The college hoops season is drawing to an end but not without going out with a bang. This year's tournament and by tournament I mean the NCAA tournament (no one cares about the NIT, CBI, or College Insider) has been unreal. Last weekend once again proved why college basketball is awesome.
I need to first talk about my boys at Xavier. Thursday night's game against Kansas State was arguably one of the best college basketball games I have ever witnessed. It went double OT with so many high level plays. When it looked like Xavier was done in regulation Terrell Holloway got fouled in the act of shooting a three. He calmly stepped to the line and knocked down three pressure foul shots. Then it was the man of the night, Jordan Crawford knocking down one of the biggest time shots I've ever seen. That three he laced from about 32 feet was truly an exclamation point on his season at Xavier. The guy is just absolutely unreal. Both him and Holloway put the team on their back in the extra sessions. Even though Xavier fell just short in the second over time I felt nothing but proud to be a Musketeer as the final horn sounded. There was nothing to hang your head on in that game. They played extremely hard and fought until the end. Thanks to Jason Love for a fantastic four years. Like BJ Raymond last you, Love showed what it truly means to be a Musketeer. He stuck with it, got better every year, and went out a winner no matter how you look at it. He too is a role model for any basketball player coming into that program. The more BJ Raymonds and Jason Loves they get the better. Coach Mack had a heck of a first year and I'm thoroughly looking forward to many more years like that from him at X. In closing, I would like to say that I think Jordan Crawford is jumping to the league. I mean after the numbers he put up in the tournament, how can he not leave? I've been told that he's projected as a top 20 pick. If he does return, an imminent NBA lock out in 2011 would force him to stay through his senior year and I just don't see him wanting to stay that long, especially with his talent and potential. He has the total package to play in the league right now. But then again, I read just over a month ago that NBA scouts would like for him to stay one more year. That would be unreal and certainly be huge for the team next year. It would certainly make them a pre season top 15 team in my mind. Only time will tell. Until then I will pray like five times a day that he stays. I am already looking forward to the start of the 2010 season! Do what we do.
In the first semi-final Butler will match up against Michigan State. What a story line here. First you have Michigan State making it to their second consecutive Final Four. Seriously, you can never count Tom Izzo and Sparty out in March. That guy and his teams always click come tournament time. Even with out Kalin Lucas they still have the fire power to advance to the biggest stage in college basketball. Butler is quite a story in itself. I know it was salt in the wound to all Xavier fans to see them beat Kansas State full knowing that a rematch between Butler and Xavier would've been the perfect opportunity to advance to the Final Four. But, you have to give Butler a lot of credit. They are the little school that could. In reality they have been on the map since the late 90s and finally got over the hump. Not only are they in the Final Four but it's being played in their back yard in Indianapolis. Much like Michigan State last year in Detroit, Butler has a great opportunity to do something special in front of the home crowd. Lucas Oil Stadium will certainly be rocking on Saturday night. I think on paper you have to give the slight advantage to Michigan State in this match up. Tom Izzo is the veteran coach who has been on this stage plenty of times and knows what it takes to win. Not only that, I would argue their talent is better than Butler's talent. Not to put Butler aside, they have legit guys too. Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, and Matt Howard are three very very solid players and obviously they have proven their worth by advancing to the Final Four. My mind says Michigan State but the my great story line loving heart says Butler. This game could come down to a possession or two, I got Michigan State to make it's second National Title game in a row here. Sorry to my sister who went to Butler, but I got Sparty in this one.
In the second semi-final you have Duke and West Virginia. In Duke you have the sure fire hall of famer Coach K at the healm of the ship leading a once again very solid, sound, and skilled Duke team to their first Final Four since 2004. Duke is probably the least talked about team in this tournament. They have quietly been winning in solid fashion. They probably had the easiest run up to this point as well. Of all four teams left I would say they have the best chance at winning this whole thing. Their inside presence is really good. I mean they out rebounded a very athletic Baylor team, a team who rarely if ever gets out rebounded. They can stroke from deep as well and Nolan Smith is the slasher with a ton of potential. On the other end you have a West virginia team coached by hard nosed and well respected Bob Huggins. Huggy Bear stopped the most talented team in the country in stunning fashion. The 1-3-1 zone worked to perfection on Kentucky as they went 0-fer from long range. With the possibility of Truck Bryant returning to the line up this weekend they will be at full force. Da'Sean Butler is a very good player. Devin Ebanks at 6'8" can guard a perimeter player and seems to be coming into his own this tournament. Defensive leader Mazzula out of nowhere scored 17 against Kentucky as well. Because I picked West Virginia to lose to Kansas in the title game I'm going to stick with West Virginia here. They are my pick to match up with Michigan State next Monday night in Indy.
Meanwhile while hoops as been in full affect things have been going down here in Charlottesville. We are half way through spring practice. I really like the tempo of practice so far. The new staff is great and I can see the attitude changing in players already. Marc Verica has looked solid as QB 1 and the defense looks good in the new 4-3 scheme. Our spring game is April 10th and then we will begin getting ready for a much anticipated match up with Richmond on September 4th followed by a little trip out west to USC on September 11th. Stay tuned. The men's baseball team is still #1 in the country after taking 2 of 3 from top 5 ranked Clemson this weekend. The men's lacrosse team is also still ranked #1 and undefeated after beating Johns Hopkins this weekend. UVA athletics is just on deam right now.
It's that time of year, softball is back. I once again will be taking to the field on a football staff squad. We're looking for a little better effort this year as I think we were placed in a division a little over our heads. I just got a new glove so you know I'm ready to take right field and have that on lock. They are implementing wooden bats this year which should be interesting. I do plan on keeping my power hitting heavy in the mix. The Young Guns and Old Men are back with much swagger this year.
-'Killa
Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet
As I'm writing this I'm taking in a little stand up comedy in the form of UC v Dayton. Is there anyway that both teams can lose? I say yes, per my boy Ries up in Columbus, "They could have a brawl and both get dq'd with UD getting their ass whooped by Yancy/Cashmere/Lance..." Incredible. If that happened I would be such a happy person. By the way Dayton, what are those uniforms. Last time you wore those in Cincinnati you got Rick Rolled in Cintas Center. You need to start paying attention to the facts and the facts are you can't win in Cincinnati, stay up there in the dump they call Dayton and stop trying to win down in Cincinnati because you just can't. From an equipment manager's perspective, are those black uni's screen printed?! If so, that's whack.
How about that opening weekend for the NCAA Tournament?! Are you kidding me?! I can't remember a first weekend like that to save my life. So many ridiculous things happened I don't even know where to begin. Clearly the upsets and Cinderellas in the mix are the main story lines. In the Sweet 16 you have: 9, 5, 6, 2, 1, 3, 11, and 12 seeds. Absurd. I mean my bracket is completely in shambles with no opportunity to revive it. Down for the count. But, I could care less, I'm all about the great action anyways.
