Continue reading »]]> I apologize for my lack of site updates. Life has taken its course over the last couple months. This doesn’t mean I haven’t taken the time to watch my fair share of basketball games, just that I haven’t had the time to put those observances into words here.

I write this during the last week of January. Conference schedules are well underway. Rivalries are renewing themselves on an almost nightly basis. Kids (and myself) are back on campus. The cold weather has tightened its grip on the mid-west. The sun is out in Las Vegas. Things are as they should be. Or are they?

Michigan State has taken a nose dive in many fans eyes. The hope and promise of a top 5 ranking to start the season has now given way to despair as the Spartans now sit at 12-7, 4-3 in the Big Ten. Hardly the record Spartan fans (including myself) figured MSU to have at this point in the season. They’ve lost games to good teams including UConn, Texas, Purdue, Duke, Syracuse etc. That’s a pretty tough schedule. They’ve won a few decent game including versus Wisconsin, Minnesota and Washington out in Hawaii. Those wins don’t erase the hope that developed during the summer, which stemmed from an amazing Final Four run last March.

So what’s the problem? It’s plain to see they are not who we thought they were. Good vibes, clutch play and a few lucky bounces contributed to another Izzo Final Four, some the lofty Spartan expectations. Last year they were a #5 seed, which puts them squarely on the bottom end of the top 25. This is about where they’ve played this season. They lost a huge impact player in Raymar Morgan. Adrian Payne and Keith Appling have done their best to step up and fill some of the void, but are still learning the college game at this point. Lucas isn’t even a shadow of his former self. Lucious can only hit a shot with two seconds on the shot clock. Delvon Roe tries, bless his heart, and had a nice outing at Purdue on Saturday, but it’s hardly enough. The team is not a cohisive unit, and doesn’t have a consistant player beyond the big dancing teddy bear. They are who I think they are, a #4 seed at absolute best, and a hopeful sweet-16 team. That is, unless Izzo turns on some of that March Magic, and ignights the college basketball world yet again come tourney time. One can only hope.

Speaking of hope, there’s little I can muster up for UNLV and a Mountain West championship at this point. A solid non conference season gave way to losses at home against BYU and the Jimmer Fredette show. As painful as that was, they’ve also dropped one to Colorado State. Hardly what needs to happen if you want to contend for the Mountain West these days, as both SDSU and BYU have claimed top 10 spots in the polls, and are angling for seeding in the tourney at this point. The loss to CSU puts UNLV behind them in Mountain West pecking order, and puts pressure on the Rebels to win at CSU for the return trip. It also puts pressure on UNLV to pick up a big time win either at BYU (not likely) or at home vs SDSU. Considering UNLV played SDSU very well on their home floor a few weeks ago, it’s possible to pick up a resume buidling win there, and cement UNLV’s status into the tournament. Time well tell. The way they’ve played lately, they can’t afford to look ahead on the schedule and concentrate on winning at Wyoming tonight, and at home vs a Utah team that has played better in recent weeks.

My Western Michigan Broncos are a different story all together, and I wonder how much more I can take of following Hawkins and his merry men through boring .500 seasons. It’s sad to watch, as when I was a student at WMU, the trio of Ben Reed, Mike Williams, and Anthony Kahn led the Broncos to a tournemnt birth, and what should have been an upset victory over Vanderbilt. Instead, it’s the status quo, and I wonder if a coaching change is needed to spark some interest and fire in the program once more. Sam tells me this will never happen, as the administration is happy with .500, which just frustrates the shit out of me. Oh well. I’m removed from the Kalamazoo area, and really cannot affect change. All I can to is sit back and watch them lose to Toledo.

A few side notes – my 50 games project is scraped again this year in favor of not skipping school. I should end up in the 20′s somewhere. I am putting serious thought into heading to Houston for the Final Four by my lonesome this April as well.

That’s what’s up in my basketball world.

Continue reading »]]> 11/16 9:25 PM – This will be it for me. I slept for five hours, and will have slated a total of 20 basketball watching hours over the last 25 or so. MSU is finishing up over South Carolina. State has played sloppy over the past 10 minutes, coasting to a win. I will finish up the night by watching the end of San Diego State vs Gonzaga. It’s been fun watching and twittering with a few of you out there. The season is officially here. I have basketball on the brain and I cannot help it. Good talk fellas.

