Why College Basketball is Broken

Jay Bilas made an interesting point before the tournament even began that the quality of college basketball is down because of not just the "one and done's" who come for a year and bolt for the NBA, but ALL of the early entrees. The power teams don't seem to exist anymore.

He's right. If college basketball was like it was even less than a decade ago, when we had powerhouse teams, the VCU's of the world would not be going to the final four. Butler at least has some name brand talent and plays a style that could succeed in many of the top conferences. VCU on the other hand, has benefited greatly from the departing players.

Let's look at what college basketball COULD look like today.

Kentucky Wildcats
G- John Wall So., G-Brandon Knight Fr., G-Eric Bledsoe So., F-Patrick Patterson Sr., F-DeMarcus Cousins So.

Bench: G-Doron Lamb Fr, F-Terrence Jones Fr, F-Josh Harrelson Sr., G-DeAndre Liggins Sr, G-Darius Miller Sr, F-Daniel Orton So.

Analysis:
Sweet freakin Jesus. Who would want to play with that team? The bench would probably be a top 20 team in itself. Who the heck wants to get in transition with John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, and Brandon Knight being able to handle the floor. This team would probably be my prohibitive favorite.

Ohio State Buckeyes
G-William Buford Sr, G-Evan Turner Sr, G-Jon Diebler Sr, F-Jared Sullinger Fr, C-B.J. Mullins Jr.

Bench: G-Aaron Craft Fr, G David Lighty Sr, F-Dallas Lauderdale Sr, C Kosta Koufos Sr, F-DeShaun Thomas Fr.

Analysis:
I don't know how you defense this team. Turner was last year's national player of the year and you combine him with Sullinger and Mullins and my goodness. Mullins was regarded as maybe the top Center in the country as a freshman out of high school and was picked in the first round, same with Koufos. They can match up defensively and have plenty of guys to hit the trifecta.

Syracuse Orange
G-Jonny Flynn Sr, G-Scoop Jardine Jr, F-Wesley Johnson Sr, F-Donte Greene Sr, F-Rick Jackson Sr.

Bench: G-Brandon Triche So, F-Kris Joseph Jr, G-C.J. Fair Fr, F-Baya Moussa Keita Fr, F-Fab Melo Fr.

Analysis:
Another team that would give opponents fits. A damn good starting lineup with guys like Triche and Joseph to give them a lift off the bench. This team playing a 2-3 zone would be downright scary. Having Jonny Flynn running point with three legit options to post and two of them (Johnson and Greene) being able to step out would make them the Big East favorites in my eyes.

Memphis Tigers
G- Derrick Rose Sr, G-Tyreke Evans Jr, G-Elliot Williams Jr, F-Wesley Witherspoon Sr, F-Tarik Black Jr

Bench: All G-Will Barton Fr, Antonio Barton Fr, Joe Jackson So, Chris Crawford Jr, Roburt Sallie Sr

Analysis:
This team would run teams to death. Rose and Evans?! Rose is arguably the NBA's MVP today, so you put him in college right now and it's hard to imagine how good he would look. The inside is a little weak, but they have 8 guards that could play and start for most teams in the country. It may look a little like the old Villanova guard-heavy lineup but this team would be fun as hell to watch.

UCLA Bruins
G- Jrue Holliday Jr, G-Malcolm Lee So, F Tyler Honeycutt So, F Kevin Love Sr, C Joshua Smith Fr

Bench: G-Lazeric Jones So, F-Tyler Honeycutt Jr, F-Reeves Nelson So.

Analysis:
UCLA has been down the last few years and it's easy to see why with the talent drain they have had. They were just a year away from having Russell Westbrook as well! The double-double machine combined with Joshua Smith would make up a ridiculous front court. Jrue Holliday would give them a legit scorer with Malcolm Lee (the guy the offense runs through now) getting plenty of open looks.


Arizona Wildcats
G-Jerryd Bayless Sr, G-Brandon Jennings Jr, G-Lamont "Mo-Mo" Jones So, F Solomon Hill So, F Derrick Williams So.

