Out Smarted? Try Out Played

When the average SAT scores of the Cornell University basketball players was shown next to the average SAT scores of the Kentucky Wildcats, the difference of some 600 points was enough to draw a smile to everyone's face. Cornell, a 12 seed dancing in the Sweet 16, was along side Northern Iowa, St. Mary's, and Butler; a mid-major team playing with a unique style of basketball this March. Up until last night, the conservative style was a winning formula. Meet Kentucky. The strategy of playing strong zone defense in the half court, minimizing turnovers, and launching threes until even Dick Vitale gets tired of yelling was Cornell's plan. Kentucky downsized it. The Wildcats ripped the ball out of the hands of Cornell players, ran the fast break, and slammed the ball into the rim; leaving Big Red players standing at half court wiping the dust off their faces. What Kentucky did Thursday night was not only play their way into the Elite Eight, but proved that sheer athleticism still dominates a basketball court. But why are they alone?

Kentucky has done all it can to prove that the most successful style of College basketball is still run and gun. However their "running" mates are not helping the cause. Kansas, the nation's top team, fell to 9 seed Northern Iowa in the second round, while Villanova a 2 seed, lost by seven to 10 seed St. Mary's in the second round as well. And Thursday night, if that wasn't enough, Syracuse, another 1 seed, fell to 5 seed Butler in the Sweet Sixteen. Kentucky fended off the disciplined style basketball just fine. They ran whenever Cornell went for an offensive rebound, swiped at the ball every time a guard put it on the floor, and put pressure in the face of every player for every second of 40 minutes when they yearned to be comfortable. For all white basketball teams, comfortability is the name of the game. If you let a team that is one, hardly athletic, and two, purely living and dying behind the three point line, control the tempo of a basketball game, the score will stay close long enough for them to get hot; then it becomes hell trying to climb back in.

Every top seed's worst night mare is coming true this March; parody. Basketball "intelligence" is becoming a catch phrase constantly associated with winning. As more and more teams flood the news feeds of College Basketball with their cinderella stories, the only way to assure fans that the sport isn't changing is to shut them up. Kentucky did. They showed the NCAA Basketball world that mere talent can still win big. But the rest of the "elite" aren't helping the cause.

JD

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Is there a sports fan on the planet who doesn't get the ever so routine adrenaline rush every mid March? Time to get your dancin' shoes on folks! March Madness is here again.

5 Teams To Watch

1. Texas- Call me crazy. Go ahead, do it. Texas is one of the hungriest teams in this tournament solely because of the way they descended this season. Texas had a glimpse of the Nation's Number one spot this season, and tasting that kind of success triggers the biggest craving to get it back. Expect a second round date with John Wall and Co. to not be an easy victory for the 1 seed Wildcats if a victory at all.

2. Marquette- A win over Villanova in the Big East tourney will create a lot of momentum going into the Big Dance, and we all know how important momentum can be (Duke every year). The Golden Eagles led by senior Lazar Hayward, are a traditional Big East basketball team that will run a ton and shoot threes in your face. Marquette's first date is to spoil what has been just about a perfect season for New Mexico, and then most likely tussle with Conference foe West Virginia.

3. Tennessee- Tennessee is a scary team coming out a strong SEC conference where they finished third behind Vandy and Kentucky. What is dangerous about Tennessee, is that they can beat you a lot of different ways with pure athletes up and down their roster. J.P. Prince, Walt Chism, and Bobby Maze constantly create match up problems for opponents and Scotty Hopson can score at will when on. And when Bruce Pearl brings out the Orange Jacket, we know the Vol's are dancing.

4. Notre Dame- There is something about the Irish that makes me believe that they have a "Fighting" chance in this year's tourney. With a probable second round date with the Baylor Bears, Notre Dame needs continue to do what it does best; play hard-nose basketball and dominate teams from behind the arc. If Hansbrough and Abromaitis can continue to carry this team offensively, Luke Harangody will slowly take on his usual load and this team will excel.

5. North Carolina- And by watch I mean watch from your couch Roy Williams.

5 Early Exits

1. Butler- I feel like this time every year we are all in deep thought on the fate of the Butler Bulldogs. Butler to me is like Boise State in football, it is always hard to accept their consistent success because they are in the Horizon Conference. This year I don't think Butler is big enough to be a force in the Tournament. Matt Howard is their only post presence and I feel like Major Conference teams that have plethora's of big men will eat Butler up.

