Down three tiers, past the media buffet, after the photographers' lounge, through two media work stations, past a giant black curtain, beyond two makeshift sections of bleachers and just after an expanded press row, a Final Four game is in progress.

From this vantage point, though, the following question begs to be answered: If you attend a basketball game, and you can't actually see the game, did you, in fact, go?

These four Florida fans got to "see" their Gators advance to the Final.

Way, way, way, way up in section 306, rows 24 and 25, sit four Florida Gators fans, their legs draped over the empty seats in front of them. There's no arguing that these guys, dressed in blue and orange, are the proprietors of the worst seats in the house.

For what I assume are financial reasons, every year the Final Four , is played in a football arena. It's pretty outrageous, like having a chess match at the bottom of a pool or the squash championships in Grand Central Station. The Georgia Dome, home of Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons, is hosting this year's games.

VIDEO: The pregame scene was far superior to the actual games.

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The set up, no matter the city, is always the same. The court is set up parallel to where one endzone would be, between the currently imaginary goal line and the twenty-yard line. The court's fourth wall of seating is the makeshift -- ack, this diagram explains it better than I can.

Kevin Blanchard, Herre Echmer, and brothers Larry and Sam Kuhn, all college students from Florida, have "scored" seats at the far (away) end of the stadium, a kick return away and then some from the action, split down the (nonexistent) uprights, in the tippy-top tier, with their backs almost against the concrete stadium wall. From this vantage point you can tell that an athletic event is taking place, though you'd be hard pressed to say which sport it is.

This is the actual view from section 306.

"It's looks like the little blue ants vs. little white ants," says Echmer during the Georgetown-Ohio State game. "We just wanted to be here. It's the atmosphere; it's not about where you sit."

Once the Gators were assured a berth in the Final Four, the older Kuhn, Larry, 20, logged onto eBay to secure four tickets. He won a bid at $250 a piece for four $60 face value seats, the maximum price he could go. Like most online buyers, he wasn't exactly sure what he'd purchased. It wasn't until he later checked the seating chart that he realized they'd be stationed closer to the Florida-Georgia state line than the actual game. "By the time our seven-hour drive from Jacksonville was over," says Larry's brother, Sam, "I was finally done complaining."

"It's not so bad," explains Blanchard, wearing home Florida No. 1 jersey. "When you first get to your seats you can't see anything. But your eyes adjust...sort of." Greg Oden, after picking up two early fouls, was relegated to the bench for most of the first half, a downer for the paying fans here to see the big man play. But these four looked on obliviously, unable to tell the difference between Oden and his backup Kyle Madsen...who's white.

There are advantages to being a handful of Hail Marys from the action. The bathroom and concession lines are swift. They can spread out their stuff and place a man-buffer between each other. To defray their travel costs they plan on collecting all if the unused Final Four seat cushions in their section and hawking them on eBay. Explains Blanchard, "We think they'll go for five bucks a pop."

"I can spot that hair from a mile away," says Sam Kuhn.

Twenty minutes after the Buckeye's win, the Gators come storming out of the tunnel for warmups. The boys perk up in their seats. "There's (Joakim) Noah," remarks Sam Kuhn. "I can spot that hair from a mile away." The others squint their eyes trying to get a glimpse. "Yep," says Echmer, "I think it is."

Last year, the boys paid less money, and had considerably better nosebleeds, to see Florida win it all. If Florida makes it to the Final Four again in 2008, will they splurge for seats with actual sight-lines?

"Next year I'm buy tickets in the bathroom," says Larry Kuhn. "They have a sweet plasma flat screen in there."

There's a thick layer of yellow, sticky pollen covering Atlanta. Mothers have outfitted their kids with masks. Hotel workers use a leaf blower to clear the air conditioner vents and if you take a running start you can slide a good five feet on the smooth pavement outside the Hyatt.

Mahogany in Motion wowed the crowd at half time.

That's what I was doing today, playing in the pollen, when I lost my balance and slid right into two guys passing by. Sorry, I mumbled, before I realized that I was staring up at Acie Law and Alando Tucker. (When the opportunity arises, always use a "Ghost" quote: Alando, is that you? Baby, what'd you do to your hair?)

That's just how it goes in the ATL on Final Four weekend. One second you're slip sliding away and the next your hanging out with a first team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year. Love it.
VIDEO: ALANDO TUCKER AND ACIE LAW KEEPING IT REAL

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Today's what we like to call a practice day. We make our way over to the Georgia Dome just in time to catch the Ohio State open practice. There are a surprising amount of people on hand, including the Buckeye band, and everyone's screaming Oden's name. Boys, girls, grown men, old ladies, they all want a piece of the big man.

Very quickly we realize that there is only so long a man can watch Greg Oden shoot foul shots before losing interest, so we wander around and look for something a little more entertaining. And, of course, there's our old friend, sitting courtside, Mr. Billy Packer. Packer must be in a good mood today 'cause he not only shakes my hand, but invites me to take a seat.

Hoops Odyssey finally caught up with Lute Olson.

Rather uncomfortably I sit down and talk to Packer about - of all things - my father. Turns out, my dad's high school basketball team, the Palmerton Blue Bombers, beat Packer's high school team, Liberty (originally named Bethlehem High School), back in the '50's. It's all very cordial, but I'm just waiting for him to bite my head off.

After a few minutes, Packer releases me from his company and I wander over to talk to a much less intimidating Chuck Klosterman. He's rocking camo shorts, a t-shirt and white shoes with orange laces. Hoops Odyssey digs the Klosterman style. Anyways, Klosterman and I both decide that it's tough to blog about practice. I mean, no matter how talented the players, it is after all, just practice.

This has got to be the ugliest picture of Mark Cuban ever.

Ohio State goes back to the lockerroom and is replaced by the Florida Gators. Joaquim Noah stops to tie his shoes at the scorers table. What size? I ask. Too big, he responds. Good answer.

Finally, we end up at the NABC All-Star Game in Philips Arena. Basically, it's a chance for senior ball players to show off their game to the few fans and NBA scouts in attendance. I can see Danny Ferry, Danny Ainge and Lute Olson taking in the action.

This is the first time I've seen Coby Karl, George Karl's son, play and I'm impressed. He shoots well from outside and penetrates with ease. Just overheard Jim Larranaga name Karl his MVP - turns out Larranaga was overruled and the award went to Torrell Martin, but Karl played well nonetheless.

And that's it, folks. Less than 24 hours till the Final Four kicks off. We can hardly wait.

If you love balding men who wear golf shirts and do basketball for a living, you gotta get down here fast. Seriously, it's like they've started their own colony in the downtown Atlanta Marriott lobby. If I didn't know better I would've thought pleated pants were back in style.

Pretty soon you won't have Matt and Jake to kick around anymore.

The entire who's-who list of college basketball lifers have shown up in Atlanta for the Final Four. Head and assistant coaches at every level, from D-I to JUCO, are all here glad handing and back slapping. Announcers from networks not broadcasting the games are here getting their fix of insider chit-chat. College seniors, here to participate in various all-star challenges, are clogging the Quizno's lines.

Women, you ask? Not so much. The next one I see will be there first.

15,000 YOUNG RED-BLOODED AMERICAN MEN JUST SIGNED UP TO GO TO DUKE

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As we approach the end of the road trip, our hoops saturation level is intensifying. We can't shake free. On our flight from Louisville this morning were a bunch of McDonald's All-Americans. We watched with amusement as they unsuccessfully pleaded with attendants for exit rows. Our hotel is an MC Escher-esque monstrosity with double-back walkways and stairwells that wind endlessly like snail shells stacked atop one another. I keep hoping to look up and see Hunter Thompson peering over the balcony, comparing Billy Donovan's twister routine (one foot in Gainesville, one foot in Lexington, one arm in Miami) to Daniel Ellsberg's decision to release of the Pentagon Papers.

In actuality it’s probably better that the good doctor isn’t here. It's hard enough rolling with this scene while playing it straight. Trying to deal here after two tabs of acid, a whack of peyote, and a horse tranquilizer to the neck is probably scarier than any low-rate Vegas casino.

This is the Escher-esque view up from our room at the Marriot.

At this very moment in the lobby, Illinois' coach Bruce Weber and Pittsburgh's Jaime Dixon are at the center of their own cliques, fifteen feet apart. Dixon's going with the full Pitt practice jumpsuit, while Weber, much shorter in person than you'd imagine, has a nice vacation look going: conservative Hawaiian shirt and, if I remember correctly, a pair of classy olive shorts.

On my hunt for a decent diner I had Bo Ryan (Wisco) and Seth Greenberg (Vir Tech) sightings. Earlier in the day we spotted the Big O, Oscar Robertson, one of the 10 greatest players of all time, strolling through the Hyatt lobby unrecognized, except by us. Dickie V's here, of course, though at this point, I'm almost more surprised when I peel back the shower curtain and he's not there.

After ninety-something games in less than three months, you’d think we were basketball-ed out. But all this power schmoozing makes me drowsy. Can someone do me a favor and wake me when the games begin? Or the girls get here?

Whichever comes first.

What if we were to tell you that we witnessed the next generation of college basketball superstars playing a game of hoops tonight, is that something you might be interested in? We thought so.

Hoops Odyssey got a little preview of next year's crop of NCAA prime-time prodigies at the McDonald's All-American Game. And like most all-star games, regardless of age, location or sport, there was a lot of talent on display but not so much refined, well-executed ball.

Shattering the myth about Duke girls.

What I mean to say is, if you were looking for "team" basketball, you weren't going to find it at the McDonald's game in Freedom Hall. (The give and go was more of a give me the ball and I'll go.) But if you were looking for alley oops, behind the back passes, tomahawk dunks, long distance threes and full court no look passes, well you, my friend, were in business.

The Louisville arena had a circus-like feel right from the get go. The cheerleaders were local high school girls - talk about a disaster waiting to happen. Ronald McDonald kept massaging my shoulders. And the women's game, the first of the evening, started off with the East taking a 20-2 lead. It was not your typical night of basketball.

VIDEO: THE LIKELY 2008 NO. 1 PICK ON PREPPING FOR HUGGYVILLE

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But, assuming you were able to ignore the puerile cheerleaders, a quick look around and you'd discover that you were in the presence of basketball greatness. Not only was the Wizard of Westwood present (check out our Wooden interview), but so was high school coaching guru, Morgan Wootten. There they sat at the scorer's table, the masters of the fundamentals of basketball, surrounded by the entertainment side of the sport.

It was amusing, to say the least. As the women's game wound down, the East still comfortably in control, the arena really started to fill up and get crazy. Matt spotted Bo Outlaw ten rows deep. Timbaland hung out in the tunnel to the locker rooms - he was on tap to do the half time show. And suddenly there were dozens of folks wearing green and yellow Huntington High School jerseys, where O.J. Mayo (USC) and Patrick Patterson (undecided) attend "classes."

VIDEO: DUKE'S RECRUITS ON NEXT YEAR'S TITLE HOPES

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It all felt very, um, well, professional...When the men's game was set to begin, I'd estimate half of those in attendance were on their cell phones, but as soon as the lights went out, the phones went off. Mayo and Patterson received the loudest ovations, followed closely by Eric Gordon, a future Hoosier. The Duke players were booed. Beautiful babies sat courtside, trying to catch the eye of the next great superstar.

Despite his reputation coming into the game and a large contingent of supporters, O.J. Mayo did not appear to be that superstar. He shot 4-17 from the floor and missed the game winning three with two second left. Instead, this contest was dominated by Michael Beasley (Kansas State), who had 23 points and 12 boards, and Nick Calathes (Florida) who dished out six assists and scored a timely 13 points.

VIDEO: A GEORGETOWN AND FLORIDA RECRUIT ON A POTENTIAL McDONALD'S ALL-AMERICAN REALITY SHOW

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Not that this event was about stats. It was more about style and showmanship. That's what brought the fans out. Every dunk - including one in particular by the tiny Johnny Flynn (Syracuse) where he posterized some West player who will go unnamed - brought Freedom Hall to its feet, while fast break lay ups drew boos.

When it was all over and the West had won 114-112, all the players were smiles and high-fives. Kids rushed the court seeking autographs and family members hugged their future basketball stars. After all, the score on the Jumbotron was history; everyone was looking to the future.

If there ever was a photo for a caption contest, this is it.

-The most meaningful part of the event was when Patrick Henry Hughes sung the Star Spangled Banner before the men's game. Hughes was born without eyes and also cannot straighten his arms or legs, but the boy can sing. Check out the Patrick Henry Hughes' story here.

-The most interesting match up of the night was Mayo vs. Gordon. The two guarded each other almost exclusively and they were both better on the defensive end. It seemed like Mayo could only get off fade-aways from behind the arc and Gordon couldn't hold onto the ball in the paint. It's a match up we'll hopefully see again at the next level.

Mayo and Gordon will both be top five picks in '08.

-Kosta Koufos (Ohio State) is listed as 7-1 and the program's not lying. This guy is huge. I heard a reporter talking courtside and he said that neither of Koufos' parents is taller than six feet. I wonder how tall the milkman is...

The grade of the path from the women's locker room to the court is steep. Maybe 30 degrees. Maybe 35. A bowling ball rolled from the top could do some damage. A Tennessee forward? We're about to find out.

Parker and her teammates aren't giving the big smiles until they win it all.

"Clear out, clear out," says Candace Parker, her foot and knee wrapped in postgame ice, backstage at the arena,. "She's gonna try to roll all the way down," The "she" is Sidney Spencer, Parker's teammate. Spencer lies down on the carpeted floor and, as if coiled up in a rug, tries to roll down the slope.

She makes about three rotations before flaming out--a Jackass stunt gone bad. Parker, Tennessee's all-everything star, covers her mouth, laughing childishly at the failed attempt, and helps Spencer to her feet.

VIDEO: UT's CANDICE PARKER AND SIDNEY SPENCER ARGUE ABOUT WHO LOVES WHO MORE

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After her dominating and intimidating performance in UT's resounding 98-62 win over Ole Miss which sent the Vols to the Final Four, it's strange to see Parker acting so goofy. But let's allow the sophomore center these, well, sophomoric moments. As she gets older and the responsibilities mount, they will be harder to find time for.

A team? A sport? A gender? Which of these is Candace Parker hoisting on her shoulders? Since she first slammed a basketball at a McDonald's All-American dunk contest as a high school senior, the Naperville, Illinois standout has become the vessel into which proponents of women's sports pour their hopes and dreams. Billie Jean King, Sheryl Swoopes, Mia Hamm-- Parker's impact is expected to exceed all three.


VIDEO: ROCKY TOP WAS PLAYED APPROXIMATELY 435 TIMES AT THE UT PEP RALLY

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So, in actuality, how good is Parker? Seeing her for the first time in person, I'd say she's really good. And no, I don't qualify that with "...for a girl." At 6’4” with a soft touch (for any position), a deft handle (for a big man) and serious hops (ok,...for a girl), Parker plays differently than everyone with whom she shares the court. She's taller than everyone on the court but also the most graceful. As Pat Summit describes, Parker "separates herself."

In Wednesday's win over Ole Miss, Parker finished with 24 points (10-14 FG), 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks in only 25 minutes. Like MJ in Dean Smith's system, Parker has completely bought into Summit's democratic offense. Otherwise Parker would have scored 40 tonight without breaking a sweat. It was sort of unfair, actually, like seeing Wilt playing at Kansas.

Unlike Wilt, Parker has a mean streak. Don't be fooled by her America's Top Model looks or the girly, orange elastic that keeps her hair in place--there's still plenty of street in her game. "Are you serious?" she snarls at a girl after violently swatting the ball into the stands. After another tomahawk block, Parker just glares at the shooter as if insulted by the audacity.

There's a progression of sounds that accompany Parker's play which I've never heard at a sporting event. It occurs every time Parker steals the ball around mid-court. First, a hush, as the crowd internalizes the possibilities of a streaking Parker and an unguarded basket. Then a crescendo in anticipation of the slam. As Parker casually lays the ball off the glass an "Oooh" of disappointment is heard, which evolves into polite applause as everyone remembers the ball did actually go in.

Candace Parker is used to the TV cameras by now.

"Candace! Candace!! Candace!!!" Young girls in #3 Tennessee jerseys that hang like dresses on them squeal as Parker walks past waving after the game. "We love you, Candace," shouts a fan as Parker disappears into the tunnel with a raised fist.

Moments later, while encouraging her teammate to become a human bowling ball, it's reassuring to see Parker being just one of the girls and not "separating herself." There'll be plenty of time for that later.

For the first time this season, Hoops Odyssey has ventured into the realm of post season DI women's basketball. Unchartered waters indeed. And while the Rutgers-ASU game isn't quite as competitive as the UNC-Georgetown match up we saw yesterday, there is a unique vibe at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Here's a sign you don't see at the men's games.

First off, due to the early departure of the hometown favorite Duke Blue Devils, the arena is - and I'm going to put a positive spin on this - personal. The box score says that 6,082 fans are in attendance, but that probably means that 6,082 tickets were sold, most of them to Duke fans who have little motivation to show up to a tournament their team is no longer part of.

But that's alright, it's kind of nice that I can hear every single word screamed in the Coliseum. The guy behind me and to my right, the one wearing jean shorts and tube socks up to his knees, insists that the refs "call it on both ends." I guess the "it" is a foul, but he never specifies and I'm not about to ask.

Former UF dance team member Erin Andrews reflects on her Dazzler days.

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I'm too busy admiring the way the Scarlet Knights play ball. These girls are good, and not just for girls. They are flat out talented. Kia Vaughn is a beast on the inside. I mean, she has me ducking elbows on press row, that's how big and vicious she is. At 6-4, she's easily the tallest player on the court.

Although, I've got to admit, it took me a while to admire Vaughn's presence. I was too busy staring at the Rutgers' scorecard for the first five minutes of play. Can you believe it? The Scarlet Knights have a player named Essence and a player named Epiphanny...Think about that assist, Essence to Epiphanny. Not only that, but Epiphanny once scored 113 points in a high school game. Now that is an epiphany.

