Hooray For Links! NCAA Tournament Edition

I was never a big proponent of doing link dumps and the like on this site because, well, it didn't really make sense to me. Why would I simply reproduce things that are already out there? But as I did my own scouring of the Intertubes for college hoops content, I realized there was just too much quality (and, at times, utterly awful) stuff out there to simply leave untapped. So I give you Hooray For Links! which should appear at completely random intervals. Because without links, it's not really a blog, it's just a place to put thoughts I might not want to forget.

I haven't written all that much about the Tournament, except for some wildly outstanding previews; I prefer to just kinda enjoy it as a spectator and avoid consuming the enormous mass of regurgitated storylines and feature ideas. This year's March Madness has been tremendous, something I was worried about after the mediocrity that highlighted the regular season and the general lack of interesting match-ups. I thought this year would be an event that would bore for the first two rounds and then really shine in the regionals, after all the craptastic teams were eliminated. Well the second part of that has came true -- these games this weekend should be awesome -- without the boring part. So here are some links, many of which are preview items as the content produced about the actual Tournament is pretty boring.

Them links be after the jump.
Continue...

- Given their first meeting and its outcome, watching the diverging paths of North Carolina and Duke in the NCAAs was fascinating. The Heels have been utterly dominant. Duke was awful, would've been the victim of the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history if not for Gerald Henderson playing like a man, were destroyed in the second half against West Virginia and are home now. I'd like to think this moment, and this moment alone, was the turning point for both teams. Revel in its beauty.


- This CBS Sportsline column about Tyler Hansbrough from Mike Freeman was pretty bold, pretty controversial (read the comments) and difficult to argue with. I'm not going to go to deep into it; he basically feels there is a double standard perpetuated by the media regarding highly visible white players in college hoops. The giveaway line is : "America loves a tough, white guy." He is right in that regard but doesn't quite make a full argument or offer a lot to support the hypothesis. Freeman is a fellow University of Delaware alum so in interest of full disclosure, I'm probably an apologist for a fellow Blue Hen. But it's an interesting read.

- Dan Steinberg at the fabulous (heterosexually fabulous, that is) DC Sports Bog with a great first-hand account of storming the floor following American's Patriot League Championship (which seems like it happened year ago).

- Everyone was all fussy about the Selection Committee matching up mid-major with each other, including me, and no one has been better at chronicling the view from the little guys than ESPN.com contributor and Mid-Majority editor Kyle Whelliston, Lord of the Mid-Majors. After the field was announced he penned this great column on the traveshammockery that is Selection Sunday. In light of the runs made by mid-majors like Western Kentucky and Davidson, which has hopefully validated the many cries of foul directed toward the Committee for seemingly wanting the BCS schools to conduct their business without losing face, Whelliston has renamed his site The WKU-Majority. Rather than link all of Whelliston's great posts from the weekend -- it would require many hyperlinks and possible carpel tunnel -- just go to his site and read it all. After a year where the big boys reigned, the mid-majors are back and have found a place at the top. George Mason was no fluke, watch out world.

- Basketball Prospectus, in its first year on the job, offered this season's best tournament preview. And to follow it up, they have been outstanding in their tourney coverage. So go there, read it, love it, live a better life.

- For someone with the rare and unfortunate combination of being a basketball addict and former English major in college, this piece on how Ernest Hemingway would analyze some of the top NCAA contenders was absolutely fantastic.

- I enjoyed this column from Andy Katz on Kevin Love and OJ Mayo, even if it was approximately the 8 millionth of its kind and basically jinxed the hell out of USC. Hopefully we can put all those preconceived notions about the two and the completely false "antithesis" they represent.

- Alright so one more Kyle Whelliston item to pass along. Last one, I swear, but the guy is doing great work over there. With my brackets in complete shambles, as I predicted, I enjoyed this column asking readers to not fill out a bracket this year. I wish I could do this. Unfortunately my body and mind will not allow me to abstain from Bracketering; I must have a chemical imbalance. But with my picks basically ruined, I have enjoyed this year's tournament even without having any real live reason to root for a specific. I've become a liberated fan, something that the boys at FreeDarko talk a lot about; I am simply an enjoyer of good basketball. And this makes very much sense. The reason I love the NCAA Tournament is not because I love winning office pools, it's because I love basketball. A lot. So, as Whelliston argues, by filling out a bracket you are simply celebrating prognostication, right and wrongness. Not basketball, which is what this thing is all about. Just because there is no prospect of winning money off of them, doesn't mean you can't like a team or have interest in a game.

- There certainly are some curious trends the Selection Committee seems to be perpetuating, and Gary Parrish is there to point them out and call out the Committee. For someone who is unusually Freshman-centric, I also enjoyed this column he wrote on young bucks and their big tourney roles.

- This is why I enjoy Bill Raftery.

- This was in Sports Illustrated's March Madness preview issue, a great look from Grant Wahl at how size dictates tournament success, especially in regards to this year's field, which contains a lot of small-ball teams, which follows the trend recently seen in the NBA. Looking at the teams left, many of the remaining top seeds at least has respectable post players, but squads like Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia and Memphis will be operating without a great deal of size. Should be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out (especially with Texas vs. Stanford; the best Sweet 16 match-up this year).

- Further proof that no matter how much Bill Simmons knows about the NBA (which is a whole lot), he should not write about college basketball.

- No No. 1 seed was really even tested in the first round this year, but there is really nothing better than when one gets scared. Here is a run-down of the closest calls in history.

- The world will never be the same. There is no God.

- Very good piece analyzing CBS' first weekend coverage of the NCAAs (even if it praises Seth Davis for non-comedic excellence). I thought it was pretty good coverage as well, except that Gus Johnson had all blowouts and Tim Brando was nearly comatose during that insane Friday in Tampa. Given all the tooting being done for Davis taking Davidson, I would like to point out that I said Belmont would give Duke all they could handle in the first round. I may be near last place in all my pools, but I will hold onto this for years.

- And here, an example of why local nightly news will not bring upon the end of civilization, contrary to popular belief:

The SSS 2008 NCAA Tournament Preview For Non-Psychics: West Region

Waxing poetic about how lovely the NCAA Tournament is seems a bit irrelevant at this point. Certainly "One Shining Moment" will provide a sort of grab-bag of sappiness at the end of the whole thing that will you make you go, "Man, I love March Madness," sigh while looking longingly into the middle distance and then go watch The Hills or something. Now is not the time for such nonsense. March Madness is great! Work sucks! Gus Johnson is so exciting! There, that's done with. What we all want right now is objective, cold-hearted analysis on which teams will prevail and how to win your office pools. I wholeheartedly hope you find something like that. Instead I offer my own brand of regional previews, based solely around enjoying the tournament as much as possible. I'd say "Enjoy" but that goes without saying this time of year.

