The ball has been tipped, and here we are. After a month's worth of bractetology, snubs, and sleepers, the Final Four is on center stage this weekend in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. What makes this year's foursome so interesting are the teams, which seem like they are out of a Back to the Future movie (anybody seen Biff Tannen's Sports Almanac?) Here are a few reasons this year's event has sparked up more nostalga than the smell from Will Smith's charcoal grill in Summertime:

• The second straight Final Four appearance for UCLA. For the baby boomer basketball fans, this must just feel right. Like the Yankees in the World Series, the Celtics in the NBA Finals, or the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals.
• The re-emergence of Georgetown as the beast of the Big East. And the fact that the Hoyas are coached by a Thompson (John III) and a Ewing (Patrick J.) runs the court brings back the days of Hoya paranoia.
• The realization that this Final Four will create a matchup of two legitimate, 7-foot, first round draft choice, back to the basket big men, in Ohio State's Greg Oden and Georgetown's Roy Hibbert.
• Ohio State being back on top. Yeah, Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd took them to the show in 1999, but this the first juggernaut Ohio State Final Four team since the days of Lucas, Knight, and Havlicek (there were no Foot Lockers back then....right John?)
• And most importantly, the defense of the throne by a Florida team that has returned ALL FIVE STARTERS, which is an absolute anolomy in 2007, especially considering three of the five starters (Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, and Al Horford) would have been first round draftees in 2006 and will in 2007. Heck, PG Taurean Green has progressed so nicely that the Gators may have four first-rounders in this draft.

OK, enough about nostalga. Let's talk about the matchups:

UCLA vs Florida

The rematch of last year's National Title game is a contrast of styles. UCLA is the best defensive team in America, bar none. The way that they get back and challenge you in the half court in a testament to the toughness Coach Ben Howland has brought back to Westwood. Guard Darren Collison and wing men Aaron Afflalo and Josh Shipp are marvelous players that have the ability to score when necessary. The Gators, on the other hand, play a free-wheeling offensive style that is buoyed by Green's ability to push, Noah and Horford's ability to block shots and fill lanes, Brewer's ability to finish, and Lee Humphrey's knack to find the open spots and drain long distance shots. I just think the Gators have too many ways they can win, whereas, UCLA can only win this game by slowing the pace and holding the game in the 50's and 60's. Usually, in dome semifinal games, I like the better defensive teams, but since the Georgia Dome is Florida's home away from home (the SEC Tourney was in the dome three weeks ago), I'm betting on Humphrey finding the range and breaking open a tight game late.

Florida 74  UCLA 66

Ohio State vs Georgetown

Both of these teams fit into the Destiny's Child role so well in this tourney that you would think Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland were playing the wings in this matchup. Both of these teams narrowly avoided the Tennessee Trap (Ohio State's coming from 20 down to beat the Vols and Georgetown narrowly escaping Vanderbilt's death grip after Jeff Green got away with a pretty blatent travel on his game winning shot). The Hoyas are very well coached and very talented. Jeff Green is the most versatile offensive player in College Hoops and Roy Hibbert has become what John Thompson III envisioned when he took a flier on a raw big man project three years ago. And to be honest, I don't know if freshman phenom DeJuan Summers may not be the best future NBA player out of the bunch. Jessie Sapp and Jonathan Wallace are solid, but not spectacular in the backcourt, but when you have a front court as good as the Hoyas have, the guards just need to not get you beat. Thad Matta's Buckeyes are the youngest, but most talented team out of the four. Oden is an absolute beast defensively. His activity at his size defensively  and his ability to catch feeds clean and power his way to the cup is just overwhelming. Mike Conley has become the best PG in America in about thirty college games. His uncanny knack to hit tough shots in traffic must make him the best 6'0" 36-player on the planet. Ron Lewis is the best clutch shooter in college hoops. Ivan Harris is a face the bucket four man who hits open shots when teams decide to double Oden. David Lighty is a poor man's Corey Brewer. He makes the athletic hustle plays and his ability to slash and hit open shots give the Buckeyes a potent fifth wheel. This matchup really comes down the X's and O's. To be honest, I think Thompson can coach circles around Matta, but I think Matta may have a better hand at the poker table. I look for Thompson to go to a 2-3 zone like he did late against North Carolina (call timeout Roy) and hope that OSU is cold outside. If Lewis and sixth man Daequan Cook are shooting well, it could be a long night for the Hoyas. Green will have a big night because Lighty is too small and Harris is too slow, but I look for the Buckeyes to get Hibbert in foul trouble and win fairly comfortably.

