Looking Forward to College Basketball in '13

The most anticipated National Signing Day in recent college basketball history has come and gone. The top two recruits in the nation, Nerlens Noels and Shabazz Muhammad, picked their caps, shifting the future of college basketball in the process. The 6’10” defensive nightmare that is top recruit Nerlens Noel chose Kentucky over Georgetown and Syracuse. This came as little surprise considering Calipari always ends up with the best recruiting class and Noel looks to shine under national spotlight. Some scouts have gone as far to say that Noel is Anthony Davis 2.0. With those types of expectations, Noel has some gigantic shoes to fill.

Shabazz Muhammad’s choice was a little less orthodox to say the least. Muhammad stunned the college basketball nation, choosing woeful UCLA over Kentucky and Duke. Does he realize John Wooden, Kareem-Abdul Jabar and Bill Walton are long gone? That the banners that hang from the rafters in Pauly Pavilion are starting to deteriorate? Actually, I think that’s exactly why he chose UCLA. Most players choose the school that will be the best stop before they make it to the NBA or will lead them to a championship. Muhammad chose the school that he could revive and return back to greatness. Even LeBron chose going after the ring over rebuilding the Garden. It speaks to Muhammad’s motivation and belief in his own abilities, and I couldn’t be more excited to see him hit the hardwood.

With the National Signing Day and upperclassman NBA declaration deadline in the past, here’s 5 thoughts for 13’:

1.      Top five teams:

      Indiana-As much as I hate to say it, Indiana is returning their top players (Zeller and Watford) from a Sweet 16 team that was ousted by Kentucky. The Hoosiers resurgence starting a year earlier than expected, which makes them title contenders right off the bat in ’13.

      Louisville-Much like Indiana, Louisville returns their key players in Peyton Siva and Gorgui Dieng from a Final Four team that lost to Kentucky as well. They’ll also get a healthy Wayne Blackshear and a seasoned Chane Behanan. Expect Pitino’s squad to make a run for the title once again.

      Kentucky-While Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, and Michael-Kidd Gilchrist are yet to declare for the draft, all of them are expected to make the jump. Even if they do, Kentucky adds top recruits Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, and Archie Goodwin. Calipari is the king of the one-and-done era, and this season will be no different.

      Michigan-It’s hard to believe Michigan is a top 5 team after exiting the tourney early last season after a 2^nd round loss to Ohio. But Michigan returns Tim Hardaway Jr. and their lightning quick point guard Trey Burke. Michigan can score with the best of them and their outside touch will irritate teams this season.

      N.C. State-If C.J. Leslie returns (has until April 29^th deadline)- Yes, I am saying N.C. State is the favorite to win the ACC this season. Which is crazy most years, but insane this year. The new-look ACC adds Syracuse and Pittsburgh to an already deep conference. N.C. State reps a top 10 recruiting class and if their star forward C.J. Leslie returns, it’s not unrealistic to envision them cutting down the nets.

2.      From return to glory to return to mediocrity- The 32-2 Kentucky Wildcats cut down the nets in The Big Easy, capping off a season that saw college basketball return to greatness. Kentucky has to be considered one of the top teams in recent history, and it may be quite some time until we see a team like that again. With Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, and Syracuse losing chunks of their elite 8 squads, the talent in the tourney field seems depleted. Which has me thinking…

3.      This could be the year where a mid-major wins it all- The NCAA is about to experience a hangover from last year, evening out the tourney field in the process. There really aren’t any “great” teams this year, evident by Indiana and Louisville starting at the top of many preseason rankings. VCU, Butler, and Creighton are salivating.

4.      Watch out for VCU-I couldn’t be more disappointed after Shaka Smart decided to reject Illinois’s offer to stay with VCU, but ultimately it was the right decision. Smart is returning most of his key players from last year’s squad, and even adds a top 100 recruit in Jordan Burgess, who is the little brother of VCU star Bradford Burgess. Smart’s HAVOC-style defense will be a terror on opposing teams, and don’t be surprised to see a return to the final four.

