Happy Retirement Coach Williams, One of the All Time Greats

I wanted to wait until today before I wrote about Roy Williams, in case it was some wild April's Fools joke, a "holiday" which I despise, especially with two young kids who are way too into pranks. But it was confirmed after his press conference he had last night, assuring everyone that this was real.

I am still kind of in shock. Williams just seemed like a guy who was going to be coaching college basketball forever. He has been around, and relevant, since I was a little kid. I remember watching him as the KU head coach. I remember being upset when he left for UNC because, outside of Michigan, I used to like KU basketball as well. Georgetown has now taken that spot. I remember when I realized why he left KU for UNC and finally getting it. I remember him winning titles and being a force almost every year while at KU and UNC. I remember the scandals, which looking at what is going on elsewhere now, seem so tame. And I remember his painful white boy dancing, that he did unapologetically. All in all though, the thing I remember most is the winning.

In Williams two stops as a head coach, the guy won. He has won three national titles. He has been to nine final fours. He won the ACC regular season title nine times, and the tournament three times. At KU he won four Big 12 regular season titles and three tournament titles. He won the Big 8 five times. He's a two time national coach of the year winner, a two time ACC coach of the year winner, a three time Big 12 coach of the year winner and a four time Big 8 coach of the year. And he has been inducted in both the college and pro basketball hall of fame. That is one hell of a resume. I think anyone would happily take that as their record. He's one of a very few college coaches that have won over 900 games. He has a career winning percentage of .774. His tournament record is astonishing as well. He is 79-27 in the tourney. That means deep runs most years his teams made it.

Roy Williams is a Mount Rushmore college coach. He is just as successful and important to the game as Coach K or John Calipari or John Chaney. There are very few coaches I would have ahead of him. Hell, it may be just a few of the classics, guys like John Wooden and John Thompson. But Williams is, for the modern day, an important and famous coach. He has coached a TON of guys that have had solid NBA careers. At KU he coached Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich, Drew Gooden, Jacque Vaughn and Paul Pierce, among others. Those guys all had solid careers, and are now all somehow involved in the game. At UNC he got some more big time players. Guys like Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock, Ray Felton, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Tyler Hansborough, Justin Jackson, Cam Johnson, Ty Lawson, Nassir Little, Coby White, Cole Anthony and Marvin Williams. That list has current players, former champs and guys that are still giving back to the game. The fact that he has been around so many stellar basketball players is amazing. Add on that he got the best out of them, that is one hell of an accomplishment. I watched a video from last NBA season where Coby White was being interviewed, and to hear the way he talked about Williams, it just showed the love and the respect he has as a head coach. Roy Williams is respected in every basketball corner of the world.

As I sit on the news of his retirement, and what went into his decision, I think of kind of get it. UNC is still a very good school, just not like they used to be. The whole ACC has been down the past couple of years, and UNC is not immune. The college game has changed drastically too. I think more change is needed, and hopefully we are headed in that direction, but for a guy like Roy Williams, I can kind of see why he walked away now. One and done is the way of the game. The G League has created a team that will pay the top high school players, so a lot of kids will choose that route now, rightfully so. And overseas is yet another option for some of the top talent. Then you take into account the new transfer rules, I am sure Roy Williams was just fed up. UNC was coming off a year where they were okay. They made the tourney as a 9 seed and got blown out by Wisconsin in round one. Then his best freshman, a kid that played a ton of basketball for them, decided to transfer, citing "better competition". I mean, that is kind of crazy to me. Again, I do not fault these kids for going out and getting theirs, especially when coaches do it all the time and are praised for such moves. But this was not some kid who rode the bench all year. He played and played big minutes for them. I just think he did not like the fit, and nowadays that is more than enough for kids to make a move. Apparently this was the last straw for Williams. And I kind of get it from his point of view. That has to be frustrating for an old school guy like him, and a guy that likes to develop talent rather than just put all 5 star players on the floor.

Roy Williams has earned the myriad of accolades he achieved over his long coaching career, and I think he will take to retirement quite well. He had earned it. I just want to say congrats to him on a wonderful and memorable coaching run at two college basketball powerhouses. Roy Williams is an all time great.

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.

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Les Miles and Kansas Football Seem Like an Odd Fit

The next 2 days I want to talk about 2 “new” college football coaches. Today I will talk about the one that is for certain, he’s signed a contract and held a press conference, I don’t think it could be anymore official, and that’s Les Miles to Kansas.

To be honest, this shocked me. I was stunned when the news crossed my phone and computer. It’s no secret that Miles was once a great, national championship level coach. He took his team at LSU twice to the title and won once. He has been to “mountain top” of the college football world. He also has a very solid overall win percentage. He was good for anywhere from 8-10 wins a season while at LSU. Hell, in his last season there he was let go one year after winning 9 games I believe. His departure kind of reminded me of when Lloyd Carr “retired” at Michigan.

For Miles, just like Carr, being a perennial top 25 team and winning 8,9 or 10 games a year wasn’t enough for the rabid fans. It also felt like he was kind of coaching dinosaur football when the game was changing. He would try to win by pounding you to death with the run and play action. He also hung his hat on having a dominant defense. And while he was still producing bowl games and staying ranked, LSU couldn’t keep up with Alabama, Auburn and even teams like Ole Miss and Mississippi State in his own conference. They were revolutionizing while he was stuck in the early 2000’s. I didn’t think he deserved to be let go, but he was. LSU is just as good now as they were when he was let go. Nothing has changed.

I thought, after taking a year off, Miles would have a prime choice for a big job. I wanted him at Michigan before they got Harbaugh. I’m sure his name came up at Texas after Charlie Strong was let go. I bet Mississippi State thought about him after Dan Mullen left for Florida. I was certain he was going to get a big time job.

But, Miles chose Kansas very early on in the hiring process. I’m sure there will be more openings soon, this is the time when coaches leave or are let go. But clearly he didn’t want to wait. And while I know Kansas is in a power 5 conference, they’re not a power 5 team. I believe they finished with 3 wins this year, and that was looked at as a team getting better year. They hadn’t beaten a D-1 school for 2 years. They are in a very dire situation. To get a name like Les Miles to coach there is humongous for them, but I don’t have a good feeling about it. The best thing for Miles is, he’s going to have a very, very long leash. They’re going to give him the entire length of his contract to turn this team around. I just don’t know if it can be done. Les Miles is a big name who knows how to recruit. But, he’s going to have to go up against the likes of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and TCU for recruits. I can’t see top level, 4 and 5 star kids, picking KU over any of these schools. I know the promise of playing time will play a factor, but let’s not get it twisted, college football is a means to the pros. And KU doesn’t produce nearly as many pros as the schools mentioned above. The best pro they’ve produced in the past decade is Aquib Talib. Most of the other Big 12 schools he’s going to be recruiting against can name way more than one player they’ve sent to the pros.

My biggest fear for Miles is, I feel like he thinks this is a stepping stone job. I feel like he thinks he can turn this team around faster than anyone else thinks he can, and he will get another major job. I don’t think that will happen. I think, at best, he can get KU back to being a bowl team, but a 6 or 7 win bowl team. He’s going to struggle against the cream of the crop in the Big 12. He’s really going to struggle in his first 2 or 3 years there. That might cause him some frustration.

This is a puzzling hire. I hope it works out because I like Les Miles, and just to be a contrary Missourian, I like KU. But they’re a basketball school, and no one really cares about the football team. Maybe that will change under Miles, but I doubt it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks Les Miles should have coached high school over Kansas. Ty’s old school has not had a winning season since his playing days. Come on Les, give it a try.

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Ty's 2018-2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Season Preview

Today I have my massive NCAA men's basketball preview. I like to do this in one big chunk because I love college sports so much, and once I get going, I just cannot stop.

Now, a few things before I get into it. One, this whole FBI investigation can really throw a wrench in many of my predictions. Personally I do not think much will come of it. I have heard people call it the worst thing to happen to college basketball, and that it could be the death of the sport, but I don't buy it. Some teams might get some kind of sanctions, but I don't think it will crush college basketball. Also, I am once again not very well versed in the new players. I typically only watch Big Ten basketball, which some think is the worst form of college basketball, and with all the "one and done" guys, a thing I despise, it is hard to remember who is who anymore in college basketball. For example, I had no idea who Trae Young was when I did my preview last year. Then he blew up. So, I actually bought a college basketball magazine this year to do some research. It wasn't as helpful as I hoped, but I do know more now.

Two more things before I get into it. First, I know that I do not do a women's preview, and I always pick UCONN, and they haven't won it in 2 years, and they aren't the preseason number one team this year, but guess what? I'm picking them again. UCONN women's basketball is the Warriors or Patriots. They are the best. Second, and finally, I will do my men's NCAA basketball preview just like I do my college football preview. I will go through the power conferences, pick a winner, name a few "sleeper" and "surprise" teams. I will then pick my Final Four, my national player of the year, my title game and my winner. Again, this is all subject to change, and I will revisit all this at, or around the midway point of the season.

Okay, lets do it.

I'll start with the AAC, and yes, this is a "major" conference for college basketball. This is the conference that has Cincinnati, UCONN and Memphis. After that, not much else. Memphis has a ton of hype because they hired their prodigal son, Penny Hardaway as their new head coach. He is also getting big time recruits to come play there. Memphis may be better than anyone expects due to Hardaway's recruiting ability and staff. I don't know how good of a coach he can be, but if he gets top recruits, it won't matter. Cincinnati is always a solid regular season team, then they blow it in the tourney. They lost some key guys, but that doesn't matter. Mick Cronin is still the coach, they still have experience, and they will continue to be a tournament team. And then there is UCONN. They are in a regression right now. They, unfairly in my opinion, fired Kevin Ollie and hired Dan Hurley. This team will need time before we remember them as a perennial tournament team. Wichita State is also here, but they lost so much talent. They aren't going to be the darlings they used to be for awhile. Houston is a tournament level team, even if they lost their best player. I feel like this is a 2-3 team bid for the tourney. Cincinnati will get in and I feel like Houston is a near lock. After that, I would not be shocked if Memphis makes it. They have some real good incoming talent. In the end, Cincinnati will win the conference and probably lose on the first or second day of the tourney.

