Jabin's March Madness Pool

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Tournament Info

But Jabin, I don't know anything about college basketball??!! Quit your whining! This thing isn't about basketball knowledge. There are so many upsets and unexpected results, you just never know. That's why they call it "March Madness."

That being said, this page is intended to be a resource to help you make your pool picks. It's not going to tell you who to pick, but it will point you in the right direction and give you access to more information than you could ever possibly want about the 2011 tournament. You have my word (and my word is my bond) that after reading this page, you will be no better prepared to make your picks than you were when you started. And you can take that to the bank.

Let's start with the AP Top Ten, going into "Selection Sunday." The court below features the top ten, with a link to each team's "official" men's basketball Web site. Below the Top Ten you'll find links to even more information.

The Ohio State University
1. Ohio State

"The Ohio State University" has been consistently pretty good this season, but let's be honest, it just happens to be their turn to take the No. 1 position. They had it earlier in the season and everyone was singing their praises, but February losses on the road @ Wisconsin and @ Purdue showed everyone just how balanced this field really is. The Buckeyes are back on top heading into the tourney because the other top teams lost, and they haven't.

2. Kansas

The Jayhawks will no doubt be a No. 1 seed, and are one of the teams in the mix to contend for the national championship (aren't they always?). Marcus Morris and Tyshawn Taylor are the studs for Kansas this time around, and they lead a pretty balanced team. KU lost just twice this season, once to Texas and a loss I can't explain, by 16 to Kansas State (a team they beat by 24 points at home). Go figure.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk

Pitt Panthers

3. Pittsburgh

Really the class of a strong Big East Conference this season. Their early exit from the Big East Tournament raised some eyebrows, but the fact that UConn went on to win the Big East tourney makes the loss sting a little less. Make no mistake, the Panthers are a strong team and a force to be reckoned with in the tourney.

4. Notre Dame

Probably one of the biggest surprises this season is the rise of the Irish, a traditional football power that really hasn't done much on the hardwood since the days of Digger Phelps (kids, ask your parents about UCLA and a certain winning streak). But Coach Mike Brey has these guys playing legitimate Top 5 basketball. They are led by Big East player-of-the-year Ben Hansbrough (brother of former UNC foul-drawing machine Tyler "Psycho T" Hansbrough, now of the Indiana Pacers).
Notre Dame

Puke
5. Duke

Ah, the Dookies. Defending national champions, and playing for the ACC title on selection Sunday vs. their hated rivals UNC. What can I say? It's well documented in the annals of Jabin's March Madness Pool how much I hate these guys, their arrogant coach (aka, Rat Boy), and the love and adoration poured upon them by broadcasters and officials alike. I think they are overrated heading into this year's tournament (I do most years), so I'll be waiting patiently for the "huge upset" and how it is covered, but I don't think these guys have another title run in them. Not this year.

6. North Carolina

A tough team to figure. They had some troubles early on, but they won their last 7 games of the regular season, and 12 of their last 13 (including one against Dook, which was also their one loss). They seem to be playing well, and never best against Coach Roy in the tournament.

North Carolina

San Diego State
7. San Diego State

Poor Steve Fisher will always be remembered -- at least in my mind -- as the loyal "Michigan" guy who led the Fab Five into the tourney after Bill Frieder wigged out. Well, Fisher is in his 12th year at San Diego State, and he has built quite the program out there. The Aztecs just beat BYU for their second Mountain West title in a row, and they are flat out scary. Kawhi Leonard averages a "double-double" to lead a pretty balanced attack, so don't over look these guys.

8. Brigham Young

So this kid Jimmer Fredette is a noun (his name is Jimmer). A verb (you just got Jimmered). An adjective (he had one Jimmer of a game). As fun as the wordplay is, that dude is one heckuva scorer. He averages 28.5 ppg to lead the nation, and even scored 30 in the conference championship game loss. But as San Diego State showed, if you shut down Jimmer, these guys can be beaten. A one-man show during March Madness is always dangerous, at least since Danny Manning.
Brigham Young University

Purdue
9. Purdue

Not really sure what to make of these guys. They had a strong regular season in a pretty good Big Ten Conference, but their loss to Michigan State in the conference tourney has me scratching my head (as does an early-season loss to Richmond). But to their credit, they have a win over Ohio State -- No. 1 in the country -- under their belts, so they can clearly beat anyone.

10. Texas

Another team that is tough to figure. They just got spanked by Kansas in the Big 12 Championship game, and late February losses to Colorado and Kansas State cause concern. But they also won @ Baylor in early March, and played well in the conference tourney until the final.
Texas Longhorns

So that takes care of the Top 10. But there's plenty of more information available to help you make your picks.

Take a look at the whole ESPN/USAToday Top 25, and here are some other sites (in no particular order)