I don't know enough about Dickey (well, the coach, and not the poet) to know how good or bad he is. I do know a bit about Penders, and one of these is that he was not canned, but rather resigned. He said he has no plans to retire, but that it was time to move on to a different challenge after getting Houston back into the NCAA Tournament once more.

Hey, who am I to question the man's motives, or judgement?
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Now for the thing you've been waiting for, at least in part for some of you:

Dayton 79 - UNC 68 = Congratualtions to the Dayton Flyers for winning what might just be the last NIT Championship game ever played, ending a storied tradition that goes back to 1938. (In case you've missed it, the NCAA is contemplating an expansion of The Dance to 96 teams, which may finally pull the plug on the patient they've been trying to slaughter for the last 30 years - but that's another issue). As a Tar Heel, I say this with all sincerity, for a number of reasons. Not only did they play better in this game, thus deserve the victory, but they have spent a good part of the previous 40+ years since 1968 trying to win another NIT. As Dayton has little chance of ever winning the NCAA Tourney, this is in effect their "national championship", so it means a lot more to them than it ever could to UNC. Let's face it: Had the Heels won, their fans would have said "Eh, OK, good for them" while their detractors would have countered with "Big freakin' deal!" But now the Flyers can fully enjoy it, untainted with any negative vibes at all, and made all the sweeter in that they can crow to their children and grandchildren that they beat mighty Carolina for the crown.

As a good Tar Heel, I will never deny anyone else the right to their well-earned slice of glory and joy. :-), Dayton.
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There is apparently some sort of stink brewing in Lawrence regarding possible misuse of doner money and the illegal sale of tickets for personal gain. I read the full story as reported on Yahoo, but to be honest with you I could not make head-nor-tails of it. On the one hand someone has been dismissed or suspended, and Kansas is launching an investigation, but on the other they have sent out a massive e-mail to their doners that nothing is wrong, and that their contributions have not been misused. On the THIRD hand, the assure these doners that none of their money will be used to fund the investigation - of nothing. Or something? Who the hell knows? Obviously, neither I nor the Jayhawks do, at this point anyway.
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Don't let the official release fool ya. He was fired. They paid him the rest of his contract to leave.
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Could be. If so, they sure picked a poor time to do that.

The Indianapolis Star has apologized to Duke University for publishing a doctored photo of Mike Shuschef . . . uh, Kerzooks . . uh, Krzyzewski wearing devil's horns and with a target across his face. Coach K called it "juvenile", and was concerned that his seven grandkids would see it and lament "That's not Poppy!"

The Indy Star should know better. And Mikey should learn how to take a joke. :-)
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Can I take in some beers and wings.?

http://wcco.com/sports/ncaa.final.four.2.1607668.html
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Not that I condone it, but as a Colts and a Tarheel fan, there is a piece of me that was warm and fuzzy when I saw it.

To clarify though, as much as it pains me, I have nothing but the highest respect for Coach K and Duke University. (Fook, that hurt to type.)
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What struck me is that the Cameron Crazies are renowned - and LAUDED! - for pulling the same kind of stunts repeatedly, ad nauseum. Now Coach K gets bent outta shape when he reaps a bit of what he sows? Gimme a break. It was dumb of the paper to do it, but it was just as dumb to make an issue of it. Get over yourself, Coach.

Well, I guess spending $25 to see it 3D in New York is better than $2500 to see it 3D in Indy. :-)
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So, after . . . what, 5 or 6 thousand games? . . . it's down to only 3 more left:

