The Stage is Set

Personally, I think it's too big. Having been in a cavernous setting for a Final Four (Reliant Stadium in Houston last year was flat-out ridiculous), I'm of the belief that the games need to be played in something more suitable for basketball. We'll see if shooters have problems (notably, depth perception behind the rims) this year like they did in Reliant Stadium.

Is it Saturday yet?

This has been the longest week of my life.

Gordon Hayward Gettin' Busy

Admittedly, I *never* expected Hayward to be an impact player who would see starter type minutes in the NBA. Even though he still looks like a 17-year-old kid, he is ballin' in the League.

UNC Trio Departing

Along with senior Tyler Zeller, North Carolina will lose John Henson, Harrison Barnes, and Kendall Marshall, as all three are entering the NBA Draft, per a release from the school.

Rise and Fire!

Today is off to a great start, as the one and only Gus Johnson has joined Twitter (@gusjohnson). No Gus mention is complete without this:

The Forgotten Ones

Predictably, nobody is talking about the other Final Four match-up this weekend: Kansas v. Ohio State. Certainly, it doesn't have the rivalry element, nor does it have the polarizing coaches who just so happen to hate each other, but in the end, this might end up being the better basketball game. And in case you forgot, this one is also a re-match.

When the two teams met at Allen Fieldhouse back on December 10 (Kansas won 78-67), there was a major piece missing - Jared Sullinger. Dealing with a back issue, Sullinger sat out, and the mismatch in the post was glaring. Kansas features POY candidate Thomas Robinson, along with 7' center Jeff Withey, whereas the Buckeyes were forced to start Evan Ravenel alongside DeShaun Thomas, with spot minutes from inexperienced freshman Amir Williams. Kansas shot 58% from the field that day, as Ohio State struggled, posting a less than stellar 38% overall. You have to factor in the crowd, which was crazy, and the absence of Sullinger, which forced the Buckeyes to rely on more jumpshots than they're accustomed to.

Aaron Craft v. Tyshawn Taylor
Jared Sullinger v. Thomas Robinson
DeShaun Thomas v. Jeff Withey
William Buford v. Elijah Johnson
Lenzelle Smith Jr. v. Travis Releford

I fully expect Kansas to play mixed defenses, primarily due to the presence of DeShaun Thomas. There's nobody on the Jayhawks roster who can match-up with him one-on-one. You don't really want Withey trying to check him, since he likes to float on the perimeter a lot, and you don't want Thomas Robinson in that position, either. Bill Self doesn't want to do what he did against Purdue, which was keep one on the bench and only play one of the Withey-Robinson combo at a time. That played right into Purdue's hands and neutralized one of Kansas' biggest advantages (I'll never understand why he didn't force Purdue to play his game, instead of the other way around).

Outside of the Diesel (his nickname) factor, how Aaron Craft is able to defend Tyshawn Taylor will be a major factor. In their previous match-up, the nation's best perimeter defender didn't exactly dominate, as Taylor posted 13 assists and ran the offense as he saw fit. Until the tournament, Buford has been Ohio State's designated "scorer" from the wings, but he has struggled in March, and Elijah Johnson is an underrated defender who will look to lock Buford down. In the end, I expect DeShaun Thomas to continue his hot streak, posting 20+ points and proving to be too much of an inside/outside problem for Kansas' post players, as Sullinger posts a double-double.

Prediction: Ohio State 71, Kansas 65

UNC-Duke? Please, ESPN.

I don't really need to do much to explain this Kentucky-Louisville rivalry to you now that this story has come out. Here's an excerpt:

Officers were called after a UK and UofL fan gave each other a full court press during treatment at the Georgetown Dialysis Clinic Monday.

"He just happened to think UofL would beat UK and he started to run his mouth," explained dialysis patient Ed Wilson. Wilson also happens to be a self-proclaimed die hard UK fan. "That's what started it."

But Charles Taylor, who was waiting to get hooked up to a machine saw things differently. "I didn't talk to him about the ball game; I was talking to another guy about the game," The UofL fan exclaimed. "He was meddling. And told me to shut up and gave me the finger!"

Two old dudes literally fighting in a dialysis center over the upcoming UK v. UL game in New Orleans? Damn straight.

Colts Draft Just Got More Interesting

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Indianapolis Colts were awarded a compensatory pick in the upcoming NFL Draft - #253 overall. Why do we care? Because that player will be this year's Mr. Irrelevant.

Given the current roster make-up of the Colts, whomever is drafted in this slot actually has a fair shot at making the roster ... something that is rare for Mr. Irrelevant. Good times.

While I was away ...

You'll have to forgive me, as I was slightly preoccupied this past weekend -- not to mention intoxicated for all but a few hours of it -- but did Tiger Woods win a golf tournament? Does this mean "he's back" and I should now expect him to be the odds-on favorite to win the Masters? I'm assuming the odds will agree with me, considering he's usually up there even when he was a disaster.

In any event, some other random stuff happened in the last 24-48 hours, so let's touch upon those things:

-The Saints have contacted 70-year-old Bill Parcells about taking over the Saints this year while current head coach Sean Payton serves his one-year suspension for actions related to Bounty-gate. Maybe they should see if Tony Dungy is interested? Something tells me America would really rally around the Saints if Dungy were pacing the sidelines.

