I know we are a couple days late, but give me a break I had much more to do for school. I believe this 2010 NCAA Tournament was the best tourney that I have seen in my 21 years. I enjoyed it so much and thought about how saddened I am that there is no basketball this weekend.
The tournament had everything that you want when you go into March Madness... People always love upsets, which we had plenty of them. The runs that Northern Iowa, St. Mary's, and Cornell made into the Sweet 16 were the reason why we all collectively jump on the bandwagon in hopes that maybe this team can make a George Mason-type run. The fact is we got that team in Butler.
Now, some will argue because they were in the top ten during the season therefore they shouldn't be considered part of that fraternity. I would agrue the fact they play in the Horizon League seeing the level of competition they play for two months is pretty weak and doesn't prepare them in the way for March like the six power conferences receive. Gonzaga is basically the same type of team like Butler who always seems to get in the tournament but can never make it to the Final Four. What the Bulldogs knocking off Syracuse, Kansas State, and Michigan State plus almost a half-court shot falling in to beat Duke. They proved that they can play with any team in the nation with their fearless attitude.
While Duke was the last 1 seed standing, I loved that they were the only ones in the Final Four. Anyone can predict all four ones getting into the Final Four and while those games would probably have been exciting, I would much rather watch two teams playing above expectations. The fact that a team that can get hot at the right now and create a deep dent makes this tournament so fun. I think the TV ratings of the final game would prove that I am not only one who enjoys these versions of the NCAA Touranment.
Quickly, my thoughts on Duke's National Championship season. I said in November how impressed I was with Duke early on (but I also dissed Butler pretty hard, yikes). So I always kept a close eye on Duke because I thought they had enough to win the National Championship this year. They dominated the ACC for the most part and then getting probably the easiest bracket out of the four, it almost felt like this tournament was made for the Dukies.
The play of Kyle Singler was unmatched by anyone else because not only did he play excellent on the offensive end, but the defense end as well, which sometimes you do not see from the star player. I think Singler should go pro with the chance of an NBA lockout in 2011, but who knows the opportunity playing again with Smith (expect him to come back), Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, and the Plumlee Brothers.. that is a team with the abilty of compete for another National Championship.
-Charlie.
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Showing posts with label Duke Blue Devils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Duke Blue Devils. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Final Four Picks
I had to make sure I got my picks in and surprised that I am even writing to you as I am pulling it out while hungover. I will put it to you this way, I met a guy from Djibouti which was something on my bucket lists of things to do.
Butler vs. Michigan State- People including myself have called the Bulldogs the "real life Hoosiers" and now the question is can they carry this run into the final game? I feel they aren't scared of anyone especially after knocking off Syracuse/Kansas State. Gordan Hayward could be a mismatch disaster for the Spartans as they really don't have a player his size to compete with. Also Matt Howard's foul trouble problems probably will not be as much of worry with the Spartans due to the lack of size of their big men. Now for Michigan State I feel they have that same sort of never scared attitude because they know they can win without Kalin Lucas. Korie Lucious played fantastic in last year's Final Four and he played a great tournament so far. Also do not sleep on Durrell Summers because he hits key shots and always seems to have the ball at the end of the game. I haven't picked Butler the entire year, and I want them to win tonight although I do not think they enough... so I will continue to doubt them. MSU 65-60
West Virginia vs. Duke- Some people in the media think that this should be the National Championship game and people have pointed out the inabilities of the Dukies against Big East teams (lost the last four times they have seen Big East opponents in the tourney, they have lost). I think Nolan Smith is the key individual in this game because the only guy that can guard him is Joe Mazzulla and if he gets in foul trouble, the Mountaineers are in trouble with Smith. The Mountaineers have the ability inside to beat Duke which I do not think I could say about a lot of the teams they faced. The one thing that should concern Blue Devil fans is Da'Sean Butler's big time moments. I do not think Duke has that guy who can make take over the game, but I think the overall depth of Duke pulls them to victories late in the game. I could see this game going down to the wire and somebody making the difference. I am going with Jon Scheyer hitting a big three with under twenty seconds. DUKE 75-73
