In tomorrow's episode of "Your Baby Can Read", we will work on D-O-G-S.......

let's see if we can get that graduation rate UP!!
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JC had the responsibility of oversight on both programs. It has been used to burn football coaches and if the NCAA felt that the programs had no responsibility, the penalties would not have been as harsh. He did not do his job as a coach and mentor.
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Lemme just add this to the discussion, before I get to the games, as readers of this thread already know where I stand on the Calipari/UK issue. As Jonathan states (albeit to put it a bit less prejudiciously), the job of head coach at Kentucky is AMONGST the best in all of college basketball. It is without question the most highly paid, as the $4 million they are giving Cal is greater than most NBA coaches receive. Yet, since the time of Rupp, said job has been a revolving door. Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, Billy Gillespie . . . did I forget a few in there? And with the possible exception of Pitino (who may just have gotten fed up with the crap), none of these could keep the job for very long, due to one of two reasons. Imprimis, they did not win enough to suit the boosters and fans, so were canned. Secundus, they got caught cheating, and were fired in order to sweep this under the Big Blue rug. Nota bene, I said CAUGHT cheating, as the act of cheating in itself, as viewed with the historical perspective of Wildcat hoops, is not the issue . . . it's getting caught that's the problem.

It is not a matter of hating UK basketball for winning: It is a matter of disgust at the attitude they have about doing so at whatever cost to the integrity of the game. If the UK fans don't like this perception, they should take it up with the Chancellor and the Deans of the University, not with me.

Back briefly, with actual hoops news.
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OK, as some of you may have noticed, there was some action on CBS last night which involved initials other than NCIS or CSI . . . namely, NCAA:

Butler 63 - Syracuse 59 = And another 1 bites, and another 1 bites, and another 1 bites the dust. Just as I said, the Syracuse zone can be beaten. And just as I said, Butler was not the team to do it. You read that right, for although the Bulldogs did manage to swing the ball around and get open looks, they missed a lot more of them than they made, and thus should have lost the game. However, I did not count on The Orange being totally incapable of holding onto the orange, and could not predict that they would have more turnovers than a bakery chef. Nor could I predict that they would be the first to panic, as they began to midway through the first half, and would begin to hoist up bad shots much too quickly in an attempt to erase their deficit all at once. When you put these 2 together, you realize why Butler got more shots than did the 'Cuse . . . yet did not hit any more! No, the Bulldogs were 21-52 with 6 threes, and the Orange were 21-48 with 7. The difference was at the line, and Butler's 15-21 was just enough to beat the 10-14 of Syracuse. Hey, you move the ball, you drive, you pass, you try to create, you use time, you get fouled. You run down the court and hoist up a prayer within 10 seconds, you don't. There was your game.

West Virginia 69 - Washington 56 = These two banged and pushed all night long, and the refs seemed to let them get away with it too . . . with the exception of Pondexter, that is. Yet though the Huskies' star had to sit out the end of the first half with 3 fouls, and never seemed to get his flow back in the second stanza, Washington hung tough in a close game for 2/3rds of the contest. But the Mountaineers have been a better team all year, and were again last night, making the plays they needed on both ends to build their lead and take the win.

Kentucky 62 - Cornell 45 = Do I really have to say it . . . again? Once the Wildcats got their rhythm and got the flow going, they were all over Cornell like mint on julip and quickly wiped out Big Red's early lead. That game was over by halftime . . . or so we thought. But once more, as they have done time and time and time and time and time again, the kittens took a 'Catnap, and bam!, Cornell was right back into it, down by as few as 6 with lots of time left. Yet Cal's yelling and screaming finally woke his litter up once more, and they managed to do just enough to make this appear to be no-contest . . . to those who did not watch it. A better, more talented team (can you say WVA?) might just have booted another 1 outta the Dance last evening. Cornell was not that squad. Congratulations to them for their stellar season, and too bad for these Cinderellas that their stars are on a lower sphere than those orbiting Lexington.

Kansas State 101- Xavier 96 (2OT) = What a game. What a freakin' game! There were nearly as many ties and lead changes as there were fouls (53 whistled in all), and neither team gave an inch. Often one feels bad for the team that loses such a matchup, but it's awfully hard to feel bad for the Musketeers who were bested in this duel, that's just how good a game it was. If you missed it . . . well, indeed, you did miss it. Now we'll see if K-State can recuperate in time to give us the same with Butler . . . who is a very similar team to those gritty X-Men.


