ELITE EIGHT PREVIEW

Too bad the Spartans didn't make it but we are still looking at a tremendous weekend with four truly intriguing matchups. The winners of the four games will advance to the Final Four in San Antonio next week and keep their hopes of a National Championship alive. Here are the previews of the Regional Finals 2008:


EAST REGION








1 North Carolina vs 3 Louisville
Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte NC, Saturday, 9:05 pm ET
This is without a doubt the most interesting matchup as many feel these are the two best teams left in the Tournament. Nothing but blowouts paved the way for these two teams but now it figures that both will face an equal opponent.
North Carolina has the homecourt advantage on it's side and enter the game with tremendous confidence. They will look to push the ball especially off turnovers to avoid Louisville's vaunted full court press. In the halfcourt Roy Williams' team will heavily rely on point guard Ty Lawson to keep the tempo high and create off the bounce.
Louisville is an even bigger team than UNC and has just as deep a bench if not even deeper. Their greatest asset is their rugged and aggressive defense, both full court and halfcourt. Despite playing a zone, they are really tough on three point shooters. Rick Pitino will have a few tricks in his bag and in David Padgett and Terrance Williams he's got two outstanding leaders on the court, too.

PICK: Louisville. Do you remember Clemson? Right, the team that took North Carolina to the wire in all of their three matchups this year. They just like Louisville play a full court press (even though U of L runs a zone press) and took UNC out of their comfort zone. Lawson is healthier now but North Carolina will struggle in the full court. Tyler Hansbrough will have his hands full with the athletic and strong Cardinals' big men. The one thing that is worrying about Louisville is ball security. They can't allow Carolina to run off their turnovers.
-----------------------------------------------------

WEST REGION








1 UCLA vs 3 Xavier
US Airways Center, Phoenix AZ, Saturday, 6:40 pm ET
The West bracket is highly regarded as the easiest in the Tournament. Well, I don't know if these two teams care, but easy or not, they are now looking to make it out of this bracket in what should be a low scoring game.
The Bruins still haven't proven they can score on a consistent basis or that they are able to shoot it well every night. Nonetheless, they feature one of the best defenses in the entire tournament and also match up fairly well with a rugged and physically tough Xavier squad. Darren Collison has to control the game for the Bruins or they will struggle.
The Musketeers go as far as Drew Lavender goes. The small point guard is their leader and their floor general. His teammates follow him. Now Lavender tends to go through ups and downs and will face a tough opponent in UCLA's pesky defensive backcourt. But if Lavender can get his teammates the ball in good positions and control the tempo, then Xavier has a good chance of winning this game. The Musketeers top scorer Josh Duncan has to stay out of foul trouble as he is clearly their best offensive player inside.

PICK: UCLA. I'm really not sure about this matchup as both teams are hard to figure out and very inconsistent. Xavier has shown last year that they feed off the role of the underdog and can elevate their game in such a situation. Yet Kevin Love I think will be too much inside for the Musketeers to handle. Man, I really like Xavier too though and I will just pick the Bruins because they are advancing in my bracket. So much for good analysis!
-----------------------------------------------------

MIDWEST REGION








1 Kansas Jayhawks vs 10 Davidson Wilcats
Ford Field, Detroit MI, Sunday, 5:05 pm ET
I guess we have found this year's cinderella story and the star of this year's Tourney: Davidson and their sophomore guard Stephen Curry. But in Kansas they will face a team that is on a mission and looks like they won't be denied.
Bill Self still has the reputation of being a choker but now his team is back in a spot where they can finally make it to the Final Four. The Jayhawks are a much deeper team, got great players at almost every position and they can run and gun with anybody. Yet they won't have any problems with a tough physical contest either. Especially their guards around Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson will go after Curry on both ends of the floor.
Davidson has come a long way now and the nation is standing behind them. Stephen Curry has shown unbelievable shooting and scoring ability in the Tourney so far and they will need that once again from him to have a chance. His supporting cast is also doing a great job defending, doing the dirty work and operating as a team on both ends of the court. They have to make this an emotional game and feed off the crowd to have a chance.

PICK: Kansas. Sorry folks but I think the cinderella story has reached it's last chapter. The Jawhawks are a much better scoring team than either Georgetown or Wisconsin and they will unleash a relentless attack on Davidson's undersized defense. Kansas also has the perfect players to defend the quick Wildcats and Stephen Curry. He might even have 6-6 Brandon Rush against him from time to time. Kansas is too strong, too talented and as I said earlier, they are on a mission.
-----------------------------------------------------

SOUTH REGION








1 Memphis vs 2 Texas
Reliant Arena, Houston TX, Sunday, 2:20 pm ET
The South is the only region where both top seeded teams made it to the final game and it will be a highly intense battle under the hot red sun of Texas. It will be a great scene for two great college basketball teams.
Memphis silenced their critics by dominating Michigan State 92-74 in the Sweet Sixteen. They have tremendous speed, size and defensive awareness. Plus they are playing a chip on their shoulder. Yet this chip can quickly turn the other way and the team gets too confident. John Calipari is a great coach though and he should have an eye on that. Derrick Rose looks to be playing on another planet in the moment.
Texas in front of a raucous crowd will once again come out firing. All of their players can hit the three ball and with their big men stepping out, they present an enormous task for opposing defenses. Their backcourt is very small which could be a problem against the tall guards of Memphis. D.J. Augustin though is the smartest player on the court and if he can take over offensively and with his decision making, watch out.

PICK: Texas. Memphis looking outstanding against the Spartans last night yet this is another game. I hear everyone already talking about how the Tigers have proved anyone wrong and this and that plus I saw Joey Dorsey and company jawing and showboating out there. This is a different game and Texas has the homecourt advantage and they got the much smarter team. While I like Calipari as a coach over Barnes, this game will be decided mentally. I just feel somehow that Memphis even though they are the much more talented team, will struggle and maybe get overconfident.

See You Next Year, Spartans!