Bench: G-Kyle Fogg Jr, F-Jesse Perry Jr, G-Jordin Mayes Fr, F/C-Kyryl Natazyhko

Analysis:
Another team that could benefit from the rule. The guards alone would scare anyone in the country. Bayless would be a scoring machine that could play off the ball with Jennings running point. You have to imagine Derrick Williams would have just a tad bit more room to make things happen with those guys on the floor. The bench isn't great but are solid role players.

Other damn good starting 5's

Kansas State Wildcats
G- Jacob Pullen Sr, G-Rodney McGruder So, G/F-Bill Walker Sr, F-Michael Beasley Sr, F-Curtis Kelly Sr

Kansas Jayhawks
G-Tyshawn Taylor Jr, G-Xavier Henry So, F-Markeiff Morris Jr, F-Marcus Morris Jr, C-Cole Aldrich Sr
(with F Thomas Robinson So, G Brady Morningstar Sr, G Tyrell Reed Sr off bench)

Texas Longhorns
G-Cory Joseph Fr, G-Avery Bradley So, G/F-Jordan Hamilton So, F-Tristan Thompson Fr, F-Gary Johnson Sr  (with G-J'Covan Brown Fr off bench)

North Carolina Tar Heels
G- Kendall Marshall Fr, G-Dexter Strickland So, F-Harrison Barnes Fr, F-Tyler Zeller Jr, F-Ed Davis Jr
(with F-John Henson So, and F-Alex Stepheson Sr off bench)

Louisville Cardinals
G-Peyton Siva So, G-Preston Knowles Sr, F-Earl Clark Sr, F-Terrence Jennings Jr, F-Samardo Samuels Jr
(G-Kyle Kuric, G-Mike Marra, G-Chris Smith off bench)

USC Trojans
G-Jio Fontan Jr, G-O.J. Mayo Sr, G-Marcus Simmons Sr, F-Demar DeRozan Jr, F- Nikola Vucevic Jr

Wake Forest Demon Deacons
G-Jeff Teague Sr, G-C.J. Harris So, F-Al-Farouq Aminu Jr, F-James Johnson Sr, F Travis McKie Fr

Gonzaga Bulldogs
G-Demetri Goodson Jr, G-Steven Gray Sr, F-Austin Daye Sr, F-Elias Harris Jr, F-Robert Sacre Jr

Pittsburgh Panthers
G-Ashton Gibbs Jr, G-Brad Wanamaker Sr, G-Gilbert Brown Sr, F-Gary McGhee Sr, F-DeJuan Blair Sr.

Florida Gators
G-Erving Walker Jr, G-Nick Calathes Sr, F-Chandler Parsons Sr, F-Vernon Macklin Sr, F- Alex Tyus Sr
(with G-Kenny Boynton off bench)

(sorry no Duke or UConn)

How much better would college basketball be? A better college game + more experience= more ready for the NBA which in turn ='s a better NBA product. Let's go pro executives, use your brains.

What's the Order?

There are 456.32 ways that you could write in the Red Sox line-up. And honestly, there aren't many wrong ways of doing it. There could be a flip flop of so many players, and it could work any way. The one way to go about it is to make it tough to make calls to the bullpen for the other team. The opening day will go as follows:

1. Carl Crawford: Too dangerous to not start him here. His ability to steal bases just speaks for itself.
2. Dustin Pedroia: He has this spot locked down. With Crawford in front of him, and his consistency to make contact its a perfect fit. If Carl can get to second base, the pitcher is in for a long battle and a productive out.
3. Adrian Gonzalez: Best hitter with runners in scoring position in the bigs right now. Perfect spot for a left hander to come in with the guarantee Carl will be on second base. Sets up another productive out at the least. If not, a banger off Pesky's Pole.
4. Kevin Youkalis: If the pitcher isn't out of the game by this point, Youk will bring a MVP bat to the plate. He'll wear down CC like sandpaper in wood-shop. His power goes without saying.
5. David Ortiz: Another left handed bat coming after a righty. The good part about his position is he'll see much more pitches now. There's a good on base percentage from all the guys before him, and he'll have great opportunities to snag some RBI's.
6. J.D. Drew: So much emotion, pure heart from him. Sometimes I wish he would just chill out and play , but you can't stop the man from lovin the game.
7. Jarod Salt.....: Not too sure what to expect from him. To be honest, I don't see anything over .270 in his first season. Being under Tek's wing, he'll be more focused on adopting the starting line up.
8. Marco Scutaro: No other spot left for him. Just ignore this part of his game and watch him pick up ground balls.
9. Jacoby Ellsbury: A solid nine hole hitter, or more of a second leadoff hitter. Getting to Jacoby is like starting the line-up over again. Except big Carl's waiting behind.

