The Best of Money
The most wonderful time of the year is coming to an end. How sad. We are currently in the “2 week superbowl media hype” period. After weeks of non-stop action, where it seemed that every game went into overtime, we now have our Final Four. UCLA, LSU, George Mason and Florida.
I plan to discuss the matchups later this week. For now, I thought I would use this time to “hype” up The Truth. Most of my clients are quick to point out when I am wrong, but seldom do I get any feedback for being right. I was wrong about Kansas. They were too young and are developing a trend of early exits under Bill Self. I was somewhat wrong about Florida in that, I was not a believer of early season success, but I was impressed with their finish and selected them as one of my Final Four picks. With that, I give you my greatest hits.
The TRUTH was out there. You just didn’t read it:
This article was written March 14, 2006. This just gives some context to my final four picks.
Those of you who have been reading The Truth know how much I like Uconn, as well as my love affair with Kansas and non-sexual crush on UCLA. Nothing on my end has changed. Uconn has the best talent and a pretty reasonable shot to get to the final game. They are my pick to win it all. There are a few other teams I considered as well, but ultimately I had to stick with the Huskies from Connecticut. If Uconn does not win it all, the title will be captured by one of these 4 teams; UCLA, Kansas, Memphis or Texas. Nobody else has a chance! Sorry to ruin your March.
If you are anything like me, gifted athlete and extremely bright, then you probably have filled out many brackets/pools. I have filled out 3. I think my favorite Final Four has UCLA defeating Texas and UConn defeating Florida with Uconn winning it all.Who are the sleepers? I have three. I think Marquette and Texas A&M could make it to the Great 8 and Georgetown could advance as far as the Final Four. A lot has to go right for these teams to advance, but they have the components that make it a possibility.
This article was a “4 Minutes of Hell” article where I discussed the current top 25. I think there were some interesting comments, both good and bad ones. This was written March 3, 2006.
AP Top 25
1) Duke – Sweet 16 trip for Duke is almost always assured. Getting further will be a challenge.
2) Uconn – The most talented team in the nation…when they want to be.
3) Memphis – Will the “time off” hurt their tournament run?
4) Villanova – This team is starting to grow on me.
5) Gonzaga – I don’t want Morrison’s season to end, but I fear an early exit.
6) Texas – Loss at A&M proves Money’s point. Talented but too inconsistent.
7) George Washington – I cannot tell a lie. I don’t believe in this team.
8) Pittsburgh – I wouldn’t want to play this team.
9) Ohio state – “Villanova light”. Their guards are not quite as good, but the frontcourt is better.
10) Illinois – Great wins over the Top 25 in the RPI.
11) Tennessee – Great offense, no defense = early exit.
12) Boston College – Just another mediocre ACC team.
13) North Carolina – Will go further than Duke.
14) Washington – With Brandon Roy, ANYTHING is possible.
15) UCLA – Typical UCLA team. Not! Great defense, nothing special on offense.
16) West Virginia – They had their run last year. I love Gansey though.
17) Florida – They have really dropped in the last month.
18) Kansas – Exposed versus Texas, but bounced back nicely against Colorado.
19) Oklahoma – Lucky.
20) Georgetown – Still good. Don’t forget about them.
21) LSU – Final Four contender.
22) North Carolina state – Their team consists of 5 similar, not very good, players.
23) Iowa – One of the best defensive teams in the country, with a capable offense. Beware.
24) Nevada – This team does nothing for me. Fazekas is not very good and nobody can shoot on this team.
25) Michigan state – The Sporting News preseason #1 pick. Fourth best team in the Big Ten.
The Next team? NC Wilmington. It starts with their defense, which is one of the best. George Mason hogs the press from their league, but this team could make a run to the sweet 16.
This article was written Tuesday, February 28, 2006. It was at this time that I started to develop my man crush on Brandon Roy. I remember this moment like it was yesterday.
