News and Notes

• Basically every major news outlet is reporting that Rich Harden is on the DL again. This is the 4th consecutive season that "Rickety Rich" has landed on the DL, he hasn't pitched over 100 innings since 2004. Currently every Harden fantasy owner that gloated after 2 great starts has put the bib on and is eating a nice steamy plate of their own words.

• Rice-product Jeff Niemann, who has been a uber-prospect for the Rays for a while will finally make his major league debut on Sunday. Niemann, 25, will replace Matt Garza, who was the uber-prospect that the Twins traded for uber-prospect Delmon Young...you guys like it. Niemann is an enormous man, standing at 6'9'', has been solid in the minors for the Rays. His WHIP had been hovering around 1.10 up until last year when he made the jump. Look out for him.

• The list of players who have declared for the NBA Draft continues to grow with the recent additions of Donte Greene from Syracuse and Joe Alexander from West Virginia. Some of the big names now read:

Donte Greene-Fr.-Syracuse
Joe Alexander-Jr.-West Virginia
Marrese Speights-So.-Florida
Eric Gordon-Fr.-Indiana
Jerryd Bayless-Fr.-Arizona
Brook Lopez-So.-Stanford
Robin Lopez-So.-Stanford
O.J. Mayo-Fr.-USC
DeAndre Jordan-Fr.-Texas A&M
J.J. Hickson-Fr.-North Carolina State
Anthony Randolph-Fr.-LSU
Derrick Caracter-So.-Louisville
Chase Budinger-So.-Arizona
Ronald Steele-Jr.-Alabama

Some of these decisions were not very smart (I am looking at you Ronald Steele, Marrese Speights, Derrick Caracter), and some were a foregone conclusion. What this draft has that is unique is the plethora of big men. Most of the ones already declared are raw, but supremely talented, and there are still a lot of talented big men that haven't declared. For example, Hansborough, Beasley, Love...I just named the three best big men in college last year. There is such a thing as picking you spots. Sometimes someone should have gone and it hurt their status next year, and some did go and it didn't pan out. If Love stays, and the rest go, he could be the best big man available the next year.

These can't be things that only I think of right?

• Johnathan Mitchell, a sophomore forward for the University of Florida has decided to transfer. Which begs the question...Who the F%$K is Johnathan Mitchell.

• A construction worker buried a Red Sox shirt underneath the visiting dugout of the new Yankee Stadium according to the New York Post. That was a brilliant move by the construction worker and here is to hoping the curse begins anew in the Bronx rather than the Bean.

• In the past few weeks I have been wondering what happened to Dennis Dixon, I haven't heard anything about him amid all the hoopla of the NFL Draft. Well, thanks to SI.com, you can now go to Dennis Dixon's web page.
  

It's a Good Time to be a Basketball Fan

I just wanted to take the time to let you know I still think college basketball is better than the NBA. Except for one discernible difference, and that is down the stretch of the regular season. Before the conference tournaments, and even during the conference tournaments teams play with a sense of urgency, but they can't see where they fit into the scheme of the playoffs. Their fate is figuratively in their own hands, but in reality their fate is held by a bunch of grumpy old men from the NCAA.

But the NBA? Down the stretch, especially this season and especially in the Western Conference, it seems like every night of the week another huge game is going on with playoff implications on the line. Last night we had 2, the Mavericks sealed a playoff berth with their 97-94 victory over the Jazz, and Golden State continued their not-so-fun streak of losing every important game since the end of March when they got drubbed by the Nuggets last night 115-104.

In both of these games the teams played with a sense of urgency, and the playoff atmosphere (especially in Dallas) was palpable. Aside from the playoffs, which were awesome to watch last year as well, the home stretch of the regular season is the best time for the NBA because Baron Davis, and Dirk Nowitski, and David Stern, and Dennis Rodman, and my grandmother can all see how everything is going to shake out, and what exactly each team needs to do...its f*%&ing exhilarating!

