Junior forward Kelly Olynyk’s 17.7 ppg led the Zags to No. 1 for the first time ever.

New No. 1…for Now
In fairness to Gonzaga, they’ve taken care of business. Undefeated in the the WCC and only two losses on the season, the Zags will claim their first No. 1 ranking in school history. But it won’t last. With their season done, Gonzaga will watch as every other team plays out their regular seasons.

Road Warriors Weary
There’s no place like home; especially for the Top Ten. At home, the Top Ten went 8-0 last week. On the road? 5-6. Who suffered the most embarrassing road loss? No. 4 Michigan. Losing at Penn State was embarrassing. But beating No. 9 Michigan State at home atoned for it.

The Four Tops
* Gonzaga — West Region
* Indiana — Midwest Region
* Duke — East Region
* ??? — South Region

The Zags are a lock for the West Region. Kansas, Michigan, Miami, Georgetown and even Louisville will make their cases for that fourth No. 1 seed in The Big Dance™. Stay tuned.

Shaka to the System
Right on cue, here comes Shaka Smart and his VCU Rams. By virtue of pistol-whipping Butler last week, VCU should move into the Top 25 and be poised to make another run at the Final Four.

Worst Week Ever
After winless weeks, Arizona and Syracuse will fall to the middle of the pack and, likely, losing a grip on No. 2 seeds.

Cadet Kelly
Duke senior forward Ryan Kelly picked a fine time to get back into the mix. His 36 points lifted the Blue Devils over No. 5 Miami; just in time for the postseason. For Coach K, Kelly’s return gives Duke another double-digit scoring threat. The real test for Duke will be its season-ending game at North Carolina.

Bubblelicious
Minnesota’s upset victory over No. 1 Indiana may have been the signature win to punch their ticket to the Big Dance™. Even though Illinois has an identical 8-8 conference record and also beat Indiana, they’re still on the bubble with two difficult road games to close out the season. They may need a good showing in the conference tournament to punch their ticket.

UConn is in the same boat as the Illini. They’re 3-3 against ranked teams and lack any sense of consistency. They are truly middle-of-the-pack. Out in the Mountain West, here come the Runnin’ Rebels, making their case. After a 2-0 week and in a tie for second place in the MWC, UNLV is one step closer to a potential No. 5 seed.

So Who’s No. 1?
This is a difficult week to predict. I have about 45 percent confidence in my selections.

1. Gonzaga (29-2/16-0)— All that’s left is their conference tourney, which won’t hurt their shot at the No. 1 seed in the West Region.
2. Indiana (24-4/13-3)—Losing has consequences. But if the Hoosiers win out, they’ll be the consensus No. 1 again.
3. Kansas (25-4/13-3)—Just as losing has consequences, so does winning. The Jayhawks had a good week.
4. Duke (25-4/12-4)—The Miami win atones for the Virginia loss. But they have to close out their season at Carolina. Good luck.
5. Georgetown (23-4/13-3)—The Hoyas are gaining momentum.
6. Michigan (24-5/11-5)—A win over Indiana would all but give the Wolverines a line on a No. 1 seed.
7. Miami (Fl) (23-5/14-2)—A No. 1 seed isn’t out of reach, but a No. 2 is all but locked.
8. Louisville (24-5/12-4)—A strong finish at home earns a No. 2 seed or better (depending on circumstances).
9. Kansas State (24-5/13-3)—The March 9 game at Okie St. is the battle for Big 12 second place.
10. Florida (23-5/13-3)—The Gators have one job this week: knock Kentucky’s ass to the NIT. Don’t let us down, Florida.

The Rest of the Field
I’m taking a shot at the entire Top 25 this week. Here goes:

11. Michigan State (22-7/11-5)—Road loss to Michigan hurt; down to a No. 3 or 4 seed.
12. New Mexico (25-4/12-2)—Could be a troublemaker in the tournament.
13. Oklahoma State (22-6/12-4)—Regardless of the K-State game, Okie St. is for real.
14. Ohio State (21-7/11-5)—A win over Indiana salvages an otherwise disappointing season.
15. St. Louis (23-5/12-2)—The Billikens could be the mid major who crashes the Final Four this year.
16. Arizona (23-6/11-6)—No one fell harder, faster than the Wildcats…
17. Syracuse (22-7/10-6)—…except for Syracuse. Hello, No. 4 seed.
18. Wisconsin (20-9/11-5)—Losing to Purdue hurt, but they’re still in the Dance.
19. Marquette (21-7/12-4)—Big wins over Syracuse and Notre Dame raised their stock.
20. Memphis (25-4/14-1)—Just when I started believing in the Tigers. They could still hold a No. 4 seed.
21. Louisiana Tech (26-3/16-0)—Difficult to determine how good they are, playing in a weak WAC.
22. PIttsburgh (23-7/11-6)—The Big East has too damn many teams.
23. Oregon (23-6/12-4)—They’re leading a rather mediocre Pac-12.
24. VCU (23-6/11-3)—They did something even Indiana couldn’t do, beat the hell out of Butler.
25. North Carolina (21-8/11-5)—In my mind, the Tar Heels didn’t earn this ranking. More like: it fell off the back of a turnip truck.

