Author Archives: Kent Sterling

CBS News Bob Schieffer Misidentifies Sully Sullenberger as “Sex Safety Contributor”

by Kent Sterling

Live TV is a fickle mistress. ESPN’s Digger Phelps misidentified Stephen F. Austin University as “Stephen A. Austin” and then “Stephen F. Foster”. Weird things sometimes happen, and mistakes are made.

In introducing CBS aviation expert Sully Sullenberger – the guy who is making a ton of cash based because he was able to safely land a passenger jet on the Hudson River a few years back – on CBS News Face the Nation, the great Bob Schieffer attached an extra credential.

The point of sharing isn’t to play gotcha or embarrass Schieffer, who has been an incredible force for good in journalism forever, but to get a nice laugh on a sunday morning out of an honest and funny mistake.

Schieffer’s gaffe shows it can happen to anyone, and the mention of the mostly useless Phelps is in no way meant to draw a comparison between him and Schieffer. That would be like comparing a rusted out 1957 Ford Edsel with cherry 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster. Schieffer is timeless and all class.

Just click on the link below to watch.

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Indiana Pacers – Paul George Catfish Story Is None of Our Business

by Kent Sterling

Paul George is a good guy who trusts people just a little bit less today than yesterday.

Two products people consume that I can’t figure out – Cubs tickets and catfish stories.

One of those is self-explanatory. The Cubs aren’t in a big enough hurry to become competitive to warrant their subsidy through ticket sales. If Javier Baez is better than Donnie Murphy or Darwin Barney (and he is a significant upgrade to both), he should come north to Chicago to help the Cubs win. He’s going to Iowa because it’s financially expedient, and fans will continue to pay Nordstrom prices for TJ Maxx baseball. The other is more complicated.

Catfishing is what happened to former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o. Some bored mopes concocted a fake girl and tricked Te’o into a fake relationship. When the news of the fake girlfriend’s supposed death broke, it was reported in the media. Well, as we know the girl didn’t exist, and Te’o was made to look like a moron.

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Today, there is news of Indiana Pacers wing Paul George being similarly duped into sending nude photos of himself to a man who posed as a girl, and I don’t care. The only way to put a stop to this predatory foolishness is to stop consuming stories related to it. Also helpful would be athletes and celebrities refusing requests for selfies, but getting 23-year olds like George to behave judiciously is no easier than when I was 23, and I’m just glad we didn’t have smart phones back then.

The story broke during “Ahead of the Curve” today while Fox 59 sports director Chris Hagan and I were talking about the Pacers on 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis, and when it was pointed out to us, we had no interest in shining more light on it. First, the reports were only on Twitter, and second, there has to be a line someplace and I’m drawing it on the other side of a selfie or two taken by a young man who should be given a little latitude in making a victimless error in judgment or two.

Personal lives are interesting in some respects, but to bait a guy into stupidity is a form of entrapment and it seems dirty.

There is a difference between dumb and gullible. We are all born with a desire to trust, and with varying degrees of speed it erodes due to people taking advantage of our better nature. In Jamaica with friends a couple of weeks ago, there was a rule – no last names, no sharing email addresses, and no social media. It’s not that we did anything remotely questionable; it was a lack of trust for the motives of those around us.

George has likely lived a life without getting burned over and over to the point where he does nothing but play basketball and hide in his house, but he’s getting there. Catfishers are like hackers of humanity. They try to find the correct code to cause people to lower their guard, trust, and then betray the person for the amusement of others.

When people ask why the wealthy live behind gates, this kind of crap is the tip of the iceberg. Gates and security codes can’t keep people from building and violating trust.

It’s going to continue to happen until people stop dignifying the rats who have nothing better to do than to cause and profit from the misery they can cause others, and I’m not talking or writing about George or anyone else who is preyed upon by the rancid excuses for human beings who can find what they perceive to be joy in the humiliation of others.

When athletes and celebrities do something incredibly dumb in the public eye, that’s fair game. I’m not so pure I can’t laugh at the idiocy of someone like Amanda Bynes, Britney Spears, and Justin Bieber. They bring it upon themselves.

