Recently in NCAA Basketball Category

The NCAA may finally have met their match. Former UCLA superstar and NCAA champion Ed O'Bannon filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA looking to get a piece of the licensing pie. O'Bannon in his lawsuit isn't asking for the players to be paid while they're in school, but for them to be able to get some form of compensation for the use of their images, jerseys etc. after they're out of school.

Right now the NCAA doesn't allow former or current players to receive any money from the billion dollar licensing business they run. This includes: video games, jerseys, DVD's sold and whatever other way the NCAA can find to make money off of these players images. The lawsuit says that the players are forced as freshman to sign over their rights for use of their likeness. They either sign the paper and agree to this or they can't go to school and play ball. So the NCAA basically takes advantage of young kids who really have no concept of what they're signing over. Think about all the championship DVD's that you see advertised every year after someone wins the championship. All that additional revenue doesn't go to the players. This is an additional billion dollar industry aside from the basic television contracts that the NCAA benefits from.

I don't know and you don't know, I don't care and you shouldn't either. It doesn't really matter if he took the SAT's or not. The only thing that matters is that Derrick Rose and players like him are forced to play a game of pretending to want to go to college in order to better market themselves for the NBA.

We all know that players like Derrick Rose would go straight from high school to the pros if they could. They really have no interest in going to college for the learning (they will enjoy the women and perks though). And the way college is set-up these athletes don't even have to go to class after the first semester. So are u really trying to be a student-athlete if there is no real need to go to class after your first semester? I'm not saying Derrick Rose or others didn't or don't go to class. But if their goal is to be a NBA player and to better their draft status are they really going to go to that freshman english class at 9am in mid February?

You'd think people would have learned their lesson about putting Isiah Thomas in charge of things. His Indiana Pacers teams underachieved, he burned down the Continental Basketball Association, and, well, we all saw what he did to the Knicks. The mentality that it takes to give Jerome James $29 million or trade three draft pick and three players for "Sixth Helping" Eddy Curry, deserves to be questioned at every turn.

But that won't be a problem at Florida International University, where he's already pledged to give his entire first-year salary to the athletic department. It's almost as if he's trying to prove that he can do more for a basketball team than waste its money.

As we all know, college players don't get paid (publicly speaking), so joining the college game makes sense for a guy like Isiah. Legally, all he can offer is a scholarship and maybe a few other small perks. There's no hope of him outbidding Carolina for their third point guard and committing FIU to paying him $8 million dollars for the next four seasons. No, this job frees his mind from having to make decisions like that and allows him to do what he does best: Scout talent.

Let me state the facts about myself. I have been a North Carolina Tarheels fan all my life. A die-hard one at that. As a matter of fact, its in my DNA. My dad's side of the family resides in North Carolina and have been fans forever as well. That's just our legacy.

As a true fan, I have been one of their biggest critics. When they broke down that Carolina has only won 4 championships before last nights game, all I could do is think about the ones we could've had. If you think about it, Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse didn't win championships because they left early. Antwan Jamison and Vince Carer didn't win championships because they left early. Truth be told, The 2005 Championship team could have repeated if a few of those guys stayed. Guys all have their reasons to go pro whether it be ego or financial need with Carolina. But with each mass exodus of talent, you can guarantee that what they inherit will be championship caliber, eventually.

So what did I learn from last night?

We are mere minutes away from the 2009 NCAA Basketball National Championship game, so what better way to kick it off with this exclusive Gatorade Commercial featuring the King of the Final Four John Wooden.

It features Coach John Wooden reciting a poem that will play over NCAA footage of MJ, DWade, Walton, Candace Parker and others.

For more innovative and cutting edge spots from Gatorade check out MissionG.com

For all exclusive updates follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline

Went 1-1 in the Final Four Saturday picks. Michigan State is simply on fire right now and UNC hasn't been challenged the entire tournament.

If UNC is to win the title they are going to have to do it in hostile environment because as you can see if you watch this video of this Durrell Summers facial the building was actually rocking afterwards.

I will have a Final Four pick up tomorrow sometime I have to think it over, but for now just enjoy the dunk which has been the best of the tournament so far.

I have been putting this off all day and if you have been following me on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline) you would have known that instead of putting the picks on the site. I have been looking on Wikipedia about New Edition. Studying the history of Miami Vice. Which in turned inspired me to go to the Mall and buy a Sonny Crockett/Ricardo Tubbs outfit.

But alas I have to make some picks because that is what I do. Unfortunately I have no clue who is going to win which is unusual for me because normally have strong feelings about almost every game. With that being said here are the picks proceed with caution:

#2 Michigan State 59 vs. #1 UCONN 69
#3 Villanova 74 vs. #1 UNC 75

In the end I couldn't go against President Obama. He has been on a bit of a winning streak of late.

Take the job, Calipari!

John Calipari should go to Kentucky. He's exactly the type for that position; he loves the big time spotlight, and can deal with the media, alumni, etc. in Lexington. Billy Gillespie just wasn't up to the task, and schools like Kentucky expect Final Fours every year so they won't hesitate to run somebody if there's so much a hint of decline in the quality of the program. Gillespie didn't make the tournament this year, and the only time tha'ts acceptable there is if the school is coming off some major sanctions, like when Rick Pitino arrived there. Gillespie took over a team that was making the tournament every year and winning at least a game or two, which wasn't enough to save Tubby Smith. To go rom that to not getting in at all was the kiss of death. Kentucky is one of five programs that have a blueblooded sense of entitlement (the others are UCLA, UNC, Indiana, and Kansas), requiring a big name who can handle big pressure to hold the job. John Calipari is such a name. He's managed to turn two middle of the road programs into Final Four teams, first at UMass then at Memphis, so just think about what he has the potential to do at Kentucky. Go for it Cal!

That collective groan you heard was everyone who had Pittsburgh winning the NCAA Championship including yours truly (you can hear about my pain by following me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline) dying a slow death inside.

With that being said what a great game Villanova vs. Pittsburgh was.

If there is one thing we have learned when watching these buzzer beaters over the years is that if you have a guard that can dribble the length of the court and is creative around the basketball you chances of having one of these spectacular plays increase greatly.

Scottie Reynolds did a beautiful of job of weaving his way to the basket and Pittsburgh did a horrible job of stopping the ball.

So for the second year in a row The BonaFide Sports Expert will not be winning his own BlackSportsOnline pool.

I hold my head in shame.

It's bad enough that CBS has the most boring NFL pregame show anywhere. Yes, even more boring than NBC, and they've got Bob Costas and Cris Collingsworth. I can't even name a prime-time show that CBS airs now that King of Queens is off.

Just being boring isn't enough, though. Now, they've got to show us that they're inept.

I don't know who the genius was who thought that one station could juggle two separate games and make everyone happy, but at some point, the intelligence that God gave birds has to kick in, right?

North Carolina had things with Gonzaga in hand, probably three...maybe four minutes into the game. Meanwhile, Kansas and Michigan State were close throughout. It hadn't occurred to me that I might want to see anything in the Kansas/Michigan State game in the first half, because I wanted to see North Carolina. I've been a Tarheels fan for a long time.

But when the second half started running down and Kansas and Michigan State were still tied up, I expected CBS to switch back over to their game, because it was coming down to a close finish. You know, the kind of situation where legendary highlights are made. Big shots, hustle plays, important rebounds; the stuff that they'll replay 20 years from now.