The 2011 NBA Playoff Preview

First of all, props to the Washington Wizards for finishing with the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference..too bad only the top 8 seeds make the playoffs. Secondly, John Wall has predicted the playoffs next season for the Wizards - while I would like for that to happen, with a lockout soon approaching...uhhh yeah.

OK, now onto the playoff matchups - winners in bold

Playoffs?!

Eastern Conference

Bulls (1) vs. Pacers (8)

Storyline: Contrary to what Skip Bayless says, the Bulls didn't "luck into" the best record in the NBA. In what is the most open NBA playoffs since the Spurs beat the Knicks in the lockout shortened 1998-1999 season, the Bulls enter the playoffs on a roll. The starting lineup is deadly and thanks to a string of coaches who have emphasized defense - Scott Skiles, Vinny Del Negro, and now the master, Tom Thibodeau, the defense is absolutely sickening to play against. Noah, Deng, Rose, and even Boozer to an extent all play solid defense, rotate when necessary, and shut down high scoring offenses. But what's really scary about Chicago is that in the last month or so of the season, their offense has picked up considerably.

Cheating on your SAT's is Step 1 to becoming MVP of the NBA

Matchup to Watch: Tyler Hansborough + Josh McRoberts vs. Carlos Boozer

Prediction: 4-2 Bulls

Heat (2) vs. Sixers (7)

Storyline: Everyone outside of Miami/every real fan/everyone with a soul will be rooting for the 76ers, but the biggest storyline of this series is the matchup we were cheated out of - New York vs. Miami...a flashback to the great series of the late 1990s, but with ten times more starpower...but I digress. The Sixers will make the Heat play all 48 minutes in every game, but they simply don't have the starpower to keep up with the Heat. Doug Collins should be a top three candidate for coach of the year and this is with Evan Turner being a disappointing draft pick.

Matchup to Watch: Andre Iguodala vs. Dwayne Wade

Prediction: 4-1 Heat

Celtics (3) vs. Knicks (6)

Storyline: The Knicks roar into this one coming off a late-season seven game winning streak versus a Celtics team that has yet to figure out how to play post-Kendrick Perkins. What Doc Rivers hasn't done is play Jeff Green alongside the big four instead of replacing one of them with Green. If the Celtics play small with Garnett/Rondo/Pierce/Allen/Rondo, I dare anyone to find a team that can guard that starting five. That being said, the chances of that happening are slim to none and I expect the Knicks to pull the surprise of the first round and the playoffs and beat the Celtics. I see Amare and Melo working the pick and pop to perfection and D'Antoni running the Celtics to the ground.

The Savior of Madison Square Garden

Matchup to Watch: Amare Stoudamire vs. Shaquille O'Neal + Jermaine O'Neal + Nenad Krstic

Prediction: 4-3 Knicks

Magic (4) vs. Hawks (5)

Storyline: This is the hardest matchup to predict. The Magic, after blowing up their team during the season and acquiring another new group of three point shooters, are extremely similar to the Magic team that went to the Finals two years ago. Arenas, Richardson x 2, Redick, and Turkoglu have got to produce for Dwight Howard to see less double teams and to keep the Hawks defense honest. Joe Johnson has to prove his worth in the playoffs after signing a larger contract than the big 3 in Miami. (Reason #1 for NBA lockout - Joe Johnson's max contract) The Hawks, with former Wizard Kirk Hinrich, have been tumbling in the second half of the season, but they have beaten the Magic 3 out of 4 times this year.  That's big for a team, especially after being swept by the Magic last year by an average of 20+ points in each game.

Matchup to Watch: Dwight Howard vs. Al Horford + Josh Smith + Zaza Pachulia

Prediction: 4-2 Hawks

Western Conference

Spurs (1) vs. Grizzlies (8)

Storyline: As good as the Grizzlies have played down the stretch, they have no shot against the Spurs. Losing Rudy Gay for the season doesn't help either. (Reason #2 for NBA lockout - Rudy Gay's max contract) Manu won't play in the first game and perhaps more, but it shouldn't matter. The Grizzlies are athletic, young, and good and Zach Randolph has been playing out of his mind and into another contract extension, but the Spurs are too savvy and too veteran tested for this type of team. Look for the Grizzlies to win some accolades for playing hard, but that's about it. I am personally excited to see Greivis Vasquez play in his first NBA playoffs.