My opinion of the Pac 10 is changing slightly. It still think the conference is very average (don’t get me started on Cal, who now HAS to win one of these games this week to get into the tournament), but Washington is now making a bigger impression on me and I am now comfortable including them in a conversation with UCLA as a candidate to possibly reach the final four. They may have even leapfrogged UCLA in Money’s mind.
As I have mentioned in the past, to make it to the Final Four (I capitalize this event. It is that big of a deal) you need good guard play and strong defense. UCLA and Washington both have that. I would argue that one other thing can help dramatically; a clutch, or “Money” player. You need to have a guy that wants the ball at the end of the game and is not afraid of taking that game-changing shot. Brandon Roy of Washington is that type of guy. He has a good supporting cast too, so it would not surprise me to see this team advance and do well.
So when it is all said and done, and I say the “Huskies” will win it all, don’t take my advice so literally, as I am probably talking about the team in Connecticut but, I may be hedging my bet and speaking of the team from Washington.
I should have stuck with my “mailbag” feature. Who knew how Money I could be. This article will make me famous.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Money,
What’s with your love affair of Kansas? It seems that you “make out” with them any chance you can get. I know you consider them a dark horse final four contender, are there others?
-Spuds
Spuds,
You are right, I like Kansas a lot, but I don’t think I am ready to take that relationship to the next level. To make it to the Final Four you need a team that plays tough defense with good guard play. Kansas could be there, same with Iowa, LSU, UCLA, George Mason and Arkansas.
Money,
I went to Santa Clara and am a big believer in the WCC. Do my Broncos have a chance to make the tournament? How far will Gonzaga go?
T-Bone
T-Bone,
The Broncos will have to win their conference tournament to make the NCAA tournament. Travis Niesen gives them hope, but their season will likely be done after the conference tournament. Incidentally, my hoops game has been compared to that lad.I think Gonzaga will get to the sweet 16, but have a really hard time advancing any further. It would not shock me to see them lose in the second round. I do love Morrison (more than I love Kansas) and am hoping he plays until the end.
$
I plan to discuss the matchups later this week. For now, I thought I would use this time to “hype” up The Truth. Most of my clients are quick to point out when I am wrong, but seldom do I get any feedback for being right. I was wrong about Kansas. They were too young and are developing a trend of early exits under Bill Self. I was somewhat wrong about Florida in that, I was not a believer of early season success, but I was impressed with their finish and selected them as one of my Final Four picks. With that, I give you my greatest hits.
The TRUTH was out there. You just didn’t read it:
This article was written March 14, 2006. This just gives some context to my final four picks.
Those of you who have been reading The Truth know how much I like Uconn, as well as my love affair with Kansas and non-sexual crush on UCLA. Nothing on my end has changed. Uconn has the best talent and a pretty reasonable shot to get to the final game. They are my pick to win it all. There are a few other teams I considered as well, but ultimately I had to stick with the Huskies from Connecticut. If Uconn does not win it all, the title will be captured by one of these 4 teams; UCLA, Kansas, Memphis or Texas. Nobody else has a chance! Sorry to ruin your March.
If you are anything like me, gifted athlete and extremely bright, then you probably have filled out many brackets/pools. I have filled out 3. I think my favorite Final Four has UCLA defeating Texas and UConn defeating Florida with Uconn winning it all.Who are the sleepers? I have three. I think Marquette and Texas A&M could make it to the Great 8 and Georgetown could advance as far as the Final Four. A lot has to go right for these teams to advance, but they have the components that make it a possibility.
This article was a “4 Minutes of Hell” article where I discussed the current top 25. I think there were some interesting comments, both good and bad ones. This was written March 3, 2006.
AP Top 25
1) Duke – Sweet 16 trip for Duke is almost always assured. Getting further will be a challenge.
2) Uconn – The most talented team in the nation…when they want to be.
3) Memphis – Will the “time off” hurt their tournament run?
4) Villanova – This team is starting to grow on me.
5) Gonzaga – I don’t want Morrison’s season to end, but I fear an early exit.
