Featured

College Basketball is Back! AP Top 25 poll + My Predictions

The 2020 AP Preseason poll dropped a little over a week ago and, boy, are there are a few surprises! You all may remember last year’s predictions where I was more than a tad bit off. Fortunately, this is a new year and I have another chance to get it right. I will give you all a look at the rankings, followed by my big surprises and then I will give my Power Six conference winner predictions and also the conference player of the year predictions. Buckle up, it’s time for a ride!

🚨 FIRST AP POLL 🚨

1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Villanova
4. Virginia
5. Iowa
6. Kansas
7. Wisconsin
8. Illinois
9. Duke
10. Kentucky

11. Creighton
12. Tennessee
13. Michigan State
14. Texas Tech
15. West Virginia
16. North Carolina
17. Houston
18. Arizona State
19. Texas
20. Oregon
21. Florida State
22. UCLA
23. Ohio State
24. Rutgers
25. Michigan

First things first, this year appears to be loaded with great teams from top to bottom. I know the committee had trouble putting this list together. My biggest surprise has to be Iowa at #5. Many of you may be unfamiliar with the Iowa basketball program, but that’s why I’m here. They have an absolute beast on their team by the name of Luka Garza. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year last season so that definitely played a role in them being rated this high. He’s hands down the best big in the country. They also have Joe Wieskamp, who was voted onto the preseason all Big Ten team with Garza. They are both two, very good players, but they finished last season 20-11 and the way that the Big Ten is looking with seven teams in the Top 25 there is no way they last. Not because they won’t be good, but because the Big Ten is just too tough.

My next big surprise is the placement of UNC. Many of you know last season I picked UNC to win the ACC and I was very wrong. I may have a slight UNC bias, but I think 16 is a bit low for them even coming off of a down year. Here is why. Last year was a bit of a fluke. Their go-to guy Cole Anthony was hurt along with a ton of other injuries throughout the season. The only departures are the aforementioned Anthony, Brandon Robinson and two grad transfers who were beyond overmatched in the ACC. They return Garrison Brooks who averaged 16.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2 assists. He should be the favorite to win ACC Player of the Year. They also return Armando Bacot to put next to him on the inside. The biggest thing for me, however, is they bring in the #3 recruiting class in the country led by Caleb Love, Walker Kessler, Day’Ron Sharpe, and RJ Davis. Some say this may be Roy Williams’ best class at UNC and I believe it as well. Now, onto my predictions for each of the Power 6 basketball conferences!

ACC: Duke POY: Garrison Brooks

Last year I picked UNC to win it all and as I’ve said, I was very wrong. Part of me wants to run it back and say UNC will win the ACC this year, but I can’t do it. I expect them to have a solid year, but they won’t win the conference. I hear the UVA chatter loud and clear as well, but something tells me they won’t win it either. They have one of the best coaches and system’s around when it comes to what Tony Bennett does. Because of this, they will always be at the top of the hill in college basketball. I like the addition of Sam Hauser. The issue rests with their offensive inconsistencies. Last season they were 234th in adjusted points per possession and there are 353 eligible teams on that list. That’s below ehh territory if you ask me. Enter my pick, the Duke Blue Devils. They lost Tre Jones, Cassius Stanley, and Vernon Carey to the draft. That will be a big blow, but Coach K recruits with the best of them and this year was no different. He brings in Jalen Johnson, Jeremy Roach, and D.J. Steward who I expect to fill in nicely. They also return last year’s five-star, Matthew Hurt to go with another returner in Wendell Moore. The Blue Devils will be well-coached and they will be able to score the ball. I think their infusion of returning talent + freshmen make them a tough out in the ACC. As far as the Player of the Year, the expert’s seem to agree with me on Garrison Brooks. I spoke highly of him earlier in the post and I’ll continue here. He will be the main guy for UNC this year with Cole Anthony gone. After being 5th in the ACC in both scoring and rebounding last season, I fully expect him to lead in at least one if not both of those when the season begins. Last season he was quietly one of the most productive bigs in the country. This season he won’t have to talk at all because we will all see him shine on the brightest stage.

BIG-12: Baylor POY: Jared Butler

The BIG-12 for years has been run by the Kansas Jayhawks. Since 2004, the Jayhawks have won at least a share of the conference 15 times including last season where they finished 28-3 with a 17-1 record in conference. Not this year! That is unless Mario Chalmers, the Morris twins, and Perry Ellis finds his 12th year of eligibility. Sorry Kansas fans, the team to beat resides in Waco, Texas. The Baylor Bears return 4 of their main guys this season. Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell, and Mark Vital. Butler is arguably the best scorer in the conference, maybe even nation. Vital is a menace on defense and Head Coach Scott Drew knows what he is doing. Kansas won’t go away easy. Neither will West Virginia. Texas Tech will be solid as always especially with the additions of Mac McClung, Marcus Santos-Silva and freshmen Nimari Burnett. Doubling back to my Player of the Year pick, Jared Butler was the top scorer, top 3-point shooter in terms of percentage and 3-pointers made per game in the conference. Don’t expect that to change either. Freshmen Cade Cunningham could give Butler a run for his money, but I expect the veteran to handle his business. Baylor sweeps the BIG-12!

Big East: Villanova POY: James Bouknight

The Big East is easy to forget about this season as unfortunate as it sounds. There was a time where Villanova, UConn, Xavier, Marquette were teams you heard about year in and year out. Guys like Myles Powell, Scottie Reynolds, Ryan Boatwright, and Kemba Walker were always in the Naismith conversation. Not this year. Those guys are long gone now, and those teams don’t have the feel they once did, at least to me. Villanova, however, is ranked to start the season at 3rd in the country. Much of this is due to veteran leadership from guys like Colin Gillespie, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Justin Moore. I fully expect them to take the crown in the Big East this year with Creighton being their only real threat at the top. Speaking of Creighton, they have a guy by the name of Marcus Zegarowski. He can score it in bunches and CBS has him projected to win POY. Now, I’m not high on anything coming out of the Creighton corner; I haven’t exactly figured out why, but whenever I hear Creighton, I am extremely indifferent. Zegarowski is the real deal though and he will push my pick for the Player of the Year. But let me tell y’all about my pick! James Bouknight is a name you may be unfamiliar with, but it won’t be long before you know him. He is a tough, gritty guard out of Brooklyn who can score it at every level and jump out the gym. He could be the one to bring UCONN back to relevancy. Don’t believe me? Youtube is your best friend!

Big Ten: Illinois POY: Luka Garza

I know many of you were waiting to see what I did here. As a Michigan fan, it is hard to not be biased and say we will win it even if deep down I feel like we may. I’ll be professional though, and let it go for now. The BIG 10 is the best conference in basketball from top to bottom. You saw earlier just how many teams are sprinkled in the Top 25 so this conference race will be nothing short of a dog fight. Some like Iowa because they have the best player in the conference. Others like Wisconsin because in a year run by COVID-19, the Badgers have the most seniors so they don’t need time to gel. I like Illinois to come out and win it. It has been a while since Illinois was a popular name around the CBB world, but they have a guy by the name of Ayo Dosunma. Island work alert! If you are in front of him one on one, he is scoring and it is that simple. He is also one of the better defenders in the country. They also have Kofi Cockburn who is a beast inside. Don’t sleep on other teams like Michigan State, Indiana, or Michigan though. They all have pieces to make a run. Especially Michigan! We spoke earlier about Luka Garza. He is probably the best big in the country and definitely the best player in the Big Ten. He will put up big numbers this season and be THE reason Iowa makes noise, if they do in fact run the table this season.

PAC-12: UCLA POY: Remy Martin

So… I got the PAC-12 all wrong last year. I predicted Arizona to win the conference, didn’t happen. And I had a sleeper in Tres Tinkle projected to win Player of the Year, and that didn’t happen either. He did manage to make First-Team All Pac-12 though. This year I am going to get it right. UCLA will win the Pac-12 over the favorite, Oregon. Here is why: last season they were not supposed to be good, but by February they were coming together. They had won 7-straight games in February right before going into the tournament that got cancelled. Even better than that, they return all five starters and add Kentucky transfer, Johnny Juzang. Tyger Campbell will run the show for Mick Cronin’s team and I fully expect them to make some noice come March. It’s hard to go against Oregon and Dana Altman, but with the heart and soul, Payton Pritchard gone I think they struggle a bit this year even with some of the guys they bought in. Arizona State is a sneaky pick as well, though I don’t know how they are going to play all of the guards they have. Remy Martin, Alonzo Verge, Josh Christopher, Luther Muhammed, and Jaelen House will all look to carve out a role but there is only one ball. One guy will have a role, regardless and that is Remy Martin. He won Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year as a Freshmen and has been improving mightily ever since. Last year he posted  19.1 points, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is one of the more ruthless competitors in the Nation and will prove that by winning Player of the Year.

SEC: Kentucky POY: John Fulkerson

I’m going to say this now—I’ll never bet against Kentucky and Coach Cal to win the SEC. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter who is coming or going they will always find a way. He has done it time and time again. We are all so used to Kentucky losing early and John saying how bad they are, and then a month later they look like a new team. It’ll happen again, trust me. Tennessee looks very good on paper this year and there is no telling how they will perform. LSU looks to be good as well and so does Florida. Alabama also will be a big sleeper team as they get Jahvon Quinerly to run the point this season. All of that aside, BJ Boston, Devin Askew, Terrance Clarke, and Olivier Sarr will prove too much for teams in the SEC and the country. The team is young but aren’t they always? They have an abundance of talent and that is one thing that you want to start a team with. The rest will come. This isn’t John Calipari’s first trip around the block so if you think this team won’t be ready to win this conference you’re kidding yourself. I will show love to the Vols in one manner. John Fulkerson is my pick for Player of the Year. Grant Williams won in a similar position a few years back and I think it is Fulkerson’s time to shine in Knoxville. They have a ton of other young talent around him that will get a lot of media praise, but Fulkerson will be the steady hand they rely on night in and night out.

Featured

The NFL Midseason Report w/ Quis

Week 8 is here! That means we are at the halfway point of the NFL season. It has been quite a ride thus far. If you recall, I wrote two previews, one for the AFC and one for the NFC. Of course, there were some things I was right about and others I wasn’t. Either way, we are going to break it all down and get into where the NFL is now at the halfway point.

The NFC East is a Mess

In my preview, my first statement about the NFC East was, “The NFC East manages to be the most dramatic division in football every year. I’m not sure if it’s the teams or the fans.” This year it’s even more dramatic than I originally thought. Thanks to the NFC East, there is a very high probability that we will see a historic playoff. There very well could be a 4 win division winner and playoff team. As it stands currently, the Eagles are in 1st place at 2-4-1. Yes, you read that right. They are trailed by the 2-5 Washington Football Team and Dallas Cowboys, then holding up the rear are the New York Giants at 1-6. Not very good at all. The Cowboys were my pick to win but that was before quarterback Dak Prescott went down for the season. Backup Andy Dalton didn’t look good at all, but now he is hurt as well. What’s that mean? JMU alum, Ben DiNucci will be starting for the Dallas Cowboys. Wishing him all the luck in the world, but behind that offensive line? Unfortunately, there isn’t much hope. Their defense is also HISTORICALLY bad. They’ve given up the most points in the NFL by a good margin and their secondary is horrible. The Washington Football Team has also had its fair share of drama. They completely benched last year’s first round pick, Dwayne Haskins. I’m not going to say he was doing great, but he did win them a game and his stats looked better than a few quarterbacks around the league. The Eagles and Giants in my opinion are plagued by the same thing if you ask me—inconsistency. Sometimes Carson Wentz looks amazing, other times he looks like one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. Similarly, sometimes Daniel Jones does some pretty nice things; other times, not so much. You have to have better quarterback play and this division lacks that on all levels.

MVP Race

The current MVP race is amazing! Headlined by superstar QBs, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes I think this is a race that could come down to the last few games. As it stands right now, Russell Wilson is the clear favorite. Game after game he works his magic and continues to carry a Seahawks team who has given up the most yards in the NFL this season. The Cowboys defense sucks, but if there’s a team out there with them it’s the Seahawks! However, they are still atop their division and that is thanks to Russell Wilson. The half a billion dollar man has something to say about that though. Patrick Mahomes is still playing at an incredibly high level after cashing in on his big payday. He’s fourth in passing touchdowns and seventh in passing yards. More important than his stats, Pat and his Chiefs are 6-1. The guy I would put at third currently would be Aaron Rodgers. Outside of his very poor game against my Tampa Bay Bucs, he has been nothing short of phenomenal. As of now he has 1,657 passing yards and 17 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions. Both of which came in one game. I will also add…Tom Brady is entering the MVP Race officially. But, you all knew that already.

The Arms Race Continues

I have talked a ton about how teams around the league are in a hurry to add talent to keep up with teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers and so on. In just the last few weeks we have seen three contenders load up on more talent. The New York Jets let go of running back Le’Veon Bell just a few weeks ago and guess who picks him up? The Kansas City Chiefs. He now adds another scary dimension to their already scary offense. He hasn’t been himself lately, but maybe Andy Reid, Eric Bieniemy and Patrick Mahomes can work their magic and resurrect his career. This is the perfect low-risk, high-reward move. At worst, he provides veteran depth behind a promising young rookie. At best, he returns to form and gives the Chiefs an All-Pro caliber back next to Patrick Mahomes. That wasn’t the only move that happened around the league. As if they didn’t have enough depth already, the Baltimore Ravens traded for pass rusher Yannick Ngokoue from the Minnesota Vikings. A team that is already second in sacks in the NFL now adds Ngokue to a defensive front that already has Matthew Judon and Calais Campbell. They also just added former Cowboys star, Dez Bryant to their Practice Squad. This means, if all goes well and he shows he is still a good NFL receiver they can add That is something to watch in the AFC for sure, but the move of the year came from MY Tampa Bay Bucs. Welcome, Antonio Brown! The former All-Pro has his list of issues that are well-documented. On the field, he is a different animal. After serving his 8 game suspension he will join the Bucs on the field in Week 9 vs. division rival, New Orleans Saints. It is a move that can make or break Tampa’s title hopes. If he can stay out of trouble, he gives the Bucs their 3rd #1 receiver. That is beyond crazy to me! Tom Brady, Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette, Lesean Mccoy, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, and now Antonio Brown…whew good luck!

Surprises (Good and Bad)

Prior to the season beginning, I thought the Minnesota Vikings were a playoff team and Super Bowl contender. Now at 1-5 they look nothing like that. Kirk Cousins looks completely different than he did at the end of last season. Their defense is all over the place and Coach Mike Zimmer is struggling to find a fix. They do have a bright spot with the play of rookie wide receiver, Justin Jefferson but the way it’s looking it’ll all be in a lost season. The next surprise is the Houston Texans. I’ll admit their schedule has been brutal but this is the team that SHOULD HAVE beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs last season. Now they are 1-6 and without a coach after firing Bill O’Brien. Deshaun Watson is literally running for his life week after week and the defense does very little to help him. Speaking of Justin Jefferson and rookies, the NFL rookie class has been spectacular! Chase Young, Tristan Wirfs, Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Justin Herbert, Ceedee Lamb, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Chase Claypool are all high impact rookies so far this season. It is not rare to see rookies have a big impact on the field, but it is rare to see this many playing at such a high level so quickly. I mean, these guys are straight up difference makers for their teams. I would go as far as saying as of now this is one of the best classes we’ve had in a few years.

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Please don’t hesitate to comment and share. Subscribe as well. I am also excited to announce that I started a podcast with one of my good friends from school! It is out on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify! Check it out below.

Featured

Quis’ NFL Season Preview: Predictions and Thoughts, NFC Edition

Last week we looked at the AFC and made predictions for each division. It is time for the NFC! Now, the NFC isn’t as clear cut in my opinion as the AFC. We know all the big fish in the AFC. The NFC on the other hand has lots of big fish but no real one team that you can just say, “Yup! NFC title is theirs.” I mean you have the Saints who are always a top team but somehow find ways to not make it. The Seahawks? The 49ers represented the NFC last season but was that just a one year deal? Nobody knows, but we will try and figure it out today. Let’s do it.

