Basketball

Are these freshmen making the jump too early?

Chris McGlynn Basketball, Draft, NCAAM , ,

The NBA draft is still a couple of months off but the buzz surrounding the biggest basketball event of the summer has already begun. With the NCAA deadline to declare for the draft just four days away, the draft class has all but taken form. The seniors obviously had no choice but there were several underclassmen who decided to make the jump early despite having plenty of eligibility and potential championships left at their universities. For some, leaving school for the NBA will seem like a no-brainer. For others, the decision was maybe a little rushed. Out of the dozens of underclassmen to declare, there are a couple that stick out that should have stayed in school.

Tyus Jones, Freshman
Point Guard, Duke
He has yet to actually declare and I sincerely hope he does not. Jones is a very talented player and based on his performance in Duke’s national championship run, his value is probably as high as it will ever be. However, he is not truly pro-ready. The comparisons I have frequently heard have been to former Syracuse guard Tyler Ennis. Not that their style of play is all that similar but they face (faced) similar situations. Ennis had a stellar freshman year for the Orange and the talent around him was at a high point. He was not pro-ready either but because his value was so high, and Syracuse’s outlook for the following season was not as strong, Ennis declared and has since bounced around the NBA D-league. Jones is in the same position. Duke will almost definitely drop next year as Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow will both be playing in the NBA.

He also struggled a bit to find his shot at times this year, finishing with a 41.7 percent conversion rate. Jones never really managed to find a way to truly blend scoring and assisting. The stretch of games Jones played in the tournament underlines his streaky play. Jones only registered ten plus points and five plus assists in two games. And one of those was against #16 seed Robert Morris. Jones exploded in the finals for 23 points but was limited to only one dime. He also shot below 40 percent in four of those six games. Simply stated, Jones is a project with a lot of upside. He benefitted from the talent around him and will need some time before he turns into a viable NBA prospect.

Chris McCullough, Freshman
Power Forward, Syracuse
McCullough was a one-and-done candidate entering the season, but that changed quickly when he tore his ACL back in December. Now, with McCullough not set to be cleared until December of next season, he will not be of much use to teams in the short term. He will need to finish rehabbing and likely would need some time to learn the new system for whatever team he lands with. McCullough is likely trying to bolt from the uncertain situation in Syracuse right now with NCAA sanctions leveled against the basketball program and Jim Boeheim set for suspension from ACC games. Other news points to McCullough making the leap based on having a child due in May.

Either way, McCullough is far from a finished product. He showed plenty of promise as a rebounder and shot blocker. He racked up about seven boards per game and over two blocks per contest. He even tallied 1.7 steals a night as well. On offense though, McCullough definitely needs some work. He only shot 48 percent from the field, on the lower end for a big man. He almost relapsed when it came to scoring as well. After notching at least ten points per game through his first eight matchups, McCullough went cold and failed to hit ten again for his next eight appearances. With his offensive and injury concerns, McCullough will definitely be sliding into the second round. Had he returned, he would have had the chance to significantly boost his draft stock in another year for the Orange.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Freshman
Power Forward, Kentucky
Towns was one of the best players in college basketball this season. Don’t get me wrong, I think he will be an excellent player at the professional level. I just think that another year in the collegiate ranks would be very beneficial to Towns. He played on one of the most talented teams potentially ever assembled in college basketball history, which limited his ability to showcase and develop his talents. He occasionally flashed the ability to take over games, but failed to do it regularly.

There are also a couple of concerns that I have about Towns that I have voiced before. First, he didn’t play very many minutes, (Towns registered over 30 minutes once) which makes me wonder how quickly he will adjust to the professional level. Then there is the issue of his inconsistency on offense. He shoots the ball at a high percentage, but in eight different games this year, Towns failed to score even five points. That includes the Sweet 16 game against West Virginia when he went 0-3 from the field and only registered a single point. I think that another year under Coach Calipari in Kentucky would really serve Towns well. He could become the complete package and make a real splash at the focus of what will be almost definitely another talented Wildcat squad.

How good is Andrew Wiggins?

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NBA , , ,

People have been talking all season about how good Andrew Wiggins has been in his rookie year. The kid as essentially run away with the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Wiggins has been the bright spot in a dismal season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The real question is, is Wiggins really a dominant force, or is he just the favorite by default.

This has been a very weak rookie class so far. Only five players are averaging more than ten points per contest this season. Wiggins is the only one average more than 12 with his 16.7 points per game. (Jabari Parker was over 12 a night prior to being injured this season). Wiggins also ranks fifth among qualified rookies in rebounds per game this season. He also sits fifth in terms of steals per contest and sixth in rejections. Wiggins is shaping himself into a very capable all-around player.

