UNC winning the NIT is like...

After a season of disappointments, the North Carolina Tar Heels, a team that was on the road to an NCAA championship at this time last season, is on the brink of an NIT title.

The Heels face the A-10’s Dayton Flyers in Madison Square Garden this Thursday for college basketball’s boobie prize. Most programs, like Ohio State, West Virginia and Memphis, have used the National Invite Tournament as a precursor to bigger things – a step forward if you will.

But for a program as rich as UNC, which holds five NCAA titles, four national runner-ups and 18 Final Four appearances, where does an NIT title fit among the school’s accomplishments?



If the Tar Heels do defeat Dayton this Thursday, can we really expect them to hang an NIT Championship banner in the rafters at the Dean Smith Center right next to the 2008-09 NCAA National Championship one?

That’s like parking your ‘88 Toyota Camry with the different color door panels next to your limited-edition Enzo Ferrari. One of these things just doesn’t belong here.

North Carolina winning the NIT title is like…

- Robert De Niro staring in the sequel to Dude Where’s My Car?


Where the fuck is my car dude?

- The New Orleans Saints beating the Toronto Argonauts in the Grey Cup.

- Kim Kardashian rebounding from Reggie Bush with Jack Black.


"You were Kung Fu Panda? That's hot."

- Gwar putting out an Unplugged album.

- Tiger Woods having a p... [More]

Where does Scheyer rank among Duke's greatest white guys?

Duke senior guard Jon Scheyer has lifted the Blue Devils back to the Final Four for the first time since 2004.

In four years at Durham, the former Illinois Mr. Basketball has put together an above-average college career that may get him into the pros. Scheyer has averaged over 14 points and almost three assists per game during the last four years, shooting over 40 percent from the 3-point arc during his career.

If he can help the Dukies capture their first national title since 2001 and put together some impressive performances in the process, Scheyer may tempt NBA teams into taking a chance on the 6-foot-5 playmaker.

While Scheyer’s basketball future is up in the air, what is certain is his place among Duke’s greatest white guys. The Blue Devils are notorious for birthing great caucasian college kids that don’t seem to grab that greatness in the NBA.

Here’s a look at Duke’s best white guys:

1. Christian Laettner

Mr. Big Shot himself. Laettner’s turn-and-chuck against Kentucky is the face of NCAA basketball. The floppy-haired forward from Angola, New York averaged 16.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during his time at Duke, making it to the Final Four in all four years. He has two national titles, just about every major individual honor the NCAA has and was the only college player on the original Dream Team, forever putting a blemish on what could have been the greatest team ever assembled.



2.  J.J. Redick[More]

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Crazy Elite Eight has books scrambling NCAA futures

There was more than a little smug satisfaction in watching Syracuse lose to Butler Thursday night. After picking and losing Kansas to win the national title, the only hope to stay alive in my bracket pool was to have the Orange get crushed.

The Bulldogs’ thrilling 63-59 victory not only spoiled a good chunk of healthy brackets but also forced oddsmakers to scramble the futures odds for the 2009-10 NCAA national championship.

According to Logans.com, Butler has moved from +5000 heading into Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup to +2500 as of their Elite Eight showdown with Kansas State.



“Syracuse losing was a bit of a surprise last night, but I do see Butler as a legit contender,” says Blake Edwards, an oddsmaker for Logans.com. “Hell, any team that makes it to the Elite Eight is a contender in my opinion.  

They'll open up around a 4.5-point underdog to Kansas State tomorrow. Kansas State played double overtime last night and with their intense style of play, will conditioning become a factor?”

Edwards says the rash of upsets this March does have more money coming in on the underdogs than past tournaments. However, that action pales in comparison to the public money pounding teams like Kentucky.

Syracuse was the most heavily wage... [More]

If the Sweet 16 were WWE wrestlers

It’s a big week for sports. Of course, there’s the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament as well as everyone’s favorite spandex spectacle - Wrestlemania.

In honor of these two historic events, here’s the remaining NCAA field and the wrestler they would be if they were thrown into the squared circle. Ding Ding Ding!

Kentucky is The Rock

When The Rock burst on to the wrestling scene he was the bright, up-and-comer with unlimited talent – just like the Wildcats' roster of NBA-ready freshmen. As his career progressed, The Rock took on a swagger that walked the thin line between face and heel – just like the Wildcats. Love them or hate them, UK, as well as The People’s Champ, are fun to watch.



