The NCAA Tournament Needs Less, not More, Teams

In our current time it seems that over abundance is the name of the game. As Americans we all seem to want more. This is not a good thing. Instead of having one burger on a bun, we need two or three. Pizzas can't have just one topping, we need the ultimate meat feast pizza. No one can just get a 12 oz steak, we need at least 24 ounces. Nachos can't just be cheese and chips, we need jalapeños, sour cream, pico de gallo and some kind of protein. And this doesn't just include food. Cars are getting bigger. I drive a SUV myself, but mine is on the smaller side. Some of these SUVs and pickup trucks are far too big. I've seen some trucks that have a lift just to get in. TVs are also getting bigger and brighter. Homes get built, then added on to. It is a mess to be honest with you.

This is happening even more in sports now. The NBA used to have eight teams per conference in the playoffs. Now there's ten. MLB has added two extra wild card teams. The NFL has added extra games. And now the men's NCAA basketball tournament announced yesterday that they're upping the number of teams that make the tournament. They decided that 68 wasn't enough, so they went up to 76 teams eligible for play.

March Madness used to be 68 teams. Hell, I remember when it was 64. There were no "play in" style games back when I was a kid. It felt like 64 teams was more than enough. I mean, I believe that when the NCAA tournament started there were only 32 teams that would get in. But now the committee decided that they needed to add eight extra teams to this overstuffed tournament.

I don't get it, and to be honest with you, I'm not a fan of adding anymore teams. I love the first weekend of the tourney. I am such a fan of the sheer fact that I can turn on my tv at 11am and watch multiple games throughout the entire day. And adding eight more teams will allow me to watch more games. But by the end of the day I am exhausted and kind of sick of watching basketball. The tournament gets better as more and more teams get eliminated. I'm sure that's due to the best teams, for the most part, just keep winning. Now though we are going to have more watered down and crummy basketball games.

If 76 teams were allowed in this year's tournament we would have gotten teams like Indiana and Auburn in the field. They were not very good this past season. Sure, Auburn won the NIT, but like RD says, that means they were the 69th best team in the country this past season. Sometimes teams have bad seasons and they shouldn't be rewarded with postseason play. This has been happening recently in college football with 5-7 teams getting bowl invites. I mean no disrespect to those teams and their players and coaches, but 5-7 is not good enough to get into a bowl game. If I had my way, 6-6 wouldn't be good enough. I feel like you should be over .500 to get into a bowl game. Now, we are going to have some men's college basketball teams that are 16-15 that get into the tournament because of the conference they play in. I keep going back to Auburn, but they were something like 18-15 last season. But because they play in the SEC, they would have gotten an invite if the field was 76 teams.

The addition of extra teams is going to hurt mid majors as well. More and more power conference teams are going to get invites over mid major teams. Miami (of Ohio) had to get in by winning a "play in" game last tourney, yet they had a record of 34-1 going into the tourney. But the discourse over the conference they play in and their strength of schedule, they will get overlooked in the future for teams that play in what others consider a better conference. In the end I fully understand that this is all about money and getting more games on tv. College sports are a money making endeavor. Many, many people, myself included, flock to the tv to watch games whenever they're on. And adding more teams is only going to give the horrific NCAA more and more cash.

And that is the biggest bummer of this whole thing. There's no transparency anymore. They want more money, they don't care who they have to step on and they will do whatever they can to get it. This is going to make the tourney less fun, but the NCAA doesn't care. They will get richer and fatter off people like me watching more and more basketball. This stinks, but it is only the start. I wouldn't be shocked if they add more and more teams in the next few years. This is the way of the world. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

The Dillon Brooks Act is Getting Stale

Well, Dillon Brooks ran his mouth again, and his team paid the price again. Let’s discuss.

There was a time when I rooted for Brooks. I found him to be a fascinating college player. I loved his tenacity and want to win. I will always remember when he made a late shot in the NCAA tournament when Oregon played Duke. I thought nothing of it at the time, but then Coach K decided he had to say something. Brooks listened, but I'm sure he didn't care. I found it to be sour grapes from Coach K. His team got beat, Brooks didn't stop until the whistle and it was a meaningless shot that wouldn't have changed the outcome no matter what. Coach K is a punk, and I'm sure Brooks thought the same thing at the time. He ended up in Memphis, and being a Grizzlies fan meant I was going to root for him. That is the way I root. If you're on my team, I'm going to go to bat for you. But then he got kind of good at defense. He became the Grizzlies 3 and D guy. That was where he shined and he did his job well. But the Grizzlies got a little too big for their britches. They started talking shit when they hadn't won anything of importance. And Brooks was at the front of the line when it came to shit talking. The Grizzlies had a solid season awhile back and ended up playing the Lakers in the playoffs. And instead of trying to just win the series and go onto the next round of the playoffs, Brooks and the rest of the Grizzlies decided they had to talk. Brooks in particular must have thought his new job was to trash talk, and to call out the biggest and best players. He went after LeBron James. He said that he "pokes bears". This was not a good look. This scared me. And when the Grizzlies were easily taken out by the Lakers, Brooks was silent all of the sudden. During the series he would talk to anyone that put a microphone in front of his face. But when he couldn't hold up his end of the bargain, and LeBron clowned his ass, he was silent. That pissed me off more than when he first opened his mouth. The sheer fact that he would talk, but then not back it up, that is a punkass move. That is clown stuff. That is what selfish little kids do. He was finally traded to the Rockets, and that was all I needed to root against this dude. And he brought back the trash talking, which made it even easier for me to clown on him. He would do this nonsensical stuff where he would just stand in one spot and stare at the opposing team. I believe he thought he was being intimidating, but he just looked like an idiot.

I don't know why and how he decided this was going to be his new thing, but it didn't work. While Brooks isn't a bad NBA player, he is a role player who is a mid tier 3 and D guy. He doesn't strike fear in any opponent. No one is worried about what he may do on the scouting report. Teams don't gameplan around him when they go to face whatever team he is playing for. The Rockets wore tired of his schtick after a year and traded him to the Suns in the Kevin Durant deal. He had an okay season for the Suns, but when they ended up as the eighth seed, and had to face the Thunder, he started up with the shit talking. He called Shai Gilgeous Alexander "frail". He griped about the refs. He was back to his Grizzlies days when the media would show up in the Suns locker room. And he got his ass cooked in all four games. SGA was scoring so easily that, at one point after a made bucket, he smiled and pointed at Brooks as if to say, this dildo can't guard me. Lu Dort did something similar during a scuffle for a loose ball. When Brooks openly complained about the refs to the media, the Thunder decided they didn't even need free throws to win. In game three SGA went 15 for 18 from the field, with Brooks as his main defender, and scored a playoff career high 42 points. Brooks will be more known for getting crossed over time and again this series than for anything else he may have done. And when the Thunder finished off the Suns in a sweep last night, Brooks all of the sudden wanted to be best friends with SGA. He went up and hugged him. Brooks and Devin Booker talked about how good SGA was at basketball in their press conference last night. All of the nonsense that Brooks was saying for two weeks was suddenly gone and now he seems to love SGA.

Dillon Brooks is a fake tough guy in the modern NBA. He may talk shit, but he has yet to back it up. He keeps going after the best and he keeps getting thwarted. I would just prefer if he would go back to his early NBA days and play gritty and grimy basketball. He doesn't need to shit talk, he doesn't need to be in front of a microphone, he doesn't need "poke bears". He just needs to play hoops. But I'm stoked that he is no longer on my favorite team. He is so much easier to root against than for, and if that makes me a hater, as Kendrick Lamar says, "I'm the biggest hater". Dillon Brooks is a joke of a "menace" in today's NBA. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Thoughts on the First Round of the 2026 NFL Draft

On Wednesday I wrote my NFL draft preview. Round one happened last night and I have some thoughts.

The first few picks went as expected. The Raiders got Mendoza and he has the skills to  be their franchise QB. He just needs time. David Bailey went second overall. I told you all that the Jest canceling a meeting with him meant nothing to me. They knew he was good, they wanted him and they took him. This was a smart move. I think Jeremiyah Love has all the skills in the world, but he will be behind a mediocre line and I just wouldn't take a running back this high in the modern NFL. I hope he proves me wrong, but drafting a pure running back at 3 overall scares me.

It was pretty chalk after those three, until the Rams took a massive swing at 13. The Titans needed a wideout, and while I would have taken Jordyn Tyson, who wound up at 8 with the Saints, they went with Carnell Tate, who should be good. The Giants took Arvell Reese, and he and Abdullah Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux have the ability to wreck backfields. The Chiefs traded up and shored up their secondary with Mansoor Delane. Sonny Styles brings aggressiveness and will be a tackling machine for the Commanders. The Browns drafted the best o lineman in the draft in Spencer Fano. The Giants got some much needed o line help with the very next pick in Francis Mauigoa. Cam Skattebo and Jaxson Dart will adore him. The Cowboys traded up to take the best player in the draft, in my opinion, in Caleb Downs. I hate that the Cowboys actually did something right and they just drafted a star. Miami took Kadyn Proctor, and if he can stay on the field he should protect whoever the Dolphins throw out there at QB.

Then we have the weirdest pick of the night. The Rams, who traded up to 13, took Ty Simpson, the QB from Alabama. This makes zero sense to me. The Rams are a win now team. They could have gotten Simpson later in round one. Matthew Stafford was the MVP last year. Simpson will get next to no time on the field. He may be the second best QB prospect in this draft, but every other QB is miles behind Mendoza. It appears that Sean McVay didn't like this pick. This is very weird and has left me with a ton of questions still today. I don't get it and I don't think I ever will. Time will tell, but this felt like a reach and a bad pick.

The Ravens set things straight, getting Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry some much needed protection in taking Olaivavega Ioane at offensive guard. The Buccaneers got a great edge rusher in Ruben Bain Jr. This reminds me so much of when they took Warren Sapp in his draft. The slide and the potential are very similar. And after these picks, nothing was too wild. I love that the Eagles jumped ahead of the Steelers so they could take Makai Lemon. Apparently the Steelers wanted him, and were ready to pick him, but the Eagles jumped in and swiped him. That's hilarious to me. The Lions drafted Graham Glasgow's replacement in Blake Miller. The Chargers took Akeem Mesidor, and if you don't know his story, go read about him. This kid deserves all the credit in the world and he fully changed his game to make it here. Kenyan Sadiq had a little bit of a drop, falling to 16. But the Jets have someone they can finally count on to catch passes and make plays. I feel like the Browns got a steal when they took KC Concepcion at 24 overall. He is a very good wideout and will give Shadeur Sanders a solid target in the passing game. The Bears got a good player in Dillon Thieneman. He should start very soon and will help the secondary right away. And the Jets made another solid pick when they got Omar Cooper Jr, one of Indiana's wide receivers. He is consistent and smart. The Jets had a good night last night,

Rounds 2 and 3 are tonight and there is some first round talent still available. My man Derrick Moore from Michigan should get picked tonight. Some other guys still on the board are Jermod McCoy, Denzel Boston, Avieon Terrelll, Zion Young and Casshius Howell, among many others. Jaishawn Barham, another Michigan guy I love, is still on the board as well. This is when the draft matters most to me, and many others. This is where you find the diamonds in the rough. This is where you can really build your team.