5.      The resurgence of the Pac-12- The Pac-12 accumulated all but one NCAA tournament win last season and were frankly abysmal. Only two teams even made the tourney field, which was less than the West Coast and half as many as the Mountain West. With UCLA and Arizona racking in top recruits, and Cal and Colorado returning top talent, expect the Pac-12 to compete.

2012 MLB Preview: Arik Wonsover's Predictions

World Series- Detroit Tigers defeat the San Francisco Giants- The Giants offense will benefit from the return of their catcher Buster Posey and the emergence of their young-slugger Brandon Belt. While their offense won’t be stellar, their pitching, which posted the 2^nd best ERA in the MLB last season, will continue to thrive. As for the Tigers, I love the addition of Prince Fielder. Sure sliding Miguel Cabrera to 3B will give them some defensive woes, but opposing teams can no longer pitch around him. I think reigning AL MVP and CY Young recipient Justin Verlander will lead the team to a title.

AL MVP- Albert Pujols, 1B, L.A. Angels- This may seem like a popular pick but I think he pulls it off. People can hate Pujols all they want for ditching St. Louis, but I love his fit in L.A. Pujols will spend most of his time at first base, but Mike Scioscia will plug him in at DH to give him rest. When L.A. resurges this year, it's gonna be because of this guy.

AL ROY- Yu Darvish, SP, Texas Rangers- The highly-touted Japanese flamethrower will finally make his debut on American soil this season, and I think he’s an easy pick for ROY. He’s already a seasoned veteran with years of experience and I don’t see a deep crop of rookies that will compete with him.

AL CY YOUNG- Jered Weaver, SP, L.A. Angels- The Angels are gonna get a huge lift with the addition of Pujols, and I think Weaver will be one of the main beneficiaries. This past season Weaver had a career year, finishing with 18 wins and a 2.41 ERA, which was top 5 in the AL in both categories. This season he should break 20 wins for the first time in his career.

NL MVP- Justin Upton, RF, Arizona Diamondbacks- It’s hard to believe this guy is only 24 years old and he just keeps getting better. There’s nothing guy can’t do; He hits home runs, makes plays with his glove, and he might be the strongest player in the entire league. I expect the Diamondbacks to make a deep run this season and Upton will be at the helm.

NL ROY- Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals- I’m giving this one to Harper by default. I don’t think this will be a very strong NL rookie class and I think Harper has the support of skipper Davey Johnson.  He’s only 19 years old, but he’s as good of a prospect as they come and I think he can produce right away.

NL CY YOUNG- Roy Halladay, SP, Philadelphia Phillies- The “Doc” is gonna add yet another CY Young to his trophy case this season. It’s tough to bet against a guy that has posted at least 17 wins and a sub 3.00 ERA the past 4 seasons. Halladay’s name is on the ballet every year and this season will be no different.

2012 MLB Preview: Brett Zimmerman's Division and Award Winners

After a great visit to the Final Four in New Orleans, I came home and realized that baseball  had already started (well not really, those Japan games  had about seven people in the US that actually paid attention and watched them)...but, it was time for me to put my baseball mind on and make some predictions on what I see in the 2012 MLB season. By division...

American League

AL East

Rays	91-71
Yankees	91-71
Red Sox	88-74
Blue Jays	84-78
Orioles	64-98

Baseball's toughest division. I think the Yankees will be hit by some injuries and old age and not score nearly as many runs as last year. I think the Rays will continue to be great and receive a big year from Evan Longoria. Boston will have some pitching depth issues and maybe some regression from Ellsbury and Ortiz, although I like the Cody Ross signing. The Jays continue to improve and make great front office decisions but need some bullpen depth to be elite. And sorry Orioles, but you are in the best division in baseball.

