Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 79

Tapping The Keg back again for more fun with Charlie and Mitch. The boys begin talking about the new trend in New York City called 'Exerdating' and why it is the worst thing ever. Tinder gets discussed again somehow. We cover all things free agency ranging to some of the big contracts along with Sam Shields and Green Bay not making moves yet which should be expected.  We move on to March Madness with UW-Milwaukee making the tournament along with other things from Championship Week. Bucks get some discussion including why John Henson needs more time. We finish with how Ryan Braun went full heel and why it's great plus some True Detective talk.

Charlie.

Final Four Power Rankings Explained by Pop Culture

With the Final Four being about a month away, it is the time to wonder whom might be playing in the Final Four. There is no reason why we should not look the teams at this point. It could be anyone at this point, but I do think we have an idea of some of the teams that look closer to Final Four aspirations versus others that need a paddle as they are swimming up creek. We will look at the Top 30 teams with a couple others thrown in using ESPN's latest Bracketology. Not all will get words behind it, but they will be definitely be ranked.    

Piers Morgan Division - Turn off the lights, there is really no need to wonder about their March 

Michigan State - It is hard to bet against Tom Izzo, but at the same time, this team never really put all together. Think of it as a better functioning Marquette team. 

San Diego State - Bold prediction here. Aztecs did win at Allen Fieldhouse, but their inability to score at times makes me nervous. I feel like due to Wichita State's unbeaten streak and weak conference, no one is discussing the softness of the Mountain West. 

Jared Leto Division - Everyone else is really excited about their chances but you cannot understand the hype

Villanova - Death. Taxes. Jay Wright's team failing to show up when it matters in March. Only time that rule does not apply is when Scottie Reynolds is playing point guard.  

Creighton - It is really hard to envision the Bluejays making any sort of a deep run with how they play basketball. If they face good guards or a tough defensive team, it will be curtains.  

Virginia - I still go back to the fact besides Syracuse, they really do not have the quality wins this season. They have only played the top seven of the ACC, once. That's concerning, no?  I do not think this team can make a push to Dallas.   

Louisville - Am I going to bet against Rick Pitino?  Here's the thing... This team has won a bunch of games against weak opponents, but when the chips are down, they have not beaten many good teams.  

Rob Ford Division - Crazy, unpredictable, really anything can happen. 

Oklahoma State - If this team gets an eight to ten seed, they are the most dangerous low seed right? Even with Travis Ford's lackadaisical nature, it seems like that's a good bet. 

Wichita State - They could either make a run to the Final Four or the Elite Eight or lose in the second round. No real in-between with this team.   

Duke - Anyone noticing how no one is really talking about this team? Isn't that really weird given who they are and what they have in Jabari Parker. A good 3-point shooting team can sink this squad.  

Syracuse - Well they have this zone that has been known to work against the right draw but they can go completely cold against a good defense. Still have seniors and the coach to get them there.

Kansas - One of the best teams in college basketball, but at the same time, they are filled with freshman with no idea what March Mardness is like and we have seen how that goes for teams.   

Matthew McConaughey Division - So hot right now. Steaming hot streak heading into the perfect time.

Iowa State - They are not hot, but hear me out... They have beaten eight top 20 RPI teams. DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim are two of the biggest problems on an offense for opposing teams. Yes they do not play defense. Yes they shoot too many threes, but Iowa State has taken down good teams this year consistently.   

Wisconsin - While by the tournament, they could be more of a Leto, I think we need to look at how well the Badgers have played in the last month making this the obvious choice. They are one of the hotter teams in the country.  

North Carolina - No team is hotter right now than Carolina plus add to the equation, they beat Michigan State at full strength and Kentucky before its problems, it's impressive.  

Arizona - Talked about them yesterday, but as of today, they are a team warming up. It is hard to call him a part of the cream of the crop... yet. Still need a couple more games.

True Detective Division - Best of the best right now. 

Florida - They have everything you want from a Final Four. Billy Donovan has won two titles, been to four Final Fours (Three with Florida) and the last three years they have been in the final eight teams in the country. They have loads of seniors, a tough as nails defense and an inside game to compete with anyone.

Right now, it is Florida alone with everyone else trailing behind them. Sure the SEC is not a place where they are challenged every night, but at the same time, that might work to their advantage.  

Charlie.     

CBB Picks: Wild Weekend on Tap?

With all over sports done, I need to make some picks so we do it with college basketball. Let's have some fun with it and see what happens. I should probably record my record, but I will say this is the hardest sport to pick without question.

FIRST TIER
4. Syracuse at 12. Virginia 3:00 pm ESPN - College basketball is a crazy mistress. At the beginning of the year, no one would say the biggest game on Saturday March 1st would be Syracuse against Virginia. The Orange skated by another tough game at Maryland Monday night, but once again, it speaks to the Cuse's ability to find a way to win no matter the situation. While Virginia's record is great, the last time they played a ranked team... February 2nd and it was Pittsburgh whose struggling as of late. Beat North Carolina when the Tar Heels were down. Am I saying this team is overrated? Kinda. They play great defense, but to win this one, they will need Joe Harris to have a big game especially from the outside where he is 42 percent from three. I think C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis turn in big games with the spotlight on them leading them to victory. CUSE 53-49

7. Louisville at 21. Memphis 1:00 pm CBS - This game lost some of its luster with Memphis falling to Houston on Thursday night. Louisville did their part, and I think people are sort of forgetting about the defending champs. They have rounded into form rather nicely in the past couple weeks with Terry Rozier playing his ass off. This team is lurking around right now. Memphis scored a big win in January by beating Louisville with a big second half led by Shaq Goodwin. They will need Goodwin to be good. Looking at Memphis' last four games, they lost to UConn, beat Rutgers only by five, a 20-loss Temple team to them to overtime and they lost to Houston. Even though it is a road game, Louisville wins bigger than expected. LOU 83-69

