POINT! Bartemus.

A sports forum where the author always stands correct.

Dwyane Wade could soon be odd man out in Miami

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 22, 2012

Things have been awkward since the beginning of the Miami Heat’s Big Three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

It pretty much started with the city’s celebration of the free agent signings of James and Bosh in July 2010, when James took the mic and declared the new trio would deliver somewhere around seven titles. Awkward. As time passed, the three amigos started showing up to very public events dressed in the same attire. Three grown men wearing matching outfits is awkward. Then Wade and James spent an entire press conference during last year’s NBA Finals mocking Dirk Nowitzki’s illness, only to watch Dirk respond by slashing their throats, claiming title No. 1 that was assumed to be theirs. Awkward.

What they probably don’t know is that the silliness of recent past doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what’s to come in the near future. Because after Miami inevitably chokes and loses in these playoffs, whether it be in the current series with the Indiana Pacers, or later against the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s going to get really awkward in South Beach.

The Big Three, after just two seasons, will be finished. Mark it down. This is not speculation. Well, I suppose it is since it hasn’t happened yet, but it’s going to happen at some point this summer. One will go and two will stay; three stars is just too many in today’s NBA.

So who’s the odd man out?

Is it LeBron? For someone with his ability, which few, if any, players in NBA history have possessed, James is a notoriously bad closer. Few stars are worse with the media. He can be a public relations nightmare. Not that he’s a bad guy. He’s just, well, awkward. But, as his third MVP award in four seasons indicated, LeBron is the best player in the world and will be for years to come. He’s not going anywhere.

What about Bosh? He’s carried a bad rap since day one, and I’ve never understood why. I think it was Shaq who compared him to Rupaul while he was still in Toronto. Then he left and got accused of riding James and Wade’s coattails. Fact is, no one other than Nowitzki played better than Bosh in last year’s finals. Bosh, who just turned 28, is one of the best post players in basketball. Star bigs are hard to come by. If he goes and the Heat don’t get a Dwight Howard in return, they’re left with the likes of Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf in the paint. Bosh stays.

That leaves us with Wade. The man who singlehandedly led the franchise to it’s first championship in 2006 and helped recruit James and Bosh to his city two summers ago is about to be shown the door.

AWKWARD!!!!

It won’t be the first time a Miami superstar got pushed out unceremoniously. It happened to Dan Marino—the greatest athlete in sports history in the state of Florida—in 2000. He has a statue outside Sun Life Stadium, his name is stamped on the Miami Dolphins’ Ring of Honor and there are streets named after him. If it happened to Marino, it can happen to Wade.

Look, Wade’s a great player. Maybe one of the five best in the league. But he’ll turn 31 two months into next season and his body appears to be failing him. Wade had his knee drained prior to Game 3 with the Pacers, a loss in which he contributed five points and as many turnovers on 2-for-13 shooting. Take away his Game 4 explosion (30 points, 9 boards, 6 assists), and he’s averaging 19.3 points on 31 percent shooting, three assists and just under four rebounds.

His points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage are all lower this postseason than what he produced in the regular season. That’s abnormal for Wade, who almost always takes his game to another level in the playoffs.

He played in just 49 of 66 regular season games and his numbers saw a significant drop off in various categories. His scoring was down 3.4 points from last season and was the lowest since his rookie year. Wade’s three-point percentage, never particularly high, was down four points from last season and the lowest since 2006-07. His rebounding average was at its lowest since 2007-08, and only in his rookie season did Wade average fewer assists.

Now is the perfect time to get rid of him because the Heat can still get great value. I remember writing a column in April 2008, suggesting the Houston Rockets should trade Tracy McGrady that summer to ensure they get something in return. Wait a year and it might be too late.

Like Wade, McGrady was still playing at an All-Star level, but the 07-08 season brought dips in his scoring, rebounding, assists, and all shooting percentages. He missed 16 games, comparable to Wade missing 17 this year. Houston didn’t trade him and, sure enough, he only played 35 games the following season before opting for microfracture surgery on his knee. McGrady never returned to form and Houston got Jordan Hill and a first round pick in return (sigh).

No player has done more for the Miami Heat franchise than Dwyane Wade. Regardless of where he finishes, my guess is he’ll enter Springfield as a member of the Heat. But someone from the Big Three has to go and D-Wade is the only sensible option.

