College Basketball At Its Finest

I enjoy good basketball, whether it's at the pro or college level.  Recently, the college basketball experience has felt watered down because of the consistent one and dones by the best players.  People always create what if's scenarios with guys like Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, John Wall, Derrick Rose, just to name a few.  With the impending NBA lockout, those 'what if' dreams are becoming a reality.



Jared Sullinger of Ohio State said the day of his Sweet 16 defeat to Kentucky that he would be back, which is horrible news for the Big 10.  Despite being suspended for the first five games, Perry Jones, a projected top five pick decided to come back to Baylor. Jones is a classic example of guy who needed to come back, so I am excited to see him progress next year.  Harrison Barnes from North Carolina is the latest player to stay another year of college. Barnes is joined by his mates John Henson and Tyler Zeller likely translating to the preseason number one spot. The chance for college basketball to see one of its best years in a long time is very good.  There will be so many good teams already without even putting any of the talented freshman in the discussion.

This is a positive sign for college basketball even if all three of these heavy hitters wouldn't be back if an NBA lockout wasn't on the horizon. Although I still believe the NBA should do something similar to Major League Baseball where they allow kids from high school to enter the draft, but if they do not hire an agent, they can go to college. The best example of this is the Brewers drafted Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Giambi, both out of high school, but they decided to go to college. Additionally once a player is locked in to college, they should have to stay two years. I can only hope that people will reconsider the one and done decision.

On the other side of the token, NBA Draft might be the worst thing on television since Outsourced. The only thing to be excited for is where Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker get drafted, but that's about it. The scary thing for NBA teams is guys like Tristan Thompson of Texas, and the two Kentucky players-Brandon Knight and Terrance Jones have yet to commit to the NBA Draft. We have a diluted draft right now, but it could get a lot worse if these guys decide to stay.  Most college basketball fans can only hope.  

-Charlie.

What The Hell? (UPDATED)

This might be one of the slowest sports news day of the sports year so far. This is my only idea so if this is the last you hear from us today, I apologize but that's sometimes how the blog day works when it's slow around the nation.  For the next couple paragraphs, come with me on a rant about polls (one of my favorite topics as my diehard readers know).

I heard on PTI yesterday that someone voted for Ohio State Buckeyes at number one, instead of being an unanimous decision for the Connecticut Huskies. Did this joker think that college basketball all the sudden adopted the BCS?  It is an indefensible move, and of course, this is the only secret poll of the season. Therefore no one will come out and defend why Ohio State is deserving of the number one spot. There are only two ways where I  could see a coach making this decision.



One would be that VCU won it all, it's hard to believe a team with a 11 losses deserved to be number one at the end of the year.  People spoke out how they took advantage of being in the tournament, but I agree with most that they did not belong based on their resume. The other would have been if Ohio State lost in the Final Four because then they put a good run together beating Kentucky and North Carolina, so I could see someone giving them some credit for their body of work.

I hope this coach defending his decision because I would honestly love to hear his or her thoughts on why the Buckeyes deserved to be number one when they lost in the round of 16. Are we sure my buddy and Big 10 loyalist, Doz doesn't have a vote?  By the way, Marquette finished 20th which made me smile.

Update: Found it was Northern Arizona's coach Mike Adras who casted the vote for Ohio State. Still don't agree with his decisions. 

-Charlie.

First Taste: Playing Pickup With The Tar Heel Basketball Team

(Props to The Big Lead)

Let me be the first to say, this is awesome. The Tar Heel freshman just decide to come out and play pickup with the freshman at the various basketball courts on campus.  I am assuming if I played on these courts that Harrison Barnes would likely dunk on me within the first five minutes of the game. I do know one thing if Eric played, he would probably try to start a fight with John Henson.

-Charlie.