First, in the most exciting game of the night in Dallas. Dirk may have finally shaken some of the demons that have been haunting him since he won that MVP award last season. He used to be feared in crunch time because of his ability to hit the big shot. But this season it seems like every big shot he has tried to take he has missed, and the pundits and fans alike have reamed him for it.

Now, since his injury, it seems like Dirk is playing with a chip on his shoulder. He is back to being that sweaty mess who yells and yanks on his jersey after every key bucket, and I like it. Last night he played like a man possessed. It seemed as if every defender who Utah stuck on him was getting abused by Dirk's various array of trick shots.

They needed every single one of those buckets too because Josh Howard left early in the second half when he re-aggravated his bruised knee. With the third scoring option out of the lineup in the second half, Utah closed the gap and were only down one at the end of the third quarter. But Dirk combined with Jason Terry to score 25 of the team's 30 4th quarter points, in an insane display of shooting prowess.

But the real issue was Utah, after watching Deron Williams' miracle bank shot go in to tie the game, the rest of the Jazz stood and half-celebrated, but certainly didn't get back and play any defense. Instead they let Jason Terry surreptitiously take the inbounds pass, fly past a few weak swipes at the ball, and hit Dirk open to the left for an open 3-pointer. I understand they got caught up in the moment, and most likely I would have stood there and basked in the ridiculousness of Williams' shot, but knowing there was over 6 seconds on the clock they should have been aware of the situation.

The Nuggets, on the other hand, didn't earn the win as much as the Warriors handed it to them. There of course is the obligatory remarks regarding the Warriors pathetic attempt at defense. But that is not the real reason the Warriors have choked in every meaningful game in the past week. Johnny Ludden wrote an article for Yahoo today about the dangers of the Warrios playing the style that they do, but he really under-stated just how dangerous that style can be.

For example, last week, when the Warriors dropped a game to the Mavericks 86-111, the team shot 4-16 from behind the arc, not the worst number in the world, but for a team that makes it's living lobbing grenades at the rim, you would certainly hope for a better number. Just 4 nights later, in a battle against the West-leading New Orleans Hornets, the Warriors didn't bother to show up, shooting an egregious 3-29 from behind the arc. Then again last night, they were marginally better, shooting 6-27 from behind the three-point line.

For a team that everyone, including themselves, knows cannot play any defense, maybe a little more time selecting their shots would be wise because frankly Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson are just plain rash in their decision-making, and it leads to poor shooting percentages. As much as I love the lovable cast of characters on the Warriors, and as fun as watching them hurl it up from everywhere on the court is, this team is not built for the playoffs, and they continue to prove it with their play down the stretch.

Biggest Stories of Baseball

I want to start off by saying that there are certain topics that the media beats to death, that I consequently will not address in the biggest stories. For example, the Detroit Tigers starting 1-7 are a big story, but everybody already knows about their struggles. The Baltimore Orioles are 6-1, but of course everyone already knows that as well, instead I will address a number of different things so that hopefully, someone can learn something from my writing.

1) Cardinals Pitching
The Cardinals were supposed to have an off year because despite a solid lineup, they didn't have very many reliable starters. Let me break it down for you.

Adam Wainright 2007: 14-12, 202.1 innings, 13 home runs allowed, 136 strikeouts, 3.70 ERA, and a mediocre 1.40 WHIP

Braden Looper 2007: 12-12, 175 innings, a whopping 22 home runs allowed, 87 Ks, 4.94 ERA, and 1.39 WHIP

Todd Wellemeyer 2007: 3-2, 63 innings, 7 home runs allowed, 51 Ks, 3.11 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

Kyle Lohse 2007 (w/Phillies and Cincy): 9-12, 182.2 innings, another 22 home runs allowed, 122 Ks, 4.60 ERA, 1.39 WHIP

Brandon Thompson 2007: 8-6, 129.1 innings, 23 home runs allowed, 53 Ks, 4.74 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and opponents hit .301 against him.

