KTVQ Sports

Will he or won't he? Slim offers his thoughts on the Brett Favre saga.

2008-07-16T14:29:00.002-06:00

Since Richie filled in for Casey and offered his opinion on the Brett Favre saga, I figured I would do the same thing. After nearly a three month hiatus, I am returning to the Sports Xtra blog forum as Q2’s “guest blogger.”

Brett Favre is without question a first ballot hall of famer and one of the most entertaining athletes the NFL has ever seen. His passion and love for the game continually made him a fan favorite. Favre holds almost all of the meaningful career records for quarterbacks and has started the last 253 regular season games he played in, making him the most durable quarterback in NFL history. At age 38, Favre’s 2007 season will go down as one of his best, but Green Bay’s season ended on a Brett Favre interception.

Now, in mid-July, Favre is contemplating un-retirement, just as he predicted he would during his retirement press conference. He has always had the desire to play on Sundays; it is the rest of the week that led to his retirement. On Sundays, Brett Favre is still one of the top quarterbacks in the game, but Packer management appears to be ready to move forward into the Aaron Rodgers era. Favre has asked for his release, which, understandably, has raised eyebrows around the sports world.

Fans and experts alike are wondering the same things: If Favre comes back, where will it be? If it’s not Green Bay, will it be the same? Is he 100 percent committed? How much does he have left? I am going to tackle these questions in reverse order, culminating with my answer to, “Where will Brett Favre play in 2008?”

How much does Brett Favre have left in the tank?

Athletically, Favre isn’t the same quarterback he was five years ago, but he is much smarter and much more careful with the ball than he was earlier in his career. He still has the arm strength to play in the West Coast offense that doesn’t ask a quarterback to make many deep throws. He still has the durability, resiliency, and competitiveness to play every Sunday. Brett Favre still has gas left in the tank, and I’m not going to say he’s on empty until we see it.

Is Favre 100 percent committed to be a starting NFL quarterback?

Simply put, I don’t think so. I said earlier that on Sundays, Favre will be there, and his team will be able to count on him. He still enjoys playing the game and will lay it all on the line to help his team win. However, he retired and said he doesn’t want to put his body through training camp and practice. That says he lacks 100 percent commitment, but one day a week, he will show up at the stadium and be ready to go.

If Favre returns to the NFL, will it be with Green Bay? If not, how will it affect his legacy?

If he returns, it should be with Green Bay, but I’m not so sure it will be. Favre and Packer management are at odds right now, making this reunion unlikely. Things can change in a hurry, though, if Aaron Rodgers struggles in training camp or goes down with a preseason injury. Green Bay is not ready to move forward with Brian Brohm as their quarterback, so Favre could hear his number called if something happens to Rodgers.

There are only a couple of other options out there for Favre: Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Tampa Bay, and Washington. Minnesota is not an option. Green Bay won’t let it happen, and I honestly don’t think the Vikings are that interested. You can probably count out Atlanta and Miami if Favre wants to win. Washington looks like they’re ready to continue the Jason Campbell era, leaving Favre’s options as Baltimore, Carolina, and Tampa Bay. Of those three, Tampa Bay makes the most sense from a football standpoint. They run a West Coast offense, coach Jon Gruden collects quarterbacks, and, with Favre, are a Super Bowl contender. Unfortunately, I have to agree with Richie and say Tampa is a good fit. However, I doubt it happens. If Favre returns, it will be in Packer green and gold.

Brett Favre Comeback???

2008-07-14T16:55:00.007-06:00

Q2's Richie Melby here filling in for Casey with a hot sport topic in the world right now. You can admit it, you're sick of hearing about Brett Favre and this potential comeback. I have always been a Brett Favre fan but the whole retire and un-retire thing is a little ridiculous. It reminds me of a great former NBA player who thought it was time to hang up the shoes but wasn't quite ready to go. The media makes a huge frenzy about stories like this to the point where the actual significance of the story is no longer present.

But enough ranting...let's get down to business. As a Tampa Bay Bucs fan (don't even ask) I'm more than welcome to the idea that we're a possible front runner in the Favre saga. To see Brett behind center in a Tampa Bay uniform would make my day (not that we need anymore QB's but don't get me started on that). Anyways the real question here is what do you all think? We want to hear your take about the Brett Favre comeback; whether you think he should stay retired, play for the Packers, be traded to a new team, or whatever. Just respond to this blog with your thoughts or suggestions about #4 and his return. No matter where you stand it sure is making for an interesting off-season.

On the Trail: Back at Home (after some issues)

2008-07-01T03:33:00.005-06:00

Mustangs fans, we made it back to Billings. After 5 days of On the Trail with the Mustangs, their 14 game road trip came to a halt after a big win over the Voyagers. Then it was time for the long, late bus ride back to Billings. I know that the players were excited to get back (mostly to play in front of a home crowd, but I understand that some players' girlfriends are coming to Billings so that adds to their excitement!) If you haven't checked out the coverage from this final day (On the Trail: Mustangs ready for Billings home games), make sure and look it up on the website. The Mustangs were very relaxed as I interviewed them today and their answers were pretty amusing. I think they were pumped up to beat Great Falls and enter their Billings homestand on a high note.

Tomorrow night's game is going to be awesome so make sure you come and check it out. I'll be out there with a camera so come up and say hello! I just might get you on camera and throw you on the news. Also don't forget to send all of the pictures you take of yourself, friends, and family to www.ktvq.com so we can put them on our Dehler Park website. Go crazy with those cameras people. It's your chance for your work to be seen by us. I'm excited to see what kind of pictures you guys come up with so make sure and send them all to us.

Tonight's return home got interesting for Kyle and I. About the time we reached Ryegate, maybe a little passed there, we ran into a little trouble. We were playing a music trivia game where we had to come up with Hit songs from the 90's (such as The Boy is Mine by Brandy and Monica) DON'T LAUGH IT WAS KEEPING US AWAKE AND ALERT!!! All of a sudden Bambi and his mother darted across the road and I was driving and forced to slam on the brakes. I went into the left lane to avoid hitting the mother and ended up clipping Bambi and tearing off a piece of our Jeep's bumper. Could have been much worse but still what an ending to our roadtrip!

We got back into the station a little before Jennifer and Rob showed up for the morning show. Make sure and check out all of Montana This Morning in about an hour and a half. Also for all of the latest coverage on the Mustangs continue to log onto the website and stay tuned to the 5:30 and 10 news where we will welcome the Mustangs into their new home at Dehler Park. Hope you all liked our coverage from On The Trail with the Mustangs. See you at Dehler Park in about 14 hours!!

-Richie

On The Trail: Final Game Pre-Day

2008-06-30T14:47:00.003-06:00

Hello Mustangs fans, Richie coming to you on our final day of On the Trail with the Mustangs. Their 14 game road trip is finally coming to a halt after tonight's Game 3 with the Great Falls Voyagers. I know these guys are excited to get to Billings. They're a little tired from the long days on the road and in the heat (it's about 92 degrees right now from what I'm told). I just got to the field and am waiting for the team to arrive so I can get those last interviews from them and we'll send them your way for Scott to report on the news.
After the game tonight we'll be making the drive back to Billings where hopefully we can get the Mustangs arriving at Dehler Park (Check out our Dehler web site) so we can see their first reaction of being in Billings and seeing their home field. More on that on Montana This Morning tomorrow.
Anyways log back on after awhile and we'll have all of the latest pictures from life on the road. Until then I either need to find some suntan lotion or get in the shade.

-Richie

Here are some pics of the Sunday night's light malfunction at Dehler:

On The Trail: No Habla Espanol

2008-06-29T22:28:00.005-06:00

Well what can I say? I've spent the past 4 days with the Mustangs; hanging around them, listening and talking with them and so on. Today I decided to get to know some of the Spanish speaking players and all I can say is that the 3 years of Spanish I took in school was time well wasted. I couldn't keep up or understand hardly anything they were saying. If you haven't already seen the story make sure and check it out. I had to find out about the challenges that occur between the Americans and the foreign players. How do they hang out and talk with one another? What do they talk about? All that good stuff. Most of the players speak at least a little bit of English so it works out alright. The American players try to pick up on Spanish but most of them have no idea what they're actually saying. It was fun looking into that aspect of the team.

The weather has been RIDICULOUSLY hot up here in Great Falls (as well as everywhere else). Alot of the players and staff have been saying that this is nothing compared to where they come from. And since many of them reside in Texas, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, etc...I think they know what actual heat is like. Still if I get sunburned any worse it may cause some problems.

Only one more road game to go and I'm hearing that Dehler Park was having issues with the lights tonight. Well I hope they get that all worked out by Tuesday because the Mustangs are growing more and more excited to get back to Dehler and play. Might be difficult to play a game when it gets dark and the lights aren't working correctly. I'm sure they'll get it all figured out and Tuesday's home game will be good for the community.

If you haven't already, make sure to check out the latest Exclusive stories we have posted on the website. There's some pretty good stuff on there including the story on Ed Cohen, the play by play radio guy, sneak peeks at life in the dugout, and of course everything else we have done so far on this trip. I'll be back tomorrow with more updates. Have a good night.

-Richie
(PS special shout out tonight to Stef and Courtney. Courtney for hanging out even though she has to be up at 5AM tomorrow and Stef for putting up with me and my field producer, Kyle. Thanks ladies. You're the best!!)

The Rundown

2008-06-29T11:27:00.010-06:00

Ed Cohen invited me up to the skybox as he announced the play-by-play live for the Billings radio listeners. Thanks again Ed!
I will have a web exclusive story on Ed on KTVQ.COM's Mustangs page later this week!

I also shot video of some of the team's Latin-American players trying to master another game that the Great Falls ball club uses for promotions between innings.... (Click here to play online)

I'll have a full story about the Latin-American players on the 5:30 News and online...

Here are two pics of the team: Pitchers have thier meeting with Tom and Tony works with the guys on their swing (Best to stay behind the netting)

Mustangs ride over to Great Falls' Centene Staduim

2008-06-28T19:03:00.019-06:00

The next long bus trip is to the Magic City! As Billings fans await the team's first home game, the boys of summer are focused on winning on the road - here in Great Falls.

When we (Field Producer Ricky K and I) first arrived at Centene Park, we met up with our Great Falls sister station's weekend sports caster. KRTV's own Greg Smith. The whole news team over at "KR" is very accommodating to our needs as we continue to send reports back to Billings for the Q2 Newscast.

I was able to catch up with Mustangs Manger Julio Garcia after he shopped online for cross-trainers and before the team's pre-game conditioning. We already have an interview with Garcia up on our website.

As we waited with the team for practice to start, the temperature was reaching near 90! Some of the guys that came up from Florida were saying that it was nice (sans the high humidity). Everybody's favorite European-in-Montana weathercaster, Hedi, reported Saturday that we should expect 93 on Sunday and near 100 on Monday.... Summer finially showed up in Montana. (Click here to view Great Fall's weathercast)

During the game Garcia granted me access the dugout. Now I can show you a new point of view on what it is like to be a Mustang. Kyle was able to grab a shot of me during the second inning.... This will be great for my scrapbooking class.... I mean... show the ladies at the bar.

As with every trip from Helena to Great Falls, I continued an American tradition - taking pictures of landmarks from the windshield of a moving car. Here's a pic of the "Sleeping Giant"

On The Trail: Great Falls

2008-06-28T09:42:00.002-06:00

Well the Helena stand has come to a close and it's off to Great Falls for the final 3 games before we bring the Mustangs back home to Dehler Park. I am excited to see the ballfield in Great Falls because it is a newer park and Dehler took some ideas from it. Should be interesting.
Not much new on the road, at last night's game I hung out in the press box with Ed Cohen, the voice of the Mustangs, to get a feel for his job and see all that goes into the play by play for the team. Let me just say that being a one man band for an entire baseball game is alot harder than people may think. Stay tuned for a complete story on him.
This afternoon I hope to touch base with Mustangs manager Julio Garcia and let everyone get to know him a little bit. He seems to be a pretty straight forward guy and he definitely knows his baseball. Well I gotta go catch up with the team so I'll post again later with a preview of what's coming up. Special shout out to Matt Bender for keeping us in line.

Update from the Trail

2008-06-27T17:15:00.008-06:00

Could it be any hotter outside on this roadtrip? If I'm complaining about the heat I don't know how the Mustangs can do it. They're wearing their black uniforms today which has to make it even worse. Not to mention the visitors dugout here in Helena is directly in the sun.

View Larger Map

But enough complaining, it's been a pretty busy day since the last time I checked in with you all. Hope you all got to check out the Mustangs breakfast schedule (all continental breakfast almost all the time). I personally would get sick of eating cereal and hotel bagels, but they didn't seem to mind it.

We had a little bit of time to spare before we headed to the field so Online Guru (and an Artium Baccalaureus of History) Kyle and I went to the Montana History Museum to strengthen our intellect. I've been here before but not since the high school days so it was fun to go see everything again. I was trying to get my picture taken giving 2's but some guy in the background had to ruin it! He needs to shave.

Anyways we got some pitching tips online for all of you pitchers or wannabes out there so make sure and check that out. Also we have a sneak peek into what goes on in the day of a Mustang. They are constantly doing the same routine (which is a superstitious part of baseball anyways) but starting at breakfast until the time they get back to the hotel after the game it's all pretty much the same thing.

I also got to talk with Ed Cohen, the radio voice of the Mustangs, so be on the lookout for an online exclusive story with him. Well game time is an hour and a half away, so it's time to go grab some dinner and get back to work.

-Richie

On The Trail: Day 2

2008-06-27T11:10:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone good Friday morning to you. Richie coming at you from Day 2 of On The Trail with the Billings Mustangs. Yesterday proved to be entertaining as I first met up with the team and got to know a few of them. Hopefully you woke up to watch the Morning Show with Jennifer and Nikki (the 2 coolest people I know). If you did watch then I hope you liked the coverage we brought you of the two Mustangs fans we found at last night's game. We had a little difficulty getting the sound to work when we sent the story back to Billings. There are two channels of audio on our edit machine and for some reason or another, the audio of them cheering didn't go through. But have no fear we are working on it so it will be fixed on the website.
This morning my fellow colleague Kyle and I woke up and headed to the hotel's continental breakfast where we met up with a few of the Mustangs. Stay tuned for an exclusive with a couple of them on what it's like to be eating out of a hotel on the road. (UPDATED: we have pictures and video of everything) I would personally get tired of eating the same thing every morning but check it out to see their thoughts.
Later this afternoon we hope to continue our tips section (yesterday's batting tips for all you baseball/softball players out there). Today we are looking at grabbing the pitching coach to master the technique of the "perfect pitch". We'll see how that goes. We also hope to look into the jobs of a couple Mustangs that aren't even in uniform. Be on the lookout for that as well.
Make sure to stay tuned to KTVQ and ktvq.com for all of the latest from the road as I will keep you upto date throughout the rest of the day. Until the next blog, have a good day as I continue to Ride the Trail with the Ponies. Later
-Richie

Billings Mustangs - Meeting the team / Fans in Helena

2008-06-27T02:12:00.007-06:00

Hello sports fans (and anyone else reading this blog)...Richie coming to you from the road as we have finished day 1 of On The Trail with the Mustangs.

Yesterday was a long day, starting at around 6AM to get everything ready and then driving to Helena, but once I met up with the team it's been fun ever since. I got to meet the new manager, Julio Garcia and his staff, as well as most of the players. I can already tell that this team is full of characters and the rest of this roadtrip is going to be a great time. Every Mustang I talked to is counting the days until that home opener at Dehler Park. They also can't wait to meet you the fans when they get back into Billings. Tuesday is going to be an awesome day.

Aside from the team I also met our Capital correspondent, Anna who has been great in helping out. She has made sure we don't get lost here in Helena as well as helping make sure those of you in Billings get the video of our stories. We would have been lost without her so thank you Anna!

At last night's game we also ran into some Billings natives in Jackie Thomson and Ashley Duncan. Both are Skyview graduates who now live in Helena, but they were at the field to cheer on the hometown Mustangs. Talk about dedication! These girls are amazing for letting us interview them and hang out with them during the game. If you watched the Raw Footage of their interview, they didn't know that the new ballpark was named Dehler Park. When I spoke with them later they stated "It will always be Cobb Field in our hearts!" Special thanks and shoutout to Jackie and Ashley for being awesome Mustangs fans.

Well that will pretty much do it for Day 1 coverage but stay tuned to the newscasts and the website for all of the latest highlights, stories, interviews, blogs, and exclusive content as I will continue bringing them to you while I follow the trail bringing the Mustangs back home to Dehler Park.

-Richie

On the Trail with the Billings Mustangs

2008-06-26T16:45:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone out there in Internet land! This is Richie Melby blogging from the heart of Montana's government operations - Helena (The basement of the capitol)

As some of you might have seen on the news we are following the Billings Mustangs on their final four road games before they rush the field at Dehler Park.

I will update you daily on this blog and tell you about extended and exclusive footage of your Billings Mustangs available on KTVQ.COM.

We'll have pics, video and maybe have a baseball professional give you tips for the batting cage.

Log on to KTVQ.COM this weekend to watch the videos!

Montana Saint

2008-05-25T21:29:00.002-06:00

No, this has nothing to do with religion. We are a non-denominational blog. This is in reference to former Griz CB Tuff Harris signing a 3-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.

Harris, who played for the Miami Dolphins in his 1st season last year, actually is in a much better situation in New Orleans because they did not draft a man by the name of Ted Ginn Jr., like the Dolphins, and thus are giving Tuff a chance at the punt return job as well as in the defensive secondary.

Harris must have impressed the Saints a lot in last week's workout because he was given a three-year deal based on limited playing in only one game last season (the Dolphins final game, against the Cincinnati Bengals).

This is very encouraging news for the Colstrip native. Keep an eye on him in preseason. He will definitely see the field in the return game, and we all know Tuff is very capable in that department.

Softball Sportsmanship

2008-05-15T11:17:00.007-06:00

Hey everybody! Sorry for not posting in a while, but I have had probably the busiest three weeks since I moved here last August.

Anyways, I wanted to share a story I did last week on one of the greatest things I've seen in a sporting arena in my lifetime.

A Story of Unbelievable Sportsmanship

Hope you all enjoy it!

2008 NFL Draft Recap - Seattle Seahawks

2008-04-29T19:18:00.000-06:00

Grade: B

Seattle failed to find a developmental offensive guard in the draft, but they did well to get help along the defensive line. They selected DE Lawrence Jackson (USC) in the first round and Texas A&M defensive tackle Red Bryant in the fourth. Jackson’s performance last season warranted a first round selection, and he should be able to provide a pass rush for the ‘Hawks. Bryant, on the other hand, won’t provide much of a rush, but he should be a good run stopper. With sack artists Patrick Kerney, LeRoy Hill, Julian Peterson, and now, Lawrence Jackson, Bryant doesn’t need to get to the quarterback.

TE John Carlson, Seattle’s second round pick, should be an upgrade over Jeb Putzier. He is a complete tight end and will provide QB Matt Hasselbeck with another target. Seattle got more offensive help in FB Owen Schmitt (West Virginia) and RB Justin Forsett (California). Schmitt is a hardnosed fullback, and his attitude alone will make him an NFL starter. Forsett can develop into a third down, change of pace type of back.

With their final pick, Seattle took the best kicker in the draft in Brandon Coutu from Georgia. Josh Brown left via free agency this offseason, and the Seahawks signed Olindo Mare as a short term fix, but Coutu could be there for the long run. He’s consistent from within 40 yards, has a powerful leg, and can develop into an effective field goal kicker in the NFL.

2008 NFL Draft Recap - Minnesota Vikings

2008-04-29T19:15:00.001-06:00

Grade: B

I think the Vikings were big winners coming out of the 2008 draft. They gave up a lot to get DE Jared Allen, but he is going to have a tremendous impact on this defense. Minnesota didn’t have a first round pick, so their first pick was S Tyrell Johnson (Arkansas State) at pick #43. Johnson was arguably the best safety in the draft and was projected to go in the first round, so this is great value for the Vikes. They added more youth and depth to an already strong secondary, and, next season, Minnesota might just have the best defense in the NFL.

Minnesota only had four other picks, but they made what might be the pick of the draft in John David Booty (QB, USC) in the fifth round. Booty should’ve gone in the third round—there was even talk of him going in the second—so getting him in the fifth is a steal. Tarvaris Jackson hasn’t proven he can be an NFL starting quarterback, so Booty has a chance to come in here and take the job over the next two years.

Minnesota is an ideal situation for a young quarterback. They have a great defense, an excellent rushing attack, and a potentially surprising receiving corps with Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice (if he continues to develop). This is the perfect situation for Booty, and he has the chance to be a more successful NFL quarterback than fellow USC QB, and current Arizona Cardinals starter, Matt Leinart.

2008 NFL Draft Recap - Green Bay Packers

2008-04-29T19:13:00.001-06:00

Grade: B-

With GM Ted Thompson drafting, it’s tough to doubt anything the Packers do. They traded out of the first round, so their first pick wasn’t until number 36 overall. They selected Jordy Nelson (WR, Kansas State) as the third wide receiver in the draft. I thought that was a bit high for him, but he fits what Green Bay looks for in wideouts. He’s a big, polished route-runner, so he can contribute right away.

The most interesting picks came in the 2nd and 7th rounds however. The Pack selected quarterbacks in each spot—Brian Brohm (Lousville) in the second, and Matt Flynn (LSU) in the seventh. Both add much needed depth to the Packers’ quarterback situation, and Brohm could push Aaron Rodgers for the starting job in the near future. Flynn has the intangibles to be an NFL leader, and, with some coaching, could end up being a great backup or an adequate starter.

Patrick Lee (CB, Auburn) and Jermichael Finley (TE, Texas) were excellent picks as well. Green Bay selected Lee with their 3rd pick in the second round, and he has a chance to become a solid number two corner for the team. Al Harris and Charles Woodson are getting up there in age, so Green Bay needed to find a corner they can groom for the future.

Finley is not a great blocker for a tight end, but he’s a good receiver. Green Bay let Bubba Franks go this offseason, so they needed to find someone to play behind David Martin. Martin will still be the starter, but Finley could see some time in certain situations and two tight end sets.

2008 NFL Draft Recap - Denver Broncos

2008-04-29T19:11:00.001-06:00

Grade: C+

Denver needed to get two things out of this draft—a left tackle and a defensive tackle. They got both, even though they didn’t draft a defensive tackle - they acquired former first round pick Dewayne Robertson in a trade with the New York Jets. Robertson has underachieved over his career, but he’s a big body who is an upgrade over last year’s defensive tackle rotation.

With their first pick (#12 overall), Denver selected Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State. He was the guy we thought they were targeting all along due to his athleticism and mobility. He is perfect for Denver’s zone blocking scheme and should really help protect Jay Cutler’s blindside.

Denver’s most intriguing picks past round one are Eddie Royal (WR, Virginia Tech), Kory Lichtensteiger (C, Bowling Green), and Ryan Torain (RB, Arizona State). I thought they reached for Royal with Cal’s DeSean Jackson, Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly, and Texas’ Limas Sweed all still available. Royal is somewhat raw in his route running, but should provide some explosiveness in the return game. If that’s what they were looking for, though, why not take this draft’s best game-breaker in Jackson?

Lichtensteiger was Denver’s first fourth round pick, and he should provide the offensive line with much needed depth. He doesn’t project as an NFL starter, but he should be able to play in spot duty.

When Denver picks a running back, we always look for him to succeed behind their usually incredible blocking. Torain is a north-south runner, so I’m not sure how well he fits their scheme, but he should be able to make one cut and go. He’s not going to outrun many defenders, but he should be able to break a few tackles and gain some yards after contact.

Montana Draft Prospects

2008-04-26T12:40:00.002-06:00

There are several UM and MSU players that have entered this year's NFL Draft, but only two that have a legitimate shot at hearing their names called in New York - Griz RB Lex Hilliard, and Griz DE Kroy Biermann.

2008 Montana NFL Draft Prospects

Lex Hilliard: The outstanding Griz running back, Lex Hilliard, might have to learn a new position if and when his name gets called during the NFL draft. Most analysts have Hilliard projected as a fullback, much like Justin Green a few years ago. Hilliard is a 231 pound runner who ran the 40 in the 4.7 range, so he is a bit of a ‘tweener, which hurts his draft stock. He’s too big and a little slow to be an NFL running back, but may be a bit small to play fullback. He’s ideal for short yardage situations, though, because he tends to fall forward when tackled. Yards after contact are probably the most important statistic to runners in the NFL, since it’s a rarity to burst through the line untouched. He has a nose for the endzone (as evidenced by his UM record 49 career rushing touchdowns), but his lack of production in the passing game hurts his stock.

Projection: Hilliard might come off the board late on day two (sixth or seventh round), but it’s more likely that he goes undrafted and signs with a team next week.

Kroy Biermann: Of the Montana draft prospects, Griz defensive end Kroy Biermann has the best shot at being drafted on Sunday. Biermann is a bit undersized to play end in the NFL, which is why most scouts have him projected as a 3-4 rush linebacker. He tested as a defensive end at the combine, but if you compare his numbers to the linebacker class, he does quite well. He is strong (repping 225 pounds nine times) and quick, but he doesn’t have elite top end speed (he ran the 40 in 4.85 seconds). However, with more and more NFL teams implementing a 3-4 defense, a player like Biermann has a chance to get his name called late in the draft.

Projection: The most likely scenario is for Biermann to come off the board in the sixth or seventh round. I’ll go out on a limb and say he gets taken in round six as the only Montana player drafted in 2008.

