Tebow Time in Philly?!

Tebow Time? +Philadelphia Eagles trade third QB Matt Barkley to +Arizona Cardinals
+Yahoo Sports

Cardinals trade a conditional late pick to Eagles for Matt Barkely. #Scoopage

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) September 4, 2015

Florida Gators Gymnastics are Back to Back National Champs

D8ON!! Dayton High Life is Sixth 11 seed to make the Elite 8

D8TON! No. 11 Flyers beat No. 10 Stanford, 82-72, for first #Elite8 appearance since 1984. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/7NyeJfJftp
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 28, 2014

+University of Dayton takes down +Stanford Athletics men's hoops to advance to Elite 8. +Wisconsin Badgers made a statement by really never even giving the hot +Baylor Athletics a glimpse of hope. Badgers simply dominated to moe on to the Elite 8. Dayton will play the winner of the +Florida Gators - +UCLA Bruins and Wisconsin (2 seed) will play the winner of the +Arizona Wildcats - +San Diego State Athletics game. Both 1 seed vs 4 seed match ups.

HIGHLIGHT: Wisconsin wins the game to advance to the Elite Eight. (by @InfinitiUSA) #MarchMadness http://t.co/jvTnG7rEPK
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 28, 2014

We'll take the "smart" money on who we had in the national championship game for the last month or so and in a bracket. Gators vs Wildcats, but could it be a night for the 4 seed? Aztecs and UCLA could win these games indeed. Can't wait to see!

Florida Reaches Sweet 16, Get past Pittsburgh

No. 1 seed Florida thumps Pitt, advances to Sweet 16

+CBS Sports Network wire reports

March 22, 2014 ORLANDO, Fla. -- Top-seeded seeded +Florida Gators played with a lot more energy and intensity this time around. Scottie Wilbekin spearheaded the effort. Wilbekin scored 21 points, including eight straight down the stretch, and the Gators beat Pittsburgh 61-45 in the NCAA tournament Saturday.  Florida's 28th consecutive win put it in the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year. Coming off a lackluster performance in its +NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness  opener against Albany, Florida (34-2) vowed to play better against the Panthers (26-10).

Scottie Wilbekin (left) and Patric Young are in the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season. 

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Wilbekin surely did. He took over in the second half, scoring 11 of the team's 13 points during a 7-minute stretch. Patric Young wasn't too shabby, either, finishing with seven points and eight rebounds. Michael Frazier II chipped in 10 points for the Gators.  Frazier was just 2-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Had Florida not been cold from behind the arc, the game would have been essentially over much sooner than it was. The Gators finished 5 of 20 from 3-point range, with at least five of those rimming in and out. 

Florida will play either fourth-seeded UCLA or 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin on Thursday in Memphis, Tenn.  The Bruins and Lumberjacks play Sunday in San Diego. Talib Zanna led the Panthers with 10 points, their only player in double figures. A lot was made of the inside matchup between Young and Zanna, two ripped centers who played well Thursday. 

But Wilbekin was the story in this one. He hit a running 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer and drained a back-breaking 3 with 8:24 remaining that gave Florida its largest lead at that point, 45-31. His consecutive floaters inside 5 minutes to play were equally troublesome for Pitt.  The Panthers, who seemed focused on Young inside and Frazier out, had no answer for Wilbekin's dribble penetration. 

Wilbekin was a force on the press, which helped force 11 turnovers. And when Pitt started getting tired in the second half, Wilbekin really started to dominate. Pitt looked much better early in the game, swapping the lead and giving Florida fits on both ends of the court. Wilbekin's 3 at the buzzer may have been the turning point. It also was a head-scratcher. 

Pitt had two fouls to give, and with 5 seconds on the clock, could have fouled Wilbekin on the inbounds pass and milked the final few ticks. Instead, the Panthers let Wilbekin get a decent look that gave the Gators a 27-22 lead.  Florida carried that momentum into the second half, using a 9-0 run to create breathing room in a defensive battle that had to impress +NFL coaches Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin. The +New England Patriots and +Pittsburgh Steelers head men were on hand, with Belichick sitting behind Florida's bench in a white Gators visor and Tomlin sitting opposite Pitt's bench in Panthers colors. 

