And the winners are ....

Bracket Boy hates to admit it, but it’s true: He gave serious consideration to canceling the annual Brackademy Awards this year, because when he tried to pick out moments worthy of his prestigious Brackies, he realized this wasn’t a very memorable tournament.

“But I already rented the tuxedo,” our resident expert said. “And besides, they still give out the Oscars even when all the movies are average — Martin Scorsese just won for what, his sixth-best film?”

So the show must go on! Roll out the red carpet. Line up the paparazzi. Once again, here are the most prestigious awards in bracketology, as awarded by the one and only BB:

Best Mike Krzyzewski Impersonation, Just Without The Big Nose and All The Annoying Commercials:
Billy Donovan. Yeah, he had talent, but give the guy credit for keeping his team focused and hungry as he pursued a second straight title. Better teams (see UNLV, 1991) have wilted under the pressure of trying to win a second trophy, but the Gators regrouped after a sluggish end to the regular season.

The One Shining Moment Than Shined The Most:
Ron Lewis saved Bracket Boy from humiliation — and millions of brackets from hitting the shredder — too many times to count. But his dramatic game-tying 3-pointer when all hope seemed lost against Xavier in the second round is the reason Ohio State played for the national title ... and the best moment in this tournament.

The Not-Quite George Mason, But Still Pretty Good Award:
Virginia Commonwealth didn’t make the Final Four like the other team from its conference, but knocking Duke out in the first round after falling behind in the second half was the best moment from the first weekend.

Biggest Reason You Enjoyed This Month If You Just Happened to be an N.C. State Fan:
No, the Wolfpack didn’t make the tournament, but how about both of its rivals, Duke and North Carolina, choking away 11-point leads in the second half of their games. The Blue Devils did it in the first round against VCU, while North Carolina took the pipe in the East Regional finals against Georgetown. (And you wonder what the ‘C’ stands for in UNC after the Tar Heels gagged up a big lead to Tennessee in the women’s Final Four, too.)

The John Clougherty Memorial Award for Poor Officiating:
You could make a strong case that the no-call on Ohio State center Greg Oden, who did his best Wrestlemania throw-down near the end of regulation in the Buckeyes’ victory over Xavier but was not hit with an intentional foul, would take this award. But at least that set up a dramatic moment. The officials in the Final Four game between Ohio State and Georgetown, getting whistle happy with Oden and Roy Hibbert? That took one away.

Best Thanks-But-No-Thanks Reward For Making The Tournament Field:
Poor Stan Heath. He had to get Arkansas into the tournament to keep his job, and he did that with a great run in the SEC Tournament. And then he got fired after a first-round loss to Southern Cal anyway. Tough business.

Player Who Let His Mouth and Hair (and Game) Do The Talking:
And the talking ... and the talking ... did Joakim Noah ever stop talking? But you have to love a college player not afraid to speak his mind. On going to the White House: “I didn’t really meet (the President). He was there. I was there. Yeah, it was weird because I don’t really agree with his views and I don’t agree with what he stands for. But, at the same time, I have great respect for this country.”

Best Game Between Two Teams That You Knew Nothing About When They Tipped Off:
Okay, so this one didn’t look great on the surface, but the second-round game between Vanderbilt and Washington State had everything — a gritty comeback, a bunch of momentum shifts and a whole lot of offense. The final score: 78-74 in double overtime, and the Commodores were headed to the Meadowlands.

Reader mail

What will people do in the off-season without the free advice from our resident expert?

“Help me, Bracket Boy!” writes Rick Shields. “I am a graduate of both Tennessee and Rutgers. Who do I root for? I took a red Scarlet R baseball cap and a orange Vols cap, cut them down the middle and had the two halves sewn together today. I thought it would be funny to wear for the game, but orange and red, white and black don’t look too good together. I need your advice!!”

Bracket Boy responds: “Come on, Ricky. Tennessee has six national titles. Rutgers has zero. Tennessee has Dolly Parton. Rutgers has Calista Flockhart. You know what to do.”

Bracket Boy would like to thank all of his loyal readers for reading him in The Star-Ledger and on his Web site, www.BracketBoy.net. He couldn’t do it without your contributions. Keep in touch during the off-season at boy@bracketboy.net.