NFC East

The NFC East manages to be the most dramatic division in football every year. I’m not sure if it’s the teams or the fans. The division made up of some of the more passionate fanbases in the NFL is always gonna be fun, however. You’ve got the Eagles, Giants, Cowboys and newly named “Football Team”. That one will take some time getting used to. Though these fanbases are sort of annoying, like I said they do ooze with passion and it helps that the games between these opponents are usually close. The Eagles won the division last season by the skin of their teeth. The Cowboys who should have won, have only themselves to blame. For years, they have been one of the most talented teams in football. They have a top 3 running back in Ezekiel Elliot, arguable top 10 quarterback in Dak Prescott, a top offensive line and a great group of receivers that features Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and now rookie CeeDee Lamb. Defensively, they have studs at linebacker in Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch while also now having a crazy defensive front after adding Everson Griffen, Aldon Smith, and Dontari Poe (who is currently injured) to a line that already featured DeMarcus Lawrence. My Cowboy fan friend’s also say their secondary is improving but I won’t go that far just yet. Either way, the Cowboys are in prime position once again to make a run. But the question remains, will they? The scapegoat, Jason Garrett is gone now so it is on Mike McCarthy to turn things around. Speaking of Jason Garrett, he didn’t just leave the Cowboys peacefully. He decided they would have to see him twice a year by agreeing to takeover as the offensive coordinator of the NY Giants. We all know who THE guy is on the Giants. It is none other than Saquon Barkley. I’d say he is the 2nd best running back in the league. I could argue for 1st if need be. The offense runs through him. He makes everybody else’s jobs easier because defenses key on him. It is time for the Giants to make his job easier. They spent a top pick on tackle, Andrew Thomas out of Georgia. They have their receivers back healthy to start the season. It is to be seen if Daniel Jones is a starting caliber quarterback. He wasn’t awful last season, but this year he will have a full body of work. The defense is led by Michigan Man, Jabrill Peppers on the back end who was supposed to form a tandem with rookie Xavier McKinney but he suffered an injury that will keep him out for a good amount of time. They did manage to sign veteran corner Logan Ryan so that should help them a bit in the secondary. As I said, this division also features the Philadelphia Eagles. I never knew just how wild Philadelphia fans were until the past few seasons. I guess you can thank Nick Foles for giving them that Super Bowl. The issue, Nick Foles led them to that win. Not their star quarterback that they all love in Carson Wentz. Don’t get me wrong, Wentz is a great talent but the guy is hurt every week. The Eagles as a whole are just always hurt. It doesn’t make any sense why their luck is so bad, but I’d appreciate it if they could find it within them to not have 5 of their main guys out every other week! I can’t debate with Philly fans because the injury argument is always in their back pocket. Either way, they manage to win meaningful games and make the playoffs. I love the addition of Darius Slay. The Eagles have long needed a game changer in the defensive backfield and now they have one. They still have a solid offensive line and I think Miles Sanders will become a household name this year. Lastly, the Washington Football Team. They have a new coach, new name, new system, new team president but the same owner. I’ll save the spiel on Dan Snyder for another day, but the Washington Football Team have some promising pieces. Dwayne Haskins appears to be in the best shape of his life. They have Terry McLaurin who I absolutely love. Their front seven only got better with the addition of Chase Young through the draft. That’s three Ohio State guys…somebody please help. Anyway, those guys are good. They added Ronald Darby who should help in the secondary a little bit, but they still have a lot of unknowns. We know Ron Rivera can coach. We know their defensive line can rush the passer, and we know they will play hard for the most part. I wasn’t a fan of them cutting Adrian Peterson, but that must mean one or both of the two young running backs are showing promise in this new offense. We will see soon enough! Prediction: Cowboys win

NFC West

The NFC West has the potential to be the best division in football this year. This league has so many stars on both sides of the ball with each of the four teams. Let’s start with the Arizona Cardinals. They brought in coach Kliff Kingsbury last season who is known as an offensive mastermind and paired him with rookie Kyler Murray. This season both are in their second seasons of NFL action and they just happened to add Deandre Hopkins in the offseason. The offense was already exciting to watch but now they will be SERIOUS. They also added all around defensive stud, Isaiah Simmons in the draft to pair with pass rusher extraordinaire, Chandler Jones. The Cardinals are a very good sleeper this season that can certainly surprise some people. Two years ago the Los Angeles Rams squared off against the New England Patriots and got smacked. Last year, the Los Angeles Rams appeared to be a shell of that Super Bowl team. They added Jalen Ramsey in the middle of the season but that didn’t quite change their fortune. They look for a fresh start this year under Coach Sean McVay. They have arguably two of the best players in the entire league on their team with Aaron Donald paired with the aforementioned Ramsey. The defense has all-pro pieces at nearly every level. The offense still has Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp but they will be breaking in a new starting running back after letting Todd Gurley walk. I hope for the NFL’s sake the Rams get back on track because when they were hot they were so fun to watch. Last season’s NFC representative San Fransisco 49ers are also back this year with a vengeance. They lost one of their running backs, traded away defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, and Hall of Fame tackle Joe Staley retired but they are still laser focused on getting back to the Super Bowl. Jimmy G is back, Richard Sherman is back, Deebo Samuel is in his second year and primed for a big role. Will the defense be the same without Buckner? They used a first round pick on defensive lineman, Javon Kinlaw out of South Carolina with hopes that he fills the void. Kinlaw is a beast. Standing at 6’5 311 pounds him and Nick Bosa could be dangerous on the defensive line for years to come. But, while all this sounds good there is one other very good team in this division and they are LOADED. Enter Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. What did the Seahawks do this offseason? GET BETTER! They traded for perhaps the best safety in football. Jamal Adams was miserable in New York. I mean the Jets aren’t great, so who wouldn’t be? Pete Carroll and the Seahawks front office got right to work and found a home for the All-Pro. Pair him with Bobby Wagner and Shaquill Griffin and well, you have a pretty darn good defense I’d say. Then you have who I think is the best quarterback in football and you’ve got a recipe for success. Yes. Russ is the best quarterback. He throws the best deep ball, he’s the best leader, and if you look from a pure talent perspective offensively he does not have the same weapons guys like Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes does, yet he manages to be playing in big games come winter time. Speaking of offense, DK Metcalf isn’t a rookie anymore. Tyler Lockett is back and so is Chris Carson so the main weaponry he does have is back. And with that…Prediction: Seahawks

NFC North

This is the most top-heavy conference in the NFC. The NFC North is made up of the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and the Minnesota Vikings. The Chicago Bears are starting Mitchell Trubisky again this season. That could be a good or bad thing. Last season Trubisky struggled to say the least. A season after leading the Bears to the playoffs he came out this past season and threw for 3138 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. To put that into comparison, Patrick Mahomes threw for 4,031 yards 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Deshaun Watson threw for 3,852 yards 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. You may be asking why I would compare two of the games best to Mitchell Trubisky? Well, in the 2017 NFL Draft, Trubisky was picked first overall which was ahead of both of the aforementioned players. The good thing is the bears have a solid defense led by Khalil Mack and Eddie Jackson. They have Tarik Cohen who is exciting offensively and Allen Robinson is back at receiver. If they can get any type of solid quarterback play the Bears can be a threat. The Detroit Lions are in a bit of a weird position. Last year they were not good. But, their starting quarterback, Matt Stafford missed much of the season. In fact, their first few games with him they tied against the Cardinals, beat the Eagles, beat the Chargers, and lost to the Chiefs by 3. By no means is this me saying the Lions are good or will be good this year. In fact, I believe they will be pretty bad simply because they have so many weaknesses defensively. They drafted Jeff Okudah at corner which is a step in the right direction but he is more so filling a void left by the departure of Darius Slay. Judging by their first week depth chart, he isn’t even the starter yet. They have Trey Flowers off the edge which is a great piece but they still need more. I am a huge fan of them signing Adrian Peterson. They spent a pick on Deandre Swift out of Georgia and who better to mentor him than AP?! The Green Bay Packers are in a much different position than the first two teams. They are in win-now mode. Mostly because they have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now, having him didn’t stop them from spending their first round pick on another quarterback. Why? Nobody knows. It has created quite a bit of controversy around the league. But, the Packers are adamant Aaron Rodgers is their quarterback for years to come. Either way, if he’s your quarterback you have to surround him with weapons. Not an understudy. Regardless, they have a top receiver in Davante Adams and a great running back in Aaron Jones. Their defense has Jaire Alexander who is an absolute monster at corner and the “Smith Bros” off the edge. I would have loved for them to add another receiver but still don’t doubt Aaron Rodgers. They’ll be in the playoffs. Lastly the Minnesota Vikings. The team that manages to continue to knock off the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs is back and primed for another run. Say what you want, but Kirk Cousins has been getting it done for the most part. Dalvin Cook is a beast, Adam Thielen is a tough cover for opposing db’s and their defense is solid. The only thing is they will be without star defensive end, Danielle Hunter for the remainder of the season. We will see how they replace him moving forward. Prediction: Packers

NFC South

It is the grandaddy of them all! The NFC South aka the best division in football featuring the best team in football. If you know me or have been following along you know why I say this. The NFC South features the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and YOUR SUPER BOWL CHAMPION Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yes, I am a delusional Bucs fan but why wouldn’t I be? In all seriousness, I believe this is arguably the best division in the league not because I am a Bucs fan, but because the quarterback play mixed with star power around the division is tremendous. You’ve got Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, and Teddy Bridgewater. Christian McCaffery, Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, DJ Moore, Alvin Kamara, Leonard Fournette, and Todd Gurley. Lavonte David, Cameron Jordan, Marshon Lattimore, Deion Jones, Shaq Barrett, Demario Davis and Brian Burns. Wow! And you can only have one winner? Bloodbath. The Falcons as you may have noticed added Todd Gurley this offseason. Many people are writing him off but I am not. He is a bonafide superstar that got misused in the new look Rams offense. He will be in Atlanta running crazy like he did at Georgia just a few years ago. They also have Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley on the outside. They also added Hayden Hurst at tight end to replace Austin Hooper. The biggest hole is the secondary. But with so many weapons across the NFC South there is an arms race for secondary help and most teams have fallen short. They took a chance on corner AJ Terrell out of Clemson in the first round of the draft. So far, all reports indicate he is better than advertised and he will be suiting up as CB1 this weekend. Coaching is also an issue for the Falcons, but with new toys, hopefully they put it all together. The Carolina Panthers are probably the odd team out this year. Despite talent, they have a new coach and a new quarterback. They have the best running back in football, but will the offense be able to spread the ball out to more than just him. Coach Matt Rhule is coming from the college game and the question is, how will he adapt to the NFL? His college record wasn’t amazing either but I’m sure he is a good coach to have gotten here. Defensively they drafted Derrick Brown out of Auburn and I believe he will be a stud. Luke Kuechly retired so it’ll definitely be an adjustment not having him in the middle of the field. I look for the Panthers to steal some games for sure, but they won’t be contending for the playoffs this season. The New Orleans Saints are the favorites to win the division according to the experts. I mean, why wouldn’t they be? HOF quarterback in Drew Brees, a good coach, arguably the best receiver in the NFL plus a great running back. Their defense has pieces on the line, in the middle, and in the secondary and they’ve had very little people come or go so for the most part they’re the same as last season. It will be interesting how they play this season after another heartbreaking playoff loss. No fans will be in the Superdome as well and that’s a big advantage for them so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out as well. They get my Bucs first week so we will find out quickly. Speaking of the best team in the NFL, the Tampa Bay Bucs are as new look as new look can be. Out goes Jameis, in comes Tom Brady. Now, I love Jameis so there will be no slander but, when you get a chance at the GOAT you have to take it right? The Bucs will be more than just Tom Brady, they have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and then added Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette. WOOOOHHH you can tell I am ready! But, let me take this time to put you all onto some lesser known players that you will get to know this season. Ronald Jones, Scotty Miller, Carlton Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting. There you go. Thank me later. Prediction: ALL BIAS Tampa Bay

Thank you all for reading both of my previews. If you haven’t already check out Quis’ NFL Season Preview: Predictions and Thoughts, AFC Edition. Football is back and I hope this helped you get as excited as I am. Let me know your thoughts and as always subscribe and share! Love you all. – Quis

Featured

Quis’ NFL Season Preview: Predictions and Thoughts, AFC Edition

My friends! The NFL season is literally a week away. Next Thursday, we will see the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs host the new-look Houston Texans. If you recall, they had a playoff showdown that saw the Texans blowing a 24-0 lead before eventually losing 51-31. WOW! What an opening night game, yeah? The Texans just got rid of a top 3 NFL receiver but still have a special talent in Deshaun Watson, while the Chiefs if nothing else, didn’t get worse and they still have their half-a-billion dollar man in Patrick Mahomes. That’s just the first game you’ll see amidst the COVID era of football. But what else is going to happen this year? Well, let’s see.

AFC EAST

The AFC East looks a wee bit different this year, folks. When you think of the AFC East, let’s be honest you probably think of the Patriots. Well, the Patriots are still around but the face is gone. Tom Brady as you know has left town so now the AFC East is more than wide open. The Bills, Dolphins, and Jets are all vying for the top spot after the Patriots have won the last 11–yes, 11–AFC East championships. BUT, the Patriots aren’t done. They still have a great defense despite the COVID opt-outs and they have added former MVP Cam Newton to the mix. The question remains, can he stay healthy? We all know how good he is when he’s healthy and the Pats’ offense will need him without having any real big name playmakers outside of him. The Bills also added a pro-bowl caliber talent on the outside in Stefon Diggs for strong-armed Josh Allen to throw to. I look for them to definitely be at the top of the division and even conference. Throw in a defense featuring Tre’Davious White, Micah Hyde, Jordon Poyer, and Tremaine Edmunds patrolling the middle? Looks good to me. I wouldn’t sleep on the Dolphins this year either though. They probably won’t make the playoffs, but who knows how good Tua Tagovailoua can/will be? They added new pieces all around the team: I think DeVante Parker is a sneaky good top 15 or so wide receiver, and they added Kyle Van Noy who I think was a massive piece to the Patriots defense last year. I’ll put it this way: the Dolphins won’t be a laughing stock this year by any stretch. Lastly, the NY Jets are still somewhat of an unknown. Lots of people love Sam Darnold. I am rather indifferent on him and his talent. I hope Le’Veon Bell has a better season because I think people are forgetting how talented he is. Losing Jamal Adams is big of course, but hey you never know what can happen. We will find out how good of a coach Adam Gase is this year. Prediction: Bills win this one.

AFC West

As I planned this post out, I considered simply putting Kansas City Chiefs and leaving it at that because we all know how this conference will shake out. Despite that, however, there are still some other exciting storylines to follow within this division. I’ll hold off on the Chiefs until the end, but let’s look at the Denver Broncos. There is a ton of hype surrounding Drew Lock and the Broncos. Is it warranted? I don’t think so. But, when you come in and go 4-1 in your first 5 starts I guess you deserve a little something. Whether or not he is a franchise QB is left to be seen; however, the Broncos are all in as of now and put nothing but weapons around him. They already had Courtland Sutton, but they went out and used their first two draft selections on wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler. They also added Melvin Gordon to a backfield that already featured Phillip Lindsay. They are pretty well equipped offensively and defensively they already have guys like Von Miller, Justin Simmons, and traded for AJ Bouye. The Las Vegas Raiders are also a team to watch. It’s so weird calling them the Las Vegas Raiders but that’s what they thought was the move so we have to go with it. The Raiders are led by the big money making coach Jon Gruden. He did help my Bucs win a Super Bowl so I’ll give him some respect but boy, you don’t pay someone 100 million dollars to not win Super Bowls. Last year, they finished 7-9 and their offense was beyond pedestrian. I know the Antonio Brown thing kind of messed them up but still. The good thing is they have pieces. Josh Jacobs proved his going to be a great running back for a while. Darren Waller emerged as a top tight end and they retained Derek Carr who I am actually a big fan of. They also added speedster Henry Ruggs in the draft to play wide receiver. I question their defense a bit, but we will see soon. The Hard Knocks team of the year, Chargers have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings behind veteran Tyrod Taylor. They also have Keenan Allen who believes he is better than Mike Evans which is a lie and now they have an injury in the secondary from star Derwin James. Not looking too good. I think they can salvage the year if they find a decent replacement for James because they do still have Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and they just added Chris Harris to a cornerback room that already features Casey Hayward and Desmond King. The defense will have to carry them for a while, so we will see if they are up to the challenge. And lastly… Kansas City. What can I say that I haven’t already? Hmmm they won the Super Bowl, drafted a crazy good pass catching running back that fits the system, and retained Chris Jones. Prediction: Chiefs with ease.

AFC North

The AFC North race is one that I think has tons of potential to get interesting. The division made up of the Ravens, Browns, Steelers, and Bengals can be very competitive. We all know the Ravens, right? Lamar, Hollywood Brown, and they just signed like 100 defensive lineman–I guess they don’t want Pat Mahomes to have time in the pocket. They are the favorites of course and rightfully so. They added JK Dobbins to spell Mark Ingram from time to time and they got rid of head case, Earl Thomas. They didn’t hurt themselves this offseason. But, let’s not forget about the Steelers. Last season they had one of the top defenses in the league once they traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick but they didn’t have their quarterback. Well now, they’ve got him back and I think this will be a big year for him. Having Big Ben back helps that offense immediately. We will see JuJu, the Fortnite/twitch streaming star receiver return to form. James Connor will benefit and overall their offense will be able to give that defense a break and a true chance to win. I think if anybody beats the Ravens this year it’s the Steelers. You have the Cleveland Browns too. Last year they got a ton of hype before the season. They didn’t live up to it as you may know, but they also didn’t earn that hype to begin with. Their coach last year was never good, not sure why they even went that route. Their offensive line was below average. Their defensive line has one real stud and they have some corners but their linebackers weren’t great either. A lot of the heat went to Baker Mayfield who I must admit did deserve some, but like I said that offensive line was the equivalent of putting moving trash cans with no arms on the field. Fortunately, they drafted multiple offensive linemen so hopefully it helps. OBJ and Jarvis Landry are still on the outside, Nick Chubb is back and they signed a very underrated tight end in Austin Hooper. Oh, and they got a new coach. If they put it all together I mean who knows maybe they can win in Cleveland. (Doesn’t even sound right does it?) Then we have the youngsters on the block. Last year’s NFL punching bag Bengals. They drafted THE Joe Burrow of LSU who I think will make them a heck of a lot better from the jump. They also get who should be his favorite weapon in AJ Green back from injury. Joe Mixon just got an extension too so the offense is rather formidable. The issue is their defense is still horrible. No offense to the Bengals, but even if I put down some of the names for their defense, nobody would really know much about them and that’s the problem. They have Geno Atkins if you know him. He’s pretty cool, I guess. Regardless, Joe Burrow makes them worth watching. Prediction: Ravens, but Pittsburgh won’t be too far behind.

AFC South

The final division in the AFC is the South. The AFC South features three potential playoff teams and a team that appears to be tanking. It has also seen a bit of shuffling. The Texans as I mentioned earlier shipped out Deandre Hopkins but bought in former all pro running back, David Johnson and Brandin Cooks. It is clear the Texans’ front office thinks the offense is fine with Deshaun Watson leading the way. The issue, however? Pass rush. They addressed that with their first two picks of the draft by going after Ross Blacklock of TCU and Jonathan Greenard of Florida. If JJ Watt can stay healthy and they can protect Watson, the Texans should be back in the playoffs this year. The Colts are an interesting dark horse in this division. They will have a new quarterback under center in 38 year old Phillip Rivers. They also invested heavily in their defensive line by trading for Deforest Buckner who helped anchor a stout 49ers defensive line last season. Adding the NCAA Rushing leader from a year ago in Jonathan Taylor also won’t hurt. They still have a great secondary led by Malik Hooker and they have a star linebacker in Darius Leonard. The surprise of last year’s postseason, Tennessee Titans are back for revenge. They very well could have been in the Super Bowl last year. They shocked the Patriots, made Lamar and the Ravens look weak, and then played a hell of a game versus the Chiefs where they fell 35-24. Derrick Henry, the man who carried the load is back after getting a 3 year extension in the offseason. Ryan Tannehill, the most efficient quarterback last season is also back. For the most part, the Titans roster is still very much in tact and have the potential to win the division this year and knock off the Texans who held the crown for the last two seasons. Finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars aka the aforementioned punching bag. I don’t like to disrespect professional athletes or teams as they are all way better than me and very deserving of their place in the game. So I will blame the Jags front office and not the players. They were already pretty bad last season and chose to let star running back Leonard Fournette go. Now, he has fallen into good hands in Tampa :). That’s for another post, but yeah what’s going on in Jacksonville? A running back with top 10 talent when healthy isn’t just walking around. You can’t let him go for nothing. Especially when you already have nothing with him on the roster! DJ Chark could be great but they can’t really get him the ball consistently enough. They drafted another wide receiver in Laviska Shenault who I think can be a stud. The question is, will Gardner Minshew be able to make things happen with no line and now no running back. Defensively they lost Calais Campbell who I mentioned earlier as being on the Baltimore Ravens now. They got rid of the 2nd best cornerback in football last season and then let Bouye go as well. They hope first round pick, CJ Henderson helps make up for the loss of two good corners but mathematically they still are missing another corner, yea? All I’ll say is we will see what happens there. Prediction: Tennessee Titans squeeze this one out.