And speaking of getting one's rest, did you get yours? Reason I ask, there are some more games starting soon:

Ohio State vs. Tennessee = Evan Turner is certainly one of the best individual players left in the field, and he alone may be capable of moving the Buckeyes past the Volunteers. As for the Vols, they did beat Kansas, thus could beat anyone on a given night. But as the men in orange have much less NCAA experience than do their distaff sisters . . . hey, it is called Summit Court, not Pearl . . . I'd say OSU has that edge going for them. Buckeyes by a bucket.

Baylor vs. St. Mary's = The Big 12 crowd wants us to consider this a NC, but the Gaels ain't gonna forfeit. They beat the crap out of perennial fixture Gonzaga a few weeks ago, and they have one thing in their favor the 'Zags never do . . . they do their talking on the court, not in the press. And let's face it: Baylor's not exactly a household-name powerhouse of college hoops itself. They are no more use to the spotlight as is St. Mary's. Might be a lot closer than you'd think. If the Bears are not in hibernation, I'd say they have a slim advantage.

Michigan State vs. Northern Iowa = The Spartans have been here before, in case you don't remember. As for the Panthers, it's virgin territory. This could be a factor, if their scrotes tighten up too much. But don't forget that MSU is without their star PG Kalin Lucas, and keep in mind how tough NI's man-to-man help defense can be. If you can't keep the ball, you can't score it . . . just ask Syracuse. After seeing what Northern Iowa can do, I'd call this a pick-'em.

Duke vs. Purdue = Now that Kansas is done, the Blue Devils have the best mix of talent, experience, and coaching. Sadly for them, that talent comes last in that list. No, it's not that they are bad, but they really do not have some outstanding athlete who can put a team on his back and carry them all if needed. They have good scorers, good defenders, good rebounders, yet none of them are NBA-lottery picks. As for Purdue, they have had difficulty scoring more than 50 points without Hummel figuring into their mix. And with the Dook D . . . maybe not quite their classic Wojo-in-your-sneakers stickiness, but pretty dang good nonetheless . . . it will be a problem for the Boilermakers to do so tonight. If this is played in the 70s or 80s, Duke will cruise to a win. If the iron is unkind and their shots won't drop, and Purdue can keep it in the 50s or 60s, the Boilermakers have a shot. The X-factor? Dook has gotten into the habit of falling on their faces about this time of year. Will these seniors want to get off that snide too badly, or just enough? Duke by 3 possessions, that's my call.

We'll talk more later. As for tonight, enjoy.
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It has been reported by "A. Source" that St. John's will interview Boston College head coace Al Skinner for that position previously filled by Norm Roberts, before he was fired after leading the Red Storm to a 17-16 record (6-12 Big East). Skinner led the Eagles to a 15-16 mark (6-10 ACC). Yeah, there's an upgrade for you.


And who exactly is this A. Source fella? Damn, he shows up EVERYWHERE!
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Wow!!! UT makes it's 1st Elite Eight. They just kept hanging around, and then Chism and Prince took it over. Looked like some bad calls against UT, too (I say that as a UT hater :-)). Nice play by UT.

Baylor is just kicking the crap outta St. Mary's.
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So let's get these two outta the way first:

Tennessee 76 - Ohio State 73 = I called this as being Buckeyes by a bucket, and it certainly had all the appearance of being just that. OSU had the late slim lead, and had the ball to boot. But with the chance to make me a prophet in their hands, they lost the handle and turned the ball over TWICE in the last minute. Even at that, they had the final shot with an opportunity to send the game into OT, yet they could not get it off, much less hit it. I won't call it a choke, as the Vols played a good game also, and deserve respect for the win. Considering all the stuff they had to play through this season, off the court and on, they earned it.

