The Sports Frog

Many who follow college sports were surprised to see Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White depart South Bend to take the same position at Duke earlier this summer.

Duke, while it possesses a very fine basketball program (men's and women's) and is marginally competitive in a few non-revenue sports, doesn't have nearly the Q rating that Notre Dame does.

Well, if leaving Notre Dame for Duke isn't bad enough for Irish fans, how about an alumnus spurning Notre Dame's offer to become its new AD to stay at...SMU?

The scuttlebutt I've seen suggests that White left because of too much interference from the school's administration which supposedly orchestrated the firing of Ty Willingham, the hiring of Charlie Weis and the absurd contract extension given to Weis after his first season at Notre Dame (which could go down in history as the most ill-advised contract ever given to a college coach, but I digress).

Given this news, you have to assume there's at least some fire to go with the smoke. It will be interesting to see who Notre Dame is eventually able to entice to take the position.

Oh, they also admit that hiring Kelvin Sampson was a mistake:

"Hiring Kelvin Sampson was "a risk that should not have been taken," Indiana University President Michael McRobbie told the NCAA infractions committee last month at a hearing closed to the public and media.

...

"No longer can we say that we have had no allegations of major NCAA violations in almost a half a century. And that hurts me and Indiana University even more than the damage that has been done to the program that coach (Tom) Crean has inherited and now has to rebuild."

If only there had been some way they could have known that Sampson was bad news ahead of time...

She's not leaving school early. She's just leaving with eligibility left. She graduates. She has her degree and has been out of high school for four years.

And she has two titles. Why come back?

So coach you won the National Championship, (well backed into it because no one was smart enough to foul on the last play of regulation before the shot) what are you going to do now?

Go to the bank. Just a year after the school gave Self a five-year contract extension last season, he wants to see how deep the pockets are at Oklahoma State.

Self could likely command far more money from Oklahoma State, whose billionaire alumnus Boone Pickens gave $165 million to the school's athletic department.

What's a guy to do? Sure you coach your team to a non-loss in the Championship game but the Memphis starting five is out earning you, that has to hurt your dignity. But as we all know that's for sale too.

...this is the second worst I have ever felt as a sports fan. Just behind the Montana to Taylor pass to end the 92-yard drive that still wounds any Bengals fans soul.

Maybe I should have found a way to love teams not named after Tiger themes.

Nice shot, Chalmers.

Fuck.

In my defense, who did?

40-12. And Billy Packer declaring the game over, with 7:32 left in the first half. All Kansas. UNC made the run that everyone had to know they would to make it a game, but, as is often the case, the energy it took to get back left them to drained to finish it off. Actually, as tight as Kansas was playing (and rightfully so) when the Heels drew within four in the second half, their final push to overcome the worry and put North Carolina away was almost as impressive as the early game blow-out. Completing the collapse looked imminent, and then, Kansas took control again. Damn impressive.

Stewart Mandel at si.com on just that point:

"Despite what both the halftime and final scores indicated, there was in fact a brief span of suspense -- which the Jayhawks promptly eviscerated. The comeback attempt "took so much energy out of us," said Green, that a 13-0 Kansas run beginning with 5:11 left put the final fork in the Heels.

Sherron Collins drained a three from the top of the key. Game-high scorer Brandon Rush (25 points) sliced through the lane only to find there were no defenders there. And in the game's defining, back-breaking moment -- a play that seemed to occur as if in slow-motion -- Rush dribbled to the wing, spotted Jackson sneaking toward the basket and lobbed it to him for a slam to go back up 71-61. "They came back with a run there late," said a visibly devastated Hansbrough. "We kind of went into panic mode after that ... They kept coming down, scoring. That was it."

Indeed.

---From Lawrence and the Journal-World:

"The transition from Roy Williams to Bill Self ended once and for all Saturday night inside the Alamodome, where the team with the better transition game won. Williams no longer should have to hear anything but thank you for 15 years of exceptional service from anybody who bleeds crimson and blue. As for Self, he no longer must be measured against the man who drove that 15-year run. The national semifinal scoreboard screamed the only meaningful measure of Self's five years on the job: Kansas 84, North Carolina 66. Williams, nothing but gracious in defeat, put a period at the end of that sentence he had to serve in the eyes of some KU loyalists for leaving Kansas for his alma mater, and he did so with humble words.

"I apologized to them," Williams said of what he told the players after the loss, "because some way, somehow, I didn't have my team as ready to play as Bill did, and that's not easy to say." Now Self goes onto the national-title game, bringing the program all the way back to where it was when Ol' Roy packed his bags after a loss to Syracuse in New Orleans. With a victory over Memphis on Monday night, Self can bring the program a national title, an accomplishment that eluded Williams until his second season at North Carolina."

Yeah, I guess it is hard to understand from the outside the pressure that has been on Bill Self following Williams' fleeing to Chapel Hill. I would guess that is indeed all gone now. If there was ever an important game for a coach, that was one yesterday for Bill Self. And he sure as hell had his team ready to play.

That baseline dunk by Chris Douglas-Roberts in the mug of Kevin Love signaled the beginning of the end for UCLA in the second half last night. Consider that it was followed a by a monstrous block by Joey Dorsey on the other end leading to a fast break culminating in a circus lay-up by Derrick Rose and the game was done. The rest was just running the clock down to the inevitable.

Happily, for Memphis fans, the whispers (and some shouts) of criticism of the team, their offense, their style of play, and the conference from which they have come have been muffled. Hard to see how they could not be at this point.

A round-up of the national chatter:

---Luke Winn at si.com on that sequence that began with CDR's mauling of Kevin Love:

"Extreme pressure on Collison meant that Love -- who carried UCLA here in much the same fashion that Rose did with Memphis -- didn't even get his hands on the ball enough to make a game-changing impact. Dorsey, who finished with 15 rebounds to Love's nine, was a physical force inside, but he played only 27 minutes; while he was on the bench, Shawn Taggart and Robert Dozier employed a swarming, double-teaming tactic that gave Love fits.

"I guess [Love] had never played against a team as athletic and long as us," said Taggart. "He was frustrated. ... I've seen him play [in games] when he got the ball 20 times, and I think he only got it about six today." Dozier admitted that Memphis' game plan had been not even to guard auxiliary big men such as Alfred Aboya, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute or Lorenzo Mata-Real. The Tigers' post defenders were strictly assigned to the task of keeping Love uncomfortable."

That they did. Then again, UCLA guards were so dominated that they really couldn't get Love the ball. Unreal.

---Gary Parrish at sportsline on the carnage:

"The Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four have been simple, like earlier matchups with SMU, Rice and Tulane. Typically indifferent writers have walked away using words like whoa and wow, and there was this one guy who described himself as slack-jawed in the postgame news conference.

Honestly, the whole thing has been absurd and ridiculous -- just Memphis rolling through one opponent after another while using a dribble-drive motion offense that's been labeled everything from "innovative" to "irritating." Some people like it, sure. But most traditionalists roll their eyes and call it glorified street ball. Either way, here's what I know: It's working. And the main reason is Derrick Rose. The coldest hooper of them all. "We don't look at Derrick as a freshman," said Memphis senior Joey Dorsey, who finished with no points and 15 rebounds against UCLA. "Once he came in here he was coached by the veterans a little bit, but he just came in and started playing. And he's playing well right now." No kidding."

And, for some flavor from Memphis, check out Commercial Appeal columnist Geoff Calkins. Yeah, we're happy.

This has been fun. It is a generally likeable team, and all year, as they toyed with opponents and trying to avoid boredom, there was the worry that they would never put it all together and show the world how good they were. The last three romps over Michigan State, Texas, and UCLA have made certain that the memories of this team will always be fond. No matter what happens against Kansas (and I have no idea myself, I thought UNC would take care of them easily---oops), it has been the best season in Memphis' history, and this the best Tigers team ever assembled. And there have been some good ones here, so that's saying something.

Yeah, fun

There is probably no way the day can live up to the expectations. Of the two games, I fully expect UCLA/Memphis to be the one most likely to be close at the end. For my part, give me Memphis v. North Carolina for the final Monday night. With regard to the Memphis pick, I just think Derrick Rose is that good.

As for the chattering classes:

Cory McCartney with a good Xs and Os breakdown on si.com of UCLA/Memphis. His UNC/Kansas breakdown is here.

The consensus among the si.com writers? UCLA/North Carolina on Monday.

Gary Parrish at sportsline says that if UCLA, making its fourth straight Final Four appearance loses, Ben Howland will take some unfair criticism. Not from me, what UCLA has accomplished and appears set to continue to accomplish has been remarkable.

And, finally, the espn.com expert round-up with a lot of love for Tyler Hansbrough and, unlike si.com, a slight edge to Memphis over UCLA in today's game.

Here's to hoping they are good games.

Please don't tease me.

First time all four #1 seeds have made the Final Four. But you knew that. As it turns out, this is also the first time that the top four teams in the final AP poll have made the Final Four as well. So, yeah, this appears to be without precedent.

The round-up from the chattering class this morning:

Luke Winn at si.com on Memphis' Derrick Rose:

"Rose was back on the floor one minute later, going from 0-to-130 miles per hour in milliseconds, getting on his way to scoring 21 points and dishing out nine assists against just two turnovers. Said Robert Dozier, "Once Derrick gets it going, there's not many players that can stop him." None of those players were in Texas' backcourt: Rose was the star of an 85-67 victory that saw the second-seeded 'Horns get overwhelmed by Memphis' athleticism, and he was also the Most Outstanding Player of the South Regional, from which the Tigers booked their first trip to the Final Four since 1985. In what was supposed to be a duel of the nation's best college point guard, D.J. Augustin, and the college game's best pro prospect at point guard, Rose actually looked as if he might own both titles."

Ah yes, that would be correct. Rose is the best point guard in the country. With apologies to North Carolina's Lawson and UCLA's Collison. Actually, the Final Four is filled up with great point guard play, another reason to look forward to the games this weekend. Three months back, after extolling Rose's unquestionable athleticism in these spaces, I mentioned that it didn't look like he was ready for the NBA. Um, wrong, on my part. I am not sure at this point that he isn't the #1 overall pick ahead of Michael Beasley.

While we're here, Winn also has a very good rundown of the Final Four teams in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Well worth a read.

Jeff Goodman at foxsports.com works the Bill Self is relieved angle after Self finally makes a Final Four:

"Self said he's not immune to all the criticism he's received. He has a 140-32 record in five years since arriving in Lawrence, the highest winning percentage of seven previous KU coaches. However, after an Elite Eight appearance in his first season, the Jayhawks lost in the first round two straight years -- to Bucknell and Bradley -- before coming up one step short of the Final Four a year ago in a loss to UCLA. "I think about it every day," Self admitted prior to Sunday's game against Davidson. Throw in two more Elite Eights -- one with Tulsa in 2000 and with Illinois the following season -- and his wife couldn't go to the grocery store without hearing about it. "I'm happier for her than anyone else," Self said. "It's been tough because she lives with every possession and we've been so close so many times."

Ouch. Not to self (if not Self): don't disappoint Kansas residents.

Andy Katz at espn.com congratulates the selection committee:

"And, for the first time, you can say without reservation that the NCAA tournament selection committee had it all right at the top. The bracket is built to protect the four best teams in the country, as deemed by the committee. The committee members can't predict. They can only project. When asked late Saturday night in Charlotte what it would mean if Kansas and Memphis followed Saturday's top-seed winners UCLA and North Carolina by winning Sunday's Elite Eight games, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said: "It would definitely substantiate that those four teams are the best four teams in the country," Williams said. "It's validation for the committee, and I do believe that each one of those teams would have a great deal of pride that they did that. But at the end, the cruel thing about this tournament is that only one team will be standing at the end."

Meh. One team wins, that's the way it works, Roy. And as for Katz's thesis that this is the first time the committee has gotten the four #1 seeds right, meh as well. Just because George Mason made the Final Four a few years back, doesn't mean they should have been a #1 seed when the tournament started.

Actually, these four #1 seeds this year were pretty easily identifiable come Selection Sunday, and if one of them had been tripped up, it would not call into question the decision to make them a #1 seed.

At any rate, we're here. Plenty of time for predictions/analysis, whatever, as the week wears on. But it is also clear that a good argument can be mounted for each of these finalists in terms of winning it all. What will be most fun? In my view, it will be watching four teams chock full of future NBA players work for the title. The talent level at this paticular Final Four is absolutely ridiculous.

Stephen Curry. Owner of all he surveys.

His tournament so far? 40 points. 30 points. 33 points. The latter coming with Wisconsin doing everything it possibly could to deny him shots. Tacking on his 30 point effort in last year's tournament, he is only the fourth player ever to go for 30 or more in four straight NCAA tournament games.

That's one sweet offensive game he owns. I still don't understand how he was passed over by the ACC, but, damn. Gregg Doyle at sportsline captures the six minute stretch that was dominating a college basketball performance by one player as you will ever see:

"Davidson's Stephen Curry was putting on a show -- sorry; he was putting on another show -- and LeBron was watching from the first row, as mesmerized as any us in the building and any of you watching on television. Curry scored 22 of his 33 points in the second half of Davidson's 73-56 demolition of Wisconsin. It was his third straight NCAA tournament game with at least 30 points overall and 20 in the second half, and it put the Wildcats into the Elite Eight. All of it is ridiculous, even to someone as sublime as LeBron James, who had been watching stoically until Curry detonated with 16 points in 6½ minutes midway through the second half. The sequence started with a pair of free throws, but then Curry began mixing in some degree-of-difficulty buckets.

He curled into the lane, caught a pass and kissed a moving 14-footer high off the glass. Davidson led 48-43. LeBron's eyebrows went up. Curry next did one of his abracadabra 3-pointers, catching the ball and getting rid of it in the same motion. Davidson led 51-45. LeBron started clapping. After a Wisconsin turnover, Curry caught a pass in the corner, paused as defender Joe Krabbenhoft flew past, then drained another 3-pointer. Davidson led 54-45. LeBron looked around and mouthed the word, "Wow." Minutes later, with the shot clock winding down and two Badgers trying to prevent Curry from getting off a shot, he uncorked a vicious crossover dribble, stepped back and swished a 3-pointer. Davidson led 60-45. LeBron stood and raised both arms.

After a Wisconsin free throw, Curry attacked the rim, floated underneath, hung in the air as he was hit and spun a circus shot high off the glass. He added the free throw, giving him 16 of his team's last 18 points. Davidson led 63-46. LeBron screamed "Oh s---!" There's a good chance I screamed the same thing."

Yeah. Pretty much anyone paying attention was having the same reaction. The game went from 45-43 Davidson lead to 63-46 Davidson lead and pretty much game over on as pure a display of offensive greatness from one player as you could hope to ever see. And Wisconsin prides itself on its defense.

Davidson's victims now? Gonzaga (7 seed), Georgetown (2 seed), and Wisconsin (3 seed). Whatever happens against a remarkably good Kansas team on Sunday, Davidson has been the team of the tournament, and Stephen Curry this tournament's best player.

No question about it.

...Memphis would have survived okay in the Big 10 this season. Gracious.

Play like that again, and even John Calipari's worn-but-effective we-don't-get-respect-card might start to look sillier than it does even now. By the way, Calipari is a good coach. Deal with it.

Oh, and Mike Freeman, owner of an absolute hatchet job on Memphis from sportsline after the team's win over Mississippi State, this time around goes with back-handed compliments. See, it's stuff like what flows from Freeman that gives Calipari the juice to play the respect card. I guess Memphis fans should thank Freeman for that. So, thanks.

Oh, and perhaps the easily confused Freeman, who continues to insist that Memphis doesn't run an actual offense, might find time to peruse this piece back in February from vastly superior writer Grant Wahl of SI. Matter of fact, to any of you who missed that piece on the dribble-drive offense that is currently sweeping all levels of bsaketball, go there and read it. It will be the tonic to ignorance from the uninformed.

I don't mean Wii. I mean Michelle Wie. Robin, one of theLopez twins from the Stanford basketall team is dating the darling of the LPGA. I wonder if he let's his twin brother hit that on the sly?

Ramona Shelburne of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED pens a piece on a day in the life of Stanford's 7-foot-1 basketball brothers Brook & Robin Lopez.

While skimming through the tall tales of Disney infatuation and Michael Jackson fandom, we came across a short blurb of interest:

Robin is dating Stanford's current most famous female coed, golf phenom Michelle Wie, although both have tried to keep things as quiet as possible

As usual, with the initial noisy fun out of the way, the tournament gets down to serious business next Thursday through Sunday. What are the thoughts among the national chattering class this morning? Read on:

Stewart Mandel on si.com:

"At 4:42 p.m. EST, I looked up at the screen and realized that three separate games -- Tennessee-Butler, Georgetown-Davidson and Western Kentucky-San Diego -- had simultaneously reached two-point margins late in the second half. The Hilltoppers eventually pulled way from the Toreros, but the other two went right down to the wire at the exact same time. With CBS switching between the two more quickly than I possibly could with my own remote (eventually they stopped bothering with the cutaways and Greg Gumbel intros and just kept flipping the switch), I got to see every dramatic moment of both."

Yeah, bully for CBS. And, it was annoying. At least, it would have been, had I not purchased the tournament pass option. That what I could control when and how long to switch to the compelling games. Ah, sweet freedom. If you have never taken this option before, strongly consider it for next year if you care about watching the tournament.

Seth Davis on si.com:

"SI.com: What'd you think about Tennessee almost going down?

SD: I picked Tennessee to go to the Final Four, but Tennessee has a very serious problem at the point guard position. If they don't correct it, the Vols are going to get blown out by Louisville, which sends pressure then sits back in the zone. It's very hard to play against if your offense isn't running. Vols coach Bruce Pearl benched Ramar Smith for the second straight game, and that's something I'd be curious about. He's not a classic point guard, but he's still the one they have. They played J.P. Prince in the position and he darn near lost the game, committing seven turnovers, and at the end of regulation he picked up his dribble and took a step. I think that's why Lofton didn't have a good game -- he's not the kind of guy who can create his own shot, he still needs a point guard. Butler chipped away at the lead and hung in there. Tennessee is very fortunate to be in the Sweet 16. You saw what Louisville did to Oklahoma. Tennessee has some work to do.

Yes, yes they do. Particularly with having no point guard, apparently, at the moment. The reason that game went to overtime yesterday? Because Bruce Pearl handed the keys to non-point guard JP Price and watched him do everything he could to throw the game away in regulation. That was as bad a two minute sequence as I have seen outside of rec leagues at the Y from the point guard position in awhile, the last two minutes of the Butler/Tennessee game, when Tennessee was on offense. Yuck. As good as Louisville is playing, I am having a tough time figuring out how Tennessee wins that one.

Mike Freeman at sportsline.com goes from some low-hanging fruit. And he could not be more wrong:

"Following what was a pedantic and predictable non-tremor inducing regional, I leave you with this thought: Memphis is the most flawed No. 1 seed in the tournament. They might be the most flawed top seed in many years. That thud you just heard was Memphis demonstrating the fine art of stonemasonry while shooting its free throws. That's right, Coach C. You should be worried about your team's flaws after this game. Memphis, the construction guild called, they want their concrete back.

The bottom line from Memphis' near death experience is the Bulldogs demonstrated what I have been saying about Memphis since the NCAA tournament began -- Memphis is ripe to be had. They may yet win everything because of sheer firepower. In some cases, they're the U.S. Army and opponents are Grenada. They have enough game, guns and elevation to inflict damage to both backboards and frontcourts. But Memphis is nothing more than streetballers. They're AND 1. They're rock stars, the Britney Spears of college basketball. The Tigers will sell out arenas and sell a lot of records but it remains to be seen if they can win a Grammy. There is no display of team ball like UCLA or North Carolina or even Texas. They couldn't care less about making free throws. All John Calipari does is roll the basketball onto the floor and his players shoot 3s and dunk and brick their free throws. Yet make them adjust and run an actual offense and they can't do it. The Tigers have accumulated a gaudy record because of the sheer force of the athleticism of their players. Calipari has assembled a group of superhuman trapeze artists. But not a true basketball team.

Sigh. Good lord. Over-reach on snap judgments much? Again, good lord. Here is what we know in Memphis, trust, anyone locally has been saying the same thing all year. They can't shoot free throws. Why? No fuckin' idea. It's not for lack of trying. They practice all the time, these free throws, in, ah, practice. They get to practice in meaningless games in C-USA. They practice in tough non-conference games. They practice until the word loses all meaning and Allen Iverson's practice speech starts to make sense. And none of that matters. They simply suck at free throws.

Fine. That's a given. And a deep flaw. But for that to open up Freeman to the rest of that screed is absolute bullshit. Derrick Rose is a remarkably talented player, as is Chris Douglas-Roberts. The best part of their game is NOT three-point shooting, but rather getting to the basket and making mid-range jumpers. The Tigers DO run an offense, and what is considered to be a rather iteresting one at that, a dribble-drive based offense that highlights their strengths. On top of that, Mississippi State is one of the best defensive teams in the country, second in the nation in field goal defense. Memphis beat them by going to the basket in the second half, and making gutsy shots in the face of that tough defense, NOT by gunning three-pointers.

Insane. Look, asshead, they can't shoot free throws. They can't. They can't. It will cost them at some point, and soon. But that massive flaw should NOT be the reason to make sweeping and absolutely incorrect generalizations about what is still a very talented basketball team. Fuck. Now I am kinda pissed to start the day.

As for the rest of my thoughts, March edition (NTYC):

---Stephen Curry is crazy good, and the kind of player that you love to watch at tournament time. And not just a shooter, but showed toughness in getting to the basket and making very difficult almost circus-like shots against Georgetown that I did not know he had in the repetoire.

---North Carolina, Kansas, and Louisville were clearly the most impressive teams from the first four days of the tournament. Luckily for Memphis, UCLA, Texas, and Stanford, they are on the other side of the bracket, and will be avoided until the final game. The potential North Carolina/Kansas Final 4 game looks like the "true" national title game, should it come to pass.

---Georgetown's collapse, even taking into account Curry and Davidson's general excellence, was eye-opening. 17-point second half leads should not melt away that easily.

My Final Four projection off of what just happened this past weekend: North Carolina vs. Kansas and Texas vs. UCLA. North Carolina vs. UCLA in the final and North Carolina to win. That is what one of my brackets looked like to start the festivities, so nothing too surprising there, at least from my perspective.

---Kevin Love is a beast. He had been way off my radar for a top 4 NBA pick to, say, Memphis, but after watching that performance last night, well, damn. 19 points, 11 boards, 7 blocks. He and Darren Collison absolutely willed UCLA to their comeback win in one helluva game with aTm. Bill Simmons is probably right on this one, while Love sure doesn't appear to meet the eye test for athleticism with regard to the NBA, he gets a lot of things done anyway, and then some.

---As good as the UCLA/aTm game was, the Stanford/Marquette overtime thriller before it was even better. It would appear the Lopez brothers will have some sort of career ahead of them in the Association.

---Duke's most recent early demise is not all that hard to figure out. I am with Dave (ACC basketball expert) in that Duke was a classic live-by-the-three-die-by-the-three team. They won't regain past heights of post-season excellence, I think, until they once again find a dependable inside game. What's wrong with Duke chatter underway in the Swamp.

Grant Wahl with a good read to get you ready for more hoped-for goodness today as he looks back on yesterday's excellence.

It took a little while, but the upsets (and great games) arrived in a big way yesterday. In Tampa. All in Tampa. Tampa, where higher seeds go to die. The rundown (as if you do not already know):

Western Kentucky 101. Drake 99. A 12 over a 5. In overtime. On a last second shot.

San Diego 70. UConn 69. A 13 over a 4. In overtime. On a last second shot.

Siena 83. Vanderbilt 62. A 13 over a 4. No overtime or last second shot needed. Just a good old fashioned blowout. Vanderbilt was never in it.

Villanova 75. Clemson 69. A 12 over a 5. No last second shot needed, just the minor matter of 'Nova erasing an 18-point deficit.

Ridiculously entertaining series of upsets. That they all happened in Tampa makes one incredibly jealous of the random fan that got a hold of tix for the sessions and went just for the experience. Completely bonkers.

I, I, I had no idea.

None.

And, as you would expect, Tommy Amaker's recruiting coups at a place as hallowed as Harvard has brought with it claims that NCAA rules are being broken.

Which brings with it hand-wringing over potential tarnishment to Harvard's sterling reputation. I guess. Just because the guys from Blue Chips are coming to Boston is no reason to think things are amiss.

Not a ton. But since it does have ridiculous amounts of airtime to fill, it gives coaches of sports that would otherwise not be anywhere near a legitimate televised presser a chance to make a name for themselves.

Or, yaknow, to completely lose their minds in what ends up being an amusing fashion for the rest of us.

So, thanks to you, UM women's bb coach Kevin Borseth, for your wonderful insane rant about your team's inability to rebound. Much appreciated. Thanks also to the wrench for pointing this goodness out in the Swamp.

Actually, he's over-the-top hysterical. Following Indiana's more-gripping-than-it should-have-been win over Northwestern Saturday night, this revelation:

"Armon Bassett, one of many terrific players on a team in mid-scandal limbo, said he received a text message from an admirer after a tense victory over Northwestern. `He told me he loved me, he's happy for me and good win,'' Bassett said.

The texter: Kelvin Sampson."

That's tender, I guess. At any rate, Jay Mariotti climbs off his rage-against-Ozzie Guillen horse to rage against Sampson. Which helps to make Sampson more sympathetic, frankly. Although he REALLY needs to put his cell phone down and step away. There may be a support group for people with his addiction. But first, as I understand it, he needs to admit he has a problem.

It's right about time to start figuring out who's in, who's out, and who's close as conference play grinds toward conference tournaments.

Stewart Mandel's bracket on si.com here. A Mandel note:

"It was a rough week for last season's national-title game participants, Florida and Ohio State, which went a combined 1-3. Already fighting for their tourney lives, the Gators (19-7) did themselves no favors by falling at home to LSU (9-15), while the Buckeyes (17-9) laid an egg at 8-17 Michigan. As a result, both teams fell out of my projected field. If the same holds true on Selection Sunday, it will mark the first time since 1980 -- the year after Magic-Bird for Michigan State and Indiana State -- that both the defending champion and runner-up failed to earn bids to the following year's tournament."

The Bubble Watch feature at espn.com is a must this time of year. Their note on Kentucky (they're not dead yet) is of interest:

"Kentucky [13-10 (7-3), RPI: 73, SOS: 16] The Wildcats were awful at Vandy, but it's just one (really ugly) loss. They rebounded to take out LSU on the road and now have three straight winnable home games before a trip to Knoxville. Incredibly, if the Cats enter that game at 10-3, they don't have to win it to maintain a credible chance to making it as an at-large, despite a bad nonconference slate that includes crippling home losses to Gardner-Webb and San Diego."

16-11 regular season and two wins in the SEC tournament to bring them to 18-12 enough to slide them into the field? Maybe. It's a damn site closer than a lot of people thought they would be at the end of December.

Gary Parrish's best guess at sportsline.com here. Check back probably tomorrow for an update, that is dated from Feb. 13th.

Fraank Burlison of scouts.com with material running at foxsports.com has his take too.

Assuming your thoughts are starting to wander toward next month's brackets, tuck this away:

Out of 341 Division I basketball teams, the #1 Memphis Tigers are 341st in free throw percentage.

That seems less than ideal.

IU puts the distraction of playing for a cheat behind them in the blessed calm of an actual basketball game and waxes Michigan State 80-61. Bob Kravitz in the Indy Star works the players-rise-above-their-coach angle.

More interesting? Speculating what IU will do if they do indeed fire Sampson by the end of this week (when their third investigation quickly wraps up). Here's a fun musing from the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Scott Skiles as head coach

It actually makes some sense, given he was an Indiana high school hoops star before playing his college ball at Michigan State. Rumors are fun.

Apparently he will still be the coach today when Indiana hosts Michigan State. In an unhappy confluence of coverage, ESPN's Gameday crew was already slated to be camped out for that game. Guess we can expect about 12 hours of Sampson related murmuring/shouting. That won't help Indiana's PR problem at all.

As for what IU is doing to deal with accusations against its coach, the IU President has assigned the AD and a "team of investigators" to report back by next Friday. Bob Kravitz in the Indy Star calls the investigation what it really is...window dressing before a firing. A highlight:

"This is nothing more than a little dance they have to do, a procedural two-step orchestrated by the school's legal beagles before IU does what it needs to do and will do in less than a week's time -- fire Kelvin Sampson. This is about appearances, window dressing, about looking like IU gave Sampson a chance to address the charges in the NCAA's letter of allegations. This is about ensuring that the university doesn't get slammed down the road the way Ohio State did, when it lost a wrongful termination suit filed by former coach Jim O'Brien. Nothing more. Nothing less."

And while Kravitz is at it, he goes to whacking on the AD - the same one who hired Sampson - being the one handling this particular investigation. Fun read. Oh, and in the meantime, recruits from Indiana's heralded incoming class are reportedly starting to waver with regard to their decision. Go figure.

Ugly is as ugly does.

39 points for super-frosh Jerryd Bayless of Arizona.

Just 15 points for the rest of his teammates as Arizona gets upset by rival Arizona State. How is that possible? Well, the non-Bayless Wildcats went just 3 for 33 from the field. Damn.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

- Dylan Thomas

Get the %#&& out of here you lousy c*##$@&$^#. What kind of moronic question is that.

- Bobby Knight, now retired.

...behold:

That was Huggins' attire for the West Virginia home game against his former team, UC, before UC ripped West Virginia asunder. I am guessing the Moutaineers were distracted and horrified by their coaches attire while UC's players were gratified that there coach didn't look like a cartoon pimp.

Best one-liner I have seen in various forms? Mortgage crisis forces Century 21 agent into college basketball.

Per Lance McAlister's blog on Cincy sports station 1530 WCKY Hug's threads came from Cincy speciality suit shop House of Adam. Sadly, they don't seem to have a website. But if you are in Cincinnati and want to get your own cartoon suit, the map and directions are here.

Starts off with a good one (in just a few minutes) as Memphis hosts Gonzaga. The chance for a good non-conference game in the midst of another walk-over in C-USA is welcome locally, let me tell you.

Some decent reading to get you ready for the first non-football weekend in five or so months:

Weekend Watch on espn.com here.

Gary Parrish at sportsline.com has a must-read overview of the weekend as well.

Oh year, Seth Davis at si.com has a good discussion as well.

Since we are in the dead zone before the Super Bowl, might as well get caught up on college basketball. Just six weeks until brackets are upon us.

It's not just a lack of time to post when work gets busy, it's also that I simply don't get enough time to even watch espnews or read through the headlines on line. Plus, watching a handful of old bitties in New Hampshire breathe life back into the Clinton campaign was beyond depressing. At any rate, some odds and ends that have certainly been commented on elsewhere, but here's a little more commentary:

---The Billikins try and pick up the pieces from a loss more familiar in over-35 lawyer league.Hang 20 on the board there, and you go back and laugh about afterwards over a beer. Hang 20 on the board in a Division 1 college basketball game, and well:

"The postgame news conference had finished on Thursday night, but Rick Majerus didn't move. The St. Louis University basketball coach sat at the table in the small interview room at George Washington University and picked up a copy of the box score from the table in front of him.

And he stared. And stared, looking at numbers the likes of which he had never seen before for a team he had coached. Seven for 48 from the field. One for 19 on 3-pointers. Twenty points in 40 minutes. As many blocked shots and steals for George Washington as SLU had points. Finally, after about a minute or so of silent staring by Majerus, the school's sports information director tapped him on the arm to tell him it was time to go. Otherwise, who knows how long Majerus might have sat there?"

I am guessing until he got hungry. Course, this is a Saint Louis team that already found a way to lose by 41 to Kent State earlier this year, so, 20 in a game in a record-setting performance really shouldn't be all that surprising. But, still. Damn.

