On this week's Wire to Wire on GetSportsRadio.com my co-host Greg Shoemaker and myself made some Reds predictions with some pretty interesting prop-style bets. Here's our list, feel free to share your picks with us.

Total Wins –  81
MY PICK: Over

Ken Griffey Jr – 120 games
MY PICK: Under

Adam Dunn – 6 errors
MY PICK: Over

Brandon Phillips – 30 HR’s/30 SB’s
MY PICK: Under HR’s/Over Steals

Edwin Encarnacion – 90 RBI’s
MY PICK: Under

Joey Votto – 100 Games Started
MY PICK: Under

Jay Bruce – First Call-up of June 1st
MY PICK: Under (Before)

Aaron Harang – 200 strikeouts
MY PICK: Over

Bronson Arroyo – 14 wins
MY PICK: Under

Johnny Cueto – 3.75 ERA
MY PICK: Under

Homer Bailey –  First Call-up of June 1st
MY PICK: Over (After)

Francisco Cordero – 10 Blown Saves
MY PICK: Under

MLB reds, ken griffey, adam dunn, joey votto, brandon phillips, edwin encarnacion, jay bruce, aaron harang, bronson arroyo, johnny cueto, homer bailey, francisco cordero

Xavier is headed to the Elite Eight after knocking off West Viriginia 79-75 in overtime.  The Musketeers got off to a torrid start and led 28-10 with nine minutes to go in the first half. However, West Virginia would take their first lead with 9:45 to go in the second half and from there it would be a nail-biter (8 lead changes).

Josh Duncan turned in a performance of his life scoring 26 points and grabbing five boards while shooting 9-for-10 from the free throw line. The most amazing part of the night though was the fact he didn't foul out despite picking up his fourth infraction at the 10:45-mark.

"I just tried to play aggressive," Duncan said in his post-game press conference. "You know, take what the defense gave me. We did a good job of playing team ball. We didn't break down in tough situations."

West Virginia's big man Joe Alexander was not as fortunate as he fouled early during the overtime period, though he did last to overtime and scored the game-tying bucket to force the extra frame as part of an 18-point, 10-rebound effort.

"We tried to kind of take advantage of some of mismatches we thought we had," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "We were just too stagnant, stood around too much."

Free throws played a big part in this game though. Alexander missed a pivitol one on to convert a three-point play at the end of regulation and the team followed suit in overtime by only connecting on two of six attempts from the charity stripe. Xavier only shot 57% from the line themselves, but they hit them when it counted most.

Duncan may have had the best numbers on the night, but B.J. Raymond hit the money shots.  Raymond, who had made only one field goal all night, hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Musketeers ahead 75-74 with 1:18 to play. He then shook loose on an inbounds play, took a crosscourt pass and made a 3 with the shot clock expiring with 30 seconds to go for a 78-74 lead.

Xavier point guard Drew Lavender also had a key three in overtime, but failed to deliver throughout much of the game. He finished with 9 points on 3 of 11 shooting.

The win gives Xavier its first-ever 30-win season and sends them to the Elite Eight and a showdown with top-seeded UCLA on Saturday.

College Hoops xavier, west virginia, josh duncan, joe alexander, bj raymond, drew lavender

Last second losses.  Crappy missed calls.  Crappy made calls.  Lucky half-court bombs. 

We as sport fans have all been crushed by the moments listed above.  So with The Madness picking back up tonight, I thought it was a perfect time to break out the heatbreak moments.  Or as I like to call them, the Grrrrrr moments.  Those moments as a sports fan where everytime someone mentions it, or you see a replay, you get so enraged all over again that you can't talk rationally.  You simply must excuse yourself, walk out of the room and let out a long, primal Grrrrrr.

My stepfather's is the NCAA Championship game in 1983.  My pops was a diehard Houston Cougars fan and Phi Slamma Jamma was the bomb.  How could it not be?  With potential NBA legends like Clyde "The Glide" Drexler and Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon on the same team.  Mix in All-American Michael Young and a highly underrated Larry Micheaux and you had a dominant team that rolled to 31-2 record in the 1982-83 season. 

