This LSU women's basketball coach scandal is very interesting. Interesting to me because I think about the idea of "what if it happened in the men's hoop game"? It would be story that is 100 times bigger. For those that aren't aware the former LSU's women's basketball coach, Pokey Chatman resigned under suspicious circumstances, and published reports are that those circumstances dealt with the fact that she was having sexual relations with a former player (while the player was on the team). Now LSU is in the women's Final Four. Think about if this was Florida's Billy Donovan that was accused of the same impropriety. We would be talking about nothing else! As it is, we hear about the LSU story but it's not really front page material. My guess is that has to do with the fact that people accept and even expect a certain amount of "gayness" in women's sports. Because of that we are glossing over the huge fact that Pokey Chatman was getting it on with one of her OWN players! Regardless of your feelings about homosexuality, coach/player intimate relations is a huge taboo and is an absolute outrage. She shouldn't have been able to resign with money still coming her way. She should have the book thrown at her. I don't care if she ever ends up partners or married to this player (who is an adult), it's still something that shouldn't occur in a team setting. If Billy Donovan did this he could never show his face again. Ever! Reports are out there that Pokey Chatman is basically in hiding over this. Sure she's facing some embarrassment and other negative press over this. In my mind she should be facing much worse.

-I was ecstatic about the Georgetown/North Carolina game. I've been a Hoya fan as far back as the Pat Ewing days and I absolutely loathe the North Carolina Tar Heels. People ask me how I can possibly like the Duke Blue Devils. I always respond the same way. "Because I hate NC". It's kinda of an either or with those teams. Anyway, I loved the game. I thought Hibbert and Jeff Green were the difference makers. I'm looking forward to the Ohio St. game.

- On a football note, I'm reading the rumors today that Joe Theismann is out at Monday Night Football. What? You mean the t.v. execs actually listened to fans and realized what almost all of us already knew (that Joe T sucked donkeys as a broadcaster). This piece of news makes my day.

I keep hearing about how there are no Cinderella teams left this year in the NCAA tournament. I mean UNLV is the highest seed left and they are a #7. Still even though some mid-majors got respect in the tournament seeding (about time), that doesn't mean if they make it to the final four it won't be a "Cinderella"type story. Butler and Southern Illinois are great teams but a lot of us are still figuring out who they are. UNLV has name recognition but let's face it they haven't been in the national picture since the early 90's. And Vanderbilt, USC, Oregon, & Texas A&M may be from power conferences but they haven't been historically powerful basketball teams in those conferences by any stretch of the imagination. So in reality we have a whole lot of teams that have the opportunity to wear the glass slipper this coming weekend. I like that

March Madness Thoughts:

1. I really whiffed on a few picks but I did get it right on 12 teams for the sweet 16. I had George Washington and Albany as sleeper Sweet 16 picks and both got crushed in the first round (Albany? I know...I know. I was on cold medication that day.... I was impaired) . I also should have seen a Duke exit in the first round. All the signs were there.

2. While the committee seems to have done a decent job on seeds, they screwed up on putting Duke at 6 and letting Stanford in at all, much less an 11 seed.

3. Xavier absolutely should have beaten Ohio St. but I'm still amazed that Gred Oden doesn't get called for a flagrant foul at the end of that game. It was right in front of the official. If it wasn't the final seconds of a game (officials get conservative at that time) it would probably have been a different story. Still, if Xavier makes a free throw we're not even talking about this.

So my Alma mater, Utah State had a decent season this year (23-12) but again not good enough to make the Dance without a conference tourney championship. Oh well. I'll be rooting for two other home-state teams to do well (BYU, & Weber St) but honestly I'm not even picking them to make it out of the first round. Another favorite of mine is Georgetown (I've been partial to them since my early teens when Hoya Paranoia meant something).  My bracket looks like this:

Into the final 32:
Florida, Arizona, Butler, Maryland, Winthrop, Oregon, UNLV, Wisconsin, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, S. Illinois, Duke, Pitt, Indiana, UCLA, N. Carolina, Marquette, USC, Texas, George Washington, Washington St., B.C., Georgetown, Ohio St., Xavier, Tenn, Albany, Louisville, Texas A&M, Creighton, Memphis

Into the Sweet 16:
Florida, Butler, Oregon, Wisconsin, Kansas, S.Illinois, Pitt, Indiana, UCLA, N. Carolina, Texas, George Washington, Georgetown, Ohio St. , Albany, Texas A&M, Memphis

Elite Eight:
Florida, Oregon, Kansas, UCLA, N. Carolina, George Washington, Ohio St., Texas A&M,

Final Four:
Oregon, Kansas, N. Carolina, Texas A&M

Championship:
Kansas, N. Carolina

Champion: Kansas