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In recent years, we’ve seen a major surge in tweets from media members and pundits that end with: “both things can be true.” Tweets such as these are required, given the binary mode of thinking that is so prevalent in America these days. Despite rapid advances in information technology and ways to disseminate that information, more people are regressing intellectually.
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During a four day span in March of 2016, the United Center in Chicago, Illinois hosted two events that had served as a major crossroads in the recent history of Virginia Cavaliers basketball. On Sunday March 27, Virginia blew a 16 point lead to a #10 seeded Syracuse team that most people believed only got into the big dance due to their brand name.
The epic collapse in this Regional Final game was scarring for UVA fans. Three days later, on the same exact court, high school senior and Cavaliers commit Kyle Guy played in the McDonald’s All-American Game.
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(Editor’s note: this story was originally posted in mid-season of 2017-2018. In light of Cassius Winston leading MSU to the Final Four this weekend, the timeliness of the subject matter mandates we move the article link back to the top of the site’s feed)
Any time you turn a Michigan State basketball game on this year, keep an eye on #5, the Spartans head-band wearing point guard named Cassius Winston. By the time his career in East Lansing is over, he might reside in the rarified air with Magic Johnson and Mateen Cleaves. MSU has an extremely storied tradition at the one- Scott Skiles, Kalin Lucas, Eric Snow, Drew Neitzel, Denzel Valentine (on occasion) to name a few.
Of course, Cleaves and Magic are on another level as they won a national title. Maybe Cassius Winston joins this elite of the elite club this April?
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(Editor’s note: this story was originally posted in mid-season of 2017-2018. In light of Cassius Winston leading MSU to the Final Four this weekend, the timeliness of the subject matter mandates we move the article link back to the top of the site’s feed)
Michigan State Spartans Coach Tom Izzo has said that point guard Cassius Winston has the highest IQ out of anybody that he’s ever coached at the position. The MSU basketball media guide describes Winston as having a “high basketball IQ that ranks among the best of the Izzo era.”
We’ve seen that he’s a smart guy on the court- time and time again this season, and his hoops intellect was on full display in the historic, record-setting comeback win at Northwestern on Saturday. The Spartans overcame a 27 point deficit, the biggest margin in all of college basketball in 24 years and the largest in B1G history.
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(Editor’s note: this story was originally posted after Big Ten Media Day in October. In light of Cassius Winston leading MSU to the Final Four this weekend, the timeliness of the subject matter mandates we move the article link back to the top of the site’s feed)
“Strange, you’re right. He got into Harvard. I mean, I don’t have a lot of guys that do that,” Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo responded when we asked him about his star point guard, Cassius Winston. The query was about how the floor general who wears #5 for the Spartans measures up in terms of book smarts and just overall intelligence, and what kind of intellectualism he has off the court.
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Saturday night you will say goodbye to “the narratives” (such an overused word these days) surrounding Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers or Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers. Neither coach has been to the Final Four.
It’s been 35 years since Virginia has reached college basketball’s promised land; 39 for Purdue. It’s the proverbial “something’s gotta give” game as one side will finally see the “they just don’t make deep runs in March” motif put to rest for good (or at least for a long while). The time is now for either the Purdue Boilermakers or the Virginia Cavaliers to get “off brand,” and the opportunity to do so begins Saturday night at 8:49 EST on TBS.
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Purdue’s unexpected early exit from the Big Ten Tournament is now ancient history as they won handily in Hartford last night over Old Dominion 61-48 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Boilermakers will next take on the defending national champions Villanova Wildcats at approximately 7:40 p.m. central on Saturday, March 23 on TNT. Some believe that the Boilermakers’ surprise early ending in Chicago will be a blessing in disguise, as it gives the team some rest, and more time to get ready for the big dance.
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We’re in the midst of what many declare the greatest four days on the American sports calendar- the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Colloquially (and trademarked) known as “March Madness,” it’s a Thursday-Sunday span that sees a field of 64 college basketball teams swiftly reduced to 16.
In order to make this happen, the games start in late morning and run until very late in the evening. It’s a time when work productivity is at its lowest because, at least for these three weekends, just about everybody is a college basketball fan. The sport only enjoys a very tiny niche following the rest of the year, but for this month, it’s front and center.
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By Frankie Wallace
Image Source: Pexels
In February, eight basketball players from the University of Mississippi knelt during the national anthem in order to protest two confederate sympathizer groups who had gathered on their college campus. The hate groups’ rallies were formed in support of a sculpture of a confederate soldier on the school’s campus. Regardless, the Ole Miss players’ silent protest stirred up some controversy around the sports media world.
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Asked to give his initial thoughts on drawing #15 seed Bradley in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo was surprisingly defensive.
“I don’t have any thoughts on that. I guess the only thoughts I have is I’ve been-1-seed and been a 7-seed. Got to a Final Four as a 7 and got beat the first weekend as the 1,” he responded in a tone that was less jovial than expected from a coach who had just won the Big Ten Tournament title.
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Last St. Patrick’s Day, University of Maryland-Baltimore County shocked Virginia 74-54 to become the first No. 16 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament to ever beat a No. 1 seed.
And with that upset, the Retrievers became media darlings, lovable underdogs, breakers of brackets all over the world. Thanks to UMBC, there were just 25 perfect brackets remaining among the tens of millions submitted before March Madness began.
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Lots of college basketball pundits have deemed the Big Ten the strongest conference in the nation this season, and the numbers seen to verify this. From top to bottom, it’s the strongest conference in the country, but it’s strongest teams aren’t among the elite of the elite nationally.
The Big Ten has three teams, #6 Michigan State, #10 Michigan and #13 Purdue that have a legitimate shot of winning it all, but none are likely to earn a #1 seed on Selection Sunday. You won’t find any of that trio among the top favorites to be crowned kings of March Madness either. In short, the Midwestern based league, headquartered in Chicago, is just not top heavy enough.
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