-Some college basketball players are starting to make their intentions known as it concerns their decision to enter the draft or return to school. The following players are bolting:

Austin Rivers (Duke) - no surprise at all here; Coach K is ruining the game, though
Renardo Sidney (Miss State) - HAHAHAHAHHAHA, seriously?
Damian Lillard (Weber State) - best player most of you have never heard of
Dion Waiters (Syracuse) - probably the right decision for this soph (mid-late 1st rd)
Fab Melo (Syracuse) - did he even have a choice?
Maalik Wayns (Villanova) - not seeing this one ...
Mo Harkless (St. John's) - we hardly knew ya, kid
Will Barton (Memphis) - hasn't really lived up to the top 10 recruit hype
J'Covan Brown (Texas) - sigh ... another likely undrafted kid who should stay
Royce White (Iowa State) - striking while the iron's hot after huge NCAAT game v UK

Texas freshman PG Myck Kabongo has announced he is returning to school for his sophomore year. I'm glad to hear this, because he can become a star down the road, but he needs more time at the college level to get there. Played out of control most of the season.

-Frank Martin has agreed to become the next coach at South Carolina, leaving Kansas State and taking his scary faces to Columbia. Looking forward to seeing him in the SEC.

-The New York Jets had a press conference for their newly signed ... back-up quarterback. Are we serious?

-I still can't believe it's UK v. Louisville in the Final Four. Pitino v. Calipari. One will play for the national championship. Yeah, you can expect a column from me soon about how big this really is. Not quite sure people are grasping it just yet. An entire state is basically shutting down over this game ... and ... well, I'll just save the rest for my column.

Final Four Odds

Current odds to win the 2012 NCAA championship, courtesy of Pinnacle Sports:

Kentucky (-125)

Ohio State (+275)

Kansas (+400)

Louisville (+1000)

Halfway There

West: (4) Louisville
East: (2) Ohio State

South: (1) Kentucky v. (3) Baylor
Midwest: (1) North Carolina v. (2) Kansas

Great Game

First of all, I appreciate the host of txts and emails claiming that Kentucky beat IU because the refs screwed IU or that it was "8 on 5" (to their credit, those things were not said by Rev or MAV, and for that, I thank them), but that simply isn't true. Fact is, a great college basketball game was played by two teams that really got after it. Granted, I didn't get to watch the other games being played yesterday, but in my opinion, it was right up there as one of the games of the tournament this year.

The atmosphere was unprecedented for a Sweet 16 game. The crowd was spirited, loud, and stood nearly the entire game, even through extended media timeouts. Having been to many NCAA tournament games, including multiple Final Fours, I can say that game had the intensity and crowd involvement of a national championship game - and I hope that was audible/visible through the tv for those who watched. The rivalry and re-match elements certainly factored into that, but lots of people around me offered similar remarks - "Hard to believe this isn't at least an Elite 8 game."

And did you see the embrace between Crean and Calipari at midcourt? Two friends who witnessed their respective teams playing their hearts out for a shot at the Elite 8. That's what college basketball is all about.

Coach K is Ruining College Basketball ... Right?

Just another one and done rolling through Durham - G Austin Rivers will declare for the NBA Draft and sign with an agent, making it back-to-back one and done point guards for Coach K and his Duke program (Kyrie Irving last year, who went #1 overall).

I'll patiently wait for the articles criticizing Coach K for the way he is de-valuing the educational aspect of college with his mercenary point guards lately.

Indiana v. Kentucky 2.0

I'm down here in Atlanta for the South Regional semi-finals (I say it in the plural sense, but we all know I'm just not that interested in Baylor v. Xavier) at the Georgia Dome. Made the 8-hour drive yesterday, much of that time spent fighting rain and lightning storms, which is always fun, and as soon as I pulled into the CNN Center (I'm staying at the Omni) I saw groups of Kentucky and Indiana fans walking around. I believe it goes without saying that both fan bases are treating this like a Final Four or national championship game. Frankly, it could very well be that given what's left on the entire left side of the bracket (Baylor v. X winner, followed by either Florida or Louisville in the Final Four). One thing I've yet to see? A single Xavier fan. Or any Baylor fans. I imagine they'll arrive today (maybe). Either way, I could care less about that game. Only one matters to me today.

But first, a few questions running through my mind:

-What happened to Michigan State last night? Was Louisville's defense that good, or did Sparty show its inconsistent side that raised flags late throughout the season, even though they ended up with a number 1 seed?

-Was Florida really an underdog to Marquette last night? I didn't drop the hammer on a large wager, but for some reason I felt more confident in that outcome than any of the games. Just not a believer in Marquette - they found themselves down by some huge margins this season.

-Wisconsin's second half performance was very reminiscent of IU back in December, when they hit 7 threes in a row to prevent Kentucky from pulling away in Bloomington. Syracuse set Wisconsin up for the win, similar to what happened in Bloomington, again, but Wisconsin couldn't manage to get an acceptable look with :13 seconds and a timeout remaining. Not Bo Ryan's finest coaching moment last night. I had Syracuse and Ohio State parlayed together (to win), so I was pleased with that outcome.

-How many beers am I going to have to consume before this game to be able to tolerate the anxiety and stress?

To my Hoosiers out there, I'll say this - I hope everyone comes out of tonight's re-match in good health. The spread is Kentucky by 9 points, but let's be honest - it's the NCAA Tournament. This is a rivalry game if ever there was one (given the circumstances). You can throw the spread out the window. All week, IU has heard how they are going to get worked this time by the Cats, since it isn't in Bloomington and the Kentucky freshmen aren't freshmen anymore, and Terrence Jones is back to being a respectable player. Whereas UK has extra motivation for this one, you can bet Tom Crean is providing some for his players, too.

I'm not even going to bother with making a prediction.

Teacher v. Student

Tomorrow, they meet for a spot in the Final Four down in New Orleans. Pitino's 4th-seeded Louisville Cardinals knocked off #1 seed Michigan State last night in a game that never looked like it was going to go Sparty's way, while Donovan's Florida Gators (seeded 7th) took care of 3rd-seeded Marquette in the West Regional semi-finals.

