The Moment Impossible Becomes Possible!!

March 19, 2018 ~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Best. Tournament. EVER!!

This has been, without a doubt, the best NCAA Tournament in the history of college basketball. It’s had everything; buzzer-beaters, CINDERELLA STORIES, and unreal comebacks. Remember when I said Day 1 would be tough to top?? Let’s just say, if Day 1 was jumping off the high-dive at your local pool, Day 2 was jumping off an 80-foot waterfall without making a splash.

Cinderella

Apparently, the 136th time is the charm. Since the NCAA Tournament expanded from 32 to 64 teams in 1985, a 16-seed had never beaten a 1-seed. Friday night, the UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County) Retrievers changed sports’ history, forever. Some of the 135 teams came close with 1-point and overtime losses, but no David’s had ever slain Goliath.

Virginia was the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They won the ACC regular season title and ACC Tournament, and held a record of 31-2 in a conference that sent 9 teams to the NCAA Tournament. UMBC, finished 2nd in the America East Conference.

This is the biggest upset in sports’ history.

Bigger than Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. Bigger than the United States over Russia in the 1980 Olympics. Bigger than any other upset you can think of.

And UMBC didn’t just squeak out a victory. They dismantled Virginia, 74-54. Of the six Retrievers to score, four finished in double figures. But this historic win was made possible by senior guard, Jairus Lyles’, 28 point effort. At halftime, the game was tied at 21. UMBC must have had some of “Michael’s Special Stuff”, because they shot out of their locker room like a cannonball and didn’t look back. Allow me to put UMBC’s 53 2nd-half points in perspective. Virginia held 16 of their 34 opponents this season to 53 points or less; FOR AN ENTIRE GAME!! Virginia also didn’t allow 70 points in a game prior to Friday night’s embarrassment.

Now That’s A Weekend

Nevada’s epic comeback. Michigan’s last second buzzer-beater. Loyola-Chicago is in the Sweet 16. Florida State took down Xavier. Syracuse outlasted Michigan State. Texas A&M’s ‘Texas Size’ beat down of UNC.

Did I leave any storylines out??

With 10:49 left to play, Nevada trailed 65-43. Thanks to Cody Martin’s 25-points, Nevada completed one of the most epic comebacks in NCAA Tournament history, 75-73. Martin scored 11 points in the final 10:48 and played all 40 minutes. If you missed this game, I feel badly for you.

Michigan Vs. Houston was a close, competitive game throughout. Houston led by as many as 5 points, while Michigan’s biggest lead was 6. A trip to the Sweet 16 came down to a last second 3-pointer by Michigan’s Jordan Poole to capture a 64-63 victory over Houston.

11-seed, Loyola-Chicago, has now beaten Miami and Tennessee to reach the Sweet 16. If only someone had predicted that….

Saved By The Be..nch. Florida State’s bench outscored it’s starting lineup 46-29. Xavier would fail to score in the final 1:49 of the game. Florida State drilled a late 3-pointer and ended the game on a 7-0 run. That’s the long and the short of it. 75-70.

According to many,Syracuse shouldn’t have been in the NCAA Tournament. Now, they’re in the Sweet 16. Honestly, they didn’t deserve to make the tournament, but it proves that parody is real in college basketball. It also proves their pesky zone defense is really freakin’ annoying!! The sounds of brackets ripping filled the nationas the final buzzer sounded. 55-53.

Soooo, UNC forgot they had a game yesterday. UNC would jump out to a 20-13 lead, but it was all Texas A&M the rest of the way. A&M would outscore UNC 73 to 45 to capture an 86-65 victory. This isn’t the way Roy Williams’ squad wanted to go out, but someone should have reminded them what time their game started….

I don’t know how this tournament could get any better, but I also said that on Friday morning…..

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the best NCAA Tournament EVER!!

Teams will be back in action Thursday night for the start of the Sweet 16.

Is UMBC over Virginia the biggest upset in sports’ history?? Tell me if I’m crazy 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!!!!

March 15, 2018 ~ 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.

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. 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.

Virginia Tech Adds Duke To Their Résumé

February 27, 2018 ~ 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.

Evolve Or Die, College Football’s Dilemma

November 15, 2017 ~ 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.

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: