PTU March Madness Preview

Hey, March Madness started already without us! Unfortunately, resident College sports expert Hater J (pictured above the last time we saw him) has been unable to do his usual break down of the NCAA tournament due to his obligations to his other job. What is that job you ask? No one knows for sure, but we know he disappears for weeks at a time, only to resurface at the occasional pub for burgers and pints of Guiness, wearing stubble like Hanks in Castaway and muttering about his hatred for "the man". If he can free himself of his shackles long enough to jot down a few ideas about this years bracket we'll pass it on to you.

In the meantime, let me just say I have the rudimentary knowledge of college basketball that most of the people in your office or the President of the United States has. I know Kentucky is really awesome, North Carolina is always good, some annoying team will come out of nowhere and be America's Jeremy Lin for a week and the team we least expect to win it probably will. Without a Kemba Walker involved this year, we won't have as much to say but believe me, we love March Madness as much as everyone else.

Stay tuned for hard hitting analysis from Hater J coming soon if we can ever break him out of his chains for an hour or so.

Kemba and the Huskies Slightly Less Bad Than Butler, Win National Championship

Well, that was ugly. In a contest that made last year's NBA Finals game 7 look like this game, the Connecticut Huskies outlasted the Butler Bulldogs to win Jim Calhoun's third championship.

Great defense was played, to be sure, but there's no excuse for a team to shoot 18%. That's not a good percentage on half court shots. If they shot twice as good, it would have been a terrible offensive night. This isn't to say that UCONN was much better. Neither team could hit a shot for minutes at a time. I almost wished NCIS or whatever is usually on CBS at 930 on a Monday would pre-empt the game. This game was that bad. Even the usual fawning college ball enthusiasts on ESPN and CBS couldn't pretty this one up. Gus Johnson would have trouble getting excited over this mess.

Anyway, not to sound too negative, great defense was played by the big doofy guys in the middle for the Huskies (Oriakhi made up for his Jared Jeffries like offensive skills with some key 2nd half blocks) and UCONN made a few baskets when they needed them to pull away with a 20-3 run. Since I mentioned the game 7 earlier, it looked like Kemba was going to imitate his idol Kobe's 6 for 24 in that game, but he too made a couple nice steals and hustle plays to contribute. But the story of this game was the absolute horror show put on by the Butler shooters. There were wide open shots missed all over the court, and this one has to hurt worse for the players and students at Butler than last year's heart breaker. At least last year, they can say they played their best against a very good Duke team, and were a miracle shot away from stealing that one. Tonight, they missed 24 3s and the face of their team, Matt Howard, went 1 for 13. Nothing went down for them. That's too bad, because this was an extremely exciting tournament full of dynamic offensive play, clutch shots and big time "Onions" performances starting with the conference tourneys all the way up to Saturday's final four games. Tonight's game between two not-so-great teams was an unfittingly ugly end to it all.

Congratulations to Uconn on a great season, though, they deserved to make it this far and have the chance to sneak out with an unsightly win.

Now dance, Kemba, dance!

NCAA Championship Game Preview

I was going to write a sarcastic, weepy Mike Lupica column extolling the virtues of Kemba Walker, the little project kid that could who has captivated the imagination of the nation, but that hack beat me to it. So, what else to say about Kemba vs. Butler tonight? I assume the majority of viewers will be pulling for the underdog Bulldogs, who I guess can't be called a Cinderella team after this year. Just like Gonzaga ceased to be the team that comes out of nowhere every year; once you make the title game two years in a row, I think it's safe to say that you've arrived.

Nevertheless, neither of these teams were expected to be playing tonight but have seemed to get hot at the right time, which as Lupica would say, is what makes this time of year so magical. Every game being an elimination game really amps up the drama. The styles of play of the two teams are fairly different though, Butler playing a game of movement and constant back door plays, punctuated by occasional three point outbursts. While Connecticut prefers to work outside-in, also running a lot of isolation plays for Kemba when the scores get tight.

