B1G Dance Contest! Tom Izzo (Michigan State) vs. Bo Ryan (Wisconsin)

            There is no doubt that the Big Ten has some great basketball coaches, but between them who has the best moves off the court? Michigan State coach Tom Izzo became an off-court sensation over the last couple of days thanks to a local commercial he filmed for a ladder company during which he dances at the top of a ladder in order to demonstrate all the room at the summit. A few years ago, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, for reasons I am not quite sure of but fully support, filmed a choreographed video of him dancing to the short lived hit “Crank That” by Soulja Boy. Two legendary coaches, two fantastic videos, but only one can be named the Big Ten’s Best Dancing Coach. So which coach has the better moves? Let’s break down the videos.

Ranking the Nicknames from the Heat/Nets Game

The NBA seems to be experimenting a lot with jerseys this season in a sad and obvious scheme to try and make more money. First it was the awful retina-burning, short-sleeved Christmas Day jerseys and now the NBA is experimenting with nicknames in lieu of last names on the back of players’ jerseys. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this idea, like the new basketball they tried to use in 2006, should be quickly shelved. However, there were some bright spots on the back of jerseys last night. Here are my rankings of the best NBA nicknames used from last night’s Miami Heat/Brooklyn Nets game.

2013 Festivus Airing of Sports Grievances

In honor of the wonderful holiday of Festivus, made popular by the TV show Seinfeld, I will be performing the opening tradition, the ‘Airing of Grievances,’ where I will lash out at all those who have disappointed me this year. Since this is a sports blog, here are some of the sports related grievances I would like to air out (I will try and write them in a similar fashion that I believe Frank Costanza would                                                                                   write them in):

Why The Knicks Should Trade Carmelo Anthony

This article is meant to convince everyone that the New York Knicks should trade Carmelo Anthony this season and why they should absolutely not give him a maximum contract worth about 5 years and $130 million when he inevitably opts out of his current contract at the end of this season. I hope to convince you using both the “eye test” and through statistics. In the end, if Anthony is the problem, I will provide some solutions with some possible trade options.

United States 2014 World Cup Preview

          It could not have gotten much worse for the United States during the World Cup draw. In addition to being drawn into Group G, the Group of Death, with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana, the U.S. also has the toughest travel schedule, having to go about 9,000 total miles between games in the group stage. It will not be easy moving on from this group, but what the USA has proven over the years is that the team is best when they are the underdogs, which is certainly the case coming into the summer of 2014. Here is an analysis of each positional level of Team USA, as well as how they may fair in each game.

2014 World Cup Preview

         With the World Cup draw officially in the books, it is time to get excited for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Here are the results of the draw as well as a preview of each group and predictions for the knockout stage.

Group A

1) Brazil

2) Croatia

3) Mexico

4) Cameroon

         The host team looks like they will have no problem moving on to the knockout stage, but once they get there they will have the most difficult second round matchup, likely either Spain or Netherlands.

2013-2014 NBA Preview: Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics

2012-2013 Record: 41-40 (7th in East)

Key Additions: Kelly Olynyk, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace

Key Losses: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry

Projected Starting Lineup: Rajon Rondo, Courtney Lee, Gerald Wallace, Brandon Bass, Vitor Faverani

The Celtics have gone head first into rebuilding mode, the team has been almost completely stripped down and sold for parts. Future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were traded within the division to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for mostly expiring contracts and draft picks. Coach Doc Rivers

2013-2014 NBA Preview: Central Division

Chicago Bulls

2012-2013 Record: 45-37 (5th in East)

Key Additions: Mike Dunleavy, Mike James, Tony Snell

Key Losses: Marco Belinelli, Richard Hamilton, Nate Robinson

Projected Starting Lineup: Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah

Did you hear that? There it is again. That was the sound of every single person in Chicago holding their breath. Every time Derrick Rose hits the ground after jumping high up in the air, nobody in Bulls territory is going to move until he gets back up, praying that he does in fact get back up. The biggest addition to the Chicago Bulls roster this season is not someone they signed in free agency or traded for but rather their former MVP coming back from injury. Rose, Chicago’s superstar point guard, is coming off of a torn ACL suffered in the first round of the 2012 playoffs that caused him to miss all of last season. Rose will

