Sports Redux: Giantkillers

It's been quite a year for the BC basketball team. They went down to Chapel Hill, shocked Carolina, and got everyone fired up. Then they came home and lost to Harvard, and everyone wandered off. Clearly, the only way to get our attention is to knock off college basketball's elite. Enter Duke. The Blue Devils came to Conte Forum last night not having lost to the Eagles since 1985. Well, forget about that; BC knocked Duke off 80-74, largely on the strength of 21 points by Tyrese Rice, who became the seventh Eagle ever to score 2,000 career points. With only four games left, and no Harvard in sight, BC (19-8) looks ready to head into March Madness at least slightly mad.

The Celtics' Big Three were on the bad end of an old-fashioned rout, but at least it doesn't count. The All-Star Game was a Western romp, as Kobe Bryant showed why America feels the way about him they do, shooting 23 times and scoring 27 points on his way to being named co-MVP with Shaq. The C's were respectable: KG had 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting, Pierce had 18 off the bench, and Ray Allen had 8. They're back to work for real in Utah on Thursday. Also in the NBA came the welcome news that the Finals MVP award will now be named the Bill Russell Award. So now, even more, it behooves the men in green to bring it home again this summer.

The Red Sox are getting their fundamentals under control as spring training begins in earnest in Florida. Julio Lugo somehow found out where camp was being held, and is there to compete for the starting SS job. And J.D. Drew's back hurts. When's Opening Day?