Who Impressed and Who did not Impress this March Madness Weekend

Today, Sportacular Sports looks at who left the Round of 32 with a positive impression versus the others who left not looking so hot. 

Impressive
1. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 

Sherwood Brown-The Eagle's lovable Senior

This is the obvious pick for who impressed this weekend. The Eagles from Florida became the first 15 seed to ever advance to the Sweet 16 in their impressive 81-71 win over San Diego State. If you have been in a cave, FGCU also defeated Otto Porter and the #2 seeded Georgetown Hoyas on Friday. Their's not much to say about the Eagles except their so easy to love. Who doesn't love the Cinderella story and to augment to their amiable story is the fact that they are having so much fan. You constantly see the players soaking up the experience whether it be shaking hands with the Broadcast teams or dancing around in the locker room. If you aren't rooting for the Eagles, you're probably a SDSU or Georgetown fan but even in that case you've got to respect this truly unbelievable story.

Trey Burke-Sophomore Guard-Naismith Award Finalist

2. Michigan Wolverines
After I put Michigan on upset alert a few days ago, the Wolverines now find themselves on my impressed list. Michigan had a solid performance against South Dakota State on Thursday but came away as major impressers after the game against VCU. The Rams turned teams over the most in the nation at 20 times per game, while the Wolverines turned the ball over the least amount of times at 9.0. When you see this matchup, you know something's got to give. Unfortunately for Rams fans, it was their defense. The Wolverines dominated in a 78-53 win in which they only turned the ball over 12 times and were never in grave danger of losing. Even more impressive than their win, is the importance of this game. A Blue-collar Freshmen named Mitch McGary may have had his official coming out party. McGary went 10-11 for 21 points and added 14 rebounds in an excellent performance. The reason Michigan has had so many doubters is their lack of an inside presence. While this was only 1 game, if McGary plays with consistent efficiency the Wolverines have an excellent chance of knocking off the top seeded Jayhawks in the Sweet 16.

3. Close calls 

Aaron Craft's Game Winner to send the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16

While Indiana barely escaped Temple, Ohio State needed a bogus call, Miami some clutch free throw shooting, and Marquette yet another escape, what impressed me about all these teams were their ability to win tight games. In every championship run, a team must win a game they had no business in winning and I believe all of these teams may have just done that. Indiana closed out Temple on a 10-0 run in a game they could have easily lost. While people may think teams like Indiana should crush a team like this, it's the tournament and their are no easy games come the weekend. For Ohio State, even though it took a questionable call (see Bad impressions), Ohio State found away and that's what it's all about come March. While Miami got a great battle from Illinois, they showed that the pressures of the NCAA Tournament won't be getting to them down the stretch. While Illinois fell victim to a bad call as well, Miami never gave the Illini a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute nailing all 6 of their FT attempts. Finally, my Final Four pick, Marquette, once again got my heart beating in my favorite game of the weekend. The Butler and Marquette game was just a great game that Marquette found a way to win for the second straight game. Marquette won't be able to win 6 games by less than 3 points but they've shown their ability to win in tight situations.

Considered- Louisville (Blowout performance, playing like the Number 1 overall seed) La Salle (Game winner against a feisty Ole Miss team- 13th seed to the Sweet 16)

Not Impressive 

Missed Call on Aaron Craft-But really, they're supposed to get this call?

1. I do not want to take away from both the great Ohio State-Iowa State and Miami-Illinois game but for a moment I want to talk about the refereeing. In both games, the call ultimately cost ISU and Illinois the game but to your surprise I'm more upset about the Illinois call. If you were still in your cave, Aaron Craft from Ohio State took a charge with under a minute to play which should have been an And-1 pushing the Cyclone lead to 4 or possibly 5. I am not upset at the refs for this call. The play is happening so fast and Craft is literally 2 inches over the restricted area. While the NCAA has admitted the wrong call was made, that's the toughest call of the weekend and I'd say 9 refs out of 10 call that a charge. Now for the Illinois game. This points towards the NCAA Rules Comittee. With under 30 seconds to play, Illinois trailed by 2 and missed a shot but on the rebound, a Hurricane player (Kenny Kadji) clearly knocked the ball out of bounds. While it was another bang-bang play, it was seen clearly on replay. With that being said, why can't the officials go to the monitors with under 2 minutes to play. While we all know one play doesn't determine a game, why can't we get that call right and not knock Illinois out of the tournament. Unfortunate for both teams, but I honestly believe one of these issues could be fixed. 