11/16 5:52 PM – I’ve been able to watch three teams UNLV will play non-con this year: Louisville, Tulsa, and Kansas State. I think UNLV will be able to hang with Louisville. Should beat Tulsa, and will probably get owned by Kansas State. Butler looking pretty brutal without #toobigyo. Howard just get into foul trouble and everything rests on Mack’s shoulders to carry the team now. Michigan State coming up next, then Gonzaga and SDSU.

11/16 5:31 PM – Butler playing their same game. Louisville now plays in the house that Kentucky Fried Chicken built. There are people in the stands wearing empty chicken buckets as hats. I am winding down again, all this watching basketball takes a lot out of you.

11/16 4:39 PM – It has been an ejoyable afternoon of basketball watching. Kansas State won a highly contested game vs Virginia Tech. Don’t let the score fool you. After, I have had the exciting prospect to watch Ohio State and Florida play. Gag me. Ohio State looks really good though. 69-63 8:55 2H.

11/16 1:12 PM – Watched LaSalle and Baylor, wasn’t a bad game overall. Baylor is athletic and they are in Waco, which looks like a dusty town. Now, I have Bobby Knight calling the game between Va Tech and Kansas State. Jacob Pullen has two early fouls, and Wally Judge is hurt. It’s ok though, as both teams are shooting a ton of bad 3′s early.

11/16 10:15 AM – I am back. UNLV will be playing Tulsa in the 76 Classic next week. They look pretty good, even tho they did lose to App. St. Oral Roberts had a giant bird mascot and will consume your soul. Big white kid for Tulsa looks pretty solid.

11/16 4:05 AM – Out like a thief in the night. (Seeing that I woke up at 6AM local time, it is obvious I could have gone for the full 24 hours straight. However, that would have put me in a bad spot to have my wits about me for the evening games with have MSU playing South Carolina, and Gonzaga against SDSU. So I made a decision to bail for a few hours of sleep.)

11/16 3:13 AM – 5.9 seconds left and Hawaii has the ball, up 1. Looks decent for the Rainbow Warriors to send Central packing. Bring me a new game and a meal that won’t make me sluggish. I have much more to go. 21 hours up. 15 to go.

11/16 3:07 AM – Rainbow Warriors up 1 with 1:30 left and headed to the line. They’ll shoot the ft’s as I type this. I’m so tired of this crap game and these guys jerking off Trey Ziegler. It’s horrible. Hawaii split the free throws and its a two point lead, Central ball. The suspense is killing me, I’m going to go get a mini cheese out of the fridge.

11/16 2:42 AM – Central Michigan vs Hawaii is the worst basketball game of all time. Tre Ziegler had his boys try to start a fight, and they collected a bunch of indian casino money. Hawaii is up 3 right now. I am hoping they extend this lead and send the MAC’s gangster program back on their turbo prop airplane back to the farmland of Michigan to lose 15 MAC games this year.

11/16 1:43 AM – Central Michigan is horrible at basketball, and this is against a horrible Hawaii team. Tre Ziegler is not the answer, and now he lives in an indian casino town. good choice bucko. Hawaii should play in an open air basketball arena. Hawaii 25, Central Michigan 28. WTF?

11/16 1:14 AM – SMC is going to pull this out. Lavin will bring the Johnnies back, just not this year. 63-53 with 1:05 left. Next game on tap is Central Michigan at Hawaii. Go Warriors.

11/16 12:43 AM – This guy from down under that plays for St. Mary’s has six 3′s tonight. You’d think Lavin would tell somebody to guard him. Dwayne Polee is really good, and I think he may be Natural Polee. The Gaels play on a volleyball court. This weird guy in a green shirt is trying to sell me on not drinking anymore. He looks like he fell off the Hale Bop comet. More to come.

11/15 11:53 PM – My dream is to upper deck a toilet in Provo, Utah. Johnnies up by a bucket early. Funner game to watch than the 1st. Bruno i sfreaking out right now.

11/15 11:32 PM – Memphis wins a snail game late with FT’s and such. Now it’s onto Saint Mary’s vs Saint Johns. Dwayne Polee plays for Steve Lavin and he should be playing for Lon Kruger. Dew #2 is coming up.

11/15 10:30 PM – Memphis comes out in the second half on a mission. Miami shooting a ton of deep three’s that aren’t going in. My wife just went to bed and my dog is dreaming of running through a forest chasing rabbits or something.