The One, the only Greivis Vasquez

Matchup to Watch: Tim Duncan vs. Zach Randolph

Prediction: 4-1 Spurs

Lakers (2) vs. Hornets (7)

Storyline: It's the playoffs, which can mean only one thing - the Lakers will return to playing like champions again. Kobe, coming off of calling someone a word that rhymes with maggot (Reason #3 for NBA lockout - Kobe Bryant being fined $100,000 and Phil Jackson being fined $75,000 for speaking the truth. Maybe David Stern should fine himself for being the antichrist.), is going to be more motivated than ever and I expect his teammates to pick it up along with him, provided the entire team does not come down with Chicken Pox - keep Steve Blake away. The only reason I can see the Hornets stealing a game is if Chris Paul (Reason #4 for NBA lockout - Chris Paul will almost absolutely force his way to New York in two years, which he should not be able to do) absolutely demolishes Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown, which is entirely plausible, but the Lakers have enough star power at other positions to come away quickly with the win in this series, providing enough time for Andrew Bynum to gather additional rest for the second round.

Trade me to Washington for Andray Blatche and a pick!

Matchup to Watch: Chris Paul vs. Derek Fisher + Shannon Brown

Prediction: Lakers 4-0

Mavericks (3) vs. Blazers (6)

Storyline: The Mavericks' window to win a championship is closing...really quickly. Dirk is still a top ten player in the league, but his supporting cast is becoming old very quickly. After this season, the Mavericks have about three starters, which they can count on for the long run - Dirk, Beaubois, and Chandler. It's time to retool after this season. On the other side are the Blazers - the most injury riddled team over their entire history, going back to Bill Walton, Brian Grant, Damon Stoudamire, and now Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. That being said, many people are picking the Blazers especially with LaMarcus Aldridge going from not being voted to the NBA All Star team to a possible All-NBA selection. I just don't see Dirk going down early or easily to the Blazers. The pressure is on the Mavs to not lose in the first round again - three out of the last four times, they've bowed out before the second round.

I don't play in half the games, but I take pictures of my junk.

Matchup to Watch: Dirk Nowitzki vs. LaMarcus Aldridge

Prediction: 4-2 Mavs

Thunder (4) vs. Nuggets (5)

Storyline: I can't believe I am doing this either, but yes, I am picking against the greatness that is Kevin Durant. The Nuggets, since the Carmelo Anthony trade, have been one of the best teams in the league and go 8 deep - Gallinari, JR Smith, Chandler, Martin, Felton, Nene, Lawson, Afflalo. They are the hardest team to guard and don't play much defense either similar to the old-school Nuggets teams of Dan Issel. Perkins adds a whole new dimension to the Thunder, but the Nuggets can negate the Perkins effect by pulling him outside. Durant and Westbrook will get theirs, but the Nuggets have 8 players who can go for 30+ on any night. I expect big things from the Nuggets in the playoffs..big things.

Adarsh's new favorite white player

Matchup to Watch: Ty Lawson + Raymond Felton vs. Russell Westbrook

Prediction: 4-2 Nuggets

Eastern Conference Finals:  Knicks over Bulls 4-3
Western Conference Finals: Lakers over Nuggets 4-1

Finals: Lakers over Knicks 4-2

Singledom: The Normal (less estrogen) Version

(This is in response to the article posted here: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/singledom-its-normal-so-relax/)

I read the article above and I was a hodgepodge of emotions - I didn't know what to think. I thought being single was very clear and defined - either you are extremely depressed that you are single and yearn for someone else or you are elated that you are single and you can't wait to go out and get your mack daddy on.

I once read an issue of Cosmo. I was shocked - SHOCKED - at the garbage that goes into that magazine. Some of the material in there makes Paris Hilton and Snooki look like Nobel Prize candidates. It's even more shocking that so many women buy that crap and swear to it like it's their Bible. The article above states that when men are single, "we brush it off as playing the field." You're damn right, we're playing the field. But tell me, girls don't do that? The so-called noble search for Mr. Right is playing the field, whether you want to admit it or not.

Unlike girls and their so called girls' night, a "guy’s night" is just what it sounds like - a several 30 packs of cheap beer, illegal recreational drugs, a game on TV, video games, and other shenanigans. Never have I ever gone to a guy’s night and dressed up in an Armani shirt and tie hoping that the night eventually lands me in the backseat of my car with some girl. I usually go into these nights with a white tee (now famous for its stains) and jeans and looking to chillax. When did being single become such a burden? Usually, it is being in a relationship which causes problems and strain – I’ve never heard a single guy complaining about how hard life is…I guess girls just have it harder (total sarcasm – I have never had anyone pay for my drink at a bar….or let me into a club for free despite my dashingly handsome looks).

