Uconn wins its 3rd National Championship in unspectacular fashion....

I can’t even lie about last night’s championship game. It was boring, there I said it. I can remember numerous times of Twitter and Facebook my friends and family cracking jokes about it. One person objectively asked if they were playing to 21. Another one of my friends said first person to 50 wins. I heard it all and then some in Uconn’s 53-41 victory over Butler. The lid seemed shut for both teams as the game began. Shelvin Mack’s first two lay-up attempt misses were an ominous sign of things to come. The 41 combined points were the fewest scored in a half in the NCAA title game since Oklahoma State and North Carolina totaled 40 in 1946. This was an ugly game of mammoth proportions. The Bulldogs made only one of 13 shots from two-point range, but five three-pointers. Uconn shot 34.5 percent from the field and still won by 12 points. To be able to shoot that bad and still win, isn’t suppose to happen in a national championship game. Kemba Walker was deservedly all the talk leading into the game but even he struggled going 5-of-19 shooting and he had zero assists. I’ve seen Uconn play multiple times this year and they could make most of those shots in their sleep. It was just something about this game, I don’t know if it was playing in Houston’s Reliant stadium with the vast overview or was it just the jitters of playing in front of millions at home and in their seats that made for such a chagrin affair last night. UConn shot 29 percent from the field in the first half, while Butler shot 22.2 percent.

However, what was lost in the grotesque shooting percentages and ill-advised Matt Howard 3-point attempts was the great defense played both teams. There was a certain beauty to the spectacle of two teams fighting for every last inch of the court. The scrappy Bulldogs would not go away until Uconn finally went on a 25-5 run in the second half. Until that point you had the feeling this was just the street fight that Brad Stevens and Butler wanted. Butler has been involved in more close call than anyone I can remember this year besides one team…….. the Uconn Huskies.

Both teams know how to play deformed basketball to a tee and it just happened to rear it ugly head last night. Clark Kellogg, analyst for the game said that Butler is the best team he has ever seen at playing good while playing bad. His meaning was that even though the Bulldogs were playing awful they still are able to hold their head above water until they start to play to their potential, only they never did. Butler turned in the worst shooting performance in NCAA title game history, shooting an eye-popping 18.8 percent and it cost them more than shots as they noticeably lost their cool. The Huskies size with Alex Orhaki in the post and Jeremy Lamb with Roscoe Smith on the wings frustrated Butler all night long. I thought it was just a matter of time before Chase Stigall and Shawn Vanzant would knock down those open 3-pointers’s but to no avail. Butler missed 31 of 37 second-half shots. In a word: Ouch

At any rate, much credit is to be given to Uconn. They were a team swirled in controversy after a recruiting flap that nearly engulfed there hall of fame coach Jim Calhoun. Now Calhoun joins the exclusive club of the who’s who of college basketball coaches as he became just the fifth coach in NCAA history to win at least three NCAA basketball titles. The others in the club are John Wooden (11 championships), Adolph Rupp (four), Mike Krzyzewski (four) and Bob Knight (three). They were a team that the experts only had Kemba Walker and Walker himself was a head case who took too many ill-advised shots and wasn’t able to carry a team by himself. Walker responded to those critics by capping a historic postseason run, averaging 24.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and five assists and commanding the Huskies to 11 consecutive postseason wins. And even Walker’s supporting cast stepped up as Alex Oriakhi and Jeremy Lamb combined for 23 points and 18 rebounds. They were a team picked by the coaches of the Big East to finish 10th in their own league. They actually did finish 9th but in spectacular fashion won the Big East Tourney with a five games in five nights. All bets should have been off on this team from there.

This was the year of the unknown in college basketball. We didn’t have a super power team that was undefeatable. We didn’t even have our picks right for the brackets as the 5.1 million people who entered in ESPN’s bracket challenge proved (Only 2 out of the number got the Final Four correct.). Heck, I don’t even know why Uconn’s Roscoe Smith eye has been black since November, but it is. This much is for certain now is that the Uconn Huskies are the National Champions and they did it the hard way. Congrats goes out to them for all of their accomplishments this year.

