Sports Blog

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnist 

New LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones hasn’t wasted any time making up for former coach Trent Johnson’s shortcomings when it comes to recruiting.

Less than two weeks after he accepted the position at his alma mater, Jones has already signed two additional players that will join him in Baton Rouge for his inaugural season.

The first official signee for Jones’ came yesterday afternoon, 6’6 swingman Shavon Coleman.

Coleman, who prepped for two years at Howard Junior College, will come in and make an impact immediately. He will be able to play both the small an power forward effectively right away.

I played against Coleman when he was at Thibodeaux High School in Thibodeaux, La., and the kid can play. Even though he was just a sophomore at that point, I knew he would find his way onto a Division I roster in the future.

It’s not just a coincidence Jones’ first recruit is from Louisiana. He will work to make sure that no high-profile recruit from Louisiana goes elsewhere before he gets a chance to sway them to Baton Rouge.

A few hours after Coleman signed with the Tigers, another 6’6 forward Shane Hammink pledged his commitment to coach Jones.

Hammink’s father Geert was an All-SEC center for LSU from 1989-93. Shane was actually born in Baton Rouge.

I’ve watched tape of Hammink and the main thing I was able to take away was that he will able to defend a variety of positions. Although he’s listed at 6’6, he has long arms and will be a valuable contributor early for Jones.

The fact that Jones has been able to already lock down two recruits speaks volumes about just how good of a recruiter he is.

If Trent Johnson was still the head coach I’m not sure if Coleman and Hammink would have signed.

It’s without a doubt a fantastic start for Jones, but I don’t think he’s done with the 2012 class yet.

The Tigers still lack a legitimate post player next to Johnny O’Bryant III in the front court. Look for Jones to go to the junior college ranks to find a big man that also fits his uptempo system.

And let’s not forget about the lone 2012 recruit Johnson was able to sign Malik Morgan.

Morgan’s John Curtis team beat the state’s best prospect Ricardo Gathers’ Riverside Academy squad in the 2A state championship a few weeks ago. He will contend for a starting spot immediately in the back court.

All in all, after LSU looked like it was destined for a less than stellar season, Jones has left me with a feeling of optimism for next year.

Even if Jones can’t add another signee for 2012, I’m confident this team can challenge for a spot in the NCAA tournament next March.

The Tigers might have to look more like Missouri or Villanova of years past with a smaller lineup, but Jones definitely has his team on the right track.

I can’t wait to see how solid of recruiting class Jones has in store for 2013.

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnist 

Vindication.

Kentucky coach John Calipari can finally sleep well at night knowing the national championship he has longed for is at last his.

The young and talented Wildcats took down Kansas, 67-59 Monday night in the national title game in New Orleans.

Wildcat center Anthony Davis finished with six points, 16 rebounds and six blocks, becoming just the fourth freshman to win the Final Four MOP award.

Kentucky is the most talented team that I have had the privilege to watch in my lifetime.

In just his third year in Lexington, Calipari has transformed the Kentucky basketball program into the destination for one-and-done high school players.

I hate the one-and-done rule. It weakens the level of play in college basketball.

But Calipari has used that to his advantage.

There’s no question Calipari is not the best coach in the nation. He’s able to make up for that due to his recruiting ability.

Calipari has earned the disdain from some college coaches because of his skill. It’s hard for other programs to duplicate the success Kentucky has had.

There simply aren’t enough high profile players for multiple schools to do what Calipari has made so effective with the Wildcats.

This season the Wildcats featured three freshman and two sophomores in the starting lineup. All 5, along with senior Darius Miller, are all expected to be selected in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Whether or not all of his superstars depart for the NBA won’t matter to Calipari. He’ll just rebuild again.

Calipari has already signed 3 ESPN Top 100 recruits for 2012-2013. He also still has his eye on Shabazz Muhammed and Nerlens Noel.

Noel and Muhammed are ranked as the No.1 and 2 prospects in the nation according to ESPN.

High school stars wanted to go play at Kentucky before it won the national title. Think about how attractive an option it is now.

Calipari has shown that he can bring together four or five blue-chip recruits for a year and win a national title.

With the one-and-done rule standing in front of NBA ready players like Noel and Muhammed, don’t expect coach Calipari’s teams to get any less talented over the next few years.

Kentucky will only get better. And It’s because John Calipari knows how to work the system.

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnist 

With only a few weeks left in the NBA season, it’s crunch time for a lot of teams.

The Western Conference Playoff picture is still in doubt with numerous teams fighting it out for the last remaining seeds.

But there are however some teams that have separated from the pack.

