Kenneth Harrison
Go Dogs!
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are about one month away from the 2018 high school football season. North Gwinnett won the 7A state championship last season. The Bulldogs beat Colquitt County 19-17 on a last second field goal to win the game.
Coming into the season, they are ranked as the preseason No. 1 team. They will have a very tough time defending the title but I think it is possible.
The top recruit on the team is cornerback DJ Turner II. He’s a three-star prospect and committed to Michigan. He’s 6’0 tall so has good size for a defensive back. The other corner, Warren Burrell is also 6 feet tall and ranked the 66th recruit in Georgia. He received offers from Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, NC State, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
There is another highly recruited member of the secondary, safety Quinton Newsome. He fits in the new mold of bigger safeties like Keanu Neal, standing at 6’2 and 180 pounds. He has 20 offers from schools like Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss and Cal. North Gwinnett has one of the best secondaries in the state.
Running back Tyler Goodson is also a three-star player and he committed to Iowa. He’s 5’10, 192 pounds and he’s a quick, shifty back. Last year he rushed for 1,315 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also had 18 receptions and 4 receiving TD’s.
The season begins with a tough opponent, No. 3 Brookwood at Mercedes Benz Stadium. The Broncos were 11-3 last season and won their region. They advanced to the state semifinals, so they plan on building on that in 2018.
Both teams are very talented so I’m not sure who will have the advantage in this early season match up.
After a bye week, the second game is in Apopka, Florida versus Wekiva High School. The Mustangs should be a pretty good challenge and Florida teams are known for speed. I expect North Gwinnett to come out victorious.
Norcross comes to town the following week. The Blue Devils are looking to bounce back and return to being an elite team. After winning back-to-back state titles in 2012 and 2013, they’ve been relatively quiet. They are talented but I don’t think they have what it takes to beat North Gwinnett.
Game 4 is at Walton, a Cobb County powerhouse. Walton beat North Gwinnett in last year’s season opener, 31-28.
This should be a very tough game and the Raiders have one of the best players in the state, wide receiver Dominick Blaylock. He is the No. 4 prospect in the state and a four-star recruit. He committed to UGA and I know he will want to shine against this secondary. I think the Bulldogs will be too strong for Walton.
Discovery High is the next game. The school opened in 2015 so it’s one of the newest schools in Gwinnett County. The Bulldogs beat them 41-7 in 2017 and this year will be the same.
On September 28th they travel to Lawrenceville, GA to play Mountain View. The Bears are led by defensive tackle Jaelin Humphries.
The four-star recruit has committed to Florida and he’s one of the best defensive linemen in Georgia. This will be a close game.
The remaining four games are against Mill Creek, Collins Hill, Duluth and Peachtree Ridge. The only easy win in the group is Duluth. The remaining teams should compete and play well but I give the Bulldogs the edge.
They should finish the season 9-1, 8-2 at the worst. They will be in position to make another run in the playoffs to win the championship.
The Super Teams
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA season is over and Golden State won another championship. I’m sure that surprised nobody. I have to wonder if dynasties are bad for the NBA? In addition, can a team be assembled that can stop them?
I have to admit Kevin Durant didn’t invent the super team. The 1998-99 Houston Rockets had Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley, two perennial All-Stars. It was a lockout shortened season and Scottie Pippen was traded to the Rockets in exchange for Roy Rogers and a 2nd round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft (Jake Voskuhl was later selected).
There were chemistry problems with the three super stars. Despite averaging a career high in minutes per game with 40.2 and finishing 4th in the NBA in minutes played, Pippen averaged 14.5 points per game, his lowest since his rookie year, and he made a career-low 43.2 percent of his shots. He also averaged 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists and was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team for the 8th time.
Barkley played 42 regular-season games and managed 16.1 points on .478 shooting and 12.3 rebounds per game. Houston finished the season with a 31-19 record. They lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers 3-1. This is a perfect example of super stars teaming up and failing.
The 2003-04 Lakers are another example. LA won three consecutive titles before San Antonio won it all in 2002-03. Los Angeles responded by adding Gary Payton and Karl Malone to the roster. On paper, they seemed to be one of the most talented teams ever assembled but they lost to Detroit in the Finals, 4-1.
The modern template for great players teaming up is the 2010-11 Miami Heat. LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in South Beach. That team made it to four consecutive NBA Finals and won two of them.
