By George! They're NCAA's GMU Fans now!

NCAA's Cinderella team, the George Mason Patriots, are everyone's favorite team to win it all from the NCAA Final Four.

Of course, watching them upset one team after another to reach the NCAA Final Four sure helps.

Nobody even knew that there's a team playing basketball in George Mason. All of a sudden, people are wearing the Patriots green and gold and rehearsing the hitherto for unknown names of the team's starting line-up around water coolers.

This just proves that the nation is just discovering George Mason and that's perfectly okay.

The whole nation, and even the world, is suddenly aware of Northern Virginia's own George Mason University, by virtue of the incredible feat by its men's basketball team to make it to the elite ''Final Four'' of NCAA competition this weekend.

The team's amazing upset of four consecutive foes in the post-season tournament, including three highly-touted programs with long histories of top-drawer athletic achievements, truly constitutes a ''Cinderella story'' guaranteed to become legend among all sports enthusiasts for generations.

Everybody is browsing through their personal histories, looking for that one day when they went to George Mason to take a night class, attended a seminar or, for some, that diploma that proves they earned a degree from the school.

The NCAA tournament justifies the existence of some schools in North America and George Mason is a classic example.

Too bad it takes an achievement in sports to earn a school recognition that it deserved all along for its academics and other offerings, but has been denied. But we're sure the folks at GMU will take it. We've all become ''GMU Conscious'' now, even as we scramble now to get our hands on season tickets for the next basketball year.

NCAA's Cinderella team, George Mason has 15/4 odds to win their NCAA Final Four match-up at Bodog. Can these George Mason Patriots come out of the NCAA Final Four as champions? Log on and check out Bodog now.

NBA to Ban Tights Next Season

After the headbands and the long shorts, it seems tights are now the latest trend in the NBA.

Since Jerry Stackhouse first used it in last year's playoffs, it seems majority of the league's top players are joining the fashion trend. Guys like Dwyane Wade, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are all wearing these leg-wraps during NBA games.

Of course, these players claim that it helps keep their legs warm during games. It also helps 'em to stay away from aggravating any groin injuries or muscle sprains. Stack' is a testament to that. After suffering from a groin injury last year, he started wearing those tights and he never looked back since.

Now, the league is trying to ban 'em for next year's season.

First was the regulation of the length of a player's shorts, then the dress code this year and now, this no-to-tights campaign next season. NBA Commish' David Stern sure's getting a lot of love from players and fans by now.

Although NBA officials are not publicly commenting on the issue, sources say that the league simply does not like the look of players wearing visible hose. It's believed that the league office, which already has regulations in place to curtail short lengths, can unilaterally outlaw tights by simply amending its uniform code before the 2006-07 season.

The thing is, the league believes that some players wear these tights primarily because of how the way it looks and not because of medical stuff. Well, if these guys put people on seats then by all means, let them wear what they want to wear.

Stackhouse, the man who started this ''tight movement'' so to speak, says, ''If they ban 'em, I'll find something else.''

Eight players who wear tights, the likes of Kobe, LeBron, Michael Redd and Vince Carter, are all Nike-sponsored athletes. That's why Nike is now selling a ''pro basic'' pair of tights for $35 a pop and a ''pro thermal'' pair for 50 bucks.

Bodog has odds on this year's NBA hardwood battles. Log on and visit Bodog now.

Sprewell lets Ego keep Him Away from NBA

Somewhere deep in the heart of Milwaukee, lies Latrell Sprewell.

Yes, Latrell Sprewell is currently residing in River Hills, Wisconsin, and by the looks of things, he won't be moving anytime soon for an NBA title contender, an NBA playoff-bound franchise, or an NBA team for that matter.

Latrell Sprewell, as good a basketball player that he is, still is and always has been letting his ego get the best of him.

The media tried to contact Spree, what happened next was typical of Sprewell.

''Get off my property right now or I'll send someone out there to take your head off!'' Sprewell exclaimed.

So ended the briefest of encounters early Sunday afternoon a few miles north of downtown Milwaukee, the biggest mystery of the NBA season no closer to being explained by the only person who has any of the answers.

Inside the sprawling yellow brick home with the massive wooden jungle gym in the backyard resides the best basketball player in the world without a job, an athlete who could help some team win an NBA championship three months from now if it could just get a reading on whether he's willing and/or able to set aside his shame and lace 'em up for the first time since the Minnesota Timberwolves played their final game last season.

You see, the problem for Sprewell is the mere fact that he's no longer the explosive basketball player he once was.

He turned down a three-year $21-million extension from the Minnesota Timberwolves explaining he had ''a family to feed.'' Sprewell was waiting for the Lakers to pick him up but L.A. and the Wolves failed to agree on a sign-and-trade deal.

That left Latrell Sprewell no choice but to play for the NBA veteran's minimum which happens to be $1 million.

Bodog has the odds on who will be this year’s NBA Champions. Will Latrell Sprewell be a part of that team? Log on and check out Bodog now.

Amare Stoudemire's Knee causes Problems

Amare Stoudemire did not want to talk Tuesday about how his comeback for the Phoenix Suns has been called off after three games.

And that said it all. He seems to be tired of reliving why his knees still ache. He seems to want to avoid rehashing how his past two games regressed into a shell of his former athletic presence. He does not want to give answers because perhaps he has none about what will happen now.

Stoudemire may not be back for the rest of this road trip or the rest of this season, a possibility that many suggested should have been the case all along. He will resume rehabilitation activity with the Suns holding out hope that he could recapture his athleticism with scrimmages and conditioning sessions rather than frustrating games like he had Saturday and Monday.

