Kentucky Bound

Well, finally, Calipari accepted the Kentucky Wildcats head coaching position. We knew this was going to happen shortly after Memphis lost in the NCAA tournament. Kentucky is the right fit for Calipari. He's won in most of the places that he's gone, but now he'll be at Kentucky. This used to be a great job, except the losing seasons over the past few years have put some tarnish on that old Kentucky mystique. All it took was 8 years and $35 million. I think you can live well on that type of money in Kentucky. The bigger question is what happens to the recruits that Calipari has coming to Memphis. This is going to get a little sticky because the NCAA won't normally let those kids that already signed a letter of commitment to a school out of that letter without having them sit out a year (can you say bull$*%@?). We'll see what the NCAA does. The other part of this is what happens to the kids that were already coming to Kentucky? With Kentucky already over the limit with scholarships someone is going to be left short. Congrats to John Calipari for hitting the lottery with his new job and his new contract. This will definitely make the SEC that much more interesting.

Is Coach Cal wrong for leaving Memphis? Who will Memphis go after as their new coach? Is Calipari worth $35M?

Elite 8 - Part 2

Today is going to be a good day of games. You have two #1 vs. #2 games. Like I said before, I have my pick for NCAA champion playing today.

2:20pm EST

Michigan St. vs. Louisville - Michigan State pulled out a close one against Kansas. The thing they showed me is that they have that fight in them. They were down 13 and they ended up winning. I like Lucas and the rest of this cast, but the light they see coming down the tunnel is a train. Louisville looked awesome playing against Arizona. I mean the Wildcats had a rough time inbounding the ball. I think Rick Pitino got a basket during the game (let me check the box score). Louisville looked so good, I can't in good confidence pick anyone over them right now.

Projected Winner - Louisville

5:05pm EST

Oklahoma vs. North Carolina - Oklahoma showed me something against Syracuse. I think that they showed me that they can play even without their All American, Blake Griffin. This team has scoring on the perimeter and when they have Blake Griffin in the post, he's gonna get you 20 and 10 if he's sleep walking. North Carolina destroyed Gonzaga in the same manner that Louisville beat Arizona. I think that Carolina is deep enough in the front court to handle Blake Griffin. The Heels are deeper and they have the better point guard in Ty Lawson. Lawson looked okay yesterday, but if you watched him he was running differently, he wasn't running on his toes, he was running flat footed. With back to back games, we'll see just how good that toe is feeling. Still, Heels will be too much.

Projected Winner - North Carolina

Elite 8 - Part 1

Well, based on the games from the last two days, I know nothing about NCAA basketball. Let's try this again and see what happens. Today we have some very interesting games and I should be able to pick these, they should be easy, right?

4:40pm EST

Missouri vs. Connecticut - Somewhere Nolan Richardson is smiling. His system is showing us how timeless that '40 Minutes of Hell' actually was. Missouri uses the same system and they have a lot of success. I doubt many of you had them coming this far. They win with defense and hard nosed play. I think Connecticut is the first #1 to go home. Not so much for any reason other than the Tigers seem to be on a run. Thabeet will be an issue for the Tigers if this becomes a half court game, but I expect that the Tigers to try and use the person he's guarding to pull him away from the paint.

Projected Winner - Missouri


7:05pm EST

Villanova vs. Pittsburgh - And Pitt lives to play again. Ok, I am going to pick Villanova because it's just time for Pitt to lose. They haven't been playing basketball since they've been in the tournament and Villanova has the horses to make them pay for that. Then again, maybe this is the game that Pitt makes us all realize that they are a #1 seed and warrant that distinction. Same cast of characters from each team, but I think the bigs from Villanova win this game for them.

Projected Winner - Villanova

Sweet Sixteen - Part 2

Great games last night, but tonight is THE night. In most of my brackets, the winner of the tournament is coming from one of these games. Let's take a look at the tale of the tape.