But in the championship game they were done by a North Carolina State Wolfpack team that most said weren't even in Phi Slamma Jamma's class.  Lorenzo Neal grabbed an airball above the rim and dropped it in the hole as time expired for an 54-52 victory.  To this day, my stepfather, and anyone else from Houston at the time, will come completely unglued when that moment is shown.  They still believe that Neal's shot was goaltending.  They still believe they got jobbed.

Mine is burned in my mind as well.  September 21, 1999.  Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium.  University of Texas at Austin campus.  I was a junior at the 40-acres and we had Notre Dame in our house.  This was when Notre Dame was still good.  They came in ranked 9th in the nation.  Texas had begun to come back to college football powerhouse status being ranked #6 in the nation.

I bought tickets for me and my brother.  Had a fired up (hint:  liquor was involved) weekend.  Campus was buzzing like it hadn't been since I had been at school.  

The game went according to plan for us Longhorn faithful.  Pre-dope smoking Ricky Williams had over 100 yds. rushing and a touchdown.  The Godfather of Soul at QB, James Brown, was having a solid day, throwing for 178 yds, a TD and limiting his mistakes to only one interception.  With 2:54 left to play, the game was tied at 24.  The Irish drive the length of the field and get into field goal position.  The trot out PK Sanson (sorry, never knew his first name; don't care to know it now) and he buries the 39-yarder as time expires.  But adding insult to injury, the ball went over the protection net and proceeded to land right in the row directly in front where my brother and I were sitting.

I could've caught the damn ball as it bounced off the bleachers if I had cared to. 

It was like the whole Notre Dame team took a shank to my heart and then turned it for good meausure.  I'm actually surprised I was able to make sense long enough to write this out.  But having to relive it again?  Excuse me.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Let us know your best Grrrrrrr moment.  And I hope that a buzzer beater doesn't set the dagger in your hearts tonight as you watch The Madness all this weekend.

College Hoops

It seems that Tiger Woods like the rest of the golfing community don't like to have any noise during their tee shots.  Poor baby.  This is just one of the many reasons why I don't consider golf a sport.  The rest would include.

1.  If you don't run it isn't a sport.  Walking to your ball doesn't take much talent.

2.  If you don't carry your own equipment it isn't a sport.  How pathetic is it for a grown man or woman not to be able to carry their clubs but some poor caddy can?

3.  If you can be drunk and outplay your opponents it isn't a sport.  See John Daly.

4.  If everyone has to be quiet when you hit the ball it isn't a sport.  If you are a true athlete then suck it up and deal with the noise like every other sport has too.

5.  If you don't allow blacks or women on certain courses it isn't a sport.

6.  If you have to cuss out a photographer and threaten to break his neck for snapping your picture during your back swing it isn't a sport.  See Tiger Woods.

7.  If you have guys named Fuzzy and Tiger it isn't a sport it is a cartoon.

Just For Fun golf, tiger woods

In a move that surprised nobody, the Reds optioned young right-hander Homer Bailey to Triple A Louisville on Wednesday. The move leaves with the Reds with 35 healthy players on the roster with opening day now just four days away.

The 21-year old hurler had an unimpressive spring, allowing 11 earned runs on 24 hits and 16 walks in 19 innings pitched. He struck out 11 batters and lacked command most of camp.

Bailey, who was one of the most anticipated call-ups in franchise history last June, has struggled with his velocity and has had a tough time dealing with the pressure of being a premium prospect.

His demotion is a further indicator that fellow youngsters Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez have made the rotation and also favors Josh Fogg's chances of starting the season with a spot, though manager Dusty Baker has yet to officially confirm any of that.

