Sportandfashion-news's Championship Week Guide

In beautiful Sportandfashion-news fashion, I get my predictions, player to watch, team to watch for the conference tournaments a little late, but let's be honest, most of the games today do not matter. Thursday and Friday are so sneaky great. 

Big East
TV: FOX Sports 1  

Player to watch: Doug McDermott - This is sort of a mailed in answer here, but I am curious how Dougie McBuckets handles New York City and the bright lights of the Big East Tournament even if it is not what it was in years past. McDermott also made the cover of Sports Illustrated emulating Larry Bird's SI cover and McDermott getting compared to Larry Bird is perfect. FOX would love for McDermott to go off until Saturday night.    

Team to watch: Winner of Providence and St. John's - This is probably the best game of the tournament in the early goings. Both teams are squarely on the bubble, and it is a 'Loser Go Home' matchup for these teams. Whomever will win this game gets Villanova meaning they get a legitimate shot at fully sealing their chances for the tournament.  

Winner: Villanova - I think I have taken Nova lightly for the entire year. This team has three losses, and for some reason, I do not think they will run into their kryptonite in Creighton whose beat them twice this season meaning they will probably get a walk into the conference championship which includes a one seed in the NCAA Tournament.*

*** Yes I would love to wax poetically about Marquette finding some mojo in New York City, but I really do not see much from the squad right now. They lost two straight, play an Xavier team they have beat, but then take on Creighton if Golden Eagles were to win. It would be classic Marquette if they got to the final only to lose then just to tease me.

B1G 
TV: CBS, ESPN Networks, Big Ten Network

Player to watch: Keith Appling - We have seen glimmers of Appling returning to form in the last couple games, but since his injury, he really has not been the same player. Michigan State is under a great deal of criticism, and if this team wants to make a March run like everyone expected in November, Appling needs to be a factor on both ends of the court.  

Team to watch: Indiana Hoosiers - This might be a ridiculous prediction, but here me out for Indiana. They play Illinois whose playing better of late but can easily beat them in the first round. Then Hoosiers get a 1-8 matchup with Michigan, a team they beat and only lost to four last Saturday plus they could get Nebraska in the semifinal.  With Michigan State and Wisconsin in the lower bracket, I think it is easier to make a run in the top half.

Winner: Wisconsin Badgers - They always seem to play well in Indianapolis for the tournament. I do not think they will see both Michigan and Michigan State plus their first game against Minnesota or Penn State will be less taxing than Sparty facing probably Iowa. Badgers seem like the most logical answer.

Big 12 
TV: ESPN Networks

Player to watch: Andrew Wiggins - I am curious to see whether Wiggins' 41 performance on Saturday will carry over to the Big 12 Tournament especially with Joel Embiid being out with a back injury. Wiggins could be blasting Aloe Blacc through his headphones and become the man of this team.      

Team to watch: Baylor Bears - Something I think people have not been paying attention to is Baylor found a way to rite the ship in the past month. The lower half of the bracket is far less daunting than the top with Baylor getting Oklahoma in the second round, a team that swept them yet it is still winnable. If Baylor gets past them, it is either Texas or West Virginia in the semifinals which once again the Bears could win.

Winner: Iowa State Cyclones - I like the makeup of this team probably more than I should. We are heading for a NCAA Tournament where I take Iowa State until the Elite Eight and get burned. Kansas State is a tough draw to start, but getting Kansas after Oklahoma State or if the Cowboys knock them off could definitely help the Cyclones. It should be a fun as hell tournament here.

ACC 
TV: ESPN Networks

Player to watch: T.J. Warren - If there is one player that could single-handily carry his team through the ACC Tournament, it is Warren. He won ACC Player of the Year and has been on a complete tear in the last month. Warren is lethal enough to beat a team like Syracuse in the quarterfinals, but climbing from the five and under will be difficult in this conference tournament.

Team to watch: Virginia Cavaliers - Unlike a lot of these paragraphs, I am interested to see how the Cavaliers handle themselves against the top ACC teams. Out of the top seven ACC teams, Virginia played all of them only once this season meaning there is a lot of uncertainty that this team could run the table against their ACC opponents.

