Tag: Duke

“Kyrie Irving = Most Overrated Player In NBA History!!!!” (DTS Podcast – #95)

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Kyrie Irving is back in the news again.

He’s out indefinitely after ‘re-aggravating’ a shoulder injury.

SHOCKING!!!!

But, he was also recently elected the new VP of the NBA Player’s Association.

As one of the biggest known ‘head cases’ in the NBA, I truly don’t understand this….AT ALL!!

Can someone smarter than me please explain this in the comment section below????

Thanks!

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“ZION Giveth, ELI Taketh Away.” (DTS Podcast – #85)

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Zion Williamson made his along awaited NBA debut Wednesday night.

HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!

Eli Manning is retiring after 16 seasons (all with the NY Giants) in the NFL.

Eli may suck at football, but he’s still a 1st ballot Hall of Famer.

BOTH THINGS CAN BE TRUE.

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“Pat Shurmur….Smush Your Face Into A Computer Screen, Please.” (DaveTalksSports Podcast – Ep. #44)

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Pat Shurmur, you are aware that playing well in meaningless preseason games against less than mediocre competition means absolutely nothing, right????

Oh no, you’re not?

Well you’re a MORON THEN!!!!

ANYONE ELSE WHO USES THE NFL PRESEASON TO EVALUATE PLAYERS OR TEAMS SHOULD PROMPTLY KICK THEIR OWN ASS!!!!

I don’t always play football, but when I do, I play it on an 80-yard field….

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The Best Day Of The Year!!!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Whether you like it or not, today is going to be crazy. There will be buzzer-beaters, major upsets, and absolute blowouts. If only we had a crystal ball to predict the future, this would be a lot easier (and more lucrative). Whatever happens, don’t bet more than you can afford to lose, and have a good time.

Upset City

(12) South Dakota State over (5) Ohio State

(11) Loyola-Chicago over (6) Miami

(11) St. Bonaventure over (6) Florida

(11) Loyola-Chicago over (3) Tennessee (2nd round)

(8) Missouri over (1) Xavier (2nd round)

None of the top 4 seeds, in any region, will lose in the 1st round. You’ll see at least one 12 seed beat a 5 seed. It happens every year. This year, it’ll be South Dakota State taking down Ohio State.

Loyola-Chicago is under-seeded. Vegas agrees, as Miami is just a 1.5 point favorite in today’s game. Seemingly every year a double-digit seed makes it to the sweet 16. This year, it’s Loyola-Chicago.

st bonaventure

Since the inception of the “first four” (in 2012), at least one team has advanced from the “round of 68” to the 2nd round. St. Bonaventure will carry the momentum from a win over UCLA to a win over Florida.

Our last major upset of the tournament actually falls into our next category….

First #1 Seed To Fall

xavier sucks

Xavier. Xavier is the weakest #1 seed. They’ll run into a Missouri team in the 2nd round, who recently regained the services of one of the top prospects in the country; Michael Porter Jr. Expect Porter Jr. to hit his full stride come the 2nd round.

Final Four

South – ARIZONA

West – GONZAGA

East – VILLANOVA

Midwest – DUKE

**The winner of the Sweet 16 matchup between Michigan State and Duke will advance to the Final Four.

Champion

Villanova. Jay Wright is a phenomenal basketball coach. He consistently produces top-line NCAA teams every year. This season, his squad has returned to life as a #1 seed. Balanced scoring is the name of their game. Villanova has six, double-digit scorers on their roster, making their bench almost as dangerous as their starting five.

Villanova will be cutting down the nets for the 2nd time in three years.

 

Who’s going to win the 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 6:10 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!!

All Trilogies Are Not Made The Same

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Some movie trilogies are awesome, like Batman (The Dark Knight).

Others, like I Know What You Did Last Summer, are so unbelievably bad, self-inflicted injury becomes a viable option. I know. I couldn’t believe they made three of those movies either!!

There’s one trilogy, Duke VS. UNC, that never disappoints. After splitting their regular season matchups (each holding serve at home), they’ll meet tonight in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. A #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament potentially hangs in the balance….

“It’s a big-time game,” North Carolina senior Theo Pinson said. “Everyone and their mama gonna be watching the game tomorrow. I’m going to be ready. My teammates are going to be ready.”

Both teams advanced last night. UNC is fresh off of their 82-65 victory over Miami, while Duke took down Notre Dame 88-70.

UNC wasn’t as dominant as the score would dictate. With 3:50 to play, UNC led by just 4 points, however, Theo Pinson would add 5 of his 25 points, helping the Tar Heels pull away.

Duke, on the other hand, only trailed for 36 seconds in the entire game (when they were down 3-2).

marvin bagley

If Marvin Bagley III plays like he did last night (33 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal), and everyone’s least favorite player in the world, Grayson Allen, makes five 3-pointers, Duke will be tough to handle.

UNC faithful will hope for a bounce back performance by Luke Maye. DON’T COUNT ON IT!! Maye scored just 2 points on 1 of 15 shooting from the field last night. While he did lead the game in rebounds (13), he was effectively useless all night. If you’ve watched a healthy amount of UNC basketball this season, you know Luke Maye disappears against top-25 teams. Every single game he’s played against top-25 teams, he’s posted points and rebounds FAR below his season average.

UNC will have to be on their offensive game, as Duke’s zone-defense has befuddled the opposition all season. Expect Marvin Bagley III to show the nation, once again, why he’s the National Player of the Year. You can catch all the action tonight on ESPN @ 9:00 P.M. EST.

Score Prediction: Duke 76, UNC 74

 

Who’s going to win tonight?? 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 6:10 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!!

