11 posts tagged “basketball”

It was the first sellout game at The Garden that I was in attendance for all year, and the game lives up to all the hype.  Two top 10 college team facing off in the world's greatest arena.  It appearing that Pitt lost all hope of keeping the game close in the first half, but they came out ready to play in the second half and forced the game into overtime.  DeJuan Blair is a beast of a freshman, putting up 15 points and 20 boards.  However, Pitt would not have won the game if it were not for Lavance Fields, who hit the game winning 3 with seconds left in the game.  Another shot that brought the crowd to their feet was DeMarcus Nelson's reverse lay-up, after getting hit by Blair.  This game was filled with emotion and Duke fans had to leave the stadium sobbing and with their first loss of the season.  Definitely the best game I have seen all year and the best time I have had.  For entertainment purposes look how stupid Tony Kornheiser looks now.

I do not respect man who goes back on his word, especially when it is a decommitment from Illinois to go to Indiana.  I am over the fact that we lost a recruit who could be one of the best players in the nation.  However, hearing a little bad news about the IU basketball program still makes me feel a little better.  Scampson and his staff continue to be up to no good violating NCAA regulations, which is a story in itself, but now the karma has turned a little bit on Gordon himself.  In a game against Northern Alabama Gordon has his front tooth knocked out.  Despite the injury he still managed to score 32 points. February 7th EG will probably make his on college visit to Champaign as a collegiate player, and the Krush will have plenty to rant about upon his arrival.

USA Today                                              Hagel
1) UNC                                                 1) UCLA

2) UCLA                                               2) Memphis
3) Memphis                                          3) UNC
4) Kansas                                            4) Kansas
5) Georgetown                                      5) Georgetown
6) Louisville                                          6) Tennessee
7) Tennessee                                        7) Arizona
8) Michigan State                                  8) Louisville
9) Indiana                                              9) Michigan State
10) Washington State                           10) Marquette
11) Duke                                              11) Indiana
12) Marquette                                       12) Gonzaga
13) Oregon                                           13) Oregon
14) Gonzaga                                         14) USC
14) Texas A&M                                     15) Texas
16) Texas                                              16) Arizona
17) Arizona                                            17) Duke
18) USC                                                18) Pittsburgh
19) Arkansas                                         19) Syracuse
20) Pittsburgh                                        20) Kentucky
21) Stanford                                           21) Kansas St.
22) Kentucky                                         22) Southern Illinois
23) Southern Illinois                                23) Davidson
24) NC State                                          24) UConn
25) Villanova                                           25) Ohio State

I could spend days discussing college basketball but I hope this was enough to tickle your fancy.

Here were my predictions from April for the top 10

It is rumored that His Airness, Michael Jordan, is looking for to buy a house in Champaign.  Since the Hawthorne Suites and other hotels in Champaign are not up this MJ's standards he needs his own bachelor pad in the cornfields.  It is possible that his son Jeffery Jordan, who currently lives in my old freshman dorm, will use the house during his college career.  It is important for the team to look into the rent payments that other players will have to pay.  Last year Dyane Jarrett was sited for violating NCAA rules because Matt Leinhart's father was paying most of their rent.  The rumor has grown even larger because the house that may soon be MJ's was formerly owned by former Illini coach Bill Self.

Speaking of selfish people in the college basketball that I dislike, there is always Kelvin Scampson roaming around stealing recruits and violating NCAA rules.  Recently, the Hoosiers coach was sited for violating his old NCAA santions by making 3-way calls, which he was prohibited from doing.  His staff continues to be up to no good by making more illegal calls, of which 35 have already been labeled as possible NCAA violations.  I believe Bruce Weber is a much more honest man, which is not the most ideal attribute in college recruiting.  Also, I hope Eric Gordon gets snubbed by not being able to play in the post season in his only college year, and his draft status gets lowered.

Here is an article written on Monday, October 22nd about the outcome of IU's infractions.

Three former Illini were on the Jazz's 2006-07 Roster and now only one All-Star remains.  While Deron Williams is still playing for the Jazz and Team USA, his former college teammates are also playing abroad.  However,  they are no longer employees of the NBA.  Dee Brown has just signed a deal to play next season with the Turkish Club Galatasaray.  Ronnie Price from Utah Valley State is the likely player that will take his spot on the court.  However, no will be able to take Brown's spot as one of Deron Williams best friends.  In other Illini news, the football team is off to the best start in years at 3-1.  The win at Indiana is a huge indicator of the turnaround for this team.  Watch out for 6-6 record and the Illini's first bowl berth since their 2001 Big Ten Championship and Sugar Bowl Appearance.  With so much negative news about the basketball team there is finally a bright spot with the return of Jerrance Howard, this time as an assistant coach.  I think he will supply the boost to recruiting Illini fans are looking for.  This Saturday Illini Fans will get to see if our NCAA 5th ranked running attack is legit as they take on the 6th ranked rush defense of PSU.  Watch for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Reshard Mendenhall to have another huge game.

After Greg's Oden's microfracture knee surgery he is going to be forced to miss his entire rookie season.  The debate on who will be this season rookie of the year is over; the clear pre-season winner is Kevin Durant.  The Trail Blazers have been reminded of their earlier draft debacle, picking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.  However, this situation is not as bad.  If Oden can follow in Amare Staudamire's shoes he will recover from surgery without a problem and become an eventual NBA All-Star.  And while the Blazers are going to have one of the worst records in the NBA this year, after losing Oden and trading their best offense threat Zach Randolf to the Knicks, they will end the season with another Lottery pick.  I can see the Blazers drafting one of the highly talented freshman guards.  One thing that I am curious about is if Oden does not play one game in the 2007-08 season would he be considered a rookie the next season?  If so he would still have the opportunity to be rookie of the year.  Yet, all Blazer's fans are just hoping he recovers 100% and will reach his full potential.  Just think, we have yet to see a healthy Greg Oden play.