You would think being here last year would give Butler a little bit of an edge, especially since there isn't a great difference in the quality of the teams. At the same time, I like the spring of Kemba to continue and UConn to pull out a close one. Second year of heartbreak in a row for Butler. Can't wait for Lupica's "the New York kid that made good for us all" column tomorrow. Long live Kemba.

Final Four Preview

In what would amount to a strong case for the theory that the NBA's age restriction policy is ruining college basketball, the Final Four tips off tonight without any number one teams or really great teams involved. Stern's rule raising the age of NBA draft eligibility, while supposedly helping the young kids who everyone was so up in arms over not getting a useless "education", has instead resulted in an era of one and done college stars, who turn pro as soon as they complete their one year of prerequisite classes. I'm sure that intro to sociology course will come in handy when Brandon Knight is shooting three's for the Bobcats next year.

Anyway, there is still some intrigue tonight, as the two games feature two perennial favorite (and hated) colleges and two lovable underdogs. In the undercard, the pesky Butler Bulldogs (last year's Rudy) take on the even peskier and more surprising VCU. If you say you had that game in your Final Four bracket, you're a filthy liar and a bad person. While Butler made it all the way to the championship game last year, and was a half court shot off the back rim away from winning it, no one saw the Rams coming this year. Dick Vitale said they didn't even belong on the tournament court. As has been well documented, they've taken down big program after big program on their run. Both teams also employ two pint sized coaches who look like ball boys as well to match their cinderella teams' David vs. Goliath spirits. To quote the Rudy like character who gets left off the bus taking the Springfield men to The Super Bowl on the Simpsons, "What I lack in size I make up for in obnoxiousness!". I think Butler will use their experience from last year and end VCU's crazy run.

The main event pits the Uconn Kembas vs. The Kentucky Wildcats. Hater J will most likely be torn tonight on who to hate more. Calipari vs. Calhoun (slippery Eyetalian vs. annoying New England Irishman) and PTU mascot Kemba Walker vs. the usual collection of Kentucky perps. Since a comet hitting Houston tonight is unlikely, J will probably have to pull for Kentucky if only so he doesn't have to hear about Kemba from me and M@d Scientist for a few months. The Cats will be focusing much of their defense on Kemba, so Jeremy Lamb will have to keep his coming out party going, along with the same contributions from the big guys with the funny last names and the point guard with the funny first name that we saw in March. I like the Huskies to keep the momentum going tonight, and Hater J to turn the TV off in disgust half way through.

The Battle For Uptown Supremacy

For a city long considered the "mecca" of basketball, New York hasn't had a tremendous number of home-grown stars in recent years. While you can find a hoop every couple of city blocks, the southern states have taken over as, by and large, the main source of talent. There's a lot of theories as to the lack of New Yorkers who make it at the highest levels of hoops, be it the all flash/no fundamental games that some seem to label NY players with, or the fact that players from other areas shoot better (our rims have no nets), but whatever the reasoning, our city has been severely underrepresented in both the pro and college ranks for a while now. I'm sure this bothers absolutely no one outside of New York, since they all think we're self-absorbed douche bags to begin with.

Well, for one night at least, the country will be watching three of the Big Apple's own douche bags: Harlem's Lamont "Momo" Jones and Bronx bred Kevin Parrom for Arizona vs. (PTU favorite) Uconn's Kemba Walker of the Soundview projects in the BX, in the elite 8 tonight.

Harlem and the Bronx, besides being geographically close, have some other similarities. While Harlem may be a little flashier (c'mon, Momo Jones just sounds like the name of a 1970's pimp) residents of the two uptown areas tend to pride themselves in their swagger (people from outside of the tri-state, and even some within might call it cocky). And you can see that quality in all three of these guys. Maybe this cocky attitude is part of the reason you don't see as many NY players make it as it can border on uncoachable arrogance, but for our purposes we'll think of it as swagger.

Team mates when they played together at traditional NY basketball powerhouse Rice High School, BFF's Jones and Walker should know each other's games pretty well, but don't expect to see the two best buddies guard each other much (Jeremy Lamb or Shabazz Napier will be on Momo. Shabazz vs. Momo might be the ultimate first name matchup). You might, however, see one-time St. Raymond's star Parrom take a crack at slowing down Kemba. Perhaps that wording isn't how he should be instructed to guard Kemba though, since he has been known to punch people in the face.