MLB reds, homer bailey

The first two rounds of the Madness have ended.  Most of America's brackets have been hosed, including mine.  We've seen upsets, buzzer beaters and a bona-fide superstar breakout (thank you Stephen Curry).  But this isn't where the tournament ends.  Beginning tomorrow we head into the candy land of sweetness:  The Sweet 16.

So for those of you who still have brackets that are alive (unless you are one of those dorks that fills out 100 different options; you don't count), those that play in a bracket pool that allows you to go round-by-round or those that just like to place a "friendly wager" on the games, here's five great match-ups/stories to pay attention to in the next two days.

1.  Can They Check Him?

Stephen (pronounced Stef-ON) Curry has become an absolute star in this tournament.  Only the diehard NCAA basketball fans and sportswriters were aware of Curry entering last weekend.  The whole nation knows him now.  Dell's boy went off in the first two rounds, totaling 70pts.  But what is more impressive is that he did it when it mattered most.  30 of his 40 in Round One vs. Gonzaga (the flag bearer of mid-majors) came in the second half.  In the Round Two match up against Big East power Georgetown (a much better defensive team), 25 or his 30 came in half two.  I believe you call that clutch.

The question now is can Curry and the Wildcats continue that trend as they step up, yet again, in class defensively.  Wisconsin is a #3 seed that has been flat-out terrific defensively all year long (the best in the country in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com).  That continued in the first two rounds of the tourney as they held Cal State Fullerton to 56pts. and the Michael Beasley led Kansas State Wildcats to 55pts.  More importantly, the Badgers have already dealt with an opponent whose offense is centered around a superstar talent, the aforementioned Beasley.

How did that go?  Ask Beasley who is still scratching his head trying to figure out how he only scored 5pts. in the second half.  If the Badgers continue their play on the defensive end, Davidson's run comes to an end.

2.  Old School vs. New School:  Big Man Style

The Texas v. Stanford game on Friday night provides an interesting showdown in style of play between big men.  All year long Texas has struggled with teams that have good size.  It is not a stretch to say that the Cardinal have great size, cosidering they have the two 7-foot Lopez twins manning the middle.  But the key to the game could very well be one of Texas' big men.  And not the one you think:  Connor Atchley

Atchley is the type of big man (6'10") that you are seeing more-and-more of these days in college hoops.  He's more comfortable floating jumpers, including threes, than manning-up down low.  And he's adept at those jumpers too, shooting 42% from behind-the-arc.  The Lopez twins, Robin and Brook, are both classic low-post players.  Brook may be the better offensively, but both make a living commanding the paint on offense and defense.

If Atchley makes early outside jumpers, that will force whichever Lopez is guarding him to come away from the basket on defense.  That will leave only one Lopez twin under the board for defensive purposes.  That will greatly increase the chances of there being open lanes for All-American guard D.J. Augustine to wreak havoc.

On the other hand, if the Texas big men can't hold their own in the paint defensively, the Lopez twins could put multiple players in foul trouble.  If that happens, Texas is toast because they don't have the bench depth to overcome that.

Classic low-post big man vs. New age big man.  Who ya got?

3.  Pressing D

If you like multiple defensive sets, forcing turnovers, helter-skelter play and full-court defensive intensity, this is the game for you.  The master of the full-court press defense, Louisville coach Rick Pitino, will go mano-y-mano with the new guru of full-court press defense, Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl. 

Both teams have good size.  Palacios and Padgett for the Cardinals and the never-ending Smiths (How many do they have?  Two...three...twelve?) for the Vols.  Both have good guard play and both play an up-tempo, run-and-gun style offense predicated on getting easy buckets in transition off their defense.  That is merely the long explanation for they are very evenly matched.

It's going to come down to a defensive chess match between the suits on the sidelines.

4.  Return of the Prodigal Son (Sort of)

Xaiver University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, will have the chance to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers, coached by non-other than former University of Cincinnati coach, Bog Huggins.  If you live in Cincinnati (I do), then you have no idea what this has become in the Queen City.

