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

Podcast #51

What Am I Wearing?
Trae Young and Oklahoma
Kansas Will Be Fine
The Fall of Notre Dame
UNC/Tennessee
My Current Final Four
Games This Week

Click Here

Eye Test Power Rankings Week 7

A terribly mundane and boring week of college basketball keeps these rankings relatively similar to last week, but there are some changes in the lower tiers of it. 

1. Villanova

Of course. They're still undefeated, and in their only game this week they absolutely slaughtered Temple 87-67. Just when everyone was ready to anoint Mikal Bridges as the best player on this team, Jalen Brunson dropped 31 against his dad's alma mater on the road. That isn't a knock on Bridges or anything, I actually think this is a good sign that Villanova can has 5 different players who can lead them in scoring on any given night. 

2. Michigan State

The Spartans played twice this week: Oakland and Houston Baptist. Classic Finals Week games..whatever. Michigan State didn't look super comfortable against Oakland, but the encouraging sign was that Cassius Winston led them in scoring with 19 points. Really since Gary Harris I could argue that Michigan State has never really had a true point guard who could get buckets as well. Winston seems to be the answer to that problem. Miles Bridges hasn't even played to his full potential yet, which is frightening because he had 33 against HBU.

3. Arizona State

Arizona State didn't start very well against Vanderbilt on Sunday (they were losing 13-0), but then they went on some crazy run and actually took a lead into halftime. Call it what you want, but that's gotta count for something. Sure Vanderbilt was 3-6 going into that game, but win's a win right? I still think this team will collapse. By the end of February this team might even be on the bubble. But right now they are a deserving #3.

4. Duke

It's hard to judge a team when they..uh..don't play. The last thing I remember about Duke is their loss to Boston College. At least Arizona State played SOMEONE. So the Blue Devils are 4th.

5. Miami

I am really starting to like Miami. Their perimeter play can carry them far in the NCAAs and the ACC. They just beat an average George Washington team on the road 59-50. I also like how Miami consistently gets 8 players double digit minutes. That depth matters as we progress further into the season. They might not have the strongest body of work in the country, but I can't really fault them for winning.

6. North Carolina

I've been hot and cold with UNC all year, and right now I'm on fire. The Tennessee win was a big one for the Heels. Part of my bias might be that I could never have imagined that Luke Maye would be playing this well, but he is. He's basically averaging 20 and 10, which I'm baffled about. Anyway, if he keeps playing like this, and then you throw in Joel Berry, Kenny Williams, Theo Pinson and Sterling Manley, who says UNC can't win another one?

7. Oklahoma

GIVE. ME. THE SOONERS. They are ranked 17 in the AP Poll..that is a travesty. Oklahoma has one loss (to Arkansas), but they have wins over USC and Wichita State, both basically road games. When has a Wooden winner's team been ranked outside the top 10? Never. So that's why I'll be the first to give Oklahoma the respect it deserves. Trae Young is a star. They literally beat the third best team in the country on their home floor and he had 29 and 10. Just insanity. 

8. Texas A&M

A&M didn't lose to a terrible team or anything last week, but Admon Gilder is apparently out for 2-3 weeks with a knee injury. That really hurts their guard depth to have him gone for the start of SEC play. I'm sure the Aggies will find a way (they always seem to), but this sucks for them to have to deal with it. They have to go to Alabama and host Florida for their first two SEC games. This might be hard. 

9. Kentucky

The Wildcats make their first Eye Test Power Rankings appearance of the season after their solid win over Virginia Tech. I have not been a fan of this year's batch of Wildcats, but the Virginia Tech game got me going in the right direction. Their next two games are UCLA and Louisville, so I'll know more about them then. 

10. Xavier

That was a close one. Xavier was down by 22 to Eastern Tennessee State at home on Saturday before they mounted a furious comeback to win by 2. Xavier has tended to lose focus in some games over the past few seasons, and this was clearly a prime example. Since they won though, they keep their spot in the rankings.

Saturday MegaCap

Another awesome day in college basketball means it's time to roll out another megacap. Let's go.

Oklahoma @ 3 Wichita State
Oklahoma won against a top-3 team in America without Buddy Hield or Blake Griffin. How? Because of effing Trae Young. I wrote an article about Young being the next college basketball superstar 8 days ago, and I'm really starting to like my observation. He had 29 points and 10 assists in the win today and has been the major catalyst in bringing Sooner basketball back into the national prominence this entire season. Oklahoam should be in the top 15 in the AP Poll next week after being unranked this week. They've proved everyone wrong with this performance today. As for Wichita State, they didn't look good. This seemed like the first time all year where the Shocker defense we all know and love just wasn't working. Part of that was due to Oklahoma, but a lot of it was because sloppy play from Wichita State. Granted, Markis McDuffie still isn't back yet, so I can't get too worried about this loss. My point is that this should be more about Oklahoma winning than Wichita State losing.

Virginia Tech @ 8 Kentucky
I'll admit that I haven't really given Kentucky a chance this year. I saw the Kansas game in November and was so disgusted by the sloppiness of their performance that I haven't watched them since. I didn't see any of this game, but nonetheless it's a somewhat impressive win. Virginia Tech was a tournament team last year and could have a decent ACC season this year, so while I'm not fully converted to Kentuckyism, I'm headed towards it slowly.

Eastern Tennessee State @ 10 Xavier
I'm not gonna say much about this game other than the fact that Xavier was down by 22 in the second-half and came back to win by 2. I don't know whether to be concerned or inspired. Probably both. Either way, I'm still really high on the Musketeers. They have stars, size and experience. I'll roll with the X as long as they keep winning (even if they shouldn't be).

13 Kansas @ Nebraska
Kansas could've lost its third straight game, but then Sviatoslav Mykhailuk decided to not miss an open three for once and gave the Jayhawks the 1-point win 73-72. This just sucks for Nebraska. They literally had it in their hands and then poof. It was gone. Their last possession got blocked by Udoka Azubuike, who I believe is the big man Kansas has needed for awhile now. Overall, this is really bad for Kansas. You can't almost lose to Nebraska. You just can't. the only glimmer of hope for this team is if Billy Preston comes back and is as good as advertised. This team desperately needs a jolt of something because playing like this won't win them the Big 12.

