Florida Basketball Dynasty Officially Ends

After the last two amazing seasons, Florida's dynast-ish run is officially over:

With the loss at Kentucky, Florida has no shot at making the NCAA Tournament -- at least as an at-large team (and there's no way they win the SEC Tournament title).

Sure, you could argue that the dynasty ended when Horford, Noah, Brewer, Green, Humphrey and Richard all left after the back-to-back championships...

Sure, you could argue that no team since Kansas in 1989 (who lost the incomparable one-man champ Danny Manning) lost more from a title team -- that this ending was always possible (even probable)...

Sure, you could argue that Florida's 12-game NCAA Tournament winning streak is still alive until the next year the team actually makes the tournament field...

Sure, you could argue that an NIT championship could still qualify as a third straight postseason championship... (I'm kidding...)

It doesn't make it any less tough to take.

That said, you can't argue that any fan would rather win two NCAA championships in a row (hell, even one) and spend the next season in the NIT than not win a championship at all. But still...

Lots of readers think I'm a bandwagon Florida fan because they think I started rooting for them when the championships started.

Actually, my first season as a die-hard was 2001-02 (Mrs. Quickie is an even bigger hoops fan than football fan), and it was a pretty rough ride in the NCAA Tournament between that 2002 Tournament and the breakthrough in 2006.

But this is the first season I have rooted for Florida where they haven't even made the Tournament, let alone been ousted early (let alone won a championship). It sucks.

It sucks to be on the wrong side of the bubble, but it sucks worse to watch a team that -- by any Tournament resume line except "legacy" -- never played like they deserved serious consideration.

And I take little solace in the fact that even if they did make the field of 65, I had no unbiased reason not to pick them to lose in the first round (just as surely has I had no unbiased reason not to pick them to win a second straight title a year ago).

Unfortunately, Florida fans saw this outcome coming throughout the season, uneven efforts borne from rampant inexperience and near-complete turnover from a year ago. Doesn't make it easier.

But again, I'd rather win a title (or two) and be out of the Tournament the next year than make the Final Four a few years in a row without winning a championship.

That's why this month, finally, it's great... to be... a Florida Gator UCLA Bruin -- after being vanquished by the Gators the past two Dances, it's finally UCLA's time.

I'm sure the rest of the country will celebrate Florida's NCAA Tournament ouster... before the damn thing even starts! I can only retort with this lament: Enjoy it now...

With this year of experience under their belts, the entire roster returning (if Marreese Speights doesn't turn pro) and a recruiting class featuring two 7-footers, Florida's future looks very good.

All Gators fans can hope for is that this year's team uses this season's disappointment as the core of next season's motivation -- to keep that unbeaten NCAA Tournament streak alive.

-- D.S.

Sunday 03/09 (Very) Quickie

UCLA is the best team in the country (the and, yes, perhaps luckiest). See next item down.

UNC beats Duke at Duke, positions themselves for a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed and an in-state regional.

Georgetown beats Louisville: Again, the regular-season Big East title isn't particularly meaningful; what's important is that Georgetown is still in the mix for a No. 1 overall seed.

(Then again, you could make the claim that being a 1-seed vs. a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament is hardly that big of a deal. And G'town is all-but-guaranteed a minimum of a 2-seed.)

Wisconsin wins Big Ten regular-season title: Again, sort of meaningless on a national level, though I'd fear the Badgers in the NCAA Tournament, whether or not they are a 2 or a 3 seed.

Conference-tournament auto-bids: Belmont, Winthrop, Austin Peay.

Rockets win 18th straight: And it's not like they're beating weak teams -- they beat the Hornets last night behind T-Mac's 41. (Chris Paul is absolutely amazing).

Hawks beat Heat in re-play game: Then they beat them in a full, new game.

Josh Beckett back spasms: Noted as ominous foreshadowing.

The thing about USC beating Stanford was that it showcased just how good OJ Mayo can be offensively (25 points) when he wants to make himself the focal pointthe . Is it enough to Trojans get out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament? (Kevin Durant couldn't.)

Terrelle Pryor Watch: I love this late-breaking rumor that Pryor might be convinced to play hoops for John Calipari at Memphis, rather than football at Ohio State.

-- D.S.

UCLA: Pick Against 'Em At Your Own Risk

Did you see that UCLA-Cal finish? Josh Shipp from behind the backboard with 1.5 seconds to go to give UCLA a 1-point win? This team has all the talent -- and, wow, the toughness -- to be the champs. I picked them to win the title in November and I feel even stronger about it now. They will be a popular pick to win it all -- because, seriously, how could you pick against them? -- D.S.

