September 1, 2008 by editor.

Entering Saturday night’s huge game between Alabama and Clemson there were a lot of questions that needed answering on both sides.  How far has Nick Saban brought the Tide back after only one year?  How good is this seemingly talented Clemson team that is highly ranked and plays in a conference that is not highly regarded?

The eyes of the other SEC teams were on this game as well.  We know the conference is loaded, and if Alabama is better than expected that could shake up the conference.  With so many other good teams no one was counting on Alabama being all the way back yet.

Make no mistake about the fact that everyone wanted to see how good the Tigers were, and what that would mean for the ACC.  The ACC is no where near as strong as it once was, and as a conference hasn’t won a BCS bowl game in years.  Many expected this to be a coming out party for Clemson.

No one expected Alabama to dominate the way it did from start to finish like they did.  They dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and never let the Tigers establish anything.  C.J. Spiller and James Davis were supposed to be the two headed monster on the ground that would set the tone, but Saban’s defense did an excellent job taking them away and forcing Cullen Harper to beat them with his arm.

He was under pressure most of the game, and when he wasn’t, ‘Bama’s defensive backs were all over the receivers.  Harper’s receivers didn’t help him out at all by dropping passes that were right in their hands.

Clemson was completely over-powered by Alabama’s offensive line.  The Tide was able to create room up the middle for their backs whenever necessary.  They did an excellent job in protecting John Parker Wilson.  He exploited their defense continually with short, quick passes that the Tigers had no answers for.

Surprisingly, Clemson could not generate a consistent pass rush, and their defensive backs seemed lost on some key passing downs.  Alabama repeatedly converted third down and short passing plays and Clemson never adjusted their coverage to take those plays away and force Alabama to throw down the field.  You got the feeling that the Tigers were out-coached as well as out-played.

The way this game played out made you think that Clemson got caught reading their press clippings and thought all they had to do was show up.  Nick Saban had his team ready to play, and ready for whatever the Tigers would throw at them.  Kudos to him and his staff.  I have to conclude that Clemson is over-rated and will have to spend the rest of this year proving this was a fluke. 

This doesn’t bode well for the ACC as a whole.  With Virginia Tech losing to East Carolina on Saturday as well, a mediocre conference all of a sudden has shown itself to be weak.  The Florida State’s and the Miami’s will be lumped in with the mediocre bunch as well.

Even though we can’t say that Alabama is all the way back based on beating Clemson, but things just got more interesting in the SEC.  The Crimson Tide just made everyone’s schedule in the SEC look a little harder.  On the whole, I think this game was more a reflection on Clemson and their conference.  A few years ago you could have argued that the ACC was among the best.  My how the mighty have fallen.

Posted in College Sports | Print | No Comments »

August 28, 2008 by editor.

With the College Football season upon us, many eyes are on the SEC, and for good reason.  Georgia is ranked number one in the pre-season polls, Florida has the reining Heisman Trophy winner, Auburn has their usual stout defense and a new offense, Alabama is looking to return to the spotlight, and Tennessee is, well, Tennessee, and represented the East in the SEC Championship game.

Lost in the spotlight of the ultra competitive SEC is the defending national champion, LSU.  The Tigers got rid of Ryan Perilloux, and all of a sudden there is no more talk of LSU winning the conference.

With Perilloux, LSU was definitely in the mix to repeat as National Champions.  There is no denying that he would be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation guiding one of the best teams.  We can only dream of what it would have been like with him at the helm.

What we fail to realize is that LSU was never just about their former troubled quarterback.  They are loaded where it counts the most.  Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch talent wise is a step down, but they don’t need him to be Perilloux.  They need him to manage the game and just make a few plays.

Two seniors and two juniors return to anchor a massive offensive line that will make it easy for Charles Scott and Keiland Williams to run behind.  Right guard Lyle Hitt is the only starter listed under 300 pounds.  They are not just big, but they are experienced, physical and good.  Most games the trenches is where the game is won, and I believe they have the best offensive line in the SEC.  That gives them a good chance against anyone.

