Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Good Articles on Bob Huggins




Great by Andy Katz on Bob Huggins

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- No one could have foreseen the love affair between Bob Huggins and Mountaineers fans being to this degree.
Huggins' transformation from a controversial figure at Cincinnati to the beloved West Virginian has been one of the most impressive turnarounds in college basketball.
Long gone are any of the problems he had at Cincinnati, including an embarrassing public video of a DUI arrest, a battle with then-president Nancy Zimpher and a hostile firing.
The celebration of Huggins and West Virginia was hard to project. Even when Huggins was close to signing with the Mountaineers in 2002 (but couldn't leave the Bearcats at the time), there was no indication that he would be celebrated as much as he has been in the past three seasons.
North Carolina hired back alumnus Roy Williams, and he led the Tar Heels to national titles in 2005 and 2009.
Syracuse never really had to say goodbye to alumnus Jim Boeheim.
But there is a thread running quite deep with Huggins and the people of West Virginia, and it seems unrivaled by any other coach currently working at his alma mater. The Mountaineers fans milling about in Syracuse couldn't say enough about how much Huggins is theirs, a regular guy, a person whom they can relate to regardless of the situation.
Huggins' nonconformist attitude -- with his black windbreaker, the passion he exudes for the state, his tears when John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was piped into Madison Square Garden upon winning the Big East tournament and then the Carrier Dome after winning the East Regional -- doesn't get lost among the faithful.
There have been other West Virginia natives or coaches who have strong ties to the state. They include John Beilein, Gale Catlett and Fred Schaus. But Huggs is so much more a regular guy, someone who doesn't hesitate to hoist a beer and chat up just about anyone. He has had his issues, from the DUI to a heart attack to being fired. He's experienced just about everything a traditional working man has dealt with in the highs and lows of a job. He may be paid more than most, but he has experienced similar workplace issues -- from making mistakes, stress from a boss, getting fired and hired again.
"He means a lot to a lot of people,'' said West Virginia sports information director Bryan Messerly, a native of the state as well. "It means a lot the way he talks about the coal miners like he has done. The day we had his press conference on the floor of the coliseum, there were thousands of people on a Good Friday during spring break [in 2007] to see him introduced.
"What he has said about growing up in the state of West Virginia and what it means to him is dead-on,'' Messerly said. "We don't have professional teams, and the state has embraced him and this team. It has been a tremendous feeling.''
Ed Pastilong is the athletic director who tried to hire Huggins in 2002 and then finally did so in 2007. He was also at West Virginia in 1975 when Huggins played.
As the final 13 seconds ticked away during West Virginia's win over Kentucky on Saturday night, Pastilong thought back to his conversation with Huggins in 2007. "I never thought this would work out,'' Pastilong said. "I always thought he would stay at his previous institution [Cincinnati] for a long time. And then all of a sudden the stars lined up and the opening occurred, and I asked him if he wanted to come home.''
Huggins had just been given a second chance at Kansas State. One year wasn't enough for the Wildcats, but this was West Virginia. This was his last shot to coach the Mountaineers.
"I knew if we could bring him back that he would have so much pride, not just for the university but for the 1.8 million in West Virginia,'' Pastilong said. "Kentucky loves its team, but West Virginians love their team. They're in love with this basketball team. Bobby is a man of his word and an honorable person. I knew Bobby didn't want to be at Kansas State for just one year, but he knew that this was his last chance to come back to West Virginia.''
Pastilong said as soon as Huggins arrived in 2007, he knew a Final Four was possible. "He has a magic when he talks to basketball players,'' Pastilong said. "They respond to him. He works them hard, but they walk off that court and they love him.''
You can hear that in Joe Mazzulla's voice. He has been with Huggs for three years and calls him "Huggs," not "Coach." He is a classic Huggins player -- a hard-working overachiever with a skill set that needed to be developed.
Assistant Larry Harrison was with Huggins when the Bearcats went to the Final Four in 1992. When Huggins got the West Virginia job, he called Harrison and asked him if he thought they could win a national championship in Morgantown.
"I said you can do it,'' Harrison said. "West Virginia has always had a good influx of New York guys. We're in the Big East and [with] you as a coach, we can recruit players from anywhere. He said, 'Do you want to do it again?' I said, 'Let's go.'''
Huggins, who might be the loudest talker in the business and rarely changes his expression aside from when he barks at officials, hasn't mellowed much since his heart attack or from his time at Cincinnati in the '90s. "It's the same intensity and drive,'' Harrison said. "But let's say in a 40-minute game or a three-hour practice he's probably in the face of the players for 30 minutes instead of 38 and the same [percentage] is true in practice. I think a lot of things bounce off him now that maybe didn't before.Huggins' college friends used to come up and hang out with him after Bearcats games. Now they're hanging around more often.
"He's the type of guy that made some mistakes in his life, but he doesn't look back on it,'' Harrison said. "He's around people who accept him for who he is, not just as a basketball coach, but as a person. He does a lot of charity work in the community. He goes out with his buddies. He's a regular guy. He's comfortable in this environment and this situation.''
Huggins deferred all enjoyment after the East Regional victory to his players and to the people of West Virginia. "I've been through this and I don't need all of this, I don't, I don't,'' Huggins said of all the attention. "I'd be very happy without it.''
There is internal pressure that he put on himself to win, but nothing has been hounding him from the exterior since he arrived at West Virginia. "I have no outside pressure whatsoever,'' Huggins said.
That's exactly why he's allowed to be comfortable in his clothing. Huggins said he once sweat through his suit so badly that he put on a windbreaker at Cincinnati. Then-AD Bob Goin was OK with the look, but new president Zimpher didn't appreciate it. "Whoever started saying coaches had to wear suits?'' Huggins said.
Huggins scoffs at the notion that the team and he are on a redemption tour, saying that is something the media have created. Huggins said injuries along the way prevented the Bearcats from getting back to the Final Four from 1992 to 2005.
So getting back for the first time in 18 years hasn't moved him much. Sitting in the locker room at Syracuse, I asked the glum-looking coach how excited he was. His response was "Can't you tell?'' "I'm happy for them,'' Huggins said of his players.
If the Mountaineers win the title, Huggins plans on taking the trophy around the state in a bus. He might try a pickup truck with no rearview mirror since he loves that story of being in a truck without one when he was a boy. The moral? Never look back.
"We'll pick some spots and we'll just drive around in the bus and take it to different places,'' Huggins said. "Understand they piped the games into the mines, piped into the work places. Everybody didn't want to go to work. They wanted to watch the game. That's how important it is to the state. It would be neat to go to them and reach out to them and let them touch the trophy.''
If his team does win the championship, don't doubt Huggins would do this. He is a man of the people now, a Mountaineer-bred man who loves representing them as their coach in every way possible.



Some sports writer who couldn't make it at si wrote this article on Huggins, I think his name is Rick Reily, or piece of poopy!

I don't like Bob Huggins. Don't like his zero-point-zero graduation rates. Don't like his three-hour practices. Don't like the Vegas sweatsuit top. The artless, sledgehammer style of his teams that sucks all the air out of the gym. Not to mention the joy. Still, Huggins is brutally effective, kind of like a Russian gulag, only with slightly less charm. If his West Virginia Mountaineers win this Final Four, I'd hate to be a CBS tape editor. There may not be One Shining Moment.
Don't get him. Don't admire him. Don't understand his nickname -- Huggy Bear. The man is about as huggy as an ulcerous porcupine. It's like calling Dick Cheney "Smiley."
But I do get that a whole lot of people love him and one of them, Joe Mazzulla, has a story that makes me wonder if I'm wrong.
Mazzulla is Huggins' little point guard, a kid who anybody else but Huggins would've left on the bench all season. The Mountaineers are in this Final Four because he didn't.
Get this: Huggins stuck with Mazzulla when his shoulder was so useless that he was shooting free throws with the wrong hand. Huggins stuck with Mazzulla even though the kid hadn't made a 3-pointer all season (until the Elite Eight). Huggins stuck with Mazzulla through thin and thin.
Mazzulla is Huggins' little point guard, a kid who anybody else but Huggins would've left on the bench all season. The Mountaineers are in this Final Four because he didn't.
This is a kid who, last February, thought his basketball days were over. He was about to have radical shoulder surgery that doctors said no hoops career had ever survived.
Mazzulla came to him on that day with tears in his eyes. "Coach, you think I'll ever play again?" And Huggins took him by the shoulders, looked him in the eyes and said, "Well, you're always talking about you being the best soccer player in the state of Rhode Island; you can always go play soccer. You don't need arms for that."
See? Lovable!
But Huggins brought back Mazzulla as soon as he could dribble, even though Mazzulla couldn't even shoot a jumper.
He even put Mazzulla and his 6-foot-2 frame under the basket in his 1-3-1 zone D. Put a shrimp under the basket when he could raise only one arm!
Sticking with Mazzulla against all sanity proved even smarter when WVU's best guard, Darryl "Truck" Bryant, broke a bone in his foot last week and couldn't play in the Sweet 16 weekend.
So, as reward, Mazzulla went out and beat Kentucky for Huggins on Saturday night in Syracuse. And when he was done making his first 3 of the year and scoring a season-high 17 points and pestering Kentucky's big men the way mice pester elephants (at one point, Kentucky's huge center, DeMarcus Cousins, looked down at Mazzulla and said, "Are you being serious right now?") and becoming the East Region MVP in a 73-66 win, he went looking to hug one man -- Huggins.
"I had to find him," Mazzulla says, "I never want him to forget that I love him. What he did for me, how he stuck with me, nobody else would've done it."
And he's not the only one on the team. They all talk about "Huggs" like he's their favorite IRS auditor. "We all have one thing in common," says Mazzulla. "We're all trying not to get yelled at by Huggs."
Same goes for the parents, sort of. "I like him," says Karen West, mother of shooting guard Jonnie West and wife of West Virginia and Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West, "but I just wish he could coach without all the swearing."
There's no point in going over all the reasons Huggins is bad for basketball. That's just kicking a man when he's up. And boy, is Huggs up. Eighteen years after his last Final Four, eight years after his heart attack in the Pittsburgh airport, six years after his DUI, five years after choosing to "resign" over "be fired" at Cincinnati (where he had four years of 0.0 graduation rate), three years after pulling a one-and-done at Kansas State and leaving them with a crazy-eyed, death-staring Huggins wannabe named Frank Martin, the world is cuddling The Huggy Bear again.
"The first time I heard he was coming," remembers West Virginia's best player, Da'Sean Butler, "I was like, 'I'm getting ready to go to Michigan.' But I'm glad I didn't leave. It's been great. I'd be doing all kind of nothing right now."
Instead, Butler has known the joy of playing for a team where the endless practices leave the players "bleeding [with] swollen lips, and black eyes," says WVU forward Wellington Smith. And that doesn't even count their ears. Says Mazzulla, "He yells at us so much that he doesn't give us enough time and energy to not get along with each other."
Ahh, togetherness.
West Virginians and Bob Huggins are the perfect fit. They're both gritty and loyal and not particularly interested in what people think of them. Do you realize that they pipe the play-by-play of West Virginia games down into the coal mines now?
Otherwise, according to the state's governor, too many workers try to get out of working their shifts. Come to think of it, Huggins would've made a good mine worker. He's hard-working, a little dirty, and happiest in places where the light doesn't shine too brightly.
I get why some people love Huggy Bear, but I'm just never going to be one of them.
And when they put him in the Hall of Fame, I think I'm going to hurl.

