No joke title mocking an athlete or coach today. I mean, it’s the weekend. Lets be friends.

In case you weren’t aware, there’s a monumental college basketball game tonight at 9 P.M. More on that later.

I’m going to take a brief moment away from the sports to give you my selections for the Oscars, which are happening tomorrow evening.

Best Actor
Daniel-Day Lewis (my celebrity look-alike)

Best Actress
Cate Blanchette (Because, you know, she has to win every year. It’s a rule)

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem (If he doesn’t win this award, I’ll be a little confused)

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan (Cate Blanchette will probably win this one too)

Best Adapted Screenplay
There Will Be Blood (I don’t really have a comment here. Atonement and No Country…are also terrific. Tough category)

Best Original Screenplay
Lars and the Real Girl (Juno will win this)

Best Director
The Coen Brothers

Best Picture (I’m going to write about this)

Full disclosure, I haven’t seen Michael Clayton yet. I feel bad about this. I’ll leave it to the remaining four, Juno, Atonement, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. That said, I have no right to be upset if Michael Clayton wins, until I see it, which I may do tomorrow, pre-Oscars.

The Breakdown:

Juno- I hate what this movie has become. The trailer made me excited. I saw it prior to The Darjeeling Limited and waited, anticipating its release. After seeing it, I was letdown. It’s not a bad movie. It’s a mostly enjoyable romantic comedy. However, that’s what it is. Juno being touted as this year’s Little Miss Sunshine is so off-base that it risks being picked off (had to throw in a baseball reference). Sunshine was dark and inspiring and well-acted and sad and all the things that movies like that are supposed to be. Juno is not. Ellen Page, in my eyes, is no better than Jon Heder. In Napoleon Dynamite, Jon Heder essentially played himself. In Juno, Ellen Page does the same (much like her co-star Michael Cera, who, while he is endearing, really needs to stop playing himself in every film he’s in). This movie would have been remarkably better if Jason Bateman’s character had slept with Juno. For the very reason that I didn’t, this movie finds itself in a category it does not belong in.

No Country For Old Men- Javier Bardem as Antoine Chigurh is amazing. There’s frankly not a ton for me to say about this movie. The plot is intriguing. The characters are interesting. The setting is perfect. The mood, also great.

There Will Be Blood- See above, substituting Daniel-Day Lewis for Javier Bardem and Daniel Plainview for Antoine Chigurh. The one thing that I would say is that there are brief stretches where I got a little antsy, as the film stretches over 2 1/2 hours. Also, I’m a little confused at the popularity of the “Milkshake” line, as, you know, this isn’t a really “catchphrase” type of movie.

Atonement- I really liked this movie. It wasn’t brilliantly acted or brilliantly written. However, the story is completely compelling and the twist at the end completely unexpected. I’m not exactly sure if anyone actually saw this movie and I realize that as much as I recommend it, it still remains to be unappealing to the masses. However, this is NOT The English Patient. And Keira Knightley is gorgeous. There’s that too.

THE WINNER: No Country For Old Men. Having seen it twice, I guess it is at more of an advantage as far as my preference, however, I had it ahead of There Will Be Blood before seeing it again.

Okay, back to sports…

The Celtics came out flat last night and lost to the Suns in, what was, a strangely low-scoring game. They need to come back to the east coast.

Game O’ The Day: Tennessee @ Memphis. I’ve talked about this game all week. The best thing I heard all week about this game was, “you can tell the 35 second shot clock guy to stay home.” This game is going to be fast, high-scoring, and fun. Neither team can shoot free throws, and frankly, I hope it doesn’t come down to free throws. I think it comes down to how well Derrick Rose can maintain possession in the face of Tennessee’s hard press defense and how well Tennessee’s Chris Lofton shoots the trey. Despite the game being in Memphis, I think Tennessee wins. Final Score: 93-90. PLEASE…WATCH THIS GAME!!!