Here are my top five teams in the NBA up to this point.

5. San Antonio Spurs

Once again the Spurs have put together a great regular season campaign. They currently sit in second place in the Western Conference.

Point guard Tony Parker has been playing out of his mind and runs the show for San Antonio.

I just hope the Spurs don’t run out of gas like last season, when they lost in the first round to Memphis.

Energetic play from youngsters Kawhi Leonard and Dejuan Blair will be critical to this team if they in fact want to return to the Western Conference finals.

This is the season to do it. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili aren’t getting any younger.

4. Los Angeles Lakers

The addition of Ramon Sessions and Jordan Hill will prove very beneficial for the Lakers down the stretch.

Of course losing Derek Fisher hurts in terms of chemistry, LA had no shot of winning a title with him running the point.

There is no denying the talent is there for a deep playoff run.

The only question is how Kobe Bryant and coach Mike Brown work together. If they can’t work things out after Brown benched Kobe the other night, things could get ugly.

3. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have proven they can win without Derrick Rose, who has been bitten the injury bug hard this season.

That being said, there’s no way they can impact the Eastern Conference playoffs without him in the lineup.

The NBA regular season is the most irrelevant in all of sports. Chicago proving they can win now means nothing.

The good news is Luol Deng has picked up his game substantially this season.

If Deng and Rose can stay healthy, they could challenge for the Eastern Conference crown.

2. Miami Heat

The Heat were cruising right along to the best record in the East.

However they have hit a minor slump, getting blown out this past week by Oklahoma City and Indiana.

Miami got dominated on the boards in both those games.

The Heat still have two of arguably the best players in the NBA – Dwayne Wade and LeBron James – but the supporting cast has to better.

If teams are able to dominate Miami inside, the play of James and Wade won’t matter.

I was very surprised to see Miami not add a big man at the trading deadline. They need one.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder can do no wrong.

Oklahoma City just blew out the Heat on national TV.

Kevin Durant is the front runner for the NBA MVP.  And the Thunder addressed their backup point guard problem by signing Derek Fisher.

I said earlier Fisher isn’t a starting point guard anymore, but he’s a very viable backup.

The loss of point guard Eric Maynor for the season was the one weakness this team might have had. Not anymore.

With a shortened regular season that plays right into the young Thunder’s hands, there could be no stopping them.

Watch out NBA. Oklahoma City is for real.

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnist

It would be an understatement to say former Denver Broncos’ quarterback Tim Tebow is excited to be a New York Jet. He only said it about 45 times Monday in his introductory press conference.

The Jets gave up a fourth and sixth round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft to get Tebow and will pay the Broncos $2.53 million for a salary advance owed to the former Heisman Trophy winner.

It makes me to wonder — why give up so much for a backup quarterback?

Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan has gone on record saying that Mark Sanchez is still the starting quarterback and Tebow will be his backup. But Ryan also went on record Tuesday saying that he didn’t consult with Sanchez before acquiring Tebow.

The addition of Tebow will be nothing but a distraction, especially to Sanchez.

As if he wasn’t in the media capital of the U.S already, Tebowmania is about to get into full swing.Tebow’s press conference drew over 200 reporters.

Sanchez wouldn’t know. He was throwing and working out at the Jets’ practice facility. He better be practicing, because Tebow is coming for his job.

Tebow is the ultimate competitor. It doesn’t matter if it’s an ice cream eating contest, he’s going to give his all.

Maybe Ryan brought in Tebow to give Sanchez someone who raises his level of competition. Maybe he just likes the fact that Tebow is a good locker room guy.

But I think the real reason is that Ryan believes Tebow can be eventually become the Jets’ starting quarterback.

Although Sanchez was just given a contract extension, he isn’t the long-term answer in New York. Just wait until he has once of those famous three interception games and Jets’ fans start chanting for Tebow.

I can’t remember a time that such an average player was so popular amongst NFL fans. Tebow might barely make the cut of the top 15 quarterbacks in the league.

Tebow and Sanchez have been acting like the best of friends to the public. That will all change behind closed doors once training camp begins.

The NFL is a business. Both quarterbacks know that.

As Tebow would say, I’m “excited” to see how the saga of Tebow and Sanchez unfolds over the next few months.

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnist

Make no mistake, first year head coach Nikki Caldwell has LSU heading in the right direction.

She was able to take a senior laden team and get them to buy into her system.

It took until the Lady Tigers’ last game of the season to get freshman Krystal Forthan to affect the game the way she should.

Forthan had 15 points and five rebounds in only 18 minutes. She was a real matchup problem with her 6 foot 4 frame.

