Hello, Friends!!!

Hello, Friends (Jim Nance voice)!! Does Jim Nance, CBS Lead Sports Broadcaster, have the best job or what? He gets to do all of the important and lead NFL games on Sundays, he is the lead on NCAA basketball games, and he does all of the golf tournaments. So forgive me if I am a little jealous of the guy who gets to do the Nancey tour and go from calling the Final Four and NCAA National Championship game, to then swinging on over to Augusta and call the Master’s. God really did shine down on him. So for this post, I’ll take you through the Nancey tour, hitting on last night’s NCAA National Championship game, a 67-59 Kentucky victory over Kansas, and then touch on my Masters preview. 

The National Championship game: Kentucky v. Kansas. 

Kentucky ran away with this game from the start, beating Kansas 67-59. The score does not reflect how this game played out. Kentucky was in complete control the entire game and despite a late push by Kansas (cutting the lead to 9 with under 3 minutes to play in the game); this game was never in-doubt for Kentucky. For the record, I picked Kentucky to win it all in my official NCAA March Madness bracket, but I had them beating Ohio St., who in their own right made it to the Final Four and came a basket away from making the Championship game. 

There were two matchups that I thought were key to Kansas having any chance of beating Kentucky. The first matchup was at point guard with Kansas’s Tyshawn Taylor v. Kentucky’s Marquis Teague. This was a classic senior v. freshman matchup; with the freshman winning the battle without much of a fight from the senior. Teague is more talented and has more NBA potential than Taylor, but I thought Taylor would use his experience as an advantage and play step-for-step with Teague. That wasn’t the case. Taylor once again showed his inconsistent play, taking the ball too deep into the lane, taking and forcing bad shots, or turning over the ball at crucial points. Teague proved yet again that he is too quick for anyone on the court to guard him. He consistently pushed the ball up the court, controlling the tempo, and drove into the lane for easy layups. While he could probably use an extra year at Kentucky, and all signs point to him staying, he is NBA ready if he chooses to leave. 

The other matchup that I thought was key was at center with Kansas’s Jeff Withey v. Kentucky’s Anthony Davis. This was a matchup I was looking forward to seeing and said people shouldn’t discount. Withey is a true 7’0” footer and a big body who could muscle up against Davis. Withey also led the tourney in block shots, proving that he was a presence in the paint. Withey played good defense against Davis, making him go 1-10 from the field; and held his ground when Davis tried to back him down in the paint. Davis only had one field goal to entire game, which came late in the second half on a 15-foot baseline jump shot. This still didn't stop Davis. He was clearly the most dominating player on the court; grabbing 16 rebounds, 6 block shots, and altering many more. Conversely, I loved what Kentucky did on offense to neutralize Withey in the paint. Kentucky took Davis and moved him to the high post, using him as a facilitator of their offense. This drew Withey away from the basket and allowed guys like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Teague, and Doron Lamb to get easy buckets in the paint. 

There is no doubt that Kentucky was by far the more superior team on the court last night and is possibly the best collection of talented players we scene play together in a decade. This team would kill the 2011 UCONN team and the 2010 Duke team. The 2008 Kansas team wouldn’t have a shot. The 2007 and 2006 Florida teams would make it a game for a little while, but ultimately they would fade from lack of offense. The 2009 and 2005 UNC teams would actually put up a good fight. But this Kentucky team was phenomenal and I'm actually starting to buy into the notion that this Kentucky could beat the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. Another refreshing thing about this Kentucky team; for once, we are actually seeing a team of one-and-done players, playing as a team. Everyone on Kentucky had a role, they embraced their role, and it delivered them a National Championship. Great job, Kentucky; and special thanks for making me look good. 


The Masters – 

Now, (in my Bill Murray, Carl Spackler voice) Here at Augusta!!! I love the Masters!! It’s my favorite golf tournament and definitely my favorite out of the four Majors. The majestic scenery, the historic presence, and the prestige that is associated with the Masters; it beats any golf tournament. It may not be the toughest golf course for the golfers, but it’s the most magical. Walking Augusta National during the Masters would definitely be a bucket-list item for me. So with that, here are my Masters predictions:

- Tiger Woods will win the Masters. If not, he will at least finish in the top 4. If Tiger is ever going to win another Major, or multiple Majors, it starts with Augusta. He kills Augusta National. He’s won the Masters 4 times in his career and since he last won it in 2005, Tiger has finished no worse than 6^th on the leader board. Coming off a dominating performance at Bay Hill, look for Tiger to be in the hunt, or running away with the Green Jacket come Sunday. 

- My non-Tiger winner pick is Bubba Watson. He has been playing well of late, finishing second at Bay Hill behind Tiger; and he is primed to win a Major. Usually, the Masters is the one Major golfers win for their first Major tournament. His length will play well at Augusta and should give him plenty of birdie opportunities on the Par 4's and short Par 5’s. If guys like Zach Johnson, Trevor Immelman, and Charl Schwartzel can win the Masters, I’m guessing Bubba is a 34R coat size. 

- The winning score will be 277, -11. The last three winning scores of the Masters have been -14, -16, and -12. The weather should be clear and calm, making the course easy to play. I’m not sure what course modifications have been made this year, but a double-digit under par score is in the works for the winner. 

So with the NCAA Championship game happening on Monday, then we get a little mid-week Opening Day Baseball, and finish up with a little Easter Sunday Masters. What a great week! I can't wait to hear the soft piano music start playing and Nancey's silky smooth voice utter the two most famous words in Masters tournament history, "Hello, Friends!!" 


Mr. Armchair Speaking –