Yesterday during the NCAA Super Regional, UC Irvine got out of a base loaded jam in the 7th inning against LSU by pulling the Hidden Ball Trick, which is best known to people of my generation from the movie Rookie of the Year, which also taught us that pitchers got big butts. Except UC Irvine didn't really pull it off, because the runner was clearly safe.

Fark calls it one of the worst calls ever in college baseball and though I'm not qualified to make that determination, that seems a bit much. It's a bad one, all right, but worst ever? Sounds iffy.

LSU coach Paul Manieri doesn't think the umpire was watching the action, and though LSU ended up losing by six runs, it shouldn't be said the play didn't affect the outcome, especially considering the bases were loaded with a .300 hitter at the plate (at that point, LSU was down four).

• We Are The Sort Of Champions. Consider: A few hours before LSU beat Ohio State 38-24, the guys who run the BCS talked openly about turning the system into a de facto four-team playoff. In any other sport, that would be considered gauche—after all, it's essentially an admission that this year's champion isn't deserving. In college football, though, tradition holds that championships are won on the field so they can be denigrated off it. LSU is your national champion. It's all over but the shouting. [Slate]

• wOOt! This is a big win for the program, which will benefit from the exposure and the love from the media. I bet the town of Gonzales, hometown of me and Glenn Dorsey, and the home of the annual Jambalaya Festival and Confidence Man Convention, will regret no longer getting mentioned on national television every week. We really are living in the golden age of LSU football. [Geaux Tuscaloosa]

• LS-Who Cares? Crow all you want LSU fans, very few people outside of Louisiana think you won an actual national title. Sure you got your crystal ball by beating a vastly overrated Ohio State team (they lost to Illinois at home for Christ's sake) 38-24 in the Superdome last night, and hey, maybe you guys would have won a legit title if you had faced one of the other best teams in the country. But you didn't. [Rumors And Rants]

• Here's An Idea. Ohio State should clam up about being disrespected. Looks like that DVD Jim Tressel made for his players that featured snippets of media members ripping OSU this year didn't work. That's two years in a row the Buckeyes have been smoked in this game. In the future, just focus on yourself and what you have to do to improve. Don't worry about what others think. It's a waste of time. [The Sporting Blog]

• Our Predictions. (Published Monday) When I watched LSU play earlier in the year I thought to myself, "we are two touchdowns better than that team." I am not going to stray away from what I thought then. There is no better game strategist in college football than Jim Tressel. Prediction: Buckeyes, 31-14. [Buckeye Commentary]

• LSU Tigers: 2007 National Champs!!!!! Clearly, the SEC Speed thing was overblown. Best I can tell, no one saw it coming (with the exception of SMQ and possibly Pete Fiutak at CFN): the SEC isn't a bunch of Nancy Boys who can only outrun other teams to victory; LSU, at least, can win - and has won - by simply being more physical. We pointed it here three days ago. So congratulations, Les Miles. You're 34-6 in three years, with an SEC Title and a National Title — whether or not it required some divine intervention — and three rather dominating bowl performances in a row. We're glad you stayed. [And The Valley Shook]

• Retraction. I made a post earlier calling out Les Miles and LSU for acting classless during the game. Looking back, those comments were uncalled for and irresponsible on my part, and I apologize for that. As a result, I have deleted that post. I apologize to those two who made comments in there, but I felt it was necessary that the post be removed to help maintain this blog's credibility. [Around The Oval]

• Ohio State Loses, Tedd Ginn Jr. Emerges Unscathed. The next tactic to jump from the college game to the NFL is going to be Les Miles' lead blockers on quarterback sneaks. On QB sneaks LSU lines up a player in tight with the line on each side of the quarterback. When the ball is snapped they lurch forward and effectively function as lead blockers. It's ingenious, it almost never fails, and it's going to be used by every team in football very soon. [Shakedown Sports]

The game looks and plays just like the popular Madden NFL and NCAA football games, though all the goofy stuff such as player celebrations, cheering crowds, mascots and bands have been removed. LSU and Tennessee were the first schools to use it this season and it went well enough that XOS expects to make it available to all its clients this year. The company provides technology to most Division I schools. "The video game is an excellent resource we have," Perrilloux said. "Whenever we hit a play, that play would automatically match up with the defense that we would see or blitz we would see. If you make the wrong decision it's an automatic interception or it's an automatic incompletion."