Next, lets move to one of the best conferences in college basketball, the ACC. This conference is loaded from 1-11, and there are 15 teams in the ACC. Duke is Duke. I loathe this team, and I do not get why Coach K gets a pass, but John Calipari doesn't, but he keeps pulling in top freshman. He has a class this year that is reminiscent of Michigan's Fab Five. He pulled in 4 of the top 20 recruits. He got RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Tre Jones and Zion Williamson, the big get. This team is loaded with super talented 18-19 year olds. They don't play a whole lot of defense, and Reddish, Barrett and Williamson all play the same position. But, today's basketball is becoming more and more position less. I could coach this team to a sweet sixteen bid. UNC is back, has some returning key guys and has some incoming super talented freshman. Luke Maye gets picked on a lot because he doesn't look like a basketball player, but the dude can play. He is a very good shooter. Seventh Woods is finally going to get his shot to start. Cameron Johnson opted to come back. And then they got 2 great freshman, Nassir Little and Cony White. Roy Williams has the exact type team he likes, some vets with some young stars, and UNC will be a threat. Clemson is a solid bet to get in the tournament. They have a lot of experience. FSU lost some key guys, but they are now a team that is always a threat to get in the tourney, and maybe even win a game or two. Miami is good, but they lost Lonnie Walker after only one year. They have a good coach, they just need a little more talent. Louisville is one of the teams that will get hit by sanctions, but until then, they have some good players, and they got Chris Mack to leave Xavier and come coach this team. He is a great coach. NC State is a 20 win team and a tourney team. Notre Dame will be back in after a year away. Syracuse is still a team that confounds opponents with their zone, and that alone will lead to a tourney bid. Virginia Tech is a very good, top 15 level team. They will make noise. And even though they were the first 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed, Virginia will be back, and they still play that suffocating defense, and they have some shooters. They also lucked out when De'Andre Hunter chose to return to school. In the end though, I feel like UNC and Duke have the best talent. I want to pick UNC because they have veteran leadership, but Duke is so loaded, I just feel like they are going to win the ACC going away. Don't be surprised if this conference gets double digit teams in the tourney too.

I guess the Big East is still a power conference, but it doesn't really feel like it. In reality, this conference is all about Villanova. Sure, Xavier is good and Butler is a tourney team, but after that, the rest of the conference is kind of meh. Xavier lost Chris Mack and some talent, but they got some quality transfers and they play tough basketball. Butler is on the rise, but they just are not at the top of this conference yet. Villanova is the team to beat, as they should be. Sure, they lost a ton of guys from last year's title team, but who cares. They still have Jay Wright, they still have guys that played crucial minutes for them, and they are one of the best teams in the country. They will win the Big East with ease. Real quick before I move on, it is a shame that Syracuse is not in this league, and that teams like St. John's, Georgetown and Providence are non factors. It is a real bummer. This is a three team league.

Next we have the Big 12. The Big 12, for what seems like the one millionth straight year, will be Kansas' league. I know they are one of the teams that could get hit hard by the FBI, but until then, they will dominate this league. They have one of the best big men in Udoka Azubuike, 2 brothers transferring in from Memphis and three McDonald's All Americans on this roster. They are stacked and they will dominate. Kansas State shockingly made the Elite Eight last year, and they return pretty much everyone from last year. They will be good again. WVU plays that suffocating press, Bob Huggins is a good coach, and they will win 25 games easily. TCU is on the rise due to Jamie Dixon. They also have a roster of talented players. TTU surprised a lot of people last year, and even with Zhaire Smith opting for the draft, they should be a tournament team once again. Texas lost Mo Bamba, but not much else. They should be back in the tournament again. The Big 12 has a lot of talent, but it doesn't really matter. Kansas, until further notice, will continue to win this league, get a high seed and, most likely, blow a game they shouldn't in the tournament.

Lets move to the Pac 12. Remember how they didn't win a single tournament game last year? I sure do, because I picked Arizona to win it all. This conference will be okay, and hopefully they will be much better in this year's tourney, but who knows. Oregon is going to be good again. They got one hell of a recruiting class coming in, and that should be more than enough for this team to get in the dance. Arizona lost a TON of guys, including number one overall pick Deandre Ayton, but they reloaded, and they should be a tournament team. UCLA got rid of the Ball kid, and Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes return. The only thing holding them back is how bad of a coach Steve Alford is. USC should be much improved. Same for Washington. And Utah got into the NIT, and if that momentum carries over, they should be in the big dance this year. ASU AND Cal had their chance, but that seems over now. I'm going to go with Oregon because of their incoming class, and they have the best coach of the top three teams in the conference. But, this conference will get 3, maybe even 4 teams in. Hopefully they do much better.

Next we have the SEC. From 1-9, the SEC is good. After that, not so much. Kentucky is the cream of the crop. They had an "off" year for them last year. But, Coach Cal has one of his better classes coming in, and even though he is a poor X's and O's guy, he can recruit, and his talent will win out. Tennessee won the conference last year, and they have most of their team coming back. They are now a legit threat. Ben Howland has a solid squad, and a great back court in Mississippi State is back. Auburn is good, even if I think Bruce Pearl is one of the most overrated, and biggest cheaters, in all of coaching. LSU has a stunningly good class, and if they find a way to coalesce, they will be good. Florida has gotten to a point where I'm surprised when they don't win 20 plus games. Vanderbilt has that weird court which gives them a great home court advantage, and they have a pair of incoming freshman that appear to be real good. Missouri got one of the Porter brothers to stay, the better one in my opinion, Jontay, and they should make a return to the tourney. I actually think that, with Michael Porter Jr off to the NBA, they will play a lot freer on the court, which will lead to good things for them as a team. And Texas A&M has their 2 top scorers back, and if they hit shots like last year, they could easily make the tournament. What it all boils down to is Kentucky. Coach Cal is pumped about this team, and that is usually a good sign for them. Tennessee, Mississippi State, Auburn and LSU will be tough, but Kentucky is a cut above them all. Kentucky will return to being the SEC champs.

I'm going to end the power conference talk with my conference, the Big Ten. I adore the Big Ten because, as you all know very well by now, I love the University of Michigan. The title game was a let down last year, but the run to it was sure fun. But, they lose a lot of key guys from that team. Mo Wagner left early for the draft and Duncan Robinson, and my favorite player, Muhammed Ali Abdur Rahkman, both graduated. But, they do return a good chunk of talent, and John Beilen might have his best class coming in since he got Mitch McGary, Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III and Trey Burke. They also return Charles Matthews and Zavier Simpson. They also get Jon Teske back, who was good in back up duty to Wagner. Jordan Poole can still shoot, and Isiah Livers comes back after being a starter his entire freshman year, where he was one of their better defenders. Two of the freshman coming in should see time right away as well. I'm curious to see how Beilen does with this squad, and early games against Villanova and UNC should be good early season indicators. But, I like this team. The only problem, Michigan State is going to be very good again. Sure, Miles Bridges is off to the pros, but much like Missouri's case with Porter Jr, I think MSU will benefit without him. They also have a very good class coming in, and they have vets. Tom Izzo should have been fired, and the program should be shut down after all the offseason stuff, but that didn't happen, and this basketball team should be one of Izzo's better ones in the past couple of years. Purdue is also very good, and while they lost their best big man, who is a disgusting human being, they get Carsen Edwards back. He is Big Ten Player of the Year level good. He is an exceptional scorer and plays hard defense. Matt Painter has also proven to be a good regular season coach. Indiana got the top point guard in the country to commit, and he alone will vault this team back to the tourney. This is Archie Miller's biggest coup since he started coaching. Nebraska has a load of talent coming back. That might be weird to say, but they will be good this year. I feel like an NCAA tourney bid is a foregone conclusion. The University of Ohio State lost their 2 best players, but they are a tough team and will play hard. Wisconsin should be much improved from last year, especially with Ethan Happ back. Maryland landed 3 top 100 recruits, and in this era of college basketball, that should be more than enough to get in the tourney. And Minnesota, while returning a good chunk of players from a team that started out red hot, then cooled way off, are very inconsistent. They should still be a tournament team. This conference will come down to MSU, Purdue, Indiana and Michigan. Also, Nebraska might have a say in the end. But, even though they should not even be able to field a team, I'm picking MSU to win the Big Ten.

As far as teams outside major conferences, SLU is due to return to being the top team in the A-10, Gonzaga might have one of the best teams in the country, and will definitely own their conference, Nevada is better than Gonzaga, and are coming into the year a top 5 team, I'm curious to see if Loyola-Chicago, who returns everyone from a Final Four team, can repeat their success and I'm going to keep my eye out for Harvard and San Diego State.

As far as my Final Four, and it needs to be stated that I'm going off my assumption that no real teams will get hurt by the FBI thing, I'll go with Kentucky, Kansas, Nevada and UNC. The title game will matchup UNC and Kansas, and I am going to go with UNC. They have better depth, more experience and better freshman, in my opinion. My player of the year will be, lets see, I'm sure it will be a freshman, I'll go with Zion Williamson. Everyone loves him, he is all over social media and he plays for Duke.

Okay, there you have my massive 2018-19 NCAA men's basketball preview. The season starts soon. Time to get excited.

One more thing, 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. 

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The 2018 Final Four Predictions

The Final Four is set. We have 2 number 1 seeds, a 3 seed and an 11 seed. So, chalk, pretty much, all around, except one.

I will say, and I’ve been really hard on this team, props to Loyola Chicago. I never thought they’d make it this far, but here we are. They have proven that they can win tight games, and on Saturday, they proved they can blow a team out. They crushed KSU. It was pretty much a wire to wire win. They dominated every facet of the game. Even when KSU would make a little run, or a push, Loyola had an answer. They weren’t not going to get beat, and they proved that. I have a ton of respect for what they’ve done so far, and for what they can still do.

My team, Michigan, tried to find ways to blow their game on Saturday, but they didn’t, and now they’re in the Final Four for the second time in 5 years. I’m still in a little shock. I didn’t even know if this team would make the tournament when the season started. There were a ton of questions, and a lot of youth coming in. Well, they have played beyond my wildest expectations. Hell, I thought they were toast in round 2, then Jordan Poole made a miracle shot. They then proceeded to hammer Texas A&m the following week. Then on Saturday, in a very ugly game, they still found a way to win. As I said, I still have a hard team seeing them as a Final Four team and accepting it, but it’s real. John Beilein has truly turned this team around.