Whoever wins tonight, it will be nice to see some New York born ballers get a little shine for once. Hopefully, these three have careers that are more Artest and Odom than Omar Cook and Felipe Lopez. Oh yeah, and some other guy who's not from New York plays for Arizona too but who cares about him?

Kemba Does It Again

The month of Kemba continued tonight, as he once again turned in a dominant performance on a big stage. Scoring 36 points to lead the Huskies into the Elite 8, Walker had his entire repertoire on display, scoring inside and out and all over San Diego State. Even more impressive was the timing of his scoring, pouring in 19 straight for UCONN when they needed it most, turning a small second half deficit into a lead.

Like so many great scorers before him, Kemba used his opponent's trash talk as motivation. The Aztecs were leading by 4, when San Diego State's Jamaal Franklin knocked him over with an intentional bump. Then, it was Kemba time. He went to work, hitting jumpers from all over the court (along with a couple slick inside moves) to put the game away. While he may have tired a little towards the end (missing his final 3 attempts) his teammate Jeremy Lamb picked up the slack hitting a huge shot, before getting a steal, assisted on a dunk and dunk of his own to finish off San Diego State.

So Kemba's ridiculous run continues for another few days at least, and whether or not his game is NBA ready is inconsequential. What he's been doing since the Big East tournament (and what really started in Hawaii in November) is bringing an NBA atmosphere to NCAA games. Even though everyone pays attention to college sports around this time every year, there aren't too many one name players who could be considered the face of the sport. Right now, it's Kemba and Jimmer (and now just Kemba). For better or worse, his offensive domination dictates isolation offenses (particularly late in games) that are common in the pros as opposed to the fundamental team game that most college teams play, which I'm sure will not make College ball purists happy. Want further proof of Kemba's popularity? Check out the cable info for the game and see which other games' description begins with a player's name (or look at our most popular posts). Marketing personalities of specific players as opposed to emphasis on teams is a decidedly David Sternian NBA strategy that is bleeding into college sports too and Kemba's leading the way.

So before we all debate his future or his negative impact on the game, let's just enjoy the greatness for a little while. Hater J, that picture up there is for you.

Let Them Play?

I still think it was a shitty call. Let me rephrase, not so much that the call was wrong (a hack across the arm is obviously a foul) but the immensity of the moment dictates a little restraint by the official, don't you think? The last 10 seconds of last night's Pitt vs Butler game have already been dissected and analyzed to death and the overwhelming consensus seems to be that the right call was made. The strangest part about the whole thing is that there seems to be no controversy at all. Everyone agrees on this. Well, I'm not one to be contrary for the hell of it, but I think the refs should have let this one go.

I understand basketball purists will tell you that it was a stupid play by the kid for Pitt (and it was) and that a foul is a foul no matter the time in the game, but I think there should be some kind of discretion used when making a season deciding call. Namely, is this a foul that will impact the outcome of the game? I say no way.

Unlike the first dumb foul that preceded this dumb foul in which Pitt's Gilbert Brown was knocked off course on his way to a makeable three point attempt, had this foul not been called, nothing different would have happened in 1.4 seconds. Even if Matt Howard had rebounded the ball and was untouched, he wasn't going to throw in a game winner from the opposite end of the court. Nasir Robinson's foul didn't even keep Howard from corralling the rebound. At that point, the officials should swallow their whistles and let the teams battle it out in overtime to decide one of the biggest games of their lives.

Teams That I Hate...Now That We Know the Seeding

Before the selection committee let us know who would be playing where, I listed a few teams I disliked. Here is a little follow up on that now that I know the seeding and match ups.

Florida - They get Michigan State or UCLA after their first round cupcake. Howland/Izzo, versus Billy D and his Justin Beiber knock off. Does anyone want to pick against Izzo here? Would anyone take the softies from Florida against a tough defensive Howland team? I'm not.