How did Bowling Green prepare for the GMAC Bowl, we wonder? Pong? Asteroids? This?

(Kudos to Every Day Should Be Saturday for the enhancement of our original Normandy Ned graphic).

LSU Players Use Video Games To Prepare [MSNBC]
NCAA 2008: A Better Cover By Far [Every Day Should Be Saturday]

• LSU Loses! BCS Mayhem! Doesn't anyone want to play in the BCS title game? LSU is d-o-n-e, and the Missouri-Kansas winner still has to get past Oklahoma. West Virginia seems to be on deck, but still has to win twice. Ohio State suddenly might not have to back their way in. Les Miles Watch: I'd say this loss means he's as good as gone to Michigan (since he won't have a national title to play for). LSU fans are left wondering if their team was either distracted - or just plain caught looking ahead. Neither is good. [Dan Shanoff]

• Did We Have A Game Today? My family is in town for the Thanksgiving holiday, and my dad and I watched the game in my parents' hotel room. During the waning minutes of the ultra-tense fourth quarter, the hotel fire alarm went off, further agitating our already fried nerves. Thankfully, the room is on the first floor and has a sliding glass backdoor opening up to a courtyard; we decided that if it became apparent that we were truly in danger, we could get out easily enough. It wasn't anything close to a reckless decision, but the memory of watching those crazy final moments of regulation with that insistent, ear-shredding buzzer sound will stay with me forever. [Razorback Expats]

• No. 1 No More: Les Miles' Bag of Lucky Charms Finally Comes Up Empty. Incredible game. INCREDIBLE. Especially with so much on the line for both teams. But Arkansas came up the victor. LSU's title hopes are dead. And maybe Houston Nutt will coach again in Fayetteville. I've contended at times this year that Les Miles has been lucky rather than good, or more specifically, his talent has carried him when his coaching acumen has not. Today, he finally ran out of extra chances. LSU fans will now likely send Miles to Michigan with their compliments. [The FanHouse]

• LSU Just Lost And Armageddon At Arrowhead Just Got Bigger. Basically, LSU's second loss in 3 OT just made the biggest Kansas-Misery game in the history of the world even bigger; the biggest game of the season even bigger. The winner will become the #1 team in the country, and nobody will really complain. If the winner goes on to win in San Antonio, they will be the favorite to win the National Championship game. [Rock Chalk Talk]

• So You're Telling Me There's Still A Chance... Did Michigan do the Bucks the world's greatest favor by distracting Miles and the Tigers? At any rate, we welcome Leslie to Michigan next year. The more I see of him in action, the more reckless and out of control he appears coaching. He's just been blessed with incredible talent and insane luck. Until today. [Eleven Warriors]

• GIGGITY-GIGGITY-GIGGITY! David Lee, offensive coordinator: "Houston, man. I was thinking toss right with Jones."

Houston Nutt, head coach, Arkansas: "GIGGITY GIGGITY GIGGITY!!! WWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! BLOTUNK BARFARKUS WOONDANGITY GIGGITY HOOOO!!!"

David Lee: "Hey, seriously. We're burning clock here. I got toss right to Jones for the win, Coach."

Nutt:"GOOD GREAT DANCING BOOGITY OOGITY! RAZORBACK FOOTBALL OHHH MAMIEEE SHANKY BACKRATTACKUS FLIRTIN' WITH DISASTERATOOOIIIEEE GIGGITY BULLFROG!!!!"

David Lee: "Toss right to Jones, then."

(They convert.)

Nutt:"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AHM GONNA BIDRIDINKUS COACH FOOTBAW JAGGETY BAGGITY BILBO BAGGINS TAINTSLAP DOOGITY DINKEE HOOOAAAAAAAOOOOOOOO!!!" [EDSBS]

(Also, this is the 40th jillionth time this year we've been told "Okay, forget about the game last week. THIS is the best game of the year." The law of averages tell us that one of these weeks, all the games will suck.)

• ♬ Winning Would Be Easy If Their Colors Were Like My Dream ♬ Red Gold and Green, Red Gold and Greeee-eeee-en ♬. A 38-0 loss to USC. All right, at this point, I genuinely feel sorry for Notre Dame, as well as somewhat responsible. Yes, we wanted them to underperform. Who didn't? But did you really want them to fall to 1-7? This is like hoping someone would kick the school bully's ass, then learning that he was beaten up by a gang member with a lead pipe, and consequently has to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair and can only speak in semi-relevant onomatopoeia.

