Babalicious Tournament Elite 8

The Babalicious Tournament is down to 8 women. In the Sweet 16 in the Jessica Alba Bracket #14 seed Lauren Conrad nearly moved on to the Elite 8, only to just barely lose to #2 Elisha Cuthbert. In the Megan Fox Bracket the first number one seed went out in Megan Fox falling to #5 seed Gisele Bünchen. In the other matchup in the bracket #2 Rachel McAdams, in what some considered could be a close matchup, blew away Scarlett Johansson the #11 seed, who did not get one vote. And in the Rihanna Bracket #6 Hayden Panettiere upset #2 Jessica Biel. So in all the Elite 8 has three #1 seeds, 3 #2 seeds, a #5 seed, and a #6 seed.

Here's the links to the bracket.

Babalicious Tournament

http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=353462&tclass=Babalicious%20Tournament

So here are my votes in the Elite 8 and my commentary on them.

Beyoncé Bracket

(1) Beyoncé vs. (2) Eva Mendes

I think this is the best matchup in the Elite 8. Both are heavy hitters who can win it all. This seems to me to be a matchup where your either all the way in with Beyoncé on this vote or all the way in with Mendes on this vote. I go all the way in with Beyoncé. Give me her or Eva Mendes and I'll choose Mrs. Jay-Z 10 out of 10 times. Their is a reason why I gave her the title of #1 Overall Seed. She deserves it.

My Vote: Beyoncé

Jessica Alba Bracket

(1) Jessica Alba vs. (2) Elish Cuthbert

I never even heard of Cuthbert until Buck made me watch The Girl Next Door. I'm glad he did. She's the true definition of a blonde bombshell. The NHL players lover her and so do I. Alba is great, but I think Cuthbert is a notch better. So I'll vote for my second #1 seed to be bounced out.

My Vote: Elisha Cuthbert

Megan Fox Bracket

(2) Rachel McAdams vs. (5) Gisele Bünchen

A great matchup here. I love both these women. I am going to have to vote against my boy Tom Brady here. Sorry I'm voting for the Notebook star over Mrs. Tom Brady. When I did the seedings initally I had McAdams as #1 seed over Jessica Alba. However, in the final process the selection commitee thought Alba deserved the #1 seed though. I have no problem with that thought process. But McAdams has clearly proved she is on the level of a #1 seed. I certainly think so, which is why I vote her to the Babalicious Final Four.

My Vote: Rachel McAdams

Rihanna Bracket

(1) Rihanna vs. (6) Hayden Panettiere

I really wasn't sure Rihanna would last this long. I'm very glad she has made it this far. And up to this point she has dominated the vote count in each round. I don't think this will be the case at all for this matchup. I have way too much respect for Hayden Panettiere. This gal should have been given at least a #3 seed, looking back on it, and certainly will get at least that high next year. She will give Rihanna quite a fight in this battle. I just hope RiRi can pull it out. She certainly has my vote.

My Vote: Rihanna

Kofod

Urban Meyer Proves Once Again What a Douche He Is!

I had sympathy for him. After his 30 minute retirement and unretirement because of his heart problems I actually felt bad for the man and hope he would get better. I still wish no illness for the man. But the feeling I once had for Urban Meyer returned yesterday when I saw this new story. That feeling is that Urban Meyer is a douche. What happened was Urban Meyer verbally went after a reporter, after the reporter wrote a story about Florida Gators WR Deonte Thompson comparing (now former) Florida QB Tim Tebow to the current QB for Florida John Brantley. The reporter was Orlando Sentinel writer Jeremy Fowler. Fowler, in the story, quoted Thompson as saying (in regards to the comparison between Tebow and Brantley) "You never know with Tim. He can bolt. You'll think he's running, but then he'll just come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With Brantley, everythings with rhythm, time. Like, you know what I mean, a real quarterback."

This created controversy. Thompson was seen as putting down Tebow. Thompson distressed went to Urban Meyer to say he was sorry for the quote. That lead to Meyer blasting Fowler in the video below. Here is the problems I have with it. First off the writer was just writing what Thompson said. Had Thompson said afterward to Fowler to "please don't print that" that would be thing. But Thompson never did that. The fact is the one issue people could have with that quote is the "real quarterback" part. Yeah. Thompson should probably not have said that. But everything else seemed to ring true. Tebow is more mobil, meaning WR's have to be on there toes more, and with a pocket QB in Brantley it would be more rhythm and timing. What is wrong with that statement?





