The big leaguers are back. With the first full day of the MLB season in the books, we can now turn our focus to the rest of the season. We got our first look at all 30 teams in the majors, so the question becomes, how will the rest of the season play out. Today marks the first edition of “Curtain Call,” so I’ll be walking you through the top storylines for 2017.

There is a lot of intrigue around the year, much of which starts the first title defense for the Chicago Cubs in the modern era. We also have the growing rumors surrounding some of the league’s superstars. It’s going to be a long ride to October, so let’s jump into the stories keep an eye on this year.

Can the Cubs Go Back-to-Back?

You can’t start any season without questioning whether the reigning champs have a legitimate shot of repeating. The short answer is yes in the case of the Chicago Cubs. The only change for the champs in the offseason was the departure of Dexter Fowler in free agency. It’s not too big of a concern though, because once again the Cubs are loaded once again this season.

When healthy, this is easily the most talented team in the majors. Reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant is one of the most versatile players in the game, with the ability to play at third base and in the outfield. He could hit anywhere in this lineup, but you will likely see him in the two-hole for much of the season. Bryant isn’t the only potential MVP candidate on this team either.

Anthony Rizzo is one of the top first basemen in baseball, and his prowess at the plate is a major asset to manager Joe Maddon. Rizzo is usually the three-hitter for the Cubs, which is the usual spot for a player of his caliber. However, there was talk during spring training that Rizzo could end up in the leadoff spot at times during the year.

When you look around the league, you have to wonder who could possibly stop the Cubs? Cleveland certainly showed it has a puncher’s chance, and even added Edwin Encarnacion to the lineup. For my money though, that is really the only team that I believe could get the job done in the postseason.

The National League has some solid teams like Washington and Los Angeles, but neither team really improved from last season. Chicago is still clearly the class of the NL, and it will take a phenomenal effort to beat them in a best-of-seven series.

Will Houston Take the Next Step?

If there is one team to keep an eye on in 2017 it’s the Houston Astros. While the Cubs may be the most talented team in baseball, the Astros are certainly in the discussion. This team has come a long way since losing 111 games in 2013, and have built up quite a roster through the draft.

Jose Altuve might be the best player that casual fans aren’t aware of yet. If the Astros hadn’t missed the playoffs a year ago (and the presence of Mike Trout), Altuve would have had a strong case to win the AL MVP. The reigning batting champion in the American League from last season is a 30-30 candidate this season.

Houston also boasts two of the best young players in baseball in Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman. Correa won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2015, and is quickly becoming one of the best shortstops in the league. He fell just short of 100 RBIs last season and if he cuts down on his strikeouts, Correa could become a dangerous hitter in this lineup behind Altuve.

Bregman could be in the discussion for AL Rookie of the Year this season (outside of Boston’s Andrew Benintendi). While Bregman struggled for a bit after his call-up late in the summer, he showed that he could quickly become a star. His power is off the charts for someone with such a small frame, hitting 20 home runs with a ridiculous .580 slugging percentage in the minors prior to making his MLB debut.

The only thing that I could see holding this team back is the pitching. Dallas Keuchel was a completely different pitcher last season while dealing with a shoulder injury for much of the season. That being said, he is a tremendous talent evidenced by his Cy Young-winning season in 2015. Houston will need him to anchor the pitching staff and return to his 2015-form if they want to make the postseason.

Colin McHugh and Lance McCullers Jr. will also need to step up in 2017. As a whole, the starting rotation in Houston did not excel, posting a total record of 51-48 with an average ERA over 4.00. While the Astros have a solid offense, the pitching has to be better if this team wants to be a contender in 2017.

Curiosity Surrounding Two of the MLB’s Top Players

 

High profile players often draw all sorts of speculation about their plans for the future. That could not be any more true than in the cases of Bryce Harper and reigning AL MVP Mike Trout. Harper and Trout are easily two of the top three players in baseball, but the biggest question about them has nothing to do with their play on the field.

Heading into 2017, rumors have been swirling that Harper may not resign with Washington when his contract expires after next season. That means the clock is ticking on the Nationals to figure out what to do with the former NL MVP. The problem for Washington is that signing Harper long-term will likely come at a historic cost.

At a rumored $400 million, Harper’s next contract will almost assuredly be the most lucrative of all-time. Unfortunately with the Nationals contending for a World Series right now, a contract of that size may be too big of a check to cash in the nation’s capital.

Despite Harper’s status as one of the best players in the league, his relationship with the team hasn’t exactly been the best during his time in the bigs. This will be one of the top stories to keep an eye on as the season progresses. If the relationship between Harper and the Nats splinters, there will be quite a few teams that would be willing to pony up the dough (and prospects) to acquire his services.

Quite possibly one of the most underreported stories in baseball is the situation with Mike Trout and the Angels. It’s no secret that Mike Trout is the best player in baseball at the tender age of 25. Trout already has two AL MVPs in his trophy case and is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Los Angeles is in danger of wasting his historic talent.

The Angels have only made the postseason once during the Trout-era, and have been going in the wrong direction over the past two seasons. Los Angeles won 94 games during Trout’s first MVP season in 2014, but have seen those win totals slip ever since. Los Angeles has made bad investments in free agency and boast the worst farm system in the league.

At a certain point, the Angels will have to make a decision regarding its star player. A rebuild would be the most logical way to try and win with Trout in an Angels uniform. The issue is that it will take a few years to get this team back into contention with the limited assets and money at its disposal. Trout is signed through the 2020 season, which gives Los Angeles time to right the ship.

Trout can win all of the individual awards he wants, but there will come a time when the lack of a World Series title will become a big issue. This is purely speculation on my part but this should be the first season where the Angels should seriously consider trading Trout. Los Angeles will need a few strokes of luck in the draft or the retirement of Albert Pujols to get better in enough time to keep Trout happy. The only realistic way I can see Los Angeles maximizing Trout’s value is to trade him sooner rather than later.