So there you have it, 2 converted relievers (Looper and Wellemeyer), one mediocre starter (Wainright), one over-priced mediocre pitcher (Lohse), and one throw-away (Thompson). This starting 5 is scary bad for the Cardinals. But, somehow this season they have done a miraculous job. Wellemeyer has struck out 17 batters combined in his 2 starts, Lohse hasn't allowed a run in 12 innings pitched this season, Wainright ate up 8 innings in his only start, Thompson has been a little bit better than ordinary, and Looper has won both his starts and his WHIP is barely above 1.

I know, I know, they have only played 9 games, but in an extremely tough NL central, if these numbers are even remotely indicative of what the Cardinals can look forward to, their offense might be able to push them into the playoffs.

2) Johnny Cueto
Hi, My name is Johnny Cueto, my 22nd birthday was less than 2 months ago, and I am now the best hope the city of Cincinnati has for a revitalized pitching staff. Last season I jumped around more than the NBA's Jim Jackson, and was downright filthy at every level. This spring I was a revelation for the Reds and story-hunting sportswriters alike.

But no one thought I could keep it up in the regular season, and they were right, all I have done is strikeout 18 batters in a little more than 13 innings, have a ridiculous WHIP of .45, and aside from 2 home runs, make hitters look stupid trying to hit the baseball.

My buddy Edison Volquez and I were talking the other day about how we might be just the guys to finally get the Reds back into playoff contention. We know we have a strong offense, but the past years we have been doomed because our number 1 starter has been a white boy that wears corn-rows. Now, with a revamped bullpen, and a bonafide stopper at the end in Cordero, we are poised to make some noise in what has undoubtedly become the most difficult division in all of baseball. We are sick of being the whipping boys and cellar-dwellers, we are going to do it this season.

3) Mets Pitching Woes
This is almost as much a non-story as it is a story. I want to let the record show that I never doubted for a minute that Pedro would get hurt before the end of May. Granted only 4 innings wasn't exactly how I predicted, but granted the way he was pitching and the serious lack of velocity he displayed, the Mets should be almost be glad he is gone.

Now for the Amazin's it's back to square one. Last season pitching depth, and lack of Major-League ready starting pitching doomed them, maybe wasn't the reason for the collapse, but it certainly contributed to it because they didn't have a free-fall stopper. Enter Johan Santana, the Mets got their free-fall stopper, but lost Pedro, and Orlando Hernandez, and Duaner Sanchez, and Matt Wise. The Mets are going to have to make a deal at the trading deadline, maybe for an Ian Snell type player who can shore up that rotation and give this team 5 starters they feel comfortable with.

For the time being they will try to stop the flooding with a combination of Nelson Figueroa, Jorge Sosa, and maybe Aaron Heilman, the 2001 first-round pick. But even when or if Pedro and El Duque make it back, it seems unlikely these guys will be able to give the Mets a steady starter as they run towards the playoffs. My guess...the Mets will be major players at the trading deadline.

This Day in Baseball

Ahh we are 3 or 4 games into the season depending on who you follow, already writers have begun to fall in love with...Kosuke Fukudome, Kansas City, Rich Harden, the fact the Tigers can't hit, Ryan Zimmerman, etc. So what I want to try to do is breakdown key games today.

Tigers v. White Sox
N. Robertson v. J. Contreras
Both of these teams have started slow, but the White Sox have a legitimate excuse, they can't pitch worth a shit.....oops, I mean they played the Indians. The Tigers really have no excuse for scoring 5 runs in three games against the formidable trio of Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, and Zach Grienke. Hopefully today we will see the bats awaken from their slumber, especially against Contreras, who could possibly be 50 and just have a forged birth certificate. One thing is for certain...the Tigers need Curtis Granderson back in their lineup, I don't know who Clete Thomas is, but he sounds like his parents were a little out of the loop when they had a child way back in the 80s.

