Trey Burke is Ice Cold

If you turned off the Michigan-Kansas game last night when Kansas was up big, I feel sorry for you. You missed a great game and a ridiculous comeback. The Wolverines erased a 14 point deficit in he second half to force overtime that included some huge buckets from the Michigan guards but one shot that was bigger than all the rest. As time was running down Trey Burke pulled up from at least 30 feet and put a dagger into the Jayhawks hearts to force overtime. Once in OT Burke controlled the game along with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Michigan pulled out the win to advance to the elite eight. The real story is Burke and the ridiculous three he buried in the closing seconds of regulation:

That's as cold blooded a shot as you will ever see and takes some serious guts to drain that on such a huge stage. Burke is definitely my pick for player of the year and he single handily willed that Wolverines team to victory last night. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he did the same to carry his team over Florida and put Michigan in the final four. Michigan plays Florida tomorrow night and if Burke can come up with anything close to the magic he pulled off last night, you wont want to miss that game.

Carson Palmer is Still a God Awful Teammate

Looks like the ole red bearded whiner is at it again. Just two years after taking his ball and going home rather than play for the Bengals and quiting on Cincinnati, he is trying to do the same to the Oakland Raiders. If you remember the Raiders stupidly traded numerous picks for Palmer who promptly disappointed them. Now Carson has refused to restructure his contract and according to some has already begun looking for another team to give him a starting spot. Some say the Vikings are his preferred landing spot and he isn't even giving Oakland the time of day after they mortgaged their future for him and gave the reins of their offense to him for the last 2 seasons. Carson seems ready to burn yet another bridge in the NFL without any regard for anyone but himself.

As a Bengals fan,  this news doesn't surprise me one bit. In fact I'm shocked that Carson didn't spit in the face of every Raiders teammate and employee on his way out. I hope for the Vikings sake that they avoid the agony of having their team led by Carson Palmer, and realize that Christian Ponder is a better option under center. Sooner or later Carson needs to look in the mirror at his awful beard and realize that he has only himself to blame for his under performing over the years. Its not his team or coaches fault that he throws an absurd number of interceptions and cant get a team to the playoffs no matter how many weapons are around him. It isn't the Bengals or Raiders who threw all those picks Carson, it was you. And when you go to a new team and stink it up, it will be your fault again, and you will probably once again run away with you tail between your legs.

The Greatest Basketball Team I Will Ever See

I was born in 1993, so I never saw Magic, or Larry play. I never saw Wilt or Russell play, and I never saw the 72 Lakers. I barely saw Michael Jordan and barely remember watching him play with the Wizards during the end of his amazing career. I did however see the Shaq-Kobe Lakers team of the early 2000s and saw the 08 Boston team that featured the first big three assembled. I also saw Last year's Miami Heat team and thought it would be hard to picture a better team than that, but I was proven wrong. By who? By the 2013 version of the Miami Heat which are challenging the 72 Lakers record and have won 27 straight. I'm not saying they are the greatest ever, but I can say I have never seen anything like it, and I doubt you have either.

First and foremost, this team is built around the greatest basketball player to ever step on the court, Lebron James. Yes, he is better than Michael Jordan. (There I said it.) Lebron is a monster on the floor unlike any that have come before him. He can play all five positions on the floor and can do anything asked of him. He can score at will, shoot the three, dunk on anyone he wants to, pass like Magic, rebound, run the floor, and block shots. He has the complete toolbox of skills that no player has showcased other than him. Simply put, if Lebron wants to win no player or team is going to stop him. They call him the King for a reason. Last week in Cleveland Lebron showed something we haven't seen from anyone since Jordan. He turned on a switch and took over that game and you knew the Heat were going to win, because Lebron put them on his back. A team with this guy on their team is the scariest thing for apposing NBA players. And for good reason. He is the best of all time. Period.