And every time you speak or write Rick, I want to hurl. You are a typical guy that was the last one out in dodgeball, the last one picked, etc...... The best part about it is that Huggins is throwing the dodgeball and picking teams now and you can't stand it............ DUCK!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

2010 Spring Football Questions



2010 Spring Football
www.si.com
Ever since Utah kicked down the door to college football's VIP room six years ago, the non-automatic qualifiers (né mid-majors) have been steadily building toward the ultimate playing-field leveler: a spot in the national title game.
Boise State staged a legendary upset over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Utah topped former No. 1 Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. Last season, two non-AQ teams lifted the velvet ropes, as Boise met TCU in the Fiesta. The matchup was a landmark moment for the "little guy."
It also set the stage for what could be an even bigger 2010 season for the Broncos, who return the core of the team that left Glendale with a perfect record in tow.

How will Boise State handle the transition from Cinderella to title threat?
The Broncos gained considerable respect by producing two undefeated seasons in three years. With 21 returning starters, including Heisman-contending QB Kellen Moore, who directed the nation's highest-scoring attack in 2009 (42.2 points per game), Boise figures to begin the season as a prominently ranked title contender.
But don't expect rankings or hype to become a topic of conversation in the Broncos locker room. Former defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, who recently left for the same position at Tennessee, said head coach Chris Petersen never discusses rankings with his team or staff. His ability to shelter his team from the hype will be tested immediately in 2010, as Boise faces Virginia Tech at Washington's FedEx Field over Labor Day weekend. Petersen kept the Broncos focused in the face of a season-defining opener against Oregon last season; he'll need to do the same this year.
But this experienced lineup faces a more immediate concern: replacing corner/punt returner Kyle Wilson, an all-WAC or all-America selection for four seasons in Boise. Jerrell Gavins showed he's prepared to take over Wilson's spot in the defensive backfield by starting in the Fiesta Bowl (Wilson played safety), but finding a new return man may not be an easy fix.
Redshirt sophomore Chris Potter served as Wilson's primary backup last season and posted a higher average yards per return (12.9 to 10.4). But Potter primarily saw action against Miami (Ohio) and UC Davis. Titus Young, who returned two kickoffs for scores in 2009, could be an option, as could Gavins, Doug Martin and a number of others. It's the only real opening on the Broncos roster, but it may not be decided until fall camp.

What can we expect from Brian Kelly in Year 1 at Notre Dame?
Kelly arrived in South Bend saying all the right things. Upon taking over an Irish program that had gone 16-21 over the past three seasons, he boasted "we don't have a five-year plan, we have a five-minute plan and we'll start to work on it immediately."
Job No. 1 for the offensive-minded Kelly is getting Dayne Crist, the heir apparent to QB Jimmy Clausen, comfortable running the up-tempo spread offense that resulted in 38.6 points per game for Kelly's Cincinnati squad last year. That comfort may be hard to come by, though; the 6-foot-4 junior is coming off ACL surgery, and while Kelly says he is healing exceptionally well, Crist will be limited this spring.
The Irish are extremely thin at QB behind Crist, with early enrollee Tommy Rees and former walk-on Nate Montana (better known as Son of Joe) among the only other passers on the roster. If Crist can get healthy and acclimated, he'll have plenty of weapons around him, particularly receiver Michael Floyd (18.1 yards per catch, nine TDs in an injury-shortened '09 campaign) and running back Armando Allen, who has 1,000-yard potential. Things could get dicey on the offensive line, though, where only two starters return from last year (guards Chris Stewart and Trevor Robinson).
It won't matter how well Crist and Co. pick up the new offense, though, if the defense can't improve on last season. The Irish ranked 86th in total defense and gave up 425 yards per game during a season-ending four-game losing streak. On the plus side, they return eight starters, including a budding star in freshman all-America linebacker Manti Te'o.
Kelly was known for working wonders with overlooked talent at Central Michigan and Cincinnati. At Notre Dame, he'll inherit the remnants of two top 10 recruiting classes and a schedule that puts six or seven wins easily in reach. Getting bowl eligible won't stir any echoes, but it's a good place to start.

Who will replace QB Max Hall at BYU?
Hall took all but 34 of the Cougars' 1,416 snaps over the past three seasons. So while Bronco Mendenhall is charged with replacing 11 starters, the main mission for a school where missions are part of the culture is to replace the starting signal-caller of three years.

Vying for the job this spring: Riley Nelson, Hall's backup last season, who has attempted just 10 passes at BYU but started eight games as a freshman at Utah State before transferring; sophomore James Lark, who hasn't taken a meaningful snap in five years (he redshirted in 2006, then went on his Mormon mission); and early enrollee, true freshman Jake Heaps, the nation's top-rated pro-style QB recruit, who threw for 3,191 yards last season for Skyline (Issaquah, Wash.) High School.
Mendenhall had hoped to select a starter by the end of spring, but a lack of depth on the offensive line may prevent him from holding enough full scrimmages to give each candidate a fair chance.
The delay may benefit Heaps, who will have more time to digest the offense. That said, Mendenhall rarely plays youngsters, regardless of the hype. His first QB, John Beck, played as a true freshman, but Beck was 22. Hall, meanwhile, spent a year on the scout team before earning the starting spot.

Who else is in the BCS mix?
While a surprise team will surely emerge, the list of potential BCS busters hasn't changed much from last season.
There's Boise, of course. There's also TCU, which returns nine offensive starters, including underrated QB Andy Dalton. The Horned Frogs must replace their four best defensive starters, including All-America DE Jerry Hughes -- and get past a dangerous opener against Oregon State and the Rodgers Bros.
Houston won't have any trouble burning up the scoreboard thanks to the return of Case Keenum, who passed for a nation's best 5,671 yards and 44 scores last season, plus its top four pass-catchers and a dangerous 1-2 punch at running back with Charles Sims and Bryce Beall. It won't matter how many points the Cougars score if the defense can't stop anyone, though. Last year, Houston ranked 111th in total defense and 115th against the run. The schedule includes nonconference games at UCLA and Texas Tech and a home date with Mississippi State.
Utah, with a more experienced Jordan Wynn at the controls, could be back in the mix as well. The Utes will get a boast from the return of runner Matt Asiata, who was granted an extra year of eligibility, but may struggle on defense while breaking in three new linebackers and two new starters in the secondary.

Is there another MAC Daddy QB waiting in the wings?
Dan LeFevour is gone. So too are Tim Hiller, Tyler Sheehan, Aaron Opelt and Theo Scott. Zach Maynard, Buffalo's starter from a year ago, unexpectedly left the program. Temple has yet to solidify a No. 1 QB. In all, the MAC lost a combined 15,773 passing yards from 2009.

Who's next? Good question. Northern Illinois' Chandler Harnish is appealing, as is Kent State's Spencer Keith, but they are either out this spring (Harnish) or limited (Keith) due to injuries. That leaves two young candidates who seem capable of taking over the reins as the MAC's top passer. They are:

1. Zac Dysert, Miami (Ohio). The Redhawks suffered through a trying first year under Mike Haywood, posting a 1-11 record, but Dysert was one of the bright spots. The redshirt sophomore is the conference's leading returning passer (2,611 yards in '09) and improved as last season wore on, averaging 314.2 yards per game over the final five weeks. He must improve on his 12-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio if he's going to make the leap.

2. Austin Dantin, Toledo. Dantin was supposed to spend his freshmen year as a redshirt, but an injury to Opelt forced Tim Beckhman to play his QB of the future. Dantin threw for 962 yards in a little more than four games of work and can make defenses pay by connecting with freshman All-America WR Eric Page. If Dantin continues to improve, the Rockets could make some noise in the West.

MORE BURNING QUESTIONS
Pac-10: Can Lane Kiffin maintain USC's dominance?
ACC: Will a nationally elite team emerge?
Big East: Can Pitt dethrone Cincinnati?
Big 12: Is it finally Nebraska's year?
Big Ten: Can Pryor pick up where he left off?
SEC: What's happening at Florida?
THE REST: Can Boise break the glass ceiling?











Amid the madness, there are other young men sweating in practice. Spring practice.
This annual rite of 15 days of offseason drills has taken on a life of its own. What used to be a sleepy time for position battles is now a hectic time for scarfing up spring game tickets -- if there are any left. Fans in lawn chairs with coolers have been replaced by networks televising those spring games.
Think the game hasn't grown?
Check out these 25 things to watch this spring ...
Dennis Dodd
www.sportsline.com
1. Leave of confusion: A coach driven to exhaustion by his job is back ... showing some evidence he is still driven to exhaustion by his job. Urban Meyer's outburst against an Orlando Sentinel reporter this week was out of character and, frankly, a little frightening.
All the reporter did was quote receiver Deonte Thompson, who compared new quarterback John Brantley to the old Tim Tebow.
"You never know with Tim," Thompson said. "You can bolt, you think he's running but he'll come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With Brantley, everything's with rhythm, time. You know what I mean, a real quarterback."
A real quarterback?
There are different ways to interpret that quote -- that Thompson was throwing Tebow under the bus or that Brantley was a more conventional quarterback. We all know what Thompson was trying to say, he just didn't articulate it very well.
But don't blame the messenger. Meyer's outburst makes this a national story especially with his shot at the reporter: "If that was my son we'd be going at it right now." If Meyer had an issue, it should have been handled in private.
It's only spring and it almost makes you pine for the Steve Addazio era.

