The Most Unique Final Four Ever

 

            In what might have been the craziest NCAA men's basketball tournament we have ever seen, the final four gets even crazier. Out of twenty million brackets created throughout the world, only 37 of them correctly predicted the four teams that would be in the final four.

            This was the first time since the 1970s where no number 1 seeds made the elite eight and obviously none will be participating in the final 3 games. To create even more chaos, the highest seed in the final four is the Connecticut Huskies coming in at a number 4 seed.

            Anything is possible and the tournament has certainly proved that this year, but right now the favorite to take home the trophy is the boys from Connecticut. They have absolutely dominated every team they have had in their path leading up to this and do not look like they are slowing down anytime soon.

            Along with being the favorite, UConn was the most likely out of the four teams to make it to this point. The other teams that are in the final four are San Diego State, Miami, and Florida Atlantic. The crazy thing about these three teams is that they were all nearly eliminated in the first round. 

            From last year having four blue bloods to this year having zero blue bloods is pretty surprising. The blue bloods have ran college basketball for a long time and these teams are just showing the rest of college basketball that the blue bloods can be overcome. 

            The first game on Saturday will be between FAU and San Diego State. If I were to have told you that either one of FAU or SDSU would be participating in the championship game at the start of March, you would have called me crazy. FAU has proved every doubter wrong and basically every game they've won this tournament has been an upset. 

            To me, FAU is so hot right now and have a better team than SDSU so I see them getting to the championship game. It is so difficult to predict games during this tournament because most of the time, I've been wrong. The people that are paid to talk about and study college basketball have been dead wrong, it's simply a guessing game at this point. 

            The next game is the Miami Hurricanes taking on the Connecticut Huskies. These are two teams which have been steamrolling as of late and have star power that is very hard to contain. Miami's two stars, Nijel Pack and Isiah Wong will match up against Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo for the Huskies.

            This should be a great game and for the Hurricanes it is going to be very difficult to stop this Huskies team because of the roll that they are currently on right now. I'm definitely looking forward to see who wins this game because in my opinion, whoever wins this game will take the championship in the next game. 

            Saturday can't come any sooner as FAU takes on SDSU and Miami takes on UConn. In one of the most unique final fours displaying four schools which are uncharacteristically good at basketball this year, could the tournament get even wilder this weekend? We will find out but one thing is for sure, anything can happen in March. 

The Playoffs Are Approaching Us

 

            With most teams having under 10 games left to play in the regular season, the NBA playoffs are right around the corner and there is still a lot left to be determined regarding the field. 

            To start off, the western conference is as tight as it's ever been. Currently, the four seed and eleven seed are separated by a 3 game margin so every game matters very heavily. It is probablygoing to come down to the final day of the season to determine where these teams will rank for the playoffs.

            The eastern conference is not as tight, but there is still some drama ongoing there. The most important race right now in the east is the race for the #1 seed. Currently, the Bucks have a nice lead for first place, but they have the Celtics and 76ers right behind them looking to get that seed as well. 

            I believe the Bucks will come away with it as long as they continue their winning ways but you never know. The 8-10 seeds in the East are also very tight as they are separated by just 1 game. There have been many seasons where the playoff field is determined days before the seasons ends but this is not the case for this season.

            The drama only continues to rise when you envision some first round playoff matchups we could witness. A possible Cleveland vs New York playoff series could be very interesting regarding what happened with Donovan Mitchell this summer. Lots of headlines are going to surround every single matchup we see. 

            Also, with how tight the west is, we might see teams we expected to easily make the playoffs not make it. For instance, if the season ended today the Dallas Mavericks would not even be in the play-in. A team that just acquired a superstar in Kyrie Irving to pair along one of the best in the NBA in Luka Doncic not making the playoffs seems unimaginable but could very well be the case this season.

            As a fan of the NBA, I love the intensity that the end of the regular season is going to bring to these select teams and I'm looking forward to see the end result of all of this. Every game left has a great meaning to all teams that are in the hunt for a spot to compete in the NBA playoffs. 

