The Obnoxious UGA

The UGA band plays the fight song every time a UGA player steps on the field, which happens a lot in the pregame.

Up to the Second Bowl Projections

BCS- WVU v. Missou/Kansas winner
Sugar- LSU v. Hawaii
Orange- BC v. Okla
Fiesta- Missou/Kansas loser v. Oregon
Capital One- Tenn. v. Illinois
Gator- V-Tech v. UConn
Emerald- G-Tech v. Cal

Weekend's Best- Buy or Sell- BCS, Also Tech/UGA preview

As we move towards the two biggest weeks of the college football season it is time to examine which teams have a real chance to make to the Super Dome and which ones will be trolling on Bourbon Street:

You think LSU’s got the clearest path to the BCS? Think again. While they are definitely better than anybody else they will face the rest of this season, they will be take on the nation’s best player in Darren McFadden. While they have the tools to stop him, you never know when he may go off. This is a critical point for LSU. Then they will take on Tenn or UGA. UGA will obviously give them a tougher match-up but they won’t likely be there. If UT can play tough defense and keep the score low; they have a shot at the upset. They won’t be able to do that. LSU’s offense and defense will be too tough down the stretch. Buy

It’s an amazing story, but they are about the face the two toughest games of the season, in the two biggest games in the program’s history. This is assuming they make it pass Missouri. They are also the number two team in the nation. This is a bad spot for them, as it has been a bad spot for every team this season. I love Reesing, love the defense. I enjoyed watching them dismantle Nebraska, but . . . Sell

I think they have a little more experience in this situation. They have had a few big games in their history and have a team, led by Chase Daniel with a steady amount of talent. I think they get by Kansas, then I’m going to go out on a limb and say that they take Oklahoma as well. Call it the ghost of James Brown and the 1996 Texas team, but really call it OU’s tendency to fall apart at the end of the season. Unfortunately, OU’s lost to Texas Tech didn’t just sack them, it sacked a whole conference. There’s isn’t enough value in a win over Oklahoma. Sell

Left for dead in the shadows of the pirate ship down in Tampa, West Virginia has rose up and won ever game since. Now Pat White and the boys are almost in the driver’s seat to go to the BCS Bowl. As is the case for the other teams, it won’t be easy. Their next two games are against UConn and rival Pitt. This is the big leagues for UConn. On the road, in a hostile environment, conference title on the line. While WVU has laid an egg at home before, I don’t think they will today. Pitt could challenge because of the rivalry and what’s on the line, but I think this is West Virginia’s year. Buy

- The most important thing to consider in this game is the sense of urgency. It has been a determining factors in most games this season for the Jackets and the Dogs. UGA looked pass UT in the middle part of the season and got waxed. Then the gimmicks came out; excessive celebration against UF, black jerseys against Auburn. While hokey, they lit a fire under the Dogs and made them into a hot team. The problem is, their’s nothing at stake for them. This game doesn’t affect their SEC status and probably not their bowl status. They also don’t consider Tech a rival.

For Georgia Tech, a lack of urgency is the sole reason why they aren’t playing in Jacksonville next week. The only big game they have played with any sense of urgency was against Clemson, another team that has a tendency to not show up in big games. BC and Virginia Tech were complete duds. Both teams came on to the Flats with something to prove. Georgia Tech sorta sat there and watched. Now Tech has something to play for. A win means having a ton of fans see you at a bowl game in Nashville versus having no fans in San Francisco. They also lost their last six to UGA, their fans are hungry for this, much the same way that UGA fans were hungry to see them beat Florida.

- For Tech it will come down to two areas that have been horribly inconsistent this season. The passing game with Taylor Bennett and the defense. Taylor Bennett has to successfully get passes down the field. He needs to have at least two passes of 10 yards or more on each drive and he’s got to take at least three shots down the field. This will open it up for Tashard Choice. Choice has the ability to run on just about any defense.

Tech’s defense is the strength of the team and when their on, they are spectacular. Unfortunately, when they are off, it’s devastating. They have given up a huge play in every lost this season. There was the pass in the back of the end zone by Ryan, the Stanton Jobe catch in the lost to Virginia. Maryland’s Chris Turner has burned them, Sean Glennon has burned them. The defense has to play the game of their lives on Saturday because UGA has better weapons on offense with Matthew Stafford and Know----shon Moreno. They are capable of playing that game, but they have to come out firing, play with a sense of urgency and not get down on themselves, if they drop a big play. The crowd, unfortunately, won't be that big a help.