2013-2014 NBA Preview: Southeast Division

Atlanta Hawks

2012-2013 Record: 44-38 (6th in East)

Key Additions: Paul Millsap, Elton Brand, Gustavo Ayon, Dennis Schroeder, DeMarre Carroll

Key Losses: Josh Smith, Devin Harris, Zaza Pachulia, DeShawn Stevenson, Ivan Johnson

Projected Starting Lineup: Jeff Teague, Lou Williams, Kyle Korver,                                                                           Paul Millsap, Al Horford

The problem with Al Horford over the last couple of years has been that Horford, a natural power forward, has been forced to play more down low as a center because of the lack of much rebounding on the Hawks. With the additions of Paul Millsap and Gustavo Ayon, Horford can take more of an active role outside the paint, showing off more of his midrange shot. Millsap and Ayon bring plenty of energy and rebounding ability to a team that lost big men Zaza Pachulia and Ivan Johnson this summer. A move for Horford

2013-2014 NBA Preview: Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks

2012-2013 Record: 41-41 (10th in West)

Key Additions: Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, DeJuan Blair, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, Fab Melo

Key Losses: Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo, Chris Kamen, Mike James, Elton Brand

Projected Starting Lineup: Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Samuel Dalembert

Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion. Those are the only two players left on the Dallas Mavericks from their 2010-2011 championship season. The team has seen almost a complete turnover in the last two seasons. With Nowitzki, 35, coming to the end of his career, the Mavs hope to make one final run to the Finals with him as the centerpiece. The main players who are hoping to help the team make a playoff run behind Nowitzki are relatively playoff inexperienced. Newly acquired Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis will compose the starting backcourt that hopes to keep Nowitzki rested until playoff time. The two guards, in a combined 16 years in the NBA, have only made the

2013-2014 NBA Preview: Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets

2012-2013 Record: 57-25 (3rd in West)

Key Additions: Nate Robinson, J.J. Hickson, Randy Foye, Darrell Arthur

Key Losses: Andre Iguodala, Corey Brewer, Kosta Koufas

Projected Starting Lineup: Ty Lawson, Randy Foye, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, JaVale McGee

The Nuggets did the unthinkable this offseason, and I am not talking about letting go of All-Star Andre Iguodala. On May 2, 2013 the Denver Nuggets, the 3rd seed in the West, lost Game 6 of their opening round matchup against the 6th seeded Golden State Warriors and were bounced from the 2013 playoffs. Six days later Nuggets coach George Karl earned his first ever NBA Coach of the Year award after a regular season that saw

2013-2014 NBA Preview: Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors

2012-2013 Record: 47-35 (6th in West)

Key Additions: Andre Iguodala, Toney Douglas, Jermaine O’Neal

Key Losses: Jarrett Jack, Carl Landry

Projected Starting Lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thomspon, Andre Iguodala, David Lee, Andrew Bogut

If everyone can stay healthy, a tough order to fill for injury prone center and former number one overall pick Andrew Bogut, the Warriors can sport one of the best starting lineups in the league this year. The addition of Andre Iguodala takes this team to potential conference finalist, a label they almost fulfilled last year in a surprising run to the second round of the playoffs. ‘Dala, a very underrated defender, comes in with a defensive presence that

Trades Shake Up NBA’s Atlantic Division

Intra-Division Trades

The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics agreed to a trade on draft night that sends two future Hall of Famers to Brooklyn. Just three days later, the Toronto Raptors agreed to send a former number one overall pick to the New York Knicks. It’s very rare for teams within the same division to trade with each other. When a intra-division trade involves key players it is lunacy. Two trades involving key players that happen only a few days apart, both between teams within the same division, is flat out unheard of. But that is exactly what happened in the Atlantic division as two teams that share the same state hope to make final pushes to win a championship before the window closes.

