ABA

By: Jordan Small - MMA HANGOVER

The Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel was MMA HANGOVER's Fight of the Night at Affliction. It was entertaining from start to finish and Gilbert Yvel's stock went up even in defeat.

Josh won this bout by ground and pounding Yvel which made him tap out due to strikes during the third round, afterwards Barnett showed off his signature "cut throat" motion to the audience as both Josh and everyone watching now knows he will be the next man to fight Fedor Emelainenko.

Many questions were asked about why Yvel was fighting Barnett or statements were made such as, This is an easy win for Josh. Last night in the co main event, Yvel showed everyone why he was in that fight with a solid performance against a top competitor in the heavyweight division and it was anything but an easy win for Barnett.

Even in full mount, Barnett was still under fire from Gilbert while on his back, showing great heart and not just trying to cover up and protect himself but attempting to do damage on Josh. In the third round while in full mount again, Barnett was finally able to break "The Hurricane" with devastating ground and pound that had Gilbert tapping out. Barnett is now in line for the WAMMA heavyweight title, against his friend, Fedor.

Affliction's battle of the names between the popular, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and dangerous striker, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, was an interesting match up of styles, as Babalu is a submission specialist and Sokoudjou is a stand up fighter but in Sokoujdou's favour, both fighters were engaging in the stand up war most of the fight.

Sokoudjou was unable to capitalize in the stand up war however and during the second round, Sokoudjou looked a little out of breath when the fight went to the ground where Babalu did take advantage as he took side control and locked in one of his infamous Anaconda chokes, cutting off Sokoudjou's air forcing him to tap out. The Strikeforce champ, Babalu looked very good in this fight and maybe Tito Ortiz will be an opponent of his sooner than later.

Concern was on the faces of everyone in attendance at Affliction 'Day of Reckoning' after Vitor Belfort dropped Matt Lindland in the first minute with an over hand left and then ground and pounded Matt unconscious.

Vitor's celebration quickly turned to a worried look as Lindland was out cold for a few minutes and was having troubles trying to stand up under his own power. Fortunately, Lindland did manage to walk out under on his own strength.

12/12/08

East Kentucky Miners (Kevin Keathley) (1-0) vs. Kentucky Bisons

The ABA-CBA Interleague Challenge kicked off last night in Owensboro, Kentucky as the East Kentucky Miners traveled to take on the Kentucky Bisons. The Miners featured former CBA MVP Galen Young and University of Kentucky star Wayne Turner as they looked to take on a new state rival.

The Miners ran out to a 23-20 lead and coasted to a 51-45 halftime lead. The Bisons battled back to win the 3rd quarter 30-27, but the Miners held on to capture the first interleague game with the ABA, 102-94.

The Miners take game one of forty-two in the Interleague Challenge. Leading the way for the Miners was Jermaine Blackburn with 26 points on 12 for 19 shooting. Joe Buck had 17 points and pulled down a game high 18 rebounds. Young had his usual balanced game of 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Turner had a game high nine assists for the Miners.

12/13/08

Marquette (Scott Monarch) (8-1) vs. IPFW

After a monster day by Lazar Hayward, Marquette coach Buzz Williams invoked the names of two medium-sized NBA guys known for playing big: Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman.

Hayward certainly fit the mold on Saturday. The 6-foot-6 Hayward was dominant in the 24th-ranked Golden Eagles’ 69-50 victory over Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, scoring 19 points and grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds.

Louisiana Lafayette (Robert Lee) (3-4) vs. Louisiana College

Travis Bureau scored all 15 of his points in the first half to help Louisiana-Lafayette to an 85-58 rout of Louisiana College on Saturday night. Bureau was one of 11 players that scored for the Ragin’ Cajuns (3-4), who outrebounded the Wildcats 45-16 and scored more points in the paint by a 44-16 margin. Louisiana-Lafayette has won 17 straight games against Division III Louisiana College (2-6), averaging 102.6 points per game in their five previous meetings.

Lamar (Kermit Davis) (7-3) vs. Texas Tech

Kenny Dawkins scored 22 points to lead Lamar past Texas Tech 85-77 on Saturday night, the Cardinals’ first win over a Big 12 team since 1999. Dawkins had 10 points during a 15-4 Lamar run that turned a 48-44 deficit into a 59-52 lead with 10:38 remaining. Texas Tech (7-2) pulled with one at 78-77 on a three-pointer by Alan Voskuil with 36 seconds left.

