Cougar Madness 2010

Take a look at the bracket here and have fun with it!

thundertreats.com
3/15/10

Fisher gets right to work at Florida State

The future arrived for Florida State a year earlier than expected.

When the Seminoles announced Jimbo Fisher as Bobby Bowden's eventual successor at the end of the 2007 season, the popular notion was that Bowden would continue coaching the Seminoles through 2010 before ending his legendary career.

Bowden instead was forced out in the wake of a 37-10 defeat at Florida -- the Seminoles' fifth consecutive loss to their archrivals -- that capped a 6-6 regular season. Florida State sent Bowden out a winner with a Gator Bowl victory over West Virginia and now ushers in a new era.

Fisher went right to work by overhauling the coaching staff and attracting the nation's 10th-ranked recruiting class. Now he must go to work retooling a defense that gave up 30 points per game last season.

Here's a look at the Seminoles as they head into spring practice.

collegefootball.rivals.com
3/16/10

How to Skip Work on Thursday & Friday

We've long advocated the same strategy. 1) Don't go around the office talking about your brackets to everyone on Monday. It'll just put the spotlight on you. Better move - mention that you got "caught in the rain" this weekend after going to a movie/wedding/whatever. 2) On Tuesday, feign illness - but not too much. A sneeze here, a cough there, and some sniffling when necessary. 3) Wednesday is when you really ham it up and bring on the cold. People will say, "oh man, it must have gotten worse overnight." The Tuesday pre-sick is crucial to set up Wednesday. 4) Thursday, call in sick. Enjoy the tournament. If you can stretch it to Friday, great. Worse case scenario - you have to go in Friday, but take a long late lunch so you catch the final 10 minutes of the first set of games and the first 10 minutes of the second set of games.

Chef Ben Benedict
3/16/10

Four Teams That Could Bust Up Your Bracket

Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and Syracuse; we all know the stories behind the major players in this years tournament.

Villanova, Ohio State, Georgetown, and Michigan State most can relate to, but what about everyone else?

There's something different about this year's March Madness, and it isn't the exclusion of North Carolina, Connecticut, and UCLA that I'm speaking about. It's the saturation of mid-level talent that has completely taken over and captured the interest of every college basketball fan around the nation.

BleacherReport.com
3/16/10

Kansas faces numerous obstacles

The selection committee named Kansas its overall No. 1 seed, and then set so many hurdles on the track to Indianapolis that Edwin Moses might stumble. KU's No. 4 seed is the ACC co-champion, Maryland. Its No. 5 seed is the Big Tentri-champion, Michigan State.
Its No. 2 seed features the best player in America, Ohio State point guard Evan Turner. Georgetown isn't the most consistent of the No. 3 seeds, but it's the most talented. Kansas is the best team — why give it the most difficult draw of all the No. 1 seeds?

SportingNews.com
3/16/10

Tiger Woods keeps PGA in suspense over return to golf

Woods has been seen working with his coach Hank Haney, further fuelling expectations of a return before or at the Masters.

"If he wasn't going to play for six months, why would Hank be there?" said the Australian player Robert Allenby, a Florida neighbour of Woods. "I look at that as maybe he's getting ready."

The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill is run by Woods's management company, International Management Group, but the tournament director Scott Wellington said he has not heard from the player's agent, Mark Steinberg.

Guardian.co.uk
3/16/10

Does LT only make the Jets weaker?

I know, I know: Tomlinson is being asked to assume only a supporting role, to mentor Shonn Greene, to catch a few passes out of the backfield and, on a third down here and there, to make those soon-to-be 31-year-old wheels burn like they did in his San Diego prime.

But here’s the best way to judge this Jones-for-Tomlinson trade, even if Jones was fired before Tomlinson decided to bet the twilight of his Hall of Fame career on the Jets:

Who would you rather have on your team, right now, after the 2009 season left the Jets’ 2010 mission statement a Super Bowl-or-bust proposition?

NorthJersey.com
3/16/10

Ranking the field of 65: Kansas most likely to win it all

This might be the most misunderstood exercise we undertake every year. So we'll try to explain it again: This ranking is based entirely on a team's potential to win the NCAA championship. That's it. Not what kind of season a team has had. Not how pleasant the coach is with the media.
The factors that go into a team's potential to win it all include pro-level talent, point guard play, coaching acumen and the difficulty of a team's draw.

SportingNews.com
3/16/10

Oregon QB Masoli suspended for next season

Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was suspended Friday for the upcoming season by coach Chip Kelly after pleading guilty to second-degree burglary in the theft of a pair of laptops and a guitar from a campus fraternity.

Masoli, who had been mentioned as a potential Heisman candidate, will remain on scholarship with the Ducks.

“He does have a redshirt season available to him if he chooses to do that,” Kelly said.

Kelly announced the suspension just hours after Masoli appeared in Lane County Circuit Court to answer to the burglary charge.

Rivals.com
3/16/10

NCAA caves to TV pressure by going easy on Duke

The experts on CBS and ESPN were not at liberty Sunday night to explain to you why the NCAA Tournament selection committee treated Duke like the No. 1 overall seed rather than Kansas, the nation’s best basketball team.

The explanation is simple: Duke is television ratings gold, and the NCAA is in the process of negotiating a new TV contract for its prized tournament.

CBS, the current rights holder, and ESPN, America’s 24-hour national sports network — along with several other networks — are currently participating in the contract negotiations. It’s a high-stakes affair. CBS paid $6 billion to exclusively broadcast the event for the last 11 years.

KansasCity.com
3/16/10

Hey NCAA, No Need to Stop at 96
Possibly Expanding the Tournament by Nearly 50% Is a Cop-Out; Let's Let Everyone in

Ever go to a friend's 45th birthday party, and somebody decides it'd be a swell idea to jam 45 candles on the birthday cake, and the first 10 candles fit nice and orderly, but by the time you're wedging the 43rd and 44th candle into the cake, the surface is crammed like a subway car, and you can no longer see the icing, much less the pretty HAPPY BIRTHDAY written in cursive, and when you light it, it ignites like a Viking funeral pyre, and when you carry it out to the living room, your 45-year-old friend appears completely horrified, with a look that says: "I love you guys, but why are you singing and sticking a scary giant fireball in front of my face?"

That's how we feel about a 96-team NCAA men's basketball tournament.

USAToday.com
3/16/10

Efficient '85 Villanova team mounted tourney's greatest upset

"After we beat Memphis State in our semifinal and then Georgetown beat St. John's, we were over the moon," says Dwayne McClain, a senior forward on that Wildcats team. "We knew we could play with Georgetown. St. John's had beaten us three times that year, and we had more trouble with them.

"We wanted to play Georgetown."

And so the Wildcats did, 25 years ago April 1, and wrote their names in the record book.

The 1984-85 season is remembered as the one when St. John's and Georgetown passed the No. 1 ranking back and forth during the year and smart alecks were asking, as March neared its conclusion, why the Big East was playing a late-season tournament in Lexington, Ky., and who invited the Memphis State Tigers to it, anyway.

USAToday.com
3/16/10

Your one-stop shop for help to win your NCAA tournament pool

With the NCAA tournament field all set and ready to roll, it's time to turn our attention to picking the brackets -- and more importantly -- helping you win your office pool.

With that, we welcome you to our one-stop shop for everything you'll need to take home the top prize.

Tim picks Kentucky to cut down the nets in Indianapolis and has two surprises in the Final Four while Eddie puts his money on overall No. 1 seed Kansas and has three No. 1 seeds in his Final Four.

USAToday.com
3/16/10

What's the biggest spring story in the SEC?