Why UConn Wins

I told Pat that I would write the rebuttal to why the Connecticut Huskies will cut down the nets tonight in Houston, but as the day progresses, it's hard for me to cheer for UConn. I love Kemba Walker, but that's about it. I cannot stand Jim Calhoun and my hatred for Geno Auriemma carries over to the men's team.  I still think the Huskies will win tonight, but your boy Chuckie T will not be cheering for them.  I like to see the Big East take it, but I am a sucker for the feel good story. So here are the three reasons or ways that UConn can beat the Butler Bulldogs.



1.) Kemba, Kemba, Kemba- Of course, we are looking for comparisons for Kemba Walker, and no one is allowing him to just be Kemba. Is this one of the best 10 game span we have ever seen? Absolutely, but why do we have to say it reminds me of Pervis Ellison or Danny Manning? It's something that grinds me with the media sometimes.  Big East fans are not shocked at the things Walker does on the court. He made plays all season no matter who was guarding him during the year so I am not worried about Ronald Nored locking him up tonight. Not to mention, Walker is better when giving the ball to Jeremy Lamb or Alex Oriaki.  I told you that all throughout the tournament, and it took a couple big games from Lamb for people to believe me about the significance of the other Huskies.

2.) Keep Matt Howard Off The Glass and Court- I don't know if I can remember a player like Howard who is always attacking the glass and somehow finding the ball in his hands. He is guaranteed a double-double therefore it's imperative that UConn finds Howard on every rebound. When Butler gets those second-chance opportunities, they never lose. The other thing about Howard is he always finds himself in foul trouble, and Butler is an entirely different team when he is not on the court.  If I am UConn, I attack inside to start off the game and try to get a quick 2 fouls on Howard.

3.) Push The Ball- I don't know if there is a better player in the nation than Kemba in transition. If he controls the pace, Butler could be in big trouble. I like UConn much better running up and down the court than UConn playing in the half court letting Butler assembled their tough defense . Butler had some troubles with VCU's fast pace style of offense, same thing happened when Butler played Florida.  The Huskies need to find ways to sprint out whenever they get the defensive rebound.

I will take UConn 67-64, with Kemba hitting a three with under 10 seconds left. If I am a Butler fan, the last thing I want to see tonight is Mr. Walker have the ball in his hands with the shot clock turned off because there is no doubt that the ball is going in. If you need an example...

-Charlie.

Final Four Picks

I planned on doing this long, extensive post about the Final Four but then it dawned on me that everyone has heard the stories about each team. We know these squads like the back of our hand in the day and age of the world we live in. Instead, I am going to deliver my points in a couple sentences with hopes not to ramble to either look like a champion, or an idiot by the end of night.



11) VCU v. 8) Butler: It's kind of useless to put the seeds in there, but hey, it's what the cool kids are doing. I think this will be a better game than people expect to be because I am sure casual fans *cough Brett Boyer cough* see this as an ESPN BracketBuster.  No power conference tend to turn people off. It's like being at the bar with a bunch of fairly attractive people, no one is really that hot, it's perfect way to sum this battle. VCU has played out their mind in the past two weeks, but at some point that magic will run out. The clock strikes midnight for the Rams as Butler will play them strong on defense, which will translate into a victory. Butler 71-65

4.) Kentucky v. 3.) Connecticut: The purists of the game have a difficult time watching this one. It's two of the most unethical coaches in college basketball going up against one another for a shot at the National Championship. It's like watching a fight between Bernie Madoff and Rod Blagojevich (yes I had to look that up) and you really don't care who wins because you do not want the other to succeed.  For me, I just see it as basketball and there will always be shitty people no matter what industry you are in.  Even though the Wildcats can earn me some money with a win plus my mancrush on Josh Harrellson, I have a hard time seeing them pull through. People don't nearly give Kemba Walker enough credit for his defense and I think that will shine as he shuts down Brandon Knight, Kentucky's x-factor. UCONN 75-67

-Charlie.

First Taste: Jacob Tucker Wins The Belt

It's pretty cool of ESPN allowing him to compete, and it is amazing that he only dunked 30 times during the regular season. It's also great to see him represent Division 3 plus the MWC which has four schools in Wisconsin. My personal favorite was the first dunk, but all of them were good. I will be off the grind today so hopefully the others will give you some insight.