11/15 9:57 PM – Nobody can shoot it seems. Miami hanging around, getting after it in the paint on both sides. Headed to halftime, Memphis up 1, 38-37. About to hit my 1st Mountain Dew.

11/15 9:33 PM – The Raft is just great. Seriously. Talking about people leaving their underwear on the floor. I love it. Memphis vs Miami. Memphis has a guy who looks like a 50 year old heroin pusher (Garcia) playing the pivot, and two brothers who are running all over the place, and playing quite well. Miami has an athletic team of headband wearers and they’ve done nothing to stand out in a good way (Barton brothers) or bad (Garcia looking odd).

Continue reading »]]> So the NCAA shut down our hate down with their long reach. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to still hate on jerks it will just have to be more insidious to make it past the long reach of the evil cabal in Indianapolis.

What I’m thinking about right now though is that we have games finally tipping off tonight all over the country. I’ve got my eye on East Lansing for Michigan State and Eastern Michigan although strangely I’ll be in Oxford, Mississippi watching Ole Miss square off with Arkansas State. A real border war to be sure. Being outside of my college hoops comfort zone for the first time ever is an interesting experience. Hopefully watching Ole Miss and Memphis games will give me at least some level of enjoyment because I am really going to miss watching MAC and Big Ten games during the bleak Michigan winters. Oh well that is part of the trade off when relocating.

Here is what I am rooting for this year:

1. Michigan State to put it all together and get Izzo his 2nd national championship. Hang every banner possible and silence all the chirpers who think Michigan State is a notch below the blue bloods and on the same level with Purdue and Wisconsin. Time to just lay waste to everyone!

2. Ole Miss to make the tournament finally. It won’t take much to have the best era of hoops ever at the school. Here is hoping I am around to witness it. Win 23 games and be the 11 seed its not that unreasonable of an expectation.

3. The further decline of North Carolina and UCLA. Over indulged fan bases with rosters full of blue chip talent falling apart and finishing way down in their conferences put a smile on my face. I especially like it when their secondary rivals pass them up. Watching North Carolina lose to Sid Lowe and the NC State Wolfpack and Howland loss to Cal is a sweet sweet thing.

4. Memphis to emerge as the gangsters paradise of the Deep South and start making tournament runs again. Good facility, passionate fans, complete disregard for rules and convention, and close proximity to me make this a must. Pastner is like Al Pacino in the first Godfather. I can’t wait for him to become a full fledged gangster and run this thing proper. I’m going to buy a Memphis jersey that has a dollar sign instead of a number and sit in the front row while they murder Tulsa by 45 points.

5. Kentucky to start being the focus of NCAA investigators. Can we at least make it uncomfortable for Kentucky’s rampant cheating? Can we at least get somebody in Indy to rustle a few papers before they play a big game and make the old blue coats nervous? The NY Times piece on Bledsoe has wetted my appetite and it looks like Turkish millionare Enes Kanter being ruled permanently ineligible gives me reason to hope this could be a trend. The fact that Tennessee and Florida have become the good guys in the SEC shows just how far out of balance things have gotten since Cal rolled in to town.

6. The shit show that is Michigan basketball to fall completely apart and be historically bad. Their roster is complete garbage and they should start losing games by big numbers again soon. I’d like to see the Gayze Rage half empty while Illinois is beating them by 45 points after the first media time out in the 2nd half. I don’t expect a return to the glory days of Brian Elerbe but at least an homage to the Avery Queen era would be nice.

7. Duke to lose a home game in the midst of a week long ESPN slurp fest. Nothing will be as obnoxious as watching Duke on ESPN this season. I just hope that they lose one to Virginia or Maryland in a game where ESPN used it as a vehicle to promote another more high profile Duke game, and filled pre game and halftime with stupid puff pieces of Kyle Singler riding a fucking unicycle and dorks camping out for tickets.

Thats all I need out of my college hoops season this year.

Continue reading »]]> Tonight marked my second game of this NCAA College Basketball season. UNLV scheduled two cream puffs to play exhibition games against starting last week Tuesday against Grand Canyon, and ending tonight against Washburn. Chase Stanback did not play either first half for an academic issue, and Tre’Von Willis has sat out both games serving two of a minimum three game suspension from his little dust up this summer with some broad. Pish Posh.

UNLV tips off its regular season on Friday against UC Riverside.

Several discussions over the past few weeks have found me realizing that I am indeed a friend of the program here in Las Vegas. I am now vested more than ever before in UNLV Runnin’ Rebel Basketball. This is not a bad thing, and wish to discuss why.