Syracuse is Rowdy Roddy Piper

Bat-shit crazy and tough as nails – that describes the upper bowl at the Carrier Dome. The Orange are a hard-working team with a history of overachieving. Much like the Rowdy one, Syracuse can beat you in a manner of different ways. It can burn you on the boards, bury you under 3-pointers or, every once and a while, give you the thumb to the eye and hold your tights for the 3-count.



Butler is Dusty Rhodes

Scrappy and relentless, the Bulldogs have risen from mid-major blip to national title contender. Butler is the American Dream. Just like the Rhodes, the Bulldogs are all heart, no flash and aren’t that pretty to look at. However, doubt them for one second and it’s a bionic elbow to the mush an... [More]

How does your bracket stack up to Hoosiers?

I feel like Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”

I, like many bracketologist, watched their deep selections go up in flames yesterday. And, we’re having a hard time understanding why. I mean, these were No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. No one could have seen this coming, right? Right?

First, Villanova started the fire by falling to St. Mary’s – which wasn’t too bad depending on your faith in the Wildcats. Some people had them going to the Final Four, others had them bowing out earlier.

Then the unthinkable happened. It was like Judgment Day for brackets. And not the bible Judgment Day, the Terminator 2 version, when the machines fought back and incinerated that playground in Sarah Conners’ dream.

Or at least, that’s how it felt when Ali Farokhmanesh (pronounced Al-Lee Fak-U-Kan-Ass) buried that 3-pointer to push Northern Iowa past No. 1 overall seed Kansas Saturday afternoon.

That game was the black plague of brackets. Myself and Covers.com colleague, Ashton Grewal, both had KU dancing into the national title game and taking its second NCAA title in three years. 

But instead, I had to take the pink highlighter and cross out Kansas five times – the final one being the worst of all.

National Champion: Kansas – Gone!

But, the tournament marches on, even without its top team. As so must we.

So, again, it is time to figure out just where your... [More]

90's TV Moms help you grade your bracket

Another day, another bracket.

Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament was relatively stable compared to Thursday’s twilight zone. There were a couple upsets in the mix like Cornell, Missouri and Georgia Tech, but nothing to puff your chest out about.

If you managed to call those “shockers”, well, just pat yourself on the back as well as the other million folks who saw them coming.

While the upsets were few and far between Friday, it doesn’t mean your bracket went unscathed. Tough calls like Michigan State vs. New Mexico, Purdue vs. Siena, Gonzaga vs. Florida State and Cal vs. Louisville likely tore more than a few brackets a new “A”.

So it’s time once again to head back to your corner and tend to your wounds. And to help you understand where you rank among the billions of brackets clogging up work spaces all over the globe, here are your favorite 90’s TV moms.

Jill Taylor (Patricia Richardson) – Home Improvement

In a world of crazy do-it-yourself mishaps, three prepubescent sons and a coke-addicted husband, Richardson maintained her cool and kept order in the Taylor household. Just like you’ve nixed the madness this March. Tim didn’t lose a finger or a bracket matchup under Jill’s watch. Nor did he stray even when surrounded by sassy “Tool Girls” Pamela Anderson and Debbe Dunning.



Carol Foster (Suzanne Somers) – Step By Step

Somers came a long way from Chrissy on Three’s Company for this family-friendly series, but ... [More]

How hot is your bracket after Day 1?

Yikes. What a first day of the NCAA Tournament.

There were plenty of big upsets with Vandy and Georgetown going down as well as some teams that seemed to be a winner on everyone’s bracket. A lot of people liked the Irish, UTEP, Texas and UNLV – all of which are gone.

Now that the smoke is settling on March Madness Day 1, it’s time to do some damage reports.

In order to help you understand just where you stand among the billions of amateur bracketologists, here’s a scale grading your picks with today’s pop princesses.

Taylor Swift

Your bracket is pure and perfect without a trace of red ink. In other words, you’re the Rain Man of Big Dance brackets. Everything you touch turns to gold. You didn’t like Vanderbilt’s chances away from the weirdo court in Memorial Gymnasium and you had a hunch that Georgetown wouldn’t show up on defense against Ohio. And you actually had Robert Morris winning on your bracket but scratched it out and went with Villanova in the last minute.



Rihanna

Your bracket got smacked around a little bit Thursday and changed the way you look at the NCAA. But you’re a little wiser and a little stronger because of it. And hey, your Sweet 16 is still pretty solid, your Elite Eight is down a team or two and all your Final Four is still standing strong. You carry a sense of confidence about your bracket – and so you should – you’re still a good lookin’ fella-a-a-a-a-a.