Q2 NFL Mock Draft - 1st Round

2008-04-24T16:08:00.014-06:00

Hello everybody! Sorry for not posting in a while, but Slim and I have been hard at work on Q2's first NFL Mock Draft. We are here to submit our picks for Saturday's upcoming NFL Draft 1st Round, saying who we think will go at which spot and to which team.

NOTE: We went about this draft without factoring in any draft-day trades that might occur. We understand, and believe, that it will happen, but we cannot predict who will be trading and at what price (which draft picks will go to which teams). Thus, we made these picks with the assumption that each team will stay in its pre-determined spot, and select players with the intention of making their particular team better.

With that said, Slim and I are planning on coming out with a "Draft Day Trade Scenario" post before Saturday's draft kicks off (1:00 PM MST, ESPN), that will detail all the possible trades that could occur, and thus the changes in which players will go where.

So without further ado, I give you Q2's first ever Mock Draft.

2008 NFL MOCK DRAFT - ROUND 1

1. Miami Dolphins – Jake Long, OT, Michigan
2007 Record (1-15) – Miami has already reached a contract agreement with Long (5 years, $57.75 million with $30 million guaranteed), so he is signed, sealed, and delivered. At this point, announcing his name on Saturday is just a formality. The Dolphins have been saying Long was their guy all along, and he’s a great pick. He has a chance to be the cornerstone left tackle for this struggling franchise for the next ten years.

2. St. Louis Rams – Chris Long, DE, Virginia
2007 Record (3-13) – The Rams face a tough decision between Chris Long and DT Glenn Dorsey, but should go with Long based on his ability to rush the QB. Long, the son of Hall of Fame DE Howie Long, has a special skill set rarely seen from someone right out of college, and can line up at either end position or even outside linebacker. Dorsey also has durability issues, and may not hold up well on the turf of the Edward Jones Dome. Long will use his exceptional quickness to an advantage on the surface, so he should be the choice.

3. Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
2007 Record (4-12) - This should be the easiest choice in the top half of the draft. Atlanta’s only star is in jail for the next two years (QB Michael Vick), and the Falcons cannot hope to sell tickets (or win for that matter) with Joey Harrington leading them. Draft Ryan, and hope he turns into your new QB of the future.

4. Oakland Raiders – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
2007 Record (4-12) - While I think the Raiders would be better off addressing a position of more need, it’s hard to argue with selecting maybe the draft’s Most Talented Player. Owner Al Davis is famous for his love of athletic skill players, and “Run DMC” is definitely that. The backfield tandem of McFadden and last year’s #1 overall pick, QB JaMarcus Russell, would be very formidable to opposing defenses.

5. Kansas City Chiefs – Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
2007 Record (4-12) – With Tuesday’s trade that sent NFL sack leader Jared Allen to the Vikings, the Chiefs need to bolster their now depleted defensive line. Thus, Dorsey should be the pick. He’s a mammoth DT with great hands, and will be a multiple Pro-Bowler if he can stay healthy. There have been rumors circulating that they would reach for OG Branden Albert here, but Dorsey has too much upside to pass up. Plus, Kansas City now has Minnesota’s first round pick as well (#17), so they can look to add an o-linemen at that spot.

6. New York Jets – Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State
2007 Record (4-12) - The Jets would love it if McFadden fell to them in this spot, and might even trade up to get him. But if they’re forced to stay here, and McFadden is gone, they should take Gholston, a great pass rushing threat in the style of Shawne Merriman. Gholston will bolster a Jets D that ranked near the bottom last season, and should provide an immediate impact.

7. New England Patriots (from San Francisco)
2007 Record (16-0)

Slim: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
This is the first pick Casey and I disagree on, primarily because we disagree on the Patriots’ needs. After losing Asante Samuel and Randall Gay to free agency, New England needs a corner. McKelvin is arguably the best in the class and has steadily climbed up draft boards. OLB Keith Rivers could be the choice here as LB is also a need, but McKelvin represents better value in the top 7.
Casey: Keith Rivers, OLB, USC
New England plays a base 3-4 defense, meaning they play AT LEAST 4 linebackers on each down. Here is their current starting Linebacking corps (and age): Tedy Bruschi (34), Mike Vrabel (32), Adalius Thomas (30), and Eric Alexander (26). And that doesn’t even mention their top two reserves are 33 and 31. That would all be ok if these guys were Pro-Bowl caliber LB’s…but they’re not. New England not only needs help, but they need a franchise LB that can anchor this unit for years to come. That’s Rivers, a prototypical leader who, at 6’2”, 240 lbs, can play inside or outside, and will always be around the ball.

8. Baltimore Ravens – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
2007 Record (5-11) – Baltimore is one team in the draft who definitely should look to trade up. With Steve McNair’s recent retirement, the Ravens are left with Kyle Boller and Troy Smith on their QB depth chart, so trying to grab Boston College’s Matt Ryan would be wise. He shouldn’t fall past Atlanta at 3, though, leaving Baltimore in a tough spot. Sedrick Ellis doesn’t represent the biggest need, but he does represent the best value. Pairing him with Haloti Ngata would give the Ravens one of the best, young defensive tackle tandems in the league.

9. Cincinnati Bengals – Branden Albert, OG/OT, Virginia
2007 Record (7-9) - Albert is flying up draft boards as a versatile O-Lineman who scouts say can play either G or T in the pros. Ideally, Cincinnati will hope that Sedrick Ellis falls to them here, but if he doesn’t, Albert would be a solid pick to bolster a suspect offensive line. Albert’s versatility is what’s making him a potential Top-10 pick.

10. New Orleans Saints
2007 Record (7-9)

Slim: Keith Rivers, OLB, USC
The Saints’ weakness is their defense, so they will be one of the teams trying to trade up to grab one of the elite defensive tackles. They can look at CB here, but I have LB as a higher need, so Rivers makes the most sense. He is a big, strong ‘backer who is a better leader than player and will provide New Orleans with a good character guy to build their defense around.
Casey: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
Corner is the most intriguing position in this draft. There are four elite guys that could all be the first CB off the board. It all depends on which one is the right fit for each individual team, but I agree with Slim that McKelvin should be rated slightly above the rest. He is the most complete corner of the four at 5'11", 190 lbs, and will also add an explosive return game to New Orleans with his 4.38 speed. No matter the team, McKelvin should be the first corner taken, and in my opinion, that will be New Orleans.

11. Buffalo Bills – Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State
2007 Record (7-9) - The Bills need a WR bad to draw attention away from Lee Evans and give last year’s second round pick, QB Trent Edwards, another receiving option. Thomas is a reach, but the Bills are reportedly very high on him, and will likely take him at this spot.

12. Denver Broncos – Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
2007 Record (7-9) - The Broncos O-Line used to be a thing of beauty…maybe the most dominating unit ever in the late-90’s and early 2000’s. That is not the case anymore, and Denver needs to start injecting youth into the lineup. Clady is the perfect fit for the zone-blocking system. He has incredibly quick feet and is extremely agile for his size (6’6 ½”, 310 lbs). If they take him, Clady will be the next franchise Bronco Tackle.

13. Carolina Panthers – Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
2007 Record (7-9) – Up until Tuesday, OT was Carolina’s biggest need. Then DE Mike Rucker retired. Derrick Harvey will be an excellent complement to Julius Peppers and give the Panthers two potentially great pass rushers. Harvey is a huge DE (6’5”) with a quick first step who should be a very solid rush end at the next level.

14. Chicago Bears – Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
2007 Record (7-9) – The Bears’ biggest need is OT, and Chris Williams is the best on the board. He has good size (6’6”, 315 lbs.) and adequate mobility. Running back is an option, but I don’t think the team is ready to give up on Cedric Benson just yet. Williams should make Benson’s life easier, and, if not, then RB should be addressed next offseason.

15. Detroit Lions – Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
2007 Record (8-8) – The Lions have been in love with Mendenhall since he announced he was entering the draft, so he will no doubt be the pick here. With last season’s offensive coordinator Mike Martz leaving for San Francisco, the Lions will now go back to a more run-oriented offense. Mendenhall was the only player on Illinois’ team last season that looked like he belonged on the same field as USC during the Rose Bowl. He can be a workhorse-type back and should be able to carry the load for a franchise that has struggled drafting offensive players in the first round in the past.

16. Arizona Cardinals
2007 Record (8-8)

Slim: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State
Arizona’s offense is set, and their biggest need on defense is in the secondary. Everything I’ve read suggests Rodgers-Cromartie is their guy. He’s the cousin of San Diego CB Antonio Cromartie, which can’t be a bad thing. Simply put, Rodgers-Cromartie is a playmaker and instantly would improve Arizona’s secondary.
Casey: Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida
Slim and I agree that the Cardinals with take a CB here…we just disagree on which one it will be. Most draft analysts have Jenkins and Rodgers-Cromartie neck and neck when it comes to talent, so this may come down to the best "system" fit. In my opinion, the Cardinals need a leader in the secondary at corner, a guy that plays with a mean streak and can play bump, zone, and man-to-man coverage. That's Jenkins, the most physical of the four corners. Jenkins has great bulk for his 5'11" frame, and can turn and run with receivers with his 4.38 speed. Jenkins is the more well-rounded of the two, so he should be the pick.

17. Kansas City Chiefs (from Minnesota) – Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh
2007 Record (4-12) – Before last season, Kansas City was *THE* quintessential rushing team in the league over the last 5 years. It all started with Priest Holmes, and never even skipped a beat when Holmes got hurt, and Larry Johnson stepped in. Not to take anything away from those backs, but neither would have the numbers they do if it weren’t for Kansas City’s O-line. Case in Point: Last year, when Johnson averaged only 3.5 yards per carry over the 1st half of the season before getting hurt. With Brodie Croyle still finding his legs as the team’s new QB, the Chiefs need to rebuild the line to become one of the top rushing teams once again. Otah is a big, strong drive-blocker and will be a perfect complement to LT Damian McIntosh on the right side.

18. Houston Texans – Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
2007 Record (8-8) – CB is a bigger need. No denying it. But Houston is better on defense than it is on offense, and in our mind, needs to improve that side of the ball. Stewart is an undersized, but incredibly strong and shifty back who can be a star in this league. He has a great initial burst to get to the second level, and enough quickness to outrun the secondary. His only knock is durability, as he’s been slightly injured at most points during his college career. But Houston should take him to round out a budding offense that could have them challenge for the playoffs this year.

19. Philadelphia Eagles – Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
2007 Record (8-8) – The Eagles need a WR more than any other position. Some will argue that with CB Lito Sheppard asking to be traded, CB is just as big of a need, and thus one of the top four CB’s should go here (best value). But the Eagles spent big money to bring in CB Asante Samuel, maybe the league’s best corner, in the offseason, so they should address a weak WR corps here. Sweed is a reach, but he is the most complete WR with the best chance to develop into a consistent #1 in the league.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
2007 Record (9-7) – The Bucs are in the same boat as Philly, in that CB and WR are the two biggest needs. However, the Bucs still have Joey Galloway, who despite being 34, still is a top 15 receiver, and Michael Clayton, who has the potential to regain his 1200-yd. rookie season form. Thus, it makes more sense to a CB here. On Slim’s board, he has Talib and Mike Jenkins still available, where I have Talib and Rodgers-Cromartie. We both think Talib will be the pick here however, since he is the most athletic of the top four, and has the best chance to score on defense. The Bucs are known for their aggressive D, so they should take the ultra-aggressive Talib, who loves to go for the big play.

21. Washington Redskins – Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson
2007 Record (9-7) – Washington also is in need of a big time WR, but we think Thomas and Sweed, the two most talented guys, will be gone at this point, so they can’t get good enough value. Thus, they should addres another big need at Defensive End. At 6’4 ¼” and 276 lbs, Merling has a great combination of size and strength to go along with his 4.7 speed. He is not spectacular at any one aspect as a DE, but is one of the most well-rounded ends in the draft, and would be very good value here.

22. Dallas Cowboys (from Cleveland) – Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas
2007 Record (13-3) – This pick is the worst kept secret in the draft. Dallas has targeted Felix Jones from the day the junior announced he was entering the draft. Marion Barber III showed he was the best big back in the league last year, and the ultra-quick Jones would be the perfect change-of-pace complement. A no-brainer pick here.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers – Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina
2007 Record (10-6) – The Steelers biggest need is a DE for their 3-4 scheme, and while Balmer played DT in college and is technically more suited to stay there in the pros, he could actually be a solid DE in a 3-4 defense. He has a great initial burst off the line, and can overwhelm guards and tackles with his size and strength from the position (6’4 ½”, 308 lbs).

24. Tennessee Titans – DeSean Jackson, WR, California
2007 Record (10-6) – Tennessee’s biggest needs are WR and now CB, after Wednesday’s trade that sent suspended CB Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones to Dallas. However, the Titans fared fine last season without Jones, so I think adding another weapon for Vince Young is the key. While Young has never been the most accurate thrower, he has a cannon for an arm, and would love to be able to use it. Jackson is a game-changer when he gets the ball in his hands. He is maybe the quickest player in this year’s draft, and would give Tennessee the deep-threat they lack…not to mention fill in for Pacman as a return man, a position he will make the Pro-Bowl from.

25. Seattle Seahawks – Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue
2007 Record (10-6) – In a perfect world, Kentwan Balmer would fall to the Seahawks here. However, the NFL Draft is far from perfect, so with Balmer gone, Seattle will be left to address their most pressing need. The Hawks need pass catchers, both from the WR and TE spot. However, with the development of the TE as an offensive weapon over the past few season (Antonio Gates, Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow, etc.), Keller is the best value here. At 6’2”, 242 lbs, Keller runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, and has unbelievable hands. He will be un-coverable by any NFL linebacker, and will be a huge weapon for Matt Hasslebeck.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars – Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC
2007 Record (11-5) – Jacksonville’s biggest need is along the defensive front, which is why there are many rumors floating around that have Miami DE Jason Taylor heading up the road to the Jags next season. But if that doesn’t happen, they should look to add the top DE still available, which would be Jackson. “Lo-Jack” had the benefit of lining up against All-American tackle Sam Baker in practice and next to Top 10 pick Sedrick Ellis on the D-Line for four years. He’s seen elite competition, and is extremely prepared for the next level.

27. San Diego Chargers
2007 Record (11-5)

Slim: Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
The Chargers need a right tackle to complement Pro-Bowler Marcus McNeil on the left side, and Cherilus is a perfect fit here. He has a massive frame (6’6 ½”, 314 lbs), and has enormous arms and hands. Thus, he has a great reach and can push around most defensive linemen. He even has a frame to get bigger, which would make him a steal this late.
Casey: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State
In my scenario, Rodgers-Cromartie is the last of the top four corners still on the board, and the Chargers would be ecstatic if he fell to them. Cromartie ran a 4.33 40-yard dash, and is one of th quickest players in the draft. He has decent size (5’10 ½”) for his speed, and has good ball skills. Thus, he is always a factor to make the big play. Not to mention that he is the cousin of San Diego’ Pro-Bowl CB Antonio Cromartie, who led the league in INT’s last year. That would be too good of a secondary combination to pass up.

28. Dallas Cowboys – Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma
2007 Record (13-3) – After getting Pacman from Tennessee on Wednesday, and with Commissioner Roger Goddell likely reinstating him before training camp, Dallas no longer needs a corner to play across from Terence Newman. Thus, receiver becomes their top need, as Terry Glenn is getting old and is to injury prone to count on as a viable complement to T.O. Kelly and James Hardy are the best WR’s left, but Kelly, the 6’4”, 225 lb. WR out of Oklahoma, is definitely the more athletic and gifted of the two, so he should be the pick.

29. San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis)
2007 Record (5-11)

Slim: James Hardy, WR, Indiana
Darrell Jackson was not the answer at WR for San Francisco last season, and is now gone. The Niners are now left with a WR core of Arnaz Battle, Ashley Lelie, Bryant Johnson, and Isaac Bruce. Not exactly a fearsome foursome. At 6’6”, Hardy is a huge wideout from Indiana who runs well (4.5) for his size. He would give QB Alex Smith another big target, in addition to last year’s 1st Round choice, TE Vernon Davis, and might finally get this offense rolling.
Casey: Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
The 49ers offensive woes stem from one simple problem: they can’t protect QB Alex Smith. In 6+ games last season, Smith was sacked 17 times, including one that knocked him out for the rest of the season. RT Joe Staley is a solid player, but they would love to get Cherilus here so that they could move Staley to the left (Smith’s blind side) and slide Cherlius in on the right. Cherilus plays with a mean streak, and would form a solid anchor-tandem with Staley. The Niners might then finally score some points.

30. Green Bay Packers
2007 Record (13-3)

Slim: Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida
Green Bay’s dream scenario is if one of the top four CB’s falls to them at this spot. And if they had their choice, they would probably like it to be Jenkins above all else. As Casey said earlier, Jenkins is the toughest corner in this class, and would fit very well into the Packers press-coverage scheme. He also ran a sub 4.4 40-yard dash, and has excelled in his limited opportunities in the return game, a position he would no doubt improve for the Pack.
Casey: Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech
Since none of the ‘Big 4’ are left at this spot, Green Bay will settle for Flowers, a strong, tough corner who would fall in line perfectly behind Charles Woodson and Al Harris. Woodson and Harris make their living in press coverage, bumping and jamming receivers off the line of scrimmage all day. However, they are 31 and 33 years old, respectively, and the Packers need an heir apparent. Flowers is the same type of player, and will transition beautifully.

31. New England Patriots – Pick Forfeited
2007 Record (16-0) – The Patriots lost the 31st overall pick as part of the penalty handed down for illegally videotaping Jets coaches from their sideline in Week 1.

32. New York Giants – Tyrell Johnson, S, Arkansas State
2007 Record (10-6) – The Giants lost FS Gibril Wilson to free agency this offseason, and thus need to find his replacement. S Kenny Phillips (Miami) and Johnson have flip-flopped at this spot for the last two months, but is looks like New York is favoring Johnson as we approach Saturday’s big day. Johnson is a very strong safety. In fact, his 27 reps on the 225-lb. bench press at the combine was the most by any DB. He is not the most athletic, but has adequate speed at 4.55, and good size at 6’0”, 200 lbs to be a solid starter in the league.

NFL Draft Capsule: Minnesota Vikings

2008-04-17T12:57:00.004-06:00

Minnesota showed a lot of promise last season behind their vaunted rushing attack. However, an injury derailed Adrian Peterson's rookie campaign, and he never returned to his pre-injury form. Defenses started to load the box against Minnesota's offense and tried to force QB Tarvaris Jackson to beat them. Simply put, he couldn't, and Minnesota stumbled down the stretch. They have the number one run defense in the NFL, but they absolutely cannot pressure the quarterback. In order to have a successful 2008-2009 season, Minnesota has to find a pass rush and develop their passing attack.

Offense

Offensively, Minnesota has one of the best lines and the best running back tandem in the League. Their shortcomings last season were in the passing game - so the Vikings spent big dollars on Bernard Berrian, hoping he could be their number one option. Sidney Rice showed promise as a rookie, but depth here is still an issue.

Public opinion says Minnesota needs to change direction at quarterback. Tarvaris Jackson was Brad Chilldress’s selection to be The Guy, but he has yet to show he can lead this team to the playoffs. Brooks Bollinger and recently signed Gus Frerotte are the backups, but neither inspires much confidence. Jackson will only be entering his third year next season, so it might be too soon to give up on him. But if the value is right in the first two rounds of the draft, Minnesota has to consider the options.

Defense

Minnesota has six defensive ends on the roster, and none of them have more than four years of experience. The Vikings have tried to add ends through the draft, but this still remains an area of need. In spot duty last season, Brian Robison showed that he could be a steady situational pass rusher. The depth here is good, but the Vikings need to add at least one starter. The defensive tackles are great—Kevin Williams and Pat Williams make up one of the best defensive tackle duos in the League. Pat Williams is getting up there in age, but the depth behind him is okay. Minnesota could look to add another, younger tackle in the draft, though.

The linebackers don’t inspire fear in opposing offenses, but they are adequate. The huge defensive tackles in front them occupy blockers, allowing the backers to roam and make tackles. Chad Greenway and E.J. Henderson both broke the 100 tackle mark last season. Ben Leber is the weakest of the group, but he doesn’t need to be replaced. If a good linebacker is available in the draft, Minnesota could go that route, although it is not their biggest need.

The secondary has two outstanding starters, with Antoine Winfield playing cornerback and Darren Sharper at one safety spot. The other starters are young and show promise, so the secondary should be on the rise next season.

Special Teams

Minnesota stole Ryan Longwell from division rival Green Bay last offseason to handle their field goal kicking duties. Longwell was a great addition, and he’s still in his prime for a kicker at 33. Chris Kluwe is a good, young punter, so there is no need to attempt to add a kicker or punter in the draft.

Bobby Wade and Maurice Hicks should perform Minnesota’s return duties next season. Again, both are adequate, so there is no need to look for return specialists in the draft.

Draft

Minnesota picks 17th in this April’s draft, and their primary focus should be on finding a starting defensive end. Even with the addition of Berrian, Minnesota should look to add another wide receiver to push Sidney Rice, as well. ESPN’s Todd McShay has Minnesota drafting CB Mike Jenkins (5'10", 197 lbs, South Florida). ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. has them selecting DE Philip Merling (6'4", 276 lbs, Clemson). Having too much depth in the secondary is never an issue, but a cornerback in the first round does not make a lot of sense. If an end like Merling falls to the Vikings, he should be the pick.

Merling's draft stock has been all over the board this offseason, so he could be gone by the time the Vikings pick. If that's the case, Minnesota could look at wide receiver. WR Devin Thomas (6'2", 216 lbs, Michigan State) will probably be the highest rated receiver on the board, but, with the addition of Berrian, Minnesota will probably look to go in a different direction and reach for a defensive end like Calais Campbell (6'8", 290 lbs, Miami).

In the later rounds, look for the Vikings to add another wide receiver, depth along the offensive line, and maybe another quarterback, although probably not in the first two rounds.

Next Friday (April 25): Q2's NFL Mock Draft - Round 1

NFL Draft Capsule: Seattle Seahawks

2008-04-16T17:31:00.002-06:00

Seattle finished 10-6 last season, winning the NFC West. However, the season was not necessarily a success, as the running game behind Shaun Alexander continued to struggle. His diminishing performance led Head Coach Mike Holmgren to go with a pass-first offense towards the end of the year, which allowed the Seahawks to make the playoffs…in which they ended up losing to the Packers in the Divisional Round. This is Holmgren's last season coaching in Seattle, so the team has to improve their ground attack. Overall, they still have the weapons to contend for the playoffs and possibly a Super Bowl berth, but the window is closing.

Offense

I believe Mike Holmgren is one of the best coaches in the League, and this is his last year in Seattle to make a deep playoff run. With that in mind, the Seahawks made an effort to improve their running game this offseason. Shaun Alexander missed three games last season and only averaged 3.5 yards per carry. So…Seattle signed T.J. Duckett and Julius Jones to compete with Alexander and Maurice Morris.

Rushing problems often times stem from poor offensive line play. Since Steve Hutchinson left in free agency two years ago, Seattle’s rushing attack hasn’t been the same. They signed Mike Wahle this year to try to fill that void, but he is in his thirties, as are Chris Gray and Walter Jones. Seattle’s line could start to show their age in the next couple of years, so drafting some young talent would be wise.

Seattle’s passing attack should be one of the most dangerous in the League next year. Matt Hasselbeck is a pro-bowl caliber quarterback, and he has good, but not great, receivers at his disposal in Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, and Bobby Engram. If Seattle can grab a tight end in this month’s draft to pair with recently added Jeb Putzier, Hasselbeck should have another solid year.

Defense

You look at this unit and don’t really see any glaring needs. The Seahawks have one of the best linebacking corps in the League with Lofa Tatupu, Julian Peterson, and LeRoy Hill. They’re not deep at corner, but their starters—Marcus Trufant and Kelly Jennings—are very solid.

Seattle’s defensive weaknesses are at safety (where they have incredible depth, but no outstanding starters) and on the defensive line, especially with the departure of Cedric Darby this offseason. If the ‘Hawks can find a legitimate starting safety early in the draft, that could be an option, but they have to start looking for defensive tackles. Rocky Bernard is one solid DT, but they could definitely use another from the draft and maybe a defensive end to add depth.

Special Teams

Seattle’s special teams are not special, but they are nothing to be concerned about either. Josh Brown signed with division rival St. Louis, but the Seahawks filled the position by signing Olindo Mare. Mare has seen better days, but he is still a more than adequate kicker.

Nate Burleson can be one of the more electrifying returners in the game, scoring two touchdowns on returns last season.

Draft

Seattle has the 25th pick in the draft, which is not an ideal place for them to be picking. Their top need is guard, and the top guard in this class, Branden Albert (6’5 ½”, 309 lbs, Virginia) should be off the board. If he’s still there, Seattle will take no time running his name up to the podium. Since Albert will be gone, ESPN’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, Jr. have them drafting TE Dustin Keller (6’2”, 242 lbs, Purdue). According to McShay, Keller has the "potential to create mismatches in the passing game." Lining him up with Seattle’s trio of wide receivers will create havoc for opposing defenses. DT Kentwan Balmer (6’4 ½”, 308 lbs, North Carolina) and S Kenny Philips (6’2 ¼”, 212 lbs, Miami) are also possibilities.

Ideally, OG Chilo Rachal (6’5”, 315 lbs, USC) will fall to them in the second round. He’s the second rated guard prospect and would be a great value pick towards the bottom of the second. Further down the draft, the ‘Hawks should look to add depth to the defensive line and secondary.