AL East Preview

Now that Porter has all the football out of his system, it's time to move onto baseball as pitchers and catchers report to spring training within the next week. The AL East the past few seasons has been unpredictable besides the fact that the Sox, Rays, and Yanks will be in the top three. This year is no different, but the order will no doubt change. Here's the breakdown:

1. Red Sox (96-66): Theo brought the heat this off-season with the moves he made. Crawford and Adrian being the largest , as well as adding a little depth to the bullpen has changed the look of the team. The biggest reason for the 95+ win season will be the pitching. Clay Bucholz will be the season changer if he can keep coming with what he had last year. He seemed to figure out how to bring his good stuff day to day while locating his curve-ball. Along with the Lester and Becket, these three will form a solid playoff three that has the potential to carry them to the Series. The only question is if Youk and Pedroia are actually over their injuries. Pedroia was still complaining about soreness near a week ago, and it will be a wait and see process.

2. Yankees (90-72): The loss of Andy Petite puts a lot of pressure for Hughes to repeat another good season, and the depth of that rotation has taken a step backwards. There is still a good enough team for a 90 win season, but there is no doubt they have lost some big players. Look for Cano to have an MVP like season at the plate, as well as the expected A-Rod season. Now Posada will be taking the DH position, as well as a very defensive outfield other than Granderson at the top of the line-up. The one good positive is their ability to hold leads in the later innings. I expect the Yanks to not sit back during the season, and I can see a big move to acquire a pitcher before the deadline.

3. Rays (86-76): Garza is now a Cub. That alone takes away quality starts for the Rays. Their make up and style of play was dangerous to so many teams, and now the whole vibe of the team looks different. They did sign Manny and Johnny Damon to deals, but they won't be making the playoffs this year with losing some of the back end of the bullpen as well as one of their key starters. Crawford going to the Sox also leaves a big hole that Damon will be trying to fill, but Johnny isn't the player he used to be. There will be no playoff baseball on the ugly rug this year.

4. Blue Jays (80-82): The Jays have pesky the past few seasons, but I haven't noticed many moves that will change their late seasons problems. There isn't much of a breakdown besides they will duplicate their early season ups, and late season fizzles.

5. Orioles (75-87): It was tough deciding between the final two teams knowing all the moves the Orioles made, but I can never agree with what they do. They actually have a surprisingly good lineup, with Roberts, Markakis, and Guerrero. But their pitching won't get anything done for them. If anything can be learned by the Rays its that the farm system needs to be built and developed especially for lower market teams. Paying Vlad isn't the answer for them and there needs to be more of a long term mind set in the front offices. I was generous with 75 wins, but the offense will have trouble backing up that starting rotation.

Super Sunday

It's Super Sunday, get the nachos, wings, couches, and excuses to call out of work Monday ready. What could be better? We have two historic franchises, the Pittsburgh Steelers and their 6 Super Bowl titles and the Green Bay Packers, their 3 Super Bowls, the cheeseheads and oh, yeah the home of the guy who the trophy is named after, Vince Lombardi.

Ironically, the game will take place in Dallas (the only team to ever beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl as well as the Green Bay Packers long-time rival dating back to the Ice Bowl). The coach of the Packers is actually from Western PA (Mike McCarthy) and comes from the coaching tree of Mike Holmgren--the last Packers to coach to win a Super Bowl with the Packers. As an aside to the game, it is also the herbal essences/head and shoulders game of the year with Clay Mathews of Green Bay battling Troy Polamalu of Pittsburgh.