Really though, just fire him already. He committed an illegal recruiting act while already on probation. It may have been a minor misdeed, however, he’s a repeat offender. If someone shoplifts once, you might let it slide. When they shoplift a second time, practically the next day, you might raise an eyebrow or two. He’s supposed to be a leader of young men. He failed them. Let’s move on.

So, this post is coming late in the day, as we got an inch of snow and they canceled school in and around the District. Therefore, my roommate was present. Also, again, there’s not much going on.

Today’s post will be short. Tomorrow’s (In the Morning) Weekend Edition will be longer. I promise. I don’t want to give the impression that I’m starting to be soured on writing long entries, it’s just there’s not a lot of controversial stuff happening that I feel the need to analyze. However, some housekeeping:

1.) Candace Parker, who, if you’re an avid reader, you may have realized I have a non-man crush on, has announced that she will forgo her senior year of athletic eligibility at Tennessee and begin training with the U.S. National Team and head to the WNBA before it implodes. Parker is graduating this May. I see nothing wrong with her decision, other than I will probably not watch very much Women’s College Basketball next season. I honestly believe she’s better than 5% of the players in the NBA. I mean this. I would rather have Candace Parker than, say, Brian Scalabrine or Kwame Brown.

2.) Really, if you plan on going out tomorrow night after 8:59 P.M. you are not a sports fan. The bar will be there next week. The club, unless Great White is playing, will not burn down before next Saturday. Your friends will not disown you. Sit down tomorrow night in front of ESPN, at 8:59 P.M. and watch the College Basketball Game of the Season. I don’t care if your team is playing tomorrow night. Their game will not be as good as Tennessee @ Memphis. I will have my official pick tomorrow morning for this game, though I’ve already made it clear who I think is going to win this game.

3.) Last night USC had a great come-from-behind win against Oregon at home. OJ Mayo bounced back nicely with a 32 point performance. The problem with Oregon is simple: If they’re not making their 3’s, their not winning their games. No team can sustain that for either an entire season or the tournament. Also, USC can play a very pesky Triangle-And-2 zone defense (if you don’t understand that concept, just know it’s a tough defense to play, as you have to be athletic, but also a tough defense to score on. Memphis struggled against it earlier this season when they played USC) that can shut down the 3. I’ve said it now 3 times this week, if they get Daniel Hackett back for the tournament, they can go as far as OJ Mayo can take them.

4.) Finally, BracketBusters starts this weekend. My Game O’ The Day (#2) today is Davidson @ Winthrop. Two very good mid-major (though Winthrop is not nearly as good as last year’s quality club) teams from South Carolina. If you haven’t seen Davidson’s Stephen Curry (Steffen, not Steven) play, do so. He’s the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry. He’s only a sophomore. My other non-Drake @ Butler highlight of the weekend is on at midnight tomorrow (in case you haven’t gotten your fix after Tennessee/Memphis). Kent State, better than you’d think traveling 2300 miles to the sticks of California to play Saint Mary’s, who I’ve also touted as a sleeper. The Gaels (St. Mary’s) bring an uptempo attack that Kent State will try to slow and, in the end, fail. Here are the rest of my BracketBuster Picks for the weekend in short form (We’ll look back Monday and see how much I really know):

Davidson over Winthrop
Utah State over UC-Santa Barbara
VCU over Akron
George Mason over Ohio
Oral Roberts over Creighton
Southern Illinois over Nevada
Drake over Butler
Valparaiso over Miami (OH)
Cleveland State over Marist
Rider over Cal-State Northridge
Bradley over UW-Milwaukee
Boise State over Siena
Saint Mary’s over Kent State
Illinois State over Wright State

We’ll see how well I do with that.