We have seen examples that the perceived team with more talent does not always win. Right now, Golden State is head and shoulders above the rest of the league. The Warriors were 73-9 in 2015-16, which was the best record ever. They lost to Cleveland in the Finals. After that season, Durant joined them and the rest is history.
Now I have to wonder if anything can slow the Warriors down? Durant has said that he plans to re-sign with the team.
Mychal Thompson, former NBA player and father of guard Klay Thompson revealed that his son likely will not sign a contract extension with Golden State this summer.
That will drastically affect the team if Thompson leaves. Him paired with Steph Curry is the best backcourt in the league. He’s also one of the best three-point shooters in the game.
We do not have an idea of where Thompson will land. The biggest names in free agency are LeBron and Paul George. They are rumored to head to LA and join forces. Kawhi Leonard is still under contract with San Antonio but he is demanding a trade. Los Angeles is also his desired destination according to the media. Boston is also a rumored landing spot.
We will have a better idea of how everything will play out when free agency officially begins. I can’t foresee another team being able to overtake the Warriors in 2018-19 but we can only hope.
Back To the Future
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Here we go again, in the middle of the NBA Finals. For the fourth year in a row Cleveland and Golden State are playing. I expected the Warriors to dominate and win another championship and so far, they have not disappointed.
The first two games were in Oakland and the Warriors maintained home court advantage. They won Game 1, 124-114 in overtime. The biggest moment of the game came with 4.7 seconds left in regulation. George Hill missed a free throw and J.R. Smith grabbed the offensive rebound in the lane. He ran behind the three-point line and dribbled the ball out, expecting a teammate to call a time out.
“I just thought we were going to call a timeout. Because I got the rebound, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t shoot it over KD,” Smith said of Kevin Durant. “If I thought we were ahead, I would have just held on to the ball so they could foul me. Clearly that wasn’t the case.”
LeBron James played amazing, scoring 51 points, snatching 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Kevin Love also added 21 points and 13 boards.
Game 2 was a blow out win for Golden State, 122-103. Steph Curry was the star of the game hitting an NBA Finals-record nine 3-pointers and scoring 33 points.
”Pretty special night,” Curry said, ”and hopefully some more special things happen and we get two more wins.”
Kevin Durant scored 26 points to go with 9 rebounds and 7 assists while also mainly guarding LeBron. Klay Thompson added 20 points playing on a tender left leg. Surprisingly, JaVale McGee scored 12 points, making all six of his shots in his first career NBA Finals start as Kerr made a lineup switch that proved spot on.
James followed up his 51-point performance in Game 1 with 29 points, 13 assists and 9 rebounds in a far tamer finals sequel and a much more lopsided one.
Kevin Love had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the cold-shooting Cavs, who will now try to gain some momentum back home. Game 3 is Wednesday night in Cleveland.
”We want to continue to be uncomfortable,” James said. ”Just because we’re going home doesn’t mean we can relax.”
Cleveland has looked so overmatched that I know they cannot win this series. I think the best chance they have to win a game will be Game 3. The home court advantage should provide a boost to the team.
They only have two-star players, James and Love. The absence of Kyrie Irving is very apparent in this series. The Cavs honestly have a roster loaded with role players. I’m not sure how J.R. Smith is good enough to be the starting point guard on a playoff team but he consistently plays most of the games.
Maybe it’s premature to says that the series is over because we have seen strange things occur. If you recall back in 2016 Golden State was 73-9, the best record ever. They had a 3-1 series lead over Cleveland but the Cavs came back and won the championship.
I know that will not happen this time but hopefully they can steal a couple of games to make this series competitive.
Who’s Next?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA season is almost over and we already know the draft order for the upcoming 2018 draft.
One of the weaker divisions is the Southeast. Three of the teams (Atlanta, Orlando & Charlotte) are picking in the top eleven. Another southern team (Memphis) is in the Western Conference and they have a top five pick. Let’s take a look at the biggest needs for each of these teams.
Atlanta (24-58) had the worst record in the East so they can improve in several areas. The Hawks actually have three first round picks (No. 3, 19, 30) so they have a chance to vastly improve the talent on their roster. In the NBA you need a superstar player to win and sell tickets.
A big man would be the biggest need, either a power forward or center. The top option if available is Marvin Bagley III from Duke. He’s a 6’10 center/power forward that averaged 21 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game and made 61.4% of his shot attempts. He is a great rebounder so he will get easy shots. He can help the team win now and give them a marquee franchise player for the first time since Dominique Wilkins.