But she was not on the floor in in the final minutes. For some reason sophomore Theresa Plaisance was chucking up bricks from the three-point line.

Forthan is the future of the LSU women’s basketball program.

With the loss, Caldwell will say goodbye to her five seniors: LaSondra Barrett, Swayze Black, Taylor Turnbow, Courtney Jones, and Destini Hughes.

Barrett has been the heart and soul for LSU this season, coming back from a concussion in the Southeastern Conference tournament. She will continue her basketball playing days in the WNBA.

Hughes was lost for the season to a torn ACL, but remained a vocal leader from the bench.

But with Forthan , sophomore Jeanne Kenney and junior Adrienne Webb in 2013, LSU will have the talent to make it to the Big Dance under Caldwell for the second straight year.

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnist

It took a while for Cinderella to make her appearance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, but she didn’t disappoint.

For the first time since 2001, a No. 15 seed beat a No. 2 seed.

Not only did it happen once, it happened twice. Norfolk State stunned Missouri in Omaha 86-84 and later on Friday night Lehigh sent Duke packing, 75-70.

It’s been a wild ride already, but the field has shrunk from 68 teams to a mere 16.

I’m going to recap the action region by region and get you ready for the wonderful spectacle of the Sweet 16.

South Region

Best Game: No. 12 VCU over No. 5 Wichita State 62-59

VCU head coach Shaka Smart did it again. His Rams pulled the upset card for the second straight year, this time on regular season Missouri Valley Conference champions Wichita State.

While the Rams held the lead going into the final minutes, Wichita State made a furious rally to keep it close. Shockers’ senior Garrett Stutz missed an open three pointer from the top of the key that would have tied the game as time expired.

It was a great win for VCU, but they couldn’t get past No. 4 seed Indiana in the third round, falling 63-61.

Biggest Upset: No. 15 Lehigh over No. 2 Duke 75-70

As I mentioned in my introduction, Lehigh stunned Coach K and his Duke Blue Devils on Friday.

Duke simply was unable to make shots when they needed to. Lehigh did.

Lehigh point guard C.J McCollum racked up 30 points. Duke simply had no answer for him.

It felt good watching the Dukies lose. In a column I wrote earlier in the year, I had Duke as one of my pretenders to win the national title.

Hottest Team: No. 1 Kentucky

The Wildcats are showing onlookers why they were the undisputed No. 1 team in the country most of the season.

Coach John Calipari leads his team into the Sweet 16 for the third straight year. Kentucky looked impressive in their win over a very talented Iowa State team in the 3rd round, 87-61.

It’s going to take a lot to knock the Wildcats down. I’m not sure if anyone remaining in the South bracket has the firepower to do that.

Sweet 16 Games Friday in Atlanta, Georgia

No. 3 Baylor vs No. 10 Xavier, 6:15 PM CT, CBS
No. 1 Kentucky vs No. 4 Indiana, 8:45 PM CT, CBS

West Region

Best Game/Biggest Upset: No. 15 Norfolk State over No. 2 Missouri 86-84

This game was without question the best game of the tournament. It just also happened to be the biggest upset.

I watched the whole game Friday afternoon and it was such a blow-for-blow game. Missouri would make a big shot to go ahead and Norfolk State would counter and retake the lead.

Give all the credit in the world to Norfolk State and their coach Anthony Evans. They were not intimidated by Missouri and killed the Tigers on the boards.

It looks as if the Spartans gave their all in the second round game, because the Cinderella came to the end in the third round when Florida massacred them, 84-50.

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Hottest Team: No. 3 Marquette

I’m just going to tell it to you straight, Buzz Williams is my favorite coach in college basketball. And Golden Eagles’ senior forward Jae Crowder just might be my favorite player.

Williams has his Marquette squad playing fantastic basketball right now. The Golden Eagles’ run and gun style has worked so far in games against BYU and Murray State.

It took a lot for Marquette to beat a one-loss Murray State team, especially with the Racers playing just three hours away from campus.

The Golden Eagles got lucky not having to play Missouri, but their match up against Florida in the Sweet 16 will be one of the best games of the tournament.

Sweet 16 Games Thursday in Phoenix, Arizona

No. 1 Michigan State vs No. 4 Louisville, 6:47 PM CT, TBS
No. 3 Marquette vs No. 7 Florida, 9:17 PM CT, TBS

East Region

Best Game/Biggest Upset: No. 6 Cincinnati over No. 3 Florida State 62-56

The final score doesn’t do it justice. This game was the best game of the third round by far.

