Bob's Basketball Blog: Most Viewed Posts of 2017

Here are the top ten most viewed posts of 2017. Thanks to everyone who reads and follows my work. Happy New Year!

1. Podcast 45: Zion Griffin

2. Q&A with Ayo Dosunmu

3. Q&A with Anfernee Simons

4. Final Four Preview

5. Rough (NBA) Draft

6. Podcast #24 with Brian O'Hara

7. Podcast #29: Goodbye NBA with RJ Bottalla

8. Podcast #21 with Timmy Somary

9. Podcast #20: Hello NBA

10. NBA Mock Draft

5 Predictions for 2018 (The First 3 Months of It At Least)

2018 is right around the corner here in Chicago, so I'm gonna roll out 5 predictions for the rest of the college basketball season. Here we go.

1. Zion Williamson Goes to Clemson

We've seen a trend these past few years where a top recruit or draft pick doesn't go to a basketball powerhouse. In 2015 Ben Simmons went to LSU, 2016 saw Markelle Fultz head to Washington and Michael Porter Jr. ended up at Missouri this year. I think Zion Williamson will continue this movement by spurning Kentucky and signing with his hometown Clemson Tigers.

2. Texas A&M Wins the SEC

I know they just got rolled by Alabama in their conference opener, but I'm still really high on the Aggies to win the SEC. Maybe it's by default, as Kentucky and Florida aren't really wowing me as of now, but A&M actually has some solid pieces in Robert Williams and Tyler Davis. Throw in DJ Hogg, Duane Wilson and a healthy Admon Gilder, and you got yourself a ball club. 

3. Oklahoma and Arizona State both lose before the Sweet 16

Of the 5 predictions presented here, this is the one I feel the strongest about. I feel like in most years we see teams like the Sooners and the Sun Devils light it up from 3 in every game, only to lay an egg in the NCAA Tournament. It comes in two different forms with these two teams. 

With Oklahoma, Trae Young is pretty much their entire offense. They have some solid role players, but let's be real here: there's no way Oklahoma is a top-25 team without Young. If a team figures out how to shut down (or at least contain) Young, Oklahoma is in for a world of hurt. All they need is a team like Cincinnati to see them in the second round and BOOM. Adios Sooners. 

Arizona State is different in that their entire team is capable of putting of 20 on any given night. While this can be considered a strong attribute, it's diminished in this case because all Arizona State does is shoot 3's. As we saw with Arizona on Saturday, the ability to consistently make shots throughout the course of a game isn't really there with this team. Not to mention the fact that they have found themselves down double digits (including twice against Arizona) multiple times this season already. They may be able to come back in November and December games, but March is a different animal.

4. The Big East Will Get 2 Final Four Teams

The Big East is the most competitive league in America outside the Big 12. With Villanova, Xavier, Seton Hall and Creighton at the top and solid middle-of-the-pack teams like Providence, Marquette, St. John's and Butler, anyone who wins the league is sure to be battle-tested. That's why I like Villanova and Xavier to get to the Final Four together. We saw Nova carry the torch for the new Big East in 2016, but I think this is the year that the country finds out that the Big East is more than just them.  

5. Michigan State Wins the National Championship

I know I had Arizona winning the whole thing in the preseason, but I'm not as sold on them as I would've liked to be at this point in the season. Michigan State checks every box for me: great coach, solid guard play, a lottery pick(s), strong defense, experience and interior depth. The one weakness the Spartans have is that they turn it over too many times, but that can be easily fixed. 

(6.) My last Final Four team is Duke. Happy New Year!

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 51

As I have been hampered by getting my wisdom teeth removed since yesterday morning, I've been spending my time looking at old Sports Illustrated college basketball covers and researching past NCAA Tournaments. When I went back to the 2000 season, when Tom Izzo's Flintstones won the title, I saw possibly one the most unique uniforms in college basketball history. Michigan State's white Spartan-inspired jerseys were actually pretty nicely put together. I'm not a huge fan of these, but I appreciate the effort and commitment to the Spartan name. You see all these jerseys that don't represent the name of the school nowadays, but these Michigan State threads took the Spartan name to heart. Click Here

Podcast #52

What Am I Wearing
Biggest Takeaway of NonCon Season
Conference Previews:
-Big 12
-Big 10
-Big East
-PAC 12
-ACC
-SEC
-AAC
Guest: Jack Heiss
Click Here

Eye Test Power Rankings Week 8

Merry Christmas everyone! It was a pretty solid Christmas haul for me as I'm currently writing this in my new JJ Redick Duke jersey, which will probably be featured on What Am I Wearing? eventually. This was another pretty bland week of college basketball aside from Saturday's slate, but nonetheless the rankings have shaken up. This is significant as it is the last ranking before the start of conference play, where we get to see teams like TCU play someone halfway decent for the first time. So as we end the nonconference season, here's where things stand.