Something single guys share with single girls is the apparent disgust with their friends being single. Instead of guys thinking their friends are condescending or annoying or wondering why their friends deserve such hotter girls than they do, they just wonder about how whipped someone can become within a very time frame. There are very strong undertones of sexism in this response, but I don’t care. If you can extrapolate from what I’ve said in the last several paragraphs, this is what I’m saying – 1. Being single is awesome. 2. Don’t feel sorry for yourself because your friends are not single and you are – instead embrace it. 3. GET PAID, GET LAID.

An Open Letter to.....Everyone?

While living my life last week, surrounded by sports (typical) and The Wire (thank you Arun Reghunathan and Mihir Brahmbhatt - two fine gentleman, not cab drivers or your local 7-11 workers - although my main man at 7-11 is named Balbir...), I got to thinking about the problems of the world. We hear so much speculation through the media, politicians, celebrities,  truckers, homeless guys on the subway, and finally athletes. Enough of the speculation. The world would be a lot better if people took direct action SO I (from the safety of the Internet) am going to write an open letter to those who I feel are running rampant of the World's moral code.

"What the fuck did I do?"

Dear Lebron James,

Why the hell are you complaining about being fouled? You are a physical beast, you get every foul call anyway, and God forbid Maurice Evans doesn't let you barge down the lane untouched for a dunk. Lebron, you are ruining the game for everyone else - first, you ditch Cleveland (can't blame you...Cleveland sucks), second, you team up with Dwayne Wade and Tiddlywinks, third you want Dan Gilbert to open up his arms for your entourage, and finally you don't come out for the starting lineups in Cleveland because you were in the bathroom - THE BATHROOM?! Who goes to the bathroom during the starting lineup presentations?! What are you, five years old?! BRIAN SCALABRINE WOULDN'T DO THAT! Your legacy is just dying every second you live Remember when you said you would win "Not one championship, not two, not three,
not four..."? You were right. You're winning 0.

Crying won't get you championships, Lebron.

Dear John Wall,

I love you. Standing up to Zydraunas Ilgauskas and Juwan Howard - two men who are nearly a foot taller than you just made you the leader of this team for the next 10 years. Let's hope you get some damn pieces around you (Harrison cough Barnes cough) - make it happen Ted Leonsis. Make it happen.

Washington's waiting for you, Harrison.

Dear NCAA,

Don't change anything. Over the last week, everyone has been speculating about what the NCAA needs to do to change system so kids are not getting paid. You know what? 95% (a rough estimate with no mathematical calculations) of the student-athletes are not getting paid. You change the system for 5% (including allegedly four members of the beloved Auburn Tigers), then you are admitting defeat. Don't do it. Keep doling out sanctions and hopefully, someone, someday will get the message.

You are a snitch, Stanley McClover. A snitch.

Dear Shaka Smart,

You're going to be getting offers left and right regardless of whether you win the NCAA tournament. Don't leave VCU. What many people don't know is that you've won with former coach and current Alabama Coach Anthony Grant's players. If you go elsewhere and you find that you can't recruit, you're going to get canned with several years like another predecessor of yours - Jeff Capel. Atleast at VCU, you know they are never going to fire you.

Dear John Calipari,

Please beat Jim Calhoun. I have money on you yet again. You and I share a common bond. I've bet on you more than any other coach in college basketball. Please don't lose yet again in the Final Four. I believe in you. I've got to be like one of your three remaining supporters and make sure this Final Four isn't vacated too.

Dear Brad Stevens,

You've taken a mid-major to two straight final fours. The last person to do this - Jerry Tarkanian of the UNLV Runnin Rebels (Then again, the way UNLV recruited players, it was more like a professional team, not a mid-major). Please don't follow in his footsteps and become the poster boy for NCAA violations. I really hope what you've done over the last two years is as legitimate as you and your program seems. It's the best feel good story in a while. 

JIM CALHOUN           VS.       JOHN CALIPARI

Will Calhoun's Scottish/Irish mob...

or will Calipari's Italian mafia prevail?

 

 

 This Final Four is also the Final Four of Coaches - the biggest stories on each team is the coach. More people know Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart, John Calipari, and Jim Calhoun than they do Matt Howard, Jamie Skeen, Brandon Knight, or Kemba Walker. I hope you will stay at Butler and make them a perennial power - in two years, you have already surpassed what Mark Few has done with Gonzaga for nearly 15 years. Well done.

Going back to the comparison between you and Jerry Tarkanian, I hope you realize what you have done. You have taken completely undertalented teams with only one NBA player (thus far - Shelvin Mack and perhaps Matt Howard might join Gordan Hayward next year) to back to back final fours. Remember, those UNLV teams had Larry Johnson - the #1 overall pick in 1991, Stacey Augmon - perhaps the best college defender of the 1990's and another lottery pick, Greg Anthony - a longtime NBA point guard and yet, another lottery pick, and Anderson Hunt - the 1990 Final Four MVP. If Brad Stevens does not win National Coach of the Year (which he hasn't...thank you tournament choker and Adarsh Kannan Bracket Killer Mike Brey).