I understand the importance of Tim Tebow at Florida. He has already gone down as the greatest player ever to play there, even over Emmitt Smith, Danny Wuerffel, and Steve Spurrier. But my goodness I have never seen a university go out of its way more to protect a player than Florida does with Tim Tebow. It's nauseating.

And the nerve of Urban Meyer to call out Fowler like that on the practice field, and threaten him. Who the hell does he think he is? Urban your a guy in shorts with a whistle around your neck. Get over it. You are not the "be all end all." I did not think it would ever happen but I hate Urban Meyer as much as I hate Steve Spurrier. And Meyer has shown nothing but respect towards Florida State, Bobby Bowden, and Jimbo Fisher (something Spurrier never did). But Meyer is just as arrogant if not more arrogant than Spurrier.

This is the same Urban Meyer who in 2006 bitch and complained to anyone and everyone that no one wanted to see a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan in the BCS Championship because a national title should not be a rematch. Hello Urban, Florida won their first national title in the 1997 Sugar Bowl in a rematch win over #1 Florida State. So what the hell were you talking about at that point? And Urban whines about refs all the time. He always has something to bitch about. And the way he talks and acts, and carries himself, you would think he's the Dictator of Florida. And just like Steve Spurrier he loves to run up the score on inferior opponents. In this years's 51-24 Sugar Bowl win over Cincinnati Meyer kept his starters well into the fourth quarter. Nice job Urban.

Look I know how great of a coach he is. I would put him right there with Nick Saban,  Bob Stoops, Joe Paterno, Jim Tressel, Chris Petersen, and Mack Brown (and I think Jim Grobe of Wake Forest is near this level too...the guys wins at Wake Forest wtf!!!) as the best coaches in the game today. But my goodness is his arrogance is disgusting. I wish no ill health on the man. But eventually you reap what you sow. On October 2nd Florida heads down to Alabama. I hope the Crimson Tide put the beatdown to Florida in that game. And if they meet again in the 2010 SEC Championship I hope Nick Saban and  Alabama crushes Florida and Meyer again  like in last year's SEC Championship. And watch out Urban. There is a quiet confidence growing in Tallahassee. Jimboo Fisher and Christian Ponder are gearing to get FSU back to the top sooner than later. So enjoy that mountain top for now Urban Meyer. Because, like in life, nothing last forever. Not even that mountain top.

Kofod

Music Video of the Week March 25th

It's about time I put my favorite band of all time here on the music videos of the week. So I have to put a song from The Beatles on here. I'm going with the studio version of The Long and Winding Road. The original version had a symphony in the background. It's good, but I like this quieter version better. This is just a great song. It signfies the end of the Beatles run (song was out in 1969 the last year the band was together), and personally this is my favorite Beatles song. So here it is. The Long and Winding Road.



Kofod

Babalicious Tournament Sweet 16

The Babalicious Tournament is on to the Sweet 16. And like the NCAA Tournament there have been some Cinderella's adavancing to the Sweet 16. The most notable is #14 seed Lauren Conrad who moved on to the Sweet 16 after defeating Halle Berry. Other low seeds to head to the Sweet 16 include #11 seed Scarlett Johansson, and #6 seed Hayden Panettiere. So below, after the bracket links, are my actual votes for each of the 8 matchups and pictures of each of the women going head to head.

Alright the links to the Babalicious Tournament Bracket are below.

Babalicious Tournament

http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=353462&tclass=Babalicious%20Tournament

Beyoncé Bracket

The #1 overall seed in the tournament Beyoncé goes up against #5 seed Carrie Underwood. It's a battle of the Pop Star vs the Country Star.

Carrie Underwood is great. But Beyoncé is on a different level in terms of hotness, beauty, talent, what have you. This vote is easy for me. Going with Beyoncé.

My vote: Beyoncé

In the other matchup in the Beyoncé it's #3 seed Angelina Jolie against #2 seed Eva Mendes.

I have a certain bias here. I am not a big Angelina Jolie fan. Just not. So my vote goes to Eva Mendes. Certainly both are goregeous. But I just think Eva Mendes is better. Plain and simple.

My vote: Eva Mendes

Jessica Alba Bracket

The #1 seed Jessica Alba goes up against #5 seed Sophia Bush.

This may very well be the best matchup of the Babalicious Sweet 16. I have no problem with either woman moving on in this matchup. You got Sophia Bush. She once, briefly, dated Tony Romo (that lucky bastard he dates everyone man!), and has carried a mediocre One Tree Hill show for years. I know Jessica Alba is in awful movies, but my goodness she is beautiful. Such a tough pick. By a very small margin I will go with Jessica Alba.