Winner: North Carolina Tar Heels - I love how they played in the last month. Despite a loss to Duke, North Carolina should be able to make some noise here with getting either Pittsburgh or Florida State then move on to a revenge game against Virginia possibly.  I cannot see Duke and Syracuse winning as both teams will beat each other up in the semifinals.

American  
TV: ESPN Networks

Player to watch: Russ Smith - There are so many great individual players in this tournament especially with the likes of Smith, Shabazz Napier, Shaq Goodwin, Nic Moore and others. Smith though, is the type of player that could absolutely electrify this conference tournament.  He might be one of the more underrated players in college basketball which is unbelievable to think about truthfully.  

Team to watch: Memphis Tigers - They get a homecourt advantage. While that has not played to Memphis' strengths throughout the season, it has helped in the past during the Conference USA days. They have a tough road seeing UConn, Cincinnati and SMU/Louisville yet having a rabid fan base plus sleeping in your own bed only helps things.

Winner: SMU Mustangs - This is like everyone's sleeper that is going to become too popular, but they have a solid team that plays both strong offense and defense. SMU filled with scorers like Moore, and they have beaten all the top teams this season. Like the Ponies to make a run.    

Pac-12
TV: ESPN Networks, Pac-12 Network

Player to watch: Aaron Gordon - For most of the year, Gordon really never reached Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins level. We have seen players take their games to something we have not seen when mid-March rolls on. Derrick Williams was a nobody before he took the Cats on a run to the Elite Eight. Gordon could make his presence known which means we all in big trouble.    

Team to watch: UCLA Bruins - Yes they are the two seed, but did anyone notice Washington State beat the doors off them last Saturday night?  Maybe it is just a blip on the radar, but I do not know how good this UCLA team is meaning the seed could be a little high for them.

Winner: Oregon Ducks - QUACK IS BACK JACK.  They are red-hot right now and somehow the seventh seed in this tournament. Oregon beat Arizona, UCLA sans their two best players and Arizona State in the last month, they are the top three seeds of this tournament. I do not want to see Oregon right now, and I think the Ducks find a way to do it to Arizona again.  

A-10   
TV: CBS, NBC Sports Network

Player to watch: Jordair Jett - While this might be an obvious answer, I am a little concerned about the health of Jett moving forward this week. Saint Louis could play up to three games in three days wearing out the knee of Jett's so do I think we should keep an eye on him.

Team to watch: St. Joesph's or Dayton - Both of these teams are squarely on the bubble. Let's say Dayton runs through whomever wins the 12/13 matchup meaning these two teams play each other in a 'Loser Goes Home' in the quarterfinals then getting Saint Louis in the semifinals. Don't be surprised if one of these teams end up in the final.

Winner: VCU Rams - Here's the thing about the Havoc defense, it could be completely exhausting when you have already played a couple games versus seeing it after a week off.   While they have struggled with Saint Louis in the past outside of Richmond, I think they could have a good tournament.

Mountain West  
TV: CBS Networks

Player to watch:  Deonte Burton - Not the one from Marquette, but the big dunker from Nevada whom can put anyone on a poster. Wolfpack lurk in the third position, and Burton's high energy could make some noise for this tournament.

Team to watch: UNLV Runnin' Rebels - If there was one team besides San Diego State or New Mexico to do damage, it could be UNLV.  While they are coming in losing the last two of the season, they have the talent to beat anyone in the Mountain West.

Winner: San Diego State Aztecs - At the end of the day, let's not kid ourselves with a pretender making waves here. San Diego State or New Mexico is likely winning this thing. I will take the Aztecs only because Xavier Thames' ability to take over basketball games could be major in the third game of this rivalry.    

 

SEC 
TV: ABC, ESPN Networks

Player to watch: Pick a Kentucky freshman - Wildcats are one of the most interesting teams to watch, and this might be a cop out with my answer yet all of the players fascinate me. They could probably see LSU in the quarterfinal, a team that gives them all sorts of trouble.  

Team to watch: Arkansas or Tennessee winner - Let's say Arkansas wins its first game meaning they take on Tennessee in a 'Loser Go Home' matchup with both teams lying on the bubble. They could then get Florida in the semifinals in a desperation game. To be honest, I am more interested in Arkansas than Tennessee but that's just me.

Winner: Florida Gators - They are the best team in basketball, and while they might not care about this tournament, they are head and shoulders above everyone else in the SEC.