Picking between you and Shaka Smart is like taking a prisoner on death row to the playboy mansion for his last conjugal visit...it's a win-win/lose-lose situation. That being said. YOU ARE WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP BUTLER (please let Gus Johnson call this game...please!)

 BRAD STEVENS       VS.       SHAKA SMART

How can you pick between Marissa Miller

and Jenny McCarthy (in her prime)?

   

Dear Mizzou fans,

First you lose to Cincinatti in the first round of the tournament, then Mike Anderson, after saying he wants to stay in Columbia, leaves to Fayetteville, without even attending his press conference and then Matt Painter says yes to you...only to spurn you hours later. Sucks to be you Mizzou basketball. Sucks to be you.

Get used to it Mizzou fans. It ain't over yet.

P.S. Don't even dream about Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart. Kim Anderson (Coach of Central Missouri) is your best bet.

Dear Mahendra Singh Dhoni,

It's a bird, it's a plane....no IT'S DHONI!

Please beat Sri Lanka tomorrow. This is what it's all about. This whole tournament means nothing if India chokes in the Finals again. 2003 has been erased from my memory and so has 2007. It's all about 2011. You won the biggest match in your captaincy against Pakistan under immense pressure and ridiculous circumstances. Great decisions before the match (including one I doubted - dropping Ashwin and picking up Nehra), and during the match as well. Regardless, I'm going to give you my advice anyway and this is the XI, I'd go with tomorrow - 1. Tendulkar, 2. Sehwag, 3. Kohli, 4. Yuvraj, 5. Dhoni, 6. Raina, 7. Pathan, 8. Harbhajan, 9. Zaheer, 10. Sreesanth, 11. Patel.

I replaced Gambhir with Pathan and Nehra with Sreesanth - if Nehra is hurt. Gambhir has not performed at all in this tournament and Pathan would add some punch to a middle order that has badly collapsed in the last several matches, especially in the last ten overs. I also did not choose Ashwin because the Sri Lankans totally destroy spinners, but hey, it's your team (and Kris Srikanth's and Gary Kirsten's and >1 billion Indians, but no pressure).

Finally, I would like to say, please send Misbah-Ul-Haq a box of chocolates or something. I don't think I need to explain why.

P.S. Please ****ing win. You'll get to see model Poonam Pandey naked (what a name...Poonam...)!

Poontang Pandey (just kidding about the Poontang)

Dear potential gamblers,

Do not, under any circumstances, take these picks (they're mine) - unless you have some sadistic urge to lose money.

Semifinals: Butler over VCU, Kentucky over UConn
Finals: Butler over Kentucky - the great white hope lives on.

AND FINALLY, ONE LAST LETTER....

Dear Libyan citizens,

Stop protesting against Ghadafi/Gaddafi/Quaddafi/Khadafi/Jumanji. He is a nice man and has done much good for your country. He doesn't deserve your wrath. He reminds me of Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jesus rolled into one. Respect him as he has done his best for the people of Libya.

A great man and a revolutionary leader. Please don't disrespect him, Libya.

P.S. April Fools! Burn him alive. 
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I'm going to try something new for the three people who read this blog...email me questions at adarsh.kannan90@gmail.com with "dailydarsh" in the subject line. Tell your friends.

The Bound to Go Wrong Sweet 16 and Elite 8 Preview

I'll preface this by saying that I probably had the worst picks in the history of picking games...ever over the first weekend. I am down 8 Sweet 16 teams, 5 Elite 8 teams, 2 Final 4 teams, and my champion - thank you Notre Dame for nothing. Nevertheless, since I did not bet on these games this year - thank god - I am back to picking games because I can.

Will Brad Stevens take over for Bruce Pearl?

The first several rounds were perhaps the most interesting and most absurd in the history of the tournament. I've never seen this many upsets and this many close games. Every game went down to the wire. Everyone will point to the parity and celebrate it, but there's also a factor that people are overlooking...THERE IS A MAJOR LACK OF TALENT IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL! There are a lot of good players and they go to many schools. The NBA one-and-done rule has effectively ended any chance of teams with several NBA prospects growing together VCU, Richmond, and Butler (once again, here we go) getting into the Sweet 16 is a testament to this.                                                        

Or will Shaka Smart head to Knoxville?

The fact that Morehead State was able to beat Louisville, which no one will doubt has superior athletes and players, is that coaching, systems, and style of play is now of utmost importance. Morehead State's head coach Donnie Tyndall actually spent time in Louisville practices learning the Louisville press system and employed it beautifully to beat his mentor Rick Pitino. Before the whole hoopla with the fouls in the Butler-Pittsburgh game, Butler coach Brad Stevens drew up an amazing play to get an easy layup for his Bulldogs to take the lead.