Gone Baby Gone
Butler and Notre Dame. Despite getting blown out by VCU, Butler will still be a tough out in the tournament. Notre Dame? They’re schizophrenic anymore. Could be a Sweet Sixteen team or be one-and-done.

Honorable Mention
UNLV. I thought about slotting the Runnin’ Rebels at No. 25 instead of North Carolina. The only difference is Carolina plays in a stronger conference. The Rebs could end up ranked next week, though. Not sure what sort of tournament team they’ll be, yet.

Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer, known professionally as Jason Aldean. Since 2005, Aldean has recorded for Broken Bow Records, an independent record label for which he has released five albums and sixteen singles. His 2010 album My Kinda Party is certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while his 2005 self-titled debut, 2007 album Relentless and 2009 album Wide Open are all certified platinum. Of his singles, nine have reached the number one position on the Hot Country Songs charts: “Why”, “She’s Country“, “Big Green Tractor“, “The Truth”, “Don’t You Wanna Stay” (a duet with Kelly Clarkson), “Dirt Road Anthem“, “Fly Over States”, “Take a Little Ride”, and “The Only Way I Know”. Seven more have reached top ten on the same chart.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band best known for popularizing the southern hard-rock genre during the 1970s. Originally formed in 1964 as the “Noble Five” in Jacksonville, Florida, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tunes “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.” At the peak of their success, three members died in an airplane crash in 1977, putting an abrupt end to the band’s most popular incarnation.

Surviving members re-formed a decade later for a reunion tour with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant‘s younger brother Johnny as frontman. A version of the band continues to tour and record, with only Gary Rossington of its original members remaining. Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006. – Wikipedia

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17 – TALIA – THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Opinion is pretty spilt on Talia Al Ghul. Personally I thought she was excellent. The moment the twist is revealed and we realise that she has been controlling the whole thing, the movie turns on its head. I wasn’t even expecting a twist from this movie. I know that some people say that it was obvious that Talia was the villain, seeing as Bane isn’t the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul, but Talia was. However, personally I thought Nolan was just tweaking the canon slightly to make the story more rounded. I loved the twist and couldn’t help nodding in appreciation at Nolan’s brilliance.

But also Marion Cotillard should get credit for Talia’s success. She plays the character well, really getting the most out of her lines. We really felt the hate seethe through her lines, as she is finally able to unleash this anger the character has been holding onto for years. Another thing I liked was her clothes. Before she is revealed as the twist bad guy, it looked like simple clothing. However, when she becomes Talia, the robes kind of suit her character. I can’t really explain it, but you are kind of kicking yourself that you didn’t predict she was Talia in those clothes. She just looks the part.

16 – DEATHSTRIKE – X2

X-Men 2 kind of kicked itself in the foot, by killing off the good villains: Sabretooth and Toad. The other two bad guys became allies for the main part of the film, meaning that the writers had to come up with a new henchman (or woman), to stand alongside Stryker. I have no recollection of Deathstrike in the comics, but here, in X2, she is awesome.

I want to make a ghetto manicure joke without seeming racist or sexist…

She is pretty much the female Wolverine, but turned up a notch. She has ten metal claws and faster healing. Plus, she is nimble and can do martial arts (well, duh, she is a female villain in an action movie), making her the perfect opponent. The fight with Wolverine is the best part of the movie and I only wish she was in it more.

15 – CALLISTO – X-MEN: THE LAST STAND

Again, X-Men were running out of villains at this point in the franchise. They made the devastating mistake of getting rid of Mystique, but Callisto does well to replace her. She is cool, handles herself well and you cannot wait to see her character in action. Sadly, she is given a supporting role and is killed off much to quick. As much as I liked her, Mystique really should have been in this film instead of her.

14 – BULLSEYE – DAREDEVIL

Here, the director pretty much got Colin Farrell on set and told him to go ‘crazy Irish’. Farrell did not disappoint.

I know people hate this film, but you cannot hate Bullseye. He is the main reason to go and see it. His character is funny, awesome and every time Daredevil or Elektra faces off against him, you are scared for their characters. I loved the look they went for too, thankfully ditching the skin-tight suit that made his character kind of ridiculous in the comic books.

Again, it is the movie that lets Bullseye down, otherwise I am sure that he would have made it much higher on the list. I hope if a reboot is made, Colin Farrell reprises the role. He is fantastic as Bullseye.

13 – PENGUIN – BATMAN RETURNS

I am not giving you a piggy back to the store!

The Penguin, played by Danny De Vito, is pretty much the symbol of Tim Burton’s vision of Batman. Grotesque, gothic, misunderstood: the character pretty much walks from a Gothic text and into the world of Batman. The Penguin is a difficult Batman villain to get right, so I think Burton’s touch is needed here. Needless to say, he is done well and is a welcome addition to the Batman rogue gallery. If only Burton carried on with the franchise, then we wouldn’t have been subjected to the horrors of Jim Carrey or Arnold Schwarzenegger.

12 – SCARECROW – BATMAN BEGINS

Batman boasts some great villains, but who better than Scarecrow to kick off Nolan’s trilogy. The character really symbolised the terrifying prospects of wandering alone in Gotham. The mask was fantastic and Cillian Murphy is a great casting choice. He always seems so calm, yet you expect an insane breakdown at any moment.

