Kansas vs. Richmond Preview

After losses by many top seeds, including the defending champion Duke Blue Devils, many college basketball pundits now think Kansas has a cakewalk to the Final 4 and possibly the national title game. First, the Jayhawks will have to get by Richmond, who crashed the Sweet 16 with an upset over Vanderbilt and a beatdown over Morehead State.

While the Spiders have been playing well recently, Richmond has the profile on your average talented mid-major team - they have lost to most of the good teams they have faced and taken care of business in a weak league. Thats not to say this team lacks talent - senior forward Justin Harper is very dangerous and guard Kevin Anderson is a big-time player as well. If both play well, Richmond will go toe-to-toe with the Jayhawks and this one could come down to the last possession. However, if Richmond's star duo struggle, KU will likely walk.

The Jayhawks have been very business-like this tournament, playing steady defense and relying on the Morris twins for offense. The team continues to get consistent play from point guard Tyshawn Taylor, and the Morris twins are on a roll. The Jayhawks have yet to get scoring from its other guards, and tonight seems like the perfect opportunity for Tyrel Reed to knock down some threes and get his shot back. It'll be closer than some experts think, but expect KU to wear down Richmond and advance to the Elite 8.

NCAA Tournament Has Begun

Yesterday was one of the most thrilling starts to the NCAA Tournament ever, with buzzer beaters deciding seemingly every game and plenty of upsets. In the Big 12, results were mixed - Missouri predictably got mauled by Cincinnati while Kansas State pulled out a tough win against Utah State. The results were predictable, as most fans and experts expected Missouri to continue to play terrible basketball and KState to be tested by the Aggies. Up next for the Wildcats is a tough Wisconsin team.

Today, three Big 12 teams are in action, including President Obama's pick to win it all:

(1) Kansas vs. (16) Boston University - 5:50 p.m.

We all know the story here - No 16 seed has ever won a first round matchup (although it has been close to happening a few times). The Terriers have nothing inside to match up with the Morris twins and Thomas Robinson. The Northern Iowa loss still lingers in the minds of the Jayhawks, and this one should be ugly.

(4) Texas vs. (13) Oakland - 11:15 a.m.

Oakland has played some talented teams this year, and appears to have some weapons that could give the Longhorns trouble. Texas appears to be too deep and talented to fall to the Grizzlies, however I could see this one being a lot closer than most think. The Longhorns appear to have the talent to make a deep run, however their history under Rick Barnes suggest an early exit is more likely.

(7) Texas A&M vs. (10) Florida State - 3:10 p.m.

This team features two teams that hang their hat on tough, physical defense. Florida State struggles to score at times, but has a few big wins this season. This should be a low scoring, defensive affair which could come down to the last shot.

Today's Big 12 NCAA Tournament Games

Despite Colorado's NCAA snub, the Big 12 still has five teams who are ready to make a run at the Final 4. Only Missouri and KState are in action today, where the Tigers will try to turn its season around while the Wildcats try to avoid an upset.

(11) Missouri vs. (6) Cincinnati - 8:50 p.m.

The Bearcats are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years, and face a Mizzou team that hasn't played well lately. The Tigers closed their regular season with four straight losses, barely got by lowly Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament, and then got creamed by Texas A&M. It is hard to turn around a late season tailspin, but Missouri has some talent. One has to wonder if the rumors of Mike Anderson going to Arkansas are having any affect on Missouri, or if the team's psyche is hurt from so many late season losses. Cincinnati is well seasoned from battling tough Big East teams all season, and is as predictable as they come. The Bearcats have lost to most of the highly ranked teams they have faced, and beaten everyone they should have beaten. They don't score a lot or push the tempo, so this could make for an interesting matchup of contrasting styles.

(12) Utah State vs. (5) Kansas State - 8:57 p.m.

Kansas State is happy to be in the tournament after its horrible start to Big 12 play made us all wonder what happened to the Wildcats from last season. Now KState gets a ticked off Utah State team who felt it should have a better seed. This will be a tough one for KSU; the Aggies have only three losses on the year, and two of those were to solid opponents (BYU and Georgetown). KState will need to use its athleticism to force some turnovers and get out in transition, or they could be heading home early.

Sizing up Bill Self's Successes and Failures

Being a KU fan, I have nothing but respect and admiration for Bill Self. I am grateful that he is the coach of my alma mater and wouldn't trade him for any other coach in America. However, last year's loss to Northern Iowa still stings. This year's tournament could go a long way in shaping Self's present legacy.

Self's success can be hard to define. Apart from his first season, KU has won at least a share of the Big 12 title every year he has been coach, and pretty much dominated the league. However, during that span Self's teams have made only one Final 4, where they beat North Carolina and later Memphis to win the national title.

It is still early, but how do we look at Self? A good coach who, apart from one magical run, always falls short? This criticism seems unfair. Self's teams are almost always one of the tops seeds in the NCAA tournament, and no team is going to crash the Final 4 every year. As a result, KU has been given a "choker" label mostly due to its regular season dominance. However, the tournament results have been a little disappointing. Taking away the national title run, here is how the Jayhawks have done in the tournament:

2004 - 4 seed, Elite 8

2005 - 3 seed, first round

2006 - 4 seed, first round

2007 - 1 seed, Elite 8

2009 - 3 seed, Sweet 16

2010 - 1 seed, second round

The 2004 and 2009 seasons were viewed as successful runs, given that KU had little to no expectations in terms of competing for a championship. While the early exits seem often, lets not forget that every great coach is going to take his lumps. While Roy Williams never lost in the first round in his tenure as KU's coach, his teams lost in the second round five times during his 14 seasons, including three straight from 1998-2000. However, Williams' teams made four Final Fours in his tenure, despite failing to win a national title.

The counter argument to defending Self can be found in Michigan State's Tom Izzo. In Izzo's 15 seasons coaching the Spartans, his teams have six Final 4 appearances. However, like Self, he has one national title.

Does it matter how many times you make a deep run if you ultimately fall short of winning it all? Dean Smith, regarded as one of the greatest coaches in NCAA history, made 11 Final 4's during his 36 year tenure as North Carolina's head coach. His team won the national title twice. A deep run in this year's tournament would help erase some of the bad memories of early exits for KU fans, as necessary or unnecessary as that may be.