Z is Back

The big man in the middle Zydrunas Illgauskas has resigned with the Cavs. The news came this afternoon but it was virtually known that he would resign. It was only a matter of time after the 30 day waiting period was up on Monday.

The signing of Z resulted in the release of Darnell “D Block” Jackson. He will surely be missed by every member of the team. It was clear that he was a team player and was always cheering on his guys. Even when he rarely saw any time on the floor himself. He should be able to find a team. He would give any team solid minutes off the bench while playing hard defense. He can also get his fair share of points and rebounds.

If no team in the NBA wants Jackson, he can dominate to the D League for the remainder of the year. In his last game with the Erie BayHawks he scored 32 points and had 11 rebounds. Those numbers show that he does belong in the NBA.

Z is back and all is well. He will most likely resume his starting role at center due to Shaq’s injury. His time off should mean that he will be at 110% every game for the remainder of the year including the playoffs. Hopefully his rest will help him and the team win the Championship.

Second Round Gets the Memo, More Upsets

I didn’t think the Tournament could get any more exciting, but it did. With a number 1 seed and a number 2 seed both losing on Saturday. In the first game Villanova’s terrible play caught up with them. Only two Nova players scored more than 10 points and Scottie Reynolds only scored 9 points. Reynolds shot 4-26 in the Tournament. But credit should still go to The Saint Mary’s Crocodile Dundee’s who played a tremendous game. Saint Mary’s Omar “Sandman” Samhan (Which has to be the best nickname in college basketball besides “The Villain”) scored 32 points and controlled the paint with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Though this might seem to be a big upset, Villanova is a VERY overrated team and their play vs. Robert Morris on Thursday showedthis upset shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Washington has quietly snuck into the Sweet Sixteen beating the 3 seeded New Mexico Lobos. Washington won 82-64 thanks to balanced scoring with 4 guys scoring at least 10 points. Butler won a close game vs Murray State and the Ohio Bobcats Cinderella story ended when they lost to Tennessee 83-68. Also Kentucky blew out Wake Forest to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

But not all of the 1 seeds will be there, because Kansas lost to number 9 seed Northern Iowa. Kansas was a lot peoples favorite to win the Championship including President Obama. Lucky there not in the USSR or Stalin would have put them in a Gulag. Lets fast forward to the second half with 40 seconds left, Northern Iowa in bounded the ball, after just avoiding a Kansas steal they found a wide open  Ali Farokhmanesh on the wing. Ali catches the ball hesitated for a second and then launched a three with 30 seconds still on the shot clock. Swoosh he nailed it and put the Panthers on top 66 to 62 and ended Kansas chance for a National Championship. Kansas was starting to make comeback late in this game before the Ali shot because of a few Northern Iowa turnovers but Ali’s shot iced the game for the Panthers. Even though this is Ali Farokhmanesh’s second huge shot in the Tournament this one took a lot of “you know whats” to take because it would have been smarter to hold the ball, burn some clock then get fouled. But Ali took the shot and the rest is history. By the way this has to be the biggest sports moment from anyone named Ali ever.

Still can't think of one better

Day 2 for the second round still had the same excitement as day one. Cornell blowout Wisconsin 87-69. Ryan Wittman had another great game scoring 24 points. The only buzzer beater came from the Maryland-Michigan State game. Greivis Vasquez hit a runner with 6 seconds left. Mich St. in bounded the ball Draymond Green pushed it down floor passed it off to Korie Locious. Locious set up behind te arc and nailed a three ending Maryland’s Tournament chances. Even though the Spartans won the game, they had a huge lost when coach Tom Izzo said star point guard Kalin Lucas likely has a torn Achilles and will miss the rest of the Tournament. In other Big Ten news the Hummel-less Purdue Boilermakers beat Texas A&M 63-61 on a Chris Kramer lay up in OT.

Ohio State played Georgia Tech for the chance to go the Sweet Sixteen. Ohio State struggled again in this game against a bad Georgia Tech team. G-Tech had 21 turnovers, but the Bucks didn’t much better for having 18 of their own. Most of them from Evan Turnover who had 9 of them. A lot of Tech’s turnovers were from careless passes and same for the Bucks. Ohio State shot poorly again in the first half only scoring 28 points but later picked it up scoring a total of 75 points. Besides the turnovers Turner had a good game scoring 24 points and so did Jon Diebler scoring 20 of his own. If the Buckeyes plan to go far in this Tournament they are going to need end their terrible play of late. Poor shooting and turnovers have been the cause, if they don’t their fate will be the same as Kansas and Villanova.

What an Amazing First Round

What a great opening round for the Tournament. Upsets, buzzer beaters, and overtime games, what more can a fan ask for? Maybe if Erin Andrews was serving you pizza while you sit in your underwear watching basketball for 8 hours. Even though my bracket is as busted as Ron Washington, I loved this kind of excitement. The first game, BYU and Florida went into double overtime. The Cougars aka The Demi Moores were led by Jimmer Fredette who scored 37 points, so far the most points in a NCAA Tournament game this year. The next great game was Villanova vs. Robert Morris which was a lot closer than the experts thought. Villanova pulled though in OT with a little help from the refs to win 73-70. Nova’s poor game was mostly because of Scottie Reynolds who had a John Starks like game shooting 2-15 from the field.  If Robert Morris would have won it would have been the first time a 15 seed beat a 2 seed since Hampton beat Iowa State in 2001. That Iowa State team had Marcus Fizer (Future NBA Superstar) and Jamaal Tinsley who should be on the Mount Rushmore for Why Athletes Shouldn’t Go to Strip Clubs. He’s on that list with Patrick Ewing, Jason Kidd, and of course Pacman Jones. 

Make It Rain!!!

 Notre Dame  lost to Old Dominion 51-50. They almost won but a Carleton Scott shot rattled out. Luke Harangody had a terrible game shooting 2 for 9. One team that made their buzzer beater was Murray State. Murray State had 30 wins this year and got there 31st after Danero Thomas hit a fade way jumper over two defenders to move Murray State into the second round. It wasnt the only buzzer beater of the today because Northern Iowa answered them with a Ali Farokmanesh game winning 3 against UNLV.  

But the biggest upset of the day had to 14th seeded Ohio Bobcats beating 3rd seeded Georgetown. Georgetown got smoked this game giving up 97 points shocking because most of the experts said they have one of the best defenses in the nation. The Bobcats shot 13-23 (56.5%)  from 3 land and Indiana transfer Armon Bassett scored 32 points. This is great news for the Buckeyes who might have had to play them in the Sweet Sixteen. Other close games was when Washington edged out Marquette by 2 points and when Tennessee beat San Diego St by 3. 

The second day didn’t have the same excitement as the first day. There were some close games like Purdue pulling one out against Siena and another Big Ten team Michigan State won a close game against New Mexico State. The Big Ten has been one of the best conferences in the Tournament going 4 and 1. Cornell beat Temple much of the joy going to The Office’s Andy Bernard. 

Andy Bernard Cornell Class of ’95

 The Nard Dog must have been pumped after Ryan Wittman scored 20 points and advanced his team to the next round. But the most important game in my opinion was Ohio State vs. UC Santa Barbara. Jon Diebler scored 23 points and shot 7 for 11 from the arc. While Jonny D was making it rain Evan Turner was making it hail. Turner shot an atrocious 2-14 from the floor and he finished with 9 points. Dallas “Fort” Lauderdale led the defense with 8 blocks! The Bucks had a team total of 12 blocks. Even with their struggles Ohio State still won 68-51. After a great first round I cant wait to see whats next in the Tournament.

Cavs win Central Division for the Second Year in a Row

With a 99-94 win over the Pacers, the Cavs clinched their second Central division title in a row. It was very exciting last year but this year the players are taking it all in stride.

It was expected that the Cavs would win the division again this year. When Lebron was first drafted this might have been their main goal, but now their goal is clear. Win the NBA Finals. When the second best team in your division is the Bucks, it is not that exciting to win it. It would have been exciting in ’04-’07 when the Pistons were winning the division because they were the Cavs rival. However, 2007 showed that winning the division does not mean too much because the Cavs went to the Finals anyway.

The Cavs are 16.5 games up in the division and 39 games over .500. The second place Bucks do not even have 39 wins yet. Only four teams in the conference have at least 39 wins and those are the big four Eastern Conference teams: Cavs, Hawks, Magic, and Celtics. The Nets are actually 54 games under .500. The Cavs have 54 wins. Just call me Rainman.

