Podcast #55

What Am I Wearing?
The Michigan State Scandal
Virginia @ Duke: Is Virginia an actual contender?
Kentucky @ West Virginia: Is Kentucky Good or West Virginia Bad?
Oklahoma Loses to Alabama
Is the Big 12 Overrated?
The North Carolina Realization
Auburn??
Two Bold Upset Picks for Tomorrow

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Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 55

This week's Jersey Appreciation Friday goes to the Kansas State Wildcats. Last Saturday against TCU, the Wildcats wore these retro, two-toned purple uniforms from 1973 that were really dope. The lavender jersey with the dark purple shorts was way cooler than most people thought. More than anything, this should show that mismatching jersey and shorts colors CAN work. You just need the brains to pull it off. Think about all the awesome new uniform combos we could have if teams were more imaginative. Well done, KState. Click Here

Eye Test Power Rankings Week 12

1 Villanova

Villanova holds on to the top spot this week, but that might change soon. It was announced yesterday that Phil Booth will be out indefinitely with a fractured hand. This isn't good for a team that's already lacking depth. Losing a double-digit scorer, starter and captain at this point in the season doesn't bode well for the Wildcats. Nova has been absolutely rolling so far, but this might put their fantastic season in jeopardy. 

2 Virginia

I was extremely close to putting Purdue over Virginia for this week's rankings, but then Virginia destroyed Clemson 61-36 and allowed 13 points in the second half. That is unbelievable. I don't know what's more impressive actually; Virginia giving up 36 points or Virginia scoring 61 points. The defensive is amazing, but that offensive performance might be more vital to this team's success in the tournament. They visit Duke on Saturday. 

3 Purdue 

In Purdue's last game they abused Iowa on the road and drilled 20 three-pointers while doing so. Purdue is playing at an extremely high level right now that hasn't been reached by previous Purdue teams. The Double Edwards Attack (DEA) has carried this team to national prominence and dominance. Purdue has yet to lose a Big Ten game, and the more I watch them the more I think they won't. 

4 Duke

Duke had a nice win at Wake Forest on Tuesday. Wake Forest isn't a great team by any means, but Duke has started to show the maturity and growth that they needed in road games like Boston College and NC State. That is scary for the rest of the country. Duke came in as the most talented team in the nation, and now they are living up to that expectation. They get Virginia at home on Saturday. 

5 Michigan State

Michigan State has started to recover from its recent slump with back to back wins over Indiana and Illinois. Those aren't extraordinary opponents by any means, but the key is that the Spartans actually looked like a top 10 team in those games. We saw them against Rutgers where they played horribly, but now it looks like they are starting to regain their mojo. Another good sign is that Miles Bridges had two good scoring outings with 22 and 31 points respectively. If he plays like the player we thought he'd be, then Michigan State will be fine. 

6 Xavier

Xavier pummeled Marquette yesterday, and that followed a win at Seton Hall. It was a dominant week for the Musketeers. What was really impressive to me yesterday was that Xavier was up by 15 points late in the first half against Marquette, and Trevon Bluiett hadn't even scored. Guys like Quentin Goodin and Kerem Kanter have really started to step up for this squad, and now with the Booth injury at Villanova, it's very possible that Xavier can steal the Big East. 

 

7 Kansas

I'm willing to forgive the Oklahoma loss earlier this week because Kansas was up late in the game, and it was one substitution away from winning. Udoka Azubuike is a great center, but he can't shoot a free throw for his life. Bill Self had to realize that there and take him out. Hopefully, the free throw woes of Kansas will be alleviated because of all the helpful fans showing up to the player dorms and offering advice. Yeah that'll really help. 

8 Oklahoma

Trae Young had his best performance on Tuesday against Kansas. He was way more efficient (26 Pts, 7/9 FG, 9 Ast, 5 TO), and looked in control of his own game. Young thrashed Kansas with his tremendous court vision and tempo–traits that were noticeable but not always consistent. If Young continues to build off this Kansas game, Oklahoma will turn out alright. 

9 Cincinnati 

Cincinnati has been freaking awesome in the AAC. They've really put Wichita State behind them thanks to the Shockers kind of imploding. But anyway, the Bearcats are at 7-0 in the conference and have at least a 2 game lead over everyone else. Cronin's Cats have won 11 in a row and are the clear favorite to win the AAC. 

10 Arizona 

Arizona has quietly put together a four-game win streak in the PAC 12 after losing to Colorado and being called out by Sean Miller. Tonight they get a chance to avenge their only conference loss at home. A lot of people have given up on this Arizona team, and I'll give you one reason why you shouldn't: Deandre F***ing Ayton. If a team has someone so dominant on the basketball court, it's impossible to not look at them as a contender. Arizona is like Duke in that both teams need to learn how to play together. Arizona is doing that now, and we are seeing the results. 