Rutgers' guards Matee Ajavon and Essence Carter are ready four Cleveland.

The actual game is less exciting than the players' names. Rutgers takes advantage Vaughn's size and starts to run up the score in the second half, eventually winning 64-45. Fortunately, I'm sitting next to basketball guru Jessica Garrison, who makes the blow out interesting by explaining to this ignorant voyager the beauty of women's college basketball.

-Women lead cheers from the bench. Female players chant defense and stomp their feet while on the sidelines. Imagine Oden doing that. That just don't happen with the men.

-The Rutgers-ASU game was supposed to take place earlier this year in the Virgin Islands, but that game was canceled after the younger brother of an ASU player died of an enlarged heart.

-Because of the size difference, there's more room on the court for women. That creates more passing angles and allows the offense to run smoother. This is probably why people like John Wooden (yeah, maybe you've heard of him) insist that women's basketball is better when it comes to execution.

-Women ballers can still dunk. In fact, Garrison pointed out this clip to me of a 15 year old girl throwing down.

All in all, Hoops Odyssey was impressed, maybe not with the Greensboro Coliseum crowd, but with Scarlet Knights' play and Garrison's knowledge of the game. (Plus, if anyone can introduce Hoops Odyssey to ASU guard Jill Noe, we'd really appreciate it. Maybe it's her handle, maybe we've been on the road too long, but she's the cutest player we've seen since...well I can't thing of anything cuter right now...)

Right after Georgetown Coach John Thompson III snipped the net's final nylon string, he looked out on the gathered Hoyas' supporters from his perch, up on the ladder. "We. Are." said coach. "Georgetown," fired back the crowd on cue. But they might as well have said, "Family."

Roy Hibbert was smiling after the game. Roy Williams--not so much

It was like a family reunion on the court after the Hoyas tk-tk win over UNC. The Hoyas' players formed a single-file line before el padrino former Hoyas coach, John Thompson Jr., sitting courtside doing radio commentating, to give him a hug. At last, John Thompson III and his father met, their embrace lasting a good thirty seconds.

"We going to the A," Patrick Ewing Jr. hollered to his family in the crowd, while making the new sign for Atlanta, an upside-down peace sign. As his mother and sisters made their way to the court, Ewing Jr. went over and hugged his father, as the New York media scored their evening news clip.

VIDEO: THE FANS HAD A FEW PREDICTIONS ON THE OUTCOME

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Guard Jessie Sapp's mother dabbed at tears from her eyes. Roy Hibbert scanned the crowd for his parents and, upon spotting them, motioned for them to come down. When they reached the floor Hibbert's mom couldn't stop jumping up and down, her voice quaking with excitement. The star center pulled two strands of the net from behind his ear and presented them to his parents. Mrs. Hibbert continued to jump up and down. "You OK?" asked the Roy "Your stomach, OK?"

Green was money against UNC, finishing with 22 points on 10 of 17 shooting.

Ewing Sr came over and shook Hibbert's dad's hand. "Congrats, sir" said Ewing. Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who's son Jeremiah plays on the team, came over and embraced the former Knick. "We've got both days off," said Rivers, of the semifinal and final game dates, "so I'll see you in Atlanta." A guard informed Rivers that he needed a credential to be on the court. Ewing tugged at his credential beaming like proud papa.

Back in the locker room, Rivers, the son, talked about the feeling of winning in front of his dad. "All the practice in the backyard...it's special," said Jeremiah. "He never went to a Final Four, so now I have bragging rights." Asked about his impression of the Hoyas' upcoming Final Four opponent, Rivers responded, "Is that who we have? Ohio State?"

VIDEO: THE JUNKYARD DOG WAS ALL SORTS OF PUMPED UP

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Moments later the elder Ewing burst into the locker room. "Where's junior?" he asked to no one in particular. "Junior, you in the shower?" he hollered. "Come find me when you get out. We're waiting on you."

Yep, just like family.

You want to talk about great endings? I've got one for you. And I mean great - better than anything we've seen so far on the Hoops Odyssey. One of those Christian Laettner moments. No one could believe it. Not the fans, not the players, not the commentators. There's no way to account for the final 30 seconds of today's game other than with divine intervention. What we witnessed was a miracle.

The Barton Bulldogs miracle win made believers out of their fans.

The DII Championship in Springfield, Mass, started out like it was supposed to start out. Tiny Barton College valiantly held its own against powerhouse Winona State University, which came into the game riding a 57 game winning streak. But the Bulldogs and their lightening quick guard Anthony Atkinson (divinely referred to as Ant after hitting a game winning shot in each of the last two games) couldn't match WSU's talent or size inside.

It was only a matter of time before superior athleticism won out. By halftime, the Warriors had built a seemingly insurmountable ten-point lead. Their fan section, sensing the inevitable continuation of the team's win streak and the hoisting of the championship trophy, grew deafening.

The second half started out the same way, with WSU maintaining a comfortable lead. The Barton fan section kept chanting, "WE BELIEVE", but the mantra was sounding less and less convincing. For our part, Matt and I thought the game was pretty much over, so we went looking for a little flare for our article. He tracked down Manute Bol (not that it was that hard) and I worked up the courage to get a few quotes from Jim Calhoun on what he likes about DII basketball.

Who's the most excited about this pic: former DII star Manute Bol, Bol's son or Jake?

(And I quote: "I played Division II basketball for AIC (American International College). Played against Frazier and Sloan. I'm also here for the quality of basketball. Both teams really execute well. To some degree this basketball is more pure because kids aren't thinking about going to the next level. And it's very entertaining. I'm not rooting for either team, I'm just here to watch the basketball.")

We returned to our seats on press row with a minute remaining in the game and WSU winning by seven. Game over...

Then it happened. No lightening, thunder or bright lights, but there should've been.

With his team losing 67-74, Ant put on a Reggie Miller-esque performance. He scored 10 points in 45 seconds - making a layup and stealing the ball, making a jumper and stealing the ball and eventually topping it off by racing down the court and laying the ball in the hoop with no time left on the clock.

Out of despair, the Winona State fans fell completely quiet. Out of disbelief, the Barton fans too. And then the sound came rushing back. Barton fans screaming. Barton players crying. Students rushing the court. Players running in circles and disrobing.

VIDEO: THE DIZZYING HIGHS (BARTON), THE TERRIFYING HIGHS (WINONA)

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Just think about this for a moment. With the score tied, Ant stole the ball at halfcourt and turned around to see 3.6 second left on the clock above the basket. He had 3.6 seconds left to put the ball in the bucket to beat the #1 team in the country and win the championship. What would you have done? Stopped and popped? Willing to roll the dice that you could make it to the rack in time?

Ant had faith. He flew. With 1.8 seconds left he hit the arc. At .2, the ball rolled off his fingers. By the grace of God, Barton won. They're the DII champs. And Matt and I are believers.

"Not only are we going to win, but we're going to win by 20." These were the immortal words of a brash Trojans fan, sporting a cardinal and gold Hawaiian shirt, sitting in the front row at the USC-UNC game. "We’ve got these guys," he proudly assured the Trojans players. "You've got nothing to worry about." Up by 13, USC point guard Daniel Hackett, set to inbound the ball, heard the comment, wheeled around and winked knowingly.

We dig the more realistic mascots more than the oversized bobbleheads.

For some time life for the Trojans was looking as good as the Song Girls. On the sidelines Tim Floyd was all fist pumpy. Sitting courtside, Giants QB Eli Manning rooted for USC, explaining that USC's coach "is an old family friend of ours."

With 13 minutes remaining in the second half, the Trojans led by 17. The Heels looked sluggish, and USC couldn't miss. The guy in the loud shirt looked as if he was going to start handing out "It's a Boi" cigars at any minute.

In the stands across the court, Carolina's fans, all grumpy in their argyle sweaters, slumped in their seats. It can't be fun to travel from North Carolina to New Jersey (The Armpit State) to watch your title-contending squad get routed three games short of the final by a group of no-names. Even Roy Williams, his arms folded across his chest, was quiet, as if mentally preparing his concession speech.

VIDEO:TAILGATING AT THE MEADOWLANDS SWEET 16 STYLE

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YYou saw what happened next. The Tar Heels turned it on. Their defense got tighter than the lid of a pickle jar. A 17-2 run had the UNC faithful back on their feet, as the UNC prevailed 66-65. The game followed the same script as almost every contest in this year's tournament: heavily favored team comes out in cruise control, falling behind big, only to shift into a higher gear and squeak out a victory. In both of the early games on Friday, we saw that exact situation played out with Georgetown-Vanderbilt and with Florida and Butler.

Perhaps the Hoyas-Heels duel is pre-destined. This is, after all, the 25th anniversary of Michael Jordan's game winning shot over the Hoyas in the '82 Final. Somebody trot out Fred Brown. Can we set up a conference call with John Thompson and Dean Smith? It's Georgetown and North Carolina, baby. Did you really think it would turn out any other way?

Five Notes About Vanderbilt-Georgetown You Won't Find in the AP Story

It's got to be an illusion how much bigger coach looks than Matt.

1) Everyone had a reason why they thought Georgetown was going to beat the Commodores. Mine? I have a rule to always pick against the school with the most a cappella groups -- call it the Whiffenpoof Corollary. I had a high school friend who went to Vandy and came back on winter break of his freshman year raving about going to, like, nine a cappella concerts.

2) The Georgetown fans seated behind the Vanderbilt band and the Vandy student section, the Memorial Maniacs, complained to security about the standing Vandys, but to no avail. "Ice cream sandwiches, ice cream sandwiches," chanted the Maniacs obliviously, as Georgetown center Roy Hibbert shot a free throw. Why? "So he gets cold," explained a student.

3) When former Knicks center Patrick Ewing, in attendance to see his son play, had his mug flashed on the JumboTron, he gave the double thumbs up. When Hoops Odyssey requested a photo with the big fella, he responded with an unenthusiastic two thumbs down. "Man," said Ewing unapologetically, "I don't wanna take no picture."

The Hoyas celebrates their victory by getting naked.

4) We've now seen the same Georgetown fan on several occasions dressed in a full-body Scoopy Doo costume, as though he was off to solve a mystery of his own before we could get to the bottom of this one. We have noticed a cartoon renaissance with the Hoyas' upcoming opponent, UNC, as well. Aside from Brandan Wright's Mickey Mouse ears, Ty Lawson is known to sport Scoopy and Sponge Bob apparel and has attended a Pokemon convention. Recently Roy Williams compared his freshman point guard to Dennis the Menace. "And I guess," surmised Williams, "I'm Mr. Wilson."

5) When asked what his son said to him during an embrace after the game, John Thompson the elder had this to say: "When I had Charles Smith on my team I used to say, "Just get Charles the ball and get the (bleep) out of the way. (My son) said he told the team to "Just give the ball to Green and get the (bleep) out of the way."

If there's one thing we've learned on this Hoops Odyssey, it's that college basketball is everywhere. You might just hear about the big time programs, but for every Duke, UNC and Kentucky, there's a Winona State, Barton and Central Missouri. And the great part about March is that all of these teams are competing to be the champions of whatever league they're in.

The media geeks were rooting for CMU just so its dance team, the Kickers, would stick around.

Tonight, we're back at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., for the national semifinals of the NCAA DII tournament. Now, we know you're probably in the dark when it comes to DII basketball. Hey, we were too. So, before these final four games begin, we're gonna shed a little light on this year's DII tournament.

TEAM TO BEAT: Winona State University - WSU is the Florida of DII. They're the reigning champs and enter the semifinals riding a 56 game winning streak. Last night, Hoops Odyssey watched as they manhandled Bentley College, another previously undefeated team. WSU looked downright impressive. They had the speed, size and touch to beat a lot of DI teams. Just ask the Minnesota Gophers. They lost to WSU 69-64 earlier this season.

(Here's an interesting aside. When WSU beat Minnesota, rumor had it that WSU head coach Mike Leaf might be a candidate to interview for the soon-to-be-vacated Golden Gopher's job. Alas, with the recent news that Tubby Smith will be taking over for Minnesota next year, it looks like Mike Leaf and his staff will be staying in Winona for at least one more season.)

VIDEO: WINONA MOM RUBS THONG FOR GOOD LUCK

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BIG TIME COACH: Kim Anderson - The Central Missouri coach was once a household name in the Show-Me State. In 1977 he was the Big Eight player of the year at Missouri. After a brief NBA career he became an assistant coach, first at Baylor and then at Mizzou under Norm Stewart. He was working as an assistant commissioner for the Big 12 when he decided to take the head coaching position at Central Missouri. Under Anderson's guidance, the Mules won the MIAA tournament two out of the last three years and are about to face WSU in the semifinals. (They lost in overtime 90-85.)

GUARDS WIN GAMES: Anthony Atkinson - This point guard for Barton College looks like someone's little brother. He's listed as 5-10 and he can't weigh more than 160 lbs, but he can move. If I were into analogies I'd say he's quicker than a water bug and has got more handle than a shovel. That's why he averaged 20+ points a game and 3.6 assists this season. In his team's Elite Eight game yesterday, Atkinson knocked down the winning bucket in overtime for an 83-81 victory and tonight I just watched him race the court with 5 seconds left, draw the foul and hit a foul shot to win the game for Barton, 80-79.

You gotta love the arts & crafts touch girls bring to hoops signage.

THE BEST OF THE BIG MEN: John Smith - We've seen a lot of big men play this year, and few have been as impressive as WSU's John Smith. Granted, his 6-8 frame looks a lot bigger at the DII level, but his agility and court vision is pretty awesome nonetheless. He had a move in yesterday's game against Bentley that brought the entire stadium to its feet. With two men on his back, Smith spun baseline and when another defender came over to help, he went up and under for a beautiful reverse. How this guy ended up at a DII program is beyond me, (he was actually recruited by some DI schools and chose WSU) but the Warriors are real lucky to have him.

GOD'S ON THEIR SIDE: Barton loves overtime - (Special thanks to Chris Granozio for this one, check out his DII tournament game articles.) Barton College was initially founded as Atlantic Christian College and, as you can guess, it's a highly religious institution. Head coach Ron Lievense often refers to God when speaking to his players and it seems to be paying off. Get this, Barton played in nine overtime games this season, including four in a row, and they won all nine. Now I'm not a religious man, but whatever this coach is doing obviously works.

It's not just the color of purple; it's the shade that makes this look work.

D THE FAMILY UP: Jonte Flowers - The starting guard on WSU has been taking over games with his defense. He's a three time NSIC defensive player of the year and just seems to find his way into passing lanes. It's no surprise though. Defense runs in the Flowers family. His brother, Michael, plays for Wisconsin and was recently named to the Big Ten all-defensive team. If you want to read more about the Flowers check out this article.

We'll end this blog entry with an example of how dedicated DII fans can be. The Central Missouri dance team took a 24-hour bus ride from Warrensburg, Mo., to see their Mules play in the Elite Eight. They stopped three times for food and once to switch bus drivers, but they were pretty much on the road for an entire day. So if all this writing on the DII tournament makes you say, "Who Cares?" I guess the answer is, "The Central Missouri dance team." And, trust me, if you saw them, you'd care too.

Considering the way the Bentley students were cheering, you would have thought Tax Day came early this year. A quick check of the calendar revealed that April 15th was still three weeks away. So why were the undergrads from Bentley, an accounting and finance college, ecstatically jumping up and down like they'd just been audited?

To understand, you had to crunch the numbers.

It was a Blizzard Party for Bentley, experiencing its first Elite Eight.

The finale of Wednesday's super-duper-quadruple-header at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, a punted basketball from the Basketball Hall of Fame, pitted No. 1 undefeateds Winona State (33-0) and Bentley (32-0), in the Division II quarterfinals. WSU, a quaint school in Minnesota, was looking to extend its D-II record for consecutive wins to 56 while taking another step towards a second straight national title.

In their way was Bentley, sporting a New England D-II consecutive wins record, accompanied by, roughly, 1,500 student supporters -- the same number as the Cameron Crazies -- who had made the 82 mile drive from their Waltham campus.

"You wear purple" (clap clap clap-clap-clap), chanted the snowflakes in the Bentley Blizzard (midway through the season the student section took on that name and started creating whiteouts) as the WSU Warriors did layup lines. "Go play hockey" (clap clap clap-clap-clap), they mocked the quasi-Canucks. Winona State's fans, all 400 of them, attempted a feeble comeback that was quickly swallowed up by a "We can't hear you" chant.

VIDEO: CAMERON CRAZIES. ORANGE KRUSH. BENTLEY BLIZZARD?!?

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During the regular season about 30 of us show up," said Bentley senior Lee Ryan, "But it's our first time in the Elite Eight so we gotta bring the support." Hoops Odyssey has seen some exceptional student sections on this trip, including the Crazies, Illinois' Orange Crush, and the underrated Oral Roberts' Mabee Maniacs.

And for the first ten minutes of this affair, the Blizzard was in the same league as those more storied student sections, clapping, stomping and banging its team on. "I'm skipping two classes: Cost and Management" and Securities and Exchange" said Carmen Fuzzillo, a junior accounting major. "But...I can make them up on the weekend."

"Dude," said his friend, smacking his forehead, "now your parents are going to know."

Bentley mocked the Warriors' purple, but Winona St. had the last laugh.

The Blizzard's fun, however, was short lived. The Warriors, far superior athletically and technically, pulled away in the second half with a 12-0 run. Senior guard Zach Malvik scored 19 points, and D-II National Player of the Year, John Smith, recorded a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds), including a Jordanesque up and under layup as Winona State won its 56th straight game, 64-51.

As the Warriors dribbled out the clock, the defeated Bentley fans sagged like wet laundry. Winona's crew seized the moment with their most audible chant of the evening:"Why so quiet?" (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) the fans in purple asked.

They got no response.

