All-NCAA Team. The best 5 compilation of college basketball players in 2014

ALL-NCAA TEAM
Today I thought I would write an interesting article inspired by Bill Simmons "Book of Basketball"  in honor of the upcoming Conference and March Madness Tournaments. I am going to create my All-NCAA team, key word team. This is different than the All-Americans or simply the 5 best players in college basketball. For example, the 3 best players in college could all be Small Forwards but the 2nd or 3rd may not make the team. In addition, this is a winner take all, Space Jam kind of game. This team is defending our country from aliens. I am choosing the team that will work well together and will defeat any other combination of 5 college basketball players.

PG- Kyle Anderson (UCLA) 14.9 PPG, 8.6 REB, 6.8 AST, 49% FG, 1.8 STL, 3.2 TO (Sophomore)
Others receiving consideration: Russ Smith (Louisville), Shabazz Napier (UCONN), Marcus Paige (UNC)

A 6' 7 facilitating Point Guard was just too good to pass up. His 3.2 TO per game worry me a little as I want my team taking care of the ball to maximize my shots but his ability to rebound and spread the ball around is just unmatched by any other point guard in the country. There's not much to say about Anderson besides his facilitation and his length. These two things were more important to me than the other 3 guards ability to score. Finally, if we decide to press, play a pressure style defense, or even a zone, I love his length and his defensive capability.

SG- Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati) 20.3 PPG, 4.5 REB, 2.6 AST, 43% FG, 85%, 2.1 TO (Senior)
Others receiving consideration: Gary Harris (Michigan State), Juwan Staten (West Virginia)

While Kilpatrick is a true Small Forward, he gets bumped up to the Shooting Guard position for the sake of McDermott. Don't worry, Kilpatrick can definitely handle this. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd play Center if I asked him to. If you ever have a chance to read about Kilpatrick, take the opportunity. I've never heard a bad thing said about him and he is talked about as an uncanny leader. Throw in the fact that he can get you 20 points, rebound the ball, and even facilitate a little and I'm thrilled. Also, Kilpatrick can lock down your best player at about every position besides the Center. I love everything about Kilpatrick which is why he is the Team Captain of the this squad. Late game, we can throw the ball to him  to either hit the big shot or ice the game with Free Throws. Kilpatrick is the real deal and the fact that he got left off the Wooden Award Candidates is a sick joke. His Bearcats are ranked 15th in the country and are very capable of a late tourney run.

SF- Doug McDermott (Creighton) 26 PPG, 7.0 REB, 52% FG, 89% FT, 1.9 TO (Senior)
Others receiving consideration: CJ Fair (Syracuse), Andrew Wiggins (Kansas), TJ Warren (NC State), Melvin Ejim (Iowa State)

When I first thought of the idea to create an All-NCAA team, McDermott didn't make my team. You must be thinking, what was I thinking. This dude is the best player in College Basketball, he scores 26 points per game, and has Creighton, who would be no better than .500 in the league, ranked 13th in the country. Why didn't he make my initial team? I've seen McDermott play and he is truly unbelievable but two things bothered me. He seemed to get his points by volume shooting. This was my original thought that turned me away from him. Just like Carmelo Anthony, I thought that McDermott was just shooting 20 times a game to get his points. But after the research, I saw that his 52% Field Goal percentage was the highest on my list of players besides the center position. This really changed my opinion. The other thing that worried me was that the entire offense runs through McDermott. Now you are questioning me again. Doesn't the offense always run through the best player? Yes, but for McDermott it usually consists of him posting up or holding the ball for extended periods of time. I didn't like that in the college game especially on this team where I am preaching unselfishness and team play. At the end of the day though, I figured the best player in the game deserved to make my team and his 26 points aren't going to hurt us in the end. Oh, and by the way, McDermott is a 4 year starter. That doesn't hurt given all the late game experience he has gained from that.

PF- Jabari Parker (Duke) 18.8 PPG, 8.9 REB, 48% FG, 2.4 TO (Freshman)
Others receiving consideration: NONE

Jabari Parker is the best power forward in the country but am I saying that no one is close. There are players that could have garnered consideration but to be honest none really contested with Parker. McDermott could qualify as a PF so I guess him but ultimately Parker is far and away the best power forward in the country. He is going to bring the effort, the rebounding, and can add on a little scoring if needed. On this team, I don't need everyone to score their 20. Rather, I'm looking for the little extra and that is exactly what this Freshman adds on. His presence down low and his ability to stretch the floor when needed in addition to his great rebounding are all factors that led to Jabari receiving the PF spot on this team.

