Here it is! The USA Today College Football Preseason Top 25:

1. Georgia (22) 0-0 1438 3
2. USC (14) 0-0 1430 2
3. Ohio State (14) 0-0 1392 4
4. Oklahoma (3) 0-0 1329 8
5. Florida (5) 0-0 1293 16
6. LSU (3) 0-0 1163 1
7. Missouri 0-0 1143 5
8. West Virginia 0-0 1008 6
9. Clemson 0-0 999 22
10. Texas 0-0 979 10
11. Auburn 0-0 888 14
12. Wisconsin 0-0 747 21
13. Kansas 0-0 714 7
14. Texas Tech 0-0 644 23
15. Virginia Tech 0-0 568 9
16. Arizona State 0-0 560 13
17. Brigham Young 0-0 547 14
18. Tennessee 0-0 506 12
19. Illinois 0-0 422 18
20. Oregon 0-0 399 24
21. South Florida 0-0 350 NR
22. Penn State 0-0 313 25
23. Wake Forest 0-0 203 NR
24. Michigan 0-0 112 19
25. Fresno State 0-0 91 NR

It is a day of great news for college basketball fans as CBS has decided to replace the legendary and controversial Billy Packer with Clark Kellogg on their lead announcing team for the NCAA Tournament and Final Four.

CBS has decided to replace Packer, 68, with studio analyst Clark Kellogg on its lead announcing team.

CBS believed the time was right for a change and that Kellogg deserved a chance to work with Jim Nantz on the lead team.

Packer, who had been going year to year with his contract, confirmed through a CBS official Sunday that he no longer will broadcast for the network but is pursuing other projects in basketball. Packer declined to comment further.

Packer had worked every Final Four since 1975. He did some good work early on but seemed to have fallen behind the times in recent years. He always seemed arrogant and a bit pompous about what he knew about the game, which some would argue was not nearly as much as he thought he knew.

A new and shocking photo of Tim Tebow shows the Heisman Trophy winner and All-American good guy groping an underaged girl’s breasts.

Ok so that might not be totally 100% true.  I was discussing with a close friend earlier today that even if you hate the University of Florida, that it’s hard to dislike Tebow and the good ambassador he is for game.

That is an extremely cool picture above which will probably always be hanging on that lil’ girl’s wall.

Naturally Tebow would be wearing blue and orange Crocs.

Former Florida Gators basketball player Teddy Dupay has been charged with raping and beating his ex-girlfriend in Deer Valley, Utah. Dupay led the 2000 Gators team to the National Chamionship game against eventual champion Michigan State.

Prosecutors charged Edward Raymond Dupay, 29, with the three first-degree charges following what court documents describe as an attack at a Deer Valley, Utah, lodge.

According to court records obtained by The Sun, Dupay was arrested and booked into Summit County Jail on June 19 after he attacked the victim, a 28-year-old woman. The victim acknowledged in the report that she had a two-year relationship with Dupay.

Court records say the victim accused Dupay of taking her by force and raping her on the floor of Room 119-2 of the Stein Ericksen Lodge. According to the documents, the victim estimated that Dupay hit or kicked her 150 times after locking the door of the room. The victim said Dupay told her he would catch her and kill her family if she attempted to leave, according to court records.

Dupay, in a classic and often used line, told investigators, “How can you rape someone you love?”

Teddy was also back in trouble back in 2002 when it was discovered that he bet on college basketball games while in college that led to his dismissal from the team.  Dupay has the most career points in Florida prep history.

Derrick Rose with Jim Gray before NCAA Title Game

Here is my official 2008 NBA Mock Draft after many hours of research and spreadsheets. The NBA Draft will take place on June 26th at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I know many of you will agree on some of these picks and disagree on probably just as many. The NBA Draft is an unscientific process and hence these mocks are all the more a mere guessing game. Feel free to post your predictions or thoughts in the comments below. I will likely be updating this list in the comments as well.

1. Chicago Bulls - (PG) DERRICK ROSE - Memphis - The most exciting player in the draft. He very likely could follow in the footsteps of great, young point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams and make the Bulls a favorite to win it all in the East again. Rose is extremely fast and is developing into a very solid shooter. He is extremely unselfish almost to a fault at times. He knows how to take over the end of a game and finish. He needs to work on his turnovers in traffic and on the break. In the end the Bulls will take Rose over Beasley because he is from Chicago and his character has never been questioned.