2. Ben McLemore-Kansas 
A projected NBA lottery pick (top 5), Big 12 player of the year, and top Freshman in the nation, Ben McLemore did not show up against North Carolina on Sunday. McLemore shot 0-9 from the field and his 2 points came from the Free Throw strike not to mention his mere 2 assists. While the Jayhawks advanced, is it possible that the Freshman superstar is afraid of the spotlights. In a poor team performance against 16th seeded Western Kentucky, McLemore shot 2-5 from the field and got most of his points from the FT line. He scored only 11, 5 points below his season average. If McLemore is the superstar that all the NBA scouts believe he is, he better put on a strong showing against an undersized Michigan size.

Considerations- MWC (only 1 of 5 teams made it to the Sweet 16), VCU (got clobbered by Michigan)

Round of 64-Upset Alert-Thursday-March Madness-NCAA Tournament

The Round of 64 begins tomorrow, March 21st. In it contains 16 of the 32 games played in the Round of 64. With that being said Sportacular Sports breaks down all the possible upsets and why.

Beginning with Louisville and Gonzaga, we will assume they are safe as 16 seeds are 0-112 against Number 1 seeds. 

After that, I would say any game could be on Upset Alert. No #2 seeds are participating in the festivities on Thursday therefore Upsets are bound to happen. 

I have heard analysts throw out names like Montana over Syracuse or Davidson over Marquette but I believe the NCAA tournament is relying heavy on Coaching and backcourt play (Point guards).
Therefore, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and Marquette's under rated head coach Buzz Williams should be able to coach their teams to victory. 

Another team I've heard under Upset Alert would be Butler against Bucknell. Bucknell's star player is Mike Muscala who plays under the basket. While he may be an underrated big man, Butler truly does well in the postseason and don't see this trend stopping this year.

A team that hasn't been mentioned on upset alert that contains a strong backcourt and excellent head coach is Michigan State. They face the #14 seeded Valparaiso who they should have no trouble handling.


With that being said, I see a ton of potential upsets on the slate for Thursday.

The College Basketball season has been madness already and to think that this trend would come to an end would be silly. 

8 vs. 9 games will also not be counted because I don't believe they are truly upsets.

Sorry for the long introduction, now we get down to business.

1.South Dakota State vs Michigan (13-4) 
Michigan started off the season with a bang and eventually obtained the #1 ranking in the nation. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they are trending in the wrong direction. While their season did not spiral out of control like the 2010 Texas Longhorns, the Wolverines did not finish with momentum. With that being said, Michigan still has a National POY candidate in Trey Burke. But on the other side for the Jack Rabbits, South Dakota State has 6 4' guard Nate Wolters. Wolters is a tough guard who puts the ball in the basket. South Dakota State has experience in the tournament (appeared last year) and Michigan is a young team. Michigan fell in the first round last year and their coach, John Belein, only has an 8-7 career record in the NCAA tournament. My alert level would be low but don't be surprised.

2. Belmont Bruins vs. Arizona Wildcats (11-6)
My alert level would be at a medium for this matchup. Arizona was another team that began the season undefeated and entered the top 5 ranking at one point. They have excellent players in Solomon Hill and Mark Lyons but the Wildcats are inconsistent. On the other hand, Belmont has tournament experience which is very important come March. They also have a Senior Guard in Ian Clark who average 18 points per game. Arizona very well could breeze through this Belmont team and then beat New Mexico two days later. But, don't be shocked if it's this Belmont team that is defeating Arizona and New Mexico in a span of 3 days.

3. California Golden Bears vs. UNLV Runnin' Rebels (12-5)
UNLV might be in trouble. The Runnin' Rebels reign from the MWC (Moutain West) which has low success in the Big Dance. To augment to the conference's low success level is my disbelief in highly ranked mid major teams. I've never seen a team from a mid major seeded top 5 go very far in the tournament. For some reason, those schools are always the Cinderellas never the favorites. Another reason I don't like St. Louis, New Mexico, or this UNLV team. But in this instance, it is more what I like about Cal than what I don't like about UNLV. If you've never heard of Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobb you will be hearing their names tomorrow night. Crabbe and Cobb are the backcourt for the Bears and combine for 33 points per game. Not only do I think they'll run past the Rebels (no pun intended) but I think they'll shoot the lights out against Syracuse's zone two days later and advance to the Sweet 16. 

Thanks for reading my Upset Alert picks. Leave your comments below.