Jay-Z under investigation by the NBA

Rap superstar Jay-Z maybe be in hot water after an impromptu visit with the winners of the Kentucky Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels college basketball game. The NBA said that its plans to investigate the New Jersey Nets minority owner after his little visit to the locker room. The rap mogul was seen on video and in photos celebrating with the Kentucky team after their victory. The win advanced the Wildcats to the Final Four but the big uproar is that Jay-Z interacted with two possible high draft picks in Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones and the NBA doesn’t take that lightly.




This is mildly surprising as one would think the Roc Nation president and CEO would know owners can’t talk to potential players especially underclassmen. Just as recent as 2007, Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge was fined $30,000 for sitting and conversing with Kevin Durant mother during a game. Being a rap superstar has it perks and I would guess it was hard for the person in charge of security to turn down a man that most of those kids look up to. The problem is the impression that it gives when a multi-millionaire owner is partying it up with potential clients.

NBA Power Rankings March March 29,2011

It’s impossible not to take notice of what the Lakers and the Bulls have accomplished since the All-Star break. LA’s run of 15 victories to 1 defeat is astonishing. In fact it’s historic as LA became just the fifth team since the invention of the All-Star game to go at least 15-1 after the break. Four of those teams (Detroit Pistons 89-90, Chicago Bulls 90-91 and the Lakers again back in 99-00) went on to win the NBA title. The inspired play of Andrew Bynum is one of the big reasons the Lakers have returned to championship form. The Lake show have also been scoring like the old show time Lakers and locking down opponents as SI’s Zach Lowe pointed out in his Point Forward column. The Lakers are scoring 109.3 per 100 possessions and only allowing 99 points per 100 possessions. That means their offense is in sync as only the Denver Nuggets have a better points per game average in that span than the Lakers and on defense only the Bulls and Celtics are being more economical. The Spurs recent three game skid has opened the door for LA to possibly snatch the number one seed from the Spurs which a month of two ago was unfathomable.

The Bulls also have been on scorching the league of late with their hot play. Despite their lost to Philly last night, they are still 8-2 over their last 10 games. The lost snapped the Bulls’ home win streak at 14 and “dropped” them to 32-5 at the United Center. The Derrick Rose MVP chatter couldn’t get any louder as he has put up career numbers averaging 25 points and 8 assist a game. Rose may ultimately receive the hardware (Even though I’m more partial to Dwight Howard) but his team’s results in the playoffs may concern him more. I like the Bulls and I think they will be the top seed in the Eastern conference but I don’t think they are ready to leap frog the Celtics in the playoffs. The Celtics have lost 7 of 12 and have looked lost on offense since the injury Rajon Rondo suffered on. Home court advantage may mean a lot to the Bulls but let’s not forget the Celtics made it all the way to the finals as a fourth seed last year. The Celtics are the type of team that can make a run rather they have home court or not, it just doesn’t really matter to with those guys.

Now to the rankings:

1. Los Angeles Lakers (53-20) – The Lakers are in position to claim the number one seed in the west with San Antonio’s recent slide, not that it matters to them. 'It doesn't matter to us whether we catch them or not,' Kobe Bryant said. 'We try to win every game. If we catch them, so be it. If we don't, so be it. Bryant words are those of a former champion. The Lakers know if they play their game, then it’s going to be tough for any opponent to wrangle away the championship from the Lakers.

2. Chicago Bulls (53-20) – The Bulls’ Derrick Rose may get all the attention but it’s really their defense that keeps the train going on the Bulls train. The Bulls defensive stats: ranked first in opponents’ field-goal shooting (42.8 percent), opponents’ three-point shooting (32.7 percent) and second in points allowed (91.1 a game) and rebounds per game (44.4) and fifth in blocks per game (5.72). As the saying goes: Offense sells tickets but defense wins championships. Let’s see if the Bulls can make that quote work for them this year.