Mets v. Braves
J. Maine v. T. Hudson
This is probably my favorite rivalry in the National League, with apologies to the new Cubs and Brewers rivalry. We should see another good game here tonight with John Maine making his debut looking to build on a stellar 2007 season (15-10, 3.91 ERA, 180 Ks) facing Tim Hudson, who is basically as steady and consistent as they come. Texeira, McCann, and Chipper will have their hands full facing Maine, but I think the Braves still have a terrific team. My fearless prediction is Francoeur will go deep for the first time this season tonight, and David Wright will continue to mash.

*On a semi-related note, Mike Hampton has once again injured himself, now it's a strained chest. Either this guy is frailer than my grandmother, or he has some bad luck. Either way I feel bad for him and the Braves, but I think its time for Hampton to retire.

Royals v. Twins
J. Bale v. S. Baker

Hooray for the Royals! Feel good story 2008!...Please, give me a break, every year this happens, everyone remember Chris Shelton hitting in April like Gehrig? Sure you do, did it last very long? Nope. Does he still play on the team? Nope.

So hopefully I can save some people from jumping on the Royals bandwagon, although I am sure any baseball fan worth his salt is jumping anywhere near it. Case and point, John Bale is 34 years old, he has less than 150 total innings in his career, before 40 innings with the Royals last year, he hadn't pitched since 2003, yet now he is the Royals number 4 starter? I am sorry Royals fans, I like rooting for you guys, I really do, but when a 34-year-old journeyman and Brett Tomko are your 4th and 5th starters, you aren't going to have a good season.

*But, Royals fans can take solace in the fact that with Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and Mark Teahan, they now have a legitimate 3-4-5 crew that can strike some fear into pitchers hearts.

*On another note, Brendan Harris and Adam Everett are a combined 5-21 with 1 RBI, and 1 extra-base hit...I wouldn't be surprised to see those numbers stay the same...that's just pathetic production from the middle of your infield.

Diamondbacks v. Rockies
M. Owings v. M. Redman
The Rockies will be hoisting their first NL pennant today at Coors Field. Meanwhile, in the bleachers, fans will be given obligatory hard hats because everybody's favorite batting practice pitcher (Redman) and everybody's favorite silver slugger/mediocre pitcher (Micah Owings) will be squaring off.

The NL West is so even this season it's impossible to determine where these teams will finish because there are so many different factors that go into making these teams successful. Will anyone regress on Colorado? Will 'Zona's youngsters step up this season? Can the Rockies even pitch? We can predict all we want, but no one knows, not even the players. This one will be fun because combined this game will eclipse double-digit runs, but it really won't matter in the grand scheme of things...but thats why we have sports writers, because the viewers and fans are too lazy to create dramatic reality themselves.

Until Monday everybody....

Random Thoughts

I figured, since I am down in Washington D.C., and since for some reason the Maryland/Virginia area doesn't carry NESN, I would offer up some random thoughts in small sample sizes about how the season has started out. Enjoy!

Everyone from ESPN, to some of my friends who watch ESPN have been harping on Scott Hairston. I, however, am not impressed. So, in 16 games the guy has 7 home runs at PETCO Park...that's a really small sample size, yet everyone is anointing him as the guy to look out for in San Diego. I am not saying he is a bad player, because I think when it is all said and done he will be productive in San Diego, but he certainly isn't a stud that people looking for a hot waiver wire pick up should be looking for. Also, he is 28.


Yunel Escobar looks like the real deal for Atlanta. Remember, this is the young guy who came up last year for the Braves and played some second base and just smoked the ball all over the park in half a season. What really impresses me about Escobar is that he walks aaa lot for a player with less than 400 career at bats.

He already has 4 walks this season, and I know the opening series has been against the Pirates, but he looks like the player who the Braves thought he would be when they dumped Renteria in favor of the younger, and cheaper replacement.

If their opening series is any indication, the Minnesota Twins aren't going to need the starting pitching help they thought they would after all...instead they will need people to hit the ball. I think Morneau and Mauer, and even Cuddyer will all play up to their potential and be good offensive players.

