Day 1 and Day 2 Recap From New Orleans

If you've been listening at all to Todd and Tyler or Big Sports 590 over the past few days, you probably heard a lot about our 15 and half hour drive from Omaha to New Orleans on Wednesday. I haven't been back to the south since I left Alabama in April of 2005 so I've enjoy the trip back down memory lane. The drive, for the most part, was uneventful. We left at 8 am and rolled up at 11:30 pm.

As for sleeping on the floor - not so fun but easier the 2nd night, I'll explain that in a sec.

Day 2 was fun because we got the whole thing started down here. All 8 teams were required to practice for 40 minutes in the New Orleans Arena in front of the media and fans. It was really fun to see the different coaches and how they run their systems. Billy Donovan vs. Lute Olsen, Dana Altman vs. John Calipari, Matt Painter vs. who ever the hell coaches Jackson St. As you would expect - Dana's practice was VERY structured and up tempo. The guys looked sharp but Florida is SICK! They are big, strong, and fast.

The show was the show but then we went out. The French Quarter is the adult playground that you hear about. This is my 3rd trip down here and every time - Bourbon Street doesn't disappoint. Most of the stuff we did I won't write on here :). Let's just say we had fun last night. I slept better on night 2 - well, more like I passed out. Shots, beer and Hurricanes will knock you around down here :).

Here's what we are hearing down here about the game vs. the Wolfpack. Anthony Tolliver might be in the star of the game and a big story at the end of the day. We've heard that the Jays' coaches believe that the post players of NeVADa don't play defense very well and don't match up with him. UNLV had a post player very much like AT and that guy killed them. A-Train is going to touch the ball maybe 80 to 85% of the time on offense. Nate Funk talked like a player with a lot confidence and all 3 seniors had a look in their eye that was very similar to St. Louis. I think they understand what's at stake and I wouldn't expect them to go out without a fight.

Let's see what happens with the Jays....I picked NeVADa on the official bracket....