George did nothing but quench his thirst for contact with someone normal who lives outside the gate, and the sad excuse for a man who made it his goal to force George further down the foxhole achieved his mission. George made a mistake. The venal creep who baited him to make it happen is smiling today because he dragged humanity with him into his amoral void.

Hell of a hobby. Congratulations.

Don’t dignify it by indulging your curiosity. Ignore it and humanity has a chance.

Ahead of the Curve Ready to Roll at 1p with Paul George, Evan Turner, and Pete Smith as Guests

by Kent Sterling

The show is a little later today (1p-3:20p) on 1070 the Fan and 107.5 FM, but that just means the show will be better for the extra two hours of preparation, and it wasn’t wasted.

Pacers basketball – the way we enjoyed it for the first half of the season was back last night in a drama free win over the Chicago Bulls. We’ll talk to Paul George and Evan Turner about what prompted the difference in intensity as the Pacers are in Memphis to battle the Grizzlies.

March Madness is in full flower, and Fox 59 sports director Chris Hagan and I will talk about the Duke Blue Devils loss to Mercer, and what kind of hell would be raised with Tom Crean if IU lost to a 15 and 14 seed in two out of three seasons.

Wichita State is now five games away from making history. No team has ever won 40 games, but the Shockers have a chance to do it. Their next step will be against Kentucky tomorrow, and then they would travel to Indianapolis for the Regional. Duke getting beat is a help, but defending champ Louisville and Big Ten winner Michigan could still stand in their way.

Bob Kravitz wrote a column about the need for drug testing for an owner like Jim Irsay who runs afoul of the law due to drug or alcohol abuse. After all, Irsay runs a team that has benefitted in a substantial way from the tax dollars of fans – and non-fans. Do we have a right to a sober and clear headed owner, and if we do does that drug testing extend to all business owners who have accepted tax dollars?

Guerin Catholic coach Pete Smith will join us at 1:45p to talk about the semi state game being played tonight in Richmond between his team and Greensburg. Hoosier Hysteria is rolling and so is Pete’s team.

The wild and wacky game of NFL QB musical chairs continued yesterday with Michael Vick being signed by the Jets, who simultaneously released Mark Sanchez, who may sign as a backup with the Rams. Matt Schaub is now in Oakland, and Josh McCown in Tampa. I know March Madness is trademarked by the NCAA, but NFL free agency is claiming at least a piece of whatever insanity is left.

NCAA Madness – Duke Goes Down to Mercer – Yes, Mercer

by Kent Sterling

Duke players are going to see a lot of a stern looking Mike Krzyzewski over the next eight months.

If the Duke program were run by anyone but Mike Krzyzewski, students and alums would storm Cameron Indoor Stadium to remove him by force after dumping first round NCAA games to Lehigh and Mercer in two of the last three years.

Quaint Mercer, the 14-seed who dared to believe, finished the job today 78-71 against the Blue Devils the old fashioned way – they flat outplayed them.

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Duke shot an incredible 37 threes, making 15, and dominated the offensive glass by grabbing 16 of their own misses. The game was won at the line as Mercer made 23-28 foul shots while Duke converted 12-13. The disparity was a matter of style, with Duke settling for jumpers as Mercer took the ball to the rack.

There is some joy for the justice wrought by those who smite the Dallas Cowboys of college basketball. There is little doubt that Krzyzewski is the best coach in America, and Duke the premiere program. When they are forced to accept their fallibility and mortality, there is a reason to celebrate just a little. Mercer made a lot of people smile today.

Mercer is a little school in Macon, Georgia, with 8,300 students. Bill Hodges, Larry Bird’s collegiate coach at Indiana State, was the head coach there for a few years in the 1990s. Other than that piece of trivia, they have done nothing that distinguishes them among hundreds of other small schools trying to find the combination to the lock that protects the dream.

Bob Hoffman is the guy who put together this Atlantic Sun Conference team that shocked a world that no one believed could be shocked again after yesterday’s carnage. He seems an affable sort who loves being at Mercer enough to not let this win go to his head.

Last year, Mercer was beaten at home by Florida Gulf Coast to start Andy Enfield’s miracle run as the first 15-seed to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16 and out the door to a nice gig at USC. On March 9th, Mercer returned the favor by going to Fort Meyers and beating FGCU for the conference’s lone bid to the Big Dance.

