It is Time to Shut Down the Michigan State Men's Basketball Program

Izzo can be the new coach of the Michigan Prison System Basketball team 

A recent report came out and said that 3 basketball players from the 2015 Final Four Michigan State team raped a female student. I have written about the Nassar stuff and the basketball and football programs at MSU of their supposed cover ups of rape and assault for about 2 decades. It is a horrible story, and every day it seems like a new story comes up like this.

At this point, why would anyone not believe that this stuff is true? Why would anyone go to bat now for guys like Mark Dantonio and Tom Izzo? Why should anyone believe anything that any worker in the athletic department says anymore? This is not a one time thing, it is clearly systemic. This is a problem that needs to be addressed and stopped. Ever since the Nassar story broke, then the massive cover ups from football and men’s basketball, and Mark Emmert’s previous knowledge of all this, there is a clear problem at MSU involving major athletics, and there seems to be no end in sight. Oh, and has Izzo come out and said anything about this new accusation? Of course not. He is totally silent. I feel like he has to know the end is near. Mark Dantonio should be in trouble himself, although you hear him talk and he claims everyone else is lying and wrong because he is a moron.

With the new story concerning the Spartans basketball team, I’m shocked that Tom Izzo is still employed as I write this. He should have been gone months ago, but he somehow managed to keep his job. Now, 3 players from a team only 3 short years ago, are being accused of rape by another student. This is a problem. The student reported this to the school police, and as they’ve done with all the other accusations involving athletes, they covered it up. They told the student that was raped to not talk about it. They pretty much told her that no one would believe her. And, just like all the other reports, it was slipped under the rug. I’m sure these 3 players went on to continue their college careers and saw no real consequences. Izzo claims he handles this in house, but what does that really mean? Did he make them run some stairs or do some other basketball drills? How is that a real punishment for rape? That is criminal. They should have been arrested and persecuted, if the accusation is true.

I’m still shocked at this stuff every time I hear about it. These stories never seem real to me. I don’t know how one person can force another person to do something against their will, and then go on to live with themselves. And for coaches, trainers, teammates and athletic directors to help with the cover up, that disgusts me. There is a real, and concerning problem at MSU. I have a daughter and if she wants to go there for college, I will do everything in my power to talk her out of it. This stuff is not stopping and people are not being held accountable. In fact, the people involved are literally getting away with criminal activities because they’re good at sports. That is so wrong. Kids should feel safe at college. They shouldn’t live in fear of other students because they are good athletes. Coaches are supposed to be molding model adults. That is not happening at MSU. Female students don’t feel safe at MSU.

The NCAA needs to get this investigation done ASAP because if they don’t, this will continue to happen. That’s so scary to me. Also, I have to keep saying this is not my Wolverines bias talking. I’m legitimately worried by all of this, no matter the university. This isn’t like illegal recruiting or paying players, we are taking about athletes getting away with rape. This is a scary time to be a female in college, especially at MSU. I feel for the students who had to go through something this terrible, but I applaud their guts to come forward.

Enough is enough, and these monsters need to be outed. Tom Izzo is a monster who keeps hiding this, and as long as he is still employed I will continue to be outraged at how absurd/scary/stupid the NCAA truly is. This needs to be stopped, and it needs to be stopped now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. 

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Ty Watches the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game

The college basketball season came to an end last night.

I watched because the Wolverines were playing. I have been in and out of this particular tournament, but I have watched all of Michigan's games, either on TV or my phone. I had to watch the entire game last night because it was the title game. I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that this particular Michigan team would make it this far when the season started. I thought they could push for a tournament bid, but to be in the title game, I was kind of in shock. And, even after the spread of 6.5 points, which is a ton in basketball, was released, I still thought that maybe, just maybe, Michigan could find a way to win a title. I bought into the talk that their defense would be able to, not shut down, but slow down Villanova's three point shooting prowess. They came off a pretty impressive second half against Loyola Chicago, the darlings of the tournament, so I also thought that they had momentum going into the title game.

What I failed to realize was how dominant Villanova had been this entire tourney. They pretty much destroyed every team in their way. Hell, two nights before the title game, they throttled a very solid KU team. They made 18 three pointers and they pretty much shut down a pretty solid KU offense. The closest any team had played Villanova was Texas Tech, and Villanova won that game pretty easily, pulling away to a 12 point victory. I looked past all of that and thought that my team could do the unthinkable. No one, and I mean NO ONE, was picking Michigan. I like when that happens because then they can play with a chip on their shoulder.

When the game started, my belief that they could pull off the upset only got stronger. They came out of the gates with their heads on fire. Mo Wagner was killing it down low. Muhammed Ali Abdur Rahkman was finally hitting jump shots. Charles Matthews was attacking the rim and had a great chase down block early. They were doing it all for the first half of the first half.

Then, Villanova calmed down and just took over. As soon as they brought in that red headed Italian dude, it was done. That kid came in the game with Michigan leading 21-14. From that point on, Villanova outscored Michigan the rest of the game 68-41, and it wasn't even that close. Villanova started to hit threes. Villanova made life miserable for Wagner and Matthews. Jalen Brunson was abusing both Zavier Simpson and Abdur Rahkman down low. Mikail Bridges started to assert himself. Villanova's young big men started to destroy Wagner and Jon Teske down low. Basically, Villanova did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted down the stretch of the first half, and the entirety of the second half. Michigan was only down 9 at halftime, but it felt like so much more to me. And, Villanova came out, after giving up an easy 2 to Wagner to start the half, and scored what seemed like the next 11 points to balloon their lead to 15. Then it was 18, then it was 19, and finally, it got as high as 22 points.

I did not give up because anything can happen in a college basketball game, but I'd be lying if I said that I truly thought they could come back. First off, Michigan is not built to make big time comebacks like that. They used to be, because of their three point shooting prowess, but this team was built to dribble drive, play defense and make an occasional three here and there. When Villanova started to hit shots, I kind of knew it was over for them. Also, Villanova's defense, while I felt they got away with a ton of contact, played exceptional last night. They crowded the guards. They forced tough threes from Duncan Robinson. They slowed Wagner down after his hot start. Matthews disappeared in the second half due the defense. They were toast. I also feel like they did not pace themselves properly last night. As I said, they came out on fire, but after that first 10 minutes, they were tired, they had heavy legs and they just couldn't keep up.

The better team won last night. Villanova was clearly, not only last night, the best team in college basketball this year. Last night only further hammered that point home. Watching them for the first time last night, I was blown away at how good they are. They do everything that a winning team should do, and they do it exceptionally. They looked so good last night. I'm sure that is how it was all year. I mean they sat Jalen Brunson, the player of the year, for a good 10 minutes due to foul trouble, and they didn't skip a beat. In fact, their lead grew. This team is a very good team, and they will continue to be a very good team as long as Jay Wright sticks around. They will lose Brunson and Bridges most likely, but every other kid that played important minutes last night will be back. That is scary. Michigan will most likely lose Wagner to the draft, and Abdur Rahkman and Robinson are graduating, but they will return a lot of guys from last night too. They should be good again, but no one is going to be beating this Villanova team any time soon. They have won 2 titles in the last 3 years, and they are only getting better. I have to give props to how good this team is. Villanova is on the verge of being a college basketball dynasty, if they aren't already.

While last night was a very painful watch for me, I am proud of what this Michigan team accomplished this year. I do not believe in moral victories, and last night stunk. That being said, this team won 34 games, won the Big Ten tournament, made the Final Four and made the title game. That is quite impressive for a team that I very little deep postseason hope for coming into the year. John Beilein is doing great work there, and I am now excited to see where this team goes next year. They have a lot of young talent, they will only lose 2-3 guys, and I love the youth that got experience this year.

I will say again, last night was brutal, but I'm excited for next season. Congrats to Villanova though. They  deserved to win, and they showed it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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The SeedSing 2018 MLB Season Preview

Baseball is finally back. Many people are not fans of the great game. It is boring they say. It is full of cheating, they yell. It is a sport that allows old white men to talk about the “good old days”, they lament. The thing is, all of this is true. Yet I still love baseball, and I am going to celebrate by making my 2018 MLB predictions. Now that the great game is underway, it is time to ask a few questions.

Who will win the AL East, the most competitive division in baseball?

Last year I was not high on the Boston Red Sox. I was wrong. The Red Sox held off the upstart Yankees and took the AL East. The Red Sox will repeat as AL East champs. I know most people are picking the Yankees, and I understand why. Aaron Judge is the next great Yankee. The Bronx Bombers also added to their incredible lineup by winning the offseason and trading for Giancarlo Stanton. With all that great offense, comes some below average starting pitching. The Yankees have a great bullpen, but they need multiple quality starters. One big trade will not do in 2018. The Blue Jays and Orioles are good, but they cannot match the offensive power in Boston and New York. Tampa will be good for 75-80 wins, the rebuild will continue. The Red Sox improved line-up, along with their superb starting pitching, will carry them to another AL East title.

What about the rest of the American League divisions?

Cleveland will easily win the Central and the Astros will have the West all sewn up by Labor Day. The Minnesota Twins will have a good year, they will not challenge the Indians. The Angels could have a good year, the Astros are light years better than anyone in the west. Look for Cleveland and Houston to once again sleep walk their ways to division titles.

Will there be any drama in the National League division races?

No.

The Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, and LA Dodgers will win their respective divisions. You can write that down in pen. The Mets, Cardinals, Rockies, and Giants will win more games than they lose, but the Nationals, Cubs, and Dodgers could each easily win 100 or more games. Each of those teams were already great, they got better in the offseason.

Is there anything not certain in the 2018 season?

The wild card races will be wild.

In the AL the Yankees will make the playoffs as the first wild card, but the second spot will come down to the last weekend of the season. The Blue Jays, Orioles, Twins, and Angels all have a good chance to get that second slot. I am going with the Angels to finally make the jump back into postseason baseball and playing the Yankees in the Bronx in the Wild Card game.

The NL wild card race will be a mad dash including the surprising Phillies, the Mets, Cardinals, Brewers, Rockies, and an even more shocking San Diego Padres squad. The Phillies and Padres will be in the race most of the year, but they will falter late in the season. The Cardinals will realize that they need to start the rebuilding process and trade away players at the deadline. That leaves the Mets, Brewers, Giants and Rockies to fight it out. I am going with the Mets travelling to Denver and playing the Rockies in the Wild Card game.

Who will be the worst team in 2018?

The Reds are once again rebuilding and seem to have no plan. They also have Joey Votto, the Ted Williams of our time, and that will give Cincinnati some unearned wins. The Pirates, Rangers, and Royals are also in full rebuild mode. Arizona will see the need to unload talent and will trade at least Zack Greinke to the Yankees at the deadline. The Braves, Mariners, and White Sox will be lucky to get 75 wins.

With all this subpar baseball, the Miami Marlins will be historically bad. Jeter will get headlines, but I would be shocked if the Marlins win 40 games. They will stink.  

What will be the biggest highlights of 2018?

I have already hyped improved squads in Philadelphia and San Diego. Both teams will have over 81 wins in 2018.

I have also addressed the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals will be sellers at the trade deadline and begin the rebuild process the redbirds so desperately need. Look for St Louis to have a whole new look, including a new manager (please let it be Willie McGee), in 2019.

The San Francisco Giants will rebound in 2018. Unfortunately, they will come up just short of making the playoffs.

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will combine for over 100 homeruns.

Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw are going to have their best seasons ever.

The 2018/2019 free agency period is going to see some eye-popping numbers.

What will the 2018 MLB Playoffs look like?

Time to recap. The 2018 division winners and wild cards will look like this.

                  AL East -              Boston Red Sox           NL East -                Washington Nationals

                  AL Central -        Cleveland Indians          NL Central -           Chicago Cubs

                  AL West -             Houston Astros            NL West -               LA Dodgers

                  AL Wild Cards – New York Yankees          NL Wild Cards – Colorado Rockies

                                             LA Angles of SoCal                                     New York Mets 

I am not on the Yankees bandwagon this year. Even if they add someone like Greinke, New York does not have the pitching to go far in the playoffs. The Angels will win the wild card game and then get swept by Houston. The Red Sox balance will not be as good as the Indians balance, Cleveland heads to the ALCS against Houston. The Astro’s World Series defense ends in a great seven game series won by Terry Francona and his Cleveland squad.