NFL Trades

Free agency has officially begun but the bigger news has come by way of the trade. As you probably know Percy Harvin was sent to Seattle and Anquan Boldin was traded to rival San Francisco. Sportacular Sports takes an in depth look at the trades.

Percy Harvin-WR (Minnesota to Seattle)
Star running back and now former teammate, Adrian Peterson tweeted: "The best all around player I ever seen or you'll ever see! Goes to Seattle! I feel like I just got kicked in the stomach. Several times!!!"
To hear the League MVP say those words about another player validates the claim that Percy is a great player. Percy Harvin brings great value as be is an excellent slot receiver in a league that lacks that position. To augment to his value, he is capable of returning punts and kickoffs at a high rate. Even more special is his running ability out of the backfield. To say the least, Harvin is not a one trick pony. Harvin is going to join an already special team. Seattle's defense is stifling and their offense is loaded with talent. Imagine Russel Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, and Percy Harvin lining up in the backfield and tell me defenses won't be cringing. Then flank him out wide with Doug Baldwin and you'll see a much improved passing offense than the 27th ranked team last year. Agreeing with Vegas, this takes the Hawks to the top of the NFL as lead contenders.

Anquan Boldin-WR (Baltimore to San Francisco)
Even Anquan Boldin was surprised by this trade (as reported by ESPN). Q as they like"d" to call him in Baltimore is heading off to the Bay Area to play for another Harbaugh. Jim this time. After Boldin's comments that if the Ravens released him he would retire a Raven, Baltimore asked Anquan to take a pay cut and stick with the team. But Boldin was having none of it. It is true that the Ravens could have kept him but that would have meant letting Paul Kruger, Danelle Ellerbee, and Ed Reed into free agency. Baltimore needs to get younger and not retain older players like Q.
The major uproar of the trade came when Baltimore fans found out that they were receiving only a 6th round pick for them top Wide Receiver. After Minnesota got a 1st founder why was Baltimore only getting a 6th? The reason why, the Ravens just wanted something. Ultimately, Baltimore was going to cut Boldin so to get a 6th was just extra. The Super Bowl Champs cut 6$ million off their cap to clear space for the aforementioned free agents.
What does this mean for San Fran? Once again, agreeing with Vegas, the Niners are co-favorites with Seattle to win the 2014 Super Bowl. Both these teams have young, stud Quarterbacks and unbelievable defenses. Anquan will bring sure hands and excellent leadership to a young offense.

Who will be better?
My early pick is San Fran because of their SB47 appearance but who knows. These teams replicate each other in amazing ways. All I know is these trades make a playoff team and SB contender even better. A scary thought for the rest of the NFL

NBA Hot News-LeBron, Rose, and Parker injury updates

NBA Hot News-Injury updates

In the past few days there have been many interesting stories to cover and Sportacular Sports will now break them down.

Miami Wins 15 in a row but how's LeBron?
The Miami Heat are absolutely on fire right now. After their 97-81 defeat over the Timberwolves tonight, the Heat have extended their franchise record winning streak to 15 games. While this is quite a feat, the bigger story is how LeBron James knee is holding up after the scare Sunday against the Knicks. On an attempted alley oop, James landed extremely awkwardly on his knee but did not leave the game to much surprise.

 He actually performed better from that point on totaling 15 more points and leading a come from behind victory over New York at MSG. LeBron's knee appeared fine in tonights game against Minnesota as he scored 20 points while adding 10 boards. His partner in crime, Dwyane Wade, picked up the "slack" with 32 points himself as the Heat cruised to a victory. With question before the game, answers were given and LeBron appears to be perfectly fine.






Derrick Rose-The Return?

Could we possibly see a return from Chicago Bulls all-star Derrick Rose in the coming days? While Rose appeared on the Chicago bench for the first time this season, my guess would be no but I believe it is very possible we could see the 2011 MVP back this season. Two questions need to be answered during Rose's recovery process. Does DRose trust the surgery and everything that has gone into it. With a knee injury, more than half the battle of coming back, especially for a quick player like Rose, is trusting that the knee will hold up. This leads up to the next question, is it worth the risk for Rose to come back in a season where Miami is unstoppable? While Rose could make the Bulls a Championship Contender, will he even be the same player coming off a torn ACL. Rose relies on his quick cuts and extreme athletic ability to be the dynamic player he is. I believe Derrick Rose will return this year but when is the question Check Rose's progress in him dunking in a pre game warmup. This is a great sign for the Bulls and all basketball fans as DRose is one of the best players in the league to watch.

