Quick Hits: Barkley, Big Brown, Lottery . . . Oh, And Some Fighting

"Sir Charles" announced on TNT last night that he's through with gambling . . . for now. Barkley wouldn't commit to quitting for life, but said he won't gamble for the next 1-2 years. This came after a controversy surrounding an outstanding casino debt. I've always liked Barkley (especially as a TV personality), but his numerous failed diets have demonstrated his lack of will power, and I don't see how this scenario will end with different results.

Big Brown is one win away from the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. While the tragedy at the Derby put a damper on Big Brown's performance in Kentucky, nothing could detract from his dominating performance at the Preakness.

When Jannero Pargo missed a wide open 3 from the corner with about 1 minute remaining, I could feel the 2008 playoffs losing some if their luster. Sure, the Lakers and Celtics are still alive, and this is seemingly the matchup everyone is pining for. But, on the flip side, there's Detroit and San Antonio. Should the Pistons and Spurs win their series', we will get a rematch of the most boring 7 games in playoff history (also known as the 2005 NBA Finals)

The NBA Draft Lottery takes place tonight (followed by game 1 of the Eastern Finals) @ 7:30 on ESPN. I hear Jay-Z's representing the Nets . . . why should we care?

This Saturday it's a battle pitting Hawaiian Pride vs. 'Roid Rage, as BJ Penn takes on Sean Sherk for the UFC Lightweight Championship. The "Ill Will" card also features Wanderlei Silva squaring off aginst Keith Jardine, and Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida.

Also this Saturday, Ricky Hatton (43-1) returns to action against Juan Lazcano (37-4-1). Lazcano should challenge Hatton, but don't expect any upsets. Lazcano would have to KO Ricky to get a win in the UK, and i don't see that happening. Hatton by TKO Rd. 10.

How The Carousel Turns

Avery Johnson was fired, Pat Riley retired, Larry Brown will coach the Bobcats, Scott Skiles will coach Milwaukee, and it appears Mike D'Antoni may be on his way out of Phoenix. If you haven't already picked up on it, the coaching carousel is in motion. What moves might we see, come this off-season?

New Jersey Nets - Lawrence Frank (OUT), Rick Carlisle (IN)
Carlisle is on the list of candidates in Dallas and Chicago, but with bigger name coaches out there, I think he'll lose out for those two positions. Lawrence Frank has run his course in New Jersey, and Carlisle would be a low risk replacement. For the record, I certainly don't think Carlisle will do any better than Frank in New Jersey.

New York Knicks - Isiah Thomas (OUT), Mark Jackson (IN)
Isiah's already been canned (finally), and Mark Jackson is the front runner for the vacant spot. The availability of Avery Johnson and D'Antoni has the possibility to create some competition in the Big Apple, but in the end Mark Jackson is the best fit in NY.

Toronto - Sam Mitchell
If the Raptors want Avery Johnson, I think he'll be available to go to Toronto. But, Avery wouldn't be a huge upgrade over Sam Mitchell. The Raptors are still building, and should give Mitchell one more year to improve his team's playoff performance.

Chicago - Jim Boylan (OUT), Mike D'Antoni (IN)
Boylan's already been fired, and the coaching search is on. "The Bulls' list of coaching candidates is expected to include Jeff Van Gundy, Rick Carlisle, Terry Porter, Mike Fratello and Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau." (USA Today). Those are all decent prospects, but D'Antoni's fast break style could turn the "Baby Bulls" into the Suns of the East (except, in the East, being the Suns can get you to the NBA Finals).

Detroit - Flip Saunders (OUT), Bill Laimbeer (IN)
This may sound a little bizarre, and maybe it is. If Detroit doesn't make it to the finals this year, I don't see Flip Saunders making it to next season. Bill Laimbeer has accomplished all he can in the WNBA and would be the guy to bring back the defense first attitude that made Detroit such a good team to begin with.

Denver - George Karl (OUT), Del Harris (IN)
Harris was widely regarded as the best assistant coach in the league while with the Mavericks, and would bring a solid defensive philosophy to Denver. There's no question, the Nuggets have character issues. Harris brings a more disciplined approach, and the experience necessary to gain the respect of 'Melo, AI, and K-Mart.

