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Unfortunately there isn’t any college games this evening, but things will be back to normal tomorrow with the NIT, CIT, CBI and the NCAA play-in game.
76ers -3
Hornets/Clippers over 201
Knicks/76ers under 212.5
Overall Record:
College Basketball 51-34-3 (2009-10) 248-183-9 (overall)
NBA 1-2 (2010) 45-38 (overall)
NHL 1-2
MLB 90-69-5
College Football 37-24 (2009-10) 142-115-1 (overall)
NFL 35-20 (2009-10) 138-92-5 (overall)
Much to my chagrin it has been since 1966 that North Carolina, UConn and UCLA will not be in the NCAA Tournament at the same time. In that year a small Texas Western (now UTEP) team won the Championship in one of the most controversial games in NCAA history.
Texas Western, coached by Don Haskins, won the 1966 national title with a 72–65 victory over an Adolph Rupp coached Kentucky squad. Coach Haskins started five black players for the first time in NCAA Championship history. At the same time Adolph Rupp a legend in NCAA basketball did not believe in having black players on his team.
This year in the NCAA basketball tourney we have more parody than we have had in recent memory and while the big schools who have owned the headlines are out it leaves us with schools such as Butler, BYU, Siena, Northern Iowa and so on to take the plunge into basketball immortality.
Is this the year when we get another George Mason in the Final Four? Or is there an opportunity to get 2 mid-majors in the championship game? The answer is YES! There very well could be a team like UTEP in the Final Four. That’s right! Coming out of Conference USA where Memphis has owned it the last 5 years they went 15-1 and are on their way to the dance to maybe shock the world once again.
The Jay Bilas’s of the world says that there is no parody this year. OK, we do still have Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and Syracuse at the top. But what about New Mexico in the Top 10, Butler #12, and Gonzaga and Kansas St bouncing around the top 10 as well?
If you break it down, Kentucky is relying on three freshman and a senior to carry them and all the pundits say that they are the team out the top 4 that could fail first. Duke is relying on 3-pt shooting and when they run into a team that is faster, quicker and bigger underneath they will get humbled. Kansas is solid and Syracuse has its moments of forgetting that you can be beat in any game, case and point, LeMoyne at home in an exhibition game and twice to Louisville who may not make the field of 64.
So, who will fill out the Final Four along with Kansas? Remember, the only time all the top seeds made the Final Four was 2 years ago so don’t count on it happening again for a while.
3-1 yesterday so we are gunning for another good day today. Tons and tons of games to be played so enjoy the mayhem. Good luck!
NC State/Clemson over 131
Western Michigan -2
Ohio +5
Overall Record:
College Basketball 49-33-3 (2009-10) 246-182-9 (overall)
NBA 1-2 (2010) 45-38 (overall)
NHL 1-2
MLB 90-69-5
College Football 37-24 (2009-10) 142-115-1 (overall)
NFL 35-20 (2009-10) 138-92-5 (overall)
The Big 12 tournament and Conference USA tournament get underway today and there will be two more tournament invitations given to the Big Sky and the Northeast champion. Good luck!
Nebraska +10.5
Houston -12.5
Louisville -6
Oregon +2
Overall Record:
College Basketball 46-32-3 (2009-10) 243-181-9 (overall)
NBA 1-2 (2010) 45-38 (overall)
NHL 1-2
MLB 90-69-5
College Football 37-24 (2009-10) 142-115-1 (overall)
NFL 35-20 (2009-10) 138-92-5 (overall)
Who exactly is this guy Joe Lunardi and why does every college coach need his help these days?
Joseph Lunardi (AKA Joey Brackets) has been a fixture on ESPN and ESPN.com since his first Bracketology was pushed online back in 2008. His first post collected over 250,000 hits the first day and now it routinely receives millions from the second week of the season until the final selection of NCAA tournament teams. The busiest days are of course this coming weekend from Friday through Sunday at 6PM EST prior to the selections when he is adding and subtracting teams that have folded during their conference tournaments.
Lunardi correctly predicted all 65 teams to appear in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and correctly selected 63 out the 65 teams in the 2009 field by placing both Creighton and St. Mary’s incorrectly in his final bracket on March 15. Last year Lunardi only incorrectly left Arizona off his bracket so needless to say he really knows his stuff. A lot will be determined in the next few days and you can rest assured that Lunardi will be all over the action and constantly updating his predictions for the tourney.