Interesting Timing

This is a rough way to end your career:

Old Dominion's basketball season ended Wednesday night without leading scorer Kent Bazemore, who was arrested minutes before tipoff in connection with a DUI charge last summer. Bazemore, 22, was taken into custody at the Constant Center prior to ODU's CollegeInsider.com quarterfinal game against Mercer, which ODU lost 79-73.

Bazemore had a warrant on file from Virginia Beach for "revocation for a suspended sentence-DUI", according to police. Knowing Bazemore would be at the Constant Center, police arrested him. He was "not uncooperative," according to Sgt. Margie Hobbs. He was taken to the Virginia Beach jail and released. Coach Blaine Taylor said he was as surprised as anyone to learn that his star guard, an All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, would not play.

"About five minutes before game, literally (I) was told he would be unavailable," Taylor said.

Bazemore had been listed as a starter in the official scorebook and had warmed up with his teammates.

I get it, but couldn't the cops have waited until after the game? The guy was released after being finger-printed.

Back In Action

The lull between the opening weekend and the Sweet 16 feels like forever, at least to me. It's only four days, but to me, it might as well be two weeks. In any event, it's time to get back into gear:

East Regional Semi-Finals

(1) Syracuse (-3.5) v. (4) Wisconsin. Can Wisconsin make enough threes against Syracuse's zone? You can play that question/answer game with every Syracuse opponent in March - because we hear the same thing every year. At some point, though, Syracuse has to score, as well. Wisconsin will keep the tempo down, trying to keep the Orange from getting transition buckets (their specialty). With Fab Melo, I'd roll with 'Cuse to cover and do so rather easily. But without him, one of their two major advantages is neutralized. Now they must rely on athleticism. Wisconsin always seems to be in this position, but this is where they fall short, and Jim Boeheim has only been beyond the Sweet 16 something like 3 times in the last 26 years (which is crazy). I like Syracuse in this one.

(2) Ohio State (-7) v. (6) Cincinnati. This has the potential to be the ugliest game of the week(end). It will amount to a rock fight. Two schools that won't play each other are forced to match up in the NCAA Tournament? Perfect. Expect a physical game, an ugly foul on Yancy Gates at some point, Sullinger getting in his face a bit, and The Ohio State University rolling by double digits. I think they had their "scare" last weekend against Gonzaga, and now they're ready to make their run to the Final Four (yes, I think they take out Syracuse on Saturday).

West Regional Semi-Finals

(1) Michigan State (-5) v. (4) Louisville. I'm noticing a trend here in the Sweet 16, at least with respect to the Thursday slate - Louisville is yet another grind-it-out, slow-it-down, physical team that likes to hand-check, hold, bump, you name it en route to their ugly victories. The Cards are streaking a bit lately, winners of 6 in a row -- including Marquette, Notre Dame, Cincy and New Mexico -- and many are calling for the upset. With Michigan State ... what more do I need to say? It's Tom Izzo in March. We've got an interesting frontcourt battle between Deng/Behanan for UL and Nix/Green for Sparty. That said, Louisville's ability to create turnovers and scoring opportunities off the press is where this game is won or lost, in my opinion. I like Michigan State to win a tight one, with Louisville covering the 5 while missing a shot at the horn that could have sent the game to overtime. Any takers on that prediction?

(3) Marquette (-2) v. (7) Florida. One of the more intriguing match-ups of the weekend, and with the #7 seed only getting 2 points, you have to wonder if a Gators victory is even considered an upset. When they are hitting their threes, they can beat anyone (except Kentucky - they tried, and failed, three times this season). They have a nice combination of size (Patric Young), athleticism/skill (Brad Beal), and guard play (Kenny Boynton) ... hard for me to include Erving Walker in this group, but I suppose he can manage to not go full retard at times. Marquette is one of the most off-the-radar teams I can remember. How much did you really hear about them this season? Meanwhile, Jae Crowder is slowly becoming the star of the tournament, and his supporting cast -- featuring Darius Johnson-Odom -- is more than capable of holding their own. I need an "upset" here, so I'll take the Gators and the points.

Well, today got a little crazy ...

I log off for an hour and the following news breaks:

1. Tebow is traded to the Jets. [UPDATE: maybe?]
2. Saints coach Sean Payton is suspended for the year.
3. Shaka Smart turns down the Illinois job.

Carry on.

Ugh

Well, That Didn't Go So Well

Looks to me like the Golden State Warriors jersey retirement ceremony for Chris Mullin turned into a WWE event ... the owner was treated like Vince McMahon:



Love when Rick Barry gets out there at the 3:00 mark in the clip. "Show a little bit of class ... this is crazy ... seriously ... come on ...."

Sweet 16

Anyone else wake up in a haze this morning? Granted, we didn't get our standard collection of buzzer beaters (none, actually - we didn't even get an overtime period) as part of March Madness, but we had a slew of close finishes, choke-jobs, and controversy. Not to mention a midnight finish on Sunday night in what amounted to a "rock fight" between Cincy and Florida State, after a disappointing finish by Purdue after leading for 38 minutes against Kansas. Someone needs to check on Statty this morning, because he didn't respond to my text message after the final horn.

So, where are we now? We bid farewell to two #2 seeds in the first round (Missouri and Duke), two #3 seeds couldn't get out of the Round of 32 (Florida State and Georgetown), and in addition to the four #1 seeds, we see a Sweet 16 consisting of a 10-seed (Xavier), an 11-seed (NC State), and a 13-seed (Ohio U.), not to mention the 7th-seeded Florida Gators, who were the beneficiaries of Norfolk State's upset over Missouri. The biggest news moving forward, however, is no doubt the injury to North Carolina's PG Kendall Marshall, arguably the top point guard left in the tournament, fresh off an 18-point, 11-assist effort against Creighton in the round of 32. Word is that he'll have surgery today.