The National League is about the Cubs and the Dodgers. The Rockies will win the wild card game, and they will join the Nationals in being on the outside of the NLCS. The Cubs will get redemption on the Dodgers and return to the World Series.

For the third straight year I am picking the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series. Do I have too much faith in Terry Francona. Probably, but I feel extra good about picking Cleveland this year. If they do not deliver, I may have to find a new team next year. Will it be the Yankees after they sign Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw?

Enjoy the 2018 Major League Baseball season.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. 

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Ty's 2018 MLB Preview

Since today is opening day of the MLB season, I figured now would be as good a time as any to give some preseason MLB predictions. Now, as I say every year, RD is the baseball expert here at SeedSing. I played a ton of baseball, and now I coach it, but I do not watch it. I only watch when my son is playing, or if I get free tickets to a Cardinals game. I find the game to be mind numblingly boring. It takes way, way too long. Even if I go to an actual game, if I last 7 innings, I'm proud of myself. Baseball just doesn't do it for me.

But, I am a hero, and I do know enough to write a preview/prediction blog. I watch enough sports television shows to know baseball. Also, as I said, I still coach the game, so it still has some minor importance to me. Anyway, lets get to my predictions.

I'll start with the American League. Lets go with the AL East. So, this is clearly a race between 2 teams, the Yankees and Red Sox. No offense to Toronto, Baltimore or Tampa, but come on. Toronto may surprise some, they do have Josh Donaldson still, but they will not catch the top 2 teams. Baltimore, if they eventually trade Manny Machado, will be back to rebuilding. And Tampa, what a joke that franchise is right now. But, the Yankees and Red Sox each spent money, added players and look to be the class of the East. Personally, I think the Yankees will win the division. They took a humongous leap last year and were one win away from the World Series. Now, they have Giancarlo Stanton. The Red Sox added JD Martinez, but he isn't Stanton. Stanton pushes the Yankees over the top for me.

Next is the AL Central. The Indians should absolutely run away with this division. They are far and away the best team in this division. Cleveland is back to being a perennial power. The Royals, just a few short years after winning the World Series, are having a fire sale. They are starting to get rid of a lot of good players. The Tigers only have Miguel Cabrera, and he deserves so much better than that. The Twins, who shockingly made the playoffs last year, will be good, but I do not think they can replicate last year's performance. And the White Sox are just a very average baseball team. Honestly, I cannot name one player on their team. The Indians pretty much have it all, and maybe they will finally take that next step and reach, and then win, the World Series this year. Maybe. 

Finally we have the AL West. Again, this is pretty much a one team division race. The Astros are so much further ahead of every team in this division. They also happen to be the reigning World Series champs. They do have it all. Great pitching, solid base hitters, speed, some power guys, the Astros are loaded. They could easily return to the World Series. Their most serious in division threat is the Angels, but they just cannot get over the hump. Mike Trout is an otherworldly baseball player, and he is being wasted in Anaheim. The Angels have names, but those names are too old, or unproven. I will say, I am very intrigued by the new guy they got that is a pitcher and a hitter. He should be fun to watch, if I ever watch a game of theirs. I'm done buying into all the Mariners hype. Every year they have hype, every year I buy in, but no more. They may win 80 or so games, but that is it. The A's and the Rangers are trash. They have both kind of gutted their rosters and are starting from scratch once again. Astros all the way in this division.

Now, lets dive into the National League. Lets first look at the NL East. This division, much like most of the AL, is a one team race. The Nationals, in Bryce Harper's last year under contract, are the clear favorites. They have 2 of the best pitchers in the game, a great lineup, and probably the second best player in all of baseball on their team in Harper. The Mets have great pitching, but none of the guys are healthy at the same time. Their lineup leaves a lot to be desired. They have fallen hard since making the World Series a few years back. The Phillies actually made some moves, mainly acquiring Jake Arrieta, and are on the path to being relevant again, but they still are a few years away. The Braves are better, but I am not going to go all RD on you guys and say that they will push for the playoffs. They are getting better, but they are still young and they still need time. The Marlins, they are a joke. They have gotten rid of anyone that was any importance to that team for the past 5 years or so. They are clearly starting over, and I wouldn't be shocked if they win less than 50 games this whole season. The Nationals will easily win this division.

Now the NL Central. The Cubs are going to win this division again, and that could catapult them to another World Series appearance, and possibly, another title. They are loaded, young, have great coaching and the best GM baseball has ever seen. As much as I may dislike them, I respect the hell out of what they are doing there. The Cubs are going to be very good for a very long time. The Cardinals are their biggest threat. The Cardinals are always their biggest threat, but they finally got some power and youth. I love the addition of Ozuna from the Marlins. The Cardinals need a power hitter, and he is a monster of a power hitter. What the Cardinals lack is dominant pitching. Their starting 5 is very ho hum, and Adam Wainwright is hurt once again. The Cardinals will compete, they always do, but they are not at the Cubs level right now. The Brewers are getting some hype, but I don't know. Every time they get some hype, they seem to fall flat on their face. I wish them luck because they are the team of my father's youth, but I do not see them pushing either the Cardinals or Cubs. The Pirates have had a fire sale. They no longer have Andrew McCutcheon, and that is a brutal blow for them. They are back to the drawing board. And the Reds, sorry RD, they are still rebuilding. They do have Joey Votto, but that is about it. They need to trade him for youth and do a full on rebuild. The Cubs will win this division with ease.

Finally, the NL West. The Dodgers and Giants will fight for the crown. I know the Diamondbacks were in the playoffs last year, but that was a one time thing. They also lost JD Martinez, and Zack Greinke looks to be miserable right now. The Rockies pushed a little last year too, but just like the Diamondbacks, I think that was a flash in the pan. They have also traded or gotten rid of some key players. The Padres might be the second worst team in baseball, behind only the Marlins. They stink. But, the Dodgers have all the money and the best pitcher in baseball. The Giants have a tremendous lineup, with the addition of McCutcheon and another all star. But, Madison Bumgarner is hurt again, and that puts the onus on Johnny Cueto to be their ace. He can handle that, but what about the pitchers behind him? Can they hold on until Bumgarner gets back? Time will tell. I like the Dodgers once again. They are loaded and they have Clayton Kershaw. They also won 100 plus games last year, and they were in the World Series. Their time is now for a push.

As far as the playoffs, The ALCS will feature the Yankees and the Indians. I am going to go with the Indians one more time. I love their team, I like Terry Francona, and I'd love to see them push through and win the World Series. In the NL, I have the Dodgers and Cubs, with the Cubs returning to the World Series. So, we have a rematch from 2 years ago. Unfortunately for Cleveland, I think it will be much of the same. I think it will be a good series, but I think the Cubs will win. They have only gotten better over the past 2 years, and I think they are on the verge of being a possible dynasty. As far as awards go, I am only going to do the Cy Young and MVP, I have Justin Verlander winning the Cy Young and Giancarlo Stanton winning the MVP. In the NL I have Stephen Strasburg, finally putting together a full, awesome year, winning the Cy Young and Kris Bryant, jumping into the conversation with Harper and Trout as one of the best to ever play, winning the MVP.

There you have it, my best guess at a sport I barely watch anymore. Take all of this with a big grain of salt, but also know, I do have an idea of what I'm talking about.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He does the hard work by posting his preview first, stay tuned for the "expert" opinion. Hint, it will be very similar.

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LiAngelo Ball and Michael Porter Jr are Not Ready for the NBA

Two 19 year old basketball players have just declared for the draft. I know last week I talked about 5 “one and done” players, but I believe all 5 of those have a chance to have decent NBA careers, if not great careers. These 2 players I am extremely skeptical about. I’ll talk about each individually, and what makes their decision so confounding for me.

The first player is LiAngelo Ball. Now, I am extremely hard on the entire Ball family due to their outrageous father. I do have to say, Lonzo has exceeded my expectations. He looks like he will be a quality player for a good decade. He’s not the best rookie, not by a mile, but he’s not the worst either. He is right down the middle. But, his brother LiAngelo declaring for the draft is insane to me. This kid, by all accounts, doesn’t really seem to have a future in the NBA, G League, or any other overseas league, except the one he played in this year. I’ve heard things like, he’s too slow, not good enough of a shooter, has a bad first step, isn’t a good enough defender, and so on and so forth. From what I’ve heard, it is going to take this kid a long, long time before he is ready for major professional basketball. This is clearly a case of a father essentially forcing his child to do what he wants him to do. Lavar Ball is clearly living through his children, and now it will cause problems. I’m 100 percent certain that LiAngelo will go undrafted. Even if he has one amazing workout, he will still get passed by this amazing draft class. It is no secret how good this upcoming draft class is too. People have stated, and I’ve watched a ton of college basketball this year, that this class can be special. I agree with them all. And for a player of LiAngelo’s “talent”, he is going to get passed upon for all 60 picks. As I stated, I’m one hundred percent certain he won’t get picked. If he does somehow, he will not get a contract. I also do not think he’s good enough for the G League either. This is a horrible decision, and will make LiAngelo Ball a footnote, or a cautionary tale.

The next player will get picked, probably in the late lottery, but if he came back to school for one more year, I think he’d easily be a top 5 pick. That player is Michael Porter Jr. Porter Jr has the talent. The kid can play basketball. Sure, his first step can be better and he needs to work on his man defense. But, he can shoot and he can find ways to score. He will find a team somewhere in the NBA, and he will be on a pro team for, at least, a decade. My qualms with his decision is, why now? Why not return to Missouri for one more year to work on his game? The worst thing he could have done this season was comeback for the SEC and NCAA tournament. This gave scouts a chance to really scrutinize his game. Had he taken the whole season off, I think he would easily be a top 10 pick this year. The potential would have been more than enough for some team drafting early to take a chance. Teams draft based on potential now. But, he came back, pressed too hard, missed too many shots and got beat too much on defense. Now NBA teams have this film on him, and it will go against his favor. They are going to think long and hard before drafting him. And I know people say stuff like, he can get hurt, or what if he plays the same that he played in his 2 college games. To that I say, a full season will provide glimpses of what he can do at the next level, and you can get hurt anytime. Hell, he could get hurt during s private workout. Those are poor excuses. Also, if he came back, next year’s draft class isn’t nearly as good as this year. He could have potentially pushed to be the number one overall pick next year if he came back. The money will still be there no matter what.

These choices really surprised me. I do wish them both the best of luck, but time will tell. LiAngelo will definitely be searching for some team because he won’t get picked. Porter Jr will get picked, but they are going to have to bring him along very slowly. These were odd choices by these two guys.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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The 2018 Final Four Predictions

The Final Four is set. We have 2 number 1 seeds, a 3 seed and an 11 seed. So, chalk, pretty much, all around, except one.

I will say, and I’ve been really hard on this team, props to Loyola Chicago. I never thought they’d make it this far, but here we are. They have proven that they can win tight games, and on Saturday, they proved they can blow a team out. They crushed KSU. It was pretty much a wire to wire win. They dominated every facet of the game. Even when KSU would make a little run, or a push, Loyola had an answer. They weren’t not going to get beat, and they proved that. I have a ton of respect for what they’ve done so far, and for what they can still do.

My team, Michigan, tried to find ways to blow their game on Saturday, but they didn’t, and now they’re in the Final Four for the second time in 5 years. I’m still in a little shock. I didn’t even know if this team would make the tournament when the season started. There were a ton of questions, and a lot of youth coming in. Well, they have played beyond my wildest expectations. Hell, I thought they were toast in round 2, then Jordan Poole made a miracle shot. They then proceeded to hammer Texas A&m the following week. Then on Saturday, in a very ugly game, they still found a way to win. As I said, I still have a hard team seeing them as a Final Four team and accepting it, but it’s real. John Beilein has truly turned this team around.

Villanova has done exactly what they’re supposed to do. I had doubts about them, but they have answered every call, and then some. They have throttled every team they’ve played. I know the game yesterday, against Texas Tech, got as close as 5 points, but it was never really that close. Villanova has been playing lights out this whole tournament. They look like the best team right now, and honestly, I don’t think it’s even close. This team has now earned the right to not be disrespected. They won it all 2 years ago, and now they’re back in the Final Four, and they should be the favorite.

