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Archive for April, 2010
April 22, 2010 at 2:27 pm · by Andrew Stein · Filed under College Hoops
The NCAA is always looking for ways to expand it’s cash cow– the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. After all, over 95% of the total revenue for the organization’s governing body comes from the broadcast rights to this exciting tournament. It’s hard to blame them for trying to get every last nickel out of it if they can.
As a huge college basketball fan, I am in favor of expanding the field, but under two conditions:
- If there are more play-in games, the bubble teams have to play in those games. I expect to see the middle-ranked teams from major conferences playing each other rather than two smaller conference champions fighting it out. Just because your name is UNC doesn’t mean you get to pass that play-in round if you wouldn’t have even made the tournament had it not been for the expansion.
- The NCAA doesn’t get too carried away and expand the field out of greed when in fact there are not 128 qualified teams that should be making it every year. Out of close to 350 teams, I could image upwards of 96 fun teams to watch, but beyond that, I think it is important for someone to draw the line.
That all said, I’m excited that for the first time ever all games will be shown live starting next year thanks to CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.
April 17, 2010 at 11:12 am · by bteitelbaum · Filed under Playoffs
Eastern Conference
Cavaliers vs Bulls: Cavs in 4. Not much to be said.
Magic vs Bobcats: Magic in 5. Charlotte is very tough at home, so I don’t think they’ll be swept. But they really have no answer for Dwight.
Hawks vs Bucks: Hawks in 5. This would have been interesting had Andrew Bogut not gotten injured. Milwaukee was very hot for a stretch in the second half of the season. But now they just don’t have enough offensive balance or options, and they won’t be able to hang with Atlanta on the boards.
Celtics vs Heat: Heat in 7. I know that Miami has very little going on outside of Dwyane Wade, but Boston is in a bad place right now. My gut tells me the Heat will somehow pull out a closely fought series.
Western Conference
Lakers vs Thunder: Lakers in 6. Oklahoma City, and Kevin Durant in particular, creates matchup problems for LA. But the Lakers just have too much.
Mavericks vs Spurs: Mavericks in 7. This is going to be one hell of a series. San Antonio is still trying to work Tony Parker back into the rotation, though, and I think they haven’t exactly figured out how much he can give them.
Suns vs Trail Blazers: Suns in 4. Without Roy, expect Portland to be blown out by a scorching Phoenix squad.
Nuggets vs Jazz: Nuggets in 7. What has happened to Denver? Was Kenyon Martin really that important to them? But Carlos Boozer is just day-to-day, which would bode poorly for Utah’s chances.
April 5, 2010 at 1:12 am · by bteitelbaum · Filed under College Hoops
Everyone either loves or hates Duke – there just can’t be neutrality – and there has been considerable talk this week concerning the reasons for both.
I am a Duke hater for my own personal set of reasons, and I feel like making them known to the world.
- Duke beat, or should I say embarrassed, Columbia during my junior year. I think they stomped us by 46. I was studying abroad in London, listening to the game on radio with a couple Dukies, and I was completely humiliated. I had spent the previous month talking up my school and it’s rising basketball program, only to see us go down with barely a whimper.
- Duke is very efficient offensively. But not really in a way that makes you nod appreciatively and say “Wow, they’re really efficient.” Instead, they’re efficient in a way a blender is efficient: a blender gets the job done, can even do so in multiple ways, but life is less pleasant while waiting for the blender to finish, with all that noise and awkward waiting. Duke makes me feel kinda like that.
- My friend Mike, a Duke graduate, talks a lot of smack about his Blue Devils. Very annoying smack.
- My friend Matt, a Duke graduate, does not talk a lot of smack about his Blue Devils. But you can sense that he’s thinking smack, which might even be worse.
- I hadn’t consciously realized it before my friend Josh pointed it out last night, but Duke is a rather ugly team. Not basketball ugly, but facially ugly. As a heterosexual male, I agree with Josh that they are less agreeable to look at than some other teams. (I could go into individual detail if asked.) Maybe this subconsciously increased my Duke hate prior to my being aware of it.
