At last … USA Basketball is back

Anyone else wake up early Thursday morning to watch the USA men’s basketball team beat Greece? OK, disclaimer: I remained sound asleep when the game tipped off at 7 a.m. local time. But something I like to call DVR saved me from missing it. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hoping to watch every United States game this summer. If I have to work (or sleep through an ungodly hour) when they play, I’ll call DVR out of the bullpen again. Finally, USA dominance is back. Gone are the days of 2000 and 2004 when the Americans played individual basketball on offense and … well, gave no sort of effort at all defensively. The 2008 Redeem Team is, without any doubt, the best USA team since the glorious days of Magic, Michael, Bird and Co. in 1992. Not sure who to thank for this. Perhaps Coach K for preaching defense to create a fast-break, highlight-reel style of offense. Maybe national USA basketball director Jerry Colangelo for putting this team together. No idea … it’s just fun to watch. And I’m not a huge NBA guy.In case you woke up at a normal time and missed the Greece game, check this highlight out: Margin of victory so far in three Olympic games: 25. Defense is back. Hallelujah.My two suggestions after observing: Start Chris Paul over Jason Kidd, and Chris Bosh over Carmelo Anthony. My starting five would then be as follows: 1 – Paul 2 – Kobe Bryant 3 – LeBron James 4 – Bosh 5 – Dwight HowardNow onto Big 12-related stuff… Anyone see Rivals.com’s piece on the biggest college football stadiums in the country? Interesting stuff. Any guess on No. 1, before clicking on that link? Not sure I would have guessed correctly. A Big 12 school doesn’t show up until Texas at No. 5. I must say, it’s a bit frustrating to see the Big 10 take the top three spots. Here are the Big 12 schools on the list and how they ranked as the biggest college stadiums:5 – Texas (94,113) 13 – Texas A&M (82,600) 15 – Oklahoma (82,112) 17 – Nebraska (81,067) 31 – Missouri (68,349) 41 – Oklahoma State (62,000) 50 – Iowa State (55,000) 53 – Colorado (53,750) 54 – Texas Tech (52,882) 57 – Kansas (50,071) T59 – Baylor (50,000) T59 – Kansas State (50,000)For some reason, I thought OU flirted with 100,000 after renovations. Guess not. Definitely thought Nebraska would be higher.Anyone been to all Big 12 stadiums (or close to all)? Thoughts on the nicest or most enjoyable stadium to watch a game in the Big 12?As always, discuss. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.