Final Test and Random Thoughts

By: Dustin Dietz I took my final college test before I graduate next month this past Wednesday, and the feeling was very surreal. What seemed almost impossible some 5 years ago when I had no intention of ever attending college has now become a reality. The time has passed by so rapidly, I feel as if I just started college 6 months ago. I have learned so much in my short time in school as I have matured and discovered so many wonderful things I considered uninteresting before. For example, I used to feel reading and writing were both a waste of time before I enrolled in school. Now, I feel as though reading and writing are two of my favorite things to do. With my education, I feel I am now better prepared to enter the work force than I was previously. Also, I now have an improved opportunity of achieving my dream of working in sports broadcasting or writing. Sorry, I totally forgot to delve into the test. I feel I earned a decent grade as I studied pretty rigorously for a few days. However, I did find this test to be one of the more difficult tests to study for based on the fact I knew in the back of my mind the test was going to be the final one I have to take. This isn't much of a segue, actually, this is not a segue at all, but I performed sideline reporting duties for Champion Sports Radio this past Friday night in the Plano West-Plano East football game. I enjoyed what I did, but I do have a new found respect for sideline reporters in general because it is hard. The one thing I had to do which I did not expect to be much of a problem was meddling along the sidelines when a player injured himself during the game. I did not exactly feel comfortable asking trainers how the injured players felt and if they were going to be able to return to play in the game. Also, interviewing the coaches was not as easy as I had expected. In the last two weeks, I have been able to view all 24 episodes of The Walking Dead. I had heard many great things about the show and was quite skeptical of whether or not I would enjoy the show because I am not too intrigued by zombies at all. However, after watching all of the episodes, The Walking Dead is now one of my favorite television programs. There is intense and riveting action action throughout the 45 minutes per episode. The show is pretty addictive. I recommend it to anyone who has not decided to watch it yet. Well, this is about all I have for my final blog entry. I enjoyed my time. I hope the reader has as well. Dustin Dietz

Wag The Dog and Final College Exam

By: Dustin Dietz We watched Wag The Dog in class this past Wednesday and I was looking forward to watching the film because I had never seen it, and Dustin Hoffman has always been one of my favorite actors. In fact, my parents named me after the superb actor. I still feel his finest work was in Midnight Cowboy and Rain Man, but that is another topic for another time. I enjoyed the movie, but I do not believe a situation like the one which occurs in the film has or will happen in the future. My problem with the plot line is if the US says they are at war with another country, wouldn't the other country involved be able to deny the fact they are at war with the US? An event like the one staged in the film would not be possible with how instantaneous information is in today's social media world. I also thought what Robert De Niro's character said about the future of warfare involving nuclear weapons being rather prophetic as nuclear weapons are an issue which the world deals with on a daily basis. I would recommend watching the film as the story line is very interesting, but I just do not believe the situation is very plausible. Our next class period, we will be taking our second and final exam. Since I will be graduating next month, the exam will be my last college test before graduation. The last three and a half years have flew by as I cannot really fathom I am about to receive my college degree. I will be graduating Magna Cum Laude, which is pretty amazing considering my grades were rather mediocre in high school. I am proud to say I am one of the first members of my family to be graduating college and I feel I am setting a great example for my son of how to take his schooling seriously when he is younger, and that hard work always pays off in the end. I still have a long way to go, but feel I am on the right track. Sorry to toot my own horn for a few sentences. The truth is I did not take anything very seriously as a young man and I regret my decisions as the poor choices I made set my potential career back 10 years. However, I feel as though I was at least able to correct my mistakes before I was too old. I am satisfied with the education I received at UNT, and look forward to the next phase of my life as I try to earn a career in the media world. Hopefully, things work out in the end. If not, I guess I could go back and install cable television. In case, one did not realize, I was being extremely sarcastic in the last sentence. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Go Cowboys and Go Mavericks.

