Some confusion yesterday, as it appeared to the naked eye that I published my post at a very early time. Rest assured that I published at 11:30 A.M. The timestamps have always been confusing on this site.

Every team that needed to win to get in the NCAA tournament lost yesterday. This is good because it leaves the door open for Virginia Commonwealth, who Matthew thinks is solidly out of the tournament. However, Matt also thinks that Boston College, after thankfully knocking off Maryland last night, can beat Clemson, Duke, and North Carolina on three consecutive days to win the ACC tournament and get into the Big Dance. So there’s that.

On to the completion of the Mock Draft. We pick up where we left off, at number 17 with the Minnesota Vikings.

17. Minnesota Vikings
-What They Need: Wide Receivers, Wide Receivers, and a few more Wide Receivers.
-What They Should Do: Stay Put.
–THE PICK: WR Limas Sweed (Texas)-Sweed gives the Vikings a talented Wideout, something that they’ve lacked since Randy Moss left. I don’t think they should go QB here. Is Tavaris Jackson the answer for this team? I think he can be. Give him time and some weapons on offense and I think he can be very good.

18. Houston Texans
-What They Need: Running Back, Wide Receiver, Cornerback
-What They Should Do: Stay Put
–THE PICK: CB Leodis McKelvin (Troy)-This is a really tough pick. If they narrow it down to corner, they have the choice between McKelvin and Rodgers-Cromartie. However, Jonathan Stewart (RB/Oregon) is still on the board and there’s a slue of receivers they can draft to pair with Andre Johnson. I think their defense is the more pressing issue. They’re solid up front on the line. They need secondary help. McKelvin fills the bigger need.

19. Philadelphia Eagles
-What They Need: Probably not to draft another quarterback. They already have an issue with that. Wide Receiver and Linebacker.
-What They Should Do: I would trade down. There’s no really pressing needs on this team. The offense is decent. The defense is decent. There’s no pick here that I think will really set them apart from the rest of the NFC East.
–THE PICK: WR De’Sean Jackson (California)-De’Sean gives them great speed out of the slot and a great return man with blazing speed. He could add a needed wrinkle to their offense. The best two players on the board here are Jonathan Stewart and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, however, they don’t need a feature back or a corner.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-What They Need: To get younger on defense. To get younger at wideout. Getting younger.
-What They Should Do: Stay Put
–THE PICK: DE Derrick Harvey (Florida)-Rodgers-Cromartie would be an interesting pick here. So would a bunch of available wideouts. However, if they want to be great on defense again, long-term, line Harvey up opposite Gaines Adams on the line. Wideout is deep in this draft and they don’t “need” a corner yet.

21. Washington Redskins
-What They Need: To get off of my TV and Radio. Also, someone besides Santana Moss who can catch footballs.
-What They Should Do: Stay Put, unless they can move down to the end of the first round.
–THE PICK: WR James Hardy (Indiana)-They already have the speed in Moss at WR, now they have the size in Hardy (6’5”). Hardy has had off the field issues. If they keep him in check and away from the guys I pass on the street who end conversations with, “Alright, my n—a, I’m gonna go take care a’ some bizniss,” he should be a quality piece on a playoff team.

22. Dallas Cowboys
-What They Need: To wipe up the stain Darren McFadden created in Jerry Jones’ slacks.
-What They Should Do: Not go apeshit crazy over a running back when they already have Marion Barber III.
–THE PICK: CB Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie (Tennessee State)-If there’s any team with no pressing issues that can be fixed in the first round, this is the team. They happen to have two first round picks. So they’ll just get better. I love this pick in this spot. They don’t really need a cornerback, however, he’s the best player on the defensive board currently and sures up an area where they looked less than mediocre in the playoffs. Now this is a pick that Jerry Jones should have a plastic-surgery induced erection for.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers
-What They Need: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
-What They Should Do: If any of the top 4 corners are still available at about pick 20, they should trade up and draft the available cornerback. Can you tell this team needs a cornerback? They really need a corner.
–THE PICK: OG Brandon Albert (Virginia)-After corner, there’s no huge pressing need for this team, so why not sure up an offensive line that plays in front of an immobile (except when he’s going backwards), inaccurate quarterback who is paid ten million dollars a season.?

24. Tennessee Titans
-What They Need: Someone Vince Young can throw a football to.
-What They Should Do: Draft someone Vince Young can throw a football to.
–THE PICK: WR Devin Thomas (Michigan State)-Thomas has more size than Early Doucett and isn’t a jerk like Mario Manningham, which makes him the best choice at wideout here. He’s not as fast as Doucett or as polished as Manningham, but in the Titans dink and dunk offense, he’ll stay healthier than Doucett will and can still breakaway from some defenders.

25. Seattle Seahawks
-What They Need: They’re deep at most positions. Except tight end.
-What They Should Do: Win a game away from home once in a while.
–THE PICK: TE Fred Davis (Southern California)-They have no one on their roster that can play tight end. Nobody. In fact, here’s their tight ends presently: Zac Alcorn, Will Heller, Jeb Putzier, and Joe Newton. Only Putzier has made any impact in the NFL and his impact is similar to that of a feather being thrown at a brick wall. Davis will give them another pass-catching option on offense.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars
-What They Need: Nothing. They’re the best team in the AFC right now. Additional help at corner, perhaps.
-What They Should Do: Trade up for one of the corners. This team is so deep, they can afford to give up draft picks to sure up their secondary.
–THE PICK: DE Calais Campbell (Miami FL)- Campbell would make an already solid front line even stronger. Good insurance policy for Paul Spicer and Rob Meier at End. It’s probably a little boring, but this team is insanely good in Hot Stove terms.

27. San Diego Chargers
-What They Need: Safety help. They’re really really thin there.
-What They Should Do: Stay Put.
–THE PICK: S Kenny Phillips (Miami FL)-He’s the best safety on the board. They need a safety. 2+2=4.

28. Dallas Cowboys
-What They Need: We’ve been here before.
-What They Should Do: Keep bolstering the best roster in the NFC. They’re the Jaguars of this conference.
–THE PICK: RB Jonathan Stewart (Oregon)-Here’s a novel concept if you’re the Cowboys: You think you need a running back? Keep both picks and you end up with a high value pick at 28 in Stewart, who can back up Marion the Barbarian and be a functional kick returner. Which would you rather have: Darren McFadden or Jonathan Stewart, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and your 3rd or 4th round pick?

