Battle Royale

1.Is it even possible to rank Vanderbilt, Memphis or Tennessee following their barn-burner games this past week?

Zach

All three of these teams are top in the nation. It is very difficult to differentiate them, so ranking them would be very hard. However, we will find out who is the best in the NCAA tournament. 

Sheena

Absolutely. Even though Vandy was able to upset No. 1 Tennessee after the Volunteers dethroned Memphis from the top spot, being 24-4 isn’t enough to be No. 1 in my book this season, especially with the way the Vols played against Memphis. Chris Lofton of Tennessee still led the team with 25 points in the game against Vanderbilt with the flu. The Vols are still my No. 1, followed by Memphis and then Vanderbilt.  

Christian

Compared to each other, Tennessee, Memphis and Vanderbilt seem to be pretty evenly matched. Maybe we should have them all play against Oregon State, and whoever wins by the largest margin shall be declared No. 1. Either that, or we should construct some sort of 65-team, single-elimination tournament to be played in March. One or the other.

Allen

Tennessee wins in Memphis, and then Vandy goes and defeats Tennessee in front of thousands of orange-clad fans. If neither Memphis nor Tennessee can handle the pressure of being No. 1 at home, then they don’t deserve it. Vandy deserves some huge props for taking down the Vols, but I’m guessing we’ll see UNC back on top when the new rankings come out.

2 Should David Tyree receive a bonus for catching the Giant’s Super Bowl-winning touchdown?

Zach

Yes. That was an amazing catch. He brought the ball down on his helmet after out-jumping Rodney Harrison. It was the play of the Super Bowl. Unfortunately NFL teams don’t give bonuses for “amazing one-handed-helmet-catches,” so he won’t get one. His reward will be endorsements, bigger contracts and immortality on NFL films.

Sheena

Tyree made an incredibly unlikely, uncalled-for ball-to-helmet catch. He had only caught four passes during the season, and the Super Bowl touchdown isn’t really a sign of big things to come for the guy. Even so, considering the magnitude of the game, and that final play arguably being one of the best in recent Super Bowl history, making the “Giant catch” should earn Tyree a bonus. 

Christian

First of all, no. Second of all, he didn’t catch the game-winner. Plaxico Burress did. So um, no. Just no.

Allen

Yes, Plaxico Burress should receive a bonus for catching the winning touchdown. Anybody who can take down the Boston Machine deserves some bonuses, like getting signed to a huge ad deal or getting the chance to spread the anti-Boston message on public service announcements.

3What are the odds the Rockets will make the playoffs without Yao Ming? 

Zach

In a word, long. The Western Conference of the NBA is incredibly tough this year. To win they would have to beat out the Denver Nuggets (33-23) and the Golden State Warriors (34-22) just for the 8th seed. This will be tough without Yao Ming, but they can still make it.

Sheena

This is a nightmare realized for the Rockets, who will have to make do without their leading scorer. That being said, though, they’ll still have a real shot at making the playoffs with how they’re playing as of late. Huge factors that will come into play are Tracy McGrady, who wasn’t far behind Ming averaging 21.2 points per game, the fact that four of the Rockets’ 25 remaining games are against below-.500 Eastern Conference teams, and a schedule where 13 games will be played on their home court. 

Christian

Pretty high, though playing in the Western Conference is going to make things a little more difficult. Still, they’ve won 13 straight, and I’m pretty sure Tracy McGrady knows how to take over a game. Houston should be fine.

Allen

Slim. He was their huge inside presence, but now that he’s gone, expect the team to drop off. Houston is still an OK team without him, just not playoff bound.

4 Who would make a good athletic director for the UW in the post-Todd Turner era?

Zach

We need a director who can create winning teams across the board while maintaining clean programs with high academic achievement. Needless to say, a director like that is hard to find. Ultimately, Mark Emmert will have to find someone whom he feels he can work closely with to achieve the main goal of the alumni and students: winning athletic teams. 

Sheena

Is Jeremy Foley for hire? Ever since he became the University of Florida’s director of Athletics in ’92, 12 athletic teams have taken home national titles and are thriving with Florida’s $76.6 million athletic program that consistently ranks among the nation’s 10 best programs. All that in an era when NCAA estimates that 90 percent of Division I schools are losing money on intercollegiate athletics. 

Christian

Who needs an athletic director when President Emmert can make the calls himself? It’s pretty obvious that football is the only sport here that anyone blames the athletic director for, which is why Turner got the axe. If the football team is winning, the boosters are happy — other sports be damned.

Allen

I don’t know enough about specific people to say, but anyone who cares about integrity, pride and honesty while still getting out there and getting fans excited about Husky sports is fine in my book.