Star Wars

By: Dustin Dietz This past class period, we discussed the phenomena behind the George Lucas film Star Wars. As many of us know, Star Wars is all around us everywhere we go. There are films, toys, clothes, cartoons, and many other items one will see daily, involved with the famous film. Today, I was in the Halloween Store purchasing my son a costume for this Wednesday evening, and I noticed close to 15 different types of Star Wars costumes for adults and children. Star Wars even had their own section of costumes. I have never quite understood the fascination with Star Wars and why the film is so popular. I realize the movie transcended film, but I have seen the movie many times and quite frankly do not understand why so many people have an obsession with the movie. My father was a huge fan of the series of films, and has taken me to all six of the Star Wars movies. I can see in my old man's eyes how much he enjoys watching storm troopers shoot laser guns, but I am pretty indifferent towards the entire film because I have never been particularly intrigued by fantasy and science fiction. Millions and millions of people live and die by Star Wars. I try to empathize with them because I obsess with Rangers baseball in the same manner. However, Rangers baseball begins every spring and is reality, while Star Wars has had 6 films in 35 years and is fiction. Star Wars fans dress up like their favorite Star Wars characters such as Darth Vadar and Luke Skywalker, and most of us who do not fantasize about saving the galaxy ridicule them for being nerds. The same people who tease Star Wars fans wear the favorite jersey of their favorite player to the stadium on game day to watch the game. I guess one could argue both actions are one in the same. Maybe I should do a better job of empathizing with Star Wars fans since I enjoy to escape my reality with another type of reality. After all, Star Wars fans are pretty much doing the same thing, except they are escaping their reality with something fictitious. I guess the best thing to do is accept those who enjoy the film and realize there is enough room in the world for both of us. Accepting the film is much better than the Star Trek fans who clash with Star Wars fans over which space fantasy is better. Now, that is certainly more counterproductive.

Gaming, not for me.

By: Dustin Dietz I have not kept up with my personal blog very much recently because I have begun writing for a few different websites, and I really have not had much time to write very much other than for those particular sites. However, I will be writing in my blog for the next few weeks because my Media in the 21st Century class requires I write in a blog once a week about a topic we discussed in class. So, without further ado, here is my attempt to discuss something other than sports. I am sure I will fail miserably. This past Wednesday, a gentleman who works in the gaming industry came and spoke to our class about his company, and the gaming industry in general. He discussed a few games I had never heard of, and how his company had fairly recently acquired the rights to sell Duke Nukem. The discussion about the gaming industry led me to realize how complex gaming has become, and what the hell has happened in the past 15 years which has caused me to become so indifferent towards gaming. Growing up, I loved to play video games. I remember playing Super Mario on the NES and Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis. I once went undefeated in a 162 game season in Ken Griffey Jr's Winning Run on Super Nintendo. The controllers had two or three buttons and the characters in the game were fairly simple to control. While the graphics were not incredibly realistic like they are today, the games were rather enjoyable because the games could be figured out without having to read a manual 4 times cover to cover. We all know how much men hate to read manuals. I cannot pinpoint the exact time when video games became so difficult to play, but if one does not have an engineering degree from an Ivy League school, one will find difficulty moving a player forwards or backwards on the screen. I feel a total disconnect in games today because I have no damn idea how to play them. The graphics have become too realistic and the controllers have 9,000 buttons on them. How is this more enjoyable to children? One would think with the advanced graphics, and complexity of the controllers, our children would be becoming more intelligent. Well, I do not have the exact numbers, but we seem to be warping at hyper speed to a reality closer to the one in Idiocracy than the ideal utopia excellent orators such as Cicero spoke of in ancient Rome. Gaming can be useful as the military uses video games for wartime simulations, and NASCAR drivers and poker players use gaming to hone their craft. However, when I see what gaming has done to my son, it appears gaming has had a pernicious effect on his social skills and his willingness to do activities outside in the sunlight. I hate to sound like an out of touch old dinosaur, but when it comes to gaming, I pretty much have. I miss the days of figuring out the code for Mike Tyson's Punchout, or discovering the whistle on Super Mario 3. Games today have become far too realistic and will eventually distort the reality of our youth. If you think I am overreacting, well, my son began to act like he was Ash from Pokemon after spending several hours playing Pokemon on his Nintendo DS. Also, he wanted me to buy him an exploding poke ball for his 10th birthday. The video game industry also has become extremely arrogant and has begun to rip off their consumers. Go to your local video game trade-in establishment and see what they charge for a new game, and what they will offer you for a game if you trade a game in to purchase a new one. I promise your butt will hurt shortly after you are done bartering with them. Am I waging war on the video game industry? No, I am not that much of a loser. But, I say we as parents force our children to go outside and do more physical activities. Limit their video game time, or sign them up in a soccer league or something. Or, more importantly, force them to read a damn book and learn something. If we are not careful, we all might become James Woods in Videodrome. (Obvious knee-jerk). PS - Please hurry back to baseball Rangers. We miss you. Follow me on Twitter @DustinDietz18 . If not, I do not blame you.