Charlie.

CBB Picks: The Final Countdown

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
14. North Carolina at 4. Duke 8:00 pm ESPN - Who would have thought a month ago, this would be a top 15 matchup again, and everything is right with the world. Marcus Paige developed into one of the best point guards in the nation, and I do not think Duke has an answer for him.  They will win this game by outscoring North Carolina yet that's hard to come by right now for Duke which is weird given all the talent they have especially on the offensive side. I do not trust Duke right now. Coach K is having health issues, team cannot play defense and cannot score, horrible recipe against a hot team. UNC 77-72

19. Connecticut at 11. Louisville 1:00 pm CBS - If Cardinals win, they get at least a split of the conference title in the first year of the American.  Russ Smith might be the least talked about senior in a long time. Smith been so damn good in the past couple weeks including a big 24 point second half against SMU. Smith had a nice game the first time around against the Huskies and there is no reason to think otherwise on Saturday. We need a Russ versus Shabazz five minute interlude and just watch in awe. I will take Louisville. Montrezl Harrell and Russ Smith will be too much for the Huskies. UL 69-62

21. New Mexico at 10. San Diego State 9:00 pm CBS Sports Network - Second meeting between these two squads and the first time, New Mexico delivered a beat down. Dirty little secret about the Aztecs is they have not really beat anyone worth nothing since early January. Last game, San Diego State received 27 points from their bench which is not the norm for them, they will need it again this time around. They also need to put a body on Cameron Bairstow. He went off the first time around for 26 points and eight rebounds. Aztecs cannot have that happen again if they want the rematch. I think they do. Xavier Thames last game with The Show behind him will yield a good result. SDSU 65-58

3. Arizona at Oregon 3:00 pm CBS - Tricky, tricky game for Arizona. They survived Oregon State on Wednesday night and now face an Oregon team that needs a win. They are flirting with the bubble, and if they win, the Ducks are probably in unless something crazy happens. Ducks are hot winning the last six games, and getting Johnathan Lloyd healthy again is big for this team. Mike Moser needs to be a factor too. He disappeared against Arizona earlier this year. It is hard to bet against Nick Johnson whom had 20 or more points three of the last four games, but that's what I am doing. Betting against a team with their backs against the wall at home is usually foolish. Quack quack. OREG 78-75

SECOND TIER
25. Kentucky at 1. Florida 11:00 am CBS - Woof. Kentucky is heading into a buzzsaw with this game. There might be slight hope that the Wildcats could catch them with an 11 am start, but I highly doubt that. Michael Frazier II proved on Tuesday, Florida has so many different options that can beat them.  Casey Prather and Scottie Wilbekin combined for 47 points in the first meeting, and it is hard to imagine things will be different on Saturday. Gators are playing really strong basketball right now, and Kentucky is not whatsoever. I would be stunned if the Cats found a way to win this one. Go Gata. UF 70-59

18. SMU at 20. Memphis 11:00 am ESPN - Even though my team resides in the Big East, the American has been the best new conference from a talent standpoint. All around, I would probably take the Big East, but I move on. Memphis needs to find some defense quick. They gave up over 80-plus points to a Cincinnati team that is known for their defense. They gave up 87 points to SMU in January, what makes me think anything will be different with this team?  Memphis is a good team that cannot play defense. That's a problem. SMU runs them over again with a strong Nic Moore game. SMU 81-72

Oklahoma State at 16. Iowa State 1:00 pm ESPN - Cowboys decided not to be on the bubble once Marcus Smart came back. Unless Oklahoma State loses their last two games of the year, this one and their first Big 12 conference game, I think they are safely in. If they do finish out with two straight losses, they might be sweating a bit. These two played a triple overtime classic at Stillwater and I would expect nothing different at Hilton. I am not worried about Iowa State. I think DeAndre Kane and George Niang will figure it out powering Cyclones over the Cowboys. ISU 74-72

Missouri Valley Conference Championship (Played on Sunday) 1:00 pm CBS - Odds are Wichita State could be playing to go wire-to-wire with the undefeated season. That's worth the price of admission. Cannot really make a pick rather just inform you it is there.

