College Basketball Preview

While I'm a little hesitant to allow myself to commit to the idea that "Winter is coming" and that I may have to endure another season of sub zero temperatures, I also know that the cold winds bring one of my favorite times of the year . . . College Basketball Season. I know I said earlier in my NFL predictions that I didn't like making predictions  before seeing teams actually play, but to hell with it! It's my blog, I'll do what I damn well please. I've done predictions for the top conferences with legitimate opportunities to make some noise come March.

 Now a little closer look at some of the "Major Conferences."




One of the toughest conferences in country, the ACC will have a lot of marquee games to watch throughout the season. I have Duke wining the conference but I am not 100% confident in the pick. My gut told me that because the conference is so stacked with talented teams, the youth of the Blue Devils could catch up to them and allow the more experienced teams to take advantage. Unfortunately for the other teams in the ACC, Duke looks REALLY good on paper and have the whole non-conference schedule to create some chemistry and gain experience for their young core.

I know that Wisconsin is a consensus favorite to run away with the best conference in land (my opinion) but I just can't do that be a self respecting Minnesotan, and not to mention they have one very large missing component to winning the Big Ten ... Tom Izzo. Not only is he one of the top 5 coaches in country, he has an under the radar squad this year, which I love. After losing 3 players to the NBA (two first rounders) and a recruiting class without a lot of Diaper Dandies, people may expect a less dominant year than normal for the Spartans. But last season he continued to win even when his NBA caliber players missed a combined 20 games. Because of this, the bench players now taking vital roles in the offense, already have solid game experience to carry over into this season.

The one variable that could really mess up my Big Ten prediction, is Minnesota. After wining the NIT Tournament last season, they bring back a squad that has lost really only one major piece (Austin Hollins) and have brought in some quality talent in recruiting. If they progress and grow under Patino's system as planned, they could finish as high as 2nd or 3rd. If they don't, they do have the potential to be as low as 11th in my opinion.


Kansas is clearly the cream of the crop in this conference. They get the top notch recruits, they have one of the best coaches in the game, and they don't lose at home, like ever. Bill Self's home record with Kansas against Big 12 opponents at home is 86-5 over his 11 year stint thus far, and has won 8 straight Big 12 titles so you can see why they are my favorite to win it again. One team that I like to make some noise and challenge KU this year is Texas. Reasons being, they didn't lose a single player from a team that finished with 24 wins, 4th in the conference, won a NCAA Tournament game and had one of the best recruiting classes in the country this off season. They are my dark horse team to turn some heads this season. 

Besides Arizona, there's not a whole lot for me to say about the Pac 12. Personally, I feel that it is a highly over rated conference that somehow continually gets 6-7 teams in the tournament that end up doing nothing. With that said, Arizona is a legit team. They have athleticism, skill and play very good defense. The loss of Aaron Gordon will be a tough one to fill, but they reloaded on young talent and should still be a strong team come March.

There is not a stranger conference in my opinion than the SEC. At the top, they have two elite programs that can compete year in and year out for a national title. After that, I wouldn't bet on any of them finishing in the top half of the more competitive ACC or Big 10. But the two they got, they can be proud of. Since 2006, Florida has dominated March Madness with 2 Nat'l Titles and 4 straight Elite 8 appearances ('11-'14). Then there is Kentucky, who has become the unofficial farm system for the NBA since the arrival of Calipari in 2009 (20 players drafted - 15 in the first round - 8 in the top 10) and continually replenish with the nations young talent every summer. Don't bother watching to much of this conference throughout the course of the year, unless it's Florida v. Kentucky. If that's the case, then get you popcorn ready, cause it's gonna be a good one.

Final Four Prediction:

I have the two elite teams from the SEC (making the conference look better than it actually is), the nationally favored Duke with their highly touted Freshman and Coach K at the helm, and then my dark horse for the year in Texas who also brings in one of the nations top recruiting classes along with a team that didn't lose a single player from last years Tournament bound squad last season. Should be another crazy year of college basketball. Can't wait for it to start. 

