NCAA's biggest name programs aren't in this dance - Indianapolis Star

If you put together a Mount Rushmore of college basketball, UCLA, North Carolina and Indiana would be slam dunks to be included, or at least be clearly in the conversation.

The three schools have combined for 21 national championships and 43 Final Four appearances. North Carolina holds the record with 27 consecutive NCAA appearances. Indiana had a stretch of 18 years in a row, and UCLA had strings of 14 and 13 years in the tournament.

But when the NCAA Selection Show airs today (6 p.m., WISH-8), the Bruins, Tar Heels and Hoosiers all will be on the outside looking in at the same time for the first time since 1966.

Other big-time programs such as Connecticut and Arizona will be right there with them.

Is it an overhaul in the landscape of college basketball or merely a blip on the radar screen for one year?

"It's just a perfect storm this year of bad things happening to all of the big shots at the same time,'' said ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas. "This is not a great year for college basketball, anyway. We don't have a lot of great teams out there like we've had over the last few years.

"And it just gets magnified when so many of the traditional powers are down.''

Jim Nantz, who will call the Final Four for CBS for the 25th time, said he doesn't think any of those programs will be down for long.

"If I had to bet, I would think that every one of those tradition-rich teams that are out this year will be back in the NCAA Tournament next season,'' Nantz said. "I think it creates a different aura for this year's tournament. It gives you the vibe that this is going to be the most unpredictable, wild, hold-on-to-your-brackets-as-tight-as-you-can festival than we've ever had before.''

And, Nantz pointed out, that feeling exists before the brackets have even been released. He said he doesn't necessarily think it's a bad thing.

"Not unless you're an alumnus of one of those schools,'' Nantz said. "In recent years, I have felt like the madness had been softened a little bit. Last year, it seemed too predictable. This year, going in, I don't think you could have a tournament that could be more difficult to handicap.''

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