My vote: Jessica Alba

The winner of Alba vs Bush will go against the winner of Cinderella #14 seed Lauren Conrad going up against #2 seed Elisha Cuthbert.

Lauren Conrad is the story of this tournament so far and I love it. I have been a fan of her's for a while. She was the only reason I ever watched that Hills show. When she bailed, I bailed. But Elisha Cuthbert is on a whole different level. This is the woman Shaun Avery referred to as NHL's "sloppy seconds." So she is notable to say the least haha. I'm taking Buck's girl here in what I expect to be a landslide victory.

My vote: Elisha Cuthbert

Megan Fox Bracket

#1 seed Megan Fox goes up against #5 seed Gisele Bünchen.

What a great matchup here. Two unbelievable smoking women. The Transformers star against Tom Brady's wife. I'm going to vote for my first lower seed here in the Babalicious Sweet 16. I'm a big Bünchen fan. Probably mostly because she is married to my number one man crush (though Christian Ponder is moving up real fast on my list haha) Tom Brady. But is she is amazingly beautiful too, and I don't think it's that big of a stretch to vote her over Megan Fox.

My Vote: Gisele Bünchen

The Megan Fox Bracket also has #2 seed Rachel McAdams going up against #11 seed Scarlett Johansson.

I love both these women. Both are great actresses. Scarlett Johansson seems to be good in every movie she is in. The opening scene of Lost in Translation is one of the greatest opening scenes in movie history. And Rachel McAdams carries "chick flick" movies. McAdams made movies such as Mean Girls, The Notebook, and The Time Travler's Wife very enjoyable and entertaining. Both are very beautiful. Tough pick here for me, but I will go with McAdams. She is on my very short list of celebrity women I like.

My Vote: Rachel McAdams

Rihanna Bracket

#1 seed Rihanna goes up against #4 seed Brooklyn Decker.

You have two women here who recently have had very nice cover shots for major magazines. Rihanna graced the January 2010 cover of GQ magazine. And Brooklyn Decker was on this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in a very similar pose to what Rihanna did in GQ. Lucky for me I have both these particular magazine issues. So who you got GQ or Sports Illustrated? I will go with GQ here. That's not a shocker. Rihanna is my girl. Favorite musical artist, and my opinion as beautiful as any woman in the world today. I understand she has weird hairdos, she seems to have a new tatoo every month, and for some guys there was a backlash towards her after the Chris Brown incident last year (which I will never understand that backlash), but the fact is you can't deny she is drop dead gorgeous.

My Vote: Rihanna

In the other matchup in the Rihanna Bracket you have #2 seed Jessica Biel up against #6 seed Hayden Panettiere.

This is my other low seed I am voting for here. I'll go with Hayden Panettiere over Jessica Biel. Now I voted for Shakira over Panettiere in the last round. I would have voted for Shakira over Jessica Biel had Shakira advanced. I don't think Shakira is a great singer, but I think she is amazingly hot. But she's out and between Panettiere and Biel I will take Panettiere. I will admit I have never seen a Panettiere movie, besides Remember The Titans when she was just a little kid, and I have not watched a minute of Heroes ever. But when they show ads for that show on NBC during commercials I will stop and watch it just for her. That's the power Panettiere has. And she is just starting. She will be an even higher seed as the years go by in this tournament. She's has future potential to be a one seed in the not too far distant future. And I say as a #6 seed I will vote her to the Elite Eight.

My Vote: Hayden Panettiere

Kofod

Music Video of the Week March 17th

In honor of the NCAA Basketball Tournament starting tommorow I thought for this week's Music Video of the Week I would use One Shining Moment. One Shining Moment is the song used by CBS to end each NCAA Tournament after the NCAA Championship Game. It has been used since 1987 when Indiana beat Syracuse. This year's version will feature Jennifer Hudson. So for the Music Video of the Week I didn't choose just one video. I thought I woulds show four different One Shining Moment's to have a little variety. All four of these versions were sung by the late Luther Vandross. In order the videos are Syracuse Title Win from 2003, Florida's win from 2006, Kansas' win from 2008, and UNC's win from 2009.

Preview of the NCAA Tournament and My Final Four Picks

Alright the brackets have been released! Here are my initial reactions of it.

For being a #1 overall seed Kansas, I think, has by far the toughest bracket. I think the best #2 seed is in their bracket in Ohio State. I'm a John Wall guy, but I know how great Evan Turner is. Georgetown is an equally dangerous #3 seed. And whether they get Michigan State or Maryland in the Sweet 16, Kansas will be in for a dog fight for sure. Heck, I think UNLV as an 8 seed could give Kansas some trouble in the 2nd Round.

