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UCLA v Memphis Liveblog

Disclaimer: Ben Malley is a UCLA partisan

Rose abused Collison all night. He looks a top 2 pick in the draft. When Collison was taken out of the game UCLA actually started getting some stops with Westbrook moving up to guard Rose and Mbah a Moute coming out to guard CDR. But you aren't going to just bench your star point guard unless you are real ballsy. UCLA let Memphis play the game at their pace. They couldn't get the ball down low to Love and showed no persistence to do so. Memphis was the better team on the day. Will their reliance on Rose and CDR (53 of 78 points) hurt them in the final or was the unbalanced scoring simply a result of their favorable matchups?

Stat o' the game: Memphis 20-23 from the free throw line. 86 percent. Color me impressed.

5:16 - On the phone with my therapist Matt Smith crying into the phone. I'll be back with a conclusion.

5:00 - Memphis' ultimate success in this game was Dorsey's ability to deny Love the ball down low. Equal blame falls on Dorsey's defense and UCLA seemingly not making it a priority to get Love the ball down low.

4:58 - The defining moment of the game: I apologize for the imagery, CDR sticks his dick in Love's mouth, knocking him over and dunking over him putting the exclamation point on the game.

4:56 - UCLA with back-to-back open 3s from Keefe and Collison (his first attempt) both go in and out.

4:52 - The posts are getting more infrequent due to my rising anger. As a UCLA fan I'm calling ballgame right now. With 8 minutes left in the half and the Bruins down 59-49. Collison just picked up his 4th foul (which isn't even a factor because he has been neutralized. He is 1-7 from the floor and hasn't even attempted a 3.

4:40 - Memphis 9-10 from the free throw line today. Mbah a Moute scores again.

4:36 - UCLA goes on a little 4 point run after Mbah a Moute makes a nice rebound and off-balance 5 footer. With 13:32 to go in the half Jim Nantz points out that the current 50-45 score is the same score (albeit reversed) that UCLA beat Memphis by in the Elite 8 two years ago.

4:35 - Love takes another 3, they can't get the ball inside to him. So he gets frustrated and comes to the top of the key. Memphis ahead 14-2 on fastbreak points.

4:33 - Westbrook/Love and CDR/Rose all look NBA ready. Collison isn't doing himself any favors for the NBA scouts. His size just look like it will keep him from being as successful at the next level.

4:30 - After a beautiful pass from Love, Mbah a Moute misses a 1 foot layup. If it sounds like I am picking on poor kid, I am. Luckily, Love cleans up his mess. 48-41 at the 15 minute mark.

4:27 - I'm at a loss for words. With both the big men on 3 fouls Love decides on 3 straight possessions that he is going to stand at the top of the key. Mbah a Moute drops an uncontested rebound out of bounds much like Keefe did earlier.

4:21 - Mbah a Moute takes another illadvised 18 footer and bricks (1 for 6). Dorsey picks up his 3rd foul with 19:08 to go in the half. Taggart picks up his 3rd on the inbounds after the Dorsey foul. Both calls were soft, especially considering how the refs were letting the big guys slug it out in the first half. It's as if it is a new set of officials here in the second half.

4:12 - I'm really liking Billy Donovan at the desk on the halftime show. Florida will have to not make the Final Four more often.

Halftime (3:59) - As Dorsey and Taggart got into foul trouble towards the end of the half (2 each) Love started to control the boards a little better (he has 10 points and 4 rebounds). The two stats that stand out: Memphis outrebounding UCLA 21-14 (including 9-3 on the offensive end). And the previously mentioned turnovers: UCLA has 8, Memphis 3. Rose and CDR are having their way with UCLA driving at will (24 of Memphis' 38 points), but seemed to get away from that a little bit at the end of the half. Westbrook has been UCLA's best player and is having much more success putting the ball on the floor than Collison. Shipp hit a couple of shots early but has been invisible since. Mbah a Moute has been abysmal. Memphis are well on their way to their 80 ppg average. Howland will be telling his team to slow the pace to a crawl in the second half.

3:58 - UCLA gets a little momentum as the half comes to a close cutting the lead to 3.

3:53 - After another UCLA turnover (this time Collison who has 0 points by the way) CDR finally beats Westbrook, but Love blocks the layup.

3:50 - Packer is going on and on about how UCLA can't afford Collison guarding Rose. It's true, it's not a good matchup, but what is Howland supposed to do? CDR is 6-7, Anderson is 6-6. Collison is 6-1, at best.

3:45 - Very sloppy play from a usually fundamentally sound UCLA team. A number of traveling calls and an inbound pass that was dropped. Westbrook has 11 and is now keeping CDR relatively in check.

3:36 - Mbah a Moute misses yet another open look. Memphis is going to make him and Shipp beat them. UCLA has thus far down an abysmal job of making Love relevant on the offensive end.

3:31 - Mbah a Moute isn't looking like the same player on the offensive end that he did against Xavier. A bad sign for UCLA as Keefe drops an uncontested rebound out of bounds.

3:28 - Howland has put Mbah a Moute, a taller player than Westbrook, up against Douglas Roberts. CDR drives and throws up a horrible shot in his first possession with Mbah a Moute on him.

3:25 - Has UCLA ever given up 20 points in the first 6 minutes? One of our three readers should check, or I will.

3:24 - Waiting to see if Memphis' height advantage at the guard positions will be a key. Thus far it hasn't because the Bruins are being killed in the transition game.

3:16 - Great to see Shipp not afraid to shoot early. UCLA needs to take back control of the tempo. They are letting Memphis run too much.

3:10 - Chris Douglas Roberts' major is Sports & Leisure Management. I would make fun of him but he will actually have a job after he leaves school. Me on the other hand...

NBA Notes: Season is a compelling one

By Mike Walsh

In the midst of March Madness is one of the most compelling NBA seasons in recent memory. The Western conference is a cluster of nine teams on pace to win 50 games.
One of those teams will be a lottery team. There are three teams that are fighting to stay in the top eight right now. Let’s take a quick peak at each to see what’s going on.

Dallas- The Mavericks are in a tailspin. They hadn't beaten a team with a winning record since acquiring Jason Kidd until beating Golden State on Wednesday night. Now Dirk Nowitzki is out with a “sprained knee and ankle.” His return date is cloudy, as is his level of effectiveness upon his return. I said I thought the Kidd trade made them worse and it looks like I was right…for once. I just feel like they will not be able to right the ship in time to save their season. Who would have thought that fighting for the eighth seed and sneaking in the playoffs would be “saving the season” for the Mavericks?

Denver- They continue to play well at home and poorly on the road. They continue to have little offensive continuity; either Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith are hot…or they are getting pummeled. That’s because they can’t stop anyone. While Carmelo has figured out how to take advantage of the different defenders thrown at him, he hasn’t figured out how to play defense against anyone. Iverson plays the passing lanes, but isn’t a great one on one defender anymore, Smith is too busy thinking about the next cross over fade away jumper he’s going to throw up and Kenyon Martin is a step slow now. Camby is the only player who can defend his man and protect the basket. I say they finish one game ahead of the Mavs for the final playoff spot.

Golden State-(author’s note: this was written before the Warriors laid down and died in the 4th quarter against the Spurs last night and before they laid an egg against Dallas) Predicting with your heart instead of your head is always a bad idea. Fortunately for me, I am full of bad ideas and I’ve let my heart lead me into many horrible situations, so why stop now? The Warriors play four tough games on the road against the Spurs, Mavs, Grizzlies and Hornets. By the time they get back to California I will either be giddy or I will have jammed a staple remover into my throat. After the road swing the Warriors have a match up remaining with the Nuggets and Suns. Sprinkled in there are the Clippers with Brand back, the Kings and Sonics. Their road isn’t easy, but I feel like the Warriors have built on last year and they have actually learned from their let downs this season (evidenced by their lack of losing streaks. When they lose a game they’ve come back and played well against their next opponent). My heart is telling me that they finish go 7-2 in their final nine including beating Dallas AND Denver. If not? The Warriors will be a lottery team. Could you imagine them ending up with a top five pick and drafting a Lopez twin or Kevin Love to rebound, defend and outlet? Not a bad consolation prize for missing the playoffs.

Potential matchups: We can’t even talk about potential matchups in the West because nothing will be decided until the last couple games. That makes all of this even more “Tourney-like." The surprise of the matchups and all of the jockeying for playoff positions will just add to the intrigue.
The Eastern Conference is shaping up just how everyone thought it would. Boston, Detroit, Orlando and Cleveland have all solidified their positions at the top of the conference. If any lower seed makes it to the second round, which is a long shot, it would be the Raptors. No matter who they end up playing, they have the most overall talent as a lower seed and have been to the playoffs with this nucleus. A second round match up of Boston vs. Cleveland and Detroit vs. Orlando is going to be fun.

The plague: Injuries are plaguing several teams in the race for the west. The Lakers have some relief on the way as Pau Gasol is set to return for the Lakers next game against the Blazers. Unfortunately there is still a shroud of mystery regarding the return of Andrew Bynum. The Mavericks are without Dirk Nowitzki with no timetable for a return after landing awkwardly and spraining his knee and ankle. Stephen Jackson of the Warriors has battled a sprained ankle over the last six weeks and looks 47 steps slower on defense. It’s always frustrating when injuries get in the way of a team’s success in any sport. With so many great teams battling this season it would be a shame if one bowed out due to injury.

MLB Notes: It's Opening Day....Officially

By Matt Smith

With the farce that was the “regular season” opener between the Oakland A’s and Boston Red Sox in Japan aside, the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves game that just started moments ago is the official opening to the 2008 Major League Baseball season.
This game actually started after all the Spring Training games were completed, so go figure. Isn't that when a season is supposed to begin?
Well, with the season actually underway, here are some things to keep your eyes on for the 2008 season.

100 years and counting….: Expect to hear the fact that this is the 100th anniversary of the Cubs winning their last World Series at least a hundred times. Because the Cubs have a team that wasn’t awful enough to lose the NL Central last year and because it is exactly 100 years later, expect people to talk about how this could be their year.
In fact, as I was typing this John Kruk (with a piece of pastrami hanging out of his mouth) predicted the Cubs would reach the Fall Classic.
Well, it won’t be. The ghosts of Three Finger Brown, Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers and Frank Chance won’t even be able to help them.
It doesn’t help that the Cubs beat the Tigers in that 1908 World Series, so expect people to talk about a possible ’08 rematch, because the Tigers (unlike the Cubs) actually have a legitimate chance.
I didn’t even get 30 seconds to type that last paragraph before Karl Ravech played the part of the idiot and predicted these two teams.