I'll preview the games later this week, but here's your remaining pairings:

East

(1) Syracuse v. (4) Wisconsin
(6) Cincinatti v. (2) Ohio State

Midwest

(1) North Carolina v. (13) Ohio
(11) NC State v. (2) Kansas

South

(1) Kentucky v. (4) Indiana
(3) Baylor v. (10) Xavier

West

(1) Michigan State v. (4) Louisville
(3) Marquette v. (7) Florida

Huge News

North Carolina PG Kendall Marshall broke his right wrist during the Tar Heels victory over Creighton today. He finished with 18 points and 11 assists. Notably, Marshall is left-handed, but as a point guard, you wonder how much impact he can have the rest of the way.

UNC lost Dexter Strickland to a torn ACL earlier this season, forcing coach Roy Williams to play Marshall extended minutes as the primary ball-handler.

WWPG?

Where will Peyton go?

The San Francisco 49ers seem to be loading up on the offensive side of the ball, trying to entice Manning with some weapons. In addition to Randy Moss (regardless of age/speed, dude will be a monster in red-zone situations), the Niners have signed former NY Giants WR Mario Manningham to a two-year deal. Oh, and ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that current Niners QB Alex Smith is visiting the Miami Dolphins today. That makes things a bit more interesting (though he could just be forcing San Fran's hands to up the offer for him).

Word is that the Titans are favored to land Manning ... oh, fun. He can play the Colts twice this season, including a visit to Lucas Oil Stadium. I just can't see Manning going to the Broncos, no matter how hard John Elway tries to sell him on it.

UPDATE: I still can't see it, but Manning has selected the Broncos, per ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. I guess the fact that Manning grew up idolizing Elway ended up being a major selling point. This means Tim Tebow will be traded. Jaguars or Dolphins, anyone?

The Re-Match

As I expected when the brackets were announced, Kentucky and Indiana will meet again. This time, the stakes are higher -- Sweet 16 -- and and the game will be played on a neutral court -- Atlanta -- instead of that hornet's nest / snake-pit that we saw in early December.

Yours truly plans on being in attendance; who's joining me?

Easiest Path to Elite 8 in History?

To reach this year's Elite 8, the North Carolina Tar Heels will have to beat the following teams in the Midwest bracket: (16) Vermont - check; (8) Creighton; and the winner of (12) South Florida / (13) Ohio. How are you feeling today if you're a North Carolina fan? If I'm Roy Williams, I go ahead and tell John Henson that he can rest easy and allow that wrist to heal, because he won't be needed for awhile.

At this point, the only true obstacle for the Heels en route to the Elite 8 is ... the Heels. I can't see Creighton pulling the upset (and yes, I realize Northern Iowa knocked Kansas out just two years ago). You need a BCS team with a legit guy surrounded by other BCS-level talent to even think about taking out UNC this time.

MADNESS

If only Gus Johnson had gotten the call instead of Marv Albert ...



At +21.5, Norfolk State becomes the biggest underdog in NCAA Tournament history to pull off a victory.

And then ... well, this happened IN THE SAME DAY:

Jim Calhoun Story from Last Night

I witnessed a great exchange after UConn's drubbing at the hands of Iowa State last night at the Yum Center in Louisville. As UConn coach Jim Calhoun was walking off the court -- for the last time? -- a few Kentucky fans started giving him the business from about 20 rows up. Calhoun stopped, faced them, pointed at them, and said, "You ... come down here ... come here ... say it my face." The two fans froze in a rather cowardly manner, looking at each other like, "What'd you say to him, dude?" and Calhoun points at them and yells, "Yeah, that's what I thought. You're scared! You're scared!" He then walked through the tunnel (and probably off into the sunset). My favorite part of the exchange might have been Calhoun's thick accent. Or how he manages to vigorously chomp on his gum as he's talking/yelling at people in a way that would impress Val Kilmer.

48 Remaining

[Of course I forget to set the DVR to record the game where I end up being on tv about 4-5 times throughout, sitting in the front row behind the UK band ...]

Compared to expectations for drama, excitement, and overall level of play from the underdogs, day one of this year's NCAA Tournament probably gets a 4 on a 1-10 scale. If not for UNC-Asheville making everyone start to think a 1 seed might actually be sent packing the first round for the first time in history, and a little drama at the end of VCU / Wichita State, the day was mostly a dud, filled with blowouts, or games that seemed like blowouts even though the scoreboard didn't reflect it.

Moving on to the Round of 32 from the East Region:

(1) Syracuse v. (8) Kansas State
(4) Vanderbilt v. (5) Wisconsin
(2) Ohio State v. (7) Gonzaga

They're awaiting the winners of Cincy v. Texas and Florida State v. St. Bonaventure to fill out Saturday's slate.

Moving on to the Round of 32 from the South Region:

(1) Kentucky v. (8) Iowa State
(4) Indiana v. (12) VCU
(3) Baylor v. (11) Colorado

They're waiting on the outcomes of Notre Dame v. Xavier and Duke v. Lehigh (I think we can go ahead and slate Duke there for Saturday, no?) - with the ND/X match-up being one of the more intriguing of the opening round.

Moving on to the Round of 32 from the West Region:

(4) Louisville v. (5) New Mexico
(3) Marquette v. (6) Murray State

The four games from the West went chalk yesterday, as they wait for Michigan State (the 1 seed out there) to join them, along with Missouri (the 2 seed favored by 20+ over Norfolk St). Other match-ups today feature Memphis v. St. Louis, and Florida v. Virginia.