Phoenix Suns - Mike D'Antoni (OUT), Mike Fratello (IN)
I'm not sold on Fratello, but he would make sense in Phoenix. He would improve the Suns defense, without killing their fast break. Fratello should also be able to come up with a better game plan to utilize Shaq and Amare together.

Dallas - Avery Johnson (OUT), Jeff Van Gundy (IN)
Van Gundy is a veteran coach that can teach defense, which Dallas sorely needs. I can see Van Gundy and Cuban hitting it off during the interview process. I don't think Dallas will win a championship until they make some serious personnel changes, but Van Gundy is a solid choice.

If Avery Johnson remains available, teams like Minnesota, Memphis, Portland, and Seattle would be foolish not to pursue him. He's a young coach, with a lot of potential to get even better. He would be just what the doctor ordered for a team trying to rebuild.

NBA Playoffs Update

I can't believe the Hawks and Celtics are tied 2-2. It's been an eventful series filled with gang signs and possible suspensions. Don't listen to the hype, you be the judge. Is this Paul Pierce throwing up an Inglewood blood sign?


Now, on to the possible suspensions. Marvin Williams (Atlanta) and Kendrick Perkins (Boston) both stepped a foot on the court during the game 4 skirmish. I for one, don't feel that either player should be suspended.

Kevin Garnett shoved Referee Eddie Rush, while Rush was trying to restrain KG. Shoving a referee during a may lay is dangerous territory. If the NBA doesn't suspend Garnett, they are opening up a dangerous can of worms. The NBA would essentially be stripping the referees of their power to break up confrontations or brawls. If roles had been reversed and Zaza Pachulia pushed an official, I guarantee a suspension would be handed down. Let's see if the same holds true for superstar, Kevin Garnett.




I seriously underestimated the lower seeds in the East. Philly and Detroit are tied 2-2, and Philadelphia is extremely entertaining to watch. The Sixers hustle, run the fast break, and have the best motion offense I've seen in the NBA. Watch closely in game 5, there is constant motion, with great utilization of the back door cut.

Philadelphia is exposing Detroit in this series. I still think Detroit will pull it out, but they're showing that they don't have what it takes to reach the Finals this year. The Pistons are aging, and seem to lack the desire needed to be successful in the playoffs. It wouldn't shock me to see Detroit go out in round 2.

All season long we heard about how competitive the West was, and how the East only had Boston and Detroit. Meanwhile, Boston and Detroit are locked into serious battles, while in the West the Lakers have swept Denver, and the Spurs, Jazz, and Hornets have cruised to 3-1 series leads. Looks like the West wasn't as balanced as we all thought.

Are the Wizards still running their mouths about LeBron? Really? Even down 3-1? Here's a link to Brendan Haywood's comments on LBJ's "whining" over rough play.

Did anyone else notice the horrendous officiating in game 4 of the Rockets/Jazz series. Luckily the poor officiating didn't determine the outcome, but I haven't seen so many missed calls late in a playoff game since the referees flat out cheated for the Lakers during the Kobe/Shaq era.

The Suns fizzling out has been very disappointing. This was shaping up to be a great series before Phoenix blew 2 big leads in San Antonio. If the Suns can pull out a win tonight, at least this will turn in to a legitimate series.

Riley Retires, But for How Long?

Pat Riley stepped down as coach of the Miami Heat on Monday . . . again! Erik Spoelstra has been named the new head coach. At 37 years old, Spoelstra is the NBA's youngest coach. The Heat assistants (McAdoo, Rothstein, Askins) are expected to stay with the team.

Riley will remain the team President. But the real question is, will he remain retired from coaching?

"I am definitely sure that I don't want to do this anymore," Riley Said.

I wish I could believe that, but his past brings clouds of doubt. With that said, I don't believe he'll be back as the head coach of the Heat. Spoelstra is a young coach, and Riley is showing great faith in him, giving him the job of rebuilding the franchise with Wade, Marion, and their upcoming draft pick. The heat (pun intended) Riley would receive if he came back again would be unbelievable, and unless Spoelstra bombs, Pat would disrupt the rebuilding process if he returns. Riley's done in Miami, but I won't count out the possibility that he'll coach again with another team.