2. Risk Rod: There's not a lot positive going on at Michigan this spring. Rich Rodriguez has to win -- now. The defense was dreadful last season. The quarterback position has to get better. Six players are out or limited for the spring.
Oh yeah, and the NCAA is bearing down, too.
If there were ever a coach to root for, it's Rich Rod. He's a good guy, but a good guy who might be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

3. Cutting back? New Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher will visit 17 cities in 30 days this spring on his Seminole Booster tour. And that's cutting back on the rubber chicken circuit compared to Bobby Bowden.

4. Coming back? FSU is set on offense. The defense has to get a lot better. Mickey Andrews gives way to Mark Stoops as d-coordinator, and the Stoops franchise once again is back on the clock. Mike is in the process of turning around Arizona, Bob has those six Big 12 titles (but only one national championship). Now it's Mark's chance to get back on the larger national stage for the first time since he was defensive backs coach with Miami from 2001-03.

5. Party Gras: If you can attend only one spring game, make it April 17 in Tuscaloosa. Bryant-Denny will be hosting a combination sellout/celebration/preseason opener. The Tide begin defense of their 2009 title with a Heisman winner at tailback, a returning quarterback, three starters on the offensive line and a likely preseason No. 1 ranking.
The spring will be spent trying to find nine new starters for the defense. In Nick we trust.

6. Talking football at Oregon: It's about time isn't it? With Jeremiah Masoli out to contemplate how he traded a season of football for a laptop, there is urgency for Chip Kelly to find a new quarterback.
The candidates are redshirt sophomore Darron Thomas (33 career passes) and senior Nate Costa (38). In a weird way, this whole thing started in August 2008, when Costa suffered his second major knee injury, allowing Masoli to get a chance. One Pac-10 title, a Rose Bowl and one long rap sheet into Kelly's head coaching career, Oregon starts over at the game's most important position.

7. No. 1 early enrollee to watch this spring: Kyle Prater, WR, USC. Everybody wanted him. Lane Kiffin got him, first recruiting Prater at Tennessee before signing him at USC. It's way early, but the 6-foot-5 Prater at least gives hope that the Trojans can develop another Mike Williams or Dwayne Jarrett.
Lord knows they could use another tall receiver who can go up and catch a fade in the end zone. Think about it -- it has been awhile since there was a consistent threat like that at Troy.

8. Texas quarterbacks: They rule the game. There were 22 quarterback starters from the state of Texas scattered around college football last season. They aren't going away. Texas' Garrett Gilbert (Austin) and Oregon's Thomas (Houston) are two of the possible new starters.

9. Expansion: It will be as much a subject of the spring as depth charts. New information seems to leak out each day on which teams will be going where. The Big Ten is looking. The Big East is scared. Notre Dame might be forced into playing for the Rose Bowl (oh, the horror!). By the end of summer, we might know where the dominoes are going to fall.

10. BCS meetings: These annual, usually laidback, affairs will have some urgency to them April 20-22 in Phoenix. Expansion looms, Notre Dame may finally join a conference, Orrin Hatch is threatening a BCS takedown.
Don't know whether the commissioners are going to love or fight, but it will fun watching.

11. The other Kelly: While Chip tries to find a quarterback on the West Coast, Brian is doing the same in his first year at Notre Dame.
Dayne Crist and his recovering ACL are joined in the spring by three walk-ons and early enrollee Tommy Rees. Crist is progressing nicely but won't be taking contact. Still, the spring will be spent creating competition at the position and weeding out of the team what Kelly in January called a sense of "entitlement."

12. The non-BCS breakthrough: TCU and Boise State come into spring as top 10 candidates in August. This means a lot because both have played in BCS bowls but not in the BCS bowl.
Each will have the ranking, the schedule and presumably the respect of the voters to make it to the BCS title game. Hey, what about Boise State-TCU for the third consecutive year in the postseason, this time for the championship?

13. Terrelle Pryor's knee: It affected him last season. It buckled in late January. Ohio State's franchise quarterback finally had arthroscopic surgery to repair a partially torn PCL ligament in his left knee in February. Pryor himself then said "there were a lot of things wrong," when an Ohio State doctor went in.
The Bucks' franchise quarterback expects to be ready for the beginning of spring practice on April 1. Don't know if Bucknuts can hold their breath from now until the Sept. 2 opener against Marshall.


14. Healing: Kansas, South Florida and Texas Tech need to heal some emotional wounds after alleged horrific conduct by former coaches. In the case of all three, the administration went the exact opposite personality of the former guy.
Turner Gill is calmer than the gruff Mark Mangino and brings an air of renewal to a program. KU was bad when Mangino got there and mediocre when he left. In between, the Jayhawks went to the Orange Bowl and went on NCAA probation.
Robin Williams would have been calmer than Jim Leavitt at South Florida, but the Bulls got lucky. Even without his famous last name, Skip Holtz is a perfect match. An accomplished coach at Connecticut and East Carolina, Holtz has a chance to go to a BCS bowl quickly in the wide open Big East. It's not a bad thing that daddy Lou lives nearby either.
Meanwhile ...

15. Tommy goes West: There is no place that needs more healing than Texas Tech. The former coach, Mike Leach, is suing the university. The centerpiece of the controversy still resides on the roster (receiver Adam James). After a year off, Tommy Tuberville takes his act to Lubbock, where the new coach is going to change the culture, at least a little bit.
The Red Raiders will keep throwing it, but they'll also play a little defense too.
"I want to continue to throw it 45-50 times, maybe run it 20-25. We'll be a little bit more balanced," Tuberville told me last month. "Mike [Leach] got a little bit overboard sometimes. Sometimes he'd throw it 75-80 times. He'd like working on those stats. I'm not a stat guy ...
"An offensive coach wants to score, a defensive coach wants to shut everybody out. It's just a different philosophy. We're going to throw it and hopefully score the same amount of points but play better defense and have a chance to get to the championship game."

16. Celebrating 10 years of Sun Belt football: Don't snicker. Division I-A's youngest conference is thriving this spring with programs that 10 years ago either didn't exist (Florida International, Florida Atlantic) or were transitioning to I-A (Troy, Middle Tennessee).

Remember these Sun Belt upsets over the past 10 years?
2009: Louisiana-Lafayette over Kansas State, Middle Tennessee over Maryland
2008: Arkansas State over Texas A&M, Middle Tennessee over Maryland
2007: Louisiana-Monroe over Alabama, Troy over Oklahoma State
2004: Troy over Missouri

Don't sleep on Middle Tennessee's Dwight Dasher, one of the most exciting players in the country. The last time we saw the Blue Raiders quarterback, he was setting the NCAA bowl record for rushing yards (201) against Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl.

17. Mitch Mustain: Kiffin has declared the quarterback job is open at USC. Matt Barkley had a so-so first year as a freshman. Could it be that fifth-year senior Mustain wins the job? After two schools, eight career starts (at Arkansas) and much suffering, Mustain deserves some sort of reward, doesn't he? The former No. 1 prep recruit hasn't thrown a game pass since 2008.

18. Waiting for The Big Haircut: If the NCAA stays on schedule, USC could find out its penalties (if any) in late April or early May. The post-infractions committee hearing signs were not good. The three-day hearing concluded with loads of files being wheeled out of the conference room.
Anything less than a postseason ban and/or crippling scholarship cuts has to be perceived as a net win for USC, which has slogged through the Reggie Bush case for four years.

19. The sexiest woman alive: On a lighter note at USC, Kiffin is in the hunt for that title in an NCAA-style tournament Esquire magazine is conducting online. The Trojans' coach is listed as a No. 16 seed vs. No. 1 seed, golfer Natalie Gulbis in the sports division. As of Wednesday, he had a solid lead over Gulbis.
You can vote here or wait for Kiffin to meet the second-round winner between Joe Paterno and Pamela Anderson.

20. The battle for Alabama: Who knew it could be this good, this fast? At Auburn. Mark Ingram sure didn't clinch the Heisman against the Tigers. When Alabama scored the winning touchdown in the Iron Bowl with 84 seconds left, Ingram was on the bench (sore hip).
Ingram wasn't stopped by anybody else last season, which is another way of saying Auburn is not going to cede state bragging rights easily. Gene Chizik has proved himself more than capable. In his second season he landed a top five recruiting class that soon will be battling 'Bama's goal of conquering college football. Forever.
College football's most intense rivalry is getting better in the Saban-Chizik era.

21. Brown-out: Reason No. 3,267 not to believe anything any recruiting service tells you.
Two years ago, linebacker Arthur Brown was the No. 1 prep player in the country. Last year, his brother Bryce was bestowed with the same honor. Arthur went to Miami. Bryce went to Tennessee. As spring practice begins in 2010, Arthur has transferred to Kansas State. Bryce left the team before spring practice began last week because of "a lot of personal and family problems," according to coach Derek Dooley.

22. A sense of calm comes over Knoxville: Yes, Dooley was an emergency, desperate hire. Yes, he may get overwhelmed by making the jump from middle-of-the-league WAC program to SEC pressure-cooker.
But so far, Vince's boy has worked out -- spectacularly. He has done everything right from recruiting to media to coaching. In another words, he knows what he's doing. Tennessee still has to get back to scoring six points instead of explaining six secondary violations.

23. Russell Shepard settles: Or whatever you want to call it. LSU's celebrated quarterback recruit from 2009 is a slot receiver in 2010. Shepard decided to move after he couldn't get on the field during a 13-3 loss to Florida. After cameos in the Wildcat and turnover problems, Shepard is in a better place.
The question is whether quarterback Jordan Jefferson can improve enough to get the ball to him consistently.

