Who do you want to be the next coach?

Kentucky is now officially looking for a new coach. Coach Gillispie's two-year stint will be remembered more for the off-court incidents than actual play on the court. I agree the marriage was not working, but do feel sorry for Gillispie and the rest of his staff. The AD and president could have handled the situation better and deserve much of the blame for the current state of the program. So, what happens now after the overrated Donovan turned us down again?

Who's Now in the world of coaching that deserves a chance to take over the reins of the winningest program in the history of college basketall? How about the winningest coach in the history of college basketball? The one and only Robert Montgomery Knight. He is definitely the most qualified of possible candidates if you can get past the rough exterior. Think the actual chance of this happening is slim to none because he would be too intimidating for the current administration, but it's fun to think about a game with the General on our sidelines against the Hoosiers. Other names being thrown around include:

Tom Izzo (great option but seriously doubt he leaves Sparty for the Bluegrass)
Rick Barnes (rumored to be a choice two years ago)
Thad Matta (seems like a legitmate candidate and would definitely recruit a seven footer)
John Calipari (seriously hope the biggest cheater in college basketball stays in C-USA)
John Pelphrey (our favorite and one devastating mid-season injury away from actually being the front-runner; guy would have the most passion for Kentucky Basketball)
Travis Ford (has somehow climbed up the coaching ranks after nearly being fired at EKU)
Jamie Dixon (class guy that knows how to coach)
Jay Wright (another classy coach that would do a good job)
Brian Lane (Why not? know he would do a great job)

In the meantime enjoy the madness, root for our home-state Cardinals and laugh at the most ridiculously inconsiderate and out-of-shape journalist in Lexington...

PGA TOUR Shot of the Day

Happy 25th Anniversary Morehead State

Many of you have probably filled out a bracket or twelve at this point. Who could be this year's Davidson? St. Mary's would seem to be the best candidate. Patty Mills is definitely capable of producing Stephen Curry-type numbers. Solid role players also surround him and are comparable to Thomas Sander and Jason Richards.

Only problem is, the Gaels are not in the tournament!! They opened up the NIT with a convincing win over Washington State and will now get a chance to play this year's version of the Davidson Wildcats in what could turn out to be one of the more entertaining games of the postseason.

More importantly, the Morehead St. Eagles opened up the tourney with a convincing win over Chief Kickingstallionsims and Alabama St., which knocked out the team with by far the most entertaining band/mascot/cheerleaders. Congrats to Coach Tyndall on the big win and getting to speak with Erin Andrews twice. The last tourney win for the Eagles came in the same UD arena 25 years ago. We know that coach pretty well...

Since St. Mary's inexplicably did not get invited to the dance, look for Clemson to be the highest seeded team with a legitimate chance at the Elite 8. If they can get by Michigan, Oklahoma will have a hard time handling their pressure. Other potential upsets we like in the first couple rounds are as follows:

13 Mississippi State over 4 Washington
12 Arizona over 5 Utah (even though Vegas says the Cats are favored)
13 Cleveland St. over 4 Wake Forest

10 Minnesota over 2 Duke (this maybe more wishful thinking but if the Angles can win the pennant then so can the Reds and so can the Gophers)

Final Four Picks:

Louisville
UConn
Pitt
North Carolina

*Yes those are the four number ones and the tourney is wide open, but there's a chance all four could make their way to Ford Field. (If Louisville gets by Morehead)

Tourney Time

The selection committee should be commended for the job they did. Much like Dick Vitale, I feel for St. Mary's. Not only did the Gaels win 26 games, but they did so without their star Patty Mills for ten of those regular season games. (To compare, this would be like Kentucky playing wthout Jodie Meeks.) Obviously, the committee chose Arizona over St. Mary's because of non-conference wins. Problem is, teams are willing to play Arizona. Teams from the "BCS" conferences have everything to lose and nothing to gain when playing St. Mary's, making it that much harder for the Gaels to obtain a quality win.

Nevertheless, if Cleveland State doesn't win the Horizon tourney, Mississippi St. fails to win the great SEC (which received a grand total of three bids with an 8 seed being the highest), Temple does not upset Xavier and eventually win the A-10, or James Harden scores in the paint on one of Arizona St.'s final possessions to prevent a USC Pac-10 title, the Gaels would be in. Along with probably Creighton, San Diego St., and Penn St. As it stands now, they are out. Maybe next year they will land a quality opponent and get the opportunity for a resume-building win. Then again, they probably won't get the chance.

Upset specials and Final Four picks to come soon. Don't forget the tourney starts on Tuesday with the Morehead St. Eagles in the tourney for the first time in 25 years taking on the fighting Chief Kickingstallionsims(es) of Alabama St. Yes, that's his real name.

