Going Forward...

There have been some questions as to the future of this page. As of right now, I’m 50-50 on whether I’m coming back next year.

Let’s start with college basketball. As excited as I am about Maryland’s chances next season, especially considering how bad the rest of the ACC coaches are becoming, the new expansion rule will completely kill college basketball’s regular season as we know it. A 96-team field would devalue the regular season for most of the power conference teams. As of right now, all Maryland has to do is win 20 games and they’ll be in the tournament. In a new 96-team postseason, the Terps will probably only need to win 16 or 17 games. They’d only have to go 8-8 in the ACC. So what’s the point of talking about 16 conference games and the biggest three-to-five out-of-conference games if Maryland only has to win half of them?

Maryland would almost be assured of a NCAA Tournament bid before the season began. It would take a .500 overall record combined with a 6-10 ACC record to keep the Terps out of the New Dance. Even without Greivis Vasquez, I put the chances of Maryland winning at least 17 games next season at about 90-10. So again, I don’t see a point in writing about 20 or so virtually meaningless games. I can only make fun of Sidney Lowe so many times.

Now to the Redskins, which is the real reason I keep this page up. The Skins have gone from Jim Zorn-Jason Campbell to Mike Shanahan-Donovan McNabb. Even the most anti-Redskin football fan has to see that as a significant upgrade. However, even with that changeover, will it make the Redskins a playoff team? Probably not. As of right now, I see a maximum four game improvement from the Redskins, which would probably put them squarely in 3rd place in the NFC East and at least one game out of a playoff spot. And that’s if everything goes well. 6-10 or 7-9 is more likely at this point. I know that the off-season isn’t close to over. I know the Redskins haven’t even drafted yet. Maybe they’ll do the right thing by drafting Russell Okung and then turn around and sign a free agent lineman (of which there are still plenty of attractive options). Maybe they’ll make a couple of smart trades for additional draft picks.

But take a good long look at this team. I can’t be expected to root for Larry Johnson. I can’t be expected to root for Albert Haynesworth (even though I defended Big Al last season, his actions in the offseason have made him completely unworthy of any fan affection). Most importantly, I can’t possibly be expected to root for McNabb. I have spent the last decade rooting vehemently against him. I’ve never liked him, not for one second. I can’t even pretend to like him. If he somehow wins ten games, maybe he’ll start changing my mind. Chances are he’ll oversee a team that’s going to finish close to .500. Chances are I’ll blame him for the Redskins shortcomings. How many times over the four months of football season can I write the same thing over and over again? It felt like I did exactly that last season when I criticized Greg Blache every single week. I’m not going to go through another football season like the last one. By October, I was tired of writing about the Redskins and I have a strong feeling that you tired of reading about them. And I have a feeling 2010 will be a lot like 2009.

Hopefully the Redskins will keep taking steps towards improving the team. As usual, I become more optimistic about the Skins the closer it gets to September. So maybe by July, I’ll be a little more inspired to keep doing this page. I would also like to see more reader interaction in the comments section. The first few years I did this page saw a good deal of readers' comments. The last couple of years have been pretty poor. If I can get more interaction from the readers, then I would commit right now to coming back for my sixth season. As of this moment, I’m going on my typical summer hiatus. Don’t expect anything to pop up here until late July or Early August. Everybody have a great summer, and if all goes well, I hope to see you back here for Redskins football in the fall.

2010 NCAA Tournament: National Championship

#5 Butler Bulldogs (33-4, 18-0 Horizon) vs.
#1 Duke Blue Devils (34-5, 13-3 ACC)

I came to grips with the Devils winning the championship about midway through their game with West Virginia. It was obvious that the Mountaineers weren’t that interested and I didn’t even bother to watch the second half…especially not on a gorgeous Saturday night. We all know Butler is going to show up for 10 minutes – maybe a half – and then roll over in the second half tonight. If the Dookies don’t win this thing by at least 15 point I’d be surprised. Thanks to the NCAA committee, CBS, Robbie Hummel’s ACL, Da’Sean Butler’s ACL, phantom charges, Kansas/Kentucky not showing up and Bob Huggins’ incompetence, it looks like another championship and more smugness for the nerds. Oh well.