Odom was dreadful, but so was Mavs' front office.

The Dallas Mavericks arduous journey to the top of the NBA mountain last summer was one of the more unexpected championship runs not just in DFW sports history, but in the history of the NBA. Before the 2011 playoffs, Dirk Nowitki and the Mavs were known by many for their inexplicable playoff failures of the past. The 2006 NBA Finals debacle against the Miami Heat, and the embarrassing loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of 2007 playoffs come to mind.

The 2010-2011 Mavericks rid themselves of their past playoff demons, and put to rest all of the expert’s beliefs that this team was incapable of winning a championship with Dirk Nowitzki as the team’s leader. Many, including myself, thought the Mavs would lose in the 1st round to the Portland Trail Blazers. After a devastating loss in Game 4 in the Rose Garden, a game in which the Mavs held an 18 point lead going into the fourth, the Mavs’ doubters appeared to be correct in their assumption this team didn’t have the ability to win a title.

What happened after Game 4 in the first round can only be described as remarkable. The Mavs would win Games 5 and 6 against the Blazers, sweep the mighty Lakers in the second round, defeat Kevin Durant’s Thunder in five games in the Western Conference Finals, and sleigh the evil dragon known as the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

After years of playoff failures by the four major professional sports franchises, the Mavericks gave DFW the area’s first major professional sports championship this millennium. The city embraced the NBA champions with a parade in Victory Plaza which culminated with Dirk Nowitzki singing, “We Are the Champions” to a raucous AAC crowd.

The NBA lockout hit before the Maverick’s championship tour even ended. The team had several key players from the championship team which were entering free agency. Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson had to decide whether or not to spend the money to retain fan favorites Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, DeShawn Stevenson, and Caron Butler, or let them sign with another franchise to provide the team with financial flexibility in the summer of 2012 to have the opportunity to sign former The Colony High School product Deron Williams and Orland Magic center Dwight Howard.

When the lockout ended in December, the Mavs’ front office chose to let the four before mentioned free agents sign with other teams in order to have the financial flexibility so many teams covet. The most difficult loss to endure was Chandler, the man many felt was the heart and soul of the Mavericks championship team. Chandler was the tough, gritty, demonstrative center the franchise had been searching for throughout the franchise’s history. Rather than resign the 29 year old Chandler to a reasonable price of four years and $58 million dollars, the Mavericks chose to roll the dice on signing potential 2012 free agent center Dwight Howard. Howard is only three years younger than Chandler, and has caused numerous issues with head coach Stan Van Gundy during his time with the Magic. Plus, Chandler had just helped the Mavs win a ring, and really wanted to continue to play in Dallas. The move merits some bit of questioning considering how much Chandler was admired by fans and members within the organization, including Dirk Nowitzki. After the Magic and Howard agreed to exercise Howard’s 2012-2013 option before this past trade deadline, the move looks even more foolish.

To offset the losses of Chandler, Barea, Stevenson, Butler, and the retired Peja Stojakovic, the club signed Vince Carter, Delonte West, Brandan Wright, and traded for the enigmatic 2010-2011 sixth man of the year Lamar Odom. West and Wright have provided spark to the club, Carter has been decent with at least inspired effort, but the Odom trade has been a complete and utter disaster.