That’s just awkward.

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Miami Dolphins must take a chance on Ryan Tannehill

Leave a Comment Posted by on April 26, 2012

It’s time.

It’s time the Miami Dolphins stop ignoring their quarterback quandary. It’s time they draft a franchise caliber signal caller in the first round, which is more often than not the only place you find one. Dan Marino was the last quarterback Miami used a first round pick on, in 1983, and how’d that work out?

There are three quarterbacks in the 2012 NFL Draft that have first round grades. Two of them—Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III—will be long gone by the time the Dolphins pick at No. 8. The third, Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill, will not. He’s available. And the Dolphins MUST pick him. It’s a moment that’s 29 years in the making.

Everyone has been taking shots at Tannehill in the days leading up to the draft. Many say he’s overrated because he wasn’t considered a top-10 pick until other prospects such as USC’s Erick Barkley and Oklahoma’s Landry Jones decided to stay in school.  Cam Newton wasn’t considered top-pick worthy last year until Luck bowed out at the last moment, so let’s all pile on Carolina for being silly enough to draft him.

Others are saying he has as much upside as any player in the draft, but is too raw to find immediate success in the NFL, and may never develop into a franchise quarterback. Upside and raw. No two words in the dictionary were used more often by draft analysts last year when talking about Newton. Despite winning the Heisman Trophy and a National Championship in 2010-11 at Auburn, scouts and player personnel around the league said his mechanics were awful and sounded the alarm over the fact that Newton had only 14 collegiate starts to his name.

Again, how’d that work for Carolina? Well, Newton won offensive rookie of the year and became the first quarterback in league history to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 700. He took the Panthers from 2-14 to 6-10. From hopeless to hopeful. He’s raw, alright. Raw talented. Freakishly athletic. Has tons of swag.

That’s what you want in a quarterback. I’m not saying Tannehill possesses Newton’s athletic ability and skill set, or that he’ll have the same impact as a rookie. I’m just reminding everyone which red flags everyone was raising about Newton last year. The same apply to Tannehill. He’s rated a bit too high thanks to the decisions of other highly rated prospects and is fairly raw and inexperienced.

But, like Newton, he has talents that make coaches drool. He ran a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash and throws better on the run than any quarterback in this draft. Tannehill has a big arm and can make all the throws, and the reason he started only 19 games at College Station is because he was playing wide receiver for his first two and a half years. In the two full seasons spent in A&M’s receiver rotation, Tannehill caught 101 passes for 1,453 yards and nine touchdowns. Then he moved to quarterback and threw 42 touchdowns against 21 interceptions.

I think the Dolphins, or any NFL team for that matter, would love a quarterback with a 2-to-1 touchdown-interception ratio. Going to Miami would be perfect for Tannehill because the Dolphins have two veteran quarterbacks in Matt Moore and David Garrard that can hold down the fort for a season or two until he’s absolutely ready to play. Like Aaron Rodgers who, oddly enough, was developed by the man who is now the Dolphins head coach, Joe Philbin. I know professional sports is all about today, but it shouldn’t be considered a sin to develop a quarterback with top-10 talent. Tannehill has it. It’s up to Philbin and his staff to bring it out.

And the best part about all this is the Dolphins have absolutely NOTHING to lose. They’ve already lost somewhere in the range of 30,000 season ticket holders in recent years, so if Tannehill fails, what’s a few thousand more? If that’s the case, just add his name to the list of the other 500 quarterbacks that Miami has tried to replace the great Marino with.

General manager Jeff Ireland will begin to repair his image with the fanbase and likely even buy himself time with Tannehill. If he passes and the Dolphins go 5-11 again with no hope waiting on the sideline, Ireland is gone and his replacement will be ordered to draft a quarterback in 2013. But 5-11 looks a lot different to the fans and the antsy owner when you have a 6’4 stud prospect ready to take over the reins.

The Dolphins haven’t had that since 1999, Marino’s final season. They’ve been too busy drafting guys like Jamar Fletcher, Vernon Carey, Ronnie Brown, Jason Allen, Ted Ginn… Oh my God, stop me before I pass out.

Draft Tannehill. Tonight. And don’t think twice about it.

It’s just time.