If you know me, you know I am a huge college sports fan. I have always been an avid follower of college football and college basketball. Recently, I have realized that my passion for college football has declined, for two reasons. First, the college football scene here in Las Vegas is brutal to say the least. Second, the teams I follow are horrible. UNLV is garbage. Western Michigan has been crap lately, recently losing a gimmie game to 2-7 Central Michigan. It’s hard to even type that. Michigan State has had a stellar year, but anybody who knows MSU Football knows that this year is not the norm. I expect 7-6 next year.

This leaves me with college hoops. My bread and butter. My beautiful baby. My one and only.

1. UNLV – Bringing back an amazing cast, and only adding stronger pieces down low. Tre’Von Willis could challenge the prophet up in Provo for POTY honors in the MWC this year. Oscar Bellfield is a heady PG with a sweet touch, and quick feet on the defensive end. Derrick Jasper is coming off knee surgery, again, but looks comfortable on the floor to start the season. I expect a big start to the campaign from him. He looks hungry. Chase Stanback scored 23 points in 14 minutes in the second half tonight, going 9-10 from the floor. Yeah, he’s ready (and can I say his game is SMOOTH?). Brice Massamba in the middle is his usual vocal self to start off. He’s active, and that’s half the battle right there. Those are the starters. Coming off the bench is another story all together. Anthony Marshall might be the best pure athlete in the conference. He can score at will, and will look to improve his shot off 1 made 3-pointer last year. Justin Hawkins is exactly that on the ball – a hawk. Another athlete, never gives up on the play, 100% hustle. Quintrell Thomas, transfer from Kansas, has looked excited to be on the floor. Dude looks like a tank. Excited to see what he has to offer. Carlos Lopez, redshirt freshman. 6-11. Athletic and smart from what I’ve seen so far. Will have to control his body a bit better and avoid the fouls, but I see a great player in the making. Looks like the lead singer from Rage Against the Machine, so he’s got that going for him too. To sum this up, UNLV is talented, and deep. Brian Shaw (failed drug test) and Kendall Marshall (ACL) are both gone for the year, and were the teams best 3-point options last year. This is the only blip on the Rebel’s radar. Expectations from my side are high. Lon Kruger has this thing going, and I like where it’s taking me.

2. Michigan State – After last year, what else can be said? Korrie Lucious grew up before our eyes in the tournament, sending Maryland fans packing, and me smashing holes in the ceilings of sports arenas in Buffalo. No, really. Kalin Lucas will be back, hopefully all healed up and ready to go. Dre Dre mixing things up in the paint, scoring Izzo hustle points all around. There are many reasons to like this team, but only one reason to LOVE this team. Tom Izzo. Enough has been said about him. I’ll say only this – Izzo is the reason I root as hard as I do, because I believe he needs me to.

3. Western Michigan – Kalamazoo’s basketball messiah, otherwise known as David Kool is gone. Most people would think this is a bad thing. I am one of them. However, his departure into the great wide open may give the Broncos a chance to find themselves again. Without Kool to dominate the ball and bail them out of trips down the floor, maybe we will see somebody step up to the plate. The reigns of the team are up for grabs. Who knows who will take the chance. I like Hawkins, and hope he gets this thing figured out. I dream again of watching WMU playing in the tourney again.

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Headed into the last week of February, if you are thinking of making the tournament, and advancing in the tournament, you had better be rounding into top form.

UNLV coming off a 3 game losing streak against New Mexico, San Diego State, and Utah, found their hoop game against Colorado State yesterday afternoon, and used it to gain a 70-39 win at home against the Rams. Colorado State is a decent squad, with some good pieces and will look to be a player in the league next year. UNLV started the game out on a 10-2 run, had balanced scoring, including 12 points from Anthony Marshall and Chace Stanback, and 11 points from Kendall Wallace and Tre’Von Willis. The Thomas and Mack was a bit empty, but that did not prevent the Rebels from having some great defensive pressure for almost the entire 1st half. The Rams only managed 16 points by halftime. The second half was mostly coasting, with a small Colorado State run squashed by UNLV.

This is called taking care of business. This is a game UNLV should have won, and had to have when you consider the three previous losses. They have TCU and Wyoming at home and Air Force on the road to finish out the season, and should win all 3 games rather easily. They’ll need to to ensure a favorable match up in the 1st round of the conference tournament. Losing the first game in the conference tournament on your home floor is not a good idea.