-Charlie.

The New VCU Fight Song

OOGA SHAKA OOGA SHAKA.  Just an awesome song and even more reason to cheer for VCU this weekend. Love it. New poll coming out tomorrow of what team you will root for, and trust me my vote is for the Rams. 

-Charlie.

This Day In History

Marquette punched its ticket to the Final Four in 2003 with Dwyane Wade's triple double to beat top-seeded Kentucky. I remember having an indoor football game that afternoon so I watched most of the game at small sports bar outside of Brookfield with my parents.  We don't have to talk about what happened in the Final Four. To this day, my favorite Marquette team.

-Charlie.

March Madness: More Special Than Ever

2011 has been special for me as a sports fan.  I know we have only enjoyed three months of professional and college sports. But I have been on a Dazed and Confused-like high with how great my personal sports life has been. It does sound selfish, and there are people in Seattle, Cleveland, and Salt Lake who all disagree with me. Trust me, I have had those years, but I hope people are lucky enough to experience something this special. Also this would all come to a crashing halt if the Milwaukee Brewers lose 85 games.

March Madness has brought another joy like the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badger football did earlier this year. It's not at the same level, but still I have never been so locked into the NCAA tournament. Without question, the new format of games on different channels has allowed people to know these teams better. What if I only got to know VCU in the Elite Eight?  I think my level of  appreciation is much lower than it is today. Instead, I am hoping he wins the whole effin' thing like he said before the Kansas game because I actually know his character by watching him rather than reading a profile of Smart in a prominent newspaper. I still read those profiles because I want to absorb as much as I can about one storyline.  

There is no doubt about it that Twitter has further this process for me.  Various sportswriters who are at the game, or watching the game from their couch like I am is absolutely fantastic. I feel that I am sitting at the sports bar watching the game with Seth Davis, Jay Bilas, Michael Smith, Bomani Jones, and Jason McIntyre (The Big Lead) amongst others who I follow. It's awesome to see if I'm thinking the same thing they are, or they fill me in with stats plus other things going on at the game. When Marquette went to the Sweet 16, I hit refresh like a mad man for the next couple of hours to see what others had to say about them. Right now, there is nothing better than getting a rapid reaction from a game I just watched.

CBS executives probably have the same catatonic look like the girl from The Ring has about the ratings for VCU-Butler. But I do not care in the slightest. I talked to Eric on the phone a bit yesterday, and he said "you know we all love Cinderella, but once it gets to the Elite Eight, we want to see the good teams play for it all." While I agree somewhat, I still love the chance for a school like VCU to have a chance to win it all. VCU winning it all makes March Madness that much better. Additionally, it might be the best underdog story we as sports fans could see in any level. I will always root for that story over seeing two snakes winning, and sure that guy from Indianapolis wouldn't be bad story either. 

March is always special, but this one will always be remembered. 

-Charlie.

Elite Eight Picks Part Deux

Well I went 0 for 2 yesterday, and I woke up later than I wanted to so I am going to basically give you a three sentence prediction. Likely, more to come from us today with the first Half Assed Previews (HAP) for Major League Baseball and the latest Brewer trade.

11.) VCU v. 1.) Kansas- In no way should I doubt the Rams in this game. CBS executives woke up from nightmares watching the Rams play the Butler Bulldogs in the Final Four.  The Rams need to come out firing threes if they want to win. The Jayhawks just need a good performance out of the Morris Twins and Thomas Robinson. I think if Tyshawn Taylor plays well, this could be a long day for the Rams. Kansas pulls away late. KU 80-70

4.) Kentucky v. 2.) North Carolina- The Wildcats are on a roll, and I love everything they are doing right now. I think Jorts Harrellson will be a problem for the skinny Tar Heels inside. If I am North Carolina, I am taking it right at the Cats' big man trying get him in foul trouble. I think Brandon Knight hits another big shot late and the Cats head back to the Final Four.  UK 91-89

-Charlie.