Villanova has done exactly what they’re supposed to do. I had doubts about them, but they have answered every call, and then some. They have throttled every team they’ve played. I know the game yesterday, against Texas Tech, got as close as 5 points, but it was never really that close. Villanova has been playing lights out this whole tournament. They look like the best team right now, and honestly, I don’t think it’s even close. This team has now earned the right to not be disrespected. They won it all 2 years ago, and now they’re back in the Final Four, and they should be the favorite.

And, finally, we have Kansas. They have quietly played very well so far. I know they’ve had some “close calls”, but they’ve won every game they’ve played. Sure, they struggled a bit with Penn before pulling away late. Yeah, they only beat Clemson by 4, but Clemson has a decent squad. And yesterday, they beat mighty Duke in overtime. That was a hell of a game, and KU deserved to win. I know there’s been some controversy about a call in overtime that went against Duke, but I don’t think that swung that game in either direction. KU was going to win when that kid hit that three in regulation to tie the game. It just had that feeling. Also, I love when Duke gets knocked out in heartbreaking fashion. It is a joy to watch. The fact that Grayson Allen is done as a college player brings me an unusual amount of joy. KU looked as good as I have seen them play all year yesterday. They truly earned that victory.

The games are set for Saturday, and I have, at least, one more prediction for you. The first game is Loyola Chicago-Michigan. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified by this game. Michigan has been up and down, but they’ve won every way you can. So has Loyola. Loyola is the “team of destiny” according to every other journalist or blogger right now. They are on a mission. These 2 teams are both playing good enough basketball to win. But, which Michigan team will show up is my biggest question. I hope the one that hammered A&M cones through. But, if we see the team that struggled with Montana or FSU, Loyola will be in the title game. I’m going to hope that the Michigan that hits open shots shows up. But, I have, unfortunately bought into the Loyola hype, and I think they will find a way to make the title game. They are having the more “magical” year and tournament after all. I also think the public wants them in too. As far as Villanova-KU goes, I don’t see how Villanova doesn’t win. They played their worst game yesterday and still won by double figures. KU played great in beating Duke, but that means they are destined to play poorly now. Everyone is believing in them now, and that’s when they usually blow it. And this is no knock on Villanova. I don’t think they’re going to win just because KU will hand them the game. I think they’ll win because they have a better team and coach. Villanova is a very, very good basketball team. They’ve proved that tenfold this tournament. I think they will win, and win handily on Saturday. So that would put Loyola Chicago and Villanova in the title game next Monday. This is where the “magical” run ends. I picked Villanova a week ago when I thought they’d be playing Kentucky, and even though one team has changed, my mind hasn’t. Villanova is going to hammer Loyola. It will be a bloodbath.

All that being said, I’m excited to watch the games on Saturday. I’ll be pulling for the Wolverines, and I hope they win. We will have to wait and see.

Ty

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

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The Latest College Basketball Scandal is Completely Worthless

I have been trying my best to not write about the whole FBI investigation into NCAA basketball, but I have heard so many different theories, I just have to put mine out there.

For those of you that may or may not know, the FBI launched a big time investigation into college basketball players getting "impermissible benefits". This basically means that players were given money to go and play for certain colleges. Some big time programs are involved with this whole thing too. I'm talking the Duke's, UNC's, Michigan State's, Kansas' and Kentucky's of the college basketball world. There are many more schools involved, but when blue bloods like that are being named, it becomes a big deal. The money that is being tossed around ranges anywhere from 40 dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is a mess.

Now, for the entirety of my young adult life, my early to mid 20's, I thought that a full scholarship was more than enough for these kids. I figured, if med students have to pay for school, but athletes don't, what more do they need? But, the older I get, the less I think that is true. Lets get something straight right off the bat, yes these kids are getting full rides to play basketball at these schools, and when you break it down, 4 year tuition to these schools can be as much as 70 to 80,000 dollars a year. But, look at all the money the schools make off the athletes. It is millions, if not billions, of dollars. The schools sell these kids jerseys in their stores for upwards of 75 dollars a pop, and these kids see none of that money. That is bull shit. Imagine that happening in the pros. Imagine LeBron or Steph or KD not seeing a dime from the sale of their jerseys. It would be ludicrous. Why is there is a double standard when it comes to these scholar athletes? They should see some kind of money off the schools using their likeness, shouldn't they? And for people like I used to be, the whole tuition is more than enough people, get the hell out of here. That isn't even close to being enough money for what the schools are pulling in.

What I went back to after this story broke was Michigan and the Fab Five stuff. Yes, they got hammered for paying those guys, mainly Chris Webber, and at the time I was mad. But, looking back on it, I had a number 4 Michigan jersey. I wore black socks. I wore Nikes. I wore Michigan shorts. And my parents got all the stuff from the University. All that money they spent to put me into all the things Webber and the rest of the Fab Five wore had to cost them more than 100 bucks. That was going on all over the country. And to crush a program for years because a kid who was making the school more money than they could print for taking 250,000 dollars, that's insane to me. That is a drop in the bucket compared to what Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King brought into that school, and still do. I still see people wearing their throwback jerseys at games. The same can be said for the football program at Michigan. This is my school, so that is why I'm using them as an example. I still see those dumbass "throwback" jerseys with Denard Robinson's number 16 on the front and back when I go to games. Do you think Denard saw a dime from those jersey sales? Hell no. But, the University of Michigan easily made six figures off of those dumbass jerseys.

So when I'm looking at the schools being mentioned, and the players being named and what they supposedly took, or their parents took, it drives me nuts that they are being investigated by the FBI. The FBI has much bigger fish to fry, (clears throat), the current "government". But, they are choosing to go after college kids. I mean, Michigan State should be getting investigated by the FBI, but not for giving Miles Bridges 40 bucks. They have the entire athletic department involved in a massive sexual assault scandal, but Miles Bridges is being raked over the coals for taking 40 dollars? What a crock. And the other blue bloods involved, why is it so surprising that they are giving elite prospects money to come to their schools now? Of course Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Kansas, and so on and so forth are giving young kids and their family something to come play ball there. Don't try and tell me, and I loathe Duke, that they weren't giving guys like Christian Laettner money, just like I'm sure they gave Jahlil Okafor, Justice Winslow and now Marvin Bagley and the other star freshman they have and had money and other stuff. Same with KU. I'm not shocked that Josh Jackson's mom took 2 grand from them. I'm sure Danny Manning got some money from KU. I'm sure Mario Chalmers got stuff he couldn't afford from KU. I'm pretty sure Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins got stuff too. Who cares? Roy Williams and UNC have been doing this for years, so no, it doesn't surprise me that they were named. And I say again, who cares? John Calipari is one of college basketball biggest cheaters of all time. So, for Kentucky to named, of course they were named. They are giving these kids money to come there. And again, who cares? Even with the supposed phone tapped conversation of Arizona head coach Sean Miller saying that he wanted to give DeAndre Ayton 100,000 dollars to come there doesn't surprise me. And I think, if Ayton took the money, he did the right thing. Arizona is cashing in on him being there right now. I told my father after this story came out that if my son or daughter goes to school on an athletic scholarship, becomes a star and the school makes millions off using their likeness, I would fully support them taking money from agents if they were given the opportunity. Let these kids get theirs. I cannot say it enough. The schools are making tons and tons and tons of money off these athletes, so why not let these kids get something more than a full scholarship.

This has been going on forever, and if you think this is a new thing, you are wrong. Now, the FBI is involved. That is the only difference, and that is absurd. The FBI needs to deal with bigger problems, not cheating in college athletics. And for those of you that think this story will crush college basketball, you are wrong too. None of the blue bloods are going to face any real punishment, save for Michigan State, which should get hit for the horrific sexual assault stuff. Duke, UNC, Kentucky and Arizona will be just fine. Hell, some of the players named have already been cleared to play. This whole "breaking scandal" is stupid and pointless. This is being blown way too far out of proportion and in a month or two, we will have all forgotten about it. That is how I feel about this whole "scandal".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty one time took 10 bucks from a representative at Whatsamatter U. 

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The SeedSing 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Preview

The courts are ready.

For my men's NCAA tournament preview this year, I'm going to do something a little different.

First off, there is no women's preview because UCONN should, and will, win it again. They are far and away the most dominant team to ever set foot on a basketball court. What they have done is nothing short of spectacular, and they should be the favorites every year no matter what the circumstance is. UCONN women's basketball is unmatched in their greatness.

For the men's tournament, last year I did a "Five Crazy Things That Will Happen". This year, I'll go region by region, pick who I think will meet up in each regional final, which team will represent said region in the Final Four, a surprise team from each region, then my Final Four, my title game matchup and my winner. I will also do Most Outstanding Player for the whole tournament. Here it goes.

Let's start with the East Region first. The overall number one seeded Villanova Wildcats are the team to beat in the East. They lost a few players from last year's title team, but they have Josh Hart back, some good younger players and Jay Wright is still their head coach. Unfortunately for Villanova, they are the one seed in the same region as the second seeded Duke Blue Devils. Duke looks excellent right now, the committee clearly wants them to win and they will get every and any call, as they always do. Wisconsin is the 8 seed in this region, and I wrote yesterday how terrible that is. The other decent seeded teams(3,4 and 5) in this region are very blah. Baylor is the 3 and they peaked too early. Florida is the 4 and while they could shock and have a deep run, I expect them to flounder, and the 5 seed is Virginia. Virginia is not a fun team, or really, a good team. The one team that I think could surprise someone in this region is SMU. They play slow basketball, but they get buckets when needed, and they have a few great players on their team. They play tough, hard nosed defense, and can win low scoring games, which they force teams to play. I inevitably see the East coming down to Duke and Villanova, and as much as I hate to pick them, Duke will be the East's representative in the Final Four. The lay out is way too beneficial and easy for them to almost walk to the Final Four.

