March 9th update

More Controversy Springs up at Auburn

• The FBI is currently investigating an Auburn basketball player for potential point shaving. Point shaving is when a player purposely plays poorly in order to influence the gambling outcome of the game. Many times players get paid by bookies or other gambling agents to help them make money.
• Auburn Point Guard Varaz Ward has been suspended since February 25th. The investigation centers around losses the Tigers suffered on January 25th and February 7th. Guard Chris Denson was also suspended for a game but was later cleared of involvement.
• Ward has not commented on these allegations yet, and this story is continuing to develop. Last year Auburn QB Cam Newton was accused of being paid to play at Auburn, although no evidence was ever found to confirm the reports. Also, a crazed Alabama fan poisoned the trees at Auburn that serve as a symbol of the university.


Small Schools going dancing

• This coming Sunday is “Selection Sunday” where the NCAA’s selection committee will choose the field for this year’s NCAA basketball tournament. While 41 of the 68 slots will go to “At-Large” teams, the remainder go to “Automatic Qualifiers” these are the champions of the 27 conferences recognized by the NCAA. For many of these conferences, their champion will be their only representative to the tournament.
• Harvard (fresh of the success of their most famous basketball alumni Jeremy Lin) made the tournament for the first time in almost 70 years by winning the Ivy League. Virginia Commonwealth University upset the Colonial Athletic Conference by winning the tournament and setting up a potential run to the final four as they did two years ago.
• Davidson is going to the tournament for the first time since Stephen Curry lead the Wildcats to Elite Eight in 2008. Saint Mary’s won the West Coast Conference, and are probably the most likely of the small conference teams to go far in the tournament, unless you include Murray State, who has only lost one game all season and is likely to garner a top 4 seed, into that group.