On to Basketball

It eventually comes around every season and it never gets any easier to swallow, but lets face it gentlemen; (or ladies, I'm sure there are some out there) football is over. And unless you are still all fired up every Sunday for the just as entertaining, but somehow lacking Arena Football League, life as we know it just isn't the same. The first green buds of life may be sprouting out of the Earth, but somehow we all feel colder. Regardless, mulling over it won't make it any better so let us look to the future together. We are still in that special time of year when the dreary distractions of Baseball are at a minimum and the thrill of March Madness is just around the corner. Its time to start paying attention to NBA action now that the All Star Break has passed. Throw in draft and free-agency periods and we've got us some sports baby!

It has been interesting how all the talk in College Hoops this year has been about possible draft bound freshman and very little about national contenders. Besides the fact the teams like Florida and UCLA aren't very "Network sexy," this year has continued the trend towards individual achievement and recognition. Each season, more and more of the interest is put into the rising superstars that carry the teams and not the teams themselves. Never mind the fact that the best teams still win championships. In a league that is quickly becoming just a springboard to the pro's, nobody cares about team consistency, or chemistry.

Now I say everybody loosely, as this is only a slowly moving trend and there are still many media circles that are excited about team achievements. No team more exemplifies this than those lovable A&M Aggies and their rise to serious contention. Who would have seen it coming? This campus would rather watch a Maroon/White offseason scrimmage than a game on the hard court. Coach Gillespie gets all the props for putting together a big time basketball program in Aggieland. All that being said, even with their top ten ranking, I don't see this team making it all the way to ATL. I like their feisty play and leadership under Acie Law, but they just don't have the ingredients for the big run. I could be wrong though; how they fair in the Big 12 tournament will shed some more light on their big dance hopes.

Me and the Horns this season has been an interesting ride. I was able to catch their games against Villanova and Kansas State, and lets just say I avoided watching them again for the rest of this season. It took me awhile to accept Kevin Durant as an all star, but hours of highlight reels are hard to ignore. I still don't like his lack of muscle and authority down low, but his aggressiveness is improving. Rather than KD, I jumped on the bandwagon of DJ Augustine early, I love a guy who can aggressively attack the basket and still have some long range accuracy. Texas's outlook in March will have to do largely with who ends up with them in their bracket. Their inexperience and lack of depth will ultimately limit how deep they get, but I can see that raw talent pulling out a few good ones.

Purely for an opportunity to brag, my preseason predictions were right on the money in the NBA. (minus Houston, who has finally overcome the injury plague) I'd love to delve into the league further, but I'll let whatever audience that is out there do that. I will only end with the fact that the Mavs are rolling, but my Spurs are still lurking and primed for a heartbreak. (Oh, and Box's blog is totally Burnt Orange)