Next we will look to the West. The West's number one seed is Gonzaga. I LOVE Gonzaga this year, but they always choke in the tournament. I hope they don't this year, but I never know with that team. Maybe Nigel Williams-Goss will propel this team to the Final Four. Arizona is the 2 and they have a chance to play in their home state if they make the Final Four. They have a very good team this year too. They also have Sean Miller as their coach. That could be their downfall. FSU is the 3, and while I like them, I feel about them like I feel about Baylor. They already balled out too soon. West Virginia is the 4 and Notre Dame is the 5. Both teams are fine, but they are susceptible to decent teams as well. Northwestern is making their first trip ever to the tournament in the West region. I see that lasting one, maybe 2 games for them. As far as my surprise team in this region, I like Xavier, finally not having expectations, to be a team that can make noise. They should easily beat Maryland in round one, I could see them easily beating the winner of FSU-Florida Gulf Coast, to make a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. In the long run, I see Gonzaga facing up against Arizona, and Gonzaga finally breaking through and making the Final Four out of the West. Don't let me down Gonzaga.

Moving over to the Midwest, Kansas is the one seed. Kansas is great. The have a great group of players, led by the presumptive player of the year in Frank Mason. But, it is still a Bill Self led Kansas team. They could just as easily go out in round 2 as they can of making it to the title game. Louisville is the 2, and while they have the goods, they looked bad at the end of the season. They blew some games late and had a very early exit from the ACC tournament. Who knows with them. Oregon is the 3, but one of their best players just tore his ACL, and Dillon Brooks cannot do it alone, try as he might. Purdue is the 4, but I have no faith in Purdue. I love their size and I think Caleb Swanigan is great, but they are so up and down, and I do not trust their outside shooting. Iowa State is the 5, and with Iowa State, I say so what. Probably the hottest team coming into the tournament, Michigan, got the 7 seed, but they have to face a very good Oklahoma State team. In fact, Oklahoma State is the one team from the Midwest that I think could make a run to the Sweet Sixteen, possibly further. They play great, extended defense and they have scorers all over the floor. I'm so pissed that Michigan has to play them in the first round. I could see Oklahoma State beating Michigan, Louisville, then either Creighton, Rhode Island or Oregon, whoever they may face in the Sweet Sixteen. That's where they'd run into a KU, who I think they will play in the Elite Eight, and KU will crush them. KU, even though they had an early exit from the Big 12 tournament and are still coached by Bill Self, will represent the Midwest in the Final Four. They remind me a lot of Villanova from last year, but with better freshman.

Finally we have the South. This is, far and away, the best and toughest region. The one is North Carolina. UNC is great. they have everything you want in a college basketball team. They can go inside and outside and they play respectable defense. Kentucky is the 2. Kentucky is LOADED with talent, albeit very young. But, John Calipari has won with young talent, and continues to win with young talent. UCLA is the 3. I mean Jesus Christ, this is a tough region. UCLA does not play a whole lot of defense, but they score a whole lot of points. They can put the ball in the basket very much. Lonzo Ball is so god damn good. I think Steve Alford has gotten a bit too much credit for this team's success, but UCLA is very good. Butler is a very underrated 4 seed. They play very sound and very strong basketball. They can beat anyone, anytime on any floor. Minnesota is too highly seeded, at 5, but they will be done after one game. Middle Tennessee will beat them. Cincinnati is the 6, and they could make a run. But, my surprise team is Wichita State. I wrote about them yesterday as well. They won 30 games this year, yet they are a 10 seed for some unknown, asinine reason. But, I could see them beating Dayton, who is also a very good team, then beating Kentucky to push to the Sweet Sixteen. In the long run, I see UNC and UCLA facing off to go to the Final Four, and UCLA to represent the hellish South region.

My Final Four is Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and UCLA. In the Duke-Gonzaga matchup, I'm riding with Gonzaga. Part of it is my incredible hatred for Duke and the other part is that I think Gonzaga will finally break through. In the other matchup, KU-UCLA, I'm going to go with KU. I love this team, and I think Frank Mason wants to go out as a champion. That being said, I'm picking the Kansas Jayhawks to win the national title. I love the makeup of this team and Frank Mason is absolutely the best college basketball player in the country. He is on a mission. Now that I'm picking them I'm sure they will get bounced early, but I have faith in this KU team. As far as Most Outstanding Player, I have Frank Mason, of course. He is the best, and most important player on the best team. He will carry this team, a la Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier, to a title. So, Rock Chalk Jayhawk to win it all this year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. This year marks 20 straight years of Ty picking KU in the Final Four. KU has a history of dissapointing Ty. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Midseason NCAA Men's Basketball Checkup

As I did with the NBA last week, today I will look at where men's college basketball is at the half way, or more so the 3/4 mark of the season. I know I trash men's college basketball, and while I still think it is very low quality, this season has been a bit better. At least the good teams are playing each other during the regular season as opposed to only facing off during the tournament. With that being said, my conference, the Big Ten, has been an absolute shit show. The Big Ten is, by a wide margin, the worst major conference in all of men's college basketball. But, I will talk about that conference more a little later. Let's take a look at the season so far.

I am going to start with the Pac 12. The Pac 12 is very top heavy. Oregon, UCLA and Arizona are far and away the three top teams. Arizona just beat up on UCLA, and while it was a throwback to see UCLA at number 2 in the polls a few weeks ago, they are kind of crashing back down to Earth, and it all started with Arizona beating them up. Lonzo Ball is one freshman worth watching, but UCLA is a run and gun team that does not play much defense. They may make it to the second day, or even the Sweet Sixteen, but anything beyond that would surprise me. Oregon, my preseason guess to win the title, started off very poorly, won 17 in a row, then just recently got beat by Colorado. They are a very inconsistent team. I still would not be surprised if they won the whole thing, but it would not surprise me if they got beat in the first round of the tournament as well. Also, Dillon Brooks has the flop of the century. Go check it out, it is a thing of beautiful hilarity. Arizona, now at full strength, is the team to beat in the Pac 12. They looked really good against UCLA, and if they can keep it up, they are a real threat to go to the final four. They have a very, very good team. One other player from the Pac 12 I want to point out is Markelle Fultz from Washington. Washington is terrible, but Fultz is really, really good. He is a better version of Ben Simmons, in my personal opinion. If you happen upon a Washington game, do not watch for the Huskies, but watch for Fultz, he is incredible.

Now lets look at the ACC. This was supposed to be Duke's year. They had the best returning players and the best class. Things have not gone that way though. Look, I have written so much about what is wrong with Duke, but they still have a loaded team, and if they ever figure it out, they could win. But, they have way, way too many problems and I just do not see them doing much damage. They are not as great as some thought they would be. Florida State on the other hand, I know they have lost 2 straight, looks really good. Their mini losing streak is a fluke and happens to every good team. FSU has a great coach and they look like a legit threat to make a long tournament run. They also have one of those really good freshman as well. They also have the biggest basketball player I have ever seen. I do not know his first name, but his last name is Ojo, and not only is he big, but he is tremendous around the rim. UNC has a really good team, but they are not the same team as last year, and who knows what they will look like come NCAA tournament time. They could make a push, or they could go out on opening weekend. I do like that they have a bunch of upperclassmen though. After these teams, it is kind of a jumble. Notre Dame, Virginia, NC State and Louisville are all good, but I do not know what they bring to the table as a real threat. The only team on that short list that I think could unseat one of the three teams I mentioned is Louisville, but their offense is very mediocre. NC State has a great freshman, Dennis Smith Jr, but that's it. Notre Dame is just average everywhere, and so is Virginia. I think, at this moment in time, that FSU will win the ACC.

Next, the Big 12. Baylor, Kansas and West Virginia are the only teams worth mentioning. Baylor is a ton of fun to watch, but when they run into a team with similar athleticism, they just cannot keep up. They are currently the number 2 team in the country, but I do not see that lasting too long. While a ton of fun visually, I just do not see them as a real threat. WVU runs that suffocating press, but where does the scoring come from? sure, they just beat KU for the third straight year, but when they play in Allen Fieldhouse later this season, I'm sure KU will demolish them. This team is also coached by Bobby Huggins, so they are bound for an early tournament exit. KU is KU. This KU team feels a bit different to me though. Sure, they have super freshman Josh Jackson, but Frank Mason is the engine that runs this team, and Frank Mason is so damn good at basketball. The Jayhawks also have a swagger that some older KU teams did not have. KU is typically a heart-breaker in the tournament, but this team kind of reminds me of the team with Mario Chalmers that won the title a long time ago. I really like this KU team, especially after they beat Kentucky in Rupp Arena. Look for KU to be the Big 12 champ for the 13th straight year.

The predictable SEC is Kentucky and everyone else. People may say, well Florida and South Carolina are top 25 teams, I say, who cares. Kentucky is so much better than any team in the SEC, it is not fair. I don't think, nor they should, Kentucky fears any team in their conference. They will destroy those teams at will. Malik Monk and D'Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo are great, great basketball players that play beyond their years. They all know their roles perfectly and they play them very well. Kentucky's kryptonite is teams like KU, Louisville and UNC. Those teams have upperclassmen that are not fazed by player rankings ad have been around for awhile. These are the types of teams that can beat Kentucky. Kentucky will win the SEC with ease though.

Now, lets tackle the awful Big 10. I had high hopes coming into this season for the Big Ten. I thought it would highly competitive. Unfortunately, it has been an absolute bore and a showcase for how not to play high level college basketball. Wisconsin is the "best" team in the Big Ten, but they have had recent struggles against both Rutgers and Michigan. Wisconsin is slow and shoots way too many threes and they don't utilize their best player, Nigel Hayes, nearly enough. After that, you have teams like Purdue and Northwestern that are top 25 teams. Purdue has a glut of supposed good big men, but they have not really shown out this year. Purdue's guard play has been suspect as well. They are a first round out in the tournament for sure. Northwestern is ranked! Good for you guys. You may even make your first tournament ever. That's right, they have never, not once, been in the NCAA tournament. I'm sure they'll make it this year and I'm sure they'll get bounced in the first round. But yeah, you guys are ranked. After that, the rest of the Big Ten is just bad. Michigan State has been an absolute disappointment. Michigan plays no defense and hasn't been making the three like they thought they would. Ohio State has played well below their expected level and people now want Thad Matta fired. Nebraska has been abysmal after an okay start. Maryland is ranked, but who have they played, and they look like they are struggling at all times, even when they are winning. After that, who cares. Wisconsin will probably win, but so what. The Big Ten is bad and not one team will get to the Sweet Sixteen, mark it down.