Previously:
East Region

Today we go out West. Look for South and Midwest tomorrow and Thursday morning.

By the way, Awful Announcing has the first round announcers for each game, so check that out for Gus Johnson referential purposes in this preview.

1st Round Games
1) UCLA vs. 16) Mississippi Valley State: The outstanding Jim Varney, master of his craft, never made an "Ernest Goes To Hollywood" movie, but I would imagine the story of the Delta Devils' adventures this week should fill that void.

8) BYU vs. 9) Texas A & M: Probably the most boring first round match-up of closely matched seeds, there are gonna be a ton of dump downs and entry passes in this one with Trent Plaisted (BYU), Joseph Jones (A & M) and the Ghost of DeAndre Jordan (A & M) (and his 50 percent of actually showing up for a game). Both teams play solid defense but really struggle with shot-making at times. Man I'm pumped for this game.

5) Drake vs. 12) Western Kentucky: I'm not going to make a Love the Drake joke because everyone in the damn country, including human Ambien dispensers Seth Davis and Hubert Davis, has been making them all week. I think I was the first person lame enough to make this joke, so I feel as though it and I have come to the end of the road. We had a good run Love the Drake joke, no regrets. Anyway, this game would be a great Bracketbusters match-up, an event the Selection Committee apparently decided not to watch because they tried to recreate it. Drake is a really good team -- they are almost more "Butler" than Butler if that doesn't make your brain hurt -- but this will be a close game no matter what. The Hilltoppers (real nickname) are a like-minded team that can shoot the ball just like the Bulldogs. Their star is Courtney Lee, who is going to get his no matter what, but it'll come down to one other Hilltopper stepping up.

4) Connecticut vs. 13) San Diego: I'm excited for the Hasheem Thabeet vs. Gyno Pomare match-up which should decide who gets to be the challenger to Kenny George's title of "Guy Who Stumbles Into the Most Fouls." Generally it would be Pomare in a 8th round TKO, but Thabeet really showed me some uncoordination in the Big East tourney. Should be thrilling. There is a faint whiff of growing Torero support in this one but I'm not sure why. Yes, the Huskies struggled down the stretch but when you are more talented at every single position, you are probably going to win. I don't see Whale's Vagina scoring 60 points in this one and there's no way it dominates the inside against UConn like it did against Gonzaga.

6) Purdue vs. 11) Baylor: Thus begins this year's Pod of Dullness, the four teams (along with Xavier and Georgia, seen below) that make up the "pod" with the lowest quality of basketball. Lucky for me, I will be there Saturday in DC to see which squad can emerge from this trough of slop. Alcohol will surely be in the equation. This game should actually be somewhat entertaining despite being fairly meaningless in the overall scheme of this tournament. The Boilermakers are led by freshman Professor Frink Robbie Hummel but it will be their ball pressure of Baylor's outstanding quintet of guards, led by Curtis Jerrels, that decides this game. Purdue doesn't really have a rim protector so they need to keep all those fellas out of the lane and if they don't, at least stay at home on the shooters. I like Baylor to pull the upset and an Xavier-Baylor second round game actually doesn't sound so excruciating anymore.

3) Xavier vs. 14) Georgia: The Musketeers like to get after the ball on the defensive end and, on paper, it would seem the containment on Sundiata Gaines and Billy Humphrey (who is not, in fact, a cock-eyed optimist) is paramount to avoiding an upset. But in reality, the key for Xavier is going to be stopping God. The senior deity was the breakout performer for the Bulldogs in their amazing SEC Championship run. He has a strong right hand (Jesus) and a nice stroke from on high. Sean Miller needs to find a way to stop his drive-and-smite game and slow him down on offense like the Old Testament, and Arkansas, could not.

7) West Virginia vs. 10) Arizona: This is a Gus Johnson Special if there ever was one. But alas, we are stuck with Craig Bolerjack (real person) and Bob Wenzel. Surely those two nondescript folks will be all a twitter by Joe Alexander, Everyone's New Favorite White Guy, and his match-up with Chase Budinger. I'm not as concerned with that head-to-head match; it should be a wash and I don't see any way the Cats let Alexander go off. This one should come down to West Virginia getting consistent scoring from someone else to match Jerryd Bayless' production. If they can't get Jordan Hill, a guy the Mountaineers cannot match up with, in foul trouble, it'll be a long night but since he starts every game with two fouls (I think), that shouldn't be a problem.

2) Duke vs. 15) Belmont: Duke will either win this by 30 or lose. It's going to be an 80 possession game with at least 60 threes combined between the two teams and absolutely no semblance of a post player to be found. I'm dead serious when I say Belmont can win this game. They just need to hit about 15 threes and hope Duke hits about seven. But that's about as good a chance as any 15-seed can hope for, right? Again, another Gus Johnson Special. We need to get this man to DC ASAP. Although if we do, he might look like this by Saturday.

(Note: This is outstanding.)

To Watch For
Game You Should Really Want Gus Johnson Announcing- Yeah we already spoke about this. Turns out he's doing the Denver games, which includes the Michigan State/Temple/ Oral Roberts/ Pitt pod and the Washington State/ Winthrop/ Notre Dame/ George Mason pod. Not bad games for his greatness, especially because he has Mason. I trust him far better to call a potential Patriots upset than the punny creepiness of Jim Nantz.

Game You Should NOT Want Jim Nantz Announcing- Drake vs. Western Kentucky. Not that there is any way Nantz has ever watched/enjoyed Seinfeld -- he seems like a "Two And A Half Men" or "Mad About You" guy to me -- but I've gotta think he'd enlist up-and-coming comedian Seth Davis to help him out with some sweet Love the Drake puns. Plus if Western Kentucky wins, it'll be "And Western Kentucky has topped the first hill" or something vomit-inducing like that.

Thing That Will Get Stuck In Billy Packer's Craw- Something about BYU refusing to play on Sundays. Back in his day, "Mormon" was just another word for homosexual.

(Note: Nantz and Packer will be doing the Raleigh site with UNC's game, the Indiana-Arkansas game and the pod with Gonzaga/ Davidson/ Georgetown/ UMBC. So Kelvin Sampson and Josh Heytvelt, you're on notice.)