Shampoo aside, this game will be decide in the trenches. You have the NFL transition to the 3-4 coming to light in this game where two of the very best at it will battle. The Steelers have been doing it since I was in diapers, and the Packers just in the last two seasons when Dom Capers was hired to be their defensive coordinator. Both teams possess dynamic, game-changing pass rushers as well as ball hawks in the secondary who make QBs think twice about lofting the ball up there.

When you take a look at the Steelers O-line, which was not very formidable in the first place, and you add in (well subtract) Pouncey from center and this could be a big time problem for the Steelers. All the talk is how Big Ben extends plays with his legs and pump fakes behind a line that is just good enough. Substitute Doug Legursky for Pouncey and that won't be so easy. Not to mention this is the best defense that Ben will have faced all season.

The Packers on the other hand have had their offensive line do the job over the last few months. Rodgers will not be able to escape as easily as he did against the Falcons earlier in the playoffs but his legs + his line vs. big ben's + his line and the advantage is Green Bay.

The X-Factors

Everyone knows who the main players are in this game...now lets take a look at the less heralded players who will have a tremendous impact on the outcome.

For Pittsburgh: Rashard Mendenhall RB
Yeah, remember him? With all the talk on Big Ben avoiding rushers and chucking it to a crossing Hines Ward or Mike Wallace deep or Antonio Brown's helmet you may forget that Mendenhall is actually their best player. He even ran over that tough Jets defense in the AFC championship game and could be the difference and morph himself from great player that no one talks about to a household name.

Green Bay's X-Factor: Jordy Nelson WR
Green Bay is not going to run the ball...nor do I believe they will try. They will do what the Patriots do against the Steelers. Spread 'em out and let it rip. Rodgers has the best passer rating of any QB in the league indoors..and the roof tonight will be closed. The Steelers can cover Greg Jennings he will be covered by Ike Taylor with an nice assist from Polamalu, Driver is not 100 percent, and the tight end is non-existant. However, Nelson is Rodgers' 3rd down guy who will be counted on to break free of either Ryan Clark, Bryant McFadden or William Gay.

What I See...

I really have no idea who will win this game. A part of me believes Green Bay is too finesse to beat Pittsburgh, but can you name that AFC team that has had the most success vs. the Steelers in the last few seasons? The New England Patriots. The Packers are built in that same mold, with the ability to spread out that defense with receivers that can play in the slot or outside and a QB that is at the very top of his game. It's really a tough call.

The Packers will not be able to run the ball at all on Pittsburgh, I know this, Pittsburgh knows this, Green Bay knows this...expect Rodgers to throw 40+ times in this game. In every single game this postseason, the team that has had more rushing yards has won. Go ahead, go check those stats. The Steelers will almost definitely rush for more yards than the Packers.

The Pick...

At the start of the year my pick was the Green Bay Packers as Super Bowl Champions. If you don't believe me, look! In my heart of hearts I want them to win, however my mind believes the Steelers will win. So what does a man do? Go with his heart or his mind? Well either way I covered my ass and told you I actually believe both teams will win so either I have great foresight or my mind is right.

The Green Bay Packers will win Super Bowl XLV. It is Aaron Rodgers' time.

Pittsburgh Steelers 13   Green Bay Packers 20
MVP: Aaron Rodgers QB Green Bay

Explanation:
There are these entities that I will call the football gods. You don't anger them. Ask the New England Patriots. You cheat the game? Well they will get you back. Go undefeated then have your hopes ripped away from you by the imaginary gum on David Tyree's helmet. The next year, Brady's ACL snaps. Then this year, they are treated to a great season only to be deFEETed by Rex Ryan and the Jets. The key in all of these is torture for pissing off the gods.

Now what's my point? Ben Roethlisberger. He "allegedly" sexually assaulted a girl this offseason and faced little penalty for what he did. Yeah, yeah, I know the case got thrown out. Did you also hear O.J. was innocent? The football gods will strike back tonight and Aaron Rodgers who shut his mouth during all the Favre fiasco, who never complained, who sat in the green room for hours on end while waiting to be picked way back in the 2005 draft now has his chance. The gods will reward him for his hard work, professional, and belt-flashing talent.

