Well, Tuesday begins the 2nd best 3 weeks in college sports. It's time to go dancing, America. In this post, I'll talk about what I think of the field: the No. 1s, the Snubs, possible cinderellas, and sleepers. If I'm not too tired, I'll add some of my insight. Off we go!
We'll start at the top of the board with the Number 1 seeds. Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and North Carolina all grabbed the top lines of their brackets. Lousiville was able to edge out Pittsburgh for the top overall seed, thanks to a Big East tournament championship, and Pitt's failure against WVU in the Big East quarters.
UNC looks to have the easiest road to the Final Four, despite being the 3rd overall seed. The second round brings LSU or Butler to the table against the Heels. Pitt would face either OK State or Tennessee, UConn would draw BYU or Texas A&M, and UL would get the winner of Ohio State/Siena. Many think that the Cardinals have the easiest 2nd round game, but Ohio State beat 2nd seeded Michigan State in the Big 10 tourney by a 12 point margin. Neutral court wins are huge, and Ohio State could be a force to be reckoned with.
Snubs are always a huge topic after the brackets are announced. This year is no different (I say this as I watch Dickie V argue for St. Mary's) I agree with Vitale that maybe Arizona shouldn't have gotten in over St. Mary's. But my biggest problem with this year's tournament is that Auburn is not in. They had 22 wins, and 10 in conference. I do understand that had Miss. St not won the SEC tournament, the Tigers may have been dancing. I disagree that Davidson is out, despite being the cinderella story of 2008. Again, Temple stole the A-10's auto bid from Xavier, giving that conference more bids than it deserves (3).
Cinderellas. My absolute favorite part of this tournament is who becomes someone that noone expected them to be. Davidson was last year's cinderella story, riding the Curry Wave. This year, I think that Tennessee has the best shot at becoming America's sweetheart this year. The Vols play hard core defense, and have one of the best half court offenses in the SEC. OKST offers a tough challenge to start the dance off. Winning that game would put the Vols in the face of top seeded Pitt, who was exposed in the last 2 games.
Few people think about sleepers until it actually happens. Looking over the brackets this year, the first team that strikes me as a sleeper is Washington. The Huskies drew Miss St. with a 4-13 matchup. Washington is seeded below UConn, Memphis and Mizzou in their bracket, but would only run into one of those teams in the Sweet 16 or later, giving hem time to build some momentum. I like the Huksies to make a small run this year.
My Final Four: I like Kansas, Memphis, UNC, and Duke to make the trip to Detroit.
Now America, Let's Dance!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Bubble Talk
Well, welcome back fans. As of late, the three of use have been quite busy with work, school, and personal commitments. But that's not the point of this post, now is it?
With Selection Sunday less than 3 weeks away, let's take a look at some of the teams that need to jump-start their game-quickly. We'll narrow the post down to one team from the Big East, SEC and Big 12 conferences, to keep the length reasonable.
Big East
I'll start in South Bend, where the Irish really need to come up big in their last 2 games (both at home). The losing streak last month didn't quite help, as the Irish would be locks if it weren't for that. As it sits right now, Notre Dame needs to beat both 'Nova AND St. John's to have a chance at the Dance. That would put them at 9-9 in the conference, which should be good enough to get in. But if Notre Dame drops one of those games, it's an 8-10 finish in conference play, and the selection committee could very well leave the Irish at home (unless of course the NIT picks them up). Of course, a run in the Big East tourney would help....
SEC
South Carolina, even at 20-7, doesn't look like the team they were in December. The Gamecocks absolutely layed an egg (no pun intended) against both vanderbilt and Miss St. recently. They're 2nd overall in the SEC and atop the standings in the East division, but they need to pick up their game now. Tennessee comes to town Thursday, and then they visit Georgie next Sunday to finish off the regular season. Wins in both would tremendously help the resume (I know UGA is 11-17, but come on, wins always help). Their signature victory this year is against Baylor, but their non-conference schedule is TERRIBLE (ranked 260 nationally). that loss to College of Charleston hurts don't it boys? SEC tournament may have to be the place where USC earns that invite.