---David Stern calls for a do-over. Great, so the final minute of a Hawks/Heat game will be replayed. Does this mean NBA fans can get a replay on the Suns/Spurs series from last year with Amare NOT suspended?

---Boston beats the Nets, moves to 30-4. Rockets eviscerate the T-Wolves, drops the T-Wolves to 5-30. My dream of an NBA season where one team wins 70 and another loses 70? Still alive.

And interesting not just for the full-breasted co-eds in the Grove before football beatdowns anymore.

Picked to finish dead last in the SEC West, Ole Miss rather improbably had streaked out to a 13-0 record to start the year. While their early schedule wasn't beastly, it did include a win over Clemson. Still, last night's game for the #16 ranked Rebels at #8 Tennessee was seen as a litmus test for their bona fides.

Consider Ole Miss bona fide. While they lost, it was a helluva game. Ole Miss erased a 12-point second half deficit, led by four late, before poor free throw shooting from its big men allowed Tennessee one last chance, which the Vols converted. In front of 21,000 people in Knoxville, UT 85 Ole Miss 83.

Strong. Too bad it wasn't on nationally. In a year where the SEC's basketball teams are as collectively down in terms of overall talent as its football bretheren were up in terms of talent, Ole Miss looks to be one of the handful of NCAA tourny caliber teams in the league.

And, one more note on that. Their coach, Andy Kennedy, is doing a ridiculously good job. He was the interim successor to Bob Huggins at UC after Huggins was fired, and cut his teeth learning from Huggins. UC, wanting to cut ties with all things Huggins, let Kennedy go despite Kennedy propelling a mediocre UC team to the brink of the tournament. Kennedy is fantastic coach, as it turns out (and as he previewed in his one year at UC as head man), and UC was insane to let him go. He's doing what he is doing in Oxford with not a ton of talent, but that will begin to change before long. Ole Miss is fortunate the Bearcats administration was so short-sighted.

And then some.

Conference play is underway, which is a good thing in most of the country. Less so if you live in Memphis and are stuck in C-USA. Check out the C-USA RPIs for the top half of the conference (courtesy of the Commercial Appeal and Real Time RPI):

Memphis #1 (say, that's a good start)
Tulane #77 (oh, um, damn)
UTEP #101 (wheels already off, rolling down the road)
Houston #106
Tulsa #116
UAB #123
Marshall #194
East Carolina #204

And that's the strength of the conference in terms of RPI. Want a further chuckle? SMU at #325 overall and a mere 16 from dead last in the country ain't gonna help matters much once conference play starts either. In case you were wondering why Memphis schedules its ass off non-conference, the above is why. Thank the deity of your choice for remaining non-conference games for Memphis against Gonzaga and Tennessee. Gracious.

Great read from Seth Davis in si.com in the stock up/stock down buy/sell format. A taste:

"Indiana: BUY

Hoosiers are just outside the top 10 right now, but that will change in the next couple of weeks. Not only is Eric Gordon the front-runner for Big Ten player of the year as a freshman, but I think he should be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. The Hoosiers also have plenty room for growth. Look for freshman Jordan Crawford and juco transfer Jamarcus Ellis to steadily improve the next two months.

Kansas: BUY

No need to overthink this one. The Jayhawks have more depth and talent than any team in America, and I love the way Darnell Jackson is playing down low. Plus, the Big 12 is just so-so and they only have to play Texas once.

Kansas State: SELL

I realize the Wildcats have a 9-4 record and are unranked, but I'd guess there are still some people out there who are thinking, "Well, they have Michael Beasley, so they're probably going to the tournament." No, they're not. You still need good guard play in college basketball, and with David Hoskins still not recovered from knee surgery, it looks like Beasley's one season of college basketball will have to end in the NIT.

See, I did not know that about K-State. And now I do. He said, while wondering about either Eric Gordon or Michael Beasley in a Grizzlies uniform this fall...

Gary Parrish at sportsline.com (one of the handful of great college basketball writers on the national sites) has a solid article on the impact that transfers are having on a number of programs this year and why it does not happen more often.

And, while we are here, power rankings:

Frank Burlison's effort at foxsports.com
The Power 16 on espn.com

Enjoy.

The season is about to kick into relevance with conference play starting (except in Memphis, where C-USA will put the locals on "snooze" until March) and now is a good time to look around at the landscape of college ball heading into 2008.

Top 25 polls tend to be meaningless in college basketball, I get far more use out of various power rankings on the big sites. Luke Winn's latest on si.com is a good place to begin if you want to know who is playing well. The Power 16 on espn.com is a good stop too. And, while I am at it, foxsports.com's effort.

Over at sportsline.com, Clark Kellogg gives you five teams who look elite so far. Even if you have not been paying attention, I bet you can name at least four of his five if you glance at the rankings collected in the preceding paragraph. Sometimes college basketball "expert" is over-rated.

Earlier this week I posted on the corspe of Mike Wallace and its impending interview with Roger Clemens on 60 Minutes. Today I pause to note Gary Parrish's column on sportsline.com regarding the return of the corpse of Eddie Sutton to coaching. It will be for San Francisco, and, I am guessing, not even a San Francisco Zoo tiger would want to maul it.

Locally? The Memphis version of Tigers have another big home game one week after knocking off Georgetown. Saturday night (l a t e) they host Arizona in another tester. The 15th ranked Wildcats were the last team to beat Memphis in the regular season, getting them a year ago in Arizona. Once that game is done? Gawdawful conference play, broken up by two good non-conference games against Tennessee and Gonzaga. C-USA fever! Impossible to catch!

Sorry for a local post, but enough is happening in the city I call home that it cannot be avoided.

The good:

Memphis Tigers basektball.

I was fortunate to score a ticket (and a free one at that) to the Memphis/Georgetown game yesterday. It was easily the most electric college baseketball crowd I have ever been a part of, and the noise was deafening at critical times. The Tigers have a genuine home court advantage at this point, supporting a very good basketball team. The game itself? Played at a very high level by both teams before Memphis' defense wore down and overwhelmed Georgetown. When Chris Douglas-Roberts is on his game along with Derrick Rose, Memphis will be tough to beat.

Hard not to be a part of that crowd and again despair at Memphis' being marooned in Conference USA. A parade of teams like Georgetown, Connecticut, Louisville, and the rest of the Big East through Memphis would be most welcome. Instead, scenes like yesterday are fleeting, as the realities of a parade of East Carolina, SMU, and Tulsa conference games will suck the life out of the proceedings.

The bad:

Memphis Tigers football. It is beyond me my Conference USA has six bowl tie-ins. Absolutely indefensible that a conference that plays as bad a football as C-USA does will be able to send legitimately bad teams to play one more game. And the Tigers were a legitimately bad team this year. Their reward? Yet another game against a Sunbelt Conference team having already lost in the regular season to Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee State. The outcome Friday night? Preordained as far as I was concerned. When you can't stop anyone, then for certain, you will lose. Apparently if the Tigers were adrift in the Sunbelt they would never win. If I were calling shots for Memphis, Tommy West would not have a job this morning. I'm not, so he does.

The awful/hopeful:

The Memphis Grizzlies in close games are awful. Actually, they are pretty damn awful in not-so-close games too. Another buzzer-beating loss last night, this time to the Sixers, adds to a series of gut-punch losses this year. It has reached laughable proportions. Then again, if they were not busy choking away 11-point 4th period leads, it might not come down to last second shots.

The hopeful part of the wasteland that it is NBA basketball in Memphis is Rudy Gay as he continues to make a definite leap. He's averaging 20 points a game with 6 boards and showing increased desire to be the man at the end of games. In fact, there is little question locally that the leader of the team is now Gay, as opposed to Pau Gasol. That, at the least, is something positive for a bad team to build on as it waits for its latest top five overall draft pick.

Yeah. Apparently. It's not like they went all that far away, but there has definitely been slippage.

At any rate, for those of you easing into the college ball season, Grant Wahl with his usual must read mailbag at si.com leads with the reason for the hot start for Duke:

They're running. Unrepentingly. Apparently Krzyzewski's work coaching Team USA this summer left an impression. Grudgingly, I note, job well done to Krzyzewski.

Also in the mailbag, Wahl's thoughts on:

---growing pains for OJ Mayo and Derrick Rose

---the pressure school's are putting on their "one and done" players to stay in school and finish the spring semester

---musings on Drake's beatdown of Iowa State

There's more. Much more. Enjoy.

The season is underway. The early hype on the frosh has been a little overblown (as had to almost be expected). Duke isn't as bad as advertised.

And Texas is really good. Even without Kevin Durant. Leading Grant Wahl to this observation (among many others) in his latest mailbag:

"Rick Barnes can coach. There. We said it. The 'Bag has always believed this, and yet few coaches in the nation have taken a more public beating than Texas' Barnes has in the past year, mainly for what was perceived in some precincts as his team's inability to get the ball in the hands of Kevin Durant more often. Implicit in that criticism was another indictment: that Longhorns point guard D.J. Augustin wasn't up to the task. Well, now look: Durant may be gone, but Texas has pulled off the nation's most impressive pair of wins so far this season, knocking off two of the 'Bag's preseason Final Four picks: Tennessee (on a neutral court) and UCLA (in Pauley Pavilion).

Both times Augustin was the best player on the floor, combining timely scoring with near-flawless passing and the wisdom to know when to push the pace and when to slow it down. (Don't use Darren Collison's rustiness as an excuse for Augustin's poise.) And both times Barnes outcoached an accomplished counterpart: Tennessee's Bruce Pearl and UCLA's Ben Howland. Barnes put on a coaching clinic Sunday. The Longhorns' 2-3 zone flummoxed a UCLA team that didn't have an Arron Afflalo-quality outside shooter to bust it open (Josh Shipp needs to be that guy). It was Barnes who managed his timeouts smartly, rather than Howland, who burned his last TO at the 2:23 mark and had Kevin Love watching on the bench over the final 2:12."

Strong. And, indeed, something of a lone voice in the wilderness given the criticism sent Barnes' way in the last few season.

There's a bunch of other really solid stuff, as usual, in the rest of the piece. Wahl, as regular readers here know, is on our extremely short list of best in the business in covering college ball (with Gary Parrish at sportsline.com), and it is well worth your time if you like college hoop at all.

They look so delicious.

So tempting.

So sweet.

But they do not exist.

They are a figment of your imagination.

For most of you who are not college basketball zealots, he is probably not on your radar just yet. He's one of the top five incoming freshmen in college ball supposedly, and, after two games for Memphis, I can tell you the reality matches the hype. I made it to the FexEx Forum last night to watch him live, because after watching his first game on TV it was immediately clear he is one of those talents that you don't want to miss if you have a chance to catch a game. A few impressions:

1. At 6'-3", with the way he handles the ball and sees the floor as a point guard, the early murmurings that he was most easily compared to Jason Kidd are not misplaced. Were it not for the current NBA eligibility rule, he would probably still be in Memphis, but it would be for the Grizzlies, not the Tigers.

2. He has a better shot than Kidd now. He apparently was a 48% shooter from 3s in high school, and is already knocking them down at that clip through two games as a collegian.

3. But the shooting is by no means the best part of his game. That would be his defense and floor smarts. He is clearly going to be a guy who will fill up highlights on a nightly basis. The first game? A clean block from behind of a player who was clear and going for what appeared to be an uncontested lay-up on a fast break. Last night? A one-handed rebound in traffic, and then leading a fast break where he weaved through defenders and finished an end-to-end bit of brilliance with a lay-up through more traffic. It was the kind of play that compelled people out of seats in awe of the brilliance.

4. The better news for Memphis? Rose is apparently a very humble guy, and is working overtime to fit in with the talented team that Memphis returns. Every soundbite from Rose and his teammates is that the only objective in Memphis is winning. That helps.

5. Conference-USA is once again likely the suck. The good news for casual observers who are wondering just how good Memphis is, they will be tested non-conference. A brief review. Memphis returns four starters and adds Rose to a team that is coming off of back-to-back Elite 8 appearances and is anchored by juniors that are used to long runs in the tournament. To get them ready for what is to come, Memphis' non-conference schedule includes:

Richmond
Either Kentucky or Connecticut
USC
Cincinnati
Georgetown
Arizona
Pepperdine
Gonzaga
Tennessee

That's plenty strong enough to give everyone a hande on how good Memphis will be come tournament time, even as they kill C-USA fodder. For those who grump about their C-USA schedule, please, Tigers fans beg of you, talk your favorite BCS conference into rescuing the school from the wasteland that is C-USA. We would like nothing better than to see the Tigers in a conference that isn't shit. For now, the best we can do is enjoy the non-conference goodness and wait for a happier conference affiliated day.

And, in the meantime, enjoy Derrick Rose.

I make an effort to not put too much Kentucky stuff in this space because it seems too self-serving. However, I feel like if I'm going to do a UK post, why not have it be about the start of the Billy Gillispie Era. So here are some quick-hitters:

- Stop calling him Billy Clyde, local writers (and I typically am a fan of Mark Story, easily the best columnist since Chuck Culpepper left). Please. I cannot explain the reasons why, but this bothers me to no end. You are not his long lost family, you are not college buddies. You are the media and I cannot fathom any reason that you should use his middle name so often until such time as he is revealed as a Mass Murderer/Serial Killer. Thank you.

- While I'm on the local media, what would it take for the Lexington Herald Leader to take John Clay, a current columnist, an re-assign him to UK Hoops (that's the women's team to the uninitiated) while giving Jerry Tipton more space. Tipton's articles are well-written, informational and generally a pleasure to read. Clay's are, well, not. Too much opinion, which is not a bad thing until you pair it with a tendency to flip-flop. And I won't even get started on Clay's lists.

- To the folks running the big screen at Rupp Arena, when you show the 6th man, the UK student section, fix the words that say Erruption Zone. That makes no sense. It's Rupp Arena. It should be the "eRUPPtion zone." I'm not the only one who thinks so. Fix it.

- Hey Joe Crawford: stop sulking. Play the game. Go to the basket. Embrace the Gillispie Era the way that it appears Ramel Bradley has. If you don't you'll find your hangdog look further down the bench, in Gillispie's hangdog house.

- And finally a note on Patrick Patterson. He looks like the real deal, and he is saying the right things. Dealing with the OJ Mayo circus seems to have given Patterson a sense of perspective. And while he's saying the right things, no one is expecting him to stick around for his degree, like he says. I'm guessing two years.

It's time. The season starts tonight, ready or not.

I have not been following this story all that closely, but the sanctions have been very real (Sampson loses $500,000 from his salary this season ("the Belichick") and Indiana loses a scholarship for next season) for the series of impermissible calls made over the last year during the closed period for contacting recruits.

Several things about this catch my attention.

1. The violations were found by an IU intern whom IU has worked very hard to keep nameless. Smart move. Identifying that poor bastard would probably not be advisable. Unless they are looking to get a job with Kent Benson or Ted Kitchel (read on).

2. The law firm that was hired to do an independent investigation into the matter by IU is called Ice Miller. Well. Fuck. Why can't I work at a firm with a cool name like that? Ice Miller. Apparently the firm underwent a name change to get to that in 2000. Presumably discarded were Ice Bud and Ice Coors. Say!

3. Apparently there is zero love lost between Sampson and former IU players judging by these series of quotes from the Star article linked above:

"Reaction by former IU players Monday was swift and harsh. Kent Benson, a two-time All-American, called the situation "a total travesty."

Ted Kitchel, another former All-American who previously criticized Sampson's hiring by saying he "wouldn't hire that guy to coach my fifth-grade girls team," said the new reports suggest Sampson does not believe rules apply to him.

Joe Hillman, a member of the 1987 national championship team, said it's embarrassing to "the program, the university and to Rick Greenspan."

Benson, in particular, blasted the university. "I'm absolutely, totally embarrassed for the Indiana basketball program," Benson said. "They need to do the right thing. If no tolerance means no tolerance, they get rid of him. And Greenspan should be right behind."

Ouch Ted Kitchel. Why you gotta do Sampson like that?

Some Swamp chatter underway here thanks to all-star swamper billy22g. Drop by with a thought or two.