And, finally, we have Kansas. They have quietly played very well so far. I know they’ve had some “close calls”, but they’ve won every game they’ve played. Sure, they struggled a bit with Penn before pulling away late. Yeah, they only beat Clemson by 4, but Clemson has a decent squad. And yesterday, they beat mighty Duke in overtime. That was a hell of a game, and KU deserved to win. I know there’s been some controversy about a call in overtime that went against Duke, but I don’t think that swung that game in either direction. KU was going to win when that kid hit that three in regulation to tie the game. It just had that feeling. Also, I love when Duke gets knocked out in heartbreaking fashion. It is a joy to watch. The fact that Grayson Allen is done as a college player brings me an unusual amount of joy. KU looked as good as I have seen them play all year yesterday. They truly earned that victory.

The games are set for Saturday, and I have, at least, one more prediction for you. The first game is Loyola Chicago-Michigan. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified by this game. Michigan has been up and down, but they’ve won every way you can. So has Loyola. Loyola is the “team of destiny” according to every other journalist or blogger right now. They are on a mission. These 2 teams are both playing good enough basketball to win. But, which Michigan team will show up is my biggest question. I hope the one that hammered A&M cones through. But, if we see the team that struggled with Montana or FSU, Loyola will be in the title game. I’m going to hope that the Michigan that hits open shots shows up. But, I have, unfortunately bought into the Loyola hype, and I think they will find a way to make the title game. They are having the more “magical” year and tournament after all. I also think the public wants them in too. As far as Villanova-KU goes, I don’t see how Villanova doesn’t win. They played their worst game yesterday and still won by double figures. KU played great in beating Duke, but that means they are destined to play poorly now. Everyone is believing in them now, and that’s when they usually blow it. And this is no knock on Villanova. I don’t think they’re going to win just because KU will hand them the game. I think they’ll win because they have a better team and coach. Villanova is a very, very good basketball team. They’ve proved that tenfold this tournament. I think they will win, and win handily on Saturday. So that would put Loyola Chicago and Villanova in the title game next Monday. This is where the “magical” run ends. I picked Villanova a week ago when I thought they’d be playing Kentucky, and even though one team has changed, my mind hasn’t. Villanova is going to hammer Loyola. It will be a bloodbath.

All that being said, I’m excited to watch the games on Saturday. I’ll be pulling for the Wolverines, and I hope they win. We will have to wait and see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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Kentucky, and John Calipari, Make Another Embarrassing Exit from the NCAA Tournament

I was going to write about something different today, but after that horrendous Kentucky-Kansas State game last night, I have to give my take.

First off, the Nevada-Loyola Chicago game was great. It was back and forth, both teams blew double digit leads and it came down to one final possession. Michigan steamrolled Texas A&M. I, obviously, watched that game intently, and I was able to relax with about 8 minutes left. Lets hope that carries over to tomorrow. And the FSU-Gonzaga game was pretty much not in doubt at all. FSU really did whatever they wanted to against Gonzaga. But, the Kentucky-Kansas State game was something else. 

Kentucky, at least on paper, had the easiest path of any team left to make the final Four. They had also, up until last night, looked like they were playing their best basketball all year. It looked like it was finally starting to click for all the freshman. Then last night happened. I wasn't watching the game too closely, more checking on the score time to time from my phone. I was kind of shocked the first time I checked to see that KSU was up 13-1. That was surprising. I thought though, it was early, Kentucky can come back and they are primed for a Final Four run. And, when I checked back a little later, KSU was only up 4 at the half. I still didn't tune in because I figured that Kentucky would pull away. Well, that did not happen either. Every time I checked the score from there on out it was close, but very low scoring. I'm actually kind of glad I didn't watch the game because it sounds like it was a lot like most games this tournament.

This year's tournament games have been pretty rough, and the low score made me think that this was a rough game too. I went to sleep with about 7 minutes left in the game still thinking Kentucky would find a way to win and face off against Loyola-Chicago tomorrow. Well, when I woke up my phone told me a different story. Apparently the game was pretty wretched the rest of the way and KSU won ugly, which is what they have done all tournament long. And to make matters worse, apparently Kentucky wouldn't shake hands with KSU after the game. I know that it is crummy to go out the way Kentucky did, especially when most thought they were a near shoe in for the Final Four, but come on. You have to, at the very least, shake hands with your opponent. That is good sportsmanship that is taught from the age of 3 all the way up to the professional ranks. That is low class, and I fully put the blame on John Calipari for that. I see that Calipari has tried to backtrack and say some nonsense today, but it is too little too late. He showed horrific sportsmanship, and he got beat.

This is not as nearly as big as UMBC beating Virginia or Buffalo beating Arizona, but this is right up there, as far as big time upsets in this tournament filled with upsets. Before the tournament started Kentucky and Calipari were griping about their seed and the region they were put in. The four teams ahead of them were Virginia, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Arizona. Well, all four of those teams lost during the first weekend. Hell, Virginia was done after their first game. Cincy blew a 22 point lead in the second half. Tennessee got beat on a last second shot against Loyola Chicago and Arizona got blown out by Buffalo. So, Kentucky had it made in the shade. They were clearly, at least on paper, the best team left in their region. Every media member and writer that I read or listen to were sure they were going to the Final Four. I picked them to get to the title game. And, they absolutely blew it, and I still can't believe it.

I do not think it is a case of the freshman not living up to the hype because they had just won the SEC tournament and 2 games in the NCAA tournament. What I think happened was, Kentucky expected to win because they heard everyone saying they were going to win. They bought into their own hype, and you cannot do that come tournament time. It is single game elimination. You have to play well enough, or you are going home. And it doesn't have to be pretty, as long as you win. That was how KSU played last night, from what I have read. They didn't care how they won, they just wanted the win.

Now I think comes the question of Calipari being a choker in the tournament. He has only won one title. He hasn't been to that many Final Four's. A few of the Final Four's he has been to have been taken away due to violations. And his recent teams at Kentucky, while they constantly make the Sweet Sixteen, they never seem to push through. He has not been able to recapture what he had with Anthony Davis. He has had super star NBA players blow through Kentucky in one year, and all he has is one title. That's great that he has one title, but with names like Boogie Cousins, John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, the list can go on and on and on, come through there and you only have one title, I don't know. Maybe Calipari, who I kind of like, isn't the greatest basketball coach. He is a hell of a recruiter. But, maybe the X's and O's part is a bit too much for him.

This is an embarrassing loss, and it now means that either KSU or Loyola Chicago is going to the Final Four. That statement should speak volumes about how not great this tournament has ben. No disrespect, but either an 11 or an 8 seed is going to the Final Four. Ouch. This should leave a very sour taste in Kentucky fans mouth for a long, long time. They should have easily won that game, but they blew it. That is rough.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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Let's Breakdown This Years' Group of NCAA Basketball One and Dones

With the news that Trae Young declared for the NBA draft today, I want to take a peek at some of the "one and done" guys that are most likely going to declare for the draft, if they haven't already. I am not a fan of the "one and done" culture in basketball. These colleges that do this are basically basketball factories, and these kids do not see a dime off the colleges making money hand over fist. It has also made the college game not nearly as good as it used to be, and as it could. It is a bummer, and I do not like it. I'd rather they adopt the MLB rule of, if you declare for the draft straight out of high school, you can go. But, if you decide that you need college, you have to stay for at least 2 years. It would be so much better for all involved.

Anyway, lets take a look at five "one and done" players that I think, given the situation they may be drafted in, how I think they will fare in the pros. The five players I have chosen are Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, Mo Bamba, Marvin Bagley and Jaren Jackson Jr. Now, I think 3 of these 5 kids will have solid, to really good, NBA careers. The two I am most curious about are Young and Bamba, so I will save them for last. I want to start with the only player on my list that is left in the tournament, Marvin Bagley. This kid has the potential to be special. Duke players, save for Kyrie Irving, that are one and done, usually don't strive in the NBA. Austin Rivers is a bench player, Jahlil Okafor is a bust, Justice Winslow is not as good as many thought, me included, he could be and Tyus Jones is finally out of the G League and on a roster, but it took awhile. Bagley is better than all these guys. He is an explosive athlete that can hit open shots with ease. He is also a lefty, and that is an advantage in and of itself. He attacks the rim and he can do some highlight reel dunks. But, some has reported that he is a bit selfish. He is kind of out there to get his stats and move up on draft boards. The kid is already super high on most boards, so I don't know why he would do this. I will say, the few times I have watched him play, I have not seen him pass the ball. He either shoots a pull up shot, catches a lob or grabs a rebound and goes. This is a good and bad thing. Believing in yourself is great, to an extent. If he thinks this will fly in the NBA, he will be in for a rude awakening, unless the Kings draft him. In fact, if the Kings draft any of these kids, their careers will be very blah. But, say a team like Chicago or even the Nets draft him, that could be what is best for him. He could go into Chicago and team up with Kris Dunn, Lauri Markannen and Zach Lavine, and that would be a fun, young team to watch. In Brooklyn, he could be the guy to build the team around. They have some talent, Caris Levert and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Bagley would only ad to that. If he gets picked by one of these two teams, I think he will have a fine career. Any other team, he might be more Brandon Ingram than anyone else.

Next, Jaren Jackson Jr. This kid is good, thick and can run and shoot. He is a beast on the block and the boards. He can shoot the ball very well. He is already big enough for the pounding in the NBA. He comes from a family of athletes. I think Jackson Jr may have the brightest future of all these "one and done" players. I think he would be a great fit for any team, except the Kings and the Suns. Again, the Kings franchise is a dumpster fire with a very gloomy future. Every kid they seem to draft either gets traded or flames out, or both. I don't want any of these kids to get picked by the Kings. As far as the Suns, I like their young core, and they have very good players already at his position. I don't want them to take another 19 year old and stunt the growth of the 19, 20 and 21 year olds on that team. That would hurt every player involved, especially Jackson Jr. He would be relegated to "learn" from someone who has only been in the league one or two years more than him, and that is no way to learn how to be a professional athlete. I would love to see Jackson Jr go to a team like Memphis or Cleveland, if LeBron stays. I think he would fit it perfectly in Memphis, they'd love him immediately. Cleveland, with LeBron, might even be better. He would be the ideal replacement for Tristan Thompson, and he can stretch the defense more than Thompson can right now.

My favorite player in this upcoming draft is Deandre Ayton. He was the reason I picked Arizona to win it all. What a dumb choice by me. But, that is besides the point. Ayton has a very, very bright future. He could be the modern day Patrick Ewing. This kid can pretty much do it all right now, and do it very well. He is an excellent rim protector and rebounder. He can fill up the stat sheet. He is super fast. He was the guy for Arizona this year. He, honestly, has no real flaws in his game to me. The kid was made to play basketball. I would love if he ended up on a team like Minnesota or San Antonio or even OKC, but they will all be picking way too late. He will, most likely, be the first pick. So, that means he is going to end up on a team like Phoenix, Chicago, Memphis, Boston or, possibly, the Knicks. Truthfully, I would love to see him in New York, playing next to a healthy Porzingis. That would be quite the front court. Imagine trying to score on 2 7 plus footers. It would be a nightmare. They would also be great on the offensive end. It could be a modern day Tim Duncan and David Robinson situation. I am really talking myself into Ayton being a Knick. I don't necessarily like the Memphis fit because Gasol is their big guy. Chicago would be okay because of their youth movement. Phoenix has some young big men, buy Ayton is already better than all of them. If Boston somehow got him that would be unfair. He and Horford is better than him and Porzingis. Just don't let the Kings get this kid because I don't want to see him get ruined by the age of 22.

Now, the 2 biggest question marks for me. First, Mo Bamba. I have to say, I like Bamba as a player, I just do not think he is ready for the NBA. There were games where he flat out disappeared on offense this year at Texas. He was always great defensively. He altered so many shots, or just blocked them. I remember earlier this season when Michigan played at Texas, they just decided pretty soon that it was a jump shooting night for them because of Bamba's presence in the lane. But, as I said, he goes MIA on offense far too much. He is also very skinny for his 7'1 frame. He looks like a twig out there. When he has to go up against centers like Gasol, Clint Capela, Deandre Jordan and Anthony Davis, he is going to get abused. I think it would be best for him to come back for one more year, bulk up and work on his offense. I don't think he will because he is pretty much guaranteed to be a lottery pick, and that is a lot of money to pass up. But, I think he needs, at least, one more year to develop before he is fully ready for the NBA.