Dawkins then missed the second free throw after a foul, but Jay Brown grabbed an offensive rebound for Lamar (7-3). Brown made both free throws and the Cardinals held on from there. Brown finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.

12/14/08

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (6-2) vs. Union College

Tennessee Tech blew past Union College by a score of 87-40 on Sunday. Tennessee Tech was led by Frank Davis who had 11 points and 5 boards. Every player on the Tennessee Tech roster scored on Sunday night.

SE Missouri State (Rodney Hamilton) (2-8) vs. Bradley

Bradley to a 75-62 win over Southeast Missouri State on Sunday. Bradley (5-4) was able to withstand a second-period rally from Southeast Missouri (2-8), which scored 23 points in the first period but came back after the break to add 39.

Kenard Moore led the Redhawks with 19 points, including five three-pointers, while Jajuan Maxwell added 16 points from the bench. Southeast Missouri suffered from 23 turnovers, which Bradley turned into 32 points. LaMont Russell had a game-high nine rebounds for the Redhawks.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) (6-2) vs. Georgia Tech

Scott Vandermeer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and Josh Mayo added 11 of his 17 points in the closing minutes to lead Illinois-Chicago to a 66-60 win over Georgia Tech on Sunday. Jeremy Buttell hit a three-point basket with 42 seconds left to break a tie and give Illinois-Chicago a 60-57 lead, helping the Flames (6-2) to their fifth straight win.

NCCU (Henry Dickerson) (0-11) vs. Old Dominion

Old Dominion got a 79-54 win against North Carolina Central on Sunday. Philip Branch scored a game-high 15 points, including hitting five of 11 three-point attempts, to lead the Eagles. The Monarchs shot 57.6 percent from the field (19 of 33) in the first half, earning them a 41-19 halftime lead. The Eagles were just 1 of 10 from beyond the arc in the opening half.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (4-4) vs. Albuquerque

The Vipers thumped the Thunderbirds 122-99 on Sunday to improve to 4-4 on the season. The Vipers were led by Stanley Asumnu who scored 27 points and added eight rebounds. Trent Strickland was equally productive, scoring 25 points with six rebounds.

Bowling

Dynasty client Patrick Allen was in the finals of the Lumber Liquidators Shark Championship on Sunday. The event was shown live on ESPN.

Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla. struck out in the 10^th in the final position round to beat out Mika Koivuniemi by six pins to nab the fourth and final spot in Sunday’s finals. It was his second consecutive televised appearance.

Allen faced No. 3 seed Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J. in the first men’s stepladder match. Bohn beat Allen in the match-up.

We have reached the midway point of the college football season. Around the country the weather is turning cold (50 degrees last week in the Bayou) and that means the sting from the big hits hurts just a little bit more. It also means that teams are scrambling to make their last ditch efforts to reach the post season.

Some teams are trying to stay alive in the national title hunt as well as their conference races, while others are just trying to reach that elusive six win mark so they can become bowl eligible.

Here at Walker-Sports, I am trying to get as close to a .500 record as possible in our College Football Pick’em pool.So without any further ado, let’s get to picking some college football games.

Oddly enough there is only one top 25 match up on tap this weekend, and of course it would take place in SEC country. The red hot Florida Gators will play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks. While this game may not have been marked on many peoples schedules at the beginning of the season, it is worth taking a look at just because of the personal ties to the game if nothing else.

There is no doubt in this writers mind that the Florida Gators are the best team in the country right now. I understand that Texas Tech just blew out Oklahoma State, and Alabama is still ranked No. 1 in the country, but none of that matters.

Ever since their lost to Ole Miss, Florida has been on an absolute tear a crushed everything in their paths. That includes blow victories over Georgia and LSU, neither one of those games were in the swamp either.

Since their lost to Ole Miss, Florida has run off five consecutive wins and averaged 46.5 points a game. Urban Myer has his guys peaking at the perfect time. The Gator offense is looking as effect as ever right now.

Tim Tebow got off to a slow start at the beginning of the season, but in the last three weeks, he has returned to the same form that won him a Heisman Trophy last year. His ability to make plays through the air and with his legs makes him an obvious threat.

But the emergence of a reliable running game, (even if that is a wide out on a sweep) make Tebow an even bigger threat for defenses to be concerned with. In addition to an offense that appears to be firing on all cylinders, the Florida Gators have a phenomenal defense.

