Tag: UNC

The Moment Impossible Becomes Possible!!

~ 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?? 

nevada

  • 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

  • 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.

loyola chicago 2

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

PJ Savoy

  • 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.

cuse beats mich state

  • 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.

unc

  • 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!!

 

 

 

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!!

 

 

2017 NFL Draft 1st-Round Review

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

adams

Well that didn’t go as planned. Despite months of draft analysis from experts, and countless mock drafts, the 1st-round of the 2017 NFL Draft was as unpredictable as the weather (Mel Kiper and Todd McShay do look a lot like meteorologists today). In between the plethora of boos hurled at Roger Goodell, the 1st-round provided more twists and turns than the Taconic Parkway (New Yorkers know what I’m talking about). There were multiple trades and many players rose or fell from their projected draft spots.

No surprise at the top, as the Cleveland Browns selected Myles Garrett from Texas A&M with the 1st overall pick. The Browns evening didn’t end there. They traded the 12th pick to the Houston Texans for the 25th pick and the Texans 1st-round pick in 2018. The Texans drafted Deshaun Watson from Clemson at 12 while the Browns drafted Jabrill Peppers from Michigan at 25. I don’t love either pick, as I think Watson, despite his outstanding career at Clemson, is an undersized quarterback who lacks the arm strength to succeed in the NFL . Peppers is a ‘tweener’ (safety/linebacker) who comes with baggage after failing a drug test at the NFL combine. The Browns then traded back into the 1st-round by shipping the 33rd pick and a 4th-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for the 29th pick. The Browns selected David Njoku from Miami. Njoku was the 3rd tight end selected in the 1st-round, and while I like the player, I wonder who will be throwing him the football this year….

Of the many trades from Thursday night, my favorite was the 1st one (for the 49ers that is). New 49ers General Manager, John Lynch, swindled the Chicago Bears. There is no other way to put it. The Bears traded up 1 SPOT, from the 3rd to 2nd pick, giving up 3rd and 4th-round picks from this year as well as a 3rd-round pick in 2018. Only problem is, the Bears LITERALLY didn’t have to do that. How did that conversation go?

Lynch: Listen Chicago, we’re getting multiple offers for the #2 pick here. If you can’t give us 3 valuable draft picks to move up only 1 spot, I’m afraid you’re going to miss out on your guy.

Ryan Pace (Bears GM): That sounds extremely fair. Now we can get Mitch Trubisky! You want me to throw in my 1st-born child too?

Yes, you heard that right. The Bears gave away the farm, to move up 1 spot, to draft a guy that was going to fall to them anyway. Even if Trubisky ends up being good, he simply is not worth such a high draft pick. He has only started 13 games at the collegiate level! The 49ers then drafted Solomon Thomas from Stanford, who yup you guessed it, is the guy they wanted anyway! Nice work Chicago. The 49ers, like the Browns, weren’t done for the evening. They moved back into the 1st-round by sending Seattle their 2nd and 4th-round picks in exchange for the 31st pick. John Lynch continued to impress in his 1st draft as the 49ers selected Reuben Foster of Alabama, who despite off-field issues, is regarded as one of the most talented players in the draft. The other major trade from last night saw the Kansas City Chiefs trade the 27th pick, a 3rd-round pick, and their 1st-round pick in 2018 to the Buffalo Bills to move up to the 10th pick. They selected Alex Smith’s potential successor in Patrick Mahomes II from Texas Tech. Mahomes has an absolute cannon for an arm, which often leads to risky throws. Only time will tell if Andy Reid can mold Mahomes into a successful NFL quarterback.

And last but not least, let’s talk about New York. We’ll quickly brush over that New York team that wears blue or purple or whatever color that is, so we can get to my New York Jets. The Giants gave Eli Manning another safety valve and drafted Evan Engram out of Ole Miss. Engram is an undersized tight end who will bring playmaking ability to an already talented receiving core for the Giants.

And then there were the New York Jets. As I like to call them, My New York Jets. With tank mode in full-effect, it was imperative that the Jets did not draft a quarterback on Thursday night. And thanks to the Chicago Bears, they didn’t even get that chance. The top 5 picks saw 3 offensive players fall off the board, leaving the Jets with the pick of the defensive litter. And even though the suspense was cut short when ESPN camera’s accidentally showed LSU safety Jamal Adams receiving his call of a lifetime, Jets fans have to be ecstatic that he fell into their laps. With the Jets’ secondary in shambles, they just picked up, according to some experts, the best player in the draft. Personally, I love the pick, and I love Adams already. First of all, CHECK OUT THE SUIT!! And talk about passion. His interview immediately following the selection was filled with raw emotion and the promise to “work his butt off”. Jets General Manager Mike Mccagnan has stuck to the motto ‘draft the best player available’ in the 1st-round. As for the 2nd-round, eh………not so much. So, let us collectively hold our breath until we reach the Jets next pick (39).

How do you feel about the Jets 1st-round draft pick? How do you feel about your teams draft pick? Tell me in the comment section below.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. You can also follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!    

 

 

What’s On TV??

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

It’s Friday night and you had a long week. You don’t feel like dragging your butt out of the house into the cold when you’re tired; so don’t. I’ve got just what you need to keep you company. So sit back, relax, and enjoy these basketball games on the collegiate and pro levels. Today, as most of you know is the 2nd day of the NCAA basketball tournament. Tonight you’ll have some good games starting at 7:20 p.m. EST. The action will start on TNT where North Carolina(8) will take on Villanova(9). North Carolina is the favorite in this one having played well leading up to the tournament. Look for UNC to win this one by 5 points. After that game you can switch over to either TBS or CBS for two interesting 7 vs. 10 match-ups. At 9:20 p.m. you’ll find San Diego State(7) taking on Oklahoma(10), and at 9:45 p.m. you can see Notre Dame(7) take on Iowa State(10). Both should be close games, but I like the lucky number 7 in both of these games. And lastly, in the final game of the 1st round you’ll have UCLA(6) taking on Minnesota(11). You can find that game on TruTv at 9:57 p.m. I see a nice upset in this game, with Minnesota showing the world why the Big Ten is the best conference in college basketball this year. I think they will pull out the victory by 7 points.

If you are the 4 people in the world that are not into college basketball, then let me highlight the best NBA games on TV tonight. Starting with my favorite team, the New York Knicks, they will be in Toronto this evening to take on the Raptors. You can find that game on MSG Network at 7:00 p.m. I foresee the Knicks winning a close game by 6 points. Lord knows they need to keep winning basketball games. If you want to watch the Miami Heat attempt to extend their winning streak to 25 games, then turn on NBATV at 7:30 p.m. They will be taking on the Detroit Pistons at home (I think it’s safe to say they’ll extend their streak). Whatever you tonight, enjoy yourself. Thanks for reading!

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!