The WBC is Great

 

            The World Baseball Classic has came to an end and Japan has come out on top for the 3rd time in the history of the tournament. The classic was everything and more that I expected it would be and I cannot wait until 2026 when the next one takes place.

            With all of the teams that competed in the tournament, from the start Japan looked like they were going to be very hard to stop. They were the only team that went undefeated during the two week span as well.

            The clear favorites in the tournament was the US, Dominican Republic, and Japan as well. The fact that the Dominican Republic couldn't even make it out of the first round was shocking to me with the star power that they had. 

            There were also a couple of sleeper teams which surprised people in Mexico and Cuba who made it all the way to the final rounds of the tournament. Lots of major league players participated for their respective countries, but still a lot of players declined the invite and remained in spring training.

            This was the one thing that I did not like. Everyone should be willing to play in these games to represent their countries. The thing that is making these players not want to play in these games is the risk of injuries that they could sustain which could end their major league seasons. I get this but injuries can happen anywhere, even in spring training.

            The WBC did great things for the sport of baseball as a whole. People from all around the world were tuned in and a shocking stat showed that over 97% of households with a television in Japan were tuned into the finale. 

            Making the game more global will only do good things for the sport. This year the classic had a couple of European teams in Great Britain and the Netherlands in the tournament. Europe is the main area in the world where I believe baseball is not spread to as much and needs to be more incorporated. To get these teams into the classic and have a fanbase cheering for them back home is just one step in the direction of expanding baseball to Europe.

            The final two games of the tournament were absolutely awesome to watch as Japan took on Mexico and came back from down a couple runs in late innings to walk it off in the 9th. Then the last game came down to the final out as well as two teammates in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout faced off to determine who would come away with the championship. 

            Many say it was a scripted ending but scripted or not, it was epic seeing two of the best players, if not the best, square off to determine who would take home the baseball olympics. The WBC is a great tournament and I wished it happened more often than every four years. Congrats to Team Japan and in 2026 the US will have a chance to avenge their championship loss once and for all. 

            

The Morant Situation

 

            As of late, superstar Ja Morant has fallen down a deep dark hole with his recent actions. Recently, the star point guard was suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies for at least two games because of his actions off the court.

            What he did off the court was no minor thing, he flashed a gun on his Instagram live story to show to his viewers. The Grizzlies along with the NBA did not take this lightly and gave Morant at least a two game suspension.

            He was out partying at a nightclub presumably in Memphis where he flashed his gun. The situation did not look good at all for Morant and the NBA has dealt with the situation accordingly.

            Ja Morant comes from a good family where he grew up with both of his parents, multiple siblings, and in a middle-class situation. There are many players throughout the NBA who did not have good childhoods and early lives unlike Morant. Morant even went to private school as well. 

            This previous offseason, Morant also signed a 5 year, $193 million extension with the Grizzlies as well. In basketball, Morant is one of the highest paid players in the league and is only going to get paid even higher in the future if he keeps up his superstar abilities, but this situation may change all of that. 

            In my opinion, the NBA should not take this situation lightly and should extend the suspension on Ja Morant for possibly the rest of the season. With all the drama going on around the league, they don't need any added drama to go along with it in this situation. 

            Also, for Ja Morant, if he wants to own and possess a gun that is fine but to show it off and flash it around on social media and out in public is unacceptable. Anything that goes on social media is going to be eaten up by the media and everyone is going to look at you like the bad guy. 

            Morant made a stupid mistake that has lead to some consequences for the young star. The NBA has a tough decision of now determining what they should do with Morant's status in their league. Do they let him continue to play in the league after the suspension is over or do they extend it? 

Opening Day is Right Around the Corner

 

            The MLB season is right around the corner! With some new rule changes and other adjustments to the game, it should be a relatively new look when watching an MLB game this season.