Butler vs. Michigan State = When you have a pair of 5-seeds going up against each other, who the hell you gonna pick? Both teams are good, in their own way, yet neither is a dominating force. The Spartans have played well with Lucious taking over the point for the injured Lucas, but are not as good with him starting there, and are turned over more easily. As for the Bulldogs, they are capable of doing just that very thing, they have some nice offensive options themselves (hey, when you have a big who can shoot like Hayward, it's hard to stop them scoring), and play a team game which does not depend upon one or two superior athletes to carry the group to victory. Plus, they have the same home-court "advantage" the Spartans held last year, without the added pressure they had to face: Nobody is expecting Butler to rescue Indiana from its economic woes in the way some put that burden re Michigan's problems back then. Yes, that was silly, but you cannot say for certain it was not in the back of some Spartans' minds. On the other hand, this is entirely virgin territory for the Bulldogs, and they have doubtless faced more hype and attention in the last few days than they have ever ever seen. This goes for their coaches as well as the players. The oddsmakers have MSU the slightest of favorites, and for this final point alone I will agree. When the buzzer sounds, Izzo and the Spartans will get another shot on Monday night.

West Virginia vs. Duke = This one is much more of the matchup one might expect, as it pits a 1 against a 2-seed. The contrast between these two teams could hardly be more glaring. Da'Sean Butler wears No. 1 on his jersey, and fittingly so: He is far and away the best athlete on either team. In fact, the entire Mountaineer team can be said to be the same, as Duke has been characterized (not by me, but I see the point) as "spectacularly unathletic". On the other hand, and likely because of this, the Blue Devils do play better together as a team, since they have to to succeed. And though their scorers are not as flashy and touted as were Carolina's last year, they do have as many different options, which means if you are able to stop one of them two others can hurt you instead. Furthermore, consider this: If you could pick your coach to win a big game, which one would you choose, Huggins or K? Even the most fervent WVA fanatic must admit that's a no-brainer. Yet the X-factor in all this is the unfortunate loss of Bryant to injury a week back. So far Mazzulla has done well enough to advance the Mountaineers. But anyone who watched the last few minutes of their victory over Kentucky knows that WVA is having trouble against intense defensive pressure. That, my friends, is Duke's game and, unlike the Wildcats, they won't wait until the game is over before they try to turn up the heat. According to the odds, the Mountaineers are the smart bet. This I believe is because the oddsmakers look at NBA-caliber talent, which would make them correct. Me, I look at college-level team ability. Horns and all, Duke, by a bucket or so.
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Tommy Amaker has withdrawn his name from consideration as the new head coach of Boston College, stating that his heart is at Harvard.

Let's see now . . . a handful of years assisting Coach K at Dook, a handful as head at Seton Hall, another handful at Michigan, and now a handful at Hah'vaad . . . nope, he's wrong. It's time to move again, but Chestnut Hill's just a little too close to Cambridge for him. :-)
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He didn't make an issue of it. The paper called Duke before anyone said anything about it. Then in the press conference was asked about it. He never brought it up first. Besides he had a little fun with it. He was joking that he hoped it would have been a better drawing than it was because it looked like somebody just doodling.
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http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketb...-newspaperflap

I guess the part that says Coach K "was not amused" confused me into thinking that Coach K was not amused. Silly me.
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Lets go Spartans!!!
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They most certainly will, brother. Whether on, or home, remains to be seen. :-)
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That was what the reporter said, not K. When it quotes him, he is joking about it.
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OK, sure, whatever. You obviously know best, whereas I just report idiot opinions, including my own.


Nearly 30,000 fans showed up for Butler's shootaround in the Lucas yesterday, which is about 4 times their average attendance. Their coach, Brad Stevens, says it was probably good that his kids had a chance to "play" in front of such a huge crowd before their game tips off, to get them used to it. However, I think it might be a bit different when a huge chunk of the audience are NOT cheering you on.
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It is just over an hour before Butler and the baby-faced Stevens tipoff against the Spartans and the - relatively, anyway - grizzled Izzo. After that, we'll have our Duke/WVA nightcap, then we'll know who will face off Monday night for all the marbles. But now it's time for me to go, so no matter which way you wish to root - enjoy.
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RIF.
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Congrats to Butler! Downed 2 MSU's in one tourney.
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Well....Lets go Butler, beat the Dookies. Who would have thought Butler and Duke in the Championship. Its been a very good tourney!
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