The Predictably Anticlimactic Challenge Finale

Milli's out on vacation this week so I will be doing this one on my own. 

We should have known that the finale would be relatively unexciting given last week's episode and how it ended.  They have split the last handful of challenges across two weeks, starting it one week and then finishing it in the final episode.  That was not the case this year, they squeezed the entire final into one episode. There are a couple reasons for this:

1. The drama from last week was FANTASTIC, and they wanted to get as much of that footage in as possible.
2. The third team in the finale was so weak that they essentially had 2/3 of the footage that from the finale that they usually do. (Spoilers after the jump)

Elite 8 Sunday Showdowns

Both of yesterday's match-ups were fantastic, down to the wire, drama filled basketball games. They were everything that makes the tournament one of the greatest sporting events year after year. Unfortunately I'm not sure we will be able to say the same about today's games.

Game 1: Louisville vs Michigan State

I said it in Friday's preview, and I'll say it again.  Louisville is a complete enigma to me, a team that keeps surprising me at how well they are able to play without a key piece of their team. This is a clash of two great tournament coaches, Rick Pitino and Tom Izzo.  Every year both these coaches lead their teams deeper in the tournament than expected and everyone acts surprised.  Maybe it is time for the committee to wisen up and seed these teams a little higher.

Millionaire Matchmaker with...Lil' Romeo!

So, I stumbled across an episode of Millionaire Matchmaker where the millionaire was freaking Lil' Romeo. That's right. Lil' Romeo of My Baby fame.

Yes, he's still a player. Or so he says. But now he needs a girlfriend. He's just looking out for his future family.

Saturday's Elite Eight Matchups

Disclaimer: Milli is on vacation - expect grammatical errors

Since there are no more overlapping games, we will do a deeper dive into each of the day's games. Both should be exciting, competitive games, and are the best match-ups we could have hoped for when the brackets came out two weeks ago.

First Game: Wisconsin vs Arizona

Yes - last year these two faced off in the elite eight, and Wisconsin was victorious in an epic OT game.  In the game Kaminsky went off for 28 of Wisconsin's 64 points.  In that game Dekker only made 2 FG and was a relative non-factor.  I expect the game this year to be a bit different. First off, both these teams have improved since last year.  The roster turnover is minimal, everyone has improved, and both teams seem to be clicking on all cylinders.

Sweet 16 - Friday Matchups

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

I picked every game correctly in the Midwest so far... awesome.  That may or may not be the case for the other regions.  Of the eight teams playing today I only had Duke and Utah #awesome.  Enough about my bracket, here are today's match-ups.

Early Time Slot: Louisville vs NC State

Both of these teams fit the classic mold of "lots of talent but inconsistent", and both teams could make it out of the region if they win this game.  Looking back on it, the ACC was clearly undervalued by the committee and you could argue that NC State's talent is top 5 among the remaining teams. They have proven they can beat everyone (see convincing win at Duke).  Lousiville on the other hand is a complete enigma to me.  I'm surprised at how well they have played without Jones, and I will be surprised if they continue to play at that level.  I think the the three-headed guard monster of Barber, Turner, and Lacey show up, Anya neutralizes Harrell to some extent, and NC State wins relatively comfortably (note that NC State beat Lousiville in L'ville in their only prior meeting when the Cardinals still had Chris Jones).

Sweet 16 Thursday Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

The tourney is back tonight, and so are we, well at least I am. Milli is off gallivanting on vacation (blame the lack of editing on him).

Without further ado here are the Sweet 16 Games to Watch for Thursday:

Time Slot 1: Notre Dame vs Wichita St         

Notre Dame played two extremely exciting games last weekend and I expect that trend to continue. It is hard to see a scenario where either team is able to run away with this one.  I’m a bit surprised that Wichita State is favored actually - Notre Dame has been red hot (7 game winning streak), has the best player on the floor (Grant) and a clutch sidekick (Connaughton).  Meanwhile Wichita St went down “early” in the tourney last year, and played in a lesser conference.  I expect Notre Dame to keep their magical streak alive and win another nail biter.

Follow us on Twitter

So, Wiz and I have been writing pretty long posts to date. While it makes for a great read, we know you don't always have the time to read a whole article. You can get the same sass and wit in small doses by following us on Twitter. I let you know when we have new articles out, and if you're lucky I'll just be berating someone more famous than me on Twitter.