2. Miami Heat - (PF) MICHAEL BEASLEY - Kansas State - Very likely the most talented player in the draft. His actual height is a bit of a mystery but it shouldn’t matter in the NBA. He can hit 3 pointers and will be a steady double-double guy. Pat Riley has craved and desired Beasley for months. Lucky for Riley that the Bulls will pass on him to draft Rose. Beaz seems like a good guy but past issues are likely to hurt him just enough to land in South Beach.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves - (C) BROOK LOPEZ - Stanford - Big, tall, goofy…sounds a lot like Wolves GM Kevin McHale. That alone could lead McHale to draft Brook. The Wolves need a big man, perhaps Brook could be that guy but he is relatively soft by NBA standards.

4. Oklahoma City Sonics - (PG) JERRYD BAYLESS - Arizona - The best point guard after Rose in the draft and a perfect fit to play alongside Kevin Durant for the Seattle Oklahoma City Sonics.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - (SG) O.J. MAYO - USC - The Grizzlies really want to land O.J. not only for his on-the-court talent but also for his superstar factor. Hopefully Mayo will help the Grizz on the court and help put people in the stands as well. The city of Memphis could really embrace and fall in love with Mayo if he is still on the board here. If he is gone by this time then the Wolves nabbed him.

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ESPN’s Outside the Lines is reporting that NBA bound superstar O.J. Mayo received cash and gifts during his one year playing college basketball at USC.

Louis Johnson, formerly of Mayo’s close posse, says that O.J. received cash all the way back in high school and even received a flat screen TV among many other gifts while playing for the Trojans.

Louis Johnson, who was a part of Mayo’s inner circle until recently, said Mayo accepted around $30,000 in cash and gifts during the past four years from Rodney Guillory, a 43-year-old Los Angeles event promoter. In addition to cash, the gifts included a flat-screen television for Mayo’s dorm room, cell phone service, a hotel room, clothes, meals and airline tickets for Mayo’s friends and a relative, according to Johnson, others with knowledge of the gifts and store receipts.

When Mayo was in high school in Ohio and West Virginia, Guillory was receiving monthly payments from the Northern California sports agency Bill Duffy Associates. Johnson said BDA provided Guillory with around $200,000 before Mayo arrived at USC, and that Guillory used most of the money to support his own lifestyle but also gave a portion of it to Mayo.

Mayo failed to live up to lofty expectations placed upon himself coming out of high school. He is still projected to be a top 5 lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft. Many projections show either the Memphis Grizzlies or New York Knicks taking O.J.

At least USC won’t have to worry about forfeiting any championships from their mediocre season last year with Mayo. They could possibly be in big trouble with the NCAA. The NCAA is already investigating cash and gifts former star USC running back Reggie Bush received during his three years in Los Angeles.

For the most obnoxious moment in O.J.’s short basketball career check out the video below from his final high school game. He gets the ball on the fastbreak, throws himself a pass off the backboard, dunks it hard, then picks up the ball and hurls it high into the stands……and the worst part is that the game is not even over.
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Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow spent his spring break in the Philippines on a mission trip spreading the ‘Good Word’ of Jesus Christ.  Tim helped on the medical mission trip even assisting in several circumcisions before the week was done.

During spring break, Tebow added a new facet to his fame. In an impoverished village outside General Santos City in the Philippines, Tebow helped circumcise impoverished children.

On the Friday of a weeklong trip to the orphanage his father’s ministry runs in Southeast Asia, Tebow assisted with the care of locals who had walked miles to the temporary clinic that the ministry helped organize. More than 250 people underwent medical and dental procedures, some of them from “Dr. Tebow,” who has no formal surgical training.

“The first time, it was nerve-racking,” he said. “Hands were shaking a little bit. I mean, I’m cutting somebody. You can’t do those kinds of things in the United States. But those people really needed the surgeries. We needed to help them.”

The legend of Saint Tebow continues to grow and grow.  It is hard not to be a fan of this guy regardless of your college team affiliation.  The Florida Gators are extremely lucky to have such a stand up guy on their college campus.

Earlier this week a photo of the six of the Arizona State cheerleaders modeling in just their bra and panties appeared online. The school quickly canceled the team for next year which we thought was a bit of an over reaction until we found out that….

ASU had to kick cheerleader Courtney (Cox) Simpson off the cheer team in 2005 for appearing in an adult film while wearing her cheerleading uniform. ASU sued to have the initials on the uniform blurred in the porn video.

Simpson retired from porn in 2006 after appearing in over 250 films to go back to college and get her degree. She selected her stage name based on her first name (Courtney) and (Simpson) based on her affection for pop singer Jessica Simpson. She won numerous awards for her acting performances on film.

250 pornos in less than two years? No wonder she retired. It also makes more sense as to why school officials were so quick to react on the new photo involving Sun Devils cheerleaders.

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Arizona State has suspsended all of its cheer activities for the upcoming school year after this photo of six ASU cheerleaders appeared on TheDirty.com.