15 Seton Hall @ Rutgers
Well hoooooooooly shit. I did NOT see this one coming. Rutger fricking won against a ranked team. This might've been the first time something like this has happened in my lifetime. Rutgers has quietly put together a decent season so far. They're 12-3, and those losses have all come to teams who have been ranked at some point in the season. Realistically, the Scarlet Knights aren't gonna be making so much noise in March, but this is a nice win to become the official State Basketball Team of New Jersey. For Seton Hall, this loss obviously isn't ideal, but they should still be in line to finish in the top 3 of the Big East. Desi Rodriguez is starting to fascinate me more and more, and we all know about Angel Delgado. The Pirates will bounce back.

17 Purdue vs Butler
This was supposed to be a better game than it turned out. Blame Purdue for that. The Boilermakers came ready to play and just dominated Butler from the opening tip. The best thing about this game is that Purdue showed its balance. All starters had at least 12 points. That's tough to deal with for any opponent. They've recovered from their slip up at the Battle 4 Atlantis too. They're 7-0 since their loss to Western Kentucky.

18 Notre Dame vs Indiana
I can't really describe how this game ended, so I'll just let Fox Sports do it for me: (Start at 3:21). So yeah. Notre Dame has really fallen off since it's big Maui Invitational win over Wichita State. This is one that'll hurt because they blew so many opportunities to win. The free throws at the end of regulation are just killers. Indiana still won't make the tournament, so sit down Hoosiers.

19 Florida State vs Oklahoma State
We lost another undefeated team as the Seminoles lost to the Cowboys today. I called this on my podcast earlier today, so BOOYAH.

22 Florida vs Clemson
Uhhhh...guys...Florida lost AGAIN. They lost by two to Clemson in another game they should've won. What the hell happened here? I was talking two weeks ago about how they were the odds-on favorites in the SEC and now they aren't even the odd-on favorite in the NIT. Seriously I am shocked by this loss. How can I even judge this team anymore? They almost beat Duke and now they can't compete against Loyola-Chicago. This is easily the biggest turnaround this year. The Gators gotta figure it out SOON.

Syracuse @ Georgetown
Georgetown's first non-MEAC game since like the 80's ended with their first loss. About time. I will give credit and say that the Hoyas hung with Syracuse for the entire game, and it took a vicious Syracuse run to even force overtime, but ultimately the Orange got their shit together and won. Both teams don't look very good though.

Other Notables:
2 Michigan State survived against a feisty Oakland team.
6 Miami won at George Washtington, and Lonnie Walker IV threw down this vicious dunk.
23 Arizona went on the road and knocked off New Mexico.
25 Cincinnati dismantled UCLA on the road in a must-win for the Bearcats.

Podcast #50

What Am I Wearing?
Villanova is the Best Team in the Nation...right now
Arizona is #back
Kansas and Florida...woof
Duke's Loss
Arizona State a Contender?
Worst NCAA Tournament Matchup for Villanova/Michigan State/Duke/Wichita State
Games Until Tuesday

Click Here

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 49

This week's Jersey Appreciation Friday goes to the Vanderbilt Commodores. Now Vandy has struggled this year, and the way their court is laid out is extremely f**ked up, but I can honestly say that their uniforms are pretty good. The black on gold provides a sleek look that isn't as bulky as Purdue. Also, the star with the V in the middle is a great logo as well. Hopefully their team can get better so we can see these on display more often. Click Here

Eye Test Power Rankings Week 6

1. Villanova

I don't think you can argue that Villanova is currently the best team in the nation. They've certainly looked the part, and that thrashing of Gonzaga a week ago should've convinced all doubters that they were wrong. 

2. Michigan State

The Spartans didn't really have any major tests this week, but they looked strong against Rutgers and Southern Utah. I like Michigan State because they have several people who are capable of leading the team in scoring. Also, their defense looks extremely good. 

3. Duke

Duke lost to Boston College on the road in their ACC opener, but I'm not really worried about the Blue Devils. They still have the most dominant big man in college basketball and the best senior in America. Duke is still the front runner for the ACC and the National Championship while we're at it. Verdict: Don't overreact here. 

4. Arizona State

I'm gonna be honest and say I don't know much about this team outside of Tra Holder, but a win against Xavier and then at Kansas has me more interested. They remind me of the 2015-2016 Iowa Hawkeyes who were ranked like #3 on the country at one point and then utterly collapsed and bowed out of the first round as a 7 seed. Personally I think they're a flash in the pan and they'll be humbled by Arizona in the Pac12, but right now that Kansas win is a big deal, hence, 4th. 

5. Wichita State

The Shockers had a nice win against Oklahoma State on the road on Saturday, and I'm becoming more convinced that the Shockers would be the best team in the Big 12 this year. They're currently 2-0 against Big 12 opponent and get their last crack at one this Saturday against Trae Young and Oklahoma. Kansas should be dedicating their streak to the AAC for taking the Shockers off their hands for conference play. 

6. Texas A&M

I know they lost to Arizona, but I'm still really enamored with the Aggies. I now think they're the favorites in a deep SEC after Florida just crapped their pants this week. The point is that Texas A&M has sneakily put together a balanced, offensively capable squad that can make a deep run in March.

7. Miami

I still haven't seen a Miami game this year, but they're undefeated and have basically beaten the brakes off every team they've played so far except for Minnesota on the road. Either way, the Canes are looking better than I thought because of Dewan Huell's emergence as a post threat. We knew Miami had the guards, but now they also have a reliable big man. 

8. Seton Hall

I discussed on my podcast last week how I thought Seton Hall has been flying under the radar this season. They have three straight wins against Texas Tech, Louisville and VCU, and it looks like Angel Delgado finally has some help. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do in the Big East this year.

9. Xavier

Xavier played two games this week and won them by a combined 41 points. Their one loss on the young season is also to Arizona State which doesn't sound as bad as it did a few weeks ago. The Musketeers make up the trio of the Big East that makes it the best conference in basketball right now. I truly believe X can win this conference and get a 1 seed. Bluiett and Macura have been sensational thus far.

10. North Carolina

UNC makes its debut in the rankings purely by attrition. I'm still not over that embarrassing Michigan State loss, but they've managed to survive without a hitch since then. I have questions about how far Joel Berry and Luke Maye can carry them, and that's my biggest concern with the Heels. They've played great, but I'm not convinced they're superstars just yet. 

Saturday Recap

Okay. It is just past midnight here in the suburbs of Chicago, and I think everything has wound down enough for me to give you my recap of Saturday's insanely awesome slate.