7:07pm EST - Arizona vs. Louisville - Yes, I was surprised that Arizona made the tournament, but once they were in, I knew they'd mess up some people's brackets. These guys have talent and actually started playing well late in the season and they look like the team that many thought they would be throughout the year. They have their own big 3 in Budinger, Hill, and Wise. These guys have NBA talent and they are scary.

Louisville has the best coach to ever wear a white suit and a few guys that will just flat out out play you. Terrance Williams is possibly the best all around player in the tournament and when you add Clark and Samuels to the mix, that makes this pressing and running team tough to beat. I have Louisville in the title game, so there should be no question about which team I pick.

Projected Winner: Louisville

7:27pm EST

Syracuse vs. Oklahoma - The team on the roll against the team with the National Player of the Year (yes let's just go ahead and give it to Blake Griffin, no one even close). The Cuse as we all have seen (whoever stayed up to watch that 6 OT game against UCONN) have been playing well. They have one of the best point guards in the country in Jonny Flynn. Along with Flynn they have 4 other guys that average 10+ points a game. To me that means that any of these guys could go off on you at any time. Dangerous team.

Oklahoma is led by Griffin. Blake Griffin. He's a double double machine and he just seems to command attention. The Syracuse 2-3 zone will help limit his touches where he's most dangerous, in the paint. Oklahoma is going to have to hope their guards can hit those 3's. So, with that said, Austin Johnson is going to have to be hitting on all cylinders.

Projected Winner: Syracuse

9:37pm EST

Kansas vs. Michigan State - Big Ten vs. Big 12. This Kansas team is dangerous because they are deep. Bill Self might play 12 people tonight. Sherron Collins is the cog in the wheel, but this team is balanced and they play a good team game. Aldrich already had a big game, can he do it again?

Michigan State is led by Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan. But this Spartan team is also balanced and they push the ball pretty well. Coach Izzo has his team poised to make some noise this year, and I think they take care of Kansas.

Projected Winner: Michigan State

9:57pm EST

Gonzaga vs. North Carolina - Never has a big toe caused such a stir. Ty Lawson has said he will play and everyone wearing Carolina blue is praying for his toe to heal. If Lawson is at full strength, I don't see anyone beating them. They have too many horses in Ellington, Hansbrough, Green, Thompson, and Frasor. Without Lawson, the Heels will have problems with Gonzaga.

Gonzaga is playing well and they look to be a tough out. I am going to say that I am a Josh Heytvelt fan. This guy hustles and he can stretch the floor with his shooting range. He's a forward but plays mostly center for this team. Austin Daye gives the Bulldogs a Twin Towers look. Although Daye is probably 100 pounds wet with weights on, he throws his body around on the boards and has a decent mid range game for a big. You throw in Bouldin and Pargo and you got a chance for an upset.

Projected Winner: UNC


Ok, I did go with the ACC with my picks, but I think they pull this whole thing off. Can Gonzaga beat UNC? Do you see any other upsets happening?

NYSTOM MVP Race

Well, maybe I spoke too soon. NYSTOM has provided us with his updated MVP Race and I'm sitting here with my mouth wide open. Just one name throws me, and even I admitted that this guy is the engine for the Celtics, but there's no way this guy gets more MVP votes than Kobe.

Take a look and let us know. I know that people are going to have problems with this one. Am I the only one that's crazy? That's a rhetorical question people.

NYSTOM Top Ranked Players

My boy NYSTOM is back with his updated Top 50 Ranked players. I know that we've missed some iterations, but at least Rajon Rondo has dropped a few slots since our last posting. I think his formula has finally started to make more sense and as you can see we have the usual suspects in the top 3. I will go to bat for NYSTOM, because he was right about Rondo. Rondo was carrying/orchestrating that Celtics team to a lot of wins. When he got hurt, you could see that he was/is the engine behind that team. I'm not discounting KG (never would do that), Paul Pierce or Ray Allen, but Rondo was the man. Now that I've gone off on a tangent, let's get back to those rankings. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Is NYSTOM on point? Do you see anything wrong with his rankings?