Odom went through what can be described as a tumultuous and horrifying off season after the Lakers were swept by the Mavs last May. Odom’s cousin was murdered, and Odom was a passenger in an SUV accident in which a teen cyclist was killed. Odom even admitted to falling out of shape after the traumatic events during the prolonged NBA lockout.

One can understand and sympathize with a man who experiences such unfortunate trauma, but to fall out of shape is inexcusable. Odom is a professional athlete. His job is to stay in shape and perform while earning millions of dollars.

Shortly after the lockout ended, Odom was part of a trade which sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. When the NBA blocked the trade, Odom demanded a trade from the Lakers after he felt disrespected by their organization. The Lakers did find a trade partner in the Mavericks, receiving a future 1st round selection from the Mavs in exchange for the sullen reality television star. The trade was a deal many felt was a steal considering the Mavs were receiving the reigning sixth man of the year for a draft pick the Mavs are notorious for not taking serious anyways.

The deal now can only be considered a ‘steal’ for the Lakers as Odom’s play has been nothing short of abysmal the entire season. Odom has posted career lows in all statistical categories during his time in Dallas, and has displayed a lack of effort only seen by clueless children during tee-ball games.

Odom mysteriously left the team in February to tend to an ‘ailing’ father while his wife Khloe was on The Tonight Show in Los Angeles, was sent down to the D-League Texas Legends (Odom never played for the Legends), and reportedly asked for a contract buyout in late February. Yet, the Mavs continued to play the man who perpetually displayed apathy and a lack of desire to be with the Mavs.

Mark Cuban referred to The Ticket hosts during the recent Ticketstock in February as ‘idiots’ for referring to Lamar Odom’s play as less than inspiring. Now, Mark Cuban looks like the idiot. One can easily blame Lamar Odom for his career lows of 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. However, I choose to blame the Mavs’ front office, and especially Mark Cuban for this catastrophe.

Cuban was the man who decided to let all of his free agents walk and trade for Odom after failing to do his due diligence on a player the mighty Lakers oddly no longer wanted. The front office decided continuing to play Odom was a wise move, despite an obvious lack of effort and cancerous affect on the franchise. Everyone with a basketball IQ could see Lam Lam never wanted to be part of this franchise, which is perplexing considering the Mavericks are the defending NBA champions. Dallas is not exactly NBA Siberia.

I cannot imagine Dallas coach Rick Carlisle wanted to continue to play Odom. Carlisle is a man who demands effort, and wants his players to show enthusiasm on the floor. After Saturday night’s atrocious effort in Memphis by Odom, Carlisle did not even want to speak to reporters about Odom. When asked about Odom’s play after the loss Saturday night, Dirk finished his locker room interview with an indignant, “I’m done talking about that.”

The only thing which makes any sense to me as to why the Mavs continued to play Odom was The Cubes did not want to admit failure on the December trade. Mark has a propensity to defend players, even when the player is obviously dogging it. Despite Mark continuing to have Odom’s back during this horrific stretch of play, Odom never played inspired ball for the Mavs. After Odom went scoreless in four minutes in Memphis last Saturday night, the organization had had enough.

On Monday morning, the Mavs and Odom came to an agreement Odom would be deactivated the rest of this season. Lamar will likely be bought out during the off season, which will cost the Mavs $2.4 million dollars. The 33-26 Mavericks, just two game in front of Utah for the last playoff spot, hope Odom’s subtraction is an addition.

Blaming Lamar Odom and his lackluster play for the Mavs’ struggles during this season is the low hanging fruit for one to grab at. The real reason the Mavericks have been struggling to defend their NBA championship this season is due to the poor decisions made before and during the strike shortened NBA season by the front office.

The front office chose not to resign Tyson Chandler. The front office chose not to resign Caron Butler and JJ Barea. The front office traded for Lamar Odom. And, the front office chose to continue to play Odom. The Mavs front office is as much to blame for Odom and the team’s poor play as Odom is.

If the Mavericks fail to make the playoffs, the 2011 off season should be viewed as one of the more obvious cases of mismanagement in DFW sports history. The only chance Cuban and the front office would have for redemption is to land Deron Williams, and or Dwight Howard. If the franchise cannot land a big free agent, it poignantly may be time to hit the franchise reset button and start over.