EMAIL Excerpt: NO cheer squad next year at ANY football, basketball or other sporting event games. The only form of “cheer squad” that will remain is the megaphones and signs. Which will not be called the cheerleaders, but instead “Sparky’s Crew.”

I agree with Nik that the punishment far exceeds the crime..and what crime? Is the photo that much worse than what NCAA cheerleaders wear on the sidelines anyway?

UPDATE: We did our research and found out the over reaction is likely due to the fact of former ASU cheerleader Courtney Cox Simpson who did a porno film while wearing her cheerleading uniform back in 2005 (Full Story).

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LSU Tigers quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, who was heavily expected to be the starting quarterback this fall, has been booted off the team by head coach Les Miles.

LSU coach Les Miles did not offer details, but sources within the program told ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach and ESPN’s Joe Schad that Perrilloux failed a drug test.

Perrilloux, who had been suspended three times in his college career, “didn’t fulfill his obligation as an LSU student-athlete,” Miles said in a statement. The school said Friday that Perrilloux is expected to finish out the spring semester.

It was time to boot Ryan off the team and start preparing for the upcoming season with guys you can depend upon to be there for the team.  If Ryan could ever keep his head straight and stay on the field he would be a very good college quarterback.  However, he seems to have decided to be the next Lawrence Phillips.

Geaux Tigers!

An inside source is telling me that prized college basketball recruit Tyreke Evans has decided to take his immeasurable b-balling skills to the University of Memphis and John Calipari’s program.

Evans, a senior at American Christian High School in Philadelphia, was the MVP of last month’s McDonald’s All-Star Game. He averaged 29 points - 8 rebounds - 6 assists - 4 steals during his final season of high school ball.

Rivals.com ranks Evans as the #6 best player in the nation coming out of high school this year. Scout.com has him ranked as the #4 player.

Evans had narrowed his choices to Texas, Villanova, and Memphis. Many experts believe Evans was awaiting to see if Memphis freshman sensation Derrick Rose was going to declare for the NBA. Word leaked earlier this week that Rose was indeed going to declare for the June NBA draft where he is projected to be a top two pick.

The official word comes at 3pm EST on ESPN News and ESPNU but the decision has already been made.

Devin Ebanks, the #12 recruit in the country, could follow Evans to Memphis. Ebanks had originally committed to the Indiana Hoosiers but was released from his scholarship when Kelvin Sampson resigned amid scandal.

Derrick Rose with Jim Gray before NCAA Title Game

Memphis Tigers freshman sensation Derrick Rose is declaring for the 2008 NBA Draft according to sources close to Rose and the situation.

Rose is projected to be the #1 or #2 overall player selected in the June draft.  After a stellar NCAA tournament run Rose rose to #1 in several mock draft projections.

During his one season in college basketball Rose averaged 14.9 points - 4.5 rebounds - 4.7 assists.  He averaged 20.8 points in the NCAA tourney and took the Tigers to within seconds of winning the National Championship before losing to the Kansas Jayhawks in overtime.

source: Commercial Appeal

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets relief pitcher Michael Hutts was unexpectedly found dead on Friday.  Hutts was a 21-year-old junior studying management.

Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich had this to say about Hutts untimely passing:

The tragic news of Michael Hutts’ sudden passing can not be justified in words. Michael was an outstanding student-athlete, but more importantly an outstanding young man who had a deep impact on his teammates, coaches, classmates and the entire community. Our deepest heartfelt condolences go out to his parents and the entire Hutts family.

Hutts had a 3.38 ERA in 9 appearances so far this season for the Jackets.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Hutts, his family, friends and everyone at Georgia Tech.

USC Trojans freshman guard O.J. Mayo is turning pro after just one year of college basketball.  The move is not a surprise and was expected even before he attended his first class at Southern Cal.

Mayo seemed to grow into the college game during the past season after a rather slow start. He stated his gratitude towards though that helped make it a positive experience for him in making his announcement to go pro.

“I am so thankful for the fans and alumni at USC and around the nation that have been so supportive of me and my teammates throughout the season,” Mayo said in a statement. “I’d like to express my appreciation to my coaches and teammates for their support in one of the most important decisions I’ve ever made.”

O.J.’s draft value has gone up and down throughout his one season of college play.  He likely would have gone higher in the draft right out of high school.  He has a strong NBA body, and although is not great at the point, should make a very solid shooting guard in the NBA.

Here is what the mock NBA Drafts are projecting currently for Mayo:

• Minnesota Timberwolves 3rd - NBADraft.net
• Memphis Grizzlies 5th - MyNBADraft.com
• New York Knicks 5th - DraftExpress.com
• Charlotte Bobcats 8th - InsideHoops.com
• Memphis Grizzlies 4th - ESPN.com
• Memphis Grizzlies 5th - HoopsHype.com

The NBA Draft Lottery held in a few weeks will determine the draft order of the teams that don’t make the NBA Playoffs.  The team with the best chance at the overall #1 pick will be the Miami Heat who folded up shop and conceded the season months ago.