While many eyes will be on Florida as it looks to replace Tim Tebow, I am more interested in what is going on at Georgia. This is a huge season for Bulldogs coach Mark Richt. He overhauled his defensive staff, canning coordinator Willie Martinez, ends coach Jon Fabris and linebackers coach John Jancek, and hired Dallas Cowboys assistant Todd Grantham as coordinator, Warren Belin as linebackers coach and Scott Lakatos as secondary coach. The lone holdover on the defensive staff is line coach Rodney Garner. Grantham is the key guy: He arrives with an extensive NFL background and will install a 3-4 defense. Will the players adapt quickly? The offense also has issues as it looks for a quarterback. It's a three-man race between Logan Gray and redshirt freshmen Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger. This is Richt's biggest spring in Athens.

Rivals.com
3/15/10

More Parity Atop the Bracket, but Less Talent on the Bubble

The N.C.A.A. revealed the 65-team field for its men’s basketball tournament on Sunday amid vigorous discussions about significantly changing this rite of March by adding 31 teams. Yet the assembling of this year’s field was perhaps defined by the undistinguished nature of the teams on the tournament’s bubble.

Among the final teams to receive bids were Utah State, Florida and Minnesota, none of which had a particularly impressive résumé. Jay Bilas of ESPN called it the weakest field in the history of the tournament.

nytimes.com
3/14/10

Kansas is my favorite, but its road to Indy is chock full of roadblocks

If the past four days of basketball were any indicator, we're about to be treated to an NCAA tournament full of One Shining Moments. From Evan Turner's 37-footer to Da'Sean Butler's game-winners, DeMarcus Cousins' put-back and Jon Scheyer's dagger, this year's conference tournaments were a showcase for some of the nation's most clutch individual performers.
If the past four months of basketball were any indicator, we're also about to be treated to a Rock Chalk Final Four. There are good teams scattered all over this year's tourney, but only Kansas has been truly great over the course of this season.
The Jayhawks are my overwhelming favorites to cut down the nets in Indianapolis come April 5. Or at least they were, right up until CBS unveiled the bracket

si.com
3/14/10

Star coach, player will light Kentucky's way to NCAA title

Unpredictability is what this year's March Madness will be all about! That's why, hoop fanatics, it will be absolutely awesome, baby, with a capital A!
What makes this tourney so remarkable is you must win six games in a row, and that, my friends, is a major, major task. In fact, I wholeheartedly agree with my ESPN buddies and colleagues — the General, Robert Montgomery Knight; and Jay Bilas— that it is without question one of the most difficult challenges in all of sports.

Oh, baby, do you think it is heartbreak hotel for Virginia Tech, Illinois, Mississippi State and Rhode Island. The NCAA selection committee has sent out their golden invites to the greatest sporting event of them all, and, as occurs every year, Nos. 66 and 67 will feel an injustice has been served.

usatoday.com
3/14/10

Rodriguez running out of time at Michigan

Technically, Michigan improved in Year Two under Rich Rodriguez, going from 3-9 in 2008 to 5-7 last season. But the Wolverines won just one Big Ten game to finish tied for 10th in the league after a ninth-place finish (2-6) in 2008.

The offense showed signs of life last fall, ranking seventh in the Big Ten (384.5 ypg) and third in scoring (29.5 ppg). In 2008, Michigan had the worst offense in the league (290.8 ypg) and also finished last in scoring (20.3 ppg).

To take the next step, Michigan must improve its defense and add the finishing touches - i.e., finding a running back - to what should be a productive offense.

Rivals.com
2/15/10

Rebel Without Applause: Ole Miss Shedding Light on Ethics

Before you start judging Ole Miss, look around the country, they aren't the only university, or pro team for that matter, in need of an identity makeover, but for the moment they are the only one sitting in the barber's chair.

The most basic argument is; who is in need and who is not, and whether or not sensitivity is an issue, or whether or not we should stop wearing our hearts on our sleeves.

BleaherReport.com
3/15/10

Does Tim Tebow Make Sense for the Cleveland Browns Now?

Let's also address the elephant in the room in Tim Tebow, Hello Tim!

With Delhomme most likely already pencilled in as the Browns starter, Team President Mike Holmgren now can take a quarterback higher in the draft and put him behind a solid veteran.

Delhomme, despite his 2009 season, has had a pretty good career, so he'll be a good mentor to whomever Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert decide to draft. That's Delhomme's upside in this situation.

Plus, if the Browns wait until the second or third round to take a quarterback, there's less pressure to get the guy on the field immediately.

BleacherReport.com
3/15/10

2010 NCAA tournament is a wide-open affair

There are three-to-five teams that most impressed during the regular season and even those carry significant questions into the tournament.

After that, it’s anyone’s guess. Yahoo’s Tournament Pick’em will give you $1 million if you can perfectly predict the bracket. It’s never happened before and I think Yahoo’s money is safer than ever this year. March Madness is popular due to its upsets and upstarts and this year it won’t disappoint.

The first four days of the tournament may produce more unexpected results than ever. Get ready for the woman in accounting that bases her picks on state flowers to walk away with the money.

Rivals.com
3/15/10

NCAA Tournament bracket winners and losers: South full of winners who got better than they deserved

The Volunteers, who have wins over Kansas and Kentucky, the top two seeds in the NCAA Tournament and the Nos. 1 and 2 in the RPI, earned an RPI of 14. They were given a No. 6 seed, the same as a Notre Dame team that finished 49th in the RPI and, as mentioned earlier, lost at home to RPI 175 Loyola Marymount (did the committee just ignore that one?).
It's hard to tell why the committee punished a Tennessee team that should have been closer to a 4 seed than a 6 seed.

SporrtingNews.com
3/15/10

Reid to work out at LSU Monday

HOUSTON -- Bobby Reid hasn't played football since a 2008 injury, but the former Oklahoma State quarterback might get another chance at reviving his once-promising career.
Reid, who became known more for Mike Gundy's now infamous "I'm a man. I'm 40" rant than his athletic ability, will take part in LSU's pro day Monday with hopes that an NFL team will give him a chance to get back to doing what he loves.
"I'm excited," he said. "I'm past excited. I'm getting ready to go. I've been training so long and I'm ready to let it fly on Monday."
LSU coach Les Miles recruited Reid to Oklahoma State and when the player asked his former coach if he could participate in LSU's pro day, he happily agreed.

SportingNews.com
3/15/10

Ten Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out Your 2010 NCAA Tourney Bracket

Thousands of people will start filling out their brackets, trying to determine which team will win the national championship this year.

For some fans, filling out their bracket is little more than a guessing game from familiar school names. They enter without a clear focus or specific strategy, and almost no knowledge of what has transpired in college basketball this season.

For others, filling out the bracket is a science full of complex equations and statistical analysis. After the tournament selections are announced, they spend hours upon hours crunching numbers to determine which team has the best odds of winning.

BleacherReport.com
3/15/10

Coach's decision a head-turner: Oregon

What were you thinking, Oregon coach Chip Kelly?

You suspended your starting quarterback for the entire season when you're about to bring back the bulk of a team that won the Pac-10 title last year. Your Ducks were on the short list to compete for a national title in 2010. The designers at Nike headquarters -- less than two hours north on Interstate 5 -- had probably already started designing Swoosh-covered championship T-shirts. But no-o-o-o-o. You had to suspend Jeremiah Masoli for the entire season. And why?

si.com
3/12/10

Vanderbilt Coach Kevin Stallings accepts blame for loss

"We had the wrong guys doing the wrong things. Guys weren't playing to their strengths and that's my fault,'' Stallings said. "It's my fault that I had guys in a position where they are not ordinarily successful.''