Sadly, Scarecrow wasn’t used right for me. Batman Begins is such a big film, needing to fit in an origin story and several villains: we just didn’t have time for the Scarecrow. The film needed a villain to link Falcone to Ra’s Al Ghul and it almost seemed that Nolan reached into the rogue gallery list and pulled out the first bad guy that came into reach. He could have been used much better, especially in ‘The Dark Knight’, when he is demoted to little more than a drug dealer on the streets of Gotham.

11 – TOAD – X-MEN

I have a soft spot for the Toad in the first X-Men movie. He adds a bit of humour to the four bad guys we are given. While Magneto and Mystique are serious and terrifying, the Toad brings in the lighter side to the movie (so does Sabretooth, but only because his character is useless). Not only does he bring an amusing quality to the film, he also has a pretty good fight against the X-Men. He takes on three of them at once and does fairly well.

Sadly the Toad has too many good characters to contend against and in a film with a wide range of mutants, like the X-Men, he is lost amongst the crowds. Also, people have complained that his death, while awesome, was completely avoidable. After easily beating up the three X-Men, he forgets his cool and just lets Storm zap him. Part of me likes to think the character survived, but it has been such a long gap in between his appearance and the modern films that I doubt we will, or should, see a return from the Toad.

10 – THE JOKER – BATMAN

While Heath Ledger gave the performance of a lifetime in ‘The Dark Knight’, people forget that Jack Nicholson hardly ruined the role. In fact, his performance is one of the main reasons to watch the very first Batman movie. He combines the Gothic and humour so well, that it wouldn’t surprise me if Nicholson actually was the Joker on his time off.

Nicholson’s easiest role yet.

Whereas Ledger reinvented the Joker to suit his style of acting, Nicholson just walked into the character from the comics and it was a perfect fit. The purple suit, white make-up, goofy smile: it doesn’t look out of place on Nicholson as it would on several other actors I can think of. Just to round things up, get a Prince soundtrack to destroy an art gallery to and you have yourself one classic villain.

9 – RED SKULL – CAPTAIN AMERICA

While Captain America was a substandard Marvel movie, I did enjoy Hugo Weaving’s ruthless performance of the Red Skull. I know little about this villain, but when the skin finally came off and we saw the actual ‘red skull’ underneath, it was a fantastic movie moment. The main reason I could give to watch that movie would be to see this bad guy in action.

It’s just something about Germans (let’s try and write this next paragraph without being racist). Like Kevin Bacon’s Shaw from last week, the soft German accent just compliments the calm, collected villain. The Red Skull seems like the closest we ever get to a Marvel version of a Bond or Die Hard villain. Also, when you throw in a Nazi background, the tension is instantly taken up a notch. Hugo Weaving definitely deserves this place; it is only a shame that he is one place off the top eight.

Who are the top eight? Well, you are just going to have to wait till next Wednesday to find out…

When No. 1 Indiana upset No. 4 Michigan State in East Lansing last Thursday, Feb. 19, fans had reason to be excited. For one, it was the Hoosiers’ first win at the Breslin Center since Feb. 28, 1991. The impressive 72-68 victory turned skeptics into believers of Indiana Basketball, which not so long ago was struggling to win even at home against the lowest B1G opponents, let alone on the road.

Now in his fifth season as Hoosiers’ head coach, Tom Crean has done a magnificient job. Through his overall record is only 79-78, you have to consider the circumstances the program faced throughout his first three seasons.

From 2008-2010, IU compiled a 1-30 overall road record. That’s no joke. One stinkin’ road win in 31 games, with the only triumph coming against lowly Penn State on Jan. 21, 2010.

Of course, Crean should not be the one to blame for the Hoosiers’ futility. The program had imploded under previous head coach Kelvin Sampson, hitting rock bottom following the severe NCAA sanctions that led to his resignation.

A handful of players either transferred or were kicked off the team following Sampson’s departure, leaving Crean with virtually nothing to work with his first season. With one senior, six walk-ons, a bunch of junior college transfers and five unheralded freshman, the Hoosiers struggled to be competitive in 2008-09, finishing with 6-25, by far the worst season in the storied history of the program.

The next two seasons were not much better. Though Crean recruited a nationally-ranked top 10 freshman class in 2009, but there were simply too many needs that still needed to be addressed. The program improved slightly in 2009-10, but showed that it was still a long ways away as it finished 10-21.

No one could be happy with a 16-46 record over two seasons, but the was no doubt that Crean had brought energy to the program with the foundation he was building. The Hoosiers were expected to improve in Crean’s third season, but injuries exposed the the team’s lack of depth down the stretch. The worst stretch in the program’s history concluded with a third straight 20-loss season as the Hoosiers finished 12-20 in 2010-11.

Patience was beginning to wear thin. Fortunately for Crean, he recruited a monster 2011 class, highlighted by prized in-state All-American Cody Zeller. It was paramount for Crean to win in 2011-12 if he wanted to keep his job.

When the Hoosiers beat No. 1 Kentucky 73-72 at home on a game-winning buzzer-beating three-pointer by Christian Watford, the dream was finally realized. The Hoosiers had arrived.

The Hoosiers rode a 12-0 start en route to a 27-9 season and Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Even though they lost to Kentucky when the two teams met again the NCAA Tournament, there was no doubt that Indiana Basketball was back.