Butler vs. Michigan State- People including myself have called the Bulldogs the "real life Hoosiers" and now the question is can they carry this run into the final game? I feel they aren't scared of anyone especially after knocking off Syracuse/Kansas State. Gordan Hayward could be a mismatch disaster for the Spartans as they really don't have a player his size to compete with. Also Matt Howard's foul trouble problems probably will not be as much of worry with the Spartans due to the lack of size of their big men. Now for Michigan State I feel they have that same sort of never scared attitude because they know they can win without Kalin Lucas. Korie Lucious played fantastic in last year's Final Four and he played a great tournament so far. Also do not sleep on Durrell Summers because he hits key shots and always seems to have the ball at the end of the game. I haven't picked Butler the entire year, and I want them to win tonight although I do not think they enough... so I will continue to doubt them. MSU 65-60
West Virginia vs. Duke- Some people in the media think that this should be the National Championship game and people have pointed out the inabilities of the Dukies against Big East teams (lost the last four times they have seen Big East opponents in the tourney, they have lost). I think Nolan Smith is the key individual in this game because the only guy that can guard him is Joe Mazzulla and if he gets in foul trouble, the Mountaineers are in trouble with Smith. The Mountaineers have the ability inside to beat Duke which I do not think I could say about a lot of the teams they faced. The one thing that should concern Blue Devil fans is Da'Sean Butler's big time moments. I do not think Duke has that guy who can make take over the game, but I think the overall depth of Duke pulls them to victories late in the game. I could see this game going down to the wire and somebody making the difference. I am going with Jon Scheyer hitting a big three with under twenty seconds. DUKE 75-73
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Dukies... Back to Hater Status
If you polled America, and had them listed of teams of you hate... More times than not, you will list the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Red Wings, Notre Dame Fightin' Irish Football, and Duke Basketball. These teams always incite Facebook and Twitter updates about how much they hate _____ or the notable bandwagon fans saying GOOOO ________. I have friends who like these teams and I personally like the Lakers/Irish... so I do not call out fans for liking these teams.
I personally am not fond of Duke and when I was a teenager, I really hated Duke and talked a lot of shit to Duke fans. If you ask my dad, whenever I say something bad about Duke, he references the school picture of me rocking a Duke sweater, boom roasted. Now, I respect Duke and Coach K, I do not cheer for them but I still recognize them as a top five program in America.
At the beginning of the tournament, I picked the Dukies to the National Championship Game Final because I felt they had everything you need to make a deep run. They had the experienced leadership in Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler,and Jon Scheyer making them intimidating big three, they had size inside with the Plumlee Brothers/Brian Zoubek, and they are very deep off the bench. All of those qualties tend to result in a successful March.
The size inside got so much better when Zoubek discovered how to play college basketball in late January and start dominating inside for the Blue Devils. He can go off for a double-double any time he wants it seems now and if he stays out of foul trouble, he comes a real threat. He will provide mega problems for both West Virginia and winner of Butler/Michigan State because both teams have lack of size inside to get physical with Zoubek.
I also think the fact of the matter that Kyle Singler did not have one field goal against Baylor and the Dukies still won the basketball game. I would argue that Singler's play is more valuable to their team than Scheyer just because he can spread the floor and also take it inside more so than the basketball version of the Hebrew Hammer.
The Dukies are obviously the favorite heading into the weekend and I wouldn't doubt if the one team that no one who isn't a Blue Devil fan wants to win takes it back to Tobacco Road.
-Charlie.
I personally am not fond of Duke and when I was a teenager, I really hated Duke and talked a lot of shit to Duke fans. If you ask my dad, whenever I say something bad about Duke, he references the school picture of me rocking a Duke sweater, boom roasted. Now, I respect Duke and Coach K, I do not cheer for them but I still recognize them as a top five program in America.
At the beginning of the tournament, I picked the Dukies to the National Championship Game Final because I felt they had everything you need to make a deep run. They had the experienced leadership in Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler,and Jon Scheyer making them intimidating big three, they had size inside with the Plumlee Brothers/Brian Zoubek, and they are very deep off the bench. All of those qualties tend to result in a successful March.
