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I thoroughly enjoyed March Madness, both the mens and womens versions. For three weeks in the early days of the spring season, I renew my subscription with college basketball and am edutained on all things March Madness. It is a time that engendered work morale spikes, rooted in imperfect bracket predictions and the chance that overworked, underpaid employees will cash out on an office pool lottery built from their very own desk change cups and afternoon Tim Hortons coffee run allotments. Mini hoops get hung on office doors for impromptu paper ball dunk contests and great plays are re-enacted by local news crews unable to air highlights of the very sport they cover because of the hierarchy of money structured agreements between the NCAA and its multiple March Madness broadcast partners. A bevy of hungry, wide-eyed teams. More Networks. Too many credit card commercials. Too Much Dick Vitale. Not Enough Bill Raftery. No Gus Johnson. Countless floor burns. Multiple tears. Clutch shots. One epic dance. One dream realized. Who knew a school from the former and now defunct Yankee Conference would be one of the most dominant basketball programs in college history? Combined, the University of Connecticut mens and womens teams have been in the NCAA Tournament final game 13 times. Theyve never lost. Ever. I watched as Geno Auriemma and his Lady Huskies won their ninth title in 19 years, defeating Notre Dame easily and once again lording over the womens game with whispers and questions rattling The ladies college hoops kings cage about whether or not his talents could be applied similarly in the mens game. I saw Guelph, Ontarios and Notre Dame senior forward Natalie Achonwa, thrice a bridesmaid, never the bride in the NCAA final, have to endure the insult of her team once again losing a chance at glory and an undefeated season to the schoolyard bully in UConn, in part due to suffering a devastating knee injury during the Elite Eight game that ended her season and college career. I was not in shock or awe that Derrick Gordon, starting guard from the University of Massachusetts, a school where I created and once taught the worlds first university accredited course on hip-hop culture, now also has the distinction of having the first Division I male basketball player to come out as openly gay. I viewed a March Madness tournament where Canadian lights shone brightly in fellow freshmen Kansas Andrew Wiggins and Syracuses Tyler Ennis, senior Melvin Ejim of Iowa State, Michigan sophomore Nik Stauskas and more. Their play shined a collective light on the immense talents north of the 49th parallel who contributed in meaningful ways during the Tournament and offered hope and confidence for young Canadian hoop stars to follow. I reveled in UConn mens coach Kevin Ollies victory over John Caliparis Kentucky Wildcats, despite picking the new Fab Five freshmen from Lexington to win it all on my TSN Radio basketball program, #1On1 with Will and Duane. And the revelry was not rooted in a dislike for Coach Cals crew. The joy was in the knowledge that, 30 years after Georgetowns John Thompson became the first black man to win an NCAA title with a team full of inner city black kids, possibly influenced by the lure of profit from a new player in the illicit drug trade called crack and the music of an emerging and grossly misunderstood subculture called hip-hop, Kevin Ollie joined Thompson, newly minted Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Nolan Richardson and Tubby Smith as the only black coaches to ever win the national title. My merriment was quelled, however, by the admission of the tournaments Most Outstanding Player, UConn senior PG Shabazz Napier. As initially reported by CNNs Sara Ganim, Napiers statement was stunning. “I dont feel student-athletes should get hundreds of thousands of dollars, but like I said, there are hungry nights that I go to bed and Im starving," he said. "I just feel like a student-athlete, and sometimes, like I said, theres hungry nights and Im not able to eat and I still got to play up to my capabilities.” I observed a game with multi-billion dollar stakes in which the players have no financial stake due to the draconian statutes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which still has them reaching for “One Shining Moment” as the UConn mens program fails to graduate more than eight per cent of its starving, underfed players. I then pondered former March Madness champ and UCLA forward Ed OBannons lawsuit against the NCAA, the Northwestern University athletes who won their fight to unionize against the NCAA and Jalen Roses youthful revelation years ago on how he and his Fab Five teammates were being flagrantly exploited by the NCAA and its corporate stakeholders while a star at Michigan. It occurred to me that the 2013-2014 mens final was possibly a referendum on the future of college basketball profiteering: Caliparis "one and done" regime versus the NCAAs preferred method of currency exchange with the NBA - keeping the student-athletes on campus playing this game for as long as possible. NBA Commissioner Adam Silvers wish to subsidize collegiate student-athletes in order to keep the collusive financial arrangement with the NCAA as close to status quo, without hemorrhaging too much blood, seems relatively progressive at cursory glance. And the new commishs potential good fortune to place a positive stamp on his early tenure may be rooted in Napiers hunger. ESPNs Darren Rovell recently reported that Adam Silver is willing to trade markers with the NCAA, its student-athletes and the NBAPA with concessions on all sides to make the vehicle move. "Rather than focusing on a salary and thinking of them as employees, I would go to their basic necessities," said Silver. "I think if Shabazz Napier is saying he is going hungry, my God, it seems hard to believe, but there should be ample food for the players." Commissioner Silver wants to raise the NBA entry age limit from 19 to 20 and may be able to do so in exchange for his college player subsidy initiative. Silvers very public overtures about changes that can be made to an archaic, rotted NCAA system run by that cabals boss, Dr. Mark Emmert, who, naturally, is vehemently opposed to any sort of compensation for student-athletes, a term created to protect the schools and NCAA itself against the liability of paying workers compensation for injured “student-athletes,” are encouraging, even in theory. But what about offering a “bare necessities” cost of living stipend, daily meal per diems and limited injury insurance to these young men, who may or may not be ready for the fine hardwood courts of the National Basketball Association, but wish to ply their trade professionally? Is it possible for these young men to also get an education with the same subsidies Commissioner Silver is suggesting for the NCAA by giving these monies to the NBAs already-established minor league, the National Basketball Development League? No matter the motivations of Adam Silver, it would seem that the winds of change are on the horizon for intercollegiate athletics and its long partnership with professional sport to finally call it what it really is now. So yeah… Thats what I learned during March Madness this year. I can only hope you learned some things, too. Nick Markakis Braves Jersey .A. Happs hold on a spot in the Blue Jays starting rotation is in question. Brian McCann Jersey . The unrestricted free agent agreed to terms with the club on Thursday on a one-year, two-way deal worth $700,000. http://www.baseballbravesproshop.com/freddie-freeman-braves-jersey/ . Murray, the defending champion and No. 3 seed, claimed his first match win at Queens in 2005 and went on to win the Wimbledon warmup three times. But he failed to take advantage of eight set points after leading the first-set tiebreaker 6-2, and Stepanek survived to convert with his second set point. Josh Donaldson Jersey .Derrick Rose scored 23 points, and the Bulls pulled away from the Nets for a 105-80 victory on Wednesday night. Chicago held Brooklyn to 29 points on 26. Freddie Freeman Braves Jersey . -- Chris Crawford hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the 21st-ranked Tigers beat seventh-ranked Louisville 72-66 Saturday, sweeping the season series from the Cardinals.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - A late riser makes his debut in the Heisman Rankings this week after another record-breaking Saturday, but the favorites remain unchanged as we head towards the final full weekend of the regular season. 1. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon (last week: No. 1) -- The Ducks quarterback held onto the top spot after yet another dominant performance in a 44-10 victory over Colorado. Mariota completed 24-of-32 passes for 323 yards - his fifth 300-yard passing performance of the season - with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was equally dynamic on the ground, turning eight carries into 73 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown run on a read-option play in the first quarter where he went into the end zone untouched after fooling the entire CU defense. Mariota, who has over 3,600 total yards, has not only been dominant, but remarkably consistent with at least 270 total yards and multiple touchdowns in every game, and his 42 touchdowns give him the Pac-12 record. Unless something catastrophic happens in the next two weeks, hes going to be the runaway winner. 2. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin (last week: No. 2) -- Gordon probably wasnt pleased to see Samaje Perine break his single-game rushing record after only week, and if he and the Badgers had to do it over again he probably would have played some of the fourth quarter against Nebraska to pad that record a little more. Losing the record hasnt hurt Gordons Heisman chances, however, as he continued to rack up astounding numbers over the weekend. Wisconsin needed all of Gordons production to squeak out a 26-24 victory over Iowa, as he finished with 200 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, while also tacking on solid receiving totals (four catches, 64 yards). Gordon (2,109 yards, 25 TDs) reached the 2,000-yard plateau faster than anyone in FBS history, doing so midway through the Iowa game on just his 242nd carry of campaign - meaning that Barry Sanders seemingly unbreakable single-season rushing record (2,628 yards) is very much in jeopardy. 3. J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State (last week: No. 4) -- At the start of Barretts reign as the Buckeyes quarterback, the Braxton Miller comparisons were inevitable. Hes not only broken free of Millers shadow, but is putting together perhaps the best season by a quarterback in program history. With another sterling performance in Ohio States 42-27 victory over Indiana (25- of-35 passing, 302 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions, 78 rushing yards), Barrett broke Millers school record for total yards in a season, as he now sits with 3,507 (2,658 passing, 849 rushing). That wasnt the only record to fall, as he also broke Troy Smiths mark for passing touchdowns in a season with 33 and counting (42 overall). Even if Ohio State beats Michigan this week and wins the Big Ten Championship Game, it still might not have a strong enough resume to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. However, that wont make the heights achieved by a freshman quarterback any less impressive. 4. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU (last week: No. 3) -- The Horned Frogs bye week has Boykins stock holding steady for the most part. TCU is on the outside looking in for that coveted fourth spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, but it is still right in the mix at 9-1, and Boykin (3,021 passing yards, 548 rushing yards, 31 TDs, five interceptions) will have the opportunity help both his Heisman candidacy and his teams championship hopes as he closes out the regular season with matchups at Texas and versus Iowa State in the coming weeks. 5. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State (last week: No. 7) -- The Bulldogs quarterback rightfully lost a lot of momentum after his teams loss to Alabama Nov. 15, but he went a long way in erasing that painful memory in the 51-0 shutout of Vanderbilt with a near-flawless performance. On 16-of-21 passing, he finished with 193 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, while adding six rushes for 30 yards and a score in the easy victory to keep his teams hopes of an SEC title alive. Even if Mississippi State cant earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, its resume at the moment is still strong enough to get the attention of the selection committee with the No. 4 ranking, and that success is thanks in no small measure to Prescotts outstanding campaign (2,714 passing yards, 891 rushing yards, 36 TDs, 10 interceptions). 6. Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA (last week: No. 9) -- While Oregons fate as the Pac-12 North Diivision champion has been sealed, the battle for the South is coming down to the wire, and the Bruins went a long way in clearing their path to the crown over the weekend with a 38-20 victory over cross-town rival USC in perhaps the most important game of the college football weekend.dddddddddddd Hundley was predictably outstanding in the triumph. For the ninth time this season, he completed better than 70 percent of his passes (22-of-31), while throwing for 326 yards and accounting for four touchdowns, leaving him with 2,873 passing yards, 566 rushing yards and 28 scores this season, coupled with a mere five interceptions. UCLA will sew up the South Division on Friday if it can take care of Stanford, setting up a rematch with Oregon in the conference championship game where Hundley can potentially kill two birds with one stone in spoiling the Ducks season, and Mariotas Heisman chances. 7. Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma (last week: unranked) -- After LaDainian Tomlinsons rushing record stood for more than a decade, Perine erased Gordons mark just seven days after it was set. In Oklahomas 44-7 romp of Kansas, the freshman running back rewrote the FBS record book with a 427-yard performance, doing so on 34 carries while scoring five touchdowns. Although Perine put together some highlights early in the season - notably a 242-yard showing at West Virginia in September - he had been relegated to a part-time role in the offense until recently, and hes taken full advantage of his new- found opportunity by rushing for a whopping 640 yards and eight touchdowns in the last two weeks. The chance of him emerging so late in the season to become a Heisman finalist is slim, especially with Oklahoma now an afterthought in the Big 12, but the future is undoubtedly bright for the youngster. 8. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (last week: No. 5) -- Cooper was well on his way to another big game early in the Crimson Tides matchup with Western Carolina over the weekend, as he had three catches for 46 yards in the first quarter. But he had to leave the game with a bruised knee. Luckily, the injury doesnt appear to be serious, as coach Nick Saban revealed after the game that Cooper likely could have returned if needed, but the team opted to hold him out as a precaution in the convincing 48-14 victory. Having topped 100 yards receiving just twice in the last seven games, Coopers campaign has lost steam, but a receiver who ranks in the top-five nationally in receptions (90), yards (1,349) and touchdowns (11) on the No. 2 team in the land still deserves plenty of recognition. 9. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia (last week: No. 10) -- Chubbs services werent needed very often in the Bulldogs 55-9 blowout of Charleston Southern, but he nonetheless cashed in on his limited opportunities by turning a mere nine carries into 113 yards and two touchdowns for his sixth straight 100-yard outing. Todd Gurley is certainly an irreplaceable piece, but theres no denying Chubbs elite production in his stead this season, as he sits with 1,152 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on just 161 carries, to go with solid receiving totals (15 receptions, 177 yards, two TDs). With Georgias SEC slate closed, it will need to wait to have its fate in the Eastern Division decided when Missouri plays Arkansas on Friday. If the Tigers fall, an entirely possible outcome considering Arkansas recent surge, then Chubb and the Bulldogs will get an opportunity to improve their stock in the SEC Championship Game, but not before a clash with rival Georgia Tech this Saturday. 10. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State (last week: No. 6) -- Although the Seminoles remained unbeaten over the weekend, they continued to do so while looking anything but the nations No. 1 team. In a home game against a mediocre Boston College squad, FSU needed a game-winning field goal by Roberto Aguayo with three seconds remaining to squeak by with a 20-17 victory. Winston, despite competing nearly 69 percent of his passes, was far from great, as he threw for 281 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The reigning Heisman winner is falling well short of the pace he set last season with 3,125 passing yards, 22 total touchdowns and 13 interceptions. At this point, the only thing keeping Winston alive in the Heisman race is his teams uncanny ability to stay out of the loss column. Dropped Out: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska Honorable Mention: Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor; Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana; Gerod Holliman; RB, Louisville. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '