• If you’re a fan of college basketball and the NBA the past couple days have been very interesting. Thursday was a busy day as it was the first full day of games for the NCAA Tournament as well as the trade deadline for the NBA. Temporarily, Dwight Howard looks to be staying put in Orlando, but the feeling is only for the near future. The question now with the Magic is do they have a run in them, knowing that Howard is not going to be traded? Likewise with Los Angeles as the Lakers decided not to trade either Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum. Surprisingly, they dealt longtime Laker Derek Fisher, which surprised Laker nation as well as the rest of the league. Boston decided to keep the future of the organization in Rajon Rondo and keep the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in tact. Players are always concerned about getting traded, but now that they are somewhat safe, it allows them to just play basketball. Down the stretch, the Lakers could be the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder as Bynum and Gasol know they aren’t going anywhere. With the home stretch of the season upon us, it’s now or never for many teams looking for a championship.
• As for college basketball fans, the first weekend of the Big Dance is always one of the best weekends of the years. Watching games all day, knowing that every game and every possession matters makes the games more interesting. Most are interested in the outcomes of games because one upset could mess the rest of your bracket up. After last season’s Cinderella run to the Final Four, VCU pulled off another upset in the first round defeating Wichita State. Normally, the team that plays the best over the next three weeks eventually cuts down the nets. Talent and depth are key components, but don’t kid yourself, a team also needs a little luck to win a tournament like this and have its “One Shining Moment.” The weekend is full of games that will make you wanting more. They’ll be upsets and buzzer beaters, so sit back and enjoy!
• For a prediction on the Magic-Heat NBA game please head over to read the “Vic Predicts” post.
• Don’t forget to check out our latest podcast with former Ohio State basketball walk-on Mark Titus.

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Email Victor: victor(at)110SportsPodcast(dot)com

110SportsPodcast.com features a weekly sports podcast and daily blogging. Episodes include interviews, entertainment, comedy, insight and analysis.

With college basketball and football both generating billions of dollars it’s easy to forget the athletes responsible for making that money have only had their driver’s licenses for a handful of years. Nowadays, college athletes are expected to train year round and during the season could have 15-hour days between weight lifting, conditioning, practice and oh yeah, the reason they got their scholarship, going to class. The demands are intense as these student-athletes are suppose to maintain a certain grade point average, while physically being at the top of their athletic game.

When you’re on a team, you’re surrounded by others that have the same goals you do. With spending so much time together, a special relationship or bond is made. Remember, these are college students and they like to have fun just like everyone else.

Former Ohio State basketball walk-on Mark Titus, whose book Don’t Put Me In, Coach is now available in bookstores, recently talked with the Victor and Matt Show on 110SportsPodcast.com and talked about the funniest prank he pulled on a teammate while in Columbus, “My favorite prank was probably on my roommate and fellow walk-on, Danny Peters (who is now a Graduate Manager for Arizona under Sean Miller). He was a manager with me on the basketball team and when guys got hurt, we were both asked to walk-on. I embraced the fact I was a manger. I thought it would be a cool story that I was a basketball manager and turned walk-on, while Danny was embarrassed by it and he hated it when people reminded him he was a manager. The school paper at Ohio State was doing a story on our basketball managers and how they are under appreciated and all the stuff they have to do. They wanted to talk to me and Danny because we had lived both sides. They call me and I give them a 10 minute interview and they ask me for Danny’s number. I called my friend right away because I knew Danny didn’t want to give and he had told me he didn’t want to do the interview anyways. I asked a friend if he wanted to pretend to be Danny and he said absolutely. My friend then just says the dumbest things and he spent the entire interview on how he loved being a manager. Basically said the complete opposite of what Danny would have said. When the story came out, Danny was a little upset. It wasn’t exactly the representation he was hoping for.”

All who have attended college know someone who has played a prank on someone. It’s what makes college funny and interesting. Hearing stories like these are enjoyable because for college basketball players their lives are so much on display and seeing them act like normal college kids is refreshing.

– For the full interview with Mark Titus listen to Episode 146 on 110SportsPodcast.com.

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Email Victor: victor(at)110SportsPodcast(dot)com

110SportsPodcast.com features a weekly sports podcast and daily blogging. Episodes include interviews, entertainment, comedy, insight and analysis.

