As the world turns in college basketball...

College Basketball Ramblings Today

---I think the Tub-ster leaving UK was a good thing. I know several big time UK fans who began to hate Tubby with a passion. Weird that he goes to the Gophers....he could have went almost anywhere. Great coach but lots of pressure to win at UK. Will turn Minn around within 4 years look out Big 10.

---Why did Josh McRoberts declare for the NBA....dang him....
---2007 College Basketball Coach of the Year has got to go to Vandy's Coach - Kevin Stallings. The fact that Stallings' Vanderbilt team is in the tourney (we are talking about Vandy here)and in the Sweet 16 for the second time in four seasons is amazing.
---Tenn should have won last night and A&M should have won but they didn't.
---Durant and Oden should go pro and will.
---Winthrop's coach going to UK....nah but he is making a run at being a "Coach in Demand." The Eagles will have a hard time keeping him....gone within 2 years.
---Heard it here....UNC will win the 2008 NCAA Championship but not this year.

Former SC Players improve...

We all know that many NBA fans and Isiah Thomas critics alike balked at the Knicks' first round pick, Renaldo Balkman (Knicks, F) but lately he has been turning heads thanks to his strong per minute numbers. For every 48 minutes he plays, Balkman is averaging more than 14 points, 13 rebounds with over two steals and two blocks.

Against the Raptors on March 18, with David Lee on the shelf and Eddy Curry in foul trouble early, Balkman came off the bench and recorded his third double-double of the season with 15 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 32 minutes. Balkman is averaging fewer than 14 minutes per game, but his performances of late have some hoping for more PT.

Tarence Kinsey, SG with Memphis, played the most minutes of his young career on March 20th. He put in 33 mins and scored 10pts, 5 rbs, a steal and 2 assists. Again I hope more PT comes his way.

We here at LOHD wish them the best.

Gamecocks on TV this weekend, about damn time

Well unlike last weekend when Dev and I sat at the Precinct and made the poor tattooed bartender flip thru every channel on the flat screen, to find the Carolina baseball game. Which was not on TV for some reason? This weekend’s series against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State will be on Sports South (Time Warner cable channel 21).

Game times will be 7:30 p.m. today, 4 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m., Sunday,

Why I hate Clemson

For the past 2 years my friends that are Clemson fans have been giving me shit about how the NIT is crappy tournament that means nothing. The winner of the NIT is the best losser, the 66th best team. Now all of the sudden Clemson is playing in the championship and the NIT is a tuff tournament of teams that should have made the NCAA tournament but were held out for bias reasons. I love how the tables have turned all of the sudden. So is the NIT a legit tournament or just a joke to everybody outside of the state of South Carolina.

Time for Football, practice at least

Update on what the 2 SC Baseball Players did....

Portion below is from THE STATE newspaper. It is a update to "what" the two USC baseball players did and are being charge with.

"Pitcher Nick Fuller was charged with six counts, stemming from the alleged theft of $9,600 of property, including three desktop computers and cash from the USC coaches’ offices. Multiposition star Lonnie Chisenhall was charged with one count each of grand larceny and burglary stemming from theft from a dorm room.

The arrest warrants said the incidents took place the night of March 13, while USC was on spring break. Both players turned themselves in Monday afternoon and were in jail late Monday night. Fuller’s bail was set at $15,000 and Chisenhall’s at $5,000, according to lawyer Neal Lourie, who represented each player at the bail hearing.

According to the arrest warrants, Fuller and Chisenhall were charged with entering the Roost Residence Hall room of fellow student Juan Rivera and taking a flat-screen TV, a PlayStation 3 and DVDs. The total property was valued at $2,000.

The players were later identified when some of those items were sold to E.B. Games, according to the warrants.

Fuller also was charged in two other incidents: the theft of three desktop computers, valued at a total of $4,500, from the USC Academic Enrichment Center; and $3,100 in cash from the coaches’ offices.

The pair were highly ranked prospects: Fuller was a third-round pick in last year’s Major League Baseball amateur draft, and Chisenhall was picked by Baseball America as the nation’s top freshman."

Full article can be read by clicking here - http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/16937160.htm

Comments???

Why can we not keep from breaking rules?

I guess rules are made to be broken but this hurts the baseball team....big time!