Now that wasn't how Michigan State fans, Tom Izzo, his team and myself envisioned their Sweet Sixteen matchup last night against the Memphis Tigers. The game which ended 74-92 was basically over at halftime with the Spartans trailing by 30 points. Yeah, that hurts. It was basically no contest and the talented Tigers just dominated the game from the first minute on. But you know how it is, there are some nights when nothing is working for you and everything goes right for your opponent. It was a tough night for the Spartans, especially for seniors Drew Neitzel and Drew Naymick, who ended their college careers on a sour note. But there weren't just endings last night as the other Spartans begin their quest for greater heights next year right about now.

And with the preparation for the new season you also have to look at your shortcomings and weaknesses. Last night discovered a glaring problem of the Spartans in recent years, they not only struggle to score but they also have huge problems to operate outside of their systems. Kalin Lucas was basically the only player who constantly could create off the dribble and that just isn't enough. Next season though the Spartans will have a different look as they compliment their perimeter players with a true rock inside. Tom Izzo recruited one of the premier power forward prospects in the country in Delvon Roe and he will turn to a talented sophomore class to compensate for the losses of Neitzel and Naymick.

Next year's starting lineup will propably look like this: Kalin Lucas at point guard, Chris Allen at shooting guard, Raymar Morgan at small forward, Delvon Roe at power forward and senior Goran Suton at center. I'll take that for a start! Especially Allen and Morgan have to work on their games as they have to handle the ball better and create off the dribble for themselves. With Roe in the post the Spartans will once again be a true power team that will pride themselves on rebounding, inside game and defense. It's gonna be real interesting how the young guys around Lucas, Allen and Durrell Summers develop and if they can carry the load of the Spartans' perimeter offense. Their chances in the Big Ten seem to be pretty good with powers Indiana and Wisconsin losing quite a few talented seniors on their own. Izzo definitely has an exciting offseason in front of him and hopefully we will see positive results next year. One thing is for sure: The Spartans will be back!

Pitino's Fingerprints

Rick Pitino has nothing left to prove in college basketball. We all heard about his accolades, the Final Fours with three different programs, his 500th win earlier in the season and his NCAA Championship with the Kentucky Wildcats. Pitino is without a doubt one of the most glamorous and well respected coaching figures of our time. Yet it's always great to see this man at work and see his teams and his players thrive under the leadership of this great coach. Well, I don't know if Bruce Pearl is so happy watching it. His Tennessee Volunteers got hammered by Pitino's Louisville Cardinals 79-60 in the Sweet Sixteen last night in what was a full court clinic for almost forty minutes. The Cards beat the Vols at their own game, their own strength and now look to face Tournament favorite North Carolina in the Elite Eight. Rick Pitino once again has his team at full strength and dangerously confident at Tourney time and it not only shows in the results but also in the individual development of his players.

There is for example Earl Clark, a hot commodity among NBA scouts, who was benched earlier in the year and made the news due to violating team rules and character issues. Today, about a season later, Clark is one of the best players on this Louisville team as he showed last night with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. He looks quicker, better prepared and mentally tougher than early in the year. "The way we are playing now is just the way Coach P wants us to play", says the 6-9 Clark, who is finally living up to the hype he faced since arriving at Louisville in 2006. "It feels great to live up to his expectations and to finally click as a team at the right time." Doesn't sound like a headcase to me. More like a kid who is finally seeing the light after his coach worked hard with him through some bad times. "Earl's problem is he is so young. New York city kids, greater metropolitan area kids, are the toughest kids to coach", explains Pitino. "But once you get through them and you have them working hard, they are the greatest kids in the world to coach." It seems like he has gotten through Earl Clark who is averaging 14 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over his last seven games. Or during "the right time" as Clark said.

Another example of Pitino's influence is Terrance Williams. I remember Louisville's game fron last year's Tournament when they lost to Texas A&M in a close contest. Terrance Williams played like Terrance Williams used to play. Wasting his athletisism on the perimter, immature and as trigger happy as they come. Now, a year later, this exact same Terrance Williams is one of the vocal leaders of the Cardinals team and propably it's most unselfish player. Rarely pulling up for longrange bombs anymore, Williams has actually become a stat sheet stuffer who plays outstanding defense and gets his teammates involved. He even made school history this season, recording two triple doubles, just as many as there have been in the history of Louisville basketball before him. It's great to see the development in talented players like Clark or Williams and how they respond to good coaching and outstanding leadership. Too bad not everyone seems to commit to that as Louisville's sophomore center Derrick Caracter is thinking about entering the NBA despite being far from pro ready. He's a good buddy of Clark and maybe he should just listen to him and how listening to Pitino could actually work out. There are worse things to do than listening to one of the greatest coaches in college basketball...

SWEET SIXTEEN PREVIEW

It's time for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament 2008. Here's a preview of the Sweet Sixteen and all the great matchups that are waiting for us on Thursday and Friday:

EAST REGION








1 North Carolina vs 4 Washington State
Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte NC, Thursday, 7:27 EDT
The Tar Heels feel quite comfortable in the state of North Carolina as they have won their first two rounds by a combined margin of 69 points. The Heels scored over 100 points in both contests and proved how much they love to get the ball up and down the court and in transition. Inside they will rely on their All American superstar Tyler Hansbrough who will love WSU's physical style.
After a sluggish start to their first round game against Winthrop, the Cougars have impressed a lot of people aswell. Seniors Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver lead the way for the tough, physical Cougs who only allowed 81 points in the first two rounds. It looks like we will see a battle of systems in this one and whoever manages to control the pace of the game might come out on top.

PICK: North Carolina. The Tar Heels are basically playing a home game and they got a deeper bench than WSU. You can't underestimate the heart of the Cougars' seniors though.








3 Louisville vs 2 Tennessee
Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte NC, Thursday, 9:57 EDT
What a matchup! These two teams will throw a devastating full court press at each other and it could turn out to be one of the great games of this year's Tourney. Louisville is a lot bigger than the Vols yet they struggle to score from time to time. In the halfcourt Rick Pitino's team will look to exploit their tremendous size advantage inside with players like senior David Padgett, Derrick Caracter, Earl Clark and Juan Palacios. The X-factor for Louisville is junior Terrance Williams, who can control the game on the perimeter.
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl hopes to have his sharpshooter Chris Lofton ready for this game. The senior is battling a foot injury and the Vols would clearly miss the three point specialist. Tennessee loves to play an uptempo game and they could look to turn this game into a shootout. The Vols have to find a way to solve Lousiville's aggressive halfcourt zone.

