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My NCAA bracket has the Houston Cougars making Kelvin Sampson a national champion at last

I picked Houston to win it all two years ago. Alas, the Cougars fizzled in the Sweet 16, missing a chance to rock Houstonians’ world by reaching a Final Four held in their own city.

But don’t blame coach Kelvin Sampson for making that pick look bad. That one was all on me.

Besides, Sampson has taken enough abuse as it is, piled on top of the fact he has taken four schools to a total of 20 NCAA Tournaments without ever seizing the national championship.

Not long after leading Oklahoma to the Final Four in 2002, Sampson was cited by the NCAA for making "impermissible phone calls” to recruits and barred from off-campus recruiting. So he went to Indiana and did the same damn thing, was caught and lost his job (infuriating Illinois fans along the way for stealing away mega-recruit Eric Gordon). Not entirely unfairly, it earned Sampson a reputation as something of a bandit.

But fast-forward to today and — please — just try to tell me how terrible a bunch of phone calls sounds. In this college basketball recruiting climate? With players making millions and staying at schools so briefly, they might as well be resort hotels? Making extra phone calls sounds about as awful as giving them milk and cookies.

Here’s the point: I’m picking Houston again. It’s time for Sampson, 69, to let someone else be the best coach never to have won the tournament. The Cougars can even do it in Texas, this time in San Antonio.

I have them beating Michigan State, an underrated, extremely dangerous team, in my view, that — like the Cougars — is better on the perimeter than it is inside, yet has the kind of toughness and togetherness from top to bottom that all coaches seek. Sampson and Tom Izzo, 70, each could point to the other and say, “I get him. He’s just like me.”

Early on, Houston lost to Auburn despite leading late and fell to both Alabama and San Diego State in overtime. Sampson had a 4-3 team on his hands.

“We’re a good team,” he said, “but that might be all we are right now, just a good team. We’re not really good or very good.”

But look what guards LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, heart-and-soul forward J’Wan Roberts and all the Cougars — the No. 1-ranked defensive team in the land — have done since then. They’ve won 26 of 27 games, the only loss coming to an outstanding Texas Tech team by one point in OT. They went 19-1 in the Big 12 and, even with Roberts resting an injured ankle, steamrolled through the league tournament.

In two seasons since joining the Big 12, they’re 38-5 against league foes. Read that again. It’s amazing.

A breakthrough is coming.

SOUTH

First-round winners: Auburn (over Alabama State), Louisville, UC San Diego, Texas A&M, UNC (beats SDSU then Ole Miss), Iowa State, New Mexico, Michigan State.

Second round: Auburn, UC San Diego, UNC, Michigan State.

Sweet 16: Auburn, Michigan State.

Elite Eight: Michigan State.

WEST

First-round winners: Florida, UConn, Memphis, Maryland, Drake, Texas Tech, Arkansas, St. John’s.

Second round: Florida, Maryland, Texas Tech, St. John’s.

Sweet 16: Florida, St. John’s.

Elite Eight: Florida.

EAST

First-round winners: Duke (over Mount St. Mary’s), Mississippi State, Oregon, Arizona, BYU, Wisconsin, Saint Mary’s, Alabama.

Second round: Duke, Oregon, BYU, Alabama.

Sweet 16: Duke, Alabama.

Elite Eight: Alabama.

MIDWEST

First-round winners: Houston, Gonzaga, Clemson, Purdue, Illinois, Kentucky, Utah State, Tennessee.

Second round: Houston, Purdue, Illinois, Tennessee.

Sweet 16: Houston, Tennessee.

Elite Eight: Houston.

FINAL FOUR

Michigan State over Florida, Houston over Alabama.

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Час познания Отечества «Мы вместе выбор тот вершили» ко Дню воссоединения Крыма с Россией

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4 Beloved Movies Finally Streaming This March

The rest of the month has a wonderful selection of great movies finally hitting streaming platforms.

Anora

Anora follows Ani Mikheeva (Mikey Madison), a young sex worker in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. She becomes involved with Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch. Their rushed marriage pulls Ani into danger and manipulation, threatening her control over her life. The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress so for it to finally be free with Hulu subscription is a big deal.

Wicked

Yes! Wicked is finally going to be available to stream for free. So get ready to rewatch or even if you’re so lucky watch it for the first time.

Holland

If you’re in dire need of a new Nicole Kidman thriller, Amazon has you covered with Holland, a murder mystery about a teacher who uncovers dark secrets beneath the charm of her small town. The thriller will stream on Amazon Prime this March.

Queer

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, this adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical novel follows troubled American writer William Lee (Daniel Craig), whose drug addiction and volatile romance with a younger man (played by music star Omar Apollo) unravel in 1950s Mexico City.

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