Writing the Pine

A lot of people seem to think Tiger’s new Nike ad is controversial because it features his father, Earl’s, voice.  I happen to think it’s genius.  Wieden+Kennedy proves once again they are one of the best (if not the best) advertising companies out there.  They obviously got Tiger’s consent to shoot the commercial and probably his mother’s too.  As a matter of fact, they also probably thought the idea was genius.  Every article I’ve read about Tiger these past five months have always mentioned his father and what he would’ve thought about what Tiger did (not to mention wild ambien sex and owning certain body parts).  So Nike took with that and ran.  The ad doesn’t do anything but focus on Tiger and it uses that classic slow zoom-in technique (Wii, a little help here with the terminology buddy?)  At the end of the commercial, people can’t help but to think themselves, “What WERE you thinking Tiger?”  (Although for many of us young males, we know exactly what he was thinking.  The question that should’ve been asked is “Why the hell did you get married?”)  Nike couldn’t run any more ads without addressing the situation and they couldn’t have done it any better.  Bravo Nike and bravo W+K.

Your favorite team playing but you’re stuck at work?

Yanks v. Red Sox but you’re at a wedding reception?

Subway Series but you’re being dragged to the mall by your significant other?

What’s one to do? Welcome MLB At Bat 2010.

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Gives "hardwood" a new meaning

Anyone else feel somewhat uncomfortable throughout this exchange?  I really needed to get a beer at this moment but felt strangely compelled to watch the whole incident unfold.

As said by a friend, Pope (a big Blue Devils fan): “Usually in those situations people say, ‘give him air.’ Huggins took the opposite approach.”

But I do hope there’s some symbolism in “Butler” going down in advance of the Butler-Duke Championship Matchup.

Some thoughts on the Lavin hiring:

• St. John’s is lucky as hell to pick up Lavin.. especially after getting rejected by a vastly inferior coach in Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt.

• Lavin is going to be credited when St. John’s makes the NCAA Tournament next season, which isn’t going to be an accurate indicator of how good of a coach he is.  I thought the Johnnies were a season away from a Tournament berth — especially in 2010 with a host of senior starters returning.  So, if the Johnnies happen to make the Tournament next year, I hope everyone keeps it in their pants and reserve their judgment on Lavin until we see 1) the next two recruiting classes, and 2) what he does with those recruits.

• I feel badly for former head coach Norm Roberts.  He definitely deserved the ax, but he was a class act that really built the program from the ground up.  It’s just too bad that he wasn’t exceptionally good at either recruiting or player development.  I wish him the best of luck at his next job — it should be as an assistant coach at a big program or head coach at a mid-major.

• People forget that St. John’s is the 7th winningest program in college basketball history.  That happens when you aren’t relevant for over a decade and a half.  Hopefully things will change with Lavin.

• I graduated from the University of Illinois in 2007 and started attending St. John’s University in 2009.  The connections between the two schools’ basketball programs are starting to get a bit eerie:  Roberts was a Bill Self assistant until Self left for Kansas.  Lavin was an assistant at Purdue under legendary coach Gene Keady, along with current Purdue coach Matt Painter and current Illinois coach Bruce Weber.

• I’m curious to see who Lavin hires for his staff.  He’s going to need guys who can have deep connections into the AAU circuit.  He’s also going to need excellent teachers of the game because player development doesn’t seem to be one of Lavin’s fortes.  I’m also curious to see how much the St. John’s AD is going to micromanage Lavin.  St. John’s needs to protect their image after their legal troubles in the 90’s, but with an experienced guy like Lavin, they need to give some room so the guy could work without people breathing down his neck.

• Lavin was perhaps the most vocal of the ESPN analysts in supporting the Big Ten Conference and speaking favorably of the Fighting Illini.  Illini Nation will surely miss Coach Lavin — the media really is ridiculously biased against the Big Ten.  Maybe it’s because they are bitter at the conference for creating their own network.  But I really can’t understand why the Big Ten is overlooked as a conference every single season.  Being a Big Ten guy in Big East country is perhaps the most frustrating thing during basketball season.  What ticks me off the most is when the top Big Ten teams lose to the middle- and bottom-tiered teams in the conference, they are signs of “parity,” “lack of elite teams” and “weakness at the top.”  When the top Big East teams lose to the middle- and bottom-tiered teams in the conference, it shows “how strong the conference really is.”  Nonsense.

Finally, some predictions and my official Final Four predictions:

1. Siena will make the Elite Eight. Duke is in the easiest bracket but the Blue Devils will be upended in the Sweet 16 by the Saints.  Good reigns over evil yet again.

2. UTEP will make the Sweet 16. UTEP actually has a lot of talent and has a chance to make a serious run in the tournament.  I’m saying they’ll make the third round but they could take down Syracuse in the Sweet 16 too.  I just don’t have the balls to say they’ll do it.

3. Cornell will make the Sweet 16. But I’m not stupid enough to think they’ll beat Kentucky.

4. Evan Turner (Ohio State) and Ekpe Udoh (Baylor Bears) will post triple-doubles in first-round victories. I wish I could bet on this.