Last night's round one was mostly chalk, except for the Rams and Cardinals. And, as I mentioned above, I fully believe the Jets had the best night and they look to be going in a solid direction. Time will tell, but they made some good moves. On to night two. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty's 2026 NFL Draft Preview

The first round of the NFL draft starts tomorrow night. I'm not the biggest fan of this multi day draft, but it is a tv show and I'm sure whatever network airs the draft will get a ton of viewers. I know my son will be watching along with a bunch of other people. I will not, but I will be keeping track of where some of these players start their careers. Anyway, with the draft coming up, I will do my preview of some players and my thoughts on them. Unlike the past, where I would rank a few players, I'm going to go through some surefire first rounders and my thoughts on them. I'll name a player, give a sentence or two on my idea of how they'll be as a pro and then move on. Let's stop wasting time, let's get to the preview.

The player on the top of everyone's list seems to be Fernando Mendoza. And if I was listing players, he would be on the top of mine as well. Mendoza is a ready made quarterback prospect. He has all the tools to succeed in the league and he is football crazy. I respect his decision to stay home with his family for the draft. The only downside, he will be playing for the Raiders, who are a moribound franchise. Mendoza has the talent to turn them around, but it is going to take a few years.

Caleb Downs may be the best defensive prospect in the draft. If I were a defensive needy team, I'd try everything I could to move up and draft him. He is great in coverage, he can hit and he's an incredibly smart player. If not for Mendoza being in this draft, Downs would be the consensus number 1 player.

David Bailey is a great edge rusher. He plays the game with anger and joy. He is a throwback style player. I love his motor and his desire to play. I don't read much into the Jets canceling a meeting with him. Bailey has all the tools to be a pro bowl caliber player.

Arvell Reese is another buzzsaw off the edge. He has a super mean streak. He can be impossible to block at times. I know he spent a ton of time in Michigan's backfield last season. He is as good a player to build a defensive line around.

I'm a little skeptical of the Jeremiyah Love ascension. Don't get me wrong, he is a great player. It is his position that worries me. Running backs have such a short shelf life in the NFL. He is going to need to improve his pass catching and blocking if he wants to be an every down back. I think if put in the right situation, he could succeed. But that all depends on where he gets picked.

Ruben Bain is another edge rusher who many had as the top player going into the season. He didn't have the massive year statistically wise than many expected, but that is because he was double and triple teamed all year. He also showed up big time in Miami's playoff run, and their defense was the main reason why they made the run to the title game.

Outside of Mendoza, none of the QB's really do much for me. Ty Simpson is inaccurate and not very mobile. Drew Allar was not as great in college as he should have been, and he's coming off an injury. Carson Beck is older than a bunch of starters currently in the NFL. And Garrett Nussmeier just got some unfortunate medical news.

Outside of Love, this running back class is thin. Kaytron Allen is eligible, but he split time in Penn State's backfield. Navy's running back is eligible, but all Navy does is run. This running back class is devoid of true, deep talent.

What about the pass catchers? Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon may be the best players in this class. They both have separating speed, great hands and run solid routes. Denzel Boston is tall and quick. He could be a future number 1 wideout on an NFL team. KC Concepcion is solid and may be the most rounded receiver in this class. Kenyon Sadiq is the top tight end and he is the best tight end in this class. He should have a solid career.

The o line has some studs. Kadyn Proctor, Spencer Fano and Francis Mauigoa are the top tackles and I would be very happy if my team needed an o lineman and they drafted one of these guys.

The cornerback class is deep and talented. I already mentioned Caleb Downs, but we also have Mansoor Delane, D'Angelo Ponds, Avieon Terrell and Jermod McCoy. These dudes are all talented and can start from day one in the NFL.

The linebacking group falls off after Sonny Styles and CJ Allen. I'm not high on Jacob Rodriguez at all. He is a pure college player. Josiah Trotter needs time to grow into an NFL player. And Jake Golday seems to be a step or two too slow for the NFL.

Who would I be if I didn’t talk about a few Michigan players that are in the draft. I loved watching Derrick Moore at Michigan and I'm going to love watching him in the pros. I am very hopeful that Green Bay will take him. That would be ideal for me. Marlin Klein has the tools to be a solid NFL tight end, but he struggled to stay on the field for weeks at a time. Dominic Zvada is a good kicker. He won't get drafted, but he should get a chance somewhere and I could see him sticking around the NFL for a long time. And I am very hopeful that Donovan McCulley can find a place and stick around. He is big, has great hands and is faster than you think. He and Andrew Marsh gave me the most hope when Michigan would throw the ball last season.

That's it for my NFL draft preview. I'm sure these kids are excited to see what the future holds for them and I'm stoked to see where they end up playing next season. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Runners and Walkers are Always Wanted

Nike messed up with their most recent ad. Let’s discuss.

The Boston Marathon was held last weekend and prior to race day Nike ran an ad that read, "Runners Wanted. Walkers Tolerated". Seems pretty harmless on its base. Most people who run keep in constant motion. That's the way it is. And when you are heading to Boston to run the marathon, I'm sure you run the entire race. But the whole "Walkers tolerated" part is what seems to be sticking with the general public and with me.

I fancy myself a runner. I have been doing it for over a decade now. I have come a very long way and I feel better when I run four to five days a week. But part of my running journey, a good portion of it in fact, has involved walking. When I first started running I would run hard for about a tenth of a mile and then I would walk. That type of cross training is what got me so interested in running. As I continued to go out exercising, I would run more and more of each distance, but there was always some form of walking involved. After I ran my first half marathon I decided I was going to do more trail running. I always liked hiking, and adding running to that seemed like a logical choice. But any trail runner will tell you that walking is a part of trail running. Sometimes us trail runners call it walking, but most of the time we call it "power hiking". That is just a fancy way to say walking. Pretty much anytime I see a steep hill during a trail run, that is my excuse to walk. I like that I get that minor break during a trail trot. It is a nice change of pace and that is when I get fuel into my body. It is an excuse to do all the little things needed when doing a long distance trail run. All of this is why this whole ad has sparked controversy and made me angry and made me want to talk about this today.

The biggest thing that made me angry, the reason why I fell in love with running, why I have continued to do it, why it means so much to me, I have never been judged by the community. Running was so great because I was accepted instantly. I wanted to run and the veteran runners didn't chastise me. They didn't tell me I had to be faster. They didn't try to coach me unless I asked. I was let in and made tons of friends because no one was judging anything I did while exercising. This whole "Walkers Tolerated" thing feels like judgement. It feels like I am lesser than because I walk during some of my runs. It makes me feel talked down to. In the end, it makes me feel bad. And that should never be the case when doing a sport, especially one that is an individual sport. Team sports have way, way too much judgement. I played football, baseball and basketball growing up. Locker rooms and playing fields are toxic. Everyone has some kind of foul stuff they say with little to no repercussions. It gets nasty and hurtful. It could be a bummer for the most part. That wasn't the case with running, until Nike decided to run this ad.

I despise this. Walking is still a form of movement and exercise. Walking means you're moving. People who decide to walk during a race shouldn't be made to feel lesser than. That is not the whole idea. Runners come in all shapes and sizes and genders. It has always been this way and will continue to be. But if big companies, with a lot of pull have their way, running will become just as toxic as other team sports. Running doesn't need to judge. The sheer fact that you're outside doing some kind of physical activity is more than others do. Don't make fun of me for walking sometimes. Don't talk down to me because my pace may be slower than a lot of other people. Don't make fun of me because I've only ever run one marathon in my life, a trail marathon, that took me seven and a half hours to complete, and I walked a decent portion of it to finish it off.

This is in bad taste and poor timing. I cannot believe that this got passed by a bunch of other people who are the higher ups at their job. I hope this gets rectified and taken down. I don't like this statement and I don't like that some people have decided that all runners need to be judged. That is what bums me out the most. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Thoughts on the NBA Future for LeBron

Some reports have come out this afternoon that LeBron James may retire or he may consider leaving the Lakers for three other teams, the Warriors, Cavs or Clippers. Let’s discuss.

This is not a shock to me. Ever since the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, you could see that they were going to start building the team around him. He is younger and he is a star. That is the game the Lakers have always played. They picked Kobe over Shaq. They drafted Magic Johnson to replace Kareem Abdul Jabaar. They brought in Pau Gasol to play with Kobe. They tried getting Gary Payton and Karl Malone a ring. That didn't happen, but Payton eventually got his. They tried bringing in Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. The Lakers are the biggest game hunters in the NBA. So when they shockingly acquired Luka, I'm sure Lebron and his team saw the writing on the wall. I don't think that's fair to the second greatest NBA player of all time, but this is the modern landscape in the NBA.

I should mention that LeBron has also said he wouldn't mind returning to the Lakers. But, if he wants out, I think that retirement may be the best option. Sure, going back to the Cavs would make for a great final season. He could reap all the benefits of a "farewell tour" and be on a team that should be competitive next season, especially in the East. But he would have to take a tremendous pay cut, which shouldn't affect him at all. He has more money than he could ever spend. Also, the Cavs could look really different next season. James Harden said today that he will go into the offseason as a free agent. I read today that the Cavs would explore a trade for Donovan Mitchell if he doesn't sign an extension. Jarrett Allen is always on the trade block. Max Strus has barely played this season. And Evan Mobley hasn't taken the leap everyone expected he would on offense this year. Let's say the Cavs flame out of the playoffs earlier than they hope this year and there's some changes. I'll say they trade Mitchell and Allen for picks. And let's say LeBron takes the pay cut to play there. That would mean they would have a 41, soon to be 42 year old LeBron James. A year older Harden, Evan Mobley, who may just be a defensive force. And a bunch of young, unproven guys minus Max Strus. I know that they play in the East, and Harden and James could be fun. But that would not be a title contending team to me. I'd say, unless he gets real news that this team will mostly be intact next season, the Cavs would not be the best choice.

The Clippers mention doesn't make much sense to me. Paul George and James Harden are gone. Kawhi Leonard may be gone, and is often injured. Ivica Zubac is gone. LeBron will be teamed up with players like Ben Mathurin, John Collins, Derrick Jones Jr, Darius Garland, Kris Dunn and Brad Beal. That is not a contender. Not even close. Especially in the West. And even if Kawhi does comes back, LeBron would have to take a massive pay cut and still play the gauntlet that is the West. This one is the least likely to me. I mean, he wouldn't have to move, which would be nice. But I don't think he is going to move anyway. If he does leave the Lakers, he won't live in whatever city he gets traded to or signs with. But the Clippers makes no sense whatsoever. They are not in the best place, they just got beat by a team that didn't even really want to play the other night and who knows what is going to happen with Kawhi, on and off the court.

