The Kansas Jayhawks finish the season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Kansas Jayhawks were picked as the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday and today they are the No. 1 team in the final Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll, announced this afternoon.

The Jayhawks (30-4) were No. 1 for the final three weeks of the season and five overall. They were awarded 63 of 65 first-place votes from a national media panel for 1,623 points in the final poll.

Michigan State (29-5) finished second and received the last two first-place votes and 1,552 points. The Spartans were passed over for a top seed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

The next three teams in the poll were North Carolina (28-6), Virginia (26-7) and Oregon (28-6) and they are the other No. 1 seeds for the tournament.

Rounding out the top 10 were Villanova, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Xavier and Miami.

All in, but beware: Every team in the Top 25 is in the tournament field, which is no surprise. But that does not mean all of them are on a roll and playing well. For NCAA Tournament purposes, beware of Miami and Iowa in particular. Miami lost two of its last three games, including one to Virginia Tech. And Iowa went down to defeat in six of its final eight games of the season, including four straight.

To wrap up the season, there were six teams ranked No. 1 at some point since the poll began in November, and as of last week the Top 10 had lost a total of 74 games, which was the most ever in the history of the Top 25 poll. However, that number was indicative of the college basketball parity around the country in 2016.

All-American Teams: First team of All-Americans was not hard, but did have what many would consider a surprising choice in Oakland guard Kay Felder out of the Horizon League. He finished the regular season No. 4 in the country in scoring averaging 24.2 points a game and No. 1 in assists at 9.3 per game.

The rest of my team team included Michigan State's Denzel Valentine, LSU's Ben Simmons, Oklahoma's Buddy Hield and Brice Johnson from North Carolina.

Coach of the Year: My vote this year went to Bill Self. The Jayhawks were a team most expected to struggle in the Big 12 yet finished winning a 12th straight league title with a roster well shy of elite talent. On top of that Kansas was the clear No. 1 team in the nation down the stretch of a parity driven season around the country.

AP TOP 25 POLL

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' final 2015-16 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through March 13, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:

Others receiving votes: Texas 69, Notre Dame 61, Saint Joseph's 60, UConn 34, Stephen F. Austin 12, Dayton 11, Wichita St. 9, Wisconsin 9, Gonzaga 8, UALR 5, Providence 4, Butler 3, Cincinnati 3, Monmouth (NJ) 3, Saint Mary's (Cal) 3, Valparaiso 3, Yale 3, Michigan 2, Stony Brook 2, Akron 1, N. Iowa 1.

ELTON ALEXANDER'S BALLOT

1. Kansas
2. Michigan State
3. Villanova
4. North Carolina
5. Virginia
6. Xavier
7. Oklahoma
8. Oregon
9. West Virginia
10. Miami
11. Indiana
12. Utah
13. Purdue
14. Louisville
15. Arizona
16. Maryland
17. Texas A&M
18. Kentucky
19. Iowa
20. Duke
21. Iowa State
22. Seton Hall
23. Cincinnati
24. Valparaiso
25. UConn

The Indians sent seven players to the minors on Monday. They have 53 players still in camp.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Indians made their first roster cut of spring training Monday following their split-squad games against Milwaukee and Kansas City on Sunday.

Right-hander Mike Clevinger and left-handers Ryan Merritt and Shawn Morimando were optioned to Class AAA Columbus. Utility man Zach Walters was also optioned to Columbus.

Right-hander Dylan Baker was optioned to Class AA Akron, while right-handers Adam Plutko and Will Roberts were re-assigned to minor league camp. The Indians still have 53 players in camp.

Plutko and Clevinger made good impressions on the big league staff.

Clevinger showed a power arm and earned a start against Kansas City on Sunday. He lasted just two innings, throwing 50 pitches, while allowing three runs on five hits. Just one of the runs was earned because of an error by third baseman Giovanny Urshela in the second inning.

The longhaired Clevinger, the organization's Bob Feller award winner last season, topped out at 97 mph. This spring he posted a 1.50 ERA in three appearances with six strikeouts and four walks in five innings. The opposition hit .269 against him.

Mike Clevinger makes good impression

"He has really put himself on the radar for a number of reasons," said manager Terry Francona.  "The more repetition he gets, the better."

Clevinger came to spring training going a mile a minute. The Indians tried to slow him does, especially when he was maxing out on the mound, but it was hard.

"He understood that his adrenaline has taken over at times," said Francona. "But that's part of it. I'm sure, at some point, when he comes to Cleveland he'll experience it again."

Plutko, a starter by trade, relieved Roberts in the seventh on Sunday against Milwaukee. There were two on, one out and the Indians trailed, 5-4. Plutko walked the first batter to load the bases and then retired five straight.

"It was fun to see Plutko come into an inning where he needed to get out of it," said Francona. "You watch him compete out there and he was pretty fired up. He's a really interesting guy."

The Indians drafted Plutko out of UCLA with the 11th round pick in 2013. Last year he was a combined 13-7 with a 2.39 ERA in 27 starts at Class A Lynchburg and Class AA Akron. Plutko ranked first among Indians minor league pitchers in ERA, second in innings pitched with 166 and third in strikeouts with 137.

"He has the major college background from UCLA," said Francona. "He was a Friday night starter for them. He reminds a lot of people of Josh Tomlin.

"Not the biggest kid physically, but as he pitches more, he'll command. He certainly has enough of fastball. . .I think he'll be a guy who doesn't beat himself. Kind of sneaky with the fastball. He's got some swing and miss there. It was fun to get to know."

Plutko posted a 3.86 ERA in four appearances this spring. He struck out five, walked four and allowed two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. The opposition hit .185 against him.