Michigan State is sitting in another boat. After losing three games, they won two easy road games against Penn State and Indiana. This left them headed into two game, at home vs Ohio State, and on the road at Purdue. Ohio State handled Sparty this afternoon, which is disapointing. Now, the road game at Purdue seems rather important, as the Spartans haven’t proven they can beat good squads lately, and may need the confidence boost a Purdue win would bring, in order to get their minds right for March.

I’m hoping the Rebels will win out in convincing fashion to eliminate any doubt that they should be in the field of 65. I’m also hoping Michigan State starts to hit their stride, knocks off Purdont, and starts off March on the right foot.

Continue reading »]]> Item! After a 3 game skid the Spartans have righted the ship against PSU and IU on the road. Now, I know that PSU and IU are bad teams but winning conference road games is never easy no matter who you are playing. So, I’ll take the wins as a good sign. And as Kalin’s ankle gets healthier, Summers starts to play more defense and Raymar plays through his early-game stumbles this team will get better. The Spartans are not a great team – yet – but who is so far this season? Even Kansas has shown some chinks in their armor and it’s setting up to be an interesting March. For MSU the next test is a big one as the Buckeye$ roll into town on Sunday the 21st. Stay tuned for my analysis of this game…

Item! Snow is all the rage these days and is fast becoming a political tool – I of course have known the political applications of snow ever since I whitewashed those two Romney Petition Canvassers who knocked on my door one dreary February day.

Item! It seems that Kentucky knows no sense of decency. After Calipari and his hired guns stole one from Mississippi State the locals took exception and kindly offered “Coach” Cal and his troops some post-game refreshments. I should point out that a lot of the Bulldogs’ ire was directed at UK’s lowest paid staff for the day – the officials. I mean c’mon guys if you’re going to tank a game for Kentucky at least be subtle about it – two successive phantom foul calls and then a non-call on a clear goaltend isn’t really hiding your show cards, now is it? Of course, the difference between Rick Stansbury and Calipari is night and day – Calipari plays Wall and Cousins who smart money would wager have not seen the inside of a classroom since November and Coach Stansbury benches his leading scorer for the night because of his attitude in practice. One coach will do whatever is necessary to win a game and the other will do whatever is necessary to build a young man. The difference is striking but not surprising.

Item! I was once told that the United States Military forbids the use of blue ink pens – well here’s hoping that this exclusionary and miss-guided policy will fall to the wayside along with “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Blue ink users want to be free to serve their country in the open and with multiple colors on one piece of paper.

Item! There hasn’t been much talk of coaches on the hot seat yet this season. I’d imagine that chatter will pick-up as the season draws closer to its conclusion. But I’d like to throw a few early hats into the ring – We have the two perennial contenders from the Big East: Norm Roberts at St Johns and Bobby Gonzalez at Seton Hall. And then there’s Doc Sadler at Nebraska and of course Ernie Kent at Oregon (which begs the question: how much good money can Phil Knight put after bad at OU Hoops?). Locally, I really do not see how Charles Ramsey at EMU can keep his job barring a run to the MAC Tourney Title (or the Athletic Department can’t afford to buy him out). So, in my mind the next logical question becomes will one of these openings work for Mark Montgomery to continue the Izzo/Heathcote coaching tree? My guess is yes and I would be really surprised if Monty isn’t running his own program come April or May.

Item! I really think I could be an Olympic Curler.

Item! Steve Lavin has fast become my second favorite basketball analyst – no one will ever un-seat Bill Raftery – I especially enjoy his graphics that have 5-7 points regarding a particular issue in college basketball. Last night he highlighted the 7 issues facing freshman as they transition to the college game. Number 7 was “Hootin’ with the Owls” as too much late night partying is not a good idea for the young kids trying to hoop.

Item! I wonder how much money the inventor of Post-It Notes made? After inventing something like that do you just walk away from the inventing game figuring you’ve peeked or do you re-double your inventing efforts trying to top the previous invention? I know my good ideas usually come in groups of threes.

Item! Purdue at Ohio State tonight. I predict a win for the Buckeyes, it will be tight but I just don’t think Purdue has anyone to stop Evan Turner (but who does?). Although OSU’s lack of depth could hurt them down the stretch, in this game it shouldn’t matter too much. It should be a good game and I wouldn’t be surprised if Moore and Turner go shot for shot for a couple of minutes. Looking forward to some Wednesday night hoops! And remember I’ll be back by Saturday with a look at the OSU@MSU game on Sunday.