Okay, so it's not Kentucky vs. Kansas. Man, it's not even Florida A&M vs. Niagara. But hey, March Madness ain't just a DI one thing, it's a basketball thing. On Saturday, Hoops Odyssey saw the Lord Jeffs take the NCAA DIII crown and tonight we're back at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, site of the MIAA conference tournament, to check out the NAIA DI final between the Oklahoma City Stars and the Concordia Eagles.

Hanging out with the Wyandotte High School band.

While the event might lack in player name recognition, (you ever heard of Levi Luster? Kids got seven points in seven minutes so far and is a lock for the All-Tournament Team...) it's got a surprisingly big time college basketball feel. We've got two bands, a mascot and a student section, body paint included. Plus, there's cheerleaders (yeah, they're hot) and we're on TV. I've even got Pete Gillen sitting directly to my left. It's like my dad always used to say: If it's good enough for Pete Gillen, it's good enough for us.

And let's be honest, the NAIA has had its fair share of big name players. Maybe you've heard of Nate Archibald (Alcorn State), Elgin Baylor (College of Idaho), World B. Free (Guilford), Lucious Jackson (Pan American), Dennis Rodman (S.E. Oklahoma St.), and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe (Winston-Salem). Okay, so many of those schools aren't in the NAIA anymore, but you get the point. Big names come from small places.
VIDEO: BREAKING BREAD WITH OCU BEFORE THE BIG GAME

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Excitement is especially high amongst the nearly 4,000 fans at the Municipal Auditorium after last night's epic battle between Concordia and tournament favorite Robert Morris. The game went into an amazing four overtimes before the Eagles finally pulled out the victory, 124-119. Highlights of the contest even opened for SportsCenter. So much for flying below the radar. If the tournament keeps having games like that they might have to move this show to a larger stage.

Can you tell, I'm having fun. It's refreshing to be at a tournament final that isn't completely outdone by it's own hype. The NAIA championship is a nice combo of amateur basketball on a fairly large stage. The players are humbler than at big time programs. The don't put on a dramatic show when the refs make a call (at least not until the second half) and they'll even help opposing players up off the floor. I mean, the league's motto is "Champions of Character", probably not for the likes of OJ Mayo.

Don't tell these OCU fans this ain't NCAA basketball.

We've got some local KC flavor in the arena too. OCU has their band here, and it's a nice gentle set of instruments, but it pales in comparison to the Wyandotte High School band directly to my right. They flat out rock. They've got dancers, not that they need them, the whole band is dancing. And there's a bigger percussion section than a frat boy's got blasting in his head when he wakes up Sunday afternoon.

As for the game, it's pretty apparent that OCU has more size and athleticism and depth than Concordia, but the Eagles keep it close in the first half. They execute better than the Stars and their defense is tighter. But eventually, Concordia's legs fail them - they did, after all, play 1.5 games last night - and OCU pulls away for a 79-71victory.

Celebrating with the NAIA Tournament champions.

When the buzzer sounds, the Stars celebrate. And a celebration is a celebration, be it NCAA or NAIA. The OCU players mob the court, they dance, a few coaches cry and finally, as the tournament awards are about to be presented, OCU forward Willie Irick leans over to an assistant coach and utters the words that every basketball player dreams of saying. Get that party bus ready, coach, Irick says. We're gonna party like champs.

For the first time in seventy-five days we had neither a game nor a flight, so we took advantage of the lull in the schedule to check our vitals -- I'm digging these new love handles (courtesy of Sonic) -- and to catch our breath in Chicago before the Final push. On what may or may not be the second most notable day off in the history of the Windy City (Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?), we'll handicap the remaining men's field of 16 -- 15 of which we've seen in person (sorry, Vandy).

We'd also love to give odds on the NAIA, D-II and the women's tournaments, all of which we'll be attending, but frankly, when it comes to those, we're less informed than Skip and Woody.

Matt and a bud hit up The Billy Goat Tavern, the haunt that John Belushi made famous.

250-1
USC - The Trojans loss to Oregon in the Pac-10 Finals was the least inspired performance we saw on this trip. It was the day USC recruit O.J. Mayo got busted for marijuana possession and the team played like it was suffering from a collective contact high.

UNLV - Sure, the Rebels beat Georgia Tech and Wisconsin to get to the Sweets...but has a 7-seed ever had an easier road to the third round? As for this year's other sevens, BC ran into Georgetown, Nevada hit Memphis, and Indiana had to play UCLA. If UNLV, a team that does everything decently but nothing especially well, had any of those draws they'd be goners too.

So. Illinois - We knew the Salukis were legit when we saw them lose to Creighton in the MVC Finals. While Creighton players mugged for the cameras after the game, the SIU players. walked off the court completely unaffected, as if saying, "You can have it; we have bigger fish to fry." What happened? Creighton lost in the first round, while Southern Illinois is still playing. That being said, a 16 will beat a 1 before a mid-major wins it all.

Tennessee - We saw UT put up an impressive 121 points against Long Beach State. Then Sean Singletary reminded everyone that this was like Peyton Manning conducting a flawless two-minute drill during a Friday walk through. UT won a second round pick 'em game against UVA in a game between two teams with exceptional backcourts and no post players. They should have determined that winner with a halfcourt 3-on-3 game.

Butler - We saw Butler beat Wright State, a team that won the Horizon League, by 31 at Hinkle. Our impression of Butler? It looked like the world's greatest prep school team.

Vanderbilt - Haven't seen 'em. Don't know diddley about 'em. Not stopping us from saying they don't have a prayer.

VIDEO: COMMISH OF AGRICULTURE, AND FORMER UK UNFORGETTABLE, REFLECTS ON LAETTNER'S DAGGER

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50-1
Oregon - A nice team with one more win (UNLV) left. But four more? Bryce Taylor has a better shot at duplicating his 11-11 game, against USC, than the Ducks have of winning it all.

20-1
Texas A&M - When we saw the Aggies regular season 2-OT win over Texas on television, we thought, "Now there's a complete, cohesive unit that has the make-up for a Final Four run. Then we saw them in person, sweating it out against the Quakers of Penn and thought, "Now there's a team that has 1.5 really good players (Acie Law and Joseph Jones) and a remaining cast of no-better-than-average players.

12-1
Georgetown - We saw the Hoyas absolutely manhandle West Virginia in the regular season game. When I say "we," I mean Jake. I spent that evening stalking Gilbert Arenas around the MCI Center, trying to discover the origination of "Hibachi!" Talking heads say that Georgetown has the arsenal to win it all. And when have talking heads ever been wrong?

Memphis - When we saw the Tigers stomp Rice, 99-63, we were really impressed...until we remembered it was Rice. If Confucius were alive he'd say, "Memphis may not have beaten anybody all year, but have they lost to anybody? Touché.

UCLA - My least favorite team in the tournament. We watched the Bruins struggle to beat a toothless ASU team at Pauley and, later, with a No. 1 seed on the line, lose to Cal in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament. However, it would be foolish to completely disregard a team that basically returned the exact same squad (Collison and Farmer are basically a wash) as last year's runner-up.

5-1
Kansas - The Jayhawks are the best college team in the tournament. Unfortunately for Bill Self, that doesn't mean they have the best chance to win it all. Chalmers, Robinson and Collins constitute the top three guard rotation in the country. As basketball players, Julian Wright and Brandon Rush are poetry in motion. If and when they play Florida, I fully expect KU to win. But in a potential Final against UNC, the Tar Heels have the athleticism to neutralize KU's guards, while Hansborough/Wright is a stronger inside tandem than Arthur/Kahn. And if KU plays OSU, you're telling me a guy named Sasha is going to stop Greg Oden? As Borat says "...pause...NOT!"

The road map to victory: Matt and Jake at the regionals in Chicago.

4-1
Florida - When we saw the Gators lose in Baton Rouge to a very pedestrian LSU team, we were thoroughly unimpressed. I doubt the Gators will beat Kansas to get to the final game. But if they do, they matchup better against both OSU and UNC than the Jayhawks do. It sure seems like Florida has played all year with a complacency that comes with a tan line on your ring finger.

3-1
UNC - Like the Tar Heels in '05, this year's incarnation of Roy's boys are basically a pro team cloaked in college unis. Two years ago, Illinois was the better "TEAM" but UNC's four first round draft picks had more talent than could be overcome with oodles of chemistry and selflessness. Same deal this year.

Ohio State - Greg Oden, Greg Oden, Greg Oden, Greg Oden. Anytime you have a player whose presence turns opponents' easy baskets into contested shots, you automatically have a chance to win it all. The Xavier scare eroded the Buckeyes' aura of invincibility but when it comes down to it, how many pro teams wouldn't trade their three best players for Oden, Mike Conley and Daquan Cook?

Now who's the wiseguy who's going to add up the odds and tell me they don't equal 100%? Go ahead - I dare you.

Hoops Odyssey flew into Chicago this morning. We took a cab straight to the United Center. It's early, almost two hours before the UNLV/Wisconsin tip off, and there's no one around. Just me, the ushers and a bunch of important-looking men in suits carrying walkie-talkies. I stand at center court of this famed professional basketball arena and take a good look around.

Matt and Bucky squeeze in a halftime stretch.

So this is where the magic happens? This is where Michael Jordan led the Bulls to their second three peat. This is where he proved, at least to me, that he was truly one of the greatest ballers of all time. This is..."REBELS, REBELS." UNLV fans start to stream down the aisles belting out their signature chant. So much for a nice quiet moment between me and the United Center.

Pretty soon this once empty arena is crawling with fans decked out in their schools' colors. Red, red, red. Red everywhere. There's no way to identify the badger boosters from a rebel rousers. Even the bands are indistinguishable - that is until one of them starts to play Viva Las Vegas. (I'll let you guess which one.)

Press row is a mad house too. More so than at the other two tournament venues Hoops Odyssey has attended. Jim Nantz, who is surprisingly tall, talks to an usher about his desire to call a close game, while Billy Packer messes with Matt's head before finally granting him an interview.

VIDEO: JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW A GUY...

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Even the bloggers are out in full force for this round of the tournament. Luke Winn's there and so is the man, the myth, the legend, Jerry Palm. This guy knows more about college basketball than God - who I hear is a Duke fan...Seriously, someone should get Palm a bucket, he's a fountain of information. Get it? A fountain. Okay, not funny.

I spend the first half of the UNLV/Wisconsin game just trying to stump Palm with random trivia questions. I came up with two that he couldn't answer.

1. This one was inspired by a Barry Alvarez sighting in the United Center press room. For a brief stint, Alvarez was both the head football coach and the AD at Wisconsin. Can you, Jerry Palm, name any other major program that has had either its football or its basketball coach also be the AD? (His response: Not that I can think of in recent times.)

2. The best storyline of the UNLV team is the father/son combo of Lon and Kevin Kruger. Excluding Press and Pete Maravich, can you, Jerry Palm, name another college coach whose son plays or played on his team? (His response: Bob and Pat Knight, which I'm not going to count since Pat Knight was a bench warmer and Bob Knight beat him up, thereby reclassifying their relationship from coach/player to master/bitch. Although, now that I think about it, I would've counted Homer and Bryce Drew for Valparaiso if Mr. Palm had mentioned them.)

Running Rebulls? UNLV fans posing with Kirk Hinrich and Co.

Anyways, the first game of the afternoon is a doozy. UNLV takes an early lead, but Wisconsin comes storming back. The Rebels' Kevin Kruger, though, will not let his team lose. He comes up with two threes in the last five minutes and leads his father's team to an upset of the Badgers, 74-68. I was completely impressed. Here's this short, white kid with bags under his eyes and floppy hair, who looks like he just crawled off a fraternity sofa, and he's outplaying Alando Tucker, Big Ten player of the year, at the end of the game.

After reading about the Pete Maravich's relationship with basketball and his father and experiencing my own tough hoop lessons with Dad, I wouldn't recommend anyone play for their old man, but it's obviously working out well for the Krugers.

(Sidenote: Maybe I'm being completely inappropriate here, but doesn't Wisconsin's Kammron Taylor look exactly like Chris Rock? I see it.)

The second game isn't nearly as interesting in terms of basketball as the first, the Jayhawks are too much for Kentucky and everyone knows it long before the 88-76 final score. So I take a little seating liberty and reposition myself right behind the Kansas bench. Coach Bill Self is a treat to listen to. For what seems like the entire first half he constantly yells at center Sasha Kahn. "Get your head in the game." "Wake up, you're playing like a mouse out there." It's refreshing to see a coach concentrate on his players and not the refs, although Self does manage to fit some politicking in as well.

Surprisingly, though, Self doesn't curse. He uses variations on "dang it" a lot, but he never utters a four letter word while I'm listening. I'm not sure there are many coaches you can say that about - certainly not Coach Knight.

Here's a blurry pic of His Royal Airness (left) taking in the UK-KU game.

At halftime, I stand up to stretch and look around, and wouldn't you know it, there he is - no, not the Sausage King of Chicago - his Airness, sitting up in a luxury box, staring down at the hardwood he once dominated. Michael Jordan's back at the United Center for NCAA Tournament basketball. What a cocktail!

So that was our second round day in Chi-town. A very informative day, might I point out. I learned a lot at the United Center. Some of it amusing: Wink Adams has the best first name in college basketball. Some of it random: Rick Hartzell is both the AD at Northern Iowa and a DI referee (Thanks to Jerry Palm for that one.) And some of it just weird: Jayhawk forward Julian Wright has such bad posture that when he sits on the bench next to guard Russell Robinson, they look like they're the same height. Dang it, if only I'd known this information before I filled out my brackets...

My bracket is totally busted. Not one of my Final Four picks are left; Ramapo, Alvernia, Rivier, and Fontebonne were all bounced before the Sweet Sixteen -- the Division III Tournament, that is -- which is where we find ourselves today. That's right, we're playing hooky from the big boys regional to catch the final between Amherst and Virginia Wesleyan in Salem, Virginia. Anyone catch an Ohio State-Xavier score?

The Lord Jeffs avoided the snow storm but got hit with the confetti showers.

If the Mid-Majors are the sweethearts of college basketball, then D-III is the sweetheart's cute, undeveloped little sister. Amherst College, an academic enclave in Western Mass, is known as a "little Ivy" for its propensity to churn out power brokers, not power forwards.

After watching D-I hoops consistently for ten weeks, the first thing we noticed about the D-III players is how much smaller and less strong they were than their D-I counterparts. The Lord Jeffs players all look like AJ Graves, and celebrate like Tiger Woods. Even their coach looks small time. For his national television appearance Dave Hixon is wearing a shirt and tie tucked into wind pants!

VIDEO: HOOPS ODYSSEY CHILLIN' WITH THE LORD JEFFS BEFORE THEIR BIG VICTORY

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At the Salem Civic Center 3,075 fans have come to see the final despite today being a delicious convergence of St. Patrick's Day and Round 2 of March Madness. Virginia Commonwealth is the reigning champ, while Amherst is appearing in its first finals.

The game's in Virginia. VWC is in Virginia. Yet somehow Amherst has the home court advantage. About forty Amherst students, wearing purple and a touch of green St. Patty's flair, have trekked 12 hours through the snow to get here. "J-E-F-F, Jeffs, Jeffs, Jeffs" they cheer. (For a moment we thought we were at an NFL game in New York.) "We're being twice as loud as we usually are since there are fewer of us here," says one student who asks that her name be withheld for fear of retribution from the professors' whose classes she skipped.

Unlike most students who, in reality, root for laundry, these fans are cheering for the guys they chat with in the laundry room. "Amherst is so small," says Jaclyn Demais ('08). "We lived with (center) Kevin (Hopkins) and guard Andrew (Olson) in our freshman dorm and now we're all best friends with the guys on the team. If they win, we'll probably all go out together and celebrate St. Patrick's Day."

The VWC Marlins look like they've seen the ghost of Lord Jeffery Amherst

As for the actual game, there isn't a "No dunking rule" but there might as well be. The well-below-the-rim game is an exercise in fundamentals, with high-low passes and mid-range shots galore. "I prefer it to D-I," says Amherst student Edward Linden ('08). It's much more about just basketball. There's no money involved, no advertisements, no NBA Draft."

Led by (the shorter, slower) Steve Nash clone, Andrew Olson, NESCAC's Player of the Year, the Jeffs build a double-digit first half lead that they never come close to relinquishing, winning 80-67. Olson, after netting a team high 15 points and handing out five assists, was also named tourney MVP.

The final buzzer triggers an pop-pop-pop explosion in the rafters. The players hop up and down in the tipoff circle as rainbow confetti wafts down on them. Fresh national championship hats are handed out, then yanked askew. Amherst finished the year 30-2, the best season in school history. "Not bad for a bunch of bookworms," says an onlooker.

In a back room of the arena, a large screen TV shows the final seconds of the Texas A&M-Louisville game. There are plush couches and the game's gone down to the final possession but no one watches, The game out on this court suits everyone just fine.

Day two of the NCAA Tournament, but still round one for Hoops Odyssey. It's like we fell down the rabbit hole this morning when we crossed over the Ohio state line. Hokies, Wahoos, Salukis, Great Danes, Crusaders, and whatever Illinois' mascot is nowadays. Who put the cuckoo in these Cocoa Puffs? Now matter, we're here at Nationwide Arena in Columbus for another full dose of madness.

Up, up and away.

It's amazing what 189 miles can do to the basketball atmosphere. It's the same round of the same tournament, but the feeling in Columbus is tangibly different than in Lexington. A lot of that has to do with the contrast of Rupp and Nationwide Arena.

While Nationwide has Ohio State's logo at mid court, this is obviously not a college basketball facility. With LCD screens and luxury booths ringing the arena, the place feels like a professional hockey rink, which it is. Now, Rupp Arena, you can't get any more college basketball than that. The seats are Wildcat blue and the hallways are lined with Kentucky basketball tributes. At Nationwide, the seats are a neutral periwinkle and the corridors pay tribute to the Columbus Blue Jackets. I didn't know that was possible, to pay tribute to a hockey team that has never had a winning season.
VIDEO: LONG BEACH STATE BRINGS IN THE ENTIRE FAMILY

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But while Rupp's got that classic college basketball feel, Nationwide does have a few perks, mainly that there are more TV's here than a CBS control room. Combine the massive amount of HD screens with close tournament games occurring at other venues and you get clusters of basketball fans gathered in hallways and corridors squeezing in as much march madness as possible. It gives Nationwide a downright fraternity feel.

