2) Special Ed Because of injuries and suspensions, bench production has been a bit thin. The exception is skinny Ed Davis, a defensive presence and rebounding machine. Against LSU he had more minutes, points, rebounds, and blocks than starter Deon Thompson.

3) The guards smell blood In each of UNC's losses, the opposing backcourt went off and carried the team to victory. That drooling sound you hear? Guards dreaming of shooting down Hansbrough's last shot at a title and becoming the next great Carolina villain. — SPS

GONAZGA BULLDOGS

1) Rock Chalk, Ex-Jayhawk Gonzaga has been using 6' 9" wing/guard Micah Downs in the starting lineup lately, bringing former starter Steven Gray off the bench—this gives the Zags 3 starters (Downs, Daye, Heytvelt) over 6' 8"— opponents don't usually counter with that kind of size in the lineup, and it presents matchup problems, especially when Downs spots up behind the arc. Downs last played for Kansas under—small world—current Carolina coach Roy Williams.

2) It's like an entire team of Euros Gonzaga lives and dies by the three point shot—and seven guys on the team are legitimate long-range threats, including Daye and Heytvelt, the bigs. All five starters plus Gray have more than 20 3pt makes on the season; Bouldin leads the team in this category with 55 (through the regular season), and Heytvelt, Bouldin and Daye all shoot 40% or better from 3pt range. The guards are all >35% 3pt shooters, and each have over 120 3pt attempts. In the tournament, Pargo and Bouldin each made 3 triples against Western Kentucky. Tight perimeter defense tends to free up Daye and Heytvelt inside—witness their 60+ percent shooting against Akron.

3) Playing while maimed Gonzaga has been down at the half in each of its tournament games, by 3 to Akron, and by 2 to Western Kentucky. In each case, Gonzaga rallied in the second half to hold off their opponents, while coping with rectal tearing and straining from the half-time speech. Coach Mark Few lost his eyebrows at halftime against Akron, prompting a collection to be taken up in Spokane for restorative surgery. — Johninho

Up next for the fourth-seeded Bulldogs is a South Region Semi match-up with number one-seeded North Carolina, who dumped LSU 84-70 on the strength of the return of Ty Lawson's toe. Gonzaga-UNC goes next Friday. The teams will presumably use the time in between to rest up, and add that extra layer of polish to end-of-semester term papers.

Elsewhere from last night:

• Second-seeded Duke also advanced in a bit of a nail-biter of their own, toppling seventh-seeded Texas 74-69. The Blue Devils are going to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since...2006? That's it? Why, that's hardly a stat at all! Duke meets third-seeded Villanova this Thursday. Earlier in the day, the Wildcats pounded an O'Bannon-less UCLA squad, who were trying for their fourth Final Four in four years. Four.

• Oklahoma's Blake Griffin continued to beat through opposing defences like they owed him money. Despite being banged around all night by Michigan, Griffin grabbed 17 boards and put up 33 points (including a HUGE one-handed jam over Zack Novak) to lead the second-seeded Sooners past the Wolverines. Still nice to see Michigan headed in the right direction, though. I like nostalgia.

• Fifth-seeded Purdue held off a hard-charging Washington team 76-74, thanks in no small part to two big blocks by JaJuan Johnson in the final minute. Next up for the Boilermakers: UConn. Good luck with that.

On tap today in the early afternoon games:

(3) Syracuse versus (6) Arizona State (12:30)
(4) Xavier versus (12) Wisconsin (2:20)
(3) Kansas versus (11) Dayton (2:30)
(12) Arizona versus (13) Cleveland State (2:40)
(1) Pittsburgh versus (8) Oklahoma State (2:50)
(3) Randy Savage versus (12) One Man Gang (Wrestlemania IV)

Grab a coffee, take a couple of aspirin, and decide what you are going to order for lunch. We've got us some watching to do.

(NCAA buckets. Duh.)

Today has pretty much been a snoozer as far as basketball action is concerned. That may all change tonight during the NCAA's evening sessions.

Purdue vs. Washington, 5:40 PM, Portland. You gotta fight! For the right! To get demolished by UConn next week!

North Carolina vs. LSU, 5:45 PM, Greensboro, NC. The North Carolina schools' annual NCAA tournament tour of North Carolina's arenas continue. Will Hansbrough ever close his mouth and/or get a rebound? Tune in to find out!

Oklahoma vs. Michigan, 5:50 PM, Kansas City. Will Michigan avenge their 1976 Orange Bowl loss to Oklahoma? Tune in to find out!.

Gonzaga vs. Western Kentucky, 8:10 PM, Portland. Chicago sports radio host Dan Bernstein has a theory that every year in the NCAA tournament, one of the Cinderella teams has red jerseys. Is Western Kentucky this year's Crazy Red Team? Tune in to find out!

Duke vs. Texas, 8:15 PM, Greensboro. Tonight, we are all Texans. Hook 'em, Horns!

*****

Hello Deadspin! Cleveland Frowns here to help you zip and zag your way through tonight's clash between the University of Akron Zips and the Gonzaga University Bulldogs. Intriguing prime-time matchup? The wiseguys don't seem to think so. Vegas has Gonzaga winning by 13 points. It looks like noone else thinks so either. One well-established internet wagering outpost reports that a whopping 88% of the action is laying the points with the Bulldogs. All this no doubt a result a result of Gonzaga's significant advantage in NCAA Tournament experience, NBA-quality talent (like Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye), athleticism, and size (17 inches across the starting lineup — yikes!).

On the other hand, you'll hear that while the Zips don't have a starter that averages as much as 12 points, or a significant contributor over 6'8, they're gritty gutty gym rats who do boring but potentially important things like keeping their elbows in, rotating on defense, and putting an a$$ on somebody when a shot goes up. Looks like your typical first-round David vs. Goliath stuff, sure.