Expectations were sky-high entering the 2012-13 season with the Hoosiers being ranked No. 1 in most preseason polls. To Crean’s credit, he has kept the players focused and done a great job of avoiding distractions. A 24-3 record as of Feb. 25 has met nearly everyone’s expectations, and the Hoosiers are closing in on the B1G regular season title.

That’s what made the Hoosiers’ win at Michigan State so special. With first place on the line at this stage of the season, the Hoosiers came through when it appeared unlikely. Down 67-63 with three minutes remaining, the Hoosiers outscored the Spartans 9-1 down the stretch to pull out the victory. The win gave them a season sweep of the Spartans, which will go a long way in determing the top seed for the B1G Tournament in two weeks.

Five years after starting from (in a sense) less than nothing, Tom Crean has deservedly brought Indiana Basketball back to its rightful place: The best in the country.

The AP Top 25 dropped Miami from second to fifth in the country behind Indiana, Gonzaga, Duke, and Michigan. Miami’s loss against Wake Forest dropped its season record to 22-4. The Canes are also behind a Duke team that Miami mauled at the end of last month in Coral Gables.

The Coaches Poll dropped Miami even further than the media did. In the Coaches Poll, Miami fell from second to seventh in the country behind Indiana, Gonzaga, Duke, Michigan, Kansas, and Florida.

Miami and Duke are the only two teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference that are ranked in either the Coaches Poll or the AP Top 25. The Florida Gators are the only team from the Southeastern Conference ranked in the Top 25 in either poll as well.

AP Top 10:

1. Indiana
2. Gonzaga
3. Duke
4. Michigan
5. Miami
6. Kansas
7. Georgetown
8. Florida
9. Michigan State
10. Louisville

Coaches Top 10:

1. Indiana
2. Gonzaga
3. Duke
4. Michigan
5. Kansas
6. Florida
7. Miami
8. Georgetown
9. Louisville
10. Michigan State

Trip Rating: B+

Lonely Planet Guide: Los Angeles, CA

General Thoughts:
What I like most about Los Angeles, CA are all the activities that you can do.  There are sports teams, vibrant downtown life, beaches, Hollywood, and generally ALWAYS beautiful weather. 

Since it is in the US and has a major airport hub with LAX, there are generally always availability for award miles to get you there.  If you have a couple of weeks to vacation for an international trip, you could spend the first part of your trip in Los Angeles, and then travel on to your international destination. 

Best Roundtrip Economy Airlines Value: British Airways® (20,000), traveling on American Airlines®, if you can find the reward

Best Roundtrip Business Airlines Value: British Airways® (40,000), traveling on American Airlines®, if you can find the reward

Best 5 Star Hotel Value: The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles (40,000 Marriott Rewards® Points Per Night)

Best 4 Star Hotel Value: JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at LA Live (30,000 Marriott Rewards® Points Per Night)

There’s a list of all 47 movies that I saw in 2012 after the jump.

21 Jump Street

American Reunion

Argo

ATM

Bachelorette

Bindlestiffs

Celeste and Jesse Forever

Chronicle

End of Watch

Flight

For a Good Time, Call…

Friends With Kids

Game Change

Gone

Goon

Haywire

High School

Hit and Run

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Katy Perry: Part of Me

Looper

Man on a Ledge

Moonrise Kingdom

Piranha 3DD

Pitch Perfect

Project X

Safety Not Guaranteed

Savages

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Take This Waltz

Ted

That’s My Boy

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Avengers

The Cabin in the Woods

The Dark Knight Returns: Part 1

The Dark Knight Rises

The Do Deca Pentathalon

The Five Year Engagement

The Giant Mechanical Man

The Grey

The Hunger Games

This is Forty

This Means War

Wanderlust

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Your Sister’s Sister

Gloria Gaynor (born September 7, 1949) is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; “I Will Survive” (Hot 100 number 1, 1979), “Never Can Say Goodbye” (Hot 100 number 9, 1974), “Let Me Know (I Have a Right)” (Hot 100 number 42, 1980) and “I Am What I Am” (R&B number 82, 1983).

Gaynor was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Queenie May Proctor and Daniel Fowles. Gaynor’s grandmother always lived nearby and was involved in her upbringing. “There was always music in our house,” Gaynor wrote in her autobiography, I Will Survive. She enjoyed listening to the radio, and to records by Nat “King” Cole and Sarah Vaughan. Her father played the ukulele and guitar and sang professionally in nightclubs with a group called Step ‘n’ Fetchit. Her brothers sang gospel and formed a quartet with a friend. Gaynor was not allowed to sing with the all-male group, nor was her younger brother, Arthur, because he was too young. Arthur later acted as a tour manager for Gaynor. The family was relatively poor, but Gaynor recalls the house being filled with laughter and happiness, and the dinner table being open to neighborhood friends. They moved to a housing project in 1960 and Gloria grew up as a tomboy.

