Bracket Breakdown: West Region

Selection Sunday proved to be very helpful for the 1 Wisconsin Badgers. As a projected 2 seed entering the final weekend of Championship Week, a key loss by Virginia to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament and Wisconsin defeating Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament allowed the Badgers to jump into a Number One Seed in the West Region. Led by the Wooden Award frontrunner F Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, the Badgers look to build off their success last March and compete for a national title this season. Their first game is 16 Coastal Carolina and although the Chanticleers are a solid team that won the Big South Tournament Championship, they are not good enough to knock off Bo Ryan's team. The matchup between 8 Oregon and 9 Oklahoma State is an interesting game that has plenty of upset appeal. The Ducks came up short against Arizona in the Pac-12 Conference Championship and while they don't have much size, Joseph Young and Co. make it up with speed and athleticism. 9 Oklahoma State revolves around Le'Bryan Nash and Phil Forte, so if the duo is able to hit their shots and play defense well, the Cowboys should be able to upset the Ducks. The 5 Arkansas Razorbacks has a quality season in the SEC Conference as they finished second in both the regular season season SEC standings as well as the SEC Conference Tournament, both behind the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats. In a matchup against 12 Wofford, the SEC Player of the Year Bobby Portis will look to pace the team into the next round and junior G Michael Qualls will contribute on both ends of the floor as the Razorbacks aim to dismiss the Terriers in the second round. The 4 North Carolina Tar Heels capped off a great season with a bitter loss in the ACC Tournament Championship Game to Notre Dame, but led by Marcus Paige, Justin Jackson, J.P. Tokoto, and the awesome rebounding of North Carolina will most likely propel them over 13 Harvard and possibly set them up with a third round game against Arkansas. The play-in game last night against Ole Miss and BYU was very entertaining and after trailing by seventeen at half, the Rebels gained momentum on a massive run to topple the Cougars and earn the 11 seed. They are slated to face 6 Xavier, a team that is extremely aggressive and contain several double-digit scorers in Myles Davis, Trevon Bluiett, and Matt Stainbrook. However, they have struggled mightily down the stretch and Ole Miss displayed that they can really knock down three pointers and free throws at a elite level. I expect that Ole Miss puts up a great fight and will pull off the upset against the Musketeers. The next matchup features 3 Baylor taking on 14 Georgia State. I am very confident in this Baylor team because of Rico Gathers, who commands the unbelievable rebounding which leads the country in offensive rebounds, and the Bears are able to shoot from the perimeter efficiently. The Panthers are led by Kevin Ware and Ryan Harrow on the offensive end, but it seems very unlikely that they will upset the Bears. Another extremely interesting game, one of my favorites, is the matchup between 7 VCU and 10 Ohio State. The Rams of Virginia Commonwealth won the Atlantic-10 Conference Championship against Dayton on Sunday and now that they are healthy, Treveon Graham, JeQuan Lewis, and Melvin Johnson look to defeat the Buckeyes and possibly make another run like they did in 2011 when they reached the Final Four. On the other hand, Ohio State is carried by the fantastic freshman D'Angelo Russell, they make a great percentage of their shots from the field and although they have not played well in big games, they defeated Maryland 80-56 on January 29. In this matchup, I think Ohio State can definitely upset VCU considering the struggles that have destroyed the Rams in the last three tournaments. Lastly, the matchup between 2 Arizona and 15 Texas Southern should be a showcase of Wildcat domination. In my opinion, Arizona should have been a number one seed in this year's tournament, especially with the beatdown that they gave Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament Championship. Arizona has a very tenacious, aggressive defense led by T.J. McConnell and Stanley Johnson in addition to their efficient, smart offense that scores about 76.4 points per game, good for 22nd in the country. Overall, the West Region of the bracket is the most difficult as there are many teams that are talented and deep enough to make a run like 4 UNC and 3 Baylor, but I likely see a very entertaining Elite Eight game between Wisconsin and Arizona for a spot in the Final Four.