We kept it easy. Our handle is just @MilliAndWiz.

Sunday Tourney Spectacular

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

Early Afternoon Window: Virginia vs Michigan St

Other Games: Duke vs San Diego St (2:40 CBS)

Last year many considered this matchup to be one of the games of the tournament and there is no reason to think that history won't repeat itself. The committee did Virginia no favors by setting this rematch up and Michigan St has been playing well recently while Virginia has been struggling. The one thing Virginia has going for it is the return of Justin Anderson.  He looked significantly better on Friday than in the ACC tourney and if Virginia is going to pull this one out they will need 20-25 quality minutes from Anderson.  Look for a tight back and forth game here.  

Saturday Tourney Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today: 

What a crazy - but actually not that crazy first couple of days. Now almost every game will be competitive (unless Kentucky is playing).

Afternoon Window: Kentucky vs Cincinnati

Other Games: UCLA vs UAB (12:10 CBS)

Yes - I know you can watch both these games, but if you could only watch one I would pick Cincy and Kentucky. The other game may be entertaining, but the fact is neither of these teams will advance past the Sweet 16.  I am much more interested to see how Kentucky will deal with their stiffest test since pre-conference play.  I expect UK will win, and eventually pull away, but I would not be surprised if Cincinatti keeps it close for a half.

The Challenge FINAL is Here

Milli and Wiz recap this week's episode and look ahead to who we think will win next week:

The episode opened with everyone flying to Norway (Nany didn't know that Norway was in Europe). But it wasn't long before Nia and Bananas started yelling and screaming at Sarah/Jordan for putting Banany in the elimination (though that doesn't explain why Nia was complaining; she lost the last challenge fair and square). This resulted in Sarah having a meltdown, Nia sexually assulting Jordan, and Bananas looking genuinely upset for once in his life.

Wizlon: I'll go ahead and fire this off. What were your expectations for the episode - did you think the shaming and hatred on Sarah would be as absurd as it was?

Milli: It was absurd. She played the game as it is meant to be played, deceptively. I think the Sarah shaming was an attempt by Bananas to get in her head going into the final.

Friday Tourney Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today:

Noon Time Window: Georgia vs Michigan State

Other Games: Kansas vs New Mexico St (12:15 CBS)

I was tempted to pick the Kansas/New Mexico St game solely because of how poorly the B12 played yesterday.  After watching today's games, I really have no idea how this one will play out.  I could see a Spartan blowout, or a Dawg fight that UGA comes out on top of.  I know MSU had a great B10 tourney, but tourney success didn't pay off for Iowa State, and ND looked sluggish Thursday as well. 

Thursday Tourney Primer

Obviously the tourney staggers the start time of games so you can see the end of every game, but it is likely that you will spend the majority of each viewing window watching one game.  Here are the games you should be watching today:

Noon Window: Notre Dame vs Northeastern

 

Other Games: Iowa State vs UAB (12:40 TruTV)

Both of these games should be snoozers but will let us see whether the ACC and B12 tourney champs can stay on a roll. I think Notheastern is slightly better than UAB, and I think Notre Dame could be the victim of a slow start and/or bad shooting, which would make this game interesting.

This Week on The Challenge

Another very solid episode of The Challenge. Those 60 minutes absolutely flew by. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw "To Be Continued..." rear its ugly head (Really MTV, you're gonna do me like that? Two weeks in a row?). Although in retrospect, that's the least surprising thing ever. Next week will be the final elimination/the start of the finale, followed up by a final, dramatic episode.

First Things First: Hurricane Nia Wraps Up

Yes, I used this picture last week, but it's too awesome to pass up.  I don't want to break down Nia's tirade again, but long story short - she yelled a lot.  And then she went person to person in the house and apologized. Preposterous. But let's get to the real action.

What Happened on the Bubble?

68 teams will be dancing in March. The remainder of the 351 NCAA Division I basketball teams will not. Some of those teams have legitimate reasons to believe they should have a shot at the title, but they won't get it. Here's how the bubble shook out on Sunday.

Miami:

Record: 21-12 (10-8 ACC)

RPI: 63

BPI: 43

KenPom: 52
Best Win: RPI #5 Duke (away) 90-74
Worst Loss: RPI #157 Eastern Kentucky (home) 44-72

Miami crushed Duke AT CAMERON! How could they possibly be out? Oh, they got killed at home against EASTERN KENTUCKY? And they lost against ACC bottom dwellers Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State. Okay, maybe they don't deserve to be dancing.

