Lord Stanley and some quick hits

- Liverpool's 4-2 triumph over Arsenal, tonight, to push them through to the Champions Leagues semis for the third time in four years (once again to face Chelsea, unbelievably) has to be one of the greatest matches I've ever seen. Especially because we friggin' won! Rafa Benitez: A true master of the two-legged tie.

- Speaking of "greatest ever seen..." Last night's National Championship game between Kansas and Memphis was one of the most entertaining games in a long while and certainly the best title game college hoops has seen in a decade. At least. All this despite long stretches of truly sloppy play. But with the pace so frenetic, who cares?! Could barely catch my breath. College football can suck it.

- All this greatness over the last two nights segues perrrrrfectly into the next two months: The Stanley Cup Playoffs. Drool. Right off, I think the whole world should rejoice the fact that Washington made the playoffs. Undeniably, this has been the year of Ovechkin and now that the Caps are in the post season, there can be no doubt that he's the runaway Hart trophy winner.

My lowly Kings couldn't win anything, this year. Not even the lottery (2nd pick). But there is one bright spot to arise from this season: Erik Ersberg. The young Swedish goalie is well on his way to being among the next set of elite netminders. He'll soon be in the Luongo, Brodeur, Lundqvist discussion. Mark my words. Had the pleasure of seeing him blank Ottawa back in March.

Back to the playoffs and some first round predictions/observations. Mentioned Washington and Ottawa already and they represent the hottest team and perhaps the most disjointed. But in the Eastern Conference, I see little reason to waiver from the team that caught my eye back in December when everyone else still considered them a darkhorse: Montreal. Even after bizarrely trading away Cristobal Huet to Washington (and isn't Washington grateful for that!), the Habs managed to maintain their superb balance.

1 Montreal v 8 Boston
Great matchup for the Habs. Boston deserves a lot of credit for scrapping and hanging on at the end, but the Canadiens have the talent and the discipline to get out of round one -- no tricky feat for an NHL 1-seed. Montreal sweeps 4-0.

2 Pittsburgh v 7 Ottawa
The Sens might be the biggest trainwreck entering the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. The Pens have learned how to excel both with and without Sidney Crosby. But Ottawa trainwreck so far removed from the squad that dismantled Pittsburgh in five games last season? I'm not so sure. FYI to the gamblers out there: a 7-seed in the NHL playoffs is akin to a 12-seed in the NCAA tournament. I'll go with the underdog to keep it interesting. Ottawa in seven. Though it could just as easily be Pittsburgh in five.

3 Washington v 6 Philadelphia
The Fighting Ovechkins have won something like 12 of their last 13! They're the hottest team in the league by miles. Does anyone think a team as erratic as the Flyers can stop Washington's form, now? No chance. Ovechkins in six.

4 New Jersey v 5 New York Rangers
Arguably the best matchup of the first round, if only for the goalie matchup. But the regular season series dictates that the Rangers have a distinct edge here. Barring a 0.60 GAA from Marty, I don't see why that should change. Blue Shirts in six.

Out West, we're in for an even more exciting set of series by virtue of it being (like it's NBA counterpart) so wide open. Any of the top five or six teams can emerge, but I'm going with the Sharks. They're peaking at the right time, Nabokov is in the thralls of maybe his best season, Joe Thornton is picking up, they don't take bad penalties, they have a great power play and there's only one team that can stop them: Anaheim. Yes, I realize I just said that the West is wide open, but it'll be a California battle in the conference finals.

1 Detroit v 8 Nashville
As bad as the Central Division was, this year, Detroit actually would've done better to draw a team like Calgary or the departed Vancouver. Nashville knows exactly what the Wings are all about and can give them all they want. Detroit escapes the first round in seven, only to run out of steam in the second round. Typical Presidents Trophy stuff from Detroit, right?

2 San Jose v 7 Calgary
The one area that Calgary might have on the Sharks is "toughness." But recently, SJ has shown they can mix it up when its required of them. San Joser in five.

3 Minnesota v 6 Colorado
The Wild have home ice and won the regular season series, but Colorado has come on strong ever since Peter Forsberg came back to town. Not sure the Wild have the firepower, at the end of the day, to keep up with Colorado. This one goes the distance, however, and the '96 Avs move on.

4 Anaheim v 5 Dallas
Epic first round clash, but sadly Dallas hasn't been holding up it's end of the bargain over the past month. The Stars have been falling while Anaheim (as we know from their run last year and Bryan Burke's insistence on not making any major additions to the squad, this year) is a team built for 1-0, 2-1 playoff hockey. The only question mark is in goal, given that Giguere is still a health concern, but it's going to take a lot (likely from San Jose) to best the defending champs. Ducks over Dallas in five.

Could you possibly play a less perfect game?

I have to blast this out, now, while I'm still hot about it: Louisville played like crap tonight. How can I say that? They took North Carolina to the final two minutes on the road, sure, but whenever opportunity arose for them, they butchered their chances. So many careless turnovers, so many missed free throws... their defense in the second half was solid, but all those offensive blunders add up. And the question is begging: Did Earl Clark have money on the Tar Heels tonight? He couldn't have looked more dispirited and clueless tonight. Jay Bilas said the kid's got a ton of potential. Fortunately for Clark, he's got another two years to prove it.

Also (and I just hate this about top seeds getting to play home games in the Elite 8) but Tyler Hansbrough? "Psycho T?" He fouled out about three times. The refs didn't blow the whistle on most of those, but he did. I swear, if I have to hear one more time about the level of tenacity and competitiveness Hansbrough has in his game as an excuse for how blatantly he hacks opponents, I just might puke on someone else's shoes. Seriously. Hey, you know who is going to bomb in the NBA? Tyler Hansbrough. Three reasons why: 1) It takes more than being a carthorse to be effective in that league. 2) He'll be called for all those wild hacks. 3) He can't guard a legit big man. I understand that he's aggressive and scored a lot of points at the la dee da University of North Carolina, but National Media, seriously, do you really think this guy had a better season than Michael Beasley? Or Kevin Love? Does no one else see how overrated the ACC was?

Sigh... Where's my gun...?

Finally, this Sweet 16 and Elite 8 (so far) has been wildly disappointing. Blowouts everywhere. Louisville does get credit for keeping tonight interesting (mostly), but my god, what a boring set of games. It's all on Stephen Curry (again) to be the saviour of this round and the tournament at large.

By the way, for what it's worth, if there is one NBA prospect on this UNC roster, it's Wayne Ellington. The guy's got an all around game complimented by being able to nail every shot in the book.

The Cinderellas aren't the story.

