-- CSTV is providing a video stream of all of today's press conferences -- for free. Very, very cool. Particularly for us "citizen-journalists." They also kindly offered a $5 discount to bloggers interested in CSTV's all-access, on-demand streaming video of the first 56 NCAA Tournament games (as they are broadcast by CBS Sports) in real time. Again, very, very cool. To save $5 off the $19.99 subscription fee (if you haven't already signed up) click here.

(Full Disclosure: CSTV sent me a free subscription. But they did so independent of any write-up I might provide about their services. I happen to believe the press conferences -- and the blogger discount -- are very cool. And would have written about them without the free subscription).

-- Mike Lucas of the Madison (WI) Capital-Times looks back 10 years. A fun exercise.

-- Dick Vitale has picked Duke to beat Duke in the NCAA Finals. Heh.

-- The well-respected Mark Blaudschun of the Boston (MA) Globe notes that Massachusetts may have its eyes on Steve Lavin. Let's hope so. The former UCLA coach would elevate the Minutemen's profile, bring in big-name recruits, and create a new market for hair products in Amherst...Would also be nice to get him off ESPN.

-- Comedian (and baseball blogger!) Scott Long interviews bloggers Ken and Kyle. Enjoy!

-- The New York (NY) Daily News' Dick Weiss suggests Indiana boosters may move to have Mike Davis fired...before next year's talented Hoosiers assure Davis a gig in Bloomington for years to come. Weiss also finds Rick Majerus antsy to get back to coaching and - get this - floats a Mark Cuban conspiracy theory.

There has also been speculation that Mark Cuban, an IU alum who owns the Dallas Mavericks, would love to buy Davis' contract out and maneuver former IU star Randy Wittman into the job.

-- After Notre Dame lost to Holy Cross in the first round of the NIT, Mike Brey told reporters he was not interested in the Virginia job. Good. But why would he be? (And why would the Cavs be interested in Brey?)

-- Kansas State fans will have Jim Wooldridge to (unjustly) kick around for at least one more year. So much for the "No NIT? No Job" school of thought. Jason Whitlock's influence and/or foresight is also now called into question.

-- Put another shrimp on the...Ken and...(Tony) Barbee wants the University of Massachusetts head coaching job...I wonder who Calipari will endorse for the gig. You have to believe his judgment still carries (some) weight at Amherst. Even after "Bruiserball."

-- Advice on betting on the tournament from the Las Vegas (NV) Sun's Jeff Haney.

-- John Thompson yesterday put the smack down on Myles Brand during an ESPN-sponsored debate on play-for-pay.

Thompson might have been the only panelist without a clear opinion on the subject. He made up for that uncertainty later, however, with a blistering attack on NCAA President Myles Brand that ESPN decided to edit out of the show.

In a debate over whether coaches bear responsibility for the academic performance of their players, Thompson crossed the line and became personal with Brand, the former Indiana University president.

Although Brand merely had said it was a "shared responsibility" with deans and faculty members, Thompson screamed at him: "Don't tell me what to do. I'm not Bob Knight and you're not my president. Don't you ever forget that!"

Although some estimate 40 percent of college athletic departments break even or make a profit, Brand said the figure is not even close. "A dozen of our over 1,000 schools make a profit," he said. "Most schools subsidize their athletic departments."

-- Byron Painter of the Marion (IL) Daily Republican is up with his picks. His picture alone makes me distrust his picks.

-- With no Indiana teams in the tournament (!), Paul Siegfierd of the Huntington County (IN) Herald-Press is free (as the birds fly) to make his picks for the NCAA Tournament.

-- The AP: "It's good to be a fan in Iowa."

-- Vaughn McClure's picks for the Albuquerque (NM) Tribune.

-- UNM's Ritchie McKay yesterday got a contract extension...Pete Gillen redux?

-- Sports Illustrated tries to jinx everybody at once.

-- Roy Williams is pissed about Tennessee's firing of Buzz Peterson.

-- Nick Daschel's picks for a paper in Clark County, Washington.

-- A column worthy of your time. Truly.