Bonds won’t play: Don’t expect to see Barry Bonds in uniform for the 2008 season. Most of us are pretty sure that there isn’t a suitor for him. Some teams might be tempted to hire the all-time home run leader, but when it is all said and done, teams will avoid the baggage and the distractions that come with Barry Lamar.

Kerry Wood and Mark Prior…..: Will get hurt. People are high on the Cubs because they have Wood closing ball games and some experts think that Mark Prior was a good signing for the Padres. Wood has pitched 110 innings in the last three seasons and Prior hasn’t pitched since the 2006 season when he was 1-6 in only 43 innings of work.

Joe Girardi will be on the hot seat: It’s New York. The Yanks might struggle early while figuring out their pitching situation. They will be good but probably won’t win the World Series. All those things will lead to talk about Girardi’s job being in jeopardy because that’s how it works in New York.

The Rays will get better: The Rays (not the Devil Rays) have never won more than 70 games, but after making some moves to get some pitching and locking up some young players, look for Tampa Bay to lose less than 90 games this year as they continue to get better.

Lastly, I just need to ask why Odalis Perez is the Opening Day pitcher for the Nats? If their pitching is really that bad, it could be a long season.

Post-season awards: It’s way, way too early to talk about this stuff, but it’s always fun. This is a look at the likely contenders to be in the American League and National League MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year races.

MVP: In the American League, my top five candidates are: 1. Alex Rodriguez, 2. Miguel Cabrera, 3. Ichiro Suzuki, 4. Vladimir Guerrero, 5. Derek Jeter.
Rodriguez is always the frontrunner, just because of the sheer numbers he’ll put up. Cabrera is going to clean up with that lineup in Detroit, while Ichiro will have his usual season and my instinct tells me he’ll be even better this year. Vlad will hit .320+, 30+ homers and 120+ RBIs, so he is a no-brainer, while Jeter, who got hosed in 2006, will have an even better year than last year and put his name in the ring.
In that National League, my five candidates are: 1. Matt Holliday, 2. David Wright, 3. Ryan Howard, 4. Hanley Ramirez, 5. Derrek Lee.
Holliday is just too good a hitter not to be the frontrunner and he should have won it last year. Wright is just going to get better and that is scary if you look at his numbers last year (.325 AVG, 30 HR, 107 RBI, 34 SB). Howard is going to continue to hit a lot of home runs but he strikes out too much for my liking. Hanley Ramirez is a guy who hits for a great average, power and can steal 60 bases, but the Marlins want him to run less, which could hurt his MVP chances. Also, the Marlis will suck. Lee is finally 100 percent after the wrist injury he suffered in 2006 and his power should start to increase again because the average and run production will always be there.

Cy Young: AL: 1. C.C. Sabathia, 2. Justin Verlander, 3. Erik Bedard, 4. Fausto Carmona, 5. Josh Beckett.
Sabathia is the favorite because he won it last year and is healthy. Verlander is filthy and just getting better while Bedard should win more games pitching for a better team. Carmona needs to back up last season while Beckett is starting at a disadvantage by missing a start or two right at the beginning of the year. With John Lackey hurt for at least a month, maybe more, he probably won’t factor in this season.
NL: 1. Johan Santana, 2. Jake Peavy, 3. Brandon Webb, 4. Dan Haren, 5. Carlos Zambrano.
As far as aces go, the NL is loaded. The only way Jake Peavy could not be the favorite is if Santana got traded into his league and that is exactly what happened. Webb and Haren will be a dynamic duo, but might split the vote if they both pitch well and wild card in this group is Zambrano. If he pitches like he is capable of (as we’ve been saying for a while) he could be as nasty as anyone.

ROY: AL: 1. Evan Longoria, 2. Daric Barton, 3. Ian Kennedy, 4. Jacoby Ellsbury, 5. Joba Chamberlain.
If Longoria wasn’t going to spend a month in the Minors for contract reasons, he would be the slam dunk winner. Despite that, he will probably still win. Barton is ready to have a good year and will challenge him all season long. Kennedy has a good chance to win a lot of games, something that might hurt Chamberlain if he doesn’t get into the rotation. Ellsbury is going to be hurt by the Red Sox apparent plan to split time between him and Coco Crisp.
NL: 1. Johnny Cueto, 2. J.R. Towles, 3. Geovany Soto, 4. Kosuke Fukudome, 5. Clayton Kershaw.
This is a fairly weak class, other than Cueto. He’s a stud and could step into the Reds rotation and make an immediate impact. Experts are high on the two NL Central backstops in Towles and Soto, but they are relatively unknown as of right now. I am not a fan of professional players from Japan winning the award, that is why I didn’t include Hiroki Kuroda. I do think Fukudome will do enough to stay in the discussion. Kershaw is the wild card because he has unlimited potential, but the question is where he will star the year and what is role will be.

College Football Notes: Pryor breaks hearts

By Matt Smith

Terrelle Pryor might not have been known as a heartbreaker before 10 days ago, but on that notorious day he broke the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people as he strengthened an area that is comparable to the Nazi regime.
Okay, Ohio State obviously isn’t that bad, but not one person I know likes them and not one person I know likes the Nazi’s, so there’s that.
By committing to be a Buckeye, Pryor ripped the hearts out of many people, namely fans like me that hate Ohio State, Brutus as well as Jim Tressel and his little sweater vests.
He ripped the hearts out of everyone in Michigan who walks around screaming Go Blue! (which is everyone.) He seemed like a perfect fit for a program that needed a starting quarterback to go with Rich Rodriguez’ spread offense.
It seemed like Rodriguez had the edge originally because he had Pryor seriously considering going to West Virginia. He then leaves for Michigan and it seemed like Pryor would soon follow.
But Ohio State continued to gain steam and was never actually not the favorite which is why his decision wasn’t a surprise, just a disappointment.
Pryor actually broke the heart of Mountaineer fans, who didn’t like to see him drop Morgantown from his list of possible destinations just because of Rodriguez leaving.
It showed that he wasn’t interested in the program as much as the coach….which is now a very disliked coach in that neck of the woods.
He also broke the hearts of every football fan in the state of Pennsylvania by not going to Pittsburgh or Penn State. Pitt was never in consideration and Penn State wasn’t really taken too seriously by the nation’s prize recruit.
Last but not least, he broke the hearts of Ducks fans at the University of Oregon. With the country’s nicest facilities and an endless supply of money (and shoes and jersey’s), all Oregon fans were hoping was that he would actually take the visit to Eugene.
If he did, he might have had a hard time saying no, but because he didn’t Oregon fans can’t be happy thinking of what could have been.

Perrilloux set to return: Turns out that Ryan Perrilloux, the favorite to start at LSU for the defending national champs (kinda) was suspended for missing a team meeting and then missing classes for his father’s funeral without notifying the coaches.
Turns out he didn’t do anything terrible, and despite it being his third suspension, he probably deserves to be reinstated which appears inevitable at this point.
Perrilloux could join LSU’s spring practice early next week, meaning he will probably be LSU’s starting quarterback.
Without him, the Tigers would have had to turn to Andrew Hatch or Jarrett Lee which essentially equaled no experience.

Buckeyes, Vols set to square off: This might not seem like news because it’s 10 years away, but anytime two of the biggest college football programs in the country announce they will play each other, it’s a big deal.
Ohio State (797 wins) and Tennessee (771 wins) will get together for a home and home starting in 2018.
The last time the two programs faced, the Volunteers beat the Buckeyes 20-14 in the 1996 Citrus Bowl 182 yards passing from Petyon Manning and 168 yards rushing from Jay Graham.
The monumental bust of a draft pick for the Raiders, Ricky Dudley, had a touchdown grab for OSU.

NFL Notes: Ocho Cinco's future unclear

By Mike Walsh

There is some serious unrest these days as to the future of Chad Johnson in Cincinnati. Johnson has made every effort to make the Bengals aware of the fact that he is unhappy and would like to play elsewhere.
Meanwhile the Bengals are acting as though there isn’t a significant issue with him and that he will be wearing tiger stripes next season.
With the emergence of T.J. Houshmanzadeh, the Bengals are equipped with the best 1-2 punch at wide receiver in the league. After a lackluster 2007 for Carson Palmer you would expect him to come back with a big year.
The Bengals could have even tried to trade up to get Darren McFadden, which would have given them a fantastic core on offense for the next few years. Instead, Johnson is causing a huge distraction and is likely breaking up what could have been a potent offensive attack. So What lies ahead for the disgruntled wideout now?
I’m sure teams are lining up to trade for Ocho Cinco. Unfortunately, due to the vocal nature of his discontent, other teams will probably be trying to low ball the Bengals for their prized wide out.
So what is to become of him?
His situation has become the biggest story of the off season and where he ends up could determine a lot in the NFL power rankings. It will be interesting to see if Johnson’s relationship with Marvin Lewis, Carson Palmer and the Bengals can be mended or if a contender comes in with an offer they can’t refuse. Stay tuned.

Cowboys hope to gobble up Pacman: Adam “Pacman” Jones is looking for a home and Jerry Jones is apparently fluffing his pillows in Dallas, hoping to lure him there.
ESPN is reporting that, even without official reinstatement from Roger Goodell, the Cowboys are willing to give up “a draft pick and a player” for the rights to Pacman. Dallas is hoping that Pacman will some how tone down his craziness and erratic, immature, dangerous, self-destructive behavior.
Um, good luck with that. In an interview on Michael Irvin’s ESPN Radio show, Pacman said, "It ain’t no sin to be at a strip club."
Thanks for being contrite there Adam.
I think the problem was the fight you instigated that lead to people getting shot and one man being paralyzed. It appears that Pacman hasn’t fully grasped the reasons why people are upset about his behavior, which means it is likely not to change once he reaches Dallas.

Raider Nation: The Raiders are looking at Darren McFadden in this year’s draft. McFadden, who impressed all of the NFL types who came to watch “Pro Day” at Arkansas saw an electric athlete who ran a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash and ran the fastest shuttle time of any running back who worked out at the combine.
McFaddden would be a great addition and would keep some of the pressure, both mentally and physically, off of JaMarcus Russell.

