For the third time in three weeks the number one team has fallen. There is no shame for Duke in losing at Wake Forest, especially when it was so close, but I didn’t think it would happen. Wake Forest showed me more than I expected from them. The ACC is going to be very interesting to watch down the stretch. It now looks like UConn should get their shot at number one, barring any setbacks before Monday. I don’t like their chances of staying there long.

A couple of other interesting results. Villanova upset Pitt. I had felt for quite a while that Pitt was untested and overrated, so I feel a bit vindicated by this result. Georgetown also dropped yet another game. The wheels have fallen off in a serious way there. It might be time for Obama to do some sort of bailout for his new hometown team.

The Raiders are incredibly pathetic. After more than a month of searching, the best they could do is name their uninspiring interim coach as their new uninspiring head coach. I’m sure Tom Cable is a nice guy and all, but he has very little chance of turning this team around. It’s far, far too much to ask, but surely Al Davis would start to get the hint that he needs to get out of the way because there was not a single reputable coach who would go within a hundred miles of him. Brutal.

Hines Ward missed practice again today. I find that storyline to be the most interesting of the week. Ward is perhaps the most important skill player on either team – not the most skilled, but the most key to his team’s success.

This Antonio Margarito story is truly bizarre. If you missed it, he has been suspended after his loss to Shane Mosley on Saturday because plaster was found in his hand wraps. I is believe d that the plaster was cement-like, and was in place to add weight and firmness to his punch. It seems odd that a guy who already was at a punching disadvantage against his opponent would want to make his hands heavier. It also seems like you wouldn’t want to cheat unless you were going to win. This way you just look stupid.

Serena Williams just beat my pick to win the Australian Open, Elena Dementieva. She’s in the final now, and is in the form and the position to win it all. That’s what I get for ruling out a Williams sister. You’d think I’d know better by now.