2. Kirstie Alley Approves. The Toreros play in Jenny Craig Pavilion, named for the weight-loss magnate who donated $7 million to build the facility in 1996. It was dedicated in Oct., 2000, and is known to students as the Slim Gym. Jenny Craig Inc. is based in nearby La Jolla, CA. Ironically, the university is also home to the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, named for the wife of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, who has foiled many diets.

3. Seeing Red. No one is going to be able to push around the Toreros; they have one of the heaviest rosters in the tournament. They have six players who weigh in excess of 220 pounds, including freshmen Rob Jones and Josh Miller (both 230), junior forward Gyno Pomare (240) and 6-foot-10 freshman center Nathan Lozeau (280) ... Jones played at Archbishop Riordan in San Francisco, whose league nemesis is Serra High, which produced Tom Brady, Lynn Swann and Barry Bonds ... a Torero is a bullfighter; not exactly a politically correct nickname for a university these days. — Rick Chandler

2. First Half Good, Second Half Not So Much. Few teams have had the rollercoaster season that A&M has. The first half of the season couldn't have gone better, as a 15-1 start took them to the edge of
the Top 10. Then came a three-game losing streak and a 7-8 record over final two months. Even within that stretch, the Aggies decided to to things in a big way, including a pair of 27-point losses and a
44-point win.

3. Not Exactly "Win One For The Gipper.. Aggies Coach Mark Turgeon may have gotten an early sense that his team was headed for trouble down the stretch. After two straight losses in January and just prior to the five-overtime bonk to Baylor, Turgeon let it fly: "I know what I'm doing. Have I gotten the most out of my team the last two games? No. But I know no matter what I do, if we win, (former coach Billy)
Gillispie's getting the credit, and if we lose, it's my fault. I'm in a no-flippin-win situation this year, and that puts me in a bad mood." The result? Seven more wins from January to March, and losing five of
its final seven. — Jeff Beckham

2. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels). Whereas most college athletic programs are content to limit their scandals to recruiting violations and date rape, Villanova's athletes strive to achieve a more genteel form of notoriety. And so, enter the phone cards. On two separate occasions, in 1996 and 2002, Villanova students were busted for unauthorized use of calling cards (a violation of an NCAA rule prohibiting extra benefits to student athletes), the latter incident resulting in a suspension of twelve players on the active roster which carried over into the 2003-04 season.

3. New York's Not My Home. Jay Wright's first coaching gig was at Hofstra University, which offered him a rich recruiting environment among the private schools and public playgrounds of New York City and Northern New Jersey. He continued to scout for players in that area even after landing the head coaching position at Villanova. In 2004 Wright recruited Kyle Lowry, a scrappy guard from Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philly. While a significant portion of the current underclassmen still hail from Brooklyn, the Bronx and North Jersey, local players such as Reggie Redding and Shane Clark show that Wright is now willing to seek talent further south along the Northeast Corridor. — Chamomiles Davis

2. Coach Ron Arrow... This is Coach Arrow's second stint at the USA helm. He lead the Jags from 1987 through 1995, bringing home two conference titles and two NCAA berths; he also took Texas A&M - Corpus Christi last year. Arrow returns this year to add another Sun Belt title, and NCAA birth at USA. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to Coach Arrow, as his team is gearing up for the tournament. (Really... I did.) He describes the Jags as "an up tempo team" that's "fun to watch." He also noted the work ethic of his kids and thinks it's a team that "the public will like," especially those who haven't seen them play. Arrow is a good coach that stresses fundamentals and hard work with his kids. There was once another solid NCAA (football) coach by the name of Arrow. Coach Ed "Straight Arrow" Genero. This guy left his analyst job to take over a program guilty of NCAA violations that would make Kelvin Sampson blush. He may have only won 1 game, but come on, he suited up a team made of 20 kids (all walk-ons). The kicker from that team did go on to have a somewhat fruitful career.