The Warriors makes the most sense of a team he would leave for in free agency or a trade. Stephen Curry and LeBron have amazing chemistry. They have shown that they love playing off one another, be it an all star game or in the Olympics. They compliment each other very well. They are both getting older though. I do think LeBron would buy into Steve Kerr's system as well. He would get to play fun basketball at an older age. He and Draymond Green are also buddies. They get along, which is wild to me. But Green is older, and looking like it. Moses Moody won't play next season, he is recovering from an injury, but when he comes back, he is a great cutter to the rim and he would get lots of dunks on passes from LeBron. Kristaps Porzingis, if he can ever stay on the court for an extended period of time, would open the lane for LeBron. And the Warriors have some bench guys, but they are an old, old team. And LeBron would be the oldest player on the team if he signs there. And they play in the West as well. But the chance to play with Steph may be too good for him to pass up. And then we have retirement. I think this makes the most sense.

LeBron has done it all in the NBA. He is an all timer. He has won everything any player could ever dream of. He has multiple rings. He is, as I mentioned before, the second best to ever play the game. And he has kids that he can watch and root for. Speaking as a father who's coaching career just ended, but his kid is still playing, it is so much more fun to watch and be a fan. It's the best. I get to root my face off for my kid. LeBron would get to do this at the highest level. And he is 41 years old. The time has come. Father Time always wins. And while he has looked solid this year, he has missed time with some older people injuries. So, whatever he decides, I think hanging it up is the best solution. He has nothing more to prove. He is an all timer and I would applaud his decision to walk away. Time will tell. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Is This it for Doc Rivers?

Doc Rivers has walked away as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Or they fired him. Or it was mutual. I have heard all three things being said since the NBA regular season ended. Let’s discuss.

Doc Rivers is an okay coach. He does have a championship ring. He started his head coaching career in 1999 when he took over the head job with the Magic. He was there for four seasons. He even won coach of the year in 2000. He brought the Magic back to relevancy. He had the Magic at or above .500 every season he was the head coach. He took them to the playoffs three times. He was let go after the Magic started the 2003-04 season 1-10. He did try to lure Tim Duncan away from San Antonio, but that didn't work. If it had, that would have been a real sliding doors scenario for the NBA.

He wasn't out of a head coaching job that long. He took over as the head coach of the Celtics in 2004. He had the most success while with the Celtics. The first three years only had one playoff appearance, but in year four they won the whole thing. This was when the Celtics got Paul Pierce some help trading for Kevin Garnett and adding Ray Allen via free agency. This was one of the first "super teams", and this team won it all. KG got a ring. Ray Allen got his first ring. Paul Pierce more than proved his worth. And the Celtics won it all with an excellent defense. They could have won it all the very next season, but injuries slowed them down in the conference semifinals. They made it back to the finals the next year, getting beat by the Lakers. But Doc Rivers had proven that he could win, and take teams to high heights, as long as he had a great roster.

Doc stuck with the Celtics for three more seasons, but in the 2013-14 season he took the head coaching job with the Clippers. The Clippers were supposed to win it all. They had all the players they needed, they just needed a proper head coach. Doc Rivers was supposed to be that guy. He was the missing piece. And while those Clippers teams were fun, they never made it out of the conference semifinals. They would have these wonderful regular seasons, only to see any hope of a long playoff run die in spectacular fashion. Those Clippers teams were full of arrogant assholes too. Blake Griffin was only a ferocious dunker, nothing more. Chris Paul was a pain in the ass, who would find ways to blow games at any given moment. Deandre Jordan couldn't stay out of foul trouble. The players would pour drinks on opposing teams fans. They allowed Josh Richardson to rain threes on them. They let the Thunder, led by KD and Russell Westbrook, beat them early in their run. These Clippers teams couldn't get out of their own way, and a lot of that falls on Doc Rivers. He did have to navigate the whole Donald Sterling thing, and I do think Doc Rivers did a good job with that fiasco. But the rings never came.

Next he took over as the head coach of the 76ers for the 2020-21 season. This seemed like a good fit too, but we have the whole Ben Simmons of it all. Simmons could have been great, but he got in his own head. And when Doc Rivers didn't take his side, he became known as not a players coach. The media ripped him for this and it made his time as the 76ers head coach fraught with criticism. He was blamed for Simmons flaming out. He was told he was taking Joel Embiid's side too much. He tried to bring on his type of players, but it didn't amount to much. Those 76ers teams were loaded with talent, but they never got out of the East semifinals. I do think that this team could have won a title if they had a better head coach.

Rivers was then assigned to take over when the Bucks fired their young coach. Apparently Giannis didn't like that coach and they gave the job to Rivers. I thought this was going to work. It did not and it did not to epic proportions. Doc Rivers never really had a hold on this Bucks team. He never had his full complement of players. Someone was always injured. They didn't get out of the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons. Part of that is due to injuries, other parts are due to Rivers coaching inadequacies. The Bucks were very bad this season, and it looks like Giannis is on his way out. This whole Doc Rivers Milwaukee Bucks marriage never worked. It did the opposite of that. This was bad on all counts. And no matter what Rives says or the front office says, the Bucks are not in a good place right now. This team may actually need a full tear down. I mean, they're paying two people, Damian Lillard and Doc Rivers, that don't even work there anymore. They still have Kyle Kuzma. They gave Myles Turner a humongous contract last offseason. More changes than just a new head coach may need to be made here. And this bums me out because my dad is a Bucks fan and I want him to be pleased with what his favorite team is doing and the direction they're headed in.

This may be the end of Doc Rivers as a viable head coach in the NBA. He may get a spot at one of the soon to be open head coaching spots in the NBA, but not with a big time franchise. Maybe the Pelicans or Wizards will target him. But teams in big cities or with big name players, I'm sure they will pass on Rivers. At least he has a championship ring. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty Predicts the 2026 NBA Playoffs

The NBA regular season wrapped up last night and the playoffs are officially set. I am going to give you my playoff preview and prediction. I'll go through the play-in games, pick a winner of those and then have my eight teams set in each conference. Then I'll go through the East and the West, pick the winner of the title and my Finals MVP.

Let's start with the East play-in games.

The 9-10 features the Hornets playing the Heat. Whoever wins this game has one more shot to get the 8th seed in the East. The Hornets have been on fire for months now. They are fun and fast and exciting to watch. The Heat are play-in vets. They have made it to the Finals from the play-in. They know what it takes to win in these games. But, the Hornets are better, younger and hungrier. They will win this game and end the Heat's season. The 7-8 game in the East features the 76ers and Magic. This is a puzzler. Both of these teams should have been better this year. Both teams had higher ambitions. I am going to go with the Magic to win this game and claim the 7th seed, but I have zero confidence. The 76ers may be fully healthy or they may be missing multiple starters. Who knows. That is why I'm going with the Magic. That would leave the Hornets and 76ers playing for the 8th seed, and I'm going with the Hornets. They're too fun to not pick. I want them in the playoffs. And as much as I like VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, one of them will inevitably be injured for this game. The Hornets will get the 8th seed.

Now for the West play-in games.

The 9-10 features the Warriors playing the Clippers. These teams are both old and not happy to be in the play-in. Who knows if Steph Curry will play or not. This seems about the time of year that Kawhi Leonard seems to get hurt. The Warriors have been pretty bad during the entire second half of the season. The Clippers have been much better, but they have had to work extra hard to get here. But because they have had meaningful games lately, I'm going to go with the Clippers to win here. The 7-8 game has the Suns playing the Blazers. The Blazers are ahead of schedule. So are the Suns. Both of these teams have had much better seasons than anyone expected they would. I'm going to go with the Suns because they have been better all year long. The Blazers are building on something, but the Suns will get the 7th seed. So that would leave the Clippers playing the Blazers. Whoever wins this will have the honor of facing the Thunder in round 1. Congrats. I'm going to go with the Blazers just because I want to see them in the playoffs. I want to watch their guys play much more than the Clippers. That is why I'm going with the Blazers to win the 8th seed.

So, my East playoff teams from 1-8 are as follows, Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Cavs, Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Hornets. The Pistons-Hornets matchup is going to be fun and exciting. The Pistons are having a great year. They won 60 games and look to be a perenial playoff team moving forward. I already talked about the Hornets and how fun they are to watch. But, the Pistons have a much better defense and Cade Cunnigham is back. I think the series will go six games and the Hornets will scare the Pistons, but the Pistons will eventually tire the Hornets out and win the series. The Celtics are going to obliterate the Magic. The Magic will have a lot of changes this offseason after the Celtics sweep them. They may have a new coach and some new players. The Celtics are the most professional professional basketball team. They play great basketball and make minimal mistakes. And Jayson Tatum is back and looks pretty damn good already. The Celtics seem to be on a mission. The Knicks lucked out in playing the Raptors. Nothing against the Raptors, but the Knicks are a much better team and they are a team that is primed for the playoffs. They have the better backcourt and frontcourt. They may struggle a bit with Scottie Barnes, but Barnes is not the type of player to win a series on his own. The Knicks have Jalen Brunson and a myriad of role players that are solid. They will win the series in five games. The Hawks-Cavs looks to be competitive, but I don't think it will end up that way. The Hawks have been so much better since they traded Trae Young. They play solid defense and their offense moves a ton, which I like. But the Cavs have been waiting for this time of year. They have to make amends for the past few years where they have crapped out in the playoffs. I think they will play much better and I believe they will beat the Hawks in six games.

That would leave me with a second round of Pistons-Cavs and Celtics-Knicks. All chalk. That changes here. I'm going with the Cavs to beat the Pistons in seven games. This will be the best series in the East in my opinion. It is strength on strength too. But the Cavs will pull it out in the seventh game. The Knicks-Celtics should be amazing as well. These two teams are fun to watch play one another. They will go at it. I'm going to go with the Celtics in seven games due to better defense and Jayson Tatum being back. They also have to make up for last season. T

hat means I have the Cavs playing the Celtics in the East Finals. And I believe the Celtics will win that in six games. The Cavs will be tired, but they aren't on the level of the Celtics. The Celtics are better, and they may be the best team in the East at this very moment. The Celtics will return to the Finals.

