Jersey Appreciation Vol. 12

I'm in Boston this week, so I think it's only fair to honor a Boston school for Jersey Appreciation Friday. With that, I want to appreciate the Boston College Eagles and their 2014 gold alternate jerseys. Usually, a team wearing gold evokes a certain flashiness, but BC manages to keep it simple while going with a unique color. Click Here

March Madness Bonanza Podcast #18 Part 3

What Am I Wearing?
Why I'm Rooting for North Carolina
Sweet 16/Elite 8 Recap
Final Four Preview

Click Here

Final Four Preview

On March 12, 2017, 68 teams were selected for the NCAA Tournament. Two weeks later, four remain. Those would be South Carolina, Gonzaga, Oregon and North Carolina. Among those four, we have two teams who have never been to the Final Four, one who hasn't been in 78 years, and another who is on a revenge tour because of what happened to them in last year's championship game. While this wasn't the Final Four we necessarily expected, it certainly brings some interesting storylines to the table. 

South Carolina serves the role of the Cinderella in this year's edition. As a 7-seed from the East region, many (including myself) didn't expect them to beat Marquette in the first round. When they did that, they still had to get through Duke in the next round. I thought they had zero chance as Duke was probably the hottest team in the tournament, but the Gamecocks used a 65-point second half to propel themselves into the Sweet 16. When they got to the second weekend, they dismantled 3-seed Baylor and outlasted 4-seed Florida to punch their first ticket to Phoenix. Despite their timely offense, it has been their elite defense that has gotten them to this point. Frank Martin has a great system in place where they literally don't allow a pass to be thrown without constant pressure. It's an angry style for an angry coach. Sindarius Thornwell, the SEC Player of the Year, has led this team on the floor. The senior, who was suspended for undisclosed reasons earlier this season, has been spectacular in leading the Gamecocks. 

Their opponent, Gonzaga, boasts the most impressive roster and record heading into the Final Four. The 36-1 Bulldogs have no weakness or vulnerability. They are solid at every position with PG Nigel Williams-Goss, who is a Cousy Award Finalist (Nation's Best Point Guard), SG Jordan Mathews, SF Josh Perkins, PF Johnathan Williams and C Przemek Karnowski, who leads the NCAA in all time wins (135). They also bring McDonald's All American C Zach Collins off the bench. This team is freaking loaded, and while many are going to portray this team as the underdog, the Zags are legit and have a really good chance to win the whole thing. I hate to be so subjective here, but I really want Gonzaga to win it all. It's about time I see a mid major team win the championship, and it's about time people start giving Gonzaga the respect it deserves. They are a national powerhouse and should be treated as such. I'll admit that up until this year, I hated Gonzaga. They were right up there with Wisconsin. I thought they were an overrated program who always wins their crappy conference and never gets it done in the tournament. Then I saw this year's team play, and I realized that there is substance to all the hype. Take my word, haters because I was once among you. Gonzaga Basketball is a thing. 

My national champion was Kansas when the bracket first came out, so I was kind of pissed that Oregon beat them. But then I realized that Oregon is a damn good team and I needed to enjoy the type of run they are going on. Oregon (they will be referred to as the "Quack Attack" from here on) lost their starting center Chris Boucher right before the tournament started. That was enough to scare me and many others off from picking the Quack Attack to do anything. I actually had the Quack Attack in my Final Four up until I heard about Boucher. I really liked the Quack Attack because of their depth. Tyler Dorsey, Dillon Brooks, Casey Benson, Payton Pritchard, Jordan Bell, Dylan Ennis and Chris Boucher made up the best starting seven in college basketball. They are now the best starting six in college basketball. Jordan Bell has played out of his mind in the tournament and makes it seem like the Quack Attack doesn't  need Boucher at all. Tyler Dorsey is averaging 24 points a game in the tournament and hitting extremely clutch shots. The Quack Attack reminds me of last year's Villanova team: they don't miss. Two more games like the Quack Attack had against Michigan and Kansas, and they will be your 2017 National Champions. If that happens, I guarantee you all that I will get a shirt. 

North Carolina comes into the Final Four as the odds on favorite to it down the nets. They aren't as balanced as Gonzaga, or as hot as Oregon, or as Cinderella-esque as South Carolina, but the Tar Heels have the coaching, experience, talent and hunger to win their two games by 20 points or more. Roy Williams knows what he's doing in these Final Fours. He's won two national championships and came pretty close to a third last year. Most of North Carolina's players have experience playing in huge games. And the one that doesn't just made the shot against Kentucky that got them to the Final Four. Lastly, the bad taste left in UNC's mouth after that Villanova loss last year will propel them to a national championship. Life has a way of evening things out, and that's why it's UNC's title to lose. North Carolina has everything clicking for them at the right moment, and with the ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson leading the way, it's hard to see North Carolina not winning the championship unless Oregon has a crazy shooting night or Gonzaga completely shuts them down on the glass, or the NCAA finally decides to punish UNC for the academic fraud scandal. So yeah, I'm placing my bet on North Carolina to win this thing.  

