Like it is

Can't blame Anderson for defending Moses

Arkansas forward Moses Kingsley, left, pressures Kentucky forward Edrice Adebayo (3) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Southeastern Conference tournament Sunday, March 12, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn.
Arkansas forward Moses Kingsley, left, pressures Kentucky forward Edrice Adebayo (3) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Southeastern Conference tournament Sunday, March 12, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn.

CHEROKEE, N.C. -- On the way to Greenville, S.C., for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it has been easy to keep up with news in Arkansas through Arkansasonline.com.

It was there that Mike Anderson went on an SEC Network TV show and defended Moses Kingsley, who was ejected from the SEC championship game against Kentucky for a flagrant foul late in the Hogs' 82-65 loss.

Kingsley's foul on Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox was hard, maybe harder than it should have been because Moses is an emotional guy.

Kingsley complains to the referees more than any player in the SEC and probably has gotten a reputation for it.

But Anderson thought TV analyst Dick Vitale went overboard with his criticism of Kingsley during the game's broadcast.

Vitale, who apparently went into the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville locker room before the game and thought Kingsley's name was "Beasley," refused to apologize or temper his comments a day after the game.

That is Vitale. He's the most loved and hated analyst in college basketball at the same time.

He admits he is old school, but he's made a fortune off his gig on ESPN. While he primarily promotes the sport, he does seem to have favorites: Some North Carolina fans, as well as others in the ACC, call him Duke Vitale.

The bottom line on Kingsley's foul was that the officials had a reason for acting quickly.

They could hear the jawing going on among the players, and they didn't want the game to get out of hand. Almost as soon as Kingsley slammed into Fox, lead official Doug Shows, an Arkansas native, jumped in and called it an intentional foul.

Vitale went a little crazy -- and if you listened to ESPN after Sunday's selection show on CBS, you learned Kentucky Coach John Calipari has been a guest in Vitale's Florida home -- and Anderson did what a good coach does: He defended his player.

That whole episode is nothing compared to the story USA Today ran on LaVar Ball, father of UCLA player Lonzo and two very talented high school players.

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Ball shoots from the lip, and a reporter from USA Today let him shoot himself in the foot.

The guy wants a $1 billion endorsement contract, $100 million a year for 10 years, that would guarantee all three of his sons would sign an exclusive contract. Again, two are in high school and one is in college (until the next NBA Draft) so it is against all rules.

Apparently Ball and others also have been selling Big Baller Brand shirts, hoodies and hats on the internet. Lonzo had to be cleared by the NCAA to play in the tournament.

The whole situation reeks of bad dad, and that's something Vitale should comment on.

Of course, the whole Kingsley foul episode is old news now.

More attention has been focused on the NCAA Tournament bracket and some odd seedings such as Arkansas being a No. 8 and South Carolina a No. 7. The Hogs beat South Carolina, went further in the SEC Tournament and tied for third place.

The selection committee always stresses head-to-head competition, but the members didn't practice it this year. Arkansas wasn't the only team that got a bit of a raw deal.

Wisconsin finished third in the Big Ten, and Minnesota was fourth. Wisconsin beat Minnesota twice. Wisconsin made it to the final of the Big Ten Tournament and had a better overall record.

The Badgers were given a No. 8 seed and will play Virginia Tech. Minnesota was awarded a No. 5 seed and plays Middle Tennessee State, which easily could be an upset akin to some of the seedings.

Sports on 03/15/2017

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