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Welcome to another week of Sports Experts. The response was so good this week that I wasn't able to cram it all in. This week, I asked the panel about Sydney Crosby signing a multi-million dollar contract with Reebok, and I also asked Barry to help make sense of the NCAA basketball championships. New this week, I asked a trivia question to the group to keep their hockey knowledge skills sharp. Can you name the only player in NHL history to score a short handed goal, power play goal, even strength goal, empty net goal and penalty shot goal in one game? The choices are Phil Esposito, Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux. You can find the answer at the end of this week's column. Everyone on the panel got it right except Jeff K. A week full of shame for you! Sydney Crosby and I have one thing in common Ð neither of us have ever played a game in the NHL. Having said that, he's got a way better chance than I do, and is obviously a good catch for Reebok. Will the money change him? "I don't think that the money will change Crosby. He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders and a solid family around him. This contract with Reebok makes him rich and noticeable. If he is eliminated from QMJHL playoffs I would like to see him at the World Championships in April." - Rob B. "Sydney Crosby will be one of the new generation of heroes that the corporates are looking for. He is known to all kids in the hockey world, carries himself pretty good, great ethics so far and not yet been spoiled to the elite of playing hockey for money. Remember, he is still playing for the love of the game and to get somewhere. Will he change? Yes, but with the guidance of the people who have got him to where he is now, we shouldn't see anything bad from Mr. Crosby." - Shane C. "It became obvious that the NHL situation wasn't going to be resolved anytime soon, so I applaud Sydney's agent for getting him a big time money deal without having played a game professionally. Personally, I like the kid, and I really like that despite the fact that the weight of the hockey world is being put on his shoulders, he still seems to be humble about the whole thing. It could be just a real good acting job, but I doubt it." - Thomas B. Jr. "The reason Reebok signed Crosby so early is because they wanted to get him before anyone could get their hands on him. It's aÊgood move but it's to early. He's 17-years-old and still has to prove himself in the NHL. Having Crosby associated with Reebok will no doubt help sales and make Reebok a top contender in the hockey equipment market. I just think Reebok has jumped the gun a little to early. Based on the attitude I've seen from Crosby I don't think that money will get to his head, but then again money can have a crazy effect on people." - Jeremy E. The NCAA basketball championships are down to the Final Four. There were a couple of surprises in the Sweet 16 last weekend. Good thing we've got Barry to help us sort it out: In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball championship last weekend, only the Chicago and Syracuse regionals had predictable results. Top seed Illinois had a home crowd in Chicago as they defeated Wis.-Milwaukee in the regional semi and then had to overcome a 15-point deficit in the 2nd half to force overtime and eventually beat Arizona to advance to the Final Four. Arizona had beaten Oklahoma State to earn the right to play Illinois. In Syracuse, Wisconsin easily handled North Carolina State in one semi, to advance to the regional final against the UNC Tar Heels. North Carolina downed Villanova in the other semifinal. The regional final saw UNC come out on top by six points over Wisconsin. In Albuquerque, the Louisville Cardinals upset top seeded Washington, and then needed overtime to beat West Virginia to advance to the Final Four. West Virginia had beaten Texas Tech in the other semi. In Austin, the Michigan State Spartans foiled the Kentucky Wildcats plans to have two teams from the Bluegrass state in the Final Four, downing the Cats in double-overtime. The game was the third of the four regional finals to be decided in overtime, setting a new NCAA record. Kentucky came from behind in the final minutes, and a 3-pointer from Patrick Sparks at the buzzer forced the overtime. UK had a chance to win it in the final seconds of the 1st overtime, with the score tied at 81, but Kelenna Azubuike later said he thought he had more time, and was left holding the ball as the buzzer sounded. Michigan came out firing in the 2nd OT, nailing 11 straight free-throws to advance to St. Louis this weekend. The veteran Spartan squad had knocked off Duke, and Kentucky relied on their bench to down Utah to set up the regional final. Saturday's action in St. Louis will have Illinois taking on Louisville at 5:07 pm and North Carolina against Michigan State approximately 40 minutes after the Illinois-Louisville game. The national champion will be crowned on Monday, April 4. As far as predictions for the Final 4 go, will Illinois and Michigan state renew their conference rivalry in the Big 10? Will UNC be able to hold off the surging Spartans? From my perspective, it would be fitting to see Illinois win the national Championship, but I'm going to pick the Louisville Cardinals as National Champions over the Michigan State Spartans. - Barry H. The answer to the trivia question is Mario Lemieux. He recorded the feat in an 8-6 win over the New Jersey Devils on December 31, 1988. That is it for this week. If you would like to join the sports experts, send an e-mail to: [email protected].