So we have the greatest basketball player ever, and oh yeah throw in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to complete the greatest big three ever assembled. After that we'll throw in Ray Allen, the greatest three point shooter in the history of the NBA who on this team only has to stand in the corner and wait for the pass to come from Lebron or Wade and bury the shot which he has done more consistently than any player for years. Add Shane Battier a dominant defender and another three point specialist who can knock down shot after shot for the Heat. And at the point you have a developing Mario Chalmers who has emerged as a very good player in his own right, and can also knock down shots from the outside with regularity. Don't forget all these players benefit greatly from playing with Bron, Bosh and Wade.

With that group of talent led by King James, this streak is amazing but not shocking. This is the greatest basketball team that I will see in my lifetime, bar none. Lebron is making history before our eyes and we are witnessing a dominant force we haven't seen before. Make sure you watch it and savor it because there may never be another player quite on his level of versatile skill and physical dominance. The King will add another ring to his hand this year and who knows how many he will end up with. If Lebron wants to win, there isn't a single player in the league who is going to do anything to stop him. The is a man among boys and this Heat team is head and shoulders over everyone they play this year. Make sure you watch carefully and take notes, because we are witnessing something very special happening in Miami.

The Kentucky Revenge Tour Starts Now

The Kentucky Wildcats were no doubt a disappointment this year, and plenty of college basketball fans and media members alike have been firing shots at the Cats. Well get your shots in and make your jokes now while you can, because Cal is set to unleash hell on college basketball next season. With the Harrison twins, Julius Randle, James Young, Marcus Lee, Dakari Johnson coming to Lexington, not to mention the possible addition of Andrew Wiggins and the return of Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin, Willie Cauley-Stein and possibly Nerlens Noel, college basketball should be wetting themselves. This Kentucky team will be the greatest group of talent ever assembled in the history of college basketball, and the storm is coming. Take a look:

A message to the rest of college basketball. Run. Run and hide. 

Go Cats.

Tubby Smith Fired by Minnesota

The day after UCLA let go of coach Ben Howland, we have our second head coach casualty. This time its Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith, who has reportedly been fired by the university the day after his Gophers lost to Florida in the second round of the tournament. Tubby had a decent amount of success this year as he made the tournament while competing in a very tough Big Ten conference, and even knocking off the number one ranked Hoosiers back in February. They pulled off the upset against UCLA which got Ben Howland fired, but that wasn't enough to save Tubby's job it appears. Tubby will likely land another head job before the start of next season and he is rumored to be a name popping up for several SEC jobs that could become open within the next few months once the tournament is over and the summer begins.

If Minnesota thinks that it can attract a better coach to their school then they are simply delusional. They are a bad team in a bad area at the bottom of the best conference in college basketball. That is not an attractive job for big name coaches, or even up and coming coaches who are any good. Tubby did a fantastic job this yer working with what he had as his recruits matured and pulled off more than one huge upset. UCLA may have been checked out for their first round game, but Minnesota still pulled off an upset over a number five seed which isn't an easy feat. Tubby didn't deserve to lose his job, he was turning that program around in the right direction and doing better than most coaches could do in that situation working with what he had. Just like the last time Tubby was fired, he didn't deserve it and Minnesota will without a doubt regret it next year when they miss the tournament and are getting stomped out in the Big Ten.

UCLA to Fire Ben Howland

Well it looks like we have our first post-tournament coach firing. After 1o years at UCLA, the school will reportedly fire head coach Ben Howland. Howland took UCLA to three final fours in his ten years but had had major ups and downs during his reign. After disappointing seasons, this year Howland brought in one of the top ranked recruiting classes in the country, which included Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad. Despite the top class, Howland once again came up short as another disappointing season for the Bruins came to a fitting end Friday as the Bruins were bounced out of the tournament by the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After failing to put together any kind of NCAA tournament run this year once again, UCLA has grown tired of Howland and is ready to show him the door and move on.

Several names have been floated around as rumors including Butler coach Brad Stevens, and VCU coach Shaka Smart. While those names might get Bruins fans excited, they shouldn't get too excited as both of those coaches are well out of UCLA's league. Those coaches will stay at their schools and continue ti have success until a marquee college job becomes vacant and then will jump ship. UCLA however is not a marquee job and doesn't attract names that they may want. We will see who the Bruins hire, but don't expect any big name coach.

