It's hard to believe that in the 90s, Providence was able to raid Xavier for their head coach (Pete Gille, anyone?). Can't picture that these days. Now, the Friars can't even entice an alum coaching at a mid-major to take their job.

Jim Larranaga (Providence, 1971) opted to remain at George Mason rather than take the job at his alma mater. Admittedly, Larranaga has been at GMU for 12 years and had that Final Four run that keeps him in regular demand in the DC area for lucrative speaking engagements.

Still, this was supposed to be a slam dunk of a hire. Someone who would also reenergize the fans. How demoralizing was being turned down by Larranaga? Providence Athletic Director Rob Driscoll felt the need to issue a press release on the rejection to reassure the fans and alum.

"We offered him a very substantial package but he was too comfortable in his current situation and opted to stay at George Mason. As a result, I will continue to have ongoing discussions with the other finalists in this search. I remain very optimistic that we will find a head coach who will embrace the rich tradition of Friar basketball and move the program forward."

I don't remember the last time a school issued a press release about being rejected.

Here's a reason why coaches shouldn't let cameras into the locker room before games.

When you're going up against the school that pretty much invented the pep-talk cottage industry, you've gotta come up with something better than crumpling up a piece of paper. A little too much comedy and way too much about what happened with a completely different team.

(H/T Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
Record: 23-10 (12-6 CAA)
RPI: 64
How They Got In: Automatic Bid
Seed/Bracket: 12/East

Mascot: Patriots. The school was named for George Mason, a Virginia statesman who wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776. It detailed specific rights of citizens and Mason, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, pressed for a similar enumeration of rights in the Constitution. When there wasn't one, he refused to sign and lobbied for their inclusion. That led to the Bill of Rights, therefore Mason's namesake school are the Patriots.

Big Wins: Dayton, Kansas State, Virginia Commonwealth

Notable Loss: The loss to Georgia State in the second CAA game gave notice to the erratic season ahead for GMU.

Player You Should Know: You may remember Will Thomas from such NCAA tournaments as 2006 but he's an even better player now than he was during that Final Four run. He averages a double-double (and had another one in tonight's CAA final), shoots 63% from the floor and is always the best option for a Mason team that is scattershot from three.

Outlook: You shouldn't underestimate the experience that Thomas and Folarin Campbell bring to the table after their Final Four trip in 2006. But don't overestimate it either. Their experience didn't help them battle VCU for the league title nor did it help them handle the lesser lights of the CAA. Don't expect another magical run from the Patriots but, then, you didn't expect it the last time either.

There seems to be a larger than usual pool of teams across the college basketball landscape from the non-power conferences that could make their own case for an at-large bid. These are some of the conferences that have teams that could pop other teams bubbles if they don't win their conference tournament. Part 1 and Part 3.

Today has the Sun Belt, Atlantic Sun and Patriot League getting their conference tournaments started. Not as much attention will be paid to the Atlantic Sun and the Patriot League, but South Alabama in the Sun Belt will be watched closely.

There's a school of thought that holds Bracket Buster games in fairly low esteem. They don't do much to hurt or help a team's chances of getting into the tournament and make for better television than anything else. I can't argue with the latter. Today's the best day of college hoops all season, only in part because of Tennessee-Memphis, and I think it's one that could play a role on Selection Sunday.

Just ask George Mason how much winning your Bracket Buster game matters. If they didn't beat Wichita State in 2006, they probably don't make the tournament. If they don't make it, they don't get to the Final Four, obviously. I mention the Patriots because they played one of the marquee games this afternoon, not because they did anything to help their cause. After taking a 13-point lead into the break, GMU got rolled by Ohio and lost 69-57 in Athens. Leon Williams, the Bobcats beast, had his customary double-double but it was 18 in the second half from Bubba Walther and horrid shooting that really cost them.

The news wasn't all bad for the CAA, however.

Mid-major basketball fans are frothing at the bit for this weekend's Bracket Buster bonanza. A slew of games pitting the best teams from all over the country, highlighted by Drake and Butler hooking up in Indianapolis. That game should be a doozy but a good part of the fun of this weekend is usually seeing which teams might step up and get at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. I say usually because after this week it's hard to find many teams with chances that look good.

Sure, Drake would get a bid if they suffer an upset in the MVC tourney but there's no way another team from that conference is dancing without an automatic invite. Creighton lost twice this week, including a 87-59 thrashing at Bradley's hands on Saturday. Illinois State, meanwhile, fell at Indiana State. The Redbirds will be a popular choice in the 2008-09 preseason, see sophomore Osiris Eldridge's 34 points in the loss, but they won't factor in this year's postseason. And this year's favorite, Southern Illinois, followed up their win against Drake with their first road win at Wichita State. Too little, too late unless you're looking for the likeliest spoiler in the conference tournament.