To equal Enfield’s magic, Hoffman will need to find a way to beat the winner of UMass and Tennessee. A 14-seed has made it past the first weekend only twice in 29 years.

The first was a team that Indiana fans were all too familiar with – Cleveland State in 1986 with a point guard named Mouse McFadden, who ended IU’s season on the brink. The second was Chattanooga in 1997. Hoffman will try to make Mercer the third.

But as fun as it was to watch Hoffman yell with glee at sideline reporter Rachel Nichols and the players dance the way only euphoric 20-year-olds are able, this postgame was about Coach K watching another really good chance to win a national championship slip through his 67-year old fingers.

Krzyzewski shows no signs of slowing down, other than the two outrageous upset losses today and in 2012, and there is no doubt that he’ll be back for at least a few more of these, but the clock is ticking, and you know he hears it.

Mercer heard nothing but cheers today as they figured out a way to hang on until a couple of late shots would make Duke uncomfortable enough to gak up the game.

So one of the four blue bloods that appeared ready to head to Indianapolis for next weekend’s regional is gone, leaving Louisville, Michigan, and Kentucky to driving secondary ticket market prices and local fan interest. Kentucky plays at 9:40p tonight, and the Cardinals and Wolverines have already won their first round games.

Mercer beat Duke. It just does’t sound right, but it’s great music for some ballers from Georgia to dance to.

NCAA Tournament – No Way Day Two Can Measure Up, Right?

by Kent Sterling

A little salt in the wounds for THE Ohio State University from a mean-spirited editor of the Dayton Daily News

That clicking sound is the NCAA Men’s Tournament Selection Committee texting each other to congratulate themselves for setting up this tournament.

My God, what a day of basketball. Sixteen games, and four end in overtime while Dayton, Harvard, and Texas won games that went down to the wire.

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Two 12-seeds won while only one lost, bringing the 12-seeds’ record since 2001 to 25-30. And there should have been a third. NC State led Saint Louis by 14 with eight minutes left, and eight points with 1:41 left. The Billikens roared back forcing OT, and finally won by three. The Wolfpack are lamenting 17 missed free throws, but Saint Louis hit only 12-26 themselves. That means you can choose to call Harvard and North Dakota State upset winners, but they really aren’t. Twelves and fives are more similar than their numbers would dictate.

The goal for major conference teams shouldn’t be to qualify for the tournament – they need to be seeded on the four line or better, or face quick expulsion.

So what games today will provide some magic?

I really like Tim Miles’ Nebraska team over Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears. The Cornhuskers are 11 seeds, but minus a second half hiccup in the Big Ten Tournament against Ohio State, they have played very well over the last six weeks. Terran Petteway is a stud on both ends, and the Big 12 is overrated, so I take Nebraska.

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Stephen F. Austin is expected to give Shaka Smart and VCU all they want in today’s lone 12/5 matchup, but I think VCU runs away and hides.

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There is no upset context for the 8/9 games, so an emotional investment in either team is difficult to muster. To be honest I just don’t care about Gonzaga vs. Oklahoma State, Memphis vs. George Washington, or Kentucky vs. Kansas State. The only enjoyment in those games is to see former Hoosier Maurice Creek play on the big stage after so much work to become physically able to compete. My dream would be for Kansas State and Kentucky to both lose their game. One coach is a slick reprobate and the other is a loon. Neither winning would be wonderful, but a double loss is unlikely.

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Selfishly, I am hoping for Michigan, Duke, Kentucky, and Lousisville to qualify for a Sweet Sixteen for the ages in Indianapolis. It reminds me of 1981 when I bought four seats for the Sweet Sixteen in Bloomington. The teams expected were Kentucky, DePaul, Indiana, and Wake Forest. Visions of a windfall danced in my head until everybody but IU lost. St. Joe’s and UAB did not travel as well as Big Blue Nation and the Blue Demons, and I barely broke even. The moral of the story is sell your tickets while the big hitters live. Wait for the weekend to end at your own peril. Sell now!