This morning's random weird headline goes to si.com in its Truth & Rumors section for this (verbatim):

"Florida Hot for Mass. 16-year-old"

Hey, Florida? We know, thanks to Elijah Dukes, what passes for okay in your hedonistic state when it comes to lusting after 16 and 17 year olds, but when you start taking that shit across state lines? That's into some dangerous territory.

Barely Legal my ass.

In case you missed it over the weekend, Jackie Chiles put up a Hall of Fame post over at Airing of Grievances with a report from the legendary Rucker in Harlem, where he attended the Elite 24 High School All-Star Game.

Not only does he break down the performances of some of the best college-bound talent in the country (sounds like Arizona has a player), but he brings us the highlights of the crowd chants, including this story:

"Remember I mentioned fan-favorite Dexter 'Dex' Strickland. Well, Dex had some kid isolated, and this kid's skin really didn't look much better than James Edward Olmos'. Let's just say Proactiv may come calling. So, anyway, Dex starts in to his shakin' and a bakin', and while setting dude up we hear: 'C'mon Dex, shake some of them bumps off that brutha's face!!!' Well, Dex crossed him over and smoothly took it to the hole for two which was immediately followed by: 'Nice, that shoulda popped two or three pimples!!!' I almost felt like a bad person for cracking up. Almost."

Mandatory reading material.

...find your way to sportsline.com college bb writer Gary Parrish. Parrish, who locals in Memphis had the pleasure of reading when he was with the Commercial Appeal, covering the Tigers for several years, made the leap to a national audience with sportsline in the last year. And his stuff has been absolute quality, as I would have expected.

Really, among the national types, he's in a class with si.com's Grant Wahl (when Wahl is on his college bb beat) and Luke Winn when it comes to readability and insight. A true pleasure.

His last two efforts are solid reads (Lebron James earning ever more respect at his camp and a nice piece from the Nike Peach Jam), even in the dead season of college ball that we are in now. Here's a sample from the fine news and notes Peach Jam piece:

"I'm proud of the Gauchos, not because they won the Peach Jam but because they didn't publicly fight or propose a fight Sunday. It was a break from the norm. On Thursday, some Gauchos got into a fight with each other at a local McDonald's (see what happens with you eliminate super sizing?), and three of them were sent home. On Friday, I'm told they behaved. But on Saturday I witnessed three other Gauchos about to jump a player from the Georgia Stars in the lobby of the Riverview Park Athletic Center. They were cursing and doing whatever it is tough/idiotic kids do, and the situation would have exploded had a high-major Division I coach not stepped in and demanded the three Gauchos walk away. Their response? They started cursing the coach. So I was glad when the Gauchos won Sunday night, if only because I didn't want to see them angry. Because I've seen them angry. And I don't like them when they're angry."

Enjoy.

NBA summer league style that is.

Not great.

Durant only 5 for 17 shooting (but 7 for 9 from the line for 18 total points). Which was a spectacular night compared to what Greg Oden got done for Portland's summer team. 10 fouls. 4 turnovers. Just six points against Boston's summer league entrant.

Chris Sheridan at espn.com has the recap on the debuts of the NBA's most high-profile entrants since Lebron James arrived on the scene here. Oh, 10 fouls? Yeah, that's the limit for summer league games. So after his 10th, Oden's night was done. Apparently mercifully.

Still, I am guessing that neither Seattle nor Portland regrets their draft choices just yet...

One transcendant year. Player of the year honors.

Maybe half a season of progress toward an academic degree. Retire the jersey of a guy who was pretty much at the academic institution for a sport?

Sure. Why not? Why pretend that academics is still a part of the biggest of big-time athletes. And why pretend that progress toward same is necessary to acknowledge the greatness of players who pass through on their way toward wealth?

At any rate, from the Texas AD:

"[AD] Dodds said there are "some issues" with retiring jerseys of players who haven't yet graduated from the school. 'You'd rather see them graduate' before a jersey is retired, Dodds said. Texas, however, retired basketball player T.J. Ford's jersey in 2004 before Ford got his degree. Ford, the consensus national player of the year in 2003, is enrolled in summer school as he continues to work toward graduation. 'In this day and age, with these kids who excel so much so early, graduating is probably not going to happen as much as we'd like,' Dodds said. 'But Kevin left Texas in good academic standing and has promised to keep working toward his degree.'"

Oh for gawdssake. Just retire his jersey because he turned in perhaps the finest season of any player ever for the Longhorns. But don't try and convince anyone if you do it's because he's going to work toward his degree.

And not just because it means you avoid receiving the fuckawful ESPN The Magazine.

I just noticed today, while scrolling around there in the sacred inner sanctum of Insider, that Joe Lunardi has a Bracketology updated June 20. Of 2007. For next year's NCAA tournament. At any rate, for those of you who don't have it, you are spared the moment of shock that comes with seeing something so profoundly insane in idea and execution that your mind goes blank for a minute or two. Plus, if you are a fan of Maryland, St. Joe's, Notre Dame or Oklahoma, you would have been spared knowing that you were among the "last 4 left out" of making the grid.

Damn. Nice try though to those four schools. Better luck in 2008/2009.

Actually, GC, it's not a shot to the pride of UK fans, or at least not to this one. Donovan was the number one choice, yes. I've always thought he was slimy (look it up in The Swamp), however, and this proves it. Making a move like this a week after the last day for recruits to sign is incredibly poor form.

In the end, UK got Billy Gillespie, who wants to be here, which is better than hiring someone with eyes towards something larger.

Would I have taken Donovan? Certainly. Is my pride wounded because he spurned UK for Florida, who he spurned for the NBA? Absolutely not.

This point guard from Marist, Jared Jordan, is making pundits exhaust their knowledge of great white point guards to compare him to. Nice little pieced on the next Steve Nash, er, John Stockton, er Scott Skiles, from Rand Richards Cooper for cnnsi.com, who actually played pick-up ball with Jordan when the kid was 11 years old.

The knocks on Jordan's game? He's short, not that fast, not that strong and can't jump. And he's white. Weird, huh? So if this guy - who has led the NCAA in assists for the past two season - makes it to the next level, count on him being a very popular player. Especially because, according to this article, he may even be better on the playground (where he dislikes his nickname, "The Magician") than on the court.

- Weird announcement out of Syracuse yesterday that Mike Hopkins will succeed Jim Boeheim as coach of the Orange, but no timetable has been set. Does that mean this season, next season, or in five years? It seems likely that Hopkins got a head coaching offer and Syracuse doesn't want to lose him. But this is pretty darn vague. How do you commit to someone unless he is under contract?

- Florida just picked up Jai Lucas, the top-rated point guard out there, as a late signee. That's bad news for Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, and especially Maryland. He's considered a T.J. Ford type and the #3 point guard prospect in the incoming class.

- Coach K can be a good guy? Say it ain't so, Dave!

- Andy Katz declares Memphis as the #1 men's basketball team in the land. Why? They lost no one, and gained a star: "The deadline to declare for the NBA draft was Sunday night. Of all the potential favorites, Memphis was the only team that didn't get hit. And if you watched any of the high school all-star games the past month, you know the Tigers are adding one of the best players in the country in big guard Derrick Rose."

- And kudos to Luke Winn for a fantastic read on Patrick Patterson, the top recruit left in the country. Winn, through Patterson and his Mom, provides great insight from a high school kid's perspective on the recruiting process and the coaching carousel. You've got to love the loyalty of UK Nation, and the relentless preparation of Billy Gillispie. You've also gotta love how other recruits from Florida are trying to convince him to sign there based on how fine the Gainesville co-eds are. And maybe best, you have to love how the kid flat-out rejected That Matta in a cell phone break-up. One lesson learned: if your kid is a top prospect, get unlimited text messaging on your cell phone plan.

If you've ever debated which NCAA conference has the gayest name -- well, debate no more. It is now settled.

The Mid-Continent Conference is being tossed on the ashbin of history. As of June 1, it is now called The Summit League.

The Summit League. Sounds like the name of a rec volleyball league.

Yeah, "Mid-Continent" wasn't the best name and it definitely wasn't accurate seeing as how member schools range from Utah to Michigan, but what the hell is "The Summit League" supposed to evoke?

They should have renamed it "The Alphabet League". Think about it, they've got some of the best initialed schools in the NCAA. IUPUI, IUPUFW, SUU, UMKC, NDSU, SDSU.

There's still time, Mid-Continent.

I told a co-worker who has a very unhealthy infatuation with Baron Davis that he's probably seen this before.

One and done for the Tar Heels' power forward.

The nicest thing about the run of freshmen heading to their reward in the NBA in June? The holier-than-thou-they-should-stay-in-school articles have been few and far between this time around. Perhaps that weird segement of the sports world has finally accepted that there is simply no good reason for people to pass up guaranteed millions to pretend that being Joe College is the most important thing in the world.

Wright's quote captures it:

"'When you have an opportunity to take care of your family, especially at a young age like this, you can hardly pass up something [like this],' said Wright, a 19-year-old freshman, at a Monday news conference at the Smith Center. If Wright is taken in the top five in the draft on June 28, as projected, he would earn between $2.548 million and $3.885 million in his first season, according to the NBA rookie salary scale -- plenty to take care of his Tennessee-based family, which includes his mom and two younger brothers."

True dat.

That's three underclass Buckeyes entering the NBA Draft. Ah, but only the big fella, Greg Oden, will be hiring an agent. Mike Conley, Jr. and Daequan Cook have reportedly not hired agents yet, thereby retaining their eligibility to return to college next season.

We know Oden's a top-two lock, and the buzz on Conley is that he could be a mid-to-late first rounder. But Daequan Cook? He barely started a game. He was the team's second-leading rebounder, but he's 6'6", which means he'd better be able to shoot if he's done growing.

Remember it's The Ohio State University. Or to use it in a sentence, "The Ohio State University men's basketball team could really suck next season."

Wow. Good for Pierre Turgeon. Got to be the first time any of us has ever seen an NHL great cross sports to helm a basketball team.

Oh. Wait. Mark Turgeon of Witchita State. That makes more sense. Pierre Turgeon would have been a far more interesting story though.

OK, so I had myself convinced that Billy that would be the next coach from the day Tubby left. Of course, that was Billy Donovan, not Gillispie. So I was wrong...not the first time, etc.

Gillispie is a self-proclaimed workaholic, which will do him well. Hitting the recruiting trail hard is priority #1 since the signing period starts next Wednesday and some recruits were interested in who the new coach would be, rightfully so.

So while I was underwhelmed at first, I have decided to be fair to Gillispie. He gets a 1-2 year pass anyway just to clean up the mess that Tubby left. We're not one or two players away, we've got one or two players who bring much to the table. Discounting the seniors who will play only one season, only Jodie Meeks and Perry Stevenson excite me much among the players Gillispie inherits.

Getting off to a good start recruiting this year would be nice, but I wonder if it's too late to expect Gillispie to make any swoops at all.

I'm setting reasonable expectations for next season: 20+ wins, start the SEC tournament on Friday, make the tournament with a six seed or higher, which would mean a realistic shot to make the Sweet 16.

Wait, those aren't reasonable for a team that is in the disarray that this Kentucky team is in?

Welcome to Lexington, Billy.

If you're in Lexington, get on your blue and head down to Memorial Coliseum. It's pep rally time!

"The University of Kentucky will hold a pep rally at 12:15 p.m. today at which it's expected to introduce Texas A&M's Billy Gillispie as its new men's basketball coach.

"The pep rally will be held at Memorial Coliseum.

"A news conference will follow at the Joe Craft Center. That news conference is not open to the public, but it will air on television in Memorial Coliseum for fans who attend the pep rally."

Rick Barnes is choosing Austin over Lexington. According to Andy Katz:

"Time for Plan C. Florida's Billy Donovan, regarded as the top candidate for the prestigious Kentucky job, dispelled rumors of his departure Thursday, and Wildcat officials have now been told second-favorite Rick Barnes has no intentions of leaving Texas.

"Only hours after Donovan announced he was staying put at Florida rather than take over Kentucky's tradition-rich program, sources told ESPN.com that Barnes will remain in Austin.

"The Longhorns coach met with reporters Thursday and said he intends to be at Texas and declined to discuss specifics.

"Donovan and Barnes' decisions to remain with their respective schools leaves the field wide open in the search for Tubby Smith's replacement."

To be honest, the Donovan decision didn't surprise me, but this one did a little. While I love the great City of Austin, and believe the quality of life there is miles ahead of Kentucky, getting a chance to coach at Kentucky seems like a pretty big deal to me.

Of course, maybe this means Kevin Durant is sticking around for another year.

I guess this fact wasn't enough to lure Billy out of Gainesville.

"Billy Donovan, three days removed from leading Florida to a second consecutive national championship, will announce later Thursday that he will remain the Gators' coach and not make himself available to interview for the opening at SEC rival Kentucky.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Donovan met Thursday morning with Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley in Gainesville, Fla. The decision was made at that time that Donovan would stay on as coach."

Is that Tom Crean's music I'm hearing?

Thanks to kwgduke in The Swamp for the heads up.

Nice little run for that program. National titles. NBA talent all over the floor. A team so good that it is hard to fully recognize just how independently brilliant their players are. For one thing, I am just now starting to realize that Corey Brewer is going to be a fantastic pro player. I don't watch as much college ball as certain folks (go here to Dave Sez to read the solid insight of one who does), and it had not registered with me that Brewer is 6'9". Gracious. With his handle, his shot, and his defensive skillz, he will be a star on the next level.

So, nice moment for Florida. Great team. But the immediate question in the aftermath of the game is whither Billy Donovan. That rumors of Donovan to Kentucky persist. Florida will finally see the brilliant core of its repeat national titles go to their pro reward, leaving the Gators in reloading mode for next year, and perhaps a natuaral departure point for Donovan, should he so choose. And, for some reason, people still see Kentucky as a destination coaching job in college basketball. Because nothing says destination job like the crazed expectations of one of the most unforgiving fanbases in all of sport.

But, hey, if that kind of thing is Donovan's bag, hope he enjoys his time there. If he goes, he won't ever find the kind of happiness that he has found in Gainesville, even if he were to get Kentucky back to the top. Because even then, it's not enough for UK fans. He's better off staying put in Gainesville or looking to the pros if he wants another challenge.

There was a flurry of activity away from the national title game in Atlanta as three major college basketball programs filled their head coaching vacancies.

Most noteworthy would probably be the hiring of John Beilein at Michigan. The West Virginia coach was reportedly the first and only choice for Michigan officials, who had to step up big-time in the pay department between a $2.5 million buyout and Beilein's salary, which will be in excess of $1 million per season.

A pair of well-regarded mid-major coaches were hired to fill openings at Iowa and Arkansas.

Todd Lickliter, last seen leading Butler to the Sweet 16, was hired by Iowa after Steve Alford's departure for New Mexico. Not really surprising that Lickliter would be targeted after his success at Butler, but it'll be interesting to see what he does at Iowa, especially given the resurgence in coaching talent in the Big Ten, which has added Tubby Smith and John Beilein (with almost 900 wins between them) this offseason.

Dana Altman, who had spent more than a decade at Creighton, was lured to Arkansas to replace Stan Heath. Seems like a very solid hire for Arkansas, even if the Iowa opening might have seemed more likely to be up Altman's alley. The cupboard is decidedly not bare in Fayetteville and Altman will be expected to win immediately.

The state takes a lot of guff, but it's got this going for it ... which is nice.

UPDATE: Thanks to The Swamp's Nonlinear for the linkage to the Fanhouse's outstanding work. No, that is not photoshopped. Just look at the pic above and you can see the missing "I". Some states cannot catch a break.

A rematch of last year's Championship finalists. A match between the two hottest teams in college basketball with the added bonus of a genuine back-to-the-80s big man matchup between Greg Oden and Roy Hibbert.

Pat Forde at espn.com is drooly. Luke Winn with a far more useful piece at si.com looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the four left standing. His note on Oden's impact on Ohio State is an eye-opener:

"Just how valuable is Oden to the Buckeyes' success? Take a look at his plus-minus ratings against Tennessee (+14 in 17:30 minutes played) and Memphis (+26 in 24:26 played). They're stunning."