Featured

My 4 Biggest Surprises from Inside The NBA Bubble

With the NBA Restart playoffs a week away, I think this is the perfect time to drop in and give my two cents about what we have seen so far. The NBA Bubble has been amazing, quite frankly. We have seen great individual performances, shots, dunks and even a bit of drama between the athletes. If you read my last article, I gave my predictions. No spoilers (check it out), but I was right about a few things, and also not so right about more than a few. That is the fun part about sports, however. They are unpredictable. And speaking of unpredictable, I don’t know about you but there were a couple of things that caught all viewers by surprise––and here are my 4 biggest.

Lakers’ Struggles

Going into the restart, the Los Angeles Lakers were the #1 team in the West and while they successfully claimed the #1 seed for the playoffs, they just look bad. Am I the only one who thinks so? I mean until last night’s buzzer beating win, they ranked last in offense out of all of the teams in the bubble. Last in points, last in field goal percentage, last in three point percentage, last in assists, and next to last in free-throw percentage and plus-minus. I don’t know about you but that’s a lot of lasts for a team that is currently “first” and supposed to be contending for the championship. A lot of lasts for a team with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and a bunch of other scorers around them. Admittedly, I said the King would show he’s the King in the bubble. I said the Lakers would win the Finals. I still think both of these things are true. Well, at least I hope. LeBron’s last two games have been better than his previous few. He finished with 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists against Indiana and last night he had 29 points and 12 assists. Could the King be returning to form just in time? Let’s hope so because the Lakers look like they will need everything he’s got if they want to make it out of the West, let alone win a championship.

TJ Warren

Two words. Certified Bucket. That is the simplest way to describe TJ Warren of the Indiana Pacers. Since the restart, he has been on an absolute tear. 53 on opening night, 34 the next, 32 the next. He also gave the LA Lakers 39 and an L. The most surprising part about it is probably how efficient he is. In his 53 point game, he missed 9 shots. He went 20-29. In his game against the Magic where he had 32, he was 13-17 and against the Lakers he was 15-22. TJ has always been a great scorer since his high school days and days at NC State; but this explosion surprised everyone. He is carrying this Indiana Pacers team into the playoffs. The question becomes, can he shoulder the load come playoff time? Is he a bonafide #1 option for the Pacers moving forward? Even if he cant or he isn’t, I’m here for the ride. He is killing it so far. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Phoenix Suns and Devin Booker

Where have we seen this before? Oh yeah. The Suns came out firing at the beginning of the season. See my post titled, “The Current State of the NBA: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly“. The Suns are a good basketball team. It’s hard to say because it has been a while, but they are good. Nobody, including myself saw them being anywhere near a threat in the bubble. I put all my money in the Pelicans basket and lost it. We’ll get there though. Anyway, the Phoenix Suns not only have a chance to make the play-in, but they are UNDEFEATED. 7-0 and they haven’t had an easy path. They beat the Mavericks, Clippers, Pacers, Heat, Thunder, and Sixers. All very good basketball teams and contenders. So what is it? Why are they playing so well and winning games? Look no further than Devin Booker. The presumed “Bubble MVP” has posted five 30 point games. Yes five out of seven games he’s played in have been 30 points or more. The only two that he didn’t? The first game out of the restart where he had 27, and then a real subtle 20 points, 10 assists against another bubble MVP contender TJ Warren and the Pacers. While Booker is the driving force for this team, they are also getting big time play from Deandre Ayton, Ricky Rubio, and rookie Cameron Johnson. The Suns may not win this year. They may be a little too late to even make the play-in, but if nothing else they have shown the world that they are ascending and contrary to what Draymond Green thinks, Devin Booker has no reason to want to leave Phoenix anytime soon.

New Orleans Pelicans

I can admit when I am wrong. It hurts, but I can do it. New Orleans let me down. They let everybody down. Adam Silver and the kind folks in the NBA front office tried their hardest to make it work for the people. We all wanted Zion v. Lebron round 1 in the West, right? It was must see TV. The issue was, the Pels didn’t do their part. Their bubble run was probably the most confusing and upsetting thing I could have imagined. Let’s start with the obvious. Zion Williamson. Okay so the Pelicans started him off with a minutes restriction. Why? Nobody knows. I get that he had missed some practice time due to a family emergency, but after one game maybe two you have to cut the guy loose right? I mean you drafted him first overall, he showed immense potential in the few games he played and he’s supposedly healthy. Oh and not to mention, your playoff lives are on the line. But no. It’s not all on the Pelicans organization either, which brings me to my next point about Zion. What’s going on? Is the guy hurt? He looked a bit out of shape and like he had put on his weight again. Zion is in the pros now and he has to manage his conditioning and weight so that they can comfortably cut him loose and he do all the things we all know he can do. But, I digress. It wasn’t just the managing of Zion but also the play of Lonzo Ball. I’m a big fan of his playmaking ability, and his changed jump shot mechanics look a lot better, but he did not play well in any games in the bubble. Maybe one. The tweet below tells the story though. I don’t have to. These two things coupled with their horrendous defensive effort just made for a disaster of a showing all around. With all that said… Brandon Ingram to NY!

As always, I hope you all enjoyed this read. If you haven’t watched any of the bubble games, you’re missing out! The playoffs kick off Monday, August 17th and of course I will give you all my thoughts before then. Comment, share, subscribe. Thank you for reading! Love you all. – Quis

Featured

Quis’ 5 NBA Bubble Predictions

The National Basketball Association is back! For those of you who have been keeping up, you already know the NBA is taking place in Orlando at Disney World in a format none of us could have predicted. Basketball is taking place in a “bubble” amidst the Coronavirus pandemic that is still moving ever so swiftly throughout our country. Players, coaches, and other important personnel inside of the bubble cannot leave or come in without permission and must quarantine immediately after returning. We have seen a few players leave already due to family emergency. So far, the bubble has been exactly what they expected. It is an oasis of sorts. As of today, no players have tested positive since arriving in Orlando so all things are a go. Each team had 3 scrimmage games prior to competition resuming on July 30. I waited until after those to give you all my predictions for resumed NBA play. I am like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for 6:30 pm EST. Fortunately for me, or unfortunately, not sure honestly, my Knicks are not playing so I can sit back and enjoy quality basketball. Anyway, after watching the scrimmages, here are my 5 predictions, which some of you may find to be a bit bold, but if you know me that’s just who I am.

Prediction #1: Rookies will shine

It is no secret that this year’s NBA rookie class has been nothing short of special. Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, Rui Hachimura will all suit up in Orlando. I fully expect Ja Morant to win Rookie of the Year as he is more deserving than any other rookie, but the rest of the class as I said are no slouches. The young guys will reign supreme. We all know about Ja Morant and Zion Williamson. But for those who do not know, this season Tyler Herro is averaging 12.9 ppg on 41% shooting and 39% from 3. Kendrick Nunn was arguably the second best rookie this season if you do not count Zion and he averaged 15.6 points on 44.8% shooting, while shooting 36.2% on 3-pointers. The rookie off the list that I am most interested to see, however, is Rui Hachimura. The rookie out of Gonzaga has averaged 13.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.7 apg all while shooting 47.8% from the field. Not bad at all for a rookie. Without Bradley Beal or John Wall I look for Rui to take over as the number 1 guy for Washington while in the bubble.

Prediction #2: The New Orleans Pelicans will get the 8th spot in the West

As it sits now the Memphis Grizzlies hold the 8th spot in the West with the Blazers, Pelicans, and Kings all trailing them by 3.5 games. The Grizzlies are a fun team to watch, they have a great point guard, tough defense and young selfless players. The Blazers have a bonafide superstar in Damian Lillard with CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and my boy Carmelo Anthony to go with them, but for some reason they can’t quite put it all together. The Kings to me, are like the Grizzlies in the sense that they are a pretty young team who can be extremely fun to watch. But it is something about the Pelicans that just makes it tough for me to bet against them. The emergence of Brandon Ingram, the steady play of veteran Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball figuring it out, and the Zion Williamson effect all set up the Pelicans for success. Oh and not to mention the NBA gave them a break by giving them the weakest schedule of the teams listed. Call me crazy but I’m putting all my eggs in the Pelicans basket. I’ll go so far and say that they’ll take the Lakers to 7 if they meet.

Prediction #3: The Houston Rockets will lose in the first round

I know this sounds crazy. The Houston Rockets featuring arguably the best scorer in the NBA and one of the most fearless players at the point guard position have no business losing in the first round. But I have it happening. As it stands now, the Houston Rockets are #6 in the West. Depending on how things fall, they could end up as high as 2 or as low as 7. I have them hovering around 5-6 going into the playoffs. The thing about the Rockets is simply that they are so hot and cold. Some games Russ and James look like the most dominant duo in the NBA, while others they are just all the way off and out of whack. That, plus their small lineup makes for a tough out in a series against teams that can roll out lineups with players all 6’6 or above. I mean think about it, they could potentially matchup against the Denver Nuggets who at any time could put a lineup that features let’s say 7’2 Bol Bol, 7’0 Nikola Jokic, 6’10 Michael Porter Jr., 6’11 Mason Plumlee, and 6’7 Paul Millsap. That’s just one lineup. Or say they play the Thunder and have to face a hungry Chris Paul and emerging Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? I’ll take the Thunder. Their best bet is to push for the #2 seed but even that matchup against potentially the Mavericks doesn’t look good.

Prediction #4: The Bucks will not represent the East in the Finals

The Milwaukee Bucks led by reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo are in prime position to win the East during the regular season. The next closest team is the Toronto Raptors and they are 6.5 games behind. Honestly, the Bucks who have lost only 12 games this year will probably end the year with the best record in the league. Giannis will probably win MVP again as well, BUT they won’t win the Eastern Conference Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks are a no non-sense team. They play hard on both ends, hit open shots, play solid defense, rebound, and they have a bonafide superstar in Giannis. This has propelled them to where they are currently. Kris Middleton has grown into an All-Star in his own right as he plays robin to Giannis’ batman, but I question if that will be enough to carry them past teams like the Raptors, Celtics, Heat, or even a more talented Sixers team come playoff time. Giannis is a stud, Middleton is more than serviceable but I truly question their depth and talent after those two. The stars shine when the brightest lights are on and unless a third guy emerges for the Bucks, it’ll be a challenge for them getting out.

Prediction #5: The King proves why he is the King

If I have learned nothing else in my years watching the game of basketball it is that the best players are the best players for a reason. Call him old, call him washed, whatever gets you to bed at night but Lebron James is still the King of the NBA whether you want to accept it or not. I called him out earlier in the year for not taking it to Kawhi Leonard because I know just how dominant he can be. He just so happens to get first dibs at him on opening night. Or is it Restart night? Whatever you get it. There is nothing more dangerous than a healthy, focused Lebron. With the time off, he is both. Chasing ring #4 he knows his biggest threat is the Kawhi-led Clippers and I fully expect him to take care of that. With another Top 10 player next to him in Anthony Davis and a bevy of scorers off the bench, Lebron and his Lakers are all in for a championship and I know for a fact he will get it done.

The NBA restart officially begins tonight at 6:30 pm EST with the Pelicans facing off against the Utah Jazz followed by the 9:00 game of the Lakers vs. Clippers. Agree or disagree with my predictions? Leave a comment. Also, subscribe and share. I plan to be fully active in writing and keeping you all updated with all that’s going on with the NBA restart and even the NFL. Thank you all for reading. Love always! -Quis

Featured

Drew Brees, Vic Fangio Show Once Again How Far Away the NFL Is From Understanding Race

Sports for a long time have been considered the great unifier amongst people. Men and women of all walks of life come together for one common goal–to win a game. Sounds great right? Of course it does. The issue, however, is that it isn’t good at all. Things–America–is not great, at least not for everyone. In a time like this, we need leaders of all kinds to use their platform to help bring awareness and initiate change. Athletes, celebrities, and other sports figures have the reach and influence to truly get something started. So why don’t they? Why do some of them still make insensitive, uneducated comments regarding Black issues. As you can tell from the title of this, two men very explicitly showed their privilege and made comments that are extremely ignorant and show exactly what the issue is. Vic Fangio for those who do not know is the Head Football Coach for the Chicago Bears. You read it right, the Head Coach. In other words, the person who is in charge of leading a team made up of players of all races and ethnicities. Let’s get into what he said: “I don’t see racism at all in the NFL… If society reflected an NFL team, we’d all be great.”

First, how. Second, what. Third, joke. The Rooney Rule, Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, Eric Bieniemy–these are only a few of the most recent examples of social and political activism and change being brought to light within the NFL. Out of 32 teams in the NFL there are three Black head coaches: Mike Tomlin of the Steelers, Anthony Lynn of the Chargers, and Brian Flores of the Dolphins. 3 out of 32–what a joke. Coaches get fired every season and somehow Black coaches still get the short end of the stick. The Rooney Rule is a rule that was created to force teams to interview minority coaches for head coaching jobs. The fact that a rule like that even had to be implemented should show you there is a problem with your infrastructure. Even with this rule, you see how many coaches are actually getting a seat at the table. But the NFL isn’t racist…. Ok.

Did the Colin Kaepernick issue just disappear? Or is Fangio ignoring it? Colin fought for this exact thing. He took a knee to protest the injustices black people have been facing for an eternity and not only was he constantly bashed and judged, he ultimately was run out of the league. A guy who has been to a Super Bowl at that. If football was just about football, he would still be in the league. But it’s about power. White owners, white GM’s, white coaches are in charge of a league that is made up of majority BLACK athletes. Black men in the NFL are only seen as good enough to risk their bodies, not good enough to use their minds to evolve the game. It is very clear we need more Black men leading Black men in the NFL. Hell, we need more Black women as well. We need Black women, period. But that conversation won’t be had in the “non-racist,” “colorblind” NFL. I could go on this for days but there was another name listed in the title of this. A name that is far more notable than perhaps the aforementioned.

Drew Brees. Super Bowl MVP, NFL record breaker, former NFL Man of the Year. Prior to his comments recently, I’d say he was pretty well-respected amongst his teammates and around the NFL. Drew Brees spoke out about the issues around the world and while he acknowledged our world has a ton of work to do, he messed up in talking about the flag. Below you can listen to his full remarks, but for him to think that players kneeling during the anthem is disrespecting the flag shows just how little time and thought some people have given to the racial issues in the United States. We are not protesting over a flag, it has nothing to do with the military or anything of that sort. It has everything to do with the injustices that Black people face on a daily basis. The inequities, struggles, and fights that are still being ignored and in this instance and others, framed as a disrespect to a flag and to the United States of America. Until people like Drew Brees recognize and understand this, nothing will ever change and that is what sucks the most. Black people are fighting to be heard, seen, and respected as human beings like everyone else. Whatever the means, we need more people to understand and fight alongside of us. Not project their own thoughts and opinions onto a movement that shouldn’t have to be happening in the first place. I expect better from Drew Brees, but I know he isn’t alone in this way of thinking. He has since issued an apology, and we will see if he truly makes a change. Who knows, perhaps others who feel like him will look within and find ways to understand and be a part of the change too.

Black people have been fighting this war for over 400 years. Being a Black man should not be scary, yet it is. My life matters just as much as the next human being and I wish that my people did not have to fight this hard to get that simple fact across. The system that has held us back for so long won’t be fixed until people in positions of power and influence get involved and take action. The NFL is one of the largest businesses in the world. Imagine what could happen if TRUE allyship happened within: more Black coaches, more Black managers, more Black owners, etc. What if more white men and women truly listened to concerns of the Black athlete, coach, administrator? Sports has so much power to bring folks together. It is time we all act like it. It shouldn’t just be, “We are together on the field.” We have to spread love and be together as one at ALL times. This saddens me deeply being such a big fan of sport. Black Lives Matter. All Lives Can’t Matter until Black ones do. Thank you for reading, as always I love you all.

– Quis

If you want to get involved and perhaps don’t know how, I encourage you take a look at the following resources to help educate yourself as well as consider donating to any one of the many organizations mobilized (be it nationally or locally) in the fight for justice and racial equity. You are strongly encouraged to share with your networks, peers, colleagues, coworkers, families, and beyond. Much love always.

Donations and More:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-WreRnjy5zMXI1n2FUnf1e5p6lAvm-G5HF-2lVnj4RM/mobilebasic
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/chapters-and-affiliates.html
https://bethebridge.com/groups/

Educational Resources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PrAq4iBNb4nVIcTsLcNlW8zjaQXBLkWayL8EaPlh0bc/preview?fbclid=IwAR00nkrevFLPSGH7Gzic7tK-CP5fQXS3TiCygWhvq4tHPy1LQbQJk8Db5eE&pru=AAABcp-baTY*TXmNjC_RZm5O-dmIN3oLiw
https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/pgi-black-lives-matter/ 
https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_phillip_atiba_goff_how_we_can_make_racism_a_solvable_problem_and_improve_policing

Featured

A Beacon of Hope in a Trying Time

What’s New

The Coronavirus has taken over. It has taken over our country and our world in one full swoop. It took away sports and, admittedly, my desire to continue to write because I figured there would not be too much to talk about. Thanks to a great friend of mine, I found that even without a ton going on, there is still plenty I can share with you all. I am a writer that likes writing about sports. Not a sportswriter. The point of this is to update you all on all I’ve been doing during this time, the things that have happened in the sports world that impacted me most, and, lastly, to truly connect with you all again as I have truly found this to be one of my passions.