10. Saint Louis at VCU 5:00 pm ESPN2 - Billikens fell into a classic trap game. They played Duquense at home Thursday night only to fall before heading to Richmond. What to make of it?  There is the attitude that teams need a loss as sort of a reset, and then they come back to form. Also we have seen team losing multiple games after a long unbeaten streak. In the first meeting, Saint Louis controlled the tempo and it pushed them to a late victory. I do not see it again at VCU's homecourt. Juvonte Reddic been great in the last couple of weeks and I think he continues this strong stretch in another victory for the Rams. VCU 78-72

5. Kansas at Oklahoma State 8:00 pm ESPN - People expected these two teams battling for the Big 12 crown with the storyline... 'Could Bill Self get his 10th straight at his alma mater?' But that's not happening with the Jayhawks already wrapping up yet another Big 12 crown on Monday. Oklahoma State is building steam and desparately need this win for the tournament resume. I think this is a case of 'Who wants it more?' right now. Kansas already has things wrapped up and despite knowing they could finish the Cowboys, Oklahoma State will get another huge Marcus Smart and Markel Brown combination effort. If Oklahoma State gets embarrassed here, Travis Ford's seat will be white hot. OSU 77-70

SECOND TIER
Missouri State at 2. Wichita State 1:00 pm ESPN - This is the Shockers last game of the season, and it will be a tough test. When these teams met in January, Missouri State had a 18 point lead at half holding Wichita State to only 24 points. This lead to furious comeback to force overtime and Shockers ended up winning it. This was easily their toughest challenge in the conference season. If the Bears want to pull the upset, they will need Jamar Gully and Marcus Marshall to be great with more control shooting as they both struggled in the first matchup. While Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker are the story, Tekele Cotton has been tremendous in the past couple games. He stays the course and the undefeated season happens for the Shockers.
WSU 72-65

9. Creighton at Xavier 4:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - Big one for the bubble as well as how the standings will play out in the Big East. This will be a ton of offense and not much defense. Doug McDermott had 35 points in their first meeting and guess what? There is still no one whom cannot stop Douglas MC Buckets on Xavier. He should have another solid game. If the X were to get a win here, they need a huge effort from Dee Davis and Semaj Christon. If those two can score around 15-25, they can win this game. But I cannot see it with Xavier's inability to stop McDermott. He has a big game and pulls the Jays from the depth late. CREIG 88-83

11. Cincinnati at Connecticut 11:00 am ESPN - Can we please just get a game where Shabazz Napier and Sean Kilpatrick just play Rucker rules and go back and forth for the whole game please?  That's all I want in life. Glad no one took me up on the coffee after the Huskies terrible loss on Sunday. UConn is rather shaky of late with scoring only 55 against SMU and 61 against South Florida. Now they face Cincinnati, arguably one of the best defensive team in the nation, meaning it could be a ton of trouble. Honestly, this feels like a road beatdown from Cincy. They had a week to stew watching highlights of Russ Smith hitting a game-winner jumper combined with UConn's inability to shoot recently, it is a perfect storm for the Bearcats win. CIN 66-59

23. Texas at Oklahoma 3:00 pm ESPN3- This is me being a dumb Wisconsinite but it does not feel like this is a real big rivalry for basketball. When both were real good, it got amped up to near football levels with the Hollis Price, T.J. Ford days.  Here is a dirty little secret about Texas... They only have two road wins in the Big 12 conference play and they are against TCU and West Virginia. Buddy Hield played well in their first meeting and I expect to remain the same with this one. Maybe a sneaky good Ryan Spangler game.
OKLA 81-76

THIRD TIER
LSU at 1. Florida 3:00 pm CBS - Gators had to survive Vanderbilt on Tuesday, but I felt that was a real important game for them. Florida did not score for five minutes to end the game before Dorian Finney-Smith hit a big three to dagger the Commodores. They will roll in this one as LSU not playing well especially with Anthony Hickey struggling as of late and I think Florida will be shake off the poor shooting night in Nashville. UF 79-62

Marquette at 8. Villanova (Played on Sunday) 1:00 pm CBS - I hate the fact this Marquette team is on national television. I hope Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery get the call to talk about their love for Davante Gardner. Marquette will need to be tough on the perimeter holding back Villanova's big shooters as well as pound it inside. I would love to tell you Marquette wins and puts their name in the hat yet I cannot see it. Villanova does too many things that exploit the Golden Eagles' weaknesses. NOVA 84-78

15. Iowa State at Kansas State 6:00 pm ESPNU - People really have no idea how good the Big 12 is but this is a fun matchup between two solid teams. Iowa State beat this team without DeAndre Kane having a big game going 3/12 only having 10 points. Then again, I do not usually bet against Kanas State at home. Yup, let's go with the latter. KSU 73-65

Stanford at 3. Arizona (Played on Sunday) 7:00 pm ESPNU - GUESS WHOSE BACK?  BACK AGAIN. ARIZONA'S BACK!  TELL A FRIEND. Honest to God, they look like themselves again and Stanford plays no defense at all. Bad combination, bet the house on the Cats. ZONA 101-79

FOURTH TIER
22. Ohio State at Indiana (Played Sunday) 3:00 pm CBS - Woof this is a national televised game? Ohio State continues their inconsistent circus, and Indiana won their first big game versus Iowa on Thursday. Hoosiers need this one for their distance bubble hopes, but I like Aaron Craft keeping Yogi Ferrell at bay being the difference. OSU 64-56

14. Wisconsin at Penn State (Played Sunday) 11:00 am Big Ten Network - I do think Wisconsin will need to be careful in this one as Bryce Jordan Center knows to play mind games on teams and Tim Frazier done some things against Wisconsin yet Penn State will not be able to keep up with the Badgers. UW 70-59

13. San Diego State at Fresno State 9:05 pm CBS Sports Network - Do not let their record fool you as the Bulldogs have won seven of their last eight games, could they give San Diego State a run for their money?  Signs point to yes. Tyler Johnson is a hell of a player for Fresno. Let's get crazy and take the Dawgs in this one. FRESNO 68-62

Minnesota at 16. Michigan 5:00 pm Big Ten Network - Gophers did get a nice win for their bubble hopes this week beating Iowa, but what others forget is Minnesota lost six of their last eight before the game. Michigan big. MICH 74-57

Charlie.

