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CNN Live Today
Writer Gives NCAA Picks
Aired March 19, 2002 - 13:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In the midst of all this serious news today, going to take a breather right now. If you are a fan of college basketball, the month of March means one thing, and that is not Easter eggs. It's March Madness and the NCAA tournament rolling on later this week.
Author and NPR contributor John Feinstein is our guest today. live in Washington. John wrote the book back in the late '80s, "Season on the Brink." Also a new book out right now too: It's called "The Last Amateurs."
Good afternoon to you. Good to see you again. It's that time of year.
JOHN FEINSTEIN, AUTHOR: It's sure is, Bill, and we are in the second week now, so most of the Cinderellas have gone home...
HEMMER: That's right...
FEINSTEIN: ... with the exceptions of Penn State and Southern Illinois.
HEMMER: I'm already buried in my brackets anyway, so it doesn't matter.
I find a lot of people are buried right now. Is this an exceptional year or not?
FEINSTEIN: Not really, Bill. I think if you look back historically, upsets happen during the first week. That's why we watch. I think that's the magic of the NCAA tournament, is trying to figure who is this year's Gonzaga. Gonzaga had been Cinderella three years in a row; this year they were too highly seeded to be a Cinderella and ironically lost in the first round.
But picking which will be those Cinderellas is the hard part. You know it's going to happen, you know the upsets are going to be there, but the prognosticators who are far smarter than I am are the ones who know that it's Kent State, who know that it's Southern Illinois, who know that UNC Wilmington's going to beat Southern California. I'm not that smart.
HEMMER: Like a eighth seed UCLA knocking off Cincinnati on Sunday and marching on to the Sweet 16. I heard a theory. I want to get your opinion on this. The theory is that more younger men are going pro earlier, and perhaps the playing court here has been leveled and evened off more. Do you buy into that at all?
FEINSTEIN: Yes, I do. I think if you look the last five years, we are seeing more of these so-called mid majors having success, not only in a tournament, but in the regular season against the teams from the so-called power conferences. For example, a Hampton last year coming out of the NIAC and beating a second seed Iowa State. Plus the upsets we are talking about this year. Because they're playing juniors and seniors, kids who have playing together for three or four years, while many of the so-called power teams are playing freshman and sophomores because their best players turned pro or don't show up at all because they go to the NBA straight out of high school.
HEMMER: I tell you one of my strategies this year in filling out my bracket was to try to pick teams, the NCAA, try to get more spectators, more fans in the seats, we could say, by putting teams closer to their home town: Penn played in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh played in Pitt as well. Did it work this year for the NCAA this year in that strategy?
FEINSTEIN: It worked for the home teams. Pittsburgh won two games. Maryland played two games in Washington. Illinois playing two games in Chicago. Texas played two games in Dallas. All of those teams won in advance of Sweet 16 very easily. It did not, however, work for the competition. You don't want in the NCAA tournament, which is supposed to be a national competition, in effect to create a home-court advantage. It is not fair to anybody, and I think you will see the tournament committee revisit that and probably change it again for next year's tournament.
HEMMER: I agree with you.
Listen, while we have you here -- we probably should have done this before they tipped off first -- we go through the regions right now. First of all, we are going to start here in the South, the final 16 left. Duke and Indiana, Pitt and Kent State -- is the obvious here Duke?
FEINSTEIN: That's the obvious. I think Kent State can beat Pittsburgh. I think they are that good. In Indiana, if they can hit threes, could upset Duke. But ion the end, you have to play the chalk, because as long as Mike Krzyzewski is on the bench, you can't expect Duke to lose unless the team has better talent than they do, and I don't think any of these three teams have better talent than Duke does.
HEMMER: Take a shot at this one, in the West region: UCLA moving on against Missouri, Arizona taking on Oklahoma.
FEINSTEIN: Well, my pick to come out of here -- and Lute Olsen will never forgive me for this -- is Arizona. I think Oklahoma is a great defensive team, but Arizona has a great experience point guard in Jason Gardner. They have a great experienced coach in Lute Olson. And I think Missouri and UCLA, which have underachieved all year, obviously, one of them is going to advance one more game, but I think Arizona's experience in the tournament -- they were in final last year, remember -- wins out.
HEMMER: Got it.
East region: Maryland and Kentucky -- that's the one game. The other game is Southern Illinois -- the Salukis -- and U Conn.
FEINSTEIN: Southern Illinois making its first impact in basketball since Walt Fraizer won the 1967 NIT. They are a great story. I think U Conn and Maryland are the finalists here. I think U Conn maybe has the best player in the regional in Coran Bulter, although Juan Dixon from Maryland is great. I juts give Maryland a slight edge because they have so much depth; they're probably the deepest team left playing.
HEMMER: Got it.
Take me to the Midwest now. Kansas tipping off with Illinois. Illinois is a really strong team there and should give them a challenge. Texas versus the number two seed, Oregon.
FEINSTEIN: I love Oregon in a game against Texas. I don't think Texas gets this far if they didn't get to play those two games in Dallas. And I think Oregon is one of those teams that people don't know how good they are. They have a great point guard in Lou Ridnour. I voted for Ernie Kent as national coach of the year. I think they advance to that next game.
Kansas, if they get in a tight game, their past history could come into play, but I think they are the most talented team left in this tournament.
HEMMER: That's why they play them.
John, thanks. Always a pleasure.
What did you think of the ESPN show, by the way, "Season on the Brink," Bobby Knight?
FEINSTEIN: It should have aired on Saturday morning with all of the other cartoons, that's what I think, Bill.
HEMMER: Opinion well noted. Thank you, pal. Talk to you soon.
FEINSTEIN: OK, Bill. Take care.
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