3. Miami Heat (51-22) The Heat’s roller coaster season continues with yet more ups and downs. They are definitely on a high at the moment and they made history last week. For the second time in NBA history, the other coming 50 years ago, three teammates all posted at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a regulation game. James had 33 points and 10 rebounds, Bosh added 31 points and 12 rebounds, and Wade finished with 30 points and 11 boards as the Miami Heat beat the Houston. That is what everyone expected from this team since Bosh, Wade, and Lebron had their little introductory pep rally this summer. The Heat have a soft as bread schedule for the rest of the season and actually have a shot at catching the Bulls for top seed and home court advantage in the playoffs.

4. San Antonio Spurs (57-16) – So let’s get this right with all their injuries. When you have Tony Parker out (left knee contusion), Timmy Duncan out (ankle sprain), and Manu Ginobili out (left quad contusion) what do you get? Two losses to the Trail Blazers in three days and your once insurmountable lead in the West dwindled down to 3 ½ games over the Lakers. Can the Spurs hold it together and pull through in the playoffs?

5. Dallas Mavericks (51-21) - I noticed an amazing stat about Peja Stojakovicand the Mavs. When he scores at least 15 in a game the Mavs are 15-0. I say make sure at all cost you get him those 15 points. The depth of this team knows no bounds as they go at least 10 to 11 deep in their regular rotation. That’s not even including the pending comeback of Caron Butler who insists he will be back by the playoffs. We will get to know everything we to know about the Mavs when they face the Lakers this Thursday. The two teams have split the season series and the victor of this game will own the tie breaker should the two teams tie in the standings. In other words it’s a big game and both teams should bring the best out of each other.

Tennessee annocues Cuzono Martin as their new men's basketball coach.

The University of Tennessee will formally introduce Cuonzo Martin as their men’s basketball head coach today. Martin of course will fill the role vacated by lightning rod Bruce Pearl. After chasing high profile names such as Villanova’s Jay Wright and Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, the Vols decided that the best option left was Martin.

Cuonzo is among the most promising young coaches in the game, and we are excited about the coaching ability, toughness, and energy that he brings to our program," Tennessee Director of Athletics Mike Hamilton said. "He has a proven track record of success as a head coach at Missouri State and an assistant at Purdue as well as an outstanding career as a college basketball player. His Missouri State program improved from 11 wins to 26 in just two seasons, and they won the regular season conference championship this year." Said athletics director Mike Hamilton

Cuonzo Martin (pronounced CON-zoe) may not be the splash in the pan that most Vol fans were looking for, but upon closer inspection, he seems to be a judicious hire due to the circumstances facing the program. Under normal circumstances, UT with its facilities and deep pockets would be a coveted job for most coaches. However because of to trail left by Bruce Pearl and the possible NCAA infractions facing the program not so much at this time. Martin will inherit a program that has a due date with the NCAA infractions committee just 3 months from now and will learn their fate. Not to mention that the cupboard could be bare as Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson could jump to the NBA and incoming freshmen Kenny Ware could look to sign elsewhere with Pearl gone.

Nevertheless, Martin has proven that he can change a programs fortune. While at Missouri State, he took the Bears to a 26-9 and a conference championship in his third season. That was a stark turnaround from a team that just two years ago was 11-20 and last in the Missouri Valley Conference. He is a another coach off the Gene Keady coaching tree as is current Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings. Martin has no history of NCAA violations which is important after the whole Bruce Pearl saga. He also received coach of the year honors in the MVC conference and is a finalist for two national coaching awards this season: the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the top mid-major coach in Division I college basketball, and the Ben Jobe Award, presented annually to the top minority head coach in Division I.