PICK: Louisville. The Cardinals are a better defensive team overall and their advantage inside is immense. The turnover battle in this game will be interesting.
-------------------------------------------------------

WEST REGION








1 UCLA vs 12 Western Kentucky
US Airways Center, Phoenix AZ, Thursday, 9:40 EDT
This game looks like the most lopsided matchup of the regional semifinals but Bruins head coach Ben Howland knows to well to not take the Hilltoppers lightly. UCLA just survived a fistfight with Texas A&M, a game in which they basically trailed the entire game. A few experts even think, the offensively challenged Bruins got exposed in their 53-49 win. But they not only bring a lot of talent to the table, they are also a lot more experienced than their opponent.
Western Kentucky is making a bid to be this year's great cinderella story. They are led by their talented guard duo Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazelton. Both have the ability to take over a game with their shooting and their athletic ability to get into the lane. It's gonna be interesting how the Hilltoppers react to the off week and if they can get their intensity back that propelled them into this round.

PICK: UCLA. Too strong, too experienced, too deep. Western Kentucky hasn't faced a team even close to UCLA's strength and that might be their downfall. Of course we are rooting for the underdog though, go Hilltoppers!








3 Xavier vs 7 West Virginia
US Airways Center, Phoenix AZ, Thursday, 7:10 EDT
The Musketeers will have to deal with the role of the favorite once again when they square off against WVU. Led by point guard Drew Lavender, the Musketeers will look to control the tempo and pressure West Virginia's attack around junior phenom Joe Alexander. The Musketeers have a lot of options to defend against Alexander, for example senior Josh Duncan.
He has struggled a bit from the field recently but he is clearly the focal point of the Mountaineers' offense. Bob Huggins will get his troops ready for this game and he needs a big effort from Alexander's supporting cast - De'Sean Butler, Darris Nichols and Alex Ruoff. WVU will look to get their momentum back early after beating Duke in the second round on a couragous effort.

PICK: Xavier. After falling behind against Georgia in round one, the Musketeers are playing some great basketball. Their previous opponent (Purdue) was pretty similar to West Virginia and they will be ready for Huggins' team.
-------------------------------------------------------

MIDWEST REGION








1 Kansas vs 12 Villanova
Ford Field, Detroit MI, Friday, 9:40 EDT
The Jayhawks are arguably the most talented and deepest team in the entire tournament. They got a tremendous size advantage against Villanova and will look to pound the ball inside to Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson. Junior Mario Chalmers has emerged as a leader for the Jayhawks who at times lacked that one player who would take the ball and put the team on his shoulders.
Scottie Reynolds is taking that role for the Wildcats. He is a talented scorer who can explode on any given night. He will face a tough time though against the Jayhawks' vaunted backcourt defenders Chalmers and Russell Robinson. A lot will depend on the contribution from the young guys for Nova, like Corey Stokes for example who has been playing tremendous at the end of the season.

PICK: Kansas. The Jayhawks can throw a lot of different guys at Reynolds and they should be able to handle Nova's zone pressure. This should be a tremendous game as both teams have a lot of ultra quick guards who can control the tempo of the contest.








3 Wisconsin vs 10 Davidson
Ford Field, Detroit MI, Friday, 7:10 EDT
After two upsets Davidson will look to continue their tournament run against the experienced and battle tested Badgers. Wisconsin won't do Davidson the favor though of commiting 20 turnovers (like Georgetown in round two) as the Big Ten champions rarely beat themselves. They will try to slow the game down, control the tempo and win in a slugfest, just like they did all year under coach Bo Ryan.
The Wildcats have to make the game a little wild and once again depend on superstar shooter Stephen Curry, who already scored 70 points in the first two rounds. Andrew Lovedale is another important factor as he can do a little bit of everything. One thing is for sure, Davidson won't go quietly and the momentum may give them an emotional edge over the ice cold Badgers.

PICK: Davidson. Well, I don't believe they will win but it's a nice pick and we all want one true cinderella to advance. I feel though that Georgetown beat itself against the Wildcats.
-------------------------------------------------------

SOUTH REGION








1 Memphis vs 5 Michigan State
Reliant Stadium, Houston TX, Friday, 9:57 EDT
Memphis didn't do much to silence their critics in their 77:74 win against Mississippi State in round two. And coach John Calipari can make as many bets as he wants but 15 for 32 from the free throw line won't get you to a National Championship. The Tigers are talented enough though to go all the way, that's out of question. But you might wonder a bit about their mental toughness.
The Spartans didn't show any signs of mental problems when they defeated the red hot Pittsburgh Panthers in round two. Drew Neitzel filled the role of the senior leader and was unguardable down the stretch. Tom Izzo will once again have his team ready for a long, physical night and the Spartans won't back down from the physical challenge that the talented Memphis team with players like Joey Dorsey presents. Derrick Rose against Kalin Lucas at the point guard position should be an outstanding matchup to watch.

PICK: Michigan State. I root for the Spartans so I'm obviously a bit biased here. But they are as mentally tough and physical as they come and their guards are one hell of a matchup. It will be interesting who defends Raymar Morgan. Note for the refs: Please let them play and we have a classic March battle going!








3 Stanford vs 2 Texas
Reliant Stadium, Houston TX, Friday, 7:27 EDT
We just have to look at the arena and we already know that we will face an unbelievable scene. Stanford will not only have to battle a talented opponent, they will also have to deal with 50,000 raging Longhorns fans deep in the heart of Texas. Led by point guard D.J. Augustin, the Longhorns will spread the floor and then let the threes rain over the Cardinal.
The entire Texas starting lineup can drain the long range jumper and that will force the Cardinal's bigs, Brook and Robin Lopez, to step out. It will be interesting to see if Stanford can hold down the Longhorns with their D and if they can exploit their size advantage against a very stingy and quick Texas defense. The Longhorns can play themselves into a zone and with the crowd behind them, it could get a long night for Stanford.

