Flash Facts: It's a Team Game

Flash Fact #1 Butler Is Just a Great Team As one of the most consistent teams in the NCAA I suppose is was only a matter of time before Butler finally broke through. Owner of the nation's longest winning streaks Butler shouldn't have been under the radar. They play as good team basketball (rotation on defense, making the extra pass to increase efficiency) as it gets. I think what's incredible is that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Butler - who had lost a lot of talent off last year's laden squad. Once it goes to show great teams can beat great individuals in college basketball.

Flash Fact #2 Bob Huggins Owns John Calipari Bob Huggins, owner of the world's largest collection of leisure suits, is now 9-1 versus Calipari. While Kentucky was more "talented" than West Virginia, the Mountaneers prevailed. While Kentucky's cold outside shooting might be the most eye catching stat, it's hard to argue Huggins didn't out coach Calipari. Huggins ever shifting defensive schemes kept Kentucky off guard and Calipari's odd refusal to use full court pressure until the waning moments were just as important in West Fuckin Virginia's first Final 4 Bid.

Next year Huggins is coaching only in real velour

Flash Fact #3 Turner v. Wall is now the debate With the tournament wrapping up soon (and most people's brackets already wrapped up) college basketball will morph into NBA Draft watching. The only player that might challenge John Wall for the top spot is Evan Turner. Wall is probably the quickest/fastest point guard I've seen in a long time (maybe ever) but his turnover tendency and questionable outside shooting add a few doubts. Turner, who played out of position this year, is more a Brandon Roy type player. I'm guessing the freak athlete freshman will win out over the self-made Junior but it'll be interesting if a New Jersey or Minnesota (which have point guards ) win the draft might go with Turner. Don't cry for tOSU over losing Turner. With the #1 recruiting class next year's Buckeye squad might be even better.

Flash Fact #4 Tom Izzo Might Be the Best Coach in College Basketball - His 6th trip to the Final 4s in the last 12 years might have been his best. Coming off a highly successful year last year nobody would have lamented a step back for Michigan State. A brutal injury to their star player and it was perfectly rational to doubt the Spartans. However yet again an Izzo squad ends up in the Final 4. No other school has matched Izzo's performance and Izzo has done so without any superstars passing through East Lansing.

Denise Milani says Chocolate Martinis are delicious. Not sure how it connects to Tom Izzo -give me a couple of days on that....

Flash Fact #5 Dookies, Not ACC, Are Good

I had a hard time watching Duke v. Baylor. On the one hand a school that really only on the map due to crony political intrigue and on the other a school built on tobacco money. One a school populated by christian fundamentalism (and that's saying something for a school in Texas) and the other a school populated by douchebags (well at least the undergrads). In the end Duke prevailed. The Dookies success though (or Butler's or Michigan State) shouldn't automatically be taken as a sign of a particular conference. Part of the problems with mid-major v. power conference false nomenclature isn't just the lack of dichotomy between the two but that the ongoing question of what a good conference means is rarely discussed or defined. Yes the Blue Devils are an elite team (cough cough easy road) but that shouldn't alter the fact that the rest of the ACC was craptastic this year.

Flash Facts : Who Does #2 Work For

Flash Fact #1 Dallas, so far, is the big winner from trades
The additions of Caron Butler and Brendan Heywood have seemingly catapulted the Mavs into "the hottest team in the NBA at this moment" . That's short hand for a 11 game winning streak. Heywood is the league leader in efficient blocked shots (blocking layups/dunks) and Butler has added hard nosed defense to the perimeter. With stories circling of Kenyon Martin needing surgery, the Mavs appear to be the biggest threat to the Lakers repeating as Western Conference Champs.

Flash Fact #2 Orlando Finding Groove
Beating the Lakers yesterday really just confirms what statistically has been apparent...Orlando is the second best team in the NBA right now. They have the #2 defense and are #2 in overall efficiency. Jameer Nelson, appears to be back from his injury, Howard is improving offensively, and Matt Barnes (and oddly JJ Redick) are quality perimeter defenders. Yes Vince Carter isn't playing particularly well, but honestly it doesn't matter. The improvements elsewhere have more than offset the loss of Turkuglu - Orlando is #2.

