5.9 seconds left, then made a game-saving strip just before the buzzer and Cincinnati beat Louisville.

The 11th-seeded Bearcats (18-14) advanced to the quarterfinals against third-seeded and seventh-ranked West Virginia. Edgar Sosa had 28 points for the defending champion Cardinals (20-12).

Marquette 57, St. John’s 55

Lazar Hayward scored 20 points, David Cubillan hit the deciding 3-pointer with 1:11 to play for fifth-seeded Marquette, which advanced to the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked Villanova on Thursday.

It was the second straight year Marquette (21-10) beat the 13th-seeded Red Storm (17-15) in the second round, but this result was a far cry from last season’s 74-45 romp.

Kansas State Wildcats Betting Odds to win NCAA Championship
Kansas States best non-conference win this season came against Xavier on Dec. 8, 2009.
K-State lost both of its games against rival Kansas.
Wildcats lost three Big 12 Conference games at home during the regular season.

Kansas State Wildcats Betting Odds They Will Go Far In The NCAA Tournament Because

If NCAA basketball betting wisdom got turned on its head, Kansas State would then find itself in Indianapolis on the first weekend of April. Its improbable that the Wildcats will be one of the four teams left standing. If KSU does pull through, however, it will not be hard to identify the source of the Cats upward climb in the college basketball pecking order.

KSU has two guards, Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, who can shoot the lights out on any given night. Pullen averages 19 points a game and Clemente chips in with 16. The dynamic duo does possess the skill level to take over ballgames and carry a team through March Madness. KSU is also powered by two active forwards, Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly, who both average 11.4 points per game. Yet, if the Cats are to make it to Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, April 3, its the Pullen-Clemente combo that will do the heavy lifting. Frank Martin and the rest of his coaching staff will need their bold bombers to stick many 3-point daggers late in games

Kansas State Wildcats Betting Odds They Exit Out Of The Tournament Early Because

If the sportsbook odds hold up, KSU wont escape the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Samuels and Kelly are solid players, but not elite players, and an opponent with an imposing low-post presence will be able to do damage against the Wildcats, who are active but somewhat undersized.

The matchup KSU thrives on is a game in which the opponents guards are not strong with the ball. Weak ballhandlers get eaten up by Kansas States extended and aggressive pressure defense. However, the reason why the NCAA Tournament is so difficult is that teams are thrown into a pool where ideal matchups dont always materialize. On the first weekend, KSU might have two highly winnable contests, but as the scene shifts to the regionals and the Sweet 16, the chances are greater that the Wildcats will run into a thorny foe with excellent guard play and a commitment to protecting the basketball. Moreover, since KSU lost any remaining shot at a No. 1 seed in its recent loss to Iowa State, the quality of the draw for this team will surely be tougher than it might have expected one week ago.

Kansas State Wildcats Betting Odds Best Player

Its definitely Jacob Pullen. The junior from Maywood, Ill., hits 38 percent of his threes, a very solid conversion rate. Pullen also hits 82 percent of his foul shots, which is a godsend come tournament time. Pullen has flinched a little in a number of KSUs conference losses this season, but if he has a hot hand, defenses will have to devote all their attention to stopping him, and this will open up the floor for Clemente and the rest of the Wildcats. Pullen is by far the main reason why Kansas State enters the Big 12 Tournament with a sterling scoring average of 79.9 points per game.

Kansas State Wildcats Betting Odds X-Factor

If Pullen is the meal ticket, Samuels is the X-factor for Frank Martins club. The 6-foot-7 sophomore from Best sportsbook, D.C., is a holy terror on the glass when KSU thrives, but when Samuels isnt a presence on the backboard, the Wildcats normally suffer. Pullen and Clemente must bring their A-game for this team to succeed; the same is true with Samuels as well.

Kansas State Wildcats Betting Odds March Madness Prediction

Maybe a perfect draw or an upset will open up the bracket for this team, but in these days before Selection Sunday, the odds are that KSU will eventually face an opponent that can exploit the Wildcats and neutralize the Pullen-Clemente partnership. A Sweet 16 would actually be a good showing for a team thats been overseeded in many bracket projections

Pick: Lose In Sweet Sixteen

For more sports online betting tips and articles, check out the BetOnline.com Betting daily.

Michigan State Spartans Betting: +1500 to win NCAA Championship
It has been ten years since Michigan State won the NCAA championship
This Spartans team has the experience and leadership from junior G Kalin Lucas and senior F Raymar Morgan
If Morgan plays that well come tournament time, this team is as tough an out as there is.

