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RIO DE JANEIRO -- At these Olympics, its not always the grass thats greener on the other side.Its the diving pool.Think Rio officials were embarrassed they had to hire helicopters and spotters to try and keep sewage out of sailing waters? Now they cant seem to get the green out of the diving pool water.That led to some unusual television Friday as underwater cameras tried to focus on amoebae-like shapes that seemed more sea creature than human diver. In the stands, fans cheered when their favorite diver would suddenly emerge from what looked like green slop.It looked bad, though Rio officials insisted it was not really all that bad. Neither, they said, was the chlorine used in the adjacent water polo pool to make it a lighter shade of green for Fridays play.Still, this isnt exactly what they had in mind when promising the Olympics would go green.It doesnt take a genius to know what they did to the pool, U.S. water polo captain Tony Azevedo said. But it doesnt matter. Play in green water, play in chlorinated water, I mean Im an American. All our water is over-chlorinated, so it doesnt really matter.Friday marked three days since the once blue water began turning green, and two days since Olympic officials insisted it was getting better. So much better that the pool was closed for practice Friday as they frantically tried to clean things up before the womens 3-meter springboard preliminary.It didnt work, although the pool did smell somewhat better than it did in the morning when two German divers posted a picture on Facebook showing themselves covering their noses after practice was cancelled.Olympic officials werent exactly forthcoming on what made the water turn green, though those who clean swimming pools quickly identified it as algae. The officials also werent terribly clear on how algae was somehow allowed to grow in a pool being used for the biggest sporting event in the world.We first learned that chemistry is not an exact science, said Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada.That might come as somewhat of a surprise to actual scientists, who say keeping a swimming pool clean and blue isnt that difficult if certain procedures are followed.To them, its easy not being green.There is some imprecision in maintaining chemistry in a large body of water, said Tom Lachocki, executive director of the National Swimming Pool Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo. However, maintaining disinfectant in water has been the largest public health advance in the last century. The basic principles of maintaining disinfectant, proper pH, and circulation and filtration are scientifically sound and well established.Lachocki, a chemist himself, said making the pool blue again involves a combination of algaecide, chlorine and the proper pH levels.You get algaecide and proper chlorine and youll see that pool clearing up overnight, he said. Within 12-14 hours youll get cleaner water.Rio organizers can only hope that is true. Theyve battled water issues since being awarded the Olympics seven years ago with the promise they would clean up Guanabara Bay, the sailing venue that remains the collection area for much of the citys untreated waste.Theyve already had to deal with a Belgian woman who won a 2012 bronze medal falling ill after sailing the polluted waters of Guanabara Bay. The last thing they need is for pictures of divers doing flips and twists into green water to be iconic images of these games.We certainly could have done better in the beginning to prevent the water from turning green, Andrada admitted. Once it turned green, we again made another bit of a mistake.Its a mistake that made more than a few divers wary, including Britains Tom Daley, who tweeted after finding the pool closed for practice Friday that Hopefully that means we havent been diving in anything too bad the last couple of days!Hopefully not, because the worst case scenario is always that the water is as nasty as it looks.And no one wants to see divers turn green with anything other than envy.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. 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Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. No. 11 UConn | No. 13 Michigan State | Full ListNo. 12: WISCONSIN BADGERSLast season: 22-13, 12-6 Big TenThe Badgers return everyone of note from last years Sweet 16 team. The trio of Bronson Koenig, Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ does the bulk of the scoring, and?Vitto Brown and Zak Showalter are vital to the success. These guys were playing to help get then-interim coach Greg Gard the permanent gig a year ago, and it worked.?-- Jeff GoodmanBest case:?Big Ten champs, Elite Eight. How ironic that this is more of a Bo Ryan team than the last Ryan-coached team. Greg Gard has gone back toward the swing days, and Wisconsin became a tougher out. Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes are the team leaders and among thhe best in the nation at their positions.dddddddddddd The key will be the development of Ethan Happ, who could be a first-team All-Big Ten player.Worst case:?Early second-weekend casualty. The only thing that stops Wisconsin is quality guard play and depth. Everybody is back, but who steps forward to lead and make plays, especially in the backcourt? Zak Showalter has become a fine player for Wisconsin, but he and Koenig might not be enough scoring to reach a Final Four. Others need to step forward. If the past is any indication, they will.No. 13 Michigan State | Full List ' ' '