Author: Tom Blaz

Tom is our featured columnist on FantasySP with more than 25 years of media experience in Radio and TV. You may know his work as a beat reporter for the Washington Redskins and the University of Maryland. He also reported LIVE from the Summer Olympics in Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta. He is an avid Auburn fan, and writes for The Recruiting Eagle, a website focusing on Auburn athletics.

March Madness: NBA prospects

What does your favorite NBA team need in the draft this Summer? What rookies will fly under the radar and come cheap or with a late pick in your fantasy draft? Plenty of future NBA talent is on display during March Madness, scouts are paying close attention and so should you!

Several weeks remain in the NBA regular season, and the order isn’t finalized until the lottery, which is historically held during the NBA conference finals.  The fourteen teams that don’t qualify for the playoffs take part in the lottery, which is weighted so that the teams with the worst records have the best chance for top picks. The process determines the top three picks, with the remainder of the draft sorted by record, worst to best. For those too young to remember, this was put in to keep teams from tanking to get the top overall pick.

Trades have already impacted the 2011 NBA draft. Your favorite team may be without, or have additional selections. Two major deals will effect this year’s lottery selections.

-Utah receives New Jersey’s #1 as part of the Deron Williams trade

-Cleveland with the Clippers #1 as part of the Baron Davis trade

Here is a look at the lottery order if the season ended today. We also project where teams are in need of immediate help, or to continue their rebuilding process.

#1 Cleveland– J.J. Hickson is the only solid building block on the Cavaliers roster. The process will be a long and painful one, but having the #1 overall pick is a great way to start. Point guards are the rage, the Cavs need one.

#2 Washington – The Wizards started the rebuild last season by dumping contracts, it continue this year with Gilbert Arenas sent packing. John Wall is a great start, Washington could use a big time scorer at forward for the next piece.

#3 Sacramento– A major big man and point guard are the hardest positions to fill and the most important on an NBA rosters. The Kings have both in Demarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans. Sacramento can go two guard or add another big.

#4 Minnesota – The T-Wolves are hopeful Ricky Rubio will someday join them. They shouldn’t complain as they absolutely stole the lottery pick they chose him with by dumping Mike Miller and Randy Foye on the Bullets Wizards. Minnesota needs a center to relieve some of the pressure off Kevin Love.

#5 Toronto– DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis and Andrea Bargnani are the core of the Raptors. Jerryd Bayless may not be the long term answer at the point, so Toronto may look there, or a swing man to complement the mercurial DeRozan.

#6Utah (from  New Jersey) – If I were running the Jazz war room, I would go guard with both lottery picks. Devin Harris can maintain the point for awhile, but Utah is in dire need of a two guard. The front court has youth with Al Jefferson, Derrick Favors. Paul Milsap and Gordon Hayward.

#7 Detroit– Rodney Stuckey is money for the Pistons in the back court, now he needs a mate. The front court has some nice pieces in Austin Daye and Greg Monroe but another big man could also be an option.

#8 Milwaukee– The Bucks are set at point guard for years to come with Brandon Jennings, but off guard is another story.  Chris Douglas-Roberts could be an option but is more of a three. In the paint, Andrew Bogut is solid if he can stay healthy and Larry Sanders could develop.

#9 Cleveland (from LA Clippers) – The Cavs really need to make this pick count. Its hard to fail with the #1 overall, but mid-lottery is another story. If Cleveland goes point early, then scoring swing man or another big to go with Dickson could be  the option here.

#10 Charlotte– The Bobcats created another hole with the trade of Gerald Wallace to Portland. DJ Augustin seems serviceable at the point and Steven Jackson and Gerald Henderson are OK on the wing. Tyrus Thomas has the most upside up front, but bigs are a high  priority.

#11 Golden State– The Warriors are loaded on the perimeter with Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, but could use a physical player on the wing. David Lee was a perfect fit and Ekpe Udoh should eventually supplant Andris Biedrins.

#12 Phoenix– Suns a team at the crossroads. Steve Nash on the decline and Amare Stoudamire was not replaced. I didn’t really understand either the Orlando or Houston trades. Aaron Brooks is solid and Hakim Warrick is emerging but Robin Lopez’ lack of development is concerning. Best player available for Phoenix.

#13 Houston– Former college teammates Chase Budinger and  Jordan Hill could develop into a nice front court. Terrence Williams and Patrick Patterson also have potential. Will Yao Ming ever play again and will Hasheem Thabeet develop? Kevin Martin & Courtney Lee are a nice combo at the two, Houston could take a point to push Goran Dragic.

#14 Utah– See pick #6. Guard and Guard for the Jazz in the draft. A true ball handling point and a pure shooter (Jimmer?) to learn and work with Harris would be ideal. A strengthened back court would help young bigs develop.

As you watch March Madness, you will be seeing many of the players that will be selected in the June draft. For your viewing pleasure, here are some of the players competing in the tournament, that may end up a lottery selection.

