I could turn this into a long rambling post about today’s hearing in D.C. I watched the first three hours of it. My opinion: Clemens is lying. McNamee is lying. There is no conceivable way that Roger Clemens is telling the truth. I just can’t see it. Andy Pettitte is not the type of guy to set up one of his good friends. How is it that Brian McNamee told the truth about Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch, but not Roger? Roger would also do well to have his sniveling weasel of an attorney disappear.

But Brian McNamee is no better. The Rep. from Indiana (clearly a big Clemens fan) read off a list of quotes attributed to McNamee that the former trainer admitted were all fabrications/inaccurate. If body language determined guilt, both men would be guilty. I’ve had enough of this topic. Pitchers and catchers are reporting to camp. Let us all rejoice.

Some college basketball house cleaning:

1.) Texas’ victory over Kansas Monday night was huge. D.J. Augustine had a terrible night shooting, and the Longhorns still managed to beat the Jayhawks, who no longer look invincible.

2.) Rutgers should have won Monday’s game against Tennessee. I watched the entire game. Tennessee stopped getting the ball inside to Candace Parker in the 2nd half and it nearly cost them the game. Pundits are saying now that if these two teams play again, Rutgers will have all the motivation. I still think Tennessee beats them.

3.) North Carolina nearly lost last night to lowly Virginia. They need Ty Lawson back ASAP.

4.) Purdue looks like the best team in the Big 10. I’ve mentioned my dislike of the Big 10 in this spot before. They play basketball like they play football. No great athletes. Grind it out. Frankly, boring. I don’t think anyone in the Big 10 is a Final Four threat. Indiana could be, but Eric Gordon has been inconsistent in conference play (he needs to come back for his sophomore season).

Today, I will count down the current top 10 and break down their chances in the tournament, per Matt’s request.

(I use the ESPN Coaches Poll for my top 10)

10. Butler
-The Bulldogs are not a cute story. They’re a real team. While I don’t think Butler can win the National Championship, I do think they can beat a team that can win the Title. AJ Graves, despite looking like a 12 year old boy, is a star and capable of shooting the daylights out of anyone from Evansville to Memphis. They also have solid role players who do their job night in/night out. They nearly lost last night to UW-Milwaukee, on the road, which is not an issue. I like that they were able to pull it out in OT, on the road, against a decent team. I think they’ll lose one more game this season (hint: Bracketbuster), perhaps twice. They’re a 5 seed, at this point. They advance to the Sweet 16.

9. Michigan State
-I can’t say enough about how average I think this team is. Drew Nietzel is nothing more than the poor man’s AJ Graves. The loss last night to Purdue showed that this team is nowhere near good enough to be ranked number 9. Their best nonconference win is a six point win at home against an inconsistent Texas team. And then there’s the clunker against Iowa in January where they scored 36 points. Michigan State will be a 4 seed, somehow and will lose in the first round.

8. Georgetown
-Losing Jeff Green after last year hurt this team. There’s no denying it. If Green had come back, they would be a top 3 team. Jonathan Wallace is one of the best players in the Big East. He’s one of those guys who won’t get a shot in the pros, even though he is more than capable of running the show. Roy Hibbert is what he is. I’m not impressed every time I see him play. He doesn’t wow me. Their supporting cast is great right down to the spot above Jeremiah Rivers, who I fear will commit a silly turnover or take a ridiculous shot in a key game. I’d like to say that Georgetown could win the title, but I don’t see it. I see them as a 3 seed, losing in the Sweet 16, even though they’re better than that.

7. Stanford
-Huh??? This makes my head explode. Stanford is 20-3, which is good. Their 3 losses: UCLA (in Palo Alto), at Oregon (who should be better), and…SIENA!!! In their nonconference, they also beat Sacramento State, Santa Clara, Harvard, Yale (they apparently like the Ivies), and Northwestern State. They still have games (are you ready): at UCLA, at USC, at Arizona, and home against Washington State. They will lose 4 more games. They’ll be a 6 seed. They’ll advance to the Round of 32.

