Turiaf is pulling for alma mater Gonzaga

Not everyone in New York is jumping on the St. John's bandwagon.

There's nothing Knicks center Ronny Turiaf would like better than to see the Red Storm go down in its first game. That's because No. 6 seed St. John's is playing Gonzaga, Turiaf's college team.

"Gonzaga basketball all the way," Turiaf said after practice Monday. "New York fans can be mad at me because I'm not supporting St. John's. But they can see that I'm loyal. I'm loyal to Gonzaga all the way."

Turiaf is far from the only player in the NBA singing the praises of his alma mater this week. As the NCAA Tournament begins, NBA locker rooms will be the scene of some heated trash talk. Every player seems to think his team is the one that could win college basketball's biggest prize.

Perhaps no team is paying closer attention to the NCAA bracket than the Celtics. Boston has seven players -- Paul Pierce (Kansas), Ray Allen (Connecticut), Jeff Green (Georgetown), Avery Bradley (Texas), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame), Rajon Rondo (Kentucky) and Von Wafer (Florida State) -- plus coach Doc Rivers (Marquette), who played at schools now vying for a national title.

Complicating matters is the fact that Kansas, Florida State, Georgetown and Notre Dame are all playing in the Southwest Regional. Kansas is the No. 1 seed and Notre Dame the No. 2 and could be playing for a spot in the Final Four. Pierce has been doing his best to mess with Murphy's head, declaring that he isn't worried about the Irish because he doesn't think they have what it takes to make it to the Elite Eight. To get to the regional final, Murphy's team would have to beat Wafer's Florida State in the third round, then possibly play and beat Green's Georgetown in a Sweet 16 game.

"To tell you the truth, Florida State makes me a little nervous," Murphy said. "I was hoping we would get a No. 1 seed, but I think losing to Louisville in the Big East Tournament really hurt. But then again, maybe we will get some rest. I do think we can beat all these teams."

One team that hasn't gotten much rest is Connecticut, which had to win five games in five days to take the Big East Tournament title. That helped UConn get the No. 3 seed in the West Regional. Allen, a former Husky, likes his former team's chances, especially with Kemba Walker.

Said Allen: "I think nine times out of 10, when you look at every team in the Final Four, you always see two or three of the best players in college playing on that stage, because they carry their team. You know, we do have that on our side at UConn in Kemba Walker. He knows how to play in big-game situations, he has a great supporting cast that's still learning, so anything can happen."

With Mike Gavin