But Akron head coach Keith Dambrot (who coached LeBron's high school team before joining the Zips) is no large human himself, and probably knows a thing or two about how to overcome a size disadvantage. That has to count for something. As does the potential effect of Gonzaga's sleep-walk through the WCC regular season and championship tournament (Loyola Marymount? The San Fran Dons!).

Do you see where we're going with this? It's true, we're inveterate homers. And/or we have the Zips and the 13 points. Please help us keep these biases in check via the comments here, or by emailing us at clevelandfrowns@gmail.com. Or take the Zips and the points (do it! do it!). On to the zippery-zaggery . . .

7:24 PM: Time for this thing to start already. So, guess this liveblog stuff reads from bottom to top. Kind of like a Japanese novel.

- - - - - - - - -
9:53: Dude splits the free ones. Gonzaga dribbles it out, wins 77-64. Well, as Grandma Frownie always said, "he who gets the push today, lives to push another day." Thanks, Grandma. Thanks, Deadspin. Thanks, Deadspinners. Thanks, K Chambers. Hope you'll check in on us at Frowns from time to time. And don't sleep on the '09-'10 Zips! Zekity-Zippity!!! Humpity!!!!! (Also, congratulations Gonzaga. Best of luck in the Tourney. Beat State.)

9:51: Wow... you guys watching this? Zips down 14 with 2 foul shots with 18 seconds left. Remember, Vegas line, Zips +13.

9:50: Ridiculous 3 for the Zips to bring them within 12. Zags at the line.

9:46: Chief reports from Ohio Brewing Co: "Middle Aged White Males with arms crossed to obscure "fear the roo" logos." Who are they hiding these logos from? All the Gonzaga fans at Ohio Brewing Co.? Sh*t. If these bros get the +13 cover they oughta be poppin those Roo's.

9:45: 1:45 left, Zips down 14. At least they still have a chance to cover.

9:38: Chief just reported from Ohio Brewing Co that Ohio Gov. Strickland and Akron President Proenza are working the room at TV Timeouts. If you're down there, and have the chance, ask what he thinks of the success that the "Controlled-Substances" influenced Heytvelt has had over his constituents.

9:33: Um...Heytvelt for three, Zips down 12 with 6:25 to go. Taking the sting out of this, American/Nova is a final, Nova by 13. Phew! 700 Level Greg, Frowns, everybody wins there. "Where at least we're plus fif-teeeeeeeeeeen." Zips now down 14. 24-4 run for Gonzaga.

9:31: Chris McKnight just threw Heytvelt to the ground. Did we mention that the McKnight brothers grew up playing pick-up games Southern Correctional Institute in Lancaster, OH, where their father is a prison guard. Zips down 9 with 6:57 left. Where's officer McKnight when we need him?

9:28: We just noticed that one of the bingo squares is "good timeout by coach." Wow. We were prospectively satirized.

9:25: Zags up 5 with 7:51 left minutes left. Their biggest lead in awhile. Meanwhile, American (+15) now down 11 with 49 seconds left.

9:15: Yeah, so these Auburn and Minnesota picks aren't looking so hot. Do you see what stupid homers we are? Zips up 1! GO ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIPS!!!!

9:13: Emailer Chambers comes through again with some solid crowdspotting: Am liking the "Save a Zlipper for the Zippers" sign. Should have been followed by "Bodybag for the Zags" sign though! Come on college kids, it's not like you AREN'T thinking that way." Zlipper for Zippers. Yes! Get us the Zlippers!

9:08: Nova tied American 55-55. About 4 minutes left. We're glad about this for 700 level Greg.

9:07: Zags hit a 3 to take the lead by one. Necessary timeout by Dambrot.

9:03:30: As if on cue, Hitchens for 3. "That's alright cuz I get things cookin' . . ."

9:03 PM: Christ...they just showed a graphic of Ellington Humpty Hump Humphrey III smoking a blunt, and played the Humpty Dance on CBS.

9:00 PM: Hitchens with a ridiculous dish to Bargo for the flush! "People say yo Humpty, you're really baller lookin!" Sh*t!

8:57 PM: Holy scheit! Bank's open on a three by Chris McKnight!

8:55 PM: Zips up 41-39, 17:33 to go. Sh*t.

8:54 PM: And don't sleep on Digital Underground, either. Don't sleep on the rhythm in Young Hitchens' bones:

8:53 PM: Pretty terrific post by someone called Ray Mernaugh about Zeke Marshall. Dude went to one of Marshall's high school games and based on his post, he payed good close attention. http://macreportonline.com/index.php/20090302676/Basketball/Zips-are-getting-a-good-one-in-7-footer-Zeke-Marshall.html

8:46 PM: Hitchens got his nickname because he used to dance as a baby every time Digital Underground's 'Humpty Dance' came through the speakers. He's a freshman. Aren't the Zips at least legit Sweet 16 prospects next season with Hitchens and incoming frosh, 7 foot blue chip recruit Zeke Marshall, who is reportedly the best recruit to ever sign with a MAC school?

8:42 PM: Our pal Chief of Akron web staple The Chief Source (www.thechiefsource.com) is at the official "Zips Watch Party" at the Ohio Brewing Co. downtown. He reports that the crowd gets especially fired up when Humpty Hitchens touches the rock. Not surprising, but reassuring. He'll surely post photos of this tomorrow.

8:39 PM: Just one more thing re: Heytvelt and shrooms: http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/search/label/Drugs

8:37 PM: F*ck, is there anything dumber than the Controlled Substances Act? Heytvelt looks perfectly healthy to us. Even too much so. And how do we know Heytvelt wasn't just doing some hunting and gathering? He's gotta eat, right? How would he know if they were hallucinogenic. Isn't that relative, anyway? F*ck. So unfair.