Some was caused by Mississippi State's tenacious defense that often took Vanderbilt out of its comfort zone all day on offense.

A prime example was the clamp-down job Shelbyville's Barry Stewart did on Vanderbilt freshman John Jenkins.

TheTennessean.com
3/15/10

In NCAA tournament, lack of quality at-large teams keeps them all on the bubble

"In most years you'll see teams really come forward and grab hold of spots," Shaver said. "We have seen a number of teams miss opportunities this year."

Shaver's assistants text him hour-by-hour updates on other crucial games nationwide. Bad news came Friday because of wins by San Diego State and Minnesota. Worse news arrived Saturday, when Shaver called a reporter who told him Houston had just upset Texas-El Paso in the Conference USA tournament final, an outcome that could put two Conference USA teams in the field.

"Did they really?" he said. "That's a son of a gun, huh?"

There is a notion that some "seriously think William & Mary should get in with three sub-200 RPI losses," Palm said. "That thought alone tells you how desperate people are to find teams to put in."

rivals.com
3/15/10

Roethlisberger's Bad Judgment

It would be a mistake to dismiss this as just another “he said, she said” case that will soon fade away. Perhaps it will, but we don’t know that. If the investigators find evidence of an injury to the victim that could only result from a forcible sexual assault, Roethlisberger is in serious trouble.

We’ve seen superstar athletes such as Kobe Bryant walk away from similar scrapes pretty much unscathed. But we also saw Mike Tyson go to prison for three years. The justice system is a tricky thing, even for the rich and famous. That’s why the Steelers and their fans are holding their breath.

CSNPhilly.com
3/15/10

Mississippi St. will be exposed to 'blue dust'

The doors at Bridgestone Arena should include a warning label for those not of a Big Blue bent.
SEC Tournament — Enter At Your Own Risk
To its credit, Mississippi State appears undaunted. At noon today, the Bulldogs will try to prevent Kentucky from completing a sweep of the SEC regular-season and tournament titles.
"We're the kind of team that likes a challenge," said Bulldogs guard Barry Stewart, a senior from Shelbyville.

tennessean.com
3/14/10

Emmitt Smith now the lead blocker for Darryl Perry's run to daylight

Darryl Perry used to lead the way for Emmitt Smith.

Now Emmitt Smith is leading the way for Darryl Perry.
"When there are trials and tribulations in life, you show up and support the people you care about," Emmitt says. "… There's a connection that Darryl and I have always had."
It started in college at the University of Florida, where Perry, a pulverizing fullback from Orlando Jones High School, blew open holes for Smith and helped his backfield mate become everybody's All-American.

orlandosentinel.com
3/13/10

Urban Meyer at Orlando function: “I feel good and I’m ready to go.”

I’m no doctor, but Urban Meyer sure looked good to me after his much-publicized leave of absence. He looked rested. He laughed and joked and hugged Emmitt Smith and other ex-Gators at a fundraiser Friday night for former University of Florida player Darryl Perry.
And he declared himself rarin’ and ready to coach:
“I feel good and I’m ready to go,” Meyer said during a brief interview at the Marriott World Center.

Said former Gator and Meyer friend Jack Youngblood in an earlier interview: “Urban can’t wait to get back out there and coach.”

orlandosentinel.com
3/13/10

Roethlisberger: "Criminal" or "Idiot"

Bill Plaschke, a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times, told CBS News, "At the worst he's a criminal and the very least he's an idiot, whose conviction should be a bad judgment."

Sources say Roethlisberger has told police he had sexual contact with the 20-year-old woman who is accusing him of assault in a Georgia nightclub. He denies having intercourse or assaulting her.

Ed Garland, Roethlisberger's defense attorney, has said, "Our position, as we have stated, is that there was no crime committed by Ben and we expect the facts will show that and clearly prove that."

Plenty of high profile athletes manage to keep their reputations squeaky clean, like Derek Jeter and LeBron James, but there are also those who find themselves in trouble.

CBSNews.com
3/12/10

Why Is It Easy Come, Easy Go for College Football Coaches?

Over two thirds of all college coaches have been on the job for less than five years.

Yep, that’s right. The guy sitting in the recruit’s living room, schmoozing his mama and playing up to his papa will, if you play the odds, likely not be there when Junior reaches the end of his eligibility.

Why is this?

There are a variety of reasons why coaches leave. Some are their own decision, sometimes the decision is made for them, and at other times it’s mutual.

BleacherReport.com
3/12/10

If Tim Tebow is Dumb, What is Jimmy Clausen?

News recently broke about the NFL Combine 's Wonderlic Test, which tests NFL prospect's intelligence in a 50-question test that is conducted within a 12-minute time frame.

It's been flying all over ESPN and major sports sites lately that Florida's Tim Tebow recorded a 22 on his Wonderlic, adding just one more knock to the quarterback's already mountainous wall preventing him from being a first-round pick, let alone an NFL quarterback.

BleacherReport.com
3/12/10

Gasp! Mike Leach Curses at His Players Like Most Coaches

Where do you even begin? First, Leach's (somewhat rough) quotation is from Revelation 3:16, which reads "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.," in the New International Version of the Bible. Or do we point and chuckle at the fact that Leach is cool with his players praying ... so long as it's directed toward football. I'm guessing his characterization of religious players as "God Squad" guys will maybe take a few people back. On the plus side, we all learned a valuable lesson: If you're not totally focused on offense, defense or special teams, you're "defying the book." (I was unable to find the scripture passage on that one, Coach Leach.

SportingNews.com
3/12/10

Butler’s 3 lifts West Virginia in Big East tourney

NEW YORK (AP)—The Big East’s day of quarterfinal upsets ended with an unlikely long shot.

West Virginia became the only one of the conference’s top four seeds to advance to the semifinals when Da’Sean Butler took an inbounds pass and banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the seventh-ranked Mountaineers a 54-51 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday night.

The third-seeded Mountaineers (25-6) will face seventh-seeded Notre Dame, which beat second-seeded Pittsburgh, on Friday night.

Rivals.com
3/12/10

Tide working toward repeat performance

Ladies and gentlemen, here's the next potential dynasty in college football.

Alabama has gone 26-2 the past two seasons. What will Nick Saban's defending national champion need to do to keep its engine roaring? Develop the defense.

Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart -- perhaps the hottest assistant in the nation, a guy who was wooed by Georgia and Tennessee in the offseason -- must replace nine fulltime starters, including two who left early for the NFL: linebacker Rolando McClain and cornerback Kareem Jackson.

There is talent on defense, but the Tide may have to keep things simple from a scheme standpoint early on and rely on a veteran offense to carry the load.

Rivals.com
3/12/10

Polynice reportedly had been unhappy with dwindling playing time. In the game before his suspension, he played 17 minutes in a win over LSU." title="Notebook Kennedy: Eniel Polynice back today">Notebook Kennedy: Eniel Polynice back today

NASHVILLE -- Ole Miss basketball coach Andy Kennedy said Thursday that guard Eniel Polynice, suspended for the last regular season game at Arkansas last weekend, will be back in uniform for today's SEC tournament quarterfinal game against Tennessee here in Bridgestone Arena.

"He had to do some things, but he's back," Kennedy said of Polynice. "It had to do strictly with his attitude. He'll be dressed, ready to roll, and we'll see how the game unfolds."

Polynice reportedly had been unhappy with dwindling playing time. In the game before his suspension, he played 17 minutes in a win over LSU.

