Four score

The Final Four has arrived—Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State (R.I.P. Syracuse) and Kansas. From the outside, there are no surprises in those teams. But take a closer look. Only one is a No. 1 seed. Louisville doesn’t have a superstar. Kentucky has Anthony Davis, but not John Wall. Ohio State has Jared Sullinger, but no Oden/Conley/Cook. And Kansas doesn’t have its collection of superstars from years past, “just” Thomas Robinson. But all these teams have a collection of players and a formula that allowed them to reach the Final Four over every other team in the nation. Sometimes, we see a player like Kemba Walker take over the spotlight. Other times, we see a team come together like Duke at just the right time. Who knows what the case will be this year. But either way, it will be a deserving team. It’s a lot harder than it looks these days to become a champion.

We’re number one! We’re number one!

Bam.

In the midst of finals, reading and papers craziness, I took five minutes of my time to catch the end of the Indiana-Kentucky game. I watched Kentucky make a free throw to go up by two points. And then, unranked Indiana came running down the court against the No. 1 Wildcats. A Hoosier drove inside and then kicked the ball out to his teammate for the 3. In, and it wins the game by one point. Swish. Hysteria. Yes, in it went. And that is how you win a basketball game. Probably one of the best ways to win one (besides a desperation heave). Props to Indiana for the win. And with that win, and Ohio State’s loss (UK and OSU are the “No 1.” and “No. 2″ teams in the nation to “No. 3″ Syracuse), SU moves in prime position to take over the top spot come Monday’s new rankings. Of course the ‘Cuse won today, to stay undefeated and snatch up our deserved No. 1 ranking. The stars align. Now rankings don’t matter til the end, but it’s a nice ego boost. This ranking won’t be as special as two years ago when Syracuse beat a top-10 Villanova team in front of a record crowd and the top two teams also lost as SU became No. 1 on March 1. But it’s pretty nice to say you go to the best damn basketball school in the country. Pundits aside: Syracuse is No.1. 

Life isn’t fair (in basketball), but spring is in the air (in baseball!)

It often seems like a team with too much talent has everything backfire against them. Kentucky? Check. Kansas? Check. Mets of 2006? Check. Pats of ’07? Them too. Yankees from last year? Okay, so no, but every other year this decade the answer would be yes. Often times teams with less talent win because they have the right pieces that come together at the right time, like Michigan State every year, the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, and the team that beat those undefeated Pats.

It may not be fair and square, but that is how sports are. It would be boring any other way.

Now I’m going to mention baseball briefly before we all suffocate from baseball pre-season mania. It always seems fresh in spring training, like any other sport in the beginning of the season. Let me know how you feel in June. Still, there is something about baseball that I like. Maybe it’s the fact that it is a sign of spring which means that we are closer to summer. Either way, the Mets are shining bright with Reyes, Wright, Beltran (s00n), Santana, K-Rod and our new guy Jason Bay. So much talent. Uh-oh.

Just kidding!

Three straight may be asking too much

A winning streak it is. A winning streak that just so happened to tie a record that was so bad, yet so good at the same time. The Nets beat the Pistons for their second straight win and first winning streak of the season. They also picked up their 9th win. So if the streak refuses to continue, we are at least guaranteed a tie of the worst record ever. Whew. That was a close one.

In other news, Ohio State lost today. Another one bites the dust. But Duke still won, so the tournament hasn’t gone completely insane. Yet. Only Butler remains out of the cinderellas. So here is a breakdown of the Elite Eight. I’d hardly call them elite though:

Kentucky- Saw their news cameras outside the dome today. They probably had so much coverage here because nothing actually happens in Kentucky.

West Virginia- Syracuse beat them. They are overrated.

Michigan State- Not as good as last year’s team.

Tennessee- Our orange is better.

Butler-Bull[****]dogs.

Kansas State- Currently the best of Kansas. Behind Topeka CC, of course.

Duke- I actually don’t hate them at all.

Baylor- Dark horse?