But Carlos Gomez is still a year away I think, Craig Monroe is a free-swinger who really can't be counted on to produce, and the middle infield of Adam Everett and Brendan Harris doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. For example, in 3 games, the Twins have managed 4 extra base hits, 0 home runs, and a terrific .240 batting average. But the most telling stat for this young team is that they have walked a whopping 6 times as a team....let it sink in....as a team! Gary Sheffield is halfway there by himself. Well maybe you guys can take solace if Jesse Ventura is able to run for president....

Folks I am ready to pick my NL MVP. My traits for an MVP include being able to mash, being handsome, and being well-spoke, plus the New York media has to fawn over you like they did over Sinatra, and DiMaggio, and Artie Lange....oh wait, not Artie. David Wright, come on up and collect your prize. The guys from Firejoemorgan.com picked him last year based on some stats I tried to become familiar with and all I ended up doing was hurting my head.

But while I assume those stats lend creedence to the argument, I know that the way Wright looks locked in this season he is due for a monster, monster year. I would like it to be known I picked him first, before anyone does their mid-season awards or any bullshit like that, I picked him...he's my precioussssssss

If the Red Sox only had to pitch Matsusaka and Lester, they would be due for their third world championship in 5 years, but unfortunately, Tim Wakefield and the young Clay Buchholz still have to pitch...oh well, it was worth wishing.

Red Sox Opener

I am truly happy to report the Red Sox are now a half-game ahead of the Yankees thanks to timely hitting by two players, and solid bullpen work. Manny Ramirez was 2-5 with 4 rbis, and Brandon Moss had 2 rbis including a game-tying home run off a previously solid closer in Huston Street.

Dice-K didn't look that good giving up a long ball to Mark Ellis in the first inning and walking 5 batters, something that plagued him all of last year as well. I can also safely assume that Dice-K was just a teeny bit nervous on account of the adrenaline that must have been pumping in every inning he pitched.

The bullpen, looked solid, especially Okajima, Lopez, and Corey, and count me in as one of the people who couldn't care less how poor Papelbon looked last year, he will right the ship, I have no doubt about it.

Was it just me or was it really weird to see Keith Foulke pitching for the As. I can't believe he is still around and pitching effectively. I could have sworn his arm gave out in 2004, and now he just dragged it around like a dead body. But, apparently I was very wrong, and he even pitched well in his inning of work. Best of luck to Keith on his comeback, Red Sox Nation always holds a place in their heart for members of the 2004 team, especially closers who pitched the final out of the World Series victory.

Jason Varitek looks really old out there. I hate to say that the Captain is losing his grip on his plate appearances, but his 3 strikeouts and his lack of competitive or challenging at-bats really scares me. I know his production is not really important compared to the way he works with our young pitching staff, but I would like to see him give us .260, 14 homers, and a .350 OBP. That would be really nice...pretty please?

Sweet 16

Before we get started I want to let you know how I did in my player to watch predictions.

1. Courtney Lee
72 Minutes Played, 44 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 6 turnovers
Synopsis: Lee deferred quite a bit in the first game against Drake to his teammate Tyrone Brazelton, but still made his presence known with 15 points and 9 rebounds. In game 2, he was much more assertive and dominated the game from start to finish with 29 points and 7 rebounds on 9-15 shooting. I would say I predicted well on this one, although I am only 1 out of 30 million people who told you to look out for him.

2. Josh Young
40 Minutes played, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers
Synopsis: While Young's stats look about right for what he did on the season, he was turned in a relatively poor performance in his only game of the tournament. He will have 2 more years to make a dent in the NCAAs, but starting out 1-11 from behind the three point arc and finishing 5-15 from the field, and 4-14 from behind the arc certainly did not help his game out. Imagine, just 1 of his 10 misses from behind the arc goes in, and Drake moves on to play San Diego with a chance at the Sweet 16. Not well done at all on my part.

