Podcast #1

A little introduction to the podcast
"What am I wearing?"
Thanksgiving tournaments
AP Poll reaction
Big Ten/ACC Challenge and other big games
Guest: John Lichtenstein
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3sWk56cdRlmMklNYUlLZWxUNDQ

De'Aaron Fox

Just a quick observation: De'Aaron Fox is good. Like really good. If you didn't get a chance to see him play tonight against Arizona St (unfortunately I didn't), do yourself a favor and find some highlights (like I did). I've been high on this kid all year (he opened my snapchat!!), and he is a crucial piece in Kentucky's quest to a national championship. Also, De'Aaron is a pretty kickass name.

Exciting News

I'm excited to announce that I will be starting a weekly podcast discussing the latest happenings in college basketball and other things relevant to the game. The first one will be released this Tuesday on this website. Stay tuned!

The Future: Nojel Eastern

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for basketball. I am lucky enough to go to a high school where one of the best high school tournaments in the Chicagoland area is being played: the Majkowski Classic at Saint Viator. Now, not all the teams are particularly noteworthy, but there is one player who blew me away on Tuesday. That player is Nojel Eastern

Eastern, a 6'6" shooting guard from Evanston Township High School, is listed as the 4th best prospect in the state of Illinois, and he is probably the best prospect to play at Viator in the last 10 years. He recently committed to Purdue and he has been the talk of the tournament since. 

While Eastern certainly didn't disappoint when I watched him, his style was a bit unorthodox. He's not a typical 2 guard: he's more physical and can be a bully in the post. He has a bruiser-like mentality, but he still has a nice left-handed stroke with 3PT range. The one weakness I saw was his ballhandling. He's going to have to improve that if he wants to be a shooting guard in college. Also his physicality can hurt him, as he could've been called for three offensive fouls in the game (only one was). 

Overall, I was impressed with Nojel Eastern. He can truly play anywhere on the floor. Keep an eye on him next year. 

Villanova's 7'6" Roadblock

Villanova and UCF could actually turn out to be an interesting contest. And that is because of one man, or giant. 7'6" center Tacko Fall is an absolute monster. Just look at his highlights. The guy can literally post up under the basket and dunk with one hand without jumping. It's quite a spectacle. But this year Tacko Fall has proved he's more than just a spectacle, he actually a good player who can cause a lot of problems for Villanova in the championship of the Gildan Charleston Classic tonight on ESPN2. 

Fall, originally from Senegal, is averaging 17 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 3.7 BPG--a huge improvement from last year. With his size, Fall can take over a game with ease if he can stay out of foul trouble. Because of this trait, Villanova could be in for more trouble than they asked as they go for the championship.

Who's going to win? Villanova. I wouldn't be surprised if they win by 20. They just have too much offensive firepower, and they can neutralize Fall's impact with lights-out 3PT shooting. Still, I encourage you to watch this game as it could turn out to be something spectacular.

Champions Classic Recap

Sorry this is a bit late, but I just couldn't have a basketball blog without mentioning the epic Champions Classic we saw on Tuesday night. 

What a great night of basketball. Four great programs colliding in Madison Square Garden. The first game featured two young squads in Kentucky and Michigan St, and Kentucky just outclassed the Spartans. They looked as sharp as a team could be in November. Malik Monk had quite an outing, scoring 23 points on 7 threes. As for Michigan St, they looked pitiful. It seems like this team (for the first time like ever) doesn't have that leader established. Last year it was clear with Denzel Valentine, but this year that "guy" just isn't there. It's not time to completely hit the panic button, but Sparty has to cut down on the turnovers and find a leader sooner rather than later.

The second (and better) game of the night featured Duke and Kansas. The intensity was there throughout as much as the refs tried to screw with it. (There were 48 total fouls called and the first half was extremely choppy with dumb off-the-ball fouls every six seconds). Even though the refs were a bit too whistle-happy, the second half was probably the best half of basketball all year. We finally got to see Josh Jackson be the guy we expected him to be coming out of high school as he sparked a big Kansas run early in the second half. If he plays like that the entire season, somebody's prediction will be correct. As for Duke, all the talk has been about Grayson Allen, but Luke Kennard and Frank Jackson stole the show. Kennard had 22 points and Jackson had two clutch threes late in the game. However, it was Frank Mason III that shined the brightest on Tuesday, finishing with 21 points and the game-winning shot to propel Kansas to its first victory of the season.

Hoop Dreams: Gonzaga to the Final Four?

Hoop Dreams is going to be a feature where I throw out random speculations and predictions just for the hell of it. Most of them will be published near or after midnight.

I'm sitting here doing my homework, and the Gonzaga game is on. I know it's November, but for the first time ever I actually like their team. Call me crazy, but they could be a Final Four team come March. They have experienced guards in Nigel Williams-Goss and Jordan Mathews and a dominant big man in Karnowski. I've never liked a Gonzaga team before in my life, so this is monumental.

Opening Night

Now that college basketball is officially back, let's look at some key matchups for tonight.

 Kansas vs Indiana- Probably the game I am most looking forward to as both teams are in the top 15. It is going to be great seeing how Kansas incorporates Josh Jackson into its system and how Indiana plays without Yogi Ferrell and with James Blackmon Jr.

 Michigan St vs Arizona- Another top 15 matchup; Michigan St boasts its best recruiting class under Tom Izzo, and Arizona has a lot of questions to answer as Ray Smith, a former McDonald's All American, announced his retirement from basketball after tearing his ACL for the third time in as many years. Also, Allonzo Trier, Arizona's best player, is not going to play for a mysterious reason.

 Marquette vs Vanderbilt- This is the prove-it year for Steve Wojo and the Marqeutte Golden Eagles, and it would be great to start off with a win against a strong Vanderbilt team, who returns NBA prospect Luke Kornet and debuts new head coach Bryce Drew.

 Duke vs Marist- Whenever the number 1 team plays, it is an interesting game. Duke is dealing with some injury problems as Harry Giles and Marques Bolden are both out, but NPOY contender Grayson Allen should draw everyone's eyes.

 These are just some games to keep in mind as another season gets started in exciting fashion.

My Final Four Predictions

Without further ado, here they are.

Kansas- Frank Mason III and Devonte' Graham lead Kansas to a 13th straight Big 12 title. Don't sleep on Josh Jackson either.

Michigan St- I don't bet against Izzo.. especially when he has his best recruiting class ever in Miles Bridges and Josh Langford.

Kentucky- This team is a walking ESPN Top Play. They have playmakers all over from De'Aaron Fox to Malik Monk to Bam Adebayo.

Villanova- Sure they lost Ryan Archidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, but they return a strong cast led by Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, and Jalen Brunson.

National Champion:

This was a tough decision as I can see both Kansas and Kentucky winning it all, but I am going with the Jayhawks because of their backcourt experience. Sure they may not have the flash of Kentucky, but if you think flash wins championships, look at Villanova's run last year. Kansas has every piece needed to cut down the nets in April, and I think Bill Self and co. will get the job done.

How Do I Even Start This?

Seriously. How? There's really no good icebreaker for this so I think it's best if I just get this first post out of the way. Here's a picture of Adam Morrison crying after the 2006 Sweet 16.