Here and there

The Sweet 16 is here in Syracuse. Two games, four teams. Tonight. At the dome. But Syracuse won’t be there. They’re out in Utah, where they will also be playing tonight. Obviously Syracuse couldn’t play on it’s own campus for the tournament. So while West Virginia/Washington is playing out at the dome, Syracuse-Butler will be playing thousands of miles away. So who’s watching the game in the dome? No Syracuse fans, that’s for sure. Cornell fans, who face Kentucky in the later game? I guess. Either way, the dome will still be pretty full. But for once, Syracuse fans won’t care about a men’s basketball game being played in the dome. They’ll have their eyes out west.

We did it!

Hands up!

So here’s the deal. Syracuse is number one. Period. Let’s think here for a second….Kansas and Kentucky lost today. They were two teams ahead of us. They now have the same number of losses as us and play in inferior conferences. They play teams like Nebraska and Arkansas. Purdue is number three for some bizarre reason. They should be easy to leapfrog. With UK, we have a 50/50 chance of jumping over. And with Kansas, how can they stay number one after a loss? Both KU and UK lost, so how can they stay at one and two? The voters need to finally make the right decision and shake things up. Put Syracuse at number one! We just had a gigantic win, and are the best damn team in the country. I get that rankings aren’t super important, and I know that none of this means anything if we don’t win come March. But you know what? We deserve number one. That’s my case. With that being said, shut it down!

Who’s your college basketball team? Oh, that sucks. Mine’s Syracuse

I don’t want to be regretting this post after today’s game, but as long as Syracuse beats Cincinnati on Sunday, we deserve to be number one in the land. Not that rankings mater, but they do to me just to show everyone how wrong they are and how good ‘Cuse really is.

For everyone who thinks their team is the best…you’re wrong. No one tops Syracuse. Kansas? Please. Not when you can barely put away easy teams. Nova? You just lost to a team we killed. Georgetown? You lost to USF and Old Dominion! Kentucky? Come one. We all know this isn’t the SEC of football.

But if Kansas must be number one, we’ll take number two. You know how it goes. First is the worst, second is the best. Unless Syracuse is first. Then it reverses.

Ranking numba 5

I was just sitting down and thinking about how I had nothing to write about. But how could that be possible? I have not written for nearly one week. And this was not a quiet week in sports. Let’s start with today’s revelation. Mark McGwire took steroids. Can’t say I’m surprised. That was anything but a shocker. Next, the NFL Playoffs are going on. I really do not having an interest in watching teams other than the Giants play, but I do have a rooting interest: the Ravens, who beat the Patriots on Sunday. They are my home state team, and have always been my second favorite team behind the Giants. Come this weekend, I will not be rooting for a Manning, in this case Peyton. I will be rooting for the team that hails from the great state of Maryland.

In college basketball, the unbeatens are falling down. Purdue and Kansas lost a week after Syracuse and West Virginia fell. Kentucky and Texas better be next!

Also, I think I completely forgot to mention the Mets signing of Jason Bay. We needed more stability in the outfield with Carlos Beltran. The Mets have a talented team. They did last year too, but it was an injured talented team. If everyone is healthy, the Mets can be good. Maybe even good enough to keep place with the Phillies.

Speaking of Philadelphia, the Eagles lost. Woo hoo! I strongly dislike them.

Meanwhile, Syracuse basketball has regained their spot at number 5 in the rankings after a brief and unnecessary stay at number 7. A message to Texas, Kentucky, Kansas and Villanova: feel free to lose. Texas, you came out of nowhere. Kentucky, star freshies can only take you so far. Kansas, you are weak just like I knew all along. And lastly, Villanova. Scottie Reynolds: I have no more allegiance to you. Syracuse has more wins and a better loss than you. You guys lost to Temple. I guess you didn’t pray before the game.

Those are all my ramblings for today! Thanks for reading!

2005: March Madness

This was a year that I put into two categories. The first half, and the second half. Let’s start with the first half first, because that was mad (in terms of madness, as in march madness).

What I remember is the Elite 8. Every single one of those games was memorable except for UNC’s. Louisville played a classic game against West Virginia. This was where the term “Pittsnoogled” was created. The guy was off the charts from the three point line. But Louisville’s Francisco Garcia led the “Ville” to the Final Four along with….

