Sources inside ESPN, who have leaked paperwork from the The Decision special on the network, have confirmed that questions cleared by Lebron's advisers for Jim Gray, the interviewer, include hints Lebron has decided to become a Knick. Questions include, "Is the chance to play your home games at MSG and in Manhattan, with the glitz and glamour greater than anywhere in the world, a factor in this decision?"
Well Manhattan get ready for a show. He may not bring championships back home, but he will put on quite a show and bring fans, money and interest to MSG 41 nights a year.
In a sad day for Cleveland, fans of the city and its NBA franchise will finally see Lebron James for who he is, an egomaniacal, image driven superstar that for all his bravado about Ohio being home and always will be, will slowly and painfully stab a knife in the back of every Cleveland fan that ever bought his jersey and defended him from his critics.
Cleveland fans have worn blinders that would make Sea Biscuit proud, for the many years they defended Lebron from what they said were "hater" critics that couldn't see Lebron for who he is. Well, Cleveland you will now see Lebron for who he truly is. And it will be in a New York uniform and on every billboard in Times Square and if he gets his way the cover of Forbes magazine as the first Billionaire athlete. All Cleveland will get is another ring in its Hall of Shame, from The Drive to The Fumble, from The Shot to Art Modell leaving for Baltimore, Cleveland has a new name to obsess over, The Decision. At approximately 9:07 pm EST tonight (according to ESPN documents), The Decision will be added to those famous sayings in the Ohio lexicon. Who knows, even with the environmental cleanup along the Cuyahoga river, it may be on fire again, a half century after the famous pictures of the burning river, this time though they will only have one word to blame: Lebron.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Week 1 College Football
As week one of the CFB season approaches the hopes and dreams of many fans and alumni are high. Just as hope springs eternal every spring in Baseball, as the summer days grow shorter college football fans from every corner of the nation tell each other this is their year.
If you root for a non-BCS team then the words Utah and Boise State will be thrown about, hoping their team can crash the big boy party come New Year’s Day. September means all the work you put in is on the line for 60 minutes and all the blood and sweat from spring to fall, recruiting to practice, can come to an end in the blink of an eye or the shriek of a whistle. For in football one loss can make all the difference. The action starts Thursday and does not end until a national champion is crowned. Each week teams are eliminated, each loss a crushing blow. The beauty of college football is exactly this. There are no second chances. Yes a team can lose and still make it to the championship, but unlike in basketball, very few teams have that luxury. A playoff in college football of more than four teams would ruin the unique build-up and excitement of the season and the drama that unfolds on college campuses each Saturday (or in the era of ESPN, Thursday Friday and the occasional Tuesday).
Monday, April 6, 2009
Christmas Day in April !!
There is no better day on the calendar than the first Monday of April. For baseball fans Hope Springs Eternal and from Pittsburgh to Anaheim (I mean Los Angeles), Tampa to Seattle, teams and fans believe this could be the year. Gardeners are sprucing up 18 holes of glory in Augusta, waiting for a Tiger to prowl the fairways. And for the alumni of two colleges, tonight could be the night. No waiting out the dog days of summer, just two 20 minute halves is all that separates their team from One Shining Moment.
For Michigan State and their fans, nobody could have predicted they would be back on the Ford Field floor to get another shot at North Carolina after a 98-63 beatdown the Tar Heels put on them 4 months ago. Without Goran Suton, the heart of the Spartan team, UNC put an exclamation point on being the best team in the country on that December day. But here we are, 63 tournament games later and the two teams left standing, the two most impressive in the tournament, are the same two that shared this same building in December.
North Carolina has been motivated all season long by the disappointing end to last season, a Final Four loss to Kansas, a game in which the Jayhawks jumped on UNC early and never let up. The game exposed UNC last year as a team with ample talent, yet not able to clamp down on defense when it mattered most. The same could be said for this year's version and for good reason, the Tar Heels returned all 5 starters after Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington and Green all decided to come back for another run at the Championship. Lawson and Ellington could be back for another run, while Hansbrough and Green will be playing their final collegiate game. These players have waited a year for this game and all will be ready to fight for what they believe is rightfully theirs, the chance to cut down the Ford Field nets.
Most have already given the championship to the Tar Heels. If you read or watch anything sports related, the only stories that give Michigan State a chance talk about fairy tale endings for a city and state down on its luck, a team that has persevered all season long like the people they represent. And this is all well and good, Michigan could use a break, its people a chance to cheer wildly for something they believe in. But championships in sports are not won because one team's fans deserve it more (look at the Cubs or fans of Cleveland) but they are won by a group of players, in this case 18-22 year olds that have worked their whole lives to play in this game, for this one chance at glory, every year on the first Monday in April.
I believe in the Spartans, I picked them to make it this far, to upset top seeded Louisville, to win their first game in the Final Four. But alas my predictions only took them this far. UNC defeats Michigan State. See story below. And I am not one to waver on a prediction. But in thinking about this game it occurred to me that Michigan State has something that UNC does not, something UNC has not needed. Determination and the ability to fight through adversity.