3. Who to watch for... Guard Demetric Bennett is the best player on the team, and in the conference. This year, he's averaging 19.5 point, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game. At 6"4'205, Bennett is big enough to take it hard to the basket, but he's also a high percentage shooter (48% from the floor, 83% from the line, and 40% from beyond the arc.) Arrow described him as "a go to guy" and a complete package that has the talent to play at the next level. I agree. Paired with their other guard, Daon Merritt (11.3/2.8/5.5), the have possibly one of the most explosive back courts in the country. Third guard, Domonic Tilford (13.3/2.5/2.1), adds speed and flexibility to the mix.

Why will they go far? We've already covered the backcourt, and they will be dangerous. Let's talk about size. This team may be the biggest team that makes the tournament. They've got two kids at 6"9', two at 6'7" and Bennett at 6'4". They most definitely have the size to go up against any other team in the country. However, they are very fast and well conditioned. USA runs very well, won't get run out of the gym, and won't be doggin' in it the fourth quarter. They're size and speed gives them a huge rebounding advantage (they average almost 40 rebounds a game.) Yeah, they may not have UNC, Duke, or Memphis on their schedule, but they did have Vandy. Anyone been watching Vandy lately? I'm pretty sure they can play some ball. So, how did USA stack up against Vandy you ask? Although they went down 91 - 88, they did so in two overtimes, IN Nashville. No one else has done that this year. They can play with the big boys. Arrow noted that they let Vandy "get away," and they know they can play with anyone. He added that the Vandy game "got us ready for the rest of this year."

The coach has experience in the tournament, the team is big and fast, and they have shown they can play with teams from the bigger conferences. Look, they're going to come in probably ranked as an 8 or 9 seed. I guarantee they win their opening game, hands down. Depending who they draw from there on, who knows what can happen. When you see USA in your office poll, give them a look, even though you may have never heard of them. The Jags may end up being this year's George Washington, and if they do, remember where you heard it.... — Michael Cunius

2. What are you, a freshman? With the exception of Deron Washington, A.D. Vassallo, and bench players Lewis Witcher, and Cheick "Recheickted" Diakite, freshmen have received most of the minutes this season. Seth Greenberg brought in his best recruiting class since becoming coach at Virginia Tech, and it has shown. Jeff Allen, at 6'7" and 258 pounds, has been a force down low this season averaging 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.14 steals per game to earn a spot on the ACC All-Rookie team. Allen has been huge for the Hokies this season, when he's not off bumping officials and getting suspended (URL#2). Though more of a shooting guard, Malcolm Delaney has been the starting point guard for most of the season and has had some success. He has a sweet stroke from beyond the arch and though he has struggled some against older, stronger guards, has shown flashes of greatness so far this season. Backing him up is the surprise of the season, 5'9" (on a phone book), 140 pound freshman Hank Thorns. The smallest player in the ACC playing significant minutes (22.1), Thorns has been huge coming off the bench, bringing in 104 assists on the season, good for ninth in the league and the most among ACC freshmen. Not to be forgotten, J.T. Thompson has emerged as a legitimate low post threat in ACC play and Terrell Bell has played well in limited minutes behind senior Deron Washington. Lastly, shooting guard Dorenzo Hudson joined the team in December, and he made sure everyone knew he was here by vomiting on the court against Maryland (URL#3). The Terps make me sick too, Dorenzo.