The Big East is still a conference, but the only teams worth mentioning are Villanova and Creighton. Xavier was once ranked highly too, but they have fallen off a cliff as of late.  Villanova is exactly who I thought they would be, a well disciplined, three point shooting machine. Josh Hart is awesome and they have replaced the players they lost from last years title team with ease. Maybe this is the new normal for Villanova. Creighton is okay. They beat the teams they should and get beaten by the teams they should. They are a first round out for sure. I miss the days of Georgetown being good, but things are cyclical and they will be good once again. But, for now, it is Villanova's conference to lose.

Outside of these conferences, the only other teams worth mentioning are St. Mary's and Gonzaga. St. Mary's is okay, they may win a game or 2 in the tournament, but that is about it. Then we have Gonzaga. They are undefeated and crushing each opponent with ease. With that being said, they do not have a tough schedule. So, they are doing what they're supposed to be doing, but they are not playing many tough teams. Some of that is their fault, some is other top teams not willing to play them. I think this will hurt them come tournament time, but I do think they will enter the tournament undefeated. They are this generation's St. Joe's.

As far as my final four picks, I'll go with KU, Arizona, Villanova and, what the hell, Gonzaga. The title will be KU and, what the hell again, Gonzaga, and I am picking KU to win, in a landslide. My player of the year is Frank Mason. He is the best player on the best team.

That is my midseason men's college basketball update. Take it with a grain of salt.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man. He works really hard on these college basketball articles. The pieces usually start with "College basketball sucks" and ends with "screw Flanders". Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Musters up Enough Energy to Make Wild Guesses About Men's College Basketball

Artist depiction of Ty watching college basketball

To wrap up all my preseason basketball previews, I will finish off today with men's college basketball. Before I get into it, I do want to say, and I believe I said the same thing last year, but men's college basketball is becoming unwatchable. It is so watered down. The competition is so low rent, I might as well watch high school basketball. I don't want to do that.

The only thing that saved that dismal season last year was the incredible championship game. You know why that game was great, besides those 2 incredible game ending shots? Both UNC and Villanova were senior laden teams. Their best players were all seniors that had been playing together for four years. I'm over the whole "one and done" thing. I don't know who any of these new players are because they come into school for one season, then go pro. Skal Labiessere and Ben Simmons were supposed to be must watch TV last season. Labiessere and Simmons did not live up to the hype. Labiessere never asserted himself and became an after thought and Simmons seemed bored and disinterested. These were supposed to be the guys. There were also guys like Cheick Diallo, wasn't eligible until late in the season, and barely played after that. Brandon Ingram was fine, but never blew me away. Jaylen Brown led a floundering Cal team that got bounced in the first round of the tournament. I could go on and on.

All those guys are now gone to the NBA, so it doesn't matter anymore. That is my main problem with NCAA men's college basketball. The game has become a terrible version of posturing for NBA scouts amongst 18 and 19 year olds. It is a gloried McDonald's All American game. I'd much rather watch the D League anytime over men's college basketball now? That is a sad state of affairs. My advise, watch your team, because you should know the players on your team, but what is the point of watching all these freshman laden teams? The men's game has become dreadful.

Before I dig in, I got the majority of my information from cbssports.com, because when I went to do research, I literally had no idea who was supposed to win the title this year. I also do not know anything about this incoming crop of freshman. Every year I hear that this is the best class of freshman ever, but I'm sick of hearing that. Until we get a freshman as NBA ready as KD, I am not going to pay attention to any of these teams filled with "one and done" players because it is not good basketball, it's an all star game. All this from a guy who prefers college football way, way more than the NFL. I truly hate what men's college basketball has become.

Anyway, here is my preview of the upcoming season. As far as the ACC goes, I'm pretty sure that Duke is going to win the conference. They lost Ingram to the draft, but they return that prick Grayson Allen and I'm sure they have a slew of 5 star freshman coming in. Virginia, Miami and UNC will probably challenge, but they won't put up much of a threat, as Duke gets all the help from officials and they play a million home games. Duke will win the conference.

As far as the Big 12 goes, hasn't KU won it for a decade straight? They keep going after "one and done" players, and they keep winning the conference every year. Five new starters, but it doesn't matter, they will win the conference and I'm sure they will choke in the tournament. As far as teams that will challenge, I'm sure Oklahoma will take a step back since Buddy Hield is gone, Oklahoma State hasn't been relevant since Marcus Smart left, Kansas State is a joke, I guess Baylor is their only real challenger, but they probably have as many problems as their football program, so who knows what's coming to them, as far as sanctions and the like. KU is, once again, the Big 12 champs.

In the SEC, is there any other team that is any good other than Kentucky? Kentucky gets a new set of starters every year, they are all rated very high, and they have a great regular season, but since Anthony Davis left, they blow big games in the tournament. I'm sure that will happen again. Maybe Vanderbilt, LSU or even a team like Auburn challenge them, but I do not think it is very likely. Kentucky wins the SEC in a run away.

The Pac 12 is going to be Oregon's to lose. While they stink in college football, they have a good basketball team, or at least they did last year when they crushed Duke in the tournament and Coach K felt it was his place to yell at an Oregon player. They have a good team with bombers, and they do have some experience on their roster. Arizona and Washington could challenge, but Oregon should win the Pac 12. But, in all seriousness, I do not watch a lot of Pac 12 basketball because it is on way too late.

Villanova, the defending champs, should win what was formerly a great conference, but is now a shell of its self, the Big East. I don't see any real challengers, maybe Georgetown, but Villanova should dominate that conference all season. They did lose a few starters, but they have a good portion of the team back that won it all last year.

Now for the Big 10, the only conference I will watch. Michigan State or Indiana will probably win it once again. MSU is the perennial favorite, and I'm sure they have some blue chip guys coming in. Indiana is loaded with talent, but it is young, and they did lose Yogi Ferrell to graduation. He was the heart and soul of that team. Maryland has their star point guard back, but they lost a few big men and some older vets from a team that completely underachieved last year. I picked them to win it all last year, but they barely got out of the first round of the tournament. My team, Michigan, has a lot of guys back, but they went 21-13 last year. That is not a great record. They did make the tournament, but they played a terrible round one game, which they won, and then they blew a huge lead in their round 2 game. They have Zak Irvin back, but he hasn't been nearly as good as he was as a freshman. Derrick Walton is back, and he is tough and gritty, but I like Abdur Rahkman as a point guard better than Walton. He attacks the basket and finds the open guy better than Walton does. Michigan will infuriate me, but they will hover around the same record as last year, and hopefully, they can make the tournament again. Other than those teams, I do not know much about Big 10 basketball. Rutgers, Minnesota, Northwestern and Nebraska, amongst others, are all very average. I'm going to go with MSU because Tom Izzo is a much, much better coach than Tom Crean.

As far as some other teams that are outside of the power 5 conferences that should be good, we have teams like Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Rhode Island, VCU and Wichita State. Gonzaga is always good, even when they lose half of their starters. St. Mary's is supposed to be the best mid major team this year. They have a bunch of good players, and everything I read about them says they are supposed to be good. Rhode Island hasn't been good since Lamar Odom was there, but again, everything I read says that they will be good. VCU and Wichita State did lose a lot of vets, but they always have some other guys, that have been waiting their turn, that will produce.

As far as final four teams and the title game, I'm just going to take some shots in the dark. I'll say that Oregon, Villanova, Kentucky and MSU are the final four, but those are wild guesses. The title game will pit Oregon and MSU, and Oregon will win it all for the Pac 12, again, a wild guess.

The player of the year will be some random freshman that I have never heard of, or a senior that comes out of nowhere to have a great year, a la Buddy Hield last year. I honestly don't know.

Look, I think it is obvious how I feel about men's college basketball. It has become terrible, and nearly unwatchable. I wanted to do a preview because I love basketball that much, but I have little to no love for men's college basketball. It has become a meat market and a one on one game for 19 year olds to showcase their talents to scouts. No one wants to be Buddy Hield or Marcus Paige or Denzel Valentine anymore, and that is sad. All these young kids would rather be Brandon Ingram or Jakob Poertl, and that is truly upsetting. Men's college basketball is a joke, but hey, I will still watch Michigan and other games here and there. But, do yourselves a favor and just watch the NBA, it is so, so, so much better.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His lack of enthusiasm for his college basketball is no excuse to forget about the Head Editors dark horse final four team. Go Mizzou. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Predicting the Rest of an Unpredictable Men's College Basketball Tournament

The current state of everyone's brackets

As I've done with my NBA preview, my NFL preview and my college basketball preview, I'm going to look back at what was right and wrong since the first weekend of the madness that is March is through. You can go back and read my five things I thought would happen before the tournament started and you can listen to our mini episode of the podcast to hear my initial thoughts.

Right out of the gate, I was way off about Michigan State, as was almost everyone else. They really laid an incredible egg against Middle Tennessee State. I don't want to hear about other reporters saying that MTSU was wrongly seeded and that they are a really good team either. Sure, they won 20 plus games, but just look at what happened against a very mediocre Syracuse team yesterday. Michigan State would have dismantled that same Syracuse team had they taken care of business on Friday, but they didn't. MSU got out played, out hustled and out coached by a very inferior team. This has to be the biggest upset in the history of the tournament. Sure, NC State had no business beating Houston when they had Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler and Norfolk State beat a much better Missouri team in 2012, but this win by MTSU was, at least in my lifetime, the biggest upset ever. MSU didn't even choke away this game, MTSU just straight up beat them, never trailing. I assumed that MSU's size and experience would make, not only this game a walk through, but that they'd coast to the title. I was way wrong, but so was pretty much everyone else. MSU blew it and they lose a ton of players to graduation. This was a major shake up that busted millions of brackets all over the country.

