Tark not shocked by mid major success

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Mar 22, 2006 7:00 AM (57 mins ago)
WASHINGTON -
So Billy Packer, Jim Nantz and all those who said the power conferences were cheated out of
deserved NCAA Tournament berths are now full on crow.
One observer not the least bit surprised that George Mason, Bradley and Wichita State are in the
Sweet 16 is legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian, now of SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
Tark took three mid-major programs to the NCAA Tournament: Long Beach State, UNLV and
Fresno State. His Running Rebels beat Duke to win the NCAA Championship in 1990.
O.K., it’s a stretch to call UNLV a mid-major. But are you going to argue with Tark? We spoke
about what has been an unbelievable tournament thus far.
Jim Williams: Are you surprised so many mid-major teams advanced to the Sweet 16?
Jerry Tarkanian: Not at all. I think that the mid-major teams are what make the NCAA Tournament
exciting. We see enough of the power conference teams, it’s great to see the little guy get a chance.
Kids at mid-majors tend to stay longer and play as a team for almost four years. That serves them
well when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. It is always fun to see David beat Goliath.
JW: Can one of the mid-majors left in the field win it all?
JT: Of course they can, but it would take some more upsets. This year I really like UConn to win it
all. But I think that the mid-majors have made a case that they belong and that they always deserve
consideration in the tournament. Just ask the Big 10.
Tark can be heard from The Shark Tank on SIRIUS Sports Channel 123. Also, SIRIUS is the
official home to all the games of the NCAA Tournament.
Web record set
Week one is in the books and CBS and their online partners at CBS SportsLine.com are dancing in
the streets of Manhattan.
Over the tournament’s first four days, 14 million video streams and four million visitors were
served, setting a record for the biggest live event in Internet history.
Speaking of Sweet 16
Arlington couple Chaya Cashin and Nate Zahn made it to the final 16 in the ESPN Radio’s “Mike
and Mike In the Morning Marriage Madness” contest. We will keep you posted on their progress.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.