The Gator’s defense tops the SEC allowing just 11.9 points a game. They have amazing speed in their secondary which allows them to mix up their coverage’s and confuse opposing quarterbacks. You can bet that will be a huge asset on Saturday, especially with the way Steve Spurrier switches his quarterbacks in and out of the game, they will have a hard time adjusting to the quicker Florida Gators and that could lead to costly turnovers.

Steve Spurrier may be in the middle of his best coaching run in recent memory. Yes, I just wrote that with a straight face, and I mean it.

The South Carolina Gamecocks started the season one and three but since then they have improved and one four out of their last five SEC games. What may be even more surprising is how the Gamecocks have put their program back on track. South Carolina sports the best overall defense in the SEC only giving up 256.5 yards a game.

The defense will face an entirely different test on Saturday when they travel down to Florida to take on Tebow and company, but you can rest assured, they will be up for the challenge. On the offensive side of the ball Spurrier has reclaimed control of his offense after hinting at giving up some control in the preseason.

Last week against Arkansas, Spurrier exchanged his quarterbacks on seemingly every play. Yet in typical Steve Spurrier fashion the madness appeared to work. Both is quarterbacks bring a different set of skills to the table and all of their skills will be needed come Saturday afternoon.

The Gamecocks are decided underdogs going into the game. But one has to think that the Ole Ball Coach would love to hang an upset win on his old school in their gym.

The spread on this game has grown to Florida minus 23, while I am pretty sure that Florida can handle that spread fairly easily, especially since they are playing at home, I am going to go out on a limb, mainly because I love playing the games with the big spreads.

I say South Carolina keeps it within 23 points and covers the spread, but Florida wins the game. Also this is a solid game to bet the over on to help cover your ass.

Now let’s look at some other games on the upcoming week.

Georgia vs. Auburn

Not much has gone right for the Auburn Tigers this season. The new spread offense they wanted to employ failed miserably. Tommy Tuberville is most likely on his way out the door (think Clemson), and the Iron Bowl is shaping up to be a blowout.

Oddly enough the same disappointment can be seen in Athens Georgia where the Bulldogs have let down everyone of their fans this season. However, Georgia can still save some face by finishing strong. That begins by knocking off an Auburn team that despite wobbling won’t fall down and has even had the audacity to talk a little smack about the Bulldogs along the way.

The spread has Georgia favored by nine points, and I like that a lot. It’s a little larger than what I would like, but I think that Georgia will do just fine in finding a way to cover the points.

Oregon State vs. Cal

Who would have thought that this game would play a major factor into who will win the Pac 10 and move on to the Rose Bowl. I will admit I certainly did not.

Oregon State has been on a tear as of late, mainly because they have feasted on the bottom of the Pac 10. Now they are looking for their eighth consecutive home victory. The Cal Bears have been an up and down team all season.

Last week the gave USC all they could handle and now the key for them will be not letting down as they prepare to take on a team they have outscored 90 to 20 in the last two years.

The spread has Oregon State favored by three points, and I am just crazy enough to bite and take that bet. Oregon State covers the spread and wins.

UNC vs. Maryland

The North Carolina Tar Heels are burning up the ACC, with the exception of their game against UVA. Butch Davis has made this into a team that can overcome injuries as still perform at a high enough level to win games.

The Maryland Terps, are just out their playing football. Much like the Virginia Cavaliers, they had a chance to control their destiny, but simply could not capitalize on it.

The spread had the Tar Heels favored by three points. With the Terps not having much to play for in the upcoming weeks, I’d expect them to go into their shells and tank the last few games in the season. UNC covers the spread and wins.

Cincinnati vs. Louisville

In the latest edition of crappy Big East game to watch, we have Louisville and Cincinnati going head to head on Saturday afternoon. This game is importantly however, because of the tight race we currently have in the Big East.

Cincinnati has a chance to control their destiny by winning out on the season and they could earn a trip to a BCS game (man that will look weird). Louisville still factors into the Big East race, but right now their most important job is to play spoiler.

The spread favors the visiting Bearcats by three. I like those odds, take Cincinnati to cover the three points and win the game.

Texas vs. Kansas

Everyone knows that Kansas will not be able to duplicate their miracle run from last year. But with that being said it is not out of the realm for them to have a good season. Hell, they have already had a good season, and against Texas on Saturday they could make it a great one.