On the other side of the ball, LSU continues its tradition of excellence on the defensive line.  Kirston Pittman and Tyson Jackson are senior defensive ends that will get after the quarterback, and Ricky Jean Francois and Charles Alexander anchor the middle of a very solid defensive line.  Even without Glenn Dorsey they are still very capable of dominating games.

They will make things a lot easier for their linebackers and defensive backs.  If you can dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, you can win consistently, and LSU is definitely able to do that.

The schedule is not easy, but I think it sets up well for them.  They are at Auburn on 9/20 and three weeks later they are at Florida.  Georgia and Alabama are home games for the Tigers.  Their last game of the season is at Arkansas and that could very well be a trap game.  That loss to the Razorbacks last season almost kept them out of the championship game.

A win versus Auburn sets them up for another appearance in the SEC Championship game.  There is no telling what will happen in the SEC this year, but it would be a crime to think that LSU will not be in the mix.

Appalachian State is up first.  Let the fun begin!

Posted in College Sports | Print | No Comments »

April 8, 2008 by editor.

It was fitting that the college basketball season end this way.  Two powerhouses playing for all the marbles.  Kansas and Memphis both seemed like destiny’s darlings as they squared off in what will be remembered as one of the most thrilling championship games yet.

The Jayhawks hadn’t won an NCAA championship in 20 years.  The Tigers have never won one.  Two number 1 seeds, two stellar seasons, two dominant performances over the other number one seeds, two teams that score a lot, two teams that don’t give up points, and 2 teams with completely different approaches to the game.

It would make for a dramatic evening.  What would take place no one could have predicted.  Kansas came out looking prepared and disciplined as they executed their game plan by pounding the ball inside to Darrel Arthur, Darnell Jackson, and Sasha Kaun. 

Dorsey and company looked over-matched and frustrated as they could not run and get easy transition baskets.  Chris Douglas Roberts kept Memphis in the game by showing off his assortment of moves to Brandon Rush and carrying the scoring load as Derrick Rose let the game come to him.

As the game went on, both teams’ flaws became more and more evident.  Memphis’ team defense failed at crucial times as they didn’t communicate with each other on screens and back picks, and they were late rotating over when Kansas went over the top with their bigs.

The Jayhawks couldn’t hit a three point shot if their life depended on it.  Rush disappeared, and when the Tigers turned it up in the second half it was Kansas that seemed dazed and confused.

To Bill Self’s credit he tried everything, included gimmick zone defenses to stem the tide, but the game was slipping away.  He decided to take CDR out of the equation by employing a box and one defense, but Rose and company exploited it.  Memphis was set to win, and Rose was ready to become the Most Outstanding Player.

What transpired in the last 2 minutes of the game was down right strange.  Kansas got motivated and dug deep within to pull off one of the most amazing comebacks in NCAA history.  Make no mistake - Kansas snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

They stayed focused, disciplined, and they never believed they were out of the game.  That is a testament to their coach. 

I believe Memphis relaxed mentally and physically in the last two minutes of the game and took it for granted that they would win, coach included.  That set off a series of events that would all add up to a loss.  If one of those events didn’t happen, Memphis wins. 

If Dorsey didn’t commit a needless foul on the perimeter, if Memphis didn’t mishandle an inbounds pass, if Roberts made one out of 4 free throws, and then there was the shot…….  We could go on and on.

This was Kansas’ time and they deserve everything that comes with it.  They were the team of destiny this year.  Everything fell right for them in this game, and they took advantage of it.  I will not say that Memphis choked.  As a matter of fact I will congratulate them for a great season (38 wins, more than any other team in history) and a great NCAA tournament. 

We should celebrate Kansas and their stubborn grit and determination and belief that they could do it, but we should also salute Memphis, because rather than fold after they got down, they came back.  They have nothing to be ashamed of in my book.  The Tigers are part of what made this game so special.

Many want to bury Memphis and John Calipari for not getting the job done, but only one team can say they did at the end of the day.  Our student athletes at some point must come to grips with the disappointment of losing.  In the long run of their lives it will actually help them and their development as people.  This is not the last disappointment they will experience.  This loss may go a long way toward them dealing with future circumstances that may not go their way.