Spoelstra is just what the doctor ordered for the rebuilding Heat. He's young, energetic, and brings a positive attitude that Pat Riley lacked.

Call me an optimist, but Miami can be a playoff team next year. Sure, coming off a 15-67 season doesn't breed confidence, but the reality is; Miami completely tanked it at the mid-way point. There's no reason a trio of Wade, Marion, and Beasley (if those ping pong balls fall right) can't lead the Heat to a playoff spot in the East. Combine that trio with Haslem (yes he's small to play C), a new PG, and a run and gun style and the Heat will not only be competitive, they will be fun to watch again.

Click here to read more about Pat Riley's retirement.

Phoenix Suns - Time For a Change

During game 3 of the Suns/Spurs series, the ESPN announce team laid into Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic for writing this article.

In summation, Bickley claims that D'Antoni has failed to develop the Suns bench, lacks the personality to control an NBA team, and fails to make the necessary mid-game adjustments needed to be successful (especially in the Playoffs). Fans are unhappy, and Bickley feels that D'Antoni is on the "hot seat".

The crew from ESPN - specifically Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy - jumped all over this idea of Phoenix wanting to send D'Antoni out of town, going so far as to call the idea "ridiculous". While I didn't necessarily enjoy Bickley's article, or find it especially insightful, the idea of a possible coaching change isn't far fetched.

Why do former players and coaches generally refuse to make negative comments about current NBA coaches? D'Antoni has failed to get the Suns over the hump and deserves criticism for his shortcomings as a head coach. Hey, Mark and Jeff, you're being paid as basketball analysts . . . objectively analyze something!

Here's the facts:

D'Antoni has coached 4 full seasons (and part of the 2003-2004 season) with a very talented group of players. In 2005 the Suns lost to the Spurs 4-1 in the Conference finals, in 2006 Phoenix was again eliminated in the conference finals - this time by Dallas 4-2. In 2007 they took a step backwards, losing to the Spurs 4-2 in the 2nd round. Now, after gambling the future on Shaquille O'Neal (Steve Kerr, you're seat may be warm too), they are 1 game away from being swept in the 1st round and eliminated by San Antonio yet again.

Jackson and Van Gundy claim D'Antoni is an "offensive genius". Call me cynical, but it doesn't take a genius to get scoring output from Nash (2004-Present), Shawn Marion (2003-2008), Leandro Barbosa (2003-Present), Amare Stoudemire (2003-Present), or Joe Johnson (2003-2005).

The Suns have failed to address the following issues for the past 4 years:

Phoenix is soft, they don't hustle to loose balls, they don't fight on the boards, they can't play defense, and they're mentally fragile. Is it all Mike's fault? . . . Absolutely not. But, either a major roster overhaul is needed (which will be close to impossible with current contract situations), or it's time for a coaching change. Can anyone envision the Suns winning a championship next year with D'Antoni coaching a core of Shaq, Nash, Stoudemire, Barbosa, Bell, Diaw, and Hill?

Is the seat on fire yet, or is it that Arizona sun burning your ass?

Quick Hits: NBA Playoffs

I couldn't have been more wrong on the Rockets. This series is once again proving that the regular season is . . . the regular season, and it doesn't mean anything come playoff time.

Love him or hate him, LeBron probably isn't as overrated as Deshawn Stevenson thought. Oh, and Deshawn, as much as you probably wish you were invisible right now, we still see you. Taunting when down by 20 really shows a person's true character . . . and you clearly have none.

Why do the "experts" have Cleveland winning in 6 or 7? They've eliminated the Wiz the past 2 years, and this time Gilbert Arenas is nowhere near 100%, and the King is extremely motivated. I will be stunned if this series makes it to game 6.

Could the Eastern Conference 1st round be any worse? It's an absolute lock that all the top seeds will advance. The only thing even remotely interesting, is how big of a scare can the Sixers give the Pistons? I'd rather watch the NHL playoffs . . . almost.

