LEFTOVERS: Laettner still so easy to hate

There will be no bracket busters, Cinderellas or midmajors making a miracle run to the title this year.

Christian Donald Laettner is a lock to claim the crown of “Most Hated College Basketball Player of the Last 30 Years.”

The ESPN-hosted website Grantland.com this week unveiled a 32-player bracket split into four regions: the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and Duke.

Laettner is the top seed in the Duke region, as UNLV fans surely would agree, followed by J.J. Redick, Danny Ferry, Steve Wojciechowski, Shane Battier, Austin Rivers, Bobby Hurley and Greg Paulus.

Laettner, who played in four straight Final Fours and led Duke to NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992, cruised to the final four of this tourney as well Friday, rolling past Redick after walking over “Wojo.”

The bracket also could have featured a North Carolina region, as former Tar Heels Rick Fox, Eric Montross and Tyler Hansbrough each advanced to the final four.

Fox, a No. 7 seed who upset Reggie Miller (No. 2) and Derrick Coleman (No. 3) before edging Danny Ainge, faced Laettner in Friday’s semifinals.

Results won’t be released until today, but we would be shocked if Laettner didn’t stomp on Fox the same way he intentionally stepped on the chest of Kentucky forward Aminu Timberlake in the 1992 NCAA Tournament classic in which Laettner sank his famous buzzer beater.

Ainge, a No. 8 seed, stunned top seed Patrick Ewing and also beat Pervis Ellison before losing to Fox. The former Brigham Young star, whose last-second, coast-to-coast drive against Notre Dame in 1981 remains one of the NCAA Tournament’s most memorable moments, must have garnered most of his votes from his days of whine — you remember Ainge’s agonized face — and banners with the Boston Celtics.

Montross, who made the 1950s flattop haircut cool again — not really — clipped Mateen Cleaves in a 4-6 matchup after knocking off No. 1 seed Jalen Rose to set up an all-Carolina semifinal against Hansbrough.

Larry Johnson, a No. 2 seed, was the only UNLV player in the tournament. He was beaten by Allen Iverson in the first round, but considering it’s hard to hate a Grandmama, we won’t call it an upset.

Iverson’s loss to Cleaves was far more surprising, as we can’t think of anything to hate about the former Michigan State star.

Maybe Iverson should have practiced more.

We’re talking about practice, man. We’re not talking about the game. We’re talking about practice.

■ LEGEND REVEALED — The Las Vegas Legends of the Professional Arena Soccer League withheld the name of a player they had signed before Sunday’s semifinal playoff game against San Diego, hoping to surprise the Sockers. Alas, the Sockers outlasted the Legends 6-5 in overtime and on Monday won their fourth straight PASL title.

In case you were waiting with bated breath to learn the identity of Las Vegas’ secret weapon, you now can exhale.

It was defender Nelson Santana, a member of the U.S. Futsal National Team.

Now if we can only figure out what futsal is.

COMPILED BY TODD DEWEY
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL