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

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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.