With this being Holmgren’s last year at the helm, look for Seattle to try to add immediate impact players early in the draft, with the offensive and defensive lines taking priority in the later rounds.

Tomorrow: Minnesota Vikings

NFL Draft Capsule: Green Bay Packers

2008-04-15T18:19:00.003-06:00

Green Bay had a surprising 2007 regular season where they went 13-3. Their success continued with a win in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, but they fell to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants in the NFC Championship. General Manager Ted Thompson has done a great job assembling this team through the draft over the years, so the Packers do not have a lot of glaring needs.

Long-time cheesehead hero Brett Favre hung up the cleats this offseason, leaving the inexperienced and unproven Aaron Rodgers as the starter. His success will be measured by wins and losses, but Rodgers will have a lot of help from his teammates. The Packers have a solid line, good running game, and a plethora of pass catchers. The offense is virtually built, and the only downfall is that some of the players are starting to age. Green Bay most certainly will add some offensive talent during the draft, but it is not much of a need. Look for the Packers to primarily draft defensively, instead. The unit was underrated last year, but they definitely could still use more depth on the front line and in the secondary.

Offense

Green Bay’s offseason starts and ends with Favre’s retirement. The QB’s durability over his career hasn’t left Green Bay with much of a need to have a solid backup. They drafted Aaron Rodgers in 2005, and he’s patiently been waiting his turn. In limited action, Rodgers has looked like the real deal. He won’t make anybody forget about Favre, but he is an adequate starter, and he has a plethora of weapons around him.

Ryan Grant emerged as a pro-bowl caliber running back last season, showing exceptional power and burst through the hole. The Packers lack ideal depth behind Grant, but Vernand Morency provides solid help, and DeShawn Wynn and Brandon Jackson should improve upon their rookie seasons. They run behind a great offensive line, which is incredibly young on the interior. Starting tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, are both entering their ninth seasons, so it might be time to starting looking to add youth to the depth chart there.

In the passing game, Rodgers inherits three great options in wide receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings and tight end Donald Lee. The Pack let Bubba Franks leave via free agency this offseason, so they need another body at tight end. Favre’s gunslinger mentality got Green Bay’s third, fourth, and fifth wide receivers (James Jones, Ruvell Martin, and Koren Robinson) involved in the offense. Those three probably won’t have as big of an impact next season, but wide receiver depth definitely is not an issue for this team.

Defense

This unit has been very underrated the past couple of years. Looking across the board it’s hard to find a lot of weaknesses. Up front, the Packers have a great sack tandem in Aaron Kampman (12.0 sacks last season) and Kabeer Baja-Biamila (9.5). Cullen Jenkins provides them with a solid three man rotation. In the middle, they are anchored by Ryan Pickett. They traded Corey Williams to the Cleveland Browns this offseason, so last year’s first round pick Justin Harrell needs to step up.

The linebackers are solid, but outside of A.J. Hawk, unspectacular. Green Bay signed Brandon Chillar this offseason to compete with Brian Poppinga for the starting spot opposite Nick Barnett.

Charles Woodson and Al Harris are almost the quintessential cornerback tandem for this system. They play aggressive bump and run coverage, and, although sometimes they get beat deep, typically can cover wide outs without much safety help. Atari Bigby came up big during the playoffs last season and had a solid year. Nick Collins mans the other starting safety spot. Overall, the starters in the secondary are very good, but this unit lacks depth. Using nickel and dime sets is risky as their third and fourth corners are adequate at best.

Special Teams

Ryan Longwell left for Minnesota last offseason, but it looks like the Packers found their kicker of the present and the future last year when they drafted Mason Crosby out of Colorado. Crosby hit nearly 80 percent of his attempts last season, and should easily improve upon that stat next year.

Koren Robinson and Will Blackmon handle most of the return duties. Blackmon returned one punt for a touchdown, but, other than that, Green Bay’s return game was not special. Typically, teams don’t look for returners in the draft, but if a corner can assist in the return game, look for the Pack to jump on him.

Draft

Green Bay’s biggest need is definitely in their secondary, more so at cornerback than safety. They also need to add depth at tackle, tight end, and quarterback (they only have two on the roster right now). The Packers pick 30th in the first round. ESPN’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, Jr. agree that Green Bay’s biggest need is in the secondary and have them selecting CB Brandon Flowers (5’10”, 190 lbs, Virginia Tech). Flowers grades out as a first rounder, so he would be a good value pick there. Picking so low in the round, Green Bay probably won’t be able to target a single player.

They do have two second round picks (they acquired one from Cleveland in the Corey Williams trade), so they could move up in the first if they fall in love with a prospect. If they keep the picks, Green Bay would love to see someone like CB Mike Jenkins (5’10”, 197 lbs, South Florida) or CB Aqib Talib (6’1”, 202 lbs, Kansas) fall to them in the first, as both prospects were previously projected in the top ten of the draft. A more likely scenario, though, has Flowers sitting at their pick.

In the second round they could look specifically at tackles - Carl Nicks (6’5”, 341 lbs, Nebraska) – could be available, or take the BPA (best player available) approach. Green Bay does not have a lot of glaring weaknesses, so they can afford to draft without paying much attention to need. It is also gives them the flexibility to move around in the draft by packaging picks to move up or acquiring picks in next year’s draft to move down.

Tomorrow: Seattle Seahawks

NFL Draft Capsule: Denver Broncos

2008-04-14T18:27:00.002-06:00

Denver finished a disappointing 7-9 last year, but all was not lost over the course of the season. The Broncos found out that Jay Cutler is, and will be, their quarterback of the future, and he has a great #1 wide receiver in Brandon Marshall, assuming he can avoid McDonald’s bags off the field. Offensively, the team should continue to develop at the skill positions, but they do need to add depth to the offensive line and maybe at wideout. The biggest issue for the Broncos last season was their run defense. They have attempted to fix their defensive front in the past, but they have to get the job done this offseason—particularly through the draft.

Offense

Last offseason, the Broncos picked up Travis Henry and Daniel Graham, moves I thought were under-publicized. However, Henry was injured for much of the year and battling through suspension issues, and Graham never lived up to my expectations. Henry and Graham should figure to be major parts of the offense this season, and there is plenty of depth behind those two at the running back and tight end positions respectively.

This unit goes as Jay Cutler goes, and he is the real deal. He should continue to improve, especially with the vaunted Denver running game. He has two effective tight ends in Graham and Tony Scheffler and a stud wideout in Brandon Marshall. Brandon Stokley is a solid number three wide receiver, but Denver needs to find somebody to play opposite of Marshall. They went out and signed Keary Colbert, but they definitely should look to add one more wide receiver in the draft.

The biggest question on offense is along the line. Denver’s line has been one of the best for most of my life, but none of these guys make fans forget the lines from the Super Bowl teams of the late nineties. They just signed Casey Wiegmann to compete for the starting center job, and at guard they are probably okay. They could probably use a little more depth there, but the outside is where they are weakest. As of now, they only have three tackles on the roster, and one of those is Ryan Harris, a rookie last year out of Notre Dame. They could be projecting Harris as their starting left tackle this year, but they still need to add another tackle or two to the roster.

Defense

It’s no secret that the Broncos have spent much of this offseason focusing on their defense, especially the front seven. They have one of the best cornerback tandems in the League with Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. John Lynch can still get it done at FS, but Denver brought in Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree to compete with Hamza Abdullah at SS, who filled in for Nick Ferguson last season. Ferguson is now gone, leaving Abdullah as the starter.

As for the front seven, in 2005, the Broncos decided to build their defensive line from Cleveland Browns castoffs. Since then, they’ve been trying to find answers up front. John Engelberger and Ebenezer Ekuban are serviceable veterans, and it looks like they struck gold with the Elvis Dumervil draft pick. However, Engelberger and Ekuban are more suited for backup roles, and Denver is incredibly thin in the middle of the line.

Gone is the linebacking corps of Al Wilson, D.J. Williams, and Ian Gold, leaving Williams paired with Nate Webster and recently added Boss Bailey. That trio won’t instill fear in opposing offenses, but it is more than adequate. They’re fairly deep with Jamie Winborn and Niko Koutouvides, and Brandon Archer was a promising prospect out of Kansas State at this time last year.

Special Teams

Without question, the biggest surprise of the Broncos’ offseason was the loss of Jason Elam. Elam should’ve retired a Bronco, but he’s with the Falcons now. He has been one of, if not, the best kicker in the League over his career. His departure leaves a huge void for the Broncos to fill, which must be addressed sometime between now and training camp. Drafting a kicker is not usually the solution, although the Packers did land Mason Crosby last year. They probably need to add a punter, too.

Draft

The Broncos pick 12th in round one. ESPN’s Todd McShay has them selecting OT Jeff Otah (6’6”, 340 lbs, Pittsburgh). Mel Kiper, Jr., also of ESPN, has them selecting LB Keith Rivers (6’3”, 235 lbs, USC). In his mock draft, Kiper has Otah and fellow tackles Ryan Clady (6’6”, 316 lbs, Boise State) and Chris Williams (6’6”, 315 lbs, Vanderbilt) falling past Denver’s pick. Clady grades out just a bit higher than the other two, and, if he’s available, shouldn’t make it past the Broncos’ pick. He is ideal for the Broncos, as his agility and athleticism make him perfect for their zone blocking scheme.

The Broncos do not have a third round pick in the 2008 draft, so they have to make the most out of their first two picks. I rank their most pressing needs as OT, DT, and WR for day one. If they get Clady or Williams in the first round then they obviously don’t look tackle in round two. Their run defense was flat awful last year, so I would look for them to go DT if they can. Someone like Pat Sims (6’2”, 310 lbs, Auburn) could be available, and he would be a great pick. WR is not as pressing of a need as DT, but if Sims is gone, the Broncos should look at the WRs. James Hardy (6’6”, 220 lbs, Indiana) and Early Doucet (6’0”, 212 lbs, LSU) are wideouts who could be available. I like Doucet just a little better than Hardy, so he would be my second option in round two if I were picking for the Broncos.

In the later rounds, Denver needs to address depth along the defensive front and maybe at the cornerback position. The Broncos absolutely need to find a tackle, defensive tackle, and wide receiver in this draft. Mike Shanahan should be looking for immediate impact players, as one more season ending without a playoff berth could put him on the hot seat.

Tomorrow: Green Bay Packers

NFL Draft Previews

2008-04-13T19:55:00.002-06:00

Hello everybody! Hope all is well out there is cyberspace, and I hope everyone has had a chance to enjoy the UNBELIEVABLY NICE WEATHER we've been having. It's suppoed to be 79 degrees in Billings tomorrow. Woohoo!

It seems only appropriate that the weather begin to change now, as we're only two weeks away from the NFL Draft (April 26th and 27th)...a day where GM's, Team Presidents, and Coaches have the opportunity to turn their gloomy results from a year ago into potential playoff glory (with the exception of the Dolphins, who are gonna need more than a few draft picks to reverse a 1-15 campaign).

Starting tomorrow, Slim, our resident NFL expert, will be bringing you Draft Capsules for each of the teams in our "Viewing Area" (Broncos, Packers, Seahawks, Vikings). We'll be analyzing each team's offense, defense, special teams, and draft needs.

We'll roll out a new Capsule each day, with our very own Mock Draft of the 1st Round concluding it all on Friday.

Stay tuned!

Thank You, Mario Chalmers

2008-04-09T02:19:00.005-06:00

Thank you, Mario Chalmers.

When I was a little kid, I was rummaging through my parents' video collection one day (all VHS tapes back in those days), and I came across a blank tape with a white label entitled, "1988 NCAA Championship: Kansas v. Oklahoma." It was my dad's personal copy of the battle between the Danny Manning-led Jayhawks and the #1-ranked Sooners, a matchup that would go down in history as one of the best title game performances in history.

"Danny and the Miracles," as the team came to be known, were the last Kansas team to cut down the nets at the Final Four as National Champs.

My dad always talked about that game as the best game of his life, and he went to KU with Wilt Chamberlain, who put on more than his fair share of shows on the court.

As many times as I watched that tape, I knew I could never feel the way my dad did about it. That game happened when I was 3 years old, long before I became the hardcore Jayhawks fan I am today. I knew that I needed my own game, my own Championship team to claim as my own.

Thank You, Mario Chalmers.

As my Kansas obsession grew through the mid-90's, I had some great teams to root for. Paul Pierce, Jacque Vaughn, and Raef Lafrentz in 1997. Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich, and Drew Gooden in 2002. Collison, Hinrich, Keith Langford, and Aaron Miles in 2003.

And yet, with as much talent as Kansas had during the 15 year stretch after the '88 Title, there was nothing but dissapointment on the other end.

1997 - 34-2, #1 overall seed, Lost to Arizona in Sweet Sixteen
2002 - 33-4, #1 seed, Lost to Maryland in Final Four
2003 - 30-8, #2 seed, Lost to Syracuse in National Title Game

That last one really hurt. Kansas had absolutely throttled Dwayne Wade-led Marquette in the Final Four, and were playing as well as they had all year. But after six 1st half Gerry McNamara 3-pointers, a 20-10-7 game from Carmelo Anthony, and one big block from Hakim Warrick, KU left the court once again as losers of their final game.

Thanks You, Mario Chalmers.

After the 2003 Championship Game loss, the Jayhawks looked defeated. They should have won. They were supposed to win. But once again, in true Kansas post-1988 fashion, they choked and lost the big one once more.

After that, Collison and Hinrich left for the NBA, and Kansas wasn't the same. They fought admirably to the Elite Eight the next season, but suffered consecutive 1st round exits in 2005 and 2006 to Bucknell and Bradley, respectively. Jayhawk Nation hadn't seemed to recover from that Syracuse loss quite yet.

In 2007, the team regained that KU mystique it had so desperately needed, and once again reached the Elite Eight as a #1 seed, only to lose to #2 seed UCLA (who would lose to eventual National Champion Florida in the Final Four). But with a team consisting of 6 McDonald's All-Americans, including new Freshmen Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins, the Jayhawks looked poised to make another run.

Thank you, Mario Chalmers.

KU started the season as the #2 team in the country, and promptly won their first 20 games of the year. And after hitting a bumpy stretch, in which Kansas lost 3 of their next 7 contests, the Jayhawks once again rolled into the NCAA's, winning their last 7 games including the Big 12 Tourney. There was hope once again.

KU drew the last #1 seed in the field, in the Midwest Region. They sailed through their first three games, winning each by at least 15 points. But then came Cinderella Davidson, with the baby-faced killer, Stephen Curry. And after a hard fought, defensive battle, the Jayhawks escaped.

Their reward: a date with #1 overall seed North Carolina in the Final Four, and former head coach Roy Williams, the same Williams who was on the wrong end of all those dissapointments of my lifetime so far. But no, KU would not let it happen it again.

Kansas played the best basketball I have ever seen in the first 12 minutes against Carolina. Offenseively, they could not miss. Defensively, they were too quick for Carolina to recognize what was going on. When all was said and done, KU was up 40-12. That is not a misprint. The Jayhawks were headed back to the title game.

Until they forgot how to play the game, let Carolina back in. Oh no, not again. This is too hard to watch. How can you blow a 28 point lead?!? Carolina cuts it to 4 with 10:00 to play. You have got to be kidding me?!? But then, something happened. Kansas played like...Kansas, circa 1988. And before you knew it, we were back.

Thank You, Mario Chalmers.

We were back. Against a team that had just set the all-time single season NCAA wins record. #1 seed Memphis, who came in at 38-1. This was no Orange Cinderella. This team, led by the most potent backcourt tandem in years (Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts), was not just beating people. They were destroying them...on a mission to prove every doubter wrong.

Had we wasted all our energy holding off UNC? Could anyone stop Rose, the Fab Freshman who played his way into consideration as the #1 Draft Pick in June's NBA Draft? Could Kansas finally walk off the court at the end of the season...as winners?

Thank You, Mario Chalmers. I finally have my own title.

Softball: Early Season

2008-04-06T23:19:00.003-06:00

Mother Nature finally cooperated this week, allowing AA softball to really get underway in the Magic City. And After a weekend where West, Senior, and Skyview went 10-2 against the visiting Missoula schools (Hellgate, Sentinel, and Big Sky), I have to say that it's looking like an up-year on the diamond for the Billings' girls.

WEST (5-0)

The Lady Bears look very good, and it's because of one reason...actually, it's two reasons - Shelby Ballard and Kesley Jones. The two pitchers are each 2-0 for 5-0 West, and have been absolutely dominant so far.

In her first outing of the 2008 season, Ballard beat Sentinel Friday with a 2-hit shutout in which she struck out 13 Lady Spartans, and only allowed one ball out of the infield. And then, as if that wasn't enough, Ballard did herself one better with one-hit shutout Saturday over Big Sky, in which she struck out 10 Lady Eagles.

Ballard's '08 line: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 12 IP, 3 hits, 23 K's

Not bad.

But not to be overshadowed is the other half of the Lady Bears' dynamic duo, Jones. Jones got the call for West's opener against Skyview on Tuesday, and carried a no-hitter into the 6th. Skyview eventually started to make some contact, but Jones still ended up giving up only 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 7 in the complete game win. Then, in the Lady Bears' first contest Saturday, Jones was even more spectacular, allowing just two hits and striking out 12 Lady Knight in the 9-0 win over Hellgate.

Jones' '08 line: 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 14 IP, 6 hits, 19 K's

And that doesn't even mention the Bears' other game, in which freshman Jessyka MacDonald pitched a gem in her debut, allowing only three hits while striking out 8 in West's 14-1 win over Sentinel in their 2nd game Friday afternoon. And the only run MacDonald allowed was off a missed return throw from catcher Allyson Peterson that allowed a Sentinel runner to come in from 3rd. Not too bad for your first Varsity start.

Offensively, the Bears' bats are on as much of a roll as the pitching staff. Through 5 games, West is averaging 10 runs per contest, including putting up 19 combined runs both Friday and Saturday in double-headers. West is led by Peterson on the offensive end, who has 3 HR's and 11 RBI's in 5 games. Kaitlyn Frank has 2 HR's of her own, both coming Friday against the young Lady Spartans, and Erin Compton has a hit in each game so far.

SENIOR (5-0)

Senior has been almost as impressive as the Lady Bears, although had three close games compared with West's blowouts over the weekend to put them a notch behind the Lady Bears in my rankings. However, the Lady Broncs are obviously still undefeated at 5-0, and go as star pitcher Lee Ann Anthony goes.

Anthony will be Senior's horse this season, and she proved that over the weekend with 3 starts resulting in 3 wins, and an additional 3 innings of relief in Senior's weekend double-headers. Anthony opened the Lady Broncs' season Thursday with an abbreviated 5-inning no-hitter over Bozeman, a game Senior won 27-0. Anthony had a perfect game into the fifth, in which she gave up 2 walks. She struck out 9 total Lady Hawks.

Anthony's workload really increased with Senior's 4 games over the weekend, and she did not dissapoint. On Friday, Anthony started the first game of Senior's double-header with Hellgate, pitching a complete game in which she allowed 1 run on 2 hits, and struck out 15 Lady Knights in Senior's 2-1 win. Then, in the 2nd game, Anthony came in to pitch 3 innings of relief, in which she struck out 7 to help Senior complete the sweep with a 4-1 win.

On Saturday, Anthony showed even she is not immune to getting a little tired, but still got the complete game win over the Lady Eagles of Big Sky, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, including 2 HR's. But Anthony also struck out 11 batters and Senior pulled out a 4-3 win.

Anthony's '08 line: 3-0, 1.64 ERA, 22 IP, 11 hits, 42 K's

Anthony has also gotten considerable help on the offensive end, a welcome surprise to a Senior team that struggled to score runs last year. The Lady Broncs have scored 58 runs through their first 5 games, an average of 11.6 per, but that stat is actually misleading.

Senior scored 27 runs on a weak Bozeman squad, and 21 runs in their 2nd Saturday game against Sentinel, another very young team. So in Senior's other three games, they have only scored 10 runs, an average of 3.3 per contest. However, with Anthony on the mound, it's been good enough so far.

The trio of Kylie Kufeld, Courtney Gopp, and Hannah Stroebe has paced the Lady Broncs so far, and they'll count on their leadership to continue throughout the year.

SKYVIEW (2-3)

The Lady Falcons have not fared as well early in the 2008 season, losing their first three games before collecting two wins Saturday to move to 2-3 on the year. The most encouraging performer so far might be pitcher Teal Kaufman, who has looked strong against some strong early competition.

Kaufman came in in relief Tuesday against West, and shut down the Bears for 2+ innings before West finaly started to string together some hits. On Friday, Kaufman pitched a solid game against Big Sky, giving up 4 runs on 4 hits in 6 innings of work (Skyview lost 4-3). Then on Saturday, Kaufman came back to pitch 6 strong inning against Hellgate, in which she gave up only 3 runs and struck out 6 in Skyview's 4-3 win.

Offensively, the Falcons struggled in their first three game to really get anything going, averaging only 2.7 runs per contest. However, the bats came alive Saturday morning when the Lady Falcons' put up 24 runs on 19 hits against Sentinel...in only 2 innings! They then managed to score 4, including 2 in the bottom of the 7th, to get the win against Hellgate in Saturday's afternoon session.

Kate Brew and Nicole Miller will pace the Lady Falcon offense most of the year.

Make sure you catch Thursday's showdown between West and Senior @ 5:00 PM at the Lady Broncs field in Central Park!

NCAA Elite 8 Recap

2008-03-30T20:21:00.006-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, you have just witnessed history.

With Kansas and Memphis joining North Carolina and UCLA in the Final Four with wins today, the 2008 NCAA Tourney will now go down as the first time that all four #1 seeds won their respective Regionals and advanced to the Final Four.

Here's how it all shook out:

MIDWEST REGION

#1 Kansas over #10 Davidson, 59-57

Cinderella's clock struck midnight for Davidson and sensational sophomore G Stephen Curry, as PG Jason Richards' 3-pointer at the buzzer was wide left...after Curry could not get off a shot thanks to Kansas' swarming defensive strategy.

Coming into the game, Curry was the talk of the tournament...and for good reason. His 34.3 ppg average was the highest for the first three games of the Tournament in 18 years (Bo Kimble averaged 35.8 ppg in 1990). But Kansas has arguably the best defensive backcourt in the country, between G Russell Robinson, who matched up on him for most of the game, G Mario Chalmers, G Sherron Collins, and G-F Brandon Rush. The Jayhawks also have athletic big men in F Darrell Arthur and F Darnell Jackson who were able to switch onto Curry in pick-and-roll situations and not allow him to get any daylight to get his silky-smooth shot up.

Combine all that, and the fact that Curry missed contested shots he was hitting in the first three rounds (everybody has to cool down sometime), and you get Curry's subpar line for the night:

25 pts on 9-25 FG, including 4-16 from the arc, 4 reb, 3 asst

While 25 points against a tough KU defense is nothing to scoff at, Curry's 1.00 point-per-shot average is a number any team will live with...and a number Davidson usually cannot.

On their offensive end, Kansas did what they have done all year...use their balance to win. Chalmers scored 13 points, 11 coming in a 4:00 period in the 1st half to keep Kansas in the game; C Sasha Kaun scored 13 points off the bench on 6-6 FG, and Rush scored 12 and pulled down 7 rebounds.

Davidson could not become the first #10 seed to make the Final Four in NCAA History. But the news wasn't all bad for Wildcat fans on the day...

In Davidson's Sweet 16 game against Wisconsin, Lebron James could be seen just a few rows behind the Wildcat bench, standing up and cheering every one of Curry's remarkable shots, possibly thinking, "Hey, I wouldn't mind passing it to that kid next year."

Well Lebron, you're just gonna have to wait.

EAST REGION

#1 North Carolina over #3 Louisville, 83-73

Kansas' reward for doing what Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin could not: A date with #1 overall seed North Carolina in the Final Four, as the Tar Heels dispatched of Louisville Saturday night, 83-73.

Much like the Jayhawks, UNC has about 5 players that can lead them in scoring on any given night. Unlike the Jayhawks, Carolina does have a go-to guy...in All-American F Tyler Hansbrough. Hansbrough had been solid in the the Heels first three Tourney games, averaging 19 point an 8 rebounds (slightly under his season averages of 23 and 10). But the ACC Player of the Year carried the Heels down the stretch in this game, and showed why he is a strong candidate for National Player of the Year consideration. The line:

28 pts, 12-17 FG, 13 reb in 38 minutes

Normally, Hansbrough does all his work underneath basket, retrieving every loose ball and converting every "And-1" opportunity he can get. But late in the game against the Cardinals, Hansbrough hit three 18-foot jumpers, one with two defenders in his face and the shot clock at 2, that was a dagger to Louisville's upset bid. The Cardinals actually tied the game up at 59-59 with 10:00 to play, but Hansbrough proceeded to outscore the entire Louisville squad, 12-7, over the next 8 minutes...and the Cardinals were sent packing.

'Psycho T' didn't do all the work however, as the Heels advanced to San Antonio on the strength of a very balanced attack. G Wayne Ellington scored 13 points, G Ty Lawson had 11, F Deon Thompson had 10, and G-F Danny Green had 11 off the bench in his usual spark-plug role.

That balance is going to make their Final Four matchup against Kansas an absolute epic. Both teams like to get up and down the court, as the Jayhawks averaged 81 ppg during the regular season, while Carolina averaged 89 ppg. Both teams like to run, as they each have great guard play and very athletic forwards that can run the floor.

Expect to see a lot of alley-oops and 3's in this contest. Should be one of the Games of the Year.