Adam Plutko invited to big league camp by Tribe

Walters, who underwent shoulder surgery at the end of last year, hit .071 (1-for-14) with six strikeouts. Walters hit seven homers in 88 at-bats for the Indians in 2014 after being acquired from Washington for Asdrubal Cabrera.

He has struggled to show that kind of power since. Last year he hit .133 (4-for-30) with 15 strikeouts with the Tribe.

There are some funny sidebars to the videos of LeBron James' two sons showing off their considerable basketball skills this weekend.

SALT LAKE CITY -- LeBron James' two sons showed off their talents at an Alabama tournament, and of course there's footage.

While LeBron Jr., 11, and Bryce, 8, were their usual, awesome selves on the court, there are some funny sidebars in both of their videos.

After Bryce drains a long shot, his coach (or so it appears) reaches out to congratulate him and falls out of his chair.

And as you watch LeBron Jr. Eurostep and no-look pass all over the place, check out the scores of some of these games. Junior's team appears to be ahead 48-3 at one point.

Bryce Maximus James makes coach fall out of his seat #takemytalent pic.twitter.com/Zig3ujzE0A

-- TakeMyTalent.com (@TakeMyTalent) March 13, 2016

And here's Junior:

Celebration of Gary Jeter's life will be held on Saturday in Solon. Jeter, the former Cathedral Latin standout who played at USC and in the NFL, died of a heart attack last week.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former Cathedral Latin football star Gary Jeter died last week after suffering a heart attack, his aunt, Eunice Jeter-Sykes, posted on Jeter's Facebook page.

Jeter, who had become a resident of Plainsboro, N.J., was 61.

Jeter-Sykes also wrote on her page that Jeter's Celebration of life services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Rita Church at 32820 Baldwin Road, Solon, Ohio 44139. The Repast is at the Solon Community Center at 35000 Portz Parkway.

Jeter was one of the greatest high school football players in the country when he graduated in 1973. He was Ohio's high school lineman of the year and a national All-American. Jeter ranked No. 2 on The Plain Dealer's Top 50 High School Football Players from 1963-2013.

He played at USC and started as a freshman. The Trojans won the national title in 1974. He was fifth overall selection in the draft and played 13 years in the NFL with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.

Cleveland Browns have to wonder why San Francisco has so little interest in keeping Colin Kaepernick. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here's a list of three quarterbacks:

• Blaine Gabbert
• Thad Lewis
• Dylan Thompson

If the San Francisco 49ers trade Colin Kaepernick to the Browns or anywhere else, they will pick their quarterback from that trio.

In other words, new 49ers coach Chip Kelly believes a 26-year-old Blaine Gabbert is a better bet at quarterback than Kaepernick.

I understand the new 49ers coach is very unconventional. In three years with Philadelphia (2013-15), he burned four quarterbacks. That includes a different starting quarterback in each of the last three seasons:

• 2013: Michael Vick
• 2014: Nick Foles
• 2015: Sam Bradford

Browns fans can certainly identify with that.

In Philadelphia, here's how Kelly handled his quarterbacks:

• 18 starts for Foles.
• 14 starts for Bradford.
• 10 starts for Mark Sanchez.
• 6 starts for Vick.

So it's kind of hard to know exactly what Kelly thinks of quarterbacks, other than he probably is always looking for the next one.

That makes me wonder why he'd part with a 28-year-old Kaepernick for a third-round pick. Has Kaepernick declined that much? Is Kelly so disturbed by Kaepernick's agents wanting their client traded that he simply is willing to accommodate the quarterback?

Gabbert is 26 years old. He was 3-5 as a starter with San Francisco last season with 10 TD passes compared to 7 interceptions. His rating was 86.2.

For his career, Gabbert has a 5-22 record as a starter with a 71.9 rating.

And they like him better than Kaepernick?

It just makes me wonder...

KAEPERNICK'S CONTRACT

It's not Kaepernick's contract.

It was reported in 2014 as a six-year, $114 million extension, with $61 million guaranteed. Turned out the $61 million was guaranteed only if Kaepernick suffered a major injury and couldn't play.

On April 1, he is guaranteed $11.9 million for 2016. While his contract runs through 2020, nothing else is guaranteed.

So it would be simple for the 49ers to pick up the $11.9 million option and see if Kaepernick can flash some of the ability that made him such a hot young quarterback in 2012 and 2013.

In the age of wildly escalating quarterback salaries, that's not much.

Consider the following:

1. Kaepernick can look at Chase Daniel, who has started two games in his six-year NFL career. The Eagles signed Daniel to a three-year, $21 million deal ... with $12 million guaranteed. Daniel threw two passes for the Chiefs last season.

2. The Eagles also re-signed Sam Bradford to a two-year, $35 million deal ... with $22 million guaranteed. He's had major knee problems. Bradford played 14 games for Kelly last season and had a 7-7 record. His career mark as a starter is 25-37-1.

3. Then there's the four-year, $72 million deal handed to Brock Osweiler by Houston. This guy has started seven games in his career, and he was guaranteed $37 million by the Texans.

If you're Kaepernick's agent, why would you take a pay cut to come to Cleveland?

In fact, your best strategy could be to resist a trade anywhere. Hope the 49ers cut Kaepernick rather than pay the $11.9 million on April.

Then Kaepernick can hit the open market with teams such as the Broncos, Browns and Jets possibly looking for a veteran quarterback. The only other established quarterback still available is Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Kaepernick could end up with a better deal than he has right now, despite losing his job after eight games to Gabbert last season. That could be a reason why his agents might not re-work a contract to come to Cleveland.

The Browns would want to pay him less than $11.9 million for 2016, not more.

WHAT ABOUT THE BROWNS?

If you're the Browns, you have to ask this question: "Why not just draft a quarterback at No. 2 and forget all the Kaepernick stuff?"

My guess is that is what they'll do.