Please, Notre Dame, help clear my conscience by winning out. Beat Navy, and such.

• California Reamin'. Despite a loss, the California Bears were still playing like the No. 2 team in the nation, which means they were bested by an unranked opponent. In this case, UCLA — a team who lost to effin Utah by 30 points at home — won 30-21.

• There Are No Good Puns That Use The Word "Tebow". The only reason I tell you now about Florida escaping Kentucky with a 45-37 win, is because Dan Shanoff's column doesn't run until Monday.

• In Michigan, Just About Everyone Wears Carr-Hart. With Michael Hart not dressing for the game, Lloyd Carr had to go to his section of the playbook that didn't include him, which was "every play in this three-inch area that includes the Chiclets but not the erasers." And they still won 27-17. So I guess we have to actually go around saying that Michigan is a good team now, despite some bad losses, and a favorite to play in the Rose Bowl but not in the national title game? Well, in a year where everything else is upside-down, at least this is the same.

• And Because I Can. Bowling Green was a 5-point underdog, but still went to Kent State and won 31-20. Freshman tailback Willie Geter: 206 rushing yards. Know him. Respect him. Rub his head for good luck.

• Kentucky Football: Believe! What a game, what a game. My wife and I were cheering and cursing and just loving it. We finally got around to dinner at about 9:30, and I had trouble sleeping last night for thinking about it. This game had much of the excitement of the 1992 Duke-UK basketball game, only with a better result. Kentucky football is truly enjoying a resurgence in the Bluegrass, and fan passion for the game is surging. [A Sea Of Blue]

• Postgame Take. No excuses here. We had all the opportunities in the world to win it. We were up 27-14 and gave it away. Flynn is at best an average passer, though he did well to convert some big third downs with his legs. The overthrows downfield have GOT to stop, though. [...] Our defense is clearly overrated. We had some injuries late but they moved it on us all day. We came up big at home last week when it mattered, but if a unit can't put it together against good offenses on the road, it's not worthy of much praise. It's still a very good defense, just not remotely comparable to the all-time great LSU defenses, or at this point even other defenses that are out there this year (Ohio State, for instance). [And The Valley Shook]

• Where Do LSU's National Title Hopes Stand? LSU's title hopes: They're not on life support. But they took a huge hit. With the wackiness of the '07 season, we're looking at some very iffy top-ranked teams who've fallen into the #1 slot, and it's not going to be easy to dislodge them. If it comes down to it, LSU will have to hope that their resume is impressive enough to be voted into the title game with one loss over an undefeated team with a questionable resume. [The FanHouse]

• Kentucky Shocks No. 1 LSU: Implications! For Kentucky, as legit a claim as anyone to "Best One-Loss Team" in the nation. Next week's game at home against Florida suddenly looms as large as this week's was against LSU. (Oh, and restore UK QB Andre Woodson as the Heisman Trophy favorite, and — while you're at it — as the top QB taken in the 2008 NFL Draft.) [Dan Shanoff]

Thanks so much for all your help these last couple days of posting — you've all adequately immersed yourselves in my low-brow Jacuzzi, and it is much appreciated . Tomorrow, Mr. Leitch returns with the family-friendly posting style we all know and love.

However, I'll be doing the first few posts in the monring as Will decompresses from his housekeeper humping vacation and reintroduces his sunburned hands to the keyboard. So, continue to send tips to aj@blacktable.com for the first portion of the day, and we'll keep the trains running until Will remembers how to type again.

Bag it. Tag it. Sell it to the butcher in the store room, etc.

College football game of the day: Sugar Bowl [Covers]

And, as pointed out by Rumors And Rants, yesterday it snapped. Babineaux posted the attached picture of himself and a a farewell message, saying that running a blog is not good for his mental health.

I have for three years thrown away my life to promote the cause of LSU being the legitimate 2003 national champion. After years of posting and campaigning I have reached the end of my line. And this will be my last post ever. ... Some people have asked me how I have so much time to devote to the LSUoverUSC cause. Well truth be told, I am unemployed, ever since Hurricane Katrina closed the catering service I once ran. But even before that, my work was severely hampered by my obsession, which has been professinally diagnosed as obsessive compulsive disorder. Feeding this disorder has caused me to spiral into a deep depression. My therapist says that the only way I can recover is through putting an end to writing messages on forums and on this blog.