This time has been an extended moment of stillness for me. Some believe that you need to be working on something or trying to get ahead in these times. To each it’s own, but I think that some people truly need/needed this time to reset and to relax for a second. The go, go, go mentality can cause some to become overwhelmed and with so much uncertainty surrounding our futures, I personally couldn’t do it anymore. I’ve found joy in working out and seeing the innovative ways other people are using their time (e.g. on Tik Tok and IG Live). I have also decided I would learn how to cook finally, which is going great actually. I burned some potatoes, but do you learn if you are always perfect? Didn’t think so. I made some of the best baby back ribs I have ever had and let me tell you, it wasn’t just because I made them–they were really solid–I surprised myself. I gave in and paid for Netflix and started watching new shows and it is truly amazing, game changing if you will. Oh yeah, I also am doing the whole school thing… Online classes are something else but that topic is for another day and another conversation. This may not seem like the most exciting thing, or it may sound exactly like what you do everyday. Either way, I share all of this with you to show you that it’s about what works for you and brings you happiness and ultimately, joy. 

What’s Happened

So let me see, hmm the few things that have gone on in the sports world actually have all been interesting to me at least. The most “exciting” thing on TV has been the 2K player’s tournament where NBA players faced each other in NBA 2K20. Or maybe the H.O.R.S.E tournament featuring current and former NBA and WNBA players. Devin Booker won the 2K tournament and Mike Conley won the H.O.R.S.E tournament. You all know Tom Brady came to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as I wrote about it my last post and, God-willing, we have an NFL season and you’ll see us win the Super Bowl and read about it in every blog I write for the rest of my life. I’m thinking about a banner or something on the blog. What do you think? I see it now just beautiful… But back to the topic at hand, my saddest moments of this whole thing came this past week: Michigan missed out on two five star recruits in basketball. First, Josh Christopher chose Arizona State over us, and not even 24 hours later, Isaiah Todd de-committed to go pro. They are young and I support any decision any prospect makes as they are doing what they feel is best for them, but this one hurts. With Christopher and Todd we would have had arguably the number 1 class in the country and definitely the best class since the “Fab Five.” It’s okay though, we still have great talent coming in. One of the greatest things I saw happen in sports came in the WNBA Draft. Richmond, Virginia native, Megan Walker was selected number 9 overall by the New York Liberty while JMU standout, Kamiah Smalls was selected 28th overall by the Indiana Fever (Go Dukes!). Fortunately for me, I have been able to watch both of these athletes over the years, and I believe both of them will have amazing careers at the next level. If you don’t already follow the WNBA you should even more now because of these two.

What to Look Forward To

I know that this hiatus from sports has been trying. But I have great news! The NFL draft is this coming week which means us sports enthusiasts have something to look forward to. Also, ESPN will be airing “The Last Dance” documentary on the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls starting tonight, April 19th, at 9 PM EST. It isn’t the NBA playoffs which would be going on now or the MLB season, but it is something to hold us over. Hopefully this time has given us a greater appreciation for the things we have like sports, family, or just life in general. Few of us ever imagined a world like this, but here it is. It is a wake up call to all of us to truly value the important things in life and take nothing for granted. At the drop of a dime everything can be flipped upside down. More than ever before, spread love. Tell somebody you love them. Call and check up on a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while and above all, take care of yourself and have a little fun. Love always! -Quis

PS…
If you’re looking for some new music, check out this new single from myself, along with two of my great friends Baze and Jaze! Did I mention I’ve also been working on cultivating my musical gifts? Stay tuned…

Featured

Tom Brady to the Rescue

Many of you who know me personally have already heard my rant and my opinion on the Buccaneers and our(yes, our for those who do not know) quarterback situation. For quite some time, my team and I have been the butt of all of my friends’ jokes. The Bucs have been so mediocre to bad for so long most people forget we actually won a Super Bowl at one point in time. We hardly get TV time and very rarely get the media coverage we deserve when we do finally do something great. I mean, we do have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at receiver. Both of who had top 10 seasons last year as they were both named to the Pro Bowl. Chris Godwin is a breakout star while Mike Evans IS a star. He is a top 5 receiver but never gets his credit because of the quarterbacks and lack of national attention. We also have Lavonte David who statistically is a top 5 linebacker each year, but you never hear about it. Go check the stats if you think I am lying. The most attention the Bucs have gotten has all come from Jameis Winston and his lack of consistency. Speaking of Jameis Winston, let me say this…I really wanted us to keep him. Now I know that won’t be the popular pick. The man threw 30 interceptions blah blah, but the talent is there. The passion is there and maybe with one more year he would have put it all together. It’s not like he didn’t have us right in the thick of the playoff race coming into the last 3 weeks. He battled through a broken thumb, a knee injury, and bad vision for us. That is more than I can say many have done in a Bucs uniform. So with that, thank you Jameis Winston!

On to the meat of this here post. I don’t have a particularly loud voice, but if you can picture me yelling this please do, WE GOT TOM THE GOAT BRADY!!! The outright best quarterback ever is coming to play for my Tampa Bay Buccaneers? It’s surreal. That should tell you how down we have been folks. I have been itching to write this post but I wanted to wait until it was official because bad things happen to my teams. You all know that and it is finally here! 2 years $50 million fully guaranteed. No trade or tag clause in there also. Which means we are stuck with him for two years and he is stuck with us. The Bucs in typical fashion raised ticket prices 15% now that he’s coming to town, but that hasn’t stopped fans. Tom Brady coming to Tampa means three things. The first, media coverage. Second, fans in seats. And third and most importantly, relevance. These are three things we haven’t had or been in quite a while. The Bucs are in win now mode and they want it all! Coach Bruce Arians is known as a quarterback whisperer after having worked magic with Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Andrew Luck. He now gets Tom Brady. Tom Brady gets the best receiving corp that he has ever had with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, OJ Howard, and whoever else we may bring in now. The defense under Coach Todd Bowles really took shape and has potential to be a top defense in the league with young studs like Devin White, Shaq Barrett(NFL sack leader), and Carlton Davis to go with veterans Lavonte David and Jason Pierre-Paul. Say what you want but my Bucs are serious this year. Everyone will see what I have seen. Everyone will know what I have known! Tom Brady will get it done. People try to say his arm this and his arm that, but Tom is one of the greatest competitors of our generation and I just know he is out to prove everyone wrong. I cannot wait! Tell me what you all think about the move? Is it good? Bad? Should we have kept Jameis or signed somebody else? OR do you not care at all because you think the Bucs will still be bad? Don’t be that person though.. Let me know in the comments or in my messages. Thank you all for reading! As always, I appreciate every one of you. Love. -Quis

Featured

CBB: Major Conference Tournament Previews and Predictions

It is officially March! Every college basketball fan’s favorite time of year. March means NCAA Tournament time and that means plenty of magic and excitement. Tournament locks look to boost their resume by winning their respective conference tournament, while teams outside of the tournament–including bubble teams–look to get a bid to the tournament by winning their respective conference tournaments. For those who do not know, the easiest way to the NCAA tournament is to win your conference tournament because every tournament winner gets an automatic bid. That is why this time of the year becomes so crucial. In the past we have seen teams come out of nowhere and win their conference tournaments after not being anywhere close to the favorite. For example, the 2010-2011 UCONN Huskies were 9th in the Big East Conference when they went on a run and won it all, getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament and ultimately winning that too. With that being said, I will take a look at the Major Conference Tournaments and give my predictions for the tournament winner. The season is not over quite yet so not every conference has their seeds set, but that won’t slow us down today.

ACC

So far this year, the ACC has been very competitive at the top. As of right now there are 4 teams capable of winning the regular season conference crown (Best conference record at the end of the season). Louisville, Florida State, Duke and UVA all have similar records as of now. But what will make this tournament fun is that teams like Clemson, Syracuse, and even UNC have the capability to take down any of these teams. In March, it only takes a few mistakes and it’s all over. I thought UNC would win the ACC regular season. Boy was I wrong. I’d be a fool to pick them to win the tournament, right? Absolutely. Don’t worry though, I will not be fooled twice. But hey, if they by some chance win they’ll make the tournament and that would be… umm, a surprise to say the least. In March, the stars shine bright. I believe in teams that have guys that can take over games and make an impact on both ends. You also find out which guys can REALLY coach in March, and the ACC is full of great coaches. Players like Jordan Nwora and Vernon Carey are guys who have the capability to take over games, as well. So my prediction for the winner of this? A team with a group of guys who can take over and a great coach… Florida State and Leonard Hamilton. Call me crazy but I believe in Coach Hamilton. His team is athletic, they play hard, and score enough baskets. No game against them will be easy. It hasn’t been all season and it won’t be now come tournament time.

Big 10

All season long the B10 has been the best conference in basketball. There is a reason experts and analysts project the conference to get 9-10 teams into the tournament and that is because getting through this conference has been an absolute bloodbath. Almost from the top-down, each of these teams can beat any team in the country on any given night. That sets up for an incredible conference tournament that is virtually impossible to predict. ESPN analysts couldn’t even come to a consensus pick for this conference in their projections as each of the four analysts picked a different team to win. You had Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio State all selected. Interesting nobody said Michigan State or Maryland who as of right now sit tied atop the conference standings. If that doesn’t tell you how deep this conference is, I’m not sure what else will. Maybe me saying it another time will… IT IS DEEP!!! Some of you may know, my favorite team happens to play in the Big Ten. My Michigan Wolverines have been up and down all season, though we were not truly expected to be any good so take that haters. On a good day, we’ll beat you by 20 maybe 25…30. On a bad day, we may beat you by 2 or lose by 8 or something like that you know it’s just hard to gauge. Ironically enough, that goes for every team in the conference though. The conference has some of the best senior point guards in the country in Cassius Winston, Zavier Simpson, and Anthony Cowan. They have some of the best bigs in the country in Luka Garza, Xavier Tillman, and Kofi Cockburn. Many of these teams also host some of the best home records in the country. BUT, the Conference Tournament isn’t played at home. It’s played at a neutral site. So to help me with this prediction let’s look at neutral site records. Michigan State is 3-2 on neutral floors so no. Wisconsin is 0-3 so that’s a no too. Illinois and Rutgers also didn’t win on a neutral floor so see ya. And the rest of those losers also lost games on neutral floors, except for two teams…Maryland and my Wolverines. In fact, my Wolverines won a whole tournament at a “neutral site.” That means we’ve got experience winning trophies away from home. So what’s my prediction? Michigan Wolverines by 8 against anybody in the Championship! See you when I see you.

Big 12

The Big 12 for years has gone through Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks and Coach Self usually are #1 and occasionally #2 when it comes time for the Big 12 tournament. However, they don’t always win the Conference tournament. In fact, the last 5 Big 12 tournament winners have come from the same two teams: Kansas and Iowa State. They’ve flip flopped wins since 2015. So if we are following that pattern then Kansas should win this year because Iowa State won last. Kansas has Devon Dotson and Udoka Azabuike who before the season, I told everyone potentially could be the best guard + big duo in the nation. But the Baylor Bears will certainly have something to say about it. Jared Butler is a man amongst boys and Mark Vital is also one of the best defensive players in the country. Kansas beat Baylor by 3 a few weeks ago, but Baylor is still one of the best teams in college basketball. I fully expect this conference tournament to end with these two matching up again. West Virginia, Texas Tech, and Texas will all make it tough, however. My prediction is Kansas wins this one again due to their experience and depth inside.

SEC

If you’ve been following me since our beginning, you probably can guess where I’m going with this prediction. I’ve been supporting Kentucky all season and they have not let me down thus far. The SEC has some very good teams and talents. Georgia is a team that relies on 6 freshmen for the most part to carry their team. That’s the main reason they haven’t performed all that well this season. However, they’ve showed the ability to get up with anybody in the conference. Kentucky also just lost to Tennessee who at one point this season was ranked. Florida has improved as the season progressed after starting off pretty poorly. This Florida team was a top 25 team at the beginning of the year so they also have the talent to make a run. LSU and Auburn are two teams who I think could truly win this tournament. Both are extremely well-coached and they play hard. Samir Doughty and freshmen Isaac Okoro are two impact players for Auburn who can turn this tournament upside down. Auburn stole the tournament championship last year, but I think UT just humbled Kentucky a bit. Coach Calipari knows how to get his team where they need to be so that lost may have been exactly what his team needed to refocus and go on a run in March. Kentucky takes both the regular season and tournament championship this year in the SEC.

Pac-12

The Pac-12 might be the most up for grabs conference this tournament. Many of these teams NEED to win this conference tournament. UCLA is currently #1 in the conference, but Oregon and Arizona State are right behind them. Oregon has Payton Pritchard who will probably end up the Conference Player of the Year. I love his game – he really makes those guys around him better. UCLA is led by coach Mick Cronin who is best known for his time at Cincinnati where he coached some of the tougher teams in all of College Basketball. This UCLA team is no different. They rebound well and they defend. The team many folks have forgotten about, however, is Arizona! The Wildcats have a solid team and a great coach as well. Two of the things I mentioned you need to make a run in March. Arizona will surprise people and take the Pac-12 Tournament.

A Few Extra Predictions

Big East: This conference will come down to which team’s star power will play better. Creighton and Villanova are great teams that are extremely well coached. But Myles Powell plays for Seton Hall. Markus Howard can score 50 on any night and Providence is surging. My pick: Seton Hall.

A-10: Dayton has run the Atlantic 10 all season long. Would I be crazy to say they’ll lose in the tournament? They’ve lost twice all season and have won 18 straight. Prepare to call me crazy. VCU will upset Dayton, but University of Richmond will end up winning the tournament. Read it and weep.

Once again, I appreciate you all for reading! March is a great time of year and I hope you all are as excited as I am. I was wondering what you all’s interest level would be in joining a bracket challenge with me come tournament time? If that sounds like something you’d enjoy leave a comment. As always, share this with your friends! I am so thankful for the support. Much love – Quis

Featured

This Week in Sports- A Recap

I have decided to add a new segment of sorts to our blog folks. I realize that so much goes on in sports throughout the week and some of you do not always have the time to keep up. So now, Sunday nights/Monday mornings I will be providing a post that gives a quick rundown of what has happened in the week that I think is cool. Sooooo with that being said, this will be our first “installment”. I will try my best to cover different sports so that everyone can get a taste of what is going on around the sports world.

Women’s Basketball

The biggest news of the week was not the NFL combine. It was not the NBA or men’s college basketball. It came from Sabrina Ionescu! She did something that no other person – not male or female, but PERSON –in Division 1 college basketball history has done. She has now scored 2,000+ points, grabbed 1,000 rebounds, and dished out 1,000 assists. That is nothing short of remarkable. She also broke this record on 2/24/20 which has become a glorified Kobe day. On top of that, Ionescu is also the assists leader in the Pac 12 across both men and women. Breaking a record that NBA Hall of Famer, Gary Payton held previously. She is also the NCAA leader across divisions with a NCAA record 26 career triple-doubles. The record before her was only 12. She doubled that! If you did not know her before you certainly should know her now.

A local team shoutout, the JMU Women’s team played their final game in the Convocation Center, which for those who do not know will not be used anymore for Men’s and Women’s basketball. The new Atlantic Union Bank Center will be home for the Dukes next year and for years to come. The Dukes won both of their final two games, defeating then conference leading Drexel by 30 on Friday and then Delaware on Sunday to send the Convo out on a high note.

Men’s College Basketball

The final few weeks of college basketball are upon us. At this point, teams who have strong tournament resumes look to not add any unnecessary blemishes, while teams on the bubble try to bolster their resumes by upsetting tournament “locks”. This weekend alone we had four top 10 teams lose. Two bubble teams: UVA and TCU got big wins when UVA beat Duke at home and TCU beat Baylor at home. Another bubble team, the Texas Longhorns got a big win beating #22 Texas Tech on the road. Road wins against ranked opponents are what you need to get into the tournament.

The most surprising thing to happen this week was Duke losing not once but twice. Coming into the week Duke was ranked #7. I previously mentioned them losing to UVA which in the grand scheme of things isn’t too bad. BUT…they lost to Wake Forest as well. Wake Forest for those of you who don’t follow the ACC is now 13-15 and 6-12 in the ACC which makes them good for 13th out of 15 teams. The two losses also took them further away from the first place spot in the ACC heading into the postseason tournament. Also, how about the Kentucky Wildcats! If you remember, hopefully you do, but I predicted them to win the SEC. AAAANNNNNDDDDD this week they did it! (I finally got something right) With a record of 24-5 and 14-2 in the SEC, they have won the SEC regular season title outright for the fourth time in six years with 2 games left to be played. More love for Kentucky? Why not? My first player of the week honor goes to Immanuel Quickley of Kentucky who averaged 24 points and 8.5 rebounds on the week including a 30 point outing against Texas A&M and a double-double against Auburn. Solid week all around for Big Blue Nation.

NFL

The NFL draft is around the corner! But before that is the NFL Combine. The NFL Combine is where prospective draftees/potential undrafted free agents audition for the NFL in front of 32 teams, scouts and front offices. Some of the more notable numbers from the combine were: Henry Ruggs of Alabama running a 4.27 forty yard dash, Donovan Peoples-Jones of Michigan jumping a 44.5 inch vertical test, and K’Von Wallace (Richmond native) running a 6.76 cone drill which marked him good for second. Speaking of Richmond natives, Mekhi Becton and Jalen Elliot joined K’Von at the combine and performed very well also. All of these guys made themselves some money this week.

Also this past week NFL teams were allowed to begin designating players for the Franchise or Transition Tag. The Franchise Tag is for players who are unrestricted free agents that only the current team they play on can use. This tag allows the players and team another year together and after that they work on either re-signing a contract or letting the player leave. The Transition Tag is guarantees the players current team the right of first refusal to match any offer the player may make with another team. Both of these tags can only be used once a year. Players like AJ Green of the Bengals, Yannick Ngakoue of the Jaguars, and Bud Dupree of the Steelers are all set to receive the Franchise Tag from their teams. Players like Dak Prescott and Jameis Winston still await their fate. TAMPA PLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Sorry I get a bit emotional speaking on Jameis and the Bucs.