Elite Eight Picks

Tomorrow, the first two Final Four tickets will be punched. A lot of interesting story lines and I hope for good games. Generally, the Elite Eight tends to bring second-tier games compared to the ones we have had in the past weeks. I hope for the best especially since the Law of Gus will be in effect.

8.) Butler v. 2.) Florida- Common sense would tell you take Butler because they always find a way to win. One thing that is beginning bother me is the consistent praise by the national media like they are the little brother of the NCAA.

Nope, they are a top 20 program and expectations should be set. Matt Howard isn't stopped by anybody and it seems Andrew Smith will be okay to play Saturday. I see Chandler Parsons being a huge matchup disaster for the Bulldogs because Howard will have to go inside against Alex Tyus who will also be a problem.  I think the guards are pretty even both sides, but Parsons ends up being the difference. UF 70-65

5.) Arizona v. 3.) Connecticut- Deron out of Jersey made a mention how this Wildcat team reminds him of the 1997 team who were not expected to win it all (MY GOD THAT'S MILES SIMON'S MUSIC!!!!). He is right and honestly, anything is possible for the Cats. Derrick Williams is unbelievable and it's hard to bet against guy who is named Mo-Mo Jones. The question is will the Wildcats have an answer for Mr. Walker? Kemba has made everyone look silly in the last 8 games. Kemba needs to keep Jeremy Lamb in the mix if  they want to win this one. But I think this will be a classic. Williams is unguardable right now, I haven't seen enough defensively from Alex Oriakhi to put money on him. The Cats take it late in the second half UA 82-79

-Charlie.

The Good, The Bad, and The Rebecca Black

I liked the format that I used for the games yesterday so much, I thought I would use it again. Also since Marquette's first half was the ugliest thing on Friday, I decided to use Rebecca Black's name instead. Hit me with the cyberbullying charges!

The Good

-So far this March Madness had brought us Mr. Onions, Brandon Knight. He is a stone cold assassin in the late game situations. Knight struggled mightily all game, but nailed the shot when it mattered   

-Josh Harrellson has become the centerpiece of the Kentucky Wildcats offense, and my favorite white center since Kevin Pittsnoggle. I also loved that he spiked a ball off Jared Sullinger. 

-The Fightin' Shakas live for another day!  Even though Florida State threw a block party, the Rams were able to survive to face Kansas. David meet Goliath. 

-Tyler Zeller had another great game and played tough defense all game. We all should forget that asshole who said he couldn't play defense, whoops.  

-If you review my predictions, I basically laid out the Kansas game for you.

-The Dwight Buycks Era is over!  (Yes I know he did some nice things, but bad outweighs the good)

-Pumped that Robert Forenza hit a three in his final game of his career. Beyond awesome ending to a great Marquette season.   

The Bad 

-Florida State not getting a shot off in regulation or overtime.  The Noles late game situation troubles made Marquette's look minor.    

-The ref who gave Jae Crowder a T when Marquette is down 26. Don't worry that cushion is big enough for the Heels to win, stripes.  

-Marquette's three point performance was horrendous especially after they fueled the three-point goggles phenomenon this week. Embarrassing. 

- Roy Williams leaving his starters in until the 2 minute mark, I wish Devante Gardner would have leveled that pretty boy Zeller. 

-Dallas Lauderdale bows out in his college career with a five minute performance.  That would be tough to swallow if I were him. 

The Rebecca Black 

-I am very glad I watched the game with my parents because if I watched with my boys, it would have been non-stop jokes. Marquette could not have played more tight.  MU threw up so many breaks in the first half, they could have built an Extreme Home Makeover home. 

-Anyone who scheduled the second round games in Newark. Horrible choice.  

-Darius Johnson-Odom did way too much for my liking. It's okay, he will be great next year.  

-Florida State was 7/18 from the line, which has to bite you in the ass if you are a fan. If I were a Noles fan I would tell myself, 'well at least we got Jenn Sterger.'   

-William Buford missed the final shot and went 2 for 16, yikes. He will be thinking about this one for awhile.  

-Charlie.

