Tag: National Championship

It’s Championship Time!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Then, there were two.

Nearly three weeks ago, 68 teams had their sights set on the ultimate prize; a national championship. Today, only two teams are left standing: Villanova and Michigan.

Monday night, Villanova will look to capture their 2nd national championship in three years. They currently stand as 7-point favorites. That’s a lot of points for a national championship game. And Michigan is playing as well as Villanova right now. No, they can’t light it up from 3-point range like Villanova, but they can still overwhelm opponents on both ends of the floor.

It would be hard for Villanova to repeat their shooting performance from their Final Four victory over Kansas (18-40 on 3-pointers)!! But expect them to come close. This will be a competitive game that comes down to the final two minutes.

Tune into TBS tonight @ the ungodly hour of 9:20 P.M. EST to catch all the action. As much as I want to watch this game, sadly, I will be sound asleep by 10:30 P.M.

Score Prediction: Villanova 74, Michigan 69 

Imperferction

arike

On the women’s side of things, UConn did not win the national championship. That doesn’t sound right. Undefeated heading into Friday’s final four matchup with Notre Dame, Uconn would fall, to the eventual champion, 91-89 F/OT. 

Notre Dame’s championship victory Sunday night involved yet another buzzer beater by Arike Ogunbowale. Notre Dame’s junior guard hit the shot that took down UConn in overtime. And then she hit the shot that hoisted the trophy. While it wasn’t Kris Jenkins from 2016, it was pretty close.

Snow Baseball

Baseball-Snow-FP

It’s April. Oh, you thought you were done with snow for the year?? HA! So silly you are. While the MLB season is trying to get into full swing, New York (and other less important cities) may have an obstacle to hurdle today. With 4-6 inches of snow expected to accumulate in the Tri-State area, the Yankees’ home-opener is in slight jeopardy. Currently set for 1:05 P.M., my guess is it’ll be postponed allowing time for this snow to melt (it will). If not, the Yankees will have a double-header in their future.

Speaking of Yankees’ fans (I’m a die hard one as well), please RELAX!! The Yankees aren’t going to give up grand slams every day. Their bullpen will be a strength, not a weakness. And they’ll win 90+ games, not miss the playoffs. People are SO reactionary it makes me angry. Stop hanging on every moment of every game. IT’S A 162-GAME SEASON!!!!

Enjoy what should be the final snow of the year!! And enjoy your snow baseball!!

 

Who will win the Men’s 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 6:10 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!!

 

 

 

 

Tua Brings Bama Back From The Brink

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Alabama-National-Championship

I don’t doubt Nick Saban.

Throughout my years covering sports, I’ve learned many things: It’s all about the money, I don’t doubt Tom Brady, and I don’t doubt Nick Saban.

Nick Saban is the best college football coach of all-time — and it’s not even that close. What he’s accomplished at Alabama, winning 5 National Championships in 9 years, is eerily similar to the success Brady, Belichick, and the Patriots have had. And that’s what allows Saban to make questionable, bold, even controversial moves.

Monday night was no different.

Down 13-0 at halftime, Saban’s squad was struggling offensively. They had amassed 21 yards through the air and converted just 4 first downs. That’s when Saban handed the ball to true-freshman, Tua Tagovailoa. Until that moment, the Hawaiian native had only appeared in mop-up duty in lopsided Alabama victories. Pegged as a “gunslinger”, Tagovailoa played well in his 7 brief appearances, throwing 8 touchdowns and just 1 interception.

But Monday night, it was time to sink or swim, on the world’s biggest stage. Oh did he swim. Tagovailoa, aka Alabama’s savior, made the 3 biggest plays of the game:

1.) On his 2nd drive, Tagovailoa faced a 3rd & 7. He scrambled right, nearly getting sacked. After breaking not 1, not 2, but 3 tackles, Tagovailoa bounced back to the left, gaining 9 yards for a crucial 1st down. This changed the complexion of the entire game. It kept Alabama from going ‘3 & out’ on consecutive drives. It gave Tagovailoa confidence. And it led to an Alabama touchdown, pulling them within 1 score (13-7).