Which leads me to my final guy for the day, Trae Young. The things Young did on the court this year were amazing, and never before seen in college hoops, at least not recently. The kid scored 20 plus points and dished out nearly 10 assists a game. He was truly all Oklahoma had. He was the end all be all for that team. For awhile, it worked, then teams started to game plan for him, and Young and Oklahoma kind of took a tumble. They looked pretty bad the rest of the season after reaching the top 5 of the polls. But, even while "struggling", Young still was putting up 20 and 9 a night. People seemed to think he petered out, but he didn't. It just wasn't 40 points and 15 assists every night anymore. We began to expect too much from an 18 year old leading his college team. What I fear for him is the same thing that happened to Shabazz Napier. The thing with Napier though, he was a senior, and he handled his situation a little better. What I mean by this, LeBron fell in love with Napier during his last year in Miami, and basically told them they had to draft Napier, and then he left. Now, he has been on the Trae Young bandwagon from day one and has made it clear he wants the Cavs to draft him. But, what if he decides to bolt for another team again? Then Trae Young is in the same situation that Kyrie Irving was in, except he isn't nearly as good as Irving was/is. Young can do a lot of great things on the floor, but he is not Kyrie Irving. Irving is a transcendent player. He is one of the better point guards now. He has proven he can perform on the biggest stages all the most crucial moments. Young couldn't do that in college, and if the Cavs take him, then LeBron leaves, the city of Cleveland will be counting on him to be their new "savior". He does not deserve that. I would love him to go to a team with a good starting point guard right now, a team like Memphis or Boston, play bench minutes and learn the game. That would be ideal for him. I think Young has a future, but if he ends up in Cleveland and LeBron bolts, that would be very jarring.

I hope all these kids have long careers because I think they can be good, they just need to be put in the right position. Only time will tell.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

A Wild Weekend of March Madness Means We Need to Reset Our Championship Picks

The first weekend of the men's NCAA tournament has passed, and boy was it a wild one. The games all started last Thursday, and the madness started that night. During the early run of games, it was status quo. KU struggled a bit with Penn before pulling away late. Duke crushed Iona. Texas Tech pulled away late on Stephen F Austin. The early games, for the most part, went accordingly. Then that night, the craziness started.

First, Gonzaga really struggled with UNC Greensboro, only winning by 4. Nevada stormed back down 13 against Texas to win in the end. Kentucky and Davidson traded blows until Kentucky pulled away. Michigan really struggled with Montana, only scoring 61 in their win. But, Arizona, which I wrote about last week, really got trashed. I said all I really had to say about that game last week, but still, it looked to be the biggest upset of the tournament. Even Loyola Chicago beating Miami wasn't as big an upset as the Arizona-Buffalo game. 

Then last Friday happened. That day was nuts. Some teams that were expected to win did. Teams like Michigan State, Auburn, Clemson, Purdue, West Virginia and UNC won with relative ease. But, Marshall beat Wichita State, giving us two 13 seeds over 4 seeds games. Butler crushed Arkansas at its own game. Syracuse, who I believe had no business being in this tournament, beat up on TCU. Florida, who was kind of hot, hammered, shockingly to me, by St. Bonaventure. Florida State hammered Missouri.

But, the biggest upset in the history of the tournament happened that night. I went to bed, I was tired from the Michigan game the night before, and woke up to the news that a 16 seed finally beat a one seed. And, not only was it a one seed, it was the number one seed overall. Virginia, who lost 2 games all season, got beat, badly I might add, by UMBC. I was shocked. I could not believe that it happened. I had to watch highlights to believe it. And it was all true. Not only did Virginia get beat, they got absolutely crushed. UMBC won by 20 points. That is so bizarre. I don't think Virginia is going to give up on Tony Bennett, but his tournament history is not good at all. And now, he is the first coach to lose to a 16 seed. That will be what he is remembered for forever. No matter what happens, say Virginia goes on to win a few titles, when Tony Bennett retires, it will always be said that he was the first coach to lose to a 16 seed. This is a big deal.

After the 16 seed taking down a number 1, I thought it couldn't get any wilder. The second round happened and totally threw me for a loop. That is not to say that some of the blue bloods and one seeds left did not take care of business. Villanova hammered Alabama. I thought Alabama could give them a game, but that didn't happen at all. Duke manhandled Rhode Island. I hate to say it, but Duke truly looks like the best team left in the tournament. Kentucky was given a game for about 35 minutes against Buffalo, but then they won by 20. But, there were 3 games on Saturday that were pretty wild.

First was the University of Ohio State and Gonzaga played a hell of a game. The Zags jumped out to a big lead, but the University of Ohio State came back before the Zags finally pulled away at the end. Loyola Chicago then proceeded to continue their improbable run by hitting a game winning jumper to beat Tennessee. Then, we had the Houston-Michigan game to close the night. The game itself wasn't great, there were a lot of missed shots and piss poor foul calls. But, the shot that Jordan Poole hit to win the game I will never forget. It was amazing, and it was so nice to see my team win a game like that. I did not think they had a chance, especially with Houston going to free throw line with 4 seconds left to win the game. But, magic happened. I'm excited to see how they respond after an ending like that, but for now, I will bask in the glory of that shot.

Yesterday was almost as wild as Friday. Nothing will top Friday, again, a 16 beat a 1, but nonetheless, it was crazy. The only game that wasn't too nuts was Auburn-Clemson, but that is only because Clemson handed Auburn's ass to them. Other than that, it was all crazy. Purdue beat Butler, but it was a big time struggle. They only won by three, but it was tough. Texas A&M came out and put a beat down on the defending champs. UNC had no answer for A&M's big men. That game actually has me kind of worried about Michigan next. KSU ended UMBC's never before seen run. The game was ugly and bad,  but KSU ended up winning by 7. Then the real madness started.

Cincinnati somehow managed to blow a 20 point lead with 10 minutes left, and let Nevada storm back to win. Michigan State, a presumed title favorite, got completely flummoxed by Syracuse's zone, and a team I still don't think belongs, Syracuse, improbably moved on to the Sweet Sixteen. And then we saw our second number one seed go down in Xavier. This was a rough weekend for the state of Ohio in basketball. I did say that Xavier was the "softest" one seed, but I thought they could make the Sweet Sixteen at the very least. Well, Florida State had other plans and knocked them out. It was just a wild, wild weekend.

Now that the first weekend is done, and we have our Sweet Sixteen, I am left with somewhat of a hollow feeling. There are some teams that I never thought would be here right now. The fact that KSU, Loyola Chicago, FSU, Nevada, Texas A&M and Syracuse, that is 1/3 of the Sweet Sixteen, is bizarre. No disrespect to those schools, but wow. I just cannot believe that they are here now. We do have some bluebloods, KU, Duke, Kentucky, Purdue and Villanova is kind of a relief, but not really. The rest of the Sweet Sixteen is either up and coming teams or teams that have had a good year. We have Michigan, Gonzaga, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Clemson. All of those teams were ranked pretty much all year. They do belong.

So, when I look at the matchups left, I honestly have no idea what will happen. I will give it a shot today and pick, but honestly, my guess is as good or as bad as anyone else's in the world. My Elite Eight is Kentucky, Nevada, Gonzaga, Michigan, Villanova, Purdue, Clemson and Duke. In fact I think all these teams will win with ease. Then for the Final Four I have Kentucky, Gonzaga, Villanova and Duke. That would pit Kentucky versus Gonzaga and Duke versus Villanova. Lets be honest, Duke-Villanova is the real title game. The winner of that game should easily win the title. That, if it happens, will be the best game for sure. I have Villanova beating Duke, then crushing Kentucky in the title game. This will have people calling Villanova a "dynasty", but to me, this title will be a lot like when Kevin Ollie led Connecticut to the championship in 2014. It will be hollow.

While this has been a fun tournament to bear witness to, it has not been the best. Maybe this weekend will bring us some more craziness, but hopefully it brings us better basketball. And the refs need to chill out on the whistles.

Ty

Ed Note: I did pick the University of Cincinnati Bearcats to win the title. I went the homer route, and I lost. To make matters worse, Xavier lays an egg right after UC, and the Queen City once again experienced massive sports heartbreak. I have often asked what city has experienced the worst sports heartbreak. Chicago and Boston used to have that title, but they only held it because the sports media is filled with idiots. Cleveland has had some rough times, but the Cavs won an improbable title a few years ago. Cincinnati won the World Series in 1990, then a whole lot of nothing. We have Kenyon Martin breaking his leg, Carson Palmer getting his knee wrecked, a decade worth of Marvin Lewis making the Bengals just ok, the Reds wasting Joey Votto, and now we have our basketball teams having magical seasons just to see them lose in terrible fashion. 

Being a Cincy sports fan sucks. I hope I do not get suckered again.

Since there is no hope left, I am picking Duke to win it all.

RD

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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It is Time for Arizona Basketball to Let Sean Miller Go

The tournament officially started last night, and just like every other year, a contender got beat by a mid major. The reason this one feels different is how it happened, and to who it happened. Most people, me included, thought that this was finally the time that Arizona was going to push through. They have the presumably number one pick in the upcoming draft in DeAndre Ayton, they have Lonzo Trier, they have very good role players, and they came into the tournament on fire.

Well, none of that mattered to Buffalo last night. They absolutely throttled Arizona, especially in the second half. Buffalo seemingly could not miss from three in the second half. And Arizona had no answer. I was half watching the game because Michigan was playing at the same time. The Wolverine's game was brutal, boring, long and just all around bad basketball, but Michigan found a way to win. So, I was more interested in scoreboard watching the Arizona game. It was close in the first half too. I believe Buffalo held a halftime lead, but it was only 2 points. I figured that Arizona, with all the talent they have, would cruise in the second half after some adjustments.

That was how the second half kind of started. I kept checking the score and Arizona would go up 2, but Buffalo always had an answer. Then, with about 7 minutes to go, I checked on the game and Buffalo was suddenly up 14. As I said, they could not miss from 3. They were also out hustling and just played a much, much better game overall. Buffalo’s coach completely out coached Sean Miller. And that is where I think the problem with Arizona starts and ends.

Sean Miller is one of the biggest chokers in the tournament every year. Never mind the fact that he has this whole FBI thing going on, because he was basically cleared. This should have lit a fire under him and his players, but clearly it did not. They laid a total egg. No one, not even Ayton, could do anything to stop Buffalo. I feel like Arizona walked onto the court and just expected to win. To me, that is on the coach. He did not have his players ready to play. He expected a win. He didn’t prepare them for a fight. He thought they could just walk onto the court, let Ayton do his thing, and they would easily win. The exact opposite happened. I don’t know, maybe Miller isn’t the guy to bring Arizona back to their glory days of the early 90’s. Every year he has coached there they have been no lower than a 4 or 5 seed, but they always come up short. And the collection of talent they have this year, to get blown out in round one by a 13 seed is rough. Look, I’m not even a fan of Arizona basketball, but I expected them to at least make it to the second weekend. They are just too good.

Now, after last night, it is clear that Ayton is going to the NBA. I would be shocked if Trier didn’t do the same. Then, who will Miller have next year? I don’t know, but I don’t think it will matter. As long as Sean Miller is the head coach there, I think Arizona will continue to choke. He cannot get this team over the hump, and that is a shame. I filled out a good amount of brackets for this tournament, and on most of them I had Arizona, at least, in the Sweet Sixteen. Hell, every year my wife and I fill out brackets, make a bet, and I picked Arizona to win it all. I bought in, and that was my mistake. This has to be one of the bigger upsets in tournament history because of how badly Buffalo beat them. This is also frustrating as a college basketball fan that wanted to see Ayton play in a few more college games before going pro. Unfortunately, that won’t happen, and I blame Sean Miller.

This was disappointing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Arizona decides that he may not be the right person to lead Arizona back to glory. He is one of the biggest chokers, at the head coaching level, in all of college basketball. He really messed up last night, and it could be his undoing. What a disappointment.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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Do Not Worry, the Spurs Will Make the Playoffs this Year

I listen to a lot of sports podcasts, as I have mentioned many times before, and NBA podcasts are my favorite. The NBA is probably my second favorite sport, to college football, but the podcasts for the NBA are so much better than any other sports podcasts out there in my humble opinion. So, in my many listens to multiple NBA podcasts, one recurring theme keeps popping up that is baffling, and kind of hilarious to me. The majority of the hosts seem to think that the San Antonio Spurs will not make the playoffs this year, but a team like the Clippers or Jazz will take their place.

