What's going on with my teams???

As of today, 4 Utah men's basketball players have been asked to be released from the program. While 3 of the players, Jordan Cyphers, Matt Read and Chris Hines, didn't have much playing time, leading scorer Carlon Brown is also leaving. While the departure of most of these players will have little to no impact on the success of the team next year, the two players with the most experience going into next season are a sophomore and a junior with only one year of actual playing experience under their belt. I know Boylen is a tough guy, and players have been known to leave the program under tough coaches (see Rick Majerus) but don't we want players to actually enjoy playing for the U? What's going on in the locker room that makes so many players want to leave? And why are we recruiting quitters?

On the football side of things, the spring game is rapidly approaching and so is the Ultimate Tailgate Challenge! This is a new event for Ute tailgaters and should be a great addition to the program. I will be there bright and early on April 17th to enjoy all the football smells and tastes before checking out my team. Hopefully my boy Eric Weddle will show up again. And Paul Kruger too. Another thing to look forward to is Martavius Lee, a receiver out of a California junior college who originally committed to LSU, joining the Utes. He should compete against Luke Matthews and DeVonte Christopher for the starting job at a position where the Utes are weak from losing standout receiver David Reed

Go Utes!

Oh the Madness!

My bracket is busted. Demolished. Destroyed. I've ripped it up and lit it on fire. Technically it doesn't exist anymore. Do I care? NO! March Madness is the best postseason in sports and it's all because of the upsets!

The Sweet 16 has 9, 10, 11 and 12 seeds!
Best matchups for the coming weekend:
Michigan State v. Northern Iowa
Woah this game scares me! Obviously I want my Spartans to win but at the same time I've fallen in love with Ali Farokhmanesh. I just love saying his name. Farokhmanesh. Farokhmanesh. Farokhmanesh.

Kentucky v. Cornell
I hate Kentucky. I've hated them since 1998 when they beat my Utes in the championship game. I will forever hate them. HOWEVER, I can't cheer for Cornell. It's a team of goober white kids that will make more money in their lifetime than the entire country of uganda has combined. Go Kentucky! (I can't believe I just said that).

Washington v. West Virginia
I wait, I'm not excited for this matchup. Neither of these teams really belong here. Washington was disappointing during the regular season and WV is an upstart team that won't be talked about again after they lost this weekend.

And Duke v. Purdue
Oh my Dukies. Arguably the most dominant team thus far in the tournament. I don't know how Kryzewski does it every year but somehow he puts together the dorkiest looking white guys in the country and makes them winners. Duke wins in a landslide.

I'm hoping for a Michigan State v. Duke final. Of course, since this is what I want it is very doubtful it will actually happen. Just look at my pathetic bracket.

Today is the Day!

It's finally here. The best postseason in all of sports. Games start in just over an hour and of course I have to sit in class until noon. Not to worry though because I have TiVo!

The first game of the day is BYU v. Florida. This is great because it will mean that BYU is the first team out of the NCAA Tournament. They can hop on their plane promptly at 1 o'clock and head back to Provo where they belong. The Cougars have had their best season ever and yet they did not win the Mountain West Title in the regular season, they did not win the Mountain West Tournament and they will not win a first round game in the NCAA Tournament. Again. For the 9th time in a row.

Other matchups I'm excited about in the first round are :
UNLV v. Northern Iowa, mostly for the MWC implications.
Michigan State v. New Mexico State because you gotta love those Spartys
Tennessee v. San Diego State again because of the MWC implications
Gonzaga v. Florida State because I hate Gonzaga
Texas A&M v. Utah State because you need to cheer for the local teams (BYU does NOT count as a local team. Provo is a whole other world).
New Mexico v. Montana because I have New Mexico advancing to the Sweet 16 but Montana has some great athletic players.
And last but not least, Texas v. Wake Forest. Texas is going to be my sleeper team. They play TOUGH defense and I love that!

Unfortunately, I'm conforming with the Nation by picking Kansas to win it all. Obviously I would prefer my Dukies to pull it out and surprise everyone but it just won't happen this year.

One hour left!

Sadness

The sports world is making me really sad right now. LT is a Jet, Cromartie is a Jet, Delhomme is a Brown, Peppers is a Bear and Kemoeatu is a freakin Redskin. Not only that, but my boy Nai Fotu is out for the season after tearing his ACL in spring ball. My issue of Sports Illustrated from last week had a baseball player on it. My Utes aren't in the NCAA Tournament. Not even close. And BYU is. Not that it matters, they'll just lose in the first round anyway.

There are only two bright spots in the world right now:
March Madness
Spring Ball

March Madness is amazing no matter what, even if your team isn't in it. I'm lucky enough that I am on Spring Break for a lot of the games so I will be able to watch more games than I ever have in the past.

Ahhh Spring Ball. What would I do without it? If not for Spring Ball I would have to wait a solid 8 months before seeing any football action. I would never make it. I'm pretty damn stoked for the Red White game on April 17th. Here's to hoping my husband Eric Weddle will be there :)

On to College Hoops

Now that the Olympics are over I suppose I better start getting into hoops, especially since March Madness is right around the corner. I'm pretty stoked for the Utah-BYU game tomorrow even though BYU is favored and there will probably be just as many Cougar fans as Ute fans. If we can't beat them, we can always beat them up. Just ask Jackson Emery. Welcome to the Huntsman Center Cougars.

Big news concerning college basketball is the possible expansion of the men's NCAA Basketball Tournament to 96 teams. According to SportsIllustrated.com, the NCAA is in the eighth year of an 11-year contract with CBS worth $6 billion, 90% of the NCAA's annual revenue. Obviously a 96 team tournament would result in even more money for the NCAA which is why the NCAA is investigating this possibility even though 80% of fans don't want the tournament expanded.

Whether or not this expansion will happen, the biggest question is why is the NCAA considering changing one of the most profitable sporting events while the BCS refuses to even consider implementing a playoff? Because the NCAA is concerned with two things: making money and doing what is best for the sport. The BCS only cares about making money. The BCS needs to pull their heads out of their asses and realize that a playoff system would generate more revenue while simultaneously crowning the one true National Champion!

Blame Canada

I was really hoping this would be performed at the Closing Ceremonies but what can ya do? Here's my tribute to the Glitch Games

Times have changed
The Games are getting worse
There isn't any snow
It makes Shaun White have to curse

Should we blame Mother Nature?
Or blame democracy?
Can't we blame everything on Tiger's adultery?

No, blame Canada, blame Canada
With all their foggy skies
It only makes Lindsey Vonn cry

Blame Canada, blame Canada
Ohno's medal hunt came to a halt
It's the Canadian judge's fault!

Don't blame me that you didn't win a gold medal
If you're competing for Korea
then for bronze you'll have to settle

And my boy Sven Kramer
had the weight of Holland on his shoulders
But blowing the 10,000m made the ice rink even colder

Well, blame Canada, blame Canada
It seem that everything's gone wrong
Since Vancouver came along

Blame Canada, blame Canada
They're not even a real country anyway.

Winter Olympics-Salt Lake City 2018
We have snow AND zambonis