Most Ironic Commercial- Any Bud Light commercial during a West Virginia game. We all know West Virginia fans can't afford Bud Light.
/ducks

Talking Points That Will Make Your Brain Want To Die- Anything on the Coach K/Mike D'Antoni thing, even though the Suns don't even run that type of offense anymore. AJ Price as laptop stealer turned adopted son of Jim Calhoun will be popular too. Joe Alexander as the next coming of Larry Bird or, worst case scenario, Christ.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give CBS Execs Creamed Jeans-West Virginia-Duke would be right up CBS' wheelhouse in terms of pure whiteness and asshole coaches to deify. They would definitely hide the Carlos Mencia commercials for that one.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give Hoops Fans Creamed Jeans, CBS Execs Flaccidity- The aforementioned Baylor-Xavier game would be complete madness in terms of fun, guard-oriented basketball, but I think I speak for everyone when I say, I WANT ARIZONA-DUKE. Kevin O'Neill's gruffness with the media and deliberate, ball screen-laden offense wouldn't really boost the aesthetic value of a Duke/Coach K game that CBS would hope for, but there would be too much damn talent on that court to not be a classic.

Best NBA Prospect- Kevin Love is superdreamy but I think Russell Westbrook is going to be a damned assassin in the pros. I suppose Jerryd Bayless is a nice player too.

Best Latvian First Division Prospect- West Virginia's Jamie Smalligan is rumored to already have an offer to endorse Spilva, Latvia's leading provider of atrocious looking foods, when he graduates.

Most Likely Teabagging Scenario- Russell Westbrook will not leave Anaheim without embarrassing a Delta Devil.

Unexpectedly Hot Cheerleaders- In a region with UCLA, Georgia and Arizona, there's something oddly attractive about hooking up with a BYU cheerleader. And, of course, with some grit, determination and arcane legislative loopholes, you could hook up with all of the BYU cheerleaders.

(Note: If this page and the West Virginia "sports" "site," We Must Ignite This Couch, that contains it doesn't explain that state quite accurately, I don't know what would.)

Oh, And The Winner Of The Damn Thing- In a bracket that looks to heavily favor the chalk, if there is a half of a region that has the capability of producing a really weird Elite Eight participant, it's the bottom half of the West. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the top six seeds down there make the regional final against UCLA, which could have a tough game against UConn in the Sweet 16. The Bruins go to the Final Four and I still like them to win it all.

Hooray For Links! March 10

I was never a big proponent of doing link dumps and the like on this site because, well, it didn't really make sense to me. Why would I simply reproduce things that are already out there? But as I did my own scouring of the Intertubes for college hoops content, I realized there was just too much quality (and, at times, utterly awful) stuff out there to simply leave untapped. So I give you Hooray For Links! which should appear at completely random intervals. Because without links, it's not really a blog, it's just a place to put thoughts I might not want to forget.

Them links be after the jump.
Continue...

First off, I was gonna do one of these last week but didn't get around to it so if any of these are old news or have already been determined as uninteresting, I apologize.

- The new Deadspin Media Approval Ratings have been very interesting, especially the results surrounding some college hoops folk. Here they are:

Doug Gottlieb: 44.3%
Billy Packer: 9.5%
Gus Johnson: 90.4%
Erin Andrews: 95.2%
Mike Patrick: 47.8%

It's worth mentioning that ESPN is known for infiltrating these polls when they involve one of their people, which could be why the derisive Gottlieb is near 50 percent (despite being a bully) and the brain-dead Patrick is above 3 percent. Obviously the 5 percent that disapproves of Andrews are women and the 10 percent that disapproves Gus are deaf (my feelings on him are well-documented). Billy Packer's 9.5% was provided solely by the Nantz family.

- Speaking of Gottlieb, USA Today did a feature on him for no apparent reason whatsoever, except to give an already hefty ego and even greater boost. I think Gottlieb is a pretty smart guy and definitely is one of the smarter ESPN hoops analysts. But the way he presents his opinions in that pompous, I'm-the-voice-of-reason-in-college-hoops, I-think-Tom Brennan-is-a-huge-douche type of way, not to mention a completely boring way with no sense of humor (like Brennan), is just unnecessary. I've said this before but he's like one of those guys on the message boards that happens to know more than everyone else and wants them all to know it. Anyway, the feature was an absolute puff piece, barely mentions the credit card thing at Notre Dame or many of his controversial statements. It also contains no sources from Gottlieb detractors, only speaking with his family and co-workers. But read it if you want a reason to dislike Doug Gottlieb some more.

- Dana O'Neill at ESPN.com continues to crank out outstanding pieces in her first few months on the job. This one on Michael Beasley, perhaps the 20th I've read on him, is probably the best look into Beasley's life and mind that has been written. Beasley comes off as a pretty intelligent, thoughtful guy, especially when speaking about the true impact of being a really freaking good 19-year-old basketball player.

"I'm still a kid; I'm still irresponsible and I want to still be irresponsible sometimes," Beasley said as the fans circled behind him. "When I go to the NBA, that's over. My life is America's life. LeBron James gets a speeding ticket, the cop goes on with his day and LeBron is all over 'SportsCenter.' Britney Spears shaves her head, it's everywhere. You shave your hair, who cares? That's why I'm not sure I'm ready for the NBA.

"I mean, what's being famous anyway? It's a popularity contest. Don't get me wrong. I'm lucky. I love my life, but I just don't understand it. I brush my teeth with the same Crest. I use the same bar of soap. My house gets junky just like yours. I'm just a regular guy who can play basketball. I'm normal."

Nah dude, I use Colgate. And unlike the Gottlieb piece, O'Neill confronts Beasley on Dalonte Hill, Bob Huggins and all the weirdness around his recruitment. He acknowledged that he's only at KSU because of Hill but said Frank Martin's head coach position is legitimate. I disagree, but whatever, I can't drop 44 in a Big 12 game.

- Speaking of Kansas State, Big Sexy Jason Whitlock weighs in on the squad and its recent struggles. And wouldn't you know it, Mr. Whitlock has something critical to say. He calls out the fans, Crazy Person Frank Martin's sideline antics and the sulking so often seen from the young guys (not sure I agree on this). Whitlock's a great writer so it's worth a read but don't expect to be smiling when you're done reading.

- I've written a bit on Philadelphia hoops phenom, the as yet unsigned Tyreke Evans. The New York Times decided to do the same and turns in a good feature on the completely ridiculous amount of hoopla surrounding his senior season.

- Kevin Love. John Wooden. Outlet passes. And Brent Musberger gets his first erection in years.
/shudders


- I Loooovveeeee The Drake around here and given the Bulldogs complete destruction of the Missouri Valley, I link this column from ESPN.com's Pat Forde from a couple weeks ago on just how much he too, loves the Drake.

- Patrick Patterson may be coming back to school next year... according to his Facebook page.

- The blinding brilliance of Kissing Suzy Kolber and Big Daddy Drew applies itself to college hoops and Coach K (via Deadspin). And all is right with the world.

- What dreams of made of.