Lost to his pupil, then got humiliated by Barkley. Gotta love it.

 Finally, before I move on to the upcoming week, how overrated is the Big East? 11 teams entered the tournament - 2 remain. I know four of them played each other, but still this is no testament to the league's might. Take a look at the other major conferences and see how they fared. Guarantee you it's a lot better than <20%.

Sweet 16 Winners

Ohio State 1, North Carolina 2, Duke 1, Connecticut 3, Kansas 1, VCU 11, Butler 8, BYU 3 

• In their game against George Mason, Ohio State looked like a professional team. It's hard to beat a team with a dominant big man and lights out three point shooting. They look dominant right now.
• North Carolina should have its way with Marquette. Marquette has been in nearly every game it has played this year, but North Carolina's front line is too long, too talented, and too intense for Marquette. Harrison Barnes is solidifying his Top 3 positioning in the NBA draft especially after his last performance against Washington. Rumors out of Chapel Hill say he might consider staying another year if the Heels don't win the championship. (For the Wizards sake, please come out Barnes).
• It's going to take a near perfect game to beat Duke. The Dukies did not play that well against Michigan and still they won, albeit in the last several seconds. Kyrie Irving is going to show his worth in this tournament. He already made a clutch play late in the game against the Wolverines, but I expect him to get more use this weekend as I think he's finally shaken the rust off.
• Despite San Diego's State's every attempt to lose that game against Temple, they won. And now they run into a UConn team in Anaheim. San Diego State has a major home court advantage, but I think Kemba Walker is on a mission...to get his team to the Final Four. Kawhi Leonard needs to step his game up for San Diego State to have a chance.
• Kansas might beat Richmond by 30, BUT this is exactly the type of team that Kansas has had trouble with in the past - lower seeded, fundamentally solid, slow the game down type of teams. We'll see if Rock Chalk can stop losing to much lower seeds in the tournament and shake the demons of Bucknell and Ali Faroukh Manesh.
• VCU-Florida State is going to be a blowout regardless of who wins. Either VCU is going to dominate the Seminoles and run through them, around them, over them, under them, etc. like they did against Purdue and Georgetown or Florida State or Florida State's defense is going to suffocate VCU that Shaka Smart is going to have to make up new motivational quotes.
• I really want to see Butler win. I know many people are aggravated after their bracketbusting ways against Pittsburgh, but this team has Big Game experience and Brad Stevens is probably a Top 3 Coach in the country. Yes I said it.
• Did you really think I was going to pick against Jimmer? I got Jimmer mania...so does everyone else. BYU played as good a game as they could have played against Gonzaga and it's important for them not to have a letdown.

My Final Four picks at this point (bound to be wrong): Ohio State, Duke, Kansas, BYU 
Championship Game: BYU over Ohio State - MVP: Jimmer.  

Joseph Smith would be proud. 

IS THIS THE MOMENT!!

My inspiration/home dawgs

Note: The Fab 5 never won anything - NCAA or NBA...

The real reason for this blogpost is due to Jalen Rose's absolute genius in making that 30 for 30 about the Fab 5. I watched it Saturday night and I rewatched it Monday night. I was alive in 1993, but I was not sportsconscious (vocab word - sportsconscious: being conscious of happenings in the world of athletics). I can somewhat relate to what Rose was referring to. College basketball, back in the day, was a lot better than it is now. I'm not even talking about the era of the Fab Five, the Laettner-Hurley-Hill teams or the Syracuse teams led by Derrick Coleman-Sherman Douglas etc. but I'm referring to even ten years ago. The Duke teams, which over a 3-4 year period starred future NBAers Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Trajan Langdon, William Avery, Carlos Boozer, Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, etc and Maryland with Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter, Chris Wilcox, Steve Blake, and Kansas with Collison, Gooden, Hinrich, etc.

Nostalgia at its best.

                   

The amount of NBA talent on one team has not been matched since maybe the UNC team that won the championship with Sean May, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Marvin Williams, Jawad Williams and the rest of the gang or the Florida repeat champions with Horford, Noah, and Brewer. Ever since the NBA made the rule that players need to have atleast one year after they finish high school to enter the NBA, the one and done concept has taken off - Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins,  etc. have all left the NCAA's after a cameo appearance and proceeded to go to the NBA. There has been a serious decline in the quality of college basketball and it will show more than ever this year in the NCAA tournament. There are some teams in this tournament that have no business being there and at some points in the season, people thought they sucked! (see Izzo's Spartans, Penn State, and countless other teams). Nevertheless, the upcoming weekend with the first 3 (not 2, which is completely asinine) rounds of the tournament is the best weekend of sports in the entire year.

