Quick Hits from the Sports World

As March Madness creeps closer, the college basketball picture is starting to clear up a bit. So here are a few brief lists, based on conjecture, intuition, superficial analysis, and entirely too many hours watching basketball since sometime around Thanksgiving ...

Five teams that I would put good money on to win at least two tournament games: Florida, Texas A&M, UCLA, Georgetown and Memphis.

Five teams that will lose in the first round (if they even get in at all): Florida State, Illinois, Alabama, Stanford and Gonzaga (sorry, but you know it’s true)

Five teams that I can’t figure out (i.e. five teams that could win it all just as easily as they could get upset in the first round): Kansas, Pittsburg, Texas, Arizona and Boston College If you couldn’t tell, I am waaaayyy too excited about the NCAA tournament …

One more college hoops note: I’m completely sold on Washington State as a viable threat. Everybody’s giving them credit as a nice story and a well-coached bunch of overachievers, but this is a legitimately good basketball team that I definitely would not want to face in March. I don’t think anything is out of reach for them, at this point, including a PAC 10 title and deep run into the tournament …

No surprises for the SuperSonics so far this year: Ray Allen represented the team at the All Star game (albeit as an injury replacement) and Sonics fans are looking ahead to draft day. I suggest any Seattle fans drink themselves into a coma for the next two or three years, because it’s going to be awhile before they’re truly competitive …

As a Kansas City Chiefs fan who had to suffer through years of Marty Schottenheimer’s playoff coaching futility, I find it hard feeling sorry for him after getting canned from the San Diego Chargers. But this is probably the single most absurd firing I’ve ever heard of. I don’t care how much animosity there is between the front office and coaching staff, Marty completely rejuvenated that franchise, taking over a team that had finished last in the AFC West four of the previous five years and leading them to two division titles, including a league best 14-2 record last season. I hope Marty was sleeping with the GM’s wife or something, because there’s no other way this makes sense. I’m by no means a Marty fan, but firing him to hire Norv Turner seems like ousting Leonardo DiCaprio because you like what Keanu Reeves brings to the table. This is going to look really dumb in about nine months …