Martin also survived a cancel scare as he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1997. He was last treated for the disease in 1998 and is now in full remission. The Martin era may not be what many UT fans wanted after six successful seasons by Bruce Pearl. My initial reaction to the hire was like most in saying who is this guy? The Vols had little choice really after reportedly being turned down by multiple coaches for the job. I figured it would have to be someone with strong resolve and determination to undertake such a dubious job. Martin seems to be as strong willed as they come after growing up on the mean streets of East St. Louis and surviving cancer, an NCAA infraction should be the least of his worries.

In summary, Martin should serve well in Knoxville. He wasn’t the first choice but if you remember back last time UT had an opening, neither was Bruce Pearl. His background shows that he is a man of high character and moral standards. His tenure may get off to a rocky start in rocky top but if his track record proves anything he will be able to endure the challenge of keeping UT in the top echelon of SEC basketball.

NBA Power Rankings March 23, 2011

Post All-Star break is usually when the real cream on the crop rises in the league. This year is no different as the Lakers, Bulls and Thunder are all making their second half runs. The Lakers have clearly flipped the proverbial switch and have won 13 of their 14 games since the break. Chicago seems to find a way to gut out a victory every night and have taken control of the Eastern conference. The Thunder finally have big man Kendrick Perkins manning the post and are jelling together as a unit. There is no denying that these three teams are poised for deep runs in the playoffs.

On the other hand, you have teams that are nose-diving at this junction of the season. New York seems to have settled into a non-defensive approach to defense. The hype and hoopla of Carmelo’s entrance on the big stage are gone and now he must commit to being a better all-around player rather than just scoring. Carmelo skipping the press conference and leaving A'mare to hang and dry was just wrong. The Spurs may have the number one seed locked down in the west, but just as I predicted they are wearing down after their torrid pace. Tim Duncan’s injury is an indication of trop vieux (old age) as Gregg Poppovich so eloquently put it when he didn’t start Duncan last week.



Now for the rankings:

1. Los Angeles Lakers (50-20) – The Lakers thrilling three overtime victory over the Suns proved that the Lake show have found their groove. The stats from that game as you would imagine are unbelievable. Kobe with 42 points 12 rebounds and 9 assists, Lamar Odom with 24 points and 16 rebounds and Pau Gasol “chipping” in with 24 points and 13 boards of his own. When you add Ron Artest’s 18 points to that it total out to 113 points of the 139 scored for the Lakers. That’s getting it done for the starters. LA keeps rolling along as they prepare for the Zen master’s final playoff run.

2. Chicago Bulls (50-19) The Bulls clinched their first 50 win season since some bald guy named Jordan was playing for them. This team is just so relentless on defense that they just wear down most opponents. Coming into this season I thought they would be a good team but not this good. The emergence of Derrick Rose has catapulted them into elite status this year and for the foreseeable future.

3. Boston Celtics (50-19) – So Doc Rivers pulls out the “S” word on his team to describe how they were playing against New York and the veteran laden team was having none of that. They went on to outscore the Knicks by 24 in the second half and took it to New York physically. The Celtics are like the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NBA. You know they will hit you and they will continue all game long.

4. San Antonio Spurs (57-13) – When you look at their record, it automatically jumps out. To have won 57 of 70 games constitutes that you have a great team, but I just think their record is inflated. When push comes to shove in the western conference playoffs, I would take the Thunder or the Lakers over the Spurs. Tim Duncan age along with injury prone Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli just doesn’t bode well in my eyes for a long playoff run.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder (45-24) – OKC may have the best front office in all of the NBA. Sam Presti came over from San Antonio with the good tutelage from R.C. Buford and has been one of the craftiest GMs in the league every since. His trade for Perkins was brilliant and he reinforced that by adding Nazr Mohammed. Kevin Durant is one of those special players that if he gets hot, its nothing as a defense you can do about it. Durant and Russell Westbrook are a deadly one two punch. This team will do nothing but grow and just like the Chicago Bulls will be an elite team for the foreseeable future.