- You've probably heard by now that Lil Romeo is going to USC on a basketball scholarship. You've probably considered how ridiculous this is. The Wall Street Journal would like to confirm how ridiculous this is... as would Tim Floyd. Apparently this is just a package deal with DeMar DeRozan, who is apparently really freaking good and tight with Romeo. Obviously everyone at USC denies that.

- This post at FreeDarko on Mike Dunleavy and his days at Duke, where he recorded a video with a campus comedy group, might be completely useless or awe-inspiringly awesome. Decide for yourself. A teaser: Dunleavy plays Death in Stratego.

- Your obligatory Erin Andrews item.

- Never have I been more excited after a college basketball play than I was after Kristof Ongenaet's steal/crossover/posterizing of Marquette Saturday. I'm assuming that is what people felt like after Jason McElwain made all of those threes.

Rashad McCants Web Site Makes Duke Fans Wonder What Could Have Been

Rashad McCants is in the NBA now but since most of the population probably wasn't aware of that, I figured I should post this anyway; playing for a National Champion UNC team probably earns you far more notoriety than playing semi-regularly for the Timberwolves and being the pastry chef for your former fellow bench-dweller's competitive dunking endeavors. But a great way to increase that profile is to have a spiffy, rather insane Web site. J.E. Skeets covered this very well at the excellent Ball Don't Lie, Yahoo's NBA blog, and excerpted some highlights:

McCants on his tattoos: "There is nothing like a fresh tattoo. The look of it. The feel of it. Knowing that it hurt so bad, and you wanted to quit. Just like life. When all goes bad, you just wanna quit. But the moment you decide it's not so bad, that if you just take the pain everything will be fine, is the moment you realize life isn't so bad."

McCants on his YBG clothing line: "YBG is my self expression to show my struggle from where I come from to where I am now! Young black and gifted is what I am through my own eyes. Just remember the motto: Swagger is everything!!!!"

McCants on comparing himself to reading The Bible: "Once you open it up and start to read it, you find out things that you've never really seen or heard before. And I think that really describes me."

Skeets has a good eye for mindnumbingly inane athlete self-aggrandizement but I think he is missing out on the real issue. The merciless torture Cameron Crazies could unfurl upon McCants had this Web site been formed during his Tar Heel days. Given all the jeering Redick got for writing poetry, don't you think the Dukies would have a little something prepared in response to one of Rashad's latest (of five overall) poems, Hustle and Cream? An excerpt:

"Gloomy days stormy nights kids watch videos instead of riding bikes.
No flying kites chilling on windy Wednesday, we need us a black men's day,
but us Negros been blind, fuck xray, the only real celebration is your death day.
Women are trapped because that dude didn't really seem gay,
friends fooled because friends said they would never stray.
didn't sense the hate but friends really been fake.
Jail time got brothers really changing faith. Thought friends had they back like bathing ape."

I always liked McCants in college and didn't think he was a thug or selfish or cocky as many of his detractors did, but just a guy who wasn't going to be who everyone else (read: white people) wanted him to be. And within the lines of, uh, Hustle and Cream, you can see a young, confused man at odds with the world around him... And also one that believes the meaning of his existence is comparably enlightening to the Bible.

Duke fans want those three years of their lives back.

Hooray For Links! February 21

I was never a big proponent of doing link dumps and the like on this site because, well, it didn't really make sense to me. Why would I simply reproduce things that are already out there? But as I did my own scouring of the Intertubes for college hoops content, I realized there was just too much quality (and, at times, utterly awful) stuff out there to simply leave untapped. So I give you Hooray For Links! which should appear at completely random intervals. Because without links, it's not really a blog, it's just a place to put thoughts I might not want to forget.

Them links be after the jump.
Continue...

- Before we get into anything of substance, great Louisville blog Card Chronicle shares this video of a rapping UL fan, makes world worse place. Reminds me of a young Ghostface. I really should've dedicated a single post to this.

- I really enjoyed Grant Wahl's article in Sports Illustrated a couple weeks ago on the Dribble-Drive Motion Offense that everyone seems so excited about. Now, if you aren't a hardcore basketball person, this whole piece is a waste of your time. It's an in-depth look at how the philosophy was originated, how it works, who is using it and what personnel suits it best. If you enjoy dunks, cheerleaders and screaming at the TV, you probably shouldn't read this. Anyway, the DDM offense has been made most popular by John Calipari and Memphis, which is odd because the Tigers don't really have the ideal players (i.e. jumpshooters) for the offense. But they do have Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts, who are both perfect for the penetration and kick offense. They also have Joey Dorsey, who is ideal for this offense because it requires no post scorer and puts a team's big man on the weak side of the ball for offensive rebounds and drive-and-dishes. Still, you wonder if the shooting will be Memphis' tragic flaw. The offense was created by Vance Walberg, who was a JuCo coach at the time, then got a job at Pepperdine and recently resigned/got fired (the one problem with the article is it makes little mention of Walberg's tenure and departure at Pepperdine). Over 300 teams across the country, at all levels of play, now use it and the article contains praise from Larry Brown and Bob Hurley. So if your retinas aren't singed from Bruce Pearl's suit (by the way, the Vols are perfect for DDM and they don't run it), look for that offense Saturday night.

- Kansas State Head Coach and Crazy Person, Frank Martin seems to be getting a lot of love for KSU's success this season and this feature by Chip Brown at the Dallas Morning News continues that trend. Martin, despite being a raging lunatic on the sidelines, actually does seem like he cares about his kids and knows the game. HOWEVA, he still has a very shady past and it seems like no one knows about it besides me and Robert Andrew Powell, the Miami New Times reporter who broke the 1998 story on Martin fabricating addresses for the state champion high school team he coached (which included Steve Blake and Udonis Haslem), an investigation that led to his resignation. Certainly people deserve second chances and performance speaks for itself, but read the 1998 story and then read Brown's feature and see if there aren't some serious contradictions in some of Martin's "do it the right way" quotes.

- I don't like pointing out when I'm right -- actually, who am I kidding, of course I do -- but back at the end of January I had post on the four teams I thought were capable of winning a championship. I picked Kansas, UNC, UCLA... and Louisville. The CHN message board destroyed me for this at the time and much time-wasting vitriol ensued. Well we all know what Louisville has done since and in a recent post at the fabulous Basketball Prospectus the fabulous Ken Pomeroy (I'm not gay) pegged the Cardinals as his "No. 6" team behind the obvious top five of Memphis, Duke, UNC, Kansas and UCLA (this was posted on Feb. 13, so I figure Tennessee is now in there, moving Louisville to No. 7... but I was still right! /stares into distance).