Maybe Hue Jackson thinks he can revive Kaepernick's career. He loved Kaepernick when the quarterback played at Nevada, and Kaepernick was very impressive in his first two pro seasons.

It's been rough in the last two years.

The new Browns coach has a track record of helping quarterbacks. Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton love Jackson.

There are times when quarterbacks seem to re-invent themselves. Alex Smith has done it in Kansas City after being considered very inconsistent in San Francisco. In fact, the 49ers allowed Smith to leave because they had Kaepernick to take his place.

One theory is the Browns will load up with quarterbacks. Draft one. Bring in Kaepernick. Keep Josh McCown and Austin Davis. Even Connor Shaw is still on the roster.

Then let Jackson sort it out.

In the end, Kaepernick is a quarterback with a lot of question marks next to his name -- including three off-season surgeries. That's why it's hard for me to generate much excitement about him coming to town.

The NCAA Tournament March Madness First Four games are Wednesday and Thursday in Dayton. Here are previews, schedules, TV listings and more.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The NCAA Tournament First Four basketball games featuring Michigan, Wichita State, Tulsa, Vanderbilt and others are Tuesday and Wednesday at the University of Dayton. Here are the TV schedules, matchups, previews and more:

Live stream: ncaa.com/march-madness-live/watch

Channel look up: Click here and enter your zip code under "My channels" to find the channel for each game on your television provider.

Bracket: Download and print March Madness bracket

NCAA MEN'S TOURNAMENT FIRST FOUR

Where: UD Arena, University of Dayton

Schedule, TV listings (all times Eastern)

TUESDAY

East Region: Florida Gulf Coast (20-13) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (18-14), 6:40 p.m., TruTV.

Winner gets: Winner becomes the No. 16 seed and plays No. 1 North Carolina (28-6) Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.

South Region: Vanderbilt (19-13) vs. Wichita State (24-8), 9:10 p.m., TruTV.

Winner gets: Winner becomes the No. 11 seed and plays No. 6 Arizona (25-8) Thursday in Providence, R.I.

WEDNESDAY

West Region: Holy Cross (14-19) vs. Southern (22-12), 6:40 p.m.

Winner gets: Winner becomes the No. 16 seed and plays No. 1 seed Oregon (28-6) Friday in Spokane, Wash.

East Region: Michigan (22-12) vs. Tulsa (20-11), 9:10 p.m.

Winner gets: Winner becomes the No. 11 seed and plays No. 6 Notre Dame (21-11) Friday in Brooklyn, N.Y.

GAME PREVIEWS

Gulf Coast vs. Fairleigh Dickinson: Florida Gulf Coast returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since pulling off two huge upsets against Georgetown and San Diego State to reach the Sweet 16 three years ago. Florida Gulf Coast is back after winning the Atlantic Sun tournament while the Knights rebounded from a 2-6 start to win the Northeast Conference. Junior forward Marc Eddy Norelia leads Florida Gulf Coast in scoring (17.2) and rebounding (9.2) while shooting 53.9 percent from the field. Fairleigh Dickinson is the youngest team in the tournament, made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores. The Knights are averaging 80.5 points over the last four games. Darian Anderson is averaging 15.4 points and fellow sophomore Earl Potts Jr. is next at 14.7 after the duo provided 28 and 27, respectively, in the NEC Championship game. Marques Townes (11.4) and Stephan Jiggetts (11.2) also average in double figures. (WSBT.com)

Vanderbilt vs. Wichita State: Everyone knows about the great guard play by the Wichita State tandem of Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker. They are talented and the heart and soul of the Shocker basketball team. Vandy counters with sophomore guard Wade Baldwin IV. He is a triple threat who scores (14.3 ppg), rebounds (4.0) and dishes the rock (5.2).

The biggest issue in this game is how Wichita State will handle 7-0 junior Damian Jones. He averages 14 points and seven rebounds per game. The Shockers will counter with a wave of shorter, but talented post players. The quartet of Shaquille Morris, Anton Grady (both 6-8) and Rauno Nurger (6-10) and Bush Wamukota (6-11) will be charged with slowing down and wearing out Jones. (MidmajorMadness.com)

Holy Cross vs. Southern: The Southern Jaguars like to push the pace, relying on a guard-oriented, dribble-drive offense that leads the SWAC in shortest time of possession, and also possesses the conference's best turnover rate (16.3 percent). Trelun Banks (12.6 points), son of Jaguars coach Roman Banks, is the team's second-leading scorer and was named conference tournament MVP.

After dropping five straight to end the regular season, the Holy Cross Crusaders caught fire as the No. 9 seed in the Patriot League tournament, upsetting Loyola Maryland, top-seeded Bucknell, Army and Lehigh in succession to become only the fifth team NCAA Tournament history to make the field after losing as many as 19 games. The Crusaders run a Princeton-style offense led by 6-7 junior forward Malachi Alexander (12 points, 5.5 rebounds), who scored 26 points in the Patriot title game and a tournament-record 83 points during Holy Cross' four-game run. Reserve guard Eric Green (4.6 points) missed most of the first half of the season with a knee injury but saved two of his best offensive games of the season for the conference tournament. (WSBT.com)

Michigan vs. Tulsa: Tulsa is much different than the Wolverines, shooting only 32% on three-pointers. The Golden Hurricane has three players averaging double figures, led by senior guard James Woodard (15.6 points per game), a heavy three-point shooter with 76 made this season. Senior guard Shaquille Harrison averages 14.8 points per game.

