My Take on the Final Four

Here are my impressions of the 4 teams and how they are playing.

Michigan State- The team that busted my bracket for good. I have been talking shit about the quality of basketball in the Big Ten Conference all year. How they are slow, boring and just not up to par with conferences like the Big East and the Big 12. I still maintain that as a conference the Big 10 is the weakest major conference in college basketball but this team has defied logic. Maybe they had a little extra motivation knowing that the Final Four is in Detroit or maybe it's just a case of good coaching...whatever the reason here they are. I still think this team is susceptible to a beat down from a very good team (like UConn) but with the home crowd behind them this team might just have enough to do it.

Connecticut- well well well. Look at what happened in this bracket...rather what the HELL happened to Memphis? Many experts and over 50% of brackets made on ESPN.com had Memphis in the Final Four. I've said it time and time again, and I will say it again. Memphis is overrated. Last year was an enigma thanks to a prodigy named Derrick Rose. Back to UConn. So much for them not having a chance without Jerome Dyson. Of all the #1 seeds, UConn has consistently looked the most dominant. Freshman Kemba Walker has done a terrific job filling in for the injured Dyson. Couple this with the already rock solid cast of Thabeet, Adrien and Price and you have a final four team. If Walker continues to play at the level he has been Connecticut is the favorite to take down the national championship.

Villanova- A surprise for some people (not me because I had them in the Final Four), Villanova is just an example of how deep and talented the Big East is. Pre tournament hype surrounded teams like UConn, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Syracuse but the Wildcats sort of got lost in the bracketology. In this tournament we have seen why Villanova is an elite team: aggressive tenacious defense and balanced scoring. Unlike teams like Oklahoma who revolve around one fantastic player, Villanova has a balanced tough attack. Even in this Final Four they still seem to be the underdogs and with juggernaut North Carolina waiting in Detroit it's no secret why. I think if Villanova does not panic, plays their game and plays defense they can win this game. UNC has a questionable commitment to defense making them vulnerable to a more physical, deliberate and methodical team like Villanova. The Wildcats absolutely cannot let the game turn into an up and down, track meet style game. No one is better than the Tar Heels at that.

North Carolina- Ty Lawson's toe appears to be just fine and so do UNC's national championship hopes. Despite the injury concerns for their starting point guard North Carolina was still picked to win more times than any other teams on ESPN brackets. The pre-season #1 stumbled a bit during the regular season, and looked less than dominant for most of the year. The bottom line is the Tar Heels have not met a team as good as or as hot as Villanova in the tournament. This will certainly be their toughest test of the tournament and perhaps their toughest test all year. UNC's success will not hinge on Tyler Hansbrough's play. While he is a star during ACC play especially against very weak opponents, he is a ghost vs. good teams. The key player is of course Lawson. If Villanova let Ty Lawson take over the game, it will be a blowout in favor of the Tar Heels. But if Villanova can contain UNC's high powered offense and force them to slow down and play defense we will have a game on our hands.

Predictions:

Connecticut over Villanova in the final.

The Bracket

Is about to be released...

Syracuse/Connecticut

WOW. Just wow. What a fantastic basketball game. I thought the Kings/Warriors triple overtime game was great...but this...I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Those guys were playing on pure heart by the end of the game. 8 players fouled out and the starters for both teams played staggering minutes. I am happy that Syracuse came out on top of this one. However, maybe the extra days of rest will give Connecticut an edge in the big dance. Having just won their semi final game against West Virginia (in only one overtime) Syracuse will have played 5 games in 5 days when they meet Louisville tomorrow. Their guys, especially Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf have to be dead tired. It will be interesting to see how they respond when the NCAA tournament rolls around next week. I hope they can ride the momentum they have created in the last week, but they might just as easily be exhausted from the physical and emotional toll of the Big East tournament.

Also, Jim Brown wrote a letter to Jim Boeheim saying that he "has never been more proud to be a graduate of Syracuse University". That's big time stuff from possibly the greatest running back to ever play the game of football.

TO to Buffalo

What a surprise, and I mean that with the most sincerity. Who would have thought this is where TO would elect to go? I have heard the interview the interview countless times with who I think is his agent or someone close to him. In the interview, the person claims there was a good market for Terrell. He asserts he wouldn't have gotten his $6.5 mil unless there was a good market. I have to laugh at this comment because $6.5 mil for a player like Owens is not a lucrative contract, not to mention Buffalo is the one who offered it.

From Buffalo's point of view, I can see how TO could be a reasonable answer. There less than average club needs a pick me up, and who better to do that than a star caliber player? Lets face it, TO is a monster down the field. He is one of the top five receivers in the league (as far as talent and athleticism go). You can't deny that he is a great football player, but his baggage comes along with this talent. I honestly don't think it's going to be an issue this season because he is going to want to prove something to the sports world. He is going to have a positive influence in Buffalo this next NFL season.

Trevor Ariza's Dirty Play

In Monday's beat down of the Lakers (something I always like to see...from any team) Rudy Fernandez had to be carted off the court after a blow to the head from Trevor Ariza. Fernandez had the ball on the breakaway and had every Laker on the court beat. Ariza had other plans and tried to block the shot from behind but caught no arm, no wrist and certainly no ball. Ariza swung his arm full force into the side of Fernandez's head.

The referees declared it a Flagrant 2 and Ariza was promptly ejected. A scrum ensued near the Lakers bench...notable players involved were Lamar Odom and Brandon Roy...there were several randoms on both sides.

Trevor Ariza deserves at least a 3 game suspension for this hit. The NBA has to send a message that these kinds of fouls are not acceptable. Quite frankly I'm a little disturbed at the Lakers in general. It wasn't so long ago that Andrew Bynum delivered a shot to Gerald Wallace which kept him out for several weeks. While Bynum got his appropriate punishment in the form of a knee injury, Ariza's fate has yet to be decided. When the commissioner's office reviews the tape of this flagrant I hope that the appropriate decision is made and Ariza is suspended. According to NBA rules every player who got off the bench during the proceeding altercation should also receive a suspension but we'll see if that actually materializes.

To Jamal Crawford

I am sorry that the Warriors coach has lost his marbles in his old age. Contracts are called contracts for a reason, he has no right to tell you to terminate it. You are one of three players over the age of twenty eight, but the old fool still finds you expendable. I say he you should tell him to opt out of his contract so that the Warriors can get back to playing basketball to win. Don Nelson is a joke, and I hope ownership is taking note.

Another Shaq Post

Let me start by saying I am by no means a fan of Stan Van Gundy, and he is a sorry character for publicly calling out Shaq on an insignificant play. He was obviously trying to get some attention or besmirch Shaq's character.

The situation: Shaq obviously flopped. Van Gundy called Shaq out. Van Gundy was Shaq's coach in Miami and Shaq supposedly complained about people who flop agaisnt him. (Vlade Divac was one of those fools when Shaq played for the Lakers). Shaq responds with personal attacks and attempts to justify his flop.

What a joke. Shaq is one of those guys who complains about something someone else is doing but does it himself, except when he does it, it is okay. Everyone knows at least five people like this. It's called hypocracy.

The idea that anyone has the capibility of unintentionally knocking the Shaq-tastic to floor is hilarious in itself. He admitted it was a flop and somehow he thought this situation was justified while others weren't. Grow up Shaq.

BCS Proposal

Will anyone disagree that March Madness is the most exciting moment in sports in our country? And yes, I mean more exciting than the NFL playoffs, NBA playoffs, and the MLB playoffs. When it comes to exciting periods in sports, March Madness is second to none.

On the other end of the spectrum, the BCS ranks just above bowling in level excitement. Okay, maybe I exaggerated. However, could there be any title less important then College Football National Champions. Until the current BCS system actually includes playoffs, this title will continue to not mean that much.

The Mountain West has proposed an eight team playoff. I'm not too sure about the specifics of the proposal, but I do know that it includes extending the season two weeks. This extention is largely why this proposal will not go through.

The current bowl schedule is approximently three weeks long, the time it would take to run an eight team playoff. They should make the specifics simple, the exact opposite of the current convoluted system in place now. A committee of delegates from the 11 division 1-A conferences would vote who gets to participate in the playoff. That simple, nothing confusing.

Of course this would upset people who value the history of the bowl season. To that I say whatever. I don't care about the history, I want any team to have a chance at the national championship so this title can actually mean what it says. And if you want, the four BCS games could be the first round of the playoffs.