Let's start with the biggest news of the day: Duke lost. Yeah.. they lost. And not even to a bigtime team either. They lost to Boston College in Chestnut Hill to open ACC play. Everyone's now acting like the blueprint to beating Duke is apparent and easily applicable, but I don't think this is a major deal for Duke. If you watched the game, you had to realize that Boston College shot an absurd 57.7% from distance and 50% for the game. There was no team in America today that could've taken down Boston College today; they couldn't miss. Sure, Duke's defense could've been better, but this isn't a concern for me because Duke's defense always sucks at this time of year. And if the only way a team can beat Duke is by shooting over 55% from 3, then I like the Blue Devils' chances. Every team loses, so we shouldn't be that worked up about this one. Side note: Way to go BC! Ky Bowman had 30 in the win, and the Eagles had recently lost one of their best players for the year in Deontae Hawkins. Great job.

Next up let's talk about CBS's battle of middling teams from mediocre conferences. UCLA visited Michigan and looked dominant for about 35 minutes. Then the Wolverines stormed back from a double-digit deficit to win in overtime. I think there's still hope for both Michigan and UCLA to make the tournaments. Both of their conferences suck, so they should be able to win a lot of games in January and February. This game seemed pretty underwhelming on paper, but it gave us an entertaining last few minutes (Minutes 1-35 sucked, the overtime sucked). So...um.....yeah.

Louisville and Indiana played today from the KFC Yum! Center, and it went how it was expected to go. Louisville won by 9, and Indiana dropped to 5-5 on the year. This matchup has really lost its luster. If they were playing this in 2013, Rece Davis and Company would've ditched the Army-Navy game and headed over to watch some hoops. Unfortunately that's not the world we live in. Both Louisville and Indiana have fallen off the national radar; Indiana more deservedly than Louisville. But the whole time I was watching this all I could think of was what could've been.

Florida and Cincinnati played today in the Who Needs A Win The Most Bowl, and Florida won by 6. The Gators had come in losing three straight including two at home to Florida State and Loyola Chicago. I was SO HIGH on Florida just a week ago, and then poof, they suck. It's gonna take a lot more than a win over Cincinnati to re-convince me that they're a Final Four team again. Florida had 54 of its 66 points from the backcourt today. They need more depth on the interior if they are gonna be legit contenders. As for Cincinnati, I'm rooting against them in every game they play from now on in hopes I get the thrill of seeing another Mick Cronin meltdown. Seriously I just need to see Landry Shamet say "You suck" like twice and then he'll go fricking nuts. Cincinnati is one of those teams where I couldn't match any names to faces, but I just know exactly how they play. I know they have Gary Clark and Jacob Evans, and they're pretty good I guess, but I wouldn't recognize them walking down the street. Anyway, Cincinnati has branded themselves on playing tough and physical, but honestly where has it gotten them? The Sweet 16 in 2012? I think they gotta find a different style if they are really going to become a national power.

UPDATE: Wisconsin is REALLY bad this year. Marquette beat them by 29 at the Kohl Center. Marquette's backcourt of Andrew Rowsey and Markus Howard is really underrated. They combined for 47 points in the win.

Speaking of national power, Wichita State won at the always classy Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma against Oklahoma State. The Shockers had a bad first half and trailed for most of it, but they came alive in the second and won by 12. Landry Shamet (our potential Mick Cronin Meltdown Inducer) had 30 in the win. That's what he needs to do. Wichita State has struggled offensively when he doesn't get the ball enough. The Shcokers have to realize that he's their most talented player, and they are better when he shoots the most. It looks like they took a step in the right direction today.

Here's an interesting one: Minnesota got whooped at Arkansas today 95-79. The Gophers were ranked #14 in the country, but they might fall out of the Top 25 after today's brutal performance. Honestly, the only good Big Ten teams this year are Michigan State and Purdue...kind of. Everyone else, from Minnesota to Northwestern, is terrible. It's finally time to admit that the SEC is the better basketball conference. Minnesota losing to Arkansas had to have been Exhibit H.

The last game of interest from today was Alabama taking on Arizona at the McKale Center. It was an back-and-forth affair, with Alabama taking a 2-point lead into half thanks to a banked three-pointer from Collin Sexton. The second half was great too with the teams trading blows ultimately ending with an 88-82 victory for Arizona. First of all, my preseason national champion is officially #back. After three straight wins over UNLV, Texas A&m and now Alabama, I'm ready to say that this Arizona team has righted the ship. Now, there were two incredible freshmen on display as well. Arizona's DeAndre Ayton and Alabama's Collin Sexton both looked really impressive. Ayton had 29 points and 18 rebounds, and Sexton had 30 points. Ayton will be the top pick in the NBA Draft--I think he'll separate himself by season's end--and Sexston will be top-5. Seriously, we were given a gift from the basketball gods tonight. In terms of these teams though, Arizona I still think has a shot of winning it all. Allonzo Trier and Ayton are two special talents, and Rawle Alkins finally came back from injury tonight too. Everything's looking up for the Cats. Alabama can get to an Elite Eight because Collin Sexton can will them to it. The Tide are live by the Collin, die by the Collin. Whatever he does, his team will have a similar result. Tonight was a rare exception.

Trae Young is College Basketball's Next Superstar

I'll admit I've missed a lot of games this week because of me taking naps almost everyday after school. I didn't see Florida fall apart and lose to Loyola-Chicago. I didn't see Kansas lose at the Phog to Washington. And I didn't report on any games from an absolutely loaded Tuesday night. (In less than 50 words: Villanova is an actual title threat this year, and Mikal Bridges is a lottery pick. I'm mad that Virginia lost to West Virginia. Notre Dame is on the decline. Minnesota sucks. Arizona is #back, but Texas A&M is still good too. HA! 41 words.) My point is that I've been a lazy bum this past week, but you know what? I draw the line at Trae Young.

Oklahoma's incredible All-American freshman point guard has been college basketball's greatest spectacle. (It was Florida, but then they got Rambled.) Young was averaging 28.7 PPG and 8.7 APG before tonight's marquee matchup with USC. Well, he definitely cemented those numbers as he had 29 and 9 in a 2-point win in Los Angeles. He also had a 43-point against Oregon in the PK80 back in November.

Young has the scoring ability of Steph Curry and the passing ability of Chris Paul. I'm not even exaggerating here. He literally pulls up from 3 feet behind the NBA 3PT line and drains it half the time. He's shooting 46% from the floor, which is really impressive for a undersized freshman guard. Nearly all of his assists are from full court or cross court (sometimes both) passes that don't even look human. Honestly guys, if you haven't seen him yet, you really should.