It was also the biggest upset in the region. The contest between Cincy and Florida State was the only game in the East region that resulted with a higher seed beating a lower one.

It was a nip and tuck battle the whole way. Both teams exchanged the lead multiple times throughout the game.

In the end, big shots by Cincinnati guard Sean Kilpatrick and senior center Yancy Gates were the difference down the stretch.

It’s great to see Cincy in the Sweet 16 after rebounding from the brawl they participated in earlier this season against Xavier.

Hottest Team: No. 1 Syracuse

After losing sophomore center Fab Melo for the whole tournament due to academic issues, many started to doubt coach Jim Boeheim and the Orange.

Syracuse came out sluggish out of the gate, only beating No. 16 seed UNC-Asheville by seven points in the opening round.

Senior guards Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph put the team on their back after that, as the Orange dominated Kansas State 75-59 in the third round.

With a match up with Wisconsin looming in the Sweet 16, I can’t help but think after all the doubters that Syracuse should be a lock for the Elite 8.

If that 2-3 zone of Boeheim’s keeps stifling opponents on offense, the Orange could be tough to stop.

Sweet 16 Games Thursday in Boston, Massachusetts

No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 4 Wisconsin, 6:15 PM CT, CBS
No. 6 Cincinnati vs No. 2 Ohio State, 8:45 PM CT, CBS

Midwest Regional

Best Game: No. 2 Kansas over No. 10 Purdue

If you didn’t get a chance to watch this battle, you missed out.

Purdue senior forward Robbie Hummel lit up the Jayhawks for 22 points in the first half. The Boilermakers kept a pretty sizeable lead most of the second half.

Then Kansas made a furious comeback.

Jayhawks’ guard Elijah Johnson made some clutch shots and player of the year candidate Thomas Robinson made his presence felt on the inside, leading Kansas to a close victory.

It was one of the only tournament games that came down to the last shot, with Purdue’s Ryne Smith missing a 40 foot heave at the buzzer.

But the real story of the game was the play of Hummel. The senior who hadn’t been able to play in the last two tournaments due to injury, gave his all trying to get his team to the round of 16. Hats off to him. A terrific young man.

Biggest Upset: No. 13 Ohio over No. 4 Michigan 65-60

Of course there were multiple upsets in the Midwest regional, with four double-digit seeds reaching the round of 32. But Ohio’s victory over Michigan really stuck out to me.

Michigan’s backcourt has been hyped all season. Ohio’s guards really shut them down.

The Bobcats dominated on the boards and didn’t give any second shots to the Wolverines.

That win gave Ohio the confidence to win one more, pulling out a close 62-56 victory over USF in the third round to send them to the Sweet 16 in St. Louis.

Hottest Team: No. 11 NC State

Wins over Belmont and Georgetown finds the Wolfpack in the Sweet 16 for the first time in a while. First year coach Mark Gottfried has N.C State playing at a very high level.

At this point in the tournament, seeds don’t matter. It’s all about match ups.

The Wolfpack have tremendous size on the inside, led by future NBA draft pick sophomore C.J Leslie.

That Leslie-Robinson match up will be intriguing to watch. Wouldn’t it be something to see a North Carolina-NC State regional final?

Sweet 16 Games Friday in St. Louis, Missouri

No. 1 UNC vs No. 13 Ohio, 6:47 PM CT, TBS
No. 2 Kansas vs No. 11 NC State, 9:17 PM CT, TBS

It’s March, and therefore time to put up or shut up. In honor of that, here’s columnist Micah Bedard’s official 2012 March Madness bracket. We’ll find out over the next few days if he’ll be celebrating or saying “There’s always next year.”

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnist

After an impressive showing in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, LSU fans thought their Tigers still had a chance to win a few postseason games.

Think again.

The LSU men’s basketball team ended its season on a terribly sour note after just one contest in the National Invitational Tournament.

The Tigers allowed the most they had given up all season, as Oregon got out to an early lead and never looked back, winning convincingly, 96-76.

In all honesty, it was embarrassing to watch.

The Tigers looked like the exact same team that lost their last three regular season games.

An 8-3 LSU lead quickly became a 32-16 deficit. The game was over before the halftime buzzer at Matthew Knight Arena sounded.

I don’t care if LSU had to travel across the country on short notice, the effort was pathetic.

When I heard that coach Trent Johnson hadn’t even game planned for the Ducks before LSU departed yesterday, I knew the Tigers were in trouble.

But that news didn’t make me concerned as much with the players, but with the coaching staff.

It raised the question: Did Johnson become satisfied once he solidified his job status for next season?

