Basketball is Back!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome back NBA!!!!!!! Christmas time is coming and so is the NBA. The opening game of the 66 game NBA season is between the Chicago Bulls lead by the reigning MVP Derrick Rose facing The Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant and new coach Mike Brown. The NBA Finals rematch between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks where they receive their rings also take place. Overall there are six games on Christmas which have all the marquee stars playing on opening night. Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Stephen Curry also highlight the Christmas night. The NBA was smart to have their young stars open the season trying to capture the fans that strayed away during the lockout. Building back the fans trust is key. Let's hope when this new bargaining agreement expires the owners and players are at peace to avoid another lockout. 

In college hoops over the weekend the two team that I project will meet in April to cut down the nets played in Lexington, KY as Kentucky defeated North Carolina by a last second block from 2012 #1 pick Anthony Davis.  Watching that game featured at least five future 1st round NBA picks. Harrison Barnes, Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, Kidd-Gilchrist are lottery picks and Kendall Marshall is late lottery mid-round one pick. 

NBA free agency begins this week and training camp next week looking forward to all the signings. Also My ILLINI are 8-0 and ranked in the top 25 this week. 

Preview - Fighting ILLINI Basketball

The Final 4 teams of 1989 and 2005 were without a doubt the best teams in school history. I have not been pleased with the recruiting class Bruce Weber has brought in until now. With senior players Demetri McCamey and Mike Davis leading the way along with a top ten recruiting class led by Jereme Richmond, this team has the makings of a Final Four sleeper. Sophomores Brandon Paul should improve after a rocky freshmen year but DJ Richardson has the makings an all Big Ten player in the future. DJ Richardson's hidden potential is similar when Deron Williams starred for ILLINI.

Crandall Head should be healthy after tearing his ACL last summer and should provide some offense for this group. Myles Head will be thrown into the starting lineup day one as he's a legit seven footer.

With Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue as the best teams in the conference, this Fighting ILLINI team should challenge the Buckeyes for the third best team in the conference.

ILLINI Snubbed - Dance Begins Thursday

Now that the brackets have been revealed topled Kansas is the top overall seed followed by Kentucky, Syracuse, and Duke. West Virginia and Ohio State made strong cases of landing the final number one seed but they gave it to Coach K.

Why is Illinois playing in the NIT rather than the NCAA? Simple they lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (at home) torwards the end of the season followed by losses to Purdue, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. Then defeat the Badgers in the first round of the Big 10 tourney followed by a double overtime loss to the Buckeys. What makes matters worse is that the Gophers reached the finals in Indianapolis doomed Bruce Weber's chances. Good luck against Stony Brook in the Not Invited Tournament

Expect Kansas State, Villanova, Kentucky, and Kansas to reach the final for with Sherron Collins cutting down the nets. He'll finally get a piece of John Wall.

March Madness - Senior Night

I DON'T CARE IF DELONTE WEST WAS FOULED THE LOB PASS TO LEBRON LAST NIGHT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST IN GAME DUNKS IN NBA HISTORY.

Madness is everywhere in the hoops world. Today Missouri Zyar Taylor went Tyus Edney against Iowa State for the game winner to silence the crowd. People in Champaign, IL are growing mad because Illinois dropped another game in the Big 10 against Ohio State hindering their tourney chances. With the loss tonight, Ohio State wrapped up the Big 10 regular season title and Evan Turner played his last game in Columbus. Now it's off to Indianapolis for the Big 10 tourney where I hope ILLINI can win a few games and get into the dance.

Congratulations to UTEP for winning the Conference USA title it's the first time in nine years another team other than Memphis wins the title. Memphis will be back as they have the top recruiting class in the nation coming in next year.

Tomorrow tune into ESPN as two Chicago west side point guard Sherron Collins and Jacob Pullen go head to head as Kansas State plays Kansas. That should be a great game and I know Kansas State will play hard tomorrow night.

Good for LeBron switching his number I agree no ball player should ever wear the #23. LeBron James will wear the #6 next season.

Weekend Recap

Let me start off by saying I'm not a fan of hockey but I did watch the USA/Canada Gold Medal game and I'm disappointed and proud of the young USA Hockey team. Now back to the show............

I'm know I'm wrong for typing this but I'm rooting against the Nets. I want them to set the all-time record for most losses in a season. The Celtics must have went out the night before and came in a the crack of dawn because they forgot to bring their "C" game against New Jersey. The bench of the Boston Celtics alone can destroy the New Jersey Nets starting five. My Chicago Bulls keep showing mix signals by defeating the Portland Trailblazers on Friday night then last night losing to the Lottery bound Indiana Pacers. Playing to the level of your competition will not work in the L.