So much for Kansas winning it this year. Northern Iowa said they had enough of the lay down to the master talk and came out and smacked the Jayhawks right in the mouth. I don't know if I've ever seen a dude with more balls than that Ali dude from Northern Iowa. With Norther Iowa up two and Kansas due a possession he pulls up on basically a 1 on 3 break from deep and nails it right in the coffin. Game over. Mouth. See ya Kansas. After beating Kansas anything can happen right? Like I said, they are from the giant killer conference of the MIssouri Valley and clearly aren't afraid of anyone. From the terrific guard play to the scrappy post play they seem to have it clicking on all cylinders. They will be facing off against the always battle tested and deep-run-in-March Michigan State Spartans. How can you not root for Tom Izzo and the Spartans in March. I always have them in the second weekend if not further. Dude just knows how to win in March. Unfortunately they will be without stud and leader Kalin Lucas as he tore his achilles in the first half against Maryland. Thus the question posed is, do they play inspired hoops to get to the Elite 8? Only time will tell. Even without Lucas Michigan State has to be the favorite. Raymar Morgan, Draymon Green, Korie Lucious, Delvon Roe, and company are certainly enough to handle Northern Iowa, but like I said, anything can happen after the magic Norther Iowa pulled off against Kansas. Going with my brain on this one, I like Michigan State to win without Kalin Lucas. Tom Izzo just knows how to win in March. I will point out though with out Lucas Michigan State is 0-1 this year.
The midwest bracket was the most stacked bracket I've ever seen. But now the door is open for Ohio State to not only make the Final Four but make a run at the national title. Ohio State isn't deep at all but the starting five is so tough I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Ohio State taking advantage of the opportunity. First of all they have probably Player of the Year Evan Turner running the show. He doesn't just do one thing great, he does everything great. It is certainly his time to shin on the national stage and show why he's the man. Then there is the long range threat in Jon Diebler. Many believe Ohio State goes as he goes. If he is hitting from deep then they are a very tough team. If not, they then must rely on Turner to really shoulder the burden. David Lighty is not only a lock down defender but he has evolved into an offensive threat who is now stroking from deep as well. William Buford is a young stud too who can fill it up. Dallas Lauderdale is the force down low who really is a true post player. He defends, rebounds, and even does a little scoring. Ohio State is facing off with Tennessee. Tennessee only goes about 6-deep as well so this should make for an interesting match-up. It will be interesting to see if the Bucks slow it down to take Tennessee out of their comfort zone of run and gun or if the Bucks play the up-tempo style of play. I gotta think the Bucks may grind it a little bit but also take their chances to score buckets on the run. I like Ohio State in this match-up.
Butler has shed the Cinderella slipper and is now a well recognized elite squad. They are working with a 22-game win streak at the moment and the best not talked about player is Shelvin Mack. Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward seem to get all the publicity by Mack is the real deal. Butler will be matching up against a tough Syracuse team. Syracuse looked very impressive Sunday afternoon even without Onuaku, the big fella down low. Andy Rautins has been lights out so far in this tournament and Wes Johnson is showing why he is in the mix for POY. Again, I like the favorite in this game. I just think Syracuse is a far superior team with a far superior coach. Don't get me wrong Brad Stevens is obviously one of the best young guys out there, but that's just it, he's young. Jim Boeheim has been around the block a few times and knows what it takes to win in March. I think Syracuse wins the match-ups at every position. I like Syracuse in this game.
Kansas State has basically breezed through this tournament. They really haven't even been challenged yet. Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente are scorching hot right now. Pulled is clearly a big time player and enjoys the spotlight to shine. Frank Martin brings that Bob Huggins style of coaching and it transforms into their play; tough, gritty, nasty, and over-powering. Kansas State hung all year in a tough Big 12 and gave Kansas a run for their money. The interesting part about their match-up against Xavier is that they have met before this season. Kansas State won the match-up in Manhattan back in December. That was a very scary time for X as things could've gone off the deep end if they hadn't pulled together as a team after that loss. Looking at the box score from that game we shot terrible and didn't play well at all. Jordan Crawford and Brad Redford both had 16. It's going to take a much higher level effort to beat Kansas State in Salt Lake City. First of all, Jordan Crawford is playing out of his mind and proving why he is an elite talent. Dude is averaging 27.5 ppg in the tournament all while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from three. Wow. Filthy nasty numbers right there. He has taken over when he has had to take over and played within the team as well. He is scoring from deep, taking it inside, and the mid-range game is wet. Jason Love as been as steady as ever. Just doing what he does, rebound, sky hooks, and go to the line. Dante Jackson has also showed his March veteran leadership by knocking down threes. But Dante, please have some poise when you go to the line in late game situations and just hit your free throws brother. I think the game is going to be a down to the wire game. Xavier is going to need a big time effort defensively to try and cool off Pullen and Clemente. They will also need to crash the glass hard. On the offensive side of things, obviously they will need a heavy dose of Crawford but guys like Holloway, Jackson, and Love will need to be present as well. Brad Redford is healthy and hit a three against Pitt which was nice to see. If they can get some nice minutes from him that will be key. Redford could easily be the X-Factor in this game. My heart says Xavier in this one. You know what, my brain says Xavier. I'll tell you why, they are a much different team than in December right now. I think they have continued to get better and are poised again for another Elite 8. Xavier wins in Salt Lake City.
Time to pimp Xavier with some facts:
1. X and Michigan State are the only two teams to make three straight Sweet 16s
2. Memphis and Xavier are the winningest teams in the NCAA Tournament outside of the Big Six conferences
3. Last time they played in Utah they lost to Gonzaga in a heart breaker
4. Chris Mack is the winningest first year head coach
5. John Calipari and Chris Mack are the only coaches to be in the tournament as coaches in their first year with their respective programs
6. Jordan Crawford is averaging 27.5 ppg (19.7 regular season) shooting 50% (40% regular season) and 40% 3pt (30% regular season) in the tournament
Kentucky has looked as good as ever in the tournament. They certainly look like a team on a mission as they have man handled their opponents so far in this tournament. The young bucks at UK really look like they mean business. John Wall has been solid and Demarcus Cousins is just a hoss. John Calipari certainly has his guys playing at an elite level again in March. They will be matching up with the upstart Cornell Bears. Jay Bilas was all about Cornell before the tournament started and they certainly have made Jay Bilas look like a genius. Their methodical style of play has just flustered opponents and completely embarrassed the Wisconsin Buzz Cuts. Again, I look at this match-up and just see too much fire power in UK for Cornell to handle. I like Kentucky to advance to the Elite 8.
Keeping with the upset special, Washington has come from nowhere and looked good while doing so. The Pac-10 was pretty whack this year which prevented Washington from getting any respect. However, they seemed to have shown why many people saw them as a top 20 team early in the season. Quincy Pondexter is the driving force for this team while Isiah Thomas continues to lead this team to victories. They will be playing West Virginia. Now I have West Virginia in my Final Four. I just think they are really solid at every position. DaSean Butler is a baller. Bob Huggins has done a tremendous job with this team. I think this game will be closer than people think. Washington has earned my respect and I like the way they are playing in this tournament. However, at the end of the day, I like West Virginia to win this one.
The Duke and Purdue game would be so money if Robbie Hummel was healthy. Purdue has been riding the tail of Chris Kramer, E'Twan Moore, and JaJuan Johnson. These guys are trying to make up for the loss of Hummel. However, will that be too much to overcome against the always solid and fundamental Duke team? Certainly Duke is Duke right now. They just do everything right and rarely seem flustered in times of panic. This is Coach K's 19th Sweet 16 I believe. Again, this will be a pretty good game with a lot of interesting match-ups. However, in the end Duke will win. Their road to a possible Final Four berth is the easiest of all favored teams and I think they stay on that road with a win over Purdue.
