College Basketball

The Monday After the Onset of Madness

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This is what a college basketball hangover feels like. After a weekend of bracket-busting madness, I find my picks ranking me in a tie for dead last over at MattHubert.com. Tied with my mom.

Once again, knowing so much helped me so little when it came to filling out my bracket. The redeeming factor is that my favorite team in the tournament (UCLA) also doubles as my pick to win it all, and they are still alive. Barely. Even the mighty Bruins flirted with disaster, falling behind by 10 points in the second half.

Three double digit seeds won two games apiece in the tournament. Meanwhile the entire state of Indiana failed me by winning just three games combined. Thanks a lot Butler, Notre Dame, Purdue and Indiana.

Two regions have been nearly without upset. In the East, only 9th-seeded Arkansas beating 8th-seeded Indiana saw a lower seed advance. Ditto in the South where #5 Michigan State over #4 Pittsburgh was the lone surprise. But the West and Midwest regions have made up for it. Twelfth seeded Villanova and Western Kentucky moved on to the Sweet 16 whereas 2-seeds Georgetown and Duke went home early.

For what it’s worth (and at this point, the answer is “not much”), here are my second chance picks for the second weekend of the tournament:

SWEET 16

East

1. North Carolina over 4. Washington State
The Tar Heels will not eclipse the century mark for a third straight game because the Cougars play stingy defense, but Washington State still won’t have enough points to match Carolina’s total with a healthy Ty Lawson running the show.

3. Louisville over 2. Tennessee
I thought Tennessee was ripe for an upset. And after a first round scare against American and an overtime thriller against Butler, I think Louisville is the team that gets in done in a mini-upset.

Midwest

1. Kansas over 12. Villanova
There’s a reason why Villanova was the lowest seeded at large team in the tournament. As impressive as their comeback win was against Clemson, they received a gift when they received Siena in the round of 32. Kansas will end the Wildcats’ season right here.

10. Davidson over 3. Wisconsin
Davidson is not a fluke team. If the clutch performances of Stephen Curry against Gonzaga and Wisconsin weren’t enough, consider this: the Wildcats haven’t lost a game in 2008. Yes, that’s 24 straight wins since a one-point loss at North Carolina in December 2007. Wisconsin is a strong, tough-minded team from the Big 10, but Curry and company seem to have that magic touch.

South

5. Michigan State over 1. Memphis
Memphis nearly did itself in at the foul line against a Mississippi State team that had no business being in the game late. The Spartans won’t let Memphis off the hook so easily. Look for the guard combination of freshman Kalin Lucas and senior Drew Neitzel to pull the upset and knock off the first number one seed in the tournament.

2. Texas over 3. Stanford
The Longhorns have the edge on the perimeter and the Cardinal possess the advantage on the inside. In the end, I expect D.J. Augustin to bounce back from an embarrassing airball free throw late in the game against Miami to outperform Stanford’s twin towers, Brook and Robin Lopez.

West

1. UCLA over 12. Western Kentucky
The offensive highlight of the tournament’s opening weekend belongs to Western Kentucky’s Ty Rogers, who hit a game-winning, buzzer-beating three to defeat Drake in overtime 101-99. The defensive highlight of the tournament’s opening weekend belongs to UCLA’s Josh Shipp, who made a game-saving shot block to secure the Bruins’ 51-49 second-round win against Texas A&M. In the third round, expect most of the highlights to favor UCLA, who simply has too much talent for the Hilltoppers to overcome.

7. West Virginia over 3. Xavier
West Virginia’s Joe Alexander may be the best player in the West region not named Kevin Love. The 6-8 junior is playing his way up the NBA Draft boards and may be playing his team within a game of the Final Four. Xavier won’t go down without a fight, but the Musketeers showed vulnerabilities against Georgia and Purdue and West Virginia is playing better than both those teams right now.

ELITE EIGHT

East

1. North Carolina over 3. Louisville

Midwest

1. Kansas over 10. Davidson

South

2. Texas over 5. Michigan State

West

1. UCLA over 7. West Virginia

For more information, visit MattHubert.com.

Uncategorized

Headlines Tugging at My Heartstrings

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Generally I have a one track mind this time of year, but March Madness and bracketology have to share the spotlight for the moment. While I’m picking my favorite college basketball team (besides Michigan) UCLA to win the NCAA Tournament this year, my other favorite teams are all making headlines of their own in the sports world.