The Golden Hurricane rank No. 1 in the nation in experience, according to kenpom.com, as seven of its top nine players in its rotation are seniors. Tulsa doesn't use its bench very much. (Detroit Free Press)

Michigan isn't likely to make any prolonged, Cinderella run here. Every loss but two this season has been by 10 points or more. Sure, the Wolverines picked off some nice wins, against Texas early, before Texas was beating the snot out of West Virginia; then at home against Maryland; then at home against Purdue, which couldn't buy a point-blank layup the final three minutes; then, most impressively, the win over Indiana in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, a triumph that undoubtedly got the Wolverines in. (Detroit News)

More coverage

• Kansas ends season No. 1 in final Associated Press Top 25 Poll (video)
  NCAA Tournament selection message remains the same -- play somebody
• Buffalo lone MAC team in 2016 NCAA Tournament field
• NCAA tournament bracket leaked during CBS show, thankfully
  

Remember this? The last time Wichita State and Vanderbilt met, Jamar Howard's game-tying putback against Vandy in the quarterfinals of the NIT was the No. 2 play on ESPN "SportsCenter's" Top 10 on March 21, 2005.

It would have been a great memory for the end of Howard's Wichita State basketball career, if only the next seven-tenths of one second were erased from history.

Instead, the careers of Howard, Rob Kampman and Randy Burns ended when Vanderbilt executed a full-court inbounds pass and a layup to defeat the Shockers and keep them from the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Vanderbilt's game-winner was ESPN's No. 1 play. (Wichita Eagle)

Check out the full 2016 AP All-Ohio teams in Division IV and see which local players earned the honor.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Here are the 2016 Associated Press All-Ohio boys basketball teams for Division IV. Divisions II and III will be released Tuesday, and Division I along with Mr. Basketball will be released on Wednesday.

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament selection committee once again stuck it to mid-major teams when they made their selections. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Back to the ashes, Cinderella. March Madness got its rabies shot.

In backroom maneuvering that recalled the slavish bowing and scraping of the football playoff committee to Power-5 conference brands, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament selection committee told mid-major teams not to bother keeping score in their regular season games. No matter what they did then, it wasn't going to influence the closed minds of the people who salaam to the big boys.

Getting hot for three days in a conference tournament meant more than a season of achievement. The committee routinely put the screws to mid-major hopefuls such as Akron and St. Bonaventure, rewarded iffy major conference teams (such as Syracuse and my own alma mater, Vanderbilt), and reduced the chances dramatically of little known giant-killers being celebrated around office water coolers across the nation.

This strain of March Sadness isn't the kind the Zips experienced in a buzzer-beating loss in the Mid-American Conference Tournament final. This sadness is expressed in an elegy for the spirit of competition and the ideal of fairness.

Cornerstone Christian sophomore Michael Bothwell was one of three players to earn Division IV Player of the Year honors.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cornerstone Christian's Michael Bothwell was one of three boys basketball players to be named the Division IV Player of the Year by the Associated Press on Monday.

Bothwell, a sophomore guard, averaged 20.4 points per game and helped the Patriots reach the state semifinals for the first time in school history.

He shared the honor with Columbus Africentric's Houston Smith and Drew Sosby of Jackson Center.

Bothwell was the only area player to earn first team All-Ohio honors.

See the full Division IV All-Ohio teams here.

Utility man Jose Ramirez made his first spring-training start in center field Monday against Texas. Manager Terry Francona says Ramirez's offensive talents are such that he can help the Tribe if he can play left and center field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Jose Ramirez better not lose his sunglasses because manager Terry Francona sounds serious about having him play center field.

The Indians' utility man made his first start of the spring Monday in center field at Goodyear Ballpark against Texas. Playing the outfield in Arizona during the Cactus League season is hazardous duty.

The sun is almost always shining in a cloudless sky. More balls disappear into Arizona's high sky than used to vanish against the Teflon roof of the old Metrodome. The Indians have several experienced outfielders in camp and many of them have already struggled in pursuit of "sun balls' at Goodyear Ballpark.

Now comes Ramirez, trying to fill the shoes of super utility man Mike Aviles. Last season he played 46 games at shortstop, 33 at second, 13 at third and two in left field.

Francona wants to be able to play Ramirez in the outfield - he'd be limited to left or center field - because he feels it would help the Tribe's offense.

"This probably is the hardest center field (Ramirez will have to play)," said Francona. "That sun is (bad). But having that ability to go out there is really helpful.

"When he's swinging the bat like he can, he can be a weapon for us. To limit him to the infield doesn't make sense. If he can go out there and play it - left field or center field -- that can really help us."

Jose Ramirez's flying helmet means good things

Asked if Ramirez had a preference between left and center field, Francona said, "He doesn't care."

Ramirez entered Monday's game hitting .333 (9-for-27) with two homers and six RBI. Last year he hit .219 (69-for-315) with 14 doubles, three triples, six homers and 27 RBI last season. In his first three plate appearances against Texas, Ramirez had two singles and a sacrifice fly.

The first three balls hit Ramirez's way Monday proved no problem. In the fifth, however, Ramirez lost Prince Fielder's double in the sun. Adrian Beltre followed with another ball to shallow center field. Ramirez lost that one as well, but Will Venable bailed him out as he he sprinted over from left field to make the catch.

Thumbs up: Francona liked the way Joba Chamberlain handled his inning of work Sunday against Milwaukee. Chamberlain started the fifth by giving up a triple to Martin Maldonado. He came back to retire the next three batters to strand Maldonado.

"That was good to see," said Francona. "He really executed some pitches after the triple. It looks like he's rearing back and letting it go."

Keep midges away from Joba

The Indians, depending on how many relievers they break camp with, could have three to four openings in the pen. A reporter asked Francona if Chamberlain had earned a job.

"We didn't get him here to help our Triple-A team," said Francona. "We can't make our team through the media. That's not fair to anybody."

Who wants job in Tribe bullpen?

Chamberlain, in camp on a minor league deal, has a 6.75 ERA in four appearances this spring. He's struck out four and walked four in four innings. The opposition is hitting .313 against him.