The pub from the first two rounds of this year's tourney is going to Davidson and Western Kentucky. Both deserving, but I'm not exactly stunned that either of them are still dancing. You can make the argument that WKU should've been favored in both of their games and there was a lot of smart money on a veteran Davidson club, led by a super-scorer in Stephen Curry, pipping offensively-challenged Georgetown. I am, however, surprised that Tennessee is still alive. Yeah, they're a 2-seed, but continue to be wildly overrated. I fully expected a Butler-Louisville Sweet 16 matchup. Nearly happened. At least Pitt's flameout in the second round validated me.

Here's what no one is talking about, though, that the nation will have their eyes opened to in the next couple days: Washington State's defense is incredible. Just ask Winthrop and Notre Dame who struggled to crack 40 points. Impressive drubbings, both of them. The Cougars are going to give North Carolina (who has to be feeling fat and happy after coasting through their first two games) all they want.

My favorite day of the year: 2008 edition

You may all know it as "Selection Sunday," but to me, it feels like Christmas. Actually, scratch that. Selection Sunday is the Christmas Eve to the NCAA first round's Christmas. I'm dusting off this little blog because I just have to talk about it -- as is always the case with me and the NCAA tourney. But before we break it down, I just want to address the relief/exasperation I'm feeling with Arizona and the perceived slight of Arizona State.

In the end, the Cats got in safely as a 10-seed. But the fact that they were a bubble team at all is reason enough to call for Kevin O'Neill's head on a pike. How he wasn't crucified after getting swept by ASU (swept by the Scum Devils in bball?? I never thought I'd see it), I'll never know. As I said, though, if the seedings are to be believed, Arizona got in ahead of fellow tournament teams Kansas State, St. Joseph's, Baylor, Kentucky, and Villanova. I count five teams there. K-State, I feel, were seeded lower than they deserved, but the other four are who ASU should be fuming over. Yes, Arizona State 2 Arizona 0. Yes, I think ASU should've made the tournament ahead of Villanova and Kentucky and even Baylor. But ultimately, the Sun Devils have only themselves to blame. 5-10 in their last 15, they get credit for playing in Maui, but never bothered to leave home a lousy non-conference schedule -- they only time they did, they got worked by Nebraska -- and, most importantly, the Selection Committee doesn't take conference affiliation into consideration when comparing teams side by side. Why does that matter? Because it flat out negates the argument that ASU finishing one game ahead of Arizona in the Pac 10 standings was reason enough to put them in. It's an overall picture and when you look at what Arizona has done when healthy (16-6 with Nic Wise -- their real engine in the lineup).

It is sad for Arizona State, sure. Fellow bubble team Oregon scored a 9-seed, so go figure. But what this really shows us is that the conferece tournaments (as I've been preaching to anyone who will listen) are bad for college basketball. Yes, they bring in money, but consider Georgia who finished dead last in a mediocre SEC. How about Temple who had no shot of making the dance as an at-large? I'm sorry, but the Arizona States and the Daytons and the Virginia Techs of the world, if they feel the need to bitch, bitch about conference tournaments. What's more, none of them took care of business when it mattered most. If you can't play your way into a spread of 65 teams, you probably don't have any business competing for the national title in the first place.

Now, then...

East Regional
The pundits are all going on record, stating that the East is the toughest region of the four. That may be so, considering the collection of talent -- Notre Dame as a 5, Indiana sandbagged with an 8-seed??, Butler inexplicably dumped down to a 7?? Sure, those are all good teams, but when you look at the bracket, I think it breaks very favorably for North Carolina. They never have to leave their home state and I think they're more than capable of stomping any one of the teams in the region, with 2-seed Tennessee looking like the softest and easiest challenge of the bunch.

Here's the thing about Tennessee: They're losing in the first weekend. I'm so skeptical of this team, it's not even funny. Live by the three, soft defense, and remarkably unimpressive when it came to winning a down-year in the SEC. If the Butler Bulldogs can get past South Alabama in the first round (and that won't be easy, given that the game is in Birmingham), Graves & Co. are going to cut up the Vols with ease.

Should the Vols somehow make it to the Sweet 16, they're not getting past Louisville. Pitino's club is the mirror image of Tennessee, except for that they play defense and have a little more size on the interior. Good night.

I see North Carolina meeting up with Indiana in the second round after the Hoosiers -- who were probably a 5-seed two weeks ago -- after IU beats Arkansas with their superior talent. But who knows if Indiana will even show up during the opener. They certainly didn't care about beating Minnesota this weekend.

Any upsets here? I'm eyeballing two: St. Joe's over Oklahoma and 2006 Final Four heroes George Mason pulling a stunner over Notre Dame. The latter might be the only 5-12 upset, this year, and I might be sentimental about all the good memories GMU providing the world in 2006. But Wil Thomas and Folarin Campbell were starters on that '06 club and last year, the Irish fell victim to Winthrop. If GMU can keep it close, maybe last season's upset will begin to creep into the Irish's head.

Speaking of Winthrop, they're falling to Washington State in round one. If I had any faith in the Cougars' ability to consistently put points on the board, I'd pick them against the Tar Heels. But I don't, so I won't. In the end, UNC is in the Final Four, getting past Louisville in the Elite 8.

South Regional
THIS is the toughest region, my friends. The top six seeds all have the quality to make a run. But the deciding game is going to occur in the Sweet 16 between Texas and Stanford. The winner of this matchup will absolutely be heading to the Final Four, regardless of whether they have to play Memphis, Pitt, or Michigan State in the regional final. I like the 2nd-seeded Longhorns for the superior guard play and because Stanford is a lousy shooting team.

The top half of this bracket is very interesting, however. Memphis will show up in the Sweet 16, but don't count on them meeting up with Pitt. The Panthers, though very tough and very good, just played four games in four days. Unfortunately for them, they'll begin play on Thursday as opposed to Friday. Teams who play 4 in 4 traditionally don't survive the first weekend. You can count on this even more than a 12 beating a 5 (which didn't happen last year, by the way!). The Panthers won't have the legs to get to the second weekend. That leaves Michigan State in an intriguing position. They've got a difficult test against Temple (incidentally, the last time Temple played in the NCAAs, they lost to Michigan State in the 2001 Elite 8), but if Neitzel can lead his team past the Owls and if the Spartans can take care of the basketball, then they've got a half-decent shot at making a run to the Elite 8.

Why so down on Memphis? Well, they are a great team, but the free throw shooting is going to kill them. It'll be Texas winning two in Houston before moving on to San Antonio.

Lock of the first round: Marquette over Kentucky. It's going to be a massacre.

St. Mary's will account for the WCC's (three teams, this year! good for them!) lone victory, knocking down Miami.