Michigan State Spartans Betting They Will Go Far In The NCAA Tournament Because

The sportsbook is aware that Michigan State has a versatile, athletic power forward that is devastating on the offensive glass in Raymar Morgan, a clutch shoot first point guard in Kalin Lucas, and talented swingmen in junior guards Darrell Summers and Chris Allen. Allen is shooting near 41% from downtown on the season.

With pieces in place for success, expect coach Tom Izzo to mold this bunch, much like he did last year, into a dangerous and tough team for anyone to face come tourney time

Michigan State Spartans Betting They Exit Out Of The Tournament Early Because

The Spartans can really only beat themselves in early games of the tournament. With a likely #3 seed coming for them, the Spartans will likely face teams with pesky guard play and slow moving big men. This plays into the athleticism of the Spartans.

The only way they lose in the first round is if they play extremely poorly and Raymar Morgan gets into early foul trouble or a key player gets hurt as the Spartans do not have much of a bench.

Michigan State Spartans Betting Odds Best Player

Raymar Morgan is the best player on this team despite some midseason struggles. Sports betting fans know that Morgan stands in at 68 and 230 pounds. Although he is smaller than most NBA power forwards currently, he can be a good NBA power forward if he can add a little more weight or he can be a long small forward as he has a body type similar to LeBron James.

Morgan is a threat to go 20 and 10 on any given night against any given team. He also vanishes for stretches of games that lead the Spartans to rely too heavily on Kalin Lucas and Darrell Summers. Morgans 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds a game are disappointing and will hurt his draft prospects significantly, but if an NBA coach can get his hands on a talent like Morgan maybe late in the second round or even as an undrafted rookie, expect Morgan to turn some heads.

Michigan State will have to rely upon the enigmatic Morgan to get far in the tourney this season.

Michigan State Spartans Betting X-Factor

Coach Tom Izzo is the X-Factor. Last season many online betting cappers wrote off Michigan State as they had performed at a mediocre level leading into the tournament. Well Coach Izzo proved that he can take a team on a tournament run regardless of talent or experience already with this bunch and will threaten to do it again.

Some great teams do not play well in tournament settings while some good teams play great. Michigan State is a very good team with perhaps the best tournament coach in NCAA basketball. Do not sleep on Tom Izzo when filling out your bracket (like I did last year and ruined mine).

Michigan State Spartans Betting Odds March Madness Prediction

College basketball betting fans know that the Spartans have the team and pedigree to make a deep run in the tournament. They are not a championship team however as they lack a true center and have inconsistent long range shooting. If they are hitting their threes, the Spartans are hard to beat. If not, they are just plain ordinary.

I think the Spartans have a run to the second weekend in them this year as they should not have much trouble in their first round game and should be good enough to knock off a 6 or 7 seed in the second round. Dont expect them to get past one of the top 15 other teams in the nation however. Michigan State may only be the third best team in their conference and would be fourth if Purdue didnt lose star player Robbie Hummel for the remainder of the year.

Pick: Lose In Sweet Sixteen

There’s no other reasonable choice.

I started the season with John Wall and stayed with the Kentucky freshman as long as I could. But Turner’s numbers and impact on both Ohio State and the national scene ultimately proved too much, and anybody who didn’t switch from Wall to Turner probably should seek help for stubbornness.

Which is not to suggest Wall isn’t great.

He’s terrific.

And it won’t surprise me if he tears through the opposition in the coming weeks and leads UK to the national title game, just like Derrick Rose did at Memphis two years ago. In fact, I’m predicting it. But that has nothing to do with this, because this is a National Player of the Year award announced the week before Selection Sunday, and any National Player of the Year award announced at this time must go to Turner, who overcame a serious injury to lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and consensus top 10 ranking.

Jim Boeheim took an unheralded preseason lineup to a 28-3 season. (US Presswire) That’s why he headlines the CBSSports.com National Awards.

National Player of the Year

Winner: Evan Turner (Ohio State)

Reason: Turner averaged 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the regular season, which ranked first, first and second in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes went 3-3 when he was out with broken bones in his back, 21-4 when he was available. Which means they were a .500 team without Turner, and a team worthy of consideration for a No. 1 seed with him.

That’s incredible.

This was an easy decision.

National Coach of the Year

Winner: Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)

Reason: Boeheim took a roster missing last season’s top three scorers and led it to a Big East title and the No. 1 ranking without the benefit of an elite recruiting class. As I pointed out last week, the Orange consist of basically role players from last season (Andy Rautins, Kris Joseph, Rick Jackson, Arinze Onuaku), a transfer (Wesley Johnson), a guy coming off a redshirt year (Scoop Jardine) and a mostly unheralded freshman (Brandon Triche), and yet a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament is on the way.

Give Boeheim the credit.