PICK: Texas. I think I have already said why I like Texas in this one. They got the homecourt advantage and their spread offense is ideal to operate against the Cardinal who like to rely on their big men defense inside.

Good Bye Chris Webber!

It's always sad when a great player hangs up the sneakers forever. You realize that you will never see that player in action again, you will never see him dunk again, never see him fight for a rebound or make a pretty pass. You will miss him in box scores and in the starting lineup. The same thing should happen to Chris Webber when he announces his retirement after 15 years of NBA service, even though his career has been one of the more controversial and certainly more tragic in recent history...

Remembering the player Chris Webber isn't that hard. He is propably the best passing big man who ever set a foot on the NBA hardwood, his career numbers (20.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists) are staggering and live up to almost every hype the 6-10 power forward faced throughout his career. He was always entertaining, smiling and he just looked like he always had fun playing basketball. But C-Webb's legacy will never be just about his play. Thinking of Chris Webber there's always this little sore taste, may it be because of his infamous timeout in the NCAA National Championship game 1993 or because of his legal troubles (some of which resulted in the deleting of Webber's college records) over the years or this one missing NBA championship on which great players like him get judged upon. Even though he is clearly one of the great talents in the last 20 years, he was always hampered by injuries (like the knee injury that ultimatively is ending his career now) and the problems that always slowed him down will never be forgotten. In today's media you often just read about the miscues and the bad stuff concerning an athlete and his career, especially when we are talking about a guy in Webber who never really was a media favorite. People will joke about his timeout and knock him for his errors many decades from now. And Webber made mistakes, that's out of question.

But as a fan, as a basketball fan, I try to remember Webber's best years which were in Sacramento where he led some outstanding Kings teams to the top of Western Conference. These teams played some of the best team basketball that you can imagine and CWebb was a key part of those squads. I don't know the person Chris Webber, but I will clearly miss the player Chris Webber, who was nothing short of spectacular and worth every minute you watched him on the court.

MLB Opening Day in Japan

Hey, it's baseball season again! It is?! I thought the Yankees and Mets were still playing Spring Training games right now?! But didn't you see the Red Sox last night beat the Oakland Athletics 6-5 in extra inning over in Tokyo?!? You know what, I did not see it. Because I'm so not in a baseball mood right now, it's crazy. How in hell could the MLB put up such a horrible schedule and let the season start before it actually starts...

Now I would have had the chance to see the game at 11 am today in Germany but I was on the road. You guys in the US could have seen the game at 6 in the morning. And baseball wants to tell us that this is the right way to start the season?! They should have just waited until next week when all the other games start and then let the Red Sox play on the same day. It was a terrible day for baseball, a terrible day for every other country than Japan and just a terrible day to start the season. How in hell did I even get myself to write about the game yesterday?! Ehh, wake me up when the real baseball season starts!

Just Another Day In March...

There isn't a greater time for basketball than right now. There's a reason people invented the term "March Madness". It's these days when unknown players turn into heroes, when masses become fans of teams that they haven't seen before, when careers are ending and careers are made. Moments are made. Legends are made. Seconds become eternities. Winning and losing are as close as ever. These are the days a basketball fan wants to shape all days upon.

Madness is finally here! After a rather quiet first day of the NCAA Tournament yesterday, this Friday has been nothing short of spectacular. Upsets, overtimes, buzzer beaters, floor burners, hard fouls... make your pick, we have seen it all today!

The day started with what should have been an easy game for the number two seed from Tennessee. But the resistant American Eagles gave the high flying Volunteers all they could handle. In the end Chris Lofton and company did what not every favorite was able to, they survived with a scare. From Little Rock we go to Raleigh, North Carolina, where the young Stephen Curry proved to be everything experts made him out to be before the first round clash between his Davidson Wildcats and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. And even more. Curry, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, put his team on his smallish shoulders and they sunk the Zags 82:76 from downtown. In the end he had 40 points, 30 of them in the second half, to give Davidson it's first Tourney victory since the 1960s. Talk about making history! Back to Arkansas and another small guy stepping up big. Miami's Jack McClinton shook off a sluggish start against St. Mary's and scored 38 points. He even finished with 32 in the second half to power the Hurricanes to a 78:64 win.

On to the next round for the Hurricanes and for us to Tampa, Florida. Or overtime town as we might call it today. Drake vs Western Kentucky - OT! Drama all over the court. Jonathan Cox, a walk on for Drake, exploding for a double double but on the other side tiny guard Tyrone Brazelton would not be denied. He took it to the hole time and time again and he also found the ball in his hands down one and with only seconds to go in the extra period. What does he do?! He just scored a career high 33 points but he gives it up to Ty Rogers, who lets it go... for the win... got it! At the buzzer! The first huge upset of the Tourney! Players fall all over each other after the 101:99 thriller win! About 2 and a half hours later we are right in the middle of another dandy. UConn faces elimination but the Huskies won't back down from the San Diego Torreros. Without their leader A.J. Price (best wishes to him and a quick recovery) they never give up, only to fall short in the end. The clock showed 1.2 seconds in OT when all dreams of San Diego came true and all the Huskies hopes shattered with a basket by De'Jon Jackson. The final pass, a hopeless attempt at stopping the inevitable, got intercepted and the party was on for the Torreros!

This is just a short try to put a little of the excitement, of the fascination, of the drama into a text. You gotta see it to believe it. Today was a day that showed everything March Madness is about. And it was just the start to another great time of basketball. To another terrific NCAA Tournament. Even though it was just another day in March...

Recap: O.J. Mayo vs Michael Beasley

Now usually I hate to concentrate on two players when I talk about a game. I mean basketball is a team sport and there are definitely more important stories to the Tournament than individuals. Anyways, we most likely got a close look at two of the top five picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, O.J. Mayo from the USC Trojans and Kansas State's Michael Beasley. So let's judge their performance from last night and take a look at their potential in the future.