Big 12
Last but not least, Kansas State. Count your lucky stars that you beat Nebraska, because that was the game that saved your season (so far). With OKST and Colorado to finish up this week, K-State needs to win both to finish 10-6 in league play and look "decent" enough for the selection committee to even look at their resume. Excuse my language for a second, but Baylor bitch-slapped them IN Manhattan on January 21st... Not exactly what the Wildcats needed to go onto the resume. Kansas State needs to step up here soon- starting tuesday at OKST.
With Selection Sunday less than 3 weeks away, let's take a look at some of the teams that need to jump-start their game-quickly. We'll narrow the post down to one team from the Big East, SEC and Big 12 conferences, to keep the length reasonable.
Big East
I'll start in South Bend, where the Irish really need to come up big in their last 2 games (both at home). The losing streak last month didn't quite help, as the Irish would be locks if it weren't for that. As it sits right now, Notre Dame needs to beat both 'Nova AND St. John's to have a chance at the Dance. That would put them at 9-9 in the conference, which should be good enough to get in. But if Notre Dame drops one of those games, it's an 8-10 finish in conference play, and the selection committee could very well leave the Irish at home (unless of course the NIT picks them up). Of course, a run in the Big East tourney would help....
SEC
South Carolina, even at 20-7, doesn't look like the team they were in December. The Gamecocks absolutely layed an egg (no pun intended) against both vanderbilt and Miss St. recently. They're 2nd overall in the SEC and atop the standings in the East division, but they need to pick up their game now. Tennessee comes to town Thursday, and then they visit Georgie next Sunday to finish off the regular season. Wins in both would tremendously help the resume (I know UGA is 11-17, but come on, wins always help). Their signature victory this year is against Baylor, but their non-conference schedule is TERRIBLE (ranked 260 nationally). that loss to College of Charleston hurts don't it boys? SEC tournament may have to be the place where USC earns that invite.
Big 12
Last but not least, Kansas State. Count your lucky stars that you beat Nebraska, because that was the game that saved your season (so far). With OKST and Colorado to finish up this week, K-State needs to win both to finish 10-6 in league play and look "decent" enough for the selection committee to even look at their resume. Excuse my language for a second, but Baylor bitch-slapped them IN Manhattan on January 21st... Not exactly what the Wildcats needed to go onto the resume. Kansas State needs to step up here soon- starting tuesday at OKST.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Give me a break...
So the NCAA is thinking of implementing more strict penalties for taunting and celebrations.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3899874
For those that are too lazy to click and read, it basically states that there could be a new rule in place next year for taking the points off of the board if a player taunts before the endzone. Come the eff on. I'll agree that sometimes its a little over the top what players do but eventually its going to be like watching emotionless robots on the field.
The advantage that college football has, and always will have, over the Pros is that the passion is unparalleled. By players, by fans, by coaches, etc. Let the passion stay in the game. I'm not a proponent of players constantly celebrating but when you put your team up and 50,000+ fans let you know their appreciation, its gotta be hard not to celebrate. For a good example of that happening last year and the punishment that ensued, check Washington's Jake Locker and his celebration against BYU.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3899874
For those that are too lazy to click and read, it basically states that there could be a new rule in place next year for taking the points off of the board if a player taunts before the endzone. Come the eff on. I'll agree that sometimes its a little over the top what players do but eventually its going to be like watching emotionless robots on the field.
The advantage that college football has, and always will have, over the Pros is that the passion is unparalleled. By players, by fans, by coaches, etc. Let the passion stay in the game. I'm not a proponent of players constantly celebrating but when you put your team up and 50,000+ fans let you know their appreciation, its gotta be hard not to celebrate. For a good example of that happening last year and the punishment that ensued, check Washington's Jake Locker and his celebration against BYU.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
A-Rod Tests Positive.
