Damn I am a genius:
So UCLA beat Arizona. Let's take you back two days... I write "UCLA beats Arizona in the first round". I demand my props! So maybe I was wrong about Iowa but that's ok, cause we hate them anyway.

Not much of an update for today cause I am too lazy. This weekend I will be at the Big 10 Tournament so don't expect any updates until Sunday night. At this time the brackets will be released and there will be a MASSIVE update (I might just turn that update into my doctoral disseratation it will be so freakin huge).

Birthday notice:
Johnny Keaveny turns the big 21 this saturday. If you are in the C-U area stop by and wish him a happy birthday. His only requests for birthday gifts are potatoes and eddy curry's naughty jungle of love.

End Communication  ¶ 6:19 PM

  Big 10 Predictions:
The Big 10 Tournament has never been without upsets and I think this year will be no different.

#8 Ohio St. vs #9 Iowa
That jackass Steve Alford somehow always gets his team to play well in the Big 10 Tournament. It has been a tough year for Ohio St., they are a decent team but were killed by injuries. Brent Darby is a solid player but he can't do it alone and I look for Chauncey Leslie, Greg Brunner, and the rest of the hated Iowa Hawkeyes to win this game by 7.

#6 Indiana vs. #11 Penn St.
Jan Jagla and company got lucky. Indiana by 14.

#7 Minnesota vs. #10 Northwestern
This will be a close game. Northwestern is not a bad team, and Minnesota has not been playing well. However, Rick Rickert and Jerry Holman will be a little too much for Northwestern to handle, they will pull ahead in the second half and wil by 11.

Friday
#1 Wisconsin vs. #9 Iowa
There are 2 truths about the Big 10 tournament in the past... 1. the number 1 seed doesn't win and 2. Iowa plays well. Iowa wins this game by 4, giving Wisconsin a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

#4 Purdue vs. #5 Michigan St.
Two teams headed in opposite directions. Michigan St. by 12.

#2 Illinois vs. #7 Minnesota
They say it's tough to beat a team 3 times in one season but the Illini will do just that, as they spoil the Gophers chances for a NCAA birth. Illinois by 8.

#3 Michigan vs. #6 Indiana
Damn I confess I have no idea about this game. Will Michigan come out strong knowing that "this is there NCAA tournament" (as coach Amaker put it)? Will Indiana be complacent after the win in the first round that might be enough to get them in the NCAAs? I would stay away from this game in Vegas, but I'll go ahead and say that Indiana will pull it out in overtime.

Saturday
#9 Iowa vs. #5 Michigan St.
Izzo and company will end Iowa's run here. St. is too deep and talented for Iowa. Michigan St. by 13.

#2 Illinois vs. #6 Indiana
If this game occurs you will be able to see five great freshmen on the floor. The teams are about equal talentwise but Brian Cook will not be denied and Illinois will squeek by with a 6 point win.

Sunday
#2 Illinois vs. #5 Michigan St.
Well those of you that know me (which I would expect would be just about everyone reading this) know that I am pessimistic when it comes to Illinois basketball. Therefore, it would be very tempting for me to say that Chris Hill will hit 12 threes and Michigan St. will win. However, I think that Illinois played well against MSU both times this year (one blowout win, and that heartbreaking loss at the Breslin Center), and so I say that in the end Illinois will be cutting down the nets as Big 10 Tournament Champions.


  ¶ 6:30 PM

  Mid-majors on the bubble:
So the much anticipated game between Southern Illinois and Cerighton ended almost as soon as it began. The Bluejays destroyed Southern and put them on the bubble. First of all, what is the deal with Southern's uniforms. Their numbers are gigantic. The Salukis came out flat and never recovered (I'm assuming they didn't anyway, I fell asleep at halftime). Later that night the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the mid major darlings, lost in their conference tournament finals to San Diego. It must be stated that the game was played in San Diego's home gym. Also, San Diego had the benefit of having scrub Brett Melton on the bench to cheer them on (he will be eligable next year). Gonzaga had beaten San Diego twice earlier in the season. Finally tonight Butler got beat by the hated Wisconsin-Milwaukkee. All these 3 teams still have a good chance of getting in the NCAA tournament... in the following order... Gonzaga, Butler, and Southern Illinois. It is generally a weak year for bubble teams. These 3 teams should send muffin baskets to Georgia, Michigan and Fresno St. Why? Because these teams are all on probation otherwise they would be in the tournament ahead of the Zags, SIU and Butler.
Sidebar:
Why do we hate Wisconsin-Milwaukkee? Well unless you are an Illini fan over 30 or Andy Crewell then you probably don't know, so I will enlighten you. Once apon a time in the early 90s Iowa turned in our basketball team after they tape recorded conversations between Illinois assisstant coach Jimmy Collins and recruit Deon Thomas. Bruce Pearl, an assistant at Iowa, tape recorded the conversation and turned Illinois into the NCAA. Now Pearl is the head coach at UW-Milwaukkee and Collins is the head coach at UIC. They are in the same conference and when they play each other the two coaches still refuse to shake hands. That is why, in short, every Illini fan should hate the University of Iowa and Bruce Pearl.

