Enjoy the Undefeateds While They Last

And another unbeaten goes down. USC fell at Oregon on Friday by a score of 84-61. This comes two days after Oregon knocked previously undefeated UCLA on Wednesday. And it also comes one day before another unbeaten is guaranteed to lose when Villanova travels to Creighton on Saturday. The point is that it's extremely hard to go undefeated. Wichita State and Kentucky going undefeated in the regular season in 2014 and 2015, respectively provides a false standard of teams going undefeated more often that it really does happen. We will be down to three undefeated teams by 2 PM tomorrow, so we should enjoy them while they last. 

Granted, Gonzaga will last a long time before losing if all goes according to plan. But for Villanova, Baylor and Creighton, their perfect records shouldn't last much longer as they all play in tough conferences. 

For tomorrow's big game, I like Villanova. I know Creighton has a scary offense and it's in Omaha, but I've noticed a trend with Villanova. They haven't lost a game in which people thought they would lose since February 24, 2016, when they lost at #5 Xavier. Since then people expected them to lose to Miami, Kansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Purdue, and they won them all. I really don't see the Wildcats falling tomorrow to the Blue Jays. Don't get too excited though because Villanova will lose on January 4 when they play Butler on the road. And finally for Baylor, I say they lose January 10 at West Virginia. And for Gonzaga, well, we'll see.

The Big East is the Best in College Basketball

The Butler/St John's game should've been one where you don't actually watch but you just check the score after and say "Oh yeah, Butler won by 25. Cool." The game was anything but that as St John's actually beat #13 Butler 76-73 after being down double digits earlier in the contest.

This just goes to show how deep the Big East truly is. Think about it. The two worst teams in the conference--DePaul and St John's--played Villanova super close on the road and beat a top-15 team in the country, respectively. If those two teams play like they did these past two days, then the Big East is the best conference in college basketball in both depth and firepower. The conference has a great top 4 in Villanova, Creighton, Butler and Xavier, then you add in Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette and Georgetown, and I don't see a terrible team in the entire league.

Gonzaga Will Go Undefeated

After seeing Gonzaga throughout the entire non-conference season, I can honestly say that I don't think they will drop a game this year. I see them rolling all over the WCC as Saint Mary's isn't as good as expected in my opinion. I've said this before, but this is Mark Few's most complete team he's had at Gonzaga. 

Indiana's Outlook

Indiana lost to Nebraska on Wednesday, and it raised even more questions about this inconsistent Hoosier squad. I don't even know what's going on with Indiana. They have all the right pieces, but there just seems to be something missing. We all know what they can do offense, but when they aren't lighting it up, they can't rely on their defense and hustle plays to win them games. Jack Heiss, a friend of mine, said that Indiana is feast of famine, and he is exactly right, even though he is a lifelong Purdue fan who is extremely biased. (No offense, Heiss). The Hoosiers can only win one way, and until they can learn to be a multidimensional ball club, they will struggle in their quest for a Big Ten and National Championship.

What a Wednesday

What a night. Just wow. Wednesday was the real kickoff to conference play (although the Big Ten tried on Tuesday), and it certainly did not disappoint. I was focused on three games coming into last night and those were Seton Hall/Creighton, Virginia/Louisville, and UCLA/Oregon. 

Well Seton Hall and Creighton played on Fox Sports 2, and I don't get that channel. (It's times like these where I wish the Big East was still on ESPN). Anyway, Creighton won handily. Virginia and Louisville turned out to be a signature Wahoo win, in which they held Louisville to 53 points and won 61-53. So with Seton Hall and Creighton not being available and Virginia and Louisville being a snooze fest in general, I turned to Fox Sports 1 (luckily I have that) and watched Villanova battle DePaul.

And I mean battle. Villanova played its worst game of the year, and DePaul almost caught them sleeping. However, Nova just scraped by with a three-point victory at home despite Billy Garrett Jr. having a decent look to send it to overtime. In all honesty, I can't really blame Villanova for overlooking DePaul because EVERYBODY overlooks DePaul. I even sarcastically put Villanova on upset alert during my podcast yesterday. I was THAT confident that Villanova would pound the Blue Demons into the ground. SB Nation's college basketball Twitter account has a thing where they say "DePaul lost" after what seems like every DePaul game. DePaul and losing go together like peanut and butter. So that makes me even more impressed with what DePaul accomplished last night. They really showed that they have to be taken seriously in the Big East by any opponent.

