2/26 College Hoop Headlines

For the third straight week, the #1 team in the country goes down, with Duke falling. Here is a recap of all the big matchups in college basketball yesterday, as we are just one week away from the end of the regular season and two weeks away from Selection Sunday.

Virginia Tech 74, #1 Duke 70
The Hokeys solidify their NCAA tournament chances with a great win over the #1 Blue Devils in Blacksburg. Jeff Allen had 18 points and 15 rebounds for Tech, which overcame a six-point second half deficit ensure a new #1 come Monday.
#7 BYU 80, #6 San Diego State 67
Player-of-the-year candidate Jimmer Fredette helped his cause, scoring 25 points, to lead the Cougars to a season sweep of the Aztecs in San Diego. By far the biggest game in San Diego State history, BYU helped silence the raucous crowd time after time with big three-pointers, finishing 14 of 24 as a team from deep. With more top teams falling, this could also open the door for BYU to get a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Colorado 91, #5 Texas 89
In a classic tale of two halves, Texas blows a 22-point first half lead, gets outscored by 17 in the second half and falls for the second straight Saturday on the road in Boulder. It is a huge win for the Buffaloes, who needed a big statement to get back on the bubble. Led by Alec Burks' 33 points and 10 rebounds, they did just that.
UCLA 71, #10 Arizona 49
Complete domination in the second half by the Bruins, who outscore the Wildcats 31-19 in the second half. Reeves Nelson had 27 points and 16 rebounds in the final home game for UCLA at Pauley Pavillion before renovations.
#17 Syracuse 58, #11 Georgetown
Behind 17 points and 7 assists by Scoop Jardine, the Orange continue their recent strong play by beating the Hoyas on their senior day in D.C. With senior point guard Chris Wright still out injured, Georgetown got 16 points from Austin Freeman and had a chance to tie the game with a corner three-pointer by Jason Clark with 30 seconds left, but it was partially blocked by Kris Joseph.
#22 Kentucky 76, #13 Florida 68
In another SEC-East battle, the Wildcats of Kentucky continued their home dominance (now 14-0) by beating the Gators in Lexington behind 24 points from Darius Miller.
#23 St. John's 81, #15 Villanova 68
Steve Lavin's team continues to impressive, as Dwight Hardy scores 34 to lead the Red Storm to a great road win in Philly. The win was St. John's 6th against a top-25 ranked team this year and moves them to third in the Big East standings, only behind Pitt and Notre Dame.
Kansas State 80, #20 Missouri 70
What a turnaround K-State has had. From preseason favorite, to mid-season disappointment, the Wildcats are back in position to get a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament and pretty much a lock for the NCAA's, after a 10-point win over the Tigers. Jacob Pullen had 24 points for Kansas State, which tied Missouri in the Big 12 with 8-6 records.

NBA Trade Deadline Central

In one of the most active trade deadlines ever, there were a multitude of trades made in the last 24 hours.