Finally you have Baylor and St. Mary's. This game is being played in Houston so you have to give the immediate edge to Baylor (Plano, TX). Baylor has a baller point guard in Tweety Carter. When he is hitting from deep he is tough to stop. They then have a stat stuffer Lacedarius Dunn who has inside/outside game of a NBA player. He can hit from deep but also slash to the bucket. Rounding out the necessary entities to be successful in March is Ekpe Udoh. The big man down low alters shots, blocks shots, and can also score down low as he was the only one to show up in Baylor's first round game. St. Mary's is lead by this really annoying big man Omar Samhan. I'll give him his credit, he is a polished block player who can score with both hands. But the guy bumps his gums a little too much. Dude just shut up for once. You're just as annoying as Vasquez from Maryland. Unfortunately, I said St. Mary's wouldn't win a game in this tournament but they have constantly proved me wrong. Again, this match-up will be very interesting. I'm picking Baylor. One reason is that I have Baylor in my Final Four. Another reason, I will be rooting against St. Mary's simply because Samhan is really annoying and everyone seems to be down with him but me. Baylor Bears advance.
So there you have it. I picked mostly favorite teams except for Xavier. Now is the time where you can really tell the men from the boys. Like they say in football, "September is for pretenders and November is for contenders." Well the same goes for the Sweet 16. At this juncture in the tournament, teams seem to separate themselves from each other. You begin to see who the elite squads are while generally the Cinderella runs seem to come to a halt as far superior competition is faced. However, after what Northern Iowa did to Kansas on Saturday, that may not be the case this year. Either way, strap on your seat belts as the wild ride that is March continues. Dayton sucks.
Let's go X!
-'Killa
65 Pieces of Silver Pt. 2
I generally do not like to toot my own horn but last year’s 65 Pieces of Silver got a lot of publicity and a lot of people complimented me on that piece of work. So I’m back again for another go around at 65 names, teams, coaches, or whatever people should be looking for as the NCAA Tournament gets rolling. Seriously, if you don’t love this time of year then you are a loser. Let’s stop beating around the bush. Take some notes, well actually don’t, just enjoy because I’m not here to give anyone advice on their brackets. I’m just here to give the readers some things to look for. Yo dj, drop that beat.
Cornell is the first team to go dancing. They knocked off the Brown Bears in dominating fashion. This is Cornell’s third straight trip to the dance. They have lost in the first round as a 14-seed the past two years but three years ago almost upset #1 seed Kansas. Look for Cornell to stroke it from deep. They hit 20 of 30 from downtown against Brown. They are deep and experienced and could provide teams a little bit of trouble come dance time.
Winthrop is dancing after beating Coast Carolina on their home floor for the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Winthrop’s smothering D is key to their success. Not trying to hate on the Eagles, but they only have one guy averaging in double digits and that guy only averages 10.4. However, like I said, it’s their D that is key.
The Bucs from ETSU are back dancing. This is their second straight appearance in the big dance. Pretty impressive if you ask me as they lost three starters from last year’s squad from either graduation or injury.
The Racers of Murray State are dancing. Check this out, they have 30 wins! They are 30-4. Murray State is no stranger to the dance as this is their 14th appearance however; it’s their first since 2006. Not sure if they are gonna do the things or not, but look for them to be slinging on the hardwood.
Out of the giant killer conference that is the Missouri Valley Conference comes Northern Iowa. They topped the Shockers of Wichita State to grab the automatic bid. Wichita State needed the win more than Northern Iowa, so now they are going to have to wait an agonizing week to see their fate. UNI used a 25-3 run in the second half to help grab the W. Their suffocating D held the Shockers without a field goal for over 12 minutes. It was once again Kwadzo Ahelegbe who laid pipe. Look for Northern Iowa to cause some trouble in the tourney. Teams out of the MVC are the real deal; people should take them more seriously.
The Monarchs are in the mix! Out of the Colonial Athletic Association come the Monarchs of Old Dominion University. Check it, little known fact, the alma mater of my boss! I’ll tell you what though. As much as I want to give this team props, it’s hard for me to say they are a team that can get a win in the NCAA tournament. They struggle to make free throws and only average four made three-pointers a game. To me that’s two very important categories. If a team wants to sit in a zone on ODU and ODU isn’t hitting from deep then I just don’t see them advancing. I will say that they rebound like a bunch of crazed banshees, so that there is an important category when it comes to advancing. Throw them in as a 10-seed and they could make a little noise.
The giant killers are back. Siena. Out of the MAAC, Siena is coming strong. They were down by as many as 17 and 15 in the second half. They battled back and gutted out an overtime victory in front of the home crowd. Let me break it down for you about Siena. First of all, they beat Ohio State last year so that should send enough shockwaves across Bracketville. Secondly, over the past four years the program has 96 wins, which is comparable to 115 wins over four years at a place like UNC. Siena is a team that other teams use as a resume builder so everything comes earned. They have a group of seniors who have scored 4,000+ combined points over their careers as well. So you have to think Siena is in the mix to make big time noise. As always, I have to give a big shout out to my main man Bob Gavagan. Dude was a manager at Xavier with me but moved on to lay it down at Siena and if there is one thing I know Bob does, it’s hang banners and sling bling. I see you Bobby G!
The Wofford Terriers from the SoCon are dancing. This is there first ever dance. Shoot they have only been a D1 program since 1994 so this is big time. They jumped out early on Appy State and then used lock down D to shut App State out of the dance. It should be noted that Mark Prosser is on staff at Wofford and that Wofford is on the schedule for X next year. So take note, another NCAA tournament team on the schedule for next year. See that Dayton, when you schedule teams who make the tournament you set yourself up to be dominant late in the season. I don’t really see Presbyterian in the mix this year.
Out of the West Coast Conference is St. Mary’s. Don’t worry, Gonzaga will be in, but St. Mary’s grabs the automatic bid, one they just missed out on last year when they really probably deserved an at large bid. But you know what, no sympathy for this team this year. In fact I’ve reversed my feelings on this team this year. I was all about them and Paddy Mills last year. This year, not so much. They have this tool who plays down low that I really could care less for. Omar Samhan. Not a fan of this guy or his game. His numbers are solid but not a fan of him regardless. Dude you’re really annoying and no one gives a damn about how much of a “beast” you proclaim yourself to be. I’m not picking them to win a game in the tournament.
Looming on the Horizon of a deep run in March is Butler. They ran the table in the Horizon League and kept running it in the conference tournament. Impressive enough is the unblemished run in conference but this little team that could has been dancing 7 times in the last 11 years which is a testament to them knocking the mid-major label of their back. They were ranked all season long and won some big games while doing so. This team is very easily a team in my mind that can go to at least the second weekend of the tournament if not further. Between Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward on the perimiter and Matt Howard down low they have the tools to be dangerous. Did I mention they’ve won 20 games in a row? I will also say that Butler matched Xavier for conference wins (15) but couldn’t beat Xavier’s margin of victory in a championship game (26). Xavier still getting work done.