Niners notes: Alex Smith has been cleared to throw without restriction and is expected to be prepared for training camp. The Niners made a flurry of off season moves to help aid the transition to the …*gulp*…Mike Martz era as well as to make up for not having a first round draft pick this year.
The Niners will look to improve at the wide receiver position and are looking at the second tier receivers that will be available for them in the second round. They would be hoping to get Devin Thomas from Michigan State or Early Doucet out of LSU. And really, anything would be an improvement from last year.

College Hoops Notes: Sweet Sixteen Preview

By Matt Smith

A couple of No. 12 seeds, a 10 seed and a seven seed have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, which is going to make it a very interesting weekend as one or more of these lower seeds look to continue crashing the party as they look to advance to the Elite Eight.

Thursday
No. 7 West Virginia vs. No. 3 Xavier
The Mountaineers have beaten two very athletic teams that lack a very dominant inside game to get to this point and they are now matching up with another team that is very similar to Duke and Arizona. The difference with Xavier is that its big men, Josh Duncan and Derrick Brown, are more active. This will be a good matchup inside with Joe Alexander and Da’Sean Butler, with West Virginia have a slight edge. This game could be won with guard play, and if the forwards play like they have been and the guards continue contributing, this could be another Mountaineer upset.
Prediction: West Virginia 74, Xavier 70

No. 4 Washington State vs. No. 1 North Carolina
Finally, a team in this tournament that will keep North Carolina from scoring 100 points, but in the end it won’t matter. I expect Washington State to remain in striking distance for most of the game, but when it comes down to it, it won’t be able to get the buckets when it needs it and North Carolina will. It will be interesting to see if the Cougars are disciplined enough to stay within their style of play or if they will get sucked into the Heels up and down style.
Prediction: North Carolina 78, Washington State 66

No. 12 Western Kentucky vs. No. 1 UCLA
Western Kentucky is quick and athletic and creates match-up problems for most teams. Well, UCLA isn’t one of those teams. The Toppers won’t be able to match the Bruins’ experience, discipline or their size advantage inside and since UCLA is nearly as quick and athletic in the backcourt, the advantage heavily favors a UCLA team that knows how to win close games.
Prediction: UCLA 71, Western Kentucky 62

No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 2 Tennessee
Chris Lofton is banged up and Tennessee has had to squeak out wins against American and Butler while Louisville has destroyed Boise State and Oklahoma on its way to the Sweet Sixteen. Conventional wisdom says that Louisville should run away from the Vols, but that won’t happen. This game will be fought tooth and nail from beginning to end as both teams are very similar. The guards are athletic and fast while the big men are multi-talented. The biggest question is how will the Vols handled the Cardinal press.
Prediction: Louisville 85, Tennessee 81

Friday
No. 10 Davidsion vs. No. 3 Wisconsin
Davidson has beaten two very good teams with a lot of tournament experience in Gonzaga and Georgetown while Wisconsin pulled away late from Fullerton and topped a very inept (except for two players) Kansas State. The Badgers won’t shoot the way they did against Kansas State and Stephen Curry will continue to shoot the way he has in the first two games. Davidson is talented, fast and unafraid and as well as Wisconsin seems to be playing, the Wildcats are playing better.
Prediction: Davidson 71, Wisconsin 66

No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 2 Texas
The Longhorns will be able to matchup fairly well inside with Stanford and are head and shoulders better outside, giving Texas a big advantage in speed, meaning it will probably beat Stanford in transition to win this game. Stanford is a gutsy team, and if the Longhorns bigs can just keep the Lopez twins from going off, Rick Barnes’ club has a good chance.
Prediction: Texas 74, Stanford 67

No. 12 Villanova vs. No. 1 Kansas
Villanova has been a great story in this tournament, being the last team in and winning two games. Still, Kansas is too much. The Jayhawks will overwhelm them inside and can match them step for step outside, meaning the Wildcats run is likely over.
Prediction: Kansas 79, Villanova 68

No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Memphis
If Tom Izzo saw any of the Tigers’ game against Mississippi State, then the Spartans should be able to keep this close. Expect Michigan State to pound the ball inside, drawing fouls on the very aggressive Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier. Also, the Spartans should foul liberally if it looks like Memphis is going to get an easy bucket after watching the Tigers shoot under 50 percent against the Bulldogs. Kalin Lucas, Drew Neitzel, Raymar Morgan and Chris Allen are going to have to hit open shots to pull off the upset, but in the end the athleticism of Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts will be too much.
Prediction: Memphis 76, Michigan State 71

And the best conference is.....: All year I have been singing the praise of the Big East, and why not? It got eight teams in the tournament and it has been well represented. But, has it had the best showing?
That is debatable.
So far the Big East is 9-5 in the tournament, which is very good and it has three teams in the Sweet Sixteen, but some other conferences might want to argue for supremecy.
Namely the Big 12, which has gone 7-4, a record that was almost bettered by Texas A&M’s near upset of UCLA. Texas and Kansas are still alive as the only team to not win a game was Baylor.
The Pac-10 has had a great run as well, going 6-3 with Stanford, Washington State and UCLA still alive. This weekend will tell a lot.
The SEC has gone 4-5 so far and has just one team left while the ACC has gone 4-3 and boasts the tourney’s most disappointing team in Duke. The Big Ten, which got very little respect heading into the NCAA’s, has gone 5-2 and has two teams left, giving it an argument with the rest of the big conferences.

Selection Sunday Liveblog

Matt says: Let's see how well we do.

1: North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, Kansas

2: Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Georgetown

3: Duke, Stanford, Xavier, Pittsburgh

4: Louisville, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Drake

5: Butler, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Clemson

6: Marquette, Michigan St., Indiana, Washington St.

7: Texas A&M, USC, West Virginia, Mississippi St.

8: BYU, Gonzaga, Davidson, Kansas St.

9: Kent St., UNLV, Oklahoma, Arkansas

10: Miami, Baylor, S. Alabama, St. Mary’s

11: Temple, Western Kentucky, Arizona, Kentucky

12: St. Joseph’s, Georgia, Arizona St., Villanova

13: Cornell, George Mason, Oral Roberts, Siena

14: Belmont, Cal St. Fullerton, Boise St., San Diego

15: Winthrop, UMBC, Austin Peay, Portland St.

16: American, UT-Arlington, Mississippi Valley St, Mt. St. Mary’s, Coppin St.

Matt says: It's going to be Denzel Washington. Who else?

Ben says: Who's going to play Dennis Felton in the movie? Georgia: An UnderDawg Story

Matt says: I agree. I am impressed with both teams' ability to score from the inside and outside. Georgia is killing me....... maybe they are killing Seth Greenberg more than me.

Ben says: I know it's hard to keep the only team that beat Memphis out of a number one spot, but the relative weakness of the SEC and the strength of Kansas/Texas should be enough. This has been a fantastic basketball game. I may be picking both of them for the final four on this showing.

Matt says: Everyone is going to argue between Kansas and Tennessee for that final No. 1 spot if Kansas holds on. My thought is that the last two days gives it to Kansas hands down.

Matt says: Yep, you were right. We could count on Wisconsin. My thought is that Tennessee would be taking care of business right now. Mario Chalmers is insane right now. That was a title winning save by Sherron Collins just now.

Ben says: As we said before if you can count on Wisconsin for something, it's beating teams they are supposed to. Up on Illinois huge. They shouldn't slip up too early this year.

Ben says: Georgia is an RPI 110. Obviously that goes up with a win. American is a 91 and we have them as a 16. And then San Diego is a 94 and we have them as a 14. So who knows about this RPI bullshit.

Matt says: I think that Georgia gets a 12 if it wins. I can't imagine them being seeded below anyone from 13-16.

Matt says: Arkansas coming back. Thank god. Trust me, I love the Georgia story, but I need Nova to have a chance.
I have a question.... is LT saying that his quick smells like fresh toast or french toast? Either way, Pete Carroll looks confused.

Ben says: Why? MS Valley State has a horrible record. And what does that mean for Georgia? Either they know they aren't going to win (they are) or they are getting a 12? Their RPI actually isn't too bad for a team that went 4-12 in conference play.

Matt says: It just got announced that it's Mount St. Mary's against Coppin State in the opening game. I was wrong about it being Jerry Rice's school.

Matt says: Don't tug on my heart strings and bring up Naan N' Curry. That would defeat my purpose of not going outside for the entire day. I think Virginia Tech is one of the last four out ahead of Syracuse. Like it matters. Joe Lunardi is crazy if he thinks VT is getting in. Maybe he's just crazy enough to know? The longer Georgia leads, the longer I sweat out my bet with Tony.
If Georgia does win, Arkansas falls to a No. 8 with Mississippi State or BYU bumping up to No. 7?

Ben says: Lunardi made some major last minute changes. Makes you think he just got some good inside info. All of the sudden Villanova is in and Illinois St. is out. Oregon, Arizona and VT are all in. Arizona St and Ohio St are suddenly out.

Ben says: Atleast you're eating. I'm sitting here trying to decide if my improved health warrants me buying a pizza. Why don't you just meet me at the Naan n Curry? The last four out are Oregon, Villanova, VCU, Syracuse. Georgia is going to win this game.

Matt says: Nice work on the quick RPI research. Gotta love the Retievers. We have Retriever fever. The No. 16's are clearly American, Texas-Arlington, Mount St. Mary's, Mississippi Valley State and Coppin State with the latter two playing in the play in game. You think Jerry Rice will be there to cheer on his alma mater?
I just had to learn the hard way that the green apples in my fridge had gone bad. They looked fine. Didn't taste so good.
Who are the last four teams out?

Ben says: The headband clad Sam Beam looks out of place on a basketball court. I'm looking at Belmont's RPI and it's very good. Better than all of our 14 seeds. Let's put them as a 14 instead of Winthrop. They can be a 15 along with UMBC, Austin Peay and Portland St. I have to post a picture of our favorite team:



Go RETRIEVERS!

Matt says: I agree with all those No. 13's. It's funny that the mascot is a pissed off bear hugging the letter C when the team name is the Big Red. Maybe that's the bear's name. Fullerton, Boise, San Diego and Winthrop are probably the No. 14 seeds, right?
It doesn't appear that Mike will be joining us. Is the Georgia score right? Is this really happening?

Ben says: It makes perfect sense. This furry guy is a 13 seed:



So are George Mason, Oral Roberts and Siena.

Matt says: Is the Arkansas guy with the shaggy hair and the scruffy beard Sam Beam? Is he trying to sabotage the game so Georgia wins? I think St. Joseph's and Arizona State are No. 12's, and the last two gets hairy. I think it will be Illinois State and Ohio State. I think it should be Villanova and Ohio State, but I am hoping it's Nova and Illinois State. Does this make any sense?