Saturday 03/08 (Very) Quickie

Championship Week really starts today, with 2 conference title games -- the Big South (featuring powers UNC-Asheville and Winthrop) and the Ohio Valley, featuring Austin Peay (which escaped with a 1-point win over Tennessee-Martin last night) and...

Tennessee State(!!!) , the sub-.500 marvel still on its glorious tournament run, after beating Murray State. Now, a Tennessee State win today would nudge its record to .500, but I'll take it, if it comes with the OVC's auto-bid.

(Remember my small-conference tournament rooting interests: Sub-.500 miracle runs rule, even if they KO the chances of big-conference bubble teams... and this year, for the first time in my 7-year rooting history with Florida basketball, I have a vested interest in NOT seeing those big-conference bubble teams get bounced due to some small-conference tournament insanity. Things are tough enough as it is for Florida.)

Waiting on Georgetown-Louisville, this afternoon, still trying to figure out if the Cards are for real as a Final Four contender... and UNC-Duke tonight, obviously.

The Nuggets are the hardest team to read in the NBA: They beat the Spurs last night, ending SA's 11-game W streak. In the East, they would be a Top 3 team; in the West, a playoff periphery team.

The league absolutely has to change the playoffs to simply let the Top 16 teams play for a title, seeded by overall record.

That would still put an East team -- the Celtics -- at the top of the playoff pile. Boston crushed Chicago last night on national TV.

Welcome back, Francisco Liriano -- remember my Summer of Liriano in the Quickie?

Tom Coughlin's new deal is official: 4Y/$21M. (Not a bad U-Turn from being on the firing line in September.) But DC Steve Spagnuolo is under contract for 3 years. Doubt either sees the end of either.

Roger Goodell to crack down on spying: Which only makes me think it was way more rampant than he or the league would like to have you believe. If it was just a one-off thing with Belichick, why would Goodell have to make institutional changes to testing and enforcement? Obviously, they know it's everywhere. (Or, at least, prevalent enough to monitor more toughly.)

Pac-Man Jones to the Cowboys? Heh.

Julius Jones to Seattle: Was it so long ago that Shaun Alexander was relevant?

Is Yi going to have season-ending surgery, too, like Yao? China ain't effing around. And it appears their stars -- and the NBA -- are bending over backward to accommodate.

Jack Roush insists that Carl Edwards' team didn't cheat. Do you believe him? I don't.

Wonder if Marion Jones will participate in prison intramural sports?

-- D.S.

Top College Hoops Player Ever*? Carmelo

I'm not going to quibble with Alcindor or Big O or Walton being at the top of the list of the 25 Greatest College Basketball Players ever.

MDS nails the prominent flaws in the list, like overvaluing a player's college career because he was a good pro (MJ over Sampson, using MDS' fine example).

Here's my problem: The list is lame if you're under the age of, say, 35.

*You know me: I like to frame my historical "ever" superlatives mostly/entirely as "ESPN Era" (defined loosely as sometime after the early-80s).

Basically, my thumbnail guide is that if you weren't 10 or 12 years old by the time the player played, you effectively have no applicable memory. (Using myself as an example of your typical 35-year-old, almost everything before 1984 or so is without personal memory. Maybe if your local team won -- my hometown O's won a World Series in '83, so I have hazy memories of that -- but you certainly weren't consuming sports as you did after you hit 12 or 13, through your college years and adulthood.)

Anyway, of ESPN Era players, this "all-time" Top 25 has Laettner (12), Jordan (13), Ewing (16), Sampson (18), Duncan (21) and David Robinson (24). (MJ, Patrick and Ralph are arguably pre-ESPN Era, too, at least as college players.)

So let me take some issue, pointing out 2 obvious omissions:

Danny Manning (as MDS also pointed out), which discounts the greatest one-man championship team of the last 30 years. (Remember, Larry Bird didn't win a title.)

Carmelo Anthony, who I am long on the record as arguing is the greatest college player of the last 30 years, if only for what he was able to do as a freshman.

Carmelo isn't just the best freshman of of the ESPN Era (sorry Kevin Durant), but that alone puts Melo in the argument for best college player of all time, if only for the single sample we have of him: One season, one dominant year, one title.

It is as if, because Carmelo played college basketball in the decade since Tim Duncan left college hoops (without anything close to a national title, let's not forget) and because Carmelo had the utter gall to leave college after one year, his single magnificent season doesn't count in the eyes of the cranks running the list.