He has also resurrected an Oklahoma program that went a depressing 11-20 last year after losing Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler from their 2016 Final Four squad. He's basically what Lonzo Ball was to UCLA last year: an exciting lead guard with tremendous passing and scoring ability. The only difference is that Trae Young was pretty under-hyped considering he played in the McDonald's game. Part of that was because of his perceived lack of NBA potential and some because he went to Oklahoma.

Regardless of his lack of preseason attention, Young has shown his true skill and potential to lead Oklahoma basketball back to the promised land. Imagine if he stays more than one year in Norman...he's already THIS good as a freshman. He'd be on pace to win back to back NPOYs in 2020 and 2021. In the meantime he'd be leading Oklahoma to its third Final Four in 5 years.

Are these expectations lofty? Yes, but not as much as you think.

I honestly do think Trae Young will be a special player that changes the entire country's perception of Oklahoma basketball and even college basketball in general. If he stays all four years or even three, he can become the generational college star we've all been waiting for. The JJ Redick, the Jimmer Fredette, the Tyler Hansbrough. He's that good. Let's just hope the NBA doesn't realize that for the time being.

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 48

Tonight I was watching a little bit of the James Madison and Weber State NCAA FCS Quaterfinal when I noticed that I really liked James Madison's football uniforms. I originally wanted to feature the Dukes basketball team for Jersey Appreciation Friday, but I was underwhelmed when I saw them online. So then I turned to the team that had the jerseys most similar to the James Madison football team: the Washington Huskies. These uniforms are are just slick. The black uniforms with the purple lettering and gold outline is just a terrific look. It just sucks that their team has under-performed over the past few seasons with star talent. Anyway, these are total flame, and I encourage you to check them out. Click Here

Podcast #49

What Am I Wearing?
LiAngelo Ball
Cincinnati/Xavier
Seton Hall's Impressive Week
Dammit Florida
Gonzaga is Back
Games This Week

Click Here

Eye Test Power Rankings Week 5

From now until the end of the college basketball season, every Monday I'll give you guys my Eye Test Power Rankings. Basically the point of these will be to judge teams based on how I see them and nothing more. I'm not taking any numbers or national rankings into account, but they'll probably end up being somewhat similar to the AP Polls as we get a clearer picture of each team. Without further ado, here's the first edition of the Eye Test Power Rankings.

1 Duke

Marvin Bagley III and Grayson Allen and Gary Trent Jr and Trevon Duval and Wendell Carter Jr and Marques Bolden and Coach K? Yeah, this Duke team is running the table.  They've already beaten #2 and #5 in these rankings and they haven't shown how good they can be yet.

2 Michigan State

They killed Notre Dame last Thursday. They killed Nebraska on Sunday. It seems like a different Spartan leads the team in scoring every night. Their defense is the best it's been in a while and Miles Bridges hasn't even shown his full potential yet. 

3 Villanova

College basketball's version of the Killer B's (Brunson, Bridges, Booth) have been solid as a rock since the start of the season. Nova's defense is once again suffocating despite having a smaller lineup. They get a big test on Tuesday against Gonzaga

4 Kansas

You gotta have Kansas in the Top 4 considering they've killed every opponent they've faced with the exception of Kentucky, who they still beat handily. Devonte' Graham has started to settle in as a premier guard and the emergence of LaGerald Vick is eye-opening. Sviatoslav is the same old Sviatoslav.

5 Florida 

I love Florida. They are so fun to watch despite having no absolute superstar. Chris Chiozza, Kevaughn Allen and Egor Koulechov have been better than advertised, but the emergence of Jalen Hudson puts the Gators over the top. They are far and away the SEC favorite this year. 

6 Texas A&M

The Aggies might have the best frontcourt in the nation with Robert Williams and Tyler Davis. This team wasn't even ranked to start the season, but they've picked up two blowout wins against West Virginia (without Williams) and @USC. If I had to pick now, A&M should be in the clear for 2nd in the SEC, but they'll have every opportunity to win it. They get another major test on Tuesday when they take on Arizona in Phoenix.

7 Miami

Miami got a really nice win @Minnesota in the B1G/ACC Challenge. We knew Miami had a fantastic backcourt with Bruce Brown, Ja'Quan Newton, Lonnie Walker IV and Dejan Vasiljevic, but it's the emergence of forward Dewan Huell that has made this Miami team a Final Four contender. 

8 Wichita State

The Shockers got a great win on Saturday @Baylor, but their offense still looks a little slow for my taste. It looks like they have moved on from the Maui meltdown, but that'll be in my head for another few weeks. Landry Shamet needs to be more aggressive offensively for this team to have a shot at a decent tournament run. Overall though, Wichita State has looked really good, and they'll be even better when Markis McDuffie comes back at the end of the month. 

9 Gonzaga

This might seem like a bit of a reach for most people, but Gonzaga has looked really strong since their 2OT loss to Florida in the PK80 Semifinals. I've been up and down on the Zags all year, but their dominant win against Creighton last Friday really pounded it into me that Gonzaga is legit once again. Josh Perkins, Killian Tillie (Tillie Tillie!), and Johnathan Williams have all been spectacular for the Zags thus far. They have a big one Tuesday against Villanova in New York. 

10 Virginia

Virginia is undefeated right now with wins over Wisconsin, Vanderbilt and VCU, and their defense is once again extremely good. Now, it may look bad when you see them not even teach 50 against Wisconsin, but then you realize they held the Badgers under 40. Kyle Guy has finally started to play like a high school All-American and Isaiah Wilkins has been a beast inside. They take on West Virginia on Tuesday. 

Mick Cronin Had Himself a Day

Okay, by now I'm sure we are all aware of what happened this afternoon when Cincinnati visited Xavier in another edition of college basketball's second-best rivalry. In case you aren't, Xavier dominated Cincinnati from start to finish and won the game by a score of 89-76. Trevon Bluiett had a fantastic performance with 28 points. The Bearcats, who had played a pretty weak schedule up until this game, looked inexperienced and let Xavier (who has already had tough games like Baylor, @Wisconsin and @Arizona State) push them around. All in all, X looks like a Final Four team, Cincinnati looks ready for a typical first-weekend exit.

The game was still intense. The Cintas Center was absolutely rocking despite the lack of a close game, which I guess is a testament to how deep this rivalry is. But the real story of this whole game was what happened after.