NBA

The NBA is back in full swing coming off of the All-Star break. As always, lots of great things have happened. We saw Zion vs. Lebron part II where the King came out victorious again, but this time the young rookie outscored him 35 points to 33 respectively. It was clear Lebron is still the man in the NBA in this game as he scored on Zion a few times with ease. I’ll give a shoutout to the Houston Rockets as well. 3-0 on the week with a big win against the Boston Celtics in Overtime. Many people laughed at the small ball idea but the Rockets have been playing ridiculously well since shipping away Clint Capela. Russell Westbrook has shouldered a bit of the load including a 41 point outburst in the win over the Celtics. The true highlight of the week came on Monday, 2/24 when the public memorial service for Kobe Bryant took place. Speeches from his wife Vanessa, Shaquille O’Neal, Diana Taurasi, Jimmy Kimmell and Michael Jordan moved the room as the memorial for Kobe was as beautiful as one could imagine. A performance from Beyonce made the moment even more special. A true hero was celebrated this past week and I couldn’t be more proud of the NBA and everyone who put together the event. Below are some of the moments from the event.

https://youtu.be/5fmIen28Lxk

So that is all for the first edition of the weekly recap. I know not many people get to keep up with all that is going on, but I also do not want to overwhelm anyone with a long read. I try to pick things I think you all will be interested in learning about, but please feel free to offer topics, teams, or specific players and news you want to hear about in each recap. How do you feel about the recap? Let me know in the comments, or just leave me a message. Thank you all again! – Quis

Featured

Could Zion Williamson Still Win Rookie of the Year?

When the New Orleans Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson, it was an early Mardi Gras for the city. Combining a player of Williamson’s caliber with ascending star Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and veteran Jrue Holiday was going to be what it took to catapult the Pelicans into the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. That was until Zion went down with an injury and missed a great portion of the first half of the season. While he sat out with injury, we watched Ja Morant star in Memphis. We watched Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro takeover in Miami. Rui Hachimura in Washington was making a strong case as well. All of this made “experts” begin to question Zion Williamson. “He’s too heavy”, “Out of shape”, “Can he last the wear and tear of the NBA?”, “Can he score from every level?” and so on and so forth. All of the Ja Morant stans within the Association began to voice how all along they would’ve taken Ja first. Well, fast forward and THE Zion Williamson hype train is back. With every performance, he is winning fans over once again. Every dunk, every block, every time he manhandles an established star, we fall in love with this kid more and more. Ja Morant is the current leader on the Rookie Ladder averaging 17.6 points and 6.8 assists all while leading the Memphis Grizzlies to a playoff spot if the season ended today. But, Zion is on his tail. Having missed such a huge chunk of the season, the question become, can he still win Rookie of the Year? If he can, what would it take? I think it’ll take 2 of 3 things to happen.

Make the Playoffs

Currently the Pelicans sit at 25-33 overall which is good for 10th in the West and 3 games out of the 8th spot currently held by the aforementioned Grizzlies. Zion made his debut on January 22 vs. the Spurs and since then the Pelicans have a record of 8-6 after just having lost to the West leading Lakers last night. This record of course will not blow anyone away, however it is a winning one and the Grizzlies who are clinging to the 8th seed have the toughest schedule to finish out the season. IF the Pelicans make the playoffs, Zion Williamson has a more than viable case for Rookie of the Year. But that is only one point of the argument. Clearly his presence is impactful if he can take a team who at one point lost 12 games in a row and was trending toward the bottom of the West to the playoffs . So what else would he have to do?

Continue Efficient Play

In 13 games, Zion Williamson has averaged 23.3 points per game, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. For a rookie these stats are extremely admirable. That 23.3 points per game is good for 1st out of all rookies in front of none other than Ja Morant. His 7.1 rebounds? Also first amongst rookies. Granted, he has a much smaller sample size than some of these rookies, however that is besides the point at this time. Buckets are buckets. Boards are boards. What makes this so much more impressive to me is the efficiency. He is shooting 57% from the field, while shooting almost 42% from three. Zion is not a three point shooter by any stretch as he averages less than a 3 point attempt per game, but when he is taking them, he is making them for the most part so you cannot knock him there. His 23.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg are all coming while he plays 28.5 minutes a game. Mind you an NBA game is 48 minutes long. Stars like James Harden and Lebron James both average about 35 minutes per game or more. 5 rookies average over 30 minutes per game and Zion is not one of them. An uptick in minutes as the season progresses will only boost his stats even more. His player efficiency rating which tracks essentially all a player does into one statistical number is in the top 20 of the NBA. Some players efficiency ratings are inflated like Shamorie Ponds who has the highest rating in the NBA at this time but that is because he has only played in 4 games and that was for less than 2 minutes per game where he has scored 9 points in total and only missed 2 shots. Truthfully, nothing to worry about. But, players like Giannis, James Harden, and Luka Doncic all sit in the top 5 as well. Zion Williamson sits at 16th two spots behind the King, Lebron James. With a rating of 25.50 that puts him well ahead of his rookie counterparts and shows that when he is on the floor he is making the most of his minutes.

Show up Against the Stars

The easiest way to make your mark in the NBA is to show up in Primetime versus the best players in the league. Think Allen Iverson crossing Michael Jordan. We ALL know that game regardless of how old we were at the time. Who are the stars of the NBA? Lebron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokoumpo, James Harden, Stephen Curry. There are more but you get it. When you go against guys like this you have to play well. You have to leave a mark, an impression, make a statement of sorts. So far this year Zion has faced James Harden, Giannis, and just recently Lebron. 21 points and 10 rebounds against Harden’s Rockets, even though he lost. 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists against Giannis, but he lost. BUT, what did I say about making a statement? ESPN’s biggest story that night wasn’t him losing to the Bucks, but rather him manhandling one of the NBA’s stars by ripping the ball away (Click the random link floating in the middle of this article. You’ll see it for yourself). Zion’s most impressive showing though came against Lebron James and the Lakers. Yes, they lost. Honestly, the Pelicans may not win these big games just yet, but they do compete. It took a season high, 40 points from Lebron to fend off Zion’s Pelicans. Quick side note: Stephen A. Smith still isn’t impressed with you Mr. James. But in 33 minutes of action Zion scored 29 points, had 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. He shot 8-18 from the field on the game. Even more impressive was the 19 free throws he shot. It was a true showing off how powerful and unstoppable Zion can be when attacking the basket. Zion gets another shot at Lebron at the end of the week. He gets Luka Doncic shortly after that, and in two weeks he will see Kawhi Leonard and company for the first time. If he can make a statement in those games, he is in good shape.

https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=28637196&lang=en
Final Take

Zion Williamson has the talent and seems to be the heir apparent to the throne Lebron James currently holds. Missing almost the entire first half of the season makes it tough to argue for him to win the Rookie of the Year race. Many people thought he might as well sit out the entire season and try for a full season next year. But this guy loves the game and wanted to play. In just 13 short games he has left fans in awe, he has bought more life to a city that has plenty of life already outside of basketball (Mardi Gras is popping off as we speak), and he has positioned himself for stardom. I love Ja Morant and would not mind if he held onto his lead and wins the Rookie of the Year. The way the season is starting to shape up though, each game Zion is gaining. The NBA is a business. They love storylines, they love whatever will keep fans watching. Zion and Ja both will be the faces of the league in years to come, but Zion is THE GUY. If he continues on this path and takes his team to the playoffs, you can count on him to receive this year’s Rookie of the Year. As always, thanks for reading! Be on the lookout for more posts coming from here on out every Wednesday and Sunday. Love you all! – Quis

Featured

Recapping NBA All-Star Weekend

NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago was an absolutely beautiful representation of the impact sports can truly have on a city and the world. We witnessed inspired speeches, moving Kobe tributes, and a ton of competition across the board. For a weekend full of fun and excitement, I will try my best to recap the events.

Celebrity All-Star Game

The first event of the weekend was the Celebrity game which took place on Friday. The Celebrity game typically features former NBA and WNBA players, TV personalities, team owners, social media influencer, musicians and so on and so forth. The game has had MVP range from Quavo to Kevin Hart to Famous Los to Brian McKnight and here’s a fun one, Arne Duncan. This year’s game featured the likes of Anthony “Spice” Adams, Chance the Rapper, Jon Batiste, and this year’s MVP, Common. While the game did have it’s entertaining moments on the floor, the real entertainment came between coaches Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon. Two of ESPN’s more outgoing and famous personalities. Stephen A. Smith’s team lost 62-47 and on top of that one of the funniest moments of the game was when he received a technical foul midway through game. Want to hear how Stephen A. felt about the game? I got you covered.

Rising Stars Challenge

Outside of the actual All-Star Game, the Rising Stars Challenge was the one event I looked forward to the most. The Rising Stars Challenge is a game that features some of the NBA’s best young talent. The game became Rookies and Sophomores from the US vs. Rookies and Sophomores from everywhere else in 2015. Prior to this weekend, Team World lead 3-2 in the series. This year’s rosters included players like Trae Young, Ja Morant and Zion Williamson representing the USA. While the World team boasted Luka Doncic, RJ Barrett, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This game featured highlight dunks, deep threes, and a nice dose of healthy one on one competition. The World team had control of the game throughout the first half. Leaning much on RJ Barrett and a Luka Doncic half-court buzzer beater to have a 10 point lead at half. Suddenly, the USA team went on a 27-5 run, with much of this run being spurred by Miles Bridges, the eventual MVP. The US team would go on to win 151-131 and have now evened the score between them and the World to 3-3. RJ Barrett of the World led all scorers with 27 points, while the USA were led by Eric Paschall of the Golden State Warriors who scored 23 points on 10-13 shooting. Here are some highlights below (Warning: It is 9 minutes long)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Q6y6UzRQM

Saturday Night Events

The moment all of my NBA following friends have been waiting for…the NBA Saturday Events. These include the Skills Challenge, the 3-point Contest, and the very umm..let’s say interestingly decided upon Dunk Contest. The Skills Challenge featured 8 players: Bam Adebayo, Patrick Beverley, Spencer Dinwiddie, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Khris Middleton, Domantas Sabonis, Pascal Siakam, and Jayson Tatum. For those unfamiliar, the Skills Challenge essentially tests players’ ball-handling, passing, and shooting ability in a competition against the clock. From the names listed, you would think a guard would be better served for this competition. However, this year’s Skill Challenge proved how the NBA is changing so much so that 7 foot players can win contests like this. This year’s final was between two big men: Domantas Sabonis and Bam Adebayo, with the latter winning the championship. The 3-point contest also bought some excitement. The 3-point contest featured some of the best snipers in the NBA participating: Davis Bertans, Devonte’ Graham, Joe Harris, Buddy Hield, Zach Lavine, Duncan Robinson, Trae Young, and late addition Devin Booker. Continuing on my streak of bad predictions, I picked Duncan Robinson to win and he didn’t. Last year’s winner, Joe Harris lost in the first round and so did my pick. Devin Booker, Davis Bertans, and Buddy Hield faced off in the final. Bertans came in third with 22, Devin Booker came in second with 26, and Buddy Hield won with 27 made out of the 40 possible. Now onto the Dunk Contest…I wish I would have been able to get my preview out in time because I literally said “I would tell you more about the Dunk Contest but…Derrick Jones Jr. will win so everybody else isn’t worth me writing about.” Now, I was right BUT the issue is should Derrick Jones Jr. have won? Him and Aaron Gordon had an awesome battle for the dunk crown. Aaron Gordon jumped over a guy who is 7’7…Yes 7 feet 7 inches and lost. D-Wade and the rest of the judges have been under a ton of scrutiny for Derrick Jones’ victory.

As you can see, this was a very controversial part of the night. You decide for yourself though friends. Either way, they were both amazing dunkers who both deserved a piece of the victory.

All-Star Game

First, I love what the NBA did with honoring Kobe and Gianna. This was a very good move on their part. The new NBA All-Star game format was a HIT! They made every quarter count by resetting the score after each. The winning team of each quarter made a $100,000 donation to a charity of their choice. To start the 4th quarter they tallied up the cumulative score from the first three quarters and the 4th was untimed and they played to a target score. The target score was 24 points added to whatever the leading score was, another way to commemorate Kobe Bryant. This year’s captains: Lebron James and Giannis Antetokoumpo, picked their teams and faced off Sunday night. This game was everything you could ask for in an All-Star game. The athletes played seriously, especially in the 4th quarter. Kawhi Leonard, who I personally think is the best player in the league right now, started the game off GUNNING! This helped Team Lebron secure a 53-41 victory in the first quarter which got them $100,000 to give to their charity. In the second quarter, Team Giannis woke up and the man himself, Giannis helped secure them a second quarter victory. Fast forward to the start of the fourth, the score read Team Lebron 124- Team Giannis 133. So the Target Score became 157. The intensity ramped up until the end, and this is where my one gripe with the new format came into fruition. With the game sitting at 156-155 in favor of Team Lebron, a foul was called that gave Anthony Davis two free throws and ultimately the opportunity to win the game. Of course he misses the first for some excitement to mount and then wins it by making the second. In a game that is that intense to see it all end with a free throw was very disappointing. I think if they keep a similar format for years to come, they should eliminate that all together. Kawhi Leonard would go on to win the first ever Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP Award and I personally couldn’t have been happier. All together, a great cap to All-Star Weekend. If you are interested in seeing some of your favorite players play harder than they do on a regular basis, here is the final 5 minutes of the game for your personal enjoyment! Thank you again for checking in and reading. Leave your comments on whether or not you enjoyed the All-Star Weekend festivities, if you agreed with the Dunk Contest decision, and how you feel about the format used for the game. As always, love you all. Thank you for reading! -Quis

Featured

The First African-American, Female Full-Time Assistant Coach, Jennifer King. Who is She?

The NFL is starting to finally get it. I’m not sure if it is Jay-Z, climate change, or if grown adults are finally starting to understand you do not have to be a white man to coach football after 100 years. Either way, we have reason to celebrate! Jennifer King is set to become the first African American female coaching full-time in the NFL! This is not just headline material. This is not just something we should forget. Women all around for years have wanted opportunities like this. In 2017, Collette Smith was the first African-American, female assistant as an intern for the New York Jets, but she did not stick around past that. Just this year we saw Katie Sowers, San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant become the first Female and openly gay coach in Super Bowl history. Oh and she was the first female coach to last more than a full season on an NFL coaching staff. I have always been a big proponent of the idea of giving people a chance to prove they are just as good, if not better. I mean that is truly the only way to judge one’s capabilities. Ron Rivera and the Washington Redskins got it right.

So who is Jennifer King? King is a 35 year old, who was born in North Carolina and was a softball and basketball player during her time at Guilford College. While in college she won the top athletics honor, the Nereus C. English Athletic Leadership Award and the school’s 2005 Best Undergraduate Female Athlete Award at Guilford College. She has a long, successful history coaching up to this point. While being an assistant for the Greensboro College Women’s Basketball team, King helped lead the team to a 176-70 record, including four conference championships and three tournament championships. She would later become the Head Coach at Johnson & Wales and within two years, won a National Championship. She also played football in the Women’s Football Alliance where she won a National Championship for the New York Sharks. She spent time coaching football at Dartmouth College as an offensive assistant, and also coached in the AAF briefly as an assistant wide receivers coach. In 2016 she met Ron Rivera, then coach of the Carolina Panthers, and current Washington Redskins Head Coach. He later hired her as a wide receivers coaching intern during his time in Carolina. Now here we are today, Rivera hiring her as a full-time assistant coach.

As you can see, Jennifer King has a very strong resume. Her experience with coaching and being around multiple sports is something not even many men can say they have. It is something that will pay dividends for her and can catapult her to higher positions as time passes. A decision like this is bigger than just football. It is one that everyone should be aware of and marvel at. Hopefully we will not have to wait too long for more moves like this to occur. I wish Jennifer King the best of luck and I firmly believe she will be in the league for a long, long time. – Quis

Featured

A Letter to Kobe

“Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change.” -Kobe Bryant

Dear Kobe,

It is rare that one man can make the world stand still as many times as you. Whether it’s one of your 36 game winners, your 81 point performance, or the day you played your final game dropping 60 points. You inspired an entire generation of athletes for so long. I still remember where I was for your final game. I still remember being a 10 year old boy when you scored 81 points. As I grew up playing the game, I realized just how insane that is. Scoring 20 points is a task for your average basketball player, but you quadrupled that. But that is just the thing. You were not average. Not your average basketball player, not your average human, not your average father. Before I continue, I must admit that at one point in time I was always on the other side of the Kobe is better than Jordan or Lebron argument. All of your fans are so passionate that playing devil’s advocate became a hobby of sorts. However, as I got older and more serious with basketball I learned countless things from you. Your mentality, perseverance, and passion just to name a few. You taught myself and the entire world what true love is. When you played the game, the amount of energy you exerted wasn’t just because you wanted to show that you were better than everyone else —though that was a big part of it — but rather, it was because of how much joy playing basketball brought you. This joy can be seen by the smirk you’d make after hitting a shot other athletes wouldn’t dare. I could only imagine what you were thinking when you’d hit that smirk. You looked as though you were thinking, “You’re surprised. I’m not. I was made for this.” This is true love.

Every time you went down with an injury and people thought you would never be the same, your love for the game and for being great overtook all the doubt you faced. You never flinched in a moment of pressure. You embraced it. You made uncomfortable situations normal. To me, this is a prime example of life and all that one can face. No matter how much you prepare for something, you ultimately will never know what may come your way but if you work hard and trust your preparation, no moment will be too big. If you prepare to be successful, you will never be surprised by success. True love. Thank you Kobe. You are the ultimate competitor, the ultimate teacher, and example of what we all should strive to be. You inspired the world through action and your legacy will forever live on. You put your all into everything you ever did, and you deserve this peace. You inspired the young boy who only ever wanted to be as great of a basketball player as you. Though that did not turn out to be my calling, I’ll be yelling “KOBE!” each time I throw paper balls away for the rest of my life. Like you insinuated in your quote at the top of this, I will always push through the pain, struggle, and doubt because I know what is on the other side. Thank you 8, thank you 24! Rest in Paradise. – Quis

Featured

Mid-Year Update on CBB Predictions

Alright folks, if you have been following the blog since it’s start, you probably remember my very first post where I gave my thoughts on the NCAA preseason top 25 along with some predictions of major conference winners and conference players of the year. Let’s just say I was wrong about A TON. If you have been keeping up with the madness, you already know College Basketball has been all over the place. If you have not, hopefully you get a decent idea of what’s happening from this post.

