Ga. Tech picked winner

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The last time the Final Four was in San Antonio, Georgia Tech played in the title game. This time, three Georgia Tech engineering professors predicted the winner based on a computer ranking system they developed.

They got it right.

Georgia Tech’s system goes by the acronym LRMC, which stands for Logistic Regression Markov Chain, picked Kansas over Memphis in last night’s national championship.

According to a news release, it “uses basic scoreboard data: teams played, homecourt advantage and margin of victory.”

What makes the system worth mentioning? It predicted the Final Four.

LRMC also was right in calling Georgetown, Connecticut, Drake and Vanderbilt as “significantly overrated.” All four were gone the first weekend.

As for upset picks, LRMC correctly identified West Virginia and Kansas State.

“But LRMC did not predict Davidson’s Cinderella run,” the release said. “Like every other ranking system, LRMC failed to identify Davidson as underrated.”

High steaks

Thanks to Kansas’ victory last night, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will have a nice, meaty meal soon.

In the usual wager between elected officials, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen put up pork ribs from Memphis’ famous Rendevous restaurant against steaks offered up by Sebelius.

The bet came with an appetizer of trash-talking.

“A side of Jayhawk will be especially tasty with a nice Kansas steak after the Memphis Tigers give us our first championship victory of the week,” Bredesen said before the game.

Sebelius’ retort: “The Jayhawks are especially good at defeating tigers, even those from Memphis,” she said, referring to Kansas’ in-state rivals, the Missouri Tigers.

Teaming up

Eager to improve all areas of youth basketball in America, the NBA, NCAA and several other leaders in the sport are teaming up.

NBA commissioner David Stern and NCAA president Myles Brand announced yesterday a business venture to benefit pre-collegiate boys and girls and their parents, coaches, officials and supporters of the game.

“The end product will be improving the on-the-court and off-the-court skills of young players, whether they ultimately make it to the NBA or they don’t,” Stern said.

The initiative is still being put together and does not yet have a title. Executives from USA Basketball, high school athletics and sports apparel companies joined Stern and Brand for the announcement in San Antonio.

“This is the most profound thing we’ve done since I’ve been in basketball,” said Georgia Tech men’s coach Paul Hewitt, head of the Black Coaches Association.