Brackets
Mine is shot after Kansas and Villanova went down. Not doing as well as the President. I don't fault President Obama for filling out brackets. I do fault the media for treating it like it's a story.

Bracket Blister
Thursday was a great day of basketball. Almost every game was exciting, or at least interesting for a while.

And yet, my favorite game of the day was perhaps the least exciting game, aat least in terms of how competitive it was.

As a graduate of a Mid-American Conference university, I pull for those teams come tourney time. Usually, I take the MAC school in the first round, just out of loyalty.

This year, I didn't. Georgetown just looked too strong for the Ohio, who won the MAC tournament despite going 7-9 in conference play.

A No. 14 seed had not beaten a No. 3 seed since 2006.

And Ohio came out and press-slammed the Hoyas.

For the record, my bracket had Georgetown beating Ohio State and making it to the Elite Eight.

Well, so much for that. Still, I took joy in Ohio's win, thinking that maybe, just maybe, the "experts" will notice how good MAC teams are.

Oh, who am I kidding.

CSU makes the Tournament, Cavs rally from 19 down to beat Clippers
Pretty good night for Northeast Ohio.

Tournament Update
Hey, a men's team from Bowling Green won a tournament game! Romeo Crennel's got to be happy.

All-Ohio
When the men's tournament happens, there usually aren't too many things for me to pull for. Bowling Green is a ways away from making a run. Ohio State rarely made the tournament when I was younger, and it is out this season.

So aside from following my bracket and cheering for teams that way, here's a list of how I follow the tournament.

- Ohio teams get rooting preference, regardless of what my bracket says. So my two favorite teams in this year's tournament are Xavier and Kent State. Xavier won today, though it took some work on its part to overcome No. 14 Georgia. The Golden Flashes are losing to UNLV as I write this, but it's very early.

-MAC teams are also preferable. Usually there is only one (Kent State this year), but graduating from a MAC school, I want the team to do well, no matter which one it is. I'm still under the dillusion that a good run by one of the teams in the tournament will give the conference a better chance at at-large bids in the future. Of course, it never happens, but you have to keep hoping.

- Mid-Majors are easy to pull for, since I relate to them being a MAC student. George Mason struck a blow for all of us a few years ago.

- Underdogs getting wins is always what stands out. So I pull for that too. Northwestern State, anyone?

Update
You kind of knew it was going downhill for Kent State when it managed six points in the first 16 minutes of play. Ugh.

Rutgers gets screwed in Tennessee
Sorry to be somewhat vulgar, but I can't think of any other way to describe what happened in the closing seconds of Rutgers' women's basketball game against No. 1 Tennessee last night.

I don't want to take anything away from the greatness of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, but if that's how games are operated down there, it's no wonder she has won so many games.

Here's what I saw:

Rutgers had taken a 59-58 lead with the clock winding down. After a missed Tennessee shot, the Vols' Nicky Anosike grabbed an offensive board and prepared to take a shot. When she grabbed the rebound, there were .2 seconds remaining, and the clock was not moving. At this point, no whistle had been blown.

But with the clock seemingly stopped at .2 seconds, Anosike had time to attempt a shot, which the officials ruled (well after the clock had paused) that there was a foul.

Anosike went to the free throw line and hit two free throws to seal the win.

As I went nuts watching the game at work, Rutgers' coach C. Vivian Stringer -- one of the best coaches in women's basketaball -- was having the same reaction. But she still managed to shake hands with her opponents and act like a professional.

But after the game, she let her feelings be known.

“My assistant coach had picked me up to celebrate; the game was over,” Stringer said. “Then she said, ‘Oh my God, I don’t believe this, they stopped the clock, they stopped the clock.’ That’s why there was time for the foul to be committed.

Lots of people gave credit to Rutgers after the game, but they are missing the greater point -- things like this should not happen in Division I basketball. Someone needs to look into why the clock was stopped, since there was no indication from the officials that it should have been.

According to someone at Tennessee, the clock was controlled by a wireless device the officials wear. I have covered college basketball for six years and I have never even heard of that. If the official did stop the clock, why didn't he or she make a signal to indicate it?

I think Stringer said it best:

“This should not be tolerated.”

Amen.

BG chooses Orr
Seems like a good choice. I originally wanted Stan Heath, but Orr has had success in Division I, and seems like a good fit for the program.

BGSU in the Sweet 16
As happy as I am for the Bowling Green women's basketball team, it would be dishonest if I said I wasn't just a little bit jealous.
Several years ago, I covered the Falcons' women's team, and though I enjoyed the beat, I never had the opportunity to cover a team in the NCAA Tournament.
Still, I can't help but be thrilled for my school. I'm not so thrilled the game (save the final minute) was blacked out where I live. Someone needs to explain the logic to me on that one.
I watched the game's flow by a scorebug on ESPN, which in some ways is more intense than watching the game. Watching sports live sometimes gives me the impression I can control it, even though I know I can't.
Amber Flynn scored the points, Ali Mann hit the big shot, and BG made MAC history, becoming the first conference team to reach the Sweet 16. I didn't see any of that, but I saw the final minute. It was a great moment when the buzzer sounded. I assume somewhere, Francine Miller, Lindsay Austin, Stefanie Wenzel and Kim Griech -- the players I covered-- feel very good.
They were there for the tough years, and now they are seeing the culmination of the program they helped build.
Curt Miller also has to feel pretty good. Not only has he led a program from mediocrity to one of the best in the country, but he has to be in line for a pretty good raise.
The question is whether he will get it in BG, or somewhere else. But he will get it.

