Irish Trojan in Tennessee

Ugh, powder blue

By Brendan Loy

Clinton and Obama wore (nearly) matching outfits at their Unity event this afternoon: her pantsuit and his tie were both, according to Politico's color-spectrum analysis, powder blue.

Powder blue, of course, used to be a UCLA school color, back when I was at USC. But the Bruins switched in 2003 to a different shade of blue, so I guess I can forgive the Dems for their use of what I've always considered a rather distasteful shade of an otherwise fine color. Still... for future reference, I'd recommend either Notre Dame blue or Newington blue. :)

Anyway, here are some more photos from the Obama-Clinton rally in Unity.

The latest California couple

By David K.

Gays aren't the only new couples in California. USC and the Coliseum have patched up their differences and worked out a deal to keep the Trojans playing at the Coliseum for another 25 years, about the same time Coach Carroll will be ready to retire.

Another SCandal

By Brendan Loy

As if Reggiegate wasn't bad enough, now one-and-done Trojan basketball star O.J. Mayo is accused of taking cash and gifts while at USC.

Ugh.

P.S. Pat Forde asks: "So you take the Bush allegations, add a side of Mayo and ask the question: Has there ever been a more textbook definition of 'lack of institutional control'?" He goes on:

If all the allegations stand up, USC athletic director Mike Garrett and the Inspector Clouseaus who comprise his compliance staff must lose their jobs over these serial embarrassments, or the school has no credibility whatsoever. When USC's two highest-profile sports both have star players allegedly on the brazen take from agents, somebody needs to answer for it. A lot of somebodies.

I would tend to agree with that. Fire Mike Brey Garrett?

Because 32 bowls just aren't enough

By Brendan Loy

I mentioned yesterday that college football's powers-that-be have once again decided, in their infinite wisdom, that the BCS is just fine & dandy, and playoffs r teh suxx0rs. But I missed this detail: the NCAA has certified two new bowl games, bringing the total to 34.  Because, as AOL Fanhouse says, "that's what the nation really wanted."

This means a total of 68 teams will be goin' bowling. Last year, 71 teams finished with records of 6-6 or better. We're seriously getting into the territory where, in a given season, there might not be enough bowl-eligible teams to fill out all the slots. I expect we'll soon see a rule change allowing in teams with 5-7 records if there aren't enough .500-or-better teams available. (Remember, 6-6 teams have only been allowed in for the last two years, and that change coincided with the expansion from 28 to 32 bowls.)

In any event, 34 bowls means that more than 57 percent of all Division I-A teams will be playing in the postseason. Remember when a bowl bid was actually a meaningful reward for a good year?

Anyway, the new kids on the block are the Congressional Bowl in Washington, D.C., and the St. Petersburg Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mercifully, a 35th bowl -- the Rocky Mountain Bowl in Salt Lake City, which would have pitted the fifth-place Mountain West team against the fourth-place WAC team -- was rejected.

The St. Petersburg Bowl is still in need of a corporate sponsorship, which gives me an idea. If every college football fan who supports a playoff, and hates the endless proliferation of meaningless bowls between 6-6 teams, were to donate, say, $5, couldn't we make these folks a sponsorship offer they couldn't refuse -- and force them to name their bowl something like the "Utterly Meaningless St. Petersburg Bowl" or the "St. Petersburg Bowl Brought To You By Shameless Greed" or the "Let's Have A Freakin' Playoff Already St. Petersburg Bowl" or the "F***-the-BCS St. Petersburg Bowl"? Cuz that'd be sweet.

Meanwhile, another AOL Fanhouse blogger wonders how on earth USC lost two games (and played poorly in a bunch of other games) each of the last two seasons, given that seven former Trojans were drafted during the first two rounds of the NFL Draft last weekend -- which continues a trend of Trojan dominance on Draft Day. It's a fair question.

And a Trojan shall lead them

By Brendan Loy

Fellow "Irish Trojan" Katherine Kirkpatrick, who, like me, attended USC for undergrad (she's even a Daily Trojan alum), and who is now a rising 3L at Notre Dame, was elected NDLS's new SBA president in a runoff election last week. She will be inaugurated on Sunday.

A Trojan at the helm of the Notre Dame Law School student body: I love it!! Finally, Operation: Trojan Horse can proceed as planned! ;) Just kidding. Seriously, congratulations, Katherine!

In addition, an anonymous tipster informed me that A.J. Bellia and Lloyd Mayer -- the latter being my former Election Law professor and adviser for my Electoral College paper, the former being one half of the school's recent professorial retention coup -- finished tied in the initial balloting for NDLS Professor of the Year. That led to a run-off, which Professor Bellia narrowly won. Congrats to him, and to Professor Mayer for his close second-place finish; they're both great professors, and well deserving of the recognition.

Respect the world champion SoCal VoCals!