29. San Francisco 49ers
-What They Need: That top 7 pick from the Patriots. And a lot of help.
-What They Should Do: Cry.
–THE PICK: DT Kentwan Balmer (North Carolina)- The 49ers have a lot of wide outs, just no good ones. That’s sort of the case everywhere on this team. They have a lot of mediocre players and very few standouts. Balmer will give them depth up front where they’re very mediocre.

30. Green Bay Packers
-What They Need: A dose of reality. Brett Favre went out to get a pack of cigarettes and he won’t be back. However, he left plenty of food in the cupboards and you’re capable of taking care of yourself now. Plus, your new daddy is very good. You just need to give him time.
-What They Should Do: Unlike the 49ers, they need to stop crying.
–THE PICK: QB Joe Flacco (Delaware)-This isn’t what I would do, but rather what I think will happen. There’s not a ton they can do with this first round pick. They’re mostly solid. However, enough people will freak out about Aaron Rodgers and his injuries a few years ago and enough people will continue talking about how Joe Flacco has a “Brett Favre” arm. And alas, we have a quarterback quandary in Green Bay. (For the sake of it, I would actually trade down here and try to get some picks for next year’s draft).

31. New England Patriots
-What They Need: To not videotape things.
-What They Should Do: Stop all covert missions.
–THE PICK: FORFEITED

32. New York Giants
-What They Need: A dose of reality. Wide receiver help and linebackers galore.
-What They Should Do: Get stomped out. Stay put.
–THE PICK: LB Dan Connor (Penn State)-Every mock draft I’ve seen has them taking Connor. I’m not being trendy (see my Keith Rivers pick and Jonathan Stewart falling), it’s just such an obvious fit. They lost Kawika Mitchell and Connor is a Tom Coughlin type of player. No frills. Gets the job done. He’s not a glamor pick. He’s a smart pick.

Ladies and Gentleman (mostly gentleman) that brings Round 1 to a close. Still available are Felix Jones (RB/Arkansas…my top rated back), Brian Brohm (QB/Louisville…my second rated quarterback, behind Flacco), Early Doucett, Mario Manningham, Brandon Flowers (CB/Virginia Tech), and a lot of other value guys for Round 2. Who knows…maybe I’ll do a full 7 round mock draft.

Don’t hold your breath. However, maybe a second round if my readers (Ryan and Matt) would like.

Game O’ The Day: USC/UCLA. Don’t worry though, we won’t be able to watch the game live as our local FOX Sports/ComCast Sportsnet channels will preempt coverage of this really interesting exciting game with this plate of deliciousness, broken up into local markets: Boston/Utah (New England), Washington Capitals/Atlanta Thrasher (Baltimore/Washington), Thrashers/Capitals (Atlanta), Orlando/Miami (Florida), Northern Michigan/Michigan State (College Hockey…seriously…Detroit), Akron/Western Michigan (Ohio), St. Joseph’s/Xavier (Whatever city gets FSCN), Chicago/Columbus (NHL…CSNC), Minnesota/Minnesota State (College Hockey…Minnesota), and on and on and on. The point is this, all of those above games are garbage. UCLA and USC is an inner city rivalry that both teams split on their opponent’s home court and now we get a rubber match, on a neutral court, that is still in Los Angeles (Staples Center). I predicted USC would win the Pac-10 title and I’ll continue with that prediction. I just won’t be able to see it live.

Mid-Atlantic Bias will not have a weekend edition. It will, however, return on Monday morning to rant about the field of 65. On Tuesday, I will have my entire bracket for you. On Wednesday, I will probably break down the play-in game. And then on Thursday and Friday, my heart will explode from excitement. So it should be a fun week. If you don’t like college basketball…next week at Mid-Atlantic Bias is no place for you.

Have a great weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday.

You may recall that a few years ago, while with the Magic, Tracy McGrady thought, after winning Game 5, that the Magic had advanced in the playoffs past the first round, unaware that the format had been changed to a Best of 7 series. The Magic then lost the next two games.

I am recalling this gem because the Rockets won their 20th consecutive game last night. I know, I said they would lose, and it looked that way before the Hawks decided to stop scoring points in the final 3 minutes of the game. Look, 20 consecutive wins in any professional league doesn’t just happen. The Rockets have been playing a stretch of cupcakes of late. As I pointed out earlier this week, they have to play the Lakers, Celtics, and Hornets within the next few weeks.

Shelley Duncan was just playing hard and trying to knock the ball loose, apparently.

Okay, it’s mock draft time. Here’s the deal: This will be a combination of what the teams will do and what they should do. For the purposes of not getting too ahead of myself, I will not create trades between teams, just suggest them. I reserve the right to get bored with it and just end whenever I feel like.

1. Miami Dolphins
What They Need: QB, WR, OL, DL, CB, Replacement for Bill Parcells
What They Should Do: Trade this pick for value. However, no one wants to take this pick because there’s no clear cut number one choice, like last year with the great 300 LB JaMarcus Russell…There’s plenty of help up here for the ‘Fins if they can’t trade this pick.
THE PICK: OT Jake Long (Michigan)

2. St. Louis Rams
What They Need: DL, OL, WR
What They Should Do: Stay Put. The Rams aren’t really the second worst team in the NFL. If Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson can stay healthy, they should be okay. They’re a little thin at wideout, but there’s obviously no one here worth a second pick. This is an easy decision for the Rams. Take the available Long.
THE PICK: DL Chris Long (Virginia)

3. Atlanta Falcons
What They Need: A New Team. Also QB, DL, OL
What They Should Do: Stay Put.
THE PICK: QB Matt Ryan (Boston College)- I’m only going to comment when I feel the need to. With the previous two picks, I think you have no-brainers. With “Matty Ice” you have a guy who I don’t think will be a very good NFL quarterback. He has one thing that scouts love: size. That’s not a good thing. How did he do in big games last year? Don’t remember. Allow me to remind you: He struuuuuuuggggggled for 58 minutes against Virginia Tech before throwing a prayer across his body and then stunk up the joint against Florida State. I’m just saying.