Follow Dustin Dietz on Twitter @DustinDietz18 .

2012 MLB Predictions

I have decided to publish my 2012 MLB predictions, and hope by me doing so I am not jinxing my favorite team. I promise to not allow my Ranger colored kool-aid I sip daily to affect my predictions. These predictions are truly what I feel will happen this coming season. I apologize if you feel I am an insane moron who knows little about the game of baseball.

National League

West
1. Arizona
2. San Francisco
3. Colorado
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. San Diego
* Not much changes in the West this season. San Francisco will challenge with their outstanding young pitching, but Arizona has excellent young pitching too. Zona can do what San Fran cannot, and that is hit the baseball.

Central
1. Cincinnati
2. St. Louis
3. Milwaukee
4. Pittsburgh
5. Chicago Cubs
105. Houston - The Astros are so atrocious, they will finish below last place in their own division. 110 losses is possible. The Disastros will be the most dreadful piece of dung in baseball since the 2003 Detroit Tigers.
* Cincy lost Ryan Madson for the season, but with Pujols and Prince in the AL, Cincy now has the best player in the division with Votto. They will recapture the Central flag. Watch out for St. Louis with new manager Mike Matheny at the helm.

East
1. Philadelphia
2. Miami
3. Washington
4. Atlanta
5. New York Mets
* Phils have injuries right now, but their pitching staff is far superior than the other teams in the division. Washington begins to announce their presence with some authority.

Wild Cards - San Francisco and Miami
NL Champion - Arizona
Manager of the Year - Mike Matheny (St. Louis)
Rookie of the Year - Dee Gordon (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Cy Young - Roy Halladay (Philadelphia)
MVP - Joey Votto (Cincinnati)

American League

West
1. Texas
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Seattle
4. Oakland
* Seattle is steadily improving, but they are nowhere near the Rangers and Angels. The West will be a two horse race all season. This divison race will provide fans with the most excitement in 2012.

Central
1. Detroit
10. Kansas City
11. Cleveland
20. Minnesota
56. Chicago White Sox
*No team is close talent wise to the Tigers. This division will be an absolute joke. Detroit might clinch the division in August. However, the Royals are improving, and could compete in the near future.

East
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay
3. Toronto
4. Boston
26. Baltimore - The only way Baltimore begins to compete in the AL East is if Bud Selig contracts the other four teams currently in the division.
* Yankees slightly better than Rays, but not by much. The Rays young pitching will make a push. Boston takes a step back with Bobby V steering the ship. Be wary of Toronto.

Wild Cards - Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay
AL Champion - Texas
Manager of the Year - John Farrell (Toronto)
Rookie of the Year - Yu Darvish (Texas)
Cy Young - Jered Weaver (Los Angeles Angels)
MVP - Robinson Cano (New York Yankees)

World Series
Texas over Arizona
* The Rangers become the first team since the 1923 Yankees to win the World Series after losing the previous two World Series. If the Rangers win the pennant, and lose a third consecutive World Series, I will no longer be able to follow sports.
Enjoy the season everyone. 2012 should be a blast.

Pay attention DFW, 2012 Final Four should be epic.