So I just a text alert from ESPN saying that A-Rod has tested positive for steroids. When I read the article, it stated that A-Rod tested positive in 2003. He won the AL home run crown and AL MVP award that year. He was with Texas that year.
Before I go into anything else, I just want to point out that I called it. Before last season, I said to a friend "I bet A-Rod juices". He came back (being a Yankees fan-die hard at that) saying "Giambi's the only Yankee, past or present, to juice. Guaranteed."
Yes, I know he was with the Rangers when he tested positive, but I love picking on NYY.
Rodriguez denied ever using performance enhancers in an interview a year or so ago. He said he "never felt overmatched on the baseball field". Conveniently, Scott Boras, A-Rod's agent, couldn't be reached. Both the Yankees and Rangers said they would not comment.
This makes me wonder how many of those players that said they "never juiced" actually were telling the truth. Come on boys, the feds are into the investigation. Did you really think you'd get away with a lie, even if it was X-number of years old?
Baseball players, trainers, families, and organizations need to start coming clean. In this time when our economy brings us down, we need something to keep our spirits running high, or higher than normal. Baseball and its current state are not doing a very good job so far. This isn't something to be proud of.
Here's a link to the article on ESPN.com, complete with video clip:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3890785
-Jay
Before I go into anything else, I just want to point out that I called it. Before last season, I said to a friend "I bet A-Rod juices". He came back (being a Yankees fan-die hard at that) saying "Giambi's the only Yankee, past or present, to juice. Guaranteed."
Yes, I know he was with the Rangers when he tested positive, but I love picking on NYY.
Rodriguez denied ever using performance enhancers in an interview a year or so ago. He said he "never felt overmatched on the baseball field". Conveniently, Scott Boras, A-Rod's agent, couldn't be reached. Both the Yankees and Rangers said they would not comment.
This makes me wonder how many of those players that said they "never juiced" actually were telling the truth. Come on boys, the feds are into the investigation. Did you really think you'd get away with a lie, even if it was X-number of years old?
Baseball players, trainers, families, and organizations need to start coming clean. In this time when our economy brings us down, we need something to keep our spirits running high, or higher than normal. Baseball and its current state are not doing a very good job so far. This isn't something to be proud of.
Here's a link to the article on ESPN.com, complete with video clip:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3890785
-Jay
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Budget draft
ESPN Is doing a budget draft right now: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3864280
Frankly, I think that whatever team wins out can beat the Yankee's high powered payroll. Even if it doesn't, lets consider the following:
1) Yankee's payroll is right around 200 million, just bought two starting pitchers and a starting fielder who's reliable in hitting
2) These drafted teams have a max payroll at around 40 million
Consider both of those things, and then tell me you'd be anything but amused if the drafted team managed to win at least 2-3 of a 7 game series against the Yankees. Granted, its all simulated, but frankly I think that gives an edge to the Yankees.
I hope this shows that the talent you get through the farm system can easily create a team that can beat a team built from a couple of highly paid all-stars. Maybe some teams out there will realize this and really dump some money into improving the farm system, which will make the game much more exciting and diverse in talent.
Frankly, I think that whatever team wins out can beat the Yankee's high powered payroll. Even if it doesn't, lets consider the following:
1) Yankee's payroll is right around 200 million, just bought two starting pitchers and a starting fielder who's reliable in hitting
2) These drafted teams have a max payroll at around 40 million
Consider both of those things, and then tell me you'd be anything but amused if the drafted team managed to win at least 2-3 of a 7 game series against the Yankees. Granted, its all simulated, but frankly I think that gives an edge to the Yankees.
I hope this shows that the talent you get through the farm system can easily create a team that can beat a team built from a couple of highly paid all-stars. Maybe some teams out there will realize this and really dump some money into improving the farm system, which will make the game much more exciting and diverse in talent.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
What's going on in South Bend??
