The Villanova win over number one UCONN was a big one for the program. It makes the 'Cats number two in this week's Elite Eight

1. Duke Blue Devils--Here as a result of the Huskies' loss. J.J. Redick continues to play out of his mind, but they need Sheldon Williams to be more consistent if they hope to go deep in the tournament.

2. Villanova Wildcats--Jay Wright won coach of the year last night in my opinion. His guards were outstanding again, but Will Sheridan's play in the post is what won them that game. The 'Cats are poised to get a number one seed next month.

3. Memphis Tigers--Not sure what to make of this team. They played a solid nonconference schedule that included Duke and Gonzaga, but Conference USA doesn't provide the toughest competition. Here until someone beats them, though.

4. Connecticut Huskies--Tough loss to Villanova. That defeat is nothing to be ashamed of, though. The 'Cats got hot from the perimeter in the second half and took the lead after being down by 13. Nevertheless, UCONN is still the pick to win it all.

5. Texas Longhorns--SF P.J. Tucker and big man LeMarcus Aldridge are 1,2 in the Big 12 in rebounding. The 'Horns could be a tough out next month, but only if they get solid guard play from Daniel Gibson.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes--Torched Illinois at the Value City Arena on Sunday. OSU needs to get Terrance Dials more touches if they want to make a title run. Those threes can't keep fallin.'

7. George Washington--One of two one-loss teams in Division I-A and ranked in the top ten in both polls, but there is no way the Colonials can hope for higher than a three-seed in the dance. They've played two ranked teams all season--an eight-point win over a mediocre Maryland squad in early December, and a 21-point loss at North Carolina State right before the New Year. True test of this team won't come for another month.

8. Gonzaga Bulldogs--Can only go as far as bad 'stache can take them. I would hate to see what happens to this team if Adam Morrisson has an off night. Like GW, conference schedule hurts seeding, but their strong noncoference schedule--Maryland, Michigan State, UCONN, Memphis, Washington--helps them out immensely.

Best of the rest: Tennessee, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Iowa, Florida, Michigan State, Boston College, UCLA

Who else thinks every holiday is geared toward guys getting yelled at?

Valentine's Day is nice because you can show somebody how special they are to you, but why are there specific days designated for this? Why can't people do small stuff all the time instead of doing big things once or twice a year? I had an ex who I would send emails to almost every day just to let her know I was thinkin' about her. Another girl I dated loved Peanut M & M's, and Walgreen's Ice Cream, so I picked some up for her if I stopped at the gas station or the store before I went to see her.

My mom always tells me, "It's the little things." One time last winter, me and the M & M chick were taking a nap at my house. It was cold as hell outside, so I got up and made us hot chocolate. When she saw those two mugs, her eyes lit up like the Times Square Christmas Tree. Water, cocoa mix, and some of those baby marshmallows. That's all it took for me to put a smile on her face.

I know what you're saying, "So why are you single?" I don't know. Something always happens. Maybe it's the fact that I don't have an established "type" like everybody else I know.

I'm beginning to see why having a type is important. I have some things I always look for, but, for the most part, I just want somebody cool.

 I'm KIND of picky. My boys make fun of me for wanting somebody who has nice feet. But who wants to have Talons rubbing against their legs at night?

All of the usual stuff is important: Sense of humor--I want somebody who's goofy as all hell, intellect, style, substance, beauty (inside and out), yada, yada, yada. It goes deeper than that with me. She has to know about, love, and appreciate the one thing that I put above almost everything in this world.

I love sports. Always have. Always will. Since I can remember I've got a paper every morning just to check out box scores and features. I can tell you the Super Bowl champion from the Packers to the Steelers. I can tell you each of the lottery picks in the 1996 NBA Draft. I watch Sportscenter every time I have a chance. I have ESPNEWS on when I'm cleaning around my apartment. I'm a news reporter, and I try to figure out trade scenarios and who'll win the NCAA Tournament when I'm in some boring-ass city council meeting. I know that one of Michael Jordan's feet is longer than the other.

See what I mean? Who the hell would want to put up with that every day? What woman would want to date a guy who only watches sports on TV? What female would want to go to a movie with a guy who cried during Hoosiers, but thinks there's nothing sentimental about Finding Neverland?