AL Central

Tigers	90-72
W'Sox	87-75
Indians	83-79
Royals	72-90
Twins	69-93

Tigers might survive, but that defense might be historically bad. Verlander is amazing but replicating last year’s career year might be difficult. At first, I thought the White Sox would be terrible, but seeing who they kept, and how even a slightly better offense would mean a big change, I am now a believer. Cleveland is young but needs pitching help, especially starting. Royals are young, and a few players away from playoff contention. Twins lost a few key line-up members and seem like they are on their way down.

AL West

Angels	96-66
Rangers	89-73
Mariners	70-92
Athletics	69-93

I love the Angels rotation and bullpen. With Pujols the Angels can be a great team this season, although I have my doubts about the future there. Texas has lost a bit of luster with losing CJ Wilson and some of those bats are getting older. Seattle and Oakland are clearly second-class in this division and offer very little in the way of excitement.

AL Wild Cards:

New York Yankees and Texas Rangers

National League

NL East

Braves	98-64
Phillies	92-70
Nationals	91-71
Marlins	85-77
Mets	67-95

I like Atlanta’s mix of young and old and outstanding pitching depth. I think they have a big year and win a very tough division. Philly is going to struggle to score runs minus Howard and Utley, but their pitching will keep them alive for the season. The Nationals will draw on their youth, not knowing about the pressure and will play loose and come out real fast with a great pitching rotation. They bring up Harper and hold on to wild card number 2. Miami will be one crazy clubhouse, but I think that the bullpen could be its downfall later on in the season. And the Mets, well, they are the Mets.

NL Central

Cardinals	89-73
Reds	82-80
Brewers	81-81
Pirates	77-85
Cubs	67-95
Astros	62-100

Cardinals win this on pitching depth and enough hitters to score just enough. The Reds will be solid, but will they have enough to stay in the playoff hunt? Brewers line-up took a hit with Fielder, which makes meworriedis going to mean more to that line-up than what they want to believe. Pittsburgh seems to be stuck with how they are rebuilding, and I am not sure the Cubs and Astros combined make a playoff team.

NL West

D'backs	93-69
Giants	88-74
Rockies	82-80
Dodgers	76-86
Padres	64-98

I was planning on not picking the Diamondbacks this high, but looking over their core and pitching staff, it is hard to not believe they will be right back where they were last year. Giants have great pitching, but can their new bats be enough? Rockies are a team that is an ace away from being a playoff contender, while the Dodgers have the stars but are a whole supporting cast away from being a playoff team. And the Padres need to get out of Petco to have any chance to attract offensive players to come play there.

NL Wild Cards:
Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals

American League Playoffs:

Wild card: Yankees over Rangers

ALDS: Angels over Yankees, Rays over Tigers

ALCS: Rays over Angels

National League Playoffs:

Wild card: Phillies over Nationals

ALDS: Phillies over Cardinals, Braves over Diamondbacks

ALCS: Phillies over Braves

World Series: Rays over Phillies in 7

American League Award Winners:

AL MVP: Evan Longoria

AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver

AL Rookie: Matt Moore

National League Award Winners:

NL MVP: Joey Votto

NL Cy Young: Zach Greinke

NL Rookie: Bryce Harper

University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis Wise on Mike Thomas, John Groce

           The Illini Nation was stunned last night as its star center Meyers Leonard announced he will forgo his junior season and enter the NBA Draft. This announcement only puts more pressure on the Illini’s newly hired coach John Groce. Groce, who comes from the much-smaller Ohio University, was a surprising hire to many of the Illini faithful. After Bruce Weber’s firing, Illinois failed to hire Virginia Commonwealth head coach Shaka Smart and Butler’s Brad Stevens. The people of Champaign are looking for answers as to why Athletic Director Mike Thomas hired Groce instead of searching for more high-profile options. On Monday in front of a Journalism 400 lecture, Chancellor Phyllis Wise helped answer some of those questions.