The game: Kansas State won 80:67 behind a balanced attack, yet the deciding factors were definitely Michael Beasley (23 points, 11 rebounds) and his fellow freshman Bill Walker (22 points). The Wildcats opened up an early lead against a struggling Trojans who had no answer for K-State on the boards. Both teams had to fight through foul trouble the entire night and overall I thought the refs did a terrible job of destroying the flow of the game. Sometimes you just have to let the players play and not call every ticky tack contact. Awful officiating job yesterday! The Trojans' offense was a complete mess, partly due to the stifling Wildcats' defense but also because of the stubborness of head coach Tim Floyd. He limits his impressive athletes to slow und predictable halfcourt sets (counter screen after counter screen) and he rarely opens up the offense. No wonder that USC looked the best when O.J. Mayo started to take the ball to the hole and dish to open teammates. Overall Mayo finished with 20 points and 5 assists, but outside of Davon Jefferson (15 points) he got little help from his buddies.

O.J. Mayo: Mayo had an up and down game last night. At times he looks as impressive as they come and in other situations he just seems to be far away from anything special. Yet you can't deny the unlimited potential this guy has. When he even gets the smallest daylight his outside jumper is as automatic as they come. Very quick release, high arch and good elevation. On top of that his shot looks extremely effortless. His outstanding longrange jumper will already make him a good pro.
His ballhandling is solid, yet he hasn't really shown a second gear. Mayo rarely looks to operate outside of the offensive sets which can be seen as a positive or negative. Yesterday he should have taken over when his team was struggling, but again, I blame nobody who is part of a Tim Floyd offense. His body is NBA ready and he can take the ball to the hole. As of now, he often pulls up for the outside shot, something he has to change in the future. He also has to learn how to set up his drive with his jumper as defenders guard him really close. At times he just puts his head down and rams to the hole, something that you often see with physical impressive players and which clearly can be corrected.

His court awareness is good (especially in the open court) despite some stupid turnovers when he tried to make a spectacular play instead of a solid one. That approach clearly changes on defense where Mayo rarely gambles and handles himself very well. He has long arms, quick feet and the strength to be an even better defender than he already is.
Overall, Mayo is a very good NBA prospect as he will be even more effective with the court opening up. I see him as a shooting guard on the next level. He has the size for the position but can also bring the ball up and man the point from time to time. This versatility and his mental toughness will bode well on any team. He has to work on his quickness (it seems he put more emphasis on weight lifting early in his career) and on his midrange game. You would also like to see a little more emotion from him, yet you only hear positive things about him from teammates and coaches at USC.

Michael Beasley: Beasley struggled early yesterday because of foul trouble but didn't miss out on the chance to show his impressive skillset to a national audience. At 19 years of age, he is very strong and athletic. Despite only being a generous 6-9, he is a tremendous presence in the paint where he always presents himself as a target and almost never gets pushed off the block. That might change in the NBA when he faces taller and stronger competition.
Beasley really doesn't impress as much with his physical ability but with the skillset he possesses. As a lefty he does a great job attacking the basket from all angles and even finishes well with the right hand on occasion. For a big man (which he clearly is in college) he handles the ball extremely well and can easily step out to knock down a jumper or take bigger opponents off the dribble. His hand coordination is outstanding as he catches everything. He is a matchup nightmare on the college level and if he further develops his perimeter skills, he should be in the NBA, too. He is a prolific scorer who has a knack for getting his shot off and for developing offense where there is none. In college he is mainly double or even triple teamed, which makes it hard at times to evaluate his talents. But it also tells you how dominant he is even without looking at his numbers.
The most dominant part about Beasley's game might be his rebounding. With long arms and a great timing, there isn't a board out there he won't be able to get. Especially on the offensive end it's hard to keep the crafty forward from getting a putback. On defense he is willing to challenge shots but has quite a few mental lapses. Not many guys challenge him in college but in the post he gives up ground a bit easy and doesn't really realize his potential in that area of the game.

As it happens with O.J. Mayo, there are discussions about his position on the next level. Is he a power forward or a small forward? He clearly has the talent to be either one but does he also have the size or the quickness to play inside or outside? No matter where he will end up, you won't find as many naturally gifted players with the variety of talent that Beasley brings to the table. And guys like him shouldn't be limited to one position. I'm not sure how much of a team player he is as he is a willing passer but he also tends to be in his own world at times. His coach really lets him do what he wants and I never like that during the education as a basketball player. But anyways, Beasley is an outstanding prospect and he should easily be the top overall pick in the NBA Draft 2008.

Overall: Now I don't want anyone to judge these players just because of the game yesterday. A player is almost never as good or as bad as he looks in one single game. I've watched plenty of these two guys over the course of the season and my conclusion is that any team that gets either Mayo or Beasley, will have a lot of fun with them and a great cornerstone for the future of their franchise.

NCAA Tourney underway

You guys should have seen me today... I had to work until about 6 pm (european time) which meant I was 40 minutes late for the Xavier vs Georgia tipoff. Damn! On top of that my mom calls me and tells me I have to get a pack of water bottles. I bought them at the supermarket and then I was running with that 6 bottle pack under my arm all the way to my house. Of course it was nasty cold and it was raining. What a great start to the NCAA Tournament 2008!

But hell, who cares? The games had already began and I was looking forward to the Michigan State/Temple matchup. I'm rooting for the Spartans and they should atleast make it out of the first round. First box score 30:17 Spartans! Yes! I had already jumped off my bed again. The next hour or so I followed the Spartans game closely and enjoyed them running away with it early in the second half. Just like most of favored teams the Spartans really didn't have that much trouble leading throughout basically the entire contest. Just like Kansas, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Purdue. Xavier was in a dogfight with the Georgia Bulldogs who continued their frenetic bid for keeping their season alive. Too bad these guys ran out of gas in the second half but they put up a great fight.
Just like Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley from the Kentucky Wildcats. Both senior, they went up against a tough Marquette team and basically took the depleted Wildcats team on their back. Crawford was incredible with 35 points but it shouldn't be enough as the Golden Eagles survived 74:66. But this is what March Madness is all about - seniors stepping up, teams fighting against the odds and their inevitable destiny. I tip my hat to Crawford, Bradley and their teammates!
I can't tip it though for Kent State. Well yes, maybe I can. I had money on UNLV (who crushed Kent by 13) and on Marquette. So thank you Kent State for putting up the lowest total in a first half in NCAA history. It sure was worth the money for me, paired with a foul call three seconds before the buzzer in the Marquette game. Sometimes you need a little luck.