“All through my young life I wanted to sing, although nobody in my family knew it,” Gaynor wrote in her autobiography. Gloria was a member of her school choir, the mixed chorus, and the girls’ glee club. Because no one in the house paid attention to her singing she never got the feeling that any of them thought she had a good voice but after an initial rush of stage fright before her first solo, Gaynor’s confidence in her singing grew. Gloria graduated from high school with honors and knew she wanted a singing career. To appease her mother, who wanted Gaynor to have “something to fall back on,” she went to beauty school and took business courses. While she continued to practice her singing, she worked many non-singing jobs in the years after high school, including a job at Bamberger’s department store. – Wikipedia

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No. 15 Butler will almost certainly drop in the rankings and Saint Louis should break into the Top 25 after the Billikens completed a sweep of the Bulldogs with a 65-61 win tonight at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Here’s a link to my initial story for The Associated Press; I’ll put the later stories up on the Sportswriting page tomorrow. The Bulldogs had their chances but Saint Louis controlled the start of the second half to rally for the win. It certainly didn’t hurt that Saint Louis had a sizable crowd who made the trip over from Missouri to cheer on the Billikens, who are 26th in voting for the Top 25.

And a tidbit from my regular beat, as IU football coach Kevin Wilson reported via Twitter that LB coach Mike Ekeler was leaving Bloomington for USC, where he’ll coach the linebackers there. Ekeler’s the second defensive assistant to leave the Hoosiers in the off-season, with defensive tackles coach Mark Hagen having left for Texas A&M last month.

And that’s all for now.

Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish/Scottish alternative rock band formed at the University of Dundee in 1994. The group comprises Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Jonny Quinn (drums), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, backing vocals), Tom Simpson (keyboards), and Johnny McDaid[2] (piano, guitar, backing vocals). Initially an indie rock band, their first three records, the EP Starfighter Pilot (1997), and the studio albums Songs for Polarbears (1998) and When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up (2001), were commercially unsuccessful and were released by the independent labels Electric Honey and Jeepster respectively. The band then signed on to the major record label Polydor Records in 2002.

Snow Patrol rose to national fame with their major label debut, Final Straw, in 2003. The album was certified 5× platinum in the UK and eventually sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Their next studio album, Eyes Open, (2006) and its hit single “Chasing Cars,” propelled the band to greater international fame. The album topped the UK Album Charts and was the best-selling British album of the year, selling over 6 million copies worldwide. In 2008, the band released their fifth studio album A Hundred Million Suns, then in 2009 their first compilation album, Up to Now and in 2011 they released their sixth studio album Fallen Empires.

During the course of their career, Snow Patrol have won five Meteor Ireland Music Awards and have been nominated for three BRIT Awards. Since the release of Final Straw, the band has sold over ten million albums worldwide. -Wikipedia

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Trip Rating: B+

Lonely Planet Guide: Tel Aviv

General Thoughts:
What I like about most about Tel Aviv is how it seems to have everything. It has an amazing beach on the Mediterranean sea, great cuisine, and a great night life. The main attractions can be seen in a couple of days. However, for those interested in visiting Jerusalem, it is only an 80 km drive.

Combining Tel Aviv and Jerusualem could make this a trip to remember that combines two cities that are polar opposite.

I am not too impressed with the selection and reviews of hotels, but still a pretty good value.

Best Roundtrip Economy Airlines Value: British Airways® (50,000) if you can find the reward:

Best Roundtrip Business Airlines Value: British Airways® (100,000) or American Airlines® (115,000)

Best 5 Star Hotel Value: Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel & Towers (12,000 Starwood® Points Per Night)

Best 4 Star Hotel Value: Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv City Center (30,000 Priority Club® Points Per Night)

Steely Dan is an American rock band consisting of core members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band’s popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop. Rolling Stone has called them “the perfect musical antiheroes for the Seventies.”

The band’s music is characterized by complex jazz-influenced structures and harmonies played by Becker and Fagen along with a revolving cast of rock and pop studio musicians. Steely Dan’s “cerebral, wry and eccentric” lyrics, often filled with sharp sarcasm, touch upon such themes as drugs, love affairs, and crime.

The pair are well known for their near-obsessive perfectionism in the recording studio, the most extreme example being that Becker and Fagen used at least 42 different studio musicians, 11 engineers, and took over a year to record the tracks that resulted in 1980′s Gaucho — an album that contains only seven songs.

Steely Dan toured from 1972 to 1974, but in 1975 became a purely studio-based act. The late 1970s saw the group release a series of moderately successful singles and albums. They disbanded in 1981, and throughout most of the next decade Fagen and Becker remained largely inactive in the music world. During this time a cult following[1] remained devoted to the group. In 1993, the group resumed playing live concerts; later Steely Dan released two albums of new material, the first of which earned a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. They have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001. – Wikipedia

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Stanford Appears Poised to Contend for a National Championship in 2013

Following National Signing Day a couple weeks ago, we’re starting to get a better idea on just where teams stand for the 2013 college football season. Based exclusively on returning players, National Signing Day results and your standard blind guessing, our very early 2013 top 25 is included below. Disagree? Like these picks? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

Atlantic Coast Convos 2013 Top 25 (February 19)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (Last Month: 1)

2. Stanford Cardinal (LM: 3)

3.Texas A&M Aggies (LM: 4)

4.Oregon Ducks (LM: 2)

5. Georgia Bulldogs (LM: 5)

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (LM: 6)

7. South Carolina Gamecocks (LM: 7)

8. Clemson Tigers (LM: 8)

9. Louisville Cardinals (LM: 9)

10. Florida Gators (LM: 13)

11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (LM: 11)

