Minnesotans still need a rooting interest in NCAA tournament

On March 13, the University of Minnesota men's basketball team made its first impact on the Division I college season.

Michigan State entered the Big Ten tournament as the second-ranked team in the country, then won the conference tournament. The Spartans were not given one of the four No. 1 seeds in this year's bracket. In general, Big Ten teams were seeded lower than they should have been.

In a season of parity, in a tournament that relies on strength of schedule to help determine seedings, the Gophers' weakness may have sabotaged an entire conference.

For many diehard college basketball fans living in Minnesota, the entertaining portion of the season began on Sunday, with the NCAA tournament selection show on CBS.

The show confirmed our worst suspicions — that the Gophers would be snubbed. Their consolation: Some analysts listed them among their "Top 40 teams left out."

With the Gophers just missing the tournament, Minnesotans need to find teams to cheer. My suggestions:

Duke: Wolves guard Tyus Jones won a title for Duke last year. His brother Tre may follow him there. As a Timberwolf, Christian Laettner confirmed our negative biases against Duke. The Jones family has a chance to make Duke … almost likable.

Xavier: Lakeville North product J.P. Macura is making an impact as a sophomore.

Print a tournament bracket here

Austin Peay: The greatest cheer in the history of sports referred to former Austin Peay guard Fly Williams. The cheer: "The Fly is open; let's go, Peay."

South Dakota State: The Gophers lost to the Jackrabbits. If you can't beat 'em …

Texas Tech: The University of Minnesota hired Norwood Teague. Teague fired Tubby Smith. Texas Tech hired Smith. Smith was the Big 12 coach of the year this year. Many of us have made the case that Smith's firing was not undeserved and that Teague was at fault for not hiring someone who could improve on Smith's work. Today that argument sounds rather weak. Tubby is taking his fifth team to the NCAA tournament, and he may have kept taking the Gophers to the tournament had he been allowed to stay.

So: Go, Tubby.

Baylor: Coach Scott Drew gives the Gophers hope by continuing to make the NCAA tournament without actually knowing what you're doing.

Iowa State: A nice little Midwestern campus that seems to keep winning in basketball whether its coach is Johnny Orr, Larry Eustachy, Fred Hoiberg or … Steve Prohm?

Iona: If you're going to root for an underdog, go small. Iona started the season 4-6 but won its last eight to make the tournament.

VCU: Any program that can survive both the presence of Teague and the departure of Shaka Smart is to be admired.

Green Bay: If you can recruit basketball players to Green Bay, you deserve at least one upset victory.

Northern Iowa: Close enough to pretend it's in Owatonna.

Michigan State: Tom Izzo gets his kids to play extremely hard, runs a clean program, represents the Big Ten well, treats people right and could wind up with the Timberwolves if he ever decides to leave East Lansing. Go, Izzo.

Temple: Because former coach John Chaney tried to punch John Calipari before it became fashionable.

Oregon State: Gary Payton II? Glove Love Redux.

Florida Gulf Coast: Because it was fun to watch Fort Myers, home of the Twins' spring training camp, become a college basketball hotbed last time the Eagles made the tournament.

Stony Brook: University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler leaves Stony Brook for Minnesota. Minnesota stops making the NCAA tournament. Stony Brook makes it for the first time. Coincidence?

Finally, here's my sentimental Final Four, based more on warm feelings than cold logic:

Wisconsin: Greg Gard is a coach's coach.

South Dakota State: Jackrabbit fever.

Northern Iowa: A berth in the weak West bracket in a year of parity. Why not?

Michigan State: If Izzo wins another national title, and he might, he may be willing to give the NBA a try, and — stop me if you've never heard this one before — the young, talented Wolves might provide the perfect place for him to try to win an NBA championship.

Jim Souhan's podcast can be heard at MalePatternPodcasts.com. On Twitter: @SouhanStrib. jsouhan@startribune.com