THIRD TIER
22. Michigan State at Ohio State (Played on Sunday) 3:30 pm CBS - Can anyone trust Ohio State right now? They are not doing anything on offense and while this will be senior day for Aaron Craft as well as others emotions will run high for the Bucks. Michigan State seemed back against Iowa. Four of their five starters were in double figures plus a nice effort from Travis Trice off the bench. Even though senior day will inspire Craft, Michigan State might be gearing towards to make their run. MSU 66-62

7. Syracuse at Florida State (Played on Sunday) 1:00 pm ESPN3 - No one likes to play in Tallahassee and this will be the Cuse's first conference visit. In the last month, the highest point total for Syracuse was 62 points in a loss to Georgia Tech. Noles are hot of late winning four of their last five games playing good defense and actually scoring, a problem for them in the past. Okaro White has been white hot averaging 21.5 points in the last three games. Everything tells me to go with Florida State, but I cannot picture Syracuse dropping another game. They put it together and win a closely contested game. CUSE 64-63

Georgetown at 6. Villanova 1:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - Am I discrediting Villanova? They only have three losses total this season, two against Creighton and one against Syracuse. They beat Kansas albeit early in the season. Nova is being talked about as a one seed and deservingly so. The big three of Bell, Pinkston and Hillard are all averaging around 14 to 15 points a game. Markel Starks gave one of his best performances of his career on Tuesday, but it's not happening here. Nova is not losing at home with the big three taking control late. NOVA 69-61

FOURTH TIER
9. Wisconsin at Nebraska (Played on Sunday) 6:30 pm Big Ten Network - Oh baby. This is the biggest game in Nebraska's college basketball history. It will be a sold out crowd. March atmosphere will be in the air for sure. Wisconsin is red hot and hard to pick against, but the question is 'Who needs this more?' Cornhuskers without question. NEB 63-61

Providence at 13. Creighton 7:00 pm CBS Sports Network - An easy one here. Dougie McBuckets final game in Omaha seems like an easy win even though Providence needs a win desparately here. McDermott goes for 36 tonight in a win. CREIGH 85-72

5. Virginia at Maryland 11:00 am (Played on Sunday) CBS - This has all the remnants of an upset. Virginia already won the ACC. Terrapins are not going to be in the tournament, and this will be their Super Bowl being on national TV and save their coach's job. Easy money here. MARY 68-65

17. Saint Louis at Massachusetts (Played on Sunday) 1:00 pm CBS Sports Network - All of the sudden, Billikens have careened off the side of the road. Minuteman are probably in and could help their resume with a win here. Jordair Jett is bothering a knee injury and that worries me. Give me The Zoo. UMASS 65-60

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 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. 

Duke-UNC Basketball Manager Fight!

I believe every time the day before the two teams play, the basketball managers go at it. I know they do it at least once a year. Most of the time, the games are pretty cool and a great primer to the actual game. Remember last year, Duke's manager team hit a game-winner to beat Carolina. Tar Heels ended up winning the game and the fight. The big man in the middle delivers a Greg Ostertag like elbow in the middle and hell breaks loose with everybody wanting to get in on the scrap. It does not appear like we had some throw an actual punch but nonetheless, always cool to see how far this rivalry runs no matter what the sport is. Carolina won the game, and it is great start to the rivalry game which tips off tonight at Chapel Hill on 8:00 pm.  (H/T Fayetteville Observer) 

Charlie.

Closing Time: Nike's CBB Throwbacks are Awesome

God bless ya Nike. They are not buying into the sleeved jerseys as that is Adidas' baby and that's perfectly okay with me. They decide to go old school with some of their biggest teams on the roster as Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke, Ohio State, Oregon, Syracuse, and North Carolina all get new jerseys. Spartans are the only ones where the jersey is actually new as Nike is still trying to make bronze happen with Sparty. I do not know if I like Syracuse's or Ohio State's the best. Both are very slick, and I do not mind the shorts being a different color. I also love North Carolina going back to the heel on the short plus the Carolina blue triangle running up the short. All of theses are great. Good night Tappers. (H/T @nikebasketball) 

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.