I expect Atlanta to select a guard with the 19th pick. By that time all of the big names will be off the board. I believe someone like Anfernee Simons will still be available. He was the No. 7 player in the class of 2018. The 6’4 guard from Orlando played at IMG Academy this past season.
He will be able to go straight to the NBA through a loophole. He graduated from Edgewater High in his hometown and spent a post-grad year at IMG Academy. He has talent but he has not faced college competition, so he is a mystery.
I think Atlanta will trade the 30th pick so I’m not sure who they would select.
Memphis (22-60) had the second worst record in the league. They also are forced to play in the tough Western Conference even though geographically they don’t belong. Michigan State center Jaren Jackson Jr. might be a good fit. At 6’11 and 235 pounds, he needs to put on weight in the NBA.
He averaged 10.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 3 blocks per game. He is able to step outside as well as protect the rim. He is probably a couple years away from making a consistent contribution. If he can mature physically and mentally, he can become a perennial All-Star.
Orlando (25-57) was the second worst team in the East. The Magic have had some amazing players in their fairly short history like Shaq, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis. Hopefully, they can get another transcendent star with this pick. Duke center Wendell Carter would be the ideal selection.
Wendell was overshadowed by Bagley at Duke but he was not far behind him in terms of production. He averaged 13.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG and 2.1 BPG. He’s 6’10 and 250 lbs. so he has a frame ready for the NBA. I think he can become an elite player that the Magic can build around in the future.
Michael Jordan’s team (36-46) just finished another subpar season. The Hornets franchise has not had much success after they were resurrected as the Bobcats. Alabama guard Collin Sexton would be a great pick. He will be Kemba Walker’s successor at point guard.
Walker was explosive last year, averaging 19.2 PPG and 3.6 APG. He may only be 6’1 but he should be able to score at will at the next level.
LeBron Gone?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’m not going to lie to you, the NBA has been difficult to watch for the last few years. It started in 2010 when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach to form a super team. It almost becomes a forgone conclusion of who the best team is before the season begins.
Kevin Durant followed the same plan and joined Golden State in 2016. As you may remember, the Warriors were 73-9 the season before Durant joined. Golden State is clearly the best team in the NBA and I cannot imagine anyone beating them.
We do have some interesting developments in the Eastern Conference this season though. Since the 2010 season, LeBron has terrorized the East and played in 7 consecutive NBA Finals. He has always had a great supporting cast around him after his first stint in Cleveland.
We finally saw that change last summer when Kyrie Erving requested a trade, which was extremely unexpected. Once he went to Boston, it felt like the balance of power shifted in the East. It’s scary to think that two of their best players, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are not playing the rest of the season due to injuries.
The Cavs struggled through the season with a 50-32 record and they were the 4th seed in the East. They looked very inconsistent all year, so I did not expect much from them in the playoffs. They swept the No. 1 seed Toronto Raptors in the second round so it appeared as if they were peaking at the right time.
In Game 1 in Boston the Celtics dominated from the opening tip, winning 108-83. Celtics forward Marcus Morris started his first game this post season and he had to guard James. Morris surprisingly outplayed LeBron and held him relatively in check.
Morris scored 21 points and added 10 rebounds while forcing James into a playoff-high 7 turnovers and a playoff-low 15 points.
“I have zero level of concern at this stage,” said James, who was 5 for 16 from the floor and missed all five 3-point attempts.
“I’ve been down before in the postseason, but for me there’s never any level of concern — no matter how bad I played tonight, with seven turnovers, how inefficient I was shooting the ball,” he said. “We have another opportunity to be better as a ball club coming in Tuesday night, and we’ll see what happens.”
King James is right to stay calm after the blowout loss in Game 1. Realistically I can’t foresee things getting much better for the Cavs. I know they will play better at home but the Celtics overall are a better team even though they are going up against the best player in the game.
Jaylen Brown scored 23 points and Al Horford had 20 for Boston. The leading scorer for Cleveland was Kevin Love with 17 points and he was only the second player on the team with double figures.
It’s ironic to think that LeBron’s first term in Cleveland ended with a playoff loss to the Celtics. When it happens again this year he will leave for a second time.
Small Titans Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Tennessee Titans made their first playoff appearance since 2008 last season. They had a 9-7 record and finished second in the AFC South behind Jacksonville. They also won in the first round of the playoffs against Kansas City.
