Tuesday Morning Dump

- The overarching storyline from the first weekend of the NCAA tournament was the poor showing from the 11 Big East conference teams. Jason Lisk provides some historical statistics to show where this year's group of teams rank in terms of biggest disapointments. It is difficult to comprehend how only two of 11 teams from the Big East make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Of the 11 teams, there may not be a single dominant team. Does that make the conference fundamentally broken? Some people believe that there might not be anything wrong with the conference to begin with. But there is no denying that the Big East has been the biggest disappointment of the NCAA tournament. Oh great, now Charles Barkley thinks he's an expert. The Big East should start it's own post-season tournament, after all, it would already be better than the CBI and the CIT. Matt Norlander says the first weekend was tainted and flawed, no mention of "spectacular and/or dramatic. Gary Williams stated that the ACC is better than the Big East, and he may be correct (and I'm not sure I can sleep at night knowing Gary Williams was right about something). A sucinct, easy-to-read recap of the first weekend

- The other huge headline from the weekend was the poor late-game officitaing. Four games ended with question calls that altered the outcome of the contests

- A bunch of weekend recap coverage: The best and worst of the first weekend. Ryan Fagan breifs us on the surprises from the first weekend of March Madness action. Chris Chase of Yahoo Sports "The Dagger" analyzes the media coverage of the NCAA Tournament's first weekend. 16 things we learned from the first weekend of tournament action. The winners and losers from the first weekend. A recap of the Big-Ten's involvement in the first weekend. Every year, the first weekend provides the unexpected and this year was no different. The consulates at The World Wide Leader provide parting shots from the regional locations. Luke Winn adresses the nation with "the current state of the dance".Which first-round knockouts could make the Sweet Sixteen next season?. Wait, Kansas is the favorite to win it all? I was pretty sure it was tOSU. Rush the Court tells us what they loved and what they hated about the first weekdn of March Madness (I bet $10 that "Charles Barkley" shows up under the "hate" category)

Some updated statistics regarding the ESPN Tournament Challenge game (Not mentioned: One of my four brackets is in the 2% percentile and features no Final Four teams left in the field)

- Jeff "Two Scoops" Goodman reported that Bruce Pearl is done as head coach at Tennesssee. The school has not made it official yet, but it's going to happen. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy about it. tOSU freshman Aaron Craft, one of the players at the infamous barbecue, "sends his heart out" to Pearl. It is uncertain what Tennessee will do next, but if they were "Smart", they would hire VCU's Shaka. (See what I did there?). Regardless of who the next head coach is, it may take Tennessee a long time to recover. Mike DeCourcy believe the Volunteers won't have to look far for their next coach. He also says we should be blaming Tennessee and not Bruce Pearl. The program can't exactly sell itself, and with the potential for six players leaving, the near-future could be decidingly-grim. Regardless of your stance on this decision, remember that the players are the victims, not Bruce Pearl, not the fans not anybody else. I know it doesn't seem possible, but there might be more to this firing than meets the eye
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- Ray Mernagh believes fans need to stop worrying about officiating and just enjoy this time of year

- A Sweet Sixteen primer including stats, schedules and previews

- Mike DeCourcy provides four questions regarding the NCAA tournament regionals

- Donnie Tyndall said he is going to stay at Morehead State next season. The head coach led the Eagle's to a school-record 25 wins, including a birth in the Second round of the NCAA tournament

- Over the weekend, rumors swirled that Missouri head coach Mike Anderson would take the vacant head coaching job at Arkansas. But now it's being reported that Anderson will stay at Missouri and may even get a contract extension

- Former Yellow Jacket and NBA 3-point-assasin Mark Price is interested in the job opening at Georgia Tech

- After Marquette's dramatic victory over Syracuse in the second round, the Golden Eagles and their head coach Buzz Williams celebrated in emotional fashion. Williams is a tremendous coach and would be silly to pursue job openings at low-end high-major schools.

- Rick Barnes has been able to recruit talented players to Austin, but talent can only take a team so far in the NCAA tournament

- VCU and FSU found their identities at the perfect time, says Eamonn Brennan

- UCLA has a somewhat successful season. They were better than a year ago, but still have a ways to go. Next season must be even more successful in order to help the school restore it's "elite" image

- Despite riding a seven-game postseason winning streak, UConn fans aren't too confident about their chances to make it to the Elite Eight

- Vanderbilt has exited the NCAA tournament in the first round three years in a row. Likewise, the Georgetown senior class will graduate with just one tournament win

- Are the Pittsburgh Panthers the Chicago Cubs of college basketball?

- Kentucky's Josh Harrellson aka "Jorts" is becoming the center of attention. Last season's Duke team got heavy tournament production from big-man Brian Zoubek, and that seemed to be a key to the Blue Devil's championship run

- St John's will bring in one of the top recruiting classes in the country, but the Johnnies will need to rely heavily on rising sophomore Dwayne Polee

- Syracuse' Kris Joseph will return for his senior season, won't test draft waters

- Word on the street is that UNC's Harrison Barnes may return to Chapel Hill next season. Texas' Jordan Hamilton and Tristan Thompson will return to Austin next season.

- Dayton's freshman phenom Juwan Saten said, per his facebook account, that he is leaving the Flyers basketball program

- Villanova got a verbal committment from class of 2012 power forward Daniel Ochefu

- Florida's Kenny Boynton sat out practice but should be good to go when Florida takes on BYU in the Sweet Sixteen

- Michael Jordan did a meet-and-greet both UNC and Duke players during the first weekend in Charlotte

- The CAA is doing well on the court and in the bank accounts too

- The Mid-Majority explains that mid-majors thrive in the NCAA tournament "gap"

- Steve Kerr is most well-known for his 3-point acumen, six NBA titles and his work as a NBA and NCAA broadcaster. But few know anything about Kerr's past. Lost Letterman provides some interesting insight into his pre-college life

- Jeff Goodman had one helluva weekend: four different tournament locations in four days

- The rosters are out for the 2011 Nike Hoops Summit

- Somebody out there in the world actually had a bracket with VCU, FSU, and Richmond in the Sweet Sixteen

If Jimmer has a rap, it's only fitting that Kemba has his own




A new Gus-Jeezy video using the same old Gus-Jeezy calls. We aren't complaining. You know why? Because it's Gus-Jeezy. The Man. The Myth. The Legend




I don't see any Brandon Davies in this video




The worst Jimmer-related song yet