Eric Gordon has nothing on this guy. Speaking of Terps making me sick, let me tell you about Gus Gilchrist. In November 2006, Gus Gilchrist was a small time PF/C recruit who had committed to Virginia Tech. Prior to his senior season, he was largely under the radar to most ACC coaches and was not highly sought after. Seth Greenberg found him, and he believed he could be great for the Hokies. Seth was right, and his greatness began to show during his senior season. His numbers skyrocketed, he became the MVP of the Capital Classic, and his status as a major basketball recruit was flying up the charts. Fortunately for the Hokies, he was all locked up when he signed his letter of intent, right? Wrong. April 16 came for Virginia Tech, and to add insult to injury, Gus used the incident to get out of his letter of intent. He and his scumbag trainer, Terrelle Woody, looked at offers from other schools and eventually decided on Maryland. By doing this, Gus had to sit out this season, will sit the first half of next season, and has lost a year of eligibility. I don't know if you noticed, Gus, but we swept Maryland this year, you lowlife.The Hokie Nation is going to unleash hell on you next season in Cassell Coliseum. Good riddance. — Joe Crandley

2. How's That Working Out For You? Are you a fan of the Idaho Stampede? By gum, you ought to be! They're having a great season, leading their division in the NBA's D-League over such luminaries as the Los Angeles D-Fenders and the Bakersfield Jam. They've got Brent "Air Georgia" Petway. Their dance team has, I have to assume, some of the hottest girls in The Gem State (this is my only point of comparison). Most important, they've provided former McDonald's All-American POTY and current stiff Josh McRoberts with more playing time than he's had on his nominal NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers. (I found this fact listed under the "Charitable Works" portion of their webpage.) Josh got his $400K salary, the Blazers got a valuable 2 points per game (lookin' good, J-Mac!), and Duke's leaps and bounds better than it was last year, when it spent most of the season slowly collapsing, like a flan in the cupboard. (Not my joke.) I believe a true teacher, a coach, a leader who just happens to be a manager, calls that a "win-win-win."

3. Running With The... You Know. The last couple years I've avoided citing actual "basketball" "facts," partially because my knowledge of hoops theory is lacking (I think turnovers are first and foremost a tasty dessert) but mostly because most Duke teams of the Coach K Era have been struck from the same mold: saunter casually up the court, swing a couple of cursory passes, then get it in to Brand/Boozer/Williams or out to Laettner/Dunleavy/Redick. You might be surprised to hear that they're actually running this year. A lot. Over 75 possessions a game (thanks KenPom) puts them in the top 10 for tempo nationwide. Frosh Kyle Singler is effective anywhere on the court, Henderson and DeMarcus Nelson are providing blow-by speed inside, and most importantly, Greg Paulus has reduced his TOs from 3.2 a game his first two seasons to 1.7 this year. All of these numbers likely won't change your frothing hatred (especially if you're from Chapel Hill, College Park, Lexington or, uh, anywhere that's not Durham) but it's worth noting as you fill your bracket: even though Duke's a donut this year, it's one of those high-class fancy donuts. A cruller, maybe. That likes to play up-tempo. See why I don't do analysis?

EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS FACT BROUGHT TO YOU BY MIKE PATRICK: Did you know Greg Paulus was a high school quarterback? It's true! A quarterback! In high school! How wild is that? I hear he threw for like, four hundred thousand yards. Player of the decade. Crazy! Quarterback quarterback quarterback quarterback quarterback. — Matt DeTura

2. Blue and Grey. The Tigers' colors were established as a gesture of national unity to commemorate the opposing armies in the Civil War. Aside from the clichéd images of Elvis and Graceland, Tiger blue is emblematic of Memphis's long tradition of blues and soul music, made famous by artists like B.B. King, Furry Lewis, Booker T. and the MG's, Otis Redding, the Bar-Kays and Isaac Hayes. Famous alumni of the Memphis Tigers basketball program include Anfernee Hardaway, Keith Lee, Elliot Perry, Dajuan Wagner, Rodney Carney, Lorenzen Wright, Shawne Williams and 1998 Name-of-the-Year finalist, Paris London.