Now, I fully realize that at the time of writing this, the Spurs are technically out of the playoffs, if they started today. Well, the playoffs don't start today. In fact, we have about 2-3 weeks before the playoffs begin, if not more time. And, I have watched more than enough NBA, and the San Antonio Spurs, to know that they will find some way to make the playoffs, even if it is as an 8 seed.

First off, the Spurs have been without their best player pretty much all year, and they are still in the hunt. If you watch any NBA, or even ESPN for that matter, the fact that Kawhi Leonard has only played 9 games all year is a definite factor as to why this current team is struggling to stay in the hunt. Well, he should be back in action as early as next week. The moment he steps on the floor, if he is at least 70 percent, his presence will easily put them team right back into the hunt. He is such a transcendent talent on both ends, he will ail what hurts them right now.

I know of all the talk, talk of him wanting out of San Antonio, him waiting until he is fully healthy, some rift between him and management and Jordan brand, all that stuff is out there, but I think it is all nonsense. Leonard is just a quiet dude. I get that. I do not like being the face of anything. I'm happy to just blend into a crowd. I'm happy to do the stuff no one wants to do on a basketball court. I'm happy to kind of just stay in my little bubble of the people that I care about. I'm sure that Kawhi Leonard is the same, he just happens to be an exceptional basketball player, a world champ and a NBA Finals MVP. That has got to be hard for him to just kind of want to stay in his lane with social media and major sports networks proclaiming him to be the next big thing. So while some of those stories may be true and some may be false, I just think the fact that he is a soft spoken dude that never changes his facial expression has made some in the media, I'm looking at you ESPN and The Ringer Network, to make these claims about him. When he comes back, and the Spurs start to look like the Spurs again, they will all be singing a different tune.

Another thing, LaMarcus Aldridge is having a much better season this season, he was dreadful last year, but he too is down with an ankle injury. He will be back soon, but not having Kawhi, and now LMA, that is a problem. When you don't have your 2 best players, unless you are the Warriors, it is going to be hard to find win streaks. That is just the truth.  

I have also heard all the things about the rest of their roster too, that it is either too old or unproven. Give me a break. Guys like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli will find that extra gear at the right moment. They always have, so why doubt them now. I really like Dejonte Murray too. I remember when Tony Parker came up and people said he was going too fast and needed to slow down. Well, Murray is doing that right now, but, shouts out to Shea Serrano for pointing this out, he looks like he is the next Tony Parker for this team. He will be the point guard the moment that Parker decides he cannot play anymore. I also like guys like Kyle Anderson and Pau Gasol for this team. Anderson is the type of role player that the Spurs covet, and Gasol, he, much like Parker and Ginobli, can turn that switch when it is needed.

The thing I always go back to when talking about the Spurs, and hearing the whole, "is this it" narrative, they still have the greatest NBA coach of all time on their sideline. Greg Poppovich is a genius when it comes to basketball, and he will always find a way to get his team in the playoffs, and give their opponents headaches. Poppovich has been doing this at such a high level for such a long time, I am never, ever going to write any team he coaches off. Ever. He is that good and he has earned that reputation.

So no, I do not see the Spurs missing the playoffs this year. I think they will grab either the 6, 7 or 8 seed with relative ease when Leonard returns. Also, for those people saying they are out of the playoffs right now, yeah, buy like one game, so ease the hell up. This team has earned the right to not be given up on at any time. They will make the playoffs, and hell, they might even win a round or two. I know the Rockets and Mike D'Antoni sure as hell don't want to see them in round one.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings Make No Sense

NFL free agency kicked off with a bang today when the Vikings gave QB Kirk Cousins a 3 year, 84 million dollar contract, that is fully guaranteed.

You read that right.

I have to say, I was very stunned when I read this news. I do not believe, and this is not my Michigan Wolverines biased coming into play, that he is worth even half that money to be a starting QB in the NFL. What makes it even more shocking to me is that ALL of it is guaranteed. This means that he will get every single dime, no matter what may happen while he is in a Vikings uniform. He could get hurt in his first game, miss two plus seasons and still get all 84 million. He could demand a trade after a year and he still gets all 84 million. He could decide that he wants to retire after one season and he still gets all 84 million. The Vikings could decide to cut him if they don't go far enough in the playoffs and he still gets all 84 millions dollars. This is a truly unprecedented deal, the likes of which we have never seen. Props to whoever Cousins agent is, because they just made history.

This Kirk Cousin's contract is also going to set a very weird, and possibly franchise crippling direction for any "franchise" QB now. No other QB has a deal like this, but some that will be free agents soon will start to get fully guaranteed contracts. I know for a fact that Aaron Rodgers wasn't going to sign anything with Green Bay until the Cousins stuff got done. Now, he is going to want more than him, and he will want it all guaranteed. And what are the Packers going to do? Would they say no and go with Deshon Kizer or some late round rookie? No way. They are going to give him what he wants because he is a much, much, much better QB than Kirk Cousins. What will the Panthers do when Cam Newton's contract is up? Are they going to let him walk and pay a lesser QB? No way. He is going to get paid, and then some. How about teams like the Eagles and Rams that have Carson Wentz and Jared Goff on rookie contracts. What are they going to do when those deals are up? These kids will expect to get Kirk Cousins money, and I think that the Eagles and Rams will have to pony up to stay relevant. And Russell Wilson, what with the teardown going on in Seattle right now, the Seahawks will have to give him whatever he wants and they better damn well make sure it is fully guaranteed.

This deal is just so bizarre on so many levels to me. I mean, the Vikings made it all the way to the NFC title game last year with Case freaking Keenum. This is a team built on defense. Sure, people will remember that "Minnesota Miracle" against the Saints more than anything else. But, this current Vikings team won because they had one of the best defenses in all of football. They straight up shut teams down, wore them down and pulled away late. I don't think adding Kirk Cousins is the "missing piece" that this team needs. Hell, even though all three are free agents, they still had Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater. If they had stuck with any three of those guys I still think they would have been a contender. Again, I don't see Cousins pushing the needle for them in any sort of direction.

Quite honestly, I do not understand the love that has surrounded Kirk Cousins since he took over for Robert Griffin III a few years back. He has never won a playoff game. In fact, he has only been to the playoffs once, and my Packers crushed him and Washington in Washington. He seems to put up big numbers at the start of the year, but peter out when it gets to crunch time. He is way too hot headed and way too cocky for a guy that has not done anything of importance in the NFL. To me, he is a starting level QB, but I honestly believe that he is right in line, right now, with guys like Eli Manning, Joe Flacco and Ryan Tannehill. He is just good enough for people to talk about him for a few months, then when it comes to stretch run time, he chokes. I do not think that Kirk Cousins is a QB that can lead a team to, and win, a Super Bowl. I have never seen that in him as a QB. And again, he is a fine player, but how soon until diehard Vikings fans, RD I'm talking to you, are regretting this team making this decision. They are now stuck with him for three years, no matter what. They have put all their eggs into the Kirk Cousins basket. There is no going back now. He will expect to be the team leader, and that could screw up the locker room there. As I have stated many times, this team wins with defense and running the ball. They didn't need to go out and spend so much useless money on a mid tier, at best, QB.

I'm still scratching me head with this deal and with the media saying this now makes the Vikings instant Super Bowl contenders. Prove me wrong Kirk Cousins. But, up to this point in your career you have done absolutely nothing to warrant this type of deal from any team anywhere.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. To answer Ty's question, I was regretting the signing a week ago when it is being rumored. 

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The SeedSing 2018 Men's College Basketball Tournament Preview

The field of 68 was released for the NCAA men's basketball tournament yesterday. There were some surprises, snubs and proper seeding, as always. The top 4 seeds, I feel like, they got right. Virginia, Villanova, Xavier and Kansas are all deserving. But, there were some weird snubs, and teams I felt like should have been in the tournament, just like everyone else.

As far as teams that don't belong, how on Earth are Oklahoma and Syracuse at large bids? That is insane to me. I mean, Oklahoma is in because of Trae Young. But, watching them recently, they are horrid. They have, I believe, lost 11 of their last 13, and finished the year with either 18 or 19 wins. I'm one of those people that feel, unless you win your conference tournament, that you need at least 20 wins to be an at large team. Oklahoma isn't close, and they have stunk, as I said. Trae Young will bring viewers, but a team from the same conference that was more deserving was Oklahoma State. They had 20 plus wins, they beat KU twice to Oklahoma's one win, and they are just a better overall team. Oklahoma is only there because of Young. Syracuse is an absolute horrific pick to me. They are just bad. They have not looked like a competent team all year.

Dare I say, the game looks to have passed by Jim Boeheim. While I have always liked Syracuse, there is no way they belong in the NIT, let alone the NCAA tournament. I will never, ever understand this choice. It is appalling from a basketball standpoint. I'm still in a little bit of shock that they are actually in the tournament. A few teams that I thought should have made it, I've already mentioned Oklahoma State. I also feel like Penn State and Nebraska has a little bit of a beef to be in this tournament. Penn State beat the University of Ohio State three times this year and finished at .500 in conference and had 20 plus wins. Nebraska was well over 20 wins and finished fourth overall in the Big Ten during the regular season. By their standards, they had an excellent year.

The biggest snub to me was Saint Mary's. This is a team that, I think, only lost 4 games all year. They were well over 20 wins, I think close to 30 wins. Sure, they play in a crummy conference, with Gonzaga being the only threat, but come on. They have a great record, they were ranked almost all year, and because they had one bad game in the WCC tournament, they get left out. That is so dumb to me.

Okay, got that off my chest.

For my preview today I will pick each region's winner, who they will face to make the Final Four and the championship game and the winner. Lets get to it. Lets look at the South Region first. Virginia is the number one seed here, as well as the overall number one seed. I feel like they have a fairly "easy" path to the Final Four, but they are Virginia, and they tend to choke. If they win their first game they will have a very tough time with the 8-9 winner, be it Creighton or Kansas State. But, if they get through that game the winner of Kentucky-Arizona, if they meet up, will be tough, but Virginia can beat both of them. The team I like from the South to really push Virginia is Cincinnati. They play just as tough defense, and I think they match up well. But, in the long run, I like Virginia, if they get passed the 8-9 winner, to make it to the Final Four from the South.

Next we will look at the West. Xavier is the one seed in the West. I know I picked them to go to the title game in my 3/4 season redo, but sorry to RD, I think they are the "softest" of the one seeds. They really struggle to win, but they did win enough to be a number one seed. But, the West has teams like Gonzaga, Michigan, Houston and UNC. I feel like all four of those teams could fairly easily beat Xavier. Gonzaga is on fire right now. Michigan looked like one of the best teams in the country a week ago when they won the Big Ten tournament. Houston can score, unless they play Cincy and UNC is the defending champs and just came off a throttling of Duke before getting bested by Virginia. I feel like Gonzaga will meet Michigan in the Elite Eight, and Gonzaga will find a way to score on Michigan's stout defense just enough to return to the Final Four. I love how Michigan was playing a week ago, but I think the week off will eventually be their undoing.

I feel like the East is a very tough, very solid region. Villanova is the one seed here, but I feel like they are going down in round 2 against either Alabama or Virginia Tech, personally I think it will be Alabama because Collin Sexton rules. With Villanova gone that opens the door for teams like Wichita State, Texas Tech and Purdue. Wichita State is not as good as they used to be, but they can get hot come the start of the tournament. Texas Tech has been pretty solid all year, but they have struggled as of late. The very same thing can be said about Purdue, the team I picked to win it all in my 3/4 season redo. And, even though they have struggled a little bit as of late, I like Purdue ending Alabama's Cinderella run in the Elite Eight and move on to the Final Four. Lukas Haas is too big to stop and Carsen Edwards and Vince Edwards are just begging to bust out of their slumps. I think that will happen in the tournament.

Finally we have the Midwest. KU is the one seed, but I feel the same about them as I do Xavier. They will probably make the Sweet Sixteen, but they will go no further. I'm done believing in KU come March. The Final Four representative from the Midwest will be whoever wins the Michigan State-Duke game, when that inevitably happens. I despise both teams, but I feel like Duke will find a way, ahem, ahem, the refs and free throws, to win that game. I think they will face Auburn in the Elite Eight, but they will be firing on all cylinders after beating MSU. Duke unfortunately takes the Midwest region. 