May the lessons of a life wasted be learned by all of you who read this. The world is a big and marvelous place. Get out there and enjoy it. Don't let life pass you by.

You know, it's a shame, too, because we were this close to being convinced that LSU deserved the national title in 2003. Hell, another two or three posts might have done it, Fraser! Well, we're sure your health is worth it, just as sure as we are that USC was the 2003 national champion. Oh, is there an opposing view? If only there were some sort of Internet database out there with evidence for LSU's claim. But, sigh, there isn't anymore. Darn. Go Trojans!

Farewell [LSUOverUSC] (via Rumors And Rants)

But this has been as exciting a tournament as we can remember, pretty much every round, every day, every timeslot, every game. But both GMU-Florida and LSU-UCLA were bland, depressing blowouts, difficult to watch after halftime. That we would have come so far for so little seemed wrong, incongruous, some sort of cosmic cheat. That the ratings — insert usual "Neilsen ratings are pointless and outdated" disclaimer here — for the Patriots-Gators game were down eight percent from last year's Illinois-Louisville game somehow dented the story more; maybe people weren't as caught up in this as we thought.

But at least we had a Sunday evening baseball game. Baseball! That will cheer us! Oh. A three-hour rain delay. Nevermind. At least we'll catch the score on SportsCenter in the morning. What? Is that Stuart Scott doing another poetry slam? Aw ...

It's a difficult morning to be in love with sports. We'll do our best to snap out of it by lunchtime.

Cinderella Mauled By Gator [Deadspin]

I guess I should compliment LSU on their great run. It's amazing to see them get plowed like this after they just wrecked Duke and Texas. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a little more of Tyrus Thomas

Glen Davis fouls out with 14 points and gets a nice ovation. Well-deserved. He's made the tournament more fun for all of us.

Billy Packer calls this a "very weak Saturday evening." I wonder if he knows that, for the rest of America, he is actually a big part of the reason that this Saturday evening was so weak.

Please just END.

So it's set, UCLA and Florida on Monday night. And that's as it should be, the best two teams won tonight. UCLA was really just outstanding. And on Monday, it's Lorenzo Mata and Joakim Noah in the battle of unsightly big men. I can't wait.

Glen Davis misses two consecutive free throws. That was not exciting.

Fun stats: LSU has 14 turnovers compared to just 4 assists. They're shooting 44% from the free throw line. UCLA is killing them on the offensive boards, 11-4.

Hey, there's a lacrosse game on ESPNU. Maybe I'll see a sex crime.

You know that coach who gets all choked up when the Applebee's waitress asks him to help that picture? I hope they undercook his chicken and he gets salmonella.

Just waiting for it to end...

Farmer to Hollins for an alley-oop, and UCLA is putting on a clinic. The lead is 20. This doesn't even look like the same team that attended the Brick Layers Convention last week with Memphis.

The lead is 23. Hello, vodka.

Oooh. Glen Davis just mauled a UCLA guard going for a steal. That looked more like a Michael Strahan hit than anything that might take place on a basketball court.

I guess there's still time for a comeback... I dunno. I've lost interest.

It's 31-17. Ben Voogd, LSU guard, has 3 turnovers and is short one vowel in his last name. Billy Packer just said he's simply not capable of playing in a game at this level. Ouch. Garrett Temple remains on the bench with two fouls.

Speaking of Billy Packer, a tipster notes that Packer continually refers to Glen "Big Baby" Davis as "Big Daddy."

Nantz shares a bizarre story about LSU head coach John Brady's daughters going to school with Glen Davis, thus, giving him a recruiting advantage. Maybe it's just me, and my mind's warped, but I was thinking that Nantz was implying that the daughters were giving up some... well, nevermind. That's just not approrpiate.

UCLA leads by 16, 35-19. LSU desperately needs a little spurt before the half.

Well, they didn't. The lead is 15. John Brady might want to get his daughters to work some magic at halftime.

Tyrus Thomas gets an and-one, as LSU now seems to want to work the ball down low.

LSU, down 9, is going zone and looking for a defensive spark. They're on pace to give up over 80 points right now. They might want to stop turning the ball over, too. Just something to think about.

A steal and a quick jumper for UCLA. They're just the far superior team right now. Man, if both of these games are blowouts, I feel sorry for that bottle of cheap vodka in my kitchen right now.

Billy Packer's first comment of the game is about the great athletes that are on the floor. Kind of a subtle little slap at George Mason's lack of athleticism. At least he's consistent in his hateful bile.