Florida turned it up defensively with that decisive spurt, holding Pitt without a basket for more than 5 1/2 minutes. The Panthers missed nine consecutive shots during the run. Coach Jamie Dixon's team got back in the game a little later, but then Wilbekin took them right back out with a flurry of made shots.

NCAA Tourney Starting Schedule and Slate of Match ups: Printable Bracket

Florida is the overall top seed in the NCAA tournament, and will be joined on the '1' line by Arizona, +University of Virginia, and Wichita State.

The selection committee released its pairings Sunday, not long after the Gators defeated Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference tournament final to bring their winning streak to 26 games.

Fifth-seeded +University of Cincinnati Bearcats takes on No. 12 +Harvard University in Spokane, Wash. on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Xavier will play fellow 12 seed North Carolina State in a First Four game in Dayton. The winner advances to play St. Louis in Orlando.

The Kentucky Wildcats opens up against +Kansas State University, in an 8-9 matchup. That game will be played in St. Louis. Meanwhile rival +Louisville Cardinals, a surprising No. 4 seed, opens up action against Manhattan.

Both Commonwealth schools are in the Midwest Region.

In an all-Ohio battle, the sixth-seeded +Ohio State Buckeyes take on the 11 seed, +Dayton Flyers, in Buffalo, N.Y. on Thursday.

+Florida Gators is seeded first (number one overall seed) in the South Region. On Thursday, the Gators play the winner of a First Four game between +Albany Devils and St. Mary's.

+Arizona Wildcats got top billing in the West Region despite losing to +UCLA Bruins in the +Pac-12 Conference final Saturday. The Wildcats will open Friday against +Weber State University.

+Wichita State is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region — that includes Big Ten regular season champs, +University of Michigan and AAC regular season and tournament champs, Louisville, who joined the Shockers in the Final Four last year. The reigning NCAA Div. 1 Champions are seeded fourth. The Wolverines are seeded second.

+Kansas Jayhawks earned the No. 2 seed in the South Region and +Wisconsin Badgers are No. 2 in the West.

First Four matchups involving bubble teams are +Iowa Hawkeyes against +Tennessee Vols, as well as the previously stated XU and N.C. State contest.

Free Fillable Online Brackets Found Here and Printable Brackets Linked to Bracket:

NCAA Tournament 2014: Bracket reactions, instant analysis

Original by Ryan Fagan (Slight changes by +Marleigh Crews) 
+Sporting News 

East Region

Yes, +University of Virginia, there is a No. 1 seed. The committee clearly rewarded the accomplishment of winning the ACC in the regular season and the tournament. And it seems the loss to Seton Hall was very damaging to Villanova.

But, of course, the big news here was the reveal of the final at-large teams. +SMU Mustangs, +Florida State Seminoles, +UWGB (Green Bay at Wisconsin) and +Georgetown University, were the first four teams out. 

The lowest at-large team in this region is, in fact, ninth-seeded +George Washington University Colonials, which seems odd. You have auto bids at 10 (St. Joe's) , 11 (+Providence Friars), 12 (+Harvard University) and 13 (+University of Delaware).

Big East member, Villanova, their Head Coach, Jay Wright on readying up for +NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness 

MORE: Interactive bracket | Printable | Should you bet against the top seeds?

Seed-wise, I thought +North Carolina Tar Heels would get a 5 and +University of Cincinnati Bearcats, +UConn, and +Michigan State Athletics might be a line up, but that’s not a big deal.