We hold these kids to such lofty standards sometimes and lift them up so high, we forget they are kids, and the praise and encouragement we once had for them gets replaced by words like choke, fail, disappoint, and the like when they don’t perform how we feel they should.

Unequalled excellence is something that both teams sought in this game.  75-68 in overtime sounds like excellence to me.  The 3 pointer to tie the game by Mario Chalmers will never be forgotten, and the Kansas fans are in heaven.

Memphis put forth an excellent effort as well, and I will not play the blame game.  That is not good for anyone and it doesn’t set a good example for the players.  If this experience causes the Memphis players and coaches alike to make sure this doesn’t happen to them again in basketball or in life, then they will have turned it into a positive.

Congratulations to both teams.  Give yourselves a hand.  Two great teams, two great seasons.

Posted in College Sports, Basketball | Print | No Comments »

April 6, 2008 by editor.

UCLA came into the Final Four looking to advance to the championship game after failing to do so in the previous 2 years.  This was the worst possible match up for them.  They had no answers as Memphis had their way with them 78 - 63.

Chris Douglas Roberts was a match-up nightmare for the UCLA guards as he beat them and shot over them all game long to the tune of 28 points.  Derrick Rose did plenty of damage as well (25 points) as he kept the pace of the game at Memphis speed and got to the rim at will.  Rose was a human highlight film as once again, he out-shined the opposing teams’ best guards. 

When UCLA missed, Memphis was off to the races and there was little UCLA could do to defend.  Collison continued his inconsistency and played timidly on the offensive end.  On defense he couldn’t guard Rose or Roberts.

Kevin Love did his best, but wore down in the second half and finished with 12 points.  His teammates didn’t get him the ball in the second half when the outcome was still in doubt, and he had nothing left in the last 4 minutes. 

Russell Westbrook was the only Bruin that looked comfortable playing at Memphis’ pace.  He finished with 22 points and kept them in the game.  Joey Dorsey focused on the boards and was key as he had 15 rebounds and worked hard on Love all game.

Shawn Taggart contributed off the bench for the Tigers as well.  Josh Shipp had a good start for UCLA, but disappeared for most of the game and wasn’t a factor.

This was a predictable outcome.  You really don’t get a good idea of how fast Memphis plays and how good Derrick Rose is until you play against them.  Antonio Anderson, Roberts and Rose over-matched Collison, Shipp and Westbrook in the open court. 

The Tigers found the match-up they wanted and played the isolation game.  In transition, they had no problems finishing.  When things broke down in the half-court offense, they just beat their man off the dribble.   

Three Final Four finishes in a row is a good result for UCLA.  They were beaten by a better team.

The question is, will Kansas, winners over North Carolina, be able to slow down Memphis and exploit any weakness in their defense.  The Jayhawks capitalized on their size and speed advantage against the Tarheels.  If they can bottle up Rose, they deserve to win.  He is the key to Memphis’ team.

I don’t think they will be able to do it for a whole game.  Memphis wins this game and the national championship.

I don’t understand how Rose is only a 3rd team All American when he is obviously the best point guard in the country.  He is what Memphis was missing the last couple of years.  Rose sets the pace, scores at will in transition and in the half court sets, rebounds the ball, and raises his teammates’ level of play. 

Posted in College Sports | Print | No Comments »

March 30, 2008 by editor.

Part of the allure of the NCAA tournament is trying to predict the upsets and the number one seed that will go down first.  On a whole, the underdogs, like the Davidson’s and Western Kentucky’s, make for great storylines, and great players get exposure that they would not have gotten otherwise.  We want to know about the Stephen Currys, and the other great players that are not playing in the power conferences, and we have a penchant for rooting for them.

That being said, we also want to know who is really the best college basketball team in the nation.  When it comes down to it, I want to see the highest seeded teams in the tournament playing in the elite 8 and final 4.  This is the closest thing we have to a real playoff.