''It's not fair to him or the team,'' said Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni, who put on his team executive hat to make the Stoudemire decision Tuesday. ''He needs now to stop it, keep rehabbing and play one-on-one and try to get back to where he can run, sprint and jump.''

''He really wants to play and help the team as much as he can. As the franchise general manager, you've got to really think long term. If he's not getting better, then what are we doing?'' the coach added.

Stoudemire hardly was to blame for the franchise's third-worst defeat ever Monday in New Jersey, but it did not help a sluggish start when Stoudemire had no lift in his jumps and no pep to his step.

D'Antoni acknowledged that perhaps many people wanted Stoudemire's comeback to happen ''so fast that it would've been better if we waited.'' But he reiterated that the attempt did not do any harm to Stoudemire's knees, one that underwent a microfracture procedure in October and one that had recent swelling.

After a good week of practices that led to his return last week, Stoudemire's knees have progressively become more difficult for him to loosen up and have prompted him to describe the condition as pain and soreness.

Some NBA veterans suffered the same injury that virtually lessened themselves to a shell of who they once where. Some even had their careers abruptly ended, like NBA superstars Allan Houston and Anfernee Hardaway.

Bodog has the odds on who’ll be this year’s NBA Champions. Can the Phoenix Suns win it all without Amare Stoudemire or will the Detroit Pistons destroy Steve Nash's Canadian behind? Log on and check out Bodog now.

LSU Tigers will grab NCAA Title this season

These LSU Tigers act like brothers.

Teasing each other, snickering at inside jokes, deriding any sign of pretension, their chemistry this year is unparalleled. After all, they grew up together, competed with and against each other for years.

Along the way they learned a lot about basketball and about themselves. Now LSU's Tiger cubs consider themselves a family, brothers with different mothers but one goal.

''I think the chemistry on this team is special,'' said Glen ''Big Baby'' Davis on Tuesday as the team prepared for its trip to Indianapolis and the NCAA Final Four. ''We know each other in and out of the game. We've been together all our lives.''

Four team members are from Baton Rouge, Davis, Garrett Temple, Tyrus Thomas and Darnell Lazare. Darrel Mitchell is from St. Martinville, La., about 60 miles southwest of Baton Rouge. Glen Mitchell is from one exit down I-12 at Denham Springs.

Now, they're going to the Final Four, together. The Tigers (27-8), with NCAA victories over Iona, Texas A&M, Duke and Texas, face UCLA Saturday in the NCAA semifinals. It's the first time LSU has reached the Final Four since 1986.

The group began competing against each other as kids, playing on school teams, AAU teams, church teams. That's why, even though they are the youngest team in this weekend's Final Four, with three freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup and only one senior on the roster, the Tigers feel they have an edge in experience.

''We know each other, we know our games,'' Temple said. ''When I take the ball downcourt, Glen knows if I'm going to shoot or pass it off. He knows if it will be an ally or a bullet pass. He just knows. A lot of teams play together two or three years before they get to where we are.''

The LSU Tigers will bring their solid team chemistry to the basketball court of Indianapolis on Saturday to face the UCLA Bruins in one of the two games in the NCAA Final Four. LSU is looking good, with this chemistry and of course, the Glen Davis / Tyrus Thomas frontcourt.

The LSU Tigers have 12/5 odds of winning the NCAA Championship while the UCLA Bruins still are one of the favorites with 13/4 odds. Who will come out of the NCAA Final Four between these two programs to play for the championship? Log on and check out Bodog now.

Philadelphia came back in NCAA Basketball

Philadelphia was back, and the Villanova Wildcats were proud of that.

Allan Ray and Randy Foye led Villanova to a Big East co-championship and a return to national prominence, bringing Philly's basketball epicenter back to the Main Line.

The senior guards did everything except lead the Wildcats to the national championship.

Villanova's run through the NCAA tournament fell one win shy of the Final Four after it lost to Florida in the Minneapolis Regional on Sunday, ending one of the program's greatest seasons.

"I know it hurts for everybody, but I really want to make sure this group feels great about itself," coach Jay Wright said. "They love Villanova, they love that experience, and Villanova loves them."

The Wildcats (28-5) made it to the regional final even with Curtis Sumpter lost to a preseason knee injury, forcing a unique four-guard offense that carried the team until the end. Perhaps worn down from carrying the scoring load, running an always attacking defense, and tournament teams with a frontcourt size advantage, Ray, Mike Nardi and Kyle Lowry struggled in their final games and didn't have the sharp shooting touch that helped the Wildcats set a team 3-point record.

"It hurts to know that we are not going to be able to play next week in the Final Four," Foye said.

With Ray and Foye gone, Villanova's four-guard offense will probably go with them.

Sumpter will be back, though, along with starters Nardi, Lowry and Will Sheridan, and seasoned sophomores Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark form a nucleus that gives the Wildcats hope of another deep postseason run.

Villanova didn't want to think about next year after its 75-62 loss to Florida. This was a team that was built to win this season, and they did, winning more games than any Villanova team in history. The Wildcats spent every week ranked in the Top 10 and earned their first No. 1 NCAA tournament seed.

It remains to be seen where the Wildcats will go from here next year.

The Florida Gators are 7/4 picks and are heavy favorites to become NCAA Hardwood Kings but NCAA’s Cinderella team, George Mason is not far behind with 15/4 odds. The LSU Tigers have 12/5 odds of winning the NCAA Championship while the UCLA Bruins still are one of the favorites with 13/4 odds. Who will come out of the NCAA Final Four to play for the championship? Log on and check out Bodog now.