CommercialAppeal.com
3/12/10

LSU plans for Shepard among five developments to watch this spring
Position changes and new starters are par for the course in spring practice. Here's a fistful of storylines we'll be keeping an eye on -- and why you should, too.

The plan was for LSU's Russell Shepard to remind fans of fellow Houston-ite Vince Young. But Shepard's move to receiver has him eyeing a new role model -- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin.

"I love watching his game," Shepard said. "He's a very physical-type player, he played through injuries. I have to look at guys like that."

Shepard, a top quarterback recruit, spent last season as LSU's enigma. A true freshman, he moonlighted behind center, mostly as a runner, before asking coach Les Miles for a position switch.

SportingNews.com
3/12/10

Roethlisberger, Massa, Ensign, Woods: Sex, power and sports

In a week when David Letterman avoided an extortion trial involving his in-house affairs, when Tiger Woods is said to have hired Ari Fleischer to do damage control over his parade of mistresses, when the Eric Massa tale turned more serious with questions of seeking out young male staffers, Big Ben is in trouble -- again.

The story broke last weekend that a college student had accused Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her at a Georgia dance club. His agent put out a statement pooh-poohing the allegation and saying that "we are skeptical of motive." All that happened was that "Ben and his friends met a group of women and everyone mingled together throughout the evening."

WashingtonPost.com
3/12/10

Notre Dame in the clear for NCAAs after win; Memphis hurting

Congratulations to Notre Dame, which ended any doubt about its NCAA Tournament status by beating Pitt. The Irish may have been OK with a loss, but that's moot now.
One of the big side benefactors to today's series of Big East upsets could be West Virginia. The Mountaineers are strongly in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs, and now would only have to get past Cincinnati, Notre Dame and the Georgetown/Marquette winner to take the Big East Tournament. All the upsets, though, mean the Mountaineers won't be getting another marquee win along the way

SI.com
3/12/10

SEC can earn respect with March run

People don't say these things about Urban Meyer's league. They'd be afraid to even whisper it around Nick Saban. Steve Spurrier would smirk -- and toss a visor at you.

But this is basketball, not football, the sport that gives the Southeastern Conference its national swagger. There is no reason to whisper what people are saying about the league:

The SEC has some work to do this month to regain its status as a major player in college basketball.

FoxNews.com
3/12/10

Gotta Go to Modell for NFL Labor Solution

Former Ravens president David Modell says the NFL's looming labor woes are easy to solve—just make him the "czar" of a new committee. In an essay to be published online, Mr. Modell, now a businessman and commentator, would split all NFL revenue equally among owners and penalize teams that don't try hard enough to contribute. He also wants Steelers owner Dan Rooney, serving as ambassador to Ireland, to come home. "What the heck is he doing in Ireland when we need him?" asks Mr. Modell. The Steelers had no comment.

WSJ.com
3/12/10

Senators seeking details of BCS finances

Two senators from Western states are again asking the Bowl Championship Series for answers — and this time they want to know about money.

A letter, signed by Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, and Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, was posted Wednesday on Hatch’s Web site. It asks for details about how the BCS calculates which conferences get automatic bowl bids, how money will be divvied up under a new TV deal and what sort of legal status the organization has.

“Legal and antitrust concerns aside, I think it’s clear that the BCS is fundamentally unfair and harmful to schools, students, college football fans and consumers throughout the country,” Hatch said in a news release. “At the very least, I think the architects of the BCS should provide the public with more information to dispel the notion that the system is explicitly designed to favor certain teams while disfavoring others

KansasCity.com
3/12/10

Duke's next step remains a question

In just two seasons, Duke coach David Cutcliffe has elevated the program to a level of respectability it hasn’t seen in over a decade. In 2008, Cutcliffe led the Blue Devils to a 4-8 overall record, matching the program’s win total from the previous four seasons combined. Last year, Duke finished 5-7, the most wins the program has seen since 1994.

Now, as Cutcliffe is in the midst of his third spring in Durham, he is always prepared for one question before it is even asked: Is a bowl game next?

ESPN.com
3/12/10

Tiger Woods likely to return from hiatus at Masters

MIAMI - Tiger Woods will not make his return at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, despite a published report and rampant speculation, according to two separate outlets.

The Associated Press quoted two sources close to the situation who said, on condition of anonymity, that Woods is "likely to play first" at the Masters.

The AP report came on the heels of a similar report on FoxSports.com by Robert Lusetich, who is finishing a book on Woods and said he felt strong enough about his sources "to put my name on it."

Woods would be forgoing what could be a circus atmosphere at Arnie's event in Orlando for the secure environment of Augusta National, which has already closed its credentials list for this year's Masters. In other words, the supermarket tabloids and TMZs of the world would be kept outside the gates on Washington Rd., just as Martha Burk and her protesters were in 2006. There are several entrances into the Bay Hill development that might be more difficult to patr

NYDailyNews.com
3/12/10

The Best of Bloody Marys-Out of Bounds on ESPN 105.9 The Zone

We asked, you came through. Here's a list of some of the best Bloody Marys from around the region and beyond, as defined by our listeners.

Napoleon House- New Orleans
Whale's Tail- Destin, Florida
Crescent City/Mahogany Bar- Hattiesburg
The Superdome
Pelican Cove- Reservoir
The Grove 'after another loss to Alabama'- Oxford
19th Hole- Jackson Country Club
The Venetian Sports Book- Vegas
Soggy Dollar Bar- British Virgin Islands
The Grasshopper- Amsterdam
Energy Club- New Orleans
Bully's Bar- LaPlace, LA

Bama Fans Will Do Anything for Season Tickets, Will Likely End Up in Prison

In a materialistic world, people are driven to monumental lengths to obtain the finer things in life. Luxury cars, first class travel, lavish clothing and gifts…these are the things that can be achieved with hard work, great personal sacrifice, and even a little luck. But when Alabama football season tickets are part of those “finer things”, damn the luck, lets get to check forgin’!

friendsoftheprogram.net
3/10/10

Woods hires ex-Bush aide to prep for return in two weeks

MIAMI — Tiger Woods has summoned someone even more significant than swing coach Hank Haney to help facilitate his wildly anticipated comeback.
Two sources in the golf community have told The Post that Ari Fleischer, the former presidential advisor to George W. Bush and the man who was brought in to help repair the steroid-shattered image of Mark McGwire, has been huddling with Woods, plotting a strategy for his return to golf — at the Arnold Palmer Invitational starting March 25 at Bay Hill in Orlando.
“They were in his living room this week going over a strategy for how to handle Bay Hill in two weeks,” one source told The Post.

NYPost.com
3/11/10

How "smart" is Tim Tebow?
Tim Tebow lags behind other top QB prospects on Wonderlic

According to The Palm Beach Post, Tebow scored a 22 (out of 50) on the Wonderlic test, supposedly a barometer for intelligence. The average for NFL QBs is 24, though expected starters in 2010 averaged out close to 28.5. The last seven Super Bowl winners? They come in at 30.1 (Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Drew Brees).

The scores for this year's top prospects:

Sam Bradford -- 36
Colt McCoy -- 25
Jimmy Clausen -- 23
Tebow graduated from Florida with a 3.66 GPA. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner has also earned the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy, better known as the "Academic Heisman."

USAToday.com
3/11/10

SEC Tournament preview: Kentucky recaptures royal role

"We'd like to win the tournament, but it's not the end-all for us," Calipari said. "Our goal is that seed. We lose the first game, we're not going to be a (No. 1) seed. If we lose the second, I think we've done enough. We get to the third game, we're fine. If we win it, we're fine."