Georgia:
This is crazy. The Georgia players should be hiring lawyers and/or dropping out of school. For those of you that haven't been following college basketball (why are you here I might ask?), scumball Jim Harrick and his son were letting players get As in some coaching stratagies class that Jim Harrick Jr. teaches. Well let me tell you something, I took coaching stratagies last semester and it was not all that easy, but that's beside the point. Georgia made the decision to end the season and not be eligable for the SEC or NCAA tournament. This is totally unfair to the players who haven't been found guilty of anything at Georgia. Georgia has some amazing talent in the Hayes brothers and Ezra Williams, and it is unfair that they should be punished. The Bulldogs could have made it to the Final Four if they got hot in the tournament. So who does this decision benefit? Well that's an easy one... almost every other team in college basketball. For bubble teams there is now one more available spot. For teams already in now they know they won't have to face Georgia. For Illinois (because this website is decidingly Illini biased) they know that when they get a five seed they won't have to face a fourth seeded Georgia in the second round (if they did Georgia would beat them soundly). I made it 3 full days without mentioning any acedemic scandles! But the reality is that they are now a part of college basketball. This is something that every player, coach and fan should realize. This can happen to any team at any time, for all we know Cook could be declared ineligable tommorow and Clayton Thomas might have to start because Augastine excepted an illegal slice of pizza at Papa Del's.

Conference tournament Predictions:
ACC
(2) Maryland over (4) North Carolina St.

Big East
(W1) Syracuse over (W2) Pittsburgh

Big 12
(3) Oklahoma over (1) Kansas

Conference USA
(3) Louisville over (1) Marquette

Pac 10
(5) Oregon over (3) California (UCLA beats Arizona in the first round)

SEC
(E1) Kentucky over (W1) Mississippi St.

For more in depth analysis of Conference Tournaments your gonna have to come talk to me in real life cause I am tired of writing.

Womens Report:
UConn lost

Tomorrow Big 10 Tournament Preview
  ¶ 8:02 PM

  First off let me start off by saying that several of you have been quick to point out the many mistakes on the site, both spelling and content. To this I can say, if you want to read stuff that is "correct" by "experts" then go to espn.com. If you want to read random opinions by some guy then this is your site.

Shameless cross-promotional plug:
So you think my website is interesting? Well I got news for you, there is another site out there that is almost as good. Yes that's right it's Matt's site The Wasted Times. If you enjoy reading about things then you will almost certainly dig this site. http://thewastedtimes.blogspot.com


Coming later today:
Georgia controversy
SIU-Creighton report
Previews of major conference tournaments  ¶ 12:19 PM

  What's up dogs? I've been recieiving some complaints from my (2 or 3) readers about the lateness of this post. Well I'm sorry I do have a life outside this website... you don't even know me anymore... Okay now that I've got that out of my system it's on to the Big 10 awards.

All Big Ten First Team
(based on best players, not necessarily positions)
Brian Cook, Illinois, Sr.
Kirk Penney, Wisconsin, Sr.
Lavell Blanchard, Michigan, Sr.
Willie Dean, Purdue, Sr.
Daniel Horton, Wisconsin Fr.

Second Team
Chris Hill, Michigan St., Soph.
Brent Darby, Ohio St., Sr.
Rick Rickert, Minnesota, Soph.
Bracey Wright, Indiana, Fresh.
Devin Harris, Wisconsin, Soph.

Third Team
Dee Brown, Illinois, Fresh.
Tom Coverdale, Indiana, Sr.
Chauncey Leslie, Iowa, Sr.
Jerry Holman, Minnesota, Sr.
Kenneth Lowe, Purdue, Jr.

Big 10 Player of the Year
Brian Cook, Illinois, Sr.

Coach of the Year
Bo Ryan, Wisconsin

Guy who will have the best NBA career playing in the Big 10 this year
Paul Davis, Michigan St., Freshman

All Freshman First Team
Daniel Horton, Michigan
Bracey Wright, Indiana
Dee Brown, Illinois
Paul Davis, Michigan St.
Marshall Strickland, Indiana

All Freshman Second Team
Erzem Lorbeck, Michigan St.
James Augastine, Illinois
Jeff Horner, Iowa
Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
T.J. Parker, Northwestern

Freshman of the Year
Daniel Horton, Michigan

Best Name with apologies to Jan Jagla
Darmetrious Kilgore, Purdue

All Guys I Hate Team
Michael Bauer, Minnesota, Jr.
Gavin Groniger, Michigan, Sr.
Sean Sondeleiter, Iowa, Jr.
Kelvim Torbert (aka Magoo), Michigan St., Soph.
Tom Coverdale, Indiana, Sr.
Pierre Pierce, Iowa, (redshirted)
Coach
Steve Alford, Iowa

All Big 10 2004
Daniel Horton, Michigan
Paul Davis, Michigan St.
Devin Harris, Wisconsin
Bracey Wright, Indiana
Brian Butch, Wisconsin

Second Team
Dee Brown, Illinois
Shannon Brown, Michigan St.
Roger Powell, Illinois
Marshall Strickland, Indiana
Chris Hill, Michigan St.