8:36 PM: Um...duh re: Heytvelt and mushrooms. We remember this happening, just didn't remember that he was the guy: "Suspended Gonzaga center Josh Heytvelt was charged Tuesday with felony possession of a controlled substance following his recent arrest in nearby Cheney, where police alleged they found hallucinogenic mushrooms in a gym bag in his car."

8:33 PM: Commenter Phillas also makes great points. www.clevelandfrowns.com, new friend. :) wait. >:-(

8:30 PM: Linhart for 3. He looks dialed in. Sweet. He was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year, you know. He has a game high 13 points at the half. Zips up 3.

8:28 PM: Chambers coming again with this: "Gonzaga getting the ball down low and running their offense through Josh Heytvelt, who has more experience with mushrooms than the Mario Brothers." We suspect that we weren't thorough enough in our pregame preparation. Zips up 35-33. Sh*t!

8:25 PM: Someone called Keith Chambers just emailed to tell us that "Bill Cosby's frantically trying to get honorary degrees from both schools just so he can say he's a "Zippity-zaggity" graduate." Good call, Chambers! Where the f*ck is Frownette at with our pudding pops, anyway?

8:17 PM: Holy crap! American's up 10 on Nova at the half. "Well I'm prouuuuuud to bet on American, cause at least their plus fifteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!"

8:14 PM: Commenter Johninho just spoke of the "feels-like-it-is-owed-to-them, HIGH seed Gonzaga team." YES! That's the one we're after! Wait...isn't that the only kind of Gonzaga team there's been in recent years? Zips up 3 with 5:44 left in the 1st half.

8:09 PM: Announcer just said "Zips and Zags." Zippity Zaggity! (Giggity Gittity!!! Yeah, we're ready for football season too.)

8:08 PM: Good timeout by Dambrot. You know, his role in LeBron's development is probably pretty underrated considering that Bron basically went from living in his mom's car into Dambrot's "program." McKnight, AND 1! Sh*t. Make the free ones, dude. Zips down 20-22.

8:03 PM: Check off the Dambrot/Lebron square on your bingo card.

7:59 PM: Society of Jesus. That probably meant something a lot different back then. Zips up 1!

7:56 PM: Sh*t. Luigi Gonzaga marched to his own drummer. "He grew up amid the violence and brutality of the Renaissance Italy and witnessed the murder of two of his brothers. In 1576, Aloysius' parents sent him to attend the court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Francesco de'Medici, in Florence. Later, accompanied by his parents, he traveled to Spain to join the court of Philip II in Madrid. In Spain, Aloysius decided he wanted to join the newly founded religious order, The Society of Jesus. His father resisted his decision and there followed a struggle of wills that continued after his return to Castiglione in 1584. But Aloysius eventually prevailed. Renouncing his right to the title of Marquis and to the vast wealth he was destined to inherit, he entered the Society of Jesus in Rome on November 25, 1585."

7:54 PM: Zips hanging in there, 13-15. But damn Gonzaga's big. McNight got stuffed on a 3 pointer, and Heytfelt is having his way down low.

7:49 PM: According to Gonzaga's website: Gonzaga is a Jesuit school, and it's named after St. Aloysius Gonzaga. "He is an Italian Jesuit saint of the 16th century. In 1887 when Father Joseph Cataldo, an Italian born Jesuit, founded Gonzaga College in Spokane, Washington, it seemed fitting to name the new school after his fellow Jesuit and fellow Italian, St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Aloysius is the Latin form of Gonzaga's given name, Luigi." Luigi Gonzaga? Mario and Aloysius? Who knew!?!?

7:45 PM: Wait. What is a Gonzaga?

7:43 PM: 3 for the Zips! We can only speculate about what goes on inside the black box that is the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee deliberations, but we strongly suspect that the Zippity-Zaggity element weighed heavily in the analysis, as well it should have.

Does everyone know that the Zips are the Zips because folks say that the Zipper was invented by a Goodyear employee who wanted an easier way to put on his rubber boots?

7:42 PM: Sh*t, Zags are big. Heytvelt just layed it up right over Linhart like he wasn't there, who was MAC player of the year.

7:40 PM: We have tip off!

7:35 PM: WTF? Our Akron Beacon Journal says the game is supposed to be on our TV. We hope it hasn't started yet. Michigan is off to a nice start. Why are we such f*cking homers? The other Deadspin liveblogs are off to good starts as well. There's a nice breakdown of representative Mich/Clemson alums, and the dude who's blogging Nova/American is one after our own heart, as best we can tell from his credentials. Meanwhile, Clark Kellogg just used his national platform to advise the Longhorns to take the ball upcourt. O-H!!!

7:26 PM: Ha! We're live! The Gawker Machine is a technological wonder. We'll start the Japanese Novel thing now. When will this game start? They said 7:25.

7:09 PM: Can we start liveblogging before the liveblog goes live? We just realized that we should invest in the other 7ish action. We're already in on Minnesota (see today's Frowns post for our rationale on that), so there's still Clemson -4.5 Michigan and Villanova -15 over Villanova. So we'll take Clemson +4.5, not just because we're inveterate Ohio-mers, but because we think the selection committee might have been a bit too anxious to get the Blue and Gold back in the Big Dance after such a long drought. The other one is tougher...American, or Villanova? We don't know sht about either of these teams. But we do know that we're going to Vegas this weekend for the tourney's second round, and the second to last time we were there, we stopped to watch the Bellagio fountain show to soak up a little sun and sound after 39 or so hours of being awake inside the same building, and that particular show was to that song "God Bless the U.S.A." You know, "I'm proud to be an Americaaaaan, where at least I know I'm freeeeeee!" In Vegas, at that particular time, watching all the well propped fanny packs pass us by, we had ourselves a moment. So we'll take the points and American.