As much as we enjoy the upsets I believe we look forward to crowning a clear cut champion at year’s end.  The only way for that to happen is for the 1 seeds, and the 2 seeds to go deep into the tournament.

In effect, what we have now is a full-fledged playoff.  UCLA vs. Memphis, and Kansas vs. North Carolina.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  All four 1 seeds made it to the final four for the first time. 

You have to install North Carolina as the favorite to win it all at this point.  On offense they can beat you with finesse, or power.  Ty Lawson is key because he sets the pace of the game and I have yet to see a team effectively trap him in the open court.  Danny Green and Wayne Ellington not only provide scoring from outside, but are dangerous going to the basket and in transition.  They are all superlative defenders as well. 

Tyler Hansbrough completes them as a team.  He provides toughness and an interior presense that makes them almost unguardable.  When their up tempo game is not working, they always have the option to dump it into Hansbrough and let him go to work. 

He is unrelenting on the boards and is always around the ball.  They are the most dangerous team and have no weaknesses.

Louisville was a good test for them because they play a similar style to North Carolina, and they come at you in waves.  Louiville’s athletes matched up well, but were too error prone late in the game to pull off the upset.  

Kansas is the most vulnerable final four team.  They get after you on defense with their perimeter players and Darrell Arthur is a beast inside.  They are deep, and everyone contributes offensively. 

Their defense and rebounding give them a lot of easy transition baskets normally, but if that isn’t happening, then they will be in trouble against North Carolina.  Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers will have to shoot well to over-come that, and that will be difficult with N.C.’s defense. 

For Kansas to have a chance to win, it will be with their defense leading the way, not their offense. 

UCLA comes in to the final four with momentum, but with question marks also.  Darren Collison played well against Xavier, but has had an inconsistent tournament.  He has been up and down.  Josh Shipp is not confident with his shooting and seems to pass up open looks.  He hasn’t looked that good.

Kevin Love is the straw that stirs UCLA’s drink.  They all feed off of him.  He scores inside and outside and sets up everyone else. 

When Texas beat UCLA earlier in the season they played a lot of zone to neutralize Love and force the other Bruins to beat them.  It will be interesting to see what Memphis will do because they don’t play a lot of zone defense.  Love will have to put the team on his back in order for them to get to the final.

The only team that can challenge North Carolina in my eyes is Memphis.  They are very deep, they are very active and quick on defense.  They have power inside with Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier, and Shawn Taggart coming off the bench.  Their outside shooting is good enough, if not great. 

The length of their perimeter players makes it easier to shoot over the top of the defense, and they are excellent at slashing to the basket.  It makes them very difficult to score against as well. 

Derrick Rose is their stud point guard and the key to their team.  He has the ball in his hands most of the time and he makes everything work.  Rose beats everyone up the floor on the break, and knows when to slow it down and get the half-court offense going.

Not only does Rose run the offense, at times he becomes the offense.  He has a better than average jump shot, and when he goes to the hoop he has the strength and jumping ability to finish with no problem. 

Their is no end to the talent that Rose has.  He showed it off against Texas with a break-away double pump backwards dunk.  D.J. Augustin looked ordinary against the long Memphis defenders and it was obvious who the best point guard was on the floor.

Memphis handled Texas as if they weren’t in their league, and they embarrassed a pretty good Michigan State team previously by posting a 50-20 halftime score.

I don’t thing Memphis will have too much of a problem with UCLA.  I see them winning and playing North Carolina in the final, which is the game I have wanted to see since the tournament  began.

This couldn’t have worked out better if you planned it.  We still had our upsets and surprises, but we have all the 1 seeds duking it out for the championship.  Too bad it will never happen in college football.  Oh well, we can dream can’t we?

Posted in College Sports | Print | No Comments »

March 19, 2008 by editor.

What do you call Cinderella, when she doesn’t really look like a Cinderella?  You call her the Marquette Golden Eagles.  It is not hard to figure out why.  Even though they are playing in the South Region which is pretty loaded, they are primed to go at least 2 rounds.