Headlines by ESPN, comments by me:

Los Angeles Lakers
Bynum likely to return during first round of playoffs

  • The first word on an estimated return plan since the Lakers center went down in January is not great news for Lakers fans. I’m not so much worried about the Lakers faltering down the stretch run of the regular seasons as I am about them gelling together on the fly in the playoffs. Bynum and Gasol, who is now injured as well, have yet to play a game together. There’s no telling how the two young 7-footers will coincide. Talentwise, there’s enough room on the court for them, but until it plays out that way, I’m cautious about the Lakers chances of winning it all this season.

Michigan Wolverines (football)
Top-ranked QB Pryor commits to Ohio State

  • After leading Jeannette High School to the Pennsylvania Class-AA state championship in basketball, Pryor formally announced his much anticipated decision to attend Ohio State University, spurning the likes of Penn State, Oregon, and most importantly to me, Michigan. Wolverines head coach Rich Rodriguez now has to come up with a Plan-B that does not include the 6’6” quarterback with 4.3-speed in the 40-yard dash. Michigan hasn’t beaten Ohio State on the field much lately. Losing this recruiting battle off the field doesn’t help their chances of changing that trend over the next few years.

Oakland Raiders
Davis, Raiders in the midst of eye-popping spending spree

  • Counting the playoffs, the Raiders won 13 games during the 2002 season, which culminated in an embarrassing Super Bowl loss. They’ve won just 19 games combined in the past 5 seasons since that game, and become a league laughingstock along the way. Perhaps only the Clippers are a bigger pro sports punchline. And 78-year-old owner Al Davis gets much of the blame, especially for his handling of coaches (5 coaches the past 7 years) and players (benching Marcus Allen?) This off-season seems like a make-or-break proposition for Davis. He’s doled out huge contracts in an attempt to be competitive and to “just win, baby.” But that method of spending big to win big hasn’t always paid off (see: Snyder, Daniel). My heart wants Davis’ payout to succeed, but my head tells me the silver and black is still not back.

For more information, visit MattHubert.com.

ESPN

Race, Politics and Basketball

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Amid all the fun of March Madness and the NBA’s fantastic fight to the finish for best in the West, let me take a timeout to be serious. Basketball is, after all, a game.

However, I’ve always loved the idea of basketball as a metaphor for life. There are many universal themes that play out on the court, perhaps none more indispensable than the value of teamwork. On the most fundamental of levels, basketball has the capacity to unify those who are otherwise somehow divided. Teams rise over individuals.

One classic example comes from the 2004 NBA Championship where a collection of relatively unknown talent by the name of the Detroit Pistons beat a Los Angeles Lakers team featuring four future Hall of Famers because the Pistons simply played better team basketball.

In basketball, one player matters enough to make a difference but not so much that he cannot depend upon his teammates. In that way, I think life does mirror basketball. Individuals absolutely matter and contribute to success, but ultimate, championship-caliber success occurs within the framework of the team. Only in this case, the team is your state, your country, humanity.

Another idea that populates basketball courts is equality. OK, so every basketball player is not created equal (I’m talking to you, growth spurt I never enjoyed). But every player is treated as an equal. White, black, short, tall, rich, poor, thin, fat – it doesn’t matter when you step onto the court. You may be judged as you approach the court wearing your old school Converse high tops, Stockton-esque short shorts and Worthy-quality Rec-Specs. But if you can ball? Well, then image, status and social upbringing are irrelevant.

Play out the metaphor with me now. If basketball is life, and you only need to be able to play basketball to be treated as an equal with respect and dignity, then it should follow that you only need to be able to live to be treated as an equal with respect and dignity in the real world.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The fact is that discrimination is a part of everyday life. Racism, sexism, and ageism exist. In varying degrees, but prejudices exist virtually everywhere.

Yet if you can ball, you’re accepted on the court whether you’re primarily a scorer, a passer, a rebounder, a defender or some combination of these traits.

So if you can live, why aren’t you accepted in society regardless of your particular skill set? Why would anyone not want that?

