The selection committee for March Madness can breathe a sigh of relief as it finally got one right. The number one overall seed, Louisville, bested Michigan in last night’s national championship game in Atlanta. The Cardinals came back from a 12-point deficit in the first half and held on to a slim lead late in the game. Rick Pitino, the head coach of Louisville, had a very historic day, as he was named to the college basketball hall of fame in the morning, and in the evening became the first head coach to win a championship at two schools (without it being revoked by the NCAA); rivals Kentucky and Louisville. This is the same guy who was involved in an extortion case stemming from his having sex with a team manager’s wife in a restaurant bathroom.
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True to his incompressible form, Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) announced that he is ready to return to playing for the Los Angeles Lakers just 12 days after having knee surgery. He was supposed to be out at least a month and a half if not more, but if RonRon is ready — why not trust him? World Peace is the same player who was suspended for a season for beating up fans in a stadium brawl, as well as drinking Hennessy at halftime of NBA games in which he played.
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The Oregon basketball team had its season ended over a week ago but the Ducks can take solace in the fact that they lost to the eventual tournament champion. The Ducks lost to Louisville in the Sweet 16 by eight points. That was a better effort than the blowout losses by North Carolina A&T, Colorado State and even heavyweight Duke. The Ducks even held the Cardinals to their second-lowest scoring performance of the tournament. Oregon lost to eventual champion Florida in the 2007 bracket.