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The weather is getting warmer, and for me, that means it's time to get on the golf course.
The New York Golf Super Show was at The Garden this weekend, so I went to find out about all the new technologies available to help the golfer's game. This stuff is pretty cool.
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Since 1979, 21 of the 29 national champions have been No. 1 seeds ... but anything goes in 2008. Keep this in mind though: There has NEVER been four No. 1s in the Final Four!
On three occasions, there were three top seeds in the Final Four (1993,1997 and 1999). Ten times, only one No. 1 made it to the Final Four. At this point, all four No. 1 seeds are still standing, but that could end this weekend.
(1) North Carolina vs. (4) Washington St.
The Heels have been to 16 Final Fours, tied with UCLA for the most, and after scoring 100-plus points in their first two games, they appear headed back. Roy Williams is in his 19th straight NCAA tourney and has the third most wins (47); tied with John Wooden. Washington St. had one win in its previous five appearances before shutting down Notre Dame, for the Cougars second straight tourney victory. Heels are too deep with Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson on a mission.
Prediction: NC 80, WSU 68
 (2) Tennessee vs. (3) Louisville
Chris Lofton, a Kentucky kid who took a chance on the Vols, would like nothing better than stick it to the Blue Grass State. But Louisville head coach Rick Pitino is 34-11 in the Big Dance and has more answers on defense. Cardinals Jerry Smith and Derrick Caracter are too much.
Prediction: UL 70, UT 68
(3) Xavier vs. (7) West Virginia
Love Bob Huggins coaching at West Virginia and he has a team that can score now with Joe Alexander and DeSean Butler from Newark. Huggins teaches defense and rebounding and was the perfect choice to replace John Beilein. Drew Lavender earns high marks for leading the Musketeers this far.
Prediction: WVU 75, Xavier 69
(1) UCLA vs. (12) Western Kentucky
UCLA coach Ben Howland came out of nowhere to resurrect Pittsburgh, then took on the toughest job in America, staring down the legend of the Wizard of Westwood. Howland is 11-3 in the Big Dance and is about to be 12-3. Why? Well because the Bruins already had their close call in this tournament.
Prediction: UCLA 60, WKY 57
(3) Wisconsin vs. (10) Davidson
Davidson lost to UNC, Duke and UCLA, but kept on coming. The Wildcats came from 17 down to shock Georgetown. Bob McKillop can coach, he did it on Long Island as a high school legend and again on Tobacco Road. St. John's felt that he wasn't a big enough name and couldn't recruit in the city! I don't know about that, but I do know he can coach. Wisconsin's Bo Ryan is an underrated coach, but getting his due now. His team will find a way to tame Stephen Curry, who looks like a high school kid that snuck into the dance.
Prediction: UW 62, D 60
(1) Kansas vs. (12) Villanova
Villanova is the only 12 loss team left in the tourney and shocked Clemson, proving the middle of the pack in the Big East is superior to the ACC also-rans.This game comes down to size and KU has plenty with Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson, helping Russell Robinson neutralize the Cats quickness.
 Prediction: KU 88, VU 78
(2) Texas vs. (3) Stanford
Stanford boys Robin and Brook Lopez , the twin towers at seven-feet tall, average only 13 rebounds between them; the Longhorns' Damion Jones clears nearly 11 himself. The Big-12 claims it is superior to the Pac-10. We will find out if the sheer athleticism of Texas' D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams (average 37 ppg between them) is enough.
Prediction: Horns 80, Cardinals 79
(1) Memphis vs. (5) Michigan State
So many wins, so little respect. How can you ignore Memphis? Forget the Conference USA schedule, it was mediocre at best. Look at the way they handled everyone else. The Tennessee loss was a fluke. The Tigers are destined for San Antonio. Michigan St. has had their fun and head coach Tom Izzo will test John Calipari's coaching acumen. The Spartans, who allow less than 58 points a game, will be hard-pressed to smother Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose, who could be wearing a Knicks uniform in Las Vegas this summer.
Prediction: Memphis 65, Michigan St. 55
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NCAA Bank shots for Thursday first rounders...
(10) Arizona vs. (7) West Virginia at Washington D.C
Wildcats head to NCAA for first time since 1977 without Lute Olson on the bench. Kevin O'Neill was 2-2 with Marquette. 'Zona has gone south when not seeded high. They are 1-6 when seeded 5th or worse!
WVU's Bob Huggins is one of the best on the bench, though his Cincy Bearcats always fell short of a Final Four. Huggins reached a Sweet 16 in 2001 and is headed back this time.