No problems with Duke as a #1 seed. They won the ACC Regular Season and Post Season Tournament. They deserved it.

Virginia Tech I think is the best team left out of the tournament that has room to complain. Yes they had a very weak non-conference schedule but going 10-6 in the ACC and finishing tied for 3rd, with Florida State, in the regular season ACC standings should have been enough. Oh well, it's not that big of a deal that they are out of it though.

Finally, how about Mississippi State. Today they were 1 tenth of a second away from beating Kentucky and getting an automatic bid in the tournament. 1 TENTH! Alas they are out. Now that is a tough break.


Alright that was my overview. Now here are my predictions.


The tournament means something different to everybody. For many in this area the tournament hinges on how far Syracuse can come. For others it's all about who will be the Cinderella? Some just want to win their tournament Pool and that's where their interest lies. For UNC fans they just want to see Duke fail. For me it's all about FSU!

Florida State is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 2nd straight year. Last year as the 5th seed they lost in the last seconds in overtime to 12 seed Wisconsin. It was a heartbreaking defeat to say the least http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ5aPXpERnE . The fact is Florida State has not won a NCAA Tournament game since 1998. To break that streak they will have to beat Gonzaga in Buffalo. That will be a tough tough matchup. I think it will be one of the best games of the first round of the tournament. Florida State plays as well on defense as any team in the country. They are lead by Chris Singleton who won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He's as good a defender as any player in the country. He can play D and FSU as a whole can play D. But can they score?

I know Singleton can play defense but can he make enough offensive plays like this to get past Gonzaga, and possibly Syracuse?

Singleton averages 10.3 ppg. FSU has a 7 footer in Solomon Alabi who leads the team averaging 11.6 ppg. He's considered by some a possible NBA lottery pick. But he's very raw with weak low post moves. The fact is Florida State struggles on offense. They need both Singleton and Alabi to create points in the post. And they need Deividas Dulkys, the team's best three point shooter, to make a few threes to keep the pressure off Singelton and Alabi to shoulder the load. If Florida State can do these things they can get past Gonzaga in the first round setting up a second round matchup against Syracuse. And then who knows? Maybe FSU could pull off a shocker.

Speaking of shockers here are some upsets I'll predict. I say in the East Region 12 seed Cornell upsets 5 seed Temple. Cornell is much better than a 12th seed. They are not your classic IVY League team. They are legit. I also see 8 seed Louisville upseting 1 seed Duke in the 2nd Round of the South Bracket. I just think Duke is a little overated, and Louisville has the talent and coach to pull off the upset.

I think Cornell can beat Temple in the First Round.

I think Jon Scheyer and Duke will the be the first #1 seed to go.

Siena is damn good. And Purdue has not been the same since losing Robbie Hummel. So I see 13 seed Siena beating 4 seed Purdue in the South region. And I seed 12 seed Utah State beating 5 seed Texas A&M to set up a second round matchup against Siena. Siena will be the Cinderella of the tournament winning that and heading to the Sweet 16.


I'm not usually a chalk guy but I like all the top seeds in the West Bracket (hopefully FSU can beat Cuse though!). In the Midwest region I see 11 seed San Diego State beating 6 seed Tennessee and 10 seed Georgia Tech beating 7 seed Oklahoma State in a rematch of a 2004 Final Four matchup Georgia Tech won.



Alright that's my upsets. Now for my Final Four picks. In the Midwest Bracket, like I said Kansas has a tough bracket. I think they beat Maryland to get to the Elite 8. I think Ohio State gets past Georgetown to make the Elite 8. I'll take Ohio State and Evan Turner in that matchup. The one thing that worries me in that matchup is the lack of a bench for Ohio State. But I think Turner, William Buford, and David Lighty will be enough to lead Ohio State to the Final Four.

The "Villian"/The "Burner" Turner leads Ohio State to the Final Four.

I like Syracuse to make it to the Final Four in the West Region. I think Vanderbilt can give Cuse a tough game in the Sweet 16. Kase likes Kansas State more than I do so he would probably would be more worried about K-State matching up against Cuse than I would. If Cuse met Pittsburgh in the Elite 8 that would be a grind it out, hard nosed, tough matchup for the Orange. I would still like Syracuse in that game though.

For the first time since Melo in 2003 Syracuse heads to the Final Four.

In the East I love Kentucky. I think the only team in this Bracket than can give Kentucky trouble is West Virginia. Like Kase said though WVU is not a great 3 point shooting team though. I think that will cost them if they were to go up against Kentucky. Plus I think Kentucky has too much athletism for the Mountaineers to handle.