I’d rather talk about Maryland some more. I don’t think next year is the gloom and doom that most fans are suggesting. The starting lineup will consist of Tucker, Bowie, Mosley, Williams and Gregory. That’s a pretty good starting five. Three seniors, a junior and sophomore. Maryland can do some damage with that lineup. Obviously none of the guards will be able to replicate Greivis Vasquez’s season, and his loss is a clear negative for Maryland. I’m not delusional enough to believe that it will be easy for the Terps to adjust without him. But if Bowie and Mosley up their scoring averages a little bit (which they should with more minutes and more shots), then Maryland should be fine in the long run. James Padgett should also see a rise in minutes and I’m confident he’ll be a huge factor for the Terrapins frontcourt next year.

The Terps also add five freshmen, three of whom look very promising and should contribute immediately. Mychal Parker is a 6’6” wingman who is one of the bigger recruits Gary Williams has nailed down in the last couple of seasons. Scouts have raved about his defense, which means he should have no problem being one of the first two players off the bench. If he’s as good as everyone is saying, he may crack the starting lineup by next season. Terrell Stoglin should be the next great Maryland point guard. The comparisons between Stoglin and Terrell Stokes are already beginning. Stoglin has lit up Arizona High School record books the past few seasons. Two years ago he was barely recruited…I believe only San Diego and Northern Arizona were considering him. Now he is ranked as one of the top 100 players in the country. Very nice find by Rob Ehsan and the coaching staff. The third player to watch is Pe’Shon Howard…another player who was not heavily recruited but has shot up the rankings during this past season. It’s hard to doubt Howard’s pedigree since he attends Oak Hill. I’ve seen him play a couple of times on TV recently, and I can’t wait to see what he can do for Maryland next season. He’s probably the player I’m most excited about watching next year. The only problem is the depth chart. I don’t know how many minutes a 6’4” freshman shooting guard is going to get with Mosley, Bowie and potentially Parker ahead of him. The question mark about the recruiting class right now is power forward Ashton Pankey. It seemed like Pankey had the potential to be another Jordan Williams; a raw post player that was basically ignored by recruiters and the rankings, only to blossom during his senior season. Unfortunately, Pankey has been dealing with various leg injuries for the past six months and didn’t play most of the year. He should be healthy by the summer, but he’ll have a lot to catching up to do. If he shines in camp and practice, then Maryland’s frontcourt will be four deep. If not, the front court will be very similar to the one from this season.

Regardless, Maryland should be a deep team, which means Gary should be able to run his system. The Terps will have home-and-homes with Virginia, Duke, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Maryland will only play Clemson, Florida State and NC State at home while they get Georgia Tech, Miami and UNC on the road. Avoiding Clemson, FSU and Carolina two times should be a benefit. Getting Virginia, BC and Wake Forest (I’m assuming minus Al Farouq Aminu) twice should also help. Virginia Tech could be terrible if Malcolm Delaney goes to the NBA. We also know Maryland will play at Villanova and will get some combination of Pitt, Texas and Illinois in the Coaches vs. Cancer shindig at MSG. Add in a home game against a Big Ten team (most likely Ohio State or Purdue) and that should be a pretty good schedule. Of course, with 142 teams getting into the dance now, Maryland probably won’t have to win any of those out of conference games to makes the NCAA Tournament.

Before I go, congrats to Greivis on winning the Bob Cousy Award and making either the first team or second team of every All-American squad there is. I already plan on being in attendance during whatever game Maryland decides to raise his jersey next season. He’s done the university proud over the last two seasons, and I wish him the best of luck in the NBA. Hopefully he’ll go late in the first round and wind up on a good team. I promise that I will post once more either this week or next before going in to my summer hibernation. So come back for that as I discuss the future of this page.
Pick: Duke 67, Butler 51

2010 NCAA Tournament: Final Four

#5 Butler Bulldogs (32-4, 18-0 Horizon) vs.
#5 Michigan State Spartans (28-8, 14-4 Big Ten)