Friday Picks (Southwest and East)

Well we went 2 for 4 last night, obviously hoping for better this evening. I'm really not that nervous about the big one, more so excited for it to start. Tacos and Miller Lite are awaiting me after I let the Sno Tap nation in on who I am picking tonight, which is also very exciting.

Southwest


12.) Richmond v. 1.)Kansas: Can someone explain to me why ESPN and others act like this one will be even close? I have seen 1 v. 12 matchups before, and they go a little something like this... the 12 seeded team will give a strong effort for the first 10 minutes playing their asses off and then run out of gas faster than Kristie Alley's treadmill workout. The Spiders do have some good talent in Justin Harper and Kevin Anderson, yet they lack size underneath. The Morris Twins will drain this team, and win in convincing fashion. KU 87-71 

11.) VCU v. 10) Florida State: I guess Shaka Smart needs to stop playing the tapes of all the naysayers because that's long gone. He created the Havoc defense, which I personally love and think most high schools if talented should adopt as their primary system. Florida State has a ton of size, but they fail to score the ball plus they turn the ball over too much. I like the Rams because of their defense and their ability to score. I think they win going away for the third straight game. VCU 71-57 

East
11.) Marquette v. 2.) North Carolina:  Whoa nelly, I have been ready for this game since Sunday night. From everything I've read and heard, the Warriors seem pretty loose and ready to play against the Tar Heels. I really hope Darius Johnson-Odom, a Carolina kid doesn't do too much in the beginning of the game. Marquette needs to be strong on the perimeter or else it will be a long day for the Warriors with Carolina's ability to shoot threes. The Tar Heels have great size, and they need to attack right away down low with Tyler Zeller/Gumby Henson.  I got called out last week for being a biased homer, so why ruin tradition?  MU 79-76 

4.) Kentucky v. 1.) Ohio State- I am eagerly excited for this game because I feel the Buckeyes will get exposed if they do not scorch the earth from three.  Ohio State cannot matchup with both Josh Harrelson and Terrence Jones at the 4 and5. I am assuming that Jared Sullinger will take Harrelson leaving Dallas Lauderdale on Jones, which is more of a mismatch than a war between US and Bangladesh. If last night was the Derrick Williams show, tonight could be Jones'. Also I feel Brandon Knight can tire out Aaron Craft very quickly. The only thing I worry about is Ohio State coming out strong, and Kentucky not responding. The Cats win with a Jones' tip-in at the buzzer.  UK 84-83 

-Charlie.

The Good, The Bad, and The Dukies

Before the Sweet Sixteen started, I sat with a bracket that was in the 96 percentile. I started having dreams of getting a 10,000 dollar check from Yahoo! and laugh my way to not having a summer job this year. But Thursday hit me like a ton of bricks. There were some things I liked, but most of it was bad.  Thankfully the Black Rose on Oakland helped me drown my sorrows.

The Good

-Florida deserves all the credit in the world for how they played defense against Jimmer Fredette. It seemed every shot took a ton of effort to get off, and they completely gassed him by the overtime period.

-Since Jimmer is now gone, Derrick Williams is the new face of March Madness 2011.  The only comparison I have for him is a stronger Lamar Odom. He throws down some nasty dunks and can step outside to hit big shots.
-Let's not forget about the Kemba Walker Show, he scored 36 in a win for the Huskies. But like I talked about earlier this week, he got others involved such as Jeremy Lamb who dropped 24. Big time excited for Williams v. Walker on Saturday night.  
-Butler is the better version of Gonzaga, no longer underdogs.

The Bad

-Wisconsin did their usual Badger thing bowing out in the Sweet Sixteen. I know that will upset some Badger fans, but for whatever reasons, they cannot get to that next level. Additionally, this fourth time in five years that they have lost a lower seed. Questions have to start coming out about Bo Ryan. I thought Jordan Taylor forced a lot of shots like last Saturday. Also there is a missing person report out for Jon Leuer in New Orleans because you couldn't find him on the basketball court. This is something I saw on Twitter via the Big Lead about the Badgers recruiting budget, which is unbelievably low and makes more impressive of what they do every year. Think if they increased that by 50 percent. 


