These are tough times for Earl Watson, A.J. Price, Luther Head and Tyler Hansbrough.
When the locker room talk turns to the NCAA Tournament, as it so often does this time of year, those players will have much less to say than usual. Traditional powers UCLA (Watson), Connecticut (Price), North Carolina (Hansbrough) and tourney regular Illinois (Head) all are missing from the 2010 men's bracket.
"I was in the race for a little while, especially when we started playing better a couple of weeks ago," said Price, who reached the Final Four with the Huskies in 2009, "but now they're pretty much done. … I've got to stay quiet."
Price is one of seven Pacers players who reached the Final Four as collegians. Three (Hansbrough with North Carolina in 2009), Brandon Rush (Kansas in 2008) and Mike Dunleavy (Duke in 2001) won championships. Head (Illinois in 2005) lost in the title game. Price, Roy Hibbert (Georgetown in 2007) and T.J. Ford (Texas in 2003) made it to the semifinal round.
"Every single day you hear something," said Head, "like 'your team's not going to the tournament,' or 'your team's weak,' or 'your team's garbage.' "
Though Watson's Bruins were 14-18 in a down year for the Pac-10, that hasn't stopped him from joining – and often leading – the conversation.
"He never lets anybody forget about UCLA's heritage and what they've done over all the years," said Head, "so he's probably the biggest trash-talker."
Curiously, several players also pointed out Danny Granger as one of the most vocal. His Lobos are seeded third in the East Regional (where they'll face Mark Boyle's Montana Grizzlies in the first round) but haven't advanced beyond the first round since 1999. In Granger's only tournament appearance, he shot 5-of-16 in a 55-47 loss to Villanova in the first round in 2005.
There's little question who'll win the argument about which game to watch on the locker room TV, should there be a conflict. With Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones and Josh McRoberts on hand, Duke (seeded No. 1 in the South) will be the main attraction.
Rush's Jayhawks are No. 1 in the Midwest, where they eventually could face Hibbert's third-seeded Hoyas. Troy Murphy's Notre Dame Fighting Irish are seeded sixth in the South, and Ford's Longhorns are the eighth seed in the East.
Ford out at least week
The same day he was featured in this space, Ford strained his left groin in the first quarter in Boston, missed the Milwaukee game Sunday and is expected to miss at least another week.
In the meantime, Earl Watson returns to the starting lineup at point guard and A.J. Price will regain the backup minutes.
Dunleavy missed the Milwaukee game after an unusual accident in pregame warmups. A ball bounced hard off the rim and smacked him hard in the eye, causing bruising and swelling and affecting his vision. But he's no longer listed on the injury report and is expected to play Tuesday against Charlotte.
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