NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Looking for those charming underdog stories? Go find the DVD from last year. Hombre Nike Air Max 2015 . This years Final Four brings together an ensemble of big-name schools, all saddled with their typically big-time issues -- a reminder that everything in college sports is not as pure as the NCAA and its "student-athletes" would like us to believe. In the national semifinals Saturday, Kentucky plays Louisville and Ohio State meets Kansas. All the schools have made headlines for a variety of off-the-court reasons over the last several months, including the proliferation of one-and-done players, stories about coaches in courtrooms and a handful of financial misdeeds involving recruits, players, coaches and even ticket managers. And so, while there are no little vs. big stories this year -- the way tiny Butler or overlooked VCU beat the odds last season to make it to basketballs pinnacle -- were regaled with tall tales of redemption and resurrection: Teams and coaches that overcame their problems and got everyone thinking about basketball instead of the underside of a business driven by a $10.8 billion TV contract. "There are a lot of good players out there who are performing right now," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. For his part, Calipari is perfecting the art of luring a player for one, maybe two seasons, to contend for a championship, then saying a guilt-free goodbye. During his more candid moments, hell tell you hes no fan of the rule that allows players to leave college after a single year. But its out of his hands. Its the NBA that put in the rule stating players must be 19 before they can enter the draft. Whats a coach to do? "I think they trust that when the year is out, theyre going to get the right information and be treated fairly," Calipari said. "They dont worry about it. Historically, we dont convince kids to stay who should leave. They are going to get the information, and they know that. They are just going to play basketball." It means freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, both projected as high lottery picks, probably will be gone after this season, and its not impossible to think the rest of the starting lineup -- all freshmen and sophomores -- could leave, as well. Calipari, who has had NCAA trouble at every step along his college head-coaching career, said this is a price worth paying for running a "players-first" program -- with players who worry about winning first, then reap the benefits when the NBA comes calling. While he applauds his teams unselfishness, the NCAA insists it is toughening its academic standards and isnt so concerned with the 15 players who do leave after one year, but rather the 5,500 who dont. "Ive made no secret of the fact Id prefer to have a different model," NCAA president Mark Emmert said. "Most people want a different model. It would be nice if that were the case, but I dont think we should blow one-and-done out of proportion and suggest this is undermining the educational mission of the NCAA." While the NCAA spins that issue, its rules police have spent plenty of time visiting Ohio States athletic department over the last several years. First, there was the firing of coach Jim OBrien, who was found to have given money to a recruit, then later sued the school for wrongful termination because he got the axe before the NCAA had officially determined hed done anything wrong. Thad Matta cleaned up that mess and has led the Buckeyes to the Final Four twice in the last seven years. Though the basketball program has recovered nicely, the athletic department didnt learn all its lessons: The football team is on probation because of violations that happened during Jim Tressels tenure. The takeaway quote from that entire episode came from university president Gordon Gee, when asked if he was going to dismiss Tressel while the coachs problems were still unfolding. "No, are you kidding?" Gee said with a laugh. "Let me be very clear. Im just hoping the coach doesnt dismiss me." The last year has not been the greatest for college sports, with child sex abuse allegations at Penn State and Syracuse and a number of scandals uncovered at Miami, North Carolina, Southern California, Tennessee and elsewhere. This week, of course, is supposed to be a celebration of whats right with college sports. Yet its hard not to ignore some tidbits that came up on the road to the Final Four: --Louisville spent the first two weeks of the tournament off campus, not wanting to fly back and forth to play games scheduled by the NCAA in Portland and Phoenix. --Last years champion, Connecticut, isnt eligible to play in the tournament next year because of NCAA academic sanctions, though the school is appealing. --This years Final Four coaches are making between $2.5 million and $3.8 million this season and will cash in on six-figure bonuses if they win the national title. The NCAA hasnt been as big a player at Kansas, but thats not to say the Jayhawks are immune to corruption. Last May, five athletic department employees and consultants got between 37 and 57 months prison time for unlawfully selling football and basketball season tickets to ticket brokers and others, then pocketing the money. Athletic director Lew Perkins saw his name sullied, and although he wasnt accused of any wrongdoing, he retired a year ahead of schedule in the wake of the scandal. At Louisville, the NCAA didnt get involved, but Pitino certainly landed in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. His name was trending for months while details of his extramarital affair and the ensuing extortion trial were aired out in public. Pitinos reputation was damaged, and the woman who tried to bribe him to keep the thing secret