3. Style of Play. Calipari describes the Memphis offense as "Princeton on Steroids." Based on the dribble-drive system pioneered by Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg, Memphis's offense utilizes the Tigers' superior athleticism and ability to exploit one-on-one mismatches to beat teams off the dribble for easy lay-ups. Most teams employ zone defenses to slow the pace of the game and force the Tigers to rely on their average outside shooting. Freshman phenom Derrick Rose has drawn comparisons to Jason Kidd given his speed and strength and is a potential top-5 draft pick, should he decide to go. Junior swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts is the top scorer and veteran leader of the team. CDR, a Detroit native, is primarily known as a slasher, but he has developed his outside shot in the past year (45 percent from behind the arc). When at his best, Joey Dorsey resembles a young Ben Wallace, a tenacious defender and shot blocker who averages 10.4 rebounds per game. Though he has the size and talent to dominate, Dorsey is prone to mental lapses and foul trouble. Memphis's superior defense and athleticism could carry them to the final four and the title, but success in the tournament will largely depend on role players like Antonio Anderson, Willie Kemp and Donneal Mack getting hot from behind the arc. Memphis's Achilles heel is their team 58% free throw shooting, but if you remove Dorsey's 33% rate from the mix, the team shoots a more respectable 62%. Rose (68% FT) will likely receive the inbounds passes toward the end of games, so the Tigers' hopes may hinge on whether the freshman has the mental toughness to hit free throws with the game on the line. — Jay Lewis

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

2. No Fun Allowed At Purdue! The student ticket situation changed recently, and if you were a member of the "Paint Crew" your seating was on a first-come, first-served basis. If you were there early enough, you could be down low in the Paint Crew section. So students started showing actual school spirit and began camping out in tents outside Mackey Arena for hours before games ... then for days... then for MANY days. Everybody loved it. The John Purdue Club (rich alumni) sent them hot chocolate, Coach Painter bought them doughnuts and chicken wings, students traded off "holding" their spots in line so they could go to class, ESPN showed it when they were in town to do games. It was all good fun — until the University decided this was simply too much fun and halted it entirely. First the inflatable penis appearances are dramatically reduced - now this. What's next? Will Purdue Pete's hammer be deemed too barbaric or something?

3. Nicknames We Want To Hear Brent Musburger Say. Musburger, Steve Lavin and sultry Erin Andrews have done a number of Boiler games this year. As the Boilers improved, Musburger got into this weird habit of calling Coach Matt Painter "Matty." We know Musburger is all lovey-dovey with everyone (and like 300 years older than Painter), but we seriously doubt he'd call Coach K "Mikey." Anyway, we eventually discovered that Robbie Hummel was known as "Ostrich" in high school and, even better, E'Twaun Moore was known as "Smooge." Looking up Smooge, we find it's "funk from a dog's ass." Go on, Musburger, you 68-year-old coot. We dare you. — Boiled Sports

2. Lucky or Good? Rick Pitino on the Hoyas this year: "They've been lucky." Have they? The Hoyas needed a three by Roy Hibbert (!) to edge UConn at home by 2 with seconds left on the clock, 72-70; a 64-62 overtime win over 'Cuse on Big Monday where a young and tired well-defended Orange squad didn't score in the last 2 minutes of regulation despite being up five points; a last second shot by WVU at the buzzer was goal tended blocked by Patrick Ewing, Jr. to preserve a 55-54 Hoya win; a bullshit controversial blocking foul with 6 seconds left allowed the Hoyas to escape overtime against Villanova with two Jonathan Wallace free throws and a 55-53 win; and finally, down three at Marquette with 3 seconds left, an idiotic amazing foul call on a Jonathan Wallace three point attempt by Marquette allows the Hoyas to force OT after three made free throws. The Hoyas went on to win, 70-68, where the winning margin was simply a banked three made by Wallace during the overtime. All of the Hoyas losses have been on the road this year and all by 7+ or more points (to Memphis, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Louisville). While there is some truth to Pitino's comments, I'd also like to think that Branch Rickey said it best.