NFL , ,

My NBA All-Suck Starters Ballot

Leave a Comment Posted by on April 23, 2012

Monday night’s barnburner between the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats and Washington Wizards—a 101-73 Wizards victory—could be considered the worst matchup in NBA history.

Charlotte is 7-57 and losers of 21 straight games. Washington has now won four straight to raise its record to 18-46. Quick math tells you they’re a combined 25-103 (.195). Khalil Garriott, the editor at nflplayers.com and a former supervisor of mine, tweeted prior to tipoff that a casual NBA fan might recognize two starters, which had me thinking.

If David Stern put together a reverse All-Star Game, prompting fans to vote for the worst starters in each conference, who would make the cut? The following would be on my ballot, which surely contains a few Bobcats and Wizards.

***

Eastern Conference:

PG: D.J. Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats

I thought the world of Augustin at the University of Texas. Thought the Bobcats got a steal at No. 9 in the 2008 draft. What they got is a point guard that can’t shoot straight or run an offense, two things that are sort of important at that position. D.J. is making just 37 percent of his shots overall and 33 percent from three. Charlotte ranks last in points scored (87.1), field goal percentage (.415) and three-point percentage (.294). All of that doesn’t fall on Augustine alone, but offense starts with your point guard and, clearly, he’s a big part of the problem.

SG: Ronnie Brewer, Chicago Bulls

Yes, the starting shooting guard for the Bulls, who own the NBA’s best record, made the squad. He’s likely going to be the reason why Chicago again falls short in the playoffs. Brewer is a solid defender and nothing more. He has no range on his hideous jumper (shooting .427/.275) and is a serious liability at the free throw line, making only 56 percent. Brewer averages 6.9 points, two assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. At 6’7, 227 lbs, the freakishly athletic guard should be so much more than the Eastern Conference’s worst starting two-man.

SF: Chris Singleton, Washington Wizards

Not surprisingly, this came down to Singleton and Charlotte’s Derrick Brown. Singleton, the second of two first round picks for the Wizards in last year’s draft, won by a not-so-slight margin. The former Florida State star is averaging 4.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and a whopping 0.7 assists per game, while sporting awful shooting percentages of .367/.347/.690 in 21 minutes. Taken just outside the lottery, the Wizards expect Singleton to be a big part of their future. That’s one of many reasons why it isn’t so bright.

PF: Jason Maxiell, Detroit Pistons

Washington’s Trevor Booker was a close second, but in the end Maxiell won because he’s an NBA veteran, whereas Booker is in his second year. Drafted in 2005, Maxiell fit in nicely as a high-energy bruiser off a loaded Pistons bench, but his impact never transferred to the starting lineup. He’s averaging 6.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and shooting just 47 percent, which would be great if 90 percent of his shots came from the perimeter, not in the paint. The Pistons are a disaster and will remain as such until Maxiell is replaced and moved back where he belongs—the bench.

C: Shelden Williams, New Jersey Nets

Williams and Toronto’s Aaron Gray went neck and neck for this spot. Williams averages .7 more points, .2 more rebounds and .3 more blocks than Gray, but stole the infamy due to the fact that he also averages 5.1 more minutes game. Williams—drafted fifth overall in 2005 after a great career at Duke—turned out to be one of the biggest busts from that draft class. He has no offensive repertoire and is too small at 6’9 to defend and rebound with NBA centers.

***

Western Conference:

PG: Greivis Vasquez, New Orleans Hornets

I love Vasquez and, trust me, there are worse point guards starting for teams in the West today. Like Nate Robinson in Golden State or Jose Juan Barea in Minnesota. But Robinson has started just nine games, Barea eight. Vasquez has 25 starts for the Hornets who, until 10 days ago, were one of the NBA’s worst teams. I love his passion and fearless demeanor, but if you block out the memories of his greatness at College Park, you’ll see the worst (qualifying) starting point guard in the loaded Western Conference.

SG: Martell Webster, Minnesota Timberwolves

Webster was one of the last players to go directly from high school to the pros when Portland made him the sixth overall pick in 2005 (one spot after Williams). He’s one of the many reasons why Stern enforced an age limit in the 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Evidence Webster should’ve gone to college, Exhibit A: Career averages of 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists per game, and a 41 percent shooter from the floor. Exhibit B: With Minnesota trailing Denver by three in the final seconds earlier this season, Webster stole the ball and raced in for a layup rather than shooting a three. Minnesota lost by one. Either his basketball IQ is low, or he’s really terrible at math. In either case, we’re talking about a low IQ. College, Martell. It works wonders.