2.) Fast forward to 3 minutes and 56 seconds left in the game. Imagine being under center, down 7 points, on 4th & 4 from the opponents 7-yard line. Now imagine throwing an absolute strike to Calvin Ridley for the game tying touchdown (20-20). Now wake up, because that wasn’t you. It was Tua Tagovailoa, and he’s living the dream.

Watch the play here.

3.) And last, but CERTAINLY not least, the final play of the game. After Georgia’s kicker, Rodrigo Blankenship, nailed a 51-yard field goal, Tagovailoa and Alabama found themselves down 23-20. Fail to score and go home. Kick a field goal and head to a 2nd overtime. Score a touchdown and win the National Championship. After an atrocious sack, Alabama was staring 2nd & 26 in the face. Have no fear, Tua is here. As he dropped back, the world could see DeVonta Smith inexplicably get behind Georgia’s secondary. Tagovailoa hit Smith, in stride, for a 41-yard, game winning touchdown.

Watch the play here.

Tagovailoa only had to pull off that miracle because his kicker came down with a case of the ‘shanks’. With 3 seconds left in regulation, Andy Pappanastos had a game-winning, 36-yard field goal attempt. Trust me when I say this was the worst field goal attempt I’ve ever seen — ever. This was Pappanastos’ 2nd missed field goal of the night. Clearly he wasn’t on his game. Luckily for Nick Saban, and Alabama, Tagovailoa was.

 

Was this the best National Championship you’ve ever seen?? Did you even stay awake long enough to see it?? 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 6:00 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!!

 

 

Alabama Is The Chosen One

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Alabama-To-Join-Clemson-Oklahoma-amp-Georgia-In-College-Football-Playoff

When the dust settled on Saturday night, there was only 1 decision to make:

A 2-Loss Team Vs. A Team that didn’t even play in its own conference championship.

No matter the direction the college football playoff committee went, 1 would rejoice, the other would use the committee’s name in vain.

Ohio State took on undefeated Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship. Presumably, if Wisconsin had won, the committee would’ve been hard pressed not to put a 13-0 team, from a Power 5 Conference, in the playoff (strength of schedule be damned). However, Ohio State handled their business, serving Wisconsin their 1st loss, 27-21.

And then there’s Alabama. The Crimson Tide. Nick Saban’s playground. College football’s gold standard. Well, you get the point. Until their final game of the season, they sat atop the college football rankings, sporting an undefeated record. A 26-14 loss @ Auburn would be their 1 and only blemish on the season. Due to their “weak” schedule, doubt crept in as they watched the SEC Championship from home.

Alabama is in the college football playoff because they’re Alabama. Yes, they only lost 1 game, but it’s hard to fall back on their record when their signature win is a 31-24 road win against Mississippi State. On the other hand, while Ohio State has 2 signature wins over top-4 teams, they also lost 2 games. Let’s just say it’s tough to overcome a 55-24 beat down from an extremely mediocre Iowa team.

Speaking of bad losses, the top ranked Clemson Tigers lone loss on the season came at the hands of Syracuse (27-24). This is, by far, the worst loss of the 4 teams in the playoff, yet they remain #1. This speaks to the parody that continues to creep into college football. Which speaks to my proposal of an 8-team playoff. I’ve been screaming it all year. It just makes sense.

More games = more money. Period.

Until that happens, were stuck with a 4-game playoff:

#1 – Clemson                                                                                  #2 – Oklahoma

vs.                                                                                                     vs.

#4 – Alabama                                                                                 #3 – Georgia

(New Year’s Day @ 8:45 P.M)                                                   (New Year’s Day @ 5:00 P.M.) 

*National Championship Will Be Played on January 8th, 2018 @ 8:00 P.M.

At least we don’t have to wait a month for these games….

 

Did the college football committee get it right?? Please post your opinion 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!!