Huh. Once again, one has to shake one's head when considering just why Joey Dorsey figuratively kicked Oden in the testes before Memphis faced Ohio State on Saturday.

For my part, the Ohio State/Georgetown game this upcoming weekend is the one that excites the most. Rematches are nice and all, but the notion that an interested Greg Oden will get to test himself against legitimate NBA size and talent center as the centerpiece to a game featuring future NBA players all over the floor rings the bell for genuine hype.

March Madness (not Mayhem) is down to four teams, and the frog's entry in NBX's Battle of the Blogs is in 11th place, within a shot of the money, thanks to my supreme confidence that Florida would handle Oregon with aplomb in a shootout.

The Gators moneyline and cover, plus the over, put us back in business after a rough Sweet 16. It's a good thing I didn't touch the other game last night. I was rooting hard for Georgetown (for my pools), but I thought North Carolina was a cinch unless they laid an egg. I guess missing 95% of your shots down the stretch might count as laying an egg.

Among friends of the frog, AofG's Jack Klompus is sitting in 2nd place right now. I'll be laying heavy on Florida and Georgetown this weekend. The former because they should handle the Bruins. The latter more because there are only a few games left to catch the leaders, and I'll be rooting for them anyway.

At the least, if this doesn't wake him up, nothing will. Dorsey is Memphis' very hard-working extra-huge wide body man in the middle. If he plays in the NBA someday, it will be as an Anthony Mason type, hard-working rebounding enforcer.

Greg Oden, of course, is reputed to be on the best centers to ever play basketball (according to the experts, who promise us that someday it will be so).

They meet tonight, and it appears the national press pool led by Rick Reilly and Gregg Doyle (motto: I am sleaze) baited Dorsey into these words about Oden late yesterday:

"Oh yeah. I think (scouts) really will be watching this game tomorrow night because it's two great big men going up against each other. I'm an underrated big man and he's a lot overrated as a big man."

There were other words from Dorsey, apparently:

"'He's a lot like me,' he said of Oden. 'He gets his head out of the game when he picks up quick fouls. I'm Goliath,' he said of his individual battle with Oden. "He's the little man. He doesn't want to stay in the paint," he said of Oden. "He just wants to post up. I watched a couple games. He's not really playing in the paint. He likes to help-side (defend) and block shots. I haven't seen him against a great player play great defense."

Well. Here's where I could tell you that Memphis zealots are saying that a lot of that was taken out of context and Doyle has spun a story out of nothing. Could very well be true, Doyle's a mega-tool.

Still, you are left with the baldness of those words. I am guessing someone has tried to waken Oden from his tournament slumber and apprise him of them. If Oden is what a lot of the experts have promised us he is, a 20 point 20 board night should be in the offing. Dorsey is indeed prone to quick and stupid fouls. I couldn't have imagined him spending more than four minutes near Oden tonight and not ending up on the bench with two quick fouls. After this? Make it two minutes.

Dorsey is also right, in that a lot of scouts will be watching this. He's a junior, in no danger of going pro, but also could make a real mark in a lot of minds for next year with a good showing tonight. After his verbiage, I suspect he's made that more difficult.

Tubby Smith just appeared on the Mike and Mike morning show, making his first comments as the new head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In the interview, he was asked to sum up, in one sentence, why he left Kentucky.

The response? A challenge.

To be fair, restoring Minnesota to mediocrity probably will be a challenge. However, if what Tubby wanted was a challenge, there was no reason to clear out the office at Memorial Coliseum.

The challenge was here, Tubby. There would be no greater challenge than restoring UK to where you found it. What's the saying in pottery stores? You broke it, you bought it, right? Tubby, you broke it, but you didn't even offer to fix it, let alone pay for it. Instead, you went to another pottery store and offered to fix something that you didn't break.

A challenge? Please. You're a decent guy but don't play Kentucky fans like fools. This wasn't about a challenge, this was about the crushing expectations in Lexington. If you can just say that you were tired of that, or that it was the right time for you to move on, I can accept that. Don't say its about getting challenged.

The challenge was right here.

...where it was at in the NCAAs last night.

The Memphis win over aTm that came down to the final seconds came after a game that saw neither team get a lead larger than 5 points and featured, assuming the CBS graphic was correct, 16 lead changes and 11 ties leading up to Memphis' 65-64 win.

Then, Tennessee, who I fully expected to upend Ohio State, shot out to a 20-point lead near the end of the first half, and then gave it back in about eight minutes of the second half before ultimately falling to the Buckeyes 85-84 when their last second shot got sent about four rows up in the stands by Greg Oden. Next time a team has a chance to beat Ohio State at the buzzer, might I suggest NOT bringing the ball anywhere near Oden?

Absolutely compelling games (and apparently the Kansas/SIU game was as well. But let's not speak of the UCLA/Pittsburgh game. Yuck on that one).

At any rate, a few quick thoughts:

---Greg Oden may be the next big thing in basketball history (Mike DeCourcey of Sporting News insists on calling him an all-time great center every chance he gets. No, I don't think he's anywhere close either, but apparently DeCourcey thinks there is no question he will be. Do with that what you will), but his point guard since 6th grade Mike Conley is everything Texas' freshman point guard DJ Augustin is not. He plays with decisiveness and sets his teammates up with undeniable skill. He knows when to attack and when to back it out. And it was on his back that Ohio State jumped in that comeback win last night. Hellaciously good game from him. Even if Oden makes his expected leap to the Association next year, if Conley comes back for his sophomore year, Ohio State will probably not miss a beat.

---I still love what Bruce Pearl is doing in Knoxville. They outclassed Ohio State for 20 minutes, and then, as the lead was bleeding away early in the second half, he did everything he could to stem the tide in terms of his coaching and energy on the sidelines. That Tennessee kept their cool after their lead evaporated and nearly pulled it out at the end is a further testament to his coaching goodness. That is a program on the come, and will be for some time.

---Memphis has a really good program of their own cranking right now. Marooned in a horrendous conference, they appear to be putting together a mini-UNLV-in-the-late-80s/early 90s type program where they will be a national power in a bad conference for as long as John Calipari stays put and remains interested. Their entire team will be back next year, and will add a McDonald's all-american recruit to a team that has been in the regional finals two years running.

Really good stuff last night, and a genuine hope for more good stuff tonight from what has been a damn entertaining tournament. As has been the case all tournament, Frog favorite Grant Wahl at si.com is a must stop this morning for the night's wrap-up and miscenllaneous thoughts.

Josh McRoberts is going pro after two mediocre seasons at Duke. The kid who was supposed to be the best player in the country coming out of high school never really lived up to the hype. Though not a complete bust, he never seemed to have the consistency or mental toughness necessary to become an elite player.

So how will he do in the pros? According to scout.com, "several online draft projections have McRoberts ... as an early-to mid first round pick." If he goes very early, I'll be shocked. But a big white Dukie with athleticism? He won't slip too far. I don't know why, but I'm thinking Utah Jazz.

Coach K reportedly supports the decision. Yes, I'm sure he's ecstatic. Another chink in the armor. The first-round exit to VCU, in combination with the unexpected loss of your best player and co-Captain would be enough. But how about this news out of Rochester? (no, a certain Swamper isn't on a bridge).

North Carolina is now the most popular college basketball team in the country for the first time ever. Guess who just fell to #2? Yep, you guessed it. The Chevy-loving coach may have just become be the biggest Trojan fan on earth. Because the only thing that could make this offseason worse is a long Carolina Blue march into the Final Four.

Okay, so I know its been posted, but if Smith takes this job, it's an outright admission that he cannot handle the pressure of UK. There is no other excuse. He'll do a fine job at Minnesota. He'll get them to the Sweet 16 regularly, which he has done at all his other stops, including in Lexington.

Rumor to replace Tubby is Tom Crean. I can live with that, short of Tom Izzo becoming available.

Sorry. No Swamp ...

OK. I've tried to let this sink in some. On one hand, it was probably time. On another, I cannot get too excited until a replacement has been named. This is not a job for an up-and-comer. To handle this job well you need 1)extremely thick skin and/or 2)extreme arrogance. Your boss isn't the AD, it's the (sometimes insane) fans, of which I am one.

My initial thoughts? Mitch Barnhart told Tubby he planned on bringing him back, but also told him if he had something he wanted to do, then UK would let Tubby out of his contract to chase another opportunity.

I've always thought Tubby Smith was a good coach. The problem is that this program demands greatness. Joe B. Hall was a good coach. Eddie Sutton was a good coach. Neither was a great Coach. Adolph Rupp was a great coach, if a less than great person. Rick Pitino? Same thing. Tubby will do good things at Minnesota. Just not great things. That's what he did for the past 10 years.

Minnesota fans can count their new coach as a great person and an above-average coach. What they won't be counting is Final Four trips and National Titles.

I am certainly glad that Tubby was here and that he did notch the 7th National Title. I am also glad that there will be new blood next season. Here's hoping that new blood is Blue.

ETA:

Wait. I'm not finished. I was, but I'm still having trouble getting my arms and mind around this.

MINNESOTA? Really? And it's not for an NBA job? The Gophers? Really? It's not like he left for the weather.

Did Tubby promise to take David Hobbs? I sure hope so.

Now, to potential replacements. I mentioned Crean, and that's probably a safe choice, but it's not sexy. Not that I need sexy. I want 1) a top notch recruiter and, with that, 2) a coach who will play a style that will not turn potential recruits off immediately. I'm not saying 100 points a game. I'm saying 80-85 regularly and something that will not have me sitting there for the first ten minutes of the game wondering how these players can be your starters when they can't get to 8 points in that span.

Sexy? How about Billy Donovan? I hate that greasy SOB, but it's sexy. I'd love Izzo, but he's entrenched, I suppose.

The BlueBlood speaks: There is, much like at North Carolina, always at least a glance given to someone with ties to Kentucky. There are three people who fit that bill. 1) Pitino. Not happening. 2a and 2b) Travis Ford (UMass) and John Pelphrey (South Alabama). Not ready. 3) Rick Stansbury, Mississippi State. Eh. Not a bad coach, and probably could do better at UK. Nothing that great, and not as good a choice as Crean would be.

Oh God, please no: John Calipari. Just no. NoNOnononononoNONONONONo! Did I mention No?

I guess I just want something new. Calipari is a Pitino retread.

No Swamp is killing me.

Oh, there's more. Trust. Good lord, there's more ...

Back again.

Mark Few? It might be nice to see what he could do with a name like Kentucky as he was recruiting. Mike Brey? No Brey, man ...

Back after a short break. Just read this from the Katz story.

"Meanwhile, while watching the defending national champion Gators practice in St. Louis in preparation for their Sweet 16 game against Butler on Friday, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley did not seem particularly concerned if Kentucky pursues coach Billy Donovan.

When asked whether he expected Kentucky to contact Donovan, Foley replied, "It's a free world. There's nothing to prevent them from doing that.

"We're trying to win an NCAA championship. He's our coach and he's been tremendously loyal for a long time. That's all I'm going to say about it."

What I read from that? Yeah, UK has already agreed to pay the buyout and Billy is gone. We've got our coach that we loaned to VCU for a year on hold right now.

That's the rumor being spread via sports radio today. From wcco.com (a CBS affiliate):

"The University of Minnesota may be close to announcing a new men's basketball coach, and the newest name in the mix is Tubby Smith of Kentucky.

"In a meeting Tuesday night between Smith and University of Kentucky officials, a resignation from Smith was expected. Word is that Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi was on a flight Wednesday afternoon to Lexington to meet with Smith."

A step down from Kentucky, but maybe a better lifestyle and more reasonable set of expectations?

Steve Alford is leaving Iowa City for the land of the sun, New Mexico. Living an hour away from Iowa City, I am surrounded by Hawkeye fans (why they couldn't get an entire animal as a mascot I'll never know) and they have no love for Mr. Alford. I didn't understand why these people didn't like the guy. He did replace a legend, Tom Davis, but that's not the reason why.

Apparently, he is an arrogant cock. Steve strolls around Iowa City as though he is still the BMOC and this has rubbed people the wrong way. While there is a love fest for Kirk Ferentz, Alford voodoo dolls can be purchased at the school bookstore.

Here is a story I was told about Steve by a long time alum/fan. Three months after Alford arrived, he was in a local men's store getting a suit. After the selection and the alterations he was presented a bill for $600. He said, but I'm Steve Alford. He was told it will still be $600. He took off the suit and stormed out of the store. That did not play well in Iowa City. Haberdashers in Albuquerque beware.

Of course as I write this the local paper has absolutetly nothing on their website. They should get to it by Monday. There is no joy living in the middle of nowhere.

This quote from Rick Barnes is found in Chip Brown's column in the Dallas Morning News this morning:

"Last Thursday, Texas coach Rick Barnes was taunted by a friend in Spokane, Wash., who said during a shoot-around that there's no way Durant comes back for his sophomore year. Barnes replied, 'I'll bet you a steak dinner he does come back.'"

Hope the friend makes Barnes pay up at Morton's. The other item in Brown's column that catches one's attention? This:

"Word is Kobe Bryant has already called Kevin Durant on behalf of Nike and that a shoe deal ranging between $30 million and $50 million simply needs to be presented."

How'd that conversation go, exactly? "Hey, Kevin? This is Kobe. Look, when you want to nut in a woman's eye, make sure she is down with that. Just thought you should know. Oh, and Nike wants to have a sit down and toss $40 million your way."

He's going pro, Rick Barnes. Any other decision is beyond foolish. One slip and torn ACL later, and that kind of jack from Nike goes away. Speaking of Barnes, Bill Simmons has a nice take on Barnes' coaching incompetence:

"Barnes basically had his pants pulled down by USC coach Tim Floyd, whose defensive plan hinged on Durant's teammates taking terrible shots, Augustin falling apart and Durant's coach refusing to figure out simple ways to get Durant the ball. (Like, here's an idea -- they could have just given him the ball at midcourt and spread everyone else out. Nope. Floyd smartly defended Durant with smaller, quicker players who played him tight and took away his dribble-penetration moves, banking that Barnes wouldn't be smart enough to start posting Durant up in the block to take advantage of the size mismatch. And he wasn't.) Check out the play-by-play transcript in the second half from "USC 34-30" to "USC 51-33" -- USC goes on a 17-3 run over a four-minute span as the game slips away, Durant shoots the ball twice and Barnes waits until it's 50-33 to call his first timeout of the half."

You don't deserve him, Rick Barnes. Time for next.

- This has been a really, really bad year for Stanford basketball. March Sadness, indeed.

- Syracuse fans came out to the Carrier Dome to set a record for NIT attendance, despite the nasty wind, sleet and snow. I don't see what the big deal is. That's just another spring day in upstate New York.

- Ricardo Patton left the head coaching job at Colorado for the one at Northern Illinois.

- MIchigan's Mr. Basketball was awarded to Corperryale "Manny" Harris, who will be attending the University of Michigan this fall. The first Mr. Basketball to do that in awhile. Tommy Amaker may not have been the best coach, but the man could recruit. He did it at Duke. He did it at Seton Hall. And he has done it at Michigan.

The nice thing about a tournament not rocked by upset after upset? You get to wake up on the Monday after the first four days of games feeling generally decent about your bracket acumen. Course, so does pretty much everybody else in your local bracket pool.

A few leftover thoughts from the last day of games before looking ahead:

---Sorry, Kevin Durant. If only your fellow freshmen were as precocious as you, your run might have lasted at least into next weekend. And, maybe, if Rick Barnes were not a coaching doofus you might still be playing. Off to the NBA with you. Several teams are working as hard as possible to get the best odds at cashing in on your remarkable talent.

---Wisconsin's exit is one of the least surprising second seed second round outcomes ever. Whether it was UNLV or Georgia Tech that was going to do the honors, one of them was going to remove the over-rated Big Ten entrant.