Notre Dame- A school filled with tradition, history (yes, they are different) athletic success, and great athletes in all sports. Basketball hasn't always been Notre Dame's fortee (fortay, forte- you know what I mean. I'm not a spelling genius) but like every team, they've had their years. Troy Murphy's senior class started the most recent run of Irish success on the hardwood, and it carries on as we speak. Coming into this season, many thought the Irish would challenge for the Big East title in both regular and post-seasons. Now that we're down to 10 games left in the regular season, less for some teams, we see that ND has no realistic shot at the regular season crown.
They started 12-3, with losses only to UNC, Ohio State, and St. John's. They also possesed a 45 game home win streak, until January 24th, when UConn had heard enough of it and ended the streak with authority. That loss came smack in the middle of a 5 game (and counting) skid for Mike Brey's team. Which brings up the question: what the heck is goin on up there?
Well, it sounds biased (kind of is, but not intended), but ND plays in arguably the best conference in basketball. The Big East currently has 7 teams in the AP Top 25, with 2 others (including the Irish) being right outside the poll. The next "closest" conference is the ACC, with 4 teams in the Top 25. All of Notre Dame's last 5 games have been against ranked teams (Syracuse, Marquette, UConn, Pittsburgh, and Louisville) the lowest ranked being Syracuse at 15. 3 of those 5 have come on the road: Syracuse (arguably the loudest arena in college basketball) Pitt, and Lousiville. Senior forward/center Luke Zeller isn't making any excuses though: "There are no excuses. Every single game in this league is a tough game. It's going to be a tough stretch the rest of the way, we just need to dig in and find a way to win every single night."
Mike Brey sees a bright spot though. Wait, where exactly do you see that Coach?
"I think it's not bad for them to be smacked around a little bit. It's been a good life here; they've been on a pretty good run. The seniors really haven't experienced anything like this since their freshman year. And no one on the team has experienced getting smacked four games in a row. Now granted, we have played some really good teams." Mike Brey stated after the Marquette game. "This is not a bad thing to toughen the group up, to see if they can come out of it tougher and understand it. I firmly believe, with this group, that we have a run in us. It's going to be really hard, though, and I think they understand that."
Notre Dame now travels to Cincinnati and UCLA before returning home to face Louisville again. UC provides a break from ranked opponents (as of Sunday 2/1, the Bearcats are unranked), but that doesn't mean the 'Cats won't provide a tough test for the visiting Irish. Deonta Vaughn, Mike Williams, and Yancy Gates all average over 10 ppg, and UC is coming off an upset over Georgetown. UCLA is ranked 16th in the nation (again, as of 2/1), and started 14-2 before winning 3 of their last 5, placing them at 17-4 on the season. The Bruins are currently on top of the Pac-10 standings, led mostly by Darren Collison and Josh Shipp.
Luke Zeller said it best though : Notre Dame needs to dig deep and find ways to win. I'd still bet that they are in the NCAA tourney come mid-March, but the Irish need to turn the streak around if they want a decent seed.
-Jay
They started 12-3, with losses only to UNC, Ohio State, and St. John's. They also possesed a 45 game home win streak, until January 24th, when UConn had heard enough of it and ended the streak with authority. That loss came smack in the middle of a 5 game (and counting) skid for Mike Brey's team. Which brings up the question: what the heck is goin on up there?
Well, it sounds biased (kind of is, but not intended), but ND plays in arguably the best conference in basketball. The Big East currently has 7 teams in the AP Top 25, with 2 others (including the Irish) being right outside the poll. The next "closest" conference is the ACC, with 4 teams in the Top 25. All of Notre Dame's last 5 games have been against ranked teams (Syracuse, Marquette, UConn, Pittsburgh, and Louisville) the lowest ranked being Syracuse at 15. 3 of those 5 have come on the road: Syracuse (arguably the loudest arena in college basketball) Pitt, and Lousiville. Senior forward/center Luke Zeller isn't making any excuses though: "There are no excuses. Every single game in this league is a tough game. It's going to be a tough stretch the rest of the way, we just need to dig in and find a way to win every single night."