The size inside got so much better when Zoubek discovered how to play college basketball in late January and start dominating inside for the Blue Devils. He can go off for a double-double any time he wants it seems now and if he stays out of foul trouble, he comes a real threat. He will provide mega problems for both West Virginia and winner of Butler/Michigan State because both teams have lack of size inside to get physical with Zoubek.
I also think the fact of the matter that Kyle Singler did not have one field goal against Baylor and the Dukies still won the basketball game. I would argue that Singler's play is more valuable to their team than Scheyer just because he can spread the floor and also take it inside more so than the basketball version of the Hebrew Hammer.
The Dukies are obviously the favorite heading into the weekend and I wouldn't doubt if the one team that no one who isn't a Blue Devil fan wants to win takes it back to Tobacco Road.
-Charlie.
Friday, March 26, 2010
A Wonderful Night of Basketball/Friday's Picks
Well I was going to give you picks for tonight and tomorrow's games but didn't make it in time. I came down with some strange cold leading to me completely forgetting about doing it right before class. Anyways, I would have been wrong on two of this evening's game both out west so lets go there.
West
Butler stuns Syracuse- A game that I believed wouldn't have been close because I felt even without Arinze Onuaku, the inside game of Syracuse would propel them. But they lost their heads, just a complete lack of focus. Here's looking at you Andy Rautins, Scoop Jardine (biggest offender), and Brandon Triche. The Big East continues their poor performance and the worst lost of them all (I will get to this in the next blog post). Hopefully, West Virigina can save face and lead to them to the Final Four.
Kansas State survives Xavier- Is their tougher team that Kansas State? I thought it would be a down to the wire game and a bad coaching mistake would cost one team. No coach screwed it up and honestly, the Wildcats had a little bit left in the tank for that overtime especially Jacob Pullen. I think Pullen could have played five overtimes with that three he hit in the second OT, I mean that thing was pure and looked like a first half shot. Big ups to Jordan Crawford, a guy I rode off because I saw him shoot 2/18 against Marquette in November and saw him as a selfish player. Totally wrong, didn't play well for most of the game yet stepped it up when it mattered the most. He hit big shot after big shot in regulation, overtime, and then you could tell ran out of gas in second overtime. He is a hell of a player and will be an NBA player.
Midwest
9. Northern Iowa vs. 5. Michigan State- The game I would argue everyone is talking about right now... the Panthers who are riding high with the cover of Sports Illustrated and all the media attention they could possibly ask for. The Spartans are figuring out how they deal without Kalin Lucas, but that game-winner could give Korie Lucious the confidence he needed to be a great player for the Spartans the rest of the way. The Panthers outsize the Spartans and that works to their advantage in terms of rebounding. I know people are high as Cheech on UNI but I cannot bet against Tom Izzo in these types of situations. MSU 65-62
6. Tennessee vs. 2. Ohio State- Two coaches that are familiar with being in the Sweet 16 and the Vols have been giant killers this year knocking off Kansas/Kentucky without four of their players including their best player, Tyler Smith. Guys like J.P. Prince and Wayne Chism have been able to shoulder the load of the team and I personally feel the Vols believe they are can beat anybody. On the other hand, Ohio State keeps motoring along with one of the best starting fives in the NCAA and Evan Turner will need one of the supporting guys (Buford/Diebler/Lighty) to win this game. I can't see Turner doing it alone, this comes down to what team stays out of foul trouble, both have depth issues big time. I will take Fightin' Titus in a classic. OSU 73-71
South
1.Duke vs. 5. Purdue- Interesting matchup of a two styles that are quite similar and the "Ewing Theorists" have begun with saying the Boilermakers are fine without Robbie Hummel. I think people are forgetting the eggs that Purdue has laid without Hummel this season and usually it's against teams who have more than one threat. The arsenal that the Blue Devils will shell out is pretty deep and I have no idea with their lack of depth how Purdue keeps up with the all the sudden double-double man Brian Zoubek inside. DUKE 73-60
3. Baylor vs. 10. St. Mary's- A couple of basic unknowns in this deep in the NCAA Tournament and to be honest, I think this game will come down to whoever has the last shot. The Gaels have a strong outside shooting force that can keep them in any game plus Omar Samhan has been the star of the tournament. Baylor can out run pretty much anyone in the tournament right now, but have they really been challenged yet? I like the athletic style of Baylor too much to think that the Gaels will have enough firepower to keep up with them the entire game. BAY 79-71
-Charlie.