Game O’ The Day: Boston Celtics @ Phoenix Suns. The Lakers/Suns game the other night got all the hype nationally. I have no idea how the New England sports media is responding to this game, because, you know, I’m 500 miles away in a city that doesn’t care about sports like Boston does (not necessarily a bad thing). I think the Celtics, who really need to win a big game after losing their last two out West, will win tonight. Celtics get a much needed victory, 111-100.

Back tomorrow with my Oscar Picks (that’s necessary) and other things. This wasn’t really a short post. Sometimes, I even amaze myself.

Oh, and while Christopher Nixon is a better baseball player than me, “you know who,” he’s still a AAA baseball player. 🙂

Opening the “New Post” box, I sort of got the feeling that this would be the shortest post ever, besides the Patriots winning the Super Bowl error/post. On the first hand, I’m really not in one of those 1500-2000 word posts where I reorganize or fix a league. On the more important hand, nothing is really happening. We’re two days away from the biggest college basketball game of the season (of course, I speak of the big Albany at Canisius game). The NBA Trade Deadline came and went today. One semi-big trade happened. The Cleveland Cavaliers come away with Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith, and Wally Szczerbiak. The Chicago Bulls with Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes (sorry Skip Bayless). Finally, the Not-So SuperSonics come away with the prospect of not winning any more games this year and Donyell Marshall, who, I believe, is 59 years old at this point.

I do not hide the fact that I, like every sound-minded fan of the Celtics, am in love with Delonte West. He can shoot the 3. He can defend on pure hustle. AND he can run an offense. He was being completely underused in Seattle, where he should have been on the court with Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, playing an uptempo style. Now, D should get the chance to be a part of this starting lineup: West, Wally, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, with Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varejao and veteran Eric Snow off the bench. I really like this lineup. Wallace is on the downside of his career, but, really, with LeBron, he’s not going to have to score a point. As long as he can defend Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett, the Cavs will likely return to the finals.

From the Bulls standpoint, this trade is worthless. I don’t see the point of adding Drew Gooden, I think he’s terrible overrated. Larry Hughes does no good, other than push Ben Gordon back on the depth chart, unless they want to go REEEEEALLY small.

For the Sonics…expiring contracts are only good if you are going to be able to bring in free agents and no one is going to want to play for a team with an owner that is going to move his team to the sticks. If I’m Kevin Durant, I hate my life right now, despite being a future star.

So, the NBA Trade Deadline is gone. The 3 biggest winners are:

3. Hawks
2. Cleveland
1. Lakers

I’m still on the Hawks bandwagon, post-Bibby trade. Things will gel. Yes, they’re struggling right now, but things will begin to gel.

Cleveland, see above.

The Lakers may not lose another game this season. I’m only being slightly hyperbolic.

The biggest loser of the trade deadline is the Grizzlies, who have no idea what they’re doing. They were going to be good. They’re now going nowhere fast.

Chris Paul is the MVP of the NBA. Not Kobe. Not KG. Not Bron Bron. Not anyone, but CP3. He’s taken a mostly mediocre team and made them, and don’t scoff, the best team in the NBA and, still (well, with the Lakers) my favorite to win the NBA Title. This Year! I can’t beat this point hard enough. Look at what Chris Paul is doing with what he’s doing it with. Byron Scott is his coach! Not Phil Jackson! Byron Scott! If he didn’t play in a media blackhole and instead played in New York or LA, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Game O’ The Night: I wish I could say Tennessee @ Memphis, but it’s not Saturday. It’s a garbage slate tonight. If you can stay up, there’s a compelling Pac-10 game being broadcast nationally. Oregon @ USC at 11 P.M. I’ve mentioned previously that I think USC is much better than they probably are and a potential Elite 8 sleeper. I also think Oregon is much better than their playing. OJ Mayo needs to bounce back from a horrid performance Sunday against UCLA. For tonight, bounce back or not, I’m calling upset. Oregon really needs this win. They get is 84-77 in a typically good Pac-10 Thursday night tilt.