Prediction: Moutaineers send 'Zona packing for the desert!
(3) Xavier vs. (14) Georgia At Washington D.C.
Xavier has been to the Dance seven of the last eight years! Has won at least one game in four of the last five years. The Musketeers reached the Elite Eight as a No. 7 seed in 2004, the last time the Final Four was in San Antonio.
Georgia has been very close in its last four appearances , losing by a total of nine points! Fairfield was the last team to reach the NCAA in 1997, after winning four or fewer conference games. The Bulldogs won only four in the regular season before matching that with a four-game sweep in the SEC tournament.
Prediction: Dennis Felton, 0-3 in NCAA games with Western Kentucky, gets his first win!
(11) Baylor vs. (6) Purdue at Washington D.C.
The Bears last NCAA tournament win? 1950, when they reached the Final Four. Baylor has skidded into postseason, losing eight of 13.
Purdue has won nine straight first round games. The Boilers are making their first back-to-back appearances since '99-00. Purdue gave eventual champion Florida their toughest test last year.
Prediction: Purdue rolls into second round.
(5) Michigan St. vs. (12) Temple at Denver
The Spartans have been to the Final Four in four of the last nine years! They've lost in the first round in three of the other five trips!
Temple is making its first appearance since 2001, after making 17 straight from 1984-2001. The Owls rode a wave of emotion and Fran Dunphy's coaching to the Atlantic 10 tournament championship, and have won at least one game in seven of their last nine appearances under John Chaney.
Prediction: Owls get Dunphy's second NCAA win (He was 1-9 with Penn).
(5) Notre Dame vs. (12) George Mason at Denver
This is the fifth NCAA appearance in school history for Mason. Jim Larranaga wants to go out with a bang before joining the Big East as the new head coach at Providence. Watch Will Thomas, one of just 16 players in Division One to average 15 PPG and 10 REB.
The Irish were first round victims at the hands of Winthrop last year, and are just 29-32 all time in the Big Dance.
Prediction: This Notre Dame team is much better than last year's. The Irish survive to play another day.
(13) Oral Roberts vs. (4) Pitt at Denver
It's a school record seventh straight appearance for Pitt. They've reached the Sweet 16 in four of the last six years. The Panthers can only go so far, it seems. They have not reached the Elite Eight in the last six years, and haven't been to a Final Four since 1941, the third time the NCAA was played.
Scott Sutton, son of Eddie Sutton, leads Oral Roberts, which has won 17 of 20 since Jan 1. Their forte is defense, holding opponents under 40% shooting.
Prediction: Panthers prevail in a low-scoring affair.
(6) USC vs. (11) Kansas St. at Omaha
A showcase for two of the Top-5 picks in this summer's NBA draft. Both could help the Knicks, so watch this one closely. Michael Beasley is better built for the league, with his double-double every night mentality, while O.J. Mayo can score, but can he makes other around him better?
Prediction: Kansas St. had a poor record against the field in the regular season, but USC should be playing on the weekend.
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Let's skip the bubble nonsense and increase the field to 96. Eliminate the NIT; it has been rendered meaningless. Play the lower 64 seeds on Day One in 32 games at the home courts of the teams with the highest seeding. Then begin Day Two with 64.
What, No Defending Champ?
For the first time since 1980, when Bird and Magic weren't around to help Michigan St. and Indiana St. get back to the tournament, the defending champion Florida Gators failed to make it into the tournament.
Sure Things?
#1 or #2 has worn the glass slipper in 21 of the last 29 NCAAs!
Year Of The Dark Horse?
Watch out for Clemson, the best team in the ACC conference. They didn't win the regular season or the tournament, but they look like the best team. Even though Oliver Purnell is 0-3 all time in NCAA games.
 UConn:
The Huskies have never lost a first round game under Jim Calhoun (14-0). He's 38-12 in the Dance. UConn won its two national championships playing out of the West region. Guess where they start this time? They've won both of their titles in San Antonio! Do you believe in coincidence???
Most Improved On The Way To The Dance:
Drake went from 17-15 to 28-4 under Keno Davis, who is the son of Dr. Tom! Miami was 12-20 and comes in at 22-10. Temple went from 12-18 in Fran Dunphy's first year to 21-12, giving Philly three participants and New York none!
Who Had Won The Most Against The Best 64?
UCLA is 14-2, Tennessee is 12-4, and so is Texas. Trust the teams who faced the toughest opponents.