I think so.

Next season LSU will return all five starters and have the talent to make it to the Big Dance for the first time since 2009.

But that’s no excuse to throw in the towel and go into a game as unprepared as LSU looked last night.

The Tigers are not a high basketball IQ team. That must improve next season.

I thought LSU would only benefit from being able to play additional games.

Now the Bayou Bengals will have an even longer period to reflect on the mistakes made and try to make up for them next season.

To end on a lighter note, the Tigers say farewell seniors Chris Bass, Storm Warren and Malcolm White. All three were significant contributors to this season’s squad and will be greatly missed.

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnist 

It seems like everywhere you look today there’s a scandal.

Just recently the New Orleans Saints were found to have run a bounty fund rewarding hits that sent opponents to the sideline.

On Thursday yet another sensitive topic in the sports world was brought up—point shaving.

Auburn sophomore guard Varez Ward, who had already been suspended, is being investigated by the FBI in an ongoing point-shaving probe, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.

The NCAA said in a statement:

“We are very concerned by the point-shaving allegations involving Auburn University men’s basketball program and have been in contact with the school and the FBI since the issue arose at Auburn….The NCAA takes any allegation of point shaving very seriously because sports wagering threatens two of our core principles – the well-being of student-athletes and the very integrity of intercollegiate sport.”

If these allegations are true I expect the NCAA to come down hard on Auburn.

And they should.

After all the drama that surrounded Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton being receiving benefits while he attended Auburn, the athletic department is really taking a beating.

The Auburn basketball program just opened a brand new basketball arena a few years ago. If a player on the team is losing or fixing spreads on games it will be severely detrimental to fan support.

It’s very difficult to determine if a player is actually trying to influence the outcome of games, but there’s a lot of evidence against Ward.

One of the games in question, a Feb. 7 loss to Alabama, Ward played 17 minutes, scoring three points, shooting 1-for-5 from the field  and committing six turnovers with two assists.

His first shot was a made layup, his second shot was blocked, his third was an air ball, his fourth was a long missed 3-pointer and his fifth was blocked on a layup attempt, according to Robinson’s report.

Trailing 43-33 with 15:25 left, Ward turned the ball over twice in 21 seconds. Later in the game, he turned the ball over twice in 2½ minutes as the Crimson Tide moved to a 58-38 victory.

According to sportsbook Vegas Insider, Alabama entered the game as a five-point favorite. The Crimson Tide easily covered with an 18-point win.

I’m not convicting Ward at all, he hasn’t been found guilty yet.

But with second year coach Tony Barber trying to build momentum, this distraction will be a huge road block for this program.

By Micah Bedard
Sports Columnit 

Former Indianapolis Colt quarterback Peyton Manning has hit the NFL waiver wire—figuratively speaking.

Former Indianapolis Colt and Peyton Manning are two things I never thought I would read in the same sentence. It’s going to be a long and grueling rebuilding process for Colts owner Jim Irsay.

But it had to be done.

The 35-year-old Manning was due a $28 million bonus for simply being on the Indianapolis roster on Thursday. Not denying how much of an elite level quarterback Peyton Manning was, but I’m not sold at him rebounding and putting up the eye popping numbers fans are used to.

It would be a different situation if Manning wasn’t coming of a risky neck injury or the Colts didn’t have the first overall pick in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft. With Peyton exiting Indy, all signs point to former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck being that first selection and trying to fill the enormous shoes left behind by Manning.

Even if Manning were to return, the Colts are still a long way off from contending for a Super Bowl. Indianapolis has one of the worst defenses in the league and the weapons on offense aren’t up to par with former Colts Marvin Harrison or Edgerrin James.

Peyton held it together during his press conference, something I would not be able to accomplish after spending 14 years in one place. The only time it seemed he was close to shedding a few tears was when he spoke about his relationships with the Colts’ equipment staff.

It’s refreshing to see Manning speak about how grateful he was to Colts’ fans and how much of an honor it was to be their quarterback.

Now the question remains: Where will Manning end up?

It wasn’t your jersey retiring or statue building press conference for one reason — Manning isn’t hanging his cleats up. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has pointed to the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, and Arizona Cardinals as the four most likely teams to end up with Manning.

Whatever team is lucky enough to add Manning to its’ roster will get an immediate team leader who has the potential to help any NFL squad make a run in the playoffs.

Although I don’t know how many years he will play ,especially with the uncertainty of his neck injury, Peyton will still compete like he has something to prove while he is able.

All I can say to Andrew Luck — good luck trying to live up to one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.