Midwest Regional
While the South has the toughest road for it's top six teams, the midwest is the most wide open... After Kansas, that is... Never thought I'd say this, but I love the Jayhawks and don't see anyone in the region that can get in their way. Maybe Vanderbilt (who, had they been given a more favorable draw, would've been a sleeper of mine) puts up a fight in the Sweet 16, but that's it.

Clemson vs Villanova is a very intriguing matchup, but if it wasn't a 5-12 game, I'm not sure how many people would actually consider picking 'Nova.

Davidson playing in it's home state against Gonzaga. Bet the farm, Davidson is moving on to round two.

This region has the absolute gem of the first round matchups: USC vs Kansas State. Mayo vs Beasley. Drool. It's going to be a classic showcase and it's also going to be the start of a deep tournament run for the Trojans. USC is talented enough and athletic enough to get past the slow, grinding style of Wisconsin. Similar case against Georgetown in the Sweet 16. Too many close calls for the Hoyas, this season, and they're going to slip up somewhere before the Final Four.

West Regional
Here's the softest region of them all and you have to believe that UCLA is a lock for the Final Four. I really think they'll coast all the way to the semis. The health of Luc Richard M'bad Moute is an issue, but the first weekend shouldn't give the Bruins too much trouble, and Luc Richard should return by week 2. At least UCLA hopes he will, anyway. But how can you not love the experience of two consecutive Final Fours, perhaps the best point guard in the country in Darren Collison, one of the best shutdown defenders in Russell Westbrook, the hard-nosed defense, the tenacious rebounding, and of course Kevin Love who I'd think has a little something to say about Tyler Hansbrough getting all the player of the year attention. To me, UCLA, along with Kansas and North Carolina, are a cut above everyone else in the field.

You can write it down, now, BYU is knocking off Texas A&M in the opener. These aren't your Acie Law Aggies of a year ago. Shockingly inconsistent and often times underachieving, I think A&M is in for an ambush. BYU's fans will certainly travel to Anaheim, too.

It's a bit unfortunate, but it seems as though all the mid-majors are playing each other in round one (UNLV v Kent, Butler v S. Alabama, Gonzaga v Davidson) and that's the case with this tasty 5-12 game between Drake and Western Kentucky. I haven't seen much at all of WKU and I know they've got a star in Courtney Lee, but Drake is for real. Absolutely. "Love the Drake!" I'll tell you what else: If UConn isn't mentally present for 40 minutes, they're Bulldog bait. Drake is going to be waving the mid-major flag (along with Butler) in the Sweet 16.

Recall what I said about Pitt in for a serious uphill battle after playing four games in four days? The story is no different with sudden national darling -- and scurge of NIT teams everywhere -- Georgia. Oh, and remember what I said about how Marquette is going to thump Kentucky? That applies here, too. Xavier is going to slaughter Georgia and then dance on their faces. The X-Men are possibly the most dangerous team in this half of the region, but a win over Georgia might be all they get. Purdue v Baylor will be a great matchup, but the Boilermakers have the look of a team that can upset a Xavier on their day and reach the Sweet 16.

This is actually the only 1/8 of the Elite 8 that I'm conflicted over and in part because of Purdue's presence, as well as the upset possibility of Duke falling to the West Virginia/Arizona winner. I'd love to go with my heart here and proclaim Arizona as the sleeper of the tournament that will represent the token double-digit seed in the Sweet 16, but given their form this year, how can back-to-back wins be a sure thing? I think the Dukies match up well against either WVU or UofA, but a physical team can take Coach K's boys down. Arizona doesn't fit that mold, but they've got serious talent with Jerryd Bayless. Duke should be favored, but they're no lock for the second weekend.

A lot happened this week

Big, eye-popping stuff, too.

- Superbowl XLI 1/2 living up to the hype, as the Patriots effectively rendered the rest of the regular season in the NFL a formality by winning in Indy.
- Liverpool erupting in true backs-to-the-wall Reds fashion for an 8-0 victory over Besiktas in the Champions League. Here's a highlight reel of all eight goals that'll have any fan creaming their pants.
- Chris Paul reaffirming that he is next in line to assume the mantle of best point guard of his generation with his 21-assist/2-turnover clinic against the Lakers (nevermind Peja Stojakovic lighting up the Lake Show for ten 3s because they seemingly refused to defend the shooter).
- Kentucky getting shocked at home by minor (not "mid-major," but "minor") Gardner Webb! This, of course, set off angry hordes of torches and pitch forks in the direction of Billy Gillespie's house and got me buzzing because COLLEGE BASKETBALL IS OFFICIALLY BACK, BABY!
- Ruud Gullit becoming the new head coach of Los Angeles Galaxy. This isn't necessarily making the Galaxy elite, but the push to continue bringing the biggest names into the fold is one that I'm enjoying and, more over, soccer fans are enjoying. Put me down for a couple more Galaxy games, next season. I'm still interested.

I can get excited about all of these things, wildly so, and talk about them forever. But, when it comes to updating this page I feel like I've been thrown irrevocably off course, recently, for a variety of reasons. And strangely enough, it was another piece from Kyle Whelliston that cemented the idea, for me, that blogging with the intent to make any sort effort to be heard or seen is more and more a waste of time. Sure, I'll gladly talk sports with my friends and, every so often, I'll probably still find my way back to this page to gush or rant about whatever the topic of the moment is, but after one year in and disposable time decreasing exponentially, it might be time to throw this whole operation under the bus.

I'm still hyped about the Lakers playing Minnesota tonight, Liverpool hosting Fulham tomorrow, and the Kings facing off against the Stars tomorrow night, but damn... I need a more interactive, responsive medium, if I were to keep up this rambling with any consistency.

Remember how I'm rabid about college hoops?

Sometimes, I feel like Kyle Whelliston is in my head. Granted, I still make an effort to catch LA Kings games when I can, but it's eerie how much on the same page we are. It really is the simplicity and continued excitement of the easily-sectored season that lifts college hoops a few notches for me above the vast, endless expanse of professional regular seasons (NHL, NBA, MLB) and the abruptness of college football (you lose in week 1, your season is largely forfeit). At the risk of sounding sicophantic, I wish I had the courage and foresight to do what Whelliston's doing -- that is to say, completely immerse myself in genuine college bball madness to the point where I can't afford not to make it my job. I'm endlessly fascinated and jealous of the 100 Games Project.

Anyway, it's good to have college basketball back.

Basketball State!

Lute takes a leave of absence

I'm officially on suicide watch. I'm not ready to live in a world where Kevin O'Neill is patrolling the Wildcat sideline. No Lute = ???
In a season where the Pac 10 figures to easily be the best conference in the nation, we need the Silver Fox more than ever.

Also, hooray for the return of college basketball! As far as I'm concerned, March Madness officially starts in Decemeber.

What do you wanna do, Marty?