Shabazz Muhammad Has Been Lying To Us

If you follow college basketball and college recruiting, you know the stories and red flags that have been surrounding Shabazz Muhammad ever since he was in high school. From his bad body language to his disconnect with his teammates at UCLA, to his very controlling father. Well add another one to the board. In a recent interview Shabazz's father admitted that the family and Shabazz have been lying about his age and Shabazz is actually 20 years old, not 19 as he has claimed. His father claimed he held Bazz back a year to give him a competitive advantage over younger players and to make him stand out to scouts as a bugger and stronger player. 

I don't think this is a huge deal that he was held back, but it is a big deal that he lied and didn't tell scouts. Scouts thought they were watching a 19 year old play against his peers, when the whole time they were watching him they were watching an older player against younger guys. It makes it unclear where his talent level really is, and makes the scouting done on him foggy as well. This could also greatly effect his draft stock since he is a year older than other one and done players coming out to enter the draft this June. 

UCLA plays Minnesota tonight so if you want to see Shabazz in college this will probably be your last chance as Bazz and the rest of his team seem to have checked out for the year even during the Pac 12 tournament last week. To be honest the fact that Shabazz is a year older than he said isn't a huge shock, as he looks older than the other freshman in his class. To be honest Shabazz looks more like he is 35 than 20. Either way expect NBA teams to be weary of a player who lied about his age to everyone for the past ten years and expect them to be even more weary because Shabazz has been playing against younger competition his entire high school career which of course made him look like a much better player than he would be against level competition. Bazz has had a very disappointing year at UCLA and has also appeared to quit on his team. Any GM that drafts this guy will be drafting quite a headache for his franchise. 

Reds Report: Bruce's spring, All-stars return, and The Chapman situation

Its been a few weeks since I last brought you an update from the Reds' spring camp, and once again there is plenty to talk about in Goodyear Arizona. With the start of the season just two weeks away now players have been re-assigned to minor league camps, including the young Billy Hamilton. The players in the WBC have now returned, our right fielder may be hitting his stride, and the biggest question everyone has is still the Aroldis Chapman conundrum. With only days left until opening day, how will everything shake out?

One of the most noticeable things a player can do to get noticed, even in spring training, is demonstrate the power they have in their bat. Its not secret that Jay Bruce has plenty of pop in his bat but has been inconsistent his whole career. He is a streaky player but when he gets in a group he is as good a hitter as any player in the game. Bruce has gone on a power serge lately, even hitting homers to the opposite field, which is always a great sign that he is seeing the ball well and has his timing down. This could be the year Jay puts it all together and has the kind of season that Reds fans know he is capable of. If he can start strong out of the gate we could see another silver slugger and possibly even some bigger hardware for Jay this season. 

A few stars have been missing from Reds camp the past few weeks, but the All-star infield and faces of the Reds returned this week from the WBC. With both the U.S. and Canada being knocked out of the tournament Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto are back to work in Goodyear. As much as I rooted for team USA to make a run, I cant help but be relieved and happy that both of the stars have returned injury free and ready to get back to work. I would much rather see a healthy Votto and Phillips raise a World Series trophy than raise whatever the WBC winner gets. 

The biggest question mark remains for Dusty Baker and his team, will Aroldis Chapman start, or should he be the team's closer. Dusty has made it clear he wants Chapman closing and the missile himself says he would rather close games. Luckily, Walt Jocketty knows that players don't get to choose where they play. If the Reds put the best pitcher they have in the closer role they would be foolish and I believe that Walt knows this and will stick to the plan to start Chapman. By the end of April, people will see how laughable Dusty is for the fact that he wanted to make this guy a closer instead of get as much production out of him hat they can, as well as putting him in a much more important role than closer. Don't let Aroldis waste away in the bullpen Walt, I'm confident that we will see Chapman in the rotation all through the year, and after a few starts there wont ever be a question again about where Aroldis Chapman belongs. 

