Super, Scintillating and Sarcastic

Mock Drafts For Fun Part 2 of 2

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:26:00 +0000

This man has since been fired. Don't mess with the NBA Draft

Way back on May 20, the night of the lottery, I did a mock draft. I will now stick to my promise of doing another just before the draft. Obviously things have changed since then. Davon Jefferson, for instance, who I had at No. 24, has apparently gained roughly 65 pounds. And for some reason everyone still hates Chris Douglas-Roberts (I had him No. 14).

I want to do a mock of who I think each team should take but that will be of no help to the poor saps that actually read mock drafts because they think it will tell them who their favorite team will pick. So I'm gonna stick to the rumors I've read and exercise a little of my own judgment where uncertainty lies.

Here we go:

1. Chicago Bulls- Derrick Rose
They will take Rose (probably), although they should not. He will be a very good player, probably an All Star, maybe the PG on a title winner (probably not in Chicago though), but he still doesn't have the potential to be a dominant go-to scorer like Beasley. But he is a professional apparently. He's gonna really add some awesome three-piece suits and sound investment advice to the Bulls.

2. Miami Heat- Michael Beasley
He will more than likely be picked here, but almost certainly not stay in Miami. It appears Riles and Co. have burned too many bridges with this dangerous, SpongeBob-loving, graffiti-proficient, likely-rapist renegade to keep him. From Chicago to Miami to... Minnesota or Memphis or Oklahoma City. He will average and 30 and 15 within 36 months.

3. Minnesota T'Wolves- OJ Mayo
Apparently everyone wants Mayo all of a sudden, which is fine, because he is going to be really good. He should be a top-notch defender and has a chance to be a franchise player. Minnesota should be happy sitting here and taking him. A young core of Mayo, Foye, Brewer, McCants and Jefferson is a really versatile, well-rounded group for the future.

4. Seattle Supersonics- Jerryd Bayless
This is where things get interesting. Seattle should do everything short of trading Jeff Green to get their hands on Mayo or Beasley, but it's probably not going to happen. Chris Wilcox just isn't as attractive as he used to be. If they pick here, it's going to be Bayless, Robin Lopez or Russell Westbrook. The Sonics desperately need backcourt help and even though they should, probably won't draft big and give up on past lotto picks, Nick Collison, Saer Sene, Robert Swift, Johan Petro and the ghost of Shawn Kemp. You could basically flip a coin on Bayless and Westbrook but Bayless would help take the massive scoring load off Kevin Durant's noodle-benching shoulders.

5. Memphis Grizzlies- Brook Lopez
This one is looking like it could go anywhere. The Grizzlies are trying to use this pick, Mike Miller and possibly Mike Conley to move up or trying to pawn off Brian Cardinal's ridiculous, capitalism-hating contract to move down or possibly out of the draft altogether, if the Knicks part with the only player on their team that everyone doesn't hate, David Lee. If they keep it, I've read Lopez or Gordon. For a team utilizing the likes of Lorenzen Wright and Jake Tsakilidis at center in past years, Lopez should work.

More Picks This Way...

6. New York Knicks- Russell Westbrook
I would hate to see Russ go here because I have been touting him since this whole thing started as a top 5 five guy, but apparently the Knicks really like him. Russ is going to be a top-notch on the ball defender in the NBA and if he develops a mid-range jumper will be Monta Ellis-esque (coming from someone who thinks Monta is one of the best 30 players in the L). The Clippers at No. 7 would be a much better fit. In NY, they will make Westbrook play point, rather than have him slashing and beating guys off the dribble. And dunking. Oh how I love it when he dunks.

7. Los Angeles Clippers- Eric Gordon
It would be a worst-case scenario for the Clips if they couldn't swing that Brand for Marion and pick-swap with Miami and Westbrook and Bayless are gone. Especially if Miami pulls the thing where they just take Beasley and see how the rest of the top 7 goes before trying to trade. Under this scenario, Gordon isn't a bad consolation prize. If they can get Shaun Livingston back, Gordon slides in nicely next to him and might not have as many defensive problems. I'm starting to warm on Gordon, the wrist thing and the Sampson thing made it easy to forget he was just as hyped as Love, Beasley and Rose during most of last year.

8. Milwaukee Bucks- Joe Alexander
For whatever reason, everyone has Alexander going here and the Bucks are just the type of team that would take him because it's the easy thing to do. Who cares if they have other mediocre shooting forwards (Villanueva, Jianlian, Redd)? It's Milwaukee, nobody cares! I'm not sold on Alexander, I question how he will be able to score on stronger, faster defenders without great range yet. But the Bucks are the least interesting team in the league...

9. Charlotte Bobcats- Kevin Love
... Barely beating out this team. Apparently the Cats want Lopez or Westbrook, but Love would still fit Larry Brown's desire for "right way" type guys, even if it means shaving his chinstrap. I truly think Love will be a 12 year starter in this league, but Bobcats fans (if they exist) shouldn't expect him to be more than an NBA team's 3rd or 4th best player.

10. New Jersey Nets- Danilo Gallinari
Andy Katz says he heard Gallinari doesn't get past the Nets, and I believe him. Gallinari only wants to play for the Knicks or the Nets, so this appears to be our last chance at seeing a European temper tantrum in the green room. If they don't take him, he at least has this going for him.

11. Indiana Pacers- Brandon Rush
Those 10 seem to be the consensus top 10, in some order. It was a certainty that the Pacers would take either DJ Augustin or Mario Chalmers at 11, until they traded for TJ Ford. Now, who knows? Like Seattle's pick, a lot depends on this one. They almost have to use the No. 17 pick they now have on one of those young bigs that will probably suck (McGee, Jordan, Randolph, Arthur, Speights, Koufos) so filling a need at 2-guard works, especially when it's a guy that can actually defend someone. Rush isn't going to be a franchise guy, but with Ford, Granger, Dunleavy, Rush, Murphy and No. 17 overall, Indiana can at least creep toward .500 this year. Plus, he probably doesn't own any guns!

12. Sacramento Kings- DJ Augustin
The Kings have to love that O'Neal trade, because now Augustin almost definitely is available here. John Salmons and Francisco Garcia are not point guard and Beno Udrih is Beno Udrih. With Kevin Martin and some other hoisters on this team, Augustin can focus on distributing, which is good, because I doubt he can even get a shot off in the NBA.

13. Portland Trailblazers- Darrell Arthur
Now that the Blazers have the No. 27 pick, it seems like this one is more likely to be dealt. They could just take Mario Chalmers here, but he is pretty Jarret Jack-ian. They could also take something called Alexis Ajinca and store him overseas because they have a solid rotation already, but I don't want them to do that. I want them to take Darrell Arthur, who can be their first or second big off the bench.

14. Golden State Warriors- Jason Thompson
Everyone seems to think Thompson is going here and while it's too high for him, I do like him and it would be a good fit. He is ready to contribute and actually has a semblance of a post-game, which is something Golden State needs desperately. Plus he can run decently with this squad, whoever is on the roster next year.

15. Phoenix Suns- Robin Lopez
I guess Phoenix is trying to trade up and are dangling Leandro Barbosa to do so, which means they are serious. If they don't and Brandon Rush isn't available, they should take Lopez who could be a 20-minute guy next year because of Shaq and Amare's defensive woes.

16. Philadelphia 76ers- Marrese Speights
The Sixers are going to go big and as a fan of their up-and-coming team I hope Arthur is the man. But in this scenario he's gone. They will then pick between DeAndre Jordan, Anthony Randolph, Kosta Koufos, Something Called Alexis Ajinca and Speights. Apparently they like Jordan and Ajinca but I like Speights, even though he could be the next Mike Sweetney or the next Elton Brand.

17. Indiana Pacers- DeAndre Jordan
This might be the perfect spot for Jordan, because he would be the only true post scorer for Indiana and could play decent minutes right away. They don't need Koufos or Randolph because they already have a few doughy-soft forwards.

18. Washington Wizards- Kosta Koufos
This is a tough one. Chalmers is a possibility here, as is JJ Hickson who apparently had a good workout there, but you've got to think they go big to possibly replace Antawn Jamison. Koufos doesn't give them the toughness they need down low but the Wizards haven't been tough (besides of course, Tough Juice) for years and everyone else left is pretty soft. I like Koufos a lot offensively and at the very least he could provide scoring off the bench.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers- Donte Greene
Anyone who watched the Celtics-Cavs series last year cringed at how many open shots the Lebronettes missed. Greene, from my beloved Orange, can't really do anything besides shoot right now. Which is fine. They have Lebron James to do all those other things.

20. Charlotte Bobcats- Roy Hibbert
In a sick, twisted way, this works out well for Charlotte. They get the guy they want even though they shouldn't want him. This is going to be a half-court team under Larry Brown so it's actually not a bad fit.

21. New Jersey Nets- Anthony Randolph
The Randolph Green Room Soap Opera ends here. I don't like Randolph and I'm starting to feel bad for him because after his workouts, not many people do either. But he can be a scorer in the league and a shot-blocker if they work with him. Maybe you try to sell Randolph and Sean Williams as the front line of the future. I don't know. The Nets suck.

22. Orlando Magic- Courtney Lee
This team really needs a real two-guard and really needs a real power forward. They also have a chance to compete in the East next year, so they can't just take a spin on the Big Man Wheel of Doom. Lee has had great workouts and the Magic apparently like him (scroll down a bit, Magic fans). Plus he can contribute right away. Well, if the indomitable force that is the Greatest Shooter of All-Time, JJ Redick doesn't eviscerate him in training camp.

23. Utah Jazz- Alexis Ajinca
The Jazz are devastated that the soul-crushing boredom of Roy Hibbert is off the board, so they take a big man with actual athleticism, Something Called Alexis Ajinca. The only reason this guy is being considered up top is apparently because he has long arms (7-foot-9 wingspan). They worked out Serge Ibaka as well, who might not have ever played basketball before. Both worked out this weekend with Utah. The Jazz are already really good so it's tough for them. Do they try to add another rotation player (McGee? CDR?) or do they plan for the future?

24. Seattle Sonics- JaVale McGee
I really don't like McGee. I'm not really sure why anyone would. But a big man must be picked here.

25. Houston Rockets- JJ Hickson
This would work pretty well for both Hickson and the Rockets. Houston is pretty good and have Luis Scola and Carl Landry ahead of Hickson so he can ease his way in. But the Rockets can't advance too far with Scola and Landry as their only power forwards. Hickson is a complete enigma. Lots of talent on a terrible team last year. With good post moves and some range on his jumper, he is exactly what Houston needs... if he's still in the league in three years.

26. San Antonio Spurs- Ryan Anderson
This one is apparently a done deal (go down to the Spurs pick). Another outstanding role player for the Spurs who seem to realize that fitting a need (the outside shooting that will be lost when Horry/Barry/Bowen retire/die) in the draft is a lot more helpful than going for the home run. But then again, what do they know?

27. Portland Trailblazers- Ante Tomic
I have no idea who this guy is but I guess the Blazers like him a lot. This pick, which was acquired from New Orleans for cash, could turn around and be packaged with the No. 13 to move up or get a vet though. Kevin Pritchard is a mad man. Mr. Chad thinks Nicolas Batum and CDR are possibilities too.

28. Memphis Grizzlies- Chris Douglas-Roberts
I think CDR should go much higher, but none of the draftniks agree. Something tells me he actually will go higher than this when all is said and done. The guy can be a great defender, great in transition and should at least be able to get to the foul line in the half-court. Should be a great role player that's drafted way too low.

29. Detroit Pistons- Nicolas Batum
Batum had some heart concerns cleared up, which means this is probably too low for him. He was lottery-projected before the season. Front what I have seen of the guy, he has extreme talent but is raw and still doesn't have complete confidence in his game, which in the NBA Draft is, you know, extremely rare. Detroit can let him develop and then join Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson and BabyEater Maxiell in the line-up of the future.

30. Boston Celtics- Mario Chalmers
I don't actually think Chalmers drops this low, especially because he could go as high as No. 12. But he could slip, because as you go further down the draft the teams get better. And, shockingly, better teams generally have good point guards. The Celtics don't have a back-up point guard and would cream their jeans if Chalmers lands here. If so, fuck Boston.

Unsubstantiated Speculation: NBA Draft Links June 25

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:27:00 +0000

Awww, how nice of those guys to let Ammo feel like he's actually in the NBA

NBA Draft Chat, Just Because

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:50:00 +0000

It's not quite this, but College Hoops Net head honcho Shawn Siegel and I had a totally mature IM convo on the draft last night. Why? Because our Hannah Montana chat room was experiencing technical difficulties? No, because the best thing about every draft in every sport is simply talking about it. How else do you think these networks get all those people to watch envelopes being read? By the way, caps locks were not allowed in the chat. We'll get enough of Stephen A. Smith tomorrow night.

Anyway, much hilarity and many tangents ensued. Here's the link.

NBA Draft Chat, CHN

Unsubstantiated Draft Links: Draft Links June 24

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:23:00 +0000

Nothing about the NBA Draft makes any sense. GMs intentionally lie about who they want to confuse the rest of the league, agents pull players out of workouts to manipulate their value and the Milwaukee Bucks continue to pretend they are trying to win. Mock drafts are always way off, the rumored trades never go down and the ones that do are always out of left field. There is no rhyme. There is no reason. And that is exactly why it is so great. Sports fans love to speculate, and the NBA Draft is 90 percent speculatastic. So in an exercise of almost certain futility, I bring you Unsubstantiated Speculation, a column containing all the relevant, completely false draft news links from around the Intertubes. Look for this once or twice a week leading up to the draft. Believe nothing.

And if you are a blog that covers the draft and feel you deserve to be on the Links, click the e-mail link on the right sidebar.

I haven't been able to post on here nearly as much but with the Draft fast approaching, I gotta get my act together. For today's links, I'll be going pick by pick in the lottery and linking whatever the Internets say each team will do that they inevitably will not do.

I'll be back later this week with another links thing (hopefully) and a final mock draft.

Oh and because it is so bizarre and awesome that it cannot be bound by one pick, here is a link to the utterly amazing Free Darko Draft Previews. Part 1, Part 2.
Continue...

1. Chicago Bulls
It's becoming more and more apparent that Chicago will take Rose, even though I don't think they should. Although those ready to put Miami on the clock already should be wary that Rose is openly politicking for his hometown team to pick him just a week before the draft. Not the sound of certainty. The one thing I don't like is this idea that Rose is a better pick because he acts serious and professional in interviews and Beasley does not. These kids are 19, neither of them are professional. Rose is shy, Beasley is not. Can Rose do his taxes better than Beasley or something? Is Rose more proficient in Excel? No. They are both really good at basketball but happen to have different personalities. Derrick Rose is going to be freaking great but give me Beasley this year. That is all. Now, the idea that Rose should be the pick because he is by far the best true point guard for a league that covets them more than ever -- that makes a bit more sense.

2. Miami Heat
This is probably where Beasley is going to go, whether it's to Miami or not, so let's talk about him. First, ESPN is cashing in on this whole, "The Next Arenas" thing by capitalizing on Beasley's personality even while its writers bash his draft prospects. They have him blogging. They have an "in-depth" feature on him, which tries to overtake that old Wash Post feature as the "link all Internet writers must provide when discussing Beasley's character issues." They have some ESPN Digital Video things (part 1, part 2) of him, which are pretty tame but awesome for a Philly native like me because he hangs out in the city all day. For the record, he does not stab anyone in the videos nor does he give anyone a wedgie. Rose did work out for Miami so if you're the type of person that likes to make blind leaps of faith (and as someone writing about the Draft, I am), that's another sign that Chicago hasn't made up its mind.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves
They hold the key to the rest of the Draft. Not only does their pick affect those after it but it apparently affects those in front of it. If Miami thinks they can get Mayo at No. 4 or No. 5, they may be inclined to trade the No. 2. The T'Wolves seem to be all over the board. Mayo should be the pick but they have brought in Eric Gordon and Jerryd Bayless recently. Brook Lopez and Danilo Gallinari were in there too. As Ian Thomsen at Sports Illustrated writes, this is one of the toughest drafts to predict in recent memory and a lot of it rests on Miami and Minnesota's uncertainty. Thomson says it's down to Mayo and Love for the Wolves. Mayo has been neglecting small markets (although given that he worked out in Minny, his tune may have changed), and Love is a white person. You do the math.

4. Seattle Supersonics
Another team that long seemed to be locked in on a player (Jerryd Bayless), but now could go any number of directions. It appears Brook Lopez and Russell Westbrook (who Chad Ford has the Sonics taking -- now who is the one with the crazy man crush on Russ?), are very real possibilities. Apparently my man Westbrook has shut down workouts and according to Ford, has a promise in the mid-lottery, possibly at No. 4.

5. Memphis Grizzlies
Many reports have the Grizz trading this pick along with Mike Miller (good) and Brian Cardinal (franchise crushing contract). It seems like the Grizzlies best bet is if Mayo falls to them so Miami or other teams that want him will come calling. Otherwise they will probably take Kevin Love. Some are reporting Eric "Chubby Bryce Drew" Gordon is high up there, but others are reporting he doesn't want to play there. Also, this made me laugh out loud, although I'm sure that wasn't the writer, or Chris Wallace's, intention.

6. New York Knicks
Another pick that seems to be way up in the air and also seems to affect all that comes after it. Danilo Gallinari worked out there recently and supposedly balled, which is good because he said he won't play anywhere besides the Knicks or the Nets. Obviously with Donnie Walsh at the helm, who is very much unlike Isiah Thomas, trades are distinct possibilities if the right vet is available.

7. Los Angeles Clippers
It's highly possible that none of the current Clippers besides Al Thornton and Chris Kaman will be on the team next year. It looks like they will be going small with the pick, which assumes they are for some reason optimistic that Thornton, Brand, Kaman will be their front line for more than another month or so. All that being said, if they get Livingston healthy, keep those guys and don't screw up this pick, they could win some games next year.
/places foot in mouth

8. Milwaukee Bucks
Another team that will likely look far different next season. With Scott Skiles now at the helm you can be certain that the pick will be boring. Joe Alexander seems about right. I'm not entirely sure why DJ Augustin isn't an option here, seeing as how Mo Williams stinks and is a shoot-first PG on a team with a glut of shot-hoisting forwards, but then again, it's the Bucks so I guess I should be surprised they won't be taking Sasha Kaun.

9. Charlotte Bobcats
If it was up to Larry Brown he would try to take Aaron McKie, but alas, there is no such option. I haven't read much about the Cats trading this pick like last year, which means they most certainly will. But if they do pick, it might be someone that hasn't worked out for them, because no one wants to. I suppose playing for Michael Jordan and Larry Brown has lost its luster. Besides you can wait one more spot and play for Jay-Z!

10. New Jersey Nets
Speaking of Hov, he is about to make a new friend. Who that friend could be is completely impossible to predict however. Logic says another big man for NJ, but then again logic has no place in the Meadowlands. Gallinari seems to be a lock if he is available because, you know, he doesn't want to play anywhere else, but a "rich man's Bostjan Nachbar" probably isn't too appealing to a future Brooklyn fanbase. They can barely understand the dude who sells Gyros on the corner.

11. Indiana Pacers
With the rumors surrounding a makes-too-much-sense deal involving TJ Ford and Jermaine O'Neal, DJ Augustin might not be the surefire pick here anymore. I guess Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy are long-term options so one of those wacky, athletic bigs will probably go here if Augustin does not.

12. Sacramento Kings
Not a lot of action on this pick. It seems like they will just keep it and probably take Augustin if he's available. Otherwise a Wheel O' Big Man will be spun and any of the Speights/McGee/Jordan mess will be chosen.

13. Portland Trailblazers
Some have them trading this thing for sure, others have them keeping it and taking something called Alexis Ajinca. One thing is for sure, the Blazers have options and probably don't need to get any younger.

14. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are the team that every prospect seems tailor-made for, which is funny because Don Nelson hates youth. Apparently Jason Thompson, a guy who has been underrated throughout this process, is in play. A 7-footer who can run and shoot? Doesn't sound like something thing that would interest Nellie at all. Initially an upside big man like Koufos, McGee or Randolph would seem to make sense, but don't they already have Brandan Wright and Patrick O'Bryant? (Yes, they do).

Unsubstantiated Speculation: NBA Draft Links June 2

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:13:00 +0000

"I just turned 19 years old in January," Beasley said. "How mature do you want me to be? I’m still a kid. I’m not 20 yet. I’m not legal. I can vote, but that’s about it. On the basketball side of things, I’m 30 years old. Off the court, I don’t know how old y’all want me to be. Do you want me to act 25? 30? 40?. I’m 19. I’m a kid. I’m going to live my life. I’m going to mess up. I don’t know as much as you do or him. I’m learning day by day. I hear a lot about character issues. But I’ve yet to hear what those character issues are. Until I hear somebody tell me, I don’t feel the need to change."

I still fail to see what he has done that is so horribly wrong. He went to many high schools and some coaches piggybacked his ability to better themselves. This happens to every single big-time basketball recruit. How is a teenager who knows he will be in the NBA in the near future supposed to just ignore all these people with power showing him how to get there? And how is Rose any different? Ugh. Hopefully the media treats him as the quirky, outspoken Gilbert Arenas-type rather than the Josh Howard-type who gets blasted whenever he's honest about something. He's probably somewhere in between (in both personality and ability). Oh and any Beasley item on the Internet must link to this article in the WashPost, as required by federal Intertubes laws.

- TrueHoop, which is also very outstanding, approached this fairly. Thank you Mr. Abbott.

- Linked in the TrueHoop item, this piece, which in true NBA Draft form, makes insane speculation that Beasley "is not Pat Riley's type of player." (the same guy writes the same thing in another piece here). Suddenly nothing can be written about this man without the words, "immature," "playful," "candid" and the like being bandied around. I think Chad Ford started all this. Seriously people, let's come up with something new....

- ... Not quite, but getting warmer...

- ... OK, this will have to do.

Things of Different Persuasion
- I was none too pleased to see Donte Greene hire an agent. The only logical explanation for this was that he got one of the 16 "physical only" invites to Orlando, which means he thinks he's like, a top 16 player. This is bad news for my Orange and could be worse news for Donte Greene. NBA GMs love tall shooters but the guy didn't show an ability to do much else in college. And I loved Donte Greene. But who can he guard? Who can he beat off the dribble? Who can he box out? Perhaps the more important question is: Who can he fool into taking him in the top 15?

- Every year Andy Katz is good for a few of those, "How is this college coach handling his players testing the draft waters?" features. This one is on Richard Hendrix and Ronald Steele at Alabama. (I wouldn't be losing sleep Coach Gottfried, Steele is already coming back.)

- I really love the Ball Don't Lie blog over at Yahoo!, even if they are a bit light on draft stuff. The incomparable Kelly Dwyer does well with this rant on mock drafts. Couldn't have put it better myself. (This may prompt another mock draft before draft day where I oblige Mr. Dwyer with his dream mock draft. Or something.)

- Gary Parrish, a true college basketball Internet writer, continues to churn out columns in this offseason. This one is a nice look at how batshit insane some North Carolina fans are. Oh and leave it up to Parrish to actually look at the Mayo thing will a tinge of rationality.

- Fran Frischilla speaks, a New York Post writer listens.

- Lang Whitaker over at Slam Online with an entertaining second-person perspective thingy on being John Paxson (not a working screenplay by Charlie Kauffman). I'm not so sure about the Doug Collins hiring but I still think it's better than Avery Johnson. He's just as likely to want Rose as Avery, but at least he won't try to turn him into Anthony Carter.

- Looks like Jamont Gordon is leaning toward staying in the draft, which I pleased about. He should be a late first-rounder as an impact reserve for a playoff contender.

- Way to strike when the iron is hot, Mike DeCourcy. Will your next column be about how great it is that the draft is two rounds now?

Unsubstantiated Speculation: NBA Draft Links May 26

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:05:00 +0000

Nothing about the NBA Draft makes any sense. GMs intentionally lie about who they want to confuse the rest of the league, agents pull players out of workouts to manipulate their value and the Milwaukee Bucks continue to pretend they are trying to win. Mock drafts are always way off, the rumored trades never go down and the ones that do are always out of left field. There is no rhyme. There is no reason. And that is exactly why it is so great. Sports fans love to speculate, and the NBA Draft is 90 percent speculatastic. So in an exercise of almost certain futility, I bring you Unsubstantiated Speculation, a column containing all the relevant, completely false draft news links from around the Intertubes. Look for this once or twice a week leading up to the draft. Believe nothing.

And if you are a blog that covers the draft and feel you deserve to be on the Links, click the e-mail link on the right sidebar.

Continue...

Beasley/Rose
- Chad Ford looks at the Rose/Beasley pick, which is somewhat uninforming. I think Ford is great but I have a BIG problem with him continuously questioning Beasley's character and depicting Rose as squeaky clean. He has never backed up his questioning of Beasley besides that "he ran into trouble from time to time with practical jokes, pranks and general troublemaking," which is wildly vague and mildly defamatory. Both Rose and Beasley had very shady recruitments (Beasley with the Huggins thing, Rose with the Worldwide Wes thing) but neither had academic or legal troubles in college or high school. So based on, you know, actually important factors, it still remains a difficult decision. I think as a player Beasley should be the pick, but maybe there is a vagrant he killed that only Chad Ford knows about.

- For what it's worth, Bulls GM John Paxson has said it will be Rose or Beasley. Obviously not a surprise.

-This guy, who might be an idiot, thinks Rose.

- This was a pretty interesting piece from the Chicago Tribune where the reporter, KC Johnson, spoke with Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard and Magic GM Otis Smith about selecting first. There's a very good chance Smith only still has his job because he picked Dwight Howard over Emeka Okafor (the guy did pay Rashard Lewis 8 gillion dollars) and Pritchard still gets an "incomplete" on his. Obviously Paxson cannot blow this (and it's going to be very difficult to blow it). By the way, this KC Johnson fella appears to be the go-to reporter for the draft this year, much like John Canzano of The Oregonian was last year. In this notes column, he has the scoop on Avery Johnson possibly being the next Bulls' coach. Let me go on record and say that would be a disaster for both Chicago and Derrick Rose, who I bet Avery would pick. Avery is exactly like Scott Skiles, except more Katt Williams-ish.

- NBADraft.net's Aran Smith has Rose No. 1 in this mock draft but that's not the real news. No, the real news is that -- and I'm not sure how this is relevant to anything ever -- that Michael Jordan's son Marcus and Rose are dating Chicago-area twins. I do not want to know how Smith obtained this info, but man that guy is good at his job.

- Everyone in Chicago has an opinion on this, including this Sun Times blogger, who is promptly assaulted in the comments section.

ESPN Coverage
- Let's knock out all the ESPN.com items now because ESPN has already done a great job covering the draft this year (yes, I said it).

Within the same Chad Ford Beasley/Rose thing from before, he suspects DeAndre Jordan has received a top five promise because his agent has declined some workouts or something. This is exactly the type of blind speculation I live for. And drafting DeAndre Jordan in the top five is exactly the type of thing that gets a GM fired. Which is coincidentally exactly the type of thing Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace thrives at.

- Here are a bunch of draft-related videos they have up there. Important things within: Kevin Love is no longer fat and has been hitting NBA threes and should be moving up draft boards; Bill Walker will stay in the draft is he thinks he is a first-rounder; Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni played with Danilo Gallinari's dad, meanwhile, Isiah Thomas likes spaghetti; OJ Mayo will never say anything interesting again; Marrese Speights and Joe Alexander look much better in workouts than in college.

- Ford takes a look at Walker, Brandon Rush, CDR and Jeremy Pargo at the A.T.T.A.C.K. gym in Chicago. He also loves Joe Alexander, which concerns me. Alexander seems exactly like the type of guy that looks way too good in individual workouts. And he thinks Chase Budinger is a lottery pick, which concerns me for many of the same reasons. (by the way, Chad Ford has roughly 36 players in his lottery.)

- JaVale McGee is the son of a WNBA player, which could not be more perfect. NEVER draft a skinny big man who was birthed from a WNBA player. I believe Red Auerbach first formed that rule.

- Gene Wojciechowski continues to write about controversial topics and a nation continues to be indifferent.

- Good to see Dana O'Neill is still writing even with the college hoops season over. She turns in another good piece on one-and-doners for next year.

Other Things Besides The Already-Redundant No. 1 Pick Debate
- Here is the first list of guys who will be at the Orlando Pre-Draft camp next week... but only to be interviewed.

- Memphis' Antonio Anderson has decided to go back to school, before participating in the draft process at all. I'm pretty convinced Anderson just declared for the draft to get out of Coach Cal's spring practice, headed to Cancun and then withdrew when he got back. Genius.

- Jerel McNeal is going back to Marquette, which is smart, but disappointing. I think McNeal can be a pro with his defense and athleticism. So what if he is a bit undersized and can't shoot, you only need to do one thing well to find a spot as a role player in the NBA (see: Varejao, Anderson).

- Josh Carter going back to Texas A&M, Alonzo Gee back to Alabama. That didn't take long.

- It appears Marrese Speights will stick in the draft, which is good news for teams in the 10-20 range who need a really good power forward. Apparently Speights has slimmed down and is routinely knocking down 18-foot jumpers. I think I'd rather have him than Joakim Noah at this point. Although Noah does bring other qualities to the table.

- Here's a good feature on Ryan Anderson, who I feel is being underrated by all the draft pundits. The guy is 6-10 and can score like crazy. And while he cannot guard anybody, neither can many NBA forwards. Again, the way role players work in the NBA (and all but about 6 or 7 players in this draft will basically be role players) is you fill a certain need for a team. Look athe Lakers, Jordan Farmar plays defense and hits open shots, VladRad shoots, Turiaf rebounds and acts like a crazy person, Vujacic shoots, defends and annoys people, Luke Walton passes and shoots. All of those guys were late picks that are incredibly effective in their specific role. And since there aren't going to be all-around studs around in the 20s, you might as well take a guy who can score off the bench and spot up on the perimeter like Anderson, defense be damned. He's only gonna play 20 minutes a game, tops, anyway... OR, just take Bill Walker or something.

- Speaking of Anderson, the blogger at BMac's Blog (presumably BMac himself) agrees with me, writing that Anderson's biggest draft flaw is not being European.

- Great interview from the great DraftExpress with CDR, who doesn't appear to be entertaining any idea of going back to school. (by the way, for everything you need on the draft, just go to DraftExpress, they are outstanding... but, uh, still read this site! hehe). With his handling, size and defensive ability, the first up-tempo team outside the top 10 should really consider taking CDR. Golden State at No. 14 would be crazy to pass on him.

- This Portland Tribune writer thinks the Blazers should trade the No. 13 pick (and so do I). With Oden coming in and Spaniard Rudy Fernandez coming over, Portland already has a full rotation of promising young guys. If they can turn the pick and one of the young guys for a solid point guard (Andre Miller, TJ Ford/Jose Calderon, Andre Miller), they should be a legit playoff team next year. Although, this guy thinks with a good number of lottery teams looking to trade (he cites "reports" on this, but that's a bit vague), the Blazers might get more talent by just keeping the pick. They need a shooter and unless Eric Gordon falls to No.13, there are really any shooters worth taking there.

- Some guy in Minnesota wants the T'Wolves to trade the pick because they suck at drafting players. Little does this man know, the Wolves are also very bad at trading for players. He claims there are no stars at No. 3, to which I ask: Why would a team trade you a star for a pick that cannot be used on one? Ugh, just take Mayo or Lopez.

- Here's a decent scouting report on Kosta Koufos except the writer says Koufos is soft because he is polite to people and that Daequan Cook is a prime example of self-assurance. I realize Cook was decent for Miami last year, but that comparison is completely insane. He also questions Koufos perimeter game, which we all know is nuts. I actually think Koufos' best skill is his ballhandling for a 7-footer, which he didn't get to show in college. I'd take him top 20. There's also a possibility he will play for Greece in the Olympics.

- And finally, George Hill, Pride of Ooey Pooey, is going to Disney World.

Mock Drafts For Fun Part 1 of 2

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Alright let's take a shot at the first ever 2008 Mock Draft, maybe in the entire world (UPDATE: Nope, Chad Ford is WAY ahead of us all, as usual). I'm not big on doing these, you know, because they are meaningless, but they are fun so whatever. This will be the last until the day of the draft, I would imagine.

1. Chicago Bulls- Michael Beasley
The Rose/Chicago thing is fine and dandy but they need a frontcourt scorer in the worst way. Chicago will certainly shake things up this offseason (Luol Deng might be gone) but right now it has a ton of different line-up options for whoever the hell its new coach will be. This puts them back into serious contention within two or three years. Rats.

2. Miami Heat- Derrick Rose
It gives them one of the best backcourts in the league, a terrifying transition team and even more players that are pretty tough to keep out of the paint and off the line. They too will be back in contention soon if they can turn Shawn Marion into a decent big man (Elton Brand?). Pat Riley will be coaching again by mid-November.

3. Minnesota T'Wolves- OJ Mayo
They need a perimeter scorer badly to go with Al Jefferson and Mayo fits pretty well, even if he is a sure bet to befriend some party-boating Vikings. This would give them Foye, Mayo, Brewer, McCants as a solid backcourt core for awhile and only their coach, management, fans, market and history in the way of contending again. Good times.

4. Seattle Sonics- Brook Lopez
Beasley or Rose would have been perfect but I guess they have to go Lopez here. I'd try and trade down to be honest. They need some kind of a big man that isn't Robert Swift, Johan Petro or Mohammed Sene, all past lottery picks that are simply lucky for the Sonics to be a franchise. Lopez is basically all of those guys, except good and stuff.

5. Memphis Grizzlies- Darrell Arthur
Someone does not want Memphis to keep their franchise. Their poor lottery luck continues to kill the franchise. Arthur might be a bit surprising, but it's 15 minutes after the lottery ended, give me a break. I really like Arthur and think he could fly up draft boards once teams see him out of that balanced Kansas attack where he didn't play as much as the other prospective lottery guys. Plus Memphis is pretty set at the 1-3 and would get a perfect, athletic PF to accommodate an up tempo system.

6. New York Knicks- Jerryd Bayless
This would give them four scoring guards in a point guard's body but Bayless is the best player available and there is no guarantee that anyone on that roster besidese David Lee will still be there come late October. He's got a lot of polish and strength for a 19-year-old guard, plus he can run, shoot and penetrate in D'Antoni's system. Eric Gordon might be an option as well, for many of the same reasons.

7. Los Angeles Clippers- Russell Westbrook
Again, Gordon is an option and again, who knows who will be on this team next year. I have a minor man-crush on Westbrook (scroll down) so he gets the edge here. Plus he's a UCLA guy. As a combo guard, Westbrook would work well if Shaun Livingston can locate his knee and can provide some scoring in the half court for an awful offensive team because of his penetration ability and strength.

8. Milwaukee Bucks- Eric Gordon
I really don't care what Milwaukee does. Honestly. They are a soulless basketball team. But Gordon is the best player available and would be a semi-steal at No. 8. The Bucks have a new GM, who will certainly be getting rid of a good deal of their young, frighteningly mediocre players, so Gordon is a good backcourt guy to build around. They could also take one of the Anthony Randolph/DeAndre Jordan/JaVale McGee overrated big man trio, fitting with past draft strategies.

9. Charlotte Bobcats- Anthony Randolph
Let me make one thing clear. I don't believe in Anthony Randolph. But he would work pretty well here I guess. With Big Fat Sean May coming back and Okafor still plodding along, Randolph would be a nice inside-outside, fleet-footed option. Larry Brown being the coach kind of clouds things because he hates youth and anyone associated with "potential." In that case Kevin Love, who is basically a better version of May, would be a serious option.

10. New Jersey Nets- DeAndre Jordan
Let me make one thing clear. I don't believe in DeAndre Jordan. BUT, this is the 38th consecutive year the Nets will be looking to draft a big man, specifically one that can average more than 2 points per game. Jordan is a project, but could provide at least 3 points per game. Plus they have Nenad Krstic and Sean Williams for the future as well, so Jordan can ease his way in. He was pretty disappointing at Texas A&M, but, like, you can't teach size or something.

11. Indiana Pacers- DJ Augustin
I'm not as big on DJ as other folk but Indiana needs a point guard who is not fat and a center who is not Jeff Foster. No centers worth taking are there so Augustin it is. Somehow Mike Dunleavy and Danny Granger are pretty decent scoring options so Augustin would be more of a distributor than he was at Texas. This would be a good fit for Indiana and a tough break for Augustin.

12. Sacramento Kings- Kevin Love
If you look at him in the Chris Webber/Vlade Divac role, the few Kings fans left should be thrilled with this. The problem is he is very similar to Brad Miller and Spencer Hawes, who aren't too encouraging. But put Love on the high post with Kevin Martin and Ron Artest slashing and posting and this could be a pretty solid halfcourt offense. But then you get rid of Brad Miller immediately.