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If there is a huge upset that might come to pass today, Eastern Kentucky might be able to play with Kansas, who is minus Joel Embiid through the weekend. I’m not picking EKU because when you google “Eastern Kentucky stats”, the first entry is a link to the university’s department of mathematics and statistics. The Colonels rank 350th in rebounds, according to ESPN, which is a surprise because I thought there were 349 D-1 schools. Is it possible EKU is so bad, they rank less than worst?

What they can do is shoot from deep. Watch Glenn Cosey and his teammates fire away. They average 24 three point attempts and nine makes per game. If they have a wacky shooting day, they can hang around. If they go cold, Kansas might win by 80.

Yesterday might have been the best opening day in the history of the tournament, so an encore is not likely, but who knows?

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As for whether anyone is going to win Warren Buffett’s $1-million prize for a perfect bracket, it looks as unlikely as a one-in-nine quintillion shot should be. On the espn.com bracket challenge only .16% of the brackets are perfect after day one. If five-million signed sign, and the rate of attrition today quals yesterday’s, there will only be 14 perfect brackets after today’s games.

Indiana Basketball Coaches Bear Striking Resemblance to Former U.S Presidents (well, maybe not striking)

by Kent Sterling

Bob Knight is just plain angry at the parallel between a famous US president and him.

I tweeted during the Texas Southern play-in loss that coach former Hoosiers coach and current Texas Southern leader Mike Davis is to basketball coaches as Jimmy Carter is to U.S. presidents. For the next hour, people offered additional parallels, and thus the birth of this post.

Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, durations, and volumes. Some are prickly, some demure, and others volatile. Not all are successful, and like presidents, not all who are unsuccessful should be blamed for the performance of the entity they oversee. Some last a long time, and others serve all too briefly.

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We will omit most coaches prior to Everett Dean because who wants to read about which president is most like Phelps Darby or Ewald Stiehm.

Oscar Rackle is the one pre-Dean coach we indulge in this list, and not for his personality, stature, or 11-5 record during the 1911 season. His only notability comes from how unique his name is, which is a direct parallel to Millard Fillmore. I know nothing of Rackle and a coach, nor Fillmore as a president. Other than their names, both served without distinction or awareness that someday wikipedia would exist to list their accomplishments.

Everett Dean – Dean is most like Herbert Hoover, whom ironically was president while Dean was coach. Dean’s best work came after his time at IU, and Hoover was a stellar former president. Dean both won an NCAA Championship while at Stanford and led the Cardinal baseball team to the College World Series. Hoover did yeoman work in fighting hunger. I’m amazed I know enough to draw any comparison at all between the two.

Branch McCracken – Dean called McCracken “Rough and tough”. Teddy Roosevelt was the leader of the Roughriders. Both were big men, with large appetites for life. Roosevelt famously said “Speak softly and carry a big stick!” McCracken said, “We win games, or we lose games.” You might think those quotes seemingly have nothing to do with one another, and you would be right.

Lou Watson (1965-1971) – Take your pick – Gerald Ford, Calvin Coolidge, or Benjamin Harrison. Little is known about any of the four.

Bob Knight (1971-2000) – A more apt comparison for Knight might be Ivan the Terrible – whose hygiene and temper were objects of derision (at least behind his back). Other than that, he was said to be a good czar who propelled Russia to great heights. The best comparison for four reasons is Franklin Roosevelt. #1 – both have been elevated to near saint status by the insane, #2 – both tried in vain to change rules to suit their own selfish needs, #3 – Knight refuses to talk about the famous episode when he threw a chair near an opposing player, while Roosevelt hid the fact that he was confined to one, #4 – Knight will hate being compared to FDR.

Mike Davis (2000-2006) – No Indiana coach in history more recalls the malaise filled single-term administration of Jimmy Carter. Davis was a purposefully corrosive agent to Indiana fans, and Carter scolded the American public during a televised address. Both were consistently certain they were plotting a positive course while steering their respective ships in circles. While the economy was in the tank during the late 1970s, Carter blamed the consumerism of his constituents. Davis continued to ensure “Help is on the way!” during his final seasons.