While the DePaul/Villanova game was a surprise blockbuster, everyone knew what would go down in Eugene, Oregon, on Wednesday. This game was bananas. Simply bananas. Both UCLA and Oregon played extremely good basketball, and we had Bill Walton as the color guy to top it all off. The game was back-and-forth throughout, but Dillon Brooks's three pointer with .8 seconds remaining gave the Ducks the 89-87 victory over the previously undefeated UCLA Bruins. This was definitely the best game of the year. It had potent offense and little defense. Perfect! Lonzo Ball, Bryce Alford, Thomas Welsh, and TJ Leaf all scored in double figures for UCLA, while Brooks, Dylan Ennis, Payton Pritchard, Jordan Bell, and Tyler Dorsey did for Oregon. 

With the win, Oregon re-entered the discussion for the best team in the country. When healthy, they can compete with anyone. As for UCLA, I still really like them, but they clearly need help on defense if they want to get to a Final Four. 

Overall, today was nuts. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.

Podcast #5

Grayson Allen and his impact on Duke
Conference Play Preview
Bluegrass Battle Recap
Notable Games This Week
Podcast 5

Grayson Allen

Grayson Allen created waves on Wednesday when he tripped an opponent (Elon's Steven Santa Ana to  be specific) for a third time in 2016. What made this incident even more noticeable was Allen's reaction to the technical foul he received after it. 

And that's what bothers me more. Basketball players always do cheap things to each other on the court. Look at Draymond Green kicking people in last year's NBA Playoffs. What makes this situation different is the fact that Grayson Allen went nuts after. There's really no other way to explain it. He just had a meltdown on the bench that hurt him even more in terms of how the media treats him. Frankly, he deserves it. I hate to beat a dead horse here, but what he did was "inexcusable" and "immature." 

Duke announced on Thursday that Allen was suspended indefinitely  from competition, which is the right move. Whether he does it again is uncertain, but the suspension certainly won't induce another tripping incident. Honestly, Allen's problem isn't the tripping itself. The problem is his emotional state during games and the way he controls himself. That is what's inexcusable. The tripping won't be a problem for Duke--that can be resolved without damage to the team. The tantrum is the aspect that could be detrimental to Duke's hopes of a national championship this year. 

Looking at the schedule, I think Allen will come back on January 14th when they take on Louisville. This means he will miss four games, which is a good amount considering they don't play any powerhouse in those four.

Thoughts on Bluegrass Battle

When I watched tonight's Kentucky/Louisville game, I saw two Final Four-caliber teams. 

Louisville's defense is one of the best in the country. To hold Kentucky to 70 points is quite a feat. Deng Adel can play. I was really impressed with him along with Quentin Snider. If Louisville can just have a competent offense, I think they will be in really good shape in March. This game proved a lot about how much of a threat the Cardinals are. 

As for Kentucky, I think their biggest concern is their free throw shooting. Kentucky shot 19-29 from the line, which pretty much lost them the game. Also, this game showed that Kentucky doesn't have a lot of 3PT options if Malik Monk has an off night, which was the case tonight. The Wildcats shot 5-22 from behind the arc, which won't be good enough come tournament time. De'Aaron Fox and Monk can get to the rim at will, they shouldn't be settling for perimeter jumpers, especially Fox.

Podcast #4

Malik Monk
Best Freshman Class Ever?
UK/UNC
AP Poll Consistency
Undefeated Teams
Michigan St
Northwestern
UK/Louisville

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3sWk56cdRlmOWttZkYyRndMMlk

There's No Comparison to Malik Monk

I'm still in shock after that UNC/UK game today. I mean Justin Jackson had a career-high 34 points, and his team didn't only lose, but he was also an afterthought because of what Malik Monk did. Monk led Kentucky to a 103-100 victory by dropping 47 points including the game-winning three with 16 seconds left. 

Monk is the funnest player to watch in college basketball, and I don't even think it's close right now. Coach Calipari keeps telling him to drive the lane instead of settling for jumpers, but when he's cooking like he was today, Cal is fine letting him jack up threes. 

Along with De'Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk is also an athletic specimen on the floor. He can knock down a perimeter shot with ease on one possession and catch a lob for a dunk on the very next one. He is truly a special talent, and I can't remember if we have seen this type of player before. 

Updated Final Four Predictions

 There really hasn't been any game worth talking about so far this week, so I thought I would share my Final Four predictions based on Joe Lunardi's most recent bracket projection, which can be found here. Now it's still insanely early, but preparing for the bracket pools in March has to start somewhere right? So here it is.

 East: (2) Kentucky- They just have too much offensive firepower and the freshmen are only going to get better. De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Isaiah Bristol make up the most electrifying backcourt in the country.