13. Portland Trailblazers- Danilo Gallinari
I don't know enough about the Euros yet, so that's why this character is down here. The Blazers are pretty set at all spots and have another Euro, the outstanding Spaniard Rudy Fernandez coming in. So I fully expect them to look to move this pick for a point guard, none of which would be available right here. This guy would be a nice scoring option off the bench for a team low on outside shooters. A low post banger like Marrese Speights would work for them too.

14. Golden State Warriors- Chris Douglas-Roberts
Who knows what the Warriors will look like next year with Baron Davis' uncertainty and probable realization that you can't win while completely ignoring defense. CDR would finally give them a perimeter defender so the perimeter scorers in the West don't continue their 40 points per game average against them. Plus he can run and handle, which we all know Nellie loves. Kosta Koufos would be interesting here because he's basically a young, cheap Al Harrington.

15. Phoenix Suns- Brandon Rush
16. Philadelphia 76ers- Marrese Speights
17. Toronto Raptors- Robin Lopez
18. Washington Wizards- Kosta Koufos
19. Cleveland Cavaliers- Donte Greene
20. Denver Nuggets- Joe Alexander
21. New Jersey Nets- Nicolas Batum
22. Orlando Magic- JaVale McGee
23. Utah Jazz- Serge Ibaka
24. Seattle Sonics- Davon Jefferson
25. Houston Rockets- JJ Hickson
26. San Antonio Spurs- Ty Lawson
27. New Orleans Hornets- Ryan Anderson
28. Memphis Grizzlies- Nathan Jawai
29. Detroit Pistons- Chase Budinger
30. Boston Celtics- Jamont Gordon

Better Than Drying Paint: Your NBA Lottery Gamelog That's Not a Game

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:42:00 +0000

I am excited tonight and it has nothing to do with the morass of slop that will be Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. No, it's Draft Lottery night, which means the Unsubstantiated Speculation that is the NBA Draft can officially begin. The Intertubes will be flooded with mock drafts by dawn and you'll get one here too, just for the hell of it. Sean Carter and Larry Bird are in the same building, which only means complete nonsense will ensue, let's go.

7:45- OK some prelim stuff. Here are the odds for each team.

Of the top seven teams in terms of odds for No. 1, only the Heat and possibly the Clippers have any chance in hell of making the playoffs next year. And to me, the only team of those that should take Derrick Rose No. 1 is Seattle. I know that Bilas and Legler and Stephen A. or whoever ESPN trots out there that knows nothing about the draft will not agree with me. This will not bother me because none of those people are qualified to talk about the NBA Draft. Bilas is a college guy, Legler is an NBA guy and Stephen A. is a loud guy. Meanwhile Chad Ford and Bill Simmons and John Hollinger, who know about the NBA and scouting, are nowhere to be found.
/rant over

Here is a great link from the wonderful TrueHoop with a look from some newspapers around the Lottery.

8:00- Many NBA-related folk are standing around pretending to mingle. Many business cards are surely exchanged. Doris Burke in her "The Scarlet Letter" outfit is "backstage" at the Lottery, which is very similar to being "backstage" at the post office. Many numbers are on the board in order to tell us which NBA teams suck the most.

8:02- Teams have actual Lottery parties to keep its fans from realizing their souls are black. I'm assuming most of the Memphis "fans" are being paid like they pay seniors to fill out Carlos Mencia's comedy specials.

8:04- Bilas makes his first reference to wingspan in regards to JaVale McGee, whom I despise. Jay Bilas has Kenny George in his top ten next year.

8:05- Oh man, Doris Burke and Jay-Z... it burns. 100-1 odds she ends up in one of Hov's next videos .
/shudders.

8:06- Mitch Richmond is there and he could be representing any of about eight teams in the Lottery.

8:09- Kings fan Margie -- who is, after all, from Sacramento -- is terrified to be surrounded by Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant and Rudy Gay.

8:11- OK all the white folks, NBA players, Fred Hoiberg and Jay-Z have sat down, let's get going.

8:13- Richmond reps the Warriors and I win the office pool.

8:16- Is every one of them going to be able to actually comment on their excitement of envelopes opening?

8:17- I still can't reconcile Mike D'Antoni representing the atrocity that is the Knicks.

8:18- Dwyane Wade, fresh off of Star Jones.
/shudders.

8:19- OK so far it's all chalk, no shocker there. Indiana at 11. NJ at 10.

8: 20- Charlotte at 9, which means the Bulls are in the top 3, which means the Sixers are out of the playoffs next year. Shit.

8:21- Knicks get No. 6. HA. Welcome to the Danilo Gallinari era.

8:22- Grizzlies are an awful franchise.

8:23- Damn, Seattle got screwed. I will no longer purchase the team. We got a commercial and the T'Wolves, Heat and Bulls are in the top three. All three should be kinda dangerous next year with Rose or Beasley.

Side note. I'm not shocked but that was insanely boring. They need to spruce this up with any combination of Erin Andrews and/or a "Deal or No Deal" format.

8:24- Go Fred Hoiberg, in The Mayor we trust. T'Wolves at No. 3. I hate the Bulls already.

8:25- Poop.

8:26- Well that is certainly a shocker and certainly a pretty big blow to anyone in the East besides Boston and Detroit. Chicago is relevant again and I would imagine quite a few folks would be interested in that Bulls coaching position. Mock Draft coming soon...

Release From Hibernation: NBA Draft Early Entrants Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Continuing the slow return of content on this here blog, some more fun NBA Draft stuff coming your way today. Last week I looked at the guys who declared early for the draft and hired an agent. Today we will look at some folks that are “testing the waters,” as the kids say. Now, there are a million of these folks, so some might get left out and many of these looks will be brief.

Before we get into each player, a disclaimer: With the new rule that NBA teams pay for expenses for a player’s individual workout, there should be some obvious decisions to be made. First, NO ONE should finish college without declaring for the draft. I might be missing something here, but if there is no money to lose, then there is absolutely nothing to lose by declaring and not hiring an agent. The school year is over by draft time, most college coaches are gonna want you in the weight room or on the track in the morning around this time of year, all the chicks are off campus, you get exposure, a chance to play directly in front of NBA execs and you get an idea of where you might fall in the Draft. Plus, if you play decent enough you could get more scouts at your games if you go back to college.

Guys like George Hill at IUPUI, Courtney Pigram at East Tennessee State and Walter Sharpe at UAB are a few players who have realized this. Maybe they have a career game in a pre-draft camp, maybe they fit a specific team’s need, maybe some scout’s latte is spiked with angel dust and he hallucinates that you scored 55 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and swallowed a unicorn whole. WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN ~~TYLER~~?

So yeah, keep that in mind as we look at some of these folks.

Darrell Arthur- This is an interesting case because he’s probably already a lottery pick, and yet there is still work to be done. Signs of a mid-range jumper emerged late in the season, which is exactly what scouts were worried about, so the only thing left is probably some strength and overall polish. I think Arthur is a stud, quite frankly and I’m not sure how much better he can get next year at Kansas. He’s very quick and very fast for a power forward and has all the tools to be a go-to scorer once some post moves emerge. Sacramento and New Jersey should fight to the death for this man.

Mario Chalmers- Everyone in the NBA should want Chalmers as their back-up point. He’s probably not going to go as high as he wants, but he has no reason to go back.

Donte Greene- As a Syracuse fan, I obviously want him to come back. The Orange would be filthy next year if he did. And with a final month of the season that basically saw him shoot 25-footers from 30 minutes a game, you wouldn't think he'd be a lottery pick, which is probably what he wants. But the problem is, for me at least, that Greene is a 6-10 athlete with unlimited range and probably one of the top five offensive players in the draft if he stays in. He needs a lot of work, specifically on defense and rebounding, to play either forward spot in the pros, but I fear he's going to hear what he wants once GMs see him in workouts. (sigh).

Chase Budinger- It’s quite possible that Chase has peaked at the ripe old age of 20. The talent is there but if he goes back is he suddenly going to become a good defender or someone that actually cares about basketball 100 percent of the time? No, especially not on a team with a weird coaching situation and yet another incoming guard to steal shots and the spotlight. Budinger isn’t a lottery pick this year, but I don’t think he is next year either. He’s probably a 20-24 guy that will go higher because he’ll be a workout wonder. So I guess he should stay in.

Joe Alexander- I’m not sure what Alexander’s role is in the NBA. It appears his best quality is his scoring and he’s not going to be a go-to scorer in the NBA because there won’t be the mismatches he so frequently saw in college. So why do you draft him? Unless he improves his range out to the NBA three line, you don’t. He’s not an NBA starter right now and should probably go back to school, but I could still justify a playoff team taking him around No. 20 as a potential rotation guy. He and Budinger will have many workouts together, which will most certainly be followed by a friendly milkshake at the diner and some Scrabble.

JJ Hickson- Get the hell out of there JJ, while you still can. I was surprised he didn’t hire an agent right away. I’m assuming due to the atrociousness of the Wolf Pack last year, not enough NBA scouts know about him yet, which is why he might be skeptical of his position. But once he starts working out, he will rise on the draft boards. He needs to work on conditioning and his defense, but the potential to be a great scorer in the NBA is there. He’s a 15-20 guy right now and would be interesting on Philly or Washington.

Ryan Anderson- He’s like Alexander, except taller and better in my opinion. Most people don’t have this opinion. Chad Ford thinks he’s a bubble first-rounder and NBADraft.net doesn’t even think he’ll stay in the Draft, while Alexander is in most top 20s. Anderson is a guy that needs the right fit, an up tempo team with multiple forward options and a good point guard. Some people will say he’s a “tweener” but I don’t there really are tweener forwards anymore. He’s a small-ball power forward and with basically every team in the NBA making frequent use of a small line-up, Anderson could be a legit 15-point scorer pretty soon on a team that likes the pick and pop or has a go-to post scorer that attracts double teams. Teams in the 17-24 range that make sense are Toronto, Cleveland, Denver and (obviously) Utah.

Russell Westbrook- You’re gone Russ. Seriously don’t go back there; we need you in the NBA. I would take Westbrook over every guard in the Draft besides Rose and Mayo. He’s got perfect size, quickness and explosiveness for a combo guard in a league that has seen combo guards thrive under the new rules. He is already a great defender and if he can develop any type of consistent jumper, he will be an assassin. Some will say he needs to be more of a point guard but that would take away a lot of his value because he wouldn’t be going to the basket as much. I hate comparing players but he reminds me very much of Monta Ellis, who will be a top 25 NBA player soon. When all is said and done I expect Westbrook to be a Top 7 guy and end up as possibly one of the top three from this class looking back. So yeah, he should stay in the draft.

Jamont Gordon- Consider me a staunch Jamont Gordon supporter. The big point guard fits much better in the NBA than college because teams can't pack it in on you if you're not a great shooter, which Gordon is not, and guards can actually utilize a post game, which Gordon possesses. He’s going to have to cover shooting guards in the NBA though and is useless as a spot-up shooter off kick-outs, but I don’t see how a guy with his size, ball-handling and strength can’t be a major asset in the NBA. In terms of draft position, which you know, affects his well-being, he should go back, but for me, he is a perfect early-second round steal.

DeAndre Jordan- No one player’s value will be more disputed by me than Jordan. Obviously based on athleticism and size, he is a perfect NBA center. People will see Andrew Bynum and flip out and want to take him Top 10, which will keep him in the draft. But seriously, the guy was terrible last year. He couldn’t stay on the court, took bad shots and nearly all of his success was due to just being bigger and more athletic than everyone. In the right, patient organization he could be great but, man, how can you take someone this unproven in the age-minimum era? Either way, Dick Vitale’s head will explode over Jordan’s draft slot.

Antonio Anderson- Antonio knows exactly what I was talking about in the intro.

Robert Dozier- In cahoots with Antonio Anderson.

Marreese Speights- He could go back to Florida and be a Top 10 guy in 2009, but right now, he’s still pretty freaking good. He’s already got the prototypical NBA power forward body and will be able to hold his own athletically. Speights won’t be a post scorer in the League for another few years though, so whichever team between 12 and 17 takes him will need a viable starting option already.

AJ Abrams- He doesn’t really have any chance of making the first round unless teams are just foaming at the mouth to give a guaranteed contract to a guy whose ceiling is “Eddie House.” Come back and learn to play some point AJ, then we can talk.

Wayne Ellington- I can’t decide if Ellington is a sucky prospect or if he’s just equivalent to Rashad McCants (sadly, not this Rashad McCants). He’s a first-round bubble guy because he pales in comparison to guys like Brandon Rush and Chris Douglas-Roberts. His problem is he doesn’t do one thing exceptionally well and he is undersized. Again, returning to school isn’t going to help his stock that much, but it will be a weaker draft class next year and UNC would probably win the title. Oh, and something like this will still be in the realm of possibility for his life.

Danny Green- He’s actually a better pro prospect than his teammate Ellington because he has better size, long arms and more athleticism. Green sacrificed his numbers because he fit that sixth man role on UNC so well and I think he could eventually fill that role in the NBA. Plus there is the potential for him to be a defensive stopper on an opponent’s best wing player. For some reason I still feel like him, Ellington and Lawson already know they are going back and are just testing the waters in case some team makes a crazy promise. With Isiah Thomas and Billy Knight not in this draft, they shouldn’t hold their breath.

Ty Lawson- Unfortunately the lasting image of Lawson was him clearly not at full strength. He is really fast and a good playmaker, but there were some serious flaws evident this year. He can’t shoot, he has no mid-range game and he seemed to play smaller this year than his freshman year, if that makes any sense. He’s not an NBA starter, plain and simple. That being said, he is probably a late first-rounder, so that might be enough. I’d stay in school, try to get that swag back, win a title, ride some Psycho T coattail and be a Top 5 point in 2009’s class.

Alonzo Gee- Maybe next year.

Lee Cummard- Google search nightmare.

Kosta Koufos- I went all crazy over Koufos in the beginning of the year, as did many NBA scouts I’m sure. Then he basically hit the wall and realized they don’t take kindly to his kind in the college ranks. I still don’t see how a 7-1 power forward who can shoot and handle the ball will fail in the NBA, but I’m not sure he’s a lottery pick right now. Although once NBA scouts see a 7-1 kid nail threes over chairs in workouts, who knows. If he stays another year, he’s probably a lock for the Top 10.

Bill Walker- He can go back to KSU and be “the guy” for a year, which would make him a possible lottery pick in 2009 unless he is murdered by Frank Martin, Crazy Person. It’s impossible to know how the Beasley Effect changed his game. It could have either made him look much better because of the lack of attention or make him look much worse because touches were limited and he had to force everything just to get his numbers. I’d take him in the 20 to 25 range if I was a playoff team that could take a gamble. Oh, and this doesn't fly in the NBA.

Richard Hendrix- Reminds me of the Cedric Simmons, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone type as a guy who will be drafted too high by a team loaded with guards just because he is best big man available by default. In that case, he should stay! The NBA: Where multi-million dollar contracts given out by default Happens.

Lester Hudson- I love Lester and would love to waste a second-round pick on him.

Shawn James- Coming to a Turkish League near you.

Josh Carter- He’ll be back, although he probably won’t be happy about it, as the best player on a dismal-looking Aggie team next year. He can shoot and uh… shoot.

DeMarre Carroll- No idea.

Leo Lyons- Whatever you say, Leo.

Jerel McNeal- He is the type of guy that will always be undervalued because of his limitations (ball-handling, shooting) despite the potential to be a great role player in the NBA as a lock-down, Bruce Bowen-type defender. There’s no real reason for him to not come back for another year of college, but I’d put him on my NBA bench today.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute- Should probably go back to school but in doing so, would immediately risk breaking every bone in his body.

Jeremy Pargo- Prototypical undersized scoring guard. That used to mean you go undrafted, but in today’s NBA, you’re a valuable bench player. He’s actually very much like his brother Jannero, who is great for the Hornets, except stronger with a bit less range. He’s not going to gain anything from another year of college except maybe some more TV games, but he’s probably a 30-40 range guy that sneaks on a roster.

Trent Plaisted- Chad Ford says he could be a mid-to-late first rounder, which is insane. He’s got good post moves but is way too mechanical to be a consistent scorer and won’t be able to guard 80 percent of the 4s and 5s in the NBA. Some terrible franchise that is mesmerized by 7-footers (uh oh, Memphis has the Lakers pick) will take him if he stays.

Josh Shipp- Probably should have done this after last season. Might want to stay in the draft to avoid the embarrassment of losing his starting job with the Bruins next year.

Ronald Steele- Obviously he needs to go back but if I’m Steele (and particularly Steele’s knee), I am scared shitless of Alabama right now. I just hope people don’t forget how incredibly sick he was as a freshman.

Robert Vaden- Under-sized shooting guards who can only shoot make for great tenth and eleventh guys on NBA rosters. Live the dream Robert.

Last time I gave my 2008 lottery picks in no particular order, this time I am giving the guys on this list that would be lotto picks, barring a disaster, next year if they were to go back. And then also the guys who have already announced they are going back to school who will be lotto picks in 2009. And yes, this is pointless.

Darrell Arthur
Russell Westrbrook
Kosta Koufos
Ryan Anderson
DeAndre Jordan
JJ Hickson
Blake Griffin (going back)
Austin Daye (going back)
Hasheem Thabeet (going back)
Tyler Hansbrough (going back)
Patrick Patterson (going back)

Release From Hibernation: NBA Draft Early Entrants Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:05:00 +0000

Draft time is Hubie time

OK, I haven't been able to post on here lately due to things less interesting than basketball occupying time. So it goes. But on Thursday they announced the final list of early entry candidates for the Draft. For your own sake, here is a summary: EVERYONE declared for the draft. Seriously. There are 69 early entrants to the draft, just from college. Some are no-brainers, others have no brains. Here are those that are important and what their prospects are, in addition to a couple notable returnees. For analysis on Lee Cummard's draft chances, look elsewhere and be sure to put SafeSearch "on" before you Google.

Today we look at those who are in the draft, with an agent. Those that are testing the waters will come at a later date. Those who are coming back will be covered as well, with the possibility of a few thousand words on how dumb Tyler Hansbrough is.

Oh and hopefully I can get some more draft stuff up, because it is my favorite thing of the year.

IN (with agent):
Michael Beasley- I hope Beasley didn't kill a vagrant or impregnate a thirteen-year-old or something, because that is the only way he is not No. 1 in my book. Derrick Rose is a ridiculous freak of a basketball player, but Beasley is probably the most ready NBA ready player of the past three years. He can play 35 minutes at either forward for you right now. His ceiling is lower than Rose, but not by much.

Derrick Rose- Looking at the potential teams for the top pick, only Seattle should consider taking Rose. That being said, I have never seen a combination of size, speed and athleticism in a point guard that Rose has. He will never be a great scorer (like "Top 15 in the league" great) but he has the capability of being great at everything else, especially as a defender. If he did go to those Sonics, I would consider purchasing them.

Jerryd Bayless- The weirdness surrounding that program, plus the coming of Brandon Jennings and his hair made this pretty easy for Bayless. As great as he was in college, I don't know if he's a sure thing for the pros. One thing he does have going for him is all those intangibles that might be meaningless but that GMs love. He plays hard, hurt and has a mean streak in him, which is probably worth a slot or two in the draft order. He is going to be judged against Mayo and Gordon, which should make for some mind-bottingly awesome workouts.

Eric Gordon- Everyone who thinks he should slide is a bit insane. Of the guards near the top of the draft his game is the one that is least suited for college in relation to the NBA. There's no reason for someone like Eric Gordon to not take a buttload of threes in college when his range is roughly 72 feet. I don't think he's an All Star, but, like, isn't he better than someone like Randy Foye, who was drafted pretty high and is a decent pro?

OJ Mayo- No player in this year's draft will be more divisive. Mayo can step into the league and be a very good defender right away and on a team like Minnesota, with a good post player, could be a good scorer right away because teams won't be able to focus on him. He is not a headcase. At all. So don't worry about all that crap about character that ESPN's retarded analysts will freak out about. Like I said, he will be compared to Gordon and Bayless and I think I'd take him over both at this point.

Derrick Caracter- Fat.

Kevin Love- Fat. .... Oh sorry. Love will also be a divisive dude because most fans will expect a player of his profile to be a star but he will not be in the NBA. What he will be is a pretty good secondary player. Think Joakim Noah except someone you don't necessarily want to stab. This is another guy that needs a good fit. It needs to be a team with a somewhat capable scorer on the block so they can go high-low and take advantage of his passing/shooting. And a team with a good point guard because Love is probably the best pick-and-pop player in any of the past couple drafts (note: no one in the lottery fits that description, but I still think he should be a lottery pick). He will not be a low-post scorer or a good defender though. He needs to get rid of that chinstrap.

Brook Lopez- I am in the camp that thinks Lopez should be the No. 3 pick. I have not seen many people at this camp. He's got an NBA-ready frame and while his post moves are non-existent, he's not a stiff. There is no one at the top of the draft that can justify not taking a center, especially one whose weaknesses aren't physical or ability-related, but just a matter of needing more polish.

JaVale McGee- I hate people like JaVale McGee. JaVale McGee is Rafael Araujo. He is Patrick O'Bryant. He is Cedric Simmons. A guy who thinks he can be an NBA player because he is big and can run a bit. McGee is going to be a lottery pick for a team like Indiana or New Jersey, which have no idea how to run a franchise and take him because he is big and he can run a bit. We must stop this menace.

Chris Douglas-Roberts- He will be the quintessential "great role player" from this draft. If he's one of your top three players in the NBA, you suck. If he is your fourth or fifth best player, you are in good shape. The jumper needs work but he's good at everything else and appears to have the mental make-up to embrace a lockdown defender role if needed. He's the type of player that can take an emerging late-lottery team (Golden State, Portland, Sacramento) into the playoffs.

DJ Augustin- I was surprised that Augustin hired an agent, especially because he didn't test the process last year (side note: it is completely idiotic to hire an agent the first time you declare for the draft; conversely it is completely idiotic to not declare at least once during your college career). He's not a top five guard in this draft, which doesn't bode well for his lottery hopes in a league of decision-makers that cream their jeans over size. Maybe he can become a Tony Parker type dude, but his best bet is if a Western Conference team (Houston, Utah) makes him its back-up.

CJ Giles- Bad at basketball.

Davon Jefferson- I've been unable to find a reliable place with info on whether Jefferson signed an agent, but I have to assume there is no way he will return to USC after the weird, up and down season he had last year. Jefferson is EXACTLY the type of risk/reward guy that GMs are terrified of. One of two things will happen with him. A) he will have some crazy workouts and some team will shock everyone by taking him in the late lottery and he will be awful and/or crazy. B) everyone will be scared of his inconsistency and age (he's 21) and he will drop to the bottom of the first round or early second and then be really really good. Nothing else can happen to him.

Robin Lopez- He is Harvey Grant. He is Jason Collins. He is Jarron Collins. He is Frank Stallone,. But he's actually pretty good and would be a real solid bench big man for a playoff team picking in the 20s that needs 20 minutes of defense rebounding and energy. Will be compared to Anderson Varejao by many.

Anthony Randolph- I really liked this guy before the year and saw him play a couple times and continued to like him. That being said, he is NOT a top 10 pick, like many people think he is. Yes he is a better fit for the new, sleaker NBA, but as we have seen in the playoffs, you can't get by on simply athleticism like you can in college. He is a small-ball power forward in the NBA and one that favors comparably to someone like Brandan Wright, who he will be compared to constantly, because he can shoot a little bit. But I can't see him being anything but a huge liability trying to cover other NBA power forwards in the half-court. Another guy that has talent, but will be drafted too high by some awful franchise (Milwaukee) that will squander it.

Brandon Rush- Boring, somewhere in the 20s pick that will be a key contributor for a good team in the future.

And just for the record, here are the 14 guys I think should be in the lottery, in no particular order, with no regard to team needs or anything.

Derrick Rose
Michael Beasley
OJ Mayo
Brook Lopez
Jerryd Bayless
Eric Gordon
Russell Westbrook
Kevin Love
Danillo Gallinari (from other country)
Nicolas Batum (from other country)
Anthony Randolph
Davon Jefferson
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Darrell Arthur

Your NCAA Championship Gamelog

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:19:00 +0000

I haven't been around these here parts in awhile, a real job that doesn't revolve around making jokes about Billy Packer's bladder control will do that to you, but I felt I needed to dust off the old blog and put some closure on the season. Here's your gamelog, I vow to return for the wonderous, inanely speculative splendor that is the NBA Draft. Probably.

1st Half
20:00- Nantz does all the intros and what nots. Why does every analyst start sentences with "when you look at" nowadays? I am already looking right at them, why does your pending analysis assume I am looking elsewhere?

19:43- Dorsey scores and an angel gets its wings, which are tattooed.

19:04- Brandon Rush nearly dies for the sake of a dunk. He is an American hero. Packer compares him to "the great Darnell Valentine," mainly because he is 112 years old.

17:57- Arthur bangs one on Dorsey and immediately apologizes.

16:50- Slop abounds, which always seems to happen for the first ten minutes of every title game.

16:39- OK, let's get this out of the way. Derrick Rose is the MOP of this tourney for me, win or lose. He is the best point guard prospect since Chris Paul (obviously) and will be a freaking star in the pros. He is NOT the No. 1 pick in the draft. Moving along...

15:36- 9-7 Kansas. Sasha Kaun receives far too many alley oops for a Russian. Isn't the United Nations doing something to prevent this?

13:44- 11-11. NBADraft.net has CDR at No. 18 in the '08 Draft. What exactly does he not do well? There is nothing.

13:00- 13-11 Memphis. Case in point, the absurd 12-foot push shot he just hit. He's even good at looking weird.

12:17- 13-11 Memphis. It's Ed Hightower's world and we're all just living in it.

11:33- 13-13. OK, now that it appears they are showing new ads for this game, here's a quick rundown of the March Madness commercials, each of which I have seen 13,000 times. Good: Sven. Bad: Everything else. That was fun.

10:53- 15-13 Kansas. Brandon Rush is another guy who will be drafted way too late, which just goes to show, it doesn't pay to play a lot of college basketball. If Brandon Rush was some mysterious swingman with lots of athleticism and without three years of college ball for a great team under his belt (like he was before busting his knee last year), he'd be a top 10 pick. Now, because he's merely "solid" he'll drop to around 20.

9:38- 18-13 Kansas. Cole Aldrich comes in, and I will admit he was incredible in the semis. But let's just say, for a seldom-used freshman, Joey Dorsey is not the same opponent as Tyler Hansbrough. And that dunk, should quickly allow Cole to realize that.

8:01- 22-18 Kansas. Packer is incredulous that Rose doesn't shoot enough and he gets two quick assists. Packer changes his tune and I am rather pleased.

7:00- 24-23 Kansas. Roy Williams doesn't give a shit about the University of North Carolina.

6:02- 26-26. This has settled into an extremely entertaining, high-quality game. Now back to less important matters.

4:49. 28-28. CDR is pooping upon everyone.

3:52. 28-28. Amendment to the commercial roundup from earlier. Good: Sven, Nike Training Saul Williams thing that makes me want to light things on fire. Bad: Everything else.

2:30. 31-28 Kansas. Nantz: "Where is Derrick Rose?" Well Jim, he's right there in front of you playing, you know, point guard. Oh and look, there he is at the top of a mock draft, ahead of Michael Beasley. That's where he is. It appears this will be Packer's "Thing to Be Cantankerous About" this year. A freshman point guard not jacking up 25 shots in a national title game against one of the nation's best defensive backcourts.

Half. 33-28 Kansas. Good half, high energy, very athletic, pretty well played besides the beginning, lots of Rush/Arthur, lots of CDR, fair amount of Rose, not enough for Packer, no Sven.

2nd Half
18:12- 36-35 Memphis. Game on, as the venerable Wayne Campbell once said.

16:30- 38-37 Memphis. Rose alley oops it to Dorsey, Packer is appalled he wouldn't alley oop it to himself.

15:13- 39-38 Kansas. Penny Hardaway is in the stands. Zero NBA teams play tonight. Those are not two related statements.

13:55- 39-38 Kansas. Anderson missed two free throws. See!? SEE!?

12:07- 43-42 Kansas. If Rose had dunked that, we would all cease to exist.

11:00- 45-42 Kansas. The more I watch this game, the more I think every player in it will find an NBA roster... except Pierre Niles.... then again, Oliver Miller made it so....

10:30- 45-44 Kansas. Rose with another pretty ridiculous finish and Packer says nothing. Kansas is basically doing everything it can to contain Rose, he is playing completely within himself and yet he is getting ripped because he doesn't have 25 points. No snark there, it just bugs me.

8:38- 47-46 Kansas. Nantz: "Both men met their wives in Lawrence, Kansas... of all places." Well, it's a better place to meet women than Augusta National so I'm not sure why you are throwing stones Green Jacket Boy.

8:24- 49-47 Memphis. This game will mark the triumphant end to The Year Of The Junk Defense.

7:36- 51-47 Memphis. Rose does something gross again and he is once again the second coming of Christ, or at least Jack Nicklaus, to Nantz and Packer.

5:10- 54-47 Memphis. Dear lord Mr. Rose.

4:45- 54-49 Memphis. Sherron Collins scores and Nantz announces that he pounded his chest and said let's go. Only Nantz would find this noteworthy.

4:04- 57-49 Memphis. Rose hits a fadeaway banked three at the shot clock buzzer. There goes your One Shining Moment right there folks. And probably your NCAA Tournament. And probably Billy Packer's bladder.

3:49- 56-49 Memphis. Check that, it was a two-pointer. One Shining Moment does not discriminate though.

3:10- 56-49 Memphis. Kansas plays man-to-man defense all year long, were one of the best defensive teams in the country, played it the whole first half to a five-point lead and are now inexplicably throwing some weird zones out there. Are you sure you want to pay Bill Self $60 million and all the cows he can slaughter Oklahoma State?

2:12- 60-51 Memphis. I really hope the Tigers don't make all these free throws, not because I want them to lose, but because Calipari won't stop talking about it for somewhere between four and 987 months.

1:44- 60-56 Memphis. Steal, three, got-a-game-again.

1:30- 62-56 Memphis. Two free throws by CDR. OK Kansas, you have held Memphis to 60 points for 38+ minutes and yet you feel the best way to stop them from scoring is to give them two uncontested 15-foot shots rather than play defense straight up. Again, OK State, you're gonna give this man a jillion dollars? And an unlimited supply of freshly processed goat cheese?

0:44- 62-60 Memphis. And we've got a title game folks. Feels good, doesn't it?

0:16- 62-60 Memphis. Anyone get a read on the nutritional facts on CDR's arm? How many grams of sodium does he contain? Oh, I suppose this in intense or something.

0:12- 62-60 Memphis. Somehow, on this Earth, Kansas doesn't get a rebound after CDR misses two free throws. Where is Sasha Kaun when you need him?

0:00- 63-63. Holy crap. How is Gus Johnson not doing this game? What a freaking shot. Foul shots Calipari, you son of a B, foul shots! Best title game of my lifetime (besides when Syracuse won).

OVERTIME
4:30- 65-63 Kansas. Sherron Collins is playing really, very well tonight. He's a star next year. Sorry, when a gamelog predicated on making fun of things in a shallow, understated manner turns into an insanely entertaining game, it's hard to stay in character.

3:38- 67-63 Kansas. If Arthur and Collins stay, this team will be right back here again. Well, if Self is at Oklahoma State, of course.

2:24- 69-65 Kansas. Two Memphis foul shots. They make 'em when they count!

0:57- 71-68 Kansas. Seriously, what a game. That is all.

0:45- 73-68 Kansas. Cal elects to foul even though they could have gotten it back with 10+ seconds. Chalmers makes two and it appears Calipari, in the end will have out-incompetented Self.

0:00- 75-68 Kansas. And Kansas is your improbable, unbelievable champ this season. Nantz: "Rock, Chalk, Championship." He came up with this roughly three months ago. It was an amazing finish to a fairly unamazing season of very poor basketball at times. But like it always does, March Madness never fails to disappoint, no matter the circumstances. So thanks Davidson, Western Kentucky, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Mario Chalmers and, why not, Kansas. I might not have picked the best year to unload my thoughts and passion for college hoops onto the Intertubes, but, as I expected, it's certainly better than not writing about college basketball.

So One Shining Moment and all that crap, let's wrap this baby up. It's been real.

Hooray For Links! NCAA Tournament Edition

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:18:00 +0000

I was never a big proponent of doing link dumps and the like on this site because, well, it didn't really make sense to me. Why would I simply reproduce things that are already out there? But as I did my own scouring of the Intertubes for college hoops content, I realized there was just too much quality (and, at times, utterly awful) stuff out there to simply leave untapped. So I give you Hooray For Links! which should appear at completely random intervals. Because without links, it's not really a blog, it's just a place to put thoughts I might not want to forget.

I haven't written all that much about the Tournament, except for some wildly outstanding previews; I prefer to just kinda enjoy it as a spectator and avoid consuming the enormous mass of regurgitated storylines and feature ideas. This year's March Madness has been tremendous, something I was worried about after the mediocrity that highlighted the regular season and the general lack of interesting match-ups. I thought this year would be an event that would bore for the first two rounds and then really shine in the regionals, after all the craptastic teams were eliminated. Well the second part of that has came true -- these games this weekend should be awesome -- without the boring part. So here are some links, many of which are preview items as the content produced about the actual Tournament is pretty boring.

Them links be after the jump.
Continue...

- Given their first meeting and its outcome, watching the diverging paths of North Carolina and Duke in the NCAAs was fascinating. The Heels have been utterly dominant. Duke was awful, would've been the victim of the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history if not for Gerald Henderson playing like a man, were destroyed in the second half against West Virginia and are home now. I'd like to think this moment, and this moment alone, was the turning point for both teams. Revel in its beauty.

- This CBS Sportsline column about Tyler Hansbrough from Mike Freeman was pretty bold, pretty controversial (read the comments) and difficult to argue with. I'm not going to go to deep into it; he basically feels there is a double standard perpetuated by the media regarding highly visible white players in college hoops. The giveaway line is : "America loves a tough, white guy." He is right in that regard but doesn't quite make a full argument or offer a lot to support the hypothesis. Freeman is a fellow University of Delaware alum so in interest of full disclosure, I'm probably an apologist for a fellow Blue Hen. But it's an interesting read.

- Dan Steinberg at the fabulous (heterosexually fabulous, that is) DC Sports Bog with a great first-hand account of storming the floor following American's Patriot League Championship (which seems like it happened year ago).

- Everyone was all fussy about the Selection Committee matching up mid-major with each other, including me, and no one has been better at chronicling the view from the little guys than ESPN.com contributor and Mid-Majority editor Kyle Whelliston, Lord of the Mid-Majors. After the field was announced he penned this great column on the traveshammockery that is Selection Sunday. In light of the runs made by mid-majors like Western Kentucky and Davidson, which has hopefully validated the many cries of foul directed toward the Committee for seemingly wanting the BCS schools to conduct their business without losing face, Whelliston has renamed his site The WKU-Majority. Rather than link all of Whelliston's great posts from the weekend -- it would require many hyperlinks and possible carpel tunnel -- just go to his site and read it all. After a year where the big boys reigned, the mid-majors are back and have found a place at the top. George Mason was no fluke, watch out world.

- Basketball Prospectus, in its first year on the job, offered this season's best tournament preview. And to follow it up, they have been outstanding in their tourney coverage. So go there, read it, love it, live a better life.

- For someone with the rare and unfortunate combination of being a basketball addict and former English major in college, this piece on how Ernest Hemingway would analyze some of the top NCAA contenders was absolutely fantastic.

- I enjoyed this column from Andy Katz on Kevin Love and OJ Mayo, even if it was approximately the 8 millionth of its kind and basically jinxed the hell out of USC. Hopefully we can put all those preconceived notions about the two and the completely false "antithesis" they represent.

- Alright so one more Kyle Whelliston item to pass along. Last one, I swear, but the guy is doing great work over there. With my brackets in complete shambles, as I predicted, I enjoyed this column asking readers to not fill out a bracket this year. I wish I could do this. Unfortunately my body and mind will not allow me to abstain from Bracketering; I must have a chemical imbalance. But with my picks basically ruined, I have enjoyed this year's tournament even without having any real live reason to root for a specific. I've become a liberated fan, something that the boys at FreeDarko talk a lot about; I am simply an enjoyer of good basketball. And this makes very much sense. The reason I love the NCAA Tournament is not because I love winning office pools, it's because I love basketball. A lot. So, as Whelliston argues, by filling out a bracket you are simply celebrating prognostication, right and wrongness. Not basketball, which is what this thing is all about. Just because there is no prospect of winning money off of them, doesn't mean you can't like a team or have interest in a game.

- There certainly are some curious trends the Selection Committee seems to be perpetuating, and Gary Parrish is there to point them out and call out the Committee. For someone who is unusually Freshman-centric, I also enjoyed this column he wrote on young bucks and their big tourney roles.

- This is why I enjoy Bill Raftery.