As far as the Midwest Region is concerned, and I didn't even realize this until this morning -- as I was focused primarily on the events of Louisville, KY yesterday -- not a single game from this region was played yesterday. Huh? I don't recall that happening before, but my memory is a little foggy at the moment (I got back to Indy around 1:45am). One of my bets today comes out of the Midwest, as I'm taking (8) Creighton getting a point against (9) Alabama.

Merry March Madness

I'm not sure how we ended up here so soon -- feels like a couple of months ago that I was in Houston for last season's Final Four -- but welcome to March Madness. I'm sure all of you have been glued to the tube for the "First Four" nonsense that the NCAA is trying to sell us on, but those games don't even rise to the level of appetizer to the main course. Today is what it's all about ... the day basketball junkies live for ... the day casual viewers decide they are big-time college basketball fans because they might win a few bucks off their co-workers in an office bracket pool ... the day hundreds of thousands of Americans suddenly become "sick" and have to leave work early ... and the day that I become so tightly wound that I can't sit still or stay on topic for more than a few minutes at a time.

We have 64 teams remaining, but by this time tomorrow we will already be down to 48, and less than 72 additional hours later, there will be just 16 fighting for a shot at the title down in New Orleans this year. Action-packed, dramatic, and unpredictable, the first weekend of the tournament seem to come and go before you know it. Often, we find ourselves in what resembles an alcoholic haze, wondering what the hell happened the last few days, and how we're already down to just 16 teams ... or is that just me?

I'll be heading down to Louisville later today to watch Kentucky open its run against Western Kentucky (I expect to bump into Hutch, an alum of today's enemy ...), but until then, let the online watching/tracking begin - here's today's afternoon slate:

12:15pm (Louisville - West)
11 Colorado State
6 Murray State

12:40pm (Pittsburgh - East)
9 Southern Miss
8 Kansas State

1:40pm (Portland - West)
13 Davidson
4 Louisville

2:10pm (Albuquerque - East)
13 Montana
4 Wisconsin

2:45pm (Louisville - West)
14 BYU
3 Marquette

3:10pm (Pittsburgh - East)
16 UNC-Asheville
1 Syracuse

4:10pm (Portland - West)
12 Long Beach State
5 New Mexico

4:40pm (Albuquerque - East)
12 Harvard
5 Vanderbilt

The "local" flavor gets involved a little later as part of the evening session - in addition to Kentucky tipping at 6:50pm against Western Kentucky, the 4th-seeded Indiana Hoosiers take on New Mexico State out in Portland at approximately 9:45pm (Eastern time) - I'll warn you, though, that since it is the second game in a double-header, it's highly possible that game won't tip until after 10:00pm. So, Hoosiers, get your redbull/vodka or 5-Hour Energy drinks ready, especially if you're going to work the following morning.

Enjoy the games.

The CBI Is a Real Tournament!

Like you, I questioned whether this "CBI" post-season tournament was, in fact, real. We have the NIT for the bums who aren't good enough to make the Big Dance, so why do we need another (and another, if you count the CollegeInvitationalDumpsterFire.com tournament)? I received a call from Pai Gow informing me that he had floor seats for an alleged Butler v. Delaware tilt at Hinkle tonight in something called the C-B-I tournament. I decided to call his bluff. Sure enough:



Who knew?

Beginning of the end ...

You know the old saying, "where there's smoke ..." (you know the rest). It's clear that the marriage between Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks is nearing dissolution.

UPDATE: Well, uh, what I meant to say, was - "marriage between Mike D'Antoni and the New York Knicks is ...." D'Antoni has resigned. Phil Jackson, anyone? Stop it with your John Calipari thought. Not happening.

Fab Melo Ineligible for NCAA Tournament

Top-seeded Syracuse announced Tuesday afternoon that sophomore center Fab Melo will miss the NCAA tournament due to an eligibility issue. The university did not comment further, except to say he did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for the team's round of 64 game against No. 16 UNC-Asheville.

Melo had been suspended earlier this season for other eligibility issues, missing three games – including one of Syracuse's two losses, to Notre Dame. He returned on February 4 against St. John's.

Editor's Note: Ahem, a certain Editor I know questioned how/why Melo's "issue" was just swept under the rug several weeks ago ... something tells me he shouldn't have been playing this entire time. But it's Syracuse -- and Jim Boeheim -- so there's no need to disclose certain things that might have an impact on their season, right? My main issue with all of this is simple: why wasn't this taken care of before Selection Sunday? Syracuse has basically stolen a #1 seed for the second time in the last three seasons -- remember when Onuaku was hurt and obviously not going to play in the tournament, but Boeheim kept making public statements that he "might" play, securing that #1 seed for the Orangemen (who ultimately lost to Butler)? I smell a similar ploy here. How do you think Vandy and Ohio State feel today?

UNC Football Gets the Hammer

Admittedly, I had all but forgotten about North Carolina football (who hadn't?) and their pending NCAA investigation regarding improper benefits to essentially their entire team. Yesterday, however, the NCAA reminded us:

On Monday, the NCAA Committee on Infractions issued their ruling regarding what became a multi-pronged investigation into the entire North Carolina football program. In June 2011, the NCAA informed the school that the program was allegedly guilty of nine major NCAA violations, including academic misconduct and impermissible benefits to players. The school proposed their own set of penalties in September 2011, and had a chance to defend themselves to the Committee on Infractions in late October 2011.

The NCAA has increased North Carolina's self-imposed penalty of 9 scholarships over the next three years to 15 scholarships over the same period. The Committee has also ruled that the school's self-imposed two years of probation be increased to three. However, the biggest development in the NCAA ruling was the additional penalty of a ban from postseason play for the 2012 season.