Ohio State 83  Georgetown 71

All in all, I look for an exciting Saturday of basketball and check back with me on Sunday as we'll preview the National Title game.

Let it be known that I absolutely love the NCAA basketball tournament. However, several questionable calls against underdogs who were on the cusp of pulling the big upset have tainted the Road to the Final Four and given some thought as to whether or not higher powers have vested interests in the upcoming matchups. Here are several examples to "foul" play by the zebras.

1.                  The non-call on Greg Oden's two hand push of Justin Cage in the waning seconds of the Xavier-Ohio State game last weekend not being called an intentional foul. This was a fairly blatant infraction and Oden admitted to intentionally fouling in the postgame. This was a major call that gave Ron Lewis the chance to send the game into overtime.

2.                  The officials "coddling" of Mike Conley in the second half of the Ohio State comeback against Tennessee. There is no doubt that Tennessee self-destructed to an extent in this game. But, if this was a murder, the referees would have been charged with an accomplice charges. Ohio State, and Conley in particular, lived a charmed life from the foul line when it mattered most.

3.                  Kansas being the beneficiary of several judgment calls that helped them claw to a three point lead over Southern Illinois. The Julian Wright dunk after the shot clock expiration is something that should never go unnoticed in a Sweet 16 matchup. These games matter too much to let things like that slip through the cracks.

4.                  And most egregiously, Jeff Green's uncalled travel through the lane on Georgetown's game "winning" shot against a game Vanderbilt squad that deserved a better fate. This no-call may be one of the worst in a long time in a game ending situation.

What scares me as a fan is how all of the teams that came up on the short end of these calls were the upstart programs going against the traditional powers. Trends like these are what inspires the conspiracy theorists and those sidewalk fans that tell underdogs that you better win by 20 to win by a point. I hope Hank Nicholls (the head of officiating) and the NCAA learn something from this and restore confidence in the striped shirts.

As we march our way into the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, there are the usual casts of characters who have made their way to Regional Semifinal action. No one is surprised that North Carolina, Kansas, and UCLA have made their way to the third round of the tournament. There are, however, many compelling stories that need to be told. The resurgence of the Georgetown program under John Thompson III, the defense of the national title by the Florida Gators, the freshman phenomenon that is Greg Oden and Ohio State, and the birth of Texas A&M basketball behind a traditional old-school point guard in Acie Law IV.

However, as a Nashville, TN native, my number one story is the appearance of three Tennessee teams in the Sweet 16. The University of Memphis, Vanderbilt University, and The University of Tennessee have all reached this hoops crescendo in the same season for the first time ever. In a state of just over 6 million people that is better known for Hank Williams, B.B. King, Al Green, Three Six Mafia, and that other King, this is a feat of monumental proportions. All three programs have had some success in the past (Memphis with two Final Four appearances, Tennessee with the Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King show under Ray Mears, and Vanderbilt with Clyde Lee, the F-Troop, and the Bomb Squad), but never have all of these institutions achieved such loftiness simultaneously.

What makes this even more impressive are the native Tennesseans who are key players for other teams on this road to a title. North Carolina's freshman phenom, Nashvillian Brandan Wright, is UNC's second leading scorer and leads the ACC in field goal percentage. Florida's Corey Brewer, a Portland, TN native, is the do-it-all component for the defending national champs and his sidekick, Maryville sharpshooter Lee Humphrey, is the guy that puts the dagger in opponents when they overplay against Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Taurean Green, and Brewer.

This is a monumental season for basketball in a state that, for some reason, is overlooked by national pundits that focus solely on ACC and Big Ten hoops. This is a state that has produced the likes of lottery picks Penny Hardaway, Ron Mercer, Shawn Marion, and slews of great college players in the last 10-15 years, but gets so little exposure as having quality basketball. For another example, this year's Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, Vandy's Derrick Byars, was a former high school Mr. Basketball out of Memphis Ridgeway.  There are plenty of other young stars such as Memphis' Willie Kemp, Georgia Tech's Thaddeus Young, Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon, and Tennessee's Wayne Chism who will carry on the legacy of hoop genius' from the Volunteer State in the near future.

I have always loved March Madness, but can't help but feel an extra sense of pride in the three flagship basketball programs of my state having so much success this season. I just wish that Dukie Vitale and Billy PACCker would notice!!

