I can't give you a good answer. As you'll see below, NCAA president Myles Brand kind of made an excuse Thursday at a press conference. He says that Detroit was chosen for the Final Four six years ago.

"A lot has happened in six years," Brand says.

That's code for, "Don't blame us." This might sound crass, but Detroit was a dump then and it's a dump now. The difference is the economy has gone to crap. The auto companies continue to build sub-standard, overpriced cars that a growing number of American people don't want. That ads to the economic woes.

The NCAA and North Carolina already suffered a black eye when Carolina guard Ty Lawson admitted Thursday that he won $250 playing craps at a nearby casino.

Ah, good ol' Detroit. At least there is no crime problem and the weather is always good.

Here are some excerpts of a press conference Thursday in Detroit with Brand.

Q. Dr. Brand, downtown Detroit is an interesting location for the
Final Four. One of the attractions is three gambling casinos, and some
of the student athletes have been taking advantage of them and going
to them, quite legally. Is it all right with you if the participants
gamble or do you think it leads to a slippery slope in a sport that
has been tainted by gambling?

 DR. MYLES BRAND: Well, I warn against that slippery slope. It's a
fair question.

 We do not permit anyone connected with intercollegiate athletics to
gamble on sports, pro or college sports. What a student does, plays
bingo in his church, for example, while we discourage that, we prefer
not to try and regulate that particular kind of activity. But it's
highly discouraged.

Q. Can you talk about being here in Detroit, the venue, the job that
they have done to prepare for the Final Four.

DR. MYLES BRAND: Yes. We've decided about coming to Detroit, I think
it was as long as six years ago. A lot has happened in six years. A
lot has happened in the last few months.

Detroit is a wonderful venue. It's really, truly outstanding. And
the city has turned out for it. We're very pleased with the reception
we've received. Everyone has not only been kind, but they've been very
helpful and professional.

We're very pleased to be in Detroit. We think this is a privilege
for us to be here, particularly at this time that Detroit is going
through some difficult financial times itself. We're happy to help and
we're happy to leave something behind, as well.

So Detroit is a great venue for us and we're fortunate to be here at
this time.

I'm hearing that when John Calipari goes to Kentucky, he will be paid $5 million per year.

Let me head everyone off. That kind of salary will produce the usual dose of hang-wringing columns about how coaches are overpaid, how could this happen in this economy? Etc. ....

Let's get this straight: Calipari is getting the jack because he is worth it. Notice that no one cared about AIG executives until the company started to tank. In college athletics no one's 401(K) is being sucked dry. No one is being laid off because the football/basketball is being paid millions.

It's much easier in college sports. There is no fraud taking place. Win and you stay, lose and you hit the bricks. That's why these failing companies pay big bucks to these CEOs. Anything to get the stock price up. That's exactly what is happening at Kentucky, anything to restore the tradition.

Remember all the angst over Nick Saban? Who's howling now? For $4 million a year Bama got 12 wins, an SEC West title and a Sugar Bowl. It seems that Sabes is just getting started.

I'm not the only one who feels the same thing is about to happen at Kentucky, only with more certainty. Cal will return UK to its recent heyday under Rick Pitino. If he doesn't, he'll be chased down the hallway by a cameraman, same as Billy Gillispie. Only he'll be paid a much bigger buyout.

Mike Anderson called him "Hassan". A Missouri beat writer called him "Hakeem." What Missouri doesn't know about Hasheem Thabeet, it is about to find out.

UConn's 7-foot-3 center is going to be the deciding factor either way when Missouri faces the Huskies in the West Regional final. Either Thabeet is going to fumble the ball away against Mizzou's withering defense or he's going to continue to dominate in the paint.  There can't be an in between.

The two-time Big East defensive player of the year is averaging a double-double in the tournament  (13.6 points, 10.6 rebounds) and has double-doubles in six of his last seven games. Against Purdue on Thursday, he went for 15 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.

"The biggest key is we have to get that big beast to run," Missouri's DeMarre Carroll said. "We got to get him up and down the court."

Thabeet isn't exactly the most fit athlete. He was dragging in a moderately paced game against Purdue. If Mizzou can draw him out of the line to defend outside shots, the Tigers quick cutters could have an advantage.