 

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with episode four of the Shooting the Moon Podcast, which will include my thoughts on the national championship, MLB predictions, and a Masters preview. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Happy Monday and a happy Opening Day (part two) to everyone! It’s a jam-packed edition of the “Weekend Recap,” and there is quite a bit to talk about today. I’ll be talking Final Four, the first half of Opening Day, and a massive upset in women’s basketball. Plus, I have a preview of tonight’s national championship game. Let’s jump right in and hit the highlights of the weekend.

A Wild Final Four Sets Up a Colossal National Title Game

Saturday night brought us a pair of wild games in the Final Four. Following a crazy second weekend of the NCAA tournament, the Final Four had a lot to measure up to. Luckily, both games delivered a ton of drama.

In the first game, Gonzaga was able to hold off tournament darling South Carolina to advance to its first national championship game in program history. The Bulldogs came in as a heavy favorite, and looked the part for much of the first 25 minutes of the game.

However, the theme of the tournament reared its head once again. The Zags couldn’t put the Gamecocks away on its first try. Down as much as 13 in the second half, South Carolina was able to engineer a furious six-minute stretch that pulled them ahead with seven minutes left in the game.

Gonzaga didn’t let that flurry get in its way of reaching the national title game though. A Zach Collins three-pointer and a pair of layups from Przemek Karnowski put the Zags back in front for good, allowing them to salt the game away with free throws to hang onto the victory.

The nightcap gave us another favorite holding off a hectic comeback attempt from the underdog. North Carolina advanced to its second consecutive national championship game by escaping with a one-point win over Oregon.

On last week’s episode of the Shooting the Moon Podcast, I mentioned that I thought the rebound battle would decide this game. Boy, did I nail that one right on the head. The Tar Heels led for the entire second half, but saw its lead cut to one-point with six seconds left in regulation.

As you could imagine, Oregon immediately fouled to extend the game. That plan almost worked to perfection as Kennedy Meeks missed both of his free throws. “Almost” is the operative word though because Theo Pinson was able to knock the ball away from Jordan Bell and right into the hands of Joel Berry II.

With four seconds left, it was Berry’s turn to try to seal the win for UNC. Unbelievably, Berry missed both of his free throws as well. This time it was Meeks who was able to tip the ball away from Bell, and the clock mercifully ticked down to triple zeroes giving UNC a one-point victory. This now sets up a potential classic in the national title game tonight, which I’ll talk about a little later.

Baseball is Back!

As the calendar turns from March to April, we move away from madness and replace it with the unbridled sense of hope that comes with Opening Day. The World Baseball Classic is a nice event, but for most of us baseball isn’t actually back until the first day of the regular season in the MLB.

We didn’t have to wait too long to see some late game drama either. The defending champion Cubs opened its 2017 campaign in hostile territory as they faced the rival St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis put a swift end to the championship honeymoon for Chicago.

The Cubs lineup was cold for most the night, but finally woke up in the top of the ninth. World Series hero Ben Zobrist was hit by a pitch to start the late game rally, then Jason Heyward singled to bring the tying run to the batter’s box. Wilson Contreras blasted a three-run home run to tie the game at three.

In the bottom of the ninth, it was Randall Grichuk who would send the crowd home happy. Grichuk, who hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, hit a walk-off single with the bases loaded to give the Cardinals a 4-3 win over the defending champions.

This wasn’t our first walk-off win of the season though. That honor went to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who spoiled a dominant performance by Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner. The ace for the Giants cruised early in the game, retiring the first 16 batters. He would end the day with 11 strikeouts and no walks over seven innings with three runs allowed.

Quick trivia question: who is the MLB home run leader after day one of the 2017 season? The answer is Bumgarner, who became the first pitcher in MLB history to hit two home runs on Opening Day.

Unfortunately, Bumgarner’s big day was all for naught. Mark Melancon was unable to bring home the win for San Francisco. They say the 27^th out is always the hardest one to get, and that held true in this game. Melancon, who signed a big four-year contract to be the closer for the Giants, retired his first two batters before allowing four consecutive hits. Chris Owings knocked in the game-winning run to give the Diamondbacks a walk-off win on Opening Day.

UConn’s Record Winning Streak Ends at the Women’s Final Four

The shocker of the weekend didn’t come at Wrestlemania in Orlando, but at the Women’s Final Four in Dallas. UConn saw its record 111-game winning streak end at the hands of Mississippi State on Friday night. Down two points with 26 seconds left in overtime, a flagrant-1 gave Connecticut two shots and the ball. Katie Lou Samuelson hit both free throws to tie the game up.

On the ensuing possession for UConn, you had the feeling that the Huskies would find a way to escape with the victory. However, UConn didn’t run the clock like many, especially the announce team, thought they would. Saniya Chong drove the lane with 13 seconds left to try and give the Huskies the lead. Morgan William, who made a great play to get her feet set to stop the drive without fouling, met Chong. Chong in the lane and forced the shot to sail out of bounds.

It was Mississippi State’s turn to try to win that game, and they wouldn’t squander the opportunity. William got the ball in the waning seconds of the overtime period and put up a jumper just over the outstretched arm of the UConn defender for the win.

This was a sweet measure of revenge for the Bulldogs, who were trounced by 60 in the tournament last year at the hands of UConn. Unfortunately, this story didn’t have a happy ending for Mississippi State, as they were beat soundly in the national title game by South Carolina.

Men’s National Title Preview (Gonzaga vs. North Carolina)

We bring today’s “Weekend Recap” full-circle with a look towards tonight’s national championship game between North Carolina and Gonzaga. The Zags will be looking to become the first team in NCAA history to win a national championship in its Final Four debut, while the Tar Heels will attempt to avenge last year’s loss in the title game. This game has the makings of a classic as both teams mirror each other in very interesting ways.

The point guard matchup between Nigel Willams-Goss (Gonzaga) and Joel Berry II (UNC) will be the one most experts will hone in on tonight. That is for good reason because these two players are among the best in the country. Berry’s injured ankles are a point of concern though because if he turns badly on either ankle that will give Williams-Goss a clear advantage.

For my money though, the real matchup to watch will be on the low blocks and on the boards. Przemek Karnowski and Kennedy Meeks are going to be a matchup of heavyweights down low. Whichever man can gain an advantage over the other will go a long way to determining the outcome of tonight’s contest. Karnowski and Zach Collins will have to find a way to neutralize the rebounding of North Carolina, especially on the defensive end.