SF: Wesley Johnson, Minnesota Timberwolves

Johnson is the second T-Wolve on the West roster. And you wonder why Kevin Love chose to sign an extension with having to play next to guys like Johnson and Webster. Johnson, the fourth pick in 2010 out of Syracuse, is undoubtedly the biggest bust from that class. There’s nothing redeeming about his game. He’s shooting 39 percent overall and 30 percent from deep, while averaging just six points, 2.8 rebounds and less than an assist per game. Knowing what I do now (that Love puts up monstrous numbers even with defenses packing the paint with no threat from Webster and Johnson), Love has my vote for NBA’s Most Valuable Player.

PF: Channing Frye, Phoenix Suns

Frye edged out New Orleans’ Jason Smith for honors. Both are strictly jump shooters and useless defensively, but Smith’s shooting percentage is 11 points higher, and since all other statistics are near identical, Frye got the call. You can’t be a one-trick pony and be bad at your one trick. Frye is good for nothing other than hitting open stand still jumpers, which he sees many of with Steve Nash at the point. Yet he’s making just 41 percent overall and 34 percent from three. That’s really poor. Imagine how ugly it would get if he were ever guarded. We’ll see next season after Nash ditches the desert in free agency.

C: Joel Przybilla, Portland Trailblazers

Przybilla was brought in around midseason by the Blazers, starting 18 of 26 games since. The 11-year vet has done well in reminding his former team why they let him walk to (gulp) Charlotte last year. Przybilla’s averaging two points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 16.6 minutes per game. He’s 7’1 averaging less than a block per game. Doesn’t at least one errant shot accidently hit a seven footer’s hand each night? Apparently not. Big Joel shows we just may have saved the worst for last.

***

Prediction: I like the East in four of the five individual matchups, save Frye and Maxiell. That isn’t saying much in this case, but I’ll take the East, 82-75. Augustin wins MVP honors with 10 points, three assists, five rebounds and five turnovers. Stern and his collection of marketing geniuses don’t know how to sell this game after spending the last three decades building an audience through marketing superstars. Out of options, the league offers fans $1 tickets and free alcohol until the end of the third quarter, and still only 26 people show up.

NBA

Golf moves on as Tiger fades out

1 Comment Posted by on April 9, 2012

The 1972 Watergate scandal involving President Richard Nixon and his staff has begun to trickle into the sports world some 40 years later. It helps sports journalists reference scandals in their vertical.

There was Spygate, which referred to New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick ordering his staff to video an opposing team’s sideline to steal signals and play calls. We’re now in the midst of Bountygate, referencing New Orleans Saints coaches getting busted for putting bounties on opposing team’s players, leading to a loss of high draft picks, massive fines and lengthy suspensions. The before and after photos in each case were not pretty.

Golf has a “…gate” of its own, but as the 2012 Masters showed, the after pics don’t look so bad. Call it Tigergate. Recall November 2009 when Tiger Woods redefined infidelity. The world’s greatest golfer and married father of two had sexual relations with countless number of women in a handful of different countries. Whether it was the five month break from the game that ensued, a difficult and financially disastrous divorce, bad karma, or an inability to find his swagger from the previous decade, Tiger has never recovered.

Two weeks ago, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill to claim his first PGA Tour victory since September ’09, one month before his personal and professional downfall began. Fans and analysts alike believed he was back. I did not. Winning at Bay Hill for Tiger is like Duke winning the Maui Invitational. Yea, it’s nice, but we expect bigger things. That’s putting it nicely. Let me say it bluntly: no one cares when Tiger wins at Bay Hill or when Duke or some other college basketball super power wins a preseason tournament. We want major victories, or in the case of my comparison, national championships.

My reaction after last month’s triumph was “Great. Now show me something by winning at Augusta National.” Like Duke—which won the 2011 Maui Invitational in the season’s first breath, then went on to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 15 seed Lehigh—Woods flamed out at The Masters, finishing tied for 40th at 5-over par. It wasn’t just one bad day. He failed to shoot under par in any of the weekend’s four rounds.