Ben says: Ridiculous shooting in the Kansas Texas game. Arizona and Kentucky as 11's have some big upset potential. Or play horrible potential. Here is where we are going to be deciding our bubble teams. Arizona St. is a 12. St. Joseph's, Illinois St. and you choose the last one. Ohio St./Oregon?

Matt says: Ya, I'm thinking St. Mary's and South Alabama are No. 10's and I would have to go with Miami and Baylor as the other two. What says you about Kentucky, Arizona, Western Kentucky and Temple as the No. 11 seeds?

Ben says: Now we get into your favorite non-bubble teams St. Mary's and S. Alabama at 10s. Kentucky? Western Kentucky? Miami?

Matt says: LOL! I think he might sing Sodom, South Georgia for the next four days, without stopping, if the Dawgs get in. Kansas State, Kent State, UNLV and Oklahoma as the No. 9 seeds, though I think Gonzaga and the Sooners could swap at the eight/nine spot.

Ben says: Those sound good. Sam Beam (aka Iron & Wine) thinks the SEC champions deserve an 8 seed!



Georgia!

Matt says: I gotta go with BYU, Mississippi State, Gonzaga and Davidson as No. 8 seeds. Georgia is killing me and I don't think anyone has missed a shot in this Big 12 game.

Ben says: RUN GEORGIA RUN!

Matt says: That was a sweet pitch, Gaaaaaabbbe.... Now it's heart of the matter time. I agree on A&M and USC. I am thinking Arkansas is a No. 7 if it wins and I am thinking West Virginia as the final one.

Ben says: Yeah, since that first matchup with UCLA they have gone under the radar for most of the year. This is probably a better thing for a team like theirs. Texas A&M and USC are probably 7's. Who else?

Matt says: I gotta go with Washington State in that final No. 6 spot. That's a scary team as a No. 6.

Ben says: Let's put Clemson in the last 5 spot. Marquette is a 6. So is Michigan St and Indiana. Now I don't know what to do. Gonzaga? No way. BYU? Davidson? No. Washington St. I'll go with them, but I still think 6 is too high.

Matt says: Butler, Purdue and Vanderbilt are probably No. 5 seeds. I like Marquette in that last spot, but I think the Golden Eagles become a No. 6 after Clemson's run. The Tigers get a No. 5, I believe. Marquette, Michigan State or Indiana could all get a No. 5 over Purdue, though.

Ben says: If we assume Drake is a 4, Butler is a 5 along with Purdue and Vanderbilt. Who next Michigan St, Indiana or does Clemson get a big bump?

Matt says: I agree that all three of those Big East teams get a No. 4 seed. I think that last No. 4 goes to Drake. Head-to-head win over Butler gets them the edge, I think.

Ben says: Sounds good to me. Then we get our Big East crop of 4's. Louisville, Connecticut, Notre Dame perhaps joined by Butler.

Matt says: I agree that Duke gets left out of the No. 2's if Wisconsin wins even though I think it should be Georgetown. That makes the No. 3's Duke, Stanford, Xavier and probably Pitt after its run to the Big East title. Pitt wins the argument against the other Big East teams vying for this spot.

Ben says: The pool of number 2's is the Kansas/Texas loser, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Tennessee and Duke. Of those teams I think Duke gets left out if Wisconsin wins the Big 10.

Matt says: I know we both think the obvious No. 1 seeds are North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and the winner of Kansas/Texas. What about the No. 2's?

Matt says: Speaking of fat and Arlington, Mike and his Mexican relatives are dancing in the street because of UTA's win!! Mike wishes he still lived there and rooted for the Rangers.

Ben says: UTA and its enormously fat players are going to the dance!

Matt says: Clemson ball!!! Hit a three!!!

Ben says: What don't you understand about "he plays hard." Vitale understands. Mike Patrick understands, and LOVES it.

Matt says: Apparently there is no such thing as an over the back call when Hansbrough goes crashing into everyone.

Ben says: Apparently that was a silly foul Matt.

Matt says: Mike Patrick and Dick Vitale love Tyler Hansbrough.......

Matt says: K.C. Rivers' three that made it 72-67 just gave me false hoops.

We're going to be talking about real shit for the remainder of the day.

The Bubble

By Matt Smith

Temple snagged the A-10 bid, but we think that St. Joe's is a lock. Other "bubble" teams like St. Mary's and South Alabama are locks as well. Baylor and Kentucky on the other hand are pretty much locks, but not quite enough to take off the bubble watch. Here is how it stands right now as we see it.
By our conservative count, there are 59 teams that are essentially locks, meaning there are six spots left for the teams listed below. Their resume's are in order according to who we think will probably get in.

Baylor
Record: 21-10 (20-10 vs. Division I teams)
SOS: 40
RPI: 43
Record vs. RPI top 50: 3-8
Quality wins: Notre Dame, Kansas State, Texas A&M
Outlook: The Bears are probably in, but wouldn't be sweating had they not been upset by a bad Colorado team.

Kentucky
Record: 18-12
SOS: 15
RPI: 47
Record vs. RPI top 50: 4-6
Quality wins: Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida.
Outlook: There isn't enough time to discuss this team. They were horrible outside of the SEC, but went 12-4 in conference play. Losing to Georgia in the SEC Tournament ended a roller coaster regular season with them not quite a lock. They have some good wins, but they are all within conference play.

Arizona Record: 19-14 (18-14 vs. Division I teams)
SOS: 2
RPI: 38
Record vs. RPI top 50: 5-8 (0-7 vs. top 25, 5-1 vs. 26-50)
Quality wins: UNLV, Washington State (2), USC, Texas A&M.
Outlook: This team is very Jekyll and Hyde, but has put together enough good wins and obviously a good enough schedule and RPI to be deserving.

Arizona State Record: 19-12
SOS: 88
RPI: 83 Record vs. RPI top 50: 5-7
Quality wins: Xavier, Oregon, Arizona (2), Stanford, USC.
Outlook: If Arizona gets in, Arizona State gets in. The Sun Devils have beat plenty of good teams, including Arizona twice. A weak non-conference schedule is hurting their SOS and RPI.

Illinois State
Record: 23-9
SOS: 65
RPI: 34
Record vs. RPI top 50: 2-5
Quality wins: Creighton (2).
Outlook: Experts seem to think they're in, but we don't necessarily agree. They haven't beaten a tournament team. The Missouri Valley Conference usually gets a lot of respect, so expect them to sneak in over more deserving team.

Villanova
Record: 20-12
SOS: 47
RPI: 51
Record vs. RPI top 50: 3-7
Quality wins: Syracuse (2), Temple, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Connecticut.
Outlook: They have a solid resume, but getting blown about by Georgetown in the Big East Tournament is not a good last impression. Nova will be one of the last teams in or out.

Oregon
Record: 18-13
SOS: 30
RPI: 58
Record vs. RPI top 50: 4-9
Quality wins: Arizona (2), Arizona State, Kansas State.
Outlook: The Ducks have a worse record, RPI and SOS than Syracuse, so I can't see them getting in ahead of the Orange. Since the Orange aren't getting in, don't count on the Pac-10 getting that seventh team.

Ohio State
Record: 19-13
SOS: 10
RPI: 46
Record vs. RPI top 50: 2-10
Quality wins: Syracuse, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan State
Outlook: The Buckeyes played a tough schedule, but didn't do much against it. Probably not going to happen for the Buckeyes.

Virginia Tech
Record: 19-12
SOS: 52
RPI: 54
Record vs. RPI top 50: 1-6
Quality wins: Maryland (2), Miami.
Outlook: Despite Seth Greenberg saying anyone who think's they don't belong in the Tourney is insane, the Hokies still lack a big win to show they belong. Look for the Hokies to be left out.

Syracuse
Record: 19-13
SOS: 9
RPI: 55
Record vs. RPI top 50: 3-8
Quality wins: Villanova, Georgetown, Marquette, St. Joe's.
Outlook: Syracuse played a tough schedule and beat three tournament bound teams, but did next to nothing outside of that. They're not quite as far out as ESPN.com expert Joe Lunardi has them, because I think the Orange will be seriously discussed, but come up short.

Virgina Commonwealth
Record: 24-7
SOS: 160
RPI: 56
Record vs. RPI top 50: 0-2
Quality wins: Maryland
Outlook: The Rams will be in the discussion, but they were one of the teams squirming when teams like San Diego started bursting bubbles. They will be discussed, but probably not to seriously.

The Field 3/15

We're taking some teams off the bubble. Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, UAB, Houston, Maryland, UMASS and Dayton are history. St. Joseph's and Temple are now in the discussion, and one of them will get an A-10 autobid.

We'll be comparing these resumes throughout the day.

The Bubble
Syracuse
Villanova
Kentucky
Baylor
Virginia Tech
Ohio St.
Arizona
Arizona St.
Oregon
VCU
Illinois St.
Temple
St. Joseph's

We are pretty sure the Pac 10 gets six bids. The question is who will they be. Arizona State's woeful RPI is made up for by their 2 head-to-head wins over rival Arizona (who everyone seems to agree is in) and a win over top 10 Xavier. Oregon feels like the team on the outside looking in.

With Virginia Tech's last second loss to North Carolina today, all of the non A-10 teams on our bubble are in wait and see mode.

62 locks on this list. Leaving room for three additional teams below the dotted line.

America East (1)
UMBC

Atlantic 10 (2)
Xavier
St. Joseph's
-----------------
Temple

ACC (4)
North Carolina
Duke
Clemson
Miami
-----------------
Virginia Tech

Atlantic Sun (1)
Belmont

Big 12 (6)
Kansas
Texas
Kansas St.
Baylor
Oklahoma
Texas A&M

Big East (7)
Georgetown
Louisville
Connecticut
Marquette
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
West Virginia
-----------------
Syracuse
Villanova

Big Sky (1)
Portland St.

Big South (1)
Winthrop

Big 10 (4)
Wisconsin
Purdue
Indiana
Michigan St.
-----------------
Ohio St.

Big West (1)
UC Irvine / Cal St. Fullerton

Colonial (1)
George Mason
-----------------
VCU

Conference USA (1)
Memphis

Horizon (1)
Butler

Ivy (1)
Cornell

MAAC (1)
Siena

MAC (1)
Kent St.

MEAC (1)
Morgan St.

MVC (1)
Drake
-----------------
Illinois St.

