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 Even though I'm not a Kentucky fan, let me take the time to explain
why UK made a brilliant move in hiring Billy Gillispie, as the current reports suggest.
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To start, Billy Gillispie coaches Texas A&M in basketball.
Basketball! Not football mind you, but basketball. I guarantee you most
people didn't even know A&M had a basketball program. No joke, they
have as much of a reputation in basketball as I do in Wrestlemania. In
fact, the year before Gillispie joined the program, they had as many
wins in Big 12 play as NBX University did -- zero.
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Think about this, Billy Gillispie took a team that was 7-21 (0-16)
the year before he arrived, and turned them around for the '04-'05
season with a highly respectable 21-10 (8-8) mark, that included an
11-0 start.
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Two years ago, Gillispie's second on the job, A&M ended up 22-9
(10-6), which was good for fourth in the conference, the highest Big 12
finish in school history at that point. More notably perhaps, was the
fact that Billy Gillispie had in only two seasons, led Texas A&M to
the tournament for the first time in 19 years. Their outcome you ask? I
only have to ask my buddy Rey, who accurately predicted that the 12th
seeded Aggies would knock off the 5th seeded Syracuse Orange, who were
led by Gerry McNamara, and were fresh off a Big East conference
tournament victory.
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Finally, this past season, Texas A&M truly burst onto the scene
as an emerging power in college basketball. The Aggies went an
impressive 27-7 (13-3), which allowed them to receive a three seed in
the tournament. They reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Memphis in a
nail-biter.
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In only three seasons as head coach of Texas A&M, Billy
Gillispie took a team that was a pitiful 0-16 in Big 12 play, and
turned them into a force that finished 13-3 and second in the
conference.
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If you're still not convinced that Billy Gillispie is an amazing
coach, here's more proof. In his first season at UTEP, '02-'03, the
Miners were a disastrous 6-24. Their next season however, '03-'04, they
went 24-8, capturing the WAC title despite finishing last the year
before.
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After a turn-around like that, it's easy to see why Texas A&M
pounced on Gillispie. It's also should be pretty easy to see why Billy
Gillispie is the perfect fit for one of the most high profile coaching
jobs in the entire country, head basketball coach at the University of
Kentucky.
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If Billy Gillispie could turn a horse shit program like UTEP into a
winner, and a dog shit program like Texas A&M into a major player,
imagine what he'll be able to do with one of the most storied programs
in college basketball history.
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Larry Brown blogs and hosts a weekly show for NBX. You can see more of his work at http://larrybrownsports.com
Along with 13 year MLB veteran Denny Hocking, Larry Brown broke down the 2007 baseball season.
Click here
to listen to the American League Preview show.
Click
here
for the National League Preview show.
Here are our picks for the year:
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
(Larry's are first, Denny's are second)
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 NL East: Mets, Phillies
NL
Central: Cardinals, Cubs
NL West:
Dodgers, Dodgers
Wild Card: Padres,
Mets
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HR King: Albert Pujols, Aramis
Ramirez
Batting Champ: Garrett Atkins, Miguel
Cabrera
Rookie of the Year: Josh Hamilton, Jason
Hirsh
Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, Grady
Little
Cy Young: John Smoltz, Carlos
Zambrano
MVP: Albert Pujols, Chase Utley
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AMERICAN LEAGUEA
(Larry's are first, Denny's are second)
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AL East: Red Sox, Yankees
AL
Central: Tigers, White Sox
AL West:
A's, Angels
Wild Card: Yankees, Red
Sox
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 HR King: David Ortiz, Jim Thome
Batting
Champ: Ichiro Suzuki, Michael Young
Rookie of the
Year: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Alex Gordon
Manager of the
Year: Eric Wedge, Eric Wedge
Cy Young:
Johan Santana, Josh Beckett
MVP: David
Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero
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To hear our World Series picks... listen to the show!
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Larry Brown blogs and hosts a weekly show for NBX. You can see more of his work at http://larrybrownsports.com
Alas, a Florida-UCLA rematch would not be the same without me telling you why UCLA will win this one. Feel free to come back and ridicule me later after the Bruins get their asses handed to them (and yes, I'm talking to both Ace and Hot Rod with whom I had this EXACT debate last year). But until that point, here are five reasons why UCLA will beat Florida in the Final Four.
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5. Florida is just way too cocky. They haven't played with determination, grit, and intensity all year long. Anyone else notice that they had a supremely easy draw? What team truly tested them? Why didn't they win more games in SEC play when they were far superior to anyone else in the conference? They've lacked the focus all year long, and the distraction hovering around Billy Donovan does not help them at all.