The Texas Longhorns can still factor into the national title hunt, but they have a major trap game on Saturday against Kansas. You’re looking at an 11:30 kickoff local time on the road on what will most likely be a 30 degree day with plenty of wind. Not the ideal conditions for Texas football.

The Longhorns have fallen into this trap in the past on the road against Kansas State, and it is not out of the realm for them to do it again. The spread has Texas favored by 17 points. I think Kansas can cover the spread, but they won’t have enough in the tank to cover the spread.

Iowa may have derailed the Nittany Lions' shot at a national championship, but crazy things happen in college football and that is why all hope should not be lost. While many will tell you that Penn State needs to just focus on the the Big Ten championship and earning a berth in the Rose Bowl, I will tell you that the Nittany Lions should not be counted out of the BCS Championship picture just yet. It will take a lot to happen for Joe Paterno and his team though, but nothing is out of the question.

Don't count Penn State out of the BCS picture yet...

1. Alabama
2. Texas Tech
3. Texas
4. Florida
5. Oklahoma
6. Southern California
7. Utah
8. Penn State
9. Boise State
10. Georgia

1. Texas - Being idle they will rise to #1
   
2. Penn State - Big Ten champs rise to #2 while idle
   
3. Missouri - Surprising Big XII champ
   
4. Boise St - WAC champs bust the BCS party again, advancing past others while idle
   
5. Oklahoma - Will fall to #4 after beating Texas Tech and Oklahoma State but losing to Missouri
   
6. Texas Tech - A loss to the Sooners will doom them.
   
7. Ohio State - Forget about these guys?
   
8. Florida - Seminoles knock them down, but the Gators win the SEC.
   
9. Alabama - Losing to Gators in the SEC title game, after losing to Auburn
   
10. Ball State - A team to watch closely as the season winds down. They could be the first MAC team to crash the BCS if things roll their way!
    

They loved the nightlife. They loved to boogie. They loved the ladies. They dressed with style. They had Fu Manchus. They had muttonchops. They were cooler than Fonzie. They were cooler than Coolio. They were cooler than LL Cool J. They were cooler than a pack of Kools. Here are the top 10 hippest, coolest New York sports dudes of the past 40 years.

10. Mike Piazza: The former catcher brought his mullet from LA to New York and turned the Mets into winners. Along the way he dated (and married) Playboy playmates, played the drums and appeared on Baywatch. He was California cool (even though he’s from Pennsylvania) and had the mustache to prove it.

9. Derek Jeter: The Yankees shortstop is going through Hollywood actresses like David Wells going through a bag of White Castle burgers. He may be bland, cool in a boy band type of way and make really annoying commercials, but chicks love him.

8. Rod Gilbert: He was a French-Canadian playboy out on the prowl in Manhattan. The Rangers right-winger scored 406 goals and was the Joe Namath of hockey. He was savoir faire on a pair of skates.

7. Reggie Jackson: He drove Rolls-Royces. He had a candy bar named after him. The word ‘superstar’ was invented for him. He stood at home plate and watched his home runs clear the fence. He was the straw that stirred the drink. He contemplated the magnitude of being Reggie Jackson. He loved to ta

lk. About himself. He was a cool cat among cool cats of the ’70s.

6. Keith Hernandez: Being one of the greatest fielding first basemen in the history of baseball is just a footnote. He dated Cheryl Tiegs. He dated Elaine Benes. First basemen around the league all started smoking just to be like him. He’s Keith Hernandez. Hey, his mustache alone could make this list.

5. Earl Monroe: Earl the Pearl was poetry in motion on the basketball court. He turned the game of basketball into a Charlie Parker song. He faked opposing players out of their jocks and c

ould out-cool anybody in a cool contest. They didn’t call him Black Jesus for nothing.

4. Lee Mazzilli: The Mets center fielder was Chachi, The Fonz, Tony Danza and Sly Stallone rolled into one. He was the Italian Stallion from Brooklyn. Every girl in the Tri-State area had his poster on her wall. He wore the tightest uniform in the major leagues and was thrilling the 8,000 fans that were cramming into Shea in the late ’70s with his basket catches. Aaaayyyy…

3. Julius Erving: Dr. J won two championships in his three years with the New York Nets. He wasn’t just the star of the ABA; he was the ABA. The slam dunk contest was invented jus

t for him. He had the coolest Afro. He had the coolest nickname. He was just stone cold cool.