If there is a wild card in this game, I believe that it could be Justin Jackson for North Carolina. Jackson is a “do it all” type of player for the Tar Heels, but it will be his three-point shooting that could be the difference tonight. He was 4-of-9 from beyond the arc in the win over Oregon, and he will need to do more of the same against the tough defense of Gonzaga.

Gonzaga is the top team in the country in defensive efficiency and they will need to hold true to form there to win this game. UNC is one of the few teams capable to scoring in the 90’s, and the Bulldogs would be foolish to attempt to run with the Tar Heels. Look for the Zags to slow down the tempo whenever possible and force UNC to play a methodical game.

So the real question tonight is who will be cutting down the nets? I think that Gonzaga will find a way to win this ball game tonight in what should be a fantastic championship game.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with my top storylines to watch this year in the MLB. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Thank you, March Madness. The second weekend of the NCAA tournament delivered in a major way due in large part to the incredible Wiconsin/Florida and Kentucky/UNC games with a couple surprises even thrown in. We also saw a historic and dominant performance on the PGA Tour over the weekend as well. There’s a lot to talk about so let’s get right into this week’s “Weekend Recap.”

Dramatic Finishes Highlight the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight

As we entered the Sweet 16, it felt like there was something missing in this tournament. It wasn’t Cinderella though. What had been missing were the dramatic finishes, buzzer beaters, and overtime games that we are used to seeing this time of year. Upsets are one thing, but it’s those thrilling final seconds that make the tournament so great.

It took us 59 games, but the final game of the Sweet 16 delivered us arguably the best game of the tournament. Game 60 gave us the incredible finish between Wisconsin and Florida. The Chris Chiozza three-pointer at the buzzer was only the finale to a crescendo that began in the final five minutes.

Florida led by 12 with 5:24 left in regulation, but somehow Wisconsin was able to chip away at the lead. The Badgers whittled the lead down to three with 44 seconds left when Nigel Hayes came up with a steal. Wisconsin called its final timeout with six seconds left, just enough time to run a play to tie the game.

Zach Showalter fumbled the inbounds pass, but was somehow able to keep his dribble and throw up a runner from beyond the arc to tie the game with three seconds left. Neither team could break the tie, so they would need overtime to decide the final spot in the Elite Eight.

In the overtime period it was Wisconsin with a late lead. Up five points with under a minute to play, all the Badgers had to do was salt the game away from the free throw line. Ethan Happ was unable to do so, going one-for-two at the line and opened the door for the Gators. Then things got crazy in the final 39 seconds of overtime.

Wisconsin fouled Canyon Berry, who nailed both of his free throws, which brought the lead down to two points. The Badgers attempted a Hail Mary pass to beat Florida’s full court press. The pass was perfect, but Berry saved the Gators coming up with a block on the layup attempt by Kahlil Iverson. Chiozza corralled the rebound and went coast-to-coast to tie the game at 80 with 24 seconds left.

On the ensuing Wisconsin possession, Hayes made a great move on the perimeter to create a lane for himself to the basket. He was fouled going up, but couldn’t make the basket. Hayes would make both of his shots from the line, giving the Badgers a two-point edge with four seconds left.

With no timeouts, Florida couldn’t draw up a final play. As it turns out, they didn’t need to, as Chiozza was able to go coast-to-coast again to hit the game-winner at the buzzer sending the Madison Square Garden crowd into frenzy.

Not to be outdone, the final game of the weekend provided plenty of dramatics. North Carolina and Kentucky didn’t quite match the scoring fiesta from their first meeting in December, but this was certainly worthy of an Elite Eight game nonetheless. UNC led most of the way, but Kentucky was able to grab a lead late in the game with five minutes left. The Tar Heels used a 12-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a seven-point lead with 54 seconds left in the game.

The Wildcats refused to go away quietly into the night. De’Aaron Fox hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to four with 49 ticks left on the clock. UNC couldn’t find an open man due to the Kentucky press and got assessed a five-second violation. The turnover proved costly, as Malik Monk was able to hit a three of his own to cut the lead to one-point.

North Carolina recovered, going right down the floor and getting a basket from Justin Jackson. On the ensuing possession, Edrice Adebayo lost the ball, and UNC was able to force a jump ball. With the possession arrow in the Tar Heels favor, they had the ball with a chance to close out the game with 15 seconds left after Monk fouled Jackson. He couldn’t convert the front end of the one-and-one, and Kentucky was still alive.

Fox got the rebound and Monk was able to tie the game with ten seconds to go. North Carolina had one last trick in the bag though, eerily similar to the final play of the national title game a year ago. This time the Tar Heels were on the right side of it. Theo Pinston ran the ball down the floor, and worked a pick-and-pop with Luke Maye. Pinston was able to get the ball to Maye, who drilled a wide-open jumper with 0.2 on the clock to punch UNC’s ticket to the Final Four.

After that insane finish, the 2017 Final Four was set. North Carolina now joins South Carolina, Oregon, and Gonzaga on a trip to Phoenix with a chance at a national title. I’ll save my thoughts on the Final Four for the podcast on Wednesday, but let’s just say this wild ride might have one or two twists left in store.

Dustin Johnson Wins the WGC Match Play to Cap a Historic Run

While most of the sporting world had its eyes set on the NCAA tournament, the PGA Tour was having a tournament of its own. In one of the best events leading up to The Masters next week, the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play pitted the best golfers in the world against each other in a single elimination tournament.

By the end of the weekend, it was the world’s top ranked golfer, Dustin Johnson, who hoisted the trophy. Johnson’s 1-up victory over Jon Rahm stopped an incredible comeback attempt in the championship match. Rahm stormed back from 5-down with ten holes to play to force a dramatic conclusion on the 18^th green. Johnson’s 30-foot putt sealed the match and the tournament. It capped an absolutely dominant performance, where DJ never trailed in the 112 holes he played during his six matches.

With this most recent victory, Johnson became the first player to hold the WGC career Grand Slam. It was also Johnson’s third consecutive win since becoming the top ranked golfer in the world. Now DJ will set his sights on Augusta National next week.