2. Purdue- E-Twaun Moore lost his wing man Robbie Hummel, and with Texas A&M and Duke in their half of their region it is anything but smooth sailing for the Boilermakers. I wouldn't go as far as a first round upset against 13 seed Siena, but Purdue is at risk every time they step on the floor without half of their go-to-combo.

3. Temple- The Owls have had a great season in the A10, but a first round match up with streaky Cornell and a probable second round match up with a strong Wisconsin squad is something that I cannot see the Owls escaping. A shimmer of hope? Fran Dunphy takes a page out of Cheney's book and puts a bounty on some opposing star players. Other than that Temple will need Juan Fernandez to do his best Steph Curry impression for Temple to have any shot.

4. Xavier- Xavier needs Jordan Crawford to show up big time in the first round against a sneaky Minnesota Gophers team and even more against Pittsburgh in the second round; and I just don't see him being able to string together two big games against two solid defenses. Xavier needs big man Jason Love to be of assistance to a back court that will have a lot of pressure put on them for 40 straight minutes. An unpredictable Musketeer team will not be dancing for long due to their inconsistency and semi-tough draw.

5. Lehigh- If no other predictions check out. This one will.

Final Four Favorites

Midwest Region- Kansas is the number one team for a reason; they are simply elite. The Jayhawks will not even be rattled until their Elite 8 date with Ohio State where they will send Evan Turner and the boys back to the Buckeye State. Sherron Collins has so much experience on this stage to make up for anyone on Kansas who doesn't, a leader in every sense of the word that only great teams have. Kansas will not only rise out of the Midwest but take the Championship Trophy back home as well. Not only is Kansas more experienced and disciplined than just about any team in the tournament, but the fact that they put five scoring threats on the floor at one time, doesn't hurt a little.

West Region- This is by far the weakest Region in the Tournament with the weakest 1 and 2 with Syracuse and Kansas State. Syracuse, however tinted it may be, will rise out of the West Division into the Final Four. Despite a rocky ending to the season, 'Cuse will get its act together behind Andy Rautins, Wesley Johnson, and Arinze Onuaku, and will be there

East Region- This Region is coming down to two of the tournament's best teams, the Kentucky Wildcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Mountaineers were amazing in the Big East tournament behind Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks who are not only great but extremely clutch as well. Clutch teams go far in the NCAA tourney. Kentucky is really young and that inexperience in "big game" situations will show in the NCAA tournament when Big East Champion West Virginia waltz's into the Final Four.

South Region- Duke, as a number one, will soar through the South because teams that can contend with them down low can't stick with them up top, and teams that can stick with them up top cannot keep up with them down low. Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer are two of the most mature guards in the Nation, and maturity is key when in the tournament spotlight. Villanova will pose a threat to the Blue Devils, but their inability to show up in big games, and make things happen in the paint will keep them tied to the ground. Duke will set up an April 5th National Championship date with the Kansas Jayhawks, but will have a hard time keeping up with the speed and athleticism of Kansas, leaving them with second place.

JD

Poker's Worst Hand

Putting aside the Phillies' question marks in the rotation as well as the bullpen, it is becoming safe to say that the lineup has it all. The perfect blend of power, contact, and speed, is what fans on the outside will call a group of eight guys, known around Philadelphia as Amaro's masterpiece. With a plethora of hitters ready to get etched into the lineup card, there is one problem left, where do we put them all. While some spots are obvious, as the "regulars" will expect their "normal" spots come Opening Day, the final debate is between 7 and 2, Poker's Worst Hand, that involves All-Star Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco, officially on his second stint with the Phils.