When a team is told they are the best, without fail, as UNC has all season long, focus and discipline is needed above all to play great and prove you are the best. When a team is told they are not as good, when they lose 98-63 in their home state, when people choose them only as a feel good story, this team needs heart and determination.
Not many experts, ESPN and CBS stand out to me, gave MSU a chance to beat Louisville, saying they can't beat their full court press, can't stop Terrance Williams and the inside duo of Earl Clark and Samardo Samuels. But it was MSU that did not turn the ball over on the press, that held Williams to 2 points in the first 30 minutes, that gave up 0 fast break points, that completely dominated inside against the great Clark and Samuels. A telling sign in that game was when Louisville took their only lead of the second half, an alley-oop dunk and then a blocked shot on the other end by Williams. While Terrance Williams posed for the camera and watched his blocked shot fall into the third row of stands, Tom Izzo got his team's attention and pointed with both fingers to his temples, then pointed to his heart. His players knew what he meant, but more importantly knew what they had to do as individuals and collectively at that moment. It didn't matter who the other team was, the Spartans would not back down, would not fall short of their goal, their dream. From that moment on there would be no more posing for Terrance Williams, except for on the bench with a towel draped over his head and tears welling in his eyes. Michigan State got its dream, to represent their home state in Detroit.
I am not going to say now that these underdog Spartans can win the Championship tonight. I think UNC is too talented and too focused to lose if they play how they have been. But I am going to tell you why Michigan State has a better shot than most experts or Las Vegas bookies for that matter are giving them. I will tell how they CAN win.
It starts with the same aggressiveness and determination they have shown all year, but especially over the last 5 games. Kalin Lucas, the Big 10 player of the year, is the leader and more precisely the distributor. He gets all his teammates involved, but when the game is on the line will take and make the big shots as he did against Kansas in the Sweet 16. He is every bit as important to his team as Ty Lawson, the PG of the Heels.
Travis Walton is the Big 10 Defensive player of the year and can score from midrange about as good as anyone. His 15-18 foot jumpers vs. USC in round 2 catapulted the Spartans past Troy. Raymar Morgan was maybe the most talented of the Spartans when the season started, but only in the Final 4 has be played the way he is capable. An illness halfway through the season hindered his game for much of Big 10 play and the tournament. But he seems revived now that the pressure is off and he can just go play, not worrying about expectations.
The center and heart of the team though is Goran Suton. He scored 17 of his team's 30 first half points vs. Louisville, giving them a lead before the rest of the team stepped up. He has held some of the best big men in the game to well below their averages, and he will need to against Hansbrough tonight. The other big men, Delvan Roe, Traymon Green, Durrell Summers, all are tough and physical and a reason why UNC will have a hard time going inside to score.
The unsung heroes for Tom Izzo will be needed to inspire an upset. Cory Luscious, a freshman backup PG looked great vs. UCONN, scoring 11 first half points in the upset. He will be needed to slow down Lawson. Chris Allen, the sharpshooter off the bench, will be depended upon to stretch the defense and score.
For the Tar Heels, if Ellington and Green are hitting their shots they just don't lose. And as always Lawson should have a great game getting in the lane, distributing, and scoring when he needs to. But it is Ellington and Green that may be the X factors. With Walton most likely manning Ellington and Morgan on Green, they will face a stiff defense that they don't see in the ACC. Walton and Morgan will be physical, will get in their lanes, fight through screens and I guarantee UNC will not have the open looks as they did vs. Villanova. In fact I truly see Green being timid, Ellington getting frustrated and the game coming down to whether Lawson and Hansbrough can summon enough magic to win.
Michigan State has an uncanny ability to play a game at their tempo, and that can change depending upon the opposition. Versus Louisville it was half court, slow down, execute and don't let the Cardinals get in the open court for layups and dunks. Versus Kansas they wanted to run and score easily and fast off Kansas misses. Although the game went down to the wire, Michigan State made the plays needed to win. Versus UCONN, the Spartans didn't mind quickening the game and scored on layups in transition when it mattered most, while taking care of the ball and ultimately tiring out the Huskies in the second half. Tonight, they will want the game to be played half court, not allowing UNC to score in transition. If the Spartans make UNC a half court team, play physical, outrebound the Heels, and can stretch the defense with Suton, Lucas and Morgan, they CAN win this game. Remember, Louisville was more talented and more athletic, but it was the Spartans who were tougher, quicker to the loose balls and above all else wanted it more when it mattered most. History can repeat itself.
The question is has UNC grown enough from last year's disappointing end to fight through the adversity they will face tonight and accomplish their goal. Are Lawson, Ellington, Green and Hansbrough determined to do everything that is necessary, fight through elbows, dive through Spartans, to come out on top?