Post (C/PF) –

Derrick Williams, Arizona;  Jared Sullinger, Ohio State;  Marcus Morris, Kansas;  Markeiff Morris, Kansas;  Tristan Thompson, Texas;  Kenneth Faried, Moorehead State

Wings (SG/SF) –

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina;  Terrence Jones, Kentucky;  Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State;  Chris Singleton, Florida State; Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA;  Kyle Singler, Duke

Guards (PG/SG) –

Kyrie Irving, Duke;  Jimmer Fredette, Brigham Young;  Brandon Knight, Kentucky; Kemba Walker, Connecticut;  Nolan Smith, Kentucky

March Madness: West Regional

 

Breaking news yesterday from the West Regional that impacts the entire tournament. With Coach K confirming that superstar guard Kylie Irving was likely to play pushes Duke into the role of heavy favorite at least in my bracket. Irving who has been out since December 4th with a toe injury is now practicing full bore with the Blue Devils. How good is the kid? How about good enough to be the #1 overall pick in the NBA draft this summer.

Duke fans will have a long way to travel as the West will decide its Final Four entry in Anaheim, California. Early games are in Charlotte, Tuscon, Tulsa and Washington DC.

1st round–

#1 Duke over #16 Hampton– Play this one 100 times and the result would be the same, especially now (Kylie). Irving and Nolan Smith along with Kyle Singler on the perimeter is flat out scary.

#2 San Diego State over #15 Northern Colorado– The Bears moved up to Division 1 just four years ago, unfortunate match up against the most underrated team with most underrated superstar in the country.

#3 Connecticut over #14 Bucknell– The Bison have won 23 of their last 25 games, but lets face it, its the Patriot league vs the Big East here.

#4 Texas over #13 Oakland– I went with the Longhorns here but the Golden Grizzlies are not afraid of anyone. Oakland played five ranked teams in December, including a win over Tennessee and a narrow loss to Michigan State.

#12 Memphis over #5 Arizona– UPSET ALERT The Wildcats are led by one of the most unknown super stars in the country in Derek Williams. However, going with the Tigers here as Arizona hasn’t beaten a ranked team all season.

#6 Cincinnati over #11 Missouri– The improved play of big man Yancy Gates has made all the difference for the Bearcats. The Tigers are one of the few remaining hectic full court press teams left in the country and are fun to watch.

#7 Temple over #10 Penn State– Please don’t let this be the regional game shown in my market!

#9 Tennessee over #8 Michigan– I’d like to go with the Wolverines here based on the superb “Fab Five” production, but since Michigan doesn’t acknowledge it happened, we go with the Vols!

2nd round–

#1 Duke over #9 Tennessee– Scotty Hobson and Tobias Harris are as a dynamic one-two punch as there is in the country, but hoops is a five man game and the Blue Devils are loaded.

#2 San Diego State over #7 Temple– The Owls closed strong winning 11 of 12 with only loss to Duke. Temple over matched especially with two starters injured.

#3 Connecticut over #6 Cincinnati– Big East battle will be a joy to watch. Honestly anything could happen in this one, but when in doubt go with the Kemba show.

#12 Memphis over #4 Texas– UPSET ALERT The Longhorns were flat down the stretch of the regular season. At least they don’t go down in 1st round like they did last year to Wake Forest.

West Regional Semifinals–

#1 Duke over #12 Memphis- The Tigers start four guards and four freshman, so the magic ends here. Irving’s return gives the Blue Devils incredible depth in the back court with Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry coming off the bench.

#3 Connecticut over #2 San Diego State– UPSET ALERT Hard to go against the Aztecs who will have the home court advantage, but Connecticut made a statement in Big East tourney and Kemba Walker will put on a show.

West Regional Final–

#1 Duke over #3 Connecticut– Duke going with both Plumlee’s in the starting lineup strengthens their only weakness. Ryan Kelly very versatile off the bench with the ability to fill in across the front court. Don’t forget Kelly was the slam dunk and 3 point champion as a high school senior.

March Madness: Southwest Regional

Headlining the South West region are top seed Kansas and #2 Notre Dame. The Jayhawks have  much to prove after falling in 2nd round a year ago to Northern Iowa.  The 16th and final spot in the South West region will be decided tonight as Southern California takes on Virginia Commonwealth in Dayton, Ohio in a “First Four” play in game*. The South West Final Four representative will be decided at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Early round games take place in Chicago, Tulsa and Denver.

1st round:

#1 Kansas over #16 Boston University– KU rolls into its 22nd straight tournament coming off their seventh straight Big 12 crown.

#2 Notre Dame over #15 Akron– Irish proved they were for real with the win at Pittsburgh.

#3 Purdue over #14 St.Peters– Solid season for the Boilermakers led by Big 10 player of the year JaJuan Johnson.

#4 Louisville over #13 Moorehead State– Louisville has its hands full with Kenneth Faried who led the nation in rebounding and field goal percentage.

#12 Richmond over # 5 Vanderbilt– UPSET ALERT The Spiders Princeton offense give the Commodores fits.

