Better Documentary: UNLV or Fab Five?

Over a week ago, two interesting documentaries were released on television that chronicled some of the most well known college basketball teams from the early 1990s.

The UNLV doc took a look at Jerry Tarkanian's renegade Runnin' Rebels program that he lifted to prominence and eventually a national championship. The Fab Five doc looked at the Michigan freshmen's career at the school as well as their impact on basketball since. They are eerily similar yet done differently. Let's take a look:

INFORMATION: I think the most important item in a documentary is the information it is providing. This was a bit of a mismatch. The UNLV doc was just an hour long and covered nearly a two decade time frame. The Michigan one was two hours long (commercials included) and covered just a couple years of actual basketball but fast forwarded to the impact of both the kids games and the eventual sanctioned levied against the program. Just the amount of time available and the amount of info makes this a landslide. WINNER: FAB FIVE

STYLE: ESPN (who aired the Michigan doc) has done a great job with their "30 for 30" series. They have a wealth of resources and their own library to get everything they need. HBO, though not a sports channel, has done an excellent job over the last three decades in all types of documentaries, including ones involving sports. I liked the style HBO had with better interviews, still photos and old footage. I do wish they got a few more player interviews. WINNER: UNLV

SUBJECT MATTER: To me, the UNLV documentary was a bit more interesting than the Michigan one. That means nothing more than personal preference. The actual happenings at UNLV and how a school no one cared about in a city known for a lot of seedy things drew more interest from me than the fact that five high-ranked recruits decided to go to the same school. I've seen that before and since (John Calipari has done that in two of the last three recruiting classes) ... though the characters of that Michigan team far dominant any of the other "fab freshmen" we've seen. Not to mention that UNLV wasn't as well known even during their dominating reign. They were a Big West school that got late night game times if they were shown at all. WINNER: UNLV

THE TWO MAIN ABSENTEES: One problem both docs had was the fact that the two most well known players of those subjects decided not to participate. Both, by the way, went on to be No. 1 draft picks in the NBA. Larry Johnson and Chris Webber both played just two years at their schools but both were lightning rods as well as highly successful players. The bigger absence was Webber. LJ was a JUCO transfer; Webber was a highly touted high school player. LJ wasn't the reason UNLV fell off the map -- Webber was the reason Michigan did. Despite sanctions against UNLV, none of their records were thrown out. Due to Webber's transgressions (as well as a few others), those two Final Fours and championship game appearances are erased.

It would've been very interesting to see Webber to respond to all of documentary. So his exclusion was missed. WINNER: UNLV

WATER COOLER-ABILITY: This one is another slam dunk for the Fab Five. First, there's been enough controversy from the Michigan documentary that it ellicited a response from the normally quiet Grant Hill as well as forcing Jalen Rose into a scrambling role. There's been tons of discussion on that doc on many sports talk radio and TV shows. The UNLV doc? Well, many of you didn't even know there was one. WINNER: FAB FIVE

WHICH ONE WAS BETTER?: Again, this goes by personal preference ... but despite my elevated interest in the UNLV documentary, the Fab Five one was better. It brought up way more emotion in it than the Runnin' Rebels one just because of all that controversy. People who hated the Fab Five will hate them more after watching it. As for UNLV, the most controversial part of that was Tark the Shark ... and he's a tough guy to completely hate. The Michigan film . WINNER: FAB FIVE

WHICH TEAM WAS BETTER, 1990-1991 UNLV OR 1992-1993 MICHIGAN?: I'm going with UNLV. That 1990 and 1991 UNLV teams were freakin' machines! They had more style and glitz than the Wolverines did. It would be a great game, but I don't think Michigan could keep up with UNLV. Both went to two Final Fours, both won two games total in those Final Fours ... but Michigan didn't win the title that UNLV did. Michigan didn't enter a Final Four with an undefeated record like UNLV did. UNLV beat Duke in 1990 by 30 points in the title game and lost by a bucket to Duke in 1991. Michigan was rolled by Duke in the 1992 title game. WINNER: UNLV

NCAA's "Official" Box Score Of Duke Game Filled With Errors

Hat tip to ACC NOW:

The NCAA's official box score of the Duke-Hampton game is filled with factual errors. The biggest one ... the freakin' final score!

The final score of the game was Duke 87-Hampton 45. NCAA.com has the "offical" score as 87-47. Um, wrong. More problems as laid out by ACC NOW:

Hampton’s Brandon Tunnell was credited with an extra field goal and Darrion Pellum with an extra missed field goal, as the Pirates were 19-for-55 from the field, not 20-for-57. The Pirates had 29 rebounds, not 22; and four assists, not three.

Duke, meanwhile, was 32-for-60 from the field, not 32-for-59 -- Kyle Singler was 4-for-9 from the field, not 4-for-8. Duke had 38 rebounds, not 35.

To cap it off, the official play-by-play credited Hampton's Tunnell with a bucket with five seconds left. Except that in the real game ... Duke's Kyrie Irving held on to the ball and dribbled out the clock.