Midwest Region

The stunner in most folks’ minds will be +Louisville Cardinals Athletics as a No. 4 seed. I had them as a No. 3 seed because of their awful, awful non-conference schedule, but there’s no way I thought they would be down as far as a fourth seed, not with the way they blew through the AAC Tournament. That’s surprising. Very surprising, Sports CR3W felt along with Michigan State as a 4. No #1 seed should face those two teams who look to be at full strength currently in the sweet 16 / Regional Finals. Both won their perspective conference tournaments as evidenced.

Speaking of surprisingly low seeds … +Kentucky Wildcats Athletics as an 8 seed? That’s unexpected. It’s a brutal bracket for No. 1 seed +Wichita State, with those two on the top half of the bracket, not to mention +Duke Basketball as a No. 3 seed and +Michigan Wolverines as a 2.

Final Four Seeds (Paul Nisely/SN Illustration)(AP Photos)

PHOTOS: Biggest NCAA Tournament first-round upsets

The crushing reveal in this bracket was when +North Carolina State University got a surprising bid over other potential at-large candidates. The Wolfpack clearly punched their ticket with their ACC Tournament victory against +Syracuse Orange.

West Region

Where to start? A handful of surprising seeds handed out in this region. +BYU, whom +SPORTS CR3W had as "out" to surely +SMU Mustangs, even Green Bay or the Seminoles. The WCC is a one bid conference this year. Very surprising that they got in, let alone as a 10 seed. They had one good win versus the +Texas Longhorns (a 7 seed). Win you look at good wins and then bad losses. BYU played 5 games, all losses, but one, against teams with an RPI of 135 or worse. +San Diego State Athletics was given a No. 4 seed, which is almost stunning considering +UNM (New Mexico) — which beat the Aztecs twice this year — was a 7 seed in the South. Befuddling.

And we have a couple of thoroughly entertaining potential matchups with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. +Oklahoma State Athletics winds up as a No. 9 seed, and if the Cowboys get past the overseeded +Gonzaga Bulldogs — hint, they will — they’ll face top seed Arizona. That will be a fantastic matchup, or at least a very entertaining matchup.

Then, maybe 11th-seeded +Nebraska Cornhuskers  against third-seeded +Creighton University? Of course, the Cornhuskers — the most out-of-nowhere success story this year — first have to play Baylor in the opener. And nobody wants to play the red-hot Bears right about now.

Here Nebraska's Head Coach Tim Miles Touching on the match up versus the +Baylor Athletics Basketball Team

South Region

Honestly, I was a little surprised +Virginia Commonwealth University was as high as a No. 5 seed, but I was a lot surprised that New Mexico wound up as a No. 7 seed. The Lobos beat San Diego State twice — once during the regular season and then again in the Mountain West championship game. Add in a win against Cincinnati — the top seed in the American tournament — and solid computer numbers — the Lobos were 13th in the RPI and 28th in the Pomeroy ratings, and I thought they deserved a seed as high as five.

Also, love the fact that +Ohio State Buckeyes has to play in-state foe +University of Dayton Flyers Flyers. That’ll be intense. Zero surprise about Florida as the top overall seed, or Kansas as a No. 2. The +Kansas Jayhawks struggled, at times, without Joel Embiid, but their resume is beyond reproach, despite the nine losses. Have noticed that Kansas has been able to play in the states of Kansas or Missouri in their last three NCAA Tournaments of the top of our heads'. It might even be more. We understand that they're a locale ideal for the Midwest area of the country but it is a trend we've noticed as the Tar Heels have fallen victim to it the last couple match ups vs the Jayhawks.


+Brought to you by +CBS Sports, Kansas Head Coach Bill Self

Hardy top Free Agent this NFL Off-Season - Otherwise Known as the "Kraken"

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Behind the Face Mask

The Kraken, Unleashed
A sixth-round pick four years ago, Greg Hardy enters free agency as one of the league’s most coveted pass rushers. The defensive end wants to stay in Carolina, for the right price

By: Robert Klemko

On the Friday before the Super Bowl, amidst the height of a media maelstrom, Greg Hardy arrived at radio row with two childhood pals to play an entirely new game. The Panthers defensive end, who has 26 sacks over the past two seasons, intended to prepare for his impending free agency by building his personal brand. Wearing sunglasses, jeans and a vibrant blue sport jacket, he weaved slowly through the maze of tables for three straight hours, stopping to give interviews whenever he was asked.