LOOK FOR THE EAGLES TO SOAR

Project Bracket

Selection Sunday is finally here. You can throw all the projections up until now out the window. The only one that matters is the one coming out of Indianapolis today. More than likely, this bracket will be better than the real one, but we can only wait and see. Kentucky looks like a solid three seed...in the Never hIre a coach from Texas again. But with or without Kentucky, the next three weeks are the best of the year.

* Should Missisippi St. beat Tennessee and earn an automatic berth, they would replace Arizona as the 12 seed in the Midwest.

EAST

1 North Carolina vs. 16 Radford

8 Texas vs. 9 Siena

4 Gonzaga vs. 13 North Dakota St.

5 West Virginia vs. 12 Northern Iowa

2 Missouri vs. 15 Portland St.

7 Ohio St. vs. 10 Dayton

3 Syracuse vs. 14 Cornell

6 Tennessee vs. 11 USC

MIDWEST

1 Louisville vs. 16 Chattanooga/Morgan St.

8 Butler vs. 9 Wisconsin

4 Wake Forest vs. 13 Western Kentucky

5 Xavier vs. 12 Arizona

2 Duke vs. 15 Cal St.-Northridge

7 LSU vs. 10 Minnesota

3 Kansas vs. 14 Stephen F. Austin

6 Marquette vs. 11 Temple

SOUTH

1 Pitt vs. 16 Morehead St.

8 Cal vs. 9 Boston College

4 Purdue vs. 13 Cleveland St.

5 Washington vs. 12 VCU

2 Michigan St. vs. 15 Binghampton

7 Utah vs. 10 Texas A&M

3 Villanova vs. 14 American

6 Arizona St. vs. 11 Maryland

WEST

1 UCONN vs. 16 Alabama St.

8 Oklahoma St. vs. 9 BYU

4 Florida St. vs. 13 Akron

5 Illinois vs. 12 Utah St.

2 Memphis vs. 15 Robert Morris

7 Clemson vs. 10 Michigan

3 Oklahoma vs. 14 East Tenn. St.

6 UCLA vs. 11 St. Mary's

Who Gets the Rose?

The only Bachelor I ever watched was indeed the one with a football player, albeit Jesse Palmer was never the GIANT this guy was. For some reason, I remember watching that season fairly regularly. From what I remember, the show does a good job of making you come back for each episode.

As for the season that just ended tonight, I caught less than ten minutes. However, I would bet the finale of this season would beat Jesse's like South Carolina beat Kentucky last week. The guy apparently decided his initial choice (Melissa) was not for him and girl number two (Molly) actually ended up being the one. (No doubt the Pistons see Allen Iverson as their Melissa)

In less than two weeks the NCAA Tournament selection committee will dish out roses to 65 teams. When they look at two candidates from the same conference on the bubble, which team will be Melissa and which one will be Molly?

BIG EAST

The decision here will most likely come down to Cincinnati and Providence. The Friars own two victories over the Bearcats, but this does not guarantee they will be picked over Mick Cronin's bunch. Cincinnati owns twice as many victories over RPI-top 50 opponents (4) than Providence. However, the Friars can stake their case for a rose with a win at Villanova on Thursday. Cincinnati faces two must-win games against South Florida and Seton Hall. Then they must do work in the Big East Tourney to convince the committee they are worthy. Guessing Providence loses to Nova away from the Dunkin Donuts Center (that's actually the name of their arena) and Cincy ends up with a rose.

ACC

The committee will most likely face an even tougher decision when choosing between Virginia Tech, Maryland and Miami. All three teams will not get in and depending on what else happens around the country, only one rose may be available. The Terrapins own the best non-conference victories as well as wins over their two fellow ACC contenders, but they also lost to Miami. Virginia Tech might be the best team of the bunch and has suffered many close losses. Jason might initially choose Maryland and then opt for Miami, but we will take the Hokies, if only because of THIS.

BIG TEN

Tubby Smith has done a masterful job with the Minnesota Golden Gophers despite their inabilty to win on the road. A win over Louisville is a tall feather in their cap , but two home games coming up against Wisconsin and fellow rose contender Michigan will determine their fate. Two wins and they are safe. The Wolverines need to beat the Gophers more than the Gophers need to beat them. Much like Melissa, they looked great early with wins over UCLA and Duke. Now a losing record in the league makes them not as appealing. In the end, Jason would be happy because thanks to two great coaches, both the Wolverines and Golden Gophers will get roses on Selection Sunday.

SEC

What will the committee think of the SEC? Will five teams get in? We're guessing only four, with Florida being the odd man out after they lose at home to Kentucky to close the regular season. Kentucky certainly did not help themselves with their two losses last week, but the NCAA streak should stay alive despite the seemingly best efforts of their coach to sabotage it.