Barry is in game shape and would like a team. Now, I love Barry Bonds as much as, well, more than anyone, but really, no one is going to sign him. Barry will remain the best available home run champion on the free agent list.

I’m blogging early today because it is a super slllllllllllllow sports news day and I don’t foresee myself having to analyze a big NBA trade. At the very most, Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson might be suspended or fired. I don’t have anything to add if that happens. He should be fired. Sad too, because he’s a good coach.

I think tomorrow I may stray away from sports for a day and discuss the Oscars (well, the best picture category). If you think this is a terrible idea, please tell me.

Since I touted Drake as the real deal, they’ve lost twice, including last night to Bradley. I am the kiss of death. I’m beginning to rethink them beating Butler on Saturday.

UNH’s RPI is 315th out of the 341 Division I Men’s Basketball Teams. I’m just saying. I don’t think they’re going to beat Kansas in the tournament.

Last night’s Game o’ The Day was a laugher. The Hawks, who I touted as the 3rd best team in the NBA yesterday, lost to the Lakers by 29 points, after being down by more than 40 at various junctures. Again, Kiss of Death.

Today’s post was going to be my ranking of the 8 best teams in the West, however, I have yet to see the new-look Suns play (more on that a little later) and am going to hold off for about a week. Also, there is still one more trade to go down, I feel, possibly involving Jermaine O’Neal going to the Warriors, which could, again, completely change the landscape of this conference. It’s sad that the 9th place team in the West isn’t going to make the playoffs. Now, more than ever, the NBA needs to realign the conferences. So, without further ado:

THE NEW LOOK NBA CONFERENCES

Rather than an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference, we’ll name the two conferences after legendary players/figures, like hockey used to before they dumbed down the game for America.

Robertson Conference

East Division

Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Charlotte Bobcats
New Jersey Nets
Orlando Magic

Central Division

San Antonio Spurs
Minnesota Timberwolves
Chicago Bulls
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers

West Division

Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Clippers
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
Sacramento Kings

Russel Conference

East Division

Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards

Central Division

Cleveland Cavaliers
New Orleans Hornets
Milwaukee Bucks
Detroit Pistons
Memphis Grizzlies

West Division

Utah Jazz
Portland Trail Blazers
Phoenix Suns
Golden State Warriors
Seattle SuperSonics

With This Format and the current standings, here would be your playoff matchups:

Robertson Conference

1. Boston Celtics
8. Denver Nuggets

4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Dallas Mavericks

3. Orlando Magic
6. Houston Rockets

2. Los Angeles Lakers
7. New Jersey Nets

Russel Conference

1. New Orleans Hornets
8. Philadelphia 76ers

4. Utah Jazz
5. Toronto Raptors

3. Phoenix Suns
6. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Detroit Pistons
7. Washington Wizards

I set up the divisions for the long-term. I didn’t look at the current conference standings when aligning them. And look, not only do you have balance down the line, but you give teams like Houston a fighting chance and teams like the Cavaliers some actual competition within their division. And those matchups are great. Sure, there’s a clunker or two (New Orleans and Philly stands out). But how about a San Antonio/Dallas matchup to start? Phoenix vs. Cleveland? Utah vs. Toronto? Someone find David Stern.

Game O’ The Day: Lakers @ Phoenix. I don’t need to break this game down. It’s compelling enough. Just watch.

At this juncture in time, New Jersey Nets Guard Vince Carter, notorious for half-assing most things, is about to begin a monumental tank job. The Jason Kidd trade to the Dallas Mavericks became official this afternoon, thanks to Keith Van Horn who came out of retirement to make 4 million dollars in the next month and then retire again (The NBA…Where Hilarious Happens). As it stands, the Nets are getting back Devin Harris and a sack of manure with some late first round draft picks thrown in. The Mavericks are getting back a great catalyst for the next few months, in the hopes that they’ll win the NBA Title. The hope should be, if you’re Dallas, that Jason Kidd will make Dirk Nowitzki become a better playoff performer, because he’s been about as good as the filler that Dallas sent back to New Jersey in this trade, during his career in the postseason.