When deciding who should hit 7 and who should hit 2, you have to first evaluate which spot is more important for the team. The meat of the Phillies order, consisting of Jayson Werth, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, and Ryan Howard obviously benefit when the table setters (first two hitters) are on base. On the other hand, one of the flaws in the Phils' lineup last season was getting runners home, specifically the bottom half of the order; Ibanez, Werth, Pedro Feliz. Both Polanco and Victorino have proven that they can both get on base throughout their careers, and that is why I feel as though the spot the club should be more concerned about is 7. The key stat for the seven hitter, especially in the Phillies' lineup is hitting with Runners in Scoring Position; especially with two outs. While Polanco and Victorino hit only two average points apart with RISP 2 outs, .269 (Polanco) and .267 (Victorino), the next stat to go to is simply hitting with Runners in Scoring Position, where Polanco topped Victorino by 25 points last season, posting an average of .310 when ducks were on the pond. Look at it this way, the meat of the order that I talked about with Utley, Howard, Werth, and Ibanez all collected over 90 RBI's last season, so Victorino who hit in the two spot was clearly not doing a bad job of getting on base. He also had a batting average of .292, which was seven points higher than Polanco's last season, who usually is one of the league's best in that category. The bottom line is that many rallies died last season towards the end of the lineup for the Phillies, and Polanco is a hitter who rarely strikes out and can drive in runs or just keep rallies going once they swing from the Power Guys to the bottom of the order. Don't overlook lineups after 3,4,5, because games are won and lost at any time in any inning. Adding an experienced bat like Polanco to the bottom of the order is not only benefiting the rest of the team, but giving the Phils that much more of a chance to win each and every game.

JD

Power Outage

I first tried to play the devil's advocate. Possibly, due to the 34 years of the NBA Dunk Contest, maybe contestants are just running out of ideas, and if all has been done, it is unfair to ridicule them. Then I realized, there is absolutely no way to beat around the bush on this one; Saturday Night proved to be the worst Slam Dunk Contest since the tradition started in 1976. While Nate Robinson became the only player to ever reel in 3 Dunk trophies, the NBA has to be tempted to place an asteric next to his name, due to the unworthiness of his three opponents. Shannon Brown ran the whole court only to dunk from a few feet in front of the foul line and merely switch hands in the air. Gerald Wallace threw the ball up to himself, gathered with much tenacity and threw down a reverse dunk, while Demar Derozan, who gave one of the only highlights of the night with his ever so unoriginal "Invincible dunk," didn't back up his "I'm gonna be better than Jordan" smack with his mediocre throw downs. Even Robinson, who tempted the crowd by bringing Cowboys cheerleaders onto the floor, only to not use them, gave us dunks that were less than arousing even to the amateur dunk contest viewer. Charles Barkley, acting as the say as you feel annoucner, proclaimed that some of last night's dunks were average game dunks, and none were worthy of the high scores that the judge's table was dishing out. Chuck and I are both wondering where the dunk contest has gone. Where is the creativity of the Super Man cape? The swagger of jumping over your opponent? The skill of the pass or the art of the set up? Where is the showmanship, like when Gerald Green blew out a candle on a cupcake while dunking, or when Vince Carter hung on the rim by sticking his elbow inside of it. The problem with the dunk contest is not that the players aren't athletic or skilled enough, but that they are not big enough or smart enough. Last night Kobe Bryant walked onto the floor to assist teammate Shannon Brown, and it was the biggest adrenaline rush I got the whole night. It was followed by a traditional alley-oop followed by a two-handed jam; stuff I've seen in the High School gym. The point, is that the Dunk Contest that was once so popular and exciting, is now a sinking ship, and the only way to save it is by adding Star Power. The NBA has to go out of its way to get the biggest stars into to next year's contest, so in the event that all dunks are taken and all that is left is a mere tomahawk from the baseline, at least we will know the name on the back of their shirt. I love the Dunk Contest, it is my favorite event of the All-Star weekend, but something has to happen in the next 364 days to turn the light back on.

JD

Walking Tall

Kobe Bryant and Derek Jeter could tell you what it's like being part of historically elite franchises where excellence is demanded, and mediocrity is measured by fingers without rings. But as the saying goes, when the going gets tough, well, the tough get going; and what Jeter and Kobe could also tell you about, is standing alone, on top.