Hopefully we'll also be a bit luckier and the action picks up a bit. The weekend already waits for us with some great matchups. Michigan State vs Pitt is an example. And right about now, in a couple of minutes, this Mayo guy and the Beasley kid going up against each other, that should be pretty entertaining too...

Interview with Wilson Chandler

A couple of weeks ago I met with Knicks rookie Wilson Chandler in New York and we did a short interview. He was a great guy, very friendly, humble and nice to be around. Here's what the emerging youngster had to say:

MW: Wilson, how does it feel to finally get some serious playing time after spending a lot of time on the bench earlier in the season?
WC: It definitely feels good. I mean you always want to be out there as a player. Right now I'm starting to get a feel for the game and I'm starting to get my rhythm back. I try to work hard, get easy shots and play hard.

MW: How tough was it for you to sit on the bench for basically the entire first half of the season?
WC: It was really tough coming out of college where I played a lot. It was a difficult experience and a big adjustment for me. But I tried to stay focused and work hard for my minutes.

MW: What was the toughest adjustment coming into the NBA? Was it the speed or the size of the opponents?
WC: It is everything. You are playing the best players in the world night in and night out. You have to be ready every day and you have to be mentally prepared for that.

MW: For a rookie you seem to be very calm and confident. Tell us why you aren't as hesitant as many rookies?
WC: I sat on the bench a long time so I knew when I get in there I had to be ready. I had to be aggressive and make plays. It is a chance and an opportunity for me to play and I want to make the best out of it.

MW: Who helped you the most in the beginning of the season?
WC: Definitely Malik Rose and Quentin Richardson. They kept me focused and tried to held my confidence up.

MW: What part of your game do you think needs the most work?
WC: I have to work on my ball handling and also on my shooting. I try to be a complete player but these two things definitely stand out to me.

MW: Was there any moment where you thought that you have arrived in the NBA and that you are a part of the league?
WC: It was on Draft Night actually. It was a great experience when I heard my name called. It was a dream come true for me. Every day I'm still thankful and happy that I made it to the NBA and it's a great feeling.

MW: Thanks a lot Wilson and good luck!
WC: Thank you!

Red Sox Standing Up

Today I thought I might give the Red Sox/Blue Jays Spring Training game a look as it was televised at a favorable time for me here in Germany. I decided to take a short nap before the game and of course, I overslept. So I turn on the TV about a half hour late and I didn't see any balls thrown. The Red Sox were striking!

What happened? There was a miscommunication between the Red Sox and the MLB about the compensation of their coaching staff for the upcoming trip to Japan. The Red Sox players decided to delay the game and even put the flight to Japan in jeopardy until they felt that their coaches would be treated fairly. Mike Lowell said it was out of question that the players would stand up for what he called is part of the family: "I'm very proud of this team. The vote was unanimous, unlike the one for the trip (to Japan), and it was clear that we would not put up with this." Quite a noble gesture for a professional team and it only reflects the atmosphere and the togetherness in the Red Sox clubhouse. It is something you can't teach and the reigning World Champions definitely did the right thing today.

Now as I am awake, the game has finally started. Doesn't it seem to be the greatest thing to participate in Spring Training? Great weather, laid back atmosphere, work here and there... must be great to be a baseball player in the month of March. Just like it must be awesome to be a Red Sox staff member, knowing the players stand behind you!

Knicks GM Position: Be Careful

With recent rumors about Donnie Walsh replacing Isiah Thomas as the Knicks general manager, I thought I would take a look into this. I believe the rumor is pulled out of the air and is creation by the New York media. But that's not the point. The thing I fear in this whole discussion that the Knicks organization may settle for less when replacing Isiah just because the current state of the franchise is so unbelievably bad.

Now I'm not talking about Donnie Walsh here. He's well respected around basketball and had a terrific run in Indiana. I would say his quality as an executive in the NBA is out of question. Plus he's a New York guy. But just the idea of getting a new GM presents the huge opportunity for the Knicks to once again screw up this franchise for another few years. Now of course everyone wants to see Isiah gone as both GM and head coach. Yet the Knicks organization should be careful who they choose as their new guy. Don't set the standard low just because Isiah was as good to the Knicks as Britney Spears is at 5am behind a steering wheel. Don't settle for anything less than a person who you fully trust and who comes with as few question marks and baggage as possible. If they look in the direction of the caliber of Donnie Walsh, fine. But if not... replacing Isiah is a huge chance for this franchise. The Knicks basically can't fall any lower and a new guy would have a lot of credit with the fans and everyone in New York. But the Knicks have to realize that they should look to make the most out of this chance. Don't treat it like a normal personal change, it is not. It will be a monumental change and hopefully for the good...

NCAA TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

It's time fellas! With the opening round game or play in game (or whatever the NCAA wants to call it) tonight between Mount St. Mary's and Coppin State, the NCAA Tournament 2008 gets under way. Life is good, isn't it? Well, actually not many people care about the play in game and the NCAA should get rid of it as soon as possible but nevermind. I'll propably still put some money on the game even though I haven't seen any of the two teams play all year. Shame on me I guess. But enough of me, meaningless play in games and my addiction to betting college basketball, the Big Dance is here and it's time to have a little preview of the action to come! I will try to break down every region and say a few words about the teams here and there. Don't expect too many bold upset predicitons as we already heard enough from every expert around the world. Nobody knows what will happen and that's the great thing about the Tourney.