Mountain West (2)
BYU
UNLV

Northeast (1)
Mt. St. Mary’s

OVC (1)
Austin Peay

Pac 10 (6)
UCLA
Stanford
Washington St.
USC
Arizona
Arizona St.
-----------------
Oregon

Patriot (1)
American

SEC (5)
Tennessee
Mississippi St.
Vanderbilt
Kentucky
Arkansas

Southern (1)
Davidson

Southland (1)
Texas Arlington / Northwestern St.

SWAC (1)
Jackson St. / Mississippi Valley St.

Summit (1)
Oral Roberts

Sun Belt (2)
Western Kentucky
S. Alabama

WCC (3)
Gonzaga
San Diego
St. Mary’s

WAC (1)
Boise St. / New Mexico St.

MLB Notes: Dominant pitching a thing of the past

By Matt Smith

It has always been said that pitching and defense is what wins you World Series titles, and for the most part that seems to be true. Whichever team’s pitching staff gets hotter or goes deeper rotation wise, seems to be hanging around in October.
Look at the last five champions: 2007- Red Sox, 2006- Cardinals, 2005- White Sox, 2004- Red Sox, 2003- Marlins.
The only team you think of on that list that didn’t win it with great pitching when it counted was the Red Sox of ’04, but let’s not forget that that team had five 10-game winners, including Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling.
The other four teams were led by phenomenal pitching, especially that White Sox team. Last year’s Red Sox team could score runs, but they were invariably led by their pitching when it came down to it.
So as teams look to build deeper rotations built for making late season pushes, we have seen the demise of tremendous 1-2 combinations with teams. There aren’t very many Sandy Koufax/Don Drysdale or Palmer/Mike Cuellar combinations that strike fear into you.
Granted, those were some of the best pitchers of their team, but the point is that when you look at team’s rotation these days, very few jump out at you as having a great 1-2 punch.
Here is what I think are today’s top five combinations and it’s not just based on combined wins, or combined ERA. A lot of factors are taken into consideration, including whether or not a team should be worried about facing a certain guy.

1. C.C. Sabathia/Fausto Carmona, Cleveland: Not only did the two combine for 38 wins, an ERA of 3.14 and 336 K’s, they are ages 27 and 24 respectively. They throw cheddar in the high 90’s and they are only going to get better. To me this is the best 1-2 combination in baseball right now.

2. Brandon Webb/Dan Haren, Arizona: The Diamondbacks already had the second best pitcher in the National League last year, so they when it and added one of the five best in the American League. Webb had a career year with wins (18), ERA (3.01), and strikeouts (194). Now Haren brings his American League-leading ERA of 3.07 to the NL, where there is an automatic out every time the ninth spot comes up.

3. John Lackey/Kelvim Escobar, Anaheim: A combined 37 wins, 339 K’s and an ERA in the low three’s is all fine and dandy, but the stuff factor plays a big role here. On a lot of days, either of these two has such good stuff that you can’t imagine how they won’t win 20 games for the rest of their career.

4. Erik Bedard/Felix Hernandez, Seattle: In terms of just pure upside, this is as dangerous a tandem that exists. They both have filthy stuff and you never, ever want to face either one of them. They do have some concerns about staying healthy, but they will combine for close to 35 wins this year and a whole lot of strikeouts.

5. Tim Hudson/John Smoltz, Atlanta: As much of a slam dunk as the other four tandems were, the fifth duo is completely open to debate. I couldn’t pick another tandem over these two just based on grit, determination and experience. Combining for 30 wins, an ERA of 3.22 and 329 K’s also speaks very highly of the duo.

What if duo’s: As far as a tandem that makes you think what if so and so could just stay healthy or things of that nature, one pops into my mind as more prominent than the rest and that is the duo in Toronto. Roy Halladay is an ace on just about any staff, and with the stuff A.J. Burnett has, Blue Jay fans must have thought that 40 percent of the time they were looking at an automatic win. But Burnett has been injury prone which has ruined a potential top five tandem.

On the Verge: There are several teams with young pitchers who are very close to being a prominent 1-2 punch and two pop into mind in particular. Scott Kazmir and James Shields in Tampa Bay are probably a year away from being a lock down top part of the rotation and Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman could be even better in Detroit. Verlander is clearly there already and Bonderman has stuff, but just needs to put it together.

In the future: In two or three years, we will be talking about two of the top duos being on the West Coast with the Giants having two studs, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum at the top of the rotation, with the Dodgers countering with their two budding stars, Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw.

Left off the list: The question here is how much having perhaps the best pitcher in baseball makes up for the lack of a solid No. 2, and since this is dynamic duo’s, it doesn’t make up for it very much, hence not seeing Johan Santana on this list. John Maine does not strike fear into the heart of anyone and Pedro Martinez has a lot to prove after not pitching for a year. Clearly Josh Beckett is a stud, but with Curt Schilling’s status and future unknown and with Daisuke Matsuzaka’s inconsistencies, it’s hard to consider the Red Sox ace. Jake Peavy is probably the best righty in the NL, but Chris Young is wild, inconsistent and too overrated to include on this list. The Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano is insane and Ted Lilly is not someone I trust in a big game. Roy Oswalt is super good, but the Astros rotation behind him is one of the worst assembled in recent years.

300 wins or bust: Entering the 2008 baseball season, there are two pitchers with perceivable, yet unrealistic chances at reaching the 300-win plateau; Randy Johnson, who enters with 284 wins and Mike Mussina, who has 250.
Johnson is 45 with back problems, but a very good year, or perhaps if he hangs on for another year, could get him there. I don’t think he’ll have the gas on the tank. Mussina is 38 and would just need four seasons of 12-13 wins a year, but I am not sure he can even do that anymore.
After these two, there is no feasible chance for anyone to reach that mark for a long time.
To put in perspective, Barry Zito is 29, and has 113 wins. Roy Oswalt is also 29 with 112 wins. Roy Halladay is 30 with 111 wins, and 28-year old Johan Santana, perhaps the most dominating pitcher in the game, has only 93 wins.
These guys are or were dominant and they still cannot reach that plateau. The player with the biggest outside chance is C.C. Sabathia, who will be 27 this season and has 100 wins. I say outside chance because he would need to average 20 wins a year for the next 10 years to get there. That or hang around until he is 44.
Pitching has morphed and we should say goodbye to the 300-win benchmark. I think 200 wins in this day in age is amazing and 250 wins is something we may never hear of again in our lifetime.
Baseball is an offensive minded game and has been for nearly 40 years, which is why we see batting records being shattered and pitching records not being touched.
Can anyone guess how many active pitchers are in the top 100 all-time in ERA? One. Pedro Martinez with a 2.80 career ERA is tied for 100th. After his first outing this year, he will fall out of the top 100.
Can you imagine?? A career ERA in today’s day and age and it’s not top 100 worthy?
Can you guess how many active pitchers are in the top 100 in complete games? Top 200? 300? 400? Zero. Top 500? One. Curt Schilling with 83. Shutouts? Three. Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux and there won’t be anyone approaching the top 100 for a long-time with the next highest active total being 25 by Tom Glavine, good for a 173rd place tie. There isn’t anyone under 35 in the top 500.
I guess this is a long way of me saying that I am a purist, who likes two hours games, that end 2-1 where both pitchers go at least seven innings. This type of game hasn’t existed in my lifetime and probably never will.

Girardi’s reaction: This was an interesting topic for discussion. How could Yankees new manager Joe Girardi, with a straight face, defend Shelley Duncan for coming in high on a takeout slide against Tampa Bay’s Aki Iwamura, just days after going on a tirade about a clean hit at home plate that injured a Yankee Minor League catcher.
He argued that there was no place for that in Spring Training, but then defended Duncan. Yes, it’s hypocritical and yes he looks like a jackass, but the thing is he is just being a Major League manager. He is defending his players.
I would expect any manager to do it, and I don’t think he is correct in what he is saying, but you have to do it; especially if you are the brand new manager of the New York Yankees. Does Girardi bother me? Yes. Would I expect Joe Torre or Bruce Bochey to do the same thing and what it bother me more or less pending on who was doing it? Probably.
It’s all part of the game.

Narrowing it Down to 65

Here are 76 teams who will be looking for their names on Selection Sunday. There is still much to play out over the next few days, but this gives us a chance to look at the real bubble teams and compare them all head to head. Obviously 11 teams on this list won't make the dance, even more if a San Diego wannabe decides they want to screw somebody. The number in parenthesis next to the conference is how many teams we consider locks as of Thursday afternoon.

We have 62 locks leaving only 3 spots open for 14 teams to fight for. Those teams are (with their ESPN RPI ranking alongside):

UMASS - 43
Dayton - 29
- Highest RPI on this list, but had the unfortunate matchup of Xavier in the A-10 quarters.
Virginia Tech - 59
Maryland - 69
Syracuse - 52
- Opening round loss by 19 all but kills their chances.
Villanova - 50
- Didn't put up much of a fight against Georgetown. Not looking good.
Ohio St. - 48
VCU - 55
- With no way left to play their way in, they are probably out.
UAB - 46
- The OT loss to Tulsa in the opening round of the C-USA tourney kills their chances.
Houston - 67
- Down to UTEP at the half. Off the bubble if they lose.
Illinois St. - 34
Arizona St. - 76
- A low RPI and an opening round loss to USC damages their chances.
Mississippi - 41
Florida - 65

America East (1)
UMBC

Atlantic 10 (1)
Xavier
UMASS
Dayton

ACC (4)
North Carolina
Duke
Clemson
Virginia Tech
Miami
Maryland

Atlantic Sun (1)
Belmont

Big 12 (6)
Kansas
Texas
Kansas St.
Baylor
Oklahoma
Texas A&M

Big East (7)
Georgetown
Louisville
Connecticut
Marquette
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
West Virginia
Syracuse
Villanova

Big Sky (1)
Portland St.

Big South (1)
Winthrop

Big 10 (4)
Wisconsin
Purdue
Indiana
Michigan St.
Ohio St.

Big West (1)
UC Santa Barbara

Colonial (1)
George Mason
VCU

Conference USA (1)
Memphis
UAB
Houston

Horizon (1)
Butler

Ivy (1)
Cornell

MAAC (1)
Siena

MAC (1)
Kent St.

MEAC (1)
Morgan St.

MVC (1)
Drake
Illinois St.

Mountain West (3)
BYU
UNLV
New Mexico

Northeast (1)
Mt. St. Mary’s

OVC (1)
Austin Peay

Pac 10 (6)
UCLA
Stanford
Washington St.
USC
Arizona St.
Oregon
Arizona

Patriot (1)
American

SEC (5)
Tennessee
Mississippi St.
Vanderbilt
Kentucky
Arkansas
Florida
Mississippi

Southern (1)
Davidson

Southland (1)
Stephen F. Austin

SWAC (1)
Alabama St.

Summit (1)
Oral Roberts

Sun Belt (2)
Western Kentucky
S. Alabama

WCC (3)
Gonzaga
San Diego
St. Mary’s

WAC (1)
Utah St.

More to come as results come in throughout Thursday.

NBA Notes: Rockets streak continues

By Mike Walsh

Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Rafer Alston, Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks, Steve Francis, Mike Harris, Chuck Hayes, Luther Head, Bobby Jackson, Carl Landry, Dikembe Mutombo, Steve Novak, Luis Scola, Justin Williams, Coach: Rick Adelman(!!!).
If I told you in November that this motley crew of a basketball team was going to rip off a 19-game winning streak (and counting) and be one game out of first place in the Western Conference in March how many kinds of crazy would you call me?
Well folks, this has become our reality. Somehow the Rockets have climbed to within one game of first place in a Western Conference that is tighter than the skin on Meg Ryan’s face.
They have seamlessly replaced Yao with Dikembe Mutombo, who is fighting off rigor mortis to go out every night and block shots and rebound. He has somehow turned back the clock.
If the Rockets win a first round series and Dikembe is seen on the ground, clutching the ball with both hands crying Sonics fans might have a collective aneurysm.
How is this happening? McGrady is being McGrady. He takes over when necessary. This year he trusts his teammates more than ever. The Rockets play solid defense, do the right thing on offense and never seem to lose their swagger.
Carl Landry is an epiphany, Battier and Hayes play hard nosed defense as does Mount Mutombo, Alston (forever “Skip to my Lou” in my book) looks like a legitimate point guard out there, and everyone is picking up the scoring slack.
Can they keep it up? I don’t think so. I mean, I hope they keep winning in the regular season because I would much rather have the Warriors match up against them in the first round than the Lakers or the Spurs. That is, of course, if the Warriors make the playoffs at all.

Speaking of the Warriors: The W’s are on track to maintain their lead in the West and get into the playoffs as the seventh or eighth seed. Back-to-back playoff berths would be a rousing success for the Warriors, especially given their history and the level of talent in the West this season.
The biggest “concern” is that Baron hasn’t missed a game yet this season. That is reason for concern for a guy like Baron who misses time every year. Don Nelson has to be just hoping that his annual injury either won’t happen or won’t derail the Warriors playoff push.
Whatever the hope is, Nellie doesn’t appear very concerned as he has played Baron 42 minutes a night over the last seven games. Monta Ellis has logged 44 minutes per game over that same span. Here’s hoping the Warriors work horses don’t run out of gas before May.

Lebron vs. Kobe…vs. Chris Paul: This year’s MVP race is shaping up nicely. It is a great topic to debate. This year’s contestants are distinctly different.
First off is the best player: Kobe.
Kobe is an assassin on offense. He’s a deadly shooter, great slasher, great free throw shooter and plays fantastic defense. His resume is filled with games, weeks, playoffs and seasons where he has proved himself as the best player in the NBA right now.
The second choice is the player who is doing the most with the least: Lebron.
I’m not just talking about his team either. Make no mistake about it, Lebron has carried the Cavs with a sub-par roster his entire career.
Here’s thing: he’s a great scorer with an extremely limited repertoire. Seriously.
Granted, when he decides to go to the hole, no one can stop him. You would have to go Last Boy Scout on him to slow him down when he is determined to get to the cup. But, have you ever seen him post up?
What do you think of his outside jumper and three point shot? Average? Maybe? If he decides to work on his post up game and outside shot in the off season his ceiling will officially come off. There is no telling how good he could be.
The good news for NBA fans is that he seems determined to get better. This season he is a much more focused defender and a better shooter. Time will tell if he is destined to be one of the greatest players of this generation, or ever.
The third choice is the dark horse. Because Kobe and Lebron can be compared more readily (both straight out of high school, about the same height, both wing players, both highly touted out while still in high school, etc.) Chris Paul gets left out.
Here’s the thing: Chris Paul has been amazing this season! I am a little biased towards point guards because I was one in high school, but think about the team Paul is leading. It’s not like it is a team of established veterans and stars, it’s the Hornets!
He’s had to deal with Tyson Chandler’s maturing process, Peja Stojakavic being completely one dimensional, Hurricane Katrina, playing “home” games in Oklahoma City, etc.
And now he is one of the two best point guards in the league along with Deron Williams. He is unstoppable off the dribble, always makes the right decision with the ball, shoots reasonably well and plays scrappy, tenacious defense when called upon.
Paul is one of many young talented players who will make the NBA fun for the next decade.
Despite Kobe starting the season acting like a baby, he has come on and gelled with his teammates, taking over when necessary and leading the charge to the top of the west. He is doing it all now with an injured finger and probably has the edge over the other two candidates in most people’s minds.
Still it’s a fun debate and one that will continue into the spring.

College Hoops Notes: More Tourney tickets punched

By Matt Smith

Four teams have followed Cornell into the NCAA Tournament as Winthrop, Belmont, Austin Peay and Drake have made it official by winning their conference tournaments.
Drake was probably on its way to the Big Dance anyway, but not having to wait around on selection Sunday and wonder is always a huge relief.
Drake’s win is big for a lot of teams, because it keeps Illinois State on the bubble, giving teams like Florida, Maryland, Villanova, Dayton, Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Oregon a chance to make an impression the committee while Illinois State waits for its fate to be decided.
Four more automatic bids will be handed out on Monday and for those aforementioned bubble teams, they hope that it goes according to plan in the Southern Conference.
Davidson, which is in the tourney regardless, is playing a 14-18 team in Elon. An Elon win would be devastating to bubble teams.
San Diego and Gonzaga will play for the West Coast Conference title, and the bubble teams are praying that Gonzaga takes care of business because a Torero win gives the WCC a chance at three teams. St. Mary's might have put itself as much on the bubble as anyone though, blowing a big lead against USD on Sunday night.
The Colonial’s argument for two teams took a hit when VCU lost to William & Mary in the semi-finals, meaning the winner of the George Mason and Bill & Mary game will likely be the only team to go from the CAA.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will also have a team punch its ticket when Siena and Rider, the conference’s top two teams, square off.

Bracket Watch: Some major shifts in the conferences as teams play themselves in and out.

Big East
Ticket punched: Georgetown, Louisville, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Marquette, Pittsburgh, West Virginia.
Probably: Syracuse
Outside looking in: Villanova
As of right now, the Big East has seven locks. The Syracuse/Villanova game in the first round of the Big East Tourney is essentially an elimination game. If Syracuse wins, put it at a lock for the eighth team. If Villanova wins, it will likely need one more win. A loss would put the Orange squarely on the bubble and it would probably end up to them getting left out.

ACC
Ticket punched: North Carolina, Duke, Clemson.
Probably: Miami.
Outside looking in: Virginia Tech, Maryland.
Virginia Tech and Maryland have played out of the tournament and probably need to win at least two games in the ACC tourney, maybe even needing three and ending up in the finals. Both of them have horrible records against the RPI’s top 50. Maryland’s only good win is beating North Carolina and Virginia Tech boasts two wins against Maryland, and that’s it.

Big 12
Ticket punched: Texas, Kansas.
Probably: Kansas State, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma.
Outside looking in: Nebraska.
The four teams likely to get in are essentially locks at this point. You can’t count one of them getting upset in the first round of the Big 12 and landing squarely on the bubble.

Big Ten
Ticket punched: Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State.
Probably: None.
Outside looking in: Ohio State.
The Buckeyes just complicated matters, hurting a team like VCU by beating Michigan State. Is it enough? We shall see. They probably need to avoid a first round Big Ten Tourney loss.

Pac-10
Ticket punched: UCLA, Stanford, Washington State, USC.
Probably: Arizona State, Arizona.
Outside looking in: Oregon.
The most compelling conference not called the Big East might see seven teams squeeze in. Arizona State should be in with five wins against the RPI top 50, and Oregon just made a case by beating Arizona. If the three of them win one Pac-10 tourney game, they probably all get in.

SEC
Ticket punched: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State.
Probably: Arkansas, Kentucky.
Outside looking in: Mississippi, Florida.
Kentucky gets moved from outside looking in, to probably after beating Florida. The Wildcats are playing without Patrick Patterson and have still found a way to go 11-4 in the SEC. With a strong RPI (50) and a very strong SOS (11), they have probably done enough. Florida, on the other hand, has an RPI of 62 and an SOS of 85.

Others
Ticket punched: Gonzaga, Memphis, Butler, Xavier, Davidson.
Probably: St. Mary’s, Kent State, BYU, UNLV, Illinois State, Massachusetts, New Mexico, South Alabama, St. Mary's.
Outside looking in: Houston, UAB, Western Kentucky, Dayton, VCU.
Bubble teams are hoping Butler and Davidson win the conference or else it will take spots away from teams sitting on the fringe. VCU is probably out after failing to reach the finals, which could be a blessing for a bubble team. Had the Rams made the final and loss, the Colonial probably gets two.

Rankings: North Carolina earned a tough win at Cameron Indoor while UCLA pulled two rabbits out of its hat as those teams move up to stay at two and three. Kansas and Georgetown saw its stock rise while Xavier’s dipped a bit. Davidson creeps into the rankings for the first time.