Here's a question, then, for all of us to ponder. Could the Big East defensive player of the year play for Missouri? That would require Thabeet to run, press and practice at a frenetic pace. Hell, the Tigers run for 40 minutes before bouncing a basketball in practice.

Missouri functions so well because it has only two players taller than 6-8. The second-team All-American might not be able to function in the system he is about to face.

 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Late Thursday I spoke to Memphis AD R.C. Johnson about his coach's future.

John Calipari's name has been floated as a possible replacement at Kentucky. Our Gary Parrish lists Cal as a third choice for the Wildcats if they fail to get Billy Donovan or Tom Izzo.

"I've been asked about that all night," Johnson said after his team's regional semifinal loss to Missouri. "I'm not worried."

Nor should he be. Kentucky is making its job worse by the day. AD Mitch Barnhart is getting to that place where Mal Moore was with Alabama. The Bama job was overvalued because the aggravation wasn't worth it, until Moore landed Nick Saban. Is there a Saban out there for Kentucky? Doubtful. Of the immediate candidates, Donovan is the most likely to go, but he's still making the same money as Gillispie (probably more).

Went running today in Surprise, Ariz. No, I'm not retiring. I wanted to see the spring training complex of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. (Once again, don't ask why. It has something to do with a cosmic urge deep inside me similar to sea turtles having to lay their eggs on the same beach where they were born.)

The point is, that MLB -- specifically the Royals -- still don't get it. I was running with my shirt off. Hey, it was warm. I'm from the Midwest, it felt good and I'm not completely gross to look at.

 It was convenient to run through all the practice diamonds to get my work in. I got to stop and watch hitting etc. The last thing I did before I left the complex was to run by some Royals diamonds. As I was coming out of the practice area -- not in, out -- an elderly guard asks, "Who are you?" I say, "Uh, a fan." The geezer says, "Put a shirt on."

I supressed the sea-turtle-like urge to drop an f-bomb and kept running. I thought to myself, "What does he care if I have a shirt on? There are ugly people in there, grossly overweight people in there, stupid people in there. What am I the bad guy?" It occured to me, finally, that the MLB still doesn't get it.

With a new, renovated stadium ready to open and a sparkling new spring training facility already built, quasi-security is worried about clothing. The new Kauffman Stadium opens next month in Kansas City. I can see the marketing slogan: "Come See The New K, And For God's Sake Put Your Shirt On."

• This is what an apology looks like. Marshall University was compelled to write this letter after it settled a lawsuit for former compliance director David Ridpath.

So which way is this going to head for UConn in the short term? I took a short sweep through both the Purdue and Connecticut lockerrooms Wednesday afternoon. Of course, the news of the day was UConn's alleged major violations.

Purdue forward Robbie Hummel: "They'll probably rally around the situation and be ready to play. A.J. Price makes them go. He's (Calhoun) definitely a tough guy. It might change the perception a little bit."

By the way, Hummel played against the Nate Miles, the UConn recruit named in the story.

 Connecticut forward Stanley Robinson: "It happened like a couple of seasons ago when (Calhoun) got sick before, so we know the feeling. As long as we just stay together as a team we'll be fine. It hasn't brought us down as a team, it only motivated us more. We're always going to be behind him."

Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet: (Thabeet had just been updated on the story by a reporter. This is about seven hours after the story had broken.) "When we're off the court, everybody is minding their own business. When we step on the court, the more we have team success.

"A lot of guys on the team don't know what's going on. The guy we're talking about is not even here. (Calhoun) prepared us well for games like this. When we step between the lines, it's all about us trying to get a win.

"Coach has always been hard on us, especially me. I used to think he was picking on me. He saw something in me I didn't know. I call him a teacher."

• Purdue has been on the road for eight consecutive days. After sweeping through its first- and second-round games in Portland, Ore., the Boilermakers flew to Phoenix on Tuesday in time to get ready for the West Regional.

It was judged that staying out West would be more cost efficient. Purdue left for Portland on March 17 which means if it is able to get to the Final Four the team will have been on the road for 12 consecutive days.

• West Regional participants' records against teams still in the tournament: Purdue (1-2), Memphis (1-1), UConn (4-3), Missouri (2-1).