Sweet Sixteen - Part 1

Ok, the first weekend is over and people have had a chance to calm down a little. What did you do with your bracket after the first weekend? Are you happy with your picks? Is your team still alive? There really haven't been that many upsets in the NCAA Tournament (unless you're an ACC fan). We have 4 games tonight and so we'll take a look at those.

7:07 PM EST

Purdue vs. Connecticut - This isn't going to be interesting. I like the way Purdue has played defense and they have found the basket from all over the court. Robbie Hummel has stepped up his game and he and JaJuan Johnson have formed a rather imposing duo. E'Twaun Moore has played good ball over the first two games of the tournament also. This team woke up from their Big Ten slumber.

Connecticut is being hounded by this recruiting scandal that just came out now. Why now? It just doesn't sound right, someone had to do this on purpose. Anyway, this team needs no more motivation, but it seems as though they've gotten it. Calhoun will rally his troops and I expect that they will dominate this game tonight.

Projected Winner: Connecticut

7:27 pm EST

Xavier vs. Pittsburgh - Talk about close calls. I think that Pittsburgh should already be home. They have played terribly in their two first round games and barely held on in each. Some people call that knowing how to win and doing it. At the end of the day they do it with DeJuan Blair and Sam Young. I'm not sold on Levance Fields, at least not yet. I would take Eaton from OK State over him. Nevertheless, Blair is a beast. A throwback of sorts. He's not jumping out of the gym, but when he gets rooted in the paint, you can hang it up.

Xavier is led by B.J. Raymond. Along with that, Xavier brings size, something Pittsburgh lacks. They have 5 guys that they can play on Blair that are 6-8 or taller. We'll get a chance to see how Blair does against this height. Derrick Brown and C. J Anderson have to play well and they may need someone else to step up in order for Xavier to win.

Projected Winner: Xavier

9:37pm EST

Missouri vs. Memphis - This is going to be a track meet. There will be more athletes on the floor tonight than we've seen in any one game. Missouri traps in order to speed up the game and they normally score off of defense. One thing to watch is DeMarre Carroll who twisted his ankle in practice this week.

Memphis is doing the same. Led by Antonio Anderson, the Memphis Tigers can out athlete anyone in the country. Roburt Sallie showed everyone that he can score when given the opportunity and a hot streak. But in my mind, Memphis doesn't have shooters. They can pressure you and do a lot of things, but shooting isn't one of them. That Achilles heel won't hurt them in this game. I expect a big game from Robert Dozier who has been asleep at the wheel for the first two games.

Projected Winner: Memphis

9:57pm EST

Duke vs. Villanova - This is the toughest game to pick. Duke comes in off of a tough win against Texas and they had a showing from their big men (yeah, close your mouth now). I was talking to someone about this and I'll say it here, if Brian Zoubek can get 10 and 10 for the next 3 games, Duke will win the National title. No I haven't been drinking. Zoubek played well against Texas and was able to get some boards, but he hustled and did something besides waste height. Duke has scorers with Henderson, Singler, and Scheyer, and guys that play defense like Smith, Williams, and McClure. If Paulus comes in and plays well, it's on to the Elite 8.

Villanova has the one thing that I think Duke needs, active big men. These guys are small, only one person over 6-8, but they rebound the ball. Dante Cunningham scares the $*%( out of me. I just see him getting Singler in foul trouble. Scottie Reynolds leads this team and sometimes Duke has problems with good/great point guards. This ought to be a good game that comes down to the team with the last shot.

Projected Winner: Duke

We'll see what happens tonight and I'll follow this one up with my picks for the games for the rest of the weekend.


Am I too much of a homer with Duke? Do you see Pitt getting upset? Is Memphis beatable?

NCAA Updates

LSU vs. Butler - Matt Howard has fouled out and LSU has closed this one out. No upset here. LSU up 68-63 with 35.7 seconds left.

Memphis vs. Cal State Northridge - It was fun while it lasted but Cal State can't hit shots now. Memphis' size has taken control and this one is ova!!! Memphis is up 78-68 with 1:02 left in the game.

