Random thoughts during the College Hoop Tourneys

There is no truth to the rumors that BIG EAST refs were seen working the St. John's vs. Rutgers game with gravy stains from Little Louie Carnesecca's favorite Dante's Restaurant in Jamaica, Queens.  Two of the NCAA's highest rated officials, Jim Burr and Tim Higgins, along with Earl Walton, were working the game.  Rutgers Coach Mike Rice took the high road in interviews after the controversial finish where no fewer than three calls went against the Scarlet Knights.  With the victory, St. John's will be making its 20th quarterfinal appearance in BIG EAST championship history but only its first since 2003.

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Former Georgetown star Jeff Green, recently acquired by the Boston Celtics in a trade with Oklahoma City for Kendrick Perkins, will be the difference maker for the Celtics in the upcoming NBA Playoffs.  However, the Celtics will need either Shaquille O'Neal or Jermaine O'Neal (or both) to step up in a significant fashion should they face a big, strong frontline such as Paul Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum of the LA Lakers.

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Wonder what happened to Stephon Marbury?  Well, he's still toiling in China.  Here is a recent profile on his life in the Chinese Basketball Association by The Washington Post.

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Why does the Postmaster General make more money than the Vice President of the United States of America?

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Villanova's fade in the last 12-15 games makes them a prime candidate for the NIT, rather than the NCAAs.

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Capital One Cup dot com has been putting some serious ad dollars into a program that no fan truly understands.  $200G to the school that has the best finishes in all sports, including crew, field hockey, you name it.

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Does either DePaul or South Florida get relegated to the minors when TCU joins the BIG EAST next year?  How do they seed the extra team?  Triple bye to the conference winner?