For the remainder of this year, Dallas is the clear winner in this trade. The Nets will have to work to make anything of the two first round picks they are getting back, as the Dallas Mavericks don’t tend to have lottery picks. Of course, this isn’t the biggest highway robbery of the past month in the NBA. That goes to the Lakers/Grizzlies trade, where the Lakers sent just the bag of manure and got a better, younger player, than Jason Kidd, in Pau Gasol. I hate to say it, but if Andrew Bynum comes back healthy and Kobe’s finger can stay attached, the Lakers are the favorites in the West. Though I am not giving up hope on my New Orleans Hornets.

This is such a dead zone for sports. The only good spring training baseball story is the prank the Phillies pulled on Kyle Kendrick. Find video of it, it’s fabulous. The NBA season has turned into the Hot Stove Report. The NHL is still the NHL. And, frankly, I write an awful lot about college basketball. With that said….

Here are my top 5 best conferences in Men’s College Basketball:

5. SEC
– In The Tournament: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State
-Need to Do Work: Kentucky, Florida, Ole Miss, Arkansas
-Will Probably Fire Their Coach: Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, Georgia
-Already Fired Their Coach: LSU

Breakdown: The SEC isn’t very good. However, Tennessee is a legitimate Final Four team, which sets it ahead of the Big 10. That pretty much says it all.

4. Big 12
-In The Tournament: Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State
-Need to Do Work: Baylor, Oklahoma
-Will Probably Fire Their Coach: Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska
-Already Lost Their Coach: Texas Tech

Breakdown: The Big 12 also isn’t very good, though I think Oklahoma should be much better than their current record (5-5; 17-8) indicates. Baylor is a nice story and if they get into the tournament, will be a nice first round elimination for a 7 seed. I really think Kansas is the only Final Four Team in the conference. Texas is too inconsistent and coached by Rick Barnes. Texas A&M is a joke at this point and will be lucky to advance to the Round of 32. Kansas State is the dark horse. If they get a good draw in March, I could see them advancing to the Elite 8. However, a mediocre game by Michael Beasley, and they’re done. I see K-State as the second best team in this conference when the dust settles.

3. ACC
-In The Tournament: Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Clemson
-Need to Do Work: Wake Forest, Miami
-Will Probably Fire Their Coach: Tyrese Rice University, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Florida State, Georgia Tech

Breakdown: Sadly, no team has fired their coach in the ACC, so the joke couldn’t continue. Look, the ACC isn’t very much better than the Big 12. Duke and North Carolina are better, though, than the top two teams in the Big 12 (Kansas and whomever you’d like). The ACC is also slightly deeper. Wake Forest and Miami will probably make the tournament because the committee needs to pick at least six ACC teams every year no matter what the records are of those teams. Miami is not good. Wake Forest is VERY intriguing, especially after beating Duke on Sunday by having more heart and more bad calls go in their favor (more so the latter). The bottom of this conference, as a side note, is atrocious. You pick a team from that bottom category that is any good.

2. Big East
-In The Tournament: Georgetown, Louisville, UConn, Notre Dame, Marquette, Pittsburgh
-Need to Do Work: West Virginia, Syracuse, Villanova
-Will Probably Fire Their Coach: Seton Hall, South Florida, Saint Johns, Providence, Cincinnati, Rutgers, DePaul

Breakdown: Nine teams in. You have to. I think all three of the “Need Work” teams will make the tournament. Syracuse did well to improve their standing by beating an all-of-a-sudden beatable Georgetown team. The Big East is in this position because it is deep, not because it is top-heavy with talent. I think Louisville is on the rise and, like Kansas State, a potential Elite 8 team, though I’m more skeptical of the ‘Ville because of the presence of turnover-waiting-to-happen Edgar Sosa.

