Sportaholic Weekend Rundown 03/12/2012

Weekend Rundown

The field of 68 has been set:

The madness that is March is officially here as the NCAA tournament field has been set. No really big surprises here with the top seeds as Kentucky was named overall number one even with its loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC tourney finals. North Carolina was in the same boat after narrowly losing the ACC tournament to Florida State and still receiving a one seed. Syracuse didn’t even make the Big East final (Which is really a shame with this being their last year in the Big East) and again with this reoccurring theme they received a one seed. As a matter of fact Michigan State was the only one seed that won its conference tournament in the Big Ten. You can really see that the conference tourney doesn’t mean much to the big boys who had already clinched a high seed.



And what’s a good tournament conversation without talking about the snubs. Marshall probably has the biggest gripe after beating Big East conference tourney runner up Cincinnati in OT, taking Syracuse to the wire with a 62-56 loss and beating Iona who slipped into a tournament. Drexel also should be angry after winning 25-2 down the stretch with the CAA conference title, the committee didn’t see the Dragons strength of schedule in the 220s as a team deserving of a bid. As long as there is a NCAA tournament there will always be a team that gets snubbed and those two teams have a legit beef.



Now that the field is set get ready to get inundated with multiple bracket requests from all your friends from every website. Its March madness baby, the best three weeks on the sports calendar so get ready to fill out those brackets and miss a few days of work if your school is playing.

Bud Adams throws the kitchen sink at Peyton Manning

Bud Adams has reportedly said he will do whatever it takes to sign four time NFL MVP Peyton Manning to the Tennessee Titans. Adams said that he has contacted Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, in hopes of setting up a visit to Tennessee. Manning has recently visited the Denver Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals in his quest to find the team that best fits him after being released by the Indianapolis Colts. Adams has gone as far as saying he would offer Manning a job in the front office. Now lets be realistic here Titan fans before you get your hopes up too high. Manning will go to a team that he feels can compete for a Super Bowl if he comes in as the last piece of the puzzle. I don’t believe the Titans fit that description. Also he has made it clear that he only has a list of three teams on his list in Miami, Denver, and Arizona. Don’t get his ties to the University of Tennessee twisted in this mess as I seriously doubt that Manning has any loyalty to anyone in this state besides those who reside in Knoxville. I don’t care what Adams throws at him it just not likely to land Peyton in powder blue.



Vanderbilt upsets Kentucky to win SEC Tournament

As I was eluding to in the beginning of the column, March madness is in full bloom and the first shocker so far for me was seeing the Vanderbilt Commodores finally showed that they have what it takes to beat a quality opponent the caliber of top ranked Kentucky. The Commodores had played the Wildcats tough in their previous two meeting losing by a combined margin of just 15 points. The Wildcats had been running over all its other SEC opponents as it defeated all comers until yesterday. Vandy played tough rugged defense not allowing the Wildcats to score over the final 8:04 of the game. Vandy’s wing duo of Jeff Taylor and Jeff Jenkins combined for 35 points as the Commodores sealed the win with a 16-2 run over the final 5 minutes of the game. John Callapari has never been a big fan of the conference tournaments and his team appeared not to care much either in this one but none of that mattered to Vandy as they clinched their first SEC tournament title since 1951. Congrats to them and good luck in the NCAA’s as they drew a tough match in their first round opponent in Harvard.

Tiger injures Achilles in WGC tournament

Tiger Woods suffered yet another setback in his latest tourney. Woods said he felt discomfort in his lest Achillies that caused him to withdraw from the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship. "I felt tightness in my left Achilles warming up this morning, and it continued to get progressively worse," said Woods, who made three bogeys and no birdies during the final round. "After hitting my tee shot at 12, I decided it was necessary to withdraw. In the past, I may have tried to continue to play, but this time, I decided to do what I thought was necessary." Tiger will likely shut it down until the Masters now after this latest injury. Woods actually had the same injury last year at the Masters as well so this turning into a chronic problem. My guess is that Tiger wants to go into the Masters as healthy as possible and lets hope he is as close as can be to 100% once Augusta gets going.

Bynum late hook shot helps Lakers take down Celtics in latest version of heated rivalry

You expect nothing less than a close game from these heated rivals and that’s exactly what you got in this one. Kobe scored 10 of his 26 in 4th quarter and even suggested that Andrew Bynum take the last shot with everyone in the building looking for Bryant to take it. “Andrew is too big. You can’t teach that,” Bryant said with a grin. “I knew it was going to be a high-percentage shot.” The teams had battled the entire game with one time making a run only to have to the other do the same. Rajon Rondo had 24 points and 10 assists. He would miss horribly on a desperate tie attempt for the Celtics. The Lakers have been nearly unbeatable at home winning for the 18th time in 19 tries at home. This game was important in the sense that it could be the last time we see this current version of both teams square off against each other. The Lakers have been in constant flux of trade rumors with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Boston has also been rumored to be ready to break up the Big 4 of Rondo, Garnett, Allen, and Pierce. If this was the last one then between the two at least they gave us one last classic to remember.

