"You're my boy, blue."

Dear Ben,

You're my boy, blue. Literally, blue. As in Bruins blue. Royal f'n blue.

And that's an intense statement - the whole thing about you being my boy. See, you coached at Pittsburgh for exactly the same duration of time (years exact!) that I attended Georgetown. You did pretty well at Pittsburgh - you won close to 70 percent of your games, a few Big East titles, some Coach of the Year awards, etc. I didn't like you then. You usually beat us.

But then you went west, for the most glorious program of all. I'm sorry to any Kentucky fans reading this open letter; you guys might be the most glorious program of all in some respects, but I'm getting tired of that bug-eyed Tubby Smith face. I think when SNL does a skit parodying it, that's the weekend he'll probably get fired. You could make a case for Indiana too, but I don't see too many other programs like the one in Westwood. 88 straight games? The father of modern college basketball sitting next to a court whose name is on it? Kareem and Bill? Marques Johnson (Ha)? Tyus Edney? The Brothers O'Bannon? DAN GADZURIC?!?

Yea man. You walked into a great situation over there - I love the Pac-10, and basketball-wise, I love the Bruins. You went from enemy to acquaintance.

And then, last year, you helped me win a lot of money. I rode you guys to the title game, which few in my main pool did, and I came home with close to 500 bucks as a result. You went from acquaintance to friend.

Now, I was ready to ride that horse again. I love Collison. He's so fast, although I do worry what Bear Bryant might say about him if he was trying to play football. Afflalo is tough as nails. You have the best backcourt in America, Ben. You really do (sorry Charlottesville). Your frontcourt is good, too. Shipp can ball, Moute is a prince in more ways than one, and I've begun to sense an inner toughness in Lorenzo Mata that might allow him to be - dare I say - a "difference maker" in this Tournament.

I'm ready to ride you guys out of San Jose ("The Gus Johnson Regional"), I really am. Who's gonna be the #2 out there, Memphis? That's like last year. Pish tosh. Maybe Texas as a 3? They probably get sent to San Antonio to mess with Florida and company, though. Maybe you get someone like UNLV as the 4? That's a weak Sweet 16 draw, Benny, and you know it. This one is yours for the taking.

But recently, I've become a little worried. I wasn't too too worried for the Washington game, as I watched it at a local dive bar/restaurant, devouring my open-faced meatloaf sandwich washed down with Sierra Nevada as Spencer Hawes finally realized his promise after oh so many games. But, I started to think. OK, so maybe San Jose will be easy for you guys. But what if you get to Atlanta and you draw Ohio State - I mean, assuming Georgetown doesn't beat them? Can Mata really handle Oden? That might be dicey.

I was worried, but I also knew you had everything all wrapped up with a nice little bright blue bow on top for the Pac-10, so I figured it was a momentary slip-up. Then - THEN - you come out in the Conference Tournament and drop one to Cal, a team that's underachieved essentially as much as Washington this year. And now pundits and their ilk are discussing you guys dropping to a 2 seed! A 2 seed, Benny! A 2 seed for the Bruins!

Unfathomable.

Now, the matter is out of your hands. You don't have any games until next Thursday or Friday. But here's what I want you to do. I want you to sit down your boys, and say to them, "Listen, gents. This is for everyone who's ever sweated their heart out at Pauley. This is for all of you that got all the way to Monday last year and weren't the final image on One Shining Moment. This is for all the cliches that Jim Nantz can make up when we get back this year. This is for the fact that, if Wooden dies between April 2 and April of 2008, everyone will always talk about our run."

After you sit down and tell them all that, I want you to send them to practice, but keep Mata aside. Tell him, "Listen, bro. I love you. But you need to start pulling some weight down low. Don't be afraid to get physical. Go for the family jewels if you need to. If we do face Oden, call the NCAA beforehand with a fake copy of his birth certificate. The fucker looks 37, maybe he is. Do whatever is necessary to maintain the post for this squad. They say guard play wins the NCAAs, but we all know that's a crock. It wins the first two rounds, and then big man play wins the later ones. I mean, Sean May? Joakim Noah? C'mon."

And once you send Mata to practice, I want you to think about what this would mean to everyone you've touched: John Stockon, who used to burn you on crossovers in college; Jamie Dixon, who, if the NCAA Tournament is storyline-savvy, will face you in the Elite Eight; John Wooden, the greatest of them all; Jordan Farmar, who could have led this team but decided to learn morality from Kobe Bryant; Cameron Dollar, who should be an assistant on this squad but rather works for Washington; and Tyus, who may or may not be alive.

And think of Adam Morrison crying last year, and how it was basically your doing - how the seminal image of the 2006 NCAA Tournament emerged from your coaching and your kids coming back from a 17 point defecit to WIN the game. Think about that, Benny. You're good at what you do. Make sure you stay that way.