On top of entering The Master as the world number one, Johnson is now the betting favorite to win the green jacket. No one on tour is playing better right now than the reigning US Open champion. With Johnson sitting out this weekend’s tournament in Houston, he will be heading to Augusta with a ton of momentum and plenty of rest.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with “Heat Check” to catch up on the top storylines in the NBA and update my power rankings heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Wednesday will be a Final Four preview on the Shooting the Moon Podcast. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

It’s official. I have a love/hate relationship with this year’s tournament. Last night gave us the best group of games so far, which was the good. However, the results ended my personal bracket, and the “Shooting the Moon Podcast” bracket. I have Xavier to thank for that, who stormed back using a 12-2 run to close the game and upset the heavily favored Arizona Wildcats. Sometimes no matter how much research you do can prepare you for the twists and turns of the tournament. That’s March in a nutshell.

That wasn’t the only great game last night. Gonzaga escaped with a win against a very tough West Virginia team. At that point, it was the best game of the night until the Xavier game. The Mountaineers had three consecutive opportunities to tie the game up, but missed a pair of three-pointers before failing to get a shot up in the final seconds of regulation.

Oregon squeaked by the former tournament darling, Michigan, in a terrific game. Jordan Bell’s double-double put the Ducks in a position to win the game. Tyler Dorsey’s played the hero once again for Oregon, scoring the game-winner. However, it was the defense of the Ducks that secured the victory and a berth in the Elite Eight. Michigan had one final chance at the end of the game, but could not make a bucket to win. Unfortunately the seemingly magic run for the Wolverines is over.

The Jayhawks of Kansas found themselves in a dogfight early against Purdue, but ultimately its high-flying offense prevailed in a big way. Kansas dominated in the second half against the Boilermakers, who made a fatal error in trying to run with the Jayhawks. It’s on to the Elite Eight for Kansas, who now have an average margin of victory of 30+ points in this tournament.

Now let’s take a look at tonight’s games which will set the regional finals in the East and South regions.

South Region: Butler vs. North Carolina (7:09 PM, CBS)

Our first game tonight might be the most predictable on paper, but as we’ve seen in this tournament, that could mean nothing once the game starts. The Tar Heels come off of a tough second round victory to face the Bulldogs of Butler. This does have the makings of a good game if you consider Butler’s big wins over elite competition.

There are a few things that aren’t working in Butler’s favor though. UNC has one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 85.1 points per game. They are one of the few teams left that can find scoring from anyone on the floor. Joel Berry, Justin Jackson, and Kennedy Meeks have been the stars all season for North Carolina. Each can dominate in any given spurt during the game.

The other area where North Carolina has a big edge is on the boards. UNC is the top team in the country in total rebounds and offensive rebounds. That could become a major issue in this game for Butler, which average almost 12 less rebounds per game than the Tar Heels. It will be interesting to see how this area plays out because this will be one of the determining factors in the game tonight.

East Region: South Carolina vs. Baylor (7:29 PM, TBS)

The first regional semi-final in the East could prove to be the most unpredictable game of the night. Baylor is a slight favorite in the game, but South Carolina proved that it could thrive as the underdog. It’s not often that I can’t get a feel for how a game will play out.

A big reason for the unpredictability of this game is because both teams allow more points than they score. Strange right? Both teams average just about the same amount of points per game too. Statistically, Baylor and South Carolina mirror each other.

So when the stats don’t lend any sort of picture to how things will play out, you have to look the talent on the floor. In my opinion, South Carolina has the best player on the floor in Sindarious Thornwell. He has been one of the most under-the-radar players in the country all season and the country finally discovered just how good he is in the Gamecocks’ upset of Duke. Thornwell does it all for South Carolina, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists.

Truthfully, this is a game that could go either way, which hopefully provides us with a great contest.

South Region: UCLA vs. Kentucky (Approx. 9:39 PM, CBS)

In the main event of the evening, we have a heavyweight clash between UCLA and Kentucky. This is a rematch of a game earlier in the regular season, which remains the best game of the year. Both teams feature a ton of future NBA talent, and could turn into a track meet.

The matchup to watch tonight is the battle between UCLA guard Lonzo Ball and Kentucky guards Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox. All three will likely be picked in the top-ten in the NBA draft this summer, which will make this all the more sweeter. Ball and Monk are easily two of the best players in the country, while Fox has emerged as a star in the second half of the season.

Despite the fact that UCLA won the first game between these two national title contenders, they do have a fatal flaw that Kentucky could exploit. While the Bruins can seemingly score at will against any team, they are not nearly as strong on the defensive end. At times, UCLA will drop into a zone and almost pray for missed shots. Kentucky is not a team that UCLA can afford to do this with.

Look for this to be a high scoring affair with both teams pushing the score into the 80’s, possibly even the 90’s. This one should not disappoint, and could even provide us with the first buzzer-beater or overtime game of the tournament.

East Region: Wisconsin vs. Florida (Approx. 9:59 PM, TBS)

The final game of the night features a matchup of two teams with one glaring difference, experience. Wisconsin is the most experienced team left in the tournament with the only players that have played in the Final Four (Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes). Florida only has one player on its entire roster with prior tournament experience. This could prove to be a major factor if this game is close in the final minutes.

Both teams have overcome negative expectations in this tournament. Wisconsin had lost six out of ten games heading into the tournament, while Florida had lost three out its final four games. Now they will meet for the final spot in the Elite Eight.

Just like the South Carolina-Baylor game, both teams have similar statistics, except for one area that shows an edge for the Gators. Florida averages more points and allows a significantly less amount of points than the Badgers. The Gators are an extremely athletic group and use a deep rotation to avoid foul trouble.