5. My list of lower seeds that will advance to the Round of 32: San Diego State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, UTEP, Cornell, Washington, Louisville, and Siena.

6. Final Four - Kansas, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, and Baylor

7. Championship Game – Kansas v. Kentucky.  It’s the game everybody wants to see and they’ll have relatively easy semifinal games to set it up.

8. National Champion – Kansas Jayhawks – Experience defeats youth yet again as the loaded Jayhawks take down the supremely talented Wildcats in what will be an extremely entertaining game (and be eerily similar to the Kansas/Memphis title game).  Kansas wins by a feather.

Finally, the South…

1. #1 Duke Blue Devils v. #16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions – As much as I would love to hate on the dookies, my Heels are in the NIT so I won’t say anything.

2. #8 California Golden Bears v. #9 Louisville Cardinals – Cal is one of the more disappointing teams in the country (but at least they made the tournament) and I can’t see them advancing past the first round.  They did not win a game against elite competition earlier in the year in New York and don’t really have a single quality win.  The line is even but to be honest, Louisville should be favored by 5.  I’m going with Pitino’s bunch here.

3. #5 Texas A&M Aggies v. #12 Utah St. Aggies – The Aggies will advance.  (Texas A&M that is.)

4. #4 Purdue Boilermakers v. #13 Siena Saints – I said before that Maryland was the most overrated #4 seed.  Well, I take that back and give that title to Purdue.  They are absolutely awful without Robbie Hummel and a disrespected Siena team will steamroll them on their way to the Round of 32 (and in my opinion, the Elite Eight).

5. #6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish v. #11 Old Dominion Monarchs – I’m not buying into the Notre Dame hype but I’ll buy them to advance here (then lose to Baylor).

6. #3 Baylor Bears v. #14 Sam Houston State Bearkats - Who is the genius that decided to purposely misspell the nickname of a university?  Ekpe Udoh gets a triple-double in this one.

7. #7 Richmond Spiders v. #10 Saint Mary’s Gaels – I have to admit, I don’t know much about either of these teams.  I did watch Richmond play impressively against Temple though, so I’ll go with them.

8. #2 Villanova Wildcats v. #15 Robert Morris Colonials – I am waiting for a potential showdown between Baylor and Villanova.

Now let’s look at the West Region.

1. #1 Syracuse Orange v. #16 Vermont Catamounts – Vermont lost to Binghamton this year.

2. #8 Gonzaga Bulldogs v. #9 Florida State Seminoles – Interestingly enough, the Zags are the underdogs despite being the higher seed.  I suppose that’s what happens when you sell out big time in the conference championship game.  I will be going with Seminoles on this one, even though they also sold out in their conference tournament.  I just think FSU has too much inside and too much depth on the perimeter.

3. #5 Butler Bulldogs v. #12 UTEP Miners - Going with the #12 seed on this one.  UTEP is legit.  They choked in the Conference USA title game but they got some players.  Randy Culpepper can light up the scoreboard as evidenced by his 45 point outburst against Eastern Carolina earlier in the year.  The Miners have Derrick Caracter, a former five-star recruit and Louisville transfer, on the inside along with double-digit scorers Jeremy Williams and Arnett Moultrie to help Caracter out.  The spread is only 3 but I would go heavy on the Miners.

4. #4 Vanderbilt Commodores v. #13 Murray St. Racers – Expect a big game from Australian AJ Ogilvy.  Vanderbilt advances.

5. #6 Xavier Musketeers v. #11 Minnesota Golden Gophers – I’m not too enamored with Minnesota.  They had a nice season but I’m not sure they deserved to get in, especially over fellow Big Ten-er, Illinois.  Jordan Crawford will own and dunk on Ralph Sampson III in the process.

6. #3 Pittsburgh Panthers v. #14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies - Pittsburgh can easily find themselves in the Elite Eight facing rival Syracuse, who they beat in their only meeting this year.  Could they possibly crash the party in Indianapolis?  We’ll see.

7. #7 BYU Cougars v. #10 Florida Gators – BYU has never won an NCAA Tournament game.  They’ll win their first this year.

8. #2 Kansas State Wildcats v. #15 North Texas Mean Green – Kansas State can beat anybody in the country…except Kansas.  A showdown versus Pitt in the Sweet 16 would be an extremely fun game to watch.

Now a look at each of the matchups in the East:

1. #1 Kentucky Wildcats v. #16 East Tennessee State Buccaneers – John Wall should have his own personal SportsCenter Top 10 from this one.

2. #8 Texas Longhorns v. #9 Wake Forest Demon Deacons – Two pretty disappointing teams, with Texas being the more disappointing of the two.  The former #1 team in the nation lost their way, going 7-9 in their last 16 games after starting the season 17-0.  Wake Forest has been worse though, losing five of their last six.  I’m going with the Longhorns in this one and the oddsmakers seem to be with me on this one as they are favored by 4, the biggest spread of all the #8/#9 games.

