NCAA Men's Basketball | Tourney could be last hurrah for fab freshman

INDIANAPOLIS — Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo have no intention of playing for one-and-done teams in the NCAA tournament. Their college futures may be another matter.

Many of the nation's top freshmen, including Beasley of Kansas State and Mayo of USC, are expected to make this year's tourney their final college basketball showcase before heading to the NBA.

Among those expected to join them in June's draft are Eric Gordon of Indiana, Derrick Rose of Memphis, and possibly Kevin Love of UCLA and Jerryd Bayless of Arizona.

None are hinting about their future plans, but fans at Indiana and Memphis recently began chanting "one more year," trying to get Gordon and Rose to stick around.

"I've got plenty more to come," Rose insisted after Saturday's Conference USA title game.

When asked if that meant he would return, Rose said: "I'll have to wait and see. I'm just loving it right now."

How good are these fabulous freshmen?

Consider the numbers:

• Beasley, Gordon, Mayo and Bayless were among the nation's top 37 scorers.

• Beasley and Love finished among the nation's top 11 rebounders.

• Beasley, Gordon, Love and Rose were freshman of the year in their respective conferences, while Mayo was a first-team all-Pac-10 choice and Bayless made the second team.

Some think the selection committee likes to put its best talent on college basketball's biggest stage.

Committee chairman Tom O'Connor was asked about that Sunday after the pairings were announced. The question was whether Beasley, who averages 26.5 points and 12.4 rebounds, helped the Wildcats get one of the 34 at-large bids.

"We really look at the team as a whole," O'Connor said. "We can't put anybody into the tournament because of one player. We put teams in the tournament, we don't put players in the tournament."

Notes

• When Florida lost in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, the Gators knew it knocked them out of the NCAA tournament field. They had no idea it also would get them kicked out of their practice facility.

Coach Billy Donovan, feeling like his players had settled into a state of entitlement, banned them from Florida's $12 million facility. He also told them they couldn't wear any Florida attire.

"When you have great success like we've had," Donovan said, "I think it's very, very easy to become complacent and to lose sight of how good things are around here."

The Gators (21-11), who lost eight of their last 11 games, are the first defending champion to not make it back to the tournament since probation-stricken Kansas in 1989. They settled for a spot in the NIT, where they will host San Diego State on Wednesday.

• Stan Joplin was fired as Toledo coach after 12 years. Athletic director Mike O'Brien said the program needs new direction and energy after an 11-19 finish and a disappointing recruiting class.