3. Garrison Carr
40 minutes played, 26 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers
Synopsis: Carr was the little engine that could for American, and was the only offensive weapon for the Eagles against the staunch defense of Tennessee. He took 21 shots, made 9 of them, including 6 from behind the arc to the tune of 26 points with a rotating set of Tennessee defenders draped all over him. I would say he was a player to watch, for all of those who bet out there American covered the spread so that is a moral victory for them and it was all due to Carr and his sweet outside shooting.

4. Demetric Bennett
33 minutes played, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers
Synopsis: This was the worst player to watch. How can your best player take 8 shots the entire game? Well maybe if he plays with the fire of JD Drew. Bennett was terrible, and Butler ran roughshod over the Jaguars. Unlucky pick by me.

5. Jason Richards
76 minutes played, 35 points, 14 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers
Synopsis: We have some bandwagon jumpers here in the sportswriter world. These guys fawn over Stephen Curry the way college kids fawn over a filet mignon after weeks of their campus dining hall. Curry is that good, I admit, he is the best scorer college hoops has seen in a long time, and he chose a perfect time to get hot against Georgetown, but Andy Katz said the reason Davidson was in the position they are now is solely because of Dell's son. That's just plain wrong.

Jason Richards played 1 more minute than Stephen Curry did, and while he didn't match Curry's offensive output he was more vital to the team's success. Someone is going to try to tell me that having him bring the ball up against the suffocating defense of Jeremy Pargo wasn't more important than all those points for Curry? Even if you think I am crazy for that statement, the only reason Davidson was in the position against Gtown for Curry to take over is because Jason Richards hit every big jumper he took in the first half and the beginning of the second half, he single-handedly kept them within striking distance against the Hoyas and then led the charge back, which consequently took some of the pressure of Curry who promptly flourished.

........Now on to the Sweet 16, I will break down every game and give you three reasons why I think that team will win. (P.S. Mine will be better than what Andy Katz wrote today.)

North Carolina v. Washington State:
Winner is North Carolina

1. Too much offense:
This is a fantastic matchup for analysts because they get to say great offense vs. great defense, something has got to give!!!! Well that is a crock of shit. Anyone who has seen the Tar Heels play so far knows that they are clicking on all cylinders, and if anyone thinks that the Washington State defense will stifle UNC like they stifled the prolific offenses of Winthrop and Notre Dame needs to think again.

5 players scored double figures for the Tar Heels against Arkansas, and Danny Green and Quinton Thomas had 8 and 6 respectively. Washington State can defend, and if anyone can lock up Hansborough its the rough and tumble Aron Baynes, but Carolina has too many weapons.

2. Ty Lawson:
North Carolina has been patiently waiting all season for Lawson to become the point guard he has shown he can be all season, but saddled with injuries, Lawson has struggled to be consistent...until the ACC tournament and now the NCAA tournament.

He had 21 and 4 against Mt. Saint Mary's in limited minutes, and even more impressive was the 19 and 7 he dropped on Gary Ervin yesterday in just 24 minutes. I can't even begin to tell you how many times Stepheson, Thompson and Green dunked the ball thanks to great vision by Lawson. He will be playing full speed against the Cougars, and that is bad news for Tony Bennett's squad.

3. Too much depth:
Everyone has said this all year about the Tar Heels, that they are the deepest team in the country as far as talent from top to bottom, Quinton Thomas could start for every team in the Big Ten practically, and before Bobby Frasor went down, he wasn't even in the rotation. Robbie Cowgill and Aron Baynes make up a real rugged front court, but the fact that North Carolina can rotate Hansborough, Thompson, Stepheson, and Green, 4 legitimate post threats will wear the duo from Wazzu out.

