Closing Shot: Who’s in, who’s out?

Watch parties are common for teams across the nation on Selection Sunday, such as last year when players for Loyola University Chicago learned the path that they would take to the Final Four.newscom

A fixture of CBS’s college basketball coverage for more than 20 years, Clark Kellogg again will be on the set for the NCAA tournament selection show on March 17. Kellogg shared some thoughts about how he prepares for the high-profile gig, which he started in 1997.

“In those first several years, I was like everybody else. When the bracket came, I wanted to check it out and see which teams got in and who may have gotten left out,” Kellogg said. “For the last 10 selection shows I haven’t looked at the bracket. I watch it as it’s being revealed to the viewing public.

“I watch hundreds and hundreds of games all year long in preparation for the tournament. I pretty much have seen everybody. And I want to have a spontaneous reaction when the screen shows who’s in it. I’ve felt confident enough in my preparation beforehand to be able to have some comments about teams in the bracket.”

Kellogg said he always has a list of teams that he thinks viewers should keep an eye on, and he’ll lock onto a handful of players from smaller conferences who will get the chance to play on the biggest stage of their careers.

Kellogg’s quick takes:

Mid-majors to watch

“Buffalo clearly. The Wofford Terriers out of the Southern Conference should be in the field even if they don’t win the conference tournament. I don’t know if Cal Irvine or New Mexico State will be worthy of at-large bids, but they could do some damage. I like Jeff Jones’ team at Old Dominion in Conference USA.”

Sleeper teams

“Syracuse is custom made for the tournament because of the length, trickery and difficulty of the [2-3] zone. They’re always a threat to do more damage than people expect them to do. Florida State will be a really dangerous team if they’re seeded as low as I think they might be. They could be a five seed. Houston is a team that is outside of a power conference but having a good year and extremely well coached.”

Final Four

“Gonzaga. Duke. Virginia. That’s all chalk. I’ve got to throw somebody in there —  Michigan State could possibly fall to maybe a four seed. I’m going to go with the Spartans because they’ve had some injury issues, and a lot of people won’t expect them to make a deep run.”