CBB Stock Market: February 21st-23rd

Looking for something else on Sports News on Tap, I found a gem called 'CBB Stock Market' which highlighted what happened on the weekend of college hoops. Sometimes I will use this space for a longer form recap, but mostly, it will be a subheading. 

BUY BUY BUY 

Kansas Jayhawks - This might be jinxing Kansas tonight, but if they were to win tonight, Kansas notches their 10 straight Big 12 title.  That's phenomenal. No coach has done that in college basketball. While people talk about John Calipari, Coach K, Tom Izzo and others, people sort of forget about how good Bill Self is at his job. Self might be when it is all said and done, one of the best coaches in the sport as he continues to win games, conference titles and I am wondered if he had more than one National Champion and two Final Four appearances if people would consider Self differently. This season was up and down a bit, but they pulled it together to win big in a tough Big 12.

North Carolina Tar Heels - All of the sudden, here comes the Heels. They were 1-4 to start the ACC season, and people began to wonder if this team would even make the tournament after falling to Miami at home. They have reeled off nine straight wins vaulting them nearing the top of the ACC Conference. The thing about North Carolina is it seems like there is another guy every night stepping up for them which has not been the case for the entire year. Recently, it is Leslie McDonald but in the past, Kennedy Meeks came up big, same goes for Marcus Paige (This holds for most of the season) and throw in James Michael McAdoo as well. North Carolina is without question a Final Four contender if they get the right avenue.

New Mexico Lobos - Remember when people questioned where this team would go when Steve Alford left the program for UCLA? It really did not happen as they have only lost five games this season including winning their last 14 of 16 including a big win at The Pit against San Diego State. They held the Aztecs to 44 points in a truly dominating performance. Cameron Bairstow might be one of the least talked about players who has been fantastic in the last couple of months. Bairstow had 15 or more points since late December where he only put up 14 points against Grand Canyon. It will be interesting to see if they can be better in March than they were last season.

Virginia Cavaliers - With the ACC this season, people are forgetting about Virginia due to being not very sexy of a team. It is like watching an offensive lineman in spandex and nothing else. They have only lost one game in the ACC. ONE. They currently have an opportunity to win the ACC outright something not been done by the Cavs since the mid-eighties. Their remaining three games are home against Miami and Syracuse before heading to Maryland. They will likely have a share of the ACC crown at the very worst. Tony Bennett did a great job with this program building it from where it was before taking over.

HOLD HOLD HOLD

Syracuse Orange - I am not ready to give up on Syracuse's tournament chances. This was bound to happen. They might lose to Maryland tonight too, so what? They were due for it. Let's break it all down here... Syracuse still has Tyler Ennis running point guard and he already proved to have ice in his veins throughout the year. Orange still have depth, senior leadership and coach that knows how to get them there. If Syracuse loses out the year, sure I will press the panic button but this team could still be a one seed right now, still a Final Four contender.  

Kentucky Wildcats - I do not think we should ignore Kentucky beat LSU in the last second in overtime at Rupp Arena. Like that's not a good thing at all. Kentucky is a team that will either find its way into the Elite Eight or Final Four, or be knocked out in the first round to some no-name team. The possibilities are endless with this team as they are chalk full of talent, but it does not seem like they give a shit on defense besides Julius Randle. They will be able to handle the SEC and probably lose another game with heading to Florida at the end of the season with them probably losing to the Gators again in the SEC Tournament.

SELL SELL SELL 

Players not helping Jim Boeheim - One of the big things missing from all of the #HotTakes about Jim Boeheim explosive tirade after the C.J. Fair offensive foul call late in the game in their loss against Duke is how none of the players grabbed him. You see players all the time grab their coach to settle them down. Marquette did them with Buzz Williams at times, same goes for other coaches around basketball. Watch the video below and tell me why Rakeem Christmas, a senior, does not grab him to restrain him from getting kicked out of the game. Fair's comments should be taken with a grain of salt as it happened right after the game. I do not think there is any beef with Fair and Boeheim. The players needed to be there more for their long-time coach.

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 
Monday: 4. Syracuse at Maryland 6:00 pm ESPN, Oklahoma at 5. Kansas 8:00 pm ESPN

Tuesday: 1. Florida at Vanderbilt 6:00 pm ESPN, 20. Iowa at Minnesota 6:00 pm Big Ten Network
               Indiana at 14. Wisconsin 8:00 pm ESPN

Wednesday: 16. Michigan at Purdue 6:00 pm Big Ten Network,
                    19. North Carolina at NC State 7:00 pm ESPN3, Baylor at 24. Texas 8:00 pm ESPNU                               California at 3. Arizona 8:00 pm ESPN  

Charlie. 

CBB Picks: Ranked on the Road - Always Dangerous

Since college football and basically National Football League is done, we have been making picks for college basketball. Let's have some fun with it and see what happens. I should probably record my record, but I will say this is the hardest sport to pick without question.