The biggest team weakness was on the defensive side of the ball. They ranked 13th in total defense, which is not bad but they ranked 25th in pass defense. They tried to address some of those needs in the draft.
Draft picks: Alabama LB Rashaan Evans (No. 22), Boston College EDGE Harold Landry (No. 41), Arizona S Dane Cruikshank (No. 152), Washington State QB Luke Falk (No. 199)
The Titans did not have a lot of draft picks but they addressed needs with the first two picks. This was the smallest draft class in Titans history so that was an understatement.
Avery Williamson departed in free agency (Jets). Evans is an attacker that played in a complex pro style scheme at Alabama so he should contribute immediately.
Evans made the All-SEC team in 2017 and he won two national championships. He had 13 tackles for loss and 6 sacks last year. A lot will be asked of him in Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Dean Pees’s system.
In the second round, Tennessee traded up to get late first-round projected edge rusher Harold Landry. He will have this year to develop because Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan are both in the final years of their contracts.
2016 second-rounder Kevin Dodd has not developed because he fits a classic 4-3, not a flexible 3-4, like Tennessee ran under Dick LeBeau and will run in a slightly different way under first-time head coach Mike Vrabel.
Landry’s best season was his junior year in 2016. He had 50 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks and an interception. He was drastically less productive as a senior with only 8.5 TFL’s and 5 sacks.
Landry has some good measurable, standing 6’2 and 252 pounds. He ran a 4.64 40 yard-dash and he benched 24 reps at the combine.
Dane Cruikshank was picked in the fifth round. He primarily played cornerback in college but will probably play safety in the NFL.
“Whatever they need me to play, I’m willing to play,” Cruikshank said. “I feel like I can do it all, so I don’t think I’ll have trouble playing free safety or strong safety. I can tackle, I can play in the box, I can roll to the post, so it doesn’t matter to me.”
As a senior in 2017 he recorded 75 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, five pass breakups and a forced fumble in 13 games. Two of those picks were against Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold, two of the four quarterbacks drafted in the top 10 in the first round.
The final pick was a head scratcher, Washington State QB Luke Falk. Tennessee is set at the position with Marcus Mariota as the franchise quarterback. I thought they should have tried to add a weapon on offense instead of drafting a back up QB.
Grade: B-
NFL Draft Winners and Losers
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2018 NFL Draft is in the books and we have an idea of what teams addressed their biggest needs. I’m going to take a look around the NFL at a couple of the biggest winners and losers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs ranked dead last in total defense in 2017, giving up 378 yards per game. They selected Washington DT Vita Vea (No. 12) to strengthen the interior defensive line.
UNC DB M.J. Stewart was the second-round selection and Auburn CB Carlton Davis was picked in the third round. They will probably compete for the nickel corner since Tampa Bay already has Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves.
Doug Martin has moved on to Oakland so they also had a void to fill at running back. USC RB Ronald Jones (No. 38) should be able to step in and contribute from day one.
Humboldt State OG Alex Cappa (No. 94) has the potential to help open holes for Jones. Grade: A
Cleveland Browns: This team needs a complete overhaul after going winless last season. The year before that they were a miserable 1-15. With the first pick they got Heisman Trophy winning QB Baker Mayfield from Oklahoma. He has some off the field red flags you probably already heard of. He also doesn’t have the ‘prototypical’ height for a quarterback but this is a high risk/high reward pick.
Then they selected Ohio State CB Denzel Ward with the fourth pick. Even though they passed stud defensive end Bradley Chubb, I like this pick. I have the most faith in Ward to pan out and be a perennial Pro Bowler. The second-round picks were Nevada OG Austin Corbett (No. 33) and Georgia RB Nick Chubb (No. 35).
I think pairing Chubb with Carlos Hyde could be a potent 1-2 punch. The lone third rounder was Miami DE Chad Thomas. The Browns are trying to get some help for last year’s No. 1 pick Myles Garrett. Grade: B+
Dallas Cowboys: One of the biggest needs was wide receiver, even before Dez Bryant was released. They addressed the need by drafting Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (No. 19). It’s odd because he does not fill any immediate need.
Texas OG Connor Williams was picked in the second round. The Cowboys have perhaps the best offensive line in the NFL so they just added to that strength. They finally selected Colorado State WR Michael Gallup in the third round. Dallas is so thin at receiver that Gallup could start instantly. Grade: C-
Seattle Seahawks: Many of the players that led Seattle to the 2013 Super Bowl are gone. The formula that made them elite was a power running game and great defense led by the secondary.