I know the Spartans have the Determination and heart, we will see if Carolina Blue doesn't mind getting bloodied to get what it wants.
It is Christmas day in April, the crack of baseballs on bats begins, the azaleas are in bloom in Georgia, and two teams have one chance at One Shining Moment.
For Michigan State and their fans, nobody could have predicted they would be back on the Ford Field floor to get another shot at North Carolina after a 98-63 beatdown the Tar Heels put on them 4 months ago. Without Goran Suton, the heart of the Spartan team, UNC put an exclamation point on being the best team in the country on that December day. But here we are, 63 tournament games later and the two teams left standing, the two most impressive in the tournament, are the same two that shared this same building in December.
North Carolina has been motivated all season long by the disappointing end to last season, a Final Four loss to Kansas, a game in which the Jayhawks jumped on UNC early and never let up. The game exposed UNC last year as a team with ample talent, yet not able to clamp down on defense when it mattered most. The same could be said for this year's version and for good reason, the Tar Heels returned all 5 starters after Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington and Green all decided to come back for another run at the Championship. Lawson and Ellington could be back for another run, while Hansbrough and Green will be playing their final collegiate game. These players have waited a year for this game and all will be ready to fight for what they believe is rightfully theirs, the chance to cut down the Ford Field nets.
Most have already given the championship to the Tar Heels. If you read or watch anything sports related, the only stories that give Michigan State a chance talk about fairy tale endings for a city and state down on its luck, a team that has persevered all season long like the people they represent. And this is all well and good, Michigan could use a break, its people a chance to cheer wildly for something they believe in. But championships in sports are not won because one team's fans deserve it more (look at the Cubs or fans of Cleveland) but they are won by a group of players, in this case 18-22 year olds that have worked their whole lives to play in this game, for this one chance at glory, every year on the first Monday in April.
I believe in the Spartans, I picked them to make it this far, to upset top seeded Louisville, to win their first game in the Final Four. But alas my predictions only took them this far. UNC defeats Michigan State. See story below. And I am not one to waver on a prediction. But in thinking about this game it occurred to me that Michigan State has something that UNC does not, something UNC has not needed. Determination and the ability to fight through adversity.
When a team is told they are the best, without fail, as UNC has all season long, focus and discipline is needed above all to play great and prove you are the best. When a team is told they are not as good, when they lose 98-63 in their home state, when people choose them only as a feel good story, this team needs heart and determination.
Not many experts, ESPN and CBS stand out to me, gave MSU a chance to beat Louisville, saying they can't beat their full court press, can't stop Terrance Williams and the inside duo of Earl Clark and Samardo Samuels. But it was MSU that did not turn the ball over on the press, that held Williams to 2 points in the first 30 minutes, that gave up 0 fast break points, that completely dominated inside against the great Clark and Samuels. A telling sign in that game was when Louisville took their only lead of the second half, an alley-oop dunk and then a blocked shot on the other end by Williams. While Terrance Williams posed for the camera and watched his blocked shot fall into the third row of stands, Tom Izzo got his team's attention and pointed with both fingers to his temples, then pointed to his heart. His players knew what he meant, but more importantly knew what they had to do as individuals and collectively at that moment. It didn't matter who the other team was, the Spartans would not back down, would not fall short of their goal, their dream. From that moment on there would be no more posing for Terrance Williams, except for on the bench with a towel draped over his head and tears welling in his eyes. Michigan State got its dream, to represent their home state in Detroit.
I am not going to say now that these underdog Spartans can win the Championship tonight. I think UNC is too talented and too focused to lose if they play how they have been. But I am going to tell you why Michigan State has a better shot than most experts or Las Vegas bookies for that matter are giving them. I will tell how they CAN win.
It starts with the same aggressiveness and determination they have shown all year, but especially over the last 5 games. Kalin Lucas, the Big 10 player of the year, is the leader and more precisely the distributor. He gets all his teammates involved, but when the game is on the line will take and make the big shots as he did against Kansas in the Sweet 16. He is every bit as important to his team as Ty Lawson, the PG of the Heels.
Travis Walton is the Big 10 Defensive player of the year and can score from midrange about as good as anyone. His 15-18 foot jumpers vs. USC in round 2 catapulted the Spartans past Troy. Raymar Morgan was maybe the most talented of the Spartans when the season started, but only in the Final 4 has be played the way he is capable. An illness halfway through the season hindered his game for much of Big 10 play and the tournament. But he seems revived now that the pressure is off and he can just go play, not worrying about expectations.
The center and heart of the team though is Goran Suton. He scored 17 of his team's 30 first half points vs. Louisville, giving them a lead before the rest of the team stepped up. He has held some of the best big men in the game to well below their averages, and he will need to against Hansbrough tonight. The other big men, Delvan Roe, Traymon Green, Durrell Summers, all are tough and physical and a reason why UNC will have a hard time going inside to score.