Oakland is dancing out of the Summit Conference. Besides IUPUI and IPFW I have no idea who else is in this conference. Completely irrelevant. I mean Oakland has their last names below the number on their jerseys for pete’s sake. Stupid. Their coach rocks like a mock turtle neck during games. Bad. They have a bunch of wiggers on the team. Awful. Don’t count on this team to win a game in the tourney. Just not feeling this team. Derick Nelson did drop 36 points for them in the title game though, with a broken nose. Pretty fresh. This is their second dance too. Limited experience leads to limited advancement.
Ah yes, North Texas out of the perennial powerhouse Sun Belt conference. The Mean Green, former employer of @hehateme183 aka @dclark183, is dancing thanks to the late game heroics of Josh White. They are currently riding an 11 game win streak and that can be attributed to the amount of POISE they show. As we all know POISE is very key to making runs in March. While I’m not saying to pick the Mean Green just remember POISE is the key.
Robert Morris is dancing out of the Northeast Conference. They took down Quinnipiac at Quinnipiac to punch the ticket. Bob Morris is lead by an unlikely character in Karon Abraham. Dude is a pure freshman and can flat out play. He jumped into the mix after the cat in front of him went down to an injury and has really been doing it since late December. Better keep your eyes on this 5’10” baller. Secondly, their coach has been around the block and has learned under plenty of high level mentors including Jamie Dixon and Phil Martelli.
Certainly Duke is Duke. On TV more than Leave it to Beaver re-runs. Duke won the ACC. Blah blah blah. Not surprising here. They are dancing. The team America loves to hate is back to their old tricks. This Duke team will frustrate you with their fundamentally sound play and stiff D. They have guys who can stroke from deep and bang down low. Really, they have all the mixings to challenge for a title. But I just don’t think they will win it all. Final Four if they’re lucky, but I’m thinking more like Elite 8.
Vermont came out of the America East Conference. The last time Vermont was dancing they knocked off Syracuse. So they are certainly looking to find that magic again. Vermont is lead by Marques Blakely who is an all around guy who can absolutely sky.
Temple got the automatic seed out of the A-10 after beating Richmond. Temple loves going to Atlantic City as they have won the 3 of 4 tournaments in that dump of a city. Boardwalk Hall is a dump. The Pirate ship that is painted on the one wall is just weird. Temple is going to be a tough out for anyone in this tournament. They dominated the A-10 and played Kansas very well back in January.
Speaking of Kansas, they got the automatic bid out of the Big 12 conference. Ever since UNC was holding the trophy up last year I said Kansas would be the team to win it all this year and I’m sticking with that. I love what Bill Self has built at Kansas. This team in particular is laden with veterans and talent. They defend and can score in bunches. I just love everything this Kansas team brings to the table. The only guarantee I have when it comes to this bracket is that I’m going to put Kansas on the champion line as soon as I fill out a bracket.
West Virginia won the Big East tournament. What a heck of a league and conference tournament. Year after year the Big East continues to impress me. The amount of talent and skilled basketball is awesome. You have to like West Virginia’s chances to go deep this year solely based on their body of work. They were ranked in the top 10 all season long, they played the toughest schedule, and they were successful in playing the toughest schedule. All of those factors make for a great March. I like West Virginia this year. Bobby Huggins is back up to his old tricks.
Montana won a sick game in the Big Sky to grab the automatic bid. Just when Weber State thought they had the game in the bag Anthony Johnson decided to show up. Dude went straight medieval on Weber State who led by 22 in the second half. Johnson finished with 42 and single handedly tore apart Weber State. Just for this ballsy effort I gotta like the Grizz. Plus their nickname is the Grizz……..nice.
Ohio State is coming out of the always tough Big Ten. It took a little magic early to help the Buckeyes propel themselves through the tournament. Michigan gave the Bucks a little scare and Evan Turner, soon to be player of the year, answered the prayers of Buckeye nation as he hit a half courter for the win. Blame the Michigan staff for not having anyone guard the inbounder (see Christian Latener). Unbelieveable. Ohio State maybe goes 6 deep but that starting five is pretty leathal and built for a run. Evan Turner is a beast. He leads the team in every category. David Lighty has morphed from a lock down defender to an offensive threat. William Bufford is just the man. If Jon Diebler is feeling it from deep then teams will pay the price. Dallas Lauderdale is just a force down low, a true low post player. I think the Bucks could make a potential case for the Final Four.
UC Santa Barbara won the automatic bid out of the Big West. First of all their nick name is The Gauchos. Second of all it’s the alma mater of Jim Rome, cue karma. They may be destined for a little magic. This is their first dance since 2002. I don’t know too much about these guys, therefore I think I’ll see them exiting stage left in round one. Sorry Gauchos.
Houston is back out of Conference USA. Whle Houston is lead by journeyman Tom Penders, this is their first bid in 18 years. Not to mention they had the 7 seed in the C-USA tourney. I guess you could say they are poised for a run. But I’m going to go with my better judgment and just say this is a team that got hot when they needed to. I don’t see the Cougars rekindling the fire of Phi Slamma Jamma.
The Bobcats of Ohio University are dancing out of the MAC. Good old John Groce and rebirthed Armon Bassett are dancing. They certainly were not predicted to win the MAC, but good for these guys. Groce comes from the Matta line of coaches, so you gotta be happy for this guy. Bassett is one of the handful of guys displaced after the fiasco at Indiana under Kelvin Sampson. Bassett is definitely a force and I’m sure he’ll be putting the team on his back in the tournament, I just don’t know how much this team has to make a run. Party on OU.
What do you know about Morgan State and the MEAC?! I really don’t know too much but I do know they beat South Carolina State for their second straight MEAC Title. The Bears are playing inspired basketball as they have dedicated their season to redshirt freshman Anthony Anderson has leukemia and watched from home in Baltimore receiving chemotherapy. Certainly a nice story line and inspired play always makes for exciting games.
My main man Steve Fisher and the Aztecs of San Diego State are dancing out of the Mountain West. They are lead by freshman phenom Kawhi Leonard. Dude put out 16 and 21 in the championship effort. As a freshman he averages 13 and 10, so that’s pretty impressive. I like SDSU as a sleeper pick in my bracket only because this team has been on the rise and no one really knows what they bring to the table.
The Pac-10 was really weak this year but the Huskies from Washington are dancing. Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas are the leaders for this Husky team. Lorenzo Romar is a decent coach too. This team was a bubble team so obviously they had a resume worthy of dancing. I like for this team to grab a win or two in the tournament.
Lehigh grabbed the Patriot League title. I seriously thought their mascot was a pigeon, but it’s actually a mountain hawk. Same difference I guess. This is their fourth appearance but first since 2004.
It wouldn’t really be March without a little Kentucky action. Kentucky secured an automatic bid by beating Mississippi State in the final of the SEC tournament. It also wouldn’t be March without John Calipari. It wouldn’t be March without the best freshman to be dancing, literally and figuratively. The John Wall dance is captivating hoops fans everywhere. Plus his play is just as captivating as the tiny but athletic point guard demands attention because he’s that good. In fact the entire freshman class at UK is that good. Demarcus Cousins is a freak down low but his hot head can get him in trouble sometimes. Then you have Horton and Bledsoe too. Everyone seems to forget about Patrick Patterson. These are guys that even attracted my main man LeBron James to a game in Rupp Arena. Pretty special and arguably the most talented team in the country but will their youth and plain dumb-ness catch up with them? Only time will tell. Do the John Wall. Do the John Wall. Do the John Wall.