Philadelphia and Atlanta are in the Playoffs, while the Heat are crossing their fingers for a #1 draft pick. That's a statement I never would've anticipated making heading into this season.

Tim Duncan . . . for 3?

Chris Paul is a one man show. There are better scorers, but no one carries their team the way CP3 does. The ball is always in his hands and nothing positive happens, unless he orchestrates it. He's more fun to watch than J-Will in Sacramento, and that's saying a lot.

Sixers Shock Detroit . . . and Me

Yes, it's only one game, but the 76ers game 1 win over Detroit was a shocker. The Pistons failed to capitalize on numerous late game opportunities after blowing a 15 point lead. Philly didn't do anything particularly well. They shot 43%, had 12 turnovers, and survived Andre Iguodala's missed throws down the stretch. It's this lack of spectacular play that makes this game even more remarkable.

To set the record straight, I thought the Sixers would get swept. If I were to envision a scenario where they would win a game, Sunday's performance was not what I would have pictured.

Detroit looked like the same overconfident, disinterested team that lost to Cleveland in last year's playoffs. I'm still 100%, absolutely, positively, sure Detroit will make it out of round 1, but unless they get focused real quick, they will be ripe for a 2nd round ousting.

Chris Paul: Can He Really Be THAT Good?

If you happened to be watching New Orleans' game 1 victory over the Mavs on Saturday, you witnessed one of the greatest playoff debuts in the history of the NBA. CP3 finished with 35 points, 10 assists, and 4 steals, and more importantly, he led his team to a 104-92 victory.

If you weren't a believer in #3 before Saturday night, what in the world is stopping you now?

There's still a long way to go in this series, and only time will tell if Paul can lead his team to the 2nd round. But, one thing is certain, his performance Saturday will remain memorable, no matter the outcome of the series.

CP3 for MVP

NBA Playoffs Round 1

Western Conference

(1) LA Lakers
(8) Denver Nuggets
Denver is dangerous, but I can't see them winning more than 1 game in LA, and I know they won't hold home court. When Melo and AI are hot they'll steal a couple games, and when they're cold they'll get blown out.

LA Lakers 4-2

(4) Utah Jazz
(5) Houston Rockets
T-Mac's notorious for not getting the job done come playoff time. Will things be different this time around without Yao? Call me crazy, but I'm going with Houston. I expect this to be the most closely contested first round series.

Houston Rockets 4-3

(3) San Antonio Spurs
(6) Phoenix Suns
Phoenix took a huge gamble when dealing for Shaquille. The team has slowly started to mesh and build chemistry. Shaq will neutralize Tim Duncan just enough, and Nash will out play Tony Parker.

Phoenix Suns 4-3

(2) N.O. Hornets
(7) Dallas Mavericks
I've never felt so uneasy about a 2 seed. I'd love to see New Orleans move on because they play an exciting style of basketball, and CP3 is always fun to watch . . . But, Dallas has too many weapons. These teams held home court during the regular season, but Dallas will steal one of the first 2 and go on to win the series.

Dallas Mavericks 4-2

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics
(8) Atlanta Hawks
Boston's a legit team and Atlanta stinks. It's an embarrassment that a team this bad is actually in the playoffs. Boston could get lazy and blow one game, but I doubt it.

Boston Celtics 4-0

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers
(5) Washington Wizards
Cleveland, specifically LeBron, seems motivated for this series. As much as the Wiz don't want to believe it, they'll be ousted for the 3rd straight year by the Cavs.

Cleveland 4-1

(3) Orlando Magic
(6) Toronto Raptors
This will be a highly competitive series. Look for plenty of offense, with the winning team scoring over 100 in each game. Home court will be served, with Orlando winning game 7 at the Amway Arena.

Orlando Magic 4-3

(2) Detroit Pistons
(7) Philadelphia 76ers
Just like Atlanta, Philly should not be in the post season. Detroit will end this quick, and be the 2nd Eastern Conference team to sweep in the 1st round.

Detroit 4-0

World Record Slam Dunk

This is an older video, but I just came across it. I'd love to know how many people came close to killing themselves attempting a similar dunk.