Pearl Pushed Out By Tennessee

I clearly regret having to post this article because I am a Bruce Pearl fan but his time with UT has come to an end. Pearl was gregarious and his high energy personality rubbed off on everyone around him. He embraced Tennessee culture and did things that made us Tennessean’s embrace him. Pearl finished with a record of 145-61 as UT’s head coach and also led them to six straight NCAA tournaments. His resume speaks for itself but Pearl was more than just win and losses. He put UT basketball on the map as he led them to their first ever number one ranking. Who can forget Pearl showing up at the Lady Vols game with his torso camouflaged in Vol orange? Pearl’s endearing antics surpassed those of all the coaches in the SEC. It rubbed most the wrong way but it you are a Vol fan, you loved it.

You can tell how much he meant to the program as news of his firing has dominated the sports scene here locally. People in Tennessee have a certain type of infatuation with him. He cam from the northeast but was able to adapt to Tennessee and from what I hear is not an easy thing to do. The ramifications of Pearl ouster are huge. Players such as Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson are all but done in a UT uniform at this point. Incoming players are asking for permission to speak to other teams in wake of Pearl’s ouster. And with an NCAA sanction hanging over the UT program, how can they expect to land a good coach? The program is left with more questions then answers at this point. Mike Hamilton seems incapable to handling bad situations. His ill-advised interview before the NCAA tournament had to make other AD’s around the country cringe. Hamilton should be on shaky ground as well now as two of his hires in Pearl and Lane Kiffin both have come under fire from the NCAA are no longer at UT. If Hamilton knew he was going to fire Pearl then he should have done it immediately. There was no point of creating the circus that was UT’s men basketball season. There was no point of docking Pearl’s pay, suspending him and publicly backing him for the entire season only to dump as soon as it was over. Hamilton’s interview seemed to be nothing more than him distancing himself away from Pearl in an effort to set up the fan base for his firing.



Futhermore on Pearl, he had built a reputation as an upright and what you see is what you get coach. His persona has been that way since he blew the whistle on Illinois and their involvement with former recruit Deon Thomas. Dick Vitale called the Thomas situation career suicide but Pearl made it through that debacle. Now it does seem ironic if not prophetic that Pearl career is stalled because of NCAA violations. As much as I like Pearl, don’t get me wrong, he was wrong for the things that he did. The most stunning part of the allegations is the reported “Bumps” that the NCAA found out after they had met with Pearl in September. Pearl held a tear filled press conference soon after his meeting with the NCAA but according to reports, he and assistant Tony Jones illegally had contact with a prep athlete. Pearl disputes this and says it was a cordial greeting of the player but at this point it doesn’t matter. Once you’re the crosshairs of the NCAA, they are relentless. Pearl had a chance to come clean and he didn’t which is no one’s fault but his own. But when a coach like Jim Tressel of Ohio State does in what amounts to basically the same thing if not worse, then you begin to realize how unfair this fallout was to Pearl. Everyone knows the story now of Tressel as he knew all along about his players selling their memorabilia in exchange for tattoos but instead of turning the players in, Tressel played them and rode them to a Sugar Bowl victory. How can that not be more offensive than what Pearl did? Highly hypocritical but the NCAA has been this way for years.

Pearl became a victim of his own success. He was a diamond in the rough that finally had a big-time program at his dispense. He did what most coaches are doing at this very moment. Some say Pearl was set-up for those reasons I mentioned earlier in this article, I don’t know if I can agree with that. I do think that he became drunk with his own prosperity. They say it is only cheating if you get caught but that doesn’t even correctly objectify what is going on in college athletics these days. And when you think about coaches like John Callapari, who has took two programs (UMass and Memphis) to the final four only to have those banners taken down because of allegations, it does make one think Pearl may have been duped one way or another. Pearl’s ambition drove him to do whatever it took to stay on top. If that meant 100 calls to a recruit so be it. If that meant throwing a cookout for future players, so be it (even though I still don’t understand why he would allow anyone to take photos of the event). Pearl is just the latest casualty in the NCAA world of rules. Pearl will resurface after a year of two. He is too charismatic and too good of a coach not to. It’s just a shame that he won’t be back on the Tennessee sidelines anymore.