Then, there were my thoughts on the ACC that I was way off base on as well. Of the 16 teams remaining, 6 are from the ACC. That's impressive. Miami beat Wichita State with relative ease. Sure, WSU made it close, even taking a one point lead in the second half, but Miami started and finished that game strong and they deserved to win. Notre Dame, on the other hand, has been incredibly luck in their run to the sweet sixteen. They were down 12 at halftime to Michigan, then Michigan went ice cold and they started to make some clutch shots and Michigan still had a chance at the end until Zak Irvin took a terrible three. Also, Michigan wasn't even supposed to make that a game. Then, yesterday against Stephen F Austin, they needed a miracle tip in with one second left. SFA should have won that game and all they needed to do was box a guy out and they'd still be in it. I still don't trust Notre Dame. Syracuse got lucky with their draw. They were bigger than Dayton, then they got to play MTSU. They don't impress me at all. Duke was down at halftime against UNC Wilmington and it took the refs giving them every single call in the second half for them to win in round one. Then, they come out and shot a ridiculous percentage from three against Yale, push their lead all the way up to 27 at one point in the second half, then let Yale get back in it, getting as close as four points. Duke can't rebound and they will lose soon. Virginia has looked good. They play a slower style of basketball and they play suffocating defense. They've had an easy draw, but they have looked pretty good in their two wins. They could make final four noise if they keep this play up.

The team I was hardest on, UNC, has looked really, really good. They look like the team that was the preseason number one pick and a lot of people's pick to win the title. They cruised in round one and then they absolutely throttled Providence in round two. They look scary good right now, especially since Marcus Paige is making shots. I regret not having more respect for them. They could get to the title game if they keep it up.

My two play in 11 seeds really let me down. Michigan looked sloppy against Tulsa, but they won. Then, they came out on fire in the first half against Notre Dame, but fizzled in the second half. They should have won, but they couldn't finish, that was their problem all year long. Wichita State looked really good against Vanderbilt in their play in win, but they came out completely flat and ice cold against Miami. They put themselves in too big a hole and they could never get out of it. I was let down by both these teams. Northern Iowa also had a huge choke last night when they let Texas A&M make up a 12 point deficit in 40 seconds. I said, on the podcast, I thought they could make a run, but they really blew it last night. That was probably the biggest choke job I've ever witnessed. At least Gonzaga, another double digit seed I liked, has looked pretty good. They've won both their games handily and now they get to face an inferior Syracuse team for a shot at the elite eight.

The Big 12 has been a let down for me. I thought that they'd represent 75 percent of the final four. Sure, Kansas and Oklahoma are still there and they look good too. KU has had no problem with their first two games and they should coast to the final four. And Oklahoma, while VCU put a scare in them, made in on the heels of Buddy Hield. He has to be the player of the year now after MSU and Denzel Valentine's shocking and embarrassing loss. Without Hield yesterday, Oklahoma doesn't win that game. He is a scoring machine. But, the Baylor's and West Virginia's of the world really blew it. Baylor got outplayed by Yale. Baylor was bigger, but Yale out rebounded them. Side note, if you want to see something truly great, go back and watch the Baylor postgame conference when a reporter asked a Baylor player how they got out rebounded by Yale. This player's response is priceless and hilarious. Baylor would have crushed Duke had they taken care of business, but now we will never know. West Virginia looked bad in their opener. SFA did anything it wanted at anytime against WVU. I thought WVU had final four potential, but has Bob Huggins ever really done anything of note since leaving Cincinnati except for blowing winnable games. That game was a joke and WVU looked pretty terrible.

I was also wrong about a Big Ten team winning the title. I thought it would be MSU in a cake walk. I was wrong and so was the majority of everyone else. The Big Ten still has three teams left, but who really believes Maryland or Wisconsin will win the title? I know in my preseason preview I picked Maryland, but that was a straight up guess and after watching them this past weekend, there is no way they are a championship level team. And Wisconsin got very lucky in both games. They were ice cold against Pitt, but Pitt was even colder. Then, they hit a buzzer beater to beat Xavier. That play was beautiful, but it should have never happened. That charge that was called on Xavier was one of the worst calls in a basketball game at any level. That ref wanted to determine the outcome of the game and that should never be the case. But, that terrible call let us witness one of the best in bounds plays of all time. There is no way either of Maryland or Wisconsin wins the title. Indiana, on the other hand, I do believe in. I had them picked to beat Kentucky and they looked decent doing it. They made big plays when they needed to and got stops when they needed to. They are the Big Ten's best shot at a title this year. 

Where we stand now, we have 6 ACC teams, 3 Big Ten Teams, 3 Big 12 teams, 1 Big East team, 1 SEC team, 1 Pac 12 team and 1 mid major. The way I see it now, the Big 12 is not getting all three in, but they have an excellent shot at 2. Iowa State will probably lose to Virginia later this week, KU should have no problem with Maryland, then they will get the winner of Miami-Villanova, which should be another cake walk for them. Oklahoma gets a very young and inexperienced Texas A&M team they should beat, then the winner of Oregon, the most overrated one seed of all time perhaps, and Duke, who I have ZERO trust in. They can win their next two games with ease. Unfortunately for the Big Ten, Maryland will probably lose to KU, Wisconsin can and should beat Notre Dame, but then they get the winner of Indiana-UNC who would crush them, and that leaves Indiana, and they have to face a red hot UNC team right now and I just don't see them beating UNC. The ACC's best shot, of the 6 remaining teams they have left, is either UNC or Virginia. I think Miami will have it's hands full with Villanova. Duke will probably lose to Oregon. Syracuse is going to get destroyed by Gonzaga. But, Virginia should beat Iowa State, setting up a showdown with Gonzaga, in what would be a great game. And UNC, if they beat Indiana, will coast over either Notre Dame or Wisconsin. UNC has the easiest and most likely path for an ACC team. Sorry Pac 12, Oregon will not represent your conference in the final four. St, Joe's should have won last night, but either Duke or the winner of Texas A&M-Oklahoma will end your season. Same thing for the SEC. A&M is too young and too inexperienced and they also got incredibly lucky to still be in this tournament, their season will end soon enough. Villanova will be its usual choking self soon, probably against Miami. They will find a way to lose because that is what they do. Which leaves me with Gonzaga. I love Gonzaga this year and they have been very impressive thus far. They will beat Syracuse which will most likely set them up against Virginia. I think they can easily win that game and go to the final four. They are playing top notch basketball at the right time.

So, if I have to pick a final four with the 16 remaining teams, I will go with KU in the South, Oklahoma in the West, UNC in the East and Gonzaga in the Midwest. I think from those four teams, KU and UNC will play for the title and I think KU wins. That's how I see it now. I will admit that this tournament has been fun to watch. While it may not always be appealing to your eyes, at least there's been buzzer beaters and upsets galore after the first weekend. Hopefully, that continues throughout the rest of this wacky and wild tournament.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He takes gret solace in the fact that not only his, but every realistic person out there, has a busted bracket. It is madness if you are not following Ty on twitter @tykulik.

5 Thoughts on the 2016 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament

Gyms will start to fill up on Tuesday when the madness begins.

Instead of doing a NCAA men's tournament preview, since I've already picked two different winners in two previous blogs, I'm going to give you guys five predictions of things I think will happen in this years tournament. I will not pick a winner, but I will give you 4 or 5 or even 6 possibilities of who could win. I'm also not going to pick the player of the tournament or anything like that, I'm just going to give you five random things I think will happen in the coming weeks of games. On with the countdown.

At number 5, I don't see any ACC team making it to the final four. At first glance you might think, what about UNC or Duke or even Miami, but I think the ACC is very overrated this year. Their best team is UNC, but they've shown time and time again this year that they can choke at any time. Take their home loss against Duke earlier this year. They dominated that game, but they let Duke stick around and they got beat. UNC can't be trusted. Duke won't get out of the first weekend. If they win their first game, they will most likely play a much bigger and more experienced Baylor team that will crush them on the boards and throw around their guards like rag dolls. They will get rolled. And Miami, while they've had a great year, I just don't believe in their team. They'll get bounced quick.

My number 4 prediction, one of the 4 teams playing in the play in games for the 11 seed, be it Michigan, Tulsa, Vanderbilt or Wichita State, will get to the sweet sixteen. I have the most faith in Wichita State because they're experienced and they've gone deep in this tournament in years past. But, Vanderbilt and Michigan, if they win, could make some noise. Michigan has won some big games without their best player for most of the year, and if they're hitting their threes, they can beat almost anyone. Vandy has spent the majority of this year ranked and plays high level offense and, much like Michigan, if they're hitting shots, they will win. Tulsa is the only one of these teams I have no faith in. They don't belong in the tournament and if they beat Michigan, they will get crushed in their first round game. They lost to a very mediocre Memphis team twice this year, so that says everything I need to know about them.

My number 3 prediction, Kentucky doesn't make it out of round 2. They will win their first round game, but that would set up a showdown, most likely, with Indiana. I like Indiana in that game if it happens. Indiana has more experience and more depth and if they catch Kentucky on an off night, they will crush them. I really like Kentucky's point guard Ullis, but Yogi Ferrell is a much better and older and experienced version of him. Indiana's front court is better and could easily dominate Kentucky's young and very thin, in stature, front court. IU had better depth as well. I just don't see Kentucky beating them.

My number 2 prediction, this will be a wild and crazy and fun tournament to watch. I know that I've ragged on men's college basketball, and I still think it's borderline unwatchable, but the fact that this tournament is so wide open, while it may not be pleasing to watch, it will be interesting to see all the upsets that will happen and it will be exciting. I have no faith in a lot of the high seeds, especially Oregon as a number one, but, some lower seeded teams like Yale, Northern Iowa and Gonzaga can make some noise. I especially like Gonzaga as an 11 and I like them a lot in their first round game against Utah. Utah is good, but Gonzaga is bigger and deeper and has more tournament experience. If Northern Iowa can win their first round game, I believe they can make a run to the elite eight. And Yale, these Ivy League teams get in and they're always a tough out. Just ask our editor RD about his Princeton over UCLA pick a million years ago (ed note: Did you know that I picked #13 Princeton to beat #4 UCLA in 1996? I did.) . Or look at what Harvard did last year. Basically, this is a year where literally all 68 teams can win the whole thing if put in the right situation of get hot at the right time. Which will make this an exciting tournament.