John Wall leads Kentucky to the Final Four.

I think Baylor has a big advantage in the South Bracket. If they get to the regionals it is in Houston, Texas. I think that will be a huge homecourt advantage for them. I see them beating Villanova there in the Sweet 16, and then getting past Louisville (or Duke if they don't get upset and make it that far) to make it to the Final Four. LaceDarius Dunn of Baylor will be the the key. He's very underated and I think will be the breakout star of the tournament.

Who?! Baylor to the Final Four?! I say yes!

So my Final Four is Ohio State vs. Syracuse and Kentucky vs. Baylor. I think Kentucky will be way too much for Baylor to handle. Cuse vs. Ohio State could be a classic. Turner scares me, but I think Wesley Johnson will step up and lead Cuse to the title.

Kentucky vs. Syracuse for the National Title. A rematch of the 1996 NCAA Championship. Unfortanetly for Syracuse fans I think it will be the same result. Kentucky will prevail. Kentucky's youth is their biggest weakness. Will they be like Memphis in 2008 and Ohio State in 2007. Both those teams were very young teams that ended up breaking down in the National Championship. Will this happen to Kentucky? I say no. I think John Wall is too good to let that happen. When the game is on the line their is no college player I would want to have the ball more than Wall. If the game is close with Cuse I think he will make the plays down the stretch to win. Plus it helps having DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, and Eric Bledsoe behind him. Overall I think Kentucky is the most talented team in the country. But are they the best? I say that answer will be yes come April 5th.

Your 2010 National Champions the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kofod

End of 1st Round/Start of 2nd Round Babalicious Tournament Summary

Cinderella is Lauren Conrad! In the Jessica Alba Bracket the #14 seed Lauren Conrad upset #3 seed Bar Rafaeli by a vote score of 4-3. The former Laguna Beach and Hills star shocked the Sports Illustrated model and former (rumors are they are back on again) girlfriend of Leonardo Dicaprio in what has to be considered the biggest upset of the 1st round of the Babalicious Tournament.

Heidi Montag ain't got nothing on LC!

Here is the links to the Bracket

Babalicious Tournament

http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=353462&tclass=Babalicious%20Tournament


Other higher seeds to upset lower seeds in the first round included the #12 seed Emma Stone upsetting #5 seed Cameron Diaz in the Rihanna Bracket by a score of 4-3. In the Alba Bracket #9 seed Kate Beckinsale defeated #8 seed Penelope Cruz 4-3. Two upsets occured in the Megan Fox Bracket. #9 seed Anna Kournikova defeated #8 seed Elin Woods 4-3, and #11 seed Scarlett Johansson beat Eva Longoria 4-3. In the Beyoncé Bracket (9) Christina Aguilera dominated (8) Britney Spears 6-1.

Can Stone pull off another upset in the 2nd Round?

A few other intriguing results occured in the first round. In the Beyoncé Bracket (10) Julianne Hough, considered by many to be a sleeper in the tourney could not get pass Mila Kunis in the first round losing 5-2. In the Rihanna Bracket (4) Brooklyn Decker narrowly beat Ana Ivanovic 4-3. And in the Megan Fox Bracket (10) Katy Perry nearly pulled off the upset of (7) Minka Kelly, but in the end lost 4-3.

For Brooklyn Decker it's all about Survive and Advance.

That's round one. Now let's move on to round two and the interesting matchups for this round. In the Beyoncé Bracket (5) Carrie Underwood goes up against (4) Olivia Wilde in what should be a very close matchup. Also can #7 seed, and former That 70's Show star Mila Kunis upset #2 seed Eva Mendes?

Who ya got Kunis or Mendes?

Another great 5 vs. 4 matchup in the Jessica Alba Bracket with (5) Sophia Bush going up against (4) Alicia Keys. The big question in this bracket is can #14 seed Lauren Conrad continue her Cinderella run and pull another major upset beating #6 seed Halle Berry?

Can the glass slipper continue to fit for Conrad in the 2nd Round against Halle Berry?

The top two seeds of the Megan Fox Bracket have tough matchups in the 2nd Round. (1) Megan Fox has to avoid upset against the hot blonde (9) Anna Kournikova. A heavy hitting matchup in the 2 vs. 7 slot in The Notebook heartthrob (2) Rachel McAdams goes up again Derek Jeter's fiancée (7) Minka Kelly.

Can Minka come through in the clutch like her man Jeter or will McAdams roll on to the Sweet 16?