3. Well Guarded Home. The Hoyas 15-0 home record this year could not have come with the support of a strong home court advantage. Not only has the student body rallied around the team, but with the protection of an actual bulldog patrolling the sidelines it has clearly inspired the team to new heights. Clearly, security is important to prevent road teams from stealing our wins. Jack the Bulldog, led by handlers who don "Team Jack" t-shirts for the game, are fan favorites as they patrol the concourses at games, allowing Hoyas large and small to pet and photograph Jack. However, it's not just photos and pampering for the pint-sized pooch. At the 8 minute timeout in the second half of every home game, Jack runs onto the floor and chases (while attempting to bite) a package wrapped with the opposing teams' colors and logos. Naturally, the witty Hoyas in the student section cheer him along with chants of, "Eat that box!"**

** The administration of the Georgetown University would like to take the time to remind you that a marriage certificate, signed by the controlling Catholic diocese, is needed first before said activities can be performed. Thank you. — Christopher Klejdys

2. Road Woes. The Razorbacks squad can't seem to find their groove away from Fayetteville this season. They are 4-9 when playing outside of Fayetteville. But when at Bud Walton Arena the team is 16-1. These stats include a loss in Little Rock to Appalachian St. at Alltel Arena.

3. A Tumultuous Year. In the span of 12 months the University of Arkansas pretty much turned over the entire leadership of the Athletic Department. Frank Broyles, Athletic Director retired after 50 years in Fayetteville. He was replaced with former Pittsburgh AD Jeff Long. Broyles fired Basketball Coach Stan Heath in March of last year and hired John Pelphrey. Then in December, football coach Houston Nutt left and Long replaced him with Bobby Petrino. — Hawg Blog

2. But do they have Buzz Beer on tap? Before he was Bob Barker's Price is Right replacement - and using his status as hero of the everyman to date every stripper in LA - Drew Carey was a student at Kent State University. And the beer-guzzling comic never forgot his roots. When the Golden Flashes made their shocking run to the Elite Eight in 2002, Drew watched every game with KSU students in Kent's version of the Warsaw Tavern. It's called Ray's Place, and after every win, he celebrated by buying a round for everyone in the bar. You can bet KSU students will be lining up at Ray's again this year, hoping to rub elbows with Carey, and maybe get a chance to join him in a game of Plinko.

3. And you are? Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Al Fisher came to Kent State after being recruited by... well, no one on the KSU staff actually saw Fisher play in person. In fact, no one really knew what he looked like until he stepped foot on campus. Fisher, who previously played at Siena and Redlands Community College, was offered a scholarship late in the summer based on videotape and conversations with his former coaches. Of course, he could have received one of genetics alone. His cousin is Niagara's Charron Fisher, the nation's leading scorer.

Quick Flashes ... Kent State is making its fifth tournament appearance since 1999, and second in the last three years... KSU has won at least 20 games in each of the past 10 seasons. The only other schools with such a streak include Duke, Creighton, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky [Arizona gets there with one win in the PAC-10 tourney]... eccentric forward and MAC Defensive Player of the Year Haminn Quaintance, aka "Q", is the only player in NCAA Division I history with over 1,200 points, 850 rebounds, 250 blocks, 250 assists and 200 steals in his career... MAC Coach of the Year Jim Christian is the winningest coach in MAC history with a .703 winning percentage (135-57)... other notable alumni include Batman (actor Michael Keaton), NFL Hall of Famer Jack Lambert, talk-show host Arsenio Hall, and national championship winning coaches Nick Saban and Lou Holtz. Come to think of it, if the Flashes need a pep talk before the big game...