Two final points:

1. Over the course of the past two nights, ESPN aired “Black Magic,” a documentary directed by Dan Klores. The two night event tracked the progression of the civil rights movement through the eyes of black basketball players whose stories have gone largely untold up until now. Richard Sandomir of The New York Times reviews the documentary.

2. Barack Obama delivered a speech earlier today addressing the issue of race in America and in his candidacy for President. Obama played basketball in high school.

Jodi Kantor’s piece on Obama, published in June 2007, ties it all together:

“Now, Mr. Obama’s friends say, basketball has been his escape from the sport of politics, but also a purer version of it, with no decorous speeches, no careful consensus — just unrestrained competition.

‘He can be himself, it’s a safe haven, he can let his competitive juices flow and tease his buddies,’ Mr. Nesbitt said. ‘It’s just a relaxing respite from the every-moment and every-word scrutinization that he gets.’”

Basketball as a metaphor for life? Watching how the struggles in basketball mirrored the life struggles of the main characters in “Black Magic” suggests that’s not too much of a stretch.

Basketball as a purer version of politics? Coming from a basketball-playing Presidential candidate, it makes sense.

A metaphor for life and a purer version of politics: That’s a lot of pressure to put on a little game that Dr. James A. Naismath created just to give his phys-ed students something to play between football and baseball seasons. But it’s not too much to ask. And neither is change, which is a final component of the basketball as life metaphor.

Just as the game has changed and improved in time – the shot clock, 3-point shot and lack of a peach basket come to mind – so too can we as people change for the better. It’s not always easy to step out onto the court. Basketball is not an easy game. But it’s a game worth playing. So play. Live. Vote. Change.

For more information, visit MattHubert.com.

College Basketball

Winning Six in a Row

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The 2008 NCAA Tournament field is set. Between now and the tournament tip-off on Thursday, experts and analysts will break down dozens of factors that contribute to success in the tournament: quality guard play, a low-post presence, 3-point shooting, free throw shooting, rebounding, turnovers, senior leadership, star players. You get the idea.

 

Some combination involving all those factors and more will eventually result in a national champion, but let’s face it. No one knows exactly what that combination will be. The only guaranteed formula that results in a championship year after year is to win six games in a row.

 

That is not an easy feat, especially when teams will be facing quality opponents in each round of the tournament with the possible exception of round one for top seeds. Still, one team has to win six pressure-packed games in a row. Eight teams in the field haven’t managed to string together that many wins in a row all season. It’s hard to imagine that changing now for Boise State, George Mason, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oregon, UNLV and Winthrop.

 

Of the 57 teams in the field that have managed a streak of six wins or better, only 18 repeated a second streak of six wins or more. Four teams – UCLA, Georgetown, Xavier and Butler – have three streaks of that length.

 

Of course, one should also examine the strength of teams beaten during a streak, but in terms of sheer length, some teams stand out. Four teams – Kansas, Memphis, Drake and Davidson – have enjoyed win streaks of more than 20. And Davidson’s current 22-game win streak is the longest of the 14 active streaks of six wins or more.

 

Wisconsin, Duke and North Carolina are the only teams to register two streaks of more than 10-straight victories. Meanwhile, Kansas and Memphis have active seven-game streaks after amassing streaks of 20-plus wins earlier in the season.

 

The most important streak of all, however, starts (or continues) this week for someone. It will take some luck, some talent and six more victories.

 

All the tournament teams are listed below along with their winning streaks of six or more.

 

East
1. North Carolina: 18 games, 11 games (active)
*16. Coppin State: 8 games / Mount St. Mary’s: 6 games
8. Indiana: 13 games
9. Arkansas: 6 games
5. Notre Dame: 10 games
12. George Mason: N/A
4. Washington State: 14 games
13. Winthrop: N/A
6. Oklahama: N/A
11. Saint Joseph’s: 6 games
3. Louisville: 9 games
14. Boise State: N/A
7. Butler: 9 games, 8 games (twice)
10. South Alabama: 13 games, 6 games
2. Tennessee: 11 games, 9 games
15. American: 6 games

 

* will be decided by Tuesday’s Opening Round game

 