My Final Four is Virginia, Gonzaga, Purdue and Duke. Honestly, I don't really like any of these teams, except for maybe Gonzaga. They will have to face Virginia, and I think Virginia will beat them pretty handily. They will be able to shut them down and they look like a team of destiny right now. In the Duke-Purdue game, I just think Duke is way more talented. Purdue has length and experience, which I love, but Duke has athletes everywhere, and I don't think Purdue will be able to keep up. As much as I want a Big Ten team in the title, I just don't see it happening. That means we will have an all ACC final. I like Virginia to win. They have already shown that they can shut down Duke when they beat them earlier this year in Durham. Virginia plays stout defense, and they will confuse all of Duke's freshman, and I guarantee that Grayson Allen will pull some kind of bull shit trip or flagrant foul that will have the entire nation talking the next day.

So, I have Virginia winning the 2018 tournament. I'm very excited for the games to start. Lets get to it.

Ty

Ed Note: Duke will lose to Michigan State, and the path will then be clear for Kansas or Michigan State to go to the Final Four. Despite their coach, and history in the tournament, Kansas will take the Midwest with only one tough game.

The East could have a big Cinderella run, the top seeds are not scary. I could see West Virginia or Florida having a magical run, but I am going the easy route and have Villanova beating Purdue and winning the East bracket.

I agree on the West, Xavier is a questionable 1 seed. The Muskateers have not shown up in the biggest games (i.e. Villanova twice). Missouri is an unknown in this tournament, Gonzaga is rolling, North Carolina is the defending champ, and Michigan is hot and rested. In a wide open west bracket, Ty's Michigan Wolverines will win.

There are only three worthwhile teams in the East bracket. I could make a case for Virginia, Cincinnati, or Kentucky (you can never count them out). I am going with some home town pride and taking the Cincinnati Bearcats as the winners int he east. Maybe people in this town will shut up about Bob Huggins since Mick Cronin will now have a final four appearance.

The terrible game guaranteed from Kansas in the tournament will come in the final four against Villanova. The Wildcats will meet Cincinnati, after the Bearcats and the Wolverines have an epic game that could go either way. The 2018 Men's College Basketball championship will go to my hometown Cincinnati Bearcats, and the Queen City will finally have a champion to be proud of. 

Before you take my word, remember that I picked the Bengals in the Super Bowl two years ago. You have been warned.

RD

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Where Should LeBron Play Basketball Next Year?

I was supposed to see Vince Staples last night, but I hurt my back doing some house work and had to sell my tickets, So, unfortunately I do not have a review of his show. Next time he comes through, I will be sure to check him out. But, I do have a basketball story I want to talk about today.

Earlier today, LeBron James listed the 4 teams he would consider in free agency. Now, this is nowhere near the circus that was "The Decision". I'm pretty sure he remembers how bad that was, but there are some quality teams on his list. He has his current team, the Cavs, and the other 3 were the Lakers, Rockets and 76ers. I want to give a few reasons as to why I think his fit with all four of these teams would be good and bad.

Lets start with the Lakers first. The reasons to join the Lakers are fairly simple. One is the history. They, along with the Celtics, are the most storied franchises in all of NBA history. This would be a nice spot to finish up his career. Everyone, even if you don't like the players or coaches they have had, remembers Lakers. I despise them, but guys like Magic, Worthy, Kobe and Shaq, just to name a few, I remember them all as great Lakers. Another good reason, the keys to the team will be given to him, no questions asked. He will run everything on the court. Magic and the front office will do anything that he asks of them as well. The down sides, one, this team is very young. I personally think they should eschew adding LeBron, and stick with the youth movement. As much as I don't like him, Lonzo Ball looks like he will be a quality NBA point guard. Kyle Kuzma is in a mini slump, but the dude can score. Brandon Ingram is becoming the all around talent people assumed he could be. I'd like to see them stick with these guys. If LeBron comes in, I feel like he would stunt their growth for a year or two. The Lakers are also in the West, and they aren't the Rockets, Warriors or Spurs. They are very far off from being in that upper echelon of the conference, and I don't know if LeBron should spend the rest of his career fighting to be a 6 seed every season. If I were LeBron, unless they have a verbal agreement from either Kawhi Leonard or Paul George to come play there next year, or both, I would not choose the Lakers. They are too young and they don't have enough shooters to put around him right now.

Lets look at the other Western Conference team on his list, the Rockets. This would form a super duper three if he comes through. LeBron, Harden and Paul would be a great, great trio to have. Paul and LeBron already have a great friendship, and I'm pretty sure Harden would buy in, if all he cares about is titles. He also brings instant playoff credibility. Paul and Harden are known chokers. LeBron though, he gets to the Finals every year. He would make people stop talking about Harden and Paul in the playoffs, and that would benefit them greatly. And Clint Capela would immediately be the best pure center LeBron will have ever played with. I know he and Shaq were on the same Cavs team for a minute, but Shaq was toast. The downsides of joining the Rockets are many. This would only further fuel Golden State's fire to beat them. This would mean they would try every night, and that is a scary thing to think about. They would space the hell out of them, and Harden would get toasted. Also, there is only one ball. Now, Paul and Harden have made it work, but adding LeBron would be a serious wrinkle. He needs the ball in his hands at crucial moments. So do Paul and Harden. They are both used to having the ball whenever they are on the court. The Rockets do have shooters, but how many would they have to give up to clear room for LeBron? Ryan Anderson would be cut. I'm pretty sure they'd have to move Eric Gordon. I don't think Trevor Ariza would stay unless he took a massive pay cut. That is 3 of their better three point shooters. If LeBron joined the Rockets it would also crush their bench. They would have to peel dudes off the scrap heap. While I love the idea of Harden, Paul and James play together, add Capela to that list, I think if he chose the Rockets it would cripple that team far too much. I still think the Warriors would be better too.

Now for the East. Lets look at the 76ers. Personally, this is the team I want him to join. I don't think he will, but I would love it. To see him team up with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would be amazing. I still have faith, albeit very little, in Markelle Fultz too. I do think he can turn it around, and I think having a teammate like LeBron would do wonders for him. LeBron would instantly put the 76ers back on the map. They have been a laughingstock, until this season, for about 5 years. With LeBron though, they are instantly relevant, big time, again. They would be instant title contenders. I think it would greatly benefit Simmons. I think Embiid would love playing with him. Imagine the great passes he could throw to Embiid in the high post. It would be beautiful. But, I look at the 76ers like the Lakers in this scenario. They are fun now because of the talent they drafted, sat out, and groomed from within. Simmons and Embiid are also the future of this team, and possibly, the league. I think a year or two of LeBron might stunt that. They would have to get rid of guys like Dario Saric and Robert Covington to sign LeBron. That would stink for those guys. They have earned the right to be a part of this turnaround. They have a solid team in place already, and if I were a 76ers fan, I would grit my teeth and have to pass on signing him. LeBron is one of the greatest to ever play, but the 76ers have great young talent that could/probably be the future of the East. I like their core too much to shake it up by adding LeBron.

Finally, his current team, the Cavs. Look, he has carte blanche there. He can literally do whatever he wants. They will sign, trade or draft anyone he wants them to. They will let him personally pick whoever he wants to have the title of "coach". He will constantly be in title contention. He has played his entire career in the East, so he knows the landscape. He is a hometown kid who has brought a title back to Cleveland. Every sign points to why he should stay. Hell, they unloaded half the roster just to appease him for 1/4 of this season. That franchise has bent over backwards for him, as they should. Now, I know he hates Dan Gilbert, and rightfully so. Dan Gilbert is a dip shit blowhard that has done nothing but undermine LeBron any chance he gets. But, he does give in to him in the long run. I know that LeBron doesn't really like Kevin Love, but when he is healthy, they have found a way to coexist. The team got much younger after the trade deadline too. I like Rodney Hood, especially playing with LeBron. Larry Nance Jr is a much, much better version of guys that LeBron has played with before like Anderson Varejo or Zydrunas Ilgauskas. George Hill is a competent point guard that knows his limitations. They have super high draft pick, and this incoming draft is stacked. Everything points to why he should stay in Cleveland. Just end your career where you started. You are a legend, and a homegrown legend at that. I also think Cleveland is the best fit by a mile.

So, if I had any say, I'd tell him to stay in Cleveland. They give him the best chance to play for a title every year that he has left, and that front office will do whatever he says. The Cavs are his destiny, at least to me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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The Stupid Seattle Seahawks are Doing Some Stupid Things

I’ve made it very clear how I feel about the Seattle Seahawks on this website and the podcast. I despise them. I think they are sore losers and sore winners. I think they feel like they are above the rules in the NFL. I think they’re extremely overrated. I hate when people give themselves nickname, and they called their secondary, “The Legion of Boom”. They gave themselves that stupid nickname. I think their fans, while loyal and lifelong, are super annoying when the team is successful. And when they aren’t good, there always seems to be an excuse. I’ve grown to despise Russell Wilson, the football player. I think he’s pretty annoying as a person, but I loathe Russell Wilson, the “franchise” QB. I don’t care, at all, for Pete Carroll. He was a cheater in college and he’s a cheater in the pros. I also think his accomplishments don’t really have much to do with his coaching, more so his circumstance. I think they talk too much shit, and they haven’t earned it. I think that is more than enough reasons why I dislike this team.

But some recent stories about players on the team that have been released lately have confused the hell out of me. First off, signing Eddie Lacy last year was an enormous mistake that blew up in their face. I knew it, and so did most of the sports media. Not surprisingly, the people in Seattle have never talked about what a mess that signing turned out to be. And I know I was fully on board with the Packers signing Martellus Bennett last year, and that blew up too, but I am fully aware that was horrible in retrospect. Seahawks fans won’t cop to the fact that Eddie Lacy just isn’t that good.

More recently though, I read a story that said they were shopping Matellus’ brother, Michael Bennett. That’s kind of nuts to me. He is the heart and soul of the best part of that defense. The D line, not the secondary, is why they are a frightening defense. That is mainly due to Bennett. He is an excellent, sometimes otherworldly, defensive lineman. He wreaks havoc pretty much every snap. He needs to be specifically game planned for. He gives opposing offensive coaches nightmares. He is very, very good at what he does. He also seems to be a leader in the locker room and off the field. He is a guy that other players go to for advice. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he mentors rookies. He has to be a captain on that team. He’s just a good all around player. He does act a little too often on emotion, but the dude is an awesome defensive football player.

So the fact he’s being shopped is bizarre. And, I don’t think this is just a rumor. I think he will be on a different team next year. I’ve heard something about the Falcons, which would be a nice fit. I’d love for the Packers to go after him. They need all the help they can get on defense. I think the Raiders would be a nice fit. But, when I really sit down and think about it, I bet he ends up on the Patriots. This seems to be the move. And he would thrive there. He’d really shore up their D line and make them respectable. It would also keep them as contenders, and I think that’s what Bennett wants for the rest of his career.

While the Bennett stuff is crazy, earlier today I read a story that said Richard Sherman is going around the complex and saying goodbye to everyone. Now this could mean many things. Hell, maybe he’s just done with his workout for today and he said goodbye, followed by see you tomorrow, but they didn’t report that. Or maybe he is just not going to live in Seattle anymore and he’s letting people know he’s looking for a new home. But, I think there is much more to this story because Sherman was heavily involved in trade talks last year. I thought he was going to be moved before last season started. He wasn’t, but he also didn’t seem happy with the team, and then he tore his ACL near the end of last season. It is a well known fact that he and Russell Wilson don’t get along, and maybe Sherman has had enough and he’s asked to be moved. They seem to have been at each other’s throats since Wilson took over as the starting QB. Wilson gets all the media love, unfairly I might add, and Sherman knows this and he is probably cooked with it. He knows that it was their defense that won the Super Bowl 5 years ago, and led them back the next season. Sherman knows that this team cannot win big without this defense. But, to the majority of the main media, all the Seahawks success has to do with Russell Wilson. That’s bull shit.