Championship Weekend

Packers @ Bears Sun 3:00 FOX
Why the Packers will win:
They are the hottest team in the NFL...it took the Packers committing a franchise-record in penalties to beat them in week 3...they have been playing playoff games since week 16...Aaron Rodgers...they can play in bad weather like the bears...their defense vs. Bears O-Line--advantage Pack...Jay Cutler in a big game...again, did you see Aaron Rodgers last week? He might be Jesus.

Why the Bears will win:
Bears are at home...they are the healthiest team in the NFL...Cutler has been making good decisions...for some reason their defense has frustrated Rodgers this season...Devin Hester...Packers run has to end sometime...everyone is on the Packers...they find ways to win.

The Pick: Packers 23 Bears 17

Jets @ Steelers Sun 6:30 CBS

Why the Jets will win:
Much like the Packers they are on fire...they are playing their best football right now...Sanchez has been (gulp) careful with the football...Tomlinson looks like this is 2006...Bart Scott "can't wait"...they beat them in Pittsburgh already...they have won a ridiculous 4 road playoff games in 2 seasons...Jets seem to just find ways to win all season...they haven't gone since Super Bowl III and they aren't the Cubs.

Why the Steelers will win:
The game is in Pittsburgh...Roethlisberger has 2 rings and is 9-2 in the playoffs...Troy Polamalu...their run defense can make Jets one dimensional...Jets played their Super Bowl last week...Mike Wallace is really fast...the kind of football the Jets like to play--the steelers are better at...the last time the Jets went to the Super Bowl we hadn't landed on the moon yet.

The Pick: Steelers 17 Jets 9

Draftseason.com

Here is my first article for draftseason.com. Check it out!

NFL Divisional Playoffs

After a 3-1 start to the playoffs, we move onto the Divisional round which has plenty of intriguing matchups.

Ravens @ Steelers
-The Steelers are 9-8 vs. the Ravens over their last 15 matchups--including 2-0 in the playoffs. Roethlisberger has been a thorn in the Ravens defense side. On the other hand, the Ravens have the best road record ever in the post season (7-3). Chances are this game will come down to the last drive and who can make one more play than the other. It's going to be tough for Baltimore, but in the end, this is the kind of game they acquired Anquan Boldin for, and with Troy Polamalu's health in question, the Ravens will knock off their arch nemesis.

The Pick: Ravens 16 Steelers 13

Packers @ Falcons
-The Dirty Birds are 20-2 under Matt Ryan at home and defeated Green Bay 20-17 earlier in the season. Ryan has never played in a game this big and it will be interesting to see how he responds under the lights. Overall the Packers match up well and can lock down Roddy White on the outside with Woodson. If they can slow down Turner then Green Bay will have the upper hand. The Falcons will need to do a lot to slow down the Packers offense, despite giving up just 17 points when they played earlier, Rodgers tore them up through the air. James Starks has emerged as a legitimate threat in the running game and that should push the Pack past the Falcons.

The Pick: Packers 27 Falcons 20

Seahawks @ Bears
-This game comes down to the match-up of the Quarterbacks. Jay Cutler, if he manages the game will win it for the Bears. However, we have all seen what Cutler does under pressure in big games. Matt Hasselbeck looked like he was reincarnated dropping dime after dime against the Saints. All this being said, the Bears defense is much better than the Saints defense. Add in the cold weather, Devin Hester, and the fact that we remember the Seahawks were 7-9 (!!!!) in the regular season--and the pick seems obvious...maybe too obvious?

The Pick: Bears 17  Seahawks 9

Jets @ Patriots
- Here it is, Jets-Pats III. Somehow it just seems like this was supposed to happen. I mentioned last week that the Jets defense was built to beat the Colts, and that succeeded. However, the Patriots offense is much more diverse and can beat you in so many ways that it's nearly impossible to defend. It will come down to whether the Jets defense can pressure Brady. They have not done so lately. If the Pats score 20+ can the Jets keep up? Chances are that answer is no. It will be close, but the Pats will score late to put it away.

The Pick: Patriots 27 Jets 17