FIRST TIER  
17. Duke at 2. Syracuse 5:30 pm ESPN -This should be an electric atmosphere. 35 to 36,000 people are expected to be at this basketball game. That's crazy to think about honestly.  Duke rounded themselves back in the form in the last couple weeks with Rodney Hood playing like a manbeast, Andre Dawkins finding his three stroke again and oh yeah, Jabari Parker is not bad either. Syracuse just keeps winning games with the combination of C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis. This is a tough game to predict with Duke's ability to shoot lights out against the patented 2-3 zone, and Blue Devils lack of defensive prowess. I cannot bet against the Cuse in the dome, but man, it will be close. SYR 73-71

6. Kansas at 25. Texas 3:00 pm ESPN - Remember when this game used to mean the world to the Big 12? This might be the most anticipated one in awhile. Kansas seems like the best team in the country right now, and Andrew Wiggins' big performance did not go unnoticed Wednesday against Iowa State. I guess no one is talking about Texas because they are Texas, they are supposed to be good. Isiah Taylor had 27 points in their win against Baylor and it will be interesting to see what the encore will be like this Saturday. I think Texas is good enough to beat above-average teams, but they are not beating great teams. It is a close game, but Kansas takes control late with another strong performance from Wiggins and Naadir Tharpe. KU 81-75

Virginia at 18. Pittsburgh (Played on Sunday) 12:30 pm ESPNU - Some of you might not realize both of these teams are near the top of the ACC right now especially Virginia with only one ACC loss and honestly deserving of a ranking. They head up to Pittsburgh in what could be a rock fight. Both teams are strong defensively meaning first to 55 could win this game. I like Pittsburgh though. Lamar Patterson can become a problem if he gets going from deep, and Panthers usually do not lose two straight at the Oakland Zoo.
PITT 57-51

11. Kentucky at Missouri 12:00 pm CBS - I could not believe Kentucky is ranked eleventh. They did not look that good against LSU. Somehow I watched the whole game, and their effort was horrible. You want to believe this team will respond in a major way in a national televised game and blow out Missouri yet it is not a given. Willie Cauley-Stein and Andrew Harrison need to step up in this one. Both have drifted in and out from being bad to good players all season. For Missouri, they need this win with three losses already in the SEC and a win against Kentucky could help their resume in major way. Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson are probably the most unheralded one-two punch in college basketball. It is a must-win and Kentucky's first visit to Columbia as an SEC foe. Lock it up, Mizzou. MIZZ 83-75

SECOND TIER
1. Arizona at California 9:30 pm Pac-12 Network - In their first test in awhile, Arizona showed great grit on Wednesday night holding Stanford's offense to barely any points in the last nine minutes as they came back from the dead. Nick Johnson is a Player of the Year front-runner if he played at Duke. He is so damn good, and can take control of any game. They head to Berkeley where Cal suffered three straight losses including a heartbreaker to Arizona State on Thursday night in overtime. How does a team respond to losing when number one is in town? I am going out on a limb and saying very well. Justin Cobbs has a big night, and the Bears stun number one. CAL 64-60

10. Michigan at Indiana (Played Sunday) 12:00 pm CBS - Since their win against Wisconsin, Indiana dropped their last three of four games. It does not appear the Hoosiers are even close to the bubble right now as they are near the bottom of the B1G standings. This all being said, they NEED this win badly which is always dangerous for the ranked team. Michigan is a complete fire beast right now. I cannot see how they would let an inconsistent Hoosiers team beat them honestly. Even though college basketball is weird sometimes, there is no way this happens on Sunday. MICH 78-63

22. UMass at St. Joesph's 5:00 pm CBS Sports Network - It looks like UMass streak of good fortune is starting to come apart. They have lost three of two of their last three including this week to St. Bonaventure. These two teams met early this season with the Minuteman getting a four-point victory.  Chaz Williams took over late for UMass as they trailed nine with six minutes left to play in the game. This Hawks team knows how to beat this team, they just did not close last time. They will play a full 40 at home and win this game.
ST JOES 69-63

23. Oklahoma at 16. Iowa State 3:00 pm ESPN3 - I feel like these rankings should be reversed. Oklahoma scored another big win this week as they took care of rival Oklahoma State at home with a big performance from Ryan Spangler whom had 15 points and 17 rebounds. Iowa State fallen in four of their last five games including a loss to the Sooners, the second team they are facing twice already this conference season. In game one, Iowa State gave up 22 second-chance points and only had two of their own. That will not win games. Everything in my bones says 'Take the hot team against the struggling team', but then there is a Hilton Magic meaning Iowa State is the pick. ISU 75-69

THIRD TIER 
24. Ohio State at 14. Wisconsin 11:00 am ESPN - Could this be the worst ranked game of the season thus far? Both teams are in complete flux. In one corner, Ohio State has lost five of their last six games while in the other corner, Wisconsin fallen in four of their last five. Who can tame their dumpster fire more? I am going with Wisconsin. Sam Dekker seems like he is ready to have about a 25-14 performance on Saturday, and I think Traevon Jackson can keep his composure against Aaron Craft's style. UW 73-66

22. Memphis at SMU 1:00 pm CBS Sports Network - Would like to send out a 'Been There Bro' to SMU and their fanbase as they looked ahead when traveling to the Sun Dome against South Florida and lost ending their five-game winning streak. Memphis has won four straight, but not really beaten anyone in the process although Joe Jackson is playing pretty well. I like the Mustangs in this one. They need the win, and Memphis is due for a good ole brain fart of a game. SMU 76-67

Baylor at 8. Oklahoma State 1:00 pm ESPN - Man, Baylor. They are 1-5 for the season including a home loss to West Virginia this week and now head to Stillwater with a pissed off Cowboys team. In my best 'Taken' Liam Neeson voice, 'Good luck.'  OSU 79-64

Charlie.

CBB Stock Market: January 18th-19th

Looking for something else on Sports News on Tap, I found a gem called 'CBB Stock Market' which highlighted what happened on the weekend of college hoops. Sometimes I will use this space for a longer form recap, but mostly, it will be a subheading. 