I can remember a time when the Final Four was one of the biggest events of the year for the sports fan. As a child, I enjoyed the three weeks of March Madness basketball more than anything the professional ranks offered because the Mavericks were a NBA laughingstock, and I had little interest in seeing my hometown team be used as a league doormat. The only reason to tune into the NBA at the time was to see what Michael Jordan was going to add to his lengthy highlight reel.
When I would play basketball as a child in the early to mid-1990’s, I would imagine I was the sharp shooting Randy Rutherford draining three pointers for Oklahoma State, or Toby Bailey throwing down a monstrous reverse jam for UCLA. I had no interest in pretending to be spares like Doug Smith or Cherokee Parks of the Dallas Mavericks. Quite frankly, the Dallas Mavericks were an uncool team to root for at the time. College basketball and the NCAA tournament was king and had all the nostalgia to preadolescent Dustin at the time. While the NBA now dominates college basketball in terms of popularity, I still have a place in my heart for the NCAA Tournament.
I realize there are currently many other options other than college basketball for the DFW sports fan. However, if one is tired of the uselessness and pathetic play of the enigmatic Lamar Odom, I ask you to watch the final three games of what is turning out to be an entertaining NCAA Tournament this year.
The 2012 Final Four features four preeminent basketball programs in search of adding another championship to their already illustrious histories. Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, and Kansas together have combined for 49 Final Four appearances and 13 NCAA championships. This Final Four does not feature any upstart Cinderella like George Mason, Butler, or Virginia Commonwealth. Rather, this year’s Final Four features four college basketball heavyweights ready to duke it out to achieve college basketball immortality.
New Orleans will be the site of this year’s Final Four for the first time since 2003, when a couple of players named Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara helped lead Syracuse to an upset win over Kansas. The dome formerly known as the Superdome has a propensity for producing extraordinary Final Four title games such as Michael Jordan hitting a clutch game winner in 1982 for North Carolina, Keith Smart’s swish from the baseline to defeat Syracuse in 1987, and Chris Webber’s timeout for the Fab Five Michigan team when his team did not have any left in 1993. One can only imagine what fans are in store for this year.
Enough of my spiel, here is a preview of this weekend’s match-ups and my prediction for who will be crowned champion next Monday night in the Big Easy.
(4) Louisville (30-9) vs (1) Kentucky (36-2)
Many feel the national semifinal between Louisville and Kentucky is the real title game, particularly those who live in the state of Kentucky. This weekend’s game between the two schools located 80 miles apart is the first Final Four match-up between instate rivals since the 1962 championship game played between Cincinnati and Ohio State. The schools have met in the NCAA tournament four times, splitting the meetings. The schools met on New Year’s Eve in Lexington, a game won by Kentucky 69-62.
Kentucky is the real deal, and is by far the most talented team in the country. The #1 overall seeded Wildcats feature a team which has seven players who averaged over 25 points a game in high school. Coach John Calipari signed three of the top five recruits in the nation last season (Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marquis Teague) with the intention of winning a championship this season. If the trio decides to leave early, all three will be lottery picks in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Despite the lofty expectations and core youth, the Wildcats play the game like savvy veterans. They are fast, tenacious, athletic, and the play the game unselfishly. The Wildcats average margin of victory in their 36 wins this season is 19 points a game. Their defensive field goal percentage is number one in the country at 37.5 percent. Both are mind-boggling numbers from a team with many players who have only been able to buy tickets to an R-rated movie for a year. The resolute laser focus exhibited by Kentucky is absolutely frightening.
If you play careless against Kentucky, they will run you out of the gym. Baylor held a 10-5 lead against Kentucky in the regional final before the Cats went on a 37-12 run to end the half. Baylor turned the ball over 9 times in the first half, which led to Kidd-Gilchrist, Davis, Teague, and Sophomore Terrence Jones into running the fast break. If Kentucky runs transition on you, the game will be over in a hurry. Kentucky led Baylor at the half 42-22, and never looked back.
Louisville is led by former Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino. Pitino won his only national championship with the Cats back in 1996 with a team led by now impoverished Antoine Walker. Coach Pitino would love nothing more than to stick it to his old team when it matters most, in the Final Four.
