By: Dave Cheng, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Throw out the glass slipper.  After an NCAA tournament filled with surprises and upsets, the Final Four is set with Duke, West Virginia, Michigan State and Butler.  None of which are by any means considered Cinderella stories.
Many claimed Duke was given a nearly free ride with the weakest region in the tournament.  Second seeded Villanova was done by the second round, and Duke’s opening game was against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, winner of the 65 versus 64 play in game.  Their only real challenge came in the Elite Eight against third seeded Baylor, where Duke had the upper hand with their height and used it to their advantage by out-rebounding Baylor 41-35. This included 17 offensive boards in the second half alone.  Their final four opponent will be Bob Huggins and his West Virginia Moutaineers.
WVU also had a near cake walk into the final four.  Other than Kentucky, the top seed in the eastern region of the bracket, the team has faced tenth seeded Missouri and 11th seeded Washington beating them by a combined score of 22 points.  Then Daryl Bryant went down with a broken bone in his right foot, and people began doubting how far [...]

By: Dave Cheng, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The most successful coach in Boston College Men’s basketball history is officially done as the Eagle’s head coach.  Al Skinner, who recently interviewed for the vacant St. John’s coaching position, has been fired as leader of the BC men’s basketball program after a rough season that ended with a 15-16 overall record, and 6-10 in the ACC.
“Coach Al Skinner and I met last Wednesday and agreed it would be mutually beneficial for us to part ways,” athletic director Gene DeFilippo said in a statement. “In our meeting, we discussed our philosophical differences and our concern for the future of our basketball program.”
DeFilippo also said that Skinner was not fired for interviewing for the St. John’s position.  According to two anonymous sources that spoke to the Associated Press, plans had been in the works to let him go for about a week now, but that the school kept it under wraps so that Skinner would be able to pursue other possible coaching jobs.
Skinner has won a total of 247 games, and lost 165, in his 13 seasons leading the Eagles to go along with seven NCAA berths since 2001.  However, Boston College has finished under .500 [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
If you told me back in October that, come April, the Bruins would be locked in a Battle Royale for the eighth and final playoff spot, I probably would’ve slapped you. After all–distant a memory as it may seem–the Bruins are just one year removed from a dream season that delivered a first-place finish, numerous accolades, and the franchise’s first playoff series victory since 1999. Not much was expected to change this year. If anything, the Bruins were supposed to build off of their success, picked in the preseason by fans and experts alike as a trendy Cup favorite.
April was going to be the time of year when the Bruins, having already clinched a playoff spot, were preparing for the long postseason haul. Six months ago, it wouldn’t have been crazy to assume that the season finale against Washington on April 11 would potentially serve as an exciting, yet meaningless, Eastern Conference Finals preview between two elite teams.
Instead, that contest could be the deciding factor in whether or not the Bruins even make the playoffs–and God forbid that it does come down to that game, for the goal-starved Bruins are ill-equipped to match up with the top dog in the East.
And if they do hold their own against the unstoppable Washington offense?
Well, [...]

By: Ian Tasso, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
With opening day just one week away, we’ve reached the top 5 Red Sox questions for the 2010 season in our top 20 countdown.
5. Do the Red Sox have enough in then middle of the order to win this season? (Eric; Amherst, Mass.)
Yes. They lose a lot of shots over the monster going from Bay to Cameron, and they lose plenty of rockets into left going from Lowell to Beltre. I’ll even go on a limb to say they lose a litte pop with Scutaro in the nine-hole rather than Gonzalez.
But even so, a lot of people forget who really is in this lineup: an MVP, one of the most potent bats in the AL in Kevin Youkilis, the second best hitting catcher in all of baseball (who’s finally here for a full season), and the MLB’s leading base stealer. Not to mention David Ortiz – who, even with last year’s struggles still slammed the American League’s 4th most home runs post-All Star Break with 16.
After all, with the pitching they feature, it’s not like they need a Yankee-style batting order. The days of 10-8, 15-9 wins are most likely behind us. But does this [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The NFL Draft is fast approaching. The New England Patriots have four picks in the first two rounds of what is considered a fairly deep pool.
Some positions the Patriots need help at include the secondary, pass rushing defensive linemen and/or linebackers, and tight end.
One player that Head Coach Bill Belichick likes, however, is quarterback Tim Tebow.
Tebow is arguably one of the best college football players of all time as well as being the most publicized prospect in the draft.
Would the Patriots and Tebow be a good fit though?
New England would be a great spot for Tebow to land.
The Patriots already have a starting quarterback, the one and only Tom Brady, so Tebow would have time to sit, learn, and develop.
The man he would be learning from would also be one of the top two quarterbacks in the league. Brady would take a ton of attention away from Tebow, especially since many have doubted his ability to be a starting NFL quarterback.
There are advantages for the Patriots to select him as well.
One of Tebow’s strengths is his ability to run the football. Currently, Brady isn’t much of a mobile player and sometimes neither are the Pats [...]

By: Dave Cheng. YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The St. John’s men’s basketball program is in the hunt.  After firing head coach Norm Roberts late last week, the Red Storm athletic program has targeted two ACC head coaches as their primary targets.
Current Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt met with St. John’s officials earlier this week, but has since stated that he would not accept an offer from St. John’s because for family reasons.
“My family and I have developed deep ties to Georgia Tech and the city of Atlanta,” Hewitt said in a statement released by Tech. “I strongly believe in what Georgia Tech can do for young people, and I am committed to returning the Tech basketball program to the level of success our fans have come to expect. We took a step in that direction this past season, and I fully intend to continue on that path.”
Athletic director Chris Monasch has now directed his attention towards Boston College head coach Al Skinner, the most successful coach in Boston College history.  According to WEEI, Skinner will be interviewing for the position this afternoon.
Since his time in Boston began in 1997, Skinner has compiled a 210-137 record along with six NCAA tournament appearances [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The high-flying Boston College offense came through in the clutch yet again, and they’ll be rewarded with a number one seed when the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament kicks off this Saturday in Worcester.
In last weekend’s Hockey East Championship game, the Eagles pulled through with a thrilling 7-6 overtime victory against a relentless and physical Maine squad. The Black Bears seemingly had an answer for every puck BC put in the net, setting the tone by responding just 24 seconds after the Eagles opened the scoring in the first period. All in all, Maine battled back to tie the game on three different occasions–including a goal from Joey Diamond to knot it up at 6-all with just 27 seconds remaining.
But destiny, as it has been in so many seasons past, was on the Eagles side in the end. Matt Lombardi potted his third of the game 5:26 into the extra fame, and Boston College became the rightful owner of the 2010 Hockey East trophy, stealing it back from Boston University after having last won it in 2008, just like they stole the Beanpot from the Terriers this year too.
Just two years removed from their last national title, Jerry York’s squad enters tournament play with high expectations. The [...]