The school included the vacating of all 2008 and 2009 victories in their response to the Notice of Allegations, and included the multiple suspensions and penalties served by student-athletes during the 2010 season.

New head coach Larry Fedora, formerly of Conference USA champs Southern Miss, has inherited himself one heck of a mess. But surely he knew that when he took the job. And I'm sure the pay raise helped soften that blow.

I'm a Strasburg fan, ...

... and everyone knows I love my cheeseburgers, but this is disgusting:



Weighing eight pounds total (including toppings), the StrasBurger is a monstrous all beef burger (combination of ground brisket, chuck and short ribs). The burger is served on a large burger bun with our secret sauce, American cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced red onions, pickle chips and served with a cone basket of fresh cut fries and a pitcher of your choice of soft drink. This signature dish is the perfect entrée to share at this affordably-priced family restaurant.

Pass.

Field is Set

Top Ten Immediate Reactions to Selection Sunday

01. In terms of who got in and who got left out, I have no complaints. I was hoping Iona and NC State would get in, because I thought they deserved bids, and they are part of the field. The only potential complaint would be leaving Drexel out and including BYU, but after looking at their resumes, I think we're splitting hairs on that one. By and large, I think the Committee did a solid job selecting the pool of teams to make up the field of 68.

02. Every year, there's one region that seems to stocked full of blue-blood programs, and this year it appears to be the South - Kentucky, Duke, Indiana, and UConn. Speaking of the South, Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas repeated my initial reaction: being the overall #1 seed in the tournament does you no favors at all. We saw it last year with Ohio State, and this year with Kentucky. Strong argument that both were put into the toughest region of the four.

03. I hate when they make two mid-major teams play each other in round 1 (I'm not calling the "First Four" round 1, or the real first round "round 2" sorry). Wichita State takes on VCU. Prior to the brackets, both of those teams were talked about as being capable of winning 2 games in this tournament; now, only one can do so.

04. Vanderbilt takes on Harvard in the Nerd Bowl. Vandy is a 4 or 5 seed every single year ... the last 3 times, of course, they've lost in the first round. If they play like they did today in the SEC championship -- which they won't -- they should be a Sweet 16 team. History demands that you consider taking Harvard here, doesn't it? Vandy has to do better this time ...

05. If you don't think ratings and story-lines are a big part of the bracketing, you're kidding yourself. Since they revealed their overall seeds (1 through 68) this year, we know that Duke was the #6 team, and they're in UK's bracket, as opposed to the #8 overall team, Missouri. Wonder why that is? Also, Indiana could have been switched with Michigan or Wisconsin, but the thought of a re-match in the Sweet 16 was too sexy to pass up, right? And wouldn't you just know that UConn would be opposite Kentucky, given the fact that their coaches hate each other and it presents a re-match of last year's Final Four? I see what you did there, Selection Committee. Generally, the South is set up for ratings bonanzas (UK-UConn, UK-IU, UK-Duke), but I don't think we get them all. I could see Iowa State taking out UConn, Wichita State taking out IU (sorry, Hoosiers, but losing your only senior contributor, at 11ppg on the eve of the tourney is cause for some concern), and/or Baylor taking out Duke ... with Baylor knocking off Duke as the most likely of the three.

06. Missouri was #8 overall ... everyone (including me) thought they were in the discussion for the last #1 seed. They were closer to being a #3 seed than they were a #1, which seems ridiculous. But they end up out West with a favorable road to the Elite 8. I don't see Florida or Marquette/Murray State giving them much trouble. Speaking of Florida, take them over Virginia, and bet that line big (currently -3.5).

07. Biggest upset specials? Davidson (over Louisville), Belmont (over Georgetown), Iona (over TBD), and Texas (over Cincy). You'll hear some buzz for 15th-seeded Detroit to knock off Kansas this week, but I don't think it happens.

08. Going to miss having Butler in the tournament this year.

09. I know the Pac-12 was awful this year, but I'm shaking my head at the thought of the regular season champion -- Washington -- not even getting into the tournament. That's some crazy sh*t right there. Team was way too inconsistent and blew it in the Pac-12 tourney (thanks to four missed FT's by Tony Wroten Jr. in the final minute, of course ...).

10. My Final Four = Kentucky v. Missouri, and Ohio State v. North Carolina.

Don't See This Everyday

When fellow NBA players react like this, you know you've done something special. Ladies and gents, Gerald Green is back:

Great Picture

This is Missouri's Kim English, holding up the Big 12 championship trophy while wearing an SEC t-shirt:



That ought to sit well with the Big 12. Missouri fans loudly chanted "S-E-C! S-E-C!" as the clock was winding down in yesterday's championship victory over Baylor.

Setting the Stage for Sunday

ACC Championship

North Carolina
Florida State

Remember when the Tar Heels went into Tallahassee and got destroyed, 90-57? They never got a shot at revenge, since they didn't get to host the Seminoles at the Dean Dome this year. But now they have their chance in the finals of the ACC Tournament after defeating NC State (as FSU knocked off Duke). Thing is, they might be without All-American John Henson in the post, as he injured his wrist in the quarterfinal round and sat out today's game against NC State. Florida State won its rubber match against Duke (the teams each won on the other's home floor), 62-59.