Not that long ago, the SEC Tournament was owned by the Wildcats, who won 10 of 13 titles during a stretch that lasted from 1992 to 2004.

Under coaches Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith, Kentucky's roster was always overflowing with NBA talent. Guys such as Antoine Walker, Jamal Mashburn, Walter McCarty, Scott Padgett, Ron Mercer and Tony Delk overwhelmed opponents with superior skill.

ClarionLedger.com
3/11/10

Louisville may be in trouble after losing to Cincy

Louisville could be the surprise snub of Selection Sunday. The Cardinals better hope the committee really values the two monster wins over Syracuse, because there's nothing else impressive in their resume. If teams behind them in the pecking order (like Ole Miss, Washington/Arizona State, Florida/Miss. State, Illinois, etc.) win some games in the next few days, this could get very close.

SI.com
3/11/10

Vaughn leads Cincinnati over Louisville

NEW YORK (AP)—Cincinnati has rebounded quite well in getting comfortable at the Big East tournament.

The 11th-seeded Bearcats again used a huge advantage on the boards to beat sixth-seeded Louisville 69-66 on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals. They are the only team to play in the opening round still playing, and it was rebounding that keyed both close wins.

“We can rebound the ball when we get shots off,” Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. “When we get the ball in the paint, we get it on the rim, we can rebound the ball."

Rivals.com
3/11/10

Is Iron Mike making a comeback?

King has ruled out a third clash with Evander Holyfield, but has not dismissed the possibility of Tyson pulling on his gloves once more, The Sun reports.

Speaking to espn.com, King said: "I ain't ready to comment on Tyson returning. But read between the lines. It really is something isn't it, all the interest there is in him?"

At the age of 43, Tyson is far from fighting fit. But King is right to claim boxing fans are still intrigued by the controversial star.

TimesofIndia.com
3/11/10

Head of BCS fires back at senators who sent letter

WASHINGTON -- The head of the Bowl Championship Series thinks Congress "has more important things to do" than look into the way his group distributes money to college football conferences.
Still, BCS executive director Bill Hancock said Wednesday he will respond to a question-filled letter sent to him by two U.S. senators.
"I'm looking forward to taking a longer look at the letter. I sure do think that Congress has more important things to do, with all the issues facing our country," Hancock said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "The BCS is fair. Access is fair. Revenue is distributed fairly. And frankly, we welcome the opportunity to tell our story every chance we get."

SportingNews.com
3/11/10

Shanoff's WUC: NCAA Bubble Gets Interesting

— Bubble Watch: Is Louisville out after losing to Cincinnati last night? Unlikely, but their position on the bubble became a lot more precarious. (Cincy isn't close to in, but gets a great "Huggins reunion" game vs. WVU.)

— Definitely Out: Seton Hall, after losing a must-win against Notre Dame. Meanwhile, San Diego State is in a similar must-win today in the Mountain West quarters. (Memphis is, too, in the C-USA Qtrs.)

— The Big East Quarters, despite not having L'ville, feels more loaded than an NCAA sub-regional: No less than seven Dance-quality teams, headlined by Syracuse-G'town. (Plus: Marquette-‘Nova, Pitt-Notre Dame, WVU-Cincy.)

SportingNews.com
3/11/10

NCAA Final Four will be CBS' first foray into 3D broadcasting

Now that you've spent money on high-def TV, here's the latest attempt to prime you to pony up more for The Next Big Thing: CBS will have 3D coverage, in theaters, of the NCAA men's basketball Final Four.
Sean McManus, who oversees CBS' sports and news divisions, says that coverage will be "a separate production" — using announcers Dave Ryan and Steve Lappas — from CBS' TV coverage. And he says the 3D NCAA basketball, shown in about 100 theaters, is the only event that CBS now plans to carry in 3D.

USAToday.com
3/11/10

Report: Seahawks interested in McNabb, Kolb

The Seahawks have been contacting the Eagles "non-stop" about Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb, ESPN's Sal Paolantonio said during a Tuesday radio appearance.
Paolantonio, a former Eagles beat reporter, went on to say that he firmly believes McNabb will be traded at some point this offseason. The link to Seattle will be a loud wake-up call to incumbent Matt Hasselbeck, who new coach Pete Carroll gave a vote of confidence to back in January.

NBCSports.com
3/11/10

Michael Vick, the Eagles and guaranteed money

Michael Vick is still an Eagle. To clarify and answer many reader questions about the roster bonus, there was no affirmative action the Eagles needed to take for Vick to remain with the team for the 2010 league year. He earns his roster bonus by, well, being on the roster, which he is as of today. It’s that simple. Contrary to reports, the Eagles have not “picked up his option”; they simply have not released or traded him from their roster prior to today.

So are the Eagles investing $2.5 million in Vick today? Well, maybe. They are certainly investing the $1.5-million roster bonus. As for the $1M guaranteed salary…well, not exactly, as you’ll see below.

ProFootballTalk.com
3/11/10

Tourney chair: Expansion not our focus

INDIANAPOLIS -- UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero has a tough enough job this week without imagining it being even more challenging.

The NCAA is discussing whether to expand the 65-team men's basketball tournament, a topic with no shortage of controversy and opinions. Guerrero, the chairman of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee, said expansion isn't on the minds of those who will select the 2010 tournament field this weekend.

"I can't speak for any of the other committee members, but I don't think there's anyone thinking about what might happen in the future," Guerrero said Wednesday.

ESPN.com
3/11/10

Luck of the Irish not because of luck

NEW YORK -- Notre Dame coach Mike Brey was sitting around at a team dinner, talking to his assistant coaches about what coaches always talk about – basketball.

Anthony Solomon, who played on the Virginia team that nearly stunned Phi Slamma Jamma Houston in the Final Four, started talking about the Cavaliers famed run from lousy regular season to the brink of a national championship in 1984.

Brey, listening with half an ear, suddenly piped up.

“I said, ‘Anthony, what was the score of that game?’’ Brey said.

The answer -- 49-47 -- spurned a seismic shift in the Notre Dame basketball landscape that has taken the Irish from Big East afterthought to Big East beast.

ESPN.com
3/11/10

Lot of uncertainty as Big 12 tourney opens

KANSAS CITY -- Were it some coaches other than Nebraska's Connie Yori, you might just think it was sandbagging. But few folks in the business are as straightforward as she is … plus what she says just makes a lot of sense.

The Huskers are undefeated and the top seed in the Big 12 tournament; they'll open play in Friday's quarterfinals. Still Yori doesn't see Nebraska as the "favorite."

"We are not built to play three games in three days," the Big 12 coach of the year said. "Because we play full-court defense. We expend a lot of energy -- that's who we are. In order to do that for three games in a row, that's hard.

"We're not a half-court execution team. So I think it will be a huge challenge for us, because of our style, to win the Big 12 tournament."

ESPN.com
3/11/10

Picks For Thursday: SEC Tournament

There’s another interesting dynamic at work in the SEC tournament–the conference doesn’t have a representative on the NCAA selection committee this year. What this means is that a ‘bubble’ team from another conference is more likely to make the cut than a similarly credentialed team from the SEC. That’s part of the scam that is the NCAA–you won’t see any out and out screwjobs in most years (at least not involving the major conferences) but NCAA tournament bids mean money and exposure for the conferences and to the committee members go the spoils. There’s three teams that will definitely get a NCAA bid–Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Tennessee each of whom have 23 or more wins. But there’s three more teams with 20 or more wins and they’re not all going to make it. Of these teams, 20 win Florida may have a better shot at an at-large bid than 21 win Mississippi or Mississippi State for a number of reasons–not the least of which is their back to back NCAA championship wins in 2006 and 2007.