- This was in Sports Illustrated's March Madness preview issue, a great look from Grant Wahl at how size dictates tournament success, especially in regards to this year's field, which contains a lot of small-ball teams, which follows the trend recently seen in the NBA. Looking at the teams left, many of the remaining top seeds at least has respectable post players, but squads like Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia and Memphis will be operating without a great deal of size. Should be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out (especially with Texas vs. Stanford; the best Sweet 16 match-up this year).

- Further proof that no matter how much Bill Simmons knows about the NBA (which is a whole lot), he should not write about college basketball.

- No No. 1 seed was really even tested in the first round this year, but there is really nothing better than when one gets scared. Here is a run-down of the closest calls in history.

- The world will never be the same. There is no God.

- Very good piece analyzing CBS' first weekend coverage of the NCAAs (even if it praises Seth Davis for non-comedic excellence). I thought it was pretty good coverage as well, except that Gus Johnson had all blowouts and Tim Brando was nearly comatose during that insane Friday in Tampa. Given all the tooting being done for Davis taking Davidson, I would like to point out that I said Belmont would give Duke all they could handle in the first round. I may be near last place in all my pools, but I will hold onto this for years.

- And here, an example of why local nightly news will not bring upon the end of civilization, contrary to popular belief:

San Diego Does Not Care For Your 7-3 Players, Gonzaga, St. Mary's

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:10:00 +0000

Well this is shaping up to be a considerably better day than yesterday. Nearly an hour after all the other afternoon games ended, the No. 13 Toreros (real nickname) of San Diego in the West region have knocked off Connecticut. It's the biggest upset of the tourney, topping Whale's Vagina's next opponent, No. 12 Western Kentucky, and its buzzer-beater over Drake.

The Huskies were without AJ Price for most of the game but that really shouldn't sour this win. USD played most of the second half without its star center Gyno Pomare, who despite his hygienically unfortunate first name, made Hasheem Thabeet his bitch for most of today. After missed free throws let the Huskies send it to OT, Pomare fouled out and the Toreros other best player pulled a groin and then fouled out himself, but not before hitting a massive shot down the stretch. Down one after the Huskies continued to make free throws while San Diego could not, the Toreros third option, De'Jon Jackson, hit a really tough fall away over Stanley Robinson to win the game. San Diego, which played in the WCC shadows of Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, have now beaten both en route to a conference title that got them into this tournament against all odds and, to top it off, outlasted both perennial league powerhouses in the Big Dance. Great stuff.

So yeah, the Madness is taking shape and that region has opened up for UCLA even more. And those fortunate enough to have tickets to that Tampa site should be rather pleased (even though the crowd, besides the Drake fans, was pretty bad and the announcing crew sounded like they wanted to get the hell out of there before the media buffet ran out).

And lastly, good for San Diego freshman Rob Jones. Jones was a monster today, scoring 14 points including a big shot over Thabeet late in OT and a circus shot, possibly the toughest of the tournament, late in regulation. I did a post earlier on the season on the amazing story by Gary Smith of Sports Illustrated on Jones, who is the grandson of crazed cult leader and mass suicide organizer Jim Jones. Jones' father, Jim Jr., would have been involved in that mass suicide if not for a basketball game that had him off the Jonestown plantation at the time. He hated the game because of all the guilt but recently learned to love it, when he reluctantly allowed Rob to pursue the game he loved and saw the success he could bring to a shamed family name. So as much as that upset means to everyone around that program, it's gotta mean a lot more for the Jones family.

Mid-Major Basketball Is Better Than Your Basketball

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:46:00 +0000

You are so getting free Skittles in school Monday, Steph

I didn't write anything about yesterday's games, partially because they were boring (besides Belmont-Duke of course), but mostly because I was not working and thus, drunk. But today I can be silent no more. While many complained about the mid-majors being paired up with each other in some kind of capitalistic basketball cannibalism by the Selection Committee, I am very happy that Gonzaga and Davidson played each other and that Drake and Western Kentucky played each other. Very happy. (Even if The Drake was heartbroken).

Those four squads, although only two of them were able to advance, treated this country to two of the best first round games in recent memory and hopefully showed the Selection Committee and CBS execs that when mid-majors play, more people should watch. Both games were back and forth, up and down, long range bombing celebrations of the little guy; a style that even Tennessee tried to impose on American, but which the former No. 1 was unable to perfect. These four teams not only played like the big boys and provided excitement that exceeded any similar-seeded match-ups between BCS schools, but they did for this country what they have been doing for hardcore hoops fans all season. Plant that seed of wonderment: "I wonder what they could do against a real team?"

And while the wording of that question is problematic in itself, it probably doesn't matter. If those two games and any that come after it make the Selection Committee and the TV networks realize that these teams can play with the big boys, provide moments like the big boys, and, unfortunately most importantly, bring in viewers like the big boys, well then the respect will have to follow. (Davidson and Western Kentucky beating their probable opponents, Georgetown and UConn, respectively, would help too.)

So all hail Courtney Lee, Adam Emmenecker, all of those damn Korvers and of course, the 8th grader Stephen Curry, 40-point scorer, slayer of Bulldogs, spelling bee champion. They are the new, unfamiliar faces of March Madness and they have officially kicked of this NCAA Tournament. Now when does that Butler-South Alabama game start?

And So It Begins...

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:02:00 +0000

I've written plenty of nonsense leading up to today -- previews for the East, West, South and Midwest especially -- none of which will help you fill out your bracket or win you any money. I've done a lot of deliberating leading up to today, pouring over this silly piece of paper, hoping that it will all come together in some way or another. It hasn't. I thought that despite not releasing any sort of important analysis to the public, that the abnormal, probably unhealthy amount of basketball I have watched this year -- the game that I've spent my entire life obsessing over -- that I could decipher both rhyme and reason for this thing. And when I ultimately couldn't, I expected to be pissed, soured on this year's tournament because it had mediocre teams that refused to differentiate each other, thus making my bracket useless, thus making all that basketball I watched useless.

But I wasn't pissed. The thing is -- and this is something I am realizing for the first time, mainly because I have never seen a season that has left me as perplexed as this -- I don't give a flying fuck about how my brackets do this year.

Will I complain about the unfortunate circumstances that doomed my picks? Yeah. Will I cry BS if I come a few points short of winning money? Probably. I know these things will happen. But I am still really, very much, bunches and bunches filled with excitement, even if the outcome of these games have absolutely no meaning to me. I guess that's probably why I write a blog on this sport and probably why I care more about basketball than anything that is not human. Because if there wasn't any such thing as an office pool or a Bracket Manager, the simple fact that 32 FREAKING BASKETBALL GAMES, replete with the best teams the amateur game has to offer -- a beautiful collection of styles, stars and glorious match-ups and the opinions and reactions that come with all of it -- will be on two days in a row is seriously the greatest thing EVER. And it took that utter bracket confusion for me to totally realize this: For those that love basketball, this tournament isn't a competition, it's an exhibition. Or a celebration, or an adventure, or all the cheesy descriptions Jim Nantz can think of, except true and genuine. This is the one sports event where overstatement does not exist.

Come 12:15 Thursday, I will have my brackets in hand, rooting for whoever the meaningless hours of examination have led me to arbitrarily write their name on that line and if they lose, I'll be pissed and complain to whoever I'm watching the games with and pound the table. But I won't really be pissed. I'll be surrounded by basketball, without an office or classroom in sight, and I'll be filled with more excitement than I will be all year. Any emotion, whether it appear negative or positive, is finding a way to get release that excitement without bursting through the damn roof.

Announcers aren't allowed to care who wins, so I suppose, this year, I finally know what it's really like to be Gus Johnson. And I don't see how anyone can act differently.

The SSS 2008 NCAA Tournament Preview For Non-Psychics: Midwest Region

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:49:00 +0000

Waxing poetic about how lovely the NCAA Tournament is seems a bit irrelevant at this point. Certainly "One Shining Moment" will provide a sort of grab-bag of sappiness at the end of the whole thing that will you make you go, "Man, I love March Madness," sigh while looking longingly into the middle distance and then go watch The Hills or something. Now is not the time for such nonsense. March Madness is great! Work sucks! Gus Johnson is so exciting! There, that's done with. What we all want right now is objective, cold-hearted analysis on which teams will prevail and how to win your office pools. I wholeheartedly hope you find something like that. Instead I offer my own brand of regional previews, based solely around enjoying the tournament as much as possible. I'd say "Enjoy" but that goes without saying this time of year.

Previously:
East Region
West Region
South Region

Here is your last region, the Midwest. For the record, I've got Louisville, UCLA and Stanford in the Final Four so far. And once again, be sure to check the great Awful Announcing, which has the first round announcers for each game that can be used for ~~Gus Johnson~~ referential purposes regarding this preview.

1st Round Games
1) Kansas vs. 16) Portland State- The Vikings are the best 16 seed this year, a team that has beaten conference runner-ups Akron and Ooey Pooey (IUPUI) this year and lost to UCLA by "just" 21 and Washington State by "just" 12. So for those of you looking for some fancy pants No. 16 over No. 1, perhaps you have found that opportunity. Now you just need Kansas to come down with a rampant case of the gout, which even the most frigid temperatures or unsavory skanks of Omaha could probably not provide. A less debilitating disease may produce a cover of the spread though.

8) UNLV vs. 9) Kent State- A good example of just how mediocre college basketball this year is UNLV. Last year's team, a No. 7 seed, had at least three players that would be the best on this year's squad, a No. 8 seed. Wink Adams, the only holdover from last year's Sweet 16 participant, will have a very entertaining battle with Kent State "star" Al Fisher. Both programs are used to the NCAAs and getting some wins when there. Actually both of these teams are pretty similar overall, especially in that they will both be destroyed by Kansas in the second round.

5) Clemson vs. 12) Villanova- Along with the underdog Temple Owls and St. Joe's Hawks, Villanova remains the god-forsaken city of Philadelphia's best chance of any postseason win in any of the major sports at any level in 15 months. The Sixers, a team that willfully employs Calvin Booth, and the Flyers, a team that plays hockey, would be the best chance if those three Big Five members fail... for the next six months. Think of this when you are watching the games over the next couple days, and pray that the inevitable riot does not spread across all of civilization. I Am Legend.

4) Vanderbilt vs. 13) Siena- This is everyone's big, special upset pick for this year, not necessarily because they know anything about Siena -- or Vandy for that matter -- but because people on TV are talking about it. I still don't understand why no network, in the history of TV, has actually kept track of how well its analysts' picks have done. I mean, I know the reasons why they do not, but it seems unlikely they could continue to get away with it. Let me set the standard: If Siena does not beat Vanderbilt, we boycott any form of televised Bracketeering... and publicly stone Joe Lunardi.

6) USC vs. 11) Kansas State- YESSSS. Even my shallowly snark-filled approach to this tourney cannot muster up some cynicism for this game. In 40 minutes an NBA scout can take care of 30 percent of the 2008 Draft's top ten. And with Wisconsin, Fullerton, Portland State, UNLV and Kent State also playing in Omaha (along with Kansas), the Selection Committee owes at least that much to those scouts. I'm completely lost on whether to consider KSU a good team or not and this smells of one of those games where you pick USC to go the Elite Eight and they get blasted with 40 and 15 from Beasley. Tim Floyd did easily handle a similarly constructed Kevin Durant-led Texas team last year, which didn't even have a Crazy Person for a head coach, so there's that.

3) Wisconsin vs. 14) Cal-State Fullerton- Another of the Selection Committee's sick, twisted jokes (they need to get a hobby or something), the superslow Badgers (306th in pace nationally) will face the ADDirific Titans (15th in pace nationally). Some people think Fullerton can pull this one off and it's not completely insane because of how well they shoot the ball, but CSF's porous defense can make even Wisconsin look like a modern-day team (rumor has it they still practice with peach baskets). The Badgers offense will be so free and loose compared to Big Ten play, well Bo Ryan might just have to Superman a Hoe:

7) Gonzaga vs. 10) Davidson- I'm as pissed as you about the Selection Committee's decision to recreate the BracketBusters tournament, but this is a freaking great basketball game right here. The Zags used to be just like Davidson, a mid-major with a bunch of nonathletic shooters that play smart, rebound and pass well, but have cashed in that success for some fancy All-Americans that have diminished their chemistry and ability to avoid hallucinating and openly weeping. Davidson, on the other hand, has embraced the style of the original Gonzaga, playing big-time non-conference opponents and making frequent tourney trips with a team that's led by a recent spelling bee champion. All kinds of literary themes going on in this one; hopefully the smarties at Davidson can explain them to Heytvelt. Relate it to Harold and Kumar and he'll be fine.

2) Georgetown vs. 15) UMBC- The Retrievers aren't terrible, even though their nickname would suggest such; I don't even think a youth league team would be caught dead wearing a jersey referring to themselves as a highly domesticated animal. UMBC can shoot a little bit and will probably win the turnover battle with a recently reckless Georgetown team. The Hoyas simply cannot put teams away with consistency so the longer the... uh... let's call them the Vampires... the longer the Vampires can keep the score within shouting distance, the longer G'Town will have to exert some of the energy they'll need against a tough Gonzaga or Davidson team two days later. By the way, Nantz and Packer are doing this one so look for plenty of "man's best friend" puns from Nantz and, with John Thompson, Jr. around, plenty of racism from Packer.

To Watch For
Game You Will Really Wish Gus Johnson Was Announcing- One of the more underrated things about Gus is how much he understands basketball. The guy can identify player's tendencies and teams' strengths and weaknesses like few other announcers. That being said, he knows next to nothing about the players, teams, coaches or conferences relevant to that season. For instance, Gus will quickly recognize that Stephen Curry has a quick release and an ability to use a jab step or perfectly use a screen to get a shot off against a bigger opponent and his trusty relationship with point guard Jason Richards, but he'll have to ask his partner how to pronounce Curry's first name. That's why I wish he was doing that Davidson-Gonzaga game, because it'll be like a really knowledgeable basketball fan watching great players like Stephen Curry or Jeremy Pargo or Austin Daye for the first time. And screaming like an insane maniac all the while.

Game You Should Be Thankful Jim Nantz IS NOT Announcing- If the big Hoyas-Retrievers game seems unbearable, just be thankful he isn't doing the USC-Kansas State game. "Hold the Mayo" lines would be flying like crazy and he would certainly accuse Davon Jefferson of trying to steal his wallet.

Thing That Will Get Stuck In Billy Packer's Craw- Oh my goodness, if they give him 30 seconds of air time to talk about USC and Kansas State and all the one-and-doners, he might lose control of his bladder.

Most Ironic Commercial- During that KSU-USC game, any commercial promoting the benefits for student-athletes of a complete college education .

(If you can't tell, I'm really excited for that game.)

Talking Points That Will Make Your Brain Want To Die- Davidson is very similar to how Gonzaga once was. There is a considerable amount of NBA talent in that 6-11 game. OJ Mayo and Bill Walker are friendly acquaintances. Any success by Villanova should be seen as ironic because it barely made the Tournament.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give CBS Execs Creamed Jeans- Davidson-Georgetown in Raleigh. A bunch of smart kids playing in the heart of North Carolina. Hmm, sounds familiar.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give Hoops Fans Creamed Jeans, CBS Execs Flaccidity- Nothing jumps out here but Gonzaga vs. Georgetown would be pretty great, especially because the Zags might have more raw talent. CBS probably wants Mr. Heytvelt out of there ASAP.

Best NBA Prospect- Answer unnecessary.

Best Panamanian Super Liga Prospect- Villanova forward Shane Clark has already put a down payment on a Canal-side home.... with a jetski!

Most Likely Teabagging Scenario- As much as Roy Hibbert seems like a nice young man... I hope Jeremy Pargo puts his balls up in Big Roy's face.... For entertainment purposes of course.

Most Unexpectedly Hot Cheerleaders- Despite their pending doom, I've gotta think the girls from Fullerton leave every other team from this region in the dust. Especially Wisconsin. Their team probably doubles as the shot put squad.

Oh, And The Winner Of The Damn Thing- Kansas should waltz to the Elite Eight, but who they face is anyone's guess. I like USC to advance through because they should match-up against very similar, defensive-minded teams (Wisconsin and Georgetown), but of course will have vastly superior talent (the biggest stylistic problem they will face will be KSU actually). The Trojans just really need to take care of the ball against those two. The Jayhawks only beat USC by four back in December at the Galen Center and I think KU can win another close one and go on to San Antonio.

The SSS 2008 NCAA Tournament Preview For Non-Psychics: South Region

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:18:00 +0000

Waxing poetic about how lovely the NCAA Tournament is seems a bit irrelevant at this point. Certainly "One Shining Moment" will provide a sort of grab-bag of sappiness at the end of the whole thing that will you make you go, "Man, I love March Madness," sigh while looking longingly into the middle distance and then go watch The Hills or something. Now is not the time for such nonsense. March Madness is great! Work sucks! Gus Johnson is so exciting! There, that's done with. What we all want right now is objective, cold-hearted analysis on which teams will prevail and how to win your office pools. I wholeheartedly hope you find something like that. Instead I offer my own brand of regional previews, based solely around enjoying the tournament as much as possible. I'd say "Enjoy" but that goes without saying this time of year.

Previously:
East Region
West Region

This here is the South. I'm gonna do the Midwest this afternoon or for tomorrow morning. I still haven't filled out my "serious" brackets yet, so we'll see.

By the way, Awful Announcing has the first round announcers for each game, so check that out for ~~Gus Johnson~~ referential purposes in this preview.

1st Round Games
1) Memphis vs. 16) Texas-Arlington- John Calipari might be the one coach in America that could convince me to pick his team for the Final Four even if I had no intentions to do so. Every interview I have seen or read with him is either some serious politicking or some serious car salesman shtick. "We made 75 percent of our foul shots in the C-USA tournament." "We would have been the No. 1 overall seed if we made a two-footer against Tennessee." "Before this tournament, my team only used their feet to go from their house to the grocery store."

8) Mississippi State vs. 9) Oregon- This is my favorite 8-9 game because I think both teams could give Honest John and his Tigers a scare in Round 2. It's a tough one to pick because you have Oregon's highly efficient, perimeter-oriented, sweet shooting offense against the Bulldogs great defense, anchored by Jarvis Varnado protecting the rim. So let's ask Digger Phelps what he thinks:

"When you look at Mississippi State and Oregon, I think you gotta talk about Lamont Gordon. He's got size when you look at the point guard position.... Charles Rhodes..... And, when you look at Oregon.... can this team play well enough to get it done and get to the next round?... Shooting the ball from the three point line, dribble the ball, try to keep the other team from scoring... I think Mississippi State can get it done, Why?... Look for them to scare Memphis in the next round.... Ben Hansbrough."

Thanks Digger.