Thank You, Mr. Donovan

A couple weeks ago, there were many great stories to come out of the world of sports. The Kansas City Royals kept their playoff hopes alive in a classically KC-way: countless extra innings to finally win by several runs. Adrian Peterson got arrested for smoking weed, a violation of his probation in relation to his current child abuse charges. Alfonso Ribeiro broke out the classic "Carlton" dance on Dancing with the Stars. Though all of these stories are important in the world of sports (minus the Carlton dance, but come on, that's a classic), there is one story that was overshadowed. It was covered by ESPN, but not in the sense that all of these other stories were. It was the retirement of a superstar in his sport. One that had the same impact on the sport as, say, Derek Jeter, but without nearly the coverage. That was the retirement of Landon Donovan.

Donovan announced back in August that he would retire at the end of the MLS season, which runs into November. While November hasn't hit yet (thankfully), Donovan did retire from the team he is most known for on Friday. That is the US Men's National Team. While he was noticeably absent from the 2014 World Cup, he has been on the team every year for at least one appearance since 2000. He's appeared 156 times, with 57 goals scored in those appearances.He holds two USMNT World Cup records, being the all-time goal scorer and the all-time assists leader. All- time. As in, he is the best soccer player from the United States to play in the World Cup. 

He's played all over the world, including for the best team in Germany, Bayern Munich, who themselves the last couple years have won several titles, including European champions, and for Everton in England. He will end his career with the LA Galaxy, and will end as the MLS's all time top scorers, with 136 goals. He'll end his career as the best that American Soccer has to offer, a player that doesn't come around often. But he gets only a short segment on ESPN.  Why?  Because soccer just isn't popular here. We only watch once every four years, and that's when the World Cup comes around. But when we watched, we watched the best that our country had to offer dominating every chance he got. He became a household name when he played a sport most people lose interest in after high school or college. He brought the attention of the American people to a sport that is revered all around the world, even if it was but for a few short weeks every four years. He was truly one of the greatest ambassadors the sport could ask for. 

He may have statistically had one of the best careers he could have asked for, but every fourth June, he got people riled up for a sport they normally wouldn't think twice about. Why?  Because he was good. He scored. The USMNT never won World Cup titles, but we watched with bated breath, hoping we would advance in the competition because of him. We never expected to win the title, but we had fun watching to see how far we would get, and for that fun and excitement, we have Mr. Donovan to thank. We'll still have our great players to watch, such as Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard, but it will be different without Landon Donovan on the pitch too. So, thank you Mr. Donovan. Thank you for bringing the attention of the American people to the World's sport. Thank you for being a great ambassador. And thank you for representing our country in a way that made us proud. 

Brent "Chunk" Kruger

Contributing Writer to IzzyLegit

A New Blueprint: The Rebuild of the Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Bennett                     Zach LaVine                    Andrew Wiggins                Thaddeus Young

The Minnesota Timberwolves.  A team that traded away its top player, Kevin Love, this summer will most likely lose more games than they did last year (40-42) and will miss the playoffs for the 11th year in a row; longest active streak in the league.  While the team may struggle the Timberwolves are in the process of their newest rebuilding project with a bunch of young and unproven talent, I find myself excited for what the future may hold.

New Additions:

Zach LaVine - The #13 overall pick in the 2014 draft might be the most athletic player in the draft that including Andrew Wiggins. At 6'5" he is big enough to play the two but Flip Saunders would also like to be able to use him as a point guard in the future. 

Andrew Wiggins at 2014 NBA Draft

Andrew Wiggins - The Timberwolves first ever #1 overall draft pick.  He has the athletic ability and potential to be the most dynamic wing player in Timberwolves history.  While his offense may take a while to develop, he should be able to step in right away and play solid perimeter defense. 

Anthony Bennett - The second ever #1 draft pick, both acquired in the Cleveland trade.  Bennett intrigues me even though he had a disastrous rookie year.  The Timberwolves spin on last year is that he had knee surgery in the summer and never really got his legs under him.  I don't know if I believe that but he has the potential to be a back to the basket player while also being able to stretch the floor. Not as far as Kevin Love, but in the 10'-15' variety.