So How Is Your Brackets Looking?

So after the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, my bracket is looking like a high-school kid’s algebra test as it is filled with x’s at this point. My carnage ravaged bracket isn’t surprising when I think about it. Every year I believe I have the formula for the perfect bracket and every year it all goes downhill after the first few rounds of games. I may have drunk too much of the Belmont kool-aid that the experts were serving and ended up having the Bruins making a sweet 16 run. After Wisconsin and Jordan Taylor put a beat down on my hometown Bruins my bracket was already done. I got another surprise when Morehead State’s Demonte Harper downed a 3-point bomb on Peyton Siva and the Louisville Cardinals. Now Harper and I know go back to high school and I talked to him before the game. You would think he could have given some type of heads up or something.

The tournament is so much fun because in a year like this, there are no favorites. You could argue that Ohio State, Kansas and Duke are but do you really think any of these teams are unbeatable? This is as an open field as I as I seen in recent years. I doubt that even Joe Lunardi could pick a perfect bracket at this point The NCAA has been watered down with the one-and-done rule to the point where good teams can be borderline great with the given circumstances. Think about this, if most of the underclassmen that have declared over the last four year had to stay in college, how different would the tournament be? Kentucky would feature the likes of John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Terrance Jones. That’s just a scary proposition. Then again maybe Kentucky doesn’t because John Callapari stays at Memphis with Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose at his expense. Ohio State would even bigger inside with Greg Oden (Do you still think he would hurt in some sort of fashion? I do) and better at the point with Mike Conley Jr manning the ship. Things would definitely different that’s for sure.

How about some the controversial calls in this year’s tourney as well? Pitt got jobbed in the Butler game and I don’t care what you say. There is no way those types of calls should determine the outcome of the game as they did but Butler deserves credit for making their free-throws. Memphis fans still think Derrick Williams fouled Antonio Barton, Louisville feel the same about Kenneth Faried’s block on their last second 3-point attempt and what on earth was John Henson thinking for North Carolina? Henson couldn’t figure out if he wanted to be the hero or the goat against Washington as he stole an inbound pass that looked to seal the game then inexplicably touched a half-court heave from Washington’s Isaiash Thomas that had no chance of going in. His mistake gave the Huskies the ball with 0.5 seconds left on the clock and Henson again decided to touch the ball, this time almost receiving a goaltending violation but it wouldn’t have mattered as the Huskies needed a 3-pointer to tie but still you don’t want to chance those type of things John.

As for the rest of my picks, I still have a chance. I did have down a few upsets that happened like Richmond over Vandy. The Commodores are always a safe pick for an upset in the opening rounds. I had George Mason over Villanova. That made since as you had a surging mid-major that has been here before against a down on their luck Wildcats team that the wheels fell off of a long time ago. I still love Jay Wright’s suit selections I must say. Who could have predicted VCU’s run from first four in to Sweet 16 team? The Rams got in and are making the most of it. That is what this entire festival is about. The little team that could and everyone always roots for the underdog. The Sweet 16 is usually the best match-ups of the season and this year looks up to par. When you have Uconn vs. San Diego State, Ohio State vs. Kentucky and BYU vs. Florida you can expect some fireworks.



Stay tuned is all I can say because as more games are played there will be more upsets. Looking at the President’s bracket I’m inclined to think how is he able to pick a 26-2 first round and handle everything else in the world. His bracket was in 98 percentile and he was 431st in ESPN’s bracket challenge. That means that the President is better than me and most people at picking college basketball and I call myself an expert in this field. That’s tells you that this is nothing more than crap shoot. So I finish with the question I began with, how are your brackets looking?