It's been over 24 hours and I'm still reeling — as much as a soulless bandwagoner can reel — over Kentucky's loss to Wisconsin.
But now I have to cheer for Wisconsin? Only because the other option is Duke.
I have nothing but love in my heart for Madison, but do you think Frank Kaminsky got saucy after OSU knocked Oregon off its sugar daddy's pedestal? I doubt it.
| GAME | TIME | TV | FAVORITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 DUKE vs. No. 1 WISCONSIN | 9:18 p.m. | CBS | WISC (-1) |
I'm only watching to see if Bo Ryan gets horny and tries to suck blood from the championship trophy. If Duke wins I'm committing an arson.
... Sometimes I think sports are a mental illness.
D'ANGELO'S DECISION. There's only two reasons why I think D'Angelo Russell hasn't declared: 1) He's planning on returning to Ohio State 2) He's trying to stoke suspense while waiting for a national stage for his declaration.
The problem with No. 1 is it's insane. The problem with No. 2 is that while Russell plays arrogant, he doesn't seem to be interested in off-the-court shell games.
Now, I wouldn't wager anything outside a cheeky five cents, but every day I talk myself into Patient 0's return more and more.
This weekend, however, Russell was in Queens, where he dropped an interview in a high school stairwell like a boss:
"One class that stood out was art class." That's classic. If I had known Russell took art we could've just called him Rembrandt and been done with it.
On one hand, it's ominous in a 4/3/15 interview that he's talking about classes from "this semester" in past tense. On the other hand, he doesn't seem like a guy dying to get away from the college lifestyle. Here is yesterday at J.O. South casually throwing a bounce pass off an opponent's chest:
D'Angelo Russell played pickup and passed the ball to his teammate by throwing it off of his opponent's chest. pic.twitter.com/mVZzUEzJ19
— Kevin Harrish (@Kevinish) April 6, 2015
Somebody needs to throw a bucket of water on me. Say, Rob McCurdy of MansfieldNewsJournal.com, do you happen to have a bucket of water to spare?
Against the bottom of the Big Ten and coach Thad Matta's cupcake smorgasbord in the early season, Russell shot 51 percent overall and 48 percent from the 3-point arc, while averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
In those other 11 games, the numbers dipped significantly to 35 percent overall, 29 percent from the arc, 17.2 points and 4.5 assists. His rebounding increased to 7.2 per game and his turnovers fell from 3.1 to 2.5, but he was clearly a different player against elite competition.
Russell took nearly four more shots on average in those 11 games, but got to the foul line less frequently. His 3-point attempts were also higher against the bigger, more physical defenders. That shows he settled for long jumpers more often than taking it to the rim, clearly bothered by the length and physicality of the game. His shooting numbers bear it out.
And what is the NBA? They're all bigger, stronger and faster in the league.
(In the article, McCurdy is actually arguing Russell should go pro now, lest he cost himself future draft stock.)
0's splits, however, don't shock me when you consider 1) he's a freshman; there's always an adjustment 2) his supporting cast was either pedestrian or not ready.
People said Cardale Jones should declare for the NFL draft because his draft stock couldn't get higher. They were wrong. If Cardale Jones — Warren G. Harding willing — leads Ohio State to another national title next year then he'll be the No. 1 overall pick. His stock can improve.
If — Warren G. Harding willing — D'Angelo Russell comes back and leads Ohio State to a national title, he'll still be a Top-3 pick. (I understand the future CBA angle, but he also runs the risk of a future corporate tax attorney shredding his ACL on a cold Tuesday night in West Lafayette.)
I want to believe in Silk's return — Ohio State's 2015 squad would transform from "enticing" to "monster" instantly — but 28 barren years on this intergalactic pebble has taught me that there's no hope in false hope.
Hopefully Russell puts me out of my misery before Wednesday.
STARS ONLY MATTER IN MARIO. I wrote a thinkpiece (lmao) last year where I cited bitterness and apathy among Alabama's former five-star recruits turned bench warmers as a possible learning point for Urban Meyer.
Fast forward to today.