1. Memphis (30-1)
2. North Carolina (29-2)
3. UCLA (28-3)
4. Tennessee (28-3)
5. Kansas (28-3)
6. Georgetown (25-4)
7. Duke (26-4)
8. Texas (26-5)
9. Wisconsin (26-4)
10. Butler (24-4)
11. Xavier (26-5)
12. Notre Dame (24-6)
13. Drake (28-4)
14. Purdue (24-7)
15. Connecticut (24-7)
16. Louisville (24-7)
17. Stanford (24-6)
18. Vanderbilt (25-6)
19. BYU (25-6)
20. Washington State (23-7)
21. Michigan State (24-7)
22. Indiana (25-6)
23. Gonzaga (25-6)
24. Marquette (22-8)
25. Davidson (25-6)

MLB Notes: Reading into Spring Training

By Matt Smith

When Spring Training rolls around in March, you have two different types of baseball fans: The kind who put stock into how things go and the kind who doesn’t.
Both of those things are wrong.
What you should do is put stock into individual performances but put no stock into the team’s performance. To break it down further, you should put stock into your star players or starters performances against the star players and starters from other teams.
If a player you are counting on, or a player your team just signed or if a player has shown a tendency to do something bad and that continues, these are all red flags.
I don’t care if it’s early March or not, if a guy is playing horribly, then he is playing horribly. It’s true that he has a whole month to correct it and that is where the whole “It’s Spring Training” argument comes into play.
Some players do get it straightened out, but some don’t. Certainly people who have struggled in the spring have carried that over and had horrible seasons. That is why it is a red flag.
Let’s get this straight: If a player is playing like crap in the early spring, it’s certainly not a good sign. You might not see it as a bad sign, but it is certainly not good and during Spring Training you want to be encouraged. Keep in mind that players are actually trying to do well.
The first name that raises a red flag is Andruw Jones. Jones is coming off a horrible year where he hit .222, a career low and 26 home runs, his lowest since 1999. He also struck out 138 times, the second most in his career.
But because of his track record, the Dodgers gave him a two-year, $36 million contract and early indications are that it is not a good signing.
Jones is hitting a whopping .133 so far this spring and has looked horrible against the opposing teams top line pitchers, including getting dominated by Johan Santana. You might say Santana is the reason for that, but it’s just an example. Jason Repko did get two hits off the very same Santana that day, though.
Another red flag that has popped up are Giants pitchers Barry Zito and Noah Lowry. Giants fans (that I know) are pretending not to be too concerned about their two lefties.
I think they are more concerned and for good reason.
Zito has pitched twice, losing both games and allowing nine earned runs for an ERA above 22. He has walked two guys in 3 2/3 innings, which is about five walks per nine, and he hasn’t struck anyone out. He did pitch much better in his second outing of the spring, so perhaps he has righted the ship after allowing one run over three innings with no walks. His eight runs in 2/3 of an inning is still very alarming, meaning he could be as up and down as last year and that should not be acceptable to Giants fans.
Turns out Lowry is hurt and will have a minor surgery on his left wrist, but he is a guy who’s control got away from him last year, and to see him come out and walk 12 guys in 2 1/3 innings, including nine in one inning, had to be very concerning. Giants fans might have been concerned he had completely lost his mechanics, or that he had Steve Blass syndrome. The best case scenario is that he is in fact hurt because overcoming injury is easier than overcoming yourself.
The red flag is up for Mr. Lowry and how he bounces back will go a long way in telling exactly what his problems are.
On the opposite side of that equation, Angel fans saw Torii Hunter batting .727 after Thursday’s game with the Giants. Of course he won’t hit .700 all season, but you have to be encouraged at his output so far.
Same goes for Jones, Zito and Lowry. You don’t expect Jones to bat .133 with no power and you don’t expect Zito and Lowry to have double digit ERA’s while walking every other guy. You just don’t want a terrible spring to mean a subpar or very poor season.
Speaking of the Dodgers and Giants, both Matt Cain and Derek Lowe gave up five earned runs on Thursday. Lowe got lit up in two innings against Boston while Cain was torched in 2 1/3 innings against the Angels. Yikes.

Taking it slow: A lot of big named pitchers are coming back from surgeries, and injury prone seasons and thus far the approach has been to take it slow with them.
Guys like Francisco Liriano, Mark Prior, Mike Hampton, Jason Schmidt, Randy Johnson, Kris Benson and Rich Harden (to name a few) are being handled with care as they try and make their way back.
Liriano, who has thrown batting practice, is said to have looked good and appears to be on track, will get his first start of the spring today. He will probably go two innings maximum.
Prior is going throw the process of building up to reach a point where he will be game ready. The Padres are taking that slow and it is rumored that it will be May when that happens. As of now, he has only thrown bullpen sessions.
The Braves are not counting on Hampton to be ready to help the rotation, but he threw two scoreless innings against Houston and has reported no soreness. Hampton seems to be ahead of schedule, but the Braves are understandably weary.
Schmidt, who took four days off from throwing after reporting fatigue in his surgically repaired shoulder, is back to playing catch. Schmidt will be handled very carefully and probably won’t pitch a big league game until May at the earliest.
Johnson threw batting practice on Tuesday, and says his back is not a problem. But he’s 45 with back problems, so don’t expect him to make too much of an impact.
Benson is another guy taking it slow as the Phillies took a chance on him. He also probably won’t be ready for opening day despite reporting he has been feeling good.
Last but not least, the most injury prone and perhaps the most talented (maybe other than Liriano) is Harden said he was pain free in his three innings against the Angels on Monday, but he certainly wasn’t effective. He allowed two runs on four hits, but reports were his fastball hit as high as 96.

I don’t know is on third: One of the more intriguing position battles this year is taking place in Dodgers camp and that is the battle for the third place job.
You have the 34-year old veteran in Nomar Garciaparr who is as good a right-handed bat as any when he is going good and you have a 25-year old rookie in Andy LaRoche who has gotten a very short audition at the big league level.
Joe Torre was probably hoping that one of them would make it easy on him and lose the job, but so far that isn’t happening.
LaRoche ended Thursday’s game with Boston batting .350 so far while Garciaparra, who sat out of Friday’s game, was hitting .333.
Torre seems to prefer experience, meaning Garciaparra probably has the edge right now if healthy.
Another whisper is the Dodgers interest in the Tigers Brandon Inge, but that seems like a foolish move at this point when you have two very strong candidates who will hit for a much higher average already wearing the uniform.

More A’s injuries: Speaking of Oakland, A’s fans probably expected the red flag to go up at some point during the regular season, but probably didn’t expect it at the beginning of March.
Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby are battling to come back from various injuries, and the one thing they both have in common is a bad back.
Well, surprise, surprise it’s early March and back problems are already seeping their way into any hopes the A’s had.
Chavez had an epidural shot in his surgically repaired back and is reported as iffy for Opening Day while Crosby has already returned.
He was scratched from Monday’s lineup, but played Wednesday and Thursday. Don’t expect it to be the last time he is scratched as it is a situation that could get worse and worse.

NFL Notes: Favre dies of old age

By Mike Walsh


Every spring for the last three years Brett Favre had been given one year to live. He fought to maintain his quality of life, with varying success.
This last year he rebounded to the point that most people were convinced that he was going to live at least another year, if not two or three.
Then, unexpectedly, Favre died.
Doctors, friends and family have tried to pin point the actual cause of death. Some said it was the physical, day to day strain.
Others maintained that it was the psychological toll of knowing he was near the end and still trying to live as though it were 1997. It is often said that, at an advanced age sometimes people just lose the will to live, or in Brett's case, to compete.
Brett will be remembered as a fierce competitor and one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. A service, in the way of almost 24-hour Brett fever on every sports network, will take place over the next week. Brett will ascend to football heaven in precisely five years. We wish his family and friends well.
Ok, that's not true. Actually he just retired. It seems plausible though, considering that it feels like he's been in the NFL for my entire life. The coverage of this event has already been inescapable.It's right on par with Barbero, TO, Bonds and Clemens as the most saturated story of the last few years.
In this case it is warranted given the magnitude of the player and personality that was Brett Favre. Favre wasn't the elite, untouchable athlete. He was an everyman who lived a simple life and over came addiction and tragedy throughout his career.
Everyone has their favorite Brett highlight, improvisation or quote. For me, the defining "moment" of Favre's career has to be the three consecutive MVPs.
In a time that featured many superstar quarterbacks and different position players including: Steve Young, TroyAikman, John Elway, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders, Favre stood above them all for three straight seasons as the league's Most Valuable Player.
As excited as I am to see fellow Pleasant Valley High School alumn Aaron Rodgers get his shot, it is a sad day for football to lose such a fantastic player and, more importantly, such a great person.

Dunn in Atlanta: Cat Fancy may have finally caught up with Warrick Dunn. Dunn holds the record at Florida State for single season yards (1,242, at 7.5 yards per carry!) and career yards (3,959). At 5'9", 180 lbs., Dunn has amassed over 10,000 career rushing yards in the NFL, becoming only the third running back under 5'10" to do so.
It is amazing that he has only missed a total of 10 games in his NFL career with such a small stature for a running back.
After six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Dunn has been released. He has mentioned Dallas as a place that he would like to play. In the right situation Dunn could help propel a team like Dallas to the next level. He can still run and is a good receiver out of the backfield; something Dallas has lacked the last few seasons.
I hope he ends up in a good situation where he is able to contribute to a good football team. If not, the magazine cover curse may have finally got him.

Free Agent Frenzy: The annual free agent frenzy has begun. The Pats were able to hang on to Randy Moss at a discount price. While $27 million over three years might not seem like much of a discount, it is when you consider than theRaiders just gave Javon Walker 55 million over the next six years.
Especially given the fact that Walker had a bum knee last year.
Speaking of the Raiders...... they decided to give Kwame Harris a three year, $16 million deal. This is ludicrous when you consider that, while being completely healthy last year, Harris was left inactive for several games for the Niners last year.
If you are healthy and can't crack the roster of one of the worst teams in the NFL with one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, why would anyone sign him??? Al Davis, that's why. The man is senile. His entire front office knows that they will have to over pay free agents to come to Oakland because no one wants to go there to play anymore.
While the Raiders have added some talent with Gibril Wilson, Javon Walker (pending the health of his knee) and Tommy Kelly, they have overpaid to do so and still have holes to fill. Still, they are in much better shape than last year and if Huggi Bear Jr. (read: Justin Fargas) can play like he did for most of last season, the Silver and Black might be on their way to competing in the AFC West.
Meanwhile, across the bay the Niners may have hired Brian Sabean to help out with free agent signings. That is the only explanation for signing Isaac Bruce. Not only is he old (he was a non-factor for the Rams the last two seasons), but every Niners fan hates his guts because he played for the Rams!
It's bad enough that Mike Martz is running the offense, now we have to watch Bruce be ineffective while remembering how he burned us time and time again at the beginning of this decade.
The Niners also signed DeShawn Foster, who is already upset about being behind a workhorse like Frank Gore. By not addressing their biggest problems which are O-line, D-line and wide receiver, the Niners are leaving a lot up to the quality of players in the draft.
And if they don't address those needs in the draft I will need to be defibrillated.