Now for the West. My West playoff teams, from 1-8, are as follows, the Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Suns and Blazers. The Thunder are going to cruise over the Blazers. If the NBA could call it in three games, I think they might. The Thunder are that good, they are pretty much whole and they have a title to defend. The Blazers are on the come up, but they don't stand a chance against the Thunder. The Spurs will take on the Suns in the 2-7 matchup. The Spurs are the most fun team to watch this season in the NBA. Wemby is healthy. Stephon Castle is a star in the making. Keldon Johnson is a great sixth man. Carter Bryant brings a new dimension to this team. Dylan Harper could win rookie of the year. The Spurs are way ahead of schedule, but it is the Spurs and they are awesome. The Suns have Devin Booker, and that's about it. The Spurs will sweep this series and will officially announce themselves as a title contender. The Timberwolves and Nuggets series is going to be closer than expected. Nikola Jokic is back to himself, Aaron Gordon looks to be in game shape and Jamal Murray is having his best season in his career. The Timberwolves have been inconsistent, but they have Anthony Edwards, and he is a stone cold killer on a basketball court. Ayo Dosunmu has been a great addition. Jaden McDaniels is a defensive stalwart, but he is still injured. And Rudy Gobert is still a good defender. The Timberwolves also play to the level of their competition, and they have recent success against the Nuggets. That being said, give me the Nuggets in six games. The Timberwolves have been too inconsistent this season, and the Nuggets have been clicking lately. The 4-5 matchup, the Rockets and Lakers, feels like a real dud to me. The Lakers are injured and LeBron James, while still awesome, is 41. They also play little to no defense, JJ Redick is a mediocre coach and the Forum doesn't hold the weight it used to as a home court advantage stadium. The Rockets do play good defense, but they are horrendous offensively. They have no plan. They miss Fred VanVleet. Amen Thompson has to be better offensively. Alperen Sengun needs to be better defensively. This team has issues. I'm going to go with the Lakers in seven games because the refs will do some wild nonsense to help them win a crucial game 7. It always seems to happen that way for them.

My second round matchups are the Thunder playing the Lakers and the Nuggets playing the Spurs. The Thunder are going to be 8-0 after this series. They beat the Lakers by 40 when they were whole. They are going to obliterate them in this series. The Nuggets are going to beat the Spurs in seven games, and it will be brutal. This is going to be a fun back and forth series. Wemby and Jokic will be cinema. I'm excited to see Murray and Gordon go up against Castle and Harper and Johnson. I'm excited to watch these two young coaches battle. Look, the Spurs are coming, just not this season. I have the Nuggets winning in seven.

That means I have the Thunder and Nuggets in the West Finals. This is the true Finals for all intents and purposes. These are the two best teams in the NBA. I'm going with the Thunder to win in six games. The Nuggets will make it close. They play incredible offense. And even the Thunder, who have the best defense in the league, will struggle in a few games. But the Nuggets play zero defense and that will be their undoing. The Thunder are good, deep and will be well rested going into this series. That is why the Thunder will make it back to the Finals.

This leaves me with a Thunder-Celtics Finals. And as cool as it has been to see the Celtics be this good this year, and to see Tatum back in action, the Thunder are a better team. They are deeper, they are healthy, they have a true home court advantage. The Thunder in the midst of a possible dynasty. They will win their second championship in a row, and SGA will take home another Finals MVP. The Thunder will win a second straight title in six games. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty Predicts the NBA Awards

I listen to a good amount of basketball related podcasts. I like to nerd out on these shows. I especially like it when the hosts and guests go into deep dives about certain things. With the regular season winding down in the NBA, most of these shows have been doing their awards talk. They have been going through all of the awards, who they think will and should win and why they think these people will win. And, with the added 65 game rule, some of these awards are going to people who may have not been most people's first choice.

I personally think the 65 game rule is good and should stick around. I do not like that some players are trying to have certain stipulations put in place so they can be rewarded if they played only 60 games or so. These are the rules, the players union agreed to them and that is just the way it is going to be for the time being. I fully understand that this may dilute certain winners, and mess with some players' money, but they all agreed that this was the best way to go about handing out these accolades. With all that being said, I'm going to give you my picks for the major awards and why I think each player is deserving. I will not do all NBA, all rookie and all defensive teams. That's way too dorky even for me. But I do want to give out MVP, Most Improved, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. These are the big ones. These are the ones that I pay most attention to at the end of the season.

I'll start with Most Improved. I would give this to Jalen Duren. He has gotten so much better this year than previous seasons. He has made a leap to all NBA status. I remember when the Pistons drafted him and I thought, he has the body for the NBA, but does he have the game? He does and it has shown out tenfold this season. He's excellent defensively. He is a hellacious rebounder. And he has shown a great low post offenisve game and he is one of the better rim runners in the league. He has improved leaps and bounds and if this isn't your prototype for this award, I don't know who else it should go to. He has also surpassed the 65 game rule, so he's in great shape to win.

Next we have Rookie of the Year. This is going to go to either Kon Knueppel or Cooper Flagg. I was wrong about Knueppel. I thought the Hornets wasted a top 4 pick on him. But the kid can play. He is a lethal shooter and can get his shot off pretty much whenever he wants. He has partnered up well with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller and they look like they will be an elite offense for many seasons to come. But Cooper Flagg is doing some highly impressive things on a pretty bad team. Flagg is all the Mavs have. He is their lone offenisve threat, he has had to be a ball handler for them, he is an astute passer and he tries hard on defense. He also has had two 40 plus point games recently, and one 50 point game. He makes the Mavs no fun to play, and I think he has pulled ahead of Knueppel this past week. It will be a close vote, and either guy is a great choice for ROY. I would give it to Flagg at this point.

Next we have Coach of the Year. Joe Mazzula should win. I was low on the Celtics and they are currently the 2 seed in the East. He has made guys like Luka Garza and Nnemas Queta viable frontcourt options. Payton Pritchard is having his best season. Jaylen Brown has become a viable number 1 option and proven to everyone that he can be a guy to build around. He had to find players to replace Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup and he did. He has helped get Jayson Tatum back in the groove in a proper manner. Mazzula is an insane person, but he knows how to coach this game and he has done an exceptional job this season. JB Bickerstaff should get some love, as should Mark Dagneault. But Mazzula has proven his worth this season and he should reap the benefits by winning Coach of the Year.

Now we have Defensive Player of the Year. Victor Webanyama, if he hits the 65 game mark, should be the runaway winner. I don't know how you vote for anyone else. Rudy Gobert is still good, but not on Wemby's level. Evan Mobley has been better defensively than offensively, but not on Wemby's level. There is no guard or forward that even matches what Wemby does on that end. I fully believe that the Spurs will get him that 65th game and he will walk away with this award, as he should. This is going to be one of many for him in what, hopefully, will be a long career.

Finally we have MVP. Luka Doncic is out. He will not meet the games requirement and he will not win his appeal. He also doesn't play defense. When you have to always put in a caveat of, "good for him", that means he is a liability on that end of the floor. He also whines too much. He is also a drag to watch play basketball. I would not give it to Nikola Jokic for his lack of defense as well. Look, I get it. He is an offenisve wizard. He makes unmakeable plays all the time. He is playing really well offensively to close out the regular season. But, for me, a MVP caliber player needs to play hard on both ends. Jokic doesn't even put forth an effort defensively. He has been a turnstile late this season. He never guards anyone that is close to his height or level. He often takes defensive possessions off. I know the analytic nerds love his numbers, but I loathe that he plays zero defense and gets rewarded with the whole, "good enough for him" treatment. That is just an excuse and until he puts forth effort on defense I will continue to dislike watching him play. The MVP comes down to two guys for me, Shai Gilgeous Alexander and Wemby. Wemby needs that 65th game, but I already said I think he will get there. He is the only defensive player I've ever watched that makes it impossible for teams to gameplan away from him. You can attack Jokic and Doncic. You can stay away from Kawhi Leonard's side of the floor. Gary Payton would only ever guard backcourt guys. Wemby guards everyone and guards them all equally well. He is a blackhole. He can be in the post guarding a big, and if that guy kicks it out to a shooter, he can close out and block that shot. He is amazing. And he is only getting better at offense. He has gotten stronger in the post and he can take guys out to the three point line. That's insane for a 7'4 guy with arms that are insanely long. Wemby is an enigma and I love watching him play. But I would go with SGA to win his second in a row. He is the best player on the best team in the league. His numbers and Jokic are pretty equal. He gets to the free throw. He is not the only "free throw merchant" in the NBA by the way. We just hear more about him because the Thunder are always on tv and won the title last season. He is efficient dynamic on offense. He is also a very solid defender. The Thunder win with defense and he has bought into playing on that end of the floor. He gets steals and blocks. He rebounds the ball. He gets into whoever he is guarding. He plays both ends, is on the best team and has numbers even the analytic nerds love. And he has played the most consistent of any of these guys all season long. SGA should win his second MVP in as many years.

That's it, that is who I have winning the major awards for the 2025-26 NBA season. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

UNC Got the Right Basketball Coach

Michael Malone was formally introduced as the next men's head basketball coach at UNC. Let’s discuss.

I don't know what it is about UNC and hiring former professional head coaches with proven track records, but they've done it again. This feels different though than when they hired Bill Belichek last season. The Belichek hire was totally out of left field, so is this Malone hire. But Belichek was out of the coaching profession for a year or so. And he is old. He is one of the older coaches in all of college football. He also has a partner that seems controlling. I don't know if she is, but she seems to have a hold on him and kind of does all of his scheduling and other things. I understand that he probably needs this, he is so old as I said, but it still feels off. And the Belichek hiring has not paid off to this point. UNC had a bad season on the football field, there seemed to be a ton of problems on and off the field and he's already had turnover on the roster and coaching staff. The UNC football program seems like a program in trouble.

When the men's basketball team fired Hubert Davis, and with Caleb Wilson going pro, it seemed like the men's basketball program was going to go through a similar fall off. They let the head coach go after an okay season. Their best player missed the most important stretch of the season and then went pro. And they have had a few dudes already enter the transfer portal, and this was when they had no head coach. So, when the news came out that they were hiring Michael Malone, I was stunned.

About a week ago I wrote about who I thought they were going to go after in the hiring process, naming Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May as the most likely candidates. Well, both of those dudes said no thank you and, apparently, UNC already had their sights set on Malone. Michael Malone has been at the very top of the basketball world. He was the head coach of the Nuggets when they won the title in 2022. He seemed to be set for life as the main guy there, but the team and front office decided to move on late last season. From what I have read some of the people on the team and on the staff did not like his hard core, yelling approach to coaching. Michael Malone is a gruff, no nonsense old school head basketball coach. He demands the best out of his players and he wants them to give their all every single second they are playing or practicing the game of basketball. I can see how this would wear on modern NBA players. Those dudes make a ton of money, they have been the star at most stops and they pretty much know the ins and outs of the game. They do need a figurehead, someone to take the blame and heap praise upon. But that guy needs to be able to adapt to the lifestyles of their professional athletes. That does not work very well for the Michael Malone's of the world. And that is precisely why I think this might actually work for UNC.

UNC went out of their way to get Malone. They hired a guy that has zero ties to UNC. He didn't play there, he never coached there and I bet the only time he has spent in the Carolinas is when he was a head coach in the NBA and his team had a game in Charlotte. But the dude knows basketball and he has proven that he can win a ton of games. He did it at the highest level for a good long time. But what makes this make sense, college players don't make the money that the pros do. They are getting paid right now, but Michael Malone is going to get paid much, much more than them. He can also show off his NBA championship ring anytime he pleases. He can talk about coaching guys like Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray. He knows what it takes to get to the pros. He can help usher these highly rated recruits and transfers into the pros. He can show them exactly what they have to work on to get to the highest level. He knows the game. And I don't think recruiting is as awful as some say. You do have to travel all the time, you have to sell the program, you have to deal with NIL and the transfer portal, but Michael Malone has dealt with most of this stuff in the pros. He has been through the ringer and come out on the other side.