---Memphis has been a hard team to figure. Young but tournament tested. Hot but largely against the dreck that it is stuck with in C-USA. After two games, the school of thought that took them seriously despite the unknowns is looking better and better. Their game against aTm should be extremely entertaining in the Sweet 16. By the way, teams with back to back Sweet 16s on their resume this year? Florida, UCLA, Georgetown and Memphis. Again, Memphis is NOT a mid-major program. They are a major program stuck in a mid-major conference.

---Tennessee is indeed fun to watch, and has the kind of game that will take down Ohio State. They almost beat them once this year, falling by three in Columbus a few months back. I bet they learned from that, and will run Ohio State into the ground in the Sweet 16. From there, what will Greg Oden do? I am guessing, no matter how much he says he likes college, he will consider the risk of injury and go ahead and embrace his NBA destiny.

As for the national chattering class, Stewart Mandel's wrap-up on si.com is a good read this morning as he looks at how the 16 still standing stack up, Pat Forde at espn.com (the Louisville partisan and Memphis hater likely still pissed that the Tigers are moving on and the Cardinals going home) dishes out praise for the committee for 10 of the top 12 seeds moving on to the Sweet 16 (first time since 1996), and Luke Winn at si.com where he has had a running blog of the tourney well worth your time.

After boldly posting my pick of the Arizona Wildcats to win in this space, the Purdue Boilermakers rolled over my pick and didn't even make it close. Seeing as how this is clearly a sign from the betting gods, I decided not to post my picks for yesterday's games prior to tip-off.

And guess what? I went three-for-three, picking the Boston College and VCU covers and the over in the A&M/Louisville game. This lifted me out of the red and into the black (or, green at NBX) to the tune of 9,150 points and a top 5 ranking.

The fellas at NBX have recommended the chalk today. They like Florida, Oregon and Texas all to cover the spread.

A classic. Not so much because of upsets (although it was perilously close to a bunch of those) but more so because of the quality of games from start to finish. Even the worst played game of the bunch (IU/UCLA) ended up tied late following yet another I-can't-believe-they-came-back moment in a day filled with them as IU made it interesting in the end. And three overtime games amongst the set was just above and beyond anyone's wildest expectations.

Bits and pieces from ten straight hourse of college basketball viewing:

---The Oden foul at the end of the Buckeyes' narrow escape against Xavier. For my money, it should have been an intentional foul. I know, I know, every foul at the end of games is intentional, but you have to at least pretend you are going for the ball. Oden's two-handed shove to the chest was born out of pure panic, and should have been whistled as such. No attempt to even pretend to go for the ball.

---A quick scan of the Swamp's sizable bracket pool reflects a LOT of Georgetown love, after watching them hold off Boston College, I get it now. Size inside, good handles outside, and a wing player to bridge the gap. Jeff Green had an absolutely sick dunk yesterday, and ran the floor like he was a member of the Phoenix Suns. Easy to see why he is lottery bound.

---The talent gap between Duke and North Carolina is breathtaking. For those of us who do not follow the ACC closely, it was an instructive 48 hours. Duke struggled to perform the most basic of basketball tasks in its loss to VCU, while North Carolina has unleashed the most ferocious colleciton of heady young talent I have seen in the game in awhile. Roy Williams recruiting in Carolina appears to be the perfect storm. The commercial focused coach of the Duke problem best wake up and wake up soon to the challenge coming from down the road or the gap between those two schools is going to be nothing short of stark within a few years.

As he has been the first few days of the tournament, Grant Wahl is a must stop this morning as you prepare for your fourth day of college basketball gluttony. Among Wahl's thoughts:

"With so few upsets this year you'd get the sense that last year's mid-major block party isn't repeating itself. But look again. More mid-majors grabbed higher seeds this year (see No. 5 seed Butler and No. 4 seed Southern Illinois), and it's still entirely possible that we could have as many true mid-majors in the Sweet 16 this year (four) as we did in last year's Mid-Major Tourney of All-Time: Butler, which is already in after a stellar takedown of Maryland; SIU, which is a heck of a lot more consistent than upcoming foe Virginia Tech; Winthrop, which has a solid chance to sink Oregon; and Nevada, which the 'Bag has a hunch will beat Memphis. As Wichita State alum (and Singles cameo stud) Xavier McDaniel pointed out last year, folks: The mid-majors are still coming."

Perhaps on Memphis. This local Memphis observer appreciates Wahl having the insight to know that Memphis is NOT a mid-major, but rather a major program marooned in a mid-major conference.

Tennessee/Virginia is a fantastic way to start off what looks like another great day of basketball, with Kentucky/Kansas, USC/Texas, and UNLV/Wisconsin looking like the very best of a very good bunch of games. Thank the heavens for the tourney pass on DirecTV.

While not full of a ton of surprises (VCU and Winthrop winning as 11 seeds not earth-shaking), the first round yielded some decent games and sets up what may be some borderline classic games today and tomorrow.

As for yesterday's action, Grant Wahl all over it with his usual excellent work, including this thought:

"I know the Badgers went down 25-7 to Texas A&M Corpus-Christi (whose unfortunate acronym, AM-CC, makes the Islanders look like a community college), but the fact remains that Alando Tucker put on a heroic performance to spark the comeback win. The question is this: Was the Badgers' near-death experience a sign of impending doom or the excruciating win they needed before going on a deep run? (See Mike Miller's buzzer-beater for Florida against Butler in 2000.) It's hard to say. The Badgers' road to the Elite Eight wouldn't be a killer. Yet the 'Bag's only fear is that Wisky has turned into a one-man gang, and we're just not sure if Tucker (circa 2007) can turn into Danny Manning (circa 1988). Another reason for concern: the little-known Shelley Smith jinx. Whenever our ESPN pal gets embedded with a team it seems to end rather early (see No. 2 seed Tennessee in '06)."

To answer Wahl, no. Wisconsin isn't going anywhere, and is lucky to still be standing at the weekend unfolds. In other decent reads this morning on tournament stuff, sportsline.com's Gary Parrish with a nice piece on why Lute Olsen should strongly consider hanging it up, including this thought while watching the end of Arizona's lay-down to Purdue:

"There was hardly any fire, very little emotion and the season ended under calm circumstances -- so calm Olson spent part of the final minutes slouched in his chair with his hands behind his head. Picture a man on a beach getting a tan enjoying the view. That's how Olson looked, much different than how a man on the verge of defeat typically looks."

Parrish's recap of the scene at the respective press conferences following the game later in the above-linked piece is not to be missed either. If you have not been reading Parrish regularly and you like college ball at all, strongly consider adding him to your list.

As for today? Best game easily, on paper, appears to be the still-sore-from-their-massive-coring-from-the-committee thrid seeded aTm squad playing what is essentially a road game in an extremely hostile environment against 6th seeded Louisville. That one will be a ton of fun.

The fellas over at NBX set up a March Madness competition between sports blogs. Instead of filling out brackets, each blog gets 100,000 points to bet. Thanks to Maryland, Louisville and the over in the Xavier-BYU game, our entry entered the standings today at #11 out of 55 entries (currently up to #10).

Our buddies over at Airing of Grievances have three entries, and according to the NBX blog, they're having mixed results:

"Lucky for the Airing of Grievances they've got Klompus up there towards the top cuz two of their other guys, Jackie Chiles and Cozmo Cramer, got taken to the cleaners yesterday. The pair went a combined 2-12 yesterday. But that strategy of riding underdogs might pay off sooner or later."

As the lone rep from the Frog (apparently the rest of our contributors are too busy trying to prepare for our fantasy baseball draft), I will likely be joining Mr. Chiles at the bottom of the heap soon enough. Frog bets for today? Leaning heavy on the Arizona Wildcats (-2.0).

- Stanford never had a chance. I've not seen a slower team this season.

- Pennsylvania had a damn good chance. Then, when the guy who was your leading scorer manages to shoot two air-ball threes down the stretch, well, then, that's not good.

- Acie Law has the ability to take over a game, but more importantly, he knows when he needs to. Early in the first half when Penn mounted a little charge, Law went on a 7-0 run to distance them. In the second half, Law made smart cuts to the basket and passes that haven't been seen in Rupp for several seasons to lead his team to victory. Law was the quickest player I've seen in a while.

- If Louisville and A&M play the exact same way Saturday that they played yesterday, the Aggies will be going home. Louisville's pressure defense, combined with inside-out play that hasn't been seen in Rupp for, oh, a little over a decade, combined with A&M's lackluster play would lead to a big Cardinals win. The Edgar Sosa-Acie Law IV match-up will be fun to watch.

- Rupp was Freedom Hall East Thursday, and will be again Saturday. A&M has a loud cheering section and nice choreography, but they will be up against 15,000 UL fans.

- To the A&M dance team member named Amanda: yes, those crowd "oohs" WERE directed at you each time you had to pull your unfortunately-not-skin-tight-enough pants back up. The poor girl just about lost her pants during every routine.

- Ohio State looked better than my brackets were hoping. Here's hoping little brother can pull it off Saturday.

So far all the higher seeds have won their games. Seven games to be precise. Those of you hoping for and Old Dominion win underestimated how tough the small statured Bulldogs can be.

As of right now we only have 11 perfect brackets left.

Looks like Bobby Knight will get to go fishing soon. Boston College dispatched Texas Tech 84-75 in an unexciting game. The Jesuits go on to face the Georgetown - Belmont winner.

Davidson battled fiercly and represented the Southern Conference well. Stephen Curry, son of Dell, hung a 30 spot on Maryland but it just wasn't enough to overcome the turtles. Davidson went cold from the field in the last three minutes hitting squadouche. Maryland moves on to face the Butler- Old Dominion winner.

I think we can call the Louisville - Stanford game with 5 minutes left even though the polls are still open in California. The Sportsfrog projects the CardinalS to move on and face the Texas A&M - Penn winner.

(The title of this post was edited for clarity, because it seems some of the swamp is easily confused.)

Boston College goes into the half leading Bobby Knight's boys by two, 41-39. Jared Dudley a big BC offensive contributor has three fouls. Could be the first upset.

At the half Maryland has a 44-43 lead over Davidson. Davidson (who hasn't won a NCAA game since 1969) is 7-18 from three point land.

Rick Pitino has his team ready to play. The Tree stand firmly rooted. Louisville 41- Stanford 16 with 4 minutes to go until half time.

If you are in the Swamp contest, I hope something here has busted your bracket.

Come dancing,
Come on sister, have yourself a ball.
Don't be afraid to come dancing,
It's only natural.

Come dancing,
Just like the palais on a Saturday.
And all her friends will come dancing
Where the big bands used to play.

Good luck watching the afternoon games however you can get to them.

Swamp chatter for the Thursday games in the Swamp here as you have time.

It's one of the best sports days of the year. Now through Sunday may actually be the best series of sports days in the year. Not even close.

The eventual champion eliminated Villanova on the way to their title. Remember that when Kentucky is pounding the Wildcats by 35 Friday night.

(Alternately when Kansas plays them Sunday.)

Do you feel the pride of the Purple Eagles? Florida A&M fell last night. Next shock? Jayhawks.

I need to pee.

Yesterday in Texas' OT loss to Kansas, he amassed against a Kansas team that threw everything they had against him defensively:

37 points. 10 rebounds. 6 blocks. 2 steals.

But he did miss a shot at the buzzer in regulation that would have been the game winner. If he wants somewhere to work on his end of the game stuff, I suggest Memphis. Next year. Best college player I have seen since Larry Bird/Magic Johnson.

...that Drexel and Syracuse need liberal amounts of the below-pictured product, to make the passage of the committee a tad easier:

The brackets (sans Drexel and Syracuse, among others).

The swamp chatter

The swamp pool (directions to it, anyway)

How else to explain their early round losses in their respective tournaments? The upshot of the carnage of the favorites across the land in the last few days is that teams on the bubble best be playing themselves into the tournament, because there are not going to be many slots left over for lifelines. Where to start?

Stewart Mandel's bloggish bubble breakdown on si. com is solid, especially if you have not had time to watch everything that has occurred the last 48 hours. In Mandel's opinion, for instance, Air Force is in huge trouble all of a sudden.

Over at espn.com, based on their calculations, there may only be one last true at-large spot still available after Friday's shenanigans. Let's just say that the remaining bubble teams will be hoping like hell that the upsets have ended, and that teams like Memphis hold serve over the next few days.

By the way, in your obligatory (from me, anyway) Kevin Durant note:

Last night he led Texas to an a 18-point halftime deficit to Baylor, making only 1 of 13 (and, actually, 0 for his first 12) shots as the Longhorns fell behind 43-25. Guess all that player of year stuff was premature, no?

No.

26 points for Durant after halftime in leading the comeback, and he finished with 29 points and 13 boards. Guess that's how you fix a bad half.

Assuming that all the experts are right, and that Greg Oden really has to be the #1 overall pick in the NBA draft, Durant is going to make the team with the second pick extremely happy for the next 15-20 years.

Tough night for UCLA. Not only did they get unceremoniously booted out of the PAC-10 tournament in the quarterfinals, but it came at the hands of the pot-smoking God-hating communist hippies up at Berkeley. And worse, the hippies are barely even at .500 this season.

UCLA's best player, Arron Affalo, is likely a first-team All-American. But that will be called into question after he was able to score only three points with one assist and no rebounds, while the man he guarded schooled him to the tune of 29 points.

Credit Affalo with owning up to it after the game: "It was my guy who was going above and beyond. I don't want to make an excuse for it. I'll make the adjustments."

The reason this is interesting news for all non-PAC 10 fans is because it raises a question about how this will impact their play next week in the big dance. Does this shake the confidence of a school that is well-known for being soft and exiting early to less-talented but more fundamentally-sound teams? Or does this make them hungry enough that they will come out fighting and clawing for every bucket?

My money's on the latter. It seems that Ben Howland has changed the way this program operates, and they act like a tougher team with less focus on flash and more style on playing hard. And now that they will be hard-fought to get a #1 seed, Howland has his speech written for him already. Remember the Richmond Spiders.

I can't wait for tourney time. For me this is a sporting event that captures the excitement of a horse race coupled with the passion of a Dickie V diatribe. This year, we at the Frog promise scores of the games. Ok, who am I kidding, but that was funny. Speaking of funny, here are a few oddities in scheduling the upcoming tourney.

• Ohio State cannot play in Columbus, Kentucky cannot play in Lexington, Niagara cannot play in Buffalo and Washington State cannot play in Spokane because they are the host schools for those sites. Gonzaga can be placed in Spokane because the Bulldogs play only three games at Spokane Memorial Arena, the maximum allowed before a venue is considered a home arena.

• BYU must be placed at sites that do not play on Sundays because of religious reasons. This means if the Cougars make the field, they must play in either the South or West regional and either the Sacramento, Lexington, Winston-Salem or Buffalo first/second-round sites.

• First- and second-round sites are not tied to specific regions -- rather many teams, especially top-seeded ones, will play at a site relatively close to their campus because of the "pod" system.

Duke's Gerald Henderson was responsible for the above pictured bloody nose that Tyler Hansbrough is displaying.

For what it's worth, Henderson says:

Unintentional.

Henderson's quotes:

"Obviously it was a foul, but I wasn't trying to hurt him. He got our guys in the air, and I came down on him. It's unfortunate that it turned out like it did, but I wasn't trying to hurt the kid or anything. It just turned out worse than it was."

Coach Kryscsknqidaipainf's quotes:

"I know he didn't do it on purpose. He just doesn't do that, and seeing it, I'm convinced. Did he get hit? Yeah, and that's ugly to see that. You never want that to happen to anybody. But the kid didn't intend to do that. I firmly believe that."

Well, damn. That settles it. If Coach Kryszxqodoiadgjadlkski firmly believes it, that must settle the matter, right?

No?

Swamp all-everything Hood* has a thread and poll started on the matter here in the Swamp. Stop by with a thought or two.

Virginia can clinch the ACC title with a win against Wake Forest Saturday.

Sorry, Dave, but you might need to batten down the hatches of the ACC, because the end times are coming.

Next thing you know, Kentucky will be playing on Thursday in the SEC Tournament and finishing below the likes of Vanderbilt and Tennessee. I am not looking forward to those days.