-You could tell San Diego State got tight in the final minutes. They couldn't do anything after the technical with 10 minutes left.  It seems like they froze up and didn't create the shots as they had in the first half.
-Jimmer got infected with the SI curse. Now, it understood the curse outweighs the Law of Gus. 

Dukies

-We here at SnoTap told you so. I felt uneasy about my National Champion pick after seeing the chemistry with Kyrie Irving. I wish I would have just went chalk with Ohio State, but now it's up to Kentucky to save my bracket. Eric nailed this a week ago and deserve credit
-Eric also had the comment of the day "Last night was a complete DOY game from Arizona." Agreed, human highlight reel from the Cats. 
-Duke decided to quit. No one can tell me otherwise either. Arizona had this epic run, but Duke did nothing to punch them back in the mouth. If I were one of the Plumlees' I would put Mo-Mo Jones on his ass during this run to show Duke was there.   
-Reminded me a lot of LSU knocking out Duke in 2006, but the Blue Devils were favored more in that tournament.
-Nolan Smith did not look like himself in the last two games, and that sent Duke off the tracks.
-I wouldn't call this a black mark on Coach's K career, but he could have saved this season if he limited the play of Kyrie Irving. It's more his fault than anyone else.

-Charlie.

Gus Johnson Would Be The Best History Teacher

Great Moments in History with Gus Johnson from Gus Johnson

I have always said that I would love for Gus Johnson to narrate my life. If you missed him on Jim Rome today, Gus seems like an honest dude. I cannot wait to watch how he calls The Jimmer in about 30 minutes. The Adam Morrison game keeps running in my head.

-Charlie.

My Sweet 16 Picks (Southeast/West Region)

The second weekend of March Madness provides great theater because we all wonder if Cinderella's slipper will still fit on Thursday or Friday, and what new storylines will develop for the weekend. Due to the new format being able to see every game, I feel more involved with this tournament than ones in years past. 

West Region

3.) Connecticut vs. 2.) San Diego State- I read an interesting stat via The Big Lead: "UConn Huskies are 0-7 since 1992 in NCAA Tourney games in opponent's state".  That makes me feel uneasy, but did anyone ever consider Kemba Walker?  D.J. Gay will struggle trying to get shots off against Walker for damn sure.  But I worry about who will actually defend Kawhi Leonard on the Huskies. They have a couple big bodies, but nothing at Leonard's level. I feel it will be a pro-Aztec crowd, but I am confident the Huskies will win. The Aztecs have not done anything remarkable, just beat teams they were supposed to. I think Kemba and the crew is on another level.  UCONN 77-68

5.) Arizona v. 1.) Duke- A lot of people do not think Arizona belongs here because of some bad calls in their last game against Texas. But Derrick Williams and his crew does not care. He is an absolute monster, and I do think Duke will have some problems against him. Williams could get the Plumlee brothers and Ryan Kelly into some serious foul trouble. Don't think I missed Coach K's comments about trying to get Kyrie Irving being more involved, which scares me because one of the best coaches is trying to sabotage a National Championship contender. The Dukies will get it together and get a big game out of Seth Curry, just feel it's his time to shine.  DUKE 73-66 

Southeast Region 

3.) BYU v. 2.) Florida- Jimmer got the SI Curse. It sucks when he will shoot about 10 for 32 with 18 points. The Cougars have faced two teams that are very similar to their style of play leading to much success. But now they run into the big bad Gators who are nothing like them. By the way, anyone else find it hilarious that they are a bunch of Mormons roaming Bourbon Street as we speak? What could they do there? Anyways, the Gators have a great combination of size with Alex Tyus and Patric Young plus the guard play of Kenny Boyton and Erving Walker. I believe the Gators will have too much size and speed for the Cougars. Sadly, this is where Jimmer time comes to end.  UF 81-67 

8.) Butler v. 4.) Wisconsin- A white boy wet dream!  Just kidding.  This game could go several ways, and I am stealing this thought from my buddy Ron. He told me last week his wish would be for Bo Ryan to have deep conversation with Rob Jeter about UWM's success against Butler. I personally think the Badgers need to go inside much more than they have been doing in the first two games.  The two biggest things I would like to see if I am a Badger fan would be to get Matt Howard into foul trouble and lock Shelvin Mack down. This will be a complete nail-biter with Jordan Taylor hitting the big shot in the final seconds.  UW 64-62

-Charlie. 