Thaddeus Young - Acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers; he will try to replace some of the offensive production lost from Love.  He will not average a double-double but more likely 15 points and eight rebounds a night.  He will be an immediate upgrade on the defensive end where Love usually used to regroup and recharge for another pick and pop three pointer. 

Glen Robinson III - Possible steal of the draft falling to the Wolves at pick #40. Most likely will not play much this year but another young athletic wing who has the potential to turn into a very good role player.

Mo Williams - Might be one of the best pure shooters on the roster.  Along with Young he was brought into provide leadership and guidance to this young team.  Think what Sam Mitchell was to Kevin Garnett.

Remaining Wolves:

Shabazz Muhammad - Did not get much playing time last year, but has spent this summer rebuilding his body. This will, hopefully, allow him to be quicker laterally on defense to stay on the floor at the small forward position.  He may also be able to offer rotation flexibility by being able to play the 4 when/if the Wolves go with a small quicker lineup. 

Gorgui Dieng - He showed signs of becoming a "rim protector" that the Timberwolves have never had.  His offensive game leaves a lot to be desired but if he can protect the rim while grabbing some defensive rebounds there will be a spot on this team for him. 

Throw in established NBA players such as big man Nikola Pekovic, pure scorer Kevin Martin, defensive minded (and NBA Champion) Corey Brewer and Ricky Rubio leading the show give a solid baseline for the Wolves to start with. Ricky will absolutely be the face of the franchise at this point, and a key factor in how successful this team will be. With a more athletic team around him, the Wolves will try to push the ball like the Phoenix Suns when they implemented the "7 seconds or less" mentality with All-Stars Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire.  The problem is, for this team to make it the next level, Rubio must learn how to shoot the ball.  Being able to consistently knock down a 15' shot would do wonders for this team. The team also has to get rid of JJ Barea's and his awful contract. He's not going to get a whole lot of playing time with the bigger and more athletic young guns on the squad, and his contract needs to get off the books for the team to be able have some flexibility in free agency and contract extensions. 

Flip Saunders

The most exciting addition to me is Flip Saunders as coach. He will go through the growing pains of a young team and has the experience of developing young talent into a solid core, that should be ready to compete in two to three years.  While the Wolves will most likely not build on what they did last year, or even compete for a playoff spot, what Flip has promised is a fun, defensive minded group that will let their athleticism and hard nose defense  turn into a up tempo style offense.  They will struggle to score points but with Rubio pushing the ball and distributing to our young dynamic wings, there should be at least one 'wow' moment a game.  Hopefully this will be the last 'blueprint for the future' for some time.  I don't know about you but I am excited to see how it turns out.  

Ryan Larson

Contributing Writer to IzzyLegit

2014 MLB Playoffs and What No One Wants to Admit

It's not steroids, I promise.

Here it is, the eve of October, playoff baseball is underway and the Kansas City Royals are in the playoffs for the first time since 1985. The Pittsburgh Pirates are back in it, coming off their first playoff win since 1992 and there are no Yankees to be seen. Life is good...or is it? The fact of the matter is, even with a wonderful feel-good story out of the mid-west, and no Bronx cash-cow to 'make it rain', these playoffs look to be no different than the hundreds before.

The truth really is, nobody actually likes an underdog story. There I said it; that is what very few people want to admit, especially in sports. You can call me cynical if you want, but after a full year in graduate school at Western Illinois and a little bit of research, I have learned just a little too much about the business of sport to truly believe in Cinderella's or underdogs, and here is why.

Since the dawn of sports television, the landscape of all sport has changed dramatically, professional and collegiate...heck, even amateur (LLWS). Big television markets mean big money, big money means big payroll, and big payroll means championships, just ask the Yankees and their 40 World Series rings. What I am saying is not news to anyone, even those who mistake the Great Bambino for a woman (Sandlot? Anyone?). For those who disagree just look at the numbers from the last decade. Just two of the last 11 World Series Champions have had a net-worth that ranks out side of the MLB's top 10 according to a Forbes list released in March of this year (HERE). 