Bracket Breakdown: East Region

With a 16-2 record in the Big East this season and a 16-0 out of conference schedule, Villanova enters the Big Dance with a number one seed in the East Region and the 32-2 Wildcats are looking to make a splash. Led by G Ryan Arcidiacono and F Jayvaughn Pinkston, Villanova heavily relies on their outside shooting and to make a deep run, they need to get big in the post to match the other competing teams. The 1 Villanova Wildcats take on the 16 Lafayette Leopards in the second round, and while they will presumably advance, a matchup with the winner of 8 NC State and 9 LSU is ahead. The 8-9 matchup in this region is very interesting as the two teams have opposite strengths and will likely be a very tight game. NC State's guards in the backcourt dominate their game with Anthony Barber and Trevor Lacey, whereas LSU is powered by their terrific forwards Jarrell Martin and Jordan Mickey, both nearly averaging a double-double on the season. 5 Northern Iowa, the winner of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, has had an amazing season by going 30-3 and led by F Seth Tuttle, capable of carrying the team on his back, the Panthers can legitimately shoot the basketball with extreme success. 12 Wyoming, the winner of the Mountain West Conference Championship, is entering the tourney on a hot streak and the performance of Larry Nance Jr. will be crucial to their success. In a matchup between 4 Louisville and 13 UC Irvine, size will be vital. Louisville big men are playing very well this season and Montrezl Harrell will have a lot on his plate when he has to guard 7'6" Mamadou Ndiaye. A potential Louisville-Northern Iowa matchup would be very exciting for all college basketball fans and personally one of my favorite games in the tournament. 6 Providence is one of the most underrated teams in the country, and led by their guards LaDontae Henton and Kris Dunn, Providence can beat the winner of the play-in game and possibly reach the Sweet Sixteen with a win over Oklahoma/Albany. 3 Oklahoma was arguably the most overseeded team by the selection committee, but with an easy matchup with 14 Albany, a matchup with Providence is likely in the horizon and they do not seem to be a good opponent for the Friars. The 7 Michigan State Spartans are playing their best basketball of the season at the right time, and with a very balanced squad, they are primed to be 10 Georgia and possibly upset Virginia in the third round. Lastly, the 2 Virginia Cavaliers are dependent on their guard play, especially the health of Justin Anderson, and with an easy game against 15 Belmont, the Cavs look forward to making a deep run in the tournament. Overall, from this region I see 1 Villnova and 2 Virginia squaring off in the Elite Eight, but Virginia is my choice to represent the East Region in the Final Four.

Bracket Breakdown: Midwest Region

The Midwest region is home to the number one overall seed in the tournament, the Kentucky Wildcats. They have dominated opponents and aim at an undefeated season with their current mark of 34-0. The Wildcats enter the tournament coming off of an SEC championship victory against Arkansas and interestingly, they did not cut down the nets after the game because they "forgot". They will play against the winner of the play-in game between Hampton and Manhattan, and considering the fact that Number One seeds are 120-0 against Number Sixteen seeds, Kentucky appears to have an easy ticket to advance to the third round. The matchup between 8 Cincinnati and 9 Purdue is one of the more intriguing second round games, one that many are picking Purdue as the upset. Purdue has struggled at times this season; however, they had an impressive stretch in which they defeated Big Ten rivals Iowa and Ohio State and they have A.J. Hammons to lead their powerful front court. Meanwhile, Cincinnati is led by interim coach Larry Davis as head coach Mick Cronin has been sidelined due to health concerns, but the Bearcats pride themselves on defensive pressure and offensive efficiency. Another game with upset appeal is the matchup between 5 West Virginia and 12 Buffalo. The Mountaineers are vicious offensive rebounders and their main concern entering tournament time is the health of leading scorer Juwan State, a primary leader on this team. Buffalo is led entirely by the star PF Justin Moss who has great ability to score and rebound the basketball, but a lack of experience in the tournament may hinder the team out of the MAC. In the matchup between 4 Maryland and 13 Valparaiso, two teams with spectacular records square off in a battle where both teams are very balanced and efficient. Maryland has been excellent this season and with their solid scoring and defense, they have quality wins over Wisconsin, Iowa State, and Michigan State. Winners of the Horizon Championship, Valpo is cruising with a 10-2 record in their last twelve and F Evan Peters is the clear leader on the offensive end. Arguably the most intriguing second round game features 6 Butler against 11 Texas. Surprisingly, Texas made the field as an 11 seed and despite being on the bubble during Championship Week, they remained out of the Last Four In. Led by terrific guard play in Javan Felix and the Longhorns shot blocking by Ridley and Co. is second to nobody in the country. On the other hand, Butler has finally got something that they have not had all year; full health. With wins against Providence, North Carolina, and Georgetown, Kellen Dunham will dominate the offense for the Bulldogs and the team rebounding is crucial. The winner of this game will likely face the winner of the 3 Notre Dame and 14 Northeastern where Jerian Grant and the ACC champion Irish should have no problem taking care of the Huskies. Another terrific matchup in the second round is between 7 Wichita State and 10 Indiana. Wichita State is coming off a brutal loss in the MVC tournament semifinal against Illinois State, but Guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet need to play well against Indiana's talented backcourt of Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon Jr. The winner of this game will likely play the 2 Kansas Jayhawks who are slated to play 15 New Mexico State in a game where the Jayhawks should dominate, given their solid play in the Big 12 tournament. Overall, in the Midwest region, I feel that Kentucky should advance to the Final Four, while Kansas and Notre Dame have potential to hand Kentucky their first loss later in the tournament.