In the Rihanna Bracket #7 seed Jennifer Aniston will try to defeat the notion of age over beauty in trying to upset #2 seed Jessica Biel. #1 seed Rihanna has to try to avoid an upset by #8 seed Jennifer Love Hewitt to move to the Sweet 16.

Can Rihanna get passed JHL to make it to the Sweet 16?

Let the 2nd Round of the Babalicious Tournament begin!

Kofod

Music Video of the Week March 12th

Alright in honor of Beyoncé being the overall #1 seed in the Babalicious Tournament this week's Music Video of the Week is Beyoncé's Crazy in Love with Jay-Z from 2003. In my opinion this is the best song she has ever done, and behind Single Ladies is the 2nd best music video she has done.



Kofod

Why no one will win the NCAA Tournament

Okay, obviously someone has to win the tournament, but every team has a demonstrated a fatal flaw that could prevent them from being able to cut down the nets at the end of the year.

I'll start with Syracuse. The Orange are well rounded, play good defense, average close to 90 points a game, play in the toughest conference in the land in the Big East (anyone who says it's the Big 12 is just plain nuts) and have guys like Andy Rautins and Wes Johnson, who can and have make big shots when needed and the best sixth man in the country in Kris Joesph. Their fundamental flaw, carelessness. They average 15.3 turnovers per game. For a team that wants to win it all that is way to many. When Rautins exits the game the offense often becomes stagnant, unless Scoop Jardine is going off like he did against Villanova, and Anyone who has watched the Cuse a lot this year however know that is not always the case and in fact, Jardine almost cost the Orange a win against UConn in the dome earlier this season. I will admit that he is playing better thought, but no the less, if Syracuse continues to turn the ball over as frequently as they do it will cost them at some point in the tourney. Also the status of Arinze Onuaku is huge. He went down today (Thursday, March 11) and if he is seriously hurt that could spell trouble for the boys in orange.

Kentucky: They are just too young. When your best two players are freshman as good as DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall, you can go far, but win it all? I'm not convinced. Both of those guys know they are going to be lottery picks and at some point, the question of how much do these guys really want it has to be asked. In the Wildcats loss to South Carolina, coach John Calipari even pointed out his team's inexperience saying, "This is what happens when you have young guys who think we're going to win at the last minutes of the game." In their other loss to Tennessee, Kentucky went 2-22 from three-point land, which is abyssmal, but with the inside talent of Cousins and junior Patrick Patterson, who is no slouch himself averaging 14.9 points a game, wouldn't you think that a team that frigid from the three would stop shooting and try to feed the ball to the big fellas? If they learn that they can't always pull out a last second win and that when you miss 15 trey's you might want to go to the low post game, then they could be very, very dangerous, but I just don't see it happening.

Duke: Similiar to many Duke teams in the past, they are too reliant on outside shooting and have no real inside presence. Guards Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith and forward Kyle Singler, who is basically a guard do all the scoring for the Blue Devils. The trio averages 53.3 points a game while Duke as a team averages just 70.2 points a game. If they have an off shooting night or run into a team with even a decent big man they will fall. Starting center Brian Zoubek is about 20 times better than he was last year and he is still awful to watch. A friend of mine put it best when he said that he shouldn't start for any major Division 1 program.

Kansas State: To tell you the truth I really like K-State. They have balance. They play defense. They are solid on the road and have a very underappreciated star in Jacob Pullen (18.5 points per game). Coach Frank Martin has done a good job getting this team to play well in big games, but they are just not quite there yet. In a gritty overtime loss to Kansas, the Wildcats couldn't capatilize on several opportunites to win the game and blew a much needed box out when they were down one. I can see them (depending on the draw) making it to the Elite 8, but perhaps because they are a fresh face in terms of dominant college basketball programs, they won't be entering NCAA greatness, at least not this year.

Purdue: With Robbie Hummel they were easily the least recognized contender for a National Championship, without him they still won't get any love, especially from me. Don't get me wrong, E'twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson are solid, but with Hummel done for the year they are desperately missing a scorer. Boilermakers' coach Matt Painter said, "It's no secret we go through three guys. A lot of games this year, two of those three guys would score well offensively and allow that other guy to have an off night. Now it's a little bit different. Now you have that traditional one-two punch and both of those guys have to be productive in the scoring column." Teams can designate their best two defenders on Moore and Johnson and force the other guys to step up and that won't be enough.