Britney Spears
<... [More]

Do multiple brackets make you less of a man?

Searching for integrity and honor on the internet is like finding a hot girl at a comic book convention - needle-in-a-haystack hard.

Finding those same attributes among sports gamblers – especially when cash is on the line – can be damn near impossible.

But if there is honor among thieves, then there must be honor among bettors. Which brings us to the ultimate question:

Is it right to fill out more than one bracket with different results? Or, should you make one bracket and ride it till the wheels fall off?

Myself, I’m a big believer in one bracket to rule them all.

You get one shot at picking UTEP vs. Butler. And if you don’t get it right, you deal with it like a man – not run to your backup bracket in which you picked that game as well as other matchups that failed in previous brackets.

My bracket, which is up on Covers.com right now, is the same one I’ll be submitting in the bracket pool with my buddies and the annual head-to-head-to-head matchup between my father and girlfriend (which she won last year, earning her a steak dinner with all the fixings).

Where do you stand on multiple brackets this March? Is it just harmless fun or a true test of a man’s character?

NIT 2010: Who you got?

If you can't keep it in your pants until Thursday, the National Invitation Tournament or NIT, as it is better known, begins Tuesday.

Unlike the NCAA, the NIT games are hosted in the top seeds' gym until the field gets down to the final four programs. This schedule provides some of the top-seeded teams a huge advantage and makes filling out your NIT bracket a tad easier than figuring out the field of 65.

However, other factors like motivation play a huge role in the NIT as well. A team like Illinois, who has a great home-court advantage, may be so bummed after missing out on the NCAA that it forgets to show up this week, providing bettors with some very live dogs.

Last year, I picked Baylor as my team to watch heading into the NIT. The Bears, a No. 3 seed, did me right by battling all the way to the final, where they lost to Penn State.

There are a few programs who could make it all the way to the Big Apple this March but the Cincinnati Bearcats jump out to me in the field of 32.

The No. 2-seeded Bearcats played very well to close out the season, knocking off Rutgers and Louisville in the Big East tournament before coming within a Da'Sean Butler bank shot of a birth in the conference semifinals.

Cincinnati has one of the most talented freshmen in the land leading the charge in Lance Stephenson, as wel... [More]

Sexiest matchup of the NCAA first round?

Selection Sunday has come and gone, leaving basketball fans to ponder the bracket until Thursday.

With the first-round games set, which matchup is must-see for you?

Maybe Cal-Louisville in the South or Texas-Wake Forest in the East. Perhaps Butler-UTEP will be the barn burner in the West or Oklahoma State-Georgia Tech.

What is the sexiest matchup in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament?

Bored of the bubble

College hoops commentators and analyst are as bubbly as Colbie Calliat this time of year.

As upsets continue to shock NCAA basketball fans, like Houston's win over UTEP in the C-USA final, the word “bubble” is on everyone's lips.

The term, which refers to programs teetering on an at-large bid in the field of 65 for the NCAA tournament, is used is such phrases as, “Oh, that win might move them off the bubble” or “That loss just burst their bubble”.

Bubble this. Bubble that. Burst their bubble. Pop their bubble. Back on the bubble. That team's pretty bubbly.

Ugh. Enough.

I live for the drama of who gets in and who doesn't as well as team's ruining other teams' NCAA plans – it's what make March mad. But, I've had it up to my man-boobs with the “bubble”.

So, I suggest we find another term to use when describing teams on the NCAA fence. Some alternatives are:

-Holding their dicks: “Looks like Washington might get caught holding its dick this postseason.”

-Shit or fart: “If the Illini win here, it will determine if their season is a shit or just a big fart.”

-Hot girl or ugly friend: “Minnesota's win over MSU may have scored it the hot girl while Rhode Island could end up banging the ugly friend.”

-NIT picked (as in National Invitational Tournament): “Let's look at a couple programs who could get NIT picked.”

If you're also tired of all this bubble trouble, add to the list of alternative phrases belo... [More]

Turner's toss locks up Player of the Year

If there was any debate about who should win NCAA Player of the Year honors, it was put to bed with Ohio State guard Evan Turner’s game-winning 3-pointer against Michigan Friday afternoon.

Turner caught the inbounds pass with just over two seconds remaining and down 68-66 on the scoreboard. He took a couple quick dribbles to get over half and tossed a leaning jumper as time expired. Boom - 69-66 OSU.