• A sign of the times in modern media -- 5:30 pm PT and there are about 25 media members in the University of Phoenix Stadium work room at a West Regional. If there is no one there to cover it, is it really an NCAA Tournament?

Sitting around waiting for the Sweet 16 games and was wondering what the best combined football/basketball programs are still playing? There are 20 of them counting the NIT and College Basketball Invitational.

This is the way I perceive these programs right now. Adolph Rupp has little to do with Kentucky's ranking at the moment.

1. Florida, NIT . Four national championships in big revenue sports since 2006. Two each in football and basketball.

2. Oklahoma, Sweet 16 six Big 12 titles and a national championship this decade. Final Four in 2002, back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.

3. Kansas, Sweet 16. Solid Big 12 North football program under Mark Mangino. Orange Bowl in 2008. Do you have to ask about basketball?

4. North Carolina, Sweet 16. Think what the football program would be had Mack Brown stuck around. Building under Butch Davis. Could win the ACC this year.

5. Michigan State, Sweet 16.  Solid mid- to upper-level Big Ten football program each year. Three consecutive Final Fours under Tom Izzo 1999-2001. Back on top in the league this year.

6. Pittsburgh, Sweet 16. Big East power in hoops. Struggling to break through in football under Dave Wannstedt.

7. Louisville, Sweet 16. Hopefully, Pitino sticks around. Football has fallen off the map.

8. Connecticut, Sweet 16. Can't knock down Jim Calhoun with an elephant gun. Anyone remember UConn shared the Big East title in football in 2007?

9. Missouri, Sweet 16. Basketball back on the map under Mike Anderson. Football now a consistent eight-to-10 win program under Gary Pinkel.

10. Arizona, Sweet 16. Bowl game and Sweet 16 in same academic year. The last time that happened was 1998.

11. Kentucky, NIT. Questions whether Billy Gillispie will be around next season. Rich Brooks brought football back to respectability.

12. Notre Dame, NIT. Hoops is always competitive. Football is trying to get there.

13. Penn State, NIT. Until this season, hoops had been a black hole in Happy Valley.  Joe is going out with a bang having been to two Rose Bowls in the last four years. That is,  if he ever goes out.

14. Duke, Sweet 16. Although David Cutcliffe performed miracles last year winning four in football, it is almost the exact opposite of Coach K's dynasty.

15. Stanford, CBI. How good was basketball under Mike Montgomery? Twelve tournament appearances from 1989-2004. Football coming back under Jim Harbaugh.

16. Auburn, NIT. Tommy Tuberville made the Tigers an annual SEC West power. Now it's up to Gene Chizik. In basketball, wait, do they play basketball at Auburn? Program has mostly dropped off the map since last NCAA appearance in 2003.

17. Oregon State, CBI. Even the first lady's brother can't save this ranking.

18. Baylor, NIT. Scott Drew has made the Bears a factor in the Big 12. Football could go to a bowl game in Art Briles' second season.

19. Texas-El Paso, CBI.  Mike Price hasn't been able to break through in football. Basketball has become revolving door.

20. San Diego State, NIT. One of the worst football programs in I-A. Respectable in hoops under Steve Fisher.

His name is Lazar Hayward and he just took the place of Tyus Edney in the minds of Missouri fans.

In perhaps the most exciting finish to a tournament game to date, Marquette's Hayward stepped over the line while inbounding the ball against Missouri with his team trailing by two with 5.5 seconds left.

Marquette looked like it had completed a furious comeback from 16 down in the first half by taking a late lead, but Missouri's Kim English came off the bench to sink two free throws with 5.5 left. Guard J.T. Tiller had been fouled on the play but was too injured to shoot. Marquette was forced to foul, Missouri went ahead by four and that was that.

Who is Tyus Edney? He's the UCLA guard who beat Missouri in the same city (Boise) 14 years ago with an end-to-end rush. It looked like something similar was going to happen again as Hayward tried to inbound. Missouri was pressing in the backcourt but, just like 14 years ago, it failed to put a man on the ball. It didn't matter. Hayward didn't have a man open, hesitated, and let his right foot step over the line.

Missouri will take it as it heads to Glendale, Ariz. to play a Sweet 16 game. That West Regional final still shapes up to be UConn vs. Memphis, but Purdue and Missouri will have something to say about that. See you there.