In the end, I like that sense of urgency and having something to play for to prevail:

G-Tech 17, UGA- 10

Buy/Sell- College Football Top 5

Ohio St.- People feel a lot better about them since that big win against Penn State. However, they still got a very long way to go. They have Wisconsin at home on Saturday, a team that could surprise them. Follow that up with Illinois, and then Michigan in two weeks. Michigan always beats them win they have something in stake. Sell

Boston College- After the Thursday night miracle, will BC have anything left for FSU? That's a home game, so I think they should win. The rest of way though. . . Nothing but booby-traps. At Maryland, at Clemson, then finishing at Miami. They will lose to Clemson so Tommy Bowden doesn't get fired, they should win the rest. The timing of that lose will be critical, even with a trip to the ACC Championship pending. Sell

LSU- Everybody wants them to be there so bad and they are probably the best team in the nation. I think they will be able to put Bama away pretty easily and they don't tend to have many let downs, Kentucky excluded. The biggest stroke of luck took place last week win UGA ran all over UF. This means UGA, Tenn, or South Carolina will join them in the Georgia Dome. They would be a favorite over any of those teams. Buy

Ariz. St./Oregon- The winner of this game will have a great opportunity to get to the national champoinship. Let's say for the sake of argument that the Ducks win, this is not a for gone conclusion, btw, their toughest remaining test is at UCLA. With no conference championship? Buy

Oklahoma is in the mix as well. If they can win out they will face either Kansas or Missouri in the Big 12 Championship. Both teams will be new to the stage and very likely to wet the bed against an experienced Sooner team. It will come down to how much voters respect the win.

This week in College Football and Life- Thursday Edition

- We begin this post with a stunning development. This from the G-Tech sports information office:

Four Virginia Tech players, all starters, may be wearing white Georgia Tech road jerseys tonight. When members of the Virginia Tech equipment staff arrived at Bobby Dodd Stadium this afternoon, they reported that four of their players' jerseys were missing.

The missing jerseys area a mystery at this point. There is no evidence of any breaki-in. A representative of both Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech looked over the video surveillance tape and saw nothing suspicious. All entrances to the locker room have either remained locked, manned by security or under video surveillance.

There is a chance that replacement jerseys will arrive before or during the game. Until that time, Georgia Tech has loaned the Hokies white road jerseys for those four players.

The four Virginia Tech players missing jerseys:

#5 Tyrod Taylor, QB
#7 Sean Glennon, QB
#17Kam Chancellor, ROV
#18Brandon Flowers, BC

And there's something wrong with my seat!

-There is a definete vibe surrounding the game, I mean Big Boi's here for Christ sake!
-Tashard Choice does all the PSA's.

This week in college football and life-10/20/07

-Tech may be weathering the storm now, but they were starting to come unraveled for a little bit. Choice is out with knee injury and they have made a couple of bonehead plays since then.


-Tenn, SC, Okla are all down early.


-Army continues to move the ball at will. Get it together Tech!


-Vandy up 17-0 on SC. Is Spurrier's boys having a hard time dealing with prosperity or are they looking ahead to the meat of their schedule?


-Tech better stop playing with Army. The longer they keep it close (13-10 right now) the more confident Army becomes.


-I know the lost of Choice distracted them, but they should be a shame of themselves. I think Army is out gaining them right now. And they aren’t doing that trick play crap that most service academies do; they are cramming it right down Tech’s throat. Just like V-Tech is going to do in a few weeks if the Jackets don’t get it together


-Tech's homecoming king and queen are both black. Yey black people! First G-Tech, next the world! Moo hah hah hah!


-Choice out for the game with knee injury.


-Georgia State football update from Todd: Students passed the athletic fee increase for football by a unanimous decision. The next step is a proposal that goes to Dr. Patton (school president for approval. They could have a team on the field as early as 2010.

-New no. 2 BC made their most significant move in the polls in 65 years without playing a down, amazing. Tom O' Brien must be feeling like the fifth Beattle right about now. Or at least like Edgerrain James

- A sign of trouble in Tally- http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3073221

- Right now, I truely believe that LSU is the best team in the country. The way they snatched wins away from Auburn and Fla was incredible. Even the way they lost to Kentucky was impressive. Unfortunately, to get there they will probably have to meet either FL, Kentucky, or SC for a second time.

-Vandy is good for about one big win a year. Sorry South Carolina.