What I Think Will Happen: 

Gonzaga def South Carolina

North Carolina def Oregon

North Carolina def Gonzaga 

What I Hope Will Happen:

Gonzaga def South Carolina 

North Carolina def Oregon

Gonzaga def North Carolina 

What Needs to Happen In Order For Me to Win a Bracket Pool:

North Carolina wins 

So yeah, I really don't care what happens. As long as Gonzaga or North Carolina win, I'm alright with the result. I wouldn't even mind seeing Oregon win it all since I would get a cool shirt. The only team I don't want to win is South Carolina, and I don't even have anything against them either. It just has the least amount of incentives.

I'm Officially BracketBusted

Tonight was a sad night. The Douglas Bracket of 2017 has officially died. With Kansas losing to Oregon in the Midwest Regional Final, my national champion was eliminated, causing my bracket and my heart to break. I really thought I had it this year. Gonzaga (my runner up) made the Final Four today, I had a unique championship matchup and virtually everyone else's Duke, Villanova or UCLA pick went down the drain. This was going to be my year. 

And then Kansas went and screwed it all up. Looking back (because hindsight is always 20/20), I maybe shouldn't have picked Kansas. I mean half their team was in some sort of legal trouble, so there's karma. They literally had no inside presence, and they had a reputation for not getting to the Final Four when they were a high seed. The warning signs were all there, but I ignored them because someone had to win it all right?  

So with that, I don't regret my Kansas pick, and I own it. They were my pick since the beginning of the year, and they grew on me as the season wore on. Like most years, it didn't work out the way I planned it, but that's what makes this whole process so much fun. Because when you do win that pool, it's a great feeling. I have to take the successes with the failures though, and that's why 2017 will be dedicated to the Jayhawk.  

Sweet 16 MegaCap

We are officially at the halfway point of the NCAA Tournament as the Sweet 16 has concluded, and the Madness of this month finally came to pass. On the first night we had three of the four games come down to the final possession, and on the second, the first buzzer beater of the 2017 Tournament happened with Florida and Wisconsin.  Here are my takeaways from every game:

(3) Oregon vs (7) Michigan

I remember when Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr. were the hotshot freshmen that led Michigan into a promising new era following their 2013 championship appearance. While they never led the Wolverines back, the seniors certainly went on one incredible run in this year's postseason. After the Louisville game, I thought this team was destined for April glory, and that's why Oregon deserves all the credit in the world. When Walton missed that game-winning shot at the buzzer, a new team of destiny rose from the ashes: Oregon. Losing Chris Boucher before the tournament seemed like a death blow to the Ducks. I had them losing to Rhode Island in the second round. But behind the heroics of Tyler Dorsey and Jordan Bell, Oregon now finds itself one game away from an improbable Final Four berth. I know myself and many others wrote off the Ducks early, but I now think they have a pretty good chance of actually winning this whole thing.

(1) Gonzaga vs (4) West Virginia

The Zags are real, people. Deal with it. On the heels of one of the worst last possessions in March Madness history, Gonzaga escaped West Virginia and its ravenous press to clinch its place in the Elite Eight. In all fairness, Gonzaga played its worst game of the year, and while the Mountaineers certainly had a hand in that, we have to respect the Zags for not crumbling under the pressure, as many expected they would. Gonzaga is now one win away from its first Final Four ever. This is a ride or die situation for Gonzaga: If they win, they shut up all the haters and naysayers forever. Lose, and they will pounce more fiercely than ever before. As for West Virginia, the same doubts and issues remain. Clearly, the press was effective, and they had the expected run for a 4-seed, but there will always be something missing or unfulfilled until West Virginia makes an actual deep run in the tournament. 

(1) Kansas vs (4) Purdue

They Rock, they Chalk, and they f#&kin Jayhawk. Kansas's dominant performance against Purdue on Saturday proved them as one of the heavyweights as the field grows smaller. Many people had concerns about the Jayhawks' lack of size going up against Purdue's surplus of it, but Kansas snuffed out any doubt with a 98-66 win centered around stellar guard play. I'm considering them the odds on favorite to win the championship (I had them at the beginning as well) because of Frank Mason III. There is no stopping him. He can drive, shoot and finish with the best of them. Purdue's exit leaves a lot of question marks. We don't know the fate of Caleb Swanigan, but if he decides to stay, Purdue can be a force in the Big Ten once again with Carsen Edwards and incoming freshman Nojel Eastern. 