The Pride Of A Warrior

(Props to MU Athletics for this great video) 

I could not be more excited for Friday night when the Marquette Golden Eagles take on the North Carolina Tar Heels for a chance to head to the Elite Eight. Granted, my 10 year old self would probably need a therapy session before the game. I loved the Tar Heels back in day before I knew Vince Carter was pansy, I loved him in the Carolina Blue as well as Ed Cota, Joesph Forte, and Antwan Jamison. I am now full MU and still cheer for the Heels when they play Duke. I needed to write something about Marquette, and it ended up being a reflection on the year in general.


Usually when we get towards the end of the season, I like to review things I wrote about the team. Whether it's the Green Bay Packers, the Milwaukee Brewers, or the Marquette Golden Eagles, I always find with MU, I am harsher on them. They are the middle child of my sports relationships. I don't understand why, but it has ended up being that way for the last two years.

 In December, I called Marquette things like 'soft' and a team 'who will stay in the cellar of the Big East.' I talked to my dad countless times about my frustrations with Marquette.  We both started to get the feeling that maybe JUCO guys were not cutting it with things like defense and trying to gel as a unit. Both of us felt like Marquette's defense would never get to the levels of an elite team in the Big East. I began wondering about Buzz Williams too, and what kind coach/recruiter he was. Everyone did not turn out the way I expected in November.

To be fair, I also had higher expectations than one should probably had (by the way, I have already said they are top 10 team next year). But could you blame me? With the talent they had even at a young age, I felt this could be a good year. In addition, everyone told me how much of down year this could be for the Big East. I would not thought in million years, this conference would net 11 bids to the NCAA Tournament. Like people should have done with Ted Thompson in February, I need to apologize to Buzz Williams and the Marquette Warriors.

It became an up and down season with the Warriors that caused me much frustration like blowing leads to Georgetown, in South Bend, and the 200th and 201st time of not getting a shot off  in Vandy/Wisconsin games. It also gave me some great moments like making it rain on Notre Dame, beating Kemba, and taking down the Orange... twice. Even though Marquette saw some struggles throughout the year, this became more of an enjoyable team than recent memory. The reason, the fans watched them grow up before our eyes.  Marquette is not making the same mistakes they did in December, and are tougher than nails.  Also players like Chris Otule and Junior Cadougan progressed in ways that I did not think possible earlier this season. I feel a great sense of pride when watching this team.

You know how people say 'you only remember the good things when they are gone.' I am glad it did not happen with Buzz Williams for me.  I always enjoyed Buzz but never realized how lucky I am to have him coach the team I cheer for until this recent run in March. All of the quotes I see from him, and the articles I read like this great one from Drew Olson of ESPN Milwaukee, makes me thankful to have a guy like Buzz coaching my team. But if he decides Oklahoma is a better job, well it's been a fun run Buzz. I am glad I took time to appreciate Buzz as a coach before it was too late.

Anything could happen on Friday and I will remain happy. Sure, I will be disappointed if North Carolina run the Warriors out of the gym.  But I will still feel elated that Marquette got there. I want more, but understand that we as Marquette fans are playing with house money. It's funny I say that because I uttered the same words when talking about the Green Bay Packers this postseason, we all know what happened with that team.

-Charlie.

Somebody Get Geno a Happy Meal

University of Connecticut head women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma can't seem to keep his trap shut. He's back at his same whiny shenanigans that he was in the news for when his team broke the NCAA record for consecutive wins.