They selected San Diego St RB Rashaad Penny (No.27) and that was a reach. He might become a decent player but he’s not a game changer.
Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham left in free agency and they picked his replacement in the fourth round (Will Dissly). USC DE Rasheem Green (No. 79) is a pretty good pick and he will help rush the passer. UCF LB Shaquem Griffin (No. 141) is a great feel good story and he will likely contribute on special teams.
In one of the more head scratching moves of the draft the Seahawks drafted Texas punter Michael Dickson three picks later. Yes, you read that right, they drafted a punter.
The last pick also seemed like a waste, FIU QB Alex McGough. Grade: D
Spring Buzz
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Tech finished 2017 with a 5-6 record. It makes the second time in three years that the Yellow Jackets missed a bowl game and had a losing record. So, the logical thing for athletic director Todd Stansbury to do was give head coach Paul Johnson a two-year contract extension through the 2022 season.
This was the eleventh spring game in the CPJ era. One major change was made in an effort to get Tech back on track. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof was fired after the season and replaced by Nate Woody. The defense now runs a 3-4 scheme.
Only 8,500 fans showed up to watch. This could be because there are many things to do in Atlanta on a Friday night or the fan base is tired of coach Johnson. The Blue team beat the White team 21-14.
Several players sat out with injuries. Quarterback TaQuon Marshall did not play after showing up to the training room Friday morning with strep throat. Center Kenny Cooper suffered a lower-leg injury in last Saturday’s scrimmage that required surgery. Guard Parker Braun and offensive tackles Andrew Marshall and Jake Stickler also were out, Marshall for the entirety of the spring.
Defensive end Desmond Branch missed the scrimmage to attend his brother’s wedding in New Mexico. Likely starting safeties A.J. Gray and Jalen Johnson were out all of the spring with injuries.
Freshman quarterback Tobias Oliver led the white team and redshirt sophomore Lucas Johnson led the blue team.
After a slow start, Johnson drove the Blue-team offense on touchdown drives of 70, 74 and 55 yards, along with a field-goal drive of 54 yards. He was 5-for-17 with one touchdown and one interception. He had completions of 53, 33 and 35 yards and finished with 143 yards.
I think the low completion percentage (29%) is a problem. I know Johnson is competing for the backup position but this has been an issue under Johnson. For instance, last season’s starter TaQuon Marshall completed 37.1% of his passes. Johnson has failed to develop and intermediate passing game since coming to Atlanta. It seems like every pass play is a long down field pass.
Senior A-back Clinton Lynch looked like he returned to his old form. He had 28 yards on three carries and 33-yard touchdown reception. Lynch failed to reach the end zone as a junior after scoring 16 touchdowns as a freshman and sophomore.
The defense played fairly well, led by linebacker Brant Mitchell with five tackles for loss, contributing to eight total for the Blue-team (first-string) defense.
“We blitzed like crazy (Friday),” Mitchell said with a smile.
It was only a scrimmage so we have to take the defensive performance with a grain of salt. The first-string defense had nine tackles for loss in last year’s spring game and went on to record 4.3 per game last season, lowest in the ACC. The first-string offensive line was also missing two starters.
“You’ve got a good nucleus back,” Johnson said. “I mean, we’ve got nine starters coming back on offense. Defensively, if we can create some negative plays and get some sacks, get off the field, who knows?”
There is not a lot to be optimistic about as a Georgia Tech fan but hopefully they are on the right path to get back to a bowl game in 2018.
Auburn Spring Game
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Auburn is one of the traditional powers in college football. The Tigers had a great 2017 finishing 10-4 and 7-1 in the SEC. They beat both teams that played in the national championship game, Georgia and Alabama. They did lose the rematch with UGA in the SEC Championship. They also lost the Peach Bowl to UCF.
Star running back Kerryon Johnson declared for the NFL Draft after the season. Auburn will have to replace his 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns.
One positive going into the 2018 season is they have finally found another quality quarterback to run Gus Malzahn’s offense in Jarrett Stidham. Stidham completed 66% of his passes for 3,158 yards and 18 TD’s. He did not play in the spring game.
In the A-Day game defense dominated. Auburn’s first-team defense held the second-team offense to minus-five yards in the first half and the quarterbacks combined to go 15 of 39 for 90 yards.
