The countdown to March Madness continues...

Peter Tiernan on EPSN Insider predicts Memphis, Duke, UConn & Florida to the Final Four, breaking it down round-by-round.

The sports editor of a student-run newspaper at Virginia Tech likes the Tigers winning the Oakland regional.

Great feature on Tiger freshman Antonio Anderson by his hometown newspaper.

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NCAA tournament fun facts:

- at least one team seeded 12th has won its opening game in the last five tournaments
- a no. 13 has won in four of the last five
- the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 own the most tournament victories in this decade
- not since the tournament went to a seeding process in 1979 have all four top seeds advanced to the final weekend
- only four of the 12 No. 1 seeds in the last three years got there
- no 16th seed has won a tournament game
- only four No. 15 seeds have defeated second seeds
- in all even years since 1989 a no. 1 seed has lost in the 2nd round

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Sould CUSA copy the formula the Missouri Valley Conference used to get four teams into the NCAA tourney? The teams did a good job this season massaging their RPIs. CUSA bubble teams like Houston & UTEP should pay attention to this.

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Mark Fox of Nevada, Mark Turgeon of Wichita State, Chris Lowery of Southern Illinois & Mike Anderson UAB: which of these coaches will use postseason success to move on to another job next season? Is there a Bruce Pearl in this group? Give any of these guys a win or two in the Big Dance & you can bet some of the big boys will come calling.

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Dallas celebrates the 20th anniversary of it hosting a Final Four that changed the way we view the semis & championship. The article says the host site was the first to use a different floor for the event, something that is common now.

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Former Nebraska football coach & now Republican U.S. congressman Tom Osborne is introducing a bill today which would ban beer ads during NCAA sanctioned events.

"We recognize that an end to alcohol advertising during televised college games will not, by itself, resolve the 'culture of alcohol' that exists for too many college students," Osborne wrote in a letter to the NCAA executive committee. "However, such a policy would declare and affirm college's genuine and consistent commitment to a policy of discouraging alcohol use among underage students. ... We strongly encourage the committee to act on the side of the health and safety of college students, athletes and young fans by ending all alcohol advertising during NCAA broadcasts."

C'mon, do we really believe that banning alcohol ads is going to cut down on drinking on campus? I do not deny it's a problem & I sure don't promote or encourage the binge drinking which takes place. There has to be a better way.

What's next? Coke ads? After all, sugar makes kids fat... as a matter of fact I read the other day obesity in children is at an all-time high & that leads to diabetes & other problems. You could ad sugary cereal ads to this category as well.

Or how about McDonalds? Their food can make you fat, give you a heart attack & die.

See where I am going here? Where will it stop? Sorry for the rant, but it's times like this the libertarian in me rears its ugly head & starts spouting off.

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I am not totally distracted by the upcoming basketball tournament. The Tiger football team started spring practice yesterday & coach Tommy West was not pleased.

"There was a lack of discipline, a lack of attention and a lack of attention to detail," West told the Commercial Appeal shortly after the two-hour workout. "It was terrible. Now, there are people that are trying very hard, but trying hard will get you beat if you're not doing things the right way. I was very disappointed in the way we did the little things. But it was the first day."

As a side note I am very disappointed I missed the media luncheon Monday which marked coach West's return following bypass surgery last month. This guy is a fighter. It's no wonder he's been able to steer his team's three consecutive winning seasons. He's first class. Welcome back, coach.

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Terrell Owens in a Cowboys jersey next fall? One sportswriter hopes not, writing: Owens will be Parcells' poodle. If Big Bill says no on this kind of player, then it won't happen. And if Parcells says yes, that tells us just how desperate he really is. There's no need to rehash the ramifications of having Owens on your team. Yes, he's the best receiver in the league. Yes, he's the worst team-guy in the league. But while trading out Owens for Keyshawn is a football upgrade at one position, it's not worth all the soap opera it brings. The Cowboys don't need Terrell Owens.

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Former baseball star Dwight Gooden was ordered held without bond this morning for violating his probation. This comes after admitting to his probation officer yesterday that he had been using cocaine.

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