Baylor 72 - St. Mary's 49 = I had the fear that the Gaels would pucker up under the pressure of such a huge game, and they did just that. They did not play worth a puck. Yet give these guys some credit too. Prior to last week, the Gaels had not won an NCAA game since 1959. That is not meant to take anything away from the Bears, who did exactly what they needed to, and took control over the contest early and late, never giving St. Mary's a sniff. And they too had problems to play through this year, what with reduced scholarships, transfers out of the program, and the NCAA threatening to shut them down completely. Pre-season, they were predicted to be 10th in the Big 12. Now they have the chance to make the Final Four for their first time since 1950 . . . when there were only 8 teams in total competing.

Michigan State 59 - Northern Iowa 52 = Here was my "pick-'em" game, and it was pretty much just that. The magic for the Cinderella Panthers finally ran out, but they did not go easily. Their defense was as tough as ever, and had they hit a few freethrows they may have advanced. But they didn't, whereas the Spartans did hit the shots late they needed to once again advance. And although Izzo's path towards the Final Four is considerably easier than it was last year, he has still proven himself a near-master of March. Hey, you can't call him a TRUE master until he takes a few more trophies back to East Lansing.

Duke 70 - Purdue 57 = As I said, if the game was in the 70s up, Duke would win, and if it was in the 50s or 60s Purdue had a shot. Well, the Boilermakers did play in the 50s . . . thanks mainly to a few late "gimmes' by the Blue Devils D. Sadly for Purdue however, Dook made it to 70. So Coach K's squad avoids another early exit, and are in line to move on to their first FF since 2004. K said he'd rather be known as a "since" team than a "never" one, and because Baylor's sixty-year hiatus may as well be a "never", this will be an interesting matchup tomorrow.

But before tomorrow, we have tonight:

Kansas State vs. Butler = Didn't they just play this game? No, wait . . . that was Xavier, not Butler. Same diff. You can expect same game too. K-State has the edge in athletes, and Butler has a more polished team. Furthermore, these Wildcats are a middlin'-weak 2-seed, while Butler is a solid 5-seed with more experience . . . and even slightly moe success . . . in The Dance. I said before their last win that I'd give K-State one more W this season, but only one. However, that's when I expected them to face the Orange, not the Bulldogs. Yet fair is fair, so although my head is leaning towards K-State, I'll go with Butler in a squeeker.

Kentucky vs. West Virginia = Before Darryl Bryant went down this week (well, actually, on Selection Sunday, to be honest), I picked the Mountaineers to send Kentucky back to where damn few of their players hail from . . . namely, Kentucky. (To be fair, WVA has exactly as many players from West Virginia as does Kentucky . . . one. But that's another issue for another time.) Now? Now? What the hell, I'm gonna stick with that call. WVA has talent too, plus more experience, plus less of a tendency to fall asleep. Further, although I don't think either coach is truly a great teacher of the game, I do feel Huggins' screaming intensity is sometimes more effective than is Cal's laissez-faire "let 'em street-ball" attitude. WVA opens it up in the last 5 minutes, and knocks the 'Cats for a loop.

Then, to spark up your Palm Sunday afternoon, we have:

Tennessee vs. Michigan State = Here's a somewhat unlikely 5-6 matchup for a seat in Indy. And, to be totally frank about it, I don't know which way to go here. Both teams have played great games this season, and both teams have stunk the place up at times. Izzo has more experience in this type of contest, yet the Vols not only just beat another (and a better) Big Ten team but also have had bigger wins this year than have the Spartans. Hey, if you can beat both Kansas and Kentucky, you can beat anybody. OK, so I just convinced myself . . . Vols by a couple.

Duke vs. Baylor = Even were I not an ACC fan (see, not all Tar Heels hate the Pukes :-)), I'd have to go with the Blue Devils on this one. Dook has stumbled in recent times because they had a bad game, and were unable to do the things for 40 minutes which got them through the previous 30+ games. Well, they had that game last night, believe it or not, but since Purdue was even less effective than Duke, the Devils survived. Baylor has had an amazing run this season, and deserve kudos for their effort and success. That ends Sunday. It might be close, but Duke prevails.

I'll be back Monday afternoon to take my lumps. Until then, enjoy.
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Kevin Broadus, the suspended head coach of Binghamton University, has filed a racial discrimination complaint against the University, their acting AD, the SUNY Board of Trustees, and its chancellor. He claims the school is attempting to release him from his 5-year deal because he is African-American.

