espn.com Ali Contest
Page 2's Brian Murphy considers St. Patrick's Day the "holiest drinking day of the year." The Murph is also a UCLA alum and die-hard fan of Bruins hoops. So, you can imagine our man's physical state Monday morning after UCLA's epic upset of Cincinnati. Somehow, we still got him to show up at the Water Cooler.
MURPHY: SWEETENING THE COOLER

POLL RESULTS



ESPN TOOLS
 
Email story
 
Most sent
 
Why did Tim Hardaway throw a bounce pass with a television? What made David Letterman decide to stay at CBS? Who's picking out Michael Jackson's wardrobe? And how did Ruben Rivera and Darryl Strawberry end up in hot water? Page 2 tries to explain these strange events and more in the latest edition of "What the Heck Are They Thinking?"

Mystery Photo 10 Burning Questions
No, Kevin Costner hasn't gone into hiding since "Dragonfly" hit theaters. Page 2's Mystery Photo caught the actor hanging out with the Oregon cheerleaders last week, and we asked our readers to explain what Costner was up to. You folks were more than happy to kick a man while he's down.
 In Chicago, Mark Grace became a fixture at first base for the Cubs and a regular in the bars of Wrigleyville. In Arizona, Grace finally became a world champion. Page 2 caught up with the D-backs veteran in spring training and fired 10 Burning Questions at him. As expected, he handled things -- cliché alert! -- gracefully.

BIZARRE & BOGUS
Did the Magic really celebrate a victory by downing 50 double-cheeseburgers? Did Nebraska actually tell its cheerleaders to just cheer? Could bowling become an Olympic sport? See if you can separate fact from fiction in another edition of Bizarre & Bogus.


With March Madness in full bloom, Page 2 pondered a tough question: If you could pick one college basketball coach for a game that you had to win, who would it be? Check out our top 10 choices, and then click here to offer your selection. Later this week, we'll run our readers' top 10, along with a poll to pick college hoops' best big-game coach:
10]  Dean Smith
The Dean retired in 1997 with the NCAA record for career victories (879), 11 Final Four appearances and 27 consecutive 20-win seasons.
9]  Adolph Rupp
The Baron created a monster at Kentucky, winning the NCAA title four times. He would be higher on the list, but he won mostly because he was the best recruiter.
8]   Bob Knight
Knight is a three-time winner of the NCAAs and has made 25 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, but has he ever won when he didn't have the best team?
  • GET THE FULL LIST


NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
DAY FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG O/U
Thursday Duke 12 Indiana 150
Thursday Pittsburgh 1 Kent State 129
Thursday UCLA 1½ Missouri 154
Thursday Oklahoma 2½ Arizona 147½
Friday UConn 4½ Southern Ill. NL
Friday Maryland 6½ Kentucky NL
Friday Kansas 4½ Illinois NL
Friday Oregon 3½ Texas NL
All Times ET -- Bold indicates home team
Complete Line


 
Got a comment about something you've seen on Page 2?
Here's your chance to sound off to the editors and columnists.


THE SPORTS GUY
Look inside the diary of a March madman as Page 2's Bill Simmons keeps a running log of his NCAA Tourney adventures.

IT'S A DATE
It's hard for hoops fans to have much of a social life this month, so Dan Shanoff breaks down the dating styles of NCAA Tourney watchers.

SHOPPING SPREE
Knowing what a discerning shopper Ruben Rivera is, Jim Caple peruses the former Yankee's catalogue of "Memorabilia for the Adventurous Sports Fan."

NICKNAME GAME
David Lloyd wondered what the story was behind some college nicknames, and that's more thought then some schools put into their choice of mascots.

THE SPORTS GUY
Page 2's Bill Simmons wakes up the echoes at RFK Stadium, with the legendary Hogs as his tour guides.
If your favorite writer isn't on Page 2 today, click here to check out our full roster of columnists.


It's Missouri guard Wesley Stokes, who's bringing his hair-raising act to the Sweet 16, and "Sideshow Bob," Krusty the Clown's trusted sidekick on "The Simpsons." Page 2 has received a dozen requests for this match. Browse our archives of past pairs or click here to submit a future duo for Page 2.

Women's hoops: Iowa at Connecticut
9 p.m. ET, ESPN
Will Hawkeyes be more than a speed bump against Husky machine?
 
Kings at Sharks
10:30 p.m. ET, NHL Center Ice
San Jose leads L.A. by just four points in Pacific race.
 
Women's hoops: Tulane at Stanford
Midnight ET, ESPN
No. 2 seed Cardinal face surprising 10th-seeded Green Wave.
 
• Complete TV Listings


If you missed Page 2 over the last week, check out our back issues:
• Fri., March 15: Holy Close!
• Thurs., March 14: Hog Heaven
• Wed., March 13: White House
• Tues., March 12: Capital Punishment

Other featured content:
• Page 2 goes to Washington
• 10 Burning Questions for Matt Stone
• Page 2's All-Name Team for NCAAs
• 20 worst moments from 'Celebrity Boxing'
• Win, Lose or Draw: Ruben Rivera
• Page 2's All-Bizarre Injury Team
• 10 Burning Questions with Rickey Henderson
Monday, March 18, 2002
.