(In addition to the flat screens, Nationwide also has the most beautiful women walking down press row handing out score sheets. I mean drop dead gorgeous ladies in tiny skirts and heels. It is a pleasure to accept the stat sheets from them. For these women, and these women alone, no man can talk bad about this arena.)

GAME 1: UVA vs. Albany
Today, it's a good thing that there are so many distractions in the arena, since the first two games are massive blowouts. Right from the get go, Albany couldn't keep pace with Virginia's dynamic duo of J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary. By the end of the first half, it was obvious to everyone in the crowd that the Great Danes weren't going to repeat last year's near upset of Connecticut.

Credit the Albany fans, though, for cheering their team on throughout the game, even when the outcome was all but determined. They really just seemed happy to be in the tournament. The whole game they kept chanting "UA" over and over again to the tune of "Olé." There was even a Great Danes fan that looked a lot like a super hero. And maybe just to demonstrate his super human strength, the guy didn't sit down all game.

Albany's very own super hero

UVa's fans were loud too, but it was hard to distinguish between them from the Tennessee crowd. There was so much orange in the stands that it took a trained eye to distinguish between the Wahoos and the Vols. In the end, I decided that UVa's orange is a bit more burnt than the pastel Tennessee orange.

As for Virginia forward Jason Cain's facial hair, which I knew you were all wondering about, it's still there, albeit cleaned up for the tournament. In a way, it is reminiscent of Kentucky guard Richie Farmer's stache, and that was some beautiful facial hair.

GAME 2: Tennessee vs. Long Beach State
In the second game, Tennessee put a major hurting on Long Beach State, 121-86. After having seen the 49ers win the Big West tournament, I thought they would put up more of a fight, but they got their clocks cleaned by the Vols, 121-86. It wasn't much of a game so I spent most of the time wandering through the stands. A few observations:

-God, the Tennessee warm-ups are a bright orange. Almost as bright orange as Bruce Pearl's tan, which goes nicely with his suit. I've got to say, he really is a very stylish man.

-If you just ran into Dane Bradshaw on a random basketball court somewhere you'd think he was a back up on some mediocre high-school basketball team. But somehow, someway, he's good. The guy had 11 assists in the game today.

What's up with the sign sponsor? Is nothing sacred anymore?

-Even with the temperature dropping outside, the Long Beach State fans are wearing sunglasses. I like that. If I squint it's almost like I'm in the Caribbean.

-It's mind boggling the number of Volunteer fans wearing collar shirts and orange sweater vests. Was there a special at the campus store? Even old ladies are dressed in what seems to be the standard Tennessee attire.

-I ran into my old friend, the Long Beach State mascot. The 49er looked good, hadn't aged a bit since the Big West tournament. The only difference - he no longer had his trademark ax. He lost it storming the court after winning the conference tournament.

-The Albany coach just had to explain to three security guards who he was as he tried to make his way through press row. You think that ever happened to Roy Williams?

GAME 3: Virginia Tech vs. Illinois
If you're still with me you've made it to the Virginia Tech - Illinois game. The Illini have three full fan sections here at Nationwide. That's the most I've seen so far. But they're not as loud as you would expect. I kind of like the format I've got going above so I'll stick with it.

Six hamburgers later and I'm feeling ill too.

-I learned from an article in today's Columbus Dispatch that the terms "March Madness" and "Sweet Sixteen" come from the state of Illinois. Originally they were used to describe the its high-school basketball tournament.

-Blame it on the night session, but the crowd seems much tamer for this game. There's no signs and the loudest fans are here for Holy Cross.

-I've noticed an issue developing behind the Hokies' bench. It seems that a group of students want to stand and cheer VTech on while the older crowd is complaining that they can't see. I think the students are going to win this battle.

-The press room at halftime is a mad house, filled with the likes of Feinstein and Mariotti, all watching the Arizona or Texas game. Tough scene. Trust me, there's very little worse than a room full of reporters.

-The Holy Cross fan section is taking over this game and it's not even their game. The Crusaders just walked by the court on their way to their locker room and this purple-painted pack of lunatics raised the decibel levels in Nationwide by six - give or take a few decibels.

What an end to the game. Virginia Tech comes back and wins it 54-52. I think everyone in the building is in shock, especially after the Hokies played so ugly all game. I thought Illinois' Shaun Pruitt was going to blow a gasket at the end after not getting a foul called. He looked like he was going to hurt someone.

Coach Greenberg gets a victory hug from one of his daughters

GAME 4: Holy Cross vs. Southern Illinois
Luckily the powers that be got Pruitt off the court without any violence, and now we've got Holy Cross taking on Southern Illinois.

- Here's a juicy little morsel that I just learned. Holy Cross has won a national championship in men's basketball. Who knew? Apparently, Bob Cousy went to Holy Cross and helped them to beat Oklahoma in 1947 for the title. I guess I'm supposed to know that.

Matt finally met his knight in shining armor.

-It just occurred to me that today we saw a game where the LBSU and Tennessee combined to score 207 points and a game where VTech and Illinois scored 106 points.

-Holy Cross' center, Tim Clifford, has got to be the nicest big man in the tournament. Normally these guys have tattoos all over their arms and an attitude like someone is constantly insulting their moms. Clifford had a travel called on him and then chatted nicely with the ref the whole way down the court.

-And then he cried. Clifford fouled out with three minutes remaining and wept quietly from the bench the rest of the game. I love it when centers cry. It reveals their sensitive sides.

Okay, that's it, folks. I'm tired and we've got another long day tomorrow. Somehow we're going to end up in Salem, Va, for the DIII finals. If basketball were injectable, we'd be taking a straight shot to the brain.

TV or not TV: That is the question.

'Tis nobler to plant your arse on the sofa and stare at the flickering light box for ten glorious hours? Or suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous Louisville fans, while spectating the contests in the flesh.

Every year since I can remember, I've watched the first day of this made-for-TV event on the tube. Today, I experienced the other side -- four games in all -- in person, at Rupp Arena, in downtown Lexington. In some ways it was better live, but at some moments I was dreaming of CBS and Gumbel-aya. I'm honestly still divided.

Game One: #6 Louisville vs. #11 Stanford

With the Wildcats out of town, Louisville fans enjoyed Kentucky's digs

They said the 75 mile stretch of I-65 from Louisville to Lexington looked like a hurricane evacuation. But for Cardinals fans it was worth it. Their coach, Rick Pitino, whose jersey hangs in the Rupp Arena rafters, was returning to UK, though this time with a scarlet tie and matching pocket square. With local Wildcats' fans sure to be in attendance, nobody was sure what his reception would be.

"We know that they'll have good support," said Stanford's Brook Lopez, about the UofL players, "but hopefully people will be cheering for us since we're playing UK's rival." We'll he was right about the first part.

We've seen seventy-some odd games in the last two months , including one other at Rupp, and Thursday's early contest was the first time I wished I had ear plugs. It was that loud. When Coach Pitino was announced, there was a smattering of boos that quickly were drowned out by a raucous "home court" ovation. Louisville had clearly taken over Kentucky's turf. "With The Cats Away, the Cards Will Play," read one sign. The JumboTron even showed a clip of Christian Laettner's buzzer beater that sank "The Unforgettables" in '92. Can't imagine that clip gets too much air time when the Wildcats are here.

VIDEO: PITINO'S RETURN TO RUPP? UK FANS SOUND OFF

WATCH CLIP  

Louisville came out and played like Pitino's old Kentucky teams, full-court pressing Stanford into submission, as the Cardinals' fans howled with delight. Up by well over twenty for the entire game, the shrieking never stopped. The "C-A-R-D CARDS!" chant kept circling around the lower bowl as Louisville cruised to a 78-58 win that was not nearly as close as the final score indicated. Said one nostalgic Rupp official, "It reminded me of the Kentucky-San Jose State game in '96."

Game Two: #15 Penn vs. #2 Texas A&M

Will someone look into a Ben Franklin-Gary Matthews Jr. connection?

"It looks like blowout city the rest of the day," said the reporter next to me, surveying the upcoming docket of games. On paper Penn-Texas A&M was a blowout; in person, the matchup looked even more lopsided. Penn runs a 1-3-1 defense and stations this guy, 6-3, 175, under the basket. The Aggies countered with an offensive set that had this guy, 6-9, 250, and an NBA prospect, underneath the basket. It should have been ugly. Yet somehow it wasn't.

Rule numero uno on press row is No Cheering. When Penn took their first lead with 13 minutes remaining in the second half the Quakers band broke into Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer". Sespite the fact that a PU win would have busted my bracket, I couldn't help it; I was up on my feet clapping, visions of Princeton-Georgetown dancing in my head.

It was not to be, though, as the Aggies snuffed out the Penn rally and won 65-52. For all the folks that had A&M upsetting the Buckeyes in the Elite Eight, (myself included), this game was less than encouraging.

Game Three: #16 Central Connecticut State vs. #1 Ohio State

Pictures can't convey this man's stature.

"Step right up and see the freak." That's the carney vibe at Buckeyes game now with Greg Oden in uniform. People point and stare at his every move. But unlike a bearded lady or the four-armed Vishnu, Oden is a freak, not for what he is , but what he isn't.

Despite being seven-feet tall, he doesn't possess an ounce of awkwardness or gangle (made up word). There is no preening in his game, no instinctive stares at the refs when he doesn't get the call. Nowhere is this more evident than In introductions when the all-world Oden is announced second, not last.

"Greg Oden is a freak of nature," said Keith Carleton, a Tennessee fan that drove up from Mississippi with his wife and 11-year-old son. "Today's probably more fun watching in a bar," said Carleton, "because you can flip between a half dozen games. But I wanted my son to see Greg Oden in person."

He's right. There's something about Oden's game that doesn't translate through the television. And against a team like CCSU, with no center listed in its starting lineup, the disparity between Oden and mortals is even more evident.

"Watching him on television is different than facing him in person," said Obie Nwadike after the game "He's a lot bigger, a lot more agile, a lot more athletic than I thought he would be. He's probably the best player we played against all year." (Sacred Heart didn't have anyone better?)

The most telling stat of the game was that Oden finished the game with zero fouls -- not because he wasn't aggressive, but because he could wreak defensive havoc from afar. To give you an example of Oden's intimidation factor, early in the first half CCSU's default center Jemino Sobers was fed the ball in the post. With Oden on his back, Sobers paused to consider his options. In that moment, the crowd literally let out a chuckle and Sobers wisely decided to kick the ball back out.

It's funny -- watching Oden in college fills me with a twinge of nostalgia, as if I were watching Ewing in a Georgetown uniform, Shaq in an LSU jersey or David Robinson playing for Navy. Even though I'm watching him in the present, I'm already skipping ahead to a future point in time, and remembering fondly the times I got to see a college-aged Greg Oden in person. Weird, I know, but that's the best I can describe it.

Game Four: Xavier vs. BYU

From l to r: Sarah Cummard, Mindy Murdock, Hannah Balderson, Angela Rose, and Crystal Ainge

Seated on press row at midcourt, so close to Gus Johnson that I could brush dandruff of his shoulders, I thought we had the best seats in the house. But during the evening's nightcap, I found a better one. Up in Section 29, I grabbed a seat in the BYU players' wives' section. Five players on BYU's roster are married, and the quintet of spouses all sit together cheering the hubbies on. When you meet these girls, you can see why the Mormen are so eager to lock them down.

"They said they were the players' wives, and I thought, 'This isn't the NBA,'" said Carleton, "but I'm not going to complain about being seated next to these gorgeous Amazon women." Does constituing what is likely the only college players' wives' section pose any problems? When the five wives traveled to Utah State for a game the fans taunted them from above saying, "Why don't you leave your husbands and come up here," said Angela Rose, wife of guard Mike Rose. "Like we're going to leave our hot husbands for those fools."

The Big Dance is finally upon us and we've got new life, ready for the best that this March has to offer. Sure our sanity's a bit shot but that ain't no thing. It's the postseason, baby, where legends are made. You may not be 100% but you play through the pain. After all, you've got the entire offseason to rest. Kirk Gibson. Willis Reed. Curt Schilling. Matt Waxman? Jacob Osterhout?

Is it tournament time yet? Don't worry, sweetheart, soon.

On the eve of the tourney tip, as we mentally prepare for the three best weeks of the year, here are a few questions we eagerly await answers to. Can Winthrop actually win a game? Can Kansas make it out of the first round? Can Kevin Durant Carmelo-ize the Longhorns? Can someone please check Greg Oden's birth certificate so we don't have a Danny Almonte situation on our hands after OSU wins the whole thing?

VIDEO: THE ULTIMATE GIG - DAYTON'S BAND CRASHES THE DANCE

WATCH CLIP  

Tonight, on what was supposed to be the calm before the storm, we attended a Texas A&M function. Let me tell you, the Aggie faithful already had their game faces on. Our server, an A&M grad, berated us for accidentily wearing burnt orange. I'm still waiting for my buffalo fingers...

Anyway, what we came to realize is that once March rolls around there are no excuses. It's tournament time and that means you're either a college basketball fan or you're watching reruns of the Dukes of Hazzard. Not that we have anything against the Duke brothers, but, you know, respect the madness, baby. Respect the madness.

Everyone has an opinion of the Opening Round game played between the two worst conference champions. How did we find this year's game between Niagara and Florida A&M? Inspiring? Anticlimactic? Actually, it was confusing.

Wooden. Check. Chaney. Check. Carnesecca. Check. Andrews. Check.

At one point, the Dayton band, dressed in Niagara purple and white, played the Niagara fight song, for a crowd of mostly Dayton fans.

Niagara, NY is an eight-hour drive from Dayton, and on such short notice, the band couldn't make it. So the Dayton pep band gladly subbed in. Neither the Niagara nor the FAMU fans could make it, either, so the Dayton Flyers fans gladly filled in for them, too.

Who the fans were rooting for, though, I couldn't tell you. Niagara went on a run early and the place cheered. FAMU stormed back and the place cheered. Red was probably the fan's color of choice, though the apparel was split between Dayton and Ohio State. I spied orange Tennessee shirts and blue Kentucky jerseys. One guy wore a green and orange football jersey -- FAMU's colors -- but when I asked him about it, he said it was a Miami Hurricanes jersey. "I'm rooting for the purple team?" Ashley Zugelder, 10, said enthusiastically. Niagara? "I'm not sure but purple is my favorite color."

VIDEO: THAT'S WHAT THEY FED THE RATTLERS FOR THEIR PREGAME MEAL?

WATCH CLIP  

Ryan Hillary, who -- follow the bouncing ball -- attended Florida as an undergrad, and currently goes to grad school at Dayton, wore a Gators tee but rooted for FAMU because of the Sunshine State connection. "Honestly," admitted Hillary, "I just wanted to see a tournament game." That seemed to be the prevailing notion of the 8,257 spectators that came out for a game between two teams they knew nothing about.

In 2001, Dayton hosted the inaugural Opening Round game. The NCAA deemed that day such a success that it assigned the game to the city every year through 2010. Some cities might interpret this as a sentence. The people of Dayton, instead, embraced the day as a defining celebration a la The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona or Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney.

St. Joseph's Phil Martelli, who coaches one contest at Dayton every year as an A-10 foe, explained the essence of this place. "I hit the door today and said to my wife that I've always appreciated the venue and the atmosphere here. But when you boil it down, it comes down to the people. They're knowledgeable fans that understand and appreciate good basketball. I think it's clear" -- Martellii gestured around the almost-full arena -- "why the NCAA selects Dayton."

I'm 85% sure these weren't Dayton supporters dressed as Niagara fans

About 100 Niagara students did actually make the long bus ride from New York. And a clan of maybe a dozen fans, decked out in orange and green Rattlers gear, congregated behind the FAMU bench -- though they seemed to all share facial features with head coach Mike Gillespie.

The largest single contingent of fans, however, was a two-section wide swatch of fans waving green or yellow signs that read, "Dayton Fans Say Go #64 seed" or "Dayton Fans Say Go #65 seed." Bill Daniels, a local pizza owner who printed the placards, lead a group of his nearest and dearest – this year 433 people -- to the game, as he's done every year since its inception.

"These guys are playing their hearts out for the right to be thrown to the lions," said Daniels of the two teams, scrapping for the privilege of getting whack-a-moled by Kansas on Thursday. "The tickets are a great bargain; the games are always competitive; and we get to be a part of March Madness." Plus," said Daniels with a smile, "we get to use the same signs every year."

It seems like every year the NCAA Tournament gets a little bigger, a little better. But this year it really is. Don't believe us? Here are 65 reasons this will be the biggest, baddest, maddest March ever.

The USC Song Girls will be here and they didn't even crack our list of 65.

