- In a Wednesday teleconference to preview Sunday’s release of the NCAA Tournament pairings, committee chairman Jeff Hathaway all but handed two of the four top seeds to Kentucky and Syracuse, each of whom entered their conference tournaments with a record of 30-1. “I think we all agree that if the season ended today, we know who the two best teams are,” he said. “If you’re looking at 3 and 4 on the first line and the entire second line, we have the same handful of teams in mind but where they would be laced will be a tremendous debate.”
- Georgia head coach Mark Fox took his team on a brief detour upon the Bulldogs’ arrival in New Orleans on Wednesday. He had the bus travel through the city’s Ninth Ward. “It’s one thing to see it on TV or hear about it from somebody else,” sophomore forward Marcus Thornton said. “But to actually see some of the damage yourself and see some of the places — there used to be a lot of homes that just aren’t there anymore. It kind of makes you stop for a second and be thankful for everything that’s fortunate in your life. I think it was a good experience for us all to see that.” Fox, who has a had a brother that used to live in New Orleans, did the same thing with his Nevada team in 2007 when they were in town for the NCAA Tournament.
- Mississippi State’s Rodney Hood declared himself “100 percent” healthy in advance of the Bulldogs’ SEC Tournament opener against Georgia. Hood, who suffered a deep bone bruise in his left knee late in the first half of a 73-64 loss to No. 1 Kentucky on Feb. 21, participated in a practice and shootaround yesterday without a brace protecting his knee. He played a total of 34 minutes in the Bulldogs’ two contests last week.
- LSU forward Malcolm White spent part of Wednesday answering questions about his takedown of Kentucky’s Anthony Davis in their January 28 meeting. “It was out of character,” White said. “I just made a bad play. I should have made a play on the ball.” White grabbed Davis from behind, and “flung him down to the ground” late the Wildcats’ 74-50 victory. The story goes on to say “As Davis sprawled in the lane, White walked away… and kept walking to the locker room. The referees called a flagrant foul and ejected White.”
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More and more of the holiday tournaments for next season have announced their fields. On Wednesday, the Gazelle Group announced the four participants of the “Champions Round” of the Legends Classic. Joining Indiana, UCLA and Georgetown will be Georgia. The four will meet at Brooklyn’s brand new Barclays Center, on November 19-20. Georgia participated in the CBE Classic this past November, losing to California and beating Notre Dame in Kansas City. Two seasons ago, the Bulldogs went 1-2 at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.