Hey, a guy with a mask. Lorenzo Mata of UCLA is sporting a mask after breaking his nose in a Wednesday practice. UCLA leads 9-4 early, and they look a little bit sharper than LSU right now. I was able to get a pretty screen capture of it on the right there.

Christ. Eli and Peyton Manning in the crowd. Shouldn't they be hanging out with Ed Nelson in a pickup truck somewhere?

LSU's not getting a lot of open looks. UCLA's cranking it up on defense, and and LSU hasn't been able to take advantage of what should be an advantage for them in the post.

A steal and a dunk by Luc Mbah a Moute, and UCLA is on fire. It's 18-8. LSU needs to get themselves settled down and in gear.

Anyway, there are apparently other teams in the Final Four this year, though we didn't notice. Nice thing is: It's impossible to overhype George Mason; no such thing as George Mason fatigue.

But will they win? Here's a look at some predictions for college basketball's final weekend.

• Dick Vitale: Florida over LSU
• Jay Bilas: LSU over Florida
• Andy Katz: Florida over LSU
• Daily Quickie: Florida over LSU
• Seth Davis: Florida vs. LSU (no prediction, wuss)
• yoco: college basketball: UCLA over George Mason
• Deadspin: George Mason over UCLA. What's WRONG with these people? Have they not seen George Mason play in this tournament? Have they forgotten? This is the best team we've seen over the last two weeks (followed closely by, well, Florida, actually). Let's take this all the way.

Your picks are encouraged in the comments, because that's what we're doing here today.

First off, the guy is six-foot-nine, weighs about 486 pounds and talks like Mike Tyson would talk if he had a mouthful of pebbles. Which, in a way, he kind of does: Davis is one of the few prominent athletes out there who gleefully wears braces. So it's nice to see someone succeeding while still going through those awkward years.

The best might have been when Davis went off about the "tapeworms in his belly" and started pretending to be some sort of fairy while wearing a boa during the postgame celebration. It's always enjoyable when people who aren't all that media-packaged and savvy are suddenly thrust upon the national stage; Glen Davis is nothing if not himself, and it's always worth rooting for guys like that.

Unless they're playing George Mason, anyway.

Indianapolis Buffet Restaurants: Prepare For The Arrival Of Glen Davis [Deadspin]

LSU has made themselves the 1st 1/4th of the Final Four after owning Texas in overtime, cruising to a 70-60 overtime win after a frantic end to the regulation period.

LSU jumped out to a quick 7-point lead in overtime after a Glen Davis three-pointer, and Texas never really recovered. I don't have a record-book in front of me, but I believe he might be the only man to ever hit a three-pointer in the NCAA tournament while battling tapeworms. He lead all scorers with 24, but great games were had by Davis, Tyrus Thomas, 42-year-old Brad Buckman, PJ Tucker, and just about anyone who played defense for LSU.

What an incredible run of basketball games we've had. The Sweet 16 round of games was jaw-droppingly amazing, and if the next three games of this round are as good as this one, then I'm going to have to stop liking girls and propose to Jay Bilas.

By the way, if anyone is at a computer and unable to watch the game, the GameCenter at CBS SportsLine.com updates incredibly fast. I recommend it.

The amount of talent on the floor is pretty spectacular. I don't know if he plans on going pro, but Tyrus Thomas's draft stock has to be skyrocketing. Everytime he runs off the floor, he should start pumping his arm and yelling, "CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING!" Unless UConn ends up playing Villanova, this is probably the most basketball talent you'll see on the floor together in one game.

Brad Buckman leads Texas with 8 points (with two three-balls, and a couple of excellent blocks), Big Baby Davis has 9 for LSU, and Tyrus Thomas backs that up with 8 points, most of which have come on thunderous alley-oops directly onto the unsightly head of Brad Buckman.

• The West Virginia fans who sat around us cheered harder for LSU than they did for their own team. They also enjoyed heckling Redick to a level comparable to what we see from the commentators on Deadspin. Kinda sucks that Texas hit that three at the buzzer, eh? Eh? I'm sorry ... I'm giggling uncontrollably from the thought of the entire WVU section completely deflating as Paulino's shot went in. Heh.