Wisconsin can ill-afford to get into foul trouble of its own. The saving grace in the upset of Villanova was Koenig and Hayes not picked up their fifth fouls. If the Badgers lose either of those players, that will swing momentum to the Gators in a hurry.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back on Monday to recap the weekend. Episode 3 of the Shooting the Moon Podcast will be a full preview of the Final Four, which will premiere on Wednesday. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Here we go. The Sweet 16 begins tonight, and this is where the intensity gets ratcheted up a few notches. No novelties here. The first weekend of the NCAA tournament is great because of the sheer amount of basketball over the span of four days. However, what makes the rest of the tournament great is that we trade in quantity for quality. Only the best or hottest teams have made it and will be battling for the opportunity to play in the Final Four. We won’t know which four teams will get that chance but as always the ride there is incredible. Today’s “Heat Check” is looking at tonight’s Sweet 16 games. Let’s get into the matchups.

Midwest Region: Michigan vs. Oregon (7:09 PM, CBS)

We are getting started with a doozy tonight. Michigan and Oregon kick off the action in Kansas City, and this should be a good one. Both teams are very proficient on offense, which will provide us with some sparks.

The Wolverines are led by its three W’s of Moritz Wagner, D.J. Wilson, and Derrick Walton Jr. These three have been on fire of late, especially Wagner, who scored 26 points in Michigan’s second round victory over Louisville. In order for the Wolverines to keep this magical run alive, they will need to stay hot but more importantly keep Oregon from getting comfortable.

Oregon is a tough team to stop defensively because it has multiple places to go with the basketball, and more importantly can catch fire from beyond the arc. In a tight game, Dillon Brooks is a cold-blooded killer with the basketball. He’s also very good at drawing fouls early in the game, so Michigan will have to play disciplined defense.

As we all learned over the weekend though, Oregon will go as far as Tyler Dorsey can take them. Dorsey was near perfect from the floor against Rhode Island, scoring 27 points and basically saving the Ducks last Sunday. Of the hot shooters for the Ducks, Dorsey is easily the one Michigan cannot allow to get locked in.

This game will come down to the battle on the glass. Oregon has the edge in rebounding on paper, and if they are able to win that battle in the game that would swing this game squarely in Oregon’s favor. The Ducks are 21-1 this season when outrebounding its opponents.

West Region: West Virginia vs. Gonzaga (7:39 PM, TBS)

One of my favorite adages in sports is that styles make fights. Of all the games in this round, this one easily fits the bill. West Virginia is all about turning defense into offense through the full-court press while Gonzaga is a terrific half-court offense that relies on efficiency. Games like this turn into a live game of chicken, and the winner will be decides by which side blinks first.

With Nigel Williams-Goss at the helm of the Zags, I like their chances of being able to withstand the press during stretches of the ball game. The Mountaineers are a solid defensive team, but are much better in the press than in half-court defense. Look for Jevon Carter and Nathan Adrian to be at the front-end of the press. Their success rate defensively will make a huge difference in this game, because if Przemek Karnowski gets going for Gonzaga, that will be bad news for West Virginia.

Another x-factor in this game will be three-point shooting. The Mountaineers aren’t known for its prowess from beyond the arc, but made it rain in the second round. On the season, WVU is 36.7 percent from downtown but shot a ridiculous 57 percent against Notre Dame. If the Mountaineers can shoot anywhere near there then they might just be able to upset Gonzaga.

Midwest Region: Purdue vs. Kansas (Approx. 9:39 PM, CBS)

Oh baby, this one has the potential to be so good. This one is not a clash of styles as much as it’s a clash of personnel. Kansas is a loaded team, but primarily relies on the backcourt. Frank Mason III and Josh Jackson will be the headliners of tonight’s game, but I’m not sure how Purdue will slow them down.

The Boilermakers are not without talent though, because they bring a massive force on the inside. Led by Big Ten Player of the Year Caleb Swanigan, the frontcourt of Purdue can match up with any team in the country. If you haven’t had a chance to see Swanigan in action, tonight should be a treat. He is a double-double machine, but most importantly he is a smart player. Kansas can’t simply rely on attacking him on defense and hope he picks up fouls.

Similar to the WVU-Gonzaga game, three-point shooting could be a spot where this game can break. Both teams shoot a nearly identical percentage from beyond the arc, around 40 percent, while Purdue defends the three slightly better at 32 percent compared to 35 percent for the Jayhawks. Interestingly enough, the Boilermakers have become a popular upset pick as this week has progressed.

West Region: Xavier vs. Arizona (Approx. 10:09 PM, TBS)

The final game of the night could be more story than substance. As you probably have heard by now, Arizona coach Sean Miller made his name has the head coach at Xavier. Essentially that is the storyline heading into the one because on paper, this game seems lopsided.

Xavier will need a Herculean performance from senior Trevon Bluiett, who has been the shining star for the Musketeers. The issue is the multitude of guards that Arizona can throw at him defensively, namely Alonzo Trier and Kadeem Allen. If Bluiett cannot replicate anything near his 29-point performance against Florida State, it could be a long night for Xavier.

In my opinion this game starts and ends with Lauri Markkanen. This superb freshman has led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding all season. He will be a nightmare for the X-men to cover tonight as he can score from anywhere on the court. The Musketeers will have to get physical with him to have any sort of chance to stop him, but that puts them at risk of getting into foul trouble.

If they decide to double Markkanen that is where this offense could really go off for Arizona. Over the past month, the Wildcats have excelled in working the ball inside-out. With the way they can shoot from the perimeter, Arizona keeps opposing defenses on its heels when the ball goes inside. It should come as no surprise why this is the largest favorite in Vegas this round.

That’s it for me today and enjoy the games tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow with another Heat Check to break down Friday night’s tournament games. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook. Also check out episode two of the Shooting the Moon podcast on SoundCloud.

Well that was something wasn’t it? The first weekend of the NCAA tournament is in the books, and for a little bit there it looked as if we were going to get a blasé tournament. Then those upsets we had been waiting for finally took place between Saturday and Sunday. Villanova and Duke bit the dust, while Xavier and Michigan showed us that a lower seed doesn’t mean a thing if you catch fire at the right time. We were even reminded that a senior laden team can never be overlooked (Wisconsin). Just like that, the Sweet 16 is set for battle this weekend. Before we look ahead, let’s take a quick look back at the ups and downs of the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament.