"I don't know, Angie. What do you want to do?" You know, I think I'd really enjoy an update of Marty with Marty Schottenheimer assuming the title role in lieu of Ernest Borgnine.

At any rate, I'm no fan of Marty the coach and I'm the first to point out his playoff futility (and delight in it), but he wasn't the reason San Diego bombed out in the playoffs, this season. His players were. Tough break, I guess. But with that in mind, we once again see why the Chargers organization has been revered for so many seasons as one of the worst run in the NFL. Who knew things could go sour so quickly? Well, a lot of us. It's fairly obvious that Spanos had been digging for a reason to ditch MartyBall ever since the collapse against New England and it's this kind of pettiness that kept Eli Manning away on draft day. Now, with virtually the entire coaching staffbeing replaced, the Chargers look anything but a sure bet to repeat their 14-2 success. Still, whoever San Diego hires as a replacement -- doesn't matter who -- is guaranteed to be a more inspired choice than Wade freaking Phillips.

Couple college basketball notes.

1. I watched the West Virginia upset of UCLA on Saturday. First off, very good win for the Mountaineers. Finally, they have a W worth talking about. The Bruins looked completely disinterested until they fell behind by 18 in the second half (then they turned it up a notch). Secondly, let's not get carried away with any chants of "overrated" or talk that the Big East is "for real" (unless we're talking about G'town who whipped WVU's butt, last night). UCLA was without Darren Collison who, for my money, is the most effective point guard in college basketball today. His speed alone is enough to fluster and confuse defenses and I think it is more than fair to say that had Collison played, UCLA would've won by ten. I'd be stunned if a healthy UCLA didn't reach the Final Four. Stunned.

2. I said it in the Nerdicon post, but I really have to stress how much I dislike Alabama. Not from a personal standpoint, but from an objective standpoint. The SEC is very down, this year, and dropping games to the likes of Ole Miss isn't helping the Tide's cause, I don't care if they have Ronald Steele. Their next three games -- @ Florida, Kentucky, @ Tennessee -- are going to have 'Bama fans crying in their Cheerios as their bubble pops. Losing to these three wouldn't be unexpected, but I'm predicting they get mauled. Again, if Alabama somehow finds their way into the big dance, you'd do well to put your money elsewhere. And by "elsewhere" I mean "against them."

3. If Gonzaga remains without Josh Heytvelt, they are dead in the water.

Nerdfest Nerdicon 9000

Dudes. DUDES. There are very few things in this world that I nerd-out over as much as NCAA brackets. To me, it's what makes college basketball perfect. So imagine my combination of glee and envy when I read of Pat Forde's and Andy Katz's experience on a mock-selection committee. I absolutely LOVE this stuff. And I'll tell you now, the brackets that they came up with are pretty much on the money. The whole "bracketology" thing fascinates me and I am very guilty of trying my hand at it at least once a year. It's fun, you see.

Later on, when I'm not as busy as I am now, I'm going to offer my own projections, 1-65. Or at the very least, all the at-large bids. But for now, here's a few lists with respect to March. It should be noted that not every team has a definitive place on these lists. Off the top of my head...

Teams I love - Squads that I think have an excellent shot at the Final Four:
Florida
UCLA
Wisconsin

Teams I like - Squads who I believe will perform well, that have a chance at overachieving, but are susceptible to slip up given the right (or wrong, as it were) matchup:

North Carolina
Marquette
USC - This is your bracket buster, right here.
Oregon
Texas A&M - The one team I believe in out of the Big XII.
Nevada
Ohio State - Better than Pitt or Kansas, but, as Florida and Wisconsin have shown, they're second tier all the way.
Air Force
Washington State
Missouri State - More offensive punch than Southern Illinois has.
Georgetown - People loved them at the start of the year for a reason. They'd relish the "sleeper" role.
Butler - This year's Gonzaga and they're for real.
Stanford - Young, hungry, getting hot at the right time. Sleeper.

Teams I don't like - Clubs that will need a favorable draw to make a dent in the tournament or are prone to upset:
Pitt - They could turn into the team that Wisconsin obliterated at any second.
Kansas - It's a mental issue.
Arizona - Go Cats!
Clemson - ACC play has revealed many, many, many chinks in the armor.
Duke - They just lack the horses this year.
Memphis - Conference USA is so bad and these guys haven't impressed since November.
Oklahoma State - Miserable on the road...
Texas - Who knows? Maybe Kevin Durant's got some Danny Manning in him, too? It's Texas' only prayer.
Kentucky
Boston College - Changed my tune on this one from the start of the year. Uncomfortable with the depleted roster.
Creighton - Even though the MVC is brutal, they've been too erratic all season.

Teams I hate - Stay away from these lousy teams:
Alabama - Tops on this list with a bullet...
LSU - Overrated. Badly.
Michigan State
Syracuse
UConn

2-0

Few things in sports make me as happy as that scoreline. That scoreline when it is applied to this rivalry. Yeah, that's right. I absolutely delight over US victories against Mexico. More and more, Mexico is becoming my Duke basketball of the soccer world.

A lot to catch up on, here. There's the mixed bag of what I feel is ultimately good goodness in the US-led takeover of Liverpool. Everyone is always fearful of change, but if the mighty Reds were to be taken over by a foreign interest that assures it will keep the club competitive and genuine, I'd much rather it be at the hands of Tom Hicks and George Gillet than the dubious DIC and whatever dirty money they scrounged up.

Every time there's a new paragraph, there's a new thing to mention. You know they aren't playing soccer in Italy, at the moment, because of hooliganism? This is unreal! For all the right reasons, too!

Not soccer, hockey. Consider me pretty bummed about the LA Kings (getting worse by the second) dumping Sean Avery to the New York Rangers for a bag of day-old donuts. Avery's all heart and one of the fiercest competitors in the league. Even at 5'10". He'll be missed. Like winning.

B-ball. John Amaechi is gay. Not a big deal. Really, it's not. Sad, really, that a personal confession from a forgetten never-was basketball player can grab headlines. LeBron James -- young LeBron James (the guy's what? 13?) -- thinks Amaechi keeping his sexuality a secret all this time raises character and trust issues. Let's hope that everyone realizes just how young LeBron is. The guy has no perspective. Just like a freshman film student thinks he can make a war film, LeBron thinks he knows what it is to have complete trust, loyalty, and openness from all of his teammates. Meanwhile, he's raking in millions and mailing it in nightly as the Cavs continue to look unapologetically average.

The Celtics have lost 16 in a row. WTF?!? Is this a one-way ticket to Greg Oden or what?