Which brings me to my number one prediction, the Big 12 will make up 3/4 of the final four, but a Big 10 team will win. I fully believe that Kansas, Baylor, West Virginia and Oklahoma can get to the final four. KU has been lights out lately and they are the best team in all of men's college basketball. They should coast to the final four. I also believe in Oklahoma and Baylor a lot. They're both big, experienced and just flat out good. Baylor has a bunch of humongous guys in their front court that will punish smaller opponents. Oklahoma has one of, if not the, best players in Buddy Hield. That dude can put up 40 any given night and he will single handily win at least two games for the Sooners. I also like West Virginia's chances too. They play suffocating defense that frustrates teams into critical mistakes. They can do damage in the tournament. But, I believe that Michigan State has the best chance to come away with the title. They got screwed by not getting a one seed, but where they're seeded in their bracket, it's a cake walk for them. They have the best player, Denzel Valentine and they have experience and depth at all five positions. They can crush you inside and outside. They have it all. In a very weird season, they have been the one true consistent team, when at full strength.

Take these predictions as you will, but I fully believe this stuff will happen. Get ready for the tournament, fill out your brackets, and watch the craziness unfold.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The head editor is wondering where Ty put Xavier, and why he did not say the Musketeers will win it all. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ben Simmons Represents Everything that is Wrong with Men's College Basketball

The one thing the NCAA seems to be forgetting.

I know that I bag on men's college basketball a lot and today will be no exception. The game has become way too watered down. The talent level isn't nearly as good as it was, as little as 6 or 7 years ago. The "one and done" culture has ruined the game. You can't ever really figure out which players are on which big time team because the majority of that team leaves after one, or if you're lucky, two years. Kentucky, who was in the Final Four last year, lost 7 players to the pros. You read that right, 7 players left with at least 2 years of eligibility left. They're ranked in the top 25 again, and will make the tournament again, but the only player I can name that's still on the team from last year off the top of my head is point guard Tyler Ullis. He's good, but if you are a top 25 team, I should be able to name 3 of 5 starters I think. I know they had a great recruiting class, but they always do and they are always changing the roster.

This is so frustrating to me, a big time basketball fan. I love all basketball, especially the NBA, but I used to love college basketball, not anymore though. I hate the "one and done" culture and this season has been a huge reason why. All these "studs" that were going to come in and turn the top teams around have not really lived up to the task. The two best teams in college basketball, Kansas and Michigan State, have mainly upperclassmen. They're led by guys that have been there before and know how to play. Oklahoma is also a really good team, led by a senior, Buddy Hield. Those three teams I have faith in to go far in the tournament.

These teams led by freshman, teams like Duke, Kentucky and LSU, I have no faith in to make deep tourney runs, or even make the tournament. Duke will be there, but Grayson Allen(sophomore) and Brandon Ingram(freshman), will not guide them to back to back titles, they'll be lucky to make it to the first weekend. Kentucky will bow out very early because their freshman class has been a humongous disappointment and they have no upperclassmen leader, except for the oft injured Alex Poythress. And then there's LSU, the team that is the reason for this blog today.

Louisiana State University had the cream of the crop sign there, Ben Simmons. This kid was a can't miss prospect out of Australia. He was a once in a lifetime player. He could pass like Magic, shoot like Durant and run the floor like Chris Paul. He was going to bring LSU back to its glory days, when Shaq was patrolling the paint. He was compared, by every journalist no matter what publication, to all those players I mentioned above. He was supposed to be the best freshman since Kevin Durant was at Texas for one year, said Bill Simmons. This kid was going to make this season a must watch for college basketball fans. Now, with all that being said, he is a very good basketball player and he will almost certainly be the first pick in the NBA draft, but there is also some problems that have come along with this kid.

First of all, LSU has a slim, and I mean very slim, like winning the SEC tournament may be their only chance to make the NCAA tournament slim, chance at getting in. Some of this is coaching and some is the kid's fault. The coach at LSU clearly doesn't know how to use Simmons properly. He'll use him as a decoy way too often and he doesn't have the ball in his hands at critical times, even though it's clear he is the best player on the floor. But Ben Simmons sometimes seems gun shy at the end of critical games and he passes on the final shot way too much. I know he wants to be unselfish, but if you are supposed to be the best player in over a decade, you have to be selfish and take those final shots, you're team is expecting that out of you.

Then there is the fact that LSU has almost no chance of making the NCAA tournament. Most teams that have had a big time recruit like this have made the tournament and most have made very deep runs. Duke won the title with three freshman as their top guys. When Durant was at Texas I believe they made the sweet sixteen. Kentucky last year made the final four and won with an Anthony Davis led team a few years before that. Arizona, with Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made the elite eight last year. So yeah, most of these freshman led teams make at least some noise in the NCAA tournament. Even though the NCAA doesn't recognize it, Michigan and the Fab Five made the title game in their first and second seasons. LSU though, they look like your prototypical NIT team. Good enough to be over .500, but barely. They are 18-13 as we speak, with little to no quality wins. They do not have a resume that screams at large bid, not even close. If they don't win the SEC tournament, I don't see them getting into the NCAA tournament. There are a lot of better teams that have better resumes that are more deserving of an at large bid.

Which brings me to my last and most crucial point of today. Ben Simmons was not eligible for the Wooden Award, given to the best player in men's college basketball, for "academic reasons". Some reporters, mainly ESPN and Bleacher Report, came out and said what a travesty it is that this kid won't even be considered for the award, that it was an injustice to a great player. I say, what the hell is the matter with you morons that think basketball is more important that getting good grades? I know that most of these "one and done" players don't go to go to school, but at least the ones there make the grades, or it's made to seem that they have made the grades, keeping them eligible to play. Ben Simmons has clearly not been up to snuff in the classroom which is the most important thing. It's called student athlete for a reason. There is a reason student comes first. That is the main thing you should be focused on when entering college, being a student first and an athlete second. I know, he's going to be a multi millionaire in less than 2 moths, but Jesus Christ, go to class. I guarantee that the professors will just pass you for showing up. Also, I don't think he'd even have a 10 percent chance to win the award. I'd give it to Denzel Valentine, Buddy Hield, Perry Ellis or Georges Niang before I'd even consider Ben Simmons. Those guys are all leaders on top 25 teams that should make deep tourney runs.

People in the major media, I'm looking at you Bleacher Report and ESPN, need to stop coddling this kid and make him own up to his faults. He will be the first pick in the upcoming draft, but what if he is a bust? What if he is Sam Bowie? Will the same reporters still be there for him? I doubt it. This kid is good, possibly great, but he needs to get his head on his shoulders and grow up fast if he wants to earn the money that is about to be showered upon him. He is not Steph Curry or LeBron James or Kevin Durant yet. Hell, he's not even at DeMar DeRozan or Kyle Lowry's level yet, at least those guys have proven they're real NBA players.

Screw the NCAA and screw the NBA for this stupid "one and done" culture that they've created. It's a menace and it will cheapen the NBA is 5 or 6 years. Enjoy great basketball now because the "one and done's" are coming to ruin professional basketball.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He often wonders why these kids even bother with college, play overseas and then come to the draft. It seems so simple. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Chaos of the College Basketball Season will Extend Well into March

This season has even our ancestors confused

As I've done with the NBA, NFL and MLB seasons, I want to check up on my preseason preview for men's college basketball and see how I did and what I think will happen now that the regular is just about done.

First of all, this season of men's college basketball has been very, very ugly. There is no clear cut best team out there. The talent pool has been incredibly watered down by this new "one and done" culture. These kids don't go to college to learn how to play team basketball anymore, they go to increase their draft position. No one plays team basketball anymore. It's all one on one and let me show you my skills to prove that I can play at the next level. Adam Silver needs to focus more on changing the age limit rule for early entry in the draft and less on the "hack a whoever" problem. Men's college basketball is becoming a joke, and until they do something to remedy the "one and done", it will remain a big, big problem.

I really dislike college basketball at the moment.

With all that being said, I still watch because it is basketball and I love basketball. As I said before, there is no clear cut top five teams. Last year it was almost a foregone conclusion that Duke, Kentucky and Wisconsin would be three fourths of the final four. Michigan State making it was a surprise, but they are also a traditional powerhouse, so was it really that surprising? Nope. This year though, it's a total crapshoot. I bet gamblers hate how wide open it is this season. There is, at least, 10 teams that have a legitimate shot at making the final four and winning the title.

I'll start with the ACC. The ACC has the team that most consider the "best" team in North Carolina, but they just lost to an unranked Duke team at home. Sometimes UNC looks like world beaters, other days they look average. Duke has been wildly inconsistent this year. They were in the top ten, fell out of the rankings completely, then beat Virginia and UNC. They are a team that relies on streaky shooters and freshman and sophomores and their underclassmen are nowhere near as good as their underclassmen last year. Virginia has experience, but they play ugly offensive basketball. Notre Dame is okay, but they will lose an early round game in the tournament. Louisville gave themselves a bogus postseason ban, due to all their sex parties and their sex depraved head coach, but I don't think they would have made much noise in the tournament anyway. Miami may be the second best team in the ACC, but they are classic tournament chokers. everyone else is mediocre. UNC should be the cream of the crop, but I have no faith in them after what happened against Duke.

The Big East has two good teams and that's it. No disrespect to Georgetown, but they peaked early. The Big East is Villanova and Xavier. They played last night and number 5 Xavier knocked off number 1 Villanova. It was a good game, but the problem with these two teams, they always get seeded very high in the tournament and they always lose way earlier than they should. They both have experience, but like I said, that experience is used to getting knocked out of the tournament early. I'd love if they proved me and everyone else wrong and made a deep tournament run because I like both these teams, but I don't think that will happen.

The SEC has been very average this year. Kentucky was supposed to be great, signing another excellent class, but they have been one of, if no the, most inconsistent team in all of men's basketball. They have no go to scorer and their stud freshman have not lived up to the preseason hype. Texas A&M is ranked, but I couldn't tell you the name of one player on that team. LSU was supposed to be awesome since they signed Ben Simmons, the overall number one high school recruit, but they might not even make the NCAA tournament. Arkansas is mediocre, Ole Miss and Mississippi State both stink and so does the rest of the conference. Kentucky will still win the SEC, but they are not the same team that they were last year.