3. #5 Temple Owls v. #12 Cornell Big Red - Upset special here.  Cornell is legit.  Ryan Wittman provides the outside threat for the Big Red and Jeff Foote, the 7-footer, the inside presence.  The Big Red and the Owls shared a common opponent this year, #1-ranked Kansas.  In fact, the Jayhawks played these two schools back-to-back: at Temple on January 2 and at the Phog on January 6.  Kansas beat both of them, but won by 32 against the Owls, and only by 5 against the Ivy Leaguers.

4. #4 Wisconsin Badgers v. #13 Wofford Terriers – I’m not really enamored with the Badgers but maybe that’s because I don’t like watching them play.  Their style of play is frustrating for me to watch and will be frustrating for the Terriers.

5. #6 Marquette Golden Eagles v. #11 Washington Huskies – Marquette is a pretty trendy sleeper pick but I’m going with the Huskies on this one.  The Pac-10 was down this year and Washington was pretty disappointing but they’re on a hot streak right now and I love the duo of Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas.

6. #3 New Mexico Lobos v. #14 Montana Grizzlies – Don’t look now but this mid-major team is ranked #10 in the country.  That’s right.  #10.  They have four players that average double-digit scoring, including the outstanding Darington Hobson who is averaging 16.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 4.6 apg.

7. #7 Clemson Tigers v. #10 Missouri Tigers – Every year I think Clemson can make a run to the Sweet 16 and every year they fail me.  I’m going to pick them to win this game which means you should probably pick the Tigers.

8. #2 West Virginia Mountaineers v. #15 Morgan State Bears – I’m looking forward to a #2 v. #3 showdown between the Mountaineers and the Lobos.  I hope it happens.

Let’s take a quick look at each of the matchups in the Midwest Region:

1. #1 Kansas Jayhawks v. #16 Lehigh Mountain Hawks – Well, the line is at 26 and the O/U at 146.  If Kansas doesn’t score 100, I’ll be disappointed.

2. #8 UNLV Rebels v. #9 Northern Iowa Panthers – I think I heard Jay Bilas say something about Northern Iowa running hundreds of plays and that they script almost the entire first half.  That’s absolutely no fun at all and for that reason, I’m going with the Rebels.  These teams seem to be evenly matched though, as the opening line was even.

3. #5 Michigan State Spartans v. #12 New Mexico State Aggies – Another tournament, another first-round win for Tom Izzo’s squad.  Somehow, no matter inconsistent the team is all year, Michigan St. is a lock for the Sweet 16.

4. #4 Maryland Terrapins v. #13 Houston Cougars – Maryland, probably one of the most overrated teams in the tournament, is lucky to have drawn a Houston team that didn’t even go .500 Conference USA.  The line is at -9 and I would go heavy on the Cougars even though I still expect Maryland to pull it out.

5. #6 Tennessee Volunteers v. #11 San Diego St. Aztecs – I spent a portion of my childhood in San Diego, I love the city, and the Aztecs seem to be a trendy upset pick…so I’LL GO WITH THEM BABY.  Aztecs will be up one with three seconds left.  JP Prince will catch the inbounds pass at halfcourt, take three dribbles into the lane, and put up a perfectly arced floater, then Stephen Strasburg will come from nowhere and throw a 100 mph heater at the ball, causing it to explode and allowing his former school to advance to the round of 32, while also instilling a sliver of hope in the four Nationals fans around the world.

6. #3 Georgetown Hoyas v. #14 Ohio Bobcats – The Hoyas got served by the Butler in the final seconds of the Big East Championship game, but they’ll rebound against the Bobcats.

7. #7 Oklahoma State Cowboys v. #10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – This game is one of the more intriguing matchups of the first round.  The world will be introduced to James Anderson of OKST, a big guard who can drop 30 points before you can say Yee-Haw, and Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal, two future lottery picks.  The Tournament is usually a time for guards to shine and carry their teams, but I’m going with the Yellow Jackets in this one.  The Cowboys will be in it because of Anderson and Georgia Tech’s propensity to turn the ball over (as we saw in the ACC Tournament where they set a record for most turnovers), but they’ll ultimately fall short.

8. #2 Ohio St. Buckeyes v. #15 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos – Evan Turner will get a triple-double, further cementing his status as the best player in college basketball.

Ah yes, March Madness is finally here.  A time for Cinderellas, upsets, and a bunch of college kids enjoying the time of their lives.  And for me, a reminder of how bad North Carolina was this year.  I’ll be posting a more in-depth look at the field later on but here are my early thoughts on this year’s tournament:

Upset Most Likely to Happen: #13 Siena over #4 Purdue – It’s no secret Purdue is a completely different team with Robbie Hummel (i.e. bad) as evidenced by their 27-point loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament.  It looked like they might be a #1 or #2 seed earlier in the year and a dark-horse to win the whole thing, but they’ve dropped to everybody’s upset special.  I guess that wouldn’t make it much of a special then.  The Saints are no slouches though.  They’re led by a three senior attack (Franklin, Ubiles, Jackson) and double-double machine Ryan Rossiter.  The MAAC Champions were a #9 seed last year, beat the Evan Turner-led Ohio St. Buckeyes in the first-round last year, and came within a few bounces of beating Louisville.  The Saints have the experience, the coach, and the personnel to not only beat Purdue, but make a serious run to the Sweet 16 or even Elite Eight. (more…)