— Jason Tirotta

2. Ain't No Party Like A Block Party. Thanks to Thabeet (as well as Adrien and mercurial 6'9" forward Stanley Robinson), UConn leads the nation in blocks per game (8.8), which the team has now done for seven consecutive seasons. UConn's shot-blocking prowess began with the arrival of Okafor in 2001. In Okafor's three seasons as a Husky, UConn averaged 6.9 blocks in 2001-02, 7.5 in 2002-03, and 8.1 in 2003-04. With an increased emphasis on shot-blocking, the team actually swatted more shots without Okafor, averaging 8.9 blocks in 2004-05 (led by Boone, Gay, Villanueva and Armstrong) and 8.8 in 2005-06 (same crew minus Villanueva). Last season, Thabeet's first as a Husky, UConn averaged 8.6 blocks per game. Due in no small part to its shot-blocking, UConn is holding opponents to 38 percent shooting.

3. You're not the run-of-the-mill kind of asshole, are you, Jimmy? You're a special kind of asshole. UConn's Hall-of-Fame coach Jim Calhoun speaks with a Masshole accent thicker than clam chowder, swears like Bunk Moreland after a long night at Kavanaugh's and has a quicker hook with his players than the clown at the Apollo on Amateur Night. A Lady Byng Trophy winner he's not. But there's one thing he does better than any other college coach in America: develop NBA players. Indeed, UConn has thirteen graduates...er...former players in the NBA — more than any other college program. It's an impressive list: Ray Allen (Celtics), Hilton Armstrong (Hornets), Josh Boone (Nets), Caron Butler (Wizards), Rudy Gay (Grizzlies), Ben Gordon (Bulls), Richard Hamilton (Pistons), Donyell Marshall (Sonics), Emeka Okafor (Bobcats), Kevin Ollie (Sixers), Charlie Villanueva (Bucks), Jake Voskuhl (Bucks), and Marcus Williams (Nets). Calhoun also happens to be a perfect 4-0 in Final Four games and, by virtue of out-coaching Mike Krzyzewski twice in those four games and thus denying Duke two additional national titles, on his deathbed will receive total consciousness. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. — Josh Blosveren

2. The Triforce. The team is built around seniors Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Robbie Cowgill. All three have been deemed to have a "intramural" look to them, but don't be fooled, they're all skilled ballers. Weaver is a sinewy 6-6 athlete who can play any position from the 1 to the 3. He leads the team in no offensive category, but contributes with feints through the lane, creating shots for teammates. But where Weaver gets his accolades is as a shutdown perimeter defender. Second in the Pac-10 in steals, he's become a Jay Bilas favorite, who rendered this wondrous nugget "he's not a shooter, but he's a winner." Talk on Jay: talk on. Low, the team's leading scorer and 3-time Hawaii High School Player of the Year, committed to WSU without ever seeing the campus. I could see this happening going from Pullman to Hawaii, but Hawaii to Pullman? That's how much Low trusted the Bennett's coaching philosophy. And last but not least fan favorite and Pac 10 Scholar athlete of the year, Robbie Cowgill. The laid-back Cowgill has been called a "glue-guy" and is always around the ball, creating opportunities with hustle. When WSU has a fever, it's usually cured by more Cowgill. Explore that space Robbie!

3. Basket-wha!? The Pullman sports landscape has been dominated over the years by the whiz of footballs flying through the air, as well as irrational thoughts of a Mike Price return. Due to this dominance of football, basketball has traditionally been the oft forgotten runt of men's revenue sports. In some respects it still is; currently the Cougars play their games in the "Beasley Performance Arts Coliseum" (which has banners to honor NIT appearances). To avoid being lumped in with trade shows and productions of Oklahoma, the Cougar basketball team plays its games on "Friel Court." Confusing. It's also hurts your reputation as a basketball school when your three most famous former players are a Gatorade commercial staple/MJ poster boy (Craig Ehlo), a mediocre rapper/former G-Unit member who got kicked out before ever playing a minute (The Game, who might in fact be working me into a diss track right now), and Florida Marlins lefty Mark Hendrickson, who was drafted into the NBA with the 76ers in the late 90's, and is now working as a human testament to the benefits of being able to throw a baseball left handed. But with every win against traditional Pac-10 powerhouses, and every report of Tony Bennett going to a bigger school for a much bigger salary, the student body seems to sense exactly how special this team is. — Brian Tesch

2. He Can't Run For President. Over the last six games of the season, junior forward Joe Alexander torched opponents for 26.8 points per game. He was also named First Team All Big East. Alexander, despite having American parents, was born in Taiwan and lived eight years abroad while his father worked for Nestle. After some research, it seems Alexander is already the most successful Taiwanese basketball player in history, just besting Yulon veteran Chen Hsin-an.