Weekend's best- 10/20/07

- Joe Torre era ends in NY- We all knew this was coming. We just didn’t know when. My theory is that Steinbrenner saw himself on Bronx is Burning and thought, that was me. I was a bad m___f____r, Martin would have never got away with what Torre is getting away with. At the same time, they recognize that they would be vilified in NY if they fired Torre. So they make him offer that he couldn’t possibly accept. So he doesn’t accept it and an era ends in NY. And may be a playoff run.
- USF falls at Rutgers- It was a lot to ask of a team that had never been apart of all this before. To go on the road, with the nation watching and a “perfect season” on the line. They are still a good team and they still have a chance to have a great season. While it is unfortunate that they laid an egg in their biggest game ever. There will be other big ones, even ones this season. And they will be more prepared because they fell at Rutgers. Note: Big East, a BCS bowl, and an outside shot at the National Championship is still at stake. So don’t fret, Green Nation.
- UF at Kentucky- Can Kentucky keep it rolling? To do that they would have to be at least as good as they were last week against LSU. That’s a tall tall order. They are playing at home, which helps, UF will be anxious to re-establish themselves in a big game after dropping two straight. Should be a great game but UF should win it.
- Jax/Indy- This is the NFL game of the week. The Jaguars’ hard knock defense and running game has had Indy’s number recently. And the Jags’ truly believe they are capable of beating Indy. The game is in Jacksonville and I believe the Jags could swing the upset.
- Thrashers fire Hartley- So.

NFL Top Ten

A run down of the NFL's best teams after week 6:

1) NE Patriots- It's so obvious, it's scary. Even against a team with a decent defense like Dallas, the Patriots scored at will. Tom Brady has an uncanny ability to look like he's about to get clobbered and suddenly throw pass to the open receiver. The defense is a wall. And they cheat!
2) Indianapolis Colts- This team loses parts and keeps rolling; the sign of a true champion. While they are not as talented as NE, they are as cofindent and as well-coached. That goes a very long way.
3)Pittsburgh Steelers- Another confident team that can have parts fall off and not miss a beat. Mike Tomlin has done a great job of maintaining their momentum and once they get everyone healthy, they may be able to slide a little under the radar and hammer NE and Indy.
4)Dallas Cowboys- Although they lost became ugly, keep in mind that they had a second half lead on the mighty Patriots. They are definetly the most talented and confident of the NFC teams. If TO can become a little more consistent, he can return to being a force.
5)Jax Jaguars- Don't look now but their hard knock defense, David Garrard, and the human pinball Maurice Jones-Drew are just a game back of Indy. We all know that they have the blueprint for beating them. Now, can they combine a season where they both rise up for the big games and avoid let downs against teams they should beat.
6) Green Bay- They've kinda of snuck up on a few teams, but it is yet to be seen if this can be sustained. Their defense is stout, but Favre is starting to sling it like an idiot again.
7)NY Giants- I put the Giants in this spot over other 4-2 teams becuase they have won their last four and they sacked Philly 800 times. They really don't have a big win to hang their hats on.
8) B-more- The defense is still stout.
9)Tampa Bay- The defense and the offense have both been solid. While their losses to Seattle and Indy would indicate that they are not very good, they have done a great job of winning the games they are supposed to win.
10) Carolina- Why did they get Vinny. BTW, when Vinny broke into the league with Tampa I was 12.

Creative Loafing's Best Of-- Best Dessert

A few weeks ago Creative Loafing, the fine arts, entertainment, and lifestyle publication in our city, with extremely aloof staffers put out their Best of Atlanta issue. It has been a tradition of mine, when I can afford to do it, to visit as many of the Best of's as I can to give my own assessment. So now I will share the first one with you. Today's Best of-- Best Dessert.

Creative Loafing awarded Cafe Intermezzo the place to go for desserts in Atlanta. This is not surprising because Intermezzo has been kinda the standard in terms of dessert cafes in Atlanta for many years. I always found the place to be a little stuffy but the desserts are excellent.

For this experience, we invited my old friend and longtime Atlanta resident Todd, his wife Heather, and their two young children. Intermezzo is a fancy-schmancy place so it was a little weird being their with young children, but the wait staff was very nice and very attentive. However, Todd alerted me that we were sitting in the area that they designated for families and that's why about 30 minutes into the meal, there was no one sitting around us.