Note: This was my 100th Blog Post and I didn't even realize it.

It was the first time I went back to visit campus, and even after a little over a year a lot has changed.  People on campus seem to be talking more about football than basketball, and our football team isn't even that good.  One of the bars I frequently went to is gone.  A new establishments have sprawled across campus.  There are also current projects taking places that will bring new life to campus.  The most impressive buildings I was told about is a new 17 story luxury high rise that is being build on campus, a grocery located around University and Springfield, and the new business building across from Wholers Hall.  While many of my friends have graduated and left the Champaign area, I still have a few friends who were on campus that were more than hospitable. 

While out one night on campus I ran into several basketball players.  Its nice to see them out, but I would rather see them on the court practicing.  This team is going to have some trouble this year, and I hope they can make the tournament during this rebuilding phase.  Tracy Webster, an assistant coach and the only bright spot for our recruiting team, rejoined his former colleague Billie Gillespie at the University of Kentucky.  I was well aware of his departure but did not realize the huge impact it may have on the illini.  Sadly, I just read this SI.com article titled The Decline of The Illini.  I think its easy to point out that the Illini are going through some tough times, but for one of the nation's most winning programs I do not think we are on the decline.  Illinois is still an elite program and there is some hope for this season.  Weber coached a team to the to the Championship game with only one other loss that season.  Those stars are now in the NBA and Weber has not recruited one player that resembles their skill sets.  The Illini faithful are loyal, but this year may test some of our nerves.

The Knicks have been the worst franchise in the NBA as far as handling their draft picks.  David Stern gave them Patrick Ewing in 1985 and the team was still unable to put any rings on their fingers.  The Knicks are clearly in a rebuilding stage and continue to make questionable picks.  This year will not be any different.  Chad Ford of ESPN currently has the Knicks selected Wilson Chandler, a 6' 8 Forward from DePaul.  As a sophomore last year, Wilson average 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.  According to Jay Bilas, Wilson will be a better NBA player than a college player.  You can read the Newsday Article Knicks Eyeing Draft Sleeper Chandler for more on the story.

Another project would be the less publicized freshman from Ohio State Daequan Cook, who averaged nearly 10 point per game coming off the bench for the Buckeyes.  Early in the season he was posting 20 point games but fell off towards the end of the season.  He was still a dependable three point shooter and has great potential.  If he stayed in college he would be a lock

for the first round next year.  However, I do not think the Knicks really need another guard at the moment.

Other options that the Knick may have are Sean Williams, the problematic Center who was kicked of the Boston College Team, Derrick Byars, a 6' 7 SG/SF from Vanderbilt, and Morris Almond a 6' 6 SG from Rice Unviersity that the Knicks rated higher than Cook on their official website.

The Knicks only have one pick this season.  I am going to say that pick will be Daequan Cook (I said Wilson before, but I am not listening to the rumors).  If Derrick Byars is still on the board I would not mind the Knicks adding him to the roster.  But if Isiah Thomas wants to make the fans in NY even more upset he will draft someone like Josh McRoberts, Glen Davis, Aaron Gray, Aaron Afflalo, Alando Tucker, or a white kid from Marist named Jared Jordan ( I do not care that he led the nation in assits last year, let him go undrafted.)

2007 Knicks NBA Draft Central

I do not follow the NBA as much as I would like, but that is partially because players do not give 100% until the post season and the college game is better.  However, I do follow all the Illini in the league and other players of interest.  One of my best friends idolizes Steve Nash and may even pray to him at night.  I am sure he was emotional when Nash started to bleed during Sunday's game against the Spurs.  Nash started to look like Nicholas Cage in Face/Offf, and there was no maple syrup or hockey tap to bring the nose back to form right away.  The Suns lost game won, but with a vivacious Nash in game two they handed the Spurs a 20 point loss to tie the series at 2.  It hard to watch all of these west coast games that start at 11 O'Clock EST, but I was still able to witness greatness on the court watching Nash drive, dish, and slash to the hole.  He ended last nights game with 20 points and 16 assists and zero stitches, compared to the 6 from the night before.  The part I was most happy when seeing Nash was that he did not have a face guard.  He 'manned' up and did not let the injury get to him.  Just like his countrymen up North who get hit on the ice, he stitched up and hit the court as soon as he could, unlike Tyler Hansboro who looked like was going to cry after his nose started to bleed while playing Duke.  Anyway, these are characteristics of an MVP, and even though the title has not been handed out for this season Greg Anthony, now a columnist for ESPN voted Nash the best in the Pacific division.  He also listed Deron Williams as the best in the Northwest.

If both the Suns and the Jazz win their current series they will face each other in the Western Conference Finals for a chance to win the NBA title.  During the 2006-07 season the Jazz won 3 out of 4 contests with the suns, with one of the Jazz's wins coming in overtime where Deron scored 25 points and had 14 assist, while Steve Nash did not play.  Williams finished right behind Nash this season in assists and got shafted for a spot on the Western Conference All-Star team.   The rest of his number are right behind Nash.  However, if you compare they at the same point in their careers Williams is way far ahead of Nash.  Deron is coming out of his sophomore season a stud.  It possible that Deron will end his career with better numbers than Nash.  And while the Suns have not been able to get over their playoff hump the Jazz appear to have built a team for the future.  I guess now we will just have to wait for the story to unfold.