First off, they play in the rough and ready Big East.  Their conference record was 11-7 which was good.  A look at their key wins tells us more.  They beat a good Wisconsin team on the road, and they also took out Notre Dame twice.  Notre Dame is a 5 seed in the East, and Wisconsin is a 3 seed in the Midwest.  They have beaten Pittsburgh who won the Big East Tournament and is a very physical team.  They did lose to Louisville twice, which is nothing to be ashamed of, and Louisville got a 3 seed.

Can we go a little deeper?  Marquette excels at small ball and excellent defense.  They are led by junior guard Dominic James, and Jerel McNeil.  James has had some injury problems that kept his scoring average down, but he soared in the Big East tournament.  He put up 25 and 23 against Villanova and Notre Dame respectively.  The real story has been the play of McNeil.  He led the team in scoring and was the Big East defensive player of the year.

Wes Mathews is also playing well and is a key part of their 3 headed monster at guard.  Marquette doesn’t have a true big man, but their forwards have improved their rebounding as the season went on.

They struggled earlier in the year because teams out-muscled them inside, but they have come a long way since then.  Ousmane Barro has stepped up his play in the latter half, and Lazar Hayward, their power forward, averages 13 points per game at 6 foot 6.

First up for the Golden Eagles is Kentucky.  They rely on their guards also.  Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford provide a lot of the offense for Kentucky.  Marquette matches up well because it will be easier for them to guard their perimeter players.  The only team that gave them problems was Louisville because their skilled players are a little better.

Kentucky had a hard time slowing Georgia down, and they will have a harder time with Marquette.

Stanford will be up next for Marquette and that will be an interesting match-up, and a contrast in styles.  Stanford will try to beat up Marquette with their 7 foot twins, Brook and Robin Lopez who reek havoc on opposing teams on both ends of the court.  Pressure can bother them (Stanford) and take them out of their half court sets, which Marquette will have to do while playing up-tempo basketball to make it a track meet.

They must also make shots and rebound defensively so Stanford’s bigs don’t take over the game.  I like Marquette because of their style, and the conference they play in.

The Cinderella slipper will fit just fine.

Posted in College Sports | Print | 2 Comments »

March 9, 2008 by editor.

March Madness is finally here, as teams make their final push to shine and qualify for the  NCAA tournament.  Many of the usual suspects will be there, but there are a number of teams whose fate depend on how well they do this coming week.  Let’s look at the conferences and take a peek at how the field is stacking up.

Big East

The Big East will probably get 7 teams in as it stands now.  Georgetown is the regular season champion, but they are no lock to win the tournament.  This year they won quite a few close games that could have gone either way, which speaks to their experience and composure in pressure situations.  If they can run the table this coming week in New York, they have a shot at a 2 seed.  If not, they will be a 3 seed.

Syracuse got a big win at home against Marquette (in the top 25 at the time) but that is not going to be enough to get them in.  They will need to win 3 more games and make it to the conference finals to impress the committee.  The fact that this conference is so strong will work in their favor if they take care of business at Madison Square Garden.

West Virginia is 11-7 in the conference, which should be good enough to get them in.  Notre Dame and Connecticut are definitely in, and Pittsburg should be in as well if they do the right thing in New York.  10-8 in the Big East and 22-9 over all, should be good enough. 

I like the way Louisville is playing even though they lost to Georgetown with the regular season championship at stake.  Their style of play bothers Georgetown, and if they can get through to play them again, I would favor them to win.

ACC

North Carolina and Duke are the cream of this conference, and NC will get a 1 seed.  Duke is more balanced in their attack than they have been in the past.  They penetrate and kick to open three point shooters very well, but if they are not making them, they are in trouble because they don’t have a consistent low post option on offense. NC is as athletic and quick as ever, but their bread and butter is Tyler Hansborough, who is a beast on the inside.  He opens it up for their talented perimeter players.

Miami (FL.) has been a suprise this year and is on the cusp of getting an unexpected at large bid.  They also need another win in their conference tournament to complete their resume.

Clemson is in at 9-6 in the conference and ranked inside the top 25.  Virginia Tech is at 9-6 as well, and should get the benefit of playing in the ACC.  Maryland is firmly on the bubble.  They need a good showing in the coming week.  

