Back in the day, real summer battles meant two players going back and forth, D-ing each other up and playing for respect. To be honest, it’s felt like those battles have gotten lost over the years. Thankfully all that’s changed. First Brandon Jennings and Josh Selby brought it back; then Kevin Durant and LeBron James followed suit. Now, check out college basketball’s two best players in the game last season, Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker, going head-to-head in Utah, as well as full highlights from the game.
David Stern says he doesn’t think the entire season will be lost, explaining there’s too much at stake, too much to lose. We want to believe him, but we’ve heard the song before. While many outsiders are assuming a mass flood of players going to Europe and China would put enormous pressure on Stern and the NBA, the commish isn’t worried. He told Bill Simmons: “All that stuff is better to read about than to actually do.” Ouch … Read More »
Besides the big names, there were two players I was actively cheering for last night: Isaiah Thomas and Xavier Silas. And the reason being is that most people assumed they were going to go undrafted. Thankfully, Zeke was picked by the Kings with the 60th pick, but Silas wasn’t so lucky. “Well, I went undrafted,” Silas tweeted after all the picks were in. “All that means is that this journey will be a bit more interesting for you and me. Quote me on this… A journey isn’t a journey without a journey.” You gotta love the positive outlook. So for every Kyrie Irving, there’s a J.J. Barea – a guy who gets overlooked on Draft Night but makes a huge impact in the League. With that, here’s are the top 10 players that didn’t hear their named called last night. Read More »
Not going to a big-name school didn’t deter former Dayton star Chris Wright from putting up big-time highlights during his four years in college. And now, following a senior season in which he nearly averaged a double-double (13.2 points, 8.4 rebounds per game), Wright looks to hear his name called tonight. I had the chance to speak with the former Flyer about his workouts, going to Dayton and his relationship with the “other” Chris Wright. Read More »
Five NCAA teams that got my attention this past weekend for various reasons:
1. NORTH CAROLINA (2-2)
Those who thought the Tar Heels were overrated — cracking the AP preseason Top 10 following an NIT finish — were proven right after UNC lost twice at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic, which happened to be their first encounter with major-conference competition. Read More »
Ask yourself: How many people had Duke as a preseason national title favorite last year? Outside of Durham, N.C., close to zero. The Blue Devils were ranked 9th and 8th, respectively, in the preseason AP and ESPN/coaches polls. They were considered a dangerous team, but not on the level of Kansas and Kentucky.
Over the course of the schedule, however, the realization hit that Duke possessed most of the pieces you’d want for a national title run: Experienced guards, quality shooters, versatile forwards, solid defense, good coaching and NBA-caliber talent in the right spots. Throw in a healthy “Us against the world” mentality (because they’re Duke) and a favorable NCAA Tournament bracket, and the Evil Empire was back on top of the game. Read More »
With Dayton’s 77-71 victory over Illinois in the NIT quarterfinals Wednesday night, the three-seeded Flyers have earned themselves a trip to the semifinals and Madison Square Garden for the tournament’s Final Four. Dayton (8-8, 23-12) will face off against Ole Miss (9-7, 24-10) next on Tuesday March 30th – UNC and Rhode Island make up the rest of the Final Four. Dayton’s success this season has been up-and-down – with wins coming over Old Dominion, Xavier and Cincinnati – but coach Brian Gregory has the Flyers poised to make good on his team’s NIT selection. A major reason why Dayton has persevered on after a rough conference schedule in the A-10 is junior forward Chris Wright. Read More »
It’s Championship Week in college basketball, otherwise known as the week of tournaments before THE Tournament. And honestly, it seems this year people only really care about two conference tourneys: the Big East and the Big 12 … and maybe the ACC based on history and hype.
If you know anything about college ball since the 1980s, you knew Georgetown vs. Temple was going to be low-scoring and physical with potential to get uglier than Pig Miller in HD.
And even still, what happened yesterday in the 19th-ranked Hoyas’ home opener was surprisingly grotesque. With the Owls adjusting to life without Dionte Christmas and G’town short as usual on reliable shooters, both teams made it a bricklaying contest. Read More »
That’s right, the start of the college hoops season is just one week away and you know what that means: it’s time to unleash the mother effing fury! For the past seven months, I’ve been bottling up a vicious mixture of excitement and rage, just waiting for the moment to release my emotions onto the rest of the world. Well that time has come. Your boy Matty D is back to give you a look at the top teams in the country and to separate the champs from the chumps. Read More »
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