Now what you've all been waiting for - my picks for the first 2 rounds of the tournament. (winner in bold)


1st Round

Larry Coker - DA U (of Texas-San Antonio)

• UTSA/Al State - UTSA's football team is coached by Larry Coker. I know this has absolutely nothing to do with basketball, but honestly who knows anything about either of these schools?
• USC/VCU - Every year people bitch about one or two teams getting in and those teams end up doing well...VCU is my pick to win this round.
• UNC Asheville/Arkansas Little Rock - I don't really care and neither does anyone else. I'm picking UNC Asheville because I've heard of them before. 
• UAB/Clemson - UAB has no business in this tournament. 

2nd Round

East Winners

• Ohio State 1, Villanova 9, West Virginia 5, Kentucky 4, Marquette 11, Syracuse 3, Washington 7, North Carolina 2

The possible #1 pick in the worst draft...ever.

• Sullinger is absolutely nasty. Ohio State is the top team in the tourney.
• Mason's going to be a popular pick because of their final four run several years ago and Nova's struggles...which is why I'm picking Villanova.
•  Clemson's extremely lucky to be in the tournament and Huggins has West Virginia playing well enough to advance several rounds in the tournament.
• Princeton deserves bad karma for keeping Harvard out of the tournament.
• Marquette over Xavier is clearly based on the fact that I think Xavier lost too much from last year and Tu Holloway and the big boy down low is not enough to replace Jordan Crawford for them to do well in the tournament
• Indiana State doesn't have Larry Bird...they're not winning a game.
• North Carolina, might actually be better than another #1 seed (Pitt).

West Winners

• Duke 1, Tennessee 9, Memphis 12, Texas 4, Cincinatti 6, Connecticut 3, Penn State 10, San Diego State 2 
• I hate admitting it, but Duke's got every mark of a championship team - Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, a bunch of shooters, twins (not hot), and oh yeah, defending National Champions
• Despite the nostalgia brought on by the Fab 5 30 for 30, Michigan is not beating Tennessee. Bruce Pearl is going to win some games because well...that's how the NCAA works - you cheat and you win (Michigan knows all about that)
• Memphis is my sleeper this year. I miss when these guys used to be good under Calipari. They're back under Pastner and they're going to surprise people.

The next great coach in college basketball

• Many people have Oakland as their upset in the first round. That's not happening. Jordan Hamilton will not let that happen despite the best efforts of UMKC transfer and Oakland's starting point guard Reggie Hamilton.
• Mizzou doesn't win away from Columbia and as far as I know, this game is not in Columbia. This is most likely Mike Anderson's last game before he takes over Arkansas.
• Kemba Walker is about to embark on a tournament of epic proportions.
• Penn State is riding some heavy momentum and has rebounded strongly from the thrashing they got at the hands of Maryland earlier.
• Steve Fisher deserves a second chance for his Michigan success and San Diego State will prove to be his vindication.

Southwest Winners

•  Kansas 1, Illinois 9, Vanderbilt 5, Louisville 4, VCU 11, Purdue 3, Texas A&M 7, Notre Dame 2

Hated his brother, love him/all white three point shooters

                                

• I don't know why I even explain why #1 seeds win in the first round.
• Demetri McCamey's coming out party.
• Vanderbilt is like my crack. I pick them every year and they always disappoint. I'm going to pick them again.
• I love Pitino in the tournament. His press messes with teams so much and they only have several days to prepare for him.
• Georgetown is not getting past the first round. Teams are going to attack Chris Wright's hand. I would slap his hand several times even if it means committing a foul.
• Robbie Hummel went down at the beginning of the year and Matt Painter's coaching still got Purdue a 3 seed. I hope they do well for Hummel's sake.
• Florida State sucks when Singletons not 100%.
• Notre Dame is my NATIONAL CHAMPION so they have to win. Right?

 Southeast Winners

• Pittsburgh 1, Butler 8, Kansas State 5, Wisconsin 4, St. Johns 6, BYU 3, Michigan State 10, UCSB 15



No Daily Darsh is complete without Jimmer

• Pittsburgh is the weakest of the #1's. They don't have a good history in the NCAA's and this goes back to the Ben Howland teams...speaking of Ben Howland...
• The Pac 10 is madly overrated and Izzo's got his team peaking at the right time. Spartans are going to put a beat down on UCLA
• Butler wins purely on the merit that they got to the National Championship game a year ago and have enough left over talent to beat ODU
• Kansas State is my semi-cinderella this year and Jacob Pullen is going to shock the world - NOT JUWAN HOWARD
• Belmont could beat Bo Ryan's Badgers, but usually a team which gets upset the previous year in the first round plays extra carefully to not have it happen again. I don't have any stats to back it up, but common sense. 
• I love Gonzaga, but the Johnnies are fun to watch and I support Steve Lavin's white sneakers
• Fredette vs NYC in the second round. This is prior to him taking on Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Hell in the battle against sinners.