1. Villanova
No reason to change guard at the top this week. Nova's only game this week was a 24-point rout of Hofstra. This team continues to roll and remain undefeated heading into their Big East opener at DePaul (a game I'll be attending). I think they'll miss Collin Gillespie in terms of their depth, but the bright spot is currently Omari Spellman. He is Nova's leading rebounder at 7.8 per game and he's shooting an incredible 50% from 3. With him in the mix, this team gets even scarier.

2. Michigan State
The Spartans had a casual week with only one game, but I'm still really sold on this team. They have such dominant big guys in Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson that it's almost unfair. I know they lost to Duke early, but give me any team in America, and I think Michigan State would win. That includes the team above them. If they can limit their turnovers (14 a game right now), they really won't have a weakness. It wouldn't surprise me if they went undefeated in the Big Ten.

3. Arizona State
Arizona State continues to hang 90+ on unsuspecting teams through the dominance of Tra Holder. I'm really excited to see how they handle Arizona on Saturday. We all know they have great wins (Xavier and @Kansas), but until I see it in conference play I'm still skeptic. Not a hater. A skeptic.

4. Duke
Duke made Evansville look like a JV team last Wednesday. They won by 64 points..some teams don't even score 64 on a regular basis. I personally feel Duke being ranked 4th is a crime against nature, but given how good the three teams above them have been, I can't put them anywhere else. They got off to a bad start in the ACC, but if they don't win the league that'll raise some concerns heading into the Tournament (barring injury). It's one thing to have talent, but to have talent that plays like a team...it's awesome. They still can't play defense though.

5. Oklahoma
The Trae Young's just obliterated Northwestern on Friday in Norman, and the team's should-be namesake Trae Young had 31 points and 12 assists (and that wasn't even his most impressive performance of the week). I've gone in depth on how amazing Young is, so I won't repeat myself. Sure, it looks like he's their whole team, but other guys like Christian James and Brady Manek have really elevated their play as well. They get a test on Saturday when they visit undefeated TCU in the Big 12 opener.

6. Texas A&M
I think the Aggies are the clear favorite to win the SEC as long as they remain healthy. Admon Gilder's knee injury hurts them, and it couldn't have come at a worse time scheduling wise. A&M plays @Alabama, Florida, LSU, @Kentucky and @Tennessee for their first five SEC games. And they don't have DJ Hogg for the first two due to suspension. I really like this Aggie team, but they're gonna have to buckle down here.

7. Xavier
I give Xavier a TON of credit for going to Northern Iowa and playing them on the road. That takes major cojones considering the Panthers' track record of upsetting major opponents. Xavier only has one loss and that's to Arizona State. Trevon Bluiett and JP Macura make up a solid 1-2 punch in terms of scoring, and Chris Mack is one helluva coach. They visit Marquette on Wednesday.

8. Kansas
I'm back with Kansas again. Once I found out that Silvio de Sousa was leaving high school early to help the Jayhawks out, I was sold. Assuming he and Billy Preston see the court this season, the question of Kansas retaining the Big 12 title becomes a more obvious answer. The ability to play more on the inside with Udoka Azubuike must have Bill Self salivating.

9. Arizona
Arizona has the second-most talented roster in the country (behind Duke). Sure that didn't help when the Wildcats lost three straight in Atlantis, but they have started to right the ship. They have wins over Texas A&M, UNLV and Alabama and haven't lost since the Atlantis trainwreck. Rawle Alkins's presence has really helped the Cats defensively, and DeAndre Ayton has been as good as advertised. My preseason National Champs look alright now.

10. West Virginia
I kinda threw West Virginia to the side after their embarrassing loss to Texas A&M on opening day, but it turns out they haven't lost since. They have a good win against Virginia, and Press Viriginia looks strong. They average 11 steals a game. Jevon Carter has really stepped up as their senior point guard, averaging 18, 6 and 5. I shouldn't have written this team off so early.