Chris Webber has mastered the telestrator

Chris Webber is remembered for being a monster at center for the Fab Five and of course for calling a timeout that he didn't have in the championship game. His NBA career didn't live up to the potential that he clearly had, and now he is a broadcaster at TNT and has found a nice niche for himself in the announcing game. Well it appears he has just about perfected his skills with the telestrator as he demonstrated last night, and it has nothing to do with the actual basketball game that he is calling at the time. Watch for yourself: 

I'm not sure I really need to say anything else. With Webber, Shaq, Reggie Miller and of course Charles Barkley, TNT has the most entertaining announcing crew ever assembled. I look forward for more work on the telestrator from Chris Webber, this is gold. 

5 Most Overrated Players in the NCAA Tournament

Every year as we fill out our brackets there are players that media and fans gush about that don't live up to the hype placed on them. They don't deserve the praise they get and ultimately get exposed in the tournament by a player or team with less talent. This year's tourney is no exception. There are a ton of players that could make this list, but I have narrowed it down to just five. Feel free to comment and leave your opinions. Anyway, lets count em down.

1. Cody Zeller

The Indiana big man may be the most overrated player I've ever seen in college basketball, and plays for one of the most over-hyped teams ever. It makes me want to puke. He is an undersized center who barely survived the big ten, and is no where to be found when a team muscles him in the paint and he doesn't get every call. If you watched Indiana's home game you could see he was getting a major home court advantage with the refs not allowing physical play to push him around. He is considered a lottery pick an any NBA GM that drafts Zeller should just start packing up his stuff now. That would be the worst pick you could possibly make in the lottery. Zeller isn't leading Indiana to a title, and he isn't living up to any of the hype the media has created for him.

2. Peyton Siva

Another very overrated player on an overrated team. Louisville is going to run into a team that can score in bunches and get bounced from this tourney. Especially if the refs don't let them hack everyone like in the Big East tournament. Siva has been shaky his whole career and even though he is good, he still has a tendency to disappear for entire games and only put up single digit points. At some point Siva will lay an egg and prove to everyone he isn't as good as they think. He is a solid guard, but isn't a superstar or a player that can carry a tam when no one else is clicking. He will go down with the ship when Louisville gets beaten and he may even be the reason why when he no shows a tournament game.

3. Kelly Olynyk

Who? That guy from Gonzaga? Yup that one. He somehow is now being projected as a lottery pick by so called experts even though no one knew his name two weeks ago and most people still have no clue about him. And he is gonna lead Gonzaga to a title? Yeah right. The most undeserved number one seed ever was awarded to Gonzaga and brought this joke of a center some media attention. Don't buy into the nonsense about Olynyk. And if you want to pick Southern over Gonzaga in the first round I'm not gonna try to talk you out of it.

4. Russ Smith

Another overrated Cardinal? I'm sensing a pattern, and if this list went to ten a few more dirty birds would make the list. Russ Smith isn't quite as overrated as Peyton Siva and is probably a more talented player than Siva. Smith is an absolute chucker who will take any shot he wants and makes him fun and repulsive at the same time. Smith can get hot at times, but when he takes bad shots in big games, he can doom Louisville. Remember that 5 OT game against Notre Dame? He took five awful shots that could have won the game for the Cards. Smith cant afford to do that to his team in the tournament because one moment or one game where he chucks up a terrible shot will doom Louisville's season. He is a chucker who makes shots because he takes way too many of them.

5. James Michael Mcadoo

Mcadoo will not be a deciding factor in your bracket as he plays for a bad North Carolina team that isn't going to make any noise this March. However he is still incredibly overrated by scouts, fans, media, and NBA teams alike. Mcadoo is a consensus lottery pick and there is no reason for that. If you watch him he doesn't stand out and doesn't do anything on the court at a great level. The potential isn't there and he isn't even the best player on a bad Carolina team. He has been overrated since last year and the pre-season this year when people projected him as the top pick in the draft which is lunacy. Picking Mcadoo would only be slightly better than drafting Cody Zeller and you wont see anything special out of him in the tournament. He will either get exposed or continue to be overshadowed by his mediocre teammates like he has done all year.