• I now fully expect LSU fans to descend upon Atlanta and turn it into their own private Bourban Street. I see a scenario similar to Lexington in '02 when Indiana fans completely took the town over after they beat Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. The LSU fans probably had the highest attendance total of any of the teams there tonight (with Duke second and WVU third). Texas had, by far, the least in attendance. So, expect an LSU home game come Saturday afternoon.

If anybody else is heading out for the games tonight or any other time this weekend, we encourage you to let us know.

Meet Our New Favorite Person [Deadspin]

DUKE

1. Our University Is More Phallic Than Yours. If it were just the Duke Chapel, the giant, beautiful wang rising from the center of campus, it'd be one thing. But running the show is University president and former Yale Dean of Students, Richard "Dick" Brodhead. Be sure to get your Dick Brodhead jokes out of the way early, because by the third week of school, you've heard them all. The other building on campus that towers close to the height of the Chapel is the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Building, leading to plenty of "Two Towers" jokes: atop one tower sits University Carillonneur (that's "bell-player" for you Carolina grads) J. Samuel Hammond, plying his trade every day at 5 p.m. and ringing out the alma mater on Fridays; atop the other, protected by one of the only (if not THE only) thumbprint-scanning elevators on campus, sits Sauron, All-Seeing Eye of Mordor, The Dark Lord.

2. Well, It's A Good Thing He Has A Hobby. Big things were expected of well-loved Grant Hill when he graduated from Duke, and until 2000, he was on pace to have a Hall of Fame career. Since then, the only thing big about Grant Hill's career has been his medical bills. Four ankle surgeries, a major hip contusion, a foot sprain, a sports hernia and a nearly-fatal staph infection later, he's not the same player he was when he won back-to-back National Championships in '91 and '92. Still, he's been staying busy: His collection of African-American art is extensive and has gone on national tour; you can view it from now until July at the university's new Nasher Museum of Art.

3. You're Right, We Really DON'T Give A Damn About Your Team. Beyond the Carolina rivalry ... you may have heard of it ... Duke fans are really quite mild when it comes to rivalries with other schools, considering how many people nationwide would like to see the team bus explode in a ball of fire and then have the burning wreck develop cancer. Maryland is the closest thing Duke has to a secondary rival, mostly due to their burning inferiority complex and hooliganism towards Duke players, fans and mothers. Duke fans have tried to downplay the "rivalry" as Maryland has slipped down the rankings, wearing "Not Our Rivals" shirts to games and booting them from the important "2nd tenting game" distinction in favor of Wake Forest (who in turn will most likely be booted next season in favor of BC or NC State, depending on how the schedules work out). Duke fans (and Carolina fans!) also generally look down on Wake Forest (not enough tradition) and State (too redneck ... I can't remember the last time they've lost in Cameron without a "Start Your Tractors" chant developing). No team is our rivalry bitch, however, as much as Kentucky after the Laettner shot. Ask any Duke fan to list the top five teams they hate, and UK is lucky to sneak in behind Carolina, Maryland, NC State, and UConn — and BC and FSU are quickly climbing the list — but every Kentucky fan I've talked to has us no lower than No. 2 on their ladder of ire. One shot does not a rivalry make, Ruppsters. — Matt DeTura

LSU

1. Clawing It Out In The Paint. LSU's six-foot-nine sophomore center and SEC Player of the Year Glen "Big Baby" Davis is looming large in the Big Dancem averaging a double-double (21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds). Duke's Shelden Williams will have to paint himself all over the the 315-pounder like Sherwin Williams to have any chance of covering Davis in the paint.

2. Earning Their (Charity) Stripes. Tactics like "Hack a Shaq" or even "Smack the Baby" won't work with this LSU team. Even though the Tigers are young, they're cagey veterans from the free throw line. They shot an impressive 77.8 percent as a team against Iona and 78.3 percent against Texas A&M.

3. Magnum P.I. (Pretty Important). Keep an eye out for Magnum Rolle and LSU's other young role players. Sure, everyone's talking about Davis and senior Darrell Mitchell, but the Tiger freshmen could matter the most. LSU's freshmen don't have such fresh faces; check out Magum Rolle as he attempts to sport a stache and frosh Garrett Temple whose growth could be considered more "Magnum"-esque. As much as Gonzaga's Adam Morrison's white trash stache has been pimped by the press, LSU has quite a hirsute tradition of their own dating all the way back to the days of Pistol Pete. — Shane Igoe

Duke Blue Devils: First Three Tiny Tidbits [Deadspin]
LSU Tigers: First Three Tiny Tidbits [Deadspin]

LSU

1. But These Go To 11... It has been 20 years since Louisiana State made their last Final Four — when they were a No. 11 seed, still the lowest ranked team to make the national semis. The current Tiger team, which clinched its first outright SEC regular season championship in 21 seasons, is seeded a lot higher but whether or not they return to the final four 20 years later remains to be seen. At what stage will the Tigers get 86'd in '06? Or will they?

