'Starting Five' - NCAA Tourney Talk with Contra Costa Times Sports Editor Tom Barnidge

Talking Gonzaga, St. Mary's and west coast basketball with Tom Barnidge, Sports Editor for the Contra Costa Times.

FFToolbox.com, one of the leaders in fantasy football coverage, continues to expand our sports coverage beyond the pigskin perspective with a foray into college hoops heaven, better known as the NCAA Tournament. Led by our point guard Ben Standig, we will pose our "Starting Five" questions to a series of sports writers, contributors and fans across the country, assisting our readers as they gear up for the madness of March. The segment will provide an overview of the upcoming NCAA Tournament, from the power conference and mid-major perspective, including teams in both camps hoping that their major post-season bubble will not burst.
Postseason Roster:

3/12 – Tom Barnidge, Contra Costa Times – St. Mary's, Gonzaga, Pac-10
3/11 - Paul Kenyon, Providence Journal - Rhode Island/Providence
3/11 - Greg Schimmel, The Diamondback - Maryland/ACC

Tom, thank you for your time and effort in helping FFToolbox.com with our college basketball post-season coverage. Ok, time for tip off...

1) This time of year, we always hear the chattering class arguing over which type of team should get those precious final at-large berths; a power conference team like a Maryland or Michigan or a mid-major school like St. Mary's. What is your take on this bar room type argument and if, as some on the worldwide leader have suggested, the NCAA should do away with automatic bids?

Tom Barnidge - I'm in favor of automatic bids to regular-season conference champions, who have shown their merit over the length of the schedule. My issue is with automatic bids to the winners of postseason tournaments, which many coaches regard as jokes. A good example from a year ago was the Georgia team that won only four SEC games all season but sneaked into the NCAAs with a 17-16 overall record on the strength of a postseason tournament title. In general, power conference teams deserve the nod over mid-majors because they play better schedules.

2) The Gaels (25-6) were ranked off and on during the season, helping their resume with wins over Providence and Utah State, but they lost all three games to rival Gonzaga. They were a solid 6-3 (yes?) without Paddy Mills in the lineup, but their star guard looked rusty in the WCC Tournament and perhaps is broken hand has not fully healed. In addition, the Gaels will give the selection committee one more chance to gauge their tournament worthiness when they take on Eastern Washington Friday night. With all that said, where on the bubble do you have the Gaels right now?

TB - Early in the season, the Gaels were a legitimate Top 25 team and deserving of an NCAA berth. In fact, they were leading Gonzaga on Gonzaga's home court when Patty Mills broke his hand. Since then, they have never returned to form--as evidenced by their lopsided loss in the WCC championship game. If I were on the selection committee, I would not extend them an invitation.

3) Speaking of Gonzaga, the Bulldogs once again dominated the West Coast Conference, going undefeated in league play. They are no longer the cute little engine that could type program, but they have also have not lived up to the certain post-season expectations in the recent past. Is this the year the Mark Few coached team once again makes a run deep into the NCAA Tournament?

TB - How far Gonzaga goes into the tournament will have a lot to do with where it is seeded and what other teams are in the bracket. But the Zags have hit top form at precisely the right time. I can't imagine any team being anxious to play them right now.

4) From your west coast perch, which under the radar type programs should fans keep their eye on as they prepare to fill out their brackets?

TB - UNLV has been wildly erratic this season--it probably won't be better than a 9th or 10-th seed--but it always seems to be a dangerous tournament team. And any team that can beat BYU and Utah in back-to-back games deserves some respect.

5) If St. Mary's does reach the tournament, likely as a double-digit seed, what type of opponent gives them the best chance to pull off a first round upset?

TB - Saint Mary's likely would fare better against a short, quick team than a strong team up front. The Gaels have trouble controlling the glass. But I don't like their odds against any single-digit seed. They're just not playing that well right now.

Sixth Man Bonus Question – Do you give any Pac-10 team a legitimate chance at reaching the elite eight or beyond?

TB - The Pac-10 has a lot of good teams (Washington, UCLA, Arizona State) but not that is truly outstanding. I'll be surprised if any them get to the Elite Eight.

Deep Rotation Question - Without the benefit of the brackets, which team do you see with the best chance to cut down the nets?
TB - I liked PIttsburgh last year, and I like Pittsburgh again.