Illinois, who came back from a lot down to beat Arizona. ‘Zona, led by Channing Frye, seemed like they had the win in the bag. But Illinois, led by Dee Brown, Deron Williams, Luther Head, Roger Powell and James Augustine stormed back and got the improbable win. And they deserved it, because they had the best record in all of college basketball last year.

And then there was the night game. March of 2008. Kentucky vs. Michigan State. It was tight for a while, and Michigan State seemed bound to win at the end of regulation. But Kentucky’s Patrick Sparks made a three pointer to tie the game and send it to OT. Or did he? Was his toe on the line? His shoe size may have helped him here. After the shot was analyzed for a full five minutes, it counted. Michigan State won in overtime, and joined UNC, Louisville, and Illinois in the Final Four. UNC, led by a great team of Sean May, (who I saw play a couple of years before), Raymond Felton, Jawad and Marvin Williams, Jackie Noel and Rashad McCants, beat Illinois for the title.

In June, new Net Vince Carter led the team to the playoffs in the last game of the season. They lost to eventual champion Heat in the first round, but VC had a shot in one of the games to force OT.

Now, the second half. Of the year. I went to my first and only NFL game. The Ravens played the Browns. It was pretty cool….and purple.

And then the year ended, and 2006 came…which is up next!

COLLEGE basketball

Last year, I did a mini college basketball preview about the arcs and certain perennial powers. Here’s a quick recap:

(From Nov. 2008)- The college basketball season is here. The Tar Heels are the national favorites, followed by the likes of perennial powerhouses UCONN and UCLA. The season figures to be entertaining, thanks largely in part to a bunch of players who stayed in school.
But what really is the biggest story at the start of the college basketball season? The new arc? Can you believe it? A line is hogging the spotlight. Both Sports Illustrated and The Washington Post did feature stories on arcs. They were good, but what a shame that an arc is stealing the limelight from the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Luke Harangody, and Blake Griffin.
It’s all great and good that there is a new arc. But it probably won’t make a difference. So lets focus on the players shooting from the arc, not the arc itself.

 

 

I would like to say that things are the same this year, but that would be far from true. Gone is the dominance of UNC and Hansbrough. In is a lack of dominance, in my opinion at least. The stars that stayed in school last year are gone. Only Harangody is back. The other stars are labeled that way because that is what they have to become to replace the departed players. Kansas is supposed to lead the pack, with All Americans Sherron Colllins and Cole Aldrich. Did you know that those two were bench players in the Jayhawk’s national title team from two years ago? UNC is supposed to remain strong with supposed lottery pick Ed Davis, who is being declared great based on potential,not real life results. However, he did shows glimpses of skill last year.

Lucky Kentucky. They not only get John Calipari, but John Wall and a bunch of other top recruits. All for the price of one! Just kidding. But Kentucky did make the leap from no NCAA to top five team.

The Big East will be down. They lost Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams, Marquette’s threesome, and a bunch of others. So who’s left? Greg Monroe of Georgetown, who showed great flashes as a freshman last year. Syracuse transfer Wesley Johnson is supposed to be good. We’ll see. Harangody, a proven star, is back. Pitt is down. Louisville and Connectiuct are down key players from last year but not depleted like Marquette and Pitt. Cincy is on the rise, as are Seton Hall and St. Johns. Villanova leads the pack with Scottie Reynolds, while WVU trails closely. I think it’ll be a tight race.

The ACC will be lead by (gasp!) UNC and Duke. But UMD has Greivis Vasquez and Georgia Tech has some good recruits. Wake lost Jeff Teague and James Johnson. UVA has Sylven Landesberg.

In the SEC, they’re still focused on football.

In the PAC 10, Cal leads the way with guards Randle and Christopher. Washington has Isaiah Thomas (different one).

The Big 12 has Texas and Damion James. Also, can Mizzou repeat last year’s magic?

And the Big Ten. I’m feeling the Big Ten. Purdue is loaded with JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel, Chris Kramer and E’Twaun Moore. Michigan State just made the final Four. Michigan and Manny Harris should be good. Wisco is always solid. Illinois was good last year and Penn State should build off their NIT Championship.

It will be an interesting year for sure. Is it too original if I pick Kansas?

 

 

As long as their football team doesn’t get to them first.

Forde Minutes: A look back and a look forward – ESPN–Found this on ESPN. Interesting.