We all had a pretty good dinner, but it's not about that. For dessert, I had a slice of white chocolate cheesecake. Now, it should be noted that this was the most basic in a long line of extravagant desserts. My taste are very basic. I enjoyed my dessert with a drink called an Almond Joy. The dessert, as you can imagine, was quite tasty. It was rich, without being cloyingly sweet. As was the case with desserts I have had there in the past, it was too rich to finish. Which is good news, because most of their stuff is good for breakfast the next day.

Now whether this was a better cheesecake than what I would have gotten at Copeland's Cheesecake in Atlantic Station is extremely debatable, but to Intermezzo's credit, we didn't wait an hour and a half for a seat. So for great ambiance and a great slice of cheesecake, Cafe Intermezzo is a great choice.

Another week of College Football- Glad to be back

- They are showing Leroy Selmon eating some food from his restauarnt. The barbecue there is good but not the best in Tampa. That would be Kojak's on Gandy Blvd. BTW, USF- 17, UNC- 3.

-Joe Kahn of Tampa's tailgating tips:
*Tradition- Well, maybe one day they will have it.
*Location- Al Lopez Park or Jesuit H.S. is good.
*Keep it Simple- Self-explanatory
*Bring more food than you need- Leftovers are a great benefit of good tailgating.

-USF's campus looks great on TV. Although they only got a couple of yards on Grothe's keeper, USF looks great on the field.

-L-ville's defense sucks, by the way, and will keep them from winning a Big East title, which could be decided when West Virginial comes to Tampa this Friday. They are down 21-7 to Syracuse, the worst team in college football.

-Who will win first Notre Dame or the Falcons. Let's look at their schedules:

Notre Dame
vs. Michigan State
at Purdue
at UCLA
vs. Boston College
vs. USC
vs. Navy
vs. Air Force
vs. Duke

Falcons

Carolina
Houston
at Tennessee
N.Y. Giants
San Francisco
at Carolina
Tampa Bay
Indianapolis
at St. Louis

*Let's go ahead and assume that both will lose this weekend. Next week, Purdue on the road will be a tall order for ND, and Schuab will looking to get back at the team that traded him away when the Falcons face Houston. Another loss for both. In the third week, while ND doesn't have a prayer at UCLA, the Falcons have the Giants, a team more disfunctional than themselves, at home. Unless, Tiki and his big head comes out of retirement the Falcons should win. So I guess the answer will be the Falcons. Sorry Damers!

-LSU only gives up 2.3 points per game. Phenomenal!

-Lou's Pep Talk- a little hokey, okay a lot hokey, but they are some good life lessons in there:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/lous-pep-talk-penn-st-vs-michigan/1612524651

-Ole Miss is gainig on UF. Currently UF-28, Ole Miss-24. USF won 37-10 over UNC. Yay!!

Notes from Saturday Part 1

I can’t believe Michigan lost to Appalachian St. At home, no doubt. It looked like App. St. just ran a bunch of trick plays and they all worked. While Mike Hart looked like he did everything he could to do to win the game, which he had to do, App St. had the confidence to fight through to the end and get the close victory. Lloyd Carr and his team should be ashamed of themselves. Bo would have fired him right on the spot.

Whatever happened to Nick Price of Wassou, Bama, and tittie bar fame? Is he still coaching? I think he may be in New Mexico, or Arizona, or somewhere where coaches go to die.

Love the Reggie Bush commercial. That TD was against the Bucs.

Who should be the ND QB next week? The sceen has been totally set for Clausen to be the QB next week and it is ridiculous. Jones was sent out there to run all over the damn place behind a crappy O-line even when they needed to pass. Clausen, on the other hand, was allowed to pass the ball against the second team defense after the game was out of reach. He looked good but so did Rick Meier and Ron Pawlus in high school.

NBA Draft at Taco Mac

Notes:

• Oden and Durant were picked before I sat down.
• The server said it best when he said that Oden is in the NBA before he can get a beer.
• He was in eighth grade when 9-11 happened.
• People booed when Horford was picked. Mark Jackson said it was a bad pick. They are crazy. With the third pick you don't pick a maybe, you pick someone you know is going to give you good minutes from day one. That is Horford. He rebounds, plays great (not good) interior defense and offense. Runs the court, he' s smart. It's a no-brainer, Conley's a question mark. You can get a question mark at 11.

Why _____ can win the Final Four?

I going to keep it pretty simple in terms. I'm going to give you a compeling reason why each team will win and a reason that they may hold them back. By the way, I have two teams from my bracket in the final four. Georgetown, in the span of seven minutes, kept me from having three teams; bastards!