I have to have a girl who likes sports. Maybe that's why I'm mildly attracted to Dana Jacobsen, Michelle Bonner, Lisa Salters, Danielle Sargent, Pam Oliver, Cindy Brunson, Suzy Kolber, Erin Andrews and Stacy Dales-Schuman. Hell, sometimes I even think Linda Cohn is cute!!!

In my opinion, any guy who gets any of thse women is the luckiest bastard alive. You can take them to a game and not have to be teacher/fan. You can have them watch the Final Four with you and your boys and she'll know what's goin' on. You can stop sex if you remember Louisiana Tech's playing Gonzaga at midnight on ESPN2, pick up where you left off at halftime, and stop to watch the last 20 minutes.

She'll leave you alone until halftime. She won't whine when you ignore her during overtime. She'll let you get sloppy drunk when you squad is bounced from the playoffs. She'll buy you season tickets to the Lakers.

Ok, all that stuff describes the woman I want to marry. I know this is supposed to be entertaining, but this just served as therapy for me.

But is all that REALLY too much to ask???

It started out great.

I was driving home from Ann Arbor, where I was trying to find tickets for the Michigan/Michigan State basketball game. I was listening on the radio, and State was running up-and-down, getting dunks and lay-ups on almost every possession.

Senior guard Maurice Ager and sophomore Drew Neitzel were droppin' threes for most of the first half. State was ahead by as much as 14 in the first half, and I was in a jovial mood, as I have been for all but one of these games since I've been affiliated with MSU.

Obviously, my demeanor changed.

I don't remember when it was, but the officials, who were probably paid off by UM Athletic Director Ed Martin, decided to blow their whistle whenever the Wolverines took possession. Call after call after call after call after call after call after call by the MEAC officiating crew caused my Spartans to become tentative and settle for jumpers and giving free passes to the tin.

Aside from the call on Graham Brown, which was admittedly atrocious, State got no calls. When Paul Davis got pushed under the basket, no whistle was blown. I think I saw the closest ref twirling his whistle while trying to get on one of those Ann Arbor cows in the crowd. I saw another ref holding one of his $100 bills up to a light in the ceiling to see if it was legit. And I think the third ref was in the concourse buying roasted almonds.

Check the box score: MSU: 6-10 FTs, UM: 27-34.

I'm not disputing UM's win. I don't want to be mistaken for a UM football fan. It was a quality victory, one they can take and use as momentum on their way to the Dance. And, based on first half play, free throws shouldn't have mattered down the stretch. The Spartans are a good enough team to overcome bad calls, but, obviously not that many.

State's composure was bad down the stretch. The Spartans didn't get a bucket for an eternity. But if it takes eight guys on the floor for UM to beat State, my boys in East Lansing are in good shape.

UM needed that win. That was just another game for the Spartans. Yea, I was down after the final buzzer, but it still remains to be seem if Michigan can build on this and get a solid seed in the tournament. Their cupcake schedule will bite them in their maize and blue *sses come March.

This is still not a rivalry. Just like football. Ohio State is UM's chief rival in the fall. Illinois and Wisconsin are State's chief rivals on the hardcourt.

Conference play is important, but I think all the great teams are made in March. Four Final Fours in seven years says a lot about a program to me. The last time UM made the tournament, I had braces.

Sure the L hurts. But it's better to lose to (probably) a top-25 team than to lose to Penn State. It was a good win for them, though.

And those kids in that low-budget, fake-$ss Izzone who were chanting, "JUST LIKE FOOT-BALL," I thought UM was a helluva school until that. Two wins in the last 14 games?!?

But we'll see you at the Bres' on Feb. 18.

"On the banks of the Red Cedar..."

In the wake of some fake journalists comments saying Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Donovan McNabb is a "sellout" because he hasn't ran as much this season, I say this to that man--who will remain anonymous because he seems like a complete moron--try watching a couple football games before you make a statement like that.

In a late-November issue of The Philadelphia Sun, a publication of the NAACP, the guy claims that McNabb wants to be a white quarterback since the Eagles QB has scaled down his scrambling. If he watched some games, he would see that McNabb has had several nagging injuries since the Eagles season-opening loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.

The guy goes on to say that McNabb could have solved the T.O. situation by simply taking a paycut and giving Owens part of his $112 million deal. Why the hell would McNabb want to do that after all the mud Owens dragged him through? That'd be like a slave saying, "It's alright, Massa, you were just doin' what you had to do with that whip."