Ohio State: I love Evan "the villain" Turner. You love Evan "the villain" Turner. Any college basketball fan should love Evan "the villain" Turner. The Buckeyes' biggest problem? Evan "the villain" Turner. They rely on him too much. I can see why. He is awesome. Averaging 19.7 pts., 5.9 assists and 9.3 rebounds all while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line it is easy to see why he should be a lock for player of the year. The issue is OSU's other guys don't seem to step up when needed. In every single one of their losses, except one (in which Turner played. He was out for several games with a broken back) he was the leading scorer and only got help from one other player. The Buckeyes have three guys who score in the double figures on average other than Turner, but they can't seem to give him enough help on a consistent basis. Come tournament time you need guys who can get it done other than your number one.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers have three solid big men in Desean Butler(17.1 ppg), Kevin Jones (13.7 ppg) and Devin Ebanks (12.4 ppg). Their flaw is lack of great guard play and low three point shooting percentage. Jones is 6'8" and 250 pounds and has the best 3-point percentage on the team (.408). As I have said balance is huge and now that the college game is fueled by great guard play, West Virginia will have difficulites without one of their own.

Villanova: I think Nova is just too small. They have great guard play, but against teams with good inside guys they can stuggle. The Wildcats' tallest player with any real skill is Antonio Pena and he is only 6-8.  

New Mexico: The Lobos have four players who all avg. between 10 and 15 points which just shows how balanced they are. I admit I haven't seen them play much, but they have been on fire recently winning 15 straight. They could go to the Elite 8 (depending on matchups of course), but with losses to UNLV, San Deigo State and UNLV they could easily fall to a big time program. They just haven't played anyone and a big school that can match their athletiscm will give them trouble. 

Butler: The Bulldogs have a chance to make a run because of their defense. An opponent has only scored over 70 on them once this year. Butler is tough, but with 9 tournament apperances they have been in 0 final fours and I don't think that will change this year. The were dropped by Georgetown, Minnesota and Clemson and UAB, meaning any mid level Big Conference team could knock them out.

Michigan State: I love Tom Izzo. He is one of my favorite coaches. He always has his team ready in tournament time. The Spartans are an excellent rebounding team (39 a game) and they can grind it out. and have a capable bench. Kalin Lucas can make the big bucket, and Raymar Morgan is decent, but even though they average 70 points a game I don't think they can keep up with a team like Kentucky, Kansas, or Cuse.

Kansas: Speaking of the Jayhawks, they are last on the list (for now) because they are the best team on the list. They are 30-2 in a solid conference, averaging over 82 points and 40 rebounds a game. Cole Aldrich is the most fundamental big man in the country (and arguably the best big man in the country) and he is only their fourth leading scorer. Kansas can shoot from treyville. 5 guys shoot 40 percent or better beyond the arc and two average over 50 percent. Sherron Collins is more than capable of making big plays and has been in big games many times before. The Jayhawks are the best team in the land and the deepest team in the land. They are beatable however, Tennessee and Oklahoma state demonstrated that, but there is no formula for how to defeat Kansas. As long as  a team doesn't go off (see James Anderson in the Oklahoma State game) or the Jayhawks don't got cold (25.9 percent from behind the arc against Tennessee) they will have their one shining moment.

(Some stats may have changed. Part of this was written early last week. Also if there are any other teams you would like me to breakdown let me know.)

Kinney

The 2010 Babalicious Tournament Bracket

Alright here is the link to the Babalicious Bracket
Babalicious Tournament

Just click that link and then click the link that says Babalicious Bracket and you'll get to the bracket.

Or if you don't want to do that here is the link just copy and paste.
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=353462&tclass=Babalicious%20Tournament

I couldn' figure out how to just paste the bracket on this website.

Sorry for this inconvience.

Alright here's the lowdown on the bracket. The #1 seeds are Beyoncé, Megan Fox, Jessica Alba, and Rihanna. Beyoncé is the #1 overall seed.

Could this be the Babalicious championship matchup?

Their are some very interesting first round matchups. In the Beyoncé bracket you have a good 5 vs. 12 matchup in Carrie Underwood vs. Evangeline Lilly (Kate from Lost). In the 4 vs. 13 matchup it's two former stars from The OC in Olivia Wilde vs. Rachel Bilson. At a #2 seed Eva Mendes could spoil Beyoncé's shot at getting to the Babalicious Final Four.

In the Megan Fox bracket perhaps the two best first round matchups are Gisele Bünchen (aka Mrs. Tom Brady) vs. Harry Potter star Emma Watson in the 5 vs. 12 mathcup, and the 6 vs. 11 matchup you have Eva Longoria (aka Mrs. Tony Parker) vs. Scarlett Johansson.