He delighted a skeleton crew from Phoenix, cracked jokes with LaVar Arrington at a packed table from Washington and declined to take his sunglasses off for an NFL Films crew. Everywhere he went, they asked the same question: Where do you want to be? And the answer was the same every time: Carolina, for the right price.

And he did all of this as the Kraken, playing the part of a fire-breathing sociopath as irreverent as he is unpredictable, and composed of equal parts intelligence, indifference and violence. I watched him go through the routine and couldn’t help but wonder who the real Greg Hardy is, or how the Kraken became one of the NFL’s best defensive ends four years after being a sixth-round pick.

After speaking with dozens of radio stations and TV crews, Hardy walked from the Sheraton hotel in Times Square toward his ride when a fan in a 49ers hat approached him for an autograph. Still fuming weeks after Carolina’s divisional playoff loss to San Francisco, Hardy bit his tongue, signed a photo and stepped into the black car.

“Did you see that guy?” he said incredulously. “This mother—— had a 49ers hat on. Did you not see the playoff game? I should’ve just thrown that s— in the trash.”

We laughed, and soon we were discussing everything from Colin Kaepernick’s “big-nose swag,” to “the Biebs,” to Hardy’s painful childhood. Later, I reached out to people from his past to get a better picture of the Kraken for a profile in Sports Illustrated. That story hits newsstands next week, but here is a Q&A with Hardy, whom The MMQB has dubbed this offseason’s No. 1 free agent.

Robert Klemko: You were on the cover of Sports Illustrated when you were a junior at Ole Miss. How did that change your life?

Greg Hardy: Big time. I became one of the biggest people in Ole Miss history. It put me on the map as a 19-year-old. It was kind of cool, going around and people are like, You’re that guy. It was awesome.

Klemko: Were you prepared for that attention, emotionally?

Hardy: I wouldn’t say that I was prepared, but I was pretty well set. We had a good program down there, but nothing can really prepare you for an SI cover. In sports, that’s the biggest thing you can get. The last person that got it at Ole Miss was Archie [Manning] and that’s one of the greatest of all time. I adapted well. It built my brand. Back then I wasn’t the Kraken… I was just the Land Shark.

Klemko: Some of your NFL teammates think you are the Kraken. I don’t believe that. Does that get old, being the Kraken all the time?

Hardy: It doesn’t get old. You have to sell it. You’ve got to be what you’re saying you are. You’ve got to embody that life, because if you don’t, it will fall to the wayside. So what I did was make it a part of my life and then lived it. People say I’m different, but you can’t put it all on the line and deal with all of this pressure without an outlet. When I start feeling that pressure—I’ve had five surgeries—I’m thinking, What am I going to do to feed my family? The Kraken is kind of like putting on a mask—a secret identity. It helps you out. I’m growing to love it.

Klemko: You were humbled by the draft. Were you as confident then as you are now?

Hardy: I haven’t cried a lot in my life, but I cried a little bit. I was hurt. I wasn’t drafted in the sixth round because of my ability. After my third year I was the number 1 prospect. Even after my senior year, I was projected as a third-rounder. I still don’t understand what happened. It hurt, but I was still confident, because that’s not based on my athletic ability.

Klemko: So what happened?

Hardy: A lot happened. At one point I got kicked off the team, but they let me back on. Coach [Ed] Orgeron, a man I really respect, had enough. I was just being a kid with a crazy head, having fun, and then me and coach ended up yelling at each other.