Despite what most Maryland fans think, I’m rooting for Michigan State. How can you not? They have the greatest coach in the game. Not only that, they have a coach that does things the right way. You never hear of any scandals at Michigan State (at least regarding the basketball team), there aren’t even hints of wrongdoing. Furthermore, the team itself is pretty likeable. Raymar Morgan and Korie Lucious are fantastic players. And despite being in the Big Ten, the Spartans don’t play the typical “first to 50” type of basketball. They actually have a modern offense. I know this team beat the Terps on a last second shot. So what? Look at the other three options left in this tournament and try to convince me to root for any of them. You’ll be up way past your bedtime trying to persuade me.

You could also argue that Michigan State – not Butler – is the true underdog in this tournament. The Spartans were left for dead at the beginning of the NCAA Tournament. Yours truly thought they would barely squeak by New Mexico State (which was 100% correct). MSU hasn’t won any of their games convincingly. Their best player is unavailable due to injury, and their best three-point shooter/defender is lucky to be 75% healthy. They are probably the worst of the four teams left. But having the best coach, and having players that would step in front of a bullet for him, definitely count for something at this point of the season.

As for Butler, I honestly don’t know how they managed to beat both Syracuse and Kansas State. The Bulldogs didn’t play exceptionally well in either game. The win over the Orange wasn’t shocking…Syracuse was overrated all season, they had no depth, a coach that refuses to waver from his gimmick defense, and played in the overhyped Big East. Despite that, Butler choked a large lead away late in the game and almost choked a second lead away in the closing seconds. The win against KSU was much more impressive, but a lot of it was due to the Wildcats playing stupid. It’s hard to pick which of the Elite Eight participants had a lower basketball IQ between KSU, Baylor or Tennessee. My money is on Tennessee (fouling with 1.8 seconds to go in a tie game and having Bruce Pearl as the coach puts them over the top), but Kansas State is a not so distant second. The Wildcats were down most of their contest against Butler, came back to take the lead late, then completely collapsed in the final two minutes of the game. The Wildcats went away from everything that worked nearly perfectly in the first 18 minutes of the second half and played street ball in the game’s final 120 seconds. Meanwhile, Frank Martin just kind of stood there with three veins popping out of his neck and let it happen. So how much of that win was Butler, and how much of it was Kansas State? I tend to lean toward KSU giving away the game rather than Butler reaching out and earning the win.

I’m having a hard time figuring out a way that Butler will win this game. Yes, they’ll be the sentimental favorite, since they are the only non-big school in the event. Yes, their campus is six miles from Lucas Oil Stadium. Yes, their fans will have an easy trip to the arena. But you have to remember that Butler is a university of only about 4,000 students, with a very small alumni base. Their entire undergrad enrollment could show up, and they’d barely be noticed in the 65,000+ football stadium. Plus, it’s not as if Michigan State and West Virginia are that far from Indianapolis (and you’ll have all the bandwagon Dook fans crawl out of hiding after nine seasons). I don’t think the homecourt advantage will be that big of a factor. Maybe if Purdue or Indiana were playing, but not Butler.

On the court the matchup still favors the Spartans. We all know that Butler is not the most skilled team out there, but they’ve managed to beat a physical Syracuse team and a fast Kansas State team. The difference in their game Saturday will be the coaching. Tom Izzo is by far the best coach that Brad Stevens has gone against all season. Without Lucas, MSU has become a team with no true identity, but they are able to play to their opponent’s pace and still win. Against Maryland, the Spartans were able to run and outscore the Terps. They slugged out a defensive win against Northern Iowa. Then they did a little bit of everything in their win over the Vols. Whatever the Bulldogs throw at Michigan State, I have no doubt that the Spartans will be able to handle it and overcome it.
Pick: Michigan State 72, Butler 64


#2 West Virginia Mountaineers (31-6, 13-5 Big East) vs.
#1 Duke Blue Devils (33-5, 13-3 ACC)

Well, I’ll say this about the second semifinal: thank goodness this isn’t the championship game. No matter what happens Saturday, I’ll have a team I can cheer for on Monday…and it’s not going to be the team that wins this contest. The good news is one of these teams goes home. It’s either the team coached by the alcoholic cheater with a fan base full of rednecks, or it’s the Dookies (see posts from 2006, 07, 08, 09 and 10 for more details on those punks). It’s a win-win for me and the country.