Guarding Kobe

Five minutes ago on sports center, Suzy Colber was getting on O.J. Mayo's back for not playing the best D on Kobe. It makes me think she has never played the game of basketball. The highlights they showed to back up this claim were nothing short of hilarious. Kobe Bryant is a freak of nature. All four clips shown were of him doing his step back fade-away jumper, ranging from 12-18 feet out. The shot is incontestable. The shot can't be stopped, it's one of those things you just have to cross your fingers does not fall.

On another note; the Yankees played team USA and won. Of course it was the Yankees that played them and not the defending champs.

Moreover; that cancerous cist finally agreed to his two year, 45 million dollar deal. Hooray for baseball.

Anthony Randolph and a Warrior Game Critique

My comments about the game the Warriors played today against the Jazz are going to be obvious to anyone who has watched more than a couple of basketball games. The Jazz had 93 shot attempts compared to the warriors 76 shots. The Jazz had 36 assists compared to the Warriors 22. The Warriors turned the ball over 25 times (11 of them came in the fourth quarter). Other than that, the Warriors played well (I hope the sarcasm was obvious).

But really, the Warriors shot the ball tremendously today. However, they proved that if you don't protect the ball, shooting well isn't going to matter much. The Warriors had the lead most of the game, which is the reason why their fourth quarter performance was so disappointing. If any team in the league has the stats shown above, they will not get a win.

High points for the day include Don Nelson's decision to sit Stephen Jackson. He continued to let his youngsters see plenty of the court and it paid off. Watching Anthony Randolph tonight made me really excited. The Warriors have needed a presence down low for quite some time, and seeing the kid play tonight made me hopeful that he is our guy. He had four blocked shots with a few offensive rebounds against an overall much bigger team. Until now, I thought of him as a big small forward. But now, I see that he can play in the post. If he could gain a few more pounds, he could be exactly what the Warriors are looking for. Brandon Wright is going to need to work extra hard to get back some playing time when he returns.

-Mark P

Shaq's Resurgence

Shaquille O'Neal (a.k.a. Shaq, Superman, The Big Diesel, Shaq-a-clause, The Big Aristotle, Shaqtus etc.) looks like he's playing in his prime again. It's true that he has lost a step and is not as explosive as in his earlier years, the man is still showing that he knows how to play the game of basketball better than almost anyone at his position. Despite the fact that he's less of an athlete than he used to be, he continues to show that his footwork and skill are second to none. He's using the same moves he used to dominate the Kings in the early 2000s. And the scariest part? He's shooting free throws better than he ever has.

With Amar'e Stoudomire out with a freak eye injury and Steve Nash missing several games with a sprained ankle, the aged Shaq is suddenly the best player on the team. He has more than delivered with 45 points the other night and 33 just now. All while facing above average defenders such as Chris Bosh and Pau Gasol. After the Suns beat the Lakers, Shaq said: "the only time I don't play well is when I'm injured...I've been doing the same thing since 1992."

Along with helping his team win key games, Shaq has all but solidified his spot in the hall of fame. There is almost nothing this guy has not done in his illustrious career. He has now proved his dominance with 3 different teams over more than a decade of work. He is a guaranteed double-double every night, and is still one of the smartest players in the NBA.

The only concern I have about the high level of Shaq's play is that as a result he is getting extended minutes. At his age, Shaq can only sustain this amount of minutes for a limited amount of time. With Amar'e out for nearly the rest of the season, there is little doubt that Shaq will continue to post this amount of playing time. If the Suns are going to make a serious playoff push they need a well-rested and well-playing Shaquille O'Neal.

-Bryce B

Kobe vs. Lebron

Who would you rather have on your team?

Comparing these two players is no easy feat. They are both the best in their own respect, however, the question isn't impossible. It comes down to personal choice so the answer will, of course, not be decisive.

Personally, I'd take Lebron. Here's my reasoning: he has proved that he can win games with a sub-par supporting staff. Kobe has had Shaq, Pau, Lamar, and Bynum. Lebron has single handily built his team into one of the top three teams in the NBA. His skills are uncanny.

I have to give my respects for Kobe. If the question were changed to; "who would you rather have on your team in the fourth quarter, down 5 in the seventh game of the finals" I would have to take Kobe. Kobe has proven he can take big shots and make them. He seems to get better the more pressure he has on him.

-Mark P