Tag: Gonzaga

Snow + Sweet 16 = Springtime!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Now that’s what I call SPRING!!

The 2nd day of Spring brought the Tri-State Area a care package; A FOOT OF SNOW!!

You won’t find whining and complaining here. I LOVE SNOW!!

Go ahead, call me crazy. You won’t be the first. For those who live in New York (like myself), and have for 10+ years, what do you expect?? 60’s and sunny on March 1st?! That’s not how this works people. The Tri-State Area generally gets hit with a major snow storm every March. If you don’t like it, move to Florida….

Anyway, alongside this beautiful snow day; basketball. Before we get to the basketball on hand this evening, let’s take a look at the amazing feats the NBA provided Wednesday night.

Superman!! 

dwight howard

Self-proclaimed Superman, Dwight Howard, had a historic Wednesday. He posted the 1st 30-30 night in nearly 8 years, and the 2nd in nearly 40 years. Not since Kevin Love in 2010 (and Moses Malone in 1982) has an NBA player hung 30 points and 30 rebounds on an opponent in a single game. The opponent?? The Brooklyn Nets. I know, I know, it’s the Nets. Listen, 30 rebounds is 30 rebounds. That’s some Wilt Chamberlain stuff right there.

The King

lebron 4

Self-proclaimed King, LeBron James, had a historic Wednesday of his own.

35 points, 17 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and ZERO turnovers.

That’s insane. Playing without Rodney Hood and Larry Nance Jr., LeBron wanted to send a message to the #1 seed, Toronto Raptors. 132-129. MESSAGE SENT. MESSAGE DELIVERED. LeBron, candid as always, said this prior to the game, “I’ll be available, so we got a chance.” Oh, they have a chance alright. With a healthy LeBron James on the floor, expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals — again.

March Madness!!

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-First Round-Miami vs Loyola Chicago

The Sweet 16 commences this evening, with 4 games on the schedule:

#11 Loyola-Chicago vs. #7 Nevada (CBS @ 7:07 P.M.)

#7 Texas A&M vs. #3 Michigan (TBS @ 7:37 P.M.)

#9 Kansas State vs. #5 Kentucky (CBS @ 9:37 P.M.)

#9 Florida State vs. #4 Gonzaga (TBS @ 10:07 P.M.)

Loyola-Chicago has won both of their games by a combined 3 points. Nevada is fresh off of a 22-point comeback. Which Cinderella story will prevail??

Score Prediction: 69-68 Loyola-Chicago

Texas A&M manhandled UNC in the 2nd round. With one of the most potent frontlines in college basketball, can Texas A&M do the same to Michigan??

Score Prediction: 70-64 Michigan

Kansas State was given a super early Christmas present when UMBC knocked off Virginia. Their road will get a lot tougher tonight, as they run into a Kentucky team playing as well as anyone in the country.

Score Prediction: 67-60 Kentucky

Florida State took a page out of UMBC’s playbook, knocking out #1 seed, Xavier. Can they continue their strong play against a tournament ready, Gonzaga team??

Score Prediction: 80-72 Gonzaga

 

Who will advance to the Elite 8 tonight?? Post your predictions 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 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!!