DOY: J.P. Tokoto

North Carolina Tar Heels might be the weirdest team in college basketball. I cannot remember a team with so many quality wins combined with multiple bad losses. Last night was the latter as Carolina suffered a home loss to a lowly Miami team.  Sensing a theme in the morning post, another Menomonee Falls native made some noise in this game. J.P. Tokoto had a massive left-handed slam against Miami. He basically went up straight up and dunked right by a guy. There are some definite 'booms' as they used to say when I played basketball circa 2004-2005. He had seven points in the losing effort. Tokoto has been better this year somewhat showing justification for him playing away from his home state.

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. 

Sportandfashion-news Bowl Predictions: Hats, Getting Belk'd, Workout Shirts, Wings

New Era Pinstripe Bowl 

Rutgers vs. Notre Dame 11:00 am ESPN - I could not believe Rutgers actually sold out their bowl allotment of tickets. Maybe Rutgers is New York City's football team. But when it all comes down to it, I have no idea how Rutgers is a bowl team. Scarlet Knights have lost five of their last seven games, and they are playing in a bowl game. They have a relativity new quarterback and their defense is horrendous. As for Notre Dame, this is quite the contrast from a BCS Championship game last season, but I feel like there is definitely encouragement they got to eight wins after losing Everett Golson for the year due to academics. They will be without George Atkinson and Jalen Brown whom both were suspended for violating team rules. Nonetheless, Tommy Rees excels when he plays bad teams and bad defenses. He is not a bad quarterback when he faces marginal teams meaning he will have a big day and someone will draft him in the fifth round. ND 41-21   

Belk Bowl 

Cincinnati vs. North Carolina 2:20 pm ESPN - If you are unfamiliar with College Football Twitter, they love to make Belk jokes. It started last year, but it is fantastic. If you follow the right people, you will see all sorts of different Belk jokes throughout the day. It shocked me it started at 8:30 am this morning. Cincinnati gets Belk'd for the second straight year. Bearcats had a weird year. They started off the year 3-2 and finished winning nine games led by backup quarterback Brendon Kay whose thrown for at least 250 yards in every game since October 5th. North Carolina had a weird year themselves starting the year off 1-5 and losing their senior quarterback. Marquise Williams has stepped in nicely and is a solid duel threat option for them. Both teams can score a ton so it comes down which team can make the more stops. I am betting on Cincinnati to continue being the Belk kings even if Carolina has a homefield advantage. CINN 31-28  

Russell Athletic Bowl 

Miami vs. Louisville 5:45 pm ESPN - On paper, this is looks like a good game. We will be excited to watch Stephen Morris faced off against Teddy Bridgewater as both quarterbacks will get drafted in May. But here's the big problem... Miami cannot play a lick a defense. It has not improved from last year, and Bridgewater and company should have their way with this Miami defense. Morris struggles against good defenses as well meaning we could see some turnovers from the senior quarterback making this look like a nightmare scenario for the Hurricanes. Also worth noting, it seems like Louisville is treating this one like it is their first ACC game as they will move there next year and that's important. I think the Cards send a big message tonight. UL 38-14

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl 
Michigan vs. Kansas State 9:15 pm ESPN - I had no real interest in this game until true freshman Shane Morris was announced the starter for Michigan. Not surprising, Morris is a highly rated recruit and he will take the reigns for Devin Gardner. Morris could come out and surprises us being better than expected and pave the way for Michigan's future. But what we forget is Michigan still has to play defense and that's a problem. Wolverines are struggling once again on that side of the ball, and it is much of the reason why Michigan has lost five of their last seven games. Kansas State is the opposite. They started the year off 2-4 and since have won five of their last six. They led by their rushing attack of John Hubert and occasionally Daniel Sams who is a quarterback. Hubert is a beast, and I expect him to have a big day against a weak Michigan defense. I could see Morris handling himself alright, but he will make some mistakes costing the Wolverines in this one. KSU 30-21

Bowl Record: 7-4

Charlie.  

The Tap Ten: 2013 College Basketball Stories

This is the beginning of our 2013 end of the year lists for sports.  I know we will do one for MLB, CFB, CBB, NBA, PGA and NFL. I probably will do a top 20 list of overall moments and if we get real frisky, maybe top 20 figures in sports giving away our first annual Tapper of the Year or something dumb like that. Also as always, these are my lists and I can imagine you have a different one, cool story. 