- I've been following the bizarre story of Tim Parmeter, Eastern Arizona JuCo coach who, as originally reported by Gary Parrish, was coaching through the murder-suicide of his ex-wife and child but was recently fired amid allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year old while he was married. I'm not going to elaborate any further on it, and I've gotten some comments here that were both interesting and abhorrent, but if you haven't seen this bizarre story, here is a good follow up from the Arizona Republic.

- I'm really sick of the Kelvin Sampson thing and, besides posting on The Big Lead's anonymous source that said he was going to be fired last Friday which obviously turned out to be wrong, I'm going to ignore it on here. But this piece from Andy Katz served as a great one-stop source for all the nonsense surround Sampson.

- Against all odds, ESPN.com's college basketball coverage has been outstanding lately. In the beginning of the year they just seemed to regurgitate the same played-out storylines but there have been a number of really good, deep pieces lately. I'd like to think a big part of that is the addition of Philly's own Dana O'Neill, former Philly Daily News writer, who turned in a GREAT feature on Alcorn State and the unglamorous life of basketball in the SWAC. It's long but a great read for those sick of the power conference slobbering.

- Keeping with the ESPN theme, Chris Low takes a good look at the long, hard journey of Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson, who is one of the most talented players in the country. Hudson has overcome a rough childhood and academic problems to make it to Division I, and he is probably is good enough to play in the major conferences.

- And one more to throw at you, Heather Dinich's feature on Towson junior Tony Durant, who just happens to be the older brother of Kevin Durant. It's a great look at the odd emotional predicament Kevin's success has caused for Tony, who I somehow didn't even know about until I read this piece.

- Two posts from fellow Ravenous Shark Fightin' Blue Hen Dan Steinberg at the outstanding DC Sports Bog. First a great reaction to the idiot court storming from Syracuse fans when the Orange beat Georgetown at home last week. Second, an ever greater post, a report from last night's Virginia Tech-Maryland game where Dorenzo Hudson puked on the floor. If you are a sick, twisted freak here is the video.

- This Deadspin post has all sorts of Bob Knight goodness. Apparently current Nets coach and former Indiana manager was a bit of a douche back in the day, and may have taped Bob Knight giving a terrifying, profanity-laced tirade at halftime of a game, which has made its way onto the Intertubes. Within the post is the story on Frank and audio of Knight's shitstorm. And here is Terry Hutchens original story on the tape.

- Awful Announcing notices something that I too have noticed recently. Brent Musberger (pictured above) is careening toward senility (during a college game he blurts out that the Wizards want to trade Caron Butler!). Between this, his insistence on calling every player only by his first name ("What a rebound by Jamarcus") and his bonechilling ogling of Erin Andrews (I know, pot/kettle/black), I am worried Brett might poop himself during a conference championships game this year. And if only for the comment section, here is Deadspin's approval rating on Musberger. (Yes, I've also found the Brent Musberger Drinking Game, here's to binge drinking Brent!).

- This story has been written about 12 million times but in case you just can't get enough Duke-hating, some fella at MSN tries his hand at explaining why nobody likes the Blue Devils.

- From Scott Van Pelt Style, apparently former Duke forward and obnoxious towel waver Reggie Love is a bodyguard for our next President Barack Obama.

- From the motherland CHN, a nice column on Gonzaga, specifically the dichotomy between Josh Heytvelt and Jeff Pendergraft. Kinda follows a previous sentiment I had on the Zags that with all these All-Americans they have lost the scrappiness and chemistry that made those old Gonzaga teams so great.

Live Gamelog: Duke at UNC

Alright here we go. Everyone knows how much fun this little shindig is going to be, although judging by the ESPN promos and the idiot announcers from the Syracuse-UConn game, I'm supposed to be more excited about Dickie V than, you know, two of the top three teams in the country playing each other.

Ty Lawson is going to dress but probably won't play apparently. Greg Paulus is only wearing one ankle brace instead of the usual four.

If you want some sort of analysis previewing this game, check out this or this.

1st Half
20:00- Extremely close and disgusting shot of some foreign students saying "rivalry" in different languages to start the game. Unfortunately this game is NOT on ESPN Deportes. By the way, there are some serious flaws with Hi-Definition television... and Mike Patrick's head is one of them.

Dick says he never dreamed he would back in the broadcast booth. Neither did we Dick, neither did we.

Oh, wait we have to talk about the game? Darn, might as well chuck some starting lineups in there, then. I wanted to hear more about the cysts in a 68-year-old man's throat. Can they put some physician photos in the corner?

19:47- Greg "Pimp G" Paulus drains a three right off the bat. I'm telling you, he's the Eli Manning of college hoops.

Continue...

18:25- 8-5 UNC. Big old giant block by Henderson. Dirtness. But Hansbrough gets a put back. Patrick is going to be using "Psyco T" A LOT tonight folks. He's trying to appeal to the young, hip crowd. Might want to drop the phrase "holy cow" from the vocabulary first there buddy.

14:54- 12-10 UNC at first TV timeout. Really entertaining thus far. Psycho T has looked pretty great... and pretty crazy. Besides the crazy person eyes, he seriously looks like he just has no control of his emotions. Almost like he's terrified of himself. Next to "weaknesses" on his NBA Draft profile, it should say, "undersized for the pros, limited range, afraid of the demons within, foul shooting." But seriously he's showing a face-up game tonight and there's gonna be tons of scouts watching so good for him.

13:17- 16-13 UNC. Some fella named Graves is in for UNC. I mean, is the Lawson injury really that debilitating? Graves?

12:39- 18-13 UNC. Graves!

12:27- 18-13 UNC. Paulus burrows his way to a cheap foul, is assassinated. And then Quentin Thomas pulls a Paulus Circa 2007 (a stupid turnover). Heels fans ready their post-game excuses.

11:33- 18-18. Scheyer, who was monstrous in the Duke-UNC game I gamelogged (or "glogged") last season, drains a three. After that game, I predicted a career plagued by a creative plethora of taunts regarding his sexuality and family members put in erotic positions, but he seems to have gotten off easy. Probably not punchable enough.

Stacey Dales, who just got out of an audition for Melrose Place, shows some "Wanted" poster for Gerald Henderson that those crafty UNC fans made. It says "Wanted" and shows his face. Best and the brightest down there at Chapel Hill.

9:43- 27-20 Duke. Patrick inexplicably brings up Zoubek's injury in regards to the current 15-5 rebounding margin in favor of the Heels. Scheyer saves us all by interrupting him with a three. Then a charge on UNC, then a three by Pimp G. Then a bucket by Thomas. Then ANOTHER three by Singler.

Dickie V: "Gotta love making the threes." Never lost a step Dick.