Out of the Southland Conference is Sam Houston State. Not to be confused with the Cincinnati Bearcats who are not dancing these BearKATS are dancing. That’s right BearKats. Jeff Van Gundy provided inspiration via text for the Bearkats, telling them to, “ATTACK.” Easily one of my favorite motivational tactics, ATTACK. Attack and finish, right LooneyBunch?
Arkansas Pine Bluff is dancing out of the SWAC. Pow pow pow. Besides knowing little to nothing about this team, I’m loving that they’re dancing because I used to play as them in NCAA Football. For what reason, I can’t tell you, but I was pretty nasty. So I gotta think they are due for a little action in March. Well maybe not really, but congrats as it is their first ever NCAA bid.
New Mexico State surprised the favorite, Utah State to grab the automatic bid out of the WAC. Point guard and tournament Jamhar Young willed his team to victory after visualizing the team dancing. He said, “after watching other teams win all afternoon, I could just picture us winning and going dancing.” Pretty nice to see it happen and then it comes true.
You know a team is making strides when you see UNLV back in the mix. It’s so refreshing to see them back dancing. I believe they danced last year but they really set out this year with a tough schedule and the Mountain West was pretty strong in itself. I expect UNLV to be prepared and I definitely like them as a team to make a little noise.
Wake Forest received an at large bid. The ACC was fairly competitive this year but Wake kind of fell off toward the end. Certainly getting smashed by Georgia Tech in the first round of the tournament didn’t make things better but may have lit the fire under this talented team. Ish Smith is one of the quickest dudes in all of college basketball and an absolute play maker when it comes to point guard ability.
We can’t say March without mentioning Michigan State and Tom Izzo. Year after Year Sparty is competing at the highest level. To remind you, they lost to UNC last year in the title game. Everyone knows I love Izzo and State. While they had ups and downs this year, don’t count them out, especially when it comes to tournament time. Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan are two guys very capable of taking over games and dominating both outside and inside.
Texas. Wow. What more can you say? This team was once ranked #1 in the country. Since then it seems like they haven’t been able to get back on track. I see them winning one maybe two games, but no more than that. Just by watching them play over these last few weeks I have been less than impressed. No hooking of horns this year. No sir. Bad karma ever since Colt McCoy got smashed in the title game out in Pasadena.
Arguably one of the hottest and most dangerous teams coming into this boogey down is Maryland. But man, I really hate Vasquez. That guy is all talk. Dude gives a fore-arm shiver everytime he goes to make a move. Be a man and don’t cheat tool. I have to give this team credit, they are playing really well when it really counts. Maybe that beat down in the ACC tournament was a rude awakening? Sweet 16 potential.
Wisconsin, the buzzcuts, the team everyone hates in the Big Ten. Certainly the Kohl Center is a tough place to play. But seriously, how annoying is it when you get beat down by a bunch of dudes flossing flattop lettuce? Really annoying. Trevon Hughes is legit though. I certainly expect Bo Ryan to have the fellas coached up and ready to go. But due to my allegiances and grudges I hold, I don’t see myself giving this team a lot of respect.
Tennessee is dancing. This means Bruce Pearl is in the house. I’ve warmed up to him and this team because of someone finally getting control of the thuggery that was going on down there. Dudes with guns blazing the hemp, just out of control. I think everyone got refocused after that incident. Shoot, they beat Kansas, my favorite to win it all. That kind of says something right? They do like to run and gun and press and trap. Reckless play leads to reckless results.
Marquette is in the mix. Certainly not a surprise as they played pretty well in the Big East this year. I can’t decide if they flew under the radar this year or just didn’t do much to have people talking about them? The Big East was loaded this year and it seems like Marquette just kind of flew below the radar while the Syracuses’ and West Virginia’s stole the show? Lazar Hayward is pretty nice. I like what he brings to the table.
The Hoyas of Georgetown are in my opinion the hottest team coming into the Dance. They too flew below the radar, but at the national level this year. They got the job done in the Big East but never really got the national attention Villanova, Syracuse, Duke, Kansas, or Kansas State was getting. I like this team for the inside and outside presence. Plus, John Thompson III is a pretty damn good coach. Hoyas run deep in March.
Steve Alford has New Mexico dancing. The Lobos actually made legit statements this year. If you don’t know basketball then this is definitely a pick for a sleeper type run in your pools. I love them for the sole fact they beat Dayton (how’s that NIT feel suckas?).
Oklahoma State is dancing. James Anderson is a BEAST. Travis Ford is young and good. What more can you say about the Cowboys? Their uniforms are sick too. James Anderson is arguably the best two guard in the country and if your best defensive player doesn’t show up to play against him be ready for a clinic.
Mike Anderson and the Tigers of Missouri are back in the mix. This team is funny to me. Again, I felt like everytime I saw they they were losing so they never really garnered my interest. But they did play in a tough Big 12 and they did get an at large so they must be worth something. I’m just not so sure how much they are worth it. Their pressure D can cause problems and as we saw last year, they made a decent run because of their athletic ability.
Georgia Tech made a late season surge to go from bubble to dancing. Gani Lawal is the real deal. Derrick Favors is a freshman phenom that a lot of people outside of the ACC are unaware of. Paul Hewitt is still getting it done. I think the job he did this year probably bought him some more time at the North Avenue Trade School. The sole fact that they got hot in the ACC is a good sign that they are ready to rumble later this week.
Another ACC squad is Clemson. This team had a lot of high expectations early one and then fizzled or like I’ve said about other teams, they just lost my attention. That’s not to say they’re not good because they do have talent. Take Demontez Stitt for example. Baller. Trevor Booker is also a guy you should probably keep your eyes on. Pure play maker.
Syracuse fans about had massive heart attacks when Onuaku went down in the losing effort of their Big East tournament game. However, all signs point toward a return if they make the sweet 16. They certainly have the talent. Andy Rautins can stroke it from deep and Wes Johnson is a legit POY candidate. If they make it to the round of 16 and Onuaku returns then look for them to make a late season surge toward Indianapolis.
Cal barely squeaked in. Had it not been for their ambitious schedule then they would be flossing NIT status. But, they built their resume and here they are. The Pac-10 was pretty horrific this year. Cal lost to Washington in the Pac-10 Title game. As much as I want to be a believer in Cal, based on the overall badness of the Pac 10 I don’t have a lot of faith in them or the Huskies.
By now March and Gonzaga are basically one in the same. Gonzaga has tossed the Cinderella name aside and are now legit every year which I think is a huge testament to Mark Few. Matt Bouldin is your typical Gonzage point guard. Very fundamental, can beat you in a variety of ways, and loves getting his teammates involved. You can thank John Stockton for the long line of point guards to come from Gonzaga. I wasn’t too impressed with their play against St. Mary’s but that being said, Gonzaga still doesn’t get the respect they truly deserve which is why I think they have a shot at advancing to the second weekend of March.