2. Walt Frazier: Clyde was the coolest dresser on the planet. In his own words he was stylin’ and profilin’. The word ‘smooth’ doesn’t do him justice―you’d have to throw a lot more ‘o’s’ in that adjective to accurately describe him. On the court, he’d transfix opposing players with his muttonchops, steal the ball and swoop in for an easy layup. He was too suave and cool to dunk.

1. Joe Namath: The guarantee. The Fu Manchu. The pantyhose. The fur coats. The women. Broadway Joe wins the coolest dude in New York award. He had his own TV show (The Joe Namath Show), he owned his own club (Bachelors III), he starred in movies (C.C. and Company), he guest-hosted The Tonight Show, he appeared on The Simpsons and The Brady Bunch. He was cool before cool was cool.

One of the real flaws of traditional agentry is that there is no collegiality to it. Agents are so hyper-critical of each other that they don’t advance it as a profession, because they are so competitive that they are unable to acknowledge that other agents negotiate well or do a good job. They rejoice in the failure or difficulties of each other, and without understanding that it is a profession and the more successful every agent is, the better it is. Too often it’s crabs in a barrel.

-Leigh Steinberg (4/27/08)

I have read that section of my interview with Leigh countless times, and every time I look it over, I feel more passionate about giving up some of my time to try to change the landscape of this profession. Leigh and I share many things in common, one of which is the idea that life is not all about money. Happiness is not gained solely through the accumulation of dollars. There is more to it. Enjoying your daily job is one factor, and I believe that we can do something to turn around the sports agent profession to improve the quality of life for all that call athlete representation their occupation.

As I have stated on numerous equations, I created SportsAgentBlog.com for three purposes: 1) It was a vehicle to get my name out there in an industry that has a high barrier of entry, 2) I would be forced to stay up to date with news in the agent world along and continue to read up on relevant information concerning the industry, and 3) I was upset with the terrible stigma that surrounded the sports agent world and wanted to try to root out some of the false assumptions and bad behavior circulating the profession. I believe that I have done a decent job with the first two elements and would like to start focusing a bit more on the third.

In my interview with Mr. Steinberg, he mentioned an organization that once existed called ARPA. He described it as a large group of supportive agents that did things like giving awards for agent of the year and involved many agents sharing negotiating tips and calling each other for advice on negotiations. I decided to do some research to learn a bit more about the organization.

ARPA stands for Association of Representatives of Professional Athletes. It was created in 1978 as a vehicle to introduce self-regulation into the profession. Much like the American Bar Association (ABA) has created its code of ethics for lawyers in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, ARPA had its own code. The problem is that while the ABA tends to enforce its code from time to time through courts of law, ARPA had no regulatory agency; sanctions were ineffective. Before ARPA was extinguished in 1988, the organization reached up to four hundred members. Since 1988, there has not been any formal group to unify agents under a common code or credo. The only exception may be in the Sports Lawyers Association (SLA), which is catered towards the attorney-agent, which makes up only a fraction of the entire athlete agent profession.

I truly believe that we can bring ARPA back. My goal is to reintroduce ARPA at some point in 2009. With the help from some of the older guard of agents who truly want to see a change and ensure the advancement of sports agentry, I feel that it is possible that we can once again create an organization that encourages the peaceful coexistence between all of us who aim to represent professional athletes.

The idea is to bring sports agents together in a common venue every year. At that point, we will collect membership dues and get the ball rolling once again with ARPA. I believe that ARPA’s purpose should be slightly altered, however. The end goal may remain as self-regulation; however, a lower aim would be just to get the entire sports agent community in one room at least once a year to open up communication lines and put a human story behind each person in the room. Awards may be handed out, but more importantly than making it a competition, it should be an annual gathering of people who truly wish to advance the sports agent profession. It will make us all more cordial toward one another and only yield promising results.

Darren Deloatche’s recent comment just gives all of us agents more of a reason to plan a yearly get-together.  Collective efforts can lead to lower insurance premiums along with a plethora of other advancements for our profession.

If you are currently an agent and would like to help with the implementation of this program, please contact me and let me know how you may be of assistance.

Florida had their turn. Who's next?