Continue reading »]]> There is a certain code to live by that makes being a sports fan a meaningful experience. It can be a difficult code to follow in hard times because it involves making an emotional attachment to a program, and linking your fortunes with theirs. It is because of that attachment and because there is the potential to suffer with your team that makes the enjoyment of winning so much more intense when you are lucky enough to experience it. You have to suffer with something to truly be a fan of it. You have to be tested, and you have to remain loyal when the temptation of being one of the throngs who regardless of geography or alma mater flock to the most successful blue blood program  or worse to Kobe or Lebron. If you are ever to earn the right to celebrate a teams accomplishments with pride then you must experience more than just a championship run. You have to be there on cold February days when conference road games take their toll. You might have to sit through an NIT or even CBI game, you have to watch players leave the court in March in tears knowing that they gave you 4 great seasons and you will never get to watch them again. You have to experience all of the highs and the lows to earn a meaningful affiliation.

It occurred to me yesterday when I was sitting in the Convocation Center watching my two mid major alma maters battle it out in a game that would determine 3rd place in the MAC West that this game had more meaning to me than the previous weeks Duke/North Carolina game could have had to most of the chattering, blue clad masses in the Dean Smith Center or watching on ESPN, because I am vested. I spent three years of my life in Kalamazoo and watched the Broncos 10+ times a season since the day I set foot on that campus, I’ve spent the last 4 years in Ypsilanti going to every EMU home game I can. The highlights of rooting for middle of the road to bad mid major teams are not plentiful, but they are far more memorable than any Final Four could be for the team I might have arbitrarily chosen to root for.

This might strike some as a bitter rant. I certainly don’t mean for it to. I root for Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Georgetown and Michigan State. I have degrees from Eastern and Western, and followed Michigan State since an early age. I do not mean to imply that you must attend a school to root for the basketball team. I think it should be your first loyalty and I absolutely resent the notion that you should cast aside your personal affiliation just because the athletic program isn’t as high a profile as the larger state school. I do recognize that some people make an attachment early in life and it stays with them regardless of where they went to school. I absolutely get that and for the most part can respect it. The so called fans that I can’t abide by are the guys that root for the top team, top player, or top tradition and want to revel in that success. These are the parasites that latch on to the biggest thing they can find to try and share in their success.

Classic example is this clown who sat near us at last years championship game:

This guy was the most vocal person in our section. He was more animated in his support of the North Carolina Tarheel’s than Tyler Hansborough’s parents (I know this because as the game got more and more out of hand I kept an eye on both just to have something to take my mind off things). He didn’t even care enough about the team to ever buy a t-shirt. He did care enough to put on his best Carolina Blue Rocawear jacket and matching Carolina Blue Old English D hat, and try to taunt Spartan fans in our section. He liked to declare things over and jump out of his seat for dunks. I liked to yell “Go Rocawear” every time he did, because I have zero respect for guys like this. If he had an equally unaffiliated friend who was wearing green and white Fubu and had a green and white yankee hat it would be different. But this tool was trying to banter with real fans who were watching their team play for the highest stakes out there. It was completely inappropriate, and no matter how much he tried to pretend to celebrate afterwords it was clearly unauthentic and meaningless. He was out there watching a TV show, I was watching a team/program that I had been following since I was in 3rd grade, other people were watching a team/program that represented the school where they spent years of their lives, a place where they had chosen a career path, met a spouse, etc… it just wasn’t balanced.

