While I don’t know everything about the teams selected for this year’s NCAA tournament, such as the whole “MVC getting four bids” argument, and the “WTF? AIR FORCE?” discussion, I think it seems like a decent field with some interesting matchups. I was certainly disappointed that Michigan not only fell apart down the stretch in the regular season, but also in the second half of their game with Minnesota. A win there might have snuck them into the dance.

Also, I’m obviously quite the mid-major apologist, so it was nice to see “The Valley” land four bids, even if I wasn’t so sure how they grew into the nation’s favor so quickly, including a title game on CBS on a weekend afternoon. They always just seemed to have a few decent teams year in and year out, not much different from the MAC. Maybe since it’s the same teams year in and year out, the get a bit more love. Who knows.

Regardless, Jim Nantz and Billy Packer should be shot.

What they did to the tournament selection show was ridiculous. Yeah, it’s for the national championship, yeah it’s CBS’ gravy train for the year, but those two were buffoons. Not only did they treat their interview with the selection committee chairman like a White House press briefing (which it would have been pretty awesome to see David Gregory in the background pouting that Cincinnati didn’t get in), but, even allowing for technical delays and difficulties, the way they wrapped up their torture session was nothing short of rude and prickish. Obviously, Nantz thought they were done, and probably had a producer in his ear giving him a “wrap”, it was obvious that he heard the chairman’s comments, because he paused for a moment. All the guy wanted to do was wish all the teams good luck, and move on. Nantz had nothing of it. He brushes that off and motors right back into the fifth recap of why he thinks the “power conferences” got screwed. And Packer pretty much just showed his ass every time he opened his mouth.

If I’m an exec at CBS, I’m pretty damn embarrassed tonight.