NCAA Updates

Memphis vs. Cal State Northridge - The Matadors are up 6 and they are playing at a very high level. Memphis went on a run and Cal State came right back. Memphis can't seem to lay defense against these guys. They are shooting 50%+ from the field. Memphis just went on a 5 point run. This is the best game of the afternoon. The Matadors are up 1, 64-63.

TX-AM vs. BYU - BYU's heart is gone. They are down 16 and they can't hit a shot. Layups, bunnies, 3's, nothing. TX-AM up 66-49.

LSU vs. Butler - Butler had gone ahead by one, but LSU bounced back. LSU is up 63-58.`

NCAA Updates

TX-AM vs. BYU - I'm calling this one done. BYU can't put together a run,....they'll be going home tonight. TX-AM up 49-38. Someone better get on Josh Carter before he goes off.

Memphis vs. Cal State Northridge - This is going to end in a close on for Memphis. They really aren't playing well and they are getting beat on the boards by Cal State. Memphis looks nervous. Memphis up 40-37.

Butler vs. LSU - Although Butler has been dominated, they are only down 2 with 12:20 left in the 2nd half. LSU up 49-47.

Calhoun Out

Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun will not be coaching their game today. He was taken to the hospital for health related issues.

NCAA Updates

LSU vs. Butler - If Butler is going to win this game, they have to hit some more threes and play better. Maybe LSU holds on. LSU is up 35 to 29 at halftime.

TX-AM vs. BYU - TX-AM started hot by pounding the ball inside and then BYU bounced back. They still have a good margin heading into halftime with about 1:24 left in the first. TX-AM up 10.

Memphis vs. Cal State Northridge - WOW. Lots of fouls called and Memphis is having lots of problems. It's a two point game with about 42 seconds left in the half. Calipari is sweating bullets right now.

Drama in Denver

When will this stop? I mean come on, this is really childish for grown men to act like this. Cutler, be happy you have a starting NFL gig. I will go on record to say that Cutler is a better than average QB right now. Could he be better down the road, maybe, or maybe he's as good as he'll ever be right now. You have a rookie head coach who just came from the Patriots and actually was instrumental with the development of Matt Cassel. IF, Cassel was available, what's wrong with inquiring or even having discussions? Cutler catches feelings because his coach doesn't come out and say he loves him. WTF?!?!?

Essentially, Josh McDaniels (head coach of the Patriots) leaves the Pats and comes to Denver. He gets a team with a lot of talent and he has a good QB. So imagine you come home to Kim Kardashian. She has all the things you need/want and if life ended there, you'd be happy. But, then you find out that Halle Berry is possibly available and because you grew up with her and maybe helped her early in her career, you inquire about whether she'd like to be with you. Any man would have to look into the possibility.

Now Culter is pissed because his new coach won't give him a hug and say 'I love you, man!!!'. Cutler isn't that good that he should feel slighted that the Broncos asked about Cassel. Get over it. Be a man and report to camp and do something other than sound like a little b$(@@).

Who's side are you on in this matter? Cutler? McDaniels? Do you even care? Will Culter end up getting traded?

Tournament Time

Ok, if you don't have your brackets done by now, you have about 2 hours left before the first game. I am ready, hopefully you are. We all know that the #1 seeds are UNC, Louisville, UConn and Memphis. I really think that it could go any way this year. I personally made 5 different brackets on ESPN, and I'll have to post at least one of them here to see if I know what I'm talking about. For those of you that are working today, I'll update as I watch some of the games. Here's my take on the games today:

12:20pm EST - Butler vs. LSU - This ought to be a good game. LSU is athletic and they have a lot of horses, but I think I like Butler in this game. Butler should win this one close.

12:25pm EST - Cal State Northridge vs. Memphis - No question here, Memphis should run away with this.

2:30pm EST - Northern Iowa vs. Purdue - I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I like Purdue. They have a tough team and I like (for some reason) Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson.