The Cardinals are led by Junior Point Guard Peyton Siva, Freshman Forward Chane Behanan, and Sophomore Center Gorgui Dieng. The Cardinals love to play low scoring games and stifle you with their suffocating defense. In the Sweet 16 against #1seed Michigan State, the Cardinals held the Spartans to a measly 44 points and forced 15 turnovers. Dieng had 7 blocks against the Spartans, and set the all-time school record for blocks this season.
Sophomore Russ Smith saved the Cards in the regional final against Florida scoring 19 pivotal points, and was instrumental in the Cards 18-3 run to end the game in the 72-68 victory over the Gators. Smith is known as Russ-diculous to his teammates due to his occasional erratic play. Smith scored 30 points in the game against Kentucky earlier in the season.
For the Cards to have a chance in this game, Siva, Behanan, and Dieng must stay on the floor and out of foul trouble. The only way to stop Kentucky is if you can be aggressive and get them to play a half-court style game. If Louisville is in foul trouble, the Cards will be unable to be aggressive. Dieng has to be on the floor to help contain the Naismith Player of the Year candidate Davis.
Prediction : Kentucky – 75 Louisville – 62
(2) Ohio State (31-7) vs. (2) Kansas (31-6)
The Buckeyes and Jayhawks might be receiving less press, but the two teams are both dangerous and deserving of being in the Final Four. Kansas and Ohio State played back in December in a game won 78-67 by Kansas in Lawrence. Do not put too much stock into the Jayhawks victory as Buckeye star Jared Sullinger was unable to play due to back spasms.
Many consider Kansas a bit of an overachiever and expected the Jayhawks to have a down season after losing some key players to the NBA last season. Rock Chalk features a seemingly ancient starting five featuring four juniors and a senior, led by Naismith Player of the Year candidate Junior Forward Thomas Robinson.
Robinson is quick and loves to attack the rim. If one decides to leave Robinson open around the perimeter, he will drain the shot quicker than one can blink. Robinson is averaging a double-double and shooting over 50% for the season. If Kentucky was eliminated early, Robinson would be the best player left in the tournament.
Kansas has a suffocating defense led by 7’0” Junior Center Jeff Withey. Withey is the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and had two key blocks in the crucial moments of the regional final against North Carolina. Kansas benefitted from North Carolina Sophomore Kendall Marshall being forced to miss the game due to a hand injury, but the Jayhawks still limited the Tar Heels to a diminutive 20 points in the second half. North Carolina was shutout the final 3:55 by the stubborn Jayhawks defense as Kansas pulled away late for the 80-67 victory.
The Buckeyes are led by Sophomore Forwards Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas. Sullinger bypassed the NBA Draft last year with the specific intention of leading his hometown Buckeyes to the national championship. Sullinger is seeking to become the first player to lead his hometown team to a title since Greg Anthony led UNLV to the championship in 1990.
Sullinger loves to back opponents down in the post and then go glass. His game reminds many of current Chicago Bull Carlos Boozer.
The Buckeyes have two emotional leaders in Sophomore Guards Lenzelle Smith and Aaron Craft. Craft, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, played brilliantly with a heavy heart in the regional final against Syracuse as his brother was just shipped to Afghanistan the morning of the game. Craft is a quick, pesky guard with quick hands who forces turnovers. Smith is a gritty guard who received three stitches early in the regional final above his eye, and returned minutes after the injury.
The key for both teams will be to stay out of foul trouble. Kansas has the size advantage with the 7’0” Withey manning the middle, but Ohio State is tougher. The key match-up will be Craft against Kansas Senior Guard Tyshawn Taylor. Taylor was phenomenal in the regional final against North Carolina scoring 22 points on 10/19 shooting. However, Taylor is 0/17 from beyond the arc in the tournament. If Craft can prevent Taylor from penetrating and attacking the rim, he will force Taylor to either shoot from the outside or force Taylor to turn the ball over. Taylor averaged 3.5 turnovers per game, and will play careless at times.
The Buckeyes also must get production from Senior William Buford. Buford, the third leading scorer for the Buckeyes, has had a quiet tournament so far. If the Buckeyes are to win the game, they need production from their only senior starter.
Ultimately, Kansas’ size advantage should be the difference in this battle of defensive juggernauts.
Prediction: Kansas – 60 Ohio State – 55
In the national championship game, I envision Kentucky defeating whoever comes out on top in the other national semi-final. Kentucky has far superior talent than the three other teams remaining. Dick Vitale believes Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are the best freshmen duo in the last 20 years. No team has come within single digits of the Cats in the tournament, and that trend should continue if the Cats do not become complacent and lax at any point during the game. Kentucky should win the school’s first national championship since 1998,and the long awaited first title for Coach John Calipari. However, with the Final Four being in New Orleans, any team could win this thing.
National Champion: Kentucky
Follow Dustin Dietz on Twitter @DustinDietz18.