Orangebloods broke the news yesterday that J’Covan Brown has committed to Texas ($$ article). That’d be all fine and dandy if the kid had actually signed on the dotted line. But with the pressures from his parents and coach still trying to push him elsewhere, we’ll have to see if he ever ends up putting his Herbie Hancock on this thing and playing on the 40 Acres. Fingers are crossed very, very tightly that this one works out.

In 2KSports Classic semifinal action, UConn dispatched Gardner-Webb and will take on Memphis in the finals after the Tigers held off OU. In the nightcap, Derrick Rose finished with 17 points, five boards, and three assists, while OU’s Blake Griffin finished with an 8/8 night. Longar Longar was only able to log three eye-socket shatterings with his flailing elbows.

That UConn/Memphis championship game from Madison Square Garden highlights the NCAA hoops on TV today, airing at 8 PM CST on ESPN2. There’s also games all day long from the Puerto Rico Tip Off, starting at 11 AM CST on ESPNU. And if you’re into a little Gardner-Webb/OU action, that one is on the Duece at 5:30 PM CST.

This “College Basketball Invitational” is probably the worst thing to happen since Wayne Newyon first discovered plastic surgery. Why exactly is there a need to crown the 97th-best team in NCAA hoops? And who will even play in this train wreck of toxic waste? Rush the Court pulled a sample bracket from the Gazelle Group’s website, and it leaves…a lot to be desired. But then again, when I think about the god-awful fields they’ve put together for the Guardian’s Classic, 2KSports Classic, and especially this year’s Legends Classic, I don’t know why I’m really surprised. Classic.