Tony Parker sidelined up to 4 weeks-What does this mean for San Antonio?



Tony Parker is the most underrated player in the NBA not only at the Point Guard position but in the entire league. What he means to the Spurs is incalculable. Parker went down with a broken ankle against the Sacramento Kings leaving him on the bench for about 4 weeks. The Spurs lead the West and it would not surprise me one bit if San Antonio relinquishes their 3 game lead over the Thunder in the coming weeks. With that being said, the Spurs aren't going to care what seed they are, they are the classy vets who are just going to win games. When it comes playoff time, Parker will be ready to go and Ginobli and Duncan will be rested. While the Spurs might lose their lead in the West, this could be a blessing in disguise as backup Point Guard 2nd year vet, Corey Joesph could get some useful experience for the postseason. I think the Spurs will be just find come playoff time. 

Money Talks:Joe Flacco's Contract, Trout's non-contract, and LeBron's Million Dollar offer

Over the past week there have been many intriguing money stories. Spreading over the NFL, MLB, and NBA, Sportacular Sports analyzes the Money situations.

Joe Flacco-Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco: Super Bowl MVP, Playoffs all 5 years in his career, 3 AFC Championships
Joe Flacco entered the 2012-2013 NFL season in a contract year. Before the season began contract talks faltered. As agent Joe Linta discussed throughout the season with Owner Steve Biscotti, Joe just kept performing. To say the least, Joe placed a hefty bet on himself and it payed off big time. Come Friday night, Joe Flacco's groundbreaking contract details were released. Flacco became the highest payed player in NFL history earning 126 million dollars over the course of 6 years.

With Joe's contract being released, 2 major issues came about; Is Joe Flacco the best player in NFL history and Doesn't this hurt the Ravens when they have so many key free agents.

To answer the first, obviously Joe isn't the greatest player in the history of the game but timing is everything. The fact that Joe won a Super Bowl in his contract year in the year 2013 just happened to earn him this contract. Joe ranks 5th in the league just at his position behind Manning, Brees, Rodgers, and Brady but he got the job done when it had to be done.

The next question, Will this hurt Baltimore?
While Joe is going to be a heavy contract on the already tight Raven's budget, signing Flacco will actually relieve some pressure on the Super Bowl Champs. If the two sides hadn't agreed to a contract, Baltimore would have had to utilize the tag, costing them up to 14 million dollars this season. From my research, The Baltimore Sun notes that Flacco's deal will have about a $7 million dollar hit on the cap as opposed to the potential 14 million. With Flacco saving the team about $7 million combined with the retirements of Ray Lewis and Matt Birk, Baltimore will be saving about $15 million dollars to retain key free agents like Paul Kruger, Cary Williams, Anquan Boldin, and Dannell Ellerbe.

Mike Trout- Los Angeles Angels

Shifting gears to Baseball, during this past week, Los Angeles Angels-Center Fielder, Mike Trout, decided to renew his contract at only $20,000 above the league minimum of $4900,000. The reigning Rookie of the Year obviously could have chosen to renegotiate a contract more fitting to his performance but chose to take "the high road". While his agent, Craig Landis, was not happy about Trout's decision, it is a respectable one coming from the 2nd year player. These are the players that should be most respected in sports today. They are putting the team's needs before themselves. LAA took on Albert Pujols, the highest paid player in the league, and then added Josh Hamilton's monster contract in the offseason. I'm not sure exactly what the Angels plan to do when Trout comes for his money but for now, much respect goes to Mike Trout.





LeBron James-Miami Heat

Everyone by now should be aware that the Heat are blazing. Miami has won their 14th straight with a come from behind win over the Knicks on Sunday. But the bigger news this week has been about LeBron's pre-game dunking routine. James has shown off his high-flying skills with an impressive dunk throughout this great win streak. So great are LeBron's dunks that Hall of Famer, Magic Johnson, has put a bounty on LeBron. The Bounty states that if James participates in the Dunk Contest, the winner of the Contest will be awarded $1,000,000. Yes 1 million dollars. While this is clearly a bribe to get James into the contest, I see it as a positive motivation. Assuming LeBron wins the contest, James would then have the chance to donate the money to his charity the LeBron James Family Foundation. James has had the critics out on him for a while since he's left Cleveland and I see no greater opportunity for LeBron to make his image crystal clear. For the aforementioned reasons, I do believe James will participate in the 2014 contest and add an iconic dunk to his ever lasting legacy.