2) Making the West Coast Proud: Gonzaga has gone out in Round One each of the last two tournaments (including last year's upset by Davidson). The year before that was the only year Gonzaga had ever made the Sweet 16 from a top 8 seed, despite being seeded #3 twice, and #2 once. Every other time they advanced into the second weekend, Gonzaga was a #10 or lower. This year, they're a #4!

3) Duke-like Popularity: Even with last year's Conference PoY, Jeremy Pargo, returning for senior year, and Coach Mark Few sharing Coach of the Year last year, Gonzaga did not supply the PoY or the CoY this year, making 2009 the first year since 1999 that Gonzaga had not been awarded either or both of these conference honors. Despite being one of only two teams (Memphis) in the whole of D1 to run the table in their conference, Gonzaga only supplied two players ('shroom farmer Josh Heytvelt and shampoo antagonist Matt Bouldin) to the West Coast 1st Team. Probably because the other teams aren't Jesuit. — Johninho

AKRON ZIPS

1) The Basketball Portion Of The Profile On their third try in a row in the MAC Championship game, the Zips broke through and reached the tournament. Two years ago, they would have beaten Miami for the MAC title had they not withdrawn early from the First National Bank Of Doug Penno. But this year they vanquished Miami, along with Bowling Green (grumble), Toledo (who at one point was up 12, but couldn't hold on as Akron tied the game at the end of regulation then won on a buzzer-beater in the second overtime), and Buffalo (this game was not interesting, I'm told) to reach the tournament for the first time since 1986, when a plucky man named Bob Huggins led the Zips—then in the Ohio Valley Conference—to the tournament, most likely between swigs.

2) Frankenstein Never Scared Me. Marsupials Do. 'Cause They're FAST. I've never quite understood the "Fear The Roo" meme. Then again I never marauded around as an expert of Northeast Ohio higher institutions. Heck, I didn't even know that part of the state had schools until 2004. But sure enough, the fear of Akron's mascot—which I guess is some kind of kangaroo—has allowed area banks to offer Fear The Roo Banking. The downside is you can only write checks to purchase Vegemite.

More Like "Fear The Syph!" In a 2008 study done by Trojan Condoms on sexual health, UA ranked 85th out of 139 leading colleges (PDF). Not great for a university whose town is nicknamed the Rubber Capital of the World. I guess this is what happens when free contraceptives handed out by the university health center are manufactured by Firestone. (Timely humor!) — Matt Sussman

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The Horned Frogs of TCU scoffed at BSU's early 13 point lead, rallied with 17 unanswered points, then intercepted a crazy lateral on the final play to beat the Broncos at the Poinsettia Bowl. Now Boise is just another 12-1 team that wasn't quite good enough. (And the dream of a playoff grows slightly fainter.)

It's sort of like what happened with Gonzaga all those years ago. For awhile it was cute when they would knock off top seeds in March and reach the Sweet Sixteen or whatever, but now they start the preseason in the Top 10 and everyone points and laughs when they lose to teams like Portland State at home. Ha ha! Your plucky underdog act only works for so long.

Horned Frogs rally to hand Broncos 1st loss [AP]
Portland St. upends Gonzaga [SF Gate]
Butler fouls up Xavier's night [Cincy Inquirer]

GONZAGA BULLDOGS

1. More Than A Few. Since he took over at Gonzaga in 1999, Mark Few is among the winningest coaches in the county. In a nine-year career that includes nine 20 win seasons and nine NCAA tournament berths, Few has an overall record of 204 wins, 53 losses. Gonzaga's West Coast Conference record during that span is 99-13.

2. Not Just Stockton. Point guard Jeremy Pargo was recently named West Coast Conference Player of the Year, the eighth straight time a Gonzaga player has won the award. With all the program's recent success, though, Gonzaga has retired only two jerseys: John Stockton's number 12, and Frank Burgess' number 44. Burgess, who played from 1958-1961, is Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer, and has the school record for points scored in a single game with 51. In the 1960-61 season, he lead the nation in scoring at 32.4 ppg, and was named first-team All-American, the first player in school history to get the honor.

3. Remembering Ehlo. Gonzaga games are broadcast throughout the western part of the country on Fox Sports, with color commentary provided by the world-famous and one-and-only Craig Ehlo. Ehlo, like the current president, hails from west Texas, and Ehlo, also like the current president, has a way with the English language. He has been known to call shooting guard Micah Downs "Michael," once decided that an opponent had an Australian dialogue, and wondered if Gonzaga would ever put a decimal reader in the Kennel. — La Rev

DAVIDSON WILDCATS

1. The freight. Here is some basic info you might hear over the next few days. Davidson has the nation's longest winning streak at 22 games. The Wildcats won the Southern Conference for the third year in a row, have won their past 36 conference games and 46 of the past 47.

That 36-game streak over two seasons encompasses the collegiate career of Stephen Curry. Stephen Curry is good. He was fifth in the nation with 25.1 points a game. He is the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry. He already is the 10th-leading all-time scorer in Davidson history. He is only a sophomore. This is not insignificant as Davidson had some big-time studs back in the day - like the 1960s and 70s.

Point guard Jason Richards led the nation in assists at 8.0 a game during the regular season. Richards also was the team's second-leading scorer, which is a little unusual. Coach Bob McKillop loves intelligent, feisty point guards who are virtual coaches on the floor. He finds a guy he likes and lets him start for three or four years and really take command of the team. But these point guards pass first, defend second, direct the team third and, if they have any energy left over, try to score. This will become a bigger deal for the Wildcats next season when Richards graduates and they move Curry over to point guard. Curry is a pure scorer and whether he can handle the additional demands of point guard could determine how his final two seasons go. But that is next year's problem.

2. Excitement. Back in my day there, Davidson was a small school in a quaint, sleepy little town of the same name about a half-hour north of Charlotte, a city not quite ready for prime time. And Belk Arena was a nice small-college gym. You could cram about 6,000 people in there if you had to, but there never was any reason to.