Before we get too deep, there are a few changes that have happened to teams or players who received a lot of love in our first post. I was very high on Memphis, but they lost James Wiseman thanks to the NCAA playing bully. Cole Anthony, my projected ACC conference player of the year has been out since early December and UNC, my projected ACC Conference Champion have struggled mightily without him. So let’s just act as though that prediction never occurred. Okay? Cool.

What I Got Right

UVA FANS!! Hey guys. A few of you had choice words for my prediction that you all were overrated and lucky to be ranked in the top 15. Where are the Hoos now? 12-6 overall, 4-4 in the ACC and unranked. Those 4 ACC losses have come in the last 5 games. So yes, 1-4 in your last 5. Their best win of the year came against UNC and they suck now as stated previously. Granted, they had Cole Anthony at the time. UVA is missing a guy that can do it all. I predicted this. Mamadi has his moments, Braxton Key as well, but point guard Kihei Clark is who has to be better for them to have a chance. He had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in their loss to NC State. Doesn’t look too bad. But that is just the thing, he didn’t look too good either. 3 for 9 from the field, 3 fouls, and 3 turnovers all in 37 minutes which is the most minutes anybody played for UVA that game. A good friend of mine who happens to be a UVA fan says they struggle to close out games. That is where your point guard has to shine and keep the team together. Kihei, it’s on you. Cool? Cool. But I told y’all this way back when, so I hope you did not put too much stock in these guys.

What else was I right about? FLORIDA. I’m on record of having said I didn’t believe in the hype. Florida started the season at a preseason ranking of #6 and just like UVA they now sit at 12-6. The main difference between them and UVA is they just beat undefeated Auburn, but other than that there has not been much else to like. They are 7-1 at home so I guess that is a positive. Transfer, Kerry Blackshear has looked good but we expected that. It is everybody else around him. They turn the ball over a good amount and don’t get many assists. They also sit well outside the top 40 in points scored per game. Not great for a preseason top 10 team. Lucky for them, they face #1 Baylor this weekend with a chance to upset and show the world they still have some left. Most of my Conference Player of the Year predictions are still being hashed out. So far, Cassius Winston, Tres Tinkle, Anthony Edwards, and Markus Howard are all still at the top of their respective conferences and have a chance to win the award. Markus Howard leads the NCAA in scoring which I also predicted so if you all are betting folks, your palms should start itching soon on Markus Howard. Michigan State is in the lead in the B10 and Kentucky is only a game out of the SEC conference lead so we can confidently say we were right about them as well.

What I Got Wrong

If you know me, you know sometimes admitting I am wrong is a task in itself. Reading through my first post and then looking at the landscape of College Basketball made me realize why I do not bet the little money I have on sporting events. Needless to say, I was wrong about almost everything else I said. Sorry guys. As stated earlier, UNC was my worst prediction. They are not a good basketball team currently. But I get a pass because of the Cole Anthony injury. I predicted Boogie Ellis of Memphis to be a big surprise this year. Boogie, the former Duke commit has been a surprise, but for all the wrong reasons. He is averaging a whopping 6.2 points per game while shooting 28% from the field and the 3-point line. He started the season strong, but has steadily fallen off as the season has progressed. Safe to say I was wrong about that one. Next, Tristan Clark. I predicted Tristan Clark from Baylor to win the Big 12 player of the year. It hurts because, prior to his knee injury, he was a literal monster. He was scoring in double figures each game and blocking shots left and right. However, this season he is yet to find his footing. Baylor is the #1 team in the country at the time but their projected leader for the season can’t find his way off the bench. Instead, Jared Butler has taken over the reigns. Arizona, Villanova, and Kansas were also teams I said would win their conferences. Now, none of them are out of the running yet, but man at times they make me look like I don’t know anything about basketball. One game they dominate, next game no-show. All three of these teams have potential to beat anybody and many of their losses are close ones to good teams, but if you look at how they lost, it is just baffling. Arizona has a loss to St. Johns… not okay. Villanova has an embarrassing early season loss to a pretty decent Ohio State team, but they got flat out destroyed. Ironically, meshing all three of these teams together is that they have all lost to Baylor who I don’t think anyone predicted to be this good. But hey, that’s CBB for you.

Moving Forward

I have said College Basketball is chaos this season. It has been very exciting to watch, but depressing for anybody who may have a favorite team that they root for. I for one have given up on watching my Michigan Wolverines with the idea that we will ever win another game this year. If we win, great. If not, great. Since we all know I have been wrong before, I want you to take these end of the year predictions with a grain of salt. Let’s start with a bold (not really) prediction. UNC won’t win the ACC even with Cole Anthony scheduled to return in the near future. Kansas despite their recent fight and suspension of two key guys, will still win the Big 12. Instead of Tristan Clark, my new prediction for Player of the Year is Tyrese Haliburton from Iowa State. He is a skilled, playmaker with tons of NBA potential. I am standing by Villanova winning the Big East as well as Michigan State winning the surprisingly stacked Big Ten. Lastly, I showed a ton of love to Kentucky in my first post and I will take that a step further and say they will be playing in this year’s National Championship. I’ll bet pushups with you.

I hope you all enjoyed this sort of recap/bashing of my own predictions. I got a lot of laughs out of looking back and seeing where I went wrong and where I was right. Share the link if you like it, I will post the link to the original post as well so you can look back and follow along, or if you never read it you can start all over with me. I appreciate the support and you all taking the time to read my thoughts. Much love! – Quis

First Post: https://quistakes.home.blog/2019/10/30/my-first-post-college-basketball-top-25-my-projections/

Featured

My Thoughts on the CFB Playoff Games and a Look at the NFL Playoff Picture

Happy New Year everyone! The new year and decade has officially begun and with that I have more and more content to bring to you. This is our first post of 2020 so let’s make it count. Last weekend we saw the College Football Playoff, and the NFL Playoff seeding were also set. A lot to be excited about. Let’s get into it all.

CFB Playoff

LSU vs. Oklahoma was a game that many did not expect Oklahoma to win to begin with. Even still, there was no way we could have predicted what actually happened. From the start, Oklahoma was over matched. I had said Oklahoma needed to establish themselves running the football early to have a chance. They did the exact opposite. First play. Sack. Second play. Run stopped for -1 yards. Third play. Run stopped after 1 yard. Then Punt. Okay cool, game over. The sack set the tone and you could tell from there on LSU was going to be the aggressor. They played like the favorite. To make matters worse, LSU’s first possession took 53 seconds before they scored a touchdown. That was the tale of the night. Joe Burrow, quarterback for LSU, lit fire to Oklahoma. He finished the game with 7 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing. So 8 touchdowns…yeah crazy and the 7 passing touchdowns were all in the first half of the game. His receivers showed that they are in a tier that only Alabama may be able to rival. The LSU secondary solidified themselves as one of the best in the country. This team is the real deal. As far as Oklahoma goes, this one hurts all around. They have some players that are extremely talented on both sides of the ball and their coach Lincoln Riley knows what he is doing. It pains me to see Jalen Hurts go out like he did. He is one of the biggest competitors college football has seen. He’s overcome adversity time and time again, but this time it was just too much. Much success to him as he prepares for the draft. Same for Ceedee Lamb who is one of the most exciting receivers in College Football.

So what about the other game? The Michigan fan in me is beyond ecstatic! Now that’s out of the way. Ohio State lost to Clemson in what was a far more entertaining game than the former. Ohio State jumped out early, but they did not extend the lead nearly enough to hold off an offense as explosive as Clemson. There were a few controversial calls that Ohio State fans would argue took the game out of their control. I won’t say they are wrong, however there was a time I remember when a guy named JT Barrett got stopped short on 4th down against my Wolverines and you were gifted a first down that led to a game winning touchdown. So in short, too bad. Yes, it was 2016 and yes, I’m still bitter. Anyhow, Clemson was down 16-0 at one point. This team hadn’t trailed a game at halftime since September of 2018 but found themselves down 16-14 coming out of half. On this night, they stayed poised and roared back. Ohio State out-gained them 495 yards to 396 yards. The difference? Clemson scored touchdowns while Ohio State kicked field goals. Clemson protected the football while Ohio State gave it away. Clemson committed 6 penalties for 47 yards while Ohio State committed 8 for 77. You get it? That folks is how you lose football games. Ohio State had a chance at the end. As I sat watching the game I said Justin Fields would have to win the game with his arm. Was I right or was I right? Instead of winning it, he lost it throwing an interception to Clemson’s Nolan Turner at the end. Karma. Go Tigers!

NFL Playoffs

The NFL playoff field is set. In the AFC there are the #1 Ravens and #2 Chiefs who get first round byes. Followed by the Titans who will face the Patriots and the Bills who will face the Texans. On the NFC side you have the #1 49ers and the #2 Packers who get first round byes. Followed by the Saints who will face off against the Vikings and the Seahawks who will face off against the Eagles. I must say this is a solid field. The AFC favorites have to be the Ravens. They are a juggarnaut right now. But, the Chiefs still believe they should have been playing in the Super Bowl last year, and we cannot pretend the defending champion Patriots are going to give up without a fight. They have a winning formula if nothing else. The upstart Bills will be a tough matchup for anyone, though I don’t see them making it out this year. The Titans have been a pleasant surprise since switching to Ryan Tannehill at quarterback and if the Texans can protect Deshaun Watson he can make a lot of magical things happen on the football field. Should be a ton of fun to watch. I have the Ravens coming out of the AFC this year when it is all said and done. How fun would Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson be? WOW.

On the NFC side, the 49ers are the #1 seed and of course the odds on favorite. The 49ers defense is dangerous and the offense does more than enough to not lose them games. The NFC is packed with elite or close to elite quarterbacks however which is why I don’t see the 49ers making it our. The Saints have Drew Brees, the Packers have Aaron Rodgers, the Seahawks have Russell Wilson, the Eagles have Carson Wentz, the 49ers have Jimmy Garoppolo and the Vikings have Kirk Cousins? Hey he’s good I guess. In the playoffs, one thing always pays to have and that is experience. Sorry Kirk Cousins and Jimmy G. This fight will be won by either the Packers, Saints, or Seahawks. Seattle and New Orleans both have top 10 offenses. The Packers are pretty middle of the road both offensively and defensively. The Saints have the edge defensively on both teams, so long as the secondary can make enough plays. Saints to the super bowl, I believe in Drew Brees and Sean Payton.

Featured

Previewing this Year’s NBA Christmas Day Games

The biggest day in the NBA outside of opening day and the finals is upon us. The NBA so graciously gifted us a series of quality NBA games and one not so much for our viewing pleasure on Christmas day. If you need to know what to expect, you’ve come to the right place. If you don’t need to know but found your way here, please stay. You are here now. Here is the rundown:

Celtics vs. Raptors – 12:00 PM

The first game of the day features the defending champion Raptors and the 2nd place team in the East, Celtics. This game has Eastern Conference Finals potential. The Celtics are led by Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum who is coming off a career high 39 point outing against the Hornets where 22 of those came in the fourth quarter. Many people thought the Celtics may not be as good without Kyrie Irving or Al Horford, but I’d argue they look even better. Brad Stevens has this team playing together and they are tough defensively. Toronto has been a pleasant surprise as well. It is tough winning the title and then losing your best player. Most teams would not be able to recover from that. The Raptors however have done just that. Bigger contributions from Kyle Lowry and massive improvement from last year’s Finals breakout star, Pascal Siakam have these Raptors right in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors will be without Siakam, but I still expect this game to be competitive as ever. To add fuel to the fire, the Raptors haven’t lost to the Celtics when playing in Toronto since 2015-2016. My prediction: Celtics by 7.

Bucks vs. 76ers – 2:30 PM

The second game of the day is another Eastern Conference slugfest. The Milwaukee Bucks have Giannis Antetokoumpo. Is he the new king in the NBA? He sure thinks so. His average of 31 points and nearly 13 rebounds helps back it up. What he just did to Lebron and the Lakers would suggest a slight changing of the guard. If he continues to shoot the ball from 3 the way he has as of late, he just might be. The Bucks, however are more than just Giannis. They have a bevy of players that make them a tough out each and every night. So much so that they have only lost 4 games this season. That is good enough for the best record in the league. Kris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and Brook Lopez all average double figures along with Giannis. Off the bench they have Wes Matthews, Kyle Korver, and Donte DiVencenzo to pair with Robin Lopez. Is it championship or bust for the Bucks? It’s looking more and more like it. Their opponent out of Philadelphia are one of the more interesting teams in my opinion. For one, they haven’t played a Christmas Day game in a long time. If you keep up with the NBA, you know that is because the Sixers haven’t been very good until recently. They have all the talent in the world, but at times don’t put it all together. The 76ers big three features Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris. Three guys who could all be considered top 30 players in the league. The Bucks are first in points scored, the 76ers are third in points allowed. Who will prevail? My take: Bucks by 10.

Rockets vs. Warriors – 5:00 PM

Bad game alert! This game was supposed to be James Harden and Russell Westbrook dueling it out against Stephen Curry, D’Angelo Russell, and Draymond Green. The Rockets and Warriors have met 4 out of the last 5 times in the postseason. This was a potential sneak peak Western Conference playoff matchup. That was until Steph Curry went down, D’Angelo Russell started shooting everything and I mean everything, and Draymond showed that he really doesn’t have the same impact without guys like Steph and Klay. The Warriors have some young talent but it is just that. Young. Talent. Not NBA stars like the Rockets. James Harden is arguably the most skilled offensive player we have ever seen. When he has the ball in his hands it is pure magic what he can do. Couple that with Russell Westbrook and this team will just be far too much for the Warriors. Want to know how not important this game is? Draymond Green was surprised this game was still on for today. That is enough for me to know this won’t be worth watching. Rockets by 14.

Clippers vs. Lakers – 8:00 PM

THE GAME OF THE DAY. The King vs. The Klaw. The Battle of LA. The New Look Lakers vs. The New Look Clippers. The Clippers getting attention in LA? Never heard of it. That was until Kawhi came to town. That was until Paul George joined him. That was until Patrick Beverly bought the grit and toughness we haven’t seen in the NBA since they used to try to hurt Michael Jordan every play. The Lakers and the Clippers meet in prime time on Christmas Day. Lebron James and Anthony Davis just missed a game, but don’t worry they won’t miss this one. Kawhi Leonard hasn’t played back to back games all season due to “his knee”. But you better believe he will be there tonight. Patrick Beverly has a sore groin. Good luck keeping him off the floor. I am getting excited just writing about this one. The NBA features the best players in the world, they can turn it on when they want. Expect this one to be exciting. Expect Lebron to have something to prove as he has been tested by Giannis and now will be tested by Kawhi. Two players that people are trying to give his crown away to. Lakers coach, Frank Vogel was instrumental in the takeoff of Paul George’s career having coached him in Indiana. This game just has instant classic written all over it. The Clippers won the first matchup of the season. Stephen A. Smith argued Kawhi took Lebron’s heart in that game. Will they guard one another? Who really runs LA? We’ll see what happens. My guess: Lakers by 3.

Pelicans vs. Nuggets – 10:30 PM

The night cap features a game that originally was expected to be an exciting game of young star talent. The Pelicans being placed here is a complete result of the Zion Williamson effect. The issue, the Pelicans have no Zion Williamson. They still get up and down the floor though. Brandon Ingram is the early vote for Most Improved Player as he is averaging 25 points per game and 7 rebounds. The Pelicans have Jrue Holiday and JJ Redick. Their 8 wins isn’t a testament to the talent they have. With Zion they could have at least 8 more wins. The Nuggets are one of those teams that are very good, yet they do not get much attention. Part of it is because they do not have a huge marketable star. Another part is they play in Denver. Another part is they are in the West with the Lakers, Rockets, Clippers, Mavericks. Funny thing, the Nuggets are 2nd in the West only behind that Lakers team. The Nuggets core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Paul Millsap are more than formidable. They want to make noise in the West this season come playoff time. You get your shot on National TV to make a statement. Nuggets by 10.

Featured

My Biggest Surprises of the NFL Season

With three weeks left in the NFL regular season, the pretenders and contenders have separated themselves. Some of our favorite teams have already eliminated themselves from playoff contention… and yes, I am sad. Jameis just can’t not throw picks each and every game, but hey, maybe next year. Jameis’ pick problem is no surprise, however, there are a lot of very intriguing things that have happened this season that I did not see coming. Let’s get into them.

Dallas and Philadelphia

Let’s get the big one out the way. Cowboys and Eagles fans let’s be real for a moment: you are two of the luckiest teams in the NFL. Thanks to the weak division that feature two teams who have a combined 6 wins, the Cowboys and Eagles who at this point are both not deserving of a playoff spot have life. That in itself is a surprise, but even more so these are two teams that people thought were easily playoff contenders. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, that offensive line, and a pretty solid defense was supposed to catapult the Cowboys back to glory. You fooled us, again. The Zeke holdout, the Dak contract, the Jason Garrett vs. Jerry Jones feud has done nothing but make the Cowboys a clown show. NFL.com had them preseason ranked at 8 in the NFL. This was supposed to be the year Dallas. Before this week, they hadn’t won a game vs. a team over .500. Now they are 7-7 going into a showdown with Philadelpha. And speaking of Philadephia, the Eagles aren’t much better. Instead of this being a same ol’ same ol’ situation like Dallas, the Eagles fall from grace is very surprising. 2 years ago they won the Super Bowl. Last season they were 9-7 and made it to the divisional game before losing to the New Orleans Saints in a close one. Carson Wentz was supposed to be the guy. He’s finally back and he was supposed to be the savior and MVP he appeared to be before the injuries. But he isn’t. He has looked lost on several occasions. They have injuries which are hard to overcome, but they do not do enough to help themselves. The defensive secondary has always been a weakness, but that coupled with an offense that has become predictable and off balance has bought them to 7-7. They lost to the Dolphins for crying out loud. The Cowboys and Eagles were supposed to be at the top of the NFC. Instead, they are fighting to win the NFC East. Whoever loses out, misses the playoffs. May the best(?) team win.