This is a home run hire in my opinion. UNC reached for the stars and grabbed a pretty damn big one. I think this is going to work out really well and really quickly and I think UNC may have just made the hire of the offseason for men's college basketball. This is a big deal. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

The Current State of Michigan Basketball is Pretty Good

For the second time in three years I have gotten to celebrate a Michigan team winning the national title. In 2023 it was the football team. Last night, it was the men's basketball team. Let’s discuss.

I really enjoy this feeling. There's truly nothing better than when your team is on top. It is the best in the world. I do want to say, as wonderful as this feels, the football title felt a little better. I just have to say that. College football is a little more important to me than basketball. I just wanted to put that out there. But that is to take nothing out of what the men;s basketball team achieved last night.

When the season started I didn't know what to think, especially in the NIL and transfer portal era. I had heard a bunch of good things about the guys they brought in. Aday Mara was tall. Morez Johnson Jr was tall and strong. Elliot Cadeau was going to be able to run the offense properly. And Yaxel Lendeborg was this jack of all trades type player. Throw in some of the guys that stuck around, Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter, Roddy Gayle Jr and LJ Cason, this team was supposed to be good. But I thought I was going to miss Tre Donaldson and Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin and Devante Jones. Those guys were part of Dusty May's first season, in which he took an 8-24 team to the Sweet Sixteen. They seemed to be in a good place. But this was going to be all new. But, like I said, the media seemed pretty hyped about this new roster. And while I was skeptical, they started the season 12-0, and looked really good doing it. They may have started slow, but they went on a run where they were obliterating teams. And I'm not talking about the run of the mill lower level division 1 teams, they were beating up on highly ranked teams. I started to buy in. Then Wisconsin hit a million threes and cooled any of the good vibes I had about them earlier on. But then they went on another long win streak and I was back in. They got all the way to being ranked number 1 overall. It ruled. Then Duke punked them on national tv and I was back in a funk. Sure, Mara was an incredible defender and Johnson Jr was bullying dudes on both ends and Cadeau was killing it as the lead guard and Lendeborg was all I wanted him to be. But Duke took all of that away from me. I fully stopped believing. Then you can add on the struggle they had in the Big 10 tournament, they did make it to the title game, and won the regular season title, and I just kind of gave up. When the tournament seeds and games were announced, I knew Michigan was going to be a 1 seed, and I even had them in the Final Four. But they went on to cruise and crush the competition in the tournament. They went on an unprecedented run. After Howard was throwing flames in the first half from 3, Michigan went on to score 101 and win by 21. Then they crusted over the early tournament sweetheart Robbie Avila and SLU. They scored over 90 and won by 20 plus points again. And this was the game where Lendeborg became everything I ever wanted him to be. He went for 20 plus and made it look easy from everywhere on the court. He was a menace on defense. He was dunking on dudes left and right. It was dope. They went into the Sweet Sixteen facing one of the top offenses in all of college basketball in Alabama. They held them to 77 points, while they scored 90 yet again. They lucked out in facing Tennessee, a six seed, in the Elite Eight. They went on to beat them by 33 points, In an Elite Eight game. On national tv. In front of everyone. This was the moment where I fully bought in and truly believed they may be able to do it. They looked so much more dominant than any of the eight teams left. They looked even better in the Final Four. I was all in on Arizona winning it all all season. I fully thought they were the best team in men's college basketball. They had just beat Purdue, who beat Michigan in the Big Ten tournament. Well, Michigan proceeded to crush Arizona. They beat them so badly that their coach said that "no team has been able to do what Michigan did to them all year". Also, when accepting his coach of the year award, Tommy Lloyd mentioned that maybe they meant to send it to Dusty May. That was how badly Michigan beat them. They won a Final Four game by 18 points, and it wasn't even that close.

With the national title game last night, I didn't just want a win, I expected it. But, when the game tipped off, it went much different than I hoped. UConn muddied the game up and made it sloppy and slow. This worked to their advantage for a bit. They even held an 18-15 lead with about 11 minutes left. They were holding this elite Michigan offense to 15 points nine minutes into the game. I was terrified. I wasn't nervous, I was scared. I thought they were going to get beat, and beaten badly by a team and coach that knows how to win title games. But Michigan persisted, switched up the game plan a bit and went into halftime with a 4 point lead, 33-29. But the way the media was talking you would have thought UConn was ahead. And that was when a revelation hit me. Michigan played really poorly. They couldn't make a jumper. Lendeborg's injury was clearly becoming an issue. They hadn't made a three pointer. And yet they were ahead by 4 points. Going into the second half, while still scared, I felt calmer than I thought. I did yell once, but my son told me to calm down, and I did. Michigan never let UConn get any closer than that 4 points. They stretched the lead to 11 at one point. They made 20 straight free throws. When UConn played pressure defense, it was freshman Trey McKenney who came up big. Lendeborg started to attack the rim and either make a shot or shoot free throws. Mara's presence was felt on the defensive end. And Elliot Cadeau saved his best game for last. Without him, they may not have won last night. But this was this team's MO all year. They didn't need one guy. They had a team of players ready to make plays and step up when asked. Roddy Gayle had a huge putback jam early in the game. Morez Johnson Jr played excellent defense both in the paint and on the perimeter. I mentioned Mara, Lendeborg, Cadeau and McKenney. This was a full team effort and it showed last night. And while this team became known for offense as the season went on, they played an exceptional defensive game last night, especially in the second half.

Dusty May was clearly the right choice as the new head coach two years ago. I liked the hire when it happened, and I loved it even more after last night. He knows how to work the portal, and if he keeps up this level of recruiting high school players, as long as he doesn't leave for the pros anytime soon, Michigan men's basketball will be in good shape.

I'm on cloud 9 today. I have been talking to everyone and anyone that asks me how I feel about it all and let them know. This team went 37-3. I grew to love every player. I'm as big a Dusty May fan as there is right now. And they capped it all off by winning the title last night. This is so awesome and I am so happy right now. Go Blue.

 Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty Predicts the Final Four

The men's Final Four is set. UConn will face Illinois in the first game Saturday night, and Arizona will face Michigan in the second game. We have two number 1 seeds, a 2 seed and a 3 seed. We have two Big Ten teams, one Big East team and one Big 12 team. All power conferences, all teams that were ranked inside the top 15 most of the season. This is the way of the current world in men's college sports. The teams that can pay and use the transfer portal correctly will continue to run college sports until some changes are made. It's going to be awhile before we see George Mason or Loyola Chicago in the Final Four. With that being said, I'm going to do a preview and prediction.

UConn-Illinois is going to be an interesting clash of styles. Illinois likes to score fast and furious. They have guys who can shoot from anywhere on the floor. They also have guys that can protect the rim on defense and rebound the ball. They play like an NBA team. Iowa exposed a few things that I think UConn can use to their benefit, probably better than Iowa did. UConn has solid veteran leadership and some young talent. Alex Karaban is a very good shooter and has been here before. Tarris Reed has become one of the better throwback big men in all of college basketball. He has some of the best low post moves I've seen in awhile. Solo Ball can attack and shoot. Braylen Mullins just made the biggest shot of the tournament. That kid can score in bunches. This should be a fun game to watch. I'm curious as to how it will all turn out. Illinois has shooters galore and I think that will separate them from UConn. UConn just gave everything they had in their last game. They came back from down 19. They had little to no chance of winning that game. They needed a bad pass to create a miracle shot. I think that may bite them in the butt this weekend. Illinois is also a really good basketball team that has been consistent and well rounded all tournament long. They easily overcame the mild adversity Iowa threw their way, and they just feel like a team destined to play for the title to me. I think the game will be close up until the end. UConn's bigs will make life tough for Illinois' big men. But the shooting separates Illinois from UConn. UConn is not the dominant team they were in the very near past, and that will only help Illinois push into the final. I say Illinois wins by 8, but it will be that wide because UConn will have to foul late, and free throws will make it seem like a bigger margin of victory than it really is. Illinois will be the first team to make it to the title game.

Now onto the game I want to watch, and I bet most of the country wants to watch as well.

Arizona and Michigan have been at the top of the rankings all season long. Both teams went a long, long time undefeated. Both teams won their regular season conference title. Arizona won the Big 12 title tournament, while Michigan played in the Big Ten tournament title game. Michigan has a program record 35 wins at the moment. Arizona has 35 wins as well. Arizona just showed how good of a team they can be last weekend. Purdue gave them everything they had in the first half. Then Arizona locked in and completely took over. They dominated the second half against a very good Purdue team. They won that game going away. They clawed and scratched, and with about 12 minutes left in the game they totally took over. It was wild to watch. I have been riding with Arizona as my pick to win it all this year most of the season. I picked them in all four brackets I filled out this year. They are a very, very good team with multiple NBA draft picks on the floor. Michigan has had a year to remember. It has been awesome for me to watch as a fan. And they have been as dominant as any team can be in this tournament to this point. They have scored 90 plus points in every game. They have won every game by double figures. Their closest margin of victory was 13 in the Sweet Sixteen. They just beat Tennessee in the Elite Eight by 33 points. Yaxel Lendeborg has been playing out of his mind. Elliot Cadeau is running the offense brilliantly. Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr have been manning the front court. And Roddy Gayle Jr and Trey McKenney have been making plays all over the court. Michigan has looked every bit the number 1 seed they have earned. This game is going to feature so many future pros. It will be the closest thing we have to watching two college teams full of NBA players. Both teams also have guys that can beat you on any night. They don't need one guy to do it all. They have multiple guys that can go off and take a game over. I have been batting it back and forth about who I want to pick. Michigan has been awesome. Arizona has been just as dominant and they beat a better team in their Elite Eight matchup. I'll be rooting so god damn hard for Michigan, but I'm going to stick with my pick of Arizona heading to the title game. They have more weapons and bigs that can matchup with the size of Michigan. It will be a close, very well played game of basketball, but I think Arizona is going to hit a big shot to win the game by three points. And I will be absolutely devastated.

That leaves me with Illinois and Arizona playing for the title, and there's no need to beat around the bush, Arizona will roll. They are a better team with a better coach and a better roster. That's just facts. And any one of their players would win Most Outstanding Player. I'll go ahead and go with Koa Peat. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

The SeedSing 2026 MLB Preview

Today I'm going to do my best to give you all a 2026 MLB preview. As I say every year, RD knows this stuff better than I do. He's the expert when it comes to baseball. But my son has grown fond of the MLB and he has gotten me to watch more games the past two years than I did the previous ten. I may have little knowledge, but I have some. I'll go through the divisions, pick a winner, the seven playoff teams and then predict the playoffs. Let's get to it.

I'll start with the American League.

