77i& (jots' &aa&e
March f, /J<9f
Here's Your Guide To The Final Four
The Trail Can Be A Confusing One, However
Kentucky, North Carolina, Memphis State, Kansas and other select basketball schools across the country don't have to worry about a certain phone call on a certain Sunday in March from a certain selection committee.
In one week we'll all know who the lucky 64 collegiate participants involved in Destination Dallas. Only one week mind you.
Have you made your picks?. . . you haven't?
Well, TCP is here to guide you along the path of wisdom. But following this treacherous trail you must stay on our tracks and not let influences like coaches' comments, TV sports announcers' quips, oddsmakers' forecasts and other non-important factors stop you from reading the correct answers to the party bound for Dallas.
Nick Nicholas
Cats' Pause Columnist
I'll accompany you (in spirit) to make sure you're not tripped up by evil forces. Is your guard up? Are you sure?
Grasp on to your TCP Yearbook because in it holds mystical powers to guide you to the eventual national champion in 1986. Without it you may have to rely on one of those evil forces I talked about earlier to lead you to Dallas. But BEWARE of conference tournament upsets as underdogs are our biggest enemy.
SEC Will Have Four Or Five Invites
Let the journey begin.
Since Lexington is our base, the SEC is our first order of business. As I said before Kentucky, 23-3 at presstime, is a sure thing.
(Yeah, but if we were to lose the rest of our games, including the quarterfinals of the SEC tourney, I might decline the hid because we may be practicing on the night we're suppose to play. And if that's the case. . .we'll practice  A well-known coach from Wildcat territory.)
What did I tell you, you've really got to watch these coaches. They'll try and pull the rug over your eyes everytime. But keep following me. For now (whatever UK does prior to the NCAA tourney) the SEC teams headed for NCAA play will be Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, LSU and maybe one more.
(Hey, we won't go because I haven't decided to retire yet  A mentor from the Tiger den. . .or is that a War Eagle? . . .or is it a Plainsmen?)
Oh, keep cool Sonny you'll be there.
Going out West we see that the pickings are rather easy. . .and slim. Western teams, by the way of automatic bids or invitations, that will be on the party list include: Nevada Las Vegas, Brigham Young, Texas El Paso, Arizona, Washington, Pepperdine and Weber State.
What are the odds on a team from the West making the Final 4? Final 8? Final 16? As of February 17th's AP Top Twenty only UNLV (No. 11) is featured. Now do you wonder what their chances are?
(Have you ever heard of my friend Slim? Well, he was last seen walking out the front door  An oddsmaker from Atlantic City no doubt.)
When arriving at the Midwestern selections there's a vast improvement, when comparing it to the West, in the brand of basketball played. When strolling by this neighborhood you know the pace picks up when you see players like Danny Manning, Ron Kellogg, Darryl Kennedy and Anthony Bowie scoring hoop after hoop
Oklahoma and Kansas are shoo-ins and both should be around when the party dwindles to only 16. Speaking of filling footwear (shoe-ins) there's a school from the Missouri Valley Conference, however, which could be easily nominated as the Cinderella'selection this year. Currently, Bradley is sporting a 26-1 record and is ranked 12th in the country.
Other Midwestern teams that have promising records and should make the tourney via an automatic bid or at-large berth are: Iowa State, Drake, Tulsa, Texas Christian, Texas, Sam Houston State and Baptist College.
(Hee hee hee my pretty, hand over the NIKE shoes and your Cats' Pause Yearbook and maybe I will give you my coveted predictions on who'll be in Dallas  The wicked warlock of ESPN.)
You better watch out Vitale or we'll hit you with a bucket of water. You wouldn't want to melt now, would you?
Besides four or five entrants from the SEC. the Mideast area of the country is the site of many quality teams.
(Oh, Tom you've got to love it. It's string music time in the Mideast)
Oh no. not another distraction. Hey, stringmusic man, pipe down.
Sun Belt Could Be A Force In NCAAs
As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, the Mideast has some quality teams which will be in the tournament. Talented squads like: Memphis State, Louisville, and Virginia Tech of the Metro Conference; and Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois of the Big Ten.
The Supporting Cast
Vitale
Sutton
Washington
Dean
The man whom you see straddling the fence next to Hugh Durham and Norm Sloam is Iowa's coach George Raveling, whose Hawkeyes will be picked if some upsets take place in league tournaments prior to the NCAAs. For now his club must finish on a high note. What may give Durham and Sloan a better seat than the Big Ten represenative is a high finish in the SEC tournament.
Remember, though, if two of these teams are selected, one of 'em will be the Hawkeyes.
As far as the other conferences in the Mideast the selections will look like this: Western Kentucky, Old Dominion and Alabama-Birmingham (Sun Belt); Miami, OH (Mid-American), Xavier (Midwestern Collegiate); Tennessee-Chattanooga (Southern); McNeese State (Southland); Cleveland State (Mid-Continent); Austin Peay (Ohio Valley), Southern University (Southwestern Athletic); and Howard (Mid-Eastern Athletic).
Notre Dame and Dayton or Marquette are the likely Independents to receive bids.
(OH MY, David Rivers and the Irish. OH MY  Guess who?)
Traveling to the hotbed of college hoops you'll note that we have 19 spots remaining. The East certainly can fill these vacancies.
(It's me again, ole Dick Vitale. Watch the fantastic Pearl Washington he's on my All-. . .hey, what's with the water. I'm melting, I'm melting).
I told you about trying to influence my readers. Does anyone have a mop to clean up this mess?
Anyway, the ACC should send five represenatives  North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Virginia. The Heels, Demons and Jackets are all Final Four material and should their presence felt.
Three of the four Big East teams which will make the NCAA  Syracuse, St. John's, and Georgetown  are also loaded. Rollie Massimino's Wildcats will be invited on the skin of their whiskers. With the addition of the 45-second clock in the tourney, plus the subtraction of Ed Pinckney, Dwayne McClain and Gary McLain, don't bet on a Nova repeat.
Rounding out the field are: St. Joseph's, West Virginia, and Temple (Atlantic 10); Navy and Richmond (Colonial Athletic); Hofstra (East Coast); Fairleigh Dickinson (ECAC Metro); Northeastern (ECAC North Atlantic); Brown (Ivy League); and Fairfield (Metro Atlantic Athletic).
(If we play Navy we'll put it to those swabbies this time  Obviously a Bayou mentor with revenge on his mind.) Don't bet on it.
And The Winner Is. . .
So there you have it. Any questions? Ah, you want to know who's going to win it all?
You've been carrying the answer all along in your TCP Yearbook. Turn to pages 3 and 4. . . you'll see that Larry Brown's Jayhawks are picked to win it all. Any way you look at it Kansas fits this story book ending. (Where's Tito) You mean, Toto. (No, Tito)
Hey, that's a whole different adventure all together.