Result: Out

The Committee....

It seems like every year there are awesome, inspiring, capitvating story lines in the tournament.  This guy is facing the team he used to coach, this team is playing the team it got upset by the year before, these two schools are only 60 miles apart, etc.  The NCAA would like you to believe these are coincidences.  They are not.  The committee clearly rigs the system to force these matchups, and it is especially egregious this year.  We'll have more in depth breakdown of regions, teams, and predictions as the week goes along, but here's a starting point.

Wichita State is a 7 seed and Kansas is a 2 seed.  

This is absurd.

Just How Good is Big Blue

All season long Kentucky has been lauded as destiny's child.  A team that is guaranteed to win the title.  A team that is going to go undefeated.

I think every non-Kentucky fan instantly dismissed this as overhype, the media trying to drum up story lines, and something to be quickly dismissed.  After all Kentucky did not win the championship last year, Kentucky was beaten 3 times by Florida last year.

Soccer Gets a Bad Rap and for Good Reason

So, I was browsing the internet today, and came across this clip:

This is obviously the problem with soccer for a lot of Americans. Don't get me wrong. I love soccer. If you think it's boring, you just lack an appreciation for the many intricacies in sports. Myron Medcalf probable hates soccer. The problem with soccer is that no self-respecting athlete should be able to do what the keeper does in the clip above. Sure, there's plenty of flopping in basketball, but you don't regularly see NBA players faking injuries. Have some respect for yourself, for the ref, and for the sport. Here are some other clips that make it hard for me to watch soccer, starting with a master of simulation (and generally being a dick), Sergio Busquets:

What's New on TV: Man Seeking Woman

FXX has added a new original show to its schedule. Following It's Always Sunny on Wednesday, at 10:30 pm, Man Seeking Woman stars Jay Baruchel as down-on-his-love-life Josh. You may recognize Baruchel; he's part of Judd Apatow's crew. Apatow cast Baruchel as the lead in his short lived sitcom, Undeclared, as a socially awkward college freshman. Since then, he's mostly been a bit part actor in Apatow films. In Knocked Up, he plays a goofy stoner, and in This Is The End , where he plays a socially awkward pothead (You may remember him as Seth Rogen's friend who really hated Jonah Hill, even though Jonah was nothing but nice to him).

ACC Tourney Preview

The ACC tournament swung into gear yesterday, with the bottom dwellers slugging it out in order to earn the right to play on Wednesday. Let's break down the ACC teams, and their chances in the conference tournament.

Trade + Free Agent Update/Recap

Going to try to "quickly" blast through some of the major moves from yesterday with a quick take on each.

Haloti Ngata to Detroit

Starting with the one closest to my heart.  I think this is a great move by the Lions.  I think this means they are out on Nick Fairley, but Ngata is a great replacement, and he's only got one year left on his deal.  I know Baltimore couldn't afford to keep Ngata on the payroll at 16 million but its hard for me to believe the sides couldn't come to some sort of agreement. Ngata has been the anchor to the interior of that line and was perfect for Suggs and Dumervil to play off.  I expect this to really hurt Baltimore next year.

The Bachelor Finale Live Chat

Unable to watch the Bachelor together, we live chatted throughout the finale - see below for our thoughts and a brief glimpse into what might be for next season (Spoilers):

Wiz: Are we both in agreement that Whitney is a given. Do you think it ends in engagement?

Milli: I think that he goes with Becca, because he's worried Whitney will say no. She's been the dark horse the whole way, and I think he likes her more than is portrayed on the show.

Milli: Also, Am I the only one who thinks Chris has a Lego head? 

The Real World's Bruno AKA The Hulk

So, we haven't had the blog up long enough to cover this season of Real World: Skeletons properly, but it's been an entertaining season. Last year, with Real World: Ex-plosion, MTV changed the formula for the series. No longer was Real World just about 7-8 strangers living in a house and raging face for weeks on end (the show is struggling, so a change is not surprising). The MTV producers decide that wasn't quite real enough, and that digging up people from the cast's past (their exes and their assorted skeletons, obviously) in order to stir up extra drama. And it has worked to perfection. This season, there's been the usually shenanigans (being drunk all the damned time, hooking up with roommates, etc.). But there have also been estranged siblings, ex-lovers, mortal enemies, no-show fathers and more. All of this is terrifyingly real material. But the most terrifying thing on the entire show is Bruno's rage. Bruno had not spoken to his estranged brother in over two years over an argument...about...I'll just let Bruno explain:

The Definitive Ranking of Football Jerseys

1.  The Throwback

 

Always a safe pick. Your sweet purple and gold Cris Carter jersey will never go out of style.