UP: The Madness Strikes Back in the Second Round

While the first round didn’t feature the soul crushing, bracket breaking upsets that we have become accustomed to over the years, the second round certainly had us covered. Two of the most popular picks to win the title, Duke and Villanova, went down over the weekend in two very different games. The defending champs blew a late lead against Wisconsin, eventually losing by three points to the Badgers in what felt like an Elite Eight-type game. Duke was dealt the most shocking blow of the weekend, losing to a stingy South Carolina team that was able to shut down the potent offense of the Blue Devils in a double-digit upset. Right there, the two teams that were the championship pick in almost 25 percent of the brackets on ESPN are now eliminated.

The mantra in March is “survive and advance.” That couldn’t have been more obvious during that second round. Oregon, Baylor, UCLA, Arizona, and North Carolina all needed to muster everything they could to avoid an unceremonious exit in the second round. All five of these teams took the best shot that its opponents could throw at them, but in the end these teams were able to come away with a victory.

DOWN: Officiating Issues

As great as this tournament has been so far, the officiating hasn’t come close to meeting the level of play. There have been multiple instances of the referees missing key calls during games. Seton Hall was called for an egregious intentional foul at the end of its first round loss to Arkansas. A similar play happened at the end of the Villanova-Wisconsin game, but the officials still bungled the call.

If there is one fan base that can attest to the issues with officiating, it’s the Northwestern faithful. The Wildcats stormed back from a 20-point deficit against Gonzaga, when a missed goaltending call essentially halted any momentum for Northwestern. A correct call in that situation would have made it a one-point game with about four minutes left in regulation, and a colossal upset would have been in the making.

I’m not really going to touch too much on the technical foul assessed to Northwestern coach Chris Collins. He earned that one, which compounded the initial mistake by the officials. Yes, the refs certainly didn’t help in the Wildcats loss, but if Collins could have kept his composure, maybe things could have gone differently.

Hopefully during the next few days the NCAA is reviewing the performance of the official so we can focus on the young men vying for a national title and not the people wearing the striped uniforms.

UP: Michigan’s Incredible Run Continues

The best story of the tournament has to be the magical run being put together by the Michigan Wolverines. They already built up a great storyline during the Big Ten tournament, but that easily could have come to an end last weekend. Luckily for us, it didn’t.

Michigan was involved in two of the best games of the tournament so far, each more thrilling than the next. The first game was a 91-90 run-and-gun barnburner against Oklahoma State. Not to be outdone, the Wolverines went toe-to-toe with Louisville, winning 73-69 to advance to the Sweet 16.

There is something special happening with these Wolverines. Every March there is a team that is able to catch lightning in a bottle and channels it into a run to the Final Four. Now the road to Glendale does get much more difficult as they face a dangerous Oregon team and potentially Kansas or Purdue in the Elite Eight. If there is one team to get behind right now, definitely consider Michigan.

DOWN: Cinderella Missed the Big Dance

This may not be the “chalkiest” tournament we have seen over the years, but we are definitely feeling the absence of a true Cinderella. Of the 16 teams still alive, 15 of them are established teams in the upper echelon of Division 1. The only exception is South Carolina, who made the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. It would be difficult to call any of these teams a Cinderella though.

Xavier is the only double-digit seed left in the field, but the Musketeers have been a stalwart mid-major program over the past decade-plus. Middle Tennessee and Rhode Island were our only shot at having a true Cinderella in the mix this year. Unfortunately, midnight came a bit too soon for these teams. It looks as if we can put away the glass slipper for this year.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be recording Episode 2 of the Shooting the Moon Podcast tonight, which will be up on SoundCloud tomorrow morning. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook

Hey everyone, today marks the beginning of the Shooting the Moon Podcast! Head on over to SoundCloud to check out the first episode, Breaking Brackets. I’m breaking down the entire field of the NCAA tournament with an assist from my friend Greg Schwartz. Click on the link below to listen.

Just under 48 hours from now we will be neck deep into the NCAA tournament. Before we get to the madness, there are the play-in games that will take place over the next two days. The First Four is our amuse bouche to the main course of the big dance. Dayton, Ohio will once again play host to the first act of March Madness. So let’s dive into the games and get your ready the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

East Region: #16 Mount St. Mary’s vs. #16 New Orleans (6:40 p.m., truTV)

A pair of 16 seeds will provide us with the first game of the tournament when Mount St. Mary’s and New Orleans tip-off tonight. These teams are relative unknowns to the casual basketball fan, but this could turn into a solid game. The unfortunate part about this game is knowing that the winner moves on to face the defending national champion Villanova. Regardless of that small tidbit of information, I think the New Orleans Privateers will have a chance to shine in this matchup.

The player to watch is Privateers senior forward Erik Thomas, who averages 19.5 points per game and 7.8 rebounds. His work on the boards will be vital to New Orleans advancing in this tournament. The Privateers also feature some solid guard play, which might be the most important thing to have this time of year.

Mount St. Mary’s will need to work hard on the defensive end of the floor because this New Orleans team can get loose with the basketball at times. If the Mountaineers are able to keep the turnover ratio close to even or swing it in its favor, we could see a hotly contested game. If you are throwing down money on this game, take New Orleans -2.

South Region: #11 Kansas State vs. #11 Wake Forest (9:10 p.m., truTV)

Our nightcap tonight will feature two of the final four teams to make the tournament field. This Big 12-ACC battle could have some fireworks in store for us. Both teams scored a signature win within the last two weeks, which certainly swayed the committee to send a pair of invites their way. Kansas State scored a shocking win over Baylor in the Big 12 tournament. Wake Forest took down Louisville then went on the road to beat a tough Virginia Tech squad just before the ACC tournament.

The two players to watch in this game are Wake Forest sophomore John Collins and K-State senior Wesley Iwundu. Each man leads his team in both points and rebounds, and you may even see these two guys matchup during key stretches of the game.

K-State is being given a slight edge due to it prowess on the defensive end and the versatility in scoring. Wake Forest can get around that by trying to push the pace of this game. I’m giving the slight edge to the Demon Deacons here because I believe they will be able to dictate the tempo of the game. Plus if you saw the final possession in the K-State-WVU game over the weekend, you wouldn’t have much confidence in the Wildcats either. A very tough Cincinnati team awaits the winner of this game in a 6-11 matchup.