5) Michigan State vs. 12) Temple- This is a real interesting game between Temple, which didn't really start playing basketball until the last month and Michigan State, which changes the sport it plays from game to game. Temple, and its two-man scoring attack of Mark Tyndale and Dionte Christmas, can win this game if they don't get killed on the glass. Meanwhile, the Spartans have lost to Penn State, scored 36 in a GAME against Iowa and lost to a D-II school in the preseason. But they also beat Indiana by 30 two weeks ago. Drew Neitzel, the preseason SSS Most Hated White Guy, hasn't been good enough to hate all season long but showed some real signs of punchability in the Big Ten tourney. I just pray he got a barb wire tattoo to reward himself or maybe a spoiler for his Hyundai. Then all will be well.

4) Pittsburgh vs. 13) Oral Roberts- For those of you jumping blindly onto the Pitt bandwagon, fear this game. "Oral," as sick, twisted rich white men will undoubtedly call them jokingly ("I picked Pitt but my wife picked Oral! Haha (high fives). Let's go punch some poor people!"), has more size than the Panthers on the front line, and use that size to anchor a strong defense. I know Pitt just beat Georgetown, Louisville and Marquette, but it also was crushed by West Virginia and needed a miracle to beat Syracuse just a week or two earlier. If they don't get that absurd free throw advantage they got in the Big East tourney (and ORU is one of the better teams in the nation at not sending opponents to the line), Bob Knight's senility-induced champion pick could have some trouble.

6) Marquette at 11) Kentucky- I'm starting to like this Marquette team and I'm not sure why anyone (read: Digger Phelps) thinks Kentucky can win without Patrick Patterson. The Golden Eagles used to win games by simply forcing opponents to assault the backboard more violently than them (or by just having Dwyane Wade), but this year, they suddenly have multiple scoring options in Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, Lazar Heyward, Wes Mathews and Maurice Acker. And on a completely unrelated note, has anyone else noticed that Hubert Davis, once a legitimately interesting and entertaining analyst, has recently adopted Digger's analysis style? Everything is, "When you look at" and "When you talk about" and then he just turns an entire analysis into an incoherent run-on sentence with random non sequiturs of players names and cliched aspects of the game. (I mean, look at this and tell me Hubert hasn't been doing the same thing but with just less Alzheimer's... I've been watching way too much ESPN this week.)

3) Stanford at 14) Cornell- Man! These schools are so smart! It's like the Selection Committee did this on purpose! Are they going to decide this game with a spelling bee!? Are the players going to study for finals on the bench?! Are the alumni going to be able to take off from Congress to watch the game?!
/sorry

7) Miami vs. 10) St. Mary's- The most boring 7-10 match-up of the tourney in an otherwise outstanding region as far as entertaining basketball goes, both teams come into the game in a slump and little chance of advancing to the second weekend. So why even play the game, you ask? Well because Gaels' freshman point Patty Mills is from Australia and CBS needs to use that fancy graphic with the facts about Australia and references to Survivor in more than just the Vanderbilt game. Everyone wins. Sorta.

2) Texas vs. 15) Austin Peay- For those of you who like small ball, this is the game for you. Texas' 6-9 Connor Atchley is going to feel like Kenny George in this game with the Governors sporting zero regular rotation players over 6-5. This is one of those weird 5:00 p.m. ET games that occurs in the purgatory between the early games and the primetime games. You know, where people stumble out of the sports bars and wander the streets like zombies looking for something, anything, as exciting as the basketball they just watched. This is where you have people cheering for car crashes or for someone to get mugged in front of them. Then they look down at their bracket and realize they had "Texas." At which point it's time to go home. God I love March Madness.

To Watch For
Game You Should Really Want Gus Johnson Announcing- Like I said yesterday, we already know which games Gus is doing, but it's fun to dream, right? Besides the Temple-Michigan State game ("And Christmas has come early for Dionte and the Owls!!! AHHHHHHHH!") and the Pitt-Oral Roberts game ("And the Oral feels so good!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!"... notice the absolutely crucial but simple difference between him and Nantz? It's "AHHHHHH!!!!!") I'd like Gus to do the Texas-Austin Peay game for the chance to hear him scream Austin PEAYYYYYYY in an exuberant manner, just to see what it ends up sounding like.

Game You Should Be Thankful Jim Nantz IS NOT Announcing- Again, Nantz is doing the Raleigh games with UNC and Georgetown. But I cannot even fathom the complete and utter lameness with which he would call that Stanford-Cornell game. He'd probably just start talking about sailing and making fun of homeless people out of familiarity of his surroundings. Plus there will be tens of Lopez twin-related puns ("Stanford and the Lopez twins: twice as nice!")

Thing That Will Get Stuck In Billy Packer's Craw- I can guarantee Packer is downright furious that St. Mary's got in, but has no problem whatsoever with Kentucky making the field.

Most Ironic Commercial- Those completely incoherent IBM consulting commercials will look like a Miller Lite ad to those interested in the Stanford/Cornell game.

Talking Points That Will Make Your Brain Want To Die- Memphis' free throw shooting will doom them. Kentucky was once not as successful this season as they presently are. Texas will be playing the regionals in a place considerably closer to campus than others.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give CBS Execs Creamed Jeans- Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State would be a massive collection of sludge to watch, but for some reason CBS loves coaches, especially Tom Izzo. And they would have the guy they once shunned but now love because they need bloggers and Internet writers to tell them what normal people actually like, Gus Johnson, overseeing the Izzo/Dixon lovefest. (Don't let them get you, Gus, please don't.)

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give Hoops Fans Creamed Jeans, CBS Execs Flaccidity- I can't recall a team that has been so good recently that has received so little national media attention as Oregon. Less than 5 percent of the population knows that the Ducks were very close to making the Final Four last year and have been to the Elite Eight twice in the past five years. This year, they have one of the most efficient, exciting offenses in the nation and most talking heads were incensed they got in the tournament. Well I want to see them play Memphis really badly because it would be a fast-paced, insanely athletic festival of scoring and because the Ducks shoot the ball so much better than Memphis, could be an upset.

Best NBA Prospect- Brook Lopez and Derrick Rose should go No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, behind Michael Beasley, if both enter this year's draft. And it really shouldn't be disputed.

Best Taiwan League A Prospect- St. Mary's center Omar Samhan is already being hailed the next "King of Taipei".... but only in closed circles for fear of Communist backlash from China.

Most Likely Teabagging Scenario- Derrick Rose hasn't really broken one off yet this year. Nothing like the Mavericks of Texas-Arlington to cure what ails ya.

Most Unexpectedly Hot Cheerleaders- Although there might not be any sun up in the Pacific Northwest, it appears there are certainly tanning salons and other reasons for obscenely attractive females to attend school there. For more on the Oregon cheerleaders go to the possibly great, most certainly criminal in some way or another, Pac-10 Poon.

Oh, And The Winner Of The Damn Thing- It's going to be tough for Memphis to just get to the regional finals, but I think they will have one of those Ohio State type runs where they look like crap for awhile and then barely avoid upset. In the bottom half, a Texas-Stanford Sweet 16 game would be incredibly awesome. I think Brook Lopez is going to be the breakout star of this tournament. I'll go against the Houston thing and take Stanford to meet Memphis, play a zone with the Lopez twins making any points in the paint impossible, force the Tigers to shoot threes, get Dorsey in foul trouble and the Cardinal will be a surprise Final Four team.

The SSS 2008 NCAA Tournament Preview For Non-Psychics: West Region

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Waxing poetic about how lovely the NCAA Tournament is seems a bit irrelevant at this point. Certainly "One Shining Moment" will provide a sort of grab-bag of sappiness at the end of the whole thing that will you make you go, "Man, I love March Madness," sigh while looking longingly into the middle distance and then go watch The Hills or something. Now is not the time for such nonsense. March Madness is great! Work sucks! Gus Johnson is so exciting! There, that's done with. What we all want right now is objective, cold-hearted analysis on which teams will prevail and how to win your office pools. I wholeheartedly hope you find something like that. Instead I offer my own brand of regional previews, based solely around enjoying the tournament as much as possible. I'd say "Enjoy" but that goes without saying this time of year.

Previously:
East Region

Today we go out West. Look for South and Midwest tomorrow and Thursday morning.

By the way, Awful Announcing has the first round announcers for each game, so check that out for ~~Gus Johnson~~ referential purposes in this preview.

1st Round Games
1) UCLA vs. 16) Mississippi Valley State: The outstanding Jim Varney, master of his craft, never made an "Ernest Goes To Hollywood" movie, but I would imagine the story of the Delta Devils' adventures this week should fill that void.

8) BYU vs. 9) Texas A & M: Probably the most boring first round match-up of closely matched seeds, there are gonna be a ton of dump downs and entry passes in this one with Trent Plaisted (BYU), Joseph Jones (A & M) and the Ghost of DeAndre Jordan (A & M) (and his 50 percent of actually showing up for a game). Both teams play solid defense but really struggle with shot-making at times. Man I'm pumped for this game.

5) Drake vs. 12) Western Kentucky: I'm not going to make a Love the Drake joke because everyone in the damn country, including human Ambien dispensers Seth Davis and Hubert Davis, has been making them all week. I think I was the first person lame enough to make this joke, so I feel as though it and I have come to the end of the road. We had a good run Love the Drake joke, no regrets. Anyway, this game would be a great Bracketbusters match-up, an event the Selection Committee apparently decided not to watch because they tried to recreate it. Drake is a really good team -- they are almost more "Butler" than Butler if that doesn't make your brain hurt -- but this will be a close game no matter what. The Hilltoppers (real nickname) are a like-minded team that can shoot the ball just like the Bulldogs. Their star is Courtney Lee, who is going to get his no matter what, but it'll come down to one other Hilltopper stepping up.

4) Connecticut vs. 13) San Diego: I'm excited for the Hasheem Thabeet vs. Gyno Pomare match-up which should decide who gets to be the challenger to Kenny George's title of "Guy Who Stumbles Into the Most Fouls." Generally it would be Pomare in a 8th round TKO, but Thabeet really showed me some uncoordination in the Big East tourney. Should be thrilling. There is a faint whiff of growing Torero support in this one but I'm not sure why. Yes, the Huskies struggled down the stretch but when you are more talented at every single position, you are probably going to win. I don't see Whale's Vagina scoring 60 points in this one and there's no way it dominates the inside against UConn like it did against Gonzaga.

6) Purdue vs. 11) Baylor: Thus begins this year's Pod of Dullness, the four teams (along with Xavier and Georgia, seen below) that make up the "pod" with the lowest quality of basketball. Lucky for me, I will be there Saturday in DC to see which squad can emerge from this trough of slop. Alcohol will surely be in the equation. This game should actually be somewhat entertaining despite being fairly meaningless in the overall scheme of this tournament. The Boilermakers are led by freshman ~~Professor Frink~~ Robbie Hummel but it will be their ball pressure of Baylor's outstanding quintet of guards, led by Curtis Jerrels, that decides this game. Purdue doesn't really have a rim protector so they need to keep all those fellas out of the lane and if they don't, at least stay at home on the shooters. I like Baylor to pull the upset and an Xavier-Baylor second round game actually doesn't sound so excruciating anymore.

3) Xavier vs. 14) Georgia: The Musketeers like to get after the ball on the defensive end and, on paper, it would seem the containment on Sundiata Gaines and Billy Humphrey (who is not, in fact, a cock-eyed optimist) is paramount to avoiding an upset. But in reality, the key for Xavier is going to be stopping God. The senior deity was the breakout performer for the Bulldogs in their amazing SEC Championship run. He has a strong right hand (Jesus) and a nice stroke from on high. Sean Miller needs to find a way to stop his drive-and-smite game and slow him down on offense like the Old Testament, and Arkansas, could not.

7) West Virginia vs. 10) Arizona: This is a Gus Johnson Special if there ever was one. But alas, we are stuck with Craig Bolerjack (real person) and Bob Wenzel. Surely those two nondescript folks will be all a twitter by Joe Alexander, Everyone's New Favorite White Guy, and his match-up with Chase Budinger. I'm not as concerned with that head-to-head match; it should be a wash and I don't see any way the Cats let Alexander go off. This one should come down to West Virginia getting consistent scoring from someone else to match Jerryd Bayless' production. If they can't get Jordan Hill, a guy the Mountaineers cannot match up with, in foul trouble, it'll be a long night but since he starts every game with two fouls (I think), that shouldn't be a problem.

2) Duke vs. 15) Belmont: Duke will either win this by 30 or lose. It's going to be an 80 possession game with at least 60 threes combined between the two teams and absolutely no semblance of a post player to be found. I'm dead serious when I say Belmont can win this game. They just need to hit about 15 threes and hope Duke hits about seven. But that's about as good a chance as any 15-seed can hope for, right? Again, another Gus Johnson Special. We need to get this man to DC ASAP. Although if we do, he might look like this by Saturday.

(Note: This is outstanding.)

To Watch For
Game You Should Really Want Gus Johnson Announcing- Yeah we already spoke about this. Turns out he's doing the Denver games, which includes the Michigan State/Temple/ Oral Roberts/ Pitt pod and the Washington State/ Winthrop/ Notre Dame/ George Mason pod. Not bad games for his greatness, especially because he has Mason. I trust him far better to call a potential Patriots upset than the punny creepiness of Jim Nantz.

Game You Should NOT Want Jim Nantz Announcing- Drake vs. Western Kentucky. Not that there is any way Nantz has ever watched/enjoyed Seinfeld -- he seems like a "Two And A Half Men" or "Mad About You" guy to me -- but I've gotta think he'd enlist up-and-coming comedian Seth Davis to help him out with some sweet Love the Drake puns. Plus if Western Kentucky wins, it'll be "And Western Kentucky has topped the first hill" or something vomit-inducing like that.

Thing That Will Get Stuck In Billy Packer's Craw- Something about BYU refusing to play on Sundays. Back in his day, "Mormon" was just another word for homosexual.

(Note: Nantz and Packer will be doing the Raleigh site with UNC's game, the Indiana-Arkansas game and the pod with Gonzaga/ Davidson/ Georgetown/ UMBC. So Kelvin Sampson and Josh Heytvelt, you're on notice.)

Most Ironic Commercial- Any Bud Light commercial during a West Virginia game. We all know West Virginia fans can't afford Bud Light.
/ducks

Talking Points That Will Make Your Brain Want To Die- Anything on the Coach K/Mike D'Antoni thing, even though the Suns don't even run that type of offense anymore. AJ Price as laptop stealer turned adopted son of Jim Calhoun will be popular too. Joe Alexander as the next coming of Larry Bird or, worst case scenario, Christ.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give CBS Execs Creamed Jeans-West Virginia-Duke would be right up CBS' wheelhouse in terms of pure whiteness and asshole coaches to deify. They would definitely hide the Carlos Mencia commercials for that one.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give Hoops Fans Creamed Jeans, CBS Execs Flaccidity- The aforementioned Baylor-Xavier game would be complete madness in terms of fun, guard-oriented basketball, but I think I speak for everyone when I say, I WANT ARIZONA-DUKE. Kevin O'Neill's gruffness with the media and deliberate, ball screen-laden offense wouldn't really boost the aesthetic value of a Duke/Coach K game that CBS would hope for, but there would be too much damn talent on that court to not be a classic.

Best NBA Prospect- Kevin Love is superdreamy but I think Russell Westbrook is going to be a damned assassin in the pros. I suppose Jerryd Bayless is a nice player too.

Best Latvian First Division Prospect- West Virginia's Jamie Smalligan is rumored to already have an offer to endorse Spilva, Latvia's leading provider of atrocious looking foods, when he graduates.

Most Likely Teabagging Scenario- Russell Westbrook will not leave Anaheim without embarrassing a Delta Devil.

Unexpectedly Hot Cheerleaders- In a region with UCLA, Georgia and Arizona, there's something oddly attractive about hooking up with a BYU cheerleader. And, of course, with some grit, determination and arcane legislative loopholes, you could hook up with all of the BYU cheerleaders.

(Note: If this page and the West Virginia "sports" "site," We Must Ignite This Couch, that contains it doesn't explain that state quite accurately, I don't know what would.)

Oh, And The Winner Of The Damn Thing- In a bracket that looks to heavily favor the chalk, if there is a half of a region that has the capability of producing a really weird Elite Eight participant, it's the bottom half of the West. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the top six seeds down there make the regional final against UCLA, which could have a tough game against UConn in the Sweet 16. The Bruins go to the Final Four and I still like them to win it all.

The 2008 Pod Of Doom, Pod of Dullness

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:47:00 +0000

Yes Bo, I have the same reaction when I look at your portion of my bracket.

OK, so I've finally started digging into this here bracket and filling out the games. I tend to fill out my bracket in groups of four. Taking each first and second round site and treating that as an individual tournament and moving on from there. These are called "pods" in Bracketspeak and they are the seemingly retarded idea of the NCAA to "limit" travel time for schools. Of course, like most pointless things the NCAA tries, this doesn't work and you've got Butler traveling to Alabama to play South Alabama or Gonzaga going to Raleigh to play Davidson. On top of that, there always seems to be one or two pods that are impossible to pick. These generally end up being very costly in the end because you have a team capable of making a Final Four stuck with a difficult first or second round game. One false move and you're finished.

Last year that pod was the one with Louisville and Texas A & M as the No. 6 and No. 3 seed respectively. I liked Louisville a lot but I loved A & M. I picked A & M to beat the Cardinals and go to the Final Four, knowing my bracket could be finished in Round 2. Thanks to some Edgar Sosa missed free throws I narrowly escaped this fate, but was doomed by a missed lay-up by Acie Law down the stretch of the Aggies Sweet 16 game with Memphis.

On the flip side, there are some pods that are impossible to pick because the teams involved are so bad. This generally includes teams that were moved up or down on the S Curve or struggled down the stretch. Usually these teams are very boring, have a pretty ambiguous identity and few household names. Last year it was the pod where No. 6 Notre Dame played No. 11 Winthrop and No. 3 Oregon played No. 14 Miami (Ohio) in the Midwest region. I though the Redbirds had a good chance to beat Oregon in that game and they almost did, losing by two. I was pretty confident Winthrop could pull an upset too, and they did. So I had all sorts of different combos in my different pools, none of which had Oregon coming out of that group. Worse yet, I was dead set on Florida, which was in the top half of that region, being the champ so it didn't even really matter who would come out of that portion; they would just be crushed by the Gators. But you still lose a lot of points. So when the Ducks made the Elite Eight after barely avoiding a massive upset, I got screwed.

So you get the idea. I've poured over the field this year and here are my two pods that could ultimately decide your fate.