Mike Brey sees a bright spot though. Wait, where exactly do you see that Coach?
"I think it's not bad for them to be smacked around a little bit. It's been a good life here; they've been on a pretty good run. The seniors really haven't experienced anything like this since their freshman year. And no one on the team has experienced getting smacked four games in a row. Now granted, we have played some really good teams." Mike Brey stated after the Marquette game. "This is not a bad thing to toughen the group up, to see if they can come out of it tougher and understand it. I firmly believe, with this group, that we have a run in us. It's going to be really hard, though, and I think they understand that."
Notre Dame now travels to Cincinnati and UCLA before returning home to face Louisville again. UC provides a break from ranked opponents (as of Sunday 2/1, the Bearcats are unranked), but that doesn't mean the 'Cats won't provide a tough test for the visiting Irish. Deonta Vaughn, Mike Williams, and Yancy Gates all average over 10 ppg, and UC is coming off an upset over Georgetown. UCLA is ranked 16th in the nation (again, as of 2/1), and started 14-2 before winning 3 of their last 5, placing them at 17-4 on the season. The Bruins are currently on top of the Pac-10 standings, led mostly by Darren Collison and Josh Shipp.
Luke Zeller said it best though : Notre Dame needs to dig deep and find ways to win. I'd still bet that they are in the NCAA tourney come mid-March, but the Irish need to turn the streak around if they want a decent seed.
-Jay
Midseason NHL Review
The NHL All-Star weekend wrapped up last weekend, signaling the mid-season point. I don't really care that much for All-Star games so there will be no insight into the game from me. But what I will offer, is my insight into the season thus far. I'll break it down and talk about 5 things from each conference and then give my Stanley Cup pick just for fun.
Eastern Conference
It's hard to pick against the Bruins at this point the way they're playing on both sides of the puck but I would also not be surprised to see a second half resurgence from the Penguins. That being said, I think the Bruins bring too much to the table in terms of goaltending, defense, and offense. Western Conference, its hard to pick against the Sharks at this point but I think I'm going to have to do it. I'm picking the Red Wings. Not because they're my favorite team. I'm picking them because they have the most talent, the best coaching, and one of the most experience and versatile defensive games in the league. If the Wings stay healthy, I think they're in the Finals.
Bruins vs Red Wings
Eastern Conference
- What in the world is up with the Pittsburgh Penguins? From Stanley Cup Finals to next to last in the division, something is obviously awry. Pittsburgh needs to get its goaltending back in order if they want to return to the playoff picture. The good news? 8 points separates them from the next lowest seed in the East and only 1 point between them and the team above them. There's still hope Pens fans.
- Talk about goaltending, no Martin Brodeur? No problem it seems for the New Jersey Devils. Somehow the Devils are only giving up about 2.45 goals a game under Scott Clemmensen, a goalie who started the year in the AHL but was called up after Brodeur was injured. Not to steal any glory from Clemmensen but the Devils have also gotten help offensively from Zach Parise and Patrick Elias. The good news? The Devils are in first. The bad news? It's not by much.
- Then there is the elite goaltending of the NHL so far. The Boston Bruins tandem of goalies have surrendered a scant 2.18 goals per game. To make things worse for the opposition, the Bruins have an incredibly big and physical defense that averages above 6' and 200 lbs, led by 6'9 team captain Zdeno Chara. And then you have the offense. Savard, Krecji, and Kessel have been dominant to say the least on offense.
- Somehow the Florida Panthers are in playoff contention. I don't mean this in a negative way, it's just not something that's been expected. They play in a small market with even smaller expectations but have found a way to win. They don't necessarily have the best talent in the league but make up for it with their exceptional size and physical play. They're one of the teams that players hate to play. You know they're going to give you everything they've got until the final horn sounds and you know you're gonna feel it the next day. Vokoun and Anderson have been relatively sound in net and the key to the Panthers offensive success is sharing the wealth.