Charlotte's urban sprawl has enveloped Davidson, and that gym was packed most of the season. Sections of seats were sold out. People camped out (yes, really) to get tickets. The Wildcats took on top 10 teams North Carolina, Duke and UCLA. They led each of them and lost those three games by a total of 22 points. Early- and late-season top 25 rankings mean this has not been the typical under-the-radar season for this mid-major program. People are noticing, and people are caring. Our long-standing refraining about not getting respect does not ring so true this year.

3. The time. I am an unabashed Davidson fan and have been ever since I enrolled in 1992. The school has had its share of athletic success in other sports, but nothing compares to the potential of the men's basketball team doing well, making an impact in the NCAA tournament. My most heartbreaking collegiate sports memory is of the Wildcats losing to a far inferior Western Carolina team during my senior year in 1996. I will carry this memory with me forever because, as I have written before and will write again, I went through school with that senior-laden team and that conference tournament, and the NCAA tournament to follow, was supposed to be our moment.

That moment was denied. Subsequent potential moments have been denied. Davidson lost to Michigan in the NCAA tournament in 1998, to Ohio State in 2002 and 2006 and to Maryland last year. The Wildcats have not won an NCAA tournament game since Lefty Driesell left as coach in 1969. (In 1964, Davidson was Sports Illustrated's preseason No. 1 team.) This week is the moment now for this team, and we long-waiting fans, students and alumni would dread having another such moment denied.

I have two friends from college who both had their first children born on December 28. And Davidson has not lost since. One said, "Coincidence? I think not." I have no idea what that has to do with anything. Those kids do not realize their fathers' school has not lost in their short lifetime. So, I guess, it's win one for the kids? — Matt Pitzer

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Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt has completed his community service — which mostly consisted of slaying dragons and realize that the people in this room are the only motherfuckers who understand what's going ON — and looks on track to return to the team this season, though his suspension has not yet officially been lifted. The news could be worse for the Pacers' Shawne Williams, who was busted Tuesday for having a huge joint burning in his car. Since when is it a crime to smoke a little weed while driving? What is ithis, China? That's a crime.

(Oh. Well. We're told it is, in fact, a crime. The more you know!)

Heytvelt Nearing Return To Zags?[Seattle Times]
No That Cigar-Size, Smoldering Joint In My Ash Try Isn't Mine. Honest [Sons Of Sam Malone]

INDIANA HOOSIERS

1. Larry Bird and What Might Have Been. The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers—the last undefeated team in men's college basketball history—are generally considered to be the second-best team of all time behind 1968 UCLA. But remember that West Baden/French Lick native Larry Bird was successfully recruited by Bob Knight, had committed to Indiana, and in fact showed up for preseason practice in the autumn of 1974. After only a few weeks, Bird fled Bloomington for home, too intimidated by the "big city" to hang around for the start of the season. To quote the ghost of James Naismith, "The '76 Hoosiers were but one hilarious mustache away from being the greatest North American sports team ever. And I don't mean mine."

2. 550 Degrees Kelvin. Yes, first-year Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson famously made too many (oh, around 550) ill-timed phone calls to recruits while at Oklahoma. But as soon as you're finished feigning outrage ... let's move on to the Sampson family's role in the Battle of Hayes Pond. Sampson is a Lumbee Indian and his father, Ned Sampson, helped drive the Ku Klux Klan out of their North Carolina Lumbee community in 1958. Local Klan Wizard James "Catfish" Cole, who given his moniker had ironically targeted the Lumbee tribe as "mongrels," not only knew very little about the motion offense, but was also was a complete asshat. Showing a little more versatility and lot more dignity, Kelvin won the 2002 NAMA Jim Thorpe Award in addition to his 1992 Pac-10 and 1995 National and Big 12 Coach of the Year Awards.

3. Speaking of Whitey. There may be some debate over whether former Hoosier coach and two-time NCAA champion Branch McCracken, after whom the team's court has long been named, is the most elegantly named man who has ever lived. Reasonable people can disagree agreeably. But what's a little more assured is that Indiana's interior offense has to go through junior D.J. White. White (no relation to D.J. Jazzy Jeff) is only averaging 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds on the season, but with IU's guard-heavy attack, he is often the focal point in the paint. If the Tuscaloosa native isn't effective in the tournament, expect the entire team to follow suit. — T. Apple

GONZAGA BULLDOGS

1. Almost Howland. Twenty five years before his actions forced the residents of Spokane to explain why open sobbing by the leading scorer in college basketball is a perfectly normal reaction to a semi-realistic opportunity to win a NCAA tournament game, UCLA coach Ben Howland actually received his first coaching opportunity from Gonzaga. In 1981, following the end of his storied playing career in Uruguay, Howland was recruited to Gonzaga by then-coach Jay Hillock (now director of pro personnel for the Chicago Bulls) to act as a graduate assistant coach, with one of his duties being to defend John Stockton at practice.

2. Stockton Comes Alive! Speaking of Stockton, unless the 2009 Hall of Fame voting is placed solely in the capable hands of Isiah Thomas (during the 1987-88 season, Stockton broke Thomas' single season assist record, something Isiah Thomas will not forget, not ever), The Pasty Gangster stands to become the first Gonzaga basketball player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. However, two previous Gonzaga graduates, Ray Flaherty and Tony Canadeo, if they were still alive, would not understand all the hoopla. Both men were members of the Gonzaga football team and mid-70's inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What? You know not of Gonzaga's unremarkable football accomplishments just because the program folded 65 years ago? Get on the trolley. The current school mascot, the Bulldogs, is actually derived from one writer's reference to the football team's "bulldog-like tenacity." Canadeo, who was inducted into the Hall in 1974, had his number (No. 3) retired by the Packers in 1952 and still ranks fourth on the team's all-time rushing list. Flaherty, inducted in 1976, coached the Redskins to two world titles and is credited with giving the NFL the modern version of the screen pass.