Midwest
1. Kansas: 20 games, 7 games (active)
16. Portland State: 9 games
8. UNLV: N/A
9. Kent State: 7 games, 6 games
5. Clemson: 10 games
12. Villanova: 6 games
4. Vanderbilt: 16 games, 7 games
13. Siena: 6 games (active)
6. USC: 6 games
11. Kansas State: 6 games
3. Wisconsin: 10 games (active), 10 games
14. Cal State Fullerton: 6 games (active)
7. Gonzaga: 8 games, 6 games
10. Davidson: 22 games (active)
2. Georgetown: 8 games, 7 games, 6 games
15. UMBC: 9 games

 

South
1. Memphis: 26 games, 7 games (active)
16. Texas-Arlington: 8 games
8. Mississippi State: 9 games
9. Oregon: N/A
5. Michigan State: 11 games
12. Temple: 7 games (active)
4. Pittsburgh: 11 games
13. Oral Roberts: 11 games
6. Marquette: 7 games
11. Kentucky: N/A
3. Stanford: 7 games (twice)
14. Cornell: 16 games (active)
7. Miami (FL): 12 games
10. Saint Mary’s: 7 games, 6 games
2. Texas: 11 games, 8 games
15. Austin Peay: 6 games (active), 6 games

 

West
1. UCLA: 10 games (active), 9 games, 7 games
16. Mississippi Valley State: 9 games (active)
8. BYU: 9 games, 6 games
9. Texas A&M: 8 games, 7 games
5. Drake: 21 games
12. Western Kentucky: 11 games, 6 games (active)
4. Connecticut: 10 games
13. San Diego: 7 games
6. Purdue: 11 games
11. Baylor: 6 games
3. Xavier: 11 games, 7 games, 6 games
14. Georgia: N/A
7. West Virginia: 8 games
10. Arizona: 6 games
2. Duke: 12 games, 10 games
15. Belmont: 13 games (active)

For more information, visit MattHubert.com.

College Basketball

Fill Out Your Bracket Today

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The field of 65 has been announced. Now it’s time for you to fill out your bracket. Head on over to MattHubert.com to enter “March Mattness 2008” and compete against the picks of others for a chance to win a free t-shirt – not to mention worldwide bragging rights.

Click for instructions on how to enter.

For more information, visit MattHubert.com.

College Basketball, personal stories

15 Years After The Timeout

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Last September, as I stood in the student section of the Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich., and cheered the Michigan Wolverines on to victory against Penn State, I wasn’t thinking about the reason I was among the 100,000+ fans supporting the maize and blue.

Why not? Well, because, technically, that reason doesn’t exist.

The reason I cheered Charles Woodson’s Heisman trophy and national championship season of ’97 is gone. When Braylon Edwards single-handedly helped Michigan storm back from a 17-point deficit to defeat Michigan State, the reason I was ecstatic is extinct. When Manningham un-undefeated Penn State, when the D-line crushed Brady Quinn, when Mike Hart showed heart and when Henne sent Carr out in style against the Gators, my original reason for my Wolverine fandom was only a figment of my imagination.

That reason is the Univerity of Michigan’s 1993 men’s basketball team. Perhaps you know their starting lineup better as “The Fab Five.” Five sophomores: Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. And almost always with Webber listed first.

While the official records have caused that team’s NCAA Tournament wins to be vacated and their runner-up banner to be removed, the memory of that team remains very real to me.

Fifteen years after The Timeout, it still hurts to watch replays of that game. Down by 2 points with 11 second to play, Webber signaled for a timeout that his team didn’t have resulting in two technical free throws for North Carolina that sealed the deal for the Tar Heels to win the ’93 national championship.

Webber turned pro after the season with Howard and Rose followed after their junior years. But the Fab Five legacy lives on.

Bald heads and baggy shorts, swagger and success. The Fab Five captivated a nation when they arrived on the scene as freshmen as the most highly touted recruiting class ever. They didn’t disappoint either. Despite their inexperience, they led the Wolverines to the national championship game in 1992, losing to defending champion Duke in the finals.

However, it was their return trip to the Final Four in ’93 as sophomores that got my attention. I was eight years old and it is the first NCAA Tournament that I can remember watching. Michigan was young, exciting and flashy—all appealing traits to an eight-year-old basketball fan looking to latch on.