Best Challenge Episode.... Ever?

Not to toot my own horn, but last week (Monday), I said it was time to tune in to the Challenge, and boy, did it deliver.

Perhaps the most action packed, back stabbing, shit talking episode ever (Spoiler Alert!).

"Fuck I'm going to cry like a little bitch" - Theresa

The Marathon: Major League Baseball

Everyone rags on baseball for being too long. 162 games, plus another boatload in the playoffs, makes baseball "relevant" from March - October. One thing you have to give baseball credit for though, is that they recognize this and have taken measures to reduce the game time, and even have tossed around the idea of reducing the number of games.

However, I still think going to a baseball game is one of the most enjoyable sporting experiences out there.  The casual nature of the game, while boring on television is perfect for live viewing.  It gives you the opportunity to relax, talk with friends, and enjoy a cold one or two (Editor's note: Or five or six).

While most people were focusing on football, basketball and even hockey the last few months, a flurry of offseason moves were made by a bunch of prime contenders.

Bears Shopping Brandon Marshall

UPDATE: Brandon Marshall has been traded to the Jets pending a physical! Early word is a 5th round pick. I'll make that trade every day and twice on Sunday. Percy Harvin will be on the way out, assuming Marshall passes the physical.

The Bears are reportedly shopping Brandon Marshall. Brandon Marshall is getting up there (he turns 31 this March) and is often portrayed as a locker cancer (from last season about Jay Cutler's massive contract), but he is still a premiere receiver in this league. His base salary for 2015 is $7.5 million. At this price, the Bears will find willing trade partners. Surely, there are some wide receiver needy teams interested, but at what price. For reference, the Bears dealt two 3rd round picks to acquire Marshall from the Dolphins just three years ago.


Is Marshall still a premiere receiver?

Brandon Marshall was beat up during the 2014 season. He only played in 13 games last year, because he suffered a collapsed lung that caused him to miss the last three. Even in those he wasn't playing at 100%, having suffered an ankle injury early in the season. He still managed to put up decent numbers.

SEASON	TEAM	GP	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
2012	CHI	16	118	194	1,508	12.8	56	11
2013	CHI	16	100	163	1,295	13.0	44	12
2014-extrapolated	CHI	16	75	129	887	14.5	58	10

Note to the Media: The Athletes are the Talent

A big deal was made about Marshawn Lynch not talking to the media during the Seahawks run to the Super Bowl. Here's just one instance of his protest against the media.

I, for one, love it. I love seeing the media squirm when they're not due the respect they think they deserve. Other athletes have also made headlines over the years for not performing like puppets in the way the media expects them to behave.


'That's a Clown Question Bro'

The Definitive Ranking of Hats

A good hat can complete a look, keep the pesky sun out of your face or even just hide those ears you're self-conscious about. I've compiled a list of the different types of hats out there, so you can make an informed decision about which to wear out of the house.


1.  Baseball cap (forward, fitted) - 



I'm not talking about the comically over-sized cap that Smalls wears in The Sandlot. I just mean a nice, fitted baseball cap. You can even get the flam brim if you want, though I prefer the classic look. I have nothing against flat-brimmed caps, I'm just not white enough to think I'm hood enough to pull it off.

The Challenge Season Ex(ile) Midway Update

So this isn't exactly Midway through the season, but since Milli hijacked the Bachelor topic I figured I needed to steal the Challenge before he grabbed that too.

For those of you that don't know the Challenge is arguably the best show on TV.  What other show could possibly contain both of these clips.

Thoughts on the this season of The Bachelor

This season of the Bachelor, save a few zany contestants whose time on the show is now over, is limping into its finale. We're even down to just one virgin. Before the always entertaining Women Tell All episode tonight, I thought I'd share my thoughts on this season of the Bachelor so far, and of the final two contestants. I may be biased, as I'm personally not a huge fan of Chris Soules as the Bachelor, but I'm not a huge fan of this season. Chris is a very subdued and just kind of boring guy. Don't get me wrong, he seems like a great dude. And he'll probably be a great husband and father. But, a life in Arlington, Iowa with him just sounds incredibly dull.