4. Oakland Raiders
What They Need: Not Darren McFadden. They have running backs. They need everything else.
What They Should Do: Trade this pick immediately to the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones is enamored with Darren McFadden and the ‘Boys have two first round picks. I don’t frankly think that the Raiders can afford to pay Darren McFadden and they DO NOT NEED A RUNNING BACK. With that said:
THE PICK: DT Sedrick Ellis (Southern California)- This pick comes down to Glenn Dorsey vs. Ellis. I feel as though most scouts are split down the middle on these two. Frankly, I think Ellis will be the better pro, as he comes in in better shape than Dorsey, who could not stay healthy this past season at Louisiana State. But really, the difference is mostly negligible.

5. Kansas City Chiefs
What They Need: More than you’d think. They need a QB (I don’t think Brodie Croyle is the guy). Also, Wide Receiver, OL, LB, CB.
What They Should Do: Trade down to get an OL who isn’t valued this highly.
THE PICK: DL Vernon Gholston (Ohio State)- They don’t need defensive line help as much as other areas, like offensive lineman, but do they really want to draft a Ryan Clady this high? That’s the question. I take Gholston and make him an edge rusher, either off the d-line, or as a linebacker. He’ the most versatile of the first round Lineman and will help sure up a medicore defense.

6. New York Jets
What They Need: QB, RB, WR, TE (really, they need offensive help. Also, linebacker)
What They Should Do: Stay right where they are. They can do a lot with this pick.
THE PICK: RB Darren McFadden (Arkansas)- The Jets will be very happy to see this name available at the number 6 spot. I think the only team that would take him is the Raiders, so they may very well end up with Run DMc. I’m not high on him, however, for what the Jets need, he is the best available player. Picking up Kris Jenkins this offseason almost assures that they will not draft the falling Glenn Dorsey.

7. New England Patriots
What They Need: A new philosophy for doing business. CB and LB.
What They Should Do: Trade Down. They can get the same cornerback that they’ll draft here towards the end of the first round. Perhaps if the Jets don’t take Run DMC, the Dallas Cowboys would like to swap a pair of first round picks to get their running back. If that scenario is available, the Patriots should jump on that like Louis Anderson at the opening of a buffet.
THE PICK: OLB Keith Rivers (Southern California)-The Patriots aren’t going to just draft someone because the experts think they should. I would love to see Aqib Talib (CB/Kansas) here, but he’s not a top 7 pick (nor are Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie or Leodis McKelvin). Rivers gets them much younger at linebacker and can be matched up opposite of Adalius Thomas, giving the Pats two outstanding edge rushers.

8. Baltimore Ravens
What They Need: To get younger on defense. Wide Receivers, an insurance policy for Willis McGahee.
What They Should Do: I’m not going to kid you, I have no idea what they should do here. There are a million different roads they could go down to try to improve, but none that will be immediate helps. Trading down doesn’t make sense. But all of the defensive help that they need isn’t where they need it. They drafted a defensive tackle (Haloti Ngata) two years ago, so Dorsey don’t make any sense.
THE PICK: OT Ryan Clady (Boise State)- This pick makes the most sense. They need someone to replace the aging Jonathan Ogden when he decides to retire. I like Clady. I don’t love him, but there’s no better pick here. This team is not going to get any better immediately because of this draft, unless they really make some moves.

9. Cincinnati Bengals
What They Need: Defensive Help
What They Should Do: Draft Here.
THE PICK: DT Glenn Dorsey (Louisiana State)- No brainer. This is the easiest pick in the history of the NFL Draft if he’s available here.

10. New Orleans Saints
What They Need: CB, LB, DL (Their defense is what you would call “terrible.”) Also, WR depth, but they can get that later.
What They Should Do: Draft here.
THE PICK: CB Aqib Talib (Kansas)-Cornerback is sort of a no-brainer here. The Patriots took the best edge linebacker off the board and with Dorsey, Ellis, Long, and Gholston gone, there’s no “can’t miss” lineman here. This pick comes down to Mike Jenkins (South Florida) and Talib. I like Talib a lot, though he’s not my favorite cornerback in this draft (That nod goes to a guy I hope the Patriots have the sense to draft in the second round, Antoine Cason of Arizona). Whatever New Orleans does, they need to draft on defense here. Offense later.

11. Buffalo Bills
What They Need: WR, OL, DL, Defensive Secondary
What They Should Do: Stay Put
THE PICK: OL Chris Williams (Vanderbilt)- Look at their depth chart at OL. No brainer. Take the best available lineman.

12. Denver Broncos
What They Need: More botox for Mike Shannahan’s face. Also a running back and receivers for Jay Cutler to throw to.
What They Should Do: Stay Put
THE PICK: WR Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma)-Similar to the Bills, look at the Broncos depth chart at receiver. Kelly gives them the ability to throw the ball deep with his size and speed. This pick is a relative toss up between Kelly and his Red River counterpart Texas Wideout Limas Sweed.

13. Carolina Panthers
What They Need: A quarterback. Also, offensive line help and possibly defensive line help.
What They Should Do: I would consider trading up to get Clady or Williams, as I think there’s a drop off at the position after them. Or, I would trade down to get the second best quarterback in the draft (In the scout’s eyes. The scouts and I differ greatly).
THE PICK: OT Jeff Otah (Pittsburgh)-They need a tackle. He’s there. Feel the excitement in Charlotte? Me too!

14. Chicago Bears
What They Need: To cut their losses with Cedric Benson. 4 wide receivers and a quarterback to throw them the ball.
What They Should Do: Rejoice.
THE PICK: RB Rashard Mendenhall (Illinois)- If Mendenhall is still available at pick 14, I’d be quite happy if I was the Bears. They could go Wideout here too, but there’s more value at Running Back with Mendenhall.

15. Detroit Lions
What They Need: NOT A WIDE RECEIVER. Maybe some help on defense???
What They Should Do: Stay put and improve quickly
THE PICK: CB Mike Jenkins (South Florida)- I give the slight edge to Jenkins over Leodis McKelvin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie because he played in the Big East, a conference that does not feature Troy or Tennessee State. Really, anyone who knows the fundamentals of the cornerback position would work here.