He’s about to win 30 games for the fourth time in his career.

A fourth Final Four is also possible.

National Freshman of the Year

Winner: John Wall (Kentucky)

Reason: DeMarcus Cousins is statistically better and probably more overwhelming. But nobody means as much to Kentucky’s success as Wall, the electrifying point guard who hit a winner in his first game and has paced the Wildcats ever since. The 16.8 points and 6.2 assists per game only tell part of the story. the way he leads, his ability to make closing plays, his willingness to take tough shots in tough spots.

He’s a future NBA All-Star.

I’d bet on it.

He’s about to lead UK to the Final Four and more.

I’d bet on that, too.

CBSSports.com First Team All-Americans Guard Guard Forward Forward Forward John Wall Kentucky Evan Turner Ohio State Wesley Johnson Syracuse Da’Sean Butler West Virginia DeMarcus Cousins Kentucky Second Team Third Team Guard: Sherron Collins, Kansas Guard: Jon Scheyer, Duke Guard: Greivis Vasquez, Maryland Guard: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova Guard: James Anderson, Oklahoma State Guard: E’Twaun Moore, Purdue Forward: Darington Hobson, New Mexico Forward: Damion James, Texas Forward: Greg Monroe, Georgetown Forward: Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest CBSSports.com Freshman All-Americans Guard Guard Forward Forward Forward John Wall Kentucky Xavier Henry Kansas Hassan Whiteside Marshall DeMarcus Cousins Kentucky Derrick Favors Georgia Tech

Peter Tiernan has been using stats to analyze March Madness for 20 years. His insights into the NCAA basketball tournament can help you build a better bracket. E-mail him at bracketscience@comcast.net or visit bracketscience.com .

St. John’s ran away from the Huskies 73-51 on Tuesday, extending their Big East tournament losing streak to six games and beating them for the first time since February 2002, a stretch of nine games.

Connecticut’s fourth straight loss overall was a lifeless performance that turned into the Huskies’ worst beating of the season.

“I think it’s a good time to reflect where we are today and how we ended up today,” said Huskies coach Jim Calhoun, who sat on the bench for most of the final 10 minutes instead of working the sideline as he has for 24 seasons at Connecticut (17-15) that includes two national championships and six Big East tournament titles. “This is certainly not typical. We’ve been beaten before and ended seasons on some sour notes before and some great notes. But I think maybe it’s a good time to sit back.”

Sean Evans had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead St. John’s (17-14), which had lost three of four to close the regular season.

For a second straight season the Red Storm beat a tradi and the second-round opponent will again be Marquette. Last season the Golden Eagles beat St. John’s 74-45.

“I know it was a good win,” said St. John’s point guard Malik Boothe, who had eight points and nine assists. “We also can’t celebrate on this win. Last year we were in the same position going against the same team in the next round and they pretty much had their way with us. We have to have the same focus tomorrow.”

St. John’s had the focus, energy, any intangible you want to name. The Red Storm were up by 10 points midway through the first half, by 13 at halftime and the Huskies were never closer than eight the rest of the way.

“UConn’s teams are great and physical and I thought our guys did a great job of getting after them,” St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said. “I don’t think there’s any team that plays harder than my team. My guys play hard every night. But I also think what they’re doing right now is they’re playing not only hard but they’re playing with their hearts.”

Paris Horne and Justin Brownlee had 13 points each for St. John’s, which shot 50 percent from the field (29 of 58) against the team that was No. 1 in the conference in defensive field goal percentage (38.9).

Kemba Walker had 12 points for UConn, which shot 37.5 percent (21 of 56) from the field, was 6 of 18 from the free throw line and committed 20 turnovers.

“It was definitely embarrassing,” Walker said.

That was the feeling for many of the Huskies.

“It hurts. That’s kind of the way our season’s been - ups and downs. Can’t get back up after this one,” said Jerome Dyson, the Huskies’ leading scorer (17.7) who finished with four points and nine turnovers. “This is probably the ever.”

Calhoun, who missed seven games in the middle of the season for an undisclosed medical reason, wouldn’t rule out playing in the NIT if the Huskies were invited.

“I have great respect for the NIT, always have,” Calhoun said. “We were fortunate enough in ‘88 to get our program going with a great NIT win. It’s always a good time to make sure you look at your team, see what they have. Eight games by four points and under, we lost them all and that took an awful lot out of the team. I want to make sure if there’s a step back on the court to play a basketball game that they would be able to bring emotion, energy and all the things you should bring to competition.”

Connecticut, which reached the Final Four last season, has not won a game in the Big East tournament since the 2005 quarterfinals. The losing streak includes last season’s six-overtime loss to Syracuse in the quarterfinals.