Flash Fact #3 Bears Biggest Player in Free Agency
Do to a combination of odd free agency rules, the economy, and NFL owners being tight wads free agency has been fairly muted this year. The biggest player by far has been the Bears. They shelled out big bucks for Peppers, Taylor, and Manumaleuna the Slender. I think it demonstrates that the GM/coach think they are on thin ice. While all of the players are good and will certainly help, given the Bears' shortcomings last year at the offensive line and wide receiver I'm not certain now how those holes will be addressed .

Flash Fact #4 CGI Shows why Admiral Akbar Rules
I don't have the first clue how or why this happened but Adult Swim showed used CGI to show an imaginery world where Taiwanese CGI folks showed Admiral Akbar replacing the Colonel. I don't think I can explain it any better. Check it out here



Flash Fact #5 Human S'mores are Messy

At least that's what the research has concluded..

Flash Facts: Ah Crap

#1 The Cavs Could Be In Trouble
Unfortunately Glen Davis' attempt to hurt Shaq worked. The Big Cuyahoga will be out for the next 6-8 weeks. While the Cavs have Leon Powe now and will soon get Z back, it will be a much tougher ride for the Cavs. Shaq's presence is necessary for the Cavs to beat the Magic or Lakers in the playoffs so they'll need to hope they can reintegrate Shaq on the fly (i.e., in the playoffs)

Not Again!

#2 Syracuse is #1
Over the weekend the race to the #1 overall seed was all but decided. While KU, Purdue and Kentucky all slipped up, Syracuse had probably the most impressive win of the year. 'Cuse transition offense was too much to handle for the previously #7 Villanova. Short of a major crash and burn, Syracuse will be the #1 seed in the tournament.

#3 Out with the Old
While uncapped is the headline for the upcoming NFL season, the real story is there is no cap floor either. John Clayton has been reporting that a number of teams are expecting to cut $30-40 million off their payroll. The easiest way to do that is replace old veterans with rookie free agents. The trend of cutting old players (Tomlinson, Westbrook, Thomas Jones, etc.) should continue.

#4 The Hard Sell
It's hard to imagine it but coaches are already in fast and furious mode for football recruits for the 2011 class. Texas is King of the hard sell. They already have amassed 14 highly quality recruits. That's 14 for the 2011 class. Mack Brown's has been a recruiting machine the past few years - which should mean Texas will remain the creme della creme of the Big 12.

Flash Facts: Unfortunate Truths

There are number of truths out there that simply (and unfortunately can't be ignored). Here are few (that wonderfully intersect with my observations from the weekend.
#1 Orlando is Still a Contender
I should get my biases out of the way. I hate Orlando. Not just because they beat the Cavs but Stan and his brother grate on my nerves with their frenetic spastic ways. I find Dwight Howard the dirtiest elbower since Karl Malone. And then there's Vinsanity. The hope (and the prediction) that with Vince chucking up shots instead of Hedo's play making Orlando would step back. The Truth is that as of today...not really. They have the #2 defense (by FG %) and slowly realizing that Howard is the center of the offense. Coupled with Nelson and Carter improving in efficiency (Carter's shooting 51% in February) and Orlando is simply one of the few teams that can win the championship.

#2 The Bobcats will Make the Playoffs
Speaking of annoying coaches...Larry Brown. Larry Brown did this year what Larry Brown normally does. Rearrange the team, complain , and get his team to play defense. And it's worked. Under the radar Felton is feeding to great wing players and now with the added defensive presence of Tyrus Thomas, the Bobcats - who have the 3rd best record in the East since the new year, seem poised to make the playoffs. Sigh.

#3 Kentucky is Red Hot
Let's be honest John Calipari gives snake oil salesmen a bad name. This year he cajoled, bribed, massaged, etc. 2 of the 3 best freshmen in the country to play for his Wildcats. While John Wall has gotten more hype, I'd argue Demarcus Cousin (who averages a double-double) is just as if not more important to the teams success. With wins of Miss State and Vandy....Kentucky has all but secured a number 1 seed in the tournament


#4 Oregon Ducks In the Running for Worst Image in College Football
Where once University of Miami sat alone for criminal behavior, their fall from grace (both on and off the field) has left things open. The Oregon seems hell-bent on taking on that title. While everyone remembers Blunt's sucker punch, this offseason seem to have to have topped that. Within a month, 4 separate players have been arrested or had incidents. And not just minor things like DUIs or racist facebook rants but things like stealing computers and strangulation (which according to research is in fact illegal in Oregon). Big thumbs up guys on trying to secure #1 in the college football ranking of most out of control program.

Flash Facts

With the end of football season its the end of MMBSD and time to turn to Flash Facts......