2013 NBA Draft Recap

Knicks Pick a Rival

As a recent University of Wisconsin graduate (wow, still not used to that), I am horrified at the thought of watching a Michigan man wear a Knicks jersey. As a Knicks fan, I am very happy with Tim Hardaway Jr. as the 24^th pick in the 2013 NBA draft. As a Badger, I was able to watch Hardaway Jr. play many times throughout his career at Michigan and I think he fits in very well with the Knicks. Hardaway Jr. seemed to drop in this draft because he was overshadowed this past year by his Wolverine teammate Trey Burke, the national player of the year, but Hardaway Jr. is a very good player who clearly has no problem deferring to a better player (something he will have to do as a teammate of Carmelo Anthony).

The Bounty on Arizona Coach Sean Miller

T-ing Him Up

         There were 4 minutes and 37 seconds left in the Pac-12 tournament men’s basketball semifinals. The Arizona Wildcats were up two against the UCLA Bruins with a trip to the conference tournament finals on the line. Arizona point guard Mark Lyons was called for a controversial double dribble and their coach Sean Miller repeated to the ref “He touched the ball, he touched the ball,” referring to the Bruins’ defender who put his hand on the ball as Lyons picked up his dribble and then dropped the ball again, a play that calls for a play-on, not a double dribble. Miller was given a technical foul by referee Michael Irving for his comments, UCLA’s Jordan Adams made both technical free throws, and UCLA ended up winning the game by two, 66-64.

         In the press conference after the game, Miller stated that he used no curse words nor did he act in a condescending way towards the referees after the double dribble call, essentially, there was no

Gays in Sports (and the Chris Culliver Comments)

Ignorant Comments

In light of the recent comments made by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver regarding gays in the NFL, I felt compelled to write this post. In case you missed it, during Super Bowl Media Day, Culliver was being interviewed by comedian Artie Lang. The topic came to the possibility of a gay teammate being on the 49ers and Culliver responded “I don’t do the gay guys man, I don’t do that. Nah, we ain’t got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff. Nah, can’t be in the locker room.” Culliver later gave an apology that could not have sounded any more feigned and scripted.

Culliver obviously is not the first athlete to speak out against gays, see Tim Hardaway: “I hate gay people.” But since Culliver and the Niners are about to play on the biggest stage in American sports, his comments are magnified.

I can open up a whole new can of worms and talk about the issue of marriage equality, but this being a sports blog I want to try and keep the conversation closer to homosexuals in sports.

If 2012 Wasn’t the Year to Get Americans Interested In Soccer...

Soccer Stories All Over the World

2012 was probably one of the greatest years soccer fans have seen in a long time. From England to Spain to even the United States, there were stories everywhere that could catch the eye of even the most indifferent of followers. It is obvious that the United States has not been a country of soccer fanatics like the majority of countries in the world, but if 2012 did not jump-start something in terms of getting Americans to pay more attention to soccer then I do not know what will. We saw the greatest day of a regular season in its history, the greatest player in the world cement his legacy, and one of the greatest soccer matches in history. All that and much more.

Replacement Refs: Why We Haven’t Reached the Breaking Point

Don’t Blame the Replacements

I understand that these replacement refs are not very good. They tend to be very intimidated by coaches, players, and home fans when making calls. The very best of them may have some Division I College Football reffing experience but those appear to be few and far between. The majority of them seem to be former high school, Division III, and/or Junior College refs, heck there’s even a former Lingerie Football League referee in the mix (yes, seriously). But these refs did not ask to be here. They were put here because of a bad situation. Can you blame them for taking the opportunity to ref in the NFL, regardless of whether or not they have the credentials to do so?

The Jeremy Lin Decision

Passing on Lin

I wanted to wait until it was official that the New York Knicks would not match the Houston Rocket’s offer and therefore pass on re-signing Jeremy Lin before I wrote an article about it, I don’t like counting my chickens before they hatch. For the first time since I can remember, the Knicks’ front office, and specifically I mean owner James Dolan, did not bend to marketing pressure and finally made a smart basketball decision. Yes, the Knicks technically have people employed at General Manager, Glen Grunwald, and Head Coach, Mike Woodson, but for a long time Dolan has called all of the shots, regardless of what everyone else has said, especially when it comes to bringing in

What’s Next For Penn State?

