We all know the 2007-2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Season just finished. But there are a lot of us anticipating next season already. With a lot of young talent out there this past season, next year should be just as exciting!
Let's take a look at some of the top teams for 2008-2009:
UNC Tar Heels
Even though they could still lose Tyler Hansbrough, Tywon Lawson, and Wayne Ellington to the NBA, I really doubt they will all leave; one will be the most that leaves, even if that. Hansbrough will likely be back and Lawson's stock is down. Even if Lawson bolts injured PG Bobby Frasor is back and Danny Green is a very capable player as well. They only lose Quentin Thomas for sure and Deon Thompson and Alex Stephenson will be good as well.
UCLA Bruins

Time to talk some NBA Draft and my thoughts on who should stay and who should leave. (This isn't a prediction on who will leave and stay, it's what I think they should do).

Let's start with the national champions:

Kansas Jayhawks
Brandon Rush
Rush was solid this season, he showed that his injury didn't slow him one bit. He improved his slashing ability that many draft experts we're saying was his big weakness. He has great size for an NBA SG. Plus, he won a national title. He's a lock for the first round.
Decision: Leave

Darrell Arthur
Arthur has a boat load of potential and the sky is pretty much the limit for this kid. He needs to bulk up a little bit more to become a good NBA player. Must also improve his FT shooting and his foul trouble.
Decision: Leave

Mario Chalmers

Let's go back to November, where my Final Four and National Championship picks were still alive. For my pre-season preview I predicted three of the four Final Four teams correctly: Memphis, UCLA, and North Carolina. And I could be right with the national championship pick as I predicted Memphis to win it all way back when.

As I look at this match up I see two very similar styles. Both Memphis and Kansas like to get out and run. Both like to penetrate and kick. This should be a very good championship game tonight. It won't be a boring game, (thank God no Big Ten teams are in it) it'll be a fast paced, high scoring affair which is what nearly every college hoops fan wants to see and deserves.
As you look at both of the two teams they mirror each other pretty well. I think it's all going to come down to individual match ups, as it usually does in the NCAA Tournament.

Just when the Indiana basketball program looked like it was going to turn into a big disaster it announced the signing of new head coach Tom Crean, the former coach of Marquette.

Crean has a Final Four under his belt and has lead Marquette to the NCAA Tournament 5 of the past 7 years.

Crean will be a great fit for this program but he will have a lot of work to do after recent allegations from the NCAA for recruiting violations by Kelvin Sampson.

Interim coach Dan Dakitch also dismissed Jamarcus Ellis and Armon Bassett, two starters for skipping a team appointment.
Eric Gordon still has to make a decision to leave for the NBA or stay another year. Most expect Gordon to leave, which would leave Crean with all 5 starters gone for next season.

East

UNC vs. Louisville
I've been anticipating this match up ever since the bracket came out. I like pretty much every match up here. Both have some good guards even with Tywon Lawson I will give the edge to Louisville in this department because the Cards are a little deeper. Earl Clark will be a tough match up guard-wise for the Heels. Louisville's guards can give problems to UNC's with their depth and feisty defense. The frontcourt match up should be a dandy. David Padgett vs. Tyler Hansbrough; Both are physical players but I will once again give a slight edge to Louisville. Should be a great game.
The Pick: Louisville- yes I am picking them. I like their guard depth, their demanding defense, and Padgett down low.

Even with the MLB season starting I simply can't bring myself to stray away from March Madness right now. The Sweet 16 starts tonight so be sure to watch. Now Stefan already gave you his Sweet 16 picks here.

I'm going to give you my predictions as well as some things that I've seen around the blogosphere before. I'm going to predict games with a coinflip (top seed is heads) and then by fantasy mascot battle. Then when the sweet 16 round is over we can look and see how our predictions stacked up against that of honest Abe and the mascots' blood. Let's get it on!

EAST
UNC vs. WSU
Stefan's Pick: UNC
Joe's Pick: WSU *Need it to happen to win my bracket challenge!
Penny: WSU
Mascots: WSU - While a ram is hard nosed and tough I see the Cougar's ferocity and agility paying off in this battle. It goes down to the wire but the Cougar prevails.

Tennesse vs. Louisville
Stefan's Pick: Louisville
Joe's Pick: Tennesse
Penny: Louisville
Mascots: Tennesse - All a cardinal can do is fly away from and peck at the Volunteer. But when the volunteer fires, down goes the cardinals.

East UNC vs. Washington St.
Don't expect another blowout by UNC in this game. Washington St. could put up a fight with the Heels, they play great defense, their guards are big and they will pressure you. The Cougars are also deep and they'll make you earn everything you get. UNC is looking better than ever, Tywon Lawson is 100%, Hansbrough is his same old self. When UNC is out running that's when they're at their best. I see Wazzou taking a little bit of the transition game away from UNC which is why many will be surprised at how close this game will actually be.
The Pick: UNC is little more talented and they're playing in Charlotte

Tennessee vs. Louisville

Although I'm exhausted from a busy day of sports. I'm going to give you some quick thoughts on what I saw today before I hit the sack.