The Worst Against The Best 64?
Kansas St. 3-8; Arizona 4-10; West Virginia 5-9.
ACC Going Down?
After putting at least two teams in the Sweet 16 for 27 straight years, only North Carolina reached the sweets in 2007 out of seven ACC participants.
Don't Sleep On The SEC!
The SEC has had at least five teams for 11 straight years! Three Final 4 teams in the past two years, after going the previous five years with at least one final 4 player.
Gonzaga Better As An Underdog? You Better Believe It!
The Zags are making a 10th straight appearance. In five trips as a single digit seed, they are 5-5. As a double digit seed, they're 7-4!
 Beware Of The At-Large Lower Seeds!
Only twice since 1985 have at-large teams seeded 10 or higher gone winless, both in last four years, '07 (0-6) '04 (0-7). Since 2000, of the 51 teams seeded 10 or lower, 16 have won in the first round.
Northeast Conference Not!
The only conference never to win a first round game! It's been 10 years since a Northeast Conference Champ has been within 10 points of a first round opponent. UConn defeated Fairly Dickinson, despite Elijah Allen's 43 points, by a score of 93-85.
Final Four Failures:
BYU has been to the dance 22 times, winning 11 games but never reaching a Final Four.
Xavier (18 trips) and Boston College (17 trips) are next on the never list.
Winning Isn't Everything, Winning It All Is!
Illinois has been to the NCAA more than any school without grabbing the brass ring, 38 times!
Notre Dame (29) and St. John's (27) are next on the futility list.
First Round Streaks:
Kentucky has won 17 straight first-rounders. UConn has won 13, and Purdue has won nine.
Bid Happy:
The Big East has hit the jackpot with six teams or more, 11 times. The Big Ten has done it 12 times, and the ACC 10 times.
Beware The Underdog:
Villanova has the most wins as a lower seed, with 12. UCLA is next with 11, then Temple with nine.
Finally, The Biggest Losers?
#16 v. #1 the worst has never beaten the best, ever. But #15 v. #2 that's something different. It has happened four times. The last time: #15 Hampton defeated Iowa St. three times in the 90s. #15 shocked the world. 1991 Richmond over Syracuse. 1993 Santa Clara over Arizona. 1997 Coppin St. beat South Carolina.
Those were just four of my favorite things. Who doesn't love upsets and underdogs?
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BANK SHOTS:
Officiating a Big East Tournament game has become the toughest officiating job in sports. Following the afternoon session Thursday, veteran official Ed Corbett was standing back near the locker room area, telling me how physically demanding his job had become.
The pace of play and the physical nature of the game in the Big East resembles football most nights. With contact on every possession, in every situation on the floor, officials have to make judgments that keep the game flowing, yet keep the game from getting out of hand.
In the UConn/West Virginia game, there were very few whistles in a rough and tumble first half. When the second half rolled around, the parade to the foul line began at the 10:00 minute mark and never stopped. West Virginia took advantage and upset the Huskies.
Something had to be done to control the physical confrontations in the second half; hence, the sounds of whistles that dominated The Garden. It should have started in the first half, but in that case, all 10 players would have fouled out and no one pays to see bench-warmers determine the Big East title!
PROS:
 There are a number of players making big-time statements this week at The Garden in this tournament. Foremost in the group, is Joe Alexander of West Virginia. He is a kid who grew up outside the United States, but found himself and his game in Mt. Airy, MD at a prep school where John Beilein found him and brought him to Morgantown.
Alexander developed a devastating jumper as a freshman, and now can put it on the floor and create his own shot from mid-range and beyond. He has scored 30-plus points in four out of five games and helped send UConn home early.
The beauty of his game is that he knows when to shoot and how to get the shot off, while allowing the defense to apply minimal pressure. He is quick off the trigger and never sweats. Ask St. John's! Alexander single-handedly willed his team to victory in the final 4:00 of regulation and dominated overtime in the final regular season game at MSG.
The Mountaineers won three straight at MSG prior to their semifinals loss to Georgetown, but are poised to play Cinderella!
CONS:
Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has always prided himself on control and thoughtful decision-making, while running the best basketball conference in America. He went out of his way to embarrass Fred Hill of Rutgers and Bobby Gonzalez of Seton Hall with good reason. Both coaches behaved boorishly in the aftermath of Rutgers' final-second win in New Jersey to end the regular season.
Mike T. was right to reprimand the coaches in public, and hopefully the message got through that coaches' decorum is still an important part of the college scene.