NBA Notes: Eastern Conference is a reason for change

By Mike Walsh

There has never been a better argument to change the current playoff format in the NBA than this: The Eastern Conference. While the overall talent of the top four teams in the East is better this season, the conference as a whole is miserable.
If I were in charge of the NBA I would make the NBA playoffs more like March Madness, in that the team with the best record in each conference would be given the number one seed in each half of the bracket and then every other team, no matter the conference, would be given a seed based on records alone. There might have to be some scheduling adjustments or strength of schedule factors, but I think it could work.
The West is loaded.
It’s very exciting, but the problem is that each series in each round is going to feel like the conference championship. By the time the Lakers/Spurs/Jazz get out of the West, they are going to be exhausted. Meanwhile the tops four seeds in the East will most likely sweep their first round opponents. I am so confident of this that I feel like only four teams deserve to be talked about as Eastern Conference contenders.

Pistons-I hate them. Nothing changes with them. A few parts here and there, but the nucleus remains, the unexciting play remains and the “not quite good enough” factor remains this year. They have the same team as last year, and that team lost to the fighting Lebron’s. How will they beat two out of the three threats this year? They won’t.

Celtics-As long as Sam Cassell passes his physical (it might be difficult to prove that his ginormous gonads aren’t tumors), he will give the Celtics the crunch time player that will make them the prohibitive favorite. He might be old, but which point guard in the east is going to exploit that? Chauncey Billups isn’t quick, he’s wily. Cassell has more wily in his giant left nut that Billups has in his whole body. Who are you going to key on if the Celts come out for a last shot with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Sam Cassell??? They also signed PJ Brown’s rotting corpse. Whatever. They are going to be really tough.

Orlando-They are who I thought they were! Dwight Howard is a stud and is only going to get better. Hedo Turkoglu has been underrated his entire career and is finally shining. Rashard Lewis is still the enigmatic character that we all knew he would be. And they have horrible guards. No surprises. When the game slows down in the playoffs they can’t feed it to Howard down low because he’s not a great back to the basket player yet. They can’t rely on Lewis and every other team has someone who can slow down Hedo. Look for Orlando to leap frog Detroit in the coming years though.

Cleveland-Lebron would be the MVP this year hands down if Kobe wasn’t…well, Kobe. Still, Lebron keeps getting better. He is a better defender, better jump shooter and better crunch time scorer this year. We knew he was a better raw athlete than Kobe, but Kobe had the intense desire, hyper-competitive nature to go along with great athleticism and ice water for blood. Now that Lebron is figuring that part out, his ceiling just became “unknown”. The Cavs were the only team in the East to really shake their roster up in a positive way. I was in the minority, but I really liked what Cleveland did, adding an emerging point guard in Delonte West, adding consistent outside shooting (from someone other than their point guard) in Wally Sczerbiak, adding beef down low with Wallace and getting Joe Smith. Smith is a post player that can knock down the 15 footer all day. The Cavs can do a lot more on offense with these acquisitions.

Everyone else-The rest of the east is a cluster of subpar teams that are all difficult to talk about. The only other team that can look like a quality team is Toronto, but they are too flawed to beat one of the top four in a series. As for everyone else…. yikes. The Bulls are dysfunctional and no one can really pinpoint exactly why. The Hawks are the Hawks, the Wiz are injury plagued and have bad chemistry, the Pacers cannot rely on Jermaine O’Neal or Mike Dunleavy night in and night out, the Sixers (who I watched in person get blown out by Golden State) are all smoke and mirrors. Their only bright spot is Sweet Lou Williams. And the Nets, Gold bless ‘em, they traded away Kidd and brought in Devon Harris to deal with Vince Carter. Bad times.
I will be shocked if one of the top four teams gets knocked off in the first round. Although, come to think of it, the Cleveland-Toronto first round match-up could be interesting. I need to stop thinking before I change my mind.

Speaking of the Wizards: Washington might be getting the boost it needs to hang on to one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference as Gilbert Arenas has been cleared to return to practice.
Arenas has had three procedures on his injured left knee in less than a year, including two of them just three and a half months ago.
Still, with Arenas helping a team that has been decimated by injuries other than to their star guard, he could come to the rescue just in time.
He told the AP he was cleared to go full speed, but also said he was a big weary of getting hurt again.
As of now, there is no timetable for his return to game action.

College Hoops Notes: Cornell clinches Ivy crown

By Matt Smith

When the horn sounded at Levien Gymnasium on the campus of Cornell University in the sleepy town of Ithaca, New York, the Big Red had not only punished Harvard 86-53, but became the first official team to be admitted into the NCAA Tournament.
With that win, Cornell clinched the Ivy League, and though it will likely be a No. 15 or 16 seed, the Big Red have won 14 games in a row since losing to Duke on Jan. 6 and are 20-5 overall and 12-0 in conference.
The game was essentially over by halftime as the Big Red had a 45-20 lead, stamping their ticket to the Big Dance on March 1 and winning their first Ivy League title since 1988.
Not only is winning their first conference title in 20 years impressive, it stops an amazing streak and reign of terror in the conference by Penn and Princeton. No other team other than those two has won an Ivy League crown since Cornell won it in 1988; until now.
"It's hard to put into words," Jason Hartford, Cornell's only senior, told the Associated Press after the game. "No words can express the feeling to that one sound of the horn. All we could do is run as fast as we could to the middle of the court and jump as high as we could to be able to share it with the people that were there with you the whole way."
Hartford is only the team’s seventh leading scorer. The top two scorers, Ryan Wittman (15.3 ppg) and Louis Dale (13.1 ppg) are just sophomore.
This team has nine freshman and sophomore that will return to a team looking to establish its own little reign of terror, keeping Penn and Princeton thirsting for a return to the Big Dance in the process.

Bracket Watch: Things have changed slightly in some conferences, but have stayed the same for the most part. The for sure thing is that the Big East is still getting at least eight bids.

Big East
Ticket punched: Georgetown, Louisville, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Marquette, Pittsburgh.
Probably: Villanova, West Virginia.
Outside looking in: Syracuse, Seton Hall.
Syracuse and Seton Hall both hurt its respective causes with the Cuse losing to Pitt, a game in which the Orange led late in and the Hall lost to lowly St. John’s. Syracuse has lost three straight since its big win over Georgetown. Wednesday’s game between these two is probably an elimination game, meaning the loser needs to win the Big East Tournament.

ACC
Ticket punched: North Carolina, Duke.
Probably: Clemson, Miami, Maryland.
Outside looking in: Virginia Tech, Wake Forest.
After beating Duke and winning its third straight ACC game, Wake has gone from the underrated team to the team that blew it by losing three straight. The Deacons need to win their final two and then win two in the ACC Tourney to get in. Clemson probably punched its ticket by beating Maryland Sunday night, with that loss putting the Terps squarely on the bubble. Still, Maryland and Miami will probably sneak in with 20+ wins and a .500 mark in conference play.

Big 12
Ticket punched: Texas, Kansas.
Probably: Kansas State, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma.
Outside looking in: Nebraska, Texas Tech.
Even though it has the third best SOS in the country, it’s probably too little, too late for Tech. A win over Texas makes you think, but a late season and conference tourney run is a necessity. The four teams listed as probably in are about as in as they are out right now. All are squarely on the bubble. KSU has lost four in a row, the Aggies continue to flounder in conference play, OU lost Blake Griffin for the remainder of the regular season and Baylor still doesn’t seem to get much respect.

Big Ten
Ticket punched: Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State.
Probably: None.
Outside looking in: Ohio State, Minnesota.
The Buckeyes have lost four in a row, including losses against Minnesota and Michigan. They are out as of right now. The Gophers win over OSU is not going to be enough, despite having 18 wins right now, because their SOS is horrid.

Pac-10
Ticket punched: UCLA, Stanford, Washington State.
Probably: USC, Arizona State, Arizona.
Outside looking in: Cal, Oregon, Washington.
Arizona has the nation’s best SOS, but four losses in the last five games and six losses in the last eight games leaves the Wildcats at 17-12 and 7-9 in the Pac-10. They are a very, very iffy probably at this moment. Cal, Oregon or Washington will have to win the conference tourney to get in.

SEC
Ticket punched: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State.
Probably: Florida, Arkansas.
Outside looking in: Mississippi, Kentucky.
Absolutely no change here as Kentucky’s hopes of shaking off a bad start and getting in the tournament took a hit with a close loss at Tennessee. That win might have made their conference performance to much to ignore. Arkansas came very close to moving into the ticket punched category with a win over Vanderbilt, but two losses in a row before that makes it impossible to do so. A win over Ole Miss and the Hogs are in and the Rebels are out.

Others
Ticket punched: Cornell, Gonzaga, Memphis, Drake, Butler, Xavier, Davidson.
Probably: St. Mary’s, Kent State, BYU, UNLV, Illinois State.
Outside looking in: Houston, UAB, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, St. Joseph’s.
The biggest movement occurred in the mid-majors as Gonzaga and Davidson have done enough to get in. Both played very tough out of conference schedules and have won their regular season conferences, with Davidson going 20-0 in the Southern Conference. Gonzaga by beating St. Mary’s just stamped its bid as well. Cornell is the only team officially in the tournament, winning the Ivy League with the blowout of Harvard. Illinois State moves up to probably, giving the Missouri Valley the possibility of two teams. The Red Birds have won three big games in a row, beating Creighton, Southern Illinois and Wright State. The MWC has three very good teams, but either New Mexico or UNLV will get left out because the conference probably won’t get three while Conference USA and the A-10 will probably have their fringe teams left out. Maybe Houston and UMass could sneak in.

Rankings: Memphis moves back to one, because it has one loss and should not have been dropped below No. 2 anyway, because all the Tigers did was lose a close game at home to a top five team. The main polls, ESPN and USA Today will have UNC No. 1, but that doesn’t seem right to me. Is anyone else noticing Xavier’s ascent up the charts. The Muskateers, if they win out, will definitely grab a No. 2 seed. This team is for real.

1. Memphis (28-1)
2. North Carolina (27-2)
3. UCLA (26-3)
4. Duke (25-3)
5. Tennessee (26-3)
6. Kansas (26-3)
7. Xavier (25-4)
8. Georgetown (24-4)
9. Texas (24-5)
10. Stanford (24-4)
11. Purdue (23-6)
12. Vanderbilt (24-5)
13. Wisconsin (24-4)
14. Connecticut (23-6)
15. Louisville (24-6)
16. Butler (27-3)
17. Notre Dame (22-6)
18. Michigan State (23-6)
19. Indiana (24-5)
20. Drake (25-4)
21. BYU (23-6)
22. Marquette (21-7)
23. Mississippi State (20-8)
24. Washington State (22-7)
25. Gonzaga (23-6)