“It’s what big players do,” Turner said during the postgame interview.

Turner finished with 18 point and three assists, lifting the Buckeyes to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. He also kept the door open for Ohio State to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

And, at the same time, separated himself from the rest of the field in the POY voting.

Evan Turner, your National Player of the Year.

Syracuse loss could hurt other top seeds

The Big East tournament is known for upsets and Georgetown’s win over Syracuse fits that bill.

The Hoyas not only eliminated the Orange from the conference tournament but also put Syracuse’s No. 1 seed in the NCAA in serious jeopardy. Or, if the selection committee doesn’t discount Cuse for the loss, Georgetown could have hurt Duke’s chances of locking down a No. 1 seed.

The Orange had already dropped two games to Louisville along with a loss to Pittsburgh during Big East play. While those are the program’s lone defeats, it leaves the door open for Villanova or WVU to win the Big East tournament title and sneak into the NCAA as a No. 1 seed.

Kansas and Kentucky will take two of those spots atop the brackets, leaving the final two spots blowing in the wind until Sunday’s conference championship games. Villanova and West Virginia finished the schedule with identical 24-6 records, slightly worse than Duke’s 26-5 mark.

If the Blue Devils stumble in the ACC tourney, one of those Big East programs could slide into the top spot. Or perhaps, Ohio State or Kansas State could get the nod depending on how their respective tournaments play out.

Does Syracuse’s loss shake up your projected bracket or are KU, UK, SU and Duke all locked into the top seeds in the NCAA?

Is Kobe getting too predictable?

After a long day of work, gym and family, I settled in with the Mrs around 11:45 p.m. ET last night. Like most guys, I like to wrap up my day with some sports highlights and the tail end of a couple games.

So I flipped on the Toronto-Los Angeles game, picking up the action around the end of the third quarter with the Raptors leading by two points. But instead of watching the final frame, I decided it was probably better if I just hit the hay.

“Kobe’s just gonna go off in the fourth quarter anyways and hit the game winner like he always does against the Raps,” I told my girlfriend, partially joking but also with an aura of confidence like I’d been there and saw that.

So it wasn’t surprising this morning, as I flipped through my iPhone while taking my a.m. crap (iPhone’s are the new bathroom reading. Welcome to the future of pooping), that Kobe Bryant did just what I said he would – scoring 14 of the Lakers’ final 20 points including a game-winning jumper with 1.9 seconds left on the clock.

I’m not comparing myself to Nostradamus nor do I claim to own a juiced-up Delorean and a flux capacitor with enough road to get up to 88 mph (where we’re going, we don’t need roads).

Kobe has hit that mark that great athletes strive for.

It’s that moment when they know what they’re going to do, the other team knows what they’re going to do, all the people in the stands know the deal and even a sleepy-eyed sports bum watching the game in his ... [More]

ACC is the toughest tourney to cap

Capping the ACC Tournament could prove to be as hard as trying to shit through a key hole.

First off, the league is down from past seasons and outside of maybe Duke, there is a lot of uncertainty – or as the unbiased experts call it, “parody”.

Sure, Maryland has managed to catch fire at the end of the year but outside of a win over the Blue Devils at home, the Terps don't have a convincing resume to make me believe they are legit contenders for the ACC crown, let alone a deep run in March.

And what about Duke? The Blue Devils have made the most of a down year from North Carolina and even adopted a bit of the Tar Heels' up-tempo offense. But when it comes to tournament time, the Dukies have bowed out to more athletic teams and there's nothing showing me that it won't happen again this March– or even this week.

Just a quick glance at the top four seeds in the ACC tournament is enough to cause permanent nerve damage. Florida State and Virginia Tech grabbed the final two top seeds but could be interchangeable with the next four teams – Georgia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest and Boston College.

And what about those teams like Miami, UNC and Virginia, who are minus their top players for the postseason. The Canes won't have do-it-all forward Dwayne Collins under the hoop, the Cavs gave leading scorer Sylven Landesberg his walking papers due to academics and Ed Davis won't be battling inside for UNC after breaking his wrist. If anything, these i... [More]

Fool me twice Big Ben

Ben Roethlisberger has made a career out of taking huge hits and getting back up.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has been sacked nearly 100 times in the past two seasons, yet has missed just one game in that span despite concussions and a laundry list of injuries.

Even off the field, Big Ben has taken on a sort of Gotti-esk “Teflon Don” persona, cheating death in a 2006 motorcycle accident and coming out smelling like roses on a pending rape charge in summer of 2009.