College ball, you are my love. Only six weeks until the madness and, only now, people are finally taking notice of USC. I went to the new Galen Center (very nice facility, yet not typical of most arenas -- essentially a sleak basketball gym dropped inside a conference hall) on Saturday to catch the Trojans' sweep of Oregon. Tonight, they were one Lodrick Stewart technical away from hanging on L on UCLA. I don't think I can be any clearer here, I love the look of this Trojan basketball team and I think that they have real potential to make some serious noise come tournament time. If not for UCLA, I swear it, USC would be the best team in a loaded, loaded Pac 10.

At least Barbaro's dead

Ooooh! He's a monster, folks! Exulting in the death of flipping Barbaro! Well, the truth is that this page has been dormant for a solid week mostly because I've been busy as all hell, but also partially because I've had nothing good to write about. Let's see...

Lakers - Where do I start? Sunday's collapse against the Spurs (who looked positively terrible) or getting swept by Charlotte (story of LA's season: playing to the level of competition.

Kings - Obviously, as they spiral into oblivion, they're in the position of being "sellers" as the trade deadline approaches. It still stings, though, to trade Craig Conroy back to Calgary from whence he came for a pile of dirt.

Arizona Wildcats - Getting obliterated at home against a young, albeit talented, North Carolina team swiftly takes us out of any Sweet 16 discussion, let alone Final Four. This is a team in crisis. Losers of five of their last seven and the conference schedule doesn't get any easier. We only play ASU one more time. Every other game, I'll be sweating bullets.

And while the Cats struggle, Stanford is the latest Pac 10 team making a huge push, knocking off USC and UCLA last week.

So with all of that said, yeah, F*** Barbaro! He's an animal, people! He's not an athlete -- he's not even a person -- he's a freaking horse that won one big race. WHO CARES?! I'm holding my breath for the national day of mourning in rememberance of Barbaro. I wouldn't be shocked if it came. Because people are stupid. Fan mail for a horse? Kill yourself!

Sadly, I missed both the men's and women's final at the Australian Open. But I suppose I was fortunate because they were both demolitions. Serena slapped My Goddess, Maria, 1 and 2. I guess it's safe to say that she's back. I take a certain degree of issue at all the hubbub plaudits she's receiving for being the first unseeded woman to win a major since '78 (I believe). I mean, c'mon, this isn't any unseeded player. This is Serena Williams. She wasn't unseeded because her play was poor, but rather because she was injured for most of last year. If you don't play, your ranking drops, but she's still one of the top ten players in the world, at the very least, in terms of talent. As for the men... what else can you say about Roger Federer? Most dominant player, nay... most dominant entity (encompassing all teams and individuals) in sports. 27-set unbeaten streak? Wow.

One last positive before leaving for what could be many days: the schedule for BracketBusters 2007 has been announced. Mmm... college hoops. Every basketball fan in America should, at the very least, be tuned into Southern Illinois at Butler. That'll be a great, great game.

Shootin' some b-ball

The college game!

We're a solid two months away from the 1st round of the NCAAs -- the perfect time to start spit-balling about possible seeds. For me, my top three from the start of the season remains unchanged. 1s (in order): Florida, UCLA, Wisconsin. But nailing down that 4th top seed is proving to be a tricky task. As of today, I'd put down North Carolina on the grounds of them being the best out of the ACC. Their bounce-back win over Clemson last night (simultaneously getting NC's house in order while casting doubt on the quality of Clemson -- even after a 17-0 start) helps their cause, but I don't have the confidence that North Carolina -- especially with their susceptibility to dribble penetration -- can go on a six-game win streak in March, let alone four. And if we're talking Final Four, there's at least one wild-card spot open to any of NC, Kansas, Ohio State, Oregon, and beyond.

Two teams that are out-and-out frauds. One you should've known for weeks already (UConn) and the other you should DEFINITELY be aware of, now: Alabama. Massacred against Arkansas last week and then again, last night, against Vanderbilt. I was never sure of why Alabama had a top-ten ranking to begin with and having struggles like this in a weak SEC (overrated LSU included) only cast a bigger shadow. It's the same reason why I can't put all my faith into Pittsburgh, just yet. Even though they're without question the class of the Big East, their two lone out-of-conference showdowns were disappointments... even if they did take OK State to overtime.

And what of my Arizona Wildcats? After that tough loss to Oregon (looking like a solid 2-seed, right now) on Sunday, I'd say the 'Zona is in the area of a 3-seed. Two mammoth games are next on the slate for them, starting with tonight's showdown against the upstart Trojans. Should be an excellent game if USC keeps up this mojo. Trojans (along with Washington State) are the surprises of the Pac Ten -- dare I say, the nation? -- especially after their team was decimated by injuries, academic ineligibility, and a death. Next year, they'll consistently be a top 15 squad all season long.

Arizona is still somewhat unproven on the road (Louisville and Illinois we beat on neutral floors -- not that Phoenix is "neutral" in the case of the Illini game) and could be caught looking ahead to two days later when they play UCLA. I love the fire power of this Wildcats team, but they need to tighten up their defense if they're going to make a run in the tournament. Aaron Brooks sunk them on Sunday due to mental mistakes. USC may not have anywhere near the overall talent to beat UofA, but they definitely have the athleticism, drive, and homecourt advantage to pull off an upset. And hey, USC beat UofA last year in Los Angeles. I'm holding my breath, here.

Also, guess who is going to UCLA v Arizona on Saturday? Yeah, I'm psyched. I'll be the one on TV with the proud "A" on his chest, clad in red, mired amongst a sea of Pauley Pavillion chumps.

The pro game!

My tolerance for John Hollinger has officially run out. Anyone who rates Toronto ahead of Utah, Detroit, and Washington just doesn't watch basketball. And let's face it, the Lakers are a top 5 team, even if the points against average is pretty dim.

Speaking of the Lakers, nothing like a win in San Antonio (now, 2-0 vs the Spurs) without two starters to boost your spirits ahead of tonight's showdown with Dallas -- a team they already feel extremely confident about facing. Coming off the heels of hard fought wins over Orlando and Miami (where D-Wade got every single call and Kobe got none -- what a strange game that was), it looks like the Lakers are back to their Mr. Hyde form. And since Dallas has a winning percentage above .450, I don't anticipate Dr. Jekyll making his return tonight. We'll see about Saturday, though, when they play the Hornets.

Three things the Lakers do very well when they beat quality competition: play tough D (or play D at all), spread the ball, never get complacent. They do those three things tonight and they may very well be looking at a 2-1 series edge against Dallas.

I'd analyze Chris Webber's move to Detroit and dissect yesterday's trade between Golden State and Indiana, but, um... why? Okay, for the record, I cannot imagine that adding C-Webb is going to bring a title to Detroit, let alone a conference championship, and as far as the trade goes, I'm declaring the Warriors the big winners by virtue of unloading Mike Dunleavy Jr. and his ridiculous contract on Indiana. Well done, Nelly.