Was It Worth It?

14 wins
48 games back from 1st in the East
8 home wins
1-26 over a 27 game stretch

Listed above, are just a few of the many lowlights of this 2008 Season. Pat Riley has passed on coaching actual games to scout NBA prospects, Miami hasn't even attempted to win a game in the last few months. Riley shut D. Wade down for the year, sidelined Shawn Marion, Jason Williams and Udonis Haslem with various "injuries", and gave minutes to Earl Barron, Joel Anthony, and Bobby Jones (These 3 combined to shoot 2 for 20 during the Heat's 96-54 loss to the Raptors in March). Could it be any more obvious that Miami has been tanking on purpose? Atleast try to disguise it a little bit.

With all that said, this torturous season could have a light at the end of the dark (very dark) tunnel. Miami is in prime position to get either the #1 or #2 pick in the NBA draft. Should the Heat land in the top 2, they will take Beasley (at #1) or Derrick Rose (at #2). Each player has huge upside, and I don't see Miami going wrong with either pick.

Should Miami fall to #3 the smart selection lies with Brook Lopez. While Lopez won't achieve the same level of NBA success as Beasley or Rose, I see him being a solid NBA center (think Chris Kaman).

Now here's where the trouble begins. God forbid the ping pong balls slot the Heat at #4. Sure, they could get lucky and still land Stanford's Lopez at the 4 spot, but it's unlikely. That would leave Miami to chose between OJ Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, and Eric Gordon. Danilo Gallinari may deserve some consideration here, but he's European, so that immediately eliminates him from Riley's draft board.

OJ Mayo doesn't make much sense, considering they have Wade and Marion at the 2 and 3, and Mayo can't play the point. The same can be said for Eric Gordon. This leaves Jerryd Bayless. I don't claim to speak or all Miami fans, but a shoot first point guard wasn't exactly what I had in mind when looking at a 14 win season.

The year's already a complete disaster. The only consolation prize will come with one of the top 3 picks. A #4 selection will surely drive Riley into retirement and slow the rebuilding process even further.

NBA Draft - Confirmed Early Entries

Darren Collison (6-1, 170, PG, UCLA, Jr)
Kevin Love (6-9, 260, PF, UCLA, Fr)
Eric Gordon (6-4, 220, SG, Indiana, Fr)
Marreese Speights (6-10, 250, PF, Florida, So)
Chase Budinger (6-7, 215, SG, Arizona, So)
Anthony Randolph (6-10, 200, SF, LSU, Fr)
Donte Green (6-10, 226, SF, Syracuse, Fr)
Ryan Anderson (6-10, 235, F, California, So )
Jerryd Bayless (6-3, 182, PG, Arizona, Fr)
Derrick Caracter (6-8, 260, PF, Louisville, So)
Earl Clark (6-8, 220, SF, Louisville, So)
Richard Hendrix (6-8, 260, PF, Lousiville, So)
JJ Hickson (6-9, 235, PF, NC State, Fr)
Lester Hudson (6-3, 190, PG, UT-Martin, Jr)
Brook Lopez (7-0, 260, C, Stanford, So)
Robin Lopez (7-0, 255, C, Stanford, So)
Javale McGee (7-0, 237, C Nevada, So)
Ronald Steele (6-2, 185, PG, Alabama, RSSr)
Robert Vaden (6-5, 224, SG, UAB, Jr)
Shawn James (6-10, 225, PF, Duquesne, Jr)

Who's Making a Mistake

Marreese Speights - The stats look decent (14.5 PPG, 8.1 REB) and Marreese has the frame to play in the league, but Speights is not NBA ready. He averaged only 24.3 minutes per game due to poor conditioning, which doesn't say much about his work ethic. His demeanor on the floor doesn't impress me, and he is prone to turnover trouble at times. This jump has disaster written all over it.

Derrick Caracter - Unbelievable! Scored in double figures only once in his last 14 games, and averaged only 17 minutes per game. I don't see much upside in Caracter, as he is already fully developed physically. I feel sorry for any team who gambles on this pick (it'll probably be Miami)

JJ Hickson - He's long, athletic, and a decent scorer (sounds good so far). I question his mental toughness, and ability to take the punishment of an entire NBA season. Of all the players on my list of busts, I see the most potential for success in Hickson.