Pod Of Doom:
Midwest Region, No. 6 USC vs. No. 11 Kansas State; No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Cal State Fullerton- This one is being played in Omaha so none of the teams really have a clear-cut advantage, save for maybe KSU. Wisconsin is getting a lot of hype to come out of the bottom of that region but have probably the toughest No. 14 for them to match up with. Fullerton plays really fast and shoots the ball well. Wisconsin plays really slow and could struggle to score consistently in a high possession game. If Fullerton can speed up the game, it has a chance. Then you got USC-Kansas State which has the potential to make all the numbers irrelevant and turn into an AAU game. You've gotta like Tim Floyd's team in this game -- they killed Kevin Durant's Texas team in the NCAAs last year -- but when you have the best player like the Wildcats do, there is no telling what can happen. If it is Wisconsin-USC in the second round, that game is just as tough to predict. Both teams play great defense and like a half-court game. USC has much more talent but the more experienced Badgers play with a poise the young Trojans don't always have.

To make matters worse, the winner of this pod will play the winner of the Gonzaga- Davidson- Georgetown- UMBC pod, which isn't terrible, but still would not be a safe pick against Wisconsin or USC. So you have three teams -- USC, Wisconsin and KSU -- capable of making an Elite Eight run, but also very capable of losing in the first round.

The Reluctant Pick: USC

Others Considered
East: No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 George Mason; No. 4 Washington St. vs. No. 13 Winthrop
West: No. 5 Drake vs. No. 12 Western Kentucky; No. 4 UConn vs. No. 13 San Diego
South: No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 Kentucky; No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 14 Cornell

Pod of Dullness:
West, No. 6 Purdue vs. No. 11 Baylor; No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 14 Georgia- I suppose "dullness" isn't quite the right word for this one with some exciting teams there, but certainly none of these teams will be winning a second weekend game. The winner of this plays Duke, West Virginia or Arizona, none of which should lose to any of these teams (if the Wildcats or Mountaineers win two games, chances are they are playing well enough to be favored against Xavier or Purdue). With the exception of Georgia, all three of these teams played pretty poorly in their respective conference tournaments. Xavier lost to St. Joe's in the semis, Baylor lost in the first round to Colorado and Purdue lost to Illinois in the quarters. The Boilermakers and Bears have been pretty inconsistent this year and their game will probably just come down to which team is hoisting threes at a more accurate rate and who will prevail in the battle between Baylor's great guards and Purdue's great ball pressure. And as good as the Musketeers have been, they are playing Georgia and the Bulldogs' incredible momentum, chip-on-the-shoulder and quite possibly God himself.

Depending on your pool's format, there are some potentially make-or-break points riding on this teeming pile of mediocrity that will take place in DC, even if any further victories are a long shot (full disclosure: I am attending the second round games in DC Saturday and am none too pleased to be attending this year's Pod of Dullness; all angst will be taken out on Duke fans).

The Reluctant Pick: Xavier

Others Considered
Midwest: No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 Villanova; No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 Siena;
South: No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 16 Texas-Arlington; No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Oregon

The SSS NCAA Tournament Preview For Non-Psychics: East Region

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:09:00 +0000

Waxing poetic about how lovely the NCAA Tournament is seems a bit irrelevant at this point. Certainly "One Shining Moment" will provide a sort of grab-bag of sappiness at the end of the whole thing that will you make you go, "Man, I love March Madness," sigh while looking longingly into the middle distance and then go watch The Hills or something. Now is not the time for such nonsense. March Madness is great! Work sucks! Gus Johnson is so exciting! There, that's done with. What we all want right now is objective, cold-hearted analysis on which teams will prevail and how to win your office pools. I wholeheartedly hope you find something like that. Instead I offer my own brand of regional previews, based solely around enjoying the tournament as much as possible. I'd say "Enjoy" but that goes without saying this time of year.

Your East region. The West will come tomorrow. Midwest Wednesday and the South either Thursday morning or Wednesday night.

1st Round Games
1) North Carolina vs. 16) TBA: The Heels have never beaten TBA, so surely they are irked with the committee's decision to match up the overall No. 1 with a team its never beaten. Sons a bitches, those committee members are.

8) Indiana vs. 9) Arkansas: Some folks are perplexed by Indiana's low seeding but those people must not know some inside information about the Hoosiers: They suck. Yes I know; Eric Gordon, DJ White, those jazzy warm-up pants. It's Indiana! They are totally awesome! No, I'm sorry, they are not totally awesome. The Hoosiers best in-conference road win was at Ohio State. They lost to Minnesota and Penn State in the past week. And they broke all sorts of rules to achieve those stratospheric levels. Not to mention they have no point guard and refuse to play any sort of defense. Those looking for the Steve Fisher/Dan Dakich parallels may be better off referencing Fisher's golden days at San Diego State.

5) Notre Dame vs. 12) George Mason: Clueless, white businessmen everywhere -- you know, the guys who claim to really love March Madness but basically just repeat what they heard on Around the Horn when gathered at the water cooler; the guys who, if they win the pool will credit some kind of divine knowledge most certainly learned from Digger Phelps but when they lose joke around about it like they have the worst luck in the world ("I can never win these things, my wife beat me again!"); you know, the guys you want to kill -- will be determined to not let George Mason sneak up on them again this year. Even if it means picking against those crew-cut WASPy fellows that the Irish trot out there (keep in mind none of these idiots know nearly enough about basketball to have heard about McAlarney's reefer violation). I actually think Mason can win this one but for reasons (good at slowing down faster opponents, physical interior defense), different than Forbes Applewhite, CPA (they made the Final Four that year! what a Cinderella!).

4) Washington State vs. 13) Winthrop: Call the Eagles "The George Mason For Slightly Less Clueless White Businessmen." Those idiots will pick them based on past upsets and the general obscurity with which Wazzou plays. Unfortunately for Ted Stevens, VP of Sales, New England Patriots fan, "the Cougars" are more than just what he boasts his wife to be during their triannual sexual relations (Valentine's Day, Anniversary, and the greatest holiday of all, When She Gets Too Drunk at the Company Banquet). They are a really good basketball team that plays some really good defense and won't even be a touch bothered by Winthrop's vaunted ball pressure. They don't score well enough to beat a team like Notre Dame or North Carolina, but can certainly beat Winthrop, and Mason if they pull the upset, at their own game.

6) Oklahoma vs. 11) St. Joe's: This wins the award for Most Interesting Game to Real Hoops Fans That No One Else Will Give A Shit About. Both teams have underrated frontlines and watching Pat Calathes and Ahmad Nivins try to run around and stop Blake Griffin will be enjoyable, if not masochistic. I actually think they can do it though. Besides Griffin, the Sooners just cannot score the ball and the Hawks have stepped up their defense lately. This could be an 8-9 game if both teams seeds were more accurately.

3) Louisville vs. 14) Boise State: My love for the ball-hawking, lane-penetrating Cardinals is well-chronicled around these parts and if they make a deep run my unhealthy crush would certainly be vindicated. They face a pretty dangerous Boise State that can really shoot the ball but is rather uninterested in defense. If they can speed up the Cardinals and get into a shooting contest, well, they will still probably lose. But man do I love it when teams run up and down the court! (Seriously though, with this draw Louisville better make the damn Sweet 16 without breaking a sweat.)

7) Butler vs. 10) South Alabama: The Bulldogs got absolutely hosed and I have no idea why. They probably aren't the No. 4 seed all the crazies are clamoring for, but they certainly are a No. 5 or 6 and they certainly shouldn't have to play a road game in the first round against USA (the school, not the country; AJ Graves vs. Kobe Bryant would be an interesting match-up though). Despite the pounding they took, this is still a wildly interesting game. Butler plays slower than Kige Ramsey while the Jags play a bit faster and spread the floor some. Both teams have two of the better backcourts in mid-major basketball. Butler really can beat Tennessee in the second round but it'll be tough to even get there.

2) Tennessee vs. 15) American: This is just some cruel shit from the Selection Committee. I wrote this in the Selection Show Gamelog (Not About A Game), but I really don't see American being able to finish this game. Not that they aren't a good team, but the Eagles are 320th in the nation in pace of play. The Vols are 19th. The Vols have a bunch of crazy athletic people that jump over human beings for fun. American has this guy. And this guy. And this guy. I'm being dead serious when I say I am worried for the physical well-being of this team.

To Watch For
Game You Should Really Want Gus Johnson Announcing- Oklahoma vs. St. Joe's. Should be close, Gus should love Blake Griffin, struggle to pronounce Calathes.

Game You Should NOT Want Jim Nantz Announcing- Notre Dame vs. George Mason. First, the pun count will be off the charts with Mason ("Is Cinderella Ready For Another Night Out?" something awful along those lines). Second, when he sees Notre Dame and its fans he will go right into Augusta National mode (with Tory Jackson playing the part of Tiger Woods /ducks).

Thing That Will Get Stuck In Billy Packer's Craw- Surely, he'll be pissed about the whole Butler situation and will have a few fun words for Indiana and the Kelvin Sampson mess but something tells me he'll have some backhandedly racist comments about Tyler Smith's tear drop tattoos that CBS will sweep nicely under the rug. Also, there's no way he stays non-biased if he does that Notre Dame-George Mason game.

Most Ironic Commercial- John Mellencamp's soulcrushingly ubiquitous This Is Our Country commercial should fit oh-so swimmingly with the Tennessee game as a Jewish guy coaches a predominantly black team in a town best known for erroneously sending Martin Luther King Jr. to jail. This, indeed, is our country.

Talking Points That Will Make Your Brain Want To Die- David Padgett is a "point center." Luke Harangody looks like a football player. These things are unavoidable, completely irrelevant.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give CBS Execs Creamed Jeans- UNC v. Indiana. DJ White vs. Tyler Hansbrough. Basketball mecca vs. basketball mecca. Traditionally proud program vs. recently shamed program. Hillbillies vs. Rednecks.

Second Round Match-Up That Would Give Hoops Fans Creamed Jeans, CBS Execs Flaccidity- Notre Dame vs. Washington State. Freewheeling three-point hoisting vs. plodding deliberation masked as efficiency. Derrick Low's Hawaiian weed stash v. Kyle McAlarney's self control.

Best NBA Prospect- Blake Griffin should stay another year, then become a Top 5 pick. Not entirely sold on Eric Gordon on the next level yet.

Best Luxembourg First Division Prospect- Arkansas Center Steven Hill will take Diekrich by storm next year.

Most Likely Teabagging Scenario- The Smith Named Tyler all over one those poor, unsuspecting future diplomats of American.

Unexpectedly Hot Cheerleaders- Arkansas. Gotta think there are some really pretty, excruciatingly dumb girls in that group.

Oh, And The Winner Of The Damn Thing- Louisville-Tennessee and UNC-Notre Dame in two epic regional semifinals with the Cardinals and Heels advancing. Louisville advances to the Final Four when Wayne Ellington has an atrocious shooting night.

Your Selection Show Gamelog That's Not About A Game

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:46:00 +0000

Alright it's Selection Sunday, and 6 p.m. It is one of the greatest exact times of the year. And to properly chronicle the beginning of Madness and all of the analyst reaction and idiocy (not to mention Jim Nantz's overall creepiness), I give you a gamelog, even though it's not a game. Make of it what you will.

Anyway, South Alabama, Villanova and Arizona State fans are probably sitting tight, so I apologize if their inclusion/exclusion is mocked and leads to some kind of emotional crisis. If it makes you feel better my team, Syracuse, has no chance. We will also see how well my Final Bracketology holds up against the read deal. I just wanna beat Lunardi and I'll be ecstatic. Oh and I'll be using the CBS broadcast, I've made fun of ESPN enough around here.

6:00 p.m.- And we're off. Your analysts are the giant-headed Greg Gumbel, the fantastically boring Clark Kellogg and burgeoning stand-up comedian and possible impostor Seth Davis. Won't be as entertaining as the Phelps/Knight romance, but just wait till Packer and Nantz come on.

In the interest of full disclosure, my roommate is a Villanova fan, so this particular Selection Sunday should have some added entertainment. I am a Syracuse fan so I'm going to do my best to contain any reaction to Villanova's potential exclusion. I don't want to start an enraged, "Yeah well where the hell is Syracuse" type argument.

The No. 1 overall is UNC in the East, no surprise there, but I still don't like this team to win it all. Clemson and Virginia Tech are decent, but that was not a very convincing effort by the Heels this weekend.

6:01 p.m.- Greg tells us how the Tournament is set up, which is all very shocking information. The other No. 1s are Memphis, UCLA and Kansas, in a bit of a surprise. Tennessee fans are probably going to cry and complain and shoot their guns into the air or whatever they do. If it makes them feel better, I think they will go deeper than Memphis. So there, put the gun away.

6:04 p.m.- Jim and Billy check in and for some reason Nantz looks giant. The creepy Nantz Gaze is in full effect though. He looks at everyone like they are a woman undressing by the window across the street. Packer is about a six on the Cantankerous Scale right now and even when not in HD, his face is terrifying.

6:05 p.m.- The March Madness on Demand thing is plugged. One of the better inventions ever by the way. Except when you have to explain to others who don't care about basketball why your laptop is perched on your TV. Also if you have a boss that would prefer to pay you for actually working.

6:07 p.m.- I would never wipe bleu cheese off a Georgetown fan's face. And I don't really think I should have to explain why.

6:09 p.m.- The East region is revealed. I'm going with Mount St. Mary's in the play-in game but then again, who cares. Indiana's suckiness is properly evaluated with a No. 8 seed, congratulations committee. Wazzou gets a surprisingly high seed and I am already rooting extremely hard for George Mason to beat Notre Dame. The slow-footed American Eagles might have to forfeit due to exhaustion in the second half of that game with Tennessee.

Butler is WAY too low and I cannot believe South Alabama got a No. 10. Other Bubble fans cannot be pleased. The committee might be in a mid-major mood this year. The Vols should be frightened of a second round game with Butler, even though the Bulldogs got completely screwed by playing a road game in Birmingham against USA. Poor job so far Committee, with the exception of Indiana being rightfully crapped upon. Oh and UNC will stroll easily into the Elite Eight of that bracket by the way, but I like Louisville to win the region.

6: 16 p.m.- The Midwest is about to be revealed and my roommate might take off into outer space. I haven't seen much of UNLV this year, but for them to have that season after all the players they lost is great; good match-up with Kent State. Why are they having all the mid-majors knock each other out, by the way? Nova gets in and I will be alive tomorrow morning. At a No. 12, they might have been one of the last in, which really annoys Syracuse fans. Siena will beat Vanderbilt. Gonzaga-Davidson; again with the mid-majors. Both of those teams should be pretty pissed I would imagine, especially Gonzaga who has to travel across the country to play Davidson at home. This bracket is wide open on the bottom, USC could come out of there. Speaking of USC, I think Mayo v. Beasley should be a whole lot of fun, but that's just me.

6:21 p.m.- CBS is teaming with Facebook for a Bracket Challenge and I couldn't be happier. I've always wanted to know if the person beating me in my pool is interested in "Random Play" or "Whatever I Can Get." Although it will provide the opportunity to stalk whoever else shares my confidence in Louisville, and that's what love is all about, really.

6:24 p.m.- Alright let's go to the South region, where John Calipari is holding some kind of house party, which should make UAB fans chuckle a bit. Oregon is very high at a No. 9 seed, which bodes well for Arizona State. Temple over Michigan State, for the record. ORU over Pitt. Temple over ORU. Book it. Miami is too high at No. 7, which is good for St. Mary's, who will destroy them. Texas-St. Mary's rematch in the second round probably; the Longhorns should roll again. Oh boy, Texas-Stanford in the Sweet 16 will provide a serious existential crisis for me. The winner of that game is your Final Four team from that region. Memphis waltzes to the Elite Eight though.

We have our first bit of personality as Seth Davis rips the seeding of Temple. It is here that we see young Seth's edgy humor that will surely make him the next Jerry Seinfeld. Or at least Frank Caliendo.

6:32 p.m.- Alright, last one Arizona State and Ohio State fans. Let's go to the West. Drake is at No. 5, which works for me. Again, still not sure how Butler is a No. 7. And, like clockwork, they are matched up with another mid-major. They should quickly realize what a BCS team looks like when Connecticut meets them in the second round. Good for Georgia, although Dennis Felton looks rather perplexed. You're not the only one, Dennis. Baylor gets a No. 11 and start humping each other. Looks like curtains for Ohio State and Arizona State. The Buckeyes were the one I got wrong. I had them in and South Alabama out. Lunardi got them all correct I think. You win again Mr. Brackets, but we shall battle in the future. Davis makes a Love the Drake joke and I feel rather ashamed we have any similarity in our sense of humor. I like some chalk in the West with Duke v. UCLA and the Bruins taking it down. Pretty solid job by the committee except for the Butler fiasco and all the mid-majors grouped together like some kind of leper colony or something.

6:38 p.m.- Now we get some discourse from Nantz and Packer. This should be good. Packer likes Notre Dame, which makes sense because he loves white people. Packer thinks Davidson is George Mason and leaves it at that. Don't waste to much energy trying to figure out what that means. I'm going to the second round in DC and if I have to watch Duke and West Virginia and deal with those fanbases, I am getting extremely drunk. I am a huge Arizona fan starting Thursday.

6:43 p.m.- They show all the various reactions of teams and it would have been great if they just threw Ohio State's reaction in there for the hell of it. The scene at Drake looked like a Kentucky Derby party.

6:46 p.m.- Tom O'Connor, AD at George Mason, is seated with Packer and Nantz, which is ironic on all kinds of levels. If he and Packer don't come to blows I will be very upset. Packer looks sedated tonight, very disappointing. Maybe he's taking Levitra or something.

Why are they so close on Packer's face? It is ghoulish. Packer delivers a slight rip on the ACC only getting four teams and a slightly indignant O'Connor says he never looked at conference affiliation. Packer poops pants. Arizona State learns its non-conference SOS killed them, but I'm not buying it. So now they go schedule Duke, UNC and Kansas and don't make it because of too many losses next year? Brilliant.

6:51 p.m.- O'Connor waxes poetic on college kids and dreams and that crap. Nantz is in love.

6:53 p.m.- Packer likes Kansas and North Carolina, specifically Sherron Collins and Danny Green as X-factors. This is actually rational and I am displeased. Davis calls out Virginia Tech's imbalanced schedule and this is also rational. This is no fun. Kellogg then becomes an idiot and all is well. He picks all No. 1 seeds. You gotta be kidding me. Clark likes three No. 5 seeds as sleepers, which is cowardly. Seth likes some double-digit teams and UCLA as the champ. Him and I are far too like-minded for me. Gumbel is incredulous that Seth likes double-digit teams as sleepers, which makes all kinds of sense in all the wrong ways.

