COLLEGE BASKETBALL / GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI : This Year, It’s March Messiness

Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino surveys the postseason landscape and sees . . . a mess. He also sees an opportunity.

“As I look around the country I can honestly say there is not a dominant team in college basketball,” Pitino said. “I think if anybody makes a certain (NCAA tournament) pick, they’re guessing according to the way they think the certain brackets are going to be. And no matter how much you know about this game, you can’t possibly look at the top 25 teams right now and pick a Final Four.

“This is a year where there is no dominance. Even the outstanding teams have weaknesses.”

A little more than four weeks remain until the Men’s Basketball Committee issues those precious tournament bids. As an educational aid, we offer an early qualifying scorecard:

PACIFIC-10

Who’s In: UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford.

The Bruins remain a candidate for the No. 1 seeding in the West Regional. Pitino insists seedings won’t matter, but don’t tell that to UCLA. Last year, the fifth-seeded Bruins played 12th-seeded Tulsa in the first round of the Midwest Regional. No. 1 Arkansas faced No. 16 lightweight North Carolina A&T.; The Bruins lost, the Razorbacks won. Arizona was a lock the minute Damon Stoudamire returned for his senior season; Arizona State is in because of a 6-1 record against ranked opponents; Stanford has a solid Ratings Percentage Index (RPI is a statistical tool--the lower the number, the better--used by the Men’s Basketball Committee to measure team quality and assist in selection and seedings). The Cardinal also has important victories over Virginia, Arizona State and Wisconsin.

Who’s Waiting: Oregon, California, Washington State.

Oregon has an impressive RPI (17), but its 12-4 record includes two non-Division I victories. Road wins by Cal over UCLA and Cincinnati help a lot, but the Bears still need a few more quality victories. Washington State has a chance, but not much of one because of a so-so RPI and a killer February-March schedule that includes seven of 11 games on the road. The last four games: Arizona, Arizona State, at Stanford, at Cal.

Who’s Doomed: USC, Oregon State, Washington.

If USC decides that Charlie Parker, who was put in a tough position, isn’t the answer to Trojan basketball woes, might we suggest Utah’s Rick Majerus? So much for the Jim Anderson farewell tour at Oregon State. And Washington will be OK--but not this year.

BIG EAST

Who’s In: Connecticut, Syracuse, Georgetown, Villanova.

The Huskies have held first place in the league for more than 1 1/2 seasons (16-2 last year, 8-0 this year). Syracuse has a No. 7 RPI; Georgetown is getting used to freshman point guard Allen Iverson. So far, Iverson has been named Big East rookie of the week five times. The record is six. Villanova has a 10 RPI, but needs a sound Jonathan Haynes at point guard to guarantee selection.

Who’s Waiting: Seton Hall, Providence, St. John’s.

If Seton Hall’s surprising Pirates reach the NCAA tournament, they would become only the second Big East team to receive a bid after having been picked by league coaches to finish last. Providence needs to work on its sub-.500 league record, and St. John’s has to have a strong finish. The Red Storm’s nonconference victory over Michigan was an attention-getter.

Who’s Doomed: Miami, Boston College, Pittsburgh.

The Hurricanes might have new football and basketball coaches in the same year. Boston College’s chances ended when freshman guard Chris Herren went down early because of an injury. Pittsburgh never had a chance.

BIG EIGHT

Who’s In: Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Missouri.

As usual, the Jayhawks play and beat the best. They already have ended undefeated seasons for UMass and UConn and are a combined 7-2 against No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams under Coach Roy Williams. And to think, new Iowa State Coach Tim Floyd nearly stayed at New Orleans. Oklahoma State is better than its record, which is why a bid is probably a foregone conclusion. Missouri has some problems--injuries, academic ineligibility, softness inside--but a strong RPI (16), national ranking and recent victory over Iowa State should be enough.

Who’s Waiting: Oklahoma, Nebraska.

The Sooners have the best player in the Big Eight--forward Ryan Minor--and some of those “good” losses the committee respects. Nebraska beat Michigan State in December, but its fate probably will be determined by a mid-February swing against Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Missouri

Who’s Doomed: Kansas State, Colorado.

The Wildcats and Buffaloes are better than a year ago, but that won’t mean much to the committee.

SOUTHEASTERN

Who’s In: Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama.

Coach Nolan Richardson got the Razorbacks’ attention with recent 6 a.m. practices, followed by afternoon sessions. Arkansas then beat Kentucky and Louisiana State. Kentucky’s Pitino is a master at having his team peak when it counts--as the tournament approaches. Alabama has a tough mid-February schedule--Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Florida--but needs only a split.

Who’s Waiting: Florida, Mississippi State, Auburn, Georgia.

Final Four last year, NIT this year? The Gators need at least 16, maybe 17 victories going into the SEC tournament. Mississippi State (25 RPI) is worthy of serious consideration, but a lousy nonconference schedule will hurt. Can surprising Auburn continue its winning ways? Uh, no. And to be safe, Georgia (12-5) could use five more victories. With the Bulldogs’ schedule, it’s possible.