#1 The NFL is a QB League
As we switch from the 2009-2010 season to the 2010-2011 season (or what will be known as the last season before the Year of the Labor Strife) it's important note that consistency in the NFL comes from QB play. Take a look at the teams that made the playoffs and ask if they have an elite QB, if the answer is No, then put them on the endangered list. In particular eyes will be on Mark Sanchez to see if he can improve his QB play or if the the dreaded sophomore slump will get him.

#2 Jerry Sloan Wants to Punch You in the Mouth
I'm old enough to remember what a tough smart player Jerry Sloan was while playing. Which brings me to the Utah Jazz. Nothing particularly stands out about the Jazz. Yes Williams is an all-star but hardly a super-star. They have a pair of good but not great PFs. However they play great team ball which means higher percentage shots (lead the lead in FG%) and they rotate well (top 10 in defensive FG%). The result is that statistically the Jazz are as hot as anybody right now. They will play the Lakers on Wednesday and from all signs show that despite the star power, the Jazz can give the Lakers a run for their money.

#3 Auburn's Gene Chizik Isn't That Bad
After hiring Iowa State's Gene Chizik, Auburn, Chizik, a bunch of orphans were booed (this is Alabama after all). However Chizik was able to bring in a top 5 recruiting class, often besting Saban for the heart's and mind's of players in Alabama. Not too shabby. Auburn made big strides last season is becoming competitive and if Chizik can continue to recruit like this Auburn might be able to get back to being relevant in the conference crown race.

#4 Spring Game Will Bring QB Battles
The Big 10 will experience a series of QB competitions this Spring. Penn State will have to replace Darryl Clarke with either Sophmore Kevin Newsome or true freshman Robert Bolden. Michigan might have its own QB competition with the nation's best dual threat QB David Gardner enrolling early. Add, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois, and potentially Michigan State and that's lot's a QB battles.

Sunday Flash Facts....And Then There Were Two

Some Sunday Thoughts.....

1. And so after 5 months and 300 odd teams, Division I is down to two teams for the championship. There's usually a difference between college and pro basketball and this year seems to epitomize it. While the NBA will be won by the team with the best player and supporting cast for said player, this NCAA Championship will be won by the best team. There's no super stand out (although Lucas and Lawson come close). Instead the winners at the Final 4 truly went to the best teams. Michigan State harassed UConn into turnovers, forced tough shots, and made outstanding outlet passes to bury the heavily favored Huskies. UNC, while not having a future NBA star, is loaded with NBA talent (I'm willing to bet at least 4 of the five starters will get drafted). The balance showed as the Big 4 (Ty, Tayler , Wayne and Danny) each had a moment that kept Villanova at bay. And so on Monday the two best teams will re-match in the same place they played at the start of the season albeit this time for the right to cut down the nets.

2. Michigan State has consistently been the sum is greater than the parts type team. They've knocked off two #1 teams and shut down top tier future NBA talent. They have home court advantage and a great coach. However I'm picking UNC to win it all. UNC's depth means any one player can have an off day and the team still win. Secondly, somewhere along the way UNC learned to play outstanding perimeter defense - which means teams that fall behind are in serious trouble. Three, UNC has played in Detroit against MSU meaning the hostile crowd won't be nearly as effective as its being made out to be. Finally, Roy Williams is every bit as good of a coach as Izzo (5 Final 4s in 8 seasons).

Final Score
UNC 74
MSU 65

3. A funny thing happened on the way to the Colisseum...the lowly Charlotte Bobcats are on the edge of a playoff spot. Who is responsible for this catastrophe? Joe Dumars blowing up the Pistons? Chicago hiring a coach that is unable to use vowels? Phoenix trading Boris Diaw for several packs of Big League Chew? Larry Brown? Nah that can't be it. Search me....but count that as things I didn't see coming at the start of the year

4. For those not following Golden State, and there's no reason you should, old Nellie is trying to get that section 8 so he can finally retire and move back to Toledo for his beloved Tony Packos hot dogs. Nelson refuses to play his star rookie, randomly benches his starters, and demands that his point guards play with socks on their hands for safety sake. I haven't seen someone so blantantly try to get fired since Hitman during his stint as a backup dancer for the Moscow Ballet.