Backing up the Truck
Another gray Monday in these parts has me thinking about spring. Not so much for warm temperatures, but rather for the increase in sunshine.
As I sit here, I am thinking of baseball's arrival, the length of days, and the cool breeze.
But winter is likely not done yet.
With that in mind:
*Congratulations to the BGSU women's basketball team, which picked up its first NCAA tournament win since 1989. Curt Miller is creating quite a legacy over there.
* To those who wonder, I am not all that optimistic about the Indians this year. It will come down to pitching and defense, and though the Indians are improved in many areas, I see them finishing fourth. The other teams in the division will be willing to spend to correct their mistakes. The Indians will not.
* It's been four years since the start of the Iraq War. When it began, I was still in college. My support for the war remains, but it's easy for me to write that from the Midwest. What I mean by that is the best defenses for the conflict will be made by others who are smarter and better informed than me. As always, read Hitchens.

Dakich is out
Dan Dakich has stepped down as Bowling Green's men's head coach. All I can say is, it's about time.
No disrespect to Dakich. He's not a bad coach and I hope he finds success elsewhere. But clearly, the coach and the college needed a change.
So, who replaces Dakich? Well, assuming Curt Miller is out of the question, here's my fantasy list:
- Kevin Mackey: Sure he hasn't led a program in 17 years, but he had results. The Cleveland State program has never fully recovered since Mackey's highly publicized firing. He's intense, funny, and a great quote. Plus he can work with a mid-major.
- Keith Smart: He's bound to be a head NBA coach soon. I remember Joe Tait saying he was impressed with him during his brief run as coach with the Cavs. And he said that in Bowling Green. It's a sign.
-Casey Blake: He comes with an endorsement from Eric Wedge. Plus, if he coaches BG, he won't have to start 160 games for the Indians.
-Don Delaney: Cavs coach from 1981-1982. Not sure what he's doing now, but he was at times, the Cavs GM, head coach, assistant, and an accomplished softball coach.
-Bill Fitch: This may seem like "Cram as many Cavs coaches into a post as possible," but Fitch knows Bowling Green. He coached in 1967, before going to the University of Minnesota and then the Cavaliers. He's over 70, but so what? He can coach.

BGSU women win again; could Miller replace Dakich?
So the No. 20 Falcons were hurt, short on players, and facing adversity for perhaps the first time this season.
Didn't matter. BG still wins, 66-53.
I take a great deal of satisfaction in the Falcons' success. Not only am I a BG graduate, but I covered them for parts of two seasons with the BG News.
When I covered BG in 2002-2003, it was still a rebuilding program, and while it seemed the team was headed in the right direction, some weren't so sure.
I remember at a press conference, after a loss to Toledo, Miller telling the reporters about his new recruiting class, stressing their size. Post play had been something that had been lacking for years at BG, and Miller was confident that getting some would turn the team around.
Three-straight Mid-American Conference Tournament championships vindicates that.
As I've written here before, Miller is a class act who deserves a ton of credit. He's one of the best coaches in the country.
So I will throw this out there:
If Dan Dakich is fired, would BG consider Miller to replace him?
I wouldn't. The women's program is in such good shape, and I think it's important to keep it that way. I doubt Miller would even consider switching.
Still, with the men's program in trouble, the Falcons need a coach who knows how to rebuild. Miller has shown he can do that.
It might be tempting. Again, I don't see it happening. The women are outdrawing the men in BG right now, and why mess with the women's team?
Just something to think about, even if not for too long.

OK, BG's season is over ... why hasn't Dan Dakich been fired?
Despite Sunday's upset win over Miami University, I assumed the only way for Bowling Green men's basketball coach Dan Dakich to save his job was with a run through the MAC Tournament.
Instead, it was one-and-out.
Several coaches were axed Thursday, but Dakich was not one of them. That's confusing, because I don't know what there is to deliberate about. The Falcons have had back-to-back miserable seasons, and this year they gave a game away because of the coach.
While BG sits at home, it will watch a Dakich recruit play on the No. 1 team in the nation.
The worst thing the Falcons can do is extend this process. If Dakich is out, they will need to start fast to find a suitable replacement.
It is also not fair to Dakich to keep him twisting.
Sure, it's only been a day. But this is a decision that should have been made a long time ago.
The longer it goes, the worse it will be for the program.

Dakich should go
This is not a column I want to write.
Dan Dakich was Bowling Green's men's basketball coach when I arrived at Bowling Green in the fall of 1999, and was there when I left in 2003.
In the years that have followed my graduation, Dakich has had highs and lows. But last season was a disaster, and this season is no different.
Dakich's best season was probably in my freshman year, when the Falcons won the MAC in the regular season, only to be bounced by Miami in the tournament.
They have never made the NCAA Tournament under Dakich, and in recent years, there has been some cause for alarm. Forgiving the coach's disappearing/reappearing act in the spring of 2002, he has had some issues with players.
Everyone remember Ron Lewis?
Then there was Buffalo this week. My friend Matt Sussman recapped it:

With time running out, Buffalo’s desperation shot sailed wide and out of bounds. The buzzer sounded, with the scoreboard reading Bowling Green 77, Buffalo 75. The Falcons retreat to the locker room.
But wait, folks!
The referees examine the clock via instant replay. Apparently there should be 0.6 second still on the clock.
BG is still in the locker room.
The Bulls are still on the court, as are the refs. One of the refs enters the tunnel that leads to the visiting locker room. Then returns.
BG is still in the locker room.
The scoreboard officially says 0:00.6. BG eventually comes out of the locker room. And a technical foul is called.

Just embarrassing.
Dakich has shown he can coach basketball. But I think it might be best for him, and the program, to part ways. I realize it's not exactly the same thing, but Curt Miller has turned BG's women's program into one of the best in the country, and BG continues to be very competitive in several sports (I tried to work in a women's soccer reference in, but couldn't find a proper place).
The point is I don't think the problem is the University.
I think the problem is Dakich, and a change is needed.