From TheOzone.net:
"Hey Chose One, Chosen One," [Darron] Lee shouted. "Chosen One" he repeated, then laughed a satisfied laugh.
Reporters with him, including this one, were pretty much stunned.
"[Raekwon McMillan] hates that when we make that 5-star joke with him. It gets under his skin, but he knows we love him," said a still-laughing Lee.
"We don’t really pay too much attention to the stars around here because it’s really all about how you work."
Nothing is given in Urban's program. Raekwon didn't play as many snaps as his talent demanded last year, but he didn't whine and mope about it. He got better and made plays when he was called upon.
Alabama's players chose a different path.
SOMEBODY CALL THE CORONER. Because Dom Frissora of Columbus unleashed an AK-47 clip in public on Easter morning.
From Dispatch.com:
Editor: I was disturbed to read the negative comments about Thad Matta (Mailbox, last Sunday). How soon we all forget. I wish that these folks who focus on one or two bad seasons would research the facts and consider the entire body of work.
In 11 years at Ohio State, Matta has won five Big Ten championships and four conference tournaments; five times his teams have won at least 29 games; he has NCAA tournament runner-up and two Final Four appearances; and he won at least 20 games every year of his career. Matta’s winning percentage of .762 ranks with that of some of the better active Division I coaches.
Matta is a class act, and he and his teams have always represented Ohio State well. We are in good hands with him as the men’s basketball coach and I don’t believe we could improve the situation by bringing in another coach. I have confidence that Matta will have the Buckeyes at the top of the heap soon.
There's a smash TV hit in Sweden called Troll Hunter in which journalists track down internet trolls. I want to do an American one where I track down trolls demanding Thad Matta's ouster, go to their job, nitpick them, and then write a letter to the editor demanding their firing.
"Let me tell y'all something: Nancy is still living high off that September 2010 Employee of the Month Award, which by the way was almost five years ago now, and one she wouldn't have won hadn't Ed came down with influenza.
Oh yeah, her lemon meringue pie tastes like Pinesol. Grandma's secret recipe, my ass!"
HAVE YOU EVER RAN A 40... ON DRUGS? Student Appreciation Day isn't until Saturday, but if you're a student looking to be embarrassed by Ezekiel Elliott at the spring game, tonight's your chance to move that train down the tracks:
That event is being held at the WHAC. By 5 p.m. Coombs will have been drinking Loko for nine hours and should have a buzz going.
LACROSSE KNOCKS JOHNS HOPKINS. Despite the rankings, I'm told this was a big deal.
From OhioStateBuckeyes.com:
COLUMBUS, Ohio - In front of 2,004 fans in Ohio Stadium, the No. 14-ranked Ohio State men's lacrosse posted a 15-12 win over No. 19 Johns Hopkins Sunday night in the inaugural Big Ten Conference lacrosse game in Columbus. Ohio State is now 9-3 overall - a perfect 6-0 in Columbus - and 2-0 in B1G action.
In a matchup that was tied nine times, Ohio State broke the game open with a three-goal run late in the fourth quarter to pull away and secure the conference victory over the Blue Jays (4-6, 1-1 B1G). The teams were tied at three after the first quarter and deadlocked at six at halftime. Ohio State led 9-8 after the third quarter but the Blue Jays scored early in the fourth for a nine-all game. The teams traded goals at 11:40 and 10:13 for a 10-10 game, but the Buckeyes scored the next three goals (in a span of 2:33) to pull ahead 14-11 with 3:34 left.
Buckeye junior Carter Brown had six goals in the victory over the Blue Jays, while senior Jesse King had seven points with five goals and two assists. Redshirt sophomore goalie Tom Careymade 14 saves in the cage and graduate student Christopher May won 18 faceoffs and picked up a game high nine groundballs. Senior David Planning had two goals and two assists for a four-point night.
Full highlights available over here.
THOSE WMDs. Put up a prayer for Jim Socks... Ohio prisons will use intelligence analysts to monitor inmate phone calls... Jim Harbaugh's culture evident in Michigan's spring game... Florida #Teen, War Criminal: The Life Of An American Warlord... Confessions of a Vulture Journalist... The Honey Hunters... Dame Dash Owes Everyone Money.