#6 Georgetown over *Play In– Hoyas get point guard Chris Wright back from wrist injury who makes them click.

#10 Florida State over #7 Texas A&M– Seminoles bolstered by Chris Singleton’s return from injury.

#9 Illinois over #8 UNLV– Lon Kruger falls to his former team. The defensive minded Runnin Rebels just don’t have enough offense.

2nd round:

#1 Kansas over #9 Illinois– Bill Self defeats his former team. The Illini seemed headed for big things after wins over UNC and Gonzaga before the New Year, but went 11-12 rest of way.

#2 Notre Dame over #10 Florida State– Big East Player of the Year Ben Hansbrough leads the senior laden Irish.

#6 Georgetown over #3 Purdue– UPSET ALERT Might have been different had the Boilermakers had injured star Robbie  Hummel.

#4 Louisville over #12 Richmond– The one-two punch of Kevin Anderson and Justin Harper get the Spiders into second round, but Cardinals have way too much depth.

SW Semfinals:

#4 Louisville over #1 Kansas– UPSET ALERT Louisville can beat anyone on a given night, with signature wins over Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Connecticut. Streaky three point shooting, depth and defense get it done for Rick Pitino.

#2 Notre Dame over #6 Georgetown- The Irish can score with anyone, ask Villanova about the 25 three pointers the Irish rained down on them. Notre Dame is deep, can play defense and is clutch in close games.

SW Final:

#2 Notre Dame over #4 Louisville– The Irish return to the Final Four for only the second time, the first since the Digger Phelps era.

March Madness: First Four

Did you catch the “First Four” last night?  One great game and one blowout.  In the opener in Dayton, Ohio, North Carolina-Asheville defeated Arkansas-Little Rock in overtime. Their reward? An opening round date with #1 seed Pittsburgh! In the second game, as expected, Clemson blew out Alabama-Birmingham. The Tigers advance to take on West Virginia in the main draw. Play continues tonight as Texas San Antonio plays Alabama State with the winner getting top overall seed Ohio State next. In the nighcap, an interesting battle with Southern California up against Virgina Commonwealth. The Trojans have been the definition of inconsistent. USC’s signature wins include Texas, Tennessee, UCLA, Arizona and Washington.  Southern Cal Coach Kevin O’Neill returns after a brief suspension to lead the 19-14 Trojans. VCU shocked favorite George Mason in their conference tournament to earn an invite, the first time three teams from the Colonial Athletic Conference received bids. Georgetown awaits the winner of that matchup.

If you watched last night, what were your thoughts of the TruTV coverage. It was a blend of CBS and TNT with the network blending the usual suspects of College Basketball like Jim Nantz with NBA holdovers including Charles Barkley. I thought the coverage was good overall but the mix of hosts seemed a bit akward.

Almost all bracket pools do not include any of these games, so tonight (and tomorrow morning) is your last chance to fill out your brackets. With that in mind, here are some trends to keep in mind.

-A #1 seed has never lost its 1st game since the tourney expanded to 64.

-Its been 10 years since a #2 seed lost its first game.

-12 seeds are most likely to post 1st round upset (23 in past 26 tourneys)

-One of top 4 seeds will fall before Sweet 16 (90 of last 104 chances)

-Don’t pick all #1’s for the Final Four (only happened once ever)

March Madness tips tonight!

 

No, don’t worry your brackets probably aren’t due yet.

Tonight’s action is more than your usual Play-In variety. While we do have the usual suspects, this time around the “First Four” includes some big boy programs too. In addition to the four lowest rated teams (UTSA, UALR, Alabama St and UNC Asheville) the “First Four” includes the last four At-Large teams as well.

Alabama Birmingham and Clemson play tonight at 9pm EST with the winner advancing to play West Virginia on Thursday. The selection of UAB has been under fire with teams like Virginia Tech and Colorado getting left out. The Blazers boast only one win vs RPI top 50 and lost to lowly East Carolina in their conference tournament. Clemson is led by the veteran backcourt of Andre Young and Demontez Stitt and should advance to play West Virginia. Tomorrow, Southern California takes on Virginia Commonwealth with the winner advancing to meet Georgetown.

Here are some interesting tidbits from the last 15 March Madness tournaments. (since 1996)

-1 Fewest #1 seeds in the Final Four (twice)

-1 Number of Final Fours without a top seed

-2 Most Championships. (UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Connecticut and Florida)

-3 Number of Final Four appearances by Kansas

-3 Number of #5 seeds, or lower, making it to Final Four

-5 Number of Final Fours with only one #1 seed participating.

-6 Most Final Four appearances: Michigan State and UNC

-33 Number of different schools appearing in Sweet 16

-35 Number of #9 seeds, or lower, advancing to Sweet 16

The 8 vs 9 game truly is a toss up, split 30-30

Most Sweet 16 apperances?

9 Kentucky and Kansas

8 Arizona

7 UNC and Syracuse

6  Texas

Finally, 10 different schools have been crowned champion.

If you need a handy TV guide, here you go! http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/ncaatournament/2011/tvguide.htm