12. LSU Tigers (LM: 10)

13. Texas Longhorns (LM: 15)

14. Boise State Broncos (LM: 12)

15. Florida State Seminoles (LM: 14)

16. Oregon State Beavers (LM: 16)

17. TCU Horned Frogs (LM: 17)

18. UCLA Bruins (LM: 20)

19. Michigan Wolverines (LM: NR)

20. Oklahoma State Cowboys (LM: 21)

21. Oklahoma Sooners (LM: 18)

22. Northwestern Wildcats (LM: 19)

23. Nebraska Cornhuskers (LM: 23)

24. Vanderbilt Commodores (LM: NR)

25. Ole Miss Rebels (LM: NR)

Per conference: SEC (8), Pac-12 (4), Big Ten (4), Big 12 (4), ACC (2), Big East (1), Independent (1), MWC (1)

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Photo Credit: ESPN.com

The top five took a nice twist after last weeks action, adding two new teams from last weeks ranking (Michigan State (4), Florida(5)) while dropping two (Duke, Michigan). The Hoosiers remain atop the rankings for the third consecutive week, which is the longest stretch in weeks, while the scorching hot Miami Hurricanes (2) and Gonzaga Bulldogs (3) achieve their highest ranking in school history.

The B1G continues its dominance by contributing five teams to the top 25 as well as three in the top ten and two in the top five. The Big East, however, is challenging the B1G with five teams in the top 25 as well, but their highest ranked team is Syracuse at number eight.

This week assures for a shake up in the top 25 with match-ups such as (1) Indiana at (4) Michigan State, (25) Notre Dame at (20) Pittsburgh, (9) Kansas at (14) Oklahoma State, (11) Georgetown at (8) Syracuse, (16) New Mexico at (22) Colorado State and (4) Michigan State at (18) Ohio State. Unfortunately only two of those match-ups are in the B1G but as college basketball fans I think we’ll survive.

We are nearing March but there is still time for these rankings to change drastically and give us a better idea of what we are dealing with in the tournament. Less then two weeks left of February and then we are in the month of college basketball, MARCH.

Get ready and get excited as March is shaping up to be one for the ages.

The Canes are ranked second in the coach’s poll, just 29 points behind top-ranked Indiana. Following the Canes in the coach’s poll are: Gonzaga, Florida, and Michigan State. Rounding out the top 10 are: Duke, Michigan, Syracuse, Kansas, and Louisville.

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Miami has wins over two top ten teams (Michigan State and Duke) inside the confines of the Bank United Center. The Canes haven’t lost this calendar year and haven’t lost when they have their full team available as well.

The ACC placed just two teams in the Top 25, Duke and Miami. The Big Ten Conference has a total of five teams in the Top 25, while the SEC has just one team ranked, the Florida Gators.

The Canes also are second in the Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll and received 20 number one votes in the rankings.

Junior guard Victor Oladipo scored 21 points in IU’s 75-70 win over Michigan State on Jan. 27. The Hoosiers travel to East Lansing Tuesday night in a battle between the B1G’s two first-place teams.

Welcome Back, KU & Louisville.
This week’s NCAA Top Ten won’t shuffle too much. Although, Duke’s 83-81 road loss at Maryland will knock them down a few pegs. Miami, Gonzaga, Florida and Michigan State should round out the Top Ten behind the Hoosiers, while Kansas and Louisville might make big leaps, thanks in part to 1-1 weeks from Arizona, Butler and Kansas State. I’m not 100 percent sold on the Zags yet. Their record speaks for itself, but why are they a top five team and Memphis is hovering around the bottom when, in my mind, neither team has a very tough schedule?

Here’s my best shot at predicting the AP Top Ten:

1. Indiana (23-3/11-2). Tuesday night’s game at Michigan State will be (yet another) epic battle of great B1G regular season games this year. And to the victor goes the Midwest Region…for now.
2. Miami (21-3/12-0). Tomorrow night’s Virginia game could be a trap game, if the ‘Canes aren’t careful.
3. Gonzaga (25-2/12-0). They’re on cruise control and should win out their season, barring an upset loss.
4. Michigan State (22-4/11-2). It’s Sparty’s turn (again) to challenge the Hoosiers for the top spot in the conference. And nation.
5. Florida (21-3/11-1). Despite already manhandling Missouri 83-52 once this season, the Gators could be in trouble on the road tomorrow night. Mizzou is 14-0 at home this season.
6. Michigan (22-4/9-4). Wolverines will complete the season sweep of Illinois this week.
7. Duke (22-3/9-3). The Blue Devils shouldn’t have any trouble this week. A road game at Va. Tech and home against BC should be easy wins.
8. Syracuse (21-4/9-3). Saturday’s home game vs. Georgetown is the first of two battles for the Orangemen against the top teams in the Big East.
9. Louisville (21-5/9-4). Seton Hall at home is a tune-up game, really.
10. Kansas (21-4/9-3). Wednesday night at Okie State will be a test to see if the Jayhawks are ready for primetime or not.

What Rhymes with NIT? Kentucky!
I’m no Florida fan, but they beat No. 25 Kentucky this week. Anytime Kentucky loses, an angel gets its wings.

O-H! Oh No! (redux)
Who said, a week ago, “there’s no hiding the fact that Ohio State is not a top-tier team in the nation, much less the conference.” Oh yeah, that was me. At the time, they were 1-6 vs. ranked teams. They’re now 1-7, after losing to Wisconsin.