Speaking of playing to the level of the competition, Fighting ILLINI pretty much punch it's ticket to the NIT after a bad loss at home to Minnesota 62-60. I've said this before but for the ILLNI this season, it's whatever but next season pencil in Illinois as a top ten team with Lenord Myles, Mike Davis, Jereme Richmond, Brandon Paul, and Demetri McCamey with Crandle Head and DJ Richardson coming off the bench.

The nation's top two teams suffered losses this weekend as well as Kansas fell to Oklahoma State and Kentucky lost to Tennessee. Bottom line, Kentucky and Kansas will still be seeded #1 two weeks from today. Side note: Good for Sherron Collins calling John Wall a little boy. I hope these two teams meet in the finals.

There is plenty of basketball to watch this week (especially college ball) so I will see you guy later.

TOMORROW IS A GOOD DAY TO HOOP!!!!!!

Weekend Recap

With the rest of the world (including me) watching the Super Bowl, I have not neglected my hoops obligations, just this blog. Now that the week is up let me tell you what I've learned this week:

• I have no idea what to expect from the Bulls. They win 5 straight against playoffs teams then loose their next 3. Two against bad teams (Clippers, Sixers)
• U of Texas is overrated...Ever since they lost their #1 ranking they're dropped 3 out of the last 5. Expect a loss against Kansas tomorrow night. 
• ILLINI.....The victory against Michigan State was huge for there tourney resume but I still expect them to be the 5th Big 10 team to make the dance
• U of Kentucky...The entire starting 5 will enter the 2010 draft with John Wall going 1st along with Cousins & Favors being lottery picks
• Pac 10 Basketball is a joke....California & Washington were supposed to be top 25 teams all years but like their conference, they stink
• Chris Paul is not coming back this year...serious knee injury should shut CP3 down until 2011....4-6 weeks yeah right
• The Lakers have a team (without Kobe)...Last night's victory at Portland without Black Mamba proved the Champs have fire power
• Finally............Since I lived in New Orleans for 5 years....GO SAINTS!!!!

5 Straight fo the Bulls

Once again congratulations to the All-Star guard Derrick Rose as the Bulls have won 5 straight road games. The latest victims were Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. The two all-star guards did not guard each other until the end of the 4th quarter as the better defender Kirk Hindrich guarded Paul. If Derrick Rose wants the crown as best PG in the League, he'll have to improve his jumper and defense. He already has the speed and strength but his defense is suspect. Looking forward to what he does in Dallas all-star weekend.

Big day in college basketball especially in Kansas as two Chicago west side guards will go hard on each other on ESPN tonight. Sherron Collins and Jacob Pullen will do battle as the ranked Kansas vs. Kansas State is the marquee game of the evening.

Right now I'm watching ILLINI loose to Indiana at home and this would be an extremely bad loss for Illinois as the Hoosiers have no chance of making the NCAA Tournament. It appears as if when UCONN lost their coach they also loss their game as they fall to Marquette by 2..70-68.

Well let me get back to watching the ILLINI game and holla at me readers later.

GO DU...BEAT XU

Northwestern Basketball in the Big Dance

I just watched the Northwestern Wildcats loose in overtime to Illinois but for the first time Northwestern basketball is for real. In the past, the Wildcats have always been the Big 10 door mat but not this season. Juice Thompson got the steal at the end of regulation and barely made the half court shot to win the game. Right now the Cats should put this game behind them as they face Michigan State Spartans this weekend. I still believe the Cats will make the Big Dance this season spoiling one of the other Big 10 teams.

Speaking of the Spartans Kalin Lucas came off the bench and did exactly what the Big 10 POY was supposed to do against Texas-Arlington. Let's hope the Spartans don't overlook the Wildcats because this could be a bad loss on their NCAA tournament resume.

Well tune in tomorrow as I list my all decade team. 

HS Basketball Tonight

BREAKING NEWS: THE NATIONS TOP HIGH SCHOOL TEAM IN THE COUNTRY FINDLAY PREP LOOSES TO NORTHLAND HS FROM COLUMBUS, OHIO.


Currently on ESPN the nations top prep player UNC Bound Harrison Barnes is facing ILLINI Bound Jereme Richmond in the Old Spice Classic. At halftime Aimes (IA) is leading Waukegan (IL) 38-29. The real star of the game so far is Northern Iowa Bound Doug McDermott. Overall Richmond and Barnes have played solid games and as I type, Richmond just caught a baseline lob to finish the jam. Right now Aimes has an 11 point lead in the 3rd quarter with Barnes finishing the jam. 


Tune in after the game for my recap of the game and two of the nation's top players.