It's Out of the Question: Barry's special pick wasn't just a backhanded slap at UCLA

So what if Barry Obama -- or any Special Olympian, for that mater -- had picked UCLA to win its first-round tournament game ... would that have changed the Bruins' grid and determination against Virginia Commonwealth, thinking they had some kind of presidental pardon all lined up in case they couldn't stop Eric Maynor on that final prayerful drive to the hoop?

== As long as we're talking about warped strategy, may we ask why Maynor didn't take it all the way to the basket to try to draw a foul, put himself at the free throw line and at least get an overtime out of it instead of trying to take the "hero" shot at the end?

== Did you notice the University of Oregon logo on the floor at the Rose Garden in Portland during the NCAA Tournament games played there? And the irony in that the Ducks are the only Pac-10 team that isn't in any of the four post season tournaments -- the NCAA (6 of 'em qualified), the NIT (1), the College Basketball Invitational (2) and the CollegeInsider.com Invitational (0)?

== Does the fact the Pac-10 has a 5-1 record, instead of the 1-5 that Obama predicted, mean anything in the grand scheme? Or is just another bullet for Rush Limbaugh to fire from his popgun o' fun?

== If we get any more of these lopsided No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchups -- like what UConn and North Carolina registered over shouldn't-be-invited Chattanooga and Radford -- would you support a new tournament field that expands the field to 72, forces all those smaller conferences to compete in a play-in game on Tuesday and still give the four No. 1 seeds a bye in the first round?

== Does Jim Calhoun still draw a hefty paycheck even if he's not coaching UConn during the tournament?

== Is there any way to get the score graphics a little bigger on the screen? Or does CBS assume everyone at home has a 54-inch wide screen?

== You've by now seen Manny Ramirez dressed up in cricket gear, helping to promote a pay-per-view channel dedicated to the sport while attempting to show how he can bat against a wicked googly? Could you not tell that he was dogging it?

== Is it OK for Trevor Ariza to foul now?

== Cleveland Freakin' State? Again?

== Norm Nixon, you taking this call from Charles Barkley?