The unsung heroes for Tom Izzo will be needed to inspire an upset. Cory Luscious, a freshman backup PG looked great vs. UCONN, scoring 11 first half points in the upset. He will be needed to slow down Lawson. Chris Allen, the sharpshooter off the bench, will be depended upon to stretch the defense and score.
For the Tar Heels, if Ellington and Green are hitting their shots they just don't lose. And as always Lawson should have a great game getting in the lane, distributing, and scoring when he needs to. But it is Ellington and Green that may be the X factors. With Walton most likely manning Ellington and Morgan on Green, they will face a stiff defense that they don't see in the ACC. Walton and Morgan will be physical, will get in their lanes, fight through screens and I guarantee UNC will not have the open looks as they did vs. Villanova. In fact I truly see Green being timid, Ellington getting frustrated and the game coming down to whether Lawson and Hansbrough can summon enough magic to win.
Michigan State has an uncanny ability to play a game at their tempo, and that can change depending upon the opposition. Versus Louisville it was half court, slow down, execute and don't let the Cardinals get in the open court for layups and dunks. Versus Kansas they wanted to run and score easily and fast off Kansas misses. Although the game went down to the wire, Michigan State made the plays needed to win. Versus UCONN, the Spartans didn't mind quickening the game and scored on layups in transition when it mattered most, while taking care of the ball and ultimately tiring out the Huskies in the second half. Tonight, they will want the game to be played half court, not allowing UNC to score in transition. If the Spartans make UNC a half court team, play physical, outrebound the Heels, and can stretch the defense with Suton, Lucas and Morgan, they CAN win this game. Remember, Louisville was more talented and more athletic, but it was the Spartans who were tougher, quicker to the loose balls and above all else wanted it more when it mattered most. History can repeat itself.
The question is has UNC grown enough from last year's disappointing end to fight through the adversity they will face tonight and accomplish their goal. Are Lawson, Ellington, Green and Hansbrough determined to do everything that is necessary, fight through elbows, dive through Spartans, to come out on top?
I know the Spartans have the Determination and heart, we will see if Carolina Blue doesn't mind getting bloodied to get what it wants.
It is Christmas day in April, the crack of baseballs on bats begins, the azaleas are in bloom in Georgia, and two teams have one chance at One Shining Moment.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
March Madness
If it was decided one day to break up the calendar year by the sports calendar, the Super Bowl would be New's Year's Eve, all the hoopla leading up to watching a ball drop in 20 degree weather; and the next morning it is over and back to real life. Soon enough the chill in the air dissipates, birds start chirping, college basketball analysts start arguing, and on the third Thursday of March spring officially kicks off, well sort of (approximately 12:16 PM Eastern time to be exact).
It is the only time of the year hope fills the air for everyone, the leader of the Free World included, to the point of betting hard earned money on a 63 game tournament that has worse odds to win than at the nieghborhood Indian Casino.
As someone who picked Memphis last year to cut down the nets only to watch helplessly as Mario Chalmers stole my heart away, not to mention the next months' rent, be advised of the next several paragraphs. Luck is not exactly my thing. But if you want to listen to someone who has probably watched more college basketball on Thursday, Friday OR Saturday of last week than 90% of those soccer moms, salesmen, or secretaries in your NCAA pool the following might be worth reading.
Opening weekend
The best 4 days of the year, in the school's out for summer theme, if you can manage a 4 day weekend for your "family reunion" from your boss (it seemed to work for me every time). Twelve hours of basketball on Thursday and Friday leads to upsets, buzzer beaters and the reason why we call it Madness.
The best matchups in the first round by region starts off with UCLA-VCU in the East region. From 2007 when Eric Maynor of VCU took down Duke with a free-throw line jumper as time expired, most basketball fans remember VCU. With a chance to take down the 3-time defending Final Four Bruins in the first round this game should be fun to watch, if Maynor gets hot Ben Howland will be watching the rest of the tournament from his recliner sooner rather than later.
LSU-Butler and ASU-Temple are great matchups in the South. Temple got hot in the Atlantic 10 tournament and got a trip to Miami for its reward to play the Sun Devils. Both teams rely heavily on one player, Dionte Christmas for Temple and James Harden for ASU. This should be a tough game and give Temple a real shot at the upset.
Both Butler's and LSU's coaches are playing the no respect card for this game, thinking their regular seasons' work of winning the Horizon League and SEC titles, before their conference tournament losses was enough for a higher seed. The winner gets a chance at the Tar Heels in Greensboro, NC. Contrasting styles in this one, but both hard nosed teams.
Marqutte going up against Utah St in the West region in Boise makes for an interesting game. Marquette lost senior guard Dominic James in February and probably lost a chance at the Final Four and a higher seed, while Utah St is a thirty win team that could pull the upset. But first year coach Buzz Williams always has Marquette ready and with Jerell McNeal and Wesley Matthews at guard, I wouldn't count on them going down this early.