This Week's Upsets: Fluke or Cause for Concern?

Over the last several days we've seen tons of ranked teams lose to opponents they probably shouldn't have lost to. Some I believe have just been flukes, others I'm a bit more concerned about.

Wednesday: Wofford 79 (5) North Carolina 75

I watched the last 8 minutes of this game on Wednesday because I was busy getting outraged by Survivor finale, but I watched enough to bask in a North Carolina loss to Wofford. This guy named Fletcher Magee was the star for the Terriers and finished with 27 points. It really came down to UNC playing a lazy and casual game for 35 minutes, frantically trying to recover for 5, and ultimately coming up short. The problem with UNC in my opinion is that they play too many people. With Cameron Johnson making his debut that night, the Tar Heels had 11 guys get time. I feel like that only raises rhythm problems. Look at Florida State last year. They had a similar rotation, and while they got a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament, they lost in the Round of 32 to Xavier. I'm not saying a team can't win a title playing more than 8 guys, it just usually means that your team lacks star power, which I ultimately think this Carolina team does, despite Joel Berry and Luke Maye. They did bounce back from their Wofford disaster with a nice win over Ohio State today. In that game they looked more focused and prepared and won by double digits. In the long term, Wofford won't even be a game UNC remembers.

VERDICT: Fluke

Thursday: San Diego St 72 (12) Gonzaga 70

I've started to view Gonzaga differently ever since they got pummeled by Villanova three weeks ago. In their Creighton win at the beginning of December, I saw a team capable of running the table in the WCC and possibly making it back to the Final Four if they got some Zag bounces. Now, I'm not so sure. San Diego St is an okay team: they've now beaten Gonzaga, but also have an embarrassing loss to Cal. The Aztecs have been all over the place. To be blunt, Gonzaga should've handled them. This seems like the culmination of a bad December, a month that was bookended by losses. Josh Perkins needs to start making better decisions on the court. He's currently averaging 3 turnovers a game, but against San Diego St he had 6, and against Villanova he had 5. That needs to improve if they hope to beat good teams in the NCAA Tournament.

VERDICT: Cause for Concern

Saturday: UCLA 83 (7) Kentucky 75

People seemed to be really excited for this game leading up to it, and I didn't really see why. To me I saw two teams: one that was accurately ranked and one that was absurdly overrated. I'll let you guess which one was which. Well anyway, I didn't necessarily think Kentucky was going to lose, but I'm not surprised they did. I haven't liked this Kentucky team all year, and this was fuel to my fire. If we took Kentucky's roster and put them on a different team (like Baylor for example), this team wouldn't even be ranked. They have played two competent opponents all year: Kansas (Loss) and UCLA (Loss). Their best win is at home against Virginia Tech, and that's not a good thing when all the other heavyweights have a Top-25 win. Kevin Knox showed promise today, but he's the only player keeping this team from going in the tank. I know Calipari's teams always get better by the end of the year, but this seems different.

VERDICT: Cause for Concern

Saturday: New Mexico St 63 (6) Miami 54

Miami entered the Diamond Head Classic as the hands-down favorite to win the damn thing against USC. Well my bracket is now absolutely f**ked because the Canes went and lost to New Mexico St in the semifinals. Aside from my December Bracketology griefs, Miami actually played pretty terrible and deserved to lose this game by more than 9. I feel like we were all banking on that Minnesota game as Miami's signature win, but we failed to realize that Minnesota is way worse than we thought. Now I'm thinking of Miami as the 3-seed that'll get bounced in the first round or a team that'll just collapse and get a 8-seed. I can't see the good in Miami. I've tried to keep a positive eye on them thus far, but that's one ugly loss. Also, we can't assume Miami finishes 3rd in the Diamond Head either. Middle Tennessee can make their week a whole lot worse.

VERDICT: Cause for Concern

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 50

This week's Jersey Appreciation Friday goes out to my home-state Illinois Fighting Illini. Their basketball program might be in shambles currently, but they still don a fantastic color scheme of orange, navy and white. I credit the Illini for not reining in their uniform designs. As the years have progressed, Illinois has had some terrific concepts that seem unique to them. It's not a cookie-cutter  uniform that you can create in Nike's Design Lab, and that's why I like it. Click Here