To summarize, apparently JP Macura had told Mick Cronin to "f*** off" throughout the entire game, and Cronin, being the fiery little man he is, had to be restrained after the postgame handshake (I mean seriously haven't we learned our lesson? The Cincy/X games should just cut the handshake bullshit and acknowledge that these two teams will hate each other no matter how many "good games" are said.) because he charged after Macura (who has a documented history of this type of behavior) and reportedly asked "You want a piece of me, motherf***er?"

First off, here's a video.

Secondly, how the hell did Mick Cronin think this was gonna all go down if people didn't hold him back? Like seriously did he think he was gonna teach Macura a lesson on sportsmanship by punching him in the face? The whole thing is just hilarious to me. I mean charging at an opposing player isn't the optimal image, but it especially isn't after his team just got their asses handed to them. Mick Cronin just looks like a crybaby little brat. Maybe we should take the 'M' out of his name and replace it with a 'D.'

And if charging Macura wasn't bad enough, he acted even worse in his postgame press conference when he said "If [Macura] was playing for me, he wouldn’t play." 

I mean this might actually an okay thing to say if, I don't know, YOU DIDN"T JUST THREATEN TO FIGHT A KID HALF YOUR AGE. Honestly, how can this guy not realize how bad this looks for his entire program? And the funniest thing is that this seems to happen every year where Cronin makes a fool out of himself by doing something idiotic. He's always the first to call out a team on its bad sportsmanship, yet he continues to be one of college basketball's biggest asses.

The two things to take away from this game are:

1) Xavier is a pretty good basketball team

2) JP Macura RUNS Mick Cronin. Cronin just got torched by a guy who used the name 'Myles Fox Morrissey' on a fake ID that led to him getting arrested because he pulled his pants down at a bar. It's so clear now: JP Macura is college basketball's biggest and baddest villain. Screw Grayson Allen. Macura runs this sport now.

That is all.

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 47

This week's Jersey Appreciation Friday goes to the one and only Boston Celtics. As you remember, I believed that the Celtics had the coolest alternate jerseys on the league when they had the green and black combination back in the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce/Ray Allen/Rajon Rondo days, but this past week they made that jersey even better. The Celtics' new Statement Jersey is black with green letters, and they finally debuted the masterpiece. It is truly the greatest NBA uniform I have ever laid my eyes on. I'm getting a Kyrie one. Book it. Click Here

Podcast #48

What Am I Wearing?
The Maui, Atlantis, PKs, and CBE
Other Notable Games Last Week
Previewing/Predicting Games This Week
Click Here

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 46

WOAH! Having this week of of school has made me forget what day it is. It's almost SUNDAY, and there has yet to be a Jersey Appreciation Friday this week. Maybe I was hypnotized by the glorious PK80 uniforms. Anyway, for the 46th edition of Jersey Appreciation Friday, I'll go with a uniform i just saw recently. While the game between Maryland and Bucknell was quite the thriller, I couldn't help but notice the sleeved Bison uniforms. They were gray, which usually yields a dull jersey, but the navy blue and orange accents on the collar and letters made the uniform stand out . They make the orange and navy work without making it too much like the Chicago Bears or Illinois. Well done. Click Here

Ranking the PK80 Uniforms

While the Maui Invitational and Battle 4 Atlantis are certainly making their own headlines this Feast Weekj\, a new tournament, the PK80 held in honor of Nike legend Phil Knight's 80th birthday, is the tournament everyone seems to be talking about. And who could blame them? With a field featuring Duke, North Carolina, Butler, Florida, Gonzaga, Texas, Oregon, Michigan State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio State and more, this is the most anticipated Thanksgiving tournament in recent memory. Aside from all the great teams playing basketball, each one is going to be wearing a special uniform for the entire event. Let's rank all 16 of them here.

16. DePaul

Like most things basketball-related. DePaul finds itself dead last in these rankings. Their royal blue uniforms with black lettering wouldn't be such a bad idea, but the jerseys lack any outline. This makes the uniform look like a jumbled mess created with crayon by a second-grader.

15. Portland State

These green and white uniforms wouldn't be so bad if they were worn in a regular game, but seeing that so many other teams stepped up their jersey game for this event, Portland State looks lost in a galaxy of uniform normalcy. Again, it's not a bad look--forest green with white lettering--but it just doesn't compare with the heavyweights of the PK80.

14. Oklahoma

This one isn't really Oklahoma's fault. It's almost impossible to make anything look good using that atrocious shade of red. The Sooners also lose points for lack of effort, as these are basically the same as their regular jerseys. Bummer Sooner.

13. Stanford

Stanford's are also quite unremarkable. The cardinal red with black letters is so overdone, and using black with that dark of a red won't allow people to even make out the word 'Stanford' on their uniforms. An outline would've helped here.

12. Duke

Again, we have a case of a team not putting forth the effort. The Dukies basically have the same blue uniform as they do during ACC play, and that one isn't even that impressive. Considering their encouraging color scheme and their beast uniforms from the early 2010s, I was expecting more.

11. UConn
The Huskies changed their color scheme from red, white and navy to black and gray. The look isn't horrible, but I punish UConn for being sellouts and changing their entire identity for some Nike dude's preference. Also, whenever gray is your main color your ceiling is like a 6/10.

10. Ohio State
The Buckeyes did a pretty good job with these uniforms. You're probably wondering what sets Ohio State apart from Stanford, and it's the shade of red. Ohio State has a brighter, more Nike-esque tone than the humdrum Cardinal. Again, the red and black isn't my favorite combination, but the Buckeyes made the best of it. If we were talking black jerseys with red lettering, then I'd be higher on them.

9. Arkansas
There we go! I told you the black/red jersey looks way better than the inverse. I also give credit to the Razorbacks for going with the logo look instead of the letters. They were the only team to do it, so that bumps them up a few spots.

8. Michigan State
Sparty went with their traditional green but with gold lettering for the PK80. This is a really good uniform. If I ranked solely on shorts, the Spartans would be #1. But the jersey isn't as strong as the other competitors, thus, they land in 8th.

7. Butler
Butler's uniform looks so plain, but it's so cool. The Bulldogs have black jerseys with white lettering (Yawn.), but the shorts are phenomenal. The thick white stripes contrasting with the thinner black ones gives this uniform a hypnotic appearance. Butler just created the best black and white uniform ever in my book.