Two teams you do not want to face in March: Texas and Texas A&M. Frankly, I'd rather face the Longhorns despite the season Kevin Durant is having. Because anyone who is watching what Acie Law IV is doing at A&M is scared out of their socks. The kid is simply in one of those zones. He's hitting everything. Game on the line, there is no one else in America who I want shooting the ball more than Law right now. In fact, I can't remember a shooter in this type of zone at this time of year. Maybe Adam Morrison, but this guy reminds me more of Glen Rice or Glenn Robinson.

Last night, despite the fact that Texas won their home leg of this season's competition between the two teams, Law was the star, twice forcing overtimes with three-pointers. He is playing like a man amongst boys.

Also in college hoops:

- Maryland swept the Dukies. Three to four weeks ago, the Terps looked NIT-bound. They are now probably shooting for a four-seed in the tournament.

- Kansas State students are no longer allowed to throw live chickens on the court or at their opponents. I had no idea this was even a practice. And it begs the questions: What took so long to reach this decision?

Don't look now. But the once-mighty Florida Gators are in a freefall. Yes, they've wrapped up the SEC, and they are still the defending national champions, but heading into last night, they had lost two of their three previous games, having likely fallen out of a #1 seed for March Madness. Meanwhile, Dick Vitale acccidentally spilled the beans about what he really thinks about the Gators and about what Donovan thinks about Joakim Noah.

So yesterday, they headed to Tennessee for Senior Night, and the Volunteers pulled out all the stops. Peyton Manning gave the kids a pre-game speech. Pat Summitt dressed up like a cheerleader and led a rendition of "Rocky Top" while standing on top of two of her assistant coaches, which sent the crowd into a frenzy, the Vols went on a 17-0 first-half run, and beat the Gators by 10.

Someone send Billy Donovan a can of Dapper Dan. He'll need to be laying it on thick to keep his hair in place.

(As always, not that you care)

I dutifully watched this one, as the hype remains that these are two teams that can make deep runs in the tournament. Plus, it gave me a good excuse to finally slide out of work for the day. Also, as a Grizzlies fan* there was the whole Greg-Oden-might-come-to-Memphis-if-the-fates-allow thing. What I saw:

---Oden is already a premier defender. Then again, you knew that. But watching him (and I had not really watched him since late December) again, he simply erases the middle. I have not seen a college center that dominant defensively since Patrick Ewing. His stat line of only four blocks doesn't tell the story. Many times Wisconsin wouldn't even test the middle, and on the occasions they did, he altered at least another dozen or so shots. Imposing.

---That style of Oden's, coupled with a young OSU team, leads to some games that are throwback low-scoring. The final today was 49-48 (OSU winning with 3.9 seconds to go). It didn't help that Wisconsin loves them some low-scoring games as well. Actually, the final score here was emblematic of what the Big 10 has become in basketball. Deadly boring. A quick glance at some sample scores from the league this year reads like a when's when of the peach basket era:

58-46, 68-45, 56-50, 60-49, 55-40, 51-43, 59-50, 57-46, 57-50, 59-49, 59-44, 53-51, 48-37, 54-42.

Yuck. I guess you can make the conference of good defenses argument, or the Bo Ryanization of the conference argument, or the Odenization of the conference argument, but too many games in that conference this year have been like watching paint dry. Outside of Ohio State and Wisconsin, I won't be trusting any of the teams that make the tournament from the Big 10. And I wonder when the conference will return to having the legitimate league wide talent that made it the premier (and, let's face it, exciting) conference that it was in the late 80s and early 90s. I remember games where the teams flew up and down the floor. Those days are a distant memory at this point.

---Note to OSU Coach Thad Matta...the five second rule doesn't apply to gum that has fallen out of your mouth. The CBS cameras caught Matta inadvertantly losing his gum, picking it up off of the basketball floor and putting it back in his mouth. Nasty. Don't do that in the future.

---It was a physical as hell game today to boot, with a ton of contact that wasn't called. If the calls tighten up in the tourney, as they often do, both of those teams are going to potentially have problems.

---One last Billy Packer note: hey, Billy? When you get on one of your self-important rants and say that Oden can't be compared to Lew Alcindor or Bill Russell by comparing their college averages to Oden's and finding Oden's wanting, you might want to mention that it is impossible to do an apples to apples comparison since Alcindor and Russell didn't play during freshman eligibility years. I am guessing if Oden were to be insane and stick around to his senior year, his numbers would be comparable. As it is, he clearly owns the floor now and needs to prove nothing at this point. The NBA awaits.

*One of three remaining

Wisconsin vs. Ohio State.

Even Wisconsin's stumble earlier in the week at East Lansing doesn't take away from two teams that appear capable of making Final 4 runs.

While we're here, the latest Bracketology at espn.com (2/21) shows Georgia Tech, Clemson, Georgia and Syracuse as the last four out. Syracuse's win over Providence yesterday was huge, at that point, in terms of jockeying for Selection Sunday.

Losing to Vandy at Vandy (and that weird floor and atmosphere)? No biggie. Happens to a lot of teams. And this year's Vanderbilt team is pretty damn good.

Getting blown out by an LSU team that is struggling to make the NIT and didn't have their best player on the floor yesterday? That feels like a little more of a biggie. Especially when you consider LSU is last in the SEC and had dropped nine of their last ten.

Luke Winn, one half of si.com's fine college basketball writing talent (with the incomparable Grant Wahl), tries to figure out if it is "just" complacency with the defending champs, or if there is another problem beyond that:

"Should we chalk up what happened on Saturday to boredom or complacency and say, Don't worry, they'll flip the switch back on when it matters? Florida did, after all, already have the SEC title locked up before it road-tripped to the Bayou (clinching it Wednesday against South Carolina) and it also suffered through a similarly timed slump last season (losing to Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama in late February) before sweeping the SEC and NCAA tournaments. Or should we worry that the Gators are awkwardly backing into the big dance? If you were hoping to hear them assuage your doubts ... then you probably shouldn't keep reading. 'We can't just plan to flip the switch,' said junior forward Corey Brewer, who finished with 11 points and four turnovers. 'In the tournament, teams are going to be bringing their best at us, and if we're playing like this, we're going to lose. We're living dangerously right now, and if we don't fix it in the next couple of games, we could have problems.'"

At the least, those quotes make me think this too shall pass. Florida has enough players with their heads screwed on straight to understand the problem and deal with it. Brewer is right, the Gators cannot rely on being able to simply "flip a switch", but the important thing is that he (and, therefore, his teammates) knows that.

I would guess that Florida will get its house in order during the SEC tournament, and that another deep run in the tournament is in the offing, vomitous performance in Baton Rouge notwithstanding.

By the way, Glenn Davis and his significant inside presence was the player that LSU was missing, and Joakim Noah, alleged top five NBA pick, responded to the glaring absence in the middle by racking up 4 points and 3 rebounds in 21 minutes. Um, that's not exactly the kind of production you might have expected there from a guy rated as highly as he is. At all.

There was a time when I would take off from work for one or more of the first days of the March Madness tournament. It was completely and totally worth two vacation or ... cough, cough ... sick days. But as the years progressed and responsibilities at work prevented that from being an option, I tended to miss a lot of the early games.

Well, starting last year, people could watch the Madness on their computers at the office. The response for this free access was overwhelming. So this year, the folks at CBS Sportsline are offering anyone the opportunity to sign up for VIP access for free. What does this VIP access mean? Well, it may very well be the difference between getting to watch the games and clicking refresh every 10 seconds on a Gamecast.

Berger from Sports Business Radio explains:

"As a VIP member, users will have much faster access to live video from the 2007 NCAA® Division I Men's Basketball Championship on game days. Without VIP access, fans will have to wait in a virtual line behind all VIP members. As an example of how long this virtual line can be, in 2006, MMOD had 150,000 people in the waiting room on Thursday March 16 just after the first games started. If that line was single-file and visible (assuming each person takes up two feet of space), it would have been over 50 miles long."

I signed up. It took ten seconds. Literally. Click on this link to do the same.

Thanks to Swamp Hall of Famer wlu_lax for the heads up.

Apparently they could. I would be fine with that. Might even make my March if that came to pass. Either that, or they will still be given the #1 seed and given two first round games somewhere in North Carolina. The committee may reflexively go there.

A quick glance at the latest bubble watch on espn.com (now worth looking at as February deepens) tells me that Duke should be fine, latest stumbles notwithstanding. A 20-win Duke team ain't getting left at home in March, no matter how much that might please the masses.

Make sure your tail lights and brake lights are working. Make sure you have a valid registration sticker. Make sure you are white. You don't want to get pulled over for something trivial and end up like Gonzaga basketball players Josh Heytvelt and Theo Davis. The two Zags (what a trippy name, dude!) are suspended indefinitely after last night's arrest. The sophomore Heytvelt's pending absence puts Gonzaga firmly on the bubble.

So Morgan State head basketball coach Todd Bozeman flipped out becuase he was given ham sandwiches. As random and crazy as that appears to be, and as unprofessional as he reportedly was in handling the situation, I imagine some of his concern is related to people who don't eat ham for religious reasons.

Let's remember that it was Bozeman who successfully brought Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Cal. And according to at least two sources, Bozeman studied Muslim customs. From The Washington Post: "Bozeman spent a month studying Islam before he visited Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a highly regarded forward from Marietta, Ga. When he got there, he greeted Abdur-Rahim's mom with a cultural bow and told her about Cal's burgeoning Muslim community. If need be, Bozeman said, Cal could schedule practices around religious obligations. Abdur-Rahim committed a few weeks later."

He even enlisted the services of a tutor: "Golden Bears' coach, Todd Bozeman, had learned about Muslim customs before his recruitment visit with Abdur-Rahim and enlisted the help of Hashim Alauddeen, a graduate student at the university who was active in the Muslim community."

And for a little local angle on the story, I am confident that at least one group have become huge supporters of Bozeman. You see, the Nation of Islam sells its newspapers and bean pies at the prime intersection near the Morgan State campus. They are out there almost every day.

If Bozeman did throw this fit for religious purposes, I'll be keeping my eyes out for orange and blue arm bands for solidarity.

Thanks to Bevo Sports for the clip of Bobby Knight's comments on Kevin Durant, which includes this gem: "There's no secret. There's no secret thing he drinks before the game. There's no secret thing he rubs on his ***."

Knight is very convincing in his knowledge of what Durant does with his privates before a game.

Fair warning: this is a long piece about UK basketball.

I tried. I said let's give him a chance. Let's see what happens when it's a full roster of his players. Let's let his system take root. Now, Tubby Smith's system has taken a rooting. It's taken my rooting and made it something I do when I have time, not that I make time to do.

It's incredibly hard to type those words. I'm born and bred Bluegrass. There's Kentucky Basketball, and there's everything else. For years, there were thirty to thirty-five days a year that the schedule is set before plans can be made.

Kentucky fans are notoriously arrogant about the basketball program. That's somewhat acceptable if you ignore one detail: that entitlement that we feel isn't real and it never was. The hierarchy of college basketball is more fluid than any other collegiate sport.

For all the titles that UCLA has won, they were garnered primarily on the watch of John Wooden. Other UCLA coaches have underperformed by any standard that traditional powers gauge themselves by, let alone those of Wooden. Duke had a history for years that was certainly good, but Mike Kyrzsewski elevated them to that traditional power level. Kansas has always been associated with getting close but failing to take home the trophy as much as fans there feel like they deserve.

Kentucky has won titles in four different decades, which makes them an anomaly even among the traditional powers. As to titles, there were two in the Forties, two in the Fifties, one in the Seventies and two more in the Nineties. There have been three titles for the Cats since 1959, so why should fans, in 2007, feel entitled to anything? The same applies to North Carolina, whose fans also arrogantly hold themselves above others because of their past. Yes, UNC claimed a title in 2005. Before that, it had been twelve years. Before that, eleven. Before that, twenty-five.

Continue reading "Tubby Smith and the Entitlement of the Fan" »

Texas freshman Kevin Durant.

If Durant doesn't win the award it will be a traveshamockery of the first order. Last night, he hung 37 points and 23 rebounds on a Texas Tech team that had no answers. It was literally like watching a man among boys.

For those who haven't paying attention Durant has been running roughshod over the Big 12 since conference play began. He has three 37-point games in the conference and became only the second player in Big 12 history to record more than 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game.

No. 1 Seed Implications:

Wisconsin 57, Iowa 46: That's 17 straight for the Badgers. And they also just beat Iowa in wrastlin' for the first time since the LBJ Administration.

Duke 75, Boston College 61: I love the headline they came up with for that one. By the way, why is the Duke game under "No. 1 seeds"? Jay Bilas has me in a headlock.

Also: Currently, UCLA is in action against the Tree.

Bubble Implications:

Kentucky 76, Tennessee 57: JaJuan Smith scored about 87% of the Vol points.

Virginia 64, Clemson 63: These two teams both smell like 5-7 seeds that lose in the first round.

Georgia 57, LSU 54: Like their football team initially did, the talent-laden Tigers are struggling to meet expectations.

Also: In the Big East, Marquette and West Virginia got relatively expected wins.

Two teams face off. Team A is at home, has a 29-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents (cupcakes are yummy) and 83.4 points per game. Team B is traveling across country, playing without their No. 2 scorer and rebounder and also without a reserve swingman. Sounds like a scenario for a rout. And it was.

Carolina (Team B) crushed Arizona (Team A), handing Lute Olson his worst home loss in 24 seasons as coach of the Wildcats. In the embarrassment that was this game, Arizona went 1-23 from behind the arc. That's Rex Grossman territory.

It was the season's lowest scoring total for Arizona.The Tar Heels held the Wildcats to one basket in the final 9:10 of the first half and without a field goal for nearly seven minutes in the second half.

Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl painted his chest and cheered in the student section at a Tennessee women's game. Women's coach Pat Summitt stopped to shake his hand before the game. I'm sure she'll thank him again for becoming the headline instead of her squad's home loss to Duke.

Somewhere in Southern Mississippi, Larry Eustachy is shaking his head at the amateur antics of Pearl. If you want to bag the campus coeds, all it takes is a six-pack of Natty Light cans and a mock turtleneck. Pearl went overboard. Painting your chest, throwing on the headband and sitting through a women's game? It just screams needy. He might have a chance with a band girl.

And I don't want any complaints about sensationalist headlines either. Like you'd rather have seen a female college hoops coach go topless.

Honestly, that's the message I get out of his love letter to Birmingham Southern, which recently eliminated all of its athletic scholarships and dropped from Division I to Division III.

In Frank's world, I bet he wishes we could go back to the 1940s when gas was 10 cents a gallon and Clark Gablesque pencil-thin mustaches were cool. Back then, college athletes were in it for the education, damn it and it wasn't about football on TV. Hell, there was no TV! Those were the days.

What may have worked for Birmingham Southern is great and all, but Deford doesn't bother presenting any dissenting viewpoints except to state that there was a "firestorm" without explaining exactly who was generating said firestorm.

The only message I can get out of this column is that maybe all universities should drop scholarships and go back to playing for love of the game.

What a grand idea, Mr. Deford. I'll go warm up the Desoto so we can sell war bonds to defeat the Nazis. You just stay on the porch and shake your fists at the kids running on your lawn while the rest of the world moves on without you.

For me, the 80s to the early 90s were a golden age of college basketball. Unreal talent flowed into college and stayed there long enough to make an impact. As the decade rolled on, ESPN's collection of games were must see television to catch a glimpse of talent like Chris Mullin at St. John's, Danny Manning at Kansas, the Len Bias Maryland teams, any of the Georgetown teams even post-Patrick Ewing; really, the list of teams worth seeing was lengthy. And the games outstanding.

Then, the 90s hit and the influx of the best of the talent fleeing high school straight for college set in, and while perhaps an argument can be made that college ball didn't really suffer, from my perspective it wasn't close to as interesting and well played a game (in general) as what we had seen a decade earlier. It was no longer really necessary as a sports fan to make time to catch a random night game on ESPN.