9:00- 27-20 Duke. Another awful turnover by Q. Might have to suck it up there Ty. Where's Wes Miller when you need him?... Oh, apparently writing books. Hmm.

8:20- 27-22 Duke. Vitale: "So great to be back. I don't wanna get too emotional here." Yes Dick, thanks for keeping your emotions in check. Very professional. Now what were you shouting about dipsy doos and dunkeroos?

6:34- 31-23 Duke. Oh boy. Another really bad turnover by Thomas leads to an easy lay-up. They then show a montage of his mistakes. I always liked Quentin Thomas, but this is brutal.

5:53- 31-24 Duke. Some thrilling discourse on how hard it is to say "rivalry" and "rural." Speaking of slow... UNC looks much more sluggish than Duke right now and Ty Lawson probably wouldn't be helping all that much. Singler burns Hansbrough, who then turns over the inbounds. 35-26 Duke.

4:00- 39-29 Duke. A series of incredibly lame jokes by Vitale, one relating to lasagna, another relating to his poor SAT scores. No comment, just wanted to chronicle the type of shit us viewers have to deal with. Kinda like a time capsule of inanity.

3:40- 42-31 Duke. Heels go zone despite seven threes already by Duke. And what to do the Devils do? Knock down a three, courtesy of Pimp G.

3:00- 42-31 Duke. Dickie V may have just referred to Stacey Dales as "Cindy." Not sure.

2:06- 42-33 Duke. Vitale talking to Hubert Davis: "I wonder who Hubert is rooting for? Is he gonna be objective tonight (baby)?" Pot. Kettle. Black.

1:08- 42-35 Duke. Vitale talks about another charity thing he's doing and I feel like an ass.

Half- 42-39 Duke. HUGE 8-0 run by UNC to cut the lead to three by half on a nice pass from Thomas (thank God) to Hansbrough. Much like the first meeting last year, UNC plays pretty bad and is right in the game. Duke's hit eight threes, the Heels have gotten nothing in transition and have turned it over twice as much as Duke and yet they are down three. The game is as we have expected to a degree: Duke wins by spreading the court and taking advantage of quickness, UNC dominates the glass and Hansbrough is unguardable (18 points; and Thompson has nine too). Duke can't shoot like this the whole game.

As for Vitale, he seems a bit rusty tonight. I mean, not once have I wanted to pour this piping hot queso in my ears. He's probably on orders from either his doctor or Perverted Justice to keep the Diaper Dandy exultations to a minimum, though. I actually think I hate Mike Patrick more at this point. He is just clueless and can't even sniff a relevant point about actual basketball. And I am absolutely positive that he smells weird.

2nd Half
19:00- 42-41 Duke. Dirty cross by Quentin Thomas for a lay-up. Good for him. Not to be outdone, Paulus drains another three, his fourth of the game. Eli. Manning. Of Football. Then a Thompson bucket +1, a Nelson three (Duke has 10) and another filthy crossover by Thomas for a bucket. There's always the And 1 Tour, Q. Great action right now.

17:35- 51-46 Duke. Pimp G drains ANOTHER three. Hide your daughters men of Chapel Hill. He's seeing triple tonight, if you know what I mean.
/shudders

16:42- 51-49 Duke. First Diaper Dandy reference. Chris Hanson is a few minutes away already.

15:08- 57-51 Duke. Patrick on Roy Williams' vertigo: "It's easy to lose your balance with that."
/stunned silence

13:50- 58-51 Duke. Taylor King comes in, clangs a three, gets it back and airballs a three. A nation rejoices.

12:30- 58-51 Duke. The EXACT same collision in the paint on each end, UNC called for a charge first; Vitale: "I could've made that call with my eyes closed." Duke then called for a charge; Vitale: "That was absolutely not a charge."

9:28- 62-57 Duke. Vitale: "OHH, North Carolina-Duke. CALL YOUR FRIENDS UP, CALL YOUR FRIENDS UP. IT'S SPECIAL BABY." That's what I was waiting for. The thing where he's too old to yell and form complete sentences at the same time.

Me: Hey man.
Friend: Yo what's up?
Me: Uhh... it's special baby.
Friend: I always thought you were gay.

7:08- 68-62 Duke. TV timeout. Honestly, despite all the idiocy from the announcers, this has been an incredible game. Obviously not what it could've been had Lawson played but pretty damn entertaining nonetheless. There have been so many incredible plays of individual talent (did you see that pass by Quentin Thomas and then the block by Lance Thomas?). Gonna take a break from the ripping on Vitale/Patrick (maybe) to enjoy the basketball for a little while.

5:33- 74-65 Duke. Greg Paulus, who shall now forever be known as Pimp G, buries another three. I fully expect him to wear a silk suit and a fedora to the press conference after the game and answer reporters' questions by quoting Public Enemy or something.

1:26- 82-73 Duke. Alright I'm back. You can't really blame him because he's won them a couple games this year, but Wayne Ellington shot the Heels out of this one. Duke CANNOT stop Hansbrough and yet Ellington wasted possessions trying to get his stroke back.

0:54- 83-78 Duke. Wild exchange. Q. Thomas, who is having an outstanding second half that has probably saved his life, finds Hansbrough like a non-idiot, Hansbrough misses. Paulus grabs the loose ball in the corner, throws a pass that hits the net of UNC's basket, Ellington grabs it and kicks it out to Green for a three. Normal shit doesn't happen in this rivalry.

0:23- 88-78 Duke. Heels throw away the inbounds. Ballgame.
Final
89-78 Duke.
Really entertaining game. These teams are about even if UNC has Lawson, with a slight edge to Duke probably. This game basically came down to the Heels not being quick enough to guard Duke's spread, drive and kick offense, Duke hitting an absurd amount of threes and Ellington/Green, who usually combine for 28 per game, only getting 11 total. Keep in mind, these two teams are playing for that East regional No. 1 seed (that Vitale wouldn't shut up about) which never leaves North Carolina before the Final Four. But due to the suckiness of the ACC, it's basically a three-game series (this one, @Duke, ACC final) for that spot. So don't get your panties in a bunch Duke fans.

And as for the extra-curriculars, like I've said before, Duke is not very hateable this year. And while Vitale was annoying, it was mild and it was certainly an added element to have him back. Oh and Mike Patrick is a freaking idiot. But we knew that.

The Post Where I Talk About Duke and UNC

Note: Tune in tomorrow for a fancy gamelog of tonight's game, replete with Dick Vitale jokes. I did one last year, too. It's a tradition just like this game!

