Comeuppence

Like most of America, my bracket took a spiked boot to the groin this weekend. Siena, really? Anyway I'm salved in the knowledge that all of my final four picks are alive, seven of my elite eight picks are still playing, ten of the sweet sixteen are accurate, and I've got a one hundred and thirty dollar bottle bourbon to sip on: Pappy Van Winkle, and it's worth every penny.

But I've got to mention the thing that stood out most for me: the early exit of once dominating Duke and Connecticut. These two teams have ample tournament history against one another, with UConn. surprisingly coming out on top: winning the National Title Game against Duke in '99 and beating Duke in the Final Four in 2004. Astonishingly for both programs, they've been traveling down the sad road to Suck-Town ever since. Even more painfully, their precipitous drop can be directly tied to the reassertion of power by former top dogs, and main rivals Georgetown and North Carolina.

Both the Hoyas and The Tar Heels suffered after the retirement of their uber Paters, Dean Smith and John Thompson. Their programs were able to reenergize by bringing in coaches with close ties, Roy Williams and J.T.the third. The recruits who once came to the Carthage of Duke and Connecticut, now go to the resurgent Roman powers of UNC and Georgetown.

On thing I am sure of; nobody's gonna be crying for the likes of Mike Krzyzewski, and Jim Calhoun: the Tango and Cash or Starsky and Hutch of College basketball. These two self-important blow hards have never failed to let anyone with working sensory organs know that they are responsible for the success of their programs. And of course now that both have crashed like the Hindenburg it's not anything they've done wrong. It's because their players don't make shots, or aren't ready to play( Billy Donavon of Florida also seems poised to join their ranks). Hey, both programs are could pick up a big recruit and make a huge run soon, and probably will. That won't change the fact both Calhoun and Coach K. have been exposed during this period of mediocrity as icy megalomaniacs who aren't above throwing some teenagers under the bus if it keep some polish on their resumes.