The March to Madness

Karen Sypher Trial Is Set to Begin

Let's get ready to rumble!

After weeks of legal wrangling, it's time for the main event. Karen Sypher, right, the former car-show model and auto-glass saleswoman who had crazy sex with Louisville's Rick Pitino in a restaurant booth nearly seven years ago, goes on trial Monday in U.S. District Court in Louisville on charges of extortion, retaliating against Pitino and making false statements to federal agents.

Forty-five reporters have been accredited to cover the trial, which is expected to last two weeks. If convicted, Sypher faces up to 26 years in prison.

When Sypher had her one-night fling with Pitino, she was married to Tim Sypher, Pitino's equipment manager. Pitino, who is married with five living children, is expected to testify Tuesday.

Sypher is alleged to have demanded college tuition for her children, two cars of her choice, $3,000 a month, and her mortgage pained in full, promising "if all is accepted, I will protect Rick Pitino's name for life."

The Rick Majerus Soap Opera

St. Louis coach Rick Majerus is apparently upset over the university's cancellation of private charter flights for his team and has decided to take it out on a local radio station.

The controversy started last month when the university, in a cost-cutting move, told Majerus his team would have to fly commercial.

The Billiken coach reacted by canceling that week's appearance on "The Rick Majerus Show" on WXOS.

The following week, Majerus appeared on the hour-long show for only 35 minutes and said he wanted his name taken off the title because he would be unable to appear regularly.

"With our schedule, I'm not able to allocate the time on these evenings,'' he said.

But the following week, he was guest for 45 minutes on WGN in Chicago. The feed was picked up by KTRS, the sports talk competitor of WXOS in St. Louis.

From Planet Lovetron to Lehigh Carbon CC

Darryl Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14 years in the NBA. He played in three NBA finals as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s and also had stops in New Jersey, Detroit and Utah before his playing career ended in 1989.

So what is the colorful Dawkins up to these days? The 53-year-old former center is coach at Lehigh Carbon Community College.

"Eventually, I want to get to the NBA," Dawkins says. "I want to be on somebody's bench. I know I can help the big guys. I have a lot of basketball knowledge."