3. Bing Me, Baby. If you're like me and have done away with the antiquated notion of graduation being a prerequisite to qualify as notable university alumni, then Bing Crosby certainly tops the list at Gonzaga. Das Binger is known for "White Christmas," his love of freshly squeezed orange juice and the alleged good-natured beatings administered to close family [buh-buh-buh-booo]. He was also quite kind to his educational institution, despite his failure to graduate. A generous Gonzaga benefactor, Crosby was instrumental in the construction of the Crosby Library in 1957, which has since become the Crosby Student Center. Approximately 200 items from the Crosby Collection, including his Oscar for "Going My Way," gold and platinum records, audio recordings and original manuscripts, are currently on display in the Crosbyana Room. All of the material serves as a reminder to students that even though the Binger left us for the great orange grove in the sky, at Gonzaga, the juice is always orange and the glasses are always tall and cool. No doubt about it. — Nate Odle

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2. Stockton Comes Alive! Speaking of Stockton, unless the 2009 Hall of Fame voting is placed solely in the capable hands of Isiah Thomas (during the 1987-88 season, Stockton broke Thomas' single season assist record, something Isiah Thomas will not forget, not ever), The Pasty Gangster stands to become the first Gonzaga basketball player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. However, two previous Gonzaga graduates, Ray Flaherty and Tony Canadeo, if they were still alive, would not understand all the hoopla. Both men were members of the Gonzaga football team and mid-70's inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What? You know not of Gonzaga's unremarkable football accomplishments just because the program folded 65 years ago? Get on the trolley. The current school mascot, the Bulldogs, is actually derived from one writer's reference to the football team's "bulldog-like tenacity." Canadeo, who was inducted into the Hall in 1974, had his number (No. 3) retired by the Packers in 1952 and still ranks fourth on the team's all-time rushing list. Flaherty, inducted in 1976, coached the Redskins to two world titles and is credited with giving the NFL the modern version of the screen pass.

3. Bing Me, Baby. If you're like me and have done away with the antiquated notion of graduation being a prerequisite to qualify as notable university alumni, then Bing Crosby certainly tops the list at Gonzaga. Das Binger is known for "White Christmas," his love of freshly squeezed orange juice and the alleged good-natured beatings administered to close family [buh-buh-buh-booo]. He was also quite kind to his educational institution, despite his failure to graduate. A generous Gonzaga benefactor, Crosby was instrumental in the construction of the Crosby Library in 1957, which has since become the Crosby Student Center. Approximately 200 items from the Crosby Collection, including his Oscar for "Going My Way," gold and platinum records, audio recordings and original manuscripts, are currently on display in the Crosbyana Room. All of the material serves as a reminder to students that even though the Binger left us for the great orange grove in the sky, at Gonzaga, the juice is always orange and the glasses are always tall and cool. No doubt about it. — Nate Odle

Actually, it's real trouble for Heytvelt: He's facing felony charges.

Heytvelt told WSP Trooper Gerard that his friend, who he believed the mushrooms belonged to, also grew the psychedelic mushrooms in his home. When Gerard asked Heytvelt if he had personally seen this, he admitted that he had," Office Bailey wrote in his report. However, the reports do not indicate whether Heytvelt ever identified the friend whom he alleged grew the mushrooms.

Heytvelt had just more than an ounce of mushrooms, but any amount at all constitutes a felony in Washington. Which, frankly, came as a surprise to us.

Heytvelt Charged With Felony [Spokesman-Review]

The two were pulled over for a defective tail light, and police noticed the smell of marijuana coming from their car. They did a search, they found the weed, and they found some 'shrooms, too. The weed is a misdemeanor. The 'shrooms are a felony. Uh-oh.

KHQ is giving this story the OJ treatment. They've got a story up with links to two different KHQ videos, one giving "background information" on Heytvelt and Davis, and another with a cop actually in studio, explaining the chargers and what happens from here. There's also a link to the Gonzaga University drug policy, and KHQ is having a "special report" on the arrest at 4:30.

The unviersity's drug policy, if you're wondering, is sort of vague. "Documented violations of illegal possession, consumption, provision, or sale of narcotics or drugs, or possession of paraphernalia, may result in disciplinary sanctions from the University and/or referral to law enforcement officials." Very stern. "We won't like it when you smoke the reefer, and we might also do something about it. If we have to."

Oh, and thanks to commenter SagerBombs for the heads-up.

Two Gonzaga players arrested on drug charges [KHQ Right Now]
Gonzaga University Drug Policy [Gonzaga University]

So which side are you on? Do you admire Duke's J.J. Redick and (especially) Gonzaga's Adam Morrison for their outbursts last night? Do you see that as examples of their passion and pride? Or do you think their weeping is a symptom of weakness, a sign of a weak disposition? Do you think they're wimps? Does it tell you more about them than you wanted to know?

We will say this: If Adam Morrison is planning on turning pro and wants to impress the professional scouts ... it will probably wise in the future to find a way to curb the crying while the game is still going on.

There Is Crying In Basketball [11 Outlawed Epithets]
If I Just Lost Like That, I Might Do More Than Cry [The Sports Pulse]
Wow [Complete Sports]

UCLA

1. Their Point Guard Is A Big Wuss. He shoots (second on team in scoring), he dishes (leads Pac-10 in assists) and his godfather is former Reds outfielder Eric Davis. He also has a huge tattoo that runs from his shoulder to his elbow, all of which — from a distance at least — pretty much makes sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar a badass. Until, that is, you realize that his intimidating ink is really a picture of him and his 11-year-old sister.

