From Henry Abbott’s True Hoop, one of my favorite blogs out there, comes this little tidbit about Ben Wallace refusing to enter the game Friday night against Orlando. Not only hasn’t it gotten any mainstream attention, but Pistons teammates and coaches aren’t even mad about it.

As it turns out, Big Ben was mad about some combination of being taken out of the game when he was, and not being involved in the offense… which doesn’t seem all that different from the reasoning behind the most famous refusal to enter a game, of course Scottie Pippen’s, when a last-second play was run for Toni Kukoc and not him. Ben wasn’t asking for the ball on any specific play, but just wanted some more touches in general.

No one seemed to mind the outburst. Flip Saunders and Lindsay Hunter seemed to kinda like it. And I think TrueHoop has it right… that’s what happens when you come to play and bust your ass every time out. Things are forgiven, people are a more willing to hear what you have to say, and you get the benefit of the doubt.  Granted, I’m a Pistons fan, so my reaction is a bit clouded, but his teammates all seemed to have a similar reaction.  Ben got more touches the next day, a day, oh by the way, in which he grabbed 22 rebounds and beat the hell out of a division rival.

Ultimately, there was little or no reaction because… well, because it’s Ben fucking Wallace, whose work ethic is evidently beyond reproach. It is, in fact, possible to earn the benefit of the doubt.

I just feel sick about this… Maggie Dixon, head basketball coach at Army, and brother of Pitt head basketball coach Jamie, passed away at the age of 28. She had some soft of a heart arrhythmia on Wednesday, and on Thursday night, she died in the hospital. She had no history of heart problems… and appeared perfectly healthy. It just came out of nowhere.

The last time we saw her, she was being carried off the court on the shoulders of Army cadets after the Army basketball team won their conference tournament. She appeared on TV with her brother, and they were obviously very close, and very much enjoying each others’ success. At least, you know… she was living life to the fullest. She was having a positive influence on people, she was giving of herself, she was sharing her talent with the world… Before she went, she did have a chance to do what she loved, and what she was very good at. Thank God for that.

Terribly, terribly, tragic thing.

Seems like Seton Hall can’t really go wrong here… no one in the world would be able to complain about the hiring of Jim Larranaga. He just put the finishing touches on arguably the most impressive coaching accomplishment in recent history. He might be a decent choice.

Now, I have no idea if he’s actually interested… he might be the kind of guy who really wants to stay in one place. Of course, he might also be the kind of guy who likes big fat paychecks, and certainly, no one could blame him for that. He would, however, have to agree to live in New Jersey, and I don’t know why anyone would want to do that.

If he does end up taking the offer, or some other offer, even, you’d have to feel a little bit for George Mason. Great coaches just don’t grow on trees, and it would be unfortunate for the fans to see something so great happen… and then have the rug snatched from under them like that. I’m not saying that no one alive could’ve done what Larranaga did at Mason, but it’s hard to imagine anyone stepping in and replicating that kind of success, at least right away.

Well, that was a pretty thorough beating. Florida teabagged UCLA last night, winning by a score of 73-57, and it wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.

I’m not sure there’s a college basketball team in the world that Florida wouldn’t have piped last night. Their performance was both surgically precise and just freakishly nasty. Their frontline really can do everything, and it all starts with Noah, of course. Tremendous passing, understanding of the game, athleticism, ball handling… he’s the man. Horford was pulling down some man-sized rebounds, Brewer was locking up Afflalo and making hustle plays all over the court… I just don’t think there was anything UCLA could’ve done. Great season, great effort, Bruins… you ran into a buzzsaw. A big French buzzsaw.

And if you stopped watching them early and you missed the 2nd half, let me sum it up for you… UCLA presses, Florida breaks it and dunks the fuck out of the ball. UCLA presses, Florida breaks it and dunks the fuck out of the ball. Again, and again, and again.

I’ve gained a lot of respect for Billy Donovan… not that I didn’t respect him before, but I wouldn’t have put him among the nation’s best coaches. When you look at where Florida was where he got there, compared to where they are now… that’s enough to make him a stud. But I thought Florida was really well-coached tonight. You don’t get big men who pass that well and a guard like Taureen Green who handles the ball and the pressure so well without great coaching.

Other various things…

• I should’ve written it down, but Billy Packer said one of the dumbest things I’d ever heard in the first half. UCLA made a long pass down the court over Lee Humphrey’s head, and Packer said that since Peyton Manning was Humphrey’s hero, he should’ve been looking for them to go deep, and that he was a poor defensive halfback.

• I’m not going to miss seeing Lorenzo Mata on my television. He is unattractive and has armpit fur.

• Anyone catch that Burger King commercial with the King in bed with a construction worker, and he gives him a sandwich, and then they have a pillow fight? That was gay, right? Burger King is telling us that The King is a gay guy. Am I wrong to interpret it that way? I mean, he was in bed with the guy, he gave him a sandwich, a bunch of other dudes were there, and then they had a gay pillow fight. I think that’s kinda gay.

• The entire Florida starting line-up can return next year, if they so choose. And I bet they will.