6. Texas
I'm sad. Texas might've been given the second-best color combination to work with, yet its design is ordinary. The jerseys are fine, but the semi-two-tone shorts just aren't getting it done for me. The Longhorns did a good job, just not a great job. But their color scheme carries them into 6th.

5. North Carolina
The Tar Heels never have a disappointing uniform, and this is no different. The navy blue "UNC" on top of the traditional Carolina blue is just amazing and angelic. North Carolina has once again outclassed everyone in the uniform game.

4. Gonzaga
Such a great uniform. They utilize the black/red combo better than anyone in the tournament, and their shorts have a fantastic zigzag pattern running across them. Just an absolute masterpiece from the folks up in Spokane.

3. Portland
This might be my wildcard pick, but I can't help but dig the purple uniforms of the Pilots. Nothing really special about the design here really, but the color scheme featuring that lavender-ish purple pushes them up to 3rd on my list.

2. Florida
Orange. Black. Perfect. Florida's uniform is just like the German Confederations Cup team: They bring their B-team and still dominate. Ideally, I would've loved to see a royal blue with orange lettering, but since Phil Knight wanted black in everything, that couldn't happen. Still, the Gators have great uniforms. Don't sleep on the gator-print shorts either.

1. Oregon
It's only right that Oregon gets the top rank after all of this. I mean Phil Knight did go there. Anyway, the vibrant, but not overdone green is the best uniform color in this field, and the duck wing pattern on the shorts is good too. There is nothing I don't like about this Oregon uniform, but again it all comes back to that green. Just amazing.

I'll be doing a Twitter tournament throughout the week too. Make sure you vote and make YOUR favorite PK80 uniform the champion.

Maui Delivers; Battle 4 Atlantis Disappoints

College basketball showed why it's the best spectator sport in the world today as there were several exciting and meaningful games played in the two major Thanksgiving tournaments: the Battle 4 Atlantis and the Maui Invitational.

The Battle 4 Atlantis gave us four games in which three of them were upsets. North Carolina State beat (2) Arizona. Ugh. Tennessee needed overtime to knock off (18) Purdue. Ugh. Northern Iowa got by SMU. Enh. The only favored team to win in the Battle was 5th-ranked Villanova, but even they struggled against Western Kentucky, a team that should be favored in Conference USA this season. While the upsets do provide an element of excitement, this ultimately f**ks up the rest of the tournament. The semifinal matchups are Villanova/Tennessee and North Carolina State/Northern Iowa. Good, but not great. This is a rare time where I am thankful for a consolation bracket. The 5th place game (ideally Arizona vs Purdue) will be more interesting than the championship (ideally Villanova vs North Carolina State). But the way this tournament went down today, I'm sure Nova will go down and either Arizona or Purdue will lose again. This tournament already turned into a s**tshow, so we might as well burn it all to the ground.

Predicitons: Villanova over Tennessee; NC State over Northern Iowa; Arizona over SMU; Purdue over Western Kentucky

The Maui Invitational thankfully made up for the Battle 4 Atlantis crap and gave us an awesome championship between (6) Wichita State and (13) Notre Dame. Wichita State literally dominated the entire game. They were up by 15 at one point and looked poised to close the game out without a problem. Then the Irish woke up. Bonzie Colson started knocking down shots, and Matt Farrell revved up his intensity. With about 30 seconds left, ND had the ball down by 3 points. Then Bonzie Colson airballed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, and all hope was lost for the Irish. BUT WAIT. Matt Farrell stole the in-bounds pass and dished it to Colson for a layup. 66-65 Shockers. Notre Dame fouled Austin Reeves and sent him to the line where he missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Matt Farrell attempted to get to the cup on the ensuing possession but was ferociously denied. After the scrap for the rebound, a jump ball was called, giving Notre Dame the ball with 3.3 seconds left. Mike Brey then drew up a genius out-of-bounds play that got Martinas Geben fouled with 2.3 seconds remaining. His first free throw hit the back iron and bounced in the air, then the front rim, then in. His second one was made in a cleaner fashion. ND leads 67-66. Wichita State tried to pass the ball to halfcourt from their own baseline, but Landry Shamet caught it and turned it over soonafter. NOTRE DAME WINS.

This was an absolutely wild finish. After seeing this, I think both Wichita State and Notre Dame are legit top-10 teams in America. Screw Kentucky. The Shockers and the Irish are far superior right now.

Also in the Maui, I got my wish as Chaminade curb-stomped California 96-72. Yeah, I'm not kidding; look it up. Michigan beat VCU in a great consolation championship, and Marquette looked good in a win against LSU even though Tremont Waters torched them for 39 points.

OTHER NEWS:
-Brian Bowen won't be playing for Louisville this season (check Twitter).
-The Celtics finally lost.
-Vanderbilt got its 2nd Top-15 2018 recruit as Simi Shittu announced he'll be a Commodore.
-Kyron Cartwright of Providence had the craziest buzzer-beater of the year as he got the win against Belmont.
-The PK80s start tomorrow, so pay attention to that.

Maui Invitational Championship Preview

Ladies and gentlemen, we have actually received the Maui championship game we wanted. After Georgetown screwed everything up last year, the Maui Invitational has made up for it by pairing up Wichita State and Notre Dame for the title tomorrow.

The finals better be good because the semifinals weren't anything special. Wichita State beat Marquette handily 80-66, and Notre Dame put the hurt on LSU by a score of 92-53.

Wichita State looks really good defensively. Their full-court press is incredibly difficult to break, helping the Shockers force 28 turnovers in their two games so far. Big man Shaquille Morris is averaging 18 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3 blocks during the tournament and will be a key defensive presence against a Notre Dame squad that can fill it up. Landry Shamet is also playing quite well for Wichita State, but it's really been a team effort. The loose balls, offensive rebounds and deflections are propelling Wichita State to victories; it'll be interesting to see how they do against on of the nation's best offenses.

Notre Dame is coming off two games in which the combined margin of victory was 33 points. Fun fact: they actually beat LSU by more points than Division II host Chaminade. Anyway, you've all heard about Matt Farrell and Bonzie Colson. Yeah, they're great. But Temple Gibbs has silently been one of Notre Dame's most productive players offensively. He's averaging 15 points per game on the season and exploded for 27 tonight. He could end up being the X-factor in the championship tomorrow.