Celtics Trade Perkins
In the most shocking trade of the day, the Boston Celtics traded starting center Kendrick Perkins and backup guard Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic.
Analysis: This deal makes no sense to me for Boston since Perkins was only center in East that could defend Dwight Howard one-on-one, and was a load for Miami in the paint. Green meanwhile, a slashing plays-on-the-outside type power forward just fits in as a sixth man candidate.
Nets Acquire Williams
After missing out on Carmelo, the New Jersey Nets instead acquire superstar point guard Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz in exchange for point guard Devin Harris and forward Derrick Favors.
Analysis: Great trade for Jazz, who did not want to be held hostage by Williams next season like 'Melo did to the Nuggets. So much for Williams+Boozer pick and roll duo following footsteps of Stockton+Malone, it's now Harris+Millsap?
Cavaliers Get Davis
The Cleveland Cavaliers acquire guard Baron Davis and a first round pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for guard Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon.
Analysis: Clips finally dump Davis and his contract, but they don't get much in return (Williams is inconsistent streaky shooter, Moon does nothing but dunk)
Rockets Trade Battier, Brooks
My hometown team starts the rebuilding, trading veteran forward Shane Battier and backup guard Ish Smith to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for center Hasheem Thabeet and a first round pick.
Analysis: I like this deal, as much as I loved Battier during his time here in Houston. We get a former #2 pick that hopefully can improve and become a starting center in this league (He is 7'3" after all) while also getting a pick.
In a separate deal, the Rockets traded guard Aaron Brooks to the Phoenix Suns for guard Goran Dragic and a first round pick.
Analysis: I don't like this trade as much, as Aaron Brooks, injury-free, is a better player than Dragic, who has had a bad season thus far. But I understand why it was done, as this team is going in a new direction and will look to rebuild through the draft.
Hornets Trade for Landry
The New Orleans Hornets strengthen their bench, adding power forward Carl Landry from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for backup guard Marcus Thornton.
Analysis: Good trade for New Orleans, Landry should thrive as backup to David West
Hawks Add Hinrich
The struggling Atlanta Hawks swapped point guards with the Washington Wizards, trading Mike Bibby for Kirk Hinrich. Also in the deal is Hilton Armstrong who will go to Atlanta, while Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans, and a first-round pick heads to Washington.
Analysis: Kind of vanilla trade in my opinion, Bibby is over-the-hill as a starting point guard, but Hinrich isn't exactly an upgrade.
Blazers Acquire Wallace
Charlotte trades veteran forward Gerald Wallace to Portland in exchange for center Joel Pryzbilla and forward Dante Cunningham.
Analysis: Good find for Portland, which needed a small forward. For Charlotte (25-32), this is just a salary dump, as Pryzbilla and Cunnigham are in last year of their contracts.

Carmelo To Knicks

Last night, all the speculation and endless rumors finally ended, when the Denver Nuggets finalized a deal to trade their superstar forward Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. In return, the Nuggets will get 4/5 of the Knicks' starting lineup (Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danillo Galinari, and Timofey Mozgov) as well as a 2014 1st round pick and some cash. New York will also get point guards Chauncey Billups and Anthony Carter and forwards Shelden Williams and Renaldo Balkman from Denver, and guard Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves. Minnesota will get Eddy Curry's expiring contract and forward Anthony Randolph from the Knicks.

As far as the rest of this season, I think this trade may make the Knicks a couple wins better, but overall, they still will not be able to compete with Boston, Orlando, or Miami until they get a better supporting cast around Amare and 'Melo in the future. In the end, the defensive ability (or lack there of) will determine how successful the new-look Knicks will be.

In the big picture, for the health of the league, I do not like this deal at all. With current rules in place, superstars are wanting to join up and play together in big markets. It started several years ago on a much smaller scale with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett being combined in Boston. It continued this summer with LeBron, Bosh, and Wade joining up in Miami. Now, Carmelo practically forced his way to the Knicks. And while the Nuggets got pretty good role players in return, how do we know if they are not headed down the same path as the Cavaliers post-LeBron?

The NBA and basketball in general is unlike both the NFL and MLB in that there are only 12 players on each team, with only a handful of superstars available. If two or three of them join up on a couple teams, there are going to be a lot of other smaller market that will struggle and never be competitive. Even before LeBron took his talents to South Beach and this trade, we had franchises (Memphis, LA Clippers, Toronto, New Jersey) that seemingly have always sucked. With more superstars becoming free agents next summer (namely Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams), what is to stop them from leaving their teams and joining up on a single team? Not only does it hurt the teams they are leaving, it also takes the "teamwork" out of a competitive basketball team. No longer are we going to have complete teams, but rather "Two or three superstars+9 scrubs" teams. And while the fans of those select large market teams may enjoy watching two or three of the ten best players on the planet play every night in their city's uniform, what about the 25 other teams out there and their fans?

LeBron can talk all he wants about contraction, and reducing the number of teams in the league, but easier said then done, Mr. I-Didn't-Go-to-College-and-Know-Nothing-About-Economics. What happens to all those employees on small-market teams, and the arenas they are in, and the economic wealth and passionate support a professional sports team can generate for a city?

Hopefully, this will get resolved at the next collective bargaining agreement, where the small-markets will have to stand up and try to implement rules that keep their superstars at home. Some potential solutions are to lower the salary cap or add a franchise tag for teams. Part of what makes the NFL so popular is the parity, and fairness in the league, where there are 4 or 5 new playoff teams every year. With superstars joining up, I'm afraid there will only be 4 or 5 good teams left.