West
Butler stuns Syracuse- A game that I believed wouldn't have been close because I felt even without Arinze Onuaku, the inside game of Syracuse would propel them. But they lost their heads, just a complete lack of focus. Here's looking at you Andy Rautins, Scoop Jardine (biggest offender), and Brandon Triche. The Big East continues their poor performance and the worst lost of them all (I will get to this in the next blog post). Hopefully, West Virigina can save face and lead to them to the Final Four.
Kansas State survives Xavier- Is their tougher team that Kansas State? I thought it would be a down to the wire game and a bad coaching mistake would cost one team. No coach screwed it up and honestly, the Wildcats had a little bit left in the tank for that overtime especially Jacob Pullen. I think Pullen could have played five overtimes with that three he hit in the second OT, I mean that thing was pure and looked like a first half shot. Big ups to Jordan Crawford, a guy I rode off because I saw him shoot 2/18 against Marquette in November and saw him as a selfish player. Totally wrong, didn't play well for most of the game yet stepped it up when it mattered the most. He hit big shot after big shot in regulation, overtime, and then you could tell ran out of gas in second overtime. He is a hell of a player and will be an NBA player.
Midwest
9. Northern Iowa vs. 5. Michigan State- The game I would argue everyone is talking about right now... the Panthers who are riding high with the cover of Sports Illustrated and all the media attention they could possibly ask for. The Spartans are figuring out how they deal without Kalin Lucas, but that game-winner could give Korie Lucious the confidence he needed to be a great player for the Spartans the rest of the way. The Panthers outsize the Spartans and that works to their advantage in terms of rebounding. I know people are high as Cheech on UNI but I cannot bet against Tom Izzo in these types of situations. MSU 65-62
6. Tennessee vs. 2. Ohio State- Two coaches that are familiar with being in the Sweet 16 and the Vols have been giant killers this year knocking off Kansas/Kentucky without four of their players including their best player, Tyler Smith. Guys like J.P. Prince and Wayne Chism have been able to shoulder the load of the team and I personally feel the Vols believe they are can beat anybody. On the other hand, Ohio State keeps motoring along with one of the best starting fives in the NCAA and Evan Turner will need one of the supporting guys (Buford/Diebler/Lighty) to win this game. I can't see Turner doing it alone, this comes down to what team stays out of foul trouble, both have depth issues big time. I will take Fightin' Titus in a classic. OSU 73-71
South
1.Duke vs. 5. Purdue- Interesting matchup of a two styles that are quite similar and the "Ewing Theorists" have begun with saying the Boilermakers are fine without Robbie Hummel. I think people are forgetting the eggs that Purdue has laid without Hummel this season and usually it's against teams who have more than one threat. The arsenal that the Blue Devils will shell out is pretty deep and I have no idea with their lack of depth how Purdue keeps up with the all the sudden double-double man Brian Zoubek inside. DUKE 73-60
3. Baylor vs. 10. St. Mary's- A couple of basic unknowns in this deep in the NCAA Tournament and to be honest, I think this game will come down to whoever has the last shot. The Gaels have a strong outside shooting force that can keep them in any game plus Omar Samhan has been the star of the tournament. Baylor can out run pretty much anyone in the tournament right now, but have they really been challenged yet? I like the athletic style of Baylor too much to think that the Gaels will have enough firepower to keep up with them the entire game. BAY 79-71
-Charlie.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday Observations: Love Lucious, Hate for Kramer, and a Perfect Final Four
Welcome back to the observations, I could not do it yesterday because I went on a complete Badger tangent that people decided was worthwhile enough to comment on. Thanks for the criticism, I love it and use it, but comment on other things that are less controversal! Call me out on my BS again if you would like, I would try to defend it!
