"I'm what Willis was talking about!!!!"

Opening thoughts: The above quote was on a shirt 5'9" Washington guard Nate Robinson in pregame last weekend. He's tired of getting the "Gary Coleman" chants, which I would be to, especially considering how good he is.

I've contracted a headache in the last couple of hours. I'm pretty tired, but I might as well get used to it. I'm going to be tired until spring break, so in the words of Prince, "so sue me if it goes astray."

For a break, I may have to go see North College Hill in the high school playoffs and see these guys in person. NCH is the Phi Slamma Jamma of high school basketball. They have been appropriately called "The High School Highlight Reel". They feature O.J. Mayo, the kid who played varsity ball in Kentucky when he was in 7th grade who has since transferred to NCH, a Division 3 private school in Cincinnati who is thinking about going to the NBA right out of high school. The team also features at least 2 other Division 1 college prospects, who along with Mayo, provide a high entertainment value in front of standing room only gyms.

Let's talk bball, because as soon as I thought we were starting to figure some things out, everything's messed up again after tonight:

• Miami 65, Florida St. 49. The U has beaten everyone they should have and lost to everyone they should have, which puts them at 7-7 in the ACC. They have Georgia Tech at home and Duke at Cameron to finish out. Win those two, and you're in Hurricanes. It's no surprise the Seminoles laid a big fat egg in this one, the game wasn't on national television.
• Indiana 79, Purdue 62. Yes, the Hoosiers are still in the NCAA hunt, improving to 8-5 in the Big 10. If they can beat Sparty at home this weekend and avoid losing to Northwestern in the season finale, they'll get in. I will say the Hoosiers have made great strides the last month of the year. Defensively they're strong, and offensively they're starting to find themselves a little more. 49% shooting, 12/22 from 3 and Bracey Wright looked strong, scoring 27, only having to take 19 shots. Here's a message to the IU athletic director: DON'T FIRE MIKE DAVIS!!!!! Next year, IU will be preseason Top 15, as they return ALL of their key players, plus another good recruiting class.
• Clemson 97, Maryland 93. Answer this one for me. How does a team sweep Duke, but get swept by Clemson??? And, how do you lose a game which you attempt 26 more shots, grab 23 offensive rebounds, have 18 assists, and force 18 turnovers???? Well, Maryland is your answer to both of these questions, a team that is still full of questions. At the Comcast Center, Clemson got to the foul line 41 times. 41!?!?!!?!? And, the Tigers shot 58% from the floor. Maryland is now 7-7 in the ACC, certainly not a lock if they keep playing like this.
• North Carolina 81, NC State 71. The Tar Heels, without Rashard McCants, beat a hot NC State team on their floor, in impressive fashion. 5 players in double figures, 49% shooting, and only 11 turnovers were just part of a performance that shows why the Tar Heels can win it all in April. The Wolfpack are now 5-8 in the ACC. To get in, I think they need to win out, which includes beating Wake at home, then win a game in the ACC tourney.
• Texas Tech 69, Texas 65. Texas scored 25 in the first 10 minutes, but Tech stepped up the D and only gave up 40 in the last 30 minutes to get their first win in 8 tries over the Longhorns in Lubbock. The outstanding freshman for Texas, Daniel Gibson, was outstanding, scoring 22, but Tech got their balanced offensive attack going as the game went on, putting 4 in double figures. I think the Longhorns will get in, they are playing a lot better as they have found their new identity as a team. They have a tough finish though with Oklahoma at home then finishing at Oklahoma St.
• Nebraska 74, Oklahoma St. 67. Just as I proclaim the Cowboys as the team to look out for, they lose in Lincoln to the Huskers, allowing them to shoot 58% from the floor, inconceivablely poor defense by an Eddie Sutton-coached team. Just as quickly as they gained the outright Big 12 lead, they slipped back into a tie with the Jayhawks with the grudge match with KU this weekend. JamesOn Curry had 6 turnovers in this one; the Cowboys had 17 as a team.
• LSU 61, Alabama 59. 3 straight quality wins have the Tigers in as a lock for the NCAAs right now. They are 9-4 in the SEC with 3 games left they should win. The Tigers got a tip-in at the buzzer to win this game that was well-played between two equally matched teams. The two stars came to play, Kennedy Winston had 22 for Bama, Brandon Bass had 15 and 9 for LSU. Alabama only has one quality win away from home, a 102-101 win at Charlotte earlier in the year, but the 49ers have vastly improved since.
  
• Texas A&M 75, Iowa St. 59. It had to end sooner or later for the Cyclones, but College Station wasn't the place I was thinking of. The Aggies were ready, limiting ISU to 29% shooting, and Antoine Wright had one of his better games, scoring 21. ISU is still in good shape. They have 3 games left they should win. The Aggies can sneak back onto the bubble by winning 2 of their last 3, beating Baylor and either Texas Tech at home or at Oklahoma St., which would get them to 8-8 in the Big 12.
  

Reason #2568 I don't like baseball: Barry Bonds. As much as I'd like to believe him, I just can't. How can you "unknowingly" take steroids. If it were me, I'd want to know everything that was going on so I wouldn't be tainted as a player. I wouldn't be able to look him in the eye and believe him. I know I'm jumping to conclusions, but I just don't see how he's telling the truth.

On a brighter note, this was the 25th anniversary of the Miracle On Ice. We will never see that kind of sports moment ever again. The way sports and politics merged for that hockey game and the way the country was energized after the upset victory will never be seen. It's one of those things where if you weren't there or alive, you will never fully comprehend the meaning of that hockey game and the after effects of it.