The Midwest bracket is the most intriguing in my mind. Ohio St and Siena match up in an 8-9 game in Dayton, OH. Louisville would meet the winner if they get by Morehead St, and cannot be very happy that Ohio St will travel a lesser distance and probably fill up the arena more than the #1 overall seed Cardinals. But it may not come to that, as Siena pulled an upset last year and is more than capable of another one if Ohio St does not shoot the 3 well.
Another game to watch is Wake Forest-Cleveland St in this region. The 4 seed Deacons have a bad tendency of not showing up and could lose this game. They are also talented enough to beat anyone (the great thing about Cleveland St is they think they can beat anyone as evidenced by upsetting Butler in the Horizon league final). Should be a high scorer and fun to watch.
Boston College-USC is another game with high hopes. BC has already pulled off stunning upsets of then invinsible UNC in January on Tobacco Road, then later Duke, but they also lost to Harvard at home. Who knows which team will show up, but USC will be happily awaiting. The Trojans stole an invite and is talented and hot enough to make a run.
Sweet 16
Some great games are set up on Thursday or Friday of the Sweet 16 if seeds hold. Louisville-Wake could be a great game with Terrance Williams' all around play and Louisville's press versus Jeff Teague and Wake. Also expect West Virginia to nail a spot back in the Sweet 16 getting past a tough Dayton team and then the reigning National Champ Jayhawks. I like Michigan St though coming out of that game with a good shot at Louisville. The Spartans are a team that can play physical with Pitino's style and cause Louisville to beat them from outside, which the Cardinals are deep but not great at guard, their ultimate downfall. I like the Spartans coming home from Indianapolis (where they were unsuccessful last week in the Big 10 tourney) and on its way to Detroit for the Final 4. They match up well with their bracket and if they play solid defense like Tom Izzo teaches and Kalin Lucas, Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton make enough plays on offense, this team will give Detroit its wish.
The West bracket has the best possible games, with UCONN-Washington and Missouri-Memphis in Glendale, AZ. The Battle of the Huskies has featured two memorable games in which UCONN came out on top and went on to win the national championship, in 1999 and 2004. Washington's heart was broken by Richard Hamilton on a fall away jumper from the free throw line in 1999 and then Nate Robinson took UW to the brink of another upset before falling to the eventual national champs in 04. UW has to get by Purdue though which could be tough and before that they face the SEC Tournament champion Miss St Bulldogs, with Jarvis Varnado, who passed Shaquille O'Neal's NCAA record for most blocks in a season last week. The number is more than 80% of NCAA TEAMS this year. Nice.
With UCONN missing Jeremy Dyson, the other half of a lethal backcourt with AJ Price, they won't lose in the first round like last year to San Diego, but could be facing a rough road to get past both UW and Memphis or Missouri. Either way a good Tigers team will be in the Elite 8 and my guess is on Coach Cal's Tigers. Last year it was Derrick Rose leading Memphis to the brink of champion, before missing free throws, not fouling and losing the dream. This year it is Tyreke Evans, who could easily follow in Rose's footsteps and use the tournament as a springboard to the #1 pick in the draft. He is a better scorer than Rose, and although not as capable passer yet, he is comfortable with the ball in his hands and can shoot it from outside lights out. I don't think I would ever put my money on Calipari and Memphis after last year, but I'll throw next month's mortgage on Evans like that.
In Boston and the East region I look forward to a Villanova- Duke tussle, both teams have the talent to be playing into April and the coaches to get them there. Jay Wright could have the team he has been waiting for, solid, experienced guard play with Scotty Reynolds and athletic interior play with Dante Cunningham. I like Nova to get out of Philly in the opening weekend and take down Duke here.
Pitt and Jamie Dixon will feel the same way, he has his best team yet and all the motivation to perform on the big stage after losing to W Virginia in Madison Square Garden in the Big East tourney. They will have trouble with Florida St and Toney Douglas, who is the best player nobody has heard of. Maybe the best pure point guard in the country, yes I said it Ty Lawson. FSU will be a tough out. But the team around Douglas will not hang with the best and Pitt should be playing Nova for a chance at Detroit. I like Pittsburgh to give the Big East its representative with outstanding performances from Lavance Fields and Dejuan Blair.
The South is my upset bracket. I really believe UNC is the best team in the country but with Lawson hurting, it opens the door for others. Syracuse made a memorable run again in MSG with 6 OT's vs. UCONN, and only a vintage second half Louisville run could beat them in the final. I see them winning 3 games like last week and playing into the Elite 8. Jonny Flynn is another guard to watch, and listen to, as he will talk for 40 minutes (Or 70 in the case of last week's game).
