Y'know, Picker, a lot of folks are going to go tonight and have a good time. College basketball is a great time. It's a shame you have to knock it. You need some heart.

The CBI/CSI Open! Med students will perform a full cavity autopsy at halftime, $15.00 extra (4 tickets max per person). Now, see, TU just didn't think this thru!

Big TU fan but would feel better if someone was out recruiting!

Tab, what are you talking about, knocking it?

I love it.

Buy a foul? You kidding me? It's the greatest.

Count me in, I'll be at that CSI tourney.

TU might gain some fans out of this thing if it goes a ways. Not sure what else you have to do other than watch basketball -- it will be fun to watch Walls at least one more time. This Jordan guy is pretty fun to watch, too. Roy -- TU only has one scholarship left. I imagine they are out recruiting when they aren't getting ready for the next game.

I got so excited talking about TU in the CSI tourney, I hit the button twice, sorry, kids.

Gene, Gene, the Betting Machine: Mr. Warren made a big mistake yanking Denis out of Arkansas. No chance in the big one now.

It's a little early still, but the Derby favorite should be 1-5, or, in other words, your kind of race!

Gene-o: I'll come by your house and pick up your Dennis Derby bet and I'll, um, take it to Fair Meadows for you. Save you the trouble. Glad to help.

After opting outof Arkansas, Denis would be better off in an Easter parade, not the big race.

Forget him, Gene, he's yesterday's news.

Doesn't the NIT require a $40,000 guarantee for a home game?

And another thing . . . TU looked great in the victory over mighty Miami. TU should have been in the NIT.

Picker needs a fact checker. Miami (OH!) has a winning record -- 17-16. As in they won more than they lost. They also had a high rpi. TU fans are having fun. Is there something wrong with that, Picker? I'd like to know. I like a lot of what you say, but your schtick doesn't work when you have no point. Come Monday, TU will be the last team playing basketball in the state. And they will be having plenty of fun. Too bad you can't have fun.

Hey TAB, if you're 17-16 and lose a game, what is your record, still 17-16?

Were we wrong about that joke team not having a coach?

Listen, I love TU basketball. This just feels a little lame. It's like somebody playing grown-up. Obviously you're supposed to go to the games and have fun. Just don't act like it is serious basketball. What do you want it to be? A top 100 game? It's not. It is what it is. A slightly expensive scrimmage. Ask somebody in the Top 100 what they think of this festival. Does it beat not playing? Sure. Long as the break-even point is dunked.

Nose Picker, hope you enjoy not watching OSU and ORU playjtheir next game!! At least Tulsa is still bouncing the ball and shooting hoops!!!!!!!!

Miami (Ohhhh) is now 17-16. They were 17-15 when they played TU. Look at the March 19 article in this paper. In other words, they won more than they lost. You're right that Miami's (Oooo) coach is in the hospital. I didn't dispute that. They did have a guy acting as a coach. I have no idea if he's good -- but your paper referred to him as "interim coach." I think you're being really cold here, as are certain members of the local media (KTUL didn't even cover the game, so I hear). Several thousand folks showed up and had fun. TU basketball is in the top 100 if you look at the RPI, as are Miami (Uh) and Utah. Ergo, it was a top 100 matchup. Look, there are a lot of factors at play here that I know you are well aware of. In no particular order: NIT host schools also pay for these games, the NIT is not representative of the best of the rest (they took several schools with RPIs below TU for the sake of ratings), the NIT and ESPN have some sick monopoly to only promote their tournament (you can't get CBI scores on ESPN's web site), and a smaller percentage of schools gets to go to the postseason than in football. Most of all, TU hoops has been down so long, I'm not sure how anyone who allegedly "loves" it can be down on this. We're playing games, which beats not playing, for players and fans alike (I get the vibe the TU players really want to win this thing). We may end up playing a couple of interesting teams that fans will want to see, like Utah and Bradley. I'm not sure how that is lame or anything but positive, for that matter. I think you're being way too negative here and this sort of blowhard attitude gets old, especially in a town like Tulsa that needs something to cheer for.

TAB, your defense of TU and the CBI is hypocritical and pointless. If OSU, OU or ORU were in the CBI and making excuses for their mediocre opposition, you would be ripping them to shreds. But, in this case, since it's TU, suddenly the "Battle for No. 98" takes on relevance. Truth is, nobody but the mommies of the contestants care about a beauty pageant, and nobody but the die-hard fans of the teams involved care about the CBI. It's a pillow fight amongst losers.