- And then there are the Islanders. Oh, Islanders. How you are so awful, I'll never know. Okay so the team is built around Rick DiPietro and his injury has pretty much left them sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic division since early June of 08. Not much good news going ahead for the Islanders. Pack it up and enjoy the postseason when it comes
- The San Jose Sharks have statistically proven that they are the best team in the NHL so far. And I'll believe every second of it. Evgeni Nabokov has proven that he's one of the league's best goalies and is capable of keeping every game's balance in San Jose's favor. To go along with Nabokov's netminding prowess, it looks like the Sharks offense is at a pregame shoot around. They're able to force turnovers through forechecking in the offensive zone and turning those loose pucks into goals. It's no wonder they lead the league in points.
- Then there's the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Mike Babcock has got these guys playing some pretty inspired hockey, which is often hard to do coming off of a championship season. The Red Wings lead the league in goals scored per game which is pretty crucial to winning in a Western Conference dominated by some of the best goaltenders in the league. One problem I've seen thus far though is the incostitent play of Ty Conklin and Chris Osgood in goal for the Wings. One day they look invicible against some of the league's best players, the next they look like swiss cheese against some of the not so good players. I think part of this has to do with the defense. The defense is not what it was last year (for whatever reason) even though they've returned everyone from last year's team. The good news however is that Babcock is truly one of the league's best coaches and he has some of the elite talent playing for him. The Red Wings are one of the best teams in the league at holding the line in the offensive zone to prevent the opponent from breaking out and keeping the pressure on the opposing defense and netminders. That being said, Marian Hossa has proved his worth offensively and defensively and if possible, the Wings could have 3 candidates for the Selke Trophy with the play of Zetterberg and Datsyuk.
- Like the city's name suggests, the Phoenix Coyotes have risen from the ashes of a one game above .500 record to currently representing the 5th best team in the Western Conference. One of the more impressive parts of this is that they are doing this in arguably the NHL's toughest division. After last year's grumblings about the Great One's coaching inexperience, we're seeing this year that maybe Gretzky can coach afterall?
- Things are going the right way in the Windy City as the Chicago Blackhawks are in playoff contention and although its a long shot, within reach of Detroit by season's end. The reason for the turn around from the annual cellar dwellars to the Blackhawks that are playing so well today lies in the youth of their team. The team is very young and very talented, led by Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Jonathon Toews (if you can pronounce his name correctly without cheating, I'll give you $5). All but 3 of their skaters were born after 1980, incredible upside for the proud Blackhawk organization looking down the road. Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin have proved an effective netminding duo and the big physical defense can put any team off of its gameplan. The tremendous upside for the Blackhawks scares me as a Red Wings fan but I think it's still a year or two before they really challenge for the division.
- Then there's the Dallas Stars. I had written them off in my first quarter review of the season on my other blog but they've stormed back into the race for the playoffs. A lot of this is that Marty Turco has gotten back to his old self and started to again become the goalie so many players hate to see on the line-up card. Another big step forward was getting the motormouth and team chemistry destroyer Sean Avery out of the locker room and more positive influences in. Sergei Zubov, one of the league's most underrated defenders and senior citizen of the team, heads up a young and hard hitting defense that complements Tippett's coaching style. Brad Richards and Mike Ribiero are the offensive leaders of the team and both are a threat to score any time down the ice.
It's hard to pick against the Bruins at this point the way they're playing on both sides of the puck but I would also not be surprised to see a second half resurgence from the Penguins. That being said, I think the Bruins bring too much to the table in terms of goaltending, defense, and offense. Western Conference, its hard to pick against the Sharks at this point but I think I'm going to have to do it. I'm picking the Red Wings. Not because they're my favorite team. I'm picking them because they have the most talent, the best coaching, and one of the most experience and versatile defensive games in the league. If the Wings stay healthy, I think they're in the Finals.
Bruins vs Red Wings
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