NCAA's Sympathy Award for J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison?

J.J. Redick of Duke and Adam Morrison of Gonzaga spent all season locked in a bi-coastal scoring race.

Fittingly, they ended it as the only unanimous selections for The Associated Press' All-America men's basketball team.

Redick, the most prolific 3-point scorer in college history, was a repeat choice. He and Morrison were joined on the first team Monday by Redick's teammate Shelden Williams, Randy Foye of Villanova and Brandon Roy, Washington's first All-America in 53 years.

Redick and Morrison gave fans a ''Can you top this?'' scoring competition that ended with both receiving all 72 first-team votes from members of the national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. The voting took place before the NCAA tournament.

Morrison, the only junior on an otherwise all-senior first team, won the scoring title with a 28.4 average, just ahead of Redick's 27.4. Morrison shot 43.7 percent from 3-point range, while Redick hit 42.1 percent from beyond the arc.

''It is a testament to the type of season each of us has had,'' Redick said. ''Adam is certainly a great player and it is an honor to be unanimous pick along with him.''

Morrison said being an All-America isn't ''something you think about receiving when you start your collegiate career, but to be associated with some of the great names of college basketball is an honor. I guess to be a unanimous pick with J.J. seems only fitting since the two of us have been followed so closely this year. He's a great player.''

Morrison is Gonzaga's second All-America, joining Dan Dickau in 2002.

This is the second time in three years there were two unanimous selections. In 2004, Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph's and Emeka Okafor of Connecticut were unanimous.

Both J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison will be more than happy celebrating this achievement after having their respective teams eliminated rather abruptly from the NCAA March Madness Brackets.

The Florida Gators are 7/4 picks and are heavy favorites to become NCAA Hardwood Kings but NCAA's Cinderella team, George Mason is not far behind with 15/4 odds. The LSU Tigers have 12/5 odds of winning the NCAA Championship while the UCLA Bruins still are one of the favorites with 13/4 odds. Who will come out of the NCAA Final Four to play for the championship? Log on and check out Bodog now.

NCAA Final Four Matchup: George Mason will be Luckier than Florida

The hottest player in the NCAA Tournament, Florida Gators forward, Joakim Noah went supernova on the top-seeded Villanova Wildcats.

Villanova rallied from a 16-point deficit against Boston College on Friday to muster a 60-59 overtime win. Noah insured that wouldn't happen, scoring seven consecutive points to help Florida open a 66-54 advantage with 2:19 remaining.

''He's a unique player. I don't remember anyone as good offensively or defensively on the perimeter and in the post,'' Villanova coach, Jay Wright said.

That doesn't bode well for George Mason in Saturday's matchup against the Gators in Indianapolis. The undersized Patriots had to rally from a 12-point deficit Sunday to oust top-seeded Connecticut 86-84 in overtime.

As the first No. 11 seed to make the Final Four in 20 years, George Mason (27-7) will enter the RCA Dome as sentimental favorites among fans who love underdogs (or simply hate the Gators). Florida, though, can relate, being underdogs themselves with a very young core of players.

Almost five months ago, the Gators were projected as mere sports filler in Gainesville until spring football practice began. But a team that wasn't ranked in the preseason top 25 shed its Cinderella label a long time ago en route to a school-record 31 wins and its first Final Four appearance since 2000.

''It's a great feeling when you have a lot of doubters and you prove them wrong,'' Noah said. ''I think it made us tighter at the end of the day.''

Toward the end of the postgame celebration, Noah saw one of the nets wasn't completely cut down. He snipped the final eight strands and tossed the webbing to Horford, who wore it like a necklace.

Noah then made sure every piece was removed from the rim, handing and throwing the remnants to fans before heading into the locker room. The way it's looking for Noah and the Gators, this won't be the last time he will climb a ladder with scissors in hand.

However, George Mason is still looking to continue what is turning out to be the greatest story in NCAA March Madness history. Both teams will try to do the impossible and it looks like lady luck would still smile on the Cinderella story of George Mason.

The Florida Gators are 7/4 picks and are heavy favorites to become NCAA Hardwood Kings but NCAA's Cinderella team, George Mason is not far behind with 15/4 odds. Who will come out of the NCAA Final Four as champions? Log on and check out Bodog now.

NCAA Final Four Matchup: LSU to Stomp on UCLA

LSU Tigers will decimate any frontcourt the UCLA Bruins come up with.

With the size they have coming in to their matchup with UCLA, the LSU Tigers are an easy bet heading to the two programs' NCAA Final Four dance on Saturday.

Tyrus Thomas alone is one tough giant to escape from inside the paint with the way he swats the basketball away from the hoop.

Tyrus Thomas' leaping ability is superhuman and he can use that with his gorilla-like wingspan perfectly. It's one thing reading Thomas' blocking ability on paper, but it's an entirely different story watching him swat the ball like a fly.

''We're going up against the human fly-swatting machine,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said. Howland is concerned, and there's plenty more reason to be concerned about.

And then there's LSU's ''Big Baby,'' Glen Davis, a giant with the genetic composition of a man that goes by the name of Shaquille O'Neal, that can power his way through basically EVERYBODY, whenever he chooses.

Glen Davis is already a 6'9'' skyscraper with a 310-pound frame. And he's only a sophomore. This guy will just get bigger and bigger and if LSU product, Shaquille O'Neal, was to tell us anything, Glen Davis has a bright future ahead of him. A huge one at that.