After UNC and UCLA won on Saturday night, I went straight into “I’m rooting for Memphis and Kansas tomorrow because I want all the No. 1’s to advance.” We’ve never seen it in the history of the tournament but we finally got it this year! I think it’s great. The seeding is set-up where the four No. 1 seeds should be the four best teams in the land and this year it truly felt like it.

UNC, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas all seemed waaaaaaay better than any other team, so it seems fitting that they’ll be battling it out this weekend. Goliath vs. Goliath vs. Goliath vs. Goliath! Jay Bilas from ESPN and every woman picked all No. 1’s to advance to the Final Four and I can’t believe they were right. So many things can go wrong in a one game format. However, this year just felt like the year that this situation might happen because of the significant drop-off after these four. And then there’s this:

Preseason AP and ESPN/USA Today polls:

1) UNC 2) UCLA 3) Memphis 4) Kansas

Back in November, both of the polls had this exact 1-4. Both polls the exact same? This was destiny! So buckle up because it’s Memphis vs. UCLA and UNC vs. Kansas! Are you f-ing kidding me? Who has wood? Let’s roll baby! (It’s March Madness, so using a Dickie V “baby” is acceptable)

Breakdowns of the first games beyond...

Memphis vs. UCLA

UCLA

“Third time’s a charm?”-Social phrase

You’ll see the other teams have actual quotes from a stated source but I think this common used phrase fits UCLA the best. This is UCLA’s third straight Final Four appearance so this quote fits perfectly with them. I put the question mark on because the “third time’s a charm” is still well up in the air.

The most experienced Final Four team is looking to finally capitalize on past failures to guide them this year to an NCAA Championship. Players like Collison, Westbrook, Shipp, Mbah a Moute, and Mata Real have all been here before. All those guys are good players but they all bow down to their best player—freshman Kevin Love. Loverboy is averaging 21pts and 11rebs this March Madness. Plus, he had the most ridiculous behind the scene videos of the tourney so far. Tell me you guys saw this? The video showed Love hitting a half court shot, a 3/4 shot and finally a full length court shot...all two handed! Come on! That’s not fair. He’s a beast and will need to carry this experienced team.

Even though coach Ben Howland called this UCLA team his “best by far,” this is the best Final Four of the three years and his squad still has limitations. They don’t have a good perimeter game and one of their “better” players, Josh Shipp, hasn’t done shit all tourney. He’s like the Nick Punto of this team. So UCLA will be relying on the freshman Love, the great Collison and their team experience. They’ll also be used to the hype, the media obligation and the overall schedule that accompanies the Final Four. Nothing will be new for them—this will help.

This could be enough to win it, but with four No. 1 seeds, these games aren’t going to be easy and I think UCLA is the “worst” team out of the four. They’ll play a fast Memphis team and if they win they get the winner of UNC or Kansas! Good luck Chuck. But you could say the same thing about any other teams. Every team is going to have a tough road.

Does UCLA have enough? If you’re looking for a prediction in this line, you’re kidding yourself. I don’t do huge sporting events predictions anymore (Superbowl, March Madness, etc…) I leave that up to TKOT’s own Brandon Lang...Q. He’ll be doing his prediction voicemails on Wednesday this week for all of you subscribers. Read beyond the Memphis part for his expert prediction on this game.

Memphis

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."—Mahatma Gandhi

This quote fits them well because they were widely ignored by the majority, they were laughed at for their poor free throw shooting, which was a common theme on why they would end up losing early. They were fought in the sense that they had to face the disrespect factor for two weeks and then in the end they ended up winning despite all of this. Gandhi said it well.

Memphis was the No. 1 seed that almost everyone had losing well before the Final Four. You heard it mentioned multiple times by announcers and analysts that they didn’t have what it takes to get to the Final Four. Horrible free throw shooting team, bad shot selection and shaky defense were the things that flew out of these “experts” mouths. Coach Calipari has even gone to lengths of defending his team in post game conferences. They proved that all wrong with a victory over Texas on Sunday, putting them in the Final Four for the first time since 1985.

Memphis made it to the Elite Eight the previous two years, which I believe is what helped them this year, finally get over the edge. That and Derrick Rose. Love this kid. I’ve been pimping Michael Beasley for a while on this site for the Timberwolves in the upcoming draft but I think I need to change that opinion to this stud.