C- Jordan Bachynski (Arizona State) 11.2 PPG, 8.4 REB, 55% FG, 4.2 BLK (Senior)
Others receiving consideration: Joel Embiid (Kansas), Julius Randle (Kentucky)

To be honest, the casual college basketball fan has probably never heard of the big man from ASU but now you have. Is Bach the best center in college basketball? Absolutely not, but he is going to complete my team by doing what I believe is most important, protecting the rim. Looking at the numbers, he is on average with Embiid for points and rebounds but clearly surpasses him at the rim. Randle's scoring and rebounding are better but once again his defense does not match that of Bachynski.  In addition, Jordan can finish at the rim so he is not an offensive liability. Besides the shot blocking ability, the second most important factor that I considered was Bachynski, a senior, versus the two Freshmen, Randle and Embiid. If Bachynski picks up two early fouls, I trust him to not foul and I can keep him in the game. I feel much differently with Randle and Embiid who will play with the same reckless abandon whether they have 0 or 4 fouls.

Coach: Mike Krzyzewksi (Duke)
Others receiving consideration: Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), John Calipari (Kentucky)

Who else would you want coaching this team besides Coack K. His 4 national championships and 11 final fours are a great number but more importantly all this guy does is win. It was a pretty simple decision and throw in the fact that he already coaches the only freshmen on this team and you have icing on the cake. Boeheim received consideration because he is of equal ability as a coach but I would rather have this team in man to man than a 2-3 zone. For me a hot shooting team can beat any zone no matter how good the players, I'm not going to take that risk. And finally, John Calipari. Personally, I don't think Calipari is that great of a coach but he has actually had a team built with a bunch of superstars so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt of knowing how to coach with 5 superstars. In the long run though, Coach K is leading my All-NCAA team to victory.

Post-Game analysis:
What scares me about this team is that only one of them, Jabari Parker, is ranked in the top 10 and both UCLA and ASU aren't ranked. What brings me back down to earth is that I have a nice balance of 3 seniors, a sophomore, and a freshman. I know that I'm getting scoring from somewhere and I can rebound the ball as well as protect the rim. The only issue my team has is distribution. While I have some solid passers, I don't have an excellent assist man at the 2 spot because of Kilpatrick's shift to the shooting guard position. Nonetheless, I'm confident that my team would beat any grouping of 5 men in college basketball

Toughest decision/Biggest regrets:
The point guard and center position were the hardest positions for me to choose from. Kilpatrick, McDermott, and Parker as the core 3 were simple selections but passing up two national champions at the PG spot (Napier, Smith) was tough but they just didn't fit the mold of the team. They are some times erratic with the ball turning it over and shooting bad shots. I couldn't risk that when this team should be getting the highest quality of shot every time down the floor. The Center spot was tough because I love Randle and Embiid but the freshman aspect and inability to be as supreme defenders as Bachynski were too much to keep them off the team. My final regret or decision was not including anyone from the top 3 teams in the country. I need winners on my team and those guys simply win. The thing is that those top 3 teams are built as a team where each player compliments the other which is exactly the mold that I attempted to build with my All-NCAA team.

ALL-NCAA TEAM:
PG Kyle Anderson
SG Sean Kilpatrick (Captain)
SF Doug McDermott
PF Jabari Parker
C Kyle Anderson
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

The Final Four is set! Early predictions

The extended tournament weekend started out excellent with another Ohio State buzzer beater, Syracuse's stifling defense taking down Number 1 Indiana, and Trey Burke and Michigan's improbable comeback. If you missed any of those games you truly missed out because the Regional Finals were a bit of a disappointment. I'll explain below.

Louisville vs. Duke

Louisville celebrating their Final Four berth. Pay tribute to teammate Kevin Ware.

Probably the most compelling Regional Final matchup in the past decade. Coach K against Pitino, Louisville vs Duke two perennial power houses, Siva and Smith against Seth Curry and his team of sharp shooters. The game started off with great energy but then it went all down hill after Kevin Ware's injury. If you didn't see this you don't want to. Ware suffered a compound fracture in his leg on an attempted blocked shot. Thankfully his surgery was successful and he has made the trip to Atlanta to be with the team. After the injury, Louisville went on to dominate the 2nd half and won the game by 23 points. Great game on paper, not so much on the court.

Michigan vs. Florida

Nik Stauskas after one of his 6 three pointers.