AP Top 25 Poll: Week 16

With the top four teams all losing last week (Kansas @ K-State, Pitt @ St. John's, Texas @ Nebraska, Ohio State @ Purdue), Duke jumps from 5th to claim the top spot in the latest AP College Basketball poll. Here is the rest of the top 25.

1. Duke
2. Ohio State
3. Kansas
4. Pittsburgh
5. Texas
6. San Diego State
7. BYU
8. Purdue
9. Notre Dame
10. Arizona
11. Georgetown
12. Wisconsin
13. Florida
14. Connecticut
15. Villanova
16. Louisville
17. Syracuse
18. Vanderbilt
19. North Carolina
20. Missouri
21. Texas A&M
22. Kentucky
23. St. John's
24. Temple
25. Xavier

NBA All-Star Saturday Recap

Haier Shooting Stars
Team Atlanta, consisting of NBA star Al Horford, legend Steve Smith, and WNBA player Coco Miller, won the title last night, edging Team Texas in the finals with a final time of 1:10. Team Chicago and Los Angeles were eliminated in the first round.
Taco Bell Skills Challenge
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was nearly flawless in the final round as he beat Russell Westbrook in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. He finished with a time of 28.2 seconds, which was the only sub-30 second time of the night. The Bulls' Derrick Rose, Hornets' Chris Paul, and Wizards' John Wall were all eliminated in the first round.
Foot Locker Three Point Contest
Miami Heat forward James Jones edged two Celtic legends- defending champion Paul Pierce and all-time three-point leader Ray Allen- to win the Three Point Contest. Pierce had 18 and Allen had just 15 in the finals, while Jones got 20. The Thunder's Kevin Durant, Cavaliers' Daniel Gibson, and Warriors' Dorrell Wright all participated but were eliminated in the first round.
Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
In one of the better dunk contests we've had (nowhere close to as good 2000, though), Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin took the title in his hometown, edging the Wizards' Javale McGee in the final round. McGee's most impressive happened in the first round, with a double dunk. The final dunk for Griffin was a car dunk, which while had good presentation, was overhyped and really not that impressive (1st video below) Honorable mention also goes out to the Thunder's Serge Ibaka, who had an underscored behind the free-throw line dunk in the first round. (2nd video)

2/12 College Hoop Headlines

Football is done, so all eyes are on college basketball as we are about halfway through conference play this season. The Sports Scene will be your March Madness Central for the fifth straight season this year, as we will exclusively cover the NCAA Tournament next month, with the Final Four in my hometown of Houston this year.

Here's a look at yesterday's biggest games.
#14 Wisconsin 71, #1 Ohio State 67
The Badgers rallied from a 12-point second half deficit, and rode its hot three-point shooting (12 of 24) to upset the undefeated Buckeyes in Madison.
#4 Pittsburgh 57, #10 Villanova 54
In a typical Big East slug fest, the Panthers got 21 points from Brad Wannamaker and edged the short-handed Wildcats by 3. With the impressive road win, Pitt extended its lead in the Big East to two-games over #7 Notre Dame.
#15 Louisville 73, #13 Syracuse 69
In a game that was not as close as the final score indicated, the Cardinals got 23-points from Kyle Kuric and 22 from Preston Knowles to send the Orange to their 6th loss in their last 8.
#24 Vanderbilt 81, #18 Kentucky 77
Vandy's John Jenkins scored a career-best 32 to help the Commodores jump the Wildcats in the competitive SEC-East standings.

Super Bowl XLV Preview: Steelers vs. Packers

How about them Cowboys? First team to play in the Super Bowl it hosts. Oh, what. Cowboys were terrible this year? Aww, what a shame, Jerry Jones. We'll just have to settle for this awesome match-up instead.(lowest point-spread since Super Bowl XVI)
QBs: Ben Roethlisberger vs. Aaron Rodgers

It's been a long year for Big Ben Roethlisberger. Coming off his four-game suspension for violating the league's conduct policy, Roethlisberger had another solid season leading the Steelers, throwing for 3200 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just 5 interceptions. Although he struggled statistically against the great Baltimore and New York defenses, his intangibles always pose a problem. His strength and elusiveness to escape sacks, rushing ability, and creativity outside the pocket will have to be contained by Green Bay.