 

Evolve Or Die, College Football’s Dilemma

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

the u

It was chaos. Mayhem. Cats and dogs living together. It was just what the doctor ordered for any true college football fan. Multiple teams were dropped from the college playoff ranking this week after embarrassing, blowout losses. Monkey wrench, thrown in….

Notre Dame dropped from #3 to #8 following a beat down of epic proportions by Miami. With fate in their own hands, and a 1-point loss to Georgia as the only blemish on their resume, Notre Dame folded like a cheap suit. 41-8 is not the storybook ending the Fighting Irish were hoping for. ‘The U’ happily took Notre Dame’s #3 ranking this week.

Georgia also took a tumble, from #1 to #7, thanks to a crushing 40-17 defeat at the hands of the Auburn Tigers. Auburn is now knocking at the door at #6 despite having 2 losses on their record. With a showdown with now #1 Alabama just 2 weeks away, that monkey wrench may get a lot bigger. Auburn being a crucial part of this year’s college football playoff equation, is irony at its finest. For a refresher of the effects of Auburn’s 2004 undefeated season, click here.

In 2014, the NCAA (finally) changed their postseason format to a 4-team, bracket-style, playoff. This has added intrigue to college football, as more teams remain in contention for the national championship. And just 4 seasons since its inception, the college football playoff must evolve again.

The world needs the college football playoff to expand to 8 teams.

The playoffs, in any sport, are used to narrow the field, in order to determine a champion. The challenge, in every sport, is to draw a line in the sand in determining that field.

Here are the current playoff fields for every sport you care about:

NFL – 12 out of 32

MLB – 10 out of 30    

NBA – 16 out of 30

NHL – 16 out of 31

NCAA Basketball – 68 out of 351

As you can see, college football is behind the times. Rather than be reactive, college football should be proactive. Expanding the field to 8 teams would increase and prolong viewership, without watering down the playoff field. While I understand there will be ‘an odd man out’ in any format, this would alleviate a lot of headaches (and crying).

There are no logistical issues in the way, only approval from the powers that be. While this idea is awesome, and can be implemented next year, don’t hold your breath.

For now, let’s hope Alabama loses to Auburn, Georgia loses to Auburn, Clemson beats Miami, Oklahoma loses to Ohio State, and Wisconsin goes undefeated. Because nothing screams controversy like an undefeated team not making the playoffs.

 

Do you think the college football playoff should be expanded to 8 teams?? If not, post your format idea 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!!

 

The End Of An Era

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Saturday night at Madison Square Garden marked the end of an era in Men’s College Basketball. In case you missed it, Louisville beat Syracuse by a score of 78-61 to capture their 2nd straight Big East Conference Tournament Championship. That final score is not exactly an indication of the way the game went, but I’ll get into that in a minute. This is meant as a tribute to the Big East, in my estimation the best conference in Men’s basketball for the past 15 years. Some can argue for the ACC, but after Duke and North Carolina that Conference isn’t made od much. Year after year we have seen 7 or 8 teams enter the NCAA tournament from the Big East. And as for the Big East tournament, there has been no other place to find more thrilling games (thanks Madison Square Garden). If you think college players don’t get up for a game on Madison Square Garden’s floor, than you are crazy. We have had the privilege of watching Uconn, Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, West Virginia, Providence, St. John’s, DePaul, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, South Florida, Rutgers, Villanova, and Seton Hall battle it out on the hardwood for years. And now sadly, thanks to the all mighty dollar, the Big East will be disbanding in the coming months.

The final game for the Big East was not the overtime thriller we’ve grown accustom to, but it certainly had it’s own type of drama. Syracuse looked like they were cruising to a victory and the Big East Conference title. However, Louisville had something else to say about that. With 15:34 left to play in the 2nd half, Syracuse held a 16 point lead (45-29). What happened next was epic. Louisville turned up the volume on every aspect of the game. They proceeded to go on a 49-16 run to close the game, winning by 17 points!! The comeback was truly a team effort, but the Cardinals were led by Montrezl Harrell, who scored 12 of his 20 points in the 2nd half. With their Championship victory, Louisville has most likely planted themselves firmly as the #1 overall seed of the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament is awesome, but it has definitely lost some of it’s flare. There is a significant amount of parody in Men’s College Basketball these days. Parody is not a good thing for this tournament. People want to watch great teams dominate, just as they want to watch history unfold right before their eyes. Do you honestly feel confident in picking the winner of the tournament this year? I know I don’t. Indiana??? Maybe??? I have no clue, and that’s why I might as well let my cat Precious fill out my bracket by scratching the team she likes on the paper. Ah, I suppose I’ll watch anyway, but this whole one and done stuff is ruining college basketball (thanks David Stern). I digress. I’ll get back to my problems with Men’s College Basketball another time. For now, let’s get back to remembering the big East for the good times they gave us, and wondering what the landscape of Men’s College Basketball will look like for years to come. It is a shame that the Big East will be splitting up, but time goes on I guess. We will just have to man up and get over it, because what other choice do we have, right?

NCAA Men’s College Basketball has many problems that I will cover in a future article. These problems include players being forced to enter College for at least one year before entering the NBA draft. If you can’t force a student-athlete to complete all 4 years in college in order to receive a degree, than they should be left to decide their own future. David Stern shouldn’t be the one to come up with such a foolish rule just to save his reputation. Another problem is money of course. What else is new right? If these schools and organizations can profit so much from the hard work and dedication of these players, who is to say that the players don’t deserve a fair share of the profits? I am in favor of players being on a pay scale while they are in school. I’ll see if I can fully tackle these major issues in the near future. For now, enjoy selection Sunday which is coming up momentarily. Check back to find my predictions for the free for all that is the NCAA Tournament.

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!