Last nights win might have been more exciting if it had not come against the last place Pacers. They competed but were still no match for the Diesel-less Cavs.

When Shaq and Z return, the Cavs will be complete once again. Maybe not fully complete. One of their cheerleaders, Darnell Jackson or Danny Green, will have to be released. This will probably have no effect on the Cavs morale but whoever is released will be missed. Maybe Dan Gilbert can send them a Central Division champs wall pennant.

Ohio State’s Rocky Road to the Final Four

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Everyone! It’s the one time of year that you can be proud that you have red hair and pale skin. Before we get to the Bucks I want to give a shout out to some famous Irish athletes. Like John McEnroe, yes I am SERIOUS!!!  he is Irish(I still don’t know where he gets his temper from). Shaquille O’Neal who might be Irish because his last name is O’Neal. The amazing Brian Scalabrine and of course  Delonte West. I’m pretty sure his isn’t Irish but he looks a lot like a Leprechaun.

Now back to the Bucks, Ohio State plays UC Santa Barbara in the opening round. UC had a 20-9 record and were 12-4 in the Big West. Should be an easy win for the Buckeyes, UC is 293rd in the nation for turnovers (15.7 a game). Also the only thing the UC Santa Barbara is known for is that’s the place were Jim Rome went to college. I guessing they all have spray tans and bad goatees. Next round we have Georgia Tech or Oklahoma State. G-Tech has two good big men Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal , but really lacking at the guard spot Turner and company should destroy them. Oklahoma State is the opposite, they have good guards especially James Anderson who is averaging 22 points a game. There other two guards both score over 10 points. Both both big men are under 10 points per game.

His hairline is fading faster then Soulja Boy

The next game, unless there is a major upest, will be Georgetown. G-Town is led by Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman. Greg Monroe could be a really tough match up for Lauderdale. Monroe is two inches taller then Dallas and he is averaging 16 points a game. One quick note about Dallas Lauderdale, if a NBA carrer doesnt work out he can always be the next Hair Club for Men spokeman.

If the Bucks can bet G-Town Kansas will probably be next. Sherron Collins leads the team with 15 points and three other players average more then 10 points. Cole Aldrich is another dangerous big man averaging a double-double. Ohio State can win this game but Turner will need a big game on offense and on defense shutting down Collins. Diebler will need to knock down his threes, and Lighty needs to keep up his steller offense. If all these things come together, Ohio State will not only go to the Final Four, they will win the National Championship.

Brackets!!!

 

Selection Sunday was yesterday and map to the Final Four in Indianapolis was layed out. The number 1 seeds in order were Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and Syracuse. No real surprises there, some bubble teams that made the cut were Minnesota 11th seed, Florida 10th seed, and Utah State 12th seed. Some bubble teams that just missed the cut were Virginia Tech, Illinois, and Mississippi State who were just a few tenths of a second away from beating Kentucky being in the big dance.

Not too many problems about the bracket expect that Duke (the 3rd best 1 seed) seems to have the easiest run to the Final Four. Duke’s only real challenge is Villanova (maybe the worst 2 seed) and they wont see them until the Elite Eight. Also Ohio State who might be the best or second best 2 seed is in the same bracket as the best 1 seed Kansas. Same goes for West Virginia there in the same bracket has Kentucky (second best 1 seed). The only reason I think it’s like this is because of travel reasons. Ohio State is in the Midwest section and West Virginia is the East section. Even with a few question marks here and there this looks like to be  an exciting tournament.

Bye Bye Brady

Espn has reported that Brady Quinn was traded to the Denver Broncos. In return, the Browns receive running back Peyton Hillis and 2 future draft picks.

This trade came as no surprise to me given that the Browns signed Jake Delhomme. It is apparent that Mike Holmgren is trying to start fresh at the QB position. Now that Quinn is gone, it seems that the Browns are poised to draft a quarterback in the first round. I cannot see Delhomme and Seneca Wallace fighting for the starting spot.

Sam Bradford will likely be picked by the time the Browns get to pick. The most logical pick would be Colt McCoy from Texas. He has many upsides and would fit in the West Coast offense. He is accustomed to the offense which involves the spread offense and short, quick passes. If he is chosen it would be an open competition in camp with Colt being the favorite.

It is being reported that the Browns also traded Kameron Wimbley to the Raiders. It is for an undisclosed draft pick.