SportsUntapped.com
3/11/10

Ben Roethlisberger Had 'Sexual Contact' With Assault Accuser: Report

Ben Roethlisberger has admitted to having "sexual contact" with the woman who accuses him of sexual assault, according to KDKA in Pittsburgh. The Steelers quarterback denies having sexual intercourse with the accuser.

According to the report, Roethlisberger claims the woman fell and hurt her head following their sexual contact. She immediately visited a hospital and accused the two-time Super Bowl champion of the assault.

HuffingtonPost.com
3/11/10

SEC Tournament tickets among hottest in town

Most SEC schools sold all of their 2010 tournament tickets before the first tip-off.But there are a few choice seats available — for a few thousand dollars.

As Thursday's games approach, fans who missed their chance to buy last year are at the mercy of private dealers working through Web sites. A book for the entire four-day tournament went on sale July 1 as low as $275. On Wednesday, a single upper-level seat for one game was going for $125 online.

Tennessean.com
3/10/10

Michael Vick 'confident' he could be a 'difference maker' on St. Louis Rams

Said Vick, via ESPN:

"I'm not saying it out of arrogance but out of confidence. I think I can be the difference maker on any team, especially a team like the St. Louis Rams, who need a lot of help and will get it based on their ownership and the general manager (Billy Devaney) they have who is a great guy and I know from Atlanta. I just think bringing the right pieces in, putting the right players in the proper positions and giving them the opportunity to win, I think premier players could turn any team around. Yeah, I'm confident I could do that."

USAToday.com
3/10/10

http://www.neworleans.com/sports/lsu/348841-dean-landry-lead-no-1-lsu-past-ulm-18-7.html



BATON ROUGE, La. – A four-RBI performance by first baseman Blake Dean, along with 10 extra-base hits by the LSU offense, lifted the top-ranked Tigers to an 18-7 victory over UL-Monroe Tuesday night in Alex Box Stadium.

The Tigers (12-0) are off to their best start since 1997 when that team started the season 19-0. The win was also LSU’s 18th-straight home victory dating back to last season. ULM dropped to 5-5 with the loss.

LSU’s offense was led Tuesday night by Dean, who finished 3-for-4 with a homer, a double and four RBI, along with center fielder Leon Landry, who finished 3-for-3 with a triple, a double and three RBI. Landry also has six consecutive hits, including three triples, dating back to Sunday’s 9-2 win over Brown.


neworleans.com
3/9/10

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/mar/07/beating-lsu-wont-benefit-uts-position/



Ready for some March Madness mathematics?

Consider Tennessee's scenario where the NCAA men's basketball tournament seedings are concerned.

UT sits No. 13 in the most recent RealTimeRpi.com ratings, theoretically on the brink of a No. 3 seed in one of the four NCAA regionals.

But the way the SEC tournament sets up, the Vols (23-7, 11-5) find themselves at a disadvantage opening with LSU (11-19, 2-14) at 3:15 p.m. Thursday in Nashville.

Even if Tennessee wins, it ultimately loses ground in the all-important RPI rankings by playing the Tigers.

LSU has an RPI of 222 - which damages the Vols' strength of schedule portion of the RPI formula, which ranks 20th.

A win over the Tigers would put the Vols into a second-round game (3:15 p.m., Friday) against the hottest team in the SEC, Ole Miss.

The Rebels (21-9, 9-7) remain on the bubble, listed Sunday night among ESPN bracketology's "first four" teams out of the field despite their four-game win streak.

But Ole Miss, by virtue of being the No. 2 team in the West Division, gets a bye before playing the UT/LSU winner.



GoVols
3/8/10

Salaries spike for college football assistants, successful coaches

The trend of rapidly accelerating pay for major-college head football coaches is being replicated — and then some — for their top assistants.
With many contracts being negotiated or finalized, nearly a dozen schools in the NCAA's 120-school Football Bowl Subdivision have made deals under which they will be spending at least 38% more on their offensive or defensive coordinator in 2010 than they did in 2009.

usatoday.com
3/9/10

Rebels Pound Out 16 Hits In 14-4 Win Over Austin Peay

OXFORD, Miss. - Rory McKean turned in a solid performance on the mound, while the Rebels pounded out 16 hits to lead No. 17 Ole Miss (10-2) to a 14-4 win over Austin Peay (8-4) on Tuesday night at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.

The game was the first of a two-game set in the mid-week for the Rebels against the Governors. Wednesday's game has been moved to a 3 p.m. start time due to the expectation of inclement weather.

Tim Ferguson and Kevin Mort paced a torrid Rebel offense right out of the gates. Ferguson hit a home run in the Rebels' first at bat and went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI, while Mort went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Six Rebels tallied multiple hits on the night in the win, including left-handed pitcher Matt Tracy, who served as designated hitter. Tracy was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.

OleMissSports.com
3/10/10

SEC title not Cats' No. 1 goal

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari would be happy to celebrate a Southeastern Conference tournament title Sunday afternoon in Nashville, but he admits his mind wouldn't be on the trophy.

Not with the NCAA tournament selection show just a couple of hours away.

"We're playing for a seed. That's what we're playing for," Calipari said. "Now, we'd like to win this tournament, but it's not the end-all for us. Our whole goal is that seed, and if we lose our first game, we're not going to be a No. 1 seed. If we win the first and lose the second, then I think we've done enough to get that 1 seed."

TimesFreePress.com
3/10/10

Polynice back on Rebs' squad

Eniel Polynice is back on the basketball team after being suspended for Saturday's game against Arkansas for "conduct detrimental to the team," but Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said he hasn't decided if the junior guard will play on Friday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

He did not make the trip to the team's regular-season finale at Arkansas, which the Rebels won 68-66 to clinch a share of the SEC Western Division and earn a bye to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.

Ole Miss will play the winner of Thursday's LSU/Tennessee game at 2:15 p.m. on Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

ClarionLedger.com
3/10/10

Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Willie Colon saw nothing while with teammate Ben Roethlisberger

Steelers right tackle Willie Colon, who is from the Bronx and played at Hofstra, was visiting Ben Roethlisberger for his birthday at his vacation home in Georgia last week and was at the club the night Roethlisberger was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year old college student. But Colon didn't see anything and has nothing to add to the investigation, his agent told the Daily News Tuesday.

It is believed Colon is the only Steeler who was with Roethlisberger last Thursday night when they stopped by several spots in Milledgeville, Ga., including Capital City, a popular club for college students and where the assault is alleged to have taken place.

NYDailyNews.com
3/10/10

Evans leads St. John’s over UConn, 73-51

NEW YORK (AP)—For the fifth straight year, Connecticut left the Big East tournament without winning a game. And for the second time in the run, there won’t be an NCAA tournament bid to offset the hurt.

St. John’s ran away from the Huskies 73-51 on Tuesday, extending their Big East tournament losing streak to six games and beating them for the first time since February 2002, a stretch of nine games.

Connecticut’s fourth straight loss overall was a lifeless performance that turned into the Huskies’ worst beating of the season.

Rivals.com
3/10/10

Daily NCAA Tournament Tracker

GAME OF THE DAY
Notre Dame vs. Seton Hall, 7 p.m., ESPN: This is a Big East tourney second-round game. Notre Dame has won four in a row and looks to have played itself into the NCAA tourney. Seton Hall has won four of its past five and is firmly on the bubble. A win in this one, though, and Seton Hall is looking good for a bid and Notre Dame would be sweating; in that scenario, each team would have three RPI top-50 wins, but Seton Hall would own a better RPI, have a better league record and be 2-0 against the Irish.