- I absolutely loved my four years at college and wouldn’t trade them for anything, but part of me sometimes wonders what it would have been like to go to a school with big time athletics, especially a basketball team that I could always root for in March. Instead, I try to get excited for a mid-February 3 point win against Dartmouth. So yeah, I guess I’m saying sometimes I’m jealous of the Duke guys.
- I hate Brian Zoubek. It’s hard for me to really explain why, but he just rubs me the wrong way. In fact, the only basketball player I dislike more might be Kendrick Perkins. Zoubek lumbers around the court, banging into people right and left and showing almost no skill whatsoever, and somehow routinely helps his team. Some people might appreciate that, but it just bothers me. Maybe it’s because I’m thinking, “Why couldn’t I just be 7 feet tall. I could have no talent and still be a key contributor on a Final Four team.” There goes jealousy again. Hmm. I need to be less emotionally involved.
I really hope they lose tomorrow.
April 3, 2010 at 4:54 pm · by bteitelbaum · Filed under College Hoops
Here are the 4 factors that will decide the winner of the WVU-Duke game, in order of importance:
- X Factor: Both Duke and West Virginia rely on the same guys night in night out to produce on the offensive end. For the Blue Devils, it’s the Big Three of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith. For the Mountaineers, it’s Da’Sean Butler, Kevin Jones, and Devin Ebanks. Tonight, though, someone else is going to need to step up. Will Joe Mazzulla repeat his performance in the Elite 8? Will Andre Dawkins hit another couple 3s?
- West Virginia’s ball security: The Mountaineers can be a little loose with the rock, especially when Mazzulla is out of the game. They’re not the best ball handling team and sometimes they force things. Duke likes to extend their defense and pressure ball handlers. WVU will need to be poised, focused, and steady with the ball.
- Duke’s three point shooting: The Blue Devils were 11-23 from downtown in their win over Baylor. West Virginia plays a 1-3-1 zone that takes opponents out of their rhythm, as you saw against Kentucky. The Wildcats took a lot of contested threes and missed almost all of them. If Duke can move the ball and be patient, they’ll be able to get open looks. They’ve gotta knock them down.
- Rebounding: These are two of the best rebounding teams in the country, and they both really hit the offensive glass. This game should be incredibly physical down low, and whoever wins the battle of the boards will have the inside track to winning the game.
April 3, 2010 at 1:56 pm · by bteitelbaum · Filed under College Hoops
Here are the 4 factors that will decide the winner of the Butler-Michigan State game, in order of importance:
- Matt Howard: In little over 12 months, Butler’s center has gone from Horizon League Player of the Year to someone who struggles to stay on the court due to foul trouble, is no longer the focal point of the offense, and has not reached 10 points in his last three games. Great defense, Gordon Hayward’s emergence, and solid bench production have compensated for Howard’s vanishing act, but a good game from Howard would really be a huge boost for the Bulldogs. While they don’t absolutely need him to win, it would sure make things a whole lot easier.
- Michigan State’s fast break points: Anything easy the Spartans can get will be an enormous plus considering how hard Butler will make them work in the half court. Michigan State loves to push the ball, and they need to try to get themselves in as many transition situations as possible. Because the Bulldogs are a little smaller, the Spartans may not have to worry about the defensive backboards as much, which may benefit their running game.
- Raymar Morgan: His inconsistency was one of the biggest storylines entering last year’s Final Four. Due to the focus on Draymond Green this time around, his performance has not been scrutinized nearly as closely. However, it remains just as important. Morgan has been in double figures in 3 of the Spartans’ 4 tournament games and put up 17 huge points (to go along with 9 boards) in the thrilling win over Maryland. He better get there again if Michigan State is to have a chance against Butler’s stifling defense.
- Ronald Nored and Willie Veasley’s perimeter D: The headline from the Bulldogs’ victory over Kansas State was the lockdown (especially in the first half) of star guards Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente by Butler’s starting backcourt. Nored and Veasley hounded the Wildcat pair into bad shots and turnovers, and they’re going to continue that effort. Durrell Summers has had a breakout tournament, leading Michigan State in scoring this tournament and shooting 14-22 from 3 point range in his last three games, and Korie Lucious has been a more than capable replacement for injured star point man Kalin Lucas. If Nored and Veasley shut down Summers and Lucious, the Spartans just don’t have enough other scoring punch.