- The annual ESPYs were held last night in Los Angeles, and there were a few college basketball-relevant winners in the mix. The most notable was in the Best Upset category, with Northern Iowa’s elephant-sized win over top-ranked Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Duke’s men’s athletic program was named the best collegiate sports program, undoubtedly in no small part due to the hoops Devils’ fourth national title in Indy, while the best Male College Athlete was Kentucky’s John Wall.
- A brilliant idea from our friends over at College Chalktalk. To honor John Wooden’s lifetime of humanitarianism and excellence, CCT has had the UCLA coaching staff in addition to several other notable teachers (such as Rick Barnes, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, and Tubby Smith) give their thoughts on a particular block of the Pyramid of Success. Our favorite so far: Bobby Hurley’s piece on Alertness.
- Speaking of Wooden, the family of the exalted coach has decided to continue with the Wooden Classic in 2010, the seventeenth edition of the event. Rebuilding UCLA will play Pac-10 pass-over BYU, while St. Mary’s and local Big West favorite Long Beach State will tip the other matchup.
- Jason Jeffries, the former assistant director of ticket operations at Kansas, has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with federal authorities to identify if any other principals were involved and what, if any, crimes may have occurred. But the most interesting part of this story is that the federal judge assigned to his case (Wesley E. Brown) got the job when all three Topeka federal judges recused themselves for no reason. Even odder, Brown, at 103 years young, is the oldest sitting judge in the entire federal system. During the hearing, he even made mention of “the Twitter,” a creation that was barely a year old when Brown hit triple digits. Amazing stuff.
- In Robert Tuchman’s list of his favorite ten Sporting Events You Must See Live, there are two relating to college sports. One is fairly obvious — Michigan vs. Ohio State football in the Big House; but the other one isn’t Duke-UNC in Cameron or even the Final Four. It’s Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness event, taking place on the first Friday after October 15 every year. Bold choice.