I like Oklahoma to get knocked out against Michigan, who will beat Clemson on Thursday. But the best team in the bracket may be Gonzaga. Now comfortable with their non Mid Major status it is time Gonzaga stepped up and went to a Final 4. Mark Few has his best team ever, and possibly a top 5 talent wise starting lineup in the country. Pargo is a great point guard, but they rely on Matt Bouldin to score and distribute at crucial times and he is up to the task. Their only bad loss was to Memphis, while they took UCONN to OT and should have beat them. With Heytvelt back from his mushroom traficking offense (it is still eastern Washington after all) holding down the middle and the versatility and athleticism of Downs and Daye, Gonzaga is the real deal, better than the Adam Morrison team which lost a heartbreaker (and tear jerker if you were Morrison) to eventual national runner-up UCLA in 06.
This could be the game of the Tournament, the Zags vs. the Tar Heels in Memphis. I penciled in all games up to this point, but was stopped, wanting to pick Gonzaga to represent the left coast, wanting to believe that this team matches up with all Roy Williams has. But in the end I chickened out, well sort of. I'm picking UNC, but I just opened up my online betting account and took Gonzaga, 60-1 odds to cut down the nets in Detroit. Now that is Hope. It is spring time after all.
5-12 Upset - Western Kentucky defeats Illinois
10 Seed Michigan to beat Clemson and Oklahoma
Final 4 Picks - Michigan St defeats Memphis
UNC defeats Pittsburgh
UNC defeats Michigan St in final
It is the only time of the year hope fills the air for everyone, the leader of the Free World included, to the point of betting hard earned money on a 63 game tournament that has worse odds to win than at the nieghborhood Indian Casino.
As someone who picked Memphis last year to cut down the nets only to watch helplessly as Mario Chalmers stole my heart away, not to mention the next months' rent, be advised of the next several paragraphs. Luck is not exactly my thing. But if you want to listen to someone who has probably watched more college basketball on Thursday, Friday OR Saturday of last week than 90% of those soccer moms, salesmen, or secretaries in your NCAA pool the following might be worth reading.
Opening weekend
The best 4 days of the year, in the school's out for summer theme, if you can manage a 4 day weekend for your "family reunion" from your boss (it seemed to work for me every time). Twelve hours of basketball on Thursday and Friday leads to upsets, buzzer beaters and the reason why we call it Madness.
The best matchups in the first round by region starts off with UCLA-VCU in the East region. From 2007 when Eric Maynor of VCU took down Duke with a free-throw line jumper as time expired, most basketball fans remember VCU. With a chance to take down the 3-time defending Final Four Bruins in the first round this game should be fun to watch, if Maynor gets hot Ben Howland will be watching the rest of the tournament from his recliner sooner rather than later.
LSU-Butler and ASU-Temple are great matchups in the South. Temple got hot in the Atlantic 10 tournament and got a trip to Miami for its reward to play the Sun Devils. Both teams rely heavily on one player, Dionte Christmas for Temple and James Harden for ASU. This should be a tough game and give Temple a real shot at the upset.
Both Butler's and LSU's coaches are playing the no respect card for this game, thinking their regular seasons' work of winning the Horizon League and SEC titles, before their conference tournament losses was enough for a higher seed. The winner gets a chance at the Tar Heels in Greensboro, NC. Contrasting styles in this one, but both hard nosed teams.
Marqutte going up against Utah St in the West region in Boise makes for an interesting game. Marquette lost senior guard Dominic James in February and probably lost a chance at the Final Four and a higher seed, while Utah St is a thirty win team that could pull the upset. But first year coach Buzz Williams always has Marquette ready and with Jerell McNeal and Wesley Matthews at guard, I wouldn't count on them going down this early.
The Midwest bracket is the most intriguing in my mind. Ohio St and Siena match up in an 8-9 game in Dayton, OH. Louisville would meet the winner if they get by Morehead St, and cannot be very happy that Ohio St will travel a lesser distance and probably fill up the arena more than the #1 overall seed Cardinals. But it may not come to that, as Siena pulled an upset last year and is more than capable of another one if Ohio St does not shoot the 3 well.
Another game to watch is Wake Forest-Cleveland St in this region. The 4 seed Deacons have a bad tendency of not showing up and could lose this game. They are also talented enough to beat anyone (the great thing about Cleveland St is they think they can beat anyone as evidenced by upsetting Butler in the Horizon league final). Should be a high scorer and fun to watch.
Boston College-USC is another game with high hopes. BC has already pulled off stunning upsets of then invinsible UNC in January on Tobacco Road, then later Duke, but they also lost to Harvard at home. Who knows which team will show up, but USC will be happily awaiting. The Trojans stole an invite and is talented and hot enough to make a run.