LeBron killed Jason Terry last night

After Deandre Jordan demolished Brandon Knight last week, we now have another addition to the homicidal dunk hall of fame. The Boston Celtics ran into a buzz saw last night in a Miami team that hasn't lost since the Superbowl and poor Jason Terry took the worst of it. Terry probably should have known better than to get in the way of the LeBron freight train, but he barely had time to see him, and when he did it was too late. LeBron was already in the process of burying him right there on the court. Take a look:

Rest in peace Jason Terry. Bury him next to Brandon Knight. The best part of this video isn't even the unbelievable oop that LeBron throws down, its the gladiator stare down that he gives as he looks down upon the carcass of Jason Terry. That stare is the look he has been giving the rest of the NBA during the Heat's 23 game streak. That look and walk away should be a warning to the rest of the league. Get out of the king's way, or end up as a corpse under the basket. 

The Flex Final Four

As brackets were printed last night and office pools begin to collect money after the selection show, we were doing the same. I was filling out my bracket which proved to be without a doubt the hardest to predict that I can remember. There are no dominant teams, no clear number ones, no sure things, no locks and plenty of teams that could see their way to the elite eight or lose in the first round. Now that is a challenge. After a few hours of changing my mind, and deliberating then taking the night to sleep on it, I have finally settled on my final four picks. The bad thing? I'm not confident in any of them and the tourney in general seems like a crap shoot. Oh well here we go.

MIDWEST: Duke

This hurts my heart to say, but when Duke is healthy they are probably the best team in the nation, and the best team in the country. With the combination of post play from Mason Plumlee and a whole gang of outside shooters, most notably Seth Curry, they can hit you from all angles and when they fire on all cylinders I don't see anyone in this region who can take them out. Louisville cant match up with Duke on the outside and has no one who can check pooptooth himself, Ryan Kelly, on the wing. If Louisville even makes it that far they will run into a very bad match up for them in the Dukies and the Blue Devils could cruise into Atlanta.

WEST: New Mexico

This is by far the toughest region to predict of all four, and might be the craziest region I can remember in terms of not having any dominant team and alot of teams that we don't know how they will play once they show up. Gonzaga is as weak a number one I can remember and the fact that they stole a 1 seed from Duke or Miami is a travesty by the committee. Part of me wouldn't be surprised at all if Southern took out the Zags in the first round. The 2 seed Ohio State is equally as non-intimidating and if they get past Notre Dame, they will get their heads kicked in by New Mexico. The Lobos play a suffocating style of defense and can keep up with any team in the open court and could run Gonzaga off the court, but the Zags wont get that far. New Mexico takes this region and seals a ticket to Atlanta, but your guess as to who they beat to get there is as good as mine.

SOUTH: Michigan

If you have watched the NCAA tournament the past years, you know better than to trust Kansas when they are given a one seed. I'm not falling for that. The Jayhawks are a little small and can be sloppy at times, not to mention Jeff Withey can be eaten alive by a team like Michigan with crazy athleticism. The biggest wild card in this region is Minnesota. They play a UCLA team in the first round who seem disinterested and ready for the year to be done. If Trevor Mbakwe plays like he can he cant be stopped in the paint. Ask Cody Zeller. I could see Minnesota going to the elite eight or losing to the Bruins in the first round. They are an enigma. Ultimately Michigan's athleticism, dynamic guard play, and ability to score with anyone will take out the sloppy Jayhawks and whoever makes it to the elite eight to match up with them.

EAST: Miami

This region is the one that I feel most confident in this year, but that isn't saying alot. With Indiana as the one seed, this is another region without a dominant team or clear favorite. Indiana has been inconsistent all year and Cody Zeller has prove to be as overrated a player as we have seen in the last five years. He has a knack for getting demolished by true talented big men on the post. A match up against Anthony Bennett if UNLV plays Indiana makes me fear to Zeller's health. Bennett might crush him with his bare hands. Miami was robbed of a number one seed that was given to Gonzaga and along with Duke is the most dynamic team in the tourney with the best point guard in the country, Shane Larkin. They can play half court or run on the fast break with ease. If they stay focused, it wont matter who opposes them they cruise to a final four bid without a doubt. They are the true number one seed in the East region.

CHAMPION: Miami

In Atlanta I have the Blue Devils facing a familiar foe in Miami for the championship. If that happens it will be the best possible game we can ask for as fans for a championship game. Two great teams that match up well and can score in bunches. It will be a slug fest without a doubt and in th end Shane Larkin will be the difference for Miami. I have Miami knocking off the Dukies for the title in the Peach State which would be a fitting ending to the craziest and most unpredictable season of college basketball that I have ever seen.

Lob City pulls off the greatest lob in Lob City history

Shut it down. Stop it. There's nothing more to see here. We have seen a ton of lobs thrown to Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan and not to mention Eric Bledsoe, over the past few years as the Clippers have become Lob City. Blake has had some of the nastiest dunks in recent history and I'm pretty sure Kendrick Perkins and Pau Gasol still see Blake in their nightmares. Last night topped all the others. It looked like a move from NBA Street if you had a cheat code. If you haven't seen the insane lob last nigh that Jamal Crawford threw to Blake Griffin, bless your eyes with this ridiculously amazing alley-oop below and watch it 3 or 4 times for your own good.

Is there anything else I really need to say? Seriously this isn't even fair. A between the legs lob from Crawford and Blake doesn't just throw it down, he windmills it first just because. You can stop trying to top this one for the rest of the season, this is the top play in the NBA this year by far. The only ones who could top this ridiculousness is Lob City themselves. 

Mark Teixeira out 8-10 weeks

Well you can ad another Yankee to the disabled list as the season gets set to begin in New York. Mark Teixeira is the latest Yankee to go down do to an injury and he joins the rest of the lineup in the medical office. Big Tex found himself preparing to miss 8-10 weeks of the season due to a strained wrist that he suffered taking extra swings in a batting cage after the Yankees' spring drills. The Yankees' will most likely look outside the organization for a first baseman capable of filling in for Tex while he recovers during the first part of the season.

The Yankees entire roster seems to be on the trainers table more than the field these days in spring training. Opening day is April 1st and the Bronx Bombers will be without their third baseman, center fielder, shortstop, and now first baseman for at least the first part of the 162 games to be played. Hopefully for the Yankees' sake they can field an entire team by April 1st.

Serge Ibaka is getting a free pass for his nut-punch

If I told you an NBA player reached back and hammered another player in the acorns with his fist and it was as blatant as it could be, you would say that player should be kicked out of the game, and then later suspended. Without a doubt. You would say this act probably warrants a huge fine to go along with the suspension too.

Well that is exactly the crime committed on the court by Serge Ibaka, when he punched the Clippers' Blake Griffin in the family jewels sending Blake to the floor and nearly starting a fight between the two teams. However, Ibaka received none of these punishments. Somehow the foul was deemed a flagrant 1 instead of a flagrant 2 and Ibaka was allowed to stay in the game. Even worse then that is the fact that after review the NBA higher ups have decided not to suspend Ibaka, essentially giving him a free pass for sucker punching an opposite player in the privates. Come on David Stern, you're better than that. Ibaka was fined a measly 25,000 dollars for his attack and wont miss any playing time at all. If you haven't seen the play, here it is: 

How can this be tolerated by a league that has a dress code mandating players socks? Why does the NBA treat an elbow to the head any different than a punch to the crotch? It doesn't make any sense and if I'm Ibaka whats to keep me from doing the same thing next time? A fine? Come on. The league needed to drop the hammer on Ibaka and send a message that this isn't going to be tolerated. The refs in that game should have kicked Serge out of that game immediately, and David Stern dropped the ball on this one. Ibaka needs to miss 3 games at a minimum along with an increased fine from the league. The next time the Clippers play the Thunder I wouldn't blame Blake if he jumped on Ibaka's back and choked him out at mid court. 