10.) Wisconsin becomes a top five team -  I still cannot believe this is a real thing. Wisconsin is playing well as they head into the Big Ten season. People are excited, but we have not hit extreme levels where the causal Badgers fans come out to play. If I ever bring back my true Badger basketball dislike, this has to happen because I will get annoyed checking Facebook. There is not a better year for Wisconsin to get to the Final Four, a place they have not been since 2000.

9.) P.J. Hairston's dismissal from North Carolina - This year for Tar Heels will be a bevy of 'what if's' as they lost their top scorer and rebounder as he took gifts that the NCAA deemed impermissible. North Carolina has not missed a beat against ranked teams, and they are a nightmare when playing unranked teams. There are definitely situations when watching North Carolina where you can definitely say this team needs Hairston in the worst way.

8.)  Rules change in college basketball - I could not have been more against this at the end of the 2012-2013. I had enough with Jay Bilas playing the preacher of college basketball. Seriously, I wondered whether Bilas should get a Pope hat given how many times he complained about this shit.  But Bilas turned out to be right for the most part. There is much more scoring in college basketball, and only a couple games are going in two hours and 30 minute range. Everyone is quiet about it now but just wait until a critical conference game is decided by something like this and people will freak out again.

7.) Best One-And-Done Class ever? - Right now, 2007-2008's class of one-and-done has the title of the best class since the rule change (Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook), but this group is figuring to make a run at this with Jabari Parker, the emerging Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, Aaron Gordon and others. The best part about this class is all of these games become must-see television. If Kansas is on, I am watching. Same goes for Duke and probably Arizona but not really for Gordon yet although the Cats are fantastic.

6.) Kevin Ware's gruesome injury - Never before have I seen a moment in a game where no one on Twitter or Facebook wants to show the injury. Whenever someone blows out a knee or ankle, there are like 10 or 15 tweets about it happening along with some pictures, maybe video. Ware's injury did not have the same sort of thing as everybody talked about how brutal it looked on first glance. The Louisville guard recovered from the injury and he is playing this season which is what everyone wanted when the injury first happened in March.

5.) DUNK CITY 4 EVER - I had these guys as low as eight, but that seems inaccurate. This was a prop-up, fake life college that everyone got behind after they beat Georgetown and San Diego State. They were the story of the first weekend of March Madness, and everyone loved the way they played basketball. It got Andy Einfeld a new job at USC, and they will probably always be remembered in montages. Who can forget somebody created a half-decent parody about 'Dunk City' by using Tyga's 'Rack City' beat. Never forget these boys.



4.) Louisville wins their first National Championship in the Pitino Era - With Louisville being one of Marquette's biggest rival, it is never good to see them take home the title, but they played well throughout the year including their run during March Madness. Honestly, the biggest takeaway from their National Championship for me is I never have to watch Peyton Siva again in a Louisville uniform and that's a joy. Siva always bothered me with the way he played and I cannot explain why. While I miss Marquette-Louisville will not play each other, the way it is going this year I am #blessed for it.

3.) Mike Rice's bullying brought to light - I watched a couple Rutgers games throughout the year with them playing Marquette at least once in conference play, and I noticed Rice would be angry yet I never thought the levels it reached with Rice before his ousting. The audio that came out about Rice was beyond just being a hardass coach rather Rice could not have been more of a dick. People were scared of Rice, and he had the power when he did not deserve it. The fact he wants to coach in college basketball again is a straight up joke.

2.) Clutch Vander Blue leads Marquette to the Elite Eight - I really wish I could be talking about how Vander Blue is carrying this year's version of Marquette team and might be looking at being a top 20 pick. But instead, Blue tried to ride the wave of big tournament performances to enter the NBA Draft which did not work out for him and now Vander is in Israel.  Blue made a game-winning layup against St. John's to finish the season and win the Big East championship. Marquette has an incredible comeback against Davidson and then Blue comes up big again in the following game playing Butler with 19 second-half points. It was a joy to watch all the game-winners and why not watch them all again?!?!





1.) The final old Big East season - Yes there is still a Big East, but it will never be the Big East we have seen in the last seven years and beyond. As a Marquette fan, I liked that I actually cared about Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry as well as others in the conference. I find it fitting that Louisville, a Big East team, took home the National Championship in the final year of the Big East. I still think there will be nothing like Big East basketball ever again, but I am excited to see how the new age Big East will continue some of the traditions without some of the teams.

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.