One major knock against Wiggins despite all of his talent is his underwhelming assist-to-turnover ratio. He may only be a small forward, but with the amount of time Wiggins spends on the ball, (22.1% usage rating) it would be nice to see Wiggins as a distributor. He is one of only a few players that owns a ratio under 1 sitting at 0.91 assists for every turnover. In fact, he is the only small forward to play 30 minutes or more per game yet still post a ratio under one.

The kid out of Kansas is still young though and has a long time to develop that side of his game. It really should not be much of a concern. The overall athleticism he exudes though is tantalizing for anyone with interest in the Wolves. It might seem harsh to judge the kid on what he has done through just one season but I am curious to see how he stacks up with some of the other top picks in the past several years.

Already, Wiggins is in elite company. Of the top picks since 2008, five out of six have been named All-stars. Those players include Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, John Wall, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. The only one yet to live up his billing as the top pick is Wiggins’ teammate, Anthony Bennett. It is not really fair to compare Wiggins to the last small forward drafted first overall either, seeing as that was LeBron James. However, there are a couple of other star small forwards we can compare this budding superstar.

Carmelo Anthony was taken in the same draft as James. His numbers put up against Wiggins’ are superior although not by much. Anthony averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 0.5 blocks per outing as a rookie playing for the Denver Nuggets. However, he also posted an assist-to-turnover ratio that was under one. Wiggins actually trumps Melo in shooting percentage though with 43.6 compared to 42.3.

Wiggins also stacks up pretty comparably with Kevin Durant’s rookie season. Obviously, the huge discrepancy in height makes this comparison a little tough but Durant averaged 20 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block per game. Durant has the edge in the scoring department but once again, Wiggins is shooting at a higher percentage, especially from behind the arc. Durant posted a 28.8 percent success rate from three his rookie year; meanwhile, Wiggins has drained 32.5 percent of his takes. Once again, Durant had an assist-to-turnover ratio below one.

The best comparison for Wiggins though might be to a former Boston legend. Not many others have played better than Paul Pierce over the course of his career. Pierce is also the same style player as Wiggins, switching between a two-guard and a winger. Pierce had a very similar stat line to Wiggins when he first began playing for the Celtics back in 1999. Pierce tallied 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.75 steals and 1 block a night, however only in 48 games. Those are not too far off from Wiggins is doing now and Pierce posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of almost exactly one. If this means that Wiggins is destined to average 21, 6 and 4, I think fans in Minnesota will be more than content with that.

While it looks like he is running away with this years’ award, keep in mind that Wiggins still has a lot of growing to do before he can be considered an elite player. However, with him only at 19 and oozing with potential I don’t think the growth will be that hard to come by. Wiggins has the potential to be a perennial All-star in this league and maybe even make Minnesota competitive in a couple of years. With Wiggins at the center of a young core, it seems like the Wolves are off to a good start. His presence certainly makes it easier to forget the absence of certain Love Minnesota used to have.

Fighting to be considered Elite

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NCAAM ,

And then there were 16. Must be pretty sweet to still be dancing at this point in the tournament. Each region has it’s own story. The Midwest is still Kentucky’s to lose but apparently West Virginia (who busted my bracket last week) believe that Kentucky’s perfection ends tonight when the two teams take the court. Witchita State is still alive and kicking as well. In the East, the top seeds have fallen and the remaining matchups read eight versus four and three versus seven. Upsets have riddled this side of the bracket as Virginia and Villanova fell last weekend. Out West, the bracket has avoided too many upsets, as Baylor is the sole top-four seed not to reach the Sweet 16, only to be replaced by sixth-seeded Xavier. Down South, old school powers meeting the new kids on the block. UCLA is the surprise in the regional semi-final as an eleven seed in this one. All of these storylines mean we are in for a great four days of basketball.

Midwest

#1 Kentucky vs. #5 West Virginia: West Virginia freshman Daxter Miles Jr. made it clear that he does not think much of Kentucky. He called them out for not playing hard. That sounds like something you should do after you have beaten them if you ask me. Kentucky will come into this game with even more of something to prove now than ever before. The Wildcats rank third in the country in defensive scoring and second in blocks. That will spell trouble for a Mountaineer team that already does not shoot the ball very well from the field.

#3 Notre Dame vs. #7 Witchita State: Many said that the Shockers would be a tough matchup for Kansas and that proved to be true as Witchita rolled through the Jayhawks. However, I think the run stops here for the Shockers. They will have their eyes set on a rematch with Kentucky after the Wildcats knocked them out of the tournament last year and ended their perfect season. I don’t think Witchita gets the chance though. The Irish are battled tested with victories in a couple of close games. Notre Dame has only dropped one game in past eleven, I think they will move on to the Elite Eight.

