The Rock Chalkboard

Uncut Nets: A fitting end to KU's tumultuous 2020-21 season
The end of KU basketball's 2020-21 season didn't even have the dignity of a final buzzer. The clock at Hinkle Fieldhouse showed 3.0 seconds. Chris Teahan inbounded the ball to Latrell Jossell, who dribbled four times — two with each hand — before a whistle blew. And then another.

'Changed my life': Marcus Garrett emotional after potential KU finale
“I’m actually going to be the first person in my family to graduate in May,” Garrett said. “I really appreciate what he and the coaching staff have done for me and my family over these past four years. The way he taught me how to be a man, really. Coming from where I come from, you really don’t know a lot about being a man or things outside of basketball. But coach Self taught me everything.”

Everything Bill Self said after Kansas' loss to USC
The yeah, you can recruit. You can address it through recruiting. You can address it through player development.

For us to be a team that really has a chance to be a national contender, I mean, we need to get a little bit more athletic. We need to get a little longer and bigger, those sorts of things.

But I thought our guys for the most part played pretty well and maximized their individual abilities pretty well this year. But tonight, the length definitely mattered.

Reaction: USC bulldozes Kansas to earn Sweet 16 berth
The USC Trojans are just one game from their first Elite Eight since 2001 and two games from reaching their first Final Four since 1954. And that's worth noting because if the Trojans play the way they did in their 85-51 victory over Kansas Monday night, the sky is the limit for this USC team.

Quick recap & instant analysis: KU basketball vs. USC (Round of 32)
Prior to Saturday's game, Kansas (now 21-9, 12-6 Big 12) had defeated ranked foes in at-the-time No. 2 Baylor, No. 7 West Virginia, No. 8 Creighton, No. 14/No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 20 Kentucky, No. 23 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Oklahoma. The Jayhawks had dropped games to Gonzaga, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas (2x), Oklahoma, Tennessee and Oklahoma State, with all-but one loss coming to a ranked team.

Reseeding the men's March Madness 2021 field for the Sweet 16
The men's 2021 NCAA tournament provided more surprises and upsets in the second round on Sunday and Monday, as March Madness chaos continued to reign. But now, we have a larger sample size with which to analyze the remaining field.

Bits o Chalk

Illinois investigating racist post directed at Kofi Cockburn following NCAA tournament loss
Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn is the second player to say he faced racist comments on social media following a loss in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Boulder mass shooting on minds of Colorado Buffaloes after NCAA tournament exit
"First of all, before we talk about this basketball game, I thought about this in the locker room before the game, how the events that took place in Boulder, Colorado, today -- and I don't have any details other than to know it was a tragic, tragic situation," Boyle said after the Buffaloes' 71-53 NCAA tournament second-round loss to Florida State. "It puts basketball in its proper place.

Los Angeles Lakers star and former LA Clippers exec Elgin Baylor dies at 86
Hall of Fame forward Elgin Baylor, who followed his illustrious playing career with a decades-long tenure as LA Clippers general manager, has died at the age of 86.

USC hands Kansas 34-point loss, third worst in Jayhawks program history
Prior to Monday's game, Kansas had suffered only eight 30-point losses in program history, the most recent being a 72-40 loss to Kentucky in 2014.

Eraser Dust

10 killed in supermarket shooting in Boulder, Colorado
A gunman opened fire in a Colorado supermarket Monday, killing 10 people including a police officer, authorities said. One person was taken into custody at the scene in Boulder, where police said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Evanston, Illinois, becomes first U.S. city to pay reparations to Blacks
The Chicago suburb’s City Council voted 8-1 to distribute $400,000 to eligible black households. Each qualifying household would receive $25,000 for home repairs or down payments on property.

IRS says more stimulus checks will land on March 24 - CBS News
The tax agency didn't say how many payments it plans to issue on Wednesday. Last week, the IRS deposited about 90 million checks via direct deposit and mailed another 150,000 checks to people for whom it didn't have banking information. Earlier this month, IRS and Treasury officials said they planned to send about 100 million payments within the first 10 days of distribution for the third round of stimulus payments, which were authorized under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

28-year-old Fiverr freelance writer bought a car for $50,000 in cash
Fasulo was able to afford such a big purchase thanks to her lucrative career. She earns $378,000 a year through jobs she does on Fiverr Pro, the higher-end version of the platform where freelancers offer their services worldwide.

Kalispell man arrested following dispute over wearing face mask at gym
Wave staff told officers that they would like him to leave the facility, but Miller refused. Officers then asked Miller numerous times to leave, and Miller again refused. He was then handcuffed and removed from the building.

Krispy Kreme sparks controversy by offering a free doughnut to anyone vaccinated | The Independent
"Starting today, guests who show a valid Covid-19 vaccination card at any Krispy Kreme shop in the US can receive a free ... doughnut – anytime, any day, even every day – through the remainder of 2021," the company wrote in a press release.

Demi Lovato Almost Relapsed After Overdose Following Body-Shaming Comments
"That's the most triggering thing that you could possibly write about somebody with an eating disorder. I wanted to use. I wanted to give up."

When will kids and teens be vaccinated against Covid-19? - CNN
While there's a chance that a vaccine will be available to high school and middle school-age children by this fall, younger children may still be months away from vaccination when the upcoming school year begins. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said younger children may have to wait until the first quarter of 2022.