You swung and missed on this one David Stern. The next Thunder-Clippers match up could be in the playoffs and Stern could have a brawl breakout on national TV involving two big name, big time players. If that happens, Stern has no one to blame but himself. If Blake cant count on the league to protect him from attacks on him, then I cant blame him one bit if he decides to take matters into his own hands. 

John Wall's ridiculous 360 layup

If you watched John Wall run the point while at Kentucky for a year as I did, these types of plays from the dynamic young point guard don't surprise you. These kinds of plays were common place in Rupp Arena during Wall's one and done year in the Bluegrass. That doesn't make them any less spectacular each time he does something unbelievable in the lane or on the fast break. This time the Wizards star took his dribble down the lane and did nothing short of hang in the air while he did a complete 360 and banking home the layup. Its ridiculous, take a look:

Yep that's just John Wall defying gravity against the Sixers. Wall has been nagged by an injury this year since the start of the season but since coming back has energized his team in Washington, and given those fans hope. With Wall back facilitating the offense and making jaw dropping plays like the one above, the Wizards are still no good but are definitely better. If they continue to build around Wall and his new partner Bradley Beal, the Wizards could have a solid team in a few years. For now Wizards fans will just have to deal with highlight reels filled with insane athleticism from John Wall. 

Gonzaga ranked number one? Seriously?

Over the past few weeks. college basketball fans have watched Duke, Indiana, and Michigan lose all while being ranked as the number one team in the nation. I love watching Duke and Indiana lose as much as anyone, but this weeks AP poll is an absolute atrocity. Who is ranked as the top team in the land this week? Gonzaga. Yep for real. How could this be? Its simple. AP voters simply looked at their record and the fact the the previous number one team fell to Minnesota and awarded Gonzaga the number one spot. This is a joke.

First of all do me a favor and name one Gonzaga player for me. Take all the time you need but it isn't going to happen. Name one signature win they have over a good or even just a decent team. Ill keep waiting. They lost to Butler who was throttled this week by VCU and you're telling me Gonzaga wouldn't suffer the same fate? Get real. Yes they have only lost two games all year, but give the schedule they get to play to Duke, Indiana, Michigan or Miami and those tams have either one loss or zero. They have played an absolute cupcake of a schedule and for anyone to think they are the best team in college basketball is insane, but somehow 51 voters thought that was true.

If you ask me, as much as I hate Duke they deserve the top spot. After beating a number 5 ranked Miami team that will win the ACC outright barring some crazy things happening, they proved they deserved that number one spot. Gonzaga hasn't lost the way Duke or Indiana has, but that isn't because they are better its because they don't play the same quality teams as Duke and Indiana, and Michigan for that matter. Its ridiculous that Gonzaga benefits from playing in a crappy conference and having an easy non-conference schedule to go with it.

Gonzaga hasn't proved that it is the best team in the nation, they have only proved that they have the easiest schedule of any team in the top 25. They are ranked number one because simply, someone has to be ranked number one and voters were blinded by their record. Have a fun week Gonzaga, you'll be gone from the top of college basketball soon enough.

Reds Report: Mark Prior, Brandon in WBC, and Mesoraco v. Hanigan

The Cincinnati Reds have been in spring training camp for a few weeks now and there are a number of things that stand out up to this point including signings, surges of power, players in the WBC, Sin Shoo Choo in center field, and of course the biggest story in spring training this year, Aroldis Chapman in the starting rotation. Lets get to it in this edition of the Reds Report.

One of the most surprising headline coming out of camp is that the Reds have signed Mark Prior to a minor league deal and he reported to camp this week. Yep, that Mark Prior. Prior hasn't pitched in the majors since 2006, and hasn't been effective in the majors since around 2004. Still, Walt brought Prior in and reunited him with Dusty Baker from the Chicago days. Prior only has a minor league deal and has no shot at making the big league roster out of camp. He will likely pitch in Louisville for the year, if he can prove he is able to pitch at the AAA level during the spring. His name makes this story the top headline in spring, but it will have little to no impact on the reds 2013 season.