Rivals.com
3/10/10

Notre Dame Was Feeling Left Out Of All The Expansion Talk, And Set About Fixing This

So what's the other scenario that forces ND into a conference? The BCS could yank Notre Dame's special privilege to BCS bowls, but they can't take away the school's ability to get in altogether without facing a lawsuit they will lose like whoah. And given the way the BCS has fallen all over itself to take plainly undeserving ND teams whenever qualified, taking away that bonus access is a threat without teeth. I don't see the scenario out there without something truly epic going down.

Swarbrick, then, thinks something epic could go down:

"I think seismic is a possibility," he said. "I don't know where the spectrum falls out. You have such an interesting media environment here. It's having such an impact on people. You have two conferences who have separated themselves economically. And you have all the other conferences lined up in successive years for broadcast negotiations. That's a tough situation for everyone in that position. The bar has been set so high, and the media market is so tepid, that it creates tension."

He added: "I've been in and around this business for 29 years now. This is as unstable as I've seen it."

SportingNews.com
3/10/10

Vick Lobbies For Trade To Rams As Eagles Pick Up His Option

Unsatisfied with trade offers for third-string quarterback Michael Vick, the Eagles paid out his $1.5 million roster bonus Tuesday.

Vick, meanwhile, wants to start in 2010 and went on a St. Louis radio station Tuesday to proclaim his desire to be traded to the Rams.

"I'm not saying it out of arrogance but out of confidence," Vick told WXOS-FM. "I think I can be the difference-maker on any team, especially a team like the St. Louis Rams, who need a lot of help and will get it based on their ownership and the general manager (Billy Devaney) they have who is a great guy and I know from Atlanta.

SportingNews.com
3/10/10

Tomlinson visiting Vikes on Thurs.

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson will visit with the Vikings on Thursday, a league source said.
Minnesota is seeking to replace Chester Taylor, an eight-year veteran who signed a free-agent deal with the Bears on Friday. The Vikings have Pro Bowl starting running back Adrian Peterson, but are looking for a capable complement, particularly in passing situations.

SI.com
3/10/10

Soldier Field target venue for Notre Dame in 2012

The moving parts involved in nailing down a site, date and opponent can be dizzying, which means that an Irish game at Soldier Field is no rock-solid guarantee.

But Washington and Chicago have been Swarbrick's targets for off-site home games in 2011 and 2012 for some time — and the Irish announced earlier Monday that they will face Maryland at FedEx Field in the '11 season, meaning that there was a will and a way in that scenario.

There has been little scuttle, though, about a potential opponent for a Soldier Field game.

Geographical proximity has driven the last two off-site deals to be secured. This fall, Army will face the Irish at Yankee Stadium, roughly an hour away from the West Point campus. And Maryland is less than 10 miles away from FedEx Field.

ChicagoTribune.com
3/10/10

The Global Warming of College Football

As a Nebraska fan this is a familiar and potentially frightening theory, but is it true? I finally heard it one too many times the other day to simply take at face value so I decided to at least take a cursory look.

The idea was simple: 1) Take all the NCAA recognized national champions since 1940 (AP Poll started in '36) from this list, 2) Look up the average yearly temperature for the school's respective cities using Weatherbase, and 3) Average the "temperature of champions" by decade to see if it was trending one way or the other.

BigRedNetwork.com
3/9/10

Vikings have plan to get Favre to return

My opinion is that the quarterback will be back after again missing offseason workouts and training camp. Rest assured the Vikings, the Wilf family that owns the team, coach Brad Childress and others in the organization have a plan they will follow to try to get Brett Favre to return for a second season of his contract, one that will pay the 40-year-old quarterback about $13 million in 2010.

No doubt one of the first moves in the plan was Childress' visit to Favre's home in Hattiesburg, Miss., where the coach spent all day Wednesday.

StarTribune.com
3/9/10

Notre Dame could play role of spoiler

Notre Dame. Is there a word beyond hot? Molten, maybe? That's Notre Dame right now. The Irish won four consecutive games to close the season, all against RPI top 60 opponents and two (at Georgetown, at Marquette) on the road. Funny thing is, that's pretty much what the Irish needed to accomplish to have a good shot at an NCAA bid. They face the winner between Seton Hall and Providence in the second round Wednesday; it wouldn't hurt to win that one, as well.

SportingNews.com
3/9/10

Tim Tebow to the Pittsburgh Steelers? They could use image-conscious QB after Ben Roethlisberger troubles

Reports surfaced over the weekend that Tim Tebow would work outt for the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills, both teams without a long-term solution at quarterback.

But the Pittsburgh Steelers might be a great fit for Tim Tebow, which Bleacher Report has pointed out.

Consider the environment Tebow would enter if the Steelers used their 18th selection in April’s NFL draft on Tebow:

*For all of Ben Roethlisberger’s on-field success, a second sexual assault allegation in as many years unveils a troubling pattern in Roethlisberger’s life, innocent or not. Guy’s just not being smart about his career and the positions in which he places himself. Why not draft an image-conscious quarterback such as Tim Tebow who, if anything else, could provide guidance to the two-time Super Bowl winner. It also shows the organization has not taken the Roethlisberger’s situation lightly.

OrlandSentinel.com
3/9/10

Sidney suspended, MSU to appeal

After nearly one year of waiting, Mississippi State University freshman basketball player Renardo Sidney finally received a decision from the NCAA on his eligibility status.

The NCAA academic and membership affairs staff has suspended Sidney for the remainder of this season as punishment for unethical conduct, and 30 percent of the 2010-11 season for accepting illegal benefits, which equates to nine games, not including preseason games. The NCAA is also requiring Sidney to repay $11,800 of impermissible benefits received during his recruitment.

MSU announced in a news release Friday it will appeal the decision, but Sidney said he is just glad to finally have a decision made.

The Reflector
3/9/10

Florida State QB Ponder poised to become household name

If it weren't for the five losses last year, or the same injury that ended Sam Bradford's season, or the same off-field nonsense that has clouded his every season at Florida State, it might not seem so improbable.
It might not sound so odd to hear Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher matter-of-factly point out that Christian Ponder, with a career record of 13-9 as a starter, is the best quarterback he has ever coached.
How good?
"The NFL scouts," Fisher said, "know all about him."
Soon enough, everyone else will, too.
When it all started to unfold last year, when the unseemly end to Bobby Bowden's legendary era at Florida State began, I was speaking with Bowden about a completely different subject—about, of all things, Tim Tebow.
"You know what?" Bowden said. "We may have a (Tebow) of our own. But it's one of those, what do you call it? Can't see the forest for the trees."

SportingNews.com
3/9/10

Sporting News' College Basketball All-America Team

G James Anderson, junior, Oklahoma State. As he fought off an early shooting slump, Anderson became a more varied scorer. Again making jumpers, he's putting up cartoonish numbers.
G Scottie Reynolds, senior, Villanova. Once mostly a hot-or-not scorer, Reynolds mastered the pick-and-roll and became the driving force of a consistently overwhelming offensive machine.
G Evan Turner, junior, Ohio State. He missed six games because of a broken back, but his contributions as a scorer, rebounder and playmaker outweighed his absence.
G Greivis Vasquez, senior, Maryland. After finding his way back from a dreadful start, Vasquez dominated opponents with his scoring, passing and will to win.
G John Wall, freshman, Kentucky. Though he could have excelled relying just on his extreme physical advantages, he showed leadership and maturity in reviving Kentucky.