-Upsets galore in Tampa Bay kept me entertained all day. I love march madness!
-The biggest surprise to me was how Sienna beat Vanderbilt. I did not see that coming, especially in the way that it happened.
-I was so impressed with Tyrone Brazelton's intelligent play under pressure. Not only did he turn in a great game with 33 points, but I was most impressed by how he got the ball up the floor quickly and made the smart pass back to the inbound man for the buzzerbeater. I felt bad for Drake. They had a dream season this year. But after seeing that I didn't even mind my bracket being busted!
-Sir Alexander Ovechkin is a really good player. It is still amazing to me how a team can be so bad that they have a player score 60 goals in one year and still be fighting for the 8th and final playoff spot in the NHL.
- I love the WKU Hilltopper mascot (The Red dot)

East

Louisville Cardinals
They are a little under the radar right now; they're healthy and they have great guard play. Their guard depth will prevail, plus David Padgett is one of the best big men in the country and if he gets into foul trouble, they still have Derrick Caracter.

Midwest

Georgetown Hoyas
The Hoyas have nearly everyone back from a team that lost in the Final Four last season. They have the guards to play with anyone and the best big man in the country in Roy Hibbert. Plus, they have one of the best defenses in the country. They'll make you play their game, they'll wear you down, plus they have depth.

South

Memphis Tigers
The Tigers have been to the Elite 8 the past two seasons and this is finally the year they get over the hump and into the Final Four. They're so talented and deep. I think they'll make enough free throws to help them win some games.

Tired of relying on experts picks or your own knowledge? Well I have my own strategy at trying to pick some of the NCAA Tournament games myself. Now I will reveal my own strategy and you can decide for yourself if it's useful or not...

Picking a National Champion
Before filling out a single game, pick your national champion first. It just works out better that way, in my opinion. There are a few characteristics a national championship team should have; Here are some qualities you should look for in a champion (In no particular order):

1. Guard Play
A title team needs to have floor generals and an experienced PG who lead the team. The teams who lack an efficient floor general will be more susceptible to turnovers and shooting woes.

2. Defense
Defense is probably the biggest factor for a national championship team. A team with a stellar defense can dictate the flow of the game and force their own tempo usually prevails.

3. Experience
You gotta have experience in order to win it all. The players who have played in these big games and have gotten their teams there before usually have the upper hand. The teams that are battle-tested and get their teams through adversity usually come out on top.

4. Post Play

Just reminding everyone to watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show today at 5 pm central standard time on CBS!

I can't wait! Let the Madness begin!

It's Championship Week baby!

Big East

What a surprise, Duke and UNC are meeting once again for an ACC Regular Season Title.

A lot is at stake here, the winner will clinch the ACC Regular season title as mentioned above and possibly a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. Plus, that number one seed will likely be playing close to home in Raleigh the first two rounds and then down the road in Charlotte for the regional.
Duke beat the Ty Lawson-less Heels the last time at Chapel Hill, but now Lawson is back and almost at full-strength. The Heels are a different team with Ty Lawson, without Ty they don't have much depth at guard, especially PG. The defense changes too, Greg Paulus will not have the outstanding game like he had last time with Lawson on him. The majority of the time he had Quinton Thomas guarding him, who is not by any means a great defender. Paulus will have a tougher time finding open three's.

Because it's March we are placing a special emphasis on College Basketball. So here's our Regular Season Awards.

ACCPlayer of the Year- Tyler Hansbrough, UNCCoach of the Year- Frank Haith, MiamiFreshman of the Year- James Johnson, Wake Forest
Big 12Player of the Year- Michael Beasley- KSUCoach of the Year- Scott Drew, BaylorFreshman of the Year- Michael Beasley- KSU
Big EastPlayer of the Year- Luke Harangody, Notre DameCoach of the Year- Jim Calhoun, UConnFreshman of the Year- Donte Green, Syracuse

It's March Madness time. We have about one week left for the major conferences before the conference tourney's start. Then March 15 it is Selection Sunday. And finally the Thursday of that week is the start of the NCAA Tournament! Boy I can't wait!

So to get you ready for March Madness, I will highlight some games to watch for the remainder of the season that will effect the tournament and show you some great videos to pump you up for the tourney.

Games to keep an Eye on:

March 2
Indiana at Michigan St.
UCLA at Arizona
Villanova at Louisville

March 4
Nebraska at Texas
Arkansas at Mississippi

March 5
Tennessee at Florida
Oklahoma at Oklahoma St.
Texas A&M at Baylor

March 6
Xavier at St. Joseph's
Stanford at UCLA
Arizona St. at Oregon

March 8
Louisville art Georgetown
UAB at Memphis
Stanford at USC
Marquette at Syracuse
North Carolina at Duke

March 9
Michigan St. at Ohio St.
Oklahoma St. at Texas

2007 NCAA Tournament Memories and Highlights

We all know UNC-Duke basketball is one of the greatest rivalries in sports, and the greatest in College Basketball. UNC coach Roy Williams and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had a war of words on Monday, already adding to an intense rivalry.