Robert Vaden - Volume shooters from average teams rarely materialize into successes in the NBA. Vaden can score, but will see a different level of defense as a pro. Vaden is not a great passer or rebounder. I can't see a one dimensional scorer of his caliber being anything other than a bust.

Ronald Steele - Steele is presently just "testing the water" and does not plan to hire an agent. This is a very smart move on his part. He has shown no signs of being ready for the draft. If an agent gets ahold of this kid and somehow convinces him to sign, it will be the biggest mistake Steele could make.

Richard Hendrix - There is potential here, but one more year could do wonders for Hendrix. He's statistically improved in all of his 3 seasons, and I see no reason why that trent wouldn't continue into his senior season. Hendrix can develop into something if he finds the right situation, but I feel like he's taking a big gamble by coming out now.

How It Should Have Ended

Kansas had proved me wrong all tournament, why would I have thought things would be any different late in the 4th quarter on Monday night?

Memphis up 9 with under 2 minutes to go felt like a lock, but Kansas stormed back. The furious comeback was capped by Mario Chalmers 3 point shot, which tied the game with only 2 seconds left.

Now on to the real story, no not the OT win by the Jayhawks, but the strategy employed by Memphis at the end of regulation. There were two controversial subjects: No. 1, should Memphis have called a timeout after hitting the FT to go up by 3? And, No. 2, should Memphis have fouled to prevent Chalmers' game tying 3?

The answer to both questions is . . . YES!

This was the National Championship. You don't take chances on this stage.

The timeout is probably the more controversial of the two topics. Kansas was out of TO's and calling one would give them a chance to draw up a play. However, people that are using this argument are forgetting one key point. Memphis was not going to allow Kansas to get off a shot! The Tigers should've used their timeout and made it clear to all players that they were to foul when the ball was near the half line.

Calipari claims they were trying to foul, but I'm not sure I'm buying it. I believe that he wanted his players to foul, but It didn't appear that a single player on the floor for Memphis got that message.

It hurts me to say it, because I like Calipari as a coach, but he simply blew it. Combine the coaching error with horrendous foul shooting down the stretch, and it equals a monumental meltdown that will be remembered forever by fans of both the Tigers and Jayhawks.

Then There Were Two

The Final 4 was cut in half on Saturday night, and I'll be the first to admit, I could not have been more wrong about Kansas. I gave the Jayhawks very little respect heading into the tournament, and gave them even less going into Saturday's game against the Tar Heels. Much to my surprise, Kansas proved to be quicker, bigger, stronger, and much better defensively.

With approximately 7 minutes left in the first half, Billy Packer declared the game "over". This rubbed me the wrong way, much like a lot of what comes out of Packer's mouth. However, his assessment held true, even with a Carolina rally narrowing the lead down to 4 midway through the 2nd half.

Hansbrough was held in check, Ty Lawson didn't show up, and UNC shot only 36% from the field.

In the early game, Memphis' guards (Rose and CDR combined for 53 points) outplayed UCLA's duo of Collison and Westbrook. Darren Collison was especially shaky, fouling out with only 2 points, and 5 turnovers (compared to only 4 assists).

What can be taken away from Saturday night's showdowns?

• Memphis is even more athletic than I previously thought. This was evident in the way they blew by the defensive minded Bruins for a number of easy layups.
• Memphis looked sharp at the foul line, hitting 20 for 23 against UCLA.
• Kansas' mauling of the Heels makes Davidson's performance even more impressive.
• While I'm not a huge fan of either Memphis or Kansas, Monday's championship should be fast paced and intense.
• Note to North Carolina: When you reach the Final 4, you need to come ready to play from the opening tip. It's a shame that they wasted this opportunity by coming out so lethargic.
  

AP Player of the Year Announced . . . What a Joke!