The Freeh Report

Now that the the investigation is over and Louis Freeh, former director of the FBI, has produced his report I would say now is about the time we as the general public can begin to judge how the situation at Penn State was handled and how it should be punished. The investigation found that some of the most powerful men at the university, President Graham Spanier, Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Gary Schultz, Athletic Director Tim Curley, and Head Football Coach Joe Paterno, knew about Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of young boys and they all decided to conceal it. Although it was always somewhat assumed that these men refused to report the actions of Sandusky, this report makes it official after a long, 8 month investigation that reviewed over 3.5 million

2012 NBA Draft Recap

New York Goes Overseas

In a pick I definitely did not see coming, the Knicks selected Kostas Papanikolaou out of Greece. Although I was hesitant at first, I grew to, more or less, like the pick. I can honestly say I have never heard of this player nor have I seen any video of him. However, Fran Fraschilla spoke very highly of him (although which international player does he not speak highly about? It seemed like every international pick during the draft was a “great” or “solid” pick). 

In addition, the Knicks are trying to win right now and in doing so are taking a page out of the San Antonio Spurs’ draft manual by aiming for a championship while also looking towards the future in developing young players overseas, as Papanikolaou is not expected to enter the NBA for a

New York is getting (L)insane

And So It Begins

I’m studying in Seville, Spain this semester and am currently sitting in a hostel in Madrid. I’m about 5,000 miles away and 6 hours ahead of New York and the Eastern Time Zone. But yet, Linsanity (much like Lin himself) knows no boundaries. I don’t want to sit here and run through his life story, as impressive as it is, because I’m sure everyone has heard all about it: Harvard grad, undrafted rookie, released by the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets in the same summer, Knicks last man off the bench. But just when things got desperate and Coach D’Antoni entered his “I’ll try anything” phase due to the continued poor execution of the Knicks offense and rain of boos and chants coming from the Garden crowd, in came Lin against the New Jersey Nets. And the rest, as they say, is history.

New York Knicks: 2011-2012 Season Preview

          The shortened, 66-game NBA season tips off tomorrow with a matchup at Madison Square Garden between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. The Knicks have made some big changes to the team that got swept out of the first round of the playoffs by this Celtics team last season. Here is a preview of the Knicks upcoming 2011-2012 NBA season, summing up what the team has done in the shortened offseason, what to watch out for during the season, and what the Knicks need to do to be successful, as well as best and worst case scenarios for the team.

NBA Free Agency Madness (Paul-Howard Edition)

The Trade(s) that Wasn’t

When free agency began on December 9 many people speculated where future free agent Chris Paul would go. The Lakers and Hornets agreed to a trade that, with a third team being the Houston Rockets, would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers from the Hornets; Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets from the Lakers; Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, and a 2012 first round pick to the Hornets from the Rockets; and Lamar Odom going from the Lakers to the Hornets.

The Penn State Scandal

Allegations
          Serious charges have been filed against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky regarding his sexual abuse of at least nine children over the span of 15 years. In addition, Penn State’s athletic director has stepped down. This case will most likely rock the State College campus in a way that it may not be able to bounce back from, which is a shame considering the history and tradition of the football program and its legendary coach.

Jerry Sandusky was the man who made Penn State into Linebacker U., his defensive schemes helped lead the Nittany Lions, under head coach Joe Paterno, to two national championships in 1982 and 1986.

Does Justin Verlander Deserve to Win the AL MVP?

Dominating the Mound

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander has been the most dominant pitcher in baseball this year. At 24-5 he leads all of baseball in wins, innings pitched (251.0), strikeouts (250), and WHIP (0.92) in addition to being first in the American League with a 2.40 ERA. Verlander also has 4 complete games, of which he has one no-hitter and three other times he pitched eight innings or more and gave up two or less hits during those outings. His fastball can reach triple digits even late into games, his changeup can leave batters looking foolish with an early swing, and his curve breaks so hard that you would think it was because just for an instance earth’s gravity changed. Perhaps just as important, his Tigers won the AL Central by double digit games. He is having one of the best seasons a pitcher has had in about a decade. The AL Cy Young is his, but what about the AL MVP?

The University of Miami Scandal

The Investigation

After 11 months and many, many interviews Yahoo! Sports broke the story about a University of Miami booster, Nevin Shapiro, giving illicit benefits to at least 72 Miami football and basketball players between 2002 and 2010. The football players include well known athletes such as Jonathan Vilma, Vince Wilfork, Kellen Winslow Jr., Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, Antrel Rolle, Jacory Harris as well as multiple football and basketball coaches. Shapiro is currently in jail and looking at a 20 year sentence for a ponzi scheme that amounted to $930 million. The booster is said to have given players money; paid for nights out at clubs and strip joints, meals, and drinks; allowed them to stay at his house and use his yacht anytime; offered bounties, money for an accomplishment during a game; provided prostitutes; and in one case even provided money for an abortion. He also used his power to impress and bribe potential recruits to join the Hurricanes. Shapiro has provided many receipts from nights out and photos of himself with players as proof for his actions.

Aybar Bunts in Attempt to End No-Hitter

Verlander’s No No-Hitter

It was a pitching duel between Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels with Jared Weaver. In the bottom of the third inning the Tigers’ Magglio Ordoñez hit a ball off of Weaver that was borderline fair/foul as it sailed into the outfield. Ordoñez stood in the batter’s box watching the ball to see on which side of the foul pole it would curve. With the ball eventually sailing to the right of the pole for a home run, Weaver took this as Ordoñez admiring the hit and the two began to share some words. In the bottom of the seventh, Carlos Guillen decided to get back at Weaver for calling out the teammate of the former so when Guillen hit a home run he stood there to admire it and then skipped off to first base. Understandably, this ticked Weaver off. As a result, the next hitter, Alex Avila, got a fastball high and inside that caused Avila to duck. Weaver was ejected and the game continued.

Ending Soccer Matches in Penalty Kicks

Past PKs

There is no doubt that there has been a lot of backlash towards the sport of soccer after the U.S. lost to Japan in the Women’s World Cup Finals 3-1 in penalty kicks. This brought up the old argument against ending such an important game with PKs, something that may not necessarily validate the winning team as champions. Two of the last four Women’s World Cup champions have been crowned after prevailing in penalty kicks during the finals, the other one being the famous 1999 game at the Rose Bowl between the U.S. and China when Brandi Chastain famously ripped off her shirt in celebration after scoring the winning PK. Of the four quarterfinals matches in the 2011 Women’s World Cup, two went into penalty kicks, one of which was when the U.S. prevailed over Brazil and the other was France defeated England.

How to Fix MLB All-Star Weekend

Home Run Derby

          The Derby right now consists of eight players, three rounds, and three hours along with having to hear Chris Berman yell “Back, back, back, back, back, back, back, gone!” every other pitch. In addition, this year they seemed to have introduced a new idea where each league has a captain, this year it was David Ortiz for the AL and the NL’s Prince Fielder, and that captain selects three players from their league to join them. One would think that this would make the Home Run Derby something like a team event where maybe the most combined home runs wins the Derby, but we quickly learned that the whole “captain” concept really had nothing to do with the actual event as hitters were on their own once the pitches were thrown.

U.S. Women Battle Past Brazil in World Cup Classic

Fighting Through Adversity

It will go down as one of the greatest World Cup matches in history, both men’s and women’s. Number 1 in the world United States vs. the 3rd ranked Brazilian squad with goal scoring machine Marta. The United States went up 1-0 on a Brazilian own goal less than two minutes into the game. The game went without another goal until U.S. defenseman Rachel Buehler was called for a foul in the box on Marta, given a red card, and sent off. Here is when things got messy for the head referee and the U.S. team. The penalty called was certainly not clear cut. Although the red card had to have been shown if the foul was given, considering Marta had a clear path to the goal, the foul could just

2011 NBA Draft Recap

 

The Knicks Keep Piling on the Mistakes

It is unbelievable how my favorite sports franchise refuses to do anything to make the team better. This year alone, between trading half the team for Carmelo Anthony and in doing so losing Danilo Gallinari instead of Landry Fields, a decision Fields quickly made the Knicks regret as his excellent first half of the season was followed up by a nearly invisible second half and playoff performance (apparently he did not realize that a sophomore slump usually starts in the second year); not re-signing Donnie Walsh, the man who brought the team back to a respectable level after the Knicks were a punch line for half a decade; and now wasting their 17th pick in the draft. Again, that was just 2011, and we are still in June.

