Tag: Ohio State

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!!

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!!

 

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!!

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!!

 

March Madness Is Finally Here!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

It is official. March madness has finally arrived. Today marks the beginning of the best sports tournament in the world. Today at 12:00 EST, the first set of games will tip-off. Today there are 64 teams. Come April 8th, in Atlanta Georgia, there will be only one team left standing. Who will it be? We can all play with our brackets and do our best fortune teller impressions, but no one knows what will happen. Upsets happen everyday in this tournament, and there is always that upset that happens that absolutely no one saw coming. While I wish there wasn’t so much parody and 1 and done players in men’s college basketball, I still love this tournament. So, I want to wish everyone good luck with their brackets (unless you’re in my pool then I hope your brackets stink).

Final four: Louisville, Ohio State, Michigan, and Miami

Finals: Louisville over Miami (81-75)

Enjoy the games everybody!!

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!