1) Crank up the hot tub. UNLV's back for first time in seven years
2) Opening round Wildcat fight between Kentucky and Villanova
3) The only way Sidney Lowe’s crashing the party is as your valet attendant
4) Ashley Judd has company as Priscilla Presley joins the celebrity fan club (Memphis)
5) The Governator, too (UCLA)
6) Hot thespian action from Winthrop's theater performance arts major Torrell Martin, who dabbles in Shakespeare
7) Meet the Falker, Southern Illinois' BMX-riding, graphic-designing forward Randal Falker
8) The Mask meets Psycho, starring Tyler Hansbrough
9) Zona's Chase Budinger proves that white men can jump
10) Wisco's Chris Rock holds court. Oops, that's look-a-like guard Kammron Taylor
11) Roy Williams tries to become first coach to win a tournament game in 18 straight years. The last time Roy Williams failed to win a game in March, the Exxon Valdez was hemorrhaging oil
12) And could this be the tournament that Kentucky ends its record run of 16 straight years with at least one victory?
13) And will that mean the end of Tubby Smith in Lexington?
14) No Chief Illiniwek, no Seminoles, no problem. PETA picks up slack, protests every animal mascot
15) UCLA's Ben Howland coaches against his alma mater (Weber State) in first round
16) And potentially against his former employer (Pitt) in the Sweet Sixteen
17) In a similar vein, Tom Crean (Marquette) opens against his mentor, Tom Izzo (Michigan State)
18) I love...football schools playing basketball (Virginia Tech, Texas A&M)
19) ...Huggy Bear in the N.I.T.
20) ...Reggie Theus' jerry curl
21) ...Billy Packer eating crow
22) ...And twins! (Stanford's Brook and Robin Lopez)
23) Durant, Greg Oden, Brandan Wright, Thaddeus Young, makes 2007 the year of the freshman. Thank you, David Stern!
24) And the year of the freshman point guard: DJ Augustin (Texas), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), Ty Lawson (UNC), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), Mike Conley (Ohio State). Will one of them disprove notion that a frosh can't guide a team to a title?
25) Thanks, dad: The players: Maryland's DJ Strawberry (Darryl), Stephen Curry (Dell), Taurean Green (Sidney), Joakim Noah (Yannick), Patrick Ewing Jr., Gerald Henderson Jr., Mike Conley Jr.
26) Thanks, dad II: The coaches: Tony Bennett (Dick), Scott Sutton (Eddie), John Thompson III, Howie Dickenman Jr.
27) Former NBAers crash the party as assistant coaches: Rod Strickland (Memphis), Danny Manning (Kansas), Johnny Dawkins (Duke), Greg Booth (Maryland), Jerry Sichting (Marquette)
28) Insert your own Gonzaga hippie joke:_______________________________
29) Last year's George Mason run gave hope to all the Winthrops, Holy Crosses, et. al, and not just to win a game but to make it to the freakin' Final Four
30) Meet college's version of Big Shot Bob Horry: Acie Law
31) Meet college's version of Marty Schottenheimer: Bill Self
32) Round One: (Stanford) Cardinal v (Louisville) Cardinals
33) And later on, looms a potential Pitino-Calipari collision in the Sweet Sixteen, a coaching rematch of the '96 Final Four semifinals when Kentucky beat UMass
34) Potential second round matchup between Ohio State's coach Thad Matta and his former school, Xavier
35) Potential eBay auction of Matta's infamous stick of Wrigley. Do I hear $3,500?
36) There are seven former champs in the West. Seven!
37) There are, by my count, eight teams, this year, with a chance to win it all
38) And none of them are Duke!
39) Is this the year a top seed falls in the first round? 16-seed Albany took UConn to the brink in '06. Gotta happen sometime
40) Serenity now! Is this the year Dickie V., calling games in his living room, goes postal? Gotta happen sometime
41) Is this the year someone nails all 65 games -- the odds of which, if picked randomly, are 1 in 18 quintillion, 446 quadrillion?
42) Most likely to nail it: Jenn Sterger
43) Oregon's Bryce Taylor, coming of a perfect game (11-11 FGs, 7-7 3-pt FGs), shoots for the record for consecutive FGs (25) and threes (15)
44) Kevin Durant takes aim at Glen Rice's tournament scoring record of 184 points
45) Michelle Wie tries to become first women to survive a round in the men's bracket
46) Students brainstorm new ways to distract Gonzaga's Derek Raivio, Butler's AJ Graves and CCSU's Tristan Blackwoord, the first, second and fourth-ranked free throw shooters in the nation
47) Louisville is playing 70 miles from home in rival-Kentucky’s Rupp Arena. It won’t be filled with UK fans, who will be shipping out to Chicago. Nice homecoming for Pitino, though
48) Clemson, the nation's last unbeaten team, proves it's not how you start but how you finish
49) UVA's Jason Cain pays lip service to Adam Morrison
50) Ohio State-Florida Part Deux? A Gators-Buckeye final gives the boys from Columbus a chance to avenge their BCS flop
51) Brad Pitt with a jump shot? That's what the CBS crew called Creighton's Nate Funk
52) The team representing the Nutmeg State is CCSU, not UConn
53) Though four former Jim Calhoun assistants are here coaching: Dave Leitao (Virginia), Karl Hobbs (George Washington), Glen Miller (Penn) and Howie Dickenman (Central Connecticut)
54) Bust out the bowtie. Dickenman carried a bright red bowtie in his pocket in honor of his dad, a former coach, who wore them all the time. Howie wore one only once – to honor Mt St Mary’s Jim Pheland in his final game (2003) when Dickenman’s CCSU team was the opponent
55) In the last two football seasons, USC averaged 60 points against Arkansas. Will the basketball team surpass that total?
56) Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg breaks out as this year's Brennan-esque media darling. OK, so we're a little biased
57) Trey Johnson of Jackson State, the second-leading scorer in the nation, unveil thyself
58) Internet streaming at work -- the technology finally catches up to the concept
59) NCAA threatens to cut off your tongue for calling it the "play-in game." It the "opening round game"
60) A national sporting event in Hotlanta? Is "crunk juice" in Jim Nantz's lexicon
61) There'll also be more Coke than at a Scarface party. It's bottled in Atlanta
62) Atlanta's (recently unhitched) first couple? Whitney and Bobby. Yeah, they probably won't make any headlines
63) Atlanta's own The Black Crowes return home to play Final Four shows at Centerstage and the Variety Playhouse
64) Other acts hailing from "new Motown" sure to make a courtside appearance: Ludacris, Outcast, Usher
65) And did we mention Bob Knight is coming?

March Madness has finally arrived, but really it's just a continuation of the college basketball insanity for Hoops Odyssey. I'd say, "Just another day at the office," but we ain't got no office. What we've got is a suitcase full of dirty clothes, a lot of frequent flyer miles and more first hand knowledge of the tournament teams than anyone else in the country.

PHOTO GALLERY: Super Fans - Part V

I know, that's a bold statement, but show me two other guys who have seen- in person - 37 NCAA tournament teams play and I'll retract the above statement. Of the 32 first round games, we've seen at least one of the teams in 28 of them. Now this doesn't make us experts, but it does provide us with some unique insights that might just reveal how some of these teams will perform this post season. So, without further build up, we present to you the teams that impressed (us) and the teams that depressed (us). Oh, and check out the new photo galleries as well...

TEAMS THAT IMPRESSED:
During our 2.5 months on the road, we witnessed all four #1 teams play at least once - we actually saw Kansas four times. Of the four, UNC was the most awesome when we saw them play. Even when they lost to NC State, they looked fast and balanced and deep. We'd love to say that got better every time we saw them, but there isn't a whole lot of room to maneuver at the top.

GALLERY: Life on the Road - Part IV

Maryland and Oregon were also impressive when we saw them play late in the season. Under the guidance of its much improved point guard, Greivis Vasquez, Maryland ran Clemson out of their own arena and Oregon, riding an impressive trio of guards, dominated the Pac 10 tournament finals. Both teams have a shot to go far in the NCAA's.

If you're still looking for a sleeper, we highly recommend Long Beach State or Oral Roberts. Long Beach State was far and away the best team in the Big West and Oral Roberts has enough talent to be a Sweet 16 team. Crazy talk, we know.

Here's a few other squads that looked good when we saw them - Georgetown (blew out West Virginia), Virginia (beat Duke), Memphis (a jaw-dropping display of athleticism against Rice), Xavier (beat Kansas State) and Creighton (beat Southern Illinois).

TEAMS THAT DEPRESSED:
Call it an off year, or the curse of Hoops Odyssey, but we checked out multiple Duke games and the Blue Devils never emerged victorious, losing to UVa and Florida State. They couldn't score down the stretch. It's going to be a tough tournament for these Dukies.

We also saw Indiana play twice and while the team's streaky, they haven't got the heart or hustle to make it deep in the tournament. DJ White better show up or the Hoosiers are likely to get blown out.

And we know, everyone's talking about Winthrop, but when we saw them play lowly Liberty, the Eagles barely squeaked out a W and seemed to play down to their opponents.

Other teams to avoid - Illinois (thoroughly unimpressive in a victory over Iowa), USC (blown out by Oregon), Michigan State (destroyed by Indiana), UPenn (barely beat a horrible Princeton squad) and Georgia Tech (out hustled by Wake Forest).

respond to post >

Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 08:24 PM | Comment

March 11, 2007

Seeds of a Champion

I'm still sitting on press row here at the Ford Center and they just announced Kansas' #1 seed. There are a few hundred fans still in the building but they're screaming their heads off, and they don't look like they're going anywhere. Everyone is leaning back in their seats and watching Billy Packer on the big screen. Now that the Jayhawks are #1 seeded, I'm going to go see if Julian Wright will give me a piggy back ride.

Winning the Big 12 tournament will take you a long ways toward a #1 seed.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 06:03 PM | Comment

Hawking the nation

They're dancing in the streets of Lawrence.

And it's over. Kansas wins 88-84. The Jayhawks are now the Big 12 regular season and tournament champs. Durant finishes wth 37(one short of the tournament record,) but couldn't score in overtime. And Augustin was held to just 8 measly points. Confetti burst from the top of the baskets. The Texas band is packing up in a hurry. The Kansas fans are all crowding the front row, trying to take a picture of their Jayhawks. Matt is on the floor trying to get Julian Wright to give him a piggy back ride.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 05:37 PM | Comment

OT-licious

We're back in overtime again. Mario Chalmers knocked down a three to tie the score with 14 seconds remaining and then Durant missed a fall away to win it for the Longhorns. So we're stuck at 79's and we've got another extra five minutes of basketball to figure this all out. Credit Texas, ever since my last post, they've been going back to Durant and it has been paying off. He's got 37 at the end of regular time. Oh, and returning to that cheerleader who might or might not've been staring at me. She's still itching her nose, but now she's looking at some other guy two rows up. So it goes...

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 05:12 PM | Comment

Stick with what works

This is not the photo that got Matt in trouble, but it is just as innocuous.

Texas has gone away from Durant. Not a very smart move. Their star player has barely touched the ball in the second half and Kansas now has a four point lead. Sherron Collins just hit a loopy reverse lay up and then tied up D.J. Augustin on defense. The crowd is overwhelmingly pro-Kansas and the few Texas fans that are here have started to sit down.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 04:55 PM | Comment

Barn-burner

Look at this Jayhawk fan, he's crazy.

You've got to love one-point games. 60-59 Texas with 7:51 remaining. And we've got drama off the court, too. Matt just got in trouble for taking behind the scenes pictures of the cheerleaders warming up. Ugh.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 04:49 PM | Comment

OK doing all right

Matt's got the best seat in the house.

Oklahoma City and the Ford Center are really doing this tournament right. There are only a few open seats in the arena and it is loud. That's in stark contrast to the PAC 10 finals yesterday at the Staples Center, where whole sections of seats were vacant and the crowd noise was lost in the massive size of the arena - or was that the massive size of Oregon's lead?

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 04:32 PM | Comment

Deja Vu

The Longhorns get prepared for the second half.

Almost five minutes into the second half and this game's shaping up like the last one. Durant has failed to score after the break, although he's currently at the line so he'll proabably get a few points the easy way. Kansas, though, can't seem to strings a few buckets together. Their passes are sloppy and they seem to be on cruise control.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 04:24 PM | Comment

One half down

Kansas is back in this game. Towards the end of the first half, Rush hit a few key threes and the Jayhawks have narrowed the Longhorns' lead to 5. Durant's got 22 points and is pretty much unstoppable when he hits his shots (Who isn't unstoppable when they're hitting their shots?) He's 8-14 from the field and already has 6 boards. Chalk him up for another double double. As for the Texas cheerleader, I've sent Matt over to snap a photo of her, but he thinks I'm crazy. She's not staring at me, just staring. And she's itching her nose, 'cause it itches. I'm still on the fence, though. Too much eye contact to just be a coincidence.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 04:00 PM | Comment

I see you, swan

Chickenheads hanging out before the game.

Maybe I'm tired, but one of the Texas cheerleaders keeps looking at me and twitching her nose. No joke. She's been staring at me for the last five minutes. I want to yell, "Don't look at me. Watch the game. Durant's playing." But she can't hear me. Thankfully she can't smell me either. After flying all night, this chicken's not fit for cooking. Obviously, more to come on this storyline.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 03:49 PM | Comment

MVP

Look at that wingspan. He's like a terydactal.

With seven minutes left in the first half, Durant has 21 points. That's six more than the entire Jayhawk team. My math is a little shakey, but he's on pace to score somewhere in the sixties this game. Of course, he did this last KU-Texas game and then had a woeful second half.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 03:41 PM | Comment

Confinement

Kind of looks like the basement of my fraternity here in the bowels of the Ford Center.

They've got us boxed in here at the Ford Arena. I'm on the corner of press row, surrounded by hordes of balding men with notepads - in the industry they refer to them as reporters. Barriers line the court, so we have minimal access to fans and there's this nice old man who keeps telling me I can't leave my seat. Matt's not doing much better. He's sitting on a Pepsi crate, confined to the baseline. Access is limited, but hey, we've got great seats and you know that won't stop us from snapping a few pics of the cheerleaders.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 03:33 PM | Comment

So Durant

Jayhawk fans start young.

We're eight minutes in and Durant already has 12 points. That might be part of the reason the Longhorns are up 21-8. #35 is all over the place. He plays like a man, but you know he's young when he calls out picks. It sounds like your little brother squealing. This game is shaping up like the last UT-KU match-up, when the Longhorns got off to an amazing start and then fizzled in the second half. I wonder if Durant will let that happen again.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 03:25 PM | Comment

The Red Eye Special

Here we are, back in Oklahoma City again. Took the red eye special last night to make it in time for today's Big 12 finals, a rematch of last week's season finale between Kansas and Texas. We're operating on three hours sleep and a lot of caffeine. This whole spring forward thing is killing us. We lost two hours to time zones and one to Spring. Now we wouldn't just fly over night for any basketball game...Oh wait, yes we would.

It's hand symbol central in OK City.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 03:12 PM | Comment

March 10, 2007

Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck...

That's the look of a man firmly off the hot seat.

The final score: Oregon 81-USC 57. And it wasnt nearly as close as the score indictated. SC played like OJ mayo hooked them up with his private stash. The crowd was equally dead. Not the game you want heading into the tournament. The Trojans would probably have been better off losing a squeaker in the semifinals than getting hammered in the finals.

To repeat, Taylor was the story, today, though they just announced Oregon PG Tajuan Porter is the tourney MVP.

Next you'll hear from me I'll be at the Big XII Conference Final. See you then.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 08:02 PM | Comment

Feeling Sic (SIC)

Meet the Leunen Ladies, the fan club of Oregon's 6-9 center Maarty (yes, that's the spelling) Leunen. That's his mom in the middle, his aunt on the left, and grandma on the right. As for the double "a" in Marty: "That's the Dutch spelling," explains mom.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 07:48 PM | Comment

what greatness is all about

This one got away real quick from the Trojans as Oregon's doubled up USC, 78-39, with 6 mins left. The big story here is that Ducks forward Bryce Taylor is in the midst of a Michael Jordan-shrug game. Taylor's numbers: 11-11 from the field, including 7-7 from three. He's got 32 points.

Coach Kent just subbed out Taylor preserving his perfect game. Gotta be one of the performances of the year in college basketball.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 07:42 PM | Comment

Oprah, OJ. OJ, Oprah.

Does anyone actually think O.J. Mayo will play one second of basketball for the USC Trojans next year? It's being reported that the prep star was busted on Friday night with marijuana.

We met Mayo at a K-State game. This is me explaining the intricacies of a matchup zone.

For a story I was once doing, I asked LeBron, during his rookie year, if he ever thought about what his life would be like if he was in college. He responded by saying that it never crosses his mind. With all the attention he received, he said he felt like a pro since his junior year in high school.

I imagine this is the same for Mayo, too. College almost seems like a step backward after the AAU circuit-- at least USC basketball does. He's outgrown this program. Like Tim Floyd's gonna tell him what to do? I don't think so. It's purely a hunch but my guess is Mayo will end up sitting out next year, a la former USC receiver Mike Williams, and head to the NBA the following year.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 07:18 PM | Comment

Stop, drop and pick n' roll

Bryce Taylor is literally on fire. And by literally, I mean figuratively. The Ducks forward is 8-8 from the field -- and they haven't been all bunnies, either -- as Oregon's pulled ahead 45-29. This is the least of USC's problems. Check back in a few minutes for details.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 07:14 PM | Comment

Searching for the Governator

A reminder: CSTV's Jason Owens is sitting next to me a "slogging" about the actual game, if that's the kind of thing that interests you. I'll be more ruminating on how weird California middle-aged women look and searching for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Snoop in the stands. I may or may not have just seen Donny Deutsch.

Oh, Ducks are up 35-22. Lil' PG Tajuan Porter, who plays exactly like Bobby Jackson, is too quick for the Trojans to handle and Bryce Taylor and Aaron Brooks, have combined for 20 points. This is getting ugly fast.

There was a poll in the LA Times asking who is the greatest Lakers point guard of all-time. I want meet the 1.4% of people that voted for Nick Van Exel.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 06:42 PM | Comment

THIS MEANS WAR. Or Not

Even the Oregon male cheerleaders (the O's) have fancy, breathable Nike gear.

The smart money was probably on UCLA and Washington State making it to the finals but today's game pits USC and Oregon. With the Bruins out of the picture, the scalpers were really hustling outside.

Inside, the crowd is probably 75% Trojans' fans. There doesn't appear to have been any gerrymandering of the fan bases; they're all just jumbled together. They also seem to be getting along remarkably well. It's gotta be the weather. How angry can you get on a beautiful, 70 degree Saturday. If someone were to start getting beligerent someone would probably just buy him a beer and say, "Hey, take it easy and just enjoy the game, OK?