Now, in the first year where talent is forced into at least a year of college ball before heading to the NBA, it feels like regular season college ball is well worth a look again. Almost must see television. Yesterday I highlighted the freshman campaign being put together by Kevin Durant and last night he was again amazing, only to come up short because Mario Boggan at Oklahoma State matched him, hitting an Arenas-esque three with a hand in his face to lift Oklahoma State over Texas in the third overtime, 105-103. Luke Winn at si.com in his blog calls it the the best game of the year so far. Impossible to argue with that.

Boggan hung 37 points with 20 boards on Texas, with just one turnover for the Cowboys. The insane game winning shot. Durant, going for 37 of his own for the Longhorns, with 12 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 blocks for good measure. Durant hit his own huge shots, one three to tie the game in the first overtime, a sequence of block and release to dunk to force another tie. A rebound put back and foul to give Texas the temporary 103-102 lead.

Frankly, it was amazing and compelling to watch. And the kind of game that college ball used to offer on a regular basis back in the day. And appears to be ready to offer again, with really interesting and good teams littering the landscape of college ball ranging the entire west coast to the traditional hoops studs in the east. And checking the ESPN family of channels for the games being offered that night is again a must.

In case you are wondering why the teams in Memphis, Philadelphia, and a few other places are losing with such fervor this year, look to the upcoming ridiculously deep draft. There are franchise changers all over the place, not just at #1 with Greg Oden. Consider for a moment Texas' Kevin Durant, where his scouting profile at NBADraft.net reads:

"Strengths: His upside is out of this world ... This kid is not even begining to scratch the surface of his potential ... Looking at him you see his frame is going to fill out in 3-4 years ... Very fluid athlete with explosiveness ... He plays hard and is still learning the game ... Provided he works hard, Durant is going to be a special player in the league who will be able to do many different things on the court ... Not aggressive enough to be like KG, but skilled enough down the road to contribute like a AK47 or a Grant Hill... Developing inside outside game ... Can shoot the 3 and flush in transition ... It is scary to think of what he could be like if he puts on 15 lbs of muscle and developed a handle, a 2010 version of KG."

Let's see...he's 6'10" and projects to comfortably play the 3 in the NBA. Oh, and his games in Texas this year? He's averaging 23.7 ppg with 11 boards a game. He's shooting 50% from the floor, 85% from the line, and a nice 38% from beyond the arc. Toss in nearly two steals, two assists and two blocks a game with just three turnovers a game, and he is having one of the best freshman campaigns I can recall in college in a long time.

His breakdown of his individual performances is eye-popping. A sampling:

28 points and 13 boards against Oklahoma
34 points and 13 boards against Missouri
37 points and 16 boards against Colorado
26 points and 8 boards against Tennessee
28 points and 13 boards against Arkansas
21 points and 9 boards against Michigan State
29 points and 10 boards against Gonzaga
10 points and 11 boards against LSU

It appears that his freshman has not just been crazy good, but crazy good against rock solid competition. Factor in that his last three games have been those monster efforts against Oklahoma, Missouri, and Colorado, and it appears that he is getting better as the year goes on.

If you have not caught a Texas game yet, flip on ESPN 2 tonite and see Texas and Durant head to #14 Oklahoma State. Oh, and it's a ways off, but Kansas and Texas have just one regular season game scheduled this year, set for March 3 in Kansas on CBS. That one is must see as well.

First they knocked off Duke, now they've taken down #1 North Carolina. I'll be waiting for the Dave Sez write-up, but to this observer, the ACC looks pretty deep this year.

Don't think the ACC has a monopoly on parity though. Apart from the Gators, who dominated their way to another #1 spot, many top-ranked teams scratched out tough wins in college hoops today. #3 WIsconsin, #4 UCLA, #5 Ohio State, and #6 Kansas all won, but by a combined total of 13 points.

And following on the coattails of George Mason last season, the mid-majors are making noise in the rankings early instead of waiting until the tournament. First it was Wichita State, now Butler and Air Force are marching towards a top 10 ranking.

In the national game on CBS, Syracuse beat Villanova handily. This Orange team is wildly inconsistent, but they are also incredibly deep and dangerous. They have four players who have the ability to take over a game, or completely disappear. One gets the sense that Jim Boeheim is still trying to determine the correct rotation. If he gets it right, this team has the ability to make a deep run in March. If he doesn't, they could miss the tourney entirely.

How would a college basketball team celebrate their first win in 11 years? Yes that's correct 11 years. A 207 game losing streak.

California Institute of Technology is the world-renowned institution where Albert Einstein lectured, Linus Pauling was a professor and 31 Nobel Prize winners either have taught or studied, has extremely high admission standards and draws many of the nation's top students in science and math.

Like other Division III schools, Caltech does not offer athletic scholarships, and many of its players didn't so much as play varsity basketball in high school.

Maybe this is what college athletics should be about, rather than being minor league teams for the pros. I dare say that the basketball of Cal Tech will go on to do more to benefit humanity than say Memphis or Texas or Georgetown.

Now Caltech next will try to end an even longer losing streak, 245 consecutive defeats in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play going back almost 22 years.

When you want to giggle, visit the Pickle:

"Greg Oden's Teammates Not Getting His 1970s Pop Culture References

"Ohio State men's basketball head coach Thad Matta says star center Greg Oden has been fantastic on the floor during his first season in Columbus, but that the grizzled freshman is having troubles fitting in with his teammates off the court.

"Greg is like a man among boys on the court and it's the same way off it, too. In fact, I probably have more in common with him than any of the players,' said Matta, 39. 'We really enjoy talking about our favorite 'All In The Family' episodes or debating which Doobie Brothers album is the best.'

"Buckeyes guard Mike Conley said that the team likes Oden well enough, but that there is a certain awkwardness when they all hang out together."

In case you have been in a coma, do know that conference play has begun. In case you need further convincing, look no further than yesterday's reality check in college ball:

#1 UCLA falls to Oregon 68-66
#5 Duke falls to Va Tech in Durham in OT
#7 Arizona loses to Washington State in OT
#8 Alabama blown out by Arkansas (a rather thorough beat down 88-61)

Nothing says conference play has arrived quite like seeing the best teams in college ball treated rudely by those who know them best...

Thanks to swamper TTB for finding the below pic and starting a caption thread here. However crappy my weekend has been (topped off by a Sunday at work) at least I haven't had some dude's groin rubbed in my face. Then again, Paulus probably got rid of the stank by burying his in some Duke coed, so that's one for him.

Luke Winn over at cnnsi.com is doing a great job of keeping track of some of the more unique-looking college hoops players. These are guys I tend to root for in March Madness. While Sean Ogirri's amazing Afro and skills have already been noted in The Swamp, we would be remiss in not bringing you some additions from Winn's style archive:

1. The Rooster Hawk, Ryan Patzwald, Kansas State guard

2. The Low Hawk, by Greg Stiemsma, Wisconsin center

3. The Screech-Fro, by Matt Hill, Texas forward

4. Using Product, by Tyler Hatch, Oklahoma State forward

That would be the college basketball Part I. Despite OSU's horrific showing yesterday, you have to like the chances of a Part II between those teams at some point this March (or early April). I will say this, the rule restricting high schoolers from fleeing straight to the NBA has made certain college games hella interesting again, as mini-NBA teams have returned to the collegiate ranks. Those two teams are loaded with future pros, and Florida, in the short term, is clearly better when it puts its mind to it. Will it still be when some of OSU's kids grow up? We'll see. The wrap-up from Mark Schlabach on espn.com:

"Horford didn't start the game, but went in after sitting just over two minutes. He played somewhat cautiously in the first half, failing to score and taking only two shots with six rebounds. But then Horford played more aggressively in the second half, finishing with 11 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. 'Obviously, he showed today he's one of the best big men in the country,' Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. 'He was as impressive as he could be. We planned all week like he was going to play.' And Horford was even more impressive defending Oden, a 7-footer from Indianapolis. Oden is widely considered the best freshman in the country and potentially the No. 1 choice in next year's NBA draft if he leaves Ohio State after only one season.

'He's a monster,' Noah said. 'I've never played against anyone like that dude before.' And Oden is still essentially playing with only one hand. He missed the Buckeyes' first seven games after undergoing surgery on his right wrist June 16. A pin was removed from the wrist Oct. 19, but he still wears a black cast on his right hand. Oden is forced to shoot foul shots left-handed and rarely uses his right hand. With Noah, Horford and senior Chris Richard going right at Oden, the Buckeyes' star freshman had one point and missed both of his shots from the field in the second half. He finished with seven points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Oden picked up his fourth foul with 7:51 to play and sat out the final 3 minutes, 21 seconds of the game."

Let's hope there is another meeting between these schools. It is fun to see this kind of talent coursing through the collegiate ranks once again.

To distinguish from his fine footie mailbags. Outstanding read, as usual, from Wahl, with this note among many solid insights:

"(By the way, could someone tell me why Friend of the 'Bag Jay Bilas has suddenly turned into Lou Dobbs on us and gone all one-note against the mid-majors? We've always called Billy Packer the Lord Protector of Big-Conference Mediocrities, but our favorite Hollywood alien is making a push for the title if he thinks it should have been front-page news that Indiana beat Southern Illinois at home. We still think Bilas is one of the smartest broadcasters out there on most issues, but one of the biggest differences between the high- and mid-majors continues to be where the games are played. When the playing field is leveled and big-conference mediocrities are willing to play mid-majors on the road half the time, then we can talk.)"

Great observation and relevant criticism against a fellow commentator. See, espn? It's possible to do this without burning bridges. I still don't understand why ESPN has reigned in Bill Simmons on this score over the years. Happily, SI does not. Which means we are just a few weeks away from the best column of the year---Dr. Z's annual takedown of the NFL announcing teams.

By the way, that critique was offered at the end of a response to a larger question whether this could be the year a mid-major breaks through and wins the whole thing. Like Wahl, I don't see it, but Witchita State at least is worthy of some thought along those lines.

Philly's drawing a line in the sand with Allen Iverson this year makes more and more sense the more we see of Greg Oden. The Celtics' infatuation with the coaching stylings of Doc Rivers comes into focus. Mike Fratello's fascination with giving Eddie Jones run, well, more palatable every time Oden shows his skill. The race to the best odds at getting Oden has been underway in the NBA for two months now, and the early winner is the 76ers, who may have been fed up with Iverson, but are certainly awful without him. An awful that Andre Miller won't fix. So they are a leg up on the odds for the most ping pong balls, and a chance at the best center to come out of college since Tim Duncan.

Pat Forde on the first three games of his freshman year for Oden, a year in which he will play almost entirely away from his dominant hand as he recovers from wrist surgery:

"Hell, the mind reels at the freshman's present. Oden missed the first collegiate shot he took, a right-handed jump hook Dec. 2 against Valparaiso. He missed the last shot he's taken, a left-handed jump hook in the second half of the Buckeyes' 72-50 rout of Cincinnati on Saturday in the John Wooden Tradition. Between those shots, he made a Waltonesque 17 straight on an assortment of dunks, jump hooks and putbacks. After not playing an organized basketball game for eight months, the one-armed man is now scraping by, shooting 90 percent from the field. The foul line is a different story: Oden is just 10 for 21 there. Which is pretty lousy, until you consider the fact that the right-hander is shooting free throws as a lefty. Bo Kimble might be the only living human not impressed by that ambidexterity. Oden has the rest of the big man's repertoire down cold. Bless his heart, he's a center who actually likes to play center."

Ohio State plays Florida on Saturday, which means Oden will be faced with an NBA style front-line for the first time. Guess I will be carving out a few hours for that one amidst the family activities this weekend.

...this item:

Marquette and Wisconsin have a blood feud with respect to their basketball programs. Thanks, Andy Katz, for illuminating this. After a quick scan of the piece (this is their 113th meeting), my interest in this game has risen from "None" to "None but I will check the score at some point".

Did you know Texas A&M is ranked sixth in the country in college basketball? Men's college basketball? It's true. I feel like I fell asleep for ten years or something.

They're even playing No. 1 UCLA today. Now, UCLA being No. 1 -- that makes sense to me.

How did this happen? Next I suppose you're going to tell me that Wichita State and Butler are both in the Top 15 as well?

Meet Paul Harris of Syracuse. Greg Oden is getting all the hype, but this is the kid that Andy Katz last year said might actually turn into the better player. He's stil going through inconsistent play (0 points in the first half last night), but when he gets going, he can carry a team (14 points in the second) .

Last night, after a first half 27-1 run, #17 Wichita State (a Sweet 16 team that has already beaten two Final Four teams this season on the road) was dominating. And while #15 Syracuse managed to chip into the lead a bit, it wasn't until Harris grabbed a rebound, took it the length of the court, and threw down the dunk of the season that his team and the Carrier Dome crowd erupted.

Harris went on to score nine points in a row, leading a 21-2 Syracuse resurgence. The Orange would have taken the lead if only Demetris Nichlols knew how to make a wide-open lay-up. Eventually Syracuse lost. But one very good team beating another good team isn't the real story here. The real story is the beginning of what could and should be a stellar career.

Of course, try finding that angle on the internet or the local papers. I gave up looking for the Paul Harris storyline after checking five or six articles. If you watched the game, and it was on national television, it was clear that Harris' play turned the entire game around. But apparently the college hoops writers had too much to do last night. Because it's hard to even find a mention of Harris, except in passing. I guess they all decided to check the Gametracker and copy the AP story.

The youtubers have yet to get Harris' earth-shattering dunk against the Shockers last night up online, but they do have a pretty sick dunk against Northeastern.

And just to torture Cuse fans, here is the game-blowing missed lay-up from Nichols courtesy of yahoo:

The Sports Frog's favorite SI columnist for his stellar soccer work and his equally stellar college basketball writing is back with his in-season college basketball mailbag feature. Wahl is a master at this format, and the pieces are solid reads as he picks outstanding questions with which to respond. A question on sleepers for the 2006/07 season frames this effort:

"We know it is short lived, but this week Butler was No. 1 in the RPI. Can you give us a few early mid-major sleepers?
-- Brian, Albany, N.Y.

It may be short-lived for Butler to be in the No. 1 RPI slot, but who's to say the Bulldogs' wins over Notre Dame and Indiana aren't indicative of a danger in Hinkle Fieldhouse that was greater than anyone anticipated? Butler's A.J. Graves had a terrific first week, and I'm psyched to see Butler-Tennessee in NYC on Wednesday. I included a few so-called mid-majors in last week's top 20 (Creighton, Wichita State, Southern Illinois), but here are a few more worth checking out:

• Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers took down Georgia in Athens (take that, Dennis Felton!) and should provide Florida its first test of the season on Friday.

• Winthrop. The Eagles cooled off a bit with a loss at Maryland, but they gave North Carolina all it could handle and won at Mississippi State. (Too bad Tar Heel Tyler Hansbrough couldn't give his Bulldogs bro, freshman Ben Hansbrough, a better scouting report.)

• Old Dominion. Blaine Taylor's crew may have lost a squeaker to Clemson, but the win at Georgetown shows that ODU should be a force once again in the ever-dangerous CAA."

Butler did indeed turn out to be dangerous (this piece came out in advance of Butler's run to the pre-season NIT title). Between Wahl and Luke Winn, si.com is THE place to get your college basketball chatter on the web.

Kansas 82. Flordia 80. In overtime.

I guess my headline is redundant. Since it is a big win for Kansas, it is by definition early in the season. If this was March...not so much.

At any rate, it was a helluva an interesting game to watch last night, even with Dick Vitale's voice boring into my head. Andy Katz with some very relevant observations for those of you who did not watch it late last night:

"And college basketball got a rare holiday treat with a game that lived up to its anticipation on the court as well as exceeded it in the stands with an electric buzz, reverberating throughout every corner of this arena. What's next on the agenda? ACC-Big Ten Challenge? Duke-Gonzaga? Ohio State-Florida? It might be hard to duplicate this one that ended at 1:24 a.m. on the East Coast, at least until conference play if not maybe March. Four months from now the games will matter more and the postgame reactions in the locker rooms won't be nearly as constructively analytical. But in the end it will be hard to top a late November Saturday night in Vegas because this one will be remembered fondly for a long time."

Plus, writers like Katz got to kick around Las Vegas for a few days, so that does not hurt either...