Here’s the news for December 18, 2008 from the Double-A Zone, the official blog of the NCAA:

Experience the Jimmy V Classic from Madison Square Garden - Dec 18, 2008 | 14:58:20

posted by: Howard Smith

Last week, I attended the Jimmy V Classic at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The evening featured four marquee basketball teams with the ultimate goal of raising awareness and money for cancer research.

In the first game, Davidson squared off against West Virginia, while Texas and Villanova battled in the nightcap. Enjoy this video that gives you the opportunity to experience the Jimmy V Classic on one of basketball's biggest stages:

What's going on, Chicago? - Dec 18, 2008 | 15:35:06

Chicago's men's basketball team has been one of the better Division III squads over the last several years, consistently ranked in the top 25 in the country. In the last two seasons, the Maroons had a combined record of 38-14, including 22-6 in the University Athletic Association, arguably the nation's toughest Division III basketball conference.

This season, however, is a much different story. The Maroons are 0-9 so far this year, still looking for its first win in mid-December.

But, the thing is Chicago isn't that far from being 6-3. Believe it or not, six of Chicago's losses have been by a combined 10 points, including three one-point losses! It will be interesting to see when Chicago is able to break through for its first win, and how it fares once the difficult UAA schedule rolls around.

Alabama fans buying extra Utah tickets - Dec 18, 2008 | 14:28:52

Utah pre-sold the majority of its allotted 17,500 tickets for the Sugar Bowl against No. 4 Alabama. The school has about 4,300 tickets available, priced at $135. According to Zach Lassiter, Utah's assistant athletic director in charge of the ticket office, the school has "sold about 3,000 [tickets], and I'd say about 80 percent of those were to Alabama fans." Lassiter said.

The next generation of footballs - Dec 18, 2008 | 12:39:39

There might come a day when instant replay in college and professional football is a thing of the past. Why you ask? Well, a professor and several students at Carnegie Mellon are in the process of developing a football that will incorporate remote sensing technology. It will be able to help referees on tough plays, such as whether a receiver has possession on borderline catches near the sidelines or on the ground. It's interesting to think how technology like this will change sports in future generations.

Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh passes away - Dec 18, 2008 | 11:34:56

Sammy Baugh, a former all-American at Texas Christian who later became a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Washington Redskins, passed away yesterday. He was 94. When he retired, Baugh held the majority of the NFL's significant passing records. He also excelled as a safety and punter. Baugh was one of 17 inducted into the NFL's inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1963.

ACC tops Pro Bowl rosters - Dec 18, 2008 | 10:33:09

Interesting statistic from the ACC Sports Journal: Of the 84 players named to this year's NFL Pro Bowl, 20 are from current ACC schools ... almost 23.8% of the rosters. The SEC had 13 representatives, the Big 12 had eight, and the Big Ten had seven.

Interactive college football bowl calendar - Dec 18, 2008 | 9:44:08

USA Today's bowl calendar gives you an interactive look at this year's 34 postseason matchups.

Get excited David Hasselhoff fans! - Dec 18, 2008 | 9:13:23

David Hasselhoff, best known for his roles in "Knight Rider" and "Baywatch", will sing the national anthem at the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday. Kickoff for the Las Vegas Bowl is 8 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN.

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