The last team to make the World Series with a net-worth in the bottom half of the league (actually ranked last) was Tampa Bay in 2008 going up against Philadelphia. A seemingly unique story of the upstart Rays taking on the storied Phillies; but America wasn't having it. According to a list compiled by Nielsen Media Research (HERE) the 2008 World Series recorded just a shade over 13.6 million views, that is the second lowest number of viewers since 1973 when the ratings became available.

The point I am trying to make is that, if you are kicking back, enjoying one of the most wonderful times of year, and you have a friend who starts to rave how AWESOME a Pirates vs. Royals World Series would be...look at him/her and in your best 'head and shoulders' impersonation say, really Troy? .....really? (Click HERE if that does not make sense). Because while many may say they want it, the numbers say otherwise.

Without further ado, ranting or wasting of your time, here are my picks for the 2014 MLB Playoffs.

Wild Card

Oakland over Kansas City: This game is currently sitting KC leading Oakland 3-2 in the top of the 5th as I write this and James Shields has a horrid record in the post season and in the new playoff system you only get one shot. Gotta love you some Billy Bean early in the playoffs.  

Pittsburgh over San Francisco: The Giants have to go east coast and go up against Edinson Volquez whose numbers aren't great but carded an solid second half. In one game I take the Pirates at home.

ALDS

Baltimore over Detroit: Verlander has been sub-par and while I would normally air on the side of quality pitching, the Orioles offense is loaded.

LAA over Oakland: A baseball fans dream series that will have innings lasting late into the night. We have all watched Moneyball (if you haven't you should), this is the round where small-ball and sabermetrics start catching up to a team that has to go up against money and Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and company.

NLDS

Washington over Pittsburgh: Three things here...pitching, pitching, pitching. I meant to say Strasburg, Zimmerman, Gonzalez. I would bring up Harper and Werth, but history shows that the team with the hottest pitching wins...and you don't get much hotter than a no-hitter).

Dodgers over Cardinals: Another year when St. Louis really has no business in the post-season but they pull it out anyway...it really is crazy how they do that. However, in this case, pitching wins again. I mean really? Kershaw and Greinke and and and...EVERYONE? Puig is bound to do something stupid, but hey, most 20-somethings will.

ALCS

Baltimore over LAA: While the 'Boender-metrics' of budget would suggest that the Angels are the favorite, my gut and the no. 7 pitching staff (era) in the league have swayed me otherwise. I mean, that and the previously hinted at bats of Cruz, Jones, and Davis.

NLCS

Dodgers over Washington: This will prove to be the matchup of the playoffs (if it happens. Great pitching and electric bats will certainly be fun to watch, but the experience and leadership on LA's roster will wins out over the overwhelming Patriotic feeling welling up in my chest right now. Sorry 'merica.

World Series

Dodgers over Baltimore in 5: When it comes down to it, it is a game of matchups and in my opinion, LA's starting three will come out over Baltimore's. The Orioles pull a late win because of their depth and bats, but in this case, the big market wins again.

I want to thank my good friend and fellow Wartburg Knight, Peter Carey-Linskey for allowing me to contribute. Please note that these are my thoughts and somewhat researched opinions. If you like what you read here, look for more soon at my new blog 'The Masters of Sport'. Also, this is in no way an endorsement for Procter & Gamble (Head and Shoulders) or Sony Pictures (Moneyball) and does not reflect their thoughts or opinions. 

NOTE: This is being submitted with KC leading Oakland 3-2 in the top of the 5th. I still stand by my Oakland pick.

Sam Boender

Contributing Writer to IzzyLegit

Once a Decade. . .