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Nate Robinson scored a career-high 45 points, including 22 in the third quarter, but the Knicks went winless on their four-game homestand with a 120-114 overtime loss to Portland Saturday night.
Walt "Clyde" Frazier and I applaud New York's valiant effort, despite being severely short-handed.
Watch postgame reactions from Isiah Thomas and David Lee by CLICKING HERE.
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Reviving an old school tradition of barnstorming, which started with Babe Ruth in the offseasons of the 1920s, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer will play their fourth exhibition; a Garden showdown Monday night.
It will be a classic one-night stand at one of the world's greatest sporting places. This is a unique matchup that exceeds some other such forays in historical terms because you have 26 Grand Slam championships between these two players.
MSG had tennis as recently as 2000, of course, with the WTA Championships -- the successor to the Virginia Slims women's championships. Those were season-ending tour championships, that were vied for by all the best players in the world. This is different. Sampras and Federer is the latter-day version of what we've seen before.
 The Beginning
It began in 1948, really, and then it happened again in the early 1970s. The day after Christmas in 1947, Jack Kramer debuted as a pro and faced a veteran barnstormer, Bobby Riggs. More than 16,000 people trudged through 25 inches of snow that night to watch Riggs win in four sets, after a 10-8 second set escape, which gave him a two-set advantage. The box office gross of that event was over $55,000, which shattered any previous records.
Second Set
Next came the 1970s series of tennis champions classics. Rod Laver was fresh off his second Grand Slam. He played a $10,000 winner-take-all event against 41-year-old Pancho Gonzalez and 14,700 jammed into the new Garden. Gonzalez, the old man, scrapped his way to a five-set win. So Laver, supposedly the greatest player ever, was shocked, as were the patrons there that night.
More MSG History
And the third great MSG tennis extravaganza came in 1971. Laver beat the other great Aussie of that era, Ken Rosewall. It was the first of that year's tennis champions classics. Laver won it and then he rolled over the other greats of the day during the course of the year, beating Roy Emerson, Arthur Ashe, and Tony Roche and then eventually a straight set win over Tom Okker at The Garden. Laver won a total of $160,000 during all those tennis champions classics that year.
The Best Ever?
 Now hear we come with Federer and Sampras. Federer won the first two matches, but Pete won the third one. And what I've noticed is that Sampras' serve is still as lethal as it was in his prime. His conditioning maybe isn't Grand Slam level obviously -- he's been playing more golf than tennis -- but he has gotten on a regimen of getting back in shape to play the game of tennis. Maybe he's been bored by going to the beach and playing golf everyday.
In a one-time match like this, I think Sampras is an even bet with his serve as the equalizer. The other advantage he has is the serve-and-volley game. Now Sampras, in his prime, played a lot of serve-and-volley. That's something that Federer doesn’t see on the tour these days. And don't forget, the 14-time Grand Slam winner has the ultimate motivation: He does not want to embarrass himself. Sampras has little to lose, but he will be motivated and will make this a tough match on Federer.
Federer is still the best player in the world, has been going on four years, but he's lost a couple matches in a row. Finally, there’s a chink in the armor of the great Federer. Maybe he's getting bored or slipping just a half a notch -- he did not win in Australia; Novak Djokovic, who may be his heir apparent, won there.
But for Federer and Sampras, it's going to be an exciting night because The Garden will be jam-packed. It's a special place and this match will renew a tradition that started in the 1940s, was picked up again in the 1970s and now is back in the new millennium.
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Dwight Howard played like Superman in the paint, racking up his 10th 20-20 game of the season (26 points, 22 rebounds), as the Knicks were crushed in Orlando, 118-92, Saturday night.
Walt "Clyde" Frazier and I believe it was Eddy Curry's early foul trouble that prevented the Knicks from getting a handle on the 2008 Slam Dunk Champion.
Watch postgame reactions from Isiah Thomas and Eddy Curry by CLICKING HERE.
After a great second half effort led the Knicks to a win over the Raptors on Friday, a poor second half killed the Knicks in their 115-92 loss in Toronto Sunday.
Walt "Clyde" Frazier and I discuss New York struggles in the later stages of the game against the Raptors. Watch postgame reaction from Isiah Thomas, Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry by CLICKING HERE.
After posting their worst quarter this season in the first 12 minutes, the Knicks followed up with their best quarter and trailed by only one at halftime, thanks to an offensive explosion by Jamal Crawford (15-for-29, 43 points).
