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).

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NBA Mid-Season Awards

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Chris Paul (pictured above) has made "Lob City" possible and turned the Clippers into a contender. He is also Wesley Kaminsky's pick for the MVP thus far.

By Wesley Kaminsky

With half of the condensed season done, the NBA world has seen everything from the Clippers becoming relevant to the legend of Jeremy Lin, also known as “Linsanity.” For NBA fanatics, this season has been fantastic, as there are games on every night. With a much-needed All-Star break coming up for the players, who is making the biggest impact this season? Here are my mid-season awards.

MVP: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers:

Look, the obvious choice for the MVP award this season is LeBron James, who has been simply sensational from Day 1. He’s averaging 27.6 points, 8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. He’s also on the team that has the best record in basketball. Having said that, he doesn’t get my vote. Chris Paul does. Paul inherited a 32-50 Clipper team and has turned them into a contender. At 20-11, the Clippers are sitting atop the Pacific Division, with Paul averaging 19.2 points and 8.6 assists per game. He has been the catalyst all season long and is the main reason why the Clippers are for once relevant. I continue to try to make my case that on a team that features both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, neither of them should win the MVP award.

Throwback Saturday Part II

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. One year ago to the day, I predicted Kemba Walker (pictured above) would win the Naismith National Player of the Year Award in College Hoops. I was wrong, but Kemba currently is outdoing Jimmer Fredette at the professional ranks.

By Josh Kramer

“To know your future, you must know your past.” Welcome to the second edition of “Throwback Saturday.”  It is always fun to look back and reminisce.  And if you are not a fan of looking back, well, this post is not for you I guess.  So what was happening in the wide world of sports on January 28, 2011?  What was happening on January 28, 2010?  Let’s take a trip back and find out.

Two years ago..

23=Amazing

Here is a little snippet.

Roger Federer last evening clinched a birth in the Australian Open semifinals.  He did not play his best tennis, but woke up when he needed to and took care of the very talented Nikolay Davydenko.  Federer was the only player ranked in the top 4 to take care of business and stay alive.  Djokovic and Nadal both were unsuccessful in their quests to make it to the semis of the first Grand Slam of the year.

But isn’t consistency Roger’s middle name?  The man has made 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals!  Now take that in for a minute.  That means that Federer has not been knocked out of a Grand Slam tourney before the semifinals for 6 years.  No wonder he holds the all time record with 15 Grand Slam titles.

So is the number 23 synonymous with greatness?  Arguably the greatest basketball player of all time Michael Jordan sported the number 23.  Arguably, the best basketball player on the planet now sports the number 23, Lebron James (To finish reading the post, click this link).

First Half of 2011: The ball is over

Photo courtesy of The Epoch Times. 2011 started off with a fantastic BCS National Championship Game. Things have really gone sour with the NBA lockout beginning last night at midnight.

By Josh Kramer

We are at the half way marker of the year 2011. It is definitely hard to believe.  But 2011 has been an absolutely phenomenal year in the sporting world thus far.  Yet for every up, there has been a down sadly.  Here is a further look:

BCS National Championship Game (January 10th)

NBA draft 2011: 5 must-miss prospects and 5 possible steals

Photo courtesy of USAToday.com. Kenneth Faried (pictured above) led the country in rebounds this past season. Our very own Nick Craddock thinks that Faried can one of the major steals of this year's lackluster draft class.

By Nick Craddock

As you’ve probably heard, the 2011 NBA draft is shaping up to be one of the weakest in years.

Rumor has it that one of the possible taglines the NBA league office considered to promote the event was: NBA draft 2011…where underwhelming talent happens.

In fact, if we likened all the hopeful hoopers waiting to hear their name called at the Prudential Center in friendly Newark, N.J. — Madison Square Garden is unavailable to serve as the venue this year because of scheduled renovations — to popsicles, then all the NBA teams have a disappointing box full of grape-flavored popsicles to select from (maybe there’s an orange or raspberry hidden somewhere in the box).

Just as any sane person should consciously avoid grape popsicles (I don’t care how hot it gets, I won’t settle for grape), if I’m an NBA GM, I’m avoiding taking these prospects:

Weekly Nickel 6-20-2011

Photo courtesy of draftpacks.com. My main event for this week in the wide world of sports is none other than the NBA Draft, set for Thursday night.

By Josh Kramer

Last week was absolutely wild.  A Stanley Cup Game 7.  Riots in Vancouver.  A 22-year-old making a mockery of golf on the big stage. Plus there was continued hope,  and then loss of hope from the NFL regarding a possible CBA.  What should you be looking forward to this week?

The smarts of Knight or the pure talent of Walker?

By Matt Murray

Photo courtesy nbablogs.net

Your team needs a distributer, the central component to a successful NBA team.This upcoming draft class is about as questionable as the NBA actually having a 2011-12 season, but there is plenty of potential for some diamonds in the rough. Among them lies the big question: who is going to be the top point guard- Kemba Walker or Brandon Knight?

ESPN’s Chad Ford weighed in, saying that he would take Kemba for the short term, but an NBA team that wanted a PG for the long haul should take Brandon Knight. In a follow-up question, Ford said the same when comparing Knight to Jimmer. It seems that prospects are seeing quite a bit of potential in the freshman guard out of Kentucky, but is taking him over the UConn veteran a bit bold? No. And here’s why.

“Next Year’s Best Name in College Hoops”

Earlier today, highly touted JUCO star God's Gift Achiuwa (pictured above) out of Erie (N.Y.) Community College committed to St. John's for next season.

I realize that the NFL Draft is only a few hours away.  I will be glued to my television set just like everyone else in hopes that my team will set themselves up well for the future.  Lets hope that future is sooner rather than later (things are beginning to look that way).  But in College Hoops today, Steve Lavin and the Johnnies received a big time commitment.

“Food for Thought 4-12-11”

Even though Boston has slid into the 3 seed in the East, I think in the last year of the "Big 3" in Beantown, they still will win the Eastern Conference.

After the crazy week that was in sports, there is so much to talk about.  So much going on.  And the fun is just beginning.  Both the NBA and NHL playoffs are right around the corner, while the MLB is already starting to heat up.

Here is a look into some of the main headlines that have caught my attention.

“A Look Ahead in College Hoops”

I am already looking ahead to next year's College Basketball Season. One of the major questions in my eyes is whether UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun (pictured above) will be back manning the sidelines for the Huskies next season.

So possibly the worst National Championship Game of all time ended what was arguably the wildest/most exciting version of March Madness in the history of College Basketball on Monday Evening.  Connecticut, a team that finished 9th in the Big East, going 9 and 9 overall, brought home their 3rd National Championship.