Shocking the world is what the Gauchos do

• UCSB over Florida is going to be the biggest upset of the tournament which no one is talking about. UCSB is tournament tested and they're going to SHOCK THE WORLD!!!

Final Four: Ohio State, Duke, Notre Dame, Kansas State
Championship Game: Ohio State - Notre Dame
Champion: Notre Dame Fighting Irish - I have Abromaitis-itis.

Abroamaitisisisisisis

Why the NFL Labor Dispute is Un-American and why the Heat cry

First of all, let me preface this by saying a person of my skin color (brown) speaking about anything remotely related to being Un-American will no doubt spur an investigation by the FBI into this blog. That being said and having heard the countless opinions of those on this NFL Labor Dispute with the majority of them defending the players and accusing the owners of greed, I have to ask...when did we all become so un-American?

Unions have long been a part of American history and have provided the country with many changes politically and economically...but then again so has big business. I was reading Bill Simmons' article the other day about the labor disputes and he makes out the owners to be heinous villains. It is true that they are making several billion dollars off the product. It is true that regardless of team success (ahem Redskins), they are still making a profit. It is true that they charge ridiculous prices for beer, food, parking spots that it's almost better now to sit at home and watch the games on HD, 3D, 4D, 3560D TV....but isn't that what America is about?

$8 beer - one of many reasons why to drink before games.

America was built on Capitalism, not a socialist model. We laud the American dream and the potential to do as well for us as we can, but as soon as someone starts making billions, we throw a hissy fit. Yes, the owners are not facing the same risks as the players are physically, but they are the ones who are paying the players exorbitant salaries. The NFL minimum salary is approximately $250,000. There are players who practice and never get in games who make $250,000. There are plenty of American families for whom $250,000 would solve 90% of their problems. If the players don't want to risk their bodies physically, they can go do something else. Many of them have a college education - perhaps it is time to put that to use. People get on the owners' case for wanting a billion dollars off the top before splitting the revenue in the new CBA, but they don't realize that if the NFL goes down the drain, it is not the players who suffer the most - it is the owners.

True, many owners have inherited their wealth - the Mara family of the Giants, the Hunt family of the Chiefs and others - but there are also those who have worked their way to where they are. Say what you want about the man, but Daniel Snyder made it big in telecommunications, bought the Redskins and despite the team's lack of success, has spared no efforts in trying to build a winner. The same cannot be said for all the owners ( see Bill Bidwell of the Cardinals and Mike Brown of the Bengals), but it is they who will suffer the most if the NFL shuts down tomorrow - not the players. I am not saying the owners are going to be homeless if this happens, but this country has become so anti-big business and anti-corporate America, we fail to realize that if ANY of us were in that same position as the owners, we'd look out for ourselves first too.

The players do have a valid point in that their safety should be a higher priority and that they want a higher portion of the pie, but it's not like the players aren't making money now...HAVE YOU SEEN ALBERT HAYNESWORTH'S CONTRACT?! That man, by himself, has ruined any sympathy the players deserve.

Typical Haynesworth play

The Heat Crying

Dwayne Wade said something to the effect of the world loves seeing the Heat lose. He's right. Everytime I see the Heat lose, I get giddy. Perhaps if they hadn't come out with that whole fireworks shenanigans to introduce the team and jersey popping routine before even winning a playoff game, people would feel different. But they don't.

On a positive note, at least the Heat care when they lose courtesy Coach Erik Spoelstra's admission that there were players inside the locker room crying. Apparently Chris Bosh was crying because his Gucci bag had not been delivered yet.

Miami Heat starting Power Forward/Personal Shopper

What to Watch For

• Conference Tournaments Week - The prelude to the NCAA tournament. Get your bets ready gamblers. It's go time.
• The NFL Labor Negotiation Deadline on Friday - It's now or never. Git er done.
• The Lakers' revival - To all the idiots who said the Lakers were done this year...did anyone see the beatdown they put on the Spurs? Never count out back to back champions with the best player in the game.
• The Yearly Gary Williams watch - There's a 2% portion of the Maryland fanbase that thinks Gary Williams should be fired every year for his lack of recruiting. The man won a national championship at a school, which was in the direst straits when he took over. He deserves a lifetime job. That being said, he could have recruited better. Hopefully this year's senior class teaches him that.
• The Man U Fall - I've been saying it for a while. Sir Alex Ferguson has gotten more out of this Man U team and for them to still be leading Arsenal is mind boggling, but the end is near. 