New York kept its momentum going in the second half and shut down Toronto with strong pressure on the defensive end to hold on for a 103-99 victory at The Garden Friday night.
Walt "Clyde" Frazier and I liked the resiliency the Knicks showed out on the court.
Watch postgame reactions from Isiah Thomas, David Lee and Zach Randolph by CLICKING HERE.
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Back in his hometown, Nate Robinson shot 0-for-9 from the floor in the Knicks' 86-85 loss to the Sonics Saturday night.
Robinson missed the game-winning shot with 1.9 seconds left, as New York was swept on its five-game, West Coast swing.
Walt "Clyde" Frazier and I were surprised the Knicks went for a three-point shot in their final attempt.
Watch Isiah Thomas' postgame reaction by CLICKING HERE.
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Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford combined for 46 points, but the Celtics were just too much for the Knicks on Martin Luther King Day.
All five of Boston's starters scored in double figures to propel the NBA's best team to a 109-93 win over New York at The Garden.
The game marked the halfway point of the season, so Mike Crispino and I look ahead to the Knicks second half of the year that must be better than the first. Watch postgame reaction from Isiah Thomas, Crawford and Randolph by CLICKING HERE.
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Without Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford, the Knicks were downed by the Chicago Bulls, 100-83, Sunday afternoon at The Garden.
Mike Crispino and I break down the problems the Knicks had in the loss. Watch postgame reaction from Isiah Thomas, David Lee and Zach Randolph by CLICKING HERE.
The Knicks lost their third straight Monday, 99-89 to the Dallas Mavericks.
Dirk Nowitzki was his usual dominant self for Dallas, but Mike Crispino and I really liked what we saw from David Lee and Zach Randolph. Get postgame reaction from Isiah Thomas, Zach Randolph and David Lee by CLICKING HERE.
The Knicks put up a good fight against the high-powered Suns at The Garden Sunday, but Phoenix outscored New York, 30-20, in the fourth quarter en route to a 115-104 victory.
Mike Crispino and I discuss how the Knicks were able to keep Steve Nash in check, but were unable to stop Grant Hill and Amare Stoudemire.
It's been a great two weeks out In Flushing Meadows for the 2007 US Open. I know Mike Crispino had a great time covering the event for the 13 days he was here, and I sure loved seeing one of the most dominant athletes of our time, Roger Federer, win his fourth straight US Open Title on the final day.
For more on the men's final, watch my report as we wrap up MSG Game On!'s exclusive coverage of the 2007 US Open.
It’s Day 11 at the US Open and right now the remaining players are thinking about the big cash they will be awarded for being a semifinalist, the runner-up or the champion.
Get a full recap of the men’s quarterfinals and a preview of the women’s semifinals matches between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze and Justine Henin and Venus Williams in my Day 11 Report.
*Check back Sunday as I will have the complete wrap-up from this year's exciting US Open!
Day 10 is the day you separate the contenders from the pretenders at the US Open.
While Wednesday afternoon was dominated by Russians, Tuesday night gave us the exciting marquee matches of Serena Williams vs. Justine Henin and David Ferrer vs. Rafael Nadal.
For more on Day 10 and the late night action from Day 9, watch my full report.
Day 9 at the US Open saw some great men's matches in the round of 16 and women's quarterfinals matches.
Get all the happenings around the courts in my full report and check out my interview with Carlos Moya.
We're into the second week at the US Open and the action is really heating up.
Check out what happened in Andy Roddick, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Shahar Peer's matches in my Day 8 Report:
Thursday at the US Open featured matches with contenders Andy Roddick, Martina Hingis and Svetlana Kuznetsova, while much of the talk was about Rafael Nadal's injury status.
Get all the news from around the courts in my full Day 4 Report, and watch my interview with the women's 13 seed from the Czech Republic, Nicole Vaidisova.
Have a fantastic Labor Day Weekend, but check back Monday for more of my exclusive coverage of the US Open.
On Wednesday, Rafael Nadal - taped-up knee and all - played his first match of the tournament and struggled, while women contenders Venus Williams and Justin Henin looked solid.
For more on the Day 3 action, check out my complete report from the US Open:
Day 2 saw five former US Open champions, including Martina Hingis and Lleyton Hewitt, as well as hometown favorite, James Blake, play their first matches of the tournament.
For all the news around the courts, watch my full Day 2 Report, and be sure to check out my interview with famed tennis analyst, Bud Collins.
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