WEST REGION

#1 UCLA over #3 Xavier, 76-57

UCLA earned their record 18th trip to the Final Four Saturday with a decisive 76-57 win over Xavier, behind a dominant performance from their starters, who scored 73 of the Bruins' 76 total points, led by Fab Freshman F Kevin Love and PG Darren Collison, who each had 19.

If UCLA goes on to win the NCAA Title this yea, Love will without a doubt be named Tournament M.O.P. He doesn't even have to play in the Bruins' final two games...that's how good the 6'10", 275 lb. forward has been...and Saturday was no different.

Love completely dominated a solid Xavier frontcourt to the tune of 19 points, 10 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive glass, and 2 more blocks to move his Tourney total to 17 (4.25 bpg). The thing I love the most about Love is that he rarely wastes a shot. He went 7-11 against Xavier, including 2-4 from the arc, and 3-4 from the line. Here's are his percentages now through 4 Tourney games:

32-52 FG (61.5%), 17-22 FT (77.3%), 6-16 3-FG (38%)

With 87 points on only 52 FG attempts, Love is averaging 1.67 points per shot, an absolutely stunning number. (Consider that his 1.67 pps would rank 2nd in the NBA behind only Orlando Magic F Dwight Howard at 1.74. And that doesn't even mention that Love's regular season pps was actually 1.69.)

But while Love basically single-handedly carried UCLA to wins against Texas A&M and Western Kentucky, he got some much-needed help from his teammates against the Musketeers. UCLA shot 54% as a team, getting 19 from Collison on 7-12 shooting. G Russell Westbrook chipped in 17 on 7-11 FG, and F Luc Richard Mbah A Moute recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, including 7 offensive.

Kevin Love finally got some help...and that may mean the Bruins, who have lost in the Final Four each of the last two years, may finally cut down the nets for the 13th time in school history next Monday night.

SOUTH REGION

#1 Memphis over #2 Texas, 85-67

Memphis has been the trendy upset pick for the last two rounds, and now, after their 2nd straight blowout win, will be considered a very legitimate National Title threat.

The Tigers jumped on Texas right from the opening tip, taking an 18-8 lead six minutes in, and then pushing that to 29-14 with 7:00 to play in the 1st half before winning fairly easily, 85-67. Texas was probably the toughest matchup for any of the #1 seeds in the Elite 8, so Memphis' victory should be thought of as that more impressive.

PG Derrick Rose continued to show why he should be a Top-2 NBA Draft pick if he decided to declare after his freshman season. Rose is the most complete all-around guard in the college game, and dominated Texas' undersized guard tandem of A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin. Rose scored 21 points on 7-10 FG and 7-8 FT, dished out 9 assists (with only 2 TO's), and grabbed 6 rebounds. Check out his Tourney numbers:

20.5 pts, 58% FG, 6 asst (6:1 asst/TO ratio), 6 reb

Rose is so strong with the ball, and rarely makes a bad decision, as shown in his 6:1 assist to turnover ratio. He can shoot from anywhere on the court, but is most dangerous when he drives to the bucket. He doesn't take a lot of 3's, but shoots a respectable 35% for the season (he's 4-9 in the Tourney). The freshman's overall play in the Tourney has cemented his place as the best guard in the country.

However, in order for Memphis to beat UCLA, they'll need to give Rose some help...something they got against Texas. G Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 25 points, F Joey Dorsey recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and F Shawn Taggart chipped in 12 big points off the bench on 5-7 FG.

That kind of balance will be vital against a Bruins team that can beat you many ways. Memphis is the most athletic team left in the Final Four, and if they can play their style of game, they'll give UCLA all they can handle. Once again, this should be one of the Games of the Year.

Mark my words: This will go down as the greatest collection of talent in a Final Four in NCAA History. Get ready!

NCAA Sweet 16 Recap

2008-03-28T22:56:00.002-06:00

And then there were 8. After some close games, some blowouts, and 1 Cinderella who's clock still has not struck midnight, we're down to the Elite Eight in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Here's what the field still looks like:

4 #1 seeds (All the #1's are stil alive...UNC, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA)
1 #2 seed (Texas)
2 #3 seeds (Louisville, Xavier)
1 #10 seed (Davidson)

MIDWEST REGION

#10 Davidson over #3 Wisconsin, 73-56

Yes, the fierce Wildcats from Davidson, the smallest school in this year's Tournament with a 1700-student enrollment, are still dancin'. With authority even! Davidson absolutely throttled #3 seed Wisconsin 73-56...a Badgers team who were the #1-ranked Defensive Scoring team in the country coming into the Tournament.

Stephen Curry continued to show why he is the GREATEST SHOOTER THE NCAA TOURNAMENT HAS SEEN IN YEARS...maybe ever. Curry poured in 33 points on 11-22 from the field, including 6-11 from the 3-point line...and once again completely dominated the 2nd half with 22 of his 33 coming in the closing stanza to sink Wisconsin...all with the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Michael Flowers, guarding him.

To put that into perspective: Curry outsocred the entire Wisconsin team in the 2nd half, 22-20.

In Davidson's three Tourney games so far, Curry has scored 103 points, the biggest 3-game total since 1990, averaging 34.3 ppg. When you include Curry's 30-point effort in Davidson's first round loss to Maryland in last year's NCAA's, the sensational sophomore is now only the 4th player in NCAA history to score 30 or more in his first 4 Tourney games (Clyde Lovelette - Kansas...Jerry Chambers - Utah...Glenn Robinson - Purdue).

Even Lebron James was impressed at Curry's performance, as the NBA Superstar grabbed a ticket a few rows behind Davidson's bench to watch the Wildcats' sharpshooter, and on more than one occasion, you could read the word "Wow" on LBJ's lips when one of Curry's silky-smooth treys found nothing but the bottom of the net.

(In addition to King James, about 300 Davidson students were able to catch the Sweet 16 game at Ford Field in Detroit...thanks to Davidson's Board of Trustees - who offered to pay for bus fare, tickets, and a hotel room for every student - and the 300 who took them up on the offer now definitely all agree that the 11-hour bus ride was worth it, as the Wildcats look to reach the Final Four Sunday.)

#1 Kansas over #12 Villanova, 72-57

That will be a tall order however, as Davidson's next opponent is #1 seed Kansas, who dispatched of #12 seed Villanova in the late game tonight, 72-57, in a game that was over by halftime (KU led 41-22 at the break and pushed that to 55-34 with 11:22 to play.)

Kansas did exactly what they wanted to in this game, using their supreme depth to run Villanova out of the gym. The Wildcats actually play their best ball when they are running in the open floor and letting PG Scottie Reynolds fill up the stat sheet. The problem: Kansas wants to do that as well, and the Jayhawks are much better at it.

Kansas came into the Tourney as the nation's top scoring team (81 ppg), and used their backcourt balane to pick Nova apart. Brandon Rush led the Jayhawks with 16 points on 6-12 FG, Russell Robinson had 15, and Mario Chalmers chipped in 14. Kansas shot 53.3% from the field, while holding Villanova to 35.6% shooting, including just 11 points on 4-13 FG for Reynolds.

While Kansas will go into their Elite Eight game against Davidson as a heavy favorite, it should be noted that the Jayhawks have yet to be tested in the Tourney. Their three wins have come over #16 Portland State, #8 UNLV, and #12 Villanova. Now, they face another double-digit seed in the #10 Wildcats, but most would agree that Davidson, currently holding the nation's longest winning streak at 25, has played more like a 2 or 3 seed than a 10.

SOUTH REGION

#1 Memphis over #5 Michigan State, 92-74

In the other Friday / Sunday regional, Memphis showed *why* they went 33-1 in the regular season, and quieted all the doubters who thought Michigan State would make the Tigers the first #1 seed to go down.

The game was much worse than the 18-point final margin indicates. After taking a 4-2 lead, the Spartans never even sniffed Memphis again. At 6:18 to go in the 1st half, Michigan State scored to make it 35-20 Memphis. The Spartans did not score the rest of the half, and the Tigers took a commanding 50-20 lead into the break...and cruised to victory in the 2nd half.

Tigers' PG Derrick Rose showed why he's going to be a Top-2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft...if he chooses to declare. The Fab Freshman scored 27 points on 10-16 FG, including 5 assists and 4 rebounds in only 26 minutes of play. No one on the usually stout Spartan D could prevent Rose from doing whatever he pleased in the 1st half...and the 92 points Memphis scored are the most allowed by a Tom Izzo-coached team...EVER.

#2 Texas over #3 Stanford, 82-62

In the other South's other Regional Semi, Texas used a 16-2 run over a 7:30 span late in the 2nd half to pull away from Stanford and win convincly, 82-62. This matchup actually had the potential to be the most fun of any Sweet 16 game because of the severe contrast in styles: Stanford's Frontcourt v. Texas' Backcourt.

Stanford runs everything through the Lopez twins, Robin and Brook, on the offensive end. The two 7-footers clog the paint better than any frontcourt in the college game, and are a load to handle...especially Brook, the more offensively-gifted of the two (30 points in 2nd Round win v. Marquette).

Texas, on the other hand, likes to get out and run behind their All-American PG D.J. Augustin and sharpshooting SG A.J. Abrams. In my opinion, Augustin is the best pure point guard in the college game, with the ability to score from anywhere and find his teammates at will...including Abrams, who along with Davidson's Curry, has the quickest 3-point release I've seen in some time.

So the battle came down to which team could set the game at their pace...and thus play their game. That was Texas, who got 23 points and 7 assists from Augustin, along with 18 huge points from F Damion James. Abrams chipped in 12 and F Connor Atchley had 10. Brook Lopez scored a team high 26 for Stanford, to go along with 10 rebounds, but didn't get nearly enough help as the Cardinal only shot 33.8% from the field.

EAST REGION

#1 UNC over #4 WSU, 68-47

North Carolina is playing like the #1 overall seed. The Tar Heels have looked dominant in their first three wins in the Tourney, beating opponents by an average of 30.3 ppg. Washington State put up a fight for longer than I actually expected (North Carolina was up 15-14 with 8:55 to play in the 1st), but UNC eventually hit their stride and ran away with it.

The Tar Heels love to push the ball, and if I was coaching a team with Ty Lawson as my Point Guard, I would love to push the ball as well. Lawson is the quickest guard in the country (with Augustin and UCLA PG Darren Collison a close second), and he has very ahtletic teammate to fins in the open court when UNC is in transition.

G Wayne Ellington is a pure scorer who can shoot it with the best of them, and G-F Danny Green is a spark plug off the bench who would be the #1 option on 90% of the teams in the country. And that's without even mentioning All-American and potential Player of the Year F Tyler Hansbrough, who will get every loose ball and make every lay-up on his way to 25 points and 10 rebounds every night.

Washington State has a future NBA prospect of their own in F Kyle Weaver, who may be the best and most versatile defender in the country. But even Weaver couldn't stop all of Carolina's options. Hansbrough led the team with 18 points and 9 rebounds, while Green chipped in 15 off the bench on 6-10 FG, including 3 three's. Ellington and Lawson were also in double figured, with 13 and 12, respectively. Combine that with WSU's 31.6%, and it all adds up to a UNC berth in the Elite 8.

#3 Louisville over #2 Tennessee, 79-60

The award for most impressive Sweet 16 team performance: Louisville, who dismantled former #1-ranked, and a lot of people's National Champ pick, Tennessee, 79-60. Maybe the only thing more impressive than the Cardinals' win...their coach's record in Sweet 16 games. With the win, Rick Pitino is now 8-0 all-time in Sweet 16 contests, the best such mark in the history of the Tournament. (The only coach to win more than 8 consecutive Sweet 16 games: John Wooden, who won 11 straight from 1964-1975.)

Pitino's defensive sets confused Tennessee to no end, and the high-scoring Vols ended up making only 19 FG's on 33.9% shooting. G Chris Lofton led Tennessee with 15 points, but only shot 3-15 from the field to continue his cold streak in the Tourney (7-33 FG, 5-23 from the arc). G JaJuan Smith scored 12 points on 5-11 FG while F Tyler Smith added 11.

Louisville, on the other hand, looked extremely impressive on both ends of the floor. F Terrence Williams played like an NBA Lottery pick Thursday night, with 12 pts. and 8 reb., including throwing down a very impressive dunk late in the game to seal the Cardinals win. The Cardinals ended up with 5 players in double figures, led by F Earl Clark off the bench, who chipped in 17 huge points on 7-10 FG and 12 grabbed rebounds in 28 minutes of work.

Louisvile's defense, which forced 17 Vols' turnovers, is a big reason why a lot of college basketball analysts are giving the Cardinals a chance to beat UNC in the Elite Eight. Louisville is very balanced, with Williams, Clark, F Derrick Caracter and C David Padgett anchoring the front line, and G's Andre McGee and Jerry Smith holding down the backcourt. And I believe they have the best coach left in the Tourney in Pitino, who has a National Title under his belt, and has taken three different teams to the Final Four.

WEST REGION

#1 UCLA over #12 WKU, 88-78

UCLA needed a last-second Darren Collison lay-up to avoid OT against Texas A&M in the 2nd round. They got it, and now are into the Elite Eight for the third straight year after a fairly easy win over Cinderella Western Kentucky, 88-78. The Bruins actually went up big on the Hilltoppers in the 1st half, and led 41-20 at the break. But WKU was resilient, and climbed to within 4 with 7:00 to play. But UCLA regained their composure and put it away with a 9-2 run.

While I don't think there's any doubt Stephen Curry is the Tournament M.O.P. so far, Bruins' F Kevin Love is not too far behind, and probably has a better shot at winning since UCLA is likely to advance farther than the Wildcats.

While Curry has put up scoring numbers that may never be matched again in an NCAA Tourney, you can't ignore Love's overall performance in UCLA's first three games:

22.7 PPG on 61% FG, 11.3 RPG, 5 BPG

UCLA needed every single one of Love's points down the stretch to pull out the victory against Texas A&M, and Love continued his dominant play at the hands of the undermatched Hilltoppers. The 6'10", 275 lb. freshman Center scored 29 points on 10-14 FG, pulled down 14 rebounds, and had 4 blocks in 38 minutes of work...in a game he dominated from start to finish.

Love and PG Collison combined for all but 11 of UCLA's points against A&M...but the Bruins woke up against Western Kentucky. G Josh Shipp broke out of his month-long shooting slump to score 14 points on 5-9 FG, G Russell Westbrook added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and F Adam Keefe recorded his first career double-double off the bench, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds (6 offensive) on 7-9 FG.

G Tyrone Brazelton did absolutely everything he could to keep Western Kentucky in the game, scoring 31 points on 10-21 FG, including 6-10 from the arc. Brazelton actually hit back-to-back three's to key the Hilltoppers 2nd half run, and showed he belongs in the discussion of elite point guards in the nation as he held UCLA's heralded Collison to 4 points on 1-6 FG, and actually made Collison foul-out late in the game, the first time he picked up more than 3 fouls all season.

#3 Xavier over #7 West Virginia, 79-75 in OT

This was easily the best game of the Sweet 16 with probably the two most evenly-matched teams, talent wise, squaring off. Unfortunately, this game was actually decided by the refs, as West Virginia's go-to player, F Joe Alexander, fouled out 30 seconds into the overtime period, and the Mountaineers couldn't get any offensive rhythm after that. (And to be fair to the refs...it was a correct call. Just unfortunate that arguably the best player on the floor had to sit while his team was knocked out.)

While Alexander's DQ was the ultimate reason West Virginia lost, Xavier's balance is what has carried the Musketeers throught three tough Tourney games. Xavier came into the tournament with 6 players averaging 10+ points, which I why I thought they could make a deep Tourney run.

While they don't have a legit go-to option, Xavier's fate is most directly tied to the play of diminutive PG Drew Lavender. The 5'7" transfer from Oklahoma is lightning fast on the break, and gets the Musketeers in and out of transition as a pass-first point guard. Lavender also takes care of the ball very well, as evidenced in his 7 assist, 1 TO performance against West Virginia Thursday night.

As I said, Lavender has a lot of help...Xavier can have a different leading scorer every night, depending on the style of game their opponent plays. Against a smaller West Virginia squad, 6'9" F Josh Duncan turned out to be the offensive stud of the night. Duncan dominated the paint against shorter defenders, ending up with 26 points on 7-15 FG and 9-10 FT. F C.J. Anderson posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and G B.J. Raymond, off the bench, hit two huge 3's in OT to secure Xavier's win.

It might have been a different story had Alexander not fouled out, since the sensational forward absolutely dominated the 2nd half of the game that West Virginia almost pulled out in regulation. After being held to just 2 points in the 1st half, Alexander scored 16 in the 2nd half, including the game-tying bucket with 4 seconds to play in regulation. Alexander ended up with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and after a very solid Tourney, secured his spot in the NBA's 1st Round...should the Junior declare for June's draft.

Until then...Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk!!!

Top 5 Players - NCAA 1st and 2nd Rounds

2008-03-26T18:36:00.005-06:00

I've already talked about my thoughts on the Best, Worst, and Most Exciting Teams from the first weekend of March Madness. But now I've decided to give a rundown of my Top 5 Players from the first weekend.

TOP PLAYERS (and thus current leaders for Tournament M.O.P):

5. Joe Alexander - West Virginia: Alexander was hotter than anyone in the country coming into the Tourney, averaging 25 ppg on 53% shooting and 7 rebounds over his last 8 regular season games (including the Big East Tourney). West Virginia drew a 7 seed in the West Regional, going up against 10 seed Arizona in the first round, arguably one of the 15 most talented teams *On Paper* in the entire field.

However, over the last 5 years, Arizona has been the most underachieving team in the land once the NCAA Tournament rolls around. So this was set up to be a good matchup between two talented teams. Alexander did not have his greatest game in the 1st Round matchup, but was solid with 14 pts, 8 reb and was a perfect 6-6 from the line in helping the Mountaineers beat the 'Cats 75-65.

West Virginia then advanced to the 2nd round where they took on #2 seed Duke. Alexander didn't have his best shooting night, going only 7-22 from the field, but once again was clutch from the line, hitting 7-8 free throws, on his way to a 22 pt, 11 reb night. West Virginia goes as Alexander goes...he is their best player and is a huge reason the Mountaineers beat the Blue Devils, 73-67, and are now a Sweet 16 squad.

4. Tyrone Brazelton - Western Kentucky: Brazelton was the best player in the tournament's best game so far. #12 seed Western Kentucky beat #5 seed Drake 101-99 in OT on a 30-foot three point buzzer beater.

Western Kentucky took a 9-point lead into halftime, and built that to 16 with 12:00 to play in the game before Drake got hot and hit a game-tying three to send it to OT with 30 seconds to play. Brazelton was a big reason the Hilltoppers built that lead, and even a bigger reason they held on to win in OT.

The WKU point guard scored 33 points, including 7 in OT, on 11-20 shooting, including 6-10 from three, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists, the last of which was after Brazelton took the ball from under his own basket, drove to the right wing of Drake's three-point line, and dished it back to A.J. Rogers for the game-winning three as time expired.

After Brazelton's heroics in the first game, he calmly followed that up with a solid 15 point, 5 asst showing to help the Hilltoppers beat #13 seed San Diego in the 2nd round, 72-63, and get into the record books.

This year marked just the 3rd time since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 that two #12 seeds made it to the Sweet 16 (Western Kentucky and Villanova).

3. Scottie Reynolds - Villanova: The sensational sophomore guard showed up big time on the scene last year as a freshman, scoring 23 points (but getting no help) in a 72-63 loss to Kentucky in the first round of the Tourney. This season, he's been even better.

Reynolds put up 21 points on 7-12 shooting, including 4-5 from three, in leading #12 seed 'Nova to a first round upset of #5 seed Clemson.

However, Reynolds did his best work in the 2nd round game against giant killer Siena. The #13 seed throttled #4 seed Vanderbilt in the first round, beating the Commodores by 21 points while holding them to 63 points (Vandy averaged 80 ppg during the regular season).

Reynolds and Villanova did significantly better against the Saints in the 2nd round. Reynolds was unstoppable, especially down the stretch, scoring 25 pts on 7-15 shooting, 4-7 from the arc, and 7-9 from the line. Reynolds also grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists while playing 37 minutes for the Wildcats in their 84-72 win.

At 6'2", 190 lbs., Reynolds is one of the Top 5 Point Guards in the country and will be a tough matchup for #1 seed Kansas in the Sweet 16.

2. Kevin Love - UCLA: Love is the best big man in the country. Period. I have watched him play about 10 times this season, and he is so fundamentally sound, and plays with as much passion as anybody (including Tyler Hansbrough). The difference between Hansbrough and Love is that while Hansbrough gets as much out of his talent as humanly possible, Love is simply more atheltic and more talented to begin with, so he has a higher ceiling in the NBA.

Only a freshamn, Love plays with the maturity of a 4th year senior, and is built like a 5-year NBA veteran. There is no doubt he is NBA ready right now.

As a #1 seed, UCLA had a very easy first round matchup with #16 seed Mississippi Valley State. But UCLA still showed why they can be considered a favorite to win the National Title. And Love was a huge reason. Here's his 1st Round line:

20 pts, 8-15 FG, 3-6 from the arc, 9 reb, 4 blks

Not to mention the 6'10", 270 lb. Center completely dominated the middle, as UCLA held Miss. Val. St. to 29 points.

However, in the Bruins second round matchup with Texas A&M, UCLA played maybe their worst game of the season. Outside of Love and PG Darren Collison, the rest of the Bruins scored 11 points...in the entire game...on 5-19 shooting. A&M actually led this game by 8 points with under 10:00 to play, but Love would not let the Bruins title hopes end.

When all was said and done, Love finished the game with 19 points on 7-12 FG, including 4-5 from the line, grabbed 11 rebounds, and completely dominated the paint with 7 blocks. Love made two jumpers in the last 3:00 to first tie the game up, and then put UCLA up 2 in the final minutes of a game they would never trail again.

Thus, UCLA is still in the running for their 12th National Title. And this may be their best chance for a while, as Love is likely outta here after this season as a Top 10 pick in the NBA Draft.

1. Stephen Curry - Davidson: An absolute no-brainer of a choice, no one has had more of an effect on their team's Tourney success this year than the Sensational sophomore guard from Davidson.

We first found out about Curry during last year's NCAA Tourney when the then baby-faced freshman guard, and son of former NBA Sharp-shooter Dell Curry, poured in 30 points in an 82-70 first round loss to Maryland. Curry got even better this season, as he led the Wildcats to a perfect 20-0 Southern Conference record while averaging 26 ppg on 49% shooting, including 45% from behind the arc and 89% from the free-throw stripe.

Curry had his Wildcats on a 22-game winning streak entering the Tourney this year, and thus drew a #10 seed, relatively high for a low-profile conference winner. But their 1st round opponent, #7 seed Gonzaga, knew Davidson was no push over. And unfortunately for them, Curry carried his stellar regular season play over to the NCAA's.

In a back-and-forth contest, Curry would not be denied, and carried the Wildcats on his back to an 82-76 win and a berth in the 2nd round. Curry's line:

40 pts, on 14-22 FG, 8-10 3FG, and 5 stls...30 points came in the 2nd half

Curry has turned into the ultimate scorer in the country this season, scoring 30 points in the 2nd half of a game that Gonzaga led by 5 at halftime, and probably would have won if Curry had simply had a great 2nd half, instead of the individual half of the tournament. But he didn't stop there...

Davidson's reward for getting out of the 1st round: a date with Big East champion, and #2 seed Georgetown, who came into the tournament at 27-5 with a Top-10 ranking. By all accounts, Georgetown should have beaten Davidson rather easily. The Wildcats do not have an answer for Roy Hibbert down low, and the Hoyas returned almost all of last year's Final Four team (except for NBA departee Jeff Green). But I guess nobody told Curry.

The Hoyas wasted no time dominating the game, slowing it down to their pace, and taking Curry out of the equation. Georgetown built a 14-point lead with under 1:00 to play in the contest, and then Curry, who had been held to 2 points until that point, knocked down his first three of the game to cut the lead to 11 at halftime. And just as he had against Gonzaga, Curry then took the 2nd half over.

Georgetown actually took a 16-point lead with just under 15:00 to play, during which Curry had not added to his 5 points. But Curry then knocked down a three, got fouled, and completed the 4-point play, and he was off and running.

After all was said and done, Curry scored 25 points in the 2nd half, for a total of 30, including 15 of Davidson's last 19 to propel the Wildcats to a stunning 74-70 win over the Hoyas and a berth in the Sweet 16.

Curry's two-game line:

35 ppg, 51% FG, 15-25 3FG, 3.5 asst, 4 stls

Davidson's opponent in the Sweet 16 is #3 seed Wisconsin, THE TOP DEFENSIVE SCORING TEAM IN THE COUNTRY. Here's guessing that's not gonna matter much when Curry steps on the floor.

NCAA 1st and 2nd Round Analysis - Teams

2008-03-26T00:16:00.006-06:00

Since I was in Denver, I didn't get to see much of Thursday's 1st Round action outsie of the games in the Pepsi Center. However, I did get to see some of the other games in between the Denver matchups, and watched almost all of the rest of the 4 days of tourney action. And here's what I thought...

(P.S: I should preface this entry with a couple of notes. First, I'm not gonna talk about my brackets because right now, they're too embarrassing to go into. All of my Final Four teams are still alive, so I still have the potential to do well, but the 1st and 2nd rounds were not kind to me. Second, I am a die-hard Kansas Jayhawks fan...my dad graduated from there...so I will try and be as unbiased as possible, but know that I sometimes can't help it.)