And perhaps the biggest problem for the UCLA Bruins coming in this Saturday's NCAA Final Four matchup would have to be the fact that both LSU giants work together as a unit. (Think Detroit's R&B, Rasheed and Ben Wallace.)

''Glen and [I] live together and have known each other since we were 10, and we've got the same background, so we have a bond that you can't teach,'' Thomas said. ''We aren't jealous of each other. We're never selfish. He's like my brother,'' Tyrus Thomas adds.

To say that the LSU frontcourt is a huge test for UCLA could very well be an understatement. Tigers will go on and play for the NCAA title, those Bruins will just be target practice on Saturday at the NCAA Final Four.

The LSU Tigers have 12/5 odds of winning the NCAA Championship while the UCLA Bruins still are one of the favorites with 13/4 odds. Who will come out of the NCAA Final Four between these two programs to play for the championship? Log on and check out Bodog now.

NCAA Final Four's Cinderella Story: George Mason

''We seeded them too low,'' that is how Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage spoke of George Mason.

The no.11 seed in this year's NCAA March Madness brackets, George Mason dropped opposing teams, one at a time, to join UCLA, Florida and LSU in this year's NCAA Final Four.

Yes, no top seed made it this year, all the more reason why they call it, ''March Madness.''

George Mason's run at the NCAA promise land, is by far, the greatest run ever in NCAA Final Four history. George Mason, named after one of the founders of the U.S. Constitution who refused to sign the document because he wanted to abolish slavery, made the school's namesake even prouder.

Who wouldn't?

With the name 'George Mason' written across their chests, these basketball players will be hard to stop as they meet the Florida Gators to determine who will move on to play the biggest dance in college basketball.

The Patriots were one of the last five at-large teams to make the field, and all they did was knock off three of the last six national champs.

Michigan State (2000) in round one (without suspended second-leading scorer Tony Skinn), North Carolina (2005) in round two and Connecticut (2004) at the Verizon Center in overtime in the Elite Eight. Wedged in there was Missouri Valley champ Wichita State in the Sweet 16.

Let's go over this again, the Patriots took out Tom Izzo, Roy Williams and Jim Calhoun, the latter a Hall of Fame member and the first two likely to be enshrined some day.

''I don't know if I've ever seen anything as remarkable,'' Mike Tranghese said. Mike Tranghese is the commissioner of the Big East Conference.

''Connecticut played well but George Mason played out of its mind. It reminded me of the night Villanova beat Georgetown in 1985 to win the national title,'' he added.

George Mason will try to keep their Cinderella story alive as they take on the young Florida Gators. The Gators can prove to be tough adversaries to these Patriots because of their youth, youth that can very well shield Florida from the tension this big NCAA Final Four match-up will bring. However, once will be foolish to count George Mason out already.

The LSU Tigers have 12/5 odds of winning the NCAA Championship while the Florida Gators are 7/4 picks and are heavy favorites to become NCAA Hardwood Kings. UCLA still is one of the favorites with 13/4 odds but NCAA's Cinderella team, George Mason is coming strong with 15/4 odds. Who will come out of the NCAA Final Four as champions? Log on and check out Bodog now.

NCAA Final Four's Legendary Program: UCLA

The most storied program in college basketball is back in the NCAA Final Four.

Arron Afflalo, coach Ben Howland and the rest of the Bruins have returned UCLA to the lofty level of its glory years. Afflalo scored 15 points and shut down Memphis leading scorer Rodney Carney, helping No. 2 seed UCLA defeat the top-seeded Tigers 50-45 Saturday and earn a trip to Indianapolis for its first Final Four appearance since the school's 1995 NCAA championship.

Ryan Hollins added 14 points, nine rebounds and drew two charges on defense as the cold-shooting Bruins won their 11th straight game to capture the Oakland Regional in the lowest-scoring regional final since the shot-clock era began in 1986.

UCLA (31-6) will play in next Saturday's semifinals against LSU, a 70-60 overtime winner over Texas in the Atlanta Regional final earlier in the day. Defense has become the Bruins' trademark, a stark contrast from the last time UCLA won the title. The '95 Bruins beat Connecticut 102-96 in the regional final in an up-and-down game.

These Bruins aren't even close to the offensive juggernaut of the title team with Ed O'Bannon and Tyus Edney. Memphis' only field goal in the first 8:24 of the second half Saturday didn't even go in the basket. Washington got credit for the points on a goaltending call.

UCLA got this far by surviving close games, and this time by surviving serious free-throw woes. The Bruins, 20-of-39 at the line, pulled off an improbable 73-71 comeback win over Gonzaga in the third round after beating Alabama 62-59 in their second NCAA game. UCLA rallied from nine points down in the final 3:27 to beat the Zags.

UCLA's tussle with LSU could very well be a tough defensive basketball game. LSU have twin towers, Tyrus Thomas and Glen Davis, to clog up the lanes. Both UCLA and LSU will be physically and mentally tested in the defensive end as both programs will try to come out victorious in the NCAA Final Four.

The LSU Tigers have 12/5 odds of winning the NCAA Championship while the Florida Gators are 7/4 picks and are heavy favorites to become NCAA Hardwood Kings. NCAA's Cinderella team, George Mason is coming strong with 15/4 odds but UCLA still is one of the favorites with 13/4 odds. Who will come out of the NCAA Final Four as champions? Log on and check out Bodog now.

NCAA Final Four's Underdogs: Florida

Joakim Noah and the rest of Florida Gators' sophomores were simply too strong for the last No. 1 seed standing.