The AL East figures to be the best division in the AL this year. The Red Sox, Orioles, Yankees and Blue Jays all have a legit case to be in the playoffs. And the Rays aren't all that bad either. I'm going to go with the Red Sox to win the division. I'd love to pick the Blue Jays. They were so close to winning the World Series last year, and they only had to replace a few guys. They also still have Vlad Guerrero Jr, who is only getting better. But the Red Sox are the more complete team here. That doesn't mean this division won't house three, maybe four playoff teams.

The AL Central is the opposite of the East. This division will most likely only get the winner in the playoffs. I'm sure the Guardians will be better than most expect. They always seem to do that. And the Royals have been getting a ton of love from the media. The White Sox are getting better and the Twins are constructed to be bad. The central is all about the Tigers. Tarik Skubal is back and pitching on a one year prove type of deal. They signed Framber Valdez. They have a solid and effective lineup. This feels like a year that the Tigers could push for a bid in the World Series. The Tigers, barring major injuries, should coast to the division title.

The final division in the AL, the West, should also be a one team race. The Athletics are good, but they still don't have a home city and that has to mess with their players. The Angels still have Mike Trout, and not much else. The Astros look to be on the back end of their winning. And the Rangers, only a few years removed from being World Series champs, are rebuilding. This is the Mariners time to shine. They pushed the Blue Jays last year. They have all the main pieces back. They will make moves to keep winning during the season. They, on paper, may be the best team in the AL. The Mariners have been preseason favorites before and did not live up to expectations. I feel like they're too good to do that again.

So, my playoff teams in the AL are, first the division winners, the Red Sox, Tigers and Mariners. That leaves me with the three wild card spots, and I'm going to go with the Blue Jays, Yankees and Royals. The Orioles will just miss out, as will the Guardians. But this feels like a solid six team playoff race in the AL. As far as who will play in the ALCS, give me the Tigers and Mariners and the Mariners winning in six games to make it to the franchise's first World Series.

On to the NL, the senior circuit of you will.

I'll start with the East here as well. We have some big spenders and some old teams here. The Phillies are really good and consistent. But they have died in the playoff as of late and they are only getting older. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber can't hit home runs forever. And Trae Turner will one day get slower. The Mets are spending big and made some deals to get much needed pitching help this offseason. But they didn't even make the playoffs last year. The Braves have all the talent in the world everywhere on this roster, and it cannot seem to stay healthy at all. And then there's the Nationals, who look to be building back a competitive team, and the Marlins who are as bad as it gets in the NL. I like the Phillies in the East here, but that's only because the Mets cannot seem to win when it matters most. They spend a ton, but the Phillies product on the field has proven to be better.

The NL Central is better, and it is a three team race here. The Cardinals are going to be bad, but maybe a little fun to watch. They have young talent everywhere that they're trying to develop, which will be fun to watch at times, and then abysmal at other times. The Pirates have some solid dudes on their roster and one of the best pitchers in the game. But this is the Pirates and they don't, or won't pay anyone and then that person leaves and they're back to square one. It feels like more of the same from them. The Central is a race between the Cubs, who are as talented as it gets in baseball, the Brewers, who won the most games in all of baseball last year and seem to churn out competitive teams season after season, and the Reds, who are finally loaded with pitching and hitting talent. I'm going to go with the Cubs to win this division, but it would not shock me at all if the Reds are right there with them all the way to the end. I could see Ely de la Cruz being a possible MVP caliber player this season.

The final division is the West, and I think we all know who is going to win here. The Dodgers are the best team money can buy and I have zero issue with that. They have gained the system and they will keep doing this until there are rules put in place to stop them. The Diamondbacks have some good players and they get some guys back this year that are finally healthy. They could make a little noise. The Giants will be feisty and maybe win 85 games. The Padres have some good hitters, but their pitching staff needs work. And the Rockies get to play next to some beautiful mountains. The Dodgers are the cream of the crop not only in this division, but in all of baseball.

So my NL playoff division winners are the Phillies, Cubs and Dodgers. My three wild card teams are the Reds, Mets and Diamondbacks. As for the NLCS, give me the Dodgers and Cubs, and the Dodgers sweeping them to play in another World Series. As for my World Series winner, give me the Dodgers beating the Mariners in six games. It won't be as epic as last season, but should still be a fun series. As for my award winner, I'll take Aaron Judge as the AL MVP and Tarik Skubal as the AL Cy Young winner. In the NL, give me Paul Skenes as the NL Cy Young winner and Shohei Ohtani as the NL MVP.

There you have it, my best shot at a 2026 MLB preview. Enjoy the season.

Another view

Let’s get it out of the way, the Dodgers will win their third straight World Series. They are the best team by a long shot, they are still hungry, and everyone knows there wilol be no season next year so LA will do whatever it takes to win. Now, lets predict division winners.

AL East - Toronto Blue Jays, they got a taste last year, they want it all now.

AL Central - Detroit Tigers, the best team, and pitcher, that no one is talking about.

AL West - Seattle Mariners, hungry and ready to make their first World Series.

AL Wild Cards - Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals

NL East - Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets will Mets again. Same as it ever was.

NL Central - Chicago Cubs, the North Siders will final put the Brewers to bed.

NL West - LA Dodgers, obviously

NL Wild Cards - Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks

The ALCS will have another Toronto/Mariners seven game classic with Seattle winning. The NLCS will have a hot Reds team meeting up with the Dodgers. Cincinnati will take the first game, then lose the next four sending LA to their third straight World Series. The Dodgers will sweep the Mariners and poor Seattle will have to wait for their first World Series game victory. Then we wait as the 2027 season will be wiped out by a strike. I hope I’m wrong about that last sentence.

Play Ball

RD

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Who Will Be UNC's Next Coach?

North Carolina men's basketball have let Hubert Davis go. He was in the title game in 2022, but two first round exits in a row seem to have been the nail in the coffin. Let’s discuss.

Hubert Davis played at UNC, had a solid NBA career, did some tv analyzing and took over as the head coach of his alma mater in 2021. He was there for five seasons, compiling a record of 125-54. That's an average of 25 wins a season, which is really good at the college level. He took UNC to the NCAA tournament four of those five years. The other season they finished 20-13 and declined an invitation to the NIT. In his four tournament appearances UNC had the miracle run to the title game in his first season, made the Sweet Sixteen the next time they made it, and then had to the two first round exits.

The run to the title was unexpected. They made the tournament as an 8 seed. They beat Baylor in the second round, who was the number 1 seed in their region. They then went on to beat UCLA Saint Peters, another Cinderella that season, to make the Final Four. That would have been exciting enough, but they weren't done there. They beat their rivals Duke to make the title game. And they had a big lead in that game until Kansas decided to make a run and win it all. That set the expectations high for Davis.

Not even making the postseason in year two was a bummer. But they returned the next season and made a Sweet Sixteen run, eventually being ousted by Alabama, who would go on to make the Final Four. Then they were beaten in round one the next year, and this year, blowing a 19 point lead to VCU. That was the final deed for the higher ups who make the decisions at UNC.

I do want to say, Davis was coaching without his best player, Caleb Wilson, and basketball is the one sport where one player can change a team's fortune. Caleb Wilson is that good. He is going to be a top five pick in the upcoming draft. And without him you could see that UNC was a totally different team.

If it were me, I would have given Hubert Davis a bit more leeway, another season to see what he could do with a new recruiting and transfer class, but UNC didn't see it that way. And now they are going to go on a big time search for their next men's basketball coach. It looks like they're going to take a big swing too. The early names being mentioned are the cream of the crop, and with the resources at UNC, they may be able to pry one of these coaches away.

Brad Stevens was the first name I heard, but he has already taken his name out of the running. That makes sense because he is doing the job he wants and he is very good at that job. Now that Stevens is out, names like Dusty May, Todd Golden, Billy Donovan, Tommy Lloyd, Nate Oats and TJ Otzelberger, among many others. The idea of Dusty May leaving Michigan scares me. He may want the pressure that comes with coaching a high profile basketball school. He has done wonders in two short seasons, but maybe he wants a bigger challenge. Todd Golden is at Florida right now, and they just got beat by Iowa. He has a national title, can recruit and has shown a nice ability, save for their last inbounds play last weekend, to draw up good plays. Billy Donovan is an interesting name. He has been in the pros for awhile now, but the Bulls are getting younger and he may be sick of this never ending rebuild. Maybe he wants back in the college game, and he is one hell of a basketball coach. Tommy Lloyd has Arizona as a real threat again. They're a number 1 seed and have looked great so far. He is also a very good recruiter and he puts players in the pros. Nate Oats is a jerk, but the dude understands the modern game and he is a very, very smart head coach. He makes his offense better with the plays he draws up. And TJ Otzelberger is young, upcoming and has one of the best defenses in college hoops right now. He also likes to bomb away from three point land.

All of these guys are very solid, very interesting options. I don't think Lloyd or Otzelberger will leave their current jobs. They seem happy and comfortable where they are right now. I don't think Billy Donovan wants to go back to the college game. He has been in the pros too long. Nate Oats and Dusty May should intrigue UNC very, very much. Oats, as I said before, is a college basketball offensive genius. He is prickly, but Roy Williams coached there for years. Dusty May knows how to use the portal properly, and has shown an ability to recruit high school stars. He also has a very solid offensive game plan for every opponent and defense has been Michigan's calling card all season. But I really think Todd Golden may jump at the possibility of coaching UNC. He has taken Florida to the top. He turned them into a 1 seed this year after a slow start. He can do all the things UNC will want in a new coach. Maybe this is just me hoping that Dusty May doesn't want to leave Michigan. Or maybe I just really, truly think that Golden is the best option of the names I listed.

Time will tell, I bet UNC is going to take their time, but if they are going to swing for the fences, these are the names I'd keep an eye on for the time being. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Thoughts on the First Rounds of the Men's NCAA Tournament

The first weekend of the men's NCAA basketball tournament has come and gone like a whirlwind. I watched a ton of the games, and my son's team who qualified for state, and I have some thoughts.

The very first thing I thought of this morning as I updated our brackets that, for the most part, the big spenders in NIL are winning games, and winning them with relative ease. Every one seed, save for Florida, more on them in a bit, had little to no trouble making it to the Sweet Sixteen. I watched Michigan, who held a slim four point lead in their round 1 game, end up rolling both opponents on their way here. They won their first game by 21, and they beat SLU by 23. They have looked good and I have been enjoying watching them play. Arizona had a battle for about two minutes last night against Utah State, and made easy work of their first two opponents. They have been bigger, faster and overall better than both teams they have played. And Duke, even though they had a first round fight with Siena, easily dispatched with TCU and looked back to normal. They are as good as a team is in men's college hoops this season, and with the benefit of the refs' whistles, they should make the Final Four.

Florida, the number one seed that worried me most, proved why last night. They couldn't even get a shot off in the final seconds. They struggled to guard Iowa. They struggled on the boards. They weren't hitting shots. And when you combine all of that, that results in the madness of March. Iowa played well, don't get me wrong, but Florida blew it last night and they are the first number one seed to be bounced from this tournament. And it happened before the Sweet Sixteen. It is hard to go back to back in college sports, but I expected them to be playing this weekend. My hat is off to Iowa though. They slowed the game down, had Florida play at their pace and level and won the game on a last second three. It was your quintessential upset.