SEC Championship

Kentucky
Vanderbilt

Kentucky's 6-7 man rotation has been put to the test in the SEC Tournament thus far, winning a grind-it-out game against LSU followed by a track meet against Florida. The close games are a good thing for the Wildcats heading into the Big Dance, if you ask me. Some (notably, Pat Forde and Seth Davis) are lobbying for Kentucky to lose, suggesting that a loss would be "good" for this team, but at this point that seems silly. They have a huge target on their backs whether they beat Vanderbilt in the final tomorrow or not. After all, they'll be the overall #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, hasn't really been tested thus far, beating Georgia and Ole Miss to reach the finals. Each game featured a slow first half from the Commodores, but they blew both open in the second twenty-minute periods. Vanderbilt gave Kentucky two of its toughest games all season, so it'll be interesting to see how UK-VU 3.0 goes. I'm inclined to believe UK is somewhat gassed, as Florida ran that game from start to finish.

Big Ten Championship

Ohio State
Michigan State

The Buckeyes and Spartans waltzed into tomorrow's final by knocking off Michigan and Wisconsin, respectively, with relative ease. These are the two best teams in the conference, and it sets up for a great championship game. They split the regular season series, with each winning on the other's home floor. You'd think this game has major seeding implications, but after last year, are we suppose to assume that seeding is done before this game concludes, since there's no bid-stealing going on? Who knows with the Selection Committee; perhaps the outcome doesn't matter (aside from conference pride and hoisting a trophy). But something tells me the winner isn't out of the hunt for that fourth #1 seed (UK, Cuse, UNC are locks at this point, I'd say), with Kansas and/or Missouri having an argument (if Mizz hangs on to beat Baylor in the Big 12 championship game - currently underway).

Paging Shaka Smart?

One day after Illinois lost its first round game in the Big Ten tournament, head coach Bruce Weber has been fired. Nearly everyone knew this was coming, but I'm somewhat surprised it happened so quickly. Weber won't coach the team in the NIT - if they get a bid. But don't feel too sorry for Weber; ESPN is reporting that his buy-out is $3.9 million. Folks, that's a program that is serious about making a coaching change.

I'll say it: Brad Stevens is not walking through that door. Better for Illinois fans to set their sights on someone like Shaka Smart.

Uh oh ...

FBI point-shaving probe involving Auburn basketball? Goodness. And yes, once again, it's Yahoo! Sports on the prowl with this story ...

Here's an excerpt:

The sources said at least two games are under scrutiny: a 68-50 loss to Alabama on Feb. 7 and a 56-53 loss to Arkansas on Jan. 25.

In the Feb. 7 loss to Alabama, Ward played 17 minutes, scoring three points (shooting 1-for-5 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line) and committing six turnovers with two assists. His first shot was a made layup, his second shot was blocked, his third was an air ball, his fourth was a long missed 3-pointer and his fifth was blocked on a layup attempt. Trailing 43-33 with 15:25 left, Ward turned the ball over twice in 21 seconds. He was then subbed out of the game. Ward entered again with 11:30 remaining and Alabama leading 50-35. Ward then turned the ball over twice in 2½ minutes as the Crimson Tide moved to a 58-38 lead. In the other 26 games Ward played this season, he averaged 2.7 turnovers in 29.1 minutes per game. According to sportsbook Vegas Insider, Alabama entered the game as a five-point favorite. The Crimson Tide easily covered with an 18-point win.

In the Jan. 25 game against Arkansas, Ward checked in with 14:25 to play. He turned the ball over in the backcourt on his first possession 19 seconds later, falling to the floor as Arkansas converted the turnover into a layup. After remaining on the floor for more than a minute, Ward left the game limping on his right leg. Coach Tony Barbee later described the injury as a knee to Ward’s quadriceps. Ward’s departure left Auburn with only one reserve point guard for the remainder of the game against the Razorbacks – little-used Tony Neysmith, who hadn’t played in the previous seven games. According to Vegas Insider, Arkansas went into the game as 9½-point favorites. Auburn ultimately covered that spread without Ward, losing 56-53.

This ought to be fun.

Emotional Send-Off

Open for Business

The 2012 G2 Bracket Buster is officially open for business! This is our 10th year (we've come a long way from collecting paper brackets), and we hope to have more entries than ever.

If you'd like to participate, just send us an e-mail: the-g2@hotmail.com (some of you have likely received the electronic invite by now - especially if you participated last year). Be sure to check your spam/junk email folders since the invites come directly from CBS Sports.

Selection Sunday is a mere 4 days away. How is that possible?!

Terrible

Apparently ADIDAS is having Baylor wear these hideous things for post-season play:



Louisville and Cincy are in a similar situation, wearing the equivalent of practice jerseys that are "lighter" in weight. I didn't realize uniforms were too "heavy" for the players.

And There It Is

POY

Shabazz Muhammad has been named the 2012 Naismith High School Player of the Year. For recruiting junkies out there, this comes as no surprise to you, as Shabazz has been talked about as the next big thing for a couple of years running. For the rest of you, get to know this name. The question is, will we see him play in college? I'll say yes, after sitting a handful of games (just a guess).

When Yahoo Shows Up ... You're Screwed

It's become a theme throughout investigative sports journalism: when Yahoo Sports' investigative division shows up asking questions, you're pretty much screwed. Here's their latest effort. It's been one hell of a year for Syracuse basketball. Somewhere out there, there is a crisis control PR firm salivating at the thought of another potential scandal involving Syracuse basketball.

An excerpt:

Over the course of a three-month investigation, four sources with intimate knowledge of the Syracuse men’s basketball program told Yahoo! Sports at least 10 players since 2001 have tested positive for a banned recreational substance or substances. The sources said all 10 of those players were allowed to practice and play at times when they should have been suspended by the athletic department, including instances when some players may not have known of their own ineligibility. The four sources said Syracuse violated its drug policy in at least two areas: failing to properly count positive tests; and playing ineligible players after they should have been subject to suspension.

