Big East or Big Missed?

At the start of March Madness, the Big East received a record 11 bids to the tournament; the most of any conference.  This enhanced its reputation as the best conference in collegiate basketball.

However after the first weekend of tournament play, only two teams remain; Connecticut (who went 9-9 in conference play during the regular season) and Marquette (who also had a similar record in the regular season).  They were both seeded 3rd and 11th respectively.

Among those missing in action are Pitt, the regular season champ, who got served by Butler in a strange series of events during the closing moments of the game.  I didn't watch a minute of the game, but I saw highlights of the last moments and it told me all I needed to know.  Also out are Notre Dame, who finished second in the regular season and also have the current Big East Player of the Year (Ben Hansbrough).  Louisville, one of the better defensive teams in the country got hit in the first round by Morehead State (since they are both Kentucky schools, and we all know that basketball is religion in that state, I'll let this one slide).

Hansbrough and the Irish ran into a staunch Seminoles' D

When you field that many teams in a tournament, you know that they were going to run into each other at some point.  Cincinnati was bounced by UConn, while Syracuse was sent packing by Marquette.  Somewhere, Dwayne Wade, Travis Diener and Steve Novak are smiling uncontrollably.  For those who remember, Wade along with Diener and Novak led Marquette (a member of Conference USA at the time) to the Final Four back in 2003.  They held off Pittsburgh (a 2-seed) before destroying top-seeded Kentucky in the Midwest regional finals (ruining my bracket); only to suffer a mauling at the hands of Kansas in the Final Four.

Following the weekend's events, there have been disses flying, dubbing the conference "The Big Least" and "overrated".  I'm not going to get into all of that.  In previous articles, I have hailed the Big East as the best conference, so don't expect me to change my tone and start bashing on them.  I do know that it's a brutal slate of games and come tournament time, these teams are all worn out and just ripe for an upset.

Since 1999 when UConn took the title, only 5 teams have made it to the Final Four; Syracuse (2003), UConn (2004, 2009), Georgetown (2007), Villanova (2009) and West Virginia (2010).  And like I said earlier, Marquette was a Conference-USA member when they made the Final Four in 2003, and so was Louisville (2005).  In 2009, when the conference fielded 8 teams, there was speculation that all of them could meet up in the regional finals; yet Villanova and Pittsburgh was the only conference matchup in that tournament.

Having said all that, would it be fair to label the conference as overrated, or do the teams save their best performances for that trip to the Madison Square Garden in early March?  Well, as long as they keep underperforming in the NCAA tournaments, the topic will always be up for debate.

Should Kemba Walker be considered for Player Of The Year?

I know that the Naismith Award has yet to be handed out, and I'm sure everyone out there has their own personal favourite.  I don't know exactly how highly regarded UConn's Kemba Walker has been this season; what with all the talk about BYU's Jimmer Fredette, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and even Duke's Nolan Smith or Kyle Singler (really??).  So where exactly does Kemba Walker fit in?


Was Gary McGhee (far right) trying to get a better view?

UConn went 9-9 during the regular season in the Big East, and their chances of improving their seeding for the NCAA tournament relied on how they would perform in the tourney.  Now we all know that the Big East is arguably the best conference in college basketball.  Just look at the final regular season standings.  A team can win the regular season this year and get blown off the map in the next one.  Same thing happens in the conference tournament.  The conference is just brutal.

To lift the crown, they would have to win five games in five days.  I really didn't think it could be done, and I'm guessing I'm not alone either.  With Walker carrying this young team on his back, UConn defied the odds and took home a record tying 7th Big East title.  After easily dispatching DePaul and Georgetown, Walker delivered in close wins against Pittsburgh (1 seed), Syracuse (4 seed) and Louisville (a 3 seed that swept the Huskies in the regular season).  Along with the MVP award, Walker also set a record for points scored and minutes played.

Don't mess with The Jimmer!!

No disrespect to Jimmer Fredette or Nolan Smith, but I doubt that they could have led their teams through that gauntlet in the Big East.  Jimmer deserves all the plaudits that he has earned, and I won't knock him should he end up winning the Naismith Award. 

He leads the nation in scoring and helped BYU to a share of the regular season title.  BYU were on course for a probable #1 seed, but a couple losses down the line, most notably in the conference title game to San Diego State, saw those plans disappear.

What remains to be seen though, is how far the Cougars will advance in the tournament without the suspended Brandon Davies (who was 3rd on the team in scoring and 1st in rebounds).  With Davies on the squad, there was some rumble of a possible Final Four appearance.  Without him, I don't see BYU advancing past the Sweet 16 (but that's just my opinion, so don't dwell on it).  Jimmer Fredette might as well be Adam Morrison 2.o.


Can Smith and Duke repeat last year's performance?

When Nolan Smith arrived at Duke, he took a back seat to Greg Paulus who was running the point.  However when Paulus struggled, Smith was plugged into the starting lineup and his star has yet to wane since then.  In addition to being named Player of The Year in the ACC, Smith helped Duke to a 3rd straight conference tournament crown (where he was also named MVP). 

Smith has played big when his team needed it the most.  During a home game against North Carolina in February, he scored 22 second half points (he had 34 total points), helping Duke overcome a 16 point deficit en route to a 79-73 win.  Not only is he good jump shooter, but his ability to cut to the hoop for a layup, or draw defenders and pass to an open player (and we all know how Duke loves to cash in on those open looks from beyond the arc) makes him a really tough matchup.  It's safe to say that he's the best guard to have played for Duke since Jason Williams.  Yes, even better than Reddick!!

Without Jimmer Fredette, BYU could still put out a decent team.  Whether or not they make the tournament is up for debate.  Without Smith, Duke might have still made the tournament because they have one thing that a lot of people wish their schools had; Coach K.  Without Walker, UConn is NIT bound.  Feel free to disagree with me, but that's just the truth.