• It’s still hard to believe, even though it’s been a few days now, that Peyton Manning is no longer an Indianapolis Colt. It seemed that Manning would always be a Colt, never suiting up for another team, but at last this isn’t the case. Colts owner Jim Irsay decided it was in the best interest for the organization to part ways with the future Hall of Famer and build towards the future with most likely Andrew Luck, who most assume will be the No. 1 overall pick in next month’s draft. Decisions like these are extremely difficult because Manning was not only the face of the organization, but arguably the most famous player in team history. Now, the former Super Bowl champion could be the most sought after free agent ever. Even coming off a serious injury that sidelined him all of last season, some team will take a chance. Assuming Manning is healthy; he makes any team that signs him a contender. His knowledge of the game and his knack for details still makes him one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. Some teams that have been mentioned as possible destinations include the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. As crazy as it sounds, the Cardinals may be the best fit. Imagine Manning connecting with Cardinal wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Then there is weather. History shows the struggles Manning has had in the cold, windy winter games. With Arizona, Manning would play half his games inside, then have to travel to San Francisco and Seattle where weather could be a factor, but not like back east in November and December, and get one game indoors at St. Louis. “Manning Watch” will definitely be in effect as we enter the summer months.
• For a prediction on the Celtics-Lakers NBA game please head over to read the “Vic Predicts” post.
• Don’t forget to check out our latest podcast with ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

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Email Victor: victor(at)110SportsPodcast(dot)com

110SportsPodcast.com features a weekly sports podcast and daily blogging. Episodes include interviews, entertainment, comedy, insight and analysis.

• What would John Wooden think of the story in Sports Illustrated this week that reported the alcohol and drug use from UCLA basketball players, the lack of discipline from the players as well as from head coach Ben Howland and the fights amongst teammates? Honestly, he’d probably be rolling over in his grave. While the alcohol and drug use by players is bad, one would be naïve to think it’s not happening on other college campuses by student-athletes. One of the main issues is Howland’s lack of control and refusal to discipline his top recruits and players. For Howland, to continue turning the other way and not saying anything when former Bruin Reeves Nelson would degrade fellow players and assistant coaches, make the student managers fetch the basketball balls he punted into the upper deck and his constant fights with teammates that often left them injured and missing playing team was unacceptable. Once nothing was done as punishment, the players continued their childish behavior. As a result, UCLA has struggled the past three seasons. Is there a chance Howland could lose his job? Not necessarily over this, but this doesn’t help matters. The feeling is that he has one more year to get his team back to not only a power in the west, but to national prominence. The fact Howland finally came to his senses and dismissed the “cancers” means his back was against the wall and a change was needed. If anything, this is more of a black eye on the university as UCLA has always tried to follow the teachings of the late Wooden. Yep, the Wizard of Westwood would not be pleased with what was left behind.
• For a prediction on the North Carolina-Duke college basketball game please head over to read the “Vic Predicts” post.
• Don’t forget to check out our latest podcast with Arizona’s new football coach Rich Rodriguez.

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Email Victor: victor(at)110SportsPodcast(dot)com

110SportsPodcast.com features a weekly sports podcast and daily blogging. Episodes include interviews, entertainment, comedy, insight and analysis.

In athletics, when a new coach is introduced at the press conference his job is simple: tell the fan base why he was the best candidate for the position. At the end of each season, dozens of these press conferences take place across the country with all the coaches delivering the same message: we’ll be competing not only for conference titles, but national championships as well. In a way, it’s basically a “tell them what they want to hear” script.

At Arizona, Rich Rodriguez was no different. When Rodriguez was named the Wildcats new coach in November he vowed to take the program to new heights. He talked about taking his team to the schools first-ever Rose Bowl appearance, something that Wildcat fans have heard before. In the process, he embraced the new challenge ahead and pledged to be a Wildcat for the long term. Coaching in Tucson can be hard especially when you consider its lack of resources that other schools have. Instead, the former West Virginia and Michigan coach is looking at this as an opportunity rather than making an excuse. And that pleased the Wildcat community.

“I think I’m doing ok, we haven’t played a game yet so I have to reserve judgment,” Rodriguez told the Victor and Matt Show on 110SportsPodcast.com about how he thinks he’s done his first few months on the job. “It’s a process. I think everybody understands that we’ve got some work to do from the players to the coaches. I think the fans realize that. I’m really pleased with the attitude of everybody, not just the players and the coaches, but everyone that is supporting the program has been fantastic and has been very supportive. We’re off to a good start.”

Then there’s recruiting. Anytime a new coach enters the picture, the first recruiting class can be up in the air. Being able to sell your system and the university is vital as recruiting is the cornerstone to having a successful program year in and year out.

“We have some tradition, more so then people think, but we haven’t been to the Rose Bowl and no national championships, so we can’t sell that,” Rodriguez added. “What we can sell is guys coming here and being apart of the first team to do that.”

Again, to this point Rodriguez has done a remarkable job in terms of building excitement in the community and embracing the challenge of getting the Wildcats over the hump to their first Rose Bowl. But results must follow. Plenty of coaches in the past have “won” the beginning stages of building a strong program, but have failed on the field. Arizona has a favorable schedule for 2012 and a bowl appearance is a strong possibility. Rodriguez will definitely have more success in the desert then he had in Ann Arbor. How much success won’t be determined until games started being played. But for now, he’s winning and is off to a good start.

– For the full interview with Rich Rodriguez listen to Episode 144 on 110SportsPodcast.com.

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Email Victor: victor(at)110SportsPodcast(dot)com

110SportsPodcast.com features a weekly sports podcast and daily blogging. Episodes include interviews, entertainment, comedy, insight and analysis.