Every Thanksgiving weekend, we are bombarded with men's college basketball on TV.
There are the Maui Invitational, the 76 Classic and something called the USVI Paradise Jam. Unfortunately, we've heard little about the Great Alaska Shootout this year.
Possibly the most famous early-season basketball tournament, the Shootout is all but off the map because ESPN did not renew its TV deal.
The Shootout is Alaska's biggest sporting event aside from the Iditarod. The tourney has had some great games, such as Cincinnati's 1998 upset of Duke, or Arizona beating Syracuse in a 1987 game that featured eight future NBA stars.
Unfortunately, without a TV deal, the tournament this weekend had to lure famous (cough!) schools such as Western Carolina, Northern Illinois and Seattle U.
It's sad when the power of ESPN can dim the light on an event fans, coaches and players enjoy. The Shootout is a tradition that deserves to thrive.
What to surf
www.adn.com/sports/ shootout/index.html: The Anchorage Daily News has a complete Shootout history.
What to watch
College football: Notre Dame at USC, ESPN, 5 p.m.: Tune in to see what might be Charlie Weis' last game.
What to do
NBA: Mavericks at Kings, 7 p.m., Arco Arena: Dallas' Josh Howard entered the weekend with a bad ankle.
Friday's results
Area college football
• Boise St. 61, Fresno St. 10
Area men's basketball
• UC Davis 76, Tulane 62
• Cal 73, UNLV 55
• Saint Mary's 79, CS Full. 54
Area women's basketball
• Stanford 78, Purdue 70 (OT)
• Nevada 71, N. Iowa 63
• N. Carolina 98, Pacific 62
• Cal 68, Texas Tech 54
• St. Mary's 61, La Salle 55
• San Jose St. 49, Sac St. 48
NBA
• Jazz 120, KINGS 94
• Cavs 112, Warriors 97
• Raptors 93, Hawks 88
• Celtics 102, 76ers 78
• Heat 107, Suns 92
• Bobcats 115, Pacers 108 (OT)
• Pistons 107, Bucks 97
• T-wolves 105, Thunder 103
• Spurs 109, Grizzlies 98
• Blazers 101, Hornets 86
• Lakers 114, Mavericks 107
The last word
What you're saying on the sacbee.com comments: • "Bobby (Jackson) is right. The vets are not acting like vets." – kingsrulal on "Theus can't wait for García to return"
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