BUY BUY BUY 

Kansas Jayhawks - What a week for Kansas. They look like the second best team in the country. They beat
Iowa State and Oklahoma State led by a big time performance on Saturday afternoon with Joel Embiid going for 13 points, eleven rebounds and eight blocks. This is a national broadcast where everyone's eyes are on him. Andrew Wiggins struggled against Oklahoma State, but he dominated against the Cyclones on Monday night. This team is coming together in a tough Big 12. Naadir Tharpe is another big reason why Kansas is playing well. In the last two games, Tharpe is averaging 22 points a game with five assists. That's important to the Jayhawks' success in the short and long term.

Texas Longhorns - People love to pick on Rick Barnes. He did not have a good 2012, and people believed him to be on the hot seat. With a new athletic director in town, people thought Texas might move Barnes like they did Mack Brown. But Barnes figured out to win with this team, and they are back in the top 25 for the first time in over a year. Texas has NO seniors, and they are still winning games in a tough Big 12. I feel like Barnes no matter what happens in the coming weeks, he has a job for a couple more years. Incredible effort with this squad.

Syracuse Orange - We gave Arizona some credit with last week's Stock Market and it is time to give Syracuse some love as they are one of the last unbeatens. Pittsburgh gave them their best shot. Lamar Patterson drilled four 3-pointers in the second half and Panthers had the lead at certain points coming back from being down double-digits. Tyler Ennis, the freshman no one talks about, had two monster layups to push the Orange ahead for another win. This season is really setting up perfectly for Syracuse to get an ACC crown in their first year. They do not have a difficult road game until February 12th against Pittsburgh, but it really looks like there are only three to five losses at most on their schedule. I loved nothing more than Boeheim's comments after the game calling it an 'old Big East game.'

HOLD HOLD HOLD

Creighton Bluejays - Fair to say the Jays look ahead to this one with Villanova on the slate tonight? They were beat pretty good by Providence as Doug McDermott received no help as he was the only player in double-digits. People do say the knock on the Jays is their lack of defense, and it showed in this game. If they are not getting a supporting cast with McDermott, they will suffer losses like this one.

Iowa State Cyclones - Even though they have lost three straight, I really do not think it is time to push the panic button here. They were too high at number eight without any question. Iowa State is not a top ten team rather a solid team with a great deal of talent. They need to find some scoring that is not shooting the 3-pointer. You can only live and die by it for so long.

SELL SELL SELL 

Georgetown Hoyas - I am going to trend very lightly with this one because my team plays Georgetown tonight so I am in no position to throw stones yet this Hoya team is struggling to score points. They had a double-digit home loss to Seton Hall something virtually unheard of, and just another dent in a rough year thus far for the Hoyas. Georgetown this week also had a 17-point lead with 15 minutes left only to have Xavier go on a 44-14 run to close out of the game beating them by 13 points. 

Indiana Hoosiers - This team beats Wisconsin at home only to lose on Saturday to Northwestern AT HOME. Indiana is an average team at best. 47 points to a weak Wildcat team. This is a team that should not be considered on the bubble right now. If you are not beating teams you are supposed to at home, there is no room for you in the tournament.

Arkansas Razorbacks - It felt like maybe the SEC was finally getting off the ground with Arkansas beating Kentucky at home maybe showing the Hogs were a better team than expected. Yet they lose on the road to Georgia in overtime. Bulldogs are not a bad team per say, but if Arkansas wants to be a tournament team, they win these type of ball games. Razorbacks needs to start getting some wins away from Bud Walton Arena. .

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 
Monday: Creighton at 4. Villanova 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1, 24. Baylor at 8. Kansas 8:00 pm ESPN

Tuesday: 22. Texas at Kansas State 6:00 pm ESPN2

Wednesday: 10. Iowa at 21. Michigan 6:00 pm Big Ten Network, 18. Duke at Miami 6:30 pm ESPN2,
                    9. Wisconsin at Minnesota 8:00 pm Big Ten Network

Thursday: Colorado at 1. Arizona 8:00 pm ESPN2 

CBB Picks: Mid-Afternoon Madness

This is probably the first big weekend in college basketball. There were some good games last weekend, but this one is much better. I decided to make all sorts of picks here breaking them down in three different tiers. I picked all sorts of Top 25 games and I included a quick pick with Marquette because I am a homer.  

First Tier Games 
9. Oklahoma State at 15. Kansas 3:00 pm CBS - First of all, I cannot believe how many good games are on in the middle of the day which is infuriating and a surefire way to find me into the bar by the mid-afternoon. I love this matchup. Marcus Smart, Le'Bryan Nash, Markel Brown can get Joel Embiid into foul trouble by attacking the rim yet I do not know if anyone can stop Embiid on Oklahoma State's team. Andrew Wiggins-Marcus Smart matchup will be must-see television. While I think Smart will get the edge in this one, I still think Kansas is playing too well right. KU 86-83

22. Pittsburgh at 2. Syracuse 3:00 pm ESPN - Naturally, the first thing I checked was how well Pittsburgh shoots the three playing against the tough 2-3 Cuse zone. Well they shoot 34 percent which is pretty average, but their star Lamar Patterson shoots over 42 percent. At some point, Syracuse hits a wall with their season, but it is not starting at home against a former Big East rival who is now an ACC rival. I think the game will be close, but Orange win this one. I am very interested to see how this is officiated too.
SYR 70-65

Indiana State at 5. Wichita State 3:00 pm ESPN2 - Sneaky good game. If there is going to be another Missouri Valley team in the NCAA Tournament, it would be Indiana State. Sycamores have won their last seven games led by Manny Arop and Jake Odum. They are a balanced attack that can compete with the Shockers yet I cannot see them pulling off the road upset. That's a little too difficult of a task for this team. WSU 78-71