By Brendan Loy

Back in 2002, I griped in print that the Daily Trojan was ignoring the SoCal VoCals' newsworthy march to musical glory. (For the uninitiated, the VoCals are USC's premier a capella group, and I am a proud ex-groupie.) That year, alas, they fell just short of the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella finals. But six years and a world championship later, the VoCals are finally getting some front-page DT love.

Here's the article. Money quote: "It was absolutely beyond any of our wildest dreams," baritone Adam Hutchison said of the group's performance Saturday in New York City, which earned them the ICCA title (and a live appearance on the Today show Sunday morning).

The DT notes that the VoCals' winning set included Michael Buble's "Feeling Good," Singers Unlimited's "All the Things You Are" and Queen's "Somebody to Love." The A Capella Blog described it as "probably the best competition set I've ever seen," and the judges seemed to agree, giving it a whopping 454 out of a possible 465 points. For comparison purposes, the ICCA champs in 2007, 2006 and 2005 won with scores of 431, 422 and 372, respectively. Moreover, 454 points is the second-highest score of this entire ICCA season -- second only to the VoCals' own near-perfect 463 performing the same set in the semifinals. The 437 earned by Florida State University All-Night Yahtzee at the South semifinal is a distant third. (All-Night Yahtzee finished a very distant second at Saturday's final, with a 384.)

No cameras were allowed in the Lincoln Center for Saturday's final, but YouTube has video of the entire Western Regional semifinal, including the VoCals' 463-point set. So here, without further ado, are the three songs that brought home an ICCA world championship to USC:

Fight on, VoCals!

P.S. And speaking of "Fight on," here, in the interest of school spirit, is a video from this past fall of the VoCals performing their signature medley of the Alma Mater, Tusk, and Fight On, with a SoCal Spellout and some "UCLA SUCKS" thrown in good measure:

SoCal VoCals are world champs!!

By Brendan Loy

The International Championship of Collegiate A Capella was tonight in New York City. I don't know yet how the SoCal VoCals did. I assume The A Cappella Blog will have results up soon. Go VoCals!!!

UPDATE: THE SOCAL VOCALS WON!!! WOOOHOOO!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, VoCals!!!

UPDATE 2: The A Capella Blog writes: "The SoCal VoCals' winning set gave them perhaps the best-deserved victory I've ever seen at an ICCA show. This is the sort of set that needs to be seen to be believed and I am proud to have been a witness to something truly fantastic. Believe the hype -- this was probably the best competition set I've ever seen."

Only 334 days till Selection Sunday!

By Brendan Loy

Joe Lunardi has published his initial, ridiculously early, meaningless yet fun, pre-pre-season 2009 Bracketology projections. (Hat tip: BK.) His #1 seeds are North Carolina, Duke, Texas and Pittsburgh. 2007 finalists Kansas and Memphis drop to #2 and #3, respectively, and UCLA plummets to a #7. w00t! :)

More importantly, Notre Dame is a #2 seed (without Gene Cross? Hmm...), Gonzaga is a #5, and USC is a #9. Frankly, those all seem high to me, but maybe I'm just a pessimist about my own teams. (Although, if so, it didn't prevent my irrational Zag-xuberance last year.)

Tennessee falls all the way to #9... where they're matched up in a brutal first-round game against #8 Davidson. (Stephen Curry FTW!) This year's mid-major superpower that almost beat UT, Butler, is on the bubble but out, as are the Washington Huskies. The UConn Huskies, though, are sitting pretty as a #2 seed. Oh, and the University of Hartford Hawks, after falling one game short in 2008, make their NCAA Tournament debut in 2009 as a #16 seed. Hurrah!

Yeah, so, we have a college football season to start -- and finish -- before I'll get really excited about any of this, but it's fun to look ahead. :)

SoCal VoCals update

By Brendan Loy

The field is set for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in New York City next Saturday! The event will be held at the Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, the 2,738-seat venue where the New York Philharmonic plays.

As I mentioned previously, the USC SoCal VoCals advanced to the finals for the first time ever by earning the West Region championship on March 15. At the time I wrote that, however, the identities of most of their competitors were still to be determined.

Well, the last semifinal was held six days ago, so now the full field is known. The VoCals will compete against Oxford University Out of the Blue (Western Europe champion), Northwestern University Purple Haze (Midwest champion), Florida State University All-Night Yahtzee (South champion), New York University N'Harmonics (Northeast champion) and Ithaca College Ithacappella (Mid-Atlantic champion).

You hear that, Kristy? USC vs. Ithaca! Oh, it's ON!!

Fight on, Trojans! Beat the Seminoles, Wildcats, Violets, Bombers and... um... Oxons?

P.S. Here's the official ICCA website, including a link to buy tickets. I wish I could go! Alas, I don't think a random trip to New York City is in the cards. But if any of y'all are in the area, I'd recommend it. I'm sure it'll be an amazing show.