The Gators will win the National Championship because they have the greatest mix of talent and experience since the UNC team with Sean May and Raymond Felton. This team is actually a lot better than them. Al Horford is the best big man in the country on offense and defense. Joakim Noah is one of the better big man in the country, Taurean Green is great point guard and Corey Brewer, a great swing man. If these guys are on, they are almost impossible to beat.

If there is an area where they need to improve it is how they start games. They now have had four straight slow starts. It won't work against a hungry UCLA team. They will be looking for the confidence to put the team that defeated them away. If UF digs themselves a hole it may be hard to get out.


Ohio State will win if they show the moxy and offensive brilliance that they have shown down the stretch in games. Mike Conley Jr. is to this year's tourney what Joakim Noah was to last year's tourney. He's a breakout star that keeps dazzling each game. He is the best point guard left in the tourney. If Greg Oden can stay out of foul trouble and truely assert him self, Ohio St. has a great chance to win.

There youth, while not being a factor up to now, could become a factor as the stakes become considerably higher. They are the least experienced of the four teams.

Georgetown is the hottest team coming to Atlanta. There Princeton-style offense seems to gnaw teams down over the course of the game. What they did, down the stretch, against UNC was masterful. They may have single-handedly forced Tyler Hansborough to come back next year. Jeff Green would be the story of this tournament if it wasn't for the fact that many people already know that he is good. His ball handling and shooting will cause match up problems. However, Roy Hibbert is the key, when he is on they don't lose. His match-up against Oden is a marquee match-up and an interesting one because both guys can fade away at times. Which brings me to the bad news about the Hoyas, they have a tendency to fade away at times as well. If UNC had the ability to step on the throat last week, we would have a different final four. Hibbert and Green have to stay out of foul trouble. They have gotten away with it in previous contests, but remember, the stakes are much higher.

The Bruins have almost as much experience and talent as Florida but they will be hungrier having come so close last year. Their complete committment to defense will keep them in the game against any of the remaining teams. Look for them to have a little chip on their shoulder this weekend. They are the only team the media hasn't really talked about (hell, there even last to be mentioned in this segment.) If Ben Howland can harness that attitude into action on the court, they certainly have the talent to beat Florida on Saturday.

If there is a drawback for UCLA, its that Kevin Love won't be on campus until next fall. The Bruins don't have as much talent on the front line as their compeitors. This could really hurt, especially against Florida. It almost forces them to get off to a hot shooting start. If that doesn't happen, guys like Aaron Afflalo and Derrick Collison will not have the ability drive the lane.

Obervations of Day 3 of SEC Tournament

At this point, Arkansas has won the first game of the semifinal over Miss. St. There is a shirtless guy with a mullet that is thrilled right now. They are probably turning the food court upside down as we speak. All seriousness, they are a very spirited and talented group. As my man James said "they have a swagger." As Patrick Beverly displayed his jersey as he walked to the tunnel you could feel a sense of pride and validation.

They will a bring a lot of energy and a suprising amount of talent at all five positions into tommorow's title game. A question that fans from Syracuse to down here in the A will have to ask tonight. Did they just steal a spot from a team that is already in the tourney?

As the Arkansas fans come back out of the tunnel it is a love fest with their group of fans applauding their efforts in the recent match-up.

UF represents most of the proud audience here at the GA Dome. I just fulfilled a request for a UF media guide.

In the end, UF pummeled yet another team. Their games become boring towards the middle of the second half because they kick so much butt. It's a shorter day for me so I'm going to go home and veg out.

Observations of Day 2 of the SEC Tournament

Dude got a pass to the SEC tournament. I was luke warm initially about this, but once I got there it all came together. The first game was Kentucky vs. Miss. St. Every one who knows Kentucky, knows that their fans travel. 1 p.m. at the Ga. Dome was like a UK home game. Those fans absolutely live and die on every possession. You would figure that most of their aggression would be towards Tubby Smith or, maybe, Randolph Morris, but instead fans were harshest on Sheray Thomas, a senior forward from Quebec. Long before the lane violation heard round the world, Thomas was berated by fans for no rebounding, missing three-pointers, breathing. Obviously, the lane violation didn't help.