University of South Carolina freshmen Lonnie Chisenhall and Nick Fuller have been permanently dismissed from the baseball team after a violation of athletic department policy, head coach Ray Tanner announced today.

Chisenhall, a left-handed hitting outfielder and infielder, started started USC's first 19 games, hitting .313 with a home run and 13 RBI. He did not play in USC's last game, a 9-5 victory over LSU on Sunday. He was the number one recruit out of high school.

Fuller, a right-handed pitcher, has made six appearances, all in relief. In five innings he did not allow a hit or run while walking 7 and striking out 7.

Wonder what they did???

Baseball Polls and Vandy...

The University of South Carolina moved from No. 3 to No. 2 and Clemson University remained No. 6 in this week's Baseball America rankings.

The Gamecocks fell one spot to No. 5 and Clemson stayed No. 6 in the Collegiate Baseball rankings.

Vanderbilt replaced North Carolina atop the Baseball America rankings.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt lost its No. 1 spot in the Collegiate Baseball poll to unbeaten Florida State (23-0) after losing its first game of the season to Mississippi.

South Carolina (17-3) hosts UNC Asheville on Tuesday, then visits Wofford on Wednesday. The Gamecocks, who went 4-1 last week (including 2-1 against LSU), are at Mississippi State this weekend.


When did Vandy become a SEC powerhouse??? Sweet 16 team in basketball, #1 team in baseball...what is next SEC champs in football?

Down to 16...

So we are down to the "Sweet" 16.....My bracket over the weekend took some hits. How about yours?

I really did not think the Badgers would lose this early but I guess UNLV is the real deal. And I guess Butler is deserving of the #5 Seed they got but thought Maryoland would hold their own and pull out a 'W'. I am liking the ducks vs the gators. I like Southern Ill and had them making it this far but I feel their run ends against the Jayhawks. The real shocker to me was the "other" USC winning against Durant lead Texas. I thought the longhorns would win it and go on to upset UNC. Oh well on that one....And what about Vandy. Yeah I know...Vandy. They will lose against the Hoyas but nice run.

So far my final four in the Pick'm contest is in good shape. I got UCLA, UF, Hoyas and OSU. My other office pool bracket is shot...the only good left in it is my final two being between A&M and the Jayhawks with Kansas winning it all. But there is no hope left in winning the "office pool."

How are your brackets looking?

Ole Sweet 16...

Sweet 16 looks like this:

1. UF
2. butler
3. Oregon
4. UNLV
5. Kansas
6. Southern Ill
7. Pitt
8. UCLA
9. UNC
10. USC
11. Vandy
12. Hoyas
13. OSU
14. Tenn
15. A&M
16. Memphis

Suprises to anyone?

Which #1 will lose?

Which #1 Seed will lose first?

-UNC
-UF
-Ohio State
-Kansas

Can UF do it?

Florida matched the last six defending national champions by advancing to the third round with its 74-67 victory over Purdue. Which one could argue that they had a rough time with....

The other six teams.....North Carolina, Connecticut, Syracuse, Maryland, Duke and Michigan State.

The last team to repeat was Duke in 1992. And before that UCLA.

So do you think Florida will repeat?

Look at Conferences..

Looking at my bracket this morning and the damage that was done. I decided to look at the conferences since we always here the talk of which "conference is best" argument. Here is how it shapes out:

The Atlantic Coast Conference had the most teams in the field of 65 with seven. The Big Ten was one of three leagues with six. They both have just one team left in the third round.

North Carolina, the top seed in the East Regional, is the lone ACC team remaining and Ohio State, the top seed in the South Regional, is the only Big Ten remaining.

The Southeastern Conference, which started with five teams, and the Pac-10, which started with six, each have three teams still alive.

The Big 12, which started with four, and the Big East, which started with six, both have two left.

So which conference is best?

R2-D2 taking over the world...

No this is not a ploy by Bin Laden nor Luke to take over the world but I must say it is a 'nifty' idea.

The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled their line of R2-D2 mailboxes, which are out to promote a new stamp, celebrating the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars." The mailboxes were distributed to 200 cities nationwide. The "Star Wars" stamp will be available March 28.

What are similar images or ideas for mailboxes would you recommend for the USPS to use?