Other than the one seeds, we have one double digit seed here, Texas. Texas has played very well, they played their way in from the First Four and beat two quality teams in BYU and Gonzaga. They will be up against it playing Purdue, but they have more than proved their worth so far in this tournament.

Every other team, save Texas and Iowa, is a 6 seed or better. We have six Big Ten teams. I mentioned Michigan and Iowa already, and joining them we have Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska and Purdue. Purdue and Michigan State belong and have looked very good in their first two games. Nebraska survived a buzzer beater and look to be on borrowed time. And Illinois may be playing the best of any Big Ten team right now. They have blown by their first two opponents and look as locked in as ever. The Big 12 have three teams, Arizona, Houston and Iowa State. Houston looks as good as Illinois, but they play better defense. Iowa State is making shots and they are lethal when they are hitting threes. And Arizona is a legit one seed. They are so damn good in every facet. The SEC also has three teams, Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee. Tennessee squeaked by Virginia, and without the help of late whistles, they may not be here. They are about to hit a buzzsaw in Iowa State. Alabama beat the snot out of Texas Tech last night and have me very worried as a Michigan fan right now. They look very good and very determined. And Arkansas, mainly Darius Acuff, have been as elite as they come on offense. They needed a late game surge to beat High Point, but High Point was the early darling and they were making shots. Darius Acuff is so good and I'm stoked he is getting proper billing as a top prospect in the next NBA draft. And we round out the Sweet Sixteen with two Big East teams, St. John's and UConn. St.John's won on a buzzer beater over KU, but I felt like they were the better team. They're tough as nails and they will make Duke uncomfortable this weekend. UConn looks to be back to normal and they are mashing teams on the boards and hitting outside shots. I'm really excited to root for them when they take on MSU this weekend. UConn has always held a place in my heart, they may be the only college team other than Michigan that I have ever liked, so they will get my allegiance in their upcoming game.

But, the sheer fact that no mid majors are in the Sweet Sixteen, that only four mid major teams won a first round game, and then were easily disposed of by a power conference team, that should show you how big the gap is right now in the NIL era. The teams that can spend the most are winning at the highest clip. Michigan has four starters that are transfers. St.John's best player started his career at KU. Arizona is filled with transfers and five star freshmen. Duke has the best freshmen NIL money can buy. This is the way of college sports right now, and it will stay this way until some regulations are put in place. Until then, the tournament, and any other playoff scenario in major college sports, is going to be filled with teams that spend the most. That is how it is. That's good for me as a Michigan fan, but I get the frustration from fans of smaller schools. It takes away some of the beauty of the tournament.

Where we stand today, I have all four of my Final Four teams left. I have my title game still in play. I got 11 of 16 Sweet Sixteen teams right. And it is because I went chalk. And with all this being said, I still had a blast watching all weekend, and I cannot wait to watch this weekend. I love college sports, and I adore the tournament. 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

AJ Dybantsa Made His Case to Be the #1 Pick in the NBA Draft

I am beginning to believe that AJ Dybantsa should be the top pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Let’s discuss.

Some things have to fall into place for this to occur. The team that ends up drafting first will need a score first wing. Dybantsa has said he may come back to school for another year, I don't believe that. And he has to put together solid workouts throughout the draft process. But what he did yesterday, that was more than enough for me to push him ahead of guys like Daryn Peterson, Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson. Those four guys have been the talk of the whole season. They seem to be the consensus top four guys in the draft. But I feel like Dybantsa's game yesterday really put him over the edge. Look, I fully understand that BYU was beaten in that game, but it had nothing to do with how he played. Dybantsa did everything he could to keep his team in the game. He scored 35 points. He had 10 rebounds. He moved the ball on offense. He put forth effort on defense. He looked every bit the best player that is now draft eligible right now. I have concerns about the other three guys I mentioned, but none of that comes to mind when I watch and think about Dybantsa as the top overall prospect.

Cam Boozer is the closest to Dybantsa for me. He is a very good big that can stretch the floor. He is also a solid rebounder. His defense leaves me wanting, but that can be fixed. The issue I have with Boozer, he isn't as complete as Dtybantsa is right now. Boozer tends to float in and out of games. He goes much harder on offense than defense. And he seems to let little injuries affect his game. I still think Boozer is the clear second best prospect, but he is far behind Dybantsa for me.

Everything that has been said about Peterson's lack of caring feels more true everyday. He is an amazing talent, he makes it look so effortless on offense. But he truly does drift in and out of games. He has asked to be taken out of games. His coaches have questioned his will. It may be unfair, but the proof is out there. Peterson has all of the skills in the world, but if he isn't willing to put in the work, I don't know if a franchise should use their first overall pick in the draft on him.

Caleb Wilson is kind of an enigma to me. I watched him play earlier this year and came away super impressed. He made UNC look like a legit threat in the ACC. He can go inside and out. He puts forth tons of effort. He is a good basketball player. But he has some injury that shut him down for the rest of the season. This happened about a month ago, but he missed all of the crucial games it felt like, and that was when UNC needed him most. I understand that he has a clear future in front of him. He is going to make millions of dollars in the NBA, and he probably didn't want to risk getting hurt again, or making his current injury worse. But the other three guys played through the year, or are still playing. The lasting image I had of Wilson was him in street clothes watching VCU beat UNC. That would make me pause a bit before deciding to draft Wilson first overall.

All four of these guys have a case to be the number 1 pick. Peterson was the consensus number 1 for a long, long time. But then the drifting in and out of games occurred. Wilson was making a good case for himself until he got hurt and missed the rest of the season. Boozer has all of the skills in the world, and his team has more games left, which means he has more of a stage to boost his stock. But he has some clear gaps before he catches up to Dybantsa. And what I saw from Dybansta last night really blew me away. This kid is really, really good. He seems to love the game. He puts all of his effort out on that court. I don't know why any team would take anyone else first overall. Even if I had a glut of wing players, I'd make room for Dybantsa. He feels like a player you can build around. He is only going to work harder to get better. He has a passion for basketball and I would be pounding the pavement to take him first overall.

Time will tell, but Dybantsa really looked like the best prospect for most of the season, and especially last night, in the upcoming NBA draft. The kid can ball. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Ty's 2026 March Madness Preview

I'm going to do my men's NCAA tournament preview and prediction today. Instead of going through each and every game and whittling it all down to a winner, I'm going to let you all know who I have in the final four from each region, who my sleeper team in each region will be, who I have in the title game and who I have winning it all. I'll also pick the most outstanding player at the end as well. Let us tarry no further,

I'll start with the East Region. Duke is the number 1 seed here and the overall number 1 seed in the whole tournament. They're loaded with talent everywhere, deeper than they have been in the past and have what looks like the player of the year in Cameron Boozer. They also always get a beneficial whistle and they have the easiest path to the final four. They are my pick to reach the final four in this region as well. They shouldn't have too much slowing them down. Kansas has been up and down all year. Michigan State has floundered a bit lately. St.John's got a horrific seed and draw and UConn is not as unstoppable as years past. As far as a "sleeper" team goes, I have UCF and South Florida each winning their first game, then immediately getting bounced. I guess you could call St.John's my "sleeper" because I have them going to the Sweet Sixteen, before running into Duke. Duke got the draw they have because they are the best team in men's college hoops this season. Anything less than a run to the final four would be a bummer for them.

Florida is the number 1 seed in the South, but after seeing what Vanderbilt just did to them in the SEC tournament, they may be the weakest of the number 1 seeds. They don't have a picnic either if they get to round 2. They will face either Iowa or Clemson, both teams I think can beat them. Houston is the 2 seed and Illinois is the 3. I think both of those teams could make a run to the final four if things break their way. Nebraskas has had a memorable year, but if they can't get past Troy it will all be for not. And I have no idea which UNC team will show up, which doesn't bode well for them. I have Houston making their way to the final four. They have a stud star player in Kingston Flemings, and they play exquisite defense. They can also rebound the ball at a high rate and they can shoot the three when they need to. Kelvin Sampson has a complete team. As for my "sleeper" in the South, this one is tough. Troy can beat Nebraska. I also think McNeese can dispose of Vanderbilt, VCU can easily beat UNC and Texas A&M is as solid a 10 seed as there is. I'm going to go with McNeese to push their way to the Sweet Sixteen and be the proverbial 12 seed that makes a deeper run than most expect.

Moving to the Midwest, we have my favorite team, Michigan as the 1 seed. They've had a hell of a season, but the Big Ten tournament title game scared me. Purdue outplayed them in every facet. They made Michigan look small and slow. Michigan also didn't hit open shots like they normally do. They also didn't rebound well. That scares me. But they have the dudes to make it right and make a deep run. Iowa State got the 2 seed here, but they're inconsistent and small. If the threes aren't hitting for them they're toast. Virginia is a solid 3 seed and Alabama would have been a threat as the 4 if their second best player didn't just get suspended. Michigan has a clear path to the final four if they can right their wrongs from the Big Ten tournament title game. They didn't win 31 games by accident. They're a good squad and I think they will represent the Midwest Region in the final four. My "sleeper" from the Midwest was easy. I'm going with Akron to make a run to the Sweet Sixteen, They are a very good mid-major and they feel like a team that is destined to bust brackets. I also believe that Santa Clara is going to really expose Kentucky. Kentucky is not very good this season, and Santa Clara is going to let the country see that in round one.

Wrapping up the region, let's head over to the West. Arizona is right up there with Duke in my opinion. I believe they had a real shot at being the number 1 overall seed. Instead they will enjoy their stay in the West and should make the final four. Purdue will be a tough out for them as the 2 seed here. Purdue just showed how good they can be when they're on. They easily disposed of Michigan in the Big Ten tournament final and look to be back on track. There's a reason they were the preseason number 1 team going into this year. Gonzaga feels lacking as the 3 seed. And I'm curious to watch BYU and AJ Dybansta's tournament experience. They could make a run, but it wouldn't shock me if they get ousted in round 1. I do think Dybansta is going to show that he should be the favorite to be the number 1 pick in the NBA draft in the tournament. But Arizona is so good and so complete and so dominant. I think Purdue will give them a bit of a scare, but Arizona should make their way to the final four out of the West. As for my "sleeper" here, give me High Point. I think they can beat an inconsistent Wisconsin team in round 1, and they could make Arkansas very uncomfortable in round 2. No one else in that region that is a higher seed makes me feel like High Point does.

So, that means I have three number 1 seeds, Duke, Arizona and Michigan, as well as second seeded Houston in the Final Four. I know, chalk is boring but that is how it is in the age of NIL. The blue bloods can spend more and make deeper tourney runs. As for the title game, I have Duke and Arizona, even more boring, I get it. But I'm going with Arizona to win it all this year. They have a bit more experience than Duke and they have guys that can slow down Cameron Boozer. And I'll take Bradyn Burries as my Most Outstanding Player. He is going to show why he should be a lottery pick in the draft and the Wildcats will raise another title banner in their gym. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Miami (of Ohio) Belongs in the NCAA Tournament

Miami (of Ohio) got beat for the first time yesterday in the MAC tournament. Let’s discuss.