24. HDTV in the SEC: It's doubtful that LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson has forgotten the biggest play of his 2009 season -- an interception that didn't count. With 5:54 left in LSU's 24-15 loss Nov. 7 at Alabama, officials ruled that replays were inconclusive on whether Peterson had come down inbounds with the ball.
It's not a question of whether an HD monitor would have helped replay officials (it would have), it's a question of why weren't HD monitors there in the first place? The game's richest conference announced recently it's going to HD monitors for its replays. It's about time. Clearer is better. Meanwhile, Peterson begins his spring wondering what might have been.

25. Watch for ... Former Miami quarterback Robert Marve at Purdue. He has fought through a car crash, knee surgery and an ugly departure from Miami. Something good has to happen. ... The next great tailback at Cal, Shane Vereen. ... Nico Johnson becoming the next Rolando McClain at Alabama. ... Jared Crick becoming the next Nebraska defensive line star after the departure of Ndamukong Suh. ... Baylor's Robert Griffin, who was knocked out last season with a blown-out knee. ... Zach Collaros to chase a Heisman at Cincinnati. ... Pitt's Dion Lewis to chase a rushing title. ... Central Florida defensive end Bruce Miller. The school has come up with this impressive stat: In the BCS era (1998-2009), Miller is tied for ninth in career sacks (27) among players at schools in the state of Florida. According to UCF, seven of the other nine guys on the list were drafted in the second round or higher. One was drafted in the seventh round. The other, South Florida's George Selvie, is projected to go in the first two rounds.


Can this actually be the real Mark May being somewhat positive towards the Buckeyes. Must see!!!!


Monday, March 29, 2010

A Look at the 2010 Final Four Teams



Final Four Look Ahead: An unlikely quartet, for several reasons
good article from Gary Parish
www.cbssports.com
Kyle Singler summarized things rather well.
"I don't think many people had this Final Four," he said late Sunday, at which point I shook my head in agreement, then scratched it in amazement.
Seriously, who had this Final Four?
It's Michigan State vs. Butler and Duke vs. West Virginia.
Let's do the Final Four Look Ahead.

Prediction? It will be Butler vs. Butler next Monday night, with West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler snipping twine. (US Presswire)
I had it kind of wrong: I'm one of the millions who, like Singler said, did not have this Final Four. In fact, I had none of this Final Four. If my bracket were any worse I would be President Obama. But I would like to point out that Michigan State, Duke, West Virginia and Butler were ranked No. 3, No. 9, No. 10 and No. 11 in the preseason Top 25 (and one). So I had these teams pegged pretty well ... way back in November. In March, not so much.

Duke's path wasn't all that easy: There is a difference between being in the easiest regional and having the easiest path, and I'm pointing that out because I would like to put an end to the theory that Duke had the easiest path to the Final Four. The Blue Devils ended up being the only Final Four school to play three teams seeded eighth or better. They had to beat the Pac-10 champ (California), Big Ten champ (Purdue), and a top-20 team from the Big 12 (Baylor) led by a possible lottery pick (Ekpe Udoh). Meantime, West Virginia played only one team seeded better than 10th, and Michigan State didn't deal with anybody seeded better than fourth.

Notes for gamblers

1. Duke is now the favorite to win the national title, according to Sportsbook.com. In order, it goes Duke (+120), West Virginia (+180), Butler (+300), and Michigan State (+650). That means oddsmakers believe the 2010 national champion will be the winner of the Duke-West Virginia game, though I'm sure the winner of the Butler-Michigan State game will still show up next Monday night.

2. Duke is a 2½-point favorite over West Virginia.

3. Butler is a 1½-favorite over Michigan State.

1. You will hear people talk about how this isn't a "great" Final Four, and I understand that opinion. The nation would be more excited to watch a Kentucky-Kansas title game than, say, a Duke-Butler title game. No question about that. But what has been lost in marquee programs has been gained in great coaches -- three of the best veterans (Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo and Bob Huggins) and a rising star in the sport (Brad Stevens) will converge at Lucas Oil Stadium. Krzyzewski has now made 11 Final Fours, Izzo six in the past 12 years. This is the second for Huggins and first for Stevens. But give the guy time. He's only 33 years old.

2. This Final Four features only three players DraftExpress.com projects to be first-round picks in the 2010 NBA Draft -- Butler's Gordon Hayward, Duke's Kyle Singler and West Virginia's Devin Ebanks. Still, my theory that it takes at least three future NBA players to win a national title could still hold true if West Virginia wins the championship, because Da'Sean Butler and Kevin Jones both project as future NBA players, although likely second-round picks. Duke might also meet the criteria because Mason Plumlee will likely join Singler as a future first-round pick, and Nolan Smith or Brian Zoubek could sneak into the NBA, too. In other words, I'm not conceding defeat yet.

3. Butler making the Final Four isn't a huge surprise -- again, the Bulldogs were a preseason top 10 team -- but there's no denying its appearance is the best story. The Bulldogs are still a small program relative to the others joining them in Indianapolis. There are lots of ways to show this, but the funniest might be on the school's official athletics page, where Stevens' email address is listed in the staff directory. You really can just email Butler's head coach whenever you want. Needless to say, that's not the case at Duke, West Virginia or Michigan State.

4. So much for needing an elite point guard, huh? West Virginia is in the Final Four despite its starting point guard (Darryl Bryant) breaking his foot. Michigan State is in the Final Four despite its starting point guard (Kalin Lucas) rupturing his Achilles' tendon. Butler is in the Final Four despite having a point guard (Ronald Nored) who registers 6.0 points and 3.8 assists per game. Duke is in the Final Four despite using an untraditional point guard (Jon Scheyer) who is admittedly good but still not a natural point for the position. Think about it this way: Recent point guard matchups in the national title game have been Raymond Felton-Deron Williams (2005), Taurean Green-Jordan Farmar (2006), Taurean Green-Mike Conley (2007), Sherron Collins-Derrick Rose (2008), and Ty Lawson-Kalin Lucas (2009). This year we could get Joe Mazzulla-Korie Lucious.

National title game I expect to watch: Butler vs. West Virginia

National champion I expect to see crowned: West Virginia




Great article from Andy Katz
www.espn.com
What will you remember about the 2010 NCAA tournament? There's been plenty to choose from.
Duke ending its mini-Final Four drought? Michigan State making an improbable run back to the Final Four? Butler giving a whole new meaning to "Final Four host school"? Conquering hometown hero Bob Huggins coaching his alma mater West Virginia past favorite Kentucky and into the Final Four for the first time in 51 years?
Or will you always think about that first weekend, a series of head-spinning games that left you wanting more and more and more?
It's hard not to remember this tournament for the greatness of that opening weekend with:

• Northern Iowa's Ali Farokhmanesh hitting not just one but two shots to essentially ice games against UNLV and top-ranked Kansas in Oklahoma City.

• The finish of the Michigan State-Maryland second-round game in Spokane and its frenetic final 20 seconds. And let's not forget Michigan State escaping against New Mexico State two nights before.

• Murray State's Danero Thomas' buzzer-beater to knock out Vanderbilt in the upset that everyone either picked or claims they picked

• BYU's Jimmer Fredette pouring in 37 points in a thrilling double-overtime victory over Florida in the first round in Oklahoma City.

• No. 14 Ohio stunning No. 3 Georgetown by 14 points in a game that is still surreal to consider when pondering the domination by the ninth-place MAC school over the Big East tournament runner-up.

• Ishmael Smith's buzzer-beater for Wake Forest knocking out Texas and mercifully end the Longhorns' disastrous 2010 portion of their schedule.

• Cornell blasting past Temple and Wisconsin.

• Purdue's Chris Kramer going to the basket to beat Texas A&M and send the Boilermakers sans Robbie Hummel to an improbable Sweet 16.

• Robert Morris not pleased with the late-game calls in missing out on a regulation win over Villanova, only to lose to the 'Cats in overtime in the first round.

• Omar Samhan's dominating performances for Saint Mary's in upsetting Richmond and Villanova en route to the Sweet 16.

Or maybe you'll take with you the road to the Final Four that included:

• A magnificent double-overtime game between Kansas State and Xavier that should go down as one of the finest we've seen. The 101-96 win by K-State reminded me in some ways of those classic Gonzaga-Arizona or Illinois-Arizona games from previous tournaments. You didn't want this one to end.

• Butler stunning top-ranked Syracuse in the West. That's still hard to fathom.

• Michigan State beating Tennessee on a free-throw by Raymar Morgan with a second left.

• Cornell opening up a 10-2 lead on Kentucky in the Sweet 16, only to get smashed by a 30-6 run to end the first half.

• At one point Kentucky missing 28 straight 3s against Cornell and West Virginia and the Mountaineers up by two at the half without making a two-point basket in the Elite Eight.
That's good stuff so far. No one seems to be whining about who wasn't in the field, that's for sure. Seeding the tournament was certainly a debatable point. Selections weren't. And the excitement of this 65-team event, one that shouldn't expand beyond maybe 68 in years to come, hasn't disappointed. Will the Final Four continue the trend? Let's hope so:





East Regional Champion
No. 2 West Virginia (31-6, 13-5, tied for second in the Big East)


Tourney run: West Virginia had little trouble in dispatching No. 15 Morgan State in the first round in Buffalo, 77-50. No. 9 Missouri was bit pesky in the second round, but was unable to dictate the tempo for the most part in the 68-59 loss to the Mountaineers. Two days before West Virginia was going to play No. 11 Washington in the Sweet 16 in Syracuse, Darryl "Truck" Bryant broke his right foot in practice. That was supposed to be the story of the night but it didn't matter in a grinder of a game with the Mountaineers winning an ugly affair 69-56. And then there was Kentucky on Saturday in the Elite Eight. The Mountaineers made eight field goals in the first half -- all 3s. UK was crushing the Mountaineers on the boards, but had 10 turnovers in the first half. Kentucky would miss 28 3-pointers, make just four, and watch as Joe Mazzulla sliced through the defense in a convincing 73-66 defeat to West Virginia.

