Tournament Projections: East Coast Bias

Cal is predicted by Andy Glockner of Sport's Illustrated to go into the Big tourney as a No. 12 seed. Are you serious? Is the East Coast bias such that premier Cal players like Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, and Theo Roberson are not even going to see themselves in the top ten?

Look, while there is no denying the fact that the East Coast has fabulous programs, including tremendous teams like Duke, Syracuse, Kentucky, and Florida to name a few, but it is so obvious each time a new Coaches or AP poll comes out that the basketball reporting press suffers from a serious case of East Coast bias.

When ESPN set up shop in Seattle last week to broadcast the network's main prime-time matchup between the University of Washington Huskies and the UCLA Bruins, I almost blew a gasket to see Jay Bilas and Bobby Knight reporting in my own background -- in the same time zone no less. In fact it provoked an awkward, giddy feeling like the way you feel on a first date: anxious and excited, while simultaneously espousing strange body twitches and sweaty palms.

Think of the last time you saw Dick Vitale announce from another venue besides the ACC or SEC, or any East Coast "C" for that matter? I certainly can't. Maybe throw in a Texas vs. Oklahoma game for kicks, but in my experience I've never heard "Diaper Dandy" references to any West Coast players. It is my belief that the closest Vitale has been to the West Coast in recent years was most likely a Hollywood studio that he filmed his last Hooters commercial at.

In the wake of countless predictions that the Pac-10 will only receive one bid to the tournament, my question is: What's the beef ?

Certainly it has been an up and down season in the Conference, where the top five teams have traded in-conference rankings like musical chairs, but it doesn't signify a lack of talent, or that a top Pac-10 team can't beat a highly ranked East Coast opponent (think USC's win over Kentucky in January).

Maybe it has something to do with the convenience of the East's broadcasting schedule, particularly for those living on that side of the country. A blogger for instance, from Kansas, is going to be able to make a report that afternoon depending on which teams are scheduled. Whereas the WCC, or Pac-10 teams typically don't begin play until 7, he/she is going to be in bed by that time. As a result they garner less cred and often don't make it to deadline.

Ultimately, the combination of timing, the lack of viewership (with the exception of the handful of local West Coast sport's networks), and most of the dominating voices on television hailing from places like Duke, Notre Dame and Michigan (think Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Jalen Rose), talented teams on the West Coast are often snubbed and undervalued come ranking and tournament time.

Yuck!