The Big Ten, my conference that I watch, has been very unpredictable. Michigan State is supposed to be the cream of the crop, but they've had to deal with multiple injuries and very inconsistent play. They are still really good, but not as good as I thought they would be. Iowa has come out of nowhere and put themselves into the top ten, but they have lost three straight and one of those losses was to a very bad Penn State team. Maryland, my preseason pick to win the title, has been as inconsistent as Michigan State. They started out on fire this season, climbing all the way up to the number 2 ranking, but they recently lost to a Minnesota team that was winless in Big Ten play. Michigan, my team, has been without Caris Levert for most of the season but, they've beaten the teams they are supposed to beat. But, when they played quality competition, they've been absolutely run out of the gym. Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa and Xavier all beat them by double figures and made it look easy. Indiana, the current leader of the conference, has looked good, but when they have to play on the road, they are not the same team. They get every call at home, but the road, where it's called fairly, they look average. Wisconsin has come on strong lately, but I have zero faith in them and their former coach, Bo Ryan, is a world class scumbag. Even with Indiana sitting atop the conference, Michigan State and Maryland are the two best teams in the Big Ten.

The Big 12 may be the best conference in college basketball this year. Oklahoma, Kansas, West Virginia, Texas and Baylor have spent the majority of the season in the top 25. Oklahoma and Kansas look really good. They are the two teams that may be the only "sure thing" in college basketball this year. The issue is that KU has a tendency to choke, and who knows with Oklahoma, especially since Buddy Hield has been in a mini slump. West Virginia plays suffocating defense, but very poor offense. Baylor seems to be good only when playing at home and Texas is still learning Shaka Smart's system.  KU has proven twice, beating Oklahoma at home and on the road, that they are still the best team in the Big 12.

The mid majors I mentioned in my preseason preview, Witchita State and Gonzaga have been major disappointments. Witchita State had everyone back from a team that almost made the final four last year, but they have been pretty mediocre this year. And Gonzaga has fallen off a cliff. I believe I had them in my preseason final four, but they have been pretty terrible this year. The mid majors are not going to crash the final four at all this year.

Even though it's been a rough year to watch, the major conferences will be well represented in the tournament and make the final four. Like I said, this season is wide open, but I will take a crack at the final four anyway. I guess, and I cannot stress how much of this is literally a guess, UNC, Michigan State, Kansas and Oklahoma will be in the final four and Oklahoma will win it all. Once again, total guess. So, there is my almost end of the regular season wrap up for men's college basketball. The one thing that will be fun, while it will still be a rough watch, at least the tournament will be exciting and all 68 teams that make it will have a shot at the title. Hell, maybe we will finally see a 16 seed beat a 1 seed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. This college basketball season may provide another big upset, like the Princeton UCLA game that the head editor will not shut up about. It is your duty to follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty takes a few guesses with his Men's College Basketball Preview

Finishing up with all my basketball previews, I'm going to preview the upcoming NCAA season. Now, before I get started. I want to point out how hard this will be for me. I was doing research last night, and during my research, I found out that I don't know many of the new "stars" in college basketball today.

That's a problem.

Men's college basketball is now being defined by this new "one and done" culture, and I hate it. There's no continuity anymore, and players come and go after one season. We don't get any sense of how good a team can truly be because of the rule that you have to be one year removed from high school before you can go pro. I wasn't a fan of the straight from high school to the pros, but the "one and done" culture may be worse. These athletes are basically rentals. A school recruits these kids knowing that they will only be there for one season, and coaches and upperclassmen don't seem to care. Every year it's a revolving door. A five star comes to a school like Duke or Kentucky or Kansas, leaves after the season and a new crop of five star recruits come in. Another thing that blows my mind, pundits and professional broadcasters can't seem to understand how a team like Wichita State or Gonzaga can compete with the blue bloods of college basketball. It's simple dummies, the Wichita State's and Gonzaga's of the world have something that these teams that play mostly freshman don't have, camaraderie. The kids playing at Wichita State or Gonzaga have been playing together for four, or at the very least, three years. They know each other and they know each others tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. The teams led by freshman don't have this and it hurts them when it matters most.

Take last years Final Four game between Wisconsin and Kentucky. Kentucky was undefeated, led by a bunch of All Americans and had just come off their closest game of the year in the Elite Eight against Notre Dame. Wisconsin steamrolled Arizona, another freshman laden team, and they were ready for Kentucky. Wisconsin was also led by a senior(Frank Kaminsky), a junior(Sam Dekker) and a slew of upperclassmen. Wisconsin beat Kentucky up and by the end of the game, the freshman at Kentucky were bruised, battered and physically and emotionally tired. Age won out. Now, that didn't work in the championship game against Duke, another team with mostly freshman, but Coach K is a better coach than Bo Ryan.

Men's college basketball is becoming tough to watch. It's a shit show of, look how high I can jump to dunk this ball, or look at how many threes I can shoot in 10 minutes, or look at the little amount of interest I show in playing defense. It's not very good. The talent is better, but the product has gotten worse. When Geno Auriemma, head coach of UConn's women's team, said that men's college basketball is unwatchable, I, at first, vehemently disagreed with him, but now, I'm coming over to his side. It's not that much fun to watch anymore.

With all this being said, I'm going to give a brief breakdown of the upcoming season and pick who I think, and it will be a flat out guess, is going to win the title. I'll also pick a player of the year as well. When researching, I stumbled upon a great article on cbssports.com, rating every team in division one basketball with a one or two sentence description of the team. I'm going to use this article, but only for the rankings.

They have UNC as their preseason number one. This team actually has one upperclassmen, Marcus Paige, on their roster. He's their point guard, and everything runs through him. If he plays well, UNC will be good, but the rest of his supporting cast are either freshman or sophomores and I know very little about them. Staying in the ACC, other good teams will be Duke, Virginia, Notre Dame and Miami. Duke lost three of their five best players to the draft, but they have a bunch of five stars coming in to take their place. They won't win the title again, but they'll be good, they always are. Virginia and Notre Dame are senior laden teams, but both lost their best players to the draft. They'll still make the tournament, but their runs won't be as deep. Miami should be better this year, they get better every year, and they should challenge UVA and Notre Dame for the third spot in the conference.

CBS's number two team is Kentucky. Yep, the same team that lost 7, I repeat 7, players to the NBA draft is preseason number two. They just did what Calipari does, and out recruited everyone and replace five five stars, with five more. Kentucky is the only SEC team that will do any sort of damage on a major scope this season. LSU does have the top incoming recruit, Ben Simmons, but he won't make them a contender in his one college season. And Vanderbilt may make some noise, but they are very, very far behind Kentucky.

Kansas was their number three team and they will be, once again, the class of the Big 12. They lost Cliff alexander and Kelly Oubre Jr to the pros, but they do get Perry Alexander back and they also have "star" freshman coming into Lawrence. The Jayhawks could, and will be challenged by Iowa State, Baylor and Oklahoma. Iowa State did lose their coach to the pros, but they have most of their starting five back, and that includes Georges Niang. He's one of the anomalies, and decided to stay in school to improve his game. Baylor is always lurking, and they have been for almost a decade now. It's time to take Baylor serious and stop calling them a surprise contender. And Oklahoma may have the best player in all of college basketball in Buddy Hield. He leads that team and he can do great things with the basketball.

The first Big 10 team to crack CBS's poll is Maryland, coming in at number four. Maryland surprised a lot of people last year by how well they played, and they may be the best team in all of college basketball. They did lose Dez Wells to graduation, but they have Jake Layman and Melo Trimble back. Trimble may be Hield's only competition for player of the year. The other Big 10 teams that will fight with Maryland are the usual suspects. Teams like Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan will all be tournament teams. Michigan State has a fine recruiting class coming in and Denzel Valentine is back. Indiana has one of the best offenses in the country and they have some serious recruits coming in. Ohio State will be down from where they have been, but they will still be decent. Purdue has a huge frontcourt, and they will be hard to score on in the post. And Michigan, if they can stay healthy, will be lethal from the outside.

The first Big East team to make their poll is Villanova. They're coming off a 30 plus win season and look to be in good shape once again. Georgetown and Providence will be fine, but the Big East is Villanova's to lose.

The Pac 12 should be competitive. Teams like Utah, Arizona, Oregon and California will be good. Utah did lose Delon Wright to the NBA, but Jakob Poeltl is back and he's a beast inside. Arizona replaces McDonalds All Americans with more McDonalds All Americans. Oregon is a fine team, but they're not really a threat nationally. And Cal. How in the hell is Cal in this discussion? I'll tell you how, they snagged three of the best recruits in the nation somehow, and they will be really competitive for one season. I'm sure an investigation will come out in a year or two involving Cal and recruiting violations, because they haven't been relevant since Jason Kidd played point guard for them in the 90's.

The AAC has three good teams in UConn, Cincinnati and SMU. SMU loses respect because of the sanctions just handed down, so they're not relevant. Cincinnati will win a lot of games they shouldn't, make the tournament with a decent seeding, then crap out in the first or second round. UConn is the class of the conference, and they will win it going away. They have a good recruiting class, and the best coach in their league.

Outside of the power conferences, there's only two teams that really warrant a mention. These teams are the afformentioned Wichita State and Gonzaga. Wichita State returns everybody from a team that should've made the Final Four last year, and the same goes for Gonzaga. If they're ever going to finally make the jump to elite status, this is Gonzaga's best, and probably last chance.

These are the teams I wanted to break down today. There's over 300 division one men's college basketball teams, but the ones I wrote about today, in my opinion, are the only real threats to do damage. Tell me why I'm wrong and who I left out in the comment section. For a more in depth look, if that's what you want, I suggest checking out the CBS website I mentioned earlier.

As far as predictions go, my Final Four teams, right now, are Maryland, Wichita State, Gonzaga and UNC. I think the title game will feature Gonzaga and Maryland, and I'm picking Maryland to win the whole thing. Melo Trimble will also take home player of the year. This will be a big, big season for Maryland basketball. I'll revisit this later in the season, but that's how I see things right at this very moment, 2:49pm central time on October 19th. Thanks and leave a comment telling me why I'm right or wrong.

College basketball and the NBA are almost here folks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. His first big sports heartbreak happened after an ill fated time out call in the NCAA Men's Basketball championship game. I think UNC played in that game. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik