Thursday bullets

Thursday bullets:

- Minnie Pearl's alma mater (as if that's significant), Belmont (of Nashville), is playing as a 15 seed against might Duke. Reading this article makes me like them: "The university may prefer to be known for its consistent grade point average of better than 3.0 for athletes, including the men’s basketball team, which only a handful of teams in the final 64 could claim. The Bruins won 25 of 33 games this season, led by their senior guard, Justin Hare, from Cleveland, Tenn., who was fifth in the nation in free-throw shooting, making 91.5 percent — and was a first-team academic all-American. Still, I am fascinated that the university’s signature alum is a woman known for the price tag on her straw bonnet."

- Cornell will get trounced by Stanford (imagine the combined IQ in that game), but you gotta like them. The New York Times followed them for awhile and had a great story (Ivy Back-to-Backs: Basketball and Bonding, Checking Schoolwork and Scores) with a collection of pictures of life on the road about this smart, tough team. A new piece in today's NYT - For Cornell, a Connection Was Made in the Hospital

- Two pieces that feature West Virginia and Huggy-Bear...I think he's probably an ass, but interesting nonetheless:

Coaches With Something to Prove Can coaches such as Bob Huggins of West Virginia show that they're the type tournament coaches who can still lead a team in March.

West Virginia Adjusts to New Coaching Style : Since hiring Bob Huggins and adopting his rugged man-to-man defense, West Virginia has switched from one philosophical extreme to another.

- One Chance to Shine: The N.C.A.A. tournament first round features a key freshman matchup: O.J. Mayo of Southern California vs. Kansas State's Michael Beasley. Mark my words - O.J. Mayo will be a bust in the NBA.

- Tip-off has occurred...I'm going into a cave now for awhile...