Oklahoma Knocks Off Kansas...Somehow

College basketball fans around the country were treated to a great Big 12 matchup between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Trae Young-led Oklahoma Sooners. (5) Kansas headed into Norman boasting a 5-game winning streak and looking like the clear favorites in the conference. (12) Oklahoma, meanwhile, looked shaky heading into tonight's game, having lost their last two games to unranked opponents. There were also a lot of questions about just how effective Trae Young really was. Even though he poured in 48 points against Oklahoma State, he did so on 39 shots and had 7 turnovers. 

On Tuesday we saw a new Trae Young. One that was calmer, smarter and more poised emerged and led his team to a 85-80 victory. Young had a beautiful statline in what might have been his best performance all season. The freshman had 26 points on 7/9 shooting (2/3 3pt; 10/12 FT) with 9 assists and 4 rebounds. Furthermore, Young only committed 5 turnovers, which is an improvement given his current numbers. I, unlike most people, am not sold on Trae Young being NPOY just yet, but if he keeps churning out these performances, then it really won't be a contest come the announcement. 

Kansas should've won this game. The Jayhawks were up 10 points with 9 minutes to play, but then a a critical tactical error spoiled their game. With about 4 minutes left in the game, Oklahoma started to hack sophomore center Udoka Azubuike whenever he touched the ball, forcing the 41% free throw shooter to #makehisthrows for Kansas to stay in the game. He did not. Azubuike went 0-6 during this stretch and finished 1-7 for the game. Hack-A-Doka worked brilliantly for the Sooners, as they were able to climb back into the game and take the lead for good with a minute left. This is on Coach Bill Self. Sure you can get mad at Azubuike for missing the free throws, but Bill Self has to get him as far out of the game as possible in that situation. Kansas wasted four key offensive possessions with Azubuike bricks, and that cost them the game. 

Overall, my opinions of these two teams don't really change much after this game. I still think Kansas will win the Big 12, and I still think Oklahoma will flame out in the tournament. It was a really impressive win for the Sooners, but this style of play just isn't sustainable in March. With Kansas, I am falling into the trap again. I promised myself that I would never pick Kansas to get to the Final Four after they disappointed me last year, but here I am again singing their praises. Whatever. I still have 6.5 weeks to get my mind out of Phog Allen Fieldhouse. 

Outlooks for UNC and West Virginia Post-Upset

Just when we thought both West Virginia and UNC have turned their respective corners for the season, both of them utterly failed yesterday in conference road losses. 

West Virginia continued its slide down the national polls with an embarrassing loss at TCU, and UNC lost to a feisty Virginia Tech team. 

The UNC loss I can forgive as they had been pretty hot coming into the game.  They were winners of their last 4 games and looked to be figuring things out. This loss seems to be more of a blip on the radar rather than an overlying problem. This UNC team just isn't that good as last year, so it's not a question of underperforming. The fact of the matter is that UNC is going to lose some games, and we shouldn't be alarmed by it. This team is still capable of stringing together 4 wins to get to a Final Four, but also regressing to a 5 seed and losing to Western Kentucky in the first round. We just have to wait and see with this Tar Heel team. 

West Virginia I'm more concerned about. What once was a defensively stout, offensively capable team has turned into the same old West Virginia story. I remember two weeks ago when West Virginia was #2 in the country and seemed to be destined for the Final Four. That changed. West Virginia has now lost three of their last their last four and hardly look like a contender. They look offensively inept in the closing moments of games, and teams are starting to figure out their defense. 

Between these two, I'm less confident in West Virginia going forward because they don't have reliable scorers in late-game situations. Jevon Carter is their only options, and he struggles to get shots off when he is the only threat to the defense. 

North Carolina has Joel Berry and Luke Maye. Both of those players have proven themselves on the national stage, and I trust their experience more than that of West Virginia. 

Podcast #54: Zion Williamson and Saturday Recap

What Am I Wearing?
Zion Williamson is a Dukie
Kentucky Falls to Florida
Talking About the 2 Most Dominant Teams in the Country
Trae Young, Texas Tech, and the Big 12
Xavier @ Seton Hall
National Championship Predicitons
Guest: Jack Heiss

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Jersey Appreciation Vol. 54

This week's Jersey Appreciation Friday goes to the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. This program has endured two major obstacles and still has a really cool uniform. First, they had to change their nickname to the Fighting Hawks from the Fighting Sioux, and second they are situated in a state that is most known for being directly above the state that has Mount Rushmore. Despite these two issues, North Dakota has risen to the top of the uniform game with their gray and electric green threads. Electric green is the most underrated color in college uniforms. Maybe I feel that way because it is used so scarcely. But all I know is that no team has failed using electric green. And that's a fact. Click Here