If this turns into another national distraction for Syracuse basketball, in the wake of the Bernie Fine fiasco, I'll ask the following: is a Final Four banner the only thing that can save Boeheim?

"The Play"

Here's the play that people are now suggesting led to Peyton Manning's chronic neck issue, compliments of the bounty program under Gregg Williams when he was DC of the Redskins:



In hindsight, that's almost obvious, isn't it? It happened in '06 - you can bet if it happened today, that would have been flagged for unnecessary roughness and/or a blow to the head, and Goodell would have issued a fine.

Well, Look What We Have Here

By now, you've all heard that Kentucky's Anthony Davis was once a 6'2" sophomore guard out of Chicago, with no D-1 scholarship offers (though Akron was taking a look at him). And then, one of the most legendary growth spurts in sports history occurred - Davis became a 6'10" phenom, rising from obscurity to the nation's #1 overall recruit, coveted by the top basketball programs in the country. So what did he look like before his growth spurt?

Here you go:



One of the more interesting aspects of this photo is the fact that Davis does not have the now infamous unibrow.

About Those Trade Rumors

In a victory (115-111, OT) over the Knicks today, Rajon Rondo compiled the following stat line: 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 20 assists. That's ridiculous. To think, Danny Ainge has been shopping his point guard for trade deals.

Rundown

How good did North Carolina look last night in their curb-stomping of the Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor? That's the Tar Heel group we expected all season, and the one that appears to be in top form at the right time (i.e. heading into March Madness). If they meet again in the ACC Tournament, I expect a game similar to the first two - controlled by UNC for nearly the entire way.

Murray State avoided the upset (54-52), and claimed the automatic bid from the OVC yesterday, holding off Tennessee State as bubble teams everywhere rejoiced. The Racers enter the NCAA Tournament with a 30-1 record.

Why is Northwestern in Lunardi's field? After winning at Iowa yesterday, the Wildcats close the regular season 18-12 (8-10), and outside of splitting with Michigan State, I just can't justify it. Are we really going to point to a non-conference win over Seton Hall? LSU? In their last 20 games, Northwestern is 8-12. Is that what we want in the field? I'd rather take a look at Tennessee (18-13, 10-6), a team that's won 8 of 9, including wins over Florida and Vanderbilt, not to mention an earlier win over Florida (yep, they swept 'em) and a non-conference win over UConn. Since adding Jarnell Stokes to their roster mid-season, the Vols have gone 10-4. I think they are more likely to win a first round game than Northwestern.

Bubble teams are keeping an eye on the Mo Valley finals today ... Creighton v. Illinois State. If Illinois State wins, that's one less at-large spot for the rest of the field, because there's no way they would get in without the automatic bid, whereas Creighton is safely in the field of 68.

Butler's quest for another chance at creating some March magic came to an end last night, falling to Valpo (for the third time this season) in the Horizon League semi-finals. Butler just couldn't get it going, losing by 19.

This Could Get Uglier Than We Thought

That whole New Orleans Saints bounty story might hit home for some readers of this blog. Here's an excerpt from CBS Sports:

One story we should expect to hear more about: Peyton Manning. He missed the 2011 season with a chronic neck injury, and he's probably taken his last snap for the Colts. Back in September, Tony Dungy, Manning's former coach who now serves as an NFL analyst for NBC, traced Manning's neck issues to a 2006 game. The opponent? The Redskins. And the defensive coordinator? Yep, Gregg Williams.

I think the Saints are in for it next season, which is unfortunate, because Drew Brees could not be a more likable guy.

Happy Anniversary

It's the 50th anniversary of a sports moment that will most likely never be matched: Wilt's 100-point game.

This Needs No Introduction

Poppin' Bubbles

This time of year, we hear plenty from talking heads about which teams should be "in" or "out" of the field for March Madness, with ESPN running a daily ticker update on Joe Lunardi's "Bracketology" - specifically the last 4 in and last 4 out of the field, in his opinion. But at the end of the day, if a team really wants to be in the field, they just need to play their way in by proving it on the court. Last night was a big night for some of these "bubble" teams to do just that:

Colorado State: sitting at 17-11, the Rams are a classic bubble team, one that Lunardi's opinion of changes with the winds - one day they're in, the next day they're out, whether they've played or not. Last night, however, they hosted UNLV. Down 15 at the half, seeing their tournament at-large chances slipping away, they came out and hammered the Runnin' Rebels in the second half, 40-18, to add a big win to their resume.

South Florida: it's hard to believe this team is in this position -- and I don't mean that in a good way -- because I saw them in person in November and thought they would certainly be one of the worst BCS teams in the country. At 18-11, needing a nice win to bolster their case for the Selection Committee, South Florida went to the Yum Center last night and defeated Louisville. I didn't watch the game, but the halftime score (22-17, USF) makes me think Wisconsin got involved somehow.

Cincinnati: you likely haven't heard much about the Bearcats this season outside of their nasty brawl on the court with arch-rival Xavier (a team that has fallen in the toilet since that ugly moment) ... while remaining an afterthought, they've been putting together a quiet 20-win season. Another classic bubble team, in my opinion, Cincy had a big opportunity last night as they hosted #8 Marquette. In a situation like that, a loss doesn't kill your at-large chances, but a win can do wonders. And that's what Cincy did, beating Marquette, 72-61.

Other games of note ... NC State knocked off Miami in a bracket-buster type of match-up; Northwestern (will this be *the* year?) fell just short at home, losing to Ohio State by 2 points in the closing seconds; Mississippi State needed overtime to beat a bad South Carolina team (and I don't care that it took place in SC's gym); and Texas avoided a bad loss by taking care of Oklahoma in Austin.