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 06:23 PM | Comment

OFF To A Bad Start

That didn't take long. Just arrived at the Pac-10 Finals and immediatly got chastised by a security guard for angling for a picture of the Song Girls during the National Anthem. Is that wrong? If that's wrong, I don't wanna be right. I did, of course, get my picture. Check it out after the jump.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 06:07 PM | Comment

March 09, 2007

The Nerds are crashing the dance...almost

Remeber that scene in Dazed and Confused when the two nerdy guys and the girl with the big red fro are in the car overanalyzing whether they should go to the kegger? Finally they decide, screw it, life's too short; they're going. Then Jonathan Goldberg gets in a tiff with some dude and gets his face bashed in.

Well, Cal-Poly Institute, after an impressive 81-56 win is one win from going to its first NCAA Tourney, and getting its face bashed in.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:45 PM | Comment

And when all else fails

Dolla, dolla bill, y'all.

The Cal State Fullerton fans don't have much to cheer for this half. Their team's down 22 and playing some sloppy ball. So these Titan fans have taken to doing what any good group of followers do when their team's down and out - they're making fun of the opponent's dance team. Every time the Poly dancers takes the floor, the Fullerton fans hold up dollar bills. We'll let you figure that one out.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:42 PM | Comment

By golly, poly

Now Cal Poly is bringing their A-game and Fullerton looks lost. Poly is up by 22 and in the driver's seat. They're getting open looks from three and easy lay ups when they drive the lane. I'm not sure they can hang with Long Beach State, but they sure look good against Fullerton. In other news, the guy behind us has chilled out, maybe because Poly is up by 22, and we're back to peace and harmony.

VIDEO: CAL STATE FULLERTON FANS GET THEIR SOULS FLOWING

WATCH CLIP  

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:41 PM | Comment

In an unrelated note...

My cousin just had triplets, and it's the weirdest thing--they love ribs.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 11:40 PM | Comment

Half the time

Almost looks like a poster, doesn't it?

Halftime has arrived and I was wrong about Frank Robinson. He has not taken over the game for Cal State Fullerton. He has scored 7 points, but he's not asserting himself enough. So much for my earlier prediction. Cal Poly leads by eight, 36-28, and the guy behind us in the stands is getting real pissed off at Matt for standing up every five minutes to take pictures. I told the guy that he could either stand up as well or he could find another seat. He told me to stick it where the sun don't shine.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:37 PM | Comment

Poly Want a Cracker

I ask you, does the fun ever stop?

Cal Poly has started to take over. They've opened up a 14 point lead and are scoring at will. Meanwhile, Cal State Fullerton can't buy a bucket. Open shots, they miss them. Tough shots, they miss those too. Plus they can't get a rebound, which makes it tough to win games.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:36 PM | Comment

On the fence

No matter where we go, someone's always got a picket fence lying around.

My heart's been broken. I just found out that the guy dancing in the aisle is just doing it as an advertising ploy for some rental company. It's all for the money nowadays. Whatever happened to dancing for the love of the game?

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:35 PM | Comment

Bad idea passes

Aviators, check. Face paint, check. Close up camera angle, check.

We're five minutes deep in game 2 and so far play has been marked by turnovers. It's like a player will be open for a moment and they'll get a pass, but just two seconds after the moment has passed. Both teams keep making those "good idea, bad execution" kind of plays. For now. Cal Poly leads 9-7, but they're living by the three and that can only last for so long.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:33 PM | Comment

Dance, baby, dance

She rode that steed all the way down from San Luis Obispo.

The crazy guy dancing in the aisles is back. Today he's dressed in red and kind of looks like the Flash. He's feeling it, too. I dont' know if it's possible, but I think he's brought more energy tonight than last night. Oh, and the terrible twosome is back for Cal State Fullerton. Both Bobby Brown and Frank Robinson are slated to start for the Titans. (There's got to be a Whitney joke in here somewhere, but I can't find it.) Mark my words, Frank "the Tank" will take over tonight and Bobby will sing back up vocals.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:31 PM | Comment

Oh, the memories...

Here's a video we shot last time we saw Cal Poly play.

VIDEO: MUSTANGS? STUDENTS SOUND OFF ON THE CAL POLY MASCOT

WATCH CLIP  

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:30 PM | Comment

El Partido Dos

Look at the size of the Cal Poly fan's python's. I've got smart money on him in fight.

Cal State Fullerton, known from here on out as CSUF, is about to take on Cal Poly. Poly is the #2 seed in this tourney, which Matt and I find slightly hard to believe. We saw them play earlier in the season and they looked decidedly, well, like Cal Poly. But apparently, the mustangs have been playing some great basketball recently.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:29 PM | Comment

Smart minds, foul mouths

Long Beach State prevails and this fan loves it.

Long Beach State wins 77-63. It got a little tense at the end. UC Irvine fans kept chanting "State School" and the Long Beach State fans responded by pounding their chests and pointing at the scoreboard. I love it how fans of good schools with mediocre basketball programs always fall back on their academics. Like Long Beach State cares what UC Irvine fans got on their SAT's. They just beat you by 14.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:23 PM | Comment

Hey, hey, hey, goodbye

Airbrushed shirts not only show artistic integrity, but loyalty. And that's important, to be loyal.

The Long Beach State student section is already singing the "Hey, hey, hey, goodbye" song and there's still four minutes left in the game. The confidence in victory might have something to do with their 14 point lead and the fact that UC Irvine can't come up with a stop on defense. Every time down the court there's either a foul or a defensive breakdown. Judging by the way Peter the Anteater smells, though, maybe it's not such a bad idea to end the season and give that mascot costume a wash. I mean, after all, Peter's holding small children and he smells like mildew.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:13 PM | Comment

Playing Angry

Yeah, but what did you get on the Wonderlic?.

Long Beach State's Kejuan Johnson is an angry man and angry men play angry basketball. Every time down the court he glares either at his own teammates, his defender or the refs. He's always glaring. Last time down, he threw a nice entry pass to his post man but it went out of bounds. Johnson shook his head as he walked back down the court, or I should say, half way back down the court. I guess he was thinking, "If they can't catch my passes, they can't have me on defense." That's some good team thinking.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 10:57 PM | Comment

Dress Well, Do Well

We didn't know this was a black tie event.

As we predicted, Long Beach State has started to assert itself. They've opened up a thirteen point lead and have started to get hot from behind the arc. In an effort to pick up the intensity, the UC Irvine center just tried to pick a fight with his defender, who is a much larger man. Fortunately for the UC Irvine player, the refs broke up the fight before anyone could lose an ear.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 10:51 PM | Comment

The Road Less Traveled

Now look who's got the hatchet.

The Big West tournament is a bit of an oddity in that the #1 and #2 seeds both get not one, but two byes. Long Beach State and Cal Poly, this year's one and two seed, play their first games in the semis. I guess the point is to protect the two teams that have the best shot at winning a few games in the NCAA tournament, but c'mon, fellas, for the sake of the Big West tourney, let's not give them a free ride. That's like busting out your fine china only for special events.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 10:37 PM | Comment

Knock on wood

Besides a cop on a horse galloping through Times Square after a criminal, the scene I'm most surprised Hollywood hasn't co-opted is the JumboTron falling like an anvil on a sports team. So much potential...energy up there. Here at the Anaheim Convention Center there's no JumboTron but a black speaker the size of a dumpster looming over ther court. I've got my video camera trained on it, you know, just in case. Yes, these are the things you start thinking about by game 73.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 10:34 PM | Comment

The Bank is open

Halftime and Long Beach State just banked a trey off the glass to take a three point lead, 38-35. They are clearly the more talented team, but credit UC Irvine for keeping it close. They're playing scrappy ball and are rotating well as a team. Still, I expect Long Beach State to pull away in the second half. In other news, the dance teams are about to perform. Oh boy. Oh boy. Hoops Odyssey like.

Hello ladies...

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 10:18 PM | Comment

Free the Bumblebee

Long Beach State's student section? The Beach Patrol. Like it.

The crowd is overwhelmingly Long Beach State friendly. With their black and their yellow, they've turned the Anaheim Convention Center into a hive of bumble bees. It almost feels like a Steelers convention. Everwhere we turn they're talking about "the Beach." Everywhere except for directly behind Matt and me. Yeah, we sit right in front of the UC Irvine student section, which might be outnumbered, but not outscreamed. They keep yelling "Whose house? Our house!" The only problem is, that it's not really their house either. It's just a nuetral site guys, jeez.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 10:05 PM | Comment

Battle of the Bands

Beware! The Long Beach State mascot's got a hatchet and he's coming for you.

There seems to be a lot of bad blood between the bands. The Long Beach State band members keep holding up signs that say "OUR BAND IS BETTER" and "LABCOAT LOSERS" in reference to the UC Irvine band's attire. I never knew that bands could get so competitive. Maybe we'll see a catfight between the cheerleaders.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 09:55 PM | Comment

Long Beach Anteater beaters

Oh, the old chest bump. Let the games begin.

Hey, look everybody, Hoops Odyssey is back together again. Ain't it sweet? Okay, so here we are and Long Beach State is taking on UC Irvine in the first of two nightly games. The 49er's holds the #1 seed in the tournament and they look the part. These boys are big. Compared to the Anteaters, they look enormous. But right now, five minutes into the game, UC Irvine is holding their own. The Eaters have hit a few clutch threes and they're up 10-9.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 09:36 PM | Comment

Bambi's Revenge

Me (flexing): "The beach is that way"

The band is back together. Tonight, I've reunited with Jake for two Big West semifinals games in Anaheim. Mickey, Donald, and Bambi are here, too. Who's playing? First up, University of Cal-Irvine vs. Long Beach...Poly... Tech? No, that can't be right. All I know, so far, is a bunch of wicked smart kids from Cali are balling in view of Disneyland. I tell ya, this place is ripe for trouble.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 08:44 PM | Comment

March 08, 2007

Tony, Tony, Tony

It's only fitting that a day with four ties was wrapped up by a guy known for not sporting one. Washington State head coach Tony Bennett, the fastest rising star not name Obama -- another man known for his anti-neckwear stance -- guided the Huskies to their 25th win, making this their winninest season since Woodrow Wilson was in office.

In six games today, Jake and I saw four overtime periods. In the final game, WSU avoided extra time by beating UW 74-64, the third time the Cougars beat the Juskies.

WSU faces USC in the semis on Friday, though we'll both be at the Big West Tourney.

Good night everyone. Thanks for reading.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 11:58 PM | Comment

Triumph of the anteaters

UC Irvine held on to the lead and UCSB could never quite catch up. The Eaters won 70-52 and Peter the Anteater managed to make it through the entire game without committing another faux pas. Well, there's alway tomorrow.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:54 PM | Comment

Hard Luck Peter

The anteater sign is very similar to the NCState Wolfpack's hand gesture .

It's halftime here and UCI is still up by 10. No player on either team has hit double digits yet. I've got more on the Peter the Anteater sage. He apparently was not taunting the UCSB fan section, but was touching the officials and trying to get them to flex, which apparently is a no-no in Anaheim. For the record, he was given his last warning and the next time that Peter acts inappropriately, he will be kicked out. Imagine that, they're going to kick out the mascot. I wonder what that does to your school spirit. Smells like a revolution in the making.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:53 PM | Comment

Lunatic Fringe

There's a guy in the aisle behind the basket who won't stop dancing. I'm not talking about during TV timeouts or breaks in the game. This guy has been dancing for five minutes straight. I think he's a UCI fan, the Eaters are up by 11 with six minutes left in the first half. I also just saw Peter the Anteater get reprimanded for taunting the UCSB fan section. I thought that was what he was supposed to do. Silly school officials.

This guy's been dancing in the aisle for the entire first half.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:53 PM | Comment

Do you like apples?

Like cows to the slaughter, the teams, the bands, the cheerleaders keep rolling in. In football the in-state battle between UW and WSU is called the Apple Cup, named for the state's cash crop. But for a basketball game? In LA? (Searching for a press packet...) Yep, still the Apple Cup.

Wash State won both rivalry games this year, by 28 in Pullman and four in Seattle.

Johnny, tell 'em what they're playing for. With a loss, Washington is N.I.T bound. The Cougars are playing purely for seeding.

And that clinking sound you hear? That's the price tag for WSU coach Tony Bennett going up and up.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 11:52 PM | Comment

Let's go eaters!

Can you think of any mascot less intimidating than Peter the Anteater?

This is just bizarre. The UC Irvine band is decked out in lab coats, while the UCSB band is dressed in Mexican ponchos (I guess because they are the Gauchos.) Plus, there's an anteater wandering around the court. I half expect a banana slug to slither out and toss up the tip.

How about this mascot for UCSB.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:51 PM | Comment

The shot is up...

5...4...3...2...1. Stanford's Anthony Goods long three at the overtime buzzer swished through the net. Too little too late; they were down seven. USC moves on to the next round as Stanford's players have gum all over their face--their bubble may have just burst. (FYI, I just got my bracketology degree in the mail yesterday.)

But what does this really mean? Said the reporter next to me, "Well, another day of Song Girls, at least."

Next up: UW-WSU

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 11:50 PM | Comment

Poo Poo the Tinsel of Popular Acclaim

And you know what Frank Robinson went and did in the second overtime after I gave him a Hoops Odyssey shout out? He went and dominated. He blocked a key shot and then raced down the floor and made a pretty lay-up. Then Pacific misses four consecutive foul shots and CSUF wins it 100-92. Oh, and I just realized that the Titans have a Bobby Brown and a Frank Robinson in their starting five. Now there's something you don't see every day. Next up on the docket: UC Santa Barbra against UC Irvine. Talk to me, Matt. I miss your musky voice...

Frank Robinson, ladies and gentlemen. Give it up for Frank.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:39 PM | Comment

DID someone say OT?

Up 69-67 with 30 seconds left, Stanford's Anthony Goods missed two freebies that would have iced the game. Tim Floyd set up a play for OJ Mayo before realizing he isn't due until next fall. Instead, Trojan Nick Young hit fallaway jumper from the wing to tie it with with 11 seconds left. Goods' retribution jumper -- think MJ's over Ehlo but reverse angle -- was swatted as time expired.

More basketball. And it doesn't cost anything extra. Yay!

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 11:22 PM | Comment

Double the Fun

Double overtime. Old ladies are fainting. The guy with the beard has finally lost his voice. Fingers are crossed. The CSIF elephant can't dance anymore. At 88-88, we're going to our second five minute extra time. I love it. The players are so exhausted no one can hit a free throw. Don't leave it short, indeed. I've got a feeling this Fullerton player named Frank Robinson is going to take over. He's got the name, now we just need to see the game.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:15 PM | Comment

Tie Me Up

Tie game, baby. Tie game. End of regulation. Overtime. Hysteria here in Anaheim. Of course, right after the last entry when I said that CSUF was taking over they started playing like three-year-olds on Ambien and got behind. But they came back in the end and now the score's 76 a piece and we're heading for overtime. I take your PAC-10 and raise you a Big West.

My god, man. That is an ugly shirt.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 10:59 PM | Comment

Little arms and all

UW's Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman take in the undercard game

A run of fun minutia with 5 minutes to go, the Cardinal up 58-56.

- As I walked by the USC bench, a screaming match broke out between Trojans head coach Tim Floyd and USC forward Dwight Lewis. "I've got him," said an animated Lewis (not sure who "him" was). Responded a beet-faced Floyd, "You haven't (bleeping) got him once yet." Spittle everywhere.

- Jimmy, a squat man with tiny arms, had a halfcourt shot to win a Pontiac Thundersomething. Don't leave it short, I thought to myself. Just don't leave it short. Jimbo left it short. 20 feet short.

- They just announced that if your program is signed by former Oregon coach Dick Harter you won a prize pack. Dick Harter? I think Howard Stern's minions just pulled one over on the Staples marketing people. (Yes, I just turned 11)

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 10:49 PM | Comment

Rough and Tumble

That's just unfair. You know I can't match that. Why you got to rub it in?

Here's a game update, 'cause I know you're curious. With the score 59-54, CSUF has slowly started to take control of this game, although it's getting sloppy. The Tigers Justin Burns just missed two dunks. Not one, but two. Somehow he can still hit the fall away jump shot though. The guard play leaves something to be desired, but the effort's there. Everybody's hitting the floor. If the Orange Curtain doesn't stop whistling in my ear, they might be hitting the floor too. I kid, I kid. I'm a peaceful man.

In the folds of the Orange Curtain you'll find an old guy with a white beard and a very loud voice.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 10:27 PM | Comment

Decisions, decisions

I see your CSF lovlies and raise you a Song Girls.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 10:17 PM | Comment

Fuzzy End of the Lollipop

Matt, so good to hear from you. It's been such a long time since we talked. What? Six? Seven hours? I've got to tell ya, I feel kind of lonely here in Anaheim. Fortunately, the women are beeeeauuutiful in this neck of the woods and the game's close. (Pacific leads by two at half.) Okay, so it's not the UCLA cheerleaders or PAC-10 bball, and I'm not seeing a potential #1 seed play or hanging out where the Lakers hold court, but I am currently watching the best Dance team in the nation. The CSUF dance team has won the National Championship 7 of the last 8 years. And you can't beat that with a bat...You jealous yet?

The CSUF Dance Team dominates my nation.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 09:45 PM | Comment

What's in the water in Palo Alto?

Dear Jake,
It has been five hours since I lost saw you and it feels like days. I'm watching Stanford and USC play but all I can think about is our rendezvous. That Siamese surgery you mentioned in which we get literally attached at the hip? I'm down.

Speaking of twins, Stanford boasts a set of literal twin towers, 14-feet of freshman fun Brook and Robin Lopez. What is it with overachieving identical twins and Stanford? First, the Collins brothers and now this duo? I bet those tennis twins that always win the doubles tournaments went to Stanford, too. Man, twins are creepy.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 09:23 PM | Comment

Titanic Voices

There's not many of them, but they're loud. Cal State Fullerton's fan section, the Orange Curtain, sits directly behind me and I can't even hear myself think. There's this old guy standing in the front row that's got to have the loudest voice this side of the Mississippi. Unprompted, he sang the entire national anthem. Typical of California schools, the Orange Curtain isn't just foul-mouthed, but creatively dark as well - if that makes any sense, which it doesn't since I'm trying to avoid using an adjective that either condones or condemns their actions. The Curtain doesn't limit its heckling to just the players, but also the Pacific cheerleaders. The fans had a chant of "Syphilis, Syphilis" going when the Tiger cheerleaders first took the court and now they're chanting "Cellulite."