My Belmont Stakes Experience

The 3rd Leg of the Crown

Last Saturday was my first experience at a horse race. I had watched the bigger races; the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes; on TV over the last few years as I attempted to get into the sport that has captured so many different people. So as I went to Belmont Park with my friend Dillon last Saturday I really did not know what to expect. There was no triple crown at stake so I was not expecting too much excitement. As we walk in we see people to sets of very different people. Some people were tailgating within the park wearing very casual clothes such as shorts and no sleeve shirts as their young kids ran around them. The other set were people dressed just like you would expect at a horse race, full suit and tie, smoking cigars, and on some occasions wearing fedoras. I realized that this experience was a lot more than just the Belmont Stakes. For some people this park consumed their whole day, arriving at eight in the morning when the first race is run, until eight at night when horses of the final race cross the finish line.

Mavs Win 2011 NBA Finals

Dirk

          That’s all he needs, one name and now you’ll recognize it forever. The greatest European players to ever play in the NBA has now proven himself by finally winning his first NBA title. I could have started this article out with how much I hate LeBron, as you may have seen in my past articles, and how he continually choked in the 4th quarter but that would not give enough credit to the great Dirk. That would not be fair to Dirk nor the Mavs, so I am starting with the NBA Finals MVP. Dirk carried this team throughout the playoffs and finally gets the recognition he deserves.

          Up until winning it all, all Dirk was known for was losing the 2006 NBA Finals to the Heat after the Mavs took a two games to zero lead and being named 2007 NBA MVP after having his top seeded Mavs bow out in the 1st

2011 NBA Draft Lottery

Past Mistakes

Let me start by saying that I am about to embark on eating my big plate of crow. In a past article that I posted just after the hectic NBA trade deadline, I was very critical of the Cleveland Cavaliers for sending Jamario Moon and Mo Williams to the Clippers for Baron Davis and a 1st round pick. Well, I was wrong. I figured that that pick would be at best a mid-lottery pick in a not so talented draft and the Cavs would have to absorb Davis’ sour contract and attitude. That wasn’t the case at all, however, as that Clippers pick, which had a 2.8% chance of winning that #1 pick, was the last pick announced and thus the Cavs got the first pick in the draft.

Coach D’Antoni Needs To Go

Flashy Offense

There is no denying that Mike D’Antoni’s fast paced offense is fun to watch. Averaging over one hundred points a game year after year with quick, long range 3s and run and gun passing is going to draw in crowds. His Suns teams between 2004 and 2008, the four years D’Antoni was coach the whole season, won at least 50 wins all four years and at least 60 in two of those seasons. He won NBA Coach of the Year his first season as head coach of the Suns and the team made it to the Western Conference finals twice during his reign in Phoenix. His “7 seconds or less” offense, referring to his preference of having his team shoot no later than 7 seconds into the 24 second shot clock, in Phoenix became a 

VCU: First Four to Final Four

Beating the Goliaths

The single greatest run to the Final Four in NCAA history. 11 seeded VCU, thanks to the introduction of the First Four games, became the first team ever to make it to the Final Four by winning five games. Of those five wins only one, their Sweet Sixteen matchup against 10th seeded Florida State, was the only close one. In beating USC (by 13), Georgetown (by 18), Purdue (by 18), Florida State (by 1 in OT), and Kansas (by 10) VCU of the Colonial Athletic Association defeated members of 5 of the 6 power conferences: Pac-10, Big East, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 respectively. It is too bad that the Rams could not play an SEC team in the Final Four, then maybe they would have won. But fellow mid major Butler gave the Rams all they could handle in a 70-62 win for the Bulldogs (a score that really does not represent how close the game truly was).