16. Arizona Cardinals
What They Need: They currently only have 3 defensive lineman on their roster. You guess what they need.
What They Should Do: Draft the best available defensive lineman.
THE PICK: DE Phillip Merling (Clemson)-Merling gets the nod over Derrick Harvey of Florida because Florida’s defense was atrocious last year and I don’t really like drafting a defensive player in the first round who played on an awful defense in college. Merling and Harvey are both subpar against the run, but Harvey, who is faster, backs off of blocks rather than push through them. So Merling is the pick, though not a surefire star, and only by a slight margin over Harvey.

Don’t worry. I’m not done. I’m only halfway through and, frankly, I really enjoyed that. Tomorrow you will get the second half of the first round.

Game O’ The Day: The Pac-10 tournament. I know I’m a hypocrite now, but it’s the best conference in America, people. The best game in a slate of great games is the Cal/UCLA rematch. A must watch. Cal is on a mission after getting hosed Saturday. They win this game and pose an interesting argument for the tournament committee. Also see Washington State and Oregon, USC and Arizona State and Arizona and Stanford. Oh the Pac-10 and your awesomeness.

Also note if you will, that while I did say the Rockets would lose last night, I did correctly say that the Hornets would defeat the Spurs. They won by 25. So there.

I try to temper my use of curses in this spot, not because I have a group of young children who read this, but because swearing isn’t generally deemed as being professional. However, the use of the word “asshole” applies very well here to Shelley Duncan and the New York Yankees, who I am rekindling my childhood disdain for at the moment.

It began when Hank Steinbrenner decided that he should speak. Ever.

It continued last week when new Yankee manager Joe Girardi complained because the Tampa Rays were playing hard in a spring training game.

It escalated today when Yankee pitcher Heath Phillips (not to be confused with Heath Bell or Andy Phillips) purposely threw at (bow your head in respect) baseball’s top prospect and Rays third baseman, Evan Longoria. Phillips was ejected.

It reached a boiling point, however, when Shelley Duncan, known only for his ability to smash his forearm against Jason Giambi’s forearm, slid cleats up into the groin of Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura. Duncan was then tackled by Rays outfielder Johnny Gomes and the benches cleared, though apparently, no punches were thrown.

And so my new favorite rivalry in the American League has begun. The standard bearer franchise and the upstart club, stocked full of young talent, fighting, literally, with each other, to get on top.

Kudos to the Rays for fighting back.

To the Yankees, who were angry because a Rays player collided with a Yankee catcher in a Spring Training game, I say this: Play hard, not dirty. Throwing at the best prospect in the majors and sliding, cleats high, into a second baseman are not examples of playing hard in spring training. I kind of wish the Rays were playing the Yankees tomorrow when Billy Crystal (you read that right) will be playing for the “Pinstripes.”

All can rejoice, as the Syracuse Orange are NIT bound, after falling to Villanova in the first round of the Big East tournament this afternoon. Now if we can get Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and Maryland to be eliminated in round one of their tournaments, perhaps the deserving Virginia Commonwealth Rams can get in to the tournament, where they belong.

The Houston Rockets winning streak ends tonight against the Atlanta Hawks.

Tomorrow, I will have a full first round mock draft.

We are 8 days away from the start of the NCAA tournament. Rejoice.

Game O’ The Day: Spurs @ Hornets. At some point in the future, the New Orleans Hornets will get more respect than “I really like this team, but I don’t think they can advance in the playoffs, where I think that experience really matters.” Until then, they’ll just continue to be only 2 games out of the top spot in the Western Conference and beating the teams ahead of them. Guess what, Marc Stein, Tim Legler, Greg Anthony, Hubie Brown, etc…EXPERIENCE DOESN’T MATTER. BEING GOOD MATTERS. THE HORNETS ARE VERY GOOD. DEAL WITH IT.

Apologies for all of the short posts lately, but really, I don’t feel like analyzing the Roger Federer/Pete Sampras match from the other night. And I’d be a hypocrite if I got that excited about “Championship Week.” Again, tomorrow I will have MY mock draft. I’ll try to temper what I would do versus what I think teams will do. i.e. Ray Rice won’t be a first round pick, sadly.

Some of you may remember that a female friend of Randy Moss’ claimed during Super Bowl week that he had physically injured her. Well, she’s asked to have her charges against Moss thrown out. Very nice.

Today is another fantastically slow day. Some thoughts, however:

1. The Houston Rockets won their 19th consecutive game last night, this time defeating the inferior New Jersey Nets. Next week, the Rockets will begin a stretch where they play Los Angeles (Lakers), New Orleans, Detroit, and Boston (among others). That should be a good test as to how good they actually are.

2. San Diego won the WCC Championship last night, meaning that 3 teams from that conference better get into the tournament, eliminating Syracuse or Maryland, or some other als0-ran.

3. The big conference tournaments, however irrelevant, begin later this week. The best, of course, will be the Pac-10, which I think USC will win, though a team like Oregon or even Arizona State (who should already be in) would be wise to go on a run and secure an automatic bid to the dance, as I fear the committee will take a traditional team (Maryland) over a good team (Arizona State).

4. Tyler Hansborough will have his Number 50 retired by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (not to be confused with UNC-Wilmington or UNC-Asheville, who may or may not retire 7’7” Center Kenny George’s queen-size bed sheet, er, jersey). I hate Tyler Hansborough. Hate him because I wish he played for Duke or Tennessee or West Virginia or Kansas or UCLA. Anyone but UNC. However, he gets the stuffing beaten out of him nightly and still puts up great numbers. He is the National Player of the Year. Not Michael Beasley, who has put up great numbers on a very average team. Hansborough carried UNC while Tywon Lawson was out for most of the conference schedule. They’re a talented team, yes, but they wouldn’t be where they are without “Psycho T.”

5. Those of you who had Harvard winning the Ivy League next year in your office pools may want to rethink that, as their top recruit has decided to not attend the school, beyond the fact that he wasn’t actually academically worthy of being there.

6. I still hate Joe Lunardi.

7. Today would have been a good day to do my NFL mock draft, but I fear that I’m losing readers and question whether I should put forth the effort.