If Russell Wilson is the reason Sherman wants out, I do not blame him at all. He, much like Bennett, is a guy, if they move him, that the Seahawks will greatly miss on and off the field. He’s another team leader. He is more important to their success than Wilson is, for sure. I just don’t get what is going on in Seattle right now. If they’re hitching their wagon to Wilson and the offense, they will be the same 8, 9 win team that they looked like last year. Offense wins games, defense wins championships.

Things are going to get super messy in Seattle, and while I may get some weird joy, I actually do feel for the true Seahawks fans. Your team is about to be a forgotten squad. You still have Russell Wilson, which will keep you relevant on ESPN, but not anywhere else really. Enjoy your multiple 8-8 seasons coming up because you picked Wilson over Bennett and Sherman. Man, this is some weird stuff.

Note: While I was editing this piece, Michael Bennett was traded to the Eagles. The tear down of an elite defense has begun.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is quite sore that the Seahawks get all this love, and the Supersonics were shuffled out of town unceremoniously by a bunch of rich pricks. Seattle needs it's Sonics back.

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The Stupid NFL Combine is Asking Lamar Jackson to Do Stupid Things

The NFL combine is currently going on as we speak.

I despise the combine. It is a waste of time. It is a meat market. It doesn't really prove anything that really translates to being in a game on the field. None of the guys wear pads. They don't really do true one on one drills. They have no one covering them when route running. The QB's have no stress or pressure on them when throwing. Even that dumbass test, I can't think of the name of it right now, is pointless. I mean, Ryan Fitzpatrick has one of the highest scores ever, and while he has made a career for himself, I don't think the Wonderlic, I remembered it, has anything to do with why he has stuck around for a decade plus. Basically, the combine is a useless waste of time. It is just a spot for older gentleman to gush over young athletic guys.

As much as I try to avoid anything involved with the combine I cannot get away from the stories circulating that a bunch of NFL teams representatives that were sent there have been asking Heisman winning QB Lamar Jackson to try playing wide receiver.

This is absolutely asinine.

Like I just said, he won the Heisman 2 years ago as a QB. I don't think I ever even saw him play any wide out while he was at Louisville. He probably didn't play it much in high school either since he was recruited as a QB. So I am flabbergasted as to why these reps think they have the nerve to ask this kid that has been a QB all his life to play wide out, a position that he isn't fully familiar with. I honestly do not know what to make of this, outside of the fact that he is a hyper athletic player that is a bit slight for the position he has played his whole life. But, you look at where the NFL is heading, because of the college game, the run pass option offense is more en vogue now. Hell, the Eagles just won the Super Bowl with a backup QB running the RPO offense. Lamar Jackson excels at this type of game. He put up incredible, almost video game like numbers, in the past 2 seasons. Two years ago, his Heisman year, he had ridiculous numbers. I'm pretty sure he threw for over 4,000 yards, ran for another 1,500 and had right around 40 TD passes and another 15-20 TD runs. Then this past season, which some considered a bit of a letdown, he still went for 3,500 plus pass yards, 1,000 plus rush yards, 36 TD's passing and another 10-12 rushing. Oh yeah, he was a finalist for the Heisman in his "down year". That is some outrageous stat lines. And now these "geniuses" that run teams want him to switch to being a wide out?

Get the hell out of here.

Again, I am amazed that they have the nerve to even suggest this. I first heard Bill Polian, who is a million years old and far too removed from the game, say that he should consider the switch on ESPN. I say to Polian, shut the hell up. Why do you even think you have the right to say this? What team are you the GM for right now? How is this take any different from the bull shit that is spewed out of Skip Bayless' on the daily? Bill Polian is an old man has been. No one working in an NFL front office right now should listen to any nonsense he has to say. But, as the draft is getting closer and the combine is here, more and more reports are surfacing that other teams have asked him to try wide out.

That is ludicrous.

No one asked Deshaun Watson, the guy Jackson beat in the Heisman race 2 years ago, to switch to wide out last year at the combine. No one asked Eric Crouch if he wanted to play running back or receiver when he left Nebraska. Tommie Frazier was never asked to switch positions when he was done at Nebraska. No one wanted Tim Tebow to switch to tight end when he came in the league. No one was questioning Johnny Manziel after he left Texas A&M to play receiver. Denard Robinson only willfully switched to running back after he left Michigan because he wasn't a 1/10 the passer that Jackson is. The list could go on and on and on. If this had come up when Michael Vick was the number one overall pick, imagine the hysteria that would have followed. Even in this upcoming draft, the only QB who is being asked to think about switching positions is Jackson.

What makes a guy like Baker Mayfield a better option at QB than Jackson? He played in a RPO offense at Oklahoma. He doesn't have the strength to get the ball out of his hands like Jackson does. And he isn't nearly as dynamic as Jackson is with the ball. Yet no one is asking him to try a new position. Or why is this Allen kid from Wyoming a better prospect at QB than Jackson. He played in a lesser conference and didn't put up numbers that even came close to approaching what Jackson did over the last 2 years as a QB. Yet, all the "experts" have this Allen kid as the top QB prospect.

This is all absurd and a joke.

I think we all really know why the team reps are doing this, and it is a shame that this sort of racism still exists, especially in the professional sports world. Take one look at Lamar Jackson, then do the same at Baker Mayfield, and you hear 2 different stories about why Mayfield can make it as a QB, then the other side of that story is why Jackson has to switch positions if he wants to have a NFL career. It is disgusting if you ask me.

I hope Jackson blows off the reps asking him to try wide out and lights it up as a QB at the combine and all his pre draft workouts. I am now openly rooting for Lamar Jackson to not only make it as a QB, but he be one of the better QB's in the NFL. I would love nothing more than to see him shove it in these assholes faces that seem to think he has to play a different position. The kid has been a QB his whole life, and he deserves just as much a shot as Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold and Baker freaking Mayfield. I personally think he is better than all three of those guys.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He remembers back when ESPN "draft experts" were debating if Blaine Gabbert would have a better career than Cam Newton. Why does these guys at ESPN still have a job?

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The Latest College Basketball Scandal is Completely Worthless

I have been trying my best to not write about the whole FBI investigation into NCAA basketball, but I have heard so many different theories, I just have to put mine out there.

For those of you that may or may not know, the FBI launched a big time investigation into college basketball players getting "impermissible benefits". This basically means that players were given money to go and play for certain colleges. Some big time programs are involved with this whole thing too. I'm talking the Duke's, UNC's, Michigan State's, Kansas' and Kentucky's of the college basketball world. There are many more schools involved, but when blue bloods like that are being named, it becomes a big deal. The money that is being tossed around ranges anywhere from 40 dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is a mess.

Now, for the entirety of my young adult life, my early to mid 20's, I thought that a full scholarship was more than enough for these kids. I figured, if med students have to pay for school, but athletes don't, what more do they need? But, the older I get, the less I think that is true. Lets get something straight right off the bat, yes these kids are getting full rides to play basketball at these schools, and when you break it down, 4 year tuition to these schools can be as much as 70 to 80,000 dollars a year. But, look at all the money the schools make off the athletes. It is millions, if not billions, of dollars. The schools sell these kids jerseys in their stores for upwards of 75 dollars a pop, and these kids see none of that money. That is bull shit. Imagine that happening in the pros. Imagine LeBron or Steph or KD not seeing a dime from the sale of their jerseys. It would be ludicrous. Why is there is a double standard when it comes to these scholar athletes? They should see some kind of money off the schools using their likeness, shouldn't they? And for people like I used to be, the whole tuition is more than enough people, get the hell out of here. That isn't even close to being enough money for what the schools are pulling in.

What I went back to after this story broke was Michigan and the Fab Five stuff. Yes, they got hammered for paying those guys, mainly Chris Webber, and at the time I was mad. But, looking back on it, I had a number 4 Michigan jersey. I wore black socks. I wore Nikes. I wore Michigan shorts. And my parents got all the stuff from the University. All that money they spent to put me into all the things Webber and the rest of the Fab Five wore had to cost them more than 100 bucks. That was going on all over the country. And to crush a program for years because a kid who was making the school more money than they could print for taking 250,000 dollars, that's insane to me. That is a drop in the bucket compared to what Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King brought into that school, and still do. I still see people wearing their throwback jerseys at games. The same can be said for the football program at Michigan. This is my school, so that is why I'm using them as an example. I still see those dumbass "throwback" jerseys with Denard Robinson's number 16 on the front and back when I go to games. Do you think Denard saw a dime from those jersey sales? Hell no. But, the University of Michigan easily made six figures off of those dumbass jerseys.

So when I'm looking at the schools being mentioned, and the players being named and what they supposedly took, or their parents took, it drives me nuts that they are being investigated by the FBI. The FBI has much bigger fish to fry, (clears throat), the current "government". But, they are choosing to go after college kids. I mean, Michigan State should be getting investigated by the FBI, but not for giving Miles Bridges 40 bucks. They have the entire athletic department involved in a massive sexual assault scandal, but Miles Bridges is being raked over the coals for taking 40 dollars? What a crock. And the other blue bloods involved, why is it so surprising that they are giving elite prospects money to come to their schools now? Of course Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Kansas, and so on and so forth are giving young kids and their family something to come play ball there. Don't try and tell me, and I loathe Duke, that they weren't giving guys like Christian Laettner money, just like I'm sure they gave Jahlil Okafor, Justice Winslow and now Marvin Bagley and the other star freshman they have and had money and other stuff. Same with KU. I'm not shocked that Josh Jackson's mom took 2 grand from them. I'm sure Danny Manning got some money from KU. I'm sure Mario Chalmers got stuff he couldn't afford from KU. I'm pretty sure Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins got stuff too. Who cares? Roy Williams and UNC have been doing this for years, so no, it doesn't surprise me that they were named. And I say again, who cares? John Calipari is one of college basketball biggest cheaters of all time. So, for Kentucky to named, of course they were named. They are giving these kids money to come there. And again, who cares? Even with the supposed phone tapped conversation of Arizona head coach Sean Miller saying that he wanted to give DeAndre Ayton 100,000 dollars to come there doesn't surprise me. And I think, if Ayton took the money, he did the right thing. Arizona is cashing in on him being there right now. I told my father after this story came out that if my son or daughter goes to school on an athletic scholarship, becomes a star and the school makes millions off using their likeness, I would fully support them taking money from agents if they were given the opportunity. Let these kids get theirs. I cannot say it enough. The schools are making tons and tons and tons of money off these athletes, so why not let these kids get something more than a full scholarship.

This has been going on forever, and if you think this is a new thing, you are wrong. Now, the FBI is involved. That is the only difference, and that is absurd. The FBI needs to deal with bigger problems, not cheating in college athletics. And for those of you that think this story will crush college basketball, you are wrong too. None of the blue bloods are going to face any real punishment, save for Michigan State, which should get hit for the horrific sexual assault stuff. Duke, UNC, Kentucky and Arizona will be just fine. Hell, some of the players named have already been cleared to play. This whole "breaking scandal" is stupid and pointless. This is being blown way too far out of proportion and in a month or two, we will have all forgotten about it. That is how I feel about this whole "scandal".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty one time took 10 bucks from a representative at Whatsamatter U. 

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Who is Going to Fix Michigan Football's Terrible Offense

Tim Drevno resigned as the offensive coordinator at Michigan today.

To me, this is a bit of a shock. Don’t get me wrong, he has not done a very good job since he signed on when Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh. Drevno has been with Harbaugh at almost every stop he has been a head coach. But, his three offenses at Michigan have gotten progressively worse. Michigan’s offense was never the threat it could have been under Drevno and Harbaugh. Drevno’s best season was probably 2 years ago, but I think that had more to do with the experience and athletes they had as opposed to his play calling. He was very predictable as a play caller. My dad and I could call most things he was going to do before he did them. Opponents echoed this same sentiment. You knew on third and long that he was going to call a draw or screen. It was too easy to tell.

This past season with a ton of new, and inexperienced, but also very talented players, the offense really struggled, and Drevno was part of the problem. He never really trusted his QB, be it Wilton Speight, John O’Korn or Brandon Peters. He almost always gave way to the running backs on crucial downs. O’Korn got markedly worse under Drevno’s watch. Peters played fine, but his play book was very small. Hell, even Speight, before his injury, looked rough with all the new receivers.