Amazing that a body like the NCAA that helms over many of the finest universities in our nation can just completely screw up an official box score of an NCAA Tournament game featuring the defending national champions.

Sportz Assassin's West Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Duke. Like it or not, the Blue Devils are the top seed again. This team has the knowledge that they just won a title a year ago and the horses to repeat.

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: UConn. They made an amazing run to the Big East championship and they have a guy in Kemba Walker who can carry a team deep into the tournament.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Texas. The Longhorns spent about a six week stretch of what may have been the best basketball played all year long. Sure, Rick Barnes' teams seem to fall short during the tournament, but this team could be different.

YOUR CINDERELLA: Oakland. Of course, Texas may not get out of the first round. That would mean Oakland popped them. The Golden Grizzlies have Keith Benson who is an NBA-talented player and gives them that rare big men that most smaller schools in the tournament lack.

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Michigan. I just don't see how the Wolverines garnered a No. 8 seed. They, to me, weren't a solid bet to get into the tournament until the final week of the season.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: San Diego State. This one very easy. They'll play their first two games over in Tucson then the next two up the road in Anaheim. Despite being a newcomer to the national scene, their fans are boisterous.

MUST WATCH GAME: Texas vs Oakland. You want to see Benson, first of all. And you want to see the buzzing mid-major against a team that stumbles come tournament time.

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: UConn vs Cincinnati. The Bearcats played the Huskies tough just a few weeks ago in Storrs. You rarely (read: never) see a conference battle this early in the tournament so it should be a treat.

Sportz Assassin's Southeast Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Pitt. I'm not that sold on the Panthers, but they did win the Big East regular season crown and they do have some bangers who can take the team deep.

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Florida. I'm not entirely sold on the Gators either, but I think they have a draw they can handle to the Elite 8 and someone else will do their dirty work and knock out Pitt.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Kansas State. K State was among those most talked about as a preseason pick for the Final Four. But they got off to a rocky start. Over the last month or so, the Wildcats have stepped it up and have the guard play to go deep in the dance.

YOUR CINDERELLA: Michigan State. I know, it's tough to be a Cinderella team when you've been to the last two Final Fours. But they are a No. 10 seed that has really underperformed this year. Tom Izzo is an excellent tournament coach and could get this team back on track. The region is weak enough to feed a run by Sparty.

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Utah State. How does a ranked team that has barely lost all year long get saddled with a No. 12 seed?

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Florida. A couple games in nearby Tampa before heading off to New Orleans.

MUST WATCH GAME: Butler vs Old Dominion. I love ODU so much that I see them beating Pitt. But they must get by a Butler team that is coming on strong and were the National runners-up a year ago. Even though both are "mid majors", both have tons of tournament experience.

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Pitt vs Old Dominion. This is where the first No. 1 seed could go down.

Sportz Assassin's Southwest Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Kansas. The Jayhawks are on a roll and, according to me, they are the best team in the tournament for the second consecutive year (well, we know how last season went).

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Kansas. I just said that I thought they were the best team in the tournament.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Louisville. Rick Pitino knows a little something about the NCAA tournament and his Cardinals squad just reached the Big East title game.

YOUR CINDERELLA: Richmond. This is a team that can rain threes ... which is usually one of those ingredients for an upset. The Spiders did beat Purdue and can be a Sweet 16 team.

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Notre Dame. I just feel they deserved a No. 1 seed instead of Pitt ... and there is a good argument that they deserve one more than Duke.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Kansas. Though Texas A&M could play in San Antonio, I'm not leaning on them getting to the Sweet 16 and their first weekend in Chicago isn't really an advantage. Kansas gets to play in Tulsa then San Antonio on their way to Houston.

MUST WATCH GAME: Vanderbilt vs Richmond. Both teams enjoy jacking up threes. That means a lot of fun for us as we could see some wild momentum swings.

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Kansas vs Illinois. Probably not a great matchup, but this is where KU were ousted last year. Plus we get to see Bill Self go up against his former team.

Sportz Assassin's East Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Ohio State. They've been the best team all season long. They are the top seed overall in the tournament and will be one of the favorites to win the whole she-bang.

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Ohio State. This is a strong region, but Ohio State is the class of the bracket. They have the ability to beat Kentucky, Syracuse or North Carolina.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Kentucky. The Wildcats have NBA talent ... though they are a bit undisciplined. Still, they have the horses to beat Ohio State, Syracuse or North Carolina in Newark.

YOUR CINDERELLA: Marquette. They are an 11th seed but they can do some major damage. They get Xavier first ... then, most likely, Syracuse. They can beat X and, obviously, won't be afraid of the Orange. From there, they could face an inconsistent UNC team, Washington or Georgia. Again, the Eagles could make some major noise.

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Georgia. How did a team that was on the wrong side of the bubble two weeks ago get a No. 10 seed? Especially one that just lost to fellow bubble team Alabama (the Tide didn't get a bid).