EAST REGION

The North Carolina Tar Heels seem to have a pretty easy way to the Final Four. By securing the number one seed in their region, the ACC champions will play in Charlotte, Raleigh and... well, that's it! If they make it through the first four games in the state of Carolina they'll be in the Final Four. The task is far from being easy though when we look at the rest of the bracket. In the second round the Tar Heels will have to take on either Arkansas or struggling Indiana, who make up for one of the most interesting first round matchups.
Everyone seems to be picking the 6th seed Oklahoma being upset by St. Joseph's and that might not even be a bad idea. Other strong contenders in the East will be the Louisville Cardinals and the Tennessee Volunteers. Both can throw an excellent full court press at you and have a load of talent on their roster. Having Rick Pitino and Bruce Pearl on their benches won't hurt either. I would love to see that matchup in the Sweet Sixteen and then watch the winner test UNC. Other teams that could make some noise include sharp shooting Notre Dame, the tough Cougars of Washington State and the Butler Bulldogs. They might find themselves in a tough environment, though, facing South Alabama in Birmingham.

MIDWEST REGION

As it happened, two of my favorite teams were seeded in the Midwest: Kansas as the number one seed and the Georgetown Hoyas as the number two. Both play different styles but not only have the depth and toughness to make it to the Final Four but also the talent. The Hoyas need their senior center Roy Hibbert to step up and lead the way, something he did in the Tourney a year ago against the likes of Greg Oden and Tyler Hansbrough. I'm looking forward to see the big fella developing a little mean streak.
I'm not to high on the third seed Wisconsin. This isn't Big Ten play anymore and their style has proved to be vulnerable in the emotional atmosphere of March Madness. In the second round they will get a look at either O.J. Mayo (USC) or Michael Beasley (Kansas State), who will meet in a showdown of super freshman in Omaha. Both will be looking to solidify their draft stock and their legacy which should make up for an outstanding duel. Other possible bracket busters are the Clemson Tigers, who had an outstanding ACC Tournament led by James Mays, K.C. Rivers and Trevor Booker, Vanderbilt with sharpshooting Shan Foster and maybe even Davidson and Stephen Curry, who won 22 games in a row coming in!

SOUTH REGION

Ah, Memphis, you and your weak conference and your free throw struggles. Man, I'm tired of hearing that. This is a very good team, plain and simple, and they can beat anybody in the Tourney. They aren't more vulnerable than North Carolina, UCLA or any other favorite. With that said, a tough road is awaiting them in the South as they not only might meet either Pittsburgh or Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen, but also might face the Texas Longhorns deep in the heart of Texas. Doesn't that sound great.
All year I've been preaching that the Michigan State Spartans are a dangerous team. They were highly inconsistent during the season though and at times only proved dangerous to the records for lowest points totals in the Big Ten. Anways, with Tom Izzo at the helm and a talented team, the Spartans could go further than many expect them to go. I'll stick to my picks! Texas is an outstanding team led by Point Guard D.J. Augustin and they can sink you from long range. Depth seems to be no issue anymore, either.
I don't really like Stanford, I just can't stand the Lopez knuckleheads. Kentucky against Marquette seems like a great first round matchup but it really isn't. The Golden Eagles will advance as the Wildcats with or without Patrick Patterson (who I like) aren't anything special. They should have never been in the Tourney to begin with and now all they got left are Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford. Not enough if you ask.

WEST REGION

Will they make it this time? After reaching the Final Four in each of the last two seasons, the UCLA Bruins finally want to make the next and last step. The schedule looks really good for them on paper. The next three seeds Duke, Xavier and UConn haven't played particularly well at the end of the season and might be vulnerable to even be upset before meeting the Bruins. A Kevin Love/Hasheem Thabeet matchup would be one hell of a game though in the Sweet Sixteen.
A very interesting matchup awaits us between the number five seed Drake and the 12th seed from Western Kentucky. Both seem to fit the makeup of a cinderella to a tee. I really like the Hilltoppers' name and their guard heavy lineup around the strong Courtney Lee. He might look to shoot himself into the first round of the upcoming NBA Draft and this is his last chance to shine on the college stage.
Many people expect a lot out of Xavier. After seeing them in last year's Tourney, I would agree. After seeing them lose to St. Joseph's twice in recent weeks, I have my doubts. They are a good team though. But we won't root for them in the first round as they face Georgia. What an incredible run by the Bulldogs that was in the SEC Tournament, great for them and for college basketball! The Dukies have fallen off a bit lately but we'll see what happens. Coach K is a mastermind yet they lack inside game and are too dependant on the outside jumper.

MY PICK TO WIN IT ALL

KANSAS - very deep and talented team, inside outside attack, strong guards. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

I guess the last remaining thing to do is to wish everyone a great Tourney and enjoy the excitement that we only have for these precious weekends in March. For a basketball fan this is the greatest time of the year! Let's play ball!

How good is Jerricho Cotchery?

Jerricho Cotchery is not a speed burner, but he's not really slow either. He's tough, actually tough as nails. Standing 6-0, he's not particularly tall yet you also wouldn't call him undersized. You would call him good, but how good? A question many Jets fans may have to ask themselves with the latest offseason development.

2007 was a career year for the physical wideout from North Carolina State. He once again did what he does best, being a tough possession receiver and racking up big numbers after the catch. He matched his career high in receptions from the year before (82) and he collected a personal best 1130 receiving yards. That places him 16th among NFL mide receivers and actually fits right in with what many people think about the 25-year old. He is a great number two receiver, but a number one? Ehhh... now I wouldn't really disagree with that notion as Cotchery surely lacks some things to be a true elite receiver in the NFL. We are talking TO, Moss or Larry Fitzgerald type here. Because outside of these guys, "Cotch" has to fear no comparison around the league.