If your a Michigan fan like myself, you actually enjoyed watching the Wolverines beat down on Florida. But for the rest of the nation, this was just another blowout in the Elite 8. Michigan got off to a 13-0 start and never looked back. The Gators once again fell in the Elite 8 and can't seem to get over the hump since their Titles in '05 and '06. Trey Burke earned POY honors on Friday against Kansas thanks to his domination in the 2nd half as Canadian Nik Stauskas stole the show on Sunday in a punishing performance against Florida.

Syracuse vs. Marquette

Syracuse celebrating their first Final Four berth since 2003
when they won it all with Freshman Carmelo Anthony

If your an old-timer you probably enjoyed this game. Syracuse's 2-3 zone defense embarrassed Marquette on Thursday night. Being in the Big East, you would expect the Golden Eagles to have some sort of clue of how to perform against the zone but they showed no signs of that. They were terrible shooting 28% from the field. To show their offensive struggles note that the Golden Eagles accounted for 39 points in the game while Michigan put up 47 in the first half. Marquette bad, Syracuse good.

Wichita State vs. Ohio State

In what was probably the most exciting game of the Elite 8, Wichita State continued their run as Cinderella. Leading by 20 points at one point, the Shockers almost gave the game away. The Buckeyes got back in the game by pressuring an inexperienced Wichita squad. At one point, the Shockers went 14 possessions with only 1 Field Goal. With about 3 minutes to go, OSU had cut the lead to 3 when, and this bothers me, they called off the pressure. Ohio State had cut the lead down by 17 points with constant pressure but when they finally made it one possession they stop pressuring. This let the Shockers who two enormous shot. One by Teleke Cotton a clutch 3 and then a fall away jumper by the Freshman VanVleet which closed the game for the Shockers. I think Ohio State is going to regret those last 3 minutes as they were a great matchup with Louisville. 

Now, here is my analysis of the Final Four games and my predictions.

The early game tips off at 6:09 ET between Louisville and Wichita State.

Peyton Siva (left) and Russ Smith (right) are the most dominant
duo in the entire nation right now.

While many people though Ohio state would blow out Wichita State, myself included, I honestly believe this is an extremely lopsided matchup. If you read above, which I hope you did, Wichita State started to turn the ball over when they faced some defensive pressure. Now look what they have ahead of them. Besides maybe VCU, Louisville is the best defensive team at forcing turnovers. They also have the ability to speed you up and play their up tempo style of Basketball. Louisville will cruise to the Title game with Kevin Ware heavy in their hearts.

Louisville 78

Wichita State 65

Now for the more intriguing game. Syracuse's 2-3 zone vs. Michigan's sharp shooters.

Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Wolverines to their
first Final Four berth since the Fab 5 in 1993.

If you remember back to midway through the College Basketball season both these teams at one point reigned atop the College Basketball world. While both teams struggled, Michigan deemed too young and Syracuse struggled offensively, both these squads should not have been surprising picks. For Michigan it's the emergence of Freshman Mitch McGary who gives the Wolverines an inside presence and for Syracuse it's the stifling 2-3 zone. The Cuse' defense has caused more turnovers than they've allowed field goals, that stat tells a lot. With that being said, Michigan matches up very well with the Cuse. Michigan poses outside threats Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Nik Stauskas. If the Wolverines are hot from beyond the arc, Syracuse has absolutely no chance. Yet, if they are not, Syracuse has a great chance of advancing to a rematch of the Big East Championship game. This Syracuse team is more physical than Michigan and poses a ton of matchup problems. Almost every player in the Syracuse starting line up will be a few inches taller than their respective Michigan matchup. The key to this game will be whether Michigan shoots well from outside or whether Syracuse controls the game down low. I give the edge to the Wolverines but not by much.

Michigan 60

Syracuse 58

My title game pick will come later in the week, so keep checking back!!

Which team has the best chance of being upset this Rivalry Saturday?

This college basketball season has been filled with crazy upsets and one would think the same would follow this weekend. This entire week is filled with games matching up hated rivals. All the action finishes today. When a rival comes to town, especially with a number 1-25 next to their name, a team seems to play inspired basketball which leaves those aforementioned ranked squads in serious danger if they don't come to play. So as I said before, one would think we would see many upsets this weekend yet I feel otherwise.










As I scanned the matchups for today, I really couldn't put my finger on any that caught my eye. But when I analyzed it deeply I figured the Number 2 team in the land could be in grave danger.