Pittsburgh Steelers

In the offseason when the Steelers let Antonio Brown and Leveon Bell walk, people thought they were all but done. The Steelers are one of the most recognizable and consistent franchises in the NFL, so this was a big deal. Then Big Ben went down and the flood gates were supposed to be open. Then more injuries to promising young talents in JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner was the final straw. Right? Wrong! The Pittsburgh Steelers sit at 8-6 and are second in the AFC North. Two names can be attributed to this success: Mike Tomlin and Minkah Fitzpatrick. If I had a vote, Mike Tomlin would win Coach of the Year, he is literally doing more with less. He has played 2 quarterbacks now that, if we are all being honest, don’t deserve to start in the NFL yet he is beating teams. The trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick made this defense DANGEROUS. Defense is about two things, toughness and swag. Sounds like the old school Steelers to me. Fitzpatrick bought the toughness and the swag to this defense and they are flying all over the place. It certainly helps your offense when the defense goes out and can score points for you. The Steelers have been nothing short of resilient. What a story.

Los Angeles Rams

Nobody saw this coming. The young, talented, and high-powered Rams were supposed to be getting revenge this year. They took the league by storm until the Patriots sent them right back to square one after a Super Bowl anihilation. Thanks New England, you ruined the Rams. The Rams have big money quarterback, Jared Goff. A brilliant minded coach. A superstar running back. Oh and Aaron Donald! Sounds like a nice little quartet to me. On top of that they have a talented receiving core and they traded for arguably the best corner in the game. Yet, the Rams are 8-6 and third in the NFC West. It doesn’t seem that bad on the surface, but just watching the Rams this year you can tell something is missing. The Cowboys destroyed them Sunday in a game that was never close from the start. They are well on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race. They need to win and some folks have got to lose. Their next few games will be huge. After a loss to Dallas, a loss at San Fransisco or a loss at home against the Cardinals would mean it is all over. For a team with this much talent, both of these games are winnable. The 49ers game will be the toughest, especially after what just happened to them. Best case scenario, the Rams find their form and win out then get some help from other teams on the Wild Card bubble. Worst case, they lose either of these final two and miss the playoffs a year after going to the Super Bowl. Either way, not exactly the way you saw this season playing out for the Rams.

Baltimore Ravens

Two words: BIG TRUSS!! The Baltimore Ravens are THE most exciting football team in the NFL. The Ravens have been historically good so their record is not what is the big surprise. It has been how they play and how they have taken over the league. They are young and full of swag. From Lamar Jackson to Justin Tucker, the Baltimore Ravens are what America needs. The people said Lamar Jackson wouldn’t be a quarterback in the league; the people said John Harbaugh was crazy for giving up Joe Flacco to start him; the people said Hollywood Brown was too small to play receiver in the NFL. So on and so forth. The people were wrong about this Ravens team. Lamar Jackson leads the league in passing touchdowns and has just surpassed Michael Vick as the all-time, single-season rushing leader at quarterback. What is even more amazing is watching the camaraderie this team has. Mark Ingram has become the hype man of the century. John Harbaugh trusts Lamar Jackson with this offense. I mean, they even have a package that features RGIII who everyone has tried to write off (the “Heisman Package” features Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, and RGIII). You see everyone on their sidelines cheering each other on no matter the situation and the swagger this team has just oozes out from player to player. The Ravens are for real! This is not a game, this should no longer be a surprise. Everyone has been put on notice.

As always, thank you for the love and support. Love always! – Quis

Featured

Is There a Clear Cut Favorite in CBB This Season?

*Clears throat* I AM BACK! It has been far too long friends. I apologize. I really do, I had to get my mind right and I am not going to lie to you, I started to take in so many games and so much news I could not keep up! I assure you more content is coming out over this holiday season so I hope you all are as excited as I am. But enough of me talking about me. Let’s talk sports.

College basketball is in full swing and man what is going on? Nobody wants to lock up the #1 spot and throw away the key! So truly, is there a favorite as of now to win the title? Short answer is no. Long answer… The Week 7 rankings just dropped and there are very few undefeated teams left. There are even fewer undefeated teams left with actual impressive wins. Louisville came into last week 9-0 at #1 but lost to Texas Tech at home. Ohio State also came into last week 9-0 but lost to Minnesota on the road. Maryland also lost to Penn State at home . That was 3 of the top 6 teams in the poll taking a loss. Auburn is still undefeated but their best win at this moment is against the University of Richmond. In 7 weeks of the AP poll, there have been 5 different teams to sit at #1. Duke and Louisville are the only teams to hold the spot longer than a week. Now it is Kansas’ turn. That says something to me about the state of college basketball. The tide is shifting, the tables are starting to balance out. The days where dominant freshman recruiting classes run through the season until tournament time are long gone. The last time we had an undefeated team in the NCAA tournament was 2014-2015 Kentucky. They didn’t even win it all that year. An undefeated champion hasn’t occurred since 1975-1976 when the Indiana Hoosiers coached by Bobby Knight and led by Scott May and Kent Benson (you’ll have to look them up just like me or take another look at the cover photo of this blog for reference). If I asked you who the best team in college basketball is right now, there would be tons of different answers. Is that a bad thing? No, not at all. This is what separates collegiate sport from professional sport. There is no such thing as a super team in college. You never know what will happen night in and night out, especially with conference play just beginning.

Power 5 schools had to fight through non-conference play and not just with one another. We saw Kentucky lose to Evansville at HOME; Duke lost to Stephen F. Austin at HOME; Dayton put everyone on notice in Maui with their ability to hang with the big boys. They beat a team from the ACC and the SEC before falling in a close one to Kansas. Michigan who has jumped onto the scene after big wins in Atlantis over UNC and Gonzaga have now lost 3 of their last 4 games. Speaking of UNC… Yeah, no. What is happening? I picked them to win the ACC, and as if they don’t already look bad, Cole Anthony is out indefinitely with an injury. Roy’s boys are in trouble. Michigan State who started the year #1 has 3 losses. Duke has had some bounce back since losing but they still lack a go-to scorer on the wing. Kansas who I spoke of earlier hasn’t lost since week 1, but they also have not truly been tested other than Dayton. They get Villanova later this week so we will see if they are made to last.

So yes, there is no clear #1 in CBB and that is okay! I love it this way. Imagine March Madness if it started today. Anyone can win and that is what makes college so great. We loved those dominant Kentucky teams. We loved the Fab Five, we loved the UVA comeback story. But this… this is so chaotic yet so beautiful at the same time. This is what college basketball is meant to be. There is your long answer.

Leave a comment under this post or on my social media saying who you think is the best team right now. I look forward to reading all the responses. As always, love you all! -Quis

Featured

Why Luka Doncic Deserves MVP Consideration

Okay everyone I have officially seen enough. I have tried my hardest to nitpick and find reasons why Luka isn’t great. My Knicks swept him on the year so there’s that. But after last night I had to face the facts. Luka Doncic is LEGIT. The kid is 20 years old and absolutely destroying the league. It is not just the way he plays. It is not just the swag, or the fact that he wears 77 and makes it look almost cool. Last night Luka did something that hasn’t been done in a long time.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Think about this for a moment. He outscored, out-rebounded, and out-assisted the Warriors in the 1st quarter of the game. He flat out came ready to play. It’s easy to think about, but looking at the stats will wow you even more. Luka scored 22 points. The Warriors scored 16. Luka had 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The Warriors had 4 rebounds and 4 assists. That’s as a team. Not to undermine Luka’s night, but that is just bad. I feel bad for the Warriors. To add insult to injury, Luka finished the night with a triple double, recording 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in 26 minutes. Those are video game numbers. He is also averaging a triple double over his last 10 games. Not just a triple double, but a 30 point triple double. The only other players in the history of the NBA to do this are Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook, and Oscar Robertson. Excuse me?! That is elite company and this guy is in his 2nd season and only 20 years old. On the season he is averaging 29.9 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, and 9.4 assists. Those numbers are good for 4th, 11th, and 2nd respectively in the categories mentioned. On top of that, he ranks 2nd in player efficiency. His team also is 9-5 so he is leading them to wins, not just playing for stats. We all know Lebron James, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo (whether you believe me or not, I spelled it right on the first try). You can even throw Kawhi Leonard in there when he decides he likes to play. But Luka Doncic is up there so far this season. He needs to be in the conversation for your MVP arguments if he isn’t already. If anybody disagrees with you, send them the link to this post… just a suggestion. Seriously, move over Dirk! Luka isn’t just coming for best European player of all time, but he’s coming for the best in the world. Stay tuned as the season progresses and you’ll see exactly why I believe so. I slept on him long enough. Don’t be like me. Luka is for real.

Continue to support and share the blog in your circles. I appreciate every bit of support. Love always. -Quis

Featured

Carmelo Anthony, Colin Kaepernick, and a Word on Tua Tagovailoa

What a wild, wild week in sports! If you are anything like me, you live for week’s filled with non-stop sports action from Monday to Sunday. This was one of those week’s and I have some extra positivity because Michigan beat Michigan “little sister” State by 34 points in football! The highlight of my weekend hands down. Even more so because the Knicks lost by a buzzer beater and Jameis Winston threw four picks…again. Enough of me and my soapbox though. We saw some major things happening on the news front when it comes to three of the more recognizable names in all of modern-day sport. Let’s take a look together.

Carmelo Anthony

My boy Carmelo Anthony is BACK!!!!! Yes I am actually screaming writing this, so the exclamation points are more than necessary. It has felt like an eternity for me, so Lord knows how long it has felt for Melo. The Portland Trailblazers took a chance on Carmelo Anthony after he’s been out of the NBA for over a year. The word is, Blazers president Neil Olshey put it like this for Melo: “You need us. And we need you.” Simple enough. Run my man his money! But wait, this contract is non-guaranteed. A prove it deal if you wish. Carmelo is set to make $14,490 for every day he is on the Blazers roster. After January 7, the contract becomes fully guaranteed if he is still a part of the team. For those looking for a calculator, I’ve got you covered. If he plays for let’s say 30 days, he is still making more than all of us. Same goes if he were only around for a week but oh well. For his career Carmelo Anthony has averaged 24 points per game. He is considered one of the better scorers of his era, and arguably all time. Don’t expect that sort of impact, but know that he can certainly still fill it up when needed for this Blazers team. A team on the cusp of competing, who like Olshey said, NEEDS HIM. Good for Melo, welcome back!

Colin Kaepernick

On a different note from our last comeback story, this week we had a rather strange announcement about Colin Kaepernick–a workout hosted by the NFL for him to display his skills to all of the NFL. We all know Colin, we all know his story. He’s been blackballed from the NFL over his protests, but the guy can still very much play football, and honestly he’s deserved a chance since being waived. The workout to me was a little sketchy, especially considering there was a last minute change in location. The move was said to be because Kaepernick’s camp wanted “transparency” in the workout and the NFL was not willing to allow media into the facility and they also wanted him to sign a waiver which his camp thought was “unusual.” Either way from the few clips I’ve seen he looked great. He’s huge, has a strong arm, and stands for something. Can’t ask for much more from an athlete. There was a reported seven teams on hand to watch Colin after the move. So far there has been no progress or moves to invite him for a private workout or interview. Nevertheless, the courage to do what he has done is beyond commendable. I pray he gets the chance he deserves. It isn’t like the NFL doesn’t have a bad quarterback problem.

Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa for those who may not know is the young, talented and now injured quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He is most known for his famous comeback in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship where he replaced Jalen Hurts who is now an Oklahoma Sooner. In this game he led Alabama to the win after throwing a game-winning touchdown in overtime defeating the Georgia Bulldogs. Since that game, Tua has been nothing short of amazing, however, he has an injury problem. He has had multiple surgeries on his bad ankles, but this injury is one like no other. During what was an all but guaranteed win, with only a few short minutes left before the half, Tua trotted onto the field against Mississippi State and took what is likely to be his last snap at Alabama. He was sacked. Fans sat in agony as their star laid on the ground with a bloody nose and no ability to put pressure on his right leg once picked up by trainers. Tua was said to be screaming in pain. After he was airlifted back to Alabama to get further tests, it was revealed that he had a dislocated hip and a posterior wall fracture (when the part of your back closest to your butt breaks). Prior to the injury, Mel Kiper listed Tua as the number 2 quarterback on his NFL draft big board, second to only Joe Burrow who is the one man to beat Tua and his team this season. Tua is set to have surgery Monday with doctors expecting him to make a full recovery. His football future is yet to be determined but all you can do is hope this man gets well first. Football later. We should all be rooting for him.

Once again, thank you for reading. Continue to share and support. Love you all. – Quis

Featured

The College Football Playoff: Everything You Need to Know Before it Happens

For those who do not know, the NCAAF National Champion is no longer one of two teams selected by a computer driven scoring system. It has not been since 2014. The fate of the eventual national champion lies in the hands of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. This list is made up of people with all different backgrounds. You have former athletes, professors, athletic directors, and a school president. Oh and to make it even more interesting, a former Chief of Staff in the United States Army (bet you didn’t expect that). That said, let’s take a look at who this list is made up of:

  • Chairman Rob Mullens
  • Gary Barta
  • Frank Beamer (You probably have heard of him)
  • Paola Boivin
  • Joe Castiglione (A+ name)
  • Ken Hatfield
  • Chris Howard
  • Ronnie Lott
  • Terry Mohajir
  • Ray Odierno (You guessed it… Army man)
  • R.C. Slocum
  • Todd Stansbury
  • Scott Stricklin

According to the CFB Playoff website, the committee ranks teams based on members’ evaluation of the teams’ performance on the field, winning conference championships, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and lastly the comparison of results against common opponents to “decide among teams that are comparable”. The thought is that every team in the FBS has an equal chance to be in the playoff. Like most systems, of course this is not true. For example, in 2017 the University of Central Florida was 12-0 and won their conference. However, they did not make it into the College Football Playoff. This is not to say that they deserved it over other teams, but rather to show you all that sometimes being undefeated does not always guarantee entry.

So now that we see the people in charge, what happens after the committee has made up their minds on the final four? These teams play in two separate semi-final games. The 1 seed plays the 4 seed, and 2 plays 3. And those winners go on to play one another on “Championship Monday”. However, the committee does not simply make a decision at the end of the season; rather, they keep a running ranking of teams and where they stand in the CFB Playoff rankings and, in the latter half of the season, they provide their current final 4. Each week matters though as any one game result can completely reshuffle list. The committee unveiled their first ranking this year on November 5. It showed who the top 4 teams would be if the season ended that day, followed by the rest of the pack. Here is the current rankings followed by my predictions on who makes the final cut on December 8.

As you can see, the top four as it stands features LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, and Georgia. LSU just knocked off Alabama on the road at Alabama in what will go down as one of the all time instant classics in College Football history. Ohio State is still undefeated as well and just beat the brakes off of Maryland, 73-14. Clemson is also undefeated and look to continue their ACC dominance, while Georgia is at one loss on the season but it came to South Carolina… ouch. Alabama, Oregon, Utah, and undefeated Minnesota (big surprise there) all are knocking on the door. My predictions for the College Football are as follows: 1. LSU 2. Ohio St 3. Clemson and 4. Alabama.

LSU is the team to beat in the SEC, and the country. They have all but secured the SEC west which means barring any unexpected losses, they likely meet Georgia in the SEC championship. A win there solidifies them easily. Perhaps even a loss to Georgia still keeps them in due to the committee’s feelings about Georgia, placing them at 4. But here is why Alabama sneaks in at 4: they are in front of undefeated Minnesota currently, so this says the committee loves their body of work over theirs already; Alabama knows they can’t lose again, and honestly they probably won’t; they do, however, have Auburn still on their schedule which if they win, only helps their case for the playoff; and IF LSU beats Georgia in the SEC Championship then that makes Georgia a 2 loss team. Bye Bye. Truthfully, I believe the committee did Alabama some favors putting them at 5. What happens with the rest of the teams behind them will play a role for sure, but I do not see it impacting Bama too much. Plus… politics. The committee won’t miss out on their money and having good ole’ Bama in means money.

Ohio State has run through opponents all year. They have two big games left against Penn State at home and on the road at rival Michigan. Everyone who knows me, knows it kills me to say that they (OSU) will win. Honestly, I believe this year is the year for my Wolverines to knock off the Buckeyes. But I know how this all works out… and for some reason they always find a way. Plus the committee loves them. Nonetheless, I’ll be rooting for both Penn State and Michigan to knock them off, but… sigh.

Meanwhile, Clemson owns the ACC. There are not a ton of teams in that conference who can compete with them, and that scares me away from picking them for the playoff. It’ll be argued that they are the least talented team out of the let’s say top 5 for now, but we have heard that before. You play who is in front of you and as of now, Clemson has done nothing to give us the idea that they won’t take care of business. Sorry Georgia, Oregon, Minnesota, Utah, and the field. A case could be made for one loss Oregon if they happen to face off and beat Utah in the Pac-12 championship. Vice Versa for Utah. The problem is they play in a weak Pac-12. They are at the top of that conference, but everyone below is either horrible at defense, or horrible at both defense and offense. Sorry not sorry. Minnesota likely won’t finish the year undefeated. They are a heck of a story, but must face Iowa on the road and if you win that and make it to the Big Ten Championship, you know who they’ll face. I will go on record of saying that it is crazy to me they are ranked so low considering the uphill climb they’ve faced to be undefeated. Alabama, Oregon, and Utah all haven’t beaten a team currently ranked in the top-25. Minnesota just beat one… just saying. I’m not a believer per se, but hey they deserve their moment in the sun.

