<h4>Mr. Basketball </h4>
Illinois' Stan Simpson goes for a rebound during practice for the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.
BRISTOL, Conn. – Barack Obama picked North Carolina to defeat Louisville for the NCAA championship, a relatively safe selection for a trailblazing president.
And he was not kind to the Pac-10. He predicted UCLA, USC, Arizona and Arizona State will all be first-round losers.
Conference champion Washington? Gone in the second round, upset losers to Purdue.
What’s up with that?
“I know why he didn’t pick us,” USC coach Tim Floyd said Wednesday before getting on a plane to Minneapolis where, according to the president of the United States, the Trojans will lose to Boston College. “He’s a Chicago Bulls fan. He was in Chicago when I was coaching the Bulls. He thinks I can’t coach, and that’s understandable.”
Obama spent part of Tuesday making his tournament picks for ESPN, which posted his completed bracket online Wednesday and showed the First Fan filling it out with Andy Katz on the noon edition of “SportsCenter.”
The president had top-seeded Pittsburgh join the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels and Cardinals in the Final Four, but chose second-seeded Memphis to beat Connecticut in the West Regional.
“I think Memphis has got a very athletic team,” Obama told Katz, an ESPN college basketball analyst. “I think they’ve got a good shot.”
Perhaps showing some indecision, Obama initially had the Panthers playing Louisville for the national title in the file posted online. Pitt was scratched out of the title game in favor of North Carolina, which in turn replaced Louisville in the “champion” box.
“Here’s what I like about Carolina: experience and balance,” Obama said.
Familiarity, too. Obama played a pickup game with Tyler Hansbrough and the Tar Heels while campaigning in North Carolina last April.
“Now, for all the Tar Heels who are watching, I picked you last year – you let me down,” Obama said. “This year, don’t embarrass me in front of the nation, all right? I’m counting on you. I still got those sneakers you guys gave me.”
Obama was brutally honest in assessing many of the teams, including Blake Griffin and second-seeded Oklahoma, which he has losing to Syracuse for a spot in the final eight.
“The problem with Oklahoma, they have the player of the year, but they play like, seven guys,” Obama said. “I think you start getting worn down.”
Cardinals’ Berry re-signs
TEMPE – Defensive end Bertrand Berry has agreed to a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
Terms were not disclosed.
Berry rejoins the Cardinals after playing 14 regular-season games and getting a team-high five sacks to go along with 31 tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 2008.
• The New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms on a contract with veteran free-agent safety Darren Sharper.
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found help for a depleted linebacker corps, signing free agent Angelo Crowell.
The Associated Press
NFL may change replay
NEW YORK – The NFL will look into changing instant replay rules in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the blown call by referee Ed Hochuli that helped cost San Diego a game last season.
The competition committee will propose at the league meetings next week that when the ball comes loose when a quarterback is throwing, replay can be used to determine if it is a fumble or an incomplete pass. Such a change would resemble the rules alteration made for down-by-contact plays two years ago.
In the final minute of a game at Denver in Week 2, Hochuli ruled a ball that slipped from Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler’s grasp was an incomplete pass instead of a fumble. The ball was recovered by the Chargers and Hochuli later acknowledged his decision was wrong.
Under league rules, the play was not reviewable. The competition committee believes it is an area that should fall under instant replay reviews.
The Associated Press
Third straight Iditarod
NOME, Alaska – Lance Mackey has done it again.
The 38-year-old son of 1978 Iditarod champion Dick Mackey crossed the finish line Wednesday in the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race hours in front of the competition, joining an elite group of only two other mushers to put together three consecutive wins.
When Dick Mackey battled Rick Swenson for the win, he did it with one second to spare.
Lance said he wanted none of that. “I’d have a damn heart attack,” he said.
The Associated Press
QUOTABLE
'I hate to say this, because my brother-in-law is in the Pac-10 right now, but the Pac-10 has been looking pretty weak this year.'
PRESIDENT OBAMA,
who picked five of six Pac-10 teams to lose in the first round of the NCAA tourney. Obama's brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, coaches Oregon State.
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SPORTS SOUND-OFF
Cats should watch out for Utah
Re: Gimino column – Wildcats’ streak greater than you might think
• Utah is a very very good team and they play unselfishly. They execute the little things well. Tough matchup for the Cats if UA turns the ball over or fails to crash the boards. JCS
• I hate to admit it but I seriously think ASU will make a huge run and end up in the Final Four. They will sucker-punch Syracuse in Round 2, then upset Oklahoma, then beat North Carolina. SELLY22
• I absolutely concur with the reflection on the Scum Devils’ season. Given the talent level, the history, and all other considerations – they have underachieved and don’t have much to look forward to next year with Pendergraph and Harden gone. Kudos for a decent year. UA’s 25-year streak is an incredible achievement and a true mark of excellence. Hopefully the new coach can pick up a couple of D1 caliber players who will work their butts off to maintain the legacy of excellence. If that comes together, then 26 is achievable. HMR
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ON THIS DATE
1955: San Francisco wins the NCAA basketball championship with a 77-63 victory over La Salle.
1960: Ohio State wins the NCAA basketball title with a 75-55 victory against California.
1966: Texas Western (now UTEP) wins the NCAA basketball championship with a 72-65 triumph over Kentucky.
1972: The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 162-99 for the most lopsided victory in NBA history.
1998: The U.S. women’s soccer team sustains the worst loss in its 13-year history, falling 4-1 to reigning World Cup champion Norway.
2006: Tennessee’s Candace Parker is the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game in the Lady Vols’ 102-54 victory against an Army team that was making its NCAA Tournament debut.
2008: The Toronto Raptors post a 96-54 victory over the Miami Heat. Miami’s total ties the third-lowest mark in NBA history.