Flash Facts: Onto Detroit

This past week of two NCAAs was really two separate story lines and Flash Facts. The Sweet 16 games were nearly pure chalk and a Big East Dance. Of the elite half came from the Big East. All of the number 1 seeds advanced and half of the #2 seeds made it. However the Road to the Final 4 finally produced much needed madness as the story lines of one conference being the best ever seemed to be put to bed as did pure chalk.

1) UConn over Mizzou - An outstanding game from start to finish (well save for the beginning of the 2nd half were nobody could buy a basket with a government bailout) UConn was able to handle the son of 40 minutes of Hell (that's Nolan Richard's Arkansas teams for those too young to remember) through outstanding PG ala AJ Price. Sometimes its hard to believe he's only one year removed from a devastating knee injury. Budding Freshman star in Walker also kept the Tigers at Bay

2) Michigan State over Louisville - Of all the elite 8 games this was probably the biggest shocker. Not necessarily just that MSU won but how they won. They simply dominated Louisville. Instead of being the namely big white guy Zuton played with skill and poise. Lucas, the Big 10 player of the year, showed that quality basketball is still played in the Heartland.

3) UNC over Oklahoma - Its always nice to rub it a Dookies face so UNC got the added joy of taken down a Capel coached squad. Blake Griffin appears to have an NBA ready body and will be coming to a rookie of a year near you next year. However in college basketball great teams can beat outstanding individuals as Danny Green , Lawson and Ed Davis were the main cogs in the Tar Heel steamroller.

4) Villanova over Pittsburgh - Villanova has somehow flown under the radar. Perhaps because Louisville, UConn and Pitt hogged the glory. Perhaps its been a long time since their escapades against G-Town. Who knows. But they matched if not exceeded Pittsburgh's physical style play which shocked me (I also learned "physicality" is now the most over-used word in basketball supplanting "length") . It came down to one of the most exciting, bizarre, and other cliche phrases 10 seconds I have ever seen. 3s, turnovers, fouls, and full court drivers all condensed into 10 seconds. Fantabulous.

Onto to Detroit....

Flash Facts: Chalk Walk

One of the beauties of the tournament is supposed to be the importance of sheer probability. One game. One game can turn on an errant lay up , a clutch 3 pointer, a missed time out, etc. Only a fool would imagine a world where the team advancing always "deserved" it. Deserves got nothing to do with it. Not to say the outcomes are pure luck but hardly a purely deterministic outcome. Which is why we love it.

However this tournament for all the supposed wackiness, for all the probabilities, for all could'ves, would'ves, and shouldves, the sweet 16 is showing chalk. When an underachieving team with at least 3 future NBAers is the underdog well you pretty much know that the pper echelon have a strangle hold on the tournament. Could once again we see 4 1s? Or will "fate" take pity and send us a #2. All in all an exciting first round which had sound and fury has led us into a Sweet 16 that has signified nothing but chalk. However Thursday hope will spring anew for upsets and oddities. Onto the Sweet 16!

Flash Facts: Early Tournament Thoughts

Well its tournament time. The magical time of the year when Gamblore the tyrannical gambling monster, enslaves this nation and forces us to worship at the foot of the mighty brackets. As the week goes on I'm sure the crack team of BSDers will add their thoughts (remember to fill out your BSD tournament bracket so we can all show how we are smarter than Publius) but here's a few of mine.....

1. Flash Fact #1 .... The vanishing Mid-Majors - This year the Mid-Majors and Mid-Mid Conferences received only 4 at large bids. Over the past 5 tournaments Mid-Majors have received fewer bids than the previous tournament. The fact that Arizona (RPI in the 60s) was included over Saint Mary's or San Diego State shows the bias. I tend to wish there were more Cinderallas then over-rated legacy cases but I also tend to think the tournament will weed out those faulty at larges....

2. Flash Fact #2.... Injuries. If your scowering the internet, newspaper (they still have those right?) , that random dude on the street corner with the end is near sign (Ben Bernatke?) for information remember injuries mean a lot. Illinois might be missing their PG. No one is certain how ACC player of the year Ty Lawson's toe is. Can UConn overcome the loss of Dyson? All are relevant questions as past performance might be misleading given the injuries....

Fed Chairman inspiring Confidence

3. Flash Fact #3 A #1 seed will lose...unless it doesn't. Last year was the first year all 4 #1 seeds made it to the final four. So you can take that breakage from history as a statement of gamblers logic (i.e. it can't happen again so soon) or a trend setter. Given the amount of upsets in the conference tourneys this year I'm guessing last year was an anomaly.