7:00 p.m.- OK, we're done here. Pretty boring, no fireworks, no egregious snubs. I would say Butler should be the most pissed fanbase in America, though. Now it's time to figure out how to fill out this damn thing and, more importantly, how to piss off Duke fans in DC next weekend.

Bracketology, Just Because: Final Edition

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:22:00 +0000

It's Judgment Day, Joey Brackets. Will your precious Jaguars survive? May the best bracketologist win.

In the edict for those of us on the Intertubes that use words to describe college basketball in informed (hopefully) and entertaining (rarely) ways, the right to create a bracket is indelible. It's right there with making fun of Dick Vitale and finding Erin Andrews attractive in the "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness" portion of our Constitution. And even though you can go basically anywhere else to get one of these bad boys (including here, here, here and here), I'm going to post my projected bracket every Tuesday and Friday until Selection Sunday anyway, with each including a extra special bonus*: a profile of a Bubble team or two.
*bonus may not be extra or special

Since it's basically impossible to post an entire bracket in a Blogger post without burning the retinas of readers, you can check it out in beautiful yet annoying spreadsheet form by clicking the link below. (Hypothetical conference champs, the yellow cells, based on conference tourney seedings; confirmed auto-bids in teal or whatever that is).

Bracketology, March 16, 5:45: FINAL EDITION
Bracketology, March 16, 5:10
Bracketology, March 16, 4:30

Last Four In:
St. Joe's
Ohio State
Arizona State
Villanova
First Four Out:
South Alabama
Virginia Tech
Illinois State
Massachusetts

No Bubble profiles today, it's a bit too late for that. But I'll be doing some updates to chronicle any changes that might be needed as a result of these last conference championship games.

5:40 p.m. Eastern- Georgia wins and many are pissed. Actually, this is a completely unreal story and one that should be embraced. All the turmoil the Bulldogs have been through, Dennis Felton's job being on the line and the weirdness that was the SEC Tournament; you can't help but root for them. But don't tell Villanova and Arizona State fans that. The win knocks the Sun Devils out of my bracket, even though I think they should definitely be in. But I'm trying to get this thing correct, so I gotta do it. Georgia is a No. 13, Western Kentucky moves up and that link there is my final Bracket of the season (thank God). Let's see how it measures up and enjoy some damn Madness already.

5:10 p.m. Eastern- Kansas is your Big 12 champ and No. 1 seed in the Midwest after a thrilling win over Texas. Both teams look like legit Final Four squads and possible title contenders. Wisconsin is going to beat Illinois pretty handily and could make a case for a No. 2 seed, over either Georgetown or Duke. The Blue Devils beat the Badgers though, so it'll probably come down to them and the Hoyas. As much as I hate Georgetown, I think they deserve that spot for winning the regular season of a league that might have seven teams in the top 30 seeds of the Tournament. Georgia is up 10 right now with 6:30 left. So I think they are going to knock out Nova or Arizona State. My heart says Nova, but in the interest of having an accurate bracket for future boasting and self-promotional opportunities (read: I'm a dick), I'll probably drop the Sun Devils out. This will be a heartbreaking thing to do, but this Bracketology business is not for the timid. The Bulldogs would probably be a No. 13 seed, with San Diego or Western Kentucky moving up to the 12-line.

4:36 p.m. Eastern- The winner of Texas and Kansas will be my fourth No. 1 seed. If Georgia wins, and it is up 10 at half right now, Villanova and Arizona State are the two teams that should be worried. I personally think the Sun Devils should be in by virtue of their top 50 record, but they would be the lowest RPI to ever get an at-large bid (since RPI was invented by some black-souled antagonist) so that spot might be more perilous than I consider it. I would put Nova out first, but it's pretty close. Also, the committee probably likes South Alabama more than me and I think that is the one team that will be included that I don't have. And Virginia Tech might have played UNC close, but tons of other teams have narrowly missed big wins so I'm not sure why that one should matter more. Otherwise, I'm not seeing what's so tough this year; all the league tournaments have kinda sorted things out. I don't see how you could make a case for any of those squads besides South Alabama over the ones I have. But surely someone in the Committee will and much angst will result. The funny thing is that with all the Bubble nonsense, Kansas and Texas are playing one of the better games of the year right now, and hopefully that will shift the focus to, you know, the teams that actually matter, leading up to the Selection Show. We'll see what happens this afternoon and I'll have a final bracket to see how it compares to the real thing and all the other Bracketologists out there. And I'll be doing a log (not a live blog) of the Selection Show so look for that.

Previous Bubble Profiles:
March 14, Villanova and Virginia Tech
March 13, South Alabama and Illinois State
March 11, Arizona State and Mississippi
March 7, Ohio State and Florida
March 4, Maryland and New Mexico
February 29, St. Joe's and Kentucky
February 26, Rhode Island and UAB

The Day Where Everything Becomes Good Again

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Today, as you might have heard, is Selection Sunday. That means a lot of things. On the one hand it's the end of the year for many teams, including my favorite one, and the end of a great week of basketball. On the other, it's the end of tedious Bubble talk (when most of these teams won't win a game anyway), seeding debates and Who's Hot/Who's Not type nonsense. The field will be set, with only the games to be played. No more debate, no more speculation. Just lots of basketball, lots of madness (get it?! get it?!), very little workplace productivity and one champ.

... Oh, and upsets, ripped brackets, wild scenarios that will win you money, bullshit excuses to take off work, eating gross food, drinking cheap beer, making fun of Billy Packer, lots of this man (thankfully more this year), wondering how Greg Gumbel's head fits on screen, wondering how Seth Davis got his job, sitting in The Spot You Can't Get Out Of on my couch and not getting out of it, relegating all conversations strictly to basketball, putting my laptop on top of the TV and playing the March Madness On Demand in full screen in some kind of sad, pathetic sports bar attempt, explaining this to people that are disgusted by such acts, actually attending the second round games in DC, scheduling my life around the games, wishing I was still in college and probably not writing nearly enough on this blog due to laziness/lack of sobriety/wanting to just enjoy the greatest time of the year celebrating the greatest game in the greatest sporting even known to man.

So, yeah it should be pretty sweet.

Bracketology, Just Because: Villanova and Virginia Tech Edition

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:54:00 +0000

The end is near. Mercifully.

In the edict for those of us on the Intertubes that use words to describe college basketball in informed (hopefully) and entertaining (rarely) ways, the right to create a bracket is indelible. It's right there with making fun of Dick Vitale and finding Erin Andrews attractive in the "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness" portion of our Constitution. And even though you can go basically anywhere else to get one of these bad boys (including here, here, here and here), I'm going to post my projected bracket every Tuesday and Friday until Selection Sunday anyway, with each including a extra special bonus*: a profile of a Bubble team or two.
*bonus may not be extra or special

Since it's basically impossible to post an entire bracket in a Blogger post without burning the retinas of readers, you can check it out in beautiful yet annoying spreadsheet form by clicking the link below. (Hypothetical conference champs, the yellow cells, based on conference tourney seedings; confirmed auto-bids in teal or whatever that is).

Bracketology, March 14

OK, so it appears that no one is interested in playing in this little tournament we have coming up here. The only Bubble team that played yesterday and actually won was St. Joe's (if you considered UNLV and West Virginia Bubble teams, they won too), which means the Hawks should be in, win or lose today vs. Xavier, especially after UMass, which they have beaten twice, blew an 18 point second half lead to Charlotte. The result is actually a clearer Bubble, because teams like UAB, Florida, New Mexico and Maryland played themselves completely out of the discussion. A team like Illinois State, which is a fraud, now has new light, because it's probably going to be the only Bubble team to make its conference final. It lost by 30 in that game and has zero wins against the RPI Top 50, but hey, at least they actually beat a basketball team to get there! Yippeee!

True Bubble (in order of security): Baylor, Arkansas, Ohio State, Oregon, Arizona State, St. Joe's, Villanova, South Alabama -- They are in as of this second with Baylor, despite that ugly loss to Colorado, probably being a lock but deserving to be grouped with like-minded mediocrity and South Alabama just waiting to be knocked out. On the outside, you've got: Illinois State, Mississippi, UMass, Virginia Tech, VCU and Temple. Illinois State is first out for me, but probably just dependent on how the Committee compares them to other teams and two teams, Virginia Tech (more on them below) and Temple, with a chance to play their way in. Temple needs to beat Charlotte and at least play the A-10 Final tight with St. Joe's or Xavier to have an at-large chance. So that's 14 teams vying for eight spots, with only four of those teams still playing this week. Can we just make this like a 58 team tournament? I don't want to have to watch any of these teams play basketball anymore.

Bubble Profiles
Previously:
March 13, South Alabama and Illinois State
March 11, Arizona State and Mississippi
March 7, Ohio State and Florida
March 4, Maryland and New Mexico
February 29, St. Joe's and Kentucky
February 26, Rhode Island and UAB

IN: Villanova
Record: 20-12 (9-9 Big East), 4-7 road, 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50, 7-9 vs. Top 100
RPI: 51
Key Wins: George Mason (N), Temple, Pittsburgh, Syracuse (2), West Virginia, Connecticut
Key Losses: NC State, DePaul, Rutgers, St. Joe's, Cincinnati, Georgetown (2)

When that quarterfinal game against Georgetown ended yesterday I think the Cats were out, even with the win in that "play-in" game against Syracuse. But after every damn Bubble team went out and shit the bed, the Cats were given new life. Congratulations (?). There are some solid wins, all of which are at home (of those four road wins, one was in Philly, one was over Syracuse and the other two were against bottom five Big East teams), but some bad losses, all of which were on the road. This is basically a perfect example of how weak the Bubble is this year. A team that basically played its schedule about as adequately it could, with a fairy middle-of-the-road non-conference sked and allowed other teams to lose their way out of the tourney to make room for them. The Cats will certainly be one of those teams that ESPN or CBS has the camera on the whole Selection Show for their reaction to whether they get in, because they are more squarely on the Bubble than any other BCS league team, barely more so than Arizona State and Oregon. For those three teams it will depend on if the Committee is in a mid-major mood this year or a BCS mood this year. By the way, this is the one team I have in that Lunardi has out, which is probably a bad thing for me, because I think he's been clueless this year. I have Illinois State out, he has them safely in. He has South Alabama very safely in, but I don't think they will survive the weekend.

How To Stay/Get In: The chairman of this year's committee is George Mason AD Tom O'Connor and Nova's best OOC win was a pretty decisive win over the Patriots. Jay Wright seems like a man of integrity, but there are some shameful things I can think of, Jay, that might "make sure" O'Connor "remembers" that game./shudders

OUT: Virginia Tech
Record: 18-12 (9-7, ACC), 4-8 road, 0-6 vs. RPI Top 50, 5-9 vs. Top 100
RPI: 59
Key Wins: Maryland (2), seriously that's it
Key Losses: Butler, Gonzaga, Penn State, Richmond, Clemson, Duke, UNC, Miami

Any other year and this team would have zero chance of getting in. But after what happened yesterday, the Hokies have a chance to get into the ACC semis when most other Bubble teams couldn't get past the quarters (or even into the quarters) of lesser leagues. They only had to play the top three and No. 5 (Miami) in the league once each and loss all of them with Sunday's one-point loss at Clemson a heartbreaker that added them to the list of Bubble teams, along with Arizona State and Villanova, that have poor officiating as a big factor in their fate. There are no good wins to speak of here, just an easy in-conference schedule that allowed them to beef up their record on the bottom-feeders in the league and get a fourth place ACC finish that usually means an at-large bid. Virginia Tech did play Butler and Gonzaga tough in a decent OOC schedule but there just isn't a lot to like here. And yet, somehow, a win today might be enough.

How To Stay/Get In: Some will point to today's game against Miami and say if the Hokies win they are in, but I'm not entirely sure. If they win they are right on the Bubble, but still can't really compare to Villanova, Arizona State and Oregon as BCS teams with signature wins. Now if they win and play UNC tough in the semis, you could probably make a case for them to be included over South Alabama, VCU or Illinois State, the three mid-major teams that will be in Bubble consideration, that are also lacking marquee wins. Of course, V-Tech is also going to need Temple to fade away and maybe a similar team like Arkansas, which doesn't have too many great wins, to lose early in the SEC. Or, and this is kinda radical, the Hokies could -- stay with me here -- actually beat a good team like UNC to win their way into the NCAAs. But that's just plain silly.

Friday's Picks: Big East and Pac-10 Semifinals, Patriot Championship

noreply@blogger.com (jtom) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:00:00 +0000

The stars will be out for tonight's battle of LA, USC v. UCLA

Because the best way to feign actual knowledge on a subject is an accurate prediction, I introduce The Picks. Every weekday, Monday-Thursday (hopefully) I will pick the televised games of the night, against the spread of course, and follow the results to see if I actually know something about basketball. The results should be both entertaining (for readers) and soul-crushing (for me). And if I'm wrong, I'll just do what all the TV "experts" do: never bring it up again and avoid all accountability. And since I won't be betting actual money (that often), I win every time!

I'll also be occasionally picking against one of my roommates, Craig, so we can have a rational method of settling all disputes involving rent, household matters, etc.

Wednesday Night: Another two wins for me as Mount St. Mary's beat Sacred Heart (-2) in basically a high school gym with an outstanding atmosphere. And Portland State (-4.5) crushed Northern Arizona, not in a high school gym, at the freaking Rose Garden, where the Blazers play. I love this idea, by the way, I think more of the smaller conferences should have its final in a NBA arena, and give the kids that thrill. PSU gets its first ever bid and will probably be a No. 16 as well.

Patriot League, Colgate at American (-7)- The top-seeded Eagles survived a big scare in the first round when they hung on to beat Holy Cross by two. Colgate, the No. 3 seed, had a similar first-round scare against Lafayette. Actually this entire tournament has been full of excitement (as much excitement as the Patriot League can contain), including the "March Madness Has Begun" moment of the year. This game is on American's home court; the Eagles swept Colgate, have beaten Maryland and played Dayton tough this year. They have an outstanding backcourt, which includes Derrick Mercer, a former guard at St. Anthony's in New Jersey, who was featured in the outstanding book, The Mircale of St. Anthony, by Adrian Wojnarowski, which I recently finished. So I'm kinda rooting for them. These teams will pound the air out of the ball, which favors American's guard play and great three-point shooting. The Eagles have never been in the NCAAs so I suspect that arena, despite the 4:45 starting time will be sufficiently riotous. In a low-possession game it will still be tough to cover seven, though.
The Pick: American

Big East Semis, West Virginia vs. Georgetown (-3)- I continue to think Georgetown is a largely fraudulent team. It needed a record performance shooting threes to hold off Villanova and has had an incredible amount of luck in close games this season (43rd in the country in KenPom's luck rating, which doesn't even account for shitty referees). And on top of that, this entire bracket opened up for them to win this league, get a No. 2 seed... and possibly lose in the second round. Beware of the Hoyas. The problem is, unless they shoot like yesterday, they can't score. Not one player on this team, save for DaJuan Summers, who is only aggressive in about half his games, can create his own shot (although the addition of freshman Chris Wright, who has been hurt should help a lot). They turn it over a decent amount as well and rely very much on their great defense and the hope that the opponent doesn't get hot. That being said, West Virginia has got to be pretty exhausted by now, and as great as Joe Alexander is, the guy can't put a third straight insane game in, especially with Summers hounding him. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mountaineers pull it off, but the fraud of the Hoyas will continue.
The Pick: Georgetown

Big East Semis, Pitt vs. Marquette (-2)- I hate saying it, but Marquette is playing some amazing basketball right now. Defensively the Eagles have always been great but they have some legitimately good scorers now. Dominic James has settled into a non-star role, which is where he belongs, and Jerel McNeal is one of the more underrated players in the country. Add in Lazar Heyward, who came out of nowhere halfway through the season and the newcomer Maurice Acker, who should be a big-time player in this league, and suddenly Marquette is a watchable team, rather than a bricklaying crew. As for Pitt, it's kinda weird; based on its personnel, it looks a lot like a mid-major. An undersized PF at center, a small forward at the other spot and three guards. Of course, the Panthers have really good players, so that helps, but it's still going to be a problem against a team with size and good defenders like Marquette. Sam Young is suddenly good enough to carry a team like Pitt offensively, but I don't think they can score enough with the Eagles' new attack.
The Pick: Marquette

Pac-10 Semis, USC vs. UCLA (-8.5)- This should be a really great game at Staples. Good thing it's not on TV here, if I watched it, it would make every other game unenjoyable because it couldn't live up to UCLA-USC. Yeah, that's it.... shit.... Anyway, everyone knows these teams split the regular season series, and both teams are probably playing their best basketball of the season. All the stars are going to be there (I heard Gary Busey was showing up!) and I've gotta think both Love and Mayo are going to try and go crazy. It's probably not worth analyzing this one because it will be a defensive slugfest with only the incredible individual talent on the floor providing any baskets (basically like most Pac-10 games). These games are rarely decided on Xs and Os, just who can make shots and not crumble under the intensity. That's a big line for this series, and while UCLA will win, it won't run away with it.
The Pick: USC

Pac-10 Semis, Washington State vs. Stanford (-2)- I got to actually watch one of the Pac-10 quarters last night, the Cardinal's win over Arizona, and continue to think Stanford is a Final Four team. The whole offense revolves around dumping it down to a Lopez and watching as good things happen. They either score, draw a double and pass to the open man, get fouled or miss and one of the kamikaze glass-crashers from the perimeter gets a put-back. The thing about Brook is that he is still really unpolished as a scorer and yet catching the ball and immediately turning and shooting, no matter how many defenders are on him, is enough to score 20 a game because of his amazing touch and skill. The Cougars don't have the athleticism on the inside to stop these two guys (Robin is vastly improved on the offensive end), which is probably why the Cardinal swept Wazzou in two close games this year. But, I still question if Stanford's perimeter players can provide enough scoring and open shotmaking for the Cardinal to beat really good teams, even if the Lopez twins go off. And against a tenacious Cougar perimeter D, buckets will be hard to come by. It's really tough to beat a team of Washington State's caliber three times in a season. This will be a one or two possession game.
The Pick: Washington State

Championship Week Record: 11-2
Overall Record: 66-46-4
Regular Season Record: 55-44-4

ACC: 6-10
Big 12: 6-10-2
Big East: 17-6-1
Big Ten: 8-7
SEC: 5-4
Pac-10: 1-0
Missouri Valley: 2-0
West Coast: 6-1
Big West: 0-1
CAA: 0-1
Horizon: 0-0-1
A-10: 2-3
SoCon: 1-0
MAC: 0-1
Non-Conf: 1-0