24 Hour Marathon a Huge Success

I went into this idea of the 24 hour marathon of basketball by ESPN as a good idea, and then I watched a good amount of the games and everything. After that I came to this realization: it was a GREAT idea.

I think that anytime you can change things up and make it unique and fun for the fans it is better, and this gimmick was just that. Watching a game at eight in the morning in Niagara and the students in their shower caps with loofahs, and then the IZZOne later on in the night with a great early season game was fun.

Many people believe that March Madness is the best time of the year, watching the underdogs try and win. Watch the tournament develop in front of them. I think that this was a brilliant idea in capitalizing on the idea of March Madness being so intoxicating. The early season tournaments are also fun, and this just added to that early season excitement. A great way to welcome in the season and let everyone know that college basketball is here.

Two Classy Exits for Two Classy Guys

So I can not think of two nicer guys than Allen Iverson and Stephen Jackson. That is if I stop thinking after I say those two names. Two me-first guys find themselves leaving yet another franchise because all they care about is themselves. Same old, same old.

I just wish I could get in these guys' heads to really know what they thought, and why they find it necessary to do the same things over and over again. I mean sure Iverson gave us one of the greatest sports quotes ever, but did he not learn. He should have heard it enough to know that he was an idiot, right?

These guys say they understand, just listen to Iverson "not shoving it aside". Yet here they are in different places yet again, places that I am sure they did not see themselves. I highly doubt that Iverson was expecting a stint of three games with the Grizzlies in his future a couple years ago. So, here we go after a disruption in Detroit he is already out of Memphis. Bye bye Iverson? I hope, finally.

Oh, then there is Jackson, we all remember him don't we?

He is a trouble maker that probably should not be in the league anymore. I am sick and tired of a guy who has some talent, and thinks he has a lot of talent, trying to make himself bigger than his teams and the game. I just wish both of these guys would go away, and find themselves a local Y to dominate at.

I guess I can thank them for an excuse to put two great videos into a post though.

It is finally here

So to me we are reaching the best time in sports, the time of year when there is so much sports you can hardly find a night with nothing to watch. The NFL is in the middle of its season, college football is shaping up its BCS standings, the NBA is getting going, and college basketball is taking off the practice jerseys and putting on game shorts.

Tonight starts the 24 hour marathon of college basketball on ESPN, culminating with two big games on Tuesday night, Gonzaga at Michigan St., and number one Kansas hosting Memphis at home. This is a great concept that really makes it an interesting night, morning, afternoon and then night again for schools. It is helping some of the little guys get on the network, and the fans and universities are really getting into it.

To ensure the 24 hours of basketball there are teams that had to agree to game times that might not usually be found on a schedule. Those might include a Monmouth at St. Peter's game scheduled to tip off at 6 a.m., and an eight o'clock tip for Drexel at Niagara. This is a special event though, and good publicity and these universities are well aware.

The early season tournaments are some of the most interesting basketball of the season too I think. The anticipation of will we see Roy Williams face Jim Boeheim for the first time since the 2003 National Championship with UNC and Syracuse in the 2K Sports Classic? Will Duke and UCONN meet up in the Finals of the Preseason NIT presented by Dick's Sporting Goods? And what coach, or team, will look the most ridiculous in their Hawaiian shirts at the Maui Invitational this year?

I think that little nuances like this is what really makes college sports special, and this time of year special. Sure March Madness is great with the NBA and NHL playoff pictures coming together, but I do not mind 24 hours of basketball following Monday Night Football, to lead me into NBA basketball before the weekend of football.

The Rich get Richer

So since 2005 the North Carolina Tar Heels have won two National Championships, had an All-American six times, three of which were first-team (compliments of Psycho T), and has had a top five recruiting class four out of those five years according to scout.com, including the number one class in 2006.

So what has Roy Williams done in 2009? Well his team is preseason number four following last year's championship, and he has now signed the prohibitive number one recruit in the nation in Harrison Barnes. He will be a nice part of a recruiting class that now has three 5-star players in it, a reloading process by Roy Williams. Now there will be those people that say recruiting stats and stars do not matter that much, but I tend to disagree. I think if you look at the numbers the number of guys that do work out as big recruits would be higher than expected.

Obviously some guys that were not highly though of will become great players, and you will have those duds, but these rankings mean something. Just ask the Tar Heel faithful who took those 2006 number one class ranking and are now celebrating a championship. Ty Lawson seemed to work out from that class.

So sure, maybe me and others can look into the recruiting and what not a little too much, but you have to at least take a look and say North Carolina is going to be a team that seems to becoming an empire. Maybe in about five years, when Roy Williams and UNC have a couple more championships they will be getting yet another number one recruiting class and we will all find ourselves saying, "when will this end?"

Enough with Free Agency

I am not naive, I understand the magnitude of this year's free agency list come June 2010, but enough is enough. Lebron is still in Cleveland. Dwayne Wade is still in Miami. Chris Bosh is still in Toronto. Guess what? They are probably going to be all the way until June, and if they are not on those teams come then, it is not because they signed a free agent deal somewhere else.

Instead of looking at last night's game as a good regular season game, in which the Cavs beat the Heat with both starts living up to the billing, all the talk was about them both being free agents come year's end.

I guess I have to thank Wade though, as he was talking about the possibility of the two of them teaming up together, saying 'we had talked about it.' The chances of that happening are slim however, I meant they have to be right? Two superstar guards (though Lebron has the size and athleticism to play anywhere), two big time scorers, two guys that want the ball in their hands. I know there have been two players on a team at once and it has worked out well, but these two are just different, they are too singular as players and entities really.

Whether it is going to happen or not, why are we talking about it now? Do the Cavs and Heat not have a whole season to play, another 70 plus games? It will be very fun to watch, COME JUNE. Though I guess for New York fans you can find yourselves thinking, "I think New York just might be big enough for the two of them."