According to Joey Brackets here are the latest bubble teams:
Last Four In
* Memphis
* Arizona State
* San Diego State
* Illinois
First Four Out
* Washington
* Seton Hall
* Rhode Island
* Ole Miss
Next Four Out
* Dayton
* UAB
* Mississippi State
* Minnesota
The Big East tournament kicks off today and another three teams will win a bid to the NCAA tournament. As each day passes the excitement and anticipation builds. 2-0 yesterday and looking to have another solid day today. Good luck!
Troy pick’em
Oakland pick’em
UConn -4
Overall Record:
College Basketball 45-30-3 (2009-10) 242-179-9 (overall)
NBA 1-2 (2010) 45-38 (overall)
NHL 1-2
MLB 90-69-5
College Football 37-24 (2009-10) 142-115-1 (overall)
NFL 35-20 (2009-10) 138-92-5 (overall)
Championship Week is in full swing and tickets are being punched for the Big Dance each and everyday. I don’t have any picks for the conference championship games this evening, but we do have two games for you. Good luck!
Oakland -8.5
IUPUI -3.5
Overall Record:
College Basketball 43-30-3 (2009-10) 240-179-9 (overall)
NBA 1-2 (2010) 45-38 (overall)
NHL 1-2
MLB 90-69-5
College Football 37-24 (2009-10) 142-115-1 (overall)
NFL 35-20 (2009-10) 138-92-5 (overall)
It was 20 years ago yesterday that we lost one of the best college basketball players of all time in Hank Gathers. Gathers left Philly and the east coast so he could go play for little ole Loyola Marymount and ex-pro head coach Paul Westhead. Gathers alongside Bo Kimble would end making the Loyola Marymount Lions a must see college basketball team and a pure joy to watch. In the 1988–89 season, he became only the second player in history to lead NCAA Division I in scoring and rebounding in the same season. Gathers averaged 32.7 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. The next season would be his last because on March 4, 1990 he collapsed with 13:34 left in the first half of a West Coast Conference tournament quarterfinal game against Portland. Hank collapsed just after scoring on an alley-oop dunk that put the Lions up 25–13. He was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital at the age of 23. An autopsy found that he suffered from a heart-muscle disorder, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
I remember watching this specimen of a human play a few times in my days and I truly have never seen a team play the way the Lions did. They typically shot the ball within 10 seconds of gaining possession and their defense was a full court press designed to force their opponents into a frenzied up-and-down game. Loyola Marymount own the records for the 5 highest scoring games in NCAA history including the blowout of reigning National Champ Michigan 149-115 in the second round of the 1990 tourney.
Hank was so good at everything on the court except for foul shooting. When he finally had enough of those woes he started practicing shooting his free throws left handed. He became proficient and increased his FT% considerably because nothing was going to beat Hank.
Hank’s life unfortunately ended too early and he is just another example of how life is really too short.
Check out the cut of the 30 for 30 story to be aired on ESPN:
Yesterday was a real stinker and one we hope to not replicate anytime soon. Those days will happen and you just have to forget all about them and move on to the next day. Have a great day and good luck to everyone!
Pacific -2.5
Ohio -7.5
Missouri State -9
Overall Record:
College Basketball 41-29-3 (2009-10) 238-178-9 (overall)
NBA 1-2 (2010) 45-38 (overall)
NHL 1-2
MLB 90-69-5
College Football 37-24 (2009-10) 142-115-1 (overall)
NFL 35-20 (2009-10) 138-92-5 (overall)
Kurtis Townsend an assistant coach for the Kansas Jayhawks must be a really huge fan of porn or he is just looking to to have some fun with a professional. Townsend provided free courtside tickets to adult film star Samantha Ryan for last night’s rivalry game against Kansas State in Lawrence, Kansas. Samantha is an alum from the University of Kansas (they must be so proud) and she was so happy about her courtside seats she tweeted her appreciation and took photos for her fans. Ryan is 26 years old and has already been in over 140 pornos to date in case you are counting. Samantha’s support must have helped because the Jayhawks destroyed #5 Kansas State 82-65 last night