With a 75-62 win over top-seeded Villanova in the Minneapolis Regional on Sunday, the young Gators are going to the NCAA Final Four a lot sooner than anyone would have thought.

Noah had 21 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks to lead the third-seeded Gators. Fellow sophomore Al Horford added 12 points and 15 rebounds and Taurean Green scored 19 points for the young Gators (31-6), who will play No. 11 seed George Mason next Saturday in the national semifinals in Indianapolis.

This marks the first time since the field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985 that no top-seeded team advanced to the Final Four, and the second time in tournament history.

Villanova star Randy Foye fouled out with 28.9 seconds left and walked slowly to the bench to hug his coaches and teammates with tears streaming down his face. He carried the Wildcats (28-5) for the second time in three days, without any help from fellow senior Allan Ray.

This was Florida's eighth straight trip to the NCAA tournament under coach Billy Donovan, but so many of his previous teams -- minus the national runner-up in 2000 -- failed to fulfill their potential in the postseason.

This tight group of sophomores, led by the fiery, ponytailed Noah, vowed to change that after bonding during their first few weeks on campus. Despite a second-round loss in the tournament last year to Villanova, the Gators are a nation-best 15-1 in March over the last two years.

The Florida Gators shocked the no.1 seed, Villanova Wildcats to go on and fulfill their NCAA Basketball destiny. However, fellow ''world-shockers,'' so to speak stand in their way as George Mason stands in they way. Both will be looking to shock the NCAA March Madness brackets again but only one will advance from the NCAA Final Four.

Who will be the NCAA March Madness Bracket Kings among this year's NCAA Final Four? George Mason and UCLA are 15/4 and 13/4 respectively to become champions while the LSU Tigers, have 12/5 odds of winning the NCAA Championship. The Florida Gators are 7/4 picks and are heavy favorites to become NCAA Hardwood Kings. Place your bets at Bodog today.

NCAA Final Four's Huge Darkhorse: LSU

The LSU Tigers shocked the world as they reached the NCAA Final Four.

Yes, the Tigers join NCAA Basketball's elite with the help, and a very huge one at that, from their 'Big Baby,' Glen Davis.

Big Baby's momma couldn't be any happier.

She was headed to the court, to the stage, to her son, and no one was going to stop her. While LSU was celebrating its overtime win over Texas on the Georgia Dome court, Glen Davis' mother, Toyna, started making her way from the stands.

''I'm going to the court, I'm going to the court,'' she said.

Glen Davis, the man likened to a former LSU giant that goes by the name of Shaq, knows that the win was as important to his mother as to the entire basketball program.

''It means a lot for me to have her experience something like that,'' Davis said of his mother. ''She's always been a supportive person for me,'' Davis added.

The Tigers' win over Texas was so emotional that almost the entire LSU bench couldn't help themselves but grab the microphone and address the crowd. Brady spoke. Davis spoke. Darrel Mitchell spoke. They danced. They did a jig for a bit. And then the euphoria raged through the entire arena.

But of all the LSU Tigers, perhaps none was as emotional as Tyrus Thomas, LSU's shot-blocking energy guy. He climbed over the railing to hug his mother, Jessica Johnson before embracing his entire family and friends deep in the stands while his teammates were starting to cut down the nets.

Tyrus Thomas was on such a high that he did an emotional Cal Ripken impersonation, running around the court and high-fiving nearly every fan who was draped over the railing.

It was such a huge night for the LSU Tigers. However, the war has only begun as the NCAA Final Four is now completed. LSU could just be the darkhorse to win it all and with the Shaq-like presence of Glen Davis, they could very well be a huge one.

Who will be the NCAA March Madness Bracket Kings among this year's NCAA Final Four? The Florida Gators are 7/4 favorites, George Mason and UCLA are 15/4 and 13/4 respectively to become champions while, perhaps the biggest darkhorse of them all, the LSU Tigers, have 12/5 odds of winning the NCAA Championship. Place your bets at Bodog today.

Amare Stoudemire Returns

Steve Nash is currently doing a spectacular job.

Nash led the Phoenix Suns to become one of the best teams, not only in the Western Conference, but in the entire NBA as well.

Now, they just got a whole lot better.

Yes, Amare Stoudemire is back.

Amare Stoudemire made his return to the Phoenix Suns lineup and instantaneously, stirred quite an impact when his Suns battled the lowly Portland Trailblazers. Amare dropped 20 points and nine rebounds in his first game of the season. He only played 19 minutes against Portland but man, can he score.

The Suns are already a title contender without Amare as Steve Nash gave his teammates all the good looks they want. Hell, Nash even made Tim Thomas a solid scorer again.

Stoudemire was an All-Star last season, averaging 26 points per game and helping the Suns to 62 wins and an appearance in the Western Conference finals.

With the Suns leading the Pacific Division, there were questions about bringing back Stoudemire from such a serious procedure.

Stoudemire himself was uncertain about his return. There also were issues of incorporating Stoudemire into the run-and-gun offense of the Suns, who often play with France's Boris Diaw at center and frustrate foes with speed.

Although the Blazers may not have been a good barometer, Stoudemire fit right in. He started at power forward and made 7-of-14 shots, although he relied primarily on his jumper and appeared tentative at times.

There is no doubt that Amare Stoudemire became the focal point of the Suns offense. Phoenix, with scorching Suns leading the franchise to a title shot in June, will just get better with the return of a supernova.

Bodog has the odds on who will win this year's hardwood battles in the NBA. Check out Bodog and place your bets today.