Early-season memory: I've known Bob Huggins for nearly 20 years. He has about as dry a wit as anyone. He loves to dish out zingers. He does it in a low voice, with a sly grin and with timely delivery. At a dinner I was emceeing for the 76 Classic at Disneyland, I introduced the other seven coaches and, for some reason, forgot to mention Huggins. He quickly reminded me of that as soon as the event ended. He quickly reminded me of that as soon as the Thanksgiving dinner ended. He still didn't let me live that one down as he won the East Regional in Syracuse. What was interesting about the Mountaineers back then was how they were trying to figure out if Devin Ebanks could be a major factor early in the season once he missed the first three games for unspecified reasons and whether Mazzulla was healthy enough to be a factor. Ebanks became a defensive stopper and by late in the season Mazzulla was clearly an invaluable asset.

• Big Shot Butler: Da'Sean Butler has had quite a career at West Virginia. He beat Marquette with a buzzer-beater on Dec. 29 to tip off the home Big East schedule. He knocked off Villanova with a shot in overtime on March 6 to end the regular season and then he beat Cincinnati in the Big East tournament quarterfinals and Georgetown in the Big East tournament title game with buzzer-beaters. If a WVU game is on the line in Indianapolis, Butler will be the man to take the shot.

• The Bryant foot: Bryant's injury was much ado about nothing in Syracuse. The Mountaineers missed his presence but they didn't need him to beat Washington or Kentucky. Now there is a chance Bryant will return for the national semifinal against Duke on Saturday. Bryant is getting a specialized shoe made for his right foot to help alleviate pain. If he can practice, then he'll likely get a shot to participate.

• Mazzulla: He nursed a surgically repaired shoulder all season and finally felt like he had free range of motion about a month ago. And as his confidence grew, so too did Mazzulla's ability to make key buckets and timely passes. His 17 points in 30 minutes against Kentucky has to go down as one of the best performances by any Mountaineer this season.

• Deniz Kilicli: Throughout the preseason, Huggins said Kilicli would be a factor for them. But the Turkish center was suspended for the first 20 games. Since he arrived 14 games ago, Kilicli has made the most of his minutes. He is averaging 3.4 points and roughly a rebound in just 6.6 minutes a game. Huggins uses him in spot situations but Kilicli does come into the game, bang and aggressively look for the offensive putback. He can change the possessions when he's that active, and he'll be major bench strength for the Mountaineers against Duke's size.

• The 1-3-1: Huggins has used John Beilein's leftover zone to perfection this season. It was a major problem for Kentucky on Saturday and could cause fits for Duke in Indy. Huggins mixes defenses but it's amazing to see how much he has embraced a defense that the Mountaineers are comfortable running from a previous staff.

Rising star: Kevin Jones. So much is made, and rightfully so, about Butler and Ebanks. But Jones was the guy this season that seemed to cause so many matchup problems for opposing teams. Jones could hit the 3-pointer when teams weren't keying on him and he could also score in the post. Jones wasn't much of a headline-grabber when he arrived and at times he has been overshadowed by Butler and Ebanks, but Jones is a stud and needs to get his due.

Advantage: Huggs and the passion of a people. Huggins has professed his love of the state of West Virginia throughout the run to the Final Four. He has waxed on poetically about the game being piped into the mines in West Virginia. He seems genuine about how much this run means to the people, a state in which he is beloved and returns the affection. This is Huggins' cause in Indy. A year ago, Michigan State was able to ride the depressed auto industry into rallying the people to back the Spartans. Huggins has an entire populous in West Virginia behind him in his attempt to deliver good news with a title to a state that doesn't always receive all that much positive press nationally.




Midwest Regional Champion
No. 5 Michigan State (28-8, 14-4, tied for first in Big Ten)


Tourney run: The Spartans rode the line of defeat more than any other Final Four entrant. Michigan State beat No. 12 New Mexico State in the first round in Spokane 70-67 as NMSU coach Marvin Menzies questioned a lane violation call against the Aggies on a critical late free throw. The Michigan State win over No. 4 Maryland two days later should go down as one of the best games of this tournament and easily the most exciting exchange by two teams in the final 20 seconds. Greivis Vasquez exhilarated the crowd with a layup at one end before Korie Lucious buried a 3-pointer to win the game on a pass from Draymond Green across the top of the key that got to him only because Delvon Roe ducked at the last second. Lucious replaced Kalin Lucas in the game after Lucas went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon. The Spartans survived No. 9 Northern Iowa in a gritty game in the Sweet 16, 59-52, and then beat No. 6 Tennessee in Houston on Sunday when Raymar Morgan converted a free throw with 1.8 seconds remaining to win 70-69. That's four wins decided by a total of 13 points. Since the field expanded in 1985, no Final Four team has had that small of a margin of victory in its first four games.

Preseason memory: At the Breslin Center in late October, Lucas said to me that he would love to repeat what Mateen Cleaves did in 1999 and 2000. He looked up at the banners and saw the Final Four in '99 and the championship banner in '00. Cleaves was on both teams. Lucas led the Spartans to the championship game a year ago in Detroit. He won't have a chance to play in the Final Four, but he will still be an instrumental member of the locker room and the pregame prep.

• Lucas out: Lucas' injuries have been, perhaps, the top storyline for the Spartans. He sprained his ankle against Wisconsin in Madison on Feb. 2. MSU lost that game and then the next two at Illinois and to Purdue, the latter with Lucas playing 29 minutes but clearly not the same player. His injury came at a time when the Spartans looked like they might run away with the Big Ten. His postseason injury has also reshaped this squad. The Spartans suddenly became the underdog against Northern Iowa, at least in perception. Yet, given the prep time, MSU coach Tom Izzo found a way to handle the Panthers and snuff out the Cinderella story.

• Big-game misses: The Spartans were constantly searching for the right combinations, healthy bodies and consistent players during various stretches this season. What was rare for an Izzo-coached team was how the Spartans couldn't win big games prior to the NCAAs. Michigan State did beat Gonzaga at home in November, but following that it lost to Florida in New Jersey, at North Carolina, at Texas and at home to Ohio State when winning the Big Ten title outright was still within reach.

• Balance: Despite all the warts, the Spartans have consistently found a way to win key games at the right times to survive and advance. This team was supposed to have star potential yet due to injuries and inconsistencies never could develop headline performers outside of Lucas.

Rising star: If there was one player that has surpassed expectations it's Green. Izzo constantly talked in the preseason about missing Goran Suton and the need for a big man to play well. Green has done that for the Spartans. He has been huge when needed and he clearly has the team's ear, constantly chirping to keep everyone into the task at hand. He's also extremely skilled with the ability to score facing the basket and in the post. He was the one player after losing the title game against North Carolina last April that told his teammates they could be back in the Final Four again, just like the Tar Heels had done the previous season.

Advantage: Izzo. Seriously now, can we start to push the Izzo for the Hall of Fame campaign? What he has done with this squad is simply amazing. The Midwest bracket was supposed to be the most brutal of any and to get through you needed a tough squad and a determined coach. Who else but Izzo and the Spartans? This is his sixth Final Four and easily his most rewarding with a depleted crew. Watch Izzo at the end of these NCAA games and he's almost in disbelief that his team has advanced yet another round. Two more and the Spartans will reach their intended preseason goalall along, a path hardly expected by anyone in the program for most of the season.



South Regional Champion
No. 1 Duke (33-5, 13-3, tied for first in the ACC)


Tourney run: The easy thing to do was rip on the South Regional when the bracket was announced on Selection Sunday. The Blue Devils had the weakest No. 2 seed of any region and appeared to have a clear path to Indianapolis. It wasn't completely without a bump but Duke did get to the Final Four without much resistance. Does that mean the road was clear of any obstacles or was it because the Blue Devils were simply better than the rest and are playing as well as any one in the tournament? Duke took out No. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the first round rather handily 73-44. Cal put up a fight for a few minutes before retreating in a 68-53 loss in Jacksonville. The Purdue score wasn't as wide as it would appear. Duke beat back the 4th-seeded Boilermakers 70-57, but Purdue made this a grinder until the latter stages of the game. No. 3 Baylor pushed Duke plenty, but the Blue Devils put together a string of key buckets late from Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer and free throws from Kyle Singler to ice out the Bears 78-71 in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Houston.

Preseason memory: Prior to practice at Cameron Indoor Stadium, coach Mike Krzyzewski talked about how much different this team would be compared to prior seasons. He said they wouldn't be able to extend their press as they had been able to do in the past. But he spoke confidently of the size, length and strength of the frontcourt and how much of a different look the Blue Devils would have this season. That became the blueprint for this squad. They were tough to deal with throughout the season up front defensively because of that size and offensive rebounding.

• Road woes: Early in the season the easy thing to pick apart was Duke's home versus road stats. The Blue Devils were decidedly better at Cameron with shooting, free-throw attempts, field goals and wins. Duke didn't lose at home. The Blue Devils lost at Wisconsin, at Georgia Tech, at NC State, at Georgetown and at Maryland. But there were some glimmers of hope like winning at Clemson, gutting out a win at Boston College and then at North Carolina in consecutive road games and then winning games at Miami and at Virginia. The loss at Maryland was acceptable. But following the Georgetown loss there was a shift with this squad. The early-season storyline became moot.

• The Big Three: Scheyer, Smith and Singler can be a dominant threesome. Duke loaded up on these three for minutes, points and overall production. For months the chatter was that they would wear down. It was an easy thing to dissect. But the Blue Devils never wilted enough to lose prior to Indy.

• Brian Zoubek: No longer simply the tall guy, Zoubek became a serious player. He had previous injury issues that seemed to derail his progress. But Zoubek was the defensive presence throughout the season that the Blue Devils desperately needed to be a major factor in the national chase. Watch him bark at his teammates in an encouraging way Sunday in the win against Baylor and you can see just how much he has meant to this team's leadership.