Also, keep in mind that the depth does not end with the front court, it extends to the list of Lawson, and Wayne Ellington, and Thomas, and Marcus Ginyard, and even Will Graves... thats a lot of ANDs, but I use them to make my point. Washington State is relatively deep, they probably run a consistent 8 man rotation and Bennett can go 9-deep if he has too, but the Tar Heels will wear Wazzu out and win handily is my guess.

Tennessee vs. Louisville:
Winner is Louisville

I want to first say that this game, on paper, has the makings to be one of the best games of the tournament thanks to the style of play and depth of the two teams. Both play deep rotations, and both hound their opponents with full-court defense, which is unrelenting due to the number of players that get involved, if I had TiVo, or even a TV in my room, it would be tuned to this game.

1. Size, Size, Size:
Tennessee is not a small team by any means, Wayne Chism, Duke Crews, and Brian Williams make up a solid, but young front court, and if you want to get technical Tyler Smith can join the front court as well. But these guys are very young, and not exactly big-bodied rebounders down low.

Case and point is in the rebounding numbers. While they did a much better job against Butler, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 43-34, Butler is not a tall team and has no one all that physically imposing in the middle of the paint. Yet, the Volunteers were out-rebounded handily, 37-25, by an equally diminutive American team, including allowing 16 offensive rebounds. These are not numbers that inspire confidence.

Do you really think that Tennessee is going to out-rebound a team that features David Padgett, Earl Clark, Derek Caracter, and Juan Palacios, all of whom with the exception of maybe Caracter are seasoned veterans and rebounders? It's just not going to happen. If these four can get Chism, who is the most important front court Volunteer, in foul trouble, they will have a field day drawing Williams out on the perimeter, where all of the Cardinals big men are comfortable, and then driving by them. Not a good sign for Tennessee.

2. Where is the point guard?
Bruce Pearl's decision to hand the point guard role to J.P Prince for the Butler game was a logical one. Prince, a former five-star prospect is a better player than J.P. Howell, a smart veteran who is not dangerous offensively, and a little slow defensively. But for those of you who watched the game you now all see why Bruce Pearl is definitely losing sleep over this match-up looming. Prince had 6 turnovers for the game, including 2 on consecutive possessions with Tennessee either tied or nursing a small lead where he, 1)travelled, and 2) drove baseline and got caught in the air and through the ball to Mike Green which led to the tying basket. Prince is young, and Pearl will live with his errors if he continues to contribute on the glass and the scoreboard. But not against Louisville.

In the past month, the Cardinals have had more turnovers than the opposing team only twice, including their NCAA tournament games. Those games where they had more turnovers were a 14 point win against Villanova, who had an good ball handler in Scottie Reynolds, and a 2 point victory over Pittsburgh, who has an experienced point guard in Levance Fields. The point is, Louisville flat out harasses the ball handlers of whatever team they play. Don't expect the slower tandem of Howell and Prince to be able to beat Jerry Smith, Edgar Sosa, and Andre McGee down the floor very often. Combined with the knowledge that Earl Clark and Terrence Williams think like football safeties and snatch away any pass with a little too much air, and you have a recipe for disaster for Tennessee, who will not be able to handle the Cardinals.

3. The more 3s the merrier:
It is easy to see why this next statement can work both ways for Rick Pitino's team because...wait for it... Louisville lives and dies by the three pointer. Their back to back losses to Georgetown and Pittsburgh in the Big East tournament were because the Cardinals went a combined 8-37 from behind the three-point arc, which is like Memphis from the free-throw line. Jerry Smith and Andre McGee, and Terrence Williams, the big three-ballers for the 'Ville, were abysmal in their consecutive losses before the tournament, and if they shoot poorly again I take back my prediction, and Tennessee will win( I know this is a cop out, because shooting is always a big if...but deal with it.)