In the Jessica Alba bracket an intriguing 4 vs. 13 matchup in singer Alicia Keys against race car driver Danica Patrick. Also the 7 vs. 10 matchup should be good in Kim Kardashian vs. Gabrielle Union.

Finally in the Rihanna bracket the 8 vs. 9 matchup in Jennifer Love Hewitt vs. Charlize Theron should be good, and (as much as I hate to say this) the winner could upset Rihanna in the second round. 4 vs. 13 is a great matchup with current Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model Brookyln Decker going against tennis babe Ana Ivanovic.

Overall their are 30 actresses, 14 singers, 7 athletes, 7 models, 3 reality tv stars, 2 women (one his wife, one his main mistress) who have been romantically involved with Tiger Woods, and 1 sportscaster.

Just like the college basketball tournament their are bubbles that get burst and women who just don't quite make it to the field of 64. Those women who's bubbles burst in this year's Babalicous Tournament include Elizabeth Banks, Mariah Carey, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez, Katie Holmes, Anne Hathaway, Taylor Swift, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, and miss sexual napalm herself Jessica Simpson.

Overall this should be a great tourney and I hope a lot of people vote on this and enjoy it.

The other two #1 seeds Megan Fox and Jessica Alba.

Kofod

Brett Favre retires and unretires for the 100th time

On March 4th's "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno (I know I shouldn't have watched I betrayed Conan) Brett Favre was on the show and he was actually pretty funny at times. When Jay asked Brett if he was coming back, Favre was well wishy-washy just like he always is.

So, Jay threw him a retirement party. Then, Brett said I haven't made a decision yet so Jay gave him a Vikings playbook.

During the interview Favre said "Obviously had we gone to the Super Bowl that would have been the icing on the cake, but it was way better than even I could have dreamed of. I've told people I really believe my biggest accomplishment this year was winning over the majority of the Vikings' fans. For so many years I was hated."

He certainly was and to tell you the truth I hated all his indecision and the ESPN circus that followed him this summer, but I will admit I would like to see the ole' gunslinger lace them up for at least one more year.



Kinney

Preview of Dancing With The Stars

I have never watched a season of Dancing With The Stars. The 10th season will be my first. I'm in. Thanks to Chad Ochocinco. Not because he's a NFL player in the competition. And not because I like him, though after what he said I probably like him now. The reason? He said his wardrobe style will be patterned after Lady Gaga and Rihanna. That's all I needed. I'm hooked. I'm in.

Also cougar Kate Gosselin will be in it. ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews will be in it too. Fans of Pamela Anderson should check the show out as she will be a competitor. I think the favorite has to be U.S. Olympic Gold Ice Skater Evan Lysacek. It seems those ice moves will transfer well to the dance floor. The 10th season of Dancing With The Stars begins on ABC on March 22nd. Here is the list of all the competitors and their dancing partners. -Kofod

• Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Ashly Costa
• Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson and DWTS newbie Damian Whitewood
• ESPN’s Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
• 90210 star Shannen Doherty and two-time winner Mark Ballas
• TV mom Kate Gosselin and Tony Dovolani
• NFL star Chad Ochocinco and two-time winner Cheryl Burke
• Olympic gold medal figure skater Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya
• All My Children star Aiden Turner and Edyta Sliwinska
• Nicole Scherzinger and season seven champ Derek Hough
• Reno 911 star Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel
• The Bachelor’s Jake Pavelka and Chelsie Hightower

Music Video of the Week March 3rd

From 1989 this is LL Cool J's Going Back to Cali. Great, great music video! 80's baby!



Kofod

We Are The World SNL Parody

SNL did a parody of the new We Are the World Video. In "We Are the World 3" Lady Gaga, Shakira, Josh Groban, Willie Nelson, and Rihanna played by Jennifer Lopez put a third verison out. So funny! -Kofod

Canadian Reactions to Gold Medal Hockey Win over USA

I, like many Americans yesterday, was rooting for Ryan Miller and the U.S. hockey team to bring home the Gold against Canada. Alas, it did not happen. Silver is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. And if the U.S. were to lose to a country it might as well be Canada. I have no beef with Canada, I like the country. And you can make the argument that the Crosby OT goal was the greatest sports moment in that country's history. Certainly it's right up their with Canada's 1972 Summit Series win over the U.S.S.R. and the 2002 Gold Medal Hockey win over USA. Here is the Canadian call of the Crosby goal from CTV. I tried to find the American NBC call too, but so far I have not seen it on youtube. Also a video from a Canadian fan outside of Vancouver when the goal happened and excited chaos began.- Kofod