Kelvin Sampson (2006-2008) – This is the easiest of all as Sampson demonstration a toxic level of both hubris and insecurity shared by only one president – Richard Nixon. Both were staunch supporters of the ends justifying the means, and both were run out of office. The aftermath of the Nixon and Sampson eras were among the bleakest in their entities’ histories. Some say America has yet to recover from the damage done by Nixon and his henchmen. The same can be said for Indiana Basketball. Throw in the uncanny similarities between Watergate conspirator and Nixon counsel John Ehrichman and Sampson lackey Rob Senderoff, and this comparison is remarkable.

Dan Dakich (2008) – Because of his short duration, Dan is most like William Henry Harrison who died after only 41 days in office. Dan was the head coach at IU for only seven games, but was instrumental in ridding the program of the nefarious elements welcomed by “Tricky” Kelvin. Whether WHH or Dan would have been huge successes in the positions in which they served so briefly is anyone’s guess. My guess is that Dan would have been outstanding. Very few coaches understand basketball or people at the level Dan does.

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Tom Crean (2008- ?) – Both Crean and Woodrow Wilson are fans of fashionable eyewear, work(ed) tirelessly, hold their own abilities to lead in high regard, and married strong wives. Wilson was known to enjoy a daily brisk walk, and Crean logs several miles per game pacing on the sidelines. After a stroke, Wilson’s wife led the country in her husband’s stead. I have little doubt that if bloodlines are meaningful that Crean’s wife Joani could lead the Hoosiers. She, of course, is the sister of NFL head coaches Jim and John Harbaugh, and the daughter of Jack, who coached football for many years.

NCAA Tournament – Day One Diary – Aaron Craft’s Career Over; Colorado and American Bludgeoned

by Kent Sterling

College basketball won’t be the same without Aaron Craft. Love him or hate him, during his four seasons of being a defensive pest for Thad Matta’s Ohio State Buckeyes, he left a deep impression.

The way the Buckeyes bowed out to Dayton was kind of fitting in that the game was in Craft’s hands – twice. On the defensive end, Craft couldn’t stop Vee Sanford’s drive to the bucket to take a one-point lead with a few seconds left, and then he couldn’t convert a hurried drive on the other end that could have won it.

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Many fans not only can’t stand Craft, but they will transfer their loathing to those who do enjoy watching him play. I love the guy. He puts on a defensive clinic every possession, and is consistently a pain in the ass to play against. Can’t shoot it, but he has done a lot without so much.

The highest compliment an opposing player can pay is, “I hated playing against that guy.” For four years, a lot of Big Ten guards said that.

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Cincinnati was called for a technical early in their game against Harvard when a player reported who was not listed in the scorer’s book. Before every game, a representative of each team logs the numbers and names of every player who might play. If someone reports for a substitution but isn’t listed, that results in a technical against the bench.

Generally, schools have a failsafe system so that doesn’t happen, but Cincinnati failed. When I helped with my son’s fifth grade team, I would write the names and numbers, and then watch the kids warm up, and check off the kids as they went past.

You could watch basketball at any level for a long time and never see that that technical called. Harvard made one of the two free throws, so the call might be moot in the end, but if Harvard wins by a point, someone needs to be fired.

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I feel horrible for the teams that get totally pantsed in the first round of the tournament. So much work and hope invested, and WHAM – it’s game over early.

American University took a 17-10 lead over the #2 seed Wisconsin Badgers with 9:50 left in the first half. At that point, Wisconsin became engaged, or Bo Ryan engaged them, Regardless, from that point forward, Wisconsin beat American 65-18 to win 75-35.

As I write, Pitt is beating up on Colorado 65-36 early in the second half. In a single elimination tournament, to be smoked with prejudice like that is difficult for the constitution. When pride is all there is to play for as the clock runs out on a season, kids earn their minutes.

That’s especially true in a game between eight and nine seeds like Colorado and Pittsburgh. The game was supposed to be close, but Pitt came with an early flurry to remove all doubt. With 6:00 left in the first half, the score was 33-9.

Sad way to end a career.

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The games continue, and I’m rooting like hell for the Harvard Crimson. The bar tending has been blathering about the greatness of Cincinnati from the time I sat down. I’m not so much a fan of Harvard as much as I’m a fan of this guy shutting up.