I watched the finish of the Maryland-Michigan State game with B-Squared and honestly, we both were pulling hard for the Maryland Terps. First, I wanted to help save my bracket and second, to not give Eric the joy of seeing Tom Izzo in another Sweet 16. Grevis Vasquez, I realize most of you hate him but seriously, you have to give the guy credit for leading this amazing comeback in the last two minutes. Then Korie Lucious, pride and joy of Milwaukee, Wisconsin took the final shot and I wanted him so bad to make the final shot. It's pretty cool seeing a guy who played the same year that you graduate and knew all about his ballyhooed career starting in his freshman year of high school. I thought it was a great moment and hope that Lucious can lead his team far without Kalin Lucus.
I know Badger fans that we disagree on many things, but can we agree that Chris Kramer of Purdue is the biggest tool this side of the Mississippi? There are so many reasons why I hate this guy... first of all, he doesn't look like a basketball player rather a country-club kid who found a basketball court. Second of all, the way he carries himself bothers me probably the most, which I agree is somewhat weird since I usually love the cocky pricks on the court yet he seems to be worst than most. Third, he gels his hair, there should be a rule that no player non-foreign should ever gel their hair on the basketball court, it's not needed. Finally, the reason for the rant is he nailed the game-winner against Texas A&M knocking out another Sweet 16 team.
Finally I am close to last in both of my brackets BUT I have the entire Final Four correct so far and all of them looked damn good on Sunday. Syracuse (my champion) is showing why their 2-3 zone may break the balls of every team they play and if they rain threes like Sunday... rut roh. Ohio State just doing work in two games, nothing more nothing less. West Virginia is excelling from the play of Da'Sean Bulter who had 30 on Sunday keep winning too. The last team is the team no one is talking about... Duke. Brian Zoubek is a beast inside now and the Big 3 is hard to contain.
-Charlie.
I watched the finish of the Maryland-Michigan State game with B-Squared and honestly, we both were pulling hard for the Maryland Terps. First, I wanted to help save my bracket and second, to not give Eric the joy of seeing Tom Izzo in another Sweet 16. Grevis Vasquez, I realize most of you hate him but seriously, you have to give the guy credit for leading this amazing comeback in the last two minutes. Then Korie Lucious, pride and joy of Milwaukee, Wisconsin took the final shot and I wanted him so bad to make the final shot. It's pretty cool seeing a guy who played the same year that you graduate and knew all about his ballyhooed career starting in his freshman year of high school. I thought it was a great moment and hope that Lucious can lead his team far without Kalin Lucus.
I know Badger fans that we disagree on many things, but can we agree that Chris Kramer of Purdue is the biggest tool this side of the Mississippi? There are so many reasons why I hate this guy... first of all, he doesn't look like a basketball player rather a country-club kid who found a basketball court. Second of all, the way he carries himself bothers me probably the most, which I agree is somewhat weird since I usually love the cocky pricks on the court yet he seems to be worst than most. Third, he gels his hair, there should be a rule that no player non-foreign should ever gel their hair on the basketball court, it's not needed. Finally, the reason for the rant is he nailed the game-winner against Texas A&M knocking out another Sweet 16 team.
Finally I am close to last in both of my brackets BUT I have the entire Final Four correct so far and all of them looked damn good on Sunday. Syracuse (my champion) is showing why their 2-3 zone may break the balls of every team they play and if they rain threes like Sunday... rut roh. Ohio State just doing work in two games, nothing more nothing less. West Virginia is excelling from the play of Da'Sean Bulter who had 30 on Sunday keep winning too. The last team is the team no one is talking about... Duke. Brian Zoubek is a beast inside now and the Big 3 is hard to contain.
-Charlie.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
South Bracket Picks
So here is the final set of bracket picks... My Final Four is Ohio State, Syracuse, Duke, and West Virginia. The National Champion is the Orange. Anyways here we go for our final picks.