Testing, testing: Right-hander Craig Stammen, in camp on a minor league deal, could throw batting practice sometime this week. He's still recovering from surgery on his right flexor tendon last season when he pitched for Washington.

"He's still not ready to pitch in games," said Francona.

As for Michael Brantley, who has advanced to taking batting practice on the field, Francona said, "We can't put a timetable on him. It will be when he and trainers feel he's ready to play in a game."

Francona said Brantley's first game action could take place in a minor league game later this month. Brantley is recovering from November surgery to repair a torn right labrum in his right shoulder.

About 24 hours after the NCAA Tournament selection committed poured over strength of schedule, that emphasis was not lost on Ohio high school coaches whose teams reached the state semifinals.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – About 24 hours after the NCAA Tournament selection committed poured over strength of schedule, that emphasis was not lost on Ohio high school basketball coaches whose teams reached the state semifinals.

Almost one by one, coaches cited their nonleague schedules when speaking during the OHSAA’s annual teleconference before the state championship tournament later this week.

Cornerstone Christian coach Dan Selle was up first, and immediately noted the competition that sent it to the school’s first Division IV state semifinal appearance. The Patriots (15-12) play Columbus Wellington School (26-1) on Friday after a slate that included local (bigger) powers Beachwood, Bedford, Villa Angela-St. Joseph and Garfield Heights.

Two of those schools also will be in Columbus.

“That was by design,” Selle said of the schedule. “No matter who we faced, we’re probably not going to face a better five than what Garfield Heights put on the floor against us. I think it’s helped prepare us for where we are today.”

New Concord John Glenn (26-1), which finished atop the final Associated Press Division III state poll, suffered its only loss to New Jersey state champion Linden.

The Muskies took the top spot in the AP poll this season by winning at St. Vincent-St. Mary (25-3), which will play Thursday in an opposite semifinal.

“We don’t see a lot of those types of teams in our league,” John Glenn coach Greg Woodard said of STVM. “That’s why we try to get that kind of team on our schedule.”

Here are five more storylines entering the state semifinals, which begin Thursday. The state championship games in all four divisions will be played Saturday at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center.

Division I rematch

The last semifinal game Friday pits Garfield Heights and Westerville South in a rematch of last year’s Division I semifinal. The Bulldogs barely got here, surviving St. Ignatius in double overtime and the barrage buzzer-beating shots that went with it.

While Sonny Johnson’s Bulldogs bring back four starters from last season, so did Westerville South.

“I think we like to play the same way, we run the floor and share the basketball,” South coach Ed Calo said. “I’d say they lost the big kid last year and we lost one of our shooters.”

The Wildcats are without point guard Jelani Rogers, who underwent ACL surgery following their season opener. Rogers helped last season’s team beat Garfield Heights before it fell to Huber Heights Wayne for the state championship.

South still has brothers Andre and Kaleb Wesson. A 6-foot-7 junior post, Kaleb is a verbal commit to Ohio State. Andre, a 6-7 senior, is entertaining offers from Richmond and other mid-majors. The Buckeyes also have shown some interest in the older Wesson.

“We’ve put him on the point guard and post man,” Calo said of Andre. “It’s very rare for a high school player to defend all five spots, and offensively he can play all five spots.”

The Bulldogs have firepower, too. Missouri-bound senior Willie Jackson had 16 points and 16 rebounds in the regional final. Guard Frankie Hughes (Louisville) and junior point guard Marreon Jackson (Toledo commit) provide a perimeter punch.

Then, of course, there’s Shawn Christian. His tying 3-pointer at the fourth-quarter buzzer made this state semifinal return possible.

Look who else is back

Four teams from last year’s state championship final fours are back. The other two are Villa Angela-St. Joseph (22-5) and Lima Central Catholic (26-1) in Division III.

“We lost 99 percent of our offense, and to be in this position right now to say we’re excited is an understatement,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said. “We have three seniors who have played in four championship games. I know LeBron’s in that category. That’s pretty cool.”

The Vikings play Lynchburg-Clay (25-2) to open the semifinals 10:45 a.m. Thursday. Lima Central Catholic follows against Cincinnati Roger Bacon (21-7).

A year ago, LCC lost to VASJ in the state final.

“They felt that pain,” coach Frank Kill said. “This year’s seniors continued to grind and know the goal was to get back to Columbus, but not only get back but to win it.”

AAU ties

The relation of St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Dru Joyce and the King James Shooting Stars AAU program extends beyond the Division II school from Akron.

Cincinnati Aiken coach Leon Ellison knows STVM well. His Falcons (24-3) meet the Fighting Irish at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Despite the schools never meeting, Ellison coached the trio of Henry Baddley, Jayvon Graves and point guard John Williams in AAU.

“They have a couple of talented guys that are Division I prospects, but not that one player,” said Ellison, who cited V.J. King. “I actually think they played better without VJ King in the lineup last year.”

Such familiarity spreads to one of the Division I semifinals, where Lima Senior coach Quincey Simpson coached Wilmington standout Jarron Cumberland in AAU.

“When he came, we went from great to elite,” said Simpson, who credited Joyce’s influence on the AAU circuit.

“He let me have the freedom to do what I wanted to do with the King James Association. I was not one of these AAU coaches that just show up on weekends and play games. We practiced a lot, and Dru supported that.”

Lima time

While speaking on the conference call, Lima Senior’s Quincey Simpson met up with LCC’s Kill.

“In ’92, I had a chance to see both teams together,” Simpson said of the state tournament. “We’re very close with the LCC community. It’s a beautiful feeling for the City of Lima.”

Three years ago, Xavier Simpson helped LCC to a state title as a freshman. The Michigan commit is now trying to do the same with his father at the public school.