As for a prediction, I'll take the Irish by 7. We have to remember that Wichita State isn't fully healthy, as Markis McDuffie is recovering from a broken foot. Ultimately, I think Notre Dame has too much firepower on the offensive end for Wichita State to keep up with, at least for tomorrow night.

Maui Invitational Day 1

You know the college basketball season has arrived when you hear Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas calling games in the ESPN polos at midnight. This, of course, can only mean one thing: The Maui Jim Maui Invitational is back! The first day of games kicked off today, and we saw some pretty decent action. Let's recap here.

Quarterfinal 1: Marquette 94 VCU 83
Not surprisingly, Markus Howard led all scorers in this one with 22 points, but Marquette as a team had a solid outing against a frantic VCU team. Despite committing 17 turnovers, Marquette always had a decent handle on the game, and it felt that they were in the driver’s seat from the opening tip. 94 points against one of the most established defensive teams in the country is always a good sign, but the Golden Eagles will get a tougher test tomorrow.

Quarterfinal 2: Wichita State 92 California 82
The Shockers were down by as many as 18 early in the second half thanks to a tremendous performance by Cal guard Don Coleman, but they eventually woke up and used a fantastic 5-minute stretch at the end of the game to propel themselves to a 10-point win. I know Cal isn't a great team, but I loved the way Wichita State just turned it on and won that game. Shaquille Morris is playing way better than I gave him credit for at the beginning of the year, and Landry Shamet is one of the best guards in the country. Oh, and the Shockers aren't fully healthy yet.

Quarterfinal 3: Notre Dame 83 Chaminade 56
I would've loved to see a Chaminade win against the Irish today, but I think we all knew better than to expect it. When the Irish boast two of the best players in the ACC in Matt Farrell and Bonzie Colson, and those two players combine for 50 points (Farrell 27, Colson 23), Chaminade had no chance of winning. The good news is that we are one step closer to the highly-anticipated Wichita State/Notre Dame championship game.

Quarterfinal 4: LSU 77  Michigan 75
Clearly the best game of the opening round, LSU edged Michigan by two behind a spectacular performance from freshman guard Tremont Waters, who had 21 points (15 in the 2nd half). I'm telling you, this guy is really good. Apparently he was a top-100 freshman who held offers from Duke and Kansas, but I had never heard of him before tonight. Anyway, Michigan looked pretty good too. And the fact that Kentucky transfer Charles Matthews had 28 points should be encouraging for the Wolverines moving forward. For now though, let's look forward to Tremont Waters taking on Notre Dame tomorrow.

Side Note: The most interesting game of the night didn't even come from Hawaii. Creighton “upset” UCLA tonight 100-89 in the Hall of Fame Classic. Creighton’s offense looks like a video game, and it's always nice to see UCLA lose. But seriously, Creighton’s offense might be the best in the NCAA. Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas are a fantastic 1-2 punch that will strike fear into any opponent. And Mitchell Ballock will be college basketball’s next lovable superstar. If they stay healthy (they didn't last year), they should be in consideration to finish 2nd in the Big East. (Villanova is on a another level right now). If they beat Baylor tomorrow (which I think they will), it would be their third straight win against a ranked opponent. Something to keep an eye on.

Podcast #47

What Am I Wearing?
LiAngelo & Company
Duke/Sparta
Kansas/Kentucky
Xavier/Wisconsin
Thanksgiving Tournament Predictions
-Maui Invitational
-Battle 4 Atlantis
-PK80 Victory
-PK80 Motion
Click Here

JP Macura is the Hero College Basketball Needs

Wisconsin played Xavier on Thursday in a rematch of the 2016 Round of 32 where the Badgers shocked the 2-seeded Musketeers on a last-second shot by Bronson Koenig. 

This time, the Badgers weren't so lucky. 

Xavier was clearly the dominant team and got the road win by a score of 80-70. Trevon Bluiett had 25 points for Xavier, and Happ had 21 for Wisconsin, but the real story was Xavier guard JP Macura.

Macura as a solid 20 points and 8 rebounds for Xavier, but he probably won more people over on Thursday with his interactions with the Wisconsin student section. 

The entire game the Badger fans were chanting "asshole" at him and calling him other names and stuff like that. I don't see the problem there necessarily. Fans are gonna be fans. Every student section does the same so who cares if they swear a bit? 

Macura, being the controversial fire-starter he is, responded by not only having one of his best games ever, but also throwing it back in the Wisconsin fans' faces. 

He finished the game off with an alley-oop dunk, and as he left the floor (Wisconsin fans still yelling at him), he gave us an all-time response. 

He Gator-Chomped them. 

If you don't know the hilarious meaning of this, look no further than the 2017 NCAA Tournament. In the Sweet 16, Wisconsin was playing Florida for a chance to go to the Elite Eight and probably the Final Four. Wisconsin led by two with 4 seconds remaining in overtime and looked like a 99% favorite to win. But then Chris Chiozza hit an unbelievable three-pointer at the buzzer to send the sorry Badgers packing. 

Macura's perfect response apparently disgruntled Bill Raftery Here's a summary:

"Raftery inadvertently hit upon why some straight arm clapping offended him so dearly when he started a sentence with “maybe I’m getting old.” His impromptu soapbox on how engaging in trash talk in somehow ruining the game of college basketball was just the tip of a Twitter iceberg." -Christopher Novak, bigeastcoastbias.com.

And yes, the Twitter storm from offended college basketball fans did come:

https://twitter.com/empeypp/status/931355826094297088

https://twitter.com/Bri_Hen/status/931366897798565888

https://twitter.com/IllestGilles/status/931366860859363329

This is where I declare my undying love for JP Macura. Wisconsin fans are probably some of the most passionate in college basketball. Macura actually had the stones to do what many other players would've loved to do at the Kohl Center, and the hypocritical reaction from Badger fans saying how classless Macura was when they were literally taunting him the entire night shows that JP rattled them to their core. JP Macura, you are the hero college basketball needs.

I'm hoping that this is just the beginning. Macura better yell "ON WISCONSIN" at Villanova, and "SOOIE" at Seton Hall. And I can't wait to see what he does in the NCAA Tournament this year. 

Hopefully, Xavier gets to the Final Four and knocks off Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina on the way there. Let's show the blue bloods who's boss.

