So they actually played that Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium yesterday; I just thought that game was an early April Fools’ prank, but Syracuse and Kansas State actually showed up and played a really good game. But as time wound down, K-State trailed by 8, needing a TD and the 2-pt conversion to tie. They got the TD, and then this happened.

Walsh is gonna be pissed when I tell him that his mighty mighty Orange were handed a bowl victory, but watch that video and tell me how that justifies a 15-yard penalty. How is that “excessive celebration”? It’s barely a celebration at all. Granted, it’s tacky as hell, but that flag was unwarranted, and it changed the complexion of the game.

This is exactly what we saw coming as soon as these rules were passed; officials would be taking the game out of the players’ hands, and the evidence doesn’t get more clear-cut than this. K-State was flagged and penalized 15 yards; their potentially-game-tying 2-pt conversion was attemped from the edge of the red zone. If we have a choice between exuberant players and exuberant referees, which would you rather see? Oh, wait. This is college football. Nobody in that sport cares what we think.

It’s hard for me to care about the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, but last night’s tilt with “mid-major” Xavier and the Big XII’s K-State was enough to make me stop pining for a BCS in college basketball, at least for a night. Kansas State won in a 101-96 double-overtime thriller. Jacob Pullen scored 28 points for the 2nd-seeded Wildcats. I was just kidding about that college basketball BCS, by the way.

“As good a game as I’ve ever coached or been a part of,” [Kansas State] coach Chris Mack said.

Trailing by three at the end of regulation, Xavier’s Terrell Holloway got fouled while heaving up a 30-footer with five seconds left and calmly made all three free throws. Xavier was down by three again at the end of the first overtime, but Jordan Crawford jacked up a 35-footer that hit nothing but net.

“It was just one of those moments,” Pullen said. –CBS Sports.

Also heading to the Elite Eight: Butler, who knocked off Syracuse, Kentucky, after stopping Cornell’s majestic run, and West Virginia. There’s video of Crawford’s big three after the jump. If it was any mightier, he would have needed a passport to shoot it. You know, Patriot Act and all. Read the rest of this entry »

Denis Clemente of Kansas State can’t wait for basketball season to start, so he’s been working on his trick shots. And honestly, Denis should quit life after making that shot, because nothing in his life will ever compare to the YouTube magic he made here. I’m exaggerating, of course. Somewhat. via.

Last night, as Kansas State went into overtime against Oregon, Wildcat Bill Walker (lower left of the screen) stuffed a bunch of towels into his shorts, pissed himself, dropped the towels onto the floor, then headed back onto the court to continue play. 

I'm not gonna lie, this is pretty much the most disappointing video of someone urinating in public that I can possibly imagine.  And believe me, I'm an expert at urinating in public.  I've got the court-mandated community service to prove it.

God that thing is creepy.  I wish K-State would have spent less on its killer video production and put that money towards the rest of a mascot costume.

UPDATE: Long-form brilliance on this at EDSBS. 

So, everybody knows about Kansas State's tradition of throwing live chickens on the court when they play, Kansas, right? Well, there's been a sad development, as the K-State athletic department, possibly in response to a riotously hilarious letter from PETA, has now condemned the chicken toss.

The [PETA] letter described chickens as "very intelligent and inquisitive animals" that appeared to have been subjected to "deafening noise, bright lights, terror, abusive handling and likely death for the sake of amusement."… Said PETA director Debbie Leahy: "Any student who throws live birds on a basketball court should be thrown out of school."

Yeah, chickens are crazy smart. They're like dolphins with feathers. 

Kansas State had said it would not comment on the complaint, but the athletic department issued a statement Tuesday saying it considers live, non-service animals "contraband."

So, no more smuggling chickens into the game by stuffing them in your ass. Too bad. I've heard that counts as getting to third base in Kansas.