Tuffy the Titan likes what he hears from the CSUF fan section.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 09:19 PM | Comment

Pacific Heights

Pacific has traditionally been the Big West powerhouse. They've represented their conference in the Tournament each of the last three years. And they've proved that they can compete with the big boys. They won their first round games in both 2004 and 2005. But this seems to be an off year for the Tigers. They're #7 in the Big West with only a 5-9 conference record. Plus, their fans are outnumbered four to one by the CSUF fans in Anaheim. Outlook doesn't look good for the Tigers.

Those Pacific Tigers, they're grrrrreat.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 09:05 PM | Comment

Big West is the best

Jake clocking in, here. Love the west coast weather, hate the traffic. Took me three hours to drive from Santa Monica to Anaheim. I got through the entire L.A. Times on the drive...but now I'm here, at the Anaheim Convention Center. 12 minutes to tip off. Pacific vs. Cal State Fullerton. Both teams are have orange as one of their school colors. Consequently, the fan sections are indestinguishable. More to come as soon as I do a little research and figure out something to say about either team until then, I present to you, a picture.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 08:44 PM | Comment

The Streak Continues

The Cal band members can't believe their good fortune

No Pac-10 team has repeated as tourney champs since 1990 and it won't happen this year, either. Last year's winner UCLA was knocked off by the plucky Cal Bears 76-69, as Ubaka finished with 29 points, eight in OT.

Does UCLA keep a one seed after this lackluster performance? If Wisco or UNC wins its conf championship things may change, but for now, they're probably safe.

No. 8 seed Cal, on the other hand, is trying to accomplish what Syracuse did last year as a 9-seed, sneaking into the NCAA toruney the only way they can. And if you're looking for tickets to any of the rest of the games, they just got a whole lot cheaper.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 08:04 PM | Comment

OT baby!

Ayinde Ubaka - do you ever miss? Down three with under a minute, Ubaka -- who made all four of his attempts in the first half -- stroked a long three to tie it at 59. After a nice Darren Collison layup in traffic, Ubaka, lost his defender on a killer cross and swished a short floater to re-tie it. Collison then missed a 18-footer for the win and we're headed for extra time...

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 07:52 PM | Comment

Game on, Bruins on the run

Hey Bruin, move that giant head out of the way

Just looked up from investigating why the Bruins dance team wear number 21 basketball jerseys in the second half -- "I don't know," said one. "They just gave us these" -- and the Bruins have somehow gone up by one, 42-41. Not only that, this place is full and rocking. It's 4:24 on a Thurday. Don't these people have jobs?

As for the No. 21 mystery, last year's senior co-captain Cedric Bozeman wore the number. I'm guessing there were just a bunch left over in the bookstore. Now that's being resourceful, Bruins.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 07:21 PM | Comment

Land of the Stars?

At the end of the first half of the Battle of the Bears, Cal leads 37-25. No. 3 UCLA appears to have taken a page out of Arizona's playbook and is playing with the aggresiveness of a three-toed sloth. Watching them they look completely ordinary with no player, with the possible exception of Josh Shipp, -- 15 points, 5-7 from three -- appearing to have a future career in this sport. Which got me thinking...

For such a basketball factory, UCLA has sent a surprising dearth of stars to the NBA lately. Since 1988 only one player that has been drafted has made an all-star team (Baron Davis). And I don't see that trend changing anytime soon with Afflalo, Mbah a Moute or Shipp. Their best shot: next year's stud recruit 6-10 center Kevin Lowe.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 07:02 PM | Comment

Workers of the World Unite

I miss the office. This is my view from courtside of the UCLA game. Woe is me.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 06:12 PM | Comment

The Big Tease

Chase Budinger (right) sums up how Arizona looked all game -- down and out.

Today's first game -- Oregon vs. Arizona -- looked sexy on paper but it was about as much fun as talking on the phone with a supermodel. "Really, you went and got your nails done? How was that? You haven't eaten in three days? I, um, kinda, gotta go." Even the Zona cheerleaders weren't as hot as I expected.

Quick note: for the basketball nuts and bolts of the Pac-10 tourney, CSTV's Jason Owens has got you covered. I'll be covering more the scene here. Owens just mentioned to me that UCLA and Cal both have the same colors (blue and yellow, the same mascot (Bears, Bruins) and the same fight song. But the Cali fans here at the Staples Center are all about UCLA.

Zona played like a team that knows it's not on the bubble, losing 69-50. The players couldn't have looked less interested in being here. I know they're in but the committee would be wise to instead insert a bubble team that actually would be thrilled to be at the dance. The Wildcats hear that Electric Slide beat now and their eyes glaze over.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 05:20 PM | Comment

California Dreamin'

We hear they're experiencing record-lows back east.That makes us feel good as here on the left coast, we're on a record-high -- six big-time college basketball games in one day. Yep, you heard that right. I'm embedded at the Pac-10 tourney, while Jake is kickin' it at the Big West. Feel free to live vicariously through us all day.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 03:50 PM | Comment

March 07, 2007

HANDING OUT THE ODIES

As postseason play gets underway, we take a look back at the top regular-season performers that we saw with our own four eyes. This is not a list of the the best players, or the best NBA prospects we saw in the flesh -- though, not surprisingly, there's considerable overlap. This list, however, is the ten guys who happened to shine the brightest on the nights that our rears happened to be in the seats.

Jake and Matt present the first annual All-Hoops Odyssey teams

First Team All-Hoops Odyssey

Guard - Sean Singletary, Virginia - The UVa guard had 17 points, including the game-tying basket at the end of regulation, and the game winner with a second left in OT giving the Cavaliers a 68-66 win over Duke.
Guard - Nate Funk, Creighton - In games against Indiana St. and No. Iowa, the sweet-shooting guard finished with 41 points including 5-12 from three-point range.
Forward - Kevin Durant, Texas - In a recent loss to Kansas, the freshman phenom scored 25 points in the first half(!) before spraining his ankle. He finished with 32 points and nine rebounds.
Forward - Al Thornton, Florida State - The FSU foward showed the ability to score inside and out while scoring 21 points, including 2-3 from long range in a 68-67 win over Duke at Cameron. Thornton earned bonus points for taunting the Crazies after the final buzzer.
Center - Greg Oden, Ohio State - In a 74-67 win over Indiana, Oden finished with 21 points including 9 for 10 from the line...lefty! On the defensive end, Oden intimidated the Hoosiers best player D.J. White into shooting 3-14.

Second Team All-Hoops Odyssey

Guard - Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State - The frosh point guard edged out fellow freshman DJ Augustine by dishing out 10 assists against 0 turnovers in a home win over IU.
Guard - Dionte Christmas, Temple - The Owls guard finished with 30 points on 10-16 shooting (5-8 from three) in a 98-89 win over UMass.
Forward - Julian Wright, Kansas - The silky-smooth soph totaled 46 points and 34 boards in wins over Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas.
Forward - Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina - Psycho averaged 23 points and 10.5 rebs in a games against Miami and NC State.
Center - Kyle Visser, Wake Forest - The senior center finished with 26 points in 23 minutes in an 85-75 win over Georgia Tech.

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Posted by Administrator at 11:32 PM | Comment

March 06, 2007

Hi-diddly-ho, No mo'

Seriously, nobody spike the punch. Oral Roberts is going to the party. While lying, cursing, smoking, gambling and drinking are prohibited at Oral Roberts, dancing, it turns out, is highly encouraged.

FYI, ORU cheerleaders are QTs

On Tuesday night, Oral Roberts (which sounds like a dental school but isn't) outlasted Oakland (which sounds like a California school but isn't) for the Mid-Continental Conference Championship. ORU forward and Tourney MVP Caleb Green was a beast on both ends scoring 28 points. Senior guard Ken Tutt banked in a jump-stop seven footer with 31 seconds remaining to break a 67-67 tie, and the Golden Eagles held on to win 71-67.

For the second year in a row, ORU will represent its conference in the NCAA tournament. Earlier in the day, the Oral Roberts women qualified for the women's bracket by also beating Oakland.

VIDEO: ORU'S MABEE MANIACS APPLY THEIR GAME FACES

WATCH CLIP  

Oral Roberts is just a few minutes from the John Q. Hammons Center, in Tulsa where the game was played, and the local fans showed up en mass (or perhaps for mass) and practically willed their team, down 11 points at halftime, to victory. “This is one of the loudest places we’ve played in this year," said Oakland guard Erik Kangas, who had 6 threes in the first half, "and we played at Pittsburgh, UCLA, Arkansas."

The Mabee Maniacs, pound-for-pound the loudest student section in the country, chanted, stomped, and banged on the seat backs until the final buzzer, at which point, they poured onto the floor and moshed at center court. Seems unbecoming of a faith-based Christian school founded by a televangelist?

This Mid-Con basketball power, which beat Kansas in Lawrence earlier this year, can no longer be characterized as Ned Flanders U (he's a graduate). These students are basketball zealots. And get this: an hour before tip we spotted 75 students "congregating" in a nearby parking lot, slugging carbonated beverages and huffing paint fumes at a tailgate party. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what's going on?

VIDEO: EDDIE SUTTON ON ADVISING HIS SON, ORU COACH SCOTT SUTTON

WATCH CLIP  

OK, so we're exaggerating. The ORU tailgate party, it turns out, was fueled by nothing stronger than drink coaster hamburgers and generic sodas. And the intoxicating blue and white paint? Used strictly for facial application, we assure you. Once the game started, the Maniacs even figured a way to take the curse word out of the universal "We're gonna beat the (bleep) out of you" chant by changing it to "We're gonna beat you, O-R-U."

OK, so they still have a hint of Flanders in 'em.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 11:29 PM | Comment

March 05, 2007

Blowout Boogie

Any professional will tell you, if you go to enough basketball games, you're bound to get a blowout every now and then. Considering how many games we've attended on this Hoops Odyssey, we're doing pretty well. There was that beat down UNC handed Miami and the whooping Georgetown put on West Virginia, but hey, two out of sixty something odd games ain't so bad. Okay, make that three...

How come the Thing doesn't get to wear a Mexican hat?

After a long drive from St. Louis, we're finally here in Tulsa for the final two rounds of the Mid-Continent Conference tournament. In tonight's first game, conference powerhouse, Oral Roberts, faces off against IUPUI, a team we've already witnessed once this year. Matt and I are itching for some high-flying, rim-shaking hoops. Six hours in the car has made us anxious to get back to the excitement of postseason basketball.

When we arrive at the John Q. Hammons Arena at the UMAC (try saying that ten times fast) the place is crawling with hometown ORU fans. They're everywhere, decked out in yellow and blue, screaming, "Let's Go Eagles". Meanwhile, other than its band, IUPUI has maybe two supporters in the house. They quietly sit in their red sweaters and clap when their Jags take the floor. Not much rivalry going on here.

Right from the opening tip, we realize why more Jaguar fans haven't made the trip from Indianapolis. IUPUI, which lost its star player to a broken foot in December, looks outmatched against an Oral Roberts team that beat Kansas in Lawrence this season. The Jags fail to score a basket in the opening five minutes and finish the half trailing 37-16. (They'd never get closer than 15 and eventually lose 54-75.)

Great, now what are we going to write about? I'm thinking to myself. There's no drama here. The drive through Missouri was more fun than this and that says something 'cause that was one long flat drive. And then my Hoops Odyssey knowledge kicks in - or maybe that's just common knowledge. "If you're looking for a good time," the little voice says. "Go to the student section."

Call it luck, but we always seem to find ourselves hanging out with the dance team.

Ignoring the fact that I'm now hearing little voices, I heed the advice. With only one set of fans to choose from, I make my way over to the Oral Roberts students. The first three rows are a mass of yellow afro's, blue face paint, super hero masks and ski goggles. How had I not noticed these lunatics earlier? Such a smart little voice. I'll have to listen to it more often.

The Mabee Maniacs, as the ORU student section calls itself, is an organized club with over 75 members at today's game. And when I say organized, I mean it. The Maniacs (named after ORU's home arena, the Mabee Center) have chants for every situation and they're not written on handout sheets or dry erase boards like some other schools we've been to. Each member has memorized all the songs and dances and the entire section acts as one cohesive unit. Even with ORU up by 23 in the second half, the Maniacs don't let up. They bounce and chant and wave like the their team's fate hinges upon their unwavering support.

"We have a different theme for every game," says Mabee Maniac president, Daniel McKenna. "Today, it's just our school colors, but we've also dressed up as rock-stars, pirates and 70's stars. If we make the tournament, we're going to do everything in our power to be there, no matter where the game is."

Standing in the middle of the Maniacs brings a whole new life to what would otherwise just be a blowout. ORU's Caleb Green scores his 21st point of the game and gets fouled and the student section goes nuts. Any steal, foul, lay-up or otherwise meaningless play turns into a cause for celebration or consternation. I get so into the action that the Maniacs think it would be fun to actually pick me up and have me crowd surf ten rows into the stands. I ride these kids' hands for what seems like hours. WEEEEEEEEEE, I yell before I finally get brought back to earth.

VIDEO: CROWD SURFING WITH THE MABEE MANIACS

WATCH CLIP  

Ahh, but now we're having too much fun. Like most good parties, someone has to call the cops. When the students eventually put me back down, security is standing in front of me, looking pissed and threatening to take away my credentials. Apparently, they find my behavior unbecoming of a reporter.

Reporter? I say. I'm no reporter. I'm a Maniac.

Nuggets
------------
Cool Ending - While security did threaten to take away my press credential, they actually ended up being pretty cool about the whole ordeal. After a nice long conversation, we both agreed that if I was going to crowd surf again, I would not wear my credential. Sounds reasonable to me.

Nebkheperure Tutankhamun - ORU's starting point guard is named Ken Tutt. No joke. The Golden Eagles have a pharaoh leading their team.

Game 2 - In the other Mid-Con semifinal, #2 ranked Oakland came back in the second half and squeezed by UMKC, 83 - 79. That sets up tomorrow's final between ORU and Oakland. Let's hope this one's a barn burner.

Leftovers - We had a video leftover from yesterday's MVC Finals. Check it out
VIDEO: AN INTERVIEW WITH CREIGHTON'S MASCOT

WATCH CLIP  

Sunday in St. Louis - If you're ever in St. Louis on a Sunday night, you've got to check out BB's. It's right across from Busch stadium and it's not only got live blues but great catfish, as well.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 12:39 AM | Comment

March 04, 2007

One Day in The Valley

If you want a blow-by-blow account of Creighton's MVC Championship win over Southern Illinois, CSTV's resident bracketologist/mad slogger Jerry Palm has got you covered. We, on the other hand, present you with a Best and Worst roundup of Sunday's lighter moments, including cheerleaders that can't spell, a celeb diss and why Luther Vandross should never have made an appearance.

BEST ASSIST
Early in the second half, Creighton's Nate Funk dove for a loose ball, shifted his weight, and while still on his back, fired a twenty foot dart to a streaking Dane Watts for a layup.

WORST ASSIST
On the first play of the game Creighton center Anthony Tolliver lost a contact in the lane. As a result all ten players on the floor got on their knees to look for the missing lens. After a minute or so, Salukis guard Jamaal Tatum found it thereby enabling the Blue Jays' second-best player to remain in the game.

BEST CALL
CSTV's Jerry Palm pointed out that Creighton was actually better off losing this game. His reasoning: By winning, the Blue Jays catapulted from a ten seed to an eight or nine seed. Palm explained that 7 vs 10 and 8 vs 9 games are both basically tossups, but the winner of the later has to play the one seed, while the 7 vs 10 winner gets the two seed. "There's a big difference between the ones and two (seeds)," said Palm. Creighton's win basically derailed its Sweet Sixteen hopes.

WORST CALL
The CBS crew (Gus Johnson and Clark Kellogg) referred to Funk as "Brad Pitt with a jump shot." Two female Creighton fans who took the shuttle back to the hotel with us disagreed. Said one, "His face looks like it was squished in a vice." And that was from a supporter!

BEST DRESSED

Check out this Creighton fan hamming it up for the camera.

WORST DRESSED

Sometimes the guy on the right will zip up the stars and bars and just wander the supermarket aisles checking out all the brands of mustard, thinking to himself, "America, baby. Gotta love it."

BEST FANS
The crowd was probably 70% maroon (Southern Illinois), 29% royal blue (Creighton), and 1% yellow. Even though their team was bounced, about three hundred Wichita State fans, sporting their team's colors, showed for the final. "We were hoping to see Wichita," explained Jeff Cathy, "but we'd already paid for a ticket and these games are too good to pass up."

WORST FAN
St. Louis Rams receiver Terry Holt watched the game courtside but rebuffed our interview request saying, "Sorry, I'm just here hanging out with my son." We're sorry, too, Terry, but nobody disses the Odyssey and gets away with it.

BEST CHEERLEADER PERFORMANCE

The SIU cheerleader who fell fifteen feet onto her neck during a routine in last year's conference finals? She's back in action.

WATCH CLIP  

WORST CHEERLEADER PERFORMANCE

S-Y-A-J-U-E-L-B? What's that spell? Bluejays backwards. Not sure if two-sided cards were the right call, ladies.

BEST QUESTIONABLE JUDGEMENT
Erika, the wife of SIU head coach Chris Lowry yelling at the ref:
"Hey ref, you suck."
(Ref turns around)
"Yeah, you heard me."

WORST QUESTIONABLE JUDGEMENT
Creighton's "Funk U" signs were good, the "Give 'em the Bird" tees were OK but the arena officials drew the line and confiscated a "HEY CR8N GO FUNK YOURSELF" sign.

