Tag: Big Ten

It’s Time To Start Punching Tickets!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s March.

And that means more than ‘Spring is coming’. It means the Madness is upon us. This past Sunday (aka yesterday), four teams officially stamped their names in the bracket of 68:

Radford

Lipscomb

Loyola-Chicago

Michigan

One of these things is not like the other. Michigan, representing the Big Ten, is the first major conference to send their conference champion to the big dance. Now, they wait….

Radford

Unless you were overly concerned with the outcome of the Big South Conference Championship, you’ve probably never heard of Radford University. Radford is a small school located in Radford, Virginia. This will be their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2009, when they promptly got their butts kicked by UNC (101-58).

To advance to the dance, Radford took down Liberty University. Man, was this game ugly!! But then the television tells you this game ended in “thrilling” fashion. Yes, Carlik Jones hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The result of play, exciting. The execution of the play, awful.

Watch the play here. Because nothing screams preparation like dribbling around, 30-feet from the basket, and hoisting an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer. Did I mention the game was tied, with 13 seconds to play, and they were coming out of a timeout?!

Lipscomb

The Lipscomb Bisons scored 108 points on Sunday. Insanity!! After scoring 60 points in the first half, and leading by as many as 32 points over FGCU, Lipscomb nearly choked this game away. With 7:05 to play, Lipscomb led by just 5 points. FGCU was able to storm back thanks to a 24-point half by senior guard, Brandon Goodwin. However, it was too little too late, as Lipscomb held on 108-96. Lipscomb will represent the Atlantic Sun Conference in their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Loyola-Chicago

The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1964. They earned their tournament birth by beating up the Illinois State Redbirds Sunday, 65-49. This game was never close, so I don’t have to much to say here….

Michigan

After losing by a combined five points to Purdue (over two losses) during the regular season, Michigan was seeking revenge Sunday evening. Thanks to big-time performances from Moritz Wagner and Jon Teske, Michigan defeated Purdue 75-66. Wagner dropped 17, and Teske dropped 14. For those (degenerates) who bet the over of 141.5, all I have to say is; OUCH!!

And now, Michigan and company will have to wait an extra week for the REAL tournament. Hooray scheduling!!

By the way, Purdue will NOT go far in the NCAA Tournament. They rely on one player, Isaac Haas. Granted that player is 7’2″ and virtually unstoppable, but it’s a hard tournament to win playing one-on-five.

**Murray State also clinched a birth to the NCAA Tournament, defeating Belmont 68-51 on Saturday.

Did you watch any of these games?? If so, please post your thoughts, comments, questions, and concerns  in the comment section below.

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!

 

Virginia Tech Adds Duke To Their Résumé

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Can you feel it?? It’s almost here!!

With March rapidly approaching, the “Madness” is nearly upon us. It’s the month of buzzer beaters, crumpled brackets, and watching college basketball while “working”.

Luckily, the world didn’t have to wait for the calendar to turn to enjoy a major upset. Monday night, #5 Duke fell to unranked Virginia Tech, 64-63. Despite leading by as many as 15 points, and 6 points at halftime, Duke faltered late. They scored just 3 points in the final 5:50 of the game. In the final two minutes, as the game hung in the balance, it wasn’t Virginia Tech’s best players to the rescue, it was Chris Clarke. Clarke, a bench player who averages just 8.1 points per game, scored the game’s final 6 points while also grabbing an offensive rebound and a steal.

Duke didn’t lose just because they struggled down the stretch. They lost for a multitude of reasons:

1.) Duke averages 85.5 points per game (6th in the nation). They scored just 63 Monday night.

2.) Grayson Allen attempted 15 3-point shots.

3.) Wendell Carter Jr. scored just 5 points (he averages 14.3 points per game).

4.) Marvin Bagley III scored just 12 points (he averages 20.7 points per game).  

5.) Gary Trent Jr. went 1 for 7 from the field (all from 3-point range). He’s averaging 42.9% from 3-point range this season.

For what it’s worth, I, like everyone in the world who doesn’t reside in Durham, North Carolina, enjoyed watching Duke lose.

______________________________________________________________________________

March Madness usually kicks off in March (duh!). This year, it starts in February. That’s what happens when you want to host a tournament in the World’s Most Famous Arena; Madison Square Garden.

The Big Ten Conference Tournament starts on Wednesday, February 28th. It’ll conclude on Sunday, March 4th, one week prior to ‘Selection Sunday’. This means Big Ten teams that qualify for the NCAA Tournament will have an extra week off. Which begs the age old question:

Can too much time off kill momentum??

We’ll find out when Michigan State, Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan, and possibly Nebraska enter the NCAA Tournament.

Click here to see a schedule of every NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament.

Anyone else have GOOSEBUMPS?!?!