Jacksonville
1. Duke vs. 16. Arkansas Pine-Bluff- I wonder how Pine Bluff can get a D1 School and UW-Eau Claire cannot be a D1 basketball school, make it happen! DUKE 90-65
8. California vs. 9. Louisville- Interesting matchup between two teams that have been up and down all year. The Bears did win the Pac-10 but that's like winning a three-legged race against midgets. Everyone feels that Louisville could go far and I agree yet I feel this will take them a lot out of them. UL 71-63
1. Duke vs. 9. Louisville-The reason people think the Cards can win is because of the way Louisville played against Syracuse twice this season. I doubt that Duke will lose this game because they have multiple big men that can attack Samardo Samuels. DUKE 75-65
Spokane
5. Texas A&M vs. 12. Utah State- The Aggie Bowl! Texas A&M is a team I think could be tricky with guys like Donald Sloan, Bryan Davis, and Dash Harris who could do some big things inside/outside. Utah State lives and dies by the three point basket, if they go in then the boys from Texas are in trouble. I think the Big 12 pulls it out in a close one. A&M 69-64
4. Purdue vs. 13. Siena- A lot of people like Siena because the Boilermakers are without Robbie Hummel. I would agree and use Cincinnati as an example who lost Kenyon Martin for the NCAA Tournament losing to UCLA in the second round. I think Siena gets this one. SIE 63-59
5. Texas A&M vs. 13. Siena- The Aggies face a challenge but Siena isn't good enough to advance to past the second round. The Aggies big three should be able to take care of business. A&M 74-58
New Orleans
6. Notre Dame vs. 11. Old Dominion- I had trouble with this game because I like the Monarchs from the CAA and the Fightin' Irish from the Big East. But I looked at both rosters and ODU has no size whatsoever, which will be exposed. ND 58-51
3. Baylor vs. 14. Sam Houston St.- Everybody loves Baylor this year. That is the sexy sleeper and I can see why, they have an unreal team with Tweedy Carter and LaceDarius Dunn who make things happen. For some reason they remind me of Memphis with Calipari. BAY 91-64
3. Baylor vs. 6. Notre Dame- This will probably be one of the best second round games between two contrasting styles, one being a up/down consistantly and the Irish who like to slow it down. I think the Bears will be able to wear out the Irish. BAY 72-69
Providence
7. Richmond vs. 10. St. Marys- An interesting 7-10 that features two teams that are right outside the Power Six conference. I called this game boring at first glance but I think it could be very exciting to watch. The Spiders three point shooting pulls this one for them. RICH 74-73
2. Villanova vs. 15. Robert Morris- Hard to beat a team when you are only one man. NOVA 94-69
2. Villanova vs. 7. Richmond- You are sooo boring, never the upset. Well here is the secret, I think the Wildcats have peaked and they will not do much therefore, I have the Spiders in this one. RICH 68-64
Read the live blog tomorrow, all day/night long.
-Charlie.
Jacksonville
1. Duke vs. 16. Arkansas Pine-Bluff- I wonder how Pine Bluff can get a D1 School and UW-Eau Claire cannot be a D1 basketball school, make it happen! DUKE 90-65
8. California vs. 9. Louisville- Interesting matchup between two teams that have been up and down all year. The Bears did win the Pac-10 but that's like winning a three-legged race against midgets. Everyone feels that Louisville could go far and I agree yet I feel this will take them a lot out of them. UL 71-63
1. Duke vs. 9. Louisville-The reason people think the Cards can win is because of the way Louisville played against Syracuse twice this season. I doubt that Duke will lose this game because they have multiple big men that can attack Samardo Samuels. DUKE 75-65
Spokane
5. Texas A&M vs. 12. Utah State- The Aggie Bowl! Texas A&M is a team I think could be tricky with guys like Donald Sloan, Bryan Davis, and Dash Harris who could do some big things inside/outside. Utah State lives and dies by the three point basket, if they go in then the boys from Texas are in trouble. I think the Big 12 pulls it out in a close one. A&M 69-64
4. Purdue vs. 13. Siena- A lot of people like Siena because the Boilermakers are without Robbie Hummel. I would agree and use Cincinnati as an example who lost Kenyon Martin for the NCAA Tournament losing to UCLA in the second round. I think Siena gets this one. SIE 63-59
5. Texas A&M vs. 13. Siena- The Aggies face a challenge but Siena isn't good enough to advance to past the second round. The Aggies big three should be able to take care of business. A&M 74-58
New Orleans
6. Notre Dame vs. 11. Old Dominion- I had trouble with this game because I like the Monarchs from the CAA and the Fightin' Irish from the Big East. But I looked at both rosters and ODU has no size whatsoever, which will be exposed. ND 58-51
3. Baylor vs. 14. Sam Houston St.- Everybody loves Baylor this year. That is the sexy sleeper and I can see why, they have an unreal team with Tweedy Carter and LaceDarius Dunn who make things happen. For some reason they remind me of Memphis with Calipari. BAY 91-64
3. Baylor vs. 6. Notre Dame- This will probably be one of the best second round games between two contrasting styles, one being a up/down consistantly and the Irish who like to slow it down. I think the Bears will be able to wear out the Irish. BAY 72-69
Providence
7. Richmond vs. 10. St. Marys- An interesting 7-10 that features two teams that are right outside the Power Six conference. I called this game boring at first glance but I think it could be very exciting to watch. The Spiders three point shooting pulls this one for them. RICH 74-73
2. Villanova vs. 15. Robert Morris- Hard to beat a team when you are only one man. NOVA 94-69
2. Villanova vs. 7. Richmond- You are sooo boring, never the upset. Well here is the secret, I think the Wildcats have peaked and they will not do much therefore, I have the Spiders in this one. RICH 68-64
Read the live blog tomorrow, all day/night long.