Who’s Doomed: Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, LSU.

With the exception of Vandy’s flop, no surprises here. LSU had an outside shot until Randy Livingston re-injured his knee.

ATLANTIC COAST

Who’s In: North Carolina, Wake Forest, Maryland, Virginia.

The Tar Heels (3 RPI) had better enjoy the bid. Word is that sophomore center Rasheed Wallace is turning pro and sophomore forward Jerry Stackhouse might join him. With Tim Duncan and Randolph Childress, Wake Forest has no NCAA worries. Maryland is a no-brainer pick, as are the Cavaliers.

Who’s Waiting: Georgia Tech, Florida State.

The Yellow Jackets will probably make it, but we hesitate only because of the recent injury to star forward James Forrest. Florida State probably won’t make it. The Seminoles are still a year away.

Who’s Doomed: Clemson, North Carolina State, Duke.

The Tigers, Wolfpack and Blue Devils need miracles. Still, all three teams are dangerous enough to pull first-round upsets in the ACC tournament.

BIG TEN

Who’s In: Michigan State, Iowa, Purdue.

Jud Heathcote gets a well-deserved bid as a going-away present. Iowa has lost four one-point games. If they can get star sophomore forward Jess Settles back from injury, the Hawkeyes will be fine. With Tuesday night’s victory over Indiana, Purdue is in a perfect position for an invitation.

Who’s Waiting: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Penn State, Minnesota, Wisconsin.

Illinois (20 RPI) has a solid starting five, but has to resort to freshmen when substituting. The Hoosiers have an impressive RPI (18), but are struggling in the backcourt and have a difficult finishing schedule. Michigan’s 6-6 nonconference record and demanding schedule could make it a tight squeeze for the Wolverines. Penn State has the best center in the league, John Amaechi, so anything is possible; Minnesota has the most forgiving February and March schedule. Did first-year Coach Stan Van Gundy lose control of his Wisconsin team?

Who’s Doomed: Northwestern.

As predicted.

BIG WEST

Who’s In: Nobody.

Who’s Waiting: Utah State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Long Beach State, Pacific.

Utah State is in the best position with a 22 RPI and the conference lead.

Who’s Doomed: UC Irvine, San Jose State, Cal State Fullerton, Nevada Las Vegas, UC Santa Barbara.

THE REST

Rumpled Arizona State Coach Bill Frieder, who thinks Armani is an Italian pro league, was robbed of credit cards, airline ticket vouchers, personal tax information, home, work and car keys and more than $5,000 during last weekend’s stay at a hotel in Eugene, Ore. “But you notice they didn’t take any of his wardrobe,” wife Janice said.

Apparently Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun wasn’t too thrilled about having to share charter plane space with Husky boosters and the UConn women’s team during last Saturday’s visit to Kansas City for a doubleheader against Kansas. Worse yet, the outbound flight was delayed, which didn’t help Calhoun’s mood. “Calhoun was a mess by the time he got there,” a Big East official said. And that must have been some flight back, especially after the Jayhawk men waxed the then-No. 2 Huskies by 29 points. The No. 1-ranked UConn women remained undefeated.

That was nice timing by Florida Coach Lon Kruger, who reported Kentucky to the NCAA for alleged rules violations in the recruiting of Oak Hill (Va.) Academy forward Ron Mercer. Seven Wildcat players watched Mercer play in a recent tournament in Louisville, but Kentucky’s Pitino said the school checked with the NCAA before allowing the trip. “Lon Kruger had no knowledge of this,” Pitino said. “We’ll just forget about it and go on from here. It was a non-story from the beginning.” Yeah, they’ll forget about it--until Florida visits Lexington for a game Feb. 18.

Kansas State Coach Tom Asbury, who last week called Texas Christian Coach Billy Tubbs “a jerk” and “a negative recruiter” (and we’re leaving out the best rip because it’s a family newspaper), has apologized for the remarks. He said the comments were “unprofessional.” So?

How good is Livingston, LSU’s redshirt freshman point guard? Good enough that when Livingston was helped to the LSU locker room after suffering a knee injury--his second of the season--during Tuesday night’s loss to Arkansas, the Bud Walton Arena audience gave him a standing ovation. Even Richardson walked the length of the floor to wish Livingston well. Livingston was averaging 14.9 points and 10 assists after returning this season from reconstructive knee surgery.

In response to a Times story regarding the Pac-10’s decision to choose Liberty over ESPN for a TV deal, ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said his network offered 9 p.m. tip-off times, not 10 p.m., as Arizona Coach Lute Olson suggested would be the case.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Top 10

As selected by staff writer Gene Wojciechowski

No. Team Record 1. Massachusetts 17-1 2. Kansas 16-2 3. Kentucky 14-3 4. North Carolina 16-1 5. Connecticut 16-1 6. UCLA 12-2 7. Arkansas 17-4 8. Maryland 17-3 9. Syracuse 16-2 10. Arizona 15-4

Waiting list: Michigan State (14-2), Wake Forest (13-4), Alabama (14-4), Georgetown (14-4), Iowa State (17-4).