Louisville is in which means Rick Pitino is in the mix. Somehow Louisville secured big time wins in a tough tough conference to help propel themselves to the dance. Edgar Sosa is pretty bad though. I’m not really a fan of him. Samardo Samuels on the other side of things is a force down low. I like what he brings to the table.
The Seminoles are dancing. I’m really beginning to wonder how so many ACC schools got in. I didn’t think the conference was overly impressive this year. Florida State doesn’t bring anything sweet to the table other than some black jerseys. You must be reminded that they did challenge for the ACC title last year so experience plays a role in deep runs in March. Experience and poise, very key to runs in March.
Texas A&M is another team out of the Big 12. All year long they battled and got big wins when they had to. I have to think with the possibility of playing in nearby Houston is a huge motivator for these guys to make it to the second weekend. If that happens then who knows what may happen. A home town crowd is always helpful to runs.
UTEP is easily my biggest dark horse in the tournament this year. I just love what they have going on down there in El Paso. Remember Derrick Caracter? The guy who disappeared from Louisville. Well he’s resurface down in El Paso badder than ever. Big hoss daddy down low. Not to mention his athletic partner in crime, Randy Culpepper. Seriously, I’m down with UTEP and I like them to make big noise.
The Aggies of Utah State are dancing. They were one of those teams that built a strong resume and RPI to assist them in their selection to the tournament. This team’s ability to do more things right than wrong and do them well will be a big factor in their chances at advancing.
Vanderbilt is in out of the SEC. Here is a team with run potential as well. Kevin Stallings is a heck of a coach. I really like the versatility of Ogilvy. He reminds me a lot of Dirk Nowitzki. If there was a team that you wanted to go out on a legit limb to go to the Final Four this is the team. Not only do they have play makers but their team defense is pretty solid too.
Purdue is in. I loved this Purdue team until Robbie Hummel went down. What a crushing blow to lose him. With him, Moore, and Johnson you had a trifecta ready to do damage. I think it’s going to be tough for Purdue to make the Sweet 16. If they do make it that far things will only become more difficult.
Xavier is dancing. First of all they went out and scheduled a schedule worthy of a team to go dancing. There are 9 teams in the NCAA tournament who Xavier played this year. Pow Dayton. The A-10 was also surprisingly strong this year and Xavier won title #4 in a row. Pow Dayton. Coach Chris Mack is the only first year coach to be in the dance too. I think that speaks to his ability to coach a team. I think this team is as good as they come. You have a point guard who has a big game mentality and won’t back down to anyone. Rob Lowery you suck. Next you have arguably one of the most explosive scorers in all of basketball in Jordan Crawford. He’ll make you pay from deep or he’ll go mixtape on you and set you up for a nasty finish, fade away basline J, or just a basic mid range J. From there you look at the vocal leader in Dante Jackson, a guy who’s been there before. Then you have big Jamel McClean who only gets better everytime he sets foot on the court. He goes up and gets any rebound in his radius, he finished emphatically, and he plays with heart and soul. Speaking of heart and soul, Jason Love it eh engine on this train. I still think Xavier goes as Jordan Crawford goes but Jason Love is the main guy here. He is the career winning leader at Xavier, he is a true post presence with moves to both his left and right hand, he’s the hardest working player in all of college basketball, and the guy is just a winner. Seriously, four A-10 Titles, a game for the ages back in 2007, an Elite 8 run, a Sweet 16 run, and whatever this year holds. All in all I certainly think this team has second weekend potential and when they’re on they are one of the better teams out there. But its going to come down to effort on the defensive end, attention to detail and smart basketball offensively, and an overall play to win attitude. Attack and finish. Do what we do. Play to win.
Notre Dame is heating up at just the right time. It must be nice to have Luke Harangody back and coming off the bench and straight owning fools. You also have Jackson at the point who only drops sick dimes. I’m personally not a Notre Dame guy, but I have to give this team credit. They are playing well when it counts and I think they are Sweet 16 material.
Minnesota snuck in, certainly a team that barely made it. They have the most losses of any at large team in the tournament. But they do have Tubby Smith coaching them and that’s a pretty big advantage anyway you look at it. They also have some size down low. I think they’re magic has come to a crashing halt though.
Baylor is another team from the Big 12 and another one of those teams that has deep run potential. Lacedarius Dunn is a prime time player. Tweety Carter is a big time point guard with silly quicks and silly handles. He also may torch you from deep if your not careful. Then there is Ekpe Udoh downlow who sends your shot back if you come weak. I like the Bears to make mega noise in the tournament this year.
Pitt is back in the tournament. Should we be surprised? Jamie Dixon just gets W’s at Pitt. He literally lost almost everything from a talented senior class last year. But, he came back this year and played with the cards dealt him and damn near almost got himself a Big East ring. A very dangerous team but also a very beatable “big-name” team.
The Richmond Spiders are the third team out of the A-10. They are one of the more sneaky teams in the tournament. I will give credit where credit is due. Kevin Anderson is a very solid player and one of the most underrated guards in the entire country, the guy gets no publicity and only continues to put up big time numbers. Davd Gonzalvez has ice in his veins and is liable to ruin a lot of people’s days and brackets. Heed the warning.
The Mormons are coming strong in the form of BYU. Let me introduce America to Jimmer Fredette. The guy can straight score and do it from anywhere on the court. Just ask Arizona, he torched them for 40+ earlier in the season. This guy is certainly one of the names I expect to hear throughout March as putting up big time numbers. But seriously, who names their kid JImmer?
Villanova has had one of the biggest falls from grace, not as bad as Texas’ though. This team has really fell on hard times lately. But I wouldn’t count a team with Scottie Reynolds on it out quite yet. I think they are poised to make a run. Shoot, they were in the Final Four last year. Jay Wright knows how to prepare the team for a March run.
Florida snuck in out of the SEC. This breaks a three year drought for the Gators. They certainly had a resume to make the tournament but almost blew their way into the NIT. I like Florida and their team but I just don’t know if they have anything left in the tank. I’ll be rooting for them but I don’t see them making big time noise.
Kansas State is a team that everyone has been talking about. But are they really all they are cracked up to be. My answer is no. Sure they have some talent and sure Frank Martin is one of the most intimidating dudes in all of college basketball. But I think they peaked a little too early as I thought they were playing their best back in late January. I think they have lost site of the prize of late and that could prove costly in March. Still a Sweet 16 potential though. Jacob Pullen and his beard are nice.
That concludes my NCAA Tournament Preview for 2010. I haven’t filled my bracket out yet, but I’m going to do so before going to bed tonight. The only thing I can be sure of is I will be putting Kansas on the National Championship line. Outside of that, I’m going on pure gut feeling this year when making selections. I’m going to look at the match-up and simply deduce by what I’m feeling who’s surviving and advancing. It’s my favorite time of year. Get ready to hunker down and post up. Let the dance begin.
-‘Killa
X4 - Championship Week
Right out of the gate I need to give a huge shout out to UVA Baseball and LaCrosse. Both teams are ranked #1 in their respective sports. That's what I'm talking about. That's how you come strong for the Director's Cup, especially with the top dog revenue sports (football and basketball) not performing. Baseball remained at #1 even though they dropped a game to Wright State on Friday. The LAXers were #2 and had a tilt against #1 'Cuse this past weekend. The Cavaliers jumped out early and held on for a 11-10 win to shot them up to the top spot. Let me tell you something, everyone needs to try and get in the mix for a UVA LAX game. These deals are on point. Especially when the weather is crispy and the fellas are dominating. So chalk that up as something that needs to be done. Plus you're killing two birds with one stone: A. You're visiting me in Charlottesville and B. Getting down with the fastest sport on the grass. Ya dig?