Rivalries are what make sports so entertaining. While it would still be fun watching athletes face off against each other under normal circumstances, knowing that each side would like nothing more than to take the head of their opposition energizes the atmosphere. No matter how bad a team can be, when it comes to a rivalry game all bets are off. Iowa State will probably only win a handful of games the remainder of the year, but they beat Iowa. Oregon State is a middle of the road program, but every year they are given a chance at ruining a conference championship or bowl bid when they face Oregon.

Some rivalries don't really feel like rivalries at all. Case and point, Minnesota v. Michigan. While it is the longest running trophy game (Battle for the Little Brown Jug dating back to 1892) Michigan has dominated to a point where the idea of the Jug not being in Ann Arbor would be unheard of. Since 1964, the Gophers have won only five (that's right FIVE) times against the Wolverines. For those of you not able to fully grasp at how long that's really been, that's five wins in 50 years (For reference, Lyndon B. Johnson was President). And it's been since 1977 when the last time the Gophers beat them on their home turf. Once a decade . . . Once!

While the losing streak at home continues, Minnesota potentially had a rivalry shifting moment on Saturday when they stomped the Wolverines 30-14 in Ann Arbor. The game itself seemed to symbolize two teams heading in opposite directions. While Minnesota seems to be ascending into Big Ten relevancy (still a long way to go), Michigan displayed a poetic fall from grace. Even with all their money, facilities and blue chip athletes, they just can't seem to right the sinking ship that is the program. Now I know that Michigan can rebuild in a snap, but the program just has a feel of one that will take some time to rebuild, which will give the Gophers a chance to run off a few wins to once again make this a relevant rivalry to Michigan fans.

Looking ahead for both teams, things may only get worse for Michigan. In their next three games they face no slouches in the conference by heading to a feisty Rutgers team with a very strong defense, a descent Penn State team at home and then they head east to face a far superior Michigan State team for another rivalry game situation. Don't be surprised if Michigan is 3-5 (maybe even 2-6) halfway through the season. On the flip side, the Gophers have an opportunity to build off this victory. They'll face a tricky Northwestern team that will either show up and kick butt, or roll over and take it. They then play two bottom feeders of the Big Ten in Purdue and Illinois which have to be victories for a team wanting to take a step forward in this conference. All of this nicely setting up the always-anticipated rivalry game between the 7-1 Gophers and the 7-1 Hawkeyes in a fight for the coveted Floyd of Rosedale. But knowing both the Goph's and Hawks teams well, one of them will probably slip up somewhere.

NFL Season Outlook

My Dad and I have always complained about how sports give pre-season rankings before anyone has played an actual game. We know why they have them, but there is almost no way to know how good a team will be until they have actually played a game! I decided to wait a couple games to give my full NFL preview so I could gain a better understanding of how the season might play out.

Another year where the phrase "defense wins championships" is validated. Tom Brady will yet again fall short of a Super Bowl by losing to the Panthers 28-20. With an elite defense, and an above average offense, the Panthers will claim it's organizations first Lombardi Trophy. Don't agree? Tell me what you think will happen the remainder of the NFL season by commenting below. 

The Best Quarterback in Cleveland is . . . .

The Cleveland Browns have been in the news a lot recently about who will start for their team when the season starts. Mainly for the fact that they have one of the most polarizing players in the game with Johnny "Football" Manziel. The Browns have made a decision to start Brian Hoyer over Manziel and I think that's the wrong decision on there part. They have a better option that will fill their need at the Quarterback position and are completely overlooking his talents. No not that party boy from Texas. I'm talking about the cool calm and collected Southern Boy name Connor Shaw.

That's right. Connor Shaw, un-drafted rookie out of South Carolina University. While he played in the same loaded SEC as Manziel, he was not even closely mentioned as mush as everyone else in the league. So if you don't know who he is, here's a little bit of background. He was a three year stater (played four years) for the Ol' Ballcoach and is the winningest quarterback in school history with a 27-5 record as a starter (17-0 at home). He's good just trust me.