P.P.S. Newly discovered site: The A Cappella Blog. Cool.

Good news, bad news

By Brendan Loy

The bad news: O.J. Mayo is going pro. (I'm shocked, SHOCKED.)

The good news: LSU has hired Stanford's Trent Johnson, which obviously means they won't be hiring USC's Tim Floyd.

USC freshman found dead in dorm room

By Brendan Loy

A tragedy at 'SC: "A USC freshman was found dead in his New/North dorm room around noon Wednesday, after suffering from what appears to be an accidental drug overdose, USC Department of Public Safety officials said." (Hat tip: Becky.)

The student's name is Michael Weiss. His death reportedly follows on the heels of a "series of incidents involving substance abuse" at New/North, "prompting a mass e-mail to residents warning of a new zero tolerance drug use policy."

So sad. May he rest in peace.

Vladimir Putin, Trojan?

By Brendan Loy

Okay, but I'm not sure we want him roaming the sidelines:

Then again, I'm not sure we ever wanted Snoop Dogg roaming the sidelines, either. Unfortunately, nobody listens to me about these things. :)

USC postmortem

By Brendan Loy

Conquest Chronicles: "One and Done...Are you Kidding me?"

All Things Trojan: "Was O.J. Mayo's freshman campaign a success?"

Also, let the "will they stay or will they go?" speculation -- about not just Mayo, but also Jefferson and Gibson -- begin in earnest.

Duke sucks

By Brendan Loy

Okay, forget what I said below. I totally want Belmont to win. Seriously, how awesome would it be if DUKE lost to a #15 seed? Go Bruins!!! (There's something you don't hear from me too often...)

Meanwhile, USC is hanging in there with Kansas State, but with Taj Gibson now having four fouls this early in the second half, I'm not too optimistic. Nevertheless: Fight on!! Beat the Wildcats!!

UPDATE: Okay, so USC is totally going to lose. Arrrrgh.

But Belmont leads Duke by 1 with 1:40 left, and they have the ball! GO BELMONT!!!

UPDATE, 9:15 PM: AAAAHH!!! Duke by 1, Belmont ball, 4 seconds left!!!

UPDATE 9:17 PM: ARRRRRRGH.

UPDATE, 9:19 PM: Missed free throw! Timeout! Another chance! Two-point-something seconds left, Duke by 1, Belmont ball on the opposite end of the floor... one shining moment, anyone?? Either Duke is about to win, or we're about to witness an all-time NCAA Tournament highlight.

UPDATE, 9:21 PM: It was the former. :( Duke wins, 71-70. Damn.

Oh, and Kansas State beat USC, 80-67. :(

Figures.

By Brendan Loy

The one time I want Duke to win easily, they're getting a tough fight so far from #15-seed Belmont.

Belmont had better either: a) fade soon, or b) win. If I miss the whole USC-Kansas State game just to watch Duke pull out a narrow victory, I'm going to be super-annoyed.

Now, to try MMOD...

UPDATE: MMOD is working well, but the USC Trojans are not. They're down 8 with four minutes left in the first half, and -- far more devastatingly -- Taj Gibson just picked up his third foul. When the foul was announced, I said: "That's it, they're going to lose." Argh.

A question for sports fans

By Brendan Loy

On this NCAA Tournament Eve, here's a question I've been meaning to pose to my blog audience -- or, more specifically, to the sports fans within that audience. What's the most devastating loss you've ever suffered as a sports fan?

After the jump, my answer to this question. But I'm really curious about your answers.

SoCal VoCals win West Region title!

By Brendan Loy

For the first time ever, the USC SoCal VoCals are going to collegiate a capella's version of the Final Four: the ICCA International Finals in New York City!

Over the weekend, the VoCals won the ICCA semifinal -- basically the Western regional championship -- at Marin Center for the Performing Arts in San Rafael, California, beating out the University of Oregon Divisi, the UCLA ScatterTones (ha ha! take that, Mike Tran!), defending national champion BYU Noteworthy, BYU Vocal Point, the Cal-Berkeley Golden Overtones, Mt. San Antonio College Fermata Nowhere, and These Guys from Fullerton and Citrus colleges. (Full results here; scroll down to "ICCA West Region.")

The VoCals' previous best finish at the ICCA semis was second place in 2001, and they've finished third four times: in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006. Long-time readers might recall that I trailed the VoCals for a photojournalism project -- producing, among others, this photo -- during their 2002 third-place ICCA appearance, and later wrote about it in a Daily Trojan opinion article analogizing the competition to March Madness, with which it always roughly coincides.

Anyway, on April 19, this year's crop of SoCal VoCals will compete for the international championship of collegiate a capella (that's what ICCA stands for, natch) against the Northwestern University Purple Haze (Midwest Region champs), Oxford University Out of the Blue (Western Europe champs), and as-yet undetermined champions from the South, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Fight on, SoCal VoCals!! Beat those other schools!! Wooo!!