Game O’ The Day: There isn’t one. There’s no intriguing NBA matchups. The only Men’s College game of note is Cleveland State and Butler in the Horizon League final. Oral Roberts and IUPUI squaring off in the Summit League finals intrigues me slightly, but it’s not a game of the day. My advice: Check out the Veto competition tonight on Big Brother 9, formerly “Til Death Do We Part.” Apparently death comes after the producers.

So, after coming up with a coherent and (I believe) accurate bracket recently, I have developed a further hatred of ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi. This is Lunardi’s job. His only job: Lunardi “accurately” (64 of 65 teams correct during the last 10 years) predicts the teams in the NCAA tournament. Today on ESPN2’s First Take, Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg took a dig at Lunardi saying to Dana “I hate Jesus” Jacobsen that Lunardi isn’t very accurate. Considering that there’s usually 4 or 5 bubble teams, missing a team every year isn’t exactly great. Jacobsen was caught completely off guard, as Lunardi has been preening about on the network this weekend and was in studio during this interview. Her “Oh god. Don’t make him mad, Seth,” look during the interview brought great applause from me.

The point of all of this is this: Seth Greenberg is right. Joe Lunardi is not the NCAA Tournament Committee. His saying that “Team X” is out and “Team Y” is in, and ESPN taking his statements so seriously you would think they could be found in the book of Exodus, is foolish. Lunardi is no better than any D-Bag blogger (me) with too much time on their hands. Except Lunardi is employed by “The Worldwide Leader” and I am not employed by anyone. ESPN is devoting way too much time to what Joe Lunardi has to say. Let this fiasco that is Championship Week play out and see what happens.

Here’s what’s happened so far:

-VCU may have played their way out of the tournament by losing to William and Mary yesterday. They’re in a no-win situation, unless someone actually looks at their resume and realizes that they belong in the tournament despite the loss. They’re better than the “Bubble teams” (Syracuse, Maryland, Florida, Ohio State, etc.) . If they don’t get in, I’ll be a tad angry.
-I turned off the San Diego/Saint Mary’s game about 5 minutes in last night because the Gaels were dismantling the Terreros. I even joked to my roommate, “I guess I’ll turn off the TV because I don’t really think this is much of a game.” Well, turns out that the Terreros hadn’t been completely dismantled because they won the game in double overtime. Saint Mary’s is still in the field of 65, unless San Diego beats Gonzaga tonight, which would then mean that the West Coast Conference would get 3 teams in, which the committee will not allow, thus eliminating the deserving Bulldogs (Gonzaga) or Gaels (Saint Mary’s) from the field and replacing them with the Syracuse Orange and their abysmal record. Fun.
-As a college basketball fan (can you tell?), I am starting to hate the conference tournaments because they provide the opportunity for underachievers (Maryland and Ohio State) to play their way in to the real tournament by giving them the opportunity to play teams with nothing to gain (Michigan State) and thus increase their RPI. Here’s an idea: Scrap the conference tournaments. Yes, sponsors will weep and college presidents will stomp their feet, and all that jazz. However, I don’t want to see an undeserving, underachieving Maryland team make the field of 65, while a scrappy Virginia Commonwealth team with a star point guard that no one knows or remembers (Eric Maynor) has to play in the NIT, because of a 2 point misstep against an overachieving William and Mary team. VCU’s entire season, 22-5, before the loss to W&M, is washed away because of one loss, while Ohio State’s entire season, 19-12 (losses to Michigan and Minnesota included), is forgotten about if they beat a mediocre Michigan State team with nothing to gain. I hate it. It’s not as corrupt as the BCS, but it’s close.

Should we just discount one or both of UCLA’s last two victories? Can we do that?

The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings beat the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers yesterday. The NBA: I don’t get it.

I’m probably going to have an NFL Mock Draft this week. It might be just a top 10 (so I don’t begin to hate Mel Kiper Jr. the same way I now hate Joe Lunardi) or it might be a full first rounder. So look for that.

I’m going to end with a bit of slightly breaking sports news. It’s not important, so you can skip it, but it has interested me all season. First, the backstory:

Lute Olson’s name is written on the court at the McKale Center at the University of Arizona. He has coached the Men’s basketball team there since 1983. They have won a national title under Olson (1997). Olson is notorious for letting his athletes just play, having a thin playbook and little on-court control. Lute Olson’s wife, Bobbi, whose name appears next to Lute’s on the court, died a few years ago, after 47 years of marriage. Two years later, Lute remarried. He filed for divorce in 2007 and soon after, announced he was taking a leave of absence from Arizona basketball, for “personal reasons” after the season began.

Kevin O’Neill took over for Olson after he took his leave in December and has installed a functional offense, with a thick playbook, and coaching control. The players, by all accounts, enjoy playing for him. O’Neill has a ton of coaching experience (in both the NBA and College, with the Toronto Raptors and Northwestern Wildcats, respectively). He was named Lute Olson’s successor as head coach if and when Olson retired, at the start of the season.

What has bothered me as a follower of Pac-10 basketball this season is the thought that Olson could come back whenever he wanted and take this team away from O’Neill. O’Neill has turned a Lute Olson team (all offense/no defense) into a basketball team that can score AND defend. It’s his own team, with someone else’s players and he’s done a very good job with ‘Zona.

Today, that day came and Lute Olson announced he will return at the start of next season, which will push O’Neill back to an assistant role. This is incredibly unfair to Kevin O’Neill who has proved himself to be a good coach, capable of leading Arizona. If you’re the University of Arizona, do you allow your aging legend coach (73 years old) to continue to coach kids more than a half century younger than him or do you allow a significantly younger man with a grasp on the current state of college basketball, who is in touch with today’s players, but has no glamorous spots on his resume, lead your team? My pick, as if you couldn’t tell, is O’Neill. Arizona’s will inevitably be Lute Olson’s. And they will falter because of it.