Shawn Kemp is Ready to Return in the NBA

Perhaps no one in the NBA has dunked the basketball harder than ''The Rain Man'' Shawn Kemp.

Yes, a few others comes into mind like Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter and of course, LeBron James. However, in his heydays with Seattle, ''The Rain Man'' Shawn Kemp can dunk the basketball hard in an era where hook shots, reverse lay-ups and fade-away jumpers are already SportsCenter material.

Shaq, Carter and LeBron are dunking in an era where a two-handed slam dunk is boring.

Now, after three years away from the league, ''The Rain Man'' is ready to have another shot in dunking the ball on this brand new era of the LeBrons and the Carters.

Shawn Kemp is fueling a comeback.

Kemp, at 36 years of age, voluntarily retired from the Orlando Magic in 2003 because of weight issues. His last NBA Season saw him weigh as much as 320 pounds.

Now, he said he has slimmed down to a 270-pound frame and is ready for another shot in the NBA.

''I've sat out this whole season to get in tip top shape to make a comeback,'' Shawn Kemp said.

The former All-Star faced troubles other than weight loss during his career, which began when he was drafted by Seattle in 1989. He took a leave of absence during the 2000-01 season to enter a substance abuse program and violated the league's anti-drug policy three times.

Most recently, a Seattle judge sentenced him in May 2005 to five days of electronic home monitoring, a year's probation and a $440 fine after he pleaded guilty to attempted possession of more than 40 grams of marijuana.

Now, Shawn Kemp claims his days as a druggie is over and is ready to slam that basketball down with tremendous intensity. I am certainly rooting for him to do just that.

Bodog has the odds on who'll be this year's NBA Champions. Will it be those Texans from San Antonio or will the Detroit Pistons destroy Tony Parker's French behind? Log on and visit Bodog now.

NY Knicks Got Frye-d By Toronto Raptors

Their present in tatters, the New York Knicks watched their future tumble into a heap last night. So it seems the season can, in fact, get worse.

Channing Frye, the Knicks' top draft pick and their brightest prospect, injured his left knee and collapsed in the fourth quarter of a 114-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden.

Frye needed two people to help him off the court, and he left the arena on crutches, his knee enclosed in a large brace.

The initial diagnosis was a sprain, but more tests, including a magnetic resonance imaging examination, are scheduled for this morning. Frye will not be with the team for tonight's game at Orlando.

It was as somber an image the Knicks have faced all season, perhaps even worse than their 19-47 record. Frye, the eighth overall pick last June, is a gifted shooter and athlete. He is considered the franchise's greatest hope, and has been deemed untouchable in trade talks.

The cruelest part of the incident was that it was caused by the Knicks' other top rookie, Nate Robinson. Toronto's Andre Barrett had sped past Robinson into the lane. Robinson, in a desperate move, slapped at the ball, then shoved Barrett in the back.

"I tried to steal the ball," Robinson said. "It definitely wasn't on purpose."

Barrett stumbled, and his left shoulder slammed into Frye's left knee. Frye collapsed on top of Barrett under the basket, and neither player immediately moved. On the bench, Malik Rose cringed and grabbed his own knee. It looked that bad.

"I definitely took full responsibility of what I did," Robinson said. "I've been in there 100 times to make sure he's O.K. He's not mad, but hopefully it's minor. I would hate for me to be the one to hurt his career or anything like that."

"I've seen a lot of these things happen. Think about what this franchise went through, with Allan and Penny and Antonio," Knicks coach Larry Brown said referring to Allan Houston, Penny Hardaway and Antonio McDyess, all of whom sustained devastating knee injuries.

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The NBA's ''Other'' Wallace is not a Piston

The Forward. That position in basketball changed throughout the years, now we have power forwards and small forwards. We even have point forwards in the NBA, as popularized by Phil Jackson.

But of all the forwards in the league, who is moving forward this year?

Gerald Wallace.

Gerald Wallace has been playing under the radar this year, and I'm sure none of you knew that he is having an All-Star-like season with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Wallace is still improving, as well. He's only 23 years old and is really in only his second season of action, because he spent three seasons at the end of Sacramento's bench before the Bobcats stole him in the expansion draft.

Aside from carrying the ''Wallace'' name, Gerald Wallace can come up with at least two SportsCenter-quality plays any given night. He's fast, can play defense and he can jump.

I don't know what the Sacramento Kings were thinking when they decided to bury him deep on the bench.

Gerald Wallace, as of press time, leads the league in steals and is among the top ten shot blockers of the NBA this season. Tough break for the Kings, what a steal for the Charlotte Bobcats.

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Moore Help Coming for Bearcats on Tuesday

Chadd Moore was rooting for his University of Cincinnati teammates on Friday night, that's what you do, but he also had a more selfish reason, he wanted to play at least one more game.

Had the Bearcats lost to Charlotte in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Friday, Moore's career would have been over with him limited to just a cheerleader role on the sideline because of his chronic back injury.

''Sitting out there I was thinking I could help if I was all right, but I had no control. I was just sitting there and hoping and praying and cheering,'' Moore said after Sunday's short workout.

Now with another game and more time to rest his ailing back, Moore said Sunday he should be ready for Tuesday's second-round NIT game against Minnesota at Fifth Third Arena.

''By Tuesday, I should be all the way back,'' Moore said.

Moore's back problems are nothing new. He left the team last season because of his back and thought his career was over then. However, the rest served him well and he returned for his senior season.

After sitting out the first five games because of his participation in a summer league, Moore played in all 26 of the Bearcats' games before Friday night's game against the 49ers.