That's why I think he'll choose Becca, who seems equally as dull. Hell, she doesn't even have a passion for hand-holding, let alone a healthy sex life. When they talk, I see two people who get each other. It's hard to see sparks, but Becca and Chris aren't the type of lovers that need fireworks. They'll just be content together. And that's all it seems like they'll need.

Whitney on the other hand, despite her high-pitched shrill and strong odor of baby crazy, seems like she might want more in life. She won't have the opportunity to continue her career in Iowa, and, as much as she wants to be a mother, I think that bothers her. Below is a Google Earth view of Arlington, IA.

Is the Big 12 overrated?

The Big 12 has found a glitch in the matrix this year. We keep hearing about how deep the Big 12 is, and how this year’s Big 12 might be the best conference of all time. But, what I see are a bunch of inconsistent and overrated teams. They are overrated by both the traditional methods of ranking (i.e., AP poll) and by new age metrics (i.e., KenPom). It seems that the Big 12 has cracked the code behind looking like a top tier conference. By taking care of business during their out of their soft out of conference schedules, they entered the conference schedule with 6 out of 10 teams ranked in the AP. These teams have proceeded to beat up on each other, providing an entertaining but confusing Big 12 basketball season.

I dove into the numbers to try and help me decipher the Big 12 (I’ll use the RPI, since ESPN already aggregates some of the data for me). Here are some jarring numbers on the Big 12 this year:

-       Texas is 1-12 against the RPI top 50 this year after a loss against Kansas on Saturday. Yet, somehow they ranked #47 in the RPI. (and a ridiculous 22 in KenPom, while going 17-12!). At a certain point, you have to ask why Texas are still being rewarded for their tough conference schedule, and not held responsible for consistently losing to top teams. They are still miraculously on the bubble.

Patagonia Power Rankings

Inspired by the recent half off sale on Patagonia fleeces.


Tier Take it or Leave It: Any brown Patagonia, #turdcolored

Tier Not Sure How We Feel: Two Tones and Hoodies

Uncovering Reality TV Gems

So, as we've made apparent with our first two posts, Wiz and I are both big sports fans. This is among our manlier passions. On the other hand, we also love reality TV, which is, well...not. We have a well-defined slate of reality TV that we watch on a weekly basis. I'm sure at some point we'll cover these shows and make our love for them quite apparent. For now, I'm going to take you on a perilous journey into the dark depths of reality TV. We'll try not to dwell too long on each particular show, because, as is often the case with reality TV, the show and the people on them get sadder the longer and closer you look.

Big Women, Big Love (Lifetime):

This video is probably all you need to know about Big Women, Big Love. This is Kristi, 34, a single mother from Texas. She is finally free of her kids for a weekend, and she wastes no time getting loose. If Kristi isn't on the next season of Dancing with the Stars, I don't know how I'll go on.

Best College Basketball Halftime Shows

Wiz dipped his toes in Memory Lake with his court-storming post, and it convinced me to join him on the Nostalgia Train.


Quick-Change:

I'm convinced the following video is witchcraft. Sure, we can form our own conspiracy theories to explain what is going on in this video. Maybe she has multiple dresses on, and just pulls off the top layer each times. Maybe each progressively smaller changing station is loose at the bottom to conceal her old dresses as they fall to the floor. Those are all good theories. Until the 5:52 mark. There she is in a pink dress. And some glitter falls. And then...WAIT WHAT? SHE'S IN A FREAKING RAINBOW DRESS NOW. ALL THAT HAPPENED WAS GLITTER. WITCHCRAFT! MAGIC! SORCERY!

Maybe one day science will be able to explain the quick-change finale, but for now we will all have to assume it is the result of dark sorcery.

College Basketball Court Storming Etiquette

We all love storming the court and fondly remember the days that we stormed it ourselves.

In the past few years, many "important" coaches (Bill Self and Coach K) have spoken out against the practice and say it has no place in sports.

After the above storming, Coach K spoke out about the dangers of court storming and how preposterous the act is (Notice how quickly the security guards in yellow cordoned off the Duke bench and Coach K).  Bill Self, as well as one of his players, was targeted by a fan. But this is the exception, not the rule.