4. Flash Fact #4 Region of Death ? I think the two toughest regions are the Midwest and the East. The Midwest I think has the better teams but both Louisville and Michigan State have substantial homecourt advantages. The East has a number of potential teams to upset Pitt but all have shown erratic play over time. Nonetheless good luck picking either....

5. Flash Fact #5 Conference Pride Counts - While not as intense as in college football conference pride will be on display. The Big East was treated this year like the SEC is in football....excessive ball handling. However the Big East got the same number of bids as the Big 10 and the ACC (7 each). So which of the Power 3 will do the best? And how does one judge? Sweet 16 bids? Final 4 bids? Champion?

Olivia Munn says : To the victor goes the spoils.....

Flash Facts: March 9th Edition

1. Flash Fact #1 Warning Signs for the Cavs
While it's hard, even for a Cleveland fan, to find warning signs on a team with the best record in the East, the latest loss to Boston is making things Code Yellow. The Cavs are now 1-5 versus the NBA elite (Boston, LA, Orlando) and coupled with a whooping at Houston there is a pattern emerging of the Cavs falling short against bigger teams. Celtics, even without KG and Big Baby, controlled the interior both offensively and defensively. Easy layups for Powe where countered by flailing outside Lebron shots - not a recipe for long term success. Obviously the Cavs haven't been fully healthy in awhile nor will they be till playoff time but an ominious sign for the wine and gold.

2. Flash Fact #2 Bubbles Everywhere
Outside of the US dollar the biggest bubble can be found in the week leading up to the NCAA tournament. The biggest grey area lies in the Big 10 where the conference could have up to 8-9 bids despite only having 3 locks. So the tourney could be crucial. However that assumes there are no upsets in the other conference tourneys which eliminate the bubble slot. Look to the SEC as the putrid conference might only get 3 bids if things go by the numbers.

3. Flash Fact #3 KU and Memphis are Back: Or are They?
Given the huge turnover nobody expected KU (who lost all 5 starters) or Memphis (who lost 4 starters) to return to the NCAA championship game. And yet both now have won their conference regular season titles and seem poised to grab 2-3 seeds. Are they legit? I don't know but at minimal they seemed poised to bust my brackets.

4. Flash Fact #4 : Buffalo and TO or Things That I never expected to happen
You know things are desperate for TO when he's reduced to going to Buffalo. Outside of maybe Marshawn Lynch's free styling ways remind him of Dallas, I can't imagine Buffalo was high on the list of places anyone expected TO to go. A Lee Evans/TO WR core seems potent until you realize who is throwing the ball.

5. Flash Fact #5 WBC Fever Not Taking Over
Outside of the riots that broke out in Netherlands over their upset of the DR. Or something to that effect....


6. Flash Fact #6 : As you accelerate towards the speed of light you should shift towards the red end of the spectrum. Just saying.

Flash Facts: March 2nd Edition

Flash Fact #1 : Never Trust Belichek
Over the weekend it became clear that the Patriots turned down the 12th pick in the draft from Denver for Matt Cassel and instead received the 34th pick from KC. Now there's any number of possible reasons for this: Belichek likes Pioli more than a former assistant, New England didn't want to pay first round money, its part of an intricate plot to help the Rand Corporation, Belichek screwed up, etc. None of them in way shape or form make sense from a football perspective. Unless that's just what Belichek wants us to believe.

Flash Fact #2 NBA loves Buyouts
In what seems to be an increasing trend if you can't trade for a player, you can always wait around and hope they get cut. Boston loaded up on Starbury and Miki Moore. It's looking like Cleveland will pick up Joe Smith and even San Antonio is rumored to get in the action with Drew Gooden or Stromile Swift. Its hard to say any of these will tip the scales but nobody is taking chances.

Flash Fact #3 Jay Cutler is Pissed
Apparently they new regime in Denver want Cutler out in the worst way. Umm why? Needless to say Cutler is supremely pissed by this and now its bedlam in Denver.


Flash Fact #4 King did good
Peter King, who is always odd about his reporting, actually did some quality reporting. Football contracts, much like unicorns or the American dream, are imaginary . Yes Hansworth signed a 100 million dollar contract but in reality given the enormity of the 5th year its really a 4 year 48 million contract. Not to say thats chump change but Hansworth will never see most of what was reported. Its good PR for the Redskins via signing free agents and for the Agent. Buried in his entire article however is probably THE news of his entire column which is King's opinion that a strike/locl out is distinctly possible in 2011. That seems big.