I had originally planned some giant opus on the Duke-UNC rivalry, posturing on its cultural significance, the place within the cosmos of all its participants and, inevitably, some bit on how obnoxious Dick Vitale is. But as much as I enjoy the medium of a "blog" and its glorious place in this crazy sports world, us folk certainly do have a tendency to write -- many, many times over -- what could be best summed up far more succinctly and by perfectly capable beings much closer to the topic at hand. It's great for everyone to have a voice, but sometimes we need to make sure the voices of the masses don't drown out the voice that deserves most to be heard.

And when it comes to Duke-UNC, I don't think I could ever provide a more, compelling, insightful, earnest and downright moving portrayal than Will Blythe's book To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever, a book that seems to be mentioned a lot around this time of year, but given the appalling amount of ignorant, filled-with-hate-just-because hoops fans out there, probably hasn't been read by nearly enough people. It is my favorite sports book I have read to date (and he wrote a great piece on the game last year for Deadspin). Blythe, the former literary editor at Esquire, is a native North Carolinian, Chapel Hill grad and raging Heel fan. His book is not filled with ranting diatribes about AmEx commercials or the Crazies or Christian Laettner -- those are in still in there though, just not prominent -- instead opting to examine the true rivalry, the one that only those very close to either program can understand and the one completely obscured to 95 percent of hoops fans who choose to take a side in Duke-UNC.

It's not a matter of competition, it's a matter of culture. Duke, a small, private school filled predominantly with wealthy, out-of-state students is the antithesis of North Carolina. Duke is an infestation to a state that most North Carolinians have a very intimate relationship with, far more intimate than the transient New Yorkers or New Jersey-ites that end up at Duke have with their home state. North Carolina, and the university bearing its name -- a big, public university made up of many in-state students -- has a completely different culture than Duke. It is based heavily in Christian values; humility, family, hard work... and basketball. So when North Carolinians see this team of elite Northerners (and regardless of the players' actual backgrounds, they see the team as merely an athletic representation of the student body and the school's foundation) trying to best them at the one thing they hold dearest, and do it in a way (flopping, cursing, taunting) to which they simply cannot relate, well that's more than just wanting to win a basketball game. That's war.

And the best part about the book is the way this rivalry pertains to many other aspects of the author's life. When he moves to New York for career success and a fast-paced lifestyle, he feels as though he's betrayed his family and his state. He feels like a Dukie. And when his father becomes ill and he needs to move home, it takes that rivalry -- his love for the Heels ( symbolic of his roots, his family) and his hatred for Duke (symbolic of his Northern betrayal and his self-sufficient attitude) -- to allow him to truly appreciate the people he loves, the state he loves and the team he loves.

Now, THAT is a reason to care about this game. And, tonight, while most of us will scream at the TV, complaining about Duke's preferential calls, Greg Paulus' flopping, Taylor King's obnoxiousness or Coach K's complaints -- and bloggers and national media will write about all that tomorrow as well -- we will all, as a nation of hoops fans, think we really hate Duke. But the truth is, in the state of North Carolina -- where this rivalry actually matters -- the only voice they hear is the one coming from the other cushion on the couch.

You Know What? F- - - It, Good For Greg Paulus

I've always kinda been fascinated by the hatred for Duke. I hate them, I know that. And I know all the common gripes about the Dukies. But I'm not really sure why so many people hate them. With Duke-UNC coming up next week, I plan on writing about the rivalry a bit more, so I won't delve too deep right here, but I read the outstanding book To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever, by Will Blythe, and got a much better understanding of the rivalry and realized there was a difference between a UNC fan's hatred and a regular fan's hatred for Duke. And this year, because Duke is such a thrillingly efficient and unique team to watch, I kinda discarded my anger in honor of basketball appreciation.

And that brings me to Greg Paulus. Nobody likes Greg Paulus. If you have ever read my shallow pontifications, you know, basketball appreciation be damned, I hate Greg Paulus. Regardless of my newfound tolerance of Duke, I still hated the guy, probably because he wasn't any good. Amidst the fast-paced, spread the court, drive-and-kick offense and frantic, ball-pressure, we're-getting-every-rebound-even-though-we-are-all-midgets defense, Greg Paulus was still a plodding, turnover-prone, wobbly-ankled bitch. The reality was, though, he hasn't been that bad this season. His turnovers are way down, from over three per game his first two seasons to just 1.5 this year. He shot well from three last year, but is on pace to surpass even that total, while still shooting 42.5 percent. But that got him nothing. People remember him being embarrassed by Eric Maynor in the NCAAs last year (not that particular play), they saw the, ahem, liberal interpretation of a Florida State elbow earlier in the season, they saw this. And, more importantly, they saw that mopey face.

Now, it's no mystery in basketball that a lot of white people like to cheer for white players. I mean, the entire NBA season ticket structure is based on this dynamic. It tends to be more prevalent in middle-aged fans because they came from a time where white players were a lot more common. Or something. I don't know, I have a poster of Allen Iverson on my wall so I'm not really the best source for this. Basically, in most situations, people can relate to a familiar face and as a result, cheer for them. But, when you look at Duke and the hatred for those guys, you realize there's a bit of a twist to that. They might physically look like you, but they aren't a familiar face. Tyler Hansbrough might be. He's the guy down the street always in the driveway working on jump hooks. He could be your friend. JJ Redick is the asshole that dates your sister, cheats on her behind her back and then drops 40 the next day. He's not your friend. And Greg Paulus, well he's the guy you picked on in high school. Look at him. You wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with this guy. Even though he was a star athlete in high school, you didn't know him in high school. No matter what, he looks like the dweeb with asthma that couldn't dribble in gym class and when he steps on the court you treat him like that (it doesn't help that he sometimes plays like the dweeb with asthma that couldn't dribble in gym class). Greg Paulus is the Eli Manning of basketball.

Just like Eli had to follow in Peyton's giant footsteps, look at the Duke point guards of the past. All hated players, by the way. Bobby Hurley; Chris Collins; Steve Wojciechowski; Jeff Capel; Jason Williams; Chris Duhon. All of them either got NBA contracts or great coaching gigs. And as much as they were hated, they didn't back down and succeeded right in their face. It's probably safe to say, Greg Paulus will not be in the NBA and I don't think he'll be a coach. Finally we have someone who we can berate and he'll fail every time! I mean, his back-up, freshman Nolan Smith is even better than him.