West

#1 Wisconsin vs. #4 North Carolina: This is a tough one to call. UNC has the talent and ability to beat anyone in the country, and I mean anyone, when they are firing on all cylinders. However, they aren’t playing at their best very often. This Tar Heel squad is often streaky and they are facing one of the most consistently dominant teams in America tonight. The Heels rank second in the country for rebounds and assists per game this year though. That is a pretty tough combination to top. If Marcus Paige is on, UNC marches on to the next round.

#2 Arizona vs. #6 Xavier: The Musketeers were fortunate to have made it this far if you ask me. With games against Ole Miss and Georgia State, Xavier has yet to play a team that is not a double-digit seed. That said, they might stand a chance in the Sweet 16, if they were playing a team other than Arizona. The Wildcats have won by fewer than 10 points just once since playing Utah back in February. That one game? It was against UCLA, another Sweet 16 team. Arizona advance.

East

#4 Louisville vs. #8 North Carolina State: Raise your hand if you picked this game to happen. I wish I could say I did. NC State really busted my bracket last week when they knocked out Villanova, whom I had in the finals. As if this game was not important enough, this is rematch between ACC teams. The Wolfpack won the first time around but with Louisville finally starting to find a bit of a rhythm offensively, the Cardinals will be the ones who get to keep dancing a little longer.

#3 Oklahoma vs. #7 Michigan State: I didn’t predict this game correctly either. I had Dayton pulling the upset of Oklahoma but the Sooners ruined my fun. However, the Spartans looked convincing in their last two wins, especially Sunday against Virginia. Travis Trice caught fire against the Cavaliers, and if he does again on Friday, that could mean lights out for Oklahoma. I’ve got Tom Izzo’s crew heading to the next round.

South

#1 Duke vs. #5 Utah: This one will be fun to watch. We get to see Jahlil Okafor and the highlight reel that is Duke’s offense pitted against a Utah squad that excels in locking down the defensive end of the floor. The Utes ranked eleventh in the country this season in points allowed per game. Moreover, Utah has seven-footer Jakob Poeltl to contend with Okafor. Watch these two freshmen battle it out in the paint should be an entertaining matchup. I still think Duke has too many offensive weapons for Utah to contain. Blue Devils slide into the Elite Eight.

#2 Gonzaga vs. #11 California Los Angeles: Talk about a surprise guest. There were not too many people who foresaw UCLA in the Sweet 16. The Bruins were a bubble team to begin with. Gonzaga has been good this season but this has every element of a trap game to it. I think the Bruins will come out with a chip on their shoulder and give the Zags a tough test early. If Gonzaga can weather that test than they will be fine. If they falter early, like I think they will, UCLA will continue their Cinderella run.

Even as we approach the Sweet 16, many college athletes can be left bitter

Chris McGlynn Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, NCAAF, NCAAM, Soccer, Social Issues ,

The NCAA tournament is in full swing at the moment as the Sweet 16 will take place at the end of this week. However, it seems the NCAA is never safe from scrutiny. President Obama cast his lot into the conversation regarding the corrupt and questionable practices of college athletics’ governing body. He made a couple of different points but the one that rung out the strongest to me was his criticism of players losing scholarships due to injury. The NCAA allows programs to revoke scholarships from players who are injured or who are cut from their respective teams.

What the NCAA continually does to college athletes is something like this. And yes I am looking at you Mark Emmert:

Let’s say that you want to learn how to cook better, so you decide to take some cooking lessons. Upon signing up for the lessons, you discover that the first four months of classes are free. This is a great deal for you, probably all of the classes you might need, and looking at the price, you probably would not be able to afford the classes otherwise. So, you begin taking classes at this local cooking shop and begin learning all sorts of new skills from a chef acting as your teacher. A week or so in, you begin to make your own dishes. The chef continually tells you that you should be researching recipes and practicing on your own time, but you have a full-time job that is meant to take your priority so this is a difficult task.

About a month into your classes, you hurt yourself during one of the sessions. You cut yourself fairly deep on your hand with a knife after you slip up chopping vegetables. An honest mistake but now you cannot go to the cooking classes for the next month due to the stitches in your hand. You take time and heal properly, just as your doctor and teacher tell you, and then return to the class.

Upon your return, someone who works higher up in the corporation that runs the cooking class approaches you. He tells you that because you missed the past month of classes, you are no longer eligible for the discount and you will need to start paying to take the cooking classes now. You complain that you were injured in one of the classes and that the injury was outside of your control. The man insists that there is no other way for you to continue attending the cooking school and you must find a way to pay.