Fireworks for Bay, John Glenn?

While Bay will run into the top-ranked Division II school in its first state semifinal trip, Rockets coach Jared Shetzer predicted one thing: plenty of scoring.

“This game could be in the 80s, 90s or 100s, I don’t know,” he said.

Bay (24-3) plays John Glenn in the last semifinal of opening night at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. John Koz already owns Bay’s all-time scoring record and is near 1,300 career points. Almost half of that has come this season in a banner year for the program.

The Rockets will enter this one underdogs, but Shetzer reminded the media of what happened in the last two games at Bowling Green.

“I think they knew we were fast,” he said of regionals, “but they didn’t know how fast we are.”

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.

Ohio State hosts Akron and its potent 3-point shooting attack in NIT opener Tuesday night.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Akron Zips have begun to redirect their anger from a tough weekend ending with a NCAA Tournament snub to prep for a quick turnaround appearance on the road in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament.

The Zips (26-8) will go 120 miles south to Columbus to play an Ohio State (20-13) team that fell well short of making the elite field of 68 despite an 11-7 record in Big Ten Conference play.

"Emotionally we're fine because it's Ohio State, but a little tired probably,'' Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. "We'll see what happens. They're good at home. That's the hard part. When you play 19 home games you should be good at home. It will be a challenge in their building."

The Buckeyes, who host the 7 p.m. game on ESPN, have now become the first team from the Big Ten in the last six years to finish above .500 in league play and not make the NCAA Tournament cut.

But to continue the disparity of power conference teams vs. all the others, the Buckeyes with a RPI of 74 were awarded the No. 3 seed over the Akron, with an RPI of 34.

The Zips, after losing 64-61 in the MAC Championship game to Buffalo, have become yet another MAC regular season champion left on the sidelines since 1999 without winning the MAC Tournament. Perhaps most discouraging for Dambrot is that his team was never even mentioned as being in the picture.

"I can't say we deserved to be in, but we should have at least been on the board," Dambrot said after the selections were announced. "Our RPI said that. The numbers don't lie."

It's all over and done with now. On to the the Buckeyes, who will present many of the same problems Buffalo did with their length and athleticism. Yet statistically, OSU is not that much different than Akron. The Buckeyes average  70.4 points a game and give up 68.0. The Zips average 77.0 points and give up 67.9 a game. What separates the teams is 3-point shooting.

The Zips shoot 38.9 percent on 3-pointers and rank among the national leaders in 3-pointers made per game. Ohio State was well back, below 200 nationally in shooting at a 34.0 average behind the arc. After making less than 10 3-pointers in three straight games, the Zips erupted for 13 against Buffalo but still came up short.

The Browns are smart to check into any and all upgrades at quarterback. But Colin Kaepernick doesn't make a lot of sense for the new front office in Berea -- Bud Shaw's Sports Spin

CLEVELAND, Ohio  -- By virtue of their less than championship-level work last season -- how's that for a kinder, gentler take -- the Browns third-round pick in the April draft is almost a second-round pick. That would qualify as a steep price to pay for a quarterback trending downward.

Colin Kaepernick finished the 2014 season in San Francisco losing four of his last five and opened 2015 the same way. He went 2-6 last season before the Niners benched him in favor of Blaine Gabbert, who'd washed out in Jacksonville in three short seasons. The Jags traded Gabbert, the 10^th overall pick in the 2011 draft, to the Niners in 2014 for a sixth-rounder.

Kaepernick's issues didn't miraculously begin when the Niners appointed Jim Tomsula head coach. He wasn't the same quarterback the last part of 2014 under Jim Harbaugh. Over two seasons, he's thrown for 25 TD passes and 15 interceptions (6 TDs, 5 INTs last season). Ball security is not his thing.

Remember when former Indians' GM John Hart famously "kicked the tires" on trades and free agents alike? If that's what the Browns are doing with Kaepernick -- and a third-round draft pick as compensation is simply what the Niners are asking -- fine, I guess. But a cleveland.com report had the Browns agreeing to the compensation part of the trade while demanding a significant reduction in salary.)

Browns agree to draft compensation but not contract restructuring

This seems odd timing for the Browns to even consider using a valuable pick on a reclamation project. It's even odder to consider a quarterback who has struggled as a pocket passer after releasing a quarterback who struggled as a pocket passer.

OK, fairness should count for something in this discussion. Comparing anyone to Johnny Manziel isn't fair to anyone, especially these days as Manziel bops in and out of America's nightclubs talking of his "TMZ family." The Browns released Manziel for many reasons besides football.

Let's agree, though, the Browns should be even more dedicated to getting quarterback right this time after being reminded so recently how it could all go so wrong.

With that as the goal, you should hope the Browns and Kaepernick are a long-shot marriage at best.

We don't know much about the Browns front office except what we've heard from it  and what the team showed us in the first week of free agency.

The Browns failed to keep four starters, three of them on offense.  Free agency is not how they will build Hue Jackson's team. They will build through the draft.

Since that's the case, it doesn't make much sense to use a high pick on a quarterback who needs to be put back together again, even if Hue Jackson qualifies as a whisperer at the position.

I mean Browns fans were told to trust previous QB gurus - whether it were Mike Holmgren as team president, or Norv Turner as offensive coordinator for the offensive-minded Rob Chudzinski. Or Pat Shurmur who had QB  tutoring on his resume, too. And that didn't exactly work out.

The Browns should draft a quarterback because they believe in that quarterback, not because the head coach has a penchant for developing the position. That's a bonus.

Jackson liked Kaepernick when Kaepernick was coming out of college. That was a while ago. Kaepernick isn't ancient. He turns 29 in November but much has changed since he took the Niners to the Super Bowl and a second NFC championship game.