So why should Connor start over Manziel? Easy. Feel free to look back at my previous post about who will be better Luck v. RGIII. There's a lot of the same arguments to be had. For one, he's more balanced and has better decision making skills in the pocket. Since he played in a more Pro-Style offense at USC, he wasn't allowed to zip the ball around as much as the other SEC QB's, which is why he probably didn't get as much attention within the league. In fact, in two years of play, Manziel had over 100 more attempts than Shaw. But while he didn't put up the gaudy stats, he was efficient. In four years of play he only had 16 interceptions to 56 TD's. A ratio of 3.5+ (Manziel had 22 INT's to 63 TD's. Ratio of just 2.8+)

His style also translates better to the NFL. Lets take the comparison of Luck and RGIII. Luck a balanced QB with both the passing acumen, and enough mobility to allow him to not simply rely on one skill set. RGIII on the other hand has had a tremulous time adapting to what he needs to be to become a successful NFL signal caller. Shaw has a similar skill set to Luck. He can run (ran a 4.66 40 yard dash, faster than Manziel) and he can stand in the pocket and throw the ball accurately (shown by his college statistics).

Connor has the skills and abilities to be a legitimate NFL Starter. Will he get his shot in Cleveland, probably not. Mainly for the fact that NFL GM's have such large egos, very few will admit their mistake and cut ties with a high profile first round draft pick (case in point Christian Ponder in Minnesota, Matt Leinart in Arizona and Vince Young ... Pretty much everywhere he's been. How is he still getting jobs?!) Hopefully I'm wrong, and Connor can show the NFL what he can do, and prove me right.

*Partial credit for the discovery of Connor Shaw must go to my girlfriend Kara*

Love-Wiggins Trade: Do It Already!

ESPN has started to piss me off and I need a place to vent. So I'm going to jump start this sports blog again but in a little different format. Instead of fact checking every analyst (since this isn't my full time job and 90% of the time they're wrong to begin with) this will be an open sports forum. So, lets rant!

What's been bugging me the most recently is all this talk/hype about the Kevin Love/Andrew Wiggins trade talks. The main reason is because of all this chatter about if Kevin Love is enough for the Cav's to trade Wiggins. Seriously, Kevin Love: emerging All-Star with the skills and ability to grow into a Superstar of this league: isn't enough of a return for Andrew Wiggins: a highly athletic young player who averaged under 18 points per game in college where he couldn't even get his team out of the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament? Yeah seems pretty un-even.

Another thing that's bugging me is how little the Wolves are looking at getting out of this trade. With current rumors of them receiving Wiggins, Anthony Bennett (Minnesota would then trade Bennett to Philadelphia for Thaddeus Young) & a future protected 1st Rounder, that seems like the team is banking on a lot of "potential" rather than getting "proven" talent. This trade reminds me when the Denver Nugguts traded Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. They got a deal that has helped set them up for immediate success by getting proven NBA talent along with prospects and picks. In the three years since trading Melo, they have made the NBA Playoffs twice, and have been a highly competitive team in the much stronger Western Conference. in my opinion, Love is better than what Melo was when he was traded.

To further support my idea that the Wolves deserve a Melo equivalent deal, let go to the stats. Below are Kevin Love's career stats (brown) compared along side Melo's stats (Green) while in Denver. 

*Removed Kevin Love's '12-'13 season - only played 18 games due to injury

Not only does Love surpass Melo in many of statistical categories, just take a look at the progression throughout the years. Melo (to his credit) has been a consistent shooter, but has not improved significantly in any one category. On the other hand, the continuous progression of Kevin Love's offensive and defensive production show that we may not have seen the best of his playing ability yet. With this comparison in mind, the Wolves should be looking for deals that not just give the fan base hope for the future, but allow them to remain competitive in the current NBA landscape. Also, I just don't think Wiggins is going to turn into the All-Star player everyone has anointed him to be. 

Unfortunately I know this will never come to be since the Timber Pups have been arguably one of the worst run sports franchise in the world and now that LeBron is in Cleveland, the NBA will do whatever it can to get him what he wants. But that's for another rant, another time.