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.

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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

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

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

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.

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

An Introduction to Me…The Writer and Creator

This post serves as an introduction of me to you, my very appreciated reader! I have battled with making this blog for months now. I went from wanting to make a blog to a podcast, but truthfully who would listen to me talk for more than 5 minutes. So that is how we got back to a blog. With that being said, WELCOME.

I am Marquis Johnson, Quis for short. I am a first year graduate student in the Sport and Recreation Leadership program at James Madison University. My passion has always been sports. I love to watch, play, and read about them. My areas of interest are mostly basketball and football, however I love baseball when I can get time to sit and watch a whole game. This blog serves as my space to discuss content related to college basketball, college football, the NFL, NBA, and honestly anything else sports-related that I believe you all would enjoy.

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