Then there was the way I dealt with injuries. My first two years at Ole Miss I took care of myself. If my hand was broken, I’d say I wasn’t playing. And they’d say it was a sprain and I’d be like, Nah, I’m getting my own opinion. They hated that with a passion. That all came from the one time I was all about the team, when I had a stress fracture my sophomore year. In high school I did the same thing and it just snapped in the other foot. I told them it feels like the same thing, and they said it wasn’t, then one time in the middle of practice it snapped. After that I would break my thumb, for instance, and say I’m not practicing. Of course Ed Orgeron would say you’ve got to play, which is part of why I respect him. He’s the coldest coach in the world.

“O-linemen are naturally dirty, nasty, disgusting fat people,” Hardy says. “But if you want to go to war, if you want to fight … between the lines there are no rules if you don’t get caught. I’m about that life.”

Klemko: How did the experience change you?

Hardy: I feel like the way I approach people today is more mature. Guys don’t get to see inside. It hurt to see my work ethic and my character questioned, and the criticism was so vague. Me getting kicked off the team, nobody knew why, so what do you call that? Team problems. If I was smoking weed or getting arrested, that’s what they’d say, but it wasn’t that.

Klemko: People also said your play was inconsistent.

Hardy: My play was inconsistent, 100 percent, but my work ethic was not. I didn’t get a lot of credit for my work ethic. How do you play both sides of the ball and play basketball and not work hard?

Klemko: I’m guessing teams asked at the combine if you were bipolar.

Hardy: Everybody. Every team.

Klemko: What about the Panthers?

Hardy: With the Panthers, they asked me, “Why is everyone saying you’re bipolar?” I didn’t get clinically tested for being bipolar. I’m not bipolar. But that’s the kind of questions I got all combine. I’m not crazy, but you walk into a room and people ask you that question. They were like, “Can we trust you to play?” Really? I don’t understand that. If there was a psychiatrist in there I would’ve felt better, but these guys weren’t qualified.

Klemko: Some guys latch onto a veteran when they get to the league and mimic the guy. Did you do that?

Hardy: Yes. I latched onto Jon Beason, because that’s what I did at Ole Miss with P-Willy [Patrick Willis]. I tried to emulate the way he plays.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Klemko: You exploded in 2012 as a pass rusher, and improved in 2013. What changed?

Hardy: The preparation became more important for me. Once you realize that being good or great is not good enough—because legendary is attainable—you’ve got to make it important. I made winning, and not making excuses, important to me. I’d go to sleep instead of partying. I’d work out more even if I was partying and drunk, starting my second year. I was working after workouts and practices my rookie year, too, but I did more. I did the extra reps on top of the extra reps. In the offseason you don’t have to do anything if you’re talented enough, but I started taking the offseason seriously. As it became more important, the work became more natural. As a result, my level is unprecedented right now. I haven’t found a ceiling yet.

Klemko: Ron Rivera said you have a switch that goes off during games, and you end up playing at your highest potential. True?

Hardy: There’s some truth to that, and there’s some BS to that. I’m balling 100 percent of the time, but I’m taking more focus into the game when I’m not the Kraken. Once you piss me off, I forget everything. Everything after that is the monster. I’m going to take you out. When you cross that line, I’m gonna take it to a place you’ve never seen before. Like the Atlanta game. I’m a grown man. Don’t talk crazy to me at work. Once you try to talk trash or hurt me, we’ve got problems. I couldn’t jack [fight] because it was a game where we had something to lose and priorities are big to me.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Klemko: What else sets you off?

Hardy: Hands to the face. Hits after the whistle. Falling on me after the whistle blows. You know how many times I’ve been chop blocked after the whistle blows?

Klemko: Is it a result of you talking trash?

Hardy: I think its because O-linemen are naturally dirty, nasty, disgusting fat people. But if you want to go to war, if you want to fight, I’m that guy, as long as it doesn’t jeopardize my team or my family. And between the lines there are no rules if you don’t get caught. I’m about that life. Fighting is my number 1 talent.

Klemko: Tell me about the Panthers. You guys took another big step this season. What’s changed?