This is a big deal because they had won 31 straight to that point. They were the last undefeated team in men's college hoops, and you knew this was coming because of all the close games they've had of late. Hell, they weren't even the Vegas favorites for the MAC tournament, that honor went to Akron. And trying to go into the NCAA tournament undefeated had to be weighing on the players and the coaches. That is a tough thing to do.

They still managed to finish the season at 31-1. They have more regular season wins than Arizona, Duke and Michigan. They went undefeated in the regular season, and the conference season. This hasn't happened since, I believe St Joseph's many seasons ago, when Jameer Nelson was their point guard.

What makes this regular season for Miami (of Ohio) feel different though is the sheer fact that some analysts don't have them as a lock for the NCAA tournament. That baffles me. What else do they have to do to prove they belong? When teams like St Joseph's or Gonzaga or Florida International or any mid-major for that matter have a season this good, even if they play in a notoriously one bid league, they are put in the field no questions asked. But because people like Bruce Pearl go on tv and say some nonsense, we have to have a conversation asking if a team that went 31-1 belongs. That is so stupid to me. Of course they belong in the field. They have 31 wins. They were a top 25 team for most of the season. They blew teams out and won close when they had to.  Sure, the MAC isn't a power 4 conference, but still, 31 wins is wildly impressive. You play the schedule, and the job of the team and coaching staff is to win. And Miami (of Ohio) did that and then some.

Because Pearl popped off at the mouth, we have others who apparently think the same way he does, and they think Miami (of Ohio) doesn't belong. It seems that the Bruce Pearl's of the world would rather see a 17-14 Cincinnati Bearcats team because they play in the Big 12. Or they want an 18-13 Indiana team, who was just beat by Northwestern in the Big 10 tournament because of the branding.  Pearl seemingly wants a 16-15 Auburn team in the tourney because they were a preseason top 10 team. And maybe it's because he coached there and now his kid is the head coach. As far as mid majors, I bet Pearl would rather have a 24-7 UCF, or a 20-10 San Diego State state team in there because they have had better tournament history. The fact of the matter, at least to me, Miami (of Ohio) has had a better season than any of those teams, and I would pick them to beat any one of those teams were they to get matched up with them in the first round.

I also saw that some who have Miami (of Ohio) in the field have them as high as a 10 seed. That also baffles me. They should be no lower than a 6 seed to me. I feel like a 4 would be ideal. That would put them in the same grouping as teams like UNC, Vanderbilt and Virginia. These are all teams that, to me, are comparable to what Miami (of Ohio) has accomplished this season. This would also pit them against solid competition in round one and two, if they were to get that far, and all fans could see how they stack up against power 4 teams. But the sheer idea that this team shouldn't be in the field, or that if they are put in the tournament they need to be a 10 seed or worse, that is flat out wrong. The audacity to go on television and call this team and this staff out is asinine. Unfortunately we live in a world where hot takes are the norm and no one seems to call people out when they make a claim this stupid.

The committee should do the right thing and put all this talk to rest and let everyone know that Miami (of Ohio) is a shoo in for the tourney, and they will most likely be a 6 seed at the lowest. I do want to say, congrats to the team and staff for what they have accomplished this season. Winning 31 games in the regular season puts them in rare territory, and now they will be mentioned with every other team that finds a way to win 30 plus games in the regular season. That is quite the year. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Bam Adebayo Had a Good Game Last Night

Bam Adebayo did something incredible last night.

The Heat have been a pretty run of the mill franchise since the pandemic. Yes, they made a run to the finals a few years back, where they were crushed in five games by the Nuggets. And they had a similar run to the Finals in The Bubble. Other than that, they've been a play-in team or a team that doesn't get out of the first round of the playoffs. They are in that same position right now. I believe that they're in either 7th or 8th place in the East, with no real sign of making that top 6.

Last night I guess Bam decided he was sick and tired of being an also ran. Granted they were playing the Wizards, but Adebayo's stat line was one for the ages. And I didn't turn on the game until late in the third to watch what was happening. I got an update on my phone that he had 31 points after the first quarter. He outscored the Wizards himself in the quarter. He went into halftime with 42 points and I remember thinking it would be cool if he went for something like 60 or 70 points. Not once in my mind did I think he would eclipse those numbers. Then I saw he had 62 after the third quarter. That was when I figured I had to see what was going to happen. Bam finished the game with 83 points, the second highest single game scoring record in the NBA. He surpassed the 81 Kobe Bryant had over a decade ago. The only player with more in one game is Wilt Chamberlain, who famously scored 100 in a game once.

For this to come from a modern big in the modern NBA is special. Guys like Bam don't score this in any game. Ever. This was wild. I didn't believe it when I saw it. I like Bam Adebayo enough as a player. He is an incredible defensive center. He's also undersized, but he hustles his ass off and plays hard. He is one of the few Kentucky players who I have grown to like in the NBA. I also like how understated and about his business he is when he has interviews or something of the sort. When the game ended I had to go and look at the stat sheet. I needed to see it with my own two eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming all of this. He shot almost 50 percent from the field, going 20-43. He took far too many threes for my liking, 22, and he made 7 of them. That's a lot for a player like Bam. I have to assume that when he realized he was on fire from the field, he decided he had to start bombing threes. But the biggest stat, the one that made my eyes bulge, he was 36-43 from the free throw line.

I have griped constantly on this site about fouls and free throws, and this stat should be exhibit number one on how bad it has gotten in the NBA. But when I saw this last night I simply didn't care. Sure, he took as many free throws as he did field goals. Yes, he took 14 more free throws than the entire Wizards team. And the Heat took 59 free throws in total. I'm sure this game lasted much, much longer than it needed to, but Bam was in his bag last night. And he made 36 of them. That is amazing, Just imagine if he was 100 percent from the line last as well. He would have had 90 points. And just for good measure, Bam added 9 rebounds and 3 assists. He also chipped in a couple of blocks and steals. And he only committed 3 fouls all game. That is an amazing stat line for a month of a season. Bam did it in one night.

I am just flabbergasted at this whole thing. Stuff like this doesn't happen all the time, and when it is a big man, that makes me so happy. And when it is a guy like Bam Adebayo, it just makes me happy. I can remember being mad when Kobe did it, thinking he was hogging the ball. I couldn't have been more wrong. When a pro is on fire like that, and when they feel almost unconscious from the floor, they need to be fed and they need to shoot as many times as possible.

This game is going to go down in history. Hell, it kind of already has. But people should not forget this game by Bam anytime soon. He scored 83 points. His team won by 30. They may move up the standings. He contributed rebounds, steals, blocks and assists. He embraced his girlfriend and mom after the game. I am so happy that this happened to a good dude like Bam Adebayo. I implore you, go look at his stat line and watch some of the highlights from this game. It was amazing and Bam Adebayo is now in the record books for all time. That's pretty cool. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Foul Culture in Basketball Stinks Right Now

The complaining about officiating in the NBA, and men's college basketball for this matter, has gotten out of hand. Look, I've never been a fan of refs. When I was a player I disliked them, and as a coach for junior basketball now, I dislike them even more. Refs make decisions based on biases, on a feeling or if they are mad at someone for coming after them. They tend to make proper calls more times than not, but it's still a feelings based job. It's frustrating and annoying, but that's the way it is. The problem I have is twofold, kids I coach are acting like current players, and the talk to the media is becoming way, way too much. I want to touch on the kids acting like current college and pro players first.

I have coached my son since he was in third grade. He is an eighth grader now, and it has gotten worse every year towards refs. No one takes accountability. Whenever they get called for a foul they put their hands up and say the refs are bad. When they do get a clean block or steal, but a foul is called, you'd think the refs had made a joke at their family's expense. The kids that I now coach, if you ask them, have never once committed a foul. Whenever they are called for one they think the ref is out to get them. It was so bad this year that I told them during practices I wasn't going to call anything unless it was egregious, just to try to get them used to the reffing in our league. They would get so mad at me that they would complain about a lack of foul calls in a team scrimmage. That is sickening to me. It is not always the ref's fault. Kids commit fouls on almost every single play. It's the truth. But, when my eighth graders watch men's college games, or the NBA, they see their favorite players getting called for fouls, throwing their hands up and screaming at the refs, putting all the blame on them. It has to stop.

I could say the same thing for falling down on the ground to try and draw fouls. I have kids who aren't great, so their solution to being on the floor is to fall down, hoping that the refs call a foul on the opposition. I will have kids blatantly miss layups, go to the ground and get free throw shots. Or, if they don't get a foul call, gripe the rest of the game. This destroys any flow we may have at the moment. The second a kid drops to the ground, that kills any team defense you want to play. This is rampant more so in the men's college game too. I was watching some games during the week and I noticed so many kids trying to draw contact as opposed to just making layups. And if they don't get the call, they spend their time picking themselves up off the floor and griping at the refs all the way down, essentially making it four on five going the other way. This is just an awful new occurrence in games. Kids don't know how to properly shoot layups because they see their favorite players going for contact instead of just making the shot. Kids need to stay on their feet, and so do the pros and men's college players.

Now to the NBA.

Look, I get it, the Thunder get away with murder. Shai Gilgeous Alexander knows how to contort his body and get foul calls. They mug their opposition going for steals every single night. But the foul stuff is not what makes this team great. They play hellacious defense. They have the MVP on their team. They have a great frontcourt on defense. They have rim protectors. They have everything a title winning team needs. It is not just the fouls that have gotten them to this level. So for the coaches going to the media, none of you are Phil Jackson or Greg Poppovich. This doesn't work like it used to. Refs aren't going to watch these press conferences where a coach berates refs and starts to get calls all of the sudden. Also, what star player, past, present or future, hasn't foul baited? Michael Jordan did it all the time. LeBron James is still doing it to this day. Luka Doncic spends more time with the refs than he does playing defense. Shaq spent his early career at the foul line. As did Kobe, Wilt and Hakeem Olajuwon. Star players in the NBA get preferential treatment. That is how it has always been and always will be. So coaching bringing this nonsense up again is just that, nonsense. It's also sour grapes. Just deal with it. As for LeBron groaning about "marginal" calls, get the hell over you. You are the second greatest player of all time. You have gotten so many preferable calls throughout your illustrious career. I feel like he has only gotten worse with the refs since Luka Doncic joined the Lakers. But for LeBron to come after the refs, don't bite the hand that feeds you, especially at 41 years old now.

Refs aren't great. They have a tough job and 50 percent of them are not very good at what they do. They also get too involved in important games, and no one is in those arenas to watch the refs. But the constant griping, on court and off, that has to stop. It is making it even tougher to watch full games at this point. Basketball is not the sport I used to watch. People are too busy flopping, or trying to draw contact, or yelling at the refs. The game isn't as beautiful as it could be, and I think it can get back to that if the stuff with the refs calms down a bit. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.