Tonight, my TV's got basketball on it!

Boy howdy!

Watched the triple-OT thrillride earlier tonight between Oklahoma State and Texas. Game of the year, without at a doubt. Won't see a better one for the rest of the season. Shows put on by Mario Boggans (whose improbable three-pointer won it for the Cowboys 105-103) and Kevin Durant, respectively, each dropping 37. I eff'n love college basketball. Also, while his team lost, the freshman Durant is very much the real deal. This guy has to be on the short list for Player of the Year, especially if he keeps tearing through the Big 12 at this clip (read: averaging over 34 ppg in conference play).

Mmm... only two months 'til the Madness proper.

The highs and the lows

Lousy times, this weekend, if you were one of "my teams." Unless you're the Lakers! Couldn't have asked for two better games than the last pair. First, smashing Iverson and the so-called improved Nuggets (yes, I know Carmelo is still yet to return, but it's always fun to rag on A.I.) into oblivion while having five Lakers in double figures and none of them being Kobe. Absolutely brilliant performance, but it was last night's win over the uber-hot Mavericks that was clearly not just the best game of the weekend in the NBA, but in all of the sporting world! And what a result if you're a Lakers fan. Trailing for pretty much the entire second half, right until the end, getting hopelessly outrebounded, particularly on the offensive glass where Dallas made a living on second chance points, and then pulling it out while riding the shoulders of your superstar and the hot hand of (brace yourself for this one) Sasha Vujacic! Now, Sasha probably doesn't deserve that kind of stick because, in his defense, he has played pretty consistently this season and his step-up performance last night was well needed especially in the light of Brian Cook and Vlad Radmanovic having awful games. The key to this latest win streak for LA (going on four games, now), hasn't been Kobe necessarily, but the fact that the supporting cast have been able to step up and produce. Bynum has been white hot since Kwame went down (no surprise there, more minutes for the youngster=more confidence) and if it's not Cook nailing shots, it's Sasha or Mo Evans or Farmar's ability to find the open man or Turiaf's spark off the bench. Even short-handed, there is a legit team here. A legit team that just needs to shore up their defense before they can be considered serious contenders for the championship.

If the Lakers represent my ultimate highs for this weekend, then Liverpool's mauling AT ANFIELD (unstoppable at home, no more) at the hands of Arsenal, 3-1, in the FA Cup 3rd round was surely the lowest low. Got up early to head down to Ye Olde King's Head Pub for the match, too, and had the gross misfortune of sitting directly across from a bunch of Arsenal fans as sloppy defending and the Gunners' efficient counter-attack knocked the confused and unimaginative Cup holders out of the competition. John Arne Riise needs to spend at least one match on the bench, and no, tomorrow's Carling Cup versus Arsenal doesn't count. He's just horribly off form and largely at fault for the first goal conceded (a gem from Rosicky). I want a complete refund on Fabio Aurelio who is just a total liability as soon as he steps on the pitch. Steven Gerrard's presence was missing for extensive portions of the match and, if not for Dirk Kuyt, we probably wouldn't have created a single decent chance on goal. I'm shooting an icy stare in Rafa Benitez's direction, too, for 1) not putting Robbie Fowler on the subs bench when he knew that Bellamy was never going to be fit enough to play and 2) not understanding what so many physical teams in the Premiership understand so well: Arsenal are a finesse team that can be thrown off it's game if you play them physically. If anyone, it was the French Whiner's side that played physical/border-line dirty. For these reasons, I eagerly anticipate Lucas Neill's arrival at Anfield.

To the college hardwood, a flat out awesome game between Oregon and UCLA on Saturday morning. Just awesome. The last 30 seconds were of March Madness quality. Props to both schools. The Bruins are still easily a 1-seed in my eyes and Oregon showed a lot of metal, bouncing back from the let-down loss to USC two days earlier.

Disappointing: Arizona falling at the hands of Washington State with an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the Pac Ten on the line. Granted, it was OT and it was in Pullman, but this was the first challenging away game (proper away game -- Louisville and Illinois were at neutral sites) for UofA since the season-opening three-point loss to Virginia. On the bright side, however, it definitely looks like the Wildcats will be able to chalk this up as a "quality loss" on the NCAA resume as Wazzu is looking more and more formative with each passing day. The Oregon schools come to Tucson this week. Ducks v Wildcats on Saturday. Giddy-up!

The NFL playoffs yielded four intriguing matchups for next weekend. That would be four out of a possible four! Each game has the potential for upset (more on that later this week). The sparkling highlight from Wild Card Weekend? Without question, it has to be the botched field goal attempt by Dallas that ended their season in the most spectacular fashion. If Big Tuna returns next season -- and I expect he will -- I cannot imagine T.O. returning to the team. We shall see. In the meantime, I wonder where all those bandwagon Cowboys fans are? Those fans who were touting Tony Romo as the next messiah, where are they?

Lastly, tonight is the game that makes every other bowl game completely irrelevant based sheerly on it's title: The National Championship game. Ohio State is a touchdown favorite. I'm sticking with my prediction from earlier of Buckeyes 36 Gators 22. I think Ohio State has to make a lot of mistakes and that the Florida offense -- the same Florida offense which the Gators got to the national title game in spite of -- has to execute flawlessly. It's not going to happen. Florida gets a couple of scores late to make it look respectable, but this one is never in doubt. Quite a year for Troy Smith.

The best conference in college hoops

This one's dedicated to the Pac 10. Dynamite matchups tomorrow. Undefeated, top-ranked UCLA visits now once-beaten Oregon and Arizona, owners of a 12-game winning streak, visit dangerous Washington State (the team who has come the closest this season to beating UCLA).

Wazzu has been a major surprise this year. Tony Bennett's got things rolling up in Pullman and getting a split in Los Angeles, last weekend, is proof that their win over Gonzaga wasn't a fluke.

The Trojans pipped Oregon last night. USC is but a narrow Wazzu defeat from being unbeaten in the conference. They're no easy W, this season. Imagine what's going to happen with the men of Troy when O.J. Mayo rolls into town next season.

And then there's Washington. Recognized nationally as a top 25 team (and deservedly so), the Huskies are off to a howling 0-3 start in conference play. Can't help but smile at their game last night. *Cough* All hail Chase Budinger *Cough*

Stanford and Cal both look good enough to get some post-season play, but they're probably looking at the NIT. The Pac 10 has depth, but these two schools won't find room in the NCAA. I'll say now, though, that Stanford is on to something special with the Lopez twins, Brook and Robin. Having those two bigs on the court together makes them a very difficult proposition as Arizona found out last Saturday.

