Man, the Final Four has kind of been an after thought this week.

Rumors of coaching moves are rampant.

Here's what I've been hearing. Some are mere rumor and speculation and some are pretty solid:

1) Memphis may have attempted to match UK's offer for Calipari. No word on this yet
2) UGA has offered "something" to Mizzou coach Anderson. It's believed to be a 2 - 2.3 million a year deal. Not sure for how long.
3) Mizzou may have offered him a new deal but for only 1.3 million
4) Memphis may have also asked to contact the Mizzou coach in case Calipari leaves
5) Rick Pitino to Arizona?


Shit is getting thick.

I really should be more angry with Howard Schultz, who knowingly sold the team to out of state owners. I really dislike both men, though.

That Christian Laettner / Rick Pitino commercial cracks me up everytime.

Doubtful. He spoke to it before the UL-AZ matchup last week. A Kentucky native in my office told me today that Calipari @ UK is a done deal. She also said Pitino's wife calls the shots and forced Rick to leave Kentucky because Lexington wasn't a big enough town for her. With his Providence remark in the link, there's some potential East Coast snobbery in action.

EDIT: AZ is now apparently chasing Floyd (USC).

So, Caribou &/or Seattle's Best for ye, huh?

Fuck Starbucks! Cock!

I need either:

Villanova to win on Saturday or
UConn to win the championship

to win the pick-em tourney.

This is the first time I've been so close to winning an Obner fantasy league - I must have bought CDs for half the damn membership already.

NIT, suckaz!!!

That is all.

Congrats!!! I still remember when Nebraska won the NIT... it actually was quite SWEET... of course, that's because we hardly accomplish anything in basketball.

the NIT used to be the national championship, so . . . that's something.

So, uh, anyone wanna tell my something.....ANYTHING....about Mark Fox, former U of Nevada coach? UGA has hired him.

I know he's taken them to the tourney 4 of the last 5 years and he apparently has a shitload of degrees in physical ed. and psychology. He's also recruited a couple of WAC players of the yeaer.

That being said, I couldn't pick him out of a lineup.

The NIT gets treated like a red-headed stepchild. It doesn't get a fair shake IMO.

If the NCAA tourney wasn't set up the way it is (with the small conference schools getting an automatic bid for winning their tourney) then probably 10-12 teams in the NIT would be in the big dance.

There were some great games this year in the NIT.

No it doesn't get a fair shake, and it probably never will...and while I'm sure there were great games this year, only fans of the teams in the NIT really give a shit, and sometimes even those fans don't care...with good reason imo, it's the loser's bracket.

Yeah it's the loser's bracket but you also have to admit that the NCAA tourney format doesn't put in the best 64 teams.

I cared when Michigan won over Rutgers a few yeas ago, but only because it won me a drink on a bet with a Rutgers grad. Otherwise; kids table.

It's tough to say...Thetwo teams that were probably the last to get into the tourney, Arizona and Wisconsin, both won their opening round matchups, and Arizona went on to the sweet 16...

It's a difficult decision regardless, and you could make a case for a number of teams left out of the tourney, but I actually think the selection committee has done a great job as of late.

You're missing my point. I'm not arguing that any teams got left in or out or even trying to make a case for teams that were on the bubble.

I'm simpy saying that the format doesn't put in the 64 best teams. Sure the committee does a good job at putting in the best 25-30 teams but they have no say in the conference tourney champs getting in.

I'm not saying that the format is good or bad, fair or unfair, but it's still true that the best 64 do not play in that NCAA tournament.

This year's Penn State, Kentucky, Baylor, Florida, etc would be HEAVY favorites to win at least a dozen of the small conferences that get automatic bids.

I see what you're saying, and you're right about that.

I will say though, that the tourney is the most exciting thing in sports even without having all the "best" teams invited. There's a certain charm to having those small schools take part.

So call some predictions, mofos.

My completely partial and in no way rational call: MSU over UConn, Carolina over Villanova.
MSU over NCU, cementing Tom Izzo's place in the coaching legend club.

I do know it makes two former Nevada-Reno coaches in the SEC (Trent Johnson also coached there). But really, if one is going to pull from the Silver State, why not get some Tark up in there?

I'd say he's pretty close already but yeah, another championship would put him in the club.

The tourney the last couple of years has been pretty meh in my opinion with all the big boys advancing for the most part. That being said, it has brought some good Final Four games and this year I don't think it can be considered an upset if ANY of these teams win it all.

All due respect to MSU and Nova (and Chad for that matter) but the match up most of the country wants to see is UConn vs UNC. They've been the two best teams in the country all year.

I think that's what we're going to get. In the end I think UNC just has too many weapons and will pull it out.

Now all that happening is another story.

State is up at the half - I didn't expect that

Props to Izzo and the Spartans.

This wasn't an upset in my mind. There was some serious bed shitting in the middle part of the 2nd half on UConn's part but MSU still took it from them.

Is it me or did Thabeet come off as soft? MSU was really physical with him and he came up small.


Here we go UNC!

I'm guessing the scene at your crib is bedlam.