• Tragedy: No one will really know what it would be like to walk in Andre Dawkins' shoes. His sister Lacey was killed in a car accident earlier this season. Dawkins got to campus a year earlier than expected after graduating high school last summer. He was supposed to be a vital piece of the Blue Devils' perimeter. Dawkins has had his moments when he has been a key contributor, but expecting anything from him this season should be a bonus. His heart must be heavy at all times and just being on the court and with the team is a monumental achievement while dealing with immense grief.

Rising stars: Mason and Miles Plumlee. The Plumlee brothers continue to be quite a pair of reserve forwards who change the game when they enter. Think about how rare it is for a team to have that kind of length and rebound potential coming off the bench. Duke is one of the tallest teams in the country this season and it's not like that's going to change in the Final Four. No other team will have its size inside.

Advantage: Clearly, three of the four coaches enter the Final Four without hesitation about the task at hand. Three of the four have been in this event and two of three have won titles. But there is a confidence that Krzyzewski exudes with his Duke players that is hard to match. The Blue Devils have been knocked down throughout the season as a team that really isn't as good as its ranking. Everyone seems to be waiting for Duke to lose in the tourney. Well, the Devils haven't. Coach K gets a lot of credit for infusing his club with the confident attitude that has driven them to this stage.



West Regional Champion
No. 5 Butler (32-4, 18-0, first in Horizon League)


Tourney run: Fools. Well, fool. That was me, who for some reason didn't think this No. 5 Butler team would handle No. 12 UTEP in a first-round NCAA tournament game. It wasn't close in the second half after the Bulldogs trailed by six at the break. Butler outscored UTEP 50-26 in the second half and won 77-59 in San Jose. I was a believer in the Bulldogs in the second round but it took a gutty Gordon Hayward defensive dive to prevent a last-possession shot by No. 13 Murray State in the second round to win 54-52. Syracuse posed the next mountain to climb for the Bulldogs in the Sweet 16 in Salt Lake City. Butler looked like it had met its match before Syracuse sort of self-destructed against Butler's defense. Instead of SU's zone, it was Butler's man-to-man that had the Orange flustered, and they lost 63-59. Butler then had to face a tough No. 2 Kansas State squad in the Elite Eight. But the Bulldogs once again made the plays at the end in the 63-56 victory over the Wildcats. Hayward was terrific in scoring 22 points and the defense on the perimeter by Ronald Nored and Willie Veasley was lock-down tight when the game mattered most.

Early season memory: I didn't visit with Butler prior to the season, but I was with the Bulldogs in Anaheim at the 76 Classic. What I remember most about this squad that week in November was how much coach Brad Stevens was so even-tempered. I'm not sure I've seen another coach so cerebral, so intense in his preparation yet so seemingly relaxed and unmoved by his current situation. The Bulldogs had a preseason top 15 ranking at the time and yet weren't feeling any added expectation. He wanted the Bulldogs to relish the attention, welcoming the newfound flattery that came with a respectful standing in the poll. But he never let it consume them. He put together a daunting nonconference schedule and the Bulldogs never got worn down by the stress of the schedule. He challenged them early with road games at Northwestern, Evansville, in Anaheim for three, at Ball State, in New York against Georgetown and at UAB -- the team's last loss on Dec. 22. Yet, Stevens never complained about how tough a slate this would be for his team.

• Hometown team: Last June I was in Colorado Springs for the USA Basketball trials and visited with Purdue players Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson about playing at "home" in the Final Four in Indianapolis. Hayward and Shelvin Mack were there too and when I talked to them I never asked about them hosting the Final Four in Indy as if it were a realistic goal. Oops. Even if the Bulldogs had been asked, they are cut from the Stevens cloth and would not have discussed anything too far ahead. The Final Four is on a bizarre streak of late. Michigan State saved the Final Four by hosting it in Detroit last season. Indy is always a great host because of its love of hoops and the NCAA's headquarters a few blocks away from the arena. Having Butler as the host school while also playing in the event is unprecedented.

• Matt Howard's foul problems: Early in the season Howard couldn't stay out of foul trouble. He fouled out of four straight games and then fouled out of three more, ending at UAB on Dec. 22. Howard has still had some foul issues but he has started to stay on the court longer and that has benefited the Bulldogs. His decision-making on when or when not to challenge shots has improved. His ability to stay on the court has been a must for Butler's survival.

• The streak: Butler hasn't lost since at UAB. That means the Bulldogs haven't lost in 2010 and the streak is at 24 games and counting. That streak includes a four-game road trip in the Horizon League, a home BracketBusters win over Siena and NCAA wins over Syracuse and Kansas State.

• The defense: Butler's man-to-man defense has been one of the best all season. The Bulldogs allowed an average of 59.6 points a game. Butler has some issues scoring as well but the ability to finish plays in games throughout the season has led them to the winner's circle almost every time.

• The role players: Veasley, Nored, Zach Hahn, Shawn Vanzant, Avery Jukes are all players who have helped this team win games. The balance Stevens has professed has been consistent throughout the season. He never lets these players feel second class.

Rising star:
Hayward. If you don't know him, you better familiarize yourself. Hayward is a lock for the first-round of the NBA draft whenever he declares and is steadily moving up the draft charts. I wouldn't be surprised if he pushed deep into the lottery. He's a stud. His basketball IQ is off the charts. His desire is at a high. His improvement in his overall basketball skills continues to be impressive. Hayward has steadily increased his defensive abilities as well. Butler wouldn't be here if it didn't have at least one pro on its roster. The Bulldogs do with Hayward and possibly Mack, whose strength at the guard spot reminds many of a Chauncey Billups-type guard.

Advantage:
Are there distractions for the Bulldogs? Sure. But there are plenty of advantages to playing at home this week, such as being able to practice at Hinkle Fieldhouse, sleep in the dorms and deal with a regular life instead of sitting around idle in hotel rooms. Butler can have a regular routine that the other teams won't this weekend. That might not mean a win on Saturday, or if Butler beats Michigan State, one on Monday. But it's hard to debate how much of an advantage Butler will have by never leaving home. Can you imagine if the Bulldogs were to win Saturday and Monday? There would be no need to wait until Tuesday afternoon to arrive back in the city to display the trophy. Stevens and Co. could leave Lucas Oil Stadium and march down to campus with the trophy up high.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Friday Night NCAA Tournament Times and TV Schedule



Friday Night NCAA Tournament Times and TV Schedule
Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis, Mo.) - Midwest Region
7:07 pm
Tennessee #6
Ohio State #2

Reliant Stadium (Houston, TX) - South Region
7:27 pm
St. Mary´s #10
Baylor #3

Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis, Mo.) - Midwest Region
9:37 pm
Northern Iowa #9
Michigan State #5

Reliant Stadium (Houston, TX) - South Region
9:57 pm
Purdue #4
Duke #1


If the Buckeyes can get through tonight, I think they will have a great shot at getting to the championship game. That's right, the championship game. It all depends upon John Diebler. If he can continue to shoot the ball well and get 15 to 20 points then they will definately be hard to beat!!!!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Thursday Night's Ncaa Tournament Schedule and TV Times




Thursday Night's Ncaa Tournament Schedule and TV Times
EnergySolutions Arena (Salt Lake City, Utah) - West Region
7:07 pm
Butler #5
Syracuse #1

Carrier Dome (Syracuse, NY) - East Region
7:27 pm
Washington #11
West Virginia #2

EnergySolutions Arena (Salt Lake City, Utah) - West Region
9:37 pm
Xavier #6
Kansas State #2

Carrier Dome (Syracuse, NY) - East Region
9:57 pm
Cornell #12
Kentucky #1

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Ohio State Buckeye Wednesday


Good Articles on the Buckeyes from different sites
www.espn.com, www.sportsline.com, www.si.com, www.theozone.net

10 Things We Learned From OSU’s Run to the Sweet 16
By Brandon Castel
www.theozone.net

MILWAUKEE—It was a big weekend for Thad Matta and the Ohio State basketball team. Probably the biggest weekend they have had in three years.
The No. 2-seed Buckeyes knocked off No. 15-seed UC Santa Barbara and No. 10-seed Georgia Tech in their opening two games of the NCAA Tournament, locking up a return trip to the Sweet 16 in St. Louis for the first time since 2007.

We take a look at 10 things we learned from the Bucks over the weekend.

10. William Buford is not quite ready for the next level. This is certainly not meant as an attack on Buford, because I think he is probably the second best all-around talent on the team behind Evan Turner. When it’s on, his jump shot is a thing of beauty, and he has really come along in the other areas of his game in year No. 2 at Ohio State. What I saw Sunday, however, was a player who looked like he could use one more year at the college level. Buford made silly mistakes in the early going and looked hesitant, if not scared, to do anything with the ball in his hands. Typically a player who hasn’t met a shot he doesn’t like, Buford passed up a couple of good looks against Georgia Tech. He finished with nine points and eight rebounds, but it’s hard to imagine an NBA team salivating over him just yet.


9. Dallas Lauderdale stepped up his game. Watch Lauderdale in Indianapolis last weekend, you would have though the 6-8 center had resorted back to his freshman or sophomore playing days where he could barely hang on to the ball, was often out of position and easily pump faked into cheap fouls. Coach Matta certainly took notice, as he opted to go with loads of Kyle Madsen down the stretch despite the fact OSU was battling for a Big Ten Tournament title. Dallas knew he didn’t play well (he totaled six points, nine rebounds and one block in three games) and vowed to make up for it in Milwaukee. He singly-handedly took care of that on the first night. He responded with 12 rebounds and eight blocks against Santa Barbara in one of the most dominant performances of his career. Two days later he stood toe-to-toe with Tech’s big men Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors, and not only did he hold his own defensively, but he managed to stay out of foul trouble while Lawal and Favors could not.

8. Thad Matta can coach ‘em up. Lauderdale was the one getting it done on the court, but let’s give credit where credit is due. Known as a marksman recruiter, Matta showed himself to be an excellent motivator over the weekend. After Lauderdale left his UCSB scouting report in the film room Thursday, Matta made a little visit to the junior big man’s hotel room. According to Dallas, Matta went old school on him, even threatening (jokingly) to hold his head under water until he got his head right and started playing better. He knows when to coddle Evan Turner and when to leave him alone and he has never lost faith in Jon Diebler, continually telling him to keep shooting even when the shots aren’t going in.