2. They Have The Fresh Prince. Freshmen Alfred Aboya and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Pac-10 Freshman of the Year) are from Yaounde, Cameroon, where Mbah a Moute is the prince of his village, earning him the nickname "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" from his teammates. Aboya his bigger dreams: He wants to be president of Cameroon. The two have something of a cult following with Pauley Pavilion's "Cameroon crazies," who cheer their every move.

3. They Play Tenacious 'D'. During a nine-game win streak that spans the past month, coach Ben Howland's bunch is averaging 72.3 points while holding opponents to 54. The Bruins have one of the best defensive players in the country in 6-5 sophomore guard Arron Afflalo, who likely will draw the assignment of trying to stop Gonzaga's Adam Morrison. The Bulldogs will have to stagger screens to get Morrison free of the unflinching Afflalo, who was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and CollegeInsider.com defensive All-American. Afflalo's no one-dimensional player, though; he leads the team in scoring (16.3 PPG). And if that wasn't enough, it appears his coach has a man-crush on him. "I love Arron Afflalo," Howland told the Los Angeles Times. "I literally love him." — Mark Pesavento

GONZAGA

1. Their Mascot Is Kind Of Old. Named for Quentin Hall, a member of Gonzaga's Elite Eight hoops team in 1998, "Q" the Bulldog has served at the school's athletic events since 1999. Q traces his roots back through a long line of live bulldogs at Gonzaga, all the way to "Teddy Gonzaga" in 1921. Some of Q's predecessors include "Corrigan" (worked as mascot in the 1940s but died after eating poisoned meat), "Bullet" (earned her name in 1951 after a campus-wide naming contest; the winner got a carton of cigarettes and "Salty" (ran onto the court during the 1966-67 season and bit a referee).

2. They're All Over The Globe. Gonzaga basketball rosters have always had an international feel. Past rosters show Australians (John Rillie, Paul Rogers, Axel Dench), Bahamians (Quentin Hall), Englishmen (Germayne Forbes) and citizens of Martinique (Ronny Turiaf), but with guard Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes, Gonzaga finally made inroads into French Canada. Altidor-Cespedes, who has started at the second guard position for Gonzaga most of the season, is a native of Montreal whose father is Haitian and mother is Dominican. He also has an accent worthy of a spot in the Quebec Nordiques Hall of Fame.

3. If Only They Were Playing In Spokane. Gonzaga currently enjoys the nation's longest home winning streak at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs last lost a home game on February 17, 2003, and the streak has now reached 40 games. But before moving to the MAC for the 2004-2005 season, GU worked a no less impressive record at the Martin Centre. Over a 13 year span, from 1991 to 2004, Gonzaga had six perfect seasons at the Old Kennel and built a home record of 149-10. — Scott Alcorn

UCLA Bruins: First Three Tiny Tidbits [Deadspin]
Gonzaga Bulldogs: First Three Tiny Tidbits [Deadspin]

GONZAGA

1. These Are Some Athletic Jesuits. Adam Morrison finished his senior season at Mead High School in Spokane as the all-time leading scorer in Greater Spokane League history. He broke the record set by current Gonzaga teammate Sean Mallon, who broke the old record held by current Gonzaga TV color commentator Jeff Brown. Other GSL alums include: Lions kicker Jason Hanson, former Redskin quarterback Mark Rypien, Cubs Hall-of-Famer Ryne Sandburg, and Jazz great John Stockton.

2. Batista STRONG! Gonzaga center/forward JP Batista set a Gonzaga record by bench pressing 225 pounds 30 times. The NFL Scouting Combine tests how many times a player can do the same thing: Pro-Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch of the Tennessee Titans benched 225 pounds 26 times.

3. They're Not Kidding About The Honoring God Thing. Gonzaga recently honored one of the most beloved members of its community with a special statue at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Father Tony Lehman SJ was the Chaplain for the Gonzaga men's basketball team for 20 years before dying of leukemia in 2002. The University had left Fr. Tony's traditional chair at the end of Gonzaga's bench open since his death, but this season, they commissioned a Spokane artist to create a statue to honor him at the school's basketball arena. A bronze chair bearing the words, "To be continued..." (Fr. Tony's signature line) now stands at the entrance of the McCarthey Athletic Center. — Steve Pickford

XAVIER

1. We're Pretty Sure Andre Smith Won't Attend Any Games This Week. Smith, who played for the Musketeers in 1993-94, was sentenced recently to 10 years in prison for the beating death of his neighbor with a Russian machete. Smith, 30, admitted hitting Maxim Dudinovin and is the son of 1970's Cleveland Cavaliers star Bingo Smith.

2. Location, Location, Location. Boubacar Coly, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward from Senegal, chose Xavier over the University of Miami, Mississippi, Richmond and Southern Methodist because at Xavier, the gym is the closest to the freshman dorms. "That's a good spot," Coly said in 2004. "At a lot of schools, the gym is far away. It's hard to get to the gym."

3. They've Got Teen Wolf. After the North Carolina State Wolfpack passed on him because the whole name thing would have been just be too weird, Xavier finally grabbed guard Johnny Wolf, a freshman from their own back yard — St. Xavier High in Cincinnati (at one time the two schools were on the same campus). As in the movie Teen Wolf, Johnny Wolf's dad was also a basketball star at his school — Marty Wolf (1977-79) is in the Xavier Athletic Hall of Fame in both basketball and tennis. — Rick Chandler

Deadspin Printable Bracket (PDF) (JPG version)
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NCAA Tournament First Round Schedule [Deadspin]
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2. Batista STRONG! Gonzaga center/forward JP Batista set a Gonzaga record by bench pressing 225 pounds 30 times. The NFL Scouting Combine tests how many times a player can do the same thing: Pro-Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch of the Tennessee Titans benched 225 pounds 26 times.