Second Tier Games
Michigan at 3. Wisconsin 5:00 pm ESPN - Badgers attempt to bounce back against Michigan on Saturday. These two played a hell of a game at the Kohl Center last season, and I assume they will show Ben Brust's three at least 8,234 times. Michigan has won six straight games, but the only one quality team they have beat is Minnesota in the six-game stretch. Glenn Robinson III needs to be a factor as we saw Wisconsin struggle with guys attacking the rim. I think Sam Dekker bounces back though in this one with a big performance and leads Wisconsin to victory. A nugget that causes me concern, Michigan is 133rd in defending the three.
UW 79-67

25. Oklahoma at 12. Baylor 1:00 pm ESPN2 - Two of the top 50 scoring offenses playing in this one meaning we could have quite the game on our hands here. Both teams are also coming off a loss with the Bears loss to Texas Tech being much worse than Oklahoma's road loss to Kansas State. I feel like this is one of those games where Baylor just has to have being 1-2 in the Big 12 right now, and they will power their way through in this one. BAY 81-67

19. Louisville at UConn 8:00 pm ESPN - Another former Big East matchup taking place in primetime. UConn has been wildly inconsistent this season with some bad losses mixed in with some strong wins. Louisville bounced back after a home loss to Memphis last week. It comes down to guard play and who stays more in control, Russ Smith or Shabazz Napier, both are high-volume shooting, and if one is on, the other need not compete with him. I like Louisville to get the road win. I cannot really trust the Huskies at this point, and want to see them do it against another good team. UL 73-65

Third Tier Games 
Marquette at Butler 1:00 pm CBS Sports Network - This game makes me nervous with Butler being 0-5 in Big East play. They need a win and nothing is worse than a team needing a win. Kellen Dunham makes me very nervous with how Marquette guards against the three, but I feel like they will do just enough to win. MARQ 68-67

Minnesota at 14. Iowa (Played on Sunday) 12:00 pm Big Ten Network - Golden Gophers play their third straight game against a ranked opponent. I cannot see them going on the road and winning at Hawkeye-Carver basically judging on how they close out at Michigan State.. IOWA 72-65

Tennessee at 13. Kentucky 11:00 am CBS - First half is important for Kentucky to get off on the right foot after their loss. Jerrone Maymon and Julius Randle will be an absolute war. No way the Vols go into Lexington and win. UK 75-66

8. Iowa State at Texas 3:00 pm ESPN3 - And here's your upset of the day, people are not really talking about how good the Longhorns have been and the coaching job Rick Barnes is pulling off right now. Texas gets the home win as Iowa State goes cold from three again. TEXAS 69-65

4. Michigan State at Illinois 7:00 pm Big Ten Network - We are going with a double-up on the upsets. I understand how bad Fightin' Illini looked when they played Wisconsin, but they are at home, Michigan State has been sort of on the ropes, sets up perfectly for an Illinois win. ILL 76-74

Charlie.

CBB Weekend Picks: Needing a FOX Sports Stream

As I settled in to watch Marquette take on Xavier, the Butler-DePaul game was still ongoing. I thought 'Well they will probably flip us to the other game, or we will just miss a little bit of the game.' The game happened to go two overtimes, and FOX Sports 1 where the MU-Xavier game was on alerted the audience it would go to FOX Sports 2, a channel normal digital Time Warner Cable customers do not get in their package. This would not be a problem if FOX Sports had a viable streaming option, but that is not the case. This is officially a problem for FOX Sports.

If they want to contend with ESPN like they say they do, FOX needs to have a respectable streaming option. They have FOX Sports Go, but as Awful Announcing points out, this is not really a legitimate choice right now.  WatchESPN is such an awesome tool. Every game is partially on there if it is on ESPN. Sometimes they do not show ESPNU games, but other than that, if it is on ESPN, you have it a stream of it. Even the major ABC events like the NBA Finals, were on WatchESPN this past summer. FOX does not have anything close to do that, and when they tried to do it for San Francisco-Green Bay which did not work out well. When it started ESPN3 had some major issues, but it did not take long for them to fix those issues. ESPN3 made sure I could watch Marquette games when I went to Eau Claire, it was vital.

The reason why this is a problem is more and more of the younger generation do not have cable. They have Roku, Apple TV, XBox 1, Playstation 4 are all options people are using instead of paying for cable. If FOX wants to appeal to the 18-30 demo (The same demo whom has some issues with ESPN lately, see Tebow, Tim), they need to at least have a streaming option. The fact they are the last ones in the group even if CBS and NBC Sports have some flaws, they still stream a ton of their important content. FOX needs seriously improvement in this category.

Games to watch
20. Iowa at 3. Ohio State (Played Sunday) 12:30 pm CBS - One team is coming off a loss, the other team gets their fiery head coach back. First time Iowa has been on national television since the Luke Recker days? As much as the guy irks me, Iowa does not really have an answer for Aaron Craft. I think he can get his hands all in this game plus they have enough big men to compete with the Hawkeyes. OSU 74-69

25. Kansas State at 18. Kansas 1:00 pm ESPN - Big game for Kansas. They picked up a nice road win against Oklahoma this week with the Jayhawks not getting much from Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid. That's important for Kansas to win without those guys doing much. Kansas State is a little undersized and they have only won at Lawrence twice in the last 20 years. I am taking Kansas by double digits. KU 79-63
 
North Carolina at 2. Syracuse 11:00 am ESPN - I honestly do not know what to hell to think about this one. Tar Heels have beaten these teams this year but losing to slums like Miami and Wake Forest. Orange have actually beat some teams this year unlike others where they feast on cupcakes. Syracuse's zone is not as good as its been in years past yet North Carolina is going to force so many bad shots in this game. Orange pulls away in the last couple minutes of the game. CUSE 71-62

15. Colorado at Washington (Played Sunday) 2:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - This is my upset special of the weekend. Washington has six losses already meaning they need a win. Huskies pushed Arizona on the road last week, and this is their first big home opponent. Lock it up, Washington. UW 65-62

Minnesota at 3. Michigan State 1:15 pm Big Ten Network - I do not know if this will be close, but Golden Gophers start a stretch that is Sparty, Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin, all ranked three in the top ten. Best of luck Goldy. MSU 75-59

Charlie.

