College Basketball Transfer Rankings

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. According to our very own Jeremy Powers, Mark Lyons (pictured above) is one of the big transfers to keep an eye on in 2012/2013.

By Jeremy Powers

College basketball players are on the move now more than ever. Most programs are in need of that one spark plug to help the team get over that proverbial hump. Here are the top ten college basketball transfers that will help their teams improve this season.

10. Jabari Brown (Missouri) – Brown was a highly talented recruit, which was supposed to help rebuild a Oregon program that hasn’t made it to the NCAA tournament in recent years. After two games in Eugene, the shooter from California jumped ship and will help replace Kim English and Marcus Denmon.

9. Mark Lyons (Arizona) – A former Atlantic 10 standout while at Xavier, Lyons will bring back court depth and leadership to Arizona. Lyons will be making the transition to point guard for his former coach Sean Miller.

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Throwback Saturday Part X

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Kemba Walker (pictured above) was the face of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Who will be the face of the 2012 version of March Madness?

By Josh Kramer

Two and a half months later and “Throwback Saturdays” are still going strong.  Welcome to edition ten of our weekly throwback day. What was happening on March 24, 2011?  How about on March 24, 2010?  I have a gut feeling that March Madness was discussed in some facet.  Let’s take a look back and see what the major happenings were and how accurate I was with my analysis.

One year ago..

Sweet 16: Day 1 Predictions

Here is a snippet..

Connecticut vs San Diego State:  Can you say Kemba?  UConn has won 7 straight and are a perfect 10 and 0 in tournament play on the year heading into tomorrow’s showdown with a very talented and higher seeded San Diego Aztecs team.  Now I realize that most of the national media has been grilling the Big East.  I mean who wouldn’t.  The conference began the tourney with 11 teams and only 2 still remain as we begin the Sweet 16.  Let me state though, both of the teams still standing went 9 and 9 in conference play.  Name me another team that is still standing in this bracket that went 500 in conference play.  I will do one even better.  Name me a team that did not finish in the top 4 of their conference that is still alive.  But back to the topic at hand.  San Diego State is also on a hot streak of their own having won 7 consecutive games.  43, 25, and 30 sums it up for me though when looking at this matchup  (Jimmer’s point totals vs SDSU this year). Though the Aztecs play very solid defense and also have a very well-rounded scoring attack, they have failed to slow down teams with elite scorers all year.  Good luck slowing down Kemba.  At least one Big East team will find their way into the Elite Eight.  And it will be the UConn Huskies as they gut out 3 point victory behind the Kemba Show.

BYU vs Florida:  On paper, this game appears to favor the Cougars.  They put up over 80 points a game.  They have the edge on the boards.  And I could go on.  But not so fast.  BYU has not been the same since the dismissal of starting center Brandon Davies for breaking University rules.  Well this will be the first NCAA Tournament game where this vacancy in the paint really hurts.  It will also be the first game in the tournament where BYU plays a team seeded higher than 11^th.  The Gators are very deep and talented, and will be the loan SEC team to nab a spot in the Elite Eight.  The Jimmer Show has to end at some point.  Plus Bobby Knight laid out how you stop Jimmer on SportsCenter.  You better believe that Florida Coach Billy Donovan took notes on what the legend said.  I am going to stick with my original pick in this one as well. Gators by 2 in a thriller (To finish reading this post, click this link).

A Huggins Guy

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Kevin Jones (pictured above) is your typical "Huggins Guy" and will very likely be a lottery pick at the NBA Draft in June.

By Josh Kramer

Bob Huggins is known for three things by the American public.  Winning, toughness, and of course drinking.  Huggins established himself as one of the elite coaches in America during his sixteen year tenure in Cincinnati.  During that time, Huggins won an astounding 399 games (average of 25 a year), went to three Elite Eights, and of course earned UC their first trip to the Final Four in nearly 30 years.  In addition, Huggins lived and breathed toughness.  This was reflected in how his players approached every game.

Many in Cincinnati grew to love the man often referred to as “Huggy Bear.”  They loved his very casual dress, his temper-tantrums, and of course the fact that he won.  And not only did the fans worship Huggins, but so did his players.  Bob Huggins may not be the best X’s and O’s guy.  He also may not be the best recruiter in the country.  But I can safely say that Bob Huggins is the best coach in America at getting the optimum effort level out of his players on a nightly basis.  There will never be questions about effort and backbone when talking about a player on a Bob Huggins team. Huggins developed players to fit his system.  A good few of these guys are commonly referred to as “Huggins Guys.”  I am talking about players like Kenyon Martin, Jason Maxiel, Eric Hicks, and I could go on in terms of Cincinnati.  From a West Virginia standpoint, I am referring to guys like Joe Alexander, Da’Sean Butler, and this list will continue to grow in time.

The following are the characteristics of a “Huggins Guy.”

Weekly Nickel 1-23-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Can Petra Kvitova (picturd above) rise to the top of Women's tennis by winning the Australian Open?

By Josh Kramer

After a “Monster Saturday” in College Hoops, NFL Championship Weekend, and the death of a legend, we head into what should be another great week in sports with heavy hearts.  Also, do not forget about a pretty big time tennis tournament occurring in Australia that is still going on despite the absence of any American men in the draw.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The biggest game in American sports is set.  A rematch of Super Bowl XLII (42), pitting two of the biggest sports markets in the country (Boston and New York) against one another.  And you all know what that means.  Let the media blitz begin.  Though many get sick and tired of all of the hoopla and overly done analysis regarding the ultimate game in football, at least it is still fresh and new today.  All eyes will be on Indianapolis over the next two weeks.  And no, people will not be watching Peyton Manning. We will be watching Eli in the house that Peyton built..

“Food for Thought 3-15-11”

I am not sure how Florida Coach Billy Donovan (pictured above) and the Gators received a number 2 seed. But you can count on the Southeast Region to be a wild one.

It is an extreme chore not to focus all of my attention on the NCAA Tournament.  And I will admit, the majority of my thought over the past 24 hours has been focused on the Madness.  How should I fill out my bracket?  Will it be an upset city marathon like last year?  Or will all the parity hype just be for not?  Well there is one thing I do know.  The Southeast Region will by far be the most unpredictable.  Since viewing the Selection Show on Sunday, I was utterly shocked at the way this region came out.

“Steve Lavin: A Genius?”

Steve Lavin's arrival in New York appears to be a match made in heaven. Can he bring the St. John's program it's first National Championship?

St. John’s is at it again.  Another top ten team fell at the hands of the Red Storm today.  A Pittsburgh team that had seemed to have mastered the rigors and challenges of the Big East Conference was unable to handle the athleticism and toughness of St. John’s on this day.  And lets be entirely real, Pittsburgh is quite possibly the “baddest” team in the land.  No team can play the grind it out physical style that Pittsburgh plays.  They have mastered what the term “winning ugly” means during the Jamie Dixon tenure.  Watching Pitt play brings back memories of the Bob Huggin’s Bearcat “Bad” Boys of the 90s and early 2000s.