 West: (2) UCLA- I don't see how UCLA is a 2 seed in Lunardi's projection, but at least it gives me less chalk in my prediction. I've said in my podcasts at least 6.3 times that UCLA is the best team in the country, and until they prove me wrong, I'm sticking with that.

 Midwest: (1) Kansas- UCLA might be the best team in the country, but the best teams don't always win the tournament. Kansas has the perfect combination of experience and young star power, and I think that healthy balance is what will propel them to the Final Four and beyond.

 South: (1) Duke- This was probably the easiest choice to make for two reasons: 1) Duke is playing out of their minds right now, and they aren't even fully healthy. 2) Their region is so bad in this projection that they could take a nice, merry stroll down to the Final Four.

Hoop Dreams: Josh Hart

If Josh Hart isn't the favorite for national player of the year right now, then something is seriously messed up. This guy has the fight in him to drag Villanova to a second straight national championship all by himself. He had 37 points against Notre Dame on Saturday, and he dropped 26 against Temple tonight. Luckily, he doesn't have to do it all by himself, but if you're Villanova, it must be nice to have that kind of asset just in case. 

Podcast #3

-An ode to Kemba Walker
- St. Mary's
- AP Poll consistency
- Fun games last week
-Games to watch this week

Guest: None

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3sWk56cdRlmLXlBMmJPazZWbjg

Don't Hit the Panic Button Yet, Tar Heels

Many people were startled by UNC's close win against Tennessee yesterday, but don't worry Tar Heel fans, UNC is a completely different team with Joel Berry II, and if he can go Saturday against Kentucky, it should be a great matchup. 

Saturday Update

Not a bad Saturday for college basketball. We got a great game in Villanova-Notre Dame, and we got to see plenty of other high-ranked teams in action too. UCLA throttled Michigan after being tied at half, and Kansas, Duke, Gonzaga, Indiana, Arizona, Louisville (although it was probably the second biggest deal in Louisville today), West Virginia, and Purdue all picked up easy victories today. Wisconsin beat Marquette, Butler beat Cincinnati, and Xavier got past Utah. Overall, it was a rather uneventful Saturday in terms of good games, but still entertaining nonetheless.

Hoop Dreams: Xavier's Struggles

Man, Xavier does not look strong right now. They just lost their second in a row to Colorado. I say that Xavier finishes 3rd instead of 2nd in the Big East. Villanova and Creighton look miles ahead of them at this point.

Podcast #2

My guest Matt Firestone and I talk about the crazy week in college basketball, Indiana, Virginia, Big Ten/ACC challenge, UCLA, and much more.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3sWk56cdRlmeDRLZXM4N3hiNnM

We Survived the CFP Onslaught

While most people were freaking out about the College Football Playoff all weekend, Saturday was actually the best day college basketball has seen this season. UCLA shocked Kentucky in Rupp Arena, Baylor continued its dominant run with a 76-61 win over Xavier, Gonzaga solidified itself as a national power with a win over Arizona, and West Virginia defeated Virginia in Charlottesville.

 This is just a quick reminder: never sleep on college basketball. It's quite a shame that many of us missed out on an exhilarating weekend, but I'm happy to say I was not one of them. It's nice to see all of what college basketball has to offer on a day like that. We survived. That is all that matters.

The Saviors of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge

We went into Wednesday with two huge games to look forward to in the ACC Big Ten Challenge. Those were Purdue @ Louisville and North Carolina @ Indiana. Well, Louisville beat Purdue 71-64 in a game that wasn't all that exciting and Indiana handled North Carolina in a game that UNC never led. Mixed in with the disappointing Michigan State-Duke matchup on Tuesday, the blockbuster games of the Challenge weren't that exciting. However, one game pretty much saved the entire event, and it was tucked away on ESPN2 while UNC and Indiana went at it.

The game I'm talking about is Ohio State @ Virginia. Both teams were undefeated going in, and Virginia was 6th in the country. Many people, including myself, thought that it would be a classic Virginia game--win by 10-15 points while holding an inferior opponent to under 50. 

Well that wasn't what happened at all. Sure, Virginia did win, but Ohio State gave them hell of a game. Ohio State was leading for a majority of the game and they almost staved off Virginia's late-game run, but the Wahoos ultimately won 63-61 after a last-second, fade-away 3pt attempt by Ohio State's JaQuan Lyle fell short. 

But no matter the result, thanks to the Buckeyes and Cavaliers for saving this nearly unwatchable ACC Big Ten Challenge.

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.