            “Mike Thomas is the Athletic Director and he reports directly to me. I was very involved in hiring him. My philosophy in general is that you hire the best people you possibly can and then you tell them to go forward and do good. And you stay out of there day to day decisions. In all of these big coach decisions, Mike Thomas has come to me multiple times during the process and told me that he was considering doing this and was thinking about doing that, what did I think. I have to tell you, if I had to do what his job is, I couldn’t do it because I don’t know enough about athletics to know exactly what he should be doing. But when he presented arguments to me for doing what he wanted to do, I felt that they were right and I felt that they were right for the longer term of our athletics department and athletics in general. So I did not try and second guess him. I believe he’s done a great job.

            Although Wise spoke of how sports are not her area of expertise, she still understood the steps Thomas took in hiring the new coaches.

            “I do know about the process he’s gone through in terms of searching and recruiting for the coaches that he has selected. It has been a very carefully thought through process. There have been faculty, there have been other staff, other people on each of the search committees that have gone and really called through the list of people who we thought we could recruit and then interviewed each one of them to see that they were willing to make a move.”

            The Illini, who have never had a minority men’s basketball or football coach, will remain with that distinction after hiring football coach Tim Beckman and Groce who are both white. Wise indicated that even though a minority was not hired, numerous minority coaches were considered for the open positions.

            “The bottom line is what I know is that Mike Thomas tried very very hard, both in the football coach as well as the men’s basketball coach and the women’s basketball coach, to look at people of color who are qualified. We never look at people of color who aren’t qualified. But qualified to be in the Big Ten at this level of athletics. The Black Coaches Association, the BCA, has a report card that they check on how many people you talked with, how many people you met with, whether or not an offer was made, and they have several other criteria and there’s that kind of report card on whether or not you looked at people who were qualified of color. And Mike Thomas has gotten an A on every report card for the last five years that he’s been an Athletic Director.”

            Although Thomas has received criticism for his coaching decisions for men’s basketball and football, Wise fully supports her AD.

            “I believe he’s done a great job. And obviously the results will be seen over the next few seasons.”

Will John Lucas III become a factor in the playoffs?

            The question is difficult to answer.

            There is no denying that John Lucas has been a pleasant surprise for the Chicago Bulls this season. Last year Lucas played in only two games for the Bulls. In one of those games he missed two free-throws against the Denver Nuggets with Chicago ahead by one. Carmelo Anthony nailed a game-winning buzzer beater in Luol Deng's face on the next play.

            This season Lucas is a different player. He’s already played in 37 games and started two. In his first career start he burst onto the scene with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against the Washington Wizards. Lucas boasts an above-average player efficiency rating of 16.61 (15 is the league average) along with per 40 minute averages of 20.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Lucas is also nailing a three-pointer a game at a 41.7 percent clip. Although Lucas is in the midst of a career season, will he be a factor in the postseason? That remains to be seen.

            The biggest question of all is how will Tom Thibodeau find minutes for Lucas? If Richard Hamilton is healthy I would fully expect him to get at least 20 minutes a game in the postseason. Brewer should play at least 25 minutes a game in the playoffs. As long as Korver continues to make three’s he will be receiving around 15 minutes per game. Also you can’t forget about the reigning MVP Derrick Rose who played 40.6 minutes per game during the postseason last year. With Lucas being listed at five-foot-eleven (though he looks like he’s Muggsy Boguesout there) Thibs may be hesitant to give him playoff minutes because of his major height disadvantage. ESPN’s stat guru John Hollinger brought up a good point in this regard.

            “(This) brings up an interesting playoff question for the Bulls: Do you use Lucas or Watson as the backup PG in the postseason? Also, you may have stumbled upon another tactic, which is for the Bulls to play with Rose as the 2 on defense and Lucas as the 2 on offense in a small backcourt.”