Sweet 16
Some great games are set up on Thursday or Friday of the Sweet 16 if seeds hold. Louisville-Wake could be a great game with Terrance Williams' all around play and Louisville's press versus Jeff Teague and Wake. Also expect West Virginia to nail a spot back in the Sweet 16 getting past a tough Dayton team and then the reigning National Champ Jayhawks. I like Michigan St though coming out of that game with a good shot at Louisville. The Spartans are a team that can play physical with Pitino's style and cause Louisville to beat them from outside, which the Cardinals are deep but not great at guard, their ultimate downfall. I like the Spartans coming home from Indianapolis (where they were unsuccessful last week in the Big 10 tourney) and on its way to Detroit for the Final 4. They match up well with their bracket and if they play solid defense like Tom Izzo teaches and Kalin Lucas, Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton make enough plays on offense, this team will give Detroit its wish.
The West bracket has the best possible games, with UCONN-Washington and Missouri-Memphis in Glendale, AZ. The Battle of the Huskies has featured two memorable games in which UCONN came out on top and went on to win the national championship, in 1999 and 2004. Washington's heart was broken by Richard Hamilton on a fall away jumper from the free throw line in 1999 and then Nate Robinson took UW to the brink of another upset before falling to the eventual national champs in 04. UW has to get by Purdue though which could be tough and before that they face the SEC Tournament champion Miss St Bulldogs, with Jarvis Varnado, who passed Shaquille O'Neal's NCAA record for most blocks in a season last week. The number is more than 80% of NCAA TEAMS this year. Nice.
With UCONN missing Jeremy Dyson, the other half of a lethal backcourt with AJ Price, they won't lose in the first round like last year to San Diego, but could be facing a rough road to get past both UW and Memphis or Missouri. Either way a good Tigers team will be in the Elite 8 and my guess is on Coach Cal's Tigers. Last year it was Derrick Rose leading Memphis to the brink of champion, before missing free throws, not fouling and losing the dream. This year it is Tyreke Evans, who could easily follow in Rose's footsteps and use the tournament as a springboard to the #1 pick in the draft. He is a better scorer than Rose, and although not as capable passer yet, he is comfortable with the ball in his hands and can shoot it from outside lights out. I don't think I would ever put my money on Calipari and Memphis after last year, but I'll throw next month's mortgage on Evans like that.
In Boston and the East region I look forward to a Villanova- Duke tussle, both teams have the talent to be playing into April and the coaches to get them there. Jay Wright could have the team he has been waiting for, solid, experienced guard play with Scotty Reynolds and athletic interior play with Dante Cunningham. I like Nova to get out of Philly in the opening weekend and take down Duke here.
Pitt and Jamie Dixon will feel the same way, he has his best team yet and all the motivation to perform on the big stage after losing to W Virginia in Madison Square Garden in the Big East tourney. They will have trouble with Florida St and Toney Douglas, who is the best player nobody has heard of. Maybe the best pure point guard in the country, yes I said it Ty Lawson. FSU will be a tough out. But the team around Douglas will not hang with the best and Pitt should be playing Nova for a chance at Detroit. I like Pittsburgh to give the Big East its representative with outstanding performances from Lavance Fields and Dejuan Blair.
The South is my upset bracket. I really believe UNC is the best team in the country but with Lawson hurting, it opens the door for others. Syracuse made a memorable run again in MSG with 6 OT's vs. UCONN, and only a vintage second half Louisville run could beat them in the final. I see them winning 3 games like last week and playing into the Elite 8. Jonny Flynn is another guard to watch, and listen to, as he will talk for 40 minutes (Or 70 in the case of last week's game).
I like Oklahoma to get knocked out against Michigan, who will beat Clemson on Thursday. But the best team in the bracket may be Gonzaga. Now comfortable with their non Mid Major status it is time Gonzaga stepped up and went to a Final 4. Mark Few has his best team ever, and possibly a top 5 talent wise starting lineup in the country. Pargo is a great point guard, but they rely on Matt Bouldin to score and distribute at crucial times and he is up to the task. Their only bad loss was to Memphis, while they took UCONN to OT and should have beat them. With Heytvelt back from his mushroom traficking offense (it is still eastern Washington after all) holding down the middle and the versatility and athleticism of Downs and Daye, Gonzaga is the real deal, better than the Adam Morrison team which lost a heartbreaker (and tear jerker if you were Morrison) to eventual national runner-up UCLA in 06.
This could be the game of the Tournament, the Zags vs. the Tar Heels in Memphis. I penciled in all games up to this point, but was stopped, wanting to pick Gonzaga to represent the left coast, wanting to believe that this team matches up with all Roy Williams has. But in the end I chickened out, well sort of. I'm picking UNC, but I just opened up my online betting account and took Gonzaga, 60-1 odds to cut down the nets in Detroit. Now that is Hope. It is spring time after all.
5-12 Upset - Western Kentucky defeats Illinois
10 Seed Michigan to beat Clemson and Oklahoma
Final 4 Picks - Michigan St defeats Memphis
UNC defeats Pittsburgh
UNC defeats Michigan St in final
Friday, March 6, 2009
Getcha Popcorn Ready T.O.