Cavs Dominate Warriors behind Stellar Performance for LeBron James

In a battle between two of the best teams in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors entered Thursday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with the best record in the league at 44-10. Primed to increase their position in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James and the Cavs sought to earn a major win that would continue their impressive streak and knock off the league's top team. The Cavaliers entered on a 9-game winning streak and are arguably the league's hottest team at this time of the season. The first quarter of the game was led by the Warriors as they utilized their ability to score points in transition and weaken the Cavs defensively. James was the early standout for Cleveland as he went 6/8 from the field, good for 14 first quarter points. The second quarter cruised by with tight defense, including several blocks from Warriors F Klay Thompson and at halftime, the Cavaliers carried a five point lead into the locker room. The second half was truly dominated by James and his Cavaliers as they picked up all momentum and ran with it, even leading by 16 at some points. During the third quarter, the Cavs experienced a setback. Star PG Kyrie Irving injured his shoulder and went to the locker room for further examination. Irving's injury will likely keep him from playing in the Cavaliers next game on Friday against the Pacers. The Cavaliers continued to take it to Golden State with their rapid fire offense and working the ball around for terrific looks from three point range. The score was definitely not indicative of the game as the Cavaliers dominated the Warriors in nearly every category such as free throw shooting (82.9% as a team) and securing many more rebounds. LeBron James has now worked his way back into MVP conversations with this fantastic showing as he finished with 42 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and three steals in 36 minutes. Irving and Kevin Love combined for 40 points for the Cavs and C Timofey Mozgov pitched in a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in the victory. Riding a ten-game winning streak, the Cavaliers are making a statement to the league despite their early struggles and showing that they are a force to be reckoned with at 37-22. For Golden State, MVP favorite PG Steph Curry scored 18 points and dished out 6 assists, Draymond Green scored 16 points in a whopping 38 minutes, and PF David Lee was the spark plug off the bench for the Warriors as he chipped in a team-high 19 points. Warriors Steve Kerr also received his eighth technical foul of the season, which ranks second-most among NBA head coaches behind only Frank Vogel in Indiana. Coming up, Golden State plays at Toronto on Friday night, while the Cavaliers travel to Indiana to play the Pacers.