Liverpool Hero and Fellow Dutchmen (along with me - not really)

• The Charlie Sheen show - Mark Cuban is starting a show with Charlie Sheen or is at least attempting to. At what point do we stop this bullshit and give Sheen the help he needs?
• India marches on - In what seems to be inevitable, India marches on despite its absolutely pathetic bowling. Next up - the Netherlands on Wednesday before a pivotal matchup against South Africa.
• The next team to cry - Looks like I started a fad with my crying in sports blog post. I'm a genius.
• A plug for my man Josh Dorsey's work..check it out - www.bigdek.bigcartel.com

Good night and War Eagle

The Stormin Mormons and Suspensions

(Note: This blogpost contains a Top Chef spoiler. Reader beware)

He got some and then got suspended.

He got some and got interviews

The Brandon Davies suspension from the BYU basketball team for having premarital sex with his girlfriend has been discussed by nearly anyone and everyone from all sorts of backgrounds - sports figures, religious leaders, leaders in academia, BYU grads, BYU haters, atheists, whites, blacks, mexicans, Charlie Sheen, smurfs, etc. Now it's my turn.
 
BYU, being a Mormon University, has a stricter honor code than most other universities. This includes no consumption of caffeinated beverages, alcohol, drugs, or premarital sex (probably a reason why many BYU athletes are married...). The issue here is not the honor code itself - no college or university is going to promote promiscuity, shitshows, and recreational drug use; the issue is rather the decision by BYU administrators to suspend Davies, when they easily could have turned the other way. Could you see Duke suspending Kyle Singler or North Carolina suspending Tyler Zeller for the same reason?  No, neither can I.

The more admirable thing here is the impact the suspension of Davies is bound to have on BYU's chances in the tourney. BYU, the No. 3 team in the country, and largely a perimeter-oriented team led by eventual National Player of the Year and future Nobel Prize, Academy Award, and Grammy winner Jimmer Fredette, was largely dependent on Davies in the post. Now, without him, they seem very vulnerable. After losing to New Mexico last night, they go into their conference tournament where teams like San Diego State (who BYU beat twice) are chomping at the bit to get at them. This will probably drop BYU's seeding down to a 3 seed and Davies, to prolong his basketball career will probably transfer to a school with a less stringent honor code (M-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D).


The fact of the matter is NCAA student-athletes are representatives of the school they play for. We've all heard it growing up through middle school, high school, etc.: "You are representing us. Don't do something we wouldn't want you to do." The same applies here to Davies. Whether you agree or disagree with the rules the school put down and the rules of the Mormon religion, Davies still knew about them when he signed his letter of intent to play for BYU. When he got caught, he owned up and paid the consequences. It's a sad story for Davies and could cost the Cougars dearly in the tournament, but at the end of the day, it's refreshing to see an institution stick to their word - take note Tennessee, USC, UConn, and countless other NCAA rule violators.


What to Watch For:

• Danica Mendivil - Davies' girlfriend and Freshman on Arizona State's Volleyball Team. I wonder if she gets some hate mail this week (without cursing of course - the Mormon way)

Will this young man be enough to cure cancer?

• Jimmer Fredette's stats - I expect him to start averaging 300 ppg, 100 rpg, and 4 lives saved per game as well.
• Gus Johnson mentioning Davies in the NCAA tournament - This should be a drinking game. 
• India vs. Ireland World Cup match on Sunday - Can Ireland follow up a once in a lifetime win vs. England with a win against the hosts?
• Lebron James' renewed focus - James tweeted that his focus was renewed for the last twenty games...so that's the reason the Heat have struggled this season.....
• NFL Labor negotiations - Props to Obama for staying out of it. While the owners and players are deciding how to split billions of dollars, millions of Americans remain jobless. Stay tuned...perhaps next they can decide who gets the private jets on what days.
• Randon NFL Free Agent signings - In the midst of this standoff, there will be a few signings in and between the negotiations including Shaun Rogers, OJ Atogwe, etc. Where's Bambale Osby when you need him?
• Chipotle running out of food - This buy one get one deal is the doom of America. How do you fight obesity when you're promoting it ON FACEBOOK?!
• Top Chef Finale - 5 qualified finalists. 5 beasts in the kitchen. My money's on Mike Isabella to win it and then hire me as a sous chef (people who have tasted my pasta agree)

My future employer/the object of my parents' wrath

      Good night and War Eagle