Wecome to the Crosstown Shootout Renewed! (Sort of)

But the key match up is not going to comed down to coaching, pasty history or bad blood.  No matter how much fans in this city really, really want it to.  It is going to come down to Xavier's defense, led by Stanley Burrell, versus WVU superstar, Joe Alexander.  The Mountaineers struggle offensively when Alexander has trouble scoring.  Xavier are where they are because of superior team defense.  Next to Wisconsin, the Muskies are the best defensive team left in the field.  West Virginia hasn't faced a team the plays defense with as much totality yet in this tournament.  They drew Arizona and Duke in the first two rounds.  Both are good teams, but neither one very special on the defensive end.

And yes, I know that WVU plays in the Big East so they must be battle-tested in that regard. 

Bull.

It does not matter one iota what a team did in their conference at this point.  The Madness, especially this deep into it, is a completely different animal altogether.  Go ask fellow Big East team Georgetown about that.  How did that Big East tested toughness work out for them again?

If Alexander doesn't score around 20, Huggy Bear will be on the country road back to West Virginia (thank you John Denver).

5.  You Wanna Run?

The Memphis v. Michigan State game provides an interesting mix of styles.  So far, there doesn't seem to be a team outside of UNC that can run the floor with the Tigers.  Michigan State has been living on slowing the ball down, playing solid half-court offense (even when Drew Neitzel is struggling) and locking down on defense. 

So we have a classic style-vs.-style game.

If Memphis can push and play their up-tempo style of play, Sparty will get blown off the court.  I don't mean just beaten.  I mean beaten down like a redheaded stepchild.  However; if MSU slows the game down, limiting the number of possible possessions, and has good shot selection on their end, Memphis could be in for a long night.  The Tigers don't shoot jumpers, especially threes, particularly well, and they shoot free-throws even worse.  Those are the two weapons you most need to have at your disposal if you find yourself in a half-court-to-half-court style game.

Whoever wins the style battle, wins the war and advances.

In case you were wondering?  I think Wisconsin checks Curry, Atchley forces a Lopez away from the bucket, the master continues to be the master, John Denver impersonators need to start warming up their vocal chords and the Tigers are off and running.  Wisconsin, Louisville, Texas, Xavier and Memphis advance.

College Hoops stephen curry, davidson wildcats, bruce pearl, tennessee volunteers, rick pitino, louisville cardinals, brook lopez, robin lopez, stanford, texas, connor atchley, d.j. augustine, memphis, michigan state, drew neitzel, west virginia moutaineers, bob huggins, joe alexander

As things begin to wrap up in Florida and Arizona there have been quite a few moves in the last two days concerning various closers. And most of it was not good.

The Blue Jays announced that B.J. Ryan will begin the season on the DL. This is no surprise as he has barely pitched this spring. They hope to have him back mid-April at best. But given his history, it could be much later than that. Jeremy Accardo will pitch the ninth for the Jays. He led Toronto with 30 saves last year.

Brad Lidge will also begin the year on the DL. The Phillies had hoped he would secure a very shaky bullpen. That may be in peril now. He is expected to return April 5 but keep in mind that last year he was not able to hold his job with the Astros. Tom Gordon will take over the closer role in Philly. While the veteran was shaky last season and is also coming off of injury, he has pitched well in the spring.

Lou Piniella has finally decided on Kerry Wood to close games for the Cubs. He had been in competition with Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry this spring. While Wood may certainly be a great pitcher, he is no stranger to the DL. Don't be surprised to see both Marmol and Howry pitch a few games in the ninth inning this year. 

The Twins extended the contract of their stud closer Joe Nathan. The contract is reported to be worth $47 million over four years. While he may be deserving of the deal, many are wondering why the Twins didn't use some of that money to keep Johann Santana.

On a former-closer, current-starter note, John Smoltz may be heading for the DL to start the season. However, he may be able to pitch as early as April 6.  Still anytime a 40-year old pitcher starts missing games with a sore shoulder it is a sign that the end may be near.