When I was younger, people in every school I attended accused me of wanting to be white because I cared about my academic future. I guess I should have slept through english, shot craps in chemistry, and tried to holla at every girl that sat next to me in algebra. I wonder if that would have made people accept me more.

What I got from all of that is that some people just don't want to see others succeed. And, sadly, a lot of times, Blacks don't want to see each other succeed. The phrase "player-hater" is a saying coined by my people, not some guy named Biff. I'm not saying this is an exclusivity to black people, but it happens with us more often than any other race, and I hate it.

You should want to see your people in positions of prominence. Not this guy. I know the Sun is a long-standing publication for the group, which, last time I checked, was about the advancement of black people. But I think this guy just took a hot topic and ran with it so people would read his work. All I saw from what I read is a sad case.

And a hater who's jealous of McNabb because he can't read a defense or call a good audible.

            Indianapolis will be East Lansing South-sort of-next April.

            The Michigan State University Men's basketball team will cut down the nets in the RCA Dome next year. I'm not saying this because of all the publications' preseason rankings-No. 1 in Sporting News, No. 3 in Lindy's and Athlon, and No. 8 in Street's and Smith's. I'm going solely based on what I saw from State's new three-headed monster in the NCAA Tournament last spring.

            Senior center Paul Davis improved on his regular season averages of 12.3 ppg and 8 rpg, and is averaging 20.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Senior wingman Maurice Ager had an outstanding March and April, netting 18.2 ppg. The Detroit native has carried that momentum over to the 05-06 campaign, netting 21.7 a night. He also showed that he can up big numbers against quality competition and not just against teams like Florida Atlantic and Cleveland State. Junior guard Shannon Brown has chipped in with 15.4 ppg.          

           Any of these three is capable of going off for 25-30 points a night. Hopefully, head coach Tom Izzo won't tighten the reins on his stars. I know the 2000 title was won without anyone averaging more than 16 points a night, but the 05-06 team has three bonafide NBA lottery picks who should be given the green light this season.

            Look at the makeup of the last two national champions. In 2004, big man Emeka Okafor and the new "microwave," Ben Gordon, led Connecticut. Both were selected in the first three picks of last year's draft.

            I shouldn't even have to talk about the Tar Heels. North Carolina fielded four future lottery picks on their way to a title this past season.

            I think the last two NCAA tournaments have shown that the best players win the big games. That's not to say Jim Calhoun and Roy Williams are slouches on the bench. It just means they KNOW they have the best players.

            I truly believe the Spartans'--7-2, ranked 12 in AP and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls--trio is the best in the nation. I know other squads are returning their cores, too-Oklahoma, Texas, and Villanova come to mind-but no other set of players in battle-tested as these three. I know some might not want to admit it, but Davis and Ager led the Spartans to that surprise Elite Eight appearance in 2003, and Brown shows flashes of brilliance every time he touches the ball.

            When MSU is celebrating next spring, the "Three Stooges," as Izzo affectionately dubbed them, will have some help along the way.

            Sophomore guard Drew Nietzel will continue to develop into a solid, heady point guard. Redshirt freshman Marquise Gray should provide Davis with some help in the post. Bench play may be sketchy at first. The unit is comprised mostly of underclassmen and guys who haven't seen any real game action, but Izzo has worked wonders with lesser groups.

            What will also aid the Spartans on their march to Indy is the team has something it hasn't had in what seems like eons: size. MSU's roster has six players that are 6'8" or taller. Although most of those guys-juniors Delco Rowley and Drew Naymick--who may be redshirted a second time due to injuries, and redshirt freshmen Goran Suton and Idong Ibok-won't be asked to do much, they will be asked to provide a certain toughness when they hit the court.

            Once again, Izzo has taken the schedule from hell. The schedule includes match-ups against 10 2005 NCAA Tournaments teams. In the Maui Invitational alone, The Spartans have already had an instant classic with Gonzaga, an OT thriller with Arizona, and tough games against Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Boston College in the Jimmy V classic.

All that before the always tough Big Ten schedule. It goes back to Ager, Brown, and Davis. The core has faced hellacious schedules like this before. The 2003-04 schedule-Brown's first and Ager and Davis' second--included six nonconference losses to the likes of Kansas, Syracuse, and Duke.

            I don't see any "Oz"-ings like the one MSU put on Michigan to close out the regular season in 2000. I do see gleeful faces on Spartan fans as they belt out "One Shining Moment," though.