6) Texas – Loss at A&M proves Money’s point. Talented but too inconsistent.
7) George Washington – I cannot tell a lie. I don’t believe in this team.
8) Pittsburgh – I wouldn’t want to play this team.
9) Ohio state – “Villanova light”. Their guards are not quite as good, but the frontcourt is better.
10) Illinois – Great wins over the Top 25 in the RPI.
11) Tennessee – Great offense, no defense = early exit.
12) Boston College – Just another mediocre ACC team.
13) North Carolina – Will go further than Duke.
14) Washington – With Brandon Roy, ANYTHING is possible.
15) UCLA – Typical UCLA team. Not! Great defense, nothing special on offense.
16) West Virginia – They had their run last year. I love Gansey though.
17) Florida – They have really dropped in the last month.
18) Kansas – Exposed versus Texas, but bounced back nicely against Colorado.
19) Oklahoma – Lucky.
20) Georgetown – Still good. Don’t forget about them.
21) LSU – Final Four contender.
22) North Carolina state – Their team consists of 5 similar, not very good, players.
23) Iowa – One of the best defensive teams in the country, with a capable offense. Beware.
24) Nevada – This team does nothing for me. Fazekas is not very good and nobody can shoot on this team.
25) Michigan state – The Sporting News preseason #1 pick. Fourth best team in the Big Ten.
The Next team? NC Wilmington. It starts with their defense, which is one of the best. George Mason hogs the press from their league, but this team could make a run to the sweet 16.
This article was written Tuesday, February 28, 2006. It was at this time that I started to develop my man crush on Brandon Roy. I remember this moment like it was yesterday.
My opinion of the Pac 10 is changing slightly. It still think the conference is very average (don’t get me started on Cal, who now HAS to win one of these games this week to get into the tournament), but Washington is now making a bigger impression on me and I am now comfortable including them in a conversation with UCLA as a candidate to possibly reach the final four. They may have even leapfrogged UCLA in Money’s mind.
As I have mentioned in the past, to make it to the Final Four (I capitalize this event. It is that big of a deal) you need good guard play and strong defense. UCLA and Washington both have that. I would argue that one other thing can help dramatically; a clutch, or “Money” player. You need to have a guy that wants the ball at the end of the game and is not afraid of taking that game-changing shot. Brandon Roy of Washington is that type of guy. He has a good supporting cast too, so it would not surprise me to see this team advance and do well.
So when it is all said and done, and I say the “Huskies” will win it all, don’t take my advice so literally, as I am probably talking about the team in Connecticut but, I may be hedging my bet and speaking of the team from Washington.
I should have stuck with my “mailbag” feature. Who knew how Money I could be. This article will make me famous.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Money,
What’s with your love affair of Kansas? It seems that you “make out” with them any chance you can get. I know you consider them a dark horse final four contender, are there others?
-Spuds
Spuds,
You are right, I like Kansas a lot, but I don’t think I am ready to take that relationship to the next level. To make it to the Final Four you need a team that plays tough defense with good guard play. Kansas could be there, same with Iowa, LSU, UCLA, George Mason and Arkansas.
Money,
I went to Santa Clara and am a big believer in the WCC. Do my Broncos have a chance to make the tournament? How far will Gonzaga go?
T-Bone
T-Bone,
The Broncos will have to win their conference tournament to make the NCAA tournament. Travis Niesen gives them hope, but their season will likely be done after the conference tournament. Incidentally, my hoops game has been compared to that lad.I think Gonzaga will get to the sweet 16, but have a really hard time advancing any further. It would not shock me to see them lose in the second round. I do love Morrison (more than I love Kansas) and am hoping he plays until the end.
$
posted by Money at 10:59 AM
2 Comments:
As they would say in a Guiness comercial, . . . . . BRILLIANT!!
who else would have picked George Mason as a possible final four team!!!!
Only Money!!!!!!
Thanks Anonymous. I made several bold predictions this year, and this was one that looked good. Thanks for reading.
Money
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