United on to the FA semis

Manchester United and Arsenal were both looking to end a couple of bad streaks.  United had lost 3 of their last 4 league games, including consecutive losses to Chelsea and Liverpool.  Arsenal lost in the League Cup final a couple of weeks ago, and had just been knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona; despite carrying a 2-1 advantage into the Nou Camp.

So it was quite clear that both these teams needed this win desperately.  United needed to halt their losing skid, while Arsenal were still in search of some silverware after a defensive hiccup late in the game gifted Birmingham the Carling Cup.  When all was said and done, it was Manchester United moving on, a 2-0 win keeping their treble hopes alive.


Fabio sliding in for the game's opening score.



I wanted to say that I was surprised when Sir Alex Ferguson named 7 defenders in his starting lineup; but after having seen his lineup selection over the years, you kind of get used to it.  It proved to be wise as the game wore on, when Arsenal launched an assault on the United goal late in the game; Edwin van der Sar was my man of the match.



Neither team fielded a particularly strong squad though; both teams missing players through injuries.  Arsenal probably came out on the worse end, as they'll have to do without Johan Djourou, who dislocated his shoulder and will be out for the rest of the season.  They are already short on goalkeepers after Wojciech Szczensy, the preferred starter, picked up an injury midweek against Barcelona.

On a positive note, it was nice to see both Aaron Ramsey and Luis Antonio Valencia back in action.  I remember Ramsey suffering a horrific injury last season, and can also remember Valencia breaking his ankle against Rangers in their Champions League opener.  You obviously fear for the worst, but glad that both players are back for their teams.

Arsenal, who still have a game in hand, currently trail United by 4 points in the league standings.  It will be interesting to see how they move on despite their injuries and whatnot.  United can relate, as they were hit by the injury bug that played a part in their missing out on a fourth straight league title last season.  If the Gunners can seek consolation in one thing, they only have one set of fixtures to worry about from here on out.

United still have to visit Ashburton Grove a.k.a Emirates Stadium, and we all know about their struggles in road games.  Hopefully, they'll have fixed some of their problems before their next game against Arsenal in May.

Palm Reader: Where will Carson Palmer end up next season?

Not too long ago, Carson Palmer said that he would be willing to walk away from football should the Cincinnati Bengals refuse to trade him; a request that team owner Mike Brown has previously denied.  Palmer has once again made it clear of his wish to no longer be a part of the franchise.

He recently put his house up for sale, and rumours have it that Seattle is his preferred destination; where he would be re-united with Pete Carroll, his coach at USC.  Palmer's agent also revealed that he (Palmer) has about $80 million saved up, and is prepared to live off that if need be.  Talk about waaaay too much information.  At least I know whom to hit up for a steak dinner.

In seven seasons as a starter, Palmer has the led the Bengals to two division titles.  The Bengals never advanced past the Wild Card round in either game.  Despite the addition of T.O., Cincinnati only managed a 4-12 record last season.  Palmer was throwing picks left and right, while Chad Ochocinco and T.O were publicly questioning the coaching staff's ability to prepare for games.

Speculation was rife that both Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis would be gone in the off-season.  However as of now, both are scheduled to be back with team.  Palmer is due something in the neighbourhood of $ 11 million next season, but he's willing to walk away from it.  What does that tell us about the Bengals?

And should Palmer succeed in getting his release, does he still have what it takes to be a successful starter in the league?  Who knows what would have happened had he not been severely injured during that Wild Card game against Pittsburgh back in 2006.  He also had to miss majority of the 2008 season due to an injured elbow.

Obviously we have to see how these labour talks will play out.  Unless he goes to Seattle, I really doubt that he'll be starting for a team come opening day of next season.  That won't bother him at all; just as long as he's not in Cincinnati. 

2011: A Baylor Odyssey.

In a previous article, I already covered a budding star in Oklahoma freshman Aaryn Ellenberg (read "In Ellenberg we trust").  During Sunday afternoon's game between Baylor and OU, there was another star freshman on the court; Baylor guard Odyssey Sims.

When covering the Lady Bears, usually all the attention is turned - and understandably so - toward 6'8" Brittney Griner, who no doubt is a force to reckon with.  Defensively, teams have to find a way to account for her and Sunday was no exception.  Every time she touched the ball, there were no less than three defenders crowding her.  She still managed to put up 21 points, which is right about what she is averaging this season.

However, the star of the game was Odyssey Sims.  She scored 37 points including the go ahead jumper with 8.3 seconds left that turned out to be the game winner.  Baylor needed every single one of those points as they edged OU by a final score of 82-81.


Griner should dunk more often

When the Sooners were crowding Griner, the perimeter was left open and Baylor went 13 of 27 from the 3-point line.  Sims alone converted 9 of them, tying a school record.  She was coming of two sub par games (against Texas A&M and Kansas State) in which she was a combined 2-13 from the field.  Judging by the way she played, you could not have guessed it (unless you follow Baylor basketball, in which case you'd probably know a lot more than I do).


Her 14 points (13.8 if you're really keeping score) currently rank second on the team behind Griner (22 points).  If anything, Sunday's game served notice to those who thought that Baylor is composed of Brittney Griner and 4 other players (I am guilty as charged).  In an earlier season loss to Connecticut, Sims put up 17 points (second on the team behind Griner's 19) as Baylor nearly ended the Huskies winning streak (which at the time stood at 79).

Baylor, who made the national semis last season, will be a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament.  They are looking every bit like a team capable of bringing home another national title; their first since 2005.  Should Griner and Sims team up like they've done for most of the season, who's to say that it' can't happen?