Game O’ The Day: Though I’m very excited for the Clippers/Heat matchup tonight, to see who will score 80 points first, the real game of the day is the West Coast Conference Final between Gonzaga and San Diego. If you are a fan of VCU, Western Kentucky, UAB, Saint Mary’s or, God help you, Syracuse, Ohio State, or Florida, you’re rooting for the Bulldogs. If you like to watch people suffer, you’re rooting for the San Diego Terreros. I’m rooting for Gonzaga, because I do not want to see Saint Mary’s and VCU pushed aside for a team that went on a late run in a conference tournament that happened to be played on their own court. The game is on ESPN2 at 9 P.M.

Welcome. Quick hits:

If Albert Pujols can put up the numbers that he has, with a torn ligament and bone spurs in his right elbow, really, how great of a hitter is he? My thought, if I’m Pujols, I have Tommy John surgery now. I don’t think the Cardinals have a shot at the World Series this year. However, if Pujols can put up numbers similar to last year with, again, a torn ligament in his elbow and bone spurs, is it worth it for him to continue playing? Or, should he try to preserve the years he has down the line? It’s an interesting question and my only thought is that if we lose Pujols too early, it will be sad, as I think he is on the path to becoming the greatest hitter of all-time. I sincerely mean that.

Last night’s UCLA/Stanford game was by all accounts, an epic one. I will admit that I fell asleep, not because of boredom, at the ten minute mark of the first half. Here is what I saw and what I understand happened from that game:

Saw:
-Robin Lopez outshine everybody on the court including his future lottery pick brother and a guy who I think should be a lottery pick in Kevin Love.
-When UCLA is cold shooting the ball(as they were in the first half of the first half) they’re not very good. That’s sort of the case for everybody, except UCLA is already slightly offensively challenged in my opinion. I think this might be their fatal flaw.
-Lorenzo Mata-Real actually impress me. Mata-Real, who I’ve previously criticized in this space, neutralized the brothers Lopez with his solid defense. I’ve said before, I think he’s the key to this team’s success. If he can give a low-post defensive effort in the tournament, like he did last night, UCLA will have a fighter’s chance against UNC and Memphis.

Understood Happened:
-UCLA got a ton of bad calls against them down the stretch.
-Stanford got an enormously bad call against them with 2.5 seconds left that led to UCLA’s tying the game and sending it to OT.
-UCLA dominated the OT period.
-Darren Collison stepped his game up in the second half/OT.

Darren Collison, taking into account his ability and potential, may be the most inconsistent player in the Pac-10, not named Chase Budinger.

Conclusion: As much as I like watching UCLA and I do root for them, I’m beginning to rethink their making it to the final four. In my bracket from earlier this week, I think the only team in their region that can beat them is Georgetown. However, I sadly do not make the brackets, and if you look at a potential second round upset, a number 8/9 seed that scares me, if I’m UCLA, would be a team like Saint Mary’s that has size and can push the ball. I’m just saying, I’m a little concerned about UCLA.

Duke and Carolina play tomorrow night. 9 p.m. You know what you should be doing.

I asked for a comment from any reader in yesterday’s post and got nothing, therefore you will not get my Top 5 QBs heading into the NFL draft. Sad too, because it was a good list.

Here, though, are my top 5 running backs in the NFL Draft, based on who I believe will have the most success in the NFL. Starting at number 5:

5. Justin Forsett (Cal)- Forsett isn’t going to blow anyone away with his size (5’8” 190 LB). It’s unlikely that he’ll be an every down back in the NFL, however, he could be a huge help in the screen game to a team that likes to throw the ball to backs on screen plays. He catches the ball very well and could also contribute on special teams. Ideal Team: Seattle Seahawks. The ‘Hawks throw the ball a ton and don’t have a particularly good pass catching back on their team. I think Forsett would fit in well.

4. Jamaal Charles (Texas)- Elusive (ran a 4.37-40). Good size (6’1” 200+). Very underrated blocker at Texas. The big concerns about Charles are his ball handling skills. That’s easily fixed in the NFL. Ask Tiki Barber. Is Charles a feature back in all systems? Probably not. Would he be one of the best 3rd down backs in the NFL? I absolutely believe so. He would be a great backfield piece for a team with a bruiser as a feature back, like Allen Bradshaw is with the Giants. Ideal Team: San Francisco 49ers. I think matching him with Frank Gore would do wonders for the Niners running game. He would also be good camp competition for the newly acquired DeShaun Foster.

3. Mike Hart (Michigan)
2. Ray Rice (Rutgers)- They’re so similar, they belong together. They’re both shorter, broad backs. (Both are 5’9”, 200 LB). They were both workhorses in college. They were both insanely productive in college. Most scouts believe that they’re both too small and too “beat up” from all the work they did in college. They also lack “breakaway speed.” I never buy into that talk. The one thing that seperates Hart and Rice from guys ranked higher, like Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Stewart is that they’ve done it at the highest level for years. I think both have better game speed than scouts give them credit for and I think both will be very good backs in the NFL. Ideal Team: The Patriots. Veteran guys on a veteran team who could spell Laurence Maroney and fill in if he got hurt. They’ll both be 3rd or 4th round picks. They’ll both be steals.

You’re probably thinking, “Wait, you said that Darren McFadden wasn’t going to be ranked number 1.” I know.

1. Felix Jones (Arkansas)-Jones was McFadden’s teammate at Arkansas and unlike the combo of Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams at Auburn from a few years back, Jones and McFadden didn’t split carries, so Jones is fresh. He also runs a 4.4 40-yard dash. Scouts say he doesn’t have the power to push the line and while he can set himself well and pick up blitzes that he may not be strong enough to block NFL linebackers. Here’s why I think he’s the best running back prospect in this draft: He’s a young, seasoned runner, without a lot of wear and tear with breakaway speed who doesn’t have character issues (like McFadden). He can put on the weight that scouts think he needs to add some power to his game. Jones will be an early second round steal for the teams that passed on McFadden. Most prognosticators see him as a late first round pick, but I have a feeling that he’s going to be looked over because he wasn’t a feature back. Ideal Team: Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons would be wise to pass on McFadden if he’s available, which I think he will be, and draft his college teammate in the second round at pick 37.

Game O’ The Day: Utah @ Phoenix. The Suns really need to get on track and this would be the time to do it and the team to do it against, because I think the Jazz are a contender in the West. A Suns victory tonight would do wonders for their confidence. Another loss and they’ll slip further down the Western Conference standings, which they can’t afford to do.