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4. UCLA is much tougher inside. So Ryan Hollins may have turned things on a bit in the tournament last year, but for his entire career until that point, he was softer than Cinemax at 11pm. Lorenzo Mata might not be able to hit a J from farther than three feet out, but at least he's gutsy and aggressive inside. Couple that with an older and tougher Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, an Alfred Aboya who isn't nearly as lost on the floor now as he was a year ago, and the five fouls Ryan Wright can give away, and it spells much more tenacity inside for the Bruins. (of course, should Mbah A Moute and Mata incur three fouls prior to halftime, it's over)
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3. Arron Afflalo can hit the big shot. We already know that Florida has go-to-guys inside. We also know that Florida has shooters who can hit big shots on the outside (trust me, I have nightmares of Lee Humphrey three's haunting me in my sleep). But this year as opposed to last year, the Bruins have a player who can hit the game-winner, the buzzer-beater. They have an option when it comes down to the last-second shot. Afflalo sunk one to beat USC, and he hit several buzzer-beaters against Kansas last week in his best game ever. Whether or not Afflalo hits the big shot against Florida is uncertain -- what is certain is that he has proven he CAN do it, which is enormous for the mental confidence of a player when that moment arises.
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2. Darren Collison is better than Jordan Farmar. Sure, Farmar may have been the only player to show up for UCLA in the championship game last year (sort of), and yeah, he's diming to Kobe on a nightly basis in the association, but the honest truth is that Darren Collison is a much better fit for UCLA's system. Collison is much quicker, just as good of a shooter, and he's a more relentless defender. He'll give the Florida shooters more hell on the perimeter than Farmar did.
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1. Ben Howland has had a whole year to figure out how to win this game. If I know Ben Howland at all, I know this: as soon as UCLA got blown the **** out by Florida, he went straight to the film room to begin studying the game tape and understand what the team needs to do to beat Florida. I guarantee Ben's been preparing a game plan for this exact situation for the past 300 days. He knew UCLA would be back in the Final Four, and he knew Florida would be standing in their way of national title No. 12. And he thought long and hard, about the proper strategy: pressure defense up front, heavily defending the entry passes down low, and hope the team hits their jumpers and free throws. Besides, of all the teams in the Final Four, UCLA has looked the most impressive on their way to Atlanta. The Bruins never struggled with Pitt, and they dismantled Kansas. If you noticed a trend, Howland made excellent in-game adjustments. His brilliant mind will lead UCLA to the win over Florida and vault the Bruins into their second title game in a row.
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Larry Brown blogs and hosts a weekly show for NBX. You can see more of his work at http://larrybrownsports.com
OK, the three Duke girls in this video have amazing...extremely...large...
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Fan appeal.
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Which one are you BlueDevilyn? How do you feel about them saying they're the three hottest girls at Duke?
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Go here for the rest of the video.
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(HT Deadspin)
 UCLA beat Pitt Thursday night 64-55 -- in somewhat convincing fashion. In fact, the nine point victory turned out to be the largest margin of the evening, by far. Despite the relatively easy win, my excitement as a proud UCLA alumnus was immediately halted. That's when it him me -- next up is the #1 seed in the West Region -- the Kansas Jayhawks. I thought to myself, damn, that's a fine prize for reaching the Elite 8!
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Ponder this for a second -- only 36 hours until your next opponent -- for the right to reach the illustrious Final Four -- the most heralded prize in college basketball.
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How do teams do it? How can you transition from gut-wrenching, sweat-pouring, heart-breaking, ass-kicking games on Thursday night, to a birthright game on Saturday afternoon? Same thing for the teams playing Friday and Sunday -- it's insane.
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There's time for a few post-game interviews, a trip back to the hotel, and then boom -- hit the film, study your opponent, grab a Gatorade and power bar, and hope to bring your A-game in the next round.
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That's why coaching is more paramount than any other factor in Elite 8. Following 2nd round wins, every coaching staff has four days to prepare three game plans: one in-depth plan for the immediate Sweet 16 opponent, and two lighter advanced plans for each of the potential Elite 8 opponents.
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Once you win your Sweet 16 game -- it's time to hit the film room, tweak the game plan, and rally the troops. These are the most crucial hours; coaches need to get a dozen 18-22 year-olds to forget about their tired and achy bodies, and prepare for the upcoming game.
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So in instances like this, when a trip to the Final Four and remembrance as a team of historical significance is on the line, it's the coaching that matters most. And you must ask yourself the question:
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Would you rather have John Calipari or Thad Matta leading your team? Ben Howland or Bill Self?
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Once you reach the Final Four, talent prevails. But to escape the Elite 8, it's the coaching that must shine.
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Larry Brown is a regular NBX.com contributor. Check back often for his rants, raves and insight.
You're on the site and you're reading through this post, so why not click here while you're at it, to listen to my show. Genuine, un-filtered (no it's not a beer commercial) smack.