Top Week 15 NFL Passing Performances

1. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees: 29-36, 375 yards, three TD, zero INT
2. Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo: 22-31, 265 yards, three TD, zero INT
3. New York Giants QB Eli Manning: 23-34, 250 yards, three TD, zero INT
4. Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan: 26-37, 310 yards, two TD, one INT
5. Kansas City Chiefs QB Alex Smith: 18-30, 297 yards, two TD, zero INT
6. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger: 27-35, 360 yards, zero TD, zero INT
7. Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill: 29-47, 346 yards, one TD, two INT
8. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady: 21-35, 287 yards, two TD, one INT
9. Carolina Panthers QB Derek Anderson: 25-40, 277 yards, one TD, zero INT
10. Minnesota Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater: 31-41, 315 yards, one TD, two INT

Honorable Mention: Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III, Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning, Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco

Dallas Cowboys 41 - Chicago Bears 28 12/4/14

It was the DeMarco Murray show on Thursday Night Football in Chicago. Murray's excellent performance lifted the Dallas Cowboys to a 41-28 victory over the Chicago Bears. In the game, Murray punched in a one-yard touchdown run to open the second quarter and he continued to pile up touches as the game continued. Murray carried the ball 32 times for 179 yards and one touchdown, while catching nine passes for 49 yards. QB Tony Romo completed 21 of 26 passes for 205 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. WR Dez Bryant caught six passes for 82 yards, while WR Cole Beasley caught three passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. RB Joseph Randle entered the game when DeMarco walked off to take grass out of his helmet and in the one play that Murray missed, Randle hit the hole for a 17 yard touchdown run. TE Gavin Escobar also caught a six-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Chicago's offense was headed by QB Jay Cutler who played well by completing 32 of 46 passes for 341 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. However, the biggest blow to the Bears came in the first quarter where their star WR Brandon Marshall suffered two broken ribs and a collapsed lung after suffering a brutal hit. At that point, Marshall grabbed three passes for 61 yards, one of which was a spectacular one-handed catch downfield that went for 42 yards. WR Alshon Jeffery emerged in his absence as he caught six passes for 95 yards and one touchdown, and TE Martellus Bennett caught a team-high twelve passes for 84 yards and one touchdown. RB Matt Forte struggled to get anything going on the ground as he recorded thirteen carries for 26 yards and a fumble, but he caught eight passes for 74 yards. This was a dominant win for the Cowboys as they improve to 9-4 with an impressive 6-0 road record, and it showed the rest of the league that their offense runs through DeMarco Murray whether it is running the ball or throwing it. With the defeat, the Bears fell to 5-8, they are stuck in a two game losing skid, and now they have to deal without star WR Brandon Marshall for the rest of the season. 

#4 Duke Blue Devils 80 - #2 Wisconsin Badgers 70 12/3/14

In a battle of two college basketball powerhouses in Madison, Wisconsin, the #4 Duke Blue Devils shot the lights out and upset the #2 Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 80-70. As a team, Duke made 30 of their 46 field goals (65%) and made 7 of 12 three-pointers (58%). This attack was led by Freshman G Tyus Jones, who scored 22 points (7-11 FG, 2-3 3PT, 6-8 FT), grabbed six rebounds, and piled up four assists. Another Freshman, the highest recruit last season and one of the best players in the nation, C Jahlil Okafor was impressive despite his foul trouble. Okafor scored 13 points (6-8 FG, 1-2 FT) and notched six rebounds, and he continues his high shooting percentage from the field (65%). Duke Guards Quinn Cook scored 13 points and Rasheed Sulaimon added 14 points off the bench. Wisconsin simply had no answer defensively for the powerful Duke offense as the Blue Devils were scoring fairly easily. Wisconsin was led by their centerpiece, F/C Frank Kaminsky who scored 17 points (5-12 FG, 2-4 3PT, 5-8 FT) and grabbed nine rebounds. In terms of scoring, G Traevon Jackson took control of the ball and scored 25 points (7-12 FG, 3-5 3PT, 8-8 FT). Besides field goal percentage, the numbers for both teams were nearly identical as it was an even games in nearly all categories. In my opinion, Frank Kaminsky is the best player in college basketball and he continues to build on an excellent postseason run last season with a spectacular season in 2014. Kaminsky has the ability to score the basketball, grab rebounds, shoot from long range as a big man, and possesses great leadership qualities.