silly press corps

-- Mike Garafolo of the Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger notes UCLA has lost five of eight, the Big 12 might receive only four Tournament bids, and Holy Cross is running away with the Patriot League. He also proposes a new practice drill. Heh.

Tell the players they're up by 10 with 30 seconds remaining. Then see if they can win the game. After Chicago State turned a three-point triumph into a three-point defeat in the final 1.9 seconds of its Feb. 5 game against Missouri-Kansas City, two more teams entered the race for most embarrassing loss of the season. On Saturday, San Diego State led UNLV 81-71 with 28.5 seconds remaining, only to lose by two in overtime. Later that night, Utah State had No. 24 Pacific on the ropes, up 61-53 with 27 seconds left. Final score: Pacific 64, Utah State 63.

And one more blogworthy excerpt. Dennis the Menace, indeed.

Georgia coach Dennis Felton said last week that he's tired of people referring to his team as "dirty." Okay, Dennis. Does "terrible" work for you? The Bulldogs are still reeling from the Jim Harrick era and, at 1-10 in the Southeastern Conference, have been the conference doormat this year.

-- Northern Iowa coach Greg McDermott yesterday signed a contract extension through the 2010 season. The Des Moines Register writes that "McDermott's new contract calls for continued raises that will pay him a base salary of at least $250,000 by the 2008-09 season." Big money for a mid-major conference coach. But not enough to keep McDermott in Cedar Falls if his Panthers play their way into the Sweet 16, as UNI's athletic Rick Hartzell would like to believe.

-- North Carolina yesterday notched a big road win over Connecticut. The first-half Huskies, however, looked like a club that could make a run come March. Particularly if Marcus Williams continues to develop into one of the country's best guards. (Though his seven turnovers against the Tar Heels were costly. As Neil Amato of the Durham Herald-Sun suggests).

-- Mo Rocha! Zach of the New Bedford (MA) Standard-Times (circulation: less than my blog. pay: more than the same) suggests that because the North Carolina Tar Heels have yet to maximize their potential in half-court sets, they are an unlikely bet to the win the NCAA Tournament. He's right.

-- As may be Skip Myslenski of the Chicago Tribune. He too doubts Carolina's promise. What, by the way, gives with today's coverage of the Tar Heels? Roy Williams' club goes on the road and beats a likely Sweet 16 club, only to be hammered in the national press?