Arrrrrgh.

By Brendan Loy

The good news is, the Notre Dame-George Mason game will be the primary ~9:30 game on the Knoxville CBS affiliate Thursday night. Sweet!

The bad news is, contrary to what I guessed last night, USC-Kansas State won't be the primary ~7:00 game. I guess they think Belmont, a Nashville university with 4,700 students, has a large enough following in East Tennessee that it makes sense to prioritize #2 Duke vs. #15 Belmont over the super-frosh showdown of Mayo vs. Beasley. Ugh.

I just hope our Comcast connection can handle MMOD. (Speaking of which, if you want a "VIP pass," you'd better sign up now -- they're 86% full!)

Coming soon...

By Brendan Loy

The 13th annual Living Room Times men's basketball pool, presented by the UCLA Bruins.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Showtime at Staples

By Brendan Loy

They're underway in L.A.

FIGHT ON, TROJANS!!!!! BEAT THE BRUINS!!!!! WIN ME THE BET!!!!!

(I think I'm going to use that bear for every anti-UCLA post from now on. Hahaha.)

UPDATE: USC leads at halftime, 34-29. I'm not too happy, though. Frankly, the margin should be bigger. The Trojans' defense was great, and the Bruins' shooting was cold until the last couple of minutes, yet USC's offense wasn't clicking on all cylinders. From the 16-minute mark to the 9-minute mark of the half, UCLA only scored 4 points (increasing their total from 7 to 11), which would have presented a great opportunity for USC to build a big lead, but they only managed to get up 17-11 during that stretch. I feel like the Bruins have a good run in them sometime in the second half, and I'd like to see the Trojans build up enough of a lead beforehand that they can withstand it.

Also of concern: Hackett and Jefferson each have 2 fouls. Hopefully neither of them picks up a quick third in the second half. You don't want to put your fate in the hands of Pac-10 refs!!

Meanwhile, UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute went down with an ugly-looking injury. Hopefully he's OK and will at least be back for the NCAA Tournament.

UPDATE 2: Aaaaand, while I was in the other room helping Becky with the baby, UCLA opens the second half on a 17-4 run. They're up 46-38 with 14:43 minutes left. Yikes. Oh, and Hackett just got his third foul. And Gibson has 3, too. Crap, crap, crap.

UPDATE 3: Trojans within 5 points with 3:43 to go. Gibson and Jefferson both have 4 fouls. I'm so nervous. I feel like I have such a huge personal stake in the outcome of this game... stupid bets with Mike Tran...

I just really, really hope the Pac-10 refs don't decide this one.

UPDATE 4: UCLA by 3, USC ball, 39 seconds left. My heart is pounding. I swear I'd be less nervous if I had a couple hundred dollars on this game, rather than having my pool's honor riding on it.

UPDATE 5: DAMMIT.

DAMMIT.

DAMMIT.

That was a weird strategy at the end there...

Ugh.

Dammit.

Oh, it's on.

By Brendan Loy

USC 59, ASU 55. UCLA 88, Cal 66.

You know what this means: my season-series bet with Mike Tran will be decided in a dramatic Pac-10 semifinal rubber match, an intra-city battle royale at the Staples Center tomorrow night at 9:00 PM EDT.

As specified by the terms of the bet, if UCLA wins, I have to change the name of my men's basketball pool to "The 13th annual Living Room Times men's basketball pool, presented by the UCLA Bruins." I have to include the "presented by the UCLA Bruins" in every full-fledged pool update that I post on the blog, and UCLA also has to appear somewhere in the pool's official logo.

If USC wins, Mike has to go to Tommy Trojan and get his picture taken in front of Tommy, doing the victory sign and wearing a USC shirt of some kind (with "USC" in big letters, clearly visible). He has to get me this picture by next Wednesday, and I get to post it on my blog as often as I want during March (and early April, i.e. Final Four weekend).

FIGHT ON, TROJANS!!! BEAT THE BRUINS!!!

Pop!

By Brendan Loy

...goes UAB's bubble. And Dayton's and Villanova's, probably. Good news all around, so far, for the VCUs and Illinois States of the world.

But what about Arizona State's bubble? Fight on Trojans! Pop Beat the Sun Devils! (Actually, I hope ASU loses, then makes the Big Dance anyway.)

UPDATE: Uh-oh... another controversial ending to a Pac-10 game?

I don't know what the rules are on over-the-back fouls, and the FSN announcers are doing an absolutely horrible job of explaining what's going on. Can someone fill me in? I really hope the Trojans aren't winning this one illegitimately.

UPDATE 2: USC won 59-55. Here's the ending:

What do y'all think?

Cal beats UW; Bruins next

By Brendan Loy

Cal will get a rematch tomorrow of its controversial season regular-finale against UCLA.

That'll be at 5:30 PM on FSN, right after the 3:00 game between USC and Arizona State. I'm hoping to get to work early tomorrow, and to work through lunch, so I can come home for at least the second half of that one. :)

If the Trojans and Bruins both win, then my bet with Mike will be decided Friday night. If, on the other hand, either team loses tomorrow, the season series remains split 1-1 and the bet's a wash.

Also tomorrow, at 9:30 PM on ESPN: Notre Dame vs. Marquette or Seton Hall. All in all, it's going to be a big day in Irish Trojan land...

Daily Trojan staffers to "grill" Bill Clinton

By Brendan Loy

USC Daily Trojan staffers will get to ask Bill Clinton questions as part of a mtvU series designed to "take some of the top college reporters from across the country and have them grill key policy makers and influencers." The forum will be taped on Sunday, and "highlights" will be posted on mtvU.com Sunday evening, followed by a full broadcast on March 26 at noon. The other college newspapers participating are the Howard Hilltop, Smith Sophian and Tulane Hullabaloo. More info here and here.

Blogger Alex Weprin writes, "The hope is that in selecting top college journos, the forums will be serious, substantive talks, and not gossip," so "I wouldn’t expect too many 'boxers or briefs' questions here."

USC gets #4 seed in Pac-10

By Brendan Loy

USC's Pac-10 tournament seed hangs in balance as UW and Wazzu head to overtime. If Washington wins, the Trojans will be the #3 seed, with a quarterfinal game against tonight's Arizona-Oregon winner and a likely semifinal against Stanford. If Wazzu wins, they'll be the #4 seed, with a quarterfinal game against Arizona State and a likely semifinal against UCLA.

All this because of USC's impressive win over Stanford earlier today, which gave them a shot at the #3 seed.

UPDATE: Despite multiple chances to win, the Huskies coug it, and Wazzu wins 76-73 in 2 OTs. So it'll be #4 USC vs. #5 ASU in the first round of the Pac-10 tourney, with the winner taking on either #1 UCLA, #8 Washington or #9 Cal in the semifinals.

Fight on Trojans! Beat the Farm!

By Brendan Loy

USC leads Stanford, 45-35, with 16:51 left at the Galen Center. If the Trojans win and Washington State loses to UW tonight, USC will be the #3 seed in the Pac-10 tournament, and any possible Loy-Tran bet-deciding USC-UCLA game wouldn't happen until the conference final. If USC loses or Wazzu wins, the Trojans will be the #4 seed, setting up a possible semifinal matchup with the top-seeded Bruins.

In other news, last year's Notre Dame-conquering Big South champion, Winthrop, earned another auto bid to the NCAAs, joining Cornell on that short list and sending regular-season champ UNC-Asheville to the NIT as that tournament's first automatic qualifier.

Later today, three Tennessee teams will try to earn automatic NCAA bids of their own, as Cinderella story #6 seed Tennessee State, 15-16 and #215 in the RPI, faces #1 seed Austin Peay, also from Tennessee, in the Ohio Valley title game (ESPN2, 5pm), and Belmont, yet another Tennessee school, faces Jacksonville in the Atlantic Sun final (ESPN2, 7pm)

Zags, Irish win; Trojans lose

By Brendan Loy

I'd be remiss in my basketball-blogging duties if I didn't point out that Gonzaga beat St. Mary's yesterday to take the WCC lead and probably wrap up an NCAA at-large bid, if they need it. As long as the Zags beat 6-7 Santa Clara tomorrow night, they'll win yet another regular-season conference title.

Also, Notre Dame eked out a win over DePaul. Joe Lunardi currently projects the Irish as a #4 seed, Gonzaga as a #6, and USC as a #7. (But that was before 'SC lost to Arizona State yesterday.)

Classy Arizona fans strike again

By Brendan Loy

Fans in the Arizona student section, a.k.a. the "Zona Zoo," got themselves in hot water earlier this month for loudly chanting "F*** the refs!" during a nationally televised basketball game against Stanford. The university responded with an effort to crack down on such misbehavior. As part of that effort, interim head coach Kevin O'Neill sent out a video message to his school's students earlier this week, urging them to "be positive" in their chants:

O'Neill also apparently gave the students an in-person lecture about the vulgarity issue before last night's game against USC. And he told the Daily Wildcat in an article published yesterday: "I'm going to encourage them not to use vulgar profanity directed at anyone. The bottom line is we have the largest student section I've ever seen, but I think we need to carry ourselves in a first-class manner indicative of what our university, athletic department and basketball program are."

But alas, during the waning moments of USC's 70-58 win over the Wildcats last night, some bozo in the Zona Zoo decided it would be a good idea to throw a full water bottle at the USC bench -- nearly hitting head coach Tim Floyd. Here's the video:

To his great credit, O'Neill quickly grabbed the microphone, vigorously scolded the perpetrator, and apologized to Floyd and the Trojans. Good for him. Hopefully Arizona can get this nonsense under control.

On an unrelated note, I love how ESPN named O.J. Mayo the "Rogaine Player of the Game." LOL! I'm sure he deeply appreciates the honor.

GOOOO IRISH!!!

By Brendan Loy

BEEEEAT CARDINALS!!!

That is all.

UPDATE: Um, so yeah, it's not going too well. Louisville 42, Notre Dame 27 at halftime.

UPDATE 2: Louisville won, 90-85. They were way ahead for most of the game, but Notre Dame mounted a valiant comeback late, with five three-pointers in the last minute-and-a-half -- three of them by Luke Harangody, who hadn't hit a three all season! Harangody ended up with 40 points.

UPDATE 3: USC-Arizona is now underway on ESPN. The Trojans lead early, 26-14.

UPDATE 4: Trojans pick up a huge road win, 70-58. Sweet!

#1 Tennessee visits Vandy tonight

By Brendan Loy

Barack Obama isn't the only frontrunner who will be on national TV tonight trying to defend his recently acquired top-dog status against a rival's onslaught. At 9:00 PM EST -- the same time as the Democratic debate on MSNBC -- the #1-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team will face #18 Vanderbilt on the Commodores' home floor. The game will be on ESPN, and Bruce Pearl will be in his orange blazer.

Go Vols & Go Barack!

P.S. I'm looking ahead a bit now, but take a gander at the Big East standings, and then ponder for a moment Thursday night's big game: Notre Dame at Louisville, 7:00 PM on ESPN. Holy cow. Mike Brey's boys playing, maybe, for a Big East regular-season championship? I love it! Oh, and did I mention it's part of an Irish Trojan doubleheader? USC visits Arizona at 9:00 PM Thursday, also on ESPN. Sweet.

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.

I have a man-crush on Kevin Love

By Brendan Loy

...per a bet I lost.

Harumph.

UCLA 56, USC 46, final. Bah.

Terrible game by the Trojans down the stretch. UCLA's shooting was cold enough that USC had every opportunity to win, but the Trojans couldn't hit a shot to save their lives for a long while there, and they -- particularly O.J. Mayo -- kept turning the ball over at crucial times.

Of course, in light of their injury problems, I suppose at some level it's impressive that the Trojans were able to hang in there with the #6 team in the country at all. The number of minutes their starters played was obscene; those guys were tired by the end. But still. There's no excuse for mistakes like the ones O.J. was making, no excuse for the laziness on the boards, no excuse for settling for low-percentage shots down the stretch. Bottom line, they could have won that game, and they let the opportunity slip away.

P.S. If you're wondering about the "per a bet I lost" language, I'm just mirroring what Mike said after the first game. :)

P.P.S. The abomination in the sidebar at right, and the new blog subtitle ("Mike Tran owns me"), will remain up until 12:01 AM tomorrow.

Things that suck: UCLA, Duke, FSN

By Brendan Loy

Stupid freakin' blankety-blank Fox Sports Net South is showing the Nashville Predators game, even though the schedule on TVGuide.com says very clearly that we were supposed to get the Duke-Wake Forest game (which Duke lost!) followed by USC-UCLA (which is now underway). Harumph!!

I don't know if they'll take us out to the basketball game once the hockey game -- which is now in overtime -- ends. I hope so. But anyway, it's a tight game early between the Trojans and Bruins.

UPDATE: Yaaay! They're taking us out to the game in progress.

UPDATE 2: Thanks largely to poor ball-handling and rebounding, USC trails 35-29 with 16:55 left in the game.

UPDATE 3: USC is playing like crap. But so is UCLA, so the Trojans are still only down by 6 with under three minutes left.

Loyette says, "Beat the Bruins!"

By Brendan Loy

Fight on Trojans! Beat the Bruins!

(Onesie and blanket courtesy of Keri and Jake. "Fight on" socks courtesy of Papa & Nana.)

P.S. Of course, Mike Tran is hoping the Trojans lose tonight... which just proves that Mike Tran hates babies. :)

Freakin' baby-hating Bruins. Have they no decency? ;)

A rivalry tradition renewed

By Brendan Loy

Pete Carroll and new UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel have reportedly reached an agreement that will allow the Bruins and Trojans to renew the old tradition of both wearing their home jerseys when they play each other.

Sweet.

The Daily Bruin and Bruins Nation have more. (Hat tip: Doc and Chris Newbury.)

Hackett out for UCLA, maybe for season

By Brendan Loy

The possibly season-ending injury to Daniel Hackett isn't just potentially devastating for the USC Trojans' hopes of making some serious noise this month and next. It's also potentially devastating to my hopes of forcing Mike Tran to wear a USC sweatshirt and do the victory sign in front of Tommy Trojan, and capture it all on camera for posterity -- as he'll be required to do, per the terms of our bet, if USC beats UCLA at the Galen Center on Sunday night.

Alas, Hackett will definitely be out for at least that game, and probably much more. (Hopefully O.J. Mayo will still be able to play, at least. Good grief.) Meanwhile, injured Bruins guard Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will probably be back.

If the Trojans win on Sunday (FSN, 10:00 PM EST), it would guarantee that I win the season-series bet, and Mike would have to get me the glorious above-described photo by March 1. If the Bruins win, there's no immediate winner of the season-series bet, though either Mike or I could still win it if the teams meet again in the Pac-10 tournament.

Big games tomorrow for USC, ND

By Brendan Loy

I've been so focused on politics during my limited, non-baby-consumed free time over the last month that I haven't been able to pay much attention to college basketball -- and when I have, my attention has usually been focused on USC or Gonzaga. But Notre Dame has been doing really well, building a 7-2 Big East record, with two of those wins (along with both losses) on the road. The Irish are currently alone in second place in the conference standings, and ranked #21 or #22 in the country, depending on which poll you believe. Admire Mike Brey!

Anyway, tomorrow at noon in a nationally televised ESPN game, they'll look to avenge one of their road losses -- their worst loss of the season, in fact -- against #16 Marquette. That's always a fun game at the Joyce Center, with a boisterous visiting crowd. Hopefully the Leprechaun Legion will be up to the challenge. Go Irish, Beat Golden Eagles!

Also tomorrow: USC vs. Wazzu. The Trojans have improbably rallied from their 0-3 conference start to take sole possession of third place in the Pac-10 with a 6-4 record -- and five of their remaining eight games are at home. Tomorrow is one of the three road games, against struggling Washington State (the Cougars have lost 4 of 5 after starting 16-1 overall and 4-1 in conference). Big-time game for 'SC, though alas, the ABC telecast at 3:30 PM is regional; we get Texas-Iowa State instead. Harumph. Regardless: Fight on Trojans, Beat the Cougs!

Notre Dame finally beats USC in football

By Brendan Loy

Well, in football recruiting, anyway. Today was National Signing Day, and the Irish recruiting class is ranked #2 by both Rivals and Scout. USC is #10 and #13, respectively, their lowest rankings since 2002 (and behind UCLA, according to Scout... ugh!).

Kansas falls; USC-Arizona tonight

By Brendan Loy

#1 Memphis -- a winner at Houston last night -- is the only unbeaten left in college basketball, after #2 Kansas lost at #22 Kansas State, the Wildcats' first home win over the Jayhawks since the first Reagan Administration. (See, I can inject presidential politics into any post!)

You know what this means: North Carolina is in line to ascend to #2, and Duke to #3. We're getting closer and closer to that 1-vs.-2 matchup for Dukie V's big return. Duke just needs to win at home against N.C. State and Miami, UNC just needs to win vs. BC and at Florida State... and, oh yes, Memphis needs to lose at home against UTEP on Saturday. That last part is the major obstacle to this scenario. :)

Speaking of unbeatens, Drake is 10-0 in the Missouri Valley, and 19-1 overall. Unreal.

On tap tonight, a whole bunch of intriguing games, including a nationally televised USC-Arizona game at 10:30 PM on FSN. ESPN's Bubble Watch has the Trojans in the "work left to do" category (though that was before their win at Oregon) and the Wildcats in the "should be in" category. Joe Lunardi gives USC a #8 seed and UA a #5 seed at the moment. Both teams are 4-3 in the Pac-10, in a three-way tie with ASU (who USC also plays this weekend) for fourth place. Anyway... Fight on Trojans, Beat the Wildcats!

Trojans top Ducks in OT

By Brendan Loy

USC 95, Oregon 86 in overtime. Sweet! That's a huge road win for 'SC, which is now 4-3 in the Pac-10 after starting 0-3.

'Twas a good day on the road for both the Irish and the Trojans.

Yet another top QB commits to 'SC

By Brendan Loy

USC has had an awfully impressive track record on the recruiting trail in recent years, especially in the area of quarterbacks. John David Booty was the top QB recruit of the Class of 2003; Mark Sanchez was the top QB recruit of the Class of 2005; Mitch Mustain was the top QB recruit of the Class of 2006. All three went to USC (after a brief sojourn at Arkansas, in Mustain's case).

Well, the embarrassment of riches continues: the Class of 2009's top quarterback recruit, Matt Barkley, announced yesterday that he will go to USC. (Hat tip: Andrew Leyden.)

Sweet.

Heh.

By Brendan Loy

(Previous post here. Context here.)

WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

By Brendan Loy

USC 72, UCLA 63!!!!!!

I OWN MIKE TRAN!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

I look forward to learning about Mike's man-crush on O.J. Mayo.

BEAT THE BRUINS!!!

By Brendan Loy

CBS is showing OSU-Tennessee here (harumph), but USC-UCLA is underway. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the stakes. GO TROJANS!!!

Nevada, South Carolina and USC-UCLA

By Brendan Loy

I didn't realize this, but the Nevada caucuses are actually held in the morning and afternoon, local time, so results will likely be known by 3:30 PM EST for the Republicans and 5:00 PM EST for the Democrats, according to Mark Halperin. The polls close at 7:00 PM in snowy (!) South Carolina.

UPDATE: All of this pales in comparison, of course, to another event at 3:30 PM EST tomorrow: the USC-UCLA basketball game, a.k.a. Mayo-Love I, at Pauley Pavilion, which will be aired nationally on CBS. Beat the Bruins!!!

UPDATE 2: Fox News has called Nevada for Romney. He's got three golds and two silvers! Will he get his first bronze in South Carolina?

UPDATE, 2:15 PM: The CNN entrance poll suggests that Romney will get a vote percentage in the mid-to-upper 40s -- and Ron Paul will finish second with around 20%!

It also shows that a quarter of voters were Mormons (compared to just 7% of the state population), and Romney get 94% of their votes. But Paul got 63% of independents, who made up 14% of the electorate.

UPDATE, 3:03 PM: CNN's on-screen vote tally shows Obama 86%, Clinton 14%. It's a landslide! Of course, that's with 7 votes reporting. Not 7 percent of the precincts -- 7 votes. It's Obama 6, Clinton 1. [CORRECTION: I guess those are actually county delegates, not votes.]

Carroll mum on NFL rumors

By Brendan Loy

Pete Carroll isn't talking about the ongoing speculation concerning his possible return to the NFL with either the Atlanta Falcons or the Washington Redskins. But the Associated Press asserts that the Falcons' hiring of Tom Dimitroff as general manager last weekend "likely will end [owner Arthur] Blank's possible interest in Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll. Carroll has said he would have interest in an NFL job only if given the authority in personnel decisions."

Meanwhile, USC linebakers coach Ken Norton will remain at Troy instead of defecting to his alma mater, UCLA, which had tried to woo him across town. "I'm flattered," he said of the Bruins' interest. "They'll always be a team in my heart . I feel real good about Rick Neuheisel and what he's going to do there. ... The timing just wasn't right. I'm really appreciative of what Pete Carroll has done for me over here, and my business is not finished."

The bet, basketball edition

By Brendan Loy

"Irish Bruin" Mike Tran -- he of the stylish car with the gorgeous flag -- is eager to redeem himself after going 0-3 against me in football this past fall (ND 20, UCLA 6; USC 38, ND 0; USC 24, UCLA 7). Luckily for Mike, basketball season has arrived. With his Bruins ranked #4 and my Trojans unranked, Mike sees an opportunity to win his first bet against me since The Game Which Must Not Be Named led to this fashion atrocity and this pack of lies. So he's been harassing me to come up with a basketball bet before USC visits UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

Because individual regular-season basketball games aren't nearly as important as individual regular-season football games, and because the teams will play each other at least twice and possibly three times (maybe even four, in the unlikely event they meet in the NCAA Tournament), I wanted to bet on the season series, not the individual games. But Mike said he's not patient enough to wait all those weeks for what he seems to view as an inevitable victory. So we compromised and made a pair of small, relatively low-stakes bets on the individual games, plus a much higher-stakes bet on the season series.

Full details are published after the jump, but the basic gist is this: each individual regular-season game will cause either Mike or I to profess our man-crushes on O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love, respectively, for the following 24 hours. Also, if I lose, my blog's subtitle will change to "Mike Tran owns me," and if he loses, his Facebook profile will change similarly. As for the season series: if USC wins it, either 2-0 or 2-1 counting the Pac-10 tournament (any potential NCAA Tournament matchup doesn't count), you'll be seeing -- repeatedly, throughout March and early April -- a lovely photo of Mike wearing a USC shirt and doing the victory sign in front of Tommy Trojan. On the other hand, if UCLA wins the season series, the 13th annual Living Room Times men's basketball pool will be renamed "the 13th annual Living Room Times men's basketball pool, presented by the UCLA Bruins," and I'll have to say that in every pool update on the blog, and in the official logo to boot.

Full bet terms after the jump.

USC 66, Washington 51

By Brendan Loy

Finally, a Pac-10 win!

Now, let's upset the Bruins at Pauley next Saturday and we'll be back on track...

#4 Wazzu visits USC tonight

By Brendan Loy

After a promising non-conference start featuring two close losses to Top 5 teams, followed by a disappointing 0-2 road trip to open the Pac-10 season, USC (9-5) hosts #4-ranked Washington State (13-0) tonight at 11:00 PM EST at the Galen Center. Wazzu is one of Division I's five remaining unbeatens, along with #1 North Carolina, #2 Memphis, #3 Kansas and #13 Vanderbilt. (USC's aforementioned "close losses" were against Memphis and