2:50pm EST - Radford vs. UNC - We all know Radford has no chance even without Ty Lawson. Lawson's toe is only painful and won't become an injury that should hurt his career, so I expect him to play in the second round.

2:55pm EST - Maryland vs. California - This is ACC vs. Pac 10. No contest. Maryland and my main man Greivis Vasquez should make it out of this one.

3:00pm EST - Chattanooga vs. Connecticut - I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this ought to be close early. At the end, the Huskies' size with Thabeet, Adrien, and Robinson will prevail.

5:00pm EST - Mississippi State vs. Washington - I like the Bulldogs here. They are a tough team and I think they got the shaft on their ranking. Watch Barry Stewart in this game.

7:10pm EST - Michigan vs. Clemson - I love the ACC, but Clemson has been so up and down lately. They should win this game, but there's a chance Michigan can win. I'm going with the home conference, Clemson, don't let me down.

7:10pm EST - Minnesota vs. Texas - Minnesota comes out of a bruising conference and they get Texas. We all know Abrams can shoot, but the difference will be Texas big man Dexter Pittman. If he plays like he has over the last 10 or so games, Texas will be a surprise to some.

7:20pm EST - American University vs. Villanova - Nova just is too good in their backcourt for this one. Looks for the Wildcats to win this one.

7:25pm EST - Akron vs. Gonzaga - Akron vs. America's team. Gonzaga has disappointed in the last year or so in the tournament, but I've watched them play this year and I like what I see. They are balanced and have some bigs that can ball. Look for the Bulldogs to win this one.

9:40pm EST - Binghamton vs. Duke - (breathe) Ok Duke, this is it. This is your chance. Someone grow a few inches and get in the paint and rebound. If Zoubek doesn't have a double double he should pay for his scholarship this year. Duke wins.

9:40pm EST - Morgan State vs. Oklahoma - No contest, although I hope that Morgan State at least makes a showing.

9:50pm EST - VCU vs. UCLA - Collison is hurting and he gets the upset minded VCU Rams and Colonial Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Eric Maynor. Upset alert.

9:55pm EST - Western Kentucky vs. Illinois - This Illini team has been flying under the radar all year long, but I think that they can pull this off. I'll go ahead and go with them, although I never trust the Illini.

NCAA Basketball

Lots going with these conference tournaments, but if you were a betting person, you are probably crying in your beer this morning.

BIG EAST:

What's going on? Pitt and UConn go down in the tournament early which opens the door for Louisville to win the Big East. All we have heard all year long is Pitt and UConn and how they have dominated each other and the Big East. Both of them put their #1 overall positions in the NCAA tournament by losing. I will have to say that UConn did lose in a 6 overtime game that was just as exciting as it sounded. I'm still trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes after watching this one last night. UConn just simply ran out of gas.

BIG XII:

Baylor shocked the world and beat Kansas while Oklahoma State upset Oklahoma. In a mild upset, Texas beat Kansas State and this is going to be a wild finish. You could have Texas or Oklahoma State win the Big XII. What happened to the favorites? Is this going to carry over to the big tournament?

ACC:

Georgia Tech upset Clemson to give them more hope for the big tournament. Next up for them is a decent Florida State team. Boston College, Maryland, and Virginia Tech all won, as expected and today ought to shake out to be a very exciting day in the Georgia Dome. If UNC's Ty Lawson doesn't play because of that toe, someone has an opportunity to step up and beat UNC. If it's Duke, should they get the #1 overall seed which is normally the case for the ACC Conference Championship winner.


Have you been watching these games? Are you ready for the NCAA Tournament? Did you stay up and watch all 6 OTs last night?

TO a Cowboy No More

The Cowboys have released TO. (Take a breath, then respond). I guess Jerry Jones felt that it was time to cut the cord. TO hadn't really helped this team in the locker room and only moderately on the field. There is sure to be lots of fallout over this.

What would you have done? Is this a good move for the Cowboys? Is TO getting in the way of him breaking NFL receiving records? Is this the end of his career?