2. "Jam"-balaya. LSU possesses a dangerous inside presence with Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas. The two Tiger underclassman have already earned their stripes; super-soph Davis racked up seven straight double doubles to end the regular season, and frosh-phenom Thomas notched four straight double doubles before getting hurt. When all is said and done Davis and Thomas could administer a Tiger mauling on clubs not seen since the likes of Montecore.

3. Eye Of The Tiger. All eyes will be on Tryus Thomas. The Tigers, who suffered numerous injuries to key players throughout the season, won t exactly be limping into the tournament. Coach Brady lionized his freshman forward stating "everyone knows we played without the freshman of the year for four straight games, and everyone knows he's going to be back next week and help our team be better than it is right now." — Shane Igoe

IONA

1. Don t Give Up, Don t Ever Give Up. Even before he frantically ran around the court looking for someone to hug when he won his national championship at NC State, Jim Valvano was a hug-seeker as the Iona head coach (1975-80). Valvano's biggest recruit (literally and figuratively) was Jeff Ruland, now the Gaels' coach himself. Ruland chose tiny Iona over monster schools and legendary coaches. "There was a game I had in high school, and Bobby Knight was there, another coach and V. Bobby Knight came over and said what a great game I had. The other guy came over and said 'Great game.' V just walked over and told me, 'Boy, you really stunk tonight.' And I really appreciated that because it was the truth."

2. Like Father, Like Son. Iona's top two all-time leading scorers share the same name: Steve Burtt. With the 2006 MAAC title, both father and son have also won it all for their schools. Now the Burtts also share a legacy as they are the NCAA s all-time father/son scoring tandem with more than 4,500 points between them. Take that Doug and Chris Collins, Bill and Luke Walton and especially you, Mike and Mike Dunleavy! The elder Burtt has even managed to resonate with Little Stevie's generation: He s the coach of Team AND 1 on the "Mixed Tape Tour" show that runs at all hours on ESPN2.

3. He s HOW Old? Guaranteed to get some CBS camera time during the Gaels' first round game will be trainer emeritus, JB Buono. At 94 (with 50-plus years in New Rochelle, where Iona is located), Buono has likely taped more ankles than all the 64 other trainers in the tourney combined. Buono claims to have had sexual relations with Hitler s mistress, Eva Braun, and is also said to have fished with Lou Gehrig. Or maybe he had sexual relations with Gehrig and fished with Braun - either way, it's pretty amazing. — David Scott

Deadspin Printable Bracket (PDF) (JPG version)
Join The Deadspin Pool!
NCAA Tournament First Round Schedule [Deadspin]
Complete Deadspin First Round Matchup Previews [Deadspin]

2. "Jam"-balaya. LSU possesses a dangerous inside presence with Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas. The two Tiger underclassman have already earned their stripes; super-soph Davis racked up seven straight double doubles to end the regular season, and frosh-phenom Thomas notched four straight double doubles before getting hurt. When all is said and done Davis and Thomas could administer a Tiger mauling on clubs not seen since the likes of Montecore.

3. Eye Of The Tiger. All eyes will be on Tryus Thomas. The Tigers, who suffered numerous injuries to key players throughout the season, won t exactly be limping into the tournament. Coach Brady lionized his freshman forward stating "everyone knows we played without the freshman of the year for four straight games, and everyone knows he's going to be back next week and help our team be better than it is right now." — Shane Igoe

• Alabama 67, #24 LSU 62. Alabama pulls off an upset, stopping the Tiger winning streak at seven. Ronald "Balls of" Steele hits six clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the W for the Crimson Tide.

• #4 Villanova 72, Marquette 67. The Wildcats escape with a 5-point victory, despite trailing for most of the game. They shot 32% and committed 14 turnovers and still won, which just doesn't seem fair. Allan Ray pops in 28, and Randy Foye 24.

• #21 Michigan 27, #23 Iowa 28 (in progress). This one's still in the first half. Catch it on ESPN Full Court, if you can. It should be a high-quality Big 10 battle.