On the contrary, I would pro-rate it, for the title, for his experience level and for the sheer ridiculousness of considering how much better he was (as a freshman) than everyone else in college basketball, long before Durant or Beasley made that fashionable.

Where would I rank Carmelo? Certainly as the best college basketball player of the ESPN Era (and I'm happy to hear other arguments... Sampson and Duncan lacked titles... Manning had 4 years to develop his all-around game... Jordan had Worthy and Perkins... Robinson had a size advantage... Laettner had an insanely good team around him -- and was a douchebag).

But I would drop Carmelo in the Top 5 ALL-TIME. Alcindor. Walton. Oscar. Pistol Pete. Melo.

-- D.S.

Friday 03/07 A.M. Quickie:March Madness, Rockets, Favre, Isenour

Today's Names to Know in today's Sporting News column:

Russell Westbrook, UNC-Asheville, Phil Martelli, Carl Landry, Yao, Tripp Isenhour, Brett Favre, Jevon Kearse, Pat Riley, Kelvin Sampson, Albert Pujols, Noah Lowry, All-American Football League and More!

Including:
Why March Madness starts tomorrow...
Why Championship Week rules...
Why UCLA will win the national title...
Why the Rockets are still underrated...
Why Yao hates Rockets fans...
Why Tripp Isenhour is the new Mike Vick...
Why Brett Favre is only semi-sincere...
Why Jevon Kearse is partying like it's 1999...
Why I can do Pat Riley's job for him...
Why Kelvin Sampson cares more than Pat Riley...
Why you should avoid drafting Albert Pujols...
Why the Giants add injury to insult...
Why I apologize to Bucknell fans...
And more... after the jump!

Bonus posts coming later today -- and all next week! So check back in the early afternoon. Lots to catch up on.

Don't forget to sign up for the annual "Daily Quickie Readers" group of the ESPN.com Tournament Challenge. Only 34 entries so far? Come on!

-- D.S.

Thursday 03/06 A.M. Quickie:Celtics, LeBron, Florida, Edwards, More!

Today's Names to Know in today's Sporting News column:

Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Billy Donovan, Shan Foster, Carl Edwards, Pat Riley, Chris Andersen, Brett Favre, Joey Harrington, Anthony Weiner, Alex Ovechkin, Bartolo Colon and More!

Including...
Why the Celtics are in Title-or-Bust mode...
Why LeBron's 50 seals his MVP award...
Why Florida is NIT-bound...
(Why you've been waiting for that one...)
Why Shan Foster is SEC MVP...
Why NASCAR gets away with cheating...
Why Pat Riley has given up...
Why Brett Favre is predictable...
Why Alex Ovechkin is the best...
Why Bartolo Colon re-proves Theo's genius...
And much more...after the jump!

You know you want to see me prostrating myself over Florida basketball, which I do. Yes, it's a little tough to take. It's very tough to take. (Sigh.)

Speaking of college hoops, don't forget to get signed up for the annual (and open-to-all) "Daily Quickie Readers" group over at ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge. The tradition continues...

After getting re-settled into my morning routine yesterday, it's nice to be greeted by a ton of good storylines this morning. And we're not even close to Selection Sunday yet...

-- D.S.

Wednesday 03/05 A.M. Quickie:Favre, CBB, Spurs, More Favre, Roids!

Aaand we're back! Today's Names to Know in today's Sporting News column:

Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Sam Cassell, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, John Wooden, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Spencer Hall and... Brett Favre.

Including:
Why Brett Favre deserves celebrating...
(But his reason for leaving NOW doesn't...)
Why Sam Cassell is the C's missing piece...
Why Florida MUST beat Tennessee tonight...
Why small-conference CBB tourneys rule...
Why Javon Walker is no Randy Moss...
And why Jason Webster is no Asante Samuel...
Why Spencer Hall is Pinch-Hitter of the Year...
And much more... after the jump!

Meanwhile: The tradition continues! As has been our tradition since 2003, head over to ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge HQ and sign up for the "Daily Quickie Readers" group.

Last year's group topped 1,000 participants, third-highest of any group (not the 10,000 of 2006, but not bad) and my then-9-month-old son came in 10th overall. You all have a lot to show for yourselves this year.

(But, ack: Without Florida as a lock to win the title – hell, looking like they won't even make the field of 65 this year – how will anyone rack up the points that come from picking a champ?)

Anyway: Sign up now! It's open to anyone/everyone and no password is required (only that you know the group name.) I'll be reminding you every day from now until the Wednesday before the first Thursday of the tournament. Daily Quickie Readers: The Tradition Continues...

-- D.S.

Tuesday 03/04 (Vacation) Quickie: Back Tomorrow Morning!

Enjoy one more day of Spencer Hall's genius over at Sporting News, then I'm back tomorrow: Tanned, rested and surprisingly lucid. If you live in a state with a primary today, don't forget to vote! - D.S.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Monday 03/03 (Very) Quickie: Yes, Still On Vacation

I'm still on a short vacation with limited/no internet access. Spencer Hall has graciously agreed to pinch-hit at Sporting News for me today, so be sure to head over there to check it out. (Meanwhile, here's a favor: Could one of YOU send ME an email with the Top 10 or so headlines of the morning/from the weekend? No explanations needed: Just a super-quick summary of what I've missed. You have no idea how disconnected I am down here -- and, considering it's supposed to be a vacation, that's for the best.) Enjoy the day. I'm back on Wednesday morning. Oh, and it's the first weekday of March... March is here! - D.S.
"HEADLINES" UPDATE: Got the headlines email from you! No need to send anymore. Huge thanks for the quick response!

Friday 02/29 (Very) Quickie: Leap Day

On vacation for a few days in a surprisingly un-Spring Break-ish part of Mexico. Online access spotty (for the better). Spencer Hall pinch-hitting on the Sporting News column. More later (maybe) but it's freaky Leap Day -- what more would you need? - D.S.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Thursday 02/28 A.M. Quickie:Clemens, LeBron, Memphis, Cope, More

Today's Names to Know in today's Sporting News column: Clemens, Novitzky, LeBron, Chris Paul, Memphis, Myron Cope, WC Heinz, Gary Bettman, Will Ferrell and More!

Here's the link. NFL Free Agency starts today. Leap Day is tomorrow. March starts Saturday. Take a breath, friends: It's going to be a fantastic ride over the next month.

-- D.S.

Wednesday 02/27 A.M. Quickie:Yao, Vols, Vandy, Clemens, Kobe, More

Today's Names to Know in today's Sporting News column:

Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, Shan Foster, John Q. Hammons, Kobe, Mo Williams, Roger Clemens, Debbie Clemens, Jessica Canseco, Scott Kazmir, Miguel Cabrera, Reggie Bush, Troy Williamson, Kevin Faulk, Sean Salisbury and More!

Including:
Why China owns the NBA...
Why you could see Vandy's upset coming...
Why Mizzou State is kind of awesome...
Why Kobe has the Lakers on top of the NBA...
Why Roger Clemens has 3 strikes today...
Why Miguel Cabrera is in for a big year...
Why Reggie Bush needs to give it up...
Why Troy Williamson is the Jags' problem now...
Why Kevin Faulk completes a triple crown for the Pats...
Why Sean Salisbury is the sports-blog story of the day...
And so much more... after the jump!

In case you missed it yesterday: Be sure to check out my Nationals preview as part of Deadspin's MLB Season Preview coverage.

-- D.S.

Wednesday 02/27 A.M. Quickie:Yao, Vols, Vandy, Clemens, Kobe, More

Today's Names to Know in today's Sporting News column:

Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, Shan Foster, John Q. Hammons, Kobe, Mo Williams, Roger Clemens, Debbie Clemens, Jessica Canseco, Scott Kazmir, Miguel Cabrera, Reggie Bush, Troy Williamson, Kevin Faulk, Sean Salisbury and More!

Including:
Why China owns the NBA...
Why you could see Vandy's upset coming...
Why Mizzou State is kind of awesome...
Why Kobe has the Lakers on top of the NBA...
Why Roger Clemens has 3 strikes today...
Why Miguel Cabrera is in for a big year...
Why Reggie Bush needs to give it up...
Why Troy Williamson is the Jags' problem now...
Why Kevin Faulk completes a triple crown for the Pats...
Why Sean Salisbury is the sports-blog story of the day...
And so much more... after the jump!

-- D.S.

Washington Nationals Preview on Deadspin

My 2nd annual preview of the Washington Nationals is up on Deadspin. As you'd expect, it's all about Elijah Dukes. How could it not be? Here's the link.

Tuesday 02/26 A.M. Quickie:Texas, Bonds, Clemens, Bush, More!

Today's Names to Know in today's Sporting News column:

DJ Augustine, Michael Beasley, Barry Bonds, Tony La Russa, Roger Clemens, Jason Kidd, DeShawn Stevenson, Reggie Bush, Carl Edwards, Kodi Burns and More!

Including...
Why Texas should make your Final Four short-list...
Why Michael Beasley IS the new Kevin Durant...
Why the Rays MUST sign Barry Bonds...
Why Roger Clemens is in more trouble than ever...
Why Jason Kidd had a happy homecoming...
Why DeShawn Stevenson is the new Gilbert Arenas...
Why Reggie Bush might as well return the Heisman now...
Why spring football should start as early as possible...
And more... after the jump!

-- D.S.

Name of the Year 2008 Bracket!

Name of the Year (or "NOTY") is, quite possibly, the greatest bracket you will see all year. It is absolutely my personal favorite, annually. I'll weigh in with my picks soon, but here's the link, so you can see for yourself. (Remember: All names are real. Yes, real. You know it's a great bracket when, like, 85 percent of the match-ups are REALLY hard to decide between.)

Baseball Prospectus 2008 Arrives!

Baseball Prospectus 2008 goes on sale today. It has become an absolute must-read for any/every baseball fan. I got my copy on Friday and have been engorging myself on it all weekend. It is filled with all of the amazing insight you have come to expect.

Here's the best part: It includes a phenomenal new feature called "PECOTA Leaderboards," which is incredibly helpful if you are participating in fantasy baseball. I'd put my faith in PECOTA before I would in some random expert's qualitative opinion. (Hope Football Prospectus adopts the same feature when they do their pre-season annual in the fall.)

My only gripe? BP's PECOTA Leaderboard lists are limited to Top 10s, 15s and 20s, depending on the category. How about Top 50? Anyone in a fantasy league needs that kind of depth at the margins, particularly to unearth the gems.

Of course, you could just read through the entire BP2K8 to discover those nuggets -- come to think of it, that's probably where most of the fun is.

- D.S.

Monday 02/25 A.M. Quickie:Vols, Woods, Combine, NBA, More!

Today's Names to Know in today's Sporting News column:

Bruce Pearl, John Calipari, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Darren McFadden, Glenn Dorsey, Chris Johnson, Michael Beasley, Drake, Ben Wallace, Jason Kidd, Manu Ginobili, Zach Thomas, Rex Grossman, Stephen Ross, Barry Bonds, Terry Francona, Bartolo Colon, Brad Lidge, Terrelle Pryor and More!

Including...
Why Tennessee is a Final Four lock...
Why Tiger isn't going for Grand Slam...
Why McFadden doubters will regret it...
(And that goes double for Dorsey...)
Why the new-look Cavs look better...
Why the new-look Suns look worse...
Why the new Fins owner is a great fit...
Why Barry Bonds may end up in exile...
Why the Red Sox X-Factor is Colon...
Why Brad Lidge saves Phils fans a headache...
Why Terrelle Pryor needs to decide...
Why Indiana players need to grow up...
And more... after the jump!

Bonus post coming later today: An instant review of Baseball Prospectus 2008 (out today!)

-- D.S.

Sunday 02/24 (Very) Quickie

No. 2 Tennessee beats No. 1 Memphis in Memphis: It ends the Tigers' bid for an unbeaten season... it vaults the Vols to No. 1 in the country for the first time in school history... and it positions Tennessee as not just a lock of a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed, but probably the team best-positioned to get to the Final Four. Few have racked up as quality of a single win (Texas' win over Tennessee suddenly looks amazing), but who else has as quality of a road win?

More CBB: Kansas loses at Oklahoma State (probably losing any chance at a No. 1 NCAA seed)... UCLA survives at home vs. Oregon (what was up with those Ducks unis?)... Drake tops Butler in Bracket Buster headliner (Kent St got a huge boost with a win over St. Mary's)... Nova ends UConn's 10-game W streak... Arizona upsets Wazzu in Pullman... Indiana players put "K.S." on their shoes, then put aside the distraction to survive at Northwestern (how did IU allow NU to score 82 points?)... Stud of the Day: Michael Beasley, who had a Big 12 record 44 points in a K-State loss to Baylor. He also broke Carmelo's record for double-doubles by a freshman... NJIT set a Division I record by completing an unprecedented 0-29 season...

NBA Last Night: Another big night for Manu Ginobili (30 pts, 12 ast) in a huge Spurs win over the Hornets (reminding everyone who the champ is)... Heat lose 11th straight... Lakers win 7th straight (Gasol: 23)... No Kidd, no problem: Marcus Williams has 13 assists in Nets win over IND.

Zach Thomas will play for the Cowboys... The Rex Grossman Era in Chicago continues (he signed a 1-year deal)... The Klitschko "unification" win was a great (snoozy) example of why boxing is no longer relevant in today's sports world...

-- D.S.