UNC - I put them in the sweet 16 last night and looking at the brackets, I think that's about right. I see this team losing to Syracuse. They should also have their hands full with a run and gun Washington team that can make the score too lop-sided for a comeback.

Kentucky/WV - Two of my least favorite coaches are lined up to meet for a trip to the Sweet 16. If Clemson picks up a win in the play in game, I think they can hang with WV and Kentucky. If not, I see West Virginia outplaying Kentucky for a chance to lose to Ohio State.

Notre Dame - Given their draw I can't see them losing to Florida St/A&M. I do see them losing to Purdue in the sweet 16 though.

UConn - Heard from some folks that the boys on ESPN picked them to be in the Final Four. I vehemently disagree. San Diego St and Duke are far better. I see this UConn team struggling against Mizzo (my upset pick in Round 1 of that bracket) or Big East rival, Cincy in round 2. If they pass that test...good luck playing San Diego State in Anaheim.

BYU - Their road is, Wofford (a win), Gonzaga/St Johns (not so confident there), Mich St. (my pick)/UCLA/Florida. They aren't leaving the Sweet 16.

I'm debating on a national champ right now. I like Kansas given the Morris boys, the great coaching, the upper class men leadership, and the tourney experience. Duke has been playing very well but are slated to have to play San Diego State in California. I also don't think this Ohio State team will make the Final Four.

Save Your 10 Bucks and Stay Away From These Teams

It's tourney time. The brackets aren't out yet but I know some teams I already don't like and you shouldn't be fooled by. Of course, because I wrote this, one of these teams will be in the Final Four. Either way, feel free to share any other teams you hate in this tournament.

Florida - We'll start with their star player sporting a Justin Bieber haircut. Even if the team was great, they would still end up in the "Hate Column". I refuse to pick a team that has a dude that looks like a total douche bag with a bad haircut to do anything positive. Florida has almost always been soft aside from the years when Noah gave that team some character. Last year resulted in a first round elimination in the tournament...this year may be a second round knock out, plenty of time for Mr. Parsons, get a haircut.

UNC - They're an athletic team that can score in bunches. They've matured a great deal throughout the season. They're well coached. So what is there not to like? From a practical standpoint, they don’t defend the perimeter well. Tournament teams have to defend the perimeter. That’s because every tournament winner needs to beat at least one good perimeter team. UNC also seems to start games slow, forcing that explosive offense to crawl back into games can wear any team out. I definitely see them getting out of week one…but I’m not so sure about week 2.

Kentucky - I hate the slimey snake in the grass named Coach Calipari. I hate Kentucky; a team that plays in an arena named after a racist and built on exploiting young black athletes. My personal issues with this program aside, they don’t have any depth, they don’t have any experience, and Calipari finds awesome ways to get beat in big tournament games.

West Virginia - I hate Bob Huggins and his stupid track suits. Most major programs have issues graduating players these days with the NCAA acting like a development league. However, Bob takes it to another level graduating almost zero percent of his players. This certainly shows in his team’s play as they sometimes look like a squad with a zero basket ball IQ. I can see this team as a primed for a first round upset.

Notre Dame - They’re a great shooting team with a ton of experience. They struggled with full court pressure against Louisville and they rely on Hansbrough’s and their three point shooting to win games. You can’t shoot the lights out of a building every night and they seem to struggle against teams with athletes, something this tournament has a ton of.

UConn - Kemba Walker is a gritty, prime time player that plays without fear. (Tired of the clichés yet? Well here come some more). He’s undersized, his team relies a bit much on him to score, and he just played 5 games in 5 nights. Unless the boy has a God Shamgod type of run in the tourney, I don’t see this team getting all that far. Seeding and location will determine how far they go.

BYU - Primed to get beat. Ferdette is a great college player. No denying it. But this team relies on him for all of their scoring. Someone in this tournament will figure out that you defend that guy, and let a different Mormon try to beat you.

Side Note - Sometime before the Tourney starts I will try and pick an upset or two and share the teams I think are worth investing 10 bucks in your office pool on.