In case you missed it, LeBron James won the NBA Championship last night. No? Well, made it to the finals? Won the MVP? Clinched a playoff spot? Beat the Knicks in a regular season game in early March? Oh, that’s it.

While we clean up the, ehem, mess that is spilling over from ESPN after LeBron put up fifty points and 11 assists, allow me to be a voice of reason as I usually am. MARCH! KNICKS! ISIAH THOMAS! LEBRON! Put that together and you get this: LeBron James should have good games against the Isiah Thomas coached Knicks in March. The Knicks are putrid. Putrid doesn’t even work for the Knicks. If I had to pick two players from the Knicks to start an NBA franchise, I’d take David Lee and shoot myself in the eye. LeBron got a hand job, er, standing ovation from the MSG crowd and called the game “a dream come true.” Hey, Bron Bron, is an NBA title a dream of yours? Or are you just worried about looking good on March 5 against a team whose only shot at the playoffs will come when they buy some tickets in Orlando, Boston, Detroit, and Cleveland. Are we done cleaning up the mess?

The Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks are slipping off the surface of the Western Conference playoffs. I watched the Suns fourth quarter against the Nuggets last night and they looked, well, slow, like everyone has been saying. Shaq is less a help than he is an albatross around Steve Nash’s neck. And the Suns are drowning. They do not look good. And then there’s the Mavericks who have resorted to moving Dirk Nowitzki from forward to ultimate fighter. I’m not saying that they’re both going to miss the playoffs, but keep an eye on the situation.

Warren Sapp retired. It’s the only thing that he’s ever done quietly since being born. Kudos Warren.

On to the 3 winners and losers of the NFL Free Agency period. I’m much more excited about tomorrow when I will give you my top 5 running back (and quarterback if one person comments on this post. 5 comments would be great, but I’ll I’m asking for is 1. I don’t care what you write. You could write the letter “C.” Just something). On to this segment that, frankly, bores me a little bit:

Trying to find 3 winners is pretty difficult. Not a lot of teams made a splash, never mind a good splash.

WINNERS

3. John Clayton- Because we got to see your skeletal image. Don’t worry Matt, you don’t look like John Clayton. I would say you more closely resemble a combination of Todd McShay and Mark Schlereth.

2. Cleveland Browns- Cleveland is everyone’s number one team on these lists, except mine. Re-Signing Derek Anderson didn’t make my heart explode with joy like it did everyone else. Jamal Lewis is coming back? Wow. How old is he? Donte’ Stallworth? Eh. I like him, no one else does. That’s not exactly a good argument in an athlete’s defense. I do like the Corey Williams signing which is why they find themselves here. Shaun Rogers is a whale.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars- Contrary to popular belief, this team actually exists and quietly did well to rebuild and restock areas of need. The number one area of need was wideout. They signed Jerry Porter who has a ton of speed and a lot of untapped potential after years playing in the black hole (I don’t mean that lovingly). They also picked up an underused young DT in Jimmy Kennedy, resigned OT Maurice Williams, grabbed a good complementary CB in Drayton Florence. None of these guys will make the analysts do what they did for LeBron last night, but I like these signings. Good under the radar signings in a very week class.

(Real Number 3 is the Patriots for getting Moss back. Otherwise, they’d be number 1 below. Still, sign a LB, maybe?)

LOSERS

3. Us.

2. Atlanta- A team that could have used Derek Anderson instead decided to release Byron Leftwich and Joey Harrington, and just have a go at it with Chris Redman. Good planning there. He’s been great. At running back they alienated Warrick Dunn by signing Michael Turner to a huge contract, and subsequently released Dunn, because Jerrious Norwood is a great back up, apparently. Maybe Michael Vick can play running back when he comes out of jail. My favorite Falcons move, however, was releasing Alge Crumpler and replacing him with a man named Ben Hartstock, who couldn’t make an impact with the Titans terrible offense. Good.

1. Oakland- The Raiders were very active. First the good, they franchised Nnamdi Asomugha, a quietly great corner. The bad? Giving insane dollars to Gibril Wilson, a middle of the road safety and then making Tommy Kelly (yea, you know, him) the highest paid DT in NFL history. More money than Vince Wilfork. More money than Jamaal Williams. More money than Warren Sapp ever got paid. Etc. Etc. They’re well set up now to not be able to sign their first round draft pick. That’s not a joke. There are questions whether they’ll be able to sign the unfortunate fool who falls to them. Oh, they also lost Josh McCown, a capable backup quarterback. So it’s JaMarcus Russel or bust. I’m voting bust.

(We are still losers in the NFL Free Agency Period. But really, so are the Patriots, who lost Asante Samuel, but signed the immortal Sam Aiken and Jason Webster. Perhaps the recently resigned Larry Izzo can start at linebacker).

Game O’ The Day: HUGE GAME ALERT!!! HUGE GAME ALERT!!! Stanford @ UCLA. It’s one of those games that I shouldn’t need to hype. Number 7 at Number 2. The best conference’s two best teams. I think UCLA is great and Stanford is slightly overhyped. However, Brook Lopez and his floppy haired brother Robin (their parents really wanted girls apparently) have been great offensively and defensively respectively and I’m exploding with excitement to see Kevin Love up against Brook Lopez. The game is on your locals FSN or CSN channel at (sigh) 11 P.M. You won’t, but you should stay up.

Below this post, you will find my first guest post. It is composed by reader Matthew Minton, a devout fan of all things UNH, who has a much more accurate analysis of the upcoming America East tournament than mine.

Today’s post is going to be super short. The multiple posts yesterday took a lot out of me and I’ve already provided my thoughts on Favre’s retirement. Tomorrow, I will have the winners/losers of NFL Free Agency. Friday, I will have for you my top 5 running backs in the 2008 NFL Draft (and no, Darren McFadden is not number 1). So, you have that to look forward to.

Today’s quick housecleaning items:

1.) Do you see what I mean? No game of the day yesterday. I have nothing to talk about.

2.) The title of today’s post is a reference to the immortal Chris Andersen, “The Birdman.” He was suspended two years ago for violating the NBA’s drug policy with any combination of cocaine, meth, LSD, or heroin. He is famous for this video from the NBA Slam Dunk Contest a few years ago: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VcddO9KH-N4

Glad to have him back. I hope he and Bonzi Wells become good friends and stay the hell away from CP3, David West, Tyson Chandler, Peja.