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Syracuse. Spending the first weekend in Cleveland isn't a bad drive for Orange fans. And you know that if the Cuse get to the Sweet 16, the Prudential Center in Newark will be packed with Orange-clad fans.

MUST WATCH GAME: George Mason vs Villanova. Very interesting matchup. You have a Nova team that was a top 10 squad for much of the year before falling apart in the last few weeks. George Mason has been the mid-major darling this season. You have the bulky Big East facing off against the underdog Colonial.

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Kentucky vs West Virginia. Don't you think the Wildcats want a piece of the Mountaineers after they beat them last season with a Final Four berth on the line? Well, the Kentucky players who stuck around.

The Five Biggest Tournament Snubs

Below are two sections of snubs. One is for the teams that felt like they should be in the tournament but didn't. The other is for the teams that did make it, but things aren't as kosher as they should be.

FIVE BIGGEST BUBBLE SNUBS:

1-Colorado: I'm not as outraged as most about Colorado's exclusion from the dance. But it does stink when you see UAB, Clemson and VCU make it in. The Buffs' problem was their non-conference schedule was horrible. While that did drive down their RPI, this team did fairly well in the highly competitive Big XII. Clemson and UAB have beaten nobody this year. Colorado beat Kansas State three times.

2-Alabama: It's not Bama's fault that the SEC West sucked. They ran away with the division and looked the part of a tournament team. Oh, and the Tide beat Georgia ... an SEC East team ... in both their meetings this year, including on Friday night in the SEC tournament. Yet Georgia is a No. 10 seed in the tournament and Bama gets no love. Alabama also won at Tennessee ... another SEC East team who fit comfortably in the tournament.

3-Virginia Tech: The Hokies live on this snub line every year. This year, they have much less of a gripe. After their signature win ... over Duke ... Tech looked remarkably bad the rest of the way -- save an ACC tournament win over Florida State. By the way, that Duke win is probably a better win than any of the other bubble teams. UAB lost to Duke by 21 when they hooked up.

4-Harvard: You know an Ivy League school wasn't going to get an at-large bid ... but why not? The Crimson beat fellow bubble schools Boston College and Colorado. They hold the highest RPI of anyone to not get into the tournament. And they lost an automatic bid on a buzzer beater in a one-game playoff with Princeton. I think we'd all like to see how Harvard would perform here than, say, UAB. If the RPI was so important to the Selection Committee that UAB got in and Alabama didn't, then why didn't Harvard have a chance?

5-St Mary's: They were a true bubble team, but they did beat Gonzaga and St. John's who are both in the tournament. Sure, the win over the Red Storm came at the beginning of the season when they weren't anything similar to what they are now, but it does count in their body of work. St. Mary's officially gets to be the team to wear the crown of "nobody will play us". It's hard for a west coast school who has been pretty good over the last several years to get anybody of note to come their direction. Instead, they have to go to places like Vanderbilt (which is tough for anyone to win) to try to pick up some love.

FIVE BIGGEST SNUBS FOR TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT

1-Notre Dame: The Irish barely finished behind Pitt for the Big East regular season championship. The Irish beat Pitt at Pitt in their lone matchup. Pitt lost their first Big East tournament game while Notre Dame clobbered Cincinnati, a No. 6 seed in this tournament, by 38 points. Yet the Irish are a No. 2 seed and Pitt is a No. 1. It is a big deal. Notre Dame now sits in a bracket with Kansas as the top seed while Pittsburgh sits atop a region with Florida as the No. 2.

2-Purdue: The Boilermakers are one of the better teams in this tournament and, to me, deserved a No. 2 seed ahead of Florida and, maybe, North Carolina. Sure, Purdue hasn't finished strong but neither has Tennessee or Georgetown who both got darn good seeds for their resumes.

3-Cincinnati: Their No. 6 seed is fair, but having to potentially face fellow Big East for UConn in the second round is rather cheesy. I mean, did the Big East get 17 teams in or something? Granted, three of the four No. 6 seeds are Big East teams ... and the other is playing a Big East team ... it's hard to place them. To me, switching the Bearcats with the Temple Owls makes more sense. It's the same bracket (West) and Temple is the No. 7 seed. Cincy would get Penn State before facing San Diego State. Then they could play UConn in the Sweet 16, which is much better.

4-BYU: Getting a No. 3 seed isn't that bad, but when you have been so good all year long and one guy gets kicked off your team late in the season because he had sex with his girlfriend, it's hard to swallow falling to a 3-seed. The Cougars did beat San Diego State twice (albeit with the now-suspended player) and the Aztecs got themselves a No. 2 spot.

5-Ohio State: Okay, you are the No. 1 overall seed and you have hot North Carolina, tough Syracuse, talented Kentucky and physical West Virginia in your bracket. Granted, the Buckeyes won't get to play all these teams but a Sweet 16 matchup with Kentucky is pretty tough. The biggest complaint would be in seeing Pitt's region filled with pretty sketchy teams.