Midwest Region: #16 North Carolina Central vs. #16 UC Davis (Wed. 6:40 p.m., truTV)

Tomorrow night’s action starts with the second play-in game between 16 seeds. North Carolina Central and UC Davis will square off for the right to play the 1 seed in the Midwest Region, Kansas Jayhawks. Interestingly enough, the largest Las Vegas spread of the First Four come from this game.

The answer to why that is comes from the “best player” factor, and NCC clearly has the top player on the court in senior guard Patrick Cole. He is the engine that makes his team go, leading the Eagles in points, rebounds, and assists. Cole is primed to put on a show tomorrow night.

UC Davis will need to play a slow, methodical game to limit the amount of possessions that NCC gets in this game. Otherwise, it could be a long night and a quick trip back to California for the Aggies. If this game creeps into the 70’s, then the Eagles should come out of this with a victory.

East Region: #11 USC vs. #11 Providence (Wed. 9:10 p.m. truTV)

The final game of the first four features a fantastic matchup between foes from sides of the country. The Trojans of Southern California square off with the Friars of Providence on Wednesday night in a rematch from last year’s tournament. I think this game comes down to which USC team shows up tomorrow night.

USC has incredible length on the defensive end that can bother even the most elite offenses in the country, just ask Oregon and UCLA. The issue for the Trojans comes on the offensive end of the floor. Streaky shooting has often been a problem for USC this season. However, if Bennie Boatright has his shot going, the Trojans should be in good shape.

This is also not the same Providence team from a year ago after losing Kris Dunn to the NBA. While the Friars might have a chip on its shoulder due to being seed below Marquette and Xavier, both finished behind Providence in the Big East, I’ll give USC’s revenge factor the edge here. When all is said and done, I think USC will be moving on to face the 6 seed SMU in what could be one of the best games of the first round.

 

That’s it for me today. I’m off to record the first episode of the Shooting the Moon Podcast. I will have that up later tonight as soon as it is ready to publish. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney, on SoundCloud by searching James Mooney, and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

What a weekend folks. The conference tournaments in men’s basketball gave us just a taste of what is to come over the next three weeks with the NCAA tournament. Once the games were all said and done, the bracket was finally revealed to the world. The madness starts on Thursday, which gives us plenty of time to break it all down in all of the craziest way we can think of. I’ll be doing my full breakdown of the bracket on Wednesday on the first episode of the Shooting the Moon Podcast. For now though, let’s get into the biggest stories from the weekend in sports.

NCAA Tournament Bracket is Set

We’ll start with just a few of my thoughts on the bracket for this year. While I thought the committee got a lot of this field correct, there were several spots where I just don’t understand the thinking:

(1) I honestly believe that UNC and Duke could have easily been interchangeable as one and two seeds, but I have yet to see a legitimate reason why UNC is a one seed and Duke is a two. The Blue Devils won two out of three in this season series, and had more wins against top-flight competition. I could be nitpicking, but wouldn’t everyone want to see a potential Villanova-UNC rematch in the Elite Eight?

(2) Wichita State getting saddled with a ten seed is quite possibly one of the worst individual seedings that I’ve seen in years. Yes, the Shockers don’t have the marquee wins that other teams do, but this is one of the most underrated teams in the country. Every season there is always a team or two that get put on the wrong line, but not like this. Wichita is a potential top-20 team based on certain advanced metrics, but clearly they were penalized by the down season from the rest of the Missouri Valley Conference.

(3) Normally we spend the Monday after Selection Sunday talking about the teams whose bubbles burst. This year though, there is really only two that have gained any sort of traction. Illinois State became the mid-major team that experts were pounding the table to see make the dance. Lets be honest, if Wichita State got a ten seed (champions of the MVC) then Illinois State had no chance. Syracuse was the major conference team that most thought would sneak into the tournament. Despite a late surge in the regular season, the Orange could not overcome a horrific loss to St. John’s early in the year and a terrible road record. The committee made a statement here keeping both teams out, which is that the regular season actually does matter if you want to be invited to the dance. (By the way, the city of Greensboro and the NIT won the Internet yesterday at the expense of Syracuse).

Michigan Wins the Big Ten Championship and the Hearts of America

There was no better story that played out over the weekend than the Michigan Wolverines winning the Big Ten championship. As impressive as the story of any eight seed upsetting it’s way through a tournament that is just scratching the surface in the case of Michigan.

Michigan’s team flight to Washington D.C. almost ended in tragedy when the plane skidding off the runway due to extreme winds. Everyone made it off the plane without any major injuries, but this almost forced the Wolverines to miss its first game. Luckily, they were able to get into D.C. in time for a noon tip off on Thursday, but had to play the game in practice jerseys because their uniforms were stuck on the original flight.

The Wolverines plowed through the Big Ten’s elite teams en route to its second conference tournament championship in three years. It’s the type of run that really makes you stop and think about picking against Michigan in your bracket for the NCAA tournament. Picking up impressive wins against Purdue, Minnesota, and Wisconsin certainly leaves a great impression heading into the big dance.

New England Won the NFL Offseason, Now Has the Inside Track to Repeat

In an update from my biggest story to watch from Friday’s “No Huddle,” the Patriots were able to complete two massive moves. The first was the signing of Stephon Gillmore from Buffalo. That move is going to be important for this defense becoming even better next season, but pales in comparison to the trade they completed on Friday night.

New England was able to complete the trade for Brandin Cooks, and didn’t have to give up Malcolm Butler to do so. It only cost a first and third round pick to get one of the most explosive receivers in the league. Here’s why this trade is so big for the Patriots. There are only three players that have at least 70 catches, 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., and Cooks.

