Irish Trojan in Tennessee

BracketBusters / UT-Memphis open thread

By Brendan Loy

I'm expecting a busy afternoon and evening, and thus probably won't be able to watch as much basketball as I'd like. But there's plenty to talk about, with the day's biggest games being Drake @ Butler at 5:00 PM on ESPN2 (the BracketBusters marquee game) and, of course, Tennessee @ Memphis at 9:00 PM on ESPN2. Although, don't sleep on Kent State @ St. Mary's at midnight on the Deuce, which Kyle Whelliston says is potentially the most consequential 'Busters game of them all, bubble-wise.

Anyway, here's the scoreboard. If you're watching the games and you feel like commenting, fire away.

P.S. Nice wins for USC and Notre Dame on Thursday night, eh?

P.P.S. Check out 4th through 9th place in the Pac-10 standings. Wow. Is that conference balanced or what?

UPDATE: Tennessee wins, 66-62! Come Monday morning, the Vols will be #1 in the nation for the first time in school history. (Er, on the men's side, that is.)

And so ends Memphis's bid for an undefeated season. The Tigers were 8-for-17 from the free-throw line, and they didn't hit a single three-pointer after their white-hot start in the game's first 12 minutes.

Oh, and Drake beat Butler in another very exciting game.

Oscar pool: one day left

By Brendan Loy

This is just another reminder to get your Oscar picks in! The deadline to enter my 4th annual Oscar Pool is 7:00 PM EST tomorrow.

UPDATE: Nikki Finke on what to expect tomorrow night:

A chilly rain is forecast for Sunday so the Red Carpet has been tented. Nerves are still frayed from the writers strike just ended. Panic is setting in about an actors strike that may be on the way. Few in America or the world have seen the nominated pics and performances. There's no suspense because Hollywood has long ago guessed who and what will probably win. The vast majority of the presenters aren't big names. And not only has the host done it before to really poor ratings, but Jon Stewart couldn't even find anything funny to say about it while guesting on Larry King Live. So, all in all, I think everyone should expect the Worst Oscars Ever In The History Of Hollywood.

Heh.

Straight talk?

By Brendan Loy

Josh Marshall: "There's no way of getting around the fact that McCain routinely, almost constantly, issues categorical denials that are demonstrably false."

More here. ("He can't put this one behind him simply by asserting that he's JOHN MCCAIN, a living embodiment of honor and integrity, and so we all have to trust him.")

For me, these dissembling denials of side-issues are a much bigger problem than vague, anonymous allegations in a liberal newspaper that some people thought he was maybe having an affair. ... Look, McCain's chance of winning over centrist voters like myself is largely premised on his reputation for "straight talk." If that's just another hollow brand, then what's left?

P.S. On the other hand, maybe some swing voters will vote for McCain just to spite the Times. Though I doubt it. It's February. The anger against the newspaper can't possibly burn white-hot for 8 1/2 months, can it? On the other hand, 8 1/2 months is plenty of time for McCain's "straight talk" bubble to either solidify or be popped. So I still think the false denials are the bigger problem. (It's always the cover-up...)