7. The Buckeyes have a dangerous press defense. Don’t believe me? Ask Georgia Tech why they couldn’t set up their offense in the first half against Ohio State. The Yellow Jackets had jumped out to an early 10-2 lead and held a 14-9 advantage when Thad Matta put the clamps on. The Buckeyes quickly tied things at 16 and went on to lead by two at the half thanks to 13 first-half turnovers by Tech.

6. Evan Turner is physically ready for the NBA, but maybe not mentally. Watching Turner play, it’s easy to see why NBA scouts and executives are touting him as a probable top two pick in the upcoming NBA draft. He’s long, athletic and tough. He’s unselfish, but knows when to take over a game, and he is a tremendous finisher around the rim. The only part of his game still being developed is his outside shooting, but watching him Friday night against UC Santa Barbara reminded me why these kids used to stay four years: because they’re kids. Evan Turner is not a grown man. He pouts when he gets angry. He wears his emotion on his sleeve, and it drives him to be great. When he’s getting the calls, he’s all smiles, but when the refs are swallowing their whistles he seems to get rattled. That certainly looked to be the case in his 2-for-13 shooting effort against the Gauchos. How else do you explain Matta pulling him, and only him, from the game with 3:30 to play?


5. This year’s team has the right mindset. Despite maybe not having his mind right Friday night, Turner seems to have the right idea about what it takes to win in the tournament. He said Sunday that it’s all about survival and that the tougher team will be the team left standing. He couldn’t be more right. In a year where high seeds are dropping like flies, the teams that have survived the madness have been the ones that were tougher on that day.

4. Jon Diebler will take and make big shots in big games. Can we put this argument to rest please? He might not be on every night, but the idea he can’t hit big shots in big games is getting a little outdated don’t you think?

3. Their lack of depth has not hurt the Buckeyes, even against deeper teams. If you were watching closely in the second half of OSU’s win over Georgia Tech, you saw one team that seemed to run out of steam. Their best player was huffing up and down the court, but it wasn’t the one in white. Despite playing only six guys for most of the year, the Buckeyes were the more energized team Sunday. The Yellow Jackets played 10 guys, eight of which saw double-digit minutes, but even that wasn’t enough to keep their guys as fresh as the OSU players. There might not be a better conditioned group in the country than Turner, Lighty, Diebler and William Buford.

2. David Lighty is the difference maker. The Buckeyes have won two Big Ten titles and advanced to the Sweet 16 with basically the same group that got bounced in the first round last year, minus B.J. Mullens. Certainly having everyone a year older has made a big difference, but the one true difference-maker has been David Lighty. He missed last year’s post-season with a broken foot, but he has come back with a vengeance this year. Tabbed by Sports Illustrated as this year's “glue guy,” Lighty has been huge for the Buckeyes at both ends of the floor. He can guard just about anyone on the court, and usually draws the defensive assignment of the opponent’s best player in crunch time. He has scored double-figures in seven of his last nine games and is averaging 14.9 points per game in the month of March.

1. This team might just have what it takes. When this tournament started, I thought there was no way Ohio State could go all the way. Forget the fact they had no depth and no inside presence, just one look at their bracket was like a Murder’s Row of college hoops teams. Just to get to the Final Four, the Buckeyes could have to play teams like Kansas, Georgetown, Maryland, Michigan State and Tennessee. Instead, the top three of those seeds were upset on the opening weekend of the tournaments. The Spartans lost Kalin Lucas for the year, and all of a sudden it’s as if the Red Sea has parted for the Buckeyes if they can get past the Volunteers Friday. After that, it’s anyone’s game. With Turner being Turner, Diebler shooting the way he is, Lauderdale playing outstanding defense and Lighty stirring the drink, there isn’t a team in the field of 16 Ohio State can’t beat.


Midwest Region Reset: Ohio State looks like best team still standing


GAME BREAKER: Evan Turner, Ohio State
Ohio State's Turner is the lone superstar left in a regional that's filled out with three other teams that fit into the "sum is greater than their parts" category. He will have the ball -- and the Buckeyes' fate -- squarely in his hands.

INTRIGUING MATCHUP: Ohio State-Tennessee

The winner will be favored over either Northern Iowa or Michigan State in the regional final, so this Sweet 16 matchup carries a lot of weight to go with the intrigue. As mentioned in the Monday's Four-cast, the Buckeyes have been a lot more turnover-prone recently and, without a classic ball-secure point guard to handle the Vols' aggressiveness, could cough it up a bunch on Friday. Then there's the issue of the Vols' depth against the Buckeyes' Iron Five. Plus, Tennessee just beat an Ohio team coached by Thad Matta disciple John Groce, so the Vols should feel comfortable with a lot of what they'll see. There are a lot of interesting dynamics in this one.

HOME COOKING: None

THE PICK: Ohio State

With Turner, the Buckeyes have been the most consistently good team in this bracket over the course of the season. It won't be easy, as they'll have to deal with Tennessee's grinding style and then either the confidence of upstart Northern Iowa or the familiarity and contempt of league co-champ Michigan State, but taking the best team with the best player seems like the best bet.












The most important player: Evan Turner, Ohio State

No one player will determine whether his team gets to the Final Four more than Turner. Throughout the season, Turner was the catalyst in delivering a share of the Big Ten regular-season title and then the conference tournament title. He wasn't needed to score as much in Ohio State's first-round win over UC Santa Barbara, but he did have 10 boards that compensated for his 2-of-13 shooting. So what did he do against Georgia Tech? He turned around and nearly had a triple-double with 24 points, 9 boards and 9 assists. He did have nine turnovers to match the assists, but he still has to be doing something of note for the Buckeyes to win. If Ohio State gets to the Final Four or claims the NCAA title, it will be because of Turner and no one else.


NOW...the Midwest is Ohio State's to lose

Since the shocker at the Ford Center, the balanced attack of Matta's men will be the toughest to contend with as Georgia Tech will find out Sunday. Diebler and Buford have stepped up their offensive potency and Lauderdale and Lighty are beasts on the boards. Not to mention Evan Turner who always hits a big shot when they need it. the 'Jackets and Volunteers inconsistency all season will be their downfall. Tennessee will look like Kentucky in a four to six minute stretch and then start playing street ball and lose their mind over the next similiar stretch. That aint gonna get it against the Buckeyes.

The Panthers may win one more in St. Louis but's there's not enough Farokhmanesh long-rangers to get them to Indy like George Mason amazingly did in '06. Look for another rematch of Butler/Ohio State in Indy on April 3rd. Just like in 1962 when the last Missouri Valley team beat a top-seed (Creighton over Memphis State) Ohio State ended up playing for the national title coming up short against Oscar Robertson and Cincinnati.

In the December 12th game in Indianapolis, Evan Turner didn't play, Buford was the leading rebounder and Diebler was almost non-existent offensively. That's looking ahead but both teams look to be on a crash course for another head-to-head showdown.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tiger Woods 1st Interviews




click here to watch Tiger's interview with the golf channel




Tiger Wood's New Bracelet
www.yahoo.com
At the end of Sunday night's Golf Channel interview with Tiger Woods, interviewer Kelly Tilghman made note of the bracelet Woods wore on his left wrist. From the official transcript:

KT: I noticed you're wearing a bracelet, can we see it?
TW: Yeah.

KT: What does it mean?
TW: It's Buddhist, it's for protection and strength and I certainly need that.

KT: When did you start wearing it?
TW: Before I went into treatment.

KT: Will you be wearing it during the Masters?
TW: Absolutely.

KT: For the rest of your life?
TW: Absolutely.

The bracelet itself isn't the big deal; you can pick one of those up at the mall for five bucks (Amazon has hundreds of "Buddhist bracelets" for those who want to be like Tiger.) It's what the bracelet represents -- the idea of remembering one's "core values" -- that makes it significant.
Certainly, it's not uncommon for people embroiled in scandal to suddenly wrap themselves in religion as a way of deflecting criticism. Prisoners and politicians alike often turn to religion when their worldly deeds come crashing down around them. So it's understandable to view Woods' embracing of Buddhism, Sunday and at his Feb. 19 press conference, as a cynical ploy for sympathy.
Thing is, Woods publicly professed his connection to Buddhism long before the scandal broke. In a May 2008 Reuters interview shortly after the birth of his second child, Woods noted that he adhered to tenets of Buddhism such as meditation:
"I practice meditation -- that is something that I do, that my mum [sic] taught me over the years. We also have a thing we do every year, where we go to temple together," he said. "In the Buddhist religion you have to work for it yourself, internally, in order to achieve anything in life and set up the next life. It is all about what you do and you get out of it what you put into it. So you are going to have to work your butt off in every aspect of your life."
And as he admitted Sunday, he's got plenty of work ahead.
Also, the conspiracy-minded -- or those with too much time on their hands -- will note that Woods doesn't have a wedding ring on, and will surely scream that it's the sign of marital apocalypse. Not so, at least not based on that alone. Tiger never wears his wedding ring on the golf course, and as the photo at right shows, he apparently doesn't wear it when he's out with his family, either.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Recap of the NCAA Tournament Weekend