Roethlisberger has also been plastered all over the internet (pardon the pun) for his offseason activities, showing up shitfaced with multiple girls on his arms at parties and clubs.

However, the recent sexual assault charge has got to have people thinking twice about the kind of person Roethlisberger really is. It was released Friday that a 20-year-old Georgia woman is filing charges that Roethlisberger allegedly sexually assaulted her at a night club.

I understand the target that gets painted on professional athletes and celebrities the instant they sign their first big-money contract. But I also understand the ego and attention these superstars demand and that these guys aren’t used to hearing the word, “No”.

From the sounds of things (according to affidavits) the 2009 rape charge was more than likely consensual. But, when shit like this keeps happening to the same person, you’ve got to assume there is a little truth behind it.

Roethlisberger’s situation ... [More]

Hit like a girl, should be punished like a man

There has been an increase of double standards in the sports world recently.

First, the Canadian Women’s hockey team was butchered by the media for celebrating their gold medal win over the Americans by having a couple wobbly pops and sparking cigars on the ice at the 2010 Olympics. Or as some gender tenders would tab it, “Celebrating like men”.

The latest double standard grabbing headlines is the vicious punch thrown by Baylor Bears women’s basketball player Brittney Griner during this week’s game against Texas Tech's.

Griner, who grabbed national attention by dunking in games, broke Jordan Barncastle’s nose with the blow after the two players were tangled in the key.

Baylor has suspended their star freshman two games for the incident, which seems like a slap on the wrist compared to other punches thrown during NCAA play this year.

Oregon Ducks running back LeGarrette Blount pretty much had his entire senior season (and projected spot in the NFL Draft) taken away from him after he smacked a loud-mouth Boise State player following Oregon’s season-opening loss to the Broncos.

Even the dirtiest player in college, New Mexico women’s soccer player Elizabeth Lambert, was suspended indefinitely for her actions during a game against BYU back in November. You all remember the war path Lambert went on, tripping, pushing, elbowing and eventually hair pulling her way to YouTube fame.

So why does Griner only get two games while o... [More]

James Toney will end the great debate

The eternal debate of which combat sport is better, boxing or MMA, could be answered with the UFC’s recent addition of former boxing champion James Toney.

Toney, who hasn’t stepped inside the ring since September of last year, is making the move to mixed martial arts after a very vocal and public campaign to win over UFC boss Dana White. The 41-year-old fighter isn’t sure when he will make his debut in the cage, but MMA fans can be sure they’ll be shelling out a pretty penny to see it.

Toney is a tremendous boxer and has shown an uncanny ability to adapt to different weight classes and challenges. Even though his career is winding down, his punching power alone makes him a real threat in the UFC. There are strikers and then there are boxers. Even mixed martial arts' sturdiest chins would crumble like new-born deer under the power of one of Toney’s shots.

That point has been the biggest weapon for fight fans that say an MMA athlete wouldn’t stand a chance against a boxer. Yeah, the MMA fighters will shoot and control the ground grappling, but if a boxer was to land one punch – just one – Mr. MMA would follow that knuckle sandwich with a bowl of smelling salt soup.

I’m sure Dana White will hand pick Toney’s first opponent, looking to get a nice return on his investment. Toney will KO the poor schmuck and with some training and hard work (hopefully without the use of steroids this time), could really make some noise in the UFC.

I, for one,... [More]

How much would you pay for Crosby's gold-medal stick?

Keep your eyes peeled on Ebay for a piece of Canadian hockey history.

The Associated Press is reporting that the stick and gloves used by Sidney Crosby when he scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win over the United States in the gold medal game of the 2010 Olympics are missing.

Apparently, following Canada’s celebration, in which Crosby flung the equipment into the air, the team’s wayward gear was rounded up and returned to their dressing room. However, Hockey Canada doesn’t know the whereabouts of the stick or gloves that netted perhaps the biggest goal in Canadian sports history.

"We're doing a little bit of an investigation to find out what happened,” Johnny Misley, Hockey Canada's executive vice president of hockey operations, told reporters.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has requested the stick be donated to its collection along with some of the other gear given by Team Canada’s gold-medal roster.

But while the mystery of the missing stick and gloves remains unsolved (where’s Robert Stack when you need him?), the big question on everyone’s mind is how much these important pieces of sports memorabilia would fetch at auction?

How much would you shell out for Sid the Kid’s game-winning stick and gloves?