            By playing Lucas at shooting guard on offense and point guard on defense the Bull’s would be able to have his scoring ability on the floor while not having to deal with his defensive shortcomings. Rose is more than capable of guarding shooting guards with his six-foot-three build and improved defensive awareness. Although only 4% percent of the Bull’s total minutes have had Rose playing shooting guard, he has held his opposition to an astonishing 4.9 PER. At point guard Rose has been stellar on D as well, allowing a middling 10.6 PER. This tactic of essentially playing Rose at shooting guard and Lucas at point guard may seem a bit far-fetched, but Thibodeau would be smart to at least try it in the postseason. The Bulls need to find minutes for Lucas in anyway possible.

            When Lucas is on the floor the Bulls are better, it’s as simple as that. The numbers overwhelmingly back up that statement. In Chicago’s thirteen best lineups based off plus minus, guess who appears in six of them? Yep you guessed, John Lucas. Lucas especially plays well in the lineup of him, Korver, Deng, Gibson and Asik. The lineup has a plus minus of 60. This is far ahead of the Bulls third best unit which boasts a plus minus of 35. This isn’t a small sample size either, the Bull’s second best lineup has played together a total of 117 minutes and 37 seconds. That lineup is actually Chicago’s fourth most used rotation. Lucas’s on court and off court numbers prove his worth to the Bulls as well.

            When Lucas is on the floor the Bulls three-point attempts and offensive rebounds per 48 minutes increase by greater than 10 percent. This is because Lucas spaces out the floor and gives Chicago’s bigs more of a shot at getting the offensive rebound. The Bulls point margin with Lucas on the floor also increases from 8.5 when Lucas is on the bench to a fantastic 11.2 per game with Lucas on the court. The Bulls net rating (the different between offensive rating and defensive rating) is 9.1 with Lucas on the bench compared to 14.1 with Lucas on the court. Anyway you want to put it, the Bulls are better when Lucas is playing.

            In the postseason benches tend to play much less. Lucas is not the only member of the bench mob that will see less minutes when postseason play begins. Obviously the likes of Rose and Deng will be playing 40 minutes a game in the playoffs, but the two-guard dilemma still remains. Understandably Brewer will receive most of the minutes at shooting guard, but Thibodeau would be smart to at least try to squeeze Lucas into the lineup one way or another. The Bulls season will come down to beating the Miami Heat. Bulls fans will remember for a long time what John Lucas can do to the Heat.

            Who would’ve guessed that this undrafted, undersized 29 year-old point guard would become the X-factor to a Bulls playoff run?

The Ultimate Figher Live: UFC one step closer to becoming a major sport

Last night marked the big premiere of the new Ultimate Fighter Live on FX. For some of you, this article will be the first time you’ve heard of it; which seems almost impossible considering the glob of advertising the UFC used to hype this up. But can you blame them? Last night was one of the most important nights in UFC history. The UFC has transformed from its barbaric beginning, collecting hoards of fans along the way. But the UFC brand is still a far cry from the NFL or NBA. 

This marked the 15^th Ultimate Fighter season, but this season is in every way as important as the first. It wasn’t long ago on April 9^th, 2005, when the UFC showcased the Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale to the world, welcoming a new generation of fans. On that night, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar battled in a 15-minute slugfest that put the UFC on the map. Fans who were in attendance or watching from their couch, who were hardcore MMA fans or watching it for the first time, knew alike that they were watching something special. And I was one of them. Last night gave me a sense of nostalgia to that time, the time when I first became a fan.

That night nearly 7 years ago earned the UFC millions and assured they were here to stay. Last night the UFC hoped to entice a new cluster fans that would push the brand into the national spotlight, right next to the major sports.

What made this season different from the first 14 you ask? The previous seasons had a group of UFC fighters that would participate in a tournament to become the “Ultimate Fighter,” which would mean a six-figure UFC contract. The fighters all lived in a house together, creating bitter rivalries and drunken antics, which were all caught on tape. The season would then culminate with a live finale aired on Spike TV. This season will have all of that, but all of the fights will be aired live on FX. The live aspect adds a sense of unpredictability and professionalism, making these guys feel like they’re already fighting under the UFC banner.