There is constantly talk of how long a championship window is open in the NFL. With these two moves, the Patriots have kept that window open for the foreseeable future regardless of how long Brady continues his career. If and when the Pats make the transition to Jimmy Garoppolo (barring a trade), he will be ready to step right in and pick up where the G.O.A.T. (Brady) left off.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a preview of the First Four in the NCAA tournament. Also remember Wednesday will be the debut of the Shooting the Moon Podcast with a full breakdown of the NCAA tournament. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Wow! What a way to kick off a new year in the NFL. Free agency is officially underway, and boy did things get crazy. Wide receivers were selling like hot cakes, and we got news on a couple of different trade. Amidst all of the wheeling and dealing, Tony Romo and Adrian Peterson still remain without a new team. I would’ve liked to be able to write this earlier, but with the way things were going I thought it would be best to let things calm down a bit so we could get a better sense of everything that went down. Before I become consumed by the NCAA tournament next week, let’s go through the top stories from the first day of free agency.

Cleveland Trades Cash for Picks…And Brock Osweiler

 

Coming into the start of free agency, you had to know that the Browns would be busy. Cleveland had the most cap space in the NFL with a projected $99 million to spend before next season begins. They also had an embarrassment of riches in the form of 21 picks in the next two drafts. As we all know, money talks, and boy did the Browns have plenty to say yesterday.

 

No one could have seen the trade with Houston coming though. Even Adam Schefter noted that this is an unprecedented deal in the NFL. Cleveland traded a 2017 fourth round pick and $16 million dollars to acquire a 2018 second round pick, a 2017 sixth round pick, and quarterback Brock Osweiler (Yes, I listed that in the correct order).

Cleveland comes out of this trade looking surprisingly smart. They helped the Texans get out from Osweiler’s mammoth contract, paid Houston the $16 million to cover the guaranteed money, and got a second round pick next season. This is essentially the NFL equivalent of a salary dump in the NBA. The best part of this entire trade is the fact that the Browns reportedly have no interest in keeping its newly acquired quarterback. It looks like we are finally seeing the “Moneyball” tactics of Paul DePodesta.

 

The Browns will now look to trade Osweiler before next season, and now have a ridiculous ten picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts. It doesn’t look like Cleveland is done trading for quarterbacks either. The latest news out of Cleveland is that the team is going to continue its pursuit of Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo, although there is no indication New England is looking to trade him.

Philadelphia Upgrades Its Receiving Corps 

 

In terms of actual free agent signings, many experts are buzzing about a pair of moves the Eagles made to revamp its struggling group of receivers. Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman didn’t waste much time yesterday by signing Torrey Smith to a very team friendly contract (3 years/$15 milllion, $50,000 guaranteed). Smith has certainly seen better days as of late, but still has plenty left in the tank to make an impact on this offense. Carson Wentz had to be happy with this news, but I’m sure he was ecstatic later in the day.

The top wide receiver on the free agent market was easily Alshon Jeffery. News was flying from multiple reporters on the potential suitors for the former Pro Bowler. Philadelphia seemed to have the inside track according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson. Then just before 4:00 p.m., reports surfaced that Indianapolis was in play for Jeffery and Minnesota was making a “heavy push.”

When all was said and done, Jeffery signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Eagles. Personally I thought this was the best deal for both sides. The knock against Jeffery has been his constant injury woes since his breakout season in 2013. Philadelphia hasn’t exactly had the best track record with free agent signings over the past decade (cough, cough, dream team…).

Jeffery gets his chance to prove that he is deserving of the Antonio Brown-like contract that he had been looking for. The Eagles potentially get a top-ten receiver in the league, and now have the flexibility to keep him long term (franchise tags, first chance to offer an extension, etc.). Philadelphia was even able to keep its draft picks in tact, which they can now use to fill other holes in this roster.

https://twitter.com/jmattjmattjmatt/status/839955211456233472

 

New England Plotting Big Moves

Heading back into the rumor mill for a minute, the New England Patriots look like they have big plans to defend the Lombardi Trophy in 2017. Cornerback Logan Ryan signed with Tennesse, and tight end Martellus Bennett is likely on his way out the door as well. That won’t be a problem if New England can pull off a pair of moves that were reportedly in the cards yesterday.

New England is in the final stages of signing cornerback Stephon Gillmore, the top corner for the Buffalo Bills last season. Gillmore would be an instant upgrade for this secondary and there is the added bonus of making a division rival weaker in the process. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that “barring any snags” this is a done deal.

This would pale in comparison to what New England may have up its sleeve next. Trade rumors have been swirling for weeks regarding Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Philadelphia and Tennessee have been the front-runners for the past month, but yesterday the Patriots jumped to the front of the line. New England is reportedly working on a trade that would send Pro Bowl corner and Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcom Butler to the Saints for the speedy Cooks. That’s just what the rest of the NFL wants to hear, right? Right?

Acquiring Cooks would be a major coup for the defending Super Bowl champions and give Tom Brady another superb weapon to go alongside Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edleman. Cooks is well worth the price tag too. He is only 23 years old, and is still under a very affordable rookie contract for the next two seasons. New England could also have the added bonus of being able to exercise a fifth-year option on this deal that would make the cap hit for Cooks extremely manageable. While most outlets are tracking the Tony Romo trade, this is the trade to keep an eye on over the days and weeks ahead.

What is Going on in Washington?

Good lord, Washington is in the news for all the wrong reasons once again. It starts with the abrupt firing of general manager of Scot McCloughan. There was an awful lot of smoke coming from the Washington camp, but no one knew the type of fire that we would discover yesterday. Tuesday marked the first day that teams could begin negotiating with free agents (also known as the legal tampering period), but McCloughan was reportedly not at the team facilities.

Then news broke yesterday that the team had fired McCloughan, and my goodness this got really ugly. Here is the link to the story from The Washington Post because this does a much better job of describing the toxic situation in the Washington front office. It is an unfortunate situation that really shines a light on the dysfunction of this franchise.

Were the Redskins done though? Absolutely not. In a separate report, quarterback Kirk Cousins “pleaded” with owner Dan Snyder to trade him after he signs his franchise tag. Reportedly, Cousins was told, “not to get his hopes up.” Yep, just another banner day in a Dan Snyder-owned franchise.

That’s it for me today. March Madness takes over Shooting the Moon next week. I’ll be back on Monday with the “Weekend Recap” to breakdown the conference tournament results and Selection Sunday. Tuesday I’ll look at the First Four games. Wednesday will be the debut of the Shooting the Moon Podcast, which will break down the NCAA tournament. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.