Big 10 Champion 2004
Wisconsin

3rd Best Player on the North Charleston Lowgaiters of the National Basketball Developmental League (NBDL)
Charlie Villanueva

Well there was never really any doubt that Cook was gonna get player of the year (I hope I did a good job of building it up though). As for the action tonight, if you're bored (and even if you're not) check out a great game between Creighton and Southern Illinois. Both teams are already in the NCAAs and both teams have great players in Kyle Korver (who has not had a great second half of the season) and Jermaine Dearman (aka Ludacris). Here's my take on the just released Top 25... I haven't looked at them yet. At this time of year (or arguably at any time), these lists don't matter. All that matters now is the conference tournaments and 11 or 12 old guys sequestered in a hotel in Indianapolis. That is what will decide who is in and who is not.

Tommorow: Preview of some major conference tournaments
Wednesday: In Depth Big 10 Preview
Thursday: All American Teams
  ¶ 6:40 PM

  Illinois report:

Illinois rebounded from the tough loss at Madison to defeat Minnesota 84-60 Sunday afternoon. The Illini were lead by senior Brian Cook who scored 20 points. I thought Illinois played about average, maybe slightly above average, but that they can certainly play better. A major problems heading into postseason play is the lack of contribution from Augastine in the past few games. He has got to stay out of foul trouble and start contributing if the Illini want to match up against teams with deep and talented front courts. As for the positives, Roger Powell rebounded from his tough game at Wisconsin and Luther Head looks to be (somewhat) healthy. It was senior day at the Hall and the seniors went out well. Illinois is going to be a 2 seed in the Big 10 Tournament and will play the winner of Minnesota-Northwestern. Illinois matches up well against both teams, and I can say that I'd much rather see them play Minnesota than Indiana. However, assuming Minnesota gets by Northwestern (you never know what can happen), the Gophers will be hungry for a win that will get them into the NCAA tournament. A win against a solid Illinois team would do just that.

Speaking of Minnesota, I wasn't really impressed with Pretty Boy Rick Rickert's game. Although he did have a nice stretch early in the second half, he got ate alive by Cook down low. He did display a wide array of moves, however he missed the shots after his moves. There has been much debate over whether Rickert should go to the Association or stay in Gopherland for another year. Well someone should direct him to this site cause I have the answer for him... DECLARE FOR THE DRAFT! Your game isn't that nice, but you will be a lottery pick because of your potential. Rick Rickert is not ready for the NBA, but than again is Nikolits Tskikavidas? (now a multi-millionaire). Go to the league, make some money, and sit on the bench. Don't make the same mistake that Jason Kapono (and even Frank Williams) did and stay too long. You suck and you're not gonna be much better next year so leave now before anyone realizes this.

Other games on Sunday:

Well I was at the Illinois game so I obviously didn't see any of Kansas' victory at Missouri, however this win really does impress me. Kansas is kind of a question mark to me, I really don't think they can make a run to the final four without Wayne Simian (who is out for the year). However, the fact remains that they are the Big 12 regular season champs. Missouri is a solid club and Kansas now has a strong chance to get a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. All they have to do is get to the final of the Big 12 tournament. Even if they lose (to almost certainly Texas or Oklahoma) they would still merit consideration for a 1 seed. Basically UK and Arizona are locks and 2 out of those 3 Big 12 teams deserves the other 2 spots.

Duke just lost a close one at North Carolina further proving that they are overated. The game featured a scuffle between UNC coach Matt Doughrty and Duke assisstant coach Chris Collins. Basically Collins' panties got in a bunch because he thought that Rashard McCants was playing dirty. This doesn't cut it at Duke where the coaching staff will do whatever it takes to protect and baby it's players (exhibit A: Jay Williams, who needs Coach K to accompany him on the road in the NBA). Duke did throw up a prayer at the end that went in, but it was clearly after the buzzer. Duke now looks like a 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, with the possibility of slipping down to 4 if they lose in the ACC tournament in the first round or up to a 2 if they win their conference tournament.

Under the radar Southern Illinois won their conference semifinal game and will play the winner of Creighton-Witchita St (in progress). If Creighton wins that game as expected then the final will be a matchup of 2 of the two best mid-major programs in the country. Reguardless of the outcome of that game both teams will be dancing.

Coming up later tonight, the Big 10 awards including player of the year (Cook or Penney?). That's all for now
  ¶ 5:33 PM