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Yeaaah that's right. All you small schools got whacked. Put back in your places. Sent home to your towns of pop. 12,000. Back to milk your cows. Only the big boys survived, as it should be.
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And Blue, your school got Gerald Henderson slapped by Virginia Commonwealth. Virginia Commonwealth! Here I was looking to get a home loan from the Commonwealth, little did I know they had a basketball team.
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Oh yeah, that reminds me. Where's the almighty ACC? What about the Big Ten? Recognize the Pac-10 and SEC. Respect.
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Oden committed an intentional foul, and the Buckeyes Luckeyes should've lost. No matter, if the hairy chested coach doesn't beat em, then A&M will.
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What's up with Kevin Durant? He's causing fines in the NBA, and he also said he Randy Mossed it against USC. Listen and you'll hear what he said.
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Finally, I was rooting for my rival school. Is that OK to do? Is that violating fan rules? Listen to hear my reasons.
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Larry Brown blogs and hosts a weekly show for NBX. You can see more of his work at http://larrybrownsports.com
 Warning: The Larry Brown Show is NOT for the light hearted crowd. If you enjoy puppy dogs, ice cream and soft-core porn, then don't effin' listen to my show.
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HOWEVA, if you can stomach some serious bashing of the NCAA tournament, the not-so-kosher selection committee agenda, why the NFL needs to cut ties with Pacman Jones, and why the NBA must do the same with Ron Artest, then this show is for you.
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No bull crap, no messing around, no holds-barred, it's The Larry Brown Show, check it out by clicking here
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Larry Brown blogs and hosts a weekly show for NBX. You can see more of his work at http://larrybrownsports.com
Heads Up: The following words are not for virgin eyes, please act accordingly.
 I fucking hate March Madness. Yes, let me repeat. I fucking hate March Madness. I hate the tournament. I passionately loathe and despise it. My life would be much more complete without that 65 team summabitch -- for several fucking reasons...
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Me: Countless hours upon hours pouring over sports. Reading stories, watching games, scouting teams (in whatever way that I can), listening to post-game interviews, doing everything possible to keep up with the action going on across the country.
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Friends and Co-Workers: A few minutes here and there watching games, only if the TV happens to be on, or if someone cute is calling, playing, or coaching the game. No newspapers, no blogs, no recaps, no post-game shows, no flipping channels from 9-5 on Saturday.
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But funny thing is, none of this matters when it comes to picking the tournament. None.
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I can tell you I'll pick Butler to reach the Sweet 16 because they knock down an average of 9 3ptrs per game, and I'm big on outside shooting teams getting hot. I can also tell you I'll leave Ohio St. out of my Final Four because they keep trying to force the ball inside with Greg Oden, and his offensive abilities aren't quite ready to carry the squad.
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Meanwhile, Joe-Loser from accounting thinks Joakim Noah is a character from Leviticus, and that a 1-3-1 zone is the newest lo-carb diet.
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Further, 65 fucking teams? All you have to do is be one of the best 65 fucking teams in the country to win the tournament and be called National Champion? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
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George Mason. You think I really want to fucking watch them try and beat Florida? Please. UCONN put 4 players in the 1st round of the NBA draft, and you're telling me I want to see George Fucking Mason in the Final Four? Get real.
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And then you have those conference tournaments. Those mother-fuckin' conference tourneys. Is it a good sign if your team loses early or wins late? Are they spent or on on a roll? How the fuck do you judge those tricky-ass conference tournaments? Why does it always seem like they're fuckin' up my universe?
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Fine, now you've heard me say my piece. So here you go. Here's my 50 fucking bucks, up-front, because I know I'm going to lose every fucking pool I enter.
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Just take my money, kick me in the nuts, and we'll call it a day. You know why? Why? Because I'm going to lose.
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And not just lose. I will lose SPECTACULARLY.
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I will be coming in the bottom 20% of every pool I enter. All of them.
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So if you want another 5 bucks going to your winner, send me your invitation, because lord knows I won't be winning, and being the "sports fan" in every circle to which I belong, I will inevitably receive every invitation in the world.
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And that my friends is why I hate March Madness.
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Larry Brown blogs and hosts a Monday show for NBX. You can see more of his work at http://larrybrownsports.com
 What you might hear on the show...
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Duke's Intentional Fouls
Why Tampa Bay still sucks
Redskins...more money...more problems
Who the real NBA MVP is
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What you might not hear on the show...
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John Amaechi's latest rant
Ozzie Guillen's latest rant (via Foul Balls)
David Beckham's scraped knee
A breakdown of soon-to-be 1st rd tourney losers
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Larry Brown blogs and hosts a Monday show for NBX. You can see more of his work at http://larrybrownsports.com
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