(2) Arizona vs (11) Xavier

I'm not really about the whole conference pride thing, but the BEast reigns supreme. Xavier wouldn't even be in the tournament if they didn't beat Butler in the Big East Tournament, and now they managed to outlast both Butler and Villanova by getting to the Elite Eight. What Chris Mack has done with this team (which lost their NBA point guard Edmond Sumner for the season before postseason play) has been nothing short of remarkable.  Trevon Bluiett, JP Macura (or should we call him "Myles Fox Morrissey"), Sean O'Mara and a bunch of other dudes you haven't heard of have led this team to new heights. Now we get the losers. IT WAS ALL RIGHT THERE, MAN! Arizona had it all set up for them: an 11-seed in the Sweet 16, then a "weak 1-seed" in the Elite Eight, then the winner of a 3-4-7-8 mashup in the East. Then they lost to Xavier. And now Sean Miller will get feces hurled at him once again for not getting Arizona to the Final Four. If it didn't happen this year, then when?

(1) North Carolina vs (4) Butler

This marked the turning point of the Sweet 16, The first day was great, but then North Carolina snapped us all back to reality with a blowout win over Butler. The season obviously didn't end the way Butler wanted it to, but if anyone at the beginning of the season had Butler making the second weekend, they would have been laughed at profusely. Butler played really well and beat a lot of good teams, including Villanova twice. So yeah, it isn't all bad for Butler, they just ran into a freight train. North Carolina is currently my second pick to win the whole thing, behind Kansas. Their utilization of size and shooting makes them a feared matchup for any team, and it they shoot like they did against Butler for the rest of the tournament, there's no team that can beat them.

(3) Baylor vs (7) South Carolina

Welp. Baylor is kind of in the same boat as Arizona but to a lesser degree. They've had decent regular seasons but horrible postseasons. They were also put into a great situation to get to the Final Four, but they blew it. They were the highest seed remaining in the Region of Life, but they didn't focus and got ran out of the gym by South Carolina. As for South Carolina, what a run they've put together, eh? I consider this more of a surprise than Xavier just because the SEC is not a basketball conference whatsoever.  But hey, they got three teams in the Elite Eight so maybe we should consider the whole conference strength thing right? Anyone see that Frank Martin meltdown when his team was up by like 15 points? That's the kind of intensity you need if you want to win the championship. Something to think about. 

(2) Kentucky vs (3) UCLA

I think we can all agree in me saying that this was the most anticipated game of the Sweet 16. Despite all the pregame hype, however, this game wasn't spectacular. Kentucky dominated the entire second half behind the wizardry of De'Aaron Fox, who solidified himself as better than Lonzo Ball--you heard it here first--last night.  Throughout the game, Ball didn't seem like he was trying on defense, and his shot selection was poor.  Fox, on the other hand, was in control of the game and took what the defense gave him--everything. Not to mention that Malik Monk finally caught fire. Kentucky is finally looking like the team we all expected it to be in November, and they might just win a championship because of it. UCLA lost because they gave zero effort on the defensive end. Repetitive, but true. To be honest, that all starts with Ball. Sure he had a few mesmerizing passes, but aside from that he played terrible. Everyone is talking about his leadership skills, but yesterday UCLA looked flustered out there, and he was a major reason why.

(4) Florida vs (8) Wisconsin

The Wicked Witch of the Midwest is finally dead! Rejoice! Wisconsin lost in the most Wisconsin way possible, and I couldn't be happier because of it. The Badgers have gotten every call, every break, and every scumbag coach cover up over the past three years, and today, the struggle is finally over. Wisconsin couldn't just lose on their own, another team had to put the nail in the coffin. Florida survived a wild ride, but Chris Chiozza's buzzer beater gave them the one-point win to put the Gators in the Elite Eight. So now, we get an all-SEC Elite Eight game, which I'm not that angry at because these are two of the hottest teams in the country. And Wisconsin lost.

Jersey Appreciation Friday Vol. 11

In the spirit of March Madness, I chose to honor a pretty successful Michigan State team for Jersey Appreciation Friday. The 2009 Spartans hold a special place in my heart because I actually got one of their jerseys as a gift, and they got to the National Championship that year. Without further ado, here they are. Click Here

Podcast #17 March Madness Part 2

What Am I Wearing?
NCAA Tournament Recap and Preview
Guest: Michael Fitzpatrick

Click Here