-Charlie.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Rushing the Court: A Part of the College Lifestyle
All over the place, I have seen people forget their fun pants like my buddy Jared, Mach's older brother Dan, and Rick Reilly to name a few. They are getting all upset about fans rushing the court like if they were in the stands of the Maryland-Duke game last night, they wouldn't have rushed. This earns a big Chad Ochocinco Child please.
I love rushing the court. I think it's an awesome sight to see all the fans on the court with a player or two hoisted on top of the shoulders of the fans. I think it's worth doing when you win a share of a conference title like Maryland and Ohio State did the last two nights, you beat a rival for the first time in awhile, or it's a monumental upset. Are there times when the student sections probably shouldn't have rushed the court? Oh yeah, but thats like saying are there times when I wished I didn't take five shots of vodka. You are in the moment, really not caring about what people think about your decision making, rather just having a good time.
Another thing to add about the Maryland charge in particular, people were stunned the Terps charged because "They won a National Championship in 2003, they are better than that!" C'mon, these kids were not even close to sniffing college and they won a share of an ACC title, which if you look at the history is hard to come by with the likes of the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels.
Reilly major point today in his column and on the Scott Van Pelt Show was the safety of these kids. "MY GOD, ONE PERSON MAY DIE OMFG!!!!!" Listen, these college kids put enough crazy shit in their body to kill themselves so why not risk it again by charging the court? No one is thinking in the crowd... "Shit I might die if I rush... I better not man, so scared.." Hell no, they are running faster than Frank the Tank to center court to greet their fearless leader. Like I said above, you live in the moment.
Because I go to a D3 college atmosphere, I will probably never have the experience to rush the court and I wish I went to a bigger school to have that on my resume of cool things I have done. I hope that every college kid who goes to a big school gets a chance once to rush the court in celebration of their great basketball.
-Charlie.
I love rushing the court. I think it's an awesome sight to see all the fans on the court with a player or two hoisted on top of the shoulders of the fans. I think it's worth doing when you win a share of a conference title like Maryland and Ohio State did the last two nights, you beat a rival for the first time in awhile, or it's a monumental upset. Are there times when the student sections probably shouldn't have rushed the court? Oh yeah, but thats like saying are there times when I wished I didn't take five shots of vodka. You are in the moment, really not caring about what people think about your decision making, rather just having a good time.
Another thing to add about the Maryland charge in particular, people were stunned the Terps charged because "They won a National Championship in 2003, they are better than that!" C'mon, these kids were not even close to sniffing college and they won a share of an ACC title, which if you look at the history is hard to come by with the likes of the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels.
Reilly major point today in his column and on the Scott Van Pelt Show was the safety of these kids. "MY GOD, ONE PERSON MAY DIE OMFG!!!!!" Listen, these college kids put enough crazy shit in their body to kill themselves so why not risk it again by charging the court? No one is thinking in the crowd... "Shit I might die if I rush... I better not man, so scared.." Hell no, they are running faster than Frank the Tank to center court to greet their fearless leader. Like I said above, you live in the moment.