I apologize for the delay of this post. But as always, I appreciate you all reading. Leave a comment, share the blog, and subscribe for up-to-date content. I hope you enjoyed and even learned a few things. I love you all, thank you again! – Quis

Featured

The Current State of the NBA: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

The NBA season is not even a month in and we have already seen our fair share of big time games, big time devastations, and big time “What was that?!” moments. In all honesty, what more do you expect from the NBA, WHERE AMAZING HAPPENS? Some of us are well-versed in everything NBA related, some of us aren’t. Either way, lets take a look into the good, bad, and ugly so far with this year’s NBA Season

The Good

Los Angeles Lakers

What’s up LA? The NBA isn’t right when Lebron is down. Even more so when he plays for one of the most recognizable, if not THE most recognizable franchise in the league in the Los Angeles Lakers. This year the Lakers sit at 6-1 with their only loss being on opening night to crosstown rival, Clippers. Lebron James just became the first laker since Magic Johnson in 1987 (Lakers fans love when his name pops up — reminds them of the golden days) to record three consecutive triple doubles as a laker. To start the season 26.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 11.1 assists per game. Not bad for a 34 year old, “#washed” small forward. But the Lakers have another superstar in Anthony Davis. I was not a big fan of the move, but for his career purposes I understand why it had to happen when it did. Anthony Davis is in a Lakers uniform and still being his same dominating self. Averaging 26.6 points per game and 10.9 rebounds. He also has a 40 point and 20 rebound game on his resume already this season, where he joined the likes of George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, and Shaquille O’Neal as the only other Lakers to ever do it. Oh and he did that only playing three quarters. Perhaps what is more surprising has been the contributions from guys such as Dwight Howard, Danny Green, and Javale McGee. Dwight Howard is not the all-star he used to be by any stretch, however he has dominated periodically alongside Davis and James this season. The Lakers are BACK! Finally.

Phoenix Suns

This team is not one I ever thought I would be associating with good when it comes to the NBA. For one, I am still bitter about how they did Tyler Ulis, but that is neither here nor there. For those of you who do not know, here is a quick history lesson of the Suns. The Suns have not made the playoffs since the 2009-2010 season! Little known fact, Steve Kerr, the coach for the Golden State Warriors was actually the president and general manager of the team that year. Alvin Gentry was their head coach and they had Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash. I am sure we are all familiar with these guys. Either way, that was 10 years ago. But now we are in the present. A new day is upon the Phoenix franchise. They are young. They have good players. They…win?? Must be 2019 or something! But in all serious, the Suns were 19-63 last season…Right now they are 5-2. It’s early, but the Suns are 5-2. They just knocked off the last unbeaten in the league in the Sixers, albeit without Joel Embiid (for my readers who do not know, he likes to fight). The only offseason moves they made was adding Ricky Rubio, re-signing Kelly Oubre, and signing Frank Kaminsky. They drafted Cameron Johnson and Ty Jerome. On paper, none of this is splash worthy for a team who was at the bottom of the league, but somehow they look good, even great at times! Devin Booker appears to have taken the next step, he is leading this team. Not just scoring for them, but leading. He is shooting almost 54% from the field, 50% from three, and 90% from the free throw line. Unheard of. Kelly Oubre who I think is fantastic, looks the part. Ricky Rubio adds a much needed steady player at the point. Good for you Phoenix. Good for you.

Trae Young and Brandon Ingram

Here comes a bold take. A friend of mine said it first and I have been riding with it since he said it. TRAE YOUNG IS A TOP 5 POINT GUARD. If you do not agree, feel free to leave a comment with 5 better and we can have the conversation. He has been nothing but sensational this season. Not just stat wise, but even just looking at him play is pure beauty. Check out the highlights below if you don’t believe me. If you do believe me, still watch them because it’s great content. He currently ranks 7th in the NBA in scoring at 27.2 points per game and 6th in assists per game with 8.4 assists per game. Oh and of the guys ahead of him in points per game, he averages the fewest minutes per game. Just saying. I think he deserved at least a share of last year’s Rookie of the Year, but him not receiving it seems to have put a chip on his shoulder for more this season. Look for Trae Young to make an All-NBA team this year as well as the all-star game. If he wants to, he may just mess around and win the three point contest if he wants to.

Now, as for Brandon Ingram it is safe to say nobody saw this coming. The Lakers shipped him off to NOLA as a gateway to Anthony Davis, and from the looks of it the trade is working well at least for Brandon Ingram if not the Pelicans. The Pelicans are a young team waiting for potential superstar Zion Williamson to return from injury. Many fans thought all hope was lost, at least for now. But Brandon Ingram has had other things in mind. He stole the show on opening night against the defending champion Raptors. He continued that the next game and the next game. He dueled with James Harden and finished that game with 35 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 14-22 from the field. In LA last season he averaged 18.3 points per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Not bad at all, but considering his role on that team and his at time lackadaisical and uninterested look, people wanted more. Well more is here! He is averaging 25.9 points per game while shooting 55% from the field. He got knocked out of one game and only played 13 minutes finishing with 7 points in that timespan, so he very well could average even more. Either way he responded with a 40 point outburst against Kyrie and the Brooklyn Nets two nights later. Brandon Ingram for Most Improved Player of the Year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVPSjnRxTG0

The Bad

The NBA Drug Problem

The National Basketball League has a drug problem. So far this year we have seen 3 players suspended for PEDs. In the league’s existence, only 10 players previously had been suspended. These 3 make it 13 and when you look at it on a grand scale considering how long the NBA has been around, it does not seem like that big of a deal. But it is. If 3 players have been caught just this year, what does that say for the rest of the league? Guys do not just blindly take these Performance Enhancers. So is the NBA testing more frequently or what? A story recently came out where Derrick Rose in 2011 was asked to rate PED usage in the NBA on a scale of 1 to 10. He responded with, “seven”. There was more to the quote, but the fact that he chose the number 7 already is a red flag. The NBA drug policy is not as well-developed or as heavily discussed as the NFL or even the MLB. With over 70 games left however, and 3 players already suspended 25 game a piece, who knows what could happen with the NBA this season. Let’s hope these 3 guys were just being silly and not that the league truly has a problem.

The Knicks

Before we get into this let me say. I am a sad, sad, Knicks fan. It pains me to have gotten tricked once again by all the hoopla surrounding the “Same ol’ Knicks”. 1 win. 6 losses. I am on record as having said we are a playoff team. After watching the first 7 games, I was most definitely incorrect. At least right now. The season could take a turn but who am I kidding? The Knicks are second to last in points per game only in front of the Magic…a team they lost to. They also rank second to last in field goal percentage. Last year Mitchell Robinson emerged as a potential star due to his defensive prowess. Somehow he’s been relegated to an off the bench role while older players take his minutes and his development time. Kevin Knox looks good off the bench, but you still want to see him grow considering he was the first round selection two drafts ago. RJ Barrett looks like a bright spot, but there is drama surrounding his “load management”. He leads the team in minutes at 37.1. At 19, is it an issue? Maybe. Maybe not. All in all, the Knicks are still a mess. They will continue to be a mess, and it is sad.

The Ugly

Injuries

The NBA season is so young, yet we have been plagued by injuries dating back to last season. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Paul George, John Wall all missing from NBA action just doesn’t feel right. As if that wasn’t enough, the next NBA Superstar and potential face of the league Zion Williamson has been sidelined with a knee injury. In the preseason he dazzled us with monstrous dunks and insane efficiency. All of that to leave us waiting for more. AND AS IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH, the injury demons took Stephen Curry from us. I had Steph winning MVP this season and showing everyone just how great he really is. His first few games did not look the best. His team struggled and now the Warriors have become a bit of a laughing stock within the league. If you are counting that is 6 big pieces to the NBA Star puzzle missing. Here is another that many people do not know a ton about, Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi as we know is a bit of a mystery. He sat almost an entire season due to an injury back when he played for the Spurs. Now he is almost insanely particular about his load management. It seems as though he has a knee injury on top of his load management ordeal. It is unusual and also another thing depriving NBA fans of one of its stars on a nightly basis.

James Harden

James Harden is a top 5 NBA talent do not get that confused as I write about him in the ugly. He leads the league in scoring as we have come to expect year in and year out. BUT, the issue that has placed James Harden on my ugly list is his inconsistency/shooting percentages. Lets take a look at Harden’s Stats through 7 games

  1. 2-13 fg 1-8 from 3  w/ 7 Turnovers
  2. 8-29 fg 2-18 from 3 w/ 8 Turnovers
  3. 8-21 fg 3-14 from 3 w/ 4 Turnovers
  4. 18-32 fg 6-14 from 3 w/ 4 Turnovers
  5. 10-31 fg 2-16 from 3 w/ 5 Turnovers
  6. 6-14 fg 3-9 from 3 w/ 6 turnovers
  7. 12-28 fg 7-16 from 3 w/6 turnovers

These stats don’t look amazing. If you blindly looked you’d probably say this guy has to be taking bad shots or something. Plus the turnovers? Man it is just ugly. In all he is shooting 38% from the field and 25% from the three point line. Harden however is averaging 36.6 points per game. Does that make up for the horrible percentages? I don’t think so. It is a long season so I fully expect him to up his percentages if nothing else, but sheesh that is not what you expect from a former league MVP.

Featured

My First Post: College Basketball Top 25 + My Projections

A Look at the NCAA Top 25 Projections

This year’s 2019 Preseason Top 25 has been out now for a little over two weeks. Let’s just say I am appalled. Here it is, I will give my thoughts after.

  1. Michigan State
  2. Kentucky
  3. Kansas
  4. Duke
  5. Louisville
  6. Florida
  7. Maryland
  8. Gonzaga
  9. North Carolina
  10. Villanova
  11. Virginia
  12. Seton Hall
  13. Texas Tech
  14. Memphis
  15. Oregon
  16. Baylor
  17. Utah State
  18. Ohio State
  19. Xavier
  20. Saint Mary’s
  21. Arizona
  22. LSU
  23. Purdue
  24. Auburn
  25. VCU

In looking at this list, I see a couple of surprises. Shoutout to VCU on making the Top 25, sitting at number 25. This team has a bevy of seniors who have now been in Coach Mike Rhodes’ system for some time. De’Riante Jenkins, Issac Vann, Mike’L Simms, and star point guard Marcus Evans form a strong quartet of seniors for the Rams. I look for them to keep a steady place in the rankings for much of the season and ultimately win the A-10. My biggest surprise from this list has to be Memphis sitting at 14. Many people/analysts are either hot or cold on Penny’s Tigers, but I believe they are a Top 10 team and will demonstrate that throughout the season. They will have an early test at #15 Oregon at the start of November, but I believe they will win that one off of pure talent. Not many coaches can say they landed a top 5 recruiting class in year 2. Year 2! I mean some coaches go 5-10 years and never get one…No offense to any coaches who fall in that space, but hey if the shoe fits. Anyhow, potential top 5 pick, James Wiseman, is the crown jewel of this class, but I predict Boogie Ellis, a former Duke commit to be one to watch for this upcoming year.

My next surprise will get a lot of backlash from people who enjoy slow and boring, but championship basketball. I hate to say it, but I am not buying UVA as a top 15 team. I just have a hard time seeing them replace three NBA guys in a year’s time without making any major splashes recruiting wise. I think slotting them at 11 is generous. I understand they did just win the title, and Tony Bennett is an amazing coach, however who is their guy this year? Do you play through title run surprise, Mamadi Diakite? Braxton Key? UVA is known for their stifling defensive teams, but we cannot overlook the impact guys like Deandre Hunter, Kyle Guy, and Ty Jerome had for them offensively. If UVA wants to be successful this year and defend their title, somebody has to emerge. They start the season with Syracuse, who is always a tough draw so we will find out what this team is made of early.

How about a bit of an overreaction? Duke beating Northwest Missouri State by 6 points in their first exhibition. I know Coach K will have his guys ready by the start of the season, but geez that does not look good for the #4 team in the country. Especially considering their first meeting of the season is with Kansas. Most Duke teams do not truly hit their stride until midway through the season, but if any Duke team is to have a down year, it may be this one. I like the recruits, I love the coach, but Zion and RJ are gone. Matthew Hurt, Cassius Stanley, and Vernon Carey are in. I know some guys who are high on them but am I? We will see. Now to my projections for conference champions in the Power 6 as well as Conference POY’s.

ACC: UNC POY: Cole Anthony

Cole Anthony and Garrison Brooks form one of the better duos in the ACC and in the country. UNC will struggle shooting the three, but I believe Cole Anthony will be one of the best players in the league and the country as a whole. This UNC team is also a lot deeper than some think. Leaky Black and grad transfer Justin Pierce bring some nice scoring off the bench for Roy’s squad. They’ll split with Duke this year when they meet but other than that I do not see them losing too much more in conference. As for POY, of course I went with Cole Anthony. I seem like a bit of a homer at this point but the guy is special. His scoring ability matched with his IQ will make him a tough matchup for opposing guards all season. The ACC officially tabbed Louisville forward, Jordan Nwora as their preseason player of the year so we will see how this plays out.

BIG 12: Kansas POY: Tristan Clark

Kansas, Kansas, Kansas. Everyone knows who this conference runs through and this year will be no different. Under the watchful eye of the NCAA(who likes those guys?) Bill Self and his crew will look to dodge sanctions and losing the Big 12 title for the second year in a row. Which sounds crazy because they’ve won it like 10 thousand times already. Either way, Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike are a lot to deal with. If healthy, they rival that one-two punch I mentioned earlier out of the ACC. Azubuike gets hurt three times a year, but hey maybe this year will be different? And if not, BIG DAVE TO THE RESCUE!!! Dotson has potential to win the POY in the conference, lets hope Self’s team keeps it head this year and doesn’t implode. Onto POY, if you do not know this guy, get to know him! Tristan Clark is a walking double double. His season was cut short last year but he shot almost 74% from the field, had double figures in nearly all 14 games he played, and he blocks shots like it is nothing. He is what a mentor of mine likes to call… A DUDE. Player of the Year, easily.

Big East: Villanova? POY: Markus Howard

Not going to lie, the Big East is always hard for me to predict. It seems like Villanova wins it every year, but somehow they actually don’t. Yet they are who we talk about. Last year was a disappointment to say the least, but this is Jay Wright we are talking about, right? I am not certain on this pick, but it is my blog so I’m going out on a limb and trusting these guys once more. Seton Hall is a trendy pick. They have their whole team back almost and Myles Powell is tough. But, Jay Wright and his guys should figure it out this year I believe. They will lose a game or two that they shouldn’t. Georgetown may scare some folks this year, and the Big East will be the Big East, but Nova comes out on top. They have to. POY is an easy one! Markus Howard is a WALKING BUCKET. Don’t tell Ja Morant that, but Howard doesn’t have to see him this year so Markus Howard shoots his way to Player of the Year while also contending for National POY if his guys can win some big games.

Big Ten: Michigan State POY: Cassius Winston

Disclaimer: I hate Michigan State. But I’m not stupid so I will pull myself together to say some nice things about them. Cassius Winston is different. He torched my Wolverines 3 times. 3! It plays over and over in my head whenever I think of my Wolverines’ season. Maryland has Jalen Smith and are being picked to contend with Michigan State for the conference title. At the end of the day, I think the Big Ten as always will feature some slugfests and ultimately be a fight to the finish. Ohio State should be much better this year, Illinois, Purdue, and don’t count out my Wolverines. It will be tough, but only the strong survive and with Tom Izzo and Cassius Winston I firmly believe Michigan State comes out on top. As you can see, Cassius Winston wins POY. Almost unanimously in my book. ESPN says it, I say it, you should say it. Nobody in the Big Ten matches this guy in talent except maybe Joshua Langford and well they play on the same team and Langford is hurt…again. Look for Jalen Smith and Lamar Stevens to be spectacular this season, but Winston wins it again this season.

Pac 12: Arizona POY: Tres Tinkle

Let’s keep it real here, the PAC 12 hasn’t been much in the last few years. Oregon made a run last season as a 12 seed. But, other than that they’ve been dormant. You haven’t heard of Arizona in a while have you? No. Me neither, and it just doesn’t seem right. So let’s go out on a limb here and say they come back and win the PAC 12 this season. I like Nico Mannion, I like Chase Jeter on this team, I like the fact that the PAC 12 sucks in my opinion so I like Arizona. Remember Max Hazzard? Played for UC Irvine when they made the tournament. Well he plays for Arizona and he can fill it up. I look for him to play a big role whether it is starting or off the bench. Oregon and Colorado will keep it competitive atop the league, but I have Arizona pulling it out. Here is someone nobody knows about! Tres Tinkle. 5 star name, so he wins POY for me. I had to do my research on the guys left in the conference, but when I came across Tinkle from Oregon State I noticed the guy always averages near 20 a game, since his freshman year and close to 10 rebounds. He’s my pick! Think Joe Ingles in the college game and you’ve got Tres. Smooth, lefty who fills it up. I may have to stay up and watch him play once or twice, the guy can go! Check him out.

SEC: Kentucky POY: Anthony Edwards

I love Ashton Hagans! He is one of my favorite players to watch in CBB. I love Calipari, I love this year’s Kentucky team. Let’s look at the roster for a second. Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Nick Richards, EJ Montgomery, Immanuel Quickley, and Nate Sestina(insider knowledge: If you don’t know him…you’ll get to know him) and that is just some of the pieces this team has. Calipari likes to run, he likes to play guys. We’ve seen him go five in and five out before. I don’t see Hagans coming off the floor ever. Heck, I do not want the guy off the floor, he is that good. He is a DUDE! I hear you Florida, but I don’t see you. LSU is always tough, Tennessee are you rebuilding or what? Kentucky all the way. I want to see Jerry Stackhouse do something at Vandy, but it’ll be a few years. Either way, rooting for him because why not? Great guy. Now, my player of the year. I love the young guys, Anthony Edwards. Plays hard, scores the ball, big chip on his shoulder. I think he is one of those once in a blue moon talents. Georgia has a chance as long as this guy gets going and stays going. Edwards is a top 5 talent. Book it!

That is all for my first post! I hope you all enjoy it, I enjoyed writing it for sure. Share the link if you like it, leave a comment, etc, etc. I plan to post on Wednesday nights and Sunday nights to start. May dial it back depending on the amount of content available, but with the NFL season, CFB season, NBA season, and CBB season kicking off we good! Have a great day folks, one love! – Quis

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started