Of course, the fact that the program is under investigation for serious violations, such as the false enrollment of players and academic fraud on their behalf, and the fact that six of their players were dismissed from the program for these and other flaws . . . such as selling cocaine . . . had absolutely nothing to do with the coach losing his job. No, it is simply a matter of his race: scumbag.
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I think the game will be close. Baylor is not going to be a push over by any means. I'm just glad to see you on the good side Thomas. :-)

I hope UNC wins the NIT. :-)
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Or how about L-O-S-S...Syracuse fans might know about that :-)
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Butler is playing some fine ball this tourney. Nice win. Heck, Murray State has given them their closest game in this tourney, so far :-).

UK game is getting dicey for the faithful Blue...the outside shot is not falling in the 1st half, and WVU started waking up and hitting the outside jumpers about halfway through the half. We need to start seeing some "Ashley in the crowd" shots from CBS...she is good luck for UK!!! :-):-).

UT girls go down to Baylor earlier today. 10 blocked shots for the 6' 8" prizefighter.
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See what happens when they don't give us "Ashley shots"?!?!?!?

Sheesh! The Cats stunk, for the most part. Calipari didn't have them ready, couldn't buy a free throw, wouldn't/couldn't help out on defense, refused to abandon the ice-cold 3 point line, etc. No real full-court pressure till the last couple of minutes, for some reason. REAL bad time to go cold. WVU just plain out-played them, and deserved the win. I hope they stomp dook.


And I hope Butler wins it all, now. :-)
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Oh, and as much as I've enjoyed Enberg over the years, it's time he stepped down from announcing. Not real good tonight.
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As much I as understand the frustration with announcers that make mistakes and have obviously lost their edge, which Enberg would classify as, I still love him.

This has nothing to do with the point made above that Enberg has lost a step, I agree. For me I still love him. I think too much is often made of announcers that are past their prime. I will take Dick Enberg over his idiot partner Bilas and most of these other weak asses that are rolled out on a telecast.

Having Enberg doing the game and hearing his voice is just.....I don't know how to word it other than it is comfortable. It frustrates me like everyone else when they f up, but I guess I just don't mind when it comes down to it.

The best analogy I can use is Pat Summeral. As must as he struggled calling a game, hearing him on Sunday just felt right.

Rambling now, so I will stop. Again, not trying to stir any pot, just wanted to plant my flag in the land of loving the old school pros of broadcasting. The ones that made people take notice of the broadcaster in the first place.

For me the Enbergs, Summeralls, Michaels, K Jackson's, Gowdy's, Scully's, Caray's and Niehaus's(local flavor I know, but he is the chit) of the world will always have a mic open for them.

That is all. Looking forward to the games tomorrow, great games today. This has been one of the better tournaments in recent years no doubt.
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OH MY!!!!!!!!

There really are basketball gods, :-):-):-):-)
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Yup, the same gods that gave UK 7 basketball championships. We went from one of the worst teams in basketball to one of the best in count em...1 yr! All I can say is since you are such a hater, you better start praying to the god, cause championships 8,9,10,11 are not far away :-)
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Gonna be an interesting Final Four this year...props to all the teams in so far!
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Cannot believe I'm actually going to root for UT today :-):-):-).

I was really expecting more out of Calipari last night, and I was noticing some "loser" body language from the Cats, in the last part of the 2nd half, especially Cuz. I had kind of hope Patterson would be able to step up and give some more floor leadership in the second half also. I think he did okay, but okay is not enough at this point of the season; each game demands the best. I think I could have scored on those guys last night, and I can't walk and dribble at the same time :-).

It's going to be interesting to see what Patterson and the freshmen do now. For sure, Cuz could use another year to mature, and it wouldn't hurt Wall either. But I would not blame them for going on to the pros. I also think Patterson could benefit as a senior team leader, but not sure if he can do that with this team. I got the feeling Calipari has been looking to Wall for that leadership, instead of Patterson, this season. Playing for Billy G was no help to Patterson either, IMO.

UT/MSU now tipping off...enjoy!!!
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:-)

Glad it isn't all four #1's again, I like having some lower seeds in there. Was really pulling for Baylor, but it wasn't meant to be.
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:-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Go Duke
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