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers has been the hottest quarterback in the world, leading the Pack to the Super Bowl with virtually no running game all season long. Through four career playoff games, he has the highest quarterback rating of all time and comes into the Super Bowl in that elite status once reserved strictly for Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. His quick release against the blitz and ability to run may pose problems for Pittsburgh tonight.

Slight Edge: Packers

RBs: Rashard Mendenhall vs. James Starks

Mendenhall had a strong 2010, rushing for 1273 yards, good for 7th best in the league. The Steelers tend to lean on their running game against strong passing defenses to keep the pressure of Ben Roethlisberger, and when they are effective early in the game, Mendenhall and backups Mewelde Moore and Isaac Redman are tough to stop. The Packers, meanwhile, struggled to find their ground game all season long, after losing starting RB Ryan Grant in week one. During the postseason, however, rookie James Starks has emerged as a star, rushing for 263 yards in their three playoff wins. Whatever success he has against this great Pittsburgh front seven only alleviates some of the burden from Aaron Rodgers.

Edge: Steelers

WR/TEs: Hines Ward-Mike Wallace-Heath Miller vs. Greg Jennings-Donald Driver-James Jones

The Steelers WR core is one of the most inexperienced in the league, and has had issues from time-to-time the whole season. Hines Ward, the veteran, is a possession receiver (and ferocious run blocker), while Mike Wallace may be the fastest WR in the league. Steady Heath Miller serves as Big Ben's security blanket and is used on check-downs when Big Ben is under pressure. The Packers, meanwhile, may have the best group of receivers in the league for Aaron Rodgers to throw to. Jennings, Driver, and Jones are all threats to score every time they catch the ball on short slant and crossing routes because of their great hands and acceleration. They should take advantage of a shaky Pittsburgh secondary.

Edge: Packers

Defense:

Steelers:

Blitzburg has had to overcome a lot of adversity this season, with lingering injuries to safety Troy Polamalu causing the secondary to be horrendous at times this season. In addition, All-Pro outside linebacker James Harrison has been at the center of controversy this season with all his questionable hits and consequent fines. They, however, remain the top defense in the league, as they stuff the run (surrendered league low 63 yards per game rushing) and attack the quarterback in the pass (led the league with 48 sacks). In order to stifle Rodgers and the Pack attack, they will need to bring the heat to avoid getting picked apart in the back.

Packers:

Green Bay's defense is often under appreciated with the Packers' offense so efficient. But defensive coordinator Dom Capers has built in two years a monster 3-4 unit led by linebacker Clay Matthews and cornerback Charles Woodson. The fifth best unit in the league, they similarly like to attack opposing quarterbacks in the passing game by blitzing (2nd in league in sacks) and depending on their outstanding secondary to cover one-on-one. Ex-Texan Tramon Williams has emerged as a shutdown corner to complement Woodson in the back and has three picks in three playoff wins. They can be susceptible to the run, however, ranking just 18th in the league in rushing defense.

Slight Edge: Steelers

Special Teams

Pittsburgh's return game is superior, while Green Bay's kicker Mason Crosby and especially punter Tim Masthay are better.

Slight Edge: Packers

Coach:

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin got his team to the Super Bowl despite having to overcome the four game suspension of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and losing starting offensive linemen seemingly every week. Speaking of injuries, what a job Packers' head coach Mike McCarthy has done this year. 16 Packers are currently on injured reserve, including starting RB Ryan Grant and TE Jermichael Finley and he still guided his team through the NFC as the #6 seed.
Edge: Even

Bottom Line:

For the Steelers to win, they must be able to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers without getting picked apart in the secondary. Offensively, Pittsburgh needs to get its running game going early and often to keep the pressure off of Ben Roethlisberger. For the Packers, key #1 should be protecting Aaron Rodgers so that he can get the ball down the field to a his great group of receivers. Defensively, stopping the run will help slow down Ben Roethlisberger and his creativity in the pocket. I've gone back and forth with this one for a long time, but in the end, I have to go with Pittsburgh's slightly better defense and running game. Aaron Rodgers can be great and prove me wrong, but I think it is just too much to depend on- especially against Pittsburgh's D.

My prediction: 24 23

Last week's record: 2-0
Season record: 169-97