Stanley Pringle - Jacker of all Trades

Penn State basketball player Stanley Pringle has been accused by a co-ed of masturbating in the library stacks section.  Pringle claims he just has a bad habit of placing his hand down the front of his pants to relax.

“Why would I need to masturbate?” he told police. “This is how I chill, ma’am.”

Here is the best part of this story:

According to the criminal complaint, a woman said Pringle sat down on top of a desk behind her and asked if she wanted to purchase some hand lotion he was selling for the basketball team.

That is freaking hilarious.  Pringle trying to sell the innocent student on the idea that the basketball team is selling hand lotion.  The scared student told police she then heard, from behind her, the smacking sound associated with masturbation.  Not sure how she knew that sound, but that is what she told the po-po.

The woman told police that after 15 minutes of conversation with Pringle, she heard the sound of adjusting clothing followed by a “smacking sound, like Pringle’s hand was smacking against the skin of his body.”

As if Pringle wasn’t guilty already of taking care of his carnal desires, the woman finished her police report by stating that she heard “moaning sounds” and a lack of breath from Pringle.

The woman told police that Pringle then answered his ringing cell phone and proceeded to make “moaning sounds” and “sounded like he was short of breath.”

This is the most public account of male masturbation since Paul Reuben’s (Pee-Wee Herman) hi-jacking from the balcony of an adult movie back in 1991 to the horror of all the patrons below him.

source

I am on my way to San Antonio with my brother and dad to see the Memphis Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks play in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship tonight.

The game starts at 9:21 EST PM on CBS.

GO TIGERS

Camera is in hand and I will try to post photos and update the site as much and as soon as possible!

-joshua

MEMPHIS TIGERS 78 - UCLA BRUINS 63
Bumpshack CO-MVP’s of the Game: Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey

Quick Stats: Chris Douglas Roberts 28 Points, Derrick Rose 25 Points 9 Rebounds, Joey Dorsey 0 Points 15 Rebounds

Memphis hit 20-23 free throws for 87%.

UCLA gets a quick bucket and foul Rose on the in-bounds. Memphis has hit 18-21 free throws so far tonight. Rose hits both. Mbaha Moute hits a basket but it doesn’t mean much as they are exchanging baskets at this point. CDR with two more. Dozier with a strong block on a Bruin drive. Anderson banks in a three as the shot clock was winding down. UCLA responds with a 3 of their own. MEMPHIS WINS 78 - 63. Love’s career is over.

Memphis is now in the double bonus. Derrick Rose hits both free throws to put Memphis up 13. This game is looking good for Tiger blue. Rose picks up his fourth foul on a reach in. Calipari has to leave Derrick in the game. Memphis is trying to use some clock and shorten the game. It’s going to come down to free throws. They used all the clock then found Dozier for a dunk. Memphis with a rebound and they are fouled. More free throws for Memphis. CDR hits two more free throws for a 15 point lead. Conditioning and the pace of the game has affected Rose and the entire UCLA team. UCLA finally scores again. Rose comes right back down, is fouled, and hits both free throws. Score Memphis 69 - UCLA 56, 1:25 remaining.

Bruins just got 7.5 seconds to throw the ball in. Memphis is getting the ball off the missed shot out of bounds. Love is tires and frustrated and looking for a Twinkie. Dorsey just got blocked by Love and hustled down the floor to slam a Bruins shot off the glass. Rose scores on a circus like miracle shot from under the goal. UCLA misses again. Memphis is up 11 points with 2:53 to go. Collison just fouled out with his fifth against Rose. Score Memphis 63 - UCLA 52, 2:53 remaining.

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North Carolina junior forward Tyler Hansbrough won the Men’s NCAA College Basketball Player of the Year in a landslide over Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley. The duo received 71 of the national media’s 72 votes. The other vote went to Chris Douglas-Roberts from the University of Memphis.

Voting Results

1. Tyler Hansbrough (56)
2. Michael Beasley (15)
3. Chris Douglas-Roberts (1)

Hansbrough and Douglas-Roberts play this weekend in the Final Four in San Antonio. They could possibly face off in the final on Monday night.

I will be posting vintage videos of the Memphis (State) Tigers basketball team from throughout the years this week as the Tigers prepare for their first Final Four appearance in twenty-three years. They play the UCLA Bruins on Saturday night in San Antonio.

My all-time favorite Tiger, Anfernee Hardaway, in this video posterizes an opponent at the United Center circa 1992-1993.