6. UCLA
-The best team in college basketball. All things equal, they are the best. They can beat you defensively. They can outscore you. They’re deeper than the Pacific (though not as deep as Kansas and Memphis). Kevin Love is one of the 5 best players in college basketball. Not just Freshman. Their coach, Ben Howland, is eh. He’s not Rick Barnes-level inept. But he’s not Coach K smart. They’re playing without Luc Ricard M’Bah Moute currently, a key contributor. The key to UCLA’s success though is Lorenzo Mata-Real. I think he’s the most inept key player on a major team. If he doesn’t senselessly foul big men, and miss 3 foot shots, he gives the Bruins a chance to win the title. UCLA also needs, as I’ve mentioned this week, Darren Collison to be healthy…fully healthy. There are a lot of ifs with UCLA, but a ton of talent too. They’ll probably lose another game, on account of how good and deep the Pac-10 is. They’ll be a 1 seed. They make it to the final four for the 3rd straight year.

5. North Carolina
-I’m going to leave this simple. With Ty Lawson healthy, they are unbeatable, unless they beat themselves. It’s been like that the last 3 seasons. Yet, they haven’t won a title. They’re not as deep as some people, Billy Packer namely, would allow you to believe. Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green are not starters at other top schools. North Carolina will be a 2 seed. They will be upset in the Elite 8.

4. Tennessee
-I’ve beaten my drum that I think Tennessee is for real. They are the only (ONLY) team in college basketball that can score 100 points on a regular basis. They are tenacious as all hell on defense too. Their one and only weakness, however, is a big one. They don’t have a post presence. The top teams: Memphis (Joey Dorsey), UCLA (Kevin Love), Duke (Kyle Singler), North Carolina (Tyler Hansborough), and Kansas (Sasha Kaun and Darrell Arthur and Cole Aldrich…my God they’re deep) all have guys who can get it done in the paint to varying degrees. Tennessee doesn’t. What they do have is Chris Lofton, the best 3 point shooter in college basketball since JJ Reddick. Mississippi State played a grinder against Tennessee, and the Vols won. Memphis is leaps and bounds better than Mississippi State. They have an ENORMOUS game against that Memphis team on the 23rd. The biggest game of the season. Tennessee loses twice more (but not to Memphis) and enters the tournament as a 2 seed. They advance to the final four.

3. Kansas
-The best team in college basketball. Because all things are not equal. I don’t really see why Kansas lost to Kansas State or Texas. They’re so deep. Insanely deep. Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun, Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers are all (too varying degrees) good-to-great talents. I love Brandon Rush. I wish they could get him the ball more, but with so many playmakers that’s tough. The one thing that I think will do this team in, if anything, is Bill Self’s inability to win a big game. Last year’s team should have gone to the Final Four, but Self was outcoached by Ben Howland. This year’s team will be a 1 seed and will advance to the final four.

2. Duke
-I could write a good deal about this team. I know more about Duke and have seen them play more than any other team (purposely because of my love). They lack a guy who can grab rebounds in the paint over the big boys. Kyle Singler is a great Freshman talent and a good mid-range player, but he’s not big enough to stay in the paint against Roy Hibbert and Tyler Hansborough all game. I’m also, as always, skeptical of Greg Paulus’ ability to run the show without making too many mistakes. Duke will be a number 1 seed, but will fall in the Elite 8. Sadly. Because I really love this team and think that DeMarcus Nelson deserves a better sendoff.

1. Memphis
-I think they’re beatable. Not having played a good team for a month and a half (sorry Gonzaga and Houston…you’re not “good” teams). Memphis is also extremely talented. Chris Douglas-Roberts is a great swingman (a lot like Brandon Rush). Joey Dorsey is a beast. He’s a more talented version of Ben Wallace, in that he can score actual points. Calipari is a good coach. They play a relentless style of offense. Oh, and they have Derrick Rose, an outstanding talent at point guard. Memphis will lose one game (I’ve hinted at that one in this post) on their remaining schedule. They will be a number 1 seed and advance to the final four.

And there you have it. I’m sticking with my final four.

Game o’ the Day: Maryland @ Duke. Duke wins by 5. It’ll be a great game. That’s all you really need to know.

Mid-Atlantic Bias is taking an undeserved break and will return on Tuesday of next week and will continue DAILY. We have the internet now. No more Panera. Instead of watching sports this weekend, spend time with the family. And be sure to check out the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game. Rudy Gay will win the Dunk Contest.