Health issues to force Rick Majerus resignation

Despite the obvious focus put on the student athletes of college basketball, many marquee coaches roam the sidelines on our nation's campuses. Many succeed at the college level and then move onto the NBA for a shot at what they think will be the ultimate prize: fame and money.

Yet many times the big city lights pale in comparison to the admiration and enthusiasm of an entire campus of fans and supporters. College coaches are the kings of their domain and great names from John Wooden to Adolphus Rupp to Dean Smith have left a legacy of great coaching in the college game.

This week was a turbulent time for a few of the premier coaches in the game. Health problems will force coach Rick Majerus to resign from the Utah Utes at the end of the season. At a height of about 6'1" and weighing more than 325 pounds, Majerus has been in a state of health risk for many years. His weight has ballooned to new heights over the last few years, and family and colleagues are worried about his heart condition.

Fortunately on the other end of the spectrum, Rick Pitino returned to the sidelines after an absence of only two days to coach his Louisville Cardinals against conference rival, the Marquette Golden Eagles. The coach's still mysterious, painful ailment will not stand in his way of coaching this year or in the future, but Pitino refused to comment on the exact nature of his medical situation.

Despite Pitino's return, the Cardinals fell out of the top five with a loss to Marquette on Saturday and a loss to the Memphis Tigers on Wednesday. Both Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean are banged up, and they just have to worry about getting healthy before the NCAA Tournament.

Bobby Knight's name has entered the headlines again, but unfortunately not for the stellar play of his Texas Tech Red Raiders. Coach Knight had originally been suspended for five days because of a screaming tirade he waged upon the Tech chancellor at an upscale supermarket -- the suspension was later lifted after a Knight apology.

According to ESPN reporters, the administrator complemented the coach on his recent good behavior, upon which Knight pulled a classic Bobby Knight move and exploded. One or two other Texas Tech employees, as well as many members of the community witnessed the scene. The supermarket owners are just lucky that he didn't throw any chairs or kick any balls around the crowded store during the lunch hour.

This week's other notable event was the schedule of games played all day long last Saturday. Halfway through its broadcast of Saturday's games, ESPN began referring to the day's events as "Upset Saturday." Eight teams who were then ranked in the Top-25 were beaten by unranked conference foes; including Louisville (No.4), the Kentucky Wildcats (No.5), Cincinnati Bearcats (No.7), Kansas Jayhawks (No.12), North Carolina Tarheels (No.15), Florida Gators (No.20), Purdue Boilermakers (No.21), and the South Carolina Game Cocks (No.23).

Even the top two teams -- the Duke Blue Devils and the Stanford Cardinals -- were pushed to the limit against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Oregon Ducks, respectively. Duke was down 15-4 before mounting its comeback and Stanford was down by more than 20 at halftime, before blowing out the Ducks in the second half. This just shows the parity in the top conferences top to bottom. Any team can beat a conference rival, especially on their home court.

This week also marked the pinnacle of the regular season as "Rivalry Week" took place. Bragging rights are either won or lost this week, so there is a lot at stake for college basketball fans.