            From the pitch clock to bigger bases, Spring Training is already showing how different MLB games will be this season compared to previous seasons. The pitch clock has made games much faster than they previously were and they are down to well under 3 hours which is very appealing to fans.

            The main argument of a basic sports fan when discussing baseball is that the games are too long and boring. Now with the pitch clock, everything is being sped up and becoming more interesting to watch for a non-baseball fan. In my opinion, not only is it speeding up the games, but another one of its goals is to attract more fans to the sport. 

            Aside from the rule changes, this season will see a ton of stars in different locations. Examples include Trea Turner in Philly, Justin Verlander in New York, Jacob DeGrom in Texas, and many more different looks as well. A lot of teams have gotten better and I can't wait to see these players' impacts on their new teams.

            Not only is the MLB season close but the World Baseball Classic is kicking off this upcoming week. As baseball fans, we get to see the best of the best compete for their home countries and see which country will take home the championship in Miami in late March. 

            To me, the US and Dominican Republic look like the best teams out there but there are definitely some other teams that could come out and surprise some people. The WBC hasn't happened since 2017 so it is definitely a long-time coming and I can't wait to see which country comes out on top. 

            Going back to the MLB, the stardom throughout the league has only expanded throughout the years and it has made the game so much better. There are also lots of headlines surrounding these teams filled with stardom. Can the Padres finally breakthrough to the World Series with all of the stars they have acquired?

            It is definitely going to be an uphill battle for them with how good the National League has gotten. There are five teams alone in the National League that to me are capable of making the World Series along with the Padres. Those teams being the Braves, Mets, Phillies, Dodgers, and Padres. I'm getting the sense that we might have another Padres-Phillies series rematch for the NL like this previous year. To me out of those five teams the Phillies and Padres are the best.

            To the American League, it seems like every year we are talking about the same couple of teams as the last year. The two most common teams as of late that we are always talking about is the Houston Astros and New York Yankees. The AL West has certainly gotten more competitive for the Astros as the Rangers, Angels, and Mariners are all young teams looking for something to play for.

            The AL East for the Yankees is always competitive and this year all five teams look like they can certainly compete at somewhat high levels. It is rare that you can say that about a division, but all five teams showed last year some glimpses of really good baseball. In previous years, the Orioles have been at the bottom of the division but with how good their farm system is, it is hard for them to continue to remain at the bottom of the division any longer.

            It should be another great season on the way and I cannot wait for the non-stop action everyday this season. For baseball fans, it is a great time with spring training currently ongoing, the WBC on the verge, and the regular season just around the corner as well. 

March is Here!

 

            The best month of the year is finally here! Soon we will be able to compete with our friends by filling out brackets to predict who will take home the NCAA tournament. March truly is the best month of the year.

            Not only is the biggest college tournament going on, but MLB spring training is also underway and Opening Day kicks off at the end of the month as well. The NHL and NBA are both coming down to the end of their seasons where teams could either make or break into the playoffs. 

            But the best thing about March is March Madness. Whether you follow college basketball or not, everyone is into the NCAA tournament. There is just a certain vibe surrounding this tournament that makes it better than every other playoff. 

            For me, it is the non-stop action that is what makes the tournament so great especially in the first couple of days of the tournament. Although it is just the start of the tournament, in my opinion the first and second rounds are the best rounds of the NCAA tournament because of all the action.

            Also, it's March and anything can happen and I mean ANYTHING. Upsets happen left and right and when that #13 seed upsets the #4 seed and ruins everyone's bracket, March just gets even better. This is what makes the tournament so great.

            Any given day a higher-ranked team could have an off-day and all of a sudden that lower seed ends their season and pulls off the upset. Throw the regular seasons in the garbage, when the tournament starts, everyone has a record of 0-0 and it is a totally different season compared to the one they just had. 

            There is nothing not to like about march madness, unless your team loses or your bracket gets busted. At the end of the day, you are never going to have a perfect bracket and you just have to enjoy March Madness while you can. There is no other playoff or tournament that has this much hype surrounding it. February is over and March is here!