1. Most Impressive Team?

North Carolina. The Tar Heels have absolutely obliterated their first two opponents. Granted, the overall #1 seed hasn't had the toughest of competition in #16 seed Mount St. Mary's and #9 seed Arkansas. Even so...UNC has averaged over 110 points per game (an astounding number no matter who the opponent is) and has a 35 point average margin of victory. Carolina is running on all cylinders offensively, playing better than they have all year. This team looks very scary right now, getting scoring from every key contributor on the team (National POY Candidate Tyler Hansbrough...Ty Lawson, who is looking like his pre-injury self at point guard...Wayne Ellington, UNC's deadliest shooter...and Danny Green, their spark plug off the bench.)

Other teams who have looked very solid: Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, Washington State, Texas

2. Most Dissapointing Team?

This could go to a lot of squads, but I'm going with Vanderbilt. The Commodores were a very solid squad throughout the year, going 26-8 and averaging 80 ppg. That record included a 41-point win in the 2nd half of the season over #11 seed Kentucky and a 3-point win over former #1 ranked, and current #2 seed Tennessee.

They came into the tourney as a #4 seed in the Midwest, drawing #13 seed Siena in the 1st Round, no doubt a solid squad who can score in bunche themselves, but a team who only got in by winning their conference tourney.

So what happened in that 1st Round matchup? Vandy laid an absolute egg and lost by 21 points, 83-62. The Commodores never led, as the Saints jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and stayed on the gas pedal the whole way. Vandy only shot 41% from the field in getting their names into the record books, as Siena's win was the 2nd largest margin of victory for a 13 seed over a 4 seed since the Tournament expanded to 64/65 teams in 1985.

Other dissapointments include: UCONN, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh

3. Best Opening-Weekend Game

#5 Drake v. #12 Western Kentucky (W. Kentucky wins 101-99 in OT). This game is the epitome of what makes the NCAA Tourney the best 3 weeks on the sports calendar. Slim, Mitch, and I met up with some buddies at the ESPN Zone in Denver, where we ended up watching the 2nd half and OT of this game. All of us, except Slim, picked Drake to win this game in our brackets (Mitch had the most riding on it as he had Drake as an Elite Eight team).

Western Kentucky had a 9-point lead at halftime, and built that up to 16 at the Under-12:00 media timeout. The Hilltoppers were rolling, and everytime Drake would try to make a run, it seemed like WKU would hit a big bucket to push it back to double digits.

However, Drake finally showed why they dominated as a mid-major this season, and brought the game to within 1-point with just over 1:00 to play. The Hilltoppers Tyrone Brazelton then hit a jumper on thir next possession to push the lead back to 3, but in true Tourney fashion, the Bulldogs' Jonathan Cox knocked down a game-tying three to send it OT.

The OT session went back and forth. Western Kentucky was up 1 with 21 seconds to play, and after a series of blown lay-ups, Drake finally got fouled with 5.7 seconds to play, sending Cox to the line. He calmly knocked down both free throws, to put the Bulldogs up 99-98. Western Kentucky needed a basket to win, and boy, did they get it.

After Rogers hit that shot, most of the room let out a big groan, except for about 5 people, including Slim, who jumped out of his chair and to this day won't let us forget that he picked the Western Kentucky upset (Granted, Western Kentucky also won their next game against fellow cinderella #13 seed San Diego...a game Slim did not pick correctly, although almost no one in America did either).

But even if we were upset at the Hilltoppers at that moment, now, we're probably all Western Kentucky fans. After all, without these games, it wouldn't be March Madness.

NCAA Trip to Denver!

2008-03-25T23:22:00.005-06:00

Wow! It's been a great week! Slim, his friend Mitch, and I went down to Denver for the 1st round of the NCAA Tourney, and had an absolute blast. We got to see four 1st Round games on Thursday, two 5-12 matchups and two 4-13 matchups, and two 2nd Round games Saturday, which ended up with both #4 and #5 seeds advancing to play each other. We had been following the bracketology projections all season long, and really liked who we ended up with in Denver.

The matchups:

10:30 AM - #5 Michigan State v. #12 Temple

1:00 PM - #4 Pittsburgh v. #13 Oral Roberts

5:30 PM - #4 Washington State v. #13 Winthrop

8:00 PM - #5 Notre Dame v. #12 George Mason

In any sporting event, my theory is that it's always more fun to have a rooting interest. So before we left, Slim and I decided to pick a team in each game we wanted to win, and then we were painted letters on T-shirts representing each team.

Our Picks:

Temple - shirts said "X-MAS" (Temple's best player is named Dionte Christmas...no joke)

Pittsburgh - shirts said "PITT"

Washington State - shirts said "WSU" (both Q2's Nikki Laurenzo and Jennifer Rohrer graduated from Wash. St., so we had to support...Go Cougs!)

Georgre Mason - shirts said "GMU"

In the first matchup, Michigan State aboslutely shut down Temple, and Christmas was held scoreless in the 1st half, and scored only 3 points all game (averaged 21 ppg during season). So we didn't have too much to cheer for.

However, in the 2nd game, Pittsburgh came out on fire, and we were pretty excited about it since we now had something to cheer for. As PITT kept up their offensive firepower, we ended up standing and cheering for most of the game, and I guess some photographers noticed. Because the next day, this surfaced in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

We became media darlings in Pittsburgh! And for those of you who don't know, that's me on the left, Mitch in the middle, and Slim on the right.

Needless to say, we were all pretty excited about the picture when we found it the next day. Throughout the game, several photographers, including one who we think was from NCAA Championship Photos, came up into the stands asking us for our names so they could put them in picture captions.

And then, as we were walking out of the arena after the morning session of games, KCNC, the CBS affiliate in Denver, stopped us to interview us for a story they were doing. They said they were looking for PITT fans, and seeing as how we were dressed the way we were, we figured we would oblige.

None of the other games proved to be as eventuful as that Pitt-Oral Roberts matchup, but that alone was easily the biggest highlight of our entire trip. There were so many good stories and funny moments that the three of us will remember for the rest of our lives, but that picture will always stick out.

Q2 Bracket Battle!

2008-03-18T20:20:00.004-06:00

Hey everybody! Make sure you go to KTVQ.com and sign up for our Papa Johns Bracket Battle!

Here's the deal:

There are two ways to play:

1. Round by Round:

Unlike the traditional bracket, where you are required to pick every game before the tournament starts, this way allows you to just pick games each round. For example, if you sign up right now, you will be asked to select a winner from each of the 1st round games. After the first round is over, two players with the most correct picks will each win a Papa Johns Free Pizza Gift Certificate.

Then, once the 2nd Round matchups are determined, everyone picks all over again, no matter if you picked the correct matchup in the first round or not. Everyone starts with a clean slate.

After all six rounds, the player with the most total picks correct will win an additional 3 Papa Johns Free Pizza Gift Certificates, in addition to any they mat have already won for winning a round.

In addition to the chances to win free Papa Johns Pizza, you can compete against Scott, Richie, and me (The Q2 Crew) for bragging rights within South Central Montana. See if the "Sports Guys" actually know what we're talking about...or not!

2. Pick Upfront (Traditional Bracket):

You can also choose to fill out a traditional bracket just like you will find on any other site. This is obviously a tougher way to win, because you do not get to start over every round, and if one of your Final Four picks gets knocked out early, your chances of winning will take a hit.

It works just like every other bracket you've ever filled out. You have to pick every game before the first round tips off Thursday morning. But pay close attention to the Point Structure for each round:

Each round of the tournament is worth 64 points. There are 6 rounds in the tournament that total up to 384 points. First round games are 2 points each. Second round games are 4 points each. Third round games are 8 points each. Fourth round games are 16 points each. Fifth round games are 32 points each. And the final championship game is worth 64 points.

So even if you are way behind after the first couple of rounds, as long as your Final Four Teams are still alive, you can definitely still win.

If you pick every game correctly, you can win $100,000! If you miss one or two games, you can win $10,000, and if you miss three, you can win $1,000.

So sign up for both and try and win absolutely everything with the Perfect Bracket!

Bracketology

2008-03-18T19:41:00.003-06:00

Hey everybody! It's my favorite time of the year once again...March Madness is without a doubt the greatest 3 weeks on the sports calendar. And pay particular attention to the first weekend of The Tournament (1st and 2nd Rounds), in which, over a 4-day span, you get to see 48 games from arguably the best 64 teams in college basketball.

48 GAMES IN 4 DAYS!!!

And the beauty of The Tournament is that you do not have to even be a fan of college basketball to have fun during it! March Madness has added a word to our everyday vocabulary:

Bracketology.

The brilliance of the bracket has never been more evident than it is today. You can go to almost any website that has any sports content on it, and they will almost assuredly have a Bracket Challenege contest. Most of them are free, and usually there are significant cash prizes to the top finishers. Where else can you find a better deal than that!

Of course, as any Senior Bracketologist can attest, the "winners" are just as often the product of dumb luck as actual basketball knowledge. In the thousands of office pools that will be created this year, there will be just as many secretaries who win because "a Bulldog is cuter than a Wildcat," as there will be winners who actually know what Gonzaga and Davidson bring to the court.

This can be very frutrasting to the people (i.e...me) who will spend all Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday studying the collective RPI's, records vs. Top 25 opponents, and Points-Per-Game Differential, thinking we will gain that little competitive advantage which will tell us that Cornell will indeed beat Stanford and give us that 1 extra point which will put us over Jane from Accounting in the standings.

But let's be honest...it doesn't work that way. March Madness is about as unpredictable a sporting event as you can get. And even though I know this, I still have spent all Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and will spend tomorrow finalizing my picks, only to have my entire bracket uprooted in one day when Butler loses to South Alabama.

Maybe I should just steal Jane from Accounting's Bracket.

The "State" of Montana Basketball

2008-03-13T21:26:00.003-06:00

There's an interesting poll on the Gazette Prep Sports website today that asks, "Which Class of Montana Basketball is it harder to win a State Championship as a member of?"

I got to thinking about this question, and I figured there would be a few schools of thought:

Some might argue that it would be most difficult to win a State Title in the AA because the level of play is highest. Each of the 14 schools have much bigger talent pools to draw from than A, B, and C programs, and thus make it tougher to win consistently. Theoretically, there will be fewer "Gimme" games in this class because each school should field a quality team.
Some might argue that it's tougher to win in Class C because of the number of schools that compete. The AA only has 14 teams, almost all of whom play each other during the season. So they have some familiarity with one another before the postseason comes up. In Class C, there are tons of schools across the state, so you're likely never to have faced any of the teams you'll run into at the State Tournament, thus not knowing teams' styles and possibly getting caught off guard. Not to mention the fact that 'C' schools have to finish in the top two in District and Divisional tournaments (except for the North, where it's the top 3) just to qualify for the State Tourney. The 'AA' schools only have to win one playoff game to get in.

But I believe it would be toughest to win the Class B State Tourney, based on the fact that it combines a little bit of both of the above. Class B schools are obviously still fairly sparsely populated, but do have a significant more talent pool than many of the 'C' teams, who can often have only 6-7 players on a squad. 'B' teams have enough talent to make the games that much more competitive, reducing the number of easy wins a school can count on. BUT...there are still enough 'B' teams across the state that require District and Divisional Tourneys to be played in order to qualify for State. And enough teams to make it likely that you will have never faced any of the three teams you'll have to beat to win State.

So let's review: Class B schools have significantly tougher competition throughout the season than Class C schools. There are fewer "Gimme" games, and while there might not be as much parity as the 'AA' teams, there is definitely more equality in Class B than in Class C. However, the thing that separates the 'B' from the 'AA' is the number of teams. Class B is divided into 8 districts, with each usually having 5-6 teams. That's about 50 teams across the state, as opposed to the 14 'AA' squads. Thus, if a 'B' team can survive through district and divisional tourneys, all the way to State, they likely won't have played their 1st Round opponent, let alone their semi and title game matchups, making it that much tougher to diagnose who the best squad actually is.

Like I said, the best, or should I say...worst...of both worlds.

Review: State C Girls (Guest Blogger)

2008-03-13T21:20:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody, Slim here...with my final Class C Basketball Blog of the season (Sad, I know)...

Montana's high school basketball season has come to a close, folks, with the girls wrapping up their state tournaments last weekend. The storyline heading into the Class C state tournament was whether or not Big Sandy would be able to finish the season undefeated (as Winifred did in the boys tournament). As most of you know, they did not.

They were "upset" by Highwood in the championship game. I quote "upset" because it wasn't really an upset. Big Sandy handed Highwood their only defeat of the season at the Northern Divisional tournament, winning by one in the semi-finals. The high scoring Lady Mountaineers beat Belt in the play-in game to earn the right to play the East's number one seed, Hinsdale. Hinsdale was a slow-the-tempo type of team, implementing a methodical offense and playing stifling defense. Highwood's offense was too much, and they beat Hinsdale by five. They then easily beat Harlowton and Big Sandy to win the championship.

Hinsdale, meanwhile, made their way through the loser's brackets and won the consolation game - a victory over Belt (the North's number two seed, Highwood was actually the third seed).

All of the division's had at least one representative playing on Saturday, but the North still provided three of the top four on Saturday night. Harlowton and Twin Bridges both had disappointing loser-out performances on Saturday, but I fully expect Harlowton to be back at state over the next three years. I've been blowing her horn the past few weeks, but Bailey Snelling should play in more than one state tournament. Aside from her 33 point performance in their overtime victory over Hot Springs, Snelling was held in relative check the rest of the tournament only scoring 26 total points in their other two games. She's only a freshman, so she'll only get better. It should be exciting to see how she develops as a player and how far the Lady Engineers go with her at the helm.

Circle and Ekalaka just ended up on the wrong side of the bracket to do much damage. Clearly the North was the class of Class C, and Circle drew Big Sandy and Belt. Ekalaka, after losing to Twin Bridges, lost to Belt. I wish I was a little more familiar with the teams from the West (Twin Bridges and Hot Springs), as they seemingly gave Hinsdale all they could handle. Twin Bridges got the first round victory over Ekalaka, and Hot Springs lost their two games by a total of eight points.

Unfortunately, Harlowton was the only team I had personally seen play, so I can't make any bold predictions for next season. I expect Bailey Snelling (it probably seems like my fixation with her is unhealthy, but she's a point guard, and I, too, was a point guard, so there's bound to be some interest on my part) to improve and for the Lady Engineers to make another state tournament run. And I expect another strong showing from the North (I played in the Northern Division, so I'm a little biased. I don't get paid to do this, so I don't have to hide it).

Alas, Montana's basketball season is over, so our attention now turns to March Madness, so I'll end with this...

Go UK! Wildcats all the way!

Review: State A Girls

2008-03-13T20:42:00.002-06:00

Let's do a quick comparison:

Take a look at my State A Girls Preview from last week, and pay particular attention to my Predictions at the bottom of the post.

Now take a look at the final State A Girls Bracket from the MHSA website.

Notice anything?

This Tournament shaped up exactly as I thought it would. Anaconda, Glendive, and Miles City wee clearly the three best teams in this field, and the bracket finished up with very few upsets. Once again, it's odd that a State Tourney would shape up as many would have predicted, with the two best teams advancing to the title. Any March Madness fans out there know what I'm talking about.

Anaconda went into this tournament ranked as the #1 seed in the state, and it showed in their dominating performances. They had maybe the toughest road of any team in any State Tournament, facing Miles City in the first round (and winning easily might I add over the very tough defending Champion Cowgirls) and then having to beat a good Havre squad in the semis...only to have to face the East's #1 seed, and probably state's 2nd best team in Glendive. The Copperheads proved they were the best, and did it against the best competition.

Unfortunately for the Lady Devils of Glendive, they once again had to settle for that runner-up trophy. And now face going after that elusive state title without their best player and team leader, Kalli Stanhope, who will graduate in a few short months. Glendive will return 5 prominent players from this year's team, which will allow them to still be a solid club next year, but I don't think it's going to be enough.

As for Miles City, they were another "matchup" victim as they just ran into the wrong team in the 1st Round (Anaconda). I also think the Cowgirls faded down the season stretch, losing their last two meetings with Glendive (including the Eastern Division title). Thus, I dont think Miles City ever had a chance to beat the Copperheads. But kudos to them and their coaching staff for pulling it together after the opening loss and reeling off three straight Loser-Out wins to take home a Trophy.

Congrats as well to Glendive, and most of all Anaconda. You truly were the best this year.

Review: State B Girls

2008-03-13T20:03:00.002-06:00

Hello everybody! First of all, I apoloize these State Reviews are a bit late in coming, but we've had a fairly busy week trying to wrap out heads around the end of prep basketball...a sad thought, I know.

Before I get to the preivew...a quick note:

The 2007-2008 season was my first experience with Montana High School Basketball. I was born and raised in the basketball hub of Southern California, so I've seen my fair share of good ball players over the years, including several that are now in the NBA. But never before have I seen more parity within every conference than I did this season.

There were so many close games, so many last second game-winners that it truly made this season a joy for me to watch. There might not be the individual talent here as in bigger states such as California, Texas, or Ohio...but I would much rather see a close game than a team dominate with overwhelming talent.

So Montana Basketball has my seal of approval, without a doubt.

On to the State B Girls Review...

If you'll recall my State B Girls Preview, I thought Fairfield would win this tourney, and they did, fairly easily, winning all three games by at least 12 points. Fairfield was a very good squad all year long from the tough Norhern Division. If they played to their potential, which they did, they were going to be the best team there, which they were, and would win this tourney, which they did. How often does that happen anymore? :)

I did not however, see Whitehall as the team Fairfield would have to beat in the title game. Whitehall pulled off what I considered a good upset against Malta, preventing an all-North title game, something we saw a lot of this season at State. The M'Ettes did end up taking third, beating a very game Cascade squad in the Consolation game.

The most dissapointing division had to be the East (represented by Shepherd and Columbus). The Lady Cougs, who came in the East's #1 seed, went two and out. In all fairness, their 1st Round matchup was against eventual state champion Fairfield. But I expected more of the Lady Cougs in their loser-out contest against Loyola, in which Columbus lost 52-45. As for Shepherd, they also lost in the 1st Round to eventual 3rd place winner Malta, but did manage to win their Friday Loser-out against Deer Lodge (not that impressive...I had Deer Lodge as the weakest team in the field). The Fillies then lost to Cascade in their Saturay Loser-Out. Overall...the East went 1-4...and I expected something better.

Congrats once again to Fairfield, Whitehall, and Malta...your 2008 State B Girls trophy winners. And congrats to the North, who proved they were definitely the Division to beat this season.

Review: State C Boys (Guest Blogger)

2008-03-08T01:39:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone, Slim here. Sorry it took a little longer to get this State C Boys Tourney review out, but it's been a busy week around here. But without further ado...here we go!

The boys finished up their seasons last weekend in Butte, where Winifred beat Rocky Boy in the state championship, and Big Sandy beat Scobey in the consolation game. That means the top three teams in the state came from the Northern Division. I was not at all surprised to see Winifred win the tournament. I watched them earlier in the season, and they put on a solid performance. Ending the season with a zero in the loss column is nearly impossible (just ask the New England Patriots), and Winifred did just that. Congratulations to the Red Raiders on an excellent season.

Twin Bridges and Plenty Coups have to be disappointed with the way their seasons turned out. Both met superior competition in the semi-finals, and then had tough losses in loser-out action on Saturday. Drawing Big Sandy in their first loser-out game was a very difficult draw for the Longhorns out of Wibaux. I thought Wibaux might be able to upset a team or two in the tourney, but their small, aggressive lineups didn’t work very effectively at this level.

But the story of the tournament was the play of Winifred and the rest of the Northern Division. I used to play in the Northern Division, so I am a little biased, but this division is the most competitive in Class “C,” and maybe in the entire state. The Class “C” champion has come from the Northern Division seven out of the last 10 years (for all of the past champions, click here).

In 2006 the state tournament expanded to allow for three teams from the Northern Division to qualify in an effort to provide division-equality (the North has more teams in it than the other divisions do). This year, the three from the North finished first, second, and third. Last year, the North finished first and second. Maybe, instead of giving the North more teams in the tournament, they should be limited to one…in an effort of parity.

Just a thought ;)

State A Preview - Girls

2008-03-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! Sorry this one is a little late, but here is your State A Girls preview. The big storyline here is the East. Can Miles City and Glendive make it an all-Eastern State Title Game for the third straight year? Or will someone like Anaconda crash the party. Here we go!

STATE A Girls @ Hamilton

12:30 p.m. - Anaconda (19-1, South #1) v. Miles City (18-2, East #2)
2:00 p.m. - Bigfork (19-1, North #1) v. Havre (14-6, Central #2)
6:30 p.m. - Livingston (14-5, Central #1) v. Whitefish (13-8, North #2)
8:00 p.m. - Glendive (17-2, East #1) v. Dillon (South #2, 11-9)

Click here for the full bracket.

1. Who's the favorite?

Anaconda. No question. They have run over everyone they've played in Class A (their only loss came against Class AA power Butte, 56-41 on the road). Otherwise, they are 8-0 against Class A tournament teams and Class AA teams in general (2 wins over Hellgate, 1 over Capital). Anaconda has absolutely showed they should be the #1 ranked team in the state.

They have a tough draw in the first round against defending State Champ and Eastern power Miles City, but Anaconda will prevail in that matchup. They are too balanced on the offensive side, and pressure the ball very well. Torrie Cahill and the rest of the Cowgirls are coming off their second loss of the season (both to Glendive) and are not playing their best ball.

2. Which non-Division champion is most likely to pull an upset?

I don't see too many possibilites for 1st round upsets here, but I will say Havre because they have played the toughest competition this season. They have played 7 games against Class A, Class B, and Class AA State Tournament Qualifiers. The Blue Ponies are only 3-4 in those contests, but I think the experience has helped them become a battle-tested, and thus dangerous, 1st round opponent for Bigfork.

3. Which Division champion is most likely to be upset?

Like I said, I honestly believe the four #1 seeds should win their first round games, oddly enough for a State Tournament. But sticking with my Havre prediction, I have to say Bigfork is most likely to be upset.

Bigfork has only beaten 1 tournament team (Whitefish) and was easily taken care of by Anaconda in their first game of the year. Obviously teams have changed a lot since then, but I think the lack of solid competition has not prepared Bigfork enough for this tourney. And that makes them vulnerable.

4. Predictions:

First Round: Anaconda over Miles City, Havre over Bigfork, Livingston over Whitefish, Glendive over Dillon

Friday Loser-Out Games: Miles City over Bigfork, Whitefish over Dillon

Semi-Finals: Anaconda over Havre, Glendive over Livingston

Saturday Loser-Out Games: Miles City over Livingston, Havre over Whitefish

Consolation: Miles City over Havre

Championship: Anaconda over Glendive

State B Preview - Girls

2008-03-06T13:40:00.001-07:00

Once again, the North looks like the region to beat in the State B Girls Tournament. Malta and Fairfield are both very strong teams, and I will venture to say one of them will win this tournament. So let's discuss how this thing might shape up...

STATE B Girls @ Butte

12:30 p.m. - Malta (21-2, North #1) v. Shepherd (20-3, East #2)
2:00 p.m. - Whitehall (16-8, South #1) v. Deer Lodge (16-9, West #2)
6:30 p.m. - Missoula Loyola (19-4, West #1) v. Cascade (19-4, South #2)
8:00 p.m. - Columbus (19-4, East #1) v. Fairfield (22-1, North #2)

Click here for the full bracket.

1. Who's the favorite?

I've got to go with Malta on this one. The M'ettes are the defending State champs, and are coming off their biggest win of the year, a 61-60 Double OT thriller over previously unbeaten Fairfield in the Northern B Divisional Title Game. Malta absolutely rolled their Class B competition this year, giving up only 28 points per game with their very stingy and opportunistic defense.

I'm one who believes Tournament experiece is incredibly important at State, and Malta has the most out of anyone, returning almost the exact same lineup this season as their State B Champion Team last year. In fact, their first round matchup against Shepherd is a rematch of last year's State title game. However, Shepherd is a very different team (read: not as good), and Malta should handle them easily.

And that doesn't even mention the fact that Malta's two losses this season came to Class A teams in Havre and Lewistown by a combined 3 points.

2. Which non-Division champion is most likely to pull an upset?

This could be one of two teams. Obviously, Fairfield is one of the strongest teams in the field. They lost their first game of the season in their last game...a Double OT, 61-60 loss to Malta that gave them the #2 seed from the North. So the Eagles' have to be considered a favorite to pull off a 1st Round upset.

In addition to Fairfield, I think Cascade can pull off the upset. Three of their four losses this year have come to tournament teams, two to Fairfield by a combined 11 points. Now granted, this is Cascade's first ever State Tournament appearance. However, they have 3 players scoring in double digits, and only give up 37 points per game.

Cascade's first round matchup is Missoula Loyola, the #1 seed from the West. Loyola has made the tournament five straight times now, including a State title back in 2006. But I just have a feeling about Cascade.

3. Which Division champion is most likely to be upset?

I'm going with Missoula Loyola in this one. I don't think the Breakers have enough scoring to compete with Cascade. Their top two scorers, Brittney Anderson and Christina Medieros, only combine for 22 points per game.

However, the Breakers are making their 5th straight tourney appearance, which like I said above, means a lot at State. Their experiecne alone could carry them a long way in this tourney, but I think they're the weakest of the four Division Champions. So I'll go with them to be upset.

(Note: I also think Fairfield will beat Columbus, but that won't be Columbus' fault so much as a very tough draw in Fairfield.)