Would a trade for Kaepernick mean the Browns would bypass a quarterback in the draft? We're told that's not necessarily the case.

Would he be a willing mentor? Brian Hoyer wasn't. It seems no more likely Kaepernick would.

The Browns reportedly want him to accept a serious restructuring of his contract and probably wouldn't guarantee him a permanent starting job.

Why would Kaepernick agree to that (coming off three surgeries) for a team that must replace Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz?

 The deal wouldn't make great sense for the Browns and it would seem to make even less for Kaepernick.

In past years, that might not be enogh to discount the possibility. With a smart, diligent front office in charge it should.

Right?

The two-year starter recorded 18 sacks in the past two seasons and could help a franchise that rarely pressured opposing quarterbacks last season.

Lumberjacks. Jackrabbits. Seawolves. Where are they all ranked?

Some of you will fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket based on hours and hours of watching games, poring over statistics and analyzing match-ups. And some of you will take another tried and true approach.

"You'll pick the games based on the mascots," Bracket Boy said.

And so, because BB is already exhausted from studying all of the actual basketball stuff, he proudly presents this annual comprehensive ranking of all 68 nicknames and mascots in the NCAA Tournament field. (Yes, he might have too much time on his hands.)

Away we go ...

68. Governors (Austin Peay): "I can't stop picturing Chris Christie in a tank top. Thanks, Austin Peay!"

67. Bulldogs (Fresno State): "Overused!"

66. Wildcats (Villanova): "See above."

65. Boilermakers (Purdue): "Hey look kids, there's the Purdue mascot. Oh my god, what is that? OH NO, IT HAS A HAMMER!!"

AAAUUUUGHHH!! RUN, KIDS!! RUN!!!Carlos Osorio | AP 

65. Huskies (Connecticut): "Put your tongue in your mouth!"

64. Pirates (Hampton): "Hey. Only one Pirates in this tourney, pal: Seton Hall!"

63. Red Raiders (Texas Tech): "You know what, I think blue would be a better color choice."

62: Blue Raiders (Middle Tennessee): "Yeah. I'm thinking red. Definitely red."

61. Blue Devils (Duke): "You know who's in the costume? Laettner."

60. Longhorns (Texas): "Lassoed."

59. Buffaloes (Colorado): "Corralled."

58. Bulls (Buffalo): "Tamed."

57. Bears (Cal): "Hibernating."

56. Bears (Baylor): "Declawed." 

55. Bearcats (Cincinnati): "Why aren't there Catbears? Seriously." 

54. Bulldogs (Yale): "All drool, no bite." 

53. Wildcats (Weber State): "Wild? Try domesticated." 

52. Eagles (Florida Gulf Coast): "Way too common. Suggestion: The Fightin' Spicolis."

51. Commodores (Vanderbilt): "People actually chant 'Let's go Dores!' Jim Morrison would be proud."

50. Aggies (Texas A&M): "Too obtuse. Here's a suggestion: The Fightin' Manziels. Kids will love it!"  

49. Utes (Utah): "My favorite games as kid! Utes and Adders."

48. Golden Hurricane (Tulsa): "Barely a tropical storm if you ask me."  

47. Hurricanes (Miami): "Weather Channel's favorite team!" 

46. Cyclones (Iowa State): "Weather Chan ... enough with the storms already."

45. Friars (Providence): "Whew, we got away from that Boilermaker guy. Excuse me, kind Friar, can you ... OHHH NO!! AUUUUGHHH!!! RUN!!!!" 

AAHHHHHHH!!!AP Photo 

44. Rams (VCU): Too horny. 

43. Knights (FDU): "Small school. Needs something quirky and Jersey. Try the FDU Mall Rats." 

42. Jayhawks (Kansas): "Spent a full day bird watching once. Never saw a single one!"

41. Panthers (Pittsburgh): "Steelers already taken? Oh. Right."  

40. Trojans (USC): "They could hide in a horse and still lose in the first round."

39. Hoosiers (Indiana): "Great, great basketball movie. Goldie Hawn not in the cast (see below)." 

38. Mocs (Chattanooga): "Why not Choo-Choos? Seems like a missed opportunity."

37. Terrapins (Maryland): "As turtles go, too much Donatello and too little Leonardo." 

36. Tar Heels (North Carolina): "Sticky, potentially carcinogenic." 

35. Wolverines (Michigan): "Better idea: Fighting Harbaughs."

34. Ducks (Oregon): "Too Donald, not enough Scrooge Mc."

33. Cavaliers (Virginia): "Dashing. Goateed. Prefer Wahoos, though."

32. Musketeers (Xavier): "Smooth. Resourceful. Loses points for being a bit too French."

31. Bulldogs (Gonzaga): "Definitely not neutered." 

30. Wildcats (Arizona): "Goldie Hawn movie title. 'Nuff said." 

29. Jaguars (Southern): "Never been a Goldie Hawn movie. Loses points."

28. Panthers (Northern Iowa): "I honestly can't remember if this was a Goldie Hawn movie title. She made a lot of movies, okay?!"

27. Hawks (St. Joseph's): "The original dirty bird. Flaps its wings all game long, spreading B.O."

26. Flyers (Dayton): "I just checked: Internet is $9.95 for the flight."

25. Lumberjacks (Stephen F. Austin): "He's a Lumberjack and he's okay."

24. Pirates (Seton Hall): "Blue hair. Trendy. Unconventional. How was he not sent to Brooklyn?"

23. Badgers (Wisconsin): "A weird looking rat. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

22. Gaels (Iona): "I like it! What is it?"

21. Hawkeyes (Iowa): "Conjures images of M*A*S*H and corn."

20. Bulldogs (UNC Asheville): "A bulldog mascot. Why hasn't anyone else thought of this!" 

19. Wildcats (Kentucky): "Again: Extra points for originality!" 

18. Orange (Syracuse): "Tasty. Scurvy cure. Solid choice."  

17. Sooners (Oklahoma): "Hey, it's better than laters. Hahaha yeah I'm running out of jokes."

16. Owls (Temple): "They just don't give a hoot! What? You're still reading this after Sooners?"

15. Beavers (Oregon State): "Dam them! I'm begging you. Stop reading!"

14. Seahawks (UNC Wilmington): "Different, but not exactly frightening. What are they going to do, poop on beach blanket?"