It probably didn’t surprise anyone of Catholic or Christian faith that Woods failed to resurrect his career on Easter Sunday, the day of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Committing adultery is kind of a deal breaker with The Big Man Upstairs. Do it hundreds of times and your odds of winning a major tournament on His day are slim, nil and none. Just a guess. And what I’m about to say shouldn’t surprise you either.

Meaningless win at Bay Hill aside, Tiger is done. He’s no longer an elite golfer. He can’t putt from near or far and he’s spraying his driver and irons so badly that he’s back to kicking and throwing his clubs like a child, something he promised to stop doing years ago after fellow players began calling him out on it. He’s changed coaches and caddies along the way, trying everything he can to bring back the glory days. They’re gone, Tiger. They’re gone, fan club. They ain’t comin’ back.

When all his troubles started, many believed that if Woods’ game died, the game of golf would die with it. Sunday afternoon proved otherwise. Before Tigergate, it was Tiger and everyone else. Not many outside of Phil Mickelson had a fighter’s chance. Hell, not even Phil had a chance. But now, as Tiger continues to fade, it’s anyone’s game. Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood seem to be a cut above the rest today, but that can change tomorrow.

Golf doesn’t need a single hero to carry the sport as it used to. Give us some great shots—like the double-eagle on No. 2 by runner-up Louis Oosthuizen, and the tournament-clincher out of the woods by champion Bubba Watson on the second playoff hole—and an intriguing final round, and fans will be glued to their couches on Sundays.

There have been 15 majors played since Tiger won his last (2008 U.S. Open). Padraig Harrington is the only player to win twice in that span, winning The Open Championship and the PGA Championship in ’08. Golf’s last 13 majors have had a different name etched on the trophy. Parity is celebrated in every other sport, so why not in golf? The aftershock of Tigergate left the game and its fans with no choice.

We’ll never again see the Tiger of old but, as we witnessed yesterday, golf will be just fine without him.

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Blood rivals, mirror images ensure exciting Final Four

Leave a Comment Posted by on March 31, 2012

The college basketball season is down to its final moments.

Sixteen days ago, there were 64 teams vying for the National Championship. Today, only four—Kentucky, Ohio State, Kansas and Louisville—remain. Both semifinals are rematches from the non-conference slate, when Kentucky knocked off Louisville, 69-62, and Kansas beat Ohio State sans Jared Sullinger, 78-67, at Allen Fieldhouse.

Will Act II be any different? Let’s take a look.

***

Kentucky Wildcats (No. 1 Midwest Region) vs. Louisville Cardinals (No. 4 West Region)

When Norfolk State plays Missouri, we get “David versus Goliath.” Or when Holy Cross plays Kansas. Or when Butler plays anyone, at least that’s how it used to be. But not when Louisville plays Kentucky. Is it even legal to label a Rick Pitino coached team “David?”

I just got off the phone with a Kentucky State Trooper who happened to be a Cardinals fan, and even he admitted that in this case it’s not punishable by law. Of course he wished to remain anonymous.

No one outside the Louisville city limits is giving the Cardinals a chance. Kentucky is 36-2. This is John Calipari’s latest version of “NBA Stars of Tomorrow,” with National Player of the Year Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague going to Lexington for a season only because David Stern said they have to. Of the Wildcats’ 36 wins, just seven came by single digits. They’re a Christian Watford buzzer-beater and sluggish half in the SEC Tournament Final away from being 38-0.

So why should Louisville even bother showing up to The Big Easy? Well, for one, because New Orleans is party central and no one is foolish enough to pass up a free pass to Bourbon Street. But, more importantly, because the Cardinals might actually have a chance.

They played the Wildcats tough at Rupp Arena back in December before succumbing by seven. Confidence level has to be at a season-high, coming in winners of eight straight, including four in a row at Madison Square Garden to capture the Big East Tournament title. Louisville beat Davidson—a team many pinned as Cinderella—by seven, held off a game New Mexico squad, abused the nation’s roughest abusers in No. 1 seed Michigan State and rallied back from 11 down to beat Florida in the West Regional Finals.

The Cardinals have had the toughest road to New Orleans. They’re battle tested and led by the best coach in the remaining field. Four of their top players—Chris Smith, Peyton Siva, Kyle Kuric and Jared Swopshire—are experienced upper classmen, something Calipari’s crew lacks. Pace will be key, as Louisville can match wits with Kentucky in the half-court. The Wildcats finished as the top ranked defensive team in the country, but right behind them was Louisville, which tied for second with Michigan State.