CBB Stock Market: January 4-5th

Looking for something else on Sports News on Tap, I found a gem called 'CBB Stock Market' which highlighted what happened on the weekend of college hoops. It was a pretty decent weekend for college basketball with a couple unbeatens going down along with a couple teams losing at home that probably should not have on Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes I will use this space for a longer form recap, but mostly, it will be a subheading. 

BUY BUY BUY 

Ohio State Buckeyes - Why is no one talking about this team? They are unbeaten and might be the best 'team' right now in college basketball. When I say 'team' I might just them as a unit versus the best players out on the court. They have a balanced scoring attack with Lenzelle Smith Jr. and LaQuinton Ross being the two top scorers for this team. While Smith and Ross are the only two averaging double-digits, they have six more averaging at least five points a game. Efficient team who has big games against Michigan State and Iowa. Excited to see how they handle both teams. 

San Diego State Aztecs - When Marquette lost to San Diego State, I felt like this could be a bad loss moving forward. Aztecs seemed like a team playing above their head, but now, I have to think this team is a legitimate contender this season. Hyperbole or not, but teams do not just go into Phog Allen Fieldhouse and win a basketball game. They made Kansas played at their pace, and on defense, they forced a ton of 3-pointers as Kansas shot 16 threes in the game only making four of them. Judging by this team's resume, it is not out of the question for them to be a top three seed if they play well in the Mountain West.  

Villanova Wildcats - Hands down, Big East favorite at least at the beginning of the year. They went into Butler earlier this week and took care of the Bulldogs in a tough overtime. Sure, Butler is not what they used to be, but that's a tough environment to win a basketball game especially coming off a road loss against Syracuse where they were outclassed in the second half. And on Sunday, they boat raced a supposedly better Providence team by 30 points at home putting up 90+ points. This is the Big East favorite until a couple teams can beat them. 

HOLD HOLD HOLD

North Carolina Tar Heels - What a confusing team. North Carolina loses their fourth game against an unranked team. This was an uninspired effort from the Tar Heels with them not getting to the line very often (7/11) and convincing themselves they could make threes when they were not falling at all.  They also had 17 turnovers. I am standing by what I said in November that North Carolina is going to be a five or sixth seed and find themselves at least in the Elite Eight or they lose in the first round. No in-between.

Jabari Parker - From a scoring standpoint, the last two games have been a struggle for the heralded freshman, but this had to be expected right?  Parker could not just fly through the season like Superman. It is just not possible. He struggled to score against Elon only having 12 points (It should not be forgotten he had 10 rebounds which is equally important), and a season-low seven against Notre Dame, a team not really known for their defense this season. There is a book on Parker, and he needs to make adjustments to his game to find more scoring.

Kansas Jayhawks - I am not ready to bury this team. Big 12 is a really good conference with the play of Baylor, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Kansas State meaning Kansas needs to figure out their freshman-led team quicker than usual yet at some point, it will come together. They are too good for it not to happen. Even if Kansas goes into the tournament at a three or four seed,  Jayhawks would be completely lethal. Soon enough, they will find a way to win one of these close games. Kansas has a massive four-game stretch starting on January 11th.

SELL SELL SELL 

Memphis Tigers - Oh Memphis. I wanted to believe in this team. I saw them against Florida and then they beat Oklahoma State the second time around, it seemed like a different team. They really should put paper in front of their nickname. They got their asses kicked at home to a good yet beatable Cincinnati team. I have no idea why their guards kept trying to throw things at Justin Jackson only to get blocked. Josh Pastner's seat moved from lukewarm to suddenly warmer in the last couple days. 

Fran McCaffery - If you missed it yesterday, Iowa's head coach lost his shit costing his team the game against Wisconsin. Iowa was up 41-39 before the double technical foul on McCaffery and after it, Iowa never led after it. Four points is all it took for Wisconsin to win this game which was equally the two technical fouls. Nothing is wrong being a fiery coach, but if you do, it needs to be controlled and not screaming at officials like a drill sargent. My assumption is he will miss two or three games for bumping an official meaning he could miss games against Northwestern, Ohio State and Minnesota.

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 
Tuesday: 7. Baylor at 9. Iowa State 6:00 pm ESPN2,  3. Ohio State at 5. Michigan State 8:00 pm
Wednesday: 23. Illinois at 4. Wisconsin 8:00 pm Big Ten Network
Thursday: 24. Memphis at 12. Louisville 6:00 pm ESPN,  1. Arizona at UCLA 8:00 pm ESPN

Charlie. 

13 Thoughts About College Basketball Thus Far

It has been awhile since we have talked about college basketball here. I will start writing more in the coming weeks as we have conference games coming up after Christmas. I will probably do something Monday and Friday for college basketball plus whenever Marquette plays I will have a recap the following night. If you are wondering about Wisconsin, the door has been wide open for someone to start writing about them, but no one seized the opportunity. Yes this is a blogger's version of a subtweet.

The off-base Kansas and Andrew Wiggins' criticism - No one expected Kansas to lose three games in the first month or so of the season. It really comes down to this is still a young team, and they are not going to be perfect right of the gate. Big 12 is off to a fast start with good non-conference wins meaning this could be a better conference than expected.  Andrew Wiggins has took some heat because he does not have the one 'Holy shit, that's why he's Andrew Wiggins' yet averaging 15 points, five rebounds and assists per game is not a bad stat line for a freshman, but people act like he's going to be a bust. Wiggins, Joel Embiid and the boys will round perfectly into form. If they are not a one or two seed, I will be shocked.