Q and A with Morehead State Standout and NCAA tourney player Demonte Harper

I was blessed with the opportunity of interviewing my former fellow Whites Creek alum and current Morehead State standout Demonte Harper. For those who haven’t been watching, Harper was named OVC conference tournament MVP after he scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the championship game against Tennessee Tech. Harper and fellow senior Kenneth Faried (Who is the leading the nation in rebounding at 14.6 a clip) lead the 13th seeded Eagles against in-state rival and 4th seeded Louisville in the Southwest regional being held in Denver. The Eagles (20-15) are in the tournament for the second time in three years.

My fondest memories of Harper are as a freshman at Whites Creek. He was a tall and lanky kid whose body had not quite caught up with him as far as height is concerned. I was a senior at the time and in some type of scheduling quirk, I had gym class with him. We played some inspired games and I could tell at that time that he had a chance to be a very good player. He would always play me tougher than the others in gym and that was including some other seniors that were so lucky to have gym like me as a senior. After I graduated and went on to college I lost contact with him. I heard about his success at my old high school as the team had made it to the state championship but I wasn’t able to attend those games as much as I had wanted too. A few years went by and as I am now finishing up school (I know it’s been awhile) I noticed that Demonte had earned a starting spot for Morehead State and was putting up some solid numbers for them as well. Harper’s minutes and points have increased every year for him, going from 3.7 points a game in 19 minutes as a freshman to 16 points a game in 37 minutes per contest as a senior. He showed off his scoring ability as he exploded for 35 points against the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars this season and dropped another 34 on Austin Peay.

It is a feel good story for me as far as being able to see him fulfilling the potential I noticed in him as a high-school freshman. It makes me proud as a former Whites Creek basketball alum to see Harper keeping the tradition of Whites Creek Cobra basketball alive.

Harper with the block in the above photo.

Now for a few questions on Harper as Morehead State as they prepare for battle against the Cardinals this Thursday.



Question: What is your first take on Louisville?



Answer: They are similar to us in that they like to get up and down the floor like us and it should make for an exciting game.




Q: Do you think playing in the high altitude of Denver will affect your teams approach, as you guys usually go about 7 deep?



A: Maybe a little bit. Coach (Donnie Tyndall) has instructed us to drink more water but other than that I think we will be ok.



Q: Do you think you guys will be rusty since you haven’t played in two weeks?



A: We had a few days off but we have had some tough practices and I definitely think we will be prepared.



Q: Did playing Louisville and going 1-9 in 37 minutes two years ago as a sophomore help as far as scouting and experience are concerned?



A: Definitely, when I played them as sophomore I got a feel for their style of play. This time I should be ready to make more of a contribution




Q: How does it feel to be playing in the hotbed of college hoops in Kentucky?



A: It can be overwhelming to play in front of 20,000 people as we did when we traveled to the University of Kentucky in Lexington, but this is an experienced team that isn’t afraid of the moment.



Q: Did playing Florida to within 6 points of the win help build confidence in playing another big time program such as Louisville?



A: We played them tough but we just had a bad shooting night. Things could have been different had we shot better. It does give us confidence knowing that we are a capable team



Q: They say momentum is the most underrated aspect of the tourney, you guys won 13 of 14 entering the tourney, and does it give you guys an extra bump entering the big dance?



A: Yeah definitely, I think the momentum we are taking with us in the tournament will carry over and give us an additional boost.



Q: How was it to be to get the chance to play in-front of friends and family in OVC tourney here in Nashville? And speaking of Nashville as you being a native of the city did you feel any extra pressure to perform and represent for your city?



A: It was the greatest feeling in the world man. I played in the in the OVC tournament the last three years that it was held in Nashville and so its no pressure to me. I’m just happy to be able to perform in front on my family and friends.





Q; You have scored at least 25 points in your last two games, what has been your key to success in those games?



A: Just being aggressive man. I actually rather make my teammates better if it’s my scoring, rebounding or passing, just whatever I can do to help the team win.



Q: What current NBA player do you think your games most resembles?



A: I would say Derrick Rose. I know I am not as fast as he is (Chuckles) but our styles are similar in attacking the rim and getting up and down the floor.



Q: How do you and Kenneth Faried compliment each others game?



A: I think we compliment each other a lot. He is the best rebounder I have ever had the chance to play with. In my opinion I definitely think he is a first-round NBA pick. Maybe even lottery pick.




Q: Is there anything you would like to say to your fans in the city of Nashville?



A: Thanks for all the love and support from the city.