The race for the conference title is on and it looks like there are three teams in the mix. Oregon has as good a shot as any of knocking off UCLA tomorrow. The Pit in Eugene is one of the toughest places to play in the entire country. Their chances would be boosted, though, is the seemingly-always-injured Malik Hairston were available.

What's the only thing stopping Arizona from taking the whole thing? Consistent defense. That, and I believe we're pretty dependant on the return of Kirk Walter if we're going to be able to battle with UCLA on the interior. Doing my best to secure a ticket to that game when the Cats come to LA. In the meantime, Washington State got us last year. Can't afford to look ahead.

The only easy game on the schedule: Arizona State. Sorry, Herb Sendek. You've got a serious project on your hands.

So there are plenty of storylines for the next two months...
- Three-headed race for the title
- Can Washington recover?
- (perhaps the best one) Can Washington State and USC keep this up all the way to Selection Sunday?

As of today, you have to figure that six teams would see their names in brackets come that fateful Sunday in March. Not bad for a conference that's only been netting 3-4 the last several years. Ah, if only ESPN covered the Pac 10 and not Fox Sports. Then I wouldn't even have to post this.

The drive from LA to Phoenix

Did the 6-hour road trip last night (in time to watch Liverpool this morning) and listened to quite a bit of "the sports" on the radio. I don't even have anything fancy like Sirius or XM (again, what's technology?), but managed to listen to the entirety of the Lakers win over the Nets, the last few minutes of overtime in the Suns loss to Washington, and some post-game reaction/phone-in for the local University of New Mexico affiliate (?!?!?!) after their shock win over Wichita State in Vegas. In order...

- Kobe had the flew and still managed 21p/11a, but just like the Minnesota win on Wednesday, it was the bench that carried the Lakers. Very, very weird game. The second half was probably the streakiest half of basketball of all time. No flow, just two teams trading 11-0 and 9-1 runs. Very bizarre. Two things that I'd said before on this page which I'd like to repeat because they're worth repeating: 1) Marcus Williams is going to be a great point guard and could well be the steal of this draft. 2) His rookie counterpart Jordan Farmar needs even more playing time. I love the way he plays.

- Hard to fault Phoenix for not being able to extend their 15-game win streak into 16, given that they just arrived at the arena just a few short hours after a nightmarish return from Denver, but excuses are like a-holes, ultimately. Even so, 42p/14a from Nash and a narrow loss in OT to a team who is proving with every passing game that they can run with anyone. Gilbert Arenas is looking like a 1st Team All NBAer, thus far (it's gotta be him and Nash in the backcourt, right now). 54 points last night. 60 versus the Lakers, last Sunday. I wonder, quite honestly, with the Eastern Conference being as wide open as it is, why not Washington in the Finals? Miami's chances, evidently, rest entirely on Shaq's health. Detroit still represents a challenge, still, and Cleveland's always given the Wizards trouble over the last two years, so those are the main obstacles. Can Orlando keep up their pace? Obviously, no one from the Atlantic division is relevant. So given how good the Wizards have looked on this west coast trip, why not them as a darkhorse for the Finals. I tell you what, it would certainly spice things up for the league. Washington may not be a big TV draw, but they play a very attractive style and Arenas is one of the league's budding stars. Surely, just the sheer surprise of them showing up in the Finals is sure to perk a few ears up.

Also in the NBA, Iverson had an excellent Nuggets debut, but... yeah, a loss to Sacto. We'll see what this team is really all about -- both the good and bad -- when Carmelo returns.

- Explain this one to me: Local University of New Mexico affiliate broadcasting 100 miles west of Phoenix? (There's a San Francisco station, too, but that wasn't sports radio) AM 770 had all the lowdown after the Lobos upset of the top ten Shockers. From the sound of it, WSU didn't put forth their best effort, but it was pretty amusing listening to some of these UNM die-hards calling in. I swear, if you didn't know ahead of time which team they were cheering for, you'd think they sounded like fans of a program like Duke or Kentucky. Not because of the success, but the dillusion that they're entitled to such success. It's like no one's told them that they play in the Mountain West Conference and haven't made much noise in recent seasons. They slay coach Rich McKay as if his expectations are equal to that of Coach K or Bob Knight. Amazing. But on the other side of the coin, it's nice that even marginal programs have die-hards like that. The Pit in Albuquerque is still intimidating to play at.

One more college hoops note. Today's Ohio State v Florida game should be a good one, but there's a lot of juice taken out of it with the absence of Al Horford. It leads me to believe that the Buckeyes will land a road victory (and then repeat that success on the football field, Jan. 8th), but I don't think they'll get their best shot from Florida. For a true guage of where each of these teams stand, you'd need both sides healthy.

Pac Ten hoops and the greatest line ever

College basketball is officially on full tilt as we revel in the meat of the December holidays. Pitt v Oklahoma State and Duke v Gonzaga, tonight. Couple of major seeding battles. But it was last night's impressive showing by the Pac Ten that should have the country taking notice. Arizona dismissed an athletic, dangerous Memphis squad and the Washington Huskies finally arrived, dismantling overrated LSU and Fat Baby Davis. It's rare that FSN ever broadcasts a double-header of this quality, but last night was a treat. I'm well aware that no teams are good or bad because of the conference they play in (Arizona State is still a Pac Ten school, isn't it?), but at last check, the Pac Ten conference had the highest win percentage of any conference in America, with scalps like Memphis, LSU, Georgetown, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Gonzaga, Louisville, Illinois, and Georgia Tech on the resume so far. We know about UCLA and Arizona. We know that Oregon is still undefeated and bringing it hard. We know Washington can play. Lurking in the shadows this season, though, be wary of Washington State and USC (yes, even a year before the arrival of O.J. Mayo). Pac Ten play is going to be excellent this year and the conference is getting no less than four bids (none less than a 6-seed) to the dance.

With respect to my beloved Arizona Wildcats, J.P. Prince won't be missed. A fine player, to be sure, but he never had a chance to impact the squad in any true capacity. What's scary about the Cats, though, is that they're playing all of this excellent basketball without the lynchpin that I think is absolutely crucial to them making a Final Four, possibly a national title run: Kirk Walters. You may laugh, but Walters is one of the most hard-working, scrappy big men in the country. His presence on the defensive glass will be a monsterous boost to an already lethal team. When they want to buckle down, Arizona is unstoppable.