The problem for Tennessee is that Louisville seems to have broken out of that shooting slump. Granted their new-found touch came against lesser defensive opponents than Georgetown and Pittsburgh, but shooting 50% from downtown is shooting 50%, and that is ridiculous good for a team that shoots the three like Nate Newton smokes marijuana. Tennessee shoots three as well, but Chris Lofton really isn't assertive enough offensively to break free from Lousiville defender X (and it could be pretty much anyone, my guess is Smith) and Louisville will just continue to shoot until they start to fall and Tennessee will be left picking their noses at the end of the game.

Memphis vs. Michigan State
Winner is...Memphis

1. We have more good players than you:
Reason #1 really speaks for itself. Michigan State is an extremely streaky team, Drew Neitzel can score 30 one night, and put up 6 the next, and don't even get me started on Raymar Morgan, who should be able to take over a game LeBron-style with his body but settles for long jumpers just like LeBron used to. Plus, Drew Naymick and Goran Suton are serviceable, but certainly not threats.
Meanwhile Memphis can run out a team of uber-recruits anytime they want, and they complement the uber-recruits with great role players like Andre Allen, and Antonio Anderson. Just break it down by starting 5.

Derrick Rose is a consensus top 5 draft pick and an incredible talent, as he showed against Miss. State. Kalin Lucas is a great player as well, but not as big or strong or talented as Rose is.

Antonio Anderson doesn't have to score because he plays great defense, and while Neitzel might be a better player, he is one dimensional, and frankly not athletic enough to free himself from Anderson easily every possession. He might get some ok looks, but I guarantee more often than not Anderson will have a hand in his face. Defensively Neitzel might as well not even be there, and Anderson is big, too big for Neitzel to handle.

Raymar Morgan will be a stud, and is certainly a grown man with limitless capabilities. But he is facing a terrific college player and a extremely gifted scorer named Chris Douglas-Roberts. While Roberts might not be a great defender to put on Morgan, sometimes Morgan makes it easy on opposing defenses by settling for bad shots. Meanwhile, Morgan is a good defender, but not good enough to keep Douglas-Roberts from his 17 points.

Robert Dozier is a carbon-copy of Drew Naymick with a little less muscle and a little more skill, and Joey Dorsey, if he plays like he did against Miss. State, is too athletic for Suton, who better be careful to watch the contact or else he could find himself on the bench.

2. Youth will not prevail:
Outside of Naymick, Neitzel, and Suton, all of the Spartans impact players are young, and I include Raymar Morgan. The aforementioned three are a great starting point, but a freshman point guard (Lucas), and back up freshman point guard (Chris Allen) and young, still learning superstar (Morgan) is not a great nucleus to base their teams chances on. These guys will need to play extraordinarily in order to beat the Tigers. Against Pitt Lucas was incredible, but outside of Lucas' 19, Neitzel's 21, and Suton's 14. The Spartans didn't have any other scoring options, and with Derrick Rose and Antonio Anderson likely draped all over the Spartans fantastic back court, scoring will be tougher than it was against Levance Fields, and Ronald Ramon.

Meanwhile Memphis starts a senior (Dorsey), three juniors, (Douglas-Roberts, Dozier, Anderson) and the other-wordly freshman (Rose). Also, their big 4 off the bench (Allen, Doneal Mack, Willie Kemp, and Shawn Taggart) are all sophomores, except Allen who is a senior, and all of them except Taggart played significant minutes in the NCAA tournament run they made last season. Plus they spread their scoring around more than Pittsburgh does, or in other words, they have more weapons, and so it will be important for Michigan State to try and score in bunches or else the game will get out of hand quick.

3. Derrick Rose:
If I had the first pick in the NBA draft, I would take Michael Beasley, but it is absurd for me to think that Eric Gordon is a better pick at number 2 than Derrick Rose, a sure-fire franchise point guard. Rose was brilliant against Miss. State, and he was matched up against a terrific senior point guard in Jamont Gordon who is no slouch. While Kalin Lucas may be able to hang with Rose as far as quickness and pure speed are concerned. The size and strength differential will make an enormous difference in who wins the battle of freshman point guards. My prediction? Rose will come close to a triple-double, and Lucas will not play well.