Moore averaged a career-high 18.6 minutes a game and is averaging 3.3 points, 2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Moore's started six games, including the Bearcats' regular-season finale against West Virginia, in which he played a season-high 33 minutes. He had a season-high 14 points against Villanova.

Still, on Thursday his back had tightened up on him and then Friday he knew he just couldn't play.

''It was tough to make a decision on not playing,'' Moore said. ''I know if I would have played, I would have done nothing but hurt my team. I couldn't help my team. So I had to be a man about it and make a decision and sit out.''

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The Detroit Pistons Losing Their Swagger?

Plummeting down. That's exactly what's happening with the Detroit Pistons in ESPN's NBA Power Rankings. Yes, they are the same team who flirted with a 70-win season this year and with the looks of things, they won't be able to get to that plateau.

The Pistons might not even have the overall home court advantage if they don't get their act together, quick.

The Pistons, as of press time, are 52-13. Yes, they are still the team with the best record in the entire NBA, but with only a half game lead over the defending NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs, and a one game lead over Dirk Nowitzki and the red-hot Dallas Mavericks, that lead can disintegrate in a heartbeat.

Losing to the lowly New York Knicks is certainly unacceptable. They have a coach-player feud going on in there and the Pistons still got beat.

With the said loss, the Pistons dropped from No.1 to No.3 while the Spurs and the Mavericks took 1 and 2 respectively. Losing to the Knicks, probably the worst team in the NBA right now, is a two-point penalty for sure.

The San Antonio Spurs, with the way they are playing as of late, can snatch home court advantage away from these slumping Pistons.

The Spurs' win over Steve Nash and his Phoenix Suns certainly proves the fact that they are slowly but surely, trying to get back in top form as the NBA Playoffs draw near. Their win over Phoenix proved that they are certainly the ''Best in the West.''

The Spurs only lost six times in the Western Conference. Scary.

As for the Mavericks, their bench is so deep and so good that it just doesn't matter who coaches them. Ex-coach Don Nelson stepped down last year and Avery Johnson took over. Now, Johnson is probably leading all candidates for ''Coach of the Year'' honors.

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Morrison is Overrated in NCAA Brackets

Why does Adam Morrison get all the hype? They say Adam Morrison is a talented player, but all I see is a long-haired, out-of-shape athlete desperate to score for a team without any real talent to show for.

That is my assessment of one Adam Morrison, contrary to what legendary college hoops announcer, Dick Vitale, says about the Gonzaga star.

Dick Vitale, with everything he has accomplished in the world of color commentary, maybe is the most respected icon in all of college basketball.

However, the moment he branded Adam Morrison as the overall No.1 pick in the coming NBA Draft, plummeted his stature down from legendary status to mediocrity.

In fact, Vitale revels in overrated mediocrity with his recent tirade on Adam Morrison.

Adam Morrison is even being compared to the best pure shooters in the NBA. The most notable of which is Boston's own, Larry Bird. Adam Morrison is not even half as good a shooter as say, Dirk Nowitzki, and they're saying he's the next great white hope?

Adam might not even be the next Peja Stojakovic.

Understand, Morrison is a terrific college basketball player and deserving of co-player of the year with Duke's J.J. Redick.

Morrison will be a little better pro than two former terrific college players, Keith Van Horn and Wally Szczerbiak turned out to be. But Vitale and other college-loving analysts have gone madder than March when they go gaga over Morrison's NBA potential.

Adam Morrison is good but he's no Larry Bird.

Larry Bird can go toe-to-toe with the best of 'em. Morrison can do that but he just doesn't scare anyone but his coach.

His trash-talking tendencies are just plain goofy than intimidating. Maybe that's just something to do with his hairstyle that seems to be trapped in the rock n' roll era of the 80s. I don't know what's more pathetic than that.

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UNC Title Reign Ends in NCAA Brackets

The North Carolina Tar Heels and their quest to defend their NCAA title ended rather abruptly when an upstart team from George Mason literally shocked the world.

And it's all because of a mental lapse on the part of UNC head coach, Roy Williams. What mistake could've been made from a coach of his stature you ask?

Roy Williams forgot what the score was.

With 2:52 remaining in regulation, the UNC coach called a 30-second time out with the score tied and ordered a full-court press.

Eight clock ticks later, Tar Heel senior David Noel fouled Mason's Lamar Butler, who then sank what would become the two winning free throws.

''If I'd coached better, that would have helped us out a heck of a lot,'' coach Roy Williams said.

''The score was 54-51 and David [Noel] made a 3 to tie it up. We called a timeout, and I looked up at the clock and it still said 54-51. In my mind, I knew something was wrong. I called a press, and we didn't do a very good job. It was a bad call on my part,'' he admits.

Coach Williams concluded by saying, ''I thought they gave the most impressive first-round performance I have ever seen in an NCAA Tournament game. Not only did George Mason shoot 60 percent, they outrebounded Michigan State 40-24.''

''They played with great purpose and great passion. I was scared to death, to be honest with you. In saying all that, I thought we were going to win this game,'' he adds.

[The NCAA Sweet 16 is set as 16 teams prepare for the biggest dance of their amateur careers. Bodog has the odds. Click and visit Bodog now.]

Oklahoma Loses It's Basketball Entirely

After losing the flavor of playoff basketball with the departure of the once homeless Hornets and after being abruptly eliminated from the NCAA March Madness Brackets much to the surprise of the Oklahoma faithful, Oklahoma returns to JUST being football country again.

Oklahoma was Sooner country, Sooner being their college football team, when the Hornets came into town led by rookie sensation Chris Paul.