Purdue? Pur-Don’t!
What’s better than one beatdown against Purdue? How about TWO BEATDOWNS AGAINST PURDUE! It’s no secret the Hoosiers are my favorite college basketball team. I can holster my allegiance to Bloomington when ranking the top teams. However, I choose to wear my cream-and-crimson pride on my sleeve when it comes to beating Purdue.

Spoiler Alert.
After the Top Ten, there are a few teams to watch as we march toward the conference tournaments that could serve as spoilers for someone’s season, to say nothing of sneaking into the Sweet 16 during the NCAA National Championship Tournament.
* Oklahoma State has a chance to make a statement this week vs. Kansas. For me, this will be a harbinger of both team’s chances moving forward.
* Wisconsin has already made its statements. Too bad for Whisky they keep losing, too. I guarantee the Badgers will spoil someone’s season in the B1G Tournament.
* New Mexico is currently in first place in the Mountain West. I don’t know why, but this team strikes me as trouble for whomever they face in the Big Dance™.
* Memphis is quietly putting together a strong season. But is it a strong March Madness resume? Yeah, they’ve won 16 in a row, but they’re 0-1 against their only ranked opponent of the season (Louisville). I don’t see them any higher than a No. 4 seed. In fact, I’d put them at No. 5 or 6. You heard me.

If Today Were Selection Sunday…
My No. 1 seeds would be: Indiana (Midwest), Miami (South), Michigan State (East) and Florida (West). But these selections are strictly written in pencil. They could change tomorrow (and might). And they’ll likely change again before the season’s out. In other words: the next three weeks of the regular season will be fast, furious and fun.

1. Alabama. Look, maybe you have a perfectly strong case for some other school, but if you go off the reservation right away, the readers are going to suspect something is amiss. Stay with the pack here and, if the Tide stumble, you’ll be one of many mistaken scribes, not a distinct and lonesome idiot.

Alabama looks and sounds like a winner to me!

2. Big 12 or Big Ten team. BOOM! Because you started comfortable, those stupid readers didn’t see this knowledge roundhouse coming. Pick a team that didn’t meet expectations in 2012 and talk about how they’ll be “hungry” and “focused” because of it.

Michigan, perhaps?

3. SEC team. Mention how battle tested playing in the conference will leave this team by the end of the season. Then hedge by saying SEC play could eat them alive. SPORTSNIGMA!

Texas A&M; they’re really hot right now.  Seriously, so much for them having to get behind Arkansas like we all predicted last year!

4. Ohio State. Emphasize how good the team looked in the first year of a new system. Ignore that they barely beat Cal, Indiana, and Purdue. Clunky suggestion that Braxton Miller could be the next Tim Tebow. Obliquely suggest Urban Meyer could quit at any week for any reason.

Ohio State, and this is why I didn’t put them at the No. 2 spot like I would have otherwise.

5. Oregon or Stanford. Sh-t, you meant to put one of them higher, but that much backspacing seems like a real pain in the ass. Say something here about how you’re being cautious not to put too much stock into a big bowl performance.

Stanford, for reasons of coaching continuity.

6. Team Coming Off A Big Bowl Performance. Clemson-Louisville national championship game ahoy!

Okay, I’ll bite.  What the heck; let’s put Louisville in there for the fun of it!

7. SEC team. Which one? Any one THAT’S JUST HOW DAMN GOOD THEY ARE MAN. (Seriously, though, not Auburn.)

Seriously; definitely not Auburn!  Already put Texas A&M in there, so let’s have LSU fill this slot, shall we?  Or maybe South Carolina; yeah, definitely the Gamecocks.  They’re doing quite well right now.

8. Notre Dame. Yes, Irish fans are going to be super pissed at the perceived disrespect, but that’d be true even if you ranked ND numbers one, two, and three simultaneously. Don’t fight a losing battle. Just slot them here and suggest that they could be better off without Manti Te’o.

Notre Dame; and they might not miss Manti Te’o that much if their highly-ranked recruiting class has any teeth to it, unlike “highly-ranked” recruiting classes under Charlie Weis.

9. Oregon or Stanford (whoever you didn’t put at 5). Say something about how they’ve lost a lot of key pieces. Is it true? Players graduate, don’t they?

Oregon, for reasons of lack of coaching continuity.

10. ACC team. You’ll need to construct a paper fortune teller and write the names of four plausibly successful teams twice each. Be sure you only do it twice, because if you write out “Georgia Tech” three times on the same piece of paper Paul Johnson appears out of nowhere and insists on rearranging your pantry.

Well, we already put Louisville at No. 6, so we might as well put Florida State into this one.

11. Team that will likely have three losses before Halloween. Your obligation in preparing this ranking is not simply to come up with a sensible accounting of the top 25 teams heading into the season. It’s also to provide us with teams destined to leave unreasonable expectations unfulfilled. Who will be this year’s Arkansas? THE POWER IS YOURS!

Ole Miss, because expectations are high due to their half-way decent team from last year and No. 7-ranked recruiting class this year.

12. Team with the highest ranked recruiting class that you have not yet included. I mean, all that talent wouldn’t be going to a bad team, would it? And I bet half of them start right away! (note: I do not know how recruiting works)

I want to put Florida here, because they’ve got the No. 4-ranked recruiting class, and I’ve got to stick ‘em somewhere!  But, skip down to No 14, and you’ll find out that cannot be done, according to this system.  So, we’ll put in Oklahoma.