In that story, you are fundamentally wronged and loose out an opportunity to do something you really enjoy because the school turned its back on you. Everyone recognizes that what happened is morally wrong. Yet, this happens to college athletes over and over again. And the scary thing is that there is very little that the NCAA requires colleges to provide regarding healthcare. In fact, most of the healthcare services are optional for schools to provide. So not only are they at risk of losing their scholarships due to the injury, they are not guaranteed to have any medical costs covered. Schools will occasionally cover the fees of surgeries for students but they are not required to and that they are not is what is concerning.

There are many things fundamentally wrong with the NCAA. The amount of money they make while maintaining they are a non-profit is one. The fact that they are exploiting young, college students is another. But pulling away a kid’s hopes and dreams due to an injury sustained while playing for a university under the NCAA is awful. This issue falls on both the school’s and the NCAA’s shoulders to fix, as they are both equally to blame. Schools are not required to honor scholarships; that does not meant they cannot honor them. And the NCAA, does not require schools to honor scholarships, which is sickening. People can talk all they want about how college athletes should be paid (I’m not saying they should or should not) and how the NCAA is exploiting students. Above all else, the NCAA needs to begin protecting the kids who suffer serious injuries playing collegiate athletics. That has got to be the top priority. If you want to maintain that these kids are student-athletes, with the student part coming first, then do not take away their chance to be a student because they got hurt being an athlete.

Round of 32 projections

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NCAAM

One round down and now we are on to the next. This has been one of the craziest round of 64 we have ever seen in the NCAA tournament. We had 5 games decided by one point on Thursday only to be followed up by every top seed winning except for one on Friday. Now the competition stiffens as we get some really interesting matchups in the round of 32. Here are the teams that will keeping on dancing in March Madness a little longer. All of these victories will be very sweet indeed.

Midwest:

#1 Kentucky vs. #8 Cincinnati: The Wildcats entered the tournament undefeated. I don’t know if they will finish the same way but they will finish the weekend unblemished.

#4 Maryland vs. #5 West Virginia: Both of these teams avoided being upset in the round of 64. The Terps will advance for a Sweet 16 date with Kentucky.

#3 Notre Dame vs. #6 Butler: The Irish looked a little shaky against Northeastern. I expect them to look a lot more polished in a win over the Bulldogs.

#2 Kansas vs. #7 Wichita State: This is a matchup the Jayhawks were hoping to avoid. Wichita is a matchup nightmare and will down their instate rivals.

West

#1 Wisconsin vs. #8 Oregon: The Ducks made it all the way to the PAC 12 final. Their run in this tournament ends here though with a loss to the Badgers.

#4 North Carolina vs. #5 Arkansas: Neither one of these teams looked too pretty winning last round. UNC’s athleticism and speed will be too much Arkansas though.

#6 Xavier vs. #14 Georgia State: Georgia State shocked Baylor in a game I thought they had no chance in. They might just do it again but I am picking the favored Musketeers.

#2 Arizona vs. #10 Ohio State: The Buckeyes looking convincing against VCU. But D’Angelo Russell is only a one man army and Arizona has a superb starting five.

East

#1 Villanova vs. #8 North Carolina State: Villanova took care of business last round. I think they will do it again against the upset-minded Wolfpack.

#4 Louisville vs. #5 Northern Iowa: Northern Iowa looked convincing in their win over Wyoming. Louisville barely hung to beat UC Irvine. UNI is playing better and will get to keep playing.

#3 Oklahoma vs. #11 Dayton: After two wins in a row, the Flyers are picking up some momentum. Oklahoma is overseeded and Dayton will show us why.

#2 Virginia vs. #7 Michigan State: The Cavaliers looked poised for a Final Four appearance last season but fell to the Spartans. Tom Izzo’s team ruins their dreams a second year running.

South

#1 Duke vs. #8 San Diego State: Duke dominated every aspect of their first game and showed why they are a number one seed.

#4 Georgetown vs. #5 Utah: This is a tough one to call but the Utes have the potential to catch fire on offense. Their shooting could be too much for the Hoyas.

#11 California Los Angeles vs. #14 Alabama Birmingham: Two of the biggest upsets from Thursday meet in the round of 32. UCLA will continue their Cinderella dream.

#2 Gonzaga vs. #7 Iowa: Gonzaga scares me a little bit due to their losses this year. However, I think the Zags make it through to the Sweet 16.

By Sunday night, the round of 32 will be in the books and we will be gearing up for a crazy Sweet 16. Look for more predictions next week when more tournament games are set to be played. I might have had a rough round of 64 projecting winners, but I have a good feeling about this one (said every fan ever).