SportingNews.com
3/9/10

Yes, Maryland can win the ACC tournament

You come here today looking for hope.

You come here asking: Can Maryland win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament for the first time since 2004?

Don't lie to me, you say. Don't toy with my emotions.

Fine, I'll give it to you straight: Yes, the Terps have a great chance to win it all in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend.

And we'll get into exactly why in a moment.

But whatever you do, don't read too much into their sloppy 74-68 win over Virginia on Saturday.

The Terps were playing on fumes for that one after an absolutely exhausting stretch of games.

There was the big, emotional win over Duke on "Senior Night" three days earlier.

BaltimoreSun.com
3/9/10

OU's Stoops optimistic

Oklahoma State and Oklahoma were both scheduled to begin spring practice today, but storms in the area have forced Oklahoma State to postpone its start until Tuesday.

Oklahoma will move inside for its afternoon practice today, but Sooners coach Bob Stoops spoke with the media on Monday afternoon to kick off the 2010 spring session.

Stoops said he was happy with how the winter had gone for his team, but as always, was amazed by how soon spring practices arrived.

"When you get into the bowl season and all those practices, and then recruiting, you're kind of going a million miles an hour, and before you know it, you're back into spring practice leading into the next season," Stoops said. "But it's an exciting time. Us coaches always love this time of year, working with all the young players and developing them."

ESPN.com
3/9/10

In Big East, a tight field

Villanova will be sitting out the first two days of the Big East Conference championship because it earned one of the double byes that advanced the Wildcats and three other teams into the quarterfinals.
But there will be plenty happening at New York's Madison Square Garden beginning today, with nine games before the 10th-ranked Wildcats take to the court for the first time at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Here is a look at the top 10 topics to consider over the next five days...

Philly.com
3/9/10

College Football Untouchables: Top 10 Coaches Who Have Carte Blanche

Meyer quit his job one day and came back the next with the full support of his boss. Not only was he allowed to come back he was given a three month sabbatical to boot.

Not many college programs in the country would afford any coach that luxury.

Obviously winning two national titles in the span of three years while spending a lot of those three years as the No. 1 team in the nation has its advantages.

Of course, at Florida it had been done before. Basketball coach Billy Donavan left the Gators for the NBA’s Orlando Magic after his second consecutive national title only to change his mind and get his old job back from that same boss, Florida AD Jeremy Foley, the very next day.

BleacherReport.com
3/9/10

The 10 Sexiest Potential Coaching Match-ups in the 2010 NCAA Tournament

If this game happens, one has to hope there aren't many children in the seats near Calipari. He brought some magic to the court at Memphis—before leaving with them facing NCAA issues.

Calipari spent nine years at Memphis before leaving for his "dream job" up the road at Kentucky. If these two weren't rivals before the coaching change, they certainly are now. And the language might be as blue as the uniforms.

BleacherReport.com
3/9/10

Which 'supporting' player will become a star?

Alabama running back Trent Richardson played behind Mark Ingram last season.
My first thought was to select someone from Army, Navy or Air Force. That way, they could thank the Academy. But I really couldn't identify one that I felt strongly about. So, I opted for Missouri WR Jerrell Jackson, who was the Tigers' No. 3 receiver last season and should be QB Blaine Gabbert's top target in 2010. In each of the past four seasons, the Tigers' leading receiver has had at least 58 catches. In each of the past three seasons, the top receiver has had more than 1,000 yards. Jackson will make a strong bid to keep both of those trends intact.

Rivals.com
3/9/10

The not-so-Elite Eight

Let's take a break from all this talk about conference tournaments and bubble teams. Instead, let's focus on teams that haven't lived up to expectations this season.

We picked eight teams -- a not-so-Elite Eight, as it were. While it's true that seven of these teams can salvage their seasons with nice performances in their league tournaments (one's conference tourney already is over), there's really nothing we've seen that suggests these folks are going to get things on track any time soon.

Rivals.com
3/9/10

As NCAA Tournament has gotten bigger, it got better

IN THE MIDST of my 22nd year in this business, I can say that I'm no longer much of a purist about most things in sports.
I've accepted change as inevitable.
That's why I can't get all worked up over the fact that there again is serious debate about expanding the men's NCAA Tournament from 65 to 96 teams.
I couldn't care less, one way or the other.
If I were in charge, I'd leave the field as it is.
I think an uneven number is silly for the start of an elimination tournament, but since organizers never will eliminate one at-large bid for the sake of letting another "minnow conference" champion in, I'm fine with the play-in game.

philly.com
3/9/10

Mike Tyson vs. Holyfield? Again? Really?

Just to keep you up to date on all things bizarre and improbable, we'll pass along the story from Ring Side Report.com that Mike Tyson may be headed back into the ring.

The website says Don King has a tentative deal for Tyson to return to boxing late this year, and the ultimate goal is to arrange a third fight against the opponent Tyson tried to make look like Vincent Van Gogh -- Evander Holyfield.

USAToday.com
3/9/10

http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2010/03/lsu_baseball_pitcher_anthony_r.html



LSU All-American right-hander Anthony Ranaudo will be out another week with a sore pitching elbow, LSU Coach Paul Mainieri said Monday.

Ranaudo, who suffered a stress reaction in the team's first game against Centenary Feb. 19, has not pitched since when he went five innings. Mainieri said the hope was that Ranaudo could pitch against Kansas this weekend but ruled that out after testing the elbow by throwing on Monday for the first time in two weeks.


2theadvocate.com
3/9/10

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/359389-college-football-untouchables-top-ten-coaches-who-have-carte-blanche


Things were much simpler when the Bear was around.

Loyalty meant everything and turnover was something that occurred on the field a lot more than off of it.

Fast forward to today. Job security in most of the public sector is virtually non-existent.

That could not be more true where college football coaches are concerned.

In the past half-decade we've seen the No. 2 winningest coach of all time run out of town mercilessly. We watched a 16-year head coach who had 100 more wins than losses thrown out with nothing but his $6-million buyout to land on.

But there are a handful of coaches in big-time college football who have a never-ending supply capital to spend for their respective programs.

Out of 120 FBS programs there are about 15 coaches who are safe no matter what.

bleacherreport.com
3/9/10

Saban proves it's better to be insulted than just ignored

Was it an insult?

Or did Nick Saban make an honest mistake?
During halftime of Saturday's Alabama-Auburn basketball game, while accepting the Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy that goes to the winner of the Iron Bowl, Saban mentioned the "tremendous" respect he has for "the University of Auburn."
Not getting the name of your biggest rival correct is hardly what you'd call tremendous respect.

al.com
3/8/10

How Fisher ended up at Florida State

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The roads in this shrinking West Virginia town lead to old coal mines, abandoned glass factories and a downtown that's disappearing, but they don't lead too far away for most people born here.

Bryan Fisher is driving around the hilly countryside in a big red pickup, talking about his older brother, Jimbo. It's a story about how the oldest son of a third-generation coal miner grew up to become the head football coach at Florida State.
The man who last month succeeded Bobby Bowden to become the Seminoles' second head coach in 35 years has roots that grasp onto nearly every sports field, court and sandlot here.

orlandosentinel.com
3/7/10

The cap comes off - and a chill is felt

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has plenty to be proud of when discussing the last decade of pro football.

He was one of the leading men in a league that entered an era of prosperity unprecedented for any sports operation on this continent, if not this planet. And in that time frame, his franchise won more games and more championships in that league than anyone else.

But if you ask him how the NFL got to the point it finds itself at this morning - where so much of the aforementioned could be undone by serious labor acrimony - he is contrite.

Boston.com
3/8/10