13. This is exhausting. You really deserve a lemonade, and maybe even an oatmeal cookie. I mean, people bitch about preseason rankings, but then they lap them right up like hungry dogs. Do they not understand how market forces work? Oh, um, Michigan State. Whatever.

Georgia;  gotta stick ‘em somewhere.

14. Florida. “Will Muschamp is driving a truck with a great engine and no brake pads. Will Muschamp is eating a sandwich with meat and no bread. Will Muschamp is developing a model that explains how light behaves like a particle but not as a wave.” Metaphor them to death in this middle section.

Okay, NOW we’re allowed to put Florida in there.

15. School that was good six years ago and has stunk since. Because these things are cyclical, or something.

USC, anybody?

16. Team stocked with seniors that have mostly underachieved up to this point. They just want it more, man. That’s why they’re fighting in spring practice. Out of love.

Michigan State, perhaps?

17. Big 12 team with a miserably weak non conference schedule. Basically, this is between Texas Tech, West Virginia, Kansas, and Kansas State. Kansas is out for reasons of being Kansas, so just pick one of the other three and feel like a genius up to, but not beyond, Week 5.

West Virginia is the safest pick out of the three, at least through Week 5.  After Week 5, it might be Texas Tech.  Just sayin’.

18. Big East team. Start out by noting that the conference had a better bowl winning percentage last year than the every other AQ conference. Pretend you knew that Memphis was joining this year without looking. Realize that the team you pick could join the ACC before this gets published. Shrug, and continue trying to beat Jetpack Joyride.

Cincinnati, because after U of L, UC is the only Big East team that comes to mind, and goodness knows what could happen with Tommy Tuberville at the helm.

19. Team that was terrible but hired a trendy coach. You’ve already won me over, Cal, in spite of me.

Okay, let’s go with Cal.  Let me waste another space on something ridiculous, why don’t you!

20. School from a non AQ conference. Again, this is mostly an exercise in antagonizing fans, so just find a Mountain West or MAC team that could plausibly win eight games and put them here. Then say something snide about the Big Ten.

Ah, so THIS is where you put in Boise State!

21. Scandium. Don’t think it belongs here? Check your atomic numbers, clown.

Okay, now they’re being downright silly.  Not funny, just silly.  Let’s go with LSU.

22. Team with a coach on the hot seat. If you’re not sure who qualifies, just pick any coach that hasn’t won a conference title in the last two years and say he’s on the hot seat.

Texas, because even though I love Mack Brown as a person, he ought to be on the hot seat after three consecutive seasons of underperformance.

23. Almost there! Pick any team, say this is a make-or-break season for the program, and move forward.

Auburn, because after the horrible year they had last season, we’ll now see how quickly they can bounce back.

24. Duke.

Are you kidding me?  Alright, we’ll play along for the funny hell of it.

25. Team that barely made a bowl last year. “Trial by fire has made them stronger” sounds way more optimistic than “holy sh– they needed a punt return touchdown to beat Sweet Valley High.”

Heck, Purdue barely made it to a bowl game last year, but I’m certainly not putting them at No. 25!  I’d put somebody like Nebraska in there, but I don’t know if it fits the template.  Screw it; I’ll put Nebraska in anyway.

Now, let us see how this ranking plays out, according to the above formula:

1. Alabama
2. Michigan
3. Texas A&M
4. Ohio State
5. Stanford
6. Louisville
7. South Carolina
8. Notre Dame
9. Oregon
10. Florida State
11. Ole Miss
12. Oklahoma
13. Georgia
14. Florida
15. USC
16. Michigan State
17. West Virginia
18. Cincinnati
19. Cal
20. Boise State
21. LSU
22. Texas
23. Auburn
24. Duke (groan!)
25. Nebraska

I know, I know; LSU is ranked way too low, and it bothers the heck out of me, too.  Just for fun, let us compare this with the current 2013 AP preseason Top 25 poll:

1. Alabama (no surprise there!)
2. Oregon
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Texas A&M
6. Georgia
7. Stanford
8. South Carolina
9. Florida
10. Florida State
11. Clemson
12. Kansas State
13. Louisville
14. LSU  (beats not being ranked at all!)
15. Oklahoma (I knew they were overvalued!)
16. Utah State (there had better be a darn good reason for this!)
17. Northwestern (quite plausible, actually)
18. Boise State (are you sure you want them that high, AP?)
19. Texas
20. Oregon State
21. San Jose State (huh?)
22. Northern Illinois (I guess they felt compelled to stick a MAC team somewhere)
23. Vanderbilt (also plausible; have you seen their recruiting class lately?)
24. Michigan
25. Nebraska

For starters, I’m really regretting sticking Michigan in that No. 2 slot, but the formula called for a Big Ten team, and Ohio State was already locked in to No. 4; what was I to do?  The Florida State ranking, though, seems pretty spot-on, and many others (Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Stanford, South Carolina, and Nebraska are within one or two rankings).  Yes, it’s all in fun and jest, to be sure, but it shows that sometimes these whacky formulas work, other times, not so much.  And it still sticks in my craw that it compelled me to under-value the Bayou Bengals, and grossly over-value Michigan.