Fantasy Baseball, MLB brad lidge, tom gordon, b.j. ryan, jeremy accardo, kerry wood, carlos marmol, bob howry, joe nathan, john smoltz

Everyone was counting on Chad Johnson missing the Bengals' voluntary workouts on Monday, but the fact that fellow wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh joined him came as a bit of a surprise.

Johnson continues to state his case to anyone that will listen that "he wants to be a winner" and that he "wants to play on a team that has chance to make the playoffs", but in reality Ocho Cinco and his agent Drew Rosenhaus want to get to paid.

The fact that T.J. is taking Chad's side with this is not surprising, after all the two have been playing together for many years, but it is still extremely disappointing. There attitude is dragging down this team and if if continues to fester something is going to need to be addressed.

Lewis did address Johnson's absence in general with the club, but players said Lewis didn't talk about Johnson specifically.

"I've talked to Chad a few times," Lewis told the team's website. "My conversations with Chad this year have been no different than they were a year ago.

"What I addressed is the fact in the NFL a lot of different situations occur throughout the season and the offseason and don't have a bearing on one particular player. Guys have different things they're dealing with whether it be free agency, impending free agency, restricted free agency, whatever it may be. Different variables that occur. Whatever occurs, this is professional football and you've got to deal with it in your way."

NFL bengals, chad johnson, tj houshmandzadeh, marvin lewis

ESPN's John Clayton is reporting that troubled Titans' CB Pacman Jones, who sat out all of last season after being suspended by commissioner Roger Goodell for his off-the-field behavior, could be reinstated before next month's NFL draft.

Tennessee is doing their best to put together a trade to get him out of town. 

The Dallas Morning News indicates that the Cowboys are one of the more serious suitors, but the Saints might make even more sense.

Even if New Orleans may not be the right kind of "environment" for someone trying to kick the nasty habit of visiting a certain type of club.

New Orleans does have a need at corner, for one. Two, the Saints probably feel like they're close enough to a title that a move like this could put them over the top, which has been a pretty underrated factor in all these talks. Three, they have a ton of financial flexibility, which is a minor thing here, since Pacman should come cheap. And finally, the team has strong leadership both in the coaching offices and the locker room.

NFL cowboys, saints, pacman jones

See this picture here?  That ought to be like manna from heaven for every college hoops fan not in Durham, North Carolina.  Duke losing in the second round, how freakin' awesome is that!!  Greg Paulus, go cry in Coach K's arms!

I didn't get to enjoy this moment one bit.  Why?  Because I had Duke in my Final 8.  And this could royally screw up my bracket.  And that ticked me off!!

What the heck is wrong with that?  I mean, 20 years from now, what am I going to remember?  Watching Duke go down, or how that screwed up my bracket...well ok, both for me, and that probably says something about my capacity for holding useless knowledge.  But regardless, shouldn't we be rooting for the teams we want to get through?

Truth be told, when I was filling out my bracket I felt like Xavier had a good shot at knocking off Duke if they got there (suuuure you say, and you probably had Western Kentucky in the Sweet 16 too...well I had that, so...take that for what it's worth).  But, I learned through my early bracket picking experiences that you're better off betting against the local teams, mostly because everyone else is giving them the homer bonus, and if they tank out early you're in the catbird seat. 

So, I pick against my heart, and then look what happens; I'm a freakin' Dukie for a day, and I end up getting depressed when they lose.  Couldn't psychiatrists set up practices based on this school of thought?  Take one Tarheel Blue, one Burnt Orange, and a Razorback Red, and call me in the morning.

And now it gets worse.  Because I'd really love to see Xavier make a Final Four run.  But at the same time, I know that a WVU win would pretty much wipe out a lot of other brackets, and that'd really help me.  And this is leaving me seriously conflicted.