Kentucky finishing 37-3 apparently - Kentucky's fan base believed this team could go unbeaten. Even though they were freshman for the most part, people wanted to live the dream with their loaded class featuring Julius Randle, Harrison Twins and others. Sadly for Wildcats fan base is everyone expects all their freshman classes to be in the 2011 squad forgetting they had guys like Darius Miller and Doran Lamb who were both experienced leaders. 2011 is not walking through that door.  Kentucky fell to North Carolina, Baylor and Michigan State this season. They have one more difficult non-conference game against Louisville, but then the SEC should be a breeze other than Florida/Missouri matchups. Kentucky will be fine even if their fan base wants to fire John Calipari.

Arizona is a true number one - In college basketball, it is nice to see the number one whom deserves their ranking at this time of year. Sometimes that can be hard to achieve yet Arizona is the real deal. Who cares Aaron Gordon is not having the best freshman start. They have the likes of Nick Johnson whose off to a great start as well as new transfer T.J. McConnell running the point. Besides Johnson, Gabe York is playing at a high level as well. The fact of the matter is Arizona lucked into a big freshman not having a great year in 2012 meaning almost all of them stayed combining classes making them a true threat for the National Championship.  It really looks like Arizona could be number one by the time they play UCLA on the road in mid-January.

B1G is far and away the best conference - It is pretty easy to say this team won the non-conference belt for conferences. Three of the top five are Big Ten teams. Iowa and Illinois will be rated in and around the top 25 all season. Minnesota is not that shabby either with young coach Richard Pitno. Indiana will be better in January when their freshman start to get cooking. Not to mention, Michigan who has four losses already should be better in conference play. I do not expect a one seed out of the Big Ten honestly. I could see them getting two 2 seeds, but that might be generous. It is not a knock to the B1G, in fact it is a compliment because everyone is going to beat up each other.

Joel Embiid is the college basketball hipster favorite freshman - A part of me thinks by March, he will be right up there with Wiggins and Parker in terms of the best players in college basketball that casual and NBA fans are talking about. ESPN Chad Ford already has him in his top three which means Embiid does not need to do much more for the expects. It will be interesting to see if casual fans will end up buying into him. When a player is getting compared to Hakeem Olajuwon at age 19, you know he could be really great

Jury is still out on Marquette - It probably is time where I talk about Marquette. I would love to say Marquette solved all their problems with wins against IUPUI and Ball State yet they could really use a marquee win this weekend against New Mexico. They looked good with a trap/press defense plus they have found their balance scoring yet it is still concerning who will be the go-to scorer with four minutes left to go in a tight game. Duane Wilson might be coming back this Saturday from an injury. Freshman Deonte Burton and Jajuan Johnson are looking more confident with each game. But I am not ready to be sold on this team until they can do it against solid competition.

I cannot figure out North Carolina - What a bizarre team. They are undefeated against ranked teams and they are 4-3 against unranked teams this year. I have no idea what to think about this squad. Marcus Paige looks like an All-American, but other than that, there is not much there to feel confident in. Leslie McDonald did come back this week in a loss against Texas and the P.J. Hairston decision should come down before the end of the week. This has all the makings of a sixth seed that ends up in the Final Four.

Jabari Parker and Duke are must-watch - People hate Duke all the time. It is the fun thing to do, but is this the most likable Blue Devils team in the last 10 years?  I would say it is damn near close. They do not have the one hateable guy that everyone can rally behind. Jabari Parker is fun as hell to watch because he can shoot six threes or bang it down in the post. At least right now, he is more fun to watch than Wiggins. They have a top three player in the country along with other key contributors. If Duke wants to be more disliked, we need to get Marshall Plumleee some more time

How did people forget about Shabazz Napier? - Naturally, he did not play well last night against Stanford at home, but Napier seemed to be the lost soul in the 'Player of the Year' talk.  I am not saying he will take home the award, but rather, he deserves to be mentioned as one of the best 10 players in the college basketball. I think the reason why Napier did not get the same amount love besides freshman is UConn plays in the AAC versus heading to ACC or you know the Big East.

Not ready for Wisconsin to be this good - As a Marquette fan, I made mention earlier this year about the weirdness of this rivalry but I cannot deal with Wisconsin being a top five team right now. This looks like their best year to get to the Final Four. Sam Dekker will be right up there for Big Ten Player of the Year, and the jury is still out whether Evan Anderson will take J.P. Gavinski's title of 'Best B1G Towel Waver.'  I expect we will see much more Bronson Koenig in conference play.  

Could Wichita State get a top three seed? - This is a honest question with Wichita State sitting at number eleven in the polls, and they are unbeaten for the non-conference. Missouri Valley Conference is missing two games with Creighton meaning Wichita State might have the ability to damn near run the table in that conference. If they do, I would not be surprised if the Shockers get a top 16 seed given their Final Four run last season. I feel like that gives them a little more respect than other mid-majors.

Villanova is not the best team in the Big East, right? - To be frank, it has not been the best start for the new Big East. Villanova clearly has the best win against Kansas in late November, but none of the teams are off to quick starts besides Nova. Is it fair to call Nova the favorites? Probably not. I would say it is wide open, and teams will round into form. Villanova is rated eighth due to beating Kansas and Iowa in one weekend after that, they have played virtually no one. It should be fun to see them against Syracuse next Saturday.

It will never be easier to make the NCAA Tournament - Look at how many teams have three or four losses already and I think it will be very easy for people to get into the tournament. It is not because there is parity in college basketball rather there are more good programs than ever before. This means there will be more upsets leading to a couple eleven or maybe 12 loss program gets into the tournament. I may or may not be saying this to ensure Marquette finds a way in, I don't know.

Charlie.