If we take another look at his stats we see he actually only played 15 games last season. If we assume that he would have gotten his yard average in his only missed game against Miami, then his rank among the NFL receiving corps looks a lot more impressive all of a sudden. Adding an average of 75 yards to Cotchery's total of 1130 would give him 1205 for the season. I know, I know, I'm playing with a lot of numbers and speculation here but hey, how unrealistic would it be that Cotchery catches balls for 75 yards against the oh so great Dolphins?! Anyways, back to the numbers game. With 1205 receiving yards Cotchery would suddenly rank 8th in the entire NFL. The guys in front of him? Reggie Wayne, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall and Braylon Edwards. Pretty good group if you ask me. And right behind them... the underappreciated Jerricho Cotchery from the New York Jets. Yes, from the same Jets team that started the season with Chad Pennington at quarterback. A guy who was lucky that the wind didn't carry his passes backwards. And yes, also the same Jets who replaced Pennington with first year quarterback Kellen Clemens who was just getting used to the league.

Ok, let's see, what else can we take into consideration when we want to judge Mr Cotchery... ahh of course, the wideout next to him: Laveranues Coles. In the four games without Coles, who is widely regarded as the Jets' main receiver, Cotchery upped his average to 81 yards per game. He surely missed his buddy! Maybe he will miss even more as the Jets and Coles are in the middle of some heated contract talks and rumors has it that Coles is even considering sitting out some time for not getting a new deal. That would leave the Jets pretty thin at wide receiver with... yes, only Jerricho Cotchery! New York will likely add a rookie or two, but can you count on these guys?! Who knows. But after a terrific season last year the Jets know one thing. No, not only that the Patriots can't get Cotchery's knee to the ground (what a play that was). No, the Jets also know that they got one hell of a receiver in Jerricho Cotchery. Number one, two or ten.... it doesn't matter, this guy is one hell of a football player!

KU/UT: What A Ballgame!

Now I only watched this one in front of my TV and even I am completely out of breath. Fran Fraschilla said it best: "What a ballgame!" Now I've have seen a few basketball games in my lifetime but this Big 12 Championship Game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Texas Longhorns is without a doubt one of the greatest games I've ever seen.

Man, where is my water bottle?! These two teams ran up and down the court with a pace that would have rivaled the one of a Nascar race. You had everything out there - outstanding teams, tough defense, top pro prospects (Darrell Arthur fellas), stars stepping up, a great college atmosphere and so on! In the end Kansas pulled it out, 84-74, but two teams who deliver such a wonderful and outstanding game can only both be considered winners! Kansas came out firing only to see the Longhorns match them long bomb for long bomb, block for block and play for play. Just when you thought one team would maybe take over a bit, the other club went on a run of their own. We saw 14 lead changes and the quality and intensity of play you only experience in college basketball.

I actually had money on this game, taking Kansas with the spread of 5.5 and so I clearly had my favorite in this contest. But man, even I was just smiling with joy over some of the incredible plays the Longshorns made. They followed their leader D.J. Augustin, who sadly ran out of gas later in the game, and never showed any shortage of desire. What an effort and nobody on the Longhorns side should hang their heads tonight. The hero though was a member of the Jayhawks: Mario Chalmers. The junior guard, known as a ferocious defender, exploded for 30 points on 10 for 15 shooting and 8 for 12 from behind the arc. He never backed down even though Augustin went crazy early and he was just lights out from the outside. He often found himself as the recipient of oustanding Kansas ball movement, as the Jayhawks had 24 assists on 25 field goals. Wow!

I could bring up more numbers, stats, game situations or whatever analysis - you must have seen it to believe it! Now the stage was big but we aren't through with the season. March has just begun and this game had everything that you love about this beautiful month where basketball is at it's best. Too bad this couldn't have been the National Championship Game, because tonight both teams played like champions...

Pitt: The Power Of Will

After losing last year to Georgetown and having to fight the image of runners up in the Big East Championship game, the Pittsburgh Panthers send others home this time thinking about what could have been. And I'm sure with numerous New York kids on their roster, they found some nice spots to celebrate last night in the Big Apple.

After losing six of their last seven Championship Games, Pitt took revenge for the humiliating loss in last year's final, beating the reigning champs from Georgetown 74-65. And exactly here lies the secret of the win. The Panthers were the underdogs, yet they felt they had something to prove. They wanted this game a little bit more and it showed throughout the forty minutes. They got 18 offensive rebounds and made the little plays that ultimatively can decide such a game. Despite playing their fourth game in four nights, it proved that you can make up for fatigue by sheer will, determination and again, wanting it a little bit more.

The Georgetown Hoyas weren't ready last night. Not that I'm saying they didn't want to win this game, they obviously wanted to, but they couldn't get up for this game like the Panthers could. Maybe they already had their minds on the NCAA Tourney or maybe they just never broke out of their usual ice cold routine. That can be a problem later in March. It didn't help that Pittsburgh shot 35 more free throws then the Hoyas but so what. Congratulations to head coach Jamie Dixon and his Panthers!

Clemson Gets Them This Time

Everybody was already thinking about another North Carolina versus Duke matchup after UNC's miracle in the first semifinal in the ACC Tournament. Not so quick fellas and take a minute to celebrate with the Clemson Tigers! Clemson against Duke?! Yes you heard it right, after losing twenty two in a row to the hated Blue Devils, the Tigers finally pulled one out against all odds.

Last year Clemson already had a fairytale season under coach Oliver Purnell but they collapsed toward the end. This year it's a different story. And there also wasn't any collapse in tonight's game. Led by the emphatic frontcourt duo of James Mays (17 points) and Trevor Booker (18 points) the Tigers ran away with the victory in the closing moments, 78-74. It was a fast paced game due to the never ending full court pressure by the Tigers, who never got tired and completely disrupted Duke's rythmn offensively. They forced the Dukies out of their comfort zone and into a miserable 6 for 26 performance from behind the arc.

But tonight is not about Duke, their overrated freshman Kyle Singler (1 for 9 from the floor) or everybody's darling Greg Paulus. It's a historic night for the Clemson Tigers basketball program. And when people think back in a few years on this day, they will not only remember the relentless play of Mays and Booker inside. They will also think of senior guard Cliff Hammonds, who was playing despite a broken wrist on his non shooting hand. Now that is toughness! On top of even being out there, Hammonds tallied in 17 points, including key free throws in the final minutes of the game. If the Tigers continue to have players with that great a heart, I'm sure they won't have to wait another twenty two until they beat Duke again...