3.) That’s all I’ve got for you today. The Birdman.

Game O’ The Day: Detroit @ Boston (NBA). The biggest game at the Garden in a long, long time. Bigger than the Game 7 debacle in 2005. A Celtics win clinches a playoff spot for the team. A loss is much more than a loss. It’s a huge momentum swing for the Pistons. If you think that either of these teams cares about any other eastern conference teams, you’re mistaken. These are the two best teams in the East and this will be the best game of the season, to date, in the Eastern Conference. The Garden will be rocking. I, however, will be watching Big Brother and the Project Runway finale, because I am stuck with the Magic and Wizards. Oh, Washington.

Back tomorrow with a full post. Continue below to Matt’s analysis of the AE tourney.

Oh Boy, Jason’s blog has gotten so huge that he’s getting guest posters now. In fairness, I felt compelled to write an America East Preview for the upcoming tournament, for all the adoring fans.

In being honest, there are any of seven teams in the America East capable of winning the autobid to the NCAA tournament, though only one will be avoiding the play-in game, I would suspect, and that’s UMBC. Albany, Vermont, BU and Hartford could also potentially avoid it, but their odds are not very good.

Maine is a much better team than Stony Brook, with more quality depth and more quality talent. Mark Socoby is slightly better than Ricky Lucas, and I like guys like Jordan Cook, Brian Andre, Kaimondre Owes and Junior Bernal more than I like Mitchell Beautford, Manny Neto, Demetrius Young (the most unheralded player in the America East) and Michael Tyree. Should be a close one, but Socoby will will (heh) Maine to a loss at UMBC the next day. Interestingly, Maine beat UMBC this season, but I don’t see it happening twice.

I already alluded to it, but yes, I like UMBC over Maine in the first quarterfinals game. Maine has no answer for stud PG Jay Greene or the inside presence of Cavell Johnson and Daryll Proctor (both are face-up guys more than low-post guys, but I don’t think Cook, Andre, PT Bofia, Troy Barnies or the like can match up). If Ray Barbosa or Brian Hodges get hot, this game will be a blowout.

UMBC will face the winner of the Vermont/Binghamton clash. I’m going to disagree with Jason here and go with Bing, though with a caveat: Laz “Tunabitch” Trifunovich will have to play in this one. Laz is a top three America East player, along with Marqus Blakely and Corey Lowe, and he is unstoppable in the post. He will neutralize Blakely and his 6’5 frame, though Blakely’s tough. I think Mike Trimloverrated will have a lousy game, and Mike Gordon and Richie Forbes will shine. Doesn’t hurt that this game is at home, either.

In the UMBC/Bing matchup, I still like UMBC, though it will be awfully close. Bing has a little bit more depth, with Dwayne Jackson, Reggie Fuller and Brandon Herbert coming off the bench (in comparison to Spadafora and Fry for UMBC), but I don’t think Bing has the size to deal with Hodges and Barbosa on the wings. I think Hodges is going to abuse Chretien Lukusa, if in fact that’s the match up. I like Reggie Fuller’s chances of shutting down Cavell Johnson, and Proctor/Laz is a similar matchup. Binghamton hasn’t been playing well lately, though, and I think that seniors Barbosa, Johnson and Hodges will not let this team fall in this way. They can’t be happy to see Bing in their half of the bracket, though.

In the other half of the bracket, BU and Albany square off in the best quarterfinal game. I really, really like BU, and it’s no surprise that I’m going to pick them to win this one. Corey Lowe is an America East stud, and John Holland is the best second option in the AE (sorry Trimblowsi). Tyler Morris (if healthy), Carlos Strong, Scott Brittain and Matt Wolff are all very good, too. Marques Johnson is a good change of pace guy, and between Gotzler, Sirutis and Konate, they should have enough backup size to compete. Albany does cause matchup problems, as Lillis is a big SF, and Wilson and Connolly are big guys at PF and C. Wilson is mostly perimeter oriented, and has had a difficult season, but this team is playoff tested. They miss Jamar Wilson, obviously, and have lacked that bunch, but Lillis and Wilson could win this game for them. I like Corey Lowe winning this game on the last possession for BU, prolonging his inevitable transfer to UMass.

In the only upset of the quarterfinals, UNH will knock Hartford off. Hartford is a solid team, don’t get me wrong, and Zeglinski is the best player on either team. Gibbs is going to have to shut him down, and he is a fantastic perimeter defender, so I’m excited about that matchup. I don’t think Hartford can deal with the athleticism of the other UNH guards, however. Alvin Abreu has been playing possessed of late, and if Michael Turner has to guard him, then either Eric Gilchrese or Tyrone Conley is going to have an advantage going against Jaret Von Rosenberg. Come to think of it, Turner (6-4) will likely be on Gibbs (a big 6-2/6-3). Zeglinski and Von Rosenberg will have their hands full. I think Christensen and Sabia are a wash, so it’s going to come down to how Dane Diliegro handles Anthony Minor and the occasional Warren Mclendon siting. If Mclendon has a big game, UNH will lose, but if not, I think they’ll put it out. These two have split during the regular season, both in lopsided ways, so anything can happen. However, UNH is playing their best basketball of the season at the right time.

BU will knock UNH out. UNH cannot stop Corey Lowe, period. Scott Brittain dominated Dane Diliegro in both matchups, and they have the athletic answers to deal with Abreu and Conley. The only hope for UNH is for Mike Christensen to use his size advantage on Matt Wolff or John Holland, but it surely hasn’t happened to this juncture.

UMBC and BU in the finals, at UMBC. I think BU is the best team in the conference, and I think they’ll win. To me, skill wise, Morris and Greene are a wash, Lowe/Strong/Wolff and Hodges/Barbosa are a wash, Johnson/Brittain are mostly a wash. I think John Holland will be able to outquick Daryll Proctor repeatedly, and maybe go for 30 in a win.

BU (if Lowe doesn’t transfer), Vermont and UNH are my 2008-2009 Top 3.

-Matt-