4, Predictions:

First Round: Malta over Shepherd, Whitehall over Deer Lodge, Cascade over Missoula Loyola, Fairfield over Columbus

Friday Loser-Out Games: Shepherd over Deer Lodge, Columbus over Missoula Loyola

Semi-Finals: Malta over Whitehall, Fairfield over Cascade

Saturday Loser-Out Games: Columbus over Whitehall, Cascade over Shepherd

Consolation: Columbus over Cascade

Championship: Fairfield over Malta

State C Preview - Girls (Guest Blogger)

2008-03-06T13:35:00.004-07:00

Hey everybody, Slim here once again with my final Class C Tourney preview. This time, we've already seen a very exciting State C boys Tourney wrap up with Winifred ending up as the only undefeated boys team in Montana (26-0), so let's now look at the the girls can do...

STATE C Girls @ Belgrade

11:00 a.m. - Belt (20-5, North #2) vs. Highwood (18-3, North #3)
12:30 p.m. - Ekalaka (24-2, South #2) vs. Twin Bridges (23-1, West #1)
2:00 p.m. - Circle (18-6, East #2) vs. Big Sandy (23-0, North #1)
6:30 p.m. - Harlowton (21-2, South #1) vs. Hot Springs (18-2, West #2)
8:00 p.m. - Belt/Highwood vs. Hinsdale (23-1, East #1)

As was the case with the State C Boys Tournament, the Northern Division sends three teams to the State C Girls Tournament. Belt and Highwood will play each other in the play-in game Thursday at 11:00 a.m. to kick off the tournament. Look at the bracket here.

1. Who’s the favorite?

As I said in the boys’ blog, all of these teams deserve to be here, and any one of them could win the tournament. The favorite here is probably Big Sandy, given the unblemished record. Twin Bridges and Hinsdale both deserve to be in the conversation with their one-loss records, but until they lose, Big Sandy is the team to beat.

2. Which non-Division champion is most likely to pull an upset?

Highwood. They played Big Sandy within a point at the divisional tournament in the semi-finals. They’ve beaten Belt three times this season, so I think they win the play-in game, then get an interesting match-up with Hinsdale. Highwood likes to get the ball up and down the floor, and Hinsdale prefers a slower-tempo. I like up-tempo style of Highwood to prevail, and the Mountaineers to pull the upset.

3. Which Division champion is most likely to be upset?

Hinsdale is the one seed I see being upset, but that’s more because of the match-up with Highwood than anything else. The other three one seeds should all win their first round games, so, if Hinsdale gets past Highwood, there would be zero upsets in the state tournament prior to loser-out action. Overall, I think Harlowton is probably the weakest one seed, and they could suffer a letdown against Hot Springs, but I don’t see that happening. The only upset I’m picking, then, is Highwood over Hinsdale.

4. Predictions:

First Round: Highwood over Belt (play-in game), Twin Bridges over Ekalaka, Big Sandy over Circle, Harlowton over Hot Springs, Highwood over Hinsdale

Friday Loser-Out Games: Ekalaka over Belt, Hinsdale over Hot Springs, Ekalaka over Circle

Semi-Finals: Big Sandy over Twin Bridges, Highwood over Harlowton

Saturday Loser-Out Games: Harlowton over Ekalaka, Twin Bridges over Hinsdale

Consolation: Twin Bridges over Harlowton

Championship: Big Sandy over Highwood

Review: State A Boys

2008-03-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

Wait a minute…a team from the North won the Boys State A title as well?!? Browning not only won this Championship, they dominated it from start to finish. The Indians won their 1st Round game by 15, their Semi-Final by 17, and the Championship Game against Butte Central by 20 points. That is impressive, considering these were supposed to be the 8 best Class A teams in all of Montana.

I have watched a lot of high school basketball in my time, but never before have I seen someone dominate a Championship Game like Browning D.J. Fish did against Butte Central. Fish has an unbelievable range, and can pull up from 25 feet beyond the arc and knock it down. He finished with 25 pts on 9-14 shooting, including 3-4 from beyond the arc, and was un-guardable in leading the Indians to the State Crown.

On a side not, Billings Central’ magical run came to an end in the Semis at the hands of Butte Central. Unbelievably, the Rams then rebounded to beat Laurel in their Saturday Loser-Out game by 15, only to lose in the 3rd Place game to Dillon, a team they beat in the 1st round, by 15 once again.

Overall, the State A Boys Tourney was probably the most lopsided Tournament we’ve seen so far. In most the State B and C, we saw quite a few 1 point games, in addition to several single and double Overtime affairs. A lot of very close, vey competitive games. However, the A only saw 1 game within 2 points (Stevensville over Laurel, 56-54 in 1st Round).

Congrats once again to Browning, who easily proved they were this year’s best Class A Boys team. And in keeping with the rest of the A, it wasn’t close.

Review: State B Boys

2008-03-06T13:15:00.001-07:00

In what is becoming a theme for the State Tournaments this year, the North dominated Class B, as the #2 seed from the North Shelby defeated the North's #1 seed Fairfield (although those seedings can be a little misleading...Shelby was clearly the better team coming in).

Shelby and Fairfield had already met four times before their Title game clash, each winning two matchups, although Fairfield had taken the last two, including the Northern B Divisional Championship game (35-24). But Shelby was determined not to lose to the Eagles for a 3rd straight time, coming out hot and never letting up in an impressive 47-30 win. Shelby actually won all three of Tourney game by an average of 12 points, so they deserved this crown.

Columbus, who I picked as one of the favorites, ran into Shelby in the 1st Round and never really had a chance against this tough Shelby squad. The Cougars did win their Friday Loser-Out game against Manhattan-Christian, but then suffered a 1 point loss to Missoula Loyola in Saturday's Loser-Out contest to get sent home.

Congrats once again to Shelby, who definitely earned this 2008 State B Boys Title.

Review: Eastern B Divisional - Girls

2008-03-06T13:02:00.003-07:00

This group of teams has easily been my favorite Girls' teams to watch all season. For some reason, the 3B and 4B have a lot of talent this year and always step up to play well against each other. It's been a very high quality of basketball. But someone has to win, so let's review how the Girls Eastern B went down.

Championship: Columbus over Shepherd (49-43)

Consolation: Colstrip over Baker (49-35)

*Columbus and Shepherd advance to State because Shepherd beat Colstrip, 51-48, in Semi-Final round.

This is how I expected things to turn out. The Semi-Final matchup between Shepherd and Colstrip was a great matchup between two very distinct styles. Colstrip's Megan Wilson was a dominant force, on both sides of the ball, scoring 15 points and getting several key steals to actually put Colstrip in front in the 1st half. She almost single-handedly willed the Fillies to the title.

But Shepherd has a more complete team, whose scoring can come from a variety of places. In the Semi-Final matchup, Shepherd had five players score 8 or more points (led by Ashley Klassen's 12). That was the difference in this one late, as Shepherd could use several different options down the stretch to put points on the board, something Colstrip could not do.

As for the title game, Columbus once again got the best of Shepherd, just as they did in the 4B District Title game, although this matchup was much closer throughout (24-22 @ Half, 31-28 after 3rd Quarter).

But in the end, Columbus' "Dynamic Duo" of Hannah Counter (23 pts in title game) and Megan Patterson (14 pts) as too much for Shepherd to defend. Counter, when she's aggressive, is one of the best players in the state. She can get to the hole almost whenever she wants, not because she's faster than everyone, but because she's incredibly strong with the ball and has great body control. Not to mention she has a lethal jumpshot when given even a little space.

Patterson has the ball-handling and shooting skills of a a guard, although she's usually one of the two tallest girls on the floor. She is probably the toughest matchup in the State because of all the things she can do.

I expect Columbus to make a lot of noise at State, and Shepherd could be right there as well. Like I said, the Fillies are very balanced, which is huge at the State Tourney because nerves will play a factor with many girls. They can score from the outside with Whitney Baustadt and Baylee Crook, and have one of the tallest front lines in 6'2" Allie McRae (although her offensive game is a little raw) and 6'1" Jillian Stanek.

Review: Southern C Divisional - Girls (Guest Blogger)

2008-03-06T12:54:00.003-07:00

Hey everybody! Slim here again, reviewing the Southern C Girls Divisional just in time for the State Tourney to start today. My State C Girls Preview will be coming up shortly.

I didn’t get to watch any of these games, but from the scores I’m surprised at the play of Joliet. They were a feisty out and gave Harlowton a tough game in the championship (59-53 in OT). After winning 16 straight, the Lady J-Hawks ended their season with two consecutive losses. Congratulations to Joliet on a great season.

I picked Harlowton and Ekalaka to come out of this division, and they did, but I was surprised to see that Harlowton beat Ekalaka by 14 in the semi-finals. I thought that game might be the best of the tournament, but that title goes to the championship game (as it should). Ekalaka rebounded from the loss well, earning two wins on Saturday and defeating Joliet in the challenge game on Monday.

Both of these teams could make some noise at the state tournament in Belgrade, but Ekalaka has a tough draw. They play the West’s best, Twin Bridges, to start off their tournament, and, if they win, likely earn the right to play Big Sandy. Those are two very difficult games, and nearly impossible back to back. I like Harlowton over Hot Springs in their opener, but their youth and lack of experience could hurt them along the line. Their second round match-up against either Highwood or Hinsdale could prove problematic. If they catch fire, though, and play up to their potential, they could end up playing for the state title.

State A Preview - Boys

2008-02-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Well...it seems like records are going to be thrown out the window this weekend at the State A Boys Tourney, because they sure were at last weekend's Eastern A Divisional at Metrapark, the State venue this week.

All eight of these teams can win. And this should be one of the most exciting tournaments of the "State Season." So without further ado, here we go!

STATE A Boys @ Metrapark:

12:30 p.m. - Ronan (16-5, Northwest #1) v. Butte Central (18-3, Central #2)
2:00 p.m. - Central (8-13, East #1) v. Dillon (17-3, Southwest #2)
6:30 p.m. - Browning (16-4, Central #1) v. Whitefish (13-10, Northwest #2)
8:00 p.m. - Stevensville (12-8, Southwest #1) v. Laurel (14-8, East #2)

Click here for the bracket.

1. Who's the favorite?

I'm going with Browning. The Indians are the highest scoring team in the tournament, pouring in 68 points per game. They're led by D.J. Fish (16.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg), Andrew Spotted Wolf (15.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg), and Jordan Long Time Sleeping (12.9 ppg).

In a tournament where teams are going to need to have more than one scoring option to go to in crunch time, Browning's depth is going to be very important. Since they have three guys who can legitimately put up 20 on any night, the Indians are a scary matchup.

2. Which non-division Champion is most likely to pull an upset?

I'm going with Laurel. The Locomotives fell victim to that #1 seed Eastern A Divisional jinx, losing in their 1st game (the semis) to a red-hot Central Rams squad. Laurel then won three straight elimination games, including a 4-point challenge game win over Sidney on Monday night, to get into the State Tourney for the first time in six years.

Until that loss to Central, Laurel had been 10-0 in the Eastern A. They get a Stevensville team in the 1st round who beat Dillon in the Southwest A Title game behind 29 points from Logan Creech, including 7 three's. To me, that seems more like a game where Stevi caught fire than a sign of a complete team turnaround.

Based on that, I think Laurel is a better team than Stevensville, and has regained their confidence after that Central loss. I think the Locomotives pull the upset.

3. Which Division Champion is most likely to be upset?

Have to go with Stevensville. They have a tough matchup in the 1st round against Laurel, and I just don't see Logan Creech putting up 29 again to pace Stevi to a win. Laurel is more balanced, and has just as much if not more heart and drive than any team in this tourney.

I also believe Butte Central can beat Ronan. The Maroons are making their 4th straight trip to State, and have six guys on the team with State Tournament playing experience. They are very balanced with five guys that can score 15 any time out.

Interesting to note, if you look at records, the only #1 seed with a better record than their #2 seed first round opponent is Browning (16-4) over Whitefish (13-10). So you could argue that three of the first round matchups would not be an upset if all the #2 seeds won. I don't think that's true, but it's interesting to note.

4. Predictions:

First Round: Butte Central over Ronan, Billings Central over Dillon, Browning over Whitefish, Laurel over Stevensville

Friday Loser-Out Games: Dillon over Ronan, Whitefish over Stevensville

Semi-finals: Billings Central over Butte Central (this one should be an electric atmosphere), Browning over Laurel

Saturday Loser-Out Games: Butte Central over Dillon, Laurel over Whitefish

Consolation: Butte Central over Laurel

Championship: Browning over Billings Central

State B Preview - Boys

2008-02-28T17:39:00.003-07:00

Hey everybody! I'm here with your State B Boys preview. Slim already showed us how the Class C is going to go down (or at least what he thinks will happen), so let's set up your Boys B Tourney kicking off today.

STATE B Boys @ Belgrade:

1:00 p.m. - Fairfield (16-7, North #1) v. Forsyth (16-8, East #2)
2:30 p.m. - Three Forks (20-3, South Central #1) v. Missoula Loyola (20-4, West #2)
7:00 p.m. - Seeley-Swan (20-3, West #1) v. Manhattan Christian (13-10, South Central #2)
8:30 p.m. - Columbus (20-3, East #1) v. Shelby (19-4, North #2)

Click here for the full bracket.

1. Who's the favorite?

The beauty about the state tournament is there is no clear-cut favorite. You have four #1 seeds, including four 20-win teams, and a 19-win Shelby squad.

However, I will pick Columbus as the favorite to win this tourney for several reasons.

The Cougars have great tournament experience, finishing third at state last year.
They are led by a great inside-out combo in Brandon Robbins (19 pts, 9 reb) and Sean Russell (17 pts...maybe the most dangerous shooter in the tournament)
They are playing their best basketball of the year, beating their 4B District opponents and Eastern B Divisional opponents by an average of 16 points per game.

2. Which non-division Champion is most likely to pull an upset?

Missoula Loyola. The only non-division Champion with 20 wins on the season, Loyola lost in the Western B Championship game to Seeley-Swan by 4 points, and then had to win a challenge game against Thompson Falls to get into State. (They beat Thompson 72-54.)

Loyola is 20-4 on the year and led by a great inside-out presence with point guard Adam Hollenback and forward Caleb DeGroot. If any of the #2 seeds are going to upset the division winners, it will by Loyola. They take on Three Forks, who is 20-3, but who also only beat 13-11 Manhattan Christian by 1 point in the Southern B Title game.

3. Which Division Champion is most likely to be upset?

Following up on the previous question, I have to say Three Forks because of their 1st round matchup. The Wolves are a solid squad, but have the toughest road of any of the top seeds in the tournament, having to take on Loyola in the 1st Round.

Jordan Overstreet and Jared Strickland lead Three Forks by averaging close to 30 combined points per game.

The other #1 seeds: Columbus, Fairfield, and Seeley-Swan, have much easier 1st round matchups, and I don't see any of them being upset. So by default, Three Forks is the choice here.

4. Predictions:

First Round: Fairfield over Forsyth, Missoula Loyola over Three Forks, Seeley-Swan over Manhattan Christian, Columbus over Shelby.

Friday Loser-Out Games: Three Forks over Forsyth, Shelby over Manhattan-Christian

Semi-Finals: Missoula Loyola over Fairfield, Columbus over Seeley-Swan

Saturday Loser-Out Games: Seeley-Swan over Three Forks, Fairfield over Shelby

Consolation: Fairfield over Seeley-Swan

Championship: Columbus over Missoula Loyola

State C Preview - Boys (Guest Blogger)

2008-02-28T17:25:00.004-07:00

Hey everyone, Slim here. State is upon us! Here's the Class C Preview.

STATE C Boys @ Butte Civic Center:

11 a.m. - Rocky Boy (15-4, North #2) vs. Big Sandy (11-9, North #3), play-in
12:30 p.m. - Twin Bridges (21-2, West #1) vs. Wibaux (19-4, South #2)
2 p.m. - Winifred (22-0, North #1) vs. Fairview (19-4, East #2)
6:30 p.m. - Plenty Coups (21-1, South #1) vs. Shields Valley (18-4, West #2)
8 p.m. - Rocky Boy-Big Sandy winner vs. Scobey (23-5, East #1)

*This is a unique bracket since the Northern Division sends three teams. For a look at the bracket, click here.

1. Who’s the favorite?

Calling anybody a favorite in the state tournament is naïve. All of these teams deserve to be here, and any one of them can walk away the winner. You probably have to look at the one seeds to try to label a favorite, and, since Winifred is unbeaten, they are probably the choice. Winifred had their struggles in the divisional tournament with both Rocky Boy and Big Sandy, but, until somebody beats them, they have to be considered the favorite.

2. Which non-Division Champion is most likely to pull an upset?

Wibaux and Rocky Boy. Two of Rocky Boy’s four losses came against Harlem, who fell three points short of qualifying for the State “B” tournament, and a third came at the hands of Winifred. Those are quality losses if such a thing exists. Wibaux is a potential upset team based on how they play. They’re guard oriented, are aggressive defensively, and attack offensively. If they get matched up with a bigger, slow-the-tempo team, they could pull the upset.

3. Which Division Champion is most likely to be upset?

I’ll go with Twin Bridges here, based off of their match-up. I like Wibaux to pull the upset over the Falcons. Scobey is a candidate here, too, but, after playing the morning play-in game, I’m not sure Rocky Boy will have enough energy to knock off a one seed.

4. Predictions:

First Round: Rocky Boy over Big Sandy (play-in), Wibaux over Twin Bridges, Winifred over Fairview, Plenty Coups over Shields Valley, Scobey over Rocky Boy.

Friday Loser-Out Games: Twin Bridges over Big Sandy, Rocky Boy over Shields Valley, Fairview over Twin Bridges

Semi-Finals: Winifred over Wibaux, Plenty Coups over Scobey

Saturday Loser-Out Games: Rocky Boy over Wibaux, Scobey over Fairview

Consolation: Rocky Boy over Scobey

Championship: Winifred over Plenty Coups

*If the bracket goes this way, Saturday night at the Butte Civic Center will be incredible. The Rocky Boy-Scobey rematch is very intriguing, as both teams will have played a morning game this time around, and it will be Rocky Boy’s fifth game in three days. And the State Championship, wow! Plenty Coups was the consensus number one team all year long before stumbling in the district championship, after which Winifred assumed the top position. These two teams play really similar styles, except Winifred is a little more careful with the ball. The game creates incredible individual match-ups (Winifred’s Brian Foran against Plenty Coups’ Alton Smart Enemy and Winifred’s D.J. Dyer against Plenty Coups’ J.D. Blaine).

Eastern B Divisional Preview - Girls

2008-02-28T17:04:00.001-07:00

While the boys Class A, B, and C State Tourneys get underway today, the B and C girls are just at the divisional stage. Slim already joined us with a Southern C preview, and in Class B, it's the Eastern B that concerns us most.

Eastern B Divisional – Girls @ Red Lodge – Thurs.-Sat. (Top two advance)

Here are your 1st Round Girls matchups for the Eastern B Divisional @ Red Lodge:

12:30 p.m. – Columbus (16-4, 4B #1) v. Broadus (10-10, 3B #4)
2:15 p.m. – Huntley Project (12-10, 4B #3) v. Baker (10-10, 3B #2)
6:15 p.m. – Colstrip (15-5, 3B #1) v. Red Lodge (9-12, 4B #4)
8:00 p.m. – Shepherd (18-2, 4B #2) v. Lame Deer (7-12, 3B #3)

1. Who's the favorite?

Unlike the boys side, this is a very loaded Divisional as Columbus, Shepherd, and Colstrip all could win this tournament. All three have the talent to beat anyone on any given night. Columbus is coming off a huge District win in which they played their best basketball all season.

Shepherd has the best record of all three (18-2) and is the only one of the three to have an overall winning record against the other two (1-1 v. Colstrip...2-1 v. Shepherd). However, they lost their last meeting with each team (Colstrip on the last weekend of the reg. season and Shepherd in the 4B Title game).

Colstrip's only loss in the last month was to Class A power Miles City, and the Fillies are playing very well coming into the Eastern B. But they will have to play their best ball to beat Shepherd and Columbus on a neutral court (that will without a doubt have more Columbus and Shepherd fans due to proximity).

2. Non-District Champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?

Definitely Shepherd. It was a mild upset Saturday night when Columbus beat the Fillies in the 4B title game, let alone beat them as badly as they did. That was only Shepherd's second loss of the year, against 18 wins, including 2 earlier victories over the Lady Cougs (it's always hard to beat a team three times in a row). The Fillies have a great inside-out game with guard Whitney Baustadt and forward Jillian Stanek. That combo can be very dangerous to any team Shepherd comes up against.

3. District Champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?

I'm gonna go with Colstrip based on the fact that their likely 2nd round opponent is Shepherd, whereas Columbus' will either be Huntley Project or Baker, two teams Columbus should easily beat.

4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:

I have to go with Columbus and Shepherd as the two teams most likely to move on. Columbus is playing better than anyone else, and their 1-2 punch of Hannah Counter and Megan Patterson is good enough to carry them even if the rest of the team has an off night.

As for Shepherd, I think they've got the motivation (lost in State Championship last year) and the talent to overcome their less-than-stellar play over the last two weeks. They will have to if they are going to get by Colstrip, who is playing very well and already owns a 4-point win over Shepherd in the regular season.

Southern C Divisional Preview - Girls (Guest Blogger)

2008-02-28T16:51:00.004-07:00

Hey everyone. It's Slim once again. As the Class A, B, and C boys get their state tournaments underway today, many of the girls are only getting to their Divisionals.

In Class C, the divisional that concerns us is the Southern C, taking place in Miles City.

SOUTHERN C DIVISIONAL MATCHUPS (GIRLS) @ Miles City:

1:30 p.m. – Ekalaka (20-1, 4C #1) vs. Absarokee (12-7, 6C #2)
3 p.m. – Harlowton (17-2, 5C #1) vs. Roberts (7-12, 6C #3)
6:30 p.m. – Joliet (13-4, 6C #1) vs. Plevna (15-6, 4C #3)
8 p.m. – Wibaux (15-4, 4C #2) vs. Ryegate (7-14, 5C #2)

1. Who’s the favorite?

It’s hard to overlook Ekalaka’s 20-1 record. Harlowton looked tough during the district tournament, and Joliet has put together a nice little win streak. The favorite has to come from those three teams, and since I haven’t seen Ekalaka play, this is a tough call for me. I like Harlowton a little better than Joliet. Bailey Snelling is an incredible freshman, and they do have some upperclassman leadership. I’ll take the Lady Engineers as the favorite, with Ekalaka and Joliet following close behind.

2. Non-district champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?

Plevna beat Joliet to open the season, but Joliet looks to be a different team now. Plevna, though, is one of the teams I can see pulling an upset or two. The other team is Wibaux. Wibaux has won all three meetings this season with Plevna, so I like Wibaux against every team in the division except for Ekalaka and Harlowton.

3. District champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?

This has to be Joliet. They have won 13 in a row, but I don’t think this team is as strong as the other district winners—Harlowton and Ekalaka. Joliet got lucky in that they don’t have either one of the other one seeds on their side of the bracket. It’s not an upset if Harlowton or Ekalaka knocks off the other, which is going to happen in the semi-finals. I don’t think Joliet makes it to the Championship, so they’re my pick to be upset.

4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:

Round One: Ekalaka over Absarokee, Harlowton over Roberts, Joliet over Plevna, and Wibaux over Ryegate

Friday Loser-Out Games: Absarokee over Roberts, Plevna over Ryegate

Semi-Finals: Harlowton over Ekalaka, Wibaux over Joliet

Saturday Loser-Out Games: Ekalaka over Plevna, Joliet over Absarokee

Consolation: Ekalaka over Joliet

Championship: Harlowton over Wibaux

*Challenge: Ekalaka over Wibaux

*Harlowton and Ekalaka represent the Southern C at the State Tournament.

Review: Southern C Divisional - Boys (Guest Blogger)

2008-02-28T16:47:00.002-07:00

Hey everybody, it's Slim again, your resident Class C Basketball expert.

This has to be disappointing for Bridger. They lost two regular season games all year and were finally able to get over the hump against Plenty Coups in the district championship. However, Plenty Coups is going to the state tournament as a one seed, and Bridger’s season came to an end.

Bridger drew a tough match-up in the semi-finals where they played Wibaux. I was really impressed with what I saw from Wibaux and can see them making some noise at the state tournament. What they lack in height and size they make up for with quickness and aggressiveness. They have two attack-minded guards in Travis Bertelsen and Jeff Bakken. Those two are fearless. They attack the rim with reckless abandon and are not easily intimidated by bigger opponents.

Ultimately, though, the Longhorns were just outmatched by Plenty Coups in the district championship. Again, Alton Smart Enemy impressed. The Warriors are just a completely different team with him on the floor. It starts on the defensive end. He provides a big interior presence that affects shooters, and he’s able to use his size to gather up defensive rebounds. He instantly gets the break started with incredible outlet passes. There was one instant in the championship game where he grabbed a defensive rebound, and, with the ball above his head, threw a two-handed outlet pass 75 feet. Their offensive sets seem to be much more organized and effective with him on the floor, as well. He gives the Warriors a low-post option when necessary, but can work out of the high-post effectively, too. In order to beat Plenty Coups, you have to be able to limit Smart Enemy’s effectiveness.

Both of these teams have a chance to make some noise at the state tournament in Butte, which begins Thursday at the Civic Center.

Review: Eastern A Divisional - Girls

2008-02-27T18:35:00.002-07:00

Well that went *Almost* as expected. Miles City and Glendive, the clear-cut best two teams in the Eastern A, advanced to State (although the Lady Devils pulled off what I consider a mild upset over the Cowgirls in the title game).