Switching gears to the NHL, opting not to discuss how horrid the Kings are, the news out of Pittsburgh is dour, to say the least. And all because of a lousy slots license. That's a new one, isn't it? "Hey, everybody. We're probably going to move the team because our financial backers didn't get permission to cater to 68-year-old slot jockey grandmas. Sorry!" In a perfect world, Super Mario will be able to keep what has now become the NHL's most marketable team (ahem -- Crosby & Malkin) in Pittsburgh, in a new arena at no cost to the team or the city (which is what the Isle of Capri Casinos had proposed), but we shall see. The irony with the Penguins is so incredibly thick. Everyone wants to see them, but they can barely afford to stay afloat.

Speaking of Mario, he appeared on ESPN's top NHL lines of all time, um, a few times. I guess I (and presumably the rest of the reasonable world) were mistaken in thinking that a player could only appear once in this list or that, you know, it actually mattered if they played their natural position. Naturally, Gretzky is centering all four lines. Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, why wasn't Pavel Bure on that list of 50? Where's the love for the Russian Rocket?! Perhaps the most lethal sniper of the 90s!

One last thing and then I'm done raiding ESPN.com for nuggets of banter. In their on-going top 100 stories of the year, Zidane v Materazzi clocked in at #2 for the year. If you want to talk about sheer coverage, then this is unquestionably the top sports story of perhaps the last three years, but this is an American audience, so not the case for these purposes. This story being #2, however, means that "Vince Young toppling USC in the Rose Bowl" will be #1 and, frankly, I take a lot of issue with that. There's no denying that Young's performance in that game was excellent, but to suggest that he singlehandedly defeated the Trojans is asinine. Let's be clear about this: Texas didn't win the national championship, USC lost it. Reggie Bush's lateral, quitting after going up two scores in the 4th, not having Bush in the game on the last play, shoddy tackling... Vince Young may get the glory, but the reasons why are masked.

At the very least, the following stories have more significance than Texas winning the college football national title: Zidane-gate, George Mason's ultimate Cinderella run, Roger Federer/Tiger Woods (they're inseparable in terms of domination, as far as I'm concerned)

Decidedly unimpressed

The NBA and the NFL, respectively, have a lot to own up to for the product put out this weekend. The former actually had a couple of standout, positive performances -- each coming from Laker games (Kobe's 53-point heroics in a double OT comeback from as much as 21 down in the 3rd quarter to beat Houston on Friday and last night's 60-point outburst from Gilbert Arenas staving off another impressive Lakers comeback in OT). But it's what is sandwiched in the middle that'll dominate headlines. It's almost as if the NBA gods woke up from a Rip Van Winkle-esque snooze only to realize that the Brawl in the Palace of Auburn Hills happened two years ago and thought, "Well, crap, that won't stand. Let's cancel out the brilliance of that Houston/Lakers game from Friday where our stars, Kobe and Yao, shined in the national spotlight and have another fiasco!" Add one of the faces of the league in Melo as the biggest offender from Saturday's scrap and... *drumroll*... image problems facing the league are not going anywhere. How Isiah Thomas is even still affiliated with the NBA is beyond me. He's been catastrophic in every single capacity since retiring as a player.

Then there's the NFL which has to be the most bland, unimpressive league for this sports calendar year. The Bears (weakest schedule ever) get pushed to OT against the Bucs, giving up 31 points to one of the worst offenses in the league, and the Saints lose to Washington? Forget it. I give up. I no longer care. And count me among those who think the Chargers will stumble along the way to the Superbowl. They clearly look like the best team, today, but Marty's on the sideline. And when the Bengals slap the Colts tonight, I'm demanding that half of Peyton Manning's sponsors back away (that'll still leave him with about 2,000 or so).

Thank the heavens for college basketball, although the supposed showdown this weekend between Wisconsin and Pittsburgh was anything but. And really, that shouldn't surprise anyone. Pitt hasn't played anyone of merit and have struggled in recent games against mediocre opponents. The Badgers are becoming more and more battle-tested and looking very much like the Final Four-caliber team I think they are. But back on Pitt, the Big East as a whole has been decidedly unimpressive thus far. Pitt got squashed in their first real test, UConn is benefitting from playing the 299th toughest schedule in the country (insert slow clap here), Georgetown is off to a rocky start, failing to approach anything resembling top ten billing, Syracuse still won't travel, Cincy's (lost to Wofford this season, by the way) torching against Ohio State is indicative of how far off the pace they are, beating Louisville carries less and less meaning with every passing game. Hell, for such a power conference, only Marquette looks like a true threat down the line.

As the Big East struggles, though, it's fantastic to see the Missouri Valley Conference steadily rise in quality to the point where, a couple seasons from now, it wouldn't be outrageous to call them a basketball "major." Six teams, including Wichita State, are real threats to become Gonzagas. Props to Butler, too, whose only loss so far is to Indiana State (MVC), who aren't even one of the six teams I'm referring to (Wichita State, Creighton, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Bradley, Missouri State).

Know who is flying under the radar? Arizona Wildcats. I cannot wait for Memphis, this week.

Finally: Man or woman? No one knows!
It is not clear how she failed the test at the Asian Games in Doha.

Phenomenal, that is. Words fail.

Tired of college football whining?

If you have any reason, you should be! Time to make the switch over to the hardwood where things are not only exciting, but logical, too! As Andy Katz says in the linked article, college hoops is looking sharp and you had better keep an eye on Arizona who shut down the 3-point threat of a Rick Pitino squad and got Louisville's house of a star freshman to foul out in 11 minutes. 11 minutes! Louisville still look a more formidable side, though, than their Big East counterparts at Syracuse who I just refuse to buy into.

Buckeyes and Ducks and Hoops, oh my!

Andy Katz has it right: Oden or not, Ohio State is legit.

Flat out excellent game last night in Chapel Hill and UNC should consider themselves lucky to have pulled out the W. Buckeyes are going to be unreal when Oden returns, but they exposed a true weakness in the Tar Heels defense. Turns out NC is susceptible to dribble penetration in a major way. Mark it down in your memory banks, now. If NC draws a team in March with an aggressive, savvy point guard and deadly outside shooting, you can pencil in the upset then and there. Also, for any Simpsons fans out there, I'd just like to point out that Ohio State has a player with the last name "Terwilliger."

Elsewhere, just want to put it out there, keep an eye on Oregon. Ducks beat Georgetown last night. They've got a 5'6" frosh who you really should have heard of by now named Tajuan Porter who is just blowing up. At the start of the year, I picked Oregon third in the Pac 10. Could well be. This is a tournament team.

Gearing up for Illinois v Arizona on Saturday. I'm expecting a battle, but Wildcats' win nonetheless. This isn't exactly the Illini team we mixed it up with in 2001 or 2005. No, we're looking at a squad that figures to finish 4th or 5th in the Big Ten. I'm sure they're still smarting after Maryland snapped their winning streak at home.

1-seeds, as of today, just because:
1. UCLA
2. Florida
3. North Carolina
4. Ohio State