The Inevitability of NBA Tanking

by Skip Alford

Kevin Durant is exhibit one of why the 76ers and Bucks are making every effort to tank.

As we enter into the home stretch of the 2013-14 NBA season, a few things have been made clear. 1) The Pacers may be limping to the finish line, but they’re certainly among the favorites to win it all. 2) This upcoming draft class is truly special, and may go down as one of the best ever. 3) The Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers are tanking harder than previously believed possible. (Note: number three is a direct result of number two.) It’s easy to get upset with a team for doing everything in their power to lose games, and it can be downright infuriating if it’s your hometown team doing the tanking. But the truth of the matter is, for smaller market teams like the Sixers and Bucks, tanking may be the only way to build a winner.

Anyone who happened to catch Monday night’s game between the Pacers and 76ers knows full well that Sixers GM Sam Hankie has made no attempt whatsoever to put a winning basketball team on the floor this season. Having traded the team’s best player (Evan Turner) and only serviceable big man (Spencer Hawes) at the trade deadline back in February, the Sixers are in the midst of a losing streak of epic proportions. The team is clearly in rebuilding mode, a term that holds a different meaning for different teams.

For teams based out of New York or Los Angeles, rebuilding mode is usually a quick two- or three-year turnaround, highlighted by the signing of a top-tier free agent and/or a blockbuster deal. But teams that aren’t based out of major media markets don’t typically have the resources or the means to lure big-name free agents to their cities. Understandably, not too many young basketball players grow up dreaming about playing out their careers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So teams like the Bucks (and the Sixers to a lesser degree) have one realistic model in the modern era to follow in order to shape themselves into a winner: that of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When the Supersonics relocated from Seattle and changed their name to the Thunder back in 2008, management sought a fresh start for the franchise. Having endured years of horrendous play and appalling roster decisions (like drafting this guy twelfth overall) the team finally turned the corner. How? By playing some terrible basketball. From the 2006-07 season to 2008-09, the team posted an abysmal .300 winning percentage, which resulted in three top 5 draft picks. And with excellent scouting and drafting, they turned those three picks into three All-Stars: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. The Thunder have been championship contenders ever since.

Small market teams league-wide have undoubtedly taken notice of the Thunder’s impressive turnaround. But with the NBA’s weighted lottery system, how often does tanking actually work out for NBA teams? Historically, the worst team in the NBA has about a 64 percent chance of receiving a top three pick, with the second-worst having about a 56 percent chance. Surprising fact: the league’s worst team has only a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick. In fact, in the 24-year history of the weighted lottery, the worst team has landed the top pick in the draft only three times. Bucks and Sixers fans can’t like those odds too much. Special thanks to the guys over at Brewhoop for doing some of the statistical heavy lifting here.

Along with their well-documented struggles on the court this season, the Sixers have also made waves off of it. How? Well, they became the first NBA franchise to partner with an online gambling site after their multi-million dollar deal with web-based poker juggernaut PartyPoker. Most 76ers fans won’t be able to join in on the poker fun, however, as online gambling is not yet legal in their homestate of Pennsylvania—they can still play with “free” money, though. Anyway, it’s not like they have much to bet on these days, anyway.

Clearly, tanking isn’t the ideal way to get ahead in the NBA. But in a league dominated by big marketed teams with deep pockets, what else can the David’s do against the Goliaths? Sooner or later, organizations grow tired of fiddling around at the bottom of the food chain. When the best player between the two worst teams in the league is this dude, you know something’s wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj1–j4fi4U

The Philadelphia and Milwaukee organizations are in desperate need of a shake-up. Luckily for them, this draft may just be their salvation.

Quick Update: The 76ers losing streak reached 22 Wednesday night. May the odds be ever in your favor, boys.

Indiana Pacers – Eastern Conference Leaders Are Treading Water; Will They Find a Way to Win Again?

by Kent Sterling

Can Paul George find the strength to finish the work of taking home court through the playoffs?

The Indiana Pacers have 14 games left in what fans hope will end in June with the franchise’s first NBA Championship, and while that is still a possibility, with every game since January 20th it has looked less likely.