13. Seawolves (Stony Brook): "Now THAT'S more like it." 

12.  Crusaders (Holy Cross): "A bit on the Medieval side, but they covered a lot of ground."

11. Spartans (Michigan State): "Angry. Possibly using PEDs. No, definitely using PEDS."

10. Rainbow Warriors (Hawaii): "Is this the official Hawaii fight song? Because if not, it's a lost opportunity." 

9. Trojans (Arkansas-Little Rock): "Too common. Suggestion: Fightin' Clintons."

8. Shockers (Wichita State): "Potentially deranged farm hand with wheat for hair. What's not to like?" 

7. Mountaineers (West Virginia): "Armed. Bearded. Resourceful. A little scary. Like a John Denver song (RIP)."

6. Bulldogs (Butler): "Like no other mascot in the tournament. Drools, but so what? Come here, boy!" 

5. Wildcats (Arizona): "Forget all other cats. This is so original. Go wild or go home!"  

4. Phoenix (Green Bay): "Phoenix is definitely rising. But I'm still going to wear a cheese head." 

3. Fighting Irish (Notre Dame): "Angry, possibly intoxicated leprechaun. Has gold, though."

2. Cal-Bakersfield Roadrunners: "You can count on them to eliminate the Coyotes with an anvil." 

AND THE BEST MASCOT IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT IS ... 

1. Jackrabbits (South Dakota State): "They're lean. They're mean. And ... awww, look at the cute little bunny!!"

Steve Politi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Bracket Boy may be reached at bracketboyNCAA@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @BracketBoy. Find Bracket Boy on Facebook.

The Browns are interested in trading for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and here are five reasons why it makes sense.

Things have gone quiet on the Browns-Kaepernick front, but should they make it happen? Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Things have gone quiet recently surrounding the Cleveland Browns and a potential trade for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Denver Broncos are also one of the teams rumored to be in the mix for Kaepernick.

If there's a deal to be done, should the Browns make it? Bud Shaw, Chris Fedor and I discussed as part of our weekly series of Cleveland sports videos. What are the positives of adding Kaepernick? What are the negatives? Check out the video and tell us your thoughts.

The best part of the madness is the underdog story. Here's some of the best.

Is the Cleveland Cavaliers record fool's gold, or the real thing? Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a West Coast road trip with a 3-1 record. The trip would be considered a big success ... if not for the disappointing loss in Utah on Monday.

The same thing happened to the Cavs a week ago. After three impressive wins, they got rocked by a short-handed Memphis Grizzlies team and that left a sour taste.

The Cavaliers still own the best record in the Eastern Conference. But out West, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are winning at record pace.

So just where do the Cavs stand? Is their record fool's gold, or the real thing? Are they really getting ready for a serious run in the playoffs?

We'll see.

Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier stacks the Browns current roster up against some of the worst teams in the history of the league.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns took some large losses last week in free agency. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, center Alex Mack, wide receiver Travis Benjamin and safety Tashaun Gipson all left the team. It got so bad that even the departure of special teams ace Johnson Bademosi raised the ire of some Browns fans.

We haven't reached the draft yet -- the Browns will have an opportunity to add some talent there, obviously -- but that didn't stop Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier from asking the question, Are the 2016 Browns the Least Talented Team in Modern NFL History?

"That's a bold claim, but it's not a big leap. The Browns were 3-13 last year -- not exactly gushing with talent in the first place. ... Recent drafts have brought top picks like Johnny Manziel, Justin Gilbert, Brandon Weeden, Trent Richardson and Barkevious Mingo, players who are either already gone or haven't shown much. There don't appear to be many, if any, budding superstars lurking on the roster."

OK. None of that is really debatable, but the least talented team in modern NFL history? Tanier compares the Browns to multiple entrants:

"These teams were selected because of their famous futility and the troubles they had acquiring talent; teams that were obviously in the process of rebuilding (like the 1989 Cowboys, who went 1-15 but already had Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin on the roster and made the Herschel Walker trade during the season) or collapsed due to injuries or age (the 2-14 2011 Colts) did not make the cut."

So who are these powerhouses? The 2008 Lions, 1992 Patriots, 1982 Colts, 1980 Saints and 1976 Buccaneers. 

Tanier gives his explanation for each team he used for comparison and walks through each matchup. See how it turned out (and it's not as awful as you might think) over at Bleacher Report.

More links:

Colt McCoy: Get Back Up (The Players' Tribune)

"Looking back, there's no part of me that feels any sort of bitterness towards Cleveland. Actually I loved the team and I loved the city. I became a much better football player there. I just wish we could have been ... better." Read more >>>

Looking at the Cleveland Browns' depth chart (Dawgs By Nature)

"Perhaps the Browns will try to fill every hole in the draft? Or maybe the team wants to tank in 2016 to draft Clemson's Deshaun Watson? Whatever the case, here's the current state of the Browns' depth chart after one week of free agency." Read more >>>

Are the Browns getting it right by doing nothing? (Pro Football Talk)

"At a time when Browns fans are increasingly distressed by the franchise's failure to keep key players who left via free agency or to replace them with other key players, there's a Costanze-esque theory making the rounds that, by doing the opposite of what they've done in past years, the Browns may finally be getting it right." Read more >>>