Recap of the NCAA Tournament Weekend
www.espn.com

The Sweet 16 includes teams from the Atlantic 10, Horizon League, Ivy League, Missouri Valley Conference and West Coast Conference.
And there's one team from the Pac-10, which only looked like a mid-major league this season.
The final day of the first weekend of the 2010 NCAA tournament was as unpredictable as the first three, as Sunday delivered yet another upset and two more buzzer-beaters.
Now the tournament takes a three-day hiatus before regional semifinals begin Thursday in Salt Lake City and Syracuse, N.Y. College basketball fans can probably use a break after watching one of the most entertaining opening weekends in NCAA tournament history.
And maybe they'll stop celebrating by then on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, N.Y. On Sunday, the 12th-seeded Big Red became the lowest-seeded team to reach the Sweet 16 this year after blasting 4-seed Wisconsin 87-69 in an East Regional second-round game in Jacksonville, Fla. Outside first-round games, it is the second-largest margin of victory ever for a team seeded 12th or lower.
Cornell becomes the first Ivy League team to reach the regional semifinals since Penn advanced to the 1979 Final Four, where the Quakers lost to Michigan State and Earvin "Magic" Johnson in the national semifinals. After going 4-63 all-time against teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Big Red upset No. 12-ranked Temple and No. 16-ranked Wisconsin in their last two games.
And for the second straight game, one of the country's best defenses had no answer for Cornell's one-two punch of Louis Dale and Ryan Wittman, who combined to score 50 points. The Badgers came into the game ranked fourth in the country in scoring defense (56.2 points per game) and didn't allow more than 50 points in 14 of their games.
Cornell shot 61.1 percent, the highest field goal percentage the Badgers have allowed in the nine-year tenure of coach Bo Ryan.
"We've got eight seniors on this team, and we want to take this ride as long as we can, because after this it's just nothing but babies and memories, so we'll just keep going," Dale told reporters on Sunday.
The Big Red play No. 1-seed Kentucky in Thursday's East Regional semifinals in Syracuse, N.Y., which is about a one-hour drive from the Cornell campus. No. 2-seed West Virginia, a 68-59 winner over 10th-seeded Missouri in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sunday, plays 11th-seeded Washington in the other regional semifinal in Syracuse.
Michigan State, which has become a Sweet 16 staple under coach Tom Izzo, will have to travel a little farther to St. Louis for Friday's Midwest Regional semifinals. But the Spartans' journey there is nearly as remarkable as Cornell's.
In a game that saw four lead-changes in the final 39 seconds, 5th-seeded Spartans beat 4-seed Maryland 85-83 on Korie Lucious' 3-pointer at the buzzer in a second-round game in Spokane, Wash., on Sunday. Michigan State won after losing star guard Kalin Lucas with about 2½ minutes left in the first half. Izzo told reporters after the game that Lucas, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, probably tore the Achilles tendon in his left foot and will miss the rest of the tournament.
In the Midwest Regional semifinals, the Spartans will play 9-seed Northern Iowa, which upset top-ranked Kansas 69-67 in Oklahoma City on Saturday. No. 2-seed Ohio State, a 75-66 winner over Georgia Tech on Sunday, plays 6-seed Tennessee in the other regional semifinal in St. Louis.
The Spartans weren't the only Big Ten team playing short-handed on Sunday. Purdue, which lost star forward Robbie Hummel to a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 24, defeated Texas A&M 63-61 in overtime in a South Regional second-round game in Spokane (the fourth time in five years the Aggies have lost in the NCAA tourney by two points or less). Senior guard Chris Kramer scored six of the No. 4-seeded Boilermakers' eight points in overtime, including the winning layup with 4.2 seconds to play.
"We might not be as good as the team as we are with Robbie as we are without, but our guys come in and give it our all, and you just have to keep dreaming," Kramer told reporters on Sunday.
Purdue plays No. 1-seeded Duke in the South Regional semifinals in Houston on Friday. The Blue Devils reached the Sweet 16 for the 25th time on Sunday by routing No. 8-seeded California 68-53 in a second-round game in Jacksonville, Fla. No. 3-seeded Baylor plays No. 10-seeded Saint Mary's in the other regional semifinal in Houston.
Syracuse, the No. 1 seed in the West Regional, didn't have any problems reaching the Sweet 16, either. The Orange routed 8-seed Gonzaga 87-65 in the second round on Sunday, after beating No. 16-seeded Vermont by 23 points in the first round on Friday. SU forward Wesley Johnson scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds against the Zags.
The Orange play No. 5-seed Butler in Salt Lake City in Thursday's West Regional semifinals. No. 2-seed Kansas State plays No. 6-seed Xavier in the other game there.
We can only hope the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight are as exciting as the first two rounds. That might be asking for a lot after what we just witnessed:

• For the first time since the NCAA tournament expanded in 1985, three one-bid conferences (the Horizon League, Ivy League and Missouri Valley Conference) had their teams advance to the Sweet 16.

• Thirteen games were decided by three points or fewer and four games were decided in overtime.

• Lower-seeded teams won 16 of the games during the first two rounds, including 11 won by double-digit seeds.

• The South Regional semifinal game between 1-seed Duke and 4-seed Purdue is the only matchup in which the highest possible seeds reached the Sweet 16. And one could argue that even that matchup is a surprise. If they're honest, most will tell you they didn't have the Robbie Hummel-less Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 in their bracket.

• For the first time in four years, none of the four regions has each of its top four seeds in the Sweet 16. That "Bracket of Death" that we all talked about on Selection Sunday -- the treacherous Midwest? Well, that regional is down to a 2-seed, 5-seed, 6-seed and 9-seed.

• The Big Ten sent three teams (Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue) to the Sweet 16, more than any other conference. Big Ten teams went 7-2 in the first two rounds.

•The Big East, which had eight of its 16 teams playing in the NCAA tournament, has only two teams in the regional semifinals (Syracuse and West Virginia). Big East teams went 6-6 in the first two rounds.

• For the third time in four seasons, only one ACC team (Duke) reached the Sweet 16. Before this current stretch, the conference sent at least two teams to the regional semifinals in each of the previous 27 NCAA tournaments. ACC teams went 5-5 in the first two rounds.

• How's this for parity? Eleven different conferences have teams playing in the regional semifinals, including two teams (Kentucky and Tennessee) from the much-maligned SEC and one team (Washington) from the much-more-maligned Pac-10.

• And for only the third time since 1985, four teams seeded 9th or worse (No. 9 Northern Iowa, No. 10 Saint Mary's, No. 11 Washington and No. 12 Cornell) reached the Sweet 16.

Bottom line: That was one heck of a way to open up the 2010 NCAA tournament.
Enjoy catching your breath over the next few days. Here's hoping we all need more rest after next weekend.


www.cbssportsline.com
NEW YORK -- Northern Iowa's Ali Farokhmanesh still leads the NCAA tournament with two clutch/game-winning shots. But Michigan State's Korie Lucious and Purdue's Chris Kramer pulled within one Sunday, and have you caught your breath yet, college basketball fans?

Let's do the Day 4 Look Back ...

Best game from Sunday: "I told our team when we were up four, up six, whatever it was, we were going to win this game and it's going to be one of the greatest wins in the history of Michigan State," Tom Izzo said afterward, which means he's both an awesome coach and accurate predictor because, absolutely, the Spartans' 85-83 victory over Maryland was just what he promised. It was a win that came despite Kalin Lucas suffering an apparent torn Achilles in the first half, a win that came despite Greivis Vasquez driving and scoring and giving Maryland an 83-82 lead with six seconds remaining. The ball was subsequently pushed up court by Draymond Green, who found Korie Lucious, who took one dribble and drained a jumper that literally moved Izzo to tears. Just a wonderful game, shot, and scene.

Worst game from Sunday: Rick Jackson got his third foul barely nine minutes into a one-point game, which was a potentially devastating development for Syracuse considering Arinze Onuaku was sidelined with an injury. Turns out, it didn't matter one bit because Wesley Johnson was dominating (31 points and 14 rebounds) and Andy Rautins was making shots (5 of 9 on 3-point attempts). That made for an easy 87-65 victory over Gonzaga that'll send the Orange to the Sweet 16 with tons of confidence and momentum regardless of whether Onuaku returns.

Player who deserves improper benefits: Jon Diebler shot well enough in the second half that his non-existent first half didn't matter as Ohio State recorded a 75-66 win over Georgia Tech. Diebler turned an 0-of-3 effort from beyond the arc at the half into a 4-of-10 effort, meaning he went 4 of 7 on 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes to finish with 20 points, second only to Evan Turner's 24.

Player who does not deserve improper benefits: Jermaine Dixon had his worst game of the season at the worst possible time, missing eight of the nine shots he took and finishing with just two points in Pittsburgh's 71-68 loss to Xavier. This is the third time in six years that Pitt has been bounced in the second round.

Why I'm smarter than you think: I'm second in the "CBSSports.com Experts" Bracket Challenge, and the only person ahead of me is Jerry Palm, who has Kansas winning the national title. Perhaps you heard, but Kansas isn't winning the national title. I think that means I'm going to win the "CBSSports.com Experts" Bracket Challenge, which would be fitting because, well, you know.

Why I'm dumber than I think: Despite my domination of the other experts, I had Purdue, Butler, Northern Iowa and Cornell all losing in the first round. Perhaps you heard, but none of those teams did what I expected.

Three things you should know before you go

1. West Virginia committed only 10 turnovers against Missouri, and that was the key in the Mountaineers' 68-59 win. That and Da'Sean Butler's 29 points, of course.

2. Cornell -- according to the guys at BasketballProspectus.com -- scored 1.65 points per possession in its 87-69 win over Wisconsin. Those who follow statistics like these understand the strength of that number. The rest of you will have to trust me when I tell you it's impressive, especially against a coach like Bo Ryan and a team like the Badgers.

3. Duke dominated California and won 68-53 despite Jon Scheyer missing 10 of his 11 field goal attempts, including seven of his eight 3-point attempts. Brian Zoubek made up for the lackluster performance. He got 14 points and 13 rebounds, six of which were offensive.

Final thought: The first four days of the NCAA tournament were incredible for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is how it produced a Sweet 16 that'll feature 11 different conferences. As we move forward, Cornell, Saint Mary's, and Northern Iowa will receive much of the attention, but Purdue advancing to the second weekend should get similar treatment because it's just as good of a story.

Remember, this team lost arguably its best player Feb. 24.

At that point, many expected the Boilermakers to fold.

I was one of them.

But what the nation learned Sunday is that Purdue is too determined for that, too tough for that, too full of pride to take an early loss, mention Robbie Hummel's torn ACL, shrug its shoulders and focus on next season. The Boilermakers could've lost to Texas A&M in the second round and probably should've considering they trailed by 11 points in the second half. But they rallied, forced overtime and won 63-61 on Kramer's buzzer-beating layup, and now this season won't be remembered for what it might've been as much as it'll be remembered for what it is.

So what is it?

It's still in progress.

Admirably, still in progress.