On September 11th, 2009 Derek Jeter singled to right off Orioles' Pitcher Chris Tillman, and with one swing of the bat became the all-time Yankees hits leader. With 27 World Series pennants, and names like Yogi Berra, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Bill Dickey and others highlighting their Hall of Fame, Derek Jeter, the small shortstop from Pequannock, New Jersey had more hits then any other Yankee, ever. Similar story; February 1st, 2010, in a losing 44 point effort versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Kobe Bryant passes Jerry West on the All-Time Los Angeles Lakers scoring list. Like Jeter, Bryant arose from a crowd worth reckoning with including, Elgin Baylor, Ervin 'Magic' Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and even Shaquille O'neal. Kobe Bryant scoring more points than any other player in a Franchise that has 16 NBA Championships, appeared in 30 Championships (NBA Record), and has more Franchise records than any other team in the League.

Two of the most storied Franchises in their respective sports, and two of those franchise's most storied players, grazing the courts and fields of this generation is not only amazing but extremely lucky for today's sports fan. How many times have we said that there will never be a better Laker? or a better Yankee? Countless. Now I am saying it again, and while I know that those predictions are always hollow, can we see anyone coming along and matching the greatness of Jeter or Bryant? Will there ever be a player who outscores Kobe? Out hits Jeter? Not only are we lucky, but we are downright privileged to be watching two players who have proved the sports world wrong. They topped everyone when everyone was said to be "un-toppable," and now we can only wait to see who rises and proves us wrong next.

Peyton vs. Goliath

While 4 MVP's and 2 Super Bowls could jump Peyton Manning to the top of the all-time quarterback debate, can he get by the team of destiny? The "New" Orleans Saints, given birth to by Hurricane Katrina, is rolling into Miami with a chip on their shoulder, and a Nation behind them that never backs down.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans as the one of the five deadliest Hurricanes in U.S. History and the sixth ever strongest among Atlantic Hurricanes. Many fled the city, but many stayed and paid the price. Homes, families, stores, schools, and lives were torn apart, and it was evident that New Orleans would never be the same. With holes in the top of the Louisiana Superdome, the home of the New Orleans Saints, owner Tom Benson had a choice; to keep the Saints in New Orleans and play the home games that season in various places, or to move the team where the fan base would not be in a state of crisis. Benson kept the Saints right where they were. For the 2005 Season the Saints played their home games in the Alamodome in San Antonio and LSU's Tiger Stadium, and in the fall of 2006 the team returned to New Orleans. On September 25th, 2006, the Saints beat the Falcons 23-3, and blood, sweat, and a whole lot of tears were left on the ground of the Superdome. Just one year ago the city was underwater and New Orleans was a barren, desolate place, that would maybe never see the light ever again. But the Saints were that light. The Saints brought hope to the city of New Orleans. With every game the Saints played in the coming years, it was much more than just football; it was a team embracing a Nation, and lifting it as it had lifted them.

Now with Katrina in the rearview mirror, the Saints have a date with the Indianapolis Colts two Sundays from now in Miami, for Super Bowl XLIV, and the "Who Dat" Nation is louder than ever. After their overtime victory over the Vikings in the NFC Championship, Darren Sharper was seen leading the crowd in their newest chant; "Who Dat! Who Dat! Who Dat Say They Gonna Beat Them Saints!" The Colts led by All-World Quarterback Peyton Manning hopes to quiet those Saints' fans riding on Cloud 9. The Colts, who were the "other" perfect team this season in the NFL, have almost flown under the radar in the playoffs. While the Jets had the rookie, the Vikes had the old man, and the Saints have "destiny," the Colts are just a very good team that is quietly getting the job done. Their story, is Peyton Manning. Peyton, who is in line to break just about every significant quarterback record, is playing to build his resume as the best NFL quarterback of all-time, and this Super Bowl would certainly help his case. There is always an argument against a team's success, and this playoffs the Colts have not been challenged by the Ravens or Jets, teams with good defenses but sub par offenses. Now their challenge lies ahead as they take on the Saints, who have a defense who takes the ball from you, and an offense that melodically shoves the ball down your throat.

Come Super Bowl Sunday the Saints run will not cease. The first Super Bowl win in Saints history will cap off a remarkable resurgence of a city once under water, but now under the wing of their pro football team. The Saints are New Orleans, and with the "Who Dat" Nation on their side, are a team playing not only with strength and skill, but with "destiny," and a whole lot of heart.

JD