Arizona’s Derrick Williams in the NCAA Tournament

Pulling Away From the Field

Derrick Williams was a man amongst boys playing in this tournament. Straight up. The sophomore forward for the Arizona Wildcats was already a top prospect in the NBA draft but with Kyrie Irving recovering from a toe injury and with Jared Sullinger announcing his return to Ohio State, Williams proved to be, as of now, the consensus number one pick in the 2011 NBA draft. It seemed like he was playing so well in the regular season that all he could go was down in stock. He may have been playing for the Arizona Wildcats, the Pac-10 regular season champions, 

Outdoing Blake Griffin’s Car Dunk

Dunk Contest First

It didn’t take long for some to surpass Blake Griffin’s dunk during the Dunk Contest of All-Star weekend when he jumped over a car. If you watched the contest, or any new Kia car commercial, you know that Griffin for his final dunk and set it up just out from under the rim, the sun roof then opened and a grinning Baron Davis popped his head out of the opening, holding the ball and ready to toss it to Griffin. While the car was getting set up, an entire choir (not just a few people, an ENTIRE CHOIR) lined up at half court and began to sing ‘I Believe He Can Fly’ and Griffin began to back up, ready to start his run. Finally, he started his sprint and just as he reached the car Davis tossed the ball up and Griffin jumped over the

Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel Suspended

Withholding Information

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has been suspended by OSU for the first two games of next season and fined $250,000 for withholding information about his players’ involvement in selling football memorabilia in exchange for benefits. As you may recall in my article “Suspended Players Lead Ohio State to Bowl Victory,” five OSU players, including QB Terrelle Pryor, were suspended for the first five games of the 2011-2012 NCAA season but were still allowed to play in Sugar Bowl against Arkansas after it was found that they violated NCAA rules. Now, it has been discovered that months before the NCAA found out about the players selling their football items, their coach found out about it and decided not to report it to the school nor the NCAA, hoping that everything would disappear and his star players could remain on the field.

2011 NBA Trade Deadline

          The NBA trade deadline ended Thursday February 24 at 3:00 PM ET. It seemed like a lot of teams waited until then or pretty close to make trades and change up their roster before it was too late. The last few minutes were so busy that I had trouble taking notes in my classes, I was so focused on refreshing my page and waiting for breaking news as the countdown came to an end. This year more than ever, trades came down to the last minute and even after the deadline passed, news still trickled in regarding major transactions and power shifting moves. The NBA saw many of these power swings as players changed teams, not only among divisions but among conferences. Teams that were stranded in no-man’s-land suddenly become threats to make the finals while potential finals contenders slid down a few notches. Here are the major trades that took place at or around the deadline and analysis and grades of each one.

Knicks Land Carmelo Anthony

Long Awaited Trade

It’s been a long first half of the season for the Denver Nuggets but they have finally traded Carmelo Anthony. After much drama over the past months, it’s finally over. The Nets gave a hard push in attempting to get Carmelo Anthony, as well as teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, but he has finally found a team, the New York Knicks. The Knicks, Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves have completed a trade that sends F Carmelo Anthony, G Chauncey Billups, F Renaldo Balkman, F Sheldon Williams, and G Anthony Carter from the Nuggets as well as F Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves to the Knicks. The Nuggets get F Danilo Gallinari, F Wilson Chandler, G Raymond Felton, C Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 1st round pick, two 2nd round picks, and $3 million all from the Knicks. Finally, the Timberwolves receive from the Knicks both C Eddy Curry and F Anthony Randolph.

Packers Win Super Bowl XLV

Green Bay Wins

After 14 years without a Super Bowl and a whole lot of Brett Favre drama, the Lombardi Trophy has finally returned home to Green Bay. The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in a game that came down to the last drive. Aaron Rodgers, the Super Bowl MVP, threw for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns despite some major drops by his receiving core. The Packers had to overcome some major injuries in the regular season in order to make it to the Super Bowl, so it was only fitting that they fight through more

No Suspension for Kevin Garnett After a Cheap Shot

The Low Blow

In a game between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns, Celtics’ forward Kevin Garnett got whistled for a foul and ejected from the game after hitting Suns’ forward Channing Frye in the groin on a 3-point attempt. Frye obviously took offense to this and got in Garnett’s face. The hit can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV-iGBfTkD0&feature=related. After watching the replay and considering Garnett’s reputation, it seemed like disciplinary actions would occur. However, instead of suspending Garnett for the cheap shot, the NBA decided to do nothing. Now one may question the decision for the league not to punish Garnett for an unnecessary shot to the man region, but once