3. Ann Arbor's A Woman of Questionable Morals. Michigan coach John Beilein, who left WVU after five seasons because he felt he couldn't recruit to Morgantown, recently failed to sign a top 100 recruiting class to play in Ann Arbor. This, of course, on top of the stellar 10-22 record he compiled in his first season. Bob Huggins, meanwhile, just put the finishing touches on a 24-10 record and a top 20 recruiting class. Did Beilein make a good decision? From WVU's perspective, he certainly did. — Charley West

2. Jerry Glanville is here. The school just moved to D-I in 1996, but hiring Glanville got our football team some serious press earlier this season. But this doesn't mean Portland State gets any respect, even from the local press. I ran into Portland's premier sports columnist en route to a game a few years ago and even he had no idea where the gym the Vikings play in was. This is a gym so small most high school's couldn't even hold assembly there and so outdated that bomb shelters would take offense if you compared the two. Amazingly, the Vikings can't even fill it. When the team won the right to hold the conference tournament by rolling through the regular season with a 14-2 conference record, the conference made them find a larger venue. Even with a surplus of local media coverage that would make Paris Hilton blush, the Vikings barely filled a fifth of the Rose Garden arena.

3. We are good because our coach hated it here. Why would a head coach leave a year after winning the regular season championship to become a glorified assistant coach? Would Jack Bauer hand the reins over to Chloe so he could kick it in CTU? I think not. But that's exactly what former PSU coach Heath Schroyer did three years ago though. Dude had just had enough. His departure opened the door for current head coach Ken Bone. Bone, who kinda looks like Ichabod Crane, has overcome local high schoolers' refusal to even consider PSU by luring some impressive transfers and his rapid success already has Viking fans fretting about his imminent departure to a bigger program. The two transfers who've led the team to the best season in school history are point guard Jeremiah Dominguez and forward Deonte Huff. Combining the best of Mighty Mouse and Astro Boy into a 5-foot-6 frame, Dominguez became the first player in Big Sky history to win Newcomer and Player of the Year honors this season after sitting out last year as a transfer. Huff is the Vikings high-flyer who does a little bit of everything while sporting a refined version of Chris Partlow's haircut from The Wire. — Ian Ruder

2. Jesus Had a Twin Who Knew Nothing About Sin. I implore you to analyze a Marquette game four minutes at a time. After one TV timeout, evaluate the data and make your necessary conclusions. After the second TV timeout, you realize that the first conclusions no longer make sense. Marquette is the college version of the Golden State Warriors. They want to run the court to achieve easy layups and wide-open three pointers. When this does not occur, Marquette must run a half court offense, which alternates between Daydream Nation and NYC Ghosts & Flowers.

3. It's Revolutionary to Maginot. Jay Bilas pulls out a set of facts for every Big East team on Monday night. Tom Crean's fact: He has over 1,000 offensive plays. Jay, what are you watching? I've seen some cute out of bounds plays that result in an easy lay-up for the Golden Eagles after a TV timeout, but 1,000? How many variations of on-ball screen, pass, on-ball screen, pass, on-ball screen, contested jump shot are there? — James Virtel

2. Doin' It For The Coach. As you'd probably expect when your team loses 10 of 12 to finish the season, Georgia fans weren't exactly doing backflips over keeping coach Dennis Felton around. Brought in to clean the program up after Jim Harrick did what Jim Harrick does, Felton was wearing on fans' patience with no tourney appearances in five years. And then this happened. Needless to say, you have to like his odds to return next year.