It was tough all over the Midwest.

When we were took a look at the teams that might benefit the most from their Bracket Buster games this weekend we glossed over Drake and Butler. Unlike most of the other participants, the dueling Bulldogs look like sure bets for a trip to the big dance which makes their matchup, announced today, all the more interesting.

Butler's trip to the Sweet 16 last season made the country familiar with their style but there's probably a fair chunk of people who haven't watched them play with freshman Matt Howard. His inside play balances their always strong three point shooting and, since they rarely turn the ball over, makes them nearly impossible to stop on offense. Stopping Howard will be a key for Drake. They defend the perimeter quite well but aren't loaded with size inside. Offensively, they share a proclivity for the outside shot and the efficient approach with the other Bulldogs.

It isn't every year that two mid-majors appear to be top-four seeds and even rarer that we get to see them square off when they are in full form. While they may be playing the marquee game of the weekend, there will be others worth watching.

Coaches around the country will be waiting with baited breath for today's Bracket Buster matchup announcement. 100 mid-major teams, including the entire MAC, CAA and MVC, will be pitted against each other in games to be played on February 22 and 23. Teams like Drake and Butler will be trying to improve their seed but for most teams this game will be a key part of their resume. Here's a handful of teams whose matchups we'll be paying close attention to today and one team who could suffer from missing the fun:

Saint Mary's - I don't think the Gaels need to do much to solidify their at-large credentials, although another nice win would erase the bad feelings from the San Diego loss. What they can do when they host their Bracket Buster is improve their seed come March and help create a more favorable matchup. And, personally, I expect the Gaels will play one of the 14 nationally televised games and I think those of us on the east coast will benefit from the increased exposure to a good basketball team.

George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth - The two CAA leaders remain joined at the hip. Each has some strong wins and baffling losses, each has an RPI in the 50's and each will play a road Bracket Buster. If they both win, they could both be dancing.

In their loss to George Mason on Tuesday night, Virginia Commonwealth turned in an uncharacteristically weak defensive performance. The Patriots took over in the second half and cruised to a 12-point win that kept the CAA a two-team race. Rams coach Anthony Grant couldn't have been happy with that performance and must have done something about it in practice this week. Yesterday VCU was impenetrable during their 65-42 win against Towson.

Only one Tiger had more than six points and they made fewer shots than the Rams had steals. Towson was 14-of-55 from the floor while VCU stole the ball 17 times, including seven by Joey Rodriguez. Larry Sanders had seven blocks, which makes you wonder if the Tigers might have been better off just taking shot clock violations every time down the floor. The Commonwealth offense never took off, they shot just 36.8%, which is why the specter of Mason's win wasn't completely erased.

The Patriots turned in a defensive effort almost as impressive in their 72-46 win against James Madison and complemented it with an offensive showing that's beyond the Rams. Folarin Campbell had 20 points and John Vaughn scored 19 in a 53% showing from the floor. Their early season struggles look well behind them after a strong week.

GMU's offensive depth is unrivaled within the league, as is VCU's defensive prowess. When the CAA tournament final comes, it will be a shock and disappointment if we don't get a rematch between the league's best offense and its best defense.

It's been a season of spurts for the George Mason Patriots. A 6-1 start featured wins over Cleveland State, Kansas State and Dayton but was followed by a 4-4 stretch. Four straight CAA wins came next with the Patriots flashing ample evidence of the athleticism and depth that makes them the most talented team in the conference. That string of strong play looked to end during a desultory loss at UNC-Wilmington over the weekend but it may have been a momentary lapse. The Patriots put on their best show yet last night with a 63-51 win over Virginia Commonwealth.

The Rams entered play as the best defensive team in the CAA but couldn't stop GMU during the second half. Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell combined for 11 points during a 20-4 run that erased a VCU lead and put the Patriots in position to stay unbeaten at home. The Colonial's odd scheduling deprives us of a rematch between the two clubs in the regular season but it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine them meeting in the tournament final.

If Mason loses there, they may still be able to make a case for tournament inclusion. VCU is their fourth victim in the RPI's top 65 and their own ranking of 59 can continue to rise. They'll need to step up their play on the road. Five of the final nine, including their bracket buster, will be away and winning them will give their resume some added punch.