#2 Duke Blue Devils vs. Maryland Terrapins
The Duke squad has already won their major rivalry game this week handling a feisty UNC team which leaves me to believe they won't be as motivated come 6pm Saturday. Maryland on the other hand as been reeling losing 3 out of their last 5 and falling from the tournament contenders. UMD really needs a statement win and there is no greater opportunity than today. The Terps have the team that can match up with this Duke team.

Key matchup: Mason Plumlee vs. Alex Len
The last time these two teams played, the show was stolen by freshman Rasheed Sulaimon who dropped 25 points at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But when the game got close, the Blue Devils went to Senior Mason Plumlee to finish the game. He did rightly so and Duke took care of business on their home court. Today though could be a much different result. The Terps will obviously be ready to play in front of their home crowd and Len performs better at the Comcast Center. If Alex Len can dominate inside, Maryland will be able to defend the deadly shooters out on the perimeter and exploit the loss of Ryan Kelly.

                      Prediction:

Do I think Maryland will be able to get the job done? Unfortunately, no. Mason Plumlee has been the best player in the entire nation the past two weeks and Len simply won't be able to stop him. Len might play well but not well enough to stop the Blue Devils. Seth Curry is too much for Maryland at the point. The living chance that Maryland has is Sophomore standout Dez Wells who can put up 30 points in the blink of an eye. If he wants to have a serious coming out party, there would be no greater moment than tonight.

Final Score: Duke-72 Maryland-66

Sportacular Sports January 9th Morning Recap

Wednesday, January 9th Headlines
(Recapping the headlines from Tuesday, January 8th)


RGIII to have knee surgery Wednesday
-Many rumors have circulated about the degree of Griffin's injury and the length of time he would be sitting out. ESPN's Chris Mortensen has reported that RG3 has indeed torn his ACL in addition to his LCL. The Redskins had confirmed a tear of the LCL but the MRI Tuesday confirmed the second. I do not completely understand the doctor behind everything but apparently Griffin is now in better shape. The professionals were saying Griffin could be done for up to 18 months. Now, he is rumored to be out 6-8 months barring any set backs. A little known fact is that RGIII actually had a similar injury in his career at Baylor. The knee that had been reconstructed through a patella like structure had been torn through and that will need to be repaired as well. When we are in this category, nothing seems like good news but for the Redskins (and Mike Shanahan), they are satisfied knowing they'll have their Quarterback for next season.

Rob Ryan fired as Defensive Coordinator in Dallas
-After spending only 2 seasons in Big D, Rob Ryan has been fired by the Cowboys. Ryan's defense allowed the most yards in Cowboy's history this year and ranked in the bottom 5 last year. Ryan believes that his defense struggled nightly because of injuries which may be true. Also, Ryan is not scared and is outspoken like his brother Rex, "I'll be out of work for like 5 minutes". Rob Ryan said this in response to his firing and does not fear he will be jobless for much longer.

Duke destroys Clemson 68-40
-Quinn Cook after shooting 0-11 Saturday against Wake Forest rebounded by scoring 27 points Tuesday night. The Tigers managed to only score 10 first half points. Ryan Kelly, who outscored Clemson 12-10 in the first half, sat in the 2nd with a right foot injury. Duke will remain Number 1 for now but plays 9 of its last 16 games on the road.

All ranked teams win, except for Georgetown.
-Teams like Missouri and Ohio State took care of business last night but it was the low scoring Hoyas who got crushed on Tuesday. Pittsburgh, on the road, won 73-45. The Hoyas dropped their second in a row in addition to only scoring 45 points. If you follow College Basketball you know the Hoyas don't score very often and unless it gets fixed, they will go no where in the Tournament.

Heat and Lakers both fall on the road
-The Heat have not been playing well as of late but more importantly what is wrong with the Lakers. I understand Dwight and Pau were both out last night but this team is going in the wrong direction. The Heat simply couldn't hit shots last night, falling 87-77. LeBron continued his 20+ point streak and is 85 points away from 20,000 career points. The Heat are fine, but for the Lake show who fell 125-112, I see trouble. Mike D'Antoni has been no help and allowing 125 points in a night is not getting the job done. The lakers struggle the most in two area, transition and production from the bench. The Lakers keep getting beat down the court for easy buckets. This makes them tired but their is no bench production when Kobe and Steve Nash take a seat. They need to find production from within because all the Laker's money is with KB and Dwight Howard. I'm scared for the Lakers.