I was intrigued to see how this would work. Would the fights be at a big arena? Would there be a ton of promo videos before each fight and presentation? Would Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg announce the fights?

After sitting on the edge of my seat for two and half hours of action-packed fights, I was satisfied to say the least. It felt like the anti-Elite XC, devout of any glitz or glamour, with the only semblance of announcing coming from coaches Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, and President Dana White, who were all mic-ed up. The event was held at the same UFC gym used in the past for TUF fights, giving it the feeling of a college wrestling meet. There were sixteen 5-minute fights, setting up for a night of full flash KO’s and submission finishes. There was even an 8-second KO. Heck, some guy even broke his toe mid-fight and the whole nation shared a collective grimace. This format made the fighters have to think on their feet, putting them in an uncomfortable environment where they had five minutes of fame to showcase their skills. Future fights should follow the regular 2 round fight format.

With 16 fighters coming out victorious and prepared to live in a house together, it will be interesting to see what angle this season takes. The live fights add a new wrinkle to the show, but also breathe new life into what was the foundation of the UFC’s success. After just the first episode, The Ultimate Fighter Livewas a big step forward for the UFC.

NBA Trade Deadline: 3 Trades that should happen

 With the NBA Trade Deadline approaching in two weeks, the rumor mill has exploded with trade scenarios. There's been some buzz on Michael Beasley and Chris Kaman, but stars like Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo might also be on the move. With the best time of the year for NBA fans is nearing, I give my take on some trades that should go down.

Los Angeles Lakers get Monta Ellis, Andis Biedrins, and Brandon Bass, Golden State Warriors get Rajon Rondo and Pau Gasol, and Boston Celtics get Stephen Curry and Kwame Brown

I know what you’re thinking. Yet another Lakers trade that involves Pau Gasol and Kwame Brown… we know what happened last time. But in this scenario, it’s not a completely bogus lop-sided trade that handed the Lakers 2 championships. With rumblings of Ellis, Curry, Gasol, and Rondo all available, why not package them in one super-mega-blockbuster deal. The Lakers could slide Ellis over to their black hole at point guard and slide Derek Fisher into a retirement home. The Celtics would free up about 4 million dollars, cut the Rondo-drama, and potentially get a fresh start with Curry (if his shaky ankles hold up). The Golden State Warriors could finally give up on their Ellis-Curry backcourt experience that hasn’t sniffed a single playoff game, and add two NBA champions in Gasol and Rondo. Can you say 2013 NBA playoffs?

New York Knicks get Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Duhon, Orlando Magic get Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Iman Shumpert.

Dwight Howard wants out of Orlando. If he doesn’t leave now, then he will this summer, but either way his foot is halfway out the door. This trade idea may not be a salary cap relieving, but it will keep the Magic competitive. It would also help them avoid a Cavaliers-esque collapse once Howard leaves. They could certainly do worse than replacing Howard with Chandler in the middle and adding Carmelo would keep some star power on their roster. As for the Knicks, Lin-Sanity has proved that the Knicks offense runs better through a capable point guard than it does through a ball-stopping scorer. Carmelo hasn’t been the player the Knicks had hoped for, so acquiring Howard would be a nice get out of jail free card. With Howard and Stoudemire in the front court, the Knicks would be unstoppable.

Dallas Mavericks get Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns get Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Kidd.

I get that most people that go to sunny Arizona never wanna leave, but Steve Nash has overstayed his welcome. Nash needs to break out of the cacti prison and tell owner Robert Sarver he wants out. Nash signed an extension with the Suns after he was promised they would acquire talent, but Josh Childress doesn’t exactly scream talent. At 38, Nash still has meat on the bones and there’s no better place for his talents than a return to the defending champion Mavs. The Mavericks would have to give up 24-year old Rodrigue Beaubois, who would excel with more opportunity in Phoenix’s offense. Jason Kidd would serve as a cap-filler and his contract expires after the season. I think this trade would give the Mavs an edge in the playoffs and start the Suns much needed rebuilding mode off on a high note.