My philosophy is simple and fair. There is nothing wrong with liking a team. You can like a team without being a true fan. I like Georgetown. I root for Georgetown, watch them when I can, know who their players and coaches are, and read about them. I like their tradition, I like that they win at an elite level without taking dirty BCS football money, and I just plain enjoy watching them play. I am a true fan of Western Michigan. This is because I can’t walk away when the program is down, or when we have a tough loss. If Georgetown starts a long slide it won’t bother me that much, I’ll just root for Seton Hall or something. If Western Michigan starts/continues to slide I’ll get pissed, want the coach fired, call Ball State cheaters, want to build a new arena, drink more, etc… I can’t walk away from “my team”. If you don’t have a team you can’t just pick one up overnight . You have to earn the right to call a team yours through time and energy expelled watching, hoping, and sometimes being disappointed. Until such time as you become a true fan of a team you should be respectful of true fans and never try to equate your loss affiliations with their real passions. If some tool at BW3s who grew up in the same town as I did, went to community college, grew up rooting for the Fab-5 and then Michigan State when Izzo became dominate, and has never lived outside of Metro Detroit, sits next to me to watch Kentucky play WMU in the tournament this March (I can dream), he better not pump his fist and try to talk shit to me if Kentucky is beating up on Western Michigan just because he really likes Wall, and Bledsoe. He doesn’t matter, his thoughts don’t matter, and his happiness is just a meaningless front, because to him, sports don’t matter. I’d rather watch a game with some crusty old Kentucky fan from the hill country who has a picture of Adolph Rupp in his rec room if he is a true fan of his team. Because at least that guy gets it.

Continue reading »]]> Happy Valentines Day. I offer you a picture of my broken basketball heart.

say it ain't so baby

The week that was in college basketball may have been just like any other week. There are teams fighting their way onto the bubble, teams tripping themselves off the bubble, and teams that don’t know what that is, because they don’t roll dolo’s like some other schools do.

If you’ve read any part of this weblog of our basketball trials and tribulations, it’s not hard to know that we root for a few core teams. I tend to follow the Western Michigan Broncos, Michigan State Spartans, and UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Quite the combination. I bet nobody else west of the Mississippi has a wall of fame hanging in their man cave with Ben Reed, Anthony Kahn, and Mike Williams on it.

Last week, things seemed to be great. UNLV was coming off a win at home against rival bible thumps BYU.  The Broncos won at home against Bowling Green. Michigan State had lost earlier that week at Wisconsin, and had looked to get back on track at Illinois (without Kalin Lucas). Ever since then, it has been a brutal run.

1. Western Michigan has lost two straight road games to Ohio and Eastern Michigan. Now they have a sub-.500 conference record. Not quite the note you want to hit when you’re heading into your final hand full of games before the conference tournament. I always believe that if they can get there, David Kool will bust out some flip mode sequence and pull off a miracle. He’s gone after this year, and deserves to see the NCAA Tournament. We deserve to see him and his squad play there too. Doesn’t seem so likely at this point.

2. Michigan State lost to Illinois. They probably would have won had Kalin Lucas played. Afterwords, they lost at home to stupid boiler up Purdue and their trio of clowns that everybody thinks are sweet at basketball. They have since won at Penn State yesterday, but come on, everybody has done that this year. Penn State hasn’t won a conference game to date. Sparty had been in line to challenge for a #1 seed, and an easy road to the round of 16, and hopefully beyond. Now, they’re looking at a 3 or 4 seed. It is possible to improve to a 2, but, I’m not holding my breath, or my lungs will look like the hoop rock just above.

3. UNLV played host to New Mexico, and did their best BYU impression on Wednesday. Yesterday, I saddled up tonto and rode up to the b-dubs down the street to watch UNLV play at SDSU on Versus, only to be disapointed in my investment. It was really hot in there. I hung out until I knew it was over. The Rebels lost the game, have now lost two in a row, and can basically kiss the regular season conference title good-bye. In addition, their next game at Utah is now a must win. I’m sure you remember what happened last time these two teams met, right?

So there you go. Happy Valentines Day. My second lover (my first being my very beautiful and loving wife), has forsaken me. I am no front runner. I follow the teams I do for very specific reasons. No Duke fan here. MSU is logical, because I’m from Michigan, and the Spartans are not the Wolverines. WMU is my pseudo-alma matter, and UNLV is the only sports gig here in Las Vegas. How could I not go? It would be easy to root for Villanova or something, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Basketball is a brutal lover. The highs are so high, and the lows are so low. The coming week poses challenges for all the teams I mentioned here. It is my hope to see some of them in March, at neutral sites, and having a blast. If they aren’t there, it will be OK, because the Trip is perpetual, and it’s not about our teams. It’s just icing on the cake. After last year’s Final Four, perhaps we are spoiled.

So, I guess I will treat this relationship like a troubled marriage. You have to work to make it work.

I’m not turning my back on you baby.

Continue reading »]]> The MAC West looks like its going to CMU. The Chips have a 3 game lead as WMU and NIU have faded during cross divisional play. Eastern Michigan will probably have a sub .500 conference record as they continue to drop winnable home games, and I am quickly becoming frustrated with the prospects of the conference to crown a champion capable of winning an NCAA tournament game.