Oregon’s New-Look Basketball Court

Grand Opening of a Different Style

In Oregon’s game on January 13 against USC the Ducks broke out their new basketball floor that has a interesting new design that has not been seen before. The floor, designed by Oregon alum Tinker Hatfield who is a vice president for Nike, is named after former Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny and is meant to pay tribute to the Pacific Northwest by surrounding center court with forrest firs. Much like Boise State’s blue football turf, the new floor is meant to be iconic and well noticed. Trying to be well noticed is

Suspended Players Lead Ohio State to Bowl Victory

OSU Suspensions

On December 26 five Ohio State University football players were suspended for selling championship rings, jerseys, and awards in addition to receiving improper benefits. QB Terrelle Pryor, RB Dan Herron, WR DeVier Posey, OT Mike Adams, and DE Solomon Thomas are suspended the first five games of the 2011-12 NCAA football season. These five include OSU’s top passer (Pryor), top 2 rushers (Herron, Pryor), and #2 receiver (Posey) from this season.

The controversy occurred on the decision to suspend the players for next season, but not for Ohio State’s BCS Bowl Game against #8 Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, which took place January 4 and resulted in a 31-26 OSU win. These athletes were recognized for breaking rules, but their punishments 

Magic Shake Up Their Roster with 2 Blockbuster Deals

Trade 1: Defense for Offense

In a matter of hours, the Orlando Magic managed to almost completely change their roster. In their 1st trade, the Magic sent guard Vince Carter, guard/forward Mickael Pietrus, center Marcin Gortat, a 2011 1st round pick, and cash considerations to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for forward Hedo Turkoglu, guard Jason Richardson, and forward Earl Clark.

It seems that the Magic got the best of this deal. Let’s start with Turkoglu, who helped lead the Magic to a finals appearance in 2009. Ever since Turkoglu left Orlando for Toronto during free agency, neither party has been the same. Turkoglu couldn’t find his stride in Canada, where his level of play was nowhere near the 5 year/$53 million deal the team signed him for, which is why they subsequently traded him to the desert where he still

The Badger Herald’s “Naughty List”

Naming Names

On Sunday December 5th at 9:00 PM CT 5,800 tickets for the 2011 Rose Bowl went on sale for University of Wisconsin students. 20 minutes later they were gone. Shortly after that multiple posts went up on facebook marketplace looking to sell these student tickets for outrageous profits. Face value for these tickets is $150 and some are going for $400.

In response to such posts, The Badger Herald, one of the student newspapers at the University of Wisconsin, wrote up a “Naughty List” of 

Greg Oden Out for the Season (Again)

Déjà Vu All Over Again

It seems like we hear this story just as much as we hear stories about Brett Favre’s retirement (every year). In another heartbreaking beginning to a season, Portland Blazers’ center Greg Oden finds himself sitting on the bench for the rest of the season once again. The former #1 pick in 2007 out of Ohio State must undergo microfracture surgery on his left knee and is officially done this year. Sound familiar? Oden had to miss his rookie season, ’07-’08, because of microfracture surgery on his right knee. Over the 4 seasons Oden has been in the league, he has only played one season’s worth of games (82).

This isn’t just déjà vu for Oden, however, but for Portland as well. In 1984 Portland picked Sam Bowie #2 overall. #3 that year? Michael Jordan. 

Cam Newton Scandal in College Football

Old Problem, Current Player

In the midst of a Heisman year, it has surfaced that Auburn super-Quarterback Cam Newton and Kenneth Rodgers, the person who represented Cam as a recruit, allegedly sought $180,000 from Mississippi State in order for Cam Newton to play there. Obviously, the deal didn’t happen because Newton is at Auburn now, but these allegations are the last thing that the BCS needs to be hearing right now.

Not only is Cam Newton having a record breaking year, setting the SEC single season record for most rushing yards by a QB, he is also a Heisman Trophy front runner. In addition,