Now, to my main men holding it down at Cintas Center, 3800 Victory Parkway to be exact. By victory I mean hanging banners and straight slinging bling. Yup, that's right. Chalk it up for a fourth A-10 Title in a row. How's that sound? Pretty good if I may say so myself. Xavier got busy on Fordham last Wednesday and then dropped the hammer on St. Bonaventure this past Saturday. Saturday was Senior Day, so the lone senior, Jason Love went out the way he should a winner and a champion. He is currently the top dog when it comes to all time wins at Xavier and that number continues to rise. You can't say enough about this guy's career. The numbers don't lie, improvement every year. Arguably the hardest worker in all of college basketball if I have a say in things. Jason Love fits the mold of a Xavier basketball player. If you have to ask what that is, just go look at his stats, ask about his work ethic, look at the dramatic improvement over the four years, and look at the banners that hang above the court at Cintas Center. Enough said. Like I said, Xavier wrapped up the A-10 title and will have the #2 seed in the A-10 Tourney. They will face the winner of Dayton and GW on Friday at 6:30. So in honor of GW going to Dayton check this classic out, get some Karl Hobbs.
That's how you go into that dump of an arena and win. Speaking of winning, St. Louis crushed the dreams of all of Dayton's seniors by stomping them on senior day. Their fans cried as the Bilikens went into that dump and got the job done on Saturday. I digress, the regular season awards and teams were dished out yesterday. Jordan Crawford got first team and Jason Love got third team. Immeditately you should see some serious issues with that past sentence. Jordan not being player of the year and Love being on third team. First of all, how do you not give the best player on the best team the POY?! I mean seriously. Crawford dominated the A-10 the entire year. No one had an answer for him. Not to mention he means more to his team than Kevin Anderson does for Richmond. You have got to be kidding me. Love, on third team?! This may be the biggest joke I've ever seen in my life. The A-10 coaches mean to tell me that there are two more centers better than Love in the league? You must be crazy. How many times are these coaches going to get it wrong before they get it right? This goes all the way back to 2008 when Stan, Drew, and Josh got absolutely robbed of what they deserved. I personally think that the coaches in the league have a serious beef with Xavier. Look, if you have a problem with us dominating, get over it. Face the facts, the tradition of excellence runs right through Xavier. I think the banners, the Elite 8's, the NCAA tournament appearances, and NBA jerseys speak for themselves. Clearly Xavier is the cream of the crop not only in the conference but in the country. As one of my friends put it, is it even good to have Bobby Lutz, Brian Gregory, and Jim Barron vote as their teams choke?! Seriously, facts don't lie. Love and Crawford got robbed and the fact that Terrell Holloway didn't get any love is bogus too. The last thing you coaches needed to do was to give those guys any extra added incentive as this conference tournament approaches. I hope you're well prepared to feel the wrath because the hammer is about to be dropped. Looking to the NCAA tournament, I have to think if Xavier can finally win the A-10 Tournament they are looking at a 3 or 4 seed. If not I would say anywhere between a 5 and 7 is possible for the fellas. I would like to say they will go no worse than a 5 but you never know when that committee sits down what goes through their heads. Again, as I look at their resume, there is not a SINGLE bad loss. So that has to play in their favor among other things i.e. RPI and strength of schedule.
Unfortunately, Gordon College fell in the first round of the NCAA D3 tournament at Middlebury. It just wasn't their night. That's about all that can be said. Just one of those deals where the better team won. I got to hand it to the five seniors. They came into Gordon on the heels of a D3 tournament appearance. They worked their butts off to get back there and they did. They left a legacy and are walking out slinging bling and hanging a banner. Boom.
The Buckeyes wrapped up the Big 10 regular season title. Evan Turner is still my vote for national player of the year, as long as A-10 coaches aren't voting he should get it. If they win the Big 10 tournament I have to think they have a good shot at a #1 seed. But again, you never know what's going down behind those closed doors of the selection committee.
Smokin' Trees & Strokin' Threes fell in the intramural tournament. But not without controversy. We were down 10 in the second half, came back and even took the lead by 3 with about 7 minutes to go. We ended up losing by 6. But let me tell you something. I want everyone to take a good hard guess at what the foul differential was? For those of you unable to make a guess, it was 25-7 in favor of the other team. You have to be kidding me. 25 to freaking 7?! How the hell is that possible? Especially when we were attacking the basketball all night? I'll tell you how it's possible, out of shape and clueless refs afraid to make a call. Wait, they weren't afraid to blow the whistle, just in favor of the dumb mormons we were playing. Absolutely pathetic.
The Browns signed Joshua Cribbs. Thank God because if they didn't do this move I would be furious and drop all allegiances to that franchise. The Browns are also in the market for a QB. Rumor has it both Anderson and Quinn could be out the door as The Walrus claims that neither are capable of leading the Browns to the promised land aka the Playoffs. Who knows who they are going to get as the Eagles claim to not be dealing Kolb and likely will try to keep McStabb. David Carr signed with the 49ers. Seneca Wallace is bad. I mean do they go after Jason Campbell? Who knows. Just please don't trade draft picks. That's the future there and I prefer that you don't tamper with that.
Be on the lookout for a big time post next Sunday night or Monday. I've got a NCAA Tournament Special in the works. I would also like to take the time now to promote my man BernBomb as he and his brother have started a blog of their own. Consider us partner's in crime when it comes to Xavier hoops coverage and all things sports. Check it out...
http://mackisberning.blogspot.com/
-'Killa
Here We Go
Big big big week has just gone down. I've got a lot of things to cover. After hella persuading I have finally jumped onto that deal they call twitter, so follow me (scoonie712) as I have quickly become immersed into the twitter lifestyle. You may be wondering what the heck is scoonie712? I'll tell you what it is and it's not what but who. James "Scoonie" Penn. My all time favorite basketball player. He lead the Buckeyes to greatness in the late 90s. The banner may not be hanging anymore, but he was so crucial to the 1999 Ohio State Buckeye Final Four run. I still claim that had he not had to wear the #35 jersey they would've beat UCONN and played Duke in the championship game. The number 7 represents my lucky number and also the number Joey Galloway wore at THE Ohio State University. The number 12 represents Scoonie Penn's number and also a favorite number of mine. That should explain everything.