Michigan State played a terrible game and was thoroughly out classed by Wisconsin. Kalin Lucas rolls his ankle and might be out for the seasons most pivotal stretch (@Illinois, and Purdue). If they don’t win the Big Ten regular season after starting 9-0 then they should make Paul Davis an honorary captain during the Big Ten tournament, and probably shouldn’t be expecting a deep run in March. The notion that everything will be all right in March is an over estimate in East Lansing. State really hasn’t been playing good basketball for the last month, and I don’t believe Tom Izzo can just have them flip a switch. I really hope they don’t fade down the stretch because this is a likable collection of players, but after the debacle in Madison I have my concerns.

Rhett assures me that Lon Kruger will step up today and stop the Mormons from running away with the Mountain West. Let’s see if Jimmer can carry his sprite drinking, polygamist practicing, Orrin Hatch voting, door to door bothering, 25 year olds to victory in a hostile and sin filled environment.

I need wins by UNLV, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Michigan State today to feel good about the direction of this season. I’ll take 3-1 but anything less than that and my worries will continue. I’ll be at the Convo in a few hours cheering on EMU against Ohio U. Hope its worth it.

Continue reading »]]> College sports seasons are a difficult thing to grasp sometimes. In both football and basketball, teams usually start the season playing games against teams that are not in their conference. Depending on who you are, these games serve different purposes.

• BCS / High Major Teams – If you’re North Carolina, Kentucky, or UConn, games at the start of the season are meant to do a lot of things. You’re probably paying for a few cupcakes to come to your place and watch you do dunking drills. You’re probably playing in a pre-season tournament, meant to face you against different teams that do things you are not used to (ala, the NCAA Tourney). You’re also playing a few good teams in order to (hopefully) get a few marquee wins on your resume before you begin conference play. These are not necessary wins because you still have your conference schedule, with chances to play other good teams, and your conference tournament.
• Mid Major Teams / Low Major Teams – Most of these guys are collecting a few checks to be a punching bag in a rabid home environment for one of the above teams. A few exceptions (Butler, Xavier, Davidson in recent years), will also be trying to add a few marquee wins vs the teams above, hoping for that mythical at large bid when tourney time comes around. The rest of the punching bags are just hoping to survive to conference schedules (usually starting after the new year), and a chance to position themselves for the conference tournament, and a ticket to the shindig.

Spring will be here before we know it. March will be here, and some of these wins will be important, but others will not. Most teams as we see them now will have a completely different make up. Tom Izzo and is MSU Spartans are notorious for this. You never see his March teams play the way his December teams do. Yes, Michigan State lost at UNC, losing to the Tar Heels for the 3rd straight time in the last two years. Yes, two of those victories were against last years NCAA champion shucks howdy hip gyro nation squad. MSU figured to have the superior squad this last week at UNC, now that most of the title team has moved onto the NBA. Sparty was outplayed for most of the game. I have always seen Tom Izzo’s season as a progression towards a goal. Yes, a win at North Carolina would be great. However, it’s the test that probably (I’m going off the cuff here) means more. Hostile environment, check. Blue Blood squad, check. Broken arm coach who lives his apple pie and the funnies in the sunday section, check. Even though MSU lost, they still gained something from playing the game, and it will go a long way to getting these guys where they need to be come tourney time.

The same could be said for WMU. They travel to Hawaii at the end of December to get beat up on by a few teams before their conference schedule starts. Flying all those time zones away, playing supposedly superior competition (you do have to play the games), and all just before you enter the grind it out portion of your schedule. WMU is not going to get an at large bid this year, unless they don’t lose another game by some miracle. This means they’re playing for a conference tournament seed, and keeping their fingers crossed for some hot David Kool shooting in Cleveland. That is the life on the other side.

So, things may seem sort of brutal at this point. I’m pumped for UNLV hoops, undefeated with two close road victories over Arizona and Santa Clara (appears Santa Clara should have won that game). I’m also hopeful for WMU, as they’ve shown flashes over their non-con schedule (win vs VCU, playing Temple tough). I also see that Tom Izzo and his Spartans are a work in progress, and if things happen the way they have previously, we’ll be watching a different team in a few months.

I’ve got no games this week, until Saturday for UNLV and Kansas State, which, as it turns out, will be a pretty big time game.

Have a good week everybody.