Look, I’m not going to cry if we get Beasley. He’s a scoring machine and is NBA ready but this Rose kid looks like the next star point guard. Star point guards make bad players decent (Pargo in NO), average players good (Marion when in PX) and good players great (Amare in PX). The game is so much easier with a really good PG. The T-pups don’t have one. Foye is still trying to figure out his NBA position and Telfair is alright. Rose would completely change how we do business on the basketball court.

Enough of that NBA stuff and back to this Memphis team. As they proved the last four games, they can play any style with anyone. They love to run but have enough good half-court players to compete with a slow-down team. UCLA is a big, all-around team that will obviously test them. Memphis is a faster team than UCLA, so they will need to use that speed to catch UCLA off guard and get them in foul trouble.

If you can catch a few quick fouls on their guys trying to adjust to Memphis’ quickness, Memphis will win. If the fouls are normal it’s going to be a battle. I had Memphis in my Final Four in my bracket but was still a little skeptical going in. Now? I fell in love with this Memphis team over the first four games, that’s all I’m going to say because only one man’s prediction matters at this point...

Q’s predicition:

Memphis is going to end the dream for Ben Howland's club. Calipari has them flying all over the court and playing with a giant chip on their shoulder. Their athleticism will negate Kevin Love as they head to Monday's championship game. Tigers by eight.

UNC vs. Kansas

UNC

“In the end, the game comes down to one thing: man against man. May the best man win.”—Sam Huff

I was looking for a team one, but this will do. This fits well for UNC because most people would agree that they are the best team. When they go up against that “man” the better “man” wins and UNC is the better man...right now.

UNC was the No. 1 team in the land coming in and have beaten their four opponents by a combined score of 372- 271. Their closest game was their last vs. Louisville, which was a ten-point win. They look like your next NCAA Champion the way they are convincingly killing teams and rolling through the tournament so far. But, we all know that is not a guarantee.

They have weaknesses, one being that they aren’t that deep. This is one of their only weaknesses and having a deep bench is an overrated weakness at this time of the year. Every team is going to play their big dogs for 35+ minutes because of the magnitude of the tourney. However, this will come into play if they get in foul trouble. UNC only played eight guys vs. Louisville. If Psycho T or Lawson get in foul trouble, UNC can get beat. Their back-ups in my mind fall off more than any team left.

If you’ve noticed a theme, it’s all nitpicking with these No. 1 seeds. These teams are very good college teams and I’m stretching to find something. Besides the lack of depth, UNC does everything else very well. Great rebounding, good team defense and they have star power for late in the game. You want your studs to have the ball late in the game and they have Tyler Hansbrough—the best player on any team.

I can’t stand watching him for some reason but I have respect for him. His style of play bugs me and I can’t figure it out. It’s like he’s trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. He just doesn’t look like a natural basketball player with the way he plays. That’s the best way I can put it. In a close game however, he is an ultimate weapon. A player that will literally do whatever to win and has shown a knack for stepping up in “the moment.” He’s one of the best hustle college superstars we’ve ever seen. The cliché that no one works harder is so true with him. He’s like a four-year old after 20 cotton candies—full throttle the whole damn game.

You’re going to hear a lot of “I got UNC winning it all” talk this week so if you’re not a UNC fan get prepared for that. I’m not a fan, so I’ve already started to build up the patience for this week’s flood of UNC picks. Read beyond the Kansas part for Q’s prediction.

Kansas

“All good things come to he who waits.”—Proverb quotes

This quote obviously fits Kansas and Bill self since they have been knocking on the door for a while now and finally made it to the Final Four when in previous years they have choked. Who thought that last second heave was going in? I did.

Bill Self and his squad round out the fourth No. 1 seed to make the Final Four. It wasn’t easy either. They let a Davidson team hang around until the last shot when their main guy, Stephen Curry, shot an abysmal 9-25. (Side note: Read Q’s great write-up about Davidson that was posted on Sunday).

Beside the Davidson game, Kansas has looked really good starting with the Big 12 tourney. They have been winning pretty convincingly but in typical Kansas fashion, looked flat in the Elite Eight game.

The little trigger went on: “It’s a really big game, I have Kansas on my jersey, it’s time to disappear for 40 minutes.” I personally think if they had played a more talented team, they would have gotten beat by 20. They didn’t looked good at all especially since Sasha flipping Kaun was their best player that game. Either way, the monkey is finally off their backs and they will need to capture their pre-Elite 8 magic to knock off UNC on Saturday.