The problem is Marquette, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, New Mexico, Florida, and Michigan State are not at Kentucky’s level. No one has been at any point this year. The only shot Louisville has of winning is to keep the game in the mid-50s; low 60s at most. I know full-court pressure is their money maker, but Pitino would be wise to call off the dogs here because Kentucky will break the press and, if this becomes a track meet, the Cardinals will find themselves in a hole real quick.

It isn’t often we get to watch blood rivals go at it for a spot in the National Championship Game. The atmosphere will be electric at the start. I’m hoping it lasts for two and a half hours, but that’s probably wishful thinking. Louisville’s surprise run ends here and, considering the opponent, there’s no shame in that. Kentucky wins, 73-57.

***

Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 2 East Region) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (No. 2 South Region)

The nightcap features two very similar teams and a handful of interesting matchups. Sullinger vs. Thomas Robinson. Bill Self vs. Thad Matta. Aaron Craft vs. Tyshawn Taylor. Kansas won the Dec. 10 meeting mostly because Robsinson was guarding and being guarded by Evan Ravenel, not Sullinger, who was out with an injury. Robinson had his way, scoring 21 and fouling out Ravenel in 25 minutes.

Things will be different tonight. Sullinger is playing and this is a neutral court. It also happens to be a perfect matchup for Ohio State, a team with zero depth. While the Buckeyes feature arguably the nation’s best starting five, they bring almost nothing off the pine. Same goes for Kansas, whose starting five is also strong, but simply not at OSU’s level.

Frankly, given each team’s lack of depth, I’m shocked to see either one here. Look at Kansas’ bench production from last weekend’s win over North Carolina in the regional final: 33 minutes, 1-for-6 shooting, four points, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal, a turnover and four fouls. Luckily for the Jayhawks, UNC’s Kendall Marshall was out of the lineup. Same goes for Ohio State. Against Syracuse in its regional final, the bench afforded eight points, five rebounds, an assist, two blocks, two turnovers and four fouls in 20 minutes. Wow.

Again, how on Earth did these teams manage to get this far? There’s “lack of depth” and then there’s Ohio State and Kansas. No depth whatsoever. With that said, the two are a combined 62-13 and each won at least a share of their conference regular season title. Both play strong, disciplined defense no matter who is on the floor and there aren’t many coaches better than Matta and Self.

Much like the first meeting, this figures to be close throughout. Sullinger and Robinson are two of college basketball’s brightest stars and will likely cancel eachother out. The same can be said for Craft and Taylor, although I can paint a scenario where Taylor, a senior, just goes wild and carries Kansas to victory. But since almost nobody other than Kentucky’s Brandon Knight in last year’s Sweet 16 and Illinois’ Brandon Paul in January has ever done much on Craft, I’m going to say another X-factor emerges to decide the winner.

I love Kansas’ Elijah Johnson, but I’m going to go with Ohio State sophomore Lenzelle Smith, Jr. He’s averaging just six points, 4.5 boards and two assists, but he’s the reason the Buckeyes won the East Region. Last weekend in Boston against Cincinnati and Syracuse, Smith averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, two assists and a steal, making 6-of-10 three pointers and 11-of-18 shots overall. It wasn’t the first time he’d come up big for Ohio State, either. Smith scored 28 points on 10-for-12 shooting in an 80-63 win over Indiana in mid-January, and he scored 17 in a win over rival Michigan. Smith is clearly capable of a prime time performance.

Kansas has the feel of a team that’s just happy to be here. I’m not sure Robinson would agree, but at the very least, they’re lucky to be. The Jayhawks had no business beating Purdue in the second round and nearly choked away their Sweet 16 win over No. 11 seed NC State.

Ohio State, on the other hand, has a “championship or bust” mentality after falling well short last year as the No. 1 overall seed. Sullinger is sure to leave for the NBA after this weekend, regardless of how it plays out, and senior star William Buford goes with him. The Buckeyes likely won’t be in this position again for a few years, so I say they make the most of this opportunity. Ohio State wins, 69-65.

NCAA Basketball , , , , , , ,

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