Kalli Stanhope (Glendive guard) is the best player in this Division, no questions asked. She has a killer instinct that not many players can match, and then you put her deadly shooting into that equation...and you have a dangerous player who makes any upset possible. The Lady Devils just seem to have figured out how to beat Miles City, handing the otherwise dominant Cowgirls their only two losses of the year, both in slow-down, drag-out games in which the final scores were about 45-37.

Glendive is not the most athletic team, they are not the tallest teams, but they might be the smartest team in the field. They know how to win, and that can be just as, if not more important in big tournaments than any of that natural ability.

In the 3rd place game, Sidney beat Central by 3 points, 51-48, although Central might have had the most exciting 15 seconds of the year in the final seconds of that game to make it much closer than it should have been...

Lady Rams guard Austin Hanser came up with a steal at about half-court and fed it ahead to Kylie Medicine Horse for the easy lay-up. Then, in a play reminiscent of Larry Bird, Hanser stole the inbounds on the baseline while going out-of-bounds and immediately through it to Medicine Horse underneath to make it a 1-point game with 3 seconds to play. The Rams would end up losing the game, but the play was incredible.

And since Miles City already beat Sidney in the semis, no challenge game was needed to determine this year's Eastern A Girls State participants.

Congrats to Glendive and Miles City. Good luck!

Review: Eastern A Divisional - Boys

2008-02-27T17:43:00.003-07:00

Wow! Who lit the fire under Central?!?

The Rams came into the 6-team tourney as the 5th seed with a 5-13 record. Granted, they were 4-6 in conference and 2nd place Sidney was only 6-4, but Central had just not shown that they could overcome their turnover and offensie woes to warrant such a run!

Big congrats to 1st year head coach Sheldon Hanser who has his boys playing with an unbelievable intensity and passion. I remember being at a Rams practice at the beginning of the season, and seeing the entire team run stairs...over and over again...and turning to Richie and saying, "Can you believe how much conditioning these guys are doing?!?"

Now, Central is one of the most athletic teams in the State and has hit their stride at the perfect time.

As for the other Eastern A Team going to the State Tourney...it's Laurel, who wins their challenge game over Sidney 45-41 in Miles City Monday night. The Locomotives, who went into the tourney as the undefeated #1 seed, fell victim to the 1-seed jinx (told ya!), and lost their semi to that very hot Central team on their way to the title.

Luckily enough for Laurel, Central's run continued through the title game by beating Sidney, giving the Locomotives, who got a hard-fought victory over Hardin in the 3rd place game, the opportunity to challenge Sidney on Monday Night. And big props to Laurel and coach Pat Hansen for regrouping and winning a very tough game over a solid Eagles squad.

So congrats Central and Laurel...you live to fight another day. Tomorrow in fact...

Your boys State A kicks off at the Metra tomorrow afternoon: Central plays Dillon @ 2:00 pm, and Laurel plays Stevensville in the night contest @ 8:00 pm.

Eastern A Divisional Preview - Girls

2008-02-21T20:13:00.005-07:00

Just like the boys, most of the girls Eastern A teams have not been on the court for about 10 days. So tonight and tomorrow should be very interesting to see who's able to shake off the rust...and who's not.

Girls (Top two advance)

Here are tonight's 1st Round Girls matchups @ Metrapark:

#4 Sidney (13-6) v. #5 Hardin (5-14) - 2:00 PM
#3 Billings Central (14-5) v. #6 Laurel (2-17) - 6:00 PM

#1 Miles City (17-1...9-1 in the Eastern A) - Bye
#2 Glendive (15-2...9-1 in the Eastern A) - Bye

1. Who's the favorite?

Miles City. Your defending State Champions have shown they are still the team to beat for the Class A State crown. The Cowgirls not only went 9-1 in the Eastern A...but were 4-0 against Class AA (2 wins each v. West and Senior). The two wins over West are especially impressive as the Lady Bears are tied for 2nd in the Eastern AA at 8-2. But the Cowgirls most impressive perforamce came in a 110-26 destruction of Hardin a month ago at home. That is an insane amount of points to put up against anybody, much less a conference opponent.

Now to be fair, the Cowgirls had to win a coin flip over Glendive to get the #1 seed in the Eastern A Tourney as both teams finished conference play at 9-1. And Glendive was the only team to beat Miles City during the season (a 43-36 win at home). However, Miles City is the better team and should win this tournament.

2. Non-Conference Champ with best chance to win Divisional?

This has to be Glendive, even though they technically were Co-Champs of the Eastern A. Led by Kalli Stanhope, Glendive is the only team this year who was able to shut down the high-powered Cowgirls over four quarters and get a victory. These two teams are a level above the rest of the conference.

BUT....

If I had to choose someone else becides those two teams, I would say Central has the best chance to pull off the major upset. The Lady Rams have come a lot farther than anyone predicted they would at the beginning of the season. Under the guidance of 1st year head coach Kathje (pronouned like Kathy) Dalton, Central started the seaosn off 6-0 and finished with a very respectable 5-5 record in the Eastern A, good for the #3 seed after a coin flip win over Sidney.

If the young Rams (only 1 senior) put it all together behind Kylie Medicine Horse, Austin Hanser, and the Chilton twins (Brenna and Shae), they have the best shot at pulling the upset.

With that said...it would be one of the biggest shocks of the season if Glendive and Miles City didn't meet for the title.

3. Eastern A Divisonal Tourney Predictions:

Here is how I think the bracket will unfold over the next three days:

Thursday 1st Round Games: Sidney over Hardin...Central over Laurel

Friday Semifinals: Miles City over Sidney...Glendive over Central

Saturday Consolation: Central over Sidney

Saturday Championship: *Miles City over Glendive

*Central cannot challenge Glendive since they already played in the semis, so Miles City and Glendive will advance to State.

Eastern A Divisional Preview - Boys

2008-02-21T19:34:00.004-07:00

While the B and C schools have District tournaments directly after their regular seasons, the Class A Boys and Girls take about 10 days to 2 weeks off during that stretch. So by the time Divisionals come around, teams are hoping their time off doesn't show on the court.

That's what the Eastern A is praying for tonight as the Boys and Girls Divisionals kick off at Metrapark. With 6 teams in each division, the top get byes, while the #3 and #6 seeds square off, as well as the #4 and #5 seeds.

Boys (Top two advance)

Here are todays 1st Round boys matchups @ Metrapark:

#4 Glendive (10-9) v. #5 Billings Central (6-13) - 4:00 PM
#3 Hardin (10-7) v. #6 Miles City (1-17) - 8:00 PM

#1 Laurel (11-7...10-0 in Eastern A) - Bye
#2 Sidney (11-7) - Bye

1. Who's the favorite?

This may seem like a slam dunk answer. Laurel is 10-0 in the Eastern A, and no one else is any better than 6-4. And don't get me wrong, I am saying Laurel is the favorite, but there are a few reasons to doubt the Locomotives.

First of all, the Eastern A is always one of the most athletic divisions in all of Class A, maybe in all of Montana. The schools are big enough to produce a lot of quality players, even if the team's record doesn't show it. Hardin, Sidney, Glendive, and Central all are good enough to beat any one of the others teams in this bracket, including Laurel.

Secondly, there has been a #1 seed jinx in the past in this tournament. It seems like the Bye actually hurts a lot of teams, because the #1 seed has lost their semifinal game quite a few times over the past few years. That's obviously not something Laurel can control, but it's somethin to think about. Like I mentioned, these teams have not played a game in two weeks, so to get that first one under your belt can help the lower seeds mesh while Laurel will be going in cold.

With all that said, Laurel is the favorite to win this bracket, but I would not be surprised if they get upset in the finals.

2. Non-Conference Champ with best chance to win Divisional?

Of the teams other than Laurel, I believe Hardin has the best chance to come out of this tourney as the Divisional Champ. Hardin is probably the quickest team in this bracket, and will run you out of the gym if you're not careful. The Bulldogs struggle when you slow the game down, and thus only came out of the regular season with a 5-5 conference record. But if the Bulldogs get it going, they can be very dangerous.

3. Eastern A Divisional Tourney Predictions:

Here is how I think the bracket will unfold over the next three days:

Thursday 1st Round Games: Central over Glendive...Hardin over Miles City

Friday Semifinals: Laurel over Central...Hardin over Sidney

Saturday Consolation: Central over Sidney

Saturday Championship: *Laurel over Hardin

*Central will challenge Hardin since they did not play in the tourney, but I believe Hardin will win. Thus, Laurel and Hardin will advance to State.

Southern C Divisional Preview - Boys (Guest Blogger)

2008-02-20T20:00:00.006-07:00

Hey all! Slim here once again as your resident Class C basketball blogger. Districts have come and gone, with some very exicting games I might add...so that means Divsionals have arrived!

In South-Central Montana...it's the Southern C that concerns us. The Girls Southern C doesn't get under until next week, so I'll just give you a boys preview, as the Boys tip-off tomorrow.

Southern C Boys at Billings Shrine – Thurs.-Sat.

12:30 p.m. – Plevna (15-4, 4C #1) vs. Plenty Coups (19-1, 6C #2), first round
2 p.m. - Broadview-Lavina (18-4, 5C #1) vs. Park City (13-7, 6C #3), first round
6:30 p.m. – Bridger (18-2, 6C #1) vs. Ekalaka (10-11, 4C #3), first round
8 p.m. – Harlowton (16-5, 5C #2) vs. Wibaux (18-3, 4C #2), first round

1. Who’s the favorite?

I’ve got to go with Plenty Coups here even though they lost in the district championship to Bridger. I haven’t seen the 4C teams play, so it’s tough for me to really make an educated prediction. Wibaux beat Plevna twice during the regular season, but lost the district championship. Plenty Coups did the same thing with Bridger. I haven’t seen anything from the 5C to suggest that those teams are on par with the other districts, so I’ll take Plenty Coups and can see a repeat of the District 6C Championship in the Divisional final.

2. Non-district champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?

Plenty Coups is the simple choice, but I wouldn’t call it an upset if they won. That being said, I don’t see any of the other non-champions pulling an upset. On paper, Wibaux appears to be the best 2 seed in the tournament, but I don’t see them beating Bridger. That leaves us with three potential district championship rematches on Saturday: Plenty Coups versus Bridger in the Division Championship, and, in loser-out games, Wibaux versus Plevna and Harlowton versus Broadview-Lavina. The 2 seeds could each win those match-ups, but I’ll only take Plenty Coups over Bridger and Wibaux over Plevna as “upsets.”

3. District champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?

The district champions are Plevna, Broadview-Lavina, and Bridger. I think Plevna and Broadview-Lavina both lose to Plenty Coups, and I do see Bridger advancing to the Division Championship. As I said earlier, Plenty Coups winning any game is not an upset, but if Bridger were to lose before the championship, that would be an upset. Wibaux could knock off the Scouts in the semi-finals, but that’s the only potential upset I see.

4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:

I’ll do you one better and predict the entire bracket:

Round One: Plenty Coups over Plevna, Broadview-Lavina over Park City, Bridger over Ekalaka, and Wibaux over Harlowton.

Friday Loser-Out Games: Plevna over Park City and Harlowton over Ekalaka

Semi-Finals: Plenty Coups over Broadview-Lavina and Bridger over Wibaux

Saturday Loser-Out Games: Broadview-Lavina over Harlowton and Wibaux over Plevna

Consolation: Wibaux over Broadview-Lavina

Championship: *Plenty Coups over Bridger

*Plenty Coups and Bridger advance as Wibaux cannot challenge the Scouts.

Stay tuned next week for my Girls Southern C Preview!

Q2 Charity Basketball!

2008-02-19T16:43:00.002-07:00

Hey everybody! I know this is late notice, but Scott Breen, Dianne Baker, and myself are playing in a charity basketball game tonight at Lockwood Middle School, and you all should come out to watch and support the Lockwood PTA.

The game is a Media Celebrities v. Lockwood Teachers showdown, and has been going on annually for about 6 years. The event rasies money for the Lockwood PTA, and I've been told is a ton of fun.

This will be my first year in the event, but Scott has played many times and he says it's a fun night to come see.

The fun starts tonight at 7:00, once again at Lockwood Middle School.

Come show your support and watch the Q2 Crew "Hoop-It-Up" on the hardwood!

Eastern B Divisional Preview - Boys

2008-02-18T15:23:00.004-07:00

First of all, congrats to all the teams who made it out of districts and have qualified for the Divisional Tourneys around the state. You all are only one step shy of achieveing that pre-season goal of getting to the State Tournament.

Here in South-Central Montana...the Class B focus shifts to the Eastern Divisional, made up of the top 4 teams from the 3B and the top 4 from the 4B.

The Girls' Eastern Divisional doesn't get under way until next week...so I'll just give you the boys preview now, as they tip off in Colstrip tomorrow.

Eastern B Divisonal - Boys @ Colstrip - Thurs.-Sat.

Here are your 1st Round Boys matchups for the upcoming tourney @ Colstrip, Feb. 21-23:

Columbus (18-2) v. St. Labre (5-15)
Huntley Project (13-7) v. Forsyth (14-6)
Shepherd (15-4) v. Baker (7-13)
Colstrip (9-12) v. Red Lodge (6-15)

1. Who's the favorite?

Columbus is a big favorite to runaway with this Divisional, much like they did at this past week's 4B District Tourney. Sean Russell looks like the best player in Class B right now, and the Cougars are clicking on all cylinders. They are a combined 8-1 against the other 7 teams in the Eastern Divisional.

2. Non-District champion with best chance to pull off an upset at Divisionals?

The Shepherd Mustangs. The only team with a win over Columbus during the regular season (a 51-47 in Shepherd), the Mustangs have all the tools to make a title run. They're very athletic, and along with the Columbus victory, have proven they can beat anyone with a solid 15-4 overall record, including wins in 12 of their last 13 games.

3. District Champion most likely to be upset at Divisionals?

My apologies to the Colts, but it has to be Colstrip. And not just by default. Colstrip played very well to win the 3B on their home floor, but they played over their heads. The Colts came into the District Tourney with a 4 and 6 conference record, and a 9 and 12 record overall...and this time they're facing much better competition. There is no doubt that they have the tools to make a push (as they showed this week), but I think they'll lose their 2nd game after beating Red Lodge.

4. State Tournament Qualifier Predictions:

I think Columbus will win the Eastern Divisional, winning all three games by double digits. So the battle will be for second, where I think the 4B will make a clean sweep. But I'm not sure whether it will be Shepherd or Huntley Project who makes it. My hunch tells me Shepherd, but if the Devils' Eric Buer has a better Divisional than District Tourney, watch out for HP.

Stay tuned for the Eastern B Girls Preview next week!

Review: Local C District Tourneys (Guest Blogger)

2008-02-17T22:00:00.005-07:00

Hey everybody! Slim here...

Casey already gave you a review of the local B District Tourneys, so I'm here to review the Class C action in town over the past week...the 5C and 6C Tourneys.

For the 5C boys, Broadview-Lavina beat Melstone in the Championship in what I considered a minor upset. Melstone now has to play Harlowton in a challenge game on Monday to decide which of the teams earns the trip to the Southern Divisional Tournament. In the 6C, which was played last weekend, Bridger (1), Plenty Coups (2), and Park City (3) advanced to the Divisional Round.

For the 5C girls, Harlowton beat Reed Point-Rapelje to take home the district crown. Reed Point-Rapelje now plays Ryegate in a challenge game. In the 6C, Joliet (1), Absarokee (2), and Roberts (3) advanced.

1. Best boys team you saw in the local districts?

Even though Bridger pulled the upset of Plenty Coups in the District Championship, the Warriors should still be the team to beat in the Southern Division. They are an athletic team built on a solid inside-out game. They have a legitimate post presence in Alton Smart Enemy, and they can surround him with good shooters and ball handlers. Defensively, when they implemented their press, Bridger struggled to move the ball downcourt. The Warriors have quick hands and aggressively chase the ball. Bridger is a very, very good team, but I think Plenty Coups is just a little bit stronger overall.

2. Best girls team you saw in the local districts?

Joliet, winners of 14 straight, could be considered the favorite heading into Divisionals, but don’t sleep on Harlowton. I was very impressed with what I saw from the Lady Engineers. In the Championship against Reed Point-Rapelje, Harlowton shot the ball extremely well. Bailey Snelling is a freshman point guard who leads the team with a maturity beyond her years. The rest of the team provides more experience, which could prove vital during the next tournament.

3. Best individual boys performer?

I didn’t actually get to watch any of the 5C boys games, so this opinion is a little biased. Bridger epitomizes the team concept—no one player stood out above the rest—so I can’t choose a Scout as the best individual performer. From what I saw, Alton Smart Enemy of Plenty Coups impacted the games more than anybody else. He’s 6’6”, so he typically has a size advantage underneath, and he uses it well. He crashes the offensive glass and gets easy baskets that way, but his teammates also look for him on the break and posting up. His largest impact is on the offensive end, but his size does force opponents to alter their shots on the other end. Defense isn’t his strongest area, but he does rebound well and help his team get out on the break with good outlet passes.

4. Best individual girls performer?

Three girls come to mind for this question: Bailey Snelling from Harlowton, Cindy Kern from Joliet, and Jessie Studiner from Absarokee. All three are the unquestioned leaders of their teams, and the team goes as they go. Kern and Studiner went head-to-head in the District 6C Championship. Studiner put up better individual numbers, but Kern got the win, which has to be taken into consideration when analyzing performances. I have to call Snelling the best individual performer, though. She’s an incredible shooter and sees the floor really well, especially for a freshman. She’s a solid ball handler and a good passer, but she also knows when to take the shot herself. She plays with a toughness and an attitude that motivates and inspires her team.

Stay tuned for my local Class C Divisional Preview coming up!

Review: Local B District Tourneys

2008-02-17T20:19:00.005-07:00

Phew! What a week as District Basketball came and went (almost...two local C challenge games tomorrow) with a bang. Locally...we were able to see 3 District tourneys around the Magic City...the 4B, the 5C, and the 6C...Slim will be along shortly to talk about the local C tourneys. Right now though...I'll just review the 4B.

District 4B

1. Best Boys team you saw in the local districts?

Columbus stole the show at Rocky this week as they ran over their competition on their way to the 4B title. Sean Russell & Co. jumped out to a 41-15 halftime lead in the title game against Huntley Project, and coasted their way to a 64-46 win. Columbus is very athletic and, more importantly, very long at all their positions. The Cougars also have 6 seniors that will make them a tough team to beat at divisionals.

2. Best Girls team you saw in the local districts?

Once again, Columbus is the easy pick here. The Dynamic Duo of Hannah Counter and Megan Patterson makes the Lady Cougs a very tough team to defend...since you can't concentrate on shutting just one down. The other will kill you. They too breezed through the 4B Tourney, including a big win over a Shepherd Fillies squad who beat Columbus twice in the regular season. Columbus was too good last night however, and coasted to a 12-point win. The Lady Cougs will be a huge factor at Divisionals.

3. Best Individual Boys Performer?

Columbus Guard Sean Russell. The Senior took over the title game against Huntley Project, and was completely unguardable on the offensive end. Russell has a very good shooting touch, making 7-12 from the arc, and 10-15 overall, on his way to 31 points and 7 rebounds in only 28 minutes. Up until last night, HP's Eric Buer was the most impressive player I had seen, but Russell's game last night can not be ignored.

4. Best Individual Girls Performer?

Columbus Guard Hannah Counter. One half of the Lady Cougs' Dynamic Duo (along with 5'11" Forward Megan Patterson), Counter is a very strong guard that opposing players cannot shut down in one-on-one situations. She has very good body control, and rebounds at an extremely high rate for a guard (10 rebounds in last night's title game). She has a game like Jason Kidd, but with a better shot (15 points on 4-9 FG, 7-10 FT). A very smart point gaurd that can do everything well.

Stay tuned for Slim's review of the two Class C District Tourneys! And preview of the local B and C Divisionals!

"Class C" deserves a higher grade (Guest Blogger)

2008-02-14T23:50:00.006-07:00

Sometimes on the blog, I'll have other people from the station come in and give commentary on an area they know much more about than I do.

This post comes from one of my good friends, and Q2 Weekend Photographer Carl "Slim" Kimmel (from here on out I'll always refer to him as Slim).

Slim went to Winnett for High School, a small Northern Class C school, where he played Varsity Basketball all four years. He still follows his team when he can, along with the rest of the C, which is his topic today:

Hey everybody! It's good to be here. Let me preface this entry by saying I am only talking about the C schools I have seen in person...so if I don't mention a team you feel is deserving of more attention, please feel free to comment and I will try to take it into consideration.

This is the time of year when Class C basketball in Montana starts to get some media attention. The schools are small and typically out of range of the larger media outlets, so they don’t get the coverage of the larger schools. And let’s face it, more people are interested in how the Billings schools (West, Senior, Skyview, and Central) stack up than how Class C schools (Custer, Broadview-Lavina, Park City, and Bridger…just to name a few) are playing.

The lack of media coverage dedicated to Class C basketball really is unfortunate. Some of the games rank among the most exciting sporting events in the state. Anyone who was at the District 6C Championship game between Plenty Coups and Bridger can attest to that. The game was played at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings, the gymnasium was packed, and the atmosphere was electric. The fans for both teams were as excited as the players and seemed to be just as emotionally drained at the end. Plenty Coups played an excellent third quarter and rallied from a 14 point halftime deficit to tie. Ultimately, though, Bridger maintained their composure better than the Warriors and pulled the upset. Nothing portrays complete jubilation like the look on players’ faces after they pull an upset like that, and nothing compares to the defeated morale of the team who just suffered their unexpected loss.

Entering the game, Plenty Coups was ranked as Class C’s number one team in the state. That championship game was their first loss of the year (they had beat Bridger twice during the regular season), leaving the door open for unbeaten Winifred to assume the top spot.

Winifred (a member of District 7C in the Northern Division) is consistently one of the top two or three teams in their district thanks to good coaching, starting in elementary school. I had the privilege to watch Winifred play a road game at Winnett-Grass Range (a recent co-op, also in the 7C). Entering the game both teams were receiving votes in the Montana power polls—Winifred being ranked second and Winnett/Grass Range tenth.

The game was hyped by the locals, and attended by most of them—the bleachers were full, leaving standing room only. In fact, I had to sit on the floor in the isle of the bleachers. The game didn’t play out quite as expected. Winifred won much more easily than was expected. That’s partially what makes Class C basketball so entertaining. You never know what to expect, except that both teams will play their guts out and get the undying support of their fans. A struggling Class C team gets the same hometown support as a winning team.

Winifred and Winnett-Grass Range begin their District Tournament play this week, with Winifred being as close of a thing to a lock to win the tournament as you can get.

Then again, so was Plenty Coups.

I can't believe this day is here again...

2008-02-14T16:52:00.003-07:00

No, I'm not talking about Valentine's Day (but I hope you are all having a good one already.) No no my friends...in my world, today is not a happy day.

Today marks the official start of the 2008 Baseball Season, as pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

Don't get me wrong: I am not against baseball...in fact, Playoff Baseball can be one of the most exciting times in sports. But it seems like the '07 season just ended (actually, it hasn't been too long...about 3 1/2 months). We are still about 8 weeks from opening day, which will be the 1st of about 150 meaningless games until we get to late September when the Playoff Picture comes into view.

To me, until then, the baseball season is way too long. A team will play 162 regular season, usually 6 days a week, and by summer when it is the only sport going, it gets extremely monotonous. You can even see it in the players' faces by the dog days of summer. In August, a team is usually merely trying to avoid a disastrous fall rather than rising in the standings.

The only thing that's gets me through the season: Fantasy Baseball. Try it. Trust me, it'll raise your interest 100%.

Until then, let's go Lakers!

Cutest Dog Ever

2008-02-13T17:28:00.005-07:00

When I was a kid, I always loved watching the Westminster Dog Show every year. Recently, I haven't been watching as frequently, not because I lost interest, but because I simply did not remember when it was going to be on.

But I remembered this year, and watched my DVR'd Westminster Show this morning, and saw the cutest dog in the history of the competition win.

His name is Uno, and he's a 15-inch beagle...THE 1ST BEAGLE IN THE HISTORY OF THE COMPETITION TO WIN "BEST IN SHOW."

Here he is (remember...CUTEST DOG IN HISTORY, so be prepaed for this to take some of your time):

And here's the article and many more photos on Uno and his big night. Enjoy!

Swimming and Wresling Tributes!

2008-02-13T02:53:00.004-07:00

For all of you who missed either one of Monday's or Tuesday's shows (and shame on you if you're nodding your head as to say, "Yes, I'm one of those people"), we replaced our Weekly Cuts and Athlete of the Week segments with tributes to the State Swimming and State Wrestling Tournaments over the weekend.

Personally, I think these are great pieces that I had a lot of fun creating.

Here's the swimming piece that ran Monday.

And here's the wrestling piece, which ran Tuesday (and big thanks to Ric Zimmerman for all of his great photography throughout the meet, as you'll all see!).

Enjoy!

State Wrestling Review

2008-02-13T02:16:00.000-07:00

Wow! Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, but this was the craziest weekend all year (two state tournaments, Cat-Griz basketball, not to mention the beginning of District Basketball Tourneys!)

Anyways, I hoped you all liked our coverage. And if you didn't know already, you can watch all the footage we shot over the weekend from State Wrestling and State Swimming on our website at KTVQ.COM. Click on Sports Xtra!

So let's recap:

State Wrestling was insane. On Championship Saturday, the Metra was almost completely full with fans parents, not to mention the 600+ wrestlers that competed over the two days. What emotion in that room!