First off, I have no problem with Tyler Hansbrough being named player of the year by the AP. He's the best player on one of the top 4 teams in the country. He consistently brings his best night in and night out. He scores, rebounds, defends, and hustles. I don't care who the best NBA prospect is, I care about who is the best college basketball player this season. With that as the primary criteria, I don't see how anyone can have too much of issue with Hansbrough's selection.

Ok, now on to my gripe. Only 3 players received votes for the award . . . that's right, only THREE! Psycho T received 56, Michael Beasley brought in 15 votes, and Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts got one vote.

The lopsided favoritism showed towards Hansbrough and Beasley is just another example of how little credibility the AP has when it comes to handing out awards and top 25 polling.

CDR with 1 vote? No votes for Kevin Love? No votes for Stephen Curry? No votes for Brook Lopez or DJ Augustin? Call me a cynic, but something tells me these voters got a little caught up in the hype.

Memphis Suspends Allen

5'10 PG, Andre Allen has been suspended for the Final Four due to a failed drug test. Allen plays about 14 minutes per game for the Tigers and is averaging 3 points and 2 assists per game.


First off, what a disappointing way for a senior to end his career. Memphis is on the brink of a national championship, with Allen playing an important role in their run to the Final 4. I wonder if the "high" was worth it?

Second, will this affect Memphis' chances in San Antonio? With Allen out, the Tigers rotation will be altered. If Derrick Rose gets into foul trouble, difficulties could arise. But . . .

Memphis has incredible athleticism, and plays a style of offense that doesn't require a traditional point guard. It's these two issues that lead me to believe Allen's absence will not be a determining factor in San Antonio.

Curry Will Return For Junior Season

LINK TO ESPN STORY

Kansas Provides the Kryptonite

I refuse to use any Cinderella references when referring to Davidson. They proved they belonged on this stage. Stephen Curry shot a pedestrian 9 for 25, and yet the Wildcats had a shot to win the game at the buzzer.

Davidson's defense kept them alive, forcing 13 turnovers and holding the Jayhawks to 59 total points.

In the end the Wildcats shot themselves in the foot, shooting 5 for 12 from the foul line. Couple that with Curry's cold streak late in the 2nd half, and it was too much to overcome.

The "White Lobster" did his part to keep the dream alive, scoring 11 points in the 2nd half. In the end though, the Jayhawks were too athletic on the defensive end and forced Davidson out of their comfort zone just enough to pull out the win.

Many, including me mocked the "experts" for predicting four #1 seeds would make it to San Antonio. Well I guess I'm the idiot now.

I'll be crying myself to sleep tonight over this one, and I'll be missing Stephen in the Final 4.

Curry is human after all, Santa's not real, and Elvis really is dead . . . but we'll all dream again next March.

Ladies and Gentlemen . . . My New Hero!

Night 1 of the Sweet 16 provided the mild surprise of Louisville dominating Tennessee. But . . . Stephen Curry and Davidson has one upped Pitino's squad. Davidson cruised to a 73-56 win over Wisconsin in the first batch of games Friday night. I now find myself strongly routing for Villanova. Could there be anything better than a 10 vs 12 in the Elite 8? OK, I admit it, I'm a sucker for a Cinderella, but if you're not in love with Stephen Curry (I'm man enough to admit it), I'm questioning your basketball fanhood.

Updated Bracket
NY Times on Davidson Upset

Oh So Sweet 16 Preview

We're down to 16 teams, and North Carolina is still my top choice to win it all.

With 25% of the teams remaining from non-power conferences (Memphis, Davidson, Xavier, Western Kentucky), could we see a surprise national champion this year? Cross Memphis off the list of underdogs (being a #1 seed), and eliminate W. Kentucky (there's just no way), and that leaves us with Davidson and Xavier as dark horse selections. Take into account a possible Elite 8 matchup between 10th seeded Davidson and 12th seeded Villanova, and things could get interesting in San Antonio.

Predictions
(1) UNC over (4) Washington State
(3) Louisville over (2) Tennessee
(1) Kansas over (12) Villanova
(10) Davidson over (3) Wisonsin
(1) Memphis over (5) Michigan State
(3) Stanford over (2) Texas
(1) UCLA over (12) W. Kentucky
(7) West Virginia over (3) Xavier