That was the date the Pacers last played a game where they appeared to be a championship caliber team. Since then, they have gone 17-11, and have not looked like a team ready to win against playoff caliber teams.

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Whether or not the Pacers can regain the mojo that led them to the 33-7 record on January 20th is why we watch the games night after night. Every night fans hope, and the Pacers clunk along, barely beating terrible teams like the Bucks, 76ers, and Pistons, while losing to decent teams like the Knicks last night.

And now the schedule gets tough – really tough. With 14 games left in the regular season, the Pacers play Chicago (38-30), Miami (46-20), San Antonio (51-16), Detroit (25-42), Atlanta (31-35), and Oklahoma City (49-18) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. There are eight left on the road against Memphis (40-27), Chicago (38-30), Washington (35-32), Cleveland (26-42), Toronto (38-29), Milwaukee (13-55), Miami (46-20), and Orlando (19-50).

For those too lazy to count, the Pacers have nine games remaining against teams with a winning record (three of whom are championship contenders) and five who’ve lost more than they have won. The last time the Pacers beat a team with a winning record was on February 7th.

What has caused this recent malaise for the Blue and Gold? Some fans point to the roster adjustments made by team president Larry Bird. Andrew Bynum was signed on February 1 when the Pacers were 35-10. They promptly went out and won their next four. Bynum has played in two games – both victories. If Bynum eroded team chemistry, the results don’t show it.

Danny Granger was traded to the 76ers for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen on February 20th. The Pacers won their next five, although they were against five of the worst teams in the NBA. Overall, the Pacers are 9-5 since the deal. Granger played only five games last year while the Pacers charged into Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, so that seems a tough putt too.

Lance Stephenson was distraught over being snubbed by those selecting reserves for the NBA All-Star Game. Prior to the break, the Pacers were 40-12. Since, they are 10-6. How about Luis Scola – one of the keys off the bench early in the season. Through the first 40 games in which the Pacers were 33-7, Scola scored eight or more points 25 times. In the following 28 games, Scola has scored eight or more only 12 times.

There are statistics that show why the Pacers have been less successful – increased turnovers, decreased assists, and Paul George’s reduction in productivity (in games when PG has scored less than 20 points, the Pacers are 15-9. When scoring 20+, the Pacers are 35-9), but it seems that the problems are the cause of the statistical issues, not the other way around.

Sometimes numbers and mileposts aren’t enough to explain the successes or failures of a team over the course of an 82-game season, and this appears to be one of those times. The Pacers just don’t look right. The lovefest that appeared to be in full flower early in the season is over. There is occasional contention among teammates, as you would expect with highly competitive men earning millions as they all individually try to find the combination to unlock the level of play that came so easily three months ago.

Coach Frank Vogel tries to steady the ship through consistent management, which is the right course, but still the team is stuck in an morass of mediocrity.

The Pacers rallied after slumping at the end of the regular season in 2013, and the keys to this group are still very young, so there is still great hope the cause of the recent spate of slow and unsteady play will be resolved before the consequences become dire, but it’s hard to see a path clear to greatness.

Fortunately, the Heat have lost six of nine, and appear to be as tired as the Pacers. Pacers fans would have gladly accepted being up three games with 14 to play when this marathon of a season started, and that’s right where they are. The Heat have four back-to-backs left, and that’s not going to help them regain their legs.

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The battle for home court between the Heat and Pacers will be one of attrition, and the two games between the rivals will go a long way toward determining the winner.

The answers will come during the last 14 chapters of this fascinating season, and the fun will begin tomorrow night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse against the resurgent Chicago Bulls.

NCAA Tournament – Surprises Will Abound, But Where and When?

by Kent Sterling

I love the beginning of NCAA tournaments because hope lies everywhere. Each of the 64 teams that begin play tomorrow in the real first round of the Big Dance have hope that they will emerge from the rubble with a win to gain entry into the 32-team event that starts this weekend.

And the 16 who survive this weekend will believe with all their hearts that they can make it to the eight team event that will start next Saturday. The foundation of this beast is hope, and in one 40-minute game, hope can be validated.