This time it comes after his team advanced to the Sweet 16 last night with a victory over Purdue in front of a half-full (or, as Geno looks at it, half-empty) arena in Storrs, CT. In his post-game press conference he sarcastically suggested that they should offer free-parking or more giveaways to get fans to watch his team.

"I guess we need to win more," Auriemma said. Here's a thought, maybe it's just that no one likes to watch unathletic people try to play basketball. Maybe if they dunked the ball more, there would be more people in the stands?

In the fans' defense, they probably just figured a team that has won 112 of its last 113 games, would automatically cruise into the Sweet 16 and were trying to beat the weather and get to Philadelphia ahead of time. Obviously it doesn't effect his players as much as it effects him.

-Mitch

Eric Is The Duke Prophet

I never like saying Eric is right about anything.  But if I don't tell him directly, Eric makes damn sure you know he was right by reminding you 10 times in the first 15 minutes of seeing him. As I begin to talk about the Duke Blue Devils, everything Eric said here came to fruition in the final 4 minutes of the Duke-Michigan game on Sunday afternoon. The chemistry seemed to be lackluster, and the Blue Devils looked out of sorts. I blame Coach K for a decision that I hope is not the future for this team in next week.

During the final two minutes, Coach K gave Kyrie Irving the keys to the offense even though it has been Nolan Smith's ride for most of the year. It's like if my parents gave my car to my younger sister because she is the better driver of the kids in the family. This might be true, but it still doesn't warrant taking something away that rightfully belongs to the other person. I could sense the team had some confusion having the offense run through another player not named Nolan Smith. Even the biggest Duke Fan has to recongize the newfound problems with Duke's late game possessions.

I felt the Blue Devils lacked any sort of motion in their offense, and it had a lot to do with Irving not splitting the 1-3-1 zone. I agree he opens up chances on the perimeter, but only goes so far when facing a zone.  I am not saying Irving doesn't deserve to be on the court, I would just rather have Smith running the point and Irving being the off-guard. It seems like a logical decision that Coach K would make, instead of his Rick Barnas-like choice to let Irving control the team.

The best thing about Duke's near meltdown (remember Michigan ended the game on a 13-2 run) is this will probably not happen for the remainder of the tournament. Kyle Singler and Smith missing free throws like they did was uncharacteristic, and I hope when Duke faces another close game, the offense will be all about Smith, not Irving.

-Charlie.

No Defense In Chapel Hill




Don't let the blocks fool you. 

In the past moth, I pumped up the North Carolina Tar Heels like a promoter for Wrestlemania.  I liked the Tar Heels' chances to go deep in the NCAA Tournament, but after this weekend games, I am starting to have second thoughts. No, it's not because they are playing my team, but it has to do with their lack of defense.  They allowed a ton of points against LIU and gave up 83 in a victory against Washington. I am starting to wonder if the Tar Heels have some sizable holes on defense.

People make a big deal about John Henson's defensive presence. I understand this guy has a sick wingspan (7'4) and Henson makes a difference inside versus teams because he can block virtually anything.  He reminds me a bit of Hakim Warrick at Syracuse. But explain to me why Washington grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Tar Heels as a whole?  I have an answer for you... Tyler Zeller. He refuses to take charges, something Henson is not great at either. He always goes for the flashy play, which sometimes works but can also burn a team. Zeller also will not get physical like his counterpart Henson does each time down the court. Zeller getting exposed as a defensive liability sometime during the NCAA Tournament is something to watch for in the coming weeks. The other thing about the Henson-Zeller duo is they both lack any girth, both very skinny. I could blow on both of them and they would fall down.

Both teams played no defense whatsoever, and it basically became a scoring contest. The Tar Heels definitely have the skills to score 80 a game with the ability to score at all five positions. But at some point, teams who put all their eggs in their offensive basket run out of luck.  There is not one guy on Carolina, I would call a defensive stopper. Not even Mr. Henson. The Heels want a track meet every time, and if teams buy into that pace, no one will beat them. But if a squad slows them down, the Tar Heels' year is over.

-Charlie.