Oh and if you were wondering whether JP responded to the social media hate from Thursday, here's your answer: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbm0KXtANf7/?hl=en

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 45

This week's Jersey Appreciation Friday is awarded to the retro Charlotte Hornets uniforms made famous by Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning and the crew. The classic Hornets' Teal mixed with an interesting pinstripe combination of green, light blue and purple makes it an iconic one of its era. Why did I choose this? Well the Hornets just debuted their new retro jersey as part of the Jordan series. Check both out here and decide which one's better. I'll go with the old one. Old and New

Champions Classic Recap

Once again the Champions Classic delivered in giving us a glimpse of four of the top teams in the country for the upcoming season. Duke knocked off Michigan State 88-81, and Kansas defeated Kentucky 65-61. Here's what I now think of each team. 

By far, Duke looked the most impressive. As I've become a known "Duke is overrated every year" believer, I'll eat my own words here.  Grayson Allen, much to my chagrin, had the most impressive performance in his 4 years at Duke with 37 points. Like I honestly can't describe how awesome he played. Another thing to note too–he never came out of the game either. Just fantastic. Marvin Bagley III didn't even play for the majority of the game because of his eye, and Duke could've rolled over and given Michigan State that game, but they didn't. Tonight they proved why they're currently the best team in the nation. Also, Trevon Duval was impressive again with 17 points and 10 assists. That Duval-Allen duo is going to be lethal.

Michigan State, though they lost, certainly looked good. They had three players (Miles Bridges, Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr.) with 19 points each. I honestly think they just ran into a buzzsaw of a Duke team tonight, and they would've beaten Kansas or Kentucky had they played them. This team looks really well-balanced. Bridges, Jackson Jr and Ward will handle the scoring, and Cassius Winston is the perfect pass-first point guard for Tom Izzo's offense. I think their biggest weakness is guard depth, but Tum Tum Nairn Jr and Matt McQuaid are certainly serviceable. Nonetheless, this is still a brilliant starting point for a program that usually improves drastically by the Tournament.

Kansas didn't look that great in their win tonight. They only shot 35.3% from the field and a ghastly 56.3% from the free throw line. They also may have set the record for the most fastbreak layups missed in a half. Regardless, I think Kansas fans can find comfort in that they still beat Kentucky even though they didn't play their best. I mean Devonte' Graham isn't going to struggle as much as he did tonight, as with Malik Newman and Lagerald Vick. They also only played with 7 guys tonight, a problem that will be resolved once they get Billy Preston Jr back. Kansas should be encouraged by SVIATOSLAV and Udoka Azubuike. Especially Azubuike, who had 13 points and 8 rebounds with his only misses coming from the free throw line. I wasn't impressed but wasn't disappointed either. I'll give Kansas a C for now.

Kentucky actually played better than how I thought they would. (I did have them as a 20-point underdog though.) Their offense is very sloppy and choppy: two qualities you don't want to have. I feel like nobody on that team knows who should take what shots and when. Kevin Knox was the clear MVP of the Wildcats today, but he didn't get the ball enough at the end of the game. Kentucky also lacks an elite floor general. Quade Green and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just aren't good enough to get the job done. They also cannot seem to get a rebound. I know this is a young team, but I can't in my right mind see them as anything more than Sweet 16 knockouts. 

Here's how I would rank all 4 after tonight:

1) Duke

2) Michigan State

3) Kansas 

4) Kentucky 

MVP goes to Grayson Allen for obvious reasons. 

Kentucky's Struggles

Kentucky entered the season ranked 5th in the country and having one of the best recruiting classes for like the billionth straight year. After two poor performances, though, I'm questioning this team's viability as a national powerhouse.

On Friday Kentucky took on Utah Valley at home, and they did not play well. Utah Valley took a NINE point lead into halftime. For Kentucky, a nine point LEAD at the break would've been considered an underwhelming performance. At one point the Wildcats were down by 12 points in the second half. Luckily, they caught Utah Valley looking ahead and used an 18-0 run to win the game 73-63. Still though, it shouldn't have been that close.

On Sunday the Wildcats welcomed another inferior opponent to Rupp Arena as Vermont came into town. Kentucky started off the game strong, carrying a double-digit lead into halftime, but in the second half Vermont outscored them by 8 points and only lost by 4. Granted, Kentucky never really vanquished their lead or relinquished control of the game. But it's still worrisome that they couldn't close out Vermont at home.

This Kentucky team reminds me of the infamous 2012-13 squad that didn't make the NCAA Tournament and lost to Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT. (Yeah, that actually happened.) That team had no stars (though many draft picks) and probably had the worst chemistry I've ever seen.

Now I don't know if that will be the case this season. But I do know that De'Aaron Fox, Anthony Davis, Tyler Ulis, Karl-Anthony Towns and John Wall aren't walking through those doors. I don't see a star talent in Hamidou Diallo, Nick Richards, Kevin Knox or PJ Washington. Nobody stands out, and given Kentucky's extreme youth (2nd youngest team in NCAA Division I), that could be a major issue.

All of this can be reversed if they beat Kansas on Tuesday. That game will show the nation whether this team can hang with the best of 'em because Kansas is an established power after returning so much talent. But given the inexperience of this roster and overall lack of star talent, I'll take the Jayhawks by 20.

This could be an overreaction (it probably is honestly), but this is going to be the worst team Calipari has had since 2012-2013. I'll let that simmer for now.

Jersey Appreciation Vol. 44

A big day yesterday means that Jersey Appreciation Friday is pushed back to Saturday. Anyway this week I'll give it to the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds. I saw them play against Northwestern last night, and while their uniforms aren't that flashy, they certainly get the job dons. The grey and dark green is a unique mix. The only issue is that it's tough to see the contrast when you're far away. Overall though, I love the concept. Side note: watch out for Cam Gregory. Click Here

My National Champion Pick

I've thought long and hard about my decision for who's going to be the 2018 National Champion. I'm still not confident, but nevertheless I gotta pick someone or else I'm not a real college basketball writer. Anyway as you probably don't remember my Final Four is Wichita State, Arizona, Michigan State and Villanova. I was literally deciding this on my podcast as I went along. But I've come to a conclusion. 

My champion is Arizona. 

Throughout the past two days, I've had brief moments when all of the teams in my Final Four were my pick, so it was really tough. But Arizona has everything a team could possibly need for a title run. I love Allonzo Trier. DeAndre Ayton is a monster Dusan Ristic, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Rawle Alkins and Emmanuel Akot will all contribute. Arizona has a REALLY good team. I don't care that Sean Miller hasn't been to a Final Four or that their season might be vacated because of the FBI. I'll take my chances and Bear Down.