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Which of the 64 teams will see their dreams come to life is an every changing question that is affirmed at different levels of the bracket. For Florida, anything but a National Championship will be a disappointment, but for Western Michigan, an opening game triumph against three-seed Syracuse would be celebrated in Kalamazoo like Mardi Gras multiplied by Christmas plus New Years Eve squared.

So which of the teams have the best chance to survive and thrive? The 16-seeds will almost certainly fail in their attempt to advance. Since the tourney expanded to 64 teams in 1985, none has won a single game. It’s going to happen eventually, but it’s a massive long shot. Twice in the history of the tournament (both in 1989), a 16-seed came within a single point of pulling the magical upset.

In 29 tournaments with 15-seeds, only seven of 116 have won their opening round game, but three have come in the last two years. Whether that cluster was caused by a flattening of the talent gap between schools like Eastern Kentucky and Kansas (who play each other in the first round) or an aberration will be seen this year. Three in two years could be a fluke, but an upset of this magnitude in three consecutive events is a trend.

Florida-Gulf Coast in 2013 is the one team that was able to survive the first weekend as a 15-seed, and only two 14-seeds have qualified for the Sweet 16.

The single 12-seed to move into the Elite Eight was Missouri in 2002, but five 11-seeds have moved past their third opponent to play for a chance to qualify for the Final Four. A surprising three-of-the-five 11-seeds who’ve made it to the Elite Eight have been able to move on to the National Semifinals. Each beat a #1 seed. LSU topped Kentucky in 1986, George Mason beat UConn in overtime in 2006, and VCU hammered Kansas in 2011 to make coach Shaka Smart a star.

History is a lot more certain than the future, but millions will fill out their brackets through Noon tomorrow with 63 prognostications each. The darling of the media and Barack Obama are the Spartans of Michigan State. Everyone talks about what a great tournament coach Tom Izzo is, but in 18 previous seasons, he has one only one more title than you have. If the seeds hold, which is unlikely, Izzo will have to lead Gary Harris and his teammates past Delaware, Cincinnati, Virginia, and Villanova. Hard to pick against the Spartans in the East, which means they are almost certain to lose tomorrow against the Fightin’ Blue Hens.

People love Louisville too because we tend to believe that whatever has happened in the past is likely to occur again. Louisville cut down the nets last year in Atlanta, so despite being a four-seed in the toughest region, the verdict is Louisville will come out of the Midwest. Beating Saint Louis/NC State, Kentucky/Wichita State, and Duke/Michigan is a murderer’s row. This region is an eight-sided dice roll.

The West is weak, and almost every bracket not filled out by an alum from one of the competing schools has Arizona advancing to Cowboys Stadium for the Final Four. Wisconsin, San Diego State, and Creighton are the stiffest competition they might face. While the impossible happens in this event regularly, I can’t see any of them beating Arizona – which means someone likely will.

The South comes down to a very young and banged up Kansas team and the top-seeded Florida Gators. If Joel Embiid gets healthy, Kansas has a good chance to play with Florida, but if any team appeared just short of invincible since the first of the year, Florida is it. That means Albany is going to give the Gators all they want tomorrow.

If it seems I am hedging all my picks, it’s because I have been wrong over the years a hell of a lot more often than I haven’t been. Golfers reach a certain number of missed putts in their lives, and they stand over the ball knowing their is no chance to knock the ball in the hole. I have a bad case of tournament picking yips.

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With a billion bucks of Warren Buffett’s cash on the line for a perfect grid, this is a bad year to have the yips. Forget that the odds of running the table are approximately 9,000,000,000,000,000,000-to-1, which is like knocking in a putt from Indianapolis to Loogootee, where there is a chance, there is hope. And that is why we love this tournament so much.

I love NCAA big money pools, but I have never won one. That means I’m due.

I’m going with Kansas, Iowa State, Michigan, and Arizona. Go ahead, tell me I’m wrong, and I can’t argue, but it’s damn likely you’re wrong too.

[ed. note – To participate in the kentsterling.com NCAA Pool, click here. Enter kentsterling.com as the bracket name, and kentsterling as the password. The prize is your choice of an autographed basketball from Bob Knight, Mike Davis, or the 2004-2005 Notre Dame team. There is no entry fee because I am a hell of a nice guy.]