For those still not sure if CBS and NCAA are trying to hand this championship to the Devils, whether it be ignoring the fact that the Dookies got an undeserved #1 seed and basically a clear path to the Final Four, the evidence continues to mount that the 2010 tournament is going to be a lot like the 2001 version. Observe the last five minutes against Baylor. Now many in the media, even some that are vehemently anti-Dook, came to the Devils rescue over the weekend. When many around the nation were ready to blast the officiating, the columnists and reporters defended the refs, saying that the Dookies earned a hard-nose win and that Baylor choked a little towards the end of the game. You won’t hear many arguments from me on the latter part. The Bears certainly tightened up a little down the stretch. Baylor wasn’t known this year for playing smart basketball, and they certainly didn’t help their cause last weekend. But to argue the refs didn’t help Duke out…really? I guess we should go to the video tape.

With under five minutes to go, Baylor held a two-point lead. The Bears had the ball and Quincy Acy attacked the hoop. The Galactic Space Alien slid his body as awkwardly as possible toward the baseline and drew a charging call. Here’s the video. Not only was that a clear blocking call, but the Alien was under the hoop when he took the contact. Despite not having the NBA circle, that type of charge attempt being illegal was supposed to be a point of emphasis for officials this season. If those two factors aren’t enough, then check out the baseline replay of the “charge”. Not only is the Alien’s left leg not set, but it appears his left hand hits Acy’s right arm, which of course would generally be a foul. So let’s see…contact directly under the hoop (which usually favors the offense), a charging call that wasn’t and a hack on Acy’s arm while shooting. Baylor should have gone up by four points and Acy should have been at the line for one. The Alien should have been removed from the game with his fifth foul. Instead, the Dookies get the ball back and hit a three on the next possession to take the lead. To argue this call didn’t change the outcome of the game is absurd. The momentum swings around completely. A Baylor team that is already a little bit nervous and easily flustered struggles to get over that call…even more so when the three is made on the other end. Furthermore, the goofy Alien is 7’1” and well over 250 pounds. Acy barely makes body contact with him, and he goes flopping across the floor. Seriously, the NCAA needs to put a stop to players of the Alien’s size flopping like this. PLAY DEFENSE! Stop being a wuss and try to block the shot. Or anticipate the drive and make the player go around you. Either way, players like this shouldn’t be rewarded by being awkward and playing poor defense.

Just in case that call wasn’t enough, the refs then called two bogus hand-checks on Baylor in the following minutes. The same hand-checking that had gone un-called throughout the entire game (and entire tournament by just about every single team). Finally, when the game was just about to get out of hand, this scrum took place. The refs made sure that Baylor wouldn’t comeback by calling a technical foul on Acy. Again, watch the replay. The Screamer throws two elbows, runs away from the argument, then pleads to the refs for a call with a smug grin on his face. Not surprisingly, the tech is called on Baylor (for what I’m not sure…it doesn’t appear that Acy or Nolan Smith do much of anything). In most situations, the tech would be called on the Screamer, or off-setting techs would be called on Acy or Smith, or no technicals would be called at all. Normally the refs would step in, separate the teams, and warn the coaches. No punches were thrown (if you don’t count the elbows) and it didn’t even appear like there was a lot of trash-talking that took place. Of course, this isn’t a normal situation. The refs put the hammer down on Baylor and effectively ended the game.

So there you have it. An awful charging call resulted in a momentum change and five-point swing. Two bad hand checks made sure the Dookies would extend the lead. A very questionable technical foul was given to make sure Baylor would roll-over. I’m not saying that the combination of those four calls were the only reason that Baylor lost because the Bears didn’t help their own cause. It’s just something to think about. And if there’s any karma left in the tournament, then Dook’s run ends right here.
Pick: West Virginia 69, Duke 66