So that begs the question: at what point do you sell your basketball soul to root for a team that you picked in your bracket?  When do you start cheering like mad for a team that you wouldn't even consider lifting a finger for during an early February conference game?  And when do you turn on a team that you'd much prefer to see move on, just because it might mean a greater gain for your bracket (and likely pocketbook)?

The patient is in, I'll be seeing doctors now.  Give me your best prescription for therapy.

College Hoops duke, west virginia, xavier, schizophrenia

I came across a really interesting article on Dusty Baker, actually, that revealed a very interesting take on Josh Hamilton that I had not yet heard before. Here's the paragraph from Bill Madden's article in the NY Daily News:

"But according to team sources, Hamilton, for all his recovered abilities, was not a popular player in the Reds' clubhouse. His teammates resented the fact that he had to have Narron's brother as a constant chaperone and they also felt he too often begged out of the lineup for minor ailments. In any case, Baker, from what he's seen of Volquez so far, is delighted with the trade."

Wow. That makes sense. Hamilton was caudled along the way and Narron is now a special coach with the Rangers, for Hamilton. This is truly a strange setup. Look, I've said before that Hamilton's story last year was a great one. Very compelling and feel-good. But, I am so tired of hearing Reds fans griping about not having Hamilton here. Let's not forget that the Reds got Edison Volquez for Hamilton. Volquez is having a fantastic spring and has probably earned himself a spot in the rotation as a result. He's upgraded the pitching staff either way. If the Reds still had Hamilton, think of the glut of OF talent. Jay Bruce couldn't even stick around because of the depth of OF talent. So, please, for the last time, can all Reds fans move on from Josh Hamilton. He's not a Red any more. Let's wish him well, but worry about those who are actually on the team now.

MLB josh hamilton, dusty baker, rangers, edison volquez

Rick Pitino has to be happy with the way his Louisville Cardinals breezed through the first weekend of the tournament. Their was the first round shalacking of Boise State, but that was nothing compared to the beat down his team put on Oklahoma on Sunday. The Sooners were more like the Laters as DaVille put a 78-48 smackdown on them in an effort that had be one the most impressive, balance attacks I have seen in recent tournament history.

Louisville could nothing wrong on Sunday and if they keep playing like that Rick Pitino and his boys have as good as a chance as any other team in this tournament to be crowned champions.

Rick Borzak, a columinist for the Louisville Courier-Journal that sees plenty of Cards' basketball' wrote it best, "Louisville made better than 59 percent of its shots against an Oklahoma team that came to Birmingham ranked 39th in the country in field-goal defense, forcing opponents to miss nearly 60 percent of their shots.

"Not yesterday. Pitino's team played with energy. They shared the basketball. They didn't make one extra pass to get better shots. They made a couple. They took charges, Borzak wrote on Monday. "They called out screens. The Cardinals played as if they finally understood everything Pitino has been asking them to do since October. It was their most complete -- and dazzling -- offensive performance this season."

Next up for the Cards, a showdown with second-seeded Tennessee on Thursday night in Charlotte, a win there would likely set up a match-up with #1 North Carolina, the regional final. It's safe to say if Louisville does make it to the Final Four they have a great chance to win the whole thing.

College Hoops louisville, rick pitino

Every year in my NCAA brackets, I start off like gang busters. Even predicting a couple of the upsets. But every year, by the time the Sweet 16 is set, I've hitched my wagon to the wrong team and am looking at brackets that won't keep me in the money. I just put my two brackets through the shredder as they both had Georgetown in the Final Four, and one had G-Town losing the national championship to UCLA. Thanks for playing and thanks for donating.

So, why do I do it every year? I watch a limited amount of college basketball. I don't read up on all the teams. I put a relatively educated guess into my brackets. But every year, I stink at this, and sit and watch while some guys' 7-year-old daughter guessed her way to MY MONEY. So, is it all dumb luck? Who the hell would've thought that Davidson would beat a very well-coached and very experienced Georgetown team who was in the Final Four last year. No reason to think they wouldn't go back. Sigh. Time to start getting ready for baseball now, I suppose. 