Coach K had something to say (love the rhyme?) about the Tar Heels, taking an unnecessary jab at their injury problems, saying that Duke doesn't discuss injuries "unlike other schools."

Williams had something to say about that on his radio show Monday. "Well, it's not, and regardless of what somebody else says about them having injuries too, which is a bunch of bunk, so I don't give a [crap] what somebody else says. They can coach their own darn team and I'll coach my team — in case anyone had heard some statements about that."

The NCAA Tournament is about a month away and I absolutely cannot wait. Here's our current projections of the top 4 seeds and conference winners.

1 Seeds
Memphis- Should easily be a 1 seed with the C-USA schedule
UNC- I think they'll prevail, once Lawson is back and to full strength they should just about win out and win the ACC Tourney
UCLA- they will win the Pac 10 tourney which should secure the 1 seed
Tennessee- the SEC is down this year and no one is really posing that much of a threat to them

2 Seeds
Kansas- should be a 1 seed, but Texas or A&M could easily knock them off in the Big XII tourney
Duke- I see them losing to UNC and possibly in the ACC Tourney
Georgetown- still have to play Louisville, Marquette, and UConn but two of them are at home. I see them at least making the Big East Tourney Final
Texas- playing as good as anyone now but tough schedule coming up

3 Seeds
Butler- Could easily win out but being a mid-major and easy schedule won't get them a 2 seed

I stumbled across some articles on Yahoo and Rivals. Rivals has an early predictions bracket for which teams will make it and what seed they will be. They have a few more articles about teams on the rise and bubble teams. I always love predictions on the NCAA Tournament, it just gets me more excited and eager for March Madness.

I would like to give a few predictions and some insight myself.

Darkhorse Final Four Candidates you could easily pass up:
Arizona
Washington St.
Butler

It's time for our first rankings of the season for College Hoops.
1.(Tie) Memphis & Kansas
It is still tough to tell who is the clear-cut number one. Both Memphis and KU are very similar in many ways. They both play the same type of game, fast paced and rely on their speed and athleticism. Both have some great wins with Memphis beating Georgetown, USC, Arizona, and Gonzaga and KU topping Arizona and USC. Memphis may have a few bigger wins but the Big XII schedule evens it out for Kansas. We may not know who is the "true" number one until one of these team loses or maybe not until they meet in the NCAA Tournament.

3. North Carolina

The University of Arizona has produced some talented and top point guards the last decade or so, with some of them moving onto the NBA and some just looking to get their careers started.

It is pretty unbelievable how many great point guards have come through this program. It all started in 1991 with Khalid Reeves who went on to play 6 successful seasons in the NBA for the Heat, Hornets, Nets, Mavs, Pistons, and Bulls.

The very next season in 1992, Damon Stoudamire came along. Every one knows about the short lefty who's been playing in the NBA forever. He helped take the Blazers to numerous playoff runs and a few Western Conference Final Runs. Stoudamire is still in the NBA to this day, playing for the Grizzlies.

Every network that shows sporting events has music for certain sports. Right now we will look over some of the bone chilling music that gets us excited and ready to watch the sports that we love! No matter what the sport.

The Masters on CBS
The Masters isn't on CBS anymore, but here is the full length version of CBS's theme song for the annual Masters in Augusta, GA. The music is great, they don't play the guy singing for their actual theme song on TV, but I could only find the full version of the old CBS Masters Theme Song. One of my favorites...

CBS College Football

As I ponder and watch some College Hoops lately, I only think but wonder who is even the best team in the country? We have some good choices out there and it is really a toss-up.

We have 4 legit teams who may be above the rest. North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas, and UCLA have been dominating this season (with the exception of UCLA's loss to Texas). But other than that, these 4 have been damn impressive.

So who is the best?

After doing some deep thinking, here's The Sports Flow's Top 5 game of 2007.

5. Ohio St. vs. Xavier- 2nd Round- NCAA Tournament
I specifically remember watching this game with some buddies and it was one hell of a game. It was back and forth, superstar playmaking game, with the the top players on each team stepping up big time. The best of the 2007 NCAA Tournament in my opinion and one of the best of 2007. It looked like Xavier was going to pull away late in the 2nd half, but Mike Conley Jr. and Ron Lewis had something else in mind...

Just ignore the first part, after about 20 seconds it will show the highlights.

It's been a while since I posted on an issue where I could let readers buy or sell. I'm bringing it back tonight.

I'm sure many of you remember back in June when University of Louisville reporter Brian Bennett was evicted from the press box in the fifth inning of Louisville's 20-2 victory for live blogging during the game. More recently the NCAA has adjusted their policy a bit this year to include regulations for live blogging all sports. In all their ridiculosity, here they are:

Fall Sports