They should get 5 teams in, but a  6th team is not a lock.  Many times it comes down to strength of the conference as to whether a border line team gets in.

Big 12

The Big 12 has been very competitive this year.  Kansas and Texas both have 12-3 conference records and are in the top 10, but it doesn’t end there.  Kansas State, and Baylor have played pretty well, but Texas A&M has been somewhat of a mystery.  They are losers of 5 of their last 7 after starting the year with 7 straight wins.  They did beat Texas this year, but they have lost to Texas Tech and Nebraska as well.  Other than Texas, they have no wins against ranked opponents and much of their wins came against lower level division 1 teams. 

Considering their coaching situation with Kelvin Sampson and the circumstances around him leaving, Oklahoma has performed well, and I am betting that they make the cut.

There is not that much separating the 4 teams after Texas and Kansas.  I don’t think the Big 12 will get 6 teams in, so a good showing this coming week will be critical for Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

Big Ten

Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan State, and Purdue are definitely in.  Ohio State is on the bubble, but have beaten Purdue and, most recently, Michigan State to make their case.  It’s going to come down to how the committee views the Big 10 as a whole.  At 19-12, it is going to be a close call. 

SEC

Tennessee is the class of the SEC this year and showed why in their epic battle with Memphis earlier this year.  They are fighting for a 1 seed.  After the Vols, the only locks I see are Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State.  Kentucky has won 5 of 6 and beat Florida, another bubble team, to put them back in the mix.  They are now 12-4 in the conference.

If Kentucky wins 2 games in Atlanta this week, it will be difficult to keep them out.  Florida is at .500 in the conference which won’t help because the SEC is having a down year.  Short of running the table in Atlanta, they will not make it in this year.

Arkansas has wins over Baylor, Vanderbilt,  and Mississippi State.  They have also lost to South Carolina, Georgia, and Appalachian State.  They are no lock either even though they have had a 20 win season.

Conference USA

Memphis went undefeated in conference play for the second year in a row and will secure a 1 seed in the NCAA’s.  They are the class of that league, and I think the loss to Tennessee when they were ranked number 1 was the best thing that could have happened to them.  It took the pressure off of them going undefeated and now they can play under the radar.  Derrick Rose is the most important piece of that team.  He sets tempo and doesn’t shrink in pressure situations and, from baseline to baseline, there may not be anyone faster in the college ranks. 

UAB is firmly on the bubble after getting blown out by Memphis, even though they have 12 conference wins and 22 wins overall.  The rest of the conference is just too weak to say UAB will definitely get an at large bid.  If they beat Memphis in their tournament then they will get in.  If not, I don’t think they will.

Atlantic 10

Xavier is the class of the Atlantic 10 and will be a factor in the NCAA’s.  They are ranked in the top 10 and are for real.  They boast a balanced attack and will be a tough out.  They will probably be the lone representative.

Pac 10

UCLA is in line to be a 1 seed, and Stanford is not far behind.  They are a top 10 team and should get a 2, no worst than a 3 seed.  Washington State is in as well as USC, punctuating  their regular season with a win over Stanford.  Arizona State has a chance to make it into the dance, and have wins against Xavier and  Stanford on their resume.  It would help if they added a couple of wins in their conference tournament.  Oregon has a chance but is on the bubble.

West Coast Conference

Gonzaga, as usual, is the class of this conference.  St. Mary’s did sneak into the AP top 25 for a while this year, but will be in the hands of the committee if they don’t win their tournament.  Their conference is weak as a whole, so they need to get to the finals and put up a good fight against Gonzaga.

We always look forward to the conference tournaments and the NCAA’s because of the drama and the finality of it, and it is the one major college tournament where the smaller schools and the mid majors get to line up against the power conferences and prove they belong.  The Austin Peay’s, Drake’s and Belmont’s will get their share of love and support as they attempt to knock off the big boys.  We also want to see best teams square off against each other as well.  Let the games begin!

Posted in College Sports | Print | No Comments »