Because I go to a D3 college atmosphere, I will probably never have the experience to rush the court and I wish I went to a bigger school to have that on my resume of cool things I have done. I hope that every college kid who goes to a big school gets a chance once to rush the court in celebration of their great basketball.
-Charlie.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Carolina Blues
The days that Duke and North Carolina met up in this classic rivalry where one of those great days to look forward to because the teams always bring it and usually, they are really good teams in at least the top twenty. You have Dickie V acting like an absolute maniac and seems to be at home when this game is going on. But this game tonight is not one that I am looking forward to for the first time in several years because the Tar Heels are a bad team.
In the past, I liked Carolina more than the Dukies because simply, they had more exciting players when I grew up in the late 90s watching guys like Vince Carter, Antwan Jamison, Joe Forte, and Ed Cota. Duke just seemed boring to me and made them the enemy for a long time. Now, as years past I leaned more towards Marquette because that is my hometown team and didn't want to be like others I know who just loved the good teams.
I still follow the Tar Heels and cheer them on when they are on television but even I am completely stunned with what has happened to Carolina this season. Even though, they lost some great players in Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington but they had some great recruits filtering into the Tar Heel system. In my opinion, Roy Williams' system isn't like John Calipari where you can have a revolving door and still be successful. Williams needs guys to stay there and develop into his system to make things work.
I also think that the Tar Heels are suffering from the same complex that Marquette has dealt with all year and that's having a team of completely role players with no player to step up in the clutch when they need it. Granted, MU has seemed to figure that out in the coming weeks with the good late game play of Darius-Johnson Odom and Lazar Hayward. Ed Davis, the supposed star of this Tar Heel team needs to prove that he is worth a top ten pick right now because all I see is a guy who has uber-potential and is not living up to it. Davis' play will be huge tonight in the game this evening.
Do I believe that Williams poorly recruited some of these guys? No doubt about it, I think there is no excuse for the Heels giving up 80-plus points in most games. I think Williams didn't look at his players in defensive aspects as well as he probably needed to. Coach K had some down years but he never was at the level of what is happening to North Carolina right now.
Like I said earlier this week, I am taking Duke but expect a close game, even with Duke had their one awful year and Carolina went on to win the National Championship, it went to double overtime. There is no doubt in my mind that you will see a blowout tonight, but if the Heels don't show up on the defensive end could spell trouble.
-Charlie.
In the past, I liked Carolina more than the Dukies because simply, they had more exciting players when I grew up in the late 90s watching guys like Vince Carter, Antwan Jamison, Joe Forte, and Ed Cota. Duke just seemed boring to me and made them the enemy for a long time. Now, as years past I leaned more towards Marquette because that is my hometown team and didn't want to be like others I know who just loved the good teams.
I still follow the Tar Heels and cheer them on when they are on television but even I am completely stunned with what has happened to Carolina this season. Even though, they lost some great players in Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington but they had some great recruits filtering into the Tar Heel system. In my opinion, Roy Williams' system isn't like John Calipari where you can have a revolving door and still be successful. Williams needs guys to stay there and develop into his system to make things work.
I also think that the Tar Heels are suffering from the same complex that Marquette has dealt with all year and that's having a team of completely role players with no player to step up in the clutch when they need it. Granted, MU has seemed to figure that out in the coming weeks with the good late game play of Darius-Johnson Odom and Lazar Hayward. Ed Davis, the supposed star of this Tar Heel team needs to prove that he is worth a top ten pick right now because all I see is a guy who has uber-potential and is not living up to it. Davis' play will be huge tonight in the game this evening.
Do I believe that Williams poorly recruited some of these guys? No doubt about it, I think there is no excuse for the Heels giving up 80-plus points in most games. I think Williams didn't look at his players in defensive aspects as well as he probably needed to. Coach K had some down years but he never was at the level of what is happening to North Carolina right now.
Like I said earlier this week, I am taking Duke but expect a close game, even with Duke had their one awful year and Carolina went on to win the National Championship, it went to double overtime. There is no doubt in my mind that you will see a blowout tonight, but if the Heels don't show up on the defensive end could spell trouble.
-Charlie.
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