Lopsided final may have hurt TV ratings

From basketball to golf, here’s what’s going on in the sporting world…

*While the NCAA… From basketball to golf, here’s what’s going on in the sporting world…

*While the NCAA tournament as a whole produced higher TV ratings this year than it did last year, the championship game between Connecticut and Georgia Tech drew the lowest rating since CBS began broadcasting the tournament back in 1982.

Some believe the low rating can be explained by the fact that UConn led by double-digits early on and had all but put the Yellow jackets to bed before halftime. The game drew a national rating of 11.0 — the previous low of 12.6 came last year. This being only the second year of an 11-year, $6 billion contract, the folks at CBS have to be somewhat concerned by the recent trend.

*University of North Carolina basketball recruit JamesOn Curry pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with the intent to sell marijuana and two counts of delivering marijuana.

Curry, who recently became the leading scorer in North Carolina state high school basketball history, was one of 49 students arrested in early February during an undercover investigation.

It’s another tragic story of a promising young athlete who made some horrible decisions. For Curry, who is considered one of the best combo guards in the Tar Heels’ 2004 recruiting class, the mistakes will end up costing him his scholarship.

*On a brighter note, former Pitt football players Shawntae Spencer and Lousaka Polite have recently improved their NFL stock.

Spencer, who had eight interceptions as a Panther, had NFL scouts raving about his speed and leaping ability. Some say that his 4.48 in the 40-yard dash might push him all the way up into the first round.

Scouts say that Polite definitely has the size and work ethic to be an NFL fullback, but feel that he is limited when it comes to speed. Still, SportsLine.com has Polite rated as the fourth-best fullback in the draft.

*Former Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett took the first steps toward improving his draft potential this week. Scouts said that Clarett turned in a pretty solid performance in his first full-scale audition.

His 40 time was clocked in the 4.58-4.59 range, and he has also lost 12 pounds since his first appearance at the NFL combine. But without his having played a single down in the 2003 season, taking Clarett in the early rounds would still be a serious gamble.

*Much to the dismay of Pittsburgh Penguin fans, the Washington Capitals won the NHL’s draft lottery. Despite finishing dead last, the Penguins will now likely not have the opportunity to draft coveted Russian forward Alexander Ovechkin, whom many people in the world of hockey have compared to Mario Lemieux.

The Penguins did receive some good news this week, however. Lemieux told head coach Eddie Olczyk that, barring a lockout, he will play next season.

*But if Jaromir Jagr’s latest move is any indication, next year’s NHL season will likely not happen. Jagr told the New York Daily News that he has a conditional contract in place that will enable him to play in Russia next fall should the opening of the NHL season be delayed by a lockout.

This is the final year of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, and with profits down and salaries up, many believe a lockout may be unavoidable.

*After going winless in the last six majors, people are looking for Tiger Woods to return to form this weekend at Augusta National. Critics have recently been tough on Woods, saying that he has not been living up to expectations.

But high expectations are nothing new for Woods.

The expectations, fair or not, will likely not be going away anytime soon. At the Masters this weekend, Woods, ranked No. 1 in the world, is the odds-on favorite to win.

Ryan Walker is a senior staff writer for The Pitt News and can be reached at rpw973@yahoo.com.