College Hoops my brackets suck, davidson, georgetown

The Colts did not match the the three-year, $9 million-offer to restricted free agent tight end Ben Utecht, meaning the 26-year old former Colt is officially a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Utecht, who was playing second fiddle to Dallas Clark in during his three seasons in Indianapolis, now gets his chance in the Queen City and easily becomes the best passing orienented tight end of the Marvin Lewis/Carson Palmer era. It is a breath of fresh air and a great opportunity for Utecht to showcase his talents.

The great tight end debate has existed with the Bengals for years, do they need a tight end? Marvin Lewis insists the team's system does not demand the need for a receiving tight end. Instead, the team's offense excels on solid blocking from the position. Reggie Kelly has provided great value to the team. His role often goes unnoticed and unappreciated by the casual fan.

I am on the side of the argument that believes that while Kelly (and a player of his type) is critical for the system's execution, the time to evolve the offense a bit has come. Some of the league's top offenses rely greatly on the play of a tight end as a receiver. It keeps the defense from doubling wide every time. Look at what the likes of Jason Witten, Kellen Winslow, Dallas Clark, and Antonio Gates have had on their teams' success.

The Bengals haven't had a receiving tight end that drew the opposing secondary's attention since Tony McGee and haven't had a player excel in that role significantly since Rodney Holman in the late 1980's. The team could look to address the need in the draft, but this year's crop of tight ends appears thin and there are greater needs to address in the portion of the draft where you could find a legitimate threat.

Utecht has only scored three TD's in three years with the Colts, but with size, speed, and hands he clealry will become a weapon in the red zone for offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.

The Bengals haven't had a season where every tight end on the team combinehad for five scores since '97. In fact, hasn't had their tight ends combine 8+ TD's in any of the past 18 seasons, a span in which they've produced one winning season and one playoff appearance.

NFL bengals, ben utecht, marvin lewis, carson palmer, tony mcgee, rodney holman, bob bratkowski

Xavier fans have notoriously hated Bob Huggins. One could say that the very existence of Huggins at UC helped to fuel the X-UC rivalry. Now, X fans get to see Huggins again, only this time in the Sweet 16 and on the sideline of the West Virginia Mountaineers. Huggins has had mixed success in the NCAA tourney while at UC. He went to a Final Four, an Elite 8 and a couple Sweet 16s, but he also had early exits. In his first year coaching WVU, Huggins took the #7 seed Mountaineers to the Sweet 16 after beating Duke. Maybe the change of address has helped Huggins rediscover that tourney success formula. Either way, WVU faces a big challenge in Xavier. Make no mistake, and put the cordial attitude that will be spouted to the media by Huggins, Bob wants to win this game - badly. And, as a UC fan, longing to find something to grab hold of in this tourney (other than winning my brackets), I've now found it. Just as I wanted (very badly) UC to beat Huggins in Morgantown (which they did), I now (even more badly) want WVU to knock off X and send them home. This will eat the obnoxious X fans up, thinking that they lost to "Thuggins". Let's not forget the classlessness the X fans gave Huggins when he brought Kansas State to town as they had people dressed as jailbirds, signs up about Huggins' DUI, etc. No, Xavier, has NEVER had any player in trouble. They are above it all. They also were NEVER jealous of what Huggins was able to do while at UC (which was steal the limelight away from Xavier). Their fans have never gotten over it and will always hate Huggins. So, it would seem only fitting that Huggins beat what could be X's best team ever and deny them a shot at the Elite 8.

This match up will either be sweet vindication for X fans or their worst nightmare. I'm hoping for the latter. Go Mountaineers. 

Edit: And just found this fantastic article on Bob. It's a must read. As someone who covered and talked with and (sort of ) knew Bob while I was at UC working for and running the News Record on campus, I can say this article truly sums up the enigma that is Bob Huggins. Perfectly.

College Hoops bob huggins, mountaineers, xavier, duke, kansas state