The Final Four will be in Atlanta this college basketball season and both the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland State Vikings quests begin tonight.
Despite the Buckeyes losing two starters, including first round draft choice Jared Sullinger, they return two pre-season All-Amercians in forward Deshaun Thomas (1st team) and point guard Aaron Craft (3rd Team).
Tonights game will be played outdoors on the USS Yorktown in Charleston, SC against Marquette. NBC sports channel will televise.
Uniforms Ohio State will wear tonight. Photo courtesy of Ohio State
The Vikings lost four starters from last seasons NIT tournament squad and this season may be a struggle at times. The constant for the Vikings is the fact that they still have the best coach in the Horizon League in Gary Waters. Tim Kamczyc is the lone returning starter, while sophomore forward Anton Grady is easily the most talented player on the team and is expected to improve on his 8.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg averages this season.
The Vikings tip off with Grambling State tonight in the annual John McLendon game.
1. Colt McCoy will be the starting quarterback for the rest of the year, barring injury. I know, I know, this is a gimee. Bottom line is this, McCoy gives the Cleveland Browns a better chance to win on Sunday’s than either Jake Delhomme or Seneca Wallace. No way I thought I would say this at the beginning of the season. Plus, hopefully, the TV camera’s will show his wife on the screen some more:
All she needs is a kids sized McCoy Jersey!
2. Despite the Cavaliers starting the season relatively well, they won’t win 40 games. Look at the roster folks. They just don’t have enough talented players to compete night in and night out in the NBA. Outside of JJ and Andy, name me one other player that really jumps out at you…..I’m still waiting.
3. Juan Manuel Lopez wouldn’t stand a chance against Rafael Marquez if they were both in their prime. Lopez was able to stop Marquez last Saturday, but Marquez is an “old” 35 in boxing years. He’s been in some wars, and he still was able to land some remarkable shots on Lopez, who is in his prime as I write this. As good as Lopez is, Marquez was GREAT!
4. The Ohio State football Buckeyes will be going to another BCS Bowl this season. They have three games left, Penn State in C-Bus, at Iowa, and SCum in C-Bus. Penn State doesn’t stand a chance. Just not a good team this year. The Hawkeyes will give the Bucks a game, but TP2 will be the difference, and SCum, well, let me think. All I have to say is it’s been 2,545 days since that team has beaten my beloved Buckeyes. ‘Nuff said.
5. The Cleveland State Vikings will be a force to be reckoned with in the Horizon League this season. I cannot wait to see this team in action come conference time. Head Coach Gary Waters has an incredible basketball IQ, and when DeAundrey “I Hustle like Andy Varejao” Brown comes back from injury, the Vikings will have all five starters back from last seasons squad.
6. Tobogganing and sledding at Progressive Field this winter with my kids will give me fonder memories then the Cleveland Indians did with their AAA brand of baseball. It’s truly horrendous what has happened to my baseball team. Damn you Larry Dolan. Damn you.
7. Jared Sullinger better watch his weight or he might end up like Robert “Tractor” Traylor. Remember when “Tractor” was supposed to take over college basketball? I do. Then I saw this fat, sloppy looking dope on the court and thought, “what the hell is that?” He looked like a black Pillsbury doughboy. And I’m being nice to Mr. Pillsbury.
Is this how Sullinger wants to end up looking like?
8. If you like pasta as much as I do, find an Italian and have them show you how to make real sauce. Thanks to my brother-in-law, who has just enough “Pizon” left in him to know what he is doing in the kitchen; I will now be overweight for the rest of my life. I really don’t care. What can I say? I LOVE to eat.
9. Eric Mangini is a legit coach. You don’t end up on Bill Belichick’s coaching staff by accident people. As long as he can get NFL players to buy into his “team” coaching concepts, this guy will win. He was unjustly fired by the Jets, and on Sunday, they will feel his wrath.
10. Manny Pacquiao is going to dominate Antonio Margacheato on Saturday. I don’t care how big Margacheato is, do people realize that he has done nothing in the last 24 months to justify him getting into the ring with the most explosive man in boxing? The last time Margacheato was declared a winner against a legit opponent was in July of 2008, when he and his plaster loaded gloves knocked out Miguel Cotto. Oh wait, allegedly plaster loaded gloves. SMDH.
11. The NBA is pure garbage, outside of a few big matchups, before March. Don’t waste your time trying to figure out how teams are going to pan out right now, it simply isn’t worth it. The teams that belong in the playoffs, will be in the playoffs, and the players will really start playing as the season wears down.
12. Major League Baseball gives out gold gloves like the WBC gives out boxing belts. This is not good news. Derek Jeter a gold glover? Really? Really…..?
13. Lionel Messi will turn you into a soccer fan if you give him a chance. Trust me.
Castro's Kingdom 