Sports InsideOut

I love college basketball. I forget how much I love it during the summer, but it is officially my favorite sport. A few comments about coaching decisions before I start: 1. Did Minnesota really hire Rich Pitino when he had just 1 year of head coaching experience? 2. Wow Steve Alford, really classy. 3. Brad Stevens, Butler forever? 4. Andy Ennfield: Dunk City to The International City. My basketball coach last season used to make me do a running drill called an 8-6-4-2. Here is my written version of the drill: 8 best teams in the country right now 1. Syracuse This was an easy pick.  In their win vs. Indiana, they looked better than any team that I have seen all year. Tyler Ennis is a top 5 point guard in the country, and Trevor Cooney is a top 5 shooter in the country.  CJ Fair is a top 5 player, rounding out their unbelievable trio, and backed by great inside players, it forms a great team. 2. Ohio St If only they had a scorer...  Aaron Craft and Shannon Scoo...

1. Dwight Howard, C Howard has been in limbo for over a year now, first with the magic, then with LA.  Hopefully this will end tomorrow at some point.  Howard has many suitors.  The Mavericks, the Hawks, Clippers, Nets, even the Warriors have a tiny chance.  He could even stay with the Lakers.  But, the Mavericks are just too old, the Hawks will not have a star once they lose Josh Smith, the Clippers and Nets don't have enough money, and I would be surprised if he stayed with the Lakers based on how bad of a season he had last year.  I think that he will go to the Rockets.  The Rockets want him more than any other team, and they would immediately be a contender with him. Suitor: Rockets 2. Chris Paul, PG This is probably the easiest to determine of the 5.  It is pretty obvious that Paul will stay.  He is happy with the Clippers organization for the most part, and especially about one thing.  They traded for Doc Rivers.  Rivers ...

Top 10 Picks Analysis 1. Anthony Bennett, Cavaliers, PF NBA Comparison- Zach Randolph This was a HUGE surprise! Anthony Bennet going 1 overall!  It was a good pick though.  They didn't reach for Nerlens Noel, and instead picked a solid Power Forward, who may eventually be an All-Star. Grade: B+ 2. Victor Oladipo, Magic, SG NBA Comparison- Andre Iguodala This is a very solid pick.  Oladipo has good upside, and could turn into an Andre Iguodala type player, with his athleticism, and defense. Grade: B+ 3. Otto Porter, Wizards, SF/PF NBA Comparison- Jeff Green I am not very high on Porter.  He fits their system, and went to college in DC, but he is just not crazily talented. Grade: C+ 4. Cody Zeller, Bobcats, C NBA Comparison- Brook Lopez I think that this is a solid pick for the Bobcats.  They don't need high-upside guys, they need guys who will be NBA starters, and good ones, too.  Zeller is very underrated in my opinion. Grade: B 5. Alex Le...

Before I start my post, I wanted to say that the NBA has lost so much.  First Derrick Rose, then Rajan Rondo, then Kobe Bryant, and now Russell Westbrook.  The NBA has to become a game where players stop hurting their knees and feet/ankles.  There have been so many victims.  Yao Ming lost his career to it, Al Jefferson tore his ACL, and still isn't the same.  So many teams are losing their title chances to mid to lower leg injuries.  These injuries leave a lasting effect on not only the player that suffers the injury, but the entire NBA as well. Do the Warriors have any chance of beating the Spurs with David Lee? How about with him? David Lee may or may not come back again in the Warriors vs. Spurs series.  I think that they have a chance to beat the Spurs with or without David Lee.  Having David Lee would certainly help, but they can win it either way.  Lee racks up more stats than he is a good player.  He averages many points and r...

I am finished with College Basketball, but I just wanted to say that Louisville deserved to win the title more than any other team. I may do some posts on NBA as it gets deep into the playoffs, but I have moved into baseball for now. Top 5 MLB Players so far 1. Justin Upton     AVG R HR RBI SB .302 20 12 18 3 Case: Justin Upton has 12 HRs already.  He only has to get 2 more in the last 3 games to tie the record for most in April.  Guess who are the 2 people who got 12.  Albert Pujols (2006) and Alex Rodriguez (2007).  Pretty good company, huh?  Upton has also scored 20 runs and has stole 3 bases, knocking in 18 runs in the process.   His batting average is still above .300, but I don't know how long it will stay there.  My projected stats: .292, 103 runs, 38 HR, 97 RBI, 21 SB Verdict: He will be a star and contend for the MVP voting, possibly winning it, but with these stats, will likely get Top 3.  2. Bryc...

Most Outstanding player:  Mitch McGary, Michigan, 16.0 points, 9.6 rebounds in tournament Mitch McGary has played great this tournament.  He has scored and rebounded extremely well.  He has played GREAT defense.  He is the reason Michigan is in the Championship game.  He has gotten them buckets when they needed it.  I thought about Russ Smith here, but McGary contributes in more than one category, while Smith only contributes in points.  But McGary contributes in points, rebounds, blocks, and even contributed some assists against Syracuse. All First Team: PG Trey Burke, Michigan, 13.8 pts, 7.0 ast Trey Burke has had a very good tournament.  He hasn't had amazing stats, but he has been VERY clutch.  At the end of the Kansas game, he played amazing.  He was unstoppable, leading them to a huge win.  His shot at the end of that game was the shot of the tournament.  Here it is: That shot was sooooooo clutch.  If I wa...

Before I get into my post, I wanted to say that I am confused on what is the first and second rounds of the tournament.  Apparently, the Thursday and Friday games that are now past us are the second round.  Yet that is when 95% of the teams play their first game.  They say the First Four is the play-in game, but  somehow it is the first round as well.  I have seen announcers get confused many times on what the first round is.  To laugh at this, I have prepared a skit about it. Announcer 1: In my bracket so far, I have gotten 22 of the 32 first round games correct. Announcer 2: I don't mean to correct you, but I think that it is considered the second round. Announcer 1: Well.... Then what is the 1st round? Announcer 2:  I'm not really sure.  It has not been made clear yet.  I would expect the first round to be the play-in games. Announcer 1:  That makes no sense!  A play-in game is a play-in to the tournament, but somehow that...

10 Bracket Busters 5 Underrated Teams 1. Oregon Oregon ended the regular season badly, losing to Utah.  But, they came back and won the PAC-12 title.  Right now, they are rolling, and I think they could make an Elite Eight appearance.  They will likely win in the 1st round, and if they win in the second round, they could win again to play in the Elite Eight.  Jonathan Lloyd and Carlos Emory combined for 39 pts in their win against #23 UCLA.  Both of them came off the bench.  Dominic Artis is a great point guard, and Arsalan Kazemi can rebound as well as anyone in the country.  Oregon has all the pieces of the puzzle, they just need to put them all together. 2. NC State NC State is certainly talented.  They just need to push the tempo a little more.  Hopefully coach Mark Gottfried  won't get fried again like he did in their loss to Miami (see what I did there!).  Gottfried should push the tempo more with his team.  He sh...

Before I get into my post, I want to show you my new favorite video, the highlights of last year's basketball season.  I thought it was very well done, and wanted to share. Conference Tournament Championship Games and Winners (Only 7 Conferences) Big 10 Final: Indiana vs. Iowa Winner: Indiana MVP: Victor Oladipo, Indiana Many of you may be surprised at this final.  Of course, not that Indiana is in it, but that Iowa is in it.  Iowa needs at least 2 wins desperately, if they are to make it in the NCAA tournament, and this will make them the most motivated team in the Big 10 tournament.  They need win(s) like no other team.  Indiana played very well against Michigan, getting the outright Big 10 title.  They have amazing chemistry and I will be surprised if they do not make the Final Four.  Not that it would be a disappointment, but it would surprise me.  IU has Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller, who both had double-doubles in their win ...

Top 10 College Basketball Teams 10.  Florida I know this may seem low, but Florida played a lot worse than the score seemed on Saturday.  They beat Alabama 64-52, but they could have easily lost at home.  Florida has 3 supposedly great guards, and I will say one is great and another is good, but the 3rd is questionable.  In my opinion, Scottie Wilbekin is the best of the 3: Wilbekin, Kenny Boynton, and Mike Rosario.  Wilbekin is a great passer, averaging 5.4 assists per game, and Boynton and Rosario only average 2.2 and 3.1, respectively.  You would think that playing so many minutes and handling the ball so much that he would average many more turnover, but he only averages 0.3 more than Rosario and 0.6 more than Boynton.  The biggest reason I think that Boynton is an only average player is his shooting percentage.  He shoots below 40% from the field! I think Billy Donovan does a great job coaching, although he does not look good in a suit, ye...