Webber quickly became my favorite player—I bought and wore his jerseys (Golden State Warriors #4 and Washington Bullets #2) so often that a friend at the Y actually thought my last name was Webber—and the Wolverines became my favorite team. I fell in love with the maize and gold colors, the school and even adopted the football team as my own.

As it turns out, Michigan is a football-first school, the winningest program in the history of college football. Ironically, I became a fan because of their basketball team, which despite winning the national title in 1989 with Rumeal Robinson, Glen Rice, Loy Vaught and company, was never the top ticket in town.

And recently, watching Michigan basketball has been nothing short of sad. The fallout of the scandal involving Webber and a former booster was significant. They were banned from postseason participation 2003 and haven’t fully recovered since. In 2004, Michigan won the National Invitational Tournament. They had a losing season in 2005 and returned to the NIT again in 2006, losing to South Carolina in the championship. Last year the Wolverines were bounced in the second round of the NIT. And this season, under new head coach John Beilein, the Wolverines once again find themselves under .500 and out of the postseason.

A school that won a title in ’89 and made back-to-back title game appearances in the early 90s hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998. It’s almost as if the entire program stopped when Webber, who played for a team that doesn’t exist, called that timeout that didn’t exist.

I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait before Michigan is part of another tournament memory, but once it happens, I’m going to do whatever I can to pretend the past 15 years of lackluster Wolverine hoops didn’t exist either.

For more information, visit MattHubert.com.

D-League

Basketball is Coming to Erie

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Duane Rankin of the Erie Times-News:

A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon to announce that Cleveland will have a National Basketball Development League team playing in Erie starting next season.

The Erie Downtown Improvement District sent an invitation to area
businesses to attend a private meeting at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. A news conference is scheduled to follow the meeting.

The invitation states that Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry and executives from the Cavaliers and Erie County Convention Center Authority are scheduled to be present at the announcement.

A second headline from GoErie.com reads, “Sertz involved with Erie basketball team.” More details are sure to come from the new conference on Tuesday, but Ron Sertz’s involvement seems to make sense and shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise.

In February, Sertz stepped down as director of operations of the Erie Otters after 12 years with the minor league hockey franchise. And prior to that, Sertz stepped down as tournament director of the McDonald’s Classic, a nationally acclaimed high school basketball tournament that just celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. With his basketball pedigree and minor league sports experience, Sertz is as qualified as anyone in the Erie area to make this NBDL franchise a success.

It’ll be interesting to see how the local community supports its first pro basketball team in more than 15 years. The new basketball team will join the SeaWolves (baseball), Otters (hockey) and RiverRats (indoor football) to make Erie a four-sport minor league city, which is a pretty neat feat. Hopefully the teams receive the support they need to stick around.

For more information, visit MattHubert.com.

College Basketball

Does Bob Knight Even Own a Suit?

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Bob Knight made his ESPN television debut last night, appearing on SportsCenter and throughout the night on college basketball coverage. With the conference tournaments in full swing, Knight was all over the airwaves in Bristol again today, and I couldn’t help but notice that he stood out from the crowd.

You remember that old Sesame Street tune? “One of these things is not like the other…” Well, that’s Bob Knight in his sweater. Now I realize that the sweater was sort of his trademark sideline accessory, but is he really going to wear a sweater every night in the studio as well?

Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale, Hubert Davis — they’re all wearing suits as are all ESPN personalities. When they aired “Dream Job” a few years back, I thought I remembered Al Jaffe, vice president of talent negotiation and production recruitment, making a big stink about how ESPN anchors and analysts wear suits, period.

I realize Bob Knight was a big-time hire, but did he actually negotiate a “sweater clause” into his contract? And if so, what’s worse? Knight’s stubborn refusal to conform or ESPN’s decision to bend on the rules for the publicity they’re bound to garner by hiring “The General” Robert Montgomery Knight to his first post-coaching gig?

Look, I’m glad that Knight is staying in the college basketball limelight. He’s a candid character and an all-time great coach before you can even mention any of his missteps. But come on, Coach, lose the sweater and get with the program. It’s just hard to take an analyst seriously, even with as much basketball knowledge as Knight, when he’s on TV wearing the same sweater everyone’s grandpa refuses to get rid of.

Ditch the sweater for the better. It’s really as simple as that.

For more information, visit MattHubert.com.

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