It looks as though Terrel Owens might be the one watching from the sideline with popcorn in hand as the offseason of the NFL kicks into high gear. Owens will be counted among the hundreds of thousands of Americans laid off in March, but unlike most of those people he will not be visiting the unemployment office or collecting government checks anytime soon. It won't be long before some owner thinks that Terrel will be different for his organization than he was in Dallas, Philly or San Francisco. Said owner will think that his coach and his team leaders will be able to manage T.O's talents and ego long enough to win a few playoff games and sell out those luxury boxes being vacated by the stream of corporations realizing that laying off hundreds or thousands of workers while still spending millions to pamper their executives does not look good for public relations.
The fact is no one can control T.O, not even himself. When Jerry Jones, king of publicity, realizes that T.O is not worth the headache that he is causing his team then Drew Rosenhaus, the uber sports agent who famously held a news conference at T.O.'s north jersey home (actually driveway) while his player did push ups in the background, might be getting worried. There are only so many more destinations for this man to land. So many organizations he can single handedly implode.
His final game as a Cowboy will be remembered similar to what Texas Stadium will soon become, a demolition job. His former team demolishing his Cowboys 44-6 in a playoff elimination game in Philadelphia the last week of the season, if that was not the perfect end to his time in Dallas, I don't know what is.
The sad thing is since T.O. made that amazing catch for San Francisco to beat Green Bay in the playoffs over a decade ago, and subsequently wept in joy on the sideline, there has not been very many proud moments for him or the organizations he represented. He had his record setting game for the 49ers in Jerry Rice's final game on the right side of the Bay Bridge, had more successful seasons with Jeff Garcia, before the famous "smells like a rat" diatribe about Garcia (who's laughing in that confrontation now, Garcia is married to a supermodel and T.O. is married to his agent, and jealous of his old QB and TE's manly relationship) and then was shipped across the country to Philly. Many will say he almost brought a championship to the city of Brotherly Love in his one full year there. But the fact is the Eagles did not win a playoff game with T.O in shoulder pads (he was injured late in the regular season, sat out both playoff wins and returned to have a great game in the Super Bowl, but ended up losing). The same can be said for his stint in Dallas, ZERO playoff wins, fractured relationship with his QB, and many dropped passes along the way. The talent may be there, but something is missing from this man's career, the payoff at the end of the road.
Sooner rather than later Drew Rosenhaus will announce a news conference, have a team logo hat in hand, a list of accomplishments at the ready, a multi million dollar check signed in his back pocket, hand the microphone to some poor Owner and GM, who will say how lucky they are to be able to employ a player such as Owens, and then the soap opera will begin anew, "As the World T.Orns". But this GM should not expect anything different, should not put their reputation and livelihood on the line with this player, for they will be the ones counted among some future unemployment statistic, sooner rather than later.
The fact is no one can control T.O, not even himself. When Jerry Jones, king of publicity, realizes that T.O is not worth the headache that he is causing his team then Drew Rosenhaus, the uber sports agent who famously held a news conference at T.O.'s north jersey home (actually driveway) while his player did push ups in the background, might be getting worried. There are only so many more destinations for this man to land. So many organizations he can single handedly implode.
His final game as a Cowboy will be remembered similar to what Texas Stadium will soon become, a demolition job. His former team demolishing his Cowboys 44-6 in a playoff elimination game in Philadelphia the last week of the season, if that was not the perfect end to his time in Dallas, I don't know what is.
The sad thing is since T.O. made that amazing catch for San Francisco to beat Green Bay in the playoffs over a decade ago, and subsequently wept in joy on the sideline, there has not been very many proud moments for him or the organizations he represented. He had his record setting game for the 49ers in Jerry Rice's final game on the right side of the Bay Bridge, had more successful seasons with Jeff Garcia, before the famous "smells like a rat" diatribe about Garcia (who's laughing in that confrontation now, Garcia is married to a supermodel and T.O. is married to his agent, and jealous of his old QB and TE's manly relationship) and then was shipped across the country to Philly. Many will say he almost brought a championship to the city of Brotherly Love in his one full year there. But the fact is the Eagles did not win a playoff game with T.O in shoulder pads (he was injured late in the regular season, sat out both playoff wins and returned to have a great game in the Super Bowl, but ended up losing). The same can be said for his stint in Dallas, ZERO playoff wins, fractured relationship with his QB, and many dropped passes along the way. The talent may be there, but something is missing from this man's career, the payoff at the end of the road.
Sooner rather than later Drew Rosenhaus will announce a news conference, have a team logo hat in hand, a list of accomplishments at the ready, a multi million dollar check signed in his back pocket, hand the microphone to some poor Owner and GM, who will say how lucky they are to be able to employ a player such as Owens, and then the soap opera will begin anew, "As the World T.Orns". But this GM should not expect anything different, should not put their reputation and livelihood on the line with this player, for they will be the ones counted among some future unemployment statistic, sooner rather than later.
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