BEST POSTGAME MOMENT

Creighton celebrating in style

WATCH CLIP  

WORST POSTGAME MOMENT
After the hardware was handed out the JumboTron played an MVC-version of "One Shining Moment" (the Luther Vandross edition). Playing OSM anytime before the NCAA finals is a definite no-no -- it cheapens the real thing. Secondly, they must have assumed Creighton wasn't going to win because there were but a handful of Blue Jays highlights. "This sucks," declared one of the players forced to watch the montage of Salukis, Sycamores and Shockers.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 11:01 PM | Comment

March 03, 2007

The Smell of Victory

Hoops Odyssey has finally arrived at our last regular season game and, let me tell you, it's not pretty. I've been wearing the same underwear for a week now. I smell so bad fellow reporters slide farther down press row. My beard itches and I've been cultivating a vicious case of halitosis (not to mention this rash, I'll spare you the details.) But I'm not complaining...not when there's a Big 12 regular season title to be celebrated...

Hey kids, spell it with me, J-A-Y-H...oh forget it, I'm tired...

All 16,300 fans in Phog Allen Fieldhouse are on their feet. Except for the NBA scouts, no one has left the building. The Kansas players huddle together in front of their bench, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders. Coach Bill Self stands apart, almost smiling with the assistant coaches. Everyone watches the Jumbotron as highlights of the Jayhawks 13 Big 12 conference victories play. When the montage finally shows clips of Kansas' recently completed 90-86 victory over Texas, Phog Allen erupts.

After four previous Big 12 titles, Lawrence has to be accustomed to this kind of success, but that doesn't seem to make today's victory any less special.The players fight their way through a hoard of photographers to mid court where they're presented their fancy crystal trophy. They hold it above their heads. The fans throw up their hands and roar. The Kansas AD pops an unlit cigar in his mouth. Gentlemen, he says, I think there are some nets that need to be cut down.

Rule #1: Always stick around for the halftime show.

Kevin Durant and the Longhorns did everything possible to prevent this Jayhawk celebration. In the first half, Durant played the most impressive basketball Hoops Odyssey has seen so far. Even with Julian Wright draped all over him, he was unstoppable. One inch of separation was all the NCAA Player of the Year (yeah, we'll go ahead and say that right now) needed to score.

The boy wonder had 25 points by halftime. HE WAS 5-5 FROM DOWNTOWN. Even when he didn't score, Durant would draw the double team and kick to a wide open Augustin or Abrams for a three. Due almost solely to Durant's unbelievable play, the Longhorns went into the break up 12.

But Kansas knew it couldn't rain forever. In the second half, the freshman phenom couldn't repeat his stellar performance. His shooting had already cooled off considerable when, with 11:15 remaining, he landed awkwardly on his ankle and had to be helped off the court. That's when Kansas pounced and took the lead once and for all. Even after the Texas freshman returned, the gimpy ankle and Jayhawk pressure defense limited his effectiveness.

VIDEO: DURANT'S BROTHER TALKS ABOUT HIS BIG BRO'S SKILLS

WATCH CLIP  

All said and done, Kansas wins by four, notches its 14th conference victory, clinches its fifth Big 12 season title, and becomes only the third school to reach 1,900 W's. I'd say that's pretty good reason to celebrate.

And so, I'm on the court after the game, wondering when I'll get my next shower and watching the victors one by one climb the ladder and cut off a piece of net. Chalmers, Wright and Robinson get the loudest ovations, but nothing compared to the standing "O" Coach Self receives as he grabs the scissors from Wright and scampers up to the net.

To many of these Kansas fans, basketball is a religion. I think we said that about Hoosiers too, but there's a distinction. Folks from Kansas lack the harsh negativity that underlies the Hoosiers' love of Naismith's game - think about how hard it's been for IU to retain a coach since Knight.

Granted, the Jayhawks just won a conference title, but still, everyone is positive, and they were even when their team was down at half. There's no cursing, little yelling at the refs and no insulting the opposing team.

The Jayhawks eagerly wait in line to slap hands with a future NBA superstar.

As the Kansas players take their celebration to the locker room, a few fans venture down to stand by the hardwood. "No, we're not going on the court," they tell a concerned security guard. "We just want to pray." They hold their hands out, pointing to the foul line, and say a few words on Kansas basketball, followed by a Hail Mary. Then they quietly walk back to the stands.

Well, I'd never seen that before. It seemed almost wasteful. I don't think the Kansas basketball team needs a whole lot of prayers, I think. The squad seems to be doing just fine on its own. What these fans should really be praying for is the poor reporter who's gonna sit next to me and my pungent aroma at the post-game conference.

Nuggets
------------
PRETTY POLITE PEOPLE - While the crowd at Phog Allen Fieldhouse was aggressively loud, it was also surprisingly polite. When Durant rolled his ankle, the Kansas fans cheered both when he hobbled off the court and when he returned to the bench. Hardly College Park...

MVP BOOKENDS - We saw Greg Oden in the first game of the Hoops Odyssey and so it is fitting that we see Kevin Durant in the last game of our regular season. If you haven't already picked up what I'm putting down, the kid is amazing. I can't say enough good things about his play. His shot release is so high, even Julian Wright can't block it. And he's silky smooth, both driving and shooting. When Durant's on, there's simply no way to stop him. Whichever NBA team is lucky enough to acquire the stand out has got a future NBA MVP on their hands. If you think that's too bold a prediction, you haven't seen him play.

ALL-HOOPS ODYSSEY - It's the last game of the Hoops Odyssey regular season, and that means we've got an All-Hoops Odyssey team in the works. The way we figure, there are few people out there that have seen as many live games as we have (we've seen over 80 teams play so far, thirty of those will probably make the tournament) and so while we might not be experts - whatever that means - we are experienced. Give us the weekend and we'll post our our first and second All-Hoops Odyssey teams for your viewing pleasure.

STYLISTICALLY SPEAKING - Julian Wright and Russell Robinson each had designs shaved into their heads. As far as I can tell, Robinson's was just a drawing while Wright had his initials carved onto his noggin. When we were at Memphis, Jeremy Hunt had the same hairstyle going on. Verdicts still out. I can't tell if it's daring, like afros and facial hair, or unnecessary, like tattoos and spandex body suits.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 09:21 PM | Comment

March 02, 2007

Oh, This is Ladies Night

We've claimed all along that this is an equal opportunity Odyssey. Sure, we've mainly focused on D-I men's ball so far, but tonight we're adding another dimension. We've arrived in Kansas City to see the women's D-II MIAA Tourney and to make it more interesting, we'll be live blogging. Or glogging. Or slogging. Whatever the kids are calling it, that's what we're doing.

GAME ONE: Washburn vs. Southwest Baptist

Jake and the Lady Hornet have a private moment

Pregame: The website calls the MIAA Championship the "Best-Kept Secret in Kansas City." I'd prefer the phrase "If you've heard of us, we're not playing." The ten teams in the conference: Central Missouri, Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Missouri Southern, Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri State, Pittsburg State, Southwest Baptist, Truman and Washburn.

15:37 Washburn and Southwest Baptist are knotted at nine. The SBU players have religious crosses on their shorts but their team name is the Lady Bearcats. I'm guessing it was the once the Deacons or the Thumpers or something but the PC police got involved.

13:20 Here's something I've always wondered about women's basketball: Everyone always assumes that it's easier to score with a smaller ball. But If you hit the rim in the same spot with a men's and women's ball, isn't the men's ball, which is bigger and thus has more mass, more likely to go in? You know, objects in motion tend to stay in motion or E=MC², or something? If Tim McCarver were slogging this, I'd bet he'd have the answer.

THE MIAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN D-I and D-II

WATCH CLIP  

11:07 We're tied up at 13. I'm estimating the number of people here for at the Cedric Maxwell Invitational, er, MIAA Tourney, including fans, players, band members, refs, cheerleaders, popcorn vendors, etc, is 300. Number of people that aren't working, playing, or related to a player...I'm guessing 6.

4:47 Time to get Wiki with it. Turns out Washburn was named for Ichobad Washburn, a church Deacon and Industrialist who gave the school $25,000 in 1868. The men's team is called the Ichabod's, the women are the Lady Blues. Ridiculous. No reason they shouldn't both go by the same name. These girls have killer Ichabods.

1:16 Washburn takes a six-point lead with a minute to play. Famous Washburn alums: Bob Dole, MLB manager Davey Lopes and "noted anti-homosexual crusader" Fred Phelps. Not a phrase you want on your tombstone.

0:22 We've got our first knee injury for those of you in the ACL Pool. Washburn's Megan Sullivan, who's already sporting a bulky brace, lands awkwardly and goes off clutching her right knee.

Halftime: Despite being one for 12 from long range, Washburn leads 28-22.

The Southern Baptist cheerleaders strut their stuff

19:34 We're back in action. Sullivan is gingerly hobbling around near her team's bench. I'd say her return is doubtful. I know, it's a lot more fun when Erin Andrews says it.

16:27 Washburn is now up 12 and piling on. I'm trying to convince Jake to try to get a wave going. He's dubious.

16:00 Sullivan checks in, all gimpy like Willis Reed. I have to say this is a pretty irresponsible decision by her coach. Ted Johnson is having concussion flashbacks.

14:22 More from Wiki: Southwest Baptist -- school motto: Inspiring Excellence, Building Futures, Honoring God -- went through tough times at the turn of the century. In 1908 a fire destroyed the only building on campus. Honoring God since 1909, apparently.

11:10 It's 56-30 Washburn. Sorry, I have no idea how it got out of hand so fast. I was checking out a Photoshopped pic of Erin Andrews posing with an Iowa student. At least I think it was Photoshopped.

5:42 Washburn's up 71-41. Barring a miracle, Southwest Baptist's season's over. If Southwest Baptist comes back, I'll convert.

0:00 Game over. Washburn advances. I'm on a coffee mission.

GAME TWO: Emporia State vs. Central Missouri

14:55 Emporia State lost to the Central Missouri by six earlier in February and then beat them by 44 nine days later. ESU pulls out to an early 14-7 lead.

13:41 All of Emporia State players are wearing black kneepads, just in case an impromptu volleyball game breaks out. 18-12 ESU.

Hoops Odyssey highly advises against this look

12:04 ESU's Genae Glasper just got called for an offensive foul and fired a "bull----" bomb at the ref. She's officially my favorite player on the court.

9:13 The ECU men's mascot is the Hornet, while the women are the Lady Hornets. Unlike, say, with teams called the Bulls, is there really a need to differentiate gender with hornets? Do the lady hornets not have stingers? Paging McCarver. Tim McCarver to press row. Oh, ESU now leads 20-12.

5:4 Central Missouri's Megan Schoefield loses her shoe and Emporia goes right at her in the post scoring easily. That was like the lion attacking the antelope with the broken leg.

3:19 Before each set of foul shot the Emporia State players get in a mini circle and hold hands. Seriously. Not enough time for Kumbaya, I guess.

2:30 I'm really digging Emporia State, currently up 41-19. PG Cassondra Boston keeps her head up while pushing the ball. Michelle Stueve, the second leading scorer in the conference, gets her points without forcing shots. Casey Henningsen gets great position in the posts. 6-3 Denisa Svarova is an intimidating presence on D. I've never seen them play before but I'd say this team is peaking at the right time.

0:00 ESU is up 46-19 at the break. Key stat of the first half: UCM shot 6-31 in the first half, while ESU was 18-29. It seems like women's games have a tendency to get lopsided more often than men's games. I wonder why that is.

Halftime Two nine-year-old girls teams are playing an exhibition and they're just stinking up the joint. Up and down the court they go, all bunched up, taking ill-advised shots. One girl had a wide-open layup and shot it over the backboard. It's gotten so bad that the fans are applauding everytime a girl hits the rim. The two teams shoot roughly 2-46. I'm just kidding; it actually was kind of awesome. The girls all had huge smiles when it was over and now they're running to the concession stand to get ice cream. That was like an advertisement for Title IX.

17:40 Half two is underway. The ref just called for a stoppage in play while a UCM player re-bunned her hair. ESU 49-UCM 23.

15:14 Not a lot of info on the dubyadubyadubya about Emporia but here are some interesting notes on UCM. In 1984 the "Jenny-Mules" were the first NCAA tandem to win both the men's and women's basketball championships in the same year. Also, Phog Allen coached here for seven years before returning to his alma mater, Kansas, in 1920. The inventor of Cheerios is a Central Missouri alum, as is Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People. I always assumed Carnegie went to Carnegie Mellon.

12:21 I'm sitting courtside at press row and my cell phone just blew up. Tis' a wee bit quiet in here; I'm not exaggerating when I say the entire crowd heard it.

9:11 Nice drop step and lay-in by PF Meagan Fromm, UCM's resident jenny on the block. In the industry, that's what we call crowbaring in a joke. And not even a good one. OK, ladies, let's wrap this up. Daddy has airline stewardesses to hit on in the hotel lobby.

4:15 Just scored some media pizza. They say pizza is like sex -- even when it's bad it's good; this slice was like a threesome with Tonya Harding and Meat Loaf.

2:12 Coming out of a timeout, ESU's Michelle Stueve just grabbed a rebound in traffic and slammed it home in one motion. Just seeing if you're still paying attention. ESU is up 62-45.

0:00 That's all folks. Emporia wins 67-50. We're off to Lawrence tomorrow to see Kansas and Texas play for the Big 12 Championship where we'll get our first look at The Kid. Hasta manana.

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Posted by Matt Waxman at 11:26 PM | Comment

March 01, 2007

Let's do this, St. Louis

My eighth-grade history teacher, Mr. Cutts, used to refer to St. Louis simply as the "Gateway to the West". We were learning about the settlers and the Oregon Trail and I guess he was trying to get the city's importance in American history through our thick skulls. Well, Mr. Cutts, mission accomplished, except that recently St. Louis has taken on a new variation of its old nickname: Gateway to the NCAA Tournament.

Nobody messes with Evansville's mascot, except for Matt. He knows karate.

Let the post season begin. Hoops Odyssey is here in STL, at the Scotttrade Center, for the first round of the Missouri Valley Tournament. Last year, these teams were referred to as mid-majors, but after their impressive post-season run, we can probably drop the mid and just call them major. This season, Southern Illinois is ranked 11th in the nation. Creighton has a shot at making the Tournament. And Missouri State, which beat Wisconsin, also holds a legitimate resume. This doesn't even take into account the team that's going to actually win the MVC tournament. Yup, this conference is major, baby.

Game 1: Drake-Evansville
During the first game I sit with Jack Owens and Brad Korn, two Southern Illinois assistant coaches who are here to scout their second round opponent.

"This is a great opportunity," says Owens. "During the regular season we're not allowed to scout games live. We've got to watch tape, but when you're actually at the game you get a chance to pick up a team's signals and their play calls."

Owens scouts Evansville, while Korn checks out Drake. They both not only watch the game intently, but listen too. (That makes my interview a little tougher to conduct, but hey, I'm used to awkward silences by now.) Occasionally, they'll jot down a note on the back of a media packet. "Run and jump offense," Owens writes about the Aces. "3/3 to start off the game."

VIDEO: HOOPS ODYSSEY ASKS THE MVC COMISSIONER SOME HARD HITTING QUESTIONS

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"For the most part, by this point in the season, we know what each team's going to do," says Korn. "We're looking for old plays with new wrinkles - a new out-of-bounds play or a set out of a timeout."

Maybe they're just naturally laid back guys, but neither assistant coach seems too worried about their second round opponent, whichever team it may be. By halftime, they've put their pens down and are either talking on their cell phones or chatting with each other about AAU basketball.

That's probably because they've got a long night ahead of them. After the game, Owens and Korn will go back to the hotel and brief the team on what they saw from the winning squad. Then they'll stay up watching film until 2 or 3 in the morning. Tomorrow, they'll be up at seven to eat breakfast with the team before the Salukis' shoot around.

"Yeah, we don't sleep a lot," says Owens. "But what we do helps our team out and we enjoy trying to get our guys prepared to win a game."

Result: Drake and Evansville shoot the lights out in the first half. Drake shoots 76.9% from behind the arc and Evansville knocks down 58.3% of their threes. Each squad cools down in the second half, but it's still a high scoring affair. Evansville rallies late to send the game to overtime, but the Aces run out of gas in extra time and fall 101-96.

Game 2: Illinois State - Indiana State
This game's not quite as pretty as the first one, but it's just as close. Illinois State seems to be dominating. They're deeper and more talented, but every time I look up at the scoreboard the game is close. Indiana State shoots airball after airball, but the Sicamores always seem to get the ball back and eventually walk away with a 68-65 victory. If you want to know more, check out Jerry Palm's slog.

Are they saying "Go Hawks" or "Mohawks"?

Tasty Nuggets

Hairless in St. Louis - Oh, the things players will do for good luck. The entire Drake team, minus center Aliou Keita who obviously isn't superstitious, shaved their heads before the MVC Tournament. Three of the players decided to take it one step further, or is that one step back, and sport mohawks.

Pronunciation - Lord have mercy on the Drake announcer. You try correctly pronouncing Aliou Keita, Adam Emmenecker, Jacob Baryenbruch, and Armel Traore dit Nignan. (Spellcheck hated that one.)

Swimming Lessons - Drake center Aliou Keita is a survivor. As an eight year old in his home country of Senegal, he was on a school trip when the boat his class was in flipped. 20 of his classmates drowned, but Keita survived by holding onto the side of the boat until help arrived. I bet that experience keeps basketball in perspective.

Gunslingers - Kyle Anslinger and Jason Holsinger make up the Evansville backcourt. That means there's a slinger and a singer bringing the ball up the court.

Like Bro - Kyle Korver's younger brother, Klayton, plays for Drake. In the opening half against Evansville, little Korver looked a lot like his big bro - who went to MVAC rival Creighton - shooting 3-4 from downtown and scoring 9 points.

Ace's Wild - Ace Purple, the Evansville mascot, is easily the best dressed man in the building. Created in the image of a turn-of-the-century riverboat gambler, Ace sports a white tuxedo, a white hat and a cane. Hide your daughters, St. Louis. The guy's a straight-up P-I-M-P.

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Posted by Jacob Osterhout at 11:54 PM | Comment