Another major thing that started this weekend is the World Baseball Classic. While Joey Votto has not yet decided, or at least not yet announced, whether he will be playing for Canada, we know that the Reds second baseman will be headed to play for Team USA in the Classic. Phillips has been open about playing and has said he is very proud to be representing his country this year. It may not be what Dusty or Walt want their star second baseman spending his spring on however after telling Johnny Cueto he couldn't play for his home country in the Dominican Republic. If Votto doesn't play, Phillips will be the only Reds star representing the team on the international stage, and I couldn't think of a better ambassador for Reds Nation than DatDudeBP himself.

There haven't been many position battles this spring as the roster is pretty much set in stone give or take a few spots. One position to keep an eye on during the spring as well as throughout this season is the catcher position. Ryan Hanigan received most of the playing time last year and young Devin Mesoraco mostly had to watch from the bench and occasionally pinch hit. While Hanigan has been rock solid and is definitely the safer of the two options because we know what we will get from him, Mesoraco is off to a great spring already with two home runs and seems to have made strides since last season. There's no question that Mesoraco has the higher ceiling and the most potential of the two. Will Meso get to fight for the starting job? That remains to be sen as we know Dusty loves Hanigan and Meso will have to force Dusty's hand to get major time behind the plate. So far he is off to a good start and if he keeps it up he might just steal the majority of playing time away from Ryan Hanigan.

The question everyone wants to know is whether or not Aroldis Chapman will be a starter this whole year. We know Chapman is in camp preparing to start and that the front office wants him in the rotation. Chapman made his first start the other day and seems to be adjusting to the starting role with ease. Aroldis hasn't been in a starting rotation since his days in Cuba, and was one of the most dominant closers in the game last year. It makes sense for your best pitcher to be in your starting rotation and Chapman has been the most dominating pitcher on the Reds roster since he came to the majors. We will see how the rest of the spring shapes up for the Cuban Missile, but s far everything is going according to plan for the Reds' young flamethrower.

Kobe turns back the clock with a monstrous dunk

If you haven't been paying attention to the NBA this year you have missed following the biggest disappointment in the history of sports, the 2013 Los Angeles Lakers. With Dwight, Kobe and Nash this team has struggled unbelievably and have just now crawled their way back to .500 with a win last night over the Hawks. The win however isn't what people are talking about. Everyone around the league is buzzing about a vicious dunk that Kobe threw down on Josh Smith late in the game. Watch it for yourself:

With that dunk, it feels like Kobe should have a number eight on his jersey, still have hair and be playing  alongside Shaq. We haven't seen this kind of athleticism or ferocity in a dunk in years. As old as he is, he is still somehow capable of plays like this every once in a while and somehow made Josh Smith feel even worse about still being in Atlanta. The Lakers are still an abysmal sideshow at this point and as dysfunctional a team as I have ever seen in the NBA, and anyone who tries to convince you they will make the playoffs is fooling themselves, but at least they have at least one highlight for this season. 

Rumors: Les Miles to resign to due to affair with student?

 

Rumors began swirling late tonight that LSU head football coach Les Miles will step down on Monday due to an alleged affair with an LSU student this year. The reports are still speculation at this point but could have credibility as they seem to be hanging on and gaining steam around the college football world. If this is true the you can put Les right up there next to Bobby Petrino with the head coach scandals in college football. This is a shocking story and we will see soon how much is true and for the sake of Les Miles it better be false.

If the rumors and reports being tossed around are indeed fact, then not only is it doomsday for Les, but also for LSU football and their fans. Les is a staple in the SEC and has been the only coach to present any kind of challenge to Nick Saban in the conference. LSU would not only have to find a new coach to fill Les' crazy and brilliant shoes, but they would also surely lose recruits and have some explaining to do to the NCAA. This story could be huge, or it could be just a wild rumor. More updates as this develops tonight and in the coming days on The Flex.