Hardy: Little things, man. Little things. We’ve got a players’ coach. We’ve got a players’ GM. We’ve got a players’ owner. For example, we wanted the music changed in the stadium for game days. They were playing some Miley Cyrus. Don’t get me wrong. I love Miley Cyrus. I’m gonna be at her concert, jamming out. I know every one of her songs, but that’s not what’s going to get you ready to sack quarterbacks. Justin Beibs ain’t getting me pumped to get around the edge at all. I wanna talk to my girl and conversate for a while—that’s what the Biebs does for you. So we asked. Me, Cam [Newton] and Luke [Kuechly] are on the junior board of leaders. We make time to present our problems, and that was one of our problems. We said, “Coach, this is our office. It’s like not having staplers and printers.” He got it fixed, and that’s a testament to Riverboat. Another thing: Getting rides to our cars after games so we’re not harassed. Before we had guys who are hurt pressured into standing around and signing autographs. We got music at practice, and it sharpened our focus. When you know the lyrics to a song and you’re trying to remember a play, you’re screwed. When you’re comfortable you can adapt more.

Klemko: Compare Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton?

Hardy: Kaepernick is more of a cowboy, and a smaller version of Cam. He has more confidence in his arm while Cam has more confidence in his game. Kaepernick does what he is good at. But he could do more to be a better player. Cam gets out of the pocket and makes plays, and that’s what makes him better. Kaep could do that better. At the same time, I feel like if Cam would add a little more big-nose swag to his game, he would be more complete.


OPEN MARKET
Greg A. Bedard ranked the top 100 free agents this offseason. Click here to read about 100-51, and here for 50-1.

Klemko: Why did you attend Super Bowl week? To get your name out there?

Hardy: Getting my name out there is an everyday thing. I’m a sixth-round draft pick. I came from the bottom, so every single day I’m pushing my crew—putting us in the best position to win.

Klemko: Is it hard to be in New York without playing?

Hardy: Normally I would avoid it. I get really, really upset when I don’t win. I’ve got a problem with being a loser. Being up here reminds me of that loss to San Francisco, because I know everyone is going to ask me about it and everyone’s going to be in my face a little bit. I don’t want to be a fan, watching other people do my job.

Klemko: I respect that you don’t talk about your family in interviews. What’s been the most difficult part of your life, thus far?

Hardy: I came from Memphis, didn’t have nothing, lived in a trailer. I would say the most difficult thing was having nothing, the thought of going back to having nothing, and how that would make my parents feel. When you don’t have anything there’s a look. It doesn’t matter how strong you are; at some point when you’re kids are growing up, they can see it in your face. The hurt, the pain, the struggle. My parents never really showed pain but you could see the struggle in their faces. I hated it. I hated having to wear the same New Balances to every single sporting event. I never want to go back to zero. I want to be revered. I want to be seen as a well-rounded guy. That’s what motivates me.

Klemko: And what if it all ended tomorrow?

Hardy: If it ended tomorrow, if my career was done, I’d find another way to make a billion so we can keep eating. These are some hungry boys.

Florida moves to No. 1 in AP Poll

By The Associated Press

AP - Sports

Florida is the new No. 1 in the AP college basketball poll, the Gators' first time on top of the rankings since they repeated as national champions in 2007.

Florida coach Bill Donovan reacts against Mississippi 
during an NCAA college basketball game in Oxford

The Gators (25-2) moved up one place Monday, replacing Syracuse (25-2), which lost twice last week and dropped to fourth.

Wichita State (29-0) and Arizona (25-2) both moved up one place to second and third.

Florida, the fifth school to hold the No. 1 spot this season, received 47 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel. Wichita State was No. 1 on 14 ballots and Arizona got the other four first-place votes.

Kansas jumped three places to fifth and was followed by Duke, Louisville, Villanova, Creighton and Saint Louis.

Syracuse, which was No. 1 the past three weeks, lost to Boston College and Duke last week, the Orange's first losses of the season.

North Carolina, SMU and New Mexico all returned to the Top 25 this week replacing Connecticut, UCLA and Gonzaga

View the Polls