With the Academy Awards done and over, let's see what teams and stories in college basketball best matches with the films that were up for various awards. No, the stories don't always follow what the movie was actually about ... but it's just fun to play:
Atonement -- Indiana and Kelvin Sampson parted ways after it was revealed that the program had some major violations. It gave us a week filled with ick and goo and took away from the on-court action. Sampson will resurface somewhere again ... but he will have to do a lot of work to gain trust. The team, I think, can be a darkhorse for the Final Four but will constantly have this stigma following them. As for the school, Indiana must fess up to its poor judgement of bringing in the tainted coach and deal with the consequences.
Juno -- The fresh young hip movie broke through to a nomination ... just as college basketball has seen a great class of young hip freshman invading campuses. There is K-State's Michael Beasley in the hunt for the National Player of the Year. UCLA's Kevin Love, USC's O.J. Mayo and Indiana's Eric Gordon have been spectacular. And those are just the cream of the crop. Every conference has freshmen making a major impact.
Gone Baby Gone -- Alas, most of those guys won't be around to make a great sophomore class.
There Will Be Blood -- Oh, those crazy kids on Tobacco Road just can't stop slap fighting. If Coach K and Roy Williams aren't showing their mean faces during their games ... they are firing off verbal blasts between meetings. I'm sorry, but it isn't a horrible thing to have bad blood between the coaches of such hated rivals. Oh, they both respect one another, but neither would be crushed if the other one quit tomorrow.
No Country For Old Men -- In one corner, Bobby Knight abruptly quits Texas Tech because he's too tired. In the other corner, Eddie Sutton is babysitting the San Francisco hoops team to gain his 800th win. Both moves have been heavily criticized.
La Vie En Rose -- This goes to the best team you've probably never seen: Xavier. This team has the ability to get to the Final Four. They are balanced, experienced and so well coached that they should be taken seriously by everyone.
Michael Clayton -- Billy Gillispie was sent into Kentucky to fix it. As of right now, the Wildcats are teetering on the NCAA tournament bubble and having their worst season in years. Sure, he's righted the ship a little bit, but even the hardest anti-Tubby Smith fan will be embarrassed if this team doesn't get into the Big Dance.
The Bourne Ultimatum -- This film won several awards for its action and effects scenes. It's a good movie, though not one who is a "best picture" type. Is that Memphis? The Tigers are exciting to watch and filled with action. But can it hold up against the best of the best? We shall see.
Sweeney Todd -- Despite losing two in a row last week, the Duke Blue Devils are back. Everyone got their punches in last year as Duke struggled to an 8-8 conference record and getting bounced in the first round of the ACC and NCAA tournaments. This year, they've avenged their losses and have vaulted back to the top tier of teams in the country. All that without a big man.