“We’re going to be top 10 this year,” defensive end Marlon Davidson said. “We’re going to be top 5; maybe even top 1. That’s how we feel. That’s how we’re going to carry it.”
I’m trying to not believe the hype. I think the defense can be very good but defense typically dominates the offense in spring or early in the season. It is worth noting that the Tigers have vastly improved over the past two years under defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.
In 2017 they had their best year in pass and total defense since 2008. Auburn ranked 12th in scoring defense and 14th in total defense last season and has ample depth returning, particularly in the front seven.
“Our pillars for success is that we want to be relentless in pursuit,” Steele said. “Effort is being coached at a high level on every day, on every play. Effort is an eraser. When somebody makes a mistake, effort will erase a mistake. Then we’ve worked really hard on physical fundamentals, being physical with your fundamentals. So, really, really good in fundamentals. And then, of course, tackling. We’ve done a lot within the framework of how much you can tackle. So, the proper tackling technique.”
The defense constantly pressured Auburn’s two younger quarterbacks, forcing several interceptions from Malik Willis and Joey Gatewood. They also forced fumbles from several players.
On A-Day, Nick Coe led a defensive line unit that combined for 6.5 of 11 tackles for loss, including two sacks, one from Coe, which led to a safety.
“Our defense has a chance to be really good,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “… I think we’ve got some quality depth upfront. We’ve got quality depth at the linebacker position too. I know coach Steele’s focus was on the backend, putting all the pieces to the puzzle. I think overall they’ve done a very solid job.”
The final score was Orange: 18, Blue: 10. My takeaway is that Auburn is expecting to have a great defense in 2018 and I think that is realistic. I don’t put a lot of stock in the A-Day defensive performance though because they did not face their first team quarterback.
We will see if they can live up to their potential when the season begins September 1st versus Washington in Atlanta.
The Madness Ends
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The biggest game in men’s college basketball was played Monday, April 2, 2018.
The national championship game featured two great teams, Villanova (36-4) and Michigan (33-8). Both of them are blue blood programs that have had great success recently.
The Wildcats just won a national championship in 2016. Villanova became the first school in 31 years, since the 1985 Villanova Wildcats, to not only beat four top-three seeds on the way to a national title but to also beat four straight opponents ranked in the AP top 10, in addition to beating AP ranked Iowa in the Round of 32.
Michigan last played in the national championship game in 2013. They lost to Louisville 82 – 76. The Wolverines had won a national championship in all the way back in 1989.
These teams are led by veterans, which is very different from what college basketball has been over the last decade. Typically, highly recruited freshman lead programs like Duke, Kansas or Kentucky to the Final Four.
The leading scorer for the Wildcats is junior guard Jalen Brunson. He averages 19.2 points per game and he makes 52.7% of his shots. Brunson is the National Player of the Year.
His backcourt mate is also a junior guard, Mikal Bridges. Bridges is the second leading scorer on the team with 17.6 ppg and he shoots 51% from the field.
They have very good shooting percentages and it’s rare for star players to make at least half of their shots. We normally see volume shooters that rely on taking so many shots that some have to go in.
Redshirt sophomore guard Donte DiVincenzo averages 13 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.5 assists per game.
The Wildcats beat Michigan convincingly 79-62. Villanova won all six games by double digits over this tournament run, joining Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001) and North Carolina (2009) in that rare air.
“I thought we played our best game in the championship game,” coach Jay Wright said.
DiVencenzo aka Big Ragu came off the bench and led all scorers with 31 points. He shot 10 of 15 and 5 for 7 from three-point range. This great performance won him the most outstanding player in the Final Four.
“The way DiVincenzo shot the ball, it was just incredible for us to try to win that game with the roll he went on,” Michigan coach John Beilein said.
Bridges finished with 19 points and he’s expected to enter the NBA draft. Surprisingly Brunson struggled, only scoring 9 points and making 4 of 13 shots.
Jay Wright boosted his credentials for the Naismith Hall of Fame and put himself in elite company. The only other two active Division I college basketball coaches with multiple championships are Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (5) and North Carolina’s Roy Williams (3).
The Wildcats have been outstanding over the past five years. They are 165-21 since the start of the 2013-14 season, a stretch that includes a pair of national championships and a combined seven Big East regular season or tournament titles.
This was an interesting season because it seemed like there were more scandals than usual. It was great to end the year with a dominating performance by a great team.