Furthermore, if Kansas plays like they did vs. Davidson, they’ll lose by 25 to the powder blues. They need to play like that balanced, seasoned team that we’re so used to seeing. Their top seven guys are better than any other top seven on the other teams, IMO. Collins, Chalmers, Rush, Robinson, Jackson, Kaun and Arthur are an awesome rotation. They have every type of player you want in that group. They probably lack a true superstar but Chalmers, Collins and Rush aren’t afraid to take the last shot. Especially Chalmers, my favorite player in college basketball by the way.

After I just gave them some good praise, they are about to go up against the favorite. And as you just read, UNC has been smashing teams. Kansas will give them a great test but I don’t know if they’ll have enough but I picked Kansas in my bracket so they fucking better!

Anyways, here is Q’s prediction:

North Carolina-Kansas. Big time marquee matchup here between two dominant squads. In the end, Hansbrough will be too tough for KU's front court trio (Jackson, Arthur, Kaun). The Heels pull away late in what will be an extremely entertaining game. UNC by seven.

Final thought- This tourney hasn’t been too exciting, yet. Western Kentucky, Davidson and West Virginia gave us a little but overall it’s been mellow for March Madness standards. I think that’s all about to change and we’re about to witness something special this weekend. The drama and excitement has been put off until now because these four monsters have just been waiting to get to this point to show the nation whom really is the true No. 1. I don’t think I’ve ever been this jacked for a Final Four in my life and maybe never will after this.

Well, until Tubby gets us there in a couple...

Out,
Fuzz

Until last night I had no idea the ABA even existed.

I was listening to a local rock radio station here in Toronto, and they announced that the ABA was coming to Hamilton, Ontario. I perked up a bit because I thought the ABA died out in the late seventies like the progressive rock movement (which died out with awful pop and hair bands of the 80s).

Apparently the re-surge of the ABA came in 2003-2004 as teams around the US opened training camp doors to ex-college players who had found it difficult to make an NBA, D-League or Euro team.

Though the talent may be sub-par compared to the pro-game, there is certainly not a shortage of talent or teams.

The 2007-2008 season had recently got underway with 29 teams eagerly awaiting tip-off. What makes this league so special is their internationalization of teams, and not just players. Teams range from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Tijuana, Mexico to a Bahamian team and a team representing the Asian communities called the Beijing-Aoshen Olympian based out of California.

An indication of the talent level in the league was seen in last year's NBA draft as the Lakers selected Sun Yue, a former Beijing Olympian, in the second round.

I am totally unsure as to how much publicity, or viewership these teams and games receive throughout the U.S (because I live in Toronto) but it seems that the league continues to thrive with another 27 teams looking to come into the league as expansion teams for the 2008-2009 season.

How the league will accommodate over 50 teams in uncertain to me, however for a league to garner so much interest by businessmen, ex-ball players and lovers of the game makes it appear that something is going right.

Could it be differing rules of the ABA juxtaposed to the pro game?

Let's take a look:

The ABA has a 3-D rule where after a turnover 2 point shots are worth 3, while a 3 pointer is worth four. This goes on until a basket is scored where the 3-D is turned off.

Another rule constitutes overtime games, in which a player who has fouled out, may return for OT. If the game is not settled after the first OT, the teams play up to 10 in the second OT, something you may see on the street rather than in a gym.

Finally, the league emphasizes a 'fan-friendly' game where play should emphasize skill over strength, allowing for a faster, more open play ala 'Globetrotter basketball' (without the 'tricks'). Additionally, it is stressed that players will be available for autographs after the game, something that will help fan base.

So will this type of basketball continue to thrive in the future, or will it fizzle out like the defunct leagues of the past?

All I know is that when I heard that radio promotion of the new Hamilton team I immediately looked into it to see what the ABA was all about. It doesn't hurt to have a guy like Chris Childs, former Knick and Raptor, on as the President of the organization to peak one's interest.

I will definitely be checking out an ABA game soon to see why there is so much interest for local markets. However, the jury is still out on if this 'fan-friendly' style of play will hold a candle to the superstars of the NBA.

It can't hurt to have too much basketball can it? I say, any league that promotes the purity and love of the game is fine by me. And if it attracts local, smaller communities to the game than why shouldn't this league succeed?

For that, you can sign me up Chris Childs to be at your team's first game.