 

Will Duke compete for a National Championship this year?? Will an extra week off have a negative effect on Big Ten teams?? Tell me in the comment section below.

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!

 

In Saban We Trust

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Nick-Saban

SEC?? ACC?? Big Ten?? Just 5 months ago, the world asked what the best conference in college football is. Today, we have a definitive answer:

The SEC!!

With an all SEC championship on the horizon, other conferences don’t have a leg to stand on. How did we get to an Alabama Vs. Georgia showdown you ask?? Well, if you were busy binge watching your favorite Netflix show, rather than watching one of the most exciting “Rose Bowls” of all-time, I’ll tell you….

Semifinal #1 – #2 Oklahoma Vs. #3 Georgia

The question heading into this game was: Who would score more points, Baker Mayfield or Georgia’s backfield??

Baker Mayfield is the best player on most fields. He is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. And he’s only a few months away from being a 1st round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, he picked a bad time to have his worst game of the season.

Baker Mayfield’s Stats: 287 yards passing, 2 TDs, and 1 INT

It was the tale of 2 halfs for Mayfield, as he threw both TDs and caught a TD in the 1st half (jumping out to a 17-point lead). As for the 2nd half, he threw a bad interception and threw ZERO TDs.

The aforementioned Georgia backfield took over the game. The 2-headed monster of Sony Michel and Nick Chubb rushed for a combined 326 yards and 5 TDs. Ultimately, it would be Michel who would cap off a high profile victory for Georgia in DOUBLE OVERTIME!! After trading field goals in overtime, and watching Oklahoma’s field goal attempt get blocked in double overtime, Michel would scamper into the end zone from 27 yards out, sending the Georgia Bulldog’s world into a frenzy. 54-48 F/2OT.

Semifinal #2 – #1 Clemson Vs. #4 Alabama

And then, there was the rematch. The trilogy. Last night’s game marked the 3rd consecutive year Clemson and Alabama would face off in the College Football Playoff (1st time in the semifinals). This game wasn’t competitive. If I were Clemson, or anyone remotely involved with Clemson, I’d be embarrassed to show my face in public today. 6. 6 points. That’s all they mustered after AN ENTIRE MONTH of preparation. Pathetic I say. However, we must bow down to the master; Nick Saban. He doesn’t lose football games very often. And when he does, it’s usually on a freak play (remember this?) or an unbelievable performance.

Saban made sure nothing like that went down during their 24-6 victory over Clemson. Saban’s defense applied pressure early, and often. They picked off Kelly Bryant twice, returning 1 for a TD. And they held the entire Clemson offense to a whopping 184 yards. They also sprinkled in 5 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, and 9 pass deflections. Ya know, just for good measure.

Now, all that stands in the way of Saban’s 6th National Championship, is Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. Nothing beats a Mentor Vs. Protégé storyline to bring in extra viewers.

I’ll put my ‘monopoly money’ on Nick Saban.

 

Who do you think will win the National Championship?? Post your prediction in the comment section below. 

You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports .

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!

 

What’s On TV??

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

It’s Friday night and you had a long week. You don’t feel like dragging your butt out of the house into the cold when you’re tired; so don’t. I’ve got just what you need to keep you company. So sit back, relax, and enjoy these basketball games on the collegiate and pro levels. Today, as most of you know is the 2nd day of the NCAA basketball tournament. Tonight you’ll have some good games starting at 7:20 p.m. EST. The action will start on TNT where North Carolina(8) will take on Villanova(9). North Carolina is the favorite in this one having played well leading up to the tournament. Look for UNC to win this one by 5 points. After that game you can switch over to either TBS or CBS for two interesting 7 vs. 10 match-ups. At 9:20 p.m. you’ll find San Diego State(7) taking on Oklahoma(10), and at 9:45 p.m. you can see Notre Dame(7) take on Iowa State(10). Both should be close games, but I like the lucky number 7 in both of these games. And lastly, in the final game of the 1st round you’ll have UCLA(6) taking on Minnesota(11). You can find that game on TruTv at 9:57 p.m. I see a nice upset in this game, with Minnesota showing the world why the Big Ten is the best conference in college basketball this year. I think they will pull out the victory by 7 points.

If you are the 4 people in the world that are not into college basketball, then let me highlight the best NBA games on TV tonight. Starting with my favorite team, the New York Knicks, they will be in Toronto this evening to take on the Raptors. You can find that game on MSG Network at 7:00 p.m. I foresee the Knicks winning a close game by 6 points. Lord knows they need to keep winning basketball games. If you want to watch the Miami Heat attempt to extend their winning streak to 25 games, then turn on NBATV at 7:30 p.m. They will be taking on the Detroit Pistons at home (I think it’s safe to say they’ll extend their streak). Whatever you tonight, enjoy yourself. Thanks for reading!

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook athttp://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!