The Arkansas/Vandy game was exciting but the highlight of this game for me was after Gary Ervin hit the game winner. It was at this point that freshmen guard, Patrick Beverly ran off the court knocking and jumped up into the stands, where his family cheered him on. In the process of doing this, Beverly knocked over a state trooper. James, a fellow reporter, summed it up best when he said, "he better be glad he has that uniform on." I would have to agree. If I was the one who knocked the state trooper over, I'd probably be doing this blog from county. Shouts out to law enforcement everywhere.

In between sessions, I discovered the food court at the CNN Center. Someone can tell me this, if they know. Do they always serve beer there? As throngs of fans from throughout the southeast converged on this place, I decide to do as the Romans, or at least the LSU fans do and partake in chicken fingers and a "thirstbuster" sized cup of Heineken.

I returned to the GA Dome a little warmer just in time for the start of the FL/GA game. For those of you who only saw this on Sports Center, FL was even more impressive in person. It looked as if they were playing a high school team. They dominated in every facet of the game and yesm Horford did knock that ball into the third row.

I didn't stay for Tenn/LSU because I had to get home to watch G-Tech and Wake. Overall observations of the day"

-Kentucky fans live and die by their team

-If you are a ball player you may be able to get away with knocking over a cop.

-LSU fans drink, a lot.

-When they assert themselves, FL is hard to beat.

Okay Let's get down to business- NCAA Tournament

In light of the events of this week, we need to ask the question:

Who are the top seeds in the NCAA Men's tourney going to be? Does your opinions change after G-Tech beat UNC, UTenn beat UF, Ohio St. beat Wisconsin. Here's my bracketology takes for this coming weekend:

Ohio St.- While I do not think that they are the best team in the country, it is their turn on the mary-go-round that is the AP no.1. They do not get the ball to Greg Oden enough but, he does not have the aggressive demeanor to call for the ball more. It may be a sign of his youth. However, Oden and the Buckeyes are going to have to grow up quickly if they want to get to Atlanta.

UCLA- No one talks about them because the play their games in the middle of the night but they are good. Aaron Affalo is about the best player in the country that gets on attention. That have some African prince that is really good as well. And people are going to point to the lost at Washington and say that they deserve to be a no. 1 seed, but if you look at the entire body of work you'll see a pretty impressive resume.

Kansas- It's time to talk about Kansas. No one has talked them very much either. Not sure why. Last Saturday, they blue by the force that is Kevin Durant. They have an excellent core of players in Mario Chalmers, Julian Wright, and Brandon Rush. They also have a experience after getting wacked by Bradley last year in the tournament. Let's see can they cash in on a little of that potential; something that haven't been able to do in recent years.

Florida- Aside from the events of the last few weeks, the Gators have been one of the few teams that have separated themselves. They have dominated a league that is like to get, at least, six teams in the tourney. And of course, they have experience. What will be the test for them is if they have the killer instinct. They will need.

Now for the two seeds:

North Carolina- They have been relegated to this list because someone had to go. They have falter this week and while they have look dominant at times, they are still very young. Please don't look at the game against Duke as any sort of "indicator" because Duke sucks. Their key to victory is to play with poise because most teams they face will have more experience than them. Luckily for the Tar Heels, few will be as talented.

Wisconsin- Wisconsin may still win it all in the end, but they have got to get over their current slump. Yes, other teams are limping into the tournament but once again someone has got to be the second seed. This really isn't a bad place to be. There is a little less pressure. However, you may not be able to play in your backyard.

Texas A & M, Georgetown (watch out for Georgetown. The way they ended the Pitt game was phenomenal.)

The treys:

Memphis- Perhaps the nation's premiere mid-major team, they have run rough-shot over the Conferance USA. What they did to Rice was brutal. A couple times I literally saw them take the ball out of a Rice player's hands and coast to the basket. Even Big Joey Dorsey was leading the fast break. They are a little young and that would concern me in terms of how deep they can go in the tourney.

Pitt (potential tourney sleeper), Wassou (who knew they were good), Nevada (if they wrap up their conference tourney)

The four seeds: Texas, L-Ville, Notre Dame, Maryland

Losing my blog virginity

Please be gentle. . . Hi folks! Welcome to Black on Sports with your host, Johnny Crosskey. This blog will give you "read between the lines" insight on the world of sports from a black perspective, which is the only one I know intimately. I will also talk a little about entertainment and a little about life. I won't give any indicator to what feelings you will experience while reading my blog. The experience is a personal one. Sorta like losing your virginity ; )I'll be sending these several times a week and subscribers will get a weekly email alerting you to new posts. So sit back. Relax and remember, like the once great Jay-Z once said it's just my thoughts. . .