First, congrats to Cascade-Simms wrestler Ryan Leonard, who became just the 16th 4-time state champ in Montana history. When you saw him in action, you just knew he was going to win. He overpowered every one of his opponents and was in complete control of every match from the opening whistle. Congrats once again on an amazing achievement.

As for the team results...Flathead is on a level of their own. 410 points?!? They broke their own Class AA scoring record they set last year...by 62.5 points! They put 10 wrestlers in the finals, and took home 5 individual state championships on their way to a state 3-peat and an undefeated wrestling season. Skyview had a very solid tournament with only one less wrestler than the Braves, finishing 2nd in the team standings by over 50 points, but still fell 150 points of Kalispell. Wow.

Congrats to all the other state winners (Class A = Havre...back-to-back champs; Class B = Glasgow...new Class B scoring record of 254 team points; Class C = Arlee) and on the Billings scene, congrats to Tanner and Tucker Sprenkle for each winning their first stat title (Tanner at 119 and Tucker at 125).

See ya'll next year!

State Wrestling Preview

2008-02-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

It's time to hit the mats folks! State wrestling kicks off tomorrow at the Metra for every high school class (the B-C schools are combined into one tournament). Here's what to expect:

Class AA

Kalispell Flathead - The Braves come in as the team to beat. The two-time defending state champions (and winners of 3 of 4 overall) are maybe stronger this year than they have ever been. Flathead went 20-0 in Dual meets this year, along with winning all 6 tournaments they entered. At last weekend's Western AA Divisonal, the Braves put 17 wrestlers in the finals and won 11 weight classes. Overall, Flathead qualified 29 of a possible 30 wrestlers, and have six #1 ranked guys. They also return 13 state-placers from last season's record-setting squad.

Skyview - If anyone is going to challenge Flathead, it will be Skyview. The Falcons bring 28 wrestlers into the tournament, only one less than the Braves. They are led by their two Divisional Champions, Bryce Gretch at 112, and Lucas Polkow at 171. Brennan Barta (105 - Divisional runner-up) will also be a big factor. Skyview went 21-1 in Duals this year.

Great Falls - Great Falls High qualified the 3rd most wrestlers for State with 23. They also finished 3rd in the final Wrestling Coaches Poll, behind Flathead and Skyview, respectively. The Bison enter tomorrow with three #1 ranked wrestlers.

Great Falls CMR - The Rustlers finished just behind their crosstown rival at Divisionals, qualifying 20 wrestlers, and finishing 4th in the final Coaches Poll.

Individual Wrestlers - While Skyview is the only Billing team with a shot at the state title, West and Senior have several individuals that could challenge for their own Championship:

Tucker Sprenkle (Senior - 125 lbs...#1 ranked at 125)
Tanner Spenkle (Senior - 119 lbs)
Nik Richardson (West - 98 lbs)
Nathan Kobold (West - 160lbs)

Class A

Sidney - The Eagles won their 6th staight Division title last weekend, including claiming 7 individual titles (98 lbs, 145 lbs, 152 lbs, 160 lbs, 172 lbs, 189 lbs, 215 lbs.) They look like the Eastern A's best shot at a state title.

Havre - The Blue Ponies might be the Class A Title favorites after a dominating performance at the Central A Divisional. Havre beat Belgrade, the 2nd place finisher, by 100 points (341-241), including 9 individual title winners.

Corvallis - Corvallis won the Southwest A Divisional by a slim margin over Frenchtown, who actually had almost as many individual title winners (Corvallis with 5 to Frenchtown's 4.) However, Corvallis showed they were stronger across all weight classes to take the points title.

Ronan - Ronan won the Northwest A Divisional also by a slim margin over Polson. But Ronan dominated the finals with 6 individual title winners, and are looking to improve on that number after having their Heavyweight Tommy Parker, lose in his final match.

Class B-C

Glasgow - Glasgow absolutely dominated the B-C this year, a trend that continued at Divisonals as they won by a whopping 124 points over 2nd place Colstrip. The Scotties put 14 wrestlers in the finals last weekend, including 6 individual title winners. They are without a doubt the favorite to win State.

Conrad - The battle for the state B-C title is a two-horse race, as Conrad is the only team with a chance to beat Glasgow. Like the Scotties, Conrad dominated their divisional, beating 2nd place Chinook by 107.5 points. They put 9 wrestlers in the finals, and arrive at the Metra with 6 individual title winners.

In my estimation, those are the teams and indivivuals to watch for over the next couple of days. The action starts tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, with the Quarterfinals set for 2:30 PM.

See you at the Metra!

Am I the only one worried by this?

2008-02-06T16:25:00.001-07:00

Huge trade news out the NBA today:

Suns get:

Shaquille O'Neal

Heat get:

Shawn Marion
Marcus Banks

First we'll discuss Marion. He's been frustrated with the Suns for years now, because he wants a bigger role in the offense and is tired of having to play 4 positions on defense since no one else on the team does. He wanted a big contract extension (he currently make $17 million per), and was recently starting to change his tone about Phoenix management when they told him he was no longer on the trading block.

However, when Marion got word that the Suns were in talks with Miami, he once again stated his opinion that he wanted out, even if it meant going to the worst team in the league.

As for the other side of the trade...Shaq to Phoenix.

The general consenus around the country (not to mention the Q2 Sports office)...this is a bad trade for the Suns. Phoenix's offensive motto (7 seconds or less...in reference to the shot clock) is not conducive...AT ALL...to Shaq's style. They are the most run and gun team on the planet, and Shaq is 35 years old with bad knees, hips, etc. However...

Shaq won't be asked to contribute extensively on the offensive end. This is purely a playoff move. Examine this:

Over the last two years, the Suns won 62 and 61 games respectively in the regular season, earning them a top 2-seed in the West each year. But in the playoffs, they never made it past the Western Conference Finals because they ran into a team that slowed the game down, crushed Phoenix inside and on the glass, and the Sund couldn't adjust.

Shaq allows them to play a half-court game with everyone else. Let's assume he plays 25 minutes...conservatively...in the playoffs, this gives the Suns someone to matchup against Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao, and the Bynum-Gasol combo in L.A. The Suns can run without Shaq...you don't need 5 players to get a shot of in transition! And plus, you still have Amare Stoudemire in the post who does run!

Look at their lineup now:

Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Shaq...along with Barbosa and Diaw coming off the bench. THAT IS A SCARY LINEUP!

Phoenix can now still run the break as well as anyone...but can also, for the 1st time in years, run a very effective half-court game through Shaq. He's not what he used to be, but he's 7'1", 320 lbs, and a beast for Western Conference post players to deal with.

Phoenix's old game wasn't working, so they had to make a change. THIS IS A GREAT TRADE FOR THE SUNS.

Mark my words...Phoenix and L.A. are now the Top 2 teams in the West. Your move, Dallas.

Pau!

2008-02-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

What a debut! 24 points, 12 boards, on 10-15 FG! But here's what's even better:

The Lakers beat the Nets in New Jersey, 105-90. Kobe scored 6 points (his lowest output in over a year), on 3-13 shooting, and had 7 TO (thanks mostly to a dislocated pinky finger he suffered in the 2nd quarter). And the Lakers still won by 15 over an athletic New Jersey squad.

After the game, Kobe raved about how much easier the game is having Pau. When Kobe can have a game like that, and still be gushing afterwards, that's amazing. The Lakers are a brand new team, and this is without Bynum even being back.

L.A. is 3-1 on their current 9-game road trip, so let's see how they finish up before I can actually make any proclamations. But it's a good start.

Bobby Knight: Great Coach, but not The Greatest...

2008-02-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Bobby Knight abruptly resigned as the head basketball coach of Texas Tech University today, leaving a the all-time wins leader in major college basketball with 902 victories under his belt.

The 67-year-old Knight coached for 42 years, the majority at Indiana, where he won three National Championships, including the last undefeated season in college basketball (1976). He coached his teams to 29 20-win seasons, and 4 30-win years.

All-in-all, Knight put 36 players in the NBA, including 15 1st Rounders. In the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984, he coached the U.S. Team to a Gold Medal.

In addition to all of his statistical accomplishments, Knight is widely acknowledged as being one of the greatest teachers of the game in the history of basketball. His coaching career started at Army, where he coached current Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who had this to say about the often controversial coach:

"Outside of my immediate family, no single person has had a greater impact on my life than Coach Knight," said Krzyzewski. "I have the ultimate respect for him as a coach and a mentor, but even more so as a dear friend. For more than 40 years, the life lessons I have learned from Coach are immeasurable. Simply put, I love him."

There is no denying Bob Knight's place as one of the best coaches ever. But he is not THE BEST.

I went to school at USC, and took a class called Sports, Business, and Media in Today's Society. In this class, a new guest speaker would come every week to give us a varying perspective on the topics we covered.

One of these guests was former UCLA coach John Wooden.

John Wooden is not only the greatest coach in the history of basketball, he is unmatched in any sport around the world. Not to mention he is truly one of the best human beings this world has ever seen.

Wooden was actually the first man to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a coach AND a player (he has since been joined by Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman). Wooden was a three-time all American at Purdue and a member of their 1932 National Championship team.

But it was as a coach that Wooden made his mark. His career started in 1946 at Indiana State (now most famously known as Larry Bird's alma mater). In his first season, Indiana State won the conference title and received a bid to the NAIA Tournament. However, Coach Wooden turned down the invitation because, at the time, the tournament did not allow African-Americans to play.

The next year, Indiana State again won their conference title, and again received a Tournament bid. Days later, the NAIA changed their policy and allowed African-Americans to play, and Wooden thus accepted the bid. That year, Clarence Walker, a reserve guard for Wooden's squad, became the first black player to play in the Tournament.

After his early success, Wooden was courted by several Division 1 schools with head coaching vacancies, including UCLA and Minnesota. Wooden was born in Indiana, and he and his wife Nellie wanted desperately to stay in the Midwest. Thus, Minnesota was at the top of his list.

After being offered both jobs, Wooden debated what the best job for him would be. He chose Minnesota, and called them to let him know. On that phone call, Minnesota officials told Wooden they would call him back at 6:00 PM that night to confirm.

However, a big snowstorm passed through Minnesota and knocked out the telephone lines. 6:00 PM came and went, with no calls. UCLA called at around 6:15 to get a final decision from Wooden, and thinking Minnesota had gone with another candidate, he took the Bruins vacancy. Later that night, when Minnesota finally called and explained the situation, he thanked them for their offer, but told them that he had already made a promise to UCLA that he couldn't break.

Wooden was the Pacific Coast Conference Title in his 2nd year at UCLA, going 25-7 overall. But his best work didn't come until the 1963-1964 season.

In that year, Wooden won his 1st National Championship.

He would go on to win 9 of the next 11, for a total of 10 National Titles in 12 years, including 7 in a row from 1967-1973 (No other coach has more than 4 National Titles.) During the span, Wooden led UCLA to 4 Perfect 30-0 seasons. No other coach has had more than 1 undefeated year.

After his 10th National Title in 1975, Wooden retired after 29 years of coaching. During his time, UCLA won 88 consecutive regular season games, a number no one has ever of will ever come close to. From 1964-1974, they won 38 straight NCAA Tournament games, and were ranked #1 in the AP Top 25 Poll for 134 weeks.

Wooden ended his career with 671 career wins, compared to 161 losses, an .807 winning percentage (His AVERAGE YEAR was 24-6.)

Coach Wooden's basketball resume speaks for itself. Most of his accomplishments will never be duplicated, but most importantly, there will never be a better person to roam the sidelines.

Today, John Wooden is 97 years old. When he spoke to my class, he was 95. But you would never know it by listening to him. He has the mind of a teenager and remembers everything that has ever happened to him. His philosophies on life and basketball are more inspirational than anything I have ever heard, and just to be in his presence was a true honor.

Maybe this will sum it up: Coach Wooden's wife, Nell, passed away 23 years ago. Before that, the two were married for 53 years. To this day, Coach Wooden continues to write letters to Nell, as he did throughout her life. He has often said that Nell was the greatest piece of his life.

UCLA celebrates John Wooden every leap year on February 29th, 24 days from today. For anyone who is reading this, please keep him in your thoughts on that day.

As a die-hard Trojan fan, I rarely find anything positive about UCLA. But I can honestly say this:

Bobby Knight is a great basketball coach. But John Wooden is one of the greatest men to ever live.

Not a great start...

2008-02-04T23:22:00.002-07:00

So my Super Bowl prediction of 34-27 Patriots turned out to be pretty far off, as did most people's expectations of the game. But, I was right on most of my other prognostications:

I said the Giants would score first, which they did, taking the opening kickoff and holding the ball for 10 minutes before kicking a FG to go up 3-0.

I said it would be a three-point game at halftime. It ended up being 7-3 Patriots. So it was 4 points, not too bad.

And I also said that the game would be much closer than people expected. Which it was. I just underestimate the Giants a little.

So overall, not too bad from my point of view. Nothing like the Central Lady Rams when it comes to Super Bowl picks (congrats to Jessica Camp and Rachel Turley for being the best Billings' prognosticators!)...but not bad. As for the game...

What a 4th Quarter! One of the best, if not THE BEST, quarter in Super Bowl history. Until then, the game was nothing special. Surprising in how well the Giants defense played, but not really exciting. The 4th quarter made this one of the Top 5 Super Bowls ever. Why?

Because of this play. The Giants had just let Randy Moss catch a TD to go 14-10 with 2:30 to play. On 2nd and 5 from about their own 40, Eli Manning almost gave the game away by overthrowing his recevier on the sideline and putting it right through the hands of Patriots Pro-Bowl corner Asante Samuel.

So that set up a 3rd and 5 in the Giants own territory, with 1:10 to play...IN THE SUPER BOWL..., needing a TD to take the lead. And as soon as the ball was snapped, the entire Patriots D-Line was in the Giants backfield. But then something happened that nobody expected...

Eli, by some miracle, escaped the clutches of three Patriots, rolled out, and fired the ball 35 yards down the middle of the field to what you assumed would be a wide-open receiver (thinking everyone had given up on the play because there was no way Eli would escape).

But to our surprise, as the camera followed the ball downfield...Giants Receiver David Tyree was not wide-open. In fact, he was surrounded by 4 Patriots. FOUR! AS IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CATCHES TYREE MADE ALL SEASON! And then Tyree proceeded to make what I now consider to be the greatest catch in the history of the NFL...

All things considered...the Super Bowl, trying to beat the only 18-0 team in the history of the game, one of the biggest upsets in sports, ever...one minute to play...3rd down...the DIFFICULTY...when you consider all of that, this play is the greatest in NFL history.

I hope you all had a chance to watch it live. Because it may never be topped.

Sports Xtra Saturday Night

2008-02-03T03:16:00.000-07:00

What did I tell you about Skyview! The Falcons win their 2nd straight, completing a sweep of Great Falls and CMR on the road! It looks like Toby Hill finally has his Falcons believing they can play with a lot of the Eastern AA teams (no more 3-point quarter letdowns!)...watch out for these guys the rest of the season...they could make a late run.

West still looks unstoppable. They double up Butte on the road, 67-34...and Butte was the number 2 team in the Eastern AA coming in. Stordahl the high scorer...16 off the bench. Bears are still the team to beat.

As for the Lady Bears, they lose their 1st Eastern AA game of the season, losing 54-45 at home to still undefeated Butte. West hung tough in th 1st half, but Butte showed why they are the team to beat in the Girls AA with a dominant 3rd, going up by as many as 20 before cruising home.

Columbus finally beats Laurel in a matchup that was accidentally scheduled for yesterday. The Cougars look very strong in Class B.

As for the wrestlers, congrats to all the kids who qualified for this week's upcoming state tournament at the Metra. Skyview was the big winner in the Eastern AA, sending 28 wrestlers to State. In comparison, Senior and West combined will send 23, so big ups to the Falcons...In the Eastern A, Sidney continued to dominate, winning their seeding tourney...and if I were a betting man, my pick for shoe-in State winner would Huntley project's Seth Snyder...he's looked unstoppable over the past few weeks.

On to tomorrow...the Griz men are on the road at Eastern Washington...you can watch that at 2:00 PM on Altitude...and don't worry, barring OT, it will be over before the Big One in Arizona kicks off.

So here are my Super Bowl Predictions for tomorrow:

Patriots win 34-27 in a very enteraining game that will go down to the last possession. The Giants will get on the board first, and it will be within 3 at the half.

MVP = Tom Brady...absoutely no question about this one...the surest bet out there

The Patriots are the better team, and have come to far to lose. They complete their perfect season, and should be considered the best team in the history of the NFL (Belichick makes a push for greatest coach ever as well...)

We'll see if any of this comes true tomorrow...kickoff slated for 4:17 PM on FOX. Until then...

Later!

-Casey

Friday Night in Review

2008-02-02T02:24:00.000-07:00

Another Sports Xtra Friday night in the books! Really busy night for us tonight (6 games, three outside of Billings, including the Shepherd Girls game that didn't start until 9:00 PM...yikes!)

Overall, a fairly predictable night on the hoops scene...the top story has to be Plenty Coups finishing a perfect 18-0 regular season with a 93-63 win over Roberts. Go see the Warriors if you like offense...they average about 85 a game, and are forces to be reckoned with in the path to the C State title.

Elsewhere...Senior night out in Shepherd...both the graduating Stangs and Fillies are sent off with a win...although the undefeated Fillies were down 11-1 before they remembered why they were undefeated...and then won 72-38...

In the battle for 4th in the Eastern AA, Senior Girls took Great Falls to Double OT before losing by 5. The Lady Broncs just don't seem to be able to get over that hump...as for the Lady Falcons, their struggles continued with a 31-point home loss to CMR...Kate Brew looked good though...As for the boys, same teams, different venues, and different results...Skyview beats CMR for their 1st Eastern AA wins (I told you they were getting better!)...and Senior beats Great Falls by 5 behind a career-high 30 from A.J. Paine (man, is that kid an athlete...)

As for Laurel in Columbus...thanks to a schedule misprint, that one won't happen until tonight (7:30 PM in Columbus)...instead, Columbus hosted Lodge Grass and coasted to a 76-30 win.

Absolutely HUGE day tomorrow in the sports world...we find out which wrestlers go to state, and two hude hoops showdowns between West and Butte, 1 and 2 in the boys and girls Eastern AA. Until then...

Later!

-Casey

What 2 Watch Tonight...

2008-02-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe, but Wrestling Divisionals are already here, kicking off today. The Eastern AA is going on up in Great Falls, the Western AA in Helena, Eastern A in Sidney, and the B-C are in Broadus.

The biggest team hopes for the Magic City definitely lie with Skyview. The kids up on the hill just know how to wrestle, year-in and year-out. This season has been no different, as they only lost 1 Dual match all year. The Falcons biggest challenge will be Kalispell. Should be a great match.

But back in town...it's all about Hoops tonight! Here are the big games you should try to get out and see...

Boys:

Plenty Coups v. Roberts, 7:30 @ Shrine Auditorium...PC is 17-0, and looking to close the regular season at 18-0 before districts start Monday

Laurel @ Columbus, 7:30...Laurel is 8-0 in the Eastern A, but only 1-6 outside...Columbus is 7-1 in the 4B, and 12-2 overall, including an earlier win over the Locomotives in Laurel

Girls:

Great Falls @ Senior, 7:30...Battle for 4th in the Eastern AA...watch Senior's Kylie Kufeld...just looks like a basketball player...

Red Lodge @ Shepherd, 7:30...Shepherd is 13-0, one of only three remaining unbeatens in all of Class B...keep your eye on 5'3" Guard Whitney Baustadt and 6'1" Forward Jillian Stanek...great inside-out combo

That's it! Don't forget to tune in to Q2 at 5:30 for a preview of Plenty Coups' chase for a perfect regular season and 10:00 for all of you prep highlights and scores.

Later!

-Casey

Woo-Hoo!

2008-02-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

What a day for Lakers fans! (like myself...die-hard since '85). Here are the details of the trade with the Memphis Grizzlies:

Lakers Get:

Pau Gasol
Grizzlies 2010 2nd Round Pick

Grizzlies Get:

Kwame Brown (thank you for taking him!)
Javaris Crittendon
Aaron Mckie
Lakers 2008 1st Round Draft Pick
Lakers 2010 1st Round Draft Pick
Rights to Marc Gasol (Pau's brother)

Lakers make out huge in this deal. Let's talk about what they get rid of first: Brown, maybe the worst low-post player in the history of basketball...will hurt you more than help you...Crittendon, a young, raw rookie point guard who could develip into a good talent, but the Lakers are happy with the progress of Jordan Farmar, so Critterndon becomes dispensable...Mckie, who was signed today for salary-cap purposes (he won't play for the Grizzlies)...and two 1st rounders likely to be in the 20's based on the talent the Lakers have now.

Right now, here is what the Lakers now put on the court:

G Derek Fisher
G Kobe Bryant
F Luke Walton / Ronny Turiaf
F Lamar Odom
C Pau Gaosl

That's a potent lineup as it is, with Kobe, Odom, and Gasol all able to score the ball in different ways. Plus, Gasol gives us even more rebounding on one of the tallest teams in the league already.

But then you take into account what this lineup will be when Andrew Bynum returns:

G Derek Fisher
G Kobe Bryant
F Lamar Odom
F Pau Gasol
C Andrew Bynum

Bench: Walton, Turiaf, Farmar, Vujacic, Ariza (when he returns from a foot injury in mid-March)

Wow! That is as potent a lineup as there is in the NBA now. The Lakers go from a middle-of-the-road Western Playoff team to a legit Championship contender. It's now the Lakers, Mavs, and Spurs. Hornets and Suns are just a step behind.

Let's go Lakers!

Well, I was half-right...

2008-01-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

Kansas State was the Jayhawks toughest test of the season. Unfortunately, a little too tough. K-State plays very well behind Beasley and Bill Walker (high-school teammate of USC Star O.J. Mayo), and win 84-75. Kansas was never closer than 6 in the 2nd half.

K-State is a very dangerous team...their top three scorers got 67 last night...I'm guessing by the end of the year they will be a top-15 program and possibly even a 3-seed (although more likely a 4) in the NCAA Tourney. Not to mention Beasley is likely the #1 Overall Pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Great skills for the lefty.

Played Basketball with some buddies last night. A guy at Q2 told us a couple of weeks ago about a game he regularly plays in on Wednesday night's, and a few of us have started to come along. Last night we made an all-Q2 team (only 4 of us, so we threw in one of the guys' buddies who came along). We went 1-2...should have won at least our last game to go 2-1. We played very well in our lone win...winning 15-4 by 1's and 2's. It's a really fun game, so we always look forward to Wednesday nights.

On to tonight...the most exciting matchup in the area has to be Bridger at Plenty Coups Boys...Plenty Coups comes in undefeted at 16-0...Bridger at 15-1, with their only loss being to Plenty Coups earlier in the year, 67-61. Plenty Coups scores 83 points per game behind 6'6" Buddy Door and 6'7" Alton Smart Enemy...they're fun to watch...

For the girls...get out to Laurel to see the Lady Locomotives host Columbus...watch Columbus's Hannah Counter...one of the better players in the region...

Back to work tomorrow...but not tonight! So I'm out...goin to dinner. Later!

-Casey

Hello Billings!

2008-01-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

It's good to be here. If you're wondering what this blog will be about, it'll be a little bit of everything in the sports world. Of course, my thoughts on the Billings sports scene will take up a lot of space, I'll also weigh in on statewide and national stories, as well as interesting articles, websites, videos, etc. I come across that I feel you should take a look at.

Anyways...here we go!

Only one event in town last night...West at Skyview Boys Basketball...Skyview is such an exciting team to watch (major props to 1st year head coach Toby Hill). His Falcons may be the only team that actually can run with West. They can also shoot the lights out with Jordan Clark, Cole Cavan, and Chris Thrower. Not to mention the lightning bolt that is Mike Clause off the bench.

They're record is not as good as they've played, mainly because they always seem to have one quarter where they go cold an get lost on defense (see last week's Bozeman game when they dominated the 1st half and then scored 3 points in the 3rd...lost 51-40.) But they're only getting better...they stuck with the undefeated Bears last night, cutting their deficit to as few as 5 in the 3rd quarter, before losing by 13, West's smallest margin of victory of the season.

Speaking of the Bears...wow, do they look good! After watching Casper Natrona handle Senior last Friday night, I thought they would give West a big challenge. Then West goes out and wins by 21 in a game that wasn't that close.

The Bears can do it all, especially offensively. Casey Rogers (heading to Carroll next year) is the ultimate point guard...great court vision, very smart, good shooter, plus he is the unquestioned leader of that team. He's a big reason West is the only undefeated team left in the AA. But he's got tons of help.

The Bears have a great post game with Eric Halverson, Mitchell Craig, and Ben King. King was especially impressive last night...absolutely owning the offensive glass and getting a couple of huge three-point plays in the 1st half. Joel Reitz and Peter Stordahl are big helps in the backcourt as well (Stordahl had a lay-up last night that was as impressive as any I've seen this season...up an under two defenders with his left.) The Bears are definitely the favorite to repeat as State Champs.

Gotta go for now...I'm off on Wednesdays and Thursdays...huge game for me tonight on the college scene...#2 Kansas at #24 Kansas State, 6:00 PM on ESPNU...I've been a Jayhawks fan since birth (dad is a Kansas alum)...but K-State is definitely going to be our toughest test so far...Michael Beasley is an absolute beast on the court, averaging 25 and 13...leading rebounder in the country.

I think we'll take 'em though. We're the deepest team in the country, especially in the front-court. We're just fun to watch. The way basketball is supposed to be played. Should be the best game on tonight.

Talk to you later!

-Casey

Welcome!

2008-01-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Casy Conlon's Sports X-tra blog.

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