I also was frustrated at his lack for picking a bell cow running back. Karan Higdon should have been the guy, with a little Chris Evans sprinkled in here and there. But no, he pushed guys like Ty Issac and Kareem Walker. Those guys are fine, but Higdon is far better. Drevno also totally went away from Khalid Hill, which drove me nuts.

The worst thing though, he did not have a single good call for third and long. As I stated before, he almost always ran a screen or draw. He was basically giving up the bank without a fight. He became a very frustrating coordinator for me to watch by the end of last season.

Where this move has me a bit confused, who will be the new play caller? Will it be Harbaugh? Will it be one of the many new assistants they’ve hired this offseason? I don’t know. I feel like Harbaugh already has a hand in what the offense does, so I’m sure that won’t change at all. But, who from the new staff could he possibly pick? The name that I’ve heard all day today is new receivers coach Jim McElewain.

I’m very conflicted about this. He was a very mediocre head coach at Florida, and the problem was the offense. Michigan was bad on offense last year, but Florida was much worse. He did an okay job at Colorado State, but never set the world on fire. Where he did excel was at Alabama as an offensive coordinator. That was what propelled him to be a head coach. So maybe, this will be the same, but I wouldn’t count on it. Where Michigan has big time talent on offense, Alabama gets the best of the best. They turned Lane Kiffin into a decent head coach. I just don’t know which McElwain Michigan will get. Will he be happy to be a coordinator, of is he just positioning himself to be a head coach again? I don’t know, and I’m a little scared to see. Maybe they will hire another person, a prominent person, to run their offense, but all of that will have to wait to see if Shea Patterson gets cleared to play.

Therein lies the biggest question. Did Drevno leave because Patterson won’t get cleared and he doesn’t want to deal with who is left behind? Or can he not work with Patterson because he is more of a dual threat guy and he’s used to pro style QB’s? Did he leave because of McElwain? Maybe.

This is all very confusing, and I hope Michigan and Harbaugh have a plan in place. Next season is a big season for everyone involved with the Michigan football program, and today’s news has other furthered my skepticism. We will see how this all plays out, but for now, I’m just scratching my head.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. May we recommend Ty as the new Wolverines Offensive Coordinator. He does have about 100 straight National titles with Michigan on NCAA Football for the X-Box. 

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The NBA All Star Weekend Was Kind of a Dud

As I promised yesterday, today I will break down all the other things from the NBA All Star weekend. Friday and Saturday, leading up to the game on Sunday, was kind of a bore, if I am being honest.

I, for some unknown reason, watched the celebrity "all star" game on Friday night. I don't know what possessed me to watch. Maybe it was the fact that my trip to Chicago was cancelled, maybe it was because my mom was injured, maybe it was because that was the only thing that was on at my folks house when we went to visit them that night. I will never be able to pinpoint why, but I watched. As it is with most of these celebrity games, it was a mess. The basketball was mediocre at best. When the pros got in, Tracy McGrady and Paul Pierce, they didn't care enough to even try, which is their right. They have played tons of NBA minutes, so they don't need to go all out in a dumbass game. But, when they were announcing who was on the floor, I didn't know who most of these "celebrities" were. Sure, I new Justin Bieber and Jaime Foxx. Those guys are bona fide stars. I also knew Candace Parker because she is probably the best female player right now. But, some names like Quavo, Katie DeMita, the K-pop singer, the little kid from "Black-ish", and many others, I had no idea. I think it is a mixture of 2 things. One, I am getting older, and I honestly do not know who younger kids look up to anymore. Second, the people involved with the celebrity game have a very loose meaning of the word "celebrity". I know that Winn Butler is in a very popular band, but would I call him a celebrity, absolutely not. That is how I felt with pretty much everyone involved except for Foxx, Bieber, Parker and McGrady and Pierce. Everyone else was non existent in my pop culture lexicon. After the game my only take away was that this Quavo fella can play a little ball. Besides the male and female pros, he was the best player on the court. The dude can play. The celebrity game was a complete waste of time. It was boring, bad and a rough watch.

I figured Saturday night would be better, and while it was, it wasn't that much better. I expected great things from the 3 challenges, and they all kind of ended up very blah. The night started off with the skills competition. I kind of like this game. I like seeing the big men weave through stations and make crisp passes and hit three pointers. It is even better when you see the guards do it. Well, the skills competition this year was very ho hum. I think Spencer Dinwiddie, of the Brooklyn Nets won, beating Lauri Markanen. I was not stoked to see those 2 guys in the finals. I would have rather seen Joel Embiid make it. Or Andre Drummond. Or Jamal Murray. Those guys are more widely known than Dinwiddie and Markanen. It was kind of boring.

The three point competition was better, but not by much. There were some big names this year in the three point contest. Guys like Klay Thompson, Paul George, Bradley Beal and Eric Gordon. Three of those 4 guys were all stars, and Gordon won sixth man of the year last year, and the three point contest last year. There were other guys, guys like Tobias Harris and Devin Booker. But, I was all in for watching the all stars. Paul George laid an egg. Eric Gordon didn't even come close to repeating. Brad Beal was ice cold in the last half of the first round. But, Klay did put up some decent numbers. So did Harris and Booker. The final came down to Thompson and Booker, and this was the best part of the contest. Both guys really showed out in the finals. Booker went first and got 28 points, hitting all of his "money ball" rack, and breaking a record. Thompson had his chance to win, and while he put up a great effort, he only got 25. Both of these guys proved why they are elite shooters and great deep threats in the NBA. This final was the one saving grace of the three point contest.

To end the night they had the slam dunk contest. This is the event I look most forward to every year during the all star break. There were four really good competitors this year. We had Victor Oladipo, Dennis Smith Jr, Larry Nance Jr and Donovan Mitchell. These are four young, hyper athletic guys that could easily be the future of the NBA. And, while 3 of them didn't disappoint, the judging was horrendous. First off, Oladipo tried a nearly impossible dunk in the first round and missed all three attempts. Then in the second round, he put on a Black Panther mask, which was cool as hell. But, he did, for him, a very easy dunk after missing his first attempt. He had 5 chances and only made one dunk. Dennis Smith Jr had an okay first round dunk. His second round dunk should have put him in the finals. He did a reverse 360, put the ball through his legs and dunked with his off hand. It was truly amazing. Donovan Mitchell did a very cool first round dunk, where he bounced a ball off a different backboard than he dunked on. His second round dunk was good too, he paid homage to Eddie Griffith, AKA Dr. Dunkenstein, and put down a solid dunk, but Smith Jr's second dunk was better. Larry Nance Jr paid homage to his dad, even donning his old Suns jersey, and that dunk was incredible. Then, he had his dad come out and throw him a pass and proceeded to windmill the shit out of the dunk. His first 2 dunks were better than anyone else's. He made it to the finals, deservedly, and his opponent was Mitchell. While Mitchell had 2 solid dunks, Smith Jr's were better. He should have made it. Then in the finals, both Nance Jr and Mitchell had solid dunks. Mitchell did another throwback, wearing Vince Carter's Raptors jersey from when he won the contest, but it wasn't as impressive as it could have been. Larry Nance Jr did a double tap off the backboard, which is insanely hard, but he didn't get the win that he deserved. That brings me to the judging. The fact that they felt they needed 3 other judges besides Lisa Leslie and Dr. J was astonishing to me. Those 2 were more than enough to judge dunks. But, to put Chris Rock, who I love but is admittedly not an athlete, Marky Mark, which why is he even relevant anymore, and the worst of the bunch, DJ Khaled, who should never, ever judge anyone doing something athletic, was just wrong. Those three had no idea what they were doing. It was kind of embarrassing. Donovan Mitchell ending up winning, even though I think Nance Jr deserved it. The dunk contest, while being the best part of the night, was very ho hum, much like the rest of the stuff leading to the all star game.

I usually look forward to all the stuff leading up to the all star game, but this year was kind of a dud. Hopefully it gets better next year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Defense, and LeBron, Showed Up in the 2017 NBA All Star Game

Sunday night was the NBA All Star game. This was the first time with the new format, LeBron vs Steph. I'll get to the All Star weekend stuff, i.e., the skills competition, the celebrity game, the three point contest and the dunk contest tomorrow. Today though, I want to just focus on the game itself.

First though, I have to talk about Fergie's "rendition" of the national anthem. It was horrendous. It was a train wreck. It was, possibly, the worst performance I have ever seen. It was so awful. I don't know what she was doing, why she thought this was a good idea, why her people thought this was a good idea and why she thought she nailed it. The national anthem is a hard enough song to sing, but to try and make it a jazzy lounge song, get the hell out of here. The faces of the players was point enough to how bad she did. The people in the crowd, like Chris Rock, Chance the Rapper and Jimmy Kimmel's expressions spoke volumes to how horrible her performance was. It was just horrific, and I hope she gets another chance so she can make up for the travesty that was her performance on Sunday night. God it was bad. Okay, now to the game.

I have said before, and I still feel this way, I had no problem with the lack of defense played in previous all star games. I have always wanted, and still want, to see both teams get 200 plus points. It is an exhibition, these guys don't need to get hurt, and I want highlight reel dunk and shot after highlight reel dunk and shot. It is an all star game after all. But, I will say, a part of me liked seeing these guys at least attempt to play some defense. Sure, James Harden and DeMar DeRozan didn't really give full effort on that end, but they aren't known for their defense. Same with Curry, but he was able to hide himself, just like he does in the regular season and playoffs. But guys like Joel Embiid, Paul George, KD, LeBron, Giannis and Kyle Lowry put forth some defensive effort. It was nice to see some blocked shots, steals and guys bodying up other guys. I have to say, it was a bit of a breath of fresh air.

With that being said though, there were a ton of missed shots. The score could have been higher if some of the players were actually hitting their wide open threes. Westbrook and Bradley Beal must have bricked 3/4 of their three point attempts. Embiid was playing like a 2 guard at times, and while he made half his threes, he took way too many. Same with Towns. He can shoot it, but he was taking too many. I look at a guy like Anthony Davis, who is a solid three point shooter, and I think he only took one three. He was more focused on rebounding and alley oops. Same thing goes for Andre Drummond. He was either rebounding, or trying to tear the rim off. That is what I like to see from big men. Playing with their back to the basket, and maybe occasionally putting up a three pointer or two. So, even with some effort on defense, there was still a ton of missed shots, and some of those shots falling could have changed the entire perception of this game.

Some stuff I really liked, LeBron and KD were going hard. They looked like they were putting real effort into the game. LeBron was sweating like it was a regular season game. KD was shooting his threes, but he was also attacking the rim, just like he does in games that count. Embiid may have taken too many threes, but he was playing some defense. When he made the three pointer at one end, then blocked Westbrook at the other end, I was impressed. Westbrook, who took far too many threes, finally started attacking when his outside shot wasn't falling. He was also passing a lot more, and that was nice to see. Klay Thompson looked legitimately mad at the refs when he wasn't getting calls when he may or may not have been hit on his jumpers. Kyrie was doing his wizardry with the ball and going to the hoop, which he does better than almost anyone else in the NBA. DeRozan, while not playing defense, showed why he belonged. He was hitting jumpers and going to the hoop at will. When Davis finally started to catch passes, he was going up for some big dunks. Even guys who didn't play much, the Goran Dragic's, LMA's and Al Horford's, when they got in, they tried. 

Through all of this, LeBron showed us why he is still the best player in the NBA. As I said earlier, he actually tried. He broke a real sweat. He wanted to win this game. He wanted his teammates to win this game. When he wasn't in the game, he was leading the cheers on the bench. This is the LeBron that I love to watch. He left his ego and his want to be the GM, coach and player at home. He got everyone involved. And, the defense he and KD played on Steph to win the game, that was great. In fact, the last 8 minutes of the game was pretty intense, good basketball and showed why LeBron still owns the league right now. He rightfully was named the MVP of the game. 

While the final score wasn't as high as I might have wanted, the game was pretty okay. Players tried. Players wanted to win. Players wanted to play defense at times. I think this idea of letting the top vote getters pick their teams, then saying that the winning team would get money towards their favorite charities was great. Now, they just need to televise the top vote getters picking their teams, which it sounds like Adam Silver is going to do next year. I felt like the game was a success. It appeased the old generation, and it showed the younger generation that, even in short bursts and exhibition games, defense is an important part to a basketball game. Well done NBA, you guys did a good job with the new format. Now, lets keep making it better and better.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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