Super, Clear-Cut, NO DOUBT #1. Pac-10
-In The Tournament: UCLA, Washington State, Arizona State, Arizona, Stanford, USC
-Need to Do Work: Oregon, Washington, Cal
-Have Already Fired Their Coach: Oregon State

Breakdown: Don’t worry. I don’t think 9 teams will make the NCAA tournament from the Pac-10. I think that 7 should (who that 7th team is, I don’t know, though I favor the Oregon Ducks despite the fact that they are STRUGGLING). UCLA is top tier. Washington State, Stanford, and USC are very good teams (despite USC’s record, I think they are another sleeper, especially if they can get Daniel Hackett back healthy in time for March). Arizona and Arizona State (two very different teams) can also make runs to at least the Sweet 16. I wouldn’t be surprised if 4 Pac 10 teams make the Elite 8. These teams play marquee games every Thursday and Saturday night (similar format to the tournament). Oregon State is the only bottom feeder (granted, a huge one) in this conference. Not enough people on the east coast pay attention to the Pac-10. Watch, See, Learn. The Pac-10 is the best conference in basketball. HANDS DOWN.

In the course of this post, I’ve ruined a potential column. So with that, here are, with no explanation (for now) my top 5 sleeper tournament teams. These are teams not in the top 10 presently, who I think could make it to the Elite 8. Big 10 teams need not apply. Except for…

-Indiana
-St. Mary’s
-Louisville
-Kansas State
-USC

Game O’ The Day: (sidenote: Watch Davidson play UNC Greensboro on ESPN 2 at 7 p.m. tonight, if only for a few minutes. You’ll be seeing them the first two days of the tournament). Atlanta Hawks @ LA Lakers. This is Mike Bibby’s first game with the Hawks. I think his acquisition makes the Hawks the 3rd best team in the East. Better than Cleveland. They have a great starting 5 and with Acie Law IV, Zaza Pachulia, and Josh Childress coming off the bench they are legit. This is not an NBA Finals preview. It is, however, an intriguing matchup on a lackluster day for good games.

NOTE: I’ve reviewed a few of my posts and have noticed a slue of spelling errors. For this, I apologize. I type freely, rarely looking things up, attempting to post as much information in as little time as possible. I’m like the American Media. I could read these posts before I click the PUBLISH POST button, but I feel like because I’m writing for a very small audience who knows I’m literate, it’s more important that I just get the post published. Again, thanks to you all for reading.

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.

For those of you who missed out on LeBron James’ antics in yesterday’s 30 point loss to the Nuggets, allow me to inform.  James sat alone at the end of the bench during a timeout when the rest of his team was huddled up.  Now, yes, this was not a playoff game.  It was just another of 82 Snooze-fests on the Cavs schedule.  However, someone needs to remind me of all the times Michael Jordan sat alone at the end of the bench during a timeout.  LeBron needs to cut the prima dona bullshit and play.  Play when his leg hurts a little bit.  Play when his team is getting run out of its own building by a mid-level Western Conference team.  Play in the fourth quarter.  He needs to start playing, shut his mouth about Jason Kidd, and be a star the may Jordan was a star.  LeBron will never be better than Jordan.  And he will never, if he continues this season’s trend, be the team player and LEADER that Michael Jordan was.

Rusty Hardin and Mercury Morris are really getting on my nerves.  Hardin is Roger Clemens’ attorney who is easily a ghost from the 1930’s American South.  He uses terms like “bunk” and “riff-raff” and I assume his grandchildren call him “grandpappy.”  I hate him.

I’m very often wrong about most things.  My Game Of the Day picks are always a good supporter of this theory.  I pick a team.  That team loses.  Simple, really.

The New England Patriots will win Super Bowl 42 by a score of 38-14 over the New York Giants.  Tom Brady will win the MVP award and Benjamin Watson will be the surprise player that everyone is surprised by (intentionally redundant).