That brings us to last night. With Duke down nine at half at home to a miserable NC State team, they needed someone to spark them. It hadn't been Gerald Henderson (who is suddenly really freaking good by the way), it hadn't been DeMarcus Nelson, hadn't been Kyle Singler. Then, out of nowhere, like a scene straight out Revenge of the Nerds, Paulus took over. He found Singler for a three, then hit two of his own back-to-back. A few plays later he knocked down another one, then blew the lid off the place with, perhaps the key play of Greg Paulus' entire career, a fancy, behind-the-head pass to Singler for a dunk. All of a sudden Greg Paulus had swagger (look at that picture above; I swear it's real). He finished with a season-high 22 points, five threes, three steals and six assists with, wait for it... zero turnovers. Duke won by 20. And perhaps most notably, he was jumping around the court, slapping the floor, enjoying the crowd. It was like two and a half years of being hated on and unable to prove the haters wrong had finally ended it one loud, asthmatic exultation. It was a catharsis. After the game the NC State players credited his pressure defense. Gavin Grant said he was trash-talking and throwing elbows! Greg Paulus! He used to ask permission before fouling someone! And like Eli Manning in the playoffs, Paulus showed some confidence. The kind of confidence that makes you think, "Hey, if we keep picking on this kid, he might just succeed in spite of us like all the other guys did." Before, for both of those guys, when fans saw their mopey faces after a turnover or bad play, they saw blood. The pipsqueak is starting to feel the heat. Not anymore.

Paulus is going to feel more heat than he could ever dream of when the Dukies head to Chapel Hill Wednesday. And like I am already, the UNC fans might want to prepare for a world where the Greg Paulus, the nerd, suddenly wants to fight back.

The TeaBagging Series: Deron Washington Sits Atop Mike Scott

I don't care who you are or who you claim to be, if you like basketball there is no finer play in the game than when one player unleashes savage dunk upon another. There are many ways to describe it: "posterizing," Marv Albert's "serves up a facial," "getting banged on" or, my personal preference, "getting pooped on" (because actually getting pooped upon is the only thing as equally degrading as having someone dunk on you). We shall use Teabagging for the namesake of this series, mainly because the pic below is my favorite TeaBagging of all time and it shall be honored thusly.

That symbolizes all that is right with the world.

But no matter what you call it, there is generally one reaction to watching this happen live. Extreme jubilation, inaudible screeches, not unlike the noise Gus Johnson frequently makes in moments of high intensity, and some kind of involuntary burst of aerobic exultation, similar to how Elaine dances in Seinfeld.

You would think with the athleticism in the NBA, it would produce far more feces platters than the college ranks but I think the numbers are probably similar. After all, there are far more games per night and far more pipsqueaks, walk-ons and stiffs for which to be helmetized. Plus with the arcane charging rules in college, you have a lot of players trying to take an offensive foul right under the basket and end up losing their girlfriends.

Feel free to link video of any TeaBaggings I might have missed in the comments.

Previously: Russell Westbrook giving Jamal Boykin a groin sandwich.
Tyler Hansbrough giving Kenny George two Hs (= Gheorghe)

Today we honor a man to which enough honor cannot be bestowed. Deron Washington, the Original TeaBagger, has struck again. Washington is indeed a Chosen One. Spawned from the absence of previous messiahs, Ism'ail Muhammad, James White and David Noel, Washington has the divine power to frequently poop upon people while holding no regard for any other aspects of the game. Dribbling? Unimportant. Shooting? For peasants. Passing? What's the bother when mere mortals are the recipient? These noble men thrive in the face of practical basketball skills. The NBA is no promiseland. Playing exhibition games on the And1 Tour in front of white teenagers in Montana. That, my friends, is their destiny.

While Washington hit the game winner against Virginia Wednesday, it was but a mere footnote in his legend. Another notch was added to his belt with that disgusting display of forced piggybacking. Not only did he inflict such destruction upon Mike Scott of Virginia, but Sir Deron also made it clear that the art of TeaBagging knows no color, no sides, no unworthy form of opposition. Yes, Virginia Tech forward Jeff Allen, not even a shared jersey can save you from joining vanquished foes such as Scott, Tyrelle Blair of Boston College, and, lest we forget, the moment which started a revolution of TeaBagging, a movement so strong that it ignited the passion of millions against a single adversary; Greg Paulus of Duke, apprentice of Krzyzewski, King of the Rats, from the Land of Fortunate Calls. Gather round as I recite a tale of unprecedented testicular will, of flawless groin maneuvering, of good over evil, scrote over, well... this. A tale that inspired a people.



Deron Washington I bow down before thee.

Rock Bottom: Wednesday's Picks

Because the best way to feign actual knowledge on a subject is an accurate prediction, I introduce the Picks. Every weekday (hopefully) I will pick the televised games of the night, against the spread of course, and follow the results to see if I actually know something about basketball. The results should be both entertaining (for readers) and soul-crushing (for me). And if I'm wrong, I'll just do what all the TV "experts" do: never bring it up again and avoid all accountability. And since I won't be betting actual money (that often), I win every time!

I did decent enough last night, although I had a good chance at all four games. Michigan State came out as I suspected, determined and hardpressed to eclipse the lofty 36-point mark so Izzo wouldn't take away their Vitamin Water or something. They were up 32-11 in the first half, then sucked for awhile, and suddenly were up just three midway through the second half. They still had a good chance at covering but missed foul shots down the stretch (they were 8-17 for the game) and won by six instead of eight. Shit. Mississippi State did the exact same thing (17-32 from the FT line) and blew an 11-point lead with eight minutes left to almost lose. If I had bet actual money on either game, there would be a murder investigation in the Philadelphia area right now. it's hard to imagine but foul shots are probably responsible for 35 percent of the alcoholism in the United States. But thanks to a surprisingly impressive Creighton team (gotta be the Valley favorites with Drake) winning at Northern Iowa and Notre Dame dropping 64 in the second half to keep Cincinnati from making the Big East look completely illegitimate, I managed an indifferent 2-2 record.

Duke (-6) at Florida State- Three road favorites on the Worldwide Leader tonight, I promise to only pick two. The Devils always seem to struggle with Florida State, four of the last five meetings have been decided by five or less. But as I've said before, this isn't your standard Duke team. Will Florida State fans still voice their unspeakable sexual intentions for the Duke players' sisters? Yes, it's a tradition. But Duke has blown everyone out this year besides Pitt, Davidson and Marquette and the Noles do not resemble any of those teams. Dukies will handle their first real road test and Mike Patrick will sleep comfortably (and by sleep, I mean sit in his bed bouncing up and down, clapping about how Coach K complimented his tie as Mrs. Patrick heads for the couch).
The Pick: Duke

North Carolina (-11) at Georgia Tech- The Jackets are 4-3 against UNC in the last seven meetings but that was before the Heels decided to harness the power of God and smite teams like they have this year. The 32-2 run they went on against North Carolina State was like watching the naked wrestling scene in Borat. Completely horrifying, incredibly funny and impossible to look away (I have the same thoughts on watching Patrick talk about it during timeouts). Carolina is also 12-2 against the spread this season. Th