Onto the more important items. The Musketeers are once again peaking at the right time of season like they always do. The Muskies went into St. Louis last Wednesday and gutted out another big time road conference win. Jason Love is just absolutely a man possessed this year. It's no coincidence I'm hearing swirling rumors that the man has a legitimate shot at the League. His work ethic is unmatched and easily has made the greatest improvement of any Xavier basketball player over his four year career. One thing Xavier players are known for is their ability to get better every single day. In came the Spiders from Richmond on Sunday. The Cintas Center was ready and so were the Musketeers. Jordan Crawford did what he does but it was the stellar play of Terrell Holloway that stole the show on Sunday. Xavier won in a double over-time thriller that will give them no less than a share of the A-10 regular season title provided they don't have a disastrous melt down against Fordham and St. Bonaventure. Make that four in a row. All we do is hang banners and put rings upon our fingers, something completely foreign to the Dayton basketball program. When Jordan Crawford appeared worn out from chasing Richmond players all over the court and running through screens it was Tutu who stepped up into the spotlight and showed once again why when his time is done at Xavier he will surely be the program's best point guard. The tradition is seriously continuing to grow at Xavier. Every year, down the stretch Xavier steps up when it means the most. In the month of February Xavier went on the road 4 times to hostile environments and grabbed 3 wins. They also took care of business in conference. You can't say enough about the job Chris Mack has done. If Xavier wins out and wins the A-10 tournament they seriously could be looking at a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. I think a 5 is a lock right now but if they continue to play well that seed will only rise giving Xavier better chances at moving on into the second weekend of the tournament. Even when there was doubt at the beginning of the season, Xavier stayed the course. It's not a sprint and it's not how you start but it's how you finish in the marathon that is college basketball as Xavier has entered the top 25 poll. Keep doing what we do fellas.
Gordon College basketball is also hanging banners and donning bling to the fingers. My brother's team won the regular season title and did work in the TCCC tournament to grab an automatic bid into the NCAA D3 tournament. They will face off against #6 ranked Middlebury on Friday. According to my brother they are young and are capable of committing mistakes. The Fighting Scots are a seasoned team with a lot of veterans including 5 seniors who came in with a goal to go dancing and after four years of hard work they are dancing. But, they are not satisfied. They are looking to make noise and show why Gordon is a legit program. I would like to plug in that my brother was named Co-Conference Defensive player of the year.
Ohio State is doing work and has a chance to win the Big 10 regular season title. Again, the play of Evan Turner is unreal. The guy has got to be the front runner for POY in the college hoops. I've been pimping him all year and all he does is go out there and lead the team in almost every statistical category. They are getting great play from David Lighty and William Buford. If they even had an ounce of legitimate depth they would be a team, on paper, worthy of a Final Four run. I just wish people cared more about that program in Columbus. Seriously, why is it everytime I watch a game Value City Arena looks empty? Can we please get some support for that program?
I hit up my boy Pete's wedding this weekend in Chicago. To say it was quite the event is an understatement. It was HIGH LEVEL. The Management came strong and rocked the house. A biased yet arguable fact would be that the Management table shared MVP honors this past weekend. We rocked Oak Brook, IL with vigor. Everyone did work and was in rare form. Quite the reunion of old friends. Congrats Pete and Natalie! I will say that I of course owned the Electric Slide. Other highlights include: the late night party in room 904 that lasted until the sun came up, hehateme183's studio rapping that will soon be featured on a mixtape, taking charges on the dance floor, and the reminiscing of our time as managers at Xavier.
Tonight Smokin' Trees and Strokin Threes takes to the floor as a #2 seed in the intramural tournament. It will once again be a prime-time, west coast tip at 10:30 at the AFC. The overly confident football team will be in the house to take note of what they could be facing down the road in the tournament. Looking to make a deep run a la Xavier basketball.
I'm still working on The Blind Side by Michael Lewis, but it's a great book and highly recommend it.
Current Song: Dancing Nancies - Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds (Live from Las Vegas)
-'Killa
Onto the more important items. The Musketeers are once again peaking at the right time of season like they always do. The Muskies went into St. Louis last Wednesday and gutted out another big time road conference win. Jason Love is just absolutely a man possessed this year. It's no coincidence I'm hearing swirling rumors that the man has a legitimate shot at the League. His work ethic is unmatched and easily has made the greatest improvement of any Xavier basketball player over his four year career. One thing Xavier players are known for is their ability to get better every single day. In came the Spiders from Richmond on Sunday. The Cintas Center was ready and so were the Musketeers. Jordan Crawford did what he does but it was the stellar play of Terrell Holloway that stole the show on Sunday. Xavier won in a double over-time thriller that will give them no less than a share of the A-10 regular season title provided they don't have a disastrous melt down against Fordham and St. Bonaventure. Make that four in a row. All we do is hang banners and put rings upon our fingers, something completely foreign to the Dayton basketball program. When Jordan Crawford appeared worn out from chasing Richmond players all over the court and running through screens it was Tutu who stepped up into the spotlight and showed once again why when his time is done at Xavier he will surely be the program's best point guard. The tradition is seriously continuing to grow at Xavier. Every year, down the stretch Xavier steps up when it means the most. In the month of February Xavier went on the road 4 times to hostile environments and grabbed 3 wins. They also took care of business in conference. You can't say enough about the job Chris Mack has done. If Xavier wins out and wins the A-10 tournament they seriously could be looking at a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. I think a 5 is a lock right now but if they continue to play well that seed will only rise giving Xavier better chances at moving on into the second weekend of the tournament. Even when there was doubt at the beginning of the season, Xavier stayed the course. It's not a sprint and it's not how you start but it's how you finish in the marathon that is college basketball as Xavier has entered the top 25 poll. Keep doing what we do fellas.
Gordon College basketball is also hanging banners and donning bling to the fingers. My brother's team won the regular season title and did work in the TCCC tournament to grab an automatic bid into the NCAA D3 tournament. They will face off against #6 ranked Middlebury on Friday. According to my brother they are young and are capable of committing mistakes. The Fighting Scots are a seasoned team with a lot of veterans including 5 seniors who came in with a goal to go dancing and after four years of hard work they are dancing. But, they are not satisfied. They are looking to make noise and show why Gordon is a legit program. I would like to plug in that my brother was named Co-Conference Defensive player of the year.
Ohio State is doing work and has a chance to win the Big 10 regular season title. Again, the play of Evan Turner is unreal. The guy has got to be the front runner for POY in the college hoops. I've been pimping him all year and all he does is go out there and lead the team in almost every statistical category. They are getting great play from David Lighty and William Buford. If they even had an ounce of legitimate depth they would be a team, on paper, worthy of a Final Four run. I just wish people cared more about that program in Columbus. Seriously, why is it everytime I watch a game Value City Arena looks empty? Can we please get some support for that program?
I hit up my boy Pete's wedding this weekend in Chicago. To say it was quite the event is an understatement. It was HIGH LEVEL. The Management came strong and rocked the house. A biased yet arguable fact would be that the Management table shared MVP honors this past weekend. We rocked Oak Brook, IL with vigor. Everyone did work and was in rare form. Quite the reunion of old friends. Congrats Pete and Natalie! I will say that I of course owned the Electric Slide. Other highlights include: the late night party in room 904 that lasted until the sun came up, hehateme183's studio rapping that will soon be featured on a mixtape, taking charges on the dance floor, and the reminiscing of our time as managers at Xavier.
Tonight Smokin' Trees and Strokin Threes takes to the floor as a #2 seed in the intramural tournament. It will once again be a prime-time, west coast tip at 10:30 at the AFC. The overly confident football team will be in the house to take note of what they could be facing down the road in the tournament. Looking to make a deep run a la Xavier basketball.
I'm still working on The Blind Side by Michael Lewis, but it's a great book and highly recommend it.
Current Song: Dancing Nancies - Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds (Live from Las Vegas)
-'Killa
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