3. Georgia Is All Concerned About Academics All Of A Sudden. Even more impressive about this run? Georgia lost two of its best players from last year, Takais Brown and Mike Mercer, because they didn't qualify academically, and the team now has only eight scholarship players. They very well might have been the least likely team on earth to have pulled off two wins in one day, and four in four. Our favorite player, just edging doofy tall white guy Dave Bliss (who is far clunkier than a man with the name "Bliss" should be), is leader Sundiata Gaines, whose first name means "African warrior." We'll be honest: With the Illini finally petering out in the Big Ten final, we're cheering for Georgia to win this whole thing. If they play all six games in one day, they have to be the favorite. — Will Leitch

• Not one, but TWO players tore their ACL. Sharp shooter Andy Rautins tore his ACL in August while playing for his dad, former NBA journeyman Leo Rautins, and Team Canada in the FIBA Americas Championship (and just what the hell was Rautins doing guarding Leandro Barbosa there DAD!).
  
• Then, Eric Devendorf tore his ACL in a otherwise enjoyable 125-75 win over East Tennessee St in December. These injuries left Syracuse with absolutely no outside shooters. Not to mention, we really miss ESPN announcers scolding Devendorf for his constant trash talking.
  
• The team's only senior, Josh Wright, left the team due to "personal issues" which included being upset he lost his starting job to highly-touted freshman Jonny Flynn and the fact he thought classes at Syracuse were "optional". The high irony on this one is Wright left the team on the exact same day as Devendorf's injury. Had Wright stuck around, he would have gotten some serious playing time due to Devendorf's injury.
  
• Freshman Antonio "Scoop" Jardine was suspended for a few games in January due to an incident on campus where his 40-year old cousin and two girls stole another student's meal card, which they found at a local Denny's, and used it to charge over $100 of food and have it delivered to Scoop's apartment. Yes, you just read that right.
  
• On March 1, while fighting for their collective NCAA Tournament lives, Syracuse held an 11-point lead over Pittsburgh with 3:49 to go in the game. Because this is Deadspin and because I'm highlighting this, you can probably guess what happened next. Yep...Syracuse pissed away the lead and lost.
  
• Throw in a missed buzzer beater at Georgetown, some other close-but-no-cigar games, that Syracuse has the only tall, white, European player that can't shoot (Kristof Ongenaet), and the fact that the Syracuse Women's Basketball team is better than the men for the first time...well ever...and let's just say this season has been one giant kick to the head for Orange fans.

  2. Syracuse and Sportscasters go together like lamb and tuna fish. Maybe you like spaghetti and meatball? You more comfortable with that analogy? No matter what game you are watching during the tournament, chances are good the guy doing the play-by-play went to the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. It is a virtual factory of sportscasters that has produced the likes of Bob Costas, Marv Albert, Sean McDonough, Mike Tirico, Len Berman, Ian Eagle, and many many more. Not only have all those sportscasters come out of SU, but several Orange alumni are bigwig executives and heavy behind-the-scenes types at ESPN and various networks. So if you have ever desired to work in broadcasting, you better get out your Orange pom-pom buddy.

  3. A 30 percent less whiny Jim Boeheim. Syracuse did not make the NCAA Tournament last season despite a 10-win campaign in the Big East and a ridiculously better resume than some teams that got in to the tournament (*cough* Arkansas *cough*). You remember this because Jim Boeheim was EVERYWHERE the next day telling us about Syracuse's snub. There wasn't a radio station or TV station to be had that didn't have Boeheim on that day. PTI, The Jim Rome Show, Mike and Mike, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, you name it. I think he even made an appearance on Al Jazeera to complain about the RPI. Syracuse getting in makes for a happier week of NCAA tournament related radio and television experiences. Plus, it means more crowd shots of the lovely Juli Boeheim! — Brent Axe