got a seven-year prison sentence. "A lot of times the last two years I took a lot of grief from a lot of people saying a lot of things," Pitino said last week after Louisville beat Florida to make his sixth Final Four. "And I never thought in my life I could turn the other cheek and just walk on. And I did. And some of the most ugly things Ive heard, I just took it inside. And today, as I look back on it, Im real proud that you could turn the other cheek." This week, Pitino keeps looking forward, refusing to take the bait from all those Kentucky Wildcats fans, who may never forgive the 59-year-old coach for leaving them, heading to the NBA, then coming back a few years later to coach their archrival. The Kentucky-Louisville story line is the best thing going this week in New Orleans, for what Calipari predicts will be an epic Final Four. Without any little teams cluttering up the court, this weekend will feature the most talent, Calipari says, since 2008, when he brought Memphis and Derrick Rose to the Final against Kansas and Mario Chalmers. Jared Sullinger (Ohio State), Thomas Robinson (Kansas) and Davis (Kentucky) are first-team AP All-Americans. Those three teams all have other players who look very much like NBA material in the near future. "2008 was ridiculous," said Calipari, whose trip to the final later was vacated by the NCAA because of violations. "Guess what? This Final Four will be very similar to that." Adidas Originals Dragon Zapatos .com) - With the college football season in its November stretch run, some of the better freshman players in the FCS are making important contributions to their teams that prove well beyond their years. Adidas Superstar 2 Mujer . Louis day started way better than it finished.Colorado Avalanche 4 Winnipeg Jets 3 (Shootout) – With the loss the Jets have gone five straight home games without a win. They did however pick up a point in three of those five games. Jets record is now 14-14-5, their home record 7-7-4. The Jets got off to the start they wanted with Blake Wheeler scoring his eighth of the season 24 seconds into the game, with assists to Toby Enstrom and Bryan Little. Enstrom snapped an eight game pointless drought, while Little now has 21 points in his last 21 games and has points in 22 of the teams 33 games this season. After failing to score on a two man advantage, the Jets did get a power play goal from Michael Frolik to take a 2-0 lead 5:25 into the game. It was the first time in four tries this season that they did not score while up two men. For Frolik it was his eighth of the year and first power play goal of the season. He deflected a Jacob Trouba shot, giving him his first power play point and his first home point. Matt Duchene snapped a seven game goalless drought at 15:08, scoring his 13th to make it 2-1 after the first, despite the Jets outshooting the Avs 14-4. In the last three first periods the Jets have outshot the opposition 37-11. In 29 games Colorado had only given up 17 first period goals. The second period was a reversal with the Avalanche outshooting the Jets 14-4 and getting goals from Ryan OReilly and Duchene to take a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. Duchenes second of the night came with 2.6 seconds left in the period, on a play that he started in his own end by picking off a Jets pass and breaking out with Nathan MacKinnon. The Jets regrouped in the third period outshooting the Avs 13-5 and getting a power play goal from Wheeler to tie the game. Wheeler now has nine goals on the year and has scored four in the last five games after going 14 games without a goal. It was Wheelers 13th career two goal game. Grant Clitsome picked up his second assist of the night on the goal; Mark&nbbsp;Scheifele had the other assist.Nike Roshe Run Print Running Zapatos. It was the second time this season the Jets have scored two power play goals in the same game. Jets went to their sixth power play of the night at 14:10 of the third but could not find the go ahead goal. In the overtime period, the Jets had five shots to Colorados three. Both Semyon Varlamov and Ondrej Pavelec made some big saves in this game as at times both sides opened it up and traded chances. The game went to a short shootout. Devin Setoguchi failed to score, Duchene did, Andrew Ladd did not score, while PA Parenteau did and the game was over. It was the Jets 11th overtime game of the year (1-1 in overtime and 5-4 in shootouts.) The Jets close out the three game home stand Saturday afternoon against Dallas (TSN 1290). Wheeler led the way with six shots on goal; Little won nine of 13 face-offs, Dustin Byfuglien played 29:20. Trouba played 25:52 the second highest total of the season. Jets how have 14 power play goals, 11 of them scored at home. This from Blake Wheeler post game - "they took advantage of our mistakes. Weve been taking positives out of losses too long. We didnt do enough to win the game." Coach Claude Noel agreed. "Tough point to lose. We played really good in the first; we got the building involved with the two first goals, and then didnt do the same things in the second. We missed the net, didnt shoot very much. Again, its game management. Turnovers in our own zone. Then get out of the second period 2-2, regroup and away you go." The goal with 2.6 seconds made it 3-2 for Colorado a team that is now 18-0 when leading after two. "We came back in the third, our power play was good again," continued Coach Noel. "Then we get to the shootout and weve been on the good side and the bad side. Winning in the NHL is not an easy process. Were a .500 team and thats not good enough. In the conference we are in, its not even close." Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL JerseysCheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