CP3 immediately stirred quite a cult following in Oklahoma as he piloted the once lottery-bound Hornets to a playoff contender.

The Hornets eventually returned to New Orleans, leaving Oklahoma with just one more shot of basketball glory.

The NCAA March Madness tournament.

The Sooners were the no.6 ranked team coming into their game against the no.11 ranked Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers. Who knew that the Panthers will take away their only remaining basketball glory?

Boo Davis scored 26 points and Joah Tucker had 24 for Milwaukee (22-8), which blew a 10-point lead only to rebuild it to double-digits again and hold off the favored Sooners to advance to a second-round matchup against No. 3 seed Florida.

''That's where experience comes in,'' said Tucker, one of five fifth-year seniors who start for Milwaukee.

''You know there's going to be runs in the game. You've got to find a way to stop the runs. We had to find ways to get baskets and get to the free-throw line. But the most important thing is that we stayed poised.''

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NCAA Brackets Saw Boston College Win

It was the first NCAA Bracket thriller of the tournament and Boston College found themselves edging the Pacific Tigers in a double-overtime, 88-76 slugfest.

BC caught the Tigers trying to engineer an upset. Luckily for them, they were able to stop this sudden resurgence from Pacific College.

It was 9 seconds left in regulation when Pacific's Christian Maraker tied the game with a wide-open three-point shot. It was a three-point shot Pacific fans were already cheering for even before it left Maraker's fans.

Boston College, probably sensing an upset brewing, countered, by holding the three-point shooting gunner, scoreless, in the next two extra sessions.

The result was inevitable as Pacific had virtually no one stepping up the plate.

Tigers will always maul eagles in the animal kingdom, but in the kingdom of college hoops, it was the Eagles' who destroyed the Tigers.

It became quite clear in the second overtime that Pacific superstar, Christian Maraker, is having his last college basketball game that afternoon.

Pacific fans didn't go away without proving a point though, as they chanted, ''overrated'' to Boston College, stressing the fact that the Eagles had to work hard in what was suppose to be an easy win.

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NCAA Brackets Get It On

All that hype has to end, and now it's time to play some basketball. The NCAA March Madness officially kicks off as we saw a couple of fortunate souls moving on and then some more who were not as lucky.

Take the Pacific Tigers for example who went through TWO overtime sessions just to be abruptly humbled by Boston College, 76-88. Pacific was coming in this basketball game as underdogs looking to score the very fist upset of this NCAA March Madness tournament.

Boston College just didn't allow it to happen.

''People look forward to having the underdog come up and win,'' Boston College guard Louis Hinnant said. ''Fortunately, we didn't allow that to happen.''

In another exciting basketball game that truly defines what NCAA March Madness is all about, Tennessee edged Winthrop, 63-61, behind Chris Lofton's game-winning jumper.

''It was a good look, but he was all up on me,'' Lofton said. ''It still felt good.''

Dane Bradshaw inbounded the ball to a streaking Chris Lofton and with 2.9 seconds left, Lofton rattled home a 19-foot jumpshot, barely inside the three-point line, over the outstretched arms of Winthrop defenders.

Other results include UCLA over Belmont 78-44, Alabama upsetting Marquette 90-85 and Wichita State over Seton Hall, 86-66.

The NCAA Tournament is the greatest three weeks in sports. Everybody loves March Madness and the Cinderella stories were in full force during the first afternoon.

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Marquette-able Again within NCAA Brackets

They reached the top of the NCAA College Basketball mountain as Marquette Golden Eagles freshmen, then spent the next three seasons fighting to get back.

And now, finally, Steve Novak, Joe Chapman and Chris Grimm are once again part of the NCAA tournament, this time as the elders on a Marquette Golden Eagles team poised to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in a first-round match-up this afternoon.

The trio's first go-round in the 2002-'03 season resulted in a trip to the Final Four, thanks in large part to the play of the irrepressible Dwyane Wade.

But injuries and inconsistent play relegated MU to the National Invitation Tournament the following two seasons, a huge fall from grace for a group of players that expected the NCAAs to become a yearly destination.

''It's been a big letdown,'' said Chapman during MU's news conference Wednesday afternoon outside Cox Arena, which is located on the campus of San Diego State University.

''You come out your first year, you go to the Final Four, you think you're supposed to get there every year. Everybody worked hard, everybody gave it their all (the next two seasons), and that's all we could do at the time,'' he added.

In 2003-'04, a four-game losing streak and then a first-round loss in the Conference USA tournament doomed the Golden Eagles. Then last year, a series of injuries to star guard Travis Diener left MU badly short-handed in the backcourt and it never recovered.

The memories aren't good ones for the trio.

''Obviously starting out with the Final Four you always want to go back,'' said Novak. ''But we also understood that it wasn't just you get to go to the Final Four (without) a lot of hard work, a lot of things coming together at the right time. Every year's different and we really haven't tried to focus too much on the past couple years.''

Novak had a huge hand in MU's Final Four run, coming off the bench to hit a number of big three-pointers. Chapman hit a couple as well, while Grimm was relegated mostly to mop-up duty while being stuck behind the likes of Robert Jackson, Scott Merritt and Terry Sanders.

All three have made sure to impart their experiences, both during the Golden Eagles' miraculous NCAA tournament run and beyond, onto their younger teammates on a regular basis this season.

Can the Marquette Golden Eagles find their way at the top of the NCAA mountain this year? Who will be crowned NCAA Champion? Bodog has the odds. Log on and visit Bodog now.