Let me go on record as saying that I, personally, was rooting for the enigmatic, yet immensly talented Adam "Pacman" Jones to make it as a success in the National Football League. He's the short in stature, but big in bravado Tennesse Titans cornerback who overcame a tough childhood in the rough and tumble neighborhood of College Park, GA. His dad was murdered when he a youth, his mother battled personal demons, and he was raised primarily by his grandmother. Adam Jones has the type of life story that makes you just want to root for the kid. He's the guy who flew just straight enough, despite not hanging around the best influences, at Westlake High School to earn a scholarship to West Virginia University. He was the spitfire cornerback that never saw another player he was in awe of. His performance in 2004 on Thursday Night football against the University of Miami and their brash tight end, Kellen Winslow, made it known to all that Adam Jones was a football player to be reckoned with.

After his exploits in Morgantown, he was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. After a rocky first year in Nashville, Jones played at a Pro Bowl level in the 2006 season. This past year, Jones registered 50 tackles, 4 interceptions, all the while leading the NFL in punt return average and scoring 4 touchdowns. However, like many misguided youths in the daily grind of inner-city hustling and flowing, Pacman has shown to be a man short of social graces. There were issues that led to a probationary period in Morgantown. There were many instances of Jones running into trouble with the Nashville PD. However, what is most disturbing to me is Jones' disrespect of women. There have been multiple accusations of him spitting on women and his disrespect of females allegedly set off the wild chain of events that led to three people being shot at the Minxx Gentlemen's Club in Las Vegas last weekend. Is that the kind of activity his beloved late grandmother would approve of?

Like I said, I have always been in the "let's give Pacman a break" crowd. As a fairly young African American male, I understand some of the Napoleonic complex that many inner-city youths have. Its that attitude and defiance that actually has made a guy like Pacman Jones the Alpha Dog athlete he is. However, at some point in your life, you have to put away childish things and act like a man, no matter what odds you've come back from. As a native Nashvillian and a Titans season ticket holder this is tough to say, because you see the talent, you see the underdog epitomized in the undersized fella with the big heart that this city's musical culture is derived from............................ But.......................... if you are Coach Jeff Fisher, GM Mike Reinfeldt, and team owner Bud Adams, you may just have to let this talented young man walk. Mr. Jones and his crew have proven to be menaces to society and this is not an image that you want this franchise to project. So, let's just get behind the Vince Young's and Keith Bulluck's of the world who handle themselves with class and dignity, and let Pacman eat up his own dots somewhere else!

Another year, another first round exit by the Nashville Predators in the NHL Western Conference Playoffs. In 2004, the Predators were just happy to be there as the Detroit Red Wings desposed of them in 6 hard-nosed games. That performance was supposed to yield more confidence for this young franchise heading into their second playoff appearance. After all, this team accumulated 106 points in the Central Division and clinched home-ice advantage in the first round by earning the fourth seed. However, this was not the case in Coach Barry Trotz's clubhouse. After winning an exciting opener 4-3 at the GEC in Game 1, the Preds went out and lost four straight contests to the San Jose Sharks, and quite frankly looked outmanned in Games 2, 3, and the first two periods of Game 4 at the Shark Tank.

It is hard to be too mad at the Predators, considering the following factors:

1. Superstar goalie Tomas Vokoun was out of the year due to a clotting condition in his pelvic area

2. The speedy Steve Sullivan was slowed by injuries.

3. Power Play triggerman Marek Zidlicky was sidelined until Game 4 with a bad shoulder.

These events caused Trotz to never get his lines set so that there could be cohesion in these units and forced backup Goalie Chris Mason into the fire against Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Jonathan Cheechoo, and company. Mason played well, sans the third period in Game 3 and the second period in Game 4, but the Predators offense and propensity to take cheap penalties let him down. Paul Kariya was the only Pred that could get much going towards the net and San Jose adjusted and paid considerable attention to him.

Owner Craig Leipold, GM David Poile, and Trotz have done a masterful job of building this franchise the right way, through the draft, in this new salary cap era in the NHL. They have so many quality prospects with their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee that it is really an embarrassment of riches. What Poile may have to do for the Preds to take that next step is to get a top flight centerman (Olli Jokinen, Brad Richards, or Vincent LeCavalier) to control the center of the ice and allow the Kariya's and Sullivan's to do what they do best, buzz around and score the puck. This next step may hurt, as Nashville may have to part with some promising young prospects, but with Vokoun and Kariya in their primes, the Preds may not be able to wait on the Scottie Upshall's, Shea Weber's, Ryan Parent's, and Jordan Tootoo's of the world to make that next step.