3. They're Not Kidding About The Honoring God Thing. Gonzaga recently honored one of the most beloved members of its community with a special statue at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Father Tony Lehman SJ was the Chaplain for the Gonzaga men's basketball team for 20 years before dying of leukemia in 2002. The University had left Fr. Tony's traditional chair at the end of Gonzaga's bench open since his death, but this season, they commissioned a Spokane artist to create a statue to honor him at the school's basketball arena. A bronze chair bearing the words, "To be continued..." (Fr. Tony's signature line) now stands at the entrance of the McCarthey Athletic Center. — Steve Pickford

Basically, the chants were directed at a St. Mary's player, Daniel Kickert from Australia. This isn't the first time that the Kennel Club has had issues with Kickert;, basically the dude is a huge prick. Anyway, someone with a Myspace account got a picture of Kickert, one in which he was kissing another guy. [the accompanying picture, we're told]

This jumped off on the zags message board the week before the game. Tons of chants were thought up such as "kissing kickert ... kissing kickert," which really isn't all that bad, to some other not so nice ones.

The thing that gets me, is that in none of these articles about the situation, nobody said the reasoning for the chant, which was the picture. The media has basically painted GU as a school full of homophobes. I'm not saying that making fun of gay people is right;
the Brokeback chant was immature, but it lasted like 10 seconds. Take college kids, bring ESPN to every game, mix lots of beer ... and you get some crazies.

The picture of Kickert, which we can't verify is actually him, has been sent to us before. We tend to think this is one of those times when a bunch of kids got drunk, yelled something loud enough to get it on television and then was overreacted to by the Gonzaga administration, which sent a note to all students that of course made it to the press.

By the way, this "Brokeback Mountain" thing appears to be catching on; several "Brokeback Mountaineers" signs were spotted at the Georgetown-West Virginia game over the weekend.

Gonzaga administration's full email is after the jump.

———————————————————————————
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 10:17 AM
Subject: [GU] Fan behavior for College Game Day

To the University Community:

Our men's basketball team has done exceptionally well this season possessing, as it does, the longest home winning streak in the nation and as a result, the focus of the nation is upon us. That focus becomes even sharper this weekend as the ESPN network showcases Gonzaga's team, campus, and fans during College Game Day.

While the accomplishments of our athletes have made us proud, and the demeanor of our assembled supporters in the Kennel has been worthy of praise, inappropriate conduct was observed by many, and reported on Public Radio, at our last home game. Among the usual good-natured chants and cheers of the Kennel Club, demeaning and disrespectful chants, interpreted as slurs involving both gender and sexual minorities — and one, St. Mary's athlete in particular, were heard. While we don't believe that this conduct is reflective of our students or fans in general, we do believe these actions are inappropriate and reflect negatively on Gonzaga University. This is extremely distressing to us and to many of the faculty, staff and students who are proud of the principled traditions that Gonzaga embodies.

These incidents have generated significant dialogue among Gonzaga community members. We cannot make the point more eloquently than others already have. A faculty member said: "These chants are troubling and certainly do not demonstrate the foundations of social justice on which GU is founded." The advisors to the Kennel Club have stated: "We hold our students to a higher level of expectation, a higher level of decency, and a higher level of respect. All of us within the Gonzaga community know of our commitment to our mission and our commitment to respect self and others. These commitments are not to be left at the door of the McCarthey Athletic Center or the sidewalks of Hamilton or Ruby. Rather, they are life commitments that we intend our students to live by now, and throughout their lives."

Intolerance is not acceptable within our Jesuit, Catholic and humanistic mission of this University. We offer our most sincere apologies to those hurt or marginalized by this incident, regardless of the intent of those responsible.

College Game Day and our game against Stanford is an important day for the University and the student body. The manner in which we present ourselves to the world offers us an opportunity to shine as examples of exemplary fan behavior. We want to emphasize how important it is to represent our University favorably and to project a positive image. We ask that we all conduct ourselves in a manner that reflects our pride in Gonzaga, ourselves, and each other.

Be safe, and enjoy the weekend. Go Zags!

Robert J. Spitzer, S.J.
President

Stephen Freedman, PhD
Academic Vice President

Sue Weitz, PhD
Vice President for Student Life

Ennis Zigs, But Jack Twist Definitely Zags [Deadspin]

Some might call call this gay-bashing, or, at the very least, gay-baiting. (Though we still think it would be fantastic if Johnny Weir came out for his performance in a cowboy hat and danced to Brokeback's music.) But you can always count on the Catholics to come up with a defense of such an endeavor; this writer, tongue-in-cheek (we hope), tries to fashion a linguistic argument.

Personally, looking at those guys in the picture, we think there's a subtext here worth perhaps exploring. "I don't think you boys are going to the McCarthey Athletic Center to watch basketball ..."

Off The Record [Catholic World News]
Heckle And Jeckle [Only Drink High Life]

"Major onions" was how Bill Raftery described it. The play-by-play guy ended the telecast by calling Morrison "the best college basketball player in the country." He may be that, I don't know, but I think JJ Redick's 41 points against the #2 team in the nation at least leaves the issue open for debate. I'm not going to write any more poems about it, though.

With 2.5 seconds on the clock, Adam Morrison hit an absurd contested fallaway shot to beat Oklahoma State. It wasn't what you'd call a precise offensive possession or good shot selection, but in a pinch, it will do. Morrison finished with 25.

And it's particularly welcome, considering that Kentucky failed miserably to provide any afternoon excitement after Duke/Texas turned into a snoozer